Sorting Out The Draw

The games have been played and the finals have been set. Eight teams have sorted themselves out into specific draws for Sunday's final games with two of the teams having been eliminated from further play. I'll go through the games and series as we look at each of the games that led to the Sunday's final three games of the 2018-19 U SPORTS women's hockey season!

QUARTERFINALS

I spoke about this game in yesterday's entry, but two goals in 1:53 to start the game from Kaitlin Lowy and Sydney Davison put Manitoba in a hole early as they looked simply dreadful in the opening period. Had it not been for an Alanna Sharman goal with 35 seconds to play late in the period, this game might have already been over. The teams went to the intermission with Guelph leading 2-1, though.

The second period started with a bang as Alanna Sharman made a fantastic move to beat Valerie Lamenta with a shot that went bar-down just 1:02 into the frame, and the game was tied 2-2 as Manitoba seemed to wake from their first-period slumber. While both teams would have good chances through the remaining 19 minutes, both Lauren Taraschuk and Valerie Lamenta would keep this game deadlocked at 2-2 as we moved to the third period.

The two teams continued to look for opportunities, and it would be Guelph who would capitalize on a turnover as Nicole MacKinnon zipped a shot off the shoulder of Taraschuk that fluttered past the netminder at 5:53 to put the Gryphons ahead 3-2. From there, it was a neutral zone trap and the goalie show of Valeria Lamenta as Guelph shut down Manitoba entirely for the remainder of the game as the Guelph Gryphons defeated the Manitoba Bisons 3-2 to advance to the semi-final. Manitoba's championship defence ends as they move to the consolation side of the bracket.

The host UPEI Panthers had the pleasure of meeting Montreal in their first games, and there was some concern that this game might be a mismatch based on Montreal's success this season. As we found out, one player cared not for Montreal successes as she did all she could to end Montreal's run.

The first period saw no goals scored, but Montreal had numerous chances to break the stalemate. Those chances, though, would be denied by UPEI's Camille Scherger as she seemed to stand on her head at times. Through one period, the score remained 0-0, but Montreal held a 12-5 edge in shots.

Early in the second period, les Carabins finally broke through the UPEI wall. Alexandra Labelle's shot from the left face-off dot found room between the pads of Scherger as Montreal jumped out to the 1-0 lead at 4:52. Late in the period, Kaleigh Quennec chipped a puck up and over the pad of Scherger at 18:30 for the 2-0 lead! Aube Racine wasn't busy in that period as Montreal held a 21-7 advantage in shots.

Alexandra Paradis ended any hope of a UPEI comeback as she notched a goal at 10:44 to make it 3-0. While Montreal was clearly the more talented team, UPEI's compete level was never in question as they played right until the final horn. Unfortunately for them, Montreal held onto that 3-0 score for the victory.

The top-ranked Alberta Pandas seemed like clear-cut favorites in this game, but they were without Autumn MacDougall due to injury and it was reported they would be without Amy Boucher all weekend as the student-athlete was busy with her MCATs. The losses of those two centers for the weekend made Alberta's task to march through the competition a lot harder, and Toronto was coming into this game with nothing to lose as they looked to shock the Pandas.

The first period was classic Pandas hockey as they limited virtually all the offence from the Varsity Blues. The Pandas, however, couldn't solve Erica Fryer despite outshooting Toronto 8-3 in the period.

Alberta jumped into the scoring just 3:14 into the second period when Taylor Kezama found room past Fryer. Toronto clamped down on the defensive end to limit Alberta to just four shots, but two of those four shots would dent twine as Alex Poznikoff found the back of the net at 17:26 to push the Pandas' lead to 2-0. After two periods, the Pandas held the two-goal lead after 40 minutes.

The Varsity Blues needed to find some offence in the third period, and they turned to one of their stars as Lauren Straatman, fresh off winning a silver medal at the FISU Universiade Games, snapped a shot past Kirsten Chamberlin at 9:39, and it was a game once againn. Toronto continued to press as they searched for an equalizer, but Alex Poznikoff would strike a serious blow to those efforts when she scored on the power-play at 17:29. The Varsity Blues would get one more goal from Taylor Trussler at 19:39, but it would be too little and too late as the Pandas skated to the 3-2 victory!

