Back in 2011 for the NHL All-Star Game, the NHL worked with Marvel Comics legend Stan Lee to create 30 NHL Guardians superheroes who had a variety of superpowers. The NHL Guardian Project was a collaboration between the NHL, comics legend Stan Lee, and Guardian Media Entertainment to create a superhero for each NHL franchise at the time who would go on adventures across several multimedia platforms. The entire idea was a flop from the beginning with everyone involved losing money and credibility. That brings us to tonight's result where the Minnesota Wild and the St. Louis Blues both earned points, locking down the two wild card spots in the Western Conference for the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs!
The image above is "The Blue", St. Louis' imagined guardian, and I plan on using those images throughout the playoffs because they're so ridiculous. In any case, the St. Louis Blues are the confirmed first-round opponent for the Winnipeg Jets, and it will be up to the Jets to play a different tune compared to the last time these two teams met in the playoffs back in 2019. The Jets had finished in second-place in the Central Division while St. Louis had finished in third-place, but both teams had 99 points and the Jets earned home-ice advantage via the tiebreakers. The series began in Winnipeg on April 10.
St. Louis won both games in Winnipeg while the Jets took both games in St. Louis. The teams returned to Winnipeg for Game Five where the Blues won 3-2, giving them the 3-2 series lead heading back to St. Louis. Game Six saw Jaden Schwartz score a hat trick while Jordan Binnington stood on his head to preserve a 3-2 victory, ousting the Jets from the playoffs in six games. For all the success the Jets had had in the regular season, it was a very short playoff appearance after a run to the Western Conference Final one year earlier.
Some of the key players the Blues had in the 2019 playoff run are still there - Brayden Schenn, Colton Parayko, Jordan Binnington, and Robert Thomas as examples - but the turnover has been extensive since that Stanley Cup-winning season. The Jets will have to keep an eye on some of the young guns the Blues have in Jordan Kyrou, Dylan Holloway, Pavel Buchnevich, and the aforementioned Robert Thomas. They need to be physical with St. Louis' blueline, leaning on guys like Cam Fowler, Justin Faulk, and Ryan Suter. And they must get to the net and buzz the crease to disrupt Jordan Binnington who could easily be lights-out dominant or completely unhinged.
St. Louis comes into the series on a 19-4-3 run in the 27 games since the Four Nations Face-Off, but one of those regulation losses came at the hands of the Jets. Since February 1, the Blues have the highest points percentage in the NHL - better than both Winnipeg and Washington who were aiming for the President's Trophy. Their late-season success helped them edge out the Calgary Flames for that final playoff spot after it seemed like they were dead in the water in January. It seems like the Blues have been playing playoff-type hockey for two months already, so can they keep that style of play going for another two weeks against the league's best team?
The Jets have clear advantages in all facets of their game: offensive game, defensive game, goaltending, and special teams. Coaching might be even as Scott Arniel has never led a team deep into the playoffs, but Jim Montgomery's teams like to wrap-up their playoffs early as well. I'm not saying that Winnipeg will lose, but the Blues could find some success with the right mix of players getting hot and some luck. However, those are variables that can be quelled very quickly by a rock-solid system like the Jets play.
After watching the Jets hold the Blues to 15 shots in their 3-1 win one week ago, I'm not confident in suggesting that the Blues will upset the NHL's top team. The Jets have the edge in virtually every statstical measurement, but I do think the Blues will be problematic at times. They've shown a knack for finding ways to win, they battle hard all over the ice, and winning is infectuous. The Jets, however, have shown that same attitude since Game One, and the bad taste from the early exit last year has yet to be washed from their mouths.
If you're not excited for this series as a Jets fan, it's time to start gearing up. The Winnipeg Whiteout begins this weekend, playoff fever will grip the city, and there will be hundreds of thousands of Manitobans cheering for their hockey heroes as the top-seeded team in the playoffs. Playoff season is three days away, and I'm picking the Jets to give "The Blue" and the Blues some sad songs in this series.
