Monday 30 September 2024

Less Cents Makes Sense

One of the evil necessities that fans seem to need while watching a hockey game are concessions. Whether it be an overpriced adult beverage, an excessively-priced hot dog, an extravagantly-priced bucket of popcorn, or some other concession item, it seems that professional sports teams have four- or five-digit profit margins on some of these items. I get why teams do this since maximizing profits on something that most people will buy no matter what the cost seems like a no-brainer, but when we're talking double-digit prices for a hot dog or a soft drink for more than $5 it becomes a lot harder to stomach. Thankfully, it seems one NHL team has decided to respect its fans and their wallets by introducing pricing that makes sense for popular concession items. And I want to thank them for this decision.

I haven't been very high on the Utah Hockey Club so far, but owner Ryan Smith seems to understand that fan experience matters at his games. In saying that, Smith and the Utah Hockey Club announced today that they'll offer concession items at rather reasonable prices. How reasonable, you ask? Check out these prices offered by Utah HC.
If I can get four hot dogs for $12, I can feed a family easily. That makes coming to the rink right after work more palatable because it won't cost me a mortgage payment for concessions. Tack on a couple of ice creams for the kids, and we're still below $20 for dinner. That's how food at hockey games should be priced if you want people to eat at your arena.

As stated in their release, "[f]ive popular items have been significantly reduced in price – for a complete dining experience costing less than $14 if selecting one of each – and will be available at a variety of convenient, easy-to-find locations on concourse Level 3 and Level 5. Designed based on valuable fan feedback SEG received over the past season, the newly reduced pricing represents a reduction in cost to fans greater than 45%."

This is the kind of decision that shows real insight into how fans see concession items set at exorbitant prices. Yes, there will still be specialty items, adult beverages, and other concessions that will cost more than these reasonably-priced items, but for families who have already spent $500 on tickets ($125 per ticket x 4), getting a break at the concession counter is a nice change of pace. Being able to feed a family of four for $20-30 depending on beverages is a fantastic win after spending hundreds on tickets.

"By introducing fan-favorite concessions at incredible prices, we're showing fans that we are listening to their needs, and, there is no better time than now to take this step as more people than ever will attend games at Delta Center this season, as we prepare to host over 80 nights of sports entertainment between the Utah Jazz and Utah Hockey Club," Chris Barney, president of revenue and commercial strategy for Smith Entertainment Group, said in the release.

Colour me impressed with this move by the Utah Hockey Club, and my hope is that other teams around the league follow their lead by pricing some of their concession items more reasonably. Again, I'm not saying that all specialty items need to be priced with a thin profit margin, but getting a hot dog, a bottle of water, and an ice cream for $10 shouldn't break the bank for any NHL team. It clearly won't in Salt Lake City, so kudos to Ryan Smith, the Utah Hockey Club, and their vendors on making this possible for their fans!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Sunday 29 September 2024

Elevating Their Games

There's a lot of focus in North America about the PWHL, and it makes sense since those are the games that are most accessible for most North American women's hockey fans. The fact that we often forget that there are other leagues where a pile of former university stars play means we often forget that these women are seeing the world while being paid to play hockey. Frankly, I'm not saying that anyone should give up an opportunity to play in the PWHL, but it seems like a pretty easy decision to go and play in places like Sweden, Switzerland, and Germany if any of those teams call with an offer to join them. I know I would!

Shown above, #44 is former U SPORTS National Champion, former Mount Royal Cougar, and former Calgary Dino Courtney Kollman who is playing with HC Davos in the PostFinance Women's League this season where she and a handful of other U SPORTS players are showing just how good Canadian university players are!

The top Canadian scorer in the league right now is former UBC Thunderbirds forward Joelle Fiala with HC Davos as she's scored two goals and added five helpers in four games thus far. Right behind her is teammate and former Calgary Dinos forward Elizabeth Lang with three goals and three assists while the aforementioned Kollman has one goal and five assists for HC Davos as well. Yes, they do lead the team in scoring, and HC Davos is 3-1-0-0 so far this season.

Former StFX X-Women forward Lea MacLeod is among the top scorers as well as she's tied for the team lead in scoring with four goals and two assists with SC Bern. Bern sits in third-place behind Davos with a 2-1-1-1 record, but MacLeod may see her point totals increase at a faster rate as she's playing alongside SWHL MVP Estelle Duvin of France. Needless to say, SC Bern is looking to repeat as regular-season champions with MacLeod in the lineup!

She hasn't played as many games, but she's showing that she's still a formidable scorer as former U SPORTS National Champion and Concordia Stinger Rosalie Bégin-Cyr leads Neuchâtel Hockey Academy in scoring. Bégin-Cyr has three goals and a helper in three games as Neuchâtel has started 1-2-0-0 thus far, but they really need to find another scorer or two to help their offensive game. They are the second-lowest scoring team right now in the SWHL with six goals, and the math says that Bégin-Cyr has scored half of those goals. Neuchâtel is in seventh-place.

Former StFX sniper Maggy Burbidge has found a home with HC Fribourg-Gottéron as she has three goals and one assist in three games to lead her team as well. There are more scorers on HC Fribourg-Gottéron to help Burbidge, and one of those players is her former StFX X-Women teammate and defender Lauren Dabrowski who has a goal and an assist in three games. Clearly, having a few more scorers has helped as HC Fribourg-Gottéron is still undefeated at 1-0-2-0, and they currently hold the fourth-place spot in the SWHL.

She was a solid player with the Calgary Dinos during her time in Canada West, but she might be in a tough situation this year as Holly Reuther is suiting up for SC Langenthal who are 0-4-0-0 so far this season. Reuther does have a goal in the four games that she's played, but that goal is just one of two that SC Langenthal has scored all season. Reuther will always give 100% in every situation where she plays, but it might be a long season for the team that was promoted from the SWHL-B league.

I should also note that Swiss-born Kaleigh Quennec skates for SC Bern this season after having a successful run in Canadian univeristy hockey at the University of Montreal. Quennec only has a goal in five games thus far, but there's no doubt that the Swiss National Team program is hoping to see her break out with Bern. Her best season with Les Carabins came in 2022-23 where she had four goals and nine assists in 25 games, and that kind of production with Bern will get her noticed by the Swiss team.

The 28-game season played by the SWHL teams will go by quickly, but it will be interesting to see if any of Fiala, Lang, Kollman, or MacLeod can overtake Swiss scoring sensation Lara Stalder who currently leads the SWHL with six goals and three assists in four games for EV Zug. Czech-born Michaela Pejzlová may also be one to watch with HC Ambrì-Piotta as she had four goals and three assists in five games while Finnish teammate Jenna Kaila is aiming for the goal-scoring title with six goals and zero assists thus far.

The race is on to see who will finish atop the SWHL standings in one of the most picturesque countries on the planet. No matter which team finishes on top of the mountain, it looks like there will be former Canadian university players who factor into that ending. Could we see a U SPORTS National Champion add an SWHL championship to her resumé? It seems very possible this season!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Saturday 28 September 2024

The Little Things Matter

The image to the left is of the UBC Thunderbirds after winning their third consecutive Canada West title. There's a lot of things that go into winning at the Canada West level, and UBC seemingly has a hold on knowing how to win. Frankly, there's every reason to believe they'll make it a four-peat this year as they have skilled players, some unfinished business at Nationals, and a knack for winning big games. When we talk about that "knack", though, we might not be giving their most important team enough credit. It's time to talk about UBC's analytics team because they may have the deepest roster when it comes to advanced stats.

