The UConn women’s ice hockey team faces off against Northeastern in a two-game series this weekend. The puck drop is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Friday at home and 1:30 p.m. on Saturday in Boston.
The UConn women’s hockey team defeated Holy Cross in a two-game series throughout the first weekend of November. They seek to do the same against Northeastern this weekend. Photo by Madison Hendricks/The Daily Campus.
Looking back on history, the in-conference rivals date back to 2001. From their first meeting to a 2010-2011 clash, Connecticut boasted a winning 17-9-6 record over Northeastern. In their final meeting of the 2010-2011 season, Northeastern flipped the script and UConn went on to lose over 35 games from 2011 to 2023. However, the Huskies snapped the streak last November to come out on top 3-0 and proceeded to boast a 3-0 winning record over Northeastern last season.
Coming into this matchup, Connecticut has all the momentum on their side. After taking a pair of wins last weekend against Holy Cross, the team lands at No. 10 in the rankings. As for the matchup against the Crusaders, shooting was not an issue as the Huskies attempted 70 combined shots between games one and two. Finding the back of the net, however, was the problem, as they only scored two apiece in both matches.
Photo by Madison Hendricks/The Daily Campus.
This weekend, UConn’s defense will be key once again as the Huskies were a dominant force against the Crusaders. Holy Cross put up a combined total of 32 shots in the two-game series, which is just half of what Connecticut produced. Dominating in the net, the impressive goalkeeper duo Tia Chan and Megan Warrener saved 31 shots against the Crusader. Chan started game one, allowing Holy Cross’ only goal to get past her. Making changes to the lineup the next day, Warrener finished the series. It should be interesting to see who head coach Chris MacKenzie puts in as the goalkeeper come game time, as both options are great.
In addition, watching out for Claire Murdoch is a must for Northeastern. After contributing a goal in both contests against Holy Cross, the freshman was named this week’s Hockey East Rookie of The Week. In both matches, Murdoch combined for 12 total shots, keeping the goalie on her feet.
Taking a look at Northeastern, the team plans to get back on track after splitting with New Hampshire in their two-game series. After putting up four points in the first match, the Huskies were shut out in the second. Despite taking the loss, players like Holly Abela pressured the goaltender, attempting five shots, followed by Jules Constantinople with four of her own.
Heading into the matchup, UConn has a solid chance of winning. Sweeping the team would bring them to a four-game winning streak. Looking to intercept those plans, Northeastern aims to take a chip off their shoulder after losing in the 2023-2024 Hockey East Championship.
The UConn women’s ice hockey team faces off against Northeastern in a two-game series this weekend. The puck drop is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Friday at home and 1:30 p.m. on Saturday in Boston.
The UConn women’s hockey team defeated Holy Cross in a two-game series throughout the first weekend of November. They seek to do the same against Northeastern this weekend. Photo by Madison Hendricks/The Daily Campus.
Looking back on history, the in-conference rivals date back to 2001. From their first meeting to a 2010-2011 clash, Connecticut boasted a winning 17-9-6 record over Northeastern. In their final meeting of the 2010-2011 season, Northeastern flipped the script and UConn went on to lose over 35 games from 2011 to 2023. However, the Huskies snapped the streak last November to come out on top 3-0 and proceeded to boast a 3-0 winning record over Northeastern last season.
Coming into this matchup, Connecticut has all the momentum on their side. After taking a pair of wins last weekend against Holy Cross, the team lands at No. 10 in the rankings. As for the matchup against the Crusaders, shooting was not an issue as the Huskies attempted 70 combined shots between games one and two. Finding the back of the net, however, was the problem, as they only scored two apiece in both matches.
Photo by Madison Hendricks/The Daily Campus.
This weekend, UConn’s defense will be key once again as the Huskies were a dominant force against the Crusaders. Holy Cross put up a combined total of 32 shots in the two-game series, which is just half of what Connecticut produced. Dominating in the net, the impressive goalkeeper duo Tia Chan and Megan Warrener saved 31 shots against the Crusader. Chan started game one, allowing Holy Cross’ only goal to get past her. Making changes to the lineup the next day, Warrener finished the series. It should be interesting to see who head coach Chris MacKenzie puts in as the goalkeeper come game time, as both options are great.