Darius Rucker of Hootie and the Blowfish sang, "Time, why you punish me" in their hit single, Time. It's a relevant question when you look at the length of the NHL postseason that begins on Saturday, April 19 and may not finish until June 23, 2025. That's two months of hockey to find one team that can win sixteen games before any other, and I understand that there are mandated days off as per the CBA. I've never truly understood, though, why teams can't play back-to-back games like they once did in the NHL. Every team plays back-to-back games during the regular season, so why can't the NHL and NHLPA work to cut a couple of weeks off the Stanley Cup Playoffs?
I'm not saying that we should be relying on history for this because labour relations between the NHL and NHLPA seem to be in a good place right now, but it happened that the NHL made the decision to shorten the postseason back on September 25, 1968. See below.
According to The Canadian Press's article in The Brandon Sun, "[t]he league's board of governors approved a revised set of playoff regulations Tuesday which make it possible for a team to win a best-of-seven series in five days". The new rules that the NHL introduced would have seen the playoffs begin on a Wednesday and Game Two would be played on Thursday. With travel on Friday, Games Three and Four would be played on Saturday and Sunday whereby a team could, in theory, sweep the series and complete the series in five days.
I want to be clear that I'm not suggesting that series should be theoretically completed in five days, but that idea is intriguing. No team has ever swept their way through the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but completing the playoffs in a month would be pretty awesome. As the article states, there was even a provision written into the new rules that allowed the semifinal series to be slowed if a team was ahead in their quest for the Stanley Cup in comparison to where the other conference was in their schedule. The rules make sense.
As I propose shortening the playoffs, I realize that the various networks and teams who are participating would likely complain as they'd lose a pile of revenue from the hype built for all the series, but I can't help this feeling that the NHL could reduce the length of time it takes to complete the playoffs. Knowing what we do today about the NHL-NHLPA relations, I'm convinced that the playoffs will always be a two-month battle for sixteen teams.
Again, it's wishful thinking on my part for a shorter postseason. For a guy who is a hockey fan, it seems like a contradiction from what I should want, but June 23 is the middle of summer. Hockey needs to end before that date. Heck, hockey needs to end before June in my view, but my opinion is just a whisper in the wind. I have no ability to sway the NHL or NHLPA on this, so I'll be watching until June this season. And likely for many seasons beyond this one.
Of course, I'm also the guy who would love to see the NHL return to a 70-game schedule as opposed to the current 82-game schedule in order to cut down on the length of the season overall while also making games and points more important. Yes, I realize that more and more teams are going for the two-point win in overtime as opposed to the shootout, but I'd like to see more teams raising their games earlier in the season to prevent falling out of playoff races. However, as the image above indicates, I seem to be moving closer to "old man yells at cloud" in my attitude towards hockey. Get off my lawn, ok?
The Stanley Cup Playoffs start on Saturday. It's two months of hockey action that will see people clad in shorts and t-shirts move to decks and patios to watch games while enjoying cold beverages as the sun sets during the early games. If you ask for a TV to be changed to watch a baseball game, you'll likely be tossed out of that establishment, so don't do that. Don't even think of doing that because it's playoff hockey season. In June. In baseball season.
I had no intention of adding another edition of The Rundown today, but there are a few people who once called U SPORTS home as they walked their respective hockey paths. The Women's World Championship is happening in Czechia right now, but there's another version of the tournament running in Great Britain as the Division 1, Group B World Championship is also being played while the Division 1, Group A tournament started today. Because I'm proud of the alumnae who have skated for Canadian university teams, let take a look at how they and their teams are doing at their respective tournaments!
Nordic Highlights
Norway entered today's game against Hungary needing a win after dropping games against Japan and Germany. Hungary, meanwhile, had yet to score so they were looking to break that two-game drought against the Norwegians. We'll get to the results in a second, but we have two Canada West alumnae who are doing amazing things for Norway as they look to hold their spot in the top IIHF women's hockey division. Oh, and we have highlights of their work!
