It was the summer of 1997 and Day 1 of NHL free agency was one minute away from closing. Charlie ...

It was the summer of 1997 and Day 1 of NHL free agency was one minute away from closing. Charlie Lyons, then chairman and CEO of the Colorado Avalanche, was looking forward to a bike trip in the Rockies with his childhood friends while basking in the success of his new side gig as a film producer. His rookie film, "Air Force One" starring Harrison Ford, opened 10 days earlier and sat atop the box office. Not too bad a summer for a guy who spent the preceding offseason celebrating a Stanley Cup victory with the Avalanche.That's when the call came in. "Have you heard?" Denver Post sports columnist Mark Kiszla asked. "The New York Rangers just offered Joe Sakic $21 million with $15 million up-front. What have you got to say about that?"<div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div>Lyons hadn't heard, and he didn't know what to say."There's a lot of things you can do in business, but one thing you can't make up is money in the bank. We did not have that money in the bank," Lyons says in the NHL's new documentary, "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0Kl7yt-Lps">Saving Sakic</a>," which revisits the attempt to lure the Avs captain with a restricted free-agent offer sheet.<figure class="article-segment--embed"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/c0Kl7yt-Lps?si=zniplZBVryqm5PtQ" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></figure>"I went on a journey to try and find out what happened because no one on the internet and none of the articles I was reading really nailed it, there was a lot of conjecture," said documentary director Jay Nelson, who spent two years tracing the story from the perspective of both the Avalanche and Rangers, who were themselves reacting to the loss of captain Mark Messier to the Vancouver Canucks."Making the movie was a surprise the whole way. This was a different time in the NHL," Nelson said. Prime Video members in Canada can access the film starting Tuesday, and it'll be available to ESPN+ subscribers in the U.S. on Wednesday.In 1997, Ascent Entertainment, the parent company of the Avalanche and the NBA's Denver Nuggets, didn't have the cash on hand to match the Rangers' offer. With only seven days to come up with the money in the pre-salary cap era, Lyons' own hero's quest to keep the Avalanche's biggest star has become the stuff of NHL legend.As it would happen, Lyons found help from an unexpected source: Hollywood. Beacon Pictures was a sibling company in Ascent's portfolio and one of the producers of "Air Force One." Drawing on business lessons he learned creating the film with Ford, Lyons negotiated a deal that kept Sakic in Denver while also getting a new arena built. Eventually, even Sakic would thank Ford for the roundabout assist.<figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/624905/cropped_GettyImages-3438230.jpg?ts=1713215605" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/624905/w220xh124_GettyImages-3438230.jpg?ts=1713215605 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/624905/w320xh180_GettyImages-3438230.jpg?ts=1713215605 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/624905/w640xh360_GettyImages-3438230.jpg?ts=1713215605 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/624905/w768xh432_GettyImages-3438230.jpg?ts=1713215605 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/624905/w1080xh607_GettyImages-3438230.jpg?ts=1713215605 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption">Harrison Ford, left, and director Wolfgang Petersen on the set of "Air Force One." Fotos International / Getty Images</figcaption></figure>With Sakic safely tucked away, Colorado went to four conference finals over the next six seasons and won the Stanley Cup again in 2001.theScore interviewed Lyons - who continues to produce films after Ascent sold the teams in 2000 - about that summer and how he put together the deal to keep Sakic in Colorado.theScore: When you get bombshell news about the Rangers offering Sakic a $21-million contract, what's your reaction? Was it a moment where your stomach dropped? Or did it bring out your competitive side?Lyons: The first reaction is you've walked into a punch. And it was a double punch because it didn't come from within. It was Mark Kiszla calling, who was a terrific journalist and seemed to be ahead of every story. He would have been a great Sherlock Holmes, frankly. He just laid me out and said, "What do you have to say about that?"First I heard of it. I was done for the summer. We had successfully released the film, and I was catching my breath. So, yeah, that's a sucker punch. No question.What is it about Sakic that made it imperative to keep him in Denver?We defined a star as not only somebody who performs, but somebody who fits in, and somebody who was an ingredient and the chemistry of the family. Joe was the leader of the team - he was the moral centerpiece.I'd had a bad experience where a person who I have become very close to in life, Dikembe Mutombo, was poached by the Atlanta Hawks from the Nuggets. To this day, I consider it to be the worst business failure that I was involved with - to lose a player of that caliber, who was so great in the locker room, who was such a fabulous representation of the organization, the community. Joe had all of those qualities. So, you feel like you're losing a son in a way. It gets right to the core of what a team is. There was a real desire to prevent it from happening.It was overwhelming. You feel so much responsibility for everybody else, and you feel enormously deficient that something like this could even happen. <figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/624903/cropped_SS7_STILL_04.jpg.jpg?ts=1713214711" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/624903/w220xh124_SS7_STILL_04.jpg.jpg?ts=1713214711 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/624903/w320xh180_SS7_STILL_04.jpg.jpg?ts=1713214711 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/624903/w640xh360_SS7_STILL_04.jpg.jpg?ts=1713214711 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/624903/w768xh432_SS7_STILL_04.jpg.jpg?ts=1713214711 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/624903/w1080xh607_SS7_STILL_04.jpg.jpg?ts=1713214711 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption">Charlie Lyons addresses the media in the late 1990s NHL</figcaption></figure>In the face of that chaos, how did you snap into action?You have to deal with what is on your plate. So you take a step back: the money's not in the bank, if everything stays the same he's going to go. You think, even though you have a hit motion picture, that's your other company. Those resources are intended to make films. But what "Air Force One" did is - when you have something that's that successful, it gives you confidence that you can solve problems, and you can get things done.Then, you just catch your breath for a moment and say, 'OK, what's possible here?' There were three moving pieces. One is: We've got to be able to say to the community, and say to Joe and say to the world, that there's going to be a state-of-the-art facility to play in. That's also a statement for the fans.The second part was: Maybe there's somebody in town that might come in and become a small partner right now because it appeals to them. That was Liberty Media. They have great civic pride, so they were happy to come to the rescue.And the third was the expiring Fox (national TV) agreement. Those are big television rights for teams. They are very, very important. So to get a little bit of an advance and cement that - don't waste a crisis.At the end of the week, when everything was secured and you knew Sakic was staying, you must have felt great about pulling it all together.I felt good. But I also felt that, wow, we're pretty vulnerable. This can't go on, there are no more new arenas or sales or partial sales. The idea that you'd have to do things that affect the future in order to conduct business today was a sobering aspect. We got through it and we got a lot of things done, and that's really great. But there was also that sobering reality that we may be too small for what is going to happen in this business.I love Denver, I feel an enormous personal connection to the people. I love Colorado. As a matter of fact, I live in Colorado. I have to work in Los Angeles and am on sets all over the place. But my domicile is Colorado. So I have huge civic pride and I love the city. So it's more personal, you know what I mean? It's the human connections that are so great.What do you think about the way the NHL has evolved since the 1990s when stars were at greater risk of being poached?Gary Bettman has done such a terrific job. I don't think he gets the credit he deserves. He came into a very established culture. I got to know him when I was involved with the NBA. He was great at what he did there. So I had no doubt when he got over to the NHL, he was gonna bring all that energy.Here's what's changed, I think, for the better. When he got there, you could see the energy and the upswing in the development of the league. But what you're seeing with this particular incident, and ironically with myself and my company, was the days were over for small entrepreneurs trying to do this. You've seen the stories come out about Jerry Buss that everybody thought, 'What was behind the curtain on the Lakers?' Well, they didn't have the financial resources. That's sort of been taken care of in Denver. The teams in Denver are so much better off now than they were when they were run by people like us. Because the resources are so deep, no one would ever contemplate trying to steal somebody with resources as the weapon. That would be just idiotic. This was an utter act of madness, but totally understandable, given what David (Checketts, then president and CEO of Madison Square Garden) was going through in New York. He lost a guy like Messier. He was just getting clobbered there.My situation - it was a publicly traded company. There was the tension that sports is not a quarter-to-quarter business and public companies are. So, you have this awful disconnect. Investors are looking for short-term rewards and short-term profits. It's the whole tension of: are these companies better public or private? I don't think there's any question they're better private, frankly. At the end of the day, the economic motivations are very different for a high net-worth family than they are for a publicly traded company and people in those management roles.And then, plus the fact that all the changes made in hockey afterwards, like putting a cap in. <figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/522645/cropped_GettyImages-1405349251.jpg?ts=1713214911" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/522645/w220xh124_GettyImages-1405349251.jpg?ts=1713214911 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/522645/w320xh180_GettyImages-1405349251.jpg?ts=1713214911 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/522645/w640xh360_GettyImages-1405349251.jpg?ts=1713214911 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/522645/w768xh432_GettyImages-1405349251.jpg?ts=1713214911 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/522645/w1080xh607_GettyImages-1405349251.jpg?ts=1713214911 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption">Joe Sakic hoists the Stanley Cup in 2022 as general manager of the Avalanche Dave Sandford / National Hockey League / Getty Images</figcaption></figure>Has Sakic ever thanked Harrison Ford for his role in keeping him in Denver?Yeah, he has. He hasn't had the chance to meet him personally because Harrison's actually the busiest he's ever been in his life now. But he did thank him, he was hysterical.Jolene Latimer is a features writer at theScore.

https://rich-content.thescore.com/content_cards/27006920/related

Revisiting Harrison Ford's unlikely role in keeping Joe Sakic in Colorado

The NBA's investigation into Jontay Porter for betting irregularities is the most high profile su...

