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.
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WEEKLY RECAP: Friday, December 29, 2023
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Reginald Savage cause of death: What happened to former Washington Capitals winger?
Abhishek Dilta, Sportskeeda.com, Dec. 29, 2023
The hockey community is deeply saddened upon receiving the news of the death of Reginald Savage. He was one of the first black players to make his way to the NHL after shining in the junior ranks in Quebec, Canada.
Savage was drafted 15th overall by the Washington Capitals in the 1988 draft and used to play as a right-winger. As per TVA Sports.ca, Savage died at the age of 53 after battling with cancer.
Air Canada signs sponsorship deal with Professional Women’s Hockey League
The Canadian Press, Dec. 28, 2023
MONTREAL – Air Canada has a sponsorship deal with the soon-to-launch Professional Women’s Hockey League.
The airline says it is an inaugural premier partner and the official airline for the first six teams in the league, which is set to hold its first game on Jan. 1, 2024.
Air Canada is launching an ad campaign along with the launch.
Kelly Dyer and a distinguished career between the pipes (Part One)
Mark Staffieri, WomensHockeyLife.com, Dec. 27, 2023
Among one of the goaltending greats from New England, the legacy of Kelly Dyer remains one of awe and admiration. Starting in the famed Assabet Valley program, followed by an empowering place on the boys varsity hockey team at Acton-Boxborough (Massachusetts) High School, Dyer gained superstar standing at the university level. A stellar four year run saw Dyer as a key contributor towards establishing the Northeastern Huskies as an elite program Such an incredible number of achievements comprised only the first half in a fascinating hockey odyssey.
Followed by the privilege of wearing the Stars and Stripes at three IIHF Women’s World Championships (1990, 1992, 1994), Dyer enjoyed a podium finish each time. Additionally, she joined fellow goaltenders Manon Rheaume and Erin Whitten in breaking the glass ceiling, all part of the historic chapter defined by playing professional men’s ice hockey. The highlight in Dyer’s pro sojourn involved a pair of Sunshine League titles. Undeniably, Dyer was among an exceptional generation that set the foundation for today’s players, instilling the belief that greater heights were within reach.
A new pro league changes women’s hockey, and Wisconsin players are front and center
Todd D. Milewski, Wisconsin State Journal, Dec. 27, 2023
The locker room setup that Hilary Knight encountered when she became a professional hockey player stood in stark contrast to what she experienced at the University of Wisconsin.
The Badgers had a dedicated locker room next to their practice rink at the Camp Randall Sports Center when Knight played from 2007 to 2009 and 2010 to 2012. The team moved into a new suite of spaces at LaBahn Arena months after her collegiate career ended.
The post-college experience was underwhelming behind the scenes. Knight said the locker she had when she first played on a pro team was two milk crates stacked together in the bathroom of a municipal rink.
Para ice hockey offers inclusive leisure opportunities
Families take advantage of free program for all-ages fun
Kelly Morris, Alberta Health Services, Dec. 27, 2023
LETHBRIDGE — The Nicholas Sheran arena echoes with happy sounds. Blades carve the ice. Sticks tap, then slap a puck, as players fly by. Seated on a sled above two skate blades, their legs extended and strapped in, players of all ages, from 6 to 60, eagerly learn the skills of para ice hockey, hustling towards the net with ice picks in both hands.
Hosted by the Alberta Health Services (AHS) Therapeutic Recreation team in an effort to create more inclusive opportunities in Lethbridge and area, para ice hockey is being offered free until March.
CKSN, Dec. 27, 2023
Anyone who has spent time at Chatham-Kent’s hockey rinks knew who Aaron Jubenville was.
Jubenville, who died on Christmas Day in 2019, was known for his support of local hockey teams, and was called the heart and soul of Tilbury.
In his honour the Tilbury Bluebirds team will host the second annual Aaron Jubenville Memorial game on Saturday (December 30) against the Petrolia Squires in a WOSHL match-up.
Ikuzo! Ottawa’s roster brings international flavor to newly launched women’s pro hockey league
John Wawrow, Associated Press, Dec. 26, 2023
“Ikuzo!” as they’d say in Japan. Or how about “Pojďme!” or ”Útra fel!” in Czech or Hungarian.
The roster of Ottawa’s new Professional Women’s Hockey League team has such an array of international talent that defenseman Jincy Roese said one way to spur the bonding experience was having everyone learn how to say “Let’s go!” in various languages.
“Oh, my gosh, it’s so cool,” said Roese, a U.S. national team player from O’Fallon, Missouri. “A lot of us are foreigners. I don’t think anyone is local to Ottawa, even. But it’s cool to experience different cultures. … And we just have these conversation points to go off which has really helped foster a good team environment.”
Sudbury’s Brock McGillis: Ripping the mask off hockey culture, one shift at a time
He is in the middle of what he calls his Culture Shift Tour, visiting Canada’s seven NHL cities to meet with high-school aged hockey teams about diversity and inclusion
Paul Friesen, The Sudbury Star, Dec. 26, 2023
Brock McGillis couldn’t be a gay hockey player, at least not openly.
