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, January 5, 2024
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Minneapolis-St. Paul to host 2026 World Junior Hockey Championship
Ryan S. Clark, ESPN, Jan. 5, 2024
Minneapolis-St. Paul will host the 2026 International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Hockey Championship, USA Hockey announced Friday.
The tournament consists of 10 nations that field the top men’s players under the age of 20 over a 29-game slate held over 10 days. USA Hockey said in its release that the tournament will be held from Dec. 26, 2025 through Jan. 5, 2026.
USA Hockey also said that the WJC will be held at the Xcel Center in St. Paul and Mariucci Arena in Minneapolis. The Xcel Center is the home of the NHL’s Minnesota Wild while Mariucci Arena is the home for the University of Minnesota men’s hockey team.
This will be the seventh time that the World Juniors will be held in the United States with the most recent coming in 2018, when the event was held in Buffalo, N.Y. As for Minneapolis-St. Paul, this will be the second time the Twin Cities hosts the WJC as it made history by being the first host site in the U.S. back in 1982.
Prince George’s students learn hockey in new Capitals initiative
Nicole Asbury, The Washington Post, Jan. 4, 2024
The young students picked up red and blue Washington Capitals shirts in their elementary school’s gymnasium on Thursday. Meanwhile, instructors from the Capitals Youth Hockey Development team lined up sticks and nets to prep for a new lesson: how to play hockey.
Andrew Nash, a manager of youth hockey development, called out to the children and asked, “How many of you have played hockey before?” Less than a dozen raised their hands.
“We’re going to go through some demonstrations,” Nash told the students. He explained he was going to need some volunteers. Some of the kids’ hands shot up immediately.
Then, the fun began.
Accuses former hockey teammates of sexual harassment and bullying
Evrod Cassimy, NBCChicago.com, Jan. 3, 2024
A lawsuit on behalf of a former student-athlete at Providence Catholic High School in New Lenox has been filed against the school, alleging the student was the victim of bullying and sexual harassment by members of the school’s hockey team.
“They did not practice what they preach, to put it very bluntly,” attorney Steven Glink said.
Glink’s clients, the student and his father, are the plaintiffs in the lawsuit filed on Dec. 28.
According to court documents, hockey players on the Providence Catholic team would make sexually explicit comments about the student’s body.
MacEwan alumnus spearheads diversity, equity, and inclusion for Hockey Canada
Tyler Pitre, Payton Phillips, TheGriff.ca, Jan 3, 2024
In recent years, Hockey Canada has been involved in multiple scandals, leaving stakeholders to depend on new diversity, equity and inclusion frameworks. Some of the biggest scandals over the past few years, from sexual misconduct to misused national funds, have led us to where we are now. Hockey Canada looks ready for its next steps forward.
MacEwan University’s alumnus and vice-president of Hockey Canada’s EDI, Irfan Chaudhry, has taken on a lead role in these initiatives. Hockey Canada aims to make all games — whether on the street, frozen pond, your hometown barn, or in P.E. class — a sport for everyone.
Chaudhry is also the former director of the Office of Human Rights and Office of Sexual Violence Education Prevention and Response at MacEwan. With an extensive background in sports bias, hate-motivated crimes and assaults, as well as a passion for diversity, equity and inclusion, his goals have begun a new wave of comprehensive sports in Canada.
How are PWHL rules different from the NHL?
The PWHL rulebook is based on NHL and International Ice Hockey Federation rules, but there are some notable differences between the PWHL and the NHL’s rules.
Marci Rubin, Fansided.com, Jan. 3, 2024
The Professional Women’s Hockey League kicked off its inaugural season on Jan. 1. Ahead of the first game between Toronto and New York, the PWHL’s rulebook dropped. The PWHL utilized National Hockey League and International Ice Hockey Federation rules when shaping their rulebook. American Hockey League officials are working PWHL games this season.
Despite having the NHL and IIHF as models, the PWHL is carving its own path.
The AP goes behind the scenes at PWHL opener to capture ‘the birth of women’s hockey’
The Associated Press went behind the scenes to capture what former tennis star and gender equality champion Billie Jean King referred to as the birth of women’s hockey.
John Wawrow, Associated Press, Jan. 3, 2024
TORONTO (AP) — An hour before one of the most significant faceoffs in the history of women’s hockey, New York players were roused by a commotion at the entrance of their dressing room.
Enter Billie Jean King.
“I just wanted to say, hi,” the former tennis star and gender equality champion said, before apologizing for interrupting.
Wearing a purple blazer, the color adopted by the Professional Women’s Hockey League which King helped launch, she proceeded to congratulate players for achieving their dream, and reflected on similar pivotal moments in women’s sports.
Will Women’s Pro Hockey Match WNBA, NWSL Success? Good Luck Getting a Ticket to Find Out
Eric Fisher, Front Office Sports, Jan. 2, 2024
The ongoing rise of women’s sports has hit another breakthrough moment with this week’s on-ice debut of the Professional Women’s Hockey League.
Borne out of the 2023 merger of the former Premier Hockey Federation and Professional Women’s Hockey Players Association, the six-team PWHL is looking for a similar type of cultural and business impact as has been achieved in the past year by the WNBA and NWSL. Early indications show that the PWHL is on its way.
The league’s first-ever game was held Monday at Toronto’s Mattamy Athletic Center, formerly Maple Leaf Gardens, drawing a sellout crowd of 2,537, and the PWHL’s Toronto franchise has already sold out its entire season-ticket allotment for its 2024 home schedule. Sellouts are also expected for the initial games in Ottawa and Montreal, and the lower bowl of the Minnesota.
Date set for National Indigenous Junior Hockey Championship
Hockey Indigenous, LinkedIn, Jan. 1, 2023
The NIJHC Advisory Committee is proud and excited to announce the National Indigenous Junior Hockey Championships to be hosted in Toronto, ON in early June 2025!
The tournament are open to male and female division players aged 16-20 (U20) and an opportunity for Indigenous players to showcase their skills and for the Indigenous hockey community to come together and celebrate their achievements.
More information to come at a later date.
United by Hockey museum celebrates diversity strides made by Kraken
Broadcasters Fitzhugh, Brown share story with aspiring broadcasters at Winter Classic exhibit
Darren Brown, NHL.com, Jan. 1, 2024
Within the cozy confines of the United by Hockey Mobile Museum, Everett Fitzhugh and JT Brown took a break from filming an informational piece about the exhibit to chat with a local high school student and his dad about their lives as professional sports broadcasters.
“I’m here meeting JT and Everett, talking about being a broadcaster, getting into stuff like that, and seeing how I could possibly make a career out of it,” Giulio Banchero, a sophomore at O’Dea High School in Seattle, said. “[They told me] have your own thing. Be unique, be different, be yourself.”
Mario Banchero, Giulio’s father, said the Seattle Kraken had reached out to the school to offer up this opportunity for students of color who are interested in sports broadcasting. As a result, Giulio was invited to meet Fitzhugh, Seattle’s radio play-by-play voice, and Brown, the analyst on television broadcasts.
Color of Hockey: Woodard, 10-year-old deaf player, nominated for Emmy Award
Bowie Hockey Club forward honored for role in HBO’s ‘The Last of Us’
William Douglas, NHL.com, Jan. 1, 2024
Keivonn Woodard was just another player at the American Hearing Impaired Hockey Association camp in Chicago in June.
Well, almost.
“The kids at the camp were, like, ‘He’s an actor, he’s on TV, but, he’s just like me,’” AHIHA president Kevin Delaney said.
Keivonn, a 10-year-old hockey player and novice actor from Maryland, has gotten a lot of double-takes and accolades since his appearance in the HBO hit series “The Last of Us.”
The forward for the Bowie Hockey Club in Bowie, Maryland, is poised to gain even more attention if he wins a 2023 Emmy Award in the best guest actor in a drama series category for playing Sam Burrell in the postapocalyptic zombie fungus thriller adapted from the popular “The Last of Us” video game.
Marc-Andre Fleury Reaches 1,000 Games as a Great Ambassador for Hockey
Only three other NHL goalies did what Marc-Andre Fleury experienced on Sunday with his 1,000th game played. Adam Proteau writes more on Fleury’s remarkable achievement and career.
Adam Proteaui, The Hockey News, Dec. 31, 2023
For the most part, hockey people are good-natured. But every so often, you encounter people who are especially kind and graceful – the best ambassadors for the game you can find.
It’s safe to say one of the best hockey players on the planet – veteran Minnesota Wild goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury – is also one of the most endearing. And Fleury is celebrating a milestone few of his colleagues even get close to.
NHL Hall of Famer advocates for added protection after Adam Johnson’s death: ‘It’s worth it’
Pat LaFontaine retired because of concussions
Ryan Morik, Fox News, Dec. 31, 2023
Adam Johnson’s death in October was a freak event that’s been seen once in a generation.
The former NHL player died at age 29 after a skate cut his neck during a professional game in England; the incident led to the arrest of a man for manslaughter.
It’s not the first time skates have resulted in gory injuries, but this one in particular has prompted change due to the unfortunate end result.
The International Ice Hockey Federation has made neck guards mandatory on all levels, including the Olympics. Those participating in the ongoing World Juniors tournament are currently wearing them. The league in which Johnson was playing at the time of his fatal injury also made them mandatory, and they’ve also been seen on several NHL players.
How Sarah Nurse became a hockey superstar, a national brand and the new face of the women’s game
The Hamilton native, set to star for Toronto’s PWHL team, is among the top earners in the women’s game because of what she can do on the ice.
Ken Campbell, Special to the Toronto Star, Dec. 30, 2023
She is the face of women’s hockey. She comes from sports royalty and won an Olympic gold medal, has appeared on the cover of a video game and a cereal box, had a Barbie doll made in her likeness and been called a “sweeter ting” by Drake.
When her PWHL Toronto teammates walk into the Ford Performance Centre where the team practises, they’re greeted by a life-sized cardboard cut-out of her with information on how to buy tickets, even though the team has already pre-sold every seat for every one of its games this season.
Winter Classic in Seattle will be ‘surreal’ for Washington native Yamamoto
Kraken forward says growing game in home state ‘means so much to me’
Nicholas J. Cotsonika, NHL.com, Dec. 30, 2023
It won’t be a dream come true for Kailer Yamamoto to play for the Seattle Kraken in the 2024 Discover NHL Winter Classic.
When he grew up playing pond hockey in Spokane and travel hockey in Seattle, the state of Washington didn’t have an NHL team. No one thought about hosting an NHL outdoor game.
It was beyond imagination.
But the Kraken joined the NHL as an expansion team in 2021-22, Yamamoto signed with them as an unrestricted free agent July 2, and the 25-year-old forward will face the Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile Park on Monday (3 p.m. ET; MAX, truTV, TNT, SN, TVAS).
There will be local kids in the sellout crowd watching one of their own.
Maybe it will be a dream for them.
In a Surprising Move, Ohio Governor Vetoes Trans Sports and Gender-Affirming Care Ban
“I believe that this is about protecting human life.”
Arianna Coghill, Mother Jones, Dec. 30, 2023
At least 22 states have a ban on gender-affirming care for transgender youths. But, as of Friday, Ohio is not one of them. In a surprising move, Gov. Mike DeWine, a staunch conservative who once signed a bill allowing teachers to carry firearms in class, vetoed Ohio House Bill 68, a gnarly resolution consisting of two anti-trans acts: the “Save Adolescents from Experimentation Act,” which would prohibit transgender youths from receiving gender-affirming care and the “Save Women’s Sports Act,” which bans trans girls from competing in girls and women’s sports.
“This bill would impact a very small number of Ohio’s children, but for those children who face gender dysphoria, and for their families, the consequences of this could not be more profound,” said DeWine during a press conference on Friday. “Ultimately, I believe that this is about protecting human life.”
Florida Has Turned into a Hotbed of Talent for U.S. Rosters
Gavin Brindley, Seamus Casey, Jacob Fowler and Sam Hillebrandt all have ties to the Sunshine State.
Sean Shapiro, USAHockey.com, Dec. 30, 2023
On June 24, 1993, John Vanbiesbrouck was the first player taken in the NHL Expansion Draft by the Florida Panthers.
Over the next five seasons, Vanbiesbrouck was part of a Panthers franchise that helped introduce hockey and grow the sport in the southeast. That included a Cinderella run to the 1996 Stanley Cup Final, where rats rained down throughout the postseason and inspired a generation of future hockey players.
Thirty years later, there are now close to 20,000 registered players with USA Hockey in Florida, including close to 10,000 at the youth levels.
Montreal’s Reggie Savage, who played for Nordiques, Capitals, dies at 53
He topped the 30-goal mark in a season six times during parts of 10 seasons in the AHL.
The Canadian Press, Dec. 29, 2023
WASHINGTON — NHL forward Reggie Savage, who played for the Quebec Nordiques and Washington Capitals, has died of cancer at the age of 53.
The NHL said on its website Friday that Savage died Sunday in Florida.
The Montreal native was a first-round pick, 15th overall, by the Capitals in 1988.
He spent his major junior career in the QMJHL with the Victoria Tigres.
Savage played for Canada in the 1989 world junior men’s hockey championship in Anchorage, Alaska, where he ranked second on the team in scoring with four goals and five assists in seven games …
…Savage is among 11 Black players featured in a permanent display that opened in 2022 in Washington’s Capitol One Arena to recognize their contributions to the Capitals since the team joined the NHL in 1974.
New league, new mom: Kendall Coyne Schofield relishes her return to hockey with PWHL launch
The Associated Press, Dec. 28, 2023
Years from now, once her six-month-old son is mature enough to appreciate his upbringing, Kendall Coyne Schofield looks forward to sharing pictures and videos of road trips the two will have enjoyed together during the Professional Women’s Hockey League’s inaugural season.
Coyne Schofield can already envision the possibilities of spending time at various rinks, hotels and airports, and Drew being doted upon by his many new aunties, aka, her PWHL Minnesota teammates.
“It will definitely be really special to look back at pictures with him and explain the journey that he was on for the first few years of his life, whether he wants to believe us or not,” she said.
Roch Carrier reads his beloved short story The Hockey Sweater
A holiday reading from CBC Radio’s As It Happens
CBC Radio, Dec 28, 2023
As a child, Roch Carrier spent much of his time playing hockey with his friends. And when he wasn’t playing, he was dreaming about life on the pond.
Carrier’s favourite team? The Montreal Canadiens. But, one winter, his mother ordered him the wrong team’s jersey.
“That day, I had one of the greatest disappointments of my life! I would even say that on that day I experienced a very great sorrow.”
It’s the Canadian story that children — and adults — have loved for more than 30 years.
Sarah Nurse Reflects on Long, Triumphed Road to Inaugural PWHL Season
Chris Lomon, NHLPA.com, Dec. 28, 2023
For Sarah Nurse and her fellow players, the upcoming inaugural Professional Women’s Hockey League season will mark the start of something special.
With PWHL puck drop set for January 1, Nurse, who will suit up with PWHL Toronto, has been looking both back and forward to the league that features six North American-based teams, including Toronto, Montreal, New York, Minnesota, Boston and Ottawa.
“Sometimes it doesn’t feel real, the fact we have gotten to this point,” said Nurse, who broke the women’s single tournament scoring record with 18 points at the 2022 Olympic Games, en route to winning a gold medal with Team Canada.
“What we have gone through, what we have been able to build and what we have overcome, it’s pretty cool to take a step back and realize that last year we were just practicing in different hubs, and then further back to where we were four years ago. But I try not to look back too much because there is a lot of amazing positivity happening right now for us and I am trying to embrace that.”
Breaking the ice: Inclusive hockey program coaches newcomer girls
Madeline Mazak, Windsor Star, Dec. 26, 2023
A pioneering free hockey program has launched to break down the barriers hindering newcomer and diverse girls from playing the popular Canadian sport.
On Thursday, 34 female students from St. Joseph’s Catholic High School laced up their skates and glided onto the ice at the WFCU Centre for their first practice with Hockey 4 Youth — a charitable organization that creates free opportunities for newcomer and diverse girls to play.
The students will hit the ice every week until April, with the initial focus on getting comfortable on the rink, eventually graduating to learning the fundamentals of the game.
“The whole mission of the organization is to foster social inclusion for newcomer kids and teens and other youth who face barriers through access to free ice hockey programs,” said Moezine Hasham, the program’s founder and executive director.
“The barriers are just everywhere, which is why we like to say that the only barrier should be the boards. We can remove those barriers, and we have removed those barriers.”