The Middle Day

After a solid first day in the books headlined by 25 different images of bands and musicians wearing Edmonton Oilers jerseys, we're back for the second day of the HBIC Music Festival! We're not going to waste much time with the chatter here, so if you know of a band or artist I've missed, please send the image(s) through to me via email! We'll tackle the back half alphabetically of the NHL, so let's get rocking and rolling on Day Two of the HBIC Music Festival!

The Minnesota North Stars are back with an artist who made a previous appearance! Andy Gibb, brother of the Gibb brothers comprising the Bee Gees, makes his second appearance on the list in a variation of a North Stars sweater! There's nothing wrong with more North Stars at any event and that includes the HBIC Music Festival!

The other Minnesota team is also on the set list this year as country star Keith Urban makes an appearance in a white Wild jersey!

The festival's second day is headlined by the Montreal Canadiens as the bleu-blanc-et-rouge saw a number of artists wear those colours! Charlotte Cardin on the left and Patrick Watson on the right attended a Montreal Canadiens playoff game, Simple Plan's Chuck Comeau snapped a picture with Guy Lafleur and was on the ice in a practice jersey, Queensryche's Joe Elliott was rocking in a Habs jersey, Nelly went sleeveless in his Canadiens jersey, Marcus Mumford of Mumford & Sons wore a Canadiens jersey on stage, Canadian James LaBrie showed his support of Les Canadiens while touring with American band Dream Theater, Gail Greenwood of both L7 and Belly wore a Canadiens jersey on stage, and David Lee Roth was on stage in a Habs jersey! Hockey's oldest team has quite the musical following!

The Nashville Predators have three acts who hit the stage at the HBIC Music Festival! Maddox Batson was in the crowd wearing a Roman Josi jersey, Carrie Underwood is back on the list with a new Predators jersey, and Bailey Zimmerman wore a Predators jersey on stage!

The New Jersey Devils came to town with a solid roster of musicians who are sporting their colours. Cardi B got her own personalized, bedazzled Devils jersey, we can finally add Taylor Swift to the Devils' roster, Brandy got herself a personalized "Jersey" jersey, Burna Boy wore a white Devils jersey on stage, and rapper Lil Yachty also wore a white Devils jersey on stage! Are the Devils becoming popular?

The New York Islanders had one act for the festival this year as the Beach Boys' keyboardist Bruce Johnson wore his Islanders jersey on stage! There's zero wrong with a classic Islanders jersey!

The Philadelphia Flyers boasted four acts at the festival this year. Simple Plan's Chuck Comeau was on stage in his Flyers jersey, rapper Lil Peep got his own personalized jersey, Jon Bon Jovi got himself a Flyers jersey, and Canadian rock musician John Whitten, better known as Shockwire, was also rocking a Flyers jersey!

The Pittsburgh Penguins sent two very different acts to the HBIC Music Festival, but both have solid followings. Who else can boast Yanni as a fan as he wore a Penguins jersey? And who else can say that 5 Seconds of Summer are fans as they received Penguins jerseys?

The San Jose Sharks saw Chuck Comeau of Simple Plan play in a charity game wearing their jersey! How cool is that?

The Seattle Kraken are being booed off the stage for their disrespect towards a band. I don't know what they were thinking, but if Three Days Grace is in town to play a concert and all they get is t-shirts when they attend a game, something's not right there. Seattle won't have Three Days Grace on their list of musical acts who support them because they deserve better than generic t-shirts! C'mon, Kraken!

The Tampa Bay Lightning have one singer in their corner at the festival as K-Pop star Jin from BTS was on stage in a Lightning jersey!

The Toronto Maple Leafs always seem to have big names in their corner as Simple Plan's Chuck Comeau and David Desrosiers got themselves Maple Leafs jerseys, Triumph's Rik Emmett and Gil Moore got themselves Maple Leafs jerseys, David Lee Roth wore a Maple Leafs jersey, and Post Malone wore a Maple Leafs jersey on stage!

For the very first time, we have a Utah Mammoth musical act! NBA YoungBoy is the first musical act to wear a Utah Mammoth jersey that I could find, and he'll lead the way under their section in the HBIC Musicians in Jerseys database! Who will be the next Mammoth act?

The Vancouver Canucks come to town with a solid lineup of musical acts as Michael Buble donned a vintage Canucks jersey, Mike Reno of Loverboy also wore a vintage Canucks jersey on stage, and Shockwire returns again in a Canucks jersey! How about those vintage threads?

If one team sees a pile of musical acts come through town, it's the Vegas Golden Knights and they're well-represented at the HBIC Music Festival. Simple Plan's Chuck Comeau wore the 2022-23 Reverse Retro jersey and wore the gold Golden Knights jersey, three members - Nick Carter, AJ McLean, and Howie Dorough - of the Backstreet Boys received Golden Knights jerseys, Wayne Newton got his gold Golden Knights jersey, and Flavor Flav sat rinkside in his gold Golden Knights jersey while Jon Bon Jovi showed off his personalized gold jersey!

The Washington Capitals have one act to boast at the HBIC Music Festival, but he's a big star as Ozzy Osbourne wore a Capitals jersey!

The Winnipeg Jets are also represented by one artist at the festival, and it's Simple Plan's Chuck Comeau wearing the Jets' Heritage jersey! Clearly, Comeau has good taste in jerseys with that one!

That will wrap up all the NHL teams who had musicians in jerseys, but we're far from done as there are a pile of international, minor-professional, and junior hockey jerseys still be seen on musicians. We even have our first PWHL jerseys worn in concert to be seen, so I'll get all those posted as the HBIC Music Festival comes to a close tomorrow. And remember that you can always see all the musicians and teams over at the HBIC Musicians in Jerseys database!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

The Opening Day

Having been to a handful of music festivals in my time, I can honestly say that one stumbles across a great opening band only once in a while. It's not that these bands can't play or don't know how to write music, but it's just that they usually haven't found that sound that makes the crowd sit up and take notice of what they're doing. The first day of the HBIC Music Festival has none of that as there are well-known artists that will appear below for nearly every team. Again, not every team will be represented, but that's ok too. If you know of a band or artist I've missed, please send the image(s) through to me via email!

I'll step aside here, though, as we kick things off with our first teams!

The Anaheim Ducks have three new entries as their musically-talented guests include The Offspring in orange and in white, Thrice with their second appearance in white and orange, and Green Day's Tre Cool was able to score himself both an orange jersey and a white jersey as the Ducks brought an all-rock lineup this year!

The Boston Bruins always seem to have big artists pass through their arena, and this year was no different. Chuck Comeau of Simple Plan makes his first appearance, Eric Church got himself a jersey in Boston, and the Guess Who's Burton Cummings wore a Bobby Orr jersey in a March 2, 1973 concert! Jackie Miclau of rock band Mt. Joy got herself a personalized Bruins jersey, new lead singer Emily Armstrong of Linkin Park sported a Bruins jersey during their concert, and Lionel Richie got himself a personalized Bruins jersey as well!

