The Hockey Show, Canada's only campus-produced radio show that strictly talks hockey, is back for a fun show on Halloween! Normally, our hosts will have some sort of Halloween-themed topic to discuss, but they're throwing out that script for an interview tonight with a guest who is doing all sorts of incredible stuff. National champion? Yes, twice. Captain of the top team in Canada West? Checkmark. Floorball champion? That's also a yes. Besides gaining a double major at university, our guest runs marathons, is coaching hockey, and is one of the biggest Taylor Swift fans on the planet. Who is this person? We'll talk to her tonight on The Hockey Show at 5:30pm CT!
Tonight, Teebz and Jason are proud, honoured, privileged, humbled, and pleased to welcome Mount Royal Cougars captain Lyndsey Janes to the show! Lyndsey has been doing a ton of incredible stuff on and off the ice, and we'll chat with her about growing up in Fort McMurray, moving to Wilcox to attend Notre Dame, being recruited by Mount Royal, some of the highlights from her time as a Cougar, Jomboy Media's Floorball 3 tournament, and a pile of other fun stuff. I'll even promote a future show by saying that we will have Lyndsey back in the future because there's so much stuff we can't get to in this interview! It should be a fun interview that's full of hockey chatter, laughter, great stories, and so much 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.
Because it's Halloween, I thought I'd post something Halloween-themed, so the image to the right is how a pile of different candies and chocolate got their names! If you wanted to win a Halloween trivia night, this kind of information could prove handy, but it's otherwise a cool chunk of useless information that you can wow your friends with while looking through the candies you collect tonight. Click the picture to enlarge it for easier reading, but please remember to be safe tonight as most costumes are dark. Be aware of traffic in and around yourself while wandering the sidewalks. Halloween is supposed to be fun, so be aware of your surroundings while collecting bags of candy tonight!
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 sit down with Lyndsey Janes to talk Cougars, Hounds, floorball, highlights, Canada West, and much more exclusively on 101.5 UMFM and on the UMFM.com web stream!
I'm a little shocked that U SPORTS and Canada West aren't celebrating his accomplishment more, but Edmonton Oilers forward Noah Philp made his NHL debut tonight, picking up an assist, three shots on goal, 11:50 in ice time, and logging a rather impressive 10/14 wins in the face-off circle. Noah Philp wasn't drafted by an NHL team after a solid WHL career in Kootenay and Seattle, but he showed he had a knack for scoring during his two seasons at the University of Alberta with the Golden Bears. Philp is just the latest player from the Golden Bears to skate in the NHL, and he likely won't be the last as the Edmonton institution does a great job in producing high-level hockey talent.
Philp becomes the 15th Golden Bears player to skate at the NHL level, and the 26 year-old joins his older brother, Luke, as two of those Alberta players who made the NHL. While he was playing on Edmonton's fourth line tonight alongside Drake Caggiula and longtime NHL veteran Corey Perry, Philp's speed and smarts were on display as he was good in his own zone while generating chances in the offensive zone. In short, he looked like the same Noah Philp we had seen with the Golden Bears over 36 Canada West games.
The Oilers recognized Philp's solid play tonight by awarding him with the "championship belt" for being the player of the game, and it looks like he may stick around the Alberta capital for a while. Both players and coaches liked his effort tonight as he and his linemates were effective throughout the game every time they went over the boards. This is quite the turnaround for a player who, in June of last year, told the team, "I'm at a time in my life where I want to focus on things outside the realm of hockey."
Philp has always been a good player, but it's true that he seems to need to have the right focus to be an effective player. After being traded from a brutal Kootenay Ice team in September 2017 to Seattle for two fifth-round draft picks, Philp hit his stride with the Thunderbirds as he recorded 40 goals and 85 assists in 127 games on the west coast. Whatever changed in Seattle seemed to light a fire under Philp, but perhaps it was the change of scenery and an infusion of talent that helped Philp reach new heights.
In 2017-18 while in Seattle, he played alongside other eventual Canada West talent in Nolan Volcan, Reece Harsch, Jake Lee, Jaxan Kaluski, Liam Hughes, and Matt Berlin. All of Philp, Volcan, and Berlin would end up on the Golden Bears together. In 2018-19, the likes of Cole Schwebius, Roddy Ross, Sean Richards, and Jarret Tyszka played alongside Philp with all of them heading to Canada West schools after their Seattle days. Needless to say, Philp was surrounded by talent.
