The Hockey Show - Episode 733

The Hockey Show, Canada's only campus-produced radio show that strictly talks hockey, returns tonight with a full house in the UMFM studios! It's always good to have fun guests join us who have a lot to talk about, and we have that tonight with two guests who are joining us. However, we also will add another voice to the fun as we welcome a young lady who wants a future in broadcasting to sit in with us for this show and, possibly, more in the future. In short, the studio's chairs will all be full tonight as we hit the air, so get ready and take your seat tonight for The Hockey Show at 5:30pm CT!

Tonight, Teebz and Jason and Sophie welcome back two of the people making a difference in Manitoba as Shay and Les from Sledge Hockey Manitoba are back to chat about everything happening on the development side of things! We'll chat with them about summer developments, tournament results from last season, growth of the programs, making new connections, bringing home hardware, and the always-persistent challenges that they face in trying to grow sledge hockey enrolment and participation in Manitoba! It should be another very interesting show with lots of news from two of Sledge Hockey Manitoba's most important people in Shay and Les, so we'll get into everything happening on the sledge hockey scene 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 and Sophie chat with Shay and Les from Sledge Hockey Manitoba about summer fun, growing numbers, winning hardware, having fun, attracting talent, making connections, and much more exclusively on 101.5 UMFM and on the UMFM.com web stream!

PODCAST: October 8, 2026: Episode 733

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

No Formal Announcements, But...

Benjamin Franklin is credited with saying that there are two certainties in life: death and taxes. And while that may be true for most people on the planet, hockey fans always had a third certainty that they could rely on every September as Jaromir Jagr took the ice for a professional hockey team somewhere on the planet. The 54 year-old only played six games for the Kladno Knights last season, and it would mark the first time he hasn't skated in a professional league in 38 years if he didn't sign with a team for this season. As it stands right now, that hasn't happened.

Jagr's season last year didn't go as planned as he was injured to start the season and never really found his stride. He didn't dress for any of Kladno's playoff games, and he often was bumped from the lineup in favour of younger, faster players who would skate more than eight minutes per night. Jagr's one assist may have been his last professional point after he didn't sign with Kladno this season nor did he skate in training camp or any of the team's preseason games.

Of course, no one really knows what Jagr may be planning regarding his hockey future after commenting in February that "[i]t would have to be a miracle" for him to play this season, but he has yet to make any formal announcement about stepping away from the game. We know he sold the majority stake in the Kladno Knights in 2025, and new owner Tomáš Drastil began to overhaul and upgrade the players he had on his roster. While Jagr still sold tickets, Drastil was looking to trasform the Kladno Knights into the powerhouse they once were.

At 54, Jagr literally owes no one anything when it comes to his hockey career. He won Stanley Cups, an Olympic gold medal, World Championship gold medals, and a myriad of personal awards that would fill a wing at the Hockey Hall of Fame. He played in the NHL, the KHL, the Czech Extraliga, the Italian-A League, and the first-division German league in his career, representing 14 different teams. He is, and likely always will be, the highest scoring Czech player in NHL history and sits second all-time in NHL scoring. Sidney Crosby is the closest active player, and he's still 160 points back of Jagr!

I mention this today because the NHL preseason is ending for most teams, and it's hard to imagine a hockey world where Jaromir Jagr isn't playing after skating for 38 seasons. He did tell The Associated Press's Karel Janicek in February, "I don’t train to be ready to play, but I try to go skating every day if I have time," but it's not like he's preparing his body for another season of professional hockey.

As of right now, the Kladno Knights don't have Jagr on their roster page nor am I expecting him to appear there unless there's a rash of injuries in a short period of time. It's kind of crazy to think that Jagr, who skated for Kladno in parts of 13 seasons, has never skated in the playoffs for his hometown team, but that may be how his career ends if he's not on the roster this season. For the record, Kladno isn't expected to win the Extraliga, but it would have been nice to see Jagr skate once in those playoffs for the team he grew up watching.

I think, at this point, it's safe to say that Jaromir Jagr has retired from hockey. That's an unofficial stance by this writer, but telling Janicek in February that "I do nothing else but eat and watch TV" would indicate that the hockey legend's career might have come to a close. Hockey will press on without one of the game's most notable legends, but it's hard to believe that the Jaromir Jagr era is over.

Like that picture of him in the bubble bath, though, he's earned all the time to relax that he wants as long as he doesn't change his mind!

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 Hockey Show - Episode 730

The Hockey Show, Canada's only campus-produced radio show that strictly talks hockey, is still not back in the confines of the UMFM studios as both hosts are off on separate adventures this week! That doesn't mean they forgot about the show, though, as they have another interview with a fascinating individual tonight! Honestly, it's the stories you don't hear about when it comes to hockey players - specifically, women's hockey players - that are absolutely incredible, and you'll hear a bunch of them from a former U SPORTS player who is now winning championships! Who is this person and what's her story? Find out tonight on The Hockey Show at 5:30pm CT!

Tonight, Teebz and Jason sit down and chat with former University of Saskatchewan Huskies defender Brooke Patron after she helped the NWZIHL's Auckland Steel win their fourth-straight championship! We talk to Brooke about growing up in Redvers, Saskatchewan, playing for Weyburn, her career with the Huskies, everything that happened between leaving Saskatchewan and landing in New Zealand, her chosen careers, her newest sporting endeavour, and, of course, her hockey career in New Zealand! Honestly, Brooke's life has been a whirlwind of awesome jobs, good hockey opportunities, and not being afraid to chase her dreams, and you'll hear that in the interview as we get to know the former Huskies rearguard 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 chat with former Huskies defender and current NZWIHL champion Brooke Patron about Saskatchewan, university hockey, frequent moves, horticulture, New Zealand hockey, Jason Momoa, Lord of the Rings, getting in the ring, and much more exclusively on 101.5 UMFM and on the UMFM.com web stream!

