It seemed like the only thing holding up the decision by the New York Islanders to move the Bridgeport Islanders to Hamilton, Ontario was the AHL Board of Governors. It was rumoured for a while before the announcement finally came that this would be the reality for 2026-27, but it still needed the rubber stamp from the league's membership. That vote took place today, and AHL President and CEO Scott Howson made it official by announcing that the Islanders would move into the renovated TD Coliseum in Hamilton where they would shift from the Atlantic Division to the North Division next season.
This feels like the wrong move by the Islanders' franchise to make considering that the Bridgeport Sound Tigers had a solid following in Bridgeport for years since they began play in 2001-02 as an expansion team. Head coach Steve Stirling took them to the Calder Cup Final in their first season of existence before falling in the second round one year later, but Stirling was promoted to head coach of the New York Islanders in June 2003 after Peter Laviolette was fired.
From that point on, the Bridgeport Sound Tigers never won a playoff round again, missing the playoffs in nine of sixteen seasons prior to the pandemic. After the AHL returned to play a full season in 2021, the Islanders had decided to rename the team in its own image where it has continued to struggle. In four seasons, the Islanders missed the playoffs three times. They're in a battle with four teams this season for play-in game berths in the Atlantic Division standings.
In short, the Islanders are leaving Bridgeport, Connecticut without having seen a ton of success for their 25 seasons. Perhaps a fresh start with a clean slate in Hamilton, Ontario is what they need?
The last time that the AHL was in Hamilton, that franchise found success. The Hamilton Bulldogs called the southern Ontario city home from 1996 until 2015 where they won the 2007 Calder Cup, lost in the Calder Cup Final in 1997, and lost in the third round of the playoffs three times. They averaged slightly more fans that what Bridgeport has seen over the years, but moving into a renovated building within a hockey-ready market should be good for the franchise's health.
What may hurt the Islanders is the fact that they're not very good. With their current point total, they'd be in sixth-place in the North Division and would sit one point back of Rochester who has two games in-hand and holds the final play-in game berth in the division. Needless to say, moving into a more competitive division will mean that the Islanders need to improve their roster. Putting a winner on the ice would help both walk-up and season ticket sales immediately.
The other thing that could really get the people of Hamilton interested is the name chosen for the team. Despite the branding strategy used by the Islanders, the team moving to Hamilton needs to abandon the "Islanders" moniker as soon as possible for something better. If you recall, this franchise used to be the Bridgeport Sound Tigers while the city of Hamilton had an NHL team named the Hamilton Tigers from 1920-25. Might we see the return of the Tigers?
What sucks in this whole situation is that there are hockey fans in Bridgeport who are losing their team with no way of preventing it. These fans did nothing to deserve this fate, but it seems that a fresh coat of paint and some new luxury suites were all that the Islanders needed to pull their AHL franchise from Bridgeport. My hope is that hockey fans in Bridgeport can get another team shortly. They have shown they'll support hockey even if the team on the ice is bad.
Roadtrips for AHL teams can now flow through Belleville-Toronto-Hamilton or teams can play the corner of Lake Ontario with games in Toronto and Hamilton. It's a longer commute for AHL Islanders to get to the big club when recalled, but the New York Islanders won't complain if their AHL affiliate is playing winning hockey. I don't think Hamilton hockey fans will complain about that either.
Please, I beg you, just don't call them the Hamilton Islanders.
Far be it for me to question anyone's position in hockey from where I sit, but I always found it strange that the Toronto Maple Leafs hired Bred Treliving to be their general manager three years ago. That's not to say that Treliving wasn't able to do the job, but it's hard to ignore the immense pressure that comes with sitting in the big chair in a city that demands a winner. Being that 1967 is a lifetime ago and the Leafs moving away from a playoff spot has to come with consequences, and Toronto brass made the move today to correct the path the team is on by firing GM Brad Treliving.
The idea of a playoff spot is all but lost at this point in this season, but it's some of the asset mismanagment that likely called for a change in the management structure for the Maple Leafs. After all, the "trade" to move Mitch Marner for Nicolas Roy was one of the worst in the history of the Maple Leafs while his deal to trade prized prospect Fraser Minten and a first-round pick to Boston for Brandon Carlo is hard to even rationalize. Add in baffling free agent signings like John Klingberg, Ryan Reaves, and David Kampf while not finding elite goaltending, and the writing started to appear on the wall.
Toronto won't have a first- or a second-round selection this season at the NHL Draft, so finding some immediate help will have come via trade or free agency. The team will need to make decisions on Calle Jarnkrok, Matias Maccelli, and Nick Robertson, but it's hard to see either of Maccelli or Robertson sticking with Toronto if another team appears interested. Robertson has asked for a trade out of Toronto for the past two seasons before finding a roster spot this season, so we'll have to see if he'll return on a new deal next season.
If that mismanagement of depth players isn't enough, making the decision to fire Sheldon Keefe while hiring the defensively-minded Craig Berube is also a head-scratcher. Keefe recognized that the defence and goaltending was, at best, in the middle of the pack. To counter this, he pushed the offensive side of the play as the Leafs scored a lot during the regular season. That wasn't a great strategy for the Leafs in the playoffs where the defensive play gets ratcheted up a few notches, but Keefe was playing the hand he was dealt.
Treliving was questioned for firing Keefe who was 212-97-40 over parts of five campaigns, but his playoff record shows that success was fleeting as he recorded a 16-21 record in the postseason including a 1-5 series mark. At the time, Treliving stated, "Sheldon is an excellent coach and a great man. However, we determined a new voice is needed to help the team push through to reach our ultimate goal."
Craig Berube was hired by Treliving following his brief success in St. Louis, the Leafs finally won just their second playoff series in more than 20 years under Berube's watch, but the Leafs dropped from 54 wins to 52 wins in 2025 before winning just 31 games to this point this season. If losing Mitch Marner had that much of an effect on the Leafs, this squad under Berube is more than just a few tweaks and minor moves away from being a Stanley Cup contender again.
In three consecutive seasons under Treliving, the number of wins and points fell. For the first time in ten seasons, the Maple Leafs are poised to miss the playoffs. For the first time since 2016, it appears there's a good chance that the Leafs won't have a 30-goal scorer on their roster. Some of that can be attributed to coaching, but a lot of it has to do with the roster that was assembled this season. The Leafs weren't good enough, weren't deep enough, and didn't get the contributions they needed with the personnel they currently have.
As was discussed in yesterday's article about the Golden Knights, accountability for the roster's successes or failures ultimately falls on the general manager. Based on the significant drop-off this season and the slight decline last season, changes had to be expected in Toronto. The first domino fell today with the dismissal of Brad Treliving as the Maple Leafs will look for a new candidate to lead them out of this mess and into a better, more successful era.
I can't deny that Toronto amplifies it by a million times, but hockey is still a results-driven business where winning matters. Brad Treliving is the latest evidence of that reality after being dismissed today.
I have never met Bruce Cassidy, but people have said that he's a well-spoken, thoughtful man who would give insights to his decisions made while coaching. We can debate all day about his reluctance to name Logan Thompson the starter in Las Vegas, eventually leading to Thompson being traded to Washington where he's now 4-0 against his former team including stoning them in the shootout yesterday, prompting the reaction above. The knee-jerk reaction by Vegas to fire a coach who led the team to the Stanley Cup and who has turned in excellent results since that victory reeks of "what have you done for me lately". Being in a results-driven business, Kelly McCrimmon fired Cassidy and hired John Tortorella for the rest of the season.
