Translation of: La vraie dureté du mental.

Includes bibliographical references (pages xix-xx).

"Does hockey provide a better understanding of the differences between Canadian and Québécois nationalisms? Is there a fundamental relationship between the hockey arena and the political arena? What have we lost as a society in abolishing the tie game? Are salaries in the NHL really that outrageous? Is hockey more art than sport? Should hockey players be banned from using performance-enhancing drugs at all costs? Do goalies suffer from angst? Does our national sport have its own mythology and metaphysics? Do hockey brawls reflect our true human nature more than we would care to admit? And what would it be like if the great philosophers were to face off on the ice?

A team of philosophy and hockey buffs go deep with these fascinating questions and many others in this examination of a worshipped sport elevated to something akin to a cult. Accessibly written and peppered with humour, the essays in this book will charm specialists, sports fans, and everyone in between. Whether you're a fan of Richard, Gretzsky, Crosby, Plato, Kant, or Kierkegaard, you're invited to be a spectator at this very special meeting of minds!" (Book Cover)

TABLE OF CONTENTS :

Foreword: Thinker on the Rink
/ Jean Dion

Introduction

Bibliography

1st Period: Social and Political Philosophy
"One est Canayen ou ben on l'est pas": Hockey, Nationalism and Identity in Québec and Canada
/ Tony Patoine
Hockey and Politics, Same Battle!
/ Jean-Claude Simard
Hockey Salaries: Scandal or Fair Pay?
/ Mario Jodoin

2nd Period: Mythology and Metaphysics
The Rocket: The Making of a Hero
/ Julie Perrone
From the Shinny Pond to the Bell Centre: Reweaving the Myth of the Saint-Flanelle
/ Anouk Bélanger and Fannie Valois-Nadeau
The Metaphysics of Hockey
/ Jean Grondin

3rd Period: Ethical and Aesthetic Issues
Eulogy for the Tie Game
/ Daniel M. Weinstock
Fisticuffs: When Do We Say Enough's Enough?
/ Christian Boissinot
The Aesthetics of Hockey
/ Normand Baillargeon
The Great Drug Debate: Saturday Night at Chez Paulo
/ Normand Baillargeon

Overtime
A Game to Be Forgotten!
/ Jon Paquin
Towards a Kantian Hockey
/ Chantal Santerre (with Normand Baillargeon)
Kierkegaard and the Art of Goaltending
/ Charles Le Blanc

Shootout
Haitians, Hockey, and Some Philosophy of Culture
/ Rodney Saint-Éloi (with Marie-Célie Agnant, Dany Laferrière, Rita Metsokosho, and Jean Morisset)

About the Authors

Description based on print version record.