The Hockey Show, Canada's only campus-produced radio show that strictly talks hockey, invades the UMFM studios once again as there's a pile of hockey chatter to go over from leagues and places all over the North American map. It's been a busy week with playoffs starting, teams pushing for playoff spots, and teams loading up for playoff runs, so we'll talk about a lot of that stuff tonight with a few more stories mixed in. We'll be all over the map as we discuss all sorts of stories tonight on The Hockey Show at 5:30pm CT!
Tonight, Teebz and Jason dive into a pile of news and information that should be entertaining. They discuss the Cross Border Classic sledge hockey series happening at the Hockey For All Centre this weekend that you should attend, they take a look at the Canada West semifinals which have given us the finalists and Canada West's teams for the National Championships, and they discuss all the non-deadline trades that have happened so far. On top of that, there will be stories about North Dakota going green, Troy Ryan looking for a change, James Hardie's incredible adventure, Maryville University stepping up, and a legend stepped away from the game. It's going to be a busy hour, so settle in 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 parahockey action, playoff craziness, ridiculous trades, going green, stepping down, stepping up, an incredible adventure, deserved time off, and much more exclusively on 101.5 UMFM and on the UMFM.com web stream!
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."
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!
There were all sorts of playoff implications in the games featured this weekend in Canada West as eight teams looked to strengthen their chances for playoff spots and the related benefits that come with those playoff berths. The only team who wasn't participating was the MacEwan Griffins, and they needed a few teams to help them out by beating the teams they were chasing. Some teams will only have six games remaining on their schedule after this week, so the push for points has to be now if teams are going to make a run. Let's find out who made that push for points this week on The Rundown!
FRIDAY: The Trinity Western Spartans headed out to the flat land of Manitoba to meet the Bisons in a two-game set where both teams had playoff aspirations that required points. Trinity Western was looking to maintain their hold on second-place in the West Division while Manitoba was looking to overtake Saskatchewan and grab a playoff spot in the East Division for the first time this season. Both teams came into the weekend having won their last two games, so someone was going to be on the wrong side of the ledger after Friday night.
Bisons goals: Sophia Anderson (1), Dana Goertzen (4), Louise Fergusson (1), Aimee Patrick (7)
Bisons assists: Julia Bird (4), Hanna Bailey (4), Claire Moorman (4), Kelsey Huibers (1), Dana Goertzen (6), Aimee Patrick (7), Dana Goertzen (7), Sophia Anderson (3)
Bisons netminder: Emily Shippam (29/34) in 64:30
Result: 5-4 overtime victory for Trinity Western over Manitoba.
SATURDAY: I'm pretty sure that Manitoba wasn't pleased with surrendering a three-goal lead on home ice before salvaging a point, so it was expected that the Bisons would come into Saturday's game with a more focused defensive effort. Trinity Western was looking for the full four-point effort as they looked to carry the comeback effort forward in this game. If this is going to be one of the playoff series this season, fans should be excited for another chapter in this battle!
Bisons goals: Aimee Patrick (8), Dana Goertzen (5), Sophia Heidinger (1), Norah Collins (5)
Bisons assists: Sara Harbus (5), Claire Moorman (5), Aimee Patrick (8), Sara Harbus (6), Sara Harbus (7), Alyssa Rasmuson (7)
Bisons netminder: Emily Shippam (23/24)
Result: 4-1 victory for Manitoba over Trinity Western.
FRIDAY: The Mount Royal Cougars went northeast to Saskatoon where the Saskatchewan Huskies were hosting their two-game set, and this would be the second time that the Cougars and Huskies had met in the last two weeks. The exhibition game they played saw the Cougars prevail by a 1-0 score as the Cougars looked to put more distance between themselves and Calgary this weekend with wins. The Huskies were looking to get back into the win column after dropping a pair of games to Manitoba as they looked to hold onto their playoff spot.
Cougars goals: Kaia Borbandy (2), Julia Duke (7), Isa MacPhee (2)
Cougars assists: Jordyn Hutt (3), Summer Fomradas (9), Kaia Borbandy (4), Kiana McNinch (8)
Cougars netminder: Scout Anderson (10/12) in 60:43
Huskies goals: Jaiyana Nurani (1), Shelby Williamson (3)
Huskies assists: Kahlen Wisener (4), Jessica Anderson (1), Kahlen Wisener (5), Paris Oleksyn (4)
Huskies netminders: Colby Wilson (28/31)
Result: 3-2 overtime victory for Mount Royal over Saskatchewan.
SATURDAY: After an emotionally-charged game on Friday that featured Saskatchewan's outstanding Play For A Cure jerseys where they raised funds to battle breast cancer, the Cougars and Huskies were back at it on Saturday with both teams still seeking points. The Cougars were needing to add more points in order to secure first-place in the East Division while the Huskies were aiming to end their three-game skid that has opened their 2026 calendar.
Cougars goals: Allee Gerrard (9), Kiana McNinch (5), Sydney Benko (9), Breanne Comte (1), Jerzey Watteyne (9)
Cougars assists: Summer Fomradas (10), Allee Gerrard (6), Breanne Comte (6), Allee Gerrard (7), Keyana Bert (4), Julia Duke (4), Ava Metzger (3)
Cougars netminder: Katherine Holan (20/21)
Huskies goals: Sara Kendall (3)
Huskies assists: Jaiyana Nurani (3)
Huskies netminders: Colby Wilson (42/47)
Result: 5-1 victory for Mount Royal over Saskatchewan.
FRIDAY: The Alberta Pandas collected their gear and went southwest to visit the Regina Cougars this weekend. The Pandas were looking for points in an effort to overtake the Trinity Western Spartans whereas the Cougars were needing points to stay in the race in the East Division. Alberta could also put a gulf of space between them and MacEwan, so both teams were playing with a purpose this weekend. Would either make a dent in their quests to secure a playoff spot?
Result: 1-0 overtime victory for Alberta over Regina.
SATURDAY: Both teams grabbed points on Friday, and they returned to the rink with the same goal omn Saturday. Regina needed a two-point effort if they were going to close the gap on the teams ahead of them while Alberta was looking to close the gap between them and the Spartans while having two games in-hand. Regina had to get more pucks to the net if they wanted those two points while Alberta was hoping not to get goalied in a second game. Who'd grab the points?
