My Evening Out

There wasn't be a lot of hockey on my television tonight because I headed out for the evening to get more smarter about the game from someone who has done more in hockey than I ever will. Jennifer Botterill kicked off her book tour at McNally Robinson's Grant Park location this evening where she spoke to the gathered croud about her new book, Why Not You, and her life in what was a jam-packed atrium! Honestly, it was awesome to see so many people out to support Jennifer in her return to her hometown to kick off this book launch, and I was one of them!

Full marks to McNally Robinson - Grant Park for another incredible event where an author comes to Winnipeg and is immediately embraced by this community. I have been to a number of these events where authors have sat down and chatted about their books, and they always seem appreciative that McNally Robinson attracts a passionate crowd about their books. Honestly, I wish more bookstores would do these kinds of events for authors and readers alike!

What's awesome is that McNally Robison also livestreams these chats and posts the video. That's what happened tonight as Jennifer sat down with former Canadian national volleyball team member and radio host Michelle Sawatzky-Koop to chat about Why Not You!
Jennifer passed on some great messages in this chat for players, parents, and coaches, and I hope these are adopted by everyone. Why Not You is full of these life lessons shared by Jennifer as she takes you through her hockey journey, and hearing her expand on these important lessons as she spoke with Michelle was an inspiring and entertaining evening spent with a Canadian hockey legend!

Again, I cannot stress this enough, but it would be worth your while to pick up Why Not You for yourself or as a gift for someone else. The book is easy to read with no crass language nor outrageous stories so it's perfect for readers of all ages, and the short chapters make it easy to put the book down if a break is needed. As I stated in the HBIC Book Club review, I read Why Not You very quickly because of its easy-to-read nature and amazing author so do yourself a favour and add Jennifer's book, Why Not You, to your bookshelf at home!

There will be more book reviews coming on HBIC even if I stop posting daily, and I'll definitely be back at McNally Robinson for more of these great events in the future! Here's hoping Jennifer's book tour goes incredibly well, and I'll tease that she's very interested in chatting to us on The Hockey Show once her life settles down a little!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

TBC: Why Not You

With hockey season upon us, there seems to be a push to release books about hockey and books written by hockey players moreso at this time than any other throughout the year. Of course, that means I get to do some reading of books that have yet to hit shelves thanks to some very generous publishers, and that includes today's entry as I was excited to read this book as soon as it was announced! Teebz's Book Club is proud to review Why Not You: My Story of Perseverance, Hockey, and Olympic Gold, written by Jennifer Botterill and published by Penguin Random House, as Olympic and World Championshiup gold medallist Jennifer Botterill takes readers inside her hockey journey from being the youngest player on Team Canada to being a broadcasting icon! She is one of Canada's most decorated hockey players, so I couldn't wait to learn more about her incredible career, her life, and her greatest hockey moments in Why Not You!

From her Penguin Random House biography, "Jennifer Botterill is one of Canada's most celebrated athletes. A member of the Canadian Women's Hockey Team for 14 years, she is a three-time Olympic champion and part of the 2025 Hockey Hall of Fame class. These days, Botterill is an in-demand NHL analyst in both Canada and the US, regularly appearing on CBC's Hockey Night in Canada and NHL on TNT. When she is not sharing her knowledge and expertise of sport on air, she is empowering others to pursue excellence as an engaging keynote speaker and peak performance coach." I will add in that Botterill won eight World Championship medals of which five were gold and three were silver, she is still the only two-time winner of the Patty Kazmeier Award in the NCAA and was the first Canadian to win the award, she is a Harvard graduate with an Honours Degree in Psychology, and still holds a number of NCA A records from her time with the Crimson!

I'll start this review by saying that if you were looking for insightful analysis and tactics for hockey in Why Not You, the only analysis you get is Jennifer Botterill reflecting on her storied career in and around hockey. Her note at the start of the book gives readers a clear indication that Jennifer's retelling of her experiences in hockey will be heartfelt and emotional as opposed to analytical, so expect to read a lot of chapters where stories of celebration, sadness, euphoria, winning, and losing are told. Through it all, though, Jennifer Botterill's career has been interesting and intriguing!

It will be come very clear in Why Not You that family means a lot to Botterill. Her parents were always an important sounding board for her whenever she needed some advice or perspective, and they were always at Jennifer's games as her biggest fans. Jason, her brother, became part of the Botterill cheering committee once he had retired, and she had a number of teammates for whom she'd do anything and who would do anything for Jennifer. It's clear that she's been blessed with an incredible support system of family, friends, and teammates who helped Jennifer achieve anything to which she set her mind.

Not everything was rainbows and butterflies in Botterill's career, though, and she illustrates that in a handful of stories in Why Not You. From being told she was a bubble player at a Team Canada camp to sparring on live TV with Kevin Bieksa, there were a number of times that Botterill had to fight for her place in hockey. Her biggest doubt might have come early on in her career, though, and it was a member of her family that put her back on track in terms of goals once again. Botterill writes about her decision to ultimately put off retirement in 2006 and train for the 2010 Vancouver Olympics,

"I'd also had a conversation with my dad that really stuck with me; he shared something he'd noticed over the years working with hockey players and elite athletes. He said he'd never met one who wished they'd stepped away from their sport earlier. In fact, it was opposite. They were all so happy to compete. "This is the one time in your life that you get to be an athlete," Dad told me. "Everything else in your life will still be an option, but this is your time in life that you get to play and compete."

Mr. Botterill's sage words are along the same idea as "seize the moment" and "carpe diem", but Jennifer buckled down and competed in Vancouver where she helped Canada to a third-straight gold medal and played a major role in getting Canada back to the top of the mountain. And, as her father told her, she was still able to pursue other dreams like broadcasting and starting a family after that Olympic period was over. Listening to your parents pays off!

Overall, Why Not You was an enjoyable read about an incredible and successful woman, but you already knew that about Jennifer Botterill. While that story arc continues throughout the whole book as she recounts her life in hockey, there are so many more layers to her story - family, friends, teammates, coaches, opportunities, and experiences. As you read through this book, you'll find yourself intrigued, in awe, and inspired by Jennifer's career, her life, and the lessons she learned along the way, and that's why Why Not You absolutely deserves the Teebz's Book Club Seal of Approval!

