The Rundown - Week 4

We're four weeks into the season, and it seems like five teams may already have solid grips on playoff spots. For the four teams who are on the outside looking in right now, there's still time to find their way back into the playoff mix, but things need to change now. Wins and points will matter every week as we get into November next week, so falling further behind this week doesn't help anyone's cause. There were key matchups this week when it comes to those playoff spots, so let's get into the action this week on The Rundown!

FRIDAY: We'll kick things off in Langley where the Calgary Dinos were visiting the Trinity Western Spartans. The Spartans were the only team who had yet to record a point this season, and they were looking up at the Dinos who sat seven points ahead of them for the final playoff spot in the West Division. Needless to say, the Spartans needed to take points off the Dinos to help their cause while the Dinos were looking to expand that gap in the standings.

The only thing I'll note here is that Trinity Western is getting top billing for making a highlight reel and posting it to YouTube. However, since the highlight reel is of only the goals they scored, they will not get a recap. Only doing half the work is still a failure in my books.

Spartans goals: Kara Yackel (1), Kyra McDonald (1), Jace Scott (1)
Spartans assists: Chloe Reid (1), Olivia Leier (1)
Spartans netminder: Kate Fawcett (37/38)

Dinos goals: April Klarenbach (1)
Dinos assists: Jess Martens (1), Jaecia Joyce (1)
Dinos netminder: Amelia Awad (21/24)

Result: 3-1 victory for Trinity Western over Calgary.

SATURDAY: A big victory for the Spartans on Friday had them thinking sweep at home over the Dinos. The Dinos were looking for the split to keep pace with the teams ahead of them in the standings while putting the Spartans back in the same hole they started in on Friday night. Again, I'm not crediting the Spartans for only posting their goals, so get it together, TWU. Both teams' goals will get you recaps.

Spartans goals: Kyra Anderson (1), Kara Yackel (2)
Spartans assists: Presleigh Giesbrecht (1), Olivia Leier (2), Kyra Anderson
Spartans netminder: Kate Fawcett (23/26)

Dinos goals: Sophia Zuck (2), April Klarenbach (2), Rebecca Clarke (1)
Dinos assists: Kyla Mitenko (5), Brette Kerley (3), Brooklyn Fry (2), Josie McLeod (1), Josie McLeod (2), April Klarenbach (1)
Dinos netminder: Amelia Awad (25/27)

Result: 3-2 victory for Calgary over Trinity Western.

FRIDAY: The Huskies entered the weekend without a win this season, and they'd be in tough against division-leading Mount Royal. The Huskies needed to find a way to pick up points against some of the better teams to allow them to leapfrog some of the teams they were trailing in the standings while Mount Royal was looking to continue their solid play. The Cougars still aren't doing highlights, so let's get to the scoring summary.

Cougars goals: Jerzey Watteyne (3), Aliya Jomha (4)
Cougars assists: Kiana McNinch (2), Jori Hansen-Young (2), Athena Hauck (3), Summer Fomradas (3)
Cougars netminder: Kaitlyn Ross (19/20) in 64:13

Huskies goals: Kahlen Wisener (2)
Huskies assists: Kaysah Nurani (1), Jaiyana Nurani (2)
Huskies netminder: Colby Wilson (35/37) in 64:13

Result: 2-1 overtime victory for Mount Royal over Saskatchewan.

SATURDAY: As it seems to be for the Huskies this season, a couple of mistakes resulted in pucks being fished out of their net on Friday, so they were looking to limit mistakes on Saturday to pick up their first win. The Cougars were looking for the sweep as they looked to stay atop the standings. No highlights, so here's the summary.

Cougars goals: Lyndsey Janes (3), Aliya Jomha (5), Summer Fomradas (1), Jori Hansen-Young (1)
Cougars assists: Athena Hauck (4), Julia Duke (1), Sydney Benko (4), Athena Hauck (5), Sydney Benko (5), Athena Hauck (6), Allee Gerrard (2), Jordyn Hutt (1)
Cougars netminder: Katherine Holan (21/22)

Huskies goals: Bronwyn Boucher (3)
Huskies assists: Avery Gottselig (1), Paris Oleksyn (2)
Huskies netminder: Clara Juca (24/28)

Result: 4-1 victory for Mount Royal over Saskatchewan.

FRIDAY: Manitoba and MacEwan entered the weekend tied in the standings with similar 1-2-0-1 records, so this weekend had big implications in the standings when it came to finding out which team wanted that third-place position more. With the Griffins coming off their bye, Manitoba needed to be ready for a rested team while MacEwan was looking to put what they did in practice to good use against the Bisons. Manitoba doesn't do highlights, so we're not even going to bother with the request.

Bisons goals: Julia Bird (1), Rachel Gottfried (1), Norah Collins (3), Sadie Keller (1)
Bisons assists: Julia Bilous (1), Ali Staples (2), Ashley Keller (2), Camryn Gillis (2), Ashley Keller (3), Aimee Patrick (2)
Bisons netminder: Emily Shippam (16/17)

Griffins goals: Kori Paterson (1)
Griffins assists: Robyn Short (1), Ali Macauley (2)
Griffins netminder: Lindsey Johnson (23/27)

Result: 4-1 victory for Manitoba over MacEwan.

SATURDAY: After surrendering an early goal on Friday, Manitoba imposed their will on MacEwan. Things would need to change for the Griffins if they wanted to keep pace with the Bisons in the standings while the Bisons were thinking sweep on Saturday. Again, no highlights, so here's the scoring summary.

Bisons goals: Louise Fergusson (1), Aimee Patrick (2)
Bisons assists: Aimee Patrick (3), Louise Fergusson (1), Dana Goertzen (1)
Bisons netminder: Paige Fischer (17/17)

Griffins goals: none
Griffins assists: none
Griffins netminder: Brianna Sank (41/43)

Result: 2-0 victory for Manitoba over MacEwan.

FRIDAY: In a potential Canada West Final matchup, the UBC Thunderbirds were in Edmonton to face the Alberta Pandas. Last year's finalists battled through three games before UBC claimed victory, so this weekend was a chance for Alberta to prove to everyone, including themselves, that they can skate with the Canada West champions. UBC, meanwhile, was looking to keep their winning ways going after a sweep last weekend. Alberta doesn't do highlights either, so here's your Friday scoring summary.

Pandas goals: none
Pandas assists: none
Pandas netminder: Grace Glover (25/28)

Thunderbirds goals: Jacquelyn Fleming (1), Annalise Wong (1), Grace Elliott (3)
Thunderbirds assists: Grace Elliott (4), Kailee Peppler (2), Meadow Carman (1), Sophia Gaskell (1), Annalise Wong (4)
Thunderbirds netminder: Elise Hugens (28/28)

Result: 3-0 victory for UBC over Alberta.

SATURDAY: The Thunderbirds played a solid game on Friday, and looked to continue that effort on Saturday as they aimed for the sweep. Alberta was looking to split the weekend on home ice as they looked to leap ahead of Regina in the Canada West East Division. No highlights once again because why would anyone want to watch two of the top teams in Canada West compete?