PODCAST: September 17, 2026: Episode 730

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

The First EBUG?

As we know, the NHL has mandated that every team has to have an Emergency Back-Up Goaltender, EBUG, available this season. We've already seen fun stories about Peter Thome getting his shot and the return of the first NHL EBUG to win a game, but there was an EBUG sighting on another team long before David Ayles stepped onto the ice for the Hurricanes. Pictured to the left is that EBUG, and his name is Joe Franke who was pressed into action on December 14, 2002 as the Fort Wayne Komets and Elmira Jackals battled in the ECHL! How did this happen? Who is Joe Franke? Is he officially the first EBUG in modern hockey? Let's find out as we look at this awesome hockey history!

Franke wasn't on the Fort Wayne roster that night or any other night as an everyday goaltender. Instead, Franke was hired in 1978 by the team as their full-time equipment manager, but that didn't stop him from getting his name on the line-up sheet as a netminder more than 30 times in his illustrious career before he stepped away from the organization in 2020! And that leads us to December of 2002.

Again, the Komets put out an incredible video about this significant moment in their history and in hockey history, so I'd be remiss if I didn't post it here. Here is the video about Joe Franke's big night!
Pretty incredible video, right? Franke went in with eleven minutes remaining in the third period with Fort Wayne and Elmira tied 1-1. But how did Franke even get the chance to head out onto the ice?

As mentioned in the video, Komets starting goaltender Tom Lawson was called up to Milwaukee by the AHL's Admirals as they were battling a rough stretch with injuries and recalls by the Predators. As such, that left Pokey Reddick as the lone netminder for Fort Wayne despite him struggling with a virus. Cory Campbell, Scott Rideout, and Parris Duffus were the only other goalies used by the Komets that season, and none were available for their game against Elmira, forcing Franke into stand-by mode in case anything happened.

With Reddick cramping up in the third period and unable to play, Franke was sent to the dressing room to get ready as he would be needed to stop pucks. Minutes later, Franke would emerge down the tunnel wearing #35 in full gear as he stepped onto the ice. Shortly after he took his spot in the crease, Colin Chaulk scored for the Komets and Franke, unbelievably, earned an assist on his goal!

With Fort Wayne leading 3-1 after scoring a second time in the final frame, all the Komets had to do was shut down the Jackals for the win. However, the Jackals would rally for two goals late to tie the game at 3-3, and this UHL contest needed a shootout to determine the winner. Could Franke shut the door in the skills competition?

After both shooters failed to score in the first round of the shootout, Fort Wayne scored three times - Dustin Virag, Colin Chaulk, and Kelly Perrault - while Franke stopped Aaron Phillips in Round Five to give Fort Wayne the 3-1 shootout win for the 4-3 victory in the game! As such, Franke earned the win, picked up an assist, and stopped four of six shots plus four more in the shootout! How awesome is that debut?

While he's not the first EBUG in hockey history, Joe Franke might be the first EBUG to win a game at any professional level in modern hockey. Picking up an assist is also pretty cool for any goalie, but imagine getting an assist in your only game as a professional goalie! Well done, Joe, in crossing off two major stats in one fell swoop!

Just for fun, the Komets, as mentioned in the video, won the UHL championship that season, and that would add a second championship ring to Franke's jewelry box as he had also won a Stanley Cup with the 1991 Pittsburgh Penguins! He'd also add three Turner Cup rings from the IHL and a Central Hocley Lague championship ring during his time with the Komets, but his eleven minutes in net will never be forgotten in Fort Wayne, Indiana!

I know it won't happen, but maybe the Komets should retire #35 in honour of Joe Franke's tenure and his one big win in a Komets net!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

The Hockey Show - Episode 726

The Hockey Show, Canada's only campus-produced radio show that strictly talks hockey, is back in the confines of the UMFM studios for another show this evening, but we won't be joined by Montreal Victoire defender Kati Tabin as she's far too busy to make an appearance. If you're attending her camp, have a great time, but we'll focus on some bigger stories tonight as the world of hockey has some good, some not-so-good, and some absolute treachery happening in it over the last week. There's a pile of stuff to chat about this evening, so settle in for another examination of the game and all its connections on The Hockey Show at 5:30pm CT!

They won't be looking for a dolphin like the pet detective shown, but Teebz and Jason will look at the newest gambling-trend-turned-investment-tool with which the financial world is hoping to capitalize. Beyond that madness, they'll discuss Rogers canning the HNiC Punjabi broadcasts, the OHL cracking down on fighting again, Jeff Skinner's new home, Fort Wayne's incredible jerseys, a pro ball player, championships in three leagues, there's finally a name and logo for one team, and whatever else comes across the desk at our hosts. There's lots to discuss tonight on the show, so settle in for an hour of hockey opinions and thoughts 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 chat high-stakes gambling, stupid decisions, expensive fights, Swiss chalets, historical accuracy, pro hits, winning teams, new names, and much more exclusively on 101.5 UMFM and on the UMFM.com web stream!