Pandas goals: Riley Smith (2), Riley Smith (3)
Pandas assists: Annie King (3), Natalie Kieser (6), Natalie Kieser (7), Hailey Carothers (3)
Pandas shootout scorers: none
Pandas netminder: Grace Glover (31/33) in 65:00 plus 1/2 in the shootout
Cougars goals: Rayna Hennie (2), Maggie Kate Fitzpatrick (1)
Cougars assists: Maggie Kate Fitzpatrick (2), Brooke Fofonoff (2)
Cougars shootout scorers: Jordyn Blais
Cougars netminder: Amy Swayze (23/25) in 65:00 plus 3/3 in the shootout
Result: 3-2 shootout victory for Regina over Alberta.
FRIDAY: In what could potentially be a Canada West semifinal preview, the Calgary Dinos headed to Vancouver where the UBC Thunderbirds were waiting. UBC knew they were headed to the playoffs, so they were looking to send a message to the upstart Dinos. Calgary was looking to prove that UBC wasn't all that invincible. Calgary has had UBC's number on occasion in past seasons, so would we see another Dinos victory against the Thunderbirds?
Dinos goals: Brooklin Fry (1)
Dinos assists: Brooklyn Anderson (5), Evelyn Lawrence (6)
Dinos netminder: Amelia Awad (33/38)
SATURDAY: UBC took one step closer to securing home-ice advantage throughout the playoffs, and they looked to take another step towards that outcome on Saturday. Calgary, however, wanted to get back into the win column as they still had hopes for first-place in the East Division. If Calgary was going to rattle the Thunderbirds' cage, they needed a win on UBC ice while UBC was looking to bury the Dinos for the sweep and a four-point weekend to send a message.
Dinos goals: April Klarenbach (4), Evelyn Lawrence (5)
Dinos assists: Kyla Mitenko (5), Jess Martens (6), Brooklyn Anderson (6), Alex Spence (10)
Dinos netminder: Maisie Cope (55/58) in 62:18
Result: 3-2 overtime victory for UBC over Calgary.
Don't even ask about divisions. I'm not interested in that setup. It's one conference, nine teams, and we'll see who is best in the west.
CANADA WEST WOMEN'S HOCKEY
School
Record
Points
GF
GA
Streak
Next
UBC
18-2-2-0
40
67
21
W2
vs TWU
Mount Royal
11-4-6-1
35
55
32
W3
vs REG
Calgary
12-5-1-4
30
52
40
L2
BYE
Trinity Western
5-10-6-1
23
51
50
L1
@ UBC
Alberta
8-6-0-6
22
40
44
L1
vs SAS
Manitoba
5-8-2-5
19
42
51
W1
vs MAC
Saskatchewan
5-9-3-3
19
29
47
L4
@ ALB
Regina
3-10-3-4
16
29
48
W1
@ MRU
MacEwan
2-14-2-2
10
19
51
L2
@ MAN
Honour Roll
Each week on The Rundown, I highlight the best performances from the weekend's games. It won't always be the top scorer or the best goalie, but I'll have a reason for who gets picked each week. This week's player has quietly become one of the best two-way defenders in Canada West and, dare I say, all of U SPORTS. She may not appear on the scoresheet every week, but her impact on the game is hard to miss while watching her team play and win and that's how Mount Royal Cougars defender Summer Fomradas lands on The Honour Roll!
Fomradas set career highs with three goals and 15 points last season, and she has two goals and 12 points in her third season this year. Consistency has always been her best quality as a defender, even when she was playing in the AFHL, and she's brought that with her to Canada West where she's become head coach Scott Rivett's trusted defenders. Summer plays both sides of the puck equally well, often being a stopper against the oppositon's best players while also chipping in offensively when Mount Royal gets to the offensive zone.
With key losses on the blue line over the last couple of seasons, Fomradas' emergence as one of Mount Royal's best defenders has helped them remain an elite team. She won't razzle-dazzle anyone when she has the puck, but her first pass is usually good, her vision on both sides of the puck is excellent, and she reads plays well. Being a third-year player, she'll continue to lead the Cougars with her play and her hockey smarts, and she has a chance to equal or break her offensive career-high totals with six games to play this season.
Fomradas was solid all weekend in making life difficult for the Huskies' offensive players just as she's done all year to other Canada West teams, and adding a pair of assists while being so defensively-responsible this weekend wasn't missed by this writer. I'm not here to jinx her chances, but she'd be on my short list for Canada's FISU team next year! A two-assist weekend where she helped the Mount Royal Cougars to a pair of wins is how Summer Fomradas made the list!
A Justified Absence
I had noticed that there was a player missing from the action at Wayne Fleming Arena in Winnipeg on Friday night as I watched the CBC broadcast. I had heard that this player had officially moved on after a ceremony last week, but I thought there might be some way she'd want to finish the season considering how well her team has been playing. It turns out, though, that Trinity Western Spartans forward Jordyn Matthews has moved into a new chapter of her life!
Make no mistake that Jordyn Matthews was a competitor night-in and night-out. She played 122 Canada West games where she recorded 21 goals and 28 assists for 49 points, finishing her career as Trinity Western's all-time leading scorer in Canada West play. She played in all situations for the Spartans, recording six power-play goals and two shorthanded goals, and she never recorded more than 20 penalty minutes in a season. For a kid who came through the AFHL's Rocky Mountain Raiders program never having scored more than six points at the AAA level, Jordyn Matthews showed that it's not how your start, but how you finish with her solid five-year career at Trinity Western!
Jordyn's next chapter has her returning to Alberta where she'll begin a nursing job as she moves into the next chapter of her life! I'm sure there will still be time for hockey in a senior women's league and I hope she continues to play. Jordyn was a great competitor in Canada West, a cherished teammate by the Spartans, and I suspect she'll be loved by anyone she treats in Alberta in her new profession!
Congratulations on a great career, Jordyn, and here's hoping the nursing career is as rewarding, as challenging, and just as fun as your university hockey experience! HBIC wishes you all the best!
Special Threads
The Saskatchewan Huskies will always have a place on The Rundown for their big night where they raise money for various cancer initiatives to help save lives. It doesn't really matter what type of cancer that the Huskies are raising money to abolish because all cancers are brutal to those who get those diagnoses and to their families whose lives change because of those diagnoses. Major kudos go out to the Huskies for their annual Play For A Cure night!
For this year's game, the Huskies suited up in pink to honour Kerri Backman in the picture to the left. Kerri is goaltender Emma Backman's mom, and she recently defeated breast cancer in her life which is amazingly good news. What people should remember, though, is that breast cancer will affect 1-in-8 women in North America in their lifetimes, and that roughly 1-in-100 cancers detected in men are breast cancer. If you're doing the math, a team of 25 women's hockey players means that three of those women will, at some point, be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetimes. That's a scary thought for a number of reasons, so early detection and early treatment go a long way in helping women overcome this disease. Thankfully, Kerri did.
