Like many others, we both (Alec and Mikhail) have had the recent pleasure of reading Rick Westhead‘s newest book, “We Breed Lions.” Westhead, an extremely experienced investigative journalist who has provided some of the most honest reporting into the world of hockey, provides a collection of stories and corresponding thoughts on hockey’s “culture” in Canada. By looking at the past, present and future of the sport and how it has truly turned into an industry in many respects, Westhead brings to light the realities that face hockey players at all levels, but especially those playing junior hockey in Canada.
The book is headlined by the 2018 Canadian World Junior Championship sexual assault trial that Westhead reported on previously, tracking back through time to examine the reasons that instances such as this even came to existence. You should absolutely read the book as this review will not stand close to the amazing job Westhead does. But we both wanted to provide our own thoughts and takeaways. I will provide my review here and Mikhail will follow up with his own article say stay tuned!
*NOTE the opinions and conclusions herein are our own and do not necessarily reflect any opinions or statements made by anyone else including without limitation anything found in or associated with “We Breed Lions.”
“We Breed Lions” Review
An Unusual Path to Hockey
I do not have a typical path into hockey. Nor can I say I played at a very high level, relatively speaking. Growing up in a rural town in coastal northeastern North Carolina, the closest ice rink to my home was 45 minutes away and that did not exist until I was 16 years old. I created a roller hockey team at my high school my senior year and then headed to college in Wilmington, North Carolina. There I decided to make the switch to ice with the club team before heading onto Wake Forest University for law school.
But ever since, my love for the game has never subsided. My own path of having to become a grinder to try to “outwork” others for spots left a strong indention in not only how I viewed hockey, but also a lot of life. I was fortunate to not have the experiences outlined in We Breed Lions specifically, but I did have enough experience to see some of the different sides, good and bad, that hockey can have.
Real Pieces to a Real Painting
I give that background to help frame my thought process and impressions from reading the book. In today’s day and age, anyone and everyone seems to have thoughts and opinions on subjects and events without much more than a quick post on X or Instagram reel. But in We Breed Lions, we see the depth of knowledge and experience that Westhead takes through a series of intentional interviews and first-hand accounts to paint the picture of certain depths of hockey that may not be so widely publicized.
The book provides accounts of various actual events such as junior hockey players being treated like gods who then partake in taking advantage of women with no real consequences. At first you may say, “Oh wow, that’s crazy that it happened there.” But the book continues to provide further similar events that happen all across different places at different times and you start to wonder, how is this a recurring thing? Is it connected or is it just coincidence? Many of these events shook the small Canadian towns where they occurred, only to “sink” to the bottom of the sea like an anchor. Westhead details the cover ups, coercion and lack of investigating that occurred so frequently in a way that captures captivating stories with plenty of provocation for further thoughts.
When you combine the frequency of those events that have no real connection beyond involving hockey players, you start to see the full portrait of a potentially greater issue inherent to hockey. Westhead’s ability to tie together these stories from many different viewpoints, eras of hockey, and locations is second to none when it comes to telling a story and actually presenting an issue with support and analysis. Needless to say, this book is not just an X post.
Development, Fan Engagement, Money and Culture Issues all Grown in the Same Soil
But Westhead continues to hit different sides to the bigger issues in hockey. The issue is not that hockey players take advantage of women, that coaches take advantage of younger players (like Brad Aldrich when he was video coach for the Chicago Blackhawks), or that abusive hazing happens in the locker room to the point of a class action lawsuit. Yes, those are big issues that are all discussed in the book. But the book shows that those may be plants grown from the same soil.
Issues In and From Development
One part of the book that I thought really showed this was when Westhead discussed some of the differences between hockey development in Canada and Sweden. To summarize it, in Canada the focus is mostly on the individual player. Their stats, their status, their ability to get to the next step. It all takes precedent over almost anything else. In Sweden development typically focuses more on the team. And culturally, kids are a little different as they frequently opt to stay closer to home instead of moving far away to play for the flashiest team.
This seems like such an innocent thing compared to the other issues presented in the book, but it was an excellent example to show the depth of the issues at hand. When everything is “me, me, me” and the focus is on “making it,” not only does development change, but ethics and care for others around you can take a serious hit. You are told you are the best, you are treated like a god, you are equipped with thousands of dollars of equipment that you break after one missed shot with the expectation that it will just be replaced. There are little to no consequences as long as you are a good player. And the book puts it all together to show how deep the web intertwines it.
Individual Focus to Fan Engagement and Back Again
Personally, I have even seen this to a degree when it comes to fan engagement in hockey. There have always been superstar players and there is nothing wrong with that. But it seems like the progression of hockey is that people generally want to focus on what the players do individually as it comes to the success of the team.
When a team fails, many times the “proposed solution” is that they need a “game changer.” Maybe that is true sometimes, but less focus seems to be on how well the team operated as a unit. The drama is much better if you focus on the players too. And so the cycle continues as players, teams and leagues lean into that to drive engagement. But it shows how even in the most distant circles, individualism in hockey in North America seems to take a much stronger focus than that of the team.
Working for a Better Tomorrow, Even if Progress is Slow
But Westhead’s writing isn’t all doom and gloom. While his storytelling and analysis are both captivating and well presented, there are stories of progress and a hope for a better tomorrow in hockey. And we must be very wary of speaking in generalities and assumptions. It’s clear that the book is not to “destroy” hockey. It is to actually to make the sport better and greater from the top to the bottom. Sometimes just bringing light to an issue can be enough to start killing the darkness involved. But it’s not just presenting the issues, it is challenging the status quo and challenging those to take the small steps to make things better. Sometimes it is simple and small steps that can help move the needle.
So to conclude it all, not only is “We Breed Lions” an informative and captivating book, but it is also one of those steps to make hockey a better game for all. Hockey is an amazing sport with immense amounts of potential to make the world a better place. Not only are there exceptions to the bad apples involved. There are actually people involved that use hockey for good. Rick Westhead has done that through his journalism and further through “We Breed Lions.”
Post image attribution by: Resolute, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