Pandas goals: Raegan Yewdall (1)
Pandas assists: Taylor Anker (1), Allison Reich (2)
Pandas netminder: Misty Rey (18/20)

Thunderbirds goals: Ashton Thorpe (1), Makenzie McCallum (2)
Thunderbirds assists: Mackenzie Kordic (4), Makenzie McCallum (5), Grace Elliott (5), Meadow Carman (2)
Thunderbirds netminder: Elise Hugens (34/35)

Result: 2-1 victory for UBC over Alberta.

No, I'm not doing the stupid East and West Divisions on the standings board. One conference, nine teams, let's see who is best.

CANADA WEST WOMEN'S HOCKEY

School	Record	Points	GF	GA	Streak	Next
Mount Royal	7-1-0-0	14	21	9	W3	BYE
UBC	5-2-1-0	12	21	13	W4	vs MAC
Regina	4-0-1-1	11	10	6	W2	vs TWU
Alberta	5-3-0-0	10	16	13	L2	BYE
Calgary	4-3-0-1	9	20	18	W1	BYE
Manitoba	3-2-0-1	7	12	8	W2	@ SAS
MacEwan	1-4-0-1	3	4	16	L2	@ UBC
Saskatchewan	0-5-0-3	3	9	21	L8	vs MAN
Trinity Western	1-5-0-0	2	6	15	L1	@ REG

Honour Roll

Each week on The Rundown, I highlight the best performances from the weekend's games. It won't always be the top scorer or the best goalie, but I'll have a reason for who gets picked each week. This week's Honour Roll candidate is actually a group of players because the UBC Thunderbirds' penalty killers are this week's honourees!

UBC went into the Pandas' den this weekend and absolutely won the special teams' battle. UBC's penalty killers were 14/14 this weekend in killing off penalties against Canada West's best power-play team. Alberta came into the weekend with a 7-for-19 streak going on the power-play, but they're now third in conference after going oh-fer this weekend. That's a huge effort by the UBC penalty killers as they were 6/6 on Friday and 8/8 on Saturday.

UBC's penalty killing efficiency went from 75.0% (18-for-24) to 84.2% (32-for-38) in one weekend thanks to their collective efforts this weekend, and that was a big reason why UBC swept Alberta in Edmonton. That kind of effort gets you noticed here, that's how the UBC penalty killers added their collective name to the Honour Roll!

My Kingdom For A Goal - Part 1

The Saskatchewan Huskies have played eight games this season, and five of them have been decided by one goal. In four of those games, the Huskies have scored one goal or less. Needless to say, they need to find a sniper quickly on their roster or this may be a tough season when it comes to lighting the lamp.

To make matters worse, in three of the five games, the Huskies have scored the first goal only to give up the lead later in the game. They did rally from a three-goal deficit against the Alberta Pandas only to fall in the shootout, but the Huskies are a younger team and they're going to have to learn how to protect a lead.

They do have three points and play Manitoba next weekend who are ahead of them by four points. If the Huskies can find some scoring, they could find themselves tied for third-place if they sweep Manitoba on home ice. Right now, it seems like a tough ask considering they've only scored more than one goal in a game once this season in eight games, but anything can happen in Canada West.

My Kingdom For A Goal - Part 2

The MacEwan Griffins have six games under their belts this season, and have just four goals to show for that effort. 360 minutes of hockey should yield more than four goals, but it seems MacEwan is still looking for an answer for their offensive woes that have carried forward from last season. Making matters worse is that half of the four goals they've scored this weekend came in one game - a 3-2 shootout win over Regina.

Two goals have come in the first period while two more have been scored in third period. I don't know if the long change in the second period is causing issues for the Griffins, but they've also surrendered seven goals in that frame as well - the most of any period this season. The fact that they have three five-on-five goals is a worry, but it's a bigger worry when you know that they have the same number of shootout goals as five-on-five goals this season.

For a team that scored 40 goals in 28 games last season, they have to find a way to generate more offence. They haven't recorded more than 17 shots in any game this season, and they're being outshot 176-87 in their six games. A shooting percentage of 4.6% needs to be better, but asking a team to score 3-4 goals per night when averaging 14.5 shots per game with a shooting percentage of 4.6% simply isn't realistic in Canada West. Something needs to change in Griff Nation in a big way if MacEwan is going to push for a playoff spot.

The Defensive Conference

With a couple more shutouts this weekend, 11 shutouts have been recorded in October this season by eight different goalies on six teams. Three goalies have two shutouts already - Alberta's Grace Glover, Mount Royal's Kaitlyn Ross, and UBC's Elise Hugens - and the 11 eleven total shutouts match the same amount as last season through the first month of play. Comparatively, 2019-20 had 12 shutouts through the first four weeks of play while 2018-19 had 16 shutouts in the first four weeks of play.

It shouldn't surprise anyone that Canada West may be the best defensive conference in U SPORTS Women's Hockey once again, but nothing is decided in October. As we saw in 2023 with Mount Royal's run to the National Championship, scoring goals is just as important as preventing them, but winning games does get a lot easier, though, when your defence is posting doughnuts regularly.

The Italian Job

Gabriella Durante has landed and had her photo taken in her new uniform, and it looks like her red-clad gear from her days with the Calgary Dinos will fit nicely with Real Torino! There isn't an update for Durante yet statistically as Real Torino hasn't played a game with her on the roster, but they'll get a shot today as they play Trentino. In their only game of the season back on October 5, Real Torino was on the wrong side of a 6-3 decision against HC 3 Zinnen Dolomites Women, so they're sitting with an 0-1-0 record. Trentino comes into the game having won their first four games, so this will be a test. If there's a goaltender on the Real Torino who can steal a win, Gabriella Durante may be that goalie! I'll keep an eye on her progress this season!

The Last Word

If you read the report published by Hockey Canada this week, you likely know the shortfalls that U SPORTS experiences every year when it comes to finding opportunities at the professional and international levels. One of the passages reads as follows:

"At the university level last season, 35 teams competed in U SPORTS women's hockey, rostering more than 800 combined student-athletes, the vast majority of whom were Canadian and stayed in Canada to keep playing hockey.

"However, in the NCAA, nearly 33% of the more than 1,100 Division I women's hockey players were Canadian, meaning that almost 400 student-athletes left Canada to play university hockey in the American system.

"All players on Canada’s National Women's Team and Canada's National Women's Development Team in 2023-24 played their university careers in the NCAA."

What the report doesn't say is that Hockey Canada sends representatives each and evry year to the National Championship, and these representatives watch for playersd they believe may have a chance to play hockey beyond their university years. The reality of the situation is that Hockey Canada identifies maybe 3-4 players per year with this potential while everyone else at the National Championship is forgotten.

One of the questions asked in the report is "Can U SPORTS women's hockey evolve to be a product that is seen as a leader around the world and a legitimate path to a professional career and further national team participation?" to which I already know can be answered with a solid "yes" thanks to the success of players playing in European leagues that I try to promote. Whether it be Sweden, Switzerland, or another European country, U SPORTS players are doing great hockey things in countries not found in North America.

Hockey Canada asked if U SPORTS hockey can evolve, but the only way it changes is if it can compete with the NCAA directly. That's simply not possible unless there's a infusion of millions of dollars annually which is entirely unrealistic. What would be more realistic and achievable, though, is the regular promotion of athletes and the airing of games for free so that more people can watch. If more people are watching, more players would get noticed and the potential for sponsorship dollars grows.

