Half As Many Entrants

The final game of the opening round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs was concluded tonight as the Montreal Canadiens held on for a 2-1 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning, eliminating the Lightning as the eighth and final team gone from the first round. Of course, that means we'll have exit interviews on The Hockey Show as five more people join Ethan (Ottawa), Harv (Los Angeles), and Billy (Pittsburgh) back on the mainland after spending two weeks or less on Survivor: NHL Playoffs island! The remaining eight teams push forward!

Michaela is already on her way after Carolina took a 1-0 lead over Philadelphia, so Derek's going to need the Flyers to rally after being blanked 3-0 in the opener. Minnesota and Colorado will renew hostilities tonight as Dave and Tyler look to grab a lead in that series, Anaheim and Vegas will kick off their battle tomorrow with Colin and Matt looking for and edge, and Travis and Fiona will have to wait until May 6 before the Montreal-Buffalo series gets underway.

For those worried about these weird starts to series, Carolina and Philadelphia could be done by May 9 if Carolina were to sweep while Buffalo and Montreal will have only played two games. The NHL really needs to get this scheduling under control because there's no way any team should have played their first game of the second round when the first round hasn't ended. That's just ridiculous, but that's the NHL.

For those wondering about the challenge prizes, here's the recap:

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

I'm waiting on one person to choose a prize before the final prize of the first round can be handed out, but the three challenges that remain can still be won by any of the eight teams still alive. With four of the five winners still alive, could we see someone win multiple prizes? We've seen it before, so it could very well happen!

This week's episode of The Hockey Show will see Jared (Dallas), Elliot (Edmonton), Josh (Utah), Tom (Pittsburgh), and Barry (Tampa Bay) give their thoughts on how their teams failed them in the playoffs as these five competitors will deliver their exit interviews. Those should be fun as a few of the heavyweights who were thought to have a chance will now be working on their golf games until September.

Officially, Round Two is underway. Eight teams will be reduced to four when the dust settles, and we'll have four more exit interviews. Who will still be in contention at that point on Survivor: NHL Playoffs?

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

How Dumb Are They?

Hockey Canada dropped a bombshell of an announcement yesterday where they informed the world that Team Canada would not play at the 2026 Spengler Cup in Davos, Switzerland. This has to be one of the most idiotic things that Hockey Canada has done since their scandals, and it may force me to stop supporting Hockey Canada altogether. People will point to the World Junior Championship as the "Christmas tournament", but that tournament doesn't get interesing until New Year's Eve. That's where the Spengler Cup filled the high-level hockey gap because the Spengler Cup is always a sprint for five days at the end of December.

With Canada's contract coming to an end, host HC Davos wanted to negotiate a new deal to keep Canada in the tournament. Davos had a few demands as this contract negotiation began with the most pressing demand being that Canada must bring rosters that have been far more competitive than what has been seen since their last win in 2019. I'm not saying that Canada couldn't make that happen, but last year's roster was hardly what one would classify as a "Canadian all-star team". Last season, Canada was out of the tournament after dropping two-straight games where they scored two goals total.

Davos is always wanting the best teams in Europe there, and Canada should be made to bring its best as well. I get there are players who may not want to play in the Spengler Cup due to load management, but it's not like Canada has a shortage of players or teams it could send. Jason and I made the case on The Hockey Show that the Canadian World Junior team plays against a U SPORTS all-star team prior to jumping into the IIHF tournament, so why can't Canada send that U SPORTS team as its Spengler Cup team as "Team Canada"?

The key, however, was that this tournament was supposed to reward Canadians playing in Europe with a chance to wear the maple leaf in a major tournament. Michael Joly was the top-scoring Canadian in the Swiss league last season - did not suit up for Canada. Jonathan Ang was the top-scoring Canadian in the Swedish league - did not suit up for Canada. David Quenneville was two points back of Ang in the SHL - did not suit up. Taro Hirose, Gregor MacLeod, Nicolas Mattinen, and Alex Breton finished sixth-, seventh-, and eighth-overall in German league scoring - did not play. Are we seeing a pattern here?

Canada first played in the Spengler Cup in 1984, and it holds 16 titles to its name. It owns the second-most championships, one back of HC Davos, and Canada had been the only North American team at the tournament annually since 1990. While the Rochester Americans made two appearances, they were not annual appearances. With Hockey Canada's announcement today, that torch has been passed to the US Collegiate Selects who finished with the silver medal last year.

I'm not saying someone should be fired, but that should be an option considering this outcome. If players were turning down Hockey Canada before, removing the option to represent the country altogether won't put Hockey Canada in a good light for any player who feels that Hockey Canada has forgotten about them. And let's be honest: players in Europe are rarely celebrated by Hockey Canada.

We've seen Hockey Canada drop the ball on a number of things, but not being able to come to an agreement on a new contract to continue their Spengler Cup involvement might be one of the dumbest things they have done. I get that they can negotiate for a 2027 reappearance, but it's not like the exipry of this contract came out of nowhere. Someone knew about it, and someone blew it.

