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  • The NHL Foundation Relaunch Includes Funding To Grow Girls Hockey

    The NHL Foundation Relaunch Includes Funding To Grow Girls Hockey

    The NHL’s charitable arm, the NHL Foundation, has redefined its focus.

    “For over 30 years, the NHL Foundation operated under what I call traditional sports philanthropy,” said Rob Wooley, the foundation’s executive director. “Giving broadly and generously, but really without a cohesive strategy. Now we’re intentional. Every dollar that we invest is tied to a goal, an outcome and a purpose.

    “For us moving forward, this is really about making philanthropy an investment, not just a gift. It’s about focusing on initiatives that align with our values, drive measurable results and hopefully leave a legacy.”

    With NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly serving as the NHL Foundation’s director and chairman, the relaunch was announced in mid-November with a focus on five key pillars: youth development, health and well-being, social equity, pathways to hockey, and service.

    “Our mission is to really create lasting change through targeted investments in areas that matter most to us,” Wooley said.

    The foundation operates under separate arms in the U.S. (NHL Foundation U.S. Inc.) and Canada (NHL Foundation Canada). New boards of directors have been appointed for both foundations, including league executives and external industry leaders. In Canada, that list includes former prime minister Stephen Harper, whose life-long love for the sport includes authorship of the 2013 book ‘A Great Game: The Forgotten Leafs and the Rise of Professional Hockey.’

    In the U.S., USA Hockey women’s national team head scout and 2018 Olympic gold medalist Haley Skarupa is serving as an ambassador for the foundation.

    “I think the most important part about being a national team athlete or former professional player is giving back and making sure you’re helping that next generation find their way, getting them as many opportunities as possible,” Skarupa said. “When Rob came to me with his ideas and the mission with the NHL Foundation, what he wanted to do, I was on board right away.”

    Growing up in Rockville, Maryland, Skarupa followed her older brother into the sport and played on boys’ teams until her early teens. Her passion for hockey was boosted further by Alex Ovechkin’s arrival to the Washington Capitals in 2005, and she eventually parlayed her spot on a girls travel team into a chance to play at Boston College and on Team USA.

    “I was lucky,” she said. “I was able to stay home and still play competitive hockey. I knew there would be challenges — a lot of driving, a lot of traveling in general. Missing school because we had to go to Massachusetts, Minnesota, just all over North America to get those good games.”

    Now, in her ambassador role, she’s leading efforts to help make that path smoother for today’s generation of girls hockey players.

    One key project is overseeing the first-ever award of the foundation’s new Empowerment Grant Program for Girls Hockey along with Kim Davis, the NHL’s senior vice president of social impact, growth initiatives and legislative affairs as well as president of the NHL Foundations in both the U.S. and Canada.

    Some of the seed money for the empowerment grant program came from the 14th edition of the Congressional Hockey Challenge last March. The annual charity game, played at the Capitals’ practice facility in Arlington, VA, sees federal lawmakers, congressional staff and administration officials face off against an array of lobbyists, and has raised over $1 million since its inception.

    “I’ve been a part of the Congressional Hockey Challenge for a couple years in DC,” Skarupa said. “So it was really special that they were giving back to us this year.”

    Since March, the NHL Foundation has continued to raise funds and awareness for the grant program. The first recipient will be announced at a luncheon during the NHL’s Stadium Series event at Ohio State University in February of 2025.

    “Haley’s the chief advisor to that grant,” Wooley said. “To make sure that we are finding the best-in-class nonprofit organizations that are serving this particular space in terms of providing opportunities for girls to play hockey.”

    “It’s been a cool process, for sure,” said Skarupa. “I’m excited for us to unveil who that will be and how they’re going to utilize that grant.”

    The $75,0oo donation from the Congressional Hockey Challenge was presented during a special screening of ‘Inside Out 2’ for more than 100 girls hockey players in New York City in June.

    Skarupa is also in Pittsburgh this week to assist with a girls hockey clinic as part of the programming around her Olympic teammate Brianna Decker’s induction into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame on Dec. 4.

    The revamped NHL Foundation also now includes a fundraising component, which hadn’t existed previously. This will be on display at the league’s upcoming tentpole events this season.

    “The Winter Classic, Stadium Series, our upcoming 4 Nations Face-off in Montreal and in Boston — these are opportunities to showcase this new direction and amplify our fundraising efforts,” Wooley said. “So for us, these aren’t just events. They’re platforms for change.

    “At the Winter Classic, there will be a fundraiser. At Stadium Series, where we will be announcing our girls hockey grantee, we will certainly be raising money to continue to support our girls hockey grant. And then in Boston, during 4 Nations Face-Off, we are we plan to host a fundraiser up there as well.

