The CI Aggregator is a compilation of recent stories regarding the hockey world, The Carnegie Initiative, our Board members, other industry influencers, similar organizations doing work to change the culture of the game, related issues, and anything aligned with our important mission to make hockey more inclusive, supportive, and welcoming to all.
A new edition is posted each Friday.
Please feed us news! We welcome submissions to be considered for the weekly “CI Aggregator. Send stories to “[email protected]” with “CI Aggregator” in the subject line.
WEEKLY RECAP: Friday, March 22, 2024
Scroll. Read. Click on headline for full story
‘I want to be more than a hockey player,’ Canadiens’ Jordan Harris says
Herb Zurkowsky, Montreal Gazette, March 21, 2024
Jordan Harris might only be in his second full season with the Canadiens, but he already understands that playing in Montreal gives him a significant platform.
The NHL recently announced the addition of Harris to its Player Inclusion Coalition — a group of current and former players, both male and female, working to advance equality and inclusion into the game. The coalition, formed in June, is co-chaired by former Canadiens defenceman P.K. Subban and fellow alumni member Anson Carter.
“Just playing for the Habs and playing professionally in the NHL, it’s fantastic and provides me with more network availability and people that can help,” Harris said last week, before Montreal embarked on its five-game road trip that continued Thursday night (10 p.m., TSN2, RDS, TSN Radio-690, 98.5 FM) at Vancouver.
“I think it’s tremendously important,” he added. “Now, I might be more of a role model with kids who are watching the Canadiens and pro hockey. It’s important. I want to be more than a hockey player. This strikes someone’s needs. I’m glad I can be a part of it.”
Zechariah Thomas, 21, feared facing his own brand due to racism in hockey industry
Alex Wauthy, CBC Sports, March 21, 2024
Zechariah Thomas never wanted to be the face of his business.
The 21-year-old owner of Swift Hockey, an NHL certified hockey stick company based out of Oshawa, Ont., didn’t know how the hockey community would react to a young, Black entrepreneur being behind a business looking to produce affordable sticks for those unable to manage the high costs of rival companies.
“It’s hard to create a business,” Thomas told CBC Sports. “Especially a hockey-related business — at this scale — being a Black entrepreneur selling to people that may not accept Black people in the sport yet.”
The company’s small team, consisting of some current and former hockey players, has been with Thomas since its inception in 2022.
Even then, Thomas’s ex-hockey mates, who are his friends and business partners, knew he had reservations about revealing to the public Swift Hockey was a Black-owned business.
ENDING RACIAL DISCRIMINATION IN OUR GAME
The International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination is an opportunity for the hockey community to reflect and do its part to ensure the game is safe for everyone
Hockey Canada, March 21, 2024
Today, March 21, is the United Nations’ International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, a significant day that aims to raise awareness about the injustices, biases and prejudices stemming from racial discrimination, pervasive across various facets of life, including sports.
From a hockey perspective, today is an opportunity for members of the Hockey Canada family to reflect on the fact that while some progress has been made, the BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and people of colour) community continues to face racism and discrimination in hockey.
It is also a time for everyone involved in the game – players, coaches, officials, administrators, volunteers, fans and parents – to re-commit and advance their efforts to combat and eliminate all forms of racial discrimination and systemic racism to ensure a safe, more inclusive and welcoming hockey environment for everyone.
NC hockey league has kept kids on the ice for 44 years. This might be the Hogs’ last play.
Tammy Grubb, The News & Observer (Raleigh), March 21, 2024
Andrew Lerner and his son Ezra watched their first professional hockey game from the stands this month because of their experience with the Hillsborough Hogs, the Orange County resident said.
His son has made friends and is part of a community after two years on the youth recreation team, Lerner told the Orange County commissioners. Their family is now part of a more than 40-year hockey legacy.
“I believe that the Hogs can be beneficial to any future children wanting to play hockey,” 11-year-old Ezra said. “It has allowed me to pursue whatever I wanted.”
