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 8, 2023
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Breaking the Ice: The gap within Women’s Hockey
Earvin Adjai, The Daily Campus, Dec. 8, 2023
Coryn Tormala has never been afraid to step foot in an ice rink. Growing up, the UConn grad student was surrounded by hockey players and even cites them as the reason she became interested in playing the sport herself.
“My brothers both played growing up and my dad too and even my grandpa, so just growing up, I got into it through them and that’s just kind of how it took off,” said Tormala.
Outside of just family, the Huskies forward attributes her upbringing in Wisconsin as another factor that pushed her towards playing the sport she would grow to love. Reflecting on memories from childhood, Tormala fondly recalls picking up the game at a young age after moving from Arizona to Wisconsin…
As a female hockey player, Tormala faced adversity and fought stereotypes in a male-driven industry. She remembers fondly just how few girls participated in hockey growing up and how that made her feel.
“I think growing up was the biggest part. I played boys hockey growing up and unfortunately, I was probably one of the only girls on the team – We still face a little adversity here today,” she said…
“Carnegie Corner” Issue No. 10
The Carnegie Initiative, Dec. 7, 2023
Monthly newsletter includes trailblazing moments by Laila Edwards and Luke Prokop; a Q&A with HCTA winner Alexandria Briggs-Blake; and Inner city youth from Harlem and Detroit uniting for special time over MLK Weekend
Province of Ontario Invests in 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship
Hon. Neil Lumsden announces support of World Juniors in Ottawa
Hockey Canada, Dec. 7, 2023
The Province of Ontario has announced it will support the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship through a $4 million investment, which will benefit the planning and delivery of one of the most prestigious hockey tournaments on the international calendar.
The Hon. Neil Lumsden, minister of tourism, culture and sport for Ontario, made the announcement at Canadian Tire Centre, which will be the primary competition venue for the 2025 World Juniors, before puck drop in tonight’s Battle of Ontario between the Ottawa Senators and Toronto Maple Leafs.
A Native American lacrosse team in the 2028 L.A. Olympics? It’s possible — but it won’t be easy
David Wharton, Los Angeles Times, Dec. 7, 2023
It isn’t hard to make an argument for letting the Haudenosaunee Nationals lacrosse team compete at the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
The collection of elite Native American players, recruited from across the Northeast, belong to a people who invented the sport centuries ago. Playing under their own flag at last summer’s World Lacrosse Championship, they beat out a slew of nations to finish third behind the U.S. and Canada.
Now, with their game added to the Olympic program for 2028, President Biden has called upon sports officials to make room for the Haudenosaunee among the usual gathering of nations.
Breaking barriers on ice: sled hockey program expands accessibility in winter sports across UP
TV6′s Tia Trudgeon chats with leaders of Sled Hockey U.P. about their mission to expand the sport of sled hockey across the Upper Peninsula.
Tia Trudgeon, WLUC TV6, Dec. 7, 2023
A Marquette-based sled hockey program is breaking down barriers on the ice.
Sled Hockey U.P. was founded in 2016 by Allan Beauchamp after he was injured, and subsequently paralyzed in his lower body.
Today, Beauchamp recognizes the positive difference the sport can make in the lives of those with physical disabilities, and wants to see the sport grow all over the Upper Peninsula.
Beauchamp, along with Sled Hockey U.P. Assistant Manager Eric Hammerstrom (note: Hammerstrom is The CI’s Communications Advisor), Team Manager Kristy Burt, and player Jim Bennett join TV6′s Tia Trudgeon for a conversation about accessibility in hockey and why it matters.
Islanders build two rinks outside arena for fans
Greg Wyshynski, ESPN, Dec. 7, 2023
The New York Islanders have built two public pond hockey rinks outside of UBS Arena that will host 4-on-4 tournaments and “learn to play” clinics in conjunction with USA Hockey.
One rink will have natural ice for 4-on-4 youth and adult teams to hold games and tournaments. The other rink will have synthetic ice, ensuring season-long accessibility, and will cater to community programs that offer the fundamentals of hockey and skating to all age groups and skill levels.
Both rinks will offer 90-minute public skate sessions. They’ll be part of The Park at UBS Arena, a 155,800-square-foot, season-long outdoor experience that will feature a beer garden and a “VIP Igloo Garden.” There are plans to use the rinks for Islanders pregame shows and for watch parties when the team is on the road.
Katie Crowley Enshrined in U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame
BCEagles.com, Dec. 7, 2023
…Former Team USA standout Katie Crowley was inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame on Wednesday at the Westin in Boston.
