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, September 8, 2023
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Brown, retired Kings forward, Burke among 5 elected to U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame
Langenbrunner, Boston College women’s coach King Crowley, former NHL official Murphy also in Class of 2023
Adam Kimelman, NHL.com, Sept. 8, 2023
Dustin Brown, a two-time Stanley Cup champion with the Los Angeles Kings, and longtime NHL executive Brian Burke are among five people elected to the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Class of 2023, USA Hockey announced Friday.
Joining them are two-time Cup winner Jamie Langenbrunner, Boston College women’s hockey coach Katie King Crowley and retired NHL official Brian Murphy.
The induction ceremony will be held in Boston on Dec. 6.
YardRink Named Official Licensed Product of the National Hockey League (NHL)
Press Release, Sept. 8, 2023
Multiyear Agreement Creates Opportunities to Foster the Growth of Hockey in the U.S. and Canada
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass., Sept. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — YardRink, LLC, North America’s fastest-growing backyard rink brand, today announced it has signed an official licensing agreement with the National Hockey League (NHL). YardRink’s NHL-licensed backyard rink kits will be available in the United States and Canada, enabling hockey enthusiasts across North America to transform their backyards into thrilling, professional-looking rinks.
The agreement underscores the shared goal of both the NHL and YardRink to expand access to the sport of hockey. By providing more individuals with the opportunity to enjoy “ice time” in their own backyards, YardRink and the NHL aim to foster the growth of the sport and inspire a new generation of players.
Starting today, YardRink customers will have the opportunity to customize their backyard rinks with logos from all 32 NHL teams and 32 vintage teams. YardRink’s patented technology creates an authentic hockey experience, with a custom tarp attached to the outside of its panels, which are filled then frozen.
Canada’s sports minister tells hockey leaders at summit to “step up”
The Canadian Press, Sept. 8, 2023
CALGARY — Canada’s new sports minister isn’t ready to laud Hockey Canada on its efforts to change the sport’s culture.
“Nobody’s going to hear me congratulate anybody on what’s been done so far because we’re not there yet,” Carla Qualtrough told The Canadian Press. “Kids are still at risk and we can do better.”
The Delta MP, who was re-appointed to the sports portfolio in July after serving in it from 2015 to 2017, was on the slate of Friday speakers at Hockey Canada’s “Beyond The Boards Summit” in Calgary.
The two-day summit, which Hockey Canada intends to be one in a series, will tackle toxic masculinity and the culture of elite men’s hockey.
KSC plans to fund Keene Ice locker rooms for new college hockey programs
Hunter Oberst, Keene, Sentinel, Sept. 8, 2023
Keene will enter negotiations with Keene State College to create locker rooms at the city-owned Keene Ice arena for the school’s recently announced varsity hockey programs.
On Thursday, the city council voted unanimously to authorize City Manager Elizabeth Dragon to develop an agreement with the college.
Andy Bohannon, Keene’s parks, recreation and facilities director, said that when the arena on Marlboro Street was constructed, unused space beneath the bleachers was identified for future growth. The Keene State-funded locker rooms would be located there, expanding into space currently used for storage.
Keene State President Melinda Treadwell announced the addition of both a men’s and women’s ice hockey team, as well as an eSports team (competitive video gaming), to the college’s catalog of varsity sports in July. The Division III hockey teams are expected to begin competition during the 2024-25 season, and the men’s team will join the Little East Conference the following year.
Heise Standards: Taylor Heise Continues Meteoric Rise in Women’s Hockey
Taylor Heise hadn’t dealt with much adversity before being cut by Team USA’s women’s national team in 2021. It could’ve thrown her for a loop. Instead, it has propelled her to new heights – and to the world stage.
Erin Brown, The Hockey News, Sept. 8, 2023
The exit meeting is forever seared in Taylor Heise’s memory.
Heise had just finished her first United States women’s selection camp in Blaine, Minn. A three-time gold medallist and captain at the under-18 level, Heise seemed a logical candidate to make the jump to the senior team. Besides, she had never been cut from a USA Hockey team since she received her first invite at 15.
Yet something hadn’t clicked the way it usually does for the confident forward. She went in with a bit of nervousness and thought, “I don’t I feel like I can do it, but I’m not sure.” When she called home to give her parents daily updates, she would tell them as much.
