Cannot Generate Emotion

How about that comeback tonight from the Buffalo Sabres? That was a heckuva rally in the third period with three goals in a 4:34 span that moved Buffalo from a 2-0 deficit to a 3-2 lead in a game they won 4-3. News stories are already being written about it. Sportswriters are already hammering away at their keyboards... or so we believe. I say that because tonight's victory for Buffalo was fifteen years in the making, meaning that there should be a ton of passionate writers and bloggers talking about how much this victory means to the city of Buffalo, to themselves, and to the team. However, Steven Levy has me wondering how much writing is being done by people when it comes to these stories.

Levy is a longtime tech journalist who writes and publishes pieces for Wired. I find his pieces grounded in common sense and practical wisdom, but with an optimism that humanity and technology can work together. In his April 17 piece titled "AI Drafting My Stories? Over My Dead Body", Levy pulls back the curtain on how finance and tech writers are using AI more and more to generate the basis of their stories that are published. In the article, he writes,

"Last month, my colleague Maxwell Zeff wrote about writers who unapologetically generate at least some of their prose via unbylined AI collaborators. The star of his piece was Alex Heath, a tech reporter who said he routinely has AI write drafts based on his notes, interview transcripts, and emails. That same week, The Wall Street Journal profiled Fortune reporter Nick Lichtenberg, who explained to the paper that he leans heavily on AI to churn out his work. He has written 600 stories since July; on one day this past February, he had seven bylines."

Now you might be saying, "Teebz, these finance and tech reporters can do what they want because sports is different," but is it? Can AI-generated stories capture the passion, the exhilaration, and the emotion seen in Buffalo when the final horn sounded after fifteen years of heartbreak and disappointment? Can the human element be replicated by something that feels no emotions or has bias?

Levy writes, "Those relying on 'AI-assistance' claim that these stories are not replacing the work of stylists, but are put to use only in cases where the reader simply wants to consume information, be it a scoop or description of some development. All people want is the facts."

Facts are all fine and dandy when one is building a foundation for a story, but that is a terrible way to report about how a playoff victory came 5473 days after Buffalo's last playoff game and how much it meant so much to a city and its fanbase. AI cannot accurately convey those feelings because it hasn't lived through that heartbreak.

Give me the writers who have had to follow this team for a decade without playoff hockey. Give me fan accounts of how important this game and win was. Give me players' quotations and perspective on their victory. Give me all the stories that Buffalo has in seeing their team rally for a win when it seemed like Boston was in control.

Levy comes to this conclusion in his article, writing, "... because AI doesn’t live in the actual world, or have actual human experiences, no matter what it writes, or how clever it may be, or how much it takes on the voice of a singular flesh-and-blood writer, it can only play a partial role in human expression" which is absolutely true.

In no way can AI replicate the human emotional experience of being a Sabres fans and knowing how it feels to see this team rally from a 2-0 score to win the game in the third period. Yes, factually, it can talk about stats and numbers of how many times the Sabres have done that this season, but AI isn't sitting in the stands watching the Sabres make core memories for fans who have never witnessed a playoff game in Buffalo. That's where sportswriters play their role.

Let me be clear that I have not seen a Buffalo Sabres story about tonight's game that seems like it was generated by artificial intelligence. I chose that game as the example because of Buffalo's situation when it came to their fans' clear excitement over seeing a playoff game for the first time in fifteen years. Combine that with their incredible comeback and victory, and this game had all the right emotional markers that would make it impossible for AI to come close to describing the game in comparison to some great Buffalo reporters like Lance Lysowski and Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News.

Maybe it's best to end this examination of AI-generated stories with the quotation with which Levy began his article. It reads, "Sportswriting legend Red Smith once said that writing a column is easy: 'All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.'" Hockey is a sport played by men and women who are falliable, quotable, emotional, and logical, and we need those perspectives to keep the game real. Your words bring the game to life every time you write.

If you're a sports reporter, the blood, sweat, and tears matter to the people who are reading your work. Don't give in to the easy solution of letting AI generate your content. As Steven Levy summed up nicely in the last paragraph of his article, "... we will all be impoverished by the loss of the human voice. Not to mention the soul."

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Luck Favours The Prepared

By now, everyone has heard the comments made by various Winnipeg Jets as they cleaned out their lockers, and it seemed like there general consensus that the Jets have to get younger and faster. Whether that happens will be seen in the future, but there was a good display of how old and slow plays against younger and faster tonight as the Minnesota Wild opened their series against the Dallas Stars by punching them square in the mouth via their 6-1 win. This game was over before the halfway point with Minnesota building a 4-0 lead, but what surprised me was how the Wild made the Stars look much slower on the ice comparatively.

In short, Dallas could be in real trouble in this series.

