Kalamazoo Does It Right

The image above is one of Western Michigan University's Waldo Stadium where the Broncos football team usually practices and plays. While it's a solid stadium for most of the year, it sits empty duirng the winter when snow occupies the seats and the field. That won't be happening this season, though, as Western Michigan University and the ECHL's Kalamazoo Wings have come together to make Waldo Stadium far more fun for university students and hockey fans!

While I found it strange that Western Michigan University didn't make this announcement, the K-Wings announced today that "the team will host an Outdoor Game versus the Toledo Walleye" at Waldo Stadium on January 31, 2027 in what will mark a partnership between WMU and the K-Wings when it comes to hockey. In 2027, the WMU Broncos men's hockey team will move into the Kalamazoo Event Center, sharing that arena with the ECHL's Kalamazoo Wings moving forward!

"In many ways, this Outdoor Game is a preview of what's ahead," Toni Will, Kalamazoo Wings general manager and governor, said in the press release about the outdoor game today. "Beginning in 2027, Broncos and K-Wings alike will call the Kalamazoo Event Center home, creating a shared space for hockey fans of all ages and backgrounds. This partnership with Western Michigan University reflects a bigger vision of growing the game, creating unforgettable experiences and bringing our community together through hockey."

Clearly, this is a smart move for both the K-Wings and the WMU Broncos as the brand-new Kalamazoo Event Center becomes the sole venue for hockey, college basketball, concerts, and events that pass through Kalamazoo. It replaces the old Wings Event Center which sat 5113 people and up to 6323 for concerts and trade shows. The new Kalamazoo Event Center, opening next year, features the arena, practice facilities, other sports-related amenities, and a dedicated parking area for fans. It will hold up to 8000 people for concerts and 6,500 people when configured for hockey and basketball.

Clearly, having two teams that draw smaller crowds to their games wouldn't work in cavernous arenas, but having both teams splitting weekend games and using the facility for other events makes sense for the $515 million event center. In a feasibility study conducted in 2021 by Conventions Sports and Leisure International for three Kalamazoo groups, it was estimated that this new event center would see an estimated 236 events held there annually, and Greenleaf Hospitality Group, who owns the facility, wanted it to be a place where the community can gather. The privately-funded facility looks to draw fans, students, and visitors to all sorts of events.

WMU student Brent Robinson told FOX17's Julie Dunmire, "It's going to be nice. It's going to be definitely a new experience for the town as well. It's going to bring a lot more people in," while Rebecca Macleery, owner of the Kalamazoo Dry Goods, wants to see more shoppers, telling Second Wave Media's Sage Lee, "People do drive here from a couple of hours away to come specifically to my store, and I want to see more of that. At the same time, I want to see more small businesses in this area that are catering to the local community rather than just trying to attract or serve tourists."

Assuming everything goes well, the new events center should be a gem for Kalamazoo. For now, WMU and the K-Wings are working on another venue, albeit temporary, at Waldo Stadium this winter as both teams will take the ice in games on January 30 and 31, 2027! The Western Michigan Broncos will host the Michigan Wolverines on January 30 in an NCAA clash between the two Division-1 univerisites, and the Kalamazoo Wings will host the Toledo Walleye on January 31 in their third outdoor meeting between the two ECHL teams!

Kalamazoo holds a 2-0 record over Toledo in their outdoor meetings with the K-Wings posting a 2-1 victory in the first-ever ECHL outdoor game on December 27, 2014 in Toledo at Fifth Third Field. They doubled their total outdoor wins on December 26, 2021 with a 3-2 shootout victory at Fifth Third Field, so they're looking to continue their winning ways with this third game. It will also mark Michigan's third outdoor professional hockey game after the Toronto Marlies and Grand Rapids Griffins battled in 2013 at Comerica Park in Detroit, and the Toronto Maple Leafs and Detroit Red Wings met in the 2014 Winter Classic at at Michigan Stadium. How cool is that?

The average temperature at night in Kalamazoo is reportedly around -10°C, so hockey should be enjoyable if Kalamazoo is getting seasonal weather. The Broncos and K-Wings will look to avoid the weather that Hastings, Minnesota got last year when the AHL's Milwaukee Admirals and Iowa Wild took the ice at -22°C for their outdoor game, but I expect the students and fans in Kalamazoo to bring the heat when welcoming the Wolverines and Walleye to Waldo Stadium!

