Truth And Reconciliation Day

Today is a stat holiday in the province of Manitoba. It's an important day in Canadian history when it comes to the past and improving the future for everyone, and I spent the morning reading about the gravesites that contained the bodies of children who never returned home. It was and is a sobering and heartbreaking thought to know that children who were simply being children were punished and abused so brutally by people who claimed to be imposing those punitive measure for good. My hope is that Canadians work to understand the atrocities that were suffered by our Indigenous neighbours regarding the legacy of the residential schools.

I am always impressed when I see sports teams acknowledging the land on which they compete as part of The Canadian Numbered Treaties. Winnipeg lies within Treaty 1 Territory which contains the Treaty Territories and ancestral lands of the Anishinaabeg, Anishininewuk, Dakota Oyate, Denesuline and Nehethowuk Nations. Manitoba is also located on the Homeland of the Red River Métis while northern Manitoba includes lands that were and are ancestral lands of the Inuit. If you visit the Grant Park location of McNally Robinson for any of their events, you'll also hear them acknowledge their location standing on lands that were once occupied by Rooster Town as well. All of these acknowledgements are vitally important.

In Manitoba, there were a number of residential schools that were operated by Roman Catholic, Anglican, United Church, Presbyterian, and non-denominational leadership in locations across the province. Despite records being incomplete, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission identified at least 338 student deaths during attendance or shortly after discharge from residential schools. To me, that's an incomprehensible and horrific number of children who died.

Fourteen schools have been officially recognized under the Indian Residential School Settlement Agreement. All of Manitoba's largest centers are included as places where these schools were located, and a number of smaller communities near Indigenous communities also were identified as school locations where the Canadian government looked to "educate and assimilate Indigenous children into mainstream Canadian society, and to convert them to Christianity."

Again, it's hard to stomach the atrocities that were committed against these Indigenous children, but, on June 11, 2008, the Canadian government issued a formal apology for the damage done by the Indian Residential School System and, on September 1, 2020, "it was officially announced 'the residential school system will be designated as an event of national historic significance, which will help to educate all Canadians on the system and its consequences, and ensure that this part of our history is never forgotten or repeated.'" This is where reconciliation and remuneration began.

Let me be clear: there is no dollar amount that can account for the lives that were lost. There is no cheque that can be written nor monetary amount that will fix this. There is no apology in any language that can erase the losses and pain and suffering that have been felt by Indigenous communities across Canada.

But we can do better by acknowledging that the Treaties signed on these lands are a lifelong, enduring relationship and that we can uphold the spirit and intent of these Treaties. We can do better by ensuring that the horrors and tragedies that took place in residential schools never happen again. We can do better by acknowledging and owning the harms and events of the past and the present. We can do better by asking for understanding and committing to support our Indigenous Canadian neighbours through active reconciliation, meaningful change, and the creation of spaces that are grounded in respect and reciprocity where everyone can thrive equally.

I have no power to enforce anything on anyone, but I will make it my pledge to deliver the Traditional Territories Acknowledgements before all of the hockey games that we call at the Female World Sport School Challenge in November that recognizes the Indigenous land upon which the arena and the sixteen teams compete. Being that all sixteen teams are Canadian, it's something that I hope will be received positively by listeners from those respective communities.

As much as this is a hockey blog, it's important not to forget that hockey is a microcosm of society. Players like Fred Sasakamoose, Kelly Bull, Chris Cromarty, David Wesley, and Willie Littlechild along with entire teams of Indigenous players suffered the horrors imposed upon them by school leaders. Their stories show the dichotomy these residential schools operated in as these amazing athletes were often abused mercilessly for simply being. And they were the survivors.

Despite the unspeakable acts committed long ago, it's encouraging to know that Indigenous hockey players have become household names with players like Carey Price, Brigette Lacquette, Abby Roque, and Jordin Tootoo being known across North America. Seeing people like Wes Studi, Adam Beach, and Lily Gladstone breaking through in Hollywood with high-profile roles should also be celebrated. It means that dreams for Indigenous youth aren't just dying as they get older because society, as a whole, is changing for the better albeit slowly.

This is the importance of acknowledging and embracing Truth And Reconciliation Day. It's about owning what happened and vowing to never let those horrific acts happen again so all kids get every opportunity to pursue their dreams regardless of creed, colour, race, or religion. That's not an unreasonable ask for anyone to support.

We can accept that the past can't be erased, but the future can be written better for everyone. Let's make sure we do that together.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Give Me A Little Journalism

It was opening night for the NHL this evening with five games on the schedule, but I really didn't care to watch any of them. However, getting an invitation to head out with friends for some socializing over good food and beverages is something I won't turn down, and we landed at a lounge where the TVs all had NHL hockey on. Discussions and debates were had throughout the night, but there was one where I sat quietly and listened as my party on this night discussed the return of Hockey Night in Canada to CBC carrying PWHL games.

Make no mistake that there was nothing overly disrespectful said in this discussion as everyone agreed that having Hockey Night in Canada on CBC felt like hockey season was indeed back. No one really had a problem if here was no Ron MacLean nor Bob Cole on the women's hockey broadcasts, but there was concern over how the CBC would approach subjects where the PWHL seemingly gives no clear answers. As one person at the table made clear, "This can't just be another network that smooths over the potholes they created."

That line hit home for me because there are still topics that the PWHL does its best to avoid and journalists seemingly never press them on when it comes to the operation of the league. We saw Ron MacLean and Gary Bettman clash a handful of times during interviews about topics where the NHL was trying to control the narrative, and we've seen the PWHL begin to use this method when temperatures rise surrounding certain subjects. Transparency would be better.

When Jason and I spoke to Karissa Donkin on The Hockey Show, we made it a point to ask Miss Donkin if she had heard any news about the PWHL's gender policy with respect to transgender players. Karissa confirmed at that time that there had been no new developments on that front, but that she would ask more questions when she could. With the NWHL having had Harrison Browne and the CWHL having had Jessica Platt on their rosters of players, you'd think that the PWHL would have already crafted some sort of policy to help transgender players understand where they fit or don't fit into the PWHL.

That policy still hasn't materialized despite the league preparing for Season Four of play. How much longer will they avoid this topic?

Perhaps the PWHL is avoiding the topic altogether due to the current legal battles going in the United States where eight of their twelve teams play. It even reached the highest levels of the US government, but that shouldn't allow the PWHL to just fade into the background over this topic. Why not say they're awaiting a clear decision from US government amidst the current political debate on the topic?

That's just one of the topics that the PWHL needs to address along with ownership questions and investments made, Mark Walter's future support of the league with the US government investigating him, and the constant talk of future expansion, and this is where the CBC and Hockey Night in Canada could really emerge as the leader in women's hockey if they push their interviewers to dig into stories, not shy away from potential league criticism of coverage, and hold people accountable in similar fashion to how Hockey Night in Canada did.

