Summer Concert Nights - Part Two

We're back for the second day of the concert series featuring musicians in jerseys after seeing Tate McRae, Max Kerman of the Arkells, and Noah Kahan headline the images yesterday. I've always wondered if these musicians put their jerseys into storage somewhere for a future charity auction or potentially as something to sell to fans when their careers slow down, but no musicians have ever come forward to comment on that. I'm still holding out hope that Taylor Swift will want to talk hockey jerseys on The Hockey Show at some point, but I feel like this topic isn't high on her list of interview subjects. In any case, here are the next musicians, and the full list of musicians in jerseys can be seen here!

We'll start with a Canadian-fronted band as we have to go back a few years, but Neil Young and Crazy Horse have been making music since 1968 when they first got together. Neil Young has been on the full list a few times, but we can add Crazy Horse bassist Billy Talbot to the list as he played a gig in a Minnesota North Stars jersey! After suffering a stroke in 2014, the good news is that Talbot is back to his rocking ways with Crazy Horse once more.

Breaking Benjamin has been producing rock songs since 1999 when the formed in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, but they've gone through a pile of changes when it comes to band members over the years. Since 2014, guitarists Jasen Rauch and Keith Wallen have been part of the band's lineup, and they were in Nashville to catch a Predators game where they received their own personalized jerseys! Another person who got a personalized jersey from the Predators? That would be Lauren Alaina who was the runner-up on the tenth season of American Idol! The 30 year-old singer-songwriter also appeared on Dancing with the Stars where she finished in fourth-place, and is the youngest member of the Grand Ole Opry! American country band Shenandoah also got to sing the anthem at a game, but they've been making music since 1984!

Shinedown isn't a Pittsburgh-based band as they were formed in Jacksonville, Florida, but Shinedown front man Brent Smith got a Penguins jersey when the band came to town! In February 2024, Smith announced that the band was working on its eighth studio album, so we could more Shinedown on these lists in the future if they do a tour to promote this new album. Joining Smith on the Penguins' musician fans list is *NSYNC's Chris Kirkpatrick who is a self-professed Penguins fan after growing up near the city. I'm surprised we haven't seen him in a Predators jersey considering he lives there.

The defending champs have a few musical fans this time. The Florida Panthers welcomed pop and country artist Cassadee Pope to their arena as the 35 year-old was the first female winner of The Voice in 2012. Older music fans will know our next artists's mom from her work with the Miami Sound Machine, but Gloria Estefan's daughter, Emily Estefan, produced and released her own album entitled "Take Whatever You Want" in 2017! Pop singer-songwriter Gina Miles also is a Panthers fan after showing her talents by winning Season 23 of The Voice, and VËR - short for "Vered" meaning "Rose" in Hebrew - is a Montreal-born singer based in Miami where she's sang for the Panthers while entertaining folks with her sultry, intimate jazz-inspired renditions of classic songs. The Panthers were singing "This Is How We Do It" after winning the Stanley Cup last season, and they had Montell Jordan in their colours earlier in the season!

The New Jersey Devils are back in the music game as Gina Teschke sang the anthem for the Devils while establishing her music theatre and acting career. 1990s adolescent rap duo Kriss Kross, fronted by Chris Kelly and Chris Smith, were also known to rock the Devils' colours in their time among the various jersey they wore.

Darren "Buff Love" Robinson was part of the rap group known as "The Fat Boys" before his passing in 1995, but he was one of the early adopters of hockey jerseys as part of the rap culture, seen here sporting the Edmonton Oilers logo! Canadian rockers Our Lady Peace also came through Edmonton, and they received their own personalized jerseys. Singer Raine Maida needs to turn his around!

Glass Animals' frontman Dave Bayley was caught giving the thumbs-up in his Detroit Red Wings 2014 Winter Classic jersey. OneRepublic drummer Eddie Fisher was supporting the Detroit Red Wings at Bud Light NHL All Star Concert at The Tabernacle on January 24, 2008 in Atlanta during their performance! Good ol' Thrashers days!