The AUS champion St. Thomas Tommies drew the McGill Martlets in the quarterfinal round, and this game was over before it began. One never wants to see a blow-out at the national tournament, and this game was unfortunately a blow-out.

Emilia Cotter opened the scoring at 6:42 for McGill. St. Thomas responded with a Laura Henman goal at 9:21 to tie the game. Lea Dumais put McGill back on top at 15:10 on the power-play, and Valerie Audet extended that lead before the end of the first period at 17:42 as McGill led 3-1 after 20 minutes.

Kellyanne Lecours made it 4-1 at 3:59. Valerie Audet added her second goal on the power-play at 9:47 to make it 5-1. Megan Pardy cut the lead to three goals with a power-play goal of her own at 10:12, but Lea Dumais restored the four-goal advantage at 13:09. 42 seconds later, it was 7-2 thanks to Shana Walker. Lea Dumais would pick up the hat trick at 16:40 as McGill was off and running with an 8-2 lead. Abby Clarke was mercifully pulled by St. Thomas at this point, and Taylor Cook was sent out to the crease to face the Martlet firing squad, but Cook would hold them off for the remaining 3:20 as McGill led 8-2 through two periods.

Kellyanne Lecours started the third period the same way as she started the second period as she scored at 9:28 to make it 9-2. Jade Downier-Landry would put McGill into double-digits on the scoreboard at 15:26. Tricia Deguire had little trouble earning the win behind the ten-spot put up by McGill as they advanced with the 10-2 trouncing.

CONSOLATION SEMIFINALS

The hosts didn't get an easier task this morning as the UPEI Panthers drew last year's champions in the Manitoba Bisons. The Panthers were admittedly looking to build for next season's national championship in this year's tournament, so facing last year's champs should give them a good measuring stick.

The opening period was an uptempo period as both teams came to play. Lauren Taraschuk was great in the Manitoba crease while Camille Scherger made a number of outstanding saves in the PEI end as the teams remained tied at 0-0 through 20 minutes with Manitoba holding a slight lead in shots at 13-10.

The second period opened the same way the first did as the teams went back and forth looking for the opening goal. The Panthers would give the fans who came out at 10am a chance to cheer as Taylor Gillis scored the game's first goal at 5:58! The Bisons would turn up the heat and they'd be rewarded at 11:58 when Alanna Sharman banked a shot in off Scherger to tie the game at 1-1. The remainder of the period would show off the goalies' skills as they denied shooters at both ends, and we'd go to the third period tied 1-1 with Manitoba holding 25-21 advantage in shots.

The third period was just as exciting as the first two frames as the two teams went toe-to-toe in search of a win. Manitoba would take the lead at 11:28 when Alexandra Anderson's shot was partially-blocked and then hit a Panthers defender in front and pinballed into the net past Scherger to put the Bisons up 2-1. 1:24 later, Natasha Kostenko cleaned up a rebound after Camille Scherger made an incredible save off Karissa Kirkup to put the Bisons ahead 3-1. Lauren Taraschuk and the Bisons defence took care of the rest as the Bisons advanced to the consolation final with the 3-1 win while the UPEI Panthers would see their tournament come to an end with their second loss.

After the drubbing that St. Thomas took the night before, there was interest in seeing how the Tommies would respond in today's game against Toronto. The Varsity Blues were looking to continue their strong play after an impressive showing against Alberta.

This game featured a parade to the penalty box in the first period as both teams seemed to want to take their frustrations out on one another. The final minute would feature two goals, though, as Kassie Roache scored a power-play goal past Abby Clarke at 19:16 to put Toronto up 1-0, but St. Thomas would erase that power-play goal with one of their own just 28 seconds later when Alex Woods found room past Erica Fryer to make it a 1-1 game going into the second period. Toronto shocked everyone by jumping out to a 17-5 margin in shots as they carried the play for the majority of that period.

The second period saw far fewer penalties so it was a more evenly-played period. Toronto did lead in shots throughout the period with a 9-3 advantage, and one of those shots counted in a big way as Mathilde De Serres found the back of the net at 12:14 to put Toronto up 2-1. That score would hold through the end of the period as Toronto held a 26-8 advantage in pucks-on-net.

