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, November 3, 2023
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PWHL discussing whether to adopt neck guard policy after Adam Johnson’s death
Players’ association executive director Brian Burke says he guesses neck guards will become mandatory
Karissa Donkin, CBC Sports, Nov. 3 2023
The Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) is discussing whether to adopt a policy on neck guards after the death of American hockey player Adam Johnson in England last Saturday.
A league spokesperson says discussions on the issue of a neck guard policy are ongoing, but the direction is still undecided. The PWHL is working on creating a number of policies and protocols before the new league is set to begin playing games in January.
Brian Burke, executive director of the PWHL players’ association, said he’s guessing the league will mandate neck guards.
Burke said everyone’s attention has been focused on the issue.
“[Anywhere] where they play hockey, they’re looking at this now. Every level.” he said.
Adam Johnson: Elite Ice Hockey League will not make neck guards mandatory
BBC, Nov. 3, 2023
The UK’s top ice hockey division will not make neck guards mandatory following the death of Nottingham Panthers player Adam Johnson, but “strongly encourages” their use.
Johnson died after he was cut in the neck by a skate blade during a game against Sheffield Steelers on Saturday.
Governing body the English Ice Hockey Association (EIHA) previously said neck guards will be mandatory from 2024 onwards, but that decision will not impact the Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL), which is not under its control.
“Player safety and welfare is our top priority,” an EIHL spokesperson said.
“We work with players, officials, clubs, and the relevant authorities to review research and advice to understand how we continually enhance the safety of our sport.”
Hockey Canada Announces Promotions on Leadership Team
Pat McLaughlin becomes chief operating officer and executive vice-president of strategy; Dean McIntosh moves to senior vice-president of revenue, fan experience and community impact
Hockey Canada, Nov. 2, 2023
Hockey Canada has announced two promotions on its leadership team, with Pat McLaughlin being named chief operating officer and executive vice-president of strategy and Dean McIntosh promoted to senior vice-president of revenue, fan experience and community impact.
“In the early stages of my role at Hockey Canada, it is a priority of mine to establish a leadership team that is accountable to Canadians and is built from a foundation of integrity, collaboration and pride in our meaningful work,” said Katherine Henderson, president and chief executive officer of Hockey Canada. “Pat and Dean are tremendous leaders within our organization and we congratulate them on their well-deserved promotions, which will benefit our staff, Members, partners, stakeholders, participants and fans.”
McLaughlin joined Hockey Canada in September 2018 as vice-president of operations after holding progressive senior leadership roles with Edge School, J.D. Irving and the Edmonton Oilers. A long-time minor hockey volunteer and coach, McLaughlin was the co-executive lead for the inaugural Beyond the Boards Summit that was hosted in September.
Among the business priorities in his new role, McLaughlin will be tasked with delivering an unrivalled, world-leading hockey development system for para, women’s and men’s hockey.
McIntosh’s expanded portfolio will include overseeing partnerships, events and fan experience, with a focus on ensuring that Hockey Canada is providing value to Members, partners, stakeholders and fans in each area.
Death of a player from a skate to the neck reignites hockey’s stubborn debate over protective gear
Stephen Whyno and Pat Graham, Associated Press, Nov. 2, 2023
It took the NHL until 1979 to mandate helmets and goalie masks for new players. It wasn’t until 2013 that eye-protecting visors became mandatory — grandfathered in for veterans, of course. A handful of players still don’t wear them.
Broken jaws, smashed noses and concussions haven’t led to full face shields or cages in professional men’s hockey at any level, either. This week, the death of an American player from a skate blade to the neck during a game in England has reignited the debate over cut-resistant protection and why more players don’t wear it.
That this is a debate might be surprising to some outside the sport. It shouldn’t be. Change in hockey tends to be slow, if it comes at all.
Ask players if they have been cut by a skate in an NHL game or practice, and the affirmative answers are startlingly high. Some are well-known — Erik Karlsson’s Achilles tendon injury a decade ago and Evander Kane’s sliced wrist last year, for example. The death of a prep school player in Connecticut in 2022 got some thinking about safety improvements again, and the topic is the talk of the sport this week after Adam Johnson, a former NHL player, died at a U.K. hospital from his cut.
Men’s Ice Hockey to Return to Belfast for 2024 Friendship Four
GoTerriers.com, Nov. 2, 2023
The Boston University men’s ice hockey team will take part in the 2024 Friendship Four in Belfast, Northern Ireland, it was announced on Thursday at the Massachusetts State House.
