The Other Mythical Spelling

As we saw yesterday, the MacEwan Griffins decided that they needed to update their logo from a somewhat-cartoonish griffin to a fiercer, sleeker, modern griffin. What I didn't mention is that the other team known as the Gryphons representing the University of Guelph also went through a rebrand in March! What should be noted is that the final result for both schools have similarities despite them using completely different design methods. While MacEwan went with a former student's design company, Guelph's new identity was designed entirely in-house. Both designs achieved their rebranding goals, however, and there are enough differences so that they aren't confused for one another!

For those unaware, Guelph's visual history was actually posted on their website, and it's interesting! It reads,

"The Gryphon name was first introduced in 1966 after the chairman of the Athletic Advisory Council, Fred Gilbert, suggested it for the U of G softball team. He would later advocate for all U of G sports teams to be called Gryphons, and it was officially adopted in 1967. Soon all members of the U of G community would proudly call themselves 'Gryphons'.

"The logo itself was created by W.F. Mitchell and took inspiration from a gryphon illustration used as a trademark by an English manufacturer. Mitchell would make slight alterations to the design and received approval from the manufacturer to use it."

While there were no websites that identified the manufacturer who granted the University of Guelph permission to modify its logo, it seems pretty clear from the lede image that the Gryphon logo is tough to draw and doesn't feel all that warm and welcoming. While it accomplishes looking like a gryphon, it doesn't really evoke any reaction from someone like me who didn't attend the school. I'm sure that former and current students have pride in that logo, but it's just not a fun, memorable logo for the right reasons.

"The University of Guelph's updated visual identity is compelling, powerful and elevates our position as one of Canada's leading universities," Dr. Rene Van Acker, interim president and vice-chancellor, said on March 21 at the soft launch of the new logo. "I commend the hard work of all members of the U of G community who had a hand in this ambitious project and ensured everyone felt represented. Our evolved brand will elevate U of G's recognition locally, nationally and internationally."

As you can see to the right, Dr. Van Acker's assessment is fairly close to how I'd describe the new logo despite me not using the word "compelling". It does look more powerful compared to the old logo, and the modern, sleek design has some feeling now. Perhaps it will carry a little intimidation. It certainly will evoke pride in the students, faculty, and fans who sport the new logo on their clothing, and it's a far more marketable logo than the old one was. Comparatively to what we saw yesterday with MacEwan, the design is simpler than the Alberta-based Griffin, but that difference keeps the two schools separate despite their team names. In the end, Guelph's new design still works well.

The raised right front foot somehow made it into both designs, so I should note that lead designer Ethan Bersche, who serves as the manager of brand strategy, collaborated with marketing and communications leaders across campus on the design process while partnering with Michelle Pino, manager of marketing and communications in the Athletics Department, to develop the evolved Guelph Gryphons logo. Olya Yousefi, director of digital engagement and marketing, led consultations with students, faculty, staff, alumni, athletes, donors, and industry partners on the final design elements, and the new Gryphons logo is the result of that effort.

"Our objectives were rooted in engagement, excitement and innovation," Yousefi said of the new logo. "The design strategy leveraged in-house talent and community consultation and resulted in an identity that strengthens our Gryphon culture and reflects our mission to improve life on campus and beyond."

I don't know if a logo can "improve life on campus and beyond", but I do think that this new Guelph Gryphons logo will bring more pride to Gryphons events as well as being a logo for which student-athletes will rally. The new logo has depth as if the gryphon was more real than the previous design, and it works capture the spirit of Guelph athletes with focus and determination. This new Gryphons logo works very well, and it gets a big thumbs-up from this writer.

Well done on this rebranding, Guelph! It looks great!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

A Sleeker Mythical Beast

Far be it from me to tell any established team or institution that their logo needs an update. I'm not important to anyone in the grand scope of sports, let alone hockey, so my opinion is just another whisper among the many voices that teams hear on a day-to-day basis. Sometime, though, teams and institutions will undergo a review of their branding with respect to current trends where the end result is new branding or logos that feel more modern in their designs. That's what happened at a university in northern Alberta as the MacEwan Griffins will enter the 2025-26 school year with a new logo that feels more modern for their next fifty years!

"Today marks an exciting new chapter in MacEwan Athletics," MacEwan Director of Athletics Joel Mrak said Wednesday at the unveiling. "Our new logo takes a bold step forward for the Griffins and the refreshed brand identity reflects the strength, passion, and grittiness that define our student-athletes and our entire university campus. Every detail of this new look was designed with our community in mind – those who compete, those who cheer from the stands, and those who wear our colours with pride."

Those are bold words, but considering the new design to the right? He's entirely correct in his assessment of this new logo! The MacEwan Griffins will have a fiercer, less cartoony, and more modern griffin representing them moving forward, and that should bring some excitement to the students, faculty, and fans who push the teams and institution to new heights both in the classroom and in their respective sports. Count me in as someone who likes the new look on first glance, and here's hoping this new look is the start of a new era for the Griffins where Canada West comes to fear Alberta's mythical beast!

The new look was designed by former MacEwan hockey player Curtis Ogrodiuk "and his cutting-edge Edmonton-based sports logo design company Artslinger". Having a former student work on this design may have helped because he would want a design that represented all the traits and qualities that drew him to the school and hockey program.

It should be noted that he was the captain of the Griffins men's hockey program while playing for them from 2003-06, and he scored nine goals and 16 assists in 61 ACAC games while wearing the maroon-and-white. He was named Male Athlete of the Year at the school in 2006, and he and his team have redesigned logos and branding for the likes of the NHL Officials Association, Edmonton Elks, Canada West, MacEwan University, and Mount Royal University since 2009.

"It was very cool to be able to work on this project," Ogrodiuk said of his involvement. "Being a graduate of the school's design program in 2006 and playing on the men's hockey team, you could say I started this project 22 years ago."

I don't know if that statement is entirely true as I'm not sure he had plans to change the logo 22 years later, but I'm sure a graphic design student is always looking at making things better. What always kills me when redesigns are unveiled is that there has to be an over-explanation of every detail on the new logo. MacEwan University got that same treatment despite it being somewhat unnecessary.

Do I really need an explanation for the griffin's wings? If it didn't have them, it wouldn't be a griffin - 'nuff said. Explaining the physical features of a redesigned logo that has been in use for fifty years is something no one needs, so I'm not sure why this was included.

Marketing and design vomit aside, the new griffin logo for the MacEwan Griffins is sharp, sleek, and modern. Full credit to Curtis Ogrodiuk's team at Artslinger and the athletics department at MacEwan University because this new logo should move merchandise for the school as well as attracting some recruits who want to wear the new logo proudly. And that's the goal of a rebranding and a redesign, isn't it - to have people notice and potentially want to be part of something cool? Or maybe I'm out in left field here.

