Whatcha Gonna Do?

People don't talk about them enough, but Canadian rock band Chilliwack had a pile of hits in their career that put them on the music map for a while. One of those songs that gained them both commercial and critical success was "Whatcha Gonna Do (When I'm Gone)" off their tenth studio album, Opus X, in 1982. The song hit #41 on the Billboard charts in the US, and producers Bill Henderson and Brian MacLeod received the Juno Award for "Producer of the Year" for their work on the song. This article isn't about the band named Chilliwack, though, but it is about the city and the potential WHL expansion team that's supposed to begin play in the 2027-28 season.

The WHL announced in March 2025 that it was adding a team in Chilliwack, BC and accepting applications for owners of the new club. The original plan was to have the franchise up and running for play in the 2026-27 season, but that was pushed back by a year after problems began surfacing with the Vancouver-based entertainment company MRG Group which was awarded ownership of the franchise.

The problem that seems to be holding up the proceedings is that the MRG Group wants to take over operations of the Chilliwack Coliseum from the City of Chilliwack, but the city has no interest in doing that. According to a report in The Province by Steve Ewen, the two sides appear to have broken off talks with both sides accusing the other of not communicating, bringing any and all negotiations to a halt.

"We're hopeful the city and MRG can work through an agreement for the WHL franchise to play in the Coliseum," a WHL spokesperson stated via a text message to Ewen. "If that ultimately breaks down, we will assess the matter and consider all options. We see MRG and its leadership as a strong candidate for a WHL franchise in the near term, be it in Chilliwack or elsewhere."

Obviously, it's hard to own a hockey team if there isn't a hockey arena in which the team can play. According to Matthew Gibbons, MRG Group President, they had approached the city with a plan to manage the Chilliwack Coliseum while having the WHL team play there as well as attracting as many as ten events per year to the facility.

"What we were equally clear about was that we would not proceed with a WHL franchise without a venue management agreement," Gibbons wrote to Ewan in an email. "That was not a hidden condition. It is the only model that makes sustainable sense, and both parties understood that from the beginning."

The issue, from everything I've read, is that the city has pledged to invest $3.7 million to bring the Chilliwack Coliseum up to WHL standards, and they seem to have zero interest in turning operation of the arena over to another group. The Chiefs Development Group had worked in partnership with the city to build the rink in 2003 with the Chiefs Development Group managing and running daily operations for the rink, but the arena has reportedly fallen into disrepair and requires major investments to bring it back up to modern standards.

With the city taking over management and operations on May 1, it seems they're aiming to get a return on their $4 million investment in the city-owned facility by having the new WHL team leasing the facility while they capture parking, concessions, and other revenue streams. Frankly, taxpayers should be in favour of the city managing and operating the publicly-owned facility to refill the coffers.

WHL Commissioner Dan Near laid it out pretty clearly to Ewen, saying, "People think these deals are easy, but it's us, the franchisee and the facility trying to triangulate a deal structure that meets everyone's expectations. The city is putting nearly $4 million of renovations into the building. They want to ensure the tenant has a deal that's structured well for them. We are similar. If these deals were easy to do, someone involved would be losing badly."

Maybe that's the clearest explanation in all of this because no one wants to lose when an expansion franchise is placed in a city. Yes, it would be easy for the City of Chilliwack to turn over management of the arena to the MRG Group, but would the city see a return on the $4 million investment they're making to attract a WHL team?

Yes, it would be easy for the MRG Group to simply move into the city-run Chilliwack Coliseum, but we know that all hockey teams rely heavily on those revenue streams that bolster their bottom lines like concessions, parking, and merchandise. How badly would this WHL Chilliwack team suffer if they didn't have those revenue streams?

If there's a bonus for the city, Moray B. Keith, one of the owners of the BCHL's Chilliwack Chiefs who was managing the arena, wants no part of the current WHL expansion franchise and he says the Chiefs will continue to play out of the Coliseum next season and beyond whether the WHL team moves in or not. If the WHL looks to pivot away from MRG Group as owners, you can scratch Keith's name off the list as a potential owner for this new WHL franchise as well.

