Tomorrow's Plans

There's a pile of hockey happening on Friday night, but I really am only focused on one game that happens tomorrow at 3pm CT. As I wrote just over a week ago, the Flames prep hockey program will cease to exist once their season comes to an end, and it's an unnecessary ending to a program that established itself as a destination for students and high-level hockey players. After seeing former Flames players graduating into university hockey programs across the continent, it was clear that head coach Larry Bumstead and his staff were doing things right. That all comes to an end with the final whistle tomorrow, so I hope that the rink is full to show these women that their efforts matter.

UMFM will be there tomorrow as the station has been invited down to the rink to call the final game in Flames history live on the UMFM Second Stream. We're going to give the Flames the full treatment as well as we'll run the interview we did with Flames alumna and current Ottawa Charge netminder Logan Angers prior to the pregame show. Logan's interview from The Hockey Show will air from 1:30-2:30pm CT with the Flames pregame show beginning at 2:30pm CT.

In the pregame show, we'll get you set for the game at 3pm CT between the Balmoral Hall Blazers and the Flames prep hockey program, and we'll call every second of the action between these two teams. We'll have intermission features between the periods featuring Flames players, and we'll see if we can get a few special guests to sit in with us for this final game. In order to preserve these memories, we'll record this final game for anyone who would like a copy of the audio once the final whistle sounds.

I know we've discussed this on The Hockey Show over the last couple of weeks, but I can't express the disappointment I feel in a number of institutions in how they've let these young ladies down. Whether it's the school, Hockey Manitoba, Hockey Canada, or any of the other governing bodies who oversee the team and sport, I find it hard to believe that none of them see the damage they are doing to the sport within Manitoba. And, if the rumours are true, this is simply the first of many baffling decisions women's hockey in Manitoba will see.

I won't deny that tomorrow will be emotional for a lot of people, and I can't say that I won't be emotional as well. Having gotten to know the players and coaches of the Flames program, we are always grateful and honoured to be a part of their world. Knowing that a large number of the women who wore Flames uniforms have gone on to highly-successful careers across the planet is a point of pride for us after having the honour to call a small portion of their hockey careers, so I can only imagine how proud the coaching staff is in seeing all the success their players have had.

None of that seemed to matter to those who held the program in their hands. Rather than celebrating the graduating seniors who are heading off into new chapters of their lives, the game tomorrow will have a dark cloud hanging over it as all the Flames players will get one last opportunity to skate as a team before figuring out where they play next season. At that final whistle, an era of hockey excellence will come to an end because those who were tasked in curating the game have once again failed the players.

I hope you'll tune in for this final game in Flames history, and it would be great if you went over and dropped a comment of support for these girls on the team's Instagram page. If you have a little time to kill tomorrow, come down to the Hockey For All Centre and watch these girls play a little hockey. If you're a fan of women's hockey at the international or PWHL level, all of those women got their start at the CSSHL and/or AAA level like these women are.

Or, in the Flames' cases, like these women were... since there won't be Flames hockey next season. It sucks to write that.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!