Former UBC Thunderbirds forward Mathea Fischer had a game against the Germans as she was in on both goals that the Norwegians put on the scoreboard. The first point she recorded was one that Canada West fans will recognize as she scores off the long stretch pass to cut the German lead to 2-1. All rights belong to TSN and the IIHF.
In the second period, Fischer won a puck battle along the boards before sliding it to Andrea Dalen. Dalen goes to the high slot area while Fischer went to the net, and Dalen's shot found the back of the net after a deflection to give Fischer the assist on the 3-2 goal!
Frankly, in watching the replay in slow motion, it seems like Fischer may have tipped the puck upward past Sandra Abstreiter, but the officials rules that Dalen was the goal-scorer. Nonetheless, Fischer and former Mount Royal Cougars defender Emma Bergesen drew assists on Dalen's goal in what would eventually be a 5-2 loss to the Germans. Norway fell to 0-2 in the tournament at that point.
Move forward to today where the Norwway met Hungary with both teams needing wins, and former Cougars rearguard Emma Bergesen added her name to the scoring midway through the second period!
Bergesen's goal put Norway up 2-0 in what would be a 3-0 win over Hungary, and that win moves them a little further away from relegation. As it stands, Fischer and Bergesen are tied with Andrea Dalen for second in team scoring, one point back of Millie Sirum. Norway will wrap up their tournament with a game against Sweden on Tuesday in what should be a spirited showdown as Sweden is aiming to move up to the "Group A" teams. A win by Norway would ruin that Swedish dream, so we'll see how that games goes this week!
Swiss Drought
Things are significantly less fun for Switzerland right now as the Swiss squad has yet to win a game. In fact, their tournament has yet to see a goal celebration as they have a 3-0 loss to Czechia and a 4-0 loss to Canada thus far. They'll play Finland on Monday and the US on Tuesday, and I'm hoping to see one of their U SPORTS players hit the scoresheet. There's some significant talent on this team!
UBC Thunderbirds forward Vanessa Schaefer and former Montreal Carabins forward Kaleigh Quennec are the two players you'll want to keep an eye on if you're watching the games on Monday and Tuesday. Quennec, it should be noted, just won an SWHL championship with SC Bern Frauen where she scored 11 goals and 25 points in 28 games. Schaefer, meanwhile, was on the UBC team that finished as runner-ups to the Pandas in Canada West before finishing in fifth-place at the U SPORTS National Championship. She had four goals and six points in 28 games in Canada West this season.
Switzerland needs some scoring before this tournament ends, and here's hoping the U SPORTS players can make a difference!
Strong French Start
The 2025 IIHF Women's World Championship Division 1, Group A tournament started in Shenzhen, China today, and France got a big start with an 8-3 win over Netherlands. Former Concordia Stingers netminder Alice Philbert picked up the win, former Toronto Varsity Blues defender Gabrielle de Serres picked up a helper, former Montreal Carabins forward Lore Baudrit had two assists while former Carabins forward Estelle Duvin had three goals and a helper.
France's schedule will see them play 1-0 Slovakia tomorrow, 0-1 Denmark on Wednesday, 0-1 China on Thursday, and 1-0 Austria on Saturday. Whoever wins this tournament will replace the relegated team from the top-level IIHF Women's World Championship in 2027. As of right now, it could be Hungary, but we'll see how both tournaments play out. Anything could happen, but France is admittedly off to a good start with their win over the Dutch!
The Italian Job
The Italian team is rolling at the 2025 Women's World Championship Division 1, Group B tournament. I spoke about how I was watching the Division 1, Group B tournament earlier this week, and it's been going very well for Italy. After being Slovenia 12-0 and Kazakhstan 2-0, Italy faced off against Latvia yesterday in a showdown between two 2-0 teams. The winner would have a very good chance at being promoted to the Division 1, Group A tournament in 2027.