PODCAST: August 20, 2026: Episode 726

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

The Hockey Show - Episode 724

The Hockey Show, Canada's only campus-produced radio show that strictly talks hockey, is back tonight with a little fun, some hockey news, and some bizarre stories from the hockey world. There will be stories this week that appeared on week's prior, but new details have emerged. The business of hockey never seems to go quiet when so many people are making what appear to be bad decisions, but that's life in professional hockey. Of course, our hosts will try to work in some laughs as well tonight on The Hockey Show at 5:30pm CT!

Tonight, Teebz and Jason will look at the alarming trend of hockey teams eliminating radio play-by-play from their offerings for fans, Rogers Communications making life difficult for fans once again, a hockey camp being held in a weird location, one of the ECHL's most storied franchises is celebrating an anniversary and another individual award, fans will have more jerseys to choose from for an NHL team, the Hurricanes are enjoying their Stanley Cup success, and there's a fun story about a long-time GM who was a head coach for one summer! It's a busy show with a ton of topics to go over tonight, so settle in for some fun 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 chat about creating experiences, financial loss, dumb camps, fun history, jersey madness, ticket sales, bad coaches, and much more exclusively on 101.5 UMFM and on the UMFM.com web stream!

PODCAST: August 6, 2026: Episode 724

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

New Zealand Crowns A Champion

With the calendar flipping to August and the summer entering its later stages of the season, summer hockey leagues and camps will begin to give way to full seasons once more. When the seasons are flipped, though, teams who play through the winter in the southern hemisphere will get to look forward to warm summer days like we're experiencing now. That's the case for the New Zealand Women's Ice Hockey League as the NZWIHL crowned a champion today despite the game being televised during the wee hours of Saturday in North America! Which teams made the final and what were the storylines? Let's take a dive into the NZWIHL!

The two teams shown above were your finalists from the four-team NZWIHL as the Auckland Steel and Wakatipu Wild earned their way into the final game to determine the 2026 NZWIHL championship. The Wild beat the Dunedin Thunder on Saturday to book their spot in the final while the Steel dismissed the Canterbury Thunder earlier on Saturday to claim their berth as well. Dunedin, it should be noted, beat the Thunder in the bronze medal game on Sunday afternoon.

Auckland came into the final as the favorite thanks to posting an undefeated regular season where they went 11-0-1-0 for 35 points. That one overtime win came back on July 25 when the Steel needed 57 seconds beyond regulation time to win 2-1 over Dunedin. Jasmine Horner-Pascoe scored her 14th goal in overtime for that win, and she'd finish second in team and league scoring with 26 points. League leader Katya Blong had 35 points, third-place leader Lauren Askenazy had 21 points, and fourth-place leader Brooke Patron had 17 points all for Auckland. In short, they scored a lot and won a lot.

Wakapitu struggled to find their rhythm this season, posting a 2-6-1-3 record for 11 points and finishing in third-place. Kelli Burstein ha a good season with ten goals and 14 points, but no other Wild player scored more than seven points. New Zealand-born Jordan Wichman was 2-3-1-0 this season with a 2.75 GAA and a .921 save percentage, but it's hard to win games when the Wild only averaged 2.00 goals-per-game. However, a four-goal outburst by Burstein powered the Wild to a 5-1 win past the Thunder in their playoff game for an unexpected chance at Sunday's NZWIHL championship!

Would the Wild have enough left in the tank to upset Auckland?

That question was answered early in Sunday's championship game as Auckland scored three times in the opening ten minutes and five times in the first frame to pace the Steel to a 5-1 lead after twenty minutes. The teams would trade goals in the middle period before Auckland tacked on two more in third period to skate to the 8-2 championship win as the 2026 NZWIHL season came to a close!

Highlights from the NZWIHL championship game can be seen below!


What's fun in all of this is seeing a player like Katya Blong do well as she skates with McGill where she's earning her kinesiology degree. Blong looks like she's going to be one of New Zealand's best players for a long time, and it's awesome to her skating in the Canadian university circuit. Brooke Patron was a Saskatchewan Huskies defender for four seasons and she appears to be helping the NZWIHL and the Steel with her skills. Goaltender Alexa Gibson seems to be enjoying life in Auckland after skating for the Ottawa Gee-Gees!

Even cooler is that Lochlyn Hyde, who splits the goaltending duties with Gibson, has jumped into the NZIHL - the men's league - on occasion when teams have needed a goaltender. To date, Hyde has played three games in the top division where she has a 3.50 GAA and an .885 save percentage, and has helped out the second-division league twice where she's officially 1-1-0! How cool is that?

On the other side, Wakatipu had no players who suited up in U SPORTS, but Kelli Berstein did play for the University of Minnesota. However, the gap in skill between these two teams was evident in the final as Auckland outshot Wakatipu 38-22 and controlled the play a lot. I get that no one is going to tell Auckland to break their team up to disperse talent across the other three teams, but the 14-point gap between Auckland and second-place Dunedin is hard to fathom in a four-team league. Something has to change for New Zealand hockey to continue to develop good players for international competitions.

Congratulations to the Auckland Steel on winning their fourth-straight NZWIHL championship! It's their eighth championship overall in the NZWIHL, and I imaging they'll be gunning for a fifth-consecutive and ninth-overall championship in 2027 if everything goes well. Perhaps we'll see another team step in and claim victory, but another solid season is in the book for Kiwi hockey, the NZWIHL, and its players!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

The Hockey Show - Episode 723

The Hockey Show, Canada's only campus-produced radio show that strictly talks hockey, is diving into the financial side of the game tonight with a significant look at what's been happening over the last week when it comes to hockey and media. You likely know about Amazon getting into Canadian hockey broadcasts, but there are a number of other money-related stories from the hockey world that need some discussion tonight. We'll dive into those stories because, as fans, our hosts see problems on the horizon in the game that need addressing tonight on The Hockey Show at 5:30pm CT!

