Into The Den

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⏱ 👁 16,319 views

A Frank Discussion About Hockey Canada, Culture, And Accountability

Video Overview & Insights

!!TRIGGER WARNING!!

“

She/they, btw

— @ITDBruins

This video is not suitable for all ages. This video contains conversations regarding s****l assault, intoxication, and date r**e.

Viewer's discretion is advised.

“

Thank you for making this. Not enough male hockey fans care, let alone are willing to say it out loud. I say this as a survivor that was not believed by law enforcement and friends alike AND as a woman hockey fan. Thank you.

— @Gabba-dabba-do

On July 25th, 2025, the five Hockey Canada players who had been embroiled in a sexual assault case had been determined to be not guilty. But do Carter Hart, Dillon Dube, Callan Foote, Michael McLeod, and Alex Formenton deserve to be back in the NHL? And what does this say about the state of the world? Nonetheless, I have opinions on the matter, and given Foote's dismissal from Farjestad yesterday, I think that this deserves a video talking about just what sorts of players people are vouching for to be let back into the National Hockey League.

Look at my words! https://x.com/ITDBruinsBex

“

📢

— @jackhallman2718

Join the Discord! https://discord.gg/EadefU9gWy

Chapters

“

It will never not be funny that Vegas threw that reporter out of the room for daring to ask Hart about the trial only to end the season as Stanley Cup losers and losing thier draft position

— @DannyTheJetsFan

0:00 - Intro

1:53 - Michael McLeod

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I opened this video to see if you might change my mind about an extremely serious case of sexual assault that I don't really know that much about. I'm more than half way through said video, and so far all that's been discussed is ... How they just aren't that good at hockey?

I don't see what bearing this has on the seriousness of the allegations, the facts of the case, or the culpability of the accused. We'll see if you stick the landing, but honestly I don't think the first 15 minutes of this video adds much to the conversation.

— @BasedPoliwhirl

2:51 - Brett Howden

4:22 - Carter Hart

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As someone who is both a survivor of SA and a hockey superfan, thanks for making this video. It's important. ✨

— @btalkington1988

6:29 - Dillon Dube

8:07 - Cal Foote

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As a woman who has played hockey since she was 6 and is currently playing at the collegiate level, a video like this is long overdue and we should not stop talking about this situation. I've met some assholes, some gross evil men playing this sport, but also some truly kind and altruistic people, that's where this separates from "boy's will be boy's" into a social and moral argument.

I've been othered/excluded from boys teams, but being a goalie and attracted to women, some of them felt comfortable with me; sometimes too comfortable. I've found that the most mediocre players equate to the most mediocre men. They can't perform on ice, so they ego-trip in the locker room to become a "personality hire" essentially. I've also found that the parents/authorities of these boy's don't find anything wrong with their behavior, they're simply told to hide it. The most sick people are those who can sneak around by the skin of their teeth. Some know the truth, but they're outnumbered by those who fall for the persona.

That being said, it's not overall hockey culture, it's the culture which automatically grants male athletes power and dominance over their peers simply for their physical abilities. Though limited, I trained on the same ice as Jake Ottenger and Drew Comesso growing up, those boys are class acts. They'd give me advice, tell me where/how/why I was missing my square, demo for me, etc. while I was years younger than them. That is how I perceived NHL men for a long time, until I grew up. A LOT of this behavior is due to insecurity and ego that is fed to male athletes part of the most expensive professional sport in the world. These men have grown up privileged being told they're the best of the best their entire lives. Now that they are put on even playing field, they don't have that ego boost. They need someone, a parent, a spouse, a crowd, a random woman who is drugged, so they can prove to themselves and those around that they are the best, or better than what they think they are, or else they spiral into imposter syndrome. It's not just hockey culture, it's sports and conservative trad values combining into a patriarchal warhorse that shames men for speaking up.

Nevertheless, fantastic video brother! I hope this gets more traction because the gross pedestal these men have stood on for so long needs to be rebuilt. Thank you for this. I'm truly convinced my 5 foot 4 inch gay ass could have been put in as EBUG and I would've performed better than Carter Hart in the finals; I am also convinced my fake dick is better than any of theirs will ever be. Cheers!