    “That’s a new space for the NHL Foundation. It’s a space that we’re really excited about because it gets us out into the community. It brings us more of a public-facing entity, where we can connect with our fans and our players and our clubs.”

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  • The NHL Foundation Relaunch Includes Funding To Grow Girls Hockey

    The NHL Foundation Relaunch Includes Funding To Grow Girls Hockey

    The NHL’s charitable arm, the NHL Foundation, has redefined its focus.

    “For over 30 years, the NHL Foundation operated under what I call traditional sports philanthropy,” said Rob Wooley, the foundation’s executive director. “Giving broadly and generously, but really without a cohesive strategy. Now we’re intentional. Every dollar that we invest is tied to a goal, an outcome and a purpose.

    “For us moving forward, this is really about making philanthropy an investment, not just a gift. It’s about focusing on initiatives that align with our values, drive measurable results and hopefully leave a legacy.”

    With NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly serving as the NHL Foundation’s director and chairman, the relaunch was announced in mid-November with a focus on five key pillars: youth development, health and well-being, social equity, pathways to hockey, and service.

    “Our mission is to really create lasting change through targeted investments in areas that matter most to us,” Wooley said.

    The foundation operates under separate arms in the U.S. (NHL Foundation U.S. Inc.) and Canada (NHL Foundation Canada). New boards of directors have been appointed for both foundations, including league executives and external industry leaders. In Canada, that list includes former prime minister Stephen Harper, whose life-long love for the sport includes authorship of the 2013 book ‘A Great Game: The Forgotten Leafs and the Rise of Professional Hockey.’

    In the U.S., USA Hockey women’s national team head scout and 2018 Olympic gold medalist Haley Skarupa is serving as an ambassador for the foundation.

    “I think the most important part about being a national team athlete or former professional player is giving back and making sure you’re helping that next generation find their way, getting them as many opportunities as possible,” Skarupa said. “When Rob came to me with his ideas and the mission with the NHL Foundation, what he wanted to do, I was on board right away.”

    Growing up in Rockville, Maryland, Skarupa followed her older brother into the sport and played on boys’ teams until her early teens. Her passion for hockey was boosted further by Alex Ovechkin’s arrival to the Washington Capitals in 2005, and she eventually parlayed her spot on a girls travel team into a chance to play at Boston College and on Team USA.

    “I was lucky,” she said. “I was able to stay home and still play competitive hockey. I knew there would be challenges — a lot of driving, a lot of traveling in general. Missing school because we had to go to Massachusetts, Minnesota, just all over North America to get those good games.”

    Now, in her ambassador role, she’s leading efforts to help make that path smoother for today’s generation of girls hockey players.

    One key project is overseeing the first-ever award of the foundation’s new Empowerment Grant Program for Girls Hockey along with Kim Davis, the NHL’s senior vice president of social impact, growth initiatives and legislative affairs as well as president of the NHL Foundations in both the U.S. and Canada.

    Some of the seed money for the empowerment grant program came from the 14th edition of the Congressional Hockey Challenge last March. The annual charity game, played at the Capitals’ practice facility in Arlington, VA, sees federal lawmakers, congressional staff and administration officials face off against an array of lobbyists, and has raised over $1 million since its inception.

    “I’ve been a part of the Congressional Hockey Challenge for a couple years in DC,” Skarupa said. “So it was really special that they were giving back to us this year.”

    Since March, the NHL Foundation has continued to raise funds and awareness for the grant program. The first recipient will be announced at a luncheon during the NHL’s Stadium Series event at Ohio State University in February of 2025.

    “Haley’s the chief advisor to that grant,” Wooley said. “To make sure that we are finding the best-in-class nonprofit organizations that are serving this particular space in terms of providing opportunities for girls to play hockey.”

    “It’s been a cool process, for sure,” said Skarupa. “I’m excited for us to unveil who that will be and how they’re going to utilize that grant.”

    The $75,0oo donation from the Congressional Hockey Challenge was presented during a special screening of ‘Inside Out 2’ for more than 100 girls hockey players in New York City in June.

    Skarupa is also in Pittsburgh this week to assist with a girls hockey clinic as part of the programming around her Olympic teammate Brianna Decker’s induction into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame on Dec. 4.

    The revamped NHL Foundation also now includes a fundraising component, which hadn’t existed previously. This will be on display at the league’s upcoming tentpole events this season.

    “The Winter Classic, Stadium Series, our upcoming 4 Nations Face-off in Montreal and in Boston — these are opportunities to showcase this new direction and amplify our fundraising efforts,” Wooley said. “So for us, these aren’t just events. They’re platforms for change.