Italy did what they've done all tournament long in this game - score early and often. Two goals in the first period, two more in the second, and a couple more in the third period paced the Italian squad to a 6-0 win over Latvia as Guelph Gryphons netminder Martina Fedel continued to stonewall all shooters in the tournament. Former McGill Martlets forward Kayla Tutino had an assist in this game for her first point in the tournament, but the big story is how Italy moved to 3-0 with games against Korea and Great Britain still to be played. You can watch this game below with all rights belonging to the IIHF.
That led to today's game where Italy met Korea, and the Italians just kept steamrolling the competition. Three goals in the first period, three goals in the second period, and a final goal in the third period pushed the Italians to a 7-0 trouncing of the Koreans as they move to 4-0 in the tournament. Martina Fedel pitched her fourth-straight shutout with a 16-save effort, and Kayla Tutino added a pair of helpers to push her scoring to three assists in the event while Fedel has stopped all 60 shots she has faced in the tournament thus far.
That leaves one game on Tuesday against Great Britain to see if Italy can shutout the tournament. Assuming Italy beats the 1-1-0-1 British squad (W-L-OTW-OTL), they get promoted. Even if Latvia wins its next two games, the head-to-head game against Latvia would push Italy ahead of them while goal differential is clearly in Italy's favour as well. In short, it seems like the Italians will be moving up to a new level of women's hockey in 2027! Andiamo, Azzurre!
The British Stopper
Former Calgary Dinos netminder Ella Howard is part of the Great Britain team skating in the 2025 Women's World Championship Division 1, Group B tournament. Howard's time with the Dinos was short, but she's become a fixture in the crease alongside Nicole Jackson for the British team at various tournaments. Howard got the start against Korea on Thursday as she was looking to help Great Britain find points in their quest for promotion as well!
Great Britain grabbed a 2-0 lead through the opening frame, but the Koreans kept coming. A second period goal for Korea made it 2-1 in a frame where they out-shot the Britons by a 10-3 count, and a third period goal pushed the game into overtime tied at 2-2. 84 seconds into the extra frame, the third Korean shot found twine as Eunji Lee beat Howard for the 3-2 overtime win. Howard stopped 30 of 33 shots in the setback for Great Britain, but it was a solid showing for the British netminder against a good Korean team!
Great Britain plays 0-3 Slovenia later today, and they finish the tournament with that big game against Italy. Great Britain cannot be promoted this season after the results of their first three games, but they'll also avoid relegation with their efforts in Dumfries. They'll be back for 2027 Women's World Championship Division 1, Group B tournament whose location has yet to be announced!
The Kiwi Tourney
While she didn't go to a Canadian university, it should be noted that Team Australia, playing in the 2025 Women's World Championship Division 2, Group B tournament, has a player who spent some time in Canada learning the game! Winnipeg-born Lindsey Kiliwnik spent two seasons with the former CSSHL's St. Mary's Academy Flames from 2018-20, and she'll be skating for the Australians at the Division 2, Group B tournament beginning on Monday in Dunedin, New Zealand!
Kiliwnik has been playing for the AWIHL's Brisbane Lightning for the past two seasons where she scored ten goals and 20 points in 14 games in 2023-24 and eleven goals and 13 points in 16 games in 2024-25. The 5'2" sparkplug has a nose for the net as proven by her AWIHL stats, and Australia will be counting on her to score some goals. They open the tournament against Turkey on Monday, meet Hong Kong on Tuesday, play Ukraine on Thursday, grapple with the host and their rivals in New Zealand on Saturday, and and finish the tournament against Belgium on Sunday. We'll see if Australia can be promoted!
Good luck to Lindsey and her teammates as Australia looks to win the tournament and move up the women's hockey ranks!
A Born Leader
This has nothing to with the IIHF World Championships happening in various places right now, but this might some of the cooler news I've ever had the opportunity to post here on The Rundown. There was an election that closed on Friday night for Birdtail Sioux Dakota Nation, and the winner of that election was former Calgary Dinos and Manitoba Bisons defender Tréchelle Bunn! Bunn now becomes the chief of Birdtail Sioux Dakota Nation for the next four years!