Deadmau5 is a Canadian artist, and he was invited to the Air Canada Centre in 2016 where he took part in the opening ceremony for the Toronto Maple Leafs 100th season! Dinah Jane is probably better known as a member of the popular girl group, Fifth Harmony, but she was invited to sing the anthems in Toronto before the 2024 NHL All-Star Skills competition! Canadian Juno award-winning rapper Haviah Mighty performed during a November 2024 game at the Scotiabank Arena. James Hetfield of Metallica was gifted a Wendel Clark jersey by Wendel Clark himself! Toronto can also add Sabrina Carpenter to their list of fans after she sported the jersey while in the city!

I know nothing about her music, but Emei is an alternative/indie pop artist who apparently appreciates the Tampa Bay Lightning! She competed on Chinese Idol where she placed third, Dancing with the Stars in China, and was a member of the a cappella group Mixed Company while attending Yale! SHe released third album, "RABBITHOLE", in November 2024. English pop band The 1975 have been making music since 2002, and they got the jersey treatment when they stopped at Amalie Arena. How cool is it that they used the same number font for The 1975 name on the back? Well done, Lightning, but only one jersey for four guys? What the heck?

Another artists with whose wore I'm not familiar is Josh Waters, but the young man is a St. Louis Blues fan! He has worn other sports' colours, but his chosen hockey team comes from Missouri! One artist who grew up with the Blues is SZA, and she sported a Brett Hull Blues jersey in Drake's "Rich Baby Daddy" music video.

Kevin Oliver is a "skilled vocalist as well as the consummate guitar player and session musician" who has worked with a number of bands, artists, and companies on projects and commercials, and he lent his talents to the Pre-Game Party at the 2015 NHL All-Star Game in Columbus, Ohio where he sported a Blue Jackets jersey!

I know nothing of his music or his scene, but King Boss LA is an Anaheim Ducks fan based on his jersey choice!

Linkin park has recently started making new music and touring again after adding Emily Armstrong as a vocalist, and they were in Raleigh where they got Carolina Hurricanes jerseys for their appearance! Carolina also likes to invite celebrities to ring their storm alarm, and American country singer Scott McCreery was one of the celebrities they invited! I expect more musicians in the future.

Canadian country singer Madeline Merlo met with her fans while in Nashville where she sported her Vancouver Canucks jersey! Considering she's from Maple Ridge, BC, she was supporting her hometown team! Sideone, a Canadian band that prides themselves on being a cover band, was invited to perform at the 2014 Tim Hortons Heritage Classic where they sported the throwback Vancouver jerseys! Check out their awesome YouTube video that explains who they are and what they do. I can see why they're successful!

Germany has produced a number of well-known artists in their time, and Sarah Connor is a pop singer who has been on the radio and on stages in Germany since 2000. The fun part? She appeared on a German game show called "Who steals my show?", according to Reddit. Redditor Grizzly-Berry posted a shot of Connor on the show wearing a Boston Bruins Pastrnak jersey! Speaking of international additions, Chinese singer and actress Juke Junyi was at the 2018 NHL game held in China between Boston Bruins and Calgary Flames where she wore Bruins colours. The 37 year-old was the third-place finisher on the very first edition of The Voice in China!

I feel like this is almost blasphemy, but it might fit the 1970s rock scene of rebellion. Triumph's Rik Emmett is boldly wearing a Montreal Canadiens jersey shirt despite him being born in Toronto. Mike Levine, guitarist for Triumph, has been pictured in both Calgary and Toronto jerseys, so maybe that balances it out?

Australian singer, songwriter, and rapper The Kid Laroi was on tour with Tate McRae at points, and their paths crossed in Washington where he got his own personalized Capitals jersey. He also picked up a Panthers jersey when he performed in Sunrise prior to Game One of last year's Stanley Cup Final, but his jersey collection is significantly smaller than his on-again/off-again partner Tate McRae's collection.

Speaking of McRae, let's add another one to her collection as she was a celebrity captain for the 2024 NHL All-Star Game. That game saw her, Michael Bublé, Chxrry22, the aforementioned The Kid Laroi, Owen Riegling, Loud Luxury, and Justin Bieber all get NHL All-Star jerseys. Garth Brooks was on-hand for the 2008 NHL All-Star Game where he got a jersey as well.

