Let me be the first to say that seeing Kenzie Lalonde's name as the play-by-play voice for tonight's Ottawa Senators-Toronto Maple Leafs game brings a genuine smile to my face. The former Mount Allison Mounties forward has come a long way since her playing days after graduating in 2017 as she is the new voice of women's hockey across the TSN network, but she's also so much more than that to those of us who watched her grow from calling university games in the AUS to getting her shot under the bright lights of the three-lettered Toronto sports network. She is one of the best in the game at calling hockey - male or female - and she has worked her tail off to reach new heights of which most have only dreamed. Kenzie has earned all of her promotions each and every time, and I'm beyond ecstatic for her opportunity tonight.
While Kenzie won't be the first woman to call an NHL game, she will be the first woman to call an NHL game across the TSN network so that's an accolade she can add to her impressive résumé. Let's not forget that she was the first woman to call a QMJHL game on television, so breaking these glass ceilings that seem to be above her is nothing new. She's been setting the bar higher with each and every game she calls, and she legitimately sits among the best in the game today when it comes to calling the action in this writer's view.
If you missed the show, we spoke to Kenzie on May 13, 2021 on The Hockey Show before she reached TSN, and we were already impressed with all she had done to that point. You can add calling mostly all of Canada's women's national team's games plus a pile more IIHF games for TSN, and now we tack on the Sens-Leafs as another feather in her cap. Remember how we were already impressed? Make that "we're still impressed with everything she's doing"!
If there's one thing that can be learned from Kenzie's journey, it's that her hockey career didn't end when she graduated from university. Yes, she wasn't playing university hockey any longer, but her path into broadcasting is what literally kept her in the game. Whether it was calling AUS games or eventually landing with Eastlink to call QMJHL games, Kenzie Lalonde remained in the game by moving into the broadcast booth. I honestly believe a number of women who are playing hockey at high levels right now could also jump into that role.
As a realist, I'll be honest in saying that not every broadcasting opportunity will lead to TSN. Heck, it may not lead out of the local rink. What it can do, though, is inspire others to make that same jump from playing to calling games. No one is saying that one needs to give up the hockey dream to jump into the broadcast booth, but it is a reasonable jump if one reaches the end of the playing path without having another step to ascend.
That's what Kenzie did, and I really hope that more girls see her path as a viable way to remain in hockey. Again, it may not end with a job calling NHL or World Championship games for TSN, but calling the local university team's games or high school games is still something of which one can be proud. It may lead to bigger opportunities in the future for those who pursue it, but the next Kenzie Lalonde could be skating her last shift this season with questions about what she does next season for hockey. But maybe it doesn't have to be that way.
Let's encourage more women to get into the broadcast booth as both play-by-play broadcasters and as analysts. Yes, they should be encouraged to play as long as they can at the highest levels they can, but broadcast opportunities are still there. I want to see the next Kenzie Lalonde or Fiona Quinn or Cheryl Pounder or Daniella Ponticelli be part of some amazing broadcasts in U SPORTS or the NCAA where she can rise to the top as one of the best. From there, the world opens up and anything can happen.
Congratuations to Kenzie Lalonde for her call of an NHL game on TSN tonight as that truly is an accomplishment that was once a dream. My hope is that this amazing opportunity that Kenzie has gives more girls the same dream as they look to follow Kenzie's lead in being one of the best hockey broadcasters on the planet!
There's nothing hockey on HBIC today because of the very nature of the day. Remembrance Day in Canada and Veterans Day in the US is a solemn day where the bravest of the brave are honoured for their ultimate sacrifices while those who were lucky enough to come home deserve the ceremony for defending everything we hold dear today.
My late grandfather was a member of the Royal Canadian Air Force, and he never once spoke of his work over in Europe nor any of the horrors he may have seen. Yet he was fiercely proud of his time with the RCAF and what it gave him - a good life, a great family, and an extended family he adored - and I'm deeply grateful to have known him as well as I did for the little time I got to spend with him.
Today, HBIC is closed in honour of Remembrance Day as I'll be watching the ceremonies at the eleventh hour on this eleventh day of November in honour of the good men, women, and animals who served our country proudly, fearlessly, and patriotically in the face of evil. To those who didn;t come home, they are certainly deserving of the honour in remembering their sacrifices of the highest magnitude, but all of our members of the Armed Forces who stand for what is good and for freedom have my eternal gratitude and respect.
Lest we forget, Canada. Let's pay our respects today.
Until next time, raise your sticks high for our Armed Forces!
For some teams in Canada West, this weekend would see them play the first third of their schedule. A couple of teams were closer to the halfway point as they had yet to check in on a bye week, but every team would hit ten games played except for the idle Manitoba Bisons. If you're looking for trends, one-third of a season is a good chunk of games to find them while the races for playoff spots and seedings are certainly in effect. With points up for grabs as eight teams began play on Friday, let's find out who did what this week on The Rundown!
FRIDAY: The East Division-leading Regina Cougars rolled into Calgary on Friday looking to stay atop the division while potentially tying their point total from last season. The Calgary Dinos were coming off a bye week, so they had extra rest and practice time to prepare for the Cougars. The Dinos were also looking over their shoulders at the surging Trinity Western Spartans while the Cougars were trying to put space between themselves and both the Pandas and Bisons. Clearly, this weekend's games had meaning for both as Arden Kliewer was in the visitors' net while Amelia Awad took to the Calgary crease!
Both teams started this game with good pace as the puck was up and down the ice quickly, and we'd get the first goal off a bit of a broken play in the Calgary zone when a goalmouth scramble wasn't successful for the Cougars, but the puck popped out to Jules Stokes at the top of the slot and she hammered it through traffic and past Awad at 10:15 for her first Canada West goal and, more importantly, a 1-0 Regina lead! 1:13 later off an offensive zone face-off, Paige Hubbard sent the puck back to Megan Long who teed it up, and there may have been enough distraction in front of Awad because Long's goal dented twine behind Award for the 2-0 lead!
Calgary wasn't going to just roll over, though, and Rebecca Clarke put the team on her shoulders. First, she won a puck battle that allowed her to pick up the loose puck inside the Regina blue line before wiring a wrist shot from the right face-off dot past Kliewer at 11:37 to make it a 2-1 game. On her next shift, April Klarenbach and Clarke worked some nice passing to where Klarenbach's backhander was redirected by Clarke past Kliewer at 14:42, tying the game at 2-2!
However, 31 seconds after Clarke had tied the game, Regina jumped ahead once more when Raea Gilroy stepping into the zone and unleashed a wrist shot from the top of the right circle that Awad could not corral as the Cougars went up 3-2! That's how an entertaining first period would end as the Cougars took the one-goal lead into the break with both teams putting eleven shots on net.
The defences showed up again in the second period for both teams as the shot totals dropped for this frame and the total number of goals was less than what was seen in the first period. Regina had the only penalty that wouldn't factor into the scoring, but Calgary would find another equalizer late in the frame. Hannah Reagh, in just her second game, took up her position in front of the net where she was able to get a stick on Miri Licis' shot from the point, and the redirection found room past Kliewer for her first Canada West goal while tying the game at 3-3 at the 15:22 mark! That's how we'd close the middle frame with Regina up 19-18 in shots.