In addition, watching out for Claire Murdoch is a must for Northeastern. After contributing a goal in both contests against Holy Cross, the freshman was named this week’s Hockey East Rookie of The Week. In both matches, Murdoch combined for 12 total shots, keeping the goalie on her feet.
Taking a look at Northeastern, the team plans to get back on track after splitting with New Hampshire in their two-game series. After putting up four points in the first match, the Huskies were shut out in the second. Despite taking the loss, players like Holly Abela pressured the goaltender, attempting five shots, followed by Jules Constantinople with four of her own.
Heading into the matchup, UConn has a solid chance of winning. Sweeping the team would bring them to a four-game winning streak. Looking to intercept those plans, Northeastern aims to take a chip off their shoulder after losing in the 2023-2024 Hockey East Championship.
Ice hockey is one of the most unique sports in existence because of one specific rule that allows fighting as a way to settle disputes. However, this does carry a penalty in the form of a temporary expulsion, but it is not very severe compared to the damage that athletes can do to each other while punches are flying.
Last night, there was an eagerly awaited ‘rematch’ between two heavyweights who were looking forward to it. Dylan McIlrath and Matt Rempe dropped their gloves at center ice at 2:37 of the first period of the game between the Washington Capitals and the New York Rangers, and settled their differences. Both teams belong to the AHL (American Hockey League), the league that is one step below the NHL.
Fan disrespectfully throws an elderly person’s hat on the ice during hockey game
The fight drew cheers from the excited fans in attendance at Capital One Arena. Facing off were two old foes who had last fought during the 2022-23 AHL season. That fight was ruled to have been won by McIlrath and this one too, as Rempe ended up bloodied and took more blows.
Why do they fight and why is it allowed?
This type of action is quite normal in North American ice hockey and at the same time unthinkable in other sports where, if it were to occur, it would lead to a harsh sanction. Why do they occur and why are they allowed? While contact is normal in this sport, the frenetic nature of hockey means that the referee overlooks some actions or simply sees some illegal body checks or stick checks. The fights stem from these situations in order to settle them. Players are free to settle their disputes with their fists.
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman was very clear on this at the time, stating that fighting “can prevent other injuries in a fast-paced, physical and emotional game”. And former professional player Brandon Prust is in complete agreement: “If they eliminate fighting, I guarantee more players will get hurt because of the increased body checks on the ice.”
Steven Stamkos, until last year a Tampa Bay Lightning forward and this season with the Nashville Predators, has no doubts: “I think it’s necessary and healthy,” he said. It goes without saying that fighting is an essential part of professional games and is governed by NHL rules. Moreover, 98% of NHL players surveyed say they do not want to ban fighting in hockey.
Codes and rules about fights
There are codes and rules that dictate who can fight and for what reasons. It just so happens that there are fewer fights in the postseason, when teams are focused on winning the championship, and this is where you could say that players adhere to an unwritten code.
But there are some rules that are written down and they are extensive. In the first instance, it should be noted that more than one fight is allowed at the same time and, that said, there is a wide variety of scenarios and hence the section 46 of the rules is broad. One of the most notable is rule 46.11, often called the ‘instigator rule’. While any player who fights automatically receives a major penalty of five minutes, the player who started the fight is subject to additional penalties under this rule. It should also be noted that actions are stopped by the referee when a player falls to the ground or if he considers that they have been ‘distributing’ for too long. Hockey and bare knuckle.
The rules also specify penalties for less common situations, such as players jumping off the bench to start a fight, or fights taking place off the playing surface. Also if team personnel other than players, such as coaches, are involved.
The UConn Huskies take on UMass at the Toscano Family Ice Forum on Oct. 26, 2024. The Huskies closed the game with a 3-2 victory. Photo by Emma Meidinger/The Daily Campus
After a tying with No. 15 UMass Amherst in the first game of their weekend series, the UConn men’s ice hockey team battled for a game two victory to edge out the weekend advantage.