Why Not You hits shelves on September 22, 2026, and you'll be able to find the book at all libraries and local bookstores. Why Not You is easy to read with no crass language nor outrageous stories so it's perfect for readers of all ages. In saying that, I read Why Not You very quickly because of its easy-to-read nature and amazing author, and Why Not You is absolutely recommended for all hockey fans!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

The Tournament That Didn't Happen

I'm sure there are a few people who question my sanity when it comes to some of the things I find in the online newspaper archives I use simply because it looks like I spend a lot of time there. What normally happens is that I go searching for something, and a story will catch my eye that needs more thorough investigation because of a claim or conjecture made. That's exactly what happened today as one newspaper published an interesting "sports quickie" that absolutely needed context and examination.

First off, let's start off with what caught my attention in the archive.

According to the Austin Herald of Austin, Minnesota, the NHL was planning an "invitational tournament" for all fourteen NHL teams in 1970 that would be played in Winnipeg. Being that my parents and I are all from Winnipeg and had never heard about this tournament, this left me scratching my head. How did the NHL begin plannning a big tournament in a hockey-mad city that never materialized?

With my interest piqued, it was time to start hunting for more information on this tournament that never happened. The internet held no information on this tournament, so the newspaper archive was going to be my source for all the information for something that never happened. The next article that came up was from the Albert Lea Tribune as The Associated Press confirmed the "sports quickie" from the Austin Herald. The good news is there was more information as the NHL seemingly was planning to have the tournament in the fall of 1970 after the proposed World Hockey Tournament was cancelled for host cities Montreal and Winnipeg as Canada disputed the use of professional players at the championship.

There's a bold statement from Maitland Steinkopf, chairman of the Manitoba Centennial Corporation, about this tournament, claiming that, after talking to NHL President Clarence Campbell, there was a "75 per cent chance that it will come off." The former Progressive Conservative politician and longtime businessman made it sound like there was a better than good chance that the tournament would happen for the Manitoba capital. But did it happen, though?

Dozens of newspapers ran The Associated Press's report on between January 30 to February 5, 1970, but an article from MacGregor, Manitoba's The MacGregor Herald gave even more details on what was planned as Steinkopf was aiming for late September or early October for dates, adding "Right now we've just got to clear the dates." All fourteen teams would be able to attend using their players under contract to compete in the one-loss-and-out tournament over the planned week of games. In short, it sounded like a preseason tournament that would have brought the best professional players on the planet together for games. This could have been the start of something that the NHL could build on to spark interest for the coming season.

It appeared that Steinkopf was planning this massive hockey tournament to align with Manitoba's centennial celebration in 1970. He was instrumental in bringing all sorts of projects and events forward that year including the Centennial Concert Hall in downtown Winnipeg and a concert called "Man-Pop" that saw all of Led Zeppelin, Iron Butterfly, the Youngbloods, Chilliwack, the Ides Of March, Dianne Heatherington and the Merry-Go-Round, the Mongrels, and Sugar & Spice perform in Winnipeg for one day. That lineup is insane!

For whatever reason, nothing else was published about this NHL invitational tournament following those early reports in 1970, and it could be because Steinkopf shifted his focus to music as Man-Pop took place on August 29, 1970. My guess is that the dates proposed by Steinkopf didn't work for either the arenas in and around Winnipeg or the NHL clubs themselves, but the tournament evaporated as fast as it seemed to materialize. Winnipeg was not an NHL city in 1970.

There is a bit of a sad note to this story as Maitland Steinkopf passed away on Sunday, November 22, 1970 from a heart attack. Had the tournament happened, his passing would have been just weeks after watching NHL teams compete in the Manitoba capital. It also meant that he missed out on the WHA setting up shop in Winnipeg after luring NHL superstar Bobby Hull to the league which, I believe, would have tickled his showman's heart. Rest peacefully, Mr. Steinkopf.

There's a quick bit of history about what could have been the start of an annual event for the NHL had everything gone to plan with the league-wide invitational tournament. Maitland Steinkopf nearly put Manitoba on the map as a hockey destination with his efforts, but that event simply wasn't in the cards for the city of Winnipeg in 1970.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

He Was Always There

I want to pass along a big congratulations to Ville Heinola on being part of the Finnish team that captured the gold medal at the 2026 IIHF Men's World Hockey Championship today. He looked confident throughout the tournament playing alongside a number of his friends and countrymen, and seeing him as happy as he is in this image is encouraging given all the struggles he's been through in his time with the Winnipeg Jets. Whether it was injuries, being relegated to the pressbox, being exiled to the AHL, or just simply being unappreciated and undervalued by conservative coaches and management, Heinola deserves to have this golden moment.

Heinola made the Jets' lineup as an 18 year-old defender in his rookie campaign, but the Jets elected not to burn the first year of his entry-level contract. After scoring one goal and five points in eight games, he was sent back to his Finnish club while the Jets preached patience with Heinola. If he was going to reach his potential, the Jets had to make sure he was developing properly in their system.

Insert your Winnipeg Jets "draft and develop" jokes here.

Over the next three seasons, Heinola skated in just 27 games for the Jets, battling for a roster spot with the likes of Logan Stanley, Dylan Samberg, Johnny Kovacevic, Kyle Capobianco, and Declan Chisholm, but never quite getting the ice-time or the pairing that would allow him to do what he does best: skate with the puck, jump into the offensive zone, and play good positional defence. He was never going to be the bruiser in front of the net, but, like Montreal's Lane Hutson, he had incredible skating and vision from the blue line.

In what looked like a change in the philosophy for the Jets, Ville Heinola was poised to make the Winnipeg Jets' roster out of training camp ahead of the 2023-24 season. The only problem was that Heinola fractured his ankle in the final preseason game, setting him back in his NHL dreams. He would skate with the Manitoba Moose when he was able to get back on skates, but that injury plunged him back into the "battling for a roster spot" ranks for the 2024-25 season.

Early surgery in training camp in 2024 put Heinola back on the shelf after it was discovered that his surgically-repaired ankle was infected, but head coach Scott Arniel seemed to indicate that Heinola was going to get his shot with a comment about the defender on November 19, 2024 where he said, "It's been a tough two years for him. I'm probably his biggest fan here. I wanna see him."

Were we about to see the Finn playing regular minutes?

