A Hollow Award

It's human nature to want to celebrate being honoured for achievements. No one will deny an award they're given and it seems like no one ever will stop another from singing one's praises. I should point out that not all honours are made equal as we know that the Oscars and the Razzies are on opposite ends of the entertainment spectrum, so it would serve everyone well to remember that patting one's self on the back for being honoured may not be the best idea. I say this in the wake of the NHL being named as Sports Business Journal's "League of the Year" on Wednesday because as much as they deserve recognition, there are still issues underneath the business layer that need solving.

The NHL has been boasting record revenues and increased attendance and television numbers year over year for some time now, and it seems that the Sports Business Journal is finally recognizing these benchmarks. A lot of that has to do with "a long-awaited return to international competition" and a "strong working relationship with the NHL Players Association," but the "12-year extension of its Canadian media rights agreement with Rogers Communications" was also cited by the publication as a major reason for the awarded honour.

What concerns me is that Sports Business Journal didn't even get the terms of the Rogers' deal correct. Alex Silverman wrote,

The problem is that the value of the entire deal through 2037-38 is $7.7 billion in US funds. With Sports Business Journal reporting that the deal was worth $7.7 billion "annually", they have significantly and carelessly overstated the value of the deal by billions of dollars. The actual deal works out to being approximately $642 million USD annually for the NHL, so the Sports Business Journal overvalued the deal by $7.1 billion annually by their report. Details matter.

With the Sports Business Journal already recognizing the 4 Nations Face-Off as the SBJ Event of the Year last year along with having the Florida Panthers as Sports Team of the Year, the Sports Business Journal recognized the success of the 2026 Milano-Cortina Olympics as the reason for the NHL seeing "its best U.S. viewership in more than a decade". If that's the case, shouldn't the Milano-Cortina Olympics be recognized for its part for these great TV numbers?

In fact, the NHL should get zero credit for any Olympic involvement and the resulting benefits from the Olympics because of how long the NHL refused to participate. It was the NHLPA who demanded Olympic participation in the latest CBA negotiations, not the NHL. Taking credit for something that they were repeatedly criticized for not doing is entirely dishonest, and the Sports Business Journal should be fully aware of these facts. Somehow, they decided to ignore them.

I'll give credit to the NHL for working with the NHLPA more closely to improve relations between the two sides, and both sides deserve equal creit for extending the CBA through to 2030 before it was even close to expiring. However, that work wasn't entirely all the NHL's doing, and the NHLPA deserves as much credit as the NHL for keeping that labour peace. Again, the Sports Business Journal should be aware of this fact, but they seem to only credit the NHL for the CBA peace.

On the surface, the "League of the Year" seemingly didn't do much, so recognizing them for not being stupid doesn't make them smart. It only makes them less stupid. And yet there are other problems facing the NHL for which the Sports Business Journal didn't account.

In celebrating "its best U.S. viewership in more than a decade," the Sports Business Journal didn't speak of all the regional broadcasters who stopped showing games due to financial issues. The FanDuel Sports Network isn't broadcasting the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs due to filing for bankruptcy, both RDS and TVA Sports will stop French broadcasts in Quebec with TVA Sports' issues going as far back as 2017, Rogers Sportsnet announced increased costs for national and regional broadcasts, and teams such as the Dallas Stars, Vegas Golden Knights, Florida Panthers, and Utah Mammoth have all gone with cheaper over-the-air stations and their own streaming services for regional games. Talk about record TV viewers all you like, but the NHL is failing here with no way to recoup lost regional TV revenues.

Home attendance numbers will likely begin falling as well as ticket prices continue to climb. The Carolina Hurricanes are already priced out of some fans' budgets in these playoffs, the NHL's worst team is raising season ticket prices again, 2026 Stanley Cup Playoff tickets have exploded in price across the league, and some of the most expensive tickets in all of sports went up again this season.