Tonight, Teebz and Jason will take a look at the deal between Rogers and Amazon and discuss why it happened, why Amazon's day moved, and what we might be seeing as a bigger problem in hockey. Beyond that discussion, they'll chat about Columbus cutting its radio play-by-play in favour of simulcasted TV play-by-play, Hamilton Hammers ticket prices, a new Hall-of-Famer, a contest coming to a close, and the insanity that will be travel for one league this season. There's a lot of topics tonight that will have a money theme to them, so you'll want to be ready for an hockey's untrained finanical audit by two radio hosts 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 chat about financial bubbles, bad deals, bad broadcasts, inflated prices, honoured players, elimination processes, unnecessary travel, and much more exclusively on 101.5 UMFM and on the UMFM.com web stream!

PODCAST: July 30, 2026: Episode 723

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

The Hockey Show - Episode 720

The Hockey Show, Canada's only campus-produced radio show that strictly talks hockey, returns tonight to chat about some of the latest news coming from the hockey world. With summer officially upon us, the news from the ice is slowing down, but there still are things happening that need some discussion. Of course, with Survivor now officially over, we can also get some guests on for interviews, so expect a few chats with awesome people shortly! For tonight, though, we dive into the examinations of a few stories that have hit the news, so we'll get into all that tonight on The Hockey Show at 5:30pm CT!

Tonight, Teebz and Jason will take a run at a few stories as their discussions will look at the IOC letting Russia back into Olympic competition, the Guelph Storm making changes to their arena, Rogers completing their takeover of MLSE and what that might mean, the newest Stanley Cup engravings, the Jets affiliating with a new ECHL franchise and why that's bad, and the New York Islanders holding a fun contest that has exploded in 24 hours. There should be some laughs, frustration, and opinions heard tonight as we break down these stories 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 will discuss zero courage, team expenses, corporate sports, unneeded engravings, inexplicable affiliations, artistic fun, and much more exclusively on 101.5 UMFM and on the UMFM.com web stream!

PODCAST: July 9, 2026: Episode 720

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

The Hockey Show - Episode 719

The Hockey Show, Canada's only campus-produced radio show that strictly talks hockey, returns tonight with a studio full of guests! It's not a CBS soundstage with a live studio audience or anything, but tonight will see Survivor: NHL Playoffs wrapped up as Michaela, along with two guests, join us at the UMFM offices to collect prizes, talk hockey, and have a few laughs! It should be a good chat with 2026 Survivor champ Michaela and her guests as they'll spend the full hour with us talking hockey on The Hockey Show at 5:30pm CT!

Tonight, Teebz and Jason welcome Michaela and her guests to the show where we'll award her the jersey of her choice and all the other associated prizes worthy of a Survivor: NHL Playoffs champion. We'll talk to her about cheering for the Hurricanes, who she may have been cheering for other than her chosen team, and whether or not beating her dad, Colin, has caused problems at home. Beyond that chat and laughter, the group will look at how the Winnipeg Jets did when it comes to free agency and the draft, whether or not Connor Hellebuyck starts the season in Winnipeg, the Vancouver Giants being on the move, European hockey news, and some rule changes in the WHL and SPHL that should be adopted by other leagues. It's going to be a fun show with Survivor champion Michaela and her guests, so make sure your listening to 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 meet Michaela, shower her with prizes, talk hockey, have some laughs, and much more exclusively on 101.5 UMFM and on the UMFM.com web stream!

PODCAST: July 2, 2026: Episode 719

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

I'll Celebrate His Achievement

It's becoming apparently obvious that the people who run the conferences and the Canadian university hockey league simply don't care about taking easy wins. Some may point to the fact that university hockey in Canada has been over for a while and that school is out for the summer, but you'd think there would be someone at the wheel guiding the good ship U SPORTS and its conferences and member schools forward. I say this because the man pictured above in Joel Ward was named the head coach of the AHL's Henderson Silver Knights on June 25, and not one of U SPORTS, the AUS, nor UPEI have a single mention of it on their websites. For a man celebrated as the best player to come out of UPEI's program, you'd think someone would have written something about it, right? I guess that someone is me.

Joel Ward was born in North York, Ontario and grew up dreaming of playing for the Toronto Maple Leafs. His parents, Cecilia and Randall Ward, were immigrants from Barbados, and they fell in love with the sport as Mom and Dad cheered for all three of their hockey playing sons. Joel, the youngest, was a mainstay on North York minor hockey rosters as he grew up, but there was talent in young Joel.

Joel worked hard and earned some looks from scouts, resuling in him being drafted in the 15th round of the OHL draft by the Owen Sound Platers where he'd make a bigger name for himself. In four seasons from 1997-2001, Ward played 235 games where he scored 76 goals and 152 points including a 62-point 2000-01 season that earned him a professional shot with the WCHL's Long Beach Ice Dogs that saw him skate in eight playoff games without registering a point.

UPEI head coach Doug Currie reached out to Ward to offer him an opportunity to join the Panthers men's hockey team, but Joel was still chasing his NHL dream as he had a professional tryout with the Detroit Red Wings. He didn't crack the Wings' roster in 2001, so Ward collected his gear and headed east to Charlottetown where he landed at the University of Prince Edward Island ready to play hockey!