If you read this far into this article only to think, "No one watches that tournament anyway, Teebz," this is where you simply shrug your shoulders and move on. I don't need to hear comments about "no one cares" or "World Juniors are better". The Spengler Cup is an incredible tournament that I enjoy watching, and it bothers me that Hockey Canada seems so cavalier about this decision. This didn't have to happen, yet Hockey Canada let it happen. How dumb are they?

My holiday hockey-viewing schedule just opened up a lot more without the Spengler Cup. I hope TSN still broadcasts the games because it's a great tournament, but it will be weird not cheering for Canada. I guess I'll have to throw my support behind the US Collegiate Selects until Canada gets its act together regarding the Spengler Cup.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Party Like It's 2007

It's taken a long, long time, but the Buffalo Sabres are rewarding their fans with an extended playoff run thanks to their win tonight in Game Six against the Boston Bruins, eliminating the Bruins from the playoffs. The Sabres were definitely the favoured team coming into the series, but the Bruins gave them trouble at times that Lindy Ruff and his coaching staff will need to address. What matters most tonight, though, is that the Buffalo Sabres will play in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2007!

You may be wondering who Buffalo defeated in 2007 to get to the second round, and I can tell you that, as the top-ranked team in the Eastern Conference, they defeated the eighth-seeded New York Islanders in five games. The Islanders won Game Two by a 3-2 score, but the Sabres took the other four by 4-1, 3-2, 4-2. and 4-3 scores. The Sabres jumped out to a 3-0 lead in Game Five before the Islanders looked to rally in the third period. A Maxim Afinogenov goal at 6:38 of the third period proved to be the series-clinching goal.

I had joked about all the things that hadn't happened since the last time the Sabres clinched a playoff spot, but the Sabres erased 19 years of futility with their 4-1 win tonight. They will wait to see who they play after Tampa Bay won tonight to force a Game Seven against Montreal. Both teams would present another tough challenge.

Buffalo and Tampa Bay have never met in the playoffs, but Buffalo held a 3-0-1 record against the Lightning this season. Buffalo was 2-2-0 against Montreal in the regular season and is 17-18 all-time against Montreal in the playoffs with Buffalo sweeping Montreal in 1998 in their most recent meeting. In short, don't put a lot of value in playoff records. Personally, I think Buffalo would prefer Tampa Bay as the Sabres like to use their speed and skill to overwhelm slower teams, but the Lightning know how to win in the playoffs based on history.

This Sabres team, however, is also different than what has been seen over the last 19 years. Alex Tuch and Tage Thompson lead the way with seven points while Tuch has four goals. Peyton Krebs, Bowen Byram, Rasmus Dahlin, and Owen Power are right behind Tuch and Thompson, and goaltender Alex Lyon has elevated his game as well.

What should scare both Montreal and Tampa Bay is that the four of the six players listed above have scored all of their points at even-strength. Thompson has six of seven points at five-on-five and Dahlin has three points at even-strength as Buffalo's power-play efficiency is thw worst in the playoff so far. In short, the Sabres have some work to do in practice, but they're excelling at five-on-five play.

Buffalo is also finding ways to get to the net as they are third in shots per game at 31.7 per contest. They held Boston to just 25.2 shots per game, so they're getting shots, they have possession a lot of the time, and their +8 in goal differential is tied with the Minnesota Wild as the best in the playoffs so far. All signs seem to point to Buffalo holding an edge no matter whether they play Montreal or Tampa Bay.

Tonight, however, Buffalo can celebrate. Not only did they make the playoffs for the first time in eleven years, but they rewarded their faithful with a series win for the first time in 19 years. If they can make it through another round, they'll do what they haven't done since 2007 as well in appearing in the conference final.

All eyes should be on the prize, though, as Buffalo prepares for Montreal or Tampa Bay. One game at a time. Enjoy every moment.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

The Hockey Show - Episode 710

The Hockey Show, Canada's only campus-produced radio show that strictly talks hockey, takes over another time slot tonight as the show begins at 5pm CT rather than our usual 5:30pm! We're going right through to 6:30, so it's 90 minutes of hockey chatter and Pledge-O-Rama chatter as we attempt to help UMFM hit the goal of $34,000 raised! it's a big show for both the station and for our hosts based on the topics they'll discuss tonight, so make sure you're ready for 90 minutes of fun tonight on The Hockey Show at 5:00pm CT!

Tonight, Teebz and Jason have three exit interviews they'll conduct as Ethan (Ottawa), Billy (Pittsburgh), and Harv (Los Angeles) will head back to the mainland from Survivor: NHL Playoffs island. Along with those interviews, our hosts will discuss the need for the NHL to figure out what a good goal is, Brady Tkachuk's problems in Ottawa, the Manitoba Moose getting set for the Grand Rapids Griffins, the Fort Wayne Komets and the Indy Fuel, the PWHL's playoff series, rule changes in the NCAA, the EIHL's Manchester Storm being homeless for a few days, and we'll go over all the information you need when it comes to donating to UMFM's Pledge-O-Rama! We'll give some stuff away, guests will drop in, we'll chat some hockey, and we'll raise some money tonight on The Hockey Show at 5:00pm 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 talk making donations, capital improvements, better reviews, running one's mouth, playoff series, rule changes, arena changes, and much more exclusively on 101.5 UMFM and on the UMFM.com web stream!

