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, December 1, 2023
Scroll. Read. Click on headline for full story.
University of Delaware to add women’s ice hockey as 22nd varsity sport
Kevin Tresolini, Delaware News Journal, Dec. 1, 2023
The University of Delaware has frequently had athletes who excelled on the ice.
The next group won’t be performing triple axels, however.
Women’s ice hockey is about to become the University of Delaware’s 22nd varsity sport, UD announced Friday.
Pandas on Ice: How the Pembroke Pandas became a national hockey powerhouse
Jacob Smollen and The Bruno Brief, The Brown Daily Herald, Dec. 1, 2023
It’s 1968 and the Pembroke Pandas, Pembroke College’s newly formed women’s ice hockey team, is still the only collegiate women’s hockey team in the country. They’re also still looking for potential opponents.
The solution? A trip to Canada.
I’m Jacob Smollen, podcast editor and metro editor, and this is “Pandas On Ice,” a podcast series about the Pembroke Pandas — the first intercollegiate women’s hockey team in the United States — and everything that happened afterward.
In this episode: The Pandas make it big, from the Frozen Four to Olympic gold — but some things remain the same.
Decades after he nearly died, hockey player asks why neck guards still aren’t mandatory
Death of another player during a U.K. pro game in October has renewed debate on mandatory neck guards
Jonathon Gatehouse, Albert Leung, CBC News, Dec. 1, 2023
The hockey sweater from that night still hangs on the wall of Kim Crouch’s basement rec room. So expertly repaired, and cleaned, that you have to look twice to see the jagged line where emergency workers cut it off his blood-soaked torso.
The long, hooked scar on the right side of his neck has faded too. But not the memories.
It was Jan. 5, 1975. Crouch, then 18, was in net for the Junior A Markham Waxers, playing against the Royal York Royals at a rink in North Toronto. As he recalls it, the play was routine. The outcome was not.
“There was a puck entering into our zone. And as a goalie, I raced out, slid on my left side, and as I did, two players jumped over me and one of their skates caught me on the side of the neck,” said Crouch.
Black and white images, captured by a local newspaper photographer, show the players suspended in air moments before impact.
Bertagna earned Lester Patrick Trophy with decorated career in college hockey
Administrator, goalie coach, commissioner will be honored for outstanding service at U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame ceremony
Mike G. Morreale, NHL.com, Dec. 1, 2023
Joe Bertagna gained insight from legends of the game on the way to becoming an icon in the United States as a college hockey administrator and goalie coach for more than five decades.
He was also admired for
“I think an overlooked part of Joe is the fact he’s just about as witty as anybody I know,” said Dave Ogrean, who twice was USA Hockey executive director (1993-99; 2005-17). “I believe he could absolutely be on the writing staff for ‘Saturday Night Live.'”
The 72-year-old native of Arlington, Massachusetts, will receive the 2023 Lester Patrick Trophy for outstanding service to hockey in the United States during the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame induction ceremony at the Westin Copley Place in Boston on Dec. 6. going outside the box.
Finland Olympic hockey star Sanni Hakala paralyzed after collision
Alec Gearty, New York Post, Dec. 1, 2023
Two-time Olympic medalist and Finnish hockey star Sanna Hakala is paralyzed from the chest down and has reduced function in her arms and hands following an in-game freak accident last Friday in Sweden.
Hakala, who serves as HV71’s captain, suffered a neck injury when she crashed head-first into the goalpost during the first period in a Swedish Women’s Hockey League game against Djurgårdens.
Hakala was stretchered off the ice as officials postponed the game.
The 26-year-old forward was first taken to a nearby hospital before she was transported to University Hospital in Linköping, where she underwent surgery, the team announced.
Jeremy Rutherford, The Athletic, Nov 30, 2023
A whiff of breakfast food — eggs and sausage — emanates from a private room near the lobby of the Omni Hotel, where the St. Louis Blues are staying ahead of a road game against the Arizona Coyotes just before Thanksgiving.
Coach Craig Berube has been awake since 6:30 a.m. He sets an alarm on his cell phone, but the fierce competitor and former NHL enforcer always beats the clock to the punch…
Hockey Canada Sees Spike in Maltreatment Reports From Last Season
Hockey Canada’s latest report on tracking maltreatment in sanctioned hockey found a jump in discrimination-related penalties and complaints in 2022-23 compared to the season before.
Ian Kennedy, The Hockey News, Nov. 30, 2023
Hockey Canada saw a massive increase in reports made in their 2022-2023 tracking period as the organization continues to examine “all instances of maltreatment, including abuse, discrimination and harassment in sanctioned hockey programs across the country.”
On Thursday, Hockey Canada released national results from data collected during the 2022-2023 season through new independent complaint systems, as well as officials calling all rules in Section 11 of Hockey Canada’s rules.