Heinola's biggest fan dressed him just 23 times in two seasons since uttering those comments to the media, so it's hard to believe that Arniel was doing anything but providing lip service. When he was in the lineup, he most often played on the third pairing with players that rarely complemented his style of play, and it constantly felt like the Jets were trying to force a square peg into a round hole.

I can give you seven million reasons why Ville Heinola should be in Winnipeg, and it starts and ends with Neal Pionk. If the Jets were truly going to make a run at key free agents this summer to improve their team overall, moving Pionk's annual $7 million salary and replacing him with Ville Heinola would be a wise move. They play identical games with the puck on their sticks, but Pionk's physical play is replaced by Heinola's better defensive play when looking at the overall package. This shouldn't be a hard sell for management, but it seems like GM Kevin Cheveldayoff is enamored with Pionk.

This isn't about the Jets and their awful asset management, though. Ville Heinola's smile in the lede image should be enough to tell you that a weight was lifted off his shoulders with this gold medal today. He already admitted to Winnipeg reporters that "[i]t's been, mentally, probably the hardest year. It's hard, and I struggle a lot, especially mentally" and that he "hired a mental (health) coach. That was a huge, huge help at the time, just to be able to talk somebody."

Why that person wasn't someone from inside the organization leaves me with more questions about what kind of front office the Jets have, but seeing him fly around the ice for Finland over the last couple of weeks should be enough proof that Ville Heinola won't be back in Winnipeg next season unless visiting with an opposing team. He proved he can be an effective player on a big stage while being effective at both ends of the ice, and that display of skill by the 25 year-old should have GMs thinking low-risk, high-reward contract.

The Jets will enter next season with 30 year-old Neal Pionk under contract for five more years at $35 million despite his obvious defensive lapses. The Jets invested a lot of money in a player who has had one season above 40 points and who scored a career-low 12 points in 51 games last season, but refused to play Ville Heinola in the same role despite him having the same skill set and talents.

For a team that needed better defensive play with a push for offence from their blue line, Ville Heinola was always there. Today's World Hockey Championship gold medal should be all the proof he needs that his mental health will be better with another franchise.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

The Hockey Show - Episode 714

The Hockey Show, Canada's only campus-produced radio show that strictly talks hockey, returns tonight with a look at a pile of stories that have emerged in the hockey world over the last week or so. There's news from Europe, news from the southern US, new from Russia, and news from across Canada that needs to be discussed in greater depth as our hosts tackle a number of stories. There are no Survivor: NHL Playoffs exit interviews today as we're saving them for next week, so get ready for a pile of news and discussion about everything happening in hockey on The Hockey Show at 5:30pm CT!

Tonight, Teebz and Jason jump into the hockey stories by discussing the results at the IIHF Men's World Hockey Championship being played in Switzerland including who is being relegated and promoted for next year's tournaments. Beyond those scores and stories, our hosts will discuss Hockey Canada's women's program making changes, an old ECHL team is new again, a more thorough discussion on the Hamilton Hammers, Jordan Tourigny trying to join the musical group Stomp, the Ottawa Charge getting close to announcing what arena they'll play in next season, Russia's return to international hockey, the KHL's winner and an interesting fact, and there was more science revealed about a player we lost last season. It's a busy show with lots to go over, so get ready to roll tonight for 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 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.

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 about international results, program changes, reborn cats, disappointing logos, stepping on toes, relocating teams, a returning foe, Russia's winners, head trauma, and much more exclusively on 101.5 UMFM and on the UMFM.com web stream!

PODCAST: May 28, 2026: Episode 714

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Two Down, Two Up

The four countries shown by their flags to the left will be playing IIHF hockey next season, but the reality is that two countries will be moving down to the Division-1A tournament while two countries will join the top-14 teams playing for the IIHF Men's World Hockey Championship. If you've been following the action, you may already know who is being relegated and promoted, but these four countries are the nations in question. Who's dropping down? Who's going up? Let's find out!

Great Britain came into the IIHF Men's World Hockey Championship as the 17th-ranked nation on the planet. They found themselves in a tough group that featured USA, Finland, Switzerland, Germany, and Latvia, but there was hope that they could qualify for a quarterfinal spot if they caught a few breaks against Austria and Hungary. If they could upset Latvia or Germany, Great Britain would likely not only qualify for the medal round, but they'd jump up in the IIHF rankings as well.

Things quickly changed for Great Britain after they dropped a 5-2 decision to Austria on May 16. A 5-1 loss to the USA, a 5-0 loss to Hungary, and a 4-1 loss to the Swiss put them in jeopardy of battling to stay out of relegation territory, but it didn't get any better in a 4-0 loss to Finland. Tack on a 6-0 loss to Latvia and a 6-3 loss to Germany, and the British went winless in Switzerland as they would be the Group A team who was relegated to the Division-1A tournament.

Defender Nathanael Halbert led the British in scoring with a goal and two assists from the blue line, and goaltender Mat Robson went 0-4-0 with a 4.94 GAA and an .875 save percentage. Veteran Liam Kirk led the way with 19 shots in the tournament, and Halbert had the best seat in the house most often as he served 10 penalty minutes.

Italy began the 2026 IIHF Men's World Hockey Championship as the 20th-ranked nation on the IIHF World Rankings, and they were in Group B with the likes of Canada, Sweden, Czechia, Slovakia, and Denmark. Italy likely was looking at the games against Slovenia and Norway as the ones they had to win if they hoped to avoid relegation. Without any NHL talent on their roster, this had to be a solid team effort from the Italians if they wanted to finish in a quarterfinal berth and remain as part of the top tournament. Otherwise, they'd be in a tough spot.

Canada handed them an expected loss by a 6-0 score on May 16, and Slovakia doubled the number of losses with a 4-1 decision. Italy entered the game on May 19 against Norway looking to reverse those fortunes, but the Norwegians played well in a 4-0 win. That Italian loss was followed by a 3-1 loss to Czechia and a 3-0 loss to Sweden. Needing a win desperately, the Italians gave Denmark everything they had, but fell short in the shootout by a 3-2 score. A final 5-1 loss to Slovenia resulted in Italy being the Group B team who is relegated to the Division-1A tournament next season that still needs a host.

Forward Tommy Purdeller had two goals and three points while forward Mikael Frycklund had three assists as the co-leader in points for Italy. Goaltender Davide Fadani was the only goalie to earn a point for Italy as he lost in the shootout while fellow netminder Damian Clara was 0-3-0 with a 3.35 GAA and a .921 save percentage. Defender Phil Pietroniro led the team in shots with 21 and forward Tommaso de Luca served three minor penalties to lead Italy in PIMs.