PODCAST: April 30, 2026: Episode 710

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

We Can Use Your Support!

I have always felt that my blog is a place for my thoughts about hockey and random other things. I never wanted it to cost anything, I wasn't going to make anyone subscribe, and I certainly didn't feel like I had "premium content" that had to be behind a paywall. Even the extensions of this blog - the grassroots hockey coverage and the radio show - are all done without any demand for subscription fees because it wouldn't feel right asking anyone to pay for our goofy content.

I do believe deeply in the work that UMFM does as a campus and community radio station. Part of our CRTC license mandate is that we need to cover campus and community events which is why The Hockey Show is quick to volunteer when it comes to covering great community hockey events such as the Female World Sport School Challenge and the sledge hockey games we've had the honour of calling. In saying that, this will be the only time we ever ask for help.

UMFM's annual pledge drive known as Pledge-O-Rama started last Friday, and you may have heard Jason and I talking about it on The Hockey Show last week. Pledge-O-Rama is where UMFM asks its listeners for a little bit of cash in order to fund major projects, capital improvements, and infrastructure upgrades through donations to the station. All donations are tax deductible if one chooses a tax receipt or UMFM merchandise can be acquired for a donation. All donations, however, go into the major project account for UMFM's improvements. No donation is used for day-to-day operations.

Some of the improvements that UMFM listeners have helped bring to life include a new radio tower erected in downtown Winnipeg that has allowed us to expand our broadcast reach beyond Winnipeg's outer reaches, funds to purchase our mobile broadcast units that have been used a number of times by Jason and I, and upgrades to the technology in our server room that saw the quality of the UMFM online radio stream and the individual show recordings improve greatly. Needless to say, we are grateful for our amazing listeners!

So how much is UMFM seeking in this pledge drive?

It may sound like a lot, but the station is aiming to raise $34,000 before Friday at 8pm. That may sound like a lot, but the station has already raised over $22,300 over the first four days! That's an incredible total already, so thank you to everyone who has donated! If you're looking to make a donation and join the UMFM community, the online pledge form can be found here or you can give us a call at 204-474-6610 and we'll fill out the donation form for you!

What improvements are you planning with these funds?

As stated, Pledge-O-Rama funds will go into making UMFM even better, and this year's projects are pretty cool when it comes to UMFM's dedication to the University of Manitoba campus and the communities in and around Winnipeg and southern Manitoba. The funds raised during Pledge-O-Rama this year will be used for:

• A UMFM news department! UMFM is creating a dedicated news department that brings local, campus, and community-focused reporting to the UMFM airwaves. With local news coverage shrinking everyday, independent stations like UMFM are uniquely positioned to fill that gap. We aim to do that.
• DJ and Live Production training! UMFM is developing new training opportunities for anyone who wants to learn how to DJ or produce content — students, neighbours, friends, and anyone interested in radio or podcasting - and UMFM is expanding our live studio recording program so local and emerging artists have a professional space to record, perform, and share their work while learning the radio craft.
• A new memorial archive! Over the years, UMFM has lost hosts and contributors who helped shape the station into what it is today. We want to honour them properly by building a dedicated section of our website to pay tribute to those friends we've lost. They matter to us and to our listeners!
• A secured content hub for campus partners! This new website space will house content produced through a new joint project for collaborative work that reflects the connection between UMFM and the University of Manitoba.

Clearly, these projects would eat up a lot of the station's annual budget without the Pledge-O-Rama funds, so we are grateful, we are humbled, and we are appreciative of any and all support that one can give. I'll even add that if you're unable to donate any money, we're just as appreciative of people who call to tell us how much they enjoy the shows and hosts found on UMFM. That boost to the UMFM ego never hurts, and it's awesome to hear that we're doing well!

If you have the means, please donate what you can afford. A nickel makes a world of difference when it comes to these projects, and we'll thank you just the same as if you donated $1000. Again, I would never ask for any money for my own personal gain, so this will be the only time I'll ask for you to give anything other than your time when it comes to reading HBIC. I am more than grateful for anyone who stops here, and UMFM would love to earn your listenership!

As a special programming note, The Hockey Show will be on the air at 5pm CT tomorrow for 90 minutes as we wrestled away the half-hour before our show from the syndicated French music show. Jason and I will be going through the first exit interviews among the various fun we have planned, and we may even have a few show incentives you'll want win by making a donation! It could be worth your effort!

I'll have more details on The Hockey Show preview tomorrow, but UMFM's goal of $34,000 is entirely reachable thanks to listeners like you. If you've made your donation, thank you so much for supporting great radio. If you haven't or are planning to, please do so by clicking the link or calling us at 204-474-6610! Thank you for your support!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!