The third period saw the Toronto defence simply stifle any and all attacks from the Tommies as they held the AUS champions to just four shots in the period. Fryer had trouble with none of the four shots as Toronto eliminates St. Thomas from the U SPORTS National Championship with a 2-1 victory as they booked a date in the consolation final!

CHAMPIONSHIP SEMIFINALS

The third-ranked Gryphons met the second-ranked Carabins in what should have been an epic battle. I say "should have been" mostly because this one was about one period and one player that decided this game entirely.

Guelph wasted no time in getting this game started as Mallory Young had the Gryphons on the board just 34 seconds in when she beat Aube Racine to put Guelph up 1-0. Claire Merrick made it 2-0 at 6:15, Ashlee Lawrence put the third goal on the board at 7:51, and Molly Crossman put Guelph up 4-0 at 11:31 as the Carabins looked somewhat shellshocked. Racine was replaced by Sarah Lussier for 2:18 seconds - making one save in the process - before Racine went back to the net. She seemed to have shook off the early bombing by Guelph, but surrendered a fifth goal to Madison Melo at 17:42. At the other end, Valerie Lamenta was solid as she kept the potent Montreal offence in check as Guelph took their 5-0 lead to the second period with the teams tied 11-11 in shots.

Montreal came out with a renewed sense of urgency in the second period, but they ran into the Lamenta barrier once more as the Guelph netminder made a handful of incredible saves to keep the Carabins off the board. Guelph wouldn't find the net behind Racine in this period, but they did show some life as they led in shots through two periods by a 21-17 margin.

The third period was a showcase for Lamenta once again as she stymied the Montreal shooters on every chance. Despite outshooting the Gryphons 10-6 in this period, none would find the net behind Lamenta as the Gryphons booked their ticket to the final on the strength of their 5-0 lead. Montreal will now compete for the bronze medal on Sunday.

These two storied programs have met on multiple occasions in the past, and it was time to write another chapter into their stories as Alberta and McGill tangled once more.

This game was intense as the two sides refused to give an inch and every shot was earned. Kirsten Chamberlin and Tricia Deguire were unbeatable in the first period as both sides sent seven shots on net, and we'd move to the second period with the 0-0 stalemate intact.

The second period? Similar to the first period as there were chances, but neither goaltender seemed interested in allowing a goal. Alberta did muster a couple of extra shots to lead 16-14 in shots, but neither side found twine as the game moved to the third period still tied at 0-0.

The third period was more of the same as the two teams continued to battle hard to find chances only to be denied by the netminders. However, a slap-pass from Laura Jardin to the front of the net found Stephanie Desjardins, and Desjardins out-waited Chamberlin as she moved to her right, flipping the puck over the outstretched glove of Chamberlin and into the net at 15:36 to give McGill the 1-0 lead late in the game! Alberta mounted as much offence as they could find in the remaining four minutes of the game, including a one-timer in the slot from Poznikoff that Deguire stopped cold, but they could not solve the McGill netminder. When the final horn sounded, the McGill Martlets had knocked off the top-seeded Pandas 1-0 to advance to the gold medal game! Alberta will now play for the bronze medal on Sunday.

SUMMATION

This isn't some legal conclusion, but there's the entire set of games from Thursday to Saturday in their entirety as we get set for championship Sunday. Toronto will play Manitoba in the consolation final for fifth-place. Alberta and Montreal will battle for the bronze medal. McGill and Guelph will decided who is the best team in women's hockey as they compete for the gold medal. It's been a heckuva few days for hockey, the crowds and event at UPEI have been incredible, and it all ends tomorrow. Make sure you tune in and catch the best hockey in Canadian university hockey on its biggest day!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

It Ends Quickly

George S. Patton Jr. is notable for his quote, "All glory is fleeting." His reference was in regards to Roman generals of their armies who conquered lands across Europe and Asia while having parades and luxuries showered on them for their successes under Rome's watch, and the same can be said for hockey teams who conquer the Canadian hockey landscape each year at the U SPORTS National Championship. Manitoba, who entered the tournament as the defending champions, saw their reign over Canadian university hockey come to an end today at the hands of the Guelph Gryphons who capitalized on mistakes to send the defending champions to the consolation side of the tournament.

