The stories run the gamut, from mind games that old-school coaches try to play with young players to horrific allegations of racial and physical abuse. But they do have one thing in common: A coach asserting his dominance over players whose careers he controls.
As current and former players have told their stories of what can go on behind closed dressing room doors this week, it's become clear this is a long-overdue reckoning for a sport that can permit the worst kind of behaviour in the name of "motivation" or "toughening a player up". In a normal workplace, these stories would mean an overhaul from the top down. Will hockey in general, and the NHL in particular, be brave enough to start to fix a structure that's clearly broken?
GUEST: Jeff Blair, writer at Sportsnet.ca, co-host of Writer's Bloc at Sportsnet 590 The Fan