The weekend was split between both team’s home venues, with game one being played at the Mullins Center in Amherst, Mass., while game two took place at Tuscano Family Ice Forum in Storrs, Conn. Prior to this series, the Huskies had not defeated the Minutemen since January of 2023. UMass boasted a 10-16-3 record over UConn coming into the weekend.
UMass immediately erased the deficit, scoring a goal just 40 seconds into the period. Second-year Jack Musa snagged a UConn pass out of the air, before sliding a pass to third-year Cole O’Hara who buried the Minutemen’s second goal. UMass nearly took the lead in the same period, but due to a goalie interference, it was overturned. UConn ended the second on top when third-year forward Tristan Frasier had his shot deflected, before third-year Ryan Tattle shoveled the rebound past the goalie to take a 3-2 lead.
In a grueling third period, the Huskies kept the Minutemen at bay as neither team was able to gain an offensive advantage. UMass pulled their goalie in a last-ditch effort, and as the clock wound down, second-year Ayden Suniev tied the game and forced overtime.
The overtime period was reminiscent of period three, a back-and-forth affair where neither team could establish an upper hand. The overtime was highlighted by a diving save by third-year goalie Tyler Muszelik to keep both teams locked in a stalemate, resulting in a 3-3 final score.
As the clock struck zero, the Hockey East standings advantage would be decided in a sudden death shootout. In the eighth round, fourth-year Lucas Mercuri converted on his attempt to award the Minutemen the extra point towards the conference standings.
On Saturday, UConn once again took the first lead in the contest. The Huskies sent out their penalty kill unit to repel the UMass power play. Third-year Jake Percival managed to sneak away with the puck, getting a one-on-one chance with the keeper where he knocked in the shorthanded goal with 12 seconds left on the power play clock. Muszelik kept the Huskies on top, making a staggering 11 saves in the first period.
The Huskies played hard this weekend and despite losing against Mass in their first game this weekend won in the second one. Photo by Emma Meidinger/The Daily Campus
The Huskies continued their dominance into the second period. As the Huskies controlled the puck in the offensive zone for over a minute, Percival was able to net his second goal of the game, stuffing the shot past the goalie to give UConn a 2-0 advantage. As the period continued, UConn scored their third unanswered goal with less than five minutes to play in the second. Second-year Joey Muldowney flicked a pass backwards to Richard, who ripped the puck to the far side of the goal, where Muldowney was able to tap in his first goal of the weekend. UMass finally managed to get on the board at the end of the period, as fifth-year Linden Alger scored after a faceoff win, to make the game 3-1 going into the final period.
UConn’s penalty kill unit was put to work in the third period as the Huskies committed three penalties. With five minutes to go in the game, the Minutemen capitalized on their man advantage, bringing the game within one as Musa scored on an assist from second-year Dans Locmelis. UConn’s defensive line was able to hold off UMass for the remainder of the game, to secure the 3-2 upset victory.
The Minutemen narrowly outshot the Huskies 29-28, but a stellar performance by Muszelik in goal helped UConn hold on to their lead. The New Hampshire transfer made 27 saves in the game to propel UConn to the win.
UConn will defend its home ice next weekend as they welcome The University of Vermont to both the XL Center and Tuscano Family Ice Forum in a two-game set, the puck drop is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. on Saturday.
The Lions were swept in a two-game series against the Air Force Falcons. In game one the Lions fell 3-2, and in game two the Lions fell 2-1.
Highlights:
Jack Anderson led Lindenwood in points on the weekend with three, coming from three assists.
Ethan Zielke scored two goals during the series.
David Gagnon netted the first short-handed goal by the Lions this season.
Artyom Borshyov blocked six shots.
During the weekend, Owen Bartoszkiewicz made 48 stops on five goals against, for a save percentage of .906.
2024-25 STATISTICAL LEADERS
Points – Ethan Zielke (5), David Gagnon and Jack Anderson (4)
Goals – Zielke (3), Gagnon (2)
Assists – Anderson (4)
Shots – Kristof Papp (11)
+/- – Artyom Borshyov (+5)
Powerplay Goals – Jaeden Mercier (1)
Short Handed Goals – Gagnon (1)
Blocked Shots – Anderson and Aiden Yakimchuk (12)
PREVIEW
The Lions are looking to get back in the win column, after dropping their last three games. In all four games played this season, the Lions have capitalized first, and are looking to use that as an advantage over the RedHawks.
