The Tour May Continue?

Back on August 10, I wrote an article about Russian star Evgeny Kuznetsov signing with Sibir Novosibirsk where I joked that he could "suit up for every team by age 44 if he keeps up his current pace" of switching teams. I'm completely in the camp that Kuznetsov doesn't read HBIC, but it feels a little coincidental that Kuznetsov left Novosibirsk after just eight games yesterday. According to several posts on Instagram, it appears that Kuznetsov's father's health is behind his sudden and surprising departure from the team, but that will mark the fifth KHL team he's skated for in his career. Will he reappear elsewhere?

I take nothing away from Kuznetsov if he is spending time with his father during this time. Kuznetsov doesn't need the money that the KHL pays, and having him play with his father's health weighing on him likely wouldn't have been good for Sibir Novosibirsk who needed him at his best. My hope is that his father recovers because no one needs that kind of dark cloud, so here's hoping he's back on his feet soon and Kuznetsov can get back to playing hockey somewhere.

Assuming his father lives in Chelyabinsk where Kuznetsov was born, Kuznetsov could sign a deal with Traktor Chelyabinsk once his father recovers in order to remain closer to him. Kuznetsov got his start with Traktor Chelyabinsk back in 2009, so it would be a homecoming of sorts for the once-prolific scorer. Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg is three hours to the north of Chelyabinsk as well while both Ufa and Magnitogorsk are just over three hours away. The last two teams, however, have already had Kuznetsov on their rosters last season.

In short, the 34 year-old is running out of options quickly if he wants to remain close to home to be near his father for health reasons.

Others, meanwhile, have suggested that Kuznetsov's departure from Sibir might have something to do with the fact that Sibir is a bad team. Currently, Sibir sits with a 3-7-0-2 record for eight points which puts them at 11th out of 11 teams in the KHL's Eastern Conference. They've surrendered the most goals in the Eastern Conference and the third-most in the KHL, and have only scored more than two goals in three of their 12 games thus far. It's been a rough start so far.

I'm not here to suggest that Kuznetsov gave up on Sibir Novosibirsk, but winning once in their last five games when they were tied or led going into the third period certainly isn't a selling feature to a guy like Kuznetsov. The lede photo is of him in street clothes early in the second period of an October 29, 2025 game between Ak Bars Kazan and Metallurg Magnitogorsk after Metallurg head coach Andrei Razin benched him for poor play after the first period. I'm not saying these situations are the same, but Kuznetsov doesn't do himself any favours when he leaves a team without a clear explanation for his departure.

Whatever the reason is for him leaving Sibir Novosibirsk, Evgeny Kuznetsov is, once again, a free agent. With five out of 22 KHL teams off his list, will he add a sixth team this season or will he return to one of his previous teams? If his father's health doesn't improve, will he return at all? Here's hoping the elder Kuznetsov's health recovers so we see Evgeny Kuznetsov back on the ice somewhere in Russia.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Major Uniform History Day

Imagine for a moment that it's the fall of 1974. Colours are changing on the trees, leaves are beginning to fall, and the fashion world is wearing earth tones and flared- and wide-leg pants. There were design changes to the Ford Mustang and Pontiac Firebirds, Lamborghini introduced the world to the Countach, Richard Nixon had just resigned as President of the United States due to the Watergate scandal, and the UPC Barcode to scan products at stores was still in its infancy. The world was a different place 50 years ago as Hank Aaron broke Babe Ruth's career home run record, People magazine first appeared on newsstands, and Chinese farmers discovered the Terracotta Army.

We're going to focus on fashion, though, and specifically on the NHL because October 4, 1974 is a day where something happened in a preseason game that maked a major moment in uniform history as per a social media account called KingsUniHistory. As per that account, the LA Kings "wore their gold home uniform with forum blue pants for the first time in 4 years in a preseason game against the Golden Seals". I know that a lot of people will read that and think, "That's not very significant," but it was because the Kings began wearing gold pants at the start of the 1970-71 season with their gold jerseys, meaning that the "forum blue" pants were used exclusively with their purple road jerseys throughout the decade!

If you know anything about me, I much prefer hockey uniforms to have contrasting pants colours to break up the monochrome look that happens when pants and jerseys match. The Kings actually wore that contrasting uniform style from their first time on the ice until the end of the 1969-70 season as shown to the right, and that looks all sorts of correct compared to the single-colour gold choice they opted to wear in 1970-71 and beyond. Make no mistake that there were some questionable uniform decisions made in the 1970s by a handful of teams, but gold-over-gold by the Kings is a head-scratcher.

