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, February 23, 2024
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Utah’s NHL dream: Downtown Salt Lake City hockey arena could cost taxpayers $1B
Dennis Romboy, Deseret News, Feb. 23, 2024
Legislative leaders made it clear Thursday that if Utah were to land a National Hockey League team, they would want a potential new arena built in downtown Salt Lake City, even if that means dramatically changing its landscape.
“It’s the spot for it,” Senate President Stuart Adams, R-Layton, told reporters. “We think the right thing is to bring it downtown and continue that vitality, that excitement and not let our capital city go in … disrepair like we’ve seen around the country.”
Lawmakers will consider a bill that would create a sports and entertainment project area to divert state sales tax revenue to generate an estimated $1 billion over 30 years for construction of a hockey venue. A committee made up of members appointed by the Senate president, House speaker and governor would oversee the project area.
Titled “Capital City Reinvestment Zone Amendments,” SB272 is the second piece of legislation unveiled this week that would increase taxes for construction of a sports complex.
How Jermaine Loewen found his “why?” in hockey
Tagwa Moyo, Sportsnet, Feb. 23, 2024
How Abbotsford Canucks forward Jermaine Loewen uses his personal experience to educate and inspire younger Black players
Abbotsford Canucks forward Jermaine Loewen knows as well as anyone that change is never easy, especially at a young age. Adopted at five, Loewen moved from Jamaica to Arborg, a town of about 1,300 people that sits 100 kilometres north of Winnipeg in Manitoba’s Interlake Region. Despite the culture shock that came with that transition, Loewen adapted, and discovered his passion for hockey at the age of 12. His dedication and raw talent propelled him forward, catching the attention of scouts. At 15, he was drafted into the Western Hockey League, taken 48th overall by the Kamloops Blazers, and five years later, in 2018, he became the first Jamaican-born player ever selected in the NHL Draft, going to the Dallas Stars at No. 199.
Griffins take on Sled Wings in sled hockey to make hockey accessible for all
The game between the Grand Rapids Griffins and the Grand Rapids Sled Wings has become an annual tradition.
Matt Gard, WZZM13, Feb. 22, 2024
The ice and the stands at Griff’s IceHouse at Belknap Park were packed on Thursday night and there was a very special cause behind it all.
The Grand Rapids Griffins and the Grand Rapids Sled Wings squared off in their 17th annual sled hockey game. Sled hockey is an adaptive version of one of Michigan’s favorite sports. Just like hockey, sled hockey features five players on each team on the ice at a time. Instead of being on skates, the players sit in sleds and they use a pair of sticks to propel themselves on the ice.
Proceeds from the event benefit the Sled Wings and the Griffins Youth Foundation. Together, the two organizations make sure that kids get to enjoy hockey without having to worry about physical or economic barriers.
“It’s just awesome to see these kids – the opportunities that they have because of the game of hockey and the way it develops them as people. The physical fitness aspect is great. The teamwork, the camaraderie that they get to experience in giving them the chances that they really might not otherwise have,” said Randy Cleaves, who serves as the Vice President of Communications for the Griffins.
Black History Month: Frantz Jean and racism
Raphaël Doucet, CHL.ca, Feb. 22, 2024
Is there still racism in hockey? Frantz Jean, who has been playing or coaching hockey for over 40 years, was kind enough to answer this thorny question as part of Black History Month.
Jean says he started playing organized hockey “in 1981 or 1982”, in Ville Mont-Royal, a wealthy borough of Montreal. With VMR, he traveled to the four corners of Quebec with his buddies.
Born of a Haitian father, Nécastille Jean, and a Quebecer mother, Suzanne Bergevin, was he a victim of racism when he played?
“Yes, at all levels and at all times, he answers without hesitation. It started at a very young age, sometimes in a very crude way. Sometimes, people were very shabby, very miserable in their comments. I’ve also experienced it in implied ways, through bad jokes and inappropriate gestures. Was it coming in waves at me? No, but it happened frequently.”
‘Miracle on Ice’; player reflects on 44-year anniversary of historic Olympic hockey game
Mayzie Olson, KAALTV, Feb. 22, 2024
(ABC 6 News) – It’s a hockey game that many Minnesotans and Americans will never forget, and Feb. 22 marks its 44-year anniversary.