In any case, I like the new MacEwan Griffins look, and it's already had me looking at the store with all the products sporting the new logo. If this is the start of a new era in MacEwan Griffins history, it's starting well. All we need now are a few Canada West hockey banners hanging in the rink and maybe a National Championship appearance for the hockey teams, and we could be talking about how the Griffins rebrand happened right before their hockey programs hit new highs!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

The Hockey Show - Episode 662

The Hockey Show, Canada's only campus-produced radio show that strictly talks hockey, is back with a fun and, perhaps, interesting show this evening as two guests are joining our hosts for what should be some craziness. They like to chirp one another as there's some familiarity between these two contestants on Survivor: NHL Playoffs island, and we did say that we'd bring them in for a face-to-face encounter for all to hear. Tonight, that is happening on the show as there's some business to wrap up and some hockey to discuss tonight on The Hockey Show at 5:30pm CT!

Tonight, Teebz and Jason welcome Travis and Tyler to the studio where these two Survivor contestants can show off their knowledge of the game while chirping each other and the hosts for the full hour. The four men will complete the exit interviews for Vegas (Travis), Toronto (Jason), and Washington (Teebz) as John and Norm continue to have life get in the way of their Survivor responsibilities. Beyond that, the foursome will tee off on America breaking a 92-year drought, the Florida Panthers going back to a third-straight Stanley Cup Final, the Minnesota Frost winning a second-straight Walter Cup, the Kelly Cup finalists, the Calder Cup Playoffs, and anything else we can squeeze into the hour between the chirps. It's another fun-filled show 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 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! And because both Teebz and Jason are on the butterfly app where things are less noisy, you can find Teebz here and Jason here on Bluesky!

Tonight, Teebz and Jason send Travis, John, and Norm home from Survivor: NHL Playoffs island before chatting about winning gold, looking for more hardware, winning more hardware, getting to the top, and much more exclusively on 101.5 UMFM and on the UMFM.com web stream!

PODCAST: May 29, 2025: Episode 662

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Feels Like The First Time

With having all four of the conference finalists from last year's Stanley Cup Playoffs playing in the conference finals again, there was a pretty good chance that we were going to get a rematch of last year's Stanley Cup Final. Without summoning air guitarists and karaoke stars belting out Foreigner's hit song, tonight's win by the Edmonton Oilers to eliminate the Dallas Stars should surprise no one considering that Edmonton was well-rested coming into the series. It might be shocking to see the Oilers disassemble the Stars in the manner they did, but when McDavid and Draisaitl are playing their best hockey, they are unstoppable. Needless to say, Edmonton is headed back to the Stanley Cup Final where they will play the waiting Florida Panthers for the second-straight Stanley Cup Final.

I'm not big on posting predictions here, but does anyone think this year's series will see a different result? This year's final likely won't need seven games as the Florida Panthers look like a machine in sending Carolina home, but the Oilers think they have more grit and better defence to compete with the defending champions. And while they do have more grit and better defence on paper, it means little when the Panthers have been chewing up opposing teams with their four lines of relentless buzzsaws they send over the boards.

Do I expect Edmonton to fall behind 3-0 in this series? No. The Oilers have learned from last season's playoffs that they need to impose their will whenever possible. Missing Zach Hyman won't help, but having their top six defenders all healthy will be a bigger boost than one right-winger's presence. If Ryan Nugent-Hopkins can continue his inspired play, the Oilers should be able to rattle the cage of the Florida Panthers a little more in the early portion of the final.

Where this series could be decided is on the depth charts and in the crease. Everyone is raving about how Edmonton shut down Dallas, but did we expect Dallas to get into a track meet in any game? Pundits are yapping about Stuart Skinner's resurgeance in the Dallas series and how he's refound his game, but he's still very much the Stuart Skinner who got bombed in the Los Angeles series. Florida has the kind of explosive offence that can dent twine often, and that poses a big problem if Skinner's confidence in himself wavers even a tiny bit.

The reason the Panthers can do that is they have depth unlike anyone else. Ten players already are in double-digits for points, and they come from virtually all of Florida's lines. Barkov, Tkachuk, and Reinhart might be expected, but Bennett, Marchand, Verhaeghe, Luostarinen, Lundell, and Rodrigues give Florida a double-digit scorer for every trio over the boards. Tkachuk, Barkov, and Verhaeghe all have six-or-more power-play points as well, so special teams are clicking for the Panthers as they enter the final.

That's not to say that Edmonton doesn't have its own special players with McDavid, Draisaitl, and Nugent-Hopkins sitting first, second, and fourth in playoff scoring, but things fall off dramatically after Evan Bouchard's 17 points. The depth that Florida has simply cannot be matched by Edmonton where the likes of Evander Kane, Corey Perry, Adam Henrique, and Viktor Arvidsson don't bring the same scoring prowess on every shift. Depth is a mismatch in Florida's favour.

Where Florida won't have an answer is the McDavid factor. No one can match McDavid's skill, speed, savvy, and vision when he's playing focused, and the Oilers will need that every game they play in the final. The Panthers will undoubtedly check him by committee led by Barkov and Bennett, but McDavid will get his points. He always does. All the Panthers have to do, like last season, is limit how many opportunities he gets to collect points. Rinse and repeat, right?

Oilers fans will scoff and say this season will be different, but the Panthers got gritter, more talented, and seem to be playing for each other more than ever before. I know Edmonton has been the underdog in all three series they've played thus far, but that's a song they'll sign once more in the Stanley Cup Final as they square off against the defending champions next week at home at Rogers Arena.

Will the City of Champions reclaim its name this season or does Cat Scratch Fever continue for another season? We'll know by mid-June as to which of those options is true, but, if this is like last season's final, Foreigner's tune may carry on because this year's final, on paper, feels like the first time these two teams met in the Stanley Cup Final.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

The Lions Roared

I'm not one who usually celebrates a roundhouse right to the face, but the Trois-Rivières Lions delivered the knockout punch to the three-time defending champions tonight in the ECHL's Kelly Cup Playoffs. The Lions used their timely offence and outstanding defensive game to shut down the Florida Everblades in Games Five and Six to capture the EA "Bud" Gingher Trophy as ECHL's Eastern Conference champions, ousting the history-seeking Everblades in six games. For just the second time in ECHL history will a Canadian team compete for the Kelly Cup, and I'll be quick to point out that Canada is 1-0 in Kelly Cup Final series right now.

Tonight's game was a class in how to close out a series as the Lions went into Estero, Florida and simply out-everythinged the Everblades on their ice. Justin Ducharme opened the scoring with 4:26 to go in the first period, he added a second goal at 10:42 of the second period, and it was 3-0 for the Lions a mere 18 seconds later when Alex Beaucage found the twine. Three more goals in the third period from Tyler Hylland twice and Tommy Cormier once combined with solid defence and Luke Cavallin's 25 saves, and the Lions booked their tickets to the Kelly Cup Final with a 6-0 win in Game Six.

The series was tied at 2-2 after four games after the road teams had won each of those games. Trois-Rivières claimed a 2-0 lead after winning twice in Estero while Florida evened the series with two wins in Quebec, so the pivotal Game Five in Trois-Rivières might have been the most important game of this series. Chris Jandric scored 1:04 into the third period for the game-winner in that game as Trois-Rivières put a stranglehold on the series with a 3-1 win for the 3-2 series lead.