The Tracking Maltreatment in Sanctioned Hockey report showed a spike, jumping to 913 calls assessed by officials under Hockey Canada’s discrimination rule from 512 in 2021-22. There were another 711 reported allegations in 2022-23 compared to 415 the season before.
Haley Uliasz is living her hockey dream after 4 years on the SU rowing team
After competing on the Syracuse rowing team for four years, Haley Uliasz is fulfilling a childhood dream by switching sports. Uliasz, like her two older sisters, is playing collegiate hockey.
Aiden Stepansky, Daily Orange, Nov. 30, 2023
After a four-year rowing career at Syracuse, Haley Uliasz wasn’t fulfilled. Her childhood dream was to play Division I hockey like her two sisters — Nicole (Wisconsin) and Brianna (Connecticut). With one more year of eligibility left, Uliasz reached out to the SU ice hockey coaching staff and asked to try out.
Despite not playing competitive hockey since high school, Uliasz made the team. She finally earned the chance to complete her goal and hasn’t taken the opportunity for granted.
“(Uliasz is) one of our hardest workers,” said Syracuse head coach Britni Smith. “She really sticks to coming in, working hard and learning everyday to get herself back into (hockey).”
Through four years playing at Kent School (CT), Uliasz received limited D-I interest to play hockey. But she also picked up rowing at Kent — becoming rowing team captain as a junior. Uliasz garnered offers to continue her rowing career at the D-I level, ultimately accepting an offer from Syracuse that paid nearly 75% of her tuition. While she assumed her dreams were dashed, she kept her desire to play hockey close.
Coyotes Sled Hockey Association brings game to those with limited mobility
Ford Hatchett, ABC15.com, Nov. 30, 2023
The locker room looks the same, but instead of skates, it’s sleds with blades on the bottom.
They’re for “anyone that has a condition, disability that prevents them from being able to stand up on skates,” said Joshua Gromer, the Executive Director of the Coyotes Sled Hockey Association.
Gromer grew up playing hockey but a stroke left him with limited mobility in his leg. Sled hockey gave him the chance to get back on the ice and the chance to connect with other people who understand what he’s feeling.
“In our day-to-day lives not everyone can relate to things we face with a disability,” Gromer said.
NHL officiating manager scouts, coaches candidates who aspire to be in NHL
NHL.com, Nov. 30, 2023
The NHL is celebrating women in hockey, and every week this season, NHL.com will highlight women working in hockey. Today, a look at NHL officiating manager Katie Guay:
Name: Katie Guay
Job title: Officiating Manager
Education: Brown University, Business Economics
Years of hockey experience (Include on- and off-ice hockey-related experience): Played college hockey at Brown University before switching over to officiating. Officiated at the 2018 Olympics and became the first female to ref in the American Hockey League in 2021.
Mason Garcia returns to hockey rink less than 2 weeks after traumatic brain injury
David Schuman, WCCO, Nov. 30, 2023
There was a heartfelt homecoming Thursday night for a young hockey player hurt on the ice.
After spending less than two weeks recovering in the hospital from a traumatic brain injury, Mason Garcia returned to the Richfield Ice Arena to be with his Academy of Holy Angels team.
Before their game, the PA announcer welcomed the senior captain back.
“For the first seven hours after the hit, I had no movement at all below my neck,” Garcia said. “The only thing I could do was blink.”
But feeling began to come back, and Garcia worked, and continues to work, at physical therapy.
Ten days after the injury, he walked out of the hospital.
Adidas executive Dan Near tabbed to become next WHL commissioner
The Canadian Press, Nov. 30, 2023
Dan Near is set to become the next commissioner of the Western Hockey League.
The 43-year-old Adidas executive was introduced at a press conference today.
Near will replace Ron Robison, who previously announced that 2023-24 would be his final season in charge.
Near spent more than a decade in the NHL’s marketing department before moving to Adidas, where he most recently served as the company’s global head of hockey.
Ted Nolan returns home for book signing, first time since cancer diagnosis
Former NHL player & coach Ted Nolan returned to Garden River First Nation for a book signing on his autobiography. Cory Nordstrom has more.
Cory Nordstrom, CTVNorthernOntario.ca, Nov. 29, 2023
A living legend returned to Garden River First Nation this week.
Former NHL player and coach Ted Nolan visited his home community, touting the recent release of his autobiography.
A large gathering Tuesday evening saw fans, friends and family members in attendance for the book signing event for ‘Life in Two Worlds: A Coach’s Journey from the Reserve to the NHL and Back.
The book, released in October, documents both the highs and lows of his career in pro hockey, from the racism he faced over the years, to winning the Jack Adams Award for the National Hockey League’s top coach.
