The Hockey Show - Episode Twenty-Five

The Hockey Show returns to the airwaves tonight at 6:00pm CT on 101.5 UMFM. We have a pretty big show lined-up as we delve into the discussion of re-alignment and how it will affect certain teams. We'll also chat about the recent roadtrip of the Jets and how that road success has people in Winnipeg thinking playoffs. We'll recap the Manitoba Bisons men's hockey team's weekend as they battled the University of Saskatchewan Huskies with a berth to the Canada West Final on the line. Finally, we'll look at the new look for that the Canadian Women's National Team will wear on April 2 against the Americans.

I wrote a fairly harsh article about Hockey Canada's partnership with LIVESTRONG in terms of how there may be a backlash against Hockey Canada for partnering with the organization had Lance Armstrong as the face for their work. The Armstrong scandal - the lies, the accusations, the lawsuits - isn't going away as he's essentially regarded as the biggest cheat that the sports world has ever known. That's a pretty lofty accomplishment when you consider the Black Sox scandal, the steroid/performance-enhancing drug era in baseball, and the multiple track-and-field doping scandals.

My better half was outraged when we were discussing this new Hockey Canada partnership. She wanted to know the rationale behind associating Hockey Canada's good name with Lance Armstrong. I tried to explain to her that Armstrong was no longer involved, but she - like the vast majority of the public, I suspect - do not separate Armstrong from LIVESTRONG because of how tightly-interwoven those two names are.

In any case, I'm still not happy about Hockey Canada giving up Canada's national identity in exchange for being a Nike/LIVESTRONG billboard. We'll talk about this tonight, so join us at 6:00pm CT on 101.5 UMFM for The Hockey Show! If you'd like to add to the discussion, we'll be taking calls at (204) 269-UMFM (8636), emails at HockeyShowUMFM@shaw.ca, and tweets at @TeebzHBIC! Join us for some hockey chatter tonight!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!