Florida was 4-0 at home prior to losing both home games to Trois-Rivières, so they needed a bounceback after dropping the first two games of this series. However, as I wrote above, six goals for Trois-Rivières while Florida scored none was not the bounceback the Everblades were seeking as their championship run came to an end.

"A pretty disappointing game," Everblades head coach Brad Ralph said after the game. "Not a good night to have an off night. But I’m proud of these guys. They fought through a lot to get us to this point."

The Lions used the same suffocating defence they had employed in sweeping Reading and limiting Norfolk's chances in their previous series by having an "all-for-one" defensive presence. The Lions were quick to get back to the defensive zone as a five-man unit to help Cavallin, and they dropped in front of a ton of shots while getting good net-front coverage to clear rebounds and second chances. Offensively, they capitalized on chances they were given, but Lions seem to be content to allow their defence to win a championship.

"We scored three or four 5-on-5 goals all series," Ralph told reporters. "So credit to their defense and their goaltending. They did a tremendous job. They blocked a lot of shots, and we didn't get a lot of secondary opportunities. They defended really well."

The Lions now stand four wins away from immortality - an idea that may be hard to fathom considering they were nearly folded last season. Spire Hockey, led by American businessman Jeff Dickerson, purchased the team from Deacon Sports and Entertainment, and the group hasn't looked back as they have worked alongside the Montreal Canadiens to build one of the best minor-league affiliation situations in all of hockey. If the Lions can prevail over the Toledo Walleye, this might be the biggest "rags-to-riches" story in hockey ever!

The Lions now will prepare for a trip to Toledo, Ohio on Saturday, May 31 where the Kelly Cup Final gets underway. These teams have virtually similar records at this point in the postseason with Toledo holding a 12-3 record while Trois-Rivières sits at 12-4. First goals could be a prelude to victory for one of these teams as Toledo is 8-0 when scoring first while Trois-Rivières holds a 12-2 record when getting on the scoresheet first. Score early, score often?

Here's where things get really weird: these two teams have never played one another in a meaningful game. They have never played against one another in a regular season ECHL contest nor have they ever met in the playoffs. There is literally no history between them from which we can learn, so we'll see new chapters written when the puck is dropped on Saturday. Both teams enter the Kelly Cup Final seeking their first ECHL championship, so this Kelly Cup Final has all sorts of history baked into it as Trois-Rivières travels to Toledo.

It's fun to see the lone ECHL Canadian team standing so close to a championship this season, and my hope is that people in Quebec rally around the Lions as they have a very good chance to make history on home ice if they can earn a split, at least, in Toledo. With Canadian teams still alive in all three of the NHL, AHL, and ECHL, the potential to bring home at least one, if not more, championships to Canada remains high! Allons-y, le Lions de Trois-Rivières!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

A Frosty Repeat

For the fourth time in four games between the Ottawa Charge and the Minnesota Frost, the final score was 2-1 in overtime. The difference in the best-of-five PWHL Walter Cup Final was that Minnesota won three-straight games by that decision to capture their second-straight Walter Cup as back-to-back champions. The day was significant for the Frost as they had a shot at winning the PWHL championship on May 26 in 2024, but the Boston Fleet won that game in double-overtime. This year, they made no mistake in winning in overtime on that date to capture the Walter Cup as repeat champions. For the second time in as many PWHL seasons, the Walter Cup will call Minneapolis-St. Paul home once again!

Goals by Minnesota's Kelly Pannek and Ottawa's Tereza Vanišová pushed the game into overtime where we got our winner.
Minnesota native Liz Schepers, playing on the Frost's fourth line, whacked home her second goal of the playoffs as the Golden Goal, pushing the Frost to the championship in the 2-1 overtime victory. Schepers' other goal opened the scoring in the May 11 victory for the Frost where they defeated the Toronto Sceptres by a 7-5 score, but she saved her best for the very last goal of the season as she writes her name into the history books with her goal tonight.

Schepers hadn't scored against the Charge this season, entering the series with a -1 rating and just five shots to her name. She had recorded two shots in Game Three, but it was Game Four where her lone shot on net was the difference in capturing the Walter Cup. Her success against Ottawa maybe shouldn't come as a surprise because this is the second year where her goal against a team in the final was the biggest goal scored of her entire season.

"We got a taste of it a little bit last year, and we really came into this game with, you know, feeling like there was no tomorrow, like we wanted to get this done here and do it the right way," Schepers told MPR News' Anna Haecherl.

I'll encourage the Frost to consider protecting Schepers in the upcoming PWHL Expansion Draft because she seems to be their lucky charm in the Walter Cup Final. Her lone playoff goal last season was the game- and championship-winner against Boston, and her second playoff goal this season turned out to be the game- and championship-winner against Ottawa! Has any other player had that kind of goal-scoring timing? Hint: NO. Something to consider, right?

Where Minnesota out-gunned Ottawa in this final, though, was through depth scoring. I had made mention that Ottawa had to find more scoring from their stars following their Game One victory, but that never happened for the Charge. Instead, Minnesota got game-winners from Britta Curl-Salemme, Katy Knoll, and Schepers to push them past the Charge for their second championship as the Minnesota depth - led by Knoll's three points and Claire Thompson's four assists in the final - carried them to another on-ice celebration.

"I think when you look at the way we won, it takes everybody," Frost captain Kendall Coyne Schofield said after the game, and she's entirely right. Minnesota had 23 players play in playoff games this season with 15 players recording points. Maddie Rooney and Nicole Hensley nearly split games evenly with Rooney holding a 5-3 edge in games played by the goalies, and every player on the Minnesota roster played three games or more. It was truly an "everybody on the roster" effort in these playoffs for the Frost, and they earned their second-straight championship through that team-first effort.

Ottawa will need to regroup if they hope to make a run like they did this season. They can look at the bright spots in the playoffs and know they deserved to be there, but there is still work to be done. Netminder Gwyneth Philips won the Ilana Kloss Trophy as playoff MVP after finishing the playoffs with a 4-4 record, a 1.23 GAA, and a .952 save percentage. All four of her losses came in overtime where she made 148 saves of the 270 shots she faced, but she pointed out that she was buoyed by her teammates despite falling short.

"Right now the individual award is superseded by the team loss," Philips lamented. "We were so close and we really wanted that, but my accomplishments are attributed to the players in front of me. So maybe tomorrow will be nicer, but I really wanted to win."

Of course, things will change rapidly for both teams in the coming weeks as the Expansion Draft and Entry Draft will happen within the month of June, so several players will be dressing in new colours and cities before the free agency period hits. Brianne Jenner, captain of the Charge, was quick to reflect on the coming changes, but was clearly present in experiencing this heartbreak.

"I think that’s the toughest part," Jenner said, referring to this loss and the upcoming subtraction of key players who contributed to Ottawa's success. "That was a special run. And it's going to sting for a while, for sure. But really, really proud of this group."

As one squad celebrates for the next two weeks while the other goes back to work, six teams will grow to eight as the PWHL officially gets Vancouver and Seattle off the ground. All eight teams will retool and sign and draft players they hope can be the next Liz Schepers who will score a championship-winning goal for that respective team, and we'll see who emerges victorious when the Walter Cup is awarded for the third time. Could it be Schepers and Minnesota in a three-peat?