Of course, it's just one game and this series isn't anywhere close to being over, but the Minnesota Wild looked like they had been shot of a cannon comparably to Dallas. It's said that teams have to be good to lucky, and we saw Minnesota get a couple of goals in that fashion that had the Stars reeling. If the hockey gods were smiling on Minnesota today, it's likely because they won a ton of puck battles, they were first to a lot of loose pucks, and they kept Dallas on their heels with their forecheck and speed. This wasn't lost on the Stars.

"First 30 minutes, we didn't win enough battles," Dallas Stars forward Mikko Rantanen told Taylor Baird of NHL.com. "They were just that little bit stronger in the battles and that's why they were able to make us defend more than we want to. Just got to be stronger."

Dallas head coach Glen Gulutzan also made mention of losing battles.

"When you're not winning anything and you're not winning your races, you're not winning your 50-50s, you put yourself at risk for what happened," Gulutzan explained to the gathered reporters in the postgame press conference. "Deflections, a shot from the half-wall that goes off a guy and goes in, one from behind the net. Because you're in vulnerable spots because you're not winning battles. Like I said, to a man I think we can all be better in that area."

Stars defenceman Miro Heiskanen tried to sum up what needs to happen in Game Two, saying, "Have to play a little harder, close the gaps a little quicker, and not give them that much time. I think those are the keys. It's a long series."

On the other side, Minnesota Wild head coach Jon Hynes spoke of his team's preparation as a key leading into this first playoff game.

"We prepped for a couple days coming into this one," Hynes said of his team after their Game One win. "Now, we will gather information from this game and continue to move forward. For me, it’s game to game and day to day. We want to continue to get better. We won and they lost. It's not so much being satisfied where you're at or that's what it is. We need to continue to find ways to get better."

If there are things that don't need to be improved in any major way, Minnesota's transition defence was on display for sixty minutes as they continually caused Dallas headaches. When Dallas came down the ice, there was zero room to manoeuver, resulting in turnovers and Dallas having to retreat. Speed, positioning, and understanding the assignment gave Dallas fits in getting down the ice today.

Minnesota moved the puck very well in all three zones, and they rarely struggled to find space on the ice. Dallas missed assignments, Dallas missed both stick- and bodychecks, and Dallas chased the puck far too often. How does Joel Eriksson Ek stand so open on the power-play in the middle of the slot twice, resulting in two goals? How does Kirill Kaprizov not get pasted into the boards every time he touches the puck? Dallas has to mind the details to win in this series!

Dallas will get set for Monday night's Game Two by focusing on the details that they clearly ignored today. I expect the Stars to finish checks, drive the Minnesota net more, and pay attention to defensive assignments. On the flip side, though, Minnesota will take today's game as the first step they need to get to the second round, continue to play at a high level, and focus on making Dallas's trip to St. Paul less fun by taking both games in Dallas. Game Two should be intense!

Like the St. Louis-Winnipeg series last year, whoever wins this series may come out worse for wear based on the bumps and bruises they'll sport. Minnesota is 25% of the way there with their big win tonight, but they still need three more against a team that has played in the Western Conference Final in the last two seasons. Expect a tougher Dallas team to clock-in on Monday for Game Two of this series!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Matchups Are Set

If you thought this was going to be an article about the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs, you're on the right track. Officially, these are the first-round matchups for the Survivor: NHL Playoffs on The Hockey Show as sixteen people were registered last night. There are returning entrants from years past, there are new entrants this year, and there's even a celebrity by The Hockey Show's standards as Fiona Quinn makes her debut in the contest! In short, this should be a fun year for everyone with the games beginning tomorrow afternoon!

Here is a quick reminder of the challenges on Survivor: NHL Playoffs.

• First shutout recorded in the playoffs.
• First hat trick recorded in the playoffs.
• First goaltender point recorded in the playoffs.
• First team eliminated from the playoffs.
• First to advance from the second round to the third round.
• First team to score seven goals in one game in the playoffs.
• First upset of the playoffs.

These prizes will be awarded in chronological order. I cannot change what time games start or end, so if one of Carolina or Ottawa pitches a shutout in the opening game, that will take the "first shutout recorded" off the board regardless of what else happens tomorrow night. For all of the other challenges, the same timing rule applies.

There are hockey books, some UMFM gear, and other things to be won in these challenges, and we're hoping to give them all away before the end of the contest. Of course, the grand prizes for the two finalists are jerseys which represent a longtime rivalry as we're offering a 2018-21 Pittsburgh Penguins alternate jersey and a 2021-24 Washington Capitals alternate jersey for those finalists. If this is the last year of Crosby-vs-Ovechkin, these are good jerseys to have!

Sixteen teams locked down playoff sports a few days ago, and sixteen contestants locked down teams yesterday in Survivor: NHL Playoffs on The Hockey Show. The Ottawa Senators will be in Raleigh to play the Carolina Hurricanes at 3pm ET tomorrow to get the playoffs started, and that's where the fun begins! Good luck, Survivors!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

The Hockey Show - Episode 708

The Hockey Show, Canada's only campus-produced radio show that strictly talks hockey, returns tonight with hockey's greatest radio contest in the history of the planet! Ok, maybe we're overselling that a wee bit, but tonight is the only night where you can enter Survivor: NHL Playoffs to be part of the fun! Sixteen teams have already clinched playoff spots with most of the matchups for the opening round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs being set, sixteen entrants will get into the Survivor pool tonight on The Hockey Show at 5:30pm CT!

