A Hero On Multiple Levels

He's the only NHL player to ever hail from the northern Manitoba town of Churchill, and it's just one of the reasons why Jordin Tootoo should be celebrated. The first Inuk to ever lace up the skates in the NHL made the announcement today in Brandon, where he played junior hockey for the WHL's Wheat Kings, that he was retiring from the NHL at the age of 35 after 13 seasons and 723 games in the highest pro circuit. To say he beat the odds in finding his way onto an NHL roster would be an understatement, but for Jordin to make the NHL when the town of Churchill has but one hockey rink is remarkable. He should be hailed as hero and an icon for the Indigenous community, and he's doing incredible work in trying to help Indigenous youth regarding mental health initiatives. Jordin Tootoo will be missed on the ice, but the work he's doing off it will perhaps have a much greater impact.

"When I came to Brandon in 1999, I didn’t think of myself as an Indigenous role model, I was just a hockey player that would fight with everything I had to make the NHL," Tootoo stated in his retirement announcement. "This community embraced me and looked beyond my background and just judged me for how I played the game. And it’s pretty special and symbolic to come full circle and be back here to announce that I have retired from the NHL."

For those that may not know, Tootoo's father, Barney, is of Inuk descent while his mother, Rose, is Ukrainian. He grew up in Rankin Inlet, Nunavut where he was a good athlete, following in his older brother's footsteps as Terence was another talented hockey player. Terence and Jordin both suited up in the MJHL for the Opaskawayak Cree Nation's team known as the OCN Blizzard where they caught the eye of WHL scouts for their scoring and tenacity on the ice.

Things went well for Jordin as he was drafted in the 1998 WHL Bantam Draft by the Brandon Wheat Kings. In 2001, the Nashville Predators made Jordin the first Inuk to be drafted by an NHL team when they took him 98th overall. It seemed the sky was the limit for young Jordin as his dreams would one day be realized.

Things also seemed to be going extremely well for the other Tootoo brother as Terence had just completed his first season in the ECHL with the Roanoke Express where he was named the Express' Rookie of the Year. He returned to Brandon to visit Jordin at the conclusion of the 2001-02 ECHL season, and began working towards cracking the roster of the AHL's Norfolk Admirals in the fall.

The summer of 2002 was a turning point for the Tootoo family. As Jordin wrote in a 2014 article on Sportsnet, he experienced the loss of his brother via suicide after Terence was caught by Brandon police for driving while intoxicated. This led Jordin into a bought of depression which he soothed his woes with alcohol and women. At first, it wasn't apparent, but it gradually got worse to the point where he was pulling all-night drinking binges in Nashville and embarrassing the club with his actions off the ice.

Despite being a fan favorite in Nashville for his rugged and tenacious play, GM David Poile gave him an ultimatum in 2010: go into rehab or get cut from the team. December 27, 2010 saw Tootoo enter into the NHL's and NHLPA's joint substance abuse program where he'd spend a month of time trying to kick his addiction. Tootoo wrote in his 2014 book, All the Way: My Life on Ice,

By the time I walked into The Canyon, I'd been sober for a detox. But I still had to go through a process where they monitor you for a week. I had arrived in the middle of the night, when everyone was sleeping. I got up the next day, walked into a room, and saw all of these F'd-up people sitting around. We were sitting in a circle and I was looking around and thinking, 'Am I really like this? Do I look like these people?'

After completing rehab, Tootoo returned to the Predators and played some inspired hockey. He was signed by the Detroit Red Wings in the summer of 2012 on a three-year, $5.7 million contract, but things in Detroit just didn't work out as both sides had hoped. Detroit bought him out, and this allowed Tootoo to sign with the New Jersey Devils in 2014. In 2016-17, Tootoo would sign in Chicago with the Blackhawks where his career would end with 65 goals, 96 assists, and 1010 penalty minutes in his 723 NHL contests.

Forget the stats. Forget the cities. Jordin Tootoo has been down to the depths of hell and up to the highest points of life in his 35 years, and now he starts a new chapter.

"It's been a great run and now it's time for me to move on to the next chapter of my life," he said, adding he plans to "continue to work to enhance life for Native children who are suffering."

That work started in 2011 when he established the Team Tootoo Fund that helps "a wide range of charitable causes including nonprofits addressing suicide awareness and prevention, as well as those supporting youth at risk." His efforts in helping these causes prompted the New Jersey Devils to nominate Tootoo for the 2015 NHL Foundation Player Award which is given to a player who uses the core values of hockey — commitment, perseverance and teamwork — to enrich the lives of people in his community.