While today's announcement was mostly about an outdoor game from the K-Wings perspective, it's pretty incredible that an ECHL ownership group has invested in a new facility not only for its team, but for the community team as well. Having Greenleaf Hospitality Group cover the costs for this new facility means that no public taxpayer money was used, allowing the city of Kalamazoo to continue funding maintenance and growth without raising taxes or issuing bonds, meaning taxpayers pay nothing for this new events center.

That's a municipal improvement of which I approve because there is an effort being made to make things better for the community as well. We know that citizens of Kalamazoo and the surrounding areas support both K-Wings hockey and Western Michigan University sports, so seeing this kind of investment by the K-Wings in their community by building new facilities and organizing outdoor hockey games that welcome its community is how Kalamazoo does things right.

2027 could be a massive year for hockey in southwest Michigan!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Fully Committed To This Team

I can't predict the future in any way, but the image to the left could be what press conferences in Sunrise, Florida look like next season after the trade today that saw Brady Tkachuk acquired by the Florida Panthers where his brother, Matthew, plays. We already now that these two second-generation NHL forwards and brothers have combined to do a podcast, but now they set up their gear anywhere they want as they'll be playing for the same team for the foreseeable future. With a healthy team next year, Brady Tkachuk could make Florida better.

Florida certainly mortgaged their future by trading this year's ninth-overall pick, this year's 25th-overall pick, a second-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft, and a conditional first-round pick in the 2029. The return of Brady Tkachuk, though, seems to indicate that Florida is following a "win now" philosophy like the Vegas Golden Knights do as the "win at all costs" mantra might be a better fit based on this trade. For a team without a bonafide starting netminder, the Panthers seem to be on the Vegas blueprint in building a team.

Ottawa, meanwhile, can either package up one or more of these picks and make immediate moves to help their future or they can use them to add more firepower down the line. It was clear in their series against Carolina that they have the foundation on which they can build towards something bigger, but they're still a few pieces away from contending. Making this move today opens up valuable salary cap space and provides them with options moving forward.

Some may question why this deal was done now, and the Ottawa Citizen's Bruce Garrioch indicated that his sources were saying that "Tkachuk had indicated to the Senators that he had no plans to re-sign after his contract expired". Losing him for nothing simply wouldn't be an option, but the deeper message of Tkachuk wanting to be elsewhere gave Ottawa GM Steve Staios the evidence he needed to explore a trade. The easy solution was the Florida Panthers.

Having the two Tkachuks makes the Panthers even tougher to play against as they admittedly bullied both the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Carolina Hurricanes into submission in past playoff series. Depending on who he plays with in Paul Maurice's system, he could be the 30-goal scorer he once was with Ottawa, the physical force seen in international games, or the annoying pest that he can often be. The scary part is that he could be all three of those, giving the Panthers a headache combination of Marchand and the Tkachuks.

Taking a step or two back, I simply don't like this trade for two reasons: Tkachuk basically was able to demand where he goes thanks to his no-trade protection, and the Ottawa Senators came away with nothing more than future assets when it comes to building their team. I get that Staios had to accept the latter if he wanted to move Tkachuk and rid themselves of the questions surrounding his future in Ottawa, but the no-trade protection limited where Staios could explore when it came to getting the best deal for the Senators.

I made the case a couple of weeks ago about how any player who asks to be traded should have that protection waived, but this one seemed to be the team asking if Tkachuk wanted to be there, and he said, "Eventually, no," prompting Staios to initiate trade talks. Again, this is the danger of no-trade clauses in contracts, and it should be a stern warning to all general managers to tread lightly when it comes to this kind of protection. Staios likely will in the future.

For a guy who, on April 29, said, "I have been fully committed to this team, to this city and (the talk), it's just become a distraction. Frustrating to deal with," he won't have to worry about that distraction any longer as he's no longer an Ottawa Senator.

For a guy who, on April 29, said, "We have great communication with our players, so we really don't focus on it," he won't need to focus on it because that distraction is now a Florida Panther.

If there's one thing of which I think every can be certain, it's that both men got what they wanted with this trade. Gone is the media circus that would surround Tkachuk and the Senators for the entire upcoming season, and Tkachuk can go to a place where his unique skills and occasional lapse in maturity will be tolerated. I guess you can say that both men are fully committed to their teams.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

No Butting Heads Here

When it comes to team branding, we've see a number of minor-professional hockey teams use unconventional names - Knight Monsters? Ghost Pirates? Hammers? - for their franchises. The key to these franchises is that they can save their weird names by having good jerseys, a solid mascot, and an ability to have fun with their names. That's where the New Mexico Goatheads come into play because their choice of team name was, in a word, questionable. I get the tie-in to local flora with which people of the Rio Rancho area are familiar, but it's just not a great name. Today, the team held an event where the jerseys would be shown, so let's see how this party went!

