If there's one magazine that I pick up every year, it's The Hockey News Yearbook. You may recall that I went back and reviewed all of the annual publications of The Hockey News Yearbook during October 2020 to see how close their predictions were to what actually happened that year in the NHL. I won't do that quite yet as I do respect the fact that The Hockey News has a business to run and needs to sell magazines to do so, but I do want to review the annual magazine purchase because there is some good stuff within the covers! Whether it be the articles, the full team reviews, the predictions, or anything else that The Hockey News puts in this magazine, I do enjoy reading the work they've done because it's always informative.
Ryan Kennedy runs down the rookies in the NHL, and I can't disagree with him that it seems pretty certain that a former Michigan Wolverines player could end up as the circuit's best newcomer. There are other non-Michigan players that are identified as well, but one of the players I really believe people should keep an eye on is Columbus Blue Jackets forward Kent Johnson who, for part of the preseason, was playing between Patrik Laine and Johnny Gaudeau. If that line stays together, we know Johnson can play from him time wearing Canadian colours at both the World Junior tournaments and the Olympics. Might that turn into a Calder Trophy at the end of the 2022-23 season?
The Top-50 players in the NHL identified by The Hockey News has one McName on top with whom no one will McArgue. Beyond him, though, who would you rank as the top-five players in the NHL? Where do players like Nathan MacKinnon, Sidney Crosby, Igor Shesterkin, Victor Hedman, and Alex Ovechkin rank? Are there surprises? What names may shock you? I can tell you that this top-50 list has all sorts of room for discussion.
Kennedy checks in with a feature on the Tampa Bay Lightning forward Steven Stamkos looking for another Stanley Cup run in '22-23. Ken Campbell has a feature on Jack Eichel looking to revive his career in Vegas. Ian Kennedy has a piece on Toronto's Mitch Marner. Campbell checks in with a solid article all about Nashville Predators goalie Juuse Saros and taking over from Pekka Rinne as the Nashville starter. Jared Clinton checks in with a piece on Winnipeg's Kyle Connor looking for more goals and more success. Overall, there's some good writing in these articles.
The team reports follow the articles, and I have to say there are some bold predictions in how the standings will look once the regular season winds down. The Stanley Cup Final prediction that The Hockey News makes seems like it could happen, but the teams they picked have always seemed to fall short of expectations in recent years. Might this be the year these two teams put it together before meeting for the Silver Chalice in June?
I always like when The Hockey News includes some weird stuff in their team reviews. They do it again this year in their two sections entitled "Intangibles" and "X-Factor", and there are some great additions to the team reviews in these two small sections. For example, Rob Tychowski wrote the Edmonton Oilers' season preview and his "X-Factor" was Jack Campbell as he wrote, "At his best, Campbell can get them where they need to be. But if he isn't who they think he is, the organization will be thrust into scramble mode." That could apply to the Oilers for the past decade!
I do miss The Hockey News covering some stuff from the minor leagues as they used to include stats from virtually all other leagues in their yearbook, but it seems that's no longer being included. I'd actually appreciate some additional looks at some of the AHL veterans who are likely going to get shots in replacing guys on NHL rosters, but that seems to have been avoided in this publication as well. Step it up, THN, because The Hockey News is more than just "The NHL News".
Overall, another solid entry in The Hockey News' tradition of producing the annual Yearbook. The team reports are why I grab this publication as I always enjoy getting deeper into some of the news about teams I rarely see, and I love seeing the predictions from The Hockey News when it comes to who finishes where. I did enjoy the articles as noted above, but we'll keep an eye on those prognostications as this season rolls on.
Get down to where they sell magazines and pick up your copy of The Hockey News' 2022-23 Yearbook! You'll be ready for the season with the information contained within its covers, and you'll be up to speed with The Hockey News' insights and thoughts on your favorite teams and players!
That fun little graphic to the left says a lot about Ryan Gagnon, the former Calgary Dinos defender, who is on the move in his professional career! As you can see, Ryan was named as a Canada West first-team all-star in his final season wearing Calgary red while captaining the Dinos men's hockey team. It would be the second time that Gagnon has been named as a Canada West all-star selection in his university career to go along with the all-rookie honours he earned when he landed in the Alberta city in 2017-18 following a successful five-year run in the WHL with the Victoria Royals. Where is he headed next? Let's find out!
It happened a week ago, but Ryan Gagnon is headed to Allen, Texas where the Quesnel, BC native will join the ECHL's Allen Americans after signing a deal to join them! No details were released by the Americans regarding length of the deal or financials, but Gagnon will suit for the two-time Kelly Cup champions this year and try to bring home a third championship following their wins in 2015 and 2016.
The 26 year-old quietly might be one of the best signings coming out of Canadian university hockey for an ECHL team this season as he was effective at both ends of the ice for the Dinos. He recorded two goals and a team-high 13 assists in just 18 games in his final season with the Dinos, upping his best university point total of 14 in 2019-20 when he played in ten more games. In 99 Canada West games, the mobile rearguard scored eight goals and 32 assists while being a reliable defender for the Dinos program.