But now she sat with coach Joel Johnson and GM Katie Million, learning she would not even make the cut for the seven-month residency to train for the 2021 Women’s World Championship and 2022 Olympics.
Bernice Carnegie’s 78th Birthday Wish
CarnegieInitiative.com, Sept. 7, 2023
78 AMAZING years and counting!
And if you’re anything like me (no matter what YOUR age) you love to pay it forward.
That’s why I’m using my special day to ask you to support a cause that I truly believe in.
I was fortunate to work with my father, the late hockey trailblazer Dr. Herbert H. Carnegie for more than 30 years.
Six decades ago, he started the first hockey school in Canada introducing the character values and creed of Future Aces.
And what a journey it has been.
So how am I celebrating my birthday?
NHL Network, Sept. 7, 2023
Sarah Nurse joins NHL Tonight to discuss signing a three-year deal with Toronto in the PWHL
Hockey Canada hopes uncomfortable conversations spur meaningful change
Salim Valji, TSN, Sept. 7, 2023
Hockey Canada hopes uncomfortable conversations and open dialogue can lead to meaningful change as it gets set to host its first Beyond The Boards Summit in Calgary on Friday and Saturday.
The two-day event includes guest speakers like former NHLer Sheldon Kennedy, now an advocate for safe sport and changing hockey culture, and Vancouver Canucks assistant general manager Émilie Castonguay.
The theme of the summit is toxic masculinity as a root problem at the sport’s elite levels and how eradicating that culture can lead to a healthier and more inclusive hockey community.
Several branches of the hockey world, including the NHL, PWHL and IIHF, along with all provincial and territorial hockey federations, will be represented.
“We’re going to focus on the root cause of our culture,” said Pat McLaughlin, Hockey Canada’s chief operating officer. “Two days isn’t going to solve the problems, but what’s most important is we’re socializing, we are having dialogue around an area we know we need to get much, much better at and address…people are going to see an agenda that is going to make us very uncomfortable and an agenda to help us learn from those with lived experiences. That’s what we need…it’s human nature to gravitate to what we think is right, and what makes a really good team is varying opinions.”
‘Women’s hockey is growing’: Poulin, Desbiens and Stacey sign with PWHL’s Montreal team
Kalina Laframboise, Global News, Sept. 7, 2023
The first players signed by the Professional Women’s Hockey League team in Montreal were all members of the Canadian roster that brought home Olympic Gold in 2022.
Goaltender Ann-Renée Desbiens along with forwards Marie-Philip-Poulin and Laura Stacey were introduced Thursday at a news conference in Montreal.
“Women’s hockey is growing and growing in Quebec,” Danièle Sauvageau, general manager of the team, said. “And I think fans can’t wait to be here.”
The PWHL’s inaugural season starts in January with six teams scattered across the United States and Canada. They will be in Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa, Boston, Minneapolis-St. Paul and New York.
Known as “Captain Clutch,” Poulin will star in Montreal early next year. The 32-year-old is the all-time active leader in scoring for the Canadian women’s hockey team with 103 goals and 107 assists in 175 career games.
Coyotes Continue to Grow Hockey in Valley Through New Partnership
Remy Mastey, The Hockey News, Sept. 7, 2023
The Arizona Coyotes continue to grow the game of hockey in the Valley through its new partnership with Equality Health.
The Coyotes organization as well as members from Equality Health announced the new partnership Thursday morning at the Irene Lopez School in Phoenix. Equality Health will now serve as the official partner of the Coyotes and the Arizona Coyotes Street Hockey League.
Hockey returns to H-Town: UH Ice Hockey Club drops the puck Friday night against East Texas
Ana Gonzalez, Click2Houston.com, Sept. 7, 2023
Who’s ready for some hockey, y’all? The University of Houston’s newest ice hockey club will play their first game on Friday against East Texas Baptist University.
The game is set to take place at Sugar Land Ice and Sports Center, 16225 Lexington Blvd, at 7 p.m. Doors are scheduled to open at 6 p.m.
University of Houston’s new Ice Hockey Club gearing up for inaugural game.
Part of the ACHA Division II, the new ice hockey club was approved by UH in May 2023 with the goal of bringing the sport to the student community and the city of Houston, according to a news release.
The club launched this month with 21 players on their roster.
Charity hockey games coming to Jefferson City
Gemma Asel, News Tribune, Sept. 7, 2023
Three veteran-based hockey teams will be battling it out for charity this weekend at the Washington Park Ice Arena in the Mid-State Fight Against Cancer Charity Games.