On Thursday night, Bunn was in Vancouver where the current University of Manitoba law student was one of the youth recipients for the 2025 Indspire Awards that celebrates and honours "the outstanding achievements and contributions of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis leaders". With Bunn previously serving as the youth chief of the Southern Chiefs' Organization, she was honoured for her work in that role and as founder and race director of the Reconciliation Run in her community. I'm glad she was honoured for her efforts!
They say one has to walk the walk, though, and now Bunn can say she's done that as well as she rushed back from Vancouver to Birdtail Sioux Dakota Nation to be sworn in as Chief Tréchelle Bunn after winning the election on Friday against Gloria Chalmers-Rach by a 191-85 count! A huge congratulations to Tréchelle Bunn on her new role with Birdtail Sioux Dakota Nation as she'll help plan the future for the residents of that Indigenous community moving forward!
When I talk about how these women are going to do amazing things in the world, Chief Tréchelle Bunn is a perfect example of what I mean. They're incredible athletes, but they're better people. They're smart, successful, and have unlimited potential. That's why I'm a fan of U SPORTS women's hockey. It's the people who make the game so good!
The Last Word
I had zero intention of having The Rundown come out of hibernation this week, but it's clear that there are a lot of women making an impact for their nations who play at or have played at Canadian universities. There could be more as we move forward as well with former Dinos netminder Gabriella Durante working to get her Italian Hockey Federation clearance, and we know that the Huskies will have Finnish forward Peppi Virtanen skating for them next season. With Italy hosting the Olympics, we'll be talking about Olympians soon!
What I am sure of, if nothing else, is that these women are making their nations, communities, teammates, and schools proud with their accomplishments. Congratulations to each of the mentioned women above, and expect to see more incredible women doing amazing things here on The Rundown in the future!
It certainly wasn't easy on this night, but a 5-4 victory in the shootout over the Chicago Blackhawks has put the Winnipeg Jets in a position that's not familiar to them or their fans. With the victory, the Jets move to 114 points with two games to play, and that total guarantees them that they'll win the the Central Division and be the top-seeded team in the Western Conference, guaranteeing home-ice advantage for the first three rounds of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. For a team whose name is "Jets", it's hard to imagine that this is the first time in that rarified air of first place, but tonight's win marks the first time in Winnipeg Jets history that they'll sit atop the division to finish a season. Of course, that also places a target on their backs that can only be erased with a deep playoff run, and they'll get a chance to make that run when the playoffs start on Saturday, April 19.
Some will point back to the 2006-07 season where the Atlanta Thrashers finished atop the Southeast Division which led to their only playoff appearance that lasted just four games, but we'll leave that history in Atlanta. That 43-win season landed them at 97 points with a 43-28-11 season, four points better than the Tampa Bay Lightning, but the 42-win, 94-point New York Rangers made short work of the Thrashers in the opening round of the playoffs, outscoring them 17-6 in the four games including a combined 11-2 drubbing in New York.
For Jets fans, the comparisons between that team and this year's Jets squad are few, but the one that stands out is more coincidental than anything. While Marian Hossa led the Thrashers with 43 goals and 100 points in 2006-07 as a 27 year-old, Kyle Connor is leading the Jets with 41 goals and 96 points as a 27 year-old. There are no real other comparables, so we'll leave it there as both teams got big production out of a 27 year-old winger. Instead, let's focus on why the Jets won't replicate that four-game playoff appearance.
For the bumps that the Jets showed tonight against Chicago, the previous games against the Blues and Stars were statements. Add in the game against the Washington Capitals, and the Jets have beaten some very good teams in the last few weeks. If there's one thing that seems to afflict the Jets more than anything this season, it's their annoying ability to play to the level of their opponents as they did tonight in Chicago. In the playoffs, I suspect that they'll find that next gear whether they face St. Louis or Minnesota.