But the Hogs — also known as Triangle Youth Hockey of North Carolina — may not have a home rink next year because of an impasse with the private management company that operates the county-owned SportsPlex in Hillsborough.
Lindsay Budin, The Michigan Daily, March 20, 2024
Over and over again, Michigan women’s hockey coach Jenna Trubiano is met with the same question: “Are you going varsity?”
In theory, it’s a fairly straightforward question, but there is no clear answer. The Wolverines have flourished, competing at the highest level possible under the current circumstances while growing their reach on campus. The question, though, is only becoming more and more pertinent.
“It’s no secret that the state of Michigan (has) seven NCAA men’s programs and zero for women, which is the largest discrepancy anywhere,” Michigan women’s hockey coach Jenna Trubiano told The Michigan Daily. “And with the men’s varsity program being so prominent, a lot of people look at us like ‘Oh, why aren’t you varsity?’ … (It’s) the number one question I get.”
Oilers to host South Asian Celebration
The inaugural South Asian Celebration will take place Thursday when the club hosts the Buffalo Sabres at Rogers Place to embrace and honour the vibrant and diverse culture of Oil Country’s South Asian communities
EdmontonOilers.com, March 20, 2024
The Edmonton Oilers inaugural South Asian Celebration will take place Thursday, March 21 when the club hosts the Buffalo Sabres at Rogers Place to embrace and honour the vibrant and diverse culture of South Asian communities across Oil Country.
With the Oilers South Asian Celebration logo on full display throughout the arena, this special night will include pre-game and intermission performances by the PHR Dance Group, a rendition of the national anthem by Jasmine Singh, and an on-ice shootout with kids from Apna Hockey during intermission.
This celebration will also showcase an honour guard from the South Asian community, as well as feature community spotlights throughout the game, recognizing the contributions and accomplishments of individuals from the South Asian community.
PWHL Montreal to break women’s hockey crowd record as Bell Centre sells out in minutes
Tickets selling for at least 3 times original value already flooding reseller sites
Sabrina Jonas and Steve Rukavina, CBC News, March 20, 2024
Sporting a purple and white tuque with the letters PWHL, Bethany Haeseler’s passion for women’s hockey is palpable — and she says it’s uplifting to see women athletes finally getting their due.
“It’s emotional in ways that I didn’t anticipate it being. I feel so fulfilled and so happy and so energetic because their success is our success,” said the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) superfan.
For the first time since the start of its inaugural season in January, the PWHL will be making its debut at the Bell Centre — home of the Montreal Canadiens and the biggest hockey arena in North America.
General tickets for the April 20th game between Montreal and Toronto went on sale Wednesday at 10 a.m. ET and sold out in under 20 minutes, setting the league up to break the world record for largest attendance for a professional women’s hockey match.
Pre-sale tickets were also snapped up in the past few days, with Tuesday’s batch selling out within hours.
Minot Embraced the Sled Series as Much as its Embraced Chris Douglas
Bob Reinert, USA Hockey, March 20, 2024
Since moving to Minot in 2018, Douglas has made MAYSA Arena his second home.
Ask Chris Douglas about his career highlights, and he won’t mention gold medals, world championships, or personal on-ice statistics. Douglas, instead,uses a different metric to measure his achievements.
“Right from the get-go, I was already a person that was looking to give back,” Douglas said. “I was trying to teach kids the proper way to skate or to avoid the bad habits that were taught to me when I started.”
Douglas said the most important part of his career is the coaching he does for youth and adult sled hockey players, as he hosts sled clinics all over the country.
His wife has said that half of the country will know who Douglas is by the time his career ends because he has helped with their local programs.
Nowhere is his work more evident than in Minot, North Dakota, the site of last week’s 2024 Sled Series between the U.S. and Canada.
