We’re seeing LeBronification of hockey culture

Longtime Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck is taking his talents to South Jersey.

Unlike Philadelphia 76ers forward LeBron James, he’s not announcing his new home on a TV special. But like James, he’s advancing a new crusade of player self-assertion.

Soon, we’ll likely see hockey’s Dylan Larkin and Quinn Hughes (again) engineer their own exits, just like the Tkachuk brothers. The common thread? Like James, they’re all American. And they’re not just moving south — they’re making hockey culture American.

A country’s athletes usually find a sport that expresses their national culture. Think of Brazil’s flashy soccer players, South Africa’s rugged ruggers, Britain’s refined golfers.

North America is no different. Americans gravitate to basketball, the sport of brashness, individualism and star culture. Canadians do the opposite. Hockey has always embodied wintry Canadian values of decorum, devotion and dependability.

The Canadian farmer was modest about showing off rich fall harvests to his neighbour, because come winter, he would be asking that same neighbour to help pull the tractor out of snowdrifts.

The Prairie pioneer was loyal to his town, because the short growing season demanded years of patient endurance, rather than rewarding repeated exits to get-rich-quick opportunities. The flatlander immigrant co-operatively pooled his resources with others to form the Co-op and the Wheat Board, rather than inviting wealthy merchants to take over local commerce.

When the pioneers’ sons moved south to play for American NHL teams, they imparted to pro hockey culture these Canadian traits of modesty, loyalty and team play.

But today, as more and more of hockey’s stars are American, hockey culture is becoming LeBronified.

Take modesty. Saskatchewan-born Gordie Howe’s on-ice elbows quickly became an “aw-shucks” demeanour off the ice. He did not use the media spotlight to promote his ego or propound his causes. Try to imagine Mr. Hockey beating his chest and taking political stands.

But today, USA Hockey players party with FBI director Kash Patel and serve as props for U.S. President Donald Trump. Left wing and right wing both amp up the political discourse: a long-running American tradition. It’s even spreading to Canada: the formerly aw-shucks Great One Wayne Gretzky apparently now wants to Make America Great Again.

Next, consider loyalty. Canadian centre Steve Yzerman loyally persevered through Detroit’s 1980s “Dead Things” era, captaining the team for a record 19 seasons. When Yzerman became GM in Tampa, he expected the same loyalty from his players. When draft hotshot Jonathan Drouin requested a trade, Yzerman rewarded him with a trip to the minors.

But when Yzerman came back to GM another Detroit “Dead Things” team in 2019, LeBronification had now taken root. Just as LeBron had left his hometown Cleveland (twice), Red Wings captain Larkin — a born-and-bred Detroiter — demanded a trade. When Yzerman and the team’s brain trust refused, Yzerman lost the showdown — and his job.

Finally, consider team play. Halifax-born Sidney Crosby famously took contract discounts, enabling the Penguins to retain Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang. In return, the Penguins recently re-signed the trio to finish their careers in Pittsburgh. Players and management stayed in their lanes, both working together for team harmony.

Granted, LeBron James took a team-friendly contract in Miami. But many suspect that, in return, he gained input on player acquisition and coaching tenure. By blurring the roles between players and management, he helped to introduce a tug-of-war between the two and reportedly feuded with his own coaches. He is now on his fourth franchise.

The NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights embody this cutthroat tug-of-war. When they’re not gaming the salary cap, they’re throwing huge contracts at Mark Stone and Mitch Marner. But the Golden Knights also discard players like a bad poker hand, infamously disposing of original misfit Marc-Andre Fleury as he won the Vezina trophy. Fleury was widely regarded as the best teammate in hockey. It didn’t matter.

The NHL’s race to Vegas only followed the NBA’s pursuit of legalized gambling; James now earns more running Polymarket ads than running down the court. But in the race for Hellebuyck, Vegas was beaten at their own game by New Jersey GM Sunny Mehta, who first learned his tricks in Vegas as a high-stakes poker player.

In the NBA, James assembles “super teams”; in the LeBronified NHL, Mehta is apparently reassembling the U.S. Olympic team. But if NHL players now change teams like Michael Jordan flips poker hands, they’re not just exchanging a Canadian sweater for an American one. They’re also stacking up chips in the cross-border battle for hockey culture.

Jeremy Geddert is a professor of political science at Assumption University, and co-editor of the forthcoming book What is Canadian Philosophy?