Harper's: Heated rivalry was a fun fantasy, but hockey is still deeply toxic

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The gold-medal game between the U.S. and Canadian women reached 7.7 million viewers, becoming the most-watched women’s hockey game of all time. The gold-medal matchup for the men, also between the U.S. and Canada, averaged 18.6 million live viewers. And then the U.S. men’s team threw away all that goodwill in a matter of moments, tainting not only their victory but the women’s as well.

In videos from the post-game locker-room celebration, the U.S. men can be seen chugging beers with FBI director Kash Patel and taking a phone call with President Donald Trump, who invites them to attend the State of the Union address on their way back home. “We’re going to have to bring the women’s team,” President Trump can be heard saying. “[If I don’t] do that, I do believe I probably would be impeached, okay?” The men respond by laughing along.

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This is men’s hockey culture. It is deeply toxic, deeply conservative, and deeply misogynist and homophobic. The NHL, whose viewership has been declining for years, saw a nearly 20 percent spike in ticket sales following Heated Rivalry’s premiere. The league rushed to capitalize on the hype, with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman saying he welcomed this “unique” driver of new fans and teams playing clips and songs from the show during games, as well as selling Heated Rivalry–themed food and merch. New fans to the sport may have believed that, on the strength of a massively successful romantic drama about gay male players, hockey had magically become an inclusive space. But those of us who have followed the league for any period of time knew that it wasn’t just a matter of if the league and its players would disappoint these new fans but when.

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The lack of consideration that the men’s team showed for the women’s team was disappointing but not surprising. What does feel new, however, is how swift and furious the backlash has been. Even hockey-bro podcasts have criticized the men’s behavior, and players are being asked to account for their actions. It’s not often that we see powerful men called out in this way, especially in the sports world, where sexism and discrimination toward women athletes is still largely accepted.

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