The Buffalo Sabres brought a strong group of artists with them to the HBIC Music Festival as country crooner Cody Johnson got a personalized Sabres jersey, all of Disturbed got personalized jerseys, Eric Church got a personalized black Sabres jersey, bassist Robby Takac of the Goo Goo Dolls got a personalized black Sabres jerseys, and country singer MaRynn Taylor got herself a blue Sabres jersey and a black Sabres jersey too! Rascal Flatts' Gary LeVox wore a Sabres jersey on stage, and hip hop artist West Side Gunn wore a white 1999 Buffalo Sabres jersey with scorpions embroidered on it!

The Calgary Flames have music from a number of genres on their set list. The Arkells got to share one jersey, Bailey Zimmerman wore a Flames jersey on stage, the Beach Boys got Flames jerseys for each band member, Ja Rule took the stage in a Flames alternate jersey, Mt. Joy received Calgary Flames jerseys much to the delight of Jackie Miclau, Nelly made a statement with his sleeveless Flames jersey, Our Lady Peace received personalized jerseys, and former NHL goaltender Jamie McLennan posted this image of Ozzy Osbourne receiving a personalized Flames jersey! How awesome is that photo?

The defending Stanley Cup champions have five artists on their stage as the Carolina Hurricanes gave rapper Rod Wave his own personalized jersey, NBA YoungBoy modified his Hurricanes jersey into a short-sleeved version, Journey's Jonathan Cain wore a Hurricanes jersey on stage, Rascal Flatts' Gary LeVox wore his Hurricanes jersey on stage, and Darius Rucker, formerly of Hootie and the Blowfish, fired the crowd up in Raleigh by sounding the siren last year!

The Chicago Blackhawks showed up to the festival with a handful of artists representing them as Benson Boone met the Folignos and got a jersey, K-Pop boy band P1Harmony received Blackhawks jerseys when they attended a game, Simple Plan's Chuck Comeau wore a Connor Bedard jersey on stage, Carlos Santana appears to be a Blackhawks fan, and, in one of the coolest musical moments, Italian conductor Riccardo Muti conducted the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in a Blackhawks jersey! I believe he's the first conductor on the list!

The Colorado Avalanche only have one musical act to boast at the HBIC Music Festival, and that act is none other than Chuck Comeau of Simple Plan who is wearing the Avalanche alternate jersey!

The Dallas Stars took the same approach with just one act to boast at the HBIC Music Festival, but Post Malone seems pretty pumped about his personalized Stars jersey! For those wondering, Post Malone has ties to the #77 as his 2016 debut album, Stoney, spent 77 weeks in the Top 10 of the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart!

The Detroit Red Wings have two acts at the festival with Chuck Comeau of Simple Plan wearing a Red Wings jersey on stage, and long-time rocker Gail Greenwood of L7 and Belly wore a Red Wings jersey as well! We'll see both of these artists with another team too!

The Edmonton Oilers, by sheer volume, are your headliners at the HBIC Music Festival. Creed received personalized blue Oilers jerseys, Darius Rucker got himself a personalized blue Oilers jersey, Finger Eleven received personalized blue Oilers jerseys, the Headstones received personalized blue Oilers jerseys, Dylan Marlowe got himself a personalized blue Oilers jersey, Mother Mother received personalized blue Oilers jerseys, Warren Zeiders got himself a personalized blue Oilers jersey, Sarah McLachlan got herself a personalized blue Oilers jersey, half of Nate Ratlieff and the Night Sweats received personalized blue Oilers jerseys in one photo with the other half of the band getting them in a second photo, Papa Roach received personalized blue Oilers jerseys, Dasha got herself a personalized blue Oilers jersey, Hardy got himself a personalized blue Oilers jersey, Josh Ross got himself a personalized blue Oilers jersey, and Kane Brown got himself a personalized blue Oilers jersey! But we're not even close to being done with the Oilers just yet!

Alex Howard of Jelly Roll's band wore an Oilers jersey on stage, Chuck Comeau of Simple Plan wore an Oilers alternate jersey, Todd Kerns of Triumph wore an Oilers jersey, Sum 41 got jerseys with the band name on the back, Bailey Zimmerman wore a blue Oilers jersey on stage and a white Oilers jersey on stage, Chelsea "Peaches" West of Jelly Roll's band wore an Oilers jersey on stage, Meghan Patrick wore an Oilers jersey on stage, Scott McCreery received a personalized white Oilers jersey, and Nelly received a personalized white Oilers jersey. I'm pretty sure half the music world has an Oilers jersey now!

The Florida Panthers brought their musical influences to the festival as they gave Ariana Grande a new Panthers jersey, Frankie Grande wore a Panthers jersey, Anthony Criss - better known as Treach from Naughty by Nature - performed in a Panthers jersey, Joe Jonas received a personalized Panthers jersey, and Mexican singer-songwriter Carín León received a jersey with his album's name on it!

The Hartford Whalers were well-represented by Noah Kahan who appeared on stage wearing a Whalers jersey. You can't go wrong with that jersey! And no, the Hurricanes don't get credit for it either.

The last team on the opening day of the HBIC Music Festival are the Los Angeles Kings, and they're represented by Simple Plan's Chuck Comeau and son, London! Comeau's wife, Jacquelin Napal, gets a nod for the Team Canada jersey she's wearing, but she won't appear on her own on this blog as she's not a musician. It's still awesome to see the whole Comeau family dressed up in one theme for Halloween!

There are the first sixteen NHL teams covered in terms of which bands and musicians wore those teams' colours and logos. Honestly, I love seeing these images simply because it's cool knowing all of these people are fans in some way of the same teams we like. Tomorrow, we'll finish off the NHL teams before moving into Wednesday with all the non-NHL jerseys. It should be a fun couple of days, so make sure you come back tomorrow and Wednesday for musicians in jerseys!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

HBIC Music Festival

With it being relatively slower in the hockey world at this moment, I have started to purge my laptop of things that I've simply held onto for far too long. One of those includes the idea to the left as I have, as of last count, 130 new images of musicians either holding or wearing some sort of hockey jersey in a folder on my desktop. Clearly, this is just eating up space that could be used for something else, and when is there a better time for a music festival than in the middle of summer? With a little creativity, I came up with a simple poster that will highlight the three-day event that will run on Monday through Wednesday with the intent of removing these images from my desktop. Be ready to see a number of popular bands and musicians in hockey jerseys that may surprise or thrill you, but the Musicians in Jerseys database will grow this week by 130 images!

You might be thinking, "How much time do you waste looking for these pictures, Teebz?" and I can tell you that I happen to stumble on a lot of them thanks to social media. Both teams and artists will post these pictures, and those images lead me down rabbit holes of Instagram and Facebook looking for other images of artists in jerseys. Honestly, I spend no more than ten minutes down these rabbit holes, but I usually find more images that are added to the file.

If you looked at the poster above, you'll see artists like Post Malone, 5 Seconds of Summer, and Brandy who have very few, if any, images in the database. Of course, there are returning artists like Eric Church, Chuck Comeau of Simple Plan, and Journey's Jonathan Cain who will make a handful of appearances as we work through the teams, and it's crazy to think that musicians and bands are getting these jerseys for free just for showing up and playing music. That's the life!