They were two conflicting concepts — “polar opposite,” he calls them.
That message was driven home like a cross-check to the face every time he heard a homophobic slur from a teammate.
“You’re not going to feel safe and you’re going to resent yourself,” is how McGillis described it.
When it came from a coach, there was another layer of anxiety to deal with: Was he going to get benched? Get less ice time? Get that call-up?
“So you’re going to hide,” McGillis said. “And you’re going to suppress it so that nobody figures it out. I dated women. I was gay. I did it for survival.”
Today, the 40-year-old Sudbury product is using that harm to do some good.
McGillis is in the middle of what he calls his Culture Shift Tour, visiting Canada’s seven NHL cities to meet with high-school aged hockey teams about diversity and inclusion.
Kraken core look to ‘build tradition’ in Winter Classic
Members of inaugural team will ‘showcase the city of Seattle’ in Jan. 1 game
Dan Rosen, NHL.com, Dec. 26, 2023
SEATTLE — Jordan Eberle used to walk by pictures of legends when he played for the Edmonton Oilers and New York Islanders.
Now he strolls by pictures of himself and his Seattle Kraken teammates.
“How you build tradition is you walk by the history every day and you see the Cups on the wall, the names,” Eberle said. “That’s how you do it, you win. That’s what we need to continue to do here.”
“Meant a lot”: Pride Tape thanks McDavid for support during NHL ban
Preston Hodgkinson, Daily Hive, Dec. 26, 2023
It appears that Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid is a big supporter of Pride Tape.
The reigning Hart Trophy winner was seen sporting the tape in warmup during last week’s game against the New Jersey Devils, and now it has come out that McDavid offered the Edmonton-based company his support when the NHL banned the tape before the season.
That’s according to Pride Tape’s social media, who took time over the holidays to thank everyone who supported them during a difficult time, including McDavid.
Pride Tape was initially founded in Edmonton, with the Oilers being the first team in the NHL to use it in warmups.
Curve Lake First Nation member playing key role with Port Hope Panthers
Sam Laskaris, Anishinabek News, Dec. 25, 2023
Sidney Wakely is making his mark in hockey, much like his older brother.
The 18-year-old Curve Lake First Nation member is doing his best to move up the hockey ladder.
Wakely is currently toiling with the Port Hope Panthers, a Junior C squad that competes in the Provincial Junior Hockey League.
As for Wakely’s 19-year-old brother Dalyn, he’s one of the top performers in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) this season, starring with the North Bay Battalion.
A league years in the making that came together at lightning speed. Inside the whirlwind six-month run-up to the PWHL’s inaugural season.
Kristina Rutherford and Emily Sadler, Sportsnet, Dec. 25, 2023
Charging toward the net, Sarah Nurse slows up for a moment before turning on the jets again. She makes a quick deke from left to right, then pulls the puck to her backhand and fires it top corner — ping! — right off the inside of the crossbar and in. A collective “woo!” from her teammates watching at centre ice echoes around Rink 2 at Toronto’s Ford Performance Centre as Nurse peels back to join them, a big grin on her face. She holds up a glove for fist bumps. The forward has been working on her shootout attempts, specifically on changing her approach speed, something teammate and goaltender Kristen Campbell suggested when Nurse asked how to make herself more dangerous. “I went three-for-four in shootouts yesterday,” Nurse says, smiling.
A new push for hockey neck guards
Wisconsin Public Radio, Dec. 25, 2023
ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:
A tragic hockey accident in October reinvigorated conversations about whether hockey players should wear neck guards. In the coming months, both the NCAA and the NHL will discuss whether to mandate the equipment. Not everyone is convinced there’s a need, but advocates and companies are forging ahead creating the protective gear. Evan Casey of Wisconsin Public Radio reports.
How I Wound Up Traveling to Kenya to Play Ice Hockey
It all started with this really cool team jersey the author found online, and then one thing led to another, and… But let him tell it.
Dave Hill, Daily Beast, Dec. 24, 2023
Given my affinity for awesome hockey jerseys, I was on the internet recently, searching that very topic, when I happened upon a striking kelly-green jersey with black and red stripes and a big heraldic lion holding a hockey stick in its mighty paws on the chest. The jersey was for a team called the Kenya Ice Lions, and I wanted one immediately. I also assumed Kenya, in this case, must be referring to some small town in Canada I’d never heard of, and definitely not the arguably more popular country in East Africa. But upon further reading, I learned that the Kenya Ice Lions were indeed located in the country of Kenya—Nairobi, to be exact—and not the small Canadian town it turns out exists only in my mind.
Please join Munro’s Books for a Hockey Day in Canada book signing!!!
Focus on Victoria, Dec. 24, 2023
During the Hockey Day in Canada festivities this January, we will welcome hockey broadcasting and analysts Ron MacLean (long-time host of CBC’s Hockey Night in Canada), Ken Reid (Sportsnet Central sportscaster), and Brian Burke (NHL executive and analyst) into the store to meet you and sign books!