As Currie's recruiting was rebuilding the Panthers following a 13-loss season in 2000-01, the Panthers struggled out of the gates in 2001-02, starting the season with a 4-7-3 record. UPEI would finish with an 8-6-0 second half as they showed some improvement, but UNB would sweep them out of the playoffs in their best-of-three series. Ward, however, was on fire the entire season as he registered 13 goals and 27 points in 22 games to be named Panthers Rookie of the Year.

UPEI started the 2002-03 season slow again, as they were 1-4-1 in their first six games, but they'd finish the first half at a 6-6-3 mark as they found their groove through November. Things fell off in the second half as the Panthers struggled to a 5-8-0 record, but they'd make the playoffs as the sixth-place AUS team before being swept out of playoffs by third-ranked StFX. Ward, to his credit, continued to show his talents with an 11-goal, 26-point season, earning him the Panthers' MVP award and an AUS Second Team All-Star selection!

There were big changes in 2003-04 as Doug Currie was out as head coach, replaced by former National Champion UNB head coach Mike Kelly. The other big change was the Panthers moved back to MacLauchlan Arena on the UPEI campus after last playing there full-time in 1974-75. That change happened in January, and the Panthers played the first half at the Charlottetown Civic Centre where they finished with a 7-6-1 record as looked forward to their new home.

After moving into MacLauchlan Arena, the Panthers rattled off three wins before going winless in five. They'd finish the second half with a 6-7-1 record for fifth-place, and Dalhousie would beat them in three games in the playoffs. Ward was once again impressive in his play, scoring 14 goals and 38 points to be named as the Panthers' MVP and an AUS Second Team All-Star again. He would add a little more hardware to his trophy case, though, as he was also named the AUS Most Sportsmanlike Player! Could he add a championship?

The 2004-05 season saw the Panthers start slow once again, but they would turn that slow start into a 6-5-3 record by the December break. An 1-5-2 January was as ugly as things can get, but the Panthers found their stride with a 4-1-1 finish to the campaign at 11-11-6 and in sixth-place. Another two-game sweep at the hands of Saint Mary's ended the season, but Joel Ward had the university hockey world talking. He brought home the Panthers' MVP award for a third-straight year and was named the AUS MVP after leading the conference in scoring with 16 goals and 44 points in 28 games!

He wasn't done racking up hardware, though. Along with those honours, Ward was named a First Team All-Star, a CIS First Team All-Canadian, won the nationally-awarded R.W. Pugh Fair Play Award as the most sportmanlike player in the nation, and was named UPEI Male Athlete of the Year for 2004-05! And while the AUS Championship and CIS National Championship never materialized, it's pretty clear that Joel Ward made an impact in PEI while skating with the Panthers.

Ward would sign with the AHL's Houston Aeros for the 2005-06 season, and that would be the start of an amazing professional hockey career that saw him play for four NHL teams including Minnesota, Nashville, Washington, and San Jose. He was never traded, moving only through free agency when teams sought his services. Over his professional career, Ward played 209 AHL games, scoring 38 goals and 86 points in three seasons, and 726 NHL games, totalling 133 goals and 304 points in eleven seasons. He completed his Bachelor of Arts in Sociology in 2006 from UPEI while skating with Houston and Minnesota.

Joel Ward is one of the most decorated players to come out of UPEI's program, and he joins the likes of Dave Cameron, Doug MacLean, and Al MacAdam as former UPEI Panthers players who have had the privilege of being a head coach at the AHL level. Again, this is an achievement that should be celebrated by a U SPORTS school and program at the very least, but the last thing posted on the UPEI men's hockey page came on March 3, 2026. The AUS could have an easy win with a story, but their most recent post was on May 27, 2026.

Ok, so maybe this is more of a social media celebration thing, right? Well, the UPEI Panthers posted nothing on Twitter and nothing on Instagram. The AUS hasn't posted anything on Twitter since January 13, and they have nothing on their Instagram. The U SPORTS hockey account last posted on Twitter on February 3, and their last Instagram post was in 2017. The main U SPORTS Twitter account has three posts about former Western player Olivia Ghosh-Swaby and flag football, but none about Joel Ward and his appointment to head coach in the AHL. Ditto for their Instagram feed. That's unfathomable.

I'm excited to see what Joel Ward can do in his AHL coaching debut. I think he has the make-up to be a solid coach as he was always a good communicator, understood systems well, and certainly can relate to players who are chasing down their dreams in the AHL. I'm also happy to give Joel Ward some celebration for this achievement as a former U SPORTS player because he's earned everything that has been bestowed upon him including this opportunity with Henderson.

It just amazes me that I'm always the only person talking about U SPORTS hockey when there are stories that could promote the programs and leagues just sitting there. There won't be any easy wins for Joel Ward next season, but I'm sure he prefers to earn every win.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Staying In Canada

It isn't often that I celebrate anything Toronto, but I have to give them a nod tonight as the Toronto Marlies won their second Calder Cup and Canada's tenth championship as the AHL's best team. It took them five games to win over a very good Chicago Wolves team who seeking their fourth Calder Cup since joining the league after their IHL history, but the Marlies never seemed to be in jeopardy in this final after building a 3-0 series lead that included winning both games in Rosemont, Illinois. There's no telling how many of these players will be Toronto Maple Leafs, but the Marlies are, once again, Toronto's best hockey team in terms of placement in their league.