— @Alioplis31

9:04 - Alex Formenton

10:25 - So How Bad Are They?

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Commenting to boost! Appreciate you speaking out!

— @RonnAl.-zg4gk

15:19 - The Trial And My Thoughts

Music Used (In Order Of Usage)

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You missed something about Formenton's situation. I remember at the time he was an RFA and was never tendered, there was already rumblings about his involvement in the 2018 WJC investigations. A lot of folks were confused at why a 23 year old coming off of an 18 goal season was never re-signed by Ottawa or at least acquired by another team.

There was a collective "OH" moment by the community two years later once everything was revealed.

— @rrlzo

Super Mario Galaxy (Mahito Yokota) - Tension

Metroid Prime (Kenji Yamamoto) - Meta Ridley

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You guys up in Canada need to find more professional sports cities so you can quit obsessing over hockey. The obsession undermines from my experiences with my Canadian friends, a highly intelligent and common sense country.

— @brucesult5167

Kirby's Return To Dreamland (Jun Ishikawa) - C-R-O-W-N-E-D

Team Fortress 2 (Mike Morasky) - The Calm

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thank you for this. i feel like there arent enough people on youtube that spoke honestly on this issue. the SDPN crew had a really great episode on it too if you want to see more. keep talking about this. do not let it go away.

— @eggsbruhnadict4298

Diddy Kong Racing (David Wise) - Wizpig

Fallout 4 (Inon Zur) - No Quarter

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Thanks for making a video on this topic

— @Random_Guy518

Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate (Reo Uratani)- Silver Winged Scarlet Star

Mario And Luigi: Partners In Time (Yoko Shimomura) - Crisis Of The Red And Green!

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Howden will forever be a limp, cowardly bystander on and off the ice

(No, I’m not just saying this because of how much the Avs’ loss in the playoffs hurt this year)

— @Pixicola

Pokemon Platinum (Go Ichinose) - Battle! Champion

Kendrick Lamar (Produced by The Alchemist) - meet the grahams

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MY GOAT WHAT THE HELL

— @TGirlGockey

Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus (Mick Gordon) - Reich Between The Eyes

DOOM (2016) (Mick Gordon) - Rip And Tear

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I feel like you should have covered the trial first or not mentioned it until after giving their nhl accomplishments and statistics. It kind of implies that you care about their production in the nhl, more than you do about crimes when you briefly mention the charges and then spend the first half of the video just talking about their nhl production and accomplishments with little to no analysis on the much more serious criminal charges and allegations that you had just mentioned. It felt kind of jarring to hear you talk briefly about the charges then go on a tangent for half the video about their stats like we are supposed to just forget you mention that they have very serious allegations against them. That being said, I appreciate you covering this not from the opinion that these players are the victims like bad faith actors and culture war proponents like matt walsh would. The ending was really well put and your analysis on the trial and charges was spot on.

— @christiantretter4605

Donkey Kong Country 2 (David Wise) - Stickerbrush Symphony

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Congratulations! U did such a good job when putting together this video!
I am not a hockey fan, but i've seen the news of this trail in the subway and wanted to know more about it. Thank u for taking the time to explain this sensitive topic so even i, an outsider, could understand. Cheers to more educational videos like this

— @nicoletaisac5001

More User Perspectives

Well done son. You have bigger balls than any of beta’s that might criticize your work based on their own “toxic” masculinity. I don’t like to use that term not for the word “toxic” but “masculinity” because nothing about these losers are masculine.

@junctiondog860

Everyone please hype the shit out of this one. There aren't enough hockey YouTubers talking about this.