Those abilities were honed in the five years he played with Victoria in the WHL. He wore both the assistant captain and captains marks in his final two years playing in Victoria, and his 2015-16 season total of five goals and 20 assists was his best in the Western League. In total, Gagnon played in 320 WHL games where he recorded nine goals and 57 assists while his leadership and defensive abilities earned him an invite to the Arizona Coyotes Prospect Camp in 2017. Clearly, Gagnon can play if an NHL team wanted a look.
Perhaps one of the biggest honours that a player can receive while playing U SPORTS hockey is an invite to the U SPORTS team that plays against the Canadian World Junior players every year. Gagnon was part of the 2021 squad that skated against Canada's best junior players, but registered no points in the two-game series against Canada's top U20 players. Nevertheless, the Dinos' blueliner showed that he belongs among the best at the university level, and capped off a successful season with the all-star nod from the conference.
While Allen will be a new opportunity for Gagnon, he may have a chance to skip the Americans altogether as Gagnon was named to the 2022-23 training camp roster for the AHL's Henderson Silver Knights a couple of days ago! There's no guarantee that Gagnon will make the jump from Calgary to Henderson, but an invitation means someone wants to have a look at Gagnon and that's a good sign! Gagnon will still need to work as hard as he ever has if he has a hope of being on the Silver Knights' radar, but, if the worst case scenario is heading back to north Dallas following an AHL camp, Gagnon should arrive in Allen ready to go for a long ECHL season!
When people say that Canadian university hockey is often forgotten about, there's some truth to that. Seeing guys like Ryan Gagnon, Rylan Toth, Keaton Jameson, Zach Sawchenko, Derek Ryan, and others find their way into the system and then move up the ladder should be enough proof that one can play Canadian university hockey and still have a fairly decent career in the professional hockey ranks. There may not be multi-million dollar contracts handed out, but these are men who have their educations and know how to work hard. Both of those things should be attractive to any potential employer including professional hockey teams.
As it stands, Allen is showing a total of five defenders on their team roster for 2022-23, so Ryan Gagnon should get an opportunity to skate in a number of games assuming he doesn't land on the Henderson roster. Both he and Lord-Anthony Grissom are the new kids on the Allen roster, so it would seem that Gagnon may have a shot at being in the top-four if he can outperform one or two of the other defencemen that Allen has signed. Without saying it out loud, it looks like Ryan Gagnon might be an ECHL regular this season if he can continue to play at the high level he showed back in Calgary.
From here, the opportunities are endless as a good showing in Henderson may make Gagnon a wanted man by that organization. That could mean a signing in Henderson or potentially a move to Savannah at some point, but a good season with the Americans will have minor-professional general managers seeking Gagnon for their teams next season and beyond. I expect Gagnon to play as awell as he did in Calgary while adjusting to the speed and game in the ECHL, but, knowing what I know and saw from him last season, I don't think he's going to have much trouble.
Congratulations to Ryan Gagnon for his first professional deal in signing with Allen, and here's hoping he blows everyone away at Silver Knights camp and jumps into the AHL right out of Calgary!
Imagine being this guy for a moment. That, of course, is hockey legend Jaromir Jagr, and if one looks back on the career he's carved out playing the game of hockey there isn't much he hasn't done. He's got his name on the Stanley Cup twice, he's been the NHL's top scorer five times, he was the league's top player once, and he was voted by his peers as the best of all the players three times. He's been an Olympic gold medalist after helping the Czech Republic win in 1998 in Nagano, and he won a pair of IIHF World Championship gold medals in 2005 and 2010 to etch his name into history as a member of the Triple Gold Club. He owns a hockey team in Czechia, and he's a member of the Czech Hockey Hall of Fame. Oh, and he's still playing professional hockey.
If you're Jaromir Jagr, there aren't many accolades left that he can win or earn, so playing at the age of 50 for the club he owns, Rytíři Kladno, is nothing more than a way to stay in shape and have fun, it seems. But after playing at the highest levels of hockey for some 35 years of his life, Jagr admitted that his desire to stay in the game wasn't what it once was, and that he may step away for good this season in an interview with Miroslav Horák of iSport.cz.
Using Google Translate to translate the Czech interview to English, the following questions were asked by Horák to Jagr after Sunday afternoon's game between Mladá Boleslav and Rytíři Kladno which Boleslav won 4-0. The questions are bolded, and Jagr's answers follow.
"How long can you last on the alternator? Is your return to the ice imminent?"
"It's certainly not close. To be honest, I don't even want to go back. If the Winter Classic I promised was held, I'd probably have to force myself to go play. Otherwise it doesn't pull me back. Actually, I don't have the motivation, I don't feel like it."