Why the possibility of ice hockey’s return to Mobile is heating up after 22 years
John Sharp, AL.com, March 20, 2024
It was almost 22 years ago when the Mobile Mysticks played before a paltry, but passionate, crowd of 1,922 fans at the Mobile Civic Center, wrapping up a seven-year stay in Mobile with a 6-2 win that featured fans tossing mullet fish onto center ice.
Hockey, and the colorful Mysticks logo, seemed to have disappeared into history after that game played on March 31, 2002. The team relocated to the Atlanta suburb of Decatur and was rebranded as the Gladiators.
“When this move proves successful, perhaps we will have another opportunity to participate in the great game of hockey, in some manner, in Mobile in the future,” said then-team co-owner Toby Jeffreys in a 2002 Mobile Press-Register story.
Former NHL player Chris Simon dies at 52 as family blames CTE
Player had been suffering from anxiety and depression
Guardian Sport, March 20, 2024
Former NHL winger Chris Simon died on Tuesday night, with his family blaming his death on chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).
Simon’s family confirmed the 52-year-old took his own life and believe he was suffering from brain trauma. CTE can only be diagnosed through a postmortem although progress is being made towards an assessment in the living.
“The family strongly believes and witnessed first-hand, that Chris struggled immensely from CTE which unfortunately resulted in his death,” read a statement on behalf of Simon’s family.
“We are grieving with the loss of our son, brother, father, partner, teammate and friend. The entire Wawa community is sharing in our grief. We will not be releasing any further details at this time and ask for privacy during this very difficult time. We appreciate everyone who shares in our tragic loss.”
Hyundai Canada partners with Professional Women’s Hockey League
It’s not the first time the brand’s hit the ice—the manufacturer is also the official Automotive Partner of the NHL
Renita Naraine, Driving.ca, March 19, 2024
After recently being named – again – one of the Best Workplaces for Women by Great Place to Work, Hyundai Canada has announced a Canadian partnership another set of strong females. As of mid-March, the auto manufacturer is the first Official Vehicle of the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL).
VGK Announce Return of Bauer Empowered Program to Create Opportunities for Girls in Hockey
Eight-week program features free head-to-toe equipment
Vegas Golden Knights, March 18, 2024
The Vegas Golden Knights and Bauer Hockey announced today, March 18, the return of “Empowered,” an introductory program that provides free head to toe equipment for young girls looking to get started in hockey. Empowered first came to Vegas last June and this announcement furthers the Golden Knights’ efforts to celebrate Women’s History Month.
Set for June and July at America First Center in Henderson, this eight-week program will serve as a tool for girls from the ages of 5-12, with skating competency, to be introduced to the fundamentals of hockey. Led by female coaches, this program will take place once a week and will consist of two components meant to provide both on- and off-ice skill development.
The program is capped at 30 participants with each spot priced at $195 to cover ice and staffing costs. All equipment required to participate will be provided by Bauer Hockey. Bauer will also provide athlete ambassadors to assist participants.
Jay Laurendeau, The Society Pages, March 18, 2024
“…you begin to see how it’s all connected and the importance that we give these opportunities for Indigenous youth and Indigenous girls to be our future” ~Ryan Francis
On lands claimed by Canada, the ongoing project of settler colonialism targets Indigenous lives, languages, ways of knowing, connections to territory, and more. Settler colonialism is the claiming of lands already occupied by Indigenous peoples for the purposes of building wealth. It involves destroying Indigenous institutions and ways of knowing, while building what Daniel Heath Justice calls a “new social order” that is geared toward eliminating Indigenous peoples as Indigenous peoples. …
… Sport and recreation constitute vital spaces of both settler colonial violence and, importantly, of Indigenous strength, resurgence, and world-building. In this entry, I center and value Indigenous strength, vitality, and resistance as I engage with the Indigenous Girls Hockey Program (IGHP) and Indigenous Girls Hockey Jamboree (IGHJ) as vital world-building projects in the face of gendered colonial violence.