I don't know if every NHL team is represented in the 130 images, but I do know there are a lot. That means lots of additions to the Musicians in Jerseys database, so make sure you get over there and check out all the bands and musicians who have appeared in your team's favorite jersey. Chuck Comeau may be giving Taylor Swift and Justin Bieber a run for their money when it comes to total appearances in the image database, but that's why this is fun!

I'll kick things off tomorrow with the first sixteen teams in alphabetical order. If your team isn't on the list, it's either because I couldn't find any images or none came through any of the social media rounds I make. If you know of a band or artist I've missed, please send the image(s) through to me via email and I'll credit you with the find! Just make sure you check the database first!

Sound checks are done, the band is ready, and the curtain will rise tomorrow as the HBIC Musical Festival gets underway!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

The Icemen Evolved

Some may see this title and think that I've gone into human anthropology, but I assure you that I have zero training in that subject. That's not to say I wouldn't be interested in it, but I simply have no claim to being any sort of subject matter expert. It won't matter here, though, because this article is about the ECHL's Jacksonville Icemen and not ancient ancestors. The ECHL Icemen have been busy thus far this summer as they're going to look different next season with an assortment of new logos to prepare for the franchise's upcoming 10th Anniversary Season in Jacksonville, Florida! So what do these new Icemen look like?

"This rebrand is about more than a new look - it's a reflection of how much this community has embraced the Icemen over the last decade," Icemen Owner and CEO Andy Kaufmann said on Thursday. "Jacksonville has given us so much, and as we head into our 10th Anniversary Season, we wanted a brand that truly represents the city and the fans who've supported us every step of the way."

Personally, it never made much sense to have a parka-clad hockey player as a logo for a team that plays in Florida. Those two things - parkas and Florida - just don't go together normally, and it looks like this rebrand will take the Icemen in a whole new direction visually!

The Icemen are now yetis rather than being parka-clad hockey players, and one has to wonder how much effort The Barn Creative put in when coming up with this "new idea". I get that abominable snowman are known for existing in cold climates, but the legend came from the Himalayas where they lived in mountains. The last time I checked, there are no moutains in and around Jacksonville.

However, it seems that one needs to notice the details for this redesign to make sense. The Barn Creative's Nick Matarese explained that the "Yeti foot transforms into the shape of the state of Florida" while ECHL Commissioner Ryan Crelin pointed out that "the prior logo was carried forward from the membership in Evansville, Indiana before relocating to Jacksonville."

The fun part is that no one has ever complained about the Icemen being in Jacksonville with that name, and that's what makes minor-professional hockey so fun. For a state that has ECHL teams called the Solar Bears and the Everblades, having a team that regularly sees 80F days in December and January embracing the cold and ice is fun. And minor-pro hockey should be completely about having fun.

The team will likely have newly-coloured jerseys at the very least as iceberg blue, black, and snow white at the new colour palette with gray and navy blue being removed. With a newer, fiercer logo, there likely will be a mascot update at some point as well, but the Icemen can improve their marketing and visual recognition with this fun redesign. It doesn't fit Jacksonville's persona as a city, but that's why it works so well. It's fun, it's modern, and it belongs to Jacksonville.

Overall, I don't hate it, but I appreciate the Icemen putting their own spin on the logos to make it Jacksonville's own. The Barn Creative did good work updating the logo and converting the old logo into the new yeti while coming up with the state-shaped footprint. I'm curious to see what the jerseys will look like in the new colour palette, but the Icemen should look pretty good with their new logos next season!

And we didn't need an anthropology degree to explain this evolution!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Trading Hockey For Laughs

I'll be completely honest in saying that I'm not even paying attention to hockey today. Normally, I spend a little time reading news stories and scrolling through social media for something that catches my attention, but today is not one of those days as my plans this evening will see me sitting in a park under sunshine while listening to a handful of comedians tell their best jokes. It's not often I buy early for comedy shows, but the Great Outdoors Comedy Festival was one that I couldn't pass up based on tonight's comedians and marquee act!

If you're not aware, Winnipeg will play host to the Great Outdoors Comedy Festival for the next three days as comedians like Aziz Ansari, Pete Davidson, Jeff Arcuri, Matt Rife, and Adam Ray as Dr. Phil take the stage. Undoubtedly, this will be a heckuva weekend for laughs in the Manitoba capital, and it starts tonight with Ryan Hamilton, John Crist, and one my favorite comics in Jim Gaffigan!

I first really figured out who Jim Gaffigan was thanks to the 2001 Broken Lizard film Super Troopers where Jim Gaffigan plays the unsuspecting victim to Mac's and Foster's "Cat Game" in a scene.


According to an interview done with Interview Magazine's Ben Barna, Broken Lizard had given the part for which Gaffigan auditioned to someone else, but offered him the "Cat Game" role as a part to remain in the film. Jay Chandrasekhar, who plays Officer Ramathorn, said in the interview, "Jim was originally going to play one of the local cops, but we ran out of spaces. He was not a famous stand-up at the time. Thank God he did it, because he became massive."

That appearance, along with the corresponding joke, gave Gaffigan some notoriety to the point where people were saying it to him after his shows. Gaffigan told Barna, "There was a stretch when it felt like everyone who approached me after a stand up show would do the 'meow' thing to me. 'Great show, meow. How you doing meow?' Mostly guys in their twenties that were either drunk or stoned or both."

Since that time, Gaffigan's popularity has grown immensely as his comedy delves into being a parent, being married, and observations of things to which virtually everyone can relate. I've watched a number of his comedy specials and found myself in fits of laughter at a lot of his material. When it was announced that he was the headliner for the Friday night lineup of the Great Outdoors Comedy Festival, buying a ticket was a very easy decision for me.

I don't know about John Crist or Ryan Hamilton, pictured in the middle and on the right, respectively, in the lede image, but I did see a few Ryan Hamilton bits on Instagram where he was pretty funny. Crist seems a little edgier in his comedy, but he still has some funny bits as well. In short, tonight should be an entertaining and hilarious night at Assiniboine Park in beautiful weather as the Winnipeg edition of the Great Outdoors Comedy Festival gets underway!

If anything important in the hockey world happens, I'll get caught up tomorrow. Tonight, I'm going to have a great time at the Great Outdoors Comedy Festival. Enjoy your evenings, folks, because I'm expecting a great night of laughs with Jim Gaffigan and friends!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

The Hockey Show - Episode 721

The Hockey Show, Canada's only campus-produced radio show that strictly talks hockey, is back with some new introductions, some more hockey stories, and some opinions from our two hosts about everything happening in hockey. It's been a fairly quiet week for a lot of the hockey world as schedules were released for the NHL today which flooded social media, but there were still stories to hit the wires this week that need to be discussed. Our hosts will dive into those newsworthy pieces tonight on The Hockey Show at 5:30pm CT!