@arbor_cat

I was so excited to see this video when I opened youtube! Exactly what I was looking for and perfect for me. Thank you for this discussion

@t.loves.survivor

Incredibly important video. Hockey culture is fundamentally broken, and it won’t change unless Hockey Canada mandates a fix. They have an outsized impact on the entire league’s culture

@ThatTallGuy03

You were cooking with your script/speech there keep it up homie

@patches.742

when hart was on the flyers i was actually a big fan of his- he seemed like a really chill person but once the scandal broke i completely went back on it it sucks too bc my family got his jersey for hockey fights cancer and i felt really weird throwing it out bc its a charity jersey (both my parents are cancer survivors)- it makes me happy tho that the mood with flyers fans is that hes a pos and we dont want him back in our town! (his first game back in the league was supposed to be in philly but he got pulled last minute bc people were threatening him)

@jamiesprinkbob

These guys should never play in the NHL again but a couple things:

1. Being tried by a jury of your peers is a right granted to defendants. Defendants and defendants alone can choose to waive that right. If the defense attorneys wanted a trial by judge, they could have had one from the beginning. The narrative in the media that the mistrials were some diabolical scheme cooked up by the defense attorneys makes zero sense.

2. The reason we make a much bigger deal out of wrongful convictions as opposed to wrongful acquittals is because in 99.999999% of cases the Crown has almost all of the power and the accused has almost none. The tragedy is not that these hockey players were able to hire high end attorneys and who were able to cast enough doubt in the judge's mind to avoid conviction. The tragedy is that most defendants do not have access to the same calibre of defense.

@aaronginsberg4993

Thank you for making this video. Hockey has such a deep rooted culture problem. I grew up playing minor hockey in Canada and I was so upset about the fund they had built up with registration fees to settle cases like this. It was infuriating, knowing that it was the fees that my family paid that went into that (as with all families in Canada). There's so many examples of cases like this in hockey and in sport and it's such a problem. I appreciate someone talking about it

@ChroniCBlazE

Hockey is the most racist sexist and generally bigoted sport in existence, and it’s no coincidence that it is also the dumbest (none of its players go to fucking school lmao). It’s so sad that it’s like this when all I want to do is support a sport I have fun watching

@jesuschristthatsjasonbourn9059

Hart was never convicted of anything and the girl was clearly lying. Canadian media just actively hates white men

@jd3jefferson556

The most upsetting part of this story was that during the trial the judge ruled that the woman's testimony was inadmissable because she was too impaired by alcohol to accurately recall the incident, but somehow she was sober enough to consent.

@tinfoilslacks3750

Brother. Get the background music under control. This sounded interesting but I physically could not stay on the video. Boo

@alexsmith6322

This, this right here is why i really don’t watch sports anymore, take out Hockey, and place ANY sport in the same story and its over and over. Kobe, and Jamis Winston etc. I read the book Missoula, it’s about how the system is there to protect the University NOT the student, same in this situation. People actually side with rapist over victims over a fucking game! What in the absolute Fuck? Good on you for making this video.

@alaska1girls

Good to see someone actually talking about this situation still, it's disgusting these guys are still allowed in the league. I hate how even my parents defend them just because they were acquitted, as if that means they didn't do a single thing wrong.

Literally the only good thing to come out of this was seeing Hart absolutely bomb pathetically in the final and helping to keep the cup out of Vegas, but even then he shouldn't have been allowed to return for that.

@candyseller7494

I can't tell you how comforting it is to see a guy as upset about this as almost every woman I know who follows hockey. Most guys I know went "welp, they were declared not guilty! Therefore absolutely nothing bad happened whatsoever!" And moved on. My dad and brother are two of the few exceptions and actively going fuck Vegas with my dad was one of the few joys I got watching the cup final this year. I don't know how we fix hockey culture but it's been clear to me that something very rotten has been wrong for a very long time.

@LittleMissHobbitFace

As a Canadian woman raising girls in a very hockey-centric town, THANK YOU for speaking up. Sadly, our local team (The Lumber Kings) have been a significant part of the problem, rather than being leaders in making changes for the better.

@megshep

obsessed with this lol u rock

@madisyngifford3507

This is a rampant, systemic issue from the lowest levels up. It is perpetuated by the egos of "former players" who never made the show and are stuck living in their "glory days" and vicariously through their kids. Players that were themselves victims of a flawed system, who now coach and administer minor hockey on up - reinforcing learned bad behaviour and lessons. I've seen entire levels of hockey decimated by this toxic culture as it drove kids out the sport leaving associations in a lurch to fill benches. The perverted locker-room mindset is cultivated in the home where family values are lacking or absent - again a systemic problem.