By the time yesterday's game was two minutes old, Guelph held a 2-0 lead over the Bisons thanks to a rebound that Lauren Taraschuk couldn't corral and a screened shot that she simply could not see. On the first goal, the Gryphons got to the loose puck first as they won the battle in front of the net, and the second goal was simply the Bisons not clearing the front of the net nor defending the slot area from where the shot occurred. While some may say that this was simply Guelph being more hungry than the Bisons, these are issues that have plagued the Bisons for the better part of a month, if not longer.

Through the next 17 minutes, one could be excused if one thought that MacLaughlan Arena was built on the side of a hill as the Bisons seemed to be skating uphill the entire period while the puck regularly found its way with ease into the Bisons' zone. Time and time again, the Gryphons had relatively unchallenged zone entries while finding places to get quality shots on Taraschuk. Had it not been for Manitoba's goaltender, this game likely would have been out of reach long before the first intermission was a reality.

And had it not been for a late push in the period where Alanna Sharman had been double-shifted and found herself on a line with Erin Kucheravy and Emilie Massé, there wasn't much to cheer for if one is a Bisons fan. However, Sharman carried the puck into the zone, circled in the corner before throwing a pass out front that went by everyone before Megan Neduzak wired a wrist shot that Guelph's Valerie Lamenta got a piece of, but couldn't cover. Sharman went to the net after passing the puck, and she was in the right spot to sweep the puck across the line as Lamenta scrambled to smother the puck, and the Bisons somehow went into the intermission down just one goal despite being thoroughly and wholly outplayed for 19:30 of the opening 20 minutes.

Sharman was back at it early in the second period when Sheridan Oswald spotted an open Sharman on the right wing, and the smooth-skating Sharman broke in on Lamenta alone, made a quick move to get the goalie moving, and went bar-down with a shot that had the entire crowd buzzing as Manitoba tied the game just 1:02 into the frame. Suddenly, there was renewed optimism for the Manitoba fans who made the trip to Charlottetown!

The Bisons, who had looked like they had never played a period of hockey in the first period, erased all of that with a second period where they were the more aggressive team, played stouter defence in preventing the Gryphons from getting to high-danger scoring areas, and had a number of chances in the period to take their first lead of the game, but Lamenta was equal to the task after being beaten twice. Manitoba and Guelph would move to the third period with both teams looking for the go-ahead marker.

The third period started off a little more cautiously for both sides, but a giveaway in the Manitoba zone led to a Nicole MacKinnon shot that Taraschuk got a part of, but not all of, as the puck fluttered off her and into the net to give Guelph a 3-2 at the 5:53 mark. From there, Guelph went into a trap and played some ultra-defensive hockey in keeping the Bisons out of their zone and the puck as far away from Lamenta as possible. And this is where an entire season can be defined as the final four minutes of this game were nothing short of confusing.

Down one goal, we kept looking for the bench to signal Lauren Taraschuk. It never came.

Down one goal, we kept looking for a shorter bench. It never happened.

Down one goal, we expected to see Manitoba's best players playing together. It didn't occur.

I struggled to understand what was happening on the Manitoba bench. Guelph continued to roll its best players out onto the ice to try and protect the lead, yet Manitoba was still rolling four lines and three defensive pairings as the precious seconds ticked off the clock. With under two minutes remaining, Manitoba called a time-out - perhaps their best chance to assemble their most formidable six-woman offensive unit with Taraschuk on the bench - but they returned Taraschuk to the net and struggled to get the puck into the offensive zone. With under one minute to play, the puck finally was put into the Gryphons' zone on a dump-and-chase, and Taraschuk went to the bench for the extra attacker.

Desperation mode was never truly put into place for this Bisons team as they couldn't break through the Gryphons' impenetrable trap in the neutral zone for the majority of the remaining minute, and pucks that did go in deep were easily recovered by the Gryphons and sent out of the zone with little danger to Lamenta.

When the final horn sounded, the OUA champions had dethroned the defending national champions by a 3-2 score in a game where Manitoba certainly had opportunities to score more than two goals, but had to dig themselves out of an early hole by not being ready to play. Had the Bisons put forth the effort seen through the second period and the majority of the third period, this entire article would be moot as there would still be concerns about the team's play, but winning would prevent the microscopes from a hard examination of where things went wrong.