It seems pretty obvious that Andi Petrillo will be joined by The Athletic's Hailey Salvian who has asked tougher questions of the league at times, and my hope is that they bring Karissa Donkin in for her work in covering the game. I don't know if Jennifer Botterill will have time, but any combination of her, Sami Jo Small, and Christine Simpson would be good people to really push PWHL executives for answers as they know about the gaps the league needs to address.

It's the journalism done by Hockey Night in Canada that made it the institution that Canadians relied upon for hockey news. The Satellite Hotstove component with some the brightsest women's hockey reporters - Emily Kaplan, Saira Peesker, Jacinthe Taillon - could be an incredible place to break stories, discuss topics, and inform viewers on more of the inside stuff happening arounf the league. The CBC simply cannot shy away from hard questions when it comes to interviews. The journalism is what set CBC's Hockey Night in Canada apart from its competitiors, and that effort needs to continue.

Am I happy that Hockey Night in Canada is back? Absolutely. As stated, it's a Canadian institution, and I'm happy that the CBC is moulding to be something more. However, if it's just going to another facade for the PWHL where everything is rainbows and butterflies, expect me to sour quickly on it. Journalism was one of the best parts of Hockey Night in Canada in the past, and my hope is this new venture will uphold that standard set in the progra's coverage of the NHL. Journalism is about finding transparency and accountability, and Hockey Night in Canada set that standard with its hockey coverage.

Maybe my expectations won't be met with this new iteration of Hockey Night in Canada. Maybe I'll continue to be frustrated by the lack of transparency and accountability shown by the PWHL when it comes to long-term strategies and policies. What I can't be disappointed in, however, is CBC finding a way to resurrect the Hockey Night in Canada brand where, I hope, its journalistic efforts will be identical or better than what we saw with their NHL coverage.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

I Hate It So Much

Hockey is a fairly simple game where the winning team is the one who outscores the opponent. Normally, goals happen as a result of mistakes make by players, so human error is needed in the game if we want offence. I enjoy watching hockey to see good players exploit those errors and light the lamp, so here's hoping there are many for players this season. What I don't need to see nor will I ever care about are the "pregame fits" that seem to have invaded hockey at every level. Wins and losses matter; clothes do not.

If you're thinking this is a "you kids get off my lawn" moment from me, you're probably correct in that assumption. I was always taught to let your play on the ice speak for you, so coming out and being ready to play was vital. What didn't matter to me was what I wore to the rink to put me in a mental state to win. People have held onto the idea of "look good, play good", but would it matter if the NHL's best player showed up in sweatpants if he scored 60 goals?

Across social media sites, though, teams and their social media administrators are posting images of the walk-ins done by players to show of their fashion senses. And while I'm sure they deserve a nod for looking like they just stepped out of Milan or Paris, I could not care less if players from my favorite team showed up to the rink wearing the latest Armani suit or the world's comfiest hoodie as long as they win games. What they wear to the rink prior to suiting up does not matter and yet these "fits" images are everywhere.

As you likely know, the current CBA has eliminated the mandatory suit and tie that teams wore to the rink for decades. Players wanted the same options to wear what they wanted just as athletes in other leagues aren't restricted to a formal dress code. With the NHL going that route, my hope was I'd see less walk-in images and videos of players who were arriving at arenas for games. Instead, it feels like there may actually be more of those posts on teams' social media.

What's worse is that these posts literally add nothing to the story of the game. At what point do teams get back to talking about specific plays and posting images and video of tactics being used on the ice? Social media has the ability to be a place of learning by breaking down plays seen on the ice, but teams are instead using it to celebrate the clothes that players wear. And we wonder why Nikita Kucherov described the game as "faster, but it's very dumb. Low IQ"?

Maybe I'm in a very small minority here, but it might be part of my hatred for all things done by influencers to try to convince younger people that what they say and do is important and will improve one's social status. Having kids wear expensive suits to the rinks is simply ridiculous, and showing millionaires wearing top-of-the-line suits that cost more than some people make in two weeks is completely unnecessary and dumb. As long as they win hockey games, why does it matter what they're wearing when they show up to rink?

The NHL and NHLPA don't care if players wear suits and ties after they agreed to remove that language from the Collective Bargaining Agreement, so why do teams keep doing this? I hate it so much and it's truly one of the things I want to see eliminated from social media, so let me make this even easier to understand by posing this question: do you know what looks good on any and every player?

Championship rings. And winning always is en vogue at any level.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Pushed Aside By Size

THe old way of thinking in the NHL never seems to go away. No matter which general manager is running a team, the idea that size and experience are better than youth and speed always seems to be prevalent in the NHL. That became more evident today when the New York Islanders signed former Jets and Sabres defender Logan Stanley to a one-year deal worth $1.5 million, far less than most pundits had predicted he'd get on the open market after last season's explosion of goals. That's not to say that Stanley didn't have a good season, but that his time in Buffalo may have been more telling than what he showed in protected minutes on the blue line with the Jets.

It seemed like the Islanders were content to have either 2025 first-round pick Kashawn Aitcheson or 22-year-old Isaiah George start the season on the team's third pairing alongside Scott Mayfield, but somewhere that dream died as the team went to the free agent market to find Stanley. As a result, both Aitcheson and George were sent to AHL Hamilton where they'll start the season with the Hammers. While there's nothing wrong with giving these two a chance to play top minutes in the AHL, one has to wonder if the Islanders would get better results with either of them over Stanley.

All of Stanley's advanced stats point to a defenceman whose offensive abilities are limited by his biggest weakness: skating. Yes, he's got a big shot thanks to his size, but 90 of his 260 shot attempts last season were blocked (34.6%) as per MoneyPuck. 74 of his 260 shot attempts also missed the net (29.2%), meaning that 63.8% of his shots never reached the intended target. It's not like these shots were being deflected by teammates; these were shots that were blocked or missed the net entirely. Despite taking 80 more shots than he did in 2021, his percentage of shots that didn't hit the net actually went up!

Maybe the Islanders wanted him for his size and defensive play, but I'm going to pump the brakes once more. In no season was Logan Stanley's expected goals-against worse and high-danger chances against worse. It became much more obvious in Buffalo where he was exploited a handful of times before being relegated to the pressbox by head coach Lindy Ruff, but the fact is that his team's defensive play got worse in both cities when Logan Stanley was on the ice. For a bubble team like the Islanders may be, that doesn't help.

I have no idea why a poor-skating, defensively-challenged defender is something that Mathieu Darche wanted on his team, but Logan Stanley will start the season patrolling the blue line on Long Island. I get that he has experience at the NHL level which is something that should help him and his team, but getting Kashawn Aitcheson or Isaiah George that experience would also be beneficial for the Islanders. In fact, it may be better that they get it in a season where the Islanders aren't considered as Stanley Cup contenders because mistakes made by Aitcheson and George won't be as glaring.

If Aitcheson and George are ready to play at a high level in a year or two, they'll have one of the most young, dynamic blue lines in all of hockey with Matthew Schaefer, Alexander Romanov, Aitcheson, and George all under the age of 29. Every NHL GM would be salivating over the possibility of keeping that defensive core intact for a number of playoff runs in similar fashion to how Montreal's blue line currently has them on the precipice of something big. Of course, there are a number of factors that go into winning a Stanley Cup, but having a four-man unit of Schaefer, Romanov, Aitcheson, and George would make the Islanders a formidable foe in the Atlantic Division.

