Seminal moments on, off field-of-play mark unforgettable 2022 for Canadian athletes

It all seems a bit of a blur, doesn't it?

This year, not just in sports but generally, seemed to fly by.

When people talk about the Beijing Olympics and Paralympics being just 10 months ago, I still can't wrap my head around it.

In many ways, because of the pandemic the last three years have made it hard to know when things actually happened — was it this year? Before the pandemic? How long were we locked down anyway?

And perhaps the most impactful moments of 2022 came off the field of play.

In the early days of COVID-19 when we were locked away in our homes and athletes trained in basements and backyard pools, and the pros gathered in bubbles to ultimately lift a trophy and complete another season, there were rumblings of athlete activism.

The voices of athletes were growing louder in the silence of empty stadiums and arenas.

And many people wondered what would happen when the games, with packed venues, started up again.

Would we all forget the important conversations happening around athlete safety and well-being? Would we still care about Black Lives Matter and racism in sport? Would we care about LGTBQ issues and making sport inclusive for all?

There was a part of the old establishment that just wanted to move on, to get back to how things used to be. That was perfectly personified through the actions of Hockey Canada.

With the public, Members of Parliament, and sponsors demanding answers, Hockey Canada was silent.

In June, Hockey Canada's access to public funds was frozen by the federal government over its response to an alleged sexual assault and subsequent out-of-court settlement. Sponsorships were pulled.

WATCH | Hockey Canada and members unanimously vote to bring bylaw changes:

It was bad, and in a lot of ways