The Culture of Hockey in Canada
Written by Theressa Jabbour
Thumbnail photo by Nathanaël Desmeules on Unsplash
Whether you are a newcomer to Canada or have lived here all your life, you might have noticed how deeply ingrained the sport of hockey is in both the culture and its people. Named Canada’s official national winter sport by the Senate and the House of Commons of Canada in 1994, hockey has grown a great deal since its origins in the 19th century. What began as a simple stick-and-ball sport influenced by games from both the United Kingdom and North American indigenous cultures, became a very popular sport played worldwide. The version of the sport everyone knows was first played in Montreal, at the Victorian Skating Rink, in 1875. The organiser, a man named James Creighton, was a Halifax native studying at McGill University, and is sometimes considered the ‘father of ice hockey’. His innocent desire to play the game with friends prompted him to organise the first hockey game ever to be played at an indoor rink with a set of rules. This eventually led to the formation of hockey as we know it. For his innovative efforts, he was inducted into the Nova Scotia Sports Hall of Fame in 1993. If you love to play and/or watch hockey, you’ve got this man to thank.
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Hockey spread rapidly across both Canada and the world, and it is one of the most played sports amongst both adults and youths. While its participation rates might have dwindled with the rising popularity of other sports, such as football (soccer) and basketball, hockey was the most popular amongst 18-24 year olds in 2023, according to the National Post. At 21.8 percent, it beat out basketball at 17.6 percent and football (soccer) at 12.4 percent, and was followed by 30.6 percent of Canadians. Although these numbers seem close, the sport is also growing with the influx of immigrants who want to feel connected to Canadian culture, and what better way for them to do that than through sports, with 13 percent of immigrants paying close attention to hockey.
On the national stage, hockey teams from Canada and the United States compete as part of the National Hockey League for the chance to win the Stanley Cup. Consisting of 32 member clubs, the NHL hosts events all across both countries. On the international stage, Canada competes as one of 83 member countries of the International Ice Hockey Federation. Both the Canadian men’s and women’s teams ranked first in the world according to the IIHF's World Rankings list. Records wise, the men’s team has 28 gold medals, 16 silver and 9 bronze in 76 appearances under their belts, while the women’s team has 12 gold medals, 9 silver and 1 bronze in 22 appearances so far. The Canadian hockey team has also won 9 gold medals, 4 silver medals, and 3 bronze medals at the Winter Olympics. With multiple successes on both the national and international level, winning golds at both the Olympics and IIHF championships, there is every reason for Canadians to continue supporting and playing hockey. Nationalistic pride is certainly a good reason to love a sport.
This winning mentality can even be seen in school, junior and university hockey teams. Hockey Canada hosts several tournaments for U18 and U17 men and women, as well as other junior championships, helping to foster an environment of growth at the grassroots level of the sport. U Sports manages hockey at the university level, along with several regional organisations such as Atlantic University Sports. With many opportunities that support both young men and women playing hockey, Canada’s national winter sport seems like it should not be losing momentum anytime soon.
However, we cannot deny that youth participation has begun to decrease in recent years, due to the accessibility of the sport. According to an article by the Capital Current, there are barriers to the sport for low-income communities. The costs of financing and maintaining child participation in tournaments is often greater than what a family could manage, especially if they are newcomers. Registration and equipment costs are not cheap, and fees for transportation and boarding definitely ups the price. If hockey could be made more affordable for young children, Canada could find itself having a greater pool of talent. There is no better way to continue Canada’s international dominance than by encouraging and finding promising athletes from a young age.
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Another downside to men’s hockey is the culture of toxic masculinity that it fosters. An article by CBC details the discourse around the subject, adding that this hyper-masculinity glorifies violence and male toughness that often leads to fights on the ice. A big part of hockey seems to be aggressive behaviour, so if you ever find yourself watching a hockey game for the very first time, don’t be too surprised if the players just start fighting each other in the middle of the game. With opposing players under a great deal of stress, and having no concern other than winning the game, it is no wonder that tensions are running high and they can easily antagonise one another. However, although this behaviour has been begrudgingly accepted in some levels of hockey, it is an attitude that needs to be put down due to the dangers it poses to the athletes.
Despite some shortcomings of the sport during its growth and development, hockey remains an integral part of Canadian culture that can be enjoyed by both natives, immigrants and foreigners. Games can be enjoyed by the entire family, with an electric atmosphere and fun entertainment. Whether you’re watching a high school hockey game or the Mooseheads at the Scotiabank Centre, the sentiment is always the same: Canadians love their hockey.