We'll know soon enough, but for now the victors get the spoils as congratulations go to the Minnesota Frost as the 2025 Walter Cup champions and the first-ever repeat and two-time Walter Cup champions in PWHL history! The quest for the three-peat starts soon!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

92 Years Later

The last time that Americans received gold medals at the IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship, the year was 1933, the tournament was in Prague, and the Americans won in overtime over Canada by a 2-1 score. Today marks another big day in American hockey history as Team USA has finally found its way back to the top of the podium thanks to their 1-0 overtime win over the Swiss in Stockholm. While the teams were significantly different in how they were built - the Massachusetts Rangers won in 1933 and consisted entirely of amateur players - seeing the Americans battle to the top of the podium without a lot of chest-pounding and back-patting is a new and refreshing look for USA Hockey. And I hope it continues.

Make no mistake: HBIC is not switching allegiances in any way. If Canada is playing, the blood in my veins will still run red-and-white for those who skate with a maple leaf on their chests. After Canada was eliminated in stunning fashion by Denmark, though, it was interesting to see the Americans quietly go about their business without attracting a lot of attention or making a lot of noise about the wins they were amassing. In short, it wasn't very American-like.

Some early setbacks and scares were enough proof that they needed to bring their best each and every game, and the team seemed to get better with every game they played. Boston Bruins netminder Jeremy Swayman went from looking like he was struggling to find the puck to being his NHL best once more by the time the Americans reached the final. After a rough NHL season, he appears to be back.

"I tell you what, this tournament and this group rejuvenated me as an individual," Swayman told reporters after the game. "I gained so much more confidence. I found my game again. I was happy again. I just learned so much. This year was obviously an up-and-down year for me personally, and to come here and be surrounded by such quality human beings and getting a job done, that's a turning point for me in my life. I couldn't be more excited for it."

That has to be a relief for Bruins fan who need their starting netminder to bounce back, so Swayman's comments are likely welcomed in Boston. That being said, Swayman's name could be among the mix for the US Olympic team once again as USA Hockey starts planning for February's Olympic tournament in Italy. No one is saying that Swayman has moved ahead of names like Hellebuyck, Oettinger, Gibson, or Demko, but his performance in Sweden and Denmark has to put him back in the conversation.

Of course, other players put their names into the mix for next year's tournament as well. Chicago's Frank Nazar led the team with 12 points, Buffalo's Tage Thompson scored some big goals once again as he finished with six goals and nine points, and Utah's Clayton Keller continued his strong play with ten points in the tournament. USA Hockey should be looking at these three for the February roster along with Columbus defenceman Zach Werenski and Utah's Logan Cooley.

I give full credit to US head coach Ryan Warsofsky for keeping the players humble as they progressed through the tournament, and he made a point of telling reporters that pride was a motivating factor for this group when one considers all that Hockey USA has accomplished outside of the IIHF World Championship.

"We talked about it when the tournament started," he said. "The first meeting we met... 1933, right? That was addressed. It's not good enough for USA Hockey. World Juniors we've won. Four Nations had a good run. Olympics is coming up. It's time for us to really put a stamp on it and this tournament is the start of it. We were embarrassed, truly embarrassed, that we hadn't won this tournament, and now we don't have to have that weight on our back."

Of course, it also helped that Detroit's Dylan Larkin issued a challenge to his American teammates about having top-level talent show up for the IIHF World Championship. Less than an hour after the United States lost to Canada in overtime, Larkin was asked by reporters about the growth of American hockey and where it may lead.

"I think we've had a tough time with USA Hockey getting guys to play in the World Championships," Larkin reflected. "I think guys are at home watching this, and I hope they are wanting a piece of this. They gotta go to the World Championships and prove themselves and play for their country. We gotta start winning that tournament."

Mission accomplished after today's victory, and that should have nations getting ready for the Olympic men's hockey tournament a little worried about the Stars-and-Stripes entry because Team USA pulled together and dug deep in winning the World Championship.

"When we got here, we all knew we wanted to be a part of something special," Tage Thompson said after the win, "and I think each guy in that room committed, whether you were playing power play, top minutes, or you were in and out of the lineup or not playing at all. Everybody was positive, pulling for each other and after one common goal. That's why we won."

With the Americans coming together, they reached the apex of international hockey this season for the first time in 92 years. It wasn't always pretty and it didn't come without some adversity, but Walt Disney once said, "A kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you". Having Larkin throw down the gauntlet and having this team struggle against the likes of Norway and Switzerland in the round-robin may have led to this team finding its groove as it played to its potential in finally capturing the gold medal again.

They did it without Matthews, without Eichel, and without Hellebuyck and Oettinger. They did it without Kyle Connor, without Jack Hughes, Quinn Hughes, or Luke Hughes, and without both Matthew and Brady Tkachuk. For all the names that weren't on the IIHF World Championship roster for the Americans, it was the guys who might be seen as the underdogs to make the Olympic team who brought home USA's first World Championship gold medal in 92 years.

Maybe that's why this was a humble group who accepted the championship trophy. Maybe that's why the memory of Johnny and Matt Gaudreau wasn't lost on this team. Maybe that's why these men should be given serious consideration for Olympic roster spots.

"It's a testament to USA Hockey," Swayman said, smiling. "We have so many talented players and it's a good thing to have the competition we do. We're raising the bar. It's a new regime. We want to make it that way. USA Hockey is here to stay and this is the first step for us to do that."

Erasing 92 years without a gold medal is a heckuva first step. And, as Swayman suggested, it could be the step needed to put USA Hockey on the map for international success for years and tournaments to come. Congratulations to Team USA on their victory.

They earned it. Humbly. Gracefully. Respectfully.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Kelly Cup Final Will Serve Fish

It's hard to deny that either team would be a solid representative for the ECHL's Western Conference in the Kelly Cup Final, but the Kansas City Mavericks and the Toledo Walleye settled the score on who would gain that opportunity. Kansas City was the top team in the Western Conference with 103 points while Toledo followed right behind at 99 points, so having the top-two teams in the west battle for the right to play for the Kelly Cup means one of the league's best teams will play for the ECHL's highest honour. After tonight's Game Five in the Western Conference Final, we now know which team will play in the final.

As much as Jason and I align with the always-popular Fiona Quinn in supporting the Fort Wayne Komets - meaning we have a direct dislike for the Walleye - it's hard not to cheer for the team that bumped the Komets out of the Kelly Cup Playoffs. It's almost like validation that the Komets lost to the best team in the ECHL's Western Conference, so the pain of that playoff loss stings less. I'm sure Fiona may feel differently, but the reality is that the Komets' arch-nemeses are the 2025 Bruce Taylor Trophy winners just as they were in 2022 and 2019.

Toledo opened the series with 2-0 and 4-3 wins in Kansas City, and the old playoff truthism of "you don't worry until you lose at home" came flooding into Kansas City quickly. With Games Three through Five in Toledo, the Walleye just needed to win two of three to capture the Western Conference. Game One saw the Walleye score 20 seconds apart in the third period while Jan Bednar stopped all 25 shots, and Game Two saw Colby Ambrosio score the game-winner 6:12 into the third period to put Toledo up 2-0 in the series.