The Huskies fell just short of $17,000 in their fundraising total last season, so they had their sights set on that $17,000 mark this season. I am pleased to report that not only did the Huskies hit that mark, but they surpassed it! In total, the Department of Oncology at the University of Saskatchewan will be receiving a donation earmarked for breast cancer research and initatives from the Saskatchewan Huskies for a total of $19,195! How awesome is that effort?!?
You don't need to answer because I'll show you how awesome it is!
HuskieFan app Senior Producer Host and Partnership Coordinator Wray Morrison reached out to Ron MacLean on Saturday with the photo and information, and MacLean got it mentioned on Sportsnet's Hockey Day In Canada yesterday! How cool is that? Great job, Wray, on getting the Saskatchewan Huskies women's program a little exposure for the amazing work they're doing to fight cancers!
May I add this is why he should run Canada West's marketing and communications departments? If I was in charge, he would be!
What About Everyone Else?
We've seen what the Huskies have been doing, and, to date, they've donated nearly $120,000 to various cancer-related research organizations and initiatives that help cancer patients. That's a huge amount of money when you consider they raise that on one night, and it got me thinking as to why this isn't a Canada West initiative.
If nine programs were able to raise $10,000 or more in their communities for cancer research, wouldn't $100,000 annually going to cancer research have a significant impact on cancer diagnoses and treatments? Prostate cancer makes up about 23% of all new male cancer diagnoses while breast cancer accounts for about 26% of new cancer diagnoses in women. Lung and bronchus cancers make up the second-most diagnoses in Canada. In total, those cancers make up nearly half of all cancer diagnoses in both men and women!
What angers me the most about Canada West is that there isn't a mention of Saskatchewan's Play For A Cure game anywhere on the Canada West website nor do they seem to care to highlight the efforts and amazing results that the Saskatchewan Huskies women's hockey team turn in every year on that night. I live a province away and I'm emailing the Huskies every September about the dates for their Play For A Cure game, yet Canada West completely ignores everything about it despite these young women being everything that Canada West implores its athletes to be. Baffling, isn't it?
Again, I'll let Bob and Bob ask the obvious question of Canada West.
Scheduling Note
I will admit right here and now that I will be watching zero Canada West games next weekend thanks to my involvement in the 2026 Female World Sport School Challenge hosted by Balmoral Hall School and the Balmoral Hall Blazers. UMFM has the honour of calling tournament games from the PCL Arena at Winnipeg's Hockey For All Centre, so I'll be in a rink for four-straight days watching the next stars of U SPORTS battle for the gold medal and bragging rights!
With Balmoral Hall taking over as hosts from the previous school, they've reduced the field to nine teams as they learn how to manage this tournament. All nine teams are Manitoba-based team, in fact, so that's where the bragging rights come into play. In saying that, there are a lot of already-recruited players and a pile of uncommitted players playing next weekend, so tune into the tournament on UMFM's Second Stream internet stream or watch on FloHockey.tv if you have a subscription. The hockey should be awesome, so we'll see you at the 2026 Female World Sport School Challenge next weekend!
The Last Word
Playoff spots will be on the line next week again in Calgary, Edmonton, and Winnipeg. The home-and-home series between UBC and Trinity Western will also have ramifications, but Trinity Western seems almost assured of their inclusion in the playoffs. Unless MacEwan can win seven of eight games while getting some help, the Spartans and Pandas could clinch playoff spots next weekend.
Out in the East Division, Manitoba occupies third-place and the final playoff spot due to them holding the tiebreaker over the Saskatchewan Huskies, so that battle may come down to the last weekend of the season. Of course, Regina's right behind them and could catch one or both if they falter, so that race in the East might come down to who makes the least mistakes over the final four weeks of the season. Regina plays both Saskatchewan and Manitoba in two and three weeks, respectively, so those games likely will determine whether or not Regina will play into late February.
Mathematically, no one is out, but every game's result will determine where and how each of the nine Canada West finish the season.
The Hockey Show, Canada's only campus-produced radio show that strictly talks hockey, returns tonight with only some slight fashion chatter as the hockey storis begin to ramp up with training camps and preseason games entirely in session. Not to be a "Debbie Downer", but I find the preseason to be the most meaningless time of the sea tharson for fans because, aside from a few surprises, the vast majority of teams have what seems like their opening night rosters already set. Our hosts will talk about none of that tonight, though, because there are other, more intriguing stories that will occupy the hour. What stories, you ask? Read on as the puck chatter will start tonight on The Hockey Show at 5:30pm CT!
Tonight on the program, Teebz and Jason will discuss the growing interest in the five players who were acquitted in the Hockey Canada trial. There's a crazy spin-off to this story, so you'll want to hear this discussion. Beyond that, the hosts will also look at the SPHL expansion into Mobile, Alabama and the challenges there, Jaromir Jagr's season so far, Anze Kopitar's retirement tour, the Minnesota Wild are going back to the future, and they'll tease an upcoming guest for October. It should be a somewhat-contentious discussion this evening, so get settled in 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. 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 discuss bad decisions, questionable signings, new franchises, absent players, retirement tours, old threads, and much more exclusively on 101.5 UMFM and on the UMFM.com web stream!
The Hockey Show, Canada's only campus-produced radio show that strictly talks hockey, somehow begins its fourteenth season tonight! It's hard to believe that the show has been through thirteen seasons, but the math says we completed the 13th season last week. Tonight, we embark on a new season of hockey chatter that, honestly, will sound like last season where our hosts break down news stories, conduct fun interviews, and dig into hockey! Let's get it going as Season 14 starts tonight on The Hockey Show at 5:30pm CT!
Tonight on the program, Teebz and Jason will avoid any glitches when celebrating the start of the 14th season. After patting themselves on the back for not being cancelled yet, they'll chat about Ken Dryden's impact on hockey, the Utah Grizzlies moving to Trenton next season, Brady Keeper retiring and unretiring in one summer, the KHL explaining how broadcast and betting monies are distributed to teams, the new Oilers alternate jersey glimpses, the KHL's Shanghai Dragons' jerseys, and anything else with which we can kick off Season 14! It's another big show with lots of chatter and opinions 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 about a hockey legacy, leaving town, player indecision, Russian money, bad jerseys, surprise teams, and much more exclusively on 101.5 UMFM and on the UMFM.com web stream!