The third period saw some great chances, but none found the back of the net. Regina killed off an early, extended power-play for the Dinos while the Dinos were successful on their kill as well, and the goaltenders were solid through the final period. With shots sitting at 26-26, we'd jump to overtime, and we'd only need seven seconds. Off the opening face-off, Paige Hubbard picked the puck up and skated in on the left side before wiring a wrist shot high past Awad's left ear for the game-winning goal as the Regina Cougars claimed the 4-3 overtime win! Arden Kliewer made 26 stops for her third win of the season while Amelia Awad stopped 23 shots in the overtime loss.
Highlights of this game are below! Again, well done, Dinos staff!
SATURDAY: After a spirited battle the night before, the Cougars were looking for the sweep in Calgary with a second win while the Dinos were aiming to disrupt Regina's plans. I don't think Calgary felt all that great about the seven-second overtime goal from the night before, so there likely would be a good pushback today. Would Regina be ready for it? Natalie Williamson was in the Cougars' crease while Amelia Awad got the call for the Dinos again.
The first period was an incredible display of speed and skill from both teams, but the goaltenders were equal to the task as they kept the teams off the scoreboard early. The Dinos killed an early penalty in this game as they looked to build momentum, but their break wouldn't come until late in the period when they were on the power-play. Sydney Mercier skated out of the left corner, circled the zone up top as she looked for a pass, and turned back toward the right face-off dot where she decided to go high on the glove side to beat Williamson on an incredible individual effort to put the Dinos up 1-0 at 16:03! That would be the only marker of the period as Calgary took the 1-0 lead to the rooms with the teams tied 7-7 in shots.
The second period was more of the same action as both teams were showing off their skills on this day. An early penalty to Regina was erased by a Calgary double-minor, but the Dinos killed that off. Midway through the frame, the Dinos were forced to kill off another penalty and did so successfully. Regina had their looks in this frame, but the Calgary defence and Amelia Awad was solid as the period ended with Calgary still up 1-0 despite Regina leading 20-14 in shots.
The third period saw Regina really push hard to find an equalizer as they turned the puck up ice whenever they could. Despite getting a pile of pucks to the net, none found the back of it as Calgary stood tall. The Dinos would ice the game late when Brooklyn Anderson hit the empty net with a shot while shorthanded, and the Calgary Dinos wrapped up a 2-0 win over the Regina Cougars! Amelia Awad stopped 32 shots for her fifth win and first shutout of the season while Natalie Williamson stopped 16 shots on this night.
Highlights of this game are below! Thank you, Calgary Dinos!
FRIDAY: The battle of Edmonton resumed in downtown Edmonton as MacEwan hosted Alberta. The home-and-home series always brings out the best in both teams, but you won't see it because the Griffins haven't discovered sports highlights yet. One day maybe?
Griffins goals: Letta Mattheos (1)
Griffins assists: Sydney Olsen (1), Jennifer Andrash (3)
Griffins netminder: Lindsey Johnson (36/39)
Pandas goals: Maia Ehmann (4), Natalie Kieser (2), Sarah Kazeil (2), Raegan Yewdall (2)
Pandas assists: Payton Laumbach (2), Taylor Anker (2), Raegan Yewdall (1), Madison Willan (2), Brooklyn Tews (2), Madison Willan (3), Madison Willan (4), Natalie Kieser (2)
Pandas netminder: Misty Rey (12/13)
Result: 4-1 victory for Alberta over MacEwan.
SATURDAY: The series shifted back to Clare Drake Arena where the Pandas have posted 25 wins of their 43-0 record against the Griffins. Needless to say, the odds seemed stacked against MacEwan as they crossed the North Saskatchewan River, but anything can happen on any given day in Canada West. Would Saturday be one of those days? Scoring summary is below because the Pandas dislike highlights.
Pandas goals: Taylor Anker (1)
Pandas assists: Allison Reich (3), Payton Laumbach (3)
Pandas netminder: Mackenzie Dojahn (16/16) in 64:59
Result: 1-0 overtime victory for Alberta over MacEwan.
FRIDAY: The Spartans returned home to host the Huskies on a bit of a heater after defeating Regina twice. They were looking for the provincial sweep as they welcomed Saskatchewan to Langley once again. The Huskies, meanwhile, were still searching for their first win of the season, but they had battled hard all season and were looking to take another step forward this week. As you know, Trinity Western only makes highlights of their own goals, so zero credit given for only doing half the work. The scoring summary is below.
Huskies goals: Kaylee Hill (2)
Huskies assists: Avery Gottselig (2), Bronwyn Boucher (2)
Huskies netminder: Colby Wilson (28/31)
Result: 3-1 victory for Trinity Western over Saskatchewan.
SATURDAY: The Spartans were hunting for a second-straight sweep over a Saskatchewan-based team, and the team from Saskatoon was still aiming to smash one of the goose eggs under the win columns. The Huskies have to find a way to get multiple points on weekends if they want to climb back into a playoff race while the Spartans were looking to continue their winning ways to stay in the race they're currently in! Trinity Western's goals are here, and the scoring summary is below!
Spartans goals: Charlotte Swanton (2), Kyra Anderson (2), Ashley Breitkreuz (2), Kyra Anderson (3)
Spartans assists: Kara Yackel (3), Jace Scott (1), Kasey Ditner (3), Ella Boon (2), Olivia Leier (5), Jace Scott (2)
Spartans netminder: Mabel Maltais (23/24)
Huskies goals: Paris Oleksyn (1)
Huskies assists: none
Huskies netminder: Colby Wilson (25/28)
Result: 4-1 victory for Trinity Western over Saskatchewan.
FRIDAY: Perhaps the biggest series of the weekend was seen out in Vancouver as the top two teams in the West Division met for their second series of the season. The Mount Royal Cougars delivered a sweep of the Thunderbirds earlier this season in Vancouver, and they were looking to replicate that effort this weekend. UBC, meanwhile, had righted the ship after that early setback by winning their last six games, and they were looking to extend that streak with wins over MRU this weekend. UBC does have highlights against Mount Royal this week, but those highlights are for men's soccer. I guess we'll just have to stick to scoring summaries.
SATURDAY: UBC was looking to return the sweep favour to Mount Royal on Saturday while the Cougars were aiming for the split. With both teams competing for the top spot in the West Division, winning the season series could prove vital in helping one of these two capture first-place. Chapter Four of that battle went on Saturday, so here's the scoring summary.
Cougars goals: Jori Hansen-Young (2), Lyvia Butz (2)
Cougars assists: Julia Duke (2), Lyndsey Janes (2), Jerzey Watteyne (1), Kiana McNinch (4)
Cougars netminder: Kaitlyn Ross (26/28) in 65:00 plus 2/3 in shootout
Cougars shootout scorers: none
Result: 3-2 shootout victory for UBC over Mount Royal.
No, I'm not doing the stupid East and West Divisions on the standings board. One conference, nine teams, let's see who is best.
CANADA WEST WOMEN'S HOCKEY
School
Record
Points
GF
GA
Streak
Next
UBC
8-2-2-0
20
38
19
W8
@ CAL
Mount Royal
6-2-1-1
15
24
14
L2
vs MAN
Alberta
7-3-0-0
14
21
14
W2
vs REG
Regina
2-2-4-2
14
16
17
L1
@ ALB
Calgary
5-3-0-2
12
25
22
W1
vs UBC
Manitoba
4-2-1-1
11
19
10
W4
@ MRU
Trinity Western
4-5-1-0
10
25
22
W4
@ MAC
MacEwan
1-7-0-2
4
8
33
L6
vs TWU
Saskatchewan
0-8-0-4
4
11
28
L12
BYE
Honour Roll
Each week on The Rundown, I highlight the best performances from the weekend's games. It won't always be the top scorer or the best goalie, but I'll have a reason for who gets picked each week. This week's Honour Roll candidate is another collective group as the Mount Royal Cougars' penalty-killing units get the honour!