In 1980, Team USA defeated the Soviet Union 4-3 at the Winter Olympics in Lake Placid New York.
“After Mike Eruzione scored the fourth goal to go up 4-3 with exactly 10 minutes to go in the game, for a player, it was the longest 10 minutes of my life and our life,” said Rob McClanahan, one of the players on Team USA back in 1980. “The clock did not tick, and the Soviets were capable of scoring in bunches and somehow we kept them off the board.”
The Soviet Union dominated the Olympic hockey games for years, winning five of the six previous winter games.
“As Herbie would say, you know, ‘we play them ten times they’d beat us nine’,” said McClanahan. “Hell, if we played them 100 times they’d beat us 99 times, but we won the right game.”
Hockey is wildly popular in Thorncliffe Park, but organizers struggle to find space for kids to play
Community members confused why local city rink is closed in spring and summer
Olivia Bowden, Shyloe Fagan, CBC News, Feb. 22, 2024 4
Ball hockey was a central part of life growing up in Thorncliffe Park for Huzaifa Jogiat and his friends. They’d bring out their sticks and use any space they could find to play, including hallways or parking lots.
“Our parents couldn’t afford ice hockey because they were all new immigrants, so we just stuck to ball hockey,” he said.
As Jogiat got older, he started playing in leagues and tournaments around the city. Now in his 20s, Jogiat’s a university graduate working in public health. But he hasn’t left Thorncliffe Park.
The neighbourhood is known for its high population of new immigrants and children. In Thorncliffe, 27 per cent of the population are children aged 14 and under, which amounts to about 5,600 youth. That’s close to double the percentage of kids in the city’s overall population, which is 15 per cent
Two years ago, Jogiat and co-founder Anas Memon decided it was time to pay forward the friendship and community they got from playing ball hockey. That’s why Jogita says he created the Thorncliffe Ball Hockey League for local kids …
… The lack of space is compounded by how densely packed the neighbourhood is …
There’s only one small community centre in the neighbourhood that has a single gym inside and a small park behind it. Kids in Thorncliffe are often seen playing in hallways or outside apartment buildings. But Jogiat says the nearby Angela James Arena could remain open for ball hockey in the warmer months, if the city would allow it.
‘Hockey On Your Block’ Gets Kids Of Color On The Ice
The nonprofit offers free youth clinics for girls and boys ages 5-14 at three rinks in Chicago. “Hockey gives you a life full of love, laughter and friendship,” said founder Ray Lilja.
Isi Frank Ativie, Block Club Chicago, Feb. 21, 2024
IRVING PARK — Every Sunday afternoon at McFetridge Sports Center, kids in hockey gear step onto the massive sheet of ice — many for the first time — to learn the coolest game on Earth.
Annelise Quander is among them. The 10-year-old Avondale resident has taken figure skating lessons for a few years, but after hearing about a classmate who’d played hockey since kindergarten, Annelise wanted in.
“Halfway through her figure skating classes, she asked, ‘So when do we get the stick?’” said Annelise’s father, Marty Quander.
“I like hockey because I feel like it’s a great way to get your energy out,” Annelise said. “And I like meeting new people and playing. It’s just really fun.”
For the past 13 years, Hockey On Your Block has introduced kids of color from underserved communities across the city to a sport they might not otherwise have learned or considered trying.
The Oilers logo was changed to celebrate the Black community
PiPa News, Feb. 21, 2024
The Oilers logo was changed to celebrate the Black community
The Edmonton Oilers are honoring Black History Month with Wednesday’s game against Boston, the third of four games this season celebrating the cultural community that supports the club.
For each Indigenous Celebration Game on Nov. 13, Lunar New Year Game on Feb. 13, Celebrating Black History Game on Feb. 21, and in the South Asian Celebration game on March 21, the franchise partnered with local artists to create logos with elements. from those cultures.
As seen on the jerseys that Oilers players can wear in the dressing room on Wednesday, as well as various merchandise in the team store, the logo honoring the Black community borrows inspiration from African textiles.
