It's Not Over Yet?

I have to admit that I stopped watching W Network's Hockey Wives show once they opted not to bring back Emilie Blum. Emilie and Jonathon Blum had the only real story I was interested in as Jon was playing with the AHL's Iowa Wild while the other hockey wives all had NHL husbands. They ran through a second season that contained a lot of in-fighting and squabbling behind the scenes, so this "reality" program seemed more like a soap opera than the lives of real people. Needless to say, I stopped watching when it got a little over-the-top with some of the women.

It was announced today by Corus Entertainment that a third season of Hockey Wives will air on W Network starting on April 19, 2017 at 10pm ET/PT. I received the press release, but didn't really give it any thought until this evening when I wanted to know which wives and players would be spotlighted on this season's show. It turns out that one returnee, one call-back, and four new women will tell their stories on what it's like being the wife of a professional hockey player.

We'll start with the returnee and the only woman who has appeared on all three seasons: Maripier Morin. Morin is engaged to Brandon Prust whose career in the NHL seems to have stalled. In this season, Prust may look at options to play abroad, but that means the pair must endure the stress of a long-distance relationship. Morin was one of the background players in Season One, but took a more prominent role in Season Two. I imagine she'll play a large part in this season's storylines.

The woman who was called back to the show from Season One is none other than Emilie Blum. I've kept up with Emilie and Jon via Twitter so I know how their story unfolds, but this season's story will follow Emilie as a solo parent with Jon playing in the KHL with Vladivostok. Emilie is an amazing woman who has endured a lot while Jon was in Russia last season, so we'll see how she fares once again with Jon in Russia for another season.

The new women cover a wider range of professional levels. Catherine LaFlamme, wife of Kris Letang, joins the program as the Penguins defenceman comes off a Stanley Cup championship while she launches her own children's clothing line. Martine Auclair Vlasic, wife of San Jose Shark Marc-Edouard Vlasic, will have all sorts of new challenges as Marc-Edouard's career takes off following a successful playoff run and a World Cup of Hockey championship. Vanessa Vandal, girlfriend of St. Louis Blues forward David Perron, navigates life with David being traded back to St. Louis when she decides to go back to school only to learn that she's pregnant. The sixth hockey wife is Erica Lundmark, wife of Jamie Lundmark, who looks after their three kids and her own career as Jamie plays hockey in Austria!

Here's the trailer for Season Three.

As you can see, there are a lot of storylines to follow, but this inside look at the lives off the ice of players and their families is something unique. Having the show head across the ocean to Austria, Germany, and Russia only adds to the intrigue of what happens in these womens' lives, so it might be worth catching an episode or two if you're a fan of reality TV.

We're a month away from seeing this season's premiere. If you're not up to date with the careers of these men and women, this would be a good program to start watching. Seeing how they navigate the long-distances between the men and their families are one of the strongest traits of these woman. Hockey Wives won't gloss over the tough parts of that life, but that's part of the life these men and women have together.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!