Joyeuses Pâques

I know that Easter has deeply religious overtones for some people, but I'm not one of those people. I respect those who go to services today, but that scene just isn't for me. What is for me is a good day of rest, and that's what I plan on doing for the majority of this day as I prepare for what should be another busy week. I do have plans to get some spring cleaning out of the way as there are a few things I need clear out of HBIC Headquarters, but I spent the morning with a coffee and some Pixar short films that truly are excellent. One such film is shown to the left in Presto, but it's the small bunny named Alec who steals the show with his refusal to assist in Presto's magic until he's fed a carrot. The 2008 Pixar short was released with Wall-E, and it was nominated for an Academy Award! Let the comedy ensue!

The reason I bring up rabbits on this day is, of course, due to the Easter Bunny. Rabbits weren't mentioned anywhere in any religious texts when it came to Easter, but the history of rabbits and Easter came about due to a pagan festival honouring the goddess, Eostre. She was represented by a rabbit as she was seen as symbol of the goddess of fertility and spring because, according to some, bunnies "reproduce like rabbits". There's no mention of bringing eggs to children at this festival, but that tradition began elsewhere.

According to reports, the legend of the Easter Bunny being associated with eggs comes from German immigrants who landed in Pennsylvania in the 1700s. They spoke of an egg-laying hare named "Osterhase" or "Oschter Haws" who would leave colorful eggs as gifts to children who built nests where this legendary bunny could leave his eggs. Those same kids would often leave carrots in case the rabbit got hungry!

Of course, the egg imagery is also a sign of new life and fertility as we see in spring from a lot of animal life, so this "Osterhase" wasn't some distant relative of the platypus or echidna. Decorating eggs possibly is derived from eggs being a forbidden food during Lent, and cooking and eating a decorated egg left by the Easter Bunny represented a treat for those who weren't permitted to eat them.

The idea of an Easter marsupial like the platypus or echidna may seem far-fetched, but Australians celebrate Easter with the arrival of the Easter Bilby. Bilbies, or raccoon-bandicoots, are desert-dwelling marsupial omnivores from Australia that has long ears like a rabbit and grows to the size of a domestic cat. They are noctural with good hearing and an excellent sense of smell, but they, like the Easter Bunny, do not lay eggs. The young, instead, remain in the mother's pouch for up to three months before beginning their own adventure!

Ok, I have to get started on the cleaning routine if I want to feel somewhat productive today. Enjoy your Easter Sunday however you celebrate it if you celebrate it, and here's hoping you have a great day no matter where the day takes you! And if the Easter Bunny showed up with sweets and gifts? Be grateful that the Germans brought that legend with them to North America!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

The Whiteout Blog

The Whiteout Party has started in downtown Winnipeg as the opening game of the 2025 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs gets underway in moments between the visiting St. Louis Blues and the host Winnipeg Jets. Tom Petty's "Love is a Long Road" kicked off the Sportsnet broadcast as Ron MacLean, Elliott Friedman, Kevin Bieksa, and Kelly Hrudey set up the game, and Scott Oake is back home as he took us inside Canada Life Centre. If you don't think Winnipeg is ready for this battle tonight, I'm not sure what to tell you because the electricity in the city is certainly evident! It's a Whiteout Live Blog tonight on HBIC as I have cleared my evening for this incredible night!

First Period Action

Puck drop happens in moments as the two teams take the ice!