Kansas City did respond in Ohio as they had five different scorers find the back of the net en route to a 5-2 win, but that would be their only win of the Western Conference Final. Toledo scored four times before Kansas City broke Bednar's shutout bid in Game Four for the 4-1 win, and Game Five went Toledo's way as well as Trenton Bliss scored twice in the first period while Matt Anderson scored in the first and third periods to pace the Fish to a 5-2 victory.

The 4-1 series win will push the Walleye to the Kelly Cup Final for the first time since 2022, and they'll be seeking their first championship as the Walleye. As a city, Toledo's last ECHL championship came in 1994 when they capped off a back-to-back run as the Toledo Storm, so it's certainly been a few years since they've had a parade route mapped out for the Kelly Cup champions. Detroit's ECHL affiliate is one step closer to having that parade become a reality now.

The Walleye now await the winner of the Trois-Rivières Lions and Florida Everblades with that series going to a best-of-three tied at 2-2. For the record, Florida downed Toledo in 2022 in five games for their first of three Kelly Cups over the last three seasons, so there may be vengeance sought if the Everblades advance. The Lions and Walleye have never met in the playoffs so there's little history upon which to draw, but those two teams will write some new chapters if Trois-Rivières advanced. Game Five is scheduled for Sunday, Game Six goes Tuesday, and Game Seven is scheduled for Wednesday.

If the Walleye keep playing as well as they are, that parade route might need to be completed soon. They stand four wins away from being the biggest fish in the ECHL pond this season, and it's obvious that they're going to do everything they can to bring the Kelly Cup back to Toledo and their fans for the first time since 1994!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Why HBIC Will Never Go AI

I know there's a push in the technology world to aim for more artificial intelligence options across all industries. I'm sure there are many applications for this new technology, but writing sports articles, for example, is not one of those applications I see benefitting from this technology. One of the reasons I'm so against AI is that it often makes more mistakes than it solves at this point, so keeping it away from important things would be prudent. To me, one of those important things would be email marketing for companies, but not all companies feel this way, it seems, based on the emails I keep getting.

In the last few days, I have received a number of emails from a "leadpoint.ai" domain. I had no idea what this domain was, so I went searching. It turns out that it's a digital marketing AI service.

I was a little confused about how I kept getting these emails based on the information in the image above, but it becomes even more confusing when we look at the content of the emails. I'll get to those in a second, but the following claim on the Leadpoint website seems to be carrying a lot of water when one considers the emails below.

Remember, this Leadpoint scam site is claiming to capture names, physical addresses, email addresses, and phone numbers for everyone who visits a subscriber's site. In saying that, consider the following:

The first question you may be asking is "who is Sydnie" because that was the first question that I had. Sydnie, it seems, is looking for siding and/or windows for a home based on the email's introductory message, but that's not something I have ever searched for on Google. The company that signed the email was at the bottom, so I went hunting. It turns out that company is based only in Lakewood, Colorado - somewhere HBIC has never lived nor visited.

Ok, so one email is just some random junk mail, right? Well, what if you got four emails and they were all different, but all addressed to the same person for the same reason? Does it still count as junk mail?

Once more, I am not "Sydnie" nor am I looking for siding or windows. This Lakewood-based company keeps sending me "Sydnie" emails via this AI-based digital marketing service, and I kind of want to email the company directly and let them know they are definitely wasting their hard-earned money on this scam terrible AI service.

I've written about how relying on AI will result in failure, and I can honestly say this is a failure on behalf of this Lakewood company. It's not their fault for putting faith in a system that clearly has its limitations, but charging money for a service that is clearly failing to return on the promises made seems wrong, if not criminal.

Again, I've witnessed some massive blunders by AI in my own dealings with it through work and other ventures, and it simply isn't at the point where it can be trusted to do bigger jobs such as research and collecting information. It does work when summarizing documents or searching for text or phrases within a document, but that's less about the intelligence of the tool than the speed in which it can scan a document. Until artificial intelligence can truly become intelligent, it's nothing more than a fancy tool for doing menial tasks.

Or, in Sydnie's case, a tool to connect me with her home renovation project of which I have little interest. If tools are supposed to be useful in accomplishing a goal, Leadpoint is anything but useful.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

The Hockey Show - Episode 661

The Hockey Show, Canada's only campus-produced radio show that strictly talks hockey, is back tonight with more hockey chatter and some fun as the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs and, in turn, Survivor: NHL Playoffs continue! Both conference finals series are underway, the conference finals in the ECHL's Kelly Cup Playoffs are rolling, and the Division Finals in the AHL are going. The IIHF World Championship is halfway done, there has been some local hockey news, and there's the ongoing Hockey Canada investigation in London that likely needs an update. In short, there's a lot to cover tonight on The Hockey Show at 5:30pm CT!

Teebz and Jason will jump into a number of stories tonight including Tom giving his exit interview for the Winnipeg Jets, the current state of Canadian teams' championship chances in the three professional leagues, a new head coach hired for a local team, Hockey Canada's ongoing trial and some of the details, the IIHF World Championship and one team that is standing out against the field, the Melbourne Mustangs crushing dreams, and anything else we can squeeze into the hour! You may be asking where Travis (Vegas), Norm (Washington), and John (Toronto) are when it comes to their interviews, and they have all deferred to next week as they all have stuff happening this week. Nonetheless, we'll have a ton to talk about 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 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! And because both Teebz and Jason are on the butterfly app where things are less noisy, you can find Teebz here and Jason here on Bluesky!

Tonight, Teebz and Jason send Tom and the Jets off NHL Playoff island, playoffs in all three leagues, new hires, new legal details, international success, Australian success, and much more exclusively on 101.5 UMFM and on the UMFM.com web stream!

PODCAST: May 22, 2025: Episode 661

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Ottawa Strikes First

Full marks to the Ottawa Charge as they not only became the first Canadian team to play in a Walter Cup Final, but they secured the first win of the 2025 Walter Cup Final with a 2-1 overtime victory last night. Emily Clark, pictured to the left, notched the game-winner 2:47 into the fourth period to put Ottawa up 1-0 in the series over the Minnesota Frost. No one is over-celebrating this victory as the Charge still need to beat the Frost two additional times, but getting the first win against the defending champions is a big step in the process. What led Ottawa to victory? Can it be done again? Let's take a quick look at both queries.

If there was one thing that more noticeable about this win, it was what didn't happen. Specifically, Minnesota's lethal power-play went silent as the Charge were 2/2 on penalty kills in this first game. Carla MacLeod was asked about this in her postgame press conference.
Ok, that was a very "coach's answer" from Carla, but she's entirely right that special teams are critical in the postseason. We see this in every postseason no matter what league is being analyzed, so having a penalty kill that is feeling confident will be good for the Charge if the Walter Cup is to reside north of the border for the season. Of course, Minnesota's power-play could wake up and blow the doors off the rink in the next game, so disciplined play should remain a priority for the Charge as they move forward in this series.