Instead, Islanders fans will get a season of Logan Stanley on the blue line. Maybe Stanley will impress and play a sound defensive game while chipping in on the offence where he can, but that never materialized in Winnipeg nor in Buffalo. There will be games where he looks and plays like the Boston Bruins' Zdeno Chara for a number of shifts, but he's far too often the New York Islanders' version of Chara where he was big, prone to mistakes, and not very good on his skates. Like Chara, Stanley will throw hits and get into fights, but I'm assuming most Islanders fans don't need that memory again.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

No Formal Announcements, But...

Benjamin Franklin is credited with saying that there are two certainties in life: death and taxes. And while that may be true for most people on the planet, hockey fans always had a third certainty that they could rely on every September as Jaromir Jagr took the ice for a professional hockey team somewhere on the planet. The 54 year-old only played six games for the Kladno Knights last season, and it would mark the first time he hasn't skated in a professional league in 38 years if he didn't sign with a team for this season. As it stands right now, that hasn't happened.

Jagr's season last year didn't go as planned as he was injured to start the season and never really found his stride. He didn't dress for any of Kladno's playoff games, and he often was bumped from the lineup in favour of younger, faster players who would skate more than eight minutes per night. Jagr's one assist may have been his last professional point after he didn't sign with Kladno this season nor did he skate in training camp or any of the team's preseason games.

Of course, no one really knows what Jagr may be planning regarding his hockey future after commenting in February that "[i]t would have to be a miracle" for him to play this season, but he has yet to make any formal announcement about stepping away from the game. We know he sold the majority stake in the Kladno Knights in 2025, and new owner Tomáš Drastil began to overhaul and upgrade the players he had on his roster. While Jagr still sold tickets, Drastil was looking to trasform the Kladno Knights into the powerhouse they once were.

At 54, Jagr literally owes no one anything when it comes to his hockey career. He won Stanley Cups, an Olympic gold medal, World Championship gold medals, and a myriad of personal awards that would fill a wing at the Hockey Hall of Fame. He played in the NHL, the KHL, the Czech Extraliga, the Italian-A League, and the first-division German league in his career, representing 14 different teams. He is, and likely always will be, the highest scoring Czech player in NHL history and sits second all-time in NHL scoring. Sidney Crosby is the closest active player, and he's still 160 points back of Jagr!

I mention this today because the NHL preseason is ending for most teams, and it's hard to imagine a hockey world where Jaromir Jagr isn't playing after skating for 38 seasons. He did tell The Associated Press's Karel Janicek in February, "I don’t train to be ready to play, but I try to go skating every day if I have time," but it's not like he's preparing his body for another season of professional hockey.

As of right now, the Kladno Knights don't have Jagr on their roster page nor am I expecting him to appear there unless there's a rash of injuries in a short period of time. It's kind of crazy to think that Jagr, who skated for Kladno in parts of 13 seasons, has never skated in the playoffs for his hometown team, but that may be how his career ends if he's not on the roster this season. For the record, Kladno isn't expected to win the Extraliga, but it would have been nice to see Jagr skate once in those playoffs for the team he grew up watching.

I think, at this point, it's safe to say that Jaromir Jagr has retired from hockey. That's an unofficial stance by this writer, but telling Janicek in February that "I do nothing else but eat and watch TV" would indicate that the hockey legend's career might have come to a close. Hockey will press on without one of the game's most notable legends, but it's hard to believe that the Jaromir Jagr era is over.

Like that picture of him in the bubble bath, though, he's earned all the time to relax that he wants as long as he doesn't change his mind!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

The Tuck Rule

I'll admit that the first thing I noticed about the Flyers' jerseys last night was that massive IBX add on the shoulder. We'll talk about that later, but the image to the left is of Trevor Zegras sitting in the penalty box after being sent off by officials for "improperly wearing equipment" in their preseason game against the Boston Bruins. You might be thinking that everything looks fine on Zegras when it comes to how he's dressed, but officials noticed that his jersey was tucked into his pants during play, and he was officially penalized for that fashion choice. I'll make it known: I am in favour of the NHL cracking down on equipment infractions.

At 9:51 of the second period of the Flyers-Bruins preseason game, Zegras received a two-minute minor penalty for delay of game. What was weird is that this was called moments after a face-off in the Bruins' zone, so there was some confusion. Here's that moment.

As you can see at the blue line, that's referee Francis Charron, an 18-year veteran, making the call on Zegras, and Zegras had a chat with referee Jon McIsaac as he was being escorted to the penalty box. McIsaac, a 15-year veteran, broke the news to Zegras that he was being called for his tucked-in jersey. In short, this wasn't some hotshot rookie referee that was looking to make a name for himself.

According to Kevin Kurz of The Athletic, "Zegras said after the game he was given a warning when he had it tucked to start the game, 'because that's how I usually play. It must have just went back in on the bench, and when I came out, just forgot, and (they) called it'".

Kurz also noted that The Athletic's Chris Johnston reported that wearing equipment properly is a point of emphasis entering this season, and will include "visors, neck guards and cut-resistant gear (now required for all new players), helmets in warmup and tucked jerseys". The Flyers were aware of the new mandate as per head coach Rick Tocchet who told Kurz, "They told us, in all fairness two, three weeks ago. I didn't even think about it. … Obviously, can't do it anymore. Regular season starts, we can't have a penalty like that. I actually had to put (Matvei Michkov’s jersey) down on the bench."

Some people are going to roll their eyes and say the NHL is going too far, but this has always been part of the NHL rulebook since 1964. The stricter enforcement comes with players altering their uniforms and equipment to gain an advantage which, in turn, could lower the safety aspect of the uniform and equipment. Zegras' jersey tuck, for example, is that he likely doesn't have his jersey tied down as it should be, and that's not how the jersey is designed to be worn. That, by the letter of the law, is a penalty, and Zegras broke the rule.

Admittedly, the NHL never really cared about the jersey tuck thanks to some guy who wore #99 and set a bunch of scoring records, but this rule has to be applied to all equipment or there would be chaos. Consider that the NHL penalized Maple Leafs forward Leo Komarov at 6:26 of the first period in the opening game of the 2017 NHL season for his visor being pushed up on his helmet, creating an unsafe situation for Komarov. If the officials had shrugged and Komarov was high-sticked or took a puck in the face, the NHL could be liable.

As stated above, the mandated cut-resistant gear comes on the heels of Adam Johnson's death in the EIHL, Richard Zednik's scary neck incident, and Erik Karlsson's Achilles injury. Cut-resistant equipment is good, but a properly-secured jersey helps protect players as well.

No one complains about NHL players not being able to show personality or bring their style to the game while wearing helmets, yet helmets were mandated for all new players entering the NHL on June 1, 1979 following the death of Bill Masterton from a brain injury on January 13, 1968. No one complains that the players are losing personality or style with everyone wearing visors which the NHL mandated at the start of the 2013–14 season. And no one will complain that no player tucks their jerseys into their pants if the NHL makes it a point to end this equipment trend. Safety matters.

