News Roundup 9/30/24
Top Story
Kevin Lindskoug, a goaltender who has played in leagues all across Europe, has come out as trans. He came out in an article published by Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet. Because it is written in Swedish, I did use an online translator, meaning, the translation may be off and I may have incorrect details because of it. Anyway, assuming the translation is correct, he is using the term “crossdresser”. As said in the article, which has been translated into English by DeepL:
The 32-year-old is not gay but has had a girlfriend for most of his adult life. He is now single. He is a transvestite in the true sense of the word, i.e. a person who occasionally uses the gender expression of another sex, but thinks that the word has acquired an undesirable connotation. The English crossdresser sounds better. He wants to look feminine, but not like in a drag show where you usually appear in flamboyant outfits.
He is trans, but that doesn't mean he wants to have surgery to make his body more feminine. And he doesn't wear dresses and makeup for sexual reasons. From time to time he has chatted with people who have wanted to sleep in pantyhose, but has not felt any attraction in that direction.
“The terminology is tricky, it always has been, but the desire has been there from the start.
- As a child I was competitive but sensitive. I didn't fit into the macho culture of hockey, the talk about girls, and I fought a lot. But when I came to Björklöven as a 22-year-old, I got myself in order and thus the mood. I knew what helped,” he says when we sit down in a meeting room.
Did you realize from one day to the next that you wanted to look like a girl?
- No, it was not that concrete. But I had interests that many girls have, makeup and fashion, painting my nails. I felt an element of something feminine. I had a girlfriend and could enter her world, so it worked. I was quite happy, although it felt... abnormal.
Many more details are provided in the article. I think those are enough to get the gist of it. The article also goes quite a bit into Kevin’s mental decline from hiding being trans and the drug use that came out of it. That part in particular is what most who had previously heard of him would find most interesting considering he is currently suspended for drug use. That said, the article draws the line between struggling mentally to hide his trans identity and the willingness to use drugs. It’s a long article that’s hard to read at times (admittedly, much of that is due to how centered around cis people and their understanding of being trans is), but I think is worth a read.
North America News:
American Hockey League
The AHL will no longer be streaming games on its own platform. Now, they will be on FloSports, the rather pricey and notoriously buggy streaming service. You will not be allowed to pay just to watch one team to save money, you will be paying to see not only every AHL team but all the other leagues on FloHockey as well. It is $30 a month (or $40 CAD) or $150 a year ($203.88 CAD).
Canadian Hockey League
For about a decade now, the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) and its three leagues, have battled lawsuits from former players saying the teams are for-profit businesses and players should be protected by employment rights legislation. Now, two former players, Lukas Walter and Thomas Gobeil, have changed things up. In 2020, a class action lawsuit they were a part of to settle backpay and minimum wage was resolved in a $30M agreement. Fast forward to September 2024, Quebec’s appeals court has allowed the two players to fire their previous lawyer and challenge the agreement. They wanted their old lawyer to be fired because he allegedly wouldn’t call a meeting for plaintiffs in the case once it was discovered the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) allegedly had access to a Hockey Canada slush fund. Their new lawyer, Jeff Orenstein, will move ahead with litigation against the QMJHL. The QMJHL has until mid-November to appeal this ruling.
ECHL
A new docuseries about the ECHL is out, and the first episode has aired. It is titled ECHL Unfiltered and the inaugural season is focusing on the Idaho Steelheads. By the time you’re reading this, episode one will have aired, but I imagine replays would air on NHL Network, which is the network new episodes air on (I’m not saying for sure they are, I’m just saying I would think they would). Episodes 3-5 will air on October 6, starting at 8 p.m. EDT.
The Wheeling Nailers have announced that at least 34 of 36 home games will be aired on local over-the-air TV. WTRF will play home games for those living in the broadcast area. Of course, streaming is still an option through FloHockey.TV, which will have every game they play (but is rather expensive). If you prefer listening, all games will continue to air on WKWK, including their website, and the iHeartRadio app.
NCAA Women’s Hockey - Division 1
For the first time, four NCAA teams will compete in the “Friendship Four Series” that takes place in Belfast, Ireland. It is the first and only NCAA hockey tournament to take place outside North America. Anyway, the four teams will be Quinnipiac, Boston University, Harvard, and Minnesota-Duluth. They will do so in January 2026.