• Robert Thomas is in the Blues lineup tonight after leaving the last regular-season game with an injury. He looks ready to go.
• The "M-V-P" chant for Hellebuyck will likely be heard a lot tonight. Expect this crowd to be all over the Blues.
• SoulBear has anthem duty, and he's killing it. Great renditions of both songs with the Winnipeg crowd singing along!
• The RCAF fighter jets just flew over HBIC headquarters. You know it's a big game if they're lending their support!
• First stoppage in play comes 42 seconds into the frame. St. Louis defender Justin Faulk sends a puck into the crowd.
• St. Louis is the more aggressive team through the opening three minutes. The Jets need to settle into their game here.
• Adam Lowry with a thunderous hit on Ryan Suter revitalizes the crowd at the 5:28 mark. Atta boy, Captain!
• The less Logan Stanley handles the puck in the defensive zone is better for the Jets. It's the hot potato puck.
• First penalty of the playoffs goes to Winnipeg's Luke Schenn. St. Louis' 16th-overall power-play gets a shot.
• For reference, St. Louis's PP was at 22.1% efficiency while Winnipeg's PK was at 79.4% efficiency (13th-overall).
• ROBERT THOMAS GOES HIGH GLOVE-SIDE ON HELLEBUYCK FOR THE PPG. 1-0 ST. LOUIS LEADS AT 9:31.
• I repeat what I said about Logan Stanley. He handles the puck like a live grenade. He should be on "boards-and-out" duty.
• The Moose, during their IHL days, had a pile of great players. I don't recall Jim Montgomery being one of them.
• St. Louis's Jake Neigbours goes to the box for slashing. The Jets will get their first crack at a power-play.
• Winnipeg finished the season with the top-ranked PP at 28.9%. St. Louis's PK was 28th-overall at 74.2%.
• MARK SCHEIFELE SCORES ON PP AS WINNIPEG TIES THE GAME AT 1-1 AT 13:38! WHITEOUT GOES NUTS WITH THE GOAL!
• HOLY COW! MORGAN BARRON SCORES ON A DEFLECTION OF A LUKE SCHENN SHOT! WINNIPEG LEADS 2-1 AT 15:02!
• The fourth-line is pinned in the Jets' zone right now, and they look gassed. This doesn't have a good feel.
• OSKAR SUNDQVIST IS IN THE RIGHT PLACE AND HE ZIPS ONE HOME AS ST. LOUIS TIES THE GAME AT 2-2 AT 18:10.
• I feel like both coaches are going to ask their teams if they remember how to defend when the intermission hits.
• A scrum near Hellebuyck sees Winnipeg going back on the penalty-kill. Neal Pionk sits as St. Louis goes back to the PP.
• That will do it for an entertaining first period with St. Louis and Winnipeg tied at 2-2. Did anyone expect that?

I'm taking a break during the first intermission to have some dinner, but I'll be back for more in the second period. I'll pull a Linda Richman from SNL's Coffee Talk, and ask you to talk amongst yourselves while I chow down on some dinner. I'll even give you a topic: would the St. Louis Blues have succeeded had they moved to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan? Discuss amongst yourselves! I'll be back with some food and a beverage in a couple of minutes. Second period action coming up!

Second Period Action

Winnipeg starts the period down a player as St. Louis has 1:42 left on the power-play. As you know, St. Louis is 1-for-1 so far tonight.

• How come none of the Sportsnet stats are the same? Everyone has different numbers depending on who you ask.
• JORDAN KYROU GOES HIGH ON THE BLOCKER SIDE FOR THE PPG. ST. LOUIS LEADS 3-2 JUST 73 SECONDS IN.
• I guess Scott Arniel didn't talk to the Jets about better defence in the middle period. Sundqvist stood untouched there.
• St. Louis is now whistled for a penalty as Colton Parayko is called for tripping Mark Scheifele. Jets to the power-play!
• Jets are unsuccessful on the power-play. They move to 1-for-2 on the night with the man-advantage.
• I'm not even qualified to be a waterboy, but it seems like Binnington is struggling to find the puck through traffic.
• Winnipeg's fourth line can be so effective when they get moving. Barron and Anderson-Dolan could be keys.
• They iffy penalties early on seem to be making net-front scrums far less intense. That may be a factor later.
• I'm not sure how he does it, but Mason Appleton is a complete enigma on the ice. Like be effective in some way.
• Kyle Connor with a good chance, but Binnington keeps it out of the net. Might this be the Jets' period?
• Holy moly did Kyle Connor come close. The collective Blues defensive unit kept that puck out the net.
• Wow. That hand-pass call at the St. Louis blue line was creative by the officials. As in they made it up.
• As Sportsnet's commentators wax poetic about Binnington, I feel my dinner coming up. I dislike him.
• I'd like to see Binington become unhinged tonight. See Appleton to the crease since he does nothing else.
• A rare mistake by Samberg leads to a Jordan Kyrou partial breakaway. Connor Hellebuyck says "I got it, boys."
• With 13.8 seconds remaining, some pressure sees Vladislav Namestnikov draw a penalty!
• Blues defender Nick Leddy is sitting in the box. The Jets need their power-play to gear up again!
• Time will expire on the second period as the St. Louis Blues take the one-goal lead into the intermission.