Vegas has struggled this season as they currently sit in third-place in the Pacific Division and staring down a first-round matchup with the Edmonton Oilers. They're six points back of the Anaheim Ducks with eight games to play, and they don't face the Ducks again. They still have a shot at capturing first-place in the Pacific Division, but they're going to need some help while playing nearly-perfect hockey from this point forward as the John Tortorella era begins today.
The problem is that the four goaltenders that Vegas has employed this season have a woeful .879 save percentage as they've allowed 216 goals on 1788 shots. The fact that they're even in a playoff spot should surprise people because that kind of mediocre goaltending usually results in management hunting for a significant upgrade between the pipes. Adin Hill, who appears to be Vegas's starter, will bring his 3.10 GAA and .866 save percentage to the playoffs against the likes of McDavid and Draisaitl if Vegas doesn't catch Anaheim.
Logan Thompson played 46 games for the Vegas Golden Knights in 2023-24 where he went 25-14-5 with a 2.70 GAA and a .908 save percentage. Adin Hill, who split time in the crease with Thompson, was 19-12-2 with a 2.71 GAA and a .909 save percentage. As you can see, Thompson likely had every right to believe he could win more games based on his statistics that season, so asking the team for greater responsibility in the crease should have been a discussion where Cassidy and McCrimmon could have laid out a scenario where Thompson was given the opportunity to be the starter, especially after Thompson played well from January through to the playoffs.
Instead, it seemed like there was always going to be a competition between the goalies in Las Vegas, and Thompson made the decision to ask for a trade where he could seek a starter's role with another team. Vegas obliged, and he was traded to Washington at the 2024 NHL Entry Draft in exchange for two third-round picks. The rest, as they say, is history as Vegas has struggled in the crease while Thompson has played well for Washington with two sub-2.50 GAA and .910-or-better seasons, earning a Canadian Olympic roster spot.
Clearly, this problem goes higher than the coach as it wasn't Bruce Cassidy's decision to trade Thompson despite Steven Valiquette's assertion that Cassidy and Pete DeBoer not liking Thompson. Add in the fact that Vegas only has six picks on the first three rounds of the next four NHL Entry Drafts with no first-round picks until 2028, and there's more evidence that management is making bad decisions. It also bears mentioning that Adin Hill and his 3.10 GAA and his .866 save percentage are being paid $6,250,000 until 2031, making the general manager's office the source of Vegas's problems. Spending their way into division titles was a win-now ideology.
Perhaps spending $12 million per season on Mitch Marner was a good idea in the moment as Adin Hill held a 2.47 GAA and a .906 save percentage, but those numbers were the best numbers Hill has posted in any NHL season to date with the number of games he played. They weren't trending in that direction; they were an aberration away from his rather pedestrian baseline numbers. McCrimmon went seeking more help in the crease when he gambled on Carter Hart which, for the most part, has been an utter disaster on the ice as well as for the team's public image, and his follows his trade of fan favourite Marc-Andre Fleury, bailing on Robin Lehner when he needed help, and trading away Thompson. Now we'll see another coach to try cover up the damage that McCrimmon has caused with his short-sighted, win-at-all-costs mentality.
At some point, Kelly McCrimmon has to be responsible for the team he's assembled. Yes, the coach can and will make mistakes when it comes to player deployment or line combinations, but Bruce Cassidy proved he has the skills to do the job with the Stanley Cup ring he earned. Instead, this year's push will fall to John Tortorella after McCrimmon fired Cassidy one day after the Logan Thompson fist pump at the end of the shootout. Tortorella is only signed through to the end of the season, so this coaching carousel could start up again the moment that Vegas is eliminated from the 2026 playoffs.
Perhaps at that point, Kelly McCrimmon will finally be held responsible for results turned in by Kelly McCrimmon's team.
I had a good chuckle when social media went off about Alexander Ovechkin taking his first defensive zone face-off ths season despite the Capitals having played 73 games this season. It's not like Ovechkin has ever been up for a Selke Award in his career, and I don't think anyone would put him on the ice in the dying seconds of a game while up a goal. His talents are scoring goals, not stopping them, but Elliotte Friedman's 32 Thoughts article published on Sportsnet's website yesterday got me thinking about a new record in hockey.
To that point of the season on Thursday night in Utah, Ovechkin had watched every defensive zone face-off from the bench this season. That works out to about 4500 minutes of hockey without him ever lining up for a face-off mere feet from his own goal. It was Friedman's 32 Thoughts that got the wheels turning when he wrote,
With Ovechkin turning 41 years-old to begin the season next year, could he go an entire season without taking a defensive zone face-off? He went through 73 games this year without doing one, but he could do the full 84-game schedule - it's two games longer in 2026-27! - without starting a play in his own zone if he plays next season?
I'm not sure that's a record that anyone would want to hold, but it seems like that option may give Ovechkin the best shot at scoring a number of goals while keeping him fresh for all 84 games. If scoring goals means that much to Ovechkin and his coaches and teammates are fine with it, more power to him. This could be the way he hits 950 goals in his career which would be an impressive total to reach, but it clearly requires some sacrifices to parts of his game.
Friedman notes that it would have been "tremendous" for Ovechkin to have played the entire season without ever lining up in own zone, but, considering that the Capitals are on the outside of the playoff picture right now, this isn't a winning formula. Of course, Ovechkin could have been taking defensive zone face-offs and the Capitals could be in the same position or worse, but we won't know what impact he had at helping the team win defensive zone face-offs if he follows Friedman's thoughts and commits to taking none next season.
I should point out that the Capitals saw no harm on the two defensive zone face-offs where he was on the ice in Utah, so things are looking up for Ovechkin's defensive game already! Selke Trophy in 2027?
As for the multi-city send-off that Friedman floated, the answer is a hard "no" from me. As a Penguins fan, I can ackowledge his talents, but I'm not celebrating his career in any manner. I didn't care when he tied Gretzky's record for goals, and I didn't care when he broke the record. I'll tip my cap to him when he does retire because he certainly rewrote some records that were once believed to be untouchable, but it still needs to be mentioned that he won his only Stanley Cup when Barry Trotz forced him to play a 200-foot game.
If defence wins championships, the evidence is the 2018 Stanley Cup. Records will ultimately fall, but winning never, ever gets old.
Marty McSorley isn't a player that one forgets about thanks to his impact on the game when he played. The 62 year-old enforcer was a decent defenceman who was known more for throwing knuckles than making crisp passes, but he was memorable. Whether it was the illegal stick in the 1993 Stanley Cup Final or the stick-swinging incident against the Vancouver Canucks, McSorley may also be remembered for the major mistakes he made while playing the game. One of the things that I forgot, though, was that he took bit parts in movies while playing for the Los Angeles Kings, and I encountered one of those movies tonight as I was searching for something to watch.
Known mostly for wearing #33, I had forgotten that he wore both #36 and #55 while skating for the New York Rangers during his nine-game stint in Manhattan that saw him, Shane Churla, and Jari Kurri traded to New York from Los Angeles on March 14, 1996 for Ray Ferraro, Nathan LaFayette, Ian Laperriere, Mattias Norstrom, and a draft pick. He had just two assists in those games and held a -6 rating, but he did pick up 21 PIMs during that short spell in The Big Apple.