Before we end this look at a pile of musicians with new threads, we need to stop in the international jersey department. I mentioned Raine Maida above, but his wife was invited to sing at the Four Nations Face-Off as Chantal Kreviazuk wore her Canadian jersey. Sofia Camara is a 23 year-old pop star born in Portugal, but who has lived nearly her whole life in Toronto. She's sang anthems, she's signed by Universal Music, and she wore a Team Canada jersey in a publicity photo as her version of of Nickelback's "What Are You Waiting For?" became the official 2025 IIHF World Junior championship song! How cool is that for the young lady?

And in one of the coolest jerseys you'll see, Canadian singer Jugpreet Bajwa sang the anthems at the Vancouver Canucks game in a Team Canada Blind Hockey jersey in 2021! For those asking, Bajwa is multilingual Indo-Canadian classical, folk and rock singer who is visually-impaired, and he crushed the Canadian anthem at the game!

That will do it for the second part of the summer concert updates as the summer concert season will surely get underway as we get closer to June. Of course, if you find any images or want to submit your own pictures, please email me here and you'll get credit! Everyone on this list has been added to the full list of musicians in jerseys, so make sure you check out that list before emailing!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Summer Concert Nights - Part One

With the warmer weather upon most of us in the Great White North, there will be a rise in the number of concerts that happen outdoors at various venues across Canada. I suspect that a number of you who stop by this blog will take in a performance or two when it comes to those summer concerts, so HBIC decided to save all its best performers in hockey jerseys for this occasion! Being that I'm not a concert promoter in any way, I do appreciate those artists who celebrate hockey, and you can see the full list here of artists who have been found or submitted to me. Let's check out which artists are being added this time!

We'll start with a Canadian band who has appeared before, but lead singer Max Kerman of the Arkells went all out on Tiktok when he announced the stops for the 2024 Big Feelings Tour across Canada. Because YouTube sucks, I had to kill the song on that video, but Kerman went all out in announcing stops with hockey jerseys! In his video, he appeared in a Calgary Flames jersey, an Edmonton Oilers jersey, a Halifax Mooseheads jersey, a Kelowna Rockets jersey, a Kitchener Rangers jersey, a London Knights jersey, an Ottawa Senators jersey, a Saskatoon Blades jersey, a Vancouver Canucks jersey, and a Victoria Royals jersey! I'm sure he could have worn more, but that's a pretty good haul for the Arkells' lead singer!

Speaking of Canada, let's stick with Canadian artists as Tate McRae likely has a closet full of jerseys as well. I'm not even going to ask how she has this many, but let's run through these: a Boston Bruins jersey, both an older red Calgary Flames jersey and a black Calgary Flames jersey, a Seth Jarvis Carolina Hurricanes jersey, a Chicago Blackhawks jersey, a personalized Colorado Avalanche jersey, a Dallas Stars jersey, a Jaroslav Slafkovsky Montreal Canadiens jersey, a 2024 NHL All-Star Game jersey, a New Jersey Devils jersey, a personalized New York Islanders jersey, a Pittsburgh Penguins jersey, a Seattle Kraken jersey, a personalized Tampa Bay Lightning jersey, a Vegas Golden Knights jersey, and a Washington Capitals reverse retro jersey! You wonder if she has a closet exclusively for jerseys.

We'll shift to an American singer-songwriter as Noah Kahan has shown he has a deep appreciation for hockey. He picked up a pile of jerseys on his recent tour, so let's go through his collection as we see him in a personalized Dallas Stars jersey, a Minnesota Wild jersey, a personalized Montreal Canadiens jersey, a personalized Nashville Predators jersey, a New York Rangers jersey, a Brady Tkachuk Ottawa Senators jersey, and a Toronto Maple Leafs jersey. Kahan is an admitted hockey fan, so it's not surprising that he's picking up jerseys for his collection at virtually every concert tour stop.

We'll dive into the one-off jerseys now as we start with the late Aaron Carter who seemed to gravitate towards wearing jerseys as he got older. Here he is wearing a USHL Omaha Lancers jersey! I would assume he wore this in Omaha, but I couldn't find any information on when he wore it. In any case, he wore it at least once.

Jess Meuse has a black SPHL Birmingham Bulls jersey, but she also has another red Bulls jersey! The Texas native seems to be a fan of the SPHL franchise! No word on whether she owns a stake in the team.