Needless to say, Jordin Tootoo can now focus his efforts entirely on helping Indigenous youth with mental health initiatives and suicide prevention - two issues which plague the Indigenous communities of the north. Being Inuk, Tootoo can serve as a role model and mentor for a lot of kids in northern Canada, and there's hope that his efforts to reach these kids will have a lasting impact on them. From the work being done already by Tootoo, thousands of Indigenous kids have been inspired to follow Jordin's lead.

I'll miss Tootoo on the ice, but it's pretty clear that he's just as effective - if not more effective - in his role off the ice. Tootoo being an NHL player allowed him to reach thousands, and that's entirely how one's celebrity status should work. Tootoo may not be remembered as an icon on the ice very often, but he's already a hero to thousands of people.

Count me as one of them because I have the utmost respect for the work he's doing in northern Canada. All the best in your retirement, Jordin, and I hope a vast number of those Indigenous kids you've reached go on to follow in your footsteps to help the next generation of Indigenous youth!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

The Hockey Show - Episode 317

The Hockey Show, Canada's only campus-produced radio show that strictly talks hockey, is back tonight with our PLEDGE-O-RAMA show! The ol' radio station known as CJUM-FM 101.5 kicked off its annual week-long pledge drive known as PLEDGE-O-RAMA earlier this week, and we're nearing our goal! We do this every year at the radio station as we ask our listeners to give a little back to our independent transmission that goes out on the 101.5 FM frequency, and our goal this year is $36,000! We do need some help from you, my readers and our listeners, as we're still a little short, so will you lend us some support?

What is this annual pledge drive known as Pledge-O-Rama? UMFM, for those that are unaware, is a volunteer-driven, non-profit radio station located on the campus of the University of Manitoba from where The Hockey Show and other great programming originates. The station has been operating since 1998, and your donations via the Pledge-O-Rama campaigns over the years have allowed UMFM to accomplish a number of goals including upgrading the transmitter (hear us farther!), gaining better technology so we can do things like remote broadcasts (Bisons football and hockey!), and making upgrades to UMFM's in-studio equipment and facilities (hear us clearer!). Basically, the money you donate goes directly into making our programming and our broadcast quality better!

If you're a fan of The Hockey Show, all we ask is if it's within your means to make donation in whatever amount it may be that you can afford so that we can continue to do great things like broadcasting Bisons men's and women's hockey, broadcasting from community arenas and events like we did in London, Ontario where the U SPORTS National Women's Hockey Championship was help, and bring great people on the show like we did all summer. While Beans and I won't see any money directly, UMFM will be using the money this year to set up a digital music library among the projects that have been identified by the Board of Directors so that UMFM continues to break new ground and implement new technology to make your listening experience better!

There are a ton of incentives for donating and UMFM is happy to provide tax receipts as an official non-profit entity in case you need to keep the government from putting their greasy mitts on your hard-earned dollars. When you donate, you can choose the incentive package for which you qualify or the tax receipt, and those will be sent out to you or can be picked up from the radio station itself (note that tax receipts will be produced closer to tax season!). As an incentive this year, The Hockey Show will enter anyone who makes a pledge to our show in excess of $50 into a draw for one of the following beauty prizes:

1. HOST THE SHOW: you can sit in as a featured host with Teebz and Beans and debate all things hockey on a date of your choosing! We'll give away two of these to be used at any time by the winners within the next calendar year (before next year's Pledge-O-Rama).
2. WE VISIT YOU: The Hockey Show will come out and do the show from your local rink within southern Manitoba! We'll gather up the gear, make our way out to your local team's rink, promote your team or a team of your choosing on the show, and do our one-hour of craziness from your community! We'll give away two of these to be used at any time by the winners within the next calendar year (before next year's Pledge-O-Rama).
3. TEAM OF YOUR CHOICE: As you may be aware, The Hockey Show holds its Survivor: NHL Playoffs contest every year. If your name is chosen in the draw and options #1 and #2 don't work for you due to distance or some other factor, we'll give you a chance to call your own shot by selecting the team of your choice in this year's Survivor pool. Once your choice is made, however, there's no going back! The prizing for the winner is always worth more than $50, so your pledge may pay off in a big way if you choose your team wisely! There is one of these incentives to be won.

If you prefer social media, we try to remain up-to-speed there! Email all show questions and comments to hockeyshow@umfm.com! Tweet me anytime with questions you may have by hitting me up at @TeebzHBIC on Twitter. You can also post some stuff to Facebook if you use the "Like" feature, and I always have crazy stuff posted there that doesn't make it to the blog or show.