BU will join Harvard, Merrimack and Notre Dame at the 2024 edition of the tournament, which will be held at SSE Arena, home of the Belfast Giants. The Terriers first played for the Belpot in 2018 when they made the trip across the Atlantic with UConn, Union and Yale. This will be the first appearance for the other three schools.
Held annually in Belfast since 2015, the Friendship Four is designed to promote education, social welfare, and community interaction, building on the sister cities agreement between Belfast and Boston, which was signed a decade ago.
NHL strongly recommending players use neck guards in wake of Adam Johnson tragedy
Pro hockey players, teams and leagues appear to be embracing change after former Penguins forward Adam Johnson died during an EIHL game this week.
Kyle Cantlon, YahooSports, Nov. 1, 2023
The news of Adam Johnson’s senseless death during a game over the weekend has shocked and saddened the hockey world. It has also potentially sparked long-needed change surrounding the use of neck protectors at all levels of the game.
At least a little bit of clarity was provided on that front Tuesday morning when Bill Daly hopped on NHL Network Radio to discuss a myriad of topics, including the Johnson tragedy and how the league plans to react.
The NHL deputy commissioner said commissioner Gary Bettman has been in touch with NHLPA director Marty Walsh to put the issues of neck protection “on the radar,” with the NHL “strongly recommending” players use neck guards going forward.
Johnson’s former coach in Pittsburgh, Mike Sullivan, said on Tuesday that players on both of the Penguins’ main minor-league affiliates in the AHL and ECHL, respectively, will have mandated neck guard use in what Sullivan hopes will be a positive development to come out of such a horrific event.
The WHL announced on Wednesday that neck guard protection will be mandatory for all of its players, beginning on Nov. 3.
How the Penguins are leading push for NHL neck protection after Adam Johnson’s death
Rob Rossi and Chris Johnston, The Athletic, Nov. 1, 2023
While seated at his locker stall after practice Monday afternoon, Marcus Pettersson still had on his mind the tragic death of former Pittsburgh Penguins teammate Adam Johnson. Pettersson is familiar with protective neck gear used by players in many other leagues, including those in his native Sweden. He sees the symbolism in the Penguins being the first NHL team to actively try to offer players a chance to test equipment that could reduce the chances of a similar tragedy.
“I think we should,” Pettersson said. “It’s something … we should try it out.
“I don’t know the material that’s out there. There’s probably different things — shirts or the band, whatever. It’s such a tough area to protect, but it’s for sure something that’s worth experimenting with.”
At least four clubs are ahead of the pack.
The Penguins, Boston Bruins, Carolina Hurricanes, and Washington Capitals have already started the process of implementing optional neck protection for players, a Penguins and league source told The Athletic. The collective aim is to stock up on multiple available forms of equipment for players, at their choosing, to test during practices.
Second Toronto Screening of “Beyond Their Years”
CarnegieInitiative.com, Nov. 1, 2023
In late June, The Carnegie Initiative (The CI) hosted the world premiere of the spectacular documentary “Beyond Their Years: The Incredible Legacies of Herb Carnegie and Buck O’Neil.” The event came two nights before the film aired nationally across Canada on TSN. (Watch Trailer)
Late last week, the Carnegie family hosted another special screening in Toronto. “Beyond Their Years,” produced by Bryant McBride, The CI’s Co-Chair and Founder/CEO of Burst, depicts the compelling story of parallel lives lived by sports and social justice icons Herb Carnegie (hockey) and O’Neil (baseball), who were excluded, because of their race, from competing at the highest professional leagues of the sports they loved …
The event was held at the Toronto Prep School and the evening opened with the school’s Co-Founder Fouli Tsimikalis welcoming guests. Also, a dozen students graciously volunteered their time which added to the experience enjoyed by those in attendance.
A special panel discussion, moderated by Herb’s daughter and The CI Co-Chair Bernice Carnegie, followed the showing of the film.
He was involved in a tragic on-ice death. Now he’s being targeted with racist attacks online
Matt Petgrave, whose skate fatally cut Adam Johnson’s neck, has been the target of spread racist attacks on X, formerly Twitter.
Mark Colley, Toronto Star, Oct. 31, 2023
The player whose skate cut Adam Johnson’s neck in a game Saturday has been the target of racist attacks on social media, a response experts say is typical for racialized players in sport.
Johnson was playing for Nottingham in England’s Elite Ice Hockey League after spending parts of two seasons with the Pittsburgh Penguins. His neck was cut during a collision with Matt Petgrave, an opposing player. Johnson was 29.