This will be the first time in program history the Lions will take on Miami of Ohio.
Miami was picked to finish ninth in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC). The RedHawks currently sit 2-2-2 on the season. The RedHawks two wins on the year came from a series sweep over Alaska Anchorage. In their last two games played, the Redhawks dropped a pair of games to Robert Morris, falling to the Colonials, 5-1 and 4-1. Colby Ambrosio leads the RedHawks in points with seven (2g and 5a). The Redhawks have six individuals tied for the most goals on the team with two. Bruno Bruveris has played in five of the six games in net for the Redhawks, making 124 stops on 13 goals against for a save percentage of .905.
The Yale women’s ice hockey team is back on the ice with a 5-1 shutout against McGill in their first game of the season.
On Saturday afternoon, the Bulldogs hosted the Martlets in a preseason exhibition match at Ingalls Rink. By the end of the first period, Vita Poniatovskaia ’25 and Carina DiAntonio ’26 had each scored a goal for Yale. At the end of the game, rookie Cami Bell ’28 scored her first two collegiate goals, and captain Anna Bargman ’25 clinched the final goal. The win marks a promising start to the season for the Bulldogs.
“The team always sets goals at the beginning of the season,” said Jordan Ray ’26. “This year, our goal is to win the Ivy League and the ECAC championship, then move on to represent Yale at the national level and bring home a national championship.”
These goals follow a year in which the Elis “fell short,” according to Ray, in the playoffs. Now, two years after making it to the Frozen Four, the team is gearing up more intensely than ever for a successful comeback.
In addition to practicing six days a week on the ice, the team trains off the ice up to five days a week in cardio, power training, agility work and shooting development. These drills are coupled with regular team bonding exercises, including service shifts at the Yale Community Kitchen.
“We want to be a hard team to play against, and the team no one wants to see on their schedule. We know that the league is going to be extremely competitive, so bringing our best to every game is crucial,” Bargman, the team’s captain, wrote to the News. “With the majority of the team being returners, a lot of us are able to lead and exemplify what we need to do to push ourselves for the greatest season yet.”
Olivia Muhn ’25 emphasized that balancing big-picture visions with fine-tuning smaller details of the game would be critical to reaching their goals. She also noted the underrecognized importance of maintaining a positive mindset that “alone can carry a team far.”
While upperclassmen still make up a large portion of the team, many players acknowledged that the graduation of former captain Elle Hartje ’24, who was drafted into the Professional Women’s Hockey League, and standout forward Kiersten Goode ’24 left substantial gaps on the ice. However, they also noted that the large new class of seven freshmen demonstrated the skills, discipline and instinct necessary to fill their shoes.
“Our freshman class is already integrating well into the team. They are a very strong group who will make an impact this season,” Ray told the News.
The Bulldogs also commended the new upperclassmen stepping into leadership roles on the team. Four players told the News that there are two “main point leaders” fans should look out for this year: Pia Dukaric ’25, who recorded the most minutes and saves out of any goalie at the 2023 IIHF Women’s World Championship and was the 2023 ECAC goalie of the year, and Bargman, 2023 ECAC All-Academic and Second Team All-Ivy recipient.
Dukaric said that the team gained valuable experience last year after losing key players like Claire Dalton ’23 and that they have a few “really good” games at the end of the season that they aim to build upon. The goalie also expressed her excitement about seeing the large class of freshman players “step up” to the rink.
The freshmen highlighted the supportive energy and camaraderie within the team as consistent sources of motivation as they enter a year filled with high ambitions.
“The culture of the team is fantastic,” said Naomi Baechler ’28. “We’re focused, motivated and always ready to support one another both on and off the ice. And the intensity of being in the rink and pushing for a win with my teammates is just unmatched.”
The Bulldogs will drop the puck on their first collegiate match of the season against Saint Anselm College on Tuesday, Oct. 22, at Ingalls Rink.
