And I'm Out

There comes a time in every person's life where one walks away from something that simply cannot be saved. I'm not trying to impose any savior complex or white knight complex on anyone, but the NHL is broken. Whether it be ticket prices that are no longer affordable, TV contracts that make watching impossible, or signing players whose reputations shouldn't allow them any sort of privilege, it seems the NHL simply no longer has a place for morals and ethics. Like Mark Cuban above, because of this, I'm out on the NHL.

In the last couple of weeks, we've seen the cost of watching the game at home escalate to a point where many people are simply not going to watch any longer, and the Edmonton Oilers decided to pile on top of those problems by signing mediocre forward Alex Formenton whose name was last mentioned in North America at the Hockey Canada trial where he was one of the defendants.

The fact that the Oilers decided that Formenton was a player they needed is laughable after not playing NHL hockey for five years, but the kicker is that the Oilers seem to want ill-reputed individuals from all walks of life as part of the organization. Whether it be Carter Hart (who they looked at), Stan Bowman, or Mike Babcock, the Oilers are doing their best to be the most radioactive team in the NHL. And both McDavid and Draisaitl seem fine with this outcome.

Alex Formenton was playing hockey as a middle-six forward for Ambri-Piotta in the Swiss National League, and he was hardly close to being the best player on his own team, let alone in Switzerland. After finishing in 82nd-place in Swiss Leafue scoring, however, the Oilers saw value in the once-blossoming forward who is now 26 years-old with 33 goals and 19 assists in his last five years of hockey. Let's not forget that he also has one massive black mark on his record where he was charged with, and eventually acquitted of, sexual assault.

It's almost like the Oilers don't care about what their fans think after either kicking tires on or signing people like Jake Virtanan, Evander Kane, the aforementioned Hart, Zack Kassian, Milan Lucic, Corey Perry, Stan Bowman, and Mike Babcock. And I'll be the first to say that people deserve a second chance on the condition that those chances are granted if there is evidence that those seeking another chance have put in the work to improve one's character with receipts being clearly visible. Alex Formenton has done none of that.

The Oilers lost one major fan today when Mary Loewen, aka Mama Stanley, walked away from the team following the Formenton signing, explaining her decision by saying, "Although he was acquitted in court, I cannot ignore my conscience or what this decision represents to me. As a sexual assault survivor, I must stand by my morals and stand with the woman at the centre of this case."

Not surprisingly, the Oilers won't lose sleep over Mary's defection, but I commend Mary for her stance. Writer Nitya Prakash stated, "If you can abandon your principles for convenience, or social acceptability, then they are not your principles. They are your costume," and Mary Loewen, who has worn a number of costumes as Mama Stanley, isn't playing dress-up when it comes to her character. I stand with her.

In fact, let me go one step further: I support Mary's decision, and I'm walking away as well. From all of it. The NHL, for all its perceived good, cannot stand by and abandon whatever shreds of morals and ethics it has because five players think they deserve NHL jobs. When they allow its member teams to employ alleged bigots, racists, domestic abusers, and rapists, the NHL could be mistaken for Riker's Island rather than the best hockey league on the planet.

In saying that, today is the day where I draw the line in the sand: I will not buy tickets or merchandise, I will not pay for a cable package or streaming subscription, and I will not attend NHL events because my support indirectly justifies the behaviour of the Oilers and other teams who employ these people. I'll hit the NHL where it hurts the most by not spending money on their product. If you feel the same way about how the NHL and its member teams have behaved, feel free to join me and Mama Stanley in opting out of supporting them.

I'll still write about the important stories here on HBIC and we'll discuss them on The Hockey Show, but I will not spend one cent on the NHL moving forward. Again, no one at the NHL is going to lose sleep over one person walking away, but, if enough of us walk away, changes will have to be made. Between Rogers Communications destroying hockey broadcasts for all Canadians and the NHL being a haven for all types of criminals, I'm better off without them.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

The Hockey Show - Episode 729

The Hockey Show, Canada's only campus-produced radio show that strictly talks hockey, remains out of the studio for another week, albeit for an entirely different reason. We had fun at the Hockey For All Centre last week as we chatted with Winnipeg Ice head coach Eugene Kaminsky, and this week sees us chatting with another incredible hockey mind and awesome person as we tackle a subject most seem to avoid! Who did we chat with and what's the subject? All that is answered tonight on The Hockey Show at 5:30pm CT!