Every player will be warned this season if there's an equipment problem, so they'll have a chance to correct the issue. If they choose not to do that like Zegras chose not to, they will sit and watch for two minutes from the little bench. If they choose to continue to ignore the rule, the third violation would result in a game misconduct. Again, this is less about personal style and more about safety, and I'll side with safer hockey for all every single time.

Feel free to disagree with me if you like, but I'd rather see my favorite NHL stars on the ice rather than nursing injuries for wearing their visors improperly or spending time at the hospital as doctors try to stop them from bleeding to death. Jerseys are part of the equipment players wear, so wearing it properly should be enforced. In this case, count me as a supporter of the jersey tuck rule.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

The Hockey Show - Episode 731

The Hockey Show, Canada's only campus-produced radio show that strictly talks hockey, is back in the UMFM studios tonight as both hosts are back on a somewhat normal schedule! There has been a pile of news that has happened in the last two weeks and our hosts will dive into a number of stories, but they also have some adventures to discuss as they have been busy while away from the studio. Of course, the regular chatter about all of hockey's bigger stories will eat up the majority of the hour, so get yourself ready tonight for The Hockey Show at 5:30pm CT!

Tonight, Teebz and Jason will look at a number of stories including politics in hockey after Alexander Ovechkin appeared in a Russian political advertisement, the kerfuffle around the Edmonton Oilers' personnel, rule changes that will make two leagues more watchable, book reviews done by each of our hosts, Kevin Hayes and his future, PWHL recent announcements, and anything else we can squeeze into the hour of fun! It should be a show where opinions are stated about a number of topics, so make sure you have your device connected 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 politics in hockey, vetting your people, making hockey better, good reading material, walking away quickly, women's hockey news, and much more exclusively on 101.5 UMFM and on the UMFM.com web stream!

PODCAST: September 24, 2026: Episode 731

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

The Slightly Younger Boys' Club

With the NHL targeting younger owners with money such as Ryan Smith, Tom Dundon, and Geoff Hoffman as the next wave of ownership, one had to hold out hope that the NHL Board of Governors might have a younger leader sitting as the Chairman of the Board at some point. Outgoing Chairman Jeremy Jacobs is 86 years-old, so the NHL certainly was wearing its "old boys' club" pin proudly despite it constantly being years behind on trends and not keeping up with technology in the digital age. That's not to say that older folks don't understand technology or aren't tech savvy, but one would think that the NHL might aim for a younger replacement for Jacobs after he served for the last 19 years as the Chairman of the NHL Board of Governors.

Instead of looking at the younger group who recently joined, the NHL Board of Governors elected 70 year-old Ted Leonsis as their new Chairman with 66 year-old Murray Edwards serving as Vice-Chair of the Board of Governors. Both men recently served as their teams' respective Governors so both are familiar with what everything that goes on inside the room at the NHL Board of Governors meetings.

Neither of those two men likely have their finger on the pulse when it comes to the 18-64 year-old demographic upon which their teams rely, but Leonsis' background sees him as a former senior executive with America Online, better known as AOL. Edwards, meanwhile, made his fortune as a Canadian oil sands financier, so his knowledge of emerging digital and entertainment trends likely is limited.

If the NHL is going to try and capture more of the North American pro sports market, a former software executive and an oil man are now tasked to lead that charge, and I can't see them being successful.

"Long before I became an owner, I was a fan of this game and of the Washington Capitals. I love hockey and have a profound belief in its potential. We have proven in Washington how investing in a team, its fans and in a community can create a true hockey city," said Leonsis in a statement.

Leonsis isn't wrong when it comes to the Capitals' popularity in its own market as the pie chart to the right shows. That data was captured by Ben Standig, Brittany Ghiroli and Fred Katz of The Athletic, but it comes with an asterisk that winning teams always are more popular in polls and this data was captured on the heels of a 2018 Stanley Cup championship for the Capitals. The Commanders still are easily the top team in the region thanks to the NFL marketing machine, but the Capitals slightly edged the Nationals in Wahsington, DC proper in their 2020 poll.

Of course, that means nothing in places like Anaheim, Columbus, and Ottawa who played below 93% capacity last season despite two of those teams making the playoffs. With prices on merchandise, tickets, and TV options rising faster than people can afford, this is a major problem for the NHL Board of Governors that they're going to have to remedy sooner than later after nine teams played to 95% or less capacity last season. Based on everything that's happened in the TV sports landscape with losses and costs, Leonsis and Edwards may be stepping into one of the most critical times in the NHL's history.

Leonsis may have showed his hand early, telling The Athletic's Chris Johnston, "It's not about TV anymore. It's about global digital and finding the next generation of big important partners. … It's still a huge part of our revenue base and is very, very strategic for us."

That quiet sound you heard was Ed Rogers screaming into a pillow after Leonsis dropped the "not about TV anymore" comment, but this comes back to the current landscape where Bally Sports and Victory+ both went bankrupt as regional carriers of games while both ESPN and TNT have been silently stewing in the background about the national rights costing a pile more when their deals end in 2027-28.

Perhaps the one thing that potentially gives me hope is that Leonsis seems to be aware of the NHL's stature in the public eye. He told NHL.com's Dan Rosen, "The role that we play in our cities, in our communities, we're becoming the most important enterprises in many of our cities. The social responsibility and the role we are playing all comes from growth: more customers, more sponsors. You've got to keep that spiral going up. So having that growth dynamic and mindset, I think, is what our job is at the executive level."

It's this awareness of social responsibility that could win back a large number of fans - me included - if the NHL simply looked at how society is evolving. The LGBTQ+ community is embraced in other leagues, but the NHL has resisted making that community feel welcome after players' outrage over wearing Pride jerseys hit stupidity levels. And yet there are corporations and businesses who are major sponsors of the NHL who embrace the LGBTQ+ community because we live and work together. That's how people feel welcome.

Slice it how you like, but the NHL's "old boys' club" will always be that thanks to no women owning or running clubs and the Board of Governors opting to elect men who have sat in that role for nearly two decades. As some of the younger owners get more involved, however, attitudes may change on a number of things. If Ted Leonsis is serious about molding the NHL into a more socially-responsible and more welcoming and accessible league, this could be a the start of something big for the NHL. All it takes is a little courage.

Congratulations to Ted Leonsis and Murray Edwards on being appointed as the Chair and Vice-Chair of the NHL Board of Governors, but now it's time to show us what the NHL believes in under your leadership. Will we get the old boys' way of thinking or will these two usher in a new way of approaching NHL matters knowing the jury are people attending and watching games? Time, as it always does, will reveal all in the end. And that's why it remains undefeated.