With the Abbotsford Canucks winning last year, the Calder Cup will remain in Canada for a second season. The last time that Canadian teams won back-to-back Calder Cup was when the Nova Scotia Voyageurs won in 1976-77 and did it again in 1977-78. Toronto last won the AHL championship in 2017-18 when Sheldon Keefe was running the bench and Kyle Dubas was managing the team, and a handful of those players eventually landed in the NHL. Of course, it takes a solid team playing good hockey to win the Calder Cup, and the Marlies pulled everything together at the right time.

This was a team that wasn't expected to be standing atop the mountain at the end of the AHL season after finishing in fourth-place in the AHL's North Division behind Laval, Syracuse, and Cleveland. They needed all three games to eliminate the Rochester Americans in the opening round, and all five games to eliminate Laval in the second round, winning two of three games in Laval. Cleveland was merely a bump in the road for Toronto as they needed just five games to eliminate the Monsters, and they defeated the WBS Penguins in six games to reach the final. Cinderella, figuratively, made the ball.

In all but the series against Laval did Toronto win the first game, putting their opponents in catch-up mode immediately. Toronto was 8-0 in games where they scored five-or-more goals, and they won elimination games by one goal in four of five series. They went 3-1 in overtime, losing their only OT game in Game Four of the final, and they were 7-2 overall in one-goal games. For a team that seemed like underdogs in ever series, they showed the hearts of champions!

Good teams usually see good players rewarded with better contracts, and there are a number of Marlies players who probably deserve more than a cup of coffee at the NHL level. Will this year's victory for the Marlies see the Leafs take a longer look at some of the players that helped their AHL affiliate win? Maybe, but maybe not.

Leading playoff scorer Vinni Lettieri was on a one-year deal, and the 31 year-old will head back to free agency if the Leafs don't re-sign him. He was waived in September by the Leafs for the purpose of playing in the AHL, and he had a solid season with 41 points in 55 games. He turned it up a notch or two in the playoffs with another 26 points in 23 games, but will the Leafs take a look at a 31 year-old centerman for their third- or fourth-line? I can't see that happening.

24 year-old William Villeneuve had an incredible playoffs this season, notching 23 points in 24 games after a solid campaign where he led the Marlies' blue line in scoring with 30 points in 61 games. However, the addition of Darren Raddysh combined with the Leafs already having five players under NHL contracts for this season makes Villeneuve's chances of cracking the roster harder. He's a restricted free agent, and there may be teams who take a look at him.

Easton Cowan had a solid playoff run with 18 points in 22 games, but the rumours of him going elsewhere simply won't go away. Cowan had a solid campaign with the Maple Leafs with 11 goals and 29 points in 66 games, but he'll be limited in his opportunities with the Maple Leafs as he plays behind a number of talented players. Cowan likely wants a shot at finding a home in a top-six situation, and it might serve the 21 year-old well to embrace that if he's on the depth chart behind Knies, Domi, and Joshua. Expect teams to ask about him.

This is the difficulty with putting together an AHL team that can win year after year: players are always seeking better opportunities. Perhaps there's a chance that the Leafs bring all three players back, keep playoff MVP goalie Artur Akhtyamov in the AHL, and acquire enough depth to make another run at a Calder Cup next season, but it's a tough ask for any player to stay a step below the NHL. The Hershey Bears went back-to-back in 2022-23 and 2023-24, but hardly saw any players leave or be promoted to the Washington Capitals.

Since 1990, there have been three repeat champions - the Springfield Indians and the Hershey Bears twice. It would seem like the deck is stacked against Toronto repeating their success, and we know that all of Abbotsford, Belleville, Calgary, Hamilton, and Manitoba have NHL teams that either on the verge of a rebuild or in the process of rebuilding. In short, it may come down to Toronto and Laval as Canada's best hope for a third-consecutive Calder Cup championship.

For now, though, the Toronto Marlies can enjoy the summer as champions before free agency opens. Some players will look for deserved NHL contracts and opportunities, some will leave for other AHL teams, and a handful may seek opposrtunities in other leagues. At the end of the day, though, the city of Toronto will have a championship parade for one of its professional hockey teams. It just won't be the one team that desperately needs a championship. Again.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

The Hockey Show - Episode 717

The Hockey Show, Canada's only campus-produced radio show that strictly talks hockey, is back with a full roster after having one of the hosts in Montreal where he was answering questions and networking with authors and publishers! Obviously, there will be a discussion on how Montreal is faring after the recent run by the Canadiens before our hosts get into the hockey news and stories that need to be covered. There are championships, drafts, and losses to discuss, so we'll get that going tonight on The Hockey Show at 5:30pm CT!

Oh, we'll be talking about these guys who threw a celebration and more down in North Carolina! Teebz and Jason will have Travis (Montreal) do his exit interview and, potentially, Matt (Vegas) do his exit interview before they discuss the Carolina Hurricanes winning the Stanley Cup, the Florida Everblades winning the Kelly Cup, and the Toronto Marlies being in the verge of winning the Calder Cup. There will be some discussion about the PWHL Draft, the loss of a Canadian institution, and how both of those could be improved if U SPORTS gave a damn. It's another fun show where we'll offer up our thoughts on these topics, so hunker down by your radio or internet-connected device 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 will look to send two more entrants home off Survivor: NHL Playoffs island before talking champions, dynasties, drafts, television, and much more exclusively on 101.5 UMFM and on the UMFM.com web stream!