Tonight, Teebz and Jason chat with author Daniel Gawthrop about his new book, Cutting Edge: Hockey as Queer Culture, and all of the topics he covered while getting his thoughts and a better understanding from his experiences about how the hockey world can be better place for everyone. They look at a very famous, historical hockey player whose past seems to indicate that he was the first gay hockey superstar, chat about making the game better for the LGBTQ+ community and for kids so that more people can be included in the "hockey is for everyone" statement, and discuss some of the ongoing realities that all of Daniel, the Cutting Edges Hockey team and association, and hockey in general faces with respect to making everyone feel welcome. It was an incredible chat with Daniel that gave Teebs and Jason new perspectives, and we need to thank Daniel for being so open and honest with us! Thanks again, Daniel!

On top of that, the interview ran for about 75 minutes, meaning that we had to cut some topics out of the interview just to fit into the time window, but Daniel kept giving us such interesting thoughts that it was hard not learn more from him! We'll post an hour of the chat tonight in giving you all of the best parts of the interview, so open your mind and tune into 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 author Daniel Gawthrop about Cutting Edge: Hockey as Queer Culture, ways to fix the game, making the game more inclusive, Don Cherry, and much more exclusively on 101.5 UMFM and on the UMFM.com web stream!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

The First EBUG?

As we know, the NHL has mandated that every team has to have an Emergency Back-Up Goaltender, EBUG, available this season. We've already seen fun stories about Peter Thome getting his shot and the return of the first NHL EBUG to win a game, but there was an EBUG sighting on another team long before David Ayles stepped onto the ice for the Hurricanes. Pictured to the left is that EBUG, and his name is Joe Franke who was pressed into action on December 14, 2002 as the Fort Wayne Komets and Elmira Jackals battled in the ECHL! How did this happen? Who is Joe Franke? Is he officially the first EBUG in modern hockey? Let's find out as we look at this awesome hockey history!

Franke wasn't on the Fort Wayne roster that night or any other night as an everyday goaltender. Instead, Franke was hired in 1978 by the team as their full-time equipment manager, but that didn't stop him from getting his name on the line-up sheet as a netminder more than 30 times in his illustrious career before he stepped away from the organization in 2020! And that leads us to December of 2002.

Again, the Komets put out an incredible video about this significant moment in their history and in hockey history, so I'd be remiss if I didn't post it here. Here is the video about Joe Franke's big night!
Pretty incredible video, right? Franke went in with eleven minutes remaining in the third period with Fort Wayne and Elmira tied 1-1. But how did Franke even get the chance to head out onto the ice?

As mentioned in the video, Komets starting goaltender Tom Lawson was called up to Milwaukee by the AHL's Admirals as they were battling a rough stretch with injuries and recalls by the Predators. As such, that left Pokey Reddick as the lone netminder for Fort Wayne despite him struggling with a virus. Cory Campbell, Scott Rideout, and Parris Duffus were the only other goalies used by the Komets that season, and none were available for their game against Elmira, forcing Franke into stand-by mode in case anything happened.

With Reddick cramping up in the third period and unable to play, Franke was sent to the dressing room to get ready as he would be needed to stop pucks. Minutes later, Franke would emerge down the tunnel wearing #35 in full gear as he stepped onto the ice. Shortly after he took his spot in the crease, Colin Chaulk scored for the Komets and Franke, unbelievably, earned an assist on his goal!

With Fort Wayne leading 3-1 after scoring a second time in the final frame, all the Komets had to do was shut down the Jackals for the win. However, the Jackals would rally for two goals late to tie the game at 3-3, and this UHL contest needed a shootout to determine the winner. Could Franke shut the door in the skills competition?

After both shooters failed to score in the first round of the shootout, Fort Wayne scored three times - Dustin Virag, Colin Chaulk, and Kelly Perrault - while Franke stopped Aaron Phillips in Round Five to give Fort Wayne the 3-1 shootout win for the 4-3 victory in the game! As such, Franke earned the win, picked up an assist, and stopped four of six shots plus four more in the shootout! How awesome is that debut?