This doesn't seem like a hard concept to grasp, but check out all the highlight reels on this page showing off the amazing plays made by the women in Canada West. If you want to see U SPORTS evolve to lead to more professional hockey career options and national team participation, the easiest thing to do is to allow those teams to see your players. After all, "if you can see it, you can be it".

Why can a blogger see the first step in the path to making U SPORTS better when both Hockey Canada and U SPORTS seem baffled on how the university hockey system can be better? Sometimes, I wonder if the powers who govern this game actually know anything about it.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

A Historical Commercial

These two men likely need no introduction when it comes to their hockey legacies. If you're wondering who they are, though, the man on the right is former NHL superstar and current TV hockey analyst Wayne Gretzky who, if my memory serves me correct, set a few scoring records during his time in the NHL and on the international stage. The man on the left is legendary Soviet Union netminder Vladislav Tretiak, and these two came together in 1987 to make a little TV history to go along with the myriad of accolades and records they hold in their careers.

There's no doubt that Wayne Gretzky was one of the most recognizable athletes on the planet in 1987 thanks to his work with the Edmonton Oilers. Vladislav Tretiak was fairly well-known as well after his work in helping the Soviet Union win virtually every hockey competition they entered. These two were definitely two of the biggest hockey stars on the planet at the time, and they somehow ended up promoting deodorant for Gillette on North American TV!
Despite that YouTube video feeling dated, that was the commercial that was filmed and aired in 1987 with both Gretzky and Tretiak. The 30-second advertisement isn't revolutionary by any means, and the product they were promoting has been around for a while now. However, this commercial marked a significant historical moment in Canadian TV due not-Canadian player in the commercial!

The commercial debuted on November 8, 1987 on Canadian television networks after being filmed in Montreal in early September of that year. Gillette began negotiations with Tretiak and the Soviet Sports Committee in March to bring the two players together to introduce the new Right Guard deodorant product with Tretiak and the Soviet Sports Committee finally signing off on the endorsement deal on September 4, 1987. The commercial was reportedly filmed on Labour Day for airing later in the year (as we saw).

In any case, that November 8, 1987 date is historical because Tretiak's appearance in the Gillette commercial was the first time that a Soviet athlete had been hired to appear in a television commercial. Prior to that, no Soviet athlete had appeared on North American television in any way other than sports highlights, so Gillette made a little history by hiring Tretiak to sell their scent! And just to add a little more to the story, Tretiak was reportedly eager to do the commercial as well!

Ken Coates, Gillette's advertising manager at the time, said he expected some controversy over the hiring, stating to reporters, "It would not surprise me. It doesn't matter what idea you come up with, there's going to be some opposition to it."

It doesn't sound like much has changed in the television world as there are still controversies over who gets hired, but it's a pretty cool fact that Vladislav Tretiak was the first Soviet athlete hired for a commercial in North America. There's no doubt that both Gretzky and Tretiak will be in hockey record books for decades to come with how good they were, but both men were part of a historical television moment back on November 8, 1987.

Thanks to Right Guard, this is one TV moment that doesn't stink!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

The Hockey Show - Episode 631

The Hockey Show, Canada's only campus-produced radio show that strictly talks hockey, hits the ground running tonight with a pile of stories from last week in and around the hockey world. There are some business stories, some records, some craziness, and some new ideas that will be discussed tonight as the news from a number of corners on the planet reach the UMFM airwaves. Our hosts will have to move quickly if they're going to squeeze all the discussions and stories into the hour, so get ready for a pile of news in a short time tonight on The Hockey Show at 5:30pm CT!

Being that I left this preview as a draft on HBIC, here's what the show preview would have looked like had I actually published it. Just roll with it, alright? I'm human and I was busy today.

Tonight, Teebz and Jason will kick off the show with a message backed by a statement from Minnesota Wild defender Jon Merrill that all teams and players need to hear. From there, they'll discuss the sale of the Tampa Bay Lightning, Sarah Fillier's contract dispute with PWHL New York, a peculiar NHL record that one of the hosts hates, another ECHL expansion team, an underdog in the CHL that has a U SPORTS twist, cleaning house in the KHL, and the IIHF looking to expand hockey options at the Olympics. The stories probably didn't hit the front page of the sports section, so we'll give you the 411 on all these stories and more 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 new UMFM website's online 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. It's a solid app.

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!

Tonight, Teebz and Jason chat important messages, ownership changes, getting paid, made-up records, expansion teams, upsets and goalies, hockey chaos, more Olympic hockey, and much more exclusively on 101.5 UMFM and on the UMFM.com web stream!

PODCAST: October 24, 2024: Episode 631

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Take It Slow, Chef

We go from 16 games and all 32 NHL teams in action on Tuesday to having just one game on tonight. I'm not making the NHL schedule or anything, but we couldn't find another two teams to play tonight so I'm not forced to watch Philadelphia and Washington? The good news is that no one actually is forcing me to watch them play, so I won't be. I may check out the ECHL game between Toledo and Idaho as both teams are gonna be good this season. However, whatever game I land on will be playing in the background because I'm embarking on a different sort of project tonight. This one might make your mouth water, but I have some vegetables to use up so my efforts will be in the kitchen tonight as I take my time and slowly craft something everyone should have on-hand!

If you're a fan of French onion soup or a way to kick a pizza up a couple of notches, caramelized onions make a world of difference if you have them on-hand. They can change the flavour profile of anything they're added to, but the magic that makes caramelized onions so good is time. Specifically, I'm talking about the amount of time that's needed to properly caramelize the allium pieces.

There are sites and authors of recipes on the internet that claim to be able to get caramelized onions done in under 30 minutes, and I'm here to tell you that if you see that claim you're likely reading about the worst caramelized onions you'll ever taste. Some renowned chefs have made the claim of being able to caramelize onions properly between 45 minutes to an hour, and I'm also telling you that whatever method they're using likely isn't going to give you the best flavours.

Tonight, as I listen to the sounds of the game from the other room, I'll be spending up to 90 minutes caramelizing onions from my own garden. You might wonder why it takes an hour and a half to caramelize onions, and there's actual science behind why the longer time works better than forcing it with baking soda or using high heat and water to speed the effort up. In short, stay calm and slow down.

The act of caramelization is the browning that happens when sugar is heated. In onions, the process is called "pyrolysis" which is the non-enzymatic browning of the onions due to heat. In order to brown the onions and make them sweet, though, the onions need to have the water removed from them, and that's not a quick-and-easy process as onions can be up to 90% water. When the water is removed, the process to starting pyrolysis can begin.

The key for pyrolysis is that it starts around 212°F. Without water, though, the onions can burn if the heat is too high. This is why the long cooking period is important: low heat plus the removal of water will allow the temperature of the onions to climb slowly, promoting the "sweating" of the water out of the onions and leading into proper pyrolysis. The longer the cooking period, the better chances of the onions coming out sweeter.

The reason that happens is that the heat without the water allows the breakdown of the sucrose in the onion's cells, turning the sucrose into simpler sugar molecules. Our tongues aren't designed to taste complex forms of sugar, so extracting these simpler forms of sugar is why caramelized onions taste sweet compared to raw or sautéed onions. The final product is almost always a delicious result, so low heat and a long time is how to make the best caramelized onions.