MADISON, WIS. – On Friday night, men’s ice hockey (1-0-0) took on #9 Wisconsin (0-1-0). In a tightly contested matchup, the Lions would stun the nationally ranked Badgers, winning 4-2. This would be the first time in program history the Lions have beaten Wisconsin, as well as a nationally ranked opponent.
GAME OVERVIEW
In the first period, the match would remain even for the first 11 minutes of the frame. With 9:09 left in the period, Jaeden Mercier would roof a one-timer into the top-right corner, while on the power play. Mercier’s goal would be assisted by John Evans and Noah Houle. Lindenwood’s lead would be short-lived, with the Badgers scoring at 15:42 into the period. The Lions would get the final answer in the period scoring with 1:44 left to go. The Lions second goal would come from a Mercier wrist-shot into the top-right corner. Mercier’s second goal of the night would be assisted by Ethan Zielke. After a period of play, the Lions would lead 2-1. Owen Bartoszkiewicz would make 12 stops in the period.
In the second period, Alex Lundman would score the lone goal in the frame to put the Lions up 3-1, two minutes into the period. Lundman’s goal would be assisted by David Gagnon and Drew Kuzma. After two periods of play, Lindenwood would lead 3-1. Bartozszkiewicz in the period would make 14 stops in the period.
In the third period, Wisconsin would be able to strike first, scoring 6:42 into the period, cutting the Lions lead to one. With 3:23 left to go in the final period, Artyom Borshyov would secure the Lions victory, scoring the Lions fourth and final goal of the game. Borshyov’s goal would be assisted by Gagnon and Evans. Bartoszkiewicz would tally eight saves in the final period, for a total of 34 saves on the night.
After the final whistle, the Lions improved to 1-0-0 on the season, and the Badgers fall to 0-1-0 on the campaign.
QUOTABLE
“We are proud of the effort our team gave tonight. We executed when we needed to, and the power play goal in the first period was the juice to really get this show on the road. It was a hard-fought effort against a tough Wisconsin team. This was definitely a statement win to start off the season, but a statement win in our program’s history,” said head coach Bill Muckalt.
STATISTICAL LEADERS
Points – Three tied (2)
Goals – Jaeden Mercier (2)
Assists – John Evans and David Gagnon (2)
Shots on Target – Jaeden Mercier (4)
+/- – Artyom Borshyov (3)
Faceoff Wins – Kristof Papp (7)
Blocked Shots – Aiden Yakimchuk (7)
UP NEXT
The Lions will battle Wisconsin in game two, Saturday, October 12, at 6:00 PM CST, at the Kohl Center.
On Wednesday, the MIAA finance committee conveyed to the board of directors its decision to institute a 7 percent pay increase for officials and referees of all MIAA sports for the 2026 fiscal year, which begins next September.
In ice hockey, that would mean an increase of $6.79 a game from the current $97 rate per varsity game.
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That won’t cut it, the Massachusetts chapter of NIHOA said.
“This change will not move the needle in our recruitment and retention efforts for new officials,” the chapter said in a statement. “With the season just 52 days away, we now look to the leagues to make appropriate adjustments to the MIAA’s recommendations.”
Ice hockey officials are non-unionized independent contractors, which allows them a choice in which games they work. Currently, an abundant supply of USA Hockey games offer a pay rate of $105 that is a bit above next season’s bump from $97 to $103.79 a game. Officiating club hockey games, however, also usually comes with the bonus of being able to double a paycheck by working back-to-back games.
NIHOA has no desire to organize its members around a job action, said Mike Ober, a representative for the group.
Still, opting to work more lucrative non-MIAA games could, in essence, duplicate the impact of a walkout, especially in regions of the state such as the Berkshires and Cape Cod where officials are harder to find.
“There is extraordinary sensitivity across all of our officials not to impact the student-athlete experience and not cause games not to be played,” said Ober. “I hear that every day from the officials I’m talking everywhere. But officials are choosing to work elsewhere.”
Tom Arria, chair of the MIAA finance committee, said the decision for the pay bump was based on, “the cost of everything is going up, so it’s only right that we make sure we take care of all of our officials across the board.”