PODCAST: June 18, 2026: Episode 717

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

The Biggest Storm Surge

While I legitimately had no team in the Stenley Cup Final I wanted to see win, there was a team that I definintely didn't want to see win. That made me a Carolina Hurricanes fan by proxy, and the Hurricanes showed everyone that they were for real this year with a convincing 3-0 win tonight to capture the Stanley Cup in six games over the Vegas Golden Knights. After running into and being bullied by the Florida Panthers in the Eastern Conference Final the last few years, the Hurricanes showed that they learned from those series by bringing their version of grit and sandpaper into Vegas tonight where they grinded out a solid 3-0 shutout of the Western Conference champions to earn the right to be called "2026 NHL Stanley Cup Champions"!

Whether it was Jordan Staal's record-tying effort of scoring five goals in five consecutive games in the final, Brandon Bussi jumping right in where he left off with outstanding goaltending after relieving Freddie Andersen, the Hall-Blake-Stankoven line bring all sorts of chaos, the likes of Jarvis, Ehlers, Aho, and Svechnikov flying up and down the ice, the defensive prowess of Jacob Slavin, Sean Walker, and K'Andre Miller, or the coaching of Rod Brind'Amour and his staff, everyone on this 2026 version of the Carolina Hurricanes seemed to contribute.

I'm not making light of the fact that Vegas pushed Carolina in this series. Vegas took Game One by a goal, and Carolina responded with an overtime win in Game Two. Vegas won Game Three in double-overtime, and Carolina responded with a two-goal victory in Game Four. Vegas flipped the script in the best-of-three series that was remaining by winning Game Five, and they had their best showing in the final in Game Six with the three goals and the shutout tonight.

Much chatter was given to the "dark days" of the Hurricanes' rebuild when they missed the playoffs for nine-straight years and what it took to get back to winning their second Stanley Cup. They went through Kirk Muller and Bill Peters as head coaches before giving Rod Brind'Amour his shot behind the bench, elevating him from assistant coach to head coach in 2018. Staal, Slavin, Aho, Svechnikov, and Jordan Martinook are the players who have been in Raleigh the longest, so getting to this point as champions by adding and retaining the necessary players and staff to win has been a long process.

Every player tonight said that the long process was entirely worth it.

For me, it was awesome to see Nikolaj Ehlers win the Stanley Cup tonight after all he's been through. Like Paul Maurice did after his time in Winnipeg, "Fly" had fond memories of his time in Winnipeg that led him to the promised land elsewhere. Sportsnet's David Amber and Elliotte Friedman spoke to Ehlers after winning the Stanley Cup.
How is it that we've seen two recent Stanley Cup champions speak fondly about Winnipeg yet neither champion is a member of the Winnipeg Jets? I'm not going to turn this article into dissection of the Jets, but it seems clear that Nikolaj Ehlers wanted to hoist the Stanley Cup in the Manitoba capital. Good on him for finding a place where he could! He'll always be one of my favorite 2.0 Jets!

They swept Ottawa. They swept Philadelphia. They lost Game One of the Eastern Conference Final to Montreal after an eleven-day layoff before roaring back to life and winning four-straight games. They lost Games One and Three in trying to figure out the Vegas Golden Knights before winning three-straight games to eliminate the Western Conference champion. They went 16-3 in the playoffs, outscored their opponents 66-39 in those 19 games, and were 5-1 in overtime games. Tonight, they are the NHL's best team with the honour of raising the Stanley Cup for the second time in franchise history.

The spoils always go to the victors, so a deserving congratulations go to Carolina Hurricanes, the 2026 NHL Stanley Cup champions!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

The Final Two

With the Stanley Cup Finalists set for this year, we're down to two remaining entrants in Survivor: NHL Playoffs. That means we know who will win the two jerseys we have up for grabs, but we still need to find out who will get the option to choose one of the two jerseys. Michaela and Matt will see their two teams play for hockey supremacy in this final set of games, and we'll know who is the ultimate Survivor this season! But there's something else we need to discuss when it comes to this Stanley Cup Final too.

I have seen a handful of reporters who have suggested that a specific goaltender on the Vegas Golden Knights has earned the right to be in the conversation for the Conn Smythe Trophy. While I don't deny the importance of goaltending when it comes to winning, I want to be very clear that any reporter or writer associated with the Professional Hockey Writers' Association (PHWA) that votes for this goalie for the Playoff MVP award should lose their membership in the PHWA.

The last netminder that won was Andrei Vasilevskiy in 2021 with Jonathan Quick being the other most recent winner when he earned the votes in 2012. I'm not against a goaltender winning the award as they do play a big role in the success of any team, but there has to be some morality among the PHWA members when it comes to what was said and presented as evidence against this goaltender during the Hockey Canada trial. Let me be clear: this is not a redemption story.

I am fully aware that many people will disagree with my stance on this, but the Vegas goaltender does not get an opportunity to erase the role he played in the crimes that were committed. There has been zero attempt to own his part in the crimes with which he was charged, there has been zero effort to put in the work to understand the trauma suffered by the victim, and there has been zero work done to show the world he's a better person than who he was in 2018.

"But he was acquitted, Teebz!" is what I hear most of you screaming at your screens, and you're not wrong. The problem is that an acquittal does not prove innocence. All it proves is that the prosecution failed to get a guilty verdict in a trial. And based on all the things that were said and presented in the trial based on Rick Westhead's reporting in We Breed Lions, the Vegas goaltender was handly an innoncent bystander during the night in question in 2018.

In short, don't even bring the netminder up with any sort of redemption. Playing hockey well enough to win does not erase the morally-broken person. Do the right thing, pro hockey writers.