Mount Royal is tied for the most shorthanded situations this season after giving up their 54th power-play this weekend. Normally, you don't want your team taking a pile of penalties, but Mount Royal has weathered the storm quite well in only giving up two power-play goals this season - one on Saturday to UBC's Ashton Thorpe and the other to UBC's Grace Elliott back on October 12. They've only faced four teams in the ten games they've played, but they're clicking at a 96.3% penalty-killing efficiency including playing UBC four times while holding them to a 2-for-23 scoring rate while the other three teams have gone oh-fer-31. That's impressive.
They'll get a bigger test next weekend as Canada West's best power-play visits with Manitoba being on their schedule, but the Mount Royal four-women units are doing an incredible job in keeping teams off the scoreboard while on the power-play. That takes some grit, determination, a willingness to sacrifice and block shots, and a big effort, and that's how the Mount Royal Cougars' penalty-killers added their collective name to the Honour Roll!
Shameless (Self)Promotion
We're back this week with another interview from The Hockey Show featuring a specific Canada West athlete. As stated, Canada West hockey is more than just hockey; it's joining a new school, finding new friends, discovering one's passions, and playing a little puck. On The Hockey Show, we talk about all this cool stuff going on in players' lives, so let's introduce you to another great person and athlete!
Today, I'm posting the interview that we did with former Saskatchewan Huskies forward Sophie Lalor after it was announced at the end of October that Lalor had left her Swiss League lower-division team Brandis to sign with the ZSC Lions in the top-tier Swiss League! Sophie was an incredible player for the Huskies during her time in Saskatoon, and it appears that her talents are being recognized in Switzerland as well! She has played two games for Zurich so far, recording no points, but she's working to improve the Lions from sixth-place. We know how well she scored while playing for the Huskies, so enjoy this interview with Sophie where we learn all about her life as she starts a new hockey and life chapter in Zurich!
Wrong Side of History
I don't recall any team starting a season with twelve-straight losses like the Saskatchewan Huskies have, but there have been some long winless streaks in Canada West. Lethbridge finished off the 2017-18 campaign with an 0-11-3 record while Trinity Western went 0-12-0 to finish their 2021-22 season. The key with both of those teams, though, was that they had won a game within the first few weeks of the season. They just didn't finish the season well.
Because Canada West doesn't publish a record book anywhere (why would anyone want that?), there's no official records of who may have had a rough start to the season. I'm not saying that I want to see the Huskies set some new winless mark, but it's hard to find a comparative with no records available to research. With the Huskies on a bye next week, I'd imagine there will be a pile of work done on all facets of their game, but one hopes the zeroes under the win columns are gone soon for them.
Defender Goals: J. Morris (UBC), J. Scott (TWU), A. Thorpe (UBC) - 3
Defender Assists: Six players - 4
Defender Points: Jaylyn Morris (UBC) and Sara Kazeil (ALB) - 6
Defender PP Goals: Jace Scott (TWU) and Ashton Thorpe (UBC)- 2
Defender SH Goals: no goals scored yet
Defender GW Goals: Five players - 1
With one-third of the season in the books already, it's a good time for teams to reflect on successes because the season is long and everyone could use a positive word or comment about their play. I likely shouldn't be the one to do this, but I feel like there have been some impressive efforts across the board despite some teams needing to look down to find their names. That shouldn't discourage you because there's still time to turn things around.
The one thing that stands out to me, though, is goal-scoring... or, rather, a lack thereof for all squads. Every single weekend so far, there have been a minimum of two shutouts seen over the two days of play which means that the goaltending and defences of Canada West are good at adapting and shutting down the offences of their opponents. It also mean, though, that teams who struggle to score goals won't find many opportunities to break that trend. I know Canada West coaches are never in favour of sacrificing defensive play for offensive chances, but we may have to see some give there.
You can spew all the rhetotic you want - "defence wins championships", "good defence leads to good offence", whatever - I've heard them all. What I'm saying is that we're six weeks and ten games into the season for a number of teams, and seven of nine teams are averaging less than 2.5 goals per game. That means that there's a heavy reliance on defence when it comes to winning games when a decent offence would take a lot of pressure off the defensive zone.
By no means am I suggesting that teams just play firewagon hockey, but we've seen how valuable goal-scoring is at Nationals when it comes to winning the Golden Path Trophy where everyone plays good defence. Mount Royal, when they won in 2023, averaged 2.71 goals per game in Canada West play. Manitoba, when they won in 2018, averaged 2.36 goals per game. When more than half the conference in 2024 is scoring below Manitoba's 2018 rate of scoring, we may want to find new ways to fill the net rather than keeping the puck out it.
The man to the left is Tilman Fertitta who is expected to be the eventual owner of an NHL team in Houston if the NHL ever decides to announce another wave of expansion. Fertitta is a very rich man who owns the NBA's Houston Rockets and the Toyota Center in downtown Houston, and we know that arena owners make money when teams and concerts visit those arenas. Fertitta seems to be in this mindset as he has said in the past that he's working on bringing an NHL team to Houston, so it seems like it's only a matter of time before the NHL finally gives the billionaire an expansion franchise in one of the US's largest markets. But it should be noted that the NHL has flirted with Houston before abut putting a team in the city, going back as far as 1989 when interested parties were contacting the NHL about expanding to Houston.
I was looking for some information on a different story when I came across this news snippet from the Brandon Sun on Ocotber 21, 1989.
For those wondering who Charlie Thomas was, he was a businessman in Houston who purchased the NBA's Houston Rockets in 1982 for $11 million from the Maloof family before selling the Rockets in 1993 for $85 million. At the time of the purchase of the Rockets, Thomas owned a Ford dealership and sat as the board chairman of Great Southwest Bank. While there was no tallying of his fortune in the linked article, one had to figure he was aware of the $50 million expansion fee that the NHL charged in 1990.
Thomas reportedly formally applied for an expansion franchise, and it seems he was aiming for one of the expansion franchise opportunities that were eventually awarded to Ottawa and Tampa Bay in 1990. The NHL confirmed that Thomas had submitted "an application, which included a $10,000 deposit," and was one of ten applications received by the NHL office. The other cities reportedly interested in the expansion opportunity included Seattle, Milwaukee, Ottawa, Hamilton, St. Petersburg, Tampa, Phoenix, San Diego, and Miami.
Of course, one of the criteria that the NHL takes into account is ownership stability, and the linked article above noted that Thomas "reportedly has been having financial problems in his business dealing, which could be behind his willingness to sell his successful NBA franchise." That kind of report likely would have a negative impact on his expansion application, and it may be why Houston was eliminated from the competition in 1990. I can't say for certain as the NHL doesn't reveal that information, but shaky ownership would be a key reason not to grant an expansion franchise.
At the end of the day, we know the Houston application for expansion failed as Ottawa and Tampa were named as the two cities who would join the NHL in 1991-92, and Houston is still waiting. Of that list, it's interesting to see that all of Seattle, Phoenix, and Miami were interested in 1990 in joining the NHL as all of those markets would eventually land teams in some fashion.