    “At the Winter Classic, there will be a fundraiser. At Stadium Series, where we will be announcing our girls hockey grantee, we will certainly be raising money to continue to support our girls hockey grant. And then in Boston, during 4 Nations Face-Off, we are we plan to host a fundraiser up there as well.

    “That’s a new space for the NHL Foundation. It’s a space that we’re really excited about because it gets us out into the community. It brings us more of a public-facing entity, where we can connect with our fans and our players and our clubs.”

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  • Standout NHL centre Bill Hay went on to play key roles as a hockey executive

    Standout NHL centre Bill Hay went on to play key roles as a hockey executive

    Open this photo in gallery:

    Chairman of the Hockey Hall of Fame Bill Hay about to contact the 2012 Inductees Pavel Bure, Joe Sakic, Mats Sundin and Adam Oates on June 26, 2012. Mr. Hay died on Oct. 25 at the age of 88.Steve Poirier/Hockey Hall of Fame

    On and off the ice, Bill (Red) Hay was a force in hockey.

    As a player, he won the Calder Trophy as the National Hockey League’s rookie of the year in 1960. The following season, playing on Chicago’s Million Dollar Line, he won the Stanley Cup.

    As an executive, he was president of the Calgary Flames, the president of Hockey Canada and the chief executive officer of the Hockey Hall of Fame.

    Mr. Hay, who has died at 88, was a rare Canadian player of his era to have been formally educated. He is regarded as a trailblazer for having delayed the start of his professional hockey career to earn a degree from a U.S. college while playing for the varsity team.

    The left-handed centre retired as a player at the age of 31 in 1967, though he likely had left several productive seasons.

    “It wasn’t easy to leave hockey,” he said six years later. “At that time, league expansion had just begun. There was a great shortage of players and the money offered was good. The greatest difficulty was resisting the temptation to carry on for a few more years and make extra money.”

    Open this photo in gallery:

    Mr. Hay was chief executive officer of the Hockey Hall of Fame.Steve Poirier/Hockey Hall of Fame

    Mr. Hay left hockey for the oil patch. A decade earlier, his inability to find a job out of college had led him to sign a hockey contract.

    William Charles Hay was born in Saskatoon on Dec. 9, 1935, the youngest of three children by the former Florence Miller and Charles Cecil Hay. Both parents were notable athletes and graduates of the University of Saskatchewan.

    His mother, nicknamed String, was a goaltender for the women’s varsity hockey team. String Miller also played basketball and competed in track. She hailed from an athletic family, as a younger brother, Earl Miller, played left wing for parts of five NHL seasons with the Chicago Blackhawks and Toronto Maple Leafs.

    The elder Mr. Hay was also a goaltender for the university, which he led to a Western Canadian senior hockey title in 1923, before losing the Allan Cup national championship to the Toronto Granites by 11-2 in a two-game, total-goals series. The Granites went on to win the Olympic gold medal the following year.

    Young Bill played hockey before he started school in Lumsden, Sask. By the age of 15, he was skating for the junior Regina Pats. A giant of his era, at 6 foot 3 (190.5 centimetres) and 190 pounds (86 kilograms), Mr. Hay was neither a bully nor a bulldozer, showing skill as a smooth skater and playmaker, as well as an opportunistic goal scorer.

    In the 1955 postseason, he scored 12 goals in 15 games, though his Pats lost the Memorial Cup to the Toronto Marlboros. The Marlies, featuring several future NHL players including Bob Pulford, Bobby Baun and Billy Harris, defeated the Pats four games to one in a series played in Regina. The lanky Mr. Hay scored a hat-trick in the desperate final game, only to lose, 8-5.

    The Montreal Canadiens, who owned his rights, urged the promising centreman to attend McGill University while playing for one of the club’s farm teams. Instead, he hitchhiked south to talk his way into a scholarship with Colorado College.

    Mr. Hay scored 60 goals in 60 games over two seasons with the Tigers. He was a two-time All-American. In 1957, the Tigers defeated Michigan 13-6 to claim the National Collegiate Athletic Association championship. Mr. Hay was named the all-star centre of the Frozen Four tournament held at Colorado Springs.

    After graduating with a geology degree in 1958, Mr. Hay unsuccessfully sought employment in his field in Calgary.

    That fall, he was one of 56 players invited to training camp with the Montreal Canadiens. He survived coach Toe Blake’s first cut of 30 skaters before being optioned to the Calgary Stampeders of the old Western Hockey League.

    He scored his first pro goal in a 3-2 victory at home against the Spokane Flyers (soon to be renamed Spokes). His victim was former NHL netminder Emile (The Cat) Francis.

    After a slow start, blamed by hockey writers on the higher calibre of play than that found at the collegiate level, the tall centre wound up with 54 points (24 goals, 30 assists) in 53 games.

