New Geographies of Elite Hockey Player Production in the Neoliberal Age

Neoliberal forms of governance have impacted business, international trade, investment, finance, taxation and many other aspects of economic life since the 1970s. At its heart, neoliberalism puts emphasis on the market, not just in business but also in sport and in many other aspects of life. Private capital has increasingly gained access to the finance and provision of public services. An example of this process is the recent proliferation in privately operated/owned ice rinks in British Columbia. Private ice rinks constitute 46% of all ice rink construction in BC since 1990 and are largely located in urban regions. Concurrently, High Performance Training Companies (HPTCs), operating outside the auspices of Hockey Canada, have capitalized on the influx of private ice rinks and have begun providing services at a cost to prospective young hockey players. The following thesis utilizes a case study of BC to demonstrate how the deepening commodification of elite hockey in BC during the neoliberal age has created new geographies of elite hockey player production.