In any case, it seems like NHL expansion into Houston was and has always been tied to the NBA's Houston Rockets thanks to them being the main tenants at the Toyota Center. As seen in 1989, the owner of the Houston Rockets made a bid for an expansion team, and, in 2024, it seems that the owner of the Houston Rockets is working on the same thing 35 years later. I can't say whether Tilman Fertitta will be successful, but, with teams already in half of the locations who applied in 1990, his application looks better and better.
NHL hockey in Houston? It only took 35 years to happen.
I don't watch a lot of NCAA men's hockey until later in the season normally, but there are always players being scouted from the college ranks by teams. Some of these players will stay on scouting reports for a while based on how long their college careers and seasons go, but NHL teams have such specific scouting that they know virtually everything about a player before talking to any of them. In saying that, Swedish-born goalie Victor Östman had a solid career with the Maine Black Bears after an insane 2019-20 season with the Chicago Steel, and he was signed this summer by the Seattle Kraken to continue his career in North America.
Nobody expected Östman to make the Kraken in his first camp, and he was sent to Coachella Valley where he was given some additional coaching as the Firebirds got themselves ready for this season. Recognizing that he was still a little raw for professional hockey, the Kraken re-assigned Östman to the Kansas City Mavericks where he's showing some good play in the five games he's started, although tonight's game might be excluded from the career highlight reel.
With Kansas City leading the Rapid City Rush 2-1 at The Monument in Rapid City, Östman was having a quieter night with eight saves on nine shots as the game approached the midway point. This is where we go to the video because the next sequence rarely ever happens.
Audio issues on Flo Hockey aside, Connor Mylymok's chip into the zone was misplayed by Kansas City netminder Victor Östman as the puck slides under his stick and through his legs for the second Rapid City goal, just 13 seconds after they had scored their first goal. As fans, we're always reminded to watch for the puck in case it deflects over the glass, but maybe Victor Östman needs that same reminder as he stands between the posts? That's just a bad "oops".
The good news is that Östman recovered and would help the Mavericks record the shootout win after both teams scored in the third period. Östman stopped two of four shots in the skills competition while his Rapid City counterpart, Connor Murphy, allowed three goals on four shots in the shootout. As a result, the Mavericks won the game 4-3 in the skills competition to push their record to 6-1-1 while Östman improves to 4-1-0 on the season.
I've seen goals where the puck takes a weird hop or hits a chunk of snow and eludes the goalie. I've seen pucks hit stanchions as goalies leave their nets to play the puck only to have the ricochet go directly into the net. I have rarely seen a goalie allow a pick to slide right below his stick blade as he looks to play it, but one needs to keep one's eyes on the puck, it seems. Like in baseball where a defensive player misses an easy grounder, it seems like Östman was thinking about next play before making the first one!
I'm sure the Mavericks laughed that one after the game, but I'll guarantee that Victor Östman will be tracking every puck right to the tape on his stick moving forward. No one wants to be remembered for that kind of highlight, but mistakes do happen!
The Hockey Show, Canada's only campus-produced radio show that strictly talks hockey, kicks off November with a show containing all sorts of news after last week's incredible interview with Mount Royal Cougars captain Lyndsey Janes, and it will feature a little local, national, and international flavours in the chatter tonight. From teams playing well to teams that cannot score, wellness checks to changing rules, and new clothes to lawsuits, our hosts will take you through the news that stood out over the last week from the hockey world! We'll dive into these topics and anything else that comes up tonight on The Hockey Show at 5:30pm CT!
Tonight, Teebz and Jason get into the hockey stories by looking at the Winnipeg Jets and their 13-1 start to the season, the PWHL and their new looks as their jerseys debuted, Alex Formenton's laughable lawsuit, the AIHL making changes for its anniversary season next year, a KHL team that set a new record despite having a former NHL player on the roster, and anything else that we can squeeze into the hour. Some of the stories are fun and other will make your head shake, but we'll get you up to speed on what's happening in hockey tonight on The Hockey Show at 5:30pm CT on one of 101.5 FM, Channel 718 on MTS TV, or via UMFM.com!
If you live outside Winnipeg and want to listen, we have options! The new UMFM website's online streaming player works well if you want to listen online. We also recommend Radio Garden if you need an easy-to-use online stream. If you're more of an app person, we recommend you use the TuneIn app found on the App Store or Google Play Store. It's a solid app.
If you have questions, you can email all show queries and comments to hockeyshow@umfm.com! Tweet me anytime with questions you may have by hitting me up at @TeebzHBIC on Twitter! I'm here to listen to you, so make your voice heard!
Tonight, Teebz and Jason chat winning streaks, terrible efforts, bad advice, new rules, brutal records, and much more exclusively on 101.5 UMFM and on the UMFM.com web stream!
There was an election yesterday in the United States of America. You may have heard a little about it, but the 47th President of the United States was forecasted sometime late into the evening. I had no stake in the game, but, if you did, here's hoping the results will continue to push America in the right direction when it comes to a number of key things that were apparently on the ballots across the country. Today is all about forty-seven, but not the candidate who won. Instead, we'll take a look at a few men who wore #47 in the NHL including some of the cameos made by players in that number. You may be surprised!
According to Hockey-Reference.com, the first player to have ever worn #47 was Don Murdoch with the Edmonton Oilers in 1980, pictured to the right. Murdoch was acquired by the Oilers in a trade that happened on March 11, 1980 as Cam Connor and a third-round pick in 1981 were sent to the New York Rangers. in 50 games with the Oilers, Murdoch scored 15 goals and added 11 helpers before the Oilers flipped him to the Minnesota North Stars for Don Jackson and round 3 pick in the 1982 draft. On the same day, Minnesota dealt him to Detroit where he played just 49 games before landing in Adirondack in the AHL and never playing in the NHL again. For a guy who was just below a point-per-game average in Manhattan, he finished his playing career with the IHL's Toledo Goaldiggers in 1985-86 with 121 goals and 116 assists in 320 NHL games to his name. And the first to wear #47.
While he'd eventually win a Conn Smythe Trophy wearing another number, Jean-Sébastien Giguère started his career in Hartford wearing #47, and brought that number with him to Calgary after being traded there. Giguère was drafted 13th-overall by the Whalers in 1995 and played two more seasons with the QMJHL's Halifax Mooseheads before joining the Whalers in 1996-97 following the Mooseheads' season coming to an end. Those eight games with the Whalers logo on his chest saw him don #47 before an August 25, 1997 trade saw him and Andrew Cassels traded from the newly-named Carolina Hurricanes to the Flames for Trevor Kidd and Gary Roberts. He'd only log 22 games in Flames' colours, but the #47 was on his back and sleeves once more. The irony is that after being traded to the Anaheim Mighty Ducks, Giguère moved into the Ducks' goaltending tandem with Guy Hebert while wearing #70! Of course, he'd move to #35 before the season he helped the Mighty Ducks to the Stanley Cup Final against the New Jersey Devils where he earned the Conn Smythe, but Jean-Sébastien Giguère broke into the league as #47 and took it with him to one additional team! Who would have known Giguère started in #47?
