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N26 · 11-28-2019, 03:49 PM

I moved to Canada to play hockey at a higher level. I played 1 year of bantam, 2 years of midget and 1 year of what was then called Tier II Jr followed by NCAA in the States.

I had several coaches (and teammates) that were total dicks but my own application for sainthood will be swiftly rejected so I am not sure who I am to judge. I was a big guy (eventually 6'1. 226) who played physical. I was taught to walk the line/cross the line but I did it fairly willingly. I did my share of trash-talking and some of it I can't be proud of. By today's more holistic definitions of abuse and racism I feel like I saw quite a lot.

I got hazed twice. Once I had my hair, eyebrows and pubes shaved and the other time we had to complete a bunch of gross tasks like having your head zipped inside an equipment bag full of everyone's used jocks for "your sweater number" of seconds. Wasn't happy with those incidents but I half-heartedly participated in the future hazings and certainly did nothing to stop them.

It was called bonding but so often it left a bad taste in everyone, but those that were basically low-level sadists, mouths.

I am francophone (but not Quebecois) and have a very francophone name and one thing I can recall as clear as yesterday is getting called "frog" a lot. I mean a lot, a lot, a lot. Mostly in Calgary.

In the 4 years I lived there I feel confident in saying I heard it more than 1000 times. Probably about 80-90% of the occurrences were hockey-related. I can remember once an entire (admittedly very small) crowd chanting it when I had a penalty shot during an AJHL away game. That wouldn't go by unnoticed now.

It didn't bother me that much and I don't feel like I have any scars from it but I do remember being annoyed by how quickly it came to so many peoples' lips and how witty they thought they were.

My brother still lives in Alberta and he says he can't remember the last time he heard it. So that's good. He says he still has to work hard to get workmates not to give him the nickname "Frenchy" but that is a lack of imagination rather than maliciousness.

Positive change can happen.

11-28-2019, 03:49 PM	#63
N26 Scoring Winger Join Date: Jun 2014 Location: Paradise Island, Bahamas Exp:	I moved to Canada to play hockey at a higher level. I played 1 year of bantam, 2 years of midget and 1 year of what was then called Tier II Jr followed by NCAA in the States. I had several coaches (and teammates) that were total dicks but my own application for sainthood will be swiftly rejected so I am not sure who I am to judge. I was a big guy (eventually 6'1. 226) who played physical. I was taught to walk the line/cross the line but I did it fairly willingly. I did my share of trash-talking and some of it I can't be proud of. By today's more holistic definitions of abuse and racism I feel like I saw quite a lot. I got hazed twice. Once I had my hair, eyebrows and pubes shaved and the other time we had to complete a bunch of gross tasks like having your head zipped inside an equipment bag full of everyone's used jocks for "your sweater number" of seconds. Wasn't happy with those incidents but I half-heartedly participated in the future hazings and certainly did nothing to stop them. It was called bonding but so often it left a bad taste in everyone, but those that were basically low-level sadists, mouths. I am francophone (but not Quebecois) and have a very francophone name and one thing I can recall as clear as yesterday is getting called "frog" a lot. I mean a lot, a lot, a lot. Mostly in Calgary. In the 4 years I lived there I feel confident in saying I heard it more than 1000 times. Probably about 80-90% of the occurrences were hockey-related. I can remember once an entire (admittedly very small) crowd chanting it when I had a penalty shot during an AJHL away game. That wouldn't go by unnoticed now. It didn't bother me that much and I don't feel like I have any scars from it but I do remember being annoyed by how quickly it came to so many peoples' lips and how witty they thought they were. My brother still lives in Alberta and he says he can't remember the last time he heard it. So that's good. He says he still has to work hard to get workmates not to give him the nickname "Frenchy" but that is a lack of imagination rather than maliciousness. Positive change can happen.