Michelle Pasiechnyk, the reigning NCAA Goaltender of the Year, has announced that she will be stepping away from hockey. Last season she helped lead the Clarkson Golden Knights to the Frozen Four where they would be defeated by eventual champions, Ohio State.
The first upset of the season happened on the first day with non-exhibition games as we saw #7 Minnesota Duluth take down #1 Ohio State by a score of 2-1. Mind you, it’s not because the Bulldogs outplayed Ohio State, it’s because goaltender Ève Gascon stood on her head and made 39 saves. But, a win is a win. Then, the very next day, the Bulldogs beat the Buckeyes, AGAIN. This time by a score of 4-3. This wasn’t another game where the Bulldogs got massively outplayed, in this one they did a decent job keeping pace. They were led by Caitlin Kraemer who had two goals and an assist.
National Hockey League
The Buffalo Sabres have named former first-overall pick, defender Rasmus Dahlin, as team Captain.
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman has spoken: the NHL is not considering expansion. He said to The Star recently: “Everything that’s been written in the last week is categorically wrong. We’re not going through an expansion process. And other than updating the board on Oct. 1 as to places that have expressed an interest, there’s nothing else that’s going to be done on expansion.”
The Ottawa Senators have reached a lease agreement to build a new arena. The building would be built in LeBreton Flats (which is about 10 minutes from Parliament Hill). There are also plans for a district to be built around the arena. This includes enough room for parking, bars, restaurants, and gathering places. The two sides are hoping to complete the sale sometime next year.
About a month ago I reported on the Philadelphia Flyers terminating the contract of Ryan Johansen. It was stated to be due to a “material breach” which insider Elliotte Friedman claimed had to do with him missing games due to him claiming an injury after the trade. Now, the National Hockey League Players’ Association (NHLPA) has announced that they have filed a grievance on behalf of Johansen.
Here’s something you don’t see too often: team ownership decrying a minority investor. In this case, it’s Seattle Kraken ownership decrying rapper Macklemore. The reason for this is because he said “Fuck America” at a pro-Palestine concert. Ownership released this statement in response: “We believe that sports bring people together and unite us. We are aware of Macklemore’s increasingly divisive comments, and they do not reflect the values of our respective ownership groups, leagues, or organizations. We are currently evaluating our collective options on this matter.”
The Tampa Bay Lightning have named defender Victor Hedman team Captain. He is the 11th captain in franchise history.
The Vancouver Canucks are currently without forward Dakota Joshua as he is recovering from surgery. He was diagnosed with testicular cancer but doctors were able to remove the tumor. It is not known when he will rejoin the Canucks, but it doesn’t seem like he will miss a lot of time by how the coaching staff is talking about him.
Washington Capitals (and Wizards and Mystics fans) will no longer need cable to watch games in-market. It has been announced that Monumental+ is available on both the web and on mobile. With it you can either connect to your cable account to stream through the site or app, or you can buy a streaming subscription. It is $200 for the annual package or $20 for a monthly subscription. If you pay for the monthly subscription, you will only get live games.
Other
Gabriel Gagné, the former Senators and Maple Leafs prospect, is once again been in serious legal trouble. In 2021, he was arrested and charged with sexual assault of multiple victims, including of a minor. Fast forward to 2023, he was arrested for harassing and threatening his girlfriend. Once again, in 2024, he is in legal trouble for something related to his now ex-girlfriend. This time, he is accused of hiring a hitman to kill her.
Professional Women’s Hockey League
The New York Sirens have a new home for the upcoming 2024-25 season. They will be playing in Prudential Center (home of the New Jersey Devils).
World News:
Alps Hockey League
So far in the young Alps Hockey League season, the most interesting match was Red Bull Hockey Juniors taking on S.G. Cortina Hafro. The reason for this is that they faced off against each other in the semi-finals last season. In that semi-final matchup, Cortina won. In this match, however, Red Bull got revenge, winning 2-1 in overtime.
Champions Hockey League
Currently, there is only one remaining undefeated team in the CHL: Färjestad Karlstad of the SHL.