A country familiar with the teams in the top IIHF tournament will make its return as Kazakhstan earned a promotion back to the big dance. The 15th-ranked team in the IIHF rankings faced off against Lithuania, Japan, Poland, Ukraine, and France in the Division-1A tournament held from May 2-8 in Sosnowiec, Poland, and the Kazakhs emerged undefeated as they went 5-0-0 in the event. Two of those wins did come in the shootout, but Kazakhstan earned enough points for promotion to the 2027 IIHF Men's World Hockey Championship in Germany next May!

Kazakhstan's run in Sosnowiec saw them down Lithuania 4-1 on May 2, beat Japan 6-0, knock off Poland 3-2, defeat Ukraine 5-4 in the skills competition, and defeat France in the shootout as well. They scored the most goals in the tournament despite only scoring once on the power-play in eleven attempts, they tied Ukraine with the fewest shorthanded situations with eight, and they took the least amount of penalties with just 16 PIMs in the tournament on eight infractions.

Forward Artur Gatiyatov had a goal and four helpers while forward Arkadiy Shestakov had five helpers to tie for the team lead in scoring. Goaltender Andrey Shutov went 3-0-0 with a 1.30 GAA and a .933 save percentage as the top stopper, forward Vsevolod Logvin led with 17 shots, and defender Dmitri Breus was the goon with four PIMs.

Perhaps the one nation that should be celebrated for being promoted after everything the country has been through is Ukraine. It's hard not to be inspired knowing that this hockey team was able to focus on winning in Sosnowiec, Poland while friends, colleagues, and family are fighting for their lives back home. Ukraine certainly had a bumpier ride in getting to their promotion as the 27th-ranked team in the IIHF rankings went 3-1-1 in their five games, but that got them ten points and promotion from the Division-1A tournament!

Ukraine opened their tournament against the hosts on May 2, and Poland won that game by a 3-2 score. Ukraine would bounce back with a 2-1 win over Lithuania and a 3-2 win over France before dropping a 5-4 shootout decision to Kazakhstan. Ukraine capped off their tournament with a 3-1 win against Japan, and that was the victory needed to earn their promotion! Ukraine scored the second-most goals in the tournament, had a 5-for-17 power-play, and killed seven of eight shorthanded situations. They did commit twelve infractions, but were the second-least penalized team in the event.

Forward Danil Trakht led the tournament in scoring with four goals and four assists while forward Olexi Vorona had six helpers to tie for the lead in the tournament. Goaltender Bohdan Diachenko played every second for Ukraine, going 3-1-1 with a 2.17 GAA and a .923 save percentage. Olexander Peresunko led Ukraine with 15 shots, and both Yevgen Fedyeyev and Artem Hrebenyk sat for four minutes.

Both Kazakhstan and Ukraine will visit Mannheim and Dusseldorf, Germany as part of the 2027 IIHF Men's World Hockey Championship that's scheduled to run from May 14-30. Great Britain and Italy will await an announcement from the IIHF to know where they're headed for the 2027 IIHF Men's Division-1A World Hockey Championship, but it would seem they'll be joined by France, Poland, Lithuania, and the newly-promoted Estonia. Unfortunately for Japan, they'll be relegated to the Division-1B tournament, replacing promoted Estonia.

The quarterfinals for the 2026 IIHF Men's World Hockey Championship will be set after tomorrow's games, and we could see some intriguing matchups if things go as expected. Of course, that's why the games are played and upsets are a possibility, so we'll see who qualifies for the medal round at the IIHF Men's World Hockey Championship!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Another Roadside Attraction: The Fish

As stated back on April 20, HBIC will be using the summer to visit various cities and towns in Manitoba to document all the interesting, weird, and fun statues found in these communities while seeking out some local hockey stories as well. With me needing to head south down Highway 75 towards the Canada-US border, I thought I'd make a little detour and begin this fun project with a quick stop in Dominion City, Manitoba where we'll discover our first roadside attraction!

Dominion City sits on Provincial Highway 201 just east of Letellier, Manitoba. The total travel time from Winnipeg is approximately one hour as it sits 93 kilometers away from the Manitoba capital. It also sits about 20 kilometers north of the Canada-US border with the 2021 Canadian Census showing the town holding a population of 320 people. Maybe Dominion City should be classified as a village?

Jokes aside, you may be wondering how Dominion City came to be, and it's mostly due to the railway. As per the plaque to the right posted by the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada, Dominion City is where the final spike for the first railway line built in western Canada was driven into the ground on December 3, 1878. The railway ran from St. Boniface in Winnipeg south to Emerson at the Canada-US border and connected western Canada to the eastern Canada and the United States. Rather than building a railway that ran through Canada at a much higher cost, linking western Canada to the US rail lines was a much more cost-effective option. The railway brought prosperity to the region, making Dominion City an important piece of that route.

What About The Statue?

We'll start with the sign because, as it says, the statue is called "The Fish". The description, however, is far more interesting as the statue is a recreation of a 15.5-foot, 406lbs sturgeon that was caught in the nearby Roseau River by Sandy Waddell on October 27, 1903. The female sturgeon was estimated to be 150 years-old and was full of caviar. The sturgeon was hauled by horse-and-buggy back to town. I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that the lake sturgeon is Manitoba's largest freshwater fish, and is currently being monitored by several groups to ensure their long-term viability in Manitoba's rivers.

As a side note, fish eggs are usually called "roe", but "caviar" specifically refers to salted, cured roe from the sturgeon family. While the eggs weren't salted or cured prior to "The Fish" being caught, I imagine they became caviar once the fishing party arrived in Dominion City with their catch. Celebrations were to be had!

So what does this stature look like, you ask? Here's "The Fish"!

If I do have one tiny complaint, it's that there was no notation anywhere around "The Fish" as to when the statue was erected. It would be interesting to know when the town decided to memorialize the sturgeon, but that info was nowhere to be found at the site.

What's The Hockey Connection?

