Snuffed Out

On January 13, I wrote a fairly amibiguous post in which I alluded to something bad that happened. There were certainly bright spots that could be found in the darkness that fell, but the black of space occupies so much more space than the twinkle of stars. To make this allegory whole, it was announced today that the Flames hockey program will not continue next season due to reasons that seem dumb, but the Flames hockey program has been officially snuffed out, leaving a void where there once was a bright future.

From everything that I've gathered in talking to multiple, this decision was apparently made in May 2024 during St. Mary's Academy's Board of Directors meeting. At some point, the school decided that it didn't have the "resources" to support the female prep hockey team, and they removed that line from the budget. The only problem? It seems no one told the hockey program.

School started, kids came to classes, and the prep hockey team assembled on the ice for what was to be a fun and exciting 2024-25 hockey season. The calendar flipped to October, the seasons started, and everything was going according to plan from how the team saw things. And then November hit and the news was delivered to head coach Larry Bumstead that the school would be cutting the program at the conclusion of the season, and that expenses associated with the team wouldn't be funded by the school.

I should add a small note here about how several people have informed me that the school charges the hockey players additional money on top of their annual tuition for the privilege of playing on the Flames prep team, and that most of these additional monies go toward covering the costs of the hockey team. In short, there really isn't a budgetary line for the hockey team when it's a cash-in-cash-out transaction from how I understand this. But I digress....

Being a responsible coach that looks out for the good of his players, Larry met with the team and their families to inform them of the news he received. He foresaw a situation where players will need to find new teams next season if they weren't graduating, but a number of those players wanted to know if they could somehow save the Flames. From what I was told, after some discussions and support from the parents and the players, Larry sprung into action to see about keeping the Flames together in some fashion.

It seemed everyone was onboard with this idea except St. Mary's Academy who informed Larry that the decision was final. Conversations were short. Progress was non-existent. Stonewalling was in full effect. After getting nowhere with the school, the Flames were not going to skate under the St. Mary's Academy banner again.

The month of December was a scramble, from what I was told, in terms of exploring every avenue for the girls to remain as a team. The hockey schedule continued and the Flames didn't let the outside noise into the room, but it was all hands on deck in an effort to keep the Flames together in some form.

A new deal was struck with a school to have the girls and program move an re-associate with this new institution, but the CSSHL required Hockey Canada's blessing to make it official. The issue in this scenario is that Hockey Canada's cutoff for these applications was in September, so the team had missed the deadline for applying. Rather than worrying about a deadline, though, the application was made submitted in the hopes that the team could re-associate under this new school's name and the girls could remain as a team.

This brings us to January where I found out, and I found myself optimistic, but cautious. After all, I had witnessed the University of Lethbridge kill its hockey programs with little remorse for its students, and I watch the University of North Dakota dismantle its women's hockey program despite having one of the best programs in the US. Seeing St. Mary's Academy turn its back on the team, the chances that hockey wouldn't happen for the girls next season seemed likely, but hope sprung eternal.

After another successful Female World Sport School Challenge where the team and tournament received zero funding from St. Mary's Academy, it seemed pretty clear that the team had a number of capable people behind the scenes who could ensure future success through teamwork, collaboration, and dedication. The Hockey Canada decision still loomed on the horizon, but it seemed very clear that the team was positioned to be successful if they were to re-associate thanks to a number of dedicated people.

That decision was delivered today, and it landed hard: the Hockey Canada application had been denied. As was written to parents and alumni in an email from a prominent Flames supporter,

"... there was nothing we could do to circumnavigate the HCAS deadline for applying for a new program. As [head coach Larry Bumstead] has shared previously, we learned too late that deadline was in September of 2024, months before anyone was notified that the program would be discontinued. Because that information was withheld, it blocked an avenue to move the team or apply for a new program to be instated for this coming season."

There was still a chance to appeal the decision, but that process would have reportedly extended into the summer. With players needing to find new teams for next year in order to keep playing and pursuing their dreams, it was decided that an appeal would not be made and the Flames prep hockey program would no longer exist.

Admittedly, I'm still processing this news because of how closely we worked with the Flames. Even when they weren't featured on The Hockey Show, we still followed their progress. We cheered for players who skated for U SPORTS teams, NCAA teams, ACHA teams, and for those who had made the jump to the professional ranks. We're fans of the players who have graduated to other walks life including coaching, teaching, and other professions where they're excelling. It's hard to process what the current players are going through, but I can't imagine what the alumnae feeling after helping to build the Flames into something great. Today hurts if you wore the jersey.

I can't imagine the hurt and betrayal that the parents and coaches feel after investing so much of their time, money, and effort into making the Flames prep hockey program one of this nation's best. These people worked tirelessly at games, volunteered all sorts of time and effort at the Female World Sport School Challenge, and spent their hard-earned dollars on tuition for their daughters only to have the school erase them like chalk on a blackboard while Hockey Canada opts to eliminate twenty high-level girls' hockey roster spots.

A few people asked me in January if I was going to eviscerate the school here on HBIC like I had done to other schools who had cut their hockey programs, and I still may let the rage out over this debacle. Right now, though, this one hits home because we had a friendship with the girls and the coaches while maintaining a solid working relationship with the program. I'm confused, I'm frustrated, I'm angry, and I'm sad after receiving the news today, but I'm mostly disappointed in both St. Mary's Academy and Hockey Canada. Two institutions that proclaim they're helping to elevate girls and women sure dropped the ball on that mandate in the last few months.

With the Flames' final CSSHL game scheduled for March 1, I'm going to focus on getting to those games between now and then to make sure the girls know that I believe in them. They may not wear the Flames jersey next season, but the Flames' spirit will still burn within them. They all have bright futures in whatever paths they choose to take, and my hope is that this mess won't sour them on being part of the game at some level because, as it always seems to happen, the adults have gone and ruined it for the kids again.

The Flames have officially been extinguished despite the efforts of a number of people, and this is one fire that will not re-ignite. Despite the effort, everyone associated with the Flames got burned.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!