    The Canadiens, who were overloaded with young centres, including Jean Béliveau and Henri Richard, sold the prospect’s rights to Chicago for US$20,000 in April, 1959.

    The tall, angular rookie, aged 23, was placed between right winger Murray Balfour, 23, who was another Montreal castoff from Saskatchewan, and Bobby Hull, 20, the flashy left winger dubbed the Golden Jet. The trio clicked immediately.

    “There’s not much to this game when you have a guy like Bobby there,” Mr. Hay said. “All you have to do is get [the puck] to him and he scores.”

    Open this photo in gallery:

    Mr. Hay won the Stanley Cup playing on Chicago’s Million Dollar Line in 1961. Former Chicago Blackhawk players, from left, Eric Nesterenko, Bill ‘Red’ Hay, Stan Mikita and Glenn Hall sing the national anthem after being honored for the 50th anniversary of the 1961 Stanley Cup champions, on Jan. 9, 2011.Charles Cherney/The Canadian Press

    Chicago coach Rudy Pilous called the trio his Million Dollar Line. (The sobriquet is also attributed to the team’s owner, who was alleged to have said he would not part with them for that sum.) The centre skated in all 70 games in his inaugural campaign, scoring 18 goals with 37 assists.

    At the end of the season, Mr. Hay was voted as the league’s top rookie by hockey writers. He outpolled Murray Oliver of Detroit by 139-101, followed by Ken Schinkel of New York, Chicago teammate Stan Mikita and linemate Mr. Balfour. The Calder Trophy came with a $1,000 prize.

    In his sophomore campaign, the Blackhawks eliminated Montreal in the semi-finals before defeating Gordie Howe and the Detroit Red Wings by four games to two to claim the Stanley Cup. Mr. Hay scored a goal and added three assists in the finals.

    “Nobody really relied on anybody in 1961,” he told the Calgary Albertan a decade later. “Everybody worked hard, especially at checking.”

    Married and with three young children at home, Mr. Hay shocked the Blackhawks by retiring at the end of the 1965-66 season to become an executive with an oil exploration company.

    Open this photo in gallery:

    Mr. Hay (left) shows his 1961 Stanley Cup ring to Anaheim Ducks General Manager Brian Burke during a ceremony at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto on Jan. 25, 2008.Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press

    “I wanted to settle down in Calgary and get into business,” he told Louis Cauz of The Globe and Mail. “It was pretty hard moving the family back and forth.”

    He was lured back midway through the season, before retiring as a player for good in 1967, just as the NHL was about to double in size from six to 12 franchises. In eight seasons with Chicago, the centre skated in 506 games, scoring 113 goals with 274 assists. He had another 15 goals and 21 assists in 67 playoff games.

    Oddly, his early retirement did not prevent other teams from selecting him in drafts. The new St. Louis Blues picked him in the 11th round, No. 66 overall, in the 1967 NHL expansion draft. A year later, Chicago claimed him back. He had not played competitive hockey for five years when the Calgary Broncos selected him in the 74th round of the World Hockey Association’s draft. As it turned out, the Calgary franchise folded before the start of the season, and Mr. Hay’s rights transferred to the Cleveland Crusaders.

    Through his summers as a player, Mr. Hay drew maps and studied exploration research for Imperial Oil. He later reported on drilling operations in Alberta and Montana for Sedco Explorations, owned by the Saskatchewan-born brothers Donald, Daryl (Doc) and Byron (BJ) Seaman. As an executive with their Bow Valley Resource Services Ltd., Mr. Hay helped broker a meeting between Doc Seaman and NHL president John Ziegler about transferring the faltering Atlanta Flames franchise to Calgary, which happened in 1980.

    Open this photo in gallery:

    Hockey Canada agrees to send a team to the 1978 World Championships, on Feb. 25, 1978. Clockwise from bottom, chief negotiator Alan Eagleson, Eric Morse, former National Hockey League president, Clarence Campbell, Ron Roberts, Torrance Wyllie, ex-national team coach Father David Bauer, Bill Watters, Chris Lang, Bill Hay, George Cariviere, Larry Gordon, Derek Holmes and chairman Douglas Fisher.Edward Regan/The Globe and Mail

    Eleven years later, Mr. Hay became president of the club.

    “I’ve got to throw all that [Blackhawks] stuff out,” he told Monte Stewart of the Calgary Herald. “Even my grandkids aren’t allowed to wear them now.”

    By then, he was also president of Hockey Canada, the sport’s national governing body, a position once held by his father, who was responsible for organizing the famed 1972 Summit Series between the Soviet Union’s national team and Canadian NHL professionals.