Of course, there has been one player who has worn #47 no matter where he played or what team he represented. Alexander Radulov has worn #47 throughout his entire career whether he was playing for Nashville twice, Dallas, Montreal, Salavat Yulaev Ufa, Ak Bars Kazan, CSKA Moscow, Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, or Team Russia. It's funny how that became his professional number despite him wearing #22 for the QMJHL's Quebec Remparts and for the AHL's Milwaukee Admirals, but the 15th-overall pick in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft has been consistent as #47 since breaking into the NHL with Nashville in 2006-07. AT 38 years old, I doubt that Alex Radulov will make a return to the NHL anytime soon, so it seems likely that he'll finish his career with 144 goals and 224 assists in 524 NHL games. He did win a Gagarin Cup in 2010-11 with Salavat Yulaev Ufa, so he can boast one league championship, and he may have a chance to add a second Gagarin Cup to his legacy if the KHL Western Conference-leading Lokomotiv Yaroslavl can find their way through the KHL playoffs this season. Could #47 be a champion again?
The next #47 is a cameo appearance as it's not the number he chose to wear for most of his career, but Alex Galchenyuk did sport #47 for his 11 games in Denver. Galchenyuk signed with the Avalanche on November 28, 2022 as the Avalanche looked to add more scoring up front. The problem was that Glachenyuk never really fit into the Avalanche's offensive system as he didn't record a single point, and he spent the majority of the season with the AHL's Colorado Eagles where he was a point-per-game player. He was traded to Nashville that summer who opted not to re-sign Galchenyuk, allowing him to sign a free agent deal with the Arizona Coyotes on July 1, 2023. The only problem? His contract was terminated 12 days later when he was arrested following a hit-and-run incident. Despite playing in Russia for the last two seasons, it would seem his NHL career is over at 654 games in which he recorded 146 goals and 208 assists.
Of course, the most famous #47 might be former Islanders defenceman Rich Pilon simply because he ended up as part of a statue in his #47 jersey! Standing outside PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh is the statue at the top in the image to the right, and it was designed and modelled after the play below where Penguins superstar Mario Lemieux found space between the already-mentioned Pilon and defensive partner Jeff Norton on December 20, 1988 where Lemieux would record his 247th career NHL goal! To his credit, Pilon skated in 631 NHL games that saw him skate with the Islanders, the Rangers, and the Blues where the tough-as-nails defender scored eight goals and 69 assists while amassing 1745 PIMs! He would be waived by the Islanders in 1999, claimed by the Rangers on December 1, 1999, traded to the San Jose Sharks for a conditional pick in the 2002 draft on June 29, 2001, and signed a free agent deal with St. Louis in 2001 where he'd play his final eight games. It should be noted that Pilon didn't always wear #47 with the Islanders as he changed to wearing #2 (including the Fisherman jersey) in 1996-97 before going back to #47 with the Rangers and Blues.
There's a little fun with a few players who have worn #47 in their careers as America gets set to inaugurate its 47th President. Because this isn't Political Blog In Canada, I'm not here to make political statements one way or another, especially when I have no say in the matter, so please don't fill the comments with political chatter. It will just be deleted because HBIC isn't the place for that. And if an American-based team wins a Stanley Cup in the next four years, expect another #47 jersey to be given to the President!
There aren't a lot of times that I'm paying attention to the KHL mostly because I feel like giving that league any attention gives it credibility, and I won't be party to that while Ukraine is still fending off Russian attacks on Ukrainian soil. However, one Russian team has established a new record for futility as Amur Khabarovsk found itself mired in a gola-scoring drought that was of epic proportions. That drought ended today, but the length of time between goals is not only laughable, but rather hard to imagine when one considers that hockey games are usually sixty minutes in length!
We'll jump back to October 19 for the game between Amur Khabarovsk and Spartak Moscow. Despite leading 2-0 and being tied 3-3 at points in this game, Amur would fall 5-4 to Spartak by the end of the game. What should be noted, though, is that Ignat Korotkikh scored Amur's fourth goal at 12:47 of the third period. 7100 fans should consider themselves lucky because they would witness Amur's last goal for what turned out to be a long, long time.
Consider this portion of their schedule:
On October 23, Amur fell to CSKA Moscow by a 7-0 score.
On October 25, Lokomotiv defeated Amur by a 5-0 score.
On October 27, Severstal earned a 3-0 win over Amur.
On October 29, Dynamo Moscow posted a 1-0 win over Amur.
On November 2, Admiral Vladivostok won 5-0 over Amur.
Today, Avangard Omsk defeated Amur by a 2-1 score.
If we add the 7:13 of time that Amur Khabarovsk didn't score at the end of the Spartak Moscow game, the Tigers went 358:38 without scoring a goal before Evgeny Grachyov scored at 11:25 of the third period in that loss to Avangard Omsk. It's hard to imagine, but Amur was a mere 1:22 away from going six complete games worth of time without scoring! How crazy is that?
Needless to say, Amur Khabarovsk now holds the KHL record for scoring droughts, but there are some funny things about this record that shouldn't be overlooked. For example, Amur Khabarovsk has a player by the name of Gretsky who skates for them, and Vyacheslav Gretsky drew the secondary assist on Grachyov's goal today! He doesn't wear #99, but it kind of felt like it would take a Gretzky-like effort to break this scoring drought!
Including the end of the Spartak game, Amur Khabarovsk fired 192 shots on opposing goalies and never found twine. That lone goal on their 193rd shot bumped their shooting percentage over the last 358:38 to an unfathomable .005% - that's 1/2 of a percentage point!
Because they scored last in the Spartak game, Amur Khabarovsk has been outscored 23-1 over that 358:38. Prior to that streak of futility, Amur's goal differential was a -15 (34-49). Today, that goal differential is -37, and the Tigers are dead last in the KHL Eastern Division with a 4-16-1-2 record. Amazingly, they're only ten points back of Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk for eighth-place and the final playoff spot. It's not out of the question!
The only problem? They play Metallurg Magnitogorsk (6th East), Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg (2nd East), Traktor Chelyabinsk (1st East), and SKA St. Petersburg (2nd West) before meeting with Spartak Moscow (3rd West) again. We might be talking about another long streak where goals are rarely seen if these teams show up in force.
And just for the record, if anyone was wondering whose streak they broke, it was the team against which this streak started. Spartak Moscow had set the previous record back in the 2012-13 season when they went 317:02 without scoring a goal. Mikhail Yunkov finally snapped the scoreless drought for Spartak at 15:03 of the third period against Barys Astana on December 23, 2012 after four straight shutouts. I'm thinking that wasn't a happy holiday season for Spartak.
In any case, Etta Jmaes would be proud of Amur Khabarovsk because they finally dented twine against after five shutouts and nearly another full game of not scoring. As Miss James may have sung soulfully, "At last... a goal has come along."
As summer sets in on the other side of the equator, there's likely little thought being given to the AIHL right now. As you know, both Jason and I have thrown our collective fanship behind the Melbourne Mustangs of the AIHL, and we're hoping to see them rise to the top again like they did in 2023. With the Canberra Brave hoisting the Goodall Cup this past season, a number of teams will reload and try to replicate the Brave's success after they rose to the occasion in August. The AIHL will celebrate its 25th season next summer, so you likely knew that there would be some changes. We were told about a few of those changes today!
The AIHL will play 155 games next season across Australia as the action kicks off on April 5, 2025 for a number of the teams in the ten-team league. However, the standings will look different next season, and the playoff format will change as the AIHL looks to add some intrigue to its 25th campaign! The two major changes are as follows:
The conference format has been removed and the league will revert to one standings board of ten teams.
The AIHL playoffs will consist of the top-six teams progressing through to the finals with the playoff format to be confirmed by the Board of Directors before the end of 2024.