The NBA's investigation into Jontay Porter for betting irregularities is the most high profile such case in North American sports in more than a decade, and it raises questions about the legal penalties athletes may face.<a href="https://www.thescore.com/nba/news/2877089">ESPN reported</a> March 25 that Porter was being investigated by the league for a type of match manipulation sometimes referred to as spot-fixing. Two of Porter's performances - Jan. 26 and March 20 - triggered the probe. In both cases, Porter left the game early, resulting in his points, rebounds, and 3-pointers falling significantly under the prop bet over-under lines available to bettors.Leagues and teams can ban or suspend athletes or other insiders who are found to have contravened betting policies. But legal punishments are a more complex issue. <div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div>Jeremy Luke, president and CEO of the <a href="https://www.cces.ca/">Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport</a>, said his team is leading a charge to make match-fixing illegal and criminal. Currently, there are no federal laws in either Canada or the United States specifically criminalizing competitive manipulation in sports."Leagues themselves have policies in place to deal with issues like this," Luke said. "If someone does something that would violate that policy, the league would be investigating that particular issue. And these leagues have ways to be able to monitor betting lines and have any irregularities reported to them, and the ability to investigate these types of things. They ultimately have the ability to take action and from a sport perspective to prohibit individuals from participating in their sports."Laying criminal charges in such cases wouldn't be straightforward because of the laws on the books in both countries. "In this particular case with Porter, it would have to be proven that he intentionally influenced the outcome of the bets on him with the intent of benefiting from it," <a href="https://zealousadvocate.com/">Ben Michael</a>, an attorney at M&amp;A Criminal Defense Attorneys in Austin, Texas, wrote in an email to theScore. "Though it may seem clear that this is what he did to most people, actually proving his actions and intent may not be so easy."Financial and health records, in addition to personal communications, will be vital if evidence of any wrongdoing is to be proven.<figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/622112/cropped_GettyImages-2000559410.jpg?ts=1711469637" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/622112/w220xh124_GettyImages-2000559410.jpg?ts=1711469637 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/622112/w320xh180_GettyImages-2000559410.jpg?ts=1711469637 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/622112/w640xh360_GettyImages-2000559410.jpg?ts=1711469637 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/622112/w768xh432_GettyImages-2000559410.jpg?ts=1711469637 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/622112/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2000559410.jpg?ts=1711469637 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption">The NBA is currently investigating Jontay Porter for irregularities in two of his performances Mark Blinch / Getty Images Sport / Getty</figcaption></figure>The NBA has had no further comment on its investigation, and it's not clear whether any law-enforcement agencies in Canada or the U.S. are also looking into the matter. The Canadian Press reported March 26 that Toronto police were not looking into the matter. Sportradar Integrity Services, a branch of the global data services company, <a href="https://sportradar.com/sportradar-releases-third-annual-integrity-report/">reported in March</a> that it found 1,329 suspicious matches in 11 sports around the world in 2023, which represented just 0.5% of competitions. Only 35 of those irregular findings happened in North America.Betting irregularities are not just the domain of teams and leagues. ESPN reported that DraftKings said prop bets on Porter, who averages only 14 minutes a game, in the two games flagged were the biggest winning prop bets of the night.Sports betting became legal under federal law in the U.S. in 2018 after a Supreme Court ruling struck down a 1992 law called the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act. Individual states have since enacted their own frameworks to regulate the industry. Betting is legal now in 38 states.Canada's law was amended in 2021 to allow single-game betting. Only one province, Ontario, has opened a regulated market to betting companies. Other provinces have government-run betting operations within their lottery commissions. The advent of legal sports betting in North America means integrity issues will crop up more often. "With that comes great risks of competition manipulation, both the outcome of competitions, but also component parts of competitions that people are wagering on," Luke said. "It's a very, very serious issue."The increase in popularity of prop bets has underscored the risk of spot-fixing in particular. "It's not specific to the outcome of a competition and trying to fix the outcome," Luke added.<figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/615235/cropped_GettyImages-1204566537.jpg?ts=1712261351" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/615235/w220xh124_GettyImages-1204566537.jpg?ts=1712261351 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/615235/w320xh180_GettyImages-1204566537.jpg?ts=1712261351 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/615235/w640xh360_GettyImages-1204566537.jpg?ts=1712261351 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/615235/w768xh432_GettyImages-1204566537.jpg?ts=1712261351 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/615235/w1080xh607_GettyImages-1204566537.jpg?ts=1712261351 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption">The rise in popularity of prop bets, such as the color of the Gatorade at the Super Bowl, has created more opportunities for spot-fixing Michael Zagaris / Getty Images</figcaption></figure>Jurisdictions worldwide grapple with how best to address match-fixing. In 2014, European nations adopted the Macolin Convention - currently the only rule of international law on the subject of match-fixing. Nine European nations have ratified it and 32 more have signed the treaty. Australia and Morocco are also signatories."What that convention does is that it requires governments to put in place regulatory approaches to protect the integrity of competitions and to make sure that any issues related to manipulation can be reported, that they can be identified, and that they can be investigated, so that the public can have confidence in our support system and we can also know that we're protecting the health and safety of our athletes," Luke said. "It speaks to how significant an issue it is, when there's an international convention signed on by over 30 different countries." Other jurisdictions have developed homegrown solutions. Germany amended its criminal code in 2017 to address betting fraud in sports and the manipulation of professional sports competitions. This amendment was passed in response to a 2005 match-fixing scandal involving a German football referee.In North America, there are no specific provisions in U.S. or Canadian federal law to directly address match-fixing or spot-fixing. In Canada, the "cheating at play" provision of Section 209 of the Criminal Code is perhaps the closest legislation on the books. It is worded to include, "Everyone who, with the intent to defraud any person, cheats while playing a game …" However, it's thought that professional sporting events would not fall under the legal definition of a "game" because they do not involve the required amount of chance."The challenge for us in Canada is that we are far behind what those other countries have put in place. While we recently legalized all that sports betting and people are becoming more and more familiar with the issue, the reality is other countries have done a lot to protect their athletes and it's incumbent on us to be doing the same right now," Luke said. Over the last five years, his organization has held two symposiums on match-fixing, and has <a href="https://cces.ca/2023-symposium-competition-manipulation-and-gambling-sport">openly called on the Canadian government</a> to adopt the Macolin Convention.In the U.S., the federal Sports Bribery Act makes it a felony to bribe anyone involved in a sporting event to intentionally influence the outcome. But there is no provision for cases where trainers, referees, coaches, or athletes may be influencing games without payment from others.In one of the few American precedents, former NBA referee Tim Donaghy was sentenced to 15 months in prison for his role in a gambling scandal. He pleaded guilty to wire fraud and transmitting wagering information but wasn't charged for betting on games or affecting outcomes. If an athlete was charged with an offense related to match-fixing or spot-fixing, prosecutors would likely have to prove the more general fraud charge.<figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/623318/cropped_GettyImages-1184501491.jpg?ts=1712261415" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/623318/w220xh124_GettyImages-1184501491.jpg?ts=1712261415 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/623318/w320xh180_GettyImages-1184501491.jpg?ts=1712261415 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/623318/w640xh360_GettyImages-1184501491.jpg?ts=1712261415 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/623318/w768xh432_GettyImages-1184501491.jpg?ts=1712261415 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/623318/w1080xh607_GettyImages-1184501491.jpg?ts=1712261415 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption">Basketball referee Tim Donaghy received a 15-month prison sentence for his role in a 2006 gambling scandal Dimitrios Kambouris / Getty Images</figcaption></figure>Criminal fraud may not be the only legal trouble awaiting an athlete. Chicago-area attorney <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanrosenfeld/">Jonathan Rosenfeld</a> said an athlete may face disciplinary action from regulators in the form of a fine. "Sports betting regulations, established by governmental authorities or regulatory bodies, often prohibit actions that compromise the fairness of betting outcomes," Rosenfeld wrote in an email.An athlete also could face civil liabilities. "Affected parties, such as betting agencies or sponsors, may pursue legal action to recover damages resulting from the misconduct," Rosenfeld said. This is all in addition to league sanctions and contract termination, which are likely if the allegations are proven.The NFL and NHL have taken such actions for other infractions of their codes of conduct. Three NFL players last season were suspended for six games for betting on other sports inside their team facilities. Nine others have been handed minimum one-year suspensions for betting on NFL games since 2019. Several of those players had their contracts terminated by their teams.Shane Pinto of the Ottawa Senators was suspended for half the current NHL season for violating the league's gambling policy. It was found he didn't bet on NHL games, although no further details were provided.<figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/591690/cropped_GettyImages-1249442771.jpg?ts=1712261741" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/591690/w220xh124_GettyImages-1249442771.jpg?ts=1712261741 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/591690/w320xh180_GettyImages-1249442771.jpg?ts=1712261741 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/591690/w640xh360_GettyImages-1249442771.jpg?ts=1712261741 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/591690/w768xh432_GettyImages-1249442771.jpg?ts=1712261741 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/591690/w1080xh607_GettyImages-1249442771.jpg?ts=1712261741 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption">Shane Pinto of the Ottawa Senators received a 41-game suspension for violating the NHL's betting policy Rich Graessle / National Hockey League / Getty Images</figcaption></figure>Luke believes that beyond criminalizing match-fixing, the best solution is for all sports to adopt a system similar to what the World Anti-Doping Association uses to penalize athletes who use banned substances."I'd like to see a sport system where we treat competition manipulation at the same level and with the same severity that we do doping issues, where we have a global regulator, we have a very sophisticated set of rules, we have organizations that have been set up specifically with a mandate to deal with those things and to investigate them," Luke said."I think we will see more and more cases like this. And we need the systems in place to be able to protect the integrity of our sports and health for athletes."Jolene Latimer is a feature writer at theScore.

https://rich-content.thescore.com/content_cards/26896839/related

Athletes can be banned for betting but can they face legal consequences?

You wouldn't think a piece of sporting equipment would be capable of causing such a fuss, especia...

You wouldn't think a piece of sporting equipment would be capable of causing such a fuss, especially the lowly hockey cage, a device amounting to a few crisscrossing metal bars serving the honorable duty of protecting a player's orbital bones, sinuses, jaw, and teeth, among other things.Many hockey players don't wear a cage. Whether that's a sign of toughness, tradition, or stupidity is up to you. On the men's side - apart from NCAA hockey, which has mandated its use since 1978 - cages are usually replaced with visors in junior hockey and never reappear.But it's different on the women's side. Even at the highest levels of the sport - the Olympics and the PWHL - women are required to wear full face protection, either in the form of a cage or an all-encompassing visor. Some think the rule is patronizing and others believe it limits the sport's marketability. Some argue real hockey can only be measured by facial scars and dental bills. Others have no problem with the mandate.<div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div>In the PWHL, the rule hasn't stopped fans from coming out in droves: 19,285 turned out to watch Toronto take on Montreal in February at Scotiabank Arena, and a similar matchup scheduled to take place at the Bell Centre in April sold out all 21,000 seats in minutes. It'll mark the sixth NHL venue to host a PWHL game this season with record-setting attendance.But the issue of visors vs. cages does figure in the outside conversation around the sport - sometimes as a genuine question from fans, and other times as a debate flashpoint. The question was even posed to Toronto's Sarah Nurse on the popular hockey podcast "Spittin' Chiclets" in February. A clip of her answer posted to the podcast's <a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/C3aWMXtOFDj/">Instagram account</a> garnered more than 1.4 million views, making it among the podcast's most-viewed snippets on the platform. The TikTok version has more than 50,000 likes:<figure class="article-segment--embed"><blockquote class="tiktok-embed" cite="https://www.tiktok.com/@spittinchiclets/video/7336289235021925678" data-video-id="7336289235021925678" style="max-width: 605px;min-width: 325px;"> <section> <a target="_blank" title="@spittinchiclets" href="https://www.tiktok.com/@spittinchiclets?refer=embed">@spittinchiclets</a> Will we ever see visors in the PWHL?? <a target="_blank" title="♬ original sound - Spittin Chiclets" href="https://www.tiktok.com/music/original-sound-7336289400801856298?refer=embed">♬ original sound - Spittin Chiclets</a> </section> </blockquote> <script async="" src="https://www.tiktok.com/embed.js"></script></figure>"I have a pretty beautiful face," Nurse said in the interview. "I just got dental insurance this year. I don't want to be stuck in the face."A glance at more than 700 comments on the Instagram post showed a majority of the Chiclets faithful seemed to think: fair enough. That said, Nurse is one player in a league of 156. The new league loosened established rules around hitting. Could it take another step to move into line with the men's professional game? What do other players think about mandated full-face protection, and would others in the league be open to making the switch?<h3>Limited appetite for visors</h3>For a lot of PWHLers, outside chatter about cages has been surprising. "I guess, in the women's game, it's not really something that's ever been brought up," PWHL Toronto's Hannah Miller said. "You go to college, men and women both wear cages or full masks there. And then, for us, at the international level, it's the same thing. So this is kind of new. This is the first legitimate pro league for us in North America. The only time you hear about it is in the comments or when fans bring it up."Like Nurse, most players in the PWHL seem to like their faces."I personally have never considered wearing a visor, because my parents paid a lot of money for my braces," Montreal's Maureen Murphy said. "I feel women care a lot about the aesthetic of their face so I don't see that change coming in the PWHL," New York's Alex LaBelle wrote in an email."I like to not have too much damage to my face," Minnesota's Grace Zumwinkle said. Miller doesn't think a lack of enthusiasm for facial injuries is exclusively a woman's thing, either. "I think the guys aren't too happy when that kind of stuff happens but it's just been a part of their game for so long that that discussion doesn't really come up," she said.<figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/622179/cropped_GettyImages-1958539404.jpg?ts=1711488865" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/622179/w220xh124_GettyImages-1958539404.jpg?ts=1711488865 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/622179/w320xh180_GettyImages-1958539404.jpg?ts=1711488865 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/622179/w640xh360_GettyImages-1958539404.jpg?ts=1711488865 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/622179/w768xh432_GettyImages-1958539404.jpg?ts=1711488865 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/622179/w1080xh607_GettyImages-1958539404.jpg?ts=1711488865 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption">Maureen Murphy prefers to protect her smile with a cage Icon Sportswire / Getty Images</figcaption></figure>It's not that PWHL players don't understand that prominently featuring players' faces could make for a better fan experience. "I do think from a marketing standpoint, it's nice to be able to see someone's face," Murphy said. "I've been considering using a fishbowl."But as for half visors: "I think a lot of girls would be really reluctant to even try one," she said. The reasons are twofold."A lot of injuries would happen with high-stickings, accidentally," said Minnesota's Abby Boreen. "You don't mean to hit someone in the face but it does happen." Those injuries not only result in scars but require expensive repairs. <a href="https://jcda.ca/l8">Research</a> has shown the risk of dental injury is 9.9 times higher when wearing a visor compared to full-face protection, and dental injuries are the costliest to fix. When dental trauma does occur, it costs about three times as much as non-dental hockey injuries.Because female hockey players have never had to worry about injuring an opponent's face, careless stick use is more common throughout all levels of women's hockey. "The women's game doesn't allow visors at any level, so transitioning at the professional level would be difficult," Toronto's Samantha Cogan said via email. "Players would need to learn how to control their sticks and protect their faces properly."The other reason behind the reluctance to switch to visors isn't too different from the habits of other professional athletes of the world: equipment changes of any kind are generally met with resistance. "A lot of girls love their old equipment - they actually have gear from high school that they refuse to change," Murphy said. LaBelle said she's been using a cage since she was four years old and doesn't want to mess with a good thing. Boreen said all but the same thing: "I'm just so used to having a cage that I think it'd be very odd."Still, it's not entirely out of the question for some athletes. "I wouldn't be opposed to it," Miller said. "But there's a lot of things that I think go into that, in terms of having medical and severe dental coverage, and I guess more medical (equipment) on site for potentially getting pucks and sticks in the face."<figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/615710/cropped_GettyImages-1905677115.jpg?ts=1711489389" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/615710/w220xh124_GettyImages-1905677115.jpg?ts=1711489389 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/615710/w320xh180_GettyImages-1905677115.jpg?ts=1711489389 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/615710/w640xh360_GettyImages-1905677115.jpg?ts=1711489389 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/615710/w768xh432_GettyImages-1905677115.jpg?ts=1711489389 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/615710/w1080xh607_GettyImages-1905677115.jpg?ts=1711489389 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption">Minnesota's Grace Zumwinkle on the ice with a cage Icon Sportswire / Getty Images</figcaption></figure>Players can't currently opt out of full-face coverage, but some imagine a world where the choice is theirs. "I don't think the league would ever make it mandatory for the players to wear a visor, but I could see the league making it an option in the future for players that want to wear them," said Cogan, even though she admitted "the benefits probably don't outweigh the negatives.""I personally feel more comfortable in a cage since I've been wearing one my whole life. The idea of taking a puck or skate to the face isn't worth the risk to me," she said. "At the end of the day, player safety is extremely important - the safer players are, the more we mitigate injuries, the more players will stay in the lineup. It would be unfortunate for a player to get injured from wearing a visor - even for the fans, they want to see the players on the ice, not in the hospitals. I think going to visors would be taking a step back for safety."<h3>A question of marketability </h3>While the drawbacks of wearing a visor are well-documented, the benefits are somewhat less clear. "I would like to know - other than fans saying, 'Why aren't you guys wearing visors, because that's what the men in the NHL do, or males at the pro level do' - what would be the reasoning or their perspective on why they would want us to wear visors?" Miller said. "Is it creating a better experience for them in any way?"Of all the arguments in favor of swapping cages for visors, the one that seems to be most valid for PWHL athletes is the assumption that fans can relate more to players whose faces they can actually see on the ice. "I totally get that," Miller said. "We discussed that a little bit. I think one thing is maybe having more players wear a bubble instead of a cage. I have actually been thinking about switching back to a bubble." The issue with bubbles usually comes down to reduced visibility, trapped heat and humidity, and the additional work to look after it.<figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/620299/cropped_GettyImages-2023095847.jpg?ts=1711489614" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/620299/w220xh124_GettyImages-2023095847.jpg?ts=1711489614 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/620299/w320xh180_GettyImages-2023095847.jpg?ts=1711489614 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/620299/w640xh360_GettyImages-2023095847.jpg?ts=1711489614 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/620299/w768xh432_GettyImages-2023095847.jpg?ts=1711489614 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/620299/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2023095847.jpg?ts=1711489614 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption">PWHL Boston forward Susanna Tapani skates with a full visor instead of a cage Boston Globe / Getty Images</figcaption></figure>Miller said she'd deal with those inconveniences if wearing a bubble could help develop a further connection with fans, and she thinks a lot of people in the league would too. "I think if that's something that's going to help the fans build that relationship or feel like they're able to see our faces more on the ice, then I think that's something that everyone would be totally open to doing."But that may not be necessary. Hockey fans have long been enamored with players whose faces they can't see - NHL goalies have worn masks on the ice since 1959. Fan favorites like Curtis Joseph, Martin Brodeur, and Patrick Roy have all established enduring connections with fans despite spending their careers behind a mask. They made their presence known through their on-ice exploits, and off-ice interviews and interactions with fans.Ottawa goalie and Canadian national team member Emerance Maschmeyer is no different. She's shown her vivacious personality through social media and fashion, drawing a diehard group of fans. Her bright pink silk suit and confident red carpet pose at the NHL All-Star Game captured what her fans love most about her:<figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/622178/cropped_GettyImages-1971234266.jpg?ts=1711488643" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/622178/w220xh124_GettyImages-1971234266.jpg?ts=1711488643 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/622178/w320xh180_GettyImages-1971234266.jpg?ts=1711488643 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/622178/w640xh360_GettyImages-1971234266.jpg?ts=1711488643 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/622178/w768xh432_GettyImages-1971234266.jpg?ts=1711488643 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/622178/w1080xh607_GettyImages-1971234266.jpg?ts=1711488643 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption">Emerance Maschmeyer poses on the red carpet at the 2024 NHL All-Star Game Nicole Osborne / NHL / Getty Images</figcaption></figure>"I have two sides to me," she said. "There's the hockey side where, in ways, you kind of want to blend in, it's kind of one big unit. I have that side of me on the ice. Then, off the ice, I like to have my own unique touch and be able to express myself through my outfits."Creating those touchpoints has translated into increased fan engagement for Maschmeyer. "I've been really enjoying, even on my social media, being able to connect with the fans. You know, of course with hockey but also through my style and just different lifestyle posts. I think that's one side of our game that fans really enjoy - to get to connect with some of the personal side." As a goalie, Maschmeyer will never have the option to show her face on the ice, and that's fine by her. "People get to know us away from the game and our faces away from the game. We're pretty accessible. We love reaching out to fans and interacting," she said. "If that's the reason for visors - just so people can see your faces - I don't think it's super necessary."Jolene Latimer is a features writer for theScore.

