Stormy Night In Philly

Never are there meteorologists talking about hurricane season in the middle of May, but the Carolina Hurricanes swept through Philadelphia tonight, destroying the hopes and dreams of the Flyers and their fans. It's been a long time since a team has opened the playoffs with two-straight playoff series wins by sweeps, but the Hurricanes have written their names alongside the handful of teams who have. The scary part is that this dominance may continue as the Hurricanes now have a pile of time to rest up, reload, and prepare for the Eastern Connference Final against either Buffalo or Montreal.

Whatever the process is in Carolina under head coach Rod Brind'Amour, it's hard to argue that this Hurricanes team isn't fully committed to every aspect of their game. All four lines are dangerous when they come over the boards, goaltender Freddie Andersen looks like a Conn Smythe candidate, and the Hurricanes will now have a minimum of ten days to prepare for their next game. To say they've been dominant doesn't begin to give them the credit they're due.

Take nothing away from Philadelphia who will gain invaluable experience from this run, but they should benefit from seeing how the Hurricanes play the game. As a younger team, the Flyers have lots of room to grow and get better, so learning from an experienced team like Hurricanes about preparation, commitment to the system, and execution on the ice will make the Flyers better too.

For now, though, the Hurricanes will head home to Raleigh, take a few days to lightly practice while healing and resting, and they'll begin to ramp up as they watch the Sabres and Canadiens battle for the right to meet the Eastern Conference's best team. I made mention six days ago about the NHL's dumb scheduling potentially causing Carolina to be done before Montreal and Buffalo play Game Three, and that's exactly what happened in this sweep.

The NHL doesn't even have a schedule for Round Three published yet, but the earliest that Montreal and Buffalo could be done is Thursday while Game Seven won't be played until Monday, May 18. Obviously, longer series are good for everyone's bottom line, but do either of Buffalo or Montreal stand a chance against Carolina if their series goes the distance? I'm going to go with a very strong "no way".

I suppose that's a lesson that one can learn here: if the NHL can't figure out how to set a fair and equitable schedule, those teams who have the opportunity to take advantage of the unbalanced schedule should do so. Carolina will be well-rested, nearly healed from all their bumps and bruises, and ready to pounce on their next opponent who doesn't have this same advantage. We know NHL teams love loopholes, and this scheduling issue has created the perfect storm for the Hurricanes. No one foretold two sweeps, but here we are.

For the third time in the last four years, Carolina will be an Eastern Conference Finalist. Carolina had five days off between the second and third series last season, and lost to Florida in five games. In 2023, they had seven days off between series, and the Panthers swept the Hurricanes in that Eastern Conference Final. I'm not saying that the rest-vs-rust factor has crept in to disrupt the Hurricanes in the past, but this is one trend they certainly will try to end this season.

As of tonight, it's Hurricanes season on the east coast. Carolina swept through Ottawa into Pennsylvania, continuing its path of destruction with a couple of stormy nights in Phildelphia. The "Storm Surge" will head north once again with either Buffalo or Montreal being the next city on its path, and there may not be much hope for either fanbase if the Hurricanes roll into town at unstoppable force levels.

Based on what we saw in Ottawa and Phildelphia, sound the alarms, folks. There's a powerful storm coming to ruin hopes and dreams.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Exactly As Designed

Winnipeg's last remaining professional hockey team was facing elimination in Game Four on the road tonight, so the Manitoba Moose needed a big effort to keep their season going. Twice they had fought off elimination against the Milwaukee Admirals, but the Grand Rapids Griffins were an entirely different monster. The Moose took advantage of the Griffins not having played for a week in Game One, but Games Two and Three looked very much like the Western Conference's best team was ready to roll. Could the Moose hand the Griffins their tenth loss at home all season and force a Game Five in this series?

The Moose certainly were never out of the game in any of their three-straight losses, but it was evident that the Griffins were playing at a different level in those games including tonight's 5-2 win over the Moose. Perhaps the most telling statistic from those three losses was that Grand Rapids was 4-for-7 on the power-play despite have no power-play opportunities in Game Three. The team that wins the special teams battle usually finds itself on the right side of the ledger, and this was the case with Grand Rapids advancing tonight.

