Put Politics Into Sports

I'm not here to celebrate Canada being one of the first countries to speak out against decision made by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to have the IIHF reinstate Russia into its sanctioned events and tournaments. As I stated on Saturday, "It's never wrong to stand up for what's right," and that seems to be the prevailing message that European countries are now sending to the IIHF and, to a lesser extent, Russia in their responses to the CAS ruling. Having one "superpower" in Russia miss tournaments while they enegaged in war was something that the IIHF could overcome, but having multiple countries and sponsors make it clear that Russia's participation is neither welcome nor wanted was made clear over the last few days.

The countries shown in black above are Russia and Belarus who are currently banned from IIHF-sanctioned games and events outside of the CAS ruling. The countries shown in red - Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Czechia, and Latvia - have all released statements indicating that they would boycott all tournament games involving Russia if those countries were to meet them. The countries in yellow - Germany and Finland - have indicated they may engage in those boycotts or abandon hosting duties of IIHF events in those countries.

Clearly, the pressure being put on the IIHF will make things more difficult for the IIHF to hold tournaments with any legitimacy if countries boycott playing against Russia. If Russia doesn't play any games, how can they advance to a medal round? If they are found to have qualified for that medal round due to forfeits, how can that make any hardware they may win legitimate in the eyes of IIHF?

What may make this harder for the IIHF is the hit that they'll take when it comes to the bottom lines of future tournaments. Swedish furniture company AJ Producter is pulling its sponsorship of the IIHF Men's World Hockey Championship after a 37-year run, and Czech sportsbook TipSport said it won't advertise nor offer betting odds for any games involving Russia or Belarus. I imagine other companies may also follow suit, so this could just be the tip of the financial-ruin iceberg for the IIHF's most lucrative events. That's not good.

Finland is also putting pressure on the IIHF by announcing that the city of Turku, Finland would withdraw as co-host of the 2028 IIHF World Junior Championship if Russia participates while there are growing numbers, including from inside the country, for Germany to withdraw its hosting duties for the 2027 IIHF Men's World Hockey Championship in Düsseldorf and Mannheim in May. Needless to say, the IIHF's plans could be thrown into turmoil by these developments.

And just because the IIHF needs another layer of pressure from its membership to do the right thing, the Finnish Ice Hockey Association is looking to form an alliance with other hockey federations to keep Russia from returning to international hockey tournaments while the invasion of Ukraine continues. While nothing formal has been proposed or introduced at this time, Heikki Hietanen, chairman of Finland's hockey association, said on Monday, "We are currently gathering as many countries as possible to form a common front to tell the IIHF that none of us will play against Russia in this situation."

It's funny how a three-person panel comprised of Mr. Giulio Palermo (Italy), Mr. Ismail Selim (Egypt) and Mr. Mark Hovell (UK) can tell the hockey world that Russia's exclusion has no basis, but multiple hockey federations and countries have no power to tell the Court of Arbitration for Sport to kick rocks because there are bigger things happening in the world than a few hockey tournaments into which Russia desperately wants. Stuck in the middle is the IIHF who will likely comply, but should it considering the above? It seems like a fairly easy decision for the IIHF, but I don't run the organization.

It should be fairly obvious that none of Ukraine, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Czechia, nor Latvia will ice a team against Russia at any upcoming IIHF tournament, and the likelihood of Ukraine attending the 2027 IIHF Men's World Ice Hockey Championship in Germany is zero if Russia is allowed to compete there. If Canada sticks to its guns, none of the Russian players will be granted visas nor entry into Canada to compete at the 2027 IIHF World Junior Championship in Alberta, and I am begging the government to stick to that plan.

If Finland gets their hockey alliance going where countries like Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Czechia, and Latvia along with Ukraine, Slovakia, Italy, France, and Germany all sign on, that basically seals the deal for the IIHF that Russia's inclusion in tournaments will be impossible. If Canada sets the precedent of denying visas for hockey players, Russia's participation goes back to zero as countries hosting events can follow Canada's lead by simply denying Russians entry.