The gold-over-purple combination would only be worn on October 4, though, as the Kings continued to use their gold pants throughout that season. As the KingsUniHistory account describes, "It was the only time this uniform faced California's all teal 1974-76 road uniform," meaning that every other date between 1974 and 1976 featured the all-gold Kings versus the all-teal California Seals! Finding any sort of record of these games is next to impossible, however, but we'll go with KingsUniHistory's knowledge that the gold-over-purple only saw the all-teal Seals once in the preseason on October 4, 1974.

The other major note is that the Seals' all-teal look also debuted in this game as the California Seals went from their Oakland Athletics-inspired kelly-green-and-gold look in 1973-74 to their uniform their new look for the 1974-75 season. With Charlie Finley selling the team in 1974, the colours were swapped to a more traditional west coast feel by the NHL who owned the franchise. That all-teal look debuted on October, 1974 in the preseason game against the Kings as well, so there were two major uniform events that on occurred that day!

You might be asking if the Kings, in their first gold-over-purple game in four years, won the game against the Seals, and they did not. They didn't lose either, though, as the game ended as a 1-1 tie. As shown to the left, Mike Murphy opened the scoring for the Kings before Seals' rookie Wayne King scored off a rebound to square the score, and the final score would be recorded as a 1-1 preseason tie. Just for fun, the California Seals found a way to break through for a win two days later as they downed the Kings by a 5-2 score on October 6, 1974.

The rivalry was already starting to simmer between these California rivals as they battled for west coast surpemacy, and the weird part was they weren't even in the same division in 1974! The California Golden Seals would play in the Adams Division that season with Boston, Buffalo, and Toronto while Los Angeles was in the Norris Division with Montreal, Pittsburgh, Detroit, and Washington. Both the Adams and Norris Division played in the Prince of Wales Conference that season. The NHL cared not for your geography lessons.

I searched everywhere for reasons as to why the Kings wore their purple pants on October 4, 1974, and I can't find any site or newspaper article with a reason for that uniform decision. I will say it's the right one, though, because the gold-over-gold uniform was a bad look, even for the disco era. As for the Seals, they wouldn't last past 1976 so they never saw the Kings in purple pants again.

How often do we get a uniform debut for one team and a one-game uniform note for the other in the same game? Not very often, and that's why October 4, 1974 was a major uniform history day!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Two Touchdowns Is Enough, Right?

Being that this is a Sunday, any other season would see The Rundown make an appearance in this spot. With HBIC only a few articles away from hitting 7000 on this blog and because I'm a man of my word, that's not appearing here today despite us being one week out from the Canada West regular season beginning. I do want to rekindle one thing from The Rundown, though, and that's my dislike of teams running up scores. I know that coaches don't want teams to develop bad habits by letting up, but being up two converted touchdowns on a team should be a sign that one has scored enough to win a hockey game, right?

Pictured above is Boston College and Stonehill who met this weekend for Stonehill University's home opener. The Skyhawks came into the came with an 0-2 record after dropping both games against Syracuse in western New York by a combined score of 7-1, so the Skyhawks were looking to bounce back at home against one of the best teams on the east coast in the Boston College Eagles who were kicking off their season with a game at Warrior Ice Arena yesterday.

Again, I cannot stress this enough, but running up a score against an opponent just makes good teams look bad. Setting a program record for goals scored would be fun if the game was close in score, but Boston College not only set a program record, but an NCAA record for the largest goal differential in NCAA women's hockey history on Saturday. I already have a sour taste in my mouth about this game.

Prior to this season, Boston College and Stonehill had only met once for a regular season game, and the Eagles came away with a 5-1 win on September 28, 2024 which was the game from where the lede image above was taken. Lily Geist scored Stonehill's lone goal that day which tied the game at 1-1 just 4:14 into the first period, but that would be as close as the Skyhawks got in that September game.

Saturday saw Boston College score early, score often, and score a lot more than just five goals on the Skyhawks. In fact, it took the Eagles just 12:13 to score five times in this game as they took a 7-0 lead into the first intermission, a 10-0 lead into the second intermission, and they'd retire to their locker room after the game's final horn with the scoreboard showing the score to the right. So I have to ask what would possess Boston College to run up the score like this in a non-conference game against a clearly weaker opponent? What exactly did this score prove other than Boston College is in a different tier of hockey teams than Stonehill is? Is Boston College proud of this score? How does this blowout help them be better?

