“The culture and systems around hockey need to be better”: Rick Westhead on his new book, We Breed Lions

On May 26, 2022, TSN reporter Rick Westhead broke the story that Hockey Canada had settled a $3.55-million lawsuit with a woman known as E. M., who alleged that eight Canadian Hockey League players had sexually assaulted her. Westhead’s report led to mass resignations at Hockey Canada and a national reckoning on the rape culture in Canada’s favourite sport. In 2024, five of the eight men were charged with sexual assault, but they were ultimately acquitted in a deeply controversial verdict. Drawing on his past three years covering the case, Westhead’s new book, We Breed Lions, examines the toxic masculinity at the heart of hockey, asking where it comes from and what can be done to fix it for good.

What was the genesis of this book? In 2020, I wrote a book called Finding Murph about Joe Murphy, a one-time NHL star whose life had spiralled out of control. He made millions of dollars but wound up addicted to drugs and homeless. I used it as a way to dig into how the NHL handles player injuries and painkiller use. That book did well, but I didn’t see another story I thought would work for a book until we broke the news about the settlement between E. M. and Hockey Canada in 2022.

Related: Meet the lawyer representing a player at the centre of the Hockey Canada trial

Now that the Hockey Canada trial has wrapped, how do you feel about it? Was justice done? There were some interesting choices made. The judge questioned E. M.’s credibility because of inconsistencies in her testimony but didn’t seem to mind some of the defendants failing to disclose information to the police. She also excluded evidence from players who were at the same hotel that night but weren’t accused of wrongdoing. Still, “not guilty” does not mean “innocent.”

Hence the need for a book. What did your research look like? It was a real sprint. I interviewed 58 current and former junior hockey players. I wasn’t asking them about their best goal. It was more like, “Tell me how it feels to move away from home at 16 to a new community.” Most of the players talked about how desperate they were to be accepted—and how they’d do anything to that end.

Are you a real hockey head? I play twice a week in Toronto. There’s nothing better than ripping around on the ice, setting up a nice goal and hanging out with a bunch of great guys. There’s so much about it that I love. But I look at the culture and the system around it, and I think, Man, this needs to be better.

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Any surprising discoveries while researching the book? Academics have been grappling for decades with the question of how we got here and how to effect change in hockey culture. They’ve offered their data to the leagues, but invariably the leagues have refused to look—because if they did, the experts say, that would mean they could be held accountable.

Some of those researchers argued that intense team sports make men predisposed to sexual assault. Do you agree? It’s not my opinion, but I do cite that research. Studies from the US have shown that on university campuses, the most commonly reported sexual assaults are perpetrated by players of team sports.

In the book, you talk about how junior hockey is steeped in toxic masculinity. Is that the root of the problem? As Canadians, we have this inherent love for hockey. It’s been part of our social fabric for so long that to question whether parts of the game are broken is almost unpatriotic. It’s like the movie Spotlight, about how Boston Globe reporters uncovered that Catholic church was covering up sexual abuse in its ranks. I think it’s fair to compare the power of the church with the power the sport of hockey has over Canada.

Related: The stars of the PWHL’s Toronto Sceptres on finally having a league of their own

Is it possible to foster healthy masculinity through sports? I hope so. My younger son just went off to the University of Guelph. He’s not a small kid—he’s six foot two and goes to the gym a lot. I talked to him before he left, and I said, “Our expectation of you is that, if you’re at a party and a girl looks uncomfortable, you do something.” It’s not good enough to just walk away. I would expect my sons to get involved and be protectors instead.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.