The translation here messes up the question a little, but Horák basically asked Jagr how long he planned on remaining on the bench (alternator?) rather than dressing as a player. Jagr's answer seems very straightforward in telling Horák that he's simply not feeling any motivation to return to the ice. That's not a good sign if you're hoping Jagr would continue to play.
Horák follows up with another question to Jagr.
"Do you miss playing?"
"At all. I like hockey, but it's hard work. Physically very demanding. I spend a lot more time in the winter than before, mainly because of organizational things. Before the season we were a bit stressed, we had to deal with a lot of issues to even manage the first game. Even if I wasn't the owner and only had hockey to work with, I would still have to handle the problems of playing and coaching. Just focus on hockey. This is more or less impossible. Or I'd have to stop doing the club altogether, which I don't think would help."
Again, Google Translate isn't the best option as "Vůbec" is the statement for "Not at all", not "At all". If we're reading this correctly, Jagr tells Horák that he's had to spend more time simply sorting out a number of issues with respect to running a team, let alone coaching and/or playing. At the end of the day, it sounds like Jagr wants to reduce his workload by reducing the number of hats he has to wear, and that may mean hanging up the skates is the option towards which he's leaning.
Horák continues his line of questioning.
"Are you running out of concentration and energy in your head for a comeback?"
"It's hard to explain. At my age, playing at any level is challenging. Prepare, motivate. Not to mention the need for rest. Thanks to the time spent in the winter and meetings between nine and two in the afternoon, I don't have time to solve myself. Going to train tired then, I physically wouldn't do that."
This might be the most telling of answers that Jagr gives in that he states he works all day in running the club and doesn't want to train or go play in the evening if he's already tired. I'm not saying Jagr's age is catching up with him, but it sounds like Jagr simply doesn't have the energy or drive he once did.
Horák asks his most direct question of Jagr at this point.
"Are you more likely to not play at all?"
"It's possible. Like I say, I'll see how it goes with the Winter Classic. Maybe I'd get a kick out of it, but I don't even feel like it at the moment."
I hate to say it, but Jagr sounds like he's done. That answer makes it almost certain that he won't play this season or, perhaps, ever again. If he doesn't want to play in the biggest game of the season, I'd guess that's he's done.
Horák asks a couple more questions before finishing with a statement that Jagr not only agrees with, but allows him to assess where he is when compared to other players.
"You are extremely honest with yourself."
"I've always tried to be. When I was playing, I used to feel like I was giving it a go and I was getting the hang of it. Now I know I couldn't do it. I'd have to be really extreme to tell myself I'd try. But I don't know if it makes sense to me at the moment."
If he's already used the past tense to describe his playing days, that sounds like a man who has made a decision without publicly revealing it. If Jagr chooses not to lace up the skates this season, it almost sounds like he's already accepted that his playing days are over.
Honestly, though, if we're asking what more Jagr could do, the answer truly is nothing. He's been a winner at almost every level, he's played all over the world, and he's proven that age is just a number by playing until he was 50. If Jagr came back for one more season, it accomplishes nothing other than saying he played one more season. Leaving at 50 seems like the right time for him to make an exit.
If Jagr doesn't play another second of hockey, we've witnessed one of the greatest hockey players of all-time play this game for more than three decades. Waive the mandatory three-year waiting period for the Hockey Hall of Fame because, like Gretzky or Lemieux or Orr or Howe or the six others who have received this honour, there will never be another Jaromir Jagr. Ever.
What hasn't he done? The right answer is officially retire.
With the cooler air upon us and the leaves changing colour, that can only mean that hockey is starting across the northern hemisphere once again. Canada West enters its second season of nine-team action with eight of those teams playing on the first week of action. UBC kicks off the season as the defending Canada West champions while Saskatchewan enters the season as the defending U SPORTS National Championship bronze medalists. There are new faces that dot the lineups across the four western provinces who will compete for glory, and two of these teams will represent Canada West in Montreal at the National Championship this season. Determining which of those teams started on Friday, so let's get another Canada West women's hockey season underway here on The Rundown!
FRIDAY: The MacEwan Griffins were in Regina to play the Cougars as both teams opened their 2022-23 schedules. MacEwan, who finished in eighth-place in 2021-22, were looking to move up the standings and be in the playoff mix while Regina, after earning the sixth and final playoff spot last season, needed to continue to take steps forward. Both teams had a pile of new players this season, but it would two familiar names standing 200-feet apart as Brianna Sank got the start for MacEwan while Arden Kliewer started for Regina!
Regina came out strong in this one as they controlled the action for most of the opening frame. Three-straight penalties through the game's opening ten minutes saw Regina playing a lot of hockey with the player advantage, but they couldn't capitalize on those chances. They would capitalize, though, when Paige Hubbard spotted Jenna Merk alone in the high slot from behind the net, hit Merk with the pass out front, and Merk wired a high shot past Sank at 14:05 to put the Cougars up 1-0 on Regina's first goal of the season!