On April 7, 1995, Columbia Pictures released Bad Boys, an action movie featuring Will Smith, Martin Lawrence, and Tea Leoni that was the directorial debut for Michael Bay while being produced by Jerry Bruckheimer. The film brought in just over $140 million at the box office against a production cost of around $20 million, so it seems audiences liked the Smith-Lawrence duo. The studio certainly did as it has now spawned three sequels since the original hit theatres.
As I re-watched the film for the first time in what has to be decades, I found myself shocked when one of the thugs staked out to watch detective Marcus Burnett's house began to look quite familiar to me.
The man on the left is none other than hockey pugilist Marty McSorley in his first Hollywood role as an actor! As per IMDB, his role listed him as "Henchman" in the script, but he got a few lines in the next scene!
If you're wondering how McSorley landed in the film, it's reported that Jerry Bruckheimer began working out and playing hockey with several Los Angeles Kings players including both Luc Robitaille and McSorley. McSorley has also landed in other Bruckheimer productions including Con Air and CSI: Miami, so the hockey connection between the two men seems to have worked out quite nicely for both!
No one will mistake Marty McSorley for Martin Short, Martin Landau, or Martin Sheen, but his small roles saw him work alongside Will Smith, John Malkovich, Nicolas Cage, and Billy Crystal. That's a pretty cool side gig when you consider his "day job" was skating alongside the likes of Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, Jaromir Jagr, and Joe Thornton. Who else can claim those coworkers for their jobs?
He didn't win an Oscar nor did it help his hockey talents, but I had completely forgotten Marty McSorley was in Bad Boys. Rewatching the film certainly gave a "Michael Bay movie" feeling, but it was pretty cool seeing Marty McSorley's acting debut in the action film!
The Hockey Show, Canada's only campus-produced radio show that strictly talks hockey, is back tonight with a full recap show of some of the events that happened last weekend in Elmira, in Halifax, and in Winnipeg. Honestly, it was a busy weekend of hockey action in those three cities, and our hosts will try to bring everyone up to speed on what happened in those cities. Frankly, it was a very entertaining weekend of hockey no matter which event one focused on, so we'll look at the two tournaments that determined university supremacy and the big game tonight on The Hockey Show at 5:30pm CT!
Tonight, Teebz and Jason will look back on a weekend where both the U SPORTS National Men's and Women's Hockey Championships were played and where the PWHL took over Winnipeg. They'll have thoughts, opinions, and discussion about each of the events including who won, who didn't win, and all of the incredible action seen from the two National Championships before spending a larger amount of time discussing the PWHL's arrival in Winnipeg, the viability of the PWHL in Winnipeg, and the results from that game. As a bonus, Teebz sat down with both Kendra Woodland and Kaitlyn Ross of the Ottawa Charge to chat about their careers, so don't miss those! There's lots to discuss, so tune in tonight to 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 UMFM website's 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.
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! And because both Teebz and Jason are on the butterfly app where things are less noisy, you can find Teebz here and Jason here on Bluesky!
Tonight, Teebz and Jason chat National Championships, winners and also-rans, women's hockey, PWHL action, and much more exclusively on 101.5 UMFM and on the UMFM.com web stream!
If the ice in the image to the left looks a little off, this was a real thing in 2005. With the NHL lockout in full effect, the AHL was seeing a pile of stars play nightly who should have been on NHL rosters while the NHL and AHL brass looked at all sorts of options to make the game better during AHL games. The image to the left is from one of those games where the ice was coloured "electric powder blue", the blue lines were painted almost fluorescent orange, and the red line was painted dark blue. If those changes seem drastic, they were made for a specific reason.
According to an archived USA Today article, "[t]he blue ice is part of an experiment that was approved by both the NHL and AHL after officials discussed changing the ice color from white to enhance how the game is viewed by both live and television audiences."
You might be wondering why the NHL decided to give this idea any thought, but 2005 was the year that HDTV became a big thing that everyone had to have with Steve Jobs opening MacWorld that year "with the proclamation that 2005 is the 'year of high-definition video,'" so professional hockey was trying to keep ahead of the emerging television technology. After all, fans could have an HDTV in their homes for the NHL to give them the best view possible!
The game on March 20, 2005 where this was first tried featured the Rochester Americans and the Cleveland Barons playing in Buffalo's HSBC Arena in front of 15,288 fans as per the gamesheet. Paul Gaustad beat Nolan Schaefer in the first period and Rory Fitzpatrick added a second Americans goal from Geoff Peters and Daniel Paille while shorthanded in the second period, and that's all the scoring that Americans netminder Ryan Miller needed as Rochester captured the 2-0 victory. For what it's worth, Rochester ended up being the AHL's best team that season with 112 points with a record of 51-19-10 while Cleveland was last in the North Division with a 35-37-8 record and 78 points, 11 points back of a playoff spot.
As per the players, some noticed the new paint job on the ice while it seemingly had no effect on others based on their comments.
"I didn't notice it too much from a player's standpoint," Fitzpatrick told USA Today. "It was hardly noticeable at all."
Derek Roy had a different view of the ice after watching the game from the pressbox, telling The Associated Press, "From afar there was a distinct difference, as the black puck seemed to stand out well on its powder-blue backdrop, especially when it slid along the orange 'blue' lines. I think the orange lines really stood out. I think that was a positive. But overall, it didn't look that much different. It looked like everyone adapted and everyone liked it."
Fans seemed to agree with Roy's assessment of the new ice colours.
"I think it looks great," Sabres fan Alysa White told USA Today. "It takes some getting used to, but I really don't mind it at all."
While there was no guarantee these colour changes or any of the other changes - two-foot blue lines, larger nets, the trapezoid - would stick for NHL play when it resumed once the lockout ended, the Buffalo Sabres seemed pretty happy to partner with the NHL to put these experimental ideas to the test inside the HSBC Arena.
"We are very excited to experiment with a light blue ice surface," Buffalo Sabres Managing Partner Larry Quinn told AHL.com. "The National Hockey League first introduced the idea of using different types of ice colors and we asked their permission to experiment with the blue ice concept during our two upcoming AHL games. We think the action on the ice will show up better on television with a blue surface and will be easier to see the flow of the puck."
Depsite the somewhat-positive feedback for the ice, the Americans would play a second game on the powder blue surface against the St. John's Maple Leafs at HSBC Arena in front of 15,326 fans. Jason Pominville would record a hat trick and Thomas Vanek had a pair of goals for the Americans to erase Kyle Wellwood's two goals, and the Americans downed the Maple Leafs by a 6-4 score on April 3, 2005.
I couldn't find a single article about this game with the online newspaper archive being down, so there aren't any further comments about the blue ice. However, it seems like the thinking for the blue ice was similar to the experience that hockey fans had when hockey debuted on TV in the 1950s. As per a McGill University article,
"Television viewers got their first glimpse of painted ice on October 11, 1952 with the initial Hockey Night in Canada telecast. When color television appeared, cameras couldn't handle the brilliant white ice surface and it had to be painted blue. Technology soon overcame this faux-pas so that today we can watch hockey played on a white sheet of ice, as it should be."