On Sunday, the St. Louis Blues Warriors, Kansas City Warriors Ice Hockey Program, and the University of Missouri Hockey Club will play a series of five games to raise funds for a family in need.
Ms. Hockey, Ella Boerger, Set To Hit The Ice With St. Thomas
Ian Kennedy, The Hockey News, Sept. 7, 2023
Ella Boerger is Minnesota’s Ms. Hockey. It’s a moniker that has been given to numerous Olympians, World Champions, and professional women’s hockey players for their outstanding high school performances. The future looks bright for Boerger, who dominated last season en route to being crowned the top high school player in the state.
Boerger had 41 goals and 78 points in 29 games this season for Andover High School. During her tenure with the school, Boerger also helped Andover win a pair of state championships.
She has been such a strong player in our program for four years due to her work ethic and team-first mentality,” Andover head coach Melissa Volk told ABC Newspapers. “She has improved a ton over her career in her skills and leadership due to her work ethic and true love for hockey.”
How numbers are changing the game of hockey
The role of analytics in hockey is increasing every year at all levels of the game.
Nisso Sacha, The Miami Student, Sept. 7, 2023
The growth of analytics in sports has been flourishing since its beginnings in the early ’60s when Earnshaw Cook published Percentage Baseball, a statistical studies book that garnered national attention. Since then, the amount of data available to sport teams has grown exponentially.
In 2021, it was estimated that, in the National Hockey League (NHL), tracked players and pucks generated 2200 data points per second. At the college-level, not as many statistics are available as puck tracking has yet to be implemented, and most stats are gathered in-house.
Outdoor Game Highlight of ASU Hockey Schedule
Chris Baker, Fansided, Sept. 7, 2023
An outdoor game is the highlight thus far for the ASU (Appalachian State University) Ice Hockey season! Hockey in the high country is taking off and the Ice Neers are building a program that will compete against the rest of North Carolina.
On December 8th, the Mountaineers hockey team will be facing off against Kutztown University in the Spring Mountain Outdoor Classic in Kutztown, PA. This will be the Golden Bears’ first outdoor game as well, in what is becoming a trend in college hockey.
Grizzlies hockey to debut Friday at Rock Springs Ice Arena
WYO4News, September 7, 2023
Friday, a new era of area hockey will begin with the debut of the Rock Springs Grizzlies. The Grizzlies will play the Provo Predators in a couple of pre-season games at the Rock Springs Ice Area this Friday night at 7 p.m. They will then play the Provo Predators at the Peaks Ice Arena at 7:00 p.m. The regular season schedule will begin September 22 and run through March 23, 2024.
The Grizzlies are part of the United States Premier Hockey League and its Tuition-Free Tier II National Collegiate Development Conference (NCDC).
This year, Rock Springs will play in the six-team Mountain Division, which includes teams from Utah, Colorado, and Idaho. The league also has an Atlantic and New England Division.
Hockey Canada summit to tackle toxic masculinity as a root problem in sport’s culture
The Canadian Press, Sept. 6, 2023
Sheldon Kennedy feels the weight of what will be discussed at Hockey Canada’s summit in Calgary.
The two-day “Beyond The Boards Summit” on Friday and Saturday is designed to tackle one root cause identified at the heart of racism, sexism, homophobia, discrimination and exclusion in hockey.
How masculinity is defined in hockey — glorifying toughness and violence, the “bro culture”, the “code of the locker room” — and how elite men’s hockey dominates the sport’s culture in Canada are on the agenda.
Kennedy, a former NHL player and survivor of sexual abuse in junior hockey by Graham James, will speak at the summit.
The member of Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame for his work in child abuse education and prevention says the summit is a pivotal chance to start making fundamental and needed changes in hockey’s culture.
“I really feel it’s important,” Kennedy told The Canadian Press. “It’s critical that we get this right. The biggest thing is the acceptance of the fact that we have a problem and we need to deal with it.
Graves, Matteau proud to be part of 24 Hours of Hockey Marathon
10th edition of event raised more than $500,000 for New York charities
Jon Lane, NHL.com, Sept. 6, 2023
DIX HILLS, N.Y. — Adam Graves slowly stepped off a secondary rink at Clark Gillies Arena after playing 10 minutes of hockey.
