Last-Minute Preparations

I feel pretty confident that no one would mistake the suitcase to the left for my own. Besides those clothes being designed for women, it seems obvious that this woman is fashionably and trendy - two things I am not. I do pack a bag well, though, and I'll have everything I need with me when I arrive in Saskatoon for the 2024 GFL U SPORTS Women's Hockey Championship, presented by Connect Energy. Today, though, I need some time for last-minute preparations.

Some thoughts from the last few days in hockey:

• John Tortorella's suspension and fine are ridiculous when it's clear that he was doing hat he's paid to do: get an explanation from the referee about the calls made against his team. Was he wrong not to leave the bench? Absolutely, and that should warrant a fine OR a suspension, but not both. I still believe Wes McCauley owes John Tortorella an explanation, but it seems like that won't happen.
• I'll write more about this in the future, but Arizona's proposed arena site reportedly has no infrastructure below the ground. That means no sewer or water services, so we're still a decade from a new arena in the desert. It's time for the NHL to pull the plug on this disaster, and bookmark Phoenix as a potential expansion site in the future.
• Former Leksands IF head coach Jordan Colliton was hired by the PWHL Ottawa team in what appears to be a video coaching role. Colliton worked with the Mount Royal Cougars prior to her opportunity in Sweden, but she was relieved of her head coaching duties in November after Leksands struggled early in the SDHL season. It's good to see her land on her feet with another former MRU coach in Carla McLeod, and Colliton should fit nicely with the team in Ottawa.
• Speaking of the Coyotes, teammates Dylan Guenther and Jack McBain - roommates in Phoenix - somehow opted not pay their water utility bill, forcing the water company to shut off the water earlier this week. Insert your own jokes here about the Coyotes and forgetting to pay bills, but that's a terrible look for these two players and their team. According to Guenther, "We thought the electricity and the water was kind of a two-in-one and turns out it wasn't." Perhaps there needs to be a basic class for all rookies on how to live as an adult?

I need to finish a few things before the open road beckons, so that's where I'll leave that today. Discuss among yourselves, and we'll figure stuff out when the wheels come to a stop in Saskatoon. I'm expecting it to be a blast at the U SPORTS Women's Hockey Championship, so we'll see how things go this week!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!