Under Crowley, Boston College women’s hockey has accumulated 374 wins over the last 16 years for an average of 23 victories per season. BC remains the only Hockey East program – men’s or women’s – to finish in the top-4 of the league standings every season since 2010. She is a two-time AHCA National Coach of the Year (2015, 2016) and a four-time Hockey East Coach of the Year (2013, 2014, 2015, 2016)…
Hamden Youth Hockey celebrates partnership with NHL-endorsed foundation
Aidan Sheedy, Quinnipiac Chronicle, Dec. 6, 2023
There’s no more universal symbol of support than a hand on a shoulder. On the afternoon of Dec. 2, over 50 players and coaches from the Hamden Youth Hockey Association gathered at center ice, hands on every shoulder and demonstrated how these seemingly small gestures can have the greatest impact.
The 60-year-old Louis “Lou” Astorino Ice Arena welcomed a “Shoulder Check” showcase for the local hockey league, aiming to educate young athletes on the importance of kindness while competing. HYHA hosted eight games with teams ages 8 to 14, and the message from coaches was clear — make kindness a contact sport.
“Shoulder Check means to me that if your classmate is not feeling their best or had a hard day, you can check in on them, ask them how they feel or if there’s anything you can do to help them,” 10-year- old Marcella Francese said after the on-ice ceremony and discussion.
Burke ‘real underdog’ carving path to U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame
Outspoken 2023 inductee worked for NHL, was front office executive for 6 teams, player agent
Mike Zeisberger, NHL.com, Dec. 6, 2023
If you want to know what Brian Burke is really like, Lou Lamoriello, his longtime friend, mentor and one-time coach, has the perfect way to find out.
“If you want to know about Brian or anything else, just ask Brian,” the New York Islanders general manager said with a chuckle about the always candid, often outspoken Burke. “He’ll tell you whatever you want.
“I do know this: He just keeps going and going and going …”
In this instance, he is going right into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2023.
And rightly so.
When the 68-year-old is officially inducted at the Westin Copley Place Hotel in Boston on Wednesday, he’ll join an elite group that has helped bring the sport into the mainstream in the U.S., at the grassroots and professional levels. Not bad for a local kid who was born and bred 50 miles to the south in Providence, Rhode Island.
O’Brien, Coyotes Partner with Mikey’s League for Adaptive Hockey Clinics
O’Brien & Durzi participated in Sunday’s clinic, geared toward children and young adults with neurodivergent disabilities.
Patrick Brown, Arizona Coyotes, Dec. 6, 2023
Arizona Coyotes forward Liam O’Brien is as tough as they come on the ice.
Off it, he’s more determined than ever to continue to give back.
O’Brien and defenseman Sean Durzi spent Sunday at a Mikey’s League ball hockey clinic, providing an adaptive hockey experience for children and young adults with neurodivergent disabilities. The cause is near-and-dear to O’Brien’s heart, as his mother, Susan, has a background in working with children with autism.
U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame inductees praise growth of national program
Langenbrunner, Burke, Brown, King Crowley impressed that country is ‘catching up and blowing by people’
Amalie Benjamin, NHL.com, Dec. 6, 2023
The Dallas Stars had only been in Texas for a single season when Jamie Langenbrunner made his NHL debut in 1994-95 for the franchise that had formerly been the Minnesota North Stars, the team from his home state. He would stay for eight seasons, watching as hockey cottoned onto Texas and Texas began to cotton onto the hockey.
Langenbrunner has seen a vast expansion of the hockey world in his time in the NHL, from his 18 seasons playing for the Stars, New Jersey Devils and St. Louis Blues, to his time in management with the Boston Bruins.
It’s a different USA Hockey than it used to be. And it only pushes to get bigger.
Hockey For All Centre opens exhibit highlighting South Asian community
To highlight the impacts the South Asian community has made on Canada’s game, a new exhibit titled ‘We Are Hockey’ was unveiled in Winnipeg.
Kurt Black, Winnipeg CityNews, Dec. 6, 2023
In an effort to highlight the impacts the South Asian community has made on Canada’s game, a new exhibit titled ‘We Are Hockey’ was unveiled Wednesday morning at the fittingly named Hockey For All Centre.
Curated by Dr. Satwinder Bains, the 20-panel exhibit aims to make the sport of hockey more inclusive for all communities. The goal is to educate the next generation on the journeys and accomplishments of trailblazers such as Harnarayan Singh and Jujhar Khaira.
“That is where representation is key, as soon as a child can see themselves at the height of success, they know they can strive for that as well,” said Ganni Maan, Grow the Game Ambassador.