All six jerseys to the left have something in common outside of the company that manufacturered them, and that commonality is the logo being worn on the right shoulder. Beginning in the 2022-23 season, all NHL teams were permitted to wear jersey advertisements on a 3-inch by 3.5-inch rectangle in one of four spots on the jersey that include left and right shoulders, and left and right chest. It begs the question, though, that goaltenders could potentially use their masks, blockers, and pads as potential advertisement locations as well, and it nearly happened back in 1989.
While it seemed like everything was proceeding as it should in the summer of 1989, Edmonton Oilers GM Glen Sather found himself with a problem as the calendar flipped to June when his star netminder, 26 year-old Grant Fuhr, filed retirement papers with the NHL. If this seemed like an odd move for a goaltender who was in his prime, it was certainly unexpected for Sather who found out like everyone else did as Fuhr announced his retirement after a round of golf while still at the country club. The 1988 Vezina Trophy winner was done.
According to what Fuhr told everyone at his impromptu press conference at the country club, he was retiring due a lack of respect, stating, "If you can't play this game and have fun and get the respect you deserve, then there's not much reason for going on."
It was never clear as to exactly what lack of respect Fuhr thought he was experiencing, but some attributed Fuhr's retirement to a policy the NHL handed down to all NHL teams that mandated that any and all equipment manufacturers who wanted to display their name or logos that would be visible to the public to pay the NHL before they could be worn on the ice. That meant that companies like CCM, Brown, and Cooper had to spend a little money to have their name shown on their gear, but it also affected one other company.
According to the Canadian Press report below, Fuhr had cut a side deal with a company who would be affected by this new policy.
As shown in the Brandon Sun, Fuhr had deal in place with Pepsi to place their logo on his goalie pads for the 1988-89 season. However, the NHL's new rule on logos on equipment would prevent that from happening. Endorsement deals for players were nothing new in 1989, but having that endorsement carried onto the ice was.
As the article states, Fuhr ended his premature retirement on August 25, 1989 as he and Sather worked out the differences between the netminder and the Oilers, and "Sather said Fuhr was confused over the situation and the reason why the league wouldn't let him wear the logo" which means he intended on wearing it in games. Once Sather explained that it was the NHL, and not the Oilers, who were preventing Fuhr from wearing the Pepsi logo on the ice, it seems all was forgiven and Fuhr was once again ready to suit up for the Oilers.
After winning the Stanley Cup and the Vezina Trophy in 1988 while going 40-24-9 that season, Fuhr's numbers came crashing back down to Earth in 1988-89 as he 23-26-6 as the Oilers finished in third-place in the Smythe Division. He'd injure his shoulder in 1989-90, limiting him to just 21 games where he went 9-7-3. I'm not saying that he wouldn't have been injured with the Pepsi logo on his pads, but it would be the first significant injury of Fuhr's career.
It's pretty crazy to think that the first advertisement to be worn in the NHL almost happened in 1989. Pepsi and Fuhr clearly had some sort of endorsement deal between them, and the only reason we didn't see a Pepsi logo on the ice was because the NHL wanted their cut of the money. Pepsi may have been "A Generation Ahead" in 1989, but the NHL was having none of it without some sort of payment which almost cost the Oilers and hockey fans Grant Fuhr.
It didn't take Sergei Fedorov very long to show the world that he was a good fit in the NHL after he scored on New Jersey's Sean Burke just 3:41 into the second period in an October 4, 1990 game. His debut didn't come with a win, though, as the Devils and Red Wings finished the game in the 3-3 tie, but that goal would be the first of 483 tallies he'd collect against NHL goalies. Announced today by the team, he'll see his number next to the player's number who set him up for that first goal up in the rafters of Little Caesars Arena after his famous #91 is retired by the Detroit Red Wings this season in January.
Along with his former Soviet linemates in Pavel Bure and Alexander Mogilny, these were the players for whom NHL teams had been waiting since seeing them dazzle crowds at the IIHF World Junior Championships. It was hard not to be excited when these three players finally were announced as part of NHL rosters wit Mogilny skated for the Sabres in 1989, Fedorov with the Red Wings in 1990, and Bure with the Canucks in 1991. Speed, skill, and scoring arrived from Mother Russia as the final decade of the 1900s began.
Fedorov scored more than point-per-game through his first six seasons in the NHL as he helped pull the Red Wings out of being a middling team to being a dynamic powerhouse. A pair of Stanley Cup victories in 1997 and 1998 followed his first major individual awards in 1994 when he won the Hart, Selke, and Pearson trophies. A second Selke would be earned as the league's top defensive forward in 1996 as his game at both ends of the ice improved greatly once Scotty Bowman arrived in 1994. Fedorov was becoming a superstar.
After that 1997 Stanley Cup victory where he had eight goals and 20 points in 20 playoff games, it was clear that the Detroit Red Wings were going to have to pay a big salary to keep Fedorov in Red Wings' colours. After he signed an offer sheet with the Carolina Hurricanes for six years and $38 million, Detroit matched the offer and he remained as Red Wings centerman for the next six seasons, helping the team win the 1998 Stanley Cup and the 2002 Stanley Cup.
The irony of retiring Fedorov's number on Jaunary 12, 2026 is that the Carolina Hurricanes are the visitors at Little Caesars Arena that night, so this retirement ceremony might be a friendly jab at the Hurricanes franchise after they tried to grab one of the better centermen in the NHL via an offer sheet in 1997. Who says NHL owners can't have fun?
"I'm extremely grateful for this tremendous honor," Fedorov said in a statement. "Thank you to everyone with the Red Wings organization, especially those who helped bring me to Detroit and gave me the chance to play for such a historic franchise. I was fortunate to be part of some unforgettable teams, and above all, I'm proud of the three Stanley Cup championships we won for our amazing fans in Hockeytown. The memories made along the way - with legendary teammates, coaches, and exceptional ownership - will stay with me forever. Lastly, I want to thank Chris Ilitch for the call yesterday to share the news about retiring my number. It's a moment I'll always cherish. I can't wait to see everyone in January."
It feels like honouring Fedorov should have come sooner, but better late than never, right? One of Detroit's best players in he history of the franchise and certainly one of the main cogs in winning three Stanley Cups within a decade should be honoured beside the other two men who did the same thing in Nicklas Lidstrom and Steve Yzerman. That will finally happen on January 12 this season as Fedorov will be in Motor City for that once-in-a-lifetime honour.
And just in case you want to see that first goal, here it is.
Congratulations to Sergei Fedorov on this honour, and kudos to the Detroit Red Wings for celebrating one of the franchise's best players!