Tonight, Teebz and Jason will be looking for entrants who want into the 2026 edition of Survivor: NHL Playoffs! The rules and information you need about the contest is here, and tonight is when we get sixteen people to choose numbers to find out which team is assigned to each entrant! As numbers start to be removed from the board, the chances of landing a top-seeded team may increase or decrease depending on which teams remain so you're going to have to weigh the odds if you want one of the superpowers. What I can tell you is that if you call between 5:30pm and 6:30 CT at (204) 269-8636, your chances of getting into the Survivor: NHL Playoffs contest will never be better! Settle in, tune into the show, and get your phone out tonight for Survivor: NHL Playoffs 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 participate, you're still welcome to enter the contest! The UMFM website's online streaming player works well if you want to listen online. We also recommend Radio Garden if you need an easy-to-use online stream. If you're more of an app person, we recommend you use the TuneIn app found on the App Store or Google Play Store. It's a solid app.

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

Tonight, Teebz and Jason take calls from sixteen people to get them registered for the 2026 edition of Survivor: NHL Playoffs heard on The Hockey Show exclusively on 101.5 UMFM and on the UMFM.com web stream!

PODCAST: April 16, 2026: Episode 708

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

The Other Side Of The World

The goaltender to the left likely isn't going to be recognizable unless you're following the ECHL and SPHL closely. That goalie is Surrey, BC's Noah Giesbrecht, and he was trying to crack lineups in the professional leagues here in North America after finishing a solid university career that saw him play at three different schools including a U SPORTS school! One of the toughest things for any undrafted goalie to do is break into the ECHL with so few roster spots available, but Giesbrecht looked like he may get his shot with the Savannah Ghost Pirates after playing with the SPHL's Knoxville Ice Bears! That run with the Ghost Pirates ended early as he was released yesterday, but he found a new home very quickly for this summer!

Giesbrecht's hockey career saw him play in both the MJHL for two teams and the SJHL for Melfort Mustangs along with a cup of coffee in the USHL with the Muskegon Lumberjacks. He put up very good numbers in 2019-20 with the MJHL's Portage Terriers, compiling a 12-4-0 record with a 1.86 GAA and a .925 save percentage. Those numbers attracted the attention of the OUA's University of Windsor Lancers, and Giesbrecht was off to play in southern Ontario!

After the COVID year in 2020-21, Giesbrecht was excellent with the Lancers as he went 7-1-0 with a 2.13 GAA and a .941 save percentage in the first half of the season before jumping south of the border as he enrolled at Ferris State where he joined the men's hockey team! In his time with the Bulldogs, Giesbrecht went 19-29-3 with a 3.35 GAA and an .898 save percentage. He'd play his final NCAA season with RPI where he was 11-19-0 with a 3.54 GAA and an .896 save percentage. Being undrafted, Giesbrecht looked to the ECHL as an option.

He spent more time on the bench than in a crease as two games with Tulsa and nine games with Savannah were the only opportunities he received this season. Combined with seven more games in Knoxville, Giesbrecht likely had his agent looking for other options as his 18 games of professional action didn't give him a lot to build on for next season. That's when another opportunity presented itself, and Giesbrecht took it as he'll pack his bags and head south!

Giesbrecht will suit up this summer - or, more accurately, this winter in Australia - for the AIHL's Melbourne Mustangs! The AIHL's opening games happen this weekend, and the Mustangs will be in action on Saturday as they host the Central Coast Rhinos. Giesbrecht gives them another solid goaltender along with Seb Woodlands and Tom Papas, and they may need the added experience as their opening night lineup apparently will not feature longtime star Ty Wishart! That could possibly change as there was no announcement of him retiring, so he could be back at some point. For whatever reason, though, the Mustangs will be without one of their best players to begin the 2026 AIHL season.

The AIHL will continue with their ten-team setup as the action last season proved exciting down the stretch with teams pushing for playoff spots. The Melbourne Ice enter the season as the defending champions after defeating the Canberra Brave for the Goodall Cup last season, so those teams will come into this season with targets on their backs. The Mustangs finished in sixth-place which pitted them against the Perth Thunder in a play-in game for the playoffs, but Perth took care of business by a 5-2 score. Clearly, the Mustangs want to return to glory, so improved goaltending will help that cause!

Noah Giesbrecht has played in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Ontario, Michigan, New York, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Georgia in his hockey journey thus far, and he'll add the city of Melbourne, Australia on this leg of his hockey career! Where it goes from here is anyone's guess, but the summer of 2026 will see him in Mustangs' black and orange!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!