Despite having another power-play minites later, Regina could not find the twine again in the opening period, and we'd move to the intermission with the score 1-0 in favour of Regina and the shots showing an 11-5 advantage for the Cougars as well.
Penalties would continue to break up the flow of this game as Regina was whistled early for an infraction in the second period before MacEwan handed two more power-play chances back to the Cougars. Regina would finally find the back of the net on their sixth power-play opportunity of the night when Olivia Leggett, fresh off the bench, wired a shot from the high slot that Sank stopped with the left pad, but Jenna Merk was standing on the doorstep to poke the puck past Sank for her second goal of the game, the season, and her career to give Regina the two-goal lead at 7:06!
The teams would again trade power-play oppoertunities later in the period with no success for either side, so we'd move to third period with Regina holding the 2-0 lead and a 23-10 edge in shots!
Stop me if you've heard this one before, but MacEwan got into penalty trouble early in the final frame as Regina went to work on a five-on-three power-play at the 5:27 mark. Jenna Merk would be in on this goal as well as her shot from the top of the umbrella would be stopped by Sank, but Olivia Leggett got a stick on the puck to get it past Sank to score the power-play goal after Sank was unable to secure the rebound at 6:54 to push the score to 3-0 in the Cougars' favour.
After finally shaking their sin bin parade route, the Griffins rallied to beat Kliewer when Makenna Schuttler at 12:36 for MacEwan's first goal of the season and her first Canada West goal, but Kliewer would close the door the rest of the way in leading the Regina Cougars to the 3-1 victory over the MacEwan Griffins. Arden Kliewer made 13 saves for her first victory of the season while Brianna Sank stopped 30 shots in the loss.
It appears we're going to have another season of "teams who refuse to make highlight packages", and the Regina Cougars are the first offender. It's been 48 hours since this game was played, so what gives? Get on it, Regina. I am not posting individual clips all season.
SATURDAY: The undefeated Regina Cougars took to the ice on Saturday looking to extend their one-game winning streak to start the season while the MacEwan Griffins were looking to snap their season-starting losing streak of one game. All jokes about records aside, both teams looked to claim victory today as Brianna Sank got her second-straight start for the Griffins while Natalie Williamson was in the blue paint for the Cougars for her first start of the season!
A much more focused MacEwan Griffins squad took to the ice in this game as they were the more aggressive team to start this game. Their early pressure on the Cougars saw them capitalize as Aryn Chambers beat Williamson with a shot at the 8:37 mark, and the Griffins had their first lead of the season at 1-0. Regina's attempt to respond would be thwarted thanks to a couple of infractions called against them, and we'd head into the intermission with MacEwan up 1-0 and leading 14-7 in shots.
The second period was played somewhat more evenly as both sides traded two power-plays opportunities each with nothing to show for any advantage on scoreboard, but there would be a goal scored as Claire Hobbs found some space to put a puck past Williamson at 17:05 for her first Canada West goal, and the Griffins claimed a two-goal lead heading into the third period after holding a 25-14 edge in shots through 40 minutes.
Old habits seem to die hard, though, and MacEwan fell into penalty trouble once again midway through the final frame as Regina played with the advantage for nearly eight-straight minutes. Regina could capitalize early on their first power-play of the period when Hannah Pennell's long shot from the point beat a screen Brianna Sank at the 9:27 mark for her first Canada West goal, and it was a 2-1 game.
That result lasted for all 55 seconds when Heather Fiske got a stick on Rachel O'Toole's point shot to redirect the puck past Sank at 10:22, and we were tied at 2-2!
Further power-play time didn't get Regina any additional goals, and MacEwan withstood playing most of this period in their own zone. Time for some free hockey as this game went to overtime tied 2-2!
It wouldn't take long to find a winner in the four-on-four portion of overtime as Mila Verbicky netted the game-winner just 1:40 into the extra time as the MacEwan Griffins bounced back with a 3-2 overtime win over the Regina Cougars! In a bit of a coincidental moment, both of Verbicky's goals in a MacEwan jersey have been game-winners, so it seems like having her on the ice late in tied games might be beneficial! In any case, Brianna Sank earned her first win with a 23-save effort in 61:38 of work while Natalie Williamson suffered the overtime loss despite making 27 saves in 61:31 of time.
Again, a lack of highlight packages from the Regina Cougars is baffling. The last time that the Cougars posted a YouTube hihglight package for women's hockey was January 25, 2020. Did we just forget how to make highlight reels over the last two seasons? Are we on some sort of highlight strike? Let's get the video going, Regina.
FRIDAY: The first home-and-home of the year was played between the Mount Royal Cougars and the Alberta Pandas in Edmonton. Mount Royal finished as the first-place team last season in Canada West play while Alberta was the third-place team. These two teams renewed their rivalry on Friday as Kaitlyn Ross started for the Cougars while Halle Oswald was between the pipes for the Pandas.