We had a couple of Chicago Blackhawks fans add some threads to their closets. Chance the Rapper has a Blackhawks jersey, but he added a 2025 Winter Classic jersey to his collection. Some will say that Dan Aykroyd is an actor, but his musical talents allowed him and John Belushi to release a handful of albums as the Blues Brothers. That's how Dan Aykroyd gets his name on the Chicago Blackhawks' list! Tom Morello of Rage Against The Machine is one of the Blackhawks' faithful as he is often seen at the United Center for games!

I'll fully admit that I've never heard Yo Yo Honey Singh's music, but it appears he's a Los Angeles Kings fan. He mostly works in the hip-hop, pop, and bhangra genres of music. His big hit was "Glassy". Joining him as a Kings fan is Suro Khetchian who the Kings invited to the Staples Center as part of their Armenian Heritage Night on February 22! Again, I am not familiar with his music, but he accepted the Kings' offer to perform that night! That's pretty cool!

Jelly Roll seems like a fun guy, and the rap star was on tour last year. On that tour, he stopped in San Jose where the Sharks gifted him a jersey. He also stopped in North Charleston, South Carolina where the ECHL's South Carolina Stingrays ensured he got a jersey there! This is not a slight to Jelly Roll, but what sizes are those jerseys?

Speaking of the Stingrays, they gave out another jersey to Kelsea Ballerini when she stopped in North Charleston on her tour! Ballerini also headed north up the east coast, and she landed in Buffalo where the Sabres gave her the most bedazzled Sabres jersey I've ever seen! I'm not a fan of these bedazzled jerseys. They look sequined, and there are no sequined hockey jerseys. That's just silly.

Speaking of the Sabres, Buffalo gave a 50th anniversary jersey to Theresa Phondo. I had never heard of her, but she's a multi award-winning Afro R&B Gospel Artist from Malawi. And now she's a Buffalo Sabres fan as well! Joining her on the Sabres' list is American rapper West Side Gunn who wore the blue Sabres jersey. Beauty jersey!

Canadian singer Roberta Battaglia was a "golden buzzer" contestant on America's Got Talent, but she's been performing for a while. One of the places she showed off her vocal talents? She sang the anthems at an AHL Toronto Marlies game where she donned the Marlies' colours! The young lady is from Toronto, but is also fluent in Italian!

We'll end this first entry of the summer concerts with a look at Pearl Jam's performance in Philadephia. They dedicated their song "Given to Fly" to Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau that night, and they displayed Johnny's Gloucester Catholic High School jersey and Matthew's ECHL Reading Royals jersey during the performance. That's a pretty awesome thing for Pearl Jam to do, so I wanted to be sure to include it on this article. Well done, Pearl Jam. That's classy.

That will bring the first day of musicians in hockey jerseys to a close as there were a pile of images there. Yes, it centered mostly on two people as Max Kerman and Tate McRae boasted their incredible collections of jerseys, but we'll see more artists tomorrow when Part Two of this article is published. Again, if you want to see the full list of musicians wearing or holding jerseys, you can see the full list here!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

The Fish Douse The Komets

There are hundreds of fish tales out there about those who battled fish and came away unscathed. There are some stories of the sea that have been written into books such as Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea and Melville's Moby Dick that describe a harrowing battle between men and aquatic beasts intent on defeating the protagonists in those stories. However, one story came to an end last night as the Fish were successful in defeating the heroes of our tale. This is the story of the brave Fort Wayne Komets and their battle with the mighty Toledo Walleye in an effort to win the ECHL's Central Division and a berth in the Western Conference Final in the 2025 Kelly Cup Playoffs.

The Komets and Walleye have a fierce rivalry, and this series was about both sides looking to build on solid regular season campaigns. It took Fort Wayne seven games to get past Iowa, but they rallied from a 3-2 deficit to advance to play Toledo. The Walleye, meanwhile, had their way with the Indy Fuel in a four-game sweep as they awaited the winner of the Komets and Heartlanders. Once the Komets secured victory in Game Seven, it was time for another chapter to be written into this tale of two cities and two combatitive rivals.

