Sports & Recreation

For Canadians, hockey is the game. Shared experiences and memories—lacing up for the first time, shinny on an outdoor rink, Sidney Crosby’s historic goal, or the one scored by Maurice Richard—make hockey more than just a game. While the relationship between hockey and national identity has been studied, where does the game fit into our understanding of multiple, diverse Canadian identities today?

This interdisciplinary book considers hockey, both as professional and amateur sport, and both in historical and contemporary context, in relation to larger themes in Canadian Studies, including gender, race/ethnicity, ability, sexuality, geography, and reflects upon all aspects of hockey in Canadian life: play, fandom, sports broadcasting, and community activism.

This interdisciplinary scholarly collection is an extension of the “Hockey in Canada: More Than Just a Game” exhibition presented by the Canadian Museum of History.

Published in English. Includes one chapter in French.

Does hockey provide a better understanding of the differences between Canadian and Québécois nationalisms? Is there a fundamental relationship between the hockey arena and the political arena? What have we lost as a society in abolishing the tie game? Are salaries in the NHL really that outrageous? Is hockey more art than sport? Should hockey players be banned from using performance-enhancing drugs at all costs? Do goalies suffer from angst? Does our national sport have its own mythology and metaphysics? Do hockey brawls reflect our true human nature more than we would care to admit? And what would it be like if the great philosophers were to face off on the ice?

A team of philosophy and hockey buffs go deep with these fascinating questions and many others in this examination of a worshipped sport elevated to something akin to a cult. Accessibly written and peppered with humour, the essays in this book will charm specialists, sports fans, and everyone in between. Whether you’re a fan of Richard, Gretzky, Crosby, Plato, Kant, or Kierkegaard, you’re invited to be a spectator at this very special meeting of minds!

Published in English.