Third period action is coming up, and I was reviewing some trade history between these two teams. I'll ask the question of which trade was bigger when it comes to the Jets: the 2018 deadline deal that saw the Jets acquire Paul Stastny for Erik Foley, a 2018 1st round pick, and a 2020 4th round pick... OR... the trade that sent Phil Housley to the Blues for Nelson Emerson and Stephane Quintal? Obviously, one trade helped the Jets immensely while the other removed a key weapon the Jets had in their lineup. Which one do you feel was bigger in terms of the impact it had on the team?

Third Period Action

Third period action will get underway with the Jets holding 1:45 of power-play time to begin the frame. They are 1-for-2 with the man-advantage, and need to get that top-ranked power-play rolling.

• I have no idea how Jordan Binnington stopped Kyle Connor. Like that's just throw-anything-in-the-way netminding.
• Jets can't convert on the power-play despite getting a few chances. They'll need to keep pushing in this period.
• Mason Appleton. Enigma. Not sure what he's doing out there. Lowry can't be the only "scorer" on that line.
• Jordan Kyrou had a step on Dylan Samberg, and Samberg put his stick into Kyrou's hands. That's a penalty.
• The penalty is erased as Zack Bolduc cross-checks Alex Iafallo to end the power-play. 35 seconds of 4-on-4 hockey.
• Jets move to 1-for-4 on the power-play after failing to convert on another opportunity. These may be regrets soon.
• I'm not one to lament over who isn't playing, but the Jets could really use Ehlers' speed and creativity right now.
• ALEX IAFALLO FROM HIS OFFICE THREE FEET OUTSIDE THE CREASE BANGS ONE HOME! GAME IS TIED 3-3 AT 9:18!
• Jets seem to have a little life now, but the Blues are still holding strong. Might we get free hockey tonight?
• I'd normally say something about Walker's late hit, but Canada Life Centre is loud. That whistle wasn't heard.
• I like when Morrissey is feeling spicy. Jumping into the offence, throwing a hit... gimme more of that, #44.
• I'm not predicting anything, but I feel like Cole Perfetti or Kyle Connor are on the verge of something big.
• Seeing Steve Ott on the St. Louis bench reminds me why I don't like St. Louis. It's because of Steve Ott.
• Like I'm sure he's a great dude, but I just generally disliked him as a player. And yet he played forever.
• KYLE CONNOR ONE-TIMER FROM SCHEIFELE! WINNIPEG LEADS 4-3 WITH 1:36 TO PLAY! DID I CALL THAT?
• Binnington heads to the bench. Extra skater on for the Blues. They need a goal late to keep this one going.
• ADAM LOWRY SCORES ON THE MASON APPLETON MISS! JETS LEAD 5-3 WITH 53 SECONDS TO PLAY! PUT THIS ONE TO BED!
• Binnington remains on the bench as the Blues are going with the "we got nothing to lose" strategy.
• The scuffles begin with 20 seconds to play. Dance partners for everyone will send those lines to the rooms.
• More scuffles with seconds remain, and the officials will escort more players to their benches to close out this one.
• THE FINAL HORN SOUNDS ON A 5-3 WINNIPEG WIN AS THEY GO UP 1-0 IN THE SERIES AGAINST ST. LOUIS!