The IIHF is a business, so they won't take these threats lightly if there's some weight behind them. Like most businesses, they need their biggest tournaments to generate as much revenue as possible to subsidize, fund, and support lower-revenue tournaments and global hockey development programs. Having Russia involved in those high-profile tournaments will hurt the bottom line, so the IIHF would be wise to listen to the majority of its top-tier member countries.

Look, this doesn't need a lot of debate from either side. The countries named above have every political right to prevent Russians from participating in events inside their borders by denying those athletes and staff entry, the IIHF can "comply" passively with the CAS decision in order to keep everyone happy, and the various hockey federations can still attended IIHF events while maintaining their allegiances with the athletes from Ukraine. I know no one likes politics in sports, but this is one time where politics can actually help hockey be better because visas don't fall under CAS jurisdiction.

Based on the calendar, Canada has a chance to be the first country to prevent Russia from participating IIHF events with the 2027 IIHF World Junior Championship in Alberta, and I'm hoping the Canadian government will set the precedent that other countries can follow. If it keeps Russia out of Germany for the IIHF Men's World Ice Hockey Championship, out of Quebec City for the IIHF Women's World Ice Hockey Championship, and out of Czechia for the IIHF U18 Women's World Ice Hockey Championship, the end justifies the means.

You might be wondering about the IIHF U18 Men's World Ice Hockey Championship that's set to be played in Duluth, Minnesota at the end of April, and that might be one where teams are forced to boycott games because I doubt the leader of the United States will want to anger one of his closest allies. But, of course, that's how cowards act.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Standing Up For What's Right

The man to the left may not look like an athlete in his suit, but that's Olympic gold medallist Adam Van Koeverden standing in the Canadian House of Commons where he operates as the Secretary of State for Sport while serving his constituents in the district of Burlington North-Milton West in Ontario. The former Olympic sprint kayaker jumped into the political ring in 2018 where he was elected in his riding in 2019 and has served ever since. Van Koeverden, it should be noted, was very vocal in standing up for and standing behind Ukraine after Russia invaded the country, and he hasn't backed down in the wake of recent announcements in sports.

The invasion of Ukraine sparked a number of reactions from countries across the world who condemned Russia's attack on its sovereign neighbour. I spoke out about how Russia's hockey programs should suffer after they invaded Ukraine, and the IIHF finally came around five days later when they banned both Russia and Belarus from all IIHF-sanctioned events. Frankly, it shouldn't have taken that long.

Van Koeverden, for his part, spoke out in support of Ukraine by condemning Russia's actions as well in 2022, and his efforts got him banned from entering Russia as per Russian Foreign Ministry's website. Granted, most Canadian politicans were banned after the country threw its support behind Ukraine defending its sovereignty, but Van Koeverden has maintained his stance in keeping Russia out of all sporting events until they abandon their Ukrainian takeover idea.

Frankly, I haven't missed seeing Russia in IIHF events and having Belarus as an also-ran hasn't been missed. We've seen some other countries rise to the occasion by advancing to tournaments they may not have participated in and we've seen stronger countries find paths back to prominence. Removing a country led by a war-mongering tyrant from the IIHF's roster of countries really hasn't made hockey worse in any way despite some insisting Russia's inclusion is needed.

Yes, you're certainly wrong if you believe that. No one is perfect.

That's why the decision on Friday by Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to allow the Russian Ice Hockey Federation to return to all IIHF Championships with immediate effect is so disappointing. CAS found that "IIHF arguments citing safety, security and other concerns were not supported by sufficient evidence" and "unanimously concluded that, in the light of the applicable IIHF regulations, only substantiated security concerns could outweigh athletes of a particular nationality to participate in competitions."

In short, the Court of Arbitration for Sport said Russia was back in as the evidence that any safety concerns were overblown since nothing happened since Russia's ban had began. Forget the fact that having a clean disaster record is proof that being overcautious was the right choice, but CAS just looking at the words of the IIHF's ban and excluding any moral or ethical foundation in their findings is insane.

