NHL Power Rankings – 60-Game Mark
March 13, 2025
The Nuclear Option: 2024-25 Edition
March 20, 2025March 13, 2025 by Ryan Lotsberg
Many serious sexual violence cases involving hockey players have come to light over the past handful of years, which has exposed the fact that there’s a significant issue in hockey culture (if people weren’t already aware). The majority of the cases that have been brought into the spotlight in that timeframe have involved teenage hockey players, which is a sign of that culture issue being a minor hockey culture issue, especially at higher levels.
If you want more evidence that there’s an issue with the way that sex is thought of in hockey culture, then I’ll show you some t-shirts and hoodies that Hockey Bender sells. Some slogans that appear on their kids shirts include “Makin’ saves gettin’ babes”, “i love hockey moms” (and “i love hockey dads”), “Bardizzy gettin’ rizzy”, and “Clappin’ bombs’ wheelin’ moms”. Those slogans also appear on adult sized shirts. Others include “Scorin’ hatties pullin’ baddies”, “Breakin’ sticks wheelin’ chicks”, and “Rippin’ wristers wheelin’ sisters”.
They even have a hoodie that says “Certified puck bunny” on it, which calls out the fact that there are a lot of women that are attracted to hockey players.
It’s clear that this clothing brand is marketing to teens because of the language that is used in the slogans. For one thing, the use of apostrophes to replace the letter “g” at the end of some words makes the slogans informal.
Words like “wheelin’”, “rizz”, and “baddies” have become entrenched in the popular vernacular of teens and young adults (yes, I’m painfully aware of how old I sound right now). “Wheelin’” can mean flirting, but it can also refer to casual sex. Regardless, it doesn’t correlate to respectful pursuits. “Rizz” is basically another word for “charisma”, but specifically in the context of romantic or sexual pursuits. If you have “rizz”, you’re confident while approaching people of romantic or sexual interest, and you’re charming. “Baddie” is a word used to describe an attractive woman. It can also refer to a woman that exudes a lot of confidence. These words appeal to teens and refer to sexual pursuits.
This company has intentionally created pieces of clothing with slogans that encourage the idea of pursuing women for sex. It isn’t wrong to pursue women for sex as long as it is done respectfully, but nothing about these slogans implies respectful behaviour.
The sentence structure of these slogans make it sound like the wearer only thinks about two things: hockey and sex. “Makin’ saves gettin’ babes”, “Scorin’ hatties pullin’ baddies”, and “Breakin’ sticks wheelin’ chicks” are literally sentences with two ideas that each represent either hockey or sex. This behaviour is so entrenched in hockey culture that hockey players are making it a part of their identities by wearing these slogans on their chests.
The “i love hockey moms” and “i love hockey dads” slogans could be interpreted as a homage to parents that sacrifice their time and money to ensure that their kids get to play hockey; but when you see a “Clappin’ bombs wheelin’ moms” shirt beside it, the meaning suddenly changes. It now implies a preference for hockey moms. Given that teenagers are the ones these shirts are being marketed to, it’s a disgusting message. Those slogans suggest that a sexual relationship between a teenager and an adult is acceptable. You’re kidding yourself if you think those types of sexual relationships aren’t happening, which is terrible.
Think about what “Rippin’ wristers, wheelin’ sisters” suggests. It’s kind of an unwritten rule that you don’t go after your buddy’s sister (unless you’re serious about a committed long-term relationship). The same “code” extends out to teammates as well. Understanding that context, going after someone’s sister becomes predatory against the friend or teammate. The pursuit might not necessarily be happening because he respects the sister. The pursuit would happen with the understanding that the friend or the teammate would be mad about it. That anger could be the reason for the pursuit in the first place, or the pursuit could happen with total disregard for the friend or teammate. Regardless, it isn’t a respectful move to go after a buddy’s or a teammate’s sister.
These are the messages that are being sold to kids and teenagers as being cool. This is the behaviour that is being perpetuated and encouraged among kids and teens that play hockey.
I’m not blaming Hockey Bender for the culture issue in hockey. They didn’t create the culture that exists, they’re just capitalizing on it. Companies don’t sell products that they don’t think people will buy. They have enough confidence that people will buy clothing with those slogans on them to make them a significant part of their business. People buy those shirts, and kids wear them. People wouldn’t buy the shirts if they didn’t like the shirts. The shirts wouldn’t exist if those ideals weren’t already entrenched in hockey culture. Those slogans resonate with the target audience. The clothing that Hockey Bender sells doesn’t help solve the issue. The issue is that those slogans and those behaviours resonate with the audience.