https://rich-content.thescore.com/content_cards/26829813/related

Cages vs. visors: How the players view the issues, debate

With women's college basketball stars Caitlin Clark, Cameron Brink, Angel Reese, and Paige Buecke...

With women's college basketball stars Caitlin Clark, Cameron Brink, Angel Reese, and Paige Bueckers announcing their decisions about either heading to the WNBA or using their additional year of COVID eligibility next season, one thing is certain: The women's game has transformed since this cohort first stepped onto the hardwood at the start of the 2020-21 season.Viewership of college basketball is up: Iowa's Big Ten title win peaked at 4.45 million viewers, becoming CBS's most-watched women's basketball game in 25 years. Fans are showing up: A record-setting crowd of 55,646 watched Clark at an outdoor game in late 2023. And there are an unprecedented number of income streams for women playing basketball in the U.S., especially with lucrative NIL deals now available.Contrary to popular myths, that money doesn't disappear when players turn pro - either in the WNBA, Athletes Unlimited (AU), or overseas.<div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div>"You're being endorsed by a brand for a long-term contract," Atlanta Dream star Haley Jones said at a recent AU press conference. "Everything I did, and I do, I still have the majority of those contracts with me now. Then I take on my WNBA base salary. Then being in the W, being in the Atlanta market, then you start getting more endorsements."Translation: There's greater opportunity in women's basketball now, at every level, and it's not going away. That's changed how young athletes coming up view their career prospects and also how veterans see the game. theScore collected the perspectives of current AU basketball players on the way women's hoops has changed, and what they see in its future.<h3>NIL's impact</h3>"NIL came about heading into my junior year of college, which was really exciting," Jones said. "But honestly, nobody had any clue as to what that really meant. At that point in time, there was no legislation around it." She remembered the initial confusion about NCAA eligibility when signing deals. But much of that early confusion has since cleared - it's obvious athletes now can make real money while playing in college.<figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/619659/cropped_GettyImages-2069610020.jpg?ts=1710533015" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/619659/w220xh124_GettyImages-2069610020.jpg?ts=1710533015 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/619659/w320xh180_GettyImages-2069610020.jpg?ts=1710533015 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/619659/w640xh360_GettyImages-2069610020.jpg?ts=1710533015 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/619659/w768xh432_GettyImages-2069610020.jpg?ts=1710533015 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/619659/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2069610020.jpg?ts=1710533015 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption">Caitlin Clark has the highest NIL valuation of all women's college basketball athletes Aaron J. Thornton / Getty Images</figcaption></figure>Throughout her tenure with the Hawkeyes, Clark's NIL valuation soared to north of $3 million, while LSU's Reese is currently sitting at $1.8 million. They'll both head into the WNBA with brand-building momentum. As stars with branded deals graduate to the WNBA, they could attract more corporate interest in the league as a whole, potentially meaning more money for everyone. Based on the league's collective bargaining agreement, players receive 50% of the league's incremental revenue, but only when the league reaches certain targets it doesn't disclose. Those revenue targets jump by 20% each year, making additional corporate sponsorship a significant win league-wide.<figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/581042/cropped_GettyImages-1258674785.jpg?ts=1710532578" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/581042/w220xh124_GettyImages-1258674785.jpg?ts=1710532578 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/581042/w320xh180_GettyImages-1258674785.jpg?ts=1710532578 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/581042/w640xh360_GettyImages-1258674785.jpg?ts=1710532578 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/581042/w768xh432_GettyImages-1258674785.jpg?ts=1710532578 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/581042/w1080xh607_GettyImages-1258674785.jpg?ts=1710532578 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption">Haley Jones (left) and Monique Billings of the Atlanta Dream Mitchell Leff / Getty Images</figcaption></figure>"I think I got to see a lot of the growth in the NIL space," Jones said. "Then I think, moving from collegiate to then being a professional athlete, especially moving into the WNBA, I think there's a lot of misconceptions about like, 'Oh, you're gonna lose money when you get to the league,' when that isn't the case. Those deals are going to just carry over and then you get to add on your yearly salary."<h3>Brand building through social media</h3>"With social media, you're allowed to build your brand so much more," says Maddy Siegrist, an AU athlete who was selected third overall in the 2023 WNBA Draft by the Dallas Wings. "There were professional players 10 years ago but it wasn't as easy to access. Now you can watch a player one time, go on Instagram, and learn about them, become a follower."<figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/569373/cropped_GettyImages-1250648863.jpg?ts=1710532641" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/569373/w220xh124_GettyImages-1250648863.jpg?ts=1710532641 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/569373/w320xh180_GettyImages-1250648863.jpg?ts=1710532641 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/569373/w640xh360_GettyImages-1250648863.jpg?ts=1710532641 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/569373/w768xh432_GettyImages-1250648863.jpg?ts=1710532641 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/569373/w1080xh607_GettyImages-1250648863.jpg?ts=1710532641 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption">LSU's Angel Reese is social media's third most-followed college athlete - man or woman Ben Solomon / NCAA Photos / Getty Images</figcaption></figure>Reese and LSU teammate Flau'Jae Johnson leveraged this strategy to become two of the most-followed collegiate women's basketball players, with 5.3 million and 3.1 million respectively, across all social media platforms.Siegrist sees that trend getting younger and younger. "You're going to see athletes coming up who fans have followed since high school," she says. That helps the NIL opportunities for today's college athletes and the pros, too. "It just gives everybody an opportunity to make money ... it's just been taken to such a new level with sponsorship opportunities. It really allows athletes to elevate their platform."<h3>Offseason competition and development</h3>"I always said, women's basketball is like evolution: it's just growing and growing," Angel McCoughtry, two-time Olympic gold medalist for Team USA in 2012 and 2016, recalls. "I remember during my younger years, there was nothing (in the offseason)."<figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/620631/cropped_MADDY_SIEGRIST_GAME_5_PHOTO_CREDIT_JADE_HEWITT_ATHLETES_UNLIMITED.jpg?ts=1710515095" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/620631/w220xh124_MADDY_SIEGRIST_GAME_5_PHOTO_CREDIT_JADE_HEWITT_ATHLETES_UNLIMITED.jpg?ts=1710515095 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/620631/w320xh180_MADDY_SIEGRIST_GAME_5_PHOTO_CREDIT_JADE_HEWITT_ATHLETES_UNLIMITED.jpg?ts=1710515095 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/620631/w640xh360_MADDY_SIEGRIST_GAME_5_PHOTO_CREDIT_JADE_HEWITT_ATHLETES_UNLIMITED.jpg?ts=1710515095 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/620631/w768xh432_MADDY_SIEGRIST_GAME_5_PHOTO_CREDIT_JADE_HEWITT_ATHLETES_UNLIMITED.jpg?ts=1710515095 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/620631/w1080xh607_MADDY_SIEGRIST_GAME_5_PHOTO_CREDIT_JADE_HEWITT_ATHLETES_UNLIMITED.jpg?ts=1710515095 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption">Maddy Siegrist during the 2024 Athletes Unlimited basketball season Jade Hewitt / Athletes Unlimited</figcaption></figure>She contrasted that to now: Athletes Unlimited gives 40 players the chance to compete for a $1-million bonus pool in addition to a base salary that varies but averages to about $25,000 for four weeks of play. Both WNBA pros and former college players looking for a development opportunity compete."(AU) is an opportunity that I didn't have when I first came into the league," said Lexie Brown, a two-time defending WNBA champion. "I was a player that had aspirations outside of basketball when I was still in college, and that just wasn't something that I was able to do early in my career. I did go play three seasons overseas. It was cool, it was fine. But I just knew that there was so much more I wanted to do, domestically and off the court in the community. It is filling those gaps."That offseason competition isn't happening in an echo chamber, as ESPN will broadcast six games out of 24 from the 2024 AU basketball season, with the other 18 available on the WNBA app. "That's huge for AU," Brown said. "That's just showing you the growth in coverage these girls are going to get. This is the offseason and they're on ESPN."<h3>Mentality change</h3><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/620634/cropped_ANGEL_MCCOUGHTRY_GAME_2_PHOTO_CREDIT_JADE_HEWITT_ATHLETES_UNLIMITED__1_.jpg?ts=1710515406" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/620634/w220xh124_ANGEL_MCCOUGHTRY_GAME_2_PHOTO_CREDIT_JADE_HEWITT_ATHLETES_UNLIMITED__1_.jpg?ts=1710515406 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/620634/w320xh180_ANGEL_MCCOUGHTRY_GAME_2_PHOTO_CREDIT_JADE_HEWITT_ATHLETES_UNLIMITED__1_.jpg?ts=1710515406 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/620634/w640xh360_ANGEL_MCCOUGHTRY_GAME_2_PHOTO_CREDIT_JADE_HEWITT_ATHLETES_UNLIMITED__1_.jpg?ts=1710515406 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/620634/w768xh432_ANGEL_MCCOUGHTRY_GAME_2_PHOTO_CREDIT_JADE_HEWITT_ATHLETES_UNLIMITED__1_.jpg?ts=1710515406 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/620634/w1080xh607_ANGEL_MCCOUGHTRY_GAME_2_PHOTO_CREDIT_JADE_HEWITT_ATHLETES_UNLIMITED__1_.jpg?ts=1710515406 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption">Angel McCoughtry in the 2024 Athletes Unlimited season Jade Hewitt / Athletes Unlimited</figcaption></figure>"I will say that young girls understand more that there's opportunity just playing sports - it's not just about being a WNBA player," McCoughtry said. "You don't have to be an Olympic gold medalist. Companies want to hire people who play sports. They're learning that there's more than just being a pro - I can be an agent, I can be a commentator, the NBA is hiring more women than ever. So I think with those aspects, and so many opportunities, they're seeing that, 'Oh, there is opportunity in sports outside of just being this pro athlete."Brown summed it up: "More athletes, especially women athletes, are not putting themselves in a box anymore."Jolene Latimer is a features writer at theScore.

https://rich-content.thescore.com/content_cards/26744623/related

Clark, Reese lead changing women's basketball landscape

When Andre Ward walked away from boxing at the age of 33, his record spoke for itself: 32-0. But ...