With ticket price increases clearly outpacing the rise in income levels for fans, the NHL as a gate-driven league is on the precipice of seeing less fans come through the turnstiles due to how out of whack their ticket prices are. And I haven't even mentioned merchandise, concenssions, or parking yet. This, more than anything else they're facing, should be the most serious concern for the NHL to address.

The NHL is welcome to celebrate the Sports Business Journal's "League of the Year" award, but it should have been a little more humble in recognizing and giving credit to riding the coattails of some remarkable events and an incredible partner in the NHLPA who, I'd argue, did more to help the NHL than the NHL helped itself. There are still massive problems on the horizon when it comes to TV and ticket prices, so it's not like the NHL radically changed the sporting world in 2025 based on the Sports Business Journal's criteria.

You don't get credit for being smart when you're only less stupid.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Hammered In The Hammer

The image to the left is supposed to be of Mjölnir, the hammer carried by Norse god Thor. According to Norse legend, Thor, the god of thunder, used Mjölnir to defeat the enemies of Asgard and in ceremonies such as weddings and births. If you're a Marvel fan, you know that the hammer was only wielded by those who were deemed "worthy" as only select Avengers were able to lift the hammer from where it rested. In short, the marketing options would have been endless for a hockey team who wanted to call themselves "Hammers", but it seems these eay wins aren't even in consideration for the city of Hamilton.

With the Islanders and the city of Hamilton coming together for their press conference yesterday to introduce the world to the Hamilton Hammers while promoting this logo to the right, I was left wondering who approved this logo and name and why it needed to be rushed. It's been known for a couple of weeks that "Hammers" was one of the names that the AHL Hamilton franchise had applied to trademark, and I wasn't fond of it then. Seeing this "clipart" logo they introduced yesterday only makes me hate the name more. It's total garbage.

The explanation of the logo is nothing more than marketing rhetoric.

"Rooted in Hamilton's history as a resilient steel town, the team's logo features crossed hammers symbolizing the strength, grit and togetherness of the community, embodying both the city's steel-working heritage and the spirit of the game. The design reflects Hamilton's pride and determination, showcasing the unique character that defines the city, while bold, angular lettering evokes the spirit of Steel Town."

Nothing in that logo above shows any of Hamilton's characteristics or traits regarding the city's background. If it didn't say the word "Hamilton" in the logo, the image could be used for any other city and sport on the planet. Whoever designed this and whoever approved this should be fired immediately because this has to be one of the worst logos in the history sports. And an AHL team will wear it.

Ready for some more marketing garbage? Here's a second serving!

"Subtle hockey puck details on the hammer knobs pay homage to the iconic puck in the New York Islanders logo, linking the sport's identity with the craftsmanship of the tools and nodding to the franchise's origins, including the fisherman logo era. The orange-and-blue color palette is also drawn from the Islanders' classic team colors, reinforcing the connection to the club's history and evolution. The logo was created by the New York Islanders, while the broader brand identity was developed by Canadian creative agency Recess Creative."

If you had told me the knobs on the hammer's handles were pucks, I would have called you a "knob". Those look nothing like pucks, and this verbal diarrhea about linking identity and craftsmanship and the Fisherman logo is the biggest pile of manure I have seen. The only good thing in that entire paragraph was the information about the Islanders creating the logo because now I know exactly who to hate moving forward after unveiling and hyping this train wreck of a logo.

The only positive I see that came with the logo unveiling today is that the team won't have any issues rebranding for its new city after it relocates from Hamilton sometime over the next decade. As much as I dislike teams moving, Hamilton's track record with AHL franchises is terrible, and there's no reason to believe this time will be any better for the AHL in Hamilton as most Hamiltonians cannot name a single player who suited up for the Bridgeport Islanders last season.

Will the Hammers have time to grow on Hamiltonians? Absolutely. After all, the franchise signed a lease agreement to play in the newly-renovated TD Coliseum for a handful of years, so they'll be part of the winter sports scene in Hamilton for a while. Whether or not they succeed will be completely on the New York Islanders because they won't have many fans attending games if they're perennial underachievers. In five years in Bridgeport, the AHL Islanders made the playoffs only twice, bowing out in the first round both times.