Boston College used three goaltenders in this game as Avah Sedore stopped five shots in the first period, Bailey Callaway was the busiest of the Eagles' goalies with nine stops in the middle frame, and Bella Pomarico stopped six shots in the third period to keep Stonehill off the scoreboard. In contrast, Stonehill's Nicole Schumm stopped 11 of 16 shots she faced before being pulled after the fifth Boston College goal at 12:13, and Maria Duffer was thrown to the wolves as she made 32 stops on 44 shots. Again, how does this help either team?

If you believe in karma and that kind of stuff, know that the "Hockey Gods" frown on this sort of score and that Boston College likely has some sort comeuppance awaiting them down the line. I'm not wishing any player harm in any manner, but you know that Boston College will be in a tight game at some point where they need a goal and the puck simply won't bounce their way. Don't say I didn't warn you when the Eagles need a win in the Beanpot or the NCAA National Championship and some weird bounce leads to a goal against them.

Stonehill opens their NEWHA Conference schedule against Saint Michael's College this weekend, and they'll likely play with a little snarl after yesterday's game. Boston College will be in Worcester, Massachusetts for a game against Holy Cross where they'll find stiffer competition. Both teams will likely forget about yesterday's game in quick fashion for different reasons, but you have to wonder if this blowout will have an effect in future years when it comes to having these teams play again. If Boston College is just going to beat up Stonehill, why would the Skyhawks agree to play the Eagles?

Blowout scores do nothing for either program when it comes to tactics, strategies, and positives to build on as the season begins. Stonehill will likely watch a lot of video to see where things went wrong while Boston College will go back to work full of false confidence after posting two converted touchdowns and a field goal.

For outsiders, though, this is a bad look for the NCAA when it comes to how far apart these teams may be in terms of talent, recruiting, and execution. I never expected to be talking about a 17-goal difference between two teams in a single game, and I assure you that I never want to be talking about that kind of disparity again.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

I'm Booked Today

My whirlwind start to October will continue today as I am booked for the entire day. The image to the left is related to the reason I'm booked as I'll be emceeing a wedding today that features two people who are genuinely awesome. Neither are Boston Bruins fans nor are they even big hockey fans, but the wedding cake to the left is pretty amazing in terms of how it looks. I know weddings are mainly about the bride, so I'm assumning the bride who had this cake is a huge fan of the Bruins. In any case, I'll be running the music during the ceremony in the early afternoon before keeping everyone on time at the reception as the master of ceremonies. I'm honoured to have been asked to be part of this day, and I'll deliver my best.

Wedding chatter aside for a moment, I did want to draw attention to the list of EBUGs that the NHL published yesterday. Feel free to read through that list if you like, but I want to point out two of the goalies on that list who have U SPORTS experience! It's pretty awesome to see a couple of guys who played at the Canadian university level getting a chance to sign a contract with an NHL team, and no, it doesn't matter that it's an EBUG contract. It's still a valid NHL deal.

We'll start out in Calgary where the Flames signed former Mount Royal Cougars netminder Dustin (Dusty) Nickel! Nickel actually joined the Cougars in 2011-12 for their final ACAC season where he played in one game, but he was on the roster for the 2012-13 season when Mount Royal made the jump to the Canada West Conference! He was listed as one of four goalies on the Cougars' roster that season and didn't get into any Canada West games in that season.

His 2013-14 season would end early thanks to Nickel suffering a knee injury in training camp. That knee injury would require him to miss the entire season in his third year of eligibility, and his fourth year was spent in the pressbox as well. Nickel never actually got to wear his #32 jersey on the ice in a regular season game for Mount Royal which seems cruel. He did graduate, however, with his business degree from Mount Royal University, and he's putting that to good use today as he owns his own construction business and works as a senior coach for Apex Goaltending! Not bad for a guy who missed time!

What makes this story cooler, though, is that Nickel's name should ring a bell for Flames fans as he was the team's old EBUG before the new rules went into place! Back on November 27, 2023, he nearly got his shot to stop pucks for the Flames after Jacob Markstrom was deemed to ill to play after the daily transaction period had passed, leaving Calgary with only Dan Vladar as a goalie. The Flames quickly signed Nickel to an Amateur Tryout Contract, and all eyes were on #40 after Vladar was bowled over by Golden Knights forward William Carrier minutes into the game! Would Nickel get his chance to shine?

"There was so much going through my head at that point," Nickel told the assembled media post-game. "I was hoping he would get up... especially when you look up and there's 55 minutes left in the game."

Vladar would recover, though, and the Flames went on to win 2-1 that night, but Nickel had been a mainstay with the Flames for some time before his night as the backup goalie as he was practising with both the Flames and the AHL Wranglers. In fact, he suffered a torn groin in 2022 while stopping pucks during a shooter's drill, but the Flames organization never asked anyone else to be the EBUG once Nickel was healthy again, bringing Nickel back for 2023 and beyond.