When Andre Ward walked away from boxing at the age of 33, his record spoke for itself: 32-0. But for Ward, that wasn't the whole story. "I didn't feel like the media deserved to have my full story on blast," Ward said. So he kept quiet about some of his most formative experiences: growing up in Oakland with parents who suffered from substance use disorder. His mom was absent; his dad relapsed when Andre was a preteen and died when he was 18, spinning his life into turmoil."I like to call it my season of rebellion, when I was just like, 'I don't want anything to do with authority, God, nothing. I'm gonna live my life and do it my way,'" he said. <div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div>Ward showed early promise as a boxer, winning the U.S. under-19 national championship weeks before his father died. But when he began using substances and selling drugs after his father's death, his future in the sport was in jeopardy."I knew how I wanted to use drugs, I wanted to smoke weed, I wanted to drink, and I had an appetite and a desire for those things daily," he said. It wasn't until Ward reconnected with the religion of his youth - Christianity - that his life and career turned around. "Once I began to look up and humble myself and acknowledge my faults and my wrongs, and stop blaming mom, stop blaming dad, and ask for forgiveness - the peace that I felt, the power that I felt connected to my life, it can never be denied," he said. Ward put his head down and got to work, earning a reputation for fighting the best in his category and becoming an Olympic gold medalist at Athens 2004.<figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/619397/cropped_GettyImages-151066103.jpg?ts=1709836271" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/619397/w220xh124_GettyImages-151066103.jpg?ts=1709836271 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/619397/w320xh180_GettyImages-151066103.jpg?ts=1709836271 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/619397/w640xh360_GettyImages-151066103.jpg?ts=1709836271 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/619397/w768xh432_GettyImages-151066103.jpg?ts=1709836271 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/619397/w1080xh607_GettyImages-151066103.jpg?ts=1709836271 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption">Ward is the last American man to win Olympic gold in boxing Al Tielemans / Sports Illustrated / Getty Images</figcaption></figure>"When the world saw me in 2004, I was just fresh off the streets and was just trying to figure it out," he said. "I've tried to maintain my consistency with how I live my life. I'm not perfect, but I've tried to maintain that consistency, and then speak when it's appropriate."Consistent might be the best way to describe Ward's career - his last recorded loss was as a 13-year-old. As a professional, he won eight world titles in two divisions. He also recorded 16 KOs throughout his career, the most famous of which was arguably his last: an eighth-round TKO of Sergey Kovalev to defend the WBA, WBO, and IBF light heavyweight titles.When Ward retired in 2017, his body of work felt complete, aside from one lingering thing: opening up. "I knew I was going to tell my story at one point in time," he said. But he had stipulations. It needed to be "in my own words, where I can control how this thing is being told."Years went by and healing worked its way through Ward's family. He re-established ties with his mom and found a second career as a youth minister. He began to consider that there'd be value in speaking openly about what he'd experienced. Last year, he released a documentary and an autobiography titled "<a href="https://www.harpercollinsfocus.com/9780785298311/killing-the-image/">Killing the Image</a>," a process that gave him complete control over how his story was told.theScore recently caught up with Ward to explore how that process has impacted him, and what he thinks of the state of boxing now.This interview has been edited for length and clarity.theScore: For most of your career, the story was always that we didn't know the full story about you. You kept your cards close to your chest. In the last year, that's changed. Now, you've released the documentary and the book. I'm wondering what life's like for you now that you've told your story on your terms?Ward: I don't think much has changed for me externally. Internally, I feel a relief. I feel like a weight has been lifted. My unwillingness to share everything was strategic. I saw the landscape and I saw how fighters use their personal stories to sell fights and to get headlines. There's nothing wrong with it. I just looked at it differently. Like, I'm an '80s baby. I was always taught we don't share our personal business like that. I'm aware of the world that I live in. Now, when people share, overshare, they share too much. I just have always been like, 'Nah, my mom and dad's struggles - that's personal. Our family struggles - that's not for the world.' But it got to a point where I started to feel selfish to not share. So now the key was, 'Okay, I'm going to share, I want to share, but when's the right time?'What has surprised you most about the way the doc and the book have been received?I was expecting some negativity. I don't know why I felt like that. I guess I'm just kind of used to living in this world and being on social media, you always expect the one person or the few people. I haven't gotten any negativity. It's only been encouraging stuff. I've even had some people that have been like, 'Man, I feel so bad, you went through so much.' It's almost like an empathy. They're like, 'I didn't know you were struggling like that, as a young kid and as a teenager.' So that's been a little surprising.<figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/619411/cropped_GettyImages-1359132523.jpg?ts=1709836075" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/619411/w220xh124_GettyImages-1359132523.jpg?ts=1709836075 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/619411/w320xh180_GettyImages-1359132523.jpg?ts=1709836075 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/619411/w640xh360_GettyImages-1359132523.jpg?ts=1709836075 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/619411/w768xh432_GettyImages-1359132523.jpg?ts=1709836075 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/619411/w1080xh607_GettyImages-1359132523.jpg?ts=1709836075 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> Ray Chavez / MediaNews Group / Getty Images</figcaption></figure>I think that a lot of people didn't really know about how your growing-up years affected the decisions that you made in your career. Can you talk a little bit about that?I think that a lot of this stuff was good and bad, right? I think the good part was it just gave me a drive. I don't know how to quantify how the struggle gave me drive, but I think that it had something to do with it. I just always wanted to be good. I just didn't want to settle. And I think internalizing mom not being there, some of dad's struggles and stuff like that, it just made me sort of tough. It made me sort of willing to go that extra mile in certain areas.But there's also sort of a downside to not having a mother there and being raised by a bachelor. That sensitive side I didn't have, it took me years to realize how that affected me. So in my relationship with my wife, I'm guarded in certain areas, I'm unwilling to trust in certain areas, or I'm not really comfortable talking about certain things. It took a lot of work to realize my mom not being there affected me in my early 20s, 30s, and in manhood. But I'm grateful for that process as well because that's what the book gave me. That's what the doc gave me, I was able to talk about my processes and my counseling and my acknowledgments of things and the path that I had to walk and still have to walk to hopefully inspire, but also give a roadmap to other people.You're now enjoying a second career in Christian ministry. How did you hear God speak to you about going into ministry?I think it was a desire, right? Even before I understood what that meant, I was like, 'Man, I could kind of see myself doing this.' Then, my godfather, he would mention that, 'Man, you're gonna be a preacher one day.' (At the time) I don't know what that means, but alright. Then I met my pastor, and then he started saying it. So I'm like, 'OK, there's something here,' the desire started to get stronger.Then, I got an opportunity to speak and I'm like, 'Oh, man, wow, that was scary. But I think I can actually do this.' I'm at a point now, at 40, where I realized clearly that speaking, being able to communicate my thoughts, being able to have good thoughts and communicate them in a way that people can understand, it's one of my gifts. So I just think that over time, as I've gotten older, I've accepted that speaking is one of my things. And not just speaking but sharing the gospel. That's what my call is.<figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/619401/cropped_GettyImages-697117310.jpg?ts=1709835822" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/619401/w220xh124_GettyImages-697117310.jpg?ts=1709835822 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/619401/w320xh180_GettyImages-697117310.jpg?ts=1709835822 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/619401/w640xh360_GettyImages-697117310.jpg?ts=1709835822 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/619401/w768xh432_GettyImages-697117310.jpg?ts=1709835822 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/619401/w1080xh607_GettyImages-697117310.jpg?ts=1709835822 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> Christian Petersen / Getty Images</figcaption></figure>When you look at boxing today, and the ways that it's changed since you retired, what stands out to you the most?I think the mentality of fighters is different. I love some of that. And then some of it I don't love. The part I love is that (today's) fighters want more money for the least amount of risk. And I subscribe to a lot of that, because for so long, in boxing historically, fighters took huge risks. Risks they probably shouldn't have taken for little to no money at all. So that landscape has changed.My only problem with that is you have a generation of young fighters who don't want to fight the other best guy or the other two best guys in the division, but they want to be considered the best in the world or the GOAT. It's like, hold on a second. One thing that will never change is you cannot say that you're the best until you fight the other best. Then we'll see who's the last man or last woman standing. That's the only way we can figure that out. Have the new mindset, be about your business, get your money. But you can't claim to be the best without facing the best.I think that there should be a balance between getting your money and proving that you're the best. That's why we're in it. That's what this sport was built on. So we can't get around that.What about these exhibition fights? You said in November that you would be open to coming out of retirement to fight Jake Paul. Still stand by that?In the right situation, yeah. If it made sense. I would do something like that. I don't have a problem with it. Some people are threatened by it, 'Oh, it's ruining the sport.' I'm like, 'Nah, there's a lot of other things that are actually ruining the sport that we don't want to address.' I actually love it because you have crossover appeal with a guy like Jake Paul, where his whole fan base is watching and bringing eyeballs and attention to our sport. He's selling out arenas. You've got to respect that. So, I actually like that they're doing stuff in Saudi Arabia now, Tyson Fury just had an exhibition, and Anthony Joshua has got one coming up with an MMA fighter. I love it. I'm like, 'Let's talk about our sport. Let's have it in the mainstream spotlight.' So, I don't have a problem with it. Given the right situation, I might jump in there, too.Is this hypothetical or do you think there's a chance the right situation will come about?I'm the type of person where it's hard. Like, nobody has really called my name since I retired and I really take that in a respectful way. You know, I just think that it's a big risk for a lot of people. (Chad) Ochocinco, a former football player and now analyst, you know, he pokes at me online and he says he wants to do something like that. So, maybe (I'd do) something like that. But it's got to be the right situation to sort of get me off the couch and get me back in a boxing gym. It's got to make a whole lot of sense. So far, it hasn't.Jolene Latimer is a features writer at theScore.

https://rich-content.thescore.com/content_cards/26641575/related

Andre Ward on the value of telling his story and the state of boxing today

There were 23 jobs available in hockey for U.S. women as recently as last year, and hundreds vyin...

