At the end of the day, it's privilege. Jocks, rich kids, kids with connections...anyone that has any kind of golden ticket gets to play by a different set of rules in the amateur sporting and academic world. And it needs to change.
In my opinion, hockey is hit with a double whammy simply because it has become a sport for the upper economic classes over the last two decades, and how iconic the game is regarded in Canada (especially in smaller junior hockey towns across the country).
I understand your privilege theory but when you realize a good percentage of D1 college football teams are minorities on full rides this kind of puts cracks in that theory. "Gang bangs" are just as prevalent in ghetto rap culture where a lot of these kids come from as they are in all white fratboy circles who come from big money families. Unless you are referring to kids like this as privileged bc they have full rides due to superior athletic abilities.
Yes there are a LOT of rich and privileged white kids on junior teams and in hockey in general, but there are still the poor "farm boys" who are good at the game, not as much there once were but they're still there. Once you enter the circle its either join the culture to fit in or get excluded. Also a lot more hazing and bullying of the young guys than in d1 so it becomes even harder not to follow the pack. If I remember correctly McLeod comes from a dirt poor upbringing with his mother having to work multiple jobs just to get him through youth.
It's not exclusive to privilege. It's really just alpha male do whatever you want culture. A lot of these towns where junior hockey teams play there is literally nothing to do but go to the bar for fun. The juniors players are movie stars even more so than d1 circles in America where there is a lot more to do on a college campus than just go get wasted at a party and try to hook up with a football star.
None of what I said are excuses for the action, but it really is a much bigger problem that can't be easily fixed until it comes from the top. I mean midget players in the USA are still being scolded and taught to not use racist or homophopic slurs but a lot of the coaches/refs dont really care because they are bigots in one form or another themselves so it continues. A recent top US team had to be reported by their coach for using the N word against a team mate but it went no farther than that.
Literally examples have to be made every year all over the hockey world in multiple forms for things to really start to stick. Human nature causes people to forget easily and always think it wont happen to me.