Arria, director of athletics at Cambridge Rindge & Latin, described the “pretty significant” 7 percent pay raise as “a commitment and good faith to our officials across the board, saying ‘Hey, we value you.’ ”
Asked about ice hockey officials’ contention they face more costs because of equipment and equipment maintenance — and a job that requires a high caliber of skating skills — Arria said, “I wouldn’t say there’s necessarily a disagreement with anything ice hockey officials have said. But we as the MIAA over the last several years, we have to think about the whole and about the group and about everyone. Every official across every sport works really hard.”
In response to questions from the Globe, the MIAA first referenced its Sept. 26 statement, which leans on not singling out hockey officials for a special raise, especially in relation to the budgetary cycle, before adding “the position of the MIAA, and its stakeholders in the association has not changed.
“It is most definitely an ongoing issue and needed to be addressed in a manner consistent with our adherence to school department budget cycles, it is timely to provide schools and districts with recommended rates. We respect and value all of our game officials and the decision made by the finance committee reflects the equitable distribution of rate increases for all officials.”
Before its membership learned of the pay increase decision this week, Ober said that a September survey of its 512 members showed that more than half “of the officials in the state were going to work elsewhere this winter and they were not going to work for the $97.”
In its three-year contract proposal to the MIAA, officials had asked for $126 per game (15-minute periods), with $6 increases in 2025-26 and 2026-27.
Ober said that the generation of ice hockey officials “who, quote, ‘don’t do it for the money,’ they’re aging out, that generation is retiring. We still have a fair amount this season, which is why I think you’ll see a lot of hockey officials that will skate no matter what.”
To highlight one risk factor, Ober said no other MIAA sport mandates “neck laceration protection” the way ice hockey does. That rule change, mandated by USA Hockey, will be introduced this season.
“The tipping point is simply that our officials have recognized that there are alternatives that pay materially more and I think there’s also the recognition that our costs have increased dramatically with respect to equipment and skate sharpening that is unique to hockey,” said Ober.
“Combining all that, we’re simply asking for fair compensation relative to the risk and costs of other sports. And if we can do that, we can course-correct on the recruiting issues.”
Michael Silverman can be reached at michael.silverman@globe.com.
Rare Bird: The Penguins’ Sidney Crosby is one of the few NHL players making seven figures off the ice. Pittsburgh’s star center hauls in an estimated $5.5 million annually from endorsements and other business endeavors.
Emilee Chinn/Getty Images
On a breezy September afternoon in Los Angeles, three days after Sidney Crosby signed a two-year contract extension with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Pat Brisson can only chuckle when asked about the $17.4 million deal. “What am I going to tell you?” he says in his French Canadian lilt. “On the record, he could have had more money.”
Brisson would know. The 59-year-old superagent has negotiated $1.4 billion in active playing contracts—the best mark in the NHL—for stars including the Colorado Avalanche’s Nathan MacKinnon, the New Jersey Devils’ Jack Hughes and the Vancouver Canucks’ Elias Pettersson. His agency, CAA, where he is co-head of a roughly 30-employee hockey group alongside JP Barry, has around 100 NHL players on its roster and $2.1 billion in active player contracts under management, a number surpassed only by Newport Sports Management’s $2.3 billion, according to contract database PuckPedia. Among CAA’s clients are five of the NHL’s 10 highest-paid players this season.
But Brisson also knows that, ultimately, his job is to make his players happy—even if it means taking less money than they could have made on the open market. And while CAA is most certainly a business—it has topped Forbes’ ranking of the most valuable sports agencies for nine consecutive years and was purchased by French luxury goods mogul François-Henri Pinault’s investment firm for a reported $7 billion last year—it similarly understands when finances need to take a backseat to its goal of being a 360-degree operation for its clients (or as CAA Sports co-head Howard Nuchow puts it, “to be important to our players in as many areas as we can”).
That focus on services, an agency hallmark since CAA Sports launched in 2006, could mean helping a player build up a social media presence or launch a business. Or it could just mean hooking up the player with tickets to a basketball game or a Broadway show—whatever it takes to recruit, and retain, clients, even when there’s a significant upfront cost and no payoff on the immediate horizon.