You might be wondering how a town with 320 people would have a big hockey connection, but current Columbus Blue Jackets defenceman Denton Mateychuk hails from Dominion City! Mateychuk has played 120 games with the Blue Jackets, but he showed up in a big way this season as the Blue Jackets pushed for a playoff spot. In total, he has amassed 17 goals and 27 assists after being selected 12th-overall in 2022, but he scored 13 goals and 18 assists in 75 games this season. He's also a former Moose Jaw Warriors captain, he played with the Eastman Selects in Manitoba, and spent time with the Cleveland Monsters as he worked to earn a Blue Jackets roster spot.

Mateychuk will get a second chance to wear the maple leaf this May as he was selected to join Team Canada for the IIHF World Championship in Zurich and Fribourg. He played for Canada at the 2024 World Junior Championship where he recorded four assists in five games, and Canada will be looking for another solid performance when Mateychuk hits the ice on the blue line in Switzerland!

There's our first look at one of the roadside attractions you'll find in Manitoba if you plan on touring the province. "The Fish" isn't the most picturesque statue I'll feature here, but the history behind that sturgeon and the town of Dominion City is pretty interesting. And having an up-and-coming NHL defenceman born in the town adds another layer if you're interested in visiting Dominion City, Manitoba!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

New Kids On The Block

This is not a post about musicians in jerseys nor will I be talking about the former boy band in any way today, but it is about the team to the left as Spain made their IIHF Women's World Championship Division-1B debut today in Puigcerdà, Spain in front of 223 fans. Spain has never played at this level of women's hockey in the country's history, so this was a historic day for the nation and the national team as they took the ice against Netherlands. No one is expecting them to win against more experienced nations, but Spain is at this event because they have proven they belong by winning lower IIHF tournaments! Can they win this one as well or remain at this level?

Things didn't start off well for the home team today against a strong Dutch team as two power-play goals had Netherlands up 3-0 before the first break. That score would balloon to 5-0 by the end of the second period, and Natherlands would skate to the 6-0 win when the final horn sounded behind Kayleigh Hamers' two goals and two assists. The 28 year-old SDE defender always seems to play well when wearing the Dutch colours, and today's effort only reinforced that. Spain will look to bounce back on Monday against Great Britain who beat Korea 3-2 in a shootout in game where Korea held a 2-0 lead.

I don't think people understand how important it is to see countries like Spain and Netherlands building their hockey programs to become bigger players on the world stage. Hockey fans often lament the fact that Canada and the US end up in the gold medal final at every major tournament despite the rivalry between the two countries, so having more countries getting better is massive for the sport. We know Sweden and Japan are on the rise once again, so that will help at the top level of women's hockey, but getting countries like Spain, Netherlands, Great Britain, Latvia, Korea, and Kazakhstan more experience will push the teams at higher levels to be better as well.

Back to the action in Puigcerdà, Spain earned the promotion to Division-1B after defeating Poland in their final game of the Division-2A tournament last year, ending that tournament with a 4-1 record. Spain replaced Slovenia who were relegated after finishing at the bottom of the 2025 Division-1B standings, so they're looking for a strong performance to remain in this group or potentially move higher. Dropping their first game is a setback, but Spain can rally and still finish strong in this tournament as Kazakhstan and Latvia haven't jumped out ahead of anyone either. Just getting a goal on the scorebord for Spain would be a big moment in program history, so they have some work to do against Great Britain tomorrow.

To me, having teams showing improvement and growth from places where ice hockey isn't close to being a popular sport on the levels of football (soccer), field hockey, or handball means that these programs are making the sport stronger and better overall. It doesn't matter if Spain can't compete with Canada or the US at this point in time because they have shown they can compete with other countries who are all working towards the same goal of being able to compete at that level one day. This isn't an overnight solution, but it's one that will play out over years as long as programs are supported and funded and there is room for growth. As the tide rises, the teams will all get better in time, leaving us with more competitive hockey.

I don't know if Spain will win the tournament, but the Division-2A tournament starts tomorrow and one of Poland, Australia, Iceland, Slovenia, and Chinese Taipei will take the same step forward that Spain did last season. If that means bumping Spain back to the 2A tournament, so be it as only Spain can change that fate by winning games. What should be remembered, though, is that these five teams are looking to join the 1B tournament to prove that they belong among better teams thanks to their success in this year's tournament.

By having teams work to get better at every level, the IIHF will see countries catch the powerhouses. It might take decades for some of these teams to reach a IIHF Women's World Hockey Championship level, but the skill and talent is rising every year. Getting to see these women forge paths for the generations behind them is awesome!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

¡Campeonas!

As you're likely aware if you've passed elementary school social studies, Spain is not part of Canada in any way, shape, or form, but we got to see two former U SPORTS players crowned as champions today in the Liga Iberdrola de Hockey Hielo! I have been following the progress made by Club Gel Puigcerdà as the scheduled rolled forward thanks to former Calgary Dinos forward Annaliese Meier and former Dinos and Mount Royal Cougars forward Courtney Kollman playing for them. As you can see by the image above, the season ended today with CG Puigcerdà standing at center ice with the championship trophy hoisted, so it appears that Meier and Kollman helped CG Puigcerdà conquer Spain this year!

CG Puigcerdà finished the season in second-place in the LIHH with a record of 15-3-0-0 for 45 points. They were six points back of league-leading SH Majadahonda, but they did score the most goals, have the best goal differential, and were the second-most penalized team as Puigcerdà employed a speed game that saw the team close out on defenders quickly whenever possible. As a result, they surrendered the second-fewest goals as they wrapped up the 18-game schedule on February 1 with a 2-0 win over Kosner Huarte as playoffs loomed.

For her part, Courtney Kollman dominated the league with 41 goals and 76 points in just 22 games total. She finished three goals ahead of CHH Txuri Urdin's Eva Aizpurua, and a whopping 20 points ahead of Aizpurua in the overall scoring. Kollman also led the LIHH at +70 which shouldn't be surprising considering her point total.

Annaliese Meier had a fantastic season as well after starting the campaign rather slowly. She picked it up in the second-half of the season, finishing with 15 goals and 32 points in 21 games to land in seventh-overall in scoring. Meier chipped in at both ends of the ice as well as she patrolled the blue line as a defender, but Meier became another important player for CG Puigcerdà down the stretch.

The top-four teams in the LIHH qualified for the LIHH championship meaning that CG Puigcerdà would square off against third-place CH Jaca who finished with a 10-7-0-0 record. February 21 saw Puigcerdà record a 3-1 win with Kollman scoring off a Meier pass, and the best-of-three series ended one week later with Puigcerdà downing Jaca by a 2-0 score with Meier scoring off a feed from Kollman.

