The Stanley Cup Finals have arrived. For ardent hockey fans and their proxies in the mainstream sports media, this is the triumphant culmination of an epic journey of athletic mastery and heroic stoicism. It is the season to wax poetic about the “grit,” “toughness,” “pain,” “heroism,” and “sacrifice” that define professional hockey players and render them worthy of a sip from the silver chalice.

Or some such nonsense. Yes, this is a narrative that sells tickets and buys clicks, but don’t be fooled: it is also one that deftly conceals the violence, harm, and exploitation that underpin the business of professional hockey, much like most other high-performance spectator sport.