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rickwesthead

@rickwesthead

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Journalist with TSN, CTV National News.
Author of We Breed Lions: Confronting Canada's Troubled Hockey Culture.

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It was a pleasure to attend and bring remarks at today’s Safe Sport Workshop at Aurora Town Square.

Thank you to our Recreation staff, the Aurora Sports Hall of Fame, two-time Olympian Allison Forsyth and investigative sports reporter Rick Westhead for bringing this important conversation to our community. Every athlete deserves to feel safe, supported, included and respected. Together, we all have a role in making that happen.

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I h8 hockey romance because there’s nothing romantic about hockey boys. They get what they want and take what they want.

As TSN journalist Rick Westhead examines in this book, these players are taught this from a young age. Put on pedestals as kids, they are set up to follow a different set of rules than everyone else. Hockey culture in Canada should’ve had a reckoning when Sheldon Kennedy spoke up about being sexually abused by his coach for years in 1996, or the horror show of hazing or when E.M. came forward about being assaulted in a hotel room by members of the 2018 World Junior team.

That case is what sparked Westhead to write this book.

Growing up, watching the World Juniors on Boxing Day was tradition. The next generation of our country’s greatest are in this tournament. When the names of the players (Michael McLeod, Carter Hart, Alex Formenton, Dillon Dubé, and Cal Foote) were revealed, I recognized the names because I had watched them.

They were the ones charged, but the entire team is accountable. Not one member who knew what was going on did anything to stop it. You don’t snitch on your teammates and you don’t kill the vibe.

While the trial was going on, I figured they would be acquitted and wondered if they would sue for damages over losing their professional careers. Silly me, I didn’t think they would be welcomed back into the NHL. I forgot that the boys protect the boys and false accusations have never actually ruined a man’s life.

The NHL is all over Off Campus; Garrett Graham and his teammates make the sport look good. They respect the nonbinary streamer and the rapist gets beat up at centre ice. Since they have the rights to use real team names, they’re not going to come after the systemic issues in the league. Heated Rivalry, however, uses a fictional league, so they can be as critical as they want.

Hockey needed some kind of rebrand, but now all the fans that have flocked to it after watching these shows will never be respected as legit because if there’s one thing hockey hates, it’s outsiders.

#bookstagram #webreedlions #hockeycanada

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We are on track to sell out this event! Join us for this important conversation on safety in sport. Tickets in Bio!

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🎬 CODE OF MISCONDUCT | FREE SCREENINGS

For the first time, Code of Misconduct documentary film comes to the United States, alongside three Canadian screenings this December 2026.

Join Executive Producer and investigative journalist @rickwesthead, EVE Founder & CEO @cait.alexander, @double.hockey.stix, Mama Stanley @mamastanleyyeg and survivors of abuse for powerful panel discussions on accountability, justice, and systemic change in the @nhl and hockey culture at large.

🎟️ Admission is FREE for everyone. Donations are welcome, and sponsorship opportunities are available to support survivors through End Violence Everywhere (EVE).

💜 More than a screening. A call for accountability.

MUST RSVP- links in BIO - thank you for your support.

#CodeOfMisconduct #nhl #survivors #fyp #hockey

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On October 22, join us for a conversation with Rick Westhead on Canada's troubled hockey culture and broader topics of masculinity, systemic failures, and how individuals and institutions can do better.

Rick Westhead is a two-time Canadian Sports Writer of the Year and recipient of the Arnold Amber Award for Investigative Journalism, Westhead is the author of the bestselling We Breed Lions: Confronting Canada’s Troubled Hockey Culture. His reporting has brought national attention to issues of safety, accountability, and culture in sport.

This event is part of the President's Leadership Lecture Series and in support of the annual Purple Lights Nights campaign.

Tickets are available at the link in our bio, or by scanning the QR code on this poster.