While he's not the first EBUG in hockey history, Joe Franke might be the first EBUG to win a game at any professional level in modern hockey. Picking up an assist is also pretty cool for any goalie, but imagine getting an assist in your only game as a professional goalie! Well done, Joe, in crossing off two major stats in one fell swoop!

Just for fun, the Komets, as mentioned in the video, won the UHL championship that season, and that would add a second championship ring to Franke's jewelry box as he had also won a Stanley Cup with the 1991 Pittsburgh Penguins! He'd also add three Turner Cup rings from the IHL and a Central Hocley Lague championship ring during his time with the Komets, but his eleven minutes in net will never be forgotten in Fort Wayne, Indiana!

I know it won't happen, but maybe the Komets should retire #35 in honour of Joe Franke's tenure and his one big win in a Komets net!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

A New Philly Cathedral?

In a joint announcement today made by the NHL's Philadelphia Flyers alongside the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers, exterior renderings of a proposed new arena in south Philadelphia were shown to gathered reporters and media. There have been rumblings as far back as 2022 about Philadelphia getting a new arena for one or both of its arena-homed teams, and today seemed to be the day where the dream became reality. Of course, there are people like me who don't wear the rose-coloured glasses that others do, so it's time to add a pinch of reality to today's announcement in only a way that HBIC can do. Let's get out the measuring tapes and calculators and break down this arena pitch!

The first thing I went searching for was who was writing the cheques for this new arena, and everything points to the arena being privately funded. As per to Josh Harris, Co-Founder of Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment and Managing Partner of the Philadelphia 76ers, "Philly fans deserve the best arena in the world, and we are excited to partner with Comcast to deliver just that. This privately funded arena will be the home to moments and memories that define this city for generations," adding, "This is a new era for Philadelphia sports."

Of course, what Harris doesn't tell you is that the new arena is going to be built on the old site of the Philadelphia Spectrum located at 3601 South Broad Street. That area is currently parking lots for as far as the eye can see thanks to Citizens Bank Park, home of the Phillies, being built on the east side of the concrete jungle. If you've ever been to Kansas City, this is your future, Philadelphia.

Having walked that neightbourhood-sized parking lot in Kansas City during a late summer day, I can tell you that it was dreadfully hot as I passed by row after row of cars. I can't imagine what that would feel like in the winter, but I'd be packing for a polar expedition if I was forced to park further from the arena. Yes, there were people tailgaiting as I passed by, but I just wanted to get to my destination.

The proposed Philadelphia arena unveiled today included a "plan to extend the restaurant footprint, showcasing food-and-beverage pavilions," but I struggle to see where one will put food and beverage pavilions when there's nothing but parking spots for miles around the arena site. The Phillies aren't going to want their parking lots torn up for some restaurant that will pay rent to someone else, so this already sounds like a pipe dream when it comes to nearby amenities.

There's also the claim that this new arena will generate "hundreds of millions in new tax revenue directly benefiting the School District of Philadelphia and the city" which seems quite unlikely. Back in 2024, the 76ers were working with the city to avoid paying taxes through a means called annual "payments in lieu of taxes" or PILOTs. The catch is that "the PILOTs would almost certainly be lower than what the team would pay in real estate taxes" as per The Philadelphia Inquirer's Sean Collins Walsh. JC Bradbury, an economist at Kennesaw State University in Georgia who studies arena finance, told Walsh, "Philadelphia taxpayers would be better off if they did nothing."

The Sixers likely wouldn't abandon this money-saving idea as long as the city of Philadelphia allowed them to build on the old Spectrum site. 76ers co-owner and lead developer David Adelman justified the use of PILOTs to sports news website Crossing Broad by saying, "When you buy your house, there's a methodology for how your taxes are established, your property taxes. For stadiums and arenas, there's no real methodology, so it has to be done within this construct."

Except that's just not true. Geoffrey Propheter, a professor of public affairs at the University of Colorado-Denver, told Walsh that "[t]he Golden State Warriors own the real estate for the Chase Center" and their property tax bill in 2024 was about $19.5 million. He added additional fuel to the fire by telling Walsh, "The facility that you get — even though it's 100% privately financed for construction — is made possible because of the subsidies you get on the operating side."

