Stacking, Performance Differentials, and Salary Discrimination in Professional Ice Hockey: A Survey of the Evidence

1989 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 17-35 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marc Lavoie

French Canadians in professional ice hockey perform generally better than English Canadian or American players. This is particularly clear at the position of defenseman. Stacking in the National Hockey League (NHL) is also observed, with very few French Canadians playing defense. Four theses are presented to explain these two phenomena. The first three theses—based on differences in the style of play, the cultural costs of moving to an NHL city, and the proficiency of the language of work (English)—all incorporate convincing arguments but fail to predict further established facts. Hiring discrimination best explains all of the facts that have been gathered by students of ice hockey. Except in the case of defensemen, little or no salary discrimination against Francophones could be identified, although their pay is determined differently. The collection of a wide variety of data suggests that favoritism by scouts substantially affects the outcome of hiring decisions, especially at the positions for which assessment is highly uncertain and subjective, that is, the position of defense.

2017 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Timo Jaakkola ◽  
Anthony Watt ◽  
Sami Kalaja

AbstractPurpose. Motor coordination is proposed to be a relatively stable age-related construct, unlikely to be influenced by aligned experiential factors such as intensive sport-specific training. The purpose of the study is to investigate if there are differences in motor coordination abilities among young artistic gymnasts, swimmers, and ice hockey players.Methods. The participants of the study were 508 female and 258 male adolescents (age, M = 12.80, SD = 1.10) comprising artistic gymnasts (n = 463), swimmers (n = 70), and ice hockey players (n = 233). The KTK-test protocol was used to analyse their gross motor coordination abilities.Results. The results of the study demonstrated that gymnasts scored better than ice hockey players and swimmers in the test of walking backwards along a beam, and better than ice hockey players in total motor coordination, hopping over an obstacle, and the test of moving sideways on wooden boards. However, ice hockey players scored higher than swimmers and gymnasts in the test of jumping from side to side. Subsequently, swimmers obtained better results in the test of moving sideways on wooden boards as compared with ice hockey players.Conclusions. The study results indicate that intensive sport-specific training may extend young athletes′ motor coordination characteristics in the ability areas representative of the sport in which they engage.


2021 ◽  
Vol 61 (2) ◽  
pp. 228-237
Author(s):  
Silvio Parničan ◽  
Pavol Peráček ◽  
Igor Tóth

Summary The variables impacting the efficiency of the offensive phase of the game in ice hockey may be determining factor for both the training process and game strategies. The research aimed to acquire and expand the knowledge about selected goal-scoring characteristics in the National Hockey League. A total of 511 even-strength goals were recorded in 129 randomly selected games in a regular-season 2020/2021 by indirect observation. Goals were differentiated by selected variable dimensions: location of the offensive team’s puck possession gain before scoring a goal, game situation preceding a goal, and the number of passes of the offensive team preceding a goal. Data were analyzed by performing a one–way ANOVA. Post hoc multiple comparisons were performed using the Tukey HSD test. The significance level of p ≤ 0.05 was used. Significant differences were found within all variable dimensions (p= 0.00001). In terms of the puck possession gain location, zone 1 (along the boards in the offensive zone) was the zone with the significantly highest mean score (p= 0.00305). Offensive zone play was significantly the game situation preceding most of the goals (p= 0.00000). The interval of the passes that preceded most of the recorded goals was the interval of 1 – 2 passes (p= 0.00000). Acquired results point out the dominance of particular variables and may help coaches to determine the content of the training process and game strategies. Based on the assumption of the realization of similar research in different environments in terms of the quality and age category, if the analogy would be found between the results of the present study and the results of potential studies, we can state the trends applicable to youth training.


2020 ◽  
pp. 1-29
Author(s):  
Jay Scherer

In 1976, amidst a period of détente in the Cold War, the Government of Canada officially hosted an inaugural open-play invitational ice hockey tournament. A detailed narration of these events, pieced together from archival sources, allows scholars to understand the negotiations to prepare the political terrain for the event, including efforts to secure the official endorsement of the International Ice Hockey Federation for a tournament sponsored by the Government of Canada in exchange for Canada’s return to international competition in 1977; the participation of various countries and their respective hockey governing bodies, especially the Soviet Union, in an international tournament featuring professional players; and an agreement with the North American professional hockey cartels, especially the National Hockey League, to allow star players to participate in the event. The success of the 1976 Canada Cup accelerated the commodification and commercialization of hockey both in North America and globally—a process that was increasingly driven by the interests and aspirations of the National Hockey League. At the center of this history is one increasingly powerful—and avaricious—character: Alan Eagleson.


2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 173-183
Author(s):  
Mark O’Sullivan ◽  
Vladislav A. Bespomoshchnov ◽  
Clifford J. Mallett

Who is the “Magic Man” (https://youtu.be/5EgNF6X2MJs?t=78)? In 2017, Pavel Datsyuk was named as one of the 100 greatest National Hockey League players in ice hockey history. His Detroit Red Wings teammate Niklas Kronwall quipped, “Pav is the Magic Man for a reason. He does things out there with the puck that no one else can do.” This statement begs the questions: When, where, and how did Pavel learn those creative skills? To gain insight into how the “Magic Man,” Pavel Datsyuk, acquired such sophisticated yet unorthodox skills, we endeavored to investigate the preprofessional years of Pavel’s development. Utilizing a case study methodology and leaning on the theoretical framework of ecological dynamics, we sought to examine the ecological niche that helped shape Pavel’s learning in development. Our case study highlights the ecological nature of the development of expertise and the nonlinear impact ecological constraints had on the development of Pavel’s expertise.