High school ice hockey in Florida still on ice
However, the Manatee Admirals team gives students the chance to experience similar opportunities.
Ryan Kohn, Observer, Nov. 28, 2023
Ice hockey is not a sport sanctioned by either the Florida High School Athletic Association or the Sunshine State Athletic Conference.
A lack of rinks and a small, though growing, number of youth hockey players means the sport hasn’t been adopted by state high school organizations.
According to USA Hockey data, there were approximately 9,000 Florida hockey players aged 18 and under registered with the organization in the 2022-2023 year. In 2002-2003, there were approximately 5,000 youth players in the state.
Certain regions of Florida, like Manatee County, have more players in others, thanks in part to the success of the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning, which won the Stanley Cup in 2004, 2020, and 2021, and reached the Finals in 2015 and 2022.
That generated lots of interest and is why a regional league can exist on the Gulf Coast.
Toronto to host New York in PWHL’s 1st regular-season game on New Year’s Day
Ottawa’s home opener will be against Montreal on Jan. 2 at TD Place
Karissa Donkin, CBC Sports, Nov 28, 2023
The first regular-season Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) game will be held in Toronto on New Year’s Day.
The Toronto team will host New York for an afternoon game at Mattamy Athletic Centre (12:30 pm ET), the downtown rink that will serve as the team’s primary venue during its first season, the league announced on Tuesday.
All six teams will host home openers within the first two weeks of January, with teams set to play 24 games each during the league’s first season…
Trouba breaks silence on baseball swing to Frederic’s head.
New York Rangers captain Jacob Trouba spoke for the first time about one of the weekend’s biggest controversies in the NHL.
Jonathan Larrivee, Hockey Feed, Nov. 28, 2023
New York Rangers captain Jacob Trouba is speaking out after being the focus of much criticism over the weekend.
Trouba was fined $5,000 by the National Hockey League’s Department of Player Safety for a baseball-like swing of his stick at the head of Boston Bruins forward Trent Frederic. The controversy stems from both the act itself and the perception of a relatively light punishment for Trouba, one that has been called out by the likes of Ron MacLean and Kevin Bieksa.
Ice hockey expansion reinforces team identity and culture
Peter MacDonald, Skidmore.edu, Nov. 28, 2023
At the top of the wall inside the Skidmore men’s ice hockey team’s newly constructed locker room at Saratoga Springs City Rink, three words are emblazoned in school green: RESPECT, EXCELLENCE, TEAM.
The 3,200-foot expansion, which extends beyond the team’s home bench area and includes a changing room, training room, and coaches’ office, “helps to establish a sense of identity and build a strong team culture,” says Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs and Director of Athletics Gail Cummings-Danson. “Both are vital ingredients necessary to compete at the highest level.”
Goalie Tate Brandon ’24 agrees that the new facilities have a big impact.
“The new locker room provides a much more professional space for our team to get ready for games and practices,” he says. “We are very fortunate to have this space, and I feel that we show it with the effort, day in and day out, through practices and games. The locker room is a microcosm of how far our program has come, and just how far it will go.”
NHL expands All-Star Weekend in Toronto, adding women’s event, bringing back player draft
Associated Press, Nov. 27, 2023
The NHL has expanded its upcoming All-Star Weekend in Toronto to add a women’s 3-on-3 event and bring back the popular player draft.
The league announced the new “NHL All-Star Thursday” in a press release Monday.
Members of the new Professional Women’s Hockey League will take part in a game at Scotiabank Arena on Feb. 1. Four All-Star captains matched with celebrities will draft their teams for the skills competition on Feb. 2 and 3-on-3 tournament on Feb. 3.
The NHL also will honor the 1967 Maple Leafs, Toronto’s last team to win the Stanley Cup, as part of the festivities.
Player’s Own Voice podcast: Celebrating with hockey trailblazer Luke Prokop
‘Nothing but support from colleagues’ says the first openly gay player under NHL contract
CBC Sports, Nov. 27, 2023
Luke Prokop was only 19 years old when he made pro sports history.
A year after the Nashville Predators picked him in the 2020 NHL draft, Prokop told his team, his sport, and the wider world that he was gay. He is the first player under NHL contract to do so. This season, he has also bumped up to playing plenty of AHL games, making him the first out gay player at that level, one step away from the top team.
In a sport that has struggled to be at the forefront of inclusion, how are things going for Prokop? So far, excellent. No stupid chirps from opponents, nothing but support from within the organization, and a heart-warming flow of encouragement from big names and journeymen, on and off the ice…
The power of collective advocacy and resilience preserves inclusivity in hockey.