Elk River hockey star relishes senior year ahead of Minnesota Gophers career
Marielle Mohs, CBS News Minnesota, Dec. 5, 2023
The Elk River girls’ hockey team may be off to a slow start to their season, but a stand-out defender is making sure her final season with the Elks is extra special.
Senior Carly Humphrey has been playing hockey her whole life, starting to skate at only three years old.
“I skated from a young age because my sister, who is six years older than me, she was playing. So I was just kind of around the rink all the time,” said Humphrey.
Humphrey’s grit and fight on the ice earned her defensive most valuable player for the Elks the last two years and a spot on the all-state tournament team last year.
Next, she is taking her talents to the University of Minnesota.
Sport minister to launch ‘independent mechanism’ to review abuse in Canadian sports
Ashley Burke, CBC.ca, Dec. 5, 2023
Minister of Sport Carla Qualtrough said Tuesday she’ll be announcing a “formal, independent mechanism” early next week to review systemic abuse and human rights violations in Canadian sports.
Qualtrough made the comment in Switzerland at a forum being held at the UN. Many athletes, coaches and MPs in Canada have been calling for a public inquiry into abuse in sports.
“The process will be trauma-informed, human rights based and forward-looking,” she said in a speech at the Sporting Chance Forum in Geneva.
Elite athletes in multiple sports have accused the federal government of failing to act in response to reports of abuse. They’re among those who have appeared before House of Commons’ committees investigating the problem and have repeatedly demanded a public inquiry.
A parliamentary committee also recommended a public inquiry into maltreatment in Canadian sport.
NHL attendance analysis: Biggest risers and fallers year-over-year
Ian Mendes, The Athletic, Dec. 5, 2023
The two-month mark of the regular season allows us to get a pretty good snapshot of the league as a whole.
We’re starting to debate regular season award winners.
Teams are starting to settle into familiar spots in the weekend rankings.
So this is also the perfect time to analyze attendance figures for the first time in the 2023-24 regular season…
Minnesota hockey community weighs in after IIHF mandates neck guards
Kirsten Mitchell, CBS News Minnesota, Dec. 4, 2023
Some of the world’s top hockey players will need an extra piece of gear. The Olympics and World Championships will now require neck guards after the shocking death of Adam Johnson. The Hibbing native and former UMD Bulldog died during a professional game in England last month when another player’s skate cut his neck.
Five-year-old Jameson is laced up and ready to go. Though he’s just learning to skate now, he hopes to one day play hockey like his father. Like many parents of hockey players, Nick Trumble said the news of Johnson’s death heightened fears about the safety of the sport.
“You’re risking your life every time you go out on the ice and one freak thing can end your life,” Trumble said.
Blayre Turnbull scores hat trick for Toronto in 1st pre-season game in PWHL history
Rule experimentations, final player evaluations among league’s pre-season priorities
Karissa Donkin, CBC Sports, Dec. 4, 2023
Blayre Turnbull’s hat trick was years in the making.
About 14 minutes into the first period of the first pre-season Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) game, Toronto’s Blayre Turnbull put a puck past Boston goaltender Cami Kronish.
And then she did it again, and again.
Powered by Turnbull’s three goals, Toronto defeated Boston 5-3 in pre-season action in the PWHL on Monday in Utica, N.Y., where teams have gathered all week for games, meetings and practices before the inaugural season begins on Jan. 1.
North Star Rising: Minnesota Rivals Quebec, Alberta for Second-Most NHL Skaters Behind Ontario.
When it comes to province- and state-level skater representation in the NHL, Minnesota now rivals Quebec and Alberta as No. 2 behind Ontario. Minnesota has risen through the ranks in the 21st century.
Randy Boswell, The Hockey News, Dec. 4, 2023
A THN regional analysis of NHL players’ birthplaces highlights Minnesota’s clear emergence as a hotbed of world-class hockey talent.
The U.S.-Canada border state now routinely generates more NHLers than British Columbia, Saskatchewan or Manitoba — and even edges in front of Alberta and Quebec this season in the long-running competition to be the second-most productive breeding ground for NHL players after the perennially league-leading Ontario, according to NHL.com data.
Chanel Keenan Explains The Importance Of “Hockey Is For Everyone Night” At TD Garden
NESN, Dec. 4, 2023
Former Seattle Kraken employee and Boston native Chanel Keenan discusses her path to working in the the NHL, and why “Hockey Is For Everyone” is a vital campaign for people with disabilities.
