When I was hired to run Second City Hockey in August 2014, one of the first things I learned was how splintered the hockey community could be. There were so many divides — old school vs. new school, conservative vs. progressive, etc. — that many hours during those early months were spent trying to manage the comment sections.
It was not easy or fun. I’d spend afternoons arguing with readers who tried to defend language and attitudes that I found inappropriate for the community here. Usually by the end, I’d feel pretty terrible. Explaining to someone why racism, homophobia, or misogyny wasn’t welcomed — as if it needed a damn explanation — was an unexpected part of the gig.