With the innovation of high-definition television, it seems like the NHL was trying to learn from a mistake they made in the past by painting the ice blue in these test games. Despite the two games showing no adverse effects for players or fans when it came to playing or watching the game, it seems we were fairly close to seeing blue ice, bright orange lines and face-off markings, and a blue line at centre ice in an effort to make the game easier to watch on HDTV!
Ok, maybe we weren't THAT close considering that those two games were the only games we saw with the blue ice in the AHL that season or in any other season, but those two games should be remembered for what could have been had the NHL gone ahead with their HDTV idea. Frankly, the game looks pretty good in high-definition without any new paint on the ice, so perhaps this blue ice experiment was just to confirm that white ice works best on high-definition TVs.
Or, as the McGill article stated more succinctly, "today we can watch hockey played on a white sheet of ice, as it should be." 'Nuff said.
The cat to the left is not HBIC CEO Meg, but Meg is sleeping noisily next to me. I sit here and giggle quietly as she snores audibly enough that she's competing with the hockey game on TV, but I'm somewhat envious of her as I could use more sleep after what was a busy weekend. Between being up early to watch the U SPORTS National Championships to running around to watch PWHL hockey to just trying to get some stuff done around the house, I burned the candle at both ends this weekend so I'm taking the night off just to watch hockey and relax. And maybe nap.
By no means am I the average television viewer as I don't even have a cable subscription nor do I pay for streaming services. I happen to be somewhat tech savvy, however, so I do have ways of finding hockey on various streams that are broadcast free on the internet. One of those, as you likely know, is CBC Sports' website and YouTube channel, and I had wondered on Sunday why U SPORTS wasn't working more closely with CBC to bring U SPORTS hockey to their streams every week as some sort of "Hockey Night From Canada" broadcast.
Note the preposition change there. Trademarks matter.
Creative naming aside, hear me out on this because the numbers seem to indicate that there's a market for U SPORTS hockey. According to The Sport Information Resource Centre, U SPORTS broadcasts on streaming services increased in 2023-24 by 20% over 2022-23 thanks, in large part, to CBC's coverage of U SPORTS competitions. By sport, U SPORTS women's hockey saw an unreal 81% increase in viewership that year while men's hockey saw a modest 9% boost in online viewership. In short, people were watching games.
"U SPORTS has worked with our media partners TVA Sports, CBC Sports and Radio-Canada Sports, as well as iSi Live and Live U to give our student-athletes the best exposure of any amateur sports organization in the country," John Bower, U SPORTS Director of Marketing and Communications, said in 2024 in the SIRC article. "Our focus on digital broadcasting allows fans to watch our championships on any screen anywhere in Canada or worldwide. We're meeting consumers where they are, and that's how our exposure has grown so much over the past three years."
That's fine and dandy for 2024, but it's 2026 and we had Canada West hockey broadcasts on CBC streams all winter with almost no one knowing about it. I posted it a few times, but I'm not being paid to promote anything for U SPORTS, Canada West, or CBC. In saying that, it seems like that any momentum that was built in that 2024 season has relied almost exclusively on National Championships rather than looking to expand the coverage into any conference's regular season.
Consider the following scenario for a second: OUA women's hockey has a single game played every week on Thursday when no other conference is playing hockey regularly while the RSEQ has games being played on Sunday when no other conference is playing regularly. That would leave Friday and Saturday for Canada West and the AUS to broadcast games on CBC online streams, and you'd be able to schedule things appropriately for some of the bigger "featured" games each season like the Crowchild Classic in Calgary.
Just to prove my point, I looked at November 9 through November 23 for all four conferences. Here's what the schedule could look like if regular season games from all four conferences were on CBC streams:
Wednesday, Nov. 12: St. Thomas @ Mt. Allison - 7pm AT (AUS)
Thursday, Nov. 13: Toronto @ Brock - 6pm ET (OUA)
Friday, Nov. 14: Bishop's @ Montreal - 7pm ET (RSEQ)
Friday, Nov. 14: MacEwan @ UBC - 7pm PT (CW)
Saturday, Nov. 15: Toronto @ Waterloo - 2pm ET (OUA)
Saturday, Nov. 15: St. Thomas @ StFX - 7pm AT (AUS)
Sunday, Nov. 16: McGill @ Concordia - 2pm ET (RSEQ)
Wednesday, Nov. 19: StFX @ Dalhouse - 7pm AT (AUS)
Friday, Nov. 21: Mount Royal @ Trinity Western - 7pm PT (CW)
Saturday, Nov. 22: StFX @ Saint Mary's - 3pm AT (AUS)
Saturday, Nov. 22: UBC @ Alberta - 5pm MT (CW)
Sunday, Nov. 23: Bishop's @ Concordia - 1pm ET (RSEQ)
Imagine being able to see 21 of 35 U SPORTS women's hockey teams playing over two weeks without having to do anything other than logging onto CBC's online streams to watch games. Perhaps we'd see an uptick in the number of players drafted by the PWHL teams with this improved exposure as teams could do better scouting of players they're watching. Most importantly, it might give players a better idea of playing U SPORTS hockey rather than playing NCAA hockey.
I get that there's a significant margin of play when it comes to elite NCAA teams and elite U SPORTS teams and I'm not here to denigrate NCAA or ACHA hockey whatsoever. It's clear, though, that there's a significant margin between the exchange rates for the Canadian and US dollars. If players had a better appreciaton for how good U SPORTS hockey is, maybe some of them stay home to play hockey in Canada.
Some will say, "Teebz, you're competing against the NHL broadcasts on some of those nights", and I'd argue that U SPORTS programs already are. Add in the fact that paywalls prevent any easy accessibility to U SPORTS broadcasts, and you've now removed any chance of competing for viewers whatsoever. At that point, why go to the trouble of broadcasting at all since you can't attract casual fans?
Look, this is all just a fantasy right now anyway as CBC would need to agree to this grandiose plan to broadcast the streams before anything could even be scheduled. Based on the SIRC's data, however, there certainly appears to be a market for U SPORTS hockey in this country, and that market could grow by leaps and bounds if people just had access to games. CBC would just need access to the local feeds produced by the schools to put up on their streams, and this "project" would cost almost nothing while changing the landscape for Canadian university hockey. Someone just needs to get the wheels turning.
That person, however, won't be me. U SPORTS nor any of its conferences know I exist nor will they acknowledge my emails to them with any response. U SPORTS can steal this idea and claim it as their own if they like since I'm posting it publicly, but it's shocking that with the growth seen in 2024 that no one looked to capitalize on that interest in the game. U SPORTS was handed a winning lottery ticket in 2024 with SIRC's data, and U SPORTS basically tore it up.
There's still time to correct this error with the number of people that I believe tuned into the broadcasts this year, but ignoring the popularity of university hockey, specifically women's hockey, is something for which U SPORTS should be crucified if they squander yet another opportunity to improve the game for everyone.
It isn't often that I find myself sitting a couple stories above the ice for any game, but, yesterday, there was a big event that happened down at the rink as 15,225 people packed the Canada Life Centre for the first-ever PWHL game in the Keystone Province! Winnipeg played host to the PWHL Takeover Tour on Sunday evening with the Montreal Victoire "visiting" the Ottawa Charge, and this weekend has seen the players capture the hearts and minds of Winnipeggers who wanted to see professional women's hockey without needing a passport and an eight-drive to Minneapolis. I'll recap the events which I attended as the PWHL made itself at home in Winnipeg, and I'll try to determine whether or not Winnipeg is ready to join the PWHL circuit! Let's get into it!
