TBC: We Breed Lions

In the last few weeks, I have found myself reading more books about hockey. Part of that reason is due to the guests we're featuring on The Hockey Show, but I've been rediscovering my love of reading as I learn about different topics within the stories about hockey. I've been lucky enough, since starting Teebz's Book Club, to find books that are impossible to put down due to the writing and the topics contained within the covers. Our book today is one of those books as Teebz's Book Club is proud to review We Breed Lions written by Rick Westhead and published by Random House Canada. Westhead pulls no punches as he analyzes Canada's hockey culture and how we, as a country, act shocked when crimes happen within hockey like the Hockey Canada sexual assault trial when the warning signs have always been there. If one wants a sobering view of the game we hold so dear, Rick Westhead's newest book will deliver that in spades.

From his Penguin Random House biography, "Rick Westhead is TSN's Senior Correspondent and a two-time winner of Canadian sports writer of the year, presented by Sport Media Canada. Canadian Journalists for Freedom of Expression recognized him in 2023 with the Arnold Amber Award for Investigative Journalism. Westhead breaks news of consequence and has won six Canadian Screen Awards for his original features for various TSN properties. In 2025, he was recognized for his 'fearless reporting' by The Hockey News in its list of 100 People of Power and Influence in hockey. Prior to joining TSN, Westhead served as a foreign correspondent for the Toronto Star, where he reported on the ground in countries including Afghanistan, China, and Saudi Arabia." Rick and his family live in the GTA with his family, and plays pick-up hockey when he's not investigating a new story for TSN.

It shouldn't be surprising that We Breed Lions begins by talking about the 2018 Hockey Canada sexual assault case as Rick Westhead put in long hours uncovering and investigating claims made by both the plaintiff and the defendants. In doing so, Westhead uses the opportunity to pull back the curtain on the hockey system in Canada in the chapters following as he examines and exposes criminal behaviours and abhorrent activity at every level throughout Canada.

The staggering amount of questionable behaviour that is revealed in We Breed Lions should have every hockey parent, every league convener, every coach, every general manager, and every player asking how the game has failed so badly. The number of people in the game of hockey that Westhead interviews in the book who corroborate the allegations made should have everyone worried about the state of the game. We Breed Lions will be a "must-read" book for years to come if one hopes to see any change in the game.

The topics covered by Westhead in We Breed Lions are all problems known to hockey fans, but ones that no one brings up. He covers sexual assault, rape, hazing, bullying, the "what happens in the room stays in the room" secrecy among teams, alcohol and drug abuse, exploitation of power and intimidation, how people turn a blind eye to the listed crimes, and how teams cover up any illicit activity committed by anyone associated with the team. Westhead makes it clear this happens from the NHL level right down to minor hockey, and he speaks to many former players, coaches, and executives who make it clear that all of this is happening in hockey today.

It's not all doom and gloom in We Breed Lions, though, as Westhead brings forth examples of hockey where people are doing good. There's an excellent story about Sweden and how their hockey culture is tied closely to family. It's a chapter that gives one hope that hockey can still be good, and it's reinforced by the Alliston Hornets and their head coach Travis Chapman who are trying to teach young hockey players about overcoming weaknesses, respect, camraderie, and being a good teammate without using fear, intimindation, and shame.

Frankly, it was hard to read some passages that Westhead included in We Breed Lions, but these passages are the catalyst to changing the culture. Murray Walter, a lawyer in Swift Current, spoke to Westhead of the 1989 sexual assault allegations against Broncos' players Brian Sakic and Wade Smith. Walter told Westhead,

"Athletes were protected by community leaders because they were good hockey players, because people thought they were special. This case was amiscarriage of justice, and even today, no one has really had to stand up and be held accountable. As soon as [those] players were charged, people in our community who had influence started pulling the strings to help the players. At one point, a guidance counsellor at high school whose husband was on the board of the Broncos called this young girl into her office and tried to convince her that these [players] were nice boys who wouldn't have committed sexual assault. Imagine."

How sickening is it that a female guidance counsellor is downplaying the idea that these two players couldn't have committed sexual assault because they "were nice boys" to the victim of that sexual assault? Yet stories like this are told throughout We Breed Lions with only names and locations being changed. The protection and secrecy afforded to hockey players because they play hockey would have most FBI and CIA agents envious. And yet it happens every day.

Honestly, there are many words that I could use to describe We Breed Lions - compelling, powerful, sobering, explosive - but the one word that keeps coming to mind is "necessary". Westhead has made it clear that the crimes and repugnant behaviour in and around the game of hockey have gone on for far too long, and it's time for a major change. I suspect many still in the game will deny the reporting done by Westhead, but he brings all the receipts in his conversations with those people he interviewed, and they often reveal more than just what was asked of their observances and experiences.

I cannot say enough good things about We Breed Lions, and it really should be on everyone's bookshelf across the planet if one has any vested interest in the game of hockey. The topics that Westhead brings to light are difficult to talk about in any circumstance, but his willingness not to turn away from difficult discussions and to keep these topics in the public's eye is why he is Canada's premiere investigative journalist when it comes to hockey. I don't have enough space here to go over each and every chapter of the book and sing Westhead's praises, but because he has tackled these subjects with honesty and integrity while writing about them exceptionally well, it should come as no surprise that We Breed Lions is absolutely and entirely deserving of the Teebz's Book Club Seal of Approval!

We Breed Lions was released on November 4, 2025, so you can find it on bookstore shelves and library shelves right now, assuming that there are copies remaining. This book would be a perfect Christmas gift for your older hockey fan and is absolutely must-read material for all hockey fans! As a warning, the material contained within the covers is of an adult nature and there are some expletives used at times, so this book is strongly recommended for older teens and adult hockey fans. However, the book is a phenomenal read, and We Breed Lions by Rick Westhead is highly recommended for your bookshelf!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!