Of course, the IIHF immediately released a statement expressing their disappointment in the ruling, but Canada - specifically Van Koeverden - used a little politicking to throw a wrench into the CAS decision thanks to Canadian government funding of events, stating,

"Canada maintains, as it has since 2022, that Russia should not be represented in international sport competitions while Russia's illegal and unjustifiable full-scale invasion against Ukraine continues. Canada will maintain restrictions on the participation of Russian athletes at events hosted in Canada that receive funding from the Government of Canada and explore further options to ensure that the Russian government is held accountable."

Van Koeverden's statement was echoed by Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand who told CBC's Power & Politics television program, "This is a very unwelcome decision given the geopolitical situation, given the actions of Russia. All options are on the table and I will say, again, I greet this decision with great disappointment."

That doesn't even begin to consider what other countries' sports bodies feel about the decision, but it seems the world stands in agreement with the IIHF and Canada. The Ukrainian Hockey Federation said it disagreed with the ruling and argued that security concerns had only intensified since 2022 without indicating how it would approach the IIHF Men's Hockey World Championship while more countries initially expressed disappointment in CAS's ruling.

Further actions could be taken by these nations including boycotting IIHF tournaments where Russia participates, but the hockey world is making one thing abundantly clear: Russia is not welcome back. I hope Canada follows through in making that a reality in banning Russian athletes from the IIHF World Junior Championship in Alberta.

Playing hockey for any athlete at any level is a privilege, and Russia needs to be reminded of that. Allowing Ukrainians to live in their own sovereign territory under their own flag and laws are human rights, and those rights need to be enforced long before a puck is dropped on any hockey game. Ukraine is a proud nation of incredible people and unique culture. They are not just random statistics or civilian casualties on a spreadsheet for a power-hungry tyrant hellbent on recreating the Communist Soviet Union map of the 1980s.

Because sports achievements are used to prop up the government's success in Russia, denying them that crutch only continues to ensure that all of Putin's efforts aren't validated. Canada seems to be developing a reputation for standing up to power-hungry bullies on a number of fronts, so exercising their political rights in the world of hockey to defend human rights only reinforces that reputation and, if lucky, will embolden other nations to do the same in this situation.

It's never wrong to stand up for what's right. Elbows up, Russia.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

The Hockey Show - Episode 736

The Hockey Show, Canada's only campus-produced radio show that strictly talks hockey, sees two of three hosts back for some hockey chatter. There was a big event that happened over the weekend in Winnipeg that needs some discussion, and our hosts will tackle all the details surrounding that event as they were on the inside with media credentials! Beyond that, there were some other hockey stories to discuss as being a fan seems to be getting harder and harder. It should be another fun show with lots to cover and discuss, so make sure you're ready to roll for The Hockey Show at 5:30pm CT!

Tonight, Teebz and Jason will take you through all the major events of the 2026 Tim Hortons Heritage Classic that happened in Winnipeg as Sophie is off for an appointment this evening. The two gents will discuss the Alumni Game, the Scotiabank PreGame Fanfest, and the Heritage Classic game itself with an eye on what was good, what needs improvement, and some of the fun things seen from behind-the-scenes as our hosts had media credentials! They'll also look at the mess that happened Monday night with Sportsnet's coverage of two games, Canada and the US women's teams getting reacquainted, the upcoming Female World Sport School Challenge, the new Winnipeg Jets Pride Logo, the investment made into girls' hockey and opportunities for women by the NHL and the Jets, a Swedish hockey player's resume for the Hockey Hall of Fame, and a few other things as they shut down October and get ready for November! There will be lots of hockey chatter tonight 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 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 about the Heritage Classic weekend, Rogers destroying hockey, international exhibition hockey, FWSSC info, a new logo, a big investment, a Hall-of-Famer, 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 McFarlane Night

Anyone who knows me knows that I have a closet of jerseys from various teams and leagues, but a number of these jerseys are often found in "worst jerseys of all-time" lists. Whether it be the Bruins' Pooh Bear alternate, the Stars' Mooterus alternate, or the Islanders' Fisherman jersey, there are a pile of hangers with jerseys on them that lots of people once cringed over, but now want for their own collections. One jersey which used to be pretty polarizing is the Edmonton Oilers' alternate jersey, affectionately called the "McFarlane jersey", designed by comic book creator Todd McFarlane. The jersey was unveiled on October 26, 2001 where fans instantly had opinions from good to bad, but it caught the attention of hockey fans across the hockey world.