While there was a lot that was right with this game, the first 19:30 of the game and the final four minutes of this game were perplexing and frustrating when it came to correcting errors and finding ways to win in real-time at the biggest tournament of the year. And because of that, there will be no new hardware to display at Wayne Fleming Arena next season.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

The Hockey Show - Episode 338

The Hockey Show, Canada's only campus-produced radio show that strictly talks hockey, comes to you live from the "Birthplace of Confederation" as Jason Pchajek and myself take you through the opening game's action between the Manitoba Bisons and the Guelph Gryphons as we broadcast the show from the furthest place we've taken UMFM to date! We're live at Charlottetown tonight as The Hockey Show is on the road on the east coast!

Jason and I will go a through a full breakdown of the Manitoba-Guelph game that happened at 3pm AT/1pm CT as we set fans up for Manitoba's second game at the U SPORTS National Championship. We'll pass on a little congratulations to Bisons Nick Zajac, Adam Henry, Mike Sirant, and Devin Himpe as they helped Team Canada capture the bronze medal at the 2019 FISU Winter Interversiade while the women brought home silver led by Saskatchewan Huskies Kaitlin Willoughby, Leah Bohlken, and Jessica Vance! We'll talk about the other three games in the U SPORTS quarterfinals and we may have an interview as we keep everyone up to date on everything in Charlottetown at the U SPORTS National Women's Hockey Championship!

The new UMFM website's online streaming player is pretty awesome. If you're using an Apple device, the player doesn't seem to like Safari yet, but we highly recommend you use the TuneIn app found on the App Store or perhaps another browser. If you do use the TuneIn app, you won't be disappointed. It's a solid app.

Having lost faith in Facebook, I spend far less time on that site for good reasons. In saying that, you can still email all show questions and comments to hockeyshow@umfm.com! Tweet me anytime with questions you may have by hitting me up at @TeebzHBIC on Twitter! We're here to listen to you, so make your voice heard!

Tonight, Teebz and Jason talk Manitoba-Guelph, Manitoba men and Canadian women bringing hockey hardware, they break down the other three games on the schedule, and much more only on The Hockey Show found exclusively on 101.5 UMFM, on the UMFM app, on the UMFM.com web stream!

PODCAST: March 14, 2019: Episode 338

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Three In A Row

One of the great benefits that I have been able to claim in following local women's hockey, it's the fact that I've been able to travel thanks to our radio involvement with the University of Manitoba Bisons women's hockey team. Today, I landed in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island as the ladies prepare for their second consecutive U SPORTS National Championship and their first tournament as the defending champions. What will be new for the team this year is that they aren't the favorites after losing the Canada West Final meaning they'll likely play as the road team in most, if not all, of their games in Charlottetown. This year has a different feel than it did last year in London, Ontario, so the ladies will need to step up and play their best three road games of the season if they hope to defend their national championship trophy.

It will be the first time I've had the chance to visit Canada's smallest province, but I am excited to be here. You may know the bigger things about PEI - Anne of Green Gables, potatoes, the Confederation Bridge - but there's a ton of things in and around Charlottetown that should be experienced. I don't know if I'll get any time to take some of the great attractions and experiences in, but the flight into the province's capital city had me anxious to begin my visit!

While I have accommodations already set, I'll be spending a lot of time at Bell Aliant Arena located in the MacLauchlan Arena and Aquatics Facility at UPEI. Built in 2004, the arena has been home to the UPEI Panthers since its completion. It has yet to experience a championship victory on home ice, but the Panthers will try to change that historical note this week. UPEI does have experience in hosting national championships with great success as they welcomed Canadian universities to the campus for men's soccer in 2005 and 2014, and women's soccer in 2010. I suspect that this previous experience in hosting the nation will make the 2019 U SPORTS National Women's Hockey Championship one of the best in recent memory.

