
Overcoming the Neutral Zone Trap
Hockey’s Agents of Change
Description
This engaging interdisciplinary collection seeks to shed light on narratives and research that challenge hockey’s norms, push its boundaries, and provide new ways of conceptualizing its role in North American culture. The volume’s editors use the metaphor of the neutral zone trap to explore how traditional ideologies and practices within the sport have contributed to exclusion and the misperception of various ways of existing in its community. The book includes both personal and scholarly accounts of agents of change–people, ideas, and events–that confront the challenges associated with making hockey a more progressive space. For hockey fans and experts alike.
Reviews
Cheryl A. MacDonald: "I hope readers take away an understanding that a lot of people experience hockey differently than we might often think. I think that sometimes folks take for granted that hockey brings Canadians together and that Canadians all have the same experience through their participation in hockey..." Sean Hatchard, Times & Transcript, January 11, 2022
"While the collection skews academic, personal stories and interviews make the book appealing and accessible for casual readers, showcasing the inclusivity the book is championing..... Though it offers no easy answers, the book gives its agents of change a rare chance to break through the defence to their goal."
- Bruce Cinnamon