The McFarlane alternate jersey would be worn for the very first time the next night on Saturday, October 27, 2001 as the Edmonton Oilers welcomed the Vancouver Canucks to Skyreach Centre as Oilers fans would get to see their team in the new navy-and-silver look. Wins would help to ease the jersey into the Oilers' culture while losses would likely give the wrong association with the futuristic design.

A quiet first period with just one penalty called saw the teams hit the break still tied at 0-0, but Jochen Hecht would give Edmonton the lead in the new uniforms just 5:48 into the second frame as he scored on the power-play. Trent Klatt would tie things up as he scored at 10:28 for Vancouver while shorthanded, and the Canucks would go into the second intermission up 2-1 after Brendan Morrison scored with 3:03 left in the period. Could the Oilers rally in this one?

Just 13 seconds into the third period, Todd Marchant tipped a puck past Dan Cloutier to tie the game at 2-2. The teams would battle, but Anson Carter would put the Oilers ahead with 3:54 to play with his power-play goal, and Tommy Salo would close the door the rest of the way as the Oilers prevailed in their new alternate jerseys by a 3-2 score over the Canucks! That would move the Oilers to 8-4-1 on the season and 1-0-0 in the new threads while the Canucks fell to 3-8-1.

The jerseys began to fly off shelves across the hockey world.
As reported by CBC News, the Oilers' new alternate jersey was a hit with Oilers President and CEO Patrick LaForge stating they had sold "$300,000 worth of jerseys" in two-and-a-half days. That's a pretty good return on merchandise sales, and Cal Nichols, who spearheaded the Edmonton Investors Group who saved the Oilers, is right in that a good design should sell across many markets. But did it?

The NHL doesn't have any jersey sales figures for the 2001-02 season published, but LaForge told Global News' Reid Wilkins, "The jersey broke NHL records for third jersey sales for number of units and dollars sold. As we hoped, it was a hit with Todd's followers as well."

That's an encouraging tale when it comes to designing a logo and jersey for all aspiring designers, but McFarlane recalled that his design wasn't intended on just being a hockey logo and design.

"You could walk down the street with it," McFarlane told KISS 91.7FM of his Oilers logo and design. "That's it. That's all. That's how simple I think logos should be. It was a best-selling third jersey. It set records, so God bless Edmonton... a strong logo is a logo that anybody will wear, regardless of the sport. When you look at the wheel and that wing for the Detroit Red Wings, it doesn't say hockey. The Boston Bruins is a B with spokes on it. It's just a classic, cool look."

You might be thinking that the logo never really clicked as an Oilers logo, but they did break it down in a newspaper article to help people understand what the meteor-like oil drop was all about.

It's not a great explanation when you read it today with all the marketing jargon and verbal diarrhea that some teams use, but it was hard not to be impressed by that jersey. The Oilers did very well.

I wrote about my Oilers alternate jersey before on HBIC, but I do have one with #77 Oates on the back and the 25th anniversary patch on the front that they wore in the 2003-04 season. I get a lot of "I forgot Oates played with the Oilers" comments, but everyone seems to love the original McFarlane jersey now and it seems like everyone has a story about a player or a moment that involved these jerseys. Some of the names who wore the jersey are iconic as well: Smyth, Laraque, Niinimaa, Brewer, Pronger, Roloson, Samsonov, Nedved, and the aforementioned Oates. Needless to say, the Oilers had some talent wear this jersey as their careers went through Edmonton!