His Alberta days saw him torch the competition as the Alberta Golden Bears were a force. They would end up tied for first-place in 2019-20 with the Huskies with a 23-5-0, scoring 132 goals over their 28-game schedule. The Bears placed five players in the top-ten in conference scoring, and Philp was one of them, tying for sixth-overall with 12 goals and 15 assists. Alberta, though, would fall to UBC in the semifinal as the Thunderbirds pitched the three-game upset behind the goaltending of Rylan Toth. With unfinished business, the Golden Bears looked to the following season.
COVID would derail the 2020-21 season, but the Golden Bears would return in 2021-22. Philp would eventually skate in eight games after taking a few months for himself for person reasons, and he simply continued his incredible pace as he scored eight goals and three assists. Head coach Ian Herbers said to Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Sun of his commitment, "He's only played a year and-a-half with us because one year we just practised. And his game elevated night and day this season. The drive, the character he has. First guy on for practices, last guy off. There was a motivation to take the next step and it carried through to his game."
Despite finishing runner-up to the UQTR Patriotes at Nationals in 2022, Philp had three goals and one assist in Alberta's three games at the U Cup Championship. With his three goals in four Canada West playoff games, he fell one goal short of a goal-per-game pace. The only game where he didn't light the lamp was against UBC in Game One of the Canada West Championship, but he did have an assist as he scored in every game he played in that season. Not bad at all for a guy who logged 25 points in just 15 games!
After a 19-goal, 18-assist AHL season in 2022-23 after signing a one-year deal with the Bakersfield Condors, it seemed like Philp was destined to skate for the Oilers at some point. However, June 14, Philp made a decision that shocked a number of people, releasing a statement that included the lines, "I'm at a time in my life where I want to focus on things outside the realm of hockey. I'm doing well and wish all the best to the players, coaches and staff in Bakersfield and in Edmonton."
Taking some personal time away from the game seems to work for Philp because the fifteen months he spent retired seemed to put him back in the right mindset for this season after signing a one-year, two-way deal with Edmonton.
"I just had a gut feeling to step away from hockey for a little while," he told reporters in September, "and I didn't know how long that would be. I did that and I went and saw different parts of the world, did some travelling, and then came home and sort of decided it was ready to get back into it. It feels fresh to me and it feels really great to be back."
Philp had a great training camp, and it was thought that he would be named to the Oilers' opening night roster. With veteran players who couldn't be waived, however, Philp was sent down to Bakersfield to start the season. He'd have a strong start there with two goals and a helper in six games before being recalled for tonight's game. And it seems the head coach had a simple message for Philp's NHL debut tonight after being recalled after the Connor McDavid injury.
"Pick up where he left off," Knoblauch told Philp. "At Training Camp, he was outstanding in the exhibition games that he played. That's why he got the recall; just continue where he left off."
With his debut tonight, he joins 14 other Golden Bears who have skated for a team in the NHL. Those players are as follows:
Dave MacKay (CHI) - 3 goals, 0 assists in 27 games
Bryon Baltimore (EDM) - no points in 2 games
Kevin Primeau (VAN) - no points in 2 games
Dave Hindmarch (CGY) - 21 goals, 17 assists in 99 games
Don Spring (WPG) - 1 goal, 54 assists in 259 games
Randy Gregg (EDM/VAN) - 41 goals, 152 assists in 474 games
Wade Campbell (WPG/BOS) - 9 goals, 27 assists in 213 games
Colin Chisholm (MNS) - no points in 1 game
Brent Severyn (6 TEAMS) - 10 goals, 30 assists in 328 games
Ian Herbers (3 TEAMS) - 0 goals, 5 assists in 65 games
Cory Cross (6 TEAMS) - 34 goals, 97 assists in 659 games
Derek Ryan (3 TEAMS) - 81 goals, 122 assist in 580 games
Zach Sawchenko (SJS) - 1-2-1, 3.35 GAA, .901 sv% in 7 games
Luke Philp (CHI) - 0 goals, 1 assist in 3 games
Noah Philp (EDM) - 0 goals, 1 assist in 1 game
NOTE: italicized players are still active on depth charts
There is one other man who has skated in the NHL, but he decided to follow the stripes route as Travis Toomey became an NHL linesman in 2019-20 after a long hockey career that included a stop at the University of Alberta with the Golden Bears! He doesn't get credit for playing for a team, but Toomey will get credit here on HBIC for skating in NHL games. Without officials, you can't have games!