The Pandas are always tough when playing at home in Clare Drake Arena, and they were intent in getting pucks on net early. However, an early penalty would set them back a goal as Tatum Amy's long shot through traffic in front of Oswald found twine on the power-play at 7:33 to put the Cougars up 1-0! 2:17 later, though, the Pandas would equalize when Megan Wilson dropped a pass to Abby Soyko who made a nifty move to get by Kiana McNinch before going five-hole on Ross with a quick shot to tie the game 1-1 at 9:50 as she notched her first Canada West goal! A late power-play in the period for Mount Royal yielded no further goals as we headed into the intermission tied 1-1, but with Alberta up 11-7 in shots.
The Cougars seemed to come out with a little more fire in their skates to start the second period, but a penalty would slow them down. The game showed some elements of physical play along with good opportunities and better goaltending, and the end result was that the 1-1 stalemate remained despite two power-play opportunities for Alberta and one for Mount Royal. Those two power-plays did allow Alberta to double their shot total, though as they went into the third period holding a 22-12 edge in shots.
Early in the third period, we got to see a little Willan magic as the Pandas sniper went give-and-go with Payton Laumbach before finishing with a forehand-backhand over the outstretched right pad of Ross, and Willan's marker put Alberta up 2-1 at 2:38! Mount Royal would push the offence as they needed to find a way to even the score, and it looked like Aliya Jomha may have midway through the period, but the clang off the iron said no. Late in the period with Ross on the bench for the extra attacker, Mount Royal held the line and found Ava Metzger on the left side who slapped a puck towards Oswald where the puck ricocheted off an Alberta player in front and ended up behind the goal line to tie the game at 2-2! The credit for the goal went to Ava Metzger who records her first Canada West goal with ten seconds to play! That means we'd be heading to free hockey on the first night of the season!
The first period of free hockey saw no one score, so the four-on-four went to three-on-three for another period, and we'd see a winner here when Cassidy Maplethorpe broke away from the pack, skated in alone on Ross, nearly lost the puck, but was able to pull it to the backhand for the winner at 2:40 as the former Brock Badger scored her first Canada West goal at 2:40 of double-overtime for the 3-2 Alberta Pandas win over the Mount Royal Cougars! Halle Oswald earned the win in 67:08 of work as she stopped 22 shots while Ross took the double-overtime loss in 65:25 of work despite making 31 saves.
The Pandas have highlights! Here are the game's big moments!
SATURDAY: While both teams came away with points on Friday, I know that both teams prefer clean wins as opposed to giving away points. We'd move to Calgary for the back-half of this two-game series, and I expected both teams to come in with a sense of business to be completed on Saturday as the same two netminders stood 200-feet apart - Halle Oswald for Alberta and Kaitlyn Ross for Mount Royal.
Full disclosure on this game: I was nowhere near an internet connection in order to stream this game, and I have yet to watch the replay. As a result, this recap is being done in minimalist fashion because Mount Royal doesn't believe in posting clips or highlights of their teams. Or something like that.
Courtney Kollman scored on the power-play unassisted at 12:58 to give the Cougars the lead. They'd double that lead in the second period when Emma Bergesen found the back of the net off a blast from the point on a power-play as well, and it was 2-0 Mount Royal at the 15:51 mark of the middle frame. Aliya Johma would score at 12:20 of the third period to put Mount Royal up 3-0. It looked like Alberta got one back, but the officials determined that the puck had been directed past Ross by a high-stick, and it was waved off to keep the game at the 3-0 count.
In a sequence that needs explanation, Emma Bergesen scored on Alberta's empty net at 17:17 for her second goal of the game, but was also assessed a cross-checking penalty at the same time as per the scoresheet. Was the penalty assessed after she scored? Was Bergesen the last to touch the puck before Alberta misplayed it their own empty net on the delayed call? Whatever the case may be, Bergesen tallied the fourth Mount Royal goal on the night to make it 4-0 before Taylor Kezama's high shot on the power-play found room past Ross to snap the shutout with 2:09 to play. Alberta would get no closer, though, Mount Royal skated to the 4-1 victory over the Pandas! Kaitlyn Ross made 16 saves for her first win of the season on this night while Halle Oswald stopped 25 shots in the loss.
As stated above, there are neither highlights nor clips posted on social media that I can sew together as a highlight package, so I'm not exactly sure what Mount Royal is doing this season. Get it together, MRU, as I want to showcase your stars! You should too!
FRIDAY:Last season's Canada West champions, the UBC Thunderbirds, finished in second-place in the regular season while the Calgary Dinos were the seventh-place team. Both teams were looking to improve on those standings as they met for the first time in Calgary. UBC opted to start Elise Hugens while Calgary went with Gabriella Durante in the season opener!
