Winnipeg to Host The Hockey Conference 2025

The Hockey Conference is a biennial event dedicated to fostering dialogue and igniting critical scholarship by bringing together a diverse group of hockey scholars, sports leaders, industry professionals, and community members. The conference was established by Dr. Colin Howell of Saint Mary’s University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Over time the conference was passed down to Dr. Howell’s mentee, Dr. Cheryl MacDonald, and colleagues. MacDonald describes past conferences as “an ideal mix of productive work and enjoyable socialization among long-time colleagues who have become friends.” The twelfth conference will take place at The Fort Garry Hotel in Winnipeg, from June 17-19th, 2025.

A Group Effort

This year’s conference planning committee includes graduate students, community leaders, and academics from across Canada. The University of Manitoba features prominently on this planning committee: Dr. Martine Dennie (Faculty of Law), Dr. Shannon D.M. Moore (Faculty of Education), Dr. Sarah Teetzel (Faculty of Kinesiology and Recreation Management), and Brent Poplawski (PhD Candidate, Faculty of Kinesiology and Recreation Management). Law students, Stefan Lewis and Seth Garcia, are also supporting the conference as Research Assistants. “I’m very excited to bring this conference to Winnipeg,” says Dennie, who is grateful for the support from all three faculties. “The collaboration across our faculties is an opportunity to unite diverse perspectives and foster interdisciplinary innovation, which is at the heart of what The Hockey Conference aims to do.”

Conference Theme: In The Echoes of Reckonings

This year’s conference theme, In The Echoes of Reckonings, was chosen in order to stimulate dialogue and generate ideas about how hockey can grapple with the sexism, violence, racism, homophobia, classism, ableism, and issues with player well-being that have come to light through critical hockey scholarship, through investigative journalism, through the activism of players, through the practical changes made by coaches, and through the policy changes enacted by leaders. The 2025 conference aspires to open up conversations and to cultivate conceptions of ice hockey that do not yet exist.

Conference Submissions

People interested in presenting at the conference are invited to submit abstracts for an individual or panel presentation by November 30, 2024. Although there is a conference theme, submissions that engage a range of themes are welcome for the conference.

As The Countdown Clock Ticks Closer

Registration for this year’s conference will open in January 2025. “This conference is not just for academics and researchers,” said Dr. Shannon Moore, Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Education at the University of Manitoba. “Students across all faculties, members of the community, and anyone interested in discussions on hockey, will be invited and welcome to register for the conference. The topics discussed (athlete well being, hazing, equity, fandom, coaching) are relevant to a broad audience.” The conference committee will also be making announcements very soon about the exciting keynotes and panel presentations planned for the June 2025 Conference.

Interested contributors are invited to keep up to date on conference information by visiting the conference website The Hockey Conference 2025.

For updates, the conference committee also invites contributors and participants to visit The Hockey Conference 2025 social media accounts including Instagram, X, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

Story submitted by Faculty of Law with the Faculty of Kinesiology and Recreation Management.