Winnipeg rallies in the third period to down the St. Louis Blues who, despite the loss, looked just as hungry as the Jets did all night. Both teams have things they need to improve for Game Two - Winnipeg's penalty-killing has to be better while St. Louis can't take their foot off the gas pedal - but the Jets break the ice with the 5-3 win.

Game Two is scheduled for Monday night at Canada Life Centre, and the Winnipeg Whiteout will be back. Can the Jets go up 2-0 before leaving for St. Louis or will the Blues even the series as they head home for Games Three and Four? We'll know Monday night, and here's hoping that Game Two is just as entertaining as tonight's game was!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

The Contest Begins

Last night on The Hockey Show, Jason and I were looking for sixteen people who wanted in on the unofficial "Greatest Hockey Contest In Radio History", and we filled all sixteen spots in the hour! With the NHL's Stanley Cup Playoffs beginning tomorrow, the chances of these sixteen people winning prizes looks very good as each person who entered has a team for whom they be cheering. Who got which team? Let's find out!

The bracket is as follows in terms of Survivor contestants.

There are some intriguing matchups outside of the NHL matchups here as we'll see family members going head-to-head for bragging rights, co-workers teeing off on one another for those same bragging rights, and we even have a team who chose a team as Norm and Sammy become the first family-based entry into the Survivor contest!

I'll say this out loud right here so everyone can see it: it doesn't matter where Washington finishes in this postseason because Sammy's getting herself something from The Hockey Show. You can call me a softie or whatever, but having a young lady in the contest is awesome so we'll take care of Sammy when it comes to prizing. She's awesome!

With every team having someone assigned, we'll see if Tom, Ethan, Elliot, or Kristine can win some of the challenge prizes tomorrow as the Central Division kicks off the playoff schedule. Again, I don't make the schedule so I can't control when the NHL is scheduling games, so prizing will be awarded as the prizes are won. If your team hasn't played yet when the first challenge prizes are won, that's out of my hands. Please don't hate-mail Jason or I because we have zero pull with Gary Bettman or NHL scheduler-makers.

Congratulations to the sixteen people above who are now part of the 2025 edition of Survivor: NHL Playoffs! Hopefully, your team will carry you deep into the playoffs and win you some prizes! At the very least, my hope is you'll watch a game or two that your team plays so you can be ready for a potential exit interview. If nothing else, maybe you'll find a new team to cheer for in these playoffs?

While neither Jason nor I can affect the outcomes of these teams, we want to wish you the best of luck and may the odds be ever in your favour as Survivor: NHL Playoffs gets underway tomorrow!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

The Hockey Show - Episode 656

The Hockey Show, Canada's only campus-produced radio show that strictly talks hockey, is back on the air from the UMFM studios for one reason only tonight: the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs. You may have heard that the brackets were filled out last night thanks to the Montreal Canadiens being the last team to get into the playoffs, and that means that we're one step closer to the Greatest Hockey Radio Contest - unverified, for now - in the history of all broadcast sound! If you're wondering what I'm talking about, it sounds like you need to tune into the fun tonight on The Hockey Show at 5:30pm CT!

Tonight, Teebz and Jason take calls from interested parties who want to take part in the 2025 edition of Survivor: NHL Playoffs! I had written about the contest here when it comes to rules for the contest, and tonight is when we get sixteen people to choose numbers to find out which team is assigned to each entrant! As numbers start to be removed from the board, the chances of landing a top-seeded team may increase or decrease depending on which teams remain so you're going to have to weigh the odds if you want one of the superpowers. What I can tell you is that if you call between 5:30pm and 6:30 CT at (204) 269-8636, your chances of getting into the Survivor: NHL Playoffs contest will never be better! Settle in, tune into the show, get your phone out tonight for Survivor: NHL Playoffs 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 participate, you're still welcome to enter the contest! The new UMFM website's online 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. It's a solid app.