By fronting the costs for the arena in whole, the Flyers and Sixers will pay less taxes directly to the city via the PILOTs for the life of the arena rather than the proper amount of taxes that would be split between the city and school district. In short, the School District of Philadelphia gets cut out of the picture if the city, Sixers, and Flyers agree to this plan. And unless the owners are crazy, they'll agree.

So let's review what wasn't said in the announcement today:

• Philadelphia will get a new arena in the middle of its largest parking lot with no real room for amenities to be built.
• Billionaire Josh Harris will pay for the arena up front in exchange for tax breaks and lower bills in perpetuity.
• The School District of Philadelphia gets screwed over by the three stakeholders agreeing to lower property tax bills.

While everyone was celebrating a new venue in Philadelphia, it's the fine print on the documents that no one sees that keep things from being better than what they are. Josh Harris is a billionaire - he can easily afford to build an arena and pay the proper amount in annual property taxes without even breaking a sweat, but that's not these arena deals work, I guess. School District of Philadelphia be damned.

We hear owners singing their own praises about job creation and funds generated, but there's always a catch to these municipal endeavours. That catch almost always benefits the owner financially, and no one ever seems to question nor contest these backroom deals. Billionaires don't need tax breaks as much as a school district could use an increase in funding, but that doesn't seem to matter in Philly.

For a place called the "City of Brotherly Love," it seems only a billionaire who promises a new arena gets that kind of love.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Road Trip: Cancelled

Every year, I look at the schedules of the teams near HBIC Headquarters and try to map out a potential road trip where I can see as many games as possible. Normally, there are all sorts of things that get in the way where the total number of games that I could see drops to a few, but this year seemed to have the stars align for such a trip. Based on the title of this article, however, I have decided against taking this trip and I'll discuss why below. For now, let's take a look at my proposed trip, destinations, and costs involved for this trip into hockey's heartland.

I'll break this down by stop as it makes more sense for me to illustrate the games I had planned on seeing with a little context. Some might be more of a head-scratching reason than others, but I'm looking for variation, not repetition, and unique hockey locales. You'll notice I include ticket costs, approximate hotel costs (because I didn't book those nights officially), and incidentals like food and merchandise at the game. All of these factored into the costs I was planning while travelling. Time's wasting, so let's get rolling!

DULUTH, MINNESOTA

The first leg of this trip would have seen me travel to Duluth where the Bulldogs women's team would host the St. Cloud State Huskies on December 4. I have been itching to see Ève Gascon play with the Bulldogs more often, and knowing the success that Laura Schuler has had with that program meant that I'd likely be walking the halls of AMSOIL Arena and taking in a lot of history. St. Cloud State has former Finnish standouts Mira Jalosuo and Noora Räty behind the bench as the program rebuilds, so I was curious about their progress as well.

DISTANCE: 613kms (7 hours)
TICKET COST: $17.00
HOTEL COST: $220 with free breakfast
INCIDENTALS: $30 (Castle Danger beverage and Burnt Ends)

MANKATO, MINNESOTA

Saturday night would see me in Mankato where I'd attend the Mavericks men's hockey game as they hosted Bowling Green. I have never been to Mankato, but I've heard good things about the city from former women's player Alexis Paddington, so this had to be a stop on this trip. Goaltender Raiden LeGall and defender Sam Court are from Manitoba while former ECHL forward Ty Cheveldayoff plays for Bowling Green, so there are few players to watch. On top of that, I have a Mavericks jersey I can wear so I can blend in as a local!

DISTANCE: 377kms (4 hours)
TICKET COST: $20.00? (not available yet)
HOTEL COST: $140 with free breakfast and pool
INCIDENTALS: $30 (local beverage and Wiste's Meat Market)

DES MOINES, IOWA

Sunday would be a bit of a rush, but I'd have to be up early and on the road for Des Moines, Iowa for the 3pm game between the AHL's Grand Rapids Griffins and Iowa Wild. Being that I'm quite familiar with both teams thanks to the Moose and that no roster decisions have been made for either team yet, this game was more of a luxury in seeing an AHL game in another city. I do have an Iowa Heartlanders jersey I could wear, but I'm not certain how welcome those would be at a Wild game. Being that I'm me, though, I'd wear it anyway.