There were 23 jobs available in hockey for U.S. women as recently as last year, and hundreds vying to claim one. The candidates were elite players whose only career option in the sport was to make an Olympic team."I had the word 'Olympics' written above the light switch in my room," PWHL Minnesota's Taylor Heise says. "Every time I turned that light off and turned my light on, that'd be something that I'd think about."If grit, dedication, and talent were the deciding factors, Heise would've made the Olympic team long ago. She fell in love with hockey in the first grade on an outdoor rink in southern Minnesota. After showing early promise as a goal-scorer, Heise became obsessive about improving. She constructed a makeshift practice facility in her parents' garage and recruited her dad and younger brothers to feed her pucks.<div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div>Heise had been named to three U.S. under-18 squads by the time she was in high school, taking home gold at three straight junior world championships from 2016-18. Then it was off to the University of Minnesota, where she won the NCAA's Patty Kazmaier Award as a senior in 2022 and led the NCAA in scoring in her fifth year.The reward for all of that excellence?"I was cut from Olympic residency in 2022," the 23-year-old says.Following that, she erased the reminder above her light switch. Not knowing what else to strive for, she replaced it with the word "better." It was nebulous, but so were her options."I just told myself, 'You've got to better yourself every day in order to do something different or be different,'" she says. "I wanted to show people that if I wasn't picked for that, I was going to be picked for something else in the future."<figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/618992/Taylor_Heise_Goals.jpg?ts=1709580569" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/618992/Taylor_Heise_Goals.jpg?ts=1709580569 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/618992/Taylor_Heise_Goals.jpg?ts=1709580569 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/618992/Taylor_Heise_Goals.jpg?ts=1709580569 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/618992/Taylor_Heise_Goals.jpg?ts=1709580569 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/618992/Taylor_Heise_Goals.jpg?ts=1709580569 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption">Taylor Heise's 2018 career goals included an Olympic appearance but made no mention of playing professional hockey </figcaption></figure>Heise was picked for something else - the PWHL. She was the first overall selection in the league's inaugural draft in September. It felt historic to her, and that feeling has only been magnified in the intervening months as Minnesotans have rallied around their new hometown team. They showed up 13,000 strong for the team's home opener and have averaged about 6,800 a night in the five home games at Xcel Energy Center since.The support has made careers like Heise's both possible and meaningful. And that fan base, coupled with superior on-ice results - Minnesota is just two points shy of first place just past the season's halfway mark - is quickly establishing the State of Hockey as one of the PWHL's early powerhouses.<h3>The State of Hockey</h3>Minnesota captain Kendall Coyne Schofield was exiting the ice after a game earlier this season when she saw a group of fans freaking out in front of her."I knew exactly who was coming off behind me," she says. "I knew it had to be Heise."Sure enough, a teenage girl pulled out her phone and started filming."Oh my gosh," said the girl. "It's Taylor Heise!""These kids look at a lot of the Minnesotans - they grew up playing for their town, playing for their high school, played for the Gophers, and now they're playing professionally," says Coyne Schofield, who's one of the few players on the roster not from the state. "It's the dream."For the uninitiated: Hockey in Minnesota is a way of life."You can't really go anywhere in Minnesota and not know the hockey players or where the nearest hockey rink is," says Minnesota Wild forward Vinni Lettieri, who also grew up in the state and played for the Golden Gophers. "That's the beauty of Minnesota. Whether you like it or not, it's one of the most important parts of Minnesota."Dallas Stars netminder Jake Oettinger, who also grew up playing hockey in Minnesota, compared it to "football in Texas."It's notable that PWHL teams in Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, and Boston are dedicated to cities, and that New York's team name is ambiguous. But Minnesota's club was always strategically different."Just like they do in the NHL, we called it the market of Minnesota," Stan Kasten, a PWHL advisory board member, says.And it's not just the name that reflects the state. The roster reads like a who's who of homegrown hockey talent. Twelve native Minnesotans currently play for the team, and only three of the other rostered players didn't attend a Minnesota college, play in the elite Shattuck St. Mary's boarding school program, or previously dress for a Minnesota-based pro club. It's all part of a strategy to find an identity both on and off the ice."Absolutely, it was intentional," says PWHL Minnesota general manager Natalie Darwitz. "I'm obviously a Minnesotan at heart, too. I know what they have to offer. I didn't hesitate at all to draft them and pick them up for free agency. Somehow, some way, all these players had a little bit of a backstory that revolves around being intertwined with Minnesota."<figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/618994/cropped_GettyImages-1905677370.jpg?ts=1709586284" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/618994/w220xh124_GettyImages-1905677370.jpg?ts=1709586284 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/618994/w320xh180_GettyImages-1905677370.jpg?ts=1709586284 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/618994/w640xh360_GettyImages-1905677370.jpg?ts=1709586284 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/618994/w768xh432_GettyImages-1905677370.jpg?ts=1709586284 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/618994/w1080xh607_GettyImages-1905677370.jpg?ts=1709586284 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption">Taylor Heise, left, and Abby Cook congratulate goalie Maddie Rooney on her shutout against Montreal on Jan. 2 Icon Sportswire / Getty Images</figcaption></figure>Darwitz believed that not only would a team with a common sense of hockey culture gel on the ice - Minnesota burst out of the gate with four wins and an overtime loss in its first five games - but that fans would also get what she was trying to do."Minnesota felt primed for this, like it was salivating and craving this," she says.When the team hosted an open practice earlier this season, the subsequent autograph line was more than two hours long."It was pretty cool that it's not just people who are local to St. Paul," forward Kelly Pannek says. "There's people who are driving an hour and a half on their day off of school. It feels more of a statewide thing, which is exciting."For some, the support was to be expected."When I saw (the PWHL team) had 13,000 fans at the Xcel, it didn't surprise me one bit," Oettinger says. "I mean, they call it the State of Hockey for a reason, and I'm just happy to see that league getting the support they deserve and the ladies getting the recognition."The hockey is great. These women are so talented and deserve to have a place where they can play and get paid and valued."But not everyone counted that as a given. For Amy Heise, who watched her daughter chase the dream of playing hockey beyond college, the sheer amount of support for professional women's hockey is overwhelming.She says she's constantly approached at the grocery store in Lake City, where the family resides, by "countless" people who have been watching PWHL games on YouTube. More than a handful have also made the 70-minute drive to attend games in person."Where are these people coming from?" Amy says. "I'm amazed at the following."The fan support in Minnesota - and the entire league - has surpassed even Kasten's hopes. He likened the runaway success to the league's now-famous "jailbreak" rule, where a shorthanded goal ends a power play."It is fundamentally what we are," Kasten says. "We started shorthanded. And with a lot of determination and effort, we broke through - suddenly out of surprise - and marched to our goal. Our whole season has been one long short-handed goal. Our whole league is a short-handed goal. And I couldn't be happier about that."<h3>A different shot at glory</h3>If you start asking anyone around PWHL Minnesota who you should talk to about Heise, you'll likely be directed to one person: Grace Zumwinkle. Both women played youth hockey in Minnesota, but Zumwinkle only knew Heise by reputation.Because Heise opted not to move away from home to play hockey at one of the state's elite boarding schools, she wasn't as ingrained in the Minnesota hockey scene as some of her competitors."She was never really around the metro area, so some people were like, 'Where's this girl coming from?'" Zumwinkle remembers."Then, her game kind of spoke for itself," she says. "If you didn't know her name, it was something that you quickly learned."The two became fast friends and, eventually, roommates. They both traveled to Russia in 2018 to represent Team USA at the under-18 world championships and attended the University of Minnesota."We always say she's the black cat of the relationship, and I'm the golden retriever," Zumwinkle says.Despite having similar backstories, their careers differed in a major way. Zumwinkle made the Olympic team that cut Heise. That's part of the reason why it's so special for Zumwinkle, who earned a silver medal in Beijing, to watch her friend shine now."She has done a great job with it. It's not easy coming up (as the) first overall draft pick, having all these expectations," Zumwinkle says. "She's obviously very hard on herself and wants to be the best whenever she steps on the ice."<figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/618990/Screen_Shot_2024-03-04_at_2.21.39_PM.jpg?ts=1709580203" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/618990/Screen_Shot_2024-03-04_at_2.21.39_PM.jpg?ts=1709580203 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/618990/Screen_Shot_2024-03-04_at_2.21.39_PM.jpg?ts=1709580203 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/618990/Screen_Shot_2024-03-04_at_2.21.39_PM.jpg?ts=1709580203 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/618990/Screen_Shot_2024-03-04_at_2.21.39_PM.jpg?ts=1709580203 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/618990/Screen_Shot_2024-03-04_at_2.21.39_PM.jpg?ts=1709580203 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption">A 7-year-old Taylor Heise practices stick handling on an outdoor rink in Minnesota </figcaption></figure>Heise's mom isn't surprised that her daughter's work ethic has already earned her a reputation in the pros."That was always her mentality," she says. "She would do like a puck challenge - try to shoot 10,000 pucks. Our three-car garage never had cars in it because she turned it into a shooting arena with tarps. She crashed out I don't know how many windows. What she was doing, she was on a trajectory to be really, really good."Heise has done a considerable job of establishing herself among the veterans of the game, recording six points in 10 games before suffering a shoulder injury. But whether on or off the ice, her energy makes her an automatic team leader."She's very intense," says PWHL Minnesota forward Abby Boreen, who's known Heise since they were teenagers. "She wants to give her best every shift. And you're gonna get that from her. The energy level, even in practice, and playing a game with her, is always high. She pushes others around her to be better, she's pushed me as a player to be better."<figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/618995/cropped_GettyImages-1978998819.jpg?ts=1709586408" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/618995/w220xh124_GettyImages-1978998819.jpg?ts=1709586408 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/618995/w320xh180_GettyImages-1978998819.jpg?ts=1709586408 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/618995/w640xh360_GettyImages-1978998819.jpg?ts=1709586408 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/618995/w768xh432_GettyImages-1978998819.jpg?ts=1709586408 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/618995/w1080xh607_GettyImages-1978998819.jpg?ts=1709586408 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption">Heise takes a shot on net during the PWHL 3-on-3 Showcase at the 2024 NHL All-Star Game Andre Ringuette / NHL / Getty Images</figcaption></figure>For Heise, a big part of that energy is derived from Minnesota itself. The state, the fans, the support."I just think Minnesota - the passion for hockey, and the background and the depth of our audience and our fans - makes games really special. The support system I have is unwavering - whether that's social media, whether that's getting letters, getting emails," she says. "It's never crossed my mind that I would ever want to go anywhere else."That's why she doesn't have the word "Olympics" written above her light switch anymore. And she doesn't have the word "better" written, either.Does she have anything up there now?"I don't," Heise says. "Because I think, as of right now, I'm living the dream."Jolene Latimer is a features writer at theScore.

https://rich-content.thescore.com/content_cards/26603948/related

How Minnesota's abundant resource - hockey players - led to its PWHL success

If things went right for Don Gallinger, he might have been remembered by history as a 17-year-old...