Tune in tonight to hear how you can donate while Teebz and Beans discuss concussions and the rash of dangerous hits seen in the NHL lately, the Bisons and their respective schedules, and much more only on The Hockey Show found exclusively on 101.5 UMFM, on the UMFM app, on the UMFM.com web stream!

PODCAST: October 18, 2018: Episode 317
RESOURCES: UMFM Pledge Donation Page

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Follow The Money

See these ladies? They're paid by the NHL. Before you start emailing, tweeting, and commenting how I know nothing about hockey and how the NHL doesn't have any female players, let me assure you that I know these two facts. Yes, I know nothing about hockey and, yes, I know the NHL doesn't have any females who play the nightly games. There's an explanation here that needs to be told, and it will come as a bit of shock that the money actually does tell a story. I'll make a few assumptions here and I'll point those out, but things make more sense once you see the paper trail.

We'll start with the claim that was put forth in an article published yesterday by Associated Press writer John Wawrow. He writes,

The NHL's support of women's hockey included the league stepping in at the last moment to end a wage dispute between USA Hockey and U.S. National team women players threatening to boycott the 2017 World Championships on home ice. Two people familiar with the situation said the NHL agreed to pay USA Hockey to help fund the four-year agreement. The people spoke to AP on the condition of anonymity because the league and USA Hockey have not made that information public.

Ok, so there's always some uncertainty when it comes to anonymous sources, but the Associated Press has some pretty stringent rules for its writers when it comes to using anonymous sources. I will assume that Wawrow and his news manager have vetted the material presented in Wawrow's article, and will stand by its veracity. Note that I am assuming this entire article's base on the Associated Press having done its due diligence regarding anonymous sources. There's some danger in this, but we'll press on.

If the above is true, it seems that USA Hockey doesn't want egg on its face in trying to explain why they had the NHL pay the American women in their demands for better wages as Olympians similar to what Canadian Olympians get. The NHL obviously doesn't want to embarrass one of its partners in USA Hockey with whom it has a solid relationship. Keeping this deal quiet works for both sides, and no one needed to be the wiser about where the money came from to pay the American Olympians.

Except someone talked, and Wawrow published it. This, as you probably can imagine, set off the women's hockey world.

AP absolutely burying the lede here folks pic.twitter.com/fh6Rry8Eot

— nora, but spooky 🎃🕸 (@fleurideroses) October 17, 2018

I'm not going to start splitting hairs here, but anonymous sources can't really be your lede as it calls into question all sorts of credibility. Hearsay is not what the Associated Press deals in when it comes to writing articles. You probably want a tabloid for that.

In any case, there was all sorts of outrage and disbelief and gasping and general shock that something like this could ever happen. Rather than taking a look at the actual news and trying to verify its truth, it seems the women's hockey bloggers and writers needed time to continue to build the necessary outrage when it comes to the NHL doing anything positive for women's hockey, let alone their vaunted and idolized gold medal-winning US Olympic women's hockey team.

Here's where thing become a little easier to digest: there has to be a paper trail for this transaction. The NHL and USA Hockey both file tax returns, and, in the case of USA Hockey as a public entity, they post their financial audits on their website. That means there should be some information in there about the NHL dumping some cash on USA Hockey to resolve the players' demands for livable wages similar to their Canadian counterparts.

Before we get into the auditing of the audits, there are a few details I need to spell out here. First, USA Hockey paid the women in the national team program $1000 per month for a six-month period every Olympic year prior to their new agreement. Yes, that's ridiculous for women who are expected to compete at the highest level every four years, so I'm glad that the American women won this battle. They sought fair treatment during the three-and-a-half years between those Olympic camps, and they got it.

While the actual details on what pay and benefits they receive have not been released (nor should they be), let's assume that the agreement they made continues with the same pay from USA Hockey as they received for the six months leading up to the Olympics. That is, let's assume that they'll earn $1000 per month for every month they are part of the national team program. A reasonable assumption, right?

The women were going to boycott the 2017 IIHF Women's World Championship that was being held at the end of March 2017, so we can also safely assume that the deal reached between USA Hockey and the US women's national team would need signatures and ratification by both sides. If we believe that there would be a reasonable time period in which this happened, let's say that this new agreement began in May 2017 after one month of time in which both sides got everything signed, sealed, and delivered. Again, a reasonable assumption, right?

Assuming that the rate of pay and the time period needed to ratify the agreement are true, we should be able to find proof of this infusion of cash into USA Hockey's pockets from the NHL. The next place we should look? Hockey USA's financial statements.

Because this happened in 2017, there is an audited financial statement on Hockey USA's website for that year. Let's get the shovels out and dig into this, shall we?