Tonight, Teebz and Jason will criss-cross the globe as they look at stories from a number of places. They'll discuss failed executives becoming senior advisors, Winnipeg locking up Cole Perfetti, a pile of notable Canada West and U SPORTS men's hockey players landing in professional leagues, Victory+ losing a major client, a weird situation in Ukraine, a potential new destination in Australia, and anything else that may cross their paths. There's lots to discuss and about which our hosts will opine including a few non-hockey stories, so make sure you're ready to roll for 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 unearned jobs, good deals, good opportunities, bad economics, weird conscription, new venues, and much more exclusively on 101.5 UMFM and on the UMFM.com web stream!

PODCAST: July 16, 2026: Episode 721

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Three In Three Days

I don't know where the NHL stumbled onto the idea of having people act as "senior advisors", but this is now the third-straight day where a senior advisor has been named to an executive running a team. Aside from having experience doing a job, all three of these senior advisors have yet to prove that all their experience and knowledge matters since none of the teams they ran won anything. Today, you can add Steve Yzerman's name to the "senior advisor" roster in the NHL after he stepped down as general manager and executive vice-president of the Red Wings to work in an advisory role for Red Wings governor and CEO Chris Ilitch.

I laid out the cases for both John Davidson and Kevyn Adams as to why their hirings seemed questionable, and this move by Yzerman feels entirely the same. In seven years with Yzerman at the helm, the Detroit Red Wings never qualified for the playoffs, he made 74 draft selections and saw just six play more than 100 NHL games, and he made 65 trades and 181 signings in those seven years. That's a lot of players that went to Detroit for them to never reach the playoffs.

"Steve's lifetime of contributions to the Red Wings has meant more to this franchise than words can truly express, and I have the highest level of respect for his continued commitment to our organization," Ilitch said in a statement. "We are thankful for Steve's hard work and dedication as general manager and are grateful knowing Steve will remain where he belongs — here with the Red Wings family."

That statement is something you'd hear at a jersey retirement, not for a guy who clearly failed in his job. I understand that there's the utmost respect for Yzerman based on his playing career in a Red Wings jersey, but his management career in a Red Wings office is forgettable. Ilitch can pay respect to him if he likes, but hockey is a business first and Yzerman's business acumen reminds me a lot of Seinfeld's Cosmo Kramer. How he lasted seven years is remarkable!

That leads me to asking how and why Yzerman was named as a senior advisor for Ilitch when Chris Ilitch has a bachelor's degree in business administration from the University of Michigan, became the CEO of Ilitch Companies in 2004, sits as chairman and CEO of the Detroit Tigers, and oversees both business and hockey operations decisions for the Detroit Red Wings. If anything, Ilitch should be the senior advisor to Steve Yzerman based on education and experience!

Perhaps there's a contractual reason for the change in titles as Yzerman may still have time on his current contract to fulfill. If he wanted to stay and Ilitch is fine with paying him, so be it as that's Ilitch's decision. Again, I'm not sure what Yzerman will be advising Ilitch on, but there must be something on which Ilitch wants his input. As I stated with Davidson and Adams, more experienced and knowledgeable hockey minds working together in Detroit should make things better as long as everyone is on the same page.

For the last time, though, I'll make this plea: can we stop calling executives who failed "senior advisors"? These men haven't shown any significant ability to build, develop, or manage a team with championship aspirations, so making them an advisor in any capacity feels more like a charitable hiring than a smart front-office addition. Just call them a "consultant" and pay them to do whatever it is that the team needs done. They're not coming in and changing the direction of any franchise with their skills and knowledge, so why are they given a title like they're going to be playing an important role?

I said it yesterday, so I'll say it again today: this is a trend that needs to end quickly. Hiring a guy who failed at his previous management and/or executive job doesn't make him a "senior advisor". Medical students who graudate with a 2.0 GPA are still called "doctors", but I'm not all that confident in taking advice from those "medical advisors". End the madness of "senior advisor" hirings in the NHL!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

This Is A Trend That Can End

I truly believe that people get hired to do jobs because they have the skills and abilities to do said job. Yes, there are always areas where can improve and get stronger in their skillsets, but employers want the most qualified people in place for things to run smoothly. In the last two days, however, it seems that two teams have decided to add experience to their front offices as the Buffalo Sabres, as seen yesterday, and the Boston Bruins have decided to hire senior advisors. Understandably, John Davidson is bringing his knowledge and experiences to Buffalo to help the Sabres, but it's certainly a head-scratching move to see the Bruins hiring former Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams as their new senior advisor.

Again, Davidson fits the role well as he's 73 years-old, has 16 years of experience as a high-ranking hockey executive, and is 13 years older than Sabres GM Jarmo Kekalainen. With the Bruins hiring Adams as their senior advisor, they're getting a guy who has worked in various roles throughout the Buffalo Sabres organization since 2009, but has only been a front office executive since 2019 where he worked as Vice-President for a season before becoming the general manager in 2020 for six seasons. In none of those seasons since 2019 did the Sabres make the playoffs, but he did add significant pieces.

What makes this "senior advisor" role so weird is that Adams is 51 years-old compared to Bruins GM Don Sweeney who is 59 years-old, and Sweeney has held the role of assistant general manager or general manager for the Bruins since 2009! Adams, who has six years in some sort of management capacity is now a "senior advisor" to a guy who is eight years older than him and has eleven more years of management experience! How on earth does that make sense?

"As we continue to build our staff, these changes recognize the hard work and growth of people within our organization while also adding experienced voices to our group," Sweeney said in a statement today.

Kevyn Adams made a total of 41 trades in his five-and-a-half years as the Sabres' GM while signing 141 players to deals. He made 47 selections at NHL Entry Drafts, including eight first-round picks, and only three players of those 47 chosen have played more than 100 games in the NHL. I get that he sat in the big chair in Buffalo, but his résumé screams "inexperienced"! How is he a "senior advisor"?

Just because a guy has a handful of years doing a job doesn't mean he should be advising anyone in another organization on how to do that person's job. I get that there are just a few guys who have the résumé who can step in and provide real advice to current GMs - Scotty Bowman and David Poile come to mind - but naming Kevyn Adams as a "senior advisor" to Don Sweeney seems like a stretch. He can be an advisor if the Bruins really want, but "senior advisor"?

This is a trend that needs to end quickly. I get that teams are hunting for strategic advantages, but hiring a guy who most people feel was underqualified for his previous job doesn't make him a "senior advisor". Kevyn Adams has experience and I cannot dispute that, but medical students who graudate with a 2.0 GPA are still called "doctors". And I'm not sure I'd be hiring those "medical advisors".

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Putting The Band Back Together

When I first saw the news that the Buffalo Sabres had hired 73 year-old John Davidson as a senior consultant, I chuckled in making a joke about how the Sabres were really testing the "senior" part of the job. Of course, it dawned on me quickly that current general manager Jarmo Kekalainen had worked with Davidson in both St. Louis and Columbus, so it seemed like the "old boys' club" was just recycling another person who likely should have stepped aside a while back. I'm not sure why the Sabres, after a remarkable season, feel the need to add someone like Davidson, but he'll be on the payroll next season for Buffalo.

"I am thrilled to welcome John Davidson to the Sabres as a senior advisor," Kekalainen said in a statement released on Monday about Davidson's hiring. "John and I have a strong working relationship that we have developed over many years. His experience leading multiple organizations, combined with his player evaluation skills and relationships around the NHL, make him a great fit for this role. He will lend his expertise and guidance to all areas within the hockey department as we aim to continue to improve our club."