If you're still with me through the culinary science, let's get to the actual making of the caramelized onions. The recipe isn't complicated nor are the directions, so here it is.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons of olive oil
4 medium yellow onions - peeled, halved, and sliced
½ teaspoon of salt

The salt is only used to enhance the sweetness by sprinkling it into the onions at the end. Otherwise, there are only two ingredients needed to caramelize onions.

Directions

1. Cut the onion halves into similarly-sized slices. Once sliced, break up the onions so they're left as individual half-rings.
2. Add the olive oil to a large skillet, and warm to a medium-low temperature. Don't overheat the oil!
3. Add the onions and sauté them until soft. Cover with a lid to help the sweating of the onions, but keep an eye on them. DO NOT BURN THE ONIONS!
4. Turn the heat down to low, and allow the onions to continue to sweat. Stir every five minutes to ensure that the onions on the bottom aren't burning. If they stick to the pan, remove the pan from the heat, lower the temperature again, replace the pan on the heat after 1-2 minutes, and resume the five-minute stirring intervals.
5. Continue these intervals for 60-80 minutes until the onions are brown. It may not look like the onions are doing anything in terms of colour, but keep calm and let the process continue.
6. Once browned, add a little water and turn the heat up to medium for the final two minutes to coax as much sugar out of the onions. DO NOT BURN THE ONIONS!
7. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Remember to stir the onions at least once while cooling. If you're adding the salt for taste, add it before removing from the heat.
8. Once done, put into an airtight container. These caramelized onions can be kept for up to a week in the refrigerator or two months in the freezer. If you want smaller sizes, use an ice tray to make smaller, easier to handle portions.

That's all it takes. It's not difficult at all, but it's the commitment to the time that everyone seems to ignore. Don't rush the process if you want things to turn out splendidly because the low heat and the long cooking time is how you make the science work in your favour. Once you have the caramelized onions, you're ready to add them to virtually anything - burgers, pizza, sandwiches, etc. - or can be eaten with a charcuterie board to add some nice sweetness.

For a quiet night of hockey, I ended up with some delicious food. That's not a bad trade for any evening in my books.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Everyone's In Action

I'm not certain why the NHL has decided to put 32 teams in action tonight, October 22, but we'll roll with that decision. After all, everyone loves a good playoff race and/or draft ranking possibility when it comes to games in October, so my congratulations goes out to the NHL for this wizardry. If the sarcasm is starting to bleed through in this paragraph, you have to understand that I do understand that wins in October are just as important as wins in February, but giving me all 32 teams in action on a Tuesday night before the snow flies means I'm probably not going to invest myself into these games as much as I would later in the season. How hard would this be to schedule for a Saturday in late January?

If you're wondering who is playing whom tonight, here's the schedule:

• 6:00pm: Washington Capitals at Philadelphia Flyers
• 6:30pm: Minnesota Wild at Florida Panthers
• 6:45pm: Tampa Bay Lightning at New Jersey Devils
• 7:00pm: Dallas Stars at Buffalo Sabres
• 7:15pm: New York Rangers at Montreal Canadiens
• 7:30pm: Toronto Maple Leafs at Columbus Blue Jackets
• 7:45pm: Detroit Red Wings at New York Islanders
• 8:00pm: Winnipeg Jets at St. Louis Blues
• 8:15pm: Vancouver Canucks at Chicago Blackhawks
• 8:30pm: Colorado Avalanche at Seattle Kraken
• 8:45pm: Boston Bruins at Nashville Predators
• 9:00pm: Carolina Hurricanes at Edmonton Oilers
• 9:15pm: Ottawa Senators at Utah Hockey Club
• 9:30pm: Pittsburgh Penguins at Calgary Flames
• 10:15pm: San Jose Sharks at Anaheim Ducks
• 11:00pm: Los Angeles Kings at Vegas Golden Knights
All games shown are scheduled in eastern time.

Clearly, there are some interesting matchups that the NHL has brought together tonight, but how does the NHL only have four divisional games on this night? That aside, the undefeated Winnipeg Jets and St. Louis Blues will be the game I'm watching tonight, but I will be checking in on the Hurricanes and Oilers as that could be intriguing, the Penguins and Flames could be fun, and the Avalanche and Kraken sounds like fun too.

I'm not certain I'd ever watch a Red Wings-Islanders matchup at any point, and the Kings and Golden Knights start way too late for me, so those games aren't going to attract these eyeballs. I'm hoping for a Buffalo upset over Dallas, a Panthers defeat of the Wild, and an Ottawa win over Utah, but the odds don't look good in those games. Whatever happens in those three games is completely out of my control, but watching the Jets win and those three teams lose would make for a productive Tuesday night for Jets fans.

My question is why the NHL is doing this in mid-October as opposed to later in the season. If the NHL wants ratings and advertising dollars, make this a Saturday thing where they can start games at 2pm ET, and have another kick off 30 minutes later, and so on and so forth. The NHL could run through all 16 games in eight hours, with the final games starting at 9pm and 9:30pm ET. It would be easy to do assuming there are dates free in 16 NHL arenas, but this is something that could and should happen every month in the regular season.

The only major sport the NHL is competing against is the NBA for most of their season, so they just need to find 16 arenas where this could happen. Considering that Canada only has one NBA team, there are six arenas for which they could plan pretty easily. Why are we not doing this "Frozen Frenzy" more often on days where more viewers will tune in? It's a better idea than the outdoor games!

As I alluded to in the opening paragraph, I would be doing this more often if the NHL wants to embed themselves into US TV viewers' minds. Giving me every team playing on one day would have me bouncing between games, especially when playoff spots are up for grabs. 16 games in October doesn't have the allure for a die-hard like me, however, so why not schedule this "frenzy" or one like it for later in the season?

Maybe I should apply to be an NHL scheduler-maker?

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Just Not A Good Look

I'll admit that I've never been an equipment manager or staff member for any hockey team at any level, but there are certain expectations that one should meet if one is privileged enough to land that job. As seen to the left, goaltender Vitek Vanecek likely will want a word with the Sharks' equipment staff after his jersey showed up in his locker with his last name misspelled, and one would hope that the Sharks will never let that happen again. That happened last night in the game featuring the Sharks and Avalanche, but today's jersey snafu is less about a misspelled name and more about meeting expectations when it comes to wearing something timeless and classy.

I was bouncing around the myriad of hockey games on Saturday night, and I happened to wander down the NCAA rabbit hole where I landed on a solid game between Alaska-Anchorage Seawolves and the Northern Michigan Wildcats. I'm already a fan of the Seawolves with their incredible logo and classic hockey jerseys, so this game was an easy one to watch from a fan standpoint.

As a hockey guy, though, I found myself very bothered by one aspect on the jerseys seen, so let's introduce you to the Northern Michigan Wildcats and their diagonally-named jerseys worn on Saturday.

Everything seems pretty solid with these jerseys, right? I thought so as well until I couldn't stop staring at every player's right hip where "NMU" floats above the hem striping. After a while, I caught myself watching the jerseys more than I was watching the game because I'm struggling with the idea that anyone thinks it's a good idea to put the school's abbreviated name on hip of a jersey. Why not the logo which would make more sense? How many letters does one jersey need?