Historically, Toledo had defeated Komets 4-3 in the 2015 North Division Semifinals, 4-1 in the 2017 Central Division Finals, and 4-2 in the 2019 Central Division Semifinals while Fort Wayne boasted a 4-2 series win over the Walleye in the 2018 Central Division Finals. Toledo has won five of eight regular-season contests between the clubs, so it seems that both recent and older history favoured the Walleye.

Game One went Toledo's way as they won by a 5-4 score. Two goals in the final 2:14 of the second period, including the game-winner off the stick of Matt Anderson with 16 seconds to play in the frame, put the Fish up 1-0 in the series as neither side could dent twine in the third period. Alex Aleardi had two goals and a helper for the Komets, but it wasn't enough to overcome the effort by Toledo.

The Komets bounced back in a big way in Game Two as they laid a hammering on the Walleye to the tune of a 6-1 decision. Ethan Keppen paced th Komets with two goals and an assist while Kyle Mayhew had three helpers as the Komets would return home for three games after splitting the games on the road. Could they keep their winning ways going back on home ice in Indiana?

That answer was a "yes" for Game Three as Kyle Mayhew scored in the first period, Darren Brady scored with 5:02 to play, and Brett Brochu stopped 32 of 33 shots to help the Komets take a 2-1 series lead with a 2-1 win! It should be noted that the Komets had shut down ECHL leading scorer Brandon Hawkins in these first three games, limiting him to just two assists in the Game One Toledo win. The Komets' strategy for limiting the chances given to the Walleye's best player was working nicely as they took the lead in the series.

Game Four saw the Komets rally from a 2-0 deficit with 2:32 to play. James Stefan made it a 2-1 game at the 17:28 mark of the third period before Jack Dugan scored on a penalty shot with 65 seconds to play to tie the game at 2-2! We'd need five periods to decide a winner on this night, but the Walleye would emerge victorious after Brandon Hawkins set up Tyler Spezia for the game-winner just 26 seconds into double overtime. The Walleye's 3-2 double-overtime win evened the series at 2-2, guaranteeing another trip to Toledo.

Game Five saw all the scoring in the final frame as the Komets took a lead off Anthony Petruzzelli's goal 4:10 into the period, but Tyler Spezia at 8:31 tied the game before Colin Swoyer netted the game-winning goal with 24 seconds remaining as Toledo downed Fort Wayne by a 2-1 score. There had to be some frustration for the Komets after this one as they held the Walleye to just 12 shots in the game, but two of six shots in the third period found the back of the net, giving the Walleye a 3-2 series lead as Game Six would be played in Ohio.

That led to last night where the intensity was racheted up as the Komets faced elimination for the third time in this postseason. After a scoreless first period marked by multiple minor penalties to both sides, things started as soon as the puck hit the ice in the second period as James Stefan netted a puck just 35 seconds into the frame as the Komets jumped out in front. Toledo would respond 6:33 later when Dylan Moulton found the back of the net to tie the game at 1-1. 16 seconds later, it was 2-1 for the Komets as Jack Dugan dented twine. Tyler Spezia would tie the game with his goal at 11:04, and Toledo would take their first lead when Dylan Moulton scored for the second time with 54 seconds remaining for a 3-2 Toledo lead heading into the third period in a game Fort Wayne had to win.

Tyler Spezia and Matt Anderson would book-end a Josh Groll goal as the Walleye outscored Fort Wayne in the final frame for the 5-3 victory, and that would give Toledo the 4-2 series win over their nemeses from Fort Wayne. Not to rub a little salt in the wound, but Brandon Hawkins had four assists in the clinching game, giving him seven points in the series. He did not score a goal, but the seven helpers certainly helped his team to the Western Conference Final.

"If we get through a series without [Hawkins] scoring goals, then I like where we're going moving forward," Toledo head coach Pat Mikesch said of his scoring depth to James Krause of The Journal Gazette.

Komets head coach Jesse Kallechy gave credit to the Walleye's big scorers who found goals when Toledo needed them most.

"The X-factor was Spezia," Kallechy said. "He was out a long time, and I think people take [him] for granted. Hawkins and Bliss are elite already, and then you add another guy who's probably a top 10 player in the league. You're talking three guys that are, I'm saying this conservatively, all top 15 or 20 players in the league on one line."