At 55 years old he’s quick to say he’s an old man, yet he vibrantly signs autographs and poses for pictures with players and fans of all ages.
This was Graves’ first of many games over 24 hours during Labor Day weekend. One for deep reflection, appreciation, kindness and self-deprecation, Graves found it most interesting that familiar faces want to come back and participate in the annual 24 Hours of Hockey Marathon, which raises money for several area charities, including the Garden of Dreams Foundation, Ice Hockey in Harlem and the Henrik Lundqvist Foundation.
Year 10 concluded at 10 a.m. ET on Sunday, with more than $500,000 raised from sponsors, individual donations and a silent auction. More than $5.5 million has been raised since the event began.
PWHL Toronto adds Fast, Nurse and Turnbull with first three signings
The Canadian Press, Sept. 6, 2023
The yet to be named Toronto franchise in the newly formed Professional Women’s Hockey League signed some big-name talent on Wednesday.
Canadian Olympians Sarah Nurse, Blayre Turnbull and Renata Fast have all agreed to terms on three-year contracts through the 2025-2026 season.
Salary figures were not disclosed, but the PWHL’s annual salaries will range from US$35,000 to $80,000.
The PWHL has stated that six players on each of the six teams will be signed to three-year contracts of not less than $80,000.
The three players were part of Canada’s gold-medal run at the 2022 Beijing Olympics and its silver-medal performance at the 2018 Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea.
Barbie Chooses Women In Sports For Career Of The Year
Kristi Dos, Forbes, Sept. 6, 2023.
The 2023 Career of the Year for Mattel’sMAT Barbie this year is Women in Sports. The collection represents four careers in sports—general manager, coach, referee and sports reporter—to encourage girls to pursue involvement in sports.
“I was blown away,” Dr. Jen Welter, the first female coach in the NFL and the first woman to play running back in men’s professional football, said about finding out Barbie was choosing Women in Sports for its Career of the Year. “As a little girl, I didn’t have this. Now a little girl takes her out of the box and can see herself doing that. I never had that in football throughout my career.”
Women’s sport: Elements of sport are ‘sexist’, says Women’s and Equalities Committee chair
Caroline Nokes, Sky News, Sept. 6, 2023
The Women’s and Equalities Committee is questioning tennis, hockey and netball bosses about sexism in sport.
Women’s sport has been at the forefront in recent weeks, from the Lionesses to the controversy over the president of the Spanish FA kissing a player on the lips during a medal ceremony.
Carl Nassib retires from NFL: ‘Gave it everything I had’
ESPN News Services. Sep 6, 2023
Outside linebacker Carl Nassib, who in 2021 became the first openly gay active player in the NFL, announced his retirement Wednesday.
Nassib addressed his decision in an Instagram post, calling his retirement a “bittersweet moment.”
“It really feels like just yesterday starting out as a walk-on at Penn State,” Nassib wrote. “Football has given me more than I ever could have imagined. I can truly hang up my helmet for the last time knowing I gave it everything I had.”
Middle Tennessee hockey: Why work has stopped on Gallatin’s ice center at The Goat Farm
Katie Nixon, Nashville Tennessean, Sept. 6, 2023
Development is being paused indefinitely on a 100,000-square-foot Sumner County ice center due to rising costs and a lack of upfront public funds, the project’s backer, Old Hickory Hockey, LLC, announced in a press release Tuesday.
Planned in conjunction with Sabertooth Sports & Entertainment, which is owned and operated by Predators Holdings, a subsidiary of the Nashville Predators, the facility would have been the fourth such location to open in Middle Tennessee.
Similar ice centers have opened in Antioch, Bellevue and Clarksville since 2014. All of the facilities are operated by the Nashville Predators as Ford Ice Centers.
Trotter: Players Coalition, NHL group at odds over trademark issue
Jim Trotter. The Athletic. Sep 6, 2023
In 2016, a small group of NFL players had a big idea: band together to form a nonprofit through which they could advocate for racial equity and social justice.
The result was Players Coalition, which has “worked with over 1,400 professional athletes, coaches and owners across major professional sports leagues” to play a contributing role in a handful of legislative victories in criminal justice and voter rights reform.
However, today, in addition to fighting to protect the rights and opportunities of others, the organization is fighting to protect its federally trademarked name, which it claims the National Hockey League began infringing on three months ago with the launch of “NHL Player Inclusion Coalition.”