As I wrote The Rundown on Sunday, I kept thinking about Northern Michigan's jerseys because I simply haven't seen many like them. Yes, you could call them unique, but being unique doesn't make them special if it looks bad. Frankly, the "NMU" on the hip feels very out-of-place on these jerseys when one is reading the diagonal name from shoulder to left hip, and any captaincy markings, as shown above, only adds to the alphabet found on the jerseys.

Historically, though, the Wildcats seem to have worn this design for years. I guess it flew under my radar since Northern Michigan isn't the NCAA's strongest team, but there's a trend here seen below.

Again, does anyone think that "NMU" on the hip looks good there? Or fits the aesthetic of the jersey? One could potentially make a case for "Northern Michigan has always done this", but just because something has been done wrong for decades doesn't make it better. By that rationale, hockey players would still smoke between periods and wear cricket pads for shin guards. The history may be there, but it just doesn't look good no matter from what era it came.

You can't tell me the mock-up to the right doesn't look better with the wildcat coming out of the stripe. I get the name across the diagonally, I get the smaller logo on the hip, and it feels less "alphabetical" than having all the letters on the jersey. And while I admit the mock-up is crude as I basically threw it together in about 10 minutes, the wildcat logo looks much better than the "NMU" block letters that Northern Michigan is employing. I'm not saying that this has to be the final design by any means, but give me something more than alphabet soup on the front of the jerseys, please. The 1991 NCAA champions should be wearing something seen in a beer league for team identification. They need to wear their identity proudly just like alumni Dallas Drake, Don Waddell, and Steve Bozek did in their playing days.

Of course, maybe I'm makng too much of this since both Drake wore the alphabet jersey and Steve Bozek wore the jersey as well, but any timeless jersey outside of the New York Rangers' blue sweater with diagonal writing has a logo on it. The Rangers do get a pass for their history, but also because they didn't put "NYC" on the hip.

What are your thoughts on the "NMU" on the hip of the Wildcats? Is that a good design or a bad design? How would you make it better if it needs improving? Leave your comments below and we can discuss that or Vanecek's misspelled name!

For the record, the Wildcats beat the Seawolves on Friday 2-1 before dropping Saturday's rematch by a 5-3 score in the alphabet jerseys. Two goals in 5:49 of play in the third period put Alaska-Anchorage up 4-2, and the Wildcats could not recover in falling to 1-3-0 on the season and 1-1-0 at home. Beyond that, all I can tell you is that the "NMU" on those jerseys would mean "Not My University" if they were wearing them.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

The Rundown - Week 3

As Week Three of the Canada West season gets underway, one team still hadn't been defeated, two teams hadn't recorded a regulation loss, and one team still had no points. Depending on this week's results, the Canada West playoff picture may be forming very early as to who may participate and who may not, but there's still a ton of time for teams that are looking to climb the standings. Early wins are proving important, however, and they will help in the final standings at the end of the season. So who did the winning this week? Would we see movement in the standings? Let's find out on The Rundown!

FRIDAY: The Calgary Dinos will be pinned to the top of The Rundown for every game they play at home because they produce highlight reels. They're promoting their athletes, so I'll help them out. Wanna know how your favorite team can appear here? Speak to your athletic department about making highlight reels! That's all it takes!

With their crosstown rivals visiting, the Dinos were hosting the undefeated Cougars this week. Mount Royal was coming off a big weekend with a sweep over UBC so they were playing well. The Dinos were looking to build on their sweep of the Huskies, so we were in for a treat! Scout Anderson drew the start for the Cougars while Amelia Awad was in the Dinos' crease for this one!

This game had great pace to start, but shots came at a premium as Mount Royal recorded the only puck on net in the first five minutes of the game. That would change quickly, though, when Madelynne Nafziger's point shot found room through Anderson after eluding the traffic and screen in front, and Calgary jumped ahead 1-0 at 5:38 mark on Nafziger's first Canada West goal! Both teams continued to be stingy when it came to allowing shots as the period progressed, and both teams would be unsuccessful on power-plays including a four-minute advantage for MRU. At the end of 20 minutes, Calgary held the 1-0 lead despite Mount Royal holding a 6-5 edge in shots.

Calgary would boost that lead to two goals early in the second period. On a two-on-two, Jolie Nafziger dropped the puck to Brette Kerley after crossing inside the Mount Royal blueline, and Kerley's shot got past Anderson at the 4:41 mark to make it a 2-0 game! Again, the defensive play from both sides was on display as the clocked ticked down, but a series of penalties in the middle of the frame didn't help the Dinos after they earned power-plays off them. The period would come to a close with the Dinos still up 2-0 and holding a 12-10 lead in shots.

Knowing they had to erase a two-goal deficit, the Cougars brought the offence in the third period. Despite the push, Awad stood tall and the Dinos' defence was quick to clear and move pucks. The Cougars would get one back with Anderson on the bench, however, as Lyndsey Janes spotted Lydia Butz wide-open on the far post thanks to having the extra player, and Butz would bury the puck behind Awad at 17:44 to make it a 2-1 game! That would be as close as the Cougars got on this night, though, as Brooklyn Anderson added her conference-leading sixth goal into an empty cage, and the Calgary Dinos skated to the 3-2 victory!

Amelia Awad picked up her third win of the season after stopping 21 shots while Scout Anderson suffered the loss on a 14-save night.

Highlights of this game are below thanks to the Dinos!

SATURDAY: The series would flip to Flames Community Arena for the Saturday game as the Dinos visited the Cougars, but there won't be a recap because the 2023 National Champions can't seem to get anyone to learn how to make highlight reels. Yes, they did them at one time, but that's fallen to the wayside. I guess having all those players go off and play professionally means nothing to them when it comes to finding those same opportunities for their current athletes? Speak to your athletic department if you want to see a recap like the one above!

Cougars goals: Jordyn Hutt (1), Lyndsey Janes (2)
Cougars assists: Lydia Butz (1), Ava Metzger (2), Alexandria Spence (2)
Cougars netminder: Kaitlyn Ross (17/18)

Dinos goals: Caitlyn Perlinger (2)
Dinos assists: Solana Copper (1), Brette Kerley (2)
Dinos netminder: Amelia Awad (17/19)

Result: 2-1 victory for Mount Royal over Calgary.

FRIDAY: It's an interesting thing to see a school like Trinity Western make a highlight reel for one sport, but not any other. There were multiple games this weekend, yet only women's soccer got a highlight reel of their Friday night game. Of course, the Trinity Western women's hockey account on Twitter hasn't posted anything since October 2023 and the official Trinity Western Spartans Twitter account didn't even mention hockey for the men or women this weekend. That's simply baffling, but that's the reality of university sports in western Canada. Speak to your athletic department if you want things to get better.

Spartans goals: none
Spartans assists: none
Spartans netminder: Kate Fawcett (24/25)

Thunderbirds goals: Vanessa Schaefer (1)
Thunderbirds assists: Makenzie McCallum (3)
Thunderbirds netminder: Elise Hugens (14/14)

Result: 1-0 victory for UBC over Trinity Western.

SATURDAY: We already know UBC isn't making highlight reels for its team this season, so there's no sense in wasting column inches complaining about it. Speak to your athletic department, Thunderbirds, if you want this to change.