The seven schools who will be joining UPEI at their campus include the four conference champions in the Alberta Pandas, the Montreal Carabins, the St. Thomas Tommies, and the Guelph Gryphons. Along with the champions, the finalists from the three non-host conferences will also participate as the Manitoba Bisons, McGill Martlets, and Toronto Varsity Blues make the trip to PEI as well. With Alberta, Montreal, and Manitoba all in Charlottetown, the top-three teams for the vast majority of this season will compete for the national championship. In other words, the hockey should be incredible, and this might be the toughest field in recent years from which a champion will emerge.

What that means for the team I'm following - the Manitoba Bisons - is that they need to play their best three road games of the season. It won't be easy as they play Guelph first who has an exceptional goaltender in Valerie Lamenta and a solid transition game under head coach Laura Flanagan, and there's likely a date with Montreal awaiting them if they win. Manitoba was 10-4-0 on the road this season with two losses coming at the hands of the Pandas, one to UBC, and one to Saskatchewan. If you include the playoffs, Manitoba was 10-6-0 on the season with four losses compliments of the Pandas. The good news is that the Bisons won't see the Pandas unless they meet in the championship final assuming both win their games. The bad news is that Manitoba is 0-5-1 against teams going to the championship.

All of the above means that the Bisons have to play three exceptional road games. They need to execute their systems as well as they did last year, be hyper-alert and attentive on defence, and support one another by making good decisions with the puck, smart line changes, and communicating with one another. No one will roll over for them as they come into the tournament with a target on their backs as the defending champions, but the sting of losing the Canada West Final will have hopefully refocused this team on their ultimate goal.

The last team to repeat as champions was McGill who pulled off the feat in 2007-08 and 2008-09. Manitoba has a chance to be the fifth team since 1997 to defend the national title with their opportunity this season. The action starts tomorrow at 3pm Atlantic Time/1pm Central Time on UMFM's webstreams with Jason Pchajek and myself calling the Guelph-Manitoba battle to kick off the tournament! We'll also have a live broadcast of The Hockey Show from Charlottetown while Jason will be providing reports for The Manitoban, so make sure you tune in this week for all of our coverage on both mediums as the Manitoba Bisons look to bring home the 2018-19 U SPORTS National Women's Hockey Championship banner!

Three solid road games in a row will make that a reality!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Tuesday Night Music Club

While there won't be an appearance from Sheryl Crow on today's article, there are a pile of musicians who can be added to the Musicians In Jerseys database. It seems that hockey teams are getting a little more creative with their gifts for musicians appearing at their arenas like Ed Sheeran getting a goalie mask, but there are still a number of teams who give a hockey jersey to musicians just for showing up to play music on a pre-arranged date. In any case, we'll see some new entries to the lists, we'll get re-acquainted with musicians who seem to show up on every list, and there are some interesting jerseys being taken home by musicians. You can't have hockey without a little music, so let's check out which musicians are going home with new clothes!

Let's start with the Winnipeg Jets on this day as they've had a number of high-profile acts come through BellMTS Centre over the last few months. We've seen The Arkells make an appearance and get a jersey from the team. Aqua was in town not long ago, and they wore the Jets' colours. And while the Jets don't get the star power treatment like Nashville does, it's always nice to see some local flavour singing the anthem as The Bros. Landreth kicked off a game!

We'll stay in the Central Division with the Nashville Predators as Music City has had a number of acts join the Predators at Bridgestone Arena. There were a few rappers who went through Nashville as Young Thug was seen supporting the team while Future also donned the Predators' yellow. Tim McGraw finally gets onto the list with his support of the Predators. I had no idea who he was before this article, but Christian hip-hop artist TobyMac played a gig in Nashville. And in an all-star country jamboree, Chase Bryant took the stage alongside Brad Paisley!

The St. Louis Blues have welcomed some big musicians to the Enterprise Center under one of the many different names the arena has held. Rush's Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson brought the Canadian rock band to St. Louis. Canadian crooner Michael Bublé received his jersey from St. Louis Blues legend Brett Hull! Half of the crowd there to see Bon Jovi was backstage when they received their one, singular jersey. And in a rare, non-New York moment, Billy Joel received a jersey from the Blues!

Just one entry from the Minnesota Wild as we stay in the Central Division. The Wild, though, invited country music rising star Adam Hambrick out for a skate and gave him a jersey!

The Chicago Blackhawks seem to have all sorts of celebrity fans, but it's not often you'll find Jimmy Buffett cheering for Chicago's NHL team!