UBC has shown they're human with the rare losses posted at Nationals, but most games at the final tournament of the year are toss-ups when the best play the best from across the nation. Over the last three seasons, though, the Thunderbirds have dominated Canada West play, posting a 56-9-6-5 record over those 76 regular-season games. Putting a points percentage of .811 is no small feat considering the talent in Canada West, so what separates the Thunderbirds from the other eight teams?

Well, it could be the 20+ volunteers they have doing analytics.

Whether you love them or hate them when mentioned on broadcasts, advanced stats are now part of the conversation for every hockey team that plays at some high level. You can dislike them for every reason under the sun, but hockey teams are using them more and more to find competitive advantages at every point in the game. NHL teams pay big money for data scientists who can find those advantages by studying over numbers and situations, but university teams don't have those kinds of budgets for statistics.

There are math and statistics departments at every university that have kids attending classes who are looking for an opportunity to show their skills. I don't know if UBC has some sort of agreement with their math department to have students attend games and track stats for credit, but it would be a very easy win to give credit for applying statistical formulae learned in class to hockey statistics. Of course, this would require the athletics department and the math department working together, and I know from my own experiences with university hockey that very few departments want to work together when it comes to giving credit hours to students.

Whatever the case may be, it would seem that UBC women's hockey has figured out the system as they now have more than twenty volunteers tracking stats, looking for advantages, and building databases of information about their team and their opponents. If they have this large collection of data from which they can reference, finding weaknesses in their opponents' games while maximizing their strengths becomes that much easier.

The weirdest part in finding out about UBC's extensive analytics team is that one program had an opportunity to build their own program 6-7 years ago after a former NHL data scientist offered to share wisdom and the NHL system with the team. At the time, the cost to acquire said wisdom and system was astronomically low considering the potential return, yet the program decided against it, stating that "no one would ever want to do analytics for fun". That last might have been true, but how about if they did it for credit?

With the 2024-25 season approaching, it would appear that one team will have more than enough data on itself and its opponents to take a run at a fourth-straight Canada West banner. While the personnel has changed from year to year, the fact that UBC continues to win games shouldn't surprise anyone as they have the deepest roster of analysts. No one is going to credit the analytics department entirely for UBC's success, but it seems pretty clear that they keep finding ways to beat their opponents even when things seem pretty even.

Every advantage gives them a chance to win, and UBC has more than enough people searching for those advantages in every game. No one else will jum in and say it so let me be the first to say it: well done, UBC, on building an elite advanced stats team!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Friday 27 September 2024

Little Retires As A Jet

Rare are the players who spend an entire career with one team, let alone one franchise any longer. There will be some from this era who will wear that honour - Sidney Crosby, Nathan MacKinnon, and Connor McDavid all seem like locks - but finding guys further down the depth charts who fit that rare situation becomes harder and harder. Bryan Little technically fits the bill despite the Jets trading his contract late in his career, but he wasn't slated to play any games after his eardrum injury. Whatever your thoughts are on Bryan Little's status as a one-franchise guy, Little will now close the book on his successful NHL career by signing a one-day contract in Winnipeg to retire as a Winnipeg Jets forward, correcting the contract trade made by the Jets.

The Jets announced today that they'll celebrate Little's career as both a Thrashers and Jets forward on October 20 when the Pittsburgh Penguins visit Canada Life Centre. The 12th-overall pick in 2006 retires with 217 goals scored and 304 assists added in 843 NHL games. He also added four goals and eight assists in 27 playoff games, all of which came with the Winnipeg Jets.

"It's a great honour that I can retire as a member of the Winnipeg Jets and end my playing career with the organization where I was drafted and played my entire NHL career," Little stated.

"I had the privilege to play in Winnipeg and in front of the amazing fans for nine seasons, so I'm grateful for the opportunity to thank the Jets, their fans and the city of Winnipeg. It will truly be a full-circle moment for my family and I to celebrate my retirement in the building where I have so many special memories."

We shouldn't forget that Little was a key member of the 2007-08 AHL Chicago Wolves team that captured the Calder Cup. While he only played 34 regular season games with the Wolves, he did score nine goals and 16 assists. It was in the playoffs, though, where the 19 year-old Little showed he was ready for a bigger stage after scoring eight goals and four assists in 24 playoff games en route to hoisting the Calder Cup.

2007 also saw Bryan Little hoisting a gold medal as a member of Team Canada's World Junior Championship squad. The team was stacked with talent that year - Jonathan Toews, Brad Marchand, and Sam Gagner - but Little showed his mettle by skating in six games, scoring one goal and one assist in Leksand, Sweden as Canada downed Russia by a 4-2 score in the gold medal game. Little's assist came in a 3-0 win against Slovakia on a Steve Downie power-play goal, and he scored Canada's second goal in the gold medal game, beating Semyon Varlamov with 2:31 to play in the first period.

This followed a very successful junior career with the Barrie Colts where the Edmonton-born Little showed all sorts of promise as a playmaking center. In his four seasons in the OHL with the Colts, Little recorded 153 goals and 189 assists in 247 games, finishing his final two seasons with the sixth-highest scoring totals in the OHL. While Barrie never reached the Memorial Cup in his time there, it was pretty clear that the Colts had a special player among their talent.

Little's career came to a sudden halt, though, on November 5, 2019 when a high slapshot from Jets teammate Nikolaj Ehlers missed the New Jersey net and caught Little on the side of the helmet in the ear. It took some 25-30 stitches to close the cut from the puck, and he was diagnosed with a perforated eardrum once doctors had finished their examination. Despite him trying to skate and continue his career, concussion symptoms continued to plague Little, keeping him from returning to the lineup.

"Bryan Little is a crucial part of the history of this franchise and was a key contributor to the Winnipeg Jets throughout his time in the NHL," Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff said. "He was a humble, hardworking player that cared about his teammates and was a quiet, but important leader in the dressing room. Bryan demonstrated tremendous professionalism throughout his time here and it is a true shame that his career was cut short due to injury."

For those who want to trot out the technicalities, Little's contract was traded for salary cap relief along with Nathan Smith to the Arizona Coyotes for their fourth-round pick in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft, but Little never once dressed for the Coyotes. While his contract was moved to the Utah Hockey Club on April 18 this year, it was pretty clear that Little's NHL career as a player was over.

Little will officially retire for the only franchise for which he played, and while he technically lined up down center ice for two teams in the NHL - the Atlanta Thrashers and Winnipeg Jets - he'll always be one of those players who brought his lunchbox to work, put his hard hat on, and gave a full effort every time he stepped on the ice. He wasn't the flashiest guy nor did he cover the scoresheet in ink, but Bryan Little retiring as a Winnipeg Jet feels right.

I don't know what the next steps are for Bryan Little, but he's found another outlet since leaving hockey. Little is now a triathlete who has competed in a number of triathlons, and has fared very well! No one wants to see a pro athlete sidelined, so seeing Little embracing triathlons as his new passion is pretty awesome!

He embodied what it meant to be a Winnipegger on the ice, and he's humble off the ice despite being one of the better players to have worn the jersey. Bryan Little retiring as a Winnipeg Jet closes a chapter for one of the most beloved members of the team, and I look forward to the franchise honouring #18 on October 20 for the countless hours he spent scoring goals, signing autographs, and bringing smiles to faces.

Until next time, raise your sticks high to honour Bryan Little!

Thursday 26 September 2024

The Hockey Show - Episode 627

The Hockey Show, Canada's only campus-produced radio show that strictly talks hockey, returns to the cozy confines of the UMFM studio tonight despite one host still working on ending a lingering cough. The good news is that both hosts are feeling well enough to head down to the station, settle in for some hockey chatter, and bring some of the bigger stories from the past week to the radio airwaves! What stories have they chosen? You'll have to get yourself settled by a radio tonight for The Hockey Show at 5:30pm CT to find out!