Make no mistake that there are other programs who have sent players to the NHL as well, but it's pretty clear that the Golden Bears are the class of Canada West when it comes to having players reach the pinnacle of the sport. For Noah Philp, his journey has been anything but a straight line, but playing in a number of different leagues and through a pile of circumstances has made him a better player. Being that he's older, he's had a chance to work on his 200-foot game more than a recent draft pick would, and he's evolved into a player who can contribute at the NHL level.
"He's just inching closer and closer to making a career out of this," Leon Draisaitl told reporters. "I'm very impressed with the way he handles himself and the way he plays the game. I think he's got a bright future ahead."
That's pretty high praise coming from an NHL Art Ross, Hart, and Ted Lindsay Trophy winner, and it's evidence that U SPORTS hockey players can reach their dreams of playing in the NHL even if they aren't drafted. Philp is proof that learning to play the game at both ends of the ice while physically maturing in university hockey can lead to big things. And if Philp continues to play like he did tonight against Nashville, the Oilers are going to have a hard time sending him back to Bakersfield this season.
Philp might want to see if he can move back into the place he stayed while with the Golden Bears because it looks like he'll be in Edmonton for the foreseeable future!
It was always going to be inevitable when it came to the PWHL's operations, but it seems that expansion of the league will happen as early as next season. Sportico's Eben Novy-Williams reported that PWHL Senior Vice President of Business Operations Amy Scheer told her, "It just seems like the right time to look into it. And I think once we have these conversations and understand what the real interest is, we’ll understand if this is the right time or not. But it was the right time to put the word out," so it sounds like the league is close to making expansion a reality. While there is some doubt baked into Scheer's statement, it sounds like the league may increase from six to eight teams in the near future.
According to Novy-Williams, "the PWHL is hoping to evaluate markets on a handful of criteria: 1) market size and media reach, 2) available facilities and infrastructure, 3) local economic opportunity and corporate sponsorship leads, and 4) community fan base and youth hockey presence," and will be accepting requests for proposals - RFPs - if there are interested markets. Because there are no expansion fees tied to this market evaluation, the RFP process is simply the PWHL investigating a market's viability based on its potential interest in housing a team. In short, nothing is guaranteed.
There will undoubtedly be cities that will want the opportunity to bring a professional women's team to their market, so let's take a look at who may apply and which cities have the best shot. I'll base these quick evaluations strictly on the criteria outlined above, so let's see which markets may be best for expansion from west to east.
Vancouver
1) The market size of Vancouver as one of Canada's largest cities won't be questioned, but it's media reach may be as games would start much later there than on the east coast.
2) There are a number of facilities in and around Vancouver that could house the team comfortably, but the PWHL will want a permanent home for the team. Finding that may be more difficult.
3) There are all sorts of economic and corporate sponsorship opportunities for the PWHL to seek. This one seems the easiest of the criteria to meet.
4) The fanbase is there, and the youth hockey presence in Vancouver is doing well. With UBC and Trinity Western both playing U SPORTS hockey, there are highly-competitive levels of hockey from youth hockey right up to adulthood.
The Vancouver area has given us Micah Zandee-Hart and Kaleigh Fratkin, but the problem is that Vancouver is 2900kms (1800 miles) from the closest PWHL franchise in Minnesota. The costs of flying across the continent and crossing borders will always be prohibitive unless the league pushes westward with a major expansion effort. That's not in the cards right now, so Vancouver's viability, while good, will ultimately lose out to the travel costs requirement.
Calgary
1) The market size is solid in Calgary, and there definitely is a record of fans coming out to support the previous Calgary women's teams. Do they have a media reach there? That might be a question mark.
2) WinSport Arena would work if absolutely necessary, but WinSport hosts hockey leagues already. Would they be prepared to push them out? The new Calgary arena complex will have a community rink with only 1000 seats, so that would even be in the conversation. Father David Bauer Arena is ancient. Finding a suitable arena will be tough if WinSport doesn't want to be part of the process.