I'll give Kekalainen some praise for recognizing that Davidson has led multiple organizations, but led them to what exactly? He was the President of Hockey Operations in St. Louis from 2006-12 where the team went 235-189-68, missing the playoffs in four of six seasons and advancing to the second round once. He held the same position with the Columbus Blue Jackets from 2012-2019 where they posted a 285-209-46 record, missing the playoffs in three of seven seasons and advancing to the second round once. After two seasons as President of the New York Rangers from 2019-21 where they went 64-51-11 and missed the playoffs in one of two season without advancing, Davidson returned to the Blue Jackets as President of Hockey Operations to oversee the Blue Jackets post an 89-129-28 record from 2021-24, missing the playoffs in all three seasons. Where is the good?

Since 2012 as either President of Hockey Operations or President of hockey clubs, John Davidson-led teams have amassed a collective record of 673-578-153, missed the playoffs in eleven of eighteen seasons, and advanced out of the first round just twice. Add in his work as Columbus' senior advisor since 2024 where the Blue Jackets went 80-63-21 and missed the playoffs twice, and it's hard to understand what John Davidson is bringing to the Sabres in terms of "his player evaluation skills" and his "expertise and guidance".

To be blunt, teams simply do not win under his leadership.

On the flip side, Jarmo Kekalainen seemed to do a remarkable job in pushing the Sabres higher without the help of Davidson, and Kekalainen already added another experienced management voice in Marc Bergevin to the front office. Add in the hiring of Josh Flynn, former Columbus Blue Jackets Assistant General Manager, and it seems like Kekalainen is putting the band back together from their recent work in Columbus which saw the Blue Jackets do very little over the years that Kekalainen, Davidson, and Flynn worked together.

Some will read this article and say, "Teebz, there are a ton of other people who were responsible for the results of those teams" to which I would agree. However, the guy in the big chair with the title of President of Hockey Operations ultimately signs off on every hiring and firing on the hockey side of things. If Davidson wasn't pushing for better results or finding players and coaches who could deliver those results, why was he being paid? After all, that was his job.

Am I saying this was a bad hiring by the Sabres? No, not at all. More experienced voices at the table when making decisions can help assuming they're all on the same page. I have never worked alongside any of Kekalainen, Bergevin, Davidson, or Flynn, so I'd hope that each has strengths to cover weaknesses in the group setting. My concern is Kekalainen allowing Bergevin and/or Davidson to derail any of the momentum he's building in Buffalo with the moves he's already made.

Let me be clear: I'm not saying that will happen either. Personally, I think Jarmo Kekalainen did a solid job outside the deals for Schenn and Stanley last season, and it seems like he's willing to make improvements again if he's still kicking tires on Connor Hellebuyck. That's the kind of forward thinking the Sabres have needed for a while, and it turned into an Atlantic Divsion banner last season when the dust settled. If things go well, expect Buffalo to push for more.

No, they aren't the Blues Brothers, but Jarmo Kekalainen and John Davidson seemingly have put the band back together. They're farther than 106 miles from Chicago, but this front office group try to do what they can to prevent Sabres fans from singing the blues again.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Crunching The Numbers

In league that had its fair share of fly-by-night owners, poor hockey markets, bad management, and inexplicable decisions, the Federal Propects Hockey League will push forward in 2026-27 with seventeen teams. If that number seems high to you, it's because "The Fed", as they're colloquially known, has pushed for some major expansion in recent months and years. Operating in twelve states, the FPHL circuit is hardly one of a "bus league" any longer, and the likelihood of the accounting to operate a team in this version of the FPHL working out for all teams seems very low.

HBIC isn't here to rain on the parades of the fourteen teams that play in places like Minnesota, Kansas, and Louisiana, though, because there are regional games that can make up the majority of those teams' schedules to keep costs lower. Yes, there might be a game or two in a region nor normally visited, but none of those fourteen teams had ever planned on flying their entire roster and staff to California in a season before. With three new teams there, let's look at the distances each team will travel to play hockey this season.

Within California, Fresno to Stockton is a two-hour drive in either direction as the 126-mile distance won't be hard to cover as per Google Maps. Oceanside to Fresno is a more arduous trip as it takes five hours to go from one city to the other on the 308-mile route, and Oceanside to Stockton is 6.5 hours each way for the 427-mile trip. Needless to say, a California road trip for any of the fourteen teams will still involve a lot of travel in-state to reach the three teams.

Assuming that each of the fourteen teams makes a one-week trip to California, they could potentially get three games of hockey against the California teams in without any trouble. With adequate travel and rest time for the road teams, it would eliminate three of the 28 road games each team plays, leaving 25 road games against the remaining thirteen teams in the FPHL circuit on each schedule.

Where the math starts getting tricky, however, is the distance and costs to cover those distances. For simplicity's sake, let's assume that each of the fourteen non-California teams want to fly into Stockton. As it stands, Stockton's airport only has flights to Las Vegas and Phoenix meaning that there would have to be a connector where all of the equipment and gear gets moved. American Airlines flies from Denver to Fresno, but there would need to be a transfer again. Oceanside's airport only has one runway and rarely has commercial flights land there. In short, direct flights aren't available.

Based on where each team is located, it would appear that they're going to have to fly in or out of one of San Francisco or San Diego depending on where their California road trip begins and ends. Unless teams are willing to fork over thousands of dollars in charter flight costs, flying commercial will be the economical way of getting to California unless Topeka or Minnesota opt to do a three-day bus ride to The Golden State. I'm not sure that's something the players want.

And maybe that's the direction the FPHL will go, telling each team to bus it out to California. The distances shown below for each team are the distances to Stockton, to Fresno, and to Oceanside in miles and hours of travel in parentheses, respectively. The most efficient bus routes for the fourteen FPHL eastern teams are as follows:

Distances

Team	Stockton	Fresno	Oceanside
Baton Rouge franchise	2104 (31)	1980 (29)	1765 (25)
Binghamton Black Bears	2792 (41)	2863 (42)	2752 (40)
Blue Ridge Bobcats	2611 (38)	2487 (36)	2408 (34)
Columbus River Dragons	2426 (36)	2301 (34)	2116 (31)
Danbury Hat Tricks	2930 (43)	2958 (43)	2874 (42)
Indiana Sentinels	2258 (35)	2232 (32)	2121 (31)
Mid-South Monarchs	2930 (43)	1928 (28)	1816 (26)
Minnesota Northern Lights	1844 (28)	1964 (30)	1946 (29)
Monroe Moccasins	1963 (29)	1838 (27)	1671 (24)
Motor City Rockers	2593 (38)	2468 (36)	2357 (35)
Port Huron Prowlers	2413 (35)	2557 (37)	2371 (34)
Topeka Scarecrows	1744 (25)	1680 (24)	1587 (23)
Twin City Thunderbirds	2688 (39)	2565 (37)	2487 (36)
Watertown Wolves	2855 (43)	2866 (42)	2482 (41)

Of course, the three California-based teams will spend blocks of time on the road playing everyone else, so having these three teams out in the far-off galaxy of California makes no sense. Based on every flight plan I can find, it would cost teams approximately $25,000 USD to fly to and from these California cities each way based on head counts and load requirements, so it's almost as if the FPHL teams will have to bus it to the west coast if they want to remain on budget.