On the program tonight, Teebz and Jason will take a look at a former highly-regarded draft pick whose legal case reveals behaviour off the ice that is both stunning and twisted. They'll discuss the new lease deal between the Florida Panthers and Broward County and why this public monies deal actually serves the county well. There will be chatter on the next U SPORTS championship sites, an update on a goalie making history, a special game being played by two Canada West teams, a potential retirement in the future, and two new countries are officially hockey countries as of today! It's another show with news from around the globe and across Canada, so make sure you have your radio set on UMFM to hear everything 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 law and order, leases and payments, cities and hosts, saves and history, ACAC and Canada West rivals, retirements and new teams, and much more exclusively on 101.5 UMFM and on the UMFM.com web stream!

PODCAST: September 26, 2024: Episode 627

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Wednesday 25 September 2024

Destinations Chosen

Whenever U SPORTS opts to announce championship locations for men's and women's hockey - or any sport for that matter - there are schools who are obviously excited at the prospect of hosting the country's best university athletes for a week. Having been to championships in London, Charlottetown, and Saskatoon, the efforts made by the schools to ensure that each event runs smoothly is impressive as all eight teams are treated like they play for those host schools. U SPORTS was at it again today as they announced future host schools, and I'm guessing these newly-named hosts will put on one heckuva championship event at their locations in their respective years!

As we know, the University of Waterloo will host the 2025 National Women's Hockey Championship while the University of Ottawa will host the U Cup National Men's Hockey Championship. Ontario gets both championships, and they should own the 2026 championships if the two-year conference patterns were to hold true, but the 2026 U Cup Men's Hockey Championship has already been awarded to the Saint Mary's Huskies in the AUS with the tournament being played in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The women's tournament has yet to have a host, so we'll see where they may land in two seasons.

Today, however, U SPORTS continued with business as they announced the 2027 and 2028 hosts of the respective tournaments, and it seems that the rest of country will have to like east coast foods and weather as the UNB Reds will host the 2027 National Women's Hockey Championship, and will follow that effort up with the 2028 U Cup Men's National Championship one year later! Fredericton, New Brunswick gets back-to-back tournaments, and they deserve thhose honours after the successes seen by both their men's and women's hockey programs over the last number of years.

Also included in the announcement today was the 2028 National Women's Hockey Championship location as the St. Francis Xavier X-Women will host the 2028 tournament, but host the event in Halifax as opposed to their home site of Antigonish. Some people raised eyebrows over StFX hosting in Halifax, but it makes sense when one considers that it's a major destination for teams flying in and it has a larger rink than Antigonish. Moreover, Antigonish is 2.5 hours away from Halifax, so that would require a lot of buses traveling to and hotel rooms in Antigonish for teams, staff, and fans, so the decision to play the tournament in Halifax makes sense to me.

No 2027 host was named for the U Cup Men's National Championship yet, so there's still some business to compete for the men's side of the coin, but having the women's tournaments land in the AUS at Fredericton and Halifax are good choices. Both cities have shown they can handle major tournaments when it comes to volunteers and support, and I suspect the tournaments will do well in both communities.

Just to recap the news:
  • 2025 National Women's Hockey Championship - Waterloo, ON.
  • 2025 U Cup Men's Hockey Championship - Ottawa, ON.
  • 2026 Women's Hockey Championship - TBD.
  • 2026 U Cup Men's Hockey Championship - Halifax, NS.
  • 2027 Women's Hockey Championship - Fredericton, NB.
  • 2027 U Cup Men's Hockey Championship - TBD.
  • 2028 Women's Hockey Championship - Halifax, NS.
  • 2028 U Cup Men's Hockey Championship - Fredericton, NB.
As we stand just over a week away from U SPORTS hockey getting underway for the 2024-25 season, teams that are recruiting and building towards the future now know where they may be playing if they can rise above other teams in their conferences. There are still two sites to be determined, but it would seem that the western Canadian cities will need boarding passes to head east for the next few years where they'll land in cities who are fiercely passionate about university hockey!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Tuesday 24 September 2024

Russia Or Bust?

When options in North America start drying up, it's no surprise that guys begin to look at the KHL as an option. After all, it's the largest non-North American hockey league on the planet, they reportedly pay better than the AHL, and there are just enough stars in the league for it to be entertaining on most nights. Of course, it's also the league for players who have run out of chances in North America as we've seen players accused of crimes or morally-repugnant behaviour find homes in the KHL such as Dillon Dubé, Michael McLeod, and Brendan Leipsic. And it seems another player who has burned through a pile of chances is joining the KHL today as SKA St. Petersburg announced they signed Tony DeAngelo to a contract.

DeAngelo has had a few good seasons while being shuffled between the New York Rangers, Carolina Hurricanes, and Philadelphia Flyers, so there may be questions how a defender like him can't get signed. Of course, he was waived by the New York Rangers on February 1, 2021 following an altercation with teammate and goaltender Alexandar Georgiev, and he has questioned the league's COVID-19 policies in the past. In short, he's a headache for managers who can't get the most out of his talent, so, as long as he scores, there are GMs willing to take on the headache.

11 points in 31 games for the Carolina Hurricanes last season had a lot of people questioning whether DeAngelo was good enough to crack the Hurricanes' roster by season's end, but he skated well for the Hurricanes despite it being clear that his two points in nine playoff games wasn't enough for the Hurricanes to advance. That's not to say that he couldn't go to another team and help them, but the 28 year-old's defensive play was brought into question while playing for Philadelphia the season before despite him posting 42 points in 70 games. Head coaches aren't in the business of sacrificing defence for offence in the NHL, but that seems to be DeAngelo's modus operandi when it comes to holding onto a roster spot.

When it comes to aging, fringe defenders, there aren't a lot of GMs who want to spend a load of cash on bringing guys in who may push younger defencemen with higher potential down the depth charts. For DeAngelo, that means he needs to be a clear fifth or sixth defenceman on a team, but how many teams are searching for those guys during training camps, specifically from within their own organizations in order to keep salary cap flexibility?

"I waited through most of the summer," DeAngelo said in a one-on-one interview with RG.org. "It took a bit long. It was back and forth. With a bunch of different things, the negotiation process wasn't where we wanted to go. I had a great opportunity to come here and play in a great League with great players. It was the best situation for myself at this time."

It sounds like NHL teams were willing to offer PTOs for DeAngelo to come in and earn a spot, but that opportunity isn't what DeAngelo was seeking. By taking the contract with SKA St. Petersburg, he'll be a regular in the SKA lineup as well as being paid respectably alongside the likes of former Carolina Hurricanes teammates Evgeni Kuznetsov, Valentin Zykov, and Sergei Tolchinsky.

"I spoke to Evgeny Kuznetsov and Sergei Tolchinsky, I played with both of them," DeAngelo said. "Big reason for me coming here was what I heard from them. I spoke to many players that I know. I'm familiar with the League, with some coaches and cities. Kuzy gave me a lot of info. He's very familiar with everything. He made it a lot easier for me to make a decision to come overseas."

In knowing that the KHL is of a similar talent level to that of the AHL, perhaps we'll see Tony DeAngelo thrive in St. Petersburg. He has recorded 11 goals and 61 assists in 123 AHL games, so it seems that he's suited for that level of play nicely. If he can showcase his skills a little, there might be a chance for him to get back into the game on the North American side of the coin, but he's still going to have to show NHL GMs that his behaviour isn't going to compete with his talent for headlines.