3) Economic and corporate sponsorship opportunities will exist in Calgary thanks to a number of head offices being located there.
4) The fanbase has supported a professional hockey team in the past, and there is an excellent youth hockey setup in Calgary. Combined with the two U SPORTS universities in Calgary and Mount Royal, women's hockey is supported well there.
We saw Calgary's distance work in the CWHL, but Calgary also had the benefit of having a vast number of Canadian Olympians playing for the Inferno so fans continued to show up for games. That won't be the case this time as the new team will build from the ground up, but there still are a number of prominent former players who could help market the team effectively. Calgary's facilities aren't the greatest, though, so that might be the biggest strike against them when needing an arena of more than 6000 seats to make the dollars work.
Chicago
1) The market size in Chicago is not in question. There would need to be one of the local media companies who steps up to cover the team and air the games, but Chicago is big enough that it shouldn't be too much of an issue.
2) There aren't many venues in Chicago that seat more than 6000 fans for hockey, but AllState Arena in Rosemont would fit nicely if the AHL's Chicago Wolves were looking for roommates.
3) Chicago is the home to many head offices and major corporate headquarters. This criterion should be hard to reach.
4) I don't think fans in Chicago would have any trouble supporting a women's team. While the distance to Rosemont may discourage some, there should be more than enough fans. There are leagues being run all over Chicago for youth hockey right up to adult leagues.
Chicago checks all the boxes for the PWHL as it's closer to Minnesota than most other cities being considered to create that natural rivalry, it has a long hockey history, and there's a suitable facililty. It certainly doesn't hurt that players like Kendall Coyne-Schofield and Savannah Harmon played hockey there while Annie Camins, PWHL Vice President of Hockey Operations, worked for the Blackhawks. Chicago would definitely be a front-runner in the expansion options.
Detroit
1) Like Chicago, there are media companies in and around Detroit who certainly could broadcast games. In the PWHL's lone appearance in Detroit, 13,736 fans came out to cheer on the women. Even if the league scored half of that per game, they'd still be averaging more than 6000 people. Detroit looks like a solid candidate.
2) We already know that Little Caesars Arena worked, so the PWHL might have an entry point into the Detroit market already. Beyond Little Caesars Arena, there aren't many other arenas with 6000 seats in the Detroit area.
3) While Detroit's economy is still improving, there are quiet concerns that oversaturating the market with another professional team may weigh on the city. There are enough corporate headquarters here, though, that sponsorship shouldn't be too difficult.
4) Detroit's minor hockey scene is fairly strong, and there has been significant investment in the minor hockey programs around the city by the Detroit Red Wings. With the University of Michigan not having a Division-I women's hockey program, though, that sets back the local scene in terms of professional development. Nevertheless, fans did come out to watch Boston and Ottawa battle.
Detroit, like Chicago, checks all the boxes for the PWHL as it's close to a number of current franchises, there's a long hockey history, and it seems like fans are willing to watch the games at Little Caesars Arena. Detroit's minor hockey scene boasts Manon Rheaume as one of the people leading its growth, and both Megan Keller and Shiann Darkangelo grew up in the area. With an experiment already run in Detroit, the PWHL knows what it's getting from that market, and it should be considered as one of the top expansion destinations.
Pittsburgh
1) Pittsburgh has media companies, but it's a question of reach as I'm not aware of many broadcasting on a national stage. The PWHL played in Pittsburgh last season, and 8850 fans came out to cheer on two Canadian teams. The league likely was hoping for more fans, but 8850 was a solid total for not having a US-based team in the game.
2) PPG Paints Arena was the host for the Toronto-Montreal game in Pittsburgh, but there simply aren't enough midsized facilities in the Pittsburgh area if PPG Paints Arena isn't available.
3) Pittsburgh's economy is diversified, so there should be many options for sponsorship. With the large number of universities in and around Pittsburgh, there will be more professionals joining the workforce down the road.
4) Pittsburgh's youth hockey programs have exploded thanks to the efforts of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Sidney Crosby, but the city plays host to a number of highly-competitive tournaments each year while developing players at the lower levels. As we have seen, fans in Pittsburgh do love their hockey, but that 8850 number needs to be the average if the PWHL plays in PPG Paints Arena.