Majadahonda only needed two games to eliminate Txuri Urdin by 4-0 and 3-1 scores, so the LIHH Final would feature the top-two teams in the league as they met in the best-of-five series for all the marbles!

Game One on March 7 went Puigcerdà's way as they scored a 2-0 win with neither Kollman nor Meier scoring, but Paula Gimenez had a goal and an assist for the victors. Game Two on March saw both teams ratchet up the offence as Judith Pareja capped off the hat trick at 6:15 of overtime to give Puigcerdà a 6-5 overtime win! Kollman had two goals and a helper in this one while Meier picked up two assists to help Puigcerdà take a 2-0 series lead, but the series would move to the northwest corner of Madrid for the next three games.

Coming into the game, Majadahonda was 9-0 at home including two wins over Puigcerdà on November 15 and 16, but their backs were against the walls in Game Three. Perhaps Puigcerdà smelled the blood in the water or perhaps Majadahonda didn't prepare enough, but the game today saw the ice tilted early. 1:03 into the game, Paula Gimenez gave Puigcerdà a lead and it was 2-0 at the 8:28 mark when Carla Iglesias found the back of the net with Meier getting a secondary assist. Gimenez struck again at 15:54, and the rout was on.

Gimenez would record the hat trick at 12:01 of the second period to make it a 4-0 game, and Kiera O'Hare would cap off the scoring at 2:40 of the third period as CG Puigcerdà combined that strong offence with solid defence to win Game Three and the championship with a 5-0 victory! CG Puigcerdà are your 2025-26 LIHH champions!

"The girls played a spectacular game," CG Puigcerdà head coach Jaime de Bonilla said after the game. "They have worked very hard all season and today they showed what a great team they are. They played with a sixth gear throughout the game!"

The coach was also quick to recognize the support of the Puigcerdà, thanking them by saying, "This title is also for the fans, who have always supported us. Their support has been key to getting here".

The team will be honoured tomorrow in Puigcerdà with a procession beginning at 12:30pm that will make its way through the village of Puigcerdà, ending at the City Hall where the celebration will continue. Considering that the CG Puigcerdà women's team only began playing in 2006, their rise to the top of the LIHH in capturing their first LIHH title is very impressive and the work done to improve Spanish hockey cannot be overlooked as they get set for more fun!

From April 12-18, Puigcerdà will host and the Spanish national team will take part in the IIHF Division-1B Women's World Hockey Championship! Spain will play host to Great Britain, Kazakhstan, Netherlands, Latvia, and South Korea as these countries seek promotion to the Division-1A championship next season by winning this tournament. With incredible players such as Eva Aizpurua, Paula Gimenez, Maria Serna, and goaltender Ainhoa Salillas playing in the LIHH, Spain's chances of winning are as good as any country!

For now, though, Puigcerdà will celebrate its local heroes as CG Puigcerdà are the 2025-26 LIHH champions for the first time in their history! Congratulations on winning the championship, ladies, and I hope we can talk to Courtney and Annaliese this summer on The Hockey Show and hear about their Spanish adventure! ¡Buen trabajo!

Until next time, mantén tus palos sobre el hielo!

The Best There Ever Was

There are certain constants in this world that seemingly never change. Constants can be from a mathematical point of view where values like the force of gravity and the relationship of a circle's circumference to its diameter never change. We can talk about landmarks like the Eiffel Tower and the Statue of Liberty whose constant presence allow people to instantly think of Paris and New York City, respectively. We had one of those constants in Canada West women's hockey, so it may take some time to adjust to the fact that Alberta Pandas head coach Howie Draper will not be behind the bench next season and beyond as U SPORTS' winningest coach announced today that he was retiring from the game.

I'll get into his achievements with the University of Alberta Pandas in a minute, but there's one thing that stands out to me when it comes to what made Howie Draper so special. I often talk about how the people who manage the university game could and should be better in both managing and improving the game, but Howie Draper is one of the people whose stewardship of women's university hockey in Canada will never be questioned. Simply put, Howie Draper cared.

Under his guidance, the Pandas won 15 Canada West titles in 28 seasons. With Draper at the helm, the Pandas won eight U SPORTS National Championships including three in a row from 2002-04 that was part of six-straight U SPORTS National Championship Final appearances from 2002-07. Howie Draper led the Pandas to 715 total wins and 465 conference wins including setting a Canada West undefeated streak record that likely will never be matched where the Pandas did not lose in 86 games (83-0-3) from October 28, 2000 to February 12, 2005. His work behind the bench has seen him honoured as Canada West Coach of the Year eight times and U SPORTS Coach of the Year four times. Draper also coached Team Canada to a gold medal at the 2022 World Under-18 Championship in Wisconsin.

Yes, he's decorated and he certainly deserves those kudos as he was not only coaching hockey, but he was cultivating lifelong friendships among players. University of Alberta Director of Athletics Leah Pezer said, "The best coaches don't just change what happens on the ice, they change what people believe is possible in themselves and in each other. That's what Howie has done here. He has been a builder of excellence, but also of culture, trust, and belief. His imprint on Pandas Hockey is lasting, and we are better because of it."

Again, I point to how he made the game better as a large reason why Draper found so much success. In 2018, Draper spoke openly about his team's struggles in 2002 regarding LGBTQ inclusion following the introduction of U SPORTS' transgender policy for the 2018-19 season.

In 2016, the Pandas opened their doors to the Edmonton Female Athletic Club AAA program that eventually was named the Edmonton Pandas before becoming the Edmonton Junior Oilers in 2023. That partnership was an effort to raise the skill level of female hockey around Alberta with the rezoning of the AAA teams, eventually leading to the rebranded AFHL that now sends a vast number of young women to post-secondary institutions across North America.

"We want to ensure the players that play hockey have the best opportunity to reach whatever goals they may have in the sport," Draper told the Edmonton Journal's Derek Van Diest in 2016. "We would love to be able to say we'll have anywhere between 5-10 girls in the U-18 provincial program playing for Team Alberta. We would love to be able to say, coming out of this program, we'll have a few national team members down the road. That in of itself would be the greatest reward for all of us involved."