Police in Bucks County investigating after parents caught on video fighting at youth hockey game
Walter Perez, WPVI, Feb. 21, 2024
WARWICK, Pennsylvania (WPVI) — Police in Bucks County, Pennsylvania are investigating after a group of parents were caught on video brawling at a youth hockey game.
It happened Sunday at Revolution Ice Gardens in Warwick.
Video from inside the facility is now at the center of a police investigation.
You can’t quite see the fight on the video, but you can certainly hear the commotion with people shouting expletives.
Warwick Police Chief Mark Goldberg said by the time his officers arrived, along with backup support from neighboring Warminster police, everyone involved had already left the area.
“We started trying to collect information and, at this point, we are conducting an investigation if we can identify people, and establish crimes were committed, they will be charged,” he said.
According to the police report, this fight involved a handful of parents and included a man placing a woman in a headlock.
Inside the NHL’s push to recruit Latino hockey fans and grow the game
Kevin Baxter, LA Times, Feb. 21, 2024
In the summer, when the temperature in Phoenix’s north valley climbs well above 100 degrees, the heat would rise like a vapor cloud from the asphalt parking lot that hugged Ozzie Ice’s two mini rinks.
“You’re trying to keep an ice cube frozen in the oven,” said Sean Whyte, a former Kings winger and hockey director at Ozzie Ice before the rinks were melted for good and the space converted into a rock-climbing gym.
Whyte grew up in Canada, where kids played hockey on frozen ponds. The desert, on the other hand, was more conducive to growing cactus than it was to nurturing NHL scoring champions.
At least that’s what Whyte thought until the day a wide-eyed half-Mexican third-grader everyone called Papi skated in.
New Hampshire youth hockey coach tosses sticks onto ice after game ends
Ted Wayman, WCVB5, Feb. 20, 2024
There is growing concern about poor behavior in youth ice hockey after video showing a frustrated coach losing his temper surfaced over the weekend.
The 13-and-under Northern Cyclones of Hudson, New Hampshire, hosted the North Shore Shamrocks out of Wilmington, Massachusetts, and played to a 3-3 tie Saturday night.
Video shared with NewsCenter 5 shows one of the Cyclones’ coaches throwing equipment onto the ice, including hockey sticks, to express his displeasure with the result while players from both teams were shaking hands after the game Saturday night.
“The Northern Cyclones strongly condemn the actions of this coach and due to his behavior, he has been removed as coach for the remainder of the season,” a written statement shared by the Cyclones general counsel said.
Hometown kid Arshdeep Bains makes Vancouver Canucks debut
Bains becomes 1 of only 4 Punjabi players to play in the NHL
Akshay Kulkarni, CBC News, Feb. 20, 2024
Arshdeep Bains of Surrey, B.C., made his debut for the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday night.
Bains suited up for his hometown team in their game against the Colorado Avalanche in Denver.
The 23-year-old forward was called up to the NHL club last week from the Canucks’ American Hockey League affiliate in Abbotsford, B.C., but did not play in Saturday’s home game against the Winnipeg Jets, or in Monday’s game against the host Minnesota Wild.
Bains, who grew up a Canucks fan, became one of only four Punjabi players to play in the NHL, the others being Robin Bawa, Manny Malhotra and Jujhar Khaira.
Family and hockey analysts say Bains’ Canucks debut is a positive step for Metro Vancouver’s growing South Asian community.
3 Nolans hype up players at tournament
Yahoo Sports, Feb. 20, 2024
Attending hockey tournaments brings a sense of nostalgia to the Nolan family.
Ted Nolan and his sons, Brandon and Jordan, attended the Mushkegowuk Cup on Saturday, Feb. 17, hopping from arena to arena, meeting with players and fans, and signing autographs, but the atmosphere is one they’re all very familiar with.
“This is where it all started for myself,” said Ted Nolan. “If they have half the fun I had at that age, they must be having a good time.”
Hockey was a big part of Ted Nolan’s life growing up in Garden River First Nation near Sault Ste. Marie, Ont. That love of the game saw him playing for the Greyhounds, then going to the NHL as a player, and later as a coach.