"The guys love Dusty," head coach Ryan Huska said. "Dusty comes out with us a fair bit whenever we need to rest a goalie, or if we have someone that needs some extra time. They love having him around."

The other guy who will do his best to not be pressed into action, but be ready if he is needed, is former Nipissing Lakers and former MacEwan Griffins netminder Brett Epp! The Edmonton-born Epp was signed by the Edmonton Oilers this season after serving as an unofficial EBUG over the last couple of seasons. Epp, however, actually got his university career started south of the border with the Nichols College Bison in Dudley, Massachusetts where he was 10-16-3!

After transferring to Nipissing University in North Bay, Ontario, he spent two years at Nipissing where, unfortunately, the COVID pandemic limited him to six games where he went 4-2-0 with a 2.78 GAA and a .915 save percentage before he signed with the ECHL's Newfoundland Growlers. Epp would bounce around the SPHL and a few lower leagues, but he'd resurface back in Alberta in 2024-25!

Epp would use his final year of eligibility to play with his hometown MacEwan Griffins where Epp would make a little history. His regular season wasn't all that great with the Griffins as he went 3-9-1 with a 3.90 GAA and an .888 save percentage, but he did record the program's first Canada West playoff win with a 41-save effort in a 3-2 overtime win over UBC on February 21, 2025! UBC would win the next two games to eliminate MacEwan that season, but Epp's name went into the record books for picking up that win for the program!

Epp has yet to play a single minute for either of the Oilers or the AHL's Bakersfield Condors, but he'll be listed on their roster this season as the official EBUG! And, despite his lack of experience, he seems to be the right guy for the job as Edmonton goalie coach Peter Aubry told Janson Duench of The Athletic, "The big reason he’s here is the guys like him. Fortunately, we had a free peek last year where Brett had come out and done a few practices with us, so that was a good thing and gives everyone a little bit more comfort."

What makes both of these stories even better is that, as per the NHL's mandate, both men will wear #00 on their jerseys if they ever are pressed into action or to backup one of the everyday NHL netminders. On that note, Epp had an even cooler story that he told to the Edmonton Journal's Gerry Moddejonge on Thursday, saying, "My grandma had her birthday last week, and we went out and got a double-zero jersey made for her, so that was pretty cool."

While a handful of teams have yet to have an EBUG on NHL.com's list, the fact that both Alberta NHL teams have local kids who played for a university in their repsective cities as their EBUGs is pretty cool. Frankly, it would be awesome if Montreal and Vancouver signed local guys who played for universities in their cities, so I'll hold onto the hope that the Canucks find a UBC or Trinity Western goalie while Montreal looks at a Concordia or McGill netminder for their EBUG.

As for me, the only letters I'll wear today are M and C. I'm definitely not qualified to be an EBUG in any capacity, but I don't think a wedding needs nor have I ever heard of an Emergency Backup Groom either. I'll let the couple who have been preparing and rehearsing for this day handle those responsibilities while I make announcements. An an wedding emcee, that's the kind of pressure I can handle.

I'm off to get things organized, so enjoy your day, folks. I know mine will be fantastic as I witness two people wed in a beautiful union that will last forever because they're awesome and make a heckuva team!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

It Took Three Days

I will fully admit that I have not been watching a lot of hockey thanks to life being one event after another right now. For as much as I need and want some time to relax, it seems I'm just as busy as I was through the summer. Of course, my drive to watch NHL hockey has been low as I already admitted that I was already disappointed in the NHL in many ways which doesn't help, but being busy virtually every night hasn't allowed me to settle down in front of a broadcast and watch. Last night, though, the NHL delivered one of the things I absolutely enjoy seeing in any season, and all it took was three days into the 2026-27 season for someone to add his name to the NHL history books last night.

The Tampa Bay Lightning were in Manhattan to play the New York Rangers last night, and things weren't going well as they trailed 4-1 late in the game. Lightning head coach Jon Cooper rolled the dice and pulled his goalie for an extra attacker to close the gap, and that gave Rangers netminder Igor Shesterkin the opportunity he wanted.
Igor Shesterkin becomes the 18th NHL goaltender to be credited with a goal as he netted the fifth Rangers goal in a 5-1 victory over Tampa Bay! He also becomes the first New York Rangers goaltender to accomplish the feat while making 24 saves to help New York pick up its first win of the season! That's a solid night by any measure!