In 2013, Draper helped to organize an exhibition game between the Pandas and the ACAC's MacEwan Griffins in Ponoka, Alberta - a small town about 90 minutes south of Edmonton - in an effort to sell the university women's game as well as growing the game in smaller communities in Alberta to help strengthen Hockey Alberta.

His influence on his former players can't be ignored either as UNB Reds head coach Sarah Hilworth, former MacEwan Griffins head coach Lindsay McAlpine, and Windsor Lancers head coach Deanna Iwanicka all played for Howie Draper's Pandas in their careers. Having these women rise to the level of U SPORTS women's hockey head coaches is another honour for Draper, but his mentorship can go much further as these women can be role models for the players they coach as well!

Hilworth told Windsor's Mia Ines, "Howie coming into my life was one of the best things that could have happened. He has taught me about life and about being a good person. He taught me to be more than just a good hockey player. He was able to transform my game where I had confidence to become a strong player in the program, but he allowed me the opportunity in a safe environment to grow into the person I wanted to become. Howie was always there for me and continues to be – I will be forever grateful for his friendship."

We can talk about his Alberta Hockey Hall of Fame induction, his one season as head coach of the New York Sirens in the PWHL, his time as Team Canada's head coach at the FISU Universiade Games in 2013 where Canada won gold, or how he was playing in a band while coaching, but, for me, I have always been impressed by and held respect for how far the ripples in the water have travelled since Howie Draper began coaching the Alberta Pandas back in 1997.

Humbly, he'll tell you that he learned the same lessons from Clare Drake and he's just paying it forward, but Howie's impact on the game cannot be denied. Whether it be growing the game within Alberta's borders, making the game more accepting for LGBTQ+ players, teaching players how to become great coaches, or helping the AFHL find its way, Howie Draper has done more for the game in his 28 years behind the bench than some have done in their entire lives. Yes, there are accolades, awards, and a few rare misses that come with the success he's had at the U of A, but you don't leave fingerprints on the game like Howie has without it being intentional.

Just like it was while he spent a year coaching in the PWHL, there will certainly be a presence missing when the Alberta Pandas come to town next season. Howie Draper earned this retirement after giving 28 years of time, effort, and dedication to a program that he raised from infancy to the prominance it has today. And, as shown above, the effort he gave will continue to be seen across Canada for years to come thanks to everything he did to make the game better.

Thank you, Howie Draper, for being the best steward of women's hockey that I've seen in all my time involved with the game. Enjoy retirement with your wife, three kids, and your pup, and here's hoping that it's everything you imagined and more. You deserve it!

Until next time, raise your sticks high in honour of Howie Draper!

The Hockey Show - Episode 689

The Hockey Show, Canada's only campus-produced radio show that strictly talks hockey, is back in the studio where we can avoid Alberta clippers and other weather systems that may be raging outside as the Great White North gets a little whiter. It's the perfect season for hockey around these parts, and we're going to talk to a guest tonight whose experiences have taken her from player to coach to advocate, and we'll hear about some of the challenges she faces in building provincial and national team programs. Did we mention she's a fantastically awesome person too? We'll chat about all of that stuff and much more with one of this country's best coaches when it comes to parahockey tonight on The Hockey Show at 5:30pm CT!

Tonight, Teebz and Jason are proud, honoured, privileged, humbled, and pleased to welcome Team Manitoba Parahockey head coach and Team Canada National Women's Parahockey assistant coach McKenna Wild to the show! McKenna spends her workdays as a Recreational Facilitator for Manitoba Possible, but her nights and weekends see her on the ice as the head coach, director, and everything in between for the Manitoba provincial sledge hockey team. We'll chat about her time playing hockey, some of the challenges that the provincial team faces, some of the achievements they've made, growing the game both provincially and nationally, some upcoming events, and more! It should be a fantastic show as we learn about the provincial and national sledge hockey programs from McKenna Wild, head coach of Team Manitoba, 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 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.

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 sit down with McKenna Wild to discuss her hockey career, switching over to sledge hockey, coaching, building teams, accessibility and advocacy, and much more exclusively on 101.5 UMFM and on the UMFM.com web stream!

PODCAST: December 4, 2025: Episode 689

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

TBC: Certified Beauties

It has been a pleasure to have had the opportunities to read some great books over the last week that has allowed us to interview great authors on The Hockey Show. While I'm completely aware of the need for these authors to promote their books to help sales, it's been a better experience getting to know the people writing these books through our conversations. That holds true for today's book review as Teebz's Book Club is proud to review Certified Beauties: More of Hockey's Greatest Untold Stories, written by James Duthie and published by HarperCollins Publishers Ltd. If you were a fan of James Duthie's book, Beauties, this is the second book that he's written that deals with all the stories that hockey players trade behind the scenes about their craziest experiences and often hard-to-believe moments off the ice. If you need a good hockey story, Certified Beauties has a pile of them from the players themselves!

You already know James Duthie from his hockey work on TSN, but there's a lot more to James Duthie than just his TV work. James is an eight-time Canadian Screen Award winner, he has co-hosted Olympic Daytime coverage, he'll be heading to Milano-Cortina for men’s hockey coverage at another Olympic Games, he is an Ottawa Sports Hall of Fame inductee, he holds the key to city in Ottawa, he hosts TSN's coverage of The Masters and the CFL, he appeared in Goon 2 as some character named "James Duthie", he's a Carleton University grad, and he's the author of of a number of books including two that I have reviewed here on HBIC in The Guy on the Left and Beauties, and a third book today. James and his family live in Aurora, Ontario.

For everyone that has sat through a hockey interview where the same clichés and statements have been made by countless players, you know it gets a little repetitive. That's where Certified Beauties comes in because I'm quite certain the stories told by the players in this book haven't been heard by fans anywhere. Some may be known, but there are so many entertaining, funny, and heartfelt stories in Certified Beauties that you'll likely find yourself wanting to read the next one as soon as you finish a story! That happened to me!

The players who contributed stories are many with the likes of Kevin Bieksa, Darcy Hordichuk, Blake Coleman, Sam Gagner, Emma Maltais, Brady and Matthew Tkachuk, and Ray Whitney to name a few, but there were some amazing chapters about Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau and Gardiner MacDougall and the UNB Reds that truly illustrate how good the game of hockey can be when great people set their minds on making the world a better place. For all the laughs that are contained within the covers of Certified Beauties, the chapters that tugged on the heart strings will remain with you.