What won't grow on my is this calamity of a logo that the Hamilton Hammers will wear. Good luck to the Hammers marketing team in selling the Hammers to The Hammer. It might be "Hammer time" in Hamilton, but selling this team as a winner will be tough as nails.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

The Hockey Show - Episode 713

The Hockey Show, Canada's only campus-produced radio show that strictly talks hockey, sets everyone up for more exit interviews tonight as three of the four teams and Survivor: NHL Playoffs entrants will deliver their thoughts on what happened with those teams! It's always fun to chat with the people who participate in the contest about hockey, so our hosts will have a little fun doing that tonight. Of course, there will be some hockey chatter as well so get yourself settled in for The Hockey Show at 5:30pm CT!

Tonight, Teebz and Jason will chat with Derek (Philadelphia), Dave (Minnesota), and Colin (Anaheim) tonight as those three are available for their interviews. Fiona already had the evening booked, but we will bring her on a future show because we have Fort Wayne Komets playoff chatter to discuss with her as well! Beyond that, our hosts will talk about the WHL situation in Chilliwack, the new AHL Hamilton team name and logo, the Golden Knights fine and penalty for being dumb, and both Montreal and Niverville bringing home championships! It should be a fun show chatting with three great people and about some crazy news, so tune in tonight for The Hockey Show at 5:30pm CT on one of 101.5 FM, Channel 718 on MTS TV, or via UMFM.com!

If you live outside Winnipeg and want to listen, we have options! The UMFM website's streaming player works well if you want to listen online. We also recommend Radio Garden if you need an easy-to-use online stream. If you're more of an app person, we recommend you use the TuneIn app found on the App Store or Google Play Store.

If you have questions, you can email all show queries and comments to hockeyshow@umfm.com! Tweet me anytime with questions you may have by hitting me up at @TeebzHBIC on Twitter! I'm here to listen to you, so make your voice heard! And because both Teebz and Jason are on the butterfly app where things are less noisy, you can find Teebz here and Jason here on Bluesky!

Tonight, Teebz and Jason send Derek, Dave, and Colin back to the mainland before talking arena deals, new names, complete stupidity, winning teams, and much more exclusively on 101.5 UMFM and on the UMFM.com web stream!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

La Coupe Walter

It's been a long time coming, but the Montreal PWHL franchise lived up to its name tonight, claiming victoire over the Ottawa Charge in Game Four of the Walter Cup Final to capture the PWHL's most coveted prize! It's the first time that the Walter Cup will call Canada home after tonight's win by the Victoire as they become the second PWHL team to have their name on the trophy while the Ottawa Charge came up short for the second time in their history. When Marie-Philip Poulin raised the Walter Cup above her head, this was the conclusion many coaches, players, and people wanted to see for a very long time!

For nine long years, Marie-Philip Poulin had not won a league championship in either the PWHL or the CWHL. There were many sacrifices that she made over that decade of misses and falling short that saw the CWHL fold, the PWHL finally come to be, financial decisions that were difficult, and personal decisions that challenged her, but the end result of all of those sacrifices and challenges was tonight's celebration where she was finally crowned a champion after being named as the Ilana Kloss Playoff MVP for her efforts.

"She's been our leader the whole year," defender Erin Ambrose told CBC's Karissa Donkin about Poulin. "She's the most unbelievable hockey player and the best hockey player to ever play this game. She deserves this more than anybody in the world."

As Donkin wrote, "[l]ast summer, Poulin, Laura Stacey and goaltender Ann-Renée Desbiens renegotiated heir contracts to take less money, all so their GM could bring in the pieces they needed to complete the puzzle". They added some very good pieces with the extra salary cap room including Abby Roque, Hayley Scamurra, and Maggie Flaherty who were huge for Montreal in the playoffs. That's how much a Walter Cup meant to Poulin - she sacrificed to win. Again.