Clearly, October 27, 2001 is an important day in Edmonton Oilers history, and it certainly is memorable for jersey collectors when looking for the iconic McFarlane Oilers alternate jerseys. Again, some people didn't like it when it debuted, and that's ok. We're all allowed to make mistakes as long as we learn from them, and it should be very obvious that this jersey was absolutely not a mistake in any way.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Because Fans Matter

The 2026 Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic has come and gone, and all that's left at Princess Auto Stadium is a work crew who are disassembling the NHL's setup and rink. There were lots of things that happened over the course of the week leading up to the big game last night, so I want to highlight a handful of things that really should be happening more often when it comes to making fans matter. The NHL can talk about all its revenue streams all it likes, but fans in seats are still the most important resource that the league and its teams have and need so giving back should always be mandated business for all 32 clubs and the league itself.

The NHL and the Winnipeg Jets combined forces on Thursday night to announce "the completion of Jets Hockey Development Girls Learn to Play, a six-week introductory hockey program for 40 first-time players ages 6 to 10". The investment into girls' hockey in Winnipeg is big as there seems to be more girls playing than ever before, so having the Jets and the NHL work to "expand opportunities for girls and women across Manitoba to play, coach and pursue careers in hockey" is only going to make the women's game better for generations to come.

The effort made by the two organizations will see a $150,000 investment through the NHL Unites Legacy Project so "participants get on-ice instruction from an all-woman coaching staff, equipment support and connections to local minor hockey associations and girls' hockey programs". The program actually launched on September 2 at Hockey For All Centre in west Winnipeg with a welcome event for forty girls and their families that saw them outfitted with equipment thanks to Bauer Canada. The legacy project also includes a $30,000 grant from the NHL/NHLPA Industry Growth Fund to support women coaches, program resources and player retention in Manitoba.

I know I'm quick to call out the garbage seen in hockey when comes to how the NHL does business, but I need to point out when they do good as well. These investments will go a long way in helping girls in Manitoba find their way into the game while the grant from the NHL/NHLPA Industry Growth Fund will help ensure that women have a future in hockey during and after their playing days end. I cannot stress how important this is when it comes to opening doors and keeping those doors open for future generations of girls and women, so kudos to the NHL, the NHLPA, and the Winnipeg Jets for making these investments. Again, this will make hockey better in Manitoba.

From there, we jump ahead to Saturday where Ticketmaster presented the NHL Fanfest prior to the Alumni Game, and will come clean right now in that I did not attend this event. In saying that, I did have some sources there as my parents went to check out the event. They wandered around the RBC Convention Centre where a number of vendors had booths offering up giveaways and information on their businesses, and there was a street hockey game featuring a pile of youths outside the main entrance. From what my parents said, this event was packed with fans who took full advantage of the giveaway opportunities, so it was nice to see some of the NHL's sponsors giving back to the people who make the game so much fun. As a fan, there's nothing better than have the sponsors reward your loyalty with some gree gear, so this was a smart move by the NHL and the Jets to hold this event.

Of course, if one had tickets, Scotiabank was sponsoring the bigger, outdoor fan festival at Princess Auto Stadium as Scotiabank was the presenting sponsor of the 2026 Pregame FanFest. All of the NHL's biggest sponsors had tents here for their wares, and this is where I spent most of my Sunday afternoon. Seeing businesses like Upper Deck, Hyundai, Tim Hortons, DoorDash, and Fanatics in one place made the Scotiabank FanFest the place to be if you wanted free shwag as giveaways were plentiful. There were even former NHL stars who were signing autographs for fans at some of the booths! As long as one had a ticket to the game, admission to the Scotiabank Pregame FanFest was free and there were a lot of hockey fans took advantage of this offer as the festival area filled quickly.

At one point, it seemed like the Heritage Classic was being played in Montreal as Canadiens fans flooded the festival area. Jerseys of all kinds were worn as names like Suzuki, Caufield, Demidov, and Hutson were joined by some great picks such as Carbonneau, Texier, Markov, Price, and Koivu. Seeing a barber pole Canadiens Gionta centennial jersey was fantastic, there were a handful of reverse retros, and lots of other clothing with Canadiens' logos on them. The chatter of francophone fans as they greeted one another was nice to hear as those fans clearly made the trip to cheer on les Canadiens!