We didn't have to wait long for last year's points leader to get on the board. Just 2:04 into the game, Hannah Koroll intercepted the puck in the neutral zone, stepped across the blue line, and passed across the ice to Chanreet Bassi who went high with a backhander that I'm sure Durante wants back, but Bassi lit the lamp with the shot to give UBC the early 1-0 lead! Calgary didn't need much time to respond as Jolie Nafziger spotted Brette Kerley out front, but her shot was stopped only for the rebound to bounce to Rebecca Clarke who buried it behind Hugens at 5:51 to make it a 1-1 game! 2:29 later, Clarke was fired a shot from the top of the circle that Hugens stopped, but her long rebound came to Nafziger who outwaited Hugens before going high on the netminder for her first Canada West goal to make it a 2-1 game in favour of the Dinos! The good news is we were all able to catch our breath after that as the scoring trailed off in this period despite UBC having a power-play, but we'd hit the intermission with Calgary up 2-1 and leading in shots by a 10-9 count.
The second period slowed down as both teams decided to spend some time visiting the sin bin. UBC was whistled for three infractions while Calgary was called for two penalties, but it was the last penalty against UBC that saw the Thunderbirds capitalize on a mistake. Mia Bierd threw a puck at Durante that she easily gloved, but it appeared she wanted to play it. The unfortunate part is that as she pinned the puck to the ice, the puck popped loose and Bierd, who followed her shot to the net, was able to sweep it past Durante on left side for a shorthanded goal and her first Canada West regular-season goal at 19:00 to tie the game at 2-2! UBC's goal would be the only one, and we'd go to the third period tied at two goals apiece and UBC holding a 23-22 edge in shots!
Just as they did last season, UBC used the third period to put their opposition away. A low shot by Ireland Perrott that, in this writer's opinion, Durante should have had made it 3-2 for UBC at 6:21 before Perrott doubled her goal total by winning a battle in front of Durante to chip home a rebound on the power-play at 16:29 to make it 4-2 for the Thunderbirds. Cassidy Rhodes would ice the game with an empty-netter - her first Canada West goal - as the UBC Thunderbirds downed the Calgary Dinos by a 5-2 score! Elise Hugens made 28 stops for her first win of the season while Gabriella Durante stopped 26 shots in 57:29 of work in the loss.
The Dinos are on their game with highlights early in the season!
SATURDAY: UBC looked to capture another regulation win on Saturday to make a perfect, four-point weekend while the Dinos needed to respond with a win of their own to keep pace with teams in Canada West. UBC knows the importance of wins when it comes to playoff standings while beating the Canada West champions would also send a statement that the Dinos, under head coach Carla MacLeod, were going to be a different team this season. Kate Stuart, the former Boston University netminder, got the call for the Thunderbirds in this game while Gabriella Durante was looking for a bounce-back game after Friday's loss.
This game had a different feeling to it as the Dinos seemed to be intent on controlling puck possession to limit the chances that the T-Birds had. UBC was still going to get their chances, of course, but it seems like the Dinos were far more controlled in their pace and play wth puck retrievals being much better on this day. Aside from one power-play that UBC received, there was no other ink on the scoresheet for the first period as the teams remained tied at 0-0 with UBC holding a 10-7 edge in shots as we entered the second frame.
The ice had barely frozen before the first goal was scored. Elizabeth Lang's shot from the point was redirected in front by Sophia Zuck for Zuck's first Canada West goal as the Dinos were on the board just 38 seconds into the period! Zuck liked that first goal so much, she camped out in front of Stuart again and was set up by Sydney Mercier on a feed out front that Zuck banged home for her second goal at 9:50 to put the Dinos up 2-0! The Dinos would get themselves into a bit of penalty trouble, but come away unscathed as they carried the two-goal lead into the second intermission as they held a 21-20 edge in shots!
The third period saw the Thunderbirds needing goals, but Calgary stuck to their game plan as they looked confident. Not lost on this writer was the newly-minted Clarke-Kerley-Nafziger line as Kerley carried the puck down the right side before feeding Clarke at the left post for the easy tap-in as the Dinos extended their lead to three goals with 4:37 to play! That would be more than enough offence for Durante on this night as she closed the door on the Thunderbirds, recording the season's first shutout, as the Calgary Dinos beat the UBC Thunderbirds by that 3-0 score! Durante was brilliant on this night in pitching the 28-save shutout for her first win while Kate Stuart suffered the 27-save loss in her Canada West regular-season debut.
More highlights? You betcha! Calgary's got them!
FRIDAY: The last time that the Saskatchewan Huskies spent a weekend in Langley, BC, the Trinity Western Spartans won their first-ever Canada West game. Since then, the Huskies went on to be Canada West finalists after finishing in fifth-place and captured the U SPORTS National Championship bronze medal while TWU finished in ninth-place with just two wins to their name. In other words, a lot has changed since that historic first win, and both teams were seeking their first wins as they met once again in Langley. Camryn Drever was Saskatchewan's choice for their starting netminder while Mabel Maltais got the nod for the Spartans to start the season.