The NHL doesn't need to be perfect, but it needs a few easy wins.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

My Evening Out

There wasn't be a lot of hockey on my television tonight because I headed out for the evening to get more smarter about the game from someone who has done more in hockey than I ever will. Jennifer Botterill kicked off her book tour at McNally Robinson's Grant Park location this evening where she spoke to the gathered croud about her new book, Why Not You, and her life in what was a jam-packed atrium! Honestly, it was awesome to see so many people out to support Jennifer in her return to her hometown to kick off this book launch, and I was one of them!

Full marks to McNally Robinson - Grant Park for another incredible event where an author comes to Winnipeg and is immediately embraced by this community. I have been to a number of these events where authors have sat down and chatted about their books, and they always seem appreciative that McNally Robinson attracts a passionate crowd about their books. Honestly, I wish more bookstores would do these kinds of events for authors and readers alike!

What's awesome is that McNally Robison also livestreams these chats and posts the video. That's what happened tonight as Jennifer sat down with former Canadian national volleyball team member and radio host Michelle Sawatzky-Koop to chat about Why Not You!
Jennifer passed on some great messages in this chat for players, parents, and coaches, and I hope these are adopted by everyone. Why Not You is full of these life lessons shared by Jennifer as she takes you through her hockey journey, and hearing her expand on these important lessons as she spoke with Michelle was an inspiring and entertaining evening spent with a Canadian hockey legend!

Again, I cannot stress this enough, but it would be worth your while to pick up Why Not You for yourself or as a gift for someone else. The book is easy to read with no crass language nor outrageous stories so it's perfect for readers of all ages, and the short chapters make it easy to put the book down if a break is needed. As I stated in the HBIC Book Club review, I read Why Not You very quickly because of its easy-to-read nature and amazing author so do yourself a favour and add Jennifer's book, Why Not You, to your bookshelf at home!

There will be more book reviews coming on HBIC even if I stop posting daily, and I'll definitely be back at McNally Robinson for more of these great events in the future! Here's hoping Jennifer's book tour goes incredibly well, and I'll tease that she's very interested in chatting to us on The Hockey Show once her life settles down a little!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Here Today, Retired Tomorrow

There have been lots of players who left the NHL for the KHL for an opportunity to extend their careers. Some have found success doing that and have extended their professional hockey careers by years while others lasted a handful of games before realizing that the KHL may not be their cups of tea. Kevin Hayes, pictured to the left, will now fall into the latter category after he announced his retirement from hockey today after playing just five games with Ak Bars Kazan in the KHL. The former NHL forward wasn't playing for the money after earning $50 million over the last seven years, but he reportedly went to Russia this season after his wife, Katya Vasilyev, urged him to play in her homeland.

I'm not here to make jokes at Kevin Hayes' expense. His announcement today is a surprise considering he signed a one-year deal in Kazan, but it was also a surprise when Kazan announced his signing in knowing that he only scored more than 50 points once and more than 20 goals twice in his NHL career. It wasn't like they were getting an over-the-hill NHLer who wanted to keep playing, but the 34 year-old wasn't getting any younger so perhaps Kazan was looking to squeeze whatever they could out of his remaining hockey talents.

After five games, however, Hayes is now done. He was averaging 15:00 of ice time with the Snow Leopards, but he has no points and ended his five-game run with a -1 rating. The team went 1-2-1-1 in those five games with each game decided by one goal, and Hayes recorded six shots in those five games with his -1 coming in a 3-2 shootout loss to Metallurg Magnitogorsk. He was 17/34 at the face-off dot, saw time on the power-play in each game, and three hits. Nothing stands out, but Hayes was competing in each game.

And perhaps that was the reason - nothing stood out to Hayes in terms of how he was playing. His comments on Twitter reflected that, stating, "I have decided to end my hockey career. I can no longer play at the level I am capable of because my body does not allow me to perform at my best. And I cannot accept not being in top form."

My hope is that Kevin Hayes can look back on his twelve seasons of NHL hockey and be happy with his accomplishments. He skated in 805 NHL games with the New York Rangers, Winnipeg Jets, Philadelphia Flyers, St. Louis Blues, and Pittsburgh Penguins where he scored 185 goals and 261 assists. His first NHL goal came against the San Jose Sharks on October 19, 2014, and his first playoff point came on an overtime goal against the Pittsburgh Penguins for a 2-1 win in Game Four of the opening round on April 22, 1995 to put the Rangers up 3-1 in the series. He certainly had some memorable moments.

With his announcement today, Hayes can now move into a more full-time family role with his wife Kayla and their son. That adventure will likely keep him just as busy as a hockey season would, and I imagine it will be just as rewarding as memories are made. Yes, it didn't work in Russia for Hayes, but he figured out that it was time to turn the page. There's no shame in that ending because it simply starts a fresh page in a new volume of Kevin Hayes' life.

Where that story now takes him is totally up to him and his family.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

TBC: Why Not You

With hockey season upon us, there seems to be a push to release books about hockey and books written by hockey players moreso at this time than any other throughout the year. Of course, that means I get to do some reading of books that have yet to hit shelves thanks to some very generous publishers, and that includes today's entry as I was excited to read this book as soon as it was announced! Teebz's Book Club is proud to review Why Not You: My Story of Perseverance, Hockey, and Olympic Gold, written by Jennifer Botterill and published by Penguin Random House, as Olympic and World Championshiup gold medallist Jennifer Botterill takes readers inside her hockey journey from being the youngest player on Team Canada to being a broadcasting icon! She is one of Canada's most decorated hockey players, so I couldn't wait to learn more about her incredible career, her life, and her greatest hockey moments in Why Not You!

From her Penguin Random House biography, "Jennifer Botterill is one of Canada's most celebrated athletes. A member of the Canadian Women's Hockey Team for 14 years, she is a three-time Olympic champion and part of the 2025 Hockey Hall of Fame class. These days, Botterill is an in-demand NHL analyst in both Canada and the US, regularly appearing on CBC's Hockey Night in Canada and NHL on TNT. When she is not sharing her knowledge and expertise of sport on air, she is empowering others to pursue excellence as an engaging keynote speaker and peak performance coach." I will add in that Botterill won eight World Championship medals of which five were gold and three were silver, she is still the only two-time winner of the Patty Kazmeier Award in the NCAA and was the first Canadian to win the award, she is a Harvard graduate with an Honours Degree in Psychology, and still holds a number of NCA A records from her time with the Crimson!

I'll start this review by saying that if you were looking for insightful analysis and tactics for hockey in Why Not You, the only analysis you get is Jennifer Botterill reflecting on her storied career in and around hockey. Her note at the start of the book gives readers a clear indication that Jennifer's retelling of her experiences in hockey will be heartfelt and emotional as opposed to analytical, so expect to read a lot of chapters where stories of celebration, sadness, euphoria, winning, and losing are told. Through it all, though, Jennifer Botterill's career has been interesting and intriguing!

It will be come very clear in Why Not You that family means a lot to Botterill. Her parents were always an important sounding board for her whenever she needed some advice or perspective, and they were always at Jennifer's games as her biggest fans. Jason, her brother, became part of the Botterill cheering committee once he had retired, and she had a number of teammates for whom she'd do anything and who would do anything for Jennifer. It's clear that she's been blessed with an incredible support system of family, friends, and teammates who helped Jennifer achieve anything to which she set her mind.