In the end, maybe Russia is the best place for DeAngelo to get his game back on track. There's no guarantee that any North American team will take a flyer on the 28 year-old at the end of this one-year contract, but I'd imagine that St. Petersburg would bring him back if he performs well. Age and skill will always play factors into whether teams throw money at a player so this may be DeAngelo's last chance to find his way back to the NHL circuit.

If he doesn't get offers he likes once this year is over, he'll need to contact his post office to update his forwarding address to St. Petersburg. It may be where he plays out the rest of his career.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Monday 23 September 2024

The Man Is A Predator

Having that head cold all weekend and into this week has really kept me out of the loop, so when I began learning of this story out of Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec, I was absolutely horrified by what I was reading. The man to the left is Gabriel Gagné, shown after being selected 36th-overall by the Ottawa Senators in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft after being a reliable scorer for the QMJHL's Victoriaville Tigres. Today, though, the 27 year-old Gagne was in court for his trial where he's accused of assault, sexual assault, assault with a deadly weapon, and uttering death threats by his ex-girlfriend. Just so you know, this isn't an article about a talented hockey player, but it is an article about a guy who is sexual predator that also played a little hockey. Big difference there.

If that last line stopped you cold in reading this article, let me say up front that there will be parts of this article not intended for younger audiences. The descriptions contained within these passages may be graphic in nature and disturbing in content. Please have younger readers stop here, and know that what will be discussed below is for an older audience.

Gagné looked like a solid prospect coming out of junior hockey, and he showed real promise in 2017-18 when he scored 20 goals in 68 games with the AHL's Belleville Senators. However, a slower start to the season in 2018-19 saw him traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs for Morgan Klimchuk, and Gagné would spend the remainder of the season with the Marlies and the ECHL's Newfoundland Growlers. 2019-20 saw him play 36 games with the Allen Americans, three games with the Ontario Reign, and 21 games with the Rockford IceHogs before he played his final seven professional games in 2020-21 with the IceHogs. In total, he logged 195 AHL games where scored 35 goals and 26 points along with 30 goals and 23 assists in 60 ECHL games.

Everything written above makes Gagné sound like a fairly solid hockey player, but he was entirely another person off the ice. According to this TVASports article written by Erika Aubin, Gabriel Gagné "was sentenced to six months in prison for harassing and threatening an ex-girlfriend for three years, notably with fake social media accounts" with whom the article states "he had a toxic and stormy relationship between 2015 and 2018". It was written that Gagné "had a significant drinking problem" and had "pleaded guilty last year in Youth Division to two sexual offences committed in 2014" as a member of the Tigres. It was also noted that "[o]ne of his victims was apparently a minor".

Now that we know that Gabriel Gagné is a piece of human trash, we have a better frame of reference to discuss his latest attempt at being a predator with his ex-girlfriend identified only as "Daphné" who met Gagné through Instagram. Translated from French, her account of the first violent outburst that Gagné had towards her occurred in 2018. She told the court,
"At a party, an argument broke out between the two because the complainant saw him writing to another girl.

"During her testimony, the complainant recounted that Mr. Gagné threw a large black municipal trash can at her. He also spoke very loudly and, subsequently, cried, she recounted.

"'I remember wanting to leave,' she told the court. 'I remember the yelling, the talking, the insults, and I wanted to leave.'

"During the incident, a friend of the accused allegedly told the victim that 'the pressure was coming off' after the hockey season in relation to his teammate's behaviour."
Gagné's behaviour should have had all his teammates on high alert based on him throwing a trash can at someone, but it seems like "boys will be boys" to whomever that teammate was. Texting another girl and getting caught by your girlfriend doesn't ever warrant that kind of response, and anyone who was protecting Gagné should have his head examined as well.

The court heard more from the victim.
"In the summer of 2019, while returning from a late-night dinner, the couple hit the road toward St-Adèle. According to her testimony, the woman did not want him to drive. He allegedly took an exit from the highway because she wanted to get out of the car and take a taxi, she said. After the complainant finally agreed to get back in the car, Mr. Gabriel allegedly started driving at 240 km/h. According to her account, she asked him to slow down, but he replied, 'We're going to kill ourselves together.'"
There isn't a place in Canada or the US where driving 240 km/h (150 mph) is legal, let alone safe. The fact that Gagné stated that they were going to kill themselves together shows that this guy has some serious issues that need addressing, and his behaviour says that the place he may find that help is behind bars.

We're still not done with Gagné's actions towards his girlfriend.
"At the hearing on Tuesday, she said that Mr. Gagné allegedly strangled her and showed her his fist. According to her account, another time, he brandished a dumbbell above her head and her brother had to intervene."
... and...
"'I was half asleep,' she said, as they watched a movie. 'When I woke up, he had his penis erect, in my face.'"
This guy is the definition of predator, and his repeated, disturbing behaviours towards his girlfriend should get him locked away for some time. That's not to mention the other times that law has come down on him, so we're looking at a repeat offender who harasses his victims before turning violent uttering threats against them. How Gabriel Gagné is still out walking around as a free man is beyond me, but the justice system had better get this one right.

According to a QMI Agency report, "[t]he woman says she decided to leave him after Gagné had a tantrum which ended in yet another assault."

"At that point, I was crying, crying, crying. Big tears. He just penetrated me. My tears were flowing. In my head, it was empty," she said at the trial on Monday.

That's when the harassment and threats began.
"The hockey player then allegedly harassed her, including creating fake social media accounts. He allegedly wrote to her: 'I'm going to burn your house down. You're going to see the consequences. I paid someone to kill you. I'm not afraid of the police.'"
I get that Gagné's lawyers are going to do all they can to discredit the victim's statements here, but this man should not be walking free for a long time. This is the third major criminal sexual crime he's been accused of committing in a period of six years which shows that he's a serial predator. Despite him spending months in prison already, the totality of these crimes needs to be evaluated as a whole for which he should serve time and seek help.

Giving him six months for one crime or three months for another crime just puts pauses in his serial preying, and I'm hoping that the judge and/or jury in this trial realize that the frequency of the crimes shows that this man was escalating when it came to the types of violence and threats he inflicted on his victims. He went from luring to threatening to kill his last girlfriend on multiple occasions. That cannot be ignored, overlooked, or dismissed.

If the justice system was able to do so, I'd tell them to lock Gabriel Gagné up and melt the key. It's pretty clear that no woman will be safe from his brand of terror and harassment, and that's why I'm hoping that the judge and/or jury hand down a harsh penalty here. Gabriel Gagné is a dangerous predator, and we're all safer with him locked away.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Sunday 22 September 2024

Not The Start They Wanted

The Utah Hockey Club has been quietly getting itself ready for the 2024-25 NHL season. Yes, they're still without a team name, but they do have jerseys and team colours, and apparently that's enough for the NHL to push ahead with its schedule. Frankly, I find it tough to cheer for a hockey team that sounds more like a soccer team - "Utah HC" - but the powers-that-be don't seem to care that Utah doesn't have branding for which other teams can plan and market. In any case, the Utah No-Names have jumped into the preseason schedule already as they were playing the St. Louis Blues at the Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa today, and they got off to a start in this game that I'm not sure many teams would want.

I just want to remind everyone that it's preseason hockey where nothing matters, so don't take this as a sign of things to come this season for Utah. However, early in the second period with the Blues up 1-0 off a Dylan Holloway goal, the Blues were guilty of a holding penalty, but Utah's possession kept the play going. Let's check in on what happened as Utah waved Karel Vejmelka to the bench.
The irony on this play is that the man guilty of holding - St. Louis' Anton Malmstrom - also got credit for the own goal scored by Utah at 3:32 of the second period! Malmstrom didn't even get to go back to the bench for any congratulations or celebration with his teammates. Instead, he went to the penalty box where he felt shame.