The second factor for the Charge to continue their strong push is to keep the scorers scoring. The Charge only have one scorer in the top-ten playoff scoring leaders right now, and that's Emily Clark. Rebecca Leslie, who scored last night, and Brianna Jenner are doing their parts in trying to hit the scoresheet, but the Charge need a bigger push from Victoria Bach (one shot), Gabbie Hughes (two shots), and Shiann Darkangelo (no shots) if they're going to give the Frost fits. Depth scoring is always key in the playoffs, and those three have a combined one goal among them. They need to get their games going to give the Charge a scoring bump through the rest of this series.

Make no mistake that the defence and goaltending has been solid for the Charge, and that's what they've been leaning on in these playoffs, specifically at home. The Charge recorded 1-0 and 2-1 victories at home over the Montreal Victoire, and they just added a 2-1 overtime win over Minnesota. If you're keeping track, goaltender Gwyneth Philips is 70/72 for saves in the playoffs at home. That speaks volumes about how well the defence is playing in front of her as much as it does for Philips making those saves. If she can see the puck, she'll stop it. If the Charge are going to win, they'll need strong defence and solid netminding all the way through this series.

In short, win the special teams battle, get some depth scoring, and play solid defence. That pretty much sums up the Charge's charge through these PWHL Playoffs so far, and they now sit two wins away from bringing the Walter Cup north of the border. Game Two goes tomorrow night in Ottawa before shifting to St. Paul, so we'll see if the Charge can continue their winning ways at TD Place as well.

If the Charge can win both games in Ottawa like they did against Montreal, Minnesota will face a tough climb if they hope to stand atop the PWHL mountain once again. As we know, every playoff game is a one-game-at-a-time situation, so Ottawa will look for another win tomorrow in their quest to being the Walter Cup to Canada!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Who Plays For Them?

I had a funny conversation today with a colleague who works in Montreal. He was passing on his condolences for the Jets being eliminated, and I happened to mention that there's still a ton of professional hockey being played within a stone's throw of him. He knew of the Laval Rocket and their battle against Rochester as that was apparently on the news, but he had no clue that the Lions de Trois‑Rivières were still playing. In fact, he asked me who plays for them because he didn't know a single player on their roster. For a province so fiercely proud of their heritage, you'd think they'd do more in promoting teams who directly support that heritage, right?

I get that ECHL hockey isn't big in Montreal with all of the Canadiens, the Rocket, and the Victoire playing mere minutes away from downtown Montreal, but it seems that the Lions are facing the same problem that most of the QMJHL teams in Montreal did: irrelevance. I'm not saying that the Lions don't have their dedicated fanbase, but you'd think those fans who love les Habitants would take a more active approach in watching prospects for the NHL team.

Among the notable players that people should know are Alex Beaucage, Xavier Cormier, Anthony Beauregard, Chris Jandric, and Luke Cavallin. All five men have been significant contributors to the success of the Lions this season, and the first three men are born-and-trained Quebec players who had successful QMJHL runs.

While none of these names are household names at this point, Beaucage was a third-round selection of the Colorado Avalanche in 2019 while scoring back-to-back seasons with the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies where he scored 39 and 40 goals. Anthony Beauregard had seasons of 87 and 93 points with the Val d'Or Foreurs from 2014-16, and Cormier had a breakout season in 2021-22 with 29 goals and 68 points for the Rimouski Oceanic. The latter two led the Lions in scoring this season while Beaucage had 33 points in 24 games.

It's hard to understand why the Canadiens and the Lions wouldn't be making these three playes the face of their marketing in Quebec when they clearly have had success in communities throughout Quebec. While both Rouyn-Noranda and Val d'Or are northwest of both Montreal and Trois‑Rivières and Rimouski is significantly east, these players are still local players, specifically Beaucage who was born in Trois‑Rivières. Knowing how Canadiens fans love their Quebec-born players, you'd think this would be elementary.

In any case, we had a good chat about some of the fun I had at my first ECHL game this season, so I was encouraging him to make the trip to Three Rivers to Game Three on Wednesday night between the Lions and the Florida Everblades. With Trois‑Rivières holding a 2-0 series lead and coming home for three games, it could be a party in Quebec if they can oust the three-time defending champions. It won't be easy by any means, but I'm guessing that it could be just as fun as I discovered. And it won't leave a significant dent in the wallet!

Basic marketing to a hockey-mad town shouldn't be difficult, but it seems like there may be two problems for the Lions when it comes to attracting fans: they aren't the Canadiens, and they don't push the Quebec-born players narrative very hard. Of course, there may be a third issue as well because it doesn't seem like they try to overcome those first two factors. And if they don't try, it'll never happen.

It's hard to build a fanbase if people don't know you exist.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

A Monday Break

It's a holiday Monday in Canada, and I'm using the day to get caught up on a project I need to complete for Wednesday this week. Normally, I'm one who will fully embrace the relaxing nature of a day off since I never seem to get many days off, but today's free hours will be put to good use in completing this project. No, I won't disclose what this project is and, no, I won't reveal it here once I'm done. This is by design since this project is of a personal nature for people I respect. In short, this will be the last time I speak of it.

Because I'm committing my day to this project, I am officially hanging the "Closed" sign up on the blog. There's still hockey happening elsewhere, but I can use a day not thinking about the game. I'll be back tomorrow to add some more hockey thoughts to the online chatter, but it's all project work today so I'm ready for Wednesday.

Enjoy your day in whatever activity you're doing! Game One between the Panthers and Hurricanes goes tomorrow, so we'll be back into playoff talk in no time as the NHL Conference Finals get underway!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

That One Hurts

I'm not a Toronto Maple Leafs fan, but that one had to hurt. Despite carrying the momentum of a big Game Six road win home for a game where they had a full Scotiabank Arena crowd behind them, having the Florida Panthers lay a resounding beating on the Leafs to the tune of a 6-1 score will leave a lot of fans wanting to smash things like the gentleman above. Just like every summer since 1967, there will be no parades, no celebrations, and another year of what-ifs for Leafs fans.

One may point to the second period where this game got out of hand for the Maple Leafs. Florida outshot Toronto 18-5 in the frame, and the Panthers scored three times in the first ten minutes. The Maple Leafs saw Mitch Marner yelling at his teammates, and the Leafs seemed to respond as they upped their game. The only problem was they couldn't beat Bobrovsky in the period.

"We just didn’t handle the pressure tonight that they came with," Maple Leafs coach Craig Berube said. "It obviously wasn’t good enough."

And so it goes as Toronto falls to 0-7 in its past seven Game Sevens. At what point does Leafs management consider more drastic changes than just tinkering with the fringes and looking for value in castoffs? Which of the key performers decides to either take less or move on from the team in order to change the path this team is following? How can this team push past the crushing history it keeps writing?

If I had those answers, I'd likely be on the Leafs' payroll as these are all questions that have been asked over and over before, and the Maple Leafs are no closer to an answer than they were five, ten, or even twenty years ago. Tomorrow, Brad Treliving and his management team will wake up, look in the mirror, and ask himself where things went wrong just as Kyle Dubas did, just as Lou Lamoriello did, just as Dave Nonis did, and just as Brian Burke did. Answers will be needed.

"I don't know how it really got away from us," Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews said. "I think just not on the same page in different areas of the game."

It's hard to imagine that anyone will be happy with the captain not giving a clear answer as to where he believed the game got away from the Maple Leafs, but I'll give him some benefit of the doubt as Matthews is still likely collecting his thoughts and sifting through the disappointment once more. However, that moment of reflection will need to be far more concise the next time he speaks with the press because this is now the second-straight year where Matthews' moment of reflection leaves one wanting some better insight.

"We were right there," Matthews said following the 2-1 overtime loss to the Boston Bruins in Game Seven last season. "It didn't go our way."

He may be the captain, but I wasn't aware that meant he was Captain Obvious. A 2-1 overtime loss would certainly indicate that "it didn't go our way" just as much as a 6-1 thrashing on home ice falls into the "I don't know how it really got away from us" category. I'm not expecting Matthews to wax poetic about the Panthers nor am I wanting him to throw teammates under the bus, but give us something that will ease the pain after another devastating loss.

As stated, I'll give him the benefit of the doubt on this in that he just suffered another loss in the biggest game of the Leafs' season, but I'm thinking it will be difficult to bring back both Mitch Marner and John Tavares if the Leafs are ever going to change their fortunes. That's not to say that both players aren't scoring or doing their parts, but the Leafs are the definition of insanity based on all the players they choose to keep while expecting the results to change.

Obviously, someone who gets paid a lot of money to work in an office at Scotiabank Arena will need to sift through the rubble of another defeat to see where the Leafs can rebuild. There are certainly pieces that they'll want to keep, but there are assets that could fetch some solid players if they were to listen to offers. It will all play out of the next few weeks and months as the Leafs look to figure out where things went wrong and regroup, but this loss will certainly lead to changes, possibly both on the roster and in the front office.

The belief in this franchise will return to the Toronto faithful, but it feels like those fans may want a little time to recover from this loss. As stated off the top, this one had to hurt after it seemed Toronto had all the momentum heading into Game Seven on home ice.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

A Tough Handshake Line To Watch

I'm not pointing fingers tonight. You can play the coulda-woulda-shoulda game with missed opportunities and the belief about players who needed to step up their games, but I'm here to say that Winnipeg Jets forward Mark Scheifele is an all-time gamer for his effort tonight. We can break down and analyze the game from tonight until the start of the next season, but the only thing that matters is how everyone on that ice in both jerseys came together for Mark Scheifele. This is why I continue to watch this game.

Here is the ESPN broadcast of the handshake line.


Here is the Rogers Sportsnet broadcast of the handshake line.


Again, I'm not going to analyze where the Jets went wrong in this game or series nor will I celebrate what Dallas did well. Tonight is for remembering that people still play this game, and Mark Scheifele's pain in losing his dad, Brad, and this game is all too real. For all the players on the ice, for all the Dallas fans who cheered for Mark Scheifele, and for all the Jets fans who are sharing in both his grief and the team's grief, it sometimes helps to know that these warriors in nearly-indestructible plastic armor are just like you and I.

Rest in peace, Brad Scheifele. Your impact on this world is felt by all those who were lucky enough to know you and cross paths with you, and your son embodies all the good that you taught him. My thoughts and condolences are with the Scheifele family and friends this evening. Writing about hockey just seems less important.

Until next time, raise your sticks for the Scheifeles!

Canadian Teams In All Three Leagues

With Victoria Day weekend upon us here in Canada, it's interesting to me that top-three professional hockey leagues in North America all have Canadian teams still playing. Obviously, there are two of those Canadian teams facing elimination in the NHL, but we do know that the Edmonton Oilers will play in the Western Conference Final to keep the hope that the Stanley Cup will live north of the border for at least one calendar year. However, both the AHL and ECHL have Canadian teams aiming to win the respective championship trophies in those leagues. Is there a chance this year to bring all three home?

Let me say upfront that this has never happened in the history of the three leagues. The ECHL has only been in its current form since 1988-89, so the history is much shorter than that of the NHL and AHL. Thanks to the league existing mostly in the eastern United States until very recently, the chances of a Canadian team winning the Kelly Cup was virtually zero. There has only been one Canadian team to capture the Kelly Cup, and we'll talk about them below.

The NHL's last Canadian winner of the Stanley Cup was, of course, the 1993 Montreal Canadiens. Prior to that, there were three Canadian teams who made runs through the 1980s in the Edmonton Oilers, the Calgary Flames, and the Montreal Canadiens. Montreal had six more in the 1970s, and Toronto and Montreal seemed to win all throughout the 1960s. In short, there are only four Canadian teams who can claim a Stanley Cup parade in their cities through to today.

The AHL gets a little more complicated because teams, at times, seem to pop up all over the place. The Toronto Marlies won in 2018, the Hamilton Bulldogs won in 2007, and the Saint John Flames in 2001 were the AHL clubs to win in the last 25 years. The Cape Breton Oilers won in 1993, marking the last time that Canada captured both the Stanley Cup and the Calder Cup in the same season. The Shebrooke Canadiens would win the Calder Cup in 1985 in the same year that the Oilers captured the Stanley Cup.

Canada did make some history as the Nova Scotia Voyageurs won back-to-back Calder Cups in 1976 and 1977 in the same years that the Montreal Canadiens won their first and second of four consecutive Stanley Cups. Those wins mark the only time in hockey history that NHL and AHL affiliates have won both championships in the same years. Obviously, it's the only time Canadian teams have done it.

The Voyageurs added another Calder Cup in 1972, but that's the earliest Canadian victory in the AHL as the American Hockey League was truly American prior to their victory. It should be noted that the Boston Bruins won the Stanley Cup in 1972, so the Stanley Cup and Calder Cup have only been held by Canadian teams at the same time on four occasions. It could happen again this year.

As stated above, there has been one lone ECHL championship for Canada, and that came in 2019 when the Newfoundland Growlers captured the Kelly Cup in six games over the Toledo Walleye. Neither an NHL or an AHL team won that season, so there weren't any other celebrations happening in Canada that year. As it stands, Canada has never held all three trophies in Canada in the same season.

So who is left in all three leagues?

The Edmonton Oilers are already through to the Western Conference Final, so Canada has at least a 25% chance of winning the Stanley Cup. Both the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Winnipeg Jets are still alive despite being down in their series, so those odds could improve if either or both of those teams can advance. The good news is that at least one team has already qualified for the Conference Finals, and Canada could have two teams in the Conference Finals for the first time since 1994 if Toronto and/or Winnipeg can survive.

The AHL features two Canadian teams as the Laval Rocket and the Abbotsford Canucks are still playing in the Calder Cup Playoffs. The Rocket are playing the Rochester Americans in their North Division Final while the Canucks are facing the Colorado Eagles in the Pacific Division Final. Laval beat Rochester for a 1-0 lead in their series on Wednesday with Game Two scheduled for tonight. The Canucks, meanwhile, play their first game tonight in that series, so we'll keep an eye on these teams as the playoffs continue!

The ECHL is down to four teams in the Kelly Cup Playoffs, and the lone Canadian team in the league is still fighting for a berth in the Kelly Cup Final. The Trois-Rivières Lions are facing the three-time defending champions in the Florida Everblades, so nothing will be easy for the Lions as they look to qualify for the championship series. That series starts on Saturday night, so we'll see how the Lions fare against the juggernauts known as the Everblades.

One of the cooler things about this run by the Lions is that they and the Rocket could win their respective championships as affiliates as well. I have no idea if there have been AHL-ECHL affiliation co-championships in any year thanks to ECHL teams changing affiliations more often than most people change underwear, but that's a whole other conversation. What I do know is that Trois-Rivières is aiming to be the second Canadian ECHL franchise to win the Kelly Cup, and having them win the Kelly Cup while the Rocket won the Calder Cup would be pretty big for the Montreal Canadiens!

Either way, there are six Canadian teams today who have a shot at winning their respective championships that could be reduced to four with, potentially, two of them going home this weekend. I'd like to see all six continue to compete, but they have to win. The good news is that all three leagues will still have at least one Canadian team remaining, and that means Canada still has a shot at capturing all three professional hockey championships in the same season!

Go Canadian-based-pro-hockey-teams Go!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

The Hockey Show - Episode 660

The Hockey Show, Canada's only campus-produced radio show that strictly talks hockey, is back tonight with all sorts of chatter and analysis from the last week in the hockey world. There are some new faces in new places as the teams who fell short look to find people who can push them higher, but one has to wonder if the people being hired are the right men for the jobs. Outside of that, one team is through to the NHL Conference Finals, three teams face elimination, the ECHL playoffs push on, there's a little tournament happening in Sweden and Denmark, and hockey news and stories are continuing to develop as we get set for some chatter tonight on The Hockey Show at 5:30pm CT!

Tonight's chatter between Teebz and Jason will include Ken Holland being hired to replace Rob Blake in Los Angeles as the Kings' general manager, Rick Tocchet moving to Philadelphia as their new coach, Adam Foote getting the head coaching job in Vancouver, Mike Sullivan landing in Manhattan to coach the New York Rangers, and Joel Quenneville returning to the NHL in Anaheim while four teams continue their searches for new bench bosses. Beyond that, they'll look at Edmonton advancing to the Western Conference Final over Vegas, the possibility of three other teams joining the Oilers in what could be the same final-four teams in the conference finals from 2024, the end of the road for the Fort Wayne Komets this season, the IIHF World Championship, a potential international incident involving a Russian, the Melbourne Mustangs getting ready for more hockey, and anything else we come across before going to air! It's another busy show on the ol' flagship station as we cover as much as we can 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! And because both Teebz and Jason are on the butterfly app where things are less noisy, you can find Teebz here and Jason here on Bluesky!

Tonight, Teebz and Jason chat new faces in new places, the same four back to where they were, a season ending, a championship rolling, a return to action, an accident blowing up, and much more exclusively on 101.5 UMFM and on the UMFM.com web stream!

PODCAST: May 15, 2025: Episode 660

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

US Survives Norwegian Scare

I normally have a hockey game on when I'm working from home, and today was no different as I tuned in to watch a few games for the IIHF Men's Ice Hockey World Championship today. Things were going well as far as scores were concerned until the US-Norway game happened where we were treated to goals, drama, intrigue, and more goals! You might think that, based on these two teams, one team did most of the scoring, and that's partly true. But that's where the drama and intrigue enter the equation as we saw an incredible comeback that could have shocked the world!

If you were guessing that the Americans were doing all the scoring, you weren't wrong in the early part of this game. Cutter Gauthier and Clayton Keller had Team USA up 2-0 before the game was eight minutes old, but Norway got one back when Stian Solberg scored on the power-play. However, goals by Tage Thompson and Michael McCarron has the Americans leading 4-1 by the time the first intermission was underway. With a significant edge on the scoreboard through twenty minutes, Team USA looked like they were in control.

Tage Thompson would add his second goal of the game early in the second period to make it a 5-1 game for the Americans, and it looked like they were shifting into cruise control over an outgunned opponent. Norway, though, came to play today as Solberg made it 5-2 with his second goal, and they'd cut the deficit to 5-3 when Martin Ronnild scored on a breakaway. Norway wasn't out of the woods by any means, but the 5-3 score is far more respectable if the game were to end there. But we had one period to go.

The Norwegians clearly believed that the Americans were faltering, and Noah Steen made it a one-goal game midway through the final frame. As time wound down, Norway called goaltender Tobias Normann to the bench for the extra attacker, and that move paid off as defenceman and Anaheim Ducks prospect Stian Solberg capped off his hat trick with the tying goal to make it a 5-5 game! Count me as one of the people who never thought we'd be talking about Team USA and Norway going to overtime, but it happened!

When it comes to a one-shot-to-win game, you can basically throw "favourites" out the window when it comes to who should win. Talent can push one team to a win, of course, but any bounce, any deflection, and any puck sent towards the net could be the game-winner. The only thing I didn't want to see was a shootout to determine the winner. Can we just retire them altogether?

We wouldn't need to worry about the skills competition. There was a goal scored, and here are the highlights from the overtime period.
As you saw on the highlight above, Tage Thompson capped off his own hat trick with the overtime game-winning goal 4:09 into the extra period, and Team USA claimed two of the three points in this game with the 6-5 overtime win. After a loss to the Swiss earlier this week, a loss to the Norwegians may have the Americans asking how things could unravel so quickly. Instead, they get back on the winning side of the ledger while Norway can build on their solid effort.

"There's no easy teams," Thompson said to Lukas Aykroyd of the IIHF after the game. "They're all very good. Obviously we played Germany in the exhibition there, and they work extremely hard. They're fast. They battle hard. They're very physical. With that, and then adding a few more guys with a lot of skill and finishing ability, it's going to be a tough one for us. So we've just got to mentally get prepared for it."

The Americans will face Germany on Saturday after a couple of days off while Norway will meet Switzerland on Friday. For Norway, they'll look to keep the momentum going against a very good defensive team in Switzerland.

"It was fun to play," Solberg said to Aykroyd. "We battled hard. We battled all the way. Never gave up. The U.S. is a great hockey team compared to Norway, but we just had to compete hard. We never gave up and we got lucky a little bit, and then it's a tight hockey game. Things can turn fast in hockey."

No one is celebrating in the streets in Oslo right now as Norway earned their first point at the tournament, but it keeps them within striking distance of both Hungary and Kazakhstan when it comes to avoiding relegation. With games against Switzerland and Denmark coming up next, Norway will need to battle for points. Otherwise, the May 19 game against Hungary will prove to be pivotal when it comes to which teams will be facing relegation.

I never expected the US-Norway game to be as entertaining as it was today, and here's hoping the Norwegian team can find a way to remain in the top division. They may not have the talent that Sweden, Canada, and the US boast, but they work hard and they play sixty minutes. They'll need some time to get better, but each and every game is an opportunity for Norway to do so.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!