BLADE RUNNERS: CANADIAN MIGRANTS, ICE HOCKEY, AND THE GLOBAL SPORTS PROCESS

Abstract

This article maps the development of British ice hockey and the role of Canadian migrants in the sport. The process is not new but has gathered momentum during the 1980s. Three areas are considered: the extent of involvement, the contested nature of this involvement, and the types of experience involved for the migrants themselves. Canadian ice hockey experiences are discussed in the light of a sport migrant typology: pioneers, settlers, mercenaries, returnees, and nomadic cosmopolitans. Local and global issues in sport labor migration are also highlighted. Questions of labor rights, gender relations, host/donor contacts, and personal/cultural identity are assessed. The data sources include the official records of the world governing body (International Ice Hockey Federation), interviews, ice hockey journals, and media reports.