1976 ◽  
Vol 39 (2) ◽  
pp. 535-542 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Corenblum ◽  
Donald G. Fischer ◽  
Ken Anderson

The present study was designed to determine the influence of role, status and ethnic cues on stereotyping. 24 ethnic-occupation combinations were formed by completely crossing four ethnic groups (French Canadian, English Canadian, Indian, and Oriental) and six occupations, selected to represent high, middle and low status positions. Subjects rated one of the combinations on 56 trait adjectives. The ratings were factor analyzed, and four factors, success, negativism, submissiveness, and emotionality, were extracted. Factor scores were calculated and entered into four ethnic group × occupation analyses. Significant main effects on three factors and a significant interaction on the submissiveness dimension were noted. Subsequent analysis showed that the stereotype of the ingroup, English Canadians, reflected differences in occupation, but the stereotypes of the outgroups, French Canadians and Indians, were not so influenced. These results are inconsistent with the hypothesis that ingroup stereotyping is based upon role and status cues whereas outgroup stereotyping is determined by ethnic cues. The results are consistent with the notion that role, status and ethnic cues influence trait-attribution to ethnic groups.


Author(s):  
Neil Longley

This article replicates for hockey what others have done for baseball and basketball, with the interesting exception that alleged discrimination in hockey falls along the lines of language and national origin rather than along racial grounds. The National Hockey League (NHL) essentially has three minority groups: Americans, Europeans, and French Canadians. The focus in the discrimination literature has been on French Canadians, and, to a lesser extent, Europeans. It is reasonable to suggest that Canadian fans and media have a much stronger sense of “ownership” of the game of hockey than what is found in the United States. There have also been economic changes that have occurred in recent years that should work to decrease any possible discrimination. While the NHL has historically had the least amount of voluntary player mobility, the most recent collective bargaining agreement signed in 2005 provides for a much more liberalized system of free agency.


2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (6) ◽  
pp. 726-737 ◽  
Author(s):  
Randy C Battochio ◽  
Natalia Stambulova

Sport psychology researchers have studied careers of Canadian ice hockey players in the National Hockey League (NHL) and devised an empirical NHL career model. The model was comprised of career stages, statuses, demands and barriers to career progression without any indication of coping. The intent in the present article is to feature coping resources and strategies utilized by players during each status and career stage within the empirical model. Five rookies, 5 veterans, and 13 retirees participated in conversational interviews and the data underwent a deductive thematic analysis. Prospects seeking to gain entry into the NHL set controllable expectations rather than playing to impress coaches and staff. Most prospects played in the minor leagues where they adjusted their expectations to accept roles that they were likely to have during an NHL call-up. The career stage of developing as an NHL player was about rookies producing immediately in their role while holding off internal competition for their roster spot. In the same stage, sophomores were in their second full NHL season and they studied their opponents to avoid the sophomore slump. The stage of reaching the NHL elite involved constant pressure for point production and winning playoff games. The final stage was about seasoned veterans maintaining NHL play involvement by preserving their physique despite being worn down from long careers in a contact sport. The authors will discuss the significance of the model for sport psychology researchers and practitioners, and NHL stakeholders.


2019 ◽  
Vol 50 (2) ◽  
pp. 225-243
Author(s):  
John Wong ◽  
Scott R. Jedlicka

In 1966, the National Hockey League (NHL) expanded for the first time since the 1920s, doubling its size from six teams to twelve. Although hockey was still perceived as a distinctly Canadian passion, none of the NHL’s six new teams were located in Canada. The disappointment across the country was palpable, especially in Canada’s third-largest city, Vancouver, which had applied to be one of the expansion locations. A stable presence in minor league hockey on Canada’s west coast for decades, it seemed only natural that Vancouver, as the lone bidder from the ostensible birthplace of ice hockey, would be tapped for NHL expansion. This paper examines Vancouver’s attempted entry into the NHL and argues that the forces of commercialism and national identity, combined with political maneuvering among NHL owners, not only influenced the content and trajectory of the Vancouver bid, but also contributed to its ultimate failure.


2009 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 267-285 ◽  
Author(s):  
Randy C. Battochio ◽  
Robert J. Schinke ◽  
Mark A. Eys ◽  
Danny L. Battochio ◽  
Wayne Halliwell ◽  
...  

Semistructured interviews were used in this study to learn about the challenges experienced by four groups of National Hockey League (NHL) players (N= 11): prospects (n= 3), rookies (n= 3), veterans (n= 2), and retirees (n= 3). The database is comprised of 757 meaning units grouped into 11 contextual challenges. From an additional quantitative analysis, the prospects and rookies emphasized challenges pertaining to scouting demands, training camp, increased athletic demands, team expectations, and earning team trust. The veterans spoke mostly of challenges including scouting demands, athletic demands, and team expectations. Retirees considered mostly challenges pertaining to team expectations, athletic demands, lifestyle, media demands, transactions, cross-cultural encounters, and playoffs. An expert panel ensured that the interview guide, data analysis, and the findings represented the participants’ experiences in the NHL. Recommendations for practitioners and researchers working with NHL players are proposed.


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