The good news for the Utah Hockey Club was that they rallied in the second half of this game, scoring five of the six total goals scored en route to a 5-3 victory over the Blues. Dylan Guenther on a power-play, Devin Cooley on a penalty shot, and Michael Carcone with a pair including one into an empty net did the damage for the No-Names. Again, preseason hockey results mean little, but it would seem Utah is prepared to score goals this season after scoring six on this night.

Now if they scored all six on the right net, we'd really have something to discuss, but don't read too much into preseason hockey!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Saturday 21 September 2024

Panthers Make Themselves At Home

Things in Sunrise, Florida obviously look a lot different today than they did ten years ago. In one decade, the franchise has gone from bottom-of-the-standings play to Stanley Cup champions, and it appears that the dismal crowds that once dotted the seats in Amerant Bank Arena have now found multiple sections of friends to join them as the building is regularly packed for NHL action. The turnaround has been impressive, but it seems the cost having the Panthers in Sunrise may have gotten a little more expensive as the wins piled up.

According to a report by Tim Reynolds, the "Florida Panthers are extending their operating agreement with Broward County for five more years, ensuring that the team remains in the market through 2033 and likely well beyond." Obviously, this is good news for Panthers fans in the area and some of the businesses that partner with the Panthers, but, as in most of these arena lease deals, it's the fine print where things get a little murky in the water.

As per Reynolds' report, the Panthers will pay off the remaining $51.5 million in debt on the county-owned arena. Amerant Bank Arena was completed in 1998 at a cost of $185 million USD with almost all of those funds coming from public sources. Since its construction, the Panthers have asked Broward County to pay for a $4.2 million scoreboard, asked for an $80 million bailout package and received $86 million, and have seen Broward County make upgrades to the arena that the county owns. While most of those improvements have helped the Panthers' product and brand, it would seem the county may be digging into its pockets once again.

Reynolds writes, "The updated terms also give the county two five-year options to extend the agreement even further. If those extensions are not picked up, the county will have to return some or all of the $51.5 million debt payment to the Panthers."

Wait a second. The Panthers get their money back if the county opts not to extend the agreement? Isn't that a little extortionary?

Here's how that repayment scheduling breaks down:
  • If the County does not exercise its first option to extend the agreement, County to repay $34.4 million of the amount paid by the Panthers.
  • If the County does not exercise its second option to extend the agreement, County to repay $17.2 million of the amount paid by Panthers.
  • These repayment terms apply to current ownership group and will not apply if there is a change of control.
"It was important to the county to keep the Panthers in Broward County long term," Panthers President and CEO Matthew Caldwell told Reynolds. "We're excited about it. It's a great, great step forward for our long-term future."

He uses the word "our" like he's talking for both the Panthers and Broward County, but it's pretty clear that he means the Panthers only. There's zero risk for the Panthers if the county doesn't extend the agreement, so "our long-term future" is specifically referencing the Panthers' long-term future in Sunrise. All of the financial risk is assumed by Broward County in this agreement.

More from Reynolds includes:
"Binding documents have yet to be written, though that process is expected to be relatively smooth now that this stage has been cleared. There are concessions from both sides: The county will invest $25 million annually for capital expenditures and expenses related to the operating of Amerant Bank Arena, while the team agreed to have Broward County advertising on player helmets, to continue using local businesses as vendors whenever possible and to donate at least $11.7 million over the next nine years toward local causes and promoting youth hockey."
If I'm reading that correctly, it appears that Broward County will spend $25 million a year in hotel tax money on operations, maintenance, and upgrades to the arena over the life of the lease extension. Some quick math means that the deal could be extended ten years based on the "two five-year options" with the current lease set to expire in 2028 and the new one extended until 2033, so that means that this will cost Broward County potentially around $350-400 million over the next 15-20 years.

Can someone remind me how much brand-new arenas cost again?

Look, I'm not saying this is a bad deal for anyone as Broward County clearly sees some value in spending $25 million of tax money annually on their arena, but having the Panthers in town for a long time obviously is good for both parties here. Would Broward County be generating more than $25 million in tourism development tax without the Panthers? It's hard to say, but it's pretty safe to say that the ninth highest-attended NHL team last season brings in a lot of tourism dollars to the county.

"But Teebz," some of you are saying, "this is an arena built with tax dollars!" and you're correct, but the county still operates and maintains it without the Panthers squeezing every last penny out of fans who visit. Yes, the Panthers will make money off parking, concessions, and souvenirs, but Broward County is making money off the lease that the Panthers pay them while owning the building outright. The arena was never going to lose money with all of the concerts and events that visit, so Broward County's investment in its own property makes sense here.

This is part of the reason why sports franchise owners want to own their stadia: they rarely ever lose money. With Broward County owning the arena and committing to its maintenance and upkeep, this is an investment that makes sense in the long-term. I'm not overly happy about the Panthers getting the option to pull $50 million out of the county's coffers, but as long as both sides play nice and work together we won't see that happen.

I'm still not in favour of using public money to build arenas that we give to billionaires to run, but the agreement in Broward County seems to work for both sides. It would be nice if the Panthers repaid some of that $86 million they got from the county just to exist, but that seems to be water under the bridge with this new agreement.

The Panthers will be a fixture in Sunrise with this new deal, and Broward County will have a tenant in their arena until 2043 at the very least. If both sides can continue to build on their successes, this new lease agreement may be the cat's meow for future lease agreements between the team and the county.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Friday 20 September 2024

Bumped By Updates

If you tuned into UMFM at 5:30pm yesterday to listen to The Hockey Show, you were treated to an hour of music instead. Jason and I don't do a music show, so I can understand where the confusion may lie. Jason and I did do a show - it's linked on yesterday's page already - but you may have found youself wondering how a talk show about hockey could sound so musical. I normally check in just to hear how the pre-recorded audio sounds, and I was surprised to hear music playing where we're normally waxing poetic about hockey. I needed answers to why the show wasn't playing, and I set off to find them so that we could give you an answer if you were looking to listen to our madness.

Because we pre-recorded our show so we didn't have to take our respective illnesses into the studio with us, we sent that show to GM Jared and Program Director Mike who load it onto our automation computer at UMFM. Basically, this is the computer that has all the automated segments you may hear daily - commercials, PSAs, and announcements - along with shows that have been pre-recorded for specific times. Effectively, if there is no DJ in the booth, the automation takes over and makes sure something is playing on UMFM.

The problem we ran into yesterday is that automation computer rebooted itself due to Windows updates needing to be installed, and that reboot messed up the timing of everything on the automation computer. Because of this, our show wouldn't have been played until much later in the evening, so we were the victims of technology working properly. This might be the first time I've ever complained about security updates on a computer.

Regardless, the show was recorded as stated above, and it can heard in its entirety off the link on the show preview page. Both Jason and I are still battling our illnesses, so anything hockey is still at a standstill for me. I want this cold gone.

In any case, there's the explanation for what happened yesterday if you had tuned into UMFM at 5:30pm. While the sounds of music are always more pleasant than my voice, they don't give you the examination and perpsective about the bigger hockey stories from the last week like we do. We'll keep doing our thing every Thursday, though, so thanks for tuning in... even if it wasn't us you heard!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Thursday 19 September 2024

The Hockey Show - Episode 626

The Hockey Show, Canada's only campus-produced radio show that strictly talks hockey, is back on the airwaves tonight with two hosts being absent! Teebz and Jason are still producing a show, but they're both battling colds and illnesses that will keep them from heading into the radio station. Rather than being Patient Zeroes for other hosts getting sick, they've pre-recorded a show that will air tonight! This one is still current as the two hosts sat down to discuss two important stories from the past week, so get yourself settled down by a radio tonight for The Hockey Show at 5:30pm CT!