If defence truly wins championships, the Griffins certainly showed why they should be a favorite for the Calder Cup. Despite losing Game One, the Griffins outscored the Moose 11-5 in four games that saw them score nine goals over their last two games. The Griffins seemingly got stronger as the series went on while the Moose couldn't find another gear. If the Griffins carry that Game Four effort into the next series against Chicago, the Wolves will be in for a tough series.

There will need to be some evaluation done by Jets and Moose management now, and one of the statistics that has to worry them is that goaltender Thomas Milic has yet to win an AHL playoff game. There's no denying that the 23 year-old Milic has the necessary talent and drive to get to the next level, but his 0-4-0 record, 3.70 GAA, and .846 save percentage in AHL playoff games suggest that he's not quite ready despite solid regular season numbers. If he's aiming for Eric Comrie's job or, potentially, Connor Hellebuyck's job, Milic has yet to win a game when it mattered most at the AHL level.

One can argue that losing Nikita Chibrikov and Elias Salomonsson before this series started hurt the Moose's chances, and that's not wrong. However, Salomonsson's shoulder injury likely would have kept him out of this series even if he hadn't opted for surgery while Chibrikov had his core muscle surgery done once the Jets' season ended, so he hadn't been available for the Moose since the Calder Cup Playoffs began. Would they have helped if they were healthy? Absolutely, but these absences were known going into this series.

Since 2022, the Moose are 7-12 in playoff games. They missed the playoffs in 2025, but have only won the play-in series with Milwaukee this season in terms of playoff series wins. If we eliminate that play-in series, the Moose are 5-11 at the big dance with zero series wins over the last five seasons which, quite frankly, isn't indicative of a "draft and develop" model in any way. It's not like the Jets are flush with talent they developed, and the Moose are proving that whatever coaching Mark Morrison claims he's doing isn't delivering NHL or AHL results as he's been the guy in charge of the Moose since 2021.

One can argue that Winnipeg is Jets-obsessed which isn't entirely wrong, but it would certainly benefit True North Sports and Entertainment to have two successful hockey teams playing in their barn. While the Jets will always be the marquee attraction, the Moose could be the fun, affordable option for hockey fans and families who aren't willing to buy the NHL's outrageous ticket prices. With neither the Jets nor the Moose making deep playoff runs in recent memory, it seems like the entire system needs an overhaul.

If you're tracing the line as to where the Jets' and Moose's paths converge, it would be at the general manager's office. I know I'm not the owner of the Jets nor am I related to him in any way, but if I were Mark Chipman I'd be asking some very tough questions of Kevin Cheveldayoff before this year's draft. With the Jets poised to be a bubble team again next season and with the Moose being first-round exits every season, Cheveldayoff's draft-and-develop strategy has proven to be entirely mediocre at best over the last five years.

I enjoyed the five home games that Moose fans were able to see this season, but it's evident that "make the playoffs" is the pinnacle for both the Jets and Moose under True North Sports and Entertainment's current regime. Winning is not a priority despite all the lip service that's been spewed about it. If either team were to win, that's a bonus for management and a credit to the players because both coaching and management haven't set either team up for long-term success. If they had, we'd be seeing some sort of payoff of that effort put in over the last five seasons. Clearly, that hasn't happened.

Congratulations to the Grand Rapids Griffins on their four-game victory, and good luck to them as they prepare for another IHL battle with the Chicago Wolves. The Moose will return home, clear out their lockers, and disperse to wherever those players spend the summer. Their season didn't end the way they likely wanted it to end, but it finished exactly how every other season under Mark Morrison and Kevin Cheveldaoff did: an early playoff exit. Almost as if by design.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

The Hockey Show - Episode 711

The Hockey Show, Canada's only campus-produced radio show that strictly talks hockey, hits the airwaves with a lot to get done tonight as five people will be sent off Survivor: NHL Playoffs island. There will likely be some discussion regarding for whom these five are cheering now that their chosen teams have been eliminated, and I'd expect some funny comments from at least a few of the departing entrants. Beyond that, our hosts will squeeze in some hockey news after the exit interviews tonight on The Hockey Show at 5:30pm CT!