For a more visual sense of what I'm saying, here's the FPHL map.

How does expanding to California make any sense for the FPHL?

To me, this expansion feels like a last gasp at trying to breathe life into a league that could fold at any moment. I'm not saying that's the case, but having seven teams either move or join the league in 2026-27 with three of those teams 2000 miles away from all the others is downright baffling. We saw the Athens Rock Lobsters and the Pee Dee IceCats abandon the FPHL for the more stable SPHL, and I suspect that we could see more make that choice if teams or the league begins to struggle financially. The only other option is to fold.

My hope is that there are better financial foundations for the FPHL teams where they can shoulder this new California road trip. Perhaps the league sends one of the two divisions - Continental or Empire - to California each season to help manage costs. Whatever the plan may be for 2026-27, it seems clear that this west coast expansion won't be a cash windfall for any team no matter where they're located.

The numbers didn't add up when the FPHL proposed their California expansion, and I still can't make sense of them. Unless the teams are doing cross-country bus trips to and from California, there's a pile of creative accounting happening to sell this west coast dream.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

The New Franchises

This shouldn't come as a profound statement by any means, but I am in no position to be telling people how to spend their money. Even when I was in banking as a career, I tended to explain the advantages and disadvantages of how people spent their money, but the decision always rested with those people when it came to where their money went. The Federal Prospects Hockey League, howver, seems to have a different view on money because their recent expansion announcement calls into question any sort of sound judgment and financial responsibility with the new burden they're going to place on FPHL franchise owners.

In much the same way that UHSL expanded west into California with no teams between them and Nebraska, the FPHL is following that path by announcing three new franchises in Oceanside, Fresno, and Stockton who will all begin play next season. If you're doing the math at home, that's seven new teams in California by the time the 2027-28 season starts. Feel free to choose who you'd like to support.

The difference in this expansion effort is that the USHL announced ownership groups with deep pockets and strong ties to established hockey teams and communities already. The FPHL, in their rush to put teams into California, have less well-known owners, but the three groups who stepped up to grab a piece of the FPHL action do have roots in their communities. How deep might be the only question. Let's take a look at each of the new expansion locations separately.

Oceanside, California

Oceanside will be owned and operated by Major Arena Soccer League's San Diego Sockers owner Phil Salvaggio. Salvaggio also owns and operates Frontwave Arena in Oceanside that seats 5500 for hockey and was built in 2024. Frontwave Arena is working on having the arena outfitted for proper ice-making and seating for hockey games as this will be the arena's first venture in hosting hockey.

Oceanside has an immediate population of approximately 150,000 and sits north of San Diego, but forms a tri-city setup with Carlsbad and Vista, California. Median household income shows as $93,724 as per the 2023 census with 56.5% of its residents are between 18 and 64, but the Oceanside area is seen as more of a "vacation home" setting for people. There are no major corporate headquarters in the city, and the city's main employers are schools and the hospital. They do have a solid rail system that can bring people from Los Angeles and San Diego into town for the game, but that assumes there will be people who want to do that for Federal Prospects League games.

Oceanside has to find a team name under which they'll operate, but there is a website where one can vote on the names proposed. Currently, it seems like they're operating under the Frontwave Arena website which is slightly concerning, and I can't find any indication of what's going on behind the scenes with staffing and player signings. They did indicate that Craig Carlyle has been named the team's first head coach, but this team seems like it's operating behind schedule.

From everything I see here, Oceanside is going to rely heavily on ticket sales and an owner who wants another tenant in his building. While the market may have the disposable income to support a team, the question is "will they?" because FPHL teams that underperform usually don't last long in their markets. I certainly am not hoping for that, but that could be the future of hockey in Oceanside.

Fresno, California

The Fresno franchise group will be fronted by Don Kirnan, better known as the Commissioner of the FPHL. If you're thinking "conflict of interest", I can't say you're wrong, but at least the commissioner is putting his money where his mouth and expansion franchise are. There is an unnamed partner that is listed on the Fresno website that describes this person as "a former professional athlete and California native, whose athletic experience and entrepreneurial background add a modern, competitive vision to the organization," so we'll have to see if the spotlight lands on this mysterious owner. Until then, I'm not certain about the financial footing this Fresno team has.

As you can see from the link above, the team has already committed to being the Fresno Falcons in the same vein as the old ECHL team that played in Fresno from 2003-08. That Falcons team folded on December 22, 2008, "citing operating cost due to dwindling attendance, lack of corporate sponsorships and the faltering economy" as reasons for their dissolution. Clearly, the new owners have their work cut out for them in restoring the Falcons.

The Fresno market is home to just under a million people with 2025's estimated population being close to 556,000 citizens in the metro Fresno area. 59.8% of the market is in the 18-to-64 age range with a median salary of $66,804, but Fresno hardly has the disposable income other California markets do as 16.3% of families and 20.9% of the population sit below the poverty line. While Amazon is the one major corporation in the area, there isn't a lot of major head offices as Fresno also sees a lot of the major employers as schools and government. The Falcons' website lists no major partners yet.

I'll give the Falcons credit in that they appear to be extremely organized. They have multiple key staff members in place including head coach Iain Duncan and have signed multiple players already, and they evem posted their logos and jerseys for their inaugural season!

For those wondering, the Falcons will play at Selland Arena in Fresno which seats 7600 for hockey, but it is a dated building in that it opened its doors in 1966. There have been multiple renovations over the years including a 2006 project that saw a new video replay scoreboard, message boards and a new ice-cooling system for hockey games installed, but the Falcons are undoubtedly playing in one of the oldest facilities in the FPHL. Will that work for the long-haul?

I guess when you're partnered with the league commissioner, one has to get one's ducks in a row in a hurry. The Falcons, as stated, appear to be close to taking the ice already which should help them with ticket sales and corporate support. The big question will be long-term support if this team stumbles as the lack of corporate options and an apathetic market won't help the Falcons, but the immediate future of this new Falcons team seems strong. However, all that glitters may not be gold. Keep reading because things are gonna take a turn.

Stockton, California

This might sound like a case of "déjà vu", but Stockton will be fronted by Don Kirnan, better known as the Commissioner of the FPHL. Again, if you're thinking "conflict of interest", this is starting to feel very "Zawyer Group" in the ECHL. The exact same website template and staff profile structure are used on Stockton's page as Fresno's page right down to the mysterious, unnamed professional athlete who is a silent partner to this point. I don't know who is backing Fresno and Stockton, but the pockets he or she has better be twice as deep now.