Add in the current crop of entitled nepo-babies and pay-for-access parents and it only exacerbates the problem. Normal working parents (making huge sacrifices to keep their kids on the ice) are afraid to speak up and challenge the system because of a FOMO mentality and the implications it may have on their kid's playing opportunities. While legitimate merit is critical for sports, there is no fairness or equity in an authentic sense.

Hockey Canada needs external monitoring and a hard reset to protect children and our part of our national identity/heritage.

@23ADeathTech

I hate this video is coming from a Boston fan who I’m assuming is American but my god was it needed. Great video!

Hockey culture in Canada breeds some of the most piggish men and it’s easy to spot a guy who spent their youth in the AAA & Junior Circuit from the way they talk, dress, and interact with strangers. The good ones are anomaly’s.

Their given a massive sense of entitlement at a young age. They travel so much to play when they’re young they miss a ton of school and often get special treatment from teachers and most authority figures. It gives them a feeling they’re above those who don’t play hockey and to say it doesn’t affect their demeanour long term it would be a lie. 50% of the assholes and bullies in the school system are hockey players

@JVKKV

as a relatively newer hockey fan this culture is what disgusted me enough to pivot to watching the PWHL instead.

hockey fiction books are giving the sport a pop culture boost unheard of, but the new audience isn't as right-leaning and conservative as hockey's traditional audience and is most definitely being turned off by this.

most aren't turning to the women's league but turning their TV's off. especially as the golden knights progressed to the final and took up more and more media coverage. the actions of the USA olympic team did not help in the slightest

@manya9430

I'm so, SO happy Vegas lost the Cup. Their first 2 appearances and first win were fine, this iteration of the team deserves the misery. It gives me Brock Turner vibes if anyone remembers that piece of garbage. I am immediately skeptical of anyone defending these players.

@AlexSilver9

when was the last time a canadian team won the stanley cop?

@mito88

As soon as I heard about an alleged “guide book” about how to take advantage of women that was traded around Canadas junior men’s hockey team… makes me wary of every guy who came outta that team

@RandomPersonOnTheInternet_O.o

Really appreciate this video!

@somewherenowhere676

MATT NISKANEN MENTIONED?!

YOU NEED A STURDY OL RELIABLE ON YOUR METRO DIVISION BLUELINE?! WE GOT THE GUY

@StrangeHammer

If you heard the Wizpig theme then you're cultured

@We_Caken

Thank you

@graydetwiler6266

I don't comment much on here. This isn't even my main account. I say that only to say how much it meant to me to comment om this video.

I am from the UK and I love hockey. I love many North American sports, but that doesn't mean I accept or ignore the flaws they each have.

Like you, I am disgusted by Hockey Canada and the NHL.

Voices like yours on platforms like this make a difference. They may not feel like they do sometimes but they do.

We must never be silent about such things.

Thank you for speaking up and I have subscribed on my main channel out of respect for your content and even more so your stance.

Perhaps on other videos we can talk about more pleasant hockey topics, but for now I will just say that my heart goes out to EM, Kyle Beach, all those less publicised who have faced the same disgusting horrors, their family and their friends.

Thanks again,

No pasarán.

@FootballLibrettist

maybe it will happen later but i got this in recommended having never seen ur channel so so far so good

@TH1RDP3RSON

It's so hard to keep being a hockey fan when these kinds of things keep happening on every level. I just want to enjoy the game I love so much but now it just tastes of bile when I try to watch

@Fisklingur

I never thought id ever agree with a bruins fan but you are 100% correct on this

@glorpmaxxer

Thanking the YouTube algorithm for throwing this my way, great work on it!

@BrasilianFury

great video! as others have said, i really recommend everyone reads We Breed Lions

@cecinkm

Thank you so much for this.

@LTeeeeeeeee