I might be a little rusty with my accounting skills here, but it seems that the NHL increased its total payment to USA Hockey by $200,000, pushing it up from $9.2 million in 2016 to $9.4 million in 2017. That's a significant amount of money that the National Hockey League is pouring in when you consider that the only larger contribution to USA Hockey's bottom line was "Membership registrations and dues" from programs across the United States.

There is a curious addition to the NHL's line on the statement that reads "Note N". What does Note N state?

Wait, do mine eyes deceive me? Does that note state that the NHL specifically provides cash for initiatives involving women's hockey? Indeed, it does, and that would mean that the balance of the money left over once USA Hockey spends money on "existing costs associated with the national team development program and junior officiating development program", the rest goes towards initiatives that include women's hockey.

You might be asking how this relates to the US women's national team and their fight for livable wages. We'll take those fair assumptions made above and work the numbers at this point.

If there are 25 women on the national program's roster at any one time and they earn $1000 per month each, the total per month that Hockey USA would need to pay the team would be $25,000. If the agreement started in May and ran until December 2017 in terms of the 2017 financials, that would be eight months of pay that the women would receive. Eight months of $25,000 in wages would be $200,000 in total wages for the remainder of 2017.

Assuming the NHL didn't demand a reduction in spending by USA Hockey on "existing costs associated with the national team development program and junior officiating development program" nor a reduction in spending on offsetting "costs associated with new
initiatives, specifically the American Development Model, Women's Hockey, and membership development, plus support for the United States Hockey League and College Hockey Inc.", this $200,000 increase in funding from 2016 to 2017 wouldn't just be some arbitrary funding increase without some sort of impetus for the increase.

What if the impetus was $1000 per month for 25 players until the end of the calendar year? Coincidence?

Let me go on record and state that none of this is concrete evidence. Perhaps there was another reason altogether for the increase that USA Hockey received from the NHL in terms of its financial support. However, it states very clearly in USA Hockey's financial audit that the NHL does provide monetary support for its women's programs, including the US national women's team, and it appears that support is significant based upon the report filed by John Wawrow.

If the NHL is funding the costs for the national team program and the junior officiating programs, this $200,000 increase would perhaps fall under that jurisdiction since the US women's national team would possibly fall under that "national team program" purview. As stated in the audit, "[t]he balance is to be directed to offset costs associated with new initiatives" after those costs for the national and officiating programs are paid, and I cannot see the NHL arbitrarily tossing more money into USA Hockey's remaining pile of money for new initiatives without USA Hockey making a clear case on where the money is going. That's the entire point of accounting - tracking where the money is spent.

While a detailed financial audit would certainly provide more answers than the financial audit posted on USA Hockey's website, there are simply too many puzzle pieces that fit together nicely based entirely on the idea that the US women's national team is earning $1000 per month, similar to their Canadian counterparts. Again, I made assumptions that make the narrative in this article work, but these are reasonable assumptions based on past events.

Maybe I'm entirely wrong. I can accept that. It's the downside of making assumptions, and I prepared to live with that if that's the case. Maybe my understanding of accounting practices is completely out of touch with actual accounting practices, and I can admit that reading financial statements is as much fun as watching paint dry. But if John Wawrow is standing by what he wrote regarding what his sources told him, I feel fairly confident in this breakdown of why the US women's national team is on the NHL's payroll.

All one had to do was follow the money.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Just One Spot?

The U SPORTS Top Ten lists came out today, and there was some apprehension from this writer after the University of Manitoba women's hockey team were shutout twice last weekend by the Alberta Pandas. While I should probably temper my worry a little since the Bisons were 2-2-0-0 last season at the point, the fact remains that they also weren't the top-ranked team in the nation at that point. In any case, I expected some serious movement from Alberta after they played some rather outstanding hockey compared to the top-ranked Bisons in their two meetings this past weekend, and we got that very movement as the voters cast their ballots. Or the mathematical equation that apparently still isn't in place. So back to the voters we go.

So Concordia, who has yet to play a game in the RSEQ after finishing with the bronze medal last season, moves into the top spot in the nation while Manitoba, who dropped two-straight games to Alberta, falls to second-place. Montreal doesn't move despite not having played a game, Alberta jumps up four spots after their impressive showings against Manitoba and Saskatchewan to start the season 3-1-0, and StFX drops a spot despite losing a game to unranked Dalhousie in the shootout to round out the top-five spots.

I seriously don't understand how the voters work. Manitoba, in my view, should have fallen more than one spot after being shutout twice by a team who now has a better record and certainly has had a more difficult schedule to start the season in Alberta. Saskatchewan, who played Alberta to a split before sweeping Calgary with a regulation win and an overtime win, should legitimately be closer to both Alberta and Manitoba as well, and I certainly struggle in seeing three RSEQ teams in the Top Ten when none have played a single second of the regular season yet.