Not everything was rainbows and butterflies in Botterill's career, though, and she illustrates that in a handful of stories in Why Not You. From being told she was a bubble player at a Team Canada camp to sparring on live TV with Kevin Bieksa, there were a number of times that Botterill had to fight for her place in hockey. Her biggest doubt might have come early on in her career, though, and it was a member of her family that put her back on track in terms of goals once again. Botterill writes about her decision to ultimately put off retirement in 2006 and train for the 2010 Vancouver Olympics,

"I'd also had a conversation with my dad that really stuck with me; he shared something he'd noticed over the years working with hockey players and elite athletes. He said he'd never met one who wished they'd stepped away from their sport earlier. In fact, it was opposite. They were all so happy to compete. "This is the one time in your life that you get to be an athlete," Dad told me. "Everything else in your life will still be an option, but this is your time in life that you get to play and compete."

Mr. Botterill's sage words are along the same idea as "seize the moment" and "carpe diem", but Jennifer buckled down and competed in Vancouver where she helped Canada to a third-straight gold medal and played a major role in getting Canada back to the top of the mountain. And, as her father told her, she was still able to pursue other dreams like broadcasting and starting a family after that Olympic period was over. Listening to your parents pays off!

Overall, Why Not You was an enjoyable read about an incredible and successful woman, but you already knew that about Jennifer Botterill. While that story arc continues throughout the whole book as she recounts her life in hockey, there are so many more layers to her story - family, friends, teammates, coaches, opportunities, and experiences. As you read through this book, you'll find yourself intrigued, in awe, and inspired by Jennifer's career, her life, and the lessons she learned along the way, and that's why Why Not You absolutely deserves the Teebz's Book Club Seal of Approval!

Why Not You hits shelves on September 22, 2026, and you'll be able to find the book at all libraries and local bookstores. Why Not You is easy to read with no crass language nor outrageous stories so it's perfect for readers of all ages. In saying that, I read Why Not You very quickly because of its easy-to-read nature and amazing author, and Why Not You is absolutely recommended for all hockey fans!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

The Tournament That Didn't Happen

I'm sure there are a few people who question my sanity when it comes to some of the things I find in the online newspaper archives I use simply because it looks like I spend a lot of time there. What normally happens is that I go searching for something, and a story will catch my eye that needs more thorough investigation because of a claim or conjecture made. That's exactly what happened today as one newspaper published an interesting "sports quickie" that absolutely needed context and examination.

First off, let's start off with what caught my attention in the archive.

According to the Austin Herald of Austin, Minnesota, the NHL was planning an "invitational tournament" for all fourteen NHL teams in 1970 that would be played in Winnipeg. Being that my parents and I are all from Winnipeg and had never heard about this tournament, this left me scratching my head. How did the NHL begin plannning a big tournament in a hockey-mad city that never materialized?

With my interest piqued, it was time to start hunting for more information on this tournament that never happened. The internet held no information on this tournament, so the newspaper archive was going to be my source for all the information for something that never happened. The next article that came up was from the Albert Lea Tribune as The Associated Press confirmed the "sports quickie" from the Austin Herald. The good news is there was more information as the NHL seemingly was planning to have the tournament in the fall of 1970 after the proposed World Hockey Tournament was cancelled for host cities Montreal and Winnipeg as Canada disputed the use of professional players at the championship.

There's a bold statement from Maitland Steinkopf, chairman of the Manitoba Centennial Corporation, about this tournament, claiming that, after talking to NHL President Clarence Campbell, there was a "75 per cent chance that it will come off." The former Progressive Conservative politician and longtime businessman made it sound like there was a better than good chance that the tournament would happen for the Manitoba capital. But did it happen, though?

Dozens of newspapers ran The Associated Press's report on between January 30 to February 5, 1970, but an article from MacGregor, Manitoba's The MacGregor Herald gave even more details on what was planned as Steinkopf was aiming for late September or early October for dates, adding "Right now we've just got to clear the dates." All fourteen teams would be able to attend using their players under contract to compete in the one-loss-and-out tournament over the planned week of games. In short, it sounded like a preseason tournament that would have brought the best professional players on the planet together for games. This could have been the start of something that the NHL could build on to spark interest for the coming season.

It appeared that Steinkopf was planning this massive hockey tournament to align with Manitoba's centennial celebration in 1970. He was instrumental in bringing all sorts of projects and events forward that year including the Centennial Concert Hall in downtown Winnipeg and a concert called "Man-Pop" that saw all of Led Zeppelin, Iron Butterfly, the Youngbloods, Chilliwack, the Ides Of March, Dianne Heatherington and the Merry-Go-Round, the Mongrels, and Sugar & Spice perform in Winnipeg for one day. That lineup is insane!

For whatever reason, nothing else was published about this NHL invitational tournament following those early reports in 1970, and it could be because Steinkopf shifted his focus to music as Man-Pop took place on August 29, 1970. My guess is that the dates proposed by Steinkopf didn't work for either the arenas in and around Winnipeg or the NHL clubs themselves, but the tournament evaporated as fast as it seemed to materialize. Winnipeg was not an NHL city in 1970.

There is a bit of a sad note to this story as Maitland Steinkopf passed away on Sunday, November 22, 1970 from a heart attack. Had the tournament happened, his passing would have been just weeks after watching NHL teams compete in the Manitoba capital. It also meant that he missed out on the WHA setting up shop in Winnipeg after luring NHL superstar Bobby Hull to the league which, I believe, would have tickled his showman's heart. Rest peacefully, Mr. Steinkopf.

There's a quick bit of history about what could have been the start of an annual event for the NHL had everything gone to plan with the league-wide invitational tournament. Maitland Steinkopf nearly put Manitoba on the map as a hockey destination with his efforts, but that event simply wasn't in the cards for the city of Winnipeg in 1970.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Rule Change Friday

I don't think I'm in the minority here when I say that I like exciting hockey. Having been through the "dead puck" era of the NHL when some version of the trap was used by almost every team, watching hockey was a chore in that era where teams looked to prevent mistakes and were far more comfortable winning 2-1 while preventing their opposition from scoring more than two goals. Good defence hasn't taken a backseat in the NHL as we still see strong defensive teams, but no fans fo to hockey games to watch a clinic on how to stifle offensive hockey. Fans like offence, fans want offence, and two leagues today instituted rule changes that should help generate more offence in games and situations. Thee rule changes won't solve every problem when it comes to overall scoring in these leagues, but it shoudl give fans some hope that offensive hockey is being prioritized when it comes to entertainment value.

We'll start in the WHL who announced three rule changes today. The first two included implementing a coach's challenge for offside goals and adding an officials' review of major and match penalties, but the one I want to focus on in the "no return" 3-on-3 overtime. As you likely have seen in European leagues, teams in overtime can move the puck up the ice, but once they cross the centre ice line they are forbidden to retreat to their defensive zone unless playing defence. The numbers show this is a good rule.

