Book launch - Rick Westhead: We Breed Lions: Confronting Canada's Troubled Hockey Culture
Join us for the launch of We Breed Lions: Confronting Canada's Troubled Hockey Culture, by award-winning journalist and bestselling author Rick Westhead, presented in collaboration by Library and Archives Canada and the Ottawa International Writers Festival.
TSN Senior Correspondent Rick Westhead delivers a hard-hitting and powerful look at hockey's moment of reckoning in Canada, exploring how a game beloved nationwide has been rocked in recent years by court cases involving sexual assault and startling incidents of hazing and abuse throughout junior hockey.
In We Breed Lions, Westhead does a deep dive into the state of hockey in Canada today. He amplifies the voices of those who have been sexually assaulted by hockey players, shedding light on the struggles they've faced in seeking justice. He also explores what goes on inside the dressing room, revealing how attitudes of misogyny and homophobia persist, and speaks with former players who endured degrading initiation rituals in order to “be one of the guys.”
Central to Westhead's extraordinary reporting are the game’s gatekeepers—league officials, team owners and governing bodies—who are often reluctant to enforce change from the outside and too willing to place profit above player and community well-being.
Yet Westhead also offers hope. He highlights individuals and organizations committed to educating players on consent, ending hazing and redefining what it means to be a man both on and off the ice. Featuring a foreword by bestselling author Stephen Brunt, We Breed Lions is essential reading for parents, players and anyone who loves the game of hockey and who wants to see it get to a better place.
Event details
- Date
- Wednesday, November 19, 2025
- Time
- 7:00 p.m.
- Admission
- Free admission; registration is required
- Location
- Library and Archives Canada
- Event address
- 395 Wellington Street, Ottawa, Ontario
Registration
Seating is limited, so please register:
Have a question? Please email evenements-events@bac-lac.gc.ca.