If this were preseason rankings, I can handle seeing a couple of RSEQ teams in the Top Ten, but shouldn't teams have to earn a ranking by actually playing games? Am I misunderstanding how the voting works? I don't care about strength of schedule because none of the teams cross over into each other's schedule, so shouldn't results against Top Ten teams weigh more heavily on who is better than whom?

It might be a good idea to enable that complicated calculus equation found in the Elo Rating System sooner rather than later to determine the Top Ten because I feel that there is still a pile of voter bias that is going into the system right now. I get that Manitoba may still be rounding into form like they did last season when they kicked it into another gear in January for the second-half of the season, but that's why they shouldn't get the benefit of the doubt until they do.

For Saskatchewan Huskies fans, I got your back on this one. You guys are better than eighth-place in the country right now. And as much as I want to be the homer, Manitoba probably shouldn't be the second-best team in the country at this point in the season.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Matheson For A Pair

In the 1980s, the move that Mike Matheson pulled on Elias Pettersson on Saturday night probably would have been deemed a "good ol' hockey play". The injury that Pettersson suffered would have had fans calling him "soft" for getting "his bell rung", but things have changed over the last thirty years. As you're probably aware, concussions are at the forefront for professional sports, especially when it comes to the lasting effects of concussions, but the NHL seems to be steadfast in its assumption that concussions do not cause long-lasting effects on the human brain. Regardless of the NHL's stance, Elias Pettersson suffered a concussion due to Mike Matheson's body slam, and Matheson was called by the Department of Player Safety today to figure out how long he'll sit for regarding that body slam.

Again, I struggle to understand how old-school players such as Brad May, Kelly Chase, and Jason Strudwick seem to classify Matheson's hit and body slam on Pettersson as an "old-school hockey play" when rugged guys who played against them such as Mike Peluso, Matthew Barnaby, and Stu Grimson all were forced into retirement early due to concussions. Players such as Jeff Beukeboom and Kevin Kaminski had their lives derailed entirely by concussions, yet this gets a pass from the former players named at the top of this paragraph?

Elias Pettersson is 19 years-old, and he already has a concussion under his belt as an NHL player. Do we really expect him to have a long and prosperous career if plays such as Matheson's are allowed?

The Department of Player Safety saw two separate plays in terms of what Matheson did after he got dangled out of his jockstrap by Pettersson in the left corner.

"What causes this incident to rise to the level of supplemental discipline, is that it encompasses two separate and distinct acts," claims the DoPS in the suspension video. "First, Matheson pins Pettersson to the boards in a legal and effective defensive maneuver. Then with the puck long separated from the area, and Pettersson unable to defend himself, Matheson drives him directly downward and into the ice with force, causing an injury."

I agree with this statement 100%. The pin that Matheson put on Pettersson behind the net once he recovered from his defensive lapse is entirely within the rules. He simply uses his body to prevent Pettersson from moving along the boards, forcing Petterson to pass the puck away. Had that been the end of the play behind the net, we'd have no problem. Instead, Matheson follows up the pin against the boards with the body slam that caused Pettersson's head to hit the ice causing the concussion.

Was Matheson looking for a little retribution for the dangle that embarrassed him moments prior to this incident? Possibly. He'll never go on record in saying that, but the video shows that he kept his eye on Pettersson after Pettersson deked him out of his skates.

If anything, the body slam seems like a message to the rookie from Matheson. Matheson seemingly didn't like what Pettersson did in deking him off his feet, giving him the bump with the elbow as Pettersson went behind the net, and he followed up that elbow by dumping Pettersson on his head as a bit of retaliation.

As the Department of Player Safety's video stated, "This is not a hockey play."

It was announced today that Mike Matheson received a two-game suspension for this transgression, and I can't say that I'm surprised that it was a low number of games. Matheson has not been in trouble with the league before about his play, so the Department of Player Safety can't necessarily toss the book at him. Two games seems like it would be the maximum penalty that the NHL could assess without an appeal, so all's well that ends well, I guess.

The only problem? Elias Pettersson's return to the Canucks' lineup seems to be much further away than just two games. For a player who has eight points in five games, he's a big part of the early success of the Canucks. You can understand why Canucks head coach Travis Green and the Vancouver Canucks fanbase were still fuming today over the decision.

Be thankful that Matheson got something, Canucks fans. I had the NHL pegged for a simple fine due to his lack of questionable play, so that two-game break should be seen as something tangible. Yes, it won't bring back your star player, but it's likely the most the NHL could do with the NHLPA appealing this decision.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!