For the first time ever, a woman is officiating in the Champions Hockey League. Julia Kainberger of Austria is the one to achieve this historic accomplishment at age 29. Previously, she has served as a referee at the 2022 Olympics, five Women’s World Championships (including three gold medal games), and two U18 World Women’s Championships. She spends most of her officiating time in the Alps Hockey League, ICE Hockey League, and SDHL.
Speaking of the Champions Hockey League, the surprise of the season so far has been the Sheffield Steelers of the EIHL. Last year in the EIHL, the Steelers won the Grand Slam (winning the Challenge Cup, regular season, and Championship). This year, their sights are clearly aimed higher and it shows. Their only loss so far was in their first game to Fribourg-Gottéron (from Switzerland’s National League). Since then, though, they have defeated the SHL’s Växjö Lakers (3-2 in overtime), the Czech Extraliga’s Sparta Prague (5-1), and then the SHL’s defending champions, Skellefteå AIK (3-2). Those are some true heavyweights that the Steelers have taken down. Currently, the Steelers are sitting eighth in the CHL standings. They have two matches in October: ZSC Lions Zurich (who are above the Steelers in the standings) and then Dynamo Pardubice who have struggled in the last two matches.
Unia Oświęcim, of the Polska Hokej Liga (Poland’s top league), got their first-ever CHL win, beating KAC Klagenfurt (of Austria’s win2day ICE Hockey League) 5-4 in regulation.
Deutsche Eishockey Liga
On the first night of hockey in Germany’s top league, two players committed penalties worthy of suspensions. The more severe one was committed by Andreas Eder of Red Bull Munich. He got suspended two games for a check to the head and neck area. The second suspension was for Maksim Matushkin from Leuven Frankfurt, for committing the same penalty, but he only got suspended for one game. The reason Eder got punished more severely was because the player he injured, Brayden Burke (of the Iserlohn Roosters), was too injured to continue playing.
Deutsche Fraueneishockey-Liga
Germany’s top women’s ice hockey league has a new naming right partner: Blossom-ic-intelligent controls AG. Never before has the league had a naming rights partner. The league is, effective immediately, now known as the blossom-ic DFEL, or, the blossom-ic Deutsche Frauen Eishockey Liga (in English: blossom-ic German women ice hockey league).
Elite Ice Hockey League
Several teams have remained perfect so far in the Challenge Cup: the Belfast Giants and Nottingham Panthers. Belfast does have the better goal differential, though, with +12 while the Panthers are just +7.
Loren Ulett scored four goals for the Manchester Storm in a comeback 6-5 victory over the Fife Flyers. They were down 4-2 halfway through the match and ended up winning the game. Ulett scored both the first and last goals of the game.
Last season, Adam Johnson of the Nottingham Panthers was tragically and accidentally killed during a game. Now, his number will be retired by the Panthers. His #47 will go up into the rafters on December 14, with Johnson’s family members in attendance.
On the business side of things, Warrior Sports is the new official kit partner of the EIHL starting this season. The partnership will last four years. Currently, they make the equipment and jerseys for some of the teams. Now, it will be for all, and will be making the jerseys for fans to buy in the merchandise stores.
Kontinental Hockey League
Barys head coach, David Nemirovsky, was fired after the club’s poor start to the season. Assistant coach Evgeny Korolyov is now serving as interim head coach.
On the business side of things, the KHL will make a record payment of one billion rubles to its member clubs. It is almost double what was paid out last season (603,9 vs. 1 175,2). Payments to clubs are made based on sporting performance (30%) and KHL standings (70%). As the defending Gagarin Cup winner, Metallurg will receive the largest payment (1.06 million rubles) while the smallest will go to Kunlun (19.8 million). Furthermore, 99 million rubles will go to JHL clubs (that aren’t affiliated with the KHL), independent hockey schools, the “Your Chance” tournament, and a tournament for young athletes with disabilities.
Lokomotiv head coach Igor Nikitin celebrated his 600th game as a head coach in the KHL on September 14th. There was also the chance he could win his 400th game on the same night. Unfortunately for him, that didn’t happen, as they would lose to Neftekhimik by a score of 1-0. He would win his 400th game as a head coach in the next match on the 17th, however. Lokomotiv would defeat Lada 2-1.
Defending Gagarin Cup champions Metallurg have been going through it this season. After 10 games, they have three wins. Three. Only one was in regulation. They also started the season with five losses in six games.