Poulin's drought without a championship wasn't the only one that was cured on this night. I've written about how Kaitlin Willoughby's long road led to her first PWHL goal this season, but what many don't realize is that she didn't play in the 2018-19 CWHL Playoffs when the Calgary Inferno captured the last Clarkson Cup. While she's could technically be considered a champion, I'm not sure she would feel the same way in knowing how much she loves playing the game.

She was unable to win a championship with the University of Saskatchewan. She wasn't dressed or on the ice for the Calgary Inferno's 2019 victory. She played through the PWHPA and eventually landed with the Toronto Sceptres. She was traded to Montreal last season, and she's been working towards a championship with her teammates this season. Kaitin Willoughby can now she she's a champion at the highest level of professional women's hockey!

I wanted to see Ottawa head coach Carla MacLeod win after all she's been through this season, but it was hard not to be emotional watching the weight of the hockey world lifted off Poulin when she was handed the Walter Cup. The tears that flowed from her eyes represented the years of sacrifices she made to reach that pinnacle. I imagine there was an emotional outburst from Willoughby as well once she was able to hoist the trophy. Again, it was well-earned.

In both cases, I am happy for Poulin and Willoughby after seeing all they've been through in their careers. For most people, no one will notice the sacrifices that they made to reach their goals, but these two women have sacrificed so much to be deservedly called "champion". They earned it, and their sacrifices should be known.

Congratulations to the Montreal Victoire on their championship tonight, and here's a nod to every member of the Victoire for earning the title of champion. Not just in hockey, but champions in life.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

The Next Six Days

The image of the screen to the left likely isn't something that people will recongize instantaneously, but that will be what I'll be looking it for the next six days. It won't be continuous over those days, but there will be a serious chunk taken out of the time I can watch hockey as the home schedule get underway for the professional baseball season. The image to the left is from a program called Trackman that tracks every ball put in play from the moment it leaves the pitcher's hand to the moment the play is concluded in the field. For stats people, what you're looking at are the stats from a fairly generic change-up that broke down and in from a slightly-elevated three-quarters delivery for a strike.

All that aside, that's what I'll be doing tonight through Sunday as the professional ball team has its home opener tonight as part of a six-game homestand. With the Western Conference Final starting tomorrow, this is going to make watching hockey a little difficult. I guess I'm relying on hightlight shows, online coverage, and game recaps for the next week in order for me to stay informed.

I fully understand that there is always some overlap when it comes to the various professional sports seasons, but the NHL has decided to add two more games next season to its schedule. Yes, they lose the three-week break that was needed for the Olympics this season and the preseason is being reduced to just four games, but do I really need to see an extra game between the Jets and Stars next year?

Frankly, the NHL season is too long as it is when it starts mid-September with preseason games and doesn't finish until mid-June when the Stanley Cup Final is concluded. I understand that some people enjoy every second of it, but I watch other leagues because the NHL season seems to drag on forever. This has allowed me to appreciate other leagues like the ECHL, the AIHL, the EIHL, and the DEL more. They do things a little differently which is needed.

I have zero ability to change anything despite my grumbling, but the tail has been wagging the dog for a while now. I understand the NHL is a business, but I'm close to just wanting the season to end. I'd love to see the NHL carve a month of mean-nothing games out of their schedule, and have the playoff start in mid-March rather than mid-April. We'd end up awarding the Stanley Cup in May rather than June. Give me a May long weekend Stanley Cup celebration, please!

All that aside, I'm off to the ballpark tonight for my first of six-straight shifts where I track 300-or-more plays. I'll be checking the ECHL website for updates on the Fort Wayne-Toledo series, and I'll likely be keeping an eye on the NHL website for updates of both conference finals later this week. SportsCentre, Sportsnet Central, and the NHL Network will have to be my TV choices in the morning to get caught up on what's happening in and around the NHL!

Unfortunately for me due to my scheduling conflicts this week, it'll be one, two, three games I'll miss due to the ol' ballgame!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice and PLAY BALL!