The third rule today is exactly that - a "no retreat" overtime rule. Teams in the WHL will be forbidden to possess the puck in the defensive zone once they cross the centre red line, and this should promote more games being decided in overtime based on what we've seen in other leagues. We're one step close to banning the shootout!

In all seriousness, the Champions Legaue has been using this rule and tracking metrics, and it's not hard to see why this is better for the game. Here are their numbers and MHL (KHL junior circuit) numbers:

• Shot attempts increased by 51% in overtime overall.
• Alternating shot attempts increased by 53% as both teams played more offensively in trying to end the game.
• Puck possession changes were up 23% as teams simply could not retreat into their own zone and regroup.
• Attacking zone swaps increased by 17% as teams forced turnovers and moved the puck more.
• Games completed in overtime increased by 12%.
• Officials approved "no retreat" overtime by 87%, fans by 64%, and Champions League clubs by 63%.
• In the MHL, overtimes averaged 2:14 in length with this rule.
• The MHL saw 67% of games decided in overtime rather than the shootout, giving fans more entertainment.

In short, this overtime rule works because it forces teams to play offensively which results in more mistakes and more goals. Less shootouts are better for the game, so I'm happy to see the WHL adopt this rule rull-time! Now if we could reinstitute tie games....

That aside, we'll move to the AHL where they also made a couple of minor changes to their rules today. The two rules that shouldn't affect too many plays are an expanded video review process to give coaches more options for challenges and using video review for awarding goals for pucks entering the net on a continuous play despite the referee blowing the whistle. Both of these situations do happen so these needed some altering, but it's the third rule that could affect some teams' decisions when it comes to using video review liberally.

Starting today, the AHL announced that any "team’s first failed coach's challenge will result in a bench minor penalty for delay of game. Subsequent failed challenges in the same game will result in double-minor penalties" which is an excellent addition to the video review rules because there is nothing worse than a ten-minute delay after a goal is scored because some coach believed a player's skate was a millimeter offside. If he's right, good on that voach. If he simply wanted a timeout for his team, a minor and subsequent double-minor penalty should curb the enthusiasm over video reviews.

The AHL doesn't publish any numbers on video review challenges, but it seems clear that the Board of Governors wanted to see changes by implementing these new rules. Whether or not this cuts down on the number of coach's challenges seen in the AHL will be determined, but I'm very sure there aren't a lot of coaches willing to put his team down a man for four minutes after one unsuccessful challenge.

Both of these rules in these respective leagues should keep the pace of games moving and make the games more entertaining. The WHL will likely see more games decided in overtime which is always a good thing, and the AHL should see less long delays when video review of a play is needed as failed challenges will now see teams penalized more heavily. As Champions League stakeholders show with their approval ratings, fans, teams, and officials are fans of more entertaining games alike, and the NHL would be wise to start looking at these kinds of changes to make their product better overall.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

The Hockey Show - Episode 730

The Hockey Show, Canada's only campus-produced radio show that strictly talks hockey, is still not back in the confines of the UMFM studios as both hosts are off on separate adventures this week! That doesn't mean they forgot about the show, though, as they have another interview with a fascinating individual tonight! Honestly, it's the stories you don't hear about when it comes to hockey players - specifically, women's hockey players - that are absolutely incredible, and you'll hear a bunch of them from a former U SPORTS player who is now winning championships! Who is this person and what's her story? Find out tonight on The Hockey Show at 5:30pm CT!

Tonight, Teebz and Jason sit down and chat with former University of Saskatchewan Huskies defender Brooke Patron after she helped the NWZIHL's Auckland Steel win their fourth-straight championship! We talk to Brooke about growing up in Redvers, Saskatchewan, playing for Weyburn, her career with the Huskies, everything that happened between leaving Saskatchewan and landing in New Zealand, her chosen careers, her newest sporting endeavour, and, of course, her hockey career in New Zealand! Honestly, Brooke's life has been a whirlwind of awesome jobs, good hockey opportunities, and not being afraid to chase her dreams, and you'll hear that in the interview as we get to know the former Huskies rearguard tonight on The Hockey Show at 5:30pm CT on one of 101.5 FM, Channel 718 on MTS TV, or via UMFM.com!

If you live outside Winnipeg and want to listen, we have options! The 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 with former Huskies defender and current NZWIHL champion Brooke Patron about Saskatchewan, university hockey, frequent moves, horticulture, New Zealand hockey, Jason Momoa, Lord of the Rings, getting in the ring, and much more exclusively on 101.5 UMFM and on the UMFM.com web stream!

PODCAST: September 17, 2026: Episode 730

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Jersey's Got Skills

After she left the Seattle Kraken, it seemed like hockey was letting one of the smartest minds in the game sit on the sidelines with Jessica Campbell being unemployed. Some neanderthals will argue that's where she likely deserved to be, but it's hard to argue about the work she did with the AHL's Coachella Valley Firebirds in helping them reach back-to-back Calder Cup Finals. In any case, the wait is now over as Campbell has been hired by the New Jersey Devils as the team's manager of hockey development, and this might be a role that suits her best when it comes to building skills and identifying strengths and weaknesses in players. If you want someone who focuses on the details to ensure results are being achieved, Jessica Campbell brings that to the New Jersey Devils.

Campbell's tenure with the Firebirds saw her working with players on the skill development side as a skills and skating coach, and there's an argument to be made that the Devils could use some of that knowledge she possesses after missing the playoffs by eleven points last season. That's not to say that the Devils don't have good players, but there's a case to be made that more skilled teams make the playoffs more often. If Campbell is managing the entire portfolio of hockey development, skills development should fall under her watch.

We haven't seen a lot of high-end talent come out of the Utica Devils in recent years for New Jersey, so Utica could be the landing spot for players that GM Sunny Mehta and Campbell identify as future Devils. With Mehta and his scouting staff identifying players they want to sign and Campbell evaluating their skills, adding Campbell could prove to be be a very fruitful hiring for the Devils if they start identifying and developing players quicker. That will help in a number of areas including success on the ice, on their balance sheet with respect to the salary cap, and by attracting more high-end talent.

"She's very detail oriented. She listens very well to the players and what we want to do," former Devils defender Damon Severson said of Campbell's coaching approach. "It's not always just about going out with her and putting drills on the ice and we just do them. She wants to hear the players' feedback and what we want to work on throughout the summer. She just wants to get herself better."

That kind of growth she's pursuing would have interested Mehta who in worked for the Devils from 2014-18 as their director of hockey analytics where he built the first full-time analytics department in the NHL. Clearly, Mehta is a forward-thinking guy who uses as much knowledge and data as he can to make smart moves, so having someone who can build on the skills of players that he acquires makes sense if the Devils are going to compete for a Stanley Cup.

Everything seems to point to Mehta's experiences watching and learning from the architects who built the Devils in the 1990s that led to success that spanned a decade, and it sounds like Mehta is all-in on the developmental aspect of the Devils who will look to build a strong AHL team in Utica with players who can step into an NHL role at any time. That's where Campbell will play a vital role in helping Mehta achieve that vision with her commitment to development.