Light the lamp: PWHL earns well-deserved early traction
Rick Burton and Norm O’Reilly, Sports Business Journal, March 18, 2024
As you may recall, six months ago, we discussed the looming potential for a new women’s professional hockey league, the PWHL. We’d bet you hadn’t heard much about it at the time.
Back then, we endorsed the PWHL’s original six-team model and applauded league investors wanting to target hockey-passionate markets with large fan bases, quality venues and activation-savvy media partners.
While we recognized the “graveyard” of past failures in women’s pro sports, we were surprisingly optimistic. In fact, we wrote: “Our view, and we’ll state it simply, is that this time, it [the launch of the PWHL] goes down differently.”
From two sideliners who’ve called for an NHL division in Europe, and glorified the NFL’s potential in India, it’s possible we might’ve gotten this one right. In fact, we might’ve even been a tad under-optimistic in predicting how long it would take for the PWHL to gain noteworthy traction.
On that note, let’s deliver some news that’s fit to digitize.
The Mark Walter-backed PWHL launched in early January and the data trends through early March are impressive. It’s an indication women’s professional sports in the U.S. and Canada can deliver owner/investor profitability and league sustainability.
Canada: Angela James: Breaking Records And Barriers One Slapshot At A Time
Spencer Jones, Mondaq.com, March 18, 2024
If you do a quick Google search of Angela James, you will often see her referred to as “the Wayne Gretzky of Women’s Hockey.” I get why this is done, it’s an easy reference to inform the reader that she was a phenomenal hockey player, a generational talent the likes of which a sport may only be graced with once every few decades.
However, I think that comparator confines Angela to her skill as a hockey player, and doesn’t acknowledge the challenges she faced off and on the ice. Wayne Gretzky is undoubtedly a brilliant hockey player, for most (not my dad – big Bobby Orr guy) the best. But Gretzky was able to enter an established league and hit the ice skating.
Angela on the other hand, entered the scene in the 1980s, when women’s hockey was only a fledgling afterthought. It was not until 1998 that women’s hockey was even added to the Olympics. She needed to carve out a name not just for herself, but women’s hockey in general, to gain the recognition she and the sport so rightfully deserved.
Color of Hockey: He could be highest China-born player taken in NHL Draft
17-year-old forward for Niagara of OHL ‘going to be a steal’ for team that selects him
William Douglas, NHL.com, March 18, 2024
Kevin He remembers being filled with amazement and pride as he watched a hockey player practice at the Ford Performance Centre outside Toronto a few years ago.
“I was working out at the gym at the Performance Centre and there’s a big glass wall, you can see who’s on the ice,” He said. “I took a peek, and I was, like, ‘Oh, my god. Crazy.’”
There was Andong Song, the first China-born player to be drafted by an NHL team, working on his game; Song was selected by the New York Islanders in the sixth round (No. 172) of the 2015 NHL Draft.
“I saw him one time skating with one of my coaches,” He said. “That was a pretty cool moment.”
How Rane Carnegie is Continuing His Grandfather Herb Carnegie’s Legacy
Isi Frank Ativie, Chicago Defender, March 17, 2024
On Feb. 29, the Northwestern University Kellog Alumni of Chicago and Sports Business Clubs hosted a screening of the touching and heartfelt documentary “Beyond Their Years.”
The film depicts the incredible stories of the baseball hall-of-famer Buck O’Neil and hockey hall-of-fame trailblazer Herb Carnegie, whom many regard as the best player never to play in the National Hockey League. Unfortunately, Carnegie passed away in 2012, and O’Neil lost his battle with bone marrow cancer six years earlier. However, Carnegie’s grandson Rane attended the special event and participated in the panel discussion as a representative of Herb’s family and his aunt Bernice, who was on Zoom.
Rane, also featured in the documentary, spoke with The Chicago Defender about his grandfather’s immense legacy and the significant impact he had on his life.