Color of Hockey: Stars to host Mexican teams for International Silver Stick
Visiting clubs expect ‘great experience’ in 1st time playing in annual tournament
William Douglas, NHL.com, Dec. 4, 2023
The Dallas Stars will host seven youth teams from Mexico this weekend, giving them an opportunity to play in a venerable international hockey tournament for the first time.
The five boys’ and two girls’ teams are competing in the Dallas National Qualifier of the International Silver Stick. The 65-year-old tournament features some of the best Under-10 to Under-18 teams from the United States and Canada.
The Mexican squads are among more than 60 teams that will play Friday through Sunday at eight facilities owned and operated by the Stars in the Dallas metropolitan area.
Women in Hockey: Ronda Engelhardt
Predators amateur scout helps Nashville evaluate players for NHL Draft
NHL.com, Dec. 4, 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 Predators North American amateur scout Ronda Engelhardt:
Name: Ronda Engelhardt
Job title: North American amateur scout
Education: BA in Psychology, minor in Leadership from University of Minnesota. Master’s in School Counseling from Capella University.
Years of hockey experience: Four-year Division 1 college athlete. Three years assistant coach at division 3 college, 10 years as head coach (high school and professional women’s hockey). Have also been a part of skills coaching/training for 15-plus years and working with athletes on mental side of game for nine years…
King Crowley defined by willpower, determination en route to U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame
National team coach considers ‘Big Train’ best left wing in women’s program history
Amalie Benjamin, NHL.com, Dec. 3, 2023
When A.J. Mleczko thinks of Katie King Crowley, they don’t think of that crowning achievement, the gold medal at the 1998 Nagano Olympics and the kickoff for everything that would come later for the United States women’s hockey team.
Or, at least, that’s not first.
First comes the bronze-medal game eight years later at the 2006 Torino Olympics.
“What I remember [about] watching that bronze-medal game is she played out of her mind,” Mleczko said.
It was King Crowley’s final international game and no one — least of all the team itself — believed the United States would be playing for bronze. They were supposed to be playing for gold like in the previous two Olympics, the one they won and the other they lost (Salt Lake City in 2002), each against Canada…
Liam Cunningham Embracing His Little Brother Role on the National Team
Greg Bates, USA Hockey, Dec. 1, 2023
At 15 years old, Liam Cunningham has become the little brother to the veterans on the U.S. National Sled Hockey Team.
Despite being more than half the age of six of his teammates, Cunningham has fit right in on and off the ice.
After spending one season on the U.S. Men’s Development Sled Hockey Team, Cunningham was given a shot to make the national team this season.
In essentially a final tryout, the senior team invited him to compete at the IPH Cup in Czechia in early October. After helping the squad take home the title, Cunningham earned a roster spot on the national team.
As girls high school hockey numbers drop, schools are joining forces
Marielle Mohs, CBS News Minnesota, Dec. 1, 2023
Even though Minnesota is the “State of Hockey,” that state is struggling to keep girls interested in skating. As numbers drop, high schools are merging to stay alive.
This year is the second season for the Marauders girls hockey team, which is a co-op of Roseville and Mahtomedi, R-M.
“Last year was a little bit of a challenge just trying to bring together those two different schools,” said Kylie Jones, a senior on the R-M hockey team.
They came together to keep both programs from folding.
Minnesota’s new pro hockey team is ready to take the state’s biggest stage
Minnesota’s PWHL team still doesn’t have a name, but it has a lot of local talent and will play games at the Xcel Energy Center.
Kent Erdahl, Kare 11, Dec. 1, 2023
When the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) drops the puck on its inaugural season in January, Minnesota’s team will be playing on the biggest stage the State of Hockey has to offer.
Minnesota’s team, along with all of the original six teams in the PWHL, won’t take the ice with a flashy logo or team name. Instead, for the first season, the players will simply represent the state – and a purple “Minnesota” across their sweaters – and as the only team playing in a NHL venue, they’ll be hoping to see the state of hockey come out to support them in a big way.
PWHL releases full 72-game schedule ahead of inaugural season
11 players placed on waivers this week; rosters must be finalized by Dec. 11
Karissa Donkin, CBC Sports, Nov. 30, 2023
The Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) will play 72 games in its inaugural regular season, with the first game on New Year’s day and the last one scheduled for May 5.
The full schedule, released on Thursday, includes 24 games for each of the league’s six teams. Each team will play head-to-head at least four times, including twice at home and twice on the road.
The league will break for international play in February, which includes three Rivalry Series games between Canada and the United States, and in April when the Women’s World Championship will be held.