For a guy who was once a poker player, rolling the dice with Campbell in charge of hockey development seems like a sure win. There might be some bumps along the way as nothing ever comes easy, but Campbell's dedication to improving player skills and Mehta's dedication to improving the Devils seems like pocket pair of aces.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

It Was Always One Name

I had a chuckle today as a co-worker lamented over Connor Hellebuyck's situation in my office. His proposal was that the Jets are now the laughing stock of the NHL thanks to Kevin Cheveldayoff's inability to facilitate a trade with any number of teams, and this poor asset management will lead to more heartbreak for Jets fans like him. I can't say he's wrong, but his proposal that the Jets should apply for a new team name as the "Jokes" made me laugh before it got the old gray matter churning as we almost had a minor-league version of the Jets before the Atlanta Thrashers headed north.

Back in the summer of 1996, the IHL approved the relocation of the Minnesota Moose to Winnipeg as current Jets' owner Mark Chipman had bought the IHL franchise. Of course, a new league and team in town generates excitement, and one of the ways to get fans involved early is to run a "Name the Team" contest. We already knew the Moose were coming to Winnipeg with that name, so did Chipman need to run this contest? Apparently, the correct answer is yes.

On Friday, March 1, 1996, the newly-relocated IHL franchise in Winnipeg took out a half-page advertisement in the Winnipeg Free Press to run their "Name the Team" contest. This is that ad.

There was a pretty cool grand prize for whoever had their entry selected as flying to Chicago to see the Wolves and Moose play on Air Canada with a friend would be pretty fun despite the game being played in Rosemont as opposed to Chicago. Nevertheless, a free trip is awesome and getting to watch live hockey always makes it better.

However, I want to point your attention to the actual "Name the Team" entry portion of the advertisement where two of the names seem very familiar if you're a Winnipeg hockey fan of any kind.

The team went ahead and proposed two names that they didn't own nor held the trademarks for by printing "Winnipeg Jets" and "Winnipeg Warriors" as two of their more popular names. The Jets had just moved to the Arizona desert to become the Coyotes while the Warriors left Winnipeg in 1984 to become the Moose Jaw Warriors. As far as I can tell, neither the Coyotes nor the Moose Jaw Warriors had given permission to Chipman et al. to use those names for his team.

Had one of those names been selected by fans, it's likely that Mark Chipman would have had to negotiate the rights for those names since they belonged to those franchises, but history tells us that the team went with "Manitoba Moose" which seems like the name that requires the least amount of work to trademark. After all, the team once was the Minnesota Moose, and the original Moose logo literally was just modified to say "Manitoba" rather than "Minnesota".

What makes this rather unbelievable to me, however, is that Mark Chipman, current owner of the Jets, proposed that name for the Moose who were the first professional hockey franchise he owned in Winnipeg. It feels like the name "Jets" was always going to be the name of a pro hockey team if one returned to Winnipeg, and, in 2011, we found out that the NHL team that moved from Atlanta would indeed be called "Winnipeg Jets". It's almost like Chipman wanted that name and wasn't going to let anyone else have it!

I want to be clear that "Jets" isn't a bad name in any way, but it seems like, with the advertisement above, that Mark Chipman would someday own a professional hockey franchise called "Winnipeg Jets". He may have missed out on having that dream achieved in the IHL in 1996, but he certainly didn't miss again in 2011 when he bought and relocated the Atlanta Thrashers franchise. And had the fans opted for that name and the NHL had given up rights to that name, we may now be talking about the fourth iteration of the Jets after they played in the WHA, the NHL, the IHL, and back again in the NHL.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Politics And Hockey

The skates to the left are what Alexander Ovechkin wore for warm-up for one game back in 2017 while skating with the Capitals. Obviously, that was before the war in Ukraine began and there was still a modicum of goodwill towards Ovechkin in Washington hockey circles, but things have changed in the last decade to help the world see that Russia is a villain on the world's stage. Every player and his or her team's marketing department is very aware of that player's public image, so you'd think Ovechkin would be distancing himself from Russia's leadership to remain as neutral as possible, right?

Ovechkin has always walked his own path in the NHL, though, and it seems he's found a way to change his image once again. Watch below.
What you just saw was a campaign ad for the United Russia party which supports Russian president Vladimir Putin, meaning that Alexander Ovechkin is clearly supporting Russia's violent visit inside Ukraine. I was hoping the "keep politics out of sports" people would jump all over this, but it seems that the anti-war and anti-Russia crowdsa are currently doing a solid job at tearing down Ovechkin's public image right now. Frankly, he deserves all the vitriol.

As per The Guardian's Robert Mackey and Tom Lutz, "Russian business newspaper Vedomosti published images of the Washington Capitals star alongside pro-Putin figures such as Russia's foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, the leading parliamentary candidate on United Russia's list, and Margarita Simonyan, the editor-in-chief of the propaganda network RT." Clearly, no one is advising Ovechkin on his image during the offseason if these are the people with whom he's associating.

It's no secret that Ovechkin and Putin have long been acquaintences if not colleagues. The Capitals star has never denied being a pro-Putin Russian, praising the Russian president at times and helping to raise support for him. With the war still raging in Ukraine, however, this little charade of letting Ovechkin do and say whatever he wants should come to a quick ending. Canada, who has backed Ukraine since the start of the invasion, should stop Ovechkin from entering the country under Immigration and Refugee Protection Act rules for being a key and vocal supporter of the current Russian regime.

If Ovechkin wants to play stupid games, these are the consequences of his actions. There's no right for him to play or work in Canada, so Canada doesn't need to honour his political choices. He made a conscious decision to appear in that campaign ad, and now would be a good time to show him the fallout from that stupid decision.

Of course, Canada won't do that because it would create a slippery slope and look vengeful, but I'd love to see someone put Ovechkin in his place over his political beliefs. Hockey is his profession, but there's a bigger world out there where being on the right side of history - even if he previously spoke out in favour of Putin - plays a role in how people are remembered once their star's shine begins to fade. I was never an Ovechkin fan which I've stated before, but this is yet another reason why I'm no longer supporting the NHL: they said a lot of words about and threw some money at helping the people of Ukraine, but they do nothing to back those words up with actions.

I'll tip my cap to players like Nikita Zadorov, Artemi Panarin, and Dominik Hasek who have spoken out about Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the atrocities associated with the war. A lot of players won't as part of them and their team's marketing department protecting their public images, but these three men have spoken out bravely in the face of a Russian tyrant in Vladimir Putin. It's a shame that one of Russia's biggest stars can't have some influence on the country's leadership personalities after cozying up to them.

He may have more than 900 goals in the NHL, but I won't be surprised if Ovechkin is booed every time he touches the puck this season over his support of warmongering idiots who think Soviet-era Russia still exists. He's welcome to stand behind whomever he likes politically, but it doesn't mean that we can't remind him of Ukraine's sovereignty and independence at every opportunity. Add in "support of tyrants" to the morally-reprehensible list of alleged bigots, racists, domestic abusers, and rapists that play in the NHL. Again, that's why I'm out.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!