While we're on this topic, the other person who qualifies for a kick upside the head before being mentioned as a Conn Smythe candidate is Brett Howden. I get he's having an excellent playoff performance in this postseason, but I'd be worried about him remembering it if his memory is as bad as he portrayed it to be during the trial. During this testimony, the man sounded like recalling anything from around that 2018 period of time was a chore his brain could not complete.

His testimony included crying, a lot of stammering, and a lot of "I don't remember" due to the concussions and injuries he's received from his hockey career. The Crown presented "18 instances of inconsistency between Howden’s testimony and his previous statements to investigators" which is an incredible amount of memory loss for a person as young as Howden if that memory loss came from the injuries he cited, yet he's still playing hockey with zero health concerns from doctors or medical experts. Make it make sense.

There have been many on social media who have stated that the NHL has allowed alleged criminals play in the league for years before with no one making a big deal about it, and I'm not sure why a history of being morally corrupt is justification to continue being morally corrupt. If we can't change how we think and act to be better, we're doomed as a society. And if we can't demand accountability from all idols and heroes while making their lives uncomfortable until they become accountable for their actions, we've failed as a society.

Neither of their players have ever denied being in the room. Neither of these players have ever denied being, at least, a witness to some of the acts that were committed that night in 2018. Neither of these players have ever apologized to the witness nor taken responsibility for what they did or should have done in that situation. And neither of these players have sought out education or experiences to better understand why they were in the wrong on that fateful night in 2018.

Neither gets credit for being better people because they haven't done the work to prove that an effort was made to be better. In knowing this, drop the redemption arc stories and vote wisely. The PHWA should be able to show some moral integrity once in a while, right?

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 New State Of Hockey?

When one thinks of Florida, there are some images that come to mind: sunshine, beaches, and Disney World. Of course, those aren't the only things that Florida is known for, and it seems they're making "winning professional hockey chmapionships" into a Florida thing. We know that the Florida Panthers won back-to-back Stanley Cups before missing the playoffs this season, but there's another team that has made winning into an annual event in the state. If you're unaware of the Florida Everblades and their winning ways, now would be a good time to get to know the ECHL team who will one again be the Eastern Conference representative in the 2026 Kelly Cup championship series!

The Florida Everblades have won four Kelly Cups in franchise history, but three of those four championships have been won since 2022. This year will mark the fourth time in the last five years that the Everblades will play for the Kelly Cup, and the team is 4-2 all-time in Kelly Cup championship series with a 19-11 all-time record in those games. Florida lost back-to-back championships in 2004 and 2005 to the Idaho Steelheads and Trenton Titans, respectfully, but won their next four championship series appearances by a 16-3 record.

This year's appearance saw them sweep the Savannah Ghost Pirates in the opening round of the playoffs, defeat the South Carolina Stingrays by a 4-1 series count in Round Two, and they imposed their will on the Wheeling Nailers by winning that series by 4-1 count as well. With just two losses in 14 games, they now await the winner of the ECHL Western Conference Final between the Fort Wayne Komets and the Kansas City Mavericks. Kansas City leads 3-1 in that series with Game Five scheduled for tomorrow in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

If Kansas City were to advance, it would set up the second meeting between these two teams in the Kelly Cup Championship. In 2024, Florida downed Kansas City by a 4-1 series count that saw Florida win three of the four games by three-or-more goals. Fort Wayne and Florida have never met for a Kelly Cup Championship in either side's histories, so we could be in for a new chapter of ECHL history if the Komets can rally against the Mavericks. We'll know more tomorrow.

In 2022, the Everblades qualified for the Kelly Cup Playoffs as the third-best team in the ECHL by points percentage at .653 thanks to the imbalanced schedule that was used this season. Florida then went 16-4 against Greenville, Jacksonville, Newfoundland, and Toledo that saw the Everblades go 6-1 in overtime games over those four series! That's a simply incredible overtime record by any team in any league!

2023 saw the Florida Everblades struggle through the regular season to a fourth-place finish in the ECHL's South Division, and the eleventh-best playoff team as they entered the Kelly Cup Playoffs. However, once the Kelly Cup Playoffs started, the Everblades switched into invincibility mode, going 16-6 while never holding home-ice advantage in any series. Florida went 5-2 in overtime games in this season, but they swept the ECHL's top regular season team in the Brabham Cup-winning Idaho Steelheads in the championship final! For notation purposes, Idaho finished 34 points better than Florida!

The 2024 ECHL season saw Florida finish in third-place in the South Division, four points back of Greenville and two points behind Jacksonville, as the ninth-best team that qualified for the Kelly Cup Playoffs. Florida and Jacksonville would battle through a seven-game series that saw the Everblades rally from a 3-1 deficit to win the series before they eliminated Orlando in five games and Adirondack in six games. That set up a championship series against the Kansas City Mavericks who were the Brabham Cup winners. Five games later, Florida celebrated a Kelly Cup win in beating the ECHL's best regular-season team despite finishing 25 points back of the Mavericks!

After a bit of a surprise upset last season in the Eastern Conference Final by the Trois-Rivières Lions, the Everblades are back after downing Wheeling tonight, and they look every bit as hungry as they did in winning three-straight championships. Clearly, the Everblades have created a bit of a dynasty in a league where player movement is a regular occurrence which says a lot about the team's management and culture when it comes to building a roster. In knowing that, going to the Kelly Cup Finals in four of five years is an impressive feat!

They still need to win one more series to cement their dynasty status, but the Everblades are giving fans every reason to believe that Florida is the new state of hockey. They sit just four wins from setting new ECHL records with a record fifth Kelly Cup, but they're already the most successful pro hockey team in the panhandle state!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!