The young hockey player I have at home (age 20) seems just as mixed about these situations as the article contends. He says you never have to participate. And yet, people do. These young men are doing just what the article says, they believe that they are bonding together. There is no penalty for not participating. They want to because they want to be part of the team and believe that this is how you do it. It is very confusing for them because they do not have other models. I was very impressed with Jack Parker in this article. He is trying to create another model. Athletes exist in their own subculture. This is no different than many of the subcultures we all create, examples: church-based bowling teams, campers, feminists, hikers and bikers, to name a few. None of these groups are special, they just naturally create their own cultural rules, which are not spelled out in writing. You can certainly hike even if you don't understand the subculture, you will just be slightly on the outside of the family. Team-building at work can be just as intense as in sports, but different. I believe that until new models for team-building in sports are created by the players (and former players, now coaches) in a very active way, hazing, in some form, will continue in this role. Jack Parker and his players should speak out a little more on the topic, since obviously they are winners as well. I think the Globe article was actually very good at helping the rest of us understand what these young men were thinking. They are truly surprised that people think this was bad or extraordinary. They feel like jerks because it is all over town now. It is going to take a much more positive intervention by role models within the sport for young hockey players to truly understand what the fuss is about. Sorry for the long message, but as a hockey parent, this is a constant struggle - the line between life and sport. Susan S. HOCKEY-L is for discussion of college ice hockey; send information to [log in to unmask], The College Hockey Information List.