Thunderbirds goals: Grace Elliott (3), Mackenzie Kordic (2), Vanessa Schaefer (2), Makenzie McCallum (1)
Thunderbirds assists: Jaylyn Morris (2), Madisyn Wiebe (1), Sierra LaPlante (1), Makenzie McCallum (4), Chanreet Bassi (3), Jaylyn Morris (3)
Thunderbirds netminder: Mya Lucifora (19/20)

Spartans goals: Jordyn Matthews (1)
Spartans assists: Casey Ditner (1), Kara Yackel (1)
Spartans netminder: Kate Fawcett (33/37)

Result: 4-1 victory for UBC over Trinity Western.

FRIDAY: The Huskies continue to produce features on their YouTube channel, but loading up highlight reels is an impossible task. Speak to your athletic department, Huskies, if you want this to change. I can't force anyone to do anything.

Huskies goals: Bronwyn Boucher (2)
Huskies assists: McKenna Bolger (1), Kendra Zuchotzki (3)
Huskies netminder: Colby Wilson (17/19)

Pandas goals: Madison Willan (1), Ryann Perrett (2)
Pandas assists: Natalie Kieser (1), Brooklyn Tews (1), Allison Reich (1), Maia Ehmann (1)
Pandas netminder: Grace Glover (21/22)

Result: 2-1 victory for Alberta over Saskatchewan.

SATURDAY: Nothing changed overnight when it comes to highlight reels, so there won't be a recap here from Saskatoon. If it doesn't mean anything to anyone, so be it. Maybe just give me a heads-up rather than trying to promote the women who play this game? I mean, this game featured an incredible comeback and an 11-round shootout that had all sorts of skill shown. Why does it seem like no one cares?

Huskies goals: Jayde Cadieux (1), Sara Kendall (1), Sara Kendall (2)
Huskies assists: Jaiyana Nurani (1), Taylor Wilkinson (1), Taylor Wilkinson, Jasper Desmarais
Huskies netminder: Colby Wilson (28/31) over 65:00 and 8/11 in the shootout
Huskies shootout scorers: Brooklyn Stevely, Kahlen Wisener

Pandas goals: Jadynn Morden (2), Jadynn Morden (3), Hayleigh Craig (1)
Pandas assists: Maia Ehmann (2), Sara Kazeil (4), Maia Ehmann (3)
Pandas netminder: Mackenzie Dojahn (18/21) over 65:00 plus 9/11 in the shootout
Pandas shootout scorers: Payton Laumbach, Payton Laumbach, Payton Laumbach

Result: 4-3 shootout victory for Alberta over Saskatchewan.

FRIDAY: A team hasn't lost in regulation time that's leading the division with a pile of players who are stepping up their games, and the Regina Cougars have opted not to show off their women's hockey program. I'm not sure what it will take to get anyone to show they give a damn, but I implore the Cougars to speak to their athletic department. The best kept secret in women's hockey this season will remain that way until something changes.

Cougars goals: Paige Hubbard (2), Makena Kushniruk (1)
Cougars assists: Makena Kushniruk (2), Trinity Grove (1), Jordyn Blais (1)
Cougars netminder: Arden Kliewer (34/36) in 65:00 and 3/3 in the shootout
Cougars shootout scorers: Makena Kushniruk

Bisons goals: Aimee Patrick (1), Dana Goertzen (2)
Bisons assists: Camille Enns (1), Ali Staples (1), Julia Bird (1), Aimee Patrick (1)
Bisons netminder: Emily Shippam (33/35) in 65:00 and 1/2 in the shooutout
Bisons shootout scorers: none

Result: 3-2 shootout victory for Regina over Manitoba.

SATURDAY: With no highlights to show, let's just keep this moving.

Cougars goals: Paige Hubbard (3), Meg Farmer (1)
Cougars assists: Shaylee Scraba (1)
Cougars netminder: Natalie Williamson (26/26)

Bisons goals: none
Bisons assists: none
Bisons netminder: Paige Fischer (26/28)

Result: 2-0 victory for Regina over Manitoba.

No, I'm not doing the stupid East and West Divisions on the standings board. One conference, nine teams, let's see who is best.

CANADA WEST WOMEN'S HOCKEY

School	Record	Points	GF	GA	Streak	Next
Regina	4-0-1-1	11	10	6	W2	BYE
Mount Royal	5-1-0-0	10	15	7	W1	vs SAS
Alberta	5-1-0-0	10	15	7	W2	vs UBC
UBC	3-2-1-0	8	16	12	W2	@ ALB
Calgary	3-2-0-1	7	16	13	L1	@ TWU
Manitoba	1-2-0-1	3	6	7	L2	vs MAC
MacEwan	1-2-0-1	3	3	10	W1	@ MAN
Saskatchewan	0-4-0-2	2	7	15	L6	@ MRU
Trinity Western	0-4-0-0	0	1	11	L4	vs CAL

Honour Roll

I'm adding this new feature to every edition of The Rundown I post where I highlight the best performances from the weekend's games. It won't always be the top scorer or the best goalie, but I'll have a reason for who gets picked each week. This week's Honour Roll candidate is Alberta Pandas forward Payton Laumbach!

I'm sure we all remember the 2007 World Junior Championship semifinal game between Canada and the US where Jonathan Toews scored three times in the shootout to help Canada advance to the gold medal game. The stakes weren't as high in her game, but we may have our own version of Toews in Canada West as Payton Laumbach scored three times in the shootout to help Alberta down Saskatchewan. It isn't often we see a shootout hat trick in any league, so Laumbach's feat on Saturday night is one for the ages!

The irony of her completing this feat is that those three goals represent the first three shootout goals she has scored in Canada West. In her previous four seasons, Laumbach was 0/1 on shootouts, so it's not like she was running through a case of bad luck. She rarely was chosen for shots, it seems, as the Pandas looked to other players. That feeling might change after Laumbach scored three times on Wilson to put her career shootout success rate for goals at 75%! That kind of effort gets you noticed here, that's how Payton Laumbach added her name to the Honour Roll!

A Physical Brand of Hockey

I'm not saying that teams should be taking penalties, but would it surprise you that the Mount Royal Cougars, Regina Cougars, Alberta Pandas, UBC Thunderbirds, and Calgary Dinos lead Canada West in penalty minutes, and they're all holding playoff spots right now?

If there's a reputation that Canada West has across the rest of the country, it's that teams from the west play physical, are often big and fast, and they go to the net hard. The five teams mentioned above haven't had a problem playing that way this season, and one has to wonder if it will catch up to any of them as the season progresses. After all, the teams with the best power-plays also have a pretty good track record in Canada West, so taking needless penalties may eventually bite a team in the rear end.

Let me be clear: I'm not saying that taking penalties will result in wins, but I am saying that the teams who play into that repuation of tough, physical hockey seem to have more success than less early in this season. I'll keep an eye on this trend as we move forward.

Special Teams

While some teams have played more than others, it's hard not to look at the team who is leading the conference in power-play efficiency and understand why they're in a position they're in. The Alberta Pandas always had a solid power-play under Howie Draper, and his return to the bench this season has them clicking with the advantage again. They're a solid 7/19 with the extra player right now, nearly doubling the number of goals scored by both Mount Royal and Saskatchewan while on the advantage.

On the flip side, the top-two teams in the conference are where they are because they kill penalties well. Defence wins championships, as we've been told, and the Mount Royal Cougars are an impressive 32/33 in kills while down a player. Similarly, Regina is right behind them with 28/31 kills being successful as these are the only two teams above 90% in penalty-kill efficiency early in the season.