What's even crazier is that Shesterkin didn't see the puck slide into the yawning Lightning cage, telling reporters, "I didn't see the puck land so I didn't know can I celebrate or not." Celebrate he did, though, as he was mobbed by his teammates after scoring the 21st goalie goal in NHL history. Officially, Shesterkin's first NHL goal came at 17:26 of the third period to put the Rangers up 5-1. With a goal and a win under his belt tonight, he joins a long list of NHL goalies who have celebrated scoring a goal in a game. They include:

• Billy Smith, NY Islanders – Nov. 28, 1979 at Colorado
• Ron Hextall, Philadelphia – Dec. 8, 1987 vs. Boston
• Ron Hextall, Philadelphia – Apr. 11, 1989 at Washington*
• Chris Osgood, Detroit – Mar. 6, 1996 at Hartford
• Martin Brodeur, New Jersey – Apr. 17, 1997 vs. Montreal
• Damian Rhodes, Ottawa – Jan 2, 1999 vs. New Jersey
• Martin Brodeur, New Jersey – Feb. 15, 2000 vs. Philadelphia**
• Jose Theodore, Montreal – Jan. 2, 2001 at NY Islanders
• Evgeni Nabokov, San Jose – Mar. 10, 2002 at Vancouver***
• Mika Noronen, Buffalo – Feb. 14, 2004 at Toronto
• Chris Mason, Nashville – Apr. 15, 2006 vs Phoenix
• Cam Ward, Carolina – Dec. 26, 2011 vs. New Jersey
• Martin Brodeur, New Jersey – Mar. 21, 2013 at Carolina***
• Mike Smith, Phoenix – Oct. 19, 2013 vs. Detroit
• Pekka Rinne, Nashville - Jan. 9, 2020 at Chicago
• Linus Ullmark, Boston - Feb. 25, 2023 at Vancouver
• Tristan Jarry, Pittsburgh - Nov. 30, 2023 at Tampa Bay
• Filip Gustavsson, Minnesota - Oct. 15, 2024 at St. Louis***
• Alex Nedeljkovic, Pittsburgh - January 17, 2025 at Buffalo
• Ilya Sorokin, NY Islanders - March 1, 2025 vs Nashville
• Igor Shesterkin, NY Rangers - October 1, 2026 vs Tampa Bay

Some quick notes: the italicized goals above were scored in the playoffs. The single asterisk denotes a shorthanded goal, the double-asterisk goal denotes a game-winning goal, and the triple-asterisk goals were scored on the power-play. The Islanders, Pittsburgh, and Nashville have had two different goalies score for them in NHL history. Brodeur and Hextall have scored more than once.

If you're scanning that list, Shesterkin's goal last night was also the earliest goalie goal scored in any season, beating Minnesota's Filip Gustavsson by two weeks! It should also be noted that Shesterkin reportedly scored while playing for Spartak Moscow in the MHL in Russia when he was 17 way back on October 31, 2013. It marked the first time that any goalie had scored in the MHL, and it helped Spartak Moscow down Red Bull Salzburg by a 4-1 score that night.

Now at age 30, the netminder can officially add a second puck to his trophy case to commemorate his first professional hockey goal!

Congratulations to Igor Shesterkin for his historic goal last night, and let me just reiterate that goalie goals at any level are awesome. That's one in the books for the 2026-27 season; how many more will be scored by goalies this year? I'm hoping we get a pile more!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

The Hockey Show - Episode 732

The Hockey Show, Canada's only campus-produced radio show that strictly talks hockey, is back in the UMFM studio tonight as we get set for another big show. This one will have our hosts looking at one main topic that likely needs some explaining with all the circumstances and details that surround the story, so be prepared for a lot of examination with fine-toothed combs tonight. There will be a handful of other smaller stories for those looking to avoid the elephant in the room, so make sure you find a seat near an audio device for The Hockey Show at 5:30pm CT!

Tonight, Teebz and Jason are going to tackle the big story in hockey right now as they'll break down the last month of news coming out of Arizona State University and the myraid of problems that institution faces with respect to Matthew Mayich. Assuming we get through that discussion, we'll also chat about something that hasn't happened for nearly forty years, the new NHL equipment rules and Trevor Zegras' tuck, the new NHL Board of Governors leadership, an NHL player with some artistic talent, and how CBC can make the PWHL by doing what it always did best. There's going to be a lot to discuss and break down in that ASU conversation, though, so make sure you're ready to go for all the chatter 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 Arizona State University, a missing piece, equipment rule enforcement, new leadership, arts and crafts, rediscovering talent, and much more exclusively on 101.5 UMFM and on the UMFM.com web stream!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

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!