    Mr. Hay has been inducted into the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame (1992), the Colorado College Athletic Hall of Fame (1995), the Colorado Springs Hall of Fame (1998), Saskatchewan Hockey Hall of Fame (2013) and the Alberta Hockey Hall of Fame (2017). He was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame as a builder in 2015, again matching his father, who had been enshrined as a builder in 1974, a year after his death at the age of 71.

    The hockey administrator was also honoured for his work as a geologist and executive by being named to the Saskatchewan Oil and Gas Hall of Fame in 1999.

    Mr. Hay died on Oct. 25. He leaves the former Nancy Anne Livingstone Woodman, his wife of 67 years, as well as two daughters, five grandchildren, three great-grandchildren and a brother. He was predeceased by a sister. A son, Donald James Hay, died three days after his father, aged 62.

    For his part, Mr. Hay was amused when his coach came up with the memorable nickname for his line.

    “Million Dollar Line, that was a laugh,” he once said. “Bobby got $950,000 and Murray and I each got $25,000.”

    You can find more obituaries from The Globe and Mail here.

    To submit a memory about someone we have recently profiled on the Obituaries page, e-mail us at obit@globeandmail.com.

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  • Jessica Campbell’s NHL coaching gig marks a pivotal turning point for professional hockey

    Jessica Campbell’s NHL coaching gig marks a pivotal turning point for professional hockey

    Jessica Campbell has made history as the first full-time female coach in the National Hockey League, marking a significant milestone in professional hockey.

    Campbell was hired by the Seattle Kraken in July, and during the team’s home opener against the St. Louis Blues on Oct. 8, the crowd erupted into cheers when she was introduced as part of the team’s coaching staff.

    While the Kraken went on to lose to the Blues 3-2, the game was a pivotal turning point for gender equality and coaching in the NHL. Campbell’s appointment as a full-time assistant coach shows there’s a path forward for women who aim to coach at the men’s professional level.

    Campbell’s story serves as a reminder of the challenges women coaches face. However, it also demonstrates how achieving a coaching role in a professional league, though difficult, is not impossible.

    ‘I didn’t know it was possible’

    Campbell brings a wealth of knowledge to her new role with the Kraken, from her playing experiences in the NCAA, the Canadian Women’s Hockey League and on Canada’s women’s national team.

    Her coaching career began as an assistant with the U18 Canadian women’s national team, and from there she coached in Sweden with the Malmö Redhawks. She then served as an assistant coach for the men’s national team in Germany and the Nürnberg Ice Tigers. Campbell later became the first female coach in the American Hockey League when she was hired by the Coachella Valley Firebirds as an assistant coach.

    A white woman with blonde hair in a ponytail, wearing a baseball cap and a zip-up jacket, stands on a skating rink holding a hockey stick.
    Jessica Campbell runs a drill during a Seattle Kraken rookie development camp in July 2024 in Seattle.
    (Nick Wagner/The Seattle Times via AP)

    Even with her breadth of experience, Campbell never envisioned herself as an NHL coach. Instead, she was focused on supporting players through her business, JC Power Skating School.

    “I didn’t imagine this path for me. I didn’t see it,” Campbell said in a 2023 interview. “Quite frankly there was no visibility and there weren’t other females doing this work, and so I didn’t know it was possible.”

    It was not until more and more NHL players sought out her skating and skill development program that she began to consider coaching in the NHL as a potential career path.

    Women coaches in the major leagues

    The NHL has been slow on the uptake when it comes to full-time women coaches. The other three major leagues — the National Football League, Major League Baseball and the National Basketball Association — have had women in coaching roles for years.

    At the start of the 2024 season, there were 15 full-time women coaches in the NFL. In 2023, the MLB had 43 women coaching. Within the NBA, there are currently five female assistant coaches.

    Yet, these numbers still reflect an alarming gender disparity. Like Campbell, many women may struggle to envision themselves in coaching positions. This moment encourages us to consider both the importance of women in coaching, and why there continues to be an under-representation of women coaching men’s sports.

    Research on women in coaching has continuously highlighted barriers in high performance sport. Women coaches often face stereotypes, discrimination and gendered organizational cultures that hinder their advancement in the field.

    To combat these barriers, the NHL has implemented various supports to ensure Campbell will not remain in a league of her own.

    The NHL Coaches Association launched a Female Coaches Development Program in 2021 to support the development of women coaching hockey. By providing leadership strategies, skill development, networking and career opportunities, the program aims to normalize women coaching men and expand the pool of available candidates.

    Paving the way

    While Campbell is the first full-time assistant coach in the NHL, others have had opportunities to guest coach at NHL camps or to be on the bench for pre-season games.

    For instance, Kim Weiss, the first woman to coach NCAA Division III men’s hockey, served as a guest coach for the Colorado Avalanche.