We'll move into the Pacific Division where the Anaheim Ducks have opened their doors to some big-name musical acts. Fall Out Boy came through southern California, and the Anaheim Ducks gave them alternate jerseys to wear on stage!

I wasn't actually aware that he was the same person, but did you know that country music artist Chad Brownlee was selected by the Vancouver Canucks in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft at 190th overall? Injuries forced him to go back to his music career, and it's been a great choice ever since as he's no longer dealing with bumps and bruises. Instead, he has hit records and great music! How cool is that - a real musician who wore his own jersey! He's also worn his own jersey for the NCAA's Minnesota State-Mankato Mavericks and wore a Vancouver Canucks jersey at the 2019 NHL All-Star Game this year where he sang the Canadian national anthem!

There were a couple of Snoop Dogg sightings at Pacific Division arenas as Snoop was seen in a Los Angeles Kings alternate jersey and in an orange Edmonton Oilers jersey! I'm not certain about this, but Snoop Dogg might have the most hockey jerseys and may be the only musician who actually wears them regularly!

Buffalo's KeyBank Center seems to be one of the busier arenas on the eastern seaboard based on the number of performers who apparently have played that venue. Ed Sheeran got himself a jersey and it seems there was a donation of some kind made at the same time. The Foo Fighters didn't say no to free Sabres jerseys. Janet Jackson picked up a crisp white Buffalo jersey, but the bigger story was that the Sabres also gave a jersey to dancer Allison Buczkowski who was born and raised in Buffalo! Joywave, a band from nearby Rochester, performed at the arena. Keith Urban got a jersey from former Sabres player Nathan Gerbe. I know zero about the act, but Marshmello is officially a Sabres fan. Sabres co-owner Kim Pegula presented a jersey to Michael Bublé during his stop. And you can add Roger Waters to the celebrity roster for the Buffalo Sabres as well!

The Boston Bruins found a new musical act on their side as The Chainsmokers promoted the Bruins duirng their stop in Boston!

Tampa Bay's Amalie Arena also played host to a number of Lightning jersey-clad musicians. Pat Monahan of Train donned a Steven Stamkos jersey while performing. Alabama picked up a Tampa Bay jersey while touring the Florida panhandle. And in one of the coolest jersey sightings, Carlos Santana wore a Tampa Bay jersey for his concert at the arena!

If we mention Tampa Bay, we should probably mention the New York Rangers since half of the Rangers now play for the Lightning. Regardless of personnel, the Rangers found an early recruit in Phil Collins when he was with Genesis. In more recent concerts, The Arkells also got a jersey while at Madison Square Garden.

Just down the interstate, you'll find the New Jersey Devils where they've been welcoming all sorts of guests to the Prudential Center. Charlie Puth got himself a customized jersey, Fall Out Boy picked up a jersey, and in a stranger occurrence it appears that Michael Bublé got Martin Brodeur to sign Bublé's Brodeur jersey! Wyclef Jean stopped by the Devils' locker room recently and met up with goaltender Cory Schneider! In 2017, Shawn Mendes rolled through Newark and got a jersey, and I'm surprised that Mendes isn't on more of these lists being Canadian!

The Pittsburgh Penguins added two more musicians to their set list as both Drake and Pat Monahan of Train wore Penguins jerseys while at PPG Arena!

Simple Plan drummer Chuck Comeau played the NHL All-Star Game a while back in an Ovechkin jersey, and Brett Young sang at an NHL All-Star Game as well!

Canadian band Toque had their photo taken while wearing Team Canada jerseys!

The Quad City Storm are an SPHL team - Southern Professional Hockey League - and they held a KISS night with special jerseys where KISS made an appearance!

Brett Young made a stop in Des Moines, Iowa where the Iowa Wild presented him with a customized jersey!

And as we wrap this article up, we head back to Winnipeg where the AHL's Manitoba Moose got a push from the Hunter Brothers during a concert!

There are another 40-or-so musicians who are comfortable wearing the colours of various hockey teams when they roll through specific cities! If you're out at a concert where some band dons a hockey jersey, make sure you grab a picture and send it to me where I'll credit you for the find! And if you want to see the full list of musicians in jerseys, click here!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!