I’ve written about the fact that young elite level hockey players tend to do well with the ladies in the past. Hockey is life in Canada, and young men that are good at hockey end up being desirable to a lot of young women. Young men that have a lot of sex are held in higher regard than those that don’t. That’s the reality. Of course teenage boys are going to chase sex, especially if they’re desirable elite level hockey players.
Entitlement eventually sets in if you always get what you want. Men thinking they’re entitled to sex is a disaster waiting to happen. When you pair that with the clear lack of respect towards women that is seen in the encouragement of the overt pursuit of casual sex with puck bunnies, baddies, hockey moms, and sisters, it’s no wonder that sexual violence is such a prevalent issue in hockey.
In the context of hockey, punishment for misconduct needs to be more severe. Recent examples of NHL players having their careers ended as a result of sexual violence charges laid against them is a step in the right direction. Hopefully the punishment for those players represents a shot across the bow for all young hockey players. Hockey is a privilege, and being good at it does not entitle you to sex. Hockey players are not above the law or the rules of human decency.
It’s a hard thing to police though. Instances of sexual violence usually happen behind closed doors, and getting caught usually involves a victim coming forward. Many victims choose not to come forward for a variety of reasons. Even if they do come forward, offenders being found guilty is a rarity. Offenders often get away with the crime. Punishment isn’t an effective deterrent if the crime isn’t discovered.
Education is the best way to prevent future instances of sexual violence. Teenage boys need to be taught about respect and consent. They need to be aware of the behaviours that constitute sexual harassment and violence. They need to be aware of the impact that sexual violence has on people. It’s life altering for victims.
The Sexual Assault Centre of Edmonton (SACE) offers many public education programs for youth ranging from preschool to teens. The WiseGuyz program presented by SACE in cooperation with the Centre for Sexuality is a program for teens that identify as males in grade 9 that provides information about sexual violence as well as sexual and mental health tailored to teen males. SACE has also created content for Hockey Edmonton about the nuances of consent and sexual violence in sport environments. Such programs are fantastic initiatives that we need more of across the country.
On Monday, SACE announced that they will be temporarily pausing intake for some vital services including counselling and group therapy as a result of government funding being reduced. It’s awful news for people that use SACE’s services. One of those services is free counselling for victims of sexual violence in Alberta. The wait times for counselling are already long, and they’re only going to get longer as a result of Monday’s news.
The Heavy Hockey Showdown is the biggest fundraising event in benefit of SACE. The Heavy Hockey Showdown is a hockey game that features a team from the Heavy Hockey Network facing off against a team from Edmonton Sports Talk. This year’s event will be taking place this coming Saturday (March 15) from 12 pm – 3 pm at the Downtown Community Arena. Rob Clark, the anthem singer for the Edmonton Oilers, will be singing the anthem; and Hunter the Lynx will be on hand to entertain the crowd. There will be a photo wall for selfies, backyard games, and a craft table where people can make posters and signs. There will be free popcorn as well! It’s going to be a fun, family friendly event in support of a great cause. We want to get as many people in the stands as we can, so bring the kids and enjoy the afternoon!
There will also be a watch party for the Edmonton Oilers game against the New York Islanders on Friday night (March 14) at Boston Pizza (17002 90 Ave NW). Personalities from the Heavy Hockey Network and Edmonton Sports Talk will be in attendance. Edmonton Sports Talk will be conducting their Oilers pregame and postgame shows from Boston Pizza that day. There will be raffles for prizes as well. It’s expected to be a full house. It will be a fun night!
Everyone that is playing in the Heavy Hockey Showdown is raising funds for SACE. We are at $19,071 raised for SACE as a group, which is 38% of our $50,000 goal. Head to the Heavy Hockey Showdown team page for a full list of players that are fundraising. You can choose to donate to your favourite player, or you can choose to donate to someone that hasn’t met their fundraising goal yet. Even if you aren’t in a position to donate right now, you could help the cause by sharing this piece and any posts about the event on social media. We would love to see you at the game on Saturday or at the watch party on Friday. Your support means so much to everyone involved in the event, and to the people that use SACE’s services.
All of us at the Heavy Hockey Network are proud to be involved in a tremendous event that supports such an important cause. SACE does amazing work in our community, and we are proud to be able to bring awareness to what they do. We also acknowledge the issues that exist in hockey culture. We believe that hockey culture doesn’t have to be the way that it is, and that there are a lot of incredible people in hockey. As a participant in the event, I’ve seen that shine through brightly.