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 get sixteen people registered for the 2025 edition of Survivor: NHL Playoffs heard on The Hockey Show exclusively on 101.5 UMFM and on the UMFM.com web stream!

PODCAST: April 17, 2025: Episode 656

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

The Last One In

You were warned, and the NHL Guardian Project images are continuing today as we have our sixteenth and final team who has clinched an NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs berth. The Montreal Canadiens secured the second wild card spot tonight, leaving the Columbus Blue Jackets on the outside of the playoff picture. While Montreal may have surprised a lot of people as they flirted with a playoff spot for a while, the Blue Jackets' push for a playoff spot was impressive. It did come up short, though, and that leaves the Canadiens to face the Washington Capitals in their series. The playoff picture is complete!

The Canadiens needed at least one point against the Carolina Hurricanes tonight, but they took no chances as they swiped both points with a 4-2 win over the Hurricanes. Kaiden Guhle had a pair of goals while Sam Montembeault made 28 saves as the Habs completed their home schedule with a 10-0-2 run over their final 12 home games. The last time that the Capitals and Canadiens met in the playoffs was in the 2010 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals when the Canadiens upset the Capitals in seven games. Could it happen again?

The Capitals were 2-0-1 against the Canadiens this year, so things don't look good if we look at recent results. However, it should be noted that the three games against Washington came before the Four Nations Face-Off, and the Habs went on a bit of a heater since that break, posting a 15-5-6 record through to the end of the season. I'm not saying that streak helps, but confidence can go a long way for a team looking to upset the favourite in a series.

It should be noted that the Montreal Canadiens last made the playoffs in 2021 when they went on a tear through the brackets, eliminating the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Winnipeg Jets, and the Vegas Golden Knights before losing to the Lightning in the Stanley Cup Final in five games. Because that playoff year was played in the bubble, there were no games played in front of the Montreal faithful. In fact, there hasn't been a full Bell Centre for a playoff game since April 20, 2017 where they lost 3-2 in overtime to the New York Rangers in Game Five of their first-round series. The Rangers won that series in six games.

With no recent history outside of the three regular-season games they played this year, the pressure is squarely on the Capitals, especially if Logan Thompson is unable to recover from his upper-body injury for the start of the series. If Thompson can't go, it seems like Charlie Lindgren will get the start, and his .866 save percentage hasn't looked good as the Capitals have been sloppy in their defensive zone. The Capitals will also be looking for forward Aliaksei Protas to return at some point, but it seems he will likely miss the start of the series as well after he had his foot cut against Chicago on April 4.

The Canadiens are metaphorically playing with house money as they enter the playoffs. They were 32nd-overall in the NHL of 32 teams on November 15 and they were in last place in the Eastern Conference with an 11-16-3 record on December 16. If you watch Hockey Night in Canada, you know how often Elliotte Friedman talks about teams that are out of the playoff on American Thanksgiving have a very low chance of making the playoffs. This Montreal team just beat those odds, and I feel like they may scare the Capitals in this series.

Will they win? Probably not, and it only gets harder with both Thompson and Protas back in the Capitals' lineup. The Canadiens need Suzuki, Caufield, Laine, Demidov, Hutson, and Montembeault to play like Lafleur, Mahovlich, Shutt, Cournoyer, Robinson, and Dryden. Juraj Slafkovsky needs to find ways to be effective, Mike Matheson has to be good defensively, and Jake Evans has to be a premiere shutdown forward. In short, it's going to take every player on the Canadiens' roster to slow the Capitals down and win four games.

The Canadiens started the season as the NHL's second-youngest team, but they have matured nicely. I'm not sure it's enough to get them by a veteran Capitals team, but there's a reason they play the games. If the Canadiens can look as good as they did tonight against the Hurricanes when the series against Washington opens, they have a shot at upsetting the Capitals just like they did in 2010.

If the Canadiens continue to play good hockey as they have over the last six weeks, the improbable could be possible this spring!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!