    Similarly, Kori Cheverie, the first woman to coach a Canadian university men’s hockey team, was a guest coach with the Pittsburgh Penguins and became the first female coach on the bench during an NHL pre-season game.

    A white woman with long, brown hair holds up a whiteboard with a hockey rink diagram on it while speaking to a crowd of hockey players
    Montréal head coach Kori Cheverie gives instructions during the first period of an PWHL hockey game against Toronto in Pittsburgh in March 2024.
    (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

    Along with Campbell, the visibility that each of these women provides can spark meaningful change in the NHL. While Campbell’s coaching debut with the Kraken is breaking down barriers, sustained effort and dedication is required to create a more inclusive sport culture.

    Continued emphasis on initiatives like the NHL’s Female Coaches Development program are necessary for both current and aspiring women coaches so girls and women can envision themselves in leadership roles in the future.

    As a scholar who has studied the under-representation of women coaches, my hope is that Campbell will not remain an anomaly in the NHL, and eventually we see more women in both assistant and head coaching roles.

    Campbell’s new position with the Kraken could spur this change, with her and others enriching the NHL through the abilities, contributions and diverse perspectives that women bring to coaching.

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  • BC Sports Hall of Fame: Former NHL centre Ray Ferraro

    BC Sports Hall of Fame: Former NHL centre Ray Ferraro

    Former NHL centre Ray Ferraro and world-renowned sports psychologist Saul Miller will both be inducted as part of the 2025 class

    Two North Vancouver residents are receiving the province’s highest honour for achievement in sport.

    NHL veteran Ray Ferraro and sports psychologist Saul Miller are being inducted into the BC Sports Hall of Fame class of 2025.

    “Honouring the past – and inspiring the future – is at the very heart of the mission of the BC Sports Hall of Fame,” organization chair Tom Mayenknecht said in a statement. “This year’s honourees truly exemplify the best of sport in this province and beyond.”

    Mayenknecht said he looks forward to honouring the inductees in person at a gala scheduled for May of next year.

    While you might recognize his broadcast personality filling the airwaves during Vancouver Canucks games, Ferraro’s professional hockey career spans decades.

    During his 18-season NHL career (1984-2002), he was among the most-consistent goal scorers ever who were born and raised in B.C.

    Playing for six teams – the Harford Whalers, New York Islanders, New York Rangers, Los Angeles Kings, Atlanta Thrashers and St. Louis Blues – he topped 20 goals in 12 seasons and 40 goals in two.

    Compared to other B.C.-born players, his 1,258 NHL regular season games, 408 goals and 898 points rank fourth, fifth and seventh of all time.

    Ferraro’s best season was 1991-92 with the Islanders, scoring 40 goals and 80 points in 80 games, earning an appearance in the 1992 NHL All-Star Game.

    He represented Canada three times at the IIHF World Ice Hockey Championships, helping Canada to silver medal finishes in 1989 in Sweden and 1996 in Austria. Before that, he was named the WHL’s Player of the Year in 1984 after scoring a league record 108 goals in 72 games with the Brandon Wheat Kings, a record that still stands to this day.

    Since 2002, he’s been an on-air analyst and colour commentator for various NHL broadcasts, most recently on Sportsnet covering Canucks games.

    Meanwhile, Miller has earned world renown as an influential sports psychologist, working with athletes and teams in B.C. and internationally for more than 40 years.

    The author of 10 books on athletic performance and well-being, he’s been credited with helping to raise the profile of sport psychology worldwide.

    Over his career, Miller has consulted with Canadian national teams and athletes in various sports competing at the Olympics, Pan American Games and Commonwealth Games.

    He’s also worked with professional teams from the NHL, MLB, NFL, NBA, USFL and pro hockey teams in Europe.

    In B.C., Miller has worked closely with the Vancouver Canucks, BC Lions, Vancouver Canadians, Vancouver Giants, UBC hockey and the Vancouver Grizzlies.

    He’s well known locally as well, helping athletes in many community and high school teams in North Vancouver.

    Since 1966, the BC Sports Hall of Fame has inducted 452 individuals and 69 teams to its Hall of Champions, with the goal of those legacies inspiring future generations.

    Details on the 2025 gala will be released in the coming months.



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  • As The NHL Grows, A Dominant Sports Agency Thinks Hockey Marketing Is No Longer On Thin Ice

    As The NHL Grows, A Dominant Sports Agency Thinks Hockey Marketing Is No Longer On Thin Ice

    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.

    “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.”

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  • What to stream: Coldplay, an unhinged Charlie Puth, ‘Salem’s Lot,’ Sarah Paulson and NHL 25

    What to stream: Coldplay, an unhinged Charlie Puth, ‘Salem’s Lot,’ Sarah Paulson and NHL 25

    Coldplay’s 10th studio album and the American Music Awards celebrating their 50th anniversary are some of the new television, films, music and games headed to a device near you.