Tonight on the program, Teebz and Jason will discuss the findings as reported by The Associated Press regarding the deaths of Johnny and Matthew Gaudeau. They go over the hearing, what was said by all parties, and why the accused likely shouldn't see freedom for a couple of decades. In the bottom-half of the show, they turn their attention to the corporate buyout that Rogers made in securing Bell's ownership stake of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, and why this might be the death knell for another Canadian institution. As you know, we say "hockey is a business, not a sport" far too often on this show, and tonight's discussion might be a perfect example of that. In short, it's a rather serious show about two major hockey news stories 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 discuss crimes committed, sentences needed, statements made, big money, zero options, ripple effects, and much more exclusively on 101.5 UMFM and on the UMFM.com web stream!

PODCAST: September 19, 2024: Episode 626

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Wednesday 18 September 2024

Down And Out

With school in full swing once again, I was treated to a number of stories about kids being sick already from parents who play on my softball team. I don't have kids so I normally miss this annual experience, but any one of those parents could be carrying whatever virus or cold bug is going around thanks to their kids. I'm going with that theory today because I have a wicked head cold that started to set in last night, and it's a full-on round of nasal congestion and mouth-breathing for me today. I rarely ever get sick so this annoys me more than anything, but it's time to break out the medication, put the body into extended sleep mode, and battle whatever has invaded my body and made breathing a far more difficult task.

Don't expect a lot out of me over the next few days as I focus on beating this cold. Watching hockey will take a backseat to getting healthy, and I likely won't be doing a lot of reading about hockey either. Thankfully, work allows me to work from home so I don't have to use any time there, but the rest of life is on pause until this bug has been corrected. The cold and sinus medication has already started and I have a healthy supply of tissues, so I'm hoping to over this by the weekend. In fact, it better be over by then.

Jason and I have already discussed details for this week's episode of The Hockey Show, so we'll have a show for tomorrow on the radio. There has been some big news from the last week that we need to discuss, so we'll get that aired tomorrow for everyone. Outside of that, I'll be doing everything I can to shake this cold as fast as possible. I hate being sick more than anything.

Stay healthy, folks. If you have kids going to school, tell them to be vigilant in avoiding other sick kids so they're not bringing home a cold along with homework. One parent on our team already is dealing with a case of bronchitis, so the cold bug and virus season is definitely upon us. With school sports and winter sports starting, kids sharing their coughs and sneezes will only get worse, so do you best in trying to minimize downtime this autumn!

I'm off to bed to try and kill this bug.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Tuesday 17 September 2024

Two-Sport Weekend Warriors?

Just when you thought I was done with baseball, I bring it back to HBIC. The jersey to the left isn't one that former MLB player and Canadian Justin Morneau wore for any specific game, but it works for this cross-sport post today. Often, we see professional athletes being extremely good at more than one sport, but they specialize eventually in order to focus their efforts on one specific sport. A lot of old-time hockey players were excellent baseball players since the seasons didn't overlap, but we've seen NHL players with football backgrounds, football players with baseball backgrounds, and baseball players with hockey backgrounds. Imagine being one of those baseball players, though, and giving up hockey despite your love of it. That's something Justin Morneau wasn't willing to do during his days as a Minnesota Twins infielders, and we have video proof of his skills on the ice!

I'll be at a baseball game tonight so I'm posting something from a few years ago that brings baseball and hockey together. It also brings together guys like Mark Parrish, Wes Walz, Joe Mauer, and the aforementioned Justin Morneau as it looks like Morneau's house is the place to be in the winter for pond hockey action! Take a peek below!
That's a pretty awesome shinny rink that Morneau has in his backyard. I really want to go for a skate on that rink and see how his ice-making skills are. Maybe the NHL can hire Morneau to work on making good outdoor ice? It looks like the guys playing had no problems!

Clearly, this video is a couple of years old as the Minnesota Wild will not be hosting the Winter Classic this season, but how cool is it to see the baseball players strapping on the skates and competing with the former NHL guys? That's the kind of fun of which I wish we'd see more when it comes to outdoor games. Have a celebrity game with guys of all walks of life strapping on the skates and scoring goals! Something like that would certainly bring interest back to the outdoor events if there was a fun celebrity event like Morneau held in his yard!

As for me, I'm off to see if the local pro ball team can extend the series for another game as they trail 2-0 in the best-of-five series. I'll be tracking pitches all night, so my evening will be anything but boring. Let's just hope there's a reason to celebrate at the end of the evening! Otherwise, the visitors will likely party late into the evening with the championship trophy they rightfully earned.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Monday 16 September 2024

Steelers Ride Hot Goalie

I don't follow the Champions Hockey League standings very often, but Jason, co-host of The Hockey Show, certainly does and he alerted me of a team that might be playing above its head right now. Make no mistake that the Champions League (CHL) is the best-of-the-best in European hockey as teams like ZSC Lions Zurich, Red Bull Salzburg, Eisbären Berlin, Dynamo Pardubice, and Skellefteå AIK all are competing in the fall's tournament. Normally, the Swedish and German teams ascend past some of the countries whose leagues may not be as good as the SHL or DEL at this point, but it looks like one EIHL team is trying to make a statement in the competition after four games!

The EIHL's Sheffield Steelers won last season's EIHL championship, so they were invited to play in the Champions League this season. Sheffield was a beast last season as they finished atop the EIHL standings with a 39-8-6-1 record before crushing Fife, Guildford, and Belfast by a combined score of 22-9 in the four games that were needed to win the championship. Needless to say, the Steelers were a handful for whoever lined up against them last season.

Part of the reason they were so good was due to a Floridian kid who honed his skills at the University of Calgary as a member of the Dinos men's hockey team. That player is goaltender Matthew Greenfield who played with the Dinos from 2016-20 where he helped to elevate that program with his solid play. In 53 games with the Dinos, Greenfield went 32-16-2 while sporting a 2.38 GAA and a .908 save percentage in those games. Greenfield was a solid netminder at the Canada West level, and it seems he's taken that skill to Great Britain and put it on display as a member of the Steelers.

After a short stint with the ECHL's Kansas City Mavericks, Greenfield landed in Sheffield in 2022 where he's gone on a tear through British hockey. Over his two seasons with the Steelers, he's played 100 games where he posted a record of 74-26-0 in that time. Toss in a 2.09 GAA and a .930 save percentage, and you're looking at one of the best goaltenders in the EIHL. Last season, he had the most wins, the lowest GAA for goalies who played more than 20 games, and the top save percentage en route to an EIHL championship, so it seems Sheffield has their guy when it comes to goalies.

The play shown by Greenfield which carried Sheffield to the EIHL championship has returned this season as he's now backstopping the Steelers in CHL action, and he has them sitting in eighth-place out of 24 teams in the CHL after four games with a 2-1-1-0 record! He backstopped the Steelers to another big win yesterday, defeating SHL champions Skellefteå AIK on Sunday afternoon to push them to their third-straight win. With the win, a number of other teams are sitting at 2-1-1-0 as well such as Red Bull Salzburg and Oceláři Třinec, but the goal differential between the teams at that record sees Sheffield ahead of Eisbären Berlin, Fribourg-Gottéron, and Tappara Tampere.