Players Coalition officials contend the name lands too closely to their own, which could cause the public to mistakenly believe the groups are affiliated or working together as part of a larger organization.
The effort to add young minority hockey players in North America turns its attention to keeping them
Stephen Whyno, Associated Press, Sept. 5, 2023
Braeden Montague walked into the Washington Capitals practice facility following a long drive back from a summer trip to Winnipeg. The crowd inside made it worth the trek.
In the building were more than 100 fellow hockey players of color. On the ice were four Black coaches. Montague, who is of Black and Indian heritage, was stunned.
“I’m not the only one,” the 15-year-old recalled thinking.
That was the point.
The Rising Stars Academy in late August was designed to provide minority hockey players with elite on-ice skill development and off-ice training geared toward problem-solving and handling some racist elements in a sport that remains predominantly white. Fifteen years in the making, the program — one of only two of its kind around the NHL — represents the next step for players and their families who have already chosen hockey with the aim of retaining them and showing them a path to playing in high school, college and beyond.
Toronto Red Wings announce three-year partnership with Hockey Equality
GTHLcanada.com. Sept. 5, 2023
On August 30, the Toronto Red Wings announced a three-year strategic partnership with Hockey Equality. The partnership will strive to further the Red Wings’ commitment to supporting diversity and inclusion, while continuing to make hockey a game for all.
Hockey Equality was founded in 2021 by retired National Hockey League player and Greater Toronto Hockey League alumnus Anthony Stewart. The organization works to create sustainable programming across North America designed to meet the needs of BIPOC, female, and equity deserving youth.
“Hockey Equality is very excited to continue our momentum with our partnership with the Toronto Red Wings organization,” said Anthony Stewart, Hockey Equality Chairman. “With [Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion] workshops along with on ice coaching and development, Hockey Equality and the Red Wings are committed to making the game of hockey more accessible to all!”
The partnership will incorporate Red Wing coaches, advocating and counselling for impacted families, and assistance with advising in areas of equity, diversity, and inclusion. The Red Wings will also make contributions to Hockey Equality in 2023, 2024, and 2025, helping the organization provide high-level coaching and development for equity deserving youth.
Ron MacLean says he and Don Cherry are back in touch
The longtime Coach’s Corner duo had a highly publicized falling out after Cherry’s removal from Hockey Night in Canada, but the two appear to be mending things.
Jacob Stoller, Yahoo Sports, Sept. 5, 2023
Ron MacLean and Don Cherry may never work together again, but they’ve rekindled their personal relationship in recent months.
During an interview with John Shannon on The Bob McCown Podcast on Friday, MacLean revealed that he and Cherry are back on speaking terms. The longtime host of Coach’s Corner told Shannon that there had been several instances during which he’d contacted the 89-year-old over the past year.
The 131-year-old piece of ice-hockey royalty visiting Santa Barbara County
Caroline Feraday, KCLU, Sept. 5, 2023
Fans got a chance to get up close to the Stanley Cup as it was on display on Tuesday in Goleta.
Ice in Paradise is the only ice-rink in Santa Barbara County, and outside on Tuesday morning, a long line of people wait to get a glimpse of a very special visitor.
At 131-years-old and weighing 34-pounds…The Stanley Cup is a piece of ice-hockey royalty and paid a visit to the non-profit, located in Goleta, drawing a legion of fans looking to get close to the silverware. Fans like Eric Valois.
“I grew up playing hockey and it’s inspiration for the kids,” explained Valois, “And having the greatest trophy in sports is definitely something to strive to win.”
“No one expects to have ice-hockey in Santa Barbara!” said Valois.
Wilton High hockey coach proposes building a seasonal ice rink on North Field
Shantel Guzman, SFgate, Sept. 4, 2023
Mark Mangino, coach of the boys varsity ice hockey team at Wilton High School, is seeking to install a temporary seasonal ice rink for team practices on the school’s North Field.
The school now pays for the team to practice at the Winter Garden Ice Arena in Ridgefield. A seasonal rink would be be more convenient for the team, would save money and would be an asset to the community, Mangino said during an Aug. 23 meeting of the Parks and Recreation Commission.
“The biggest things (people want in town) are skating rinks and ice rinks,” said Mangino, who has been the Wilton ice hockey coach for about eight years.