There's a phrase that people use that reads "Life imitates art" when real-life events either resemble or are inspired by fictional writing or art. In the Hollywood film Field of Dreams, Burt Lancaster played the older role of Archibald "Moonlight" Graham who, which may be a surprise, was an actual baseball player. His story is told in the movie fairly accurately, and it occurred to me that hockey has its own version of "Moonlight Graham" in former Edmonton Oilers defenceman and current Randy Gregg! What may surprise you is that Gregg, while being a solid hockey player, was also a baseball player!
I was actually looking for some other information online when I stumbled across Steven Sandor's article about Dr. Randy Gregg on edifyedmonton.com. In that article, Sandor highlights the exceptional baseball talents that Gregg while attending university at the University of Alberta as he purused his medical degree. He writes,
"It was 1978, and the Edmonton Tigers were in the national championships. Gregg went on a home-run hitting tear (seven in three games), and the Tigers won the Canadian title.
"'I got kinda lucky,' he recalls.
"He was named the Most Valuable Player of the tournament, but wasn't picked for the national team. The reason? Because he wasn't attending an American university on a baseball scholarship — he was at the University of Alberta, pursuing his dream of becoming a doctor, and was also the captain of the Golden Bears' hockey team, playing under legendary coach Clare Drake."
It should come as no surprise that Gregg likely was a good all-around athlete, but it seems he had real talent on the diamond. Hitting seven homeruns at a national baseball championship in three games would make baseball scouts sit up and notice that player nowadays, but, as Sandor wrote, Gregg was very serious about getting his education which, on September 13, 1986, he used to its full extent.
I'll admit that Gregg's professional baseball career was much shorter than Archibald Graham's career, but I'd argue that a Canadian National Baseball Championship is still a pretty big deal. And, if we're putting our cards on the table, 1978 to 1986 means that Gregg did other things in between playing baseball and retiring from sports to be a doctor. That included playing hockey for the Alberta Golden Bears, playing in Japan, winning Stanley Cups with the Edmonton Oilers, and playing for Canada at the Winter Olympics all while taking classes and working in hospitals to get his medical degree.
Take nothing away from his hockey career because it's all sorts of impressive, but it seems like Randy Gregg could have been a pretty good baseball player as well. It seems he never forgot his baseball roots, though, as Gregg currently serves as the managing director of the Edmonton Riverhawks, a member of the West Coast League where a lot of collegiate student-athletes play baseball in the summer. That sounds familiar, and it seems that it's something of which Gregg, a former student-athlete, is proud to promote.
"We're really proud of all the players we have on our team, whether they are American or Canadian," Gregg told Sandor in the interview. "But we love the opportunity of the Canadian kid to come out and play in front of his friends and family in this facility. And, ultimately, if we could have 35 Canadians play for us, we would try to do that."
Gregg is also still practicing medicine as a family physician, and he and his wife, former Olympic speed skater Kathy Vogt, are living life comfortably in Edmonton. They have four children and twelve grandchildren including their son, Ryan Gregg, who played baseball for the Uniersity of Calgary. Their other son, Jamie Gregg, became a former Olympic speed skater, and he married Danielle Wotherspoon, an Olympic speed skater. Add in sisters Jessica and Sarah who were also Olympic speed skaters, and it seems like Randy Gregg was skating on the wrong ice with all the speed skaters in his family!
Joking aside, Randy Gregg had an outstanding hockey career. After turning down tryouts with the Atlanta Flames and New York Rangers following his time at the University of Alberta where was a two-time CIAU champion and the 1979 CIAU Player of the Year, Gregg joined the Canadian National Team program as they looked to the Lake Placid Olympics. That 1980 Olympiad wasn't good for Canada as they finished in sixth-place, but Randy Gregg did meet his wife, Kathy, at those Olympics! I'd say Gregg had himself a successful Olympiad!
You might be wondering how Gregg landed in Japan after playing at the 1980 Lake Placid Winter Olympics with Canada, but acquaintences on the Japanese National Team convinced him to join a company team as a player-coach. And if you're wondering how he was interning at Edmonton hospitals to fulfill his medical degree requirements while living in Japan, it seems that the Royal Alexandra Hospital was willing to accommodate his hockey career.
According to Andy Ogle's article in the Canadian Medical Association Journal linked above, Gregg was willing to give the NHL experience two years before focussing exclusively on medicine. Two years, however, became four years with the Oilers before Gregg finally retired on September 13, 1986 as shown in the Brandon Sun image.
Except he didn't.
Gregg returned to the Oilers after Sather begged him to come back for the 1986-87 season, and three Stanley Cups and four more seasons with the Oilers were his new reality. Six weeks into the season, he joined the team and helped them win a third Stanley Cup in 1986-87. He'd retire again in the summer of 1987 to pursue a residency program in orthopedic surgery at the University of Alberta, but would return for another Stanley Cup run with the Oilers following a fourth-place finish at the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics with Team Canada.
The Oilers would place Randy Gregg on waivers at the start of the 1990 season, and the Vancouver Canucks claimed him from the Oilers on October 1, 1990. He'd retire once again to pursue medicine, but came back to play 21 games in 1991-92 with one goal and four assists in Vancouver colours. Randy Gregg officially retired from the NHL after the playoffs that season, having played in 474 regular season games while scoring 41 goals and 152 points. He also played in 137 playoff games where he had 13 goals and 40 assists. That's not too bad for a guy who was playing community league hockey in Edmonton while starting university!
For a guy who looked like he might have a long and prosperous career as a baseball star, Dr. Randy Gregg became a star in two professions: on the hockey rink and in the doctor's office. Obviously, the comparison between Archibald Graham and Randy Gregg are nowhere close when one starts looking at the details of both men's lives, but two kids who loved baseball became successful medical doctors after pursuing their dreams including long medical careers.
There are no right or wrong paths when one is pursuing a dream. For Archibald Graham, his baseball dream lasted just a couple of innings. For Randy Gregg, he earned five Stanley Cup rings over ten seasons in the NHL. Ray Kinsella was almost angry at "Moonlight" Graham for giving up on his baseball dream, and Graham might have spoken for both he and Gregg when he told Ray, "Son, if I'd only gotten to be a doctor for five minutes... now that would have been a tragedy."
The Hockey Show, Canada's only campus-produced radio show that strictly talks hockey, is back with reminders, champions, and tournaments to discuss as the hockey world is looking to crown winners before the summer starts! Whether it be teams clinching playoff spots in their respective leagues, women's teams battling to find out which nation stands atop the podium, contests you can enter to win some prizes, or leagues wrapping up by crowning their best teams as champions, there is a lot happening across the globe on ice surfaces! Our hosts will take you through all the news from many corners of the globe on another news-filled, busy edition of the program tonight on The Hockey Show at 5:30pm CT!