I'm not here to drop any negativity on Chilliwack, but having the WHL award an expansion franchise to a city with no ownership group and no arena agreement seems like a hasty decision. I get that the WHL wanted to find a way back into Chilliwack after the Bruins left in 2016, but this whole situation is a mess right now. THe WHL needs both the City of Chilliwack and the MRG Group to figure this out as soon as possible in order to get this expansion back on the right path.

Right now, it feels like this expansion opportunity is closer to failing than succeeding. Perhaps Chilliwack had it right when they sang, "There's no time for changing plans/I must leave, it's in your hands/I know you'll wait for how long/Whatcha gonna do when I'm gone?"

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Paying For Stupidity

There is zero obligation for anyone to like the Vegas Golden Knights or John Tortorella when it comes to one's hockey allegiances. I get that Tortorella's antics often rub people the wrong way, and there are a lot of hockey fans who simply don't like how the Golden Knights conduct business in general. They seem to enjoy embracing the villain role when it comes to a lot of what they do, and maybe that's because they aren't afraid to push the envelope in a lot of situations. With the Golden Knights not being happy about Brayden McNabb's one-game suspension, you have to figure that they were going to respond after the game with comments or statements about how they overcame unfair rulings, but that didn't happen because the Golden Knights decided they weren't speaking to the media after their Game Six victory that eliminated Anaheim.

The NHL mandates that each team has to make coaches and players available after each game which allows the media to ask questions and obtain quotations for stories they're writing about the game and, in this case, the series. It's not a matter of choice because the NHL requires it as part of their media practices. Opting out isn't an option even if one doesn't feel up to it. The NHL says teams have to do it.

Cue the Golden Knights for their brand of chaos as head coach John Tortorella refused to speak to reporters after the game while, as a team, the Golden Knights didn't provide access to their locker room in accordance with NHL and Players' Association-negotiated media regulations in the CBA. Needless to say, people at the NHL's head office were not going to be happy about this development.

Today, the NHL made it very clear not to mess with their kingdom as the league removed a 2026 second-round pick from the Vegas Golden Knights and fined John Tortorella a hefty $100,000 for violating media access rules. The Golden Knights can appeal their draft-pick penalty if they choose, s0 expect the Golden Knights to demand that second-round pick back since they don't have many to give away.

The thing that kills me in all this is that all they had to do was show up after the game, give a few comments, and this wouldn't even be a thing today. Sure, the team and coach can be angry that one of their regular defencemen is out of the lineup for what they believe wasn't anything suspendable, but was it worth sacrificing a second-round pick and $100,000 over when they simply could have said, "We disagree with the league's assessment" and gone back to celebrating their series-clinching win? That's a heavy price to pay for stupidity.

I've listened to hockey pundits talk about how John Tortorella has let his sideshow upstage his coaching over his entire career, and I'm not saying that I disagree with that. Tortorella gets results in the immediate honeymoon phase of his hiring, but there's almost always some sort of non-coaching problem that begins to develop in that time. Whether he's alienating players, trying to pick fights with opposing coaches, or clashing with management, it seems that John Tortorella doesn't conform to accepted NHL norms and traditions.

In summary, it seems he fits perfectly with the Vegas Golden Knights.

Jokes aside, one has to wonder how long the Golden Knights will tolerate this kind of behaviour from Tortorella assuming that they weren't part of the planning that went into this stunt. Losing valuable draft picks isn't something any team wants, and it's safe to assume that the NHL will hit the Golden Knights with harsher penalties if they were to do this again. And all of this happened because someone had their knickers in a knot over the NHL ruling that Brayden McNabb's interference in Game Five was suspension-worthy. That's so dumb.

I expect the Golden Knights to get their pick back because the NHL came down so harshly, but let this be a warning to all NHL teams: if you do stupid things, you're going to pay dearly. That's a lesson the Vegas Golden Knights and John Tortorella learned the hard way today.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

The Hockey Show - Episode 712

The Hockey Show, Canada's only campus-produced radio show that strictly talks hockey, returns tonight with a lot of hockey chatter from the last couple of weeks as exit interviews took up a chunk of time last week. We're going to push the exit interviews to next week so we can get everyone caught up on the big news stories from the hockey world, so Derek (Philadelphia) and Dave (Minnesota) can have a week to prepare their statements on their teams. Out hosts have all sorts of information to cover so this show will move quickly. Be ready to roll tonight for The Hockey Show at 5:30pm CT!

Tonight, Teebz and Jason look at the PWHL Final series that will be played by the Ottawa Charge and the Montreal Victoire as there are several U SPORTS, Canada West, and Manitoba tie-ins regarding who will win the first Walter Cup in Canada. Beyond that, there will be a serious discussion about the four new expansion locations that the PWHL chose, we have some Team Manitoba parahockey updates from Nationals to go over, Edmonton and Toronto are making changes, the USHL and SPHL are expanding, we'll finally get to a Spengler Cup discussion, and we'll tackle anything else that may come up. It's a big day of expansion and results tonight on The Hockey Show at 5:30pm CT on one of 101.5 FM, Channel 718 on MTS TV, or via UMFM.com!

If you live outside Winnipeg and want to listen, we have options! The UMFM website's streaming player works well if you want to listen online. We also recommend Radio Garden if you need an easy-to-use online stream. If you're more of an app person, we recommend you use the TuneIn app found on the App Store or Google Play Store.

If you have questions, you can email all show queries and comments to hockeyshow@umfm.com! Tweet me anytime with questions you may have by hitting me up at @TeebzHBIC on Twitter! I'm here to listen to you, so make your voice heard! And because both Teebz and Jason are on the butterfly app where things are less noisy, you can find Teebz here and Jason here on Bluesky!

Tonight, Teebz and Jason chat about the Walter Cup, expansion, medals, coaches, management, bad decisions, and much more exclusively on 101.5 UMFM and on the UMFM.com web stream!

PODCAST: May 14, 2026: Episode 712

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Canada's New Look?

It should be no secret that Hockey Canada has changed their jersey designs repeatedly over the last number of years. Hockey Canada essentially has made their market when it comes to hockey jerseys because there seems to be a new design every couple of years based on emerging fashion trends and shrinking jersey sales. The jerseys to left, which cannot be worn in the Olympics due to Hockey Canada's logo, were fairly iconic for most of the IIHF tournaments, but Canada has changed that design that was last seen in 2022 a few times since it was worn. Not surprisingly, they've designed and are looking to trademark another iteration for future use on the ice.

Before we look at the new design, I just want to reiterate that the black Canada jersey seen above and any black colouring on any other jersey is completely unnecessary. I get that black is part of Hockey Canada's colour palette, but Canada is red and white in terms of national colours. I hate when Canada wears black at tournaments, and those black jerseys in the past and any future jerseys that are black should be scrubbed from Hockey Canada's design options.

That being said, here's Canada's new "eleven point maple leaf" jersey.

You may be wondering about that "eleven point maple leaf" name, and it seems that it comes from the Hockey Canada logo itself which has eleven distinct points and the three small maple leaves in gold on the rear neckline. The design itself leaves a lot of wanting for additional colours splashes despite four colours - red, white, black, and gold - being shown on the above jersey. According to the trademark filing, there's a "middle arm band pattern on each sleeve that consists of maple leaves and stylized maple leaf designs with a hockey player with the word Canada underneath is in white."

If I'm being honest, the design shown above has 2018 vibes all over again as seen with Finland. The shoulder yokes are sublimated into some design while the rest of the jersey is the base colour, allowing the logo to be the main focal point. Hockey Canada's logo shouldn't necessarily be the main focal point, though, as the players are representing their country, not Hockey Canada exclusively. In theory, there's nothing wrong with this design, but seeing how it looks on the ice and in graphics leaves Canada looking a little barren. A hem stripe would add that spalsh of colour and adding one more stripe of colour below that middle arm band pattern would be ideal.

I'm still puzzled by the three gold maple leaves on the rear neckline. If it's to represent the men's, women's, and parahockey programs overseen by Hockey Canada, I can live with that, but that designation seems to ignore the Canadian women's parahockey team that participated at the first Women's World Championship last season. The national women's parahockey team doesn't fall under Hockey Canada's umbrella at this time, but they have approached Hockey Canada about future funding and support. I'm hoping that happens.

Because of the Hockey Canada logo, though, this jersey can't be worn at the Olympics nor the Paralympics, so having the three stars representing the men's, women's, and parahockey programs doesn't make a lot of sense. While the jerseys can be worn annually at each program's World Championship, the Olympics are the big tournament where everyone wants to play. Why would Hockey Canada create a jersey that they can't wear at the most-watched tournaments on the planet? That seems short-sighted from a merchandise standpoint.

It's becoming harder and harder to understand the decisions being made at the Hockey Canada offices. Combined with their idiotic decision to not participate in the Spengler Cup this season, this is the second complete and total miss they've had in the last two weeks. I'm not saying that anyone needs to be fired over this new jersey design, but it should have never been submitted for a trademark application.

2026 is proving to be a rough year for Hockey Canada as the World Junior team was eliminated in the quarterfinals, they brought home three silver medals from Milano-Cortina, they got dropped from the Spengler Cup, and now they've proposed a terrible jersey trademark. I can't remember the last time that Hockey Canada piled up this many losses in one year, but 2026 is fast becoming forgettable.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

No One Cares. Season's Over.

I'm not here to point out the embarrassing act that the Barrie Colts pulled following their OHL semifinal win. It was all over sports highlight shows, and Colts head coach Dylan Smoskowitz apologized for the behaviour that he said he encouraged. What makes that look even worse in hindsight at this point, though, is that the Colts' season came to an end tonight as they were swept in the OHL Final by the Kitchener Rangers. Again, I'm not here to rip on the Colts for what they did, but karma seems to have responded to the behaviour shown with tonight's result.

I'll credit Smoskowitz for accepting responsibility for what happened in that press conference. It doesn't mean I have to like how they acted, but Smoskowitz deserves a nod for taking the heat, apologizing to the media, and accepting that he cost the Colts $15,000 after the OHL issued the team a fine for that behaviour. He messed up, he admitted he did and was the ringleader, and he didn't shy away from the scrutiny. At the very least, I can respect that.

The Colts ran into an unstoppable force in the Kitchener Rangers in the final, and they gave the Rangers everything they had. Two games went to overtime, but the Rangers prevailed in each of the four games to complete the sweep. Tonight's 4-2 game was, at one point, a 2-2 contest with twelve minutes to play, but the Rangers found the lead when Christian Humphreys tipped Carson Campbell's shot past Colts' netminder Ben Hrebik, and it was all defence after that.

The Colts worked hard in the final. The Colts gave it their everything when it came to trying to topple the Rangers. The Colts came up short, though, and their season has come to an end tonight.

I'm not one to lend credence to things like superstitions or 'hockey gods". They're fun little aspects that people can talk about, but I do believe that luck favours the prepared, hard work gets rewarded, and there is balance in the universe when it comes to everything. Yes, weird things happen and coincidences are real, but I don't have a deep belief in the "supernatural" of hockey. It's just not real.

In saying that, it's hard not to have a smirk and suggest that the "hockey gods" weren't happy with the Colts' press conference after the Colts knocked off the favoured Brampton Bulldogs. One might call it karma after the Colts disrespected the game with their behaviour, but, no matter how you slice it, the end result was that the Colts ran into a talented Rangers team that lost two games in these playoffs and are now on a six-game winning streak entering the Memorial Cup.

The Barrie Colts will likely take a few days to process this loss before coming back to clean out their lockers, and I suspect there will be a handful of interviews with reporters at that time. A handful of players will clean out their lockers for the last time in their OHL careers, and there likely will be some reflecting on the years spent battling through Ontario. It might be the last time some of these players see one another as their paths go in different directions.

One thing I doubt any coach or player will utter is their team motto. That lesson was learned in the week after the press conference, and it was reinforced by the Kitchener Rangers' sweep of the Colts. All of Barries's returning players will go into the summer knowing that "no one cares" about their second-place finish in the OHL, and they'll need to find another gear and "work harder" next season.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!