Winning the special teams battles will always bring success. The top-three teams in Canada West are proof of that early this season.

Don't Believe The Hype

With U SPORTS forcing Top-Ten lists onto anyone who wants to believe them, I have a bag of salt you need to take if you're reading those lists. None of the calculations make sense as I have demonstrated yet again, so buying into these rankings is akin to buying stock in Enron or Worldcom. It's worthless.

Until people start voting on these rankings once again, we need to stop giving them any sort of belief that they're right. Concordia beat McGill twice this weekend in their first games while Montreal and Bishop's split their games. Arguably, Bishop's was the better team down the stretch last season and should be ranked accordingly, but Montreal's point total in the algorithm will almost always be higher due to their history. With Mount Royal splitting its weekend, Waterloo dropping a game to Brock, and Saint Mary's losing twice, all three teams dropping in the top-ten should be expected.

Have fun in celebrating a top-ten placement if you get it, but these rankings mean nothing because every ranking is determined by a calculation rather than by true comparisons. Until there's a human aspect reintroduced into the rankings where teams in different conferences can be compared, these rankings are like the calculations used to make them: random numbers.

The Last Word

Since joining Canada West for the 2021-22 season, the Trinity Western Spartans have scored 132 goals while giving up 227 goals. That's not a great differential, but they have made the playoffs once. I'm not certain if that's something to build upon, but they need something to build on for this season as they are struggling mightily to find the back of the net.

The Spartans scored their first goal on Saturday as Jordyn Matthews dented twine on the power-play, but that's their only marker to date after 240 minutes of play. In 2021-22, the Spartans scored just two goals in four games in October en route to scoring just 24 that season as they finished last in the conference. As you can see, they're not doing much better this season with two games against Calgary remaining on the October schedule.

As we know, last year's leading goal-scorer and overall scorer Brooklyn Anderson is now playing for the Calgary Dinos while both Kate Klassen and Chelsea Debusschere used up their eligibilities, so there are some key pieces missing. That being said, I expected more than one goal out of this program in their first four games with Olivia Leier, Kara Yackel, and Chloe Reid still skating for them.

Trinity Western sits seven points back of the Calgary Dinos for the final playoff spot in Canada West's West Division. I'm not certain they'll be able to make that deficit up despite having 24 games to do so. With Mount Royal, UBC, and Calgary all having solid starts to the season, falling behind early in the standings for the Spartans may prove insurmountable down the stretch. My hope is that they can figure out how to fill the net with pucks and get back into the race sooner than later because Spartans fans deserve a playoff race like they got two seasons ago. Hockey's more fun when one is in the race.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

No Show For The Winners

I'll be the first to admit that the pageantry and the intrigue that went into the NHL Awards in past years simply doesn't feel like it's there any longer. For most of the awards, they were announced long before the NHL Awards 2024 broadcast last season, making the show feel quite redundant. It's still cool to see the players with their families, friends, and teammates when they're sitting in the rows of seats, but it feels somewhat forced for the players who have to attend only to be told "you didn't win". That may change, however, as it sounds like the NHL will steal another idea from the NBA in its quest to be more like everyone else than trying to be unique.

According to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman, the NHL "and the NHLPA are brainstorming new ideas to change the made-for-TV awards show" with one of the ideas reported by Friedman being "doing it the way the NBA does it". The NBA, for those who aren't aware, present their major trophies to each of the winners during the first week of the NBA playoffs in their home arenas. I'm not sure how Connor Hellebuyck would have liked that last season after the Avalanche buried the Jets in five games, but that's not for me to decide.

"These are the kind of things that are being considered because it's not expected this year that there will be an awards show as we've seen it in the past," Friedman reported during Hockey Night in Canada's Saturday Headlines segment.

If you're keeping track, the NHL already decentralized the NHL Entry Draft this season, allowing GMs to stay home rather than gathering in one city where picks are made in person. With the NHL Awards Show now being decentralized, it seems the tradition "year end" gatherings the NHL once held will no longer require attendance of any sort.

With both the awards show and the draft being held in June along with the Stanley Cup Final and the opening of free agency on July 1, there is some truth to Friedman's quotation of "too much, too quickly" when it comes to the NHL scheduling all these events. Of course, this could be easily solved by cutting the preseason schedule to a few games, moving the start of the season into September, and reducing the overall number of games in the season from 82 to, say, 78, but the NHL will always bend to the will of making more money while cutting costs than the opposite.

I want to be clear in stating that I don't watch the NHL Awards Show in most years anyway. Like I stated, it seems fairly easy to pick the winners for most awards, and I usually am busy in June with non-hockey stuff so clearing a couple of hours for bad jokes and fairly obvious interview questions isn't my idea of a good time. I won't complain loudly if they scrap the show, but this seems to be following a trend where the NHL is reducing its recognition for tradition.

Some will say that tradition can evolve, and I don't disagree. I do think a decentralized entry draft makes little sense when we see general managers making deals with each other in real time on the draft floor, but a decentralized award presentation - aka cancelling the show - feels like the easiest path in solving how to make the NHL Awards Show better.

I can't imagine many of the players complaining about this decision as they value their off-season and days off like gold, but maybe decentralizing everything is the new tradition of the NHL. If this idea of presenting the awards to the winner in their home cities doesn't make anything better or more popular, where does the NHL go from here? Because there aren't a lot of options left.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Were They Listening?

I'm not certain if EcHL representatives were listening to The Hockey Show last night featuring Fiona Quinn, but one of the topics we brought up was ECHL expansion. Fiona didn't really expand on any expansion ideas, but we talked about Bloomington and Tahoe while alluding to the idea of Hamilton, Ontario being a good spot for expansion as well. We never once spoke about the city announced today who will have a team in 2025-26, but the ECHL is kicking off the first day of games in 2024-25 by introducing their newest team in a city where hockey has been before!

The ECHL announced today that the 30th franchise will begin play next season in Greensboro, North Carolina and will play at the First Horizon Coliseum. The 22,000-seat arena has hosted NCAA Men's and Women's Basketball Tournaments, concerts from major mainstream artists, and professional wrestling events, so it has proven to be a capable host for major events. Located in downtown Greensboro, the First Horizon Coliseum is the largest arena in North Carolina, and it serves an immediate population of Greensboro-Winston-Salem of just under two million people.

"The ECHL is proud to welcome our 30th Member by returning to the Greensboro, North Carolina market," said ECHL Commissioner Ryan Crelin. "Greensboro holds a special place in the ECHL's history and growth, and it will be a joyful moment to drop the puck once again in October 2025 and bring professional hockey back to the city for fans to once again cheer for their hometown team."

Zawyer Sports & Entertainment will own and operate the team, and, if that name sounds familiar, it's because it is. Zawyer's ECHL empire now includes all of the ECHL's Jacksonville Icemen, Tahoe Knight Monsters, Savannah Ghost Pirates, and the new Greensboro franchise while also owning the AHL's Charlotte Checkers and the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball's Gastonia Baseball Club. Beyond their ownership stake in the previous franchises, they also run the operations for the ECHL's Allen Americans and Atlanta Gladiators, Community First Igloo rink in Jacksonville, and they have several other small business they run. I wasn't joking when I said they were building an empire, and Greenboro becomes the latest piece.