It doesn't hurt having Amanda Kessel in the city and working with the Penguins when it comes to marketing women's hockey. Alexa Gruschow is the only current PWHL player from the area, but Brianne McLaughlin helped to ressurect the Robert Morris women's program. Professional players aside, however, one has to wonder if Pittsburgh would average more fans than their lone PWHL game or another city like Chicago. Pittsburgh has shown that it will turn out for women's hockey, but will 8850 come out 15 times per season?
It should be noted that these are the top five cities that have been mentioned in recent years when it comes to expansion, but places like Denver, Philadelphia, Washington, Quebec City, and Winnipeg have all been mentioned as well. There are challenges that come with each location just like we've seen above, but nothing worth having doesn't come without some kind of adversity. Any of the ten cities listed above could house a team with varying levels of success.
If the PWHL is going to find its way into two markets, they should be looking to find local investors who can buy franchises. If the risk to the league is lower by having independent owners, it would make more sense in allowing expansion into markets where investors can risk their own monies. While the RFP process should still be done as a measure of due diligence, the PWHL is going to have to relinquish its hold on all franchises at some point if the league is to grow organically. Otherwise, this is just establishing franchises to sell.
We'll see who comes forward as possible expansion locations by submitting an RFP to the PWHL, but my guess is that Chicago, Detroit, and Pittsburgh will be in the mix as we get closer to an expansion announcement. I'd love to see a fourth Canadian team added - Hamilton? Quebec City? - but I'd expect both teams, assuming they expand to eight teams, to come from south of the border.
Two more teams more two more regrettable team names as well. Who's ready for that unfortunate reality?
They say you can never go home again, but it seems Malcolm Subban will test that theory this year after signing a deal with the AHL's Belleville Senators. For four seasons, Subban skated with the OHL's Belleville Bulls from 2009-2013 before the team was bought and moved to Hamilton by current Senators owner Michael Andlauer in 2015, so his return brings back a crowd favorite to Belleville after the success he had there. The former first-round pick has bounced around hockey in the last few years, but there's hope he can stabilize Belleville's goaltending as a veteran presence with Ottawa occasionally needing some help from the kids.
After being selected 24th-overall in 2012 by the Boston Bruins, Subban played just two NHL games with Boston while spending most of his time with the Providence Bruins between 2013 and 2017. In 127 games with the P-Bruins, Subban was a respectable 56-45-15 with a 2.41 GAA and a .917 save percentage. While he was 0-2-0 with Boston, he had surrendered three goals in each of his NHL appearances up to that point while sporting a .727 save percentage. Some wondered if Subban could grab the reins assuming Boston ever turned to him to defend the net.
However, his 2017 season was played in a different environment as the Vegas Golden Knights claimed Subban off waivers from the Bruins, and immediately became the backup to Marc-Andre Fleury as the Golden Knights kicked off their inaugural season. Again, he provided capable backup goaltending when called upon, going 13-4-2 in 22 games, but it was his following seasons where things unravelled somewhat as he compiled a 17-17-5 record in 41 games while his GAA went up and his save percentage went down in both seasons.
In February 2020, Subban was traded to Chicago in a deal that saw none of the other pieces come close to skating in the NHL, and he'd see very little action with the Blackhawks or the Rockford IceHogs as COVID made things tough on everyone. From 2019-22, Subban played just 17 games with Chicago where he was 6-8-1 with a 3.20 GAA and a .900 save percentage, but his five games with Rockford were rather forgettable. As it was, Chicago traded him to the Buffalo Sabres for future considerations.
Subban would play four games for the Sabres before spending his 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons with the AHL's Rochester Americans, Springfield Thunderbirds, and Cleveland Monsters. He had very similar numbers in Rochester and Springfield, but his number ballooned in Cleveland before the Columbus Blue Jackets called him up for one game where he, unsurprisingly, allowed three goals on 35 shots in what was his best NHL game to date. However, with a significant lack of NHL experience and Subban turning 31 in 2024, his options in free agency seemed limited.
On Saturday, Malcolm Subban was released from his professional tryout with the AHL's Grand Rapids Griffins that he had signed on October 7. Subban didn't see any regular season action with the Griffins, but he was in camp to solve some of Detroit's goaltending issues as they shuffled players between their ECHL and AHL affiliates while they figured out who belonged where to start the season. It's hard to imagine that Subban would disappear from the hockey map after this short stint, but it turns out it led to another opportunity.