Petgrave, who is Black, is from Toronto. His last name was trending Tuesday on X, formerly Twitter, with more than 43,000 posts.
“There is a consistent pattern of trying to make hockey a hostile space for players who aren’t white,” said Courtney Szto, an assistant professor at Queen’s University who studies the experience of racialized players in hockey.
Petgrave played for the Brampton Beast of the ECHL for four seasons while also playing 36 games in the AHL over that span. He started playing for the Sheffield Steelers of the Elite Ice Hockey League in 2022.
Players who are the target of online abuse can suffer “serious emotional impacts,” according to Colm Kearns, who researches abuse in sport at Dublin City University in Ireland.
“Anxiety, depression, sleep deprivation,” Kearns said, noting that the impact doesn’t stop at the individual player. “It’s a much wider problem in poisoning the well of sport in general and making sport an unwelcome space.”
U.P. pond hockey tournament to bring 200 teams to Lake Huron ice near Mackinac Bridge
Brandon Champion, MLive.com, Oct. 31, 2023
ST. IGNACE, MI — Registration is now open for one of the most unique winter events in Michigan.
The 17th Labatt Blue U.P. Adult Pond Hockey Tournament is set to take place on a frozen Lake Huron in St. Ignace, Feb. 15-18. The event routinely attracts about 200 teams featuring players from across the Midwest and Canada.
After a tumultuous year, behind the scenes of the NHL’s first Pride night of the season
Ian Mendes, The Athletic, Oct. 30, 2023
As the Arizona Coyotes poured onto the ice for warmups on Friday evening, Reaven Fallows was pressed up against the glass behind the home team’s net.
Fallows — who made a 40-mile drive specifically to attend the Coyotes’ annual Pride game against the Los Angeles Kings at Mullett Arena — was one of a handful of Coyotes fans from the LGBTQ+ community who wanted to show their support for Travis Dermott during the pre-game skate.
But much to their dismay, word quickly spread that Dermott, who had defied an NHL ban on Pride tape six days earlier, was not on the ice with his Coyotes teammates. He had been ruled out for the contest due to illness. And so Fallows and other fans started to scan the sticks of the Arizona players who were on the ice.
Would any of them follow Dermott’s lead by using Pride-themed tape on their sticks?
None did.
English Ice Hockey Association makes neck guards mandatory after Johnson’s death
Sportsnet, Oct. 30, 2023
The English Ice Hockey Association has responded to the tragic death of Nottingham Panthers player Adam Johnson by making it mandatory “that all players at all levels across English Ice Hockey use an approved Ice Hockey Neck Guard/Protector whilst participating in all on ice activities.”
The rule will effective starting Jan. 1, 2024, largely due to anticipated supply issues, the EIHA says. Until then, it has imposed a “strong recommendation” that its players begin using a neck guard.
Naming PWHL Awards: Who Deserves The Honor?
MVP, Best Defender, Rookie of the Year? When the PWHL launches this January, who will the league name their inaugural awards after.
Ian Kennedy, The Hockey News, Oct. 30, 2023
Starting a league from scratch, there are many items that take precedence over year end awards. Eventually however, decisions for how to approach certain recognitions and awards will come into play.
In the former PHF, Awards went without individual names tied to them aside from the championship Isobel Cup. In the defunct CWHL, Awards were named for many players including Jayna Hefford and Angela James. Similarly in Europe, Naisten Liiga names their trophies for past and present players, including the Noora Raty Award which goes to the league’s top rookie.
Color of Hockey: Diop eyes Olympics with France national women’s team
‘Amazing opportunity’ could become reality for 15-year-old from Chicago
William Douglas, NHL.com, Oct. 30, 2023
Most Americans visit France for its culture and its cuisine.
Noa Diop went for hockey.
The 15-year-old defenseman from Chicago journeyed to France to play last season at Pôle France Féminin, the women’s national training center outside of Paris.
She enrolled to chase her dream of playing for France’s women’s national team program and eventually representing the country in the Winter Olympics.
“I was in an academy with a bunch of France’s strongest players, so it was extremely demanding,” Noa said. “I thought it would be a really great opportunity and be extremely fun to live over there for a year and be able to play for the national team and hope to go to the Olympics.”
Noa left Chicago for France in August 2022 when she was 14 and returned in mid-June. She’ll return to France this week to play in a four-nations tournament against Hungary, Italy and Slovakia at Vaujany in the French Alps from Nov. 9-11.