#UFV #UniversityOfTheFraserValley #Abbotsford #Chilliwack #MissionBC Poster with a photo of Rick Westhead and text reading: "An evening with Rick Westhead. Confronting Canada’s troubled hockey culture. Join us for an evening with Rick Westhead, TSN Senior Correspondent as he discusses revelations involving Hockey Canada, and how they parallel broader conversations around masculinity, systemic failures, and the need to do better. The case against the 2018 World Junior players shone a light on broader societal questions and our shared responsibility to listen and to create safe, supportive, and responsive communities through system change. A two-time Canadian Sports Writer of the Year and recipient of the Arnold Amber Award for Investigative Journalism, Westhead is the author of the bestselling We Breed Lions: Confronting Canada’s Troubled Hockey Culture. His reporting is heavily featured in the documentary Code of Misconduct. $30 General, $10 UFV Students Your ticket also includes access to the UFV Cascades Volleyball home opener games on Friday, October 23, featuring Purple Lights Nights activities in support of the campaign. Proceeds support a local organization serving women experiencing violence and crisis. Thursday, October 22 | 6–8 pm Abbotsford, Building J Community Hall RSVP at showpass.com"

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How many more headlines will it take before we start holding people accountable?

With sexual assault, misogyny, and abuse of power continuing to dominate the news, We Breed Lions by Rick Westhead is a book everyone should be talking about.

This isn’t just a book about hockey. It’s about the culture we’ve allowed to exist, the people we’ve failed to protect, and the responsibility we all have to demand better.

One of the most important books Christina has ever read. Not because it’s comfortable, but because it’s necessary.

Available on Christina’s Staff Pick shelf in both Huntsville and Bracebridge 📚

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People don’t make apologies when their actions have been legitimate or credible !! @hockeycanada

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Been exposed to some pretty sleazy people in my life. These guys are the Worst !!!

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RESERVE UP TO 6 ✨FREE✨ TICKETS for our Code of Misconduct screening + panel featuring @rickwesthead @cait.alexander founder of @endviolenceeverywhere, @anthea.davisss representing @tbtnfoundation , @stungunjen and more TBA

The FIRST screening in the U.S.
Giving Tuesday Dec 1
The Frida Cinema
Santa Ana California
6-10pm

https://www.ticketsource.com/double-hockey-stix/code-of-misconduct-screening-panel/e-eaooypv

Tickets linked in bio as well as stories for 24 hours

#doublehockeystix #nhl #rickwesthead #codeofmisconduct #survivors

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The criminal justice system has a long history of failing survivors.

In 1974, Martha “Marty” Goddard founded the Citizens Committee for Victim Assistance in Chicago and conceptualized and designed the first rape kit, addressing the inadequate collection of evidence in sexual assault cases.

Her advocacy went beyond evidence collection. Marty challenged rape myths and stigmas perpetuated by law enforcement, healthcare professionals, government officials, and community organizations. She also spoke out about the lack of funding for victim services. An issue that remains painfully relevant today.

Marty Goddard’s legacy highlights the importance of advocacy, systemic accountability, and challenging the barriers survivors continue to face.

Because a justice system that prioritizes the rights of the accused while subjecting survivors to relentless scrutiny must be willing to confront its own inequities.

🎥 Watch Marty speak about victim assistance in The University of Akron: An Oral History of the Crime Victim Assistance Field (2003):

https://youtu.be/F3KMbKNZvn8si=kTMKrBnd78BEqhAc

#MartyGoddard #VictimAdvocacy 🩵💜💙

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We’re delighted to be part of an important community conversation with the Town of Aurora. @townofaurora

On Saturday, October 17, Olympian and Generation Safe Founder Allison Forsyth @allisonforsyth and investigative journalist and author Rick Westhead @rickwesthead will come together for An Honest Conversation on Safe Sport in Canada.

This is an opportunity for athletes, coaches, parents, volunteers and community leaders to listen, learn and take part in a conversation about how we can help build a better and safer sport system.

📍 Aurora Town Square @auroratownsquare
🎟️ FREE – registration required

Join the conversation. Be part of what comes next.

Learn more and register by clicking on the link 🔗 in our BiO

#AuroraSportPlan #SafeSport #SportLeadership #AuroraSportsHallOfFame

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I am honored to be hosting and working with @rickwesthead, the @codeofmisconductthefilm producers, @thefridacinema and @cait.alexander with her non profit @endviolenceeverywhere (EVE), to present to you the first American screening + PANEL of CODE OF MISCONDUCT, feat. Rick, Cait, and more to be announced.

Dec 1, giving Tuesday, benefitting EVE.
We will have vendors, SA survivor non profit info booths, live self defense demos, and more.

More info coming soon 🔜

#doulblehockeystix #rickwesthead #hockeyculture #nhl hockeycanada5

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