Clearly, one standings board makes playoff races between teams a little more fun. Last season, four teams finished between 50 and 58 points, but two were in one division and two were in the other. That race would have determined second-place through fifth-place with the Mustangs, who missed the playoffs, coming in as the sixth-placed team. As it's been said, all one has to do is make the dance for a shot at the championship, but Melbourne was denied due to the configuration of the old two-division league.
If you thought the fun ended there, the 2025 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship Division II, Group A tournament will be played in Melbourne, Australia from April 27 to May 5, 2025. The six teams competing in the tournament include host Australia, Belgium, Israel, Netherlands, Serbia, and the United Arab Emirates, and the AIHL has made it clear that neither the Melbourne Mustangs nor the Melbourne Ice will be anywhere near the O'Brien Icehouse during this period.
If you're wondering, Croatia was promoted from the 2024 Belgrade tournament while Iceland was relegated. Australia lost 4-2 to Serbia, lost 3-2 to Croatia, dropped a 5-4 overtime decision to Israel, defeated Iceland 3-2, and lost 5-4 to UAE in that tournament.
Kieran Webster, who skated for the Perth Thunder, led Australia with two goals and three helpers while Mac Caruana, who skated for the Melbourne Ice, had a goal and four assists. Sydney Ice Dogs centerman Cameron Todd finished the tournament 68/110 at the faceoff dot to tie for the most faceoffs won while placing third for faceoff winning percentage at 61.82%. Australia may want to push for Nathan Walker to join them if possible.
Thanks to the World Championship being played in Melbourne, the Mustangs will play their second home game of the season on April 16 against the Brisbane Lightning before heading on the road for nearly a month! They won't play their third home game until they "host" the Melbourne Ice on May 13! The Ice, for their part, play their their second home game against those same Lightning on April 12 before finally hosting a game at the O'Brien Icehouse on May 17 when the Sydney Ice Dogs visit. Those are quite the gaps between games playing in front a friendly crowd!
With the changes in the AIHL, the league celebrating its 25th season, and the IIHF and the world coming to town, it's a big year for hockey in Australia in 2025! It looks like the AIHL is ready to make this season memorable, so here's hoping that the teams, the players, and the fans turn out in droves to support hockey in a big way in the land down under in 2025!
It's a lighter schedule this week with three teams on bye weeks, but the intensity was still dialed up with teams needing wins, teams needing points, and teams looking to extend streaks as we begin November. Depending on results this week, playoff races could get far more interesting as more teams get in on the action. Of course, things could get worse for some teams depending on results as well, but that's why the games are played. After this weekend, there are four weeks left in the first half of the season before the December break, so some teams may be feeling a little heat. Let's see who may be in warmer water this week on The Rundown!
FRIDAY: You'd think that the Regina Cougars, who lead the Canada West East Division, would want to show off their improved play this season with highlight reels of their players making great plays, right? I guess not. Here's the scoring summary for this game.
Spartans goals: Charlotte Swanton (1), Olivia Leier (1), Kasey Ditner (1)
Spartans assists: Reilley Kellner (1), Kyra Anderson (2), Presleigh Giesbrecht (2), Chloe Reid (2), Presleigh Giesbrecht (3)
Spartans netminder: Kate Fawcett (23/25) in 60:55
Result: 3-2 overtime victory for Trinity Western over Regina.
SATURDAY: Regina was looking to bounce back on home ice after another extra-time loss on Friday, but Trinity Western was looking for a win streak. A win would put the Spartans back in the hunt for a playoff spot while Regina was looking to build on their lead in the division. No highlights because why would anyone want to see those, so here's the scoring summary once more.
Result: 3-0 victory for Trinity Western over Regina.
FRIDAY: The three-time defending Canada West champions don't make highlight reels despite being one of the best teams in U SPORTS for the past three seasons, so don't bother looking for MacEwan or UBC goals here. The scoring summary is below.
Griffins goals: Sydney Olsen (1), Tess Collier (2)
Griffins assists: Jennifer Andrash (2), Kori Paterson (2), Rian Santos (2), Sydney Jack (1)
Griffins netminder: Lindsey Johnson (27/32)
Result: 6-2 victory for UBC over MacEwan.
SATURDAY: The champs looked a lot like their old selves on Friday night, and they were looking to cap off the sweep. MacEwan needs wins and goals as I've stated before, and one of those will certainly lead to the other. Would we see another lopsided score on this night? No highlights again, but the scoring summary is queued up.
Griffins goals: Jennifer Andrash (1)
Griffins assists: Rian Santos (3), Kori Paterson (3)
Griffins netminder: Lindsey Johnson (38/44)
Result: 6-1 victory for UBC over MacEwan.
FRIDAY: Saskatchewan was looking to erase the goose egg in the regulation win column by hosting Manitoba this weekend, but the Bisons were in it to win it themselves as they looked to improve their standing in the East Division. The Huskies don't do highlights either, so this will be another highlight-free weekend. You do get the scoring summary, though. I guess that will have to suffice.
Huskies goals: Kendra Zuchotzki (1), Sara Kendall (3)
Huskies assists: Jasper Desmarais (2), Sara Kendall (1), Kendra Zuchotzki (4), Taylor Wilkinson (3)
Huskies netminder: Emma Backman (34/37) in 63:10
Bisons goals: Julia Bird (2), Hanna Bailey (1), Norah Collins (4)
Bisons assists: Louise Fergusson (2), Kylie Lesuk (1), Kylie Lesuk (2), Dana Goertzen (2)
Bisons netminder: Emily Shippam (22/24) in 63:10
Result: 3-2 overtime victory for Manitoba over Saskatchewan.
SATURDAY: The Huskies picked up another point in a one-goal decision, but they really need a two-point win. Manitoba had a chance to overtake the idle Alberta Pandas with a win, so they were aiming for the sweep. No highlights as usual, so enjoy the scoring summary.
Result: 4-0 victory for Manitoba over Saskatchewan.
No, I'm not doing the stupid East and West Divisions on the standings board. One conference, nine teams, let's see who is best.
CANADA WEST WOMEN'S HOCKEY
School
Record
Points
GF
GA
Streak
Next
UBC
7-2-1-0
16
33
16
W6
vs MRU
Mount Royal
6-1-1-0
14
21
9
W3
@ UBC
Regina
2-1-3-2
12
12
12
L2
@ CAL
Manitoba
4-2-1-1
11
19
10
W4
BYE
Alberta
5-3-0-0
10
16
13
L2
@ MAC
Calgary
4-3-0-1
9
20
18
W1
vs REG
Trinity Western
2-5-1-0
6
12
17
W2
vs SAS
Saskatchewan
0-6-0-4
4
11
28
L10
@ TWU
MacEwan
1-6-0-1
3
7
28
L4
vs ALB
Honour Roll
Each week on The Rundown, I highlight the best performances from the weekend's games. It won't always be the top scorer or the best goalie, but I'll have a reason for who gets picked each week. This week's Honour Roll candidate is someone who helped her team to a sweep as Trinity Western's Olivia Leier is this week's honouree!
You might be wondering why I chose Leier, but she's starting to look like the player she was last season over the last two weeks. She has a four-game scoring streak going that saw Trinity Western win three of four games, she's looking far more confident with and without the puck, and the fourth-year player will be a key player in determining how far Trinity Western goes this season. Yes, she's the Spartans' leading scorer with four points, but the Regina-born forward looked right at home this weekend.