Teebz and Jason will remind of you that Survivor: NHL Playoffs kicks off next week and how that ties into Pledge-O-Rama that starts on April 18! After they get through that jumble of info, they will chat about the IIHF Women's World Championship happening in Czechia, the IIHF Women's World Championship Division 1, Group B championship happening in Great Britain, a number of European leagues who crowned champions, some playoff scheduling for the ECHL, the Melbourne Mustangs getting off to a big start in the AIHL, the awful ending to Chaz Lucius's career, and there will be a shoutout to the Esso Cup representative from Manitoba and Saskatchewan! If there's enough time to squeeze all this news in, we'll get it done tonight on The Hockey Show at 5:30pm CT on one of 101.5 FM, Channel 718 on MTS TV, or via UMFM.com!
If you live outside Winnipeg and want to listen, we have options! The new UMFM website's online streaming player works well if you want to listen online. We also recommend Radio Garden if you need an easy-to-use online stream. If you're more of an app person, we recommend you use the TuneIn app found on the App Store or Google Play Store. It's a solid app.
If you have questions, you can email all show queries and comments to hockeyshow@umfm.com! Tweet me anytime with questions you may have by hitting me up at @TeebzHBIC on Twitter! I'm here to listen to you, so make your voice heard! And because both Teebz and Jason are on the butterfly app where things are less noisy, you can find Teebz here and Jason here on Bluesky!
Tonight, Teebz and Jason chat contests and radio telethons, world championships, league championships, playoff schedules, AIHL results, being forced to retire, and much more exclusively on 101.5 UMFM and on the UMFM.com web stream!
While the title of this article could be misheard as the title of a romance novel when said aloud, it seems that there's a major shake-up happening in the Czech Extraliga as the Rytíři Kladno, aka the Kladno Knights, are about to change ownership. As you may know, the Knights are currently owned by hockey legend and Kladno native Jaromir Jagr, but it seems he's getting out of the hockey ownership game after it was announced today that Jagr will sell a majority stake in the club to Czech businessman Tomáš Drastil who wants to restore the glory of the Kladno franchise and its youth team. This may seem like big news, but it seems this may have been coming sooner than later.
According to the idnes.cz website, Drastil "will acquire 80 percent of the club, while Jágr is to keep 20 percent" once the business deal is complete. Nothing has been signed or completed yet, but both Drastil and Jagr will start the process in the near future with the hopes that this deal can be completed quickly. News broke in late November that Drastil was interested in buying the hockey club from Jagr, and it appears that will now happen.
Drastil confirmed in an interview with Rudolf Muzika of denik.cz on November 27, 2024 that "he has made a specific offer to the current 100% owner of the Knights, Jaromír Jágr" and was waiting on a response from the former NHL star. Muzika also confirmed the rumoured rift between Jagr and the city with Kladno mayor Milan Volf telling Muzika that he was in favour of a change in ownership.
Speaking about Jagr's comments that the city had stopped supporting the club, Volf matter-of-factly told Muzika,
"I'll repeat for the last time that this is nonsense. We only stopped the five million subsidy for the A-team of adults, because it basically doesn't matter if we put it there or not, the result is always the same. We subsidize the youth with 8.5 million, we pay thirty million for the operation of the stadium, which we also renovated. By a sober estimate, the income from the stadium generates roughly 10 million for hockey, where we are talking not only about ice rentals, but also, for example, skyboxes, VIP and representative areas or public skating. We also pay security and organizers for matches, but the money earned from entrance fees or the sale of refreshments goes to the club's treasury. That's good, we want to help, but then no one can accuse us of not supporting them."
Based on today's news, it appears that Volf will get his wish as Jagr will take a backseat to Drastil in the club's ownership, and it seems the Czech businessman has a plan for the Kladno Knights when he takes over operations. Drastil told denik.cz on November 22, 2024,
"My vision is based primarily on long-term work with youth and the return of youth hockey to where it belongs. Kladno has always and historically raised successful representatives and if the club is to be successful in the long term, it must be successful in working with youth. And when I see how our teamwork with youth in Slaný has been successful, I believe that I will be able to assemble the right team of hockey professionals and enthusiasts in Kladno and to cement that team. Kladno needs to become a catchment club again, which can be achieved by creating a so-called umbrella and cooperating with smaller clubs in the surrounding area."
Drastil is also on record as saying that the Kladno Knights will not move out of the city, stating that "[i]t is the biggest diamond in the city of Kladno and must stay". He will need to negotiate a new arena lease deal with the city of Kladno, but Volf appears willing to work with Drastil after his past experiences in working with Jagr.
"With all due respect to Jaromír Jágr for what he has achieved in his career, but he is in charge of the hockey stick, not hockey. Negotiations with him are very complicated, almost impossible for me, because we are not moving anywhere and I only see an outstretched hand. Jarda and I met for the last time before the play-offs and then I waited in vain for him to come and solve the situation," Volf told Muzika.
Business aside, we already know that Jagr has committed to making this season his last as a player, but it would appear that he's going to leave the hockey spotlight altogether with the sale of the Knights to Drastil. According to the idnes.cz article, "Jágr's family has been managing the traditional Kladno club since the autumn of 1994, and he himself has been managing it since 2011. Six years later, he became a 100% owner. Since then, Kladno has spent a total of three seasons in the first league, and in the last three extra league seasons, they have always ended up in the relegation zone."
Perhaps that last part about relegation will change under new management as Drastil is a 44 year-old businessman who "is a partner in a number of companies and currently does business abroad, mainly in the United States." Drastil's son, Simon, plays hockey with the Dallas Stars Elite 15-Only team where he's a defender while Tomáš's TGM Fotbal company "purchased a forty percent stake in the joint-stock company that owns the Vysočina Jihlava football club". In short, it would appear that Tomáš Drastil is well-connected and well-funded as he looks to add the Knights hockey club to his portfolio.
When questioned about the financial commitment needed to raise the Kladno Knights back to prominence, Drastil was clear about having the necessary means to realize his vision, telling denik.cz, "Yes, otherwise I wouldn't go into it and enter into negotiations." With a deal reportedly struck between Drastil and Jagr, it appears we're going to find out if that vision will bear fruit in the coming years.
Much like another Penguins superstar who sold his majority stake in a hockey club, the Kladno Knights will have a new boss beginning next season. Jagr will still be involved thanks to his 20% ownership stake, but, like Mario Lemieux, he'll play a far smaller role in the operations and decision-making process than before. Tomáš Drastil will sit at the desk in the big office and we'll see where he leads the Knights.