On Friday evening, I had the opportunity to attend the Ottawa Charge Career Panel that took place at the University of Manitoba. The event was designed for university students who were thinking about a career in professional sports, but may not know where to start. The list of participants that the Charge made available for the panel covered a lot of positions with their team. The panel included:
Mike Hirshfeld, Ottawa Charge General Manager
Amanda Deluca, Head Athletic Therapist
Kara Fulawka, Head Equipment Manager
Olivia Giardetti, Hockey Operations & Team Services Director
The panel answered some pre-submitted questions that had been sent in, and they went over what a lot of their individual jobs entail. What they made clear was that they are never doing just one job. Everyone helps everyone else, there's always something that can be done or made better, and no one ever has the same day twice.
Following the pre-submitted questions, the panel took questions from the audience. There were a number of great questions asked about all aspects of the business, and the four panelists did a great job in answering all the questions as thoroughly as they could. They actually went over the allotted time much to the delight of the audience, so kudos to the Charge for being extremely accessible and informative!
Saturday saw the teams arrive at the Hockey For All Centre where open practices were held for fans to enjoy. I didn't stay long for these as the the teams were extremely busy following the practices in trying to get to youth hockey sessions and appearances, but both teams had uptempo practices that set the tone for Sunday night's game. Fans in attendance seemed to enjoy themselves as well!
The Charge hit the road quickly after practice as they were off to the Eastman Selects U13 practice where they hit the ice with the kids, hung around to sign autographs and take pictures, and generally allowed the Selects players to meet their hockey heroes! The players were generous with their time as everyone had a good time based on comments and excitement. Of course, it didn't hurt that the head coach of the Eastman Selects U13 team is Chantal Larocque, Jocelyne's sister, so seeing the highly-talented sister tandem work together while running a practice was pretty awesome for everyone!
That set up the city of Winnipeg for the biggest women's hockey event it will host this year, and I was down at the Canada Life Centre early as I spent some time in the pressbox watching the U SPORTS Women's Hockey National Championship gold medal game. When the doors finally opened at 5pm CT, the fans clad in both Charge and Victoire gear poured in as if it were a Taylor Swift concert. Fans of all ages anxiously waited for warm-ups to begin, and the crowd roared and waved their signs as players hit the ice to prep for the game.
After the ceremonies prior to the game, the action on the ice started slowly before the teams ramped up the action. There were hits, penalties, saves, shots, and passes, but a lack of goals was the only thing preventing the roof from being blown off Canada Life Centre by the sold-out crowd. As the first period ended, the fans in Winnipeg cheered loudly for their hockey heroes, but the score remained 0-0.
The third period started somewhat more conservatively as both sides seemed to be more mindful of the defensive zone, but chances were had as Montreal went to work on a power-play while Ottawa continued to push the pace with quick strikes. Winnipeg fans got a chance to exercise the pipes as the karaoke cam brought out an extended version of ABBA's Dancing Queen that extended far past the song being cut off. It seemed pretty clear that Winnipeg just needed a reason to explode with excitement! Would we get a reason?
Winnipeg responded loudly following a scrum that was preceded by a Rebecca Leslie boarding penalty as the more-than-15000 fans enjoyed the pushing and shoving between the teams. A shorthanded two-on-oh for the Charge was stopped by Desbiens, and the Winnipeg crowd roared again. Time, however, would tick down without a big moment, and we'd go to overtime with this Takeover Tour game tied at 1-1.
It would take only twelve seconds for Rebecca Leslie to wire a wrist shot on the power-play past Desbiens for the overtime winner, and the Winnipeg faithful responded with a loud ovation for the Charge! As the teams shook hands, lots of fans rushed to the glass for photo opportunities. As the two teams came to center ice for a photo, the building got loud with PWHL fans showing their appreciation by honouring their hockey heroes with cheers and applause!
When it comes down to it, Winnipeg showed up for the PWHL. As per Kyle Cushman's spreadsheet to the left, Winnipeg is just the third arena to hit 100% capacity or better, and Winnipeggers made this Takeover Tour stop the seventh-best attendance total for these neutral sites games in PWHL history. Obviously, Winnipeg hockey fans deserve some kudos for their efforts all weekend at welcoming the PWHL into the Manitoba capital, and there were people that attended the game from outside Winnipeg including both Ontario and Saskatchewan. That's just incredible, and it certainly says that there are a ton of women's hockey fans in the region.
I'm not saying Winnipeg can never be a PWHL city, but we need to understand that entertainment dollars are already stretched thin in this city when it comes to supporting professional sports, high-end entertainment, and other ventures on top of paying for the everyday bills and costs that pop up. If you had asked me five years ago when I was covering Bisons women's hockey as a broadcaster if I ever would have thought we'd see a sold-out Canada Life Centre for women's hockey that didn't include Team Canada, I likely would have said no.
So is Winnipeg a PWHL city or not? Frankly, it's a complicated answer.
There's no doubt in my mind that a PWHL team would get solid support here in Winnipeg, but the same issues that plagued the WHL's Winnipeg Ice will likely plague a PWHL franchise. There isn't an 8000-seat arena available for them to occupy, so they would need to play out of Canada Life Centre. If they do that, I can't see Mark Chipman being very enthusiastic about his staff having to work games for another team, so the PWHL would need to look at selling a franchise option for True North Sports and Entertainment to operate.
If all of those stars were to align, I feel like David Thomson wouldn't say no to an additional twenty nights per year where his arena is being used. It would then fall to True North Sports and Entertainment to acquire a PWHL franchise via expansion or relocation, and that's where the rubber hits the road here in Winnipeg. Having people put down deposits on seats doesn't appear to be a problem based on last night's support for the game, so it's likely just working through some of the logistical hurdles before Winnipeg would join the PWHL.
In summary, the short answer is that, yes, Winnipeg could be a PWHL city. The more nuanced answer is that there are business-related matters that would need to be cleared before skates hit the ice at Canada Life Centre. We know that True North Sports and Entertainment doesn't rush into things without considering all options so jumping into this without some sort of guarantee of profitability wouldn't be a move they'd make under any circumstance. After all, a PWHL team is still a business with an entertainment side of hockey.
In a longer view, Winnipeg likely will be on the PWHL's list as an expansion location. For now, though, I wouldn't hold my breath due to the business-related reasons I mentioned above preventing the league from putting a team in the Manitoba capital. What shouldn't be questioned, though, is the region's passion and enthusiasm for professional women's hockey as 15,225 fans showed the PWHL that there's a women's hockey market waiting in Winnipeg.
You did good, Winnipeg and surrounding areas. It was a team effort, but I'm proud of this region's support for women's hockey.
There isn't much to say today other than "good luck" to the six teams who will close out the 2025-26 U SPORTS women's hockey season. One team from Quebec will celebrate loudly into the evening after capturing gold while an OUA team and an AUS team will duke it out for the bronze medal. A Canada West team and an OUA team have the chance to close out their seasons with a win in the consolation final, so let's not waste anymore time as we look at this last day of championship games from Elmira, Ontario here on The Rundown!