    Also among the streaming offerings worth your time as selected by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists: Sarah Paulson plays a woman in fear of a sinister presence in “Hold Your Breath,” EA Sports’ NHL 25 lands and Charlie Puth stars as himself in “The Charlie Puth Show,” a mockumentary series on Roku.

    — As if being a mother in the 1930s Dust Bowl wasn’t stressful enough, Sarah Paulson and her children are living in fear of a sinister presence in “Hold Your Breath.” Coming to Hulu on Thursday, this psychological thriller from Karrie Crouse and Will Joines co-stars “The Bear’s” Ebon Moss-Bachrach as a mysterious character who arrives at their home amid worries over a murderous drifter at large. On top of all of this, her daughter becomes obsessed with a storybook fable about The Grey Man, who comes into people’s homes as if made of dust and, when breathed in, turns his victims into villains.

    — Speaking of “The Bear,” the new Blumhouse film “House of Spoils” leans into the horror element of opening a restaurant (albeit on a remote estate with a haunting presence, two things Carmy has yet to deal with). Oscar-winning “West Side Story” actor Ariana DeBose plays the ambitious chef at the center of Bridget Savage Cole and Danielle Krudy’s film, which also features Barbie Ferreira (“Euphoria”) and Arian Moayed (“Succession”). “House of Spoils” arrives on Prime Video on Thursday.

    — Writer-director Gary Dauberman adapts Stephen King’s “Salem’s Lot” in a new film coming to Max on Thursday. Lewis Pullman, of “Top Gun: Maverick,” stars as a man who comes back to his small Maine town to try to finish his book, but unfortunately that town is being terrorized by a vampire. It’s so far divided critics, some declaring it among the best King adaptations, others on the opposite end. But the author seems pleased. In February, King wrote on X that, “I’ve seen the new SALEM’S LOT and it’s quite good. Old-school horror filmmaking: slow build, big payoff.”

    — Netflix also has the Sundance breakout “It’s What’s Inside” coming Friday, Oct. 4, in which a reunion between college friends turns into a nightmare with the arrival of a suitcase and a strange game. Jourdain Searles, in her IndieWire review, wrote, “It’s a loud, colorful, frantic, and pitch-black horror comedy about identity that mercilessly critiques modern anxiety about desirability and success. Scary!”

    — AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr

    — There’s nothing worse than a self-serious pop star, and thankfully, Charlie Puth appears to know that more than most. In a new Roku channel mockumentary titled “The Charlie Puth Show,” the “See You Again” singer stars as a fictionalized version of, well, himself — a musician looking to maintain relevancy by starring in a reality show. Expect a few A-list cameos, too, for this parodic take on the current cultural zeitgeist. Talents like Will Ferrell, Dorinda Medley and Courteney Cox make an appearance.

    — Coldplay’s expansive alt-contemporary rock fills stadiums around the world; on record, they turn a simple sing-along phrase into a soaring mantra. The repetitive “la la la” on “feelslikeimfallinginlove” is evidence enough, or the chorus on the stuffed “WE PRAY,” which features Little Simz, Burna Boy, Elyanna and TINI. Both appear on the band’s 10th studio album, “Moon Music.” They’ve cornered the market on Earth; where else would they head?

    — Finneas, the second-youngest person to win two Oscars (he’s just behind his sister and principal collaborator, Billie Eilish) is gearing up to release his sophomore solo album, “For Cryin’ Out Loud!” Most are likely familiar with his production work, less so his own ambitious material — luckily, it’s not too late to dive into the dreamy pop-rock of “Cleats,” or the funky, frustrated title track, “For Cryin’ Out Loud!”

    — The American Music Awards are celebrating their 50th anniversary on Sunday, Oct. 6, with a television special airing live on CBS and available to stream on Paramount+ at 8 p.m. Eastern/5 p.m. Pacific. Viewers can expect a few brand-new performances from Brad Paisley, Chaka Khan, Gladys Knight, Green Day, Jennifer Hudson, Kane Brown, Mariah Carey, Raye and Stray Kids, as well as artist interviews and previously unreleased footage from AMAs past. Consider it appointment viewing for those who love award shows.

    — The Netflix coming-of-age romance series “Heartstopper,” focused on teens Charlie and Nick, returns Thursday. In the new season, Annette Badland of “Outlander” and Jonathan Bailey of “Bridgerton” join the cast.