His sons continued the hockey family tradition, with Jordan playing with the Los Angeles Kings, the Buffalo Sabres, and the St. Louis Blues, winning three Stanley Cups, and Brandon playing with the Carolina Hurricanes.
Capitals Host Rising Stars Academy Clinic and Unveil Special Black History Month Jersey
Capitals to Host Black History Night Feb. 26 vs. Ottawa Senators
WashingtonCaps.com, Feb. 19, 2024
The Washington Capitals including Capitals players Ethan Bear, Joel Edmundson, Beck Malenstyn and Max Pacioretty hosted a Rising Stars Academy clinic for youth hockey players on Monday, Feb. 19, at MedStar Capitals Iceplex. In addition, during the event, the Capitals unveiled a special Black History Month jersey being auctioned off along with six pairs of painted skates and six pairs of painted sneakers – all designed by local Black artists.
A Monumental Sports & Entertainment Foundation auction featuring the jerseys, skates, sneakers and pucks opens at noon on Feb. 26 and concludes at 3 p.m. on March 4 at washcaps.com/BHAuction. The Capitals will host Black History Night on Feb. 26 vs. the Ottawa Senators. The evening will honor Black achievement in hockey and highlight how the Capitals are working to further grow the game in the region.
Movie aims to inspire new generation of young Black hockey players
For 45 years the smooth voice of Gerald McBride has graced the airwaves of Detroit Radio, for the last 26 years, on 92.3 FM.
Carolyn Clifford, Tracy Wujack, Johnny Sartin, WXYZ, Feb. 19, 2024
For 45 years, the smooth voice of Gerald McBride has graced the airwaves of Detroit radio — for the last 26 years on 92.3 FM.
“One thing about my childhood, my mother played a lot of music in the house all the time and I had a brother who was a musician, so there were always bands playing in our basement,” said McBride, a radio producer and filmmaker.
McBride took that love for music to the radio. You hear him on weekends doing “Old School House Party” and now, he’s responsible for a new nationally syndicated show called “Battle of the Old School.”
… Now, he’s venturing into filmmaking. His latest project will soon hit the big screen: “Black Ice.” It tells the story of hockey in Detroit. He was inspired to write the story 15 years ago when he took his buddy to a Michigan hockey game.
Color of Hockey: Emery making strides with USNTDP thanks to dual citizenship
Canada-born defenseman, who likens game to Rangers’ Miller, to take next step at North Dakota
William Douglas, NHL.com Staff Writer, Feb. 18, 2024
EJ Emery is used to getting good-natured ribbing from boyhood friends in Surrey, British Columbia, about his hockey choice.
The 17-year-old defenseman who was born and raised in Canada decided to play for the USA Hockey National Team Development Program’s Under-18 Team. He has dual U.S.-Canadian citizenship through his parents.
“I’ve got a lot of friends who were on Team Canada in the Under-17 Challenge and then the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, and I got a lot of buddies who are playing in the ‘Dub’ (Western Hockey League), all of them from Canada,” said Emery, the son of an American father and Canadian mother. “Yeah, obviously, you’re going to hear it when you go back home. When you’re on the ice with them, they’re going to chirp you, but it’s all high spirits. We’re all working toward the same goal.”
Emery’s goal is hearing his name called at the 2024 NHL Draft June 28-29 in Las Vegas. He’s No. 39 on NHL Central Scouting’s midterm rankings of the top North American skaters eligible for the draft.
The Undercurrent With Tara Slone: Episode 33–Alexandria Briggs-Blake
Tara Slone, Spotify, Feb. 18, 2024
On the newest edition of The Undercurrent, Tara talks to Willie O’Ree Community Hero award finalist and Herb Carnegie Trailblazer award winner, Alexandria Briggs-Blake.
NHL legend Lanny McDonald out of hospital after cardiac event
71-year-old Hall of Famer spent 2 weeks at Calgary’s Foothills Medical Centre
The Canadian Press, Feb 18, 2024
The Calgary Flames have forwarded a message from Hockey Hall of Famer Lanny McDonald that he’s out of hospital following a cardiac event earlier this month.