Maybe we'll see Jaromir Jagr actually retire and enjoy the game from the other side of the glass now? Time will tell!
I'm a little shocked that U SPORTS and Canada West aren't celebrating his accomplishment more, but Edmonton Oilers forward Noah Philp made his NHL debut tonight, picking up an assist, three shots on goal, 11:50 in ice time, and logging a rather impressive 10/14 wins in the face-off circle. Noah Philp wasn't drafted by an NHL team after a solid WHL career in Kootenay and Seattle, but he showed he had a knack for scoring during his two seasons at the University of Alberta with the Golden Bears. Philp is just the latest player from the Golden Bears to skate in the NHL, and he likely won't be the last as the Edmonton institution does a great job in producing high-level hockey talent.
Philp becomes the 15th Golden Bears player to skate at the NHL level, and the 26 year-old joins his older brother, Luke, as two of those Alberta players who made the NHL. While he was playing on Edmonton's fourth line tonight alongside Drake Caggiula and longtime NHL veteran Corey Perry, Philp's speed and smarts were on display as he was good in his own zone while generating chances in the offensive zone. In short, he looked like the same Noah Philp we had seen with the Golden Bears over 36 Canada West games.
The Oilers recognized Philp's solid play tonight by awarding him with the "championship belt" for being the player of the game, and it looks like he may stick around the Alberta capital for a while. Both players and coaches liked his effort tonight as he and his linemates were effective throughout the game every time they went over the boards. This is quite the turnaround for a player who, in June of last year, told the team, "I'm at a time in my life where I want to focus on things outside the realm of hockey."
Philp has always been a good player, but it's true that he seems to need to have the right focus to be an effective player. After being traded from a brutal Kootenay Ice team in September 2017 to Seattle for two fifth-round draft picks, Philp hit his stride with the Thunderbirds as he recorded 40 goals and 85 assists in 127 games on the west coast. Whatever changed in Seattle seemed to light a fire under Philp, but perhaps it was the change of scenery and an infusion of talent that helped Philp reach new heights.
In 2017-18 while in Seattle, he played alongside other eventual Canada West talent in Nolan Volcan, Reece Harsch, Jake Lee, Jaxan Kaluski, Liam Hughes, and Matt Berlin. All of Philp, Volcan, and Berlin would end up on the Golden Bears together. In 2018-19, the likes of Cole Schwebius, Roddy Ross, Sean Richards, and Jarret Tyszka played alongside Philp with all of them heading to Canada West schools after their Seattle days. Needless to say, Philp was surrounded by talent.
His Alberta days saw him torch the competition as the Alberta Golden Bears were a force. They would end up tied for first-place in 2019-20 with the Huskies with a 23-5-0, scoring 132 goals over their 28-game schedule. The Bears placed five players in the top-ten in conference scoring, and Philp was one of them, tying for sixth-overall with 12 goals and 15 assists. Alberta, though, would fall to UBC in the semifinal as the Thunderbirds pitched the three-game upset behind the goaltending of Rylan Toth. With unfinished business, the Golden Bears looked to the following season.
COVID would derail the 2020-21 season, but the Golden Bears would return in 2021-22. Philp would eventually skate in eight games after taking a few months for himself for person reasons, and he simply continued his incredible pace as he scored eight goals and three assists. Head coach Ian Herbers said to Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Sun of his commitment, "He's only played a year and-a-half with us because one year we just practised. And his game elevated night and day this season. The drive, the character he has. First guy on for practices, last guy off. There was a motivation to take the next step and it carried through to his game."
Despite finishing runner-up to the UQTR Patriotes at Nationals in 2022, Philp had three goals and one assist in Alberta's three games at the U Cup Championship. With his three goals in four Canada West playoff games, he fell one goal short of a goal-per-game pace. The only game where he didn't light the lamp was against UBC in Game One of the Canada West Championship, but he did have an assist as he scored in every game he played in that season. Not bad at all for a guy who logged 25 points in just 15 games!
After a 19-goal, 18-assist AHL season in 2022-23 after signing a one-year deal with the Bakersfield Condors, it seemed like Philp was destined to skate for the Oilers at some point. However, June 14, Philp made a decision that shocked a number of people, releasing a statement that included the lines, "I'm at a time in my life where I want to focus on things outside the realm of hockey. I'm doing well and wish all the best to the players, coaches and staff in Bakersfield and in Edmonton."
Taking some personal time away from the game seems to work for Philp because the fifteen months he spent retired seemed to put him back in the right mindset for this season after signing a one-year, two-way deal with Edmonton.
"I just had a gut feeling to step away from hockey for a little while," he told reporters in September, "and I didn't know how long that would be. I did that and I went and saw different parts of the world, did some travelling, and then came home and sort of decided it was ready to get back into it. It feels fresh to me and it feels really great to be back."
Philp had a great training camp, and it was thought that he would be named to the Oilers' opening night roster. With veteran players who couldn't be waived, however, Philp was sent down to Bakersfield to start the season. He'd have a strong start there with two goals and a helper in six games before being recalled for tonight's game. And it seems the head coach had a simple message for Philp's NHL debut tonight after being recalled after the Connor McDavid injury.
"Pick up where he left off," Knoblauch told Philp. "At Training Camp, he was outstanding in the exhibition games that he played. That's why he got the recall; just continue where he left off."
With his debut tonight, he joins 14 other Golden Bears who have skated for a team in the NHL. Those players are as follows:
Dave MacKay (CHI) - 3 goals, 0 assists in 27 games
Bryon Baltimore (EDM) - no points in 2 games
Kevin Primeau (VAN) - no points in 2 games
Dave Hindmarch (CGY) - 21 goals, 17 assists in 99 games
Don Spring (WPG) - 1 goal, 54 assists in 259 games
Randy Gregg (EDM/VAN) - 41 goals, 152 assists in 474 games
Wade Campbell (WPG/BOS) - 9 goals, 27 assists in 213 games
Colin Chisholm (MNS) - no points in 1 game
Brent Severyn (6 TEAMS) - 10 goals, 30 assists in 328 games
Ian Herbers (3 TEAMS) - 0 goals, 5 assists in 65 games
Cory Cross (6 TEAMS) - 34 goals, 97 assists in 659 games
Derek Ryan (3 TEAMS) - 81 goals, 122 assist in 580 games
Zach Sawchenko (SJS) - 1-2-1, 3.35 GAA, .901 sv% in 7 games
Luke Philp (CHI) - 0 goals, 1 assist in 3 games
Noah Philp (EDM) - 0 goals, 1 assist in 1 game
NOTE: italicized players are still active on depth charts
There is one other man who has skated in the NHL, but he decided to follow the stripes route as Travis Toomey became an NHL linesman in 2019-20 after a long hockey career that included a stop at the University of Alberta with the Golden Bears! He doesn't get credit for playing for a team, but Toomey will get credit here on HBIC for skating in NHL games. Without officials, you can't have games!