Daanish Alvi, The Medium, Nov. 27, 2023
On the morning of October 9, 2023, sports reporting website Outsports posted an article to their website titled, “The NHL has banned Pride Tape, creating its own ‘Don’t Say Gay’ policy on the ice.” Quickly confirmed by NHL insider reporters like Chris Johnston and Pierre LeBrun, the article sent NHL fans into a frenzy. After years of stating that the game of hockey needs to grow, the league itself decided to place limitations on how its players show support for marginalized communities.
Pride Tape has long been used by players specifically during the month of June in celebration of Pride Month. It was introduced as a supportive measure to ensure the game of hockey could become a more inclusive sport. Something as small as a different colour of tape on a hockey stick could let members of the LGBTQ2S+ community know that players in a widely known hockey league like the NHL have their backs and that the sport of hockey has a place for people like them. The announcement of a ban on this particular tape shocked the hockey world because it made it seem like all the support that had been given to the community was suddenly ripped away.
Long-time ice hockey executive and former Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke stated his disappointment with the league in a post on X, calling it a “surprising and serious setback.”
PWHL board member: Launching league in six months is ‘nuts’
Emma Hruby, Just Women’s Sports, Nov. 24, 2023
From start to finish, the Professional Women’s Hockey League is aiming for a six-month launch, which is quick. And the expected January 2024 start date is quickly approaching.
“Doing this in six months is nuts,” PWHL Advisory Board member Stan Kasten told The Athletic. “The NHL told me I was going to need more time and they were completely correct.”
That means that some things will have to fall by the wayside in the first year in favor of getting the players on the ice – including team names and logos. Jerseys for this year only have the team colors and city names diagonally across the chest. It’s been a point of contention for many fans on social media.
But to the league, team names weren’t worth slowing the process down.
“There are decisions you can make that are fast and if you make an error in your judgment on that decision, it’s easy to walk back, or you can learn from it and move on,” Amy Scheer, the senior vice president of business operations for the PWHL, told The Athletic. “From the team name perspective, it was just better off slowing the process down.
Wild’s Fleury wears mask in warmups on Native American Heritage night after the NHL says not
Stephen Whyno, The Associated Press, Nov. 24, 2023
Marc-Andre Fleury wore a custom mask for the Minnesota Wild’s Native American Heritage night Friday after being told by the NHL it was not allowed.
Fleury took the ice for the team’s game against the Colorado Avalanche wearing the specially designed mask. Agent Allan Walsh confirmed earlier in the day the league informed his client he couldn’t wear the mask, even for warmups.
The NHL prohibits players from wearing specialty jerseys, masks, stickers, decals or tape for theme nights.
The league initially banned players from using rainbow-coloured tape on Pride nights before reversing that decision after receiving backlash from around the hockey community. Teams are not allowed to dress players in themed jerseys for warmups this season after a handful of players decided last season to opt out of Pride Night warmups that included specialty jerseys.
With the Wild celebrating Native American Heritage night Friday against Colorado, Fleury wanted to honour his wife, Veronique, an Indigenous woman, with a specially designed mask. Walsh said Fleury offered to pay whatever fine he’d receive and the NHL threatened to levy the organization with an “additional significant fine.”
Hockey is Fun Tournaments Aim to Help Grow the Game
Weekend Hockey Tournaments, Omaha.net. Nov. 23, 2023
The Ontario Minor Hockey Association and Weekend Hockey Tournaments are excited to launch two Hockey is Fun tournaments this season to raise money for grassroots grow the game initiatives that promote positive minor hockey experiences.
Part of the proceeds from the tournaments will be given back to local minor hockey associations within the OMHA to support their efforts to bring in new families to the game of hockey at a community level. This can include try hockey events, equipment programs, or ways that you shine a light on the positive benefits of minor hockey.
Jonathan Goldbloom named Hockey Canada board chair as new directors elected
Goldbloom takes over from Hugh L. Fraser, who is not seeking re-election
The Canadian Press, Nov. 18, 2023
Hockey Canada has a new board of directors.
Jonathan Goldbloom was appointed as chair by the board, taking over from Hugh L. Fraser.
Gillian Apps, Amanda Fowler, Corey Hirsch, Kristi Miller, Krista Outhwaite and Geoffrey Wong are the newest directors to be elected onto the board on Saturday by the organization’s 13 members following a vote at the 2023 Hockey Canada Annual Meeting.
Grant Borbridge, Goldbloom and Marian Jacko were re-elected after serving on Hockey Canada’s transition board of directors.
“I am very proud of the meaningful progress that our transition board of directors made in leadership renewal, sport safety, good governance and financial transparency and accountability for Hockey Canada,” Goldbloom said.
“We have a strong foundation to build upon and I am eager to work with my new colleagues and Hockey Canada’s leadership team to continue to advance the sport that we love as Canadians.”