For now, marketing remains a piece of that money-losing equation, with limited revenue available from hockey endorsement and licensing deals. But that area is also a new emphasis for the agency, which hired David Abrutyn as the hockey group’s first global chief business officer in May to expand its off-ice work alongside Jen Kardosh, the department’s head of operations, marketing and client management. And CAA believes that, finally, the sport’s financial reality could be changing.
Make no mistake: That shift won’t be easy. In 2022, Forbes estimated that CAA Sports had $3.76 billion in active non-playing contracts under management—in categories including marketing, media and coaching—but hockey makes up a tiny sliver, with $28.3 million on the books for this year and moving forward, across more than 175 deals, Kardosh says. By Forbes’ estimates, only four CAA hockey clients—Crosby ($5.5 million), MacKinnon ($3 million), Boston Bruins right wing David Pastrnak ($1.5 million) and Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin ($5 million)—currently make seven figures off the ice annually, along with no more than a handful of others across the entire league.
No player can hope to match the millions of dollars available from sneaker deals in the NBA, where LeBron James made an estimated $70 million off the court last season, or from apparel partnerships in tennis, where Carlos Alcaraz hauled in $32 million off the court over the past year. For most hockey players, marketing opportunities tend to be regional deals that top out at five figures annually, or may instead be built around free product as opposed to cash. Sponsorships also tend to cluster around players who are from Canada or are signed to Canadian teams, and they are especially hard to come by for Europeans.
Against that backdrop, even with agents able to charge an industry-standard fee of 20% on endorsement deals—five times the typical commission on an NHL playing contract—the math doesn’t entirely add up. (Applying those rates to CAA’s active contracts under management, the hockey group stands to collect up to $84 million in commissions on the ice but less than $6 million off it.) To justify the effort, the calculus has to go beyond dollars and cents and factor in the “stickiness,” to use Barry’s term, that a top-tier marketing team can offer by keeping clients content at CAA.
Agent Dee Rizzo and Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon with CAA’s Jen Kardosh and Pat Brisson.
@RileySmithPhoto
“We’re always concerned with the bottom line, but our reality today is, we know that they’re going to make far more playing hockey than they’re going to make off the ice. We’re not going to not take opportunities because the money isn’t exactly right,” Kardosh says, adding, “I don’t care if it’s a $5,000 deal or $100,000 deal if it’s going to be a great opportunity for them to be exposed to new fans—that’s my No. 1 priority.”
Still, CAA is optimistic that that framework could be changing. Riding a wave of exciting young talent, national NHL broadcasts averaged 504,000 viewers during the 2023-24 regular season, according to Nielsen, an 8% increase from the previous year and the league’s best mark since 2015-16. Attendance was also up, to a record 22.9 million. More eyeballs usually means more marketing dollars, and indeed, ad spend surged 27% in 2023-24 over the previous season, according to Sportico, while research firm SponsorUnited found that team sponsorships rose 10%, to $1.4 billion.
And future prospects for players are looking up. NHL stars are set to return to the Olympics in 2026, and the league will unveil a new international competition in February with the 4 Nations Face-Off as the proliferation of streaming services unlocks new markets in Europe. Meanwhile, several NHL players are featured in the new Amazon Prime Video docuseries Faceoff from Box To Box Films, the production company that turbocharged Formula 1’s growth in the U.S. with Netflix’s Drive to Survive. (CAA’s Brisson had a hand in persuading Box To Box producer Paul Martin to create the new show, bringing the hockey neophyte to two games.)
CAA sees those initiatives not only as chances to cash in—a number of clients appear in the docuseries, and hundreds of millions of dollars will be spent on Olympic brand activations—but also as signals that the NHL is shifting away from its long-running team-first marketing strategy and putting more focus on the players.
“The star marketing the NBA used in the ’80s and ’90s, whether it was Bird and Magic, to Michael to Steph and LeBron to Kobe, it was always a huge part of the success matrix,” Abrutyn says. “Last year, it was really Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers,” he adds of the storyline in the NHL, pointing to the star client of rival agency Wasserman, “which is a slight nuance from the Edmonton Oilers and Connor McDavid.”