Make no mistake that there are other programs who have sent players to the NHL as well, but it's pretty clear that the Golden Bears are the class of Canada West when it comes to having players reach the pinnacle of the sport. For Noah Philp, his journey has been anything but a straight line, but playing in a number of different leagues and through a pile of circumstances has made him a better player. Being that he's older, he's had a chance to work on his 200-foot game more than a recent draft pick would, and he's evolved into a player who can contribute at the NHL level.
"He's just inching closer and closer to making a career out of this," Leon Draisaitl told reporters. "I'm very impressed with the way he handles himself and the way he plays the game. I think he's got a bright future ahead."
That's pretty high praise coming from an NHL Art Ross, Hart, and Ted Lindsay Trophy winner, and it's evidence that U SPORTS hockey players can reach their dreams of playing in the NHL even if they aren't drafted. Philp is proof that learning to play the game at both ends of the ice while physically maturing in university hockey can lead to big things. And if Philp continues to play like he did tonight against Nashville, the Oilers are going to have a hard time sending him back to Bakersfield this season.
Philp might want to see if he can move back into the place he stayed while with the Golden Bears because it looks like he'll be in Edmonton for the foreseeable future!
Rare are the players who spend an entire career with one team, let alone one franchise any longer. There will be some from this era who will wear that honour - Sidney Crosby, Nathan MacKinnon, and Connor McDavid all seem like locks - but finding guys further down the depth charts who fit that rare situation becomes harder and harder. Bryan Little technically fits the bill despite the Jets trading his contract late in his career, but he wasn't slated to play any games after his eardrum injury. Whatever your thoughts are on Bryan Little's status as a one-franchise guy, Little will now close the book on his successful NHL career by signing a one-day contract in Winnipeg to retire as a Winnipeg Jets forward, correcting the contract trade made by the Jets.
The Jets announced today that they'll celebrate Little's career as both a Thrashers and Jets forward on October 20 when the Pittsburgh Penguins visit Canada Life Centre. The 12th-overall pick in 2006 retires with 217 goals scored and 304 assists added in 843 NHL games. He also added four goals and eight assists in 27 playoff games, all of which came with the Winnipeg Jets.
"It's a great honour that I can retire as a member of the Winnipeg Jets and end my playing career with the organization where I was drafted and played my entire NHL career," Little stated.
"I had the privilege to play in Winnipeg and in front of the amazing fans for nine seasons, so I'm grateful for the opportunity to thank the Jets, their fans and the city of Winnipeg. It will truly be a full-circle moment for my family and I to celebrate my retirement in the building where I have so many special memories."
We shouldn't forget that Little was a key member of the 2007-08 AHL Chicago Wolves team that captured the Calder Cup. While he only played 34 regular season games with the Wolves, he did score nine goals and 16 assists. It was in the playoffs, though, where the 19 year-old Little showed he was ready for a bigger stage after scoring eight goals and four assists in 24 playoff games en route to hoisting the Calder Cup.
2007 also saw Bryan Little hoisting a gold medal as a member of Team Canada's World Junior Championship squad. The team was stacked with talent that year - Jonathan Toews, Brad Marchand, and Sam Gagner - but Little showed his mettle by skating in six games, scoring one goal and one assist in Leksand, Sweden as Canada downed Russia by a 4-2 score in the gold medal game. Little's assist came in a 3-0 win against Slovakia on a Steve Downie power-play goal, and he scored Canada's second goal in the gold medal game, beating Semyon Varlamov with 2:31 to play in the first period.
This followed a very successful junior career with the Barrie Colts where the Edmonton-born Little showed all sorts of promise as a playmaking center. In his four seasons in the OHL with the Colts, Little recorded 153 goals and 189 assists in 247 games, finishing his final two seasons with the sixth-highest scoring totals in the OHL. While Barrie never reached the Memorial Cup in his time there, it was pretty clear that the Colts had a special player among their talent.
Little's career came to a sudden halt, though, on November 5, 2019 when a high slapshot from Jets teammate Nikolaj Ehlers missed the New Jersey net and caught Little on the side of the helmet in the ear. It took some 25-30 stitches to close the cut from the puck, and he was diagnosed with a perforated eardrum once doctors had finished their examination. Despite him trying to skate and continue his career, concussion symptoms continued to plague Little, keeping him from returning to the lineup.
"Bryan Little is a crucial part of the history of this franchise and was a key contributor to the Winnipeg Jets throughout his time in the NHL," Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff said. "He was a humble, hardworking player that cared about his teammates and was a quiet, but important leader in the dressing room. Bryan demonstrated tremendous professionalism throughout his time here and it is a true shame that his career was cut short due to injury."
For those who want to trot out the technicalities, Little's contract was traded for salary cap relief along with Nathan Smith to the Arizona Coyotes for their fourth-round pick in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft, but Little never once dressed for the Coyotes. While his contract was moved to the Utah Hockey Club on April 18 this year, it was pretty clear that Little's NHL career as a player was over.
Little will officially retire for the only franchise for which he played, and while he technically lined up down center ice for two teams in the NHL - the Atlanta Thrashers and Winnipeg Jets - he'll always be one of those players who brought his lunchbox to work, put his hard hat on, and gave a full effort every time he stepped on the ice. He wasn't the flashiest guy nor did he cover the scoresheet in ink, but Bryan Little retiring as a Winnipeg Jet feels right.
I don't know what the next steps are for Bryan Little, but he's found another outlet since leaving hockey. Little is now a triathlete who has competed in a number of triathlons, and has fared very well! No one wants to see a pro athlete sidelined, so seeing Little embracing triathlons as his new passion is pretty awesome!
He embodied what it meant to be a Winnipegger on the ice, and he's humble off the ice despite being one of the better players to have worn the jersey. Bryan Little retiring as a Winnipeg Jet closes a chapter for one of the most beloved members of the team, and I look forward to the franchise honouring #18 on October 20 for the countless hours he spent scoring goals, signing autographs, and bringing smiles to faces.
Until next time, raise your sticks high to honour Bryan Little!
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