Two goals in two wins over one of the top teams in Canada West? Olivia Leier can boast that she did that, and that effort put Trinity Western three points back of the Dinos. Since I called out TWU in Week 3 for needing scoring threats, the three players named in that section - Leier, Kara Yackel, and Chloe Reid - have responded with four goals and four assists over their last four games. That kind of effort makes a difference, and Leier has half of those goals and points. That's how Olivia Leier added her name to the Honour Roll!
Not-So-Good Byes
We'll have to see how the three teams who were on bye weeks this week fare in their games next week, but the three teams who have had bye weeks so far - Manitoba, MacEwan, and Regina - are a combined 2-3-1 in the games that follow the bye week, and not one of those three teams recorded a sweep. That's not a great record for teams that are supposed to be practicing and resting, but that's what we have so far this season.
Mount Royal, Alberta, and Calgary will look to change those fortunes as they're back in action, but maybe the bye week isn't as beneficial as we may believe it to be. I'll keep an eye on this as we press on.
A New Sponsor
Because you likely spend enough money watching a Canada West TV package, you probably should know that Canada West acquired a new "presenting sponsor" of Canada West TV. No, this won't make watching the webstreams any cheaper. No, you won't see massive investments into the webstream format or broadcasts. And no, you likely will not experience anything to make your experience better. Why do they have sponsors then?
I maintain that any sponsors acquired by Canada West should mean that the costs to watch Canada West sports should be reduced, but that's not how university business works, I guess. Enjoy the new mentions of BioSteel on broadcasts now, folks.
It Seems Inevitable
I missed this accolade last week so it's being mentioned this week, but MacEwan netminder Brianna Sank will likely break a record this season after reaching 4000 regular-season minutes played in the Griffins' crease! Up to this point, she has logged 4,043:18 in the blue paintfor the Griffins, making her just the second player in the 25 years of Griffins' history to hit the 4000-minute mark!
It seems like she'll break Sandy Heim's record of 4,184:11 this season, so we'll have to keep a watch on her total. It should be noted that 3331 of those minutes have come in Canada West, so she's logged a lot of minutes against some of the best players in the country. Sank had the weekend off as didn't play against UBC - I'd say she earned that break! - but she could break Heim's record next Saturday at home against the Alberta Pandas. That would be a great time to honour her efforts and contributions to the Griffins program, and I'm hoping she gets a proper ceremony for establishing a new record.
Brianna Sank certainly deserves a tip of the cap for everything she's done for the Griffins, and this writer knows how important she's been over the last few seasons. Congratulations on what looks like a new school record, Brianna, and here's hoping it leads to bigger and better things down the road!
An Hour Back
Sunday marked the day where clocks were changed for Daylight Savings Time in every province except Saskatchewan. I say that because Saskatchewan Time now moves back to being the same as Central Time, so games out west become one hour later for anyone tuning into them. Frankly, this whole time shift thing doesn't make sense any longer and I don't know why we just don't eliminate it altogether, but I have absolutely zero say on that.
Anyway, check the schedule for next week's game times as we get used to new start times again.
Shameless (Self)Promotion
You know how I whine about no one making highlights and no one giving their athletes a bigger stage on which they can be seen?
Well, I'm going to start posting the interviews we do and have done on The Hockey Show with Canada West athletes here. In talking with a couple of people, I realize that Canada West hockey is more than just hockey. It's joining a new school, finding new friends, discovering one's passions, and playing a little puck. We talk about all this cool stuff going on in players' lives, yet there are still people who say "I didn't know that" when I mention something from past player interviews.
Let's start this new feature with the most recent interview we did as Mount Royal Cougars captain Lyndsey Janes joined us this past week to talk about her life, growing up in Fort McMurray, playing at Notre Dame, how she got to Mount Royal University, and so much more! Give that a listen if you missed the chat this week, and get to know the amazing Lyndsey Janes a little more!
The Last Word
The 2024 U18 Women's National Championship runs from November 3-9 in Quispamsis, New Brunswick, and there likely will be a lot of Canada West coaches watching the action and checking their scouting information when it comes to recruiting for the 2025-26 season and beyond. Ontario Red is the defending champion of this event while Quebec finished second and BC took home the bronze medal.
If you don't think this tournament is where players are "discovered", Saskatchewan's Clara Juca and Alberta's Holly Magnus played with Team BC last season and brought home the bronze medal. Calgary's April Klarenbach skated with Team Alberta who finished in fourth-place while Saskatchewan's Avery Gottselig, Trinity Western's Ashley Breitkreuz, and Manitoba's Evangeline Hill all were part of Team Saskatchewan. Mount Royal's Breanne Comte, Saskatchewan's Haley Braun, and Manitoba's Kelsey Huibers skated for Manitoba.
All of these first-year players will have an impact on their programs down the line if they aren't making that impact already. Undoubtedly, there will be NCAA and ACHA coaches watching this tournament as well since they pull players for their programs from Canada all the time, but we need to start boosting the Canadian university system as being a high-quality, excellent place to play, learn, and grow for these athletes. Some of the stars at the tournament will inevitably go south, but the options up north are not only plentiful, but roster spots are available on each and every team for any player who wants to earn one while the schooling is just as good.
The big catch? The cost to watch these games online is absolutely insane. A tournament pass will cost you $99 which is more expensive than the $79 tournament pass to watch all the games in person in Quispamsis, New Brunswick. I guess the option to download the games is the reason for the $20 boost in costs, but there's no way that I'm paying that kind of money to watch a few games.
Hockey Canada just released a document that admits they need to break down barriers to make women's hockey more accessible in this country. That $100 price tag on the streaming of a national championship? That seems like a very easy barrier to take down for a Hockey Canada tournament.
The 84th nation to join the IIHF was admitted on Halloween, making Kenya the newest nation member of the International Ice Hockey Federation. The Ice Lions have certainly been through a lot - meeting Sidney Crosby, skating in Canada, and raising the profile of hockey at home - but interest in the sport has been growing in the African nation as the Ice Lions become more popular. For a country with one rink and less than 50 registered players, Kenya's one of those nations who won't shock the world at a World Championship, but they will win you over with their passion, dedication, and love of the game!
"This is a historic moment for the sport in Kenya," chairman Robert Ouko Opiyo said on Thursday. "We are grateful for the support and opportunity we have received from members of the hockey community across the world to help us achieve this dream. It is the first step towards making the sport more accessible to the diverse groups across Kenya."
That growth is the first step in strengthening the sport inside Kenya's borders as they boast just 24 men and 12 women who play the sport. The key, though, is that more than 50 players participate in the junior program, and that kind of growth should have everyone excited. The nation boasts just one rink in Nairobi, and the Panari ice rink isn't even a full-sized rink as it measures in at 32x12m (105x39-feet). In short, there's a lot of room for growth in both registrations and facilities, but the seeds have definitely been planted!
While it sounds like hockey would be a luxury in Nairobi, the reality is that demand often is higher than the ice time that the Panari rink can provide. Kenya's also making a serious push to grow its women's game by attracting more girls and additional senior women, so that ice time will only get more rare if the programs continue to grow. As such, efforts are already underway to add a second rink in Kenya in collaboration with government and community support.
Clearly, being part of the IIHF has benefits for Kenya as they are part of a community whose 83 other nations are experiencing the same hurdles in trying to gorw their programs, have experienced moderate growth and can pass on that knowledge, or who are part of hockey nations that can share their vast knowledge and experience with Kenya. It won't happen overnight and it certainly will require years, even decades, of time, but Kenya may one day be considered the premiere African Member National Association team ahead of Algeria, Morocco, South Africa, and Tunisia.