Sheffield will play Swiss powerhouse ZSC Lions Zurich on October 8 with these two teams sitting one point apart in the CHL standings, and a win over the Lions would go a long way in helping the Steelers qualify for the CHL medal round. To date, no EIHL team has finished in the top-four teams in CHL play, but the Steelers appear that they're gonna make a run for it. It would be another exciting moment for the Steelers in their history, but it may cement their legacy as one of the best teams to have ever been assembled in the EIHL.

It's pretty cool to see a U SPORTS-trained goalie having a major impact on the success of the Steelers, but he's not the only one who has U SPORTS roots. Forward Mitchell Balmas spent a couple of seasons with St. Mary's University in the AUS where he scored at a better than a point-per-game pace, forward Patrick Watling had a two-year stint with the UNB Reds where he put up solid numbers, and defender Dominic Cormier spent a season at the University of Ottawa in the OUA. The Steelers have built a lot of their success on the strength of some good U SPORTS players, and Greenfield is part of that equation as he does his part in helping the Steelers win!

Congratulations to the Steelers on their successful entry into the CHL this fall, and here's hoping that Matthew Greenfield can continue his hot play as Sheffield finds ways to score goals. For anyone who thinks that U SPORTS hockey won't lead to bigger things, I suggest looking at the career of Matthew Greenfield as hockey has taken him all over the US, Canada, and Europe!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Sunday 15 September 2024

The Madness Continues

The playoffs continue today, so this will be another place-holder where hockey normally resides. As an update from yesterday, we got crushed by the "veritable all-star team" in the afternoon as their best players seemed to turn it up a notch after knowing that we had upset a former champion on Friday night. They left little room for errors as they put their best softball forward, and we paid the price. It happens, I'm not going to complain, and we may still get a shot at redemption as our chances of making the final aren't dead yet thanks to a couple of other upsets! Could the impossible happen?

There are two games left in the round-robin, and we sit at 1-2. We play a 3-0 team this morning in what is a must-win game for us or the dream is over. If we beat them, the game this afternoon is still a must-win as well, but a win this morning would throw the standings into complete chaos as we'd be one of two 2-2 teams. Advanced math classes may be necessary, but we could be looking at a run differential finish between three teams if all of us finish at 3-2. Whoever finishes with the best diffential goes to the final!

There will be no putting the cart before the horse here, though. We have to win this morning, so we have to take that game seriously. We can refocus for the afternoon game, but winning this morning is paramount to creating that chaos. We need some help to make the final so we're hoping for specific outcomes, but a head-to-head win this morning against a team we have to leapfrog would be a good start. There will surely be chatter if we upset another team!

I'm off for more softball madness today, so no hockey chatter for the second-straight day. How on earth can this be a hockey blog if the guy writing it never talks about hockey, right? In saying that, we'll get back to regular programming tomorrow!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Saturday 14 September 2024

What's Hockey?

This is just a quick update between games so you know I haven't abandoned HBIC entirely. It's playoff weekend for the softball league I'm in, so there's a pile of moving parts and math being done to see who needs to defeat whome when it comes to keeping playoff hopes alive. The round-robin in this tournament is like the old World Junior Championship setup where there top-two teams meet in the final based on record, so these games matter for everyone. A not-so-good season can be turned around in one weekend!

I'll say that we had a season that may have surprised a few people as we were elevated from the B-Side pool in the spring to the A-Side pool where the teams are bigger, faster, stronger... generally better. I don't think a lot of people would have expected to see us on the A-Side, but here we are with a 1-1 record after upsetting a team last night and falling just short against a team this morning. It's not pretty, but we're holding our own!

With that being said, I'll be back on the field in a couple of hours for another game against a team that's a veritable all-star team. This will be a David-vs-Goliath type of upset if we can pull it off, but the chances of that happened seem slim. Maybe closer to none. But that's why they play the games, right? One swing, one throw, or one catch can change an inning and possibly a game, so let's see what kind of damage we do.

By the way if you haven't noticed, no hockey chatter today. C'est la vie when trying to beat the best-of-the-best in our softball league!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Friday 13 September 2024

The Findings

While Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau were laid to rest after losing their lives in the New Jersey accident, the hockey world, their friends, their teammates, and their families mourned the losses of two incredible people. One man missed all the mourning as he sat in jail after being identified for his part in the losses. 43-year-old Sean M. Higgins was held for 72 hours as per New Jersey law as the investigation and initial charges were revealed on Thursday. It was already known that he was the party responsible for the death of the two brothers and hockey players, but the Associated Press filled in the details today that many people wanted to know about how this tragedy happened.

According to the Associated Press' reporting, Higgins "is charged with two counts of death by auto/vehicular manslaughter, along with reckless driving, possession of an open container and consuming alcohol in a motor vehicle", promping Superior Court Judge Michael J. Silvanio to issue an order that "Higgins be held for trial despite defence arguments that he was a married father and law-abiding citizen before the crash."

Clearly, Judge Silvanio had to have good reason to issue an order like that, and it seems he was justified after "Higgins told police he had five or six beers that day and admitted to consuming alcohol while driving" while also failing a field sobriety test. As per a prosecutor, "he had been drinking at home after finishing a work call at about 3 p.m.", and it was found that Higgins had "a blood-alcohol level of .087, above the .08 legal limit in New Jersey".

Higgins also didn't get any help from his past behaviour either. According to the report, "his wife said he had been drinking regularly since working from home, and told them he had a history of 'driving like a nut,'". First Assistant Prosecutor Jonathan Flynn of Salem County also made it clear that "Higgins also had a history of road rage and reckless driving", stating that "Higgins apparently became frustrated when the two drivers ahead of him slowed down to go around the cyclists, and sped up to try to pass them on the right, striking the Gaudreaus."

"He indicated he didn't even see them," said Silvanio, who said Higgins' admitted "impatience" caused two deaths. For a guy facing a maximum of twenty years in prison, it appears Higgins won't have to worry about work calls at 3pm for a long time.

There was a modicum of defence built as it was noted that "Higgins has a master's degree, works in finance for an addiction treatment company, and served in combat in Iraq, his lawyers said." Defence lawyer Matthew Portella also told the hearing, "He's an empathetic individual and he's a loving father of two daughters. He's a good person and he made a horrible decision that night."

In my view, it's that last statement - "he made a horrible decision that night" - that should seal Higgins' fate. I understand that him being imprisoned for twenty years removes a husband and father from a family, but it clearly didn't mean that much if these are the choices he's making. Yes, I understand that alcoholism is an addiction, but it doesn't excuse one from the choices one makes. As it has been said time and time again, actions have consequences, and it seems Mr. Higgins will face the consequences of his actions on that day.

I won't be among the jury of his peers, but I have a very low tolerance for people who drive while intoxicated. Taking the lives of two innocent people because one chose to spend the day throwing back a few cold ones makes this even worse, and I would hope that he realizes that his choices have ruined the lives of so many people. The ripple on this goes further than just a few people, and one has to wonder if an afternoon of drinking was worth the twenty years Higgins is facing for his poor choices and ignorant actions.

In knowing that he shattered the lives of three families directly - Johnny's family, Matthew's family, and his own family - does twenty years of incarceration make up for the many years of moments each of those families lost thanks to Higgins' poor choices on August 29, 2024? It's hard to find any rationale that would justify what Higgins took from everyone involved in this matter, so I can't find any reason why he shouldn't receive the maximum penalties for what he did. It may seem harsh, but he took so much more than just two lives with his decision to get behind the wheel after consuming alcohol in the volume he did.