I don't know how the jersey reveal actually went because I can't find a lot of great images of the event, but we did get to see the jerseys.

At first glance, these aren't bad at all. I like the simplicity of the jersey as the logo pops off the chest without the shoulder yoke. The colours are bold with enough striping on the sleeve and jersey hems to complement the logo, but I'm not certain the added colours on the neckline were needed. It doesn't detract from the jersey, but it feels little unnecessary. The thorn logo above the Athletic Knit logo is entirely unneeded, and these jerseys would be improved if there was only one logo on the neckline. That's the only major problem I see.

I went to the Goatheads' store to see if I could dig further into the jerseys when it came to secondary patches and fonts used, but they only had the white replica jerseys up for sale. More on that in a moment, but you can see the Colorado Avalanche logo on the right shoulder while the New Mexico state wordmark logo is on the left shoulder. This is pretty standard with the NHL affiliate being represented, and I have no problem with the New Mexico state logo being used as representation of the community they represent. Again, the major thing that sticks out to me are the two logos above the Goathead logo. Someone needs to do something about that. It's going to bother me every time I look at these jerseys despite the AK logo needing to be there.

Regarding the lack of photos at the event and just the white jerseys in their online store, Jared Chester of KRQE Sports spoke to Goatheads GM Jared Johnson who said, "Unfortunately, we were only able to get 100 of each color here today, but we're expecting to get the rest here in the next couple of weeks to a month. They turned out unbelievable. We're really excited to get those out to the fans. That's been one of the biggest requests we’ve had so far."

Clearly, there's a demand from fans for their new team's threads, so that's a good sign for the expansion franchise. Of course, having a winning team helps to sell tickets and merchandise, and the Goatheads made an announcement at the event as to who will guide this franchise in their inaugural season with a head coach unveiling! The man to the left is who will take the reins this season as former NHLer Zach Stortini is the team's first head coach! The former hockey pugilist was an assistant coach with the OHL's Sudbury Wolves before joining the AHL's Tucson Roadrunners as an assistant coach in 2022. This will be his first head coaching gig in professional hockey, so we'll see how the 40 year-old handles the pressures of managing and deploying his ECHL roster!

Before I wrap this up, I do want to bring attention to one thing that I noticed in the Twitter photos posted by the New Mexico Goatheads. I'm not here to question anyone's jersey choices, but there was a fan at the event today that was wearing a jersey that caught my attention. As you can see to the right, there was a gentleman at this event wearing what looks like a Paul Shmyr California Golden Seals jersey with #22 on the back. Except Shmyr didn't wear #22 and it's not a California jersey because someone needs to appoint this guy as New Mexico's greatest hockey fan. That jersey he's wearing is a Dean Shmyr jersey from the Albuquerque Chaparrals from either 1996-97 or 1998-99 when the CHL's New Mexico Scorpions wore those throwback jerseys! That is some awesome jersey history! Good on that dude!

Amazing historical jerseys aside, the Goatheads should look pretty solid next season. The jerseys are simple, they don't get crazy with colours or added features, and the double logo on the front above the main Goatheads logo is my only major quibble. Yes, there was no font shown for names and numbers, but we'll get there. Of course, these may look different once the Goatheads take the ice, but the initial jersey unveiling looks pretty good. It's certainly not the greatest of all-time, but the Goatheads are ready for business!

And yes, I despise the GOAT acronym. People need to stop using it.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Staying In Canada

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

The Hockey Show - Episode 717

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

Oh, we'll be talking about these guys who threw a celebration and more down in North Carolina! Teebz and Jason will have Travis (Montreal) do his exit interview and, potentially, Matt (Vegas) do his exit interview before they discuss the Carolina Hurricanes winning the Stanley Cup, the Florida Everblades winning the Kelly Cup, and the Toronto Marlies being in the verge of winning the Calder Cup. There will be some discussion about the PWHL Draft, the loss of a Canadian institution, and how both of those could be improved if U SPORTS gave a damn. It's another fun show where we'll offer up our thoughts on these topics, so hunker down by your radio or internet-connected device tonight for The Hockey Show at 5:30pm CT on one of 101.5 FM, Channel 718 on MTS TV, or via UMFM.com!

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

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

Tonight, Teebz and Jason will look to send two more entrants home off Survivor: NHL Playoffs island before talking champions, dynasties, drafts, television, and much more exclusively on 101.5 UMFM and on the UMFM.com web stream!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!