Yohe: PWHL belongs in Pittsburgh, and Montreal vs. Toronto offered undeniable proof
Josh Yohe, The Athletic, March 17, 2024
The Pittsburgh sports scene has been the theater of the bizarre in recent days. From Jaromir Jagr bobbleheads to the Steelers’ stunning week of quarterback musical chairs to Duquesne going dancing in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. It’s been a lot to absorb, an easy distraction.
Do not, however, discount what happened Sunday afternoon at PPG Paints Arena.
The Professional Women’s Hockey League played a neutral site game between Toronto and Montreal on Sunday. Toronto emerged with a 2-1 victory, but that wasn’t really the story.
Of far greater relevance was the fact that nearly 9,000 fans showed up for a hockey game between two teams from another country, with no particular Pittsburgh ties. And make no mistake, it was the most enthusiastic, vocal crowd that has stepped foot into PPG Paints Arena all season. It was the kind of emotional atmosphere that can’t be faked. What happened Sunday was pure bliss for a growing number of fans who simply want a professional women’s hockey team to root for in Pittsburgh.
Everything about it was perfect.
Anthony Duclair’s dream of a more inclusive game is becoming reality
Eduardo A. Encina, Tampa Bay Times, March 16, 2024
When Anthony Duclair played his first game in south Florida as an opposing player after wearing a Florida Panthers uniform the previous three seasons, fans filled Amerant Bank Arena with the familiar “Duuuke” calls every time he touched the puck.
That was in October, in Duclair’s sixth game with the San Jose Sharks. He returned as a visitor again Saturday, this time as a member of the cross-state rival Lightning.
Panthers fans don’t like the Bolts — Nikita Kucherov and Andrei Vasilevskiy received some of the loudest boos at last year’s All-Star Game in Sunrise — but they are expected to welcome Duclair back with open arms.
He had some of his best seasons playing for Florida and became a fan favorite. He still has a home in Fort Lauderdale. The organization also helped provide Duclair a forum to grow the game in underserved communities and promote diversity and inclusion throughout the game of hockey.
U.S. National Sled Team, U.S. Women’s Development Sled Team Each Sweep 2024 Sled Series
USA Hockey, March 16, 2024
Both Teams Finish With an Unbeaten 3-0-0-0 Record vs. Canada
The U.S. National Sled Hockey Team beat Canada 5-2 and the U.S. Women’s Development Sled Hockey Team earned a 7-2 win over Canada here today at MAYSA Arena in the third and final games of the 2024 Sled Series.
With the victories, both teams finish the series with an unbeaten 3-0-0-0 (W-OTW-OTL-L) record. The U.S. National Sled Team is now 13-0-0-0 on the season, while the U.S. Women’s Development Sled Team stands at 7-0-0-0.
The Earthquakes, SF’s LGBTQ+ Hockey Team, Get Ready for Their Comeback
Myron Caringal, KQED, March 15, 2024
In 1998, the Earthquakes, San Francisco’s only co-ed LGBTQ+ ice hockey team, were lined up outside an Amsterdam arena for their entrance into the first-ever European Gay Games. The team had been established only a year earlier, pulling together both veterans of the sport and first-time hockey players. On that day, they joined 13,000 fellow athletes from 68 nations for the games’ opening ceremonies.
The Gay Games brought in more than 200,000 people to Europe’s self-proclaimed gay capital to celebrate sexual diversity at a time when sports and society at large were heavily steeped in homophobia, and the AIDS epidemic continued to devastate the LGBTQ+ community.
Yet the Gay Games made space for joy amid this turbulence. “You finally get to walk through the gates and see all these people, the stands are filled, and it definitely was super special,” says Quakes co-founder John Heine from his Concord home. He was 37 years old during Gay Games V — and not entirely out of the closet …
… Now, almost three decades since the team’s inception, the Quakes are returning to the ice following a pandemic hiatus. In a week, they’ll head south to compete alongside 11 other LGBTQ+ teams from across North America at the second-ever Palm Springs International Pride Hockey Tournament, which kicks off March 20.