DISTANCE: 336kms (3.5 hours)
TICKET COST: $31.00 in section 114
HOTEL COST: none
INCIDENTALS: $30 (some sort of local beverage and food)

ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA

You have noticed the "none" for hotel costs above, and that's because I'd high-tail it back to Minneapolis after the game (weather permitting). I'm not going to lie, though - this is the one that broke my enthusiasm. The Edmonton Oilers are visiting the Minnesota Wild on this evening, and I thought I could take the opportunity to see all of McDavid, Draisaitl, Kaprizov, Hughes, and Boldy in one rink. I'm not a fan of either team, but I'd gladly wear my Oilers alternate jersey to the game and take the abuse from the Wild fans. However, I look at that $200 price tag on the ticket and think "I haven't spent one-third of that amount in seeing three games". The NHL is too expensive.

DISTANCE: 399kms (3.5 hours)
TICKET COST: $178 in section 122
HOTEL COST: $93 x 3 nights with free breakfast
INCIDENTALS: $10 (I already spent enough)

RAPID CITY, SOUTH DAKOTA

I'd need to be on the road early on Wednesday to cover a thousand kilometers. However, an ECHL game featuring the Orlando Solar Bears and Rapid City Rush is one I would not want to miss. Mount Royal's Shane Farkas just signed with the Rush, former NHLer Brady Keeper is on the protected list for this season, and Seth Fyten, brother of former Bisons captain Caitlin Fyten, is also on the list. And when am I ever going to see the Solar Bears play? This was a must-see event.

DISTANCE: 939kms (8.5 hours)
TICKET COST: $48.50 in section C
HOTEL COST: $90 with free breakfast
INCIDENTALS: $30 (some sort of local beverage and food)

FARGO, NORTH DAKOTA

I'd have to hustle again on Thursday to land in Fargo where I'd be heading to Scheels Arena on Friday night for the USHL game between the Des Moines Buccaneers and the Fargo Force. Being that I've never been to a USHL game and knowing Fargo's drive for winning, I expect this one to be a fun night. I have no ties to any of the players, but crossing another league off the list after attending a game is a personal goal. If you count the NCAA's women's game as being a different league, that would be six different leagues in seven days!

DISTANCE: 130kms (1 hour)
TICKET COST: $20 in section 110 bought in advance
HOTEL COST: $140 with free breakfast
INCIDENTALS: $30 (some sort of local beverage and food)

GRAND FORKS, NORTH DAKOTA

The last stop is obvious as no hockey trip through the middle of the US would be complete without a UND game. The Fighting Hawks are scheduled to battle the Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs on Friday and Saturday, and there are literally a handful of tickets remaining for either day. As such, I'd be sitting in the nosebleed section, so one game will be enough for me. They play their annual White-Out Game on Saturday so I'd opt for Friday's game where the 701 Night promotions will run, but the cost of tickets was surprising.

DISTANCE: 130kms (1 hour)
TICKET COST: $80 in section 111 bought in advance
HOTEL COST: $160 with free breakfast
INCIDENTALS: $30 (some sort of local beverage and food)

CONCLUSION

By Saturday, I'd be home and getting back into an everyday routine after spending a week on the road watching hockey in an arena virtually every night. Some will say I'm insane for planning something like this out, and there may be some truth to that. After all, the dollar figures that I'd need to make this happen are greater than I want to spend. I'll break this down so you get what I mean.

TOTAL TICKET COSTS: $394.50 USD
TOTAL HOTEL COSTS: $1029 USD
TOTAL INCIDENTALS: $190 USD, but this likely would be less.
TOTAL KILOMETERS: 3032kms including leg back to Winnipeg.

Between the costs totalling $1500, the addition of gas and food while travelling, and any required contingency money needed, I'm looking at a $2000 USD cost for this trip, and that's just not something for which the budget will allow before Christmas. Pushing the costs higher would be the exchange rate, and this trip suddenly went from fun to expensive with a final total nearing $3000 CDN for a week of hockey games. I'd love to make something like this happen, but it's simply not in the cards when it comes to spending wisely.

On this Labour Day, this is what I laboured over as I looked to go on an adventure. Unfortunately, that won't happen this December 4-11 due to the escalating costs, but it would have been fun to watch seven games over eight nights from six different leagues!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!