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For Daniel’s latest essays, visit his Substack

COMING THIS FALL!

CUTTING EDGE: Hockey as Queer Culture

Conversations around the phenomenal success of the TV series Heated Rivalry have put a spotlight on LGBTQ+ hockey players at a cultural moment when queer and trans folk in sports are being bullied and scapegoated. When author Daniel Gawthrop laced on his first pair of skates as a twelve-year-old Peewee house league player in 1975, he never imagined he would grow up to start a gay men’s hockey club. Nor that his mainstream media musings about the beauty of “Russian Rocket” Pavel Bure would prompt “straight” commentary by everyone from Don Cherry to The Village Voice. These stories and more form the heart of Cutting Edge, a fascinating probe into the role of gender, masculinity, and sexuality in defining—and too often demeaning—Canada’s national sport.

“An incredibly timely and personal examination of hockey at its cultural crossroads. Daniel Gawthrop honours the beauty of the game while confronting the masculinity, gatekeeping, and institutional hesitation that have shaped it while seamlessly highlighting LGBTQ+ milestones in the sport’s history…5 stars.”
—Ren Dawe, Education and Programs Director, You Can Play

“An inspirational and unique perspective on a sport beloved by so many.”
—Betty Baxter, author of Outspoken: A Journey from Olympic Athlete to Activist

“A must-read for queer hockey lovers—in all senses of the phrase.”
—Carellin Brooks, author of One Hundred Days of Rain

“Gawthrop’s enthusiasm is infectious enough to keep me—a lifelong hockey nonfan—wholly engrossed.”
—Brett Josef Grubisic, author of The Age of Cities and My Two-Faced Luck

For more on Cutting Edge, and to pre-order the book via your local independent bookstore, visit its Arsenal Pulp Press page.

In Canada, you can pre-order Cutting Edge from great indie booksellers like Munro’s in Victoria. You can also get it from Indigo/Chapters or Amazon.ca.

In the U.S., you can pre-order it from Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble, Bookshop.org, or BooksAMillion.com.

**** Cutting Edge pre-publication event: August 9, 2026: “Outspoken: An Afternoon with Betty Baxter and Daniel Gawthrop,” at West Vancouver Memorial Library, 3-4:30 pm (hybrid event available with Zoom registration)

What’s been said about Daniel’s other books…

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