Color of Hockey: Kolesar back in Seattle for Winter Classic with Golden Knights
Forward played five seasons for Thunderbirds of WHL, says city is ‘passionate’ about hockey
William Douglas. NHL.com, Dec. 24, 2023
Keegan Kolesar used to go to T-Mobile Park to cheer for the Seattle Mariners and slugger Nelson Cruz, who was his favorite player on the Major League Baseball team.
“I still got all my Mariners gear and my Seahawks gear,” he said.
It’s doubtful Kolesar will be wearing any of it when he and the Vegas Golden Knights step onto the rink at the Mariners’ ballpark to face the Seattle Kraken in the Winter Classic.
The annual outdoor game will be a homecoming of sorts for Kolesar, who played for the Seattle Thunderbirds of the Western Hockey League from 2012-17 and helped lead the team to the WHL championship, the Ed Chynoweth Cup championship, in 2017.
“It’s going to be awesome,” Kolesar said. “It’s always nice to see my billet families at the games in Seattle and see some of the old fanbase and see some of the old Thunderbirds jerseys in warmup. It’s cool.”
Blind hockey player hopes sport can grow to Paralympics
Dieppe’s Simon Richard on Canada’s national blind hockey team that will compete against U.S. in April
Philip Drost, CBS News, Dec. 24, 2023
When Simon Richard laces up his skates and takes the ice for Canada’s blind hockey team, he hopes more countries will be inspired to invest in the sport.
Canadian Blind Hockey announced the first half of its national team roster on Dec. 14. It will decide which other players to add to the team at the Canadian National Blind Hockey Tournament from March 22-24 in Toronto.
“It’s always an honour to represent Canada for sure,” said Richard, of Dieppe, N.B. “You dream of it as a kid, of course, and you try to play the best you can. And then somehow an opportunity comes to you, and obviously you’re going to take it.”
Luca DeMontis, the national team’s general manager, said in a press release: “We’re excited to work with this great group of players who are role models in the sport of blind hockey.”
PWHL New York’s Emma Woods looking forward to inaugural game
CBC, Dec. 23, 2023
Former Toronto Six forward Emma Woods on looking forward to returning to Toronto for PWHL’s inaugural game on January 1st.
Alex Reimer, Queerty.com, Dec. 22, 2023
The NHL tried to dampen Pride celebrations this season, barring players from wearing rainbow jerseys, and for a short-lived period, even prohibiting them from wrapping their sticks in rainbow tape.
But the New Jersey Devils found a clever workaround Thursday night. The team permitted players to wear special Pride jerseys as they arrived to the arena, essentially sticking the middle finger to the league.
And they looked great doing it!
A new chapter for Tereza Vanisova in Montreal
Elisa Laradi, WomensHockeyLife.com, Dec. 22
The Czech native is ecstatic to be staying in Canada after signing a brand new two-year deal with Montreal last week.
Picture this it’s March 2023 and the Toronto Six are facing off against the Minnesota Whitecaps in the Isobel Cup Final being played at Mullet Arena in Phoenix Arizona. After three tight periods of amazing fast-paced hockey, the team’s head to overtime with one goal to decide the league champions.
With 15:42 left in overtime the Strakonice, Czech Republic native steals the puck from Whitecaps defenseman Sydney Brodt and beats Rose Leveille top corner to win it for the Toronto Six. Fast forward to June and the PHF who was making massive strides in trying to make life as a professional hockey player for women easier with a record salary cap of 1.5 million per team was bought out and a new league the PWHL was formed.
Premier Andrew Furey calls decision disappointing; says handshake is a teaching moment
Terry Roberts, CBC News, Dec. 22, 2023
A decision to end the traditional post-game handshake in Newfoundland and Labrador minor hockey continued to ignite debate Friday, with Premier Andrew Furey and a prominent hockey school owner weighing in.
Furey, in a letter sent Friday to Hockey N.L. president Jared Butler, called the decision disappointing.
Furey said he views the post-game handshake as an opportunity to teach young players the meaning and value of sportsmanship, “allowing them the time to meet their opponent and offer congratulations, regardless of the outcome.”
Furey called on Hockey N.L. to “further explain” and “possibly reconsider” the decision, and “seek out other alternatives that will promote player safety while continuing this time-honoured tradition.”
Here are Toronto’s most inspiring women of 2023 in sports
Julia Mastroianni, Streets Of Toronto, Dec. 21, 2023
With the end of the year upon us, we’re taking the time to honour some of the most inspiring women of 2023. Toronto has been well-represented on the national and international courts and fields this year — here are the most inspiring women in sports, from coaches to record-breaking swimmers, in Toronto…
… Saroya Tinker
The founder of Black Girl Hockey Club Canada and professional hockey player went out with a bang before retiring at 25 — Toronto Six won the first ever Isobel cup this March.
Angela James
An icon of women’s hockey in Canada who was a trailblazer from the start when she was named the first and only Black woman to captain Canada’s national team, and was later the first openly gay player inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. And now the inspiration continues — as the new general manager and co-owner of the Toronto Six, she was there to support the team in making history as the first Canadian team in the Premier Hockey Federation to win the league’s Isobel Cup.