Award-winning investigative journalist Rick Westhead speaking at UFV in Abbotsford

Award-winning investigative journalist Rick Westhead speaking at UFV in Abbotsford

Published 11:46 am Tuesday, October 6, 2026

Award-winning investigative journalist Rick Westhead is coming to Abbotsford later this month.

The TSN senior correspondent is appearing at the University of the Fraser Valley’s President’s Leadership Lecture Series and is discussing the stories behind some of the controversial topics he has explored during his career.

Westhead’s event occurs at UFV’s Building J Community Hall in Abbotsford from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 22.

He is a two-time winner of the Canadian sportswriter of the year and also received the Arnold Amber Award for Investigative Journalism in 2023. Westhead has written two books, including 2020’s Finding Murph: How Joe Murphy Went From Winning a Championship to Living Homeless in the Bush and 2025’s We Breed Lions: Confronting Canada’s Troubled Hockey Culture. We Breed Lions, which examines some of the most difficult issues facing hockey in Canada, including hazing, sexual assault, bullying and misogyny, has been shortlisted for the 2026 Trillium Book Award for English Prose. Westhead has also won three Canadian Screen Awards for Best Sports Feature Segment (2017, 2019 and 2023).

“His reporting asks us to think about power, accountability, institutional responsibility and what it takes to create environments where people feel safe to speak up and where concerns are responded to with action,” stated UFV’s Martha Dow.

He has been at the forefront of several topical issues within the hockey world including the NHL’s handling of concussions, Kyle Beach and the sexual assault claims related to his time with the Chicago Blackhawks organization and the sexual assault lawsuit involving the 2018 Canadian world junior hockey team. His reporting on the 2018 team led to the public reveal of Hockey Canada’s sexual assault settlement fund.

Before joining TSN, Westhead was a foreign correspondent for the Toronto Star, reporting from Afghanistan, China, Saudi Arabia, and other countries. The alumni of Toronto Metropolitan University graduated from the Ryerson School of Journalism in 1995 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism.

The talk is part of the Fraser Valley Purple Lights Nights campaign, which runs throughout October to raise awareness, remember victims and support survivors of intimate partner violence.

Tickets are $30 for the general public or $10 for UFV students. All tickets also include access to the UFV Cascades men’s and women’s volleyball home openers on Oct. 23, which features Purple Lights Nights activities in support of the campaign.

For more information, visit showpass.com/ufv-rick-westhead.