Consolation Final
The UBC Thunderbirds may have dropped their opening game against Montreal, but they bounced back with a win over Ottawa to earn a spot in the Consolation Final. On the other side, the Waterloo Warriors lost to the Guelph Gryphons before handing the Manitoba Bisons a loss to land in the Consolation Final. This was the first meeting between these two teams at a National Championship despite both being at the last three tournaments - who would prevail?
Warriors goals: Nikki McDonald (3), Keiara Raitt (1)
Warriors assists: Carly Orth (1)
Warriors netminder: Kara Mark (33/40)
The Guelph Gryphons found themselves in the bronze medal game after defeating Waterloo and falling to Concordia. The UNB Reds got by Ottawa in a shootout before Montreal scored more than they did. These two teams were meeting for the first time in a National Championship as Guelph attempted to win its second medal ever while UNB looked to capture its first medal in program history!
The Concordia Stingers advanced to the gold medal game by defeating the Manitoba Bisons and the Guelph Gryphons. The Montreal Carabins found themselves in the gold medal final after upsetting the UBC Thunderbirds and the UNB Reds. Montreal was trying to become the second eighth-seeded team to capture gold after the 2023 Mount Royal Cougars while Concordia was hunting for its fifth gold medal and third in five years. The first all-Quebec final since 2014 looked like it would be entertaining, so which Montreal-based team would be crowned as the 2026 U SPORTS champions?
There are no standings to worry about, but the there is one team who stood taller than the rest this weekend as U SPORTS champions!
Les Carabins de Montreal are your 2026 U SPORTS National Women's Hockey Champions after defeating the Concordia Stingers for the first time in eleven tries this season, and they become the second eighth-ranked team to capture the gold medal after starting the tournament as the lowest-seeded team. This is Montreal's third gold medal in program history, and its first gold medal since 2016. Netminder Maude Desroches was named the tournament MVP after the game!
There's nothing to analyze here as the season is over, but I do want to show some gratitude to a handful of people and organizations. You may disagree with me on some of these, but that's your ball to kick. I'll be over here thanking these people for making the season fun and informative. They deserve some thanks for their efforts as well.
I want to thank CBC for their continued efforts in bringing amateur sports to Canadians via their online streams and network channels. I don't know if there will be regular airing of U SPORTS hockey anytime soon, but having all the games and features from both U SPORTS hockey championships available via their streaming options is simply awesome. CBC also had a number of Canada West games on their streams this past winter as well, so CBC gets a big "thank you"! Perhaps this could be the new "Hockey Night In Canada" on CBC?
The Waterloo Warriors and the Woolwich Memorial Centre in Elmira, Ontario deserve some thanks for putting on a second-straight U SPORTS National Women's Hockey Championship that seemingly went off without any issues. I'm sure there were some bumps along the road, but the games looked good and sounded good at every point. Hosting this event is a massive undertaking, and you've set the bar high for the UNB Reds and the city of Fredericton next year!
The parents, families, friends, and fans of U SPORTS players and teams are deserving of some gratitude as well. These are the people that sacrificed time, spent oodles of money, booked time off work, and were there to cheer on their daughters, sisters, granddaughters, nieces, best friends, former teammates, and the amazing women that make up the teams in U SPORTS women's hockey. They may not get enough thanks, but these people are there during the times of sadness, the times of frustration, and, ultimately, the time of joy in these women's lives. Thank you for helping these women achieve their dreams of getting a high-level education while playing hockey!
A big thank-you goes out to the coaches, athletic therapists, nutritionists, equipment people, and everyone behind the scenes that keep these women healthy, happy, and on the ice. All of these people invest their time and energy into their programs with the hope that it will pay off with a celebration at the end of games and seasons, and they put in countless hours preparing and making sure their teams are ready to go wherever a game is being played. Thank you for your dedication to women's hockey, to keeping players healthy in both mind and body, and for preparing them for any challenge they may face, both on and off the ice. The game is better because of you.
You can't play a game without officials, and, despite complaining or disagreeing with calls made, the effort these men and women put in to keep order in the game can't go unmentioned. Officiating means someone will always be unhappy with you, and these people have shown that they're willing to take a little heat to ensure the games remain safe for all to play. Thanks to the stripes on the ice and off-ice officials who do a great job in making sure the women's game remains awesome, and sports in general remain friendly competition.
A big shoutout goes to all the broadcasters who put in countless hours reading and memorizing facts and stats about players and teams to bring you the best broadcasts they can. Most of these broadcasts don't have a Sportsnet truck outside the arena and a dozen cameras inside, but the people who call the games make it sound just as good with their passion for and knowledge of the game. Thanks to everyone across the four conferences who picked up a microphone this year to add some chatter and insight to the games!
Finally, to the players, another season has come and gone and I know a lot of you will say that the time passed by too quickly. That's a truth about life: time is one of the most valuable commodities you'll have that will always seem like it's being spent too quickly, so I hope you used it wisely. I'm not talking about scoring goals or making saves, but about making life-long friendships and lasting memories. Every moment you spent in the community meant something to someone you met. Every second you spent on the bus rides complaining about school work was something over which you bonded with someone else. You made an impact on lives, especially with all the high-fives given to youth hockey players at your games. Those matter to them.
Thank you, players, for entertaining us every weekend. For always being good role models. For being brilliant students and better people. For your charitable work. For the time you spent making lives better. For being incredible teammates, cherished friends, and unforgettable icons. For being coachable and pushing your athletic limits. For sacrificing social opportunities to do homework. For welcoming challenges and embracing opportunities. For simply being awesome people that touched the lives of many. Thank you so much.
This game will push forward without reflection just as time does, but your impact on the game will be felt for years. History was made, victories were earned, friendships were forged, and smiles were seen. Yes, big goals and big saves will get remembered, but your legacy at your school and in the university game will be marked by the relationships and friendships formed over the time you played.
Thank you to everyone listed above who made the 2025-26 U SPORTS hockey season fun, and here's hoping next season is just as good!
The Last Word
That will close this chapter of The Rundown, and I don't know if it will return next season. I know I said that last year and I ultimately went ahead and did another season, but I can't be the only person talking about Canada West and U SPORTS women's hockey all the time. Making matters worse is that fact that no one who has the power to do so wants to see it get better. It's honestly frustrating.
There will be two new schools added in Quebec next season, so the number of women playing university hockey will grow. You would think that having options like CBC internet streams would be something that U SPORTS would want to capitalize on with the explosion of growth in women's hockey thanks to the Olympics this year, but I guess my lack of marketing and business degrees say that following an easily-sourced statistical trend is a bad idea.
I have been dedicated to this game, specifically in western Canada, for a long time. I have meticulous records for U SPORTS National Championships because that information isn't readily or easily found online anywhere. I have reached out to leaders in the university women's hockey game, and I haven't received a single response to my questions. I know I'm not the only person who cares, but I also feel like I can't keep doing this alone. I'm honestly frustrated.
What I do know is that a new wave of incoming students will join teams where renewed hope for immediate and long-term successes will be fostered. Teams will play, players will score, goalies will stop, and coaches will strategize as everyone aims to follow in Montreal's footsteps this season with a massive celebration in March. Just remember that time will fly by, so use your time as best as one can to build those friendships, foster those relationships, and create those life-long memories. And for heaven's sake, have some fun too!