The 71-year-old writes in an Instagram post, with a photo of him standing outside Calgary’s Foothills Medical Centre, that he’s ending his “two-week visit with new and improved pipes, some fancy hardware and a figuratively full heart.”
McDonald had posted on Feb. 5 that while he was returning from the NHL’s All-Star Game in Toronto, two nurses heading to their own flights at Calgary International Airport helped him when he was in distress.
The forward from Hanna, Alta., was co-captain of the Flames and the squad’s emotional leader when Calgary won the Stanley Cup in 1989.
Women’s hockey-record crowd of 19,285 watches Toronto beat Montreal 3-0 in PWHL
Associated Press, Feb. 17, 2024
TORONTO — Kristen Campbell made 30 saves in front of a women’s hockey-record crowd of 19,285 fans at Scotiabank Arena, helping Toronto beat Montreal 3-0 on Friday night in the Professional Women’s Hockey League.
“The Battle on Bay Street” broke the attendance record of 18,013 set at the 2013 world championships in Ottawa, Ontario, for a preliminary round game between Canada and Finland. Minnesota set the previous PWHL mark of 13,316 for its home opener against Montreal on Jan. 6 at Xcel Energy Center.
“It just shows that demand for women’s hockey and women’s sport.” Campbell said after the team’s first game at the home of the NHL’s Maple Leafs. “Playing in this venue was something that we’e always going to cherish for the rest of our lives.”
Three Cheltenham grads seeing professional success
Ryan Genova, Glenside Local, Feb. 16, 2024
Three Cheltenham High School alumni have been highlighted by local historian Chuck Langerman for their professional successes.
Lauren (Williams) Camper, a 2003 Cheltenham High School graduate, is currently the Senior Manager of Global Compliance and Ethics for Teva Pharmaceuticals …
… Additionally, Lauren serves as the Vice Chair of Teva’s Black Heritage Employee Resource Group as well as the editor of the quarterly newsletter for the group. She is a parent leader in her community’s Multicultural Parents Group, and a founding Board Member for the Carnegie Initiative, a non-profit that is committed to diversifying the game of ice hockey. Lauren has a passion for giving back, social justice reform, and promoting equitable change.
Commemorative game to honour the Colored Hockey League of the Maritimes
Paul Hollingsworth, CTV, Feb. 16, 2024
CTV News Atlantic Journalist
Black history will take centre ice in Dartmouth on Saturday.
“This is an opportunity to celebrate history and African heritage in this province,” said Dean Smith, chair of Diversity and Inclusion for Hockey Nova Scotia(opens in a new tab).
As part of African Heritage Month, the Black Ice Hockey and Sports Hall of Fame Society will host a game to commemorate a special chapter in sports history.
“We couldn’t be happier to be hosting the Colored Hockey League of the Maritimes Memorial Game here at the RBC Centre tomorrow,” said Smith. “It is history that has been lost over the years, but it is now gaining momentum as more people learn about the Colored Hockey League of Maritimes.”
Founded in 1895, for decades the league had teams throughout the region.
Saturday’s game will feature the Hammonds Plains Mossbacks versus the Amherst Royals.
Bill Riley, the first black Nova Scotian to reach the NHL, will serve as one of the head coaches.
Hockey Hall of Famer and former Team Canada player Angela James will be the other coach.
Thousands of people — including the 3Nolans — in Timmins for annual tourney
With 56 teams on the ice, it’s a record-setting year for the Mushkegowuk Cup
Amanda Rabski-McColl, Elliot Lake Today, Feb. 16, 2024
Feb. 16, 2024 3:13 PM
The Mushkegowuk Cup is taking over Timmins this weekend.
For the 15th annual hockey tournament, 1,200 players and coaches, along with their family and friends, are in Timmins. The action is underway and wraps up on Sunday, Feb. 18.
Mushkegowuk Cup co-ordinator Stewart McLeod said there is a record number of teams registered this year, with 56 teams lacing up their skates.
“We’ve always hovered around the 50-team mark,” he said. “We have teams coming from all over, a few teams from Quebec too.”