The Stockton Thunder existed as an ECHL franchise before, and the FPHL is going back to those roots as the new team will also be called the Thunder. Stockton saw the ECHL franchise play there from 2005-15 before the Calgary Flames bought the franchise and moved it to Glen Falls, New York as the Adirondack Thunder. They did move the Adirondack ECHL team to Stockton as the Heat, but they'd become the AHL's Calgary Wranglers after a 2022 relocation. It should be noted that the Thunder led the ECHL in attendance for four straight years from 2005–09 and never dropped below 4600 fans per game in any season. Clearly, Stockton appears to be a hockey market!

The Stockton market is home to 320,804 residents at the 2023 census with a median household income of $76,851, but, like Fresno, it is disproportionate across its residents as 15.4% of the city's population live at or below the poverty line. 49.5% of the population is in the 18-64 age demographic with a significant BIPOC population that the Thunder will need to attract. Amazon and Kaiser Permanente are the two major employers in the area with schools and government making up the vast majority of jobs. The Thunder show two partners in the University Plaza Waterfront Hotel and the J. Milano Company.

Like the Falcons, the Thunder are further ahead of Oceanside, but not quite at the level that Fresno seems to be. There is no head coach nor any player signings yet, but are building connections as shown above. They also have their inaugural set of jerseys posted!

The team has announced it will play in Adventist Health Arena that was built in 2005. It can seat up to 9737 fans for hockey, but the ECHL Stockton Thunder have played games where the number climbed above 10,000. It has all the modern amenties - 24 luxury suites, a 360-degree HD LED videoboard, an updated ice plant - so this might be the best arena that the FPHL will call home. Filling it will be a challenge, but the Thunder will welcome that challenge.

While the team isn't ready for action on the ice by any means, things seem to be moving in the right direction behind the scenes. The Thunder will have hurdles to clear when it comes to attracting fans in a consistent manner, but the ECHL Thunder proved there is a market there if the new FPHL Thunder can capture it. If the Thunder can find success on the ice, this might be the one market that the ECHL will regret leaving as it seems like the potential for big things is there.

There's the state of affairs within the Federal Prospects Hockey League's California expansion to date. Compared to the USHL's push to expand, the FPHL is expecting these three franchises to be ready to hit the ice in October this fall. I'm not saying that won't happen based on what we know above, but it looks like some are far more ready than others as we near the midway point of July. That being said, plans have not changed for the FPHL schedule at this time.

Tomorrow will be Part Two of this look at the FPHL's expansion because there are still larger questions to be asked and potentially answered when it comes to operating costs, the overall health of the rest of the league, and how those two fit together. While a handful of FPHL teams seem rock-solid in their markets, the rest are one unneeded cost away from collapse. A trip to California was reportedly the catalyst for Pee Dee to abandon the FPHL, so might we see more?

We'll put all of the numbers to the test tomorrow here on HBIC!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Maybe Down The Road?

The jersey to the left is what would have been worn by the NCAA's Tennessee State Tigers had they started their program this past year. The historically Black, public university was supposed to have skaters flying around the ice for 2025-26, but they pushed the start of their men's hockey program back to the start of 2026-27 due to a fundraising shortfall. Hockey, as we all know, is an expensive sport, so taking the extra year to raise funds and have strong backing seemed prudent. The big asterisk on statement, however, is that not only was the school's fundraising inadequate to start a team, but the school has no funds to start or support a men's hockey program until 2030 at the earliest. While the dreams of having an NCAA men's hockey program at Tennessee State were always lofty, they now appeared to be crushed beneath the harsh reality of the school's dire financial situation.

Acccording to The Athletic's Julian McKenzie on June 19, 2026, "the university needs funding to ensure the hockey program's viability for 'at least five years or more,' accounting for operational costs and scholarships" with Tennessee State University President Dwayne Tucker telling McKenzie that "a final decision could be coming in the next '30 days or so'" about the program's potential viability.

McKenzie noted that "TSU's previous interim president, Ronald A. Johnson, noted in a letter written that month that the school had a negative cash balance of $18 million and an overall deficit of $52 million for the 2025 fiscal year" while "[a] financial audit for the 2024 fiscal year stated the university's previous management, led by the now-retired Glenda Glover, 'lacked appropriate oversight,' leading to 'errors' in the school's financial statements, 'deficiencies in oversight of federal programs' and 'inadequate daily operations.'"

In summary, shoddy accounting led to a major operating revenue shortage resulting in a crippling deficit, leading to TSU to reconsider the viability of the proposed men's hockey program. Tucker also outlined that TSU has "outdated student dorms and the aging on-campus football stadium" that require major fundraising capital to maintain and improve those facilities. Basically, a men's hockey program isn't in the cards for TSU at this time due to these reasons.

Of course, that article was filed over three weeks ago, so that "30 days or so" time limit proposed by Tucker is approaching quickly.

There may not need to be any additional waiting, though, because Alex Daugherty of The Tennesseean reported yesterday that "the team has canceled its 2026-27 season, according to a source with knowledge of the situation who wished to remain anonymous because the news is not public". Tucker refused to comment when contacted by Daugherty which seems like an odd tactic considering the gloom he forecasted, but Daugherty did note in his article that "six coaches gave a vote of no confidence for Tennessee State's athletic director Mikki Allen" in May. Things seem to be unravelling quickly at TSU.

I'm not here to cast judgment on TSU's fundraising efforts, but it sounds like they need financial responsibility more than they need a men's hockey program. I get that putting a hockey team at a historically Black, public university could do amazing things for increasing the number of Black players and personnel in the game, but it shouldn't be done at the expense of other needs like safe dorms for students and a more modern football stadium.

Assuming their accounting practices are sound after the financial debacle of the last couple of years, TSU should hopefully be able to erase most of their deficits and debt and look forward to offering more programs - academic and athletic - to its incoming students. Hockey wasn't important to former students like Oprah Winfrey, Olympian Ralph Boston, and Dr. Alvin Crawford, so fixing their financial situation to get back to steady ground should be the focus.

Hockey at TSU would have been an awesome thing to see, and that dream doesn't have to die. It should, however, be shelved until the school gets its books in order. As I said above, hockey is an expensive sport no matter who is funding it, and adding those unnecessary costs to a school trying to dig its way out of a financial hole is an unreasonable ask of Tennessee State University at this point in time.

As most people find while adulting, one can have dreams of something big. Often, though, those dreams are pushed down the road due to more pressing needs that require attention. That's usually how life works, and I hope that TSU does the right thing by getting their house in order financially before chasing that dream.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

The Hockey Show - Episode 720

The Hockey Show, Canada's only campus-produced radio show that strictly talks hockey, returns tonight to chat about some of the latest news coming from the hockey world. With summer officially upon us, the news from the ice is slowing down, but there still are things happening that need some discussion. Of course, with Survivor now officially over, we can also get some guests on for interviews, so expect a few chats with awesome people shortly! For tonight, though, we dive into the examinations of a few stories that have hit the news, so we'll get into all that tonight on The Hockey Show at 5:30pm CT!

Tonight, Teebz and Jason will take a run at a few stories as their discussions will look at the IOC letting Russia back into Olympic competition, the Guelph Storm making changes to their arena, Rogers completing their takeover of MLSE and what that might mean, the newest Stanley Cup engravings, the Jets affiliating with a new ECHL franchise and why that's bad, and the New York Islanders holding a fun contest that has exploded in 24 hours. There should be some laughs, frustration, and opinions heard tonight as we break down these stories on The Hockey Show at 5:30pm CT on one of 101.5 FM, Channel 718 on MTS TV, or via UMFM.com!