Saskatchewan added a number of solid offensive players this season, but Langley may just be the green-and-white's kryptonite as they couldn't find the back of the net in the opening frame despite having a pair of power-plays. Trinity Western had a power-play of their own, but the 0-0 score would stand tall after 20 minutes of play with the Spartans holding an 11-8 advantage in shots.
Mallory Dyer would break the stalemate 6:28 into the middle frame when her shot beat Mabel Maltais to give the Huskies a 1-0 lead, but the Spartans continued to push for an equalizer. They'd get one when a long shot on Drever late in the period trickled loose for Kyra MacDonald, the original shooter, that allowed her to sweep it into the yawning cage to tie the game at 1-1 at 18:22. Four penalties called on Trinity Western did slow the home team down, but it was 1-1 after 40 minutes with Saskatchewan holding a 23-17 edge in shots.
An early power-play in the third period was killed by Trinity Western before Saskatchewan negated a second power-play with a penalty of their own. A power-play for the Spartans was an opportunity missed as the 1-1 deadlock continued midway through the frame. We wouldn't see another lamp lit, in fact, until there was 1:08 remaining as Trinity Western held the blue line to keep the puck in before Jordyn Matthews fed McKenzie Mayo who teed up a shot high glove-side on a screened Camryn Drever for her first Canada West goal as Trinity Western took the 2-1 lead! 68 seconds later, there was celebrating to do as the Spartans opened their season with a 2-1 win over the Saskatchewan Huskies! Mabel Maltais was solid in stopping 29 shots for her first win of the season while Camryn Drever was on the losing end of a 24-save effort.
Trinity Western has this habit of only showing their own team's goals when they put together highlight packages, and it appears that trend will continue this season as Mallory Dyer's goal is not in the highlight package below. Highlight packages contain both teams, TWU, so let's correct this here and now before you play another home weekend series, mmmkay? At least they have some highlights, though.
SATURDAY: For the first time in their short Canada West history, the Trinity Western Spartans were above .500. Would we see them move to two games above .500? The Saskatchewan Huskies would have something to say about that as they looked to move back to .500 with a win in the second-half of this two-game set in southern BC. Colby Wilson was in the Huskies' net for this game while Kate Fawcett got the start for the Spartans to try to extend their winning ways!
The only problem? Nothing happened in the first period. No goals, no penalties, and no fights (thankfully). It was just shots and saves as we closed the period the same way we opened it at a 0-0 tie. Saskatchewan did hold an 8-7 lead in shots, though, so perhaps they could build on that?
Things appeared to be the same until we finally saw Trinity Western whistled for the first penalty of the game, and it didn't take long for Saskatchewan to make them pay. Ten seconds after Amy Potomak went to the sin bin, Kara Kondrat converted a Brooklyn Stevely pass into a power-play goal with her shot that beat Fawcett, and the Huskies had the 1-0 lead 7:57 into the middle period. Saskatchewan would get another power-play opportunity that was killed by the Spartans before the Spartans got a four-minute power-play thanks to a check to the head, but they too would come away empty-handed. One last power-play for the Huskies went with lighting a lamp, so the 1-0 lead was intact with the Huskies holding a 24-16 lead in shots.
Saskatchewan would get their legs going after an early infraction in the third period as Bronwyn Boucher found the back of the net at 5:28 to make it a 2-0 game for Saskatchewan, and that would become a three-goal lead at the 13:00 mark when Emily Holmes found room past Fawcett. It was a very Saksatchewan-like win in their efficiency and effectiveness as the Huskies earned the 3-0 victory over Trinity Western! Colby Wilson earned her first win and third career shutout with a 28-save clean sheet while Kate Fawcett stopped 28 shots in the loss.
In knowing that Trinity Western only posts highlights of their own goals, what do they do if the Spartans are blanked on home ice? They do nothing! Of course, that means there are no highlights whatsoever, so it was a light weekend of work for the TWU sports department.
CANADA WEST WOMEN'S HOCKEY
School
Record
Points
GF
GA
Streak
Next
Mount Royal
1-0-0-1
3
6
4
W1
vs TWU
Regina
1-0-0-1
3
5
4
L1
BYE
Alberta
0-1-1-0
2
4
6
L1
@ MAC
Calgary
1-1-0-0
2
5
5
W1
@ SAS
MacEwan
0-1-1-0
2
4
5
W1
vs ALB
Saskatchewan
1-1-0-0
2
2
2
W1
vs CAL
Trinity Western
1-1-0-0
2
2
4
L1
@ MRU
UBC
1-1-0-0
2
5
5
L1
vs MAN
Manitoba
0-0-0-0
0
0
0
n/a
@ UBC
The Last Word
There isn't much to say after one week of play. Some people will point to upsets between teams that were separated by a gap in points last season, but this happens every year. It takes time for teams to find chemistry and timing, and regular season games are played at a different level than preseason and exhibition games. The points still matter, mind you, but seeing all eight teams record points with no one getting blown out is a good sign.