Willie O’Ree, NHL’s first Black player, commemorated with Canada Post stamp
Julian McKenzie, The Athletic, Oct. 28, 2023
Canada Post is issuing a stamp in commemoration of Willie O’Ree, who became the National Hockey League’s first-ever Black player in 1958.
The unveiling was part of a handful of events surrounding this weekend’s Heritage Classic game featuring the Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames. O’Ree was scheduled to be in attendance for the event but instead sent a video thanking Canada Post.
Apartment hunting and house swapping: How PWHLers are prepping for life in a new league
Players, teams navigating a variety of logistics ahead of league’s January puck drop
Karissa Donkin, CBC Sports, Oct. 28, 2023
When the calendar turns to November, Dominika Lásková will find herself in at least four different countries over two weeks.
The versatile defender, who can also play forward, is playing with Luleå in the Swedish Women’s Hockey League (SDHL) before travelling to Montreal, where she’ll compete for a spot in the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) when training camp opens on Nov. 15. Montreal drafted her in the 4th round (19th overall) in the PWHL’s inaugural draft last month.
In between, there will also be a stop in Germany to play a handful of games with the Czechia national team, and home to Prague to pack up a few things.
Lásková will be staying in a hotel during Montreal’s training camp, but where she’ll be living after that remains a mystery — a question she’s trying to answer from several time zones away.
“It’s kind of hard to get housing for just six months and find it from Europe,” Lásková said in an interview earlier this week from northern Sweden.
“Some websites don’t even let you to reach out because it kind of gets that you’re in Europe and you’re looking for six months. It’s kind of odd timing … we still haven’t found anything, but I’m sure something’s going to work out eventually.”
Bruins goalie Ullmark to wear unique mask honoring 100 years of history
Seven iconic Boston Hall of Fame players featured on helmet
Dan O’Leary, NHL.com, Oct. 28, 2023
The Boston Bruins are breaking out the old school sweaters on Saturday and goalie Linus Ullmark will have the mask to match.
The Bruins are hosting “Era Night” the first event in a season-long celebration of their 100 years in the NHL when they play the the Detroit Red Wings at TD Garden.
Ullmark couldn’t let the opportunity pass without designing a special mask.
In addition to featuring the Bruins old school logo, Ullmark’s helmet displays illustrations of Bruins Hall of Famers Bobby Bauer, Aubrey “Dit” Clapper, Woody Dumart, Willie O’Ree, Milt Schmidt, Eddie Shore and Tiny Thompson. All seven of those players are in the Hockey Hall of Fame and were named to the Bruins “Historic 100 Players” in honor of this season.
After the game, Ullmark’s mask will be raffled off to benefit the Bruins Foundation.
NHL, Oilers donate $200,000 toward Heritage Classic legacy project
Partner to help Hockey Alberta’s Local Hockey Leaders Grant for Equity, Diversity & Inclusion
Shawn P. Roarke, NHL.com, Oct. 27, 2023
The NHL, the Edmonton Oilers and Rogers made a $200,000 donation to Hockey Alberta on Tuesday as a legacy to the 2023 Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic …
The donation will go to Hockey Alberta’s Local Hockey Leaders Grant for Equity, Diversity & Inclusion, funding programs throughout the province to expose the sport to more players and make the hockey community more accessible to all, particularly first-generation Canadians.
“It is extremely important because hockey should be viewed as a conduit to bring communities together,” said Jeff Scott, NHL vice president of community development and industry growth. ‘Regardless of where you come from, when you put on that jersey and you lace up those skates and you hop out on the ice, you are a part of a community, regardless if you are born and raised here in Alberta, or if you are a first-generation immigrant from some other location.
‘Had to be done’: Coyotes’ Travis Dermott on using Pride tape, forcing NHL’s hand
D-man’s decision led to league rescinding ban on using tape to support social causes
Joshua Clipperton, CBC, Oct. 27, 2023
Travis Dermott had a lot on his mind as he carefully wrapped the shaft of his hockey stick with rainbow-coloured tape.
The NHL had dispatched a memo to teams before the season reiterating its ban on altering on-ice gear for warmups and practices to reflect theme nights.
The Arizona Coyotes defenceman was about to become the first player to defy that edict on supporting social causes — including Pride tape for the LGBTQ community.
And he was going to do it in a game.
“A bunch of thoughts are going through your head,” Dermott said in a phone interview this week. “But not one of them was, ‘Should I do this or shouldn’t I do this?’ It was more, ‘How fast is it going to blow up? How much is it going to blow up? Is anyone even going to notice?’
“It had to be done. I was going to deal with whatever came my way.”