“That’s how you finish your man.” “He has long legs, a good body.” “His edging is really excellent.”
These are just a few of the NHL broadcast quotes re-contextualized by Calgary photographer Sebastian Buzzalino in his newest photo exhibition series, I Am Emotionally Attached to These Men. The suggestive snippets adorn the yellow-and-pink hockey card designs surrounding his subjects, a diverse array of masculine figures erotically posed in hockey gear.
The name? Buzzalino got it from a Reddit comment. “Years ago, I was browsing the hockey sub right after a game or something,” he says. “Some team had lost, and some guy wrote, ‘I’m emotionally attached to these men.’ As anyone who follows any kind of sport knows, people’s moods can hinge on whether or not overpaid athletes do well at any given game. Myself included.”
This is an exhibit that “delights in the queer voyeurism of fetishizing the masculine body in hockey,” as described by Buzzalino. It’s familiar territory for the photographer. “A lot of the work I do explores how masculinity works, particularly in heteronormative spaces,” he says. “And I’ve always been into sports in general … A lot of my happiest and saddest moments are tied to sports results. So that’s my personal connection.”
Being from Argentina, Buzzalino brings a unique perspective to Canada’s favourite pastime. “Soccer is my main sport,” he says. “I didn’t grow up in hockey culture at all, [and] I can barely skate. But over the pandemic, I got really into hockey, and comparing and contrasting it to soccer — South American soccer, in particular — and how masculinity is handled in the sports drove the initial stages of this project and how we started approaching it.”
Buzzalino’s team included Émilie Gagnon (styling), Andrea Thygesen (hair and makeup), and Ava Wild (assistant). The series showcases nine different models in various states of undress across 20 portraits. One of the more striking shots features fellow photographer Michael Grondin barechested, wearing an orange jockstrap, and ready to make a slapshot. Combined with the retro hockey card aesthetic, it offers a playful take on the male gaze inherent to the sport.
“I find the idea of ‘collecting things’ super interesting at the end of the day,” says Buzzalino. “People get really into collecting something and then can serialize that item. It opens up a lot of ideas about these things. Like hockey cards, for instance: once you collect a ton of them over the years, [it can] communicate something about that dominant culture.”
It’s hard to question hockey’s dominance, especially in Alberta. A 2023 Statista survey found that hockey is more popular in Alberta than in any other province, with almost 45 per cent of respondents saying they follow the sport regularly. From the cheers along 17th Avenue during a home game to the colours projected against the Calgary Tower, the passion is palpable, both on and off the ice.
“When you’re a player, you’re with the same group of guys all the time,” says Buzzalino. “You’re living and dying emotionally. You’re trying to achieve your best, right? It’s a very deep connection … it’s a crazy bond that only really exists in patriarchy and heteronormative cultures under the guise of sports athleticism … But under heteronormative cultures, you’re not allowed to love a ‘man family.’ At the end of that day, you have to be like, ‘Oh, I love playing with them. I don’t love you or love him.’ The love that hockey players feel for each other, especially successful teams, is very mediated.”
Hockey’s complicated relationship with sexuality and intimacy permeates every part of I Am Emotionally Attached To These Men, from conception to execution. The 2018 World Junior Hockey Team sexual assault scandal was a principal influence for Buzzalino, as was the NHL’s back-and-forth policies on the use of Pride stick tape. “Your sexuality has no bearing on how good you are at skating,” says Buzzalino. “The fact that the NHL had such a strong reaction [to Pride tape] just points to the conservative values that the league holds and how much work there is to do.” Luke Prokop — a minor league defenceman drafted as a prospect for the Nashville Predators in 2020 — came out in 2021 and is the first (and at the time of writing, only) openly gay player under contract with an NHL team.
“I hope that people enjoy the photography, but I also hope that people start paying attention to the language that we use to talk about bodies in male-dominated sports,” says Buzzalino. “Consider what those emotional connections mean, particularly with what is largely a closed, conservative culture of sameness in hockey.”
I Am Emotionally Attached To These Men is open to the public until April 15 at Roadrunner Vintage & Studio. Check out Sebastian’s website for more information: unfoldingcreativephoto.com