If things went right for Don Gallinger, he might have been remembered by history as a 17-year-old star who leapfrogged from Junior B to the NHL and became good enough to lead the Boston Bruins in scoring following World War II. But it's not how he entered the league that he's remembered for - it's how he left."There's absolutely no redemption in this story. But that's the real story," says hockey historian Fred Addis, who recently wrote "<a href="https://chadburnpress.com/gallinger-a-life-suspended/">Gallinger: A Life Suspended</a>," a book about Gallinger's fall from grace. "Once he fell off that pedestal, boy, he wasn't likable," Addis says.In 1948, Gallinger was handed an indefinite suspension from the NHL when it was discovered he'd been betting on Bruins games, along with teammate Billy Taylor. That cloud followed Gallinger's name ever since.<div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div>Initially, Gallinger had all the hallmarks of a hero. When he first laced up his skates and took the ice for the Bruins in 1942, he was the youngest player to ever skate in the NHL at 17 years, 6 months, and 22 days old. By the end of that season, he placed third in voting for the Calder Trophy as the league's best rookie. During the Bruins' playoff run, his overtime goal against the Montreal Canadiens earned him the record for youngest player ever to score in overtime during the NHL playoffs, a distinction he still holds.Gallinger's hockey career was interrupted in 1944 when he enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force and spent 22 months in military service, but he returned to the Bruins in 1945 and led the team in scoring.That positive trajectory all came crashing down a few short years later when Gallinger played a role in a scheme that saw him bet on NHL games and also bet against his own team. In the fall of 1947, Taylor approached Gallinger with an offer: Taylor had a contact who'd guarantee 2-1 odds on any bet placed through him; in exchange, the two players needed to supply their contact with insider info on Bruins injuries and other intelligence not available to the public. The only catch: to prove the quality of their information, Gallinger and Taylor had to place bets on the Bruins themselves, even if it meant they'd be betting on the Bruins to lose.It wasn't long before the plot was uncovered and Gallinger was suspended."I don't know that he would have turned out any differently. If he'd been given another chance on a reinstatement, he may have just gone right back and offended again. He was a confident, cocky person and it was hard to tell him just about anything," says Addis, the past president of the Society for International Hockey Research who's spent years digging deeper into Gallinger's fate.Despite what he uncovered, Addis believes the NHL's handling of Gallinger's case was heavy-handed, and that the story is particularly relevant in today's sports betting environment. "The more I study this, the more I believe that Gallinger himself was predisposed to gambling. The higher the stakes, the better," he says. "It's easy to advocate for the hero; it's a little more difficult to suggest that someone who had a lot of trouble perhaps deserved a little bit more consideration."theScore recently talked with Addis about Gallinger's story. (The interview's been edited for length and clarity.)theScore: Out of all the stories you've come across in your work as a hockey historian, why did you write a book about this one?Addis: I knew the subject. I knew Don Gallinger myself. I lived in a little town called Port Colborne in Ontario. And it was there that Gallinger played his minor hockey and then graduated to the NHL.<figure class="article-segment--embed"><iframe title="Port Colborne, Ont." aria-label="Locator maps" id="datawrapper-chart-slatM" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/slatM/1/" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" style="width: 0; min-width: 100% !important; border: none;" height="283" data-external="1"></iframe><script type="text/javascript">!function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll("iframe");for(var t in a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r=0;r<e.length;r++)if(e[r].contentWindow===a.source){var i=a.data["datawrapper-height"][t]+"px";e[r].style.height=i}}}))}();
</script></figure>Gallinger was a larger-than-life story: his rocket ascent into the National Hockey League at the age of 17, right out of Junior B hockey, had never been done before. But you hear everything about a person in a small community. Some people said he was reckless, some people called him an idiot. Some people called him worse than that. This was all mostly based on the fact that he was suspended. But those that really knew him well spoke of him with a degree of respect, because they knew just how incredibly talented he was. And secondly, they knew all that he'd lost when he was suspended from the NHL.The story of Don Gallinger was largely written by the NHL: he was a cheat and he got exactly what he deserved. But the story is much more nuanced and complex than that.Q: Can you describe the type of player Gallinger was?First of all, he was big: 6-foot-1. Especially hockey players in the '40s and '50s - there weren't many guys that were six-foot. He was incredibly fast. A heck of a playmaker, and probably one of the biggest assets that he possessed: he was supremely confident.He was absolutely fearless and demonstrated that fearlessness right from the get-go, when he was at training camp with the Bruins at 17.Q: Gallinger entered the league during World War II, when many players were serving in the armed forces overseas. How did he stack up against those who returned to the NHL after the war?He made the club and he did extremely well in his first year. He scored an overtime goal in the Stanley Cup playoffs, Game 1 against Montreal. The following year, his season was interrupted when he enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force. He enlisted in the service of his king and country and came back after the war in the '45-46 season and led the team in scoring.This was after all of the greats of the team had returned from war service themselves. It was thought that these young players that came on during wartime as basically wartime substitutes wouldn't be able to make the grade when the other athletes returned from their war service, but Gallinger stuck with it, hung in there, and he not only stayed with the team, he led them in scoring.<figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/618378/received_661559199236450.jpg?ts=1709152983" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/618378/received_661559199236450.jpg?ts=1709152983 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/618378/received_661559199236450.jpg?ts=1709152983 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/618378/received_661559199236450.jpg?ts=1709152983 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/618378/received_661559199236450.jpg?ts=1709152983 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/618378/received_661559199236450.jpg?ts=1709152983 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption">Teenagers Bill Shill (left), Gallinger (center), and Bep Guidolin (right) in a 1942 preseason game for the Bruins (Image courtesy Fred Addis) </figcaption></figure>Q: When did Gallinger get into betting on NHL games?In September of 1947, his best friend and teammate Bep Guidolin was traded to the Detroit Red Wings for a gentleman by the name of Billy Taylor. Now, Taylor had come up through the Toronto Maple Leafs system and had been shipped off to Detroit, where he led them in scoring the year before. Almost out of the blue he was traded to the Bruins and moved right into the same rooming house as Gallinger. Taylor was 28 and Gallinger was 22 and somewhat impressionable.Taylor had a reputation for being a gambler and Gallinger liked that about him and aspired to be the same thing. He basically was taken into Taylor's confidence, which included being introduced to one of Taylor's contacts from Detroit, James Tamer, who was a convicted bank robber out on parole. Tamer had organized a gambling syndicate in Detroit through a couple of restaurants that he owned, and some other entities.<figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/618379/GettyImages-53041363.jpg?ts=1709153503" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/618379/GettyImages-53041363.jpg?ts=1709153503 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/618379/GettyImages-53041363.jpg?ts=1709153503 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/618379/GettyImages-53041363.jpg?ts=1709153503 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/618379/GettyImages-53041363.jpg?ts=1709153503 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/618379/GettyImages-53041363.jpg?ts=1709153503 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption">Guidolin, above, was traded to Detroit in the fall of 1947 for Taylor, who was later suspended from the NHL alongside Gallinger for betting Bruce Bennett Collection / Getty Images </figcaption></figure>Q: In order for the scheme to work, there were instances where Gallinger and Taylor had to bet against themselves and the Bruins. Was there any indication they wrestled with the ethics of that?Gallinger and I never spoke about that directly before his death in 2000. He left some manuscript materials that suggested they weren't overly concerned about it. I was able to establish in the Boston media itself (that) there were a number of columns that said there's no problem with betting on yourself or betting on your own team. In fact, it was considered a mark of confidence on the part of an athlete.Gambling was enforced at various levels in the various NHL cities of the day, and some police departments were a little more lenient, others were a little more heavy-handed. Certainly, in Boston, it wasn't considered a big deal.Sports reporters were always complaining about gamblers basically hawking their wares at Fenway Park in Boston during baseball games and at the Boston Garden during Bruins games. So, I think you could say it was an accepted part of the sports culture. But as far as betting against your own team, I think everyone understood that would be considered crossing the line.Q: How did the whole house of cards come crashing down on Gallinger?In the fall of 1947, Taylor and Gallinger, then teammates on the Bruins, set up an arrangement whereby Taylor would place the bets for or against (the team). He would make those bets directly with Tamer in Detroit. So, he was the pipeline.Early in February 1948, Taylor was traded to the New York Rangers, so that direct contact with Detroit no longer existed. But the next game that Boston played in Detroit, after the game in a restaurant, Tamer approached Gallinger and personally gave him his phone number and said, "Don't worry, nobody answers this phone but me."With that number, a couple of weeks later, while the team was in Chicago, Gallinger placed the bet through Tamer, and - on the one and only time that Gallinger placed the bet - the Detroit police had Tamer's phone wiretapped.Although it was never proven it was Gallinger on the other end of the line - in other words, he never identified himself, said his name, or gave any clue as to his identity - (NHL) president Clarence Campbell was so concerned about removing any specter of betting out of the game that he pursued a private investigation on behalf of the league.The Detroit police and the governor of Michigan had absolutely no interest in prosecuting charges. As far as they were concerned, all the evidence against Gallinger and Taylor was entirely circumstantial, it would never stand up in the court of law. But of course, the NHL had no interest in taking the case to court. They were just going to keep these two individuals out of the game for as long as possible, and therefore, they were suspended.Q: What was happening culturally at the time that made gambling such an important issue for the league?It was postwar America and they were perhaps hyper-concerned with guaranteeing that the American way of life was preserved. This is what they fought the war for. This is why thousands of men had died overseas: to preserve the American perception of the good life and life in a democracy. Gambling had no place in that life.It should be noted that the previous sentence or suspension for gambling in the NHL in Gallinger's time was to a gentleman by the name of Babe Pratt, who was at that time a defenseman for the Maple Leafs. He was suspended for betting on NHL games, though with a different NHL president, but he was suspended. He got six games and (a) nine days suspension, something like that. You might think, a year and a half later, Gallinger might reasonably expect to maybe get the rest of the season or the playoffs, something of that nature, maybe one season. But to have been suspended for more than 20 years, I think by anybody's definition, appears to have been draconian.Q: Can you talk about the fallout in Gallinger's life after he was suspended?It was immediate. He was suspended in March of 1948. Previous to that, in addition to playing hockey, he had tryouts with the Boston Red Sox and with the Boston Braves, as well as the Philadelphia Athletics, all Major League Baseball teams. They all wanted to sign him to minor-league contracts but Gallinger wasn't interested because he was making major-league money in hockey. That gives you a sense of the kind of athlete he was.Taylor was suspended for life immediately but Gallinger's was an indefinite suspension until further investigation, so he was kind of in limbo. He thought naturally, 'Alright, if I can't play hockey, I'll play baseball.' But he found out pretty quickly that those offers dried up. Basically, he'd become a bit of a pariah. Nobody wanted to touch him with a 10-foot pole. So, he didn't know what he was going to do.(Gallinger was eventually invited to play for and manage the Waterloo Tigers of the Intercounty Baseball League, a regional semipro league in southwestern Ontario.)During that time, he appealed to the NHL for reinstatement. He had an in-person appeal with a lawyer present and they were almost certain to have had the suspension lifted had a vote been taken. But Campbell intervened when the directors looked like they were going to vote in favor of reinstating Gallinger and his reinstatement was squashed. In 1963, Scott Young, the father of famous Canadian musician Neil Young, was writing for The Globe and Mail and ran a three-part series basically advocating for Gallinger and saying it was time his suspension be lifted. It was 15 years by that time, and still, the NHL hadn't budged.<figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/618384/cropped_GettyImages-502547567.jpg?ts=1709154022" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/618384/w220xh124_GettyImages-502547567.jpg?ts=1709154022 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/618384/w320xh180_GettyImages-502547567.jpg?ts=1709154022 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/618384/w640xh360_GettyImages-502547567.jpg?ts=1709154022 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/618384/w768xh432_GettyImages-502547567.jpg?ts=1709154022 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/618384/w1080xh607_GettyImages-502547567.jpg?ts=1709154022 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption">After his suspension was lifted, Taylor poses with a photo of the 1942 Maple Leafs, the only Stanley Cup winner he played for before the betting scandal Doug Griffin / Toronto Star / Getty Images</figcaption></figure>It wasn't until 1970, after some inner turmoil in the NHL, that the suspension was lifted. Conn Smythe, who was by then the retired manager and owner of the Maple Leafs, (saw) his own son was in trouble with the police and it looked like he might be charged, in terms of charges relating to the shareholders of Maple Leaf Gardens. Smythe's son passed away before the charges were laid. Consequently, it was thought that Smythe, seeing what had happened to his own son, called the NHL office and said it's time to clear Gallinger and Taylor.The suspension had gone on for 22 years. Gallinger had been married, had four children, and his marriage broke up as a result of it. He tried many different businesses. But always, the same thing happened when push came to shove: he just didn't have the capital and resources to carry through with them. He was considered somewhat of an outsider and an untouchable based on his reputation from the charges in the NHL. Eventually, he moved to California. No one knew where he was when the NHL tried to reinstate him. A letter was sent to one of his old employers in the hope they might be able to track him down. He was applying for a job in the classifieds in L.A. The person who he was calling said, 'Are you the same Don Gallinger who just had his suspension lifted by the NHL?' First time he'd heard of it.Q: Why is Gallinger's story relevant today?I think it's a story worth telling especially because of the prevalence of access to online gambling. It tells the story of someone who was hurt by their addiction to betting on sports.I think one of the primary concerns is not the fact that there is gambling and sports betting - of course, that's part of our contemporary culture, that's never going to go away. I think the lesson is that, despite the broad spectrum of the population that appears to be interested in sports betting, we shouldn't lose sight of the fact that there are people who fall through the cracks and fall by the wayside. And consequently, some considerations should be made for them.Jolene Latimer is a features writer at theScore.

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Revisiting the NHL's 1940s gambling scandal and the young star at its center

Six years ago, when 17-year-old Red Gerard burst onto the international snowboarding scene after ...