Even if he pleads guilty and accepts full responsibility, he shouldn't escape the maximum punishment because he made choices that led to this outcome. As a man who works for an addiction treatment company, he not only knew better, but he chose to ignore the very lessons his employer works to instill in those who need help. As a husband and father, he chose to not to be better for his wife and daughters. And by letting his addiction consume him, he allowed his choices to destroy not only his future, but the futures of a vast number of people.

Twenty years in prison should be just enough time for Mr. Higgins to seek the treatment he needs for his addiction, to understand the gravity of the choices he made, and to atone for the many lives from whom he has taken someone. He may not get forgiveness from all the parties in these instances, but it's clear that his poor choices won't be forgotten after all the pain, grief, heartbreak, and losses he caused.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Thursday 12 September 2024

The Hockey Show - Episode 625

The Hockey Show, Canada's only campus-produced radio show that strictly talks hockey, returns tonight to get Season 13 of this radio broadcast underway! To think that we've been breaking down hockey's biggest stories and interviewing its best and brightest players for thirteen years is pretty awesome, and I'm not sure I would have envisioned it going this long when I first got involved. Again, both The Hockey Show and UMFM thank you for your continued support, and we'll keep bringing you the best stories from around the globe involving hockey. That includes today as we're one day away from the day 13 of this month, so we'll keep that little fact quiet tonight on The Hockey Show at 5:30pm CT!

Tonight on the show, Teebz and Jason will go over the new PWHL team names, why they don't work well, and how they can be improved. Beyond that discussion, they'll chat about a new Hockey Hall of Game chairman, a young lady making some more hockey history, Poland being fined for its fans, the IIHF looking at adding yet another country to its ranks, a former U SPORTS player who had a good time in Australia, and there's a glaring omission from a local team's roster that probably should be mentioned. In short, it's another fun night of hockey news from around the world 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 talk bad names, new leaders, breaking glass ceilings, bad signs, new members, winning awards, new jobs, and much more exclusively on 101.5 UMFM and on the UMFM.com web stream!

PODCAST: September 12, 2024: Episode 625

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Wednesday 11 September 2024

Slightly Overpriced

I'll admit that I don't often find myself looking through Facebook's online "Marketplace" feature often. If you're unaware, it's a buy-and-sell site where people can sell things they make or unload items they no longer want or need. It's basically Facebook's version of Kijiji in that one can barter for these items with the seller until both parties are happy. Needless to say, there's a lot of stuff that may simply never be bought on there based on condition or price, and today's article falls into that category. The image you see to the left - a Pat Verbeek Pro Set hockey card - is the item in question, and I found it weird that one singular card would be for sale. That required a closer look, and it turns out I had a good chuckle over this posting.

Born in Sarnia, Ontario, Pat Verbeek had an excellent NHL career that saw him log 1424 games in the world's top league. He scored 522 goals and 541 assists in a career that included stops in New Jersey, Hartford, New York, Dallas, and Detroit, and it was in Dallas in 1999 where Verbeek was able to lift the Stanley Cup over his head as a champion. Since his retirement, Verbeek has worked in a few front office roles, but is now the general manager of the Anaheim Ducks. Needless to say, Verbeek has accomplished a lot in his time thus far.

Seeing the card on Facebook Marketplace had me wondering what this ad was going to reveal. Here's the moment where I had my first chuckle as I'm not sure how this individual card, let alone the entire set of cards, is worth $750 CDN. Pat Verbeek was a good player as I indicated above, but there isn't one card in the 1991 Pro Set hockey card lineup that is worth $750, let alone this Pat Verbeek card. Maybe it's autopgraphed by the NHL star? Further investigation was needed in order to determine the insane valuation given to this hockey card.

Clicking the post for the card led me to another chuckle because not only was there very little information given about the card, it would seem the valuation was based entirely on this seller's feelings about Verbeek. It's not autographed, it's isn't some specialty card, it has not been shown to be a rare card with an error on it - Pat Verbeek is just this seller's "boy" and he's "worth it". Again, I chuckled.

Escaping this moment of insanity, the actual value of that card based on a number of websites I've visited is between ten cents and fifty cents, so the markup on this buying opportunity may be a little high. Pat Verbeek's career in 1991 had him playing in his ninth NHL season, so one can't even hope to sell this card on the idea that it's a rookie card or some sort of accomplishment or accolade card. This is just a regular hockey card that someone wants to sell with a price that the seller is hoping someone will pay.

Dishonest? Maybe, but the rules of online marketplaces stand true: caveat emptor. After all, it seems that the price for one's man "Patty Verbeek" card is the next Wayne Gretzky rookie card!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Tuesday 10 September 2024

An Icon Lost

There are certain actors and actresses whose performances transcend time. You can make the argument, in my case, that actors like Sean Connery, Harrison Ford, Robin Williams, Ed Harris, Bruce Willis, and Morgan Freeman have played some of the greatest roles in cinema history for my era, and I'd have to include the man to the left as well as James Earl Jones was one of those actors who seemed to steal scenes just by appearing. Yes, the voice he had is unmistakable when heard, but Jones was and is an icon when it comes to who he portrayed on the screen in just a handful of movies. We lost James Earl Jones yesterday at the age of 93, and the world seems a little cloudier today without him.

His list of works where he had a significant impact on me is lengthy. His voice work as Darth Vader in the Star Wars series made Vader that much more imposing. His voice work as Mufasa in The Lion King still resonates today in turning Mafasa from lion into king of the savannah. He'll always be the "CNN voice" to me. He was excellent in the brief appearances he made as Admiral Greer in Patroit Games, The Hunt for Red October, and Clear and Present Danger. His lesson for the boys in The Sandlot as Mr. Mertle keeps that film high on my list. But there is one role that always rings true every summer for me: Terence Mann in Field of Dreams.

His speech as Terence Mann while Timothy Busfield is imploring Kevin Costner to sell the farm to avoid foreclosure might be one of the best scenes in any sports movie ever made. I know everyone associates the "If you build it" quotation as being that film's most famous line, but Jones delivering the following line echoes for eternity.
"America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It's been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt, and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game - it's a part of our past, Ray. It reminds us of all that once was good, and it could be again."
When we hear older folks talking of simpler times, these are the times to which they're referring. When baseball games cost a couple of bucks to attend and hot dogs and a soft drink were fifty cents each, those are the teams to which people harken back, and everything that Mann said about America being erased and rebuilt has happened. The constant in each of those scenarios? It's baseball which is why ballparks like Fenway Park and Wrigley Field are referred to as "cathedrals".

I'm posting Mann's speech as delivered by Jones, and I will always stop to listen to his words when I can. Here's that scene.

That movie's cast was an all-star roster of actors: Costner, Jones, Ray Liotta, Burt Lancaster, Amy Madigan, Gaby Hoffman, and Art LaFleur to name the actors you may recognize. Timothy Busfield was excellent in his role as Mark, Frank Whaley hit the role of Archie Graham out of the park, and Dwier Brown as Ray Kinsella is so underappreciated. This was an exceptional cast of acting talent.

Field of Dreams was nominated for Best Picture in 1990, and imagine competing with the likes of Driving Miss Daisy, Dead Poets Society, and Born on the Fourth of July for that award. Driving Miss Daisy won the award that year, but any of those choices could have easily taken home the prize. When they say "they don't make them like they used to", they may be talking about movies!

Rest peacefully, James Earl Jones. You brought happiness and entertainment to many with your incredible cast of characters and the acting range you possessed, and there won't be another quite like you in my time. As Amy Madigan describe Terence Mann, I believe she may have actually been talking about Jones himself, saying, "He helped define an era. And a generation. And he helped us laugh at ourselves." Those are traits every entertainer would want to hear about one's self.

Until next time, raise your sticks high in honour of James Earl Jones!