Let me be as transparent as glass: nothing is guaranteed for the Jets. They'll need to be the first team to win sixteen games if they want a Stanley Cup parade down Portage Avenue, and that starts with being ready to go next Saturday when the playoffs begin. There are no "we'll get them next time" games that can be played - every game needs to be treated as a must-win beginning next weekend. The Jets can't play down to their opponents' intensity or skill level; rather, they have to control the pace and play unlike how they played against Colorado last season in that opening-round debacle. That was a nightmare, and no one wants that again.
For the next week, the Jets have one last task to accomplish: one point or one win to secure the President's Trophy for the first time in franchise history as well. Washington has 109 points with three games to play, so Winnipeg could wrap up the top spot in the NHL with a win over the Edmonton Oilers tomorrow. That would allow enough time for Bill Daly to fly into Winnipeg for Wednesday's game against Anaheim where he can present the trophy to the team. Personally, I'm hoping the Jets raise their game for Edmonton because they could potentially meet if things go well for both Canadian teams.
It's been a big season, Jets fans, and there's still a long postseason that both the team and fans want. One win over Edmonton or Anaheim will give the Jets a major team trophy for the first time in franchise history. I will admit that it's not the trophy that the team wants, but it's one that shows just how good this team has consistently been this season. That's gotta count for something.
Starting next weekend, it's the first to sixteen wins. Consistent excellence will be needed in every game played.
It's that magical time of year once again. It's when the grass starts to turn green, the leaves start budding on trees, the ice and snow recede to places no one needs to think about until October, and the NHL begins its annual 16-team battle to determine which team will be crowned as the Stanley Cup champion. With the latter event about to settle into life for the next two months, The Hockey Show is preparing for another postseason of fun where 16 listeners get a shot at claiming the title of "champion"!
We've been teasing and promoting Survivor: NHL Playoffs on The Hockey Show, so we'll re-plant the flag on the beach that says Survivor's NHL Island is open for business once again this year! As we've been talking about on the radio show over the last couple of weeks, our take on a Survivor contest is returning to the airwaves again as we look to crown a winner, award prizes to worthy competitors, and bestow fame and glory on the final entrant standing as The Hockey Show's 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs survivor!
Let's be honest: UMFM owns no island in a tropical climate nor a boat that will get you there, and our annual show budget of $0.00 says Jason and I will never broadcast from an island in the south Pacific. However, if you're aware of the Survivor pools that are run, ours is based on the same idea where you pick a random name of one of the contestants, and that person on Survivor is your person for the run of the show. If he or she is voted off the island, the game for you is over. In our contest, though, we put our own twist on the game so it becomes much more hockey-centric.
Jason and I are seeking sixteen people to call The Hockey Show on April 17, 2025 where each of those callers will choose a number from 1 to 16. Each of those sixteen numbers will have a corresponding playoff team assigned to it randomly. Whatever number you've chosen will reveal your team for the playoffs, and that team becomes YOUR team in a similar random fashion to Survivor pools. All you have to do is be near your phone that evening between 5:30pm and 6:30pm Central Time, call us, and choose one of the numbers on the board to find out what playoff team you'll be rooting for this year!
If you need a real-world example of how this works, let's say that Jason were to call in and choose #6. We flip that card over to reveal that #6 has the Dallas Stars under it. Officially, Jason's team is the Stars until they're eliminated or they win, and card #6 is no longer available as a choice for the next callers. Jason will be cheering as a Stars fan this spring until they're done playing.
Following Jason's call, let's say that I call in next and select #13 as my number, revealing the Carolina Hurricanes. Carolina would become my team until they're eliminated or they win, and card #13 is no longer available as a choice for the next callers. Wash, rinse, repeat until there are no numbers and teams remaining.
If you think you're up for this, you'll need to have your radio tuned to The Hockey Show on April 17 and have your phone close to you. Before you commit, though, what we haven't told you yet is that there's a twist in all of this radio fun. And this twist is where things get crazy fun for everyone involved because you participate!