The tournament is expected to contribute around $2 million to the local economy over the weekend, though Timmins Economic Development Corporation’s (TEDC) director of community economic development Noella Rinaldo said that is a conservative estimate.
“You have over 5,000 people, and we know that’s a conservative number,” said Rinaldo. “It adds up pretty quick.”
Dozens of Bronx kids learning to skate and play hockey at borough’s only ice rink
Shosh Bedrosian, CBS6 New York, Feb. 16, 2024
NEW YORK – There’s only one ice rink in the entire borough of the Bronx, but dozens of kids in that neighborhood have been skating for years.
The rink is changing the accessibility of ice sports in the borough.
Eight-year-old Logan is smiling and lacing up for today’s adventure. He and his friends at Kips Bay Boys and Girls Club in Castle Hill are hitting the ice rink for recreational skate.
“This is the best kept hidden secret in the Bronx,” said Alberto Rodriguez, the club’s program director.
It’s a place that’s creating memories, exhilaration and accessibility.
“If the Kips Bay ice rink did not exist and youngsters wanted to skate, they would have to go to Manhattan, they would have to go to Westchester. We’re providing that opportunity for them right here in the Bronx,” said Daniel Quintero, the club’s executive director.
“This is a non-traditional sport in our community,” explained Rodriguez. “When it comes to ice hockey, that’s something new.”
Almost all of these students started skating on this ice.
The club said they pride themselves on affordability. It costs $5 per skater for non-members.
It’s also a rink of opportunities.
Meghan Agosta Officially Retires From Hockey Canada
Team Canada star Meghan Agosta, 37, has officially announced her retirement from international competition.
Ian Kennedy, The Hockey News, Feb. 16, 2024
Three-time Olympic gold medalist and two-time World Championship gold medalist Meghan
Agosta has officially announce her retirement from international competition.
The 37-year-old Ruthven, Ontario product last played for Canada at the 2018 Olympics winning silver.
At the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver, Agosta was the Top Scorer, Most Valuable Player, and Best Forward at the tournament.
She was a four time top three finalist for the Patty Kazmaier Award playing for Mercyhurst in the NCAA and was twice won the Angela James Bowl as the CWHL’s top scorer, and was the CWHL’s MVP in 2012.
These former players are making ice hockey Korea’s trendiest leisure sport
Korea Joongang Daily, Feb. 16, 2024
Korea beats Romania 5-2 in the International Ice Hockey Federation Men’s World
Ice hockey, which has never been a particularly popular sport in Korea, was an unlikely candidate for social media fame. But one marketing-savvy club in the greater Seoul area might just make the sport Korea’s next big star.
A night out at Seoul’s hottest ice rink
Ice hockey “had that charisma,” said Shin Sang-yoon, the marketing director for ice hockey club Rockets. “Those kinds of things that people could be attracted to.”
Rockets, which bills itself as “hobby hockey,” occupies a sort of middle ground between intramural sports and group fitness. The club offers membership packages to attend practices at any of its four rinks in and around Seoul and daily one-day classes for anyone interested in trying the sport for the first time.
Why ice time isn’t the only challenge facing boys and girls hockey co-ops
Sean Davis, Madison.com, Feb. 13, 2024
Cooperative programs have a long history across all Wisconsin high school sports, first being approved by the WIAA in 1982.
Nowhere are they found more commonly than in boys and girls hockey.
Between the 112 statewide programs across both genders — 85 boys (53 Division 1, 32 Division 2) and 27 girls — there are only 38 schools (33.9%) fielding their own standalone programs. There a number of factors that contribute to the necessity for a co-op team, creating their own myriad of hurdles to clear for administrators, coaches and players.
“Let’s just say it’s a good thing I learned how to juggle when I was a kid,” Badger Lightning coach Rick Capener.
The Baraboo-led Lightning is one of six Madison/WiscNews area girls teams, all of which are co-op programs with at least six participating schools, including Beaver Dam, Middleton Metro Lynx, Stoughton Icebergs, Sun Prairie West (Cap City) Cougars and Fond du Lac Warbirds. All but five programs in the lone girls division statewide have at least four participating schools, with Hudson the lone standalone girls team.