If you live outside Winnipeg and want to listen, we have options! The 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 will discuss zero courage, team expenses, corporate sports, unneeded engravings, inexplicable affiliations, artistic fun, and much more exclusively on 101.5 UMFM and on the UMFM.com web stream!

PODCAST: July 9, 2026: Episode 720

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Screens In The Ice?

If there's one thing I know about the work that goes into getting arena ice ready for a season of hockey, it's that it takes a lot of time and planning. Arena staff have to properly measure, align, and paint lines by hand for the various lines needed in hockey, and the bigger teams may include logos or elaborate designs in their lines. The logos seen in faceoff circles are usually large, printed logos that are installed below the ice surface and they're usually a static design for the entire season. But what if they didn't have to be?

The OHL's Guelph Storm announced today that they're upgrading the Sleeman Centre, and one of the new things that fans will see at the rink this year and beyond is an ice surface that changes its logos and advertising as the Storm see fit. Thanks to a Finnish company named LedFoil! With a number of European clubs using their technology, LedFoil is looking to break into the North American market with their in-ice LED technology where they likely will make a fortune!

Guelph will see it used at centre ice in place of their traditional, faceoff-circle team logo, and Storm vice-president of business Matt Newby told Mark Pare of GuelphToday.com, “Depending on what jersey we're wearing on a given game, or if we're doing a special event – which we're going to do with the Platers – it allows us to put that logo at centre ice instead of the Storm logo," adding, "It's an LED scoreboard in the ice, the entire centre ice circle."

This sounds interesting, right? The options for teams could be limitless depending on how creative they get, but I'm a definite "try it before you buy it" guy. What does this in-ice LED display look like when being used during a game? Is it as good as Newby suggests?

Waterloo, Ontario-based Athletica Sport Systems, who owns the North American distribution and selling rights, has a video up on YouTube, and I have to say that seeing what this technology can do might change how hockey looks in North America. Check it out below!
Before we go any further, that video is also two years-old, and the company has yet to post anything newer. I'd love to see some of the ways this technology is being used by hockey teams, but Athletica Sport Systems doesn't have those details available anywhere.

That's not a setback, though, because both Athletica Sport Systems and the LedFoil companies have images on their website where they talk about the cool science that goes into the LedFoil system.

"Smart LED-unit is installed inside the ice and is supported by a cloud-based content management software. It enables live interaction with fans and changes the event experience. First and foremost the digital in-ice display enables scalability which adds the number of sponsors and gives your club more time to seek advertising partners. Ultimately LEDFOIL ICE multiplies club's commercial income so that the core business, sport, would do better."

I'm not particularly excited about adding advertising to the ice, but I get how hockey in today's age works. Money matters when it comes to running a franchise and an arena, so finding extra revneue-generating spaces in an arena matters to owners. That's obvious.

Depending how deep an owner's pockets may be, LedFoil can be added to the ice from the "centre circle to the entire ice as well as to the boards". The LedFoil installation can show things like logos, videos, and animations, so you're likely going to see this in NHL arenas sooner rather than later when it comes to owners maximizing revenue dollars. For teams like Vegas, it could upgrade their pre-game productions further, so this technology could significantly change how hockey looks from an entertainment standpoint!

If you're wondering about the costs, there is nothing posted on either website and Guelph Storm's Newby "was hesitant to say what the cost would be, as he isn’t sure what the company is charging other teams". Being that scoreboards with video screens are usually hundreds of thousands of dollars, I would expect those kinds of numbers to be on an invoice for any arena that wants to install LedFoil. It certainly isn't a necessity for hockey at this point, but LedFoil's technology may eventually be part of the standard arena equipment one day if teams begin to see and realize benefits.

We'll have to keep an eye on Guelph's ice this season to see if this investment is worth it, but this technology is already being used in Europe by Czech club HC Dukla Jihlava and Finnish club Oulun Kärpät. If Guelph's financial statements at the end of the year show a big jump in advertising revenue, expect other teams to follow suit.

For as much as I dislike seeing ads plastered everywhere in rinks, on boards, on jerseys and helmets, and on the ice, it seems we're not far from having dynamic sets of ads appear inside the ice as well. Maybe hockey is actually the distraction from two hours of advertising?

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Hamilton Goes Nuts And Bolts

There was a pile of news that happened today across this great country when it came to sports radio, but I don't want to dwell on the negative brought on by Rogers Communications and their buffoonery. Instead, I want to head down the road from Toronto to one of the cities that make up the Greater Toronto Area - the GTA - in the southeast portion of Ontario. For as muc as Hamiltonians will tell anyone that they're different in all walks of life compared to Torontonians, they still occupy space in the GTA. Like Toronto, though, they're now an AHL city once again as the Hamilton Hammers will begin play this season. Today, we got to see their jerseys!

I want it on record that I still hate the team name. I'm not here to win any points with Hamilton or its fans, though, so seeing the rest of the jerseys could potentially improve the logo's overall aesthetic or it could drag them down to 1994 levels of hate like the Islanders' Fisherman jerseys got. So what do they look like, you ask?

The design isn't actually that bad if I'm being honest. Simple arm and hem striping keep the hockey sweater look alive, there's good contrast with that horrific logo, and the numbers are easily readable. I'm not a fan of the drawstring necklines anymore, but I don't see a lot of problems here with the Hammers' jersey. The absence of the shoulder yoke isn't even a problem as it allows that solid blue colour to really stand out against the white ice in arenas, so I think the Hammers and, by proxy, the Islanders did a fairly good job here by keeping it simple. There's no wave jersey template, so it's not like they're going to get Fisherman hate spewed at them.

The back of the jersey is just as clean in its design with easily-readable block letting for the name and a standard block font for the number. The two-colour sewing allows the blue to pop with a little more colour from the orange outline, so that works nicely. I'm not fan of the AHL and CCM logos in the middle of the hemstripe as that's all sorts of gaudy and self-aggrandizing, especially when you consider that CCM's logo is already on the neckline as well. If the league dropped the AHL logo back down to the bottom of the jersey and eliminated the second CCM logo, things would improve drastically for the back of the Hammers' jerseys. Because that they don't allow me to do AHL corporate deals, my opinion is simply that the logos look terrible placed where they are.

Hamilton likely won't look bad next season when they take the ice as long as no one is focused on their logo. These are clean, simple jerseys that look like traiditonal hockey sweaters, and that's a good start to the Hammers' legacy in Hamilton. They aren't going to move a lot of jerseys because they have catchy colours or an awesome design, but the Hammers will look like a hockey team anytime they wear their jerseys. That's a win despite the logo on the front.

Should Hamilton be wearing colours that aren't the same scheme as the New York Islanders? Yes, absolutely. However, the limited scope of their colours works well in this design, so here's hoping the Hammers can rise to the occasion in spite of their logo. They aren't flashy, but they're the nuts and bolts of what a hockey jersey should look like.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!