The victory by Toledo send them to the Western Conference Final where they'll meet the the Kansas City Mavericks who swept the Tahoe Knight Monsters in their series. Game One is set to start in Kansas City on Thursday, May 15 at 7:05pm CT, and that should be a solid series between the top-two teams in the Western Conference. Kansas City finished four points better than Toledo in the standings with 103 points, but these two teams haven't seen one another since last year's playoffs where the Mavericks beat the Walleye 4-2 in the Western Conference Final. Clearly, Toledo wants to change that story.

For the Komets, their return to the Kelly Cup Playoffs was filled with thrills, excitement, goals, saves, and, ultimately, heartbreak as the season comes to a close far too early for their fans. They'll go back to the drawing board, see if they can keep their stars, and sign some additional talent while aiming to go farther next season. After a campaign that saw ups and downs, wins and losses, and an exciting playoff run, Komets fans should be excited for next year already!

2024-25 didn't end with a parade, but the Komets had a heckuva year. Having been to a game this season, I know how much this team means to Fort Wayne and I've witnessed the passion that the community has for its team. The Kelly Cup didn't come home to Fort Wayne this season, but it's hard not to be optimistic for the Komets as they look forward to next season. A Kelly Cup may not be far off!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

One Of The Tools

I received an email about what program I used to edit video. I'll be honest in saying that I don't spend a lot of time editing video mainly because editing eats up a lot of time, but I have done it on occasion and I likely will do it again at some point. In fact, I'm working on a few videos as I write this for an upcoming event, so I thought I'd share with everyone who stops by here one of the tools I use. This is not an endorsement as there are many different options out there for one to use, but this software is the one that I found that works best for my needs. It may not work for you depending on what you want out of the software, and it could be a little elementary for those with editing experience! What I do know is that I find that I can get most things done with this software.

The software in question that I use is Lightworks. I'll point out the very obvious that I am not making Hollywood-style movies or editing hours of video, so this straightforward software does just enough for me to handle the two-minute highlight reels I was doing during the Canada West playoffs or for other fairly easy video edits. There is better software out there for those who want a more robust editor.

This is not a paid endorsement nor am I advocating for Lightworks. I was asked, and I am responding. Being that HBIC generates a whopping $0.00 of income for me per year, I like free options when it comes to software I can use. Lightworks provides me that free option, and I've opted to use it until something better can be found. For now, though, it's the best option I have found for the right price.

Stringing together video clips is quite easy, and it allows both images and GIFs to be inserted into videos as well. Overlaying audio is just as easy, and re-arranging clips to make the video work better is as easy as click-and-drag. It does take a little intuition to figure out how to get the clips into the bucket where they can be used and modified within the program to fit the video one seeks, but once the commands are understood it becomes much easier. Transitions, video effects, and other modifications can be made inside Lightworks too.

Because I don't pay for a premium subscription, I miss out on some of the different formats that Lightworks offers for saving videos. However, I have found ways around that as well with some alternative, secondary software, so I'm not really missing anything. It's just a few more clicks to getting video in the format I need. Uploading an .mp4 file to YouTube takes very little effort as well, so I'm not complaining about the lack of options. It's just something one should know if one wants this software. C'est la vie.

Again, this isn't an endorsement for the software and Lightworks did not contact me in any way for me to write this. I won't provide training nor screenshots for those who want to know more because I am simply answering the question of what video editing software I use. If you want any further information, there are a lot of videos on YouTube and a pile of forums online where Lightworks and its myriad of options are discussed. Those are where I learned how to use it.

There's a bit of a peek behind the curtain here at HBIC. I want to thank Jim for his question as I don't usually talk about the process or the tools I use to make things happen here. I can't say that there are many tools in the toolbox that makes this blog possible as you've probably discovered as it has stayed relatively the same throughout its entire existence, but that will change. For now, video edits will remain with Lightworks as it's the software that fits HBIC's budget.