Six years ago, when 17-year-old Red Gerard burst onto the international snowboarding scene after qualifying for the 2018 Winter Olympics, he barely realized the enormity of his accomplishment."I'm really happy to watch the hockey games, to be honest," he said in 2018. It was his first press conference as a member of Team USA, and he was asked what he was looking forward to about his upcoming trip to PyeongChang. Surrounded by fellow rookies on stage in Mammoth, California, Gerard's approach to his achievement seemed almost blase compared to his teammates, who could all pinpoint when their Olympic dreams began."We kind of just do these contests all year long," he said. "You know, it's an Olympic year - so it's just kind of a bonus at the end of making it." <div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div>Gerard wasn't intentionally indifferent. It was just that he'd grown up idolizing a different pinnacle. "Going into this - I always grew up watching X Games, Dew Tour, U.S. Open, and all of that," he said in PyeongChang.After becoming the youngest American man to win an individual Winter Olympic gold medal when he topped the podium in slopestyle, he expressed a new sentiment in his press conference: "I think I'm starting to get how big the Olympics is."<figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/617696/cropped_GettyImages-916857820.jpg?ts=1708637830" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/617696/w220xh124_GettyImages-916857820.jpg?ts=1708637830 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/617696/w320xh180_GettyImages-916857820.jpg?ts=1708637830 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/617696/w640xh360_GettyImages-916857820.jpg?ts=1708637830 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/617696/w768xh432_GettyImages-916857820.jpg?ts=1708637830 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/617696/w1080xh607_GettyImages-916857820.jpg?ts=1708637830 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption">From left, silver medalist Max Parrot, gold medalist Red Gerard, and bronze medalist Mark McMorris on the men's slopestyle podium at the 2018 Winter Olympics Javier Soriano / AFP / Getty Images</figcaption></figure>While he's certainly added to his resume in the intervening years - he returned to the Olympics in Beijing in 2022 - one thing has evaded the snowboarder until now: obtaining his childhood definition of snowboarding success. That's to say, an X Games gold medal. But in January, in his eighth appearance at the annual event, Gerard finally checked that off his list.This time, it was resilience that got him there."My mentality changes every year," Gerard says. "That (first Olympic) year, my mentality was more just like, 'I just want to land runs, and just have fun, and be a part of this awesome process that I'm in traveling around the world.'" But at some point, he lost touch with that easygoing approach. "Back when he was 17, he didn't really know the magnitude of the Olympics and how big of a deal it was," his dad Conrad says. "That made it easier in a way." Once that naivete wore off, the anxiety set in. "I used to get really stressed out at contests," Gerard says. "China was a really exhausting one for me," he said of his trip to Beijing for the 2022 Winter Olympics. "With all the COVID tests and just being a part of going to China and doing all that and so many contests back to back, I really just needed to take a break." Gerard placed fourth in men's slopestyle in Beijing, missing the podium in his title defense.So Gerard went back to the basics. He largely took the 2022-23 season off from the contest circuit. Instead, he journeyed deep into the backcountry to film with his brother Malachi and girlfriend Hailey Langland, a fellow Team USA athlete."It helped a ton," Gerard says. "It was something I needed." At 23, Gerard is already a snowboarding veteran, and that's changed his dynamic when it comes to competing. "I'm not an old guy; I don't think of myself that way at all," he says. But there's been a shift since he came on the scene, and he can feel it."When I was a rookie, it was us young guys trying to keep track of the old guys," he says. He feels the pressure from the opposite side these days. "Now, it's the older guys trying to keep track with the young guys. That's the biggest difference right there." That's why he felt it essential to take a season to reconnect with his love for the sport instead of constantly striving to outdo himself or someone else. "You need that kind of stuff to keep this from not getting old," his mom, Jen, says. "It can get hard. It's so exciting when you're young, you're growing up, and you're moving up. But, it's a little more of a job now than it was when he was 17 years old and making his way up," she says, noting that his rise to fame following his first Olympics was challenging at times."It's not always quite as fun, you know? It can be more work and more pressure and all of that because now you are expected to do well," she says.<figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/617698/cropped_GettyImages-1968338468.jpg?ts=1708630317" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/617698/w220xh124_GettyImages-1968338468.jpg?ts=1708630317 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/617698/w320xh180_GettyImages-1968338468.jpg?ts=1708630317 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/617698/w640xh360_GettyImages-1968338468.jpg?ts=1708630317 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/617698/w768xh432_GettyImages-1968338468.jpg?ts=1708630317 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/617698/w1080xh607_GettyImages-1968338468.jpg?ts=1708630317 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption">Red Gerard reacts after his final run in the slopestyle at X Games Aspen 2024 Jamie Squire / Getty Images </figcaption></figure>Gerard returned to contests at the start of the 2023-24 season, making it onto the podium with a third-place finish at the FIS Style Experience Snowboard Big Air World Cup in Edmonton and following that up with another World Cup third-place finish in big air at the end of 2023. In his main event, slopestyle, he placed sixth at a World Cup event in Switzerland in January. "Now that he's older, he knows how big of a deal it is," Conrad says. "For him to get (a podium finish in) the big air contest… gives him the confidence to move on from that.""Now I really just try to just take it back a notch and be part of the process and just, you know, whatever kind of happens happens," Gerard says. "I just try to be a little bit more mellow now on myself. I think I find it works a little bit better for me. I feel way, way, way more re-energized and way happier to be back at contests and doing this and kind of pushing it a little bit more."That trust in himself, combined with the baseline he regained in the backcountry, proved to be what he needed. In the slopestyle finals at the 2024 X Games in Aspen, he landed an 1800 in all three runs and edged out Canadian Mark McMorris by one point overall to secure the gold."It's everything," Gerard said on the broadcast after the win. "Today was just so perfect." For Olympic fans watching Gerard's career from afar, it might have seemed inevitable that he'd find his footing in slopestyle again, but that wasn't the case from his perspective. That's one thing that hasn't changed for Gerard in the years since his underdog gold medal. He still doesn't take any accomplishment for granted. "Snowboarding is such a surprise thing," he says. "We're doing the craziest tricks and doing such big, big, big maneuvers that, when you land, you're just like, 'Oh, my gosh, I can't believe everything just worked out.'"<figure class="article-segment--embed"><center>                         </center></figure><figure class="article-segment--embed"><iframe title="It's a family affair" aria-label="Table" id="datawrapper-chart-TXKc8" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/TXKc8/1/" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" style="width: 0; min-width: 100% !important; border: none;" height="474" data-external="1"></iframe><script type="text/javascript">!function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll("iframe");for(var t in a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r=0;r<e.length;r++)if(e[r].contentWindow===a.source){var i=a.data["datawrapper-height"][t]+"px";e[r].style.height=i}}}))}();
</script></figure>Jolene Latimer is a features writer at theScore.

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He made a name by throwing punches and hits, but that wasn't what made Dennis Bonvie a legend.  W...

<figure class="article-segment--embed">He made a name by throwing punches and hits, but that wasn't what made Dennis Bonvie a legend.</figure>When he retired in 2008 after a 15-season pro hockey career, he'd amassed an unassailable record of 4,493 penalty minutes in the American Hockey League, more than 1,500 ahead of his closest challenger and enough to earn him an induction into the league's Hall of Fame on Feb. 5 at the All-Star gathering in San Jose.He fought in all levels of the game. From Junior A near his hometown in Antigonish, Nova Scotia, up to the NHL for the Oilers, Blackhawks, Penguins, Avalanche, Bruins, and Senators - wherever he could find a team needing two fists with something to prove. He fought top enforcers in an age when that role was inseparable from the game itself. If you ask, he'll reluctantly rattle off the biggest matchups. Bob Probert. Tie Domi. Gerry Fleming. One bout against Ryan VandenBussche lasted more than two minutes.He fought until his hands were crooked and his body was spent.<div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div>But say the name Dennis Bonvie to anyone who played with him or crossed paths with him during his subsequent 15-year career as a pro scout - that is to say, much of the hockey world - and you won't hear a lot about fights, at least not at first. You're likely to hear a quiet laugh, a sigh, and the words: "Bonvie was a good teammate."It wasn't just that Bonvie took penalties - it was the way he did it, with almost every minute of his HOF record traceable to a teammate he was protecting, some in less traditional ways than others."I wasn't one to drop the gloves at all, but I remember I had gotten into my first fight," says Stephen Dixon, a fellow Maritimer who played with a veteran Bonvie as an AHL rookie for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. "I went to the penalty box and I looked over and Dennis is standing up, giving me the thumbs up and talking to the coach. All of a sudden, they're getting the puck ready for the faceoff and Dennis jumps on, lines up next to a guy, and his gloves come off. He's in a fight as well."Bonvie arrived in the penalty box with a grin. "Stand up and give me a hug," he told Dixon. "It's your first fight. I'm not going to let you sit in the penalty box alone. "He sat there with his arm around me the whole five minutes." For Bonvie, that three-word distinction - a good teammate - was the highest honor in hockey. "Hopefully that stands for what I did, for as long as I did it," he says.<figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/613379/cropped_bonvie4__1_.jpg?ts=1706206643" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/613379/w220xh124_bonvie4__1_.jpg?ts=1706206643 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/613379/w320xh180_bonvie4__1_.jpg?ts=1706206643 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/613379/w640xh360_bonvie4__1_.jpg?ts=1706206643 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/613379/w768xh432_bonvie4__1_.jpg?ts=1706206643 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/613379/w1080xh607_bonvie4__1_.jpg?ts=1706206643 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption">Dennis Bonvie during his tenure with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins The American Hockey League</figcaption></figure>That Bonvie had the career he did - he retired months shy of his 35th birthday - is owed, from start to finish, to his burning desire to stick around long enough to play another game. "There's nothing like being on a team, and there's nothing like competing," he says.His career began rather inauspiciously in 1991 when he was drafted into the Ontario Hockey League by the Kitchener Rangers. He went in the 19th round, 277th overall, the sixth-last pick of the draft. "I think the janitor called my name out," he likes to joke.He was later traded in a package to the North Bay Centennials and that's when he knew fighting would be his path up. "The coach said he liked tough Maritimers and I fit the bill. I told him I wanted to be the toughest guy in the league. I said, 'Just give me a chance to prove my worth.'" Bonvie got to work, tallying 261 penalty minutes in 49 games in his first season and 316 penalty minutes in 64 games the next. But the effort wasn't enough to get drafted into the NHL. After a tryout with the Flames went nowhere, he enrolled in university back in Nova Scotia, but never made it to class. Instead, he reported to a tryout with the Cape Breton Oilers, then Edmonton's farm team, and his illustrious AHL career began."At first when I went there I was worried there wasn't a spot for me, maybe they didn't want to keep me around," he says. He promptly made himself useful by switching from defense to forward to fill a gap in the lineup. "I knew I was the underdog, I knew I was trying to prove I belonged."While he was still trying to impress front offices, Bonvie already had the confidence of his teammates. "My first experience with Dennis was when I got sent down to Cape Breton and got thrown into the lineup," says former Oiler Louie DeBrusk, who knew how to defend himself on the ice. "The first scrum that I get into in front of the net, I'm thinking the gloves are going to come off. All of a sudden he comes into the pile and separates me from another guy and wants to fight him. And I'm thinking, 'That might be the first time in my career that somebody actually stepped up for me.' He was so game. That was how the AHL was back then. There was a lot of toughness and a lot of skill. Dennis felt like he was protecting his players, which he did. And he was one of the best ever at it."It was his work ethic, too, that gained notice. "I remember watching him lift weights after practice, he'd be in there bench pressing, he was just all-in," DeBrusk says. "He had that burning desire to make it. He never got satisfied. He was never content. He always felt like somebody could take his job on a nightly basis. You had to have that attitude in that role. Every single day, somebody might be looking to try and take your job. He was going to do whatever he could to make sure that didn't happen."<figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/613383/cropped_GettyImages-1440218.jpg?ts=1706206982" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/613383/w220xh124_GettyImages-1440218.jpg?ts=1706206982 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/613383/w320xh180_GettyImages-1440218.jpg?ts=1706206982 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/613383/w640xh360_GettyImages-1440218.jpg?ts=1706206982 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/613383/w768xh432_GettyImages-1440218.jpg?ts=1706206982 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/613383/w1080xh607_GettyImages-1440218.jpg?ts=1706206982 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption">Dennis Bonvie, #27 with the Sens, battles Maple Leafs forward Doug Doull during a preseason game in 2002 Dave Sandford / Getty Images Sport</figcaption></figure>Bonvie didn't have to wait long for his big shot. "When I started, I wanted to prove and get respect from all my peers that I could do it, that I was as tough as everybody else. In doing that, you start thinking: maybe there's a chance I could play a game or two in the NHL."By the 1994-95 season, what started as an outside chance at the NHL became a reality when Bonvie made his debut in Edmonton in a late-season game against the Kings. In his first shift, Bonvie immediately tried scrapping with L.A. enforcer Matt Johnson. When that didn't happen, Bonvie remembers the Kings dumping the puck into the Oilers' zone and bringing on their first line - anchored by Wayne Gretzky. "I think I just dumped it in and went off the ice, I was kind of in awe," says Bonvie. "Welcome to the show."Bonvie spent the rest of his career going up and down from the AHL to the NHL. "I played 15 years just trying to play one more game." He collected 92 total NHL appearances.<figure class="article-segment--embed"><iframe title="Dennis Bonvie's travels" aria-label="Locator maps" id="datawrapper-chart-1VU5O" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/1VU5O/1/" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" style="width: 0; min-width: 100% !important; border: none;" height="596" data-external="1"></iframe><script type="text/javascript">!function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll("iframe");for(var t in a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r=0;r<e.length;r++)if(e[r].contentWindow===a.source){var i=a.data["datawrapper-height"][t]+"px";e[r].style.height=i}}}))}();
</script></figure>"Every time you get called up to the NHL is the best day in the world; every time you get sent down, it's the worst thing in the world," DeBrusk says. "It's a really emotional roller coaster going up and down and trying to make the NHL on a regular basis."But if the emotional whiplash ever wore on Bonvie, he didn't let it show. "I just love to play. I love to be part of a team. I loved to protect my teammates and make sure they felt comfortable. At first you start and you're trying to get up in the NHL. You're trying to get another opportunity to get up when you get sent down."Then, you get halfway through your career and realize, 'You know what, I might end up spending a lot more time in the minors.' Well, then you have to try to be the best veteran you can be and try to develop those kids."Growing up in Nova Scotia provided Bonvie with the perfect framework for how to build community. "In Nova Scotia, you just drop in," his wife Kelly Bonvie says. "You just drop in to people's houses, you end up staying for dinner, there's always enough, and the door is always open.""My mom was a tremendous cook," Dennis says. "My dad would come home on weeknights from the mill and my mom would always have meat and potatoes. Sunday was family dinner. Whatever holiday it is, you go to somebody's house and everybody is there. We were brought up like that."So Bonvie brought that family tradition to his team. "I'm not sure if you can print about the bottles of wine at these dinners because that's what I remember," says Chris Kelleher, who played with Bonvie in Wilkes-Barre and who is now the Minnesota Wild's director of player personnel. "He'd invite anyone - rookies, veterans, whoever it was.""He wouldn't want anybody to feel left out," Kelly Bonvie says. "He just wanted to make sure that these guys felt supported and there was always somebody to go to if they had a problem. I look back and I really treasure the memories of hanging out with some of these guys. You know, they were still growing up and they just appreciated having a home-cooked meal. It was just the simple things that they really appreciated. We were happy to be able to do it." <figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/613384/GettyImages-53121905.jpg?ts=1706207189" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/613384/GettyImages-53121905.jpg?ts=1706207189 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/613384/GettyImages-53121905.jpg?ts=1706207189 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/613384/GettyImages-53121905.jpg?ts=1706207189 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/613384/GettyImages-53121905.jpg?ts=1706207189 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/613384/GettyImages-53121905.jpg?ts=1706207189 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption">Dennis Bonvie in 1998 with the Hamilton Bulldogs </figcaption></figure>The dinners often led to swapping tales about on-ice antics. "When Dennis was around, he was always telling stories," says John Slaney, now an assistant coach for the AHL's Tucson Roadrunners. One of the favorites that still gets retold is a famous one-liner Bonvie would feed the opposition.Kelleher's version of it takes place in Philadelphia. "Dennis was really our only legitimate, tough-guy fighter. He could fight anybody, right? So we go to Philly and everybody's nervous. Dennis was trying to keep it light. The puck doesn't even drop and he goes over to the Philly bench. He says to them, 'I got three fights in me. You guys decide which three it's going to be. Now let's drop the puck," Kelleher says. Three fights were the league maximum before getting ejected."He had a lot of chirps," Slaney says. "He would yell at the bench if everyone was looking down, 'Hey, did you lose all your quarters on the floor?' When Dennis got mad it was almost like when your grandfather got mad."Bonvie became the first person to call when you needed someone. "I played one game in the NHL," Kelleher says. "It was for the Bruins. I got called up. The morning of the game, I realized with the travel schedule, I was going to get to the rink at 9 a.m. - I was just going to sit there for hours getting more nervous. So I called Dennis up. He played for the Bruins at the time. And he met me at the rink and sat with me. He was more excited for me than I was. That's something I'll never forget."That empathy and leadership carried well beyond Bonvie's on-ice career and into his scouting pursuits. He's now the Bruins' director of pro scouting. "What I admire most about my dad is how much time he makes for us," his 19-year-old son, Rhys Bonvie, says. "Sometimes he'll take me along to NHL games and I love being in the press box with him. He knows everyone. Even the elevator lady. He says she's the one who knows everyone but I know it's him, too."Rhys says people who know he's Dennis' son assume he must be tough, like his father. But tough isn't the word he uses to describe his dad. "I would say he's a teddy bear," Rhys says.Bonvie's never hidden that soft side off the ice. Learning about his HOF induction openly brought him to tears. "He called me and he couldn't even talk," Kelly says. "He was just so emotional. I was just so grateful that his hard work for all those years got recognized."<figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/613385/cropped_Screen_Shot_2024-01-25_at_1.30.26_PM.jpg?ts=1706207520" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/613385/w220xh124_Screen_Shot_2024-01-25_at_1.30.26_PM.jpg?ts=1706207520 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/613385/w320xh180_Screen_Shot_2024-01-25_at_1.30.26_PM.jpg?ts=1706207520 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/613385/w640xh360_Screen_Shot_2024-01-25_at_1.30.26_PM.jpg?ts=1706207520 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/613385/w768xh432_Screen_Shot_2024-01-25_at_1.30.26_PM.jpg?ts=1706207520 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/613385/w1080xh607_Screen_Shot_2024-01-25_at_1.30.26_PM.jpg?ts=1706207520 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption">From left to right: Davyn, Kelly, Dennis, and Rhys Bonvie at the 2018 AHL Outdoor Classic Supplied</figcaption></figure>With hockey having changed drastically in the nearly two decades since Bonvie's heyday, with far more emphasis on skill and speed, his on-ice accomplishments might be overlooked. But many former players have pointed out that Bonvie's stats speak loudly: he had 84 goals and 191 assists in the AHL, so he could do more than fight. But still, his main role has become a bit of a throwback to a different era of hockey."It's an entirely different game," DeBrusk says. "Players like Dennis, the role that he had, call it the enforcer, call it the tough guy, you can even call it the goon, I really don't care. I think when you look over the history, they were so influential on how the game was played. They were incredibly popular in every market they played in - whether it was negative or positive, people knew who those guys were."I think Dennis worked hard, harder than anybody. I don't think people really understand how difficult that position is, to do it on a nightly basis and for as long as he did. The toughness is what got him to pro hockey, got him a job. But to stick around for as long as he did, you have to be a good teammate." For Bonvie, when he reminisces about his Hall of Fame career, that's what he's usually thinking about. "I don't even like to talk about the fights too much because it's not fair to the guys I was fighting or vice versa," he says. "There's ones that I lost that I shouldn't have, and the ones that I did really well in I don't need to talk about because it could have been me on the other side. Proud of them? I just did my job."Instead, Bonvie's far more proud of the designation he earned from the chirps, the dinners, from showing up when he was asked: "A good teammate.""(A) coach told me way back in the day that when you retire, if your teammates can stand up and say, 'That was one heck of a teammate, a really good guy,' that's something to be proud of. I think I was the best teammate I could be."Jolene Latimer is a feature writer at theScore.