Tonight, Teebz and Jason bid farewell to Jared (Dallas), Elliot (Edmonton), Josh (Utah), Tom (Boston), and Barry (Tampa Bay) in exit interviews for those teams after their playoff runs ended. I'd expect some fun comments from all of these entrants as a number of "Stanley Cup favourites" bowed out early, so we'll see if we can get some fireworks out of these five contestants. Our hosts will also discuss the Barrie Colts' bizarre press conference, Victor Hedman's honesty, PWHL expansion, USHL expansion, Canada's absence from the Spengler Cup, and anything else we can squeeze into the hour! It's a busy show and we may not get everything in, but find out what we do discuss by tuning in tonight to The Hockey Show at 5:30pm CT on one of 101.5 FM, Channel 718 on MTS TV, or via UMFM.com!

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

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

Tonight, Teebz and Jason chat with five more Survivor participants heading back to the mainland, dumb comments, refreshing honesty, expansion everywhere, idiotic decisions, and much more exclusively on 101.5 UMFM and on the UMFM.com web stream!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

A Needed Break

With playoffs in progress for some leagues and ending for other leagues, this is clearly one of the busiest times of the year in the hockey world. The NHL Draft Lottery just saw Toronto claim the top pick, there was a new expansion team announced in the PWHL, there will be a new name and logo for the AHL team in Hamilton announced soon, and there are stories from around the globe that should be examined. I'm not doing any of that tonight, though, because my life has been busy enough with the installation of a new fence at HBIC HQ. Officially, the backyard has been upgraded.

The above fence in the picture is not mine, but this new fence replaced one that was built by someone who has zero carpentry or engineering skills whatsoever. Add in an unprotected electrical line that run along the length of the fence stringer on one side just for fun and I had myself a disaster waiting to happen. Needless to say, I needed the fence replaced with something that not only improved the curb appeal and aestehtics of the house and yard, but also was structurally sound for both me and my next-door neighbours.

I realize that I have limitations when it comes to my ability to construct a fence. I don't know all the ins and outs of putting up a good fence despite my research into fence post anchors, depths required for those anchors, and the advantages and disavantages of vertical boards versus horizontal boards. I am not a carpenter nor a fence specialist, so I went the professional route for this fence.

The end result is that the new fence is stunning, and the company I hired installed it in three days! Something that likely would have taken me all summer to replace is now fully ready for patio parties, barbecues, and quiet evenings around the firepit, so I'll be leaving the company I chose a very positive review. The work done by their employees is second-to-none in terms of craftsmanship!

That being said, I cast no fault on them for my new problem, but I cannot find a suitable lock for the sliding gate on the back of the fence that is accessible from both sides in order to access the lane. There are many locks out there that will work from one side, but not many that are accessible on both sides. Magnetic locks are already out due to the winter temperatures and requiring a constant power source, and I don't really want to have a numerical keypad on the gate when it comes to a keyless option. A padlock would be fine.

That's the new task when it comes to this new fence: find adequate locking mechanisms for both the swinging gate at the front and the sliding gate at the back. I'm open to recommendations if you've experienced this same problem when it comes to locking a sliding/rolling gate, but my quest for some sort of lock that looks good and functions better continues. I know that, at the end of the day, it's likely going to be some sort of 90-degree hasp lock that will require me to move the padlock depending on whether I'm inside or outside the gate, but we'll see how thing shake out here.

With construction coming to an end tonight, it's been a busy and occasionally noisy few days around HBIC HQ, but it looks so much better than how it did before. I'm going to sit outside this evening, unwind a little, and admire the skill and craftsmanship that was put into this new fence. I don't have a Fortress of Solitude like Superman, but I can find some peace in my upgraded backyard when needed.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Do Not Suffer Quietly

I have nothing but complete and total respect for Victor Hedman after he announced today that he had been out of the lineup while focusing on his mental health. When an athlete as heralded and celebrated as Hedman speaks about how he needed to step away from the game that has brought him his celebrity status, it might be time to take a longer look at how hockey and sports in general takes a mental toll on those who play the game. We saw Linus Ullmark speak of the struggles he went through earlier this season, Robin Lehner has been struggling with his mental health for a while, and Ville Heinola spoke of hiring a mental health coach to help him this season. Clearly, this is a health issue that all professional sports leagues should be working to improve, and I commend Victor Hedman for speaking out today about his mental health situation.

Hedman spoke openly and honestly with reporters today as he spoke about his prolonged absence from the Lightning lineup, telling the assembled media that he's been seeing a therapist for years.

