We Breed Lions by Rick Westhead
Confronting Canada's Troubled Hockey Culture
We Breed Lions: Confronting Canada’s Troubled Hockey Culture by Rick Westhead provides a disturbing portrait of hockey culture in Canada, while at the same time offering hope for the future.
In May 2022, Westhead, an investigative reporter with TSN, broke the story about allegations of sexual assault involving Team Canada junior hockey players after a 2018 event in London, Ontario. Westhead’s story discussed Hockey Canada’s handling of the case, which involved a confidential settlement that was, as the book’s online description states, “paid out of a secret slush fund worth millions of dollars that the organization kept on hand to settle such complaints quietly.”
The players received a not guilty verdict after the case was re-opened and came to trial. However, the widespread attention received by the case, and Hockey Canada’s handling of it, resulted in broader discussions about hockey culture.
Though Westhead discusses the trial, including his own observations from the courtroom and comments made by legal experts, the focus of We Breed Lions is broader than one situation. Westhead delves into other aspects of hockey culture, including hazing. He reviews other instances where allegations of sexual misconduct were made against hockey players, as well as cases that involved hockey players as victims.
Westhead explores the growing elitism in hockey, partly a function of rising costs, the commodification of supposedly “non-profit” minor hockey teams which are bought and sold, and the vulnerability of players in the junior hockey model, which has athletes moving away from home at a relatively young age.
We Breed Lions discusses how hockey organizations and even communities where junior hockey teams play have resisted efforts to bring guilty parties to justice, and instances in which police forces have been less than thorough in investigating cases involving hockey players.
While hockey organizations have argued that sexual misconduct is part of a broader social issue and have sometimes tried to portray instances of sexual assault as the work of “a few bad apples,” Westhead’s book presents evidence of a culture that sets a fertile ground for such misconduct.
Many former players reached out to Westhead to share their stories. One said that while he loved his time on the ice, he hated the off-ice time because of the toxic environment. Players elaborated on team cultures in which rookies were bullied by older players.
Players described hazing incidents in which veteran players pressured rookies, as part of their “initiation,” to drink excess amounts of alcohol, take drugs, or engage in humiliating, degrading, and sometimes indecent acts. Some of the activities described by ex-players were painful or even sadistic, but because of the locker room code, players complied and kept quiet.
Many did not tell their families what happened to them until years later, if at all. Some saw activities that they knew were wrong, but were afraid to speak up because of the “code of silence” expectations. For some, their junior hockey days left emotional and psychological scars.
When players did speak out, perpetrators often went unpunished or later landed on their feet elsewhere. Meanwhile, those who raised issues were frequently ostracized by the hockey community. It’s the code of silence that enables the abuse to continue, Westhead argues. That, along with the reluctance of hockey organizations to peer too closely at what’s under the hood.
The final chapter of Westhead’s book describes the efforts of some teams to change the culture, and to increase understanding of issues like consent and the legal impact of sharing intimate images with others. Efforts made by the Peterborough Petes are cited as an illustration of what can be done, and demonstrate how increasing empathy and understanding can lead to on-ice success.
Perhaps not surprising given Westhead’s journalism background, the book is thoroughly researched, and Westhead reaches out to many organizations where abuse has been alleged to have occurred to provide the opportunity for comment.
The content of We Breed Lions does not make for easy or comfortable reading. This is not the fault of Westhead’s smooth writing style, but rather the disturbing nature of many of the incidents and examples described. But the note of hope offered in the final chapters suggests that there may be light at the end of the tunnel after all.
About the Author
Rick Westhead is TSN’s Senior Correspondent and a two-time winner of Canadian sports writer of the year, presented by Sport Media Canada. Canadian Journalists for Freedom of Expression recognized him in 2023 with the Arnold Amber Award for Investigative Journalism. Westhead breaks news of consequence and has won six Canadian Screen Awards for his original features for various TSN properties. In 2025, he was recognized for his “fearless reporting” by The Hockey News in its list of 100 People of Power and Influence in hockey. Prior to joining TSN, Westhead served as a foreign correspondent for the Toronto Star, where he reported on the ground in countries including Afghanistan, China, and Saudi Arabia.
About the Reviewer
Ontario resident Lisa Timpf writes poetry, book reviews, short stories, and creative nonfiction. Her speculative poetry collections Cats and Dogs in Space (2025) and In Days to Come (2022) are available from Hiraeth Publishing in print and electronic formats. You can find out more about Lisa’s writing projects at http://lisatimpf.blogspot.com/. Lisa is also on Bluesky, @lisatimpf.bsky.social, and her author Facebook page is @lisa.timpf.author.
Book Details
Publisher: Random House Canada
Publication date: Nov. 4 2025
Language: English
Print length: 408 pages
ISBN-10: 1039012930
ISBN-13: 978-1039012936