Enjoy your summers, hockey fans. October is closer than you think!
The games started early on Saturday as the 2026 U SPORTS National Women's Hockey Championship moved into the semifinal phase of the tournament. Four teams were still in the hunt for medals while four others were trying to close out their seasons with wins. Unfortunately for fans of Canada West teams, the two representatives in Elmira, Ontario were playing for the latter as both squads lost their opening games nof the tournament. However, there was still lots to play for when it came to this season and beyond as action got underway at 10am ET. Let's find out who would be playing for the medals and who would get one more game to play tomorrow on The Rundown!
Consolation Semifinal #1
The Manitoba Bisons ran into a very good Concordia team that bumped them to the consolation side of the bracket while the Waterloo Warriors were bounced by their playoff opponents again as the Guelph Gryphons ended their medal run. Both teams wanted to extend their seasons by one more game, so they met in the 10am game to determine who would play on Sunday in the Consolation Final. It was the first time Manitoba and Waterloo had met at Nationals, so let's see who would prevail and get the extra game!
Warriors goals: Nikki McDonald (1), Nikki McDonald (2)
Warriors assists: Tatum James (1), Gracey Smith (1), Tatum James (2), Gracey Smith (2)
Warriors netminder: Kara Mark (32/32)
Result: 2-0 victory for Waterloo over Manitoba.
Consolation Semifinal #2
In another meeting of two teams that had no history, the Ottawa Gee-Gees dropped a shootout decision to the UNB Reds to land in the consolation semifinal while the UBC Thunderbirds also lost in shootout to the upstart Montreal Carabins to end their march towards gold. Both teams weren't prepared to go home without trying to play another day as they met in the 1pm game for the right to advance to the Consolation Final. Would the Thunderbirds bounce back or could the Gee-Gees land an upset in this game like the Carabins did?
The Guelph Gryphons advanced to the medal round with a win over the Waterloo Warriors as they looked to continue their battle towards a second gold medal. The Concordia Stingers defeated the Manitoba Bisons to advance to the medal round for a fifth-straight year, and they were looking for a third gold medal in that five-year span and a fifth gold medal overall. Historically, Concordia held a 3-0 record against Guelph, so would we see the Stingers stay perfect against the Gryphons or would Guelph down Concordia for the first time?
Gryphons goals: Maeve Sutherland-Case (1)
Gryphons assists: Jadyn Calder (2), Brielle Caruso (1)
Gryphons netminder: Martina Fedel (28/30) in 65:42
Result: 2-1 overtime victory for Concordia over Guelph.
Championship Semifinal #2
The second semifinal game saw the Montreal Carabins looking for a second-straight upset as they pushed for another gold medal after defeating the UBC Thunderbirds. Standing in their way was the medalless UNB Reds who downed the Ottawa Gee-Gees to reach the semifinal, but the Reds were hungry for some precious metal. Montreal defeated UNB in 2023 by a 4-1 score, so UNB was looking to even the all-time record. Would les Carabins win over another higher-seeded team or could UNB end up in their first Nationals final?
Reds goals: Hailey Jackson (1)
Reds assists: Katelyn Scott (1), Jorja Nystrom (1)
Reds netminder: Cassie McCallum (25/29)
Result: 5-1 shootout victory for Montreal over UNB.
There are no standings to worry about, but the tournament bracket has been updated to reflect the championship side of the bracket!
Two teams will make their ways back to their respective communities as the Manitoba Bisons and Ottawa Gee-Gees see their tournaments come to an end today with a second loss. They will know what place they finish in based on the results of the Consolation Final that will be played between UBC and Waterloo tomorrow. Speaking of which, here is the schedule for Sunday:
Consolation Final @ 8am: Waterloo at UBC
Bronze medal game @ 11am: UNB at Guelph
Gold medal game @ 3pm: Montreal at Concordia
All the times above are for the Eastern Time Zone, so adjust your clocks accordingly, and make sure you tune in on CBC Gem! The gold medal game can also be seen on CBC Network TV, meaning you can watch the game anywhere in the country! How awesome is that?
The Drive For Five
Ok, so it's not where they wanted to place, but the UBC Thunderbirds will be playing for a fifth-place finish for the fourth time in the last five years. Given their eight appearances at Nationals. they might be the most consistent team when it comes to finishes. If they win tomorrow, this will be the fifth time in eight appearances that they've finished in fifth-place. Even weirder? They've never been the fifth-seeded team at the tournament in those eight appearances!
Waterloo and UBC have never met at a National Championship, but UBC has a 5-2 record against OUA teams. Waterloo is 2-1 against Canada West teams, so it would appear the odds favour the Thunderbirds over the Warriors. It's an 8am game, though, so we'll which team comes out ready to play. If you wanted a little hockey to go with coffee tomorrow, it'll be on the CBC streams bright and early!
Storybook Ending?
The UNB Reds are looking to medal for the first time in the school's history, and certainly since the team was brought back from the dead in 2018. UNB has been to five-straight National Championships, and their best finish was in 2022 when they lost the bronze medal game to the Saskatchewan Huskies in Charlottetown. Will we see them earn a bronze medal tomorrow for the first time in program history?
Standing in their way will be the Guelph Gryphons as UNB and Guelph meet for the first time at a National Championship. Guelph is searching for their second medal in program history after winning the gold medal in 2019 in Charlottetown, so they'll be aiming to play a solid game as well. Historically, UNB is 1-4 against OUA teams while Guelph holds a 4-3 record against AUS teams. Guelph may be the favorite based on history, but UNB may be a tough opponent for the Gryphons tomorrow as they stand on the precipice of history!
La Belle Province
The RSEQ will bring home the gold medal no matter what as the Montreal Carabins and the Concordia Stingers renew acquaintances in the final tomorrow. Including the playoffs, Concordia posted a 10-0 record against Montreal this season, outscoring them 35-15 in those games. It seems that the statistical analysis favours one team by a large margin. Does Montreal even have a chance tomorrow?
Lost in the stats from those ten games are five games that were decided by one goal. We've also seen goaltender Maude Desroches come up being against two higher seeds in UBC and UNB, and it looks like Montreal is getting great contributions from scorers while the defence remains solid. Of course, the same could be said for Concordia as they enter the final, so these generalities apply to both teams. Just swap Desroches' name for Jordyn Verbeek's name.
There could be some history made tomorrow. If Montreal scores in the game, it will be their 100th goal at National Championships, making them the fifth team to hit that mark. Depending on how many times they score, les Carabins could move past Wilfrid Laurier into fourth-place for most goals by a team at Nationals. I hope someone grabs the historic puck if it ends up in Concordia's net!
Concordia is also looking to move past a team as a gold medal victory would give them five in program history which would move them ahead of the McGill Martlets into second-place when it comes to gold medals won. Strangely, Concordia is 0-1 versus RSEQ teams at Nationals and that one loss came against McGill in the bronze medal game back in 2001. If they win tomorrow, it will give them an 11-0 record against les Carabins this season! That's dominant hockey!
The Last Word
There are three games left in the 2025-26 season. Six teams will play tomorrow before the offseason begins. Some players will graduate and move on to professional hockey opportunities while others will choose additional schooling or gaining employment for the summer and beyond. Some players will begin the offseason training regiment they undertake in order to prepare for next season's grind while others will enjoy summer away from the game to reset their outlook.