    — Season 2 of NBC’s hit series “Found,” starring Shanola Hampton, kicks off Thursday. Hampton plays Gabi Mosely, a woman who survived kidnapping and a lengthy imprisonment as a teen. She now runs a firm that specializes in finding missing people — particularly Black and brown people who normally don’t get the media coverage that a missing white person receives. In the first season, Mosely harbored a big secret that she had taken her former kidnapper (Mark-Paul Gosselaar) captive and was keeping him in her basement. In this season, he’s escaped. Episodes also stream on Peacock.

    — Movie and television studies love a franchise where they can make sequels and bank on dollars at the box office a la “Deadpool & Wolverine.” The new comedy series “The Franchise” follows the behind-the-scenes mayhem of filming a movie in an unpopular franchise. It stars Himesh Patel, Aya Cash, Billy Magnussen, Richard E. Grant and Daniel Brühl. The series premieres Sunday, Oct. 6, on HBO and streams on Max.

    — Alicia Rancilio

    — It’s a special time of year for those of us who are fans of lousy baseball teams (ahem, Washington Nationals). The National Hockey League season is right around the corner, and EA Sports’ NHL 25 is coming with it. This year’s edition features ICE-Q, revamped artificial intelligence that’s intended to make your computer-controlled teammates more reliable and accurate. Franchise mode has been streamlined to make stat tracking, trades and contract negotiations easier. Perhaps you and a friend like to play over and over with the same teams? The new Grudge Match system keeps track of your head-to-head records, raising the stakes whenever you face off. The cover models know a little about sibling rivalries: They’re the Hughes brothers, Jack and Luke of the New Jersey Devils and Quinn of the Vancouver Canucks. The puck drops Friday, Oct. 4, on PlayStation 5 and Xbox X/S.

    — Lou Kesten



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  • Hockey sticks, Gatorade left in tribute on NJ road where NHL star Johnny Gaudreau, brother Matthew were killed

    Hockey sticks, Gatorade left in tribute on NJ road where NHL star Johnny Gaudreau, brother Matthew were killed

    Grieving hockey fans erected a memorial Saturday on the New Jersey corner where an alleged drunk driver claimed the lives of NHL star Johnny Gaudreau and his younger brother Matthew.

    A cross crafted from old hockey sticks bearing the names of the brothers and their respective player numbers was plunged into the ground alongside County Route 551 in Oldmans Township, where the duo had been cycling together Thursday evening.

    Several other sticks were arranged on the grass peppered between dozens of flower bouquets, balloons and a sign promising that the brothers will be “forever in our hearts.”

    A makeshift memorial with hockey sticks and Gatorade was erected on the corner where the Gaudreau brothers were killed. Suchat Pederson/New York Post
    A cross bearing the brothers’ names and player numbers was made out of hockey sticks. Suchat Pederson/New York Post
    “What makes this so sad is that it could have been preventable. If he drank, why didn’t he just take an Uber?” one grieving visitor said.

    Suchat Pederson/New York Post

    Odes to the Gaudreaus’ respective hockey careers were also offered up at the memorial — including two bottles of Gatorade, which served as a nod to Johnny Gaudreau’s tradition of sharing a bottle of the sports drink with his old Calgary Flames teammates after scoring a goal.

    One man who laid down flowers told The Post that the offerings were left by “the entire hockey community across the country.”

    They even left behind flowers, hockey sticks and even jerseys front of the home of their surviving family members — who were meant to be celebrating a wedding rather than the loss of both brothers.

    “What makes this so sad is that it could have been preventable. If he drank, why didn’t he just take an Uber?” one grieving visitor, who declined to share their name, said of the alleged drunk driver.

    Matthew and Johnny were cycling along the road when they were struck and killed. Getty Images

    Johnny, 31, and Matthew, 29, were biking in their New Jersey hometown when they were struck and killed by a motorist who allegedly told a state trooper he guzzled “five to six” beers” before the crash.

    The driver, Sean Higgins, reportedly attempted to pass an SUV in front of him, which had moved into the middle of the roadway to give the brothers plenty of room, just after 8 p.m.

    Follow the NY Post’s coverage on NHL star Johnny Gaudreau’s tragic death at 31:

    The US Army Major tried to pass the SUV on the right, striking the Gaudreaus from behind. The county road is rural, with crops on either side. There are no shoulders or street lights.

    The tragedy struck one day before the Gaudreau brothers were set to take part as groomsmen in their sister Katie’s wedding to hockey player Devin Joyce in Gloucester City, NJ. The family had even celebrated the wedding rehearsal just hours before the tragedy.

    Johnny, who played for the Columbus Blue Jackets, leaves behind a wife and two young daughters.

    Matthew’s wife is pregnant and is expecting their first child in December.

    Higgins — who appeared to sigh with exasperation in court upon learning he would be held in jail through next week — faces two counts of vehicular homicide.

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