If you choose to download Lightworks for your own projects, invest some time in it as it can be a powerful editor. While other products can do more for a price that reflects that type of investment, I'm happy with what Lightworks brings to the table for my editing needs.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

The Battle Against Humidity

As I watched the Maple Leafs and Panthers tonight before the pivotal Game Two content between Dallas and Winnipeg, I was struck by something that might become more of an issue now than when the regular season was being played. Obviously, the month of May is when the winter weather begins to recede in Canada, giving way to double-digit, positive temperatures and the clear distinction of summer. For the Maple Leafs and Panthers, playing in Sunrise likely means warmer weather no matter what season we're in, but it seems that the puck was bouncier than the games played in Toronto.

Jared Dupre, the ice technician at PNC Arena, home of the Carolina Hurricanes, told The Athletic's Joshua Kloke and James Mirtle in 2020, "The humidity affects the ice surface more than anything else. You want that snow to be light and airy."

The snow to which Dupre is referring is the snow that accumulates on the ice as the game progresses. Most players don't really care for the snow other than having it cleared, but Dupre added that if the snow isn't light and airy, "it starts to stick and it affects the puck."

According to weather reports today, the humidity in Sunrise, Florida was around 55%. Anything around that range is considered high for NHL rinks - "Dupre said typically humidity levels should be below 45 percent" - so there would need to be a reduction in humidity inside the arena as both the temperature and humidity rise outside. As you likely know, as the sun goes down, the relative humidity will go up in the atmosphere, and we saw the humidity at game time reach 70% in Sunrise. Clearly, those conditions make things much harder on the arena's ice staff with that amount of humidity in the environment.

When the doors open for the game, the balance between the humidity inside and the outside of the building gets disrupted, and having 18,000 warm bodies breathing in and out after being out in the sun will certainly affect the internal temperature of the rink which, in turn, affects the humidity inside the building. As such, many arenas have both indistrial air conditioners and dehumidifiers on the top of the buildings and will invest in adding more for the playoffs. Several arenas have done so already this season.

An upgraded dehumidification system one of the solutions employed by the New York Islanders during their run at the Barclays Center where players regularly complained about the ice conditions.

"In preparation for upcoming home games we are working closely with the National Hockey League and have installed a temporary dehumidification system, commonly used at arenas during warmer months, in order to provide the best possible ice for Islanders players," Barclays Center spokesman Barry Baum announced in 2016, according to the New York Daily News. "We are committed to delivering a first-class experience for players and fans."

So how is that done, you ask?

The late Don MacMillan, who was the ice supervisor for the Carolina Hurricanes prior to Dupre, told Melissa Russell-Ausley of howstuffworks.com that "he likes to 'keep the skating surface at 24 to 26 F (about -4 C), the building temperature at about 63 F (17 C), and the indoor humidity at about 30 percent. But if it's warm outdoors and we have an event where the doors are open and all that warm air comes in, then we have to adjust it. Even one degree can make a big difference in the quality of the ice.'"

Not surprisingly, four of the top five rinks named in the NHLPA player's poll in 2018 as having the worst ice came from cities where sub-zero temperatures and higher humidities are common.

In saying that, it make sense then that if the building is warmer and/or more humid, the ice will be worse. In turn, the frozen chunk of rubber that's supposed to slide on it may also get a little warmer, leading to a non-frozen puck around the surface of the puck. Non-frozen rubber has the tendency to bounce when it hits something hard, and that may be the right combination for why the puck seemed to bounce more to me. Or maybe it's just me?

In any case, I know the NHL ice crews across the league do their best to try and create the perfect ice conditions each and every game, so no one will fault them if the doors open the conditions inside the arena change within minutes. There were a few deflectons, ricochets, and rebounds that looked like they had a little extra kick to them, and it made me wonder if the pucks may be thawing out quicker thanks to increased humidity in the building.

I will say this likely needs a bigger discussion, so I'm going to reach out to a few people who may know more about cooling an arena for optimal hockey conditions than I ever will. If possible, I may devote an entire episode of The Hockey Show to this if someone wants to join us to discuss ice conditions in the NHL. Or in hockey in general.

Either way, Florida grabbed an important win tonight to cut the series deficit against Toronto to 2-1. Game Four goes Sunday night where the Panthers can make this a best-of-three series or the Maple Leafs can return home needing one win to advance to the Conference Final. It should be a beauty regardless of the bounces!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!