None of these are wrong choices to make, and my hope is that people don't forget how much they've sacrificed and how hard they've worked when it comes to their university hockey careers. Being an elite student-athlete is a tough job when one has to practice, eat right, play games, maintain a required grade-point average, and try to have a social life. The women playing in Elmira, Ontario are some of the best student-athletes this country has to offer without doubt.
I don't know how many people have tuned in to watch the games on CBC's streams, but my hope is that more and more people are discovering how great the Canadian university game is. I know I've spent far too much time trying to push the game as being some of the best hockey people will see, so I'm hoping CBC's coverage of university hockey will amplify that message because it's been a helluva tournament and a helluva season in every corner of Canada.
Three more games. Enjoy the action, and celebrate the women!
Eight teams arrived in Elmira, Ontario with one thought on their minds: win three games to capture the 2026 U SPORTS National Women's Hockey Championship. Single-elimination games leave little room for mistakes, so teams need to be ready to play the moment the puck is dropped on their first game right through to the final whistle in the gold medal game. Would we see upsets? Would the favorites find their way into the final? The first step is winning a quarterfinal game, so let's see who did what on The Rundown!
THURSDAY: The seventh-ranked Manitoba Bisons met the second-ranked Concordia Stingers in the opening game of the tournament on Thursday. Manitoba was looking to continue to play solid hockey after their run up to and through the playoffs while Concordia was looking to continue its winning ways after capturing the RSEQ championship. Historically, Manitoba was 2-0 against Concordia at this tournament, so would we see them push that to 3-0 or would the Stingers prevail?
THURSDAY: The sixth-seeded Waterloo Warriors were looking for revenge against the third-seeded Guelph Gryphons after the Gryphons eliminated the Warriors from the OUA playoffs. These two teams were meeting for the sixth time this season with Guelph holding a 3-2 edge in the series. Guelph was looking to win a fourth game while Waterloo looked to eliminate their Ontario rival from the medals.
Warriors goals: none
Warriors assists: none
Warriors netminder: Kara Mark (29/30)
FRIDAY: The eighth-ranked Montreal Carabins met the top-ranked UBC Thunderbirds on Friday afternoon. Historically, UBC has struggled against RSEQ teams with a 1-3 record, so they were looking to erase any memory of 2024's loss to the Carabins with a win today. Montreal was looking to keep their winning ways against the Thunderbirds going, but they'd need to play well to defeat the country's top team.
Thunderbirds goals: Grace Elliott (1), Jaylyn Morris (1), Karine Sandilands (1)
Thunderbirds assists: Jaylyn Morris (1), Ashton Thorpe (1)
Thunderbirds shootout scorers: Karine Sandilands
Thunderbirds netminder: Elise Hugens (19/22) in 70:00 plus 1/3 in the shootout
Result: 4-3 shootout victory for Montreal over UBC.
FRIDAY: The fifth-ranked Ottawa Gee-Gees met the fourth-ranked UNB Reds for the first time in these teams' histories, and both teams were looking to continue their strong play. Ottawa fell just short of an OUA championship so they were aiming to get back in the win column while UNB had been playing excellent hockey in capturing the AUS championship. More importantly, UNB was looking to snap an eight-game losing streak at Nationals while Ottawa was 1-8 at National Championships since winning a silver medal in 2004.
Gee-Gees goals: Alex Ferguson (1)
Gee-Gees assists: Maelle Laplante (1), Gillian Warren (1)
Gee-Gees shootout scorers: Alex Ferguson
Gee-Gees netminder: Clara Genier (43/44) in 70:00 plus 3/5 in the shootout
Reds goals: Lauren Carter (1)
Reds assists: none
Reds shootout scorers: Katelyn Scott, Payton Hargreaves
Reds netminder: Cassie McCallum (28/29) in 70:00 plus 4/5 in the shootout
Result: 2-1 shootout victory for UNB over Ottawa.
There are no standings to worry about, but the tournament bracket has been updated to reflect the championship side of the bracket!
Saturday will still see all eight teams in action as the consolation semifinals will be played as well. That starts early on Saturday morning, but two teams will be eliminated from the tournament with a second loss. No one wants to be those teams, so wins still matter!
Consolation semifinal @ 10am: Manitoba at Waterloo
Consolation semifinal @ 1pm: Ottawa at UBC
Championship semifinal @ 4pm: Guelph at Concordia
Championship semifinal @ 7pm: Montreal at UNB
All the times above are for the Eastern Time Zone, so adjust your clocks accordingly, and make sure you tune in on CBC Gem!
Another Tough Loss
I'm not here to throw salt in the wound, but it's hard to understand just how dominant UBC can be over the course of a season in Canada West only to lose a key game at Nationals once again. This talented group of women should have more than just a bronze medal to show for their efforts over the last five seasons, but they'll head home to Vancouver empty-handed once again after a shootout loss today.
Having watched these Thunderbirds grow and mature together to become a well-oiled machine in Canada West play has been nothing short of remarkable when it came to their trajectory. They established a standard and style of play that few teams could match, and the wins and Canada West banners began piling up. Make no mistake that this Thunderbirds team are a special group of people.
I can't imagine the heartbreak these women are going through tonight, but hockey can be cruel sometimes. These women should be proud of all they've accomplished despite the shortfalls at Nationals because I don't know if we'll see an era of hockey like theirs in Canada West again. They can still finish their season with a win if they play well over their next two games, and that would be a fine way to cap off this era of dominance by the Thunderbirds.
3-In-5?
Concordia's win over Manitoba put them into the semifinals, so we know they'll play for a medal. What colour will be determined by the next two games, but the Stingers have a shot at four medals in five years and three gold medals in five years. I think it's safe that we can put the Concordia Stingers next to some other legendary teams, but they're not quite at the level of success two teams have had.
The Alberta Pandas captured eight medals in nine years from 1999 until 2007, and they did nine medals in twelve years. The McGill Martlets medalled 15 times in 21 years from 1999 until 2019. The Wilfred Laurier Golden Hawks captured six medals in nine years, so the Stingers still have a little bit of work to do in trying to catch these legendary teams for successive years with medals.
However, a gold medal at this year's tournament would give them three gold medals in five seasons which is only bettered by McGill's three-in-four-years run from 2008-11, and Alberta's five-in-six-years from 2002-07 and six-in-eight-years from 2000-07. Since Nationals switched to the eight-team format in 2015, only Concordia has more than one gold medal. That's some pretty impressive history.
They still have work to do, but they're two wins away from success!
The Last Word
This will be the last word for the day, but The Rundown will be back all weekend as Nationals play out. Four games tomorrow plus three more on Sunday will determine how these eight teams finish their seasons in Ontario. Only three teams will close out the weekend with victories, so there's still lots to be determined in two days.
Waterloo's loss means that the defending silver medallist cannot earn a medal, so this year's podium will feature three teams who did not medal in 2025. Both Concordia and Montreal medalled in 2024 while Concordia is the only team who medalled in 2023 and 2022. With the Stingers as the top seed still on the championship side, they'll attempt to not repeat last year's finish with two-straight losses.
The first two days of action have been awesome, so I can't wait for the next two days of hockey as the 2026 U SPORTS National Championship moves into the semifinal round! Enjoy the games!
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