I do want to make a special mention of the chapter that is entirely devoted to Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau because it's their family and friends who contribute the stories about them to Certified Beauties. From these stories, you can tell that these two men were special in their own ways. It's hard to know that these two incredible men who cherished their time away from the game with the people they loved more the game of hockey were taken from us at such a young age, but the words used to describe them by their families and friends will give you new persepctive on these two wonderful men.

You might be wondering what kind of stories are found in Certified Beauties, and I'm here to say that the stories you'll read range from funny to "that couldn't possibly have happened". For example, Duthie has a funny story from current Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving about his time playing in the now-defunct Western Professional Hockey League for the Waco Wizards. He writes,

"The lights go out for the opening night introductions. Dramatic music plays. High above the rink, the wizard is hooked up to a wire and descends dramatically toward ice. He's waving his wand, pumping up the crowd. And then, 20 feet above centre ice, he passes out."

Can you imagine seeing a mascot descending from the rafters, pumping the crowd up, and then he just passes out? And the show must go on, so the opening night ceremony just continues until they finally realize that the wizard, lying at centre ice, has suddenly stopped being a willing participant! What did Brad do? What did his teammates do? Thankfully, there's a happy ending to Treliving's story, but Certified Beauties is packed with fun stories like this!

Overall, Certified Beauties can be rated as a beauty as the chapters are short with funny and heartfelt stories, so it makes it easy to put the book down if one needs a break. Duthie doesn't editorialize in the book often if at all, allowing the players' stories to shine through as though they were telling them to readers themselves. As such, it's an enjoyable read with some chuckles and the occasional tug at the heart strings, and, for these reasons, it's easy to award Certified Beauties with the Teebz's Book Club Seal of Approval!

Certified Beauties was released on October 21, 2025, so you can find it on bookstore shelves and library shelves right now, assuming that there are copies remaining. This book would be a perfect Christmas gift for your older hockey fan as it does contain some strong language at times. Due to this, Certified Beauties is strongly recommended for older teens and adult hockey fans. However, the book is an excellent read with great stories, and Certified Beauties by James Duthie is highly recommended for your hockey fans and your bookshelf!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

The Hockey Show - Episode 681

The Hockey Show, Canada's only campus-produced radio show that strictly talks hockey, is back on the UMFM frequency tonight with a whole slate of hockey news to process and discuss. One involved a local team who seems to have a reputation in the league as not being able to keep key free agents, but it seems that team has no problem retaining its stars in an effort to win a Stanley Cup. While two other teams signed big players, all three retained players that should keep them in that hunt for hockey's top annual prize. Our hosts will jump into that worn-out hockey topic before getting into other hockey news from the past week tonight on The Hockey Show at 5:30pm CT!

As teams were looking forward to some huge stars possibly being on the free agent market next season, Teebz and Jason will chat about the contracts signed by Connor McDavid, Jack Eichel, and Kyle Connor when it comes to giving their current teams a shot at Stanley Cup glory and how the AAVs affect things moving forward. Beyond that, they'll also discuss the new alternate jersey for the Los Angeles Kings, the sponsorship patch placement on Utah's road jerseys, CBC making a big announcement for Canadian university hockey, the IIHF moving the Women's World Championship date and possibly setting hockey back by a decade or two, and there was already some stupidity in the early KHL season. In other words, there's a lot to discuss, the phone lines will be open, and the hockey chatter will be rolling 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 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 talk new contracts, big stars, recycled jerseys, patch placement, greater exposure, stupid decisions, and much more exclusively on 101.5 UMFM and on the UMFM.com web stream!

PODCAST: October 9, 2025: Episode 681

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

The Hockey Show - Episode 676

The Hockey Show, Canada's only campus-produced radio show that strictly talks hockey, is back with a pile of stuff to discuss thanks to several teams and franchises jumping into the fashion world with new designs and branding. I have no idea who is green-lighting some of these rather terrible ideas when it comes to how teams want to look on the ice, but people smarter than me must know fashion a lot better despite their final designs being totally unnecessary for the overall fit of their brand. In any case, expect some discussions on Back to School looks on The Hockey Show at 5:30pm CT!

Tonight, Teebz and Jason get down to business by looking at the new branding and logo introduced by the Manitoba Bisons while discussing their thoughts on the rebrand. They'll also look at the Carolina Hurricanes' new road jersey, the Seattle Kraken's new alternate jersey, the official unveiling of the Ottawa Senators' alternate jersey, Quebec City being the place for international tournaments, the new NHL Stanley Cup salary cap, and there was a winner crowned in the AIHL. There's lots to go over as we summon our Mr. Blackwell-like fashion senses for some chatter and laughter 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 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 jerseys, new logos, bad ideas, big tournaments, new rules, new champions, and much more exclusively on 101.5 UMFM and on the UMFM.com web stream!

PODCAST: September 4, 2025: Episode 676

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

The Hockey Show - Episode 669

The Hockey Show, Canada's only campus-produced radio show that strictly talks hockey, is back tonight with the kick-off to our summer interviews! With very little hockey news happening across the northern half of the globe, our hosts use the summer to chat with interesting and intriguing people who make the sport of hockey better. We begin those interviews tonight with a player whose career has taken her across Canada, across North America, and across the globe where she's been a productive scorer no matter where she landed. She's a U18 Women's World Championship bronze medallist, a 2023 U SPORTS National Champion, and a 2025 PostFinance Women's League bronze medallist, and we get caught up with her tonight on The Hockey Show at 5:30pm CT!

Tonight, Teebz and Jason sit down with former Mount Royal Cougars and Calgary Dinos forward Courtney Kollman to talk about her hockey journey! Courtney grew up in Calgary where she found a home at Edge School before landing at Robert Morris University, playing for Team Canada, returning to Mount Royal, winning a National Championship, joining the Dinos, and taking her scoring talents to Davos, Switzerland! We'll hear about all these stops, playing for Carla MacLeod and Scott Rivett, experiencing Crowchild Classic games, where she's playing next year, and more! It should be a fun chat with Courtney about her career and more 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 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 with one of the most lethal scorers in Canada West history as they sit down with Courtney Kollman to chat about hockey, life, and much more exclusively on 101.5 UMFM and on the UMFM.com web stream!

PODCAST: July 17, 2025: Episode 669

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!