The Belleville Senators announced today that they had signed Subban to a one-year AHL contract that will see him skate all season in the very city he played junior hockey. It might be a good thing he landed there early in this season because it seems the Senators are planning a Belleville Bulls Tribute Night to recognize the 25th Anniversary of the 1999 OHL Champions on December 14 against the Rochester Americans. If they go all-in on the celebraton, Subban will likely get to wear a Belleville Bulls jersey once again! That'd be pretty cool!
Of course, winning games is pretty important too, and the Senators' 3-1-0 start to the season is something upon which Subban will need to build. The Senators host the Providence Bruins on Wednesday, but it may be too early to throw Subban between the pipes at this point. What seems clear, though, is that the Ottawa Senators will have one goalie in Belleville for the entire season if things get crazy with goalie movement between the NHL club and its affiliates.
And if Subban can get his game back to his original Belleville days, there may be a shot at the NHL Senators keeping him in their organization for longer than a few games. Fans in Belleville cheered loudly for him once; it could very well happen again.
And if the goalie thing doesn't work out in his return? Maybe he can stick around as the Belleville Senators' anthem singer!
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)
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 (2)
Spartans netminder: Kate Fawcett (23/26)
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.
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.
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)
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.
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)
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 the 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 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 every year to the National Championship, and these representatives watch for players 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.
If hockey has become a young man's game, Doug Melvin is the exception to the rule. There aren't many players suiting up whose birth year is 1963, but Melvin was in uniform tonight for the Toledo Walleye for their ECHL game against the Idaho Steelheads. What makes Melvin unique is that he's suited up for ten different ECHL teams since 2009-10 without ever stepping onto the ice for a second of action. That's because Melvin is an EBUG who lives in the Boise, Idaho area where teams often find themselves needing a goalie if someone gets recalled to the AHL or NHL. As such, Melvin was on the Toledo bench tonight as they found themselves in that very predicament!
The Grand Rapids Griffins needed a goalie for the AHL game, so they recalled Carter Gylander from the Walleye, leaving Toledo with just Jan Bednar as their lone netminder on the road trip to Idaho. ECHL rules state that every team must dress two goalies, so the Walleye reached out to the Steelheads who got in touch with Melvin. Hours later, Melvin was in a #33 jersey on the bench for the game!
He told Stephen Meserve of 100 Degree Hockey in 2017, "If something happens, I have to be ready to go. I come with the mindset that I'm playing. Sometimes I get the call at 9 in the morning. Sometimes at 3 in the afternoon. You have to be ready to go. I try to stay in shape and prepare, waiting for that kind of call."
It's not like Toledo is just signing a guy who hangs around the arena, though. Melvin has some experience defending nets as he attended training camp with the Philadelphia Flyers in 1979 and skated with the Bruins in training camp from 1981-83, but his game experience would be completely in the minor leagues where he played all of 11 games as per his HockeyDB.com page. His most recent game activity saw him suit up with the ECHL's Huntington Blizzard in 1993-94 for four games where he was 0-3-1 with a 4.96 GAA and an .852 save percentage.
"When you get the call," he told Meserve, "the mindset is, 'I'm not going to be the reason we lose. I'm going to be the reason we win.' I don't want to see anyone get hurt, but if I have to play, I owe it to the other 18 guys on the team to go out there and play my heart out."
The 61 year-old likely isn't looking to set any records or put himself into the history books, but it seems like he simply loves the game.
"I love it," he said to Meserve. "I would do this all day. For practices, I would stay out there all day. Work your butt off and leave everything out there."
He didn't play tonight, but he did get to skate in the post-game celebration as the Walleye downed the Steelheads by a 5-2 score. One has to hope the Walleye let him keep his jersey as a thank-you for helping them out. I'm not sure if he's married, but, if he has kids, Doug Melvin's grandchildren will surely get to hear all sorts of stories about their grandfather's hockey career!
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!
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!
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.
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
Cut the onion halves into similarly-sized slices. Once sliced, break up the onions so they're left as individual half-rings.
Add the olive oil to a large skillet, and warm to a medium-low temperature. Don't overheat the oil!
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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?
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