Just when you think you're out, you're still in the contest until "Tribal Council". You may be wondering how a radio show does "Tribal Council", but we already know your team was eliminated so you've technically been voted off Survivor's NHL Island. However, every episode of Survivor ends with the contestant voted off doing their exit interview, and that's precisely what you will do: you'll deliver an exit interview for your team! We'll call you, set up the quick two- or three-minute chat about your team, and then you're officially done with the contest. Easy-peasy, right?
Some of you may worry about talking on the radio, but I assure you it's just like talking on the phone. In other words, don't think we're going to make it sound weird or anything. But knowing that this is going to happen, what might you say? You're free to talk about how you're disappointed that a specific player didn't show up in the playoffs or how you never thought there would be an upset this early or how you're just lucky that your chosen team made the playoffs. Or you can be like Jacob and talk about your team embarrassed you.
While the CBS version of Survivor promises a big cash prize and whole bunch of prizes from sponsors - both of which The Hockey Show doesn't have - we will be offering up some prizing that aligns with our lack of budget. There will be some smaller prizes handed out as "challenge prizes" much like the network reality show does, and those challenges are as follows:
First shutout recorded in the playoffs.
First hat trick recorded in the playoffs.
First goaltender point recorded in the playoffs.
First team eliminated from the playoffs.
First to advance from the second round to the third round.
First team to score seven goals in one game in the playoffs.
First upset of the playoffs.
The first team that accomplishes any of these challenge goals will earn their Survivor player a corresponding prize! The prizes have yet to be collected, but we've done hockey books, gift cards, and other assorted smaller prizes in the past, so expect much of the same this year. Any prizes earned through challenges will be handed out chronologically while supplies and challenges last in the order they were completed! Needless to say, teams can earn more than one prize in this challenge part of the contest, so choose wisely when it comes to the randomly-distributed teams! Or just choose your favorite number. Either strategy works in this contest!
Just like the TV show, we do offer prizes for the finalists! The grand prize winner who captures the Survivor crown will take home their choice of an NHL jersey plus a few additional prizes! The finalist will get jersey not chosen by the winner as a runner-up prize, so you're going home with a prize as long as your team makes it through three rounds which is pretty awesome when all you had to do is call us! This year's two jerseys are a Seattle Kraken home jersey and a Buffalo Sabres buffa-slug road jersey, so the winner will have a tough choice when it comes to which jersey he/she takes home!
As a new wrinkle to this year's contest, The Hockey Show will also be asking if you plan on supporting UMFM's Pledge-O-Rama event that runs between April 25 at 6:30pm until 8:00pm on May 2. For anyone who enters the Survivor: NHL Playoffs contest AND donates to Pledge-O-Rama, we'll put you into an additional draw for even more prizes! You help us, we'll reward you - it's that simple.
I should also be upfront and inform you that we have some requirements that need to be met before you can participate. The good news is we won't need a medical team available like CBS does for their version of Survivor, but we do have a few must-have REQUIREMENTS for anyone to participate. They include:
You must call into the show on Thursday, April 18 between 5:30pm and whenever we fill all the spots in the contest. If all 16 spots aren't filled within the hour, Jason and I will get creative to fill the empty spots. Don't complain - you had an hour to make one phone call!
You must have a phone number and an email address. If you're calling us, I'm pretty sure you have at least one of these already. If you have neither, are you even alive?
A desire to watch your chosen team's progress in the NHL Playoffs. You don't need to follow them religiously, but it's better to know something if/when your team is eliminated.
Beyond that, this is a fun contest meant for laughter with a few rewards for those who get lucky. It's not to be taken seriously in any way, and it's a nice way for us to reward our loyal listeners with some free gear. If this has enticed you to listen for the first time or come back to the show after not listening, welcome to the show and here's hoping you get into the contest! Just remember, though, that if your team gets bounced, we're calling you for that exit interview. If that scares you in any way, work through that fear!
Be ready, folks, because this contest always is fun for everyone involved. Like CBS' Survivor, only one person can be crowned as "survivor" in this contest, and we're ready to kick things off on April 17! Here's hoping you'll call in for the best radio contest in hockey!
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