"We are very excited for the opportunity to launch an ECHL team in Greensboro," Zawyer Sports CEO Andy Kaufmann said. "We look forward to turning Tournament Town into Hockey Town with a family-friendly atmosphere that will bring people together from all around the community."

This won't be the ECHL's first kick at Greensboro, so it's interesting to see them return to a place where there were franchises before. The Greenboro Monarchs were an ECHL franchise from 1989-1995 who played their last two seasons in Greensboro in the AHL thanks to ownership voting to join the AHL as the Carolina Monarchs from 1995-97. The ECHL cancelled the franchise's ECHL membership when they jumped to the AHL, but the ECHL would return with the Greenboro Generals taking up residence in the city from 1999-2004.

It should be noted that the Carolina Hurricanes filled the gap in Greensboro's timeline in 1997 and 1998 as they played in Greenboro before their arena was ready in Raleigh. That move by the NHL team caused the AHL Carolina Monarchs to fold, but their relocating to Raleigh allowed the Generals to move into the Greensboro Coliseum. Greensboro may be the only city to have hosted NHL, AHL, and ECHL teams in one decade!

While this new ECHL Greensboro team has yet to make any inroads into the community with the franchise announcement today, the team is already looking for input from fans on a team name! The team has a website running, and there's already a link where fans can submit a name for the team! One would hope the name is chosen sooner rather than later so the Greensboro team can start marketing itself, but we'll have to keep an eye on how things develop.

Assuming the health of the league and its 29 franchises stays strong, seeing the 30th franchise announced shouldn't surprise anyone. Greensboro has good hockey history despite those eras being short, and the ECHL will look to write another chapter of success into the city's history with its third franchise moving into the community. If Zawyer Sports & Entertainment can replicate the success it has found in Savannah with the Ghost Pirates, this should be a fun venture in North Carolina!

Welcome back to the ECHL, Greensboro!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

The Hockey Show - Episode 630

The Hockey Show, Canada's only campus-produced radio show that strictly talks hockey, is back tonight with one of our favorite guests joining us! We've been lucky to have some exceptional people join us on the show, and tonight's guest can be described as that as she's an expert on all things Fort Wayne Komets as well as having a solid working knowledge of the ECHL. She was on in the spring as the ECHL's Kelly Cup Playoffs were nearing, and we're having her back tonight as the ECHL season kicks off tomorrow! Who is this illustrious guest? We'll meet her again and talk everything ECHL tonight on The Hockey Show at 5:30pm CT!

Teebz and Jason are proud, honoured, privileged, humbled, and pleased to welcome back published author, exceptional brodcaster, Fort Wayne Komets guru, ECHL expert, and hockey fanatic Fiona Quinn to the show! We have lots of questions for Fiona as the ECHL season gets underway tomorrow, so we'll ask her about the Fort Wayne Komets and their chances of winning the Kelly Cup, early scouting reports on the Komets roster, who may stand in Fort Wayne's way to a summer parade, new jerseys, the new teams in the ECHL, new rules in the ECHL, Indiana Tech women's hockey, getting her work published, and anything else that may find its way into the discussion! It should be another informative show with Fiona as we get set for another ECHL season 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 new UMFM website's online 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. It's a solid app.

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!

Tonight, Teebz and Jason chat with Fort Wayne Komets broadcaster Fiona Quinn about the Komets, winning a championship, building a roster, teams that may stop the Komets, new teams, new jerseys, new rules, and much more exclusively on 101.5 UMFM and on the UMFM.com web stream!

PODCAST: October 17, 2024: Episode 630

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

The First Of The Season

Sometimes, there are players who bounce through the NHL that teams may have moved or given up on long before they hit their strides. Goaltender Filip Gustavsson may be one of those players as he seems to be a solid netminder with the Minnesota Wild. Drafted 55th-overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2016, they moved him to Ottawa in a forgettable trade for Vince Dunn, and Ottawa shipped him to Minnesota for Cam Talbot. Over the last two seasons, Gustavsson seems to be the goalie that Pittsburgh wanted when they drafted him as he's gone 42-26-12 in the Wild's crease while starting this season 2-0-1.

Gustavsson won his second game last night against St. Louis, and he did it in style by adding his name to the NHL history books!
Filip Gustavsson becomes the 16th goaltender in NHL history to score or be credited with a goal with his marker at 19:51 of the third period. His goal is the 11th goalie goal to be scored on the road of the 18 goalie goals scored, and it marks the third time in three seasons that the NHL has seen a goalie score a goal!

Here is the list of goalies who have scored or been credited with a goal during an NHL game:

• Billy Smith, NY Islanders – Nov. 28, 1979 at Colorado
• Ron Hextall, Philadelphia – Dec. 8, 1987 vs. Boston
• Ron Hextall, Philadelphia – Apr. 11, 1989 at Washington*
• Chris Osgood, Detroit – Mar. 6, 1996 at Hartford
• Martin Brodeur, New Jersey – Apr. 17, 1997 vs. Montreal
• Damian Rhodes, Ottawa – Jan 2, 1999 vs. New Jersey
• Martin Brodeur, New Jersey – Feb. 15, 2000 vs. Philadelphia**
• Jose Theodore, Montreal – Jan. 2, 2001 at NY Islanders
• Evgeni Nabokov, San Jose – Mar. 10, 2002 at Vancouver***
• Mika Noronen, Buffalo – Feb. 14, 2004 at Toronto
• Chris Mason, Nashville – Apr. 15, 2006 vs Phoenix
• Cam Ward, Carolina – Dec. 26, 2011 vs. New Jersey
• Martin Brodeur, New Jersey – Mar. 21, 2013 at Carolina***
• Mike Smith, Phoenix – Oct. 19, 2013 vs. Detroit
• Pekka Rinne, Nashville - Jan. 9, 2020 at Chicago
• Linus Ullmark, Boston - Feb. 25, 2023 at Vancouver
• Tristan Jarry, Pittsburgh - Nov. 30, 2023 at Tampa Bay
• Filip Gustavsson, Minnesota - Oct. 15, 2024 at St. Louis***

Some quick notes: the italicized goals above were scored in the playoffs. The single asterisk denotes a shorthanded goal, the double-asterisk goal denotes a game-winning goal, and the triple-asterisk goals were scored on the power-play. 14 different teams have had a goal scored by a goaltender while 15 different teams have been victimized by a goalie goal. Nashville is the only team who has had two different goalies score for them.

For those wondering, Gustavsson stopped 27 shots in the 4-1 win over St. Louis while helping his own cause with his goal. It was an unassisted goal after he gloved the slap shot from the neutral zone from Blues forward Pavel Buchnevich before sending it right back down the ice. Philip Broberg was in the penalty box serving a high-sticking double-minor penalty when Gustavsson scored, giving him the power-play marker.

Officially, Gustavsson now has the earliest goalie goal in NHL history, beating Mike Smith by four days. What may be even funnier for hockey fans is that Filip Gustavsson now has more goals this season than all of Connor McDavid, Sidney Crosby, Auston Matthews, Brad Marchand, Steven Stamkos, Zach Hyman, Jake Guentzel, and Carter Verhaeghe. We all know that won't last through 82 games, but it's a cool little fact that Gustavsson can hold onto when telling his kids and grandkids about the time he scored in the NHL!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!