https://rich-content.thescore.com/content_cards/26282174/related

'One heck of a teammate': Dennis Bonvie's AHL career gets the HOF treatment

When Laura Stacey was growing up, rarely a family dinner went by when there wasn't a story shared...

When Laura Stacey was growing up, rarely a family dinner went by when there wasn't a story shared about her great-grandfather and Maple Leafs legend King Clancy."One of the bigger stories that everybody talks about is how he was traded from Ottawa to Toronto thanks to a horse," she says. "That was how they won enough money in order to get him to come to Toronto. That's something we always joke about. Thank goodness the horse won because that's what allowed us to be Leafs."<figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/612220/GettyImages-502264907.jpg?ts=1705606383" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/612220/GettyImages-502264907.jpg?ts=1705606383 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/612220/GettyImages-502264907.jpg?ts=1705606383 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/612220/GettyImages-502264907.jpg?ts=1705606383 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/612220/GettyImages-502264907.jpg?ts=1705606383 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/612220/GettyImages-502264907.jpg?ts=1705606383 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption">King Clancy during his playing career with the Toronto Maple Leafs Bob Olsen / Toronto Star / Getty Images</figcaption></figure>Clancy won three Stanley Cups over his 16-season NHL playing career - two with Ottawa and one with Toronto. He won another three as part of the Maple Leafs coaching staff. Clancy is considered one of the best puck-moving defensemen of all time, retiring with 283 career points - a record among blue-liners at that time. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1958 and his No. 7 hangs in the rafters at Scotiabank Arena as one of the Leafs' honored numbers.<div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div>Following his retirement, Clancy became an NHL referee for 11 years before spending three seasons behind the Leafs bench. He served in various capacities in the Leafs' front office, earning another four Stanley Cups as the assistant general manager and eventually becoming the team's goodwill ambassador until his death in 1986. In his honor, the King Clancy Memorial Trophy is awarded annually by the NHL to the player who best exemplifies leadership qualities and has made significant contributions to their community.<figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/612218/cropped_GettyImages-502265163.jpg?ts=1705606217" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/612218/w220xh124_GettyImages-502265163.jpg?ts=1705606217 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/612218/w320xh180_GettyImages-502265163.jpg?ts=1705606217 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/612218/w640xh360_GettyImages-502265163.jpg?ts=1705606217 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/612218/w768xh432_GettyImages-502265163.jpg?ts=1705606217 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/612218/w1080xh607_GettyImages-502265163.jpg?ts=1705606217 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption">King Clancy, then vice-president of the Toronto Maple Leafs, temporarily took over coaching duties in 1972 when Leafs coach Johnny McLellan went to hospital for a series of tests Bob Olsen / Toronto Star / Getty Images</figcaption></figure>The love of the game ran in the family. From the time Stacey was 7 years old and saw the Canadian women take home gold at the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City, hockey had the same hold on her that it did on her great-grandfather."It just took up a lot of my heart and a lot of my passion," she says. Even though there were limited professional options for women to play hockey, Stacey set her sights on achieving what she considered the height of the sport's success: Olympic gold. She made her Olympic debut at the 2018 Games in Pyeongchang, where she took home silver before following that up four years later in Beijing with four goals and two assists on her way to a gold medal.<figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/612221/cropped_GettyImages-1371031851.jpg?ts=1705610766" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/612221/w220xh124_GettyImages-1371031851.jpg?ts=1705610766 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/612221/w320xh180_GettyImages-1371031851.jpg?ts=1705610766 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/612221/w640xh360_GettyImages-1371031851.jpg?ts=1705610766 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/612221/w768xh432_GettyImages-1371031851.jpg?ts=1705610766 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/612221/w1080xh607_GettyImages-1371031851.jpg?ts=1705610766 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption">Laura Stacey with her gold medal after the women's gold-medal game against the U.S. at the 2022 Winter Olympics Bruce Bennett / Getty Images</figcaption></figure>In 2023 she signed with the PWHL's Montreal team as one of the inaugural players. theScore recently caught up with Stacey to reflect on her hockey journey and family legacy in the sport. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.theScore: You recently found your great-grandfather's hockey card. How did that happen?Stacey: eBay reached out to me because they had gotten into certified hockey cards and they messaged me saying that they had some of my great-grandfather. I was pretty excited about it. I thought it was awesome to see. I wear his number and he's a big part of our family. I had never actually seen his hockey card before. So to get that sent in the mail, and I have it at my house now, it's pretty cool to see. It's pretty rare. I never really expected that to happen. Just being able to have that little piece of history and his legacy is pretty amazing to me.There must have been a lot of his memorabilia around when you were growing up.All of the females in the family have a little gold puck necklace that he gave his daughters and his wife when they won the Stanley Cup. It's a little piece of jewelry to remember that moment and it's been passed down in our family. I actually now have a gold puck necklace as well. Growing up, what was the family mythology around your great-grandfather?Oh, everybody talks about him. I think our whole family's really big Leafs fans, in big part due to him. Every time we go to the arena and see his banner hanging it just brings back all those stories. I never got to meet him. But a lot of stories were shared about him and his legacy, his career as a hockey player, and also as a person. He had an amazing hockey career, but the way he did it, his giving back to charity, and his leadership throughout the Leafs organization, I think really hit home with me.He obviously didn't make a crazy amount of money at that time in the NHL, but every Christmas he would go around and give a little bit of his salary to all the janitors and every person who was a piece of Maple Leaf Gardens. What stuck out to me is that he did want to give back so much. Did you think you were going to be playing professional hockey like him one day?I think for sure, there was that thought of like, 'How come I can't do what he got to do?' Or, 'How come I couldn't have that as my career?' But to be honest, I was so excited to chase my dream of playing for the national team that I was going to do whatever I could to get there.So I think that I was never disappointed because I was always so excited about the opportunity to potentially play for my country.When I was a kid, I only saw women's hockey at the Olympics on TV, in 2002. That was the first spark where I went, "Whoa, I want to be on that team, I want to play for Canada, I want to represent my country. I want to be an Olympian." But I never saw anything else (as it relates to women's hockey). I think that was really my only dream, to be one of 23 who made the Canadian Olympic team. <figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/612224/cropped_GettyImages-922600958.jpg?ts=1705610902" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/612224/w220xh124_GettyImages-922600958.jpg?ts=1705610902 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/612224/w320xh180_GettyImages-922600958.jpg?ts=1705610902 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/612224/w640xh360_GettyImages-922600958.jpg?ts=1705610902 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/612224/w768xh432_GettyImages-922600958.jpg?ts=1705610902 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/612224/w1080xh607_GettyImages-922600958.jpg?ts=1705610902 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption">Laura Stacey races to the puck against Sidney Moran of the U.S. in the first period of the women's gold-medal game at the 2018 Winter Olympics Harry How / Getty Images</figcaption></figure>I don't think I really ever had my eyes set on playing professionally. I love the Toronto Maple Leafs. I always said, 'Oh, I wish I could play for them.' But I kind of knew it wasn't really a reality. I think a lot of girls will still dream of playing at the Olympics. I think that's still obviously the pinnacle of our sport. But I think (the PWHL) just allows so many more kids and young girls to dream because now it's not just 23 Canadians, it could be up to 150 or 200, or whatever the case may be when those kids grow up. So I think (the PWHL) just allows so many more kids and young girls to dream because there's way more spots available. Now, it's not just, 'Hey, we go to college, and we either make the Olympic team or we don't.' It's now, 'I have a chance to play pro, and maybe still chase that other dream of representing my country.' Throughout college when I hadn't quite made that senior team yet, it was, 'OK, what's next? Do I just get a real job? Give up the dream if I haven't made it yet? Or do I keep pushing and going after it?' Luckily, there was that CWHL to fall back on still to at least push me a couple more years. But now I can only imagine how much it's going to help people when they graduate from college. Now it's like, 'Hey, I still want to make that senior team. Now I have the chance to get even better playing professionally in this league as well.'<figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/612225/cropped_GettyImages-1930884293.jpg?ts=1705611019" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/612225/w220xh124_GettyImages-1930884293.jpg?ts=1705611019 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/612225/w320xh180_GettyImages-1930884293.jpg?ts=1705611019 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/612225/w640xh360_GettyImages-1930884293.jpg?ts=1705611019 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/612225/w768xh432_GettyImages-1930884293.jpg?ts=1705611019 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/612225/w1080xh607_GettyImages-1930884293.jpg?ts=1705611019 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption">Montreal's Laura Stacey scuffles with New York forward Emma Woods during their PWHL game on Jan. 16 Icon Sportswire / Getty Images</figcaption></figure>Your great-grandfather was in the early days of men's professional hockey. You're in the early days of women's professional hockey. Do you ever draw that parