- HOCKEY 3 - Iced Out
Wednesday, June 7th 2023
The NHL likes to call Willie O’Ree the Jackie Robinson of hockey. And no one can deny how significant it was when he became the first Black player on the ice in an NHL game in 1958.
But what the league doesn’t like to talk about is what happened next.
Because after O’Ree, the NHL didn’t admit another black player for sixteen years. So did the NHL resegregate? And why don’t we talk about the experiences of the players who broke hockey’s second colour line?
Featured in this episode: Bob Dawson, Bill Riley
To learn more:
“Mike Marson on challenges he faced as NHL’s second black player” by Wayne Scanlan in SportsNet
“Life of Riley; Career of N.S. hockey trailblazer Bill Riley remembered during Black History Month” by Paul Hollingsworth and Allan April in CTV News
Willie: The Game-Changing Story of the NHL's First Black Player by Willie O’Ree with Michael McKinley
“How Conn Smythe's racism kept Herb Carnegie from achieving his NHL dream” by Ian Kennedy in Yahoo Sports
“The dark history of the NFL’s original sins” by Chelsea Stark-Jones and Lex Pryor in The Ringer
Credits: Arshy Mann (Host and Producer), Jordan Cornish (Producer), Noor Azrieh (Producer), Annette Ejiofor (Managing Editor)
Additional music from Audio Network
Sponsors: Oxio, Better Help, Ecojustice
If you value this podcast, Support us! You’ll get premium access to all our shows ad free, including early releases and bonus content. You’ll also get our exclusive newsletter, discounts on merch, tickets to our live and virtual events, and more than anything, you’ll be a part of the solution to Canada’s journalism crisis, you’ll be keeping our work free and accessible to everybody.
You can listen ad-free on Amazon Music—included with Prime.
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- HOCKEY 2 - The Birth of Black Hockey
Wednesday, May 31st 2023
Of the estimated 7000 people who have played in the NHL only around 100 of them have been Black. That’s an absurdly low number compared to any other major North American sports league.
But what makes that statistic especially shocking is the fact that the modern game has its roots with Black players on Black teams.
The Coloured Hockey League wasn’t just a sideshow to the main event of white hockey. And the way that league was targeted by the white establishment is reflective of the racism that Black players faced over the next century.
Featured in this episode: Bob Dawson, Darril Fosty, George Fosty
To learn more:
Black Ice: The Lost History of the Colored Hockey League of the Maritimes, 1895-1925 Darril Fosty & George Fosty (Author)
“1960s college hockey player recalls racism on the ice” by Bruce Deachman in The Ottawa Citizen
“The all-Black league that invented hockey as we know it” by Jasper Hutson in Defector
Credits: Arshy Mann (Host and Producer), Jordan Cornish (Producer), Noor Azrieh (Producer), Annette Ejiofor (Managing Editor)
Additional music from Audio Network
Sponsors: Canva, Douglas, Better Help, Slow Burn
Canadaland is turning 10! From May 24 - June 2, sign up for our highest level of ongoing support for only $10 a month. PLUS you'll receive a FREE limited edition 10th Anniversary tote bag. Head to canadaland.com/join to become a supporter today.
You can listen ad-free on Amazon Music—included with Prime.
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- HOCKEY 1 - The Best Game You Can Name
Wednesday, May 24th 2023
Hockey is a hell of a lot of fun. But right now, the sport is going through a reckoning. Allegations of racism, corruption, sexual misconduct and so much more are rocking the game to its core.
But the truth is that in Canada, hockey is more than just a sport. It’s a civic religion, with a billion dollar business attached to it.
Over the next seven episodes, COMMONS will be digging into the cult of hockey, scrutinizing its doctrines and exposing its secrets.
Canadaland is turning 10! From May 24 - June 2, sign up for our highest level of ongoing support for only $10 a month. PLUS the first 100 signups will receive a FREE limited edition 10th Anniversary tote bag. Head to canadaland.com/join to become a supporter today.
Editor's Note: a different version of this episode was published on the subscriber-only feed of Commons. No inaccuracies were found in the original version, changes were made by the Editor in Chief for storytelling purposes.
Featured in this episode: Ian Kennedy (The Hockey News)
To learn more:
“How a Toronto hockey league turns kids’ joy into an $8.8m cash cow” by Ian Kennedy and Nathan Kalman-Lamb in The Guardian
“Aliu says GTHL rejected organization that would have assured spots for BIPOC players” by Rick Westhead in TSN
“Prospective buyer says he was coached to skirt GTHL’s rules on organization sales” by Rick Westhead in TSN
“Rinks of dreams: The Little One had style” by Bruce Lowitt in The Tampa Bay Times
Credits: Arshy Mann (Host and Producer), Jordan Cornish (Producer), Noor Azrieh (Producer), Annette Ejiofor (Managing Editor)
Additional music from Audio Network
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
- Introducing our new season… Hockey
Wednesday, May 10th 2023
Love it or hate it, hockey is inescapable in Canada. But the sport has a dark side.
From violence and racism on the ice, to corruption, cover-ups and abuse off of it. In the latest season of COMMONS, host Arshy Mann and producers Jordan Cornish and Noor Azrieh will be bringing you stories from inside the cult of hockey.
Our new season launches on May 24th.
If you’re a Canadaland supporter, you can get access to episodes a week early! Become a supporter at canadaland.com/join
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
- BONUS: Cory Doctorow knows why monopolies are killing art
Wednesday, April 12th 2023
In the last season we sat down with Cory Doctorow, co-author of Chokepoint Capitalism: How Big Tech and Big Content Captured Creative Labor Markets and How We'll Win Them Back, to find out how the music industry has become dominated by monopoly power. In this bonus episode, we’re bringing you Arshy’s full interview with Cory, complete with all the nitty gritty details around how and why musicians continue to get screwed by Spotify, music labels, ticketmaster and more.
To learn more: Chokepoint Capitalism: How Big Tech and Big Content Captured Creative Labor Markets and How We'll Win Them Back by Rebecca Giblin and Cory Doctorow
Sponsors: Canva, Douglas, Truth Telling
If you value this podcast, support us! You’ll get premium access to all our shows ad free, including early releases and bonus content. You’ll also get our exclusive newsletter, discounts on merch, tickets to our live and virtual events, and more than anything, you’ll be a part of the solution to Canada’s journalism crisis, you’ll be keeping our work free and accessible to everybody.
You can listen ad-free on Amazon Music—included with Prime.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