Ian Kennedy, The Hockey News, March 16, 2024
The PWHL Trade Deadline and roster deadline are here, and the league is sitting on the precipice of their longest break of the season with the IIHF World Championships approaching. Here’s what we’re seeing and hearing from across the PWHL this week.
“Eerily Quiet” As Trade Deadline Approaches
Speaking to general managers across the PWHL, unless something materializes out of necessity in the next 24 hours, it’s been eerily void of discussion and quiet related to potential trades. One GM used that exact phrase, “eerily quiet.” Another said the combination of no picks and salary rules, makes the absence of trades, or at least a flurry of trades a likelihood. Feedback from other GMs including “nothing going on” and “minimal.” With the Gold Plan in place, and every team still in the playoff hunt, it could be an eerily quiet trade deadline.
Jordan Chakravarty, Zoom Radio, March 15, 2024
It’s St. Patrick’s Day this Sunday and as always, the Toronto St. Patrick’s Day parade is not to be missed. The Grand Marshall this year is none other than hockey legend Brian Burke.
Craig Eagles, FirstDownSportsPodcast.com, March 15, 2024
Driven: (of a person) relentlessly compelled by the need to accomplish a goal; very hard-working and ambitious:
Ted Nolan is driven, there’s no other way to put it. He has always been relentlessly compelled by the need to accomplish a goal. Nolan’s goals have changed throughout his journey in life and hockey. His life and goals changed a year ago when he was diagnosed with multiple myeloma.
“In hockey, I faced many battles on the ice, this is one battle I’m hoping others can avoid,” Nolan said.
“When I was diagnosed, it was the toughest thing I ever went through in my life. If I look back on my career there were some obstacles that I had to get over, nothing compared to this,” he said.
“I think I developed a skill at very early age, the power of the mind, you have to be able to set your mind, because it’s an amazing thing, just to concentrate working on things that I could control and that’s I could do.”
Diversity needed to grow the game, say Black TMU hockey players ahead of university championship
Ethan Lang, CBC, March 14, 2024
As 25-year-old Elijah Roberts prepares for what will likely be his final weekend of university hockey, he looks back on a big change he’s noticed in the game since he started playing as a kid.
“You’d be on a team and you were the only Black player,” he said in an interview ahead of the U Sports men’s hockey national championship in Toronto.
But teams were already more diverse by the time Roberts’s brother, who is seven years younger, started playing, Roberts said. When Roberts came to Toronto Metropolitan University from the Ontario Hockey League in 2021, he said the team had multiple players and one coach who identified as Black.
“Which was for me, other than [during] summer hockey, the first time I’ve ever really had that,” Roberts said. “It just kind of shows, like, how inclusive our school is.”
TMU now has three Black-identifying players, including Roberts, and they’re hoping to do their city proud as the school hosts the national tournament this weekend at the Mattamy Athletic Centre …
Former Jamaican-Canadian athlete Chelsea Ziadie embraces major corporate role at Google
Jamaica Observer, March 14, 2024
Former professional ice hockey player Chelsea Ziadie, who retired from the sport in 2020, is embracing the challenge of her major new role with corporate giant Google, where she was recently promoted to the position of senior account manager, Google Customer Solutions.
The Canadian born Ziadie — a Harvard graduate and daughter of former Jamaican football players Debbie Doyle Ziadie and the late Christopher Ziadie — said that her life as a professional athlete has been instrumental in her newfound success in the corporate world, thanks to the “Rigorous discipline that being a pro athlete demands.”
In her new capacity Ziadie now works on developing and executing business strategies for nearly 60 small to medium-sized Google business accounts …
… Her latest professional accomplishment is a far cry from her days in the fast-paced world of women’s ice hockey, in which she was deeply immersed for much of her life until stepping away four years ago.