"It just helps to have someone to talk to. My therapist has no clue what hockey is. She's learning, but that's kind of nice, too," Hedman told reporters about his therapy sessions. "She's not focused on me as a hockey player, she's focused on me as a person. That's been great, and she's been a tremendous help. She's one of the big reasons that I'm standing here today and feeling the way I feel."

Seeking treatment for mental health issues is nothing new for hockey players, but being as open and honest about those struggles is a vast difference compared to the various ways that some dealt with their deteriorating mental health in the past. Coaches, fans, and media would question a player's "mental toughness" if one were to show ay sort of weakness, and players often remained silent and treated their struggles with mental health through dependencies that affected them and their loved ones. In short, mental health issues have always been present for elite-level hockey players, but, thankfully, things are changing since those days of yesteryear for those needing help.

A 2025 study titled Elite Ice Hockey Players’ Well-Being: A Scoping Review published in the National Library of Medicine written by Pierre-Luc Veillette, Stéphanie Girard, Jason D'Amours, Vincent Huard Pelletier, and Paule Miquelon looked at "the psychological factors contributing to elite ice hockey players' well-being". The study was based on published works that focused on "anxiety and depressive symptoms, motivational variables, and coping strategies at different career stages" of the hockey players described in those articles.

The findings by the authors showed that there are many factors that lead to elite male hockey players struggling with mental health. The study did identify that it was a poor representation of women's hockey as there weren't many articles which they could study, but everything from concussions and their long-term effects to lack of routine for retired players to negative experiences with coaches and parents led to negative thoughts and behaviours in hockey players.

Hedman, in his comments today, indicated that fellow players may be changing how mental health situations are viewed within the league.

"In the beginning it was more with my therapist. Guys were reaching out, and I really didn't have the energy to reach back at that point," Hedman said. "But it was a tremendous amount of support, not just from my teammates, but around the league as well. Tremendous support, and now we're just looking forward to what's ahead."

This aligns with the study above that noted that "athletes who seek social support during injuries tend to cope better during their rehabilitation process. Thus, strong support networks — including teammates, coaches, and family — are instrumental in fostering effective coping strategies". Hedman indicated that the support from teammates and players around the league helped him escape the darkness, and that's a great sign for how hockey may be changing for the better. No longer are players told to "tough it out". Instead, there's compassion and empathy when a player is asking for help.

"The mental part is just as important, if not more important, than the physical part," Hedman stated matter-of-factly about his time away from the Lightning. "This game has given me everything, but it takes a toll on you as well. So just don't sit around with your thoughts by yourself. Just reach out and get the help you need."

There are a pile of great resources for people who may not know where to turn as well. The Canadian Mental Health Association can be reached 24/7 by dialing or texting 9-8-8, there are many provincial resources that can help, the Kids Help Phone has info and resources for younger people seeking help, HeadsUpGuys has mental health resources specifically for men, Indigenous Peoples can get 24/7 help through Hope For Wellness, and the Women's Health Clinic offers assistance to women, Two-Spirit, genderqueer, trans and non-binary people. All of these organizations are incredible and I am grateful they are helping those who ask for help.

I urge anyone who is struggling with any sort of mental health issue - anxiety, depression, overwhelming emotions, or suicidal thoughts - to use the resources above to find some light. As Victor Hedman said, he began his journey with a therapist, but not everyone has the means to be able to get that kind of help. Using the free resources above is a good start in navigating any and all mental health issues one may be experiencing. You don't have to be an NHL player to do that.

Perhaps Victor Hedman said it best near the end of his press conference when he stated, "There's a lot of people out there that can help you, and that's what I found out. It's never too late either."

Full credit to Victor Hedman for being a leader by speaking out about his struggles today. If he can help one person get the help he or she needs with his message, he's done a good thing. And if NHL players are coming to one another's aid when they're struggling, there still is decency and good in a business that often shows little of either trait.

Knowing that NHL players are lifelong teammates who may play on different teams is one thing, but seeing those friendships come before logos or contracts when a player is asking restores a little faith in the game for me. In saying that, if you need help, don't suffer quietly. Be like Victor Hedman and ask for help. As he said, "There's a lot of people out there that can help you" and "It's never too late".

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!