We'll see how next week's slate of games go as the Regina Cougars watch the rest of the conference battle while the Fluffy Cows get their first action after watching the Thunderbirds hang the Canada West championship banner in their barn. Having teams play close games all season long would be ideal as the races for playoff spots will heat up, but there's very little by which one should be bothered this week while having a lot to celebrate after watching a pile of new additions to squads score their first Canada West goals and points. Congratulations to all those players!
For those that aren't aware, Hollywood movie producer Jerry Bruckheimer is part of the majority co-owners of the NHL's Seattle Kraken. Bruckheimer made his fortunes making Hollywood blockbusters and TV shows such as the CSI franchise, the US version of The Amazing Race, Top Gun, Bad Boys, Beverly Hills Cop, and the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise where one can spot the legendary kraken in the second film of the franchise Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest. If you notice, the list of movies above didn't contain the Dreamworks-produced Trolls animated movie because, simply, Jerry Bruckheimer had nothing to do with it. Today, however, the Kraken and one specific troll were smashed together in a way that not even the most ridiculous movie plot can explain or rationalize.
If you think of all the maritime imagery you've ever seen in your life, I would bet "troll" doesn't even make the cut. Whether it be pirates, fishermen, mermaids, fish, whales, starfish, octopi, Davy Jones himself, boats, seagulls, puffins, sharks, or any other creature tied to the sea, never have I imagined a troll being part of that set of images whether real or imagined.
In thinking about all those images, the Seattle Kraken introduced their first-ever mascot today, and it's... something.
That is Buoy, the new troll mascot for the Seattle Kraken, and, assuming you're like me, you're probably asking, "How on earth does the Kraken have a troll as a mascot?" Let's find out.
First, to the video they use to try and explain this troll.
One might need a little history lesson on this troll sculpture that the kids were sitting on at the end of the video. Known as the "Fremont Troll", "The Troll, or the "Troll Under the Bridge", it's an actual sculpture found at North 36th Street at Troll Avenue North, under the north end of the George Washington Memorial Bridge sculpted by Steve Badanes, Will Martin, Donna Walter, and Ross Whitehead from Norwegian folklore. The troll holds a Volkswagen Beetle in its left hand as if it had just swiped it from the roadway above. It was sculpted as way to rehabilitate the area following Freemont's problem of homelessness, garbage dumping, and drug use in the area.
In short, it wasn't made for kids, it certainly doesn't get people excited, and it doesn't dance and skate. It is, however, a Seattle landmark as the mayor stated, so one out of four requirements for this new mascot was met. The sasquatch will remain with the Sonics.
According to Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times, "The Kraken's mascot has been 18 months in planning and nearly launched after last Christmas. But the NHL schedule had been paused due to a COVID-19 resurgence, prompting the team to hold off."
If I'm doing the math, the Kraken have been planning a sea-troll as a mascot for 18 months, and they didn't bother to do any market testing or surveys about what the fans thought the mascot should be? How does one land on "troll" to represent the Kraken?
"There was a long list of names that we looked at," Lamont Buford, the Kraken's vice president of live entertainment and game presentation, told Baker. "We looked at the Seattle area, we looked at the water, we looked at our brand. And just like a buoy floating out on the water, it just happened to pop up and we stumbled on it."
That might be one of the worst rationalizations I've ever heard for a mascot, but, again, Buford touched on "the Seattle area" as one of the factors that led them to the troll. As Baker wrote, "[t]he team liked the way the name sounds when chanted, the troll links to Seattle pop culture and the mascot's approachable look."
I will admit that "Boo-Wee" as a chant might work well, but I don't know how often a crowd at a hockey game chants the mascot's name outside of Philadelphia where Gritty has taken on a life of his own outside of the team. I also can't deny that the troll itself feels more like it belongs on the live-action version of Trolls the movie than a hockey team, but that means that kids will likely gravitate towards it rather than fear it. That's the hallmark of a good mascot.
The random facts for Buoy include that he's a "sea-troll who lives in the caverns of Climate Pledge Arena", his "favorite meal is Shark with Maple Leaf seasoning", he "once jammed with Mudhoney at The Crocodile", and he "pays tribute to the deep sea creature with unique touch of magic in his hockey hair flow". If you're asking what that is, check his right ear where there's a tentacle growing from behind his ear. Buoy will wear jersey #0, and is also said to be a nephew of the Fremont Troll, but I honestly can't see any resemblance between the two trolls.
"I think fans want a mascot," Kraken chief marketing officer Katie Townsend said to Baker. "It's also great for us to have a brand ambassador who... can be a representative for our brand at hospitals, community visits, with our corporate partners."
The New York Rangers go back to being the lone NHL team without a mascot after the introduction of Buoy tonight. While I still question why a troll is the mascot for the Kraken, the Kraken have made it clear that Buoy has strong ties to the Seattle area. The next thing we should be prepared for is finding out who the person is that won right to have the best troll job in the NHL.
Posts