Perhaps just as important is an ongoing evolution in NHL player culture, which to this point has been “about the logo on the front, not the name on the back,” Kardosh says. Now, a generation that grew up on social media isn’t just aspiring to be the next Mario Lemieux or Mark Messier; “they’re looking at LeBron James and Shohei Ohtani and F1 drivers, and there’s just more opportunity for a lot of those athletes in marketing, and our clients are starting to say, ‘We want some of that opportunity, too, so what do we have to do to get it?’” Kardosh cites 23-year-old Anaheim Ducks center Trevor Zegras in particular as a catalyst within CAA, after he made a splash online as a rookie in 2021-22.
CAA is also eager to explore the off-ice possibilities in women’s hockey, with Kardosh and Dominique DiDia spearheading an initiative that has signed 18 players, including 11 in the PWHL, since 2022. “There will be plenty of people that are willing to invest in the PWHL that are not willing to invest in the NHL, and we want to be in those conversations,” says Kardosh, who calls out University of Minnesota star Chloe Primerano’s deal with Cwench Hydration as an early win for the group.
Financial viability for that operation is a long ways away, especially with CAA mostly forgoing on-ice commissions as the PWHL’s top salaries hover around $100,000. But the agency’s hockey group has had success with a long-term mindset, often signing male clients at age 13 or 14 and coaching them up in a player development effort led by Jim Hughes. “It takes usually seven years before hopefully they start paying fees,” Brisson says. The upside, though, is that CAA represents 17 players selected in the draft’s first two rounds over the last two years and Brisson has worked with nine No. 1 overall picks from the past 19 drafts, including 2024’s Macklin Celebrini.
While Nuchow says that nobody is “keeping a scoreboard,” the hockey group is among the reasons CAA Sports is now larger and growing faster than the agency’s storied entertainment division. But Brisson—described as “relentless,” “24/7” and “machine-like” by his colleagues—continues to think about expansion. Now, that means marketing.
“I guess it’s just my DNA,” Brisson says. “I don’t know. I always say to my group, the day you start sitting on your laurels, you’re as good as gone.”
FILE – In this Feb. 22, 1980, file photo, the U.S. hockey team celebrates with goalie Jim Craig after a 4-3 victory against the Soviet Union in a medal round match at the the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, N.Y. (AP Photo/File)
WASHINGTON (AP) — A bill was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday to award Congressional Gold Medals to the 1980 “Miracle on Ice” Olympic hockey team that defeated the heavily favored Soviet Union in Lake Placid, New York, at a period of high tension during the Cold War.
Congressman Pete Stauber, R-Minn., introduced the Miracle on Ice Congressional Gold Medal Act along with co-sponsors Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., and Mike Quigley, D-Ill.
“What they did for our country at that moment, I’ll never forget,” Stauber said in a phone interview. “It’s one of the defining sports moments in my lifetime, and I am so proud that we can give this Congressional Medal to each member of that Olympic team to say thank you for the memories we will never forget as a nation.”
The plan would be for the creation of three medals: one to go on display at the U.S Hockey Hall of Fame in Eveleth, Minnesota, another at the Lake Placid Olympic Center and the third at the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Museum in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Stauber, who was 13 at the time before going on to play at Lake Superior State and a handful of years professionally in the minors, and his staff have been working with USA Hockey to get this to the House floor for consideration. It is expected to be debated for consideration only after the election in the lame duck session of congress.
“I don’t think anybody really has to think about whether they support it or not,” Stauber said. “I hope all 535 members of congress reach the conclusion yes they deserve it and then the president signs it.”
The deaths of players in recent years, Mark Wells in May and Mark Pavelich in 2021, along with coach Herb Brooks in 2003, have added urgency to the process.
“The timing for all of us is of the essence because we want these members to be able to cherish and appreciate this during their lifetime,” Stauber said. “I think that bestowing this highest honor upon them is important.”
Stauber said he was going to work as hard as he can to pass the legislation “the sooner the better.” Feb. 22 marks the 45th anniversary of the Americans upsetting the Soviets 4-3 on the way to Olympic gold on home ice days later with a victory against Finland to close out the medal round.
“We’re going to push it, I’m going to push it as hard and as fast as I can so we can celebrate in Lake Placid with the remaining living members of that team that gave us that glorious moment in February of 1980,” Stauber said.
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