Hockey Canada’s vision is clear: to enable a world-class hockey ecosystem and culture that inspires greatness in Canadians—not just trying to develop the best on-ice performers, but to develop the best people.

But to get there—and stay there—requires more than skill development or competitive excellence. It requires understanding the lived experiences of those at the heart of the game.

One of the first steps in that process was a systemic culture audit to better understand the perspectives of coaches and players.

“Using the data we were starting to see as we began to track incidents of maltreatment, in addition to a literature review, it became apparent that the fabric of hockey had maintained a privileged status quo that included unhealthy representations of masculinity and concerning behaviours and attitudes,” says Denise Pattyn, senior vice-president of people, culture and inclusion with Hockey Canada.

“This led to seeking a partner to conduct an audit to determine the root causes and where in our system were the greatest areas of vulnerability to help us identify how we could create a healthier, productive environment that contributes to the development and good character of young men.”

With funding support from the Canadian Olympic Committee, Hockey Canada worked with Hockey Quebec, Hockey New Brunswick and the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League, connecting with more than 270 athletes, coaches and staff by using the Youth Sport Culture Index tool through Innerlogic. McGill University also made a contribution by gaining insights through six in-depth coach interviews.

The goal? Not simply to assess culture, but to learn what it truly takes to build team environments where everyone feels safe, respected and able to thrive.

The participants, who were classified as either high performance or recreational, answered 36 questions tied to 12 culture factors, with all questions answered on a sliding 0-10 scale.

The culture factors focused on three areas—evaluating hockey culture, comparing performance groups (i.e. differences in culture between high performance and recreational) and identifying systemic gaps in the hockey ecosystem.

What did the audit find? There were some notable takeaways.

• Coaches demonstrated a genuine love of the game and showed a strong commitment to improving team culture, forming a solid foundation for change. And importantly, none referenced winning as their primary motivation to coach. But at the other end, only 52% of recreational respondents said leaders ‘live the values and behaviours’ they expect from players.

• There is a need for more education and support, providing the tools and resources desired by both coaches and players. The responses highlighted needs in areas such as psychological safety, inclusion, conflict resolution and leadership accountability.

•For the athletes, there is a need for environments where they can be honest, where feedback is welcomed, and where their whole person—not just their performance—is recognized.

• And there is a recognition from coaches that challenges persist, including parents, skills coaches and agents who are undermining cultural expectations or accountability with their own agendas.

These takeaways reinforce a belief shared across the system: culture-building needs to be well-supported in the ecosystem, and it is teachable. Healthy team culture is not built by one person or one group. It requires alignment among coaches, players, parents and support networks.

“The commitment of those involved in the project demonstrated a clear appetite for change,” Pattyn says. “The findings provided valuable insights into where to focus our efforts. It was evident that coaches and athletes want to see change and that the system must support them with the tools, skills and structures needed to succeed.”

So… where do we go from here?

The final report included four Calls to Action:

1. Championing values-based coaching by reinforcing coaching approaches rooted in respect, integrity, communication and consistency—modelled by leaders and consistently reinforced.

2. Endorsing a Culture Playbook and providing teams with shared language, behaviours and expectations to align culture-building across the country.

3. Supporting mandatory non-technical training by developing ongoing, embedded education for coaches—moving beyond one-time workshops to continuous, practical learning that evolves with the game.

4. Introducing and elevating coaches from diverse backgrounds, fostering broader perspectives, improved problem-solving and richer cultural understanding.

For Hockey Canada and its partners in the game, this audit is simply step one.

By learning together, embracing a whole-person approach and sharing responsibility across the hockey ecosystem, the groundwork is there for a world-class hockey culture.

“The partners involved in the project have committed to actions around transforming the system and evolving inclusive leadership,” Pattyn says. “The commitment of those involved in the project has brought value and resulted in a willingness to identify an action plan that will help advance improved behaviours and support as key influencers of positive hockey environments.”