Jets fans began showing up a little later in the afternoon in greater numbers as they had the advantage of staying home a little longer. A handful of Hellebuyck jerseys were spotted on fans, but there were a ton of Wheeler, Ladd, Laine, Scheifele, and Connor jerseys spotted throughout the festival grounds. There were some fun ones as well as Ehlers, Morrissey, Byfuglien, Little, and a number of personalized jerseys were in the mix, but a couple of jerseys fouls were spotted. Regardless, the hometown crowd made its way down to the festival!

Again, I have to throw some kudos out to a number of companies because people got to go home with a pile of stuff. Among the best handouts were Tim Hortons where fans who showed up early got to meet Dustin Byfuglien at the Tim Hortons truck, Tide and Downy sent a ton of people home with laundry detergent and Unstopables, Hyundai let people snap a picture and turn it into a car air freshener, Upper Deck was printing hockey cards of fans who wanted their own card, Celcius was handing out beverages to adults, DoorDash was creating fabric patches for jerseys from their emojis, and both Canadian Tire and Scotiabank were handing out shwag bags.

Admittedly, I spent a lot of time with a few colleagues at the Caterpillar tent, and they were having way too much fun. There was an accuracy shooting challenge that looked easy, but was way harder with the foam pucks used in the booth. There were two claw machines that gave fans a chance to grab a Caterpillar puck stress "ball" or a Caterpillar excavator stress "ball". There was the locker setup if you wanted to get your photo with the jerseys being worn by the Jets and Canadiens. The staff working the tent were handing out Caterpillar-branded skate towels that were cut in the shape of jerseys. And, perhaps best of all, former Jets defenceman Dave Ellett stopped by the tent to sign some autographs for fans! How awesome is that?

There were other autograph signings as well as the aforementioned Dustin Byfuglien was doing his best to sign stuff while slinging coffee, Mike Keane was at the Rogers tent for a while, and Andrew Ladd signed a pile of stuff for fans at the Hyundai tent. Lots of fans were thrilled to meet some of Winnipeg's hockey heroes, so having more alumni coming out to do stuff this like would benefit all teams. And the best part is that you don't need a Heritage Classic to do something like that! All it takes is a little effort and planning!

Look, I went into this weekend aiming to give hockey fans a true experience when it comes to attending one of these outdoor events, and there was obviously both good and bad parts about the weekend. The fanfest events and the Alumni Game were fun, somewhat affordable, and certainly worth the time. I realize that one had to have a game ticket for the Scotiabank Pregame FanFest so that was less affordable for most people, but the effort made by sponsors inside those large fences was worth it from a fan's perspective.

When you consider that tickets ran anywhere from $80 to more than $500 per ticket, that's pricey for sitting 100-feet away from the action. Add into the mix that a lot of people travelled and those costs would need to be calculated, and we're now talking about an expensive investment for the 2026 Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic where the game's action and payoff were hardly worth it. As a citizen of Winnipeg, it's always nice to have visitors from afar, but they weren't here for the Golden Boy nor the riverwalk at The Forks.

If you're thinking about attending the 2027 Winter Classic in Salt Lake City featuring the Colorado Avalanche and the Utah Mammoth, ticket prices range from $250 to $450 USD with "NHL experience" packages starting around $800 USD. I have no idea what the fanfest will look like in Utah, but I imagine a lot of the sponsors listed above will be there and looking to giveaway some shwag, but that's a hefty price tag for a few packets of laundry detergent, car air fresheners, and a handful of autographs. I'm not saying not to go, but budget wisely.

At the end of the day, if these costs seem like they're climbing out of your comfort zone when it comes to entertainment dollars, you likely aren't alone. I know I wouldn't have been able to afford to go had I not been granted media credentials, but that's because I have a budget. I imagine a lot of people had a blast getting to meet their heroes, pick up some shwag, and watch an outdoor game that will be a weekend of memories, but it's important to remember that a lot of people could not afford to take part in this weekend's festivities.

The 2026 Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic certainly seemed like it checked all the boxes for the NHL and for fans who could attend, but this outdoor game's costs likely left a lot of fans out in the cold.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!