There was a crazy hazing story that came to light recently about the Harvard women’s hockey team. Some alleged acts include annual “naked skates”, pressuring underclassmen to mimic sex acts, and the standard peer pressure to abuse alcohol.

These sound like shocking claims. But in the world of hockey, it’s not very surprising.

Hockey and hazing have a weird bond that deserves to be studied from a sociology standpoint. Other sports have their hazing stories too, but not to the degree hockey does.

Maybe it’s the number of players on the team? Not too many like football, but not so little like basketball. There’s enough people to have your small group of leaders, moderate sized gang of loyal followers, and the few drifters who usually go along.

I remember reading a story once of a high school hockey team that would make the rookies masturbate on a cookie, and the last guy to ‘finish’ had to eat it. I don’t even know how you think of something like that.

Ex-NHLer Daniel Carcillo was part of a class-action lawsuit against the major junior hockey leagues in Canada due to hazing he went through.

One action he alleged happen was having a hockey stick shoved into his ass. That’s a common hazing method in hockey if you read through the numerous stories found online.

Never Saw Anything Like This

I played hockey growing up. Never had any of this sick, twisted shit happen on any team I was on. Worst thing I ever saw was two teammates “locker boxing.” Two guys with their helmets and gloves on just trying to beat the heck out of each other. Typical male bonding stuff.

I spent a season on a high school team. Which folded the following year, so we weren’t exactly a hockey school. But we never did anything like force someone to eat a cookie that was just ejaculated on by multiple people.

Hindsight is always 20-20, but I’d like to think I wouldn’t have continued to play on a team that did stuff like that. I’m cool with carrying pads or pucks from the bus to the locker room. But eat a cum topped cookie? Yeah, I’m out.

I’m sure some of you reading this don’t think it’s that big of a deal. “That’s the way it was!”

Well, we used to allow smoking on an airplane. Doesn’t mean it wasn’t unhealthy back then.

Hazing has gotten a bad reputation over the last decade as more stories come out that are more closely related to sexual assault and harassment.

I do think it’s perfectly fine to have the new guys fill water bottles or carry equipment during training camp. It can help team’s bond together if done the right way.

But shoving objects in another person ass and pressuring others to binge drink is not helpful in any way and does not belong in any locker room.

Photo credit: Timothy Arrick: For the Livingston Daily