Metallurg’s one regulation win came on a rather important night: one celebrating defender Evgeny Biryukov, now serving as a coach for Salavat Yulaev, the opponent. Biryukov was the first player in KHL history to play in 1,000 games. Metallurg honored him by unveiling a plaque for him in the club’s Walk of fame and retiring his number. Unfortunately for Biryukov, his team would not get the win as Metallurg would get the 5-3 victory.
SKA has gotten stronger as now they have signed former NHL defender Tony DeAngelo. For those who don’t know, SKA already has Evgeny Kuznetsov, Ivan Demidov, Alexander Nikishin, and some others you’d likely recognize the names of.
Liiga
On September 18, three players played their 500th game in Liiga. Jan-Mikael Järvinen (14th season), Matti Järvinen (12th season), and Antti Tyrvainen (14th season) were the three to achieve this.
On the 24th, Veli-Matti Savinainen joined the club with his 500th game played.
Even more impressively, Juhani Jasu became the 10th player in league history to play 900 games. He achieved this on the 20th. This is his 19th season in the league and has won 8 medals, including a gold with Tappara.
Metal Ligaen
Here’s something you won’t see too often: a referee forgetting their skates. It happened on the 22nd, during a match between Herlev and Herning. Their skates would be delivered at the arena during the first intermission, though.
Rungsted has really been going through it this season and they’re still not the worst team in the league. Three of their matches so far have been rather embarrassing with the opponent being dominant. It started with a 4-1 loss to Aalborg on the 14th. Two nights later on the 16th, they lost 5-1 to Odense. The worst loss, however, would be nine days later, and once again to Aalborg. This time they would lose 10-4. Aalborg scored five goals in the final nine minutes of the game.
SønderjysKE (the defending champions) and Esbjerg (the silver medal winners) faced off against each other on the 18th. Esbjerg would get revenge by winning 4-3. It did take a shootout to decide the victor, though. It was always close, with neither team pulling ahead for long. The match was 3-3 going into the third period, which created a rather tense one. This match was everything one could hope for from a gold medal rematch, and probably the best game so far this season.
Swedish Hockey League
Former Arizona Coyotes prospect, Victor Söderström, is back in Sweden. He has signed with Brynäs, which is the system he grew up playing through, and spent some time playing for the SHL team.
On opening night, David Tomasek of Färjestad started the season strong with four goals. That does include the shootout winner he scored as he scored all four goals needed to defeat Rögle, 4-3.
That’s not the only impressive thing we’ve seen from Färjestad so early in the season, though. For the first time since 2020, Färjestad got all three points Växjö. They did so on September 24 by winning 5-2, led by Oskar Steen who scored twice.
In some rather interesting news, the percentage of fines in the SHL and Hockey Allsvenskan (Sweden’s second-tier of men’s hockey) have been reduced. Previously, players paid 12.5% of their gross salary. Now, they will only pay 10%. The SHL says this is due to the reduction in the number of injuries seen in the two leagues.
Defending SHL champion Skellefteå didn’t have the best start to their season. In the first game of the league’s regular season, Malmö defeated them 4-1. The sole Skellefteå goal was by star defender (and Detroit Red Wings prospect) Axel Sandin Pellikka. Meanwhile, for Malmö, Finnish players accounted for six points total in the match (including Joona Ikonen, who scored a goal and got one assist).
win2day Austrian Women's Hockey League
We have a new women’s hockey league in Europe: the “win2day Austrian Women's Hockey League” (or AWHL for short). It is a partner of Austria’s top men’s league, win2day ICE Hockey League. It is hoped that through this, there will be a more uniform platform for the sport. The league’s five teams are ones who used to be part of the European Women’s Hockey League (EWHL). According to a statement, the schedule will work like this:
The AWHL is played in two phases. In phase 1, the five AWHL teams compete against each other in a first and second round, with the games also counting towards the EWHL. Phase 2 is followed by a placement round and a qualifying round. The top three teams from Phase 1 play another round robin to determine places 1-3 for the Final Four. The remaining two teams from Phase 1 and the best team from the DEBL play in a separate round to determine participation in the Final Four.
In the AWHL Final Four, the three best teams from the placement round and the winner of the qualifying round will meet and play for the title of "AWHL Champion 2024-25" in the semi-finals and final.
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