SIMMONS SAYS: Burke stepping into what could be his most important role yet
Steve Simmons, Toronto Sun, Sept. 3, 2023
Written off as obstinate and irrelevant in the NHL, Brian Burke is about to engage in the largest and possibly most important pursuit of his professional career.
Officially, he is the executive director of the Players’ Association of the new Professional Women’s Hockey League — which is a fascinating title because, to date, there are no players in the PWHL for him to represent.
Unofficially, he will act as part-builder, part-consultant, part-player rep, part-lawyer, already involved in the writing of the collective bargaining agreement and, maybe more importantly, with strong ties to commissioner Gary Bettman and the NHL — which could well play a huge part down the road in whether the PWHL can, in fact, succeed.
It is no sure thing. No new sporting venture ever is. Before peace could come to the women’s game — two sides had been fighting ineffectively for far too long — there needed to be financial leadership of a giant scope. That came from billionaire owners Mark and Kimbra Walter of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Kevin Paul Dupont, Boston Globe, Sept. 2, 2023
Brian Burke’s career odyssey, which includes NHL general manager stints in Hartford, Vancouver, Anaheim, and Toronto, extended to new territory Tuesday when the players of the newly founded Professional Women’s Hockey League named him their union boss.
In keeping with tradition, Burke, 68, left his tie unknotted when accepting the job offer from Kendall Coyne Schofield. But contrary to his reputation for toughness and truculence, he also had a tear in his eye.
“I did, I burst into tears,” recalled Burke, reached in Pittsburgh, where he is recovering from the second of two knee replacement operations this summer. “It was supposed to be my second interview, so I wasn’t expecting the offer right then and there. It’s been a dream for me.”
Burke: It was a revelation how good they were
Montreal 690, Sept. 1, 2023
Brian Burke became a fan of the women’s game in Nagano and is now the executive director of the PWHL Players’ Association and joins the show to talk about the new women’s league and what the players were fighting for to make this a viable league.
PWHL Free Agency Primer: Where Poulin, Knight, Nurse could go and why
PWHL outlines process for selecting six general managers
EmmySadler, Sportsnet, Sept. 1, 2023
The Professional Women’s Hockey League officially entered the pro sports landscape this week.
It’s been a marathon effort by the Professional Women’s Hockey Players Association and its partners to get to this point, and it’ll be a flat-out sprint to get everything in place for puck drop in January.
We learned a lot about the new six-team league during a press conference held Tuesday, including the team markets and key dates, and details about free agency periods and the draft. While we don’t yet know team names and logos, they did release the locations of the original six franchises.
And on Friday morning, the league introduced the six general managers who will begin building each franchise from the ground up
Chloe Primerano, Canada’s 16-year-old rising star, could lead women’s hockey’s next wave
Max Bultman, The Athletic, Aug. 31, 2023
In early July, as some of the world’s top young hockey players gathered in Los Angeles for CAA Sports’ annual summer hockey camp, a new face stood out.
Among the players were Berkly Catton, a potential top-10 pick in next summer’s NHL Draft; Ryder Ritchie, who ranked 12th in Scott Wheeler’s early 2024 draft ranking; and Will Horcoff, a 2007-born center bound for the U.S. National Team Development Program and early top 2025 draft prospect.
But this year also included the arrival of Chloe Primerano, a 16-year-old defender, as the first women’s skater to ever attend the camp. Last year, Annelies Bergmann became the first women’s player to attend as a goaltender. And now Primerano, fresh off a season tallying over 1.5 points per game from the blue line in the CSSHL U18 women’s league, was going toe-to-toe with some of the elite boys of the 2006 and 2007 birth years.
Hockey Canada summit aims to address toxic issues in the sport
Ian Mendes, The Athletic, Aug. 30, 2023
Exactly one year ago, Sheldon Kennedy was one of Hockey Canada’s most outspoken critics.
After the organization refused to change its leadership structure amid a series of controversies last summer, Kennedy delivered pointed criticism aimed at the governing body for the sport in Canada.
“For the betterment of the game and kids, the leadership group at Hockey Canada must resign as they have lost the trust of Canadians in their ability to lead. That is crystal clear,” Kennedy said on Aug. 30, 2022.
On Wednesday, Hockey Canada announced that Kennedy — an advocate for sexual abuse survivors and a retired NHL player — would be one of the keynote speakers at next week’s “Beyond the Boards” summit in Calgary. The two-day conference is designed to address some of the toxic elements that Kennedy and others believe have damaged the sport on many levels.