It starts with baby steps, though, and a second rink combined with growing the game in all facets is a good start for Kenya. For a country whose ice hockey legacy started in 2006, there's no reason to rush anything when it comes to building their programs and implementing the infrastructure and support for those programs. The Ice Lions are part of the IIHF now, so their growth and evolution will be something to watch over the next few years as Kenya catches hockey fever!
If things go well, we may be talking about a IIHF World Championship appearance at some point for the Ice Lions. How cool would that be for one of the hottest nations on the planet?
I fully admit that I'm not a lawyer or sports agent nor have I ever played one on television. Therefore, my legal knowledge is very limited at best and my expertise in the area of sports law is probably even more limited. What I do know, however, is that if a hockey player has been accused of committing a crime, it's likely his employment by any team in the NHL drops to virtually zero. NHL teams want nothing to do with players who may miss team, so finding contracts for players accused of serious crimes will be a challenge for any agent. One such player who is accused of a serious crime and isn't skating in North America is Alex Formenton, but it seems the 25-year-old views his situation differently than most of the planet does.
According to a lawsuit filed in Ontario Superior Court in Toronto last week, the aforementioned Alex Formenton has filed a lawsuit against his former representative in agent Wade Arnott and former player agency Newport Sports Management Inc. that alleges negligence, breach of contract, and breach of fiduciary duty.
Somehow, Formenton feels that the agent and player agency cost the player some $20 million in income and $500,000 in damages from the 2022-23 and 2023-24 NHL seasons plus future income he could have earned in the NHL due to the misconduct by Arnott and Newport Sports Management Inc. in those two entities not "exercising their duties as agent to Alex and did not meet the required standard of care expected of a professional agent".
As per Formenton's lawsuit, he alleges "the Senators presented Formenton with a one-year, $787,500 US qualifying offer in July 2022, which was rejected, after his entry-level deal expired". When he contacted Arnott for advice on how to proceed, Formenton alleges that "Arnott failed to advise Formenton that by accepting the qualifying offer the player could negotiate a third contract in January 2023 for the following season" and that "Arnott and Newport did not advise Formenton the offer could be extended past July 15, 2022, if the Senators agreed," while adding that "Arnott and Newport didn't request the team's offer be extended".
Formenton's lawsuit continues by stating,
"For the remainder of July to December 2022, Wade continued to represent and hold out to Alex that he would yet be offered a new contract," Formenton's lawsuit reads. "Wade advised that even without an accepted offer or extended qualifying offer his dealings with the Ottawa Senators on behalf of Alex was 'business as usual' and that Alex should rely on Wade and Newport Sports to secure a favourable offer.
"Wade's advice was wrong. The Ottawa Senators did not propose or agree to a new contract with Alex prior to Dec. 1, 2022, and accordingly, Alex was ineligible to play in the NHL for the remainder of the 2022-23 season."
There's a few things to work through here. While Formenton is correct in that he could have accepted the qualifying offer in order to negotiate another contract down the road, the qualifying offer made by Senators allowed them to retain his playing rights. With Formenton rejecting the qualifying offer on his agent's advice, he could have signed with another team where the Senators could either match the offer or decline it and take the RFA compensation based on the AAV value of the deal. In no way was Formenton guaranteed negotiations for "a third contract in January 2023 for the following season" nor is there any guarantee that the Senators would have agreed to extend the offer.
If Arnott and Newport Agency were seeking a significant contract increase from the Senators for their client, why would they tell Formenton to accept the qualifying offer so that he's being underpaid? As his agent and/or player agency, it's their job to get him the best contact possible. They aren't going to tell the Senators that Formenton accepts their offer if they believe they can get him a better contract. Yes, it's a gamble to reject the qualifying offer, but, if Formenton wanted to sign, he could have ignored his agent's advice. It's not like that hasn't happened before.
Normally, this case would gain a lot of attention from the NHLPA if an agent and/or agency had acted inappropriately, but Alex Formenton seems to be forgetting one major detail that overshadows this case: HE'S ACCUSED OF SEXUAL ASSAULT.
It seems odd that Formenton may have forgotten that he's one of five men charged with sexual assault in the Hockey Canada scandal that happened in London, Ontario that has resulted in all five accused men not being employed or being excused by their respective NHL teams while the investigation and trial plays out. In Formenton's case, he was a restricted free agent in the summer of 2022 while rumours of his involvement swirled.
Regarding the contractual statuses of the five men accused, Carter Hart did not receive a qualifying offer from the Flyers on June 30, making him a free agent; both Michael McLeod can Cal Foote did not receive qualifying offers from the Devils on June 30, making both players free agents; Dillon Dube did not receive a qualifying offer Calgary Flames on June 30, making him a free agent; and, Alex Formenton failed to come to an agreement with the Senators who retain his NHL rights, but allowing him to sign with any other team if he chose. In short, all five men were "released" by their NHL teams.
I'm not saying that Formenton may have disagreed with the advice he got, but there are some extenuating circumstances that make it easier to see why Formenton wasn't signed, including:
On July 1, 2022, the Senators' qualifying offer was far too low for a player who scored 18 goals, and Formenton was likely advised by his agent to not accept the qualifying offer. He chose to accept this advice, and he did not sign the contract.
After failing to negotiate a contract worth more money, the negotiating window closed on December 1, 2023 with the Senators and Formenton still no closer on signing a deal. As such, he was ineligible to play in the NHL in 2022-23 by CBA rules. That's the gamble he chose to take in not signing the original deal offered.
Formenton signed a $125,000 deal with Ambri-Piotta on December 14, 2022 to play the remainder of the season in Switzerland while his agent and the Senators worked on a new agreement. Ambri-Piotta officials released a statement on Formenton's signing, acknowledging that he was part of ongoing Hockey Canada scandal investigation and reserving the right to cancel the contract pending further developments.
On October 12, 2023, it was reported that Alex Formenton has re-signed with Ambri-Piotta through Christmas with the option to leave if he were to sign with an NHL team.
At no point anywhere in this process does it seem like Alex Formenton directed his agent or agency to sign a deal with Ottawa or any other team for less than $1 million, and it's hard to imagine that any team was going to offer sheet Formenton when Ottawa could easily match it. If he truly wanted to play in the NHL, he could have gone back to Ottawa and signed for the league minimum, but it seems that was an option that the client didn't want. While an agent may recommend against this option, if Formenton truly wanted a shot at an NHL roster spot, he had to sign a contract for any value.
The value of the lawsuit is absolute madness, but it's quite arbitrary if one considers that the value of the contract he declined - whether good advice or bad - is less than 1/20th of the value of the lawsuit. As we know, NHL teams award contracts to players based upon production and play, and Formenton's one season where he played 79 games and scored 18 goals may have been a one-off. There's no guarantee that Formenton would be able to replicate that season's output, and there's no guarantee he's going to be in the NHL ever again with the pending trial he's facing. Asking for $20 million in lost income is pure lunacy.
The only person to blame for Formenton's lost future wages is Alex Formenton. Yes, he may have gotten some bad advice from an agent who was trying to get him a better deal, but that's the risk one takes in a negotiation. To claim that he lost $20 million in future NHL contracts is wildly insane, especially when he may be facing a long prison sentence for his supposed role in the Hockey Canada scandal. He can be unhappy that he didn't sign the qualifying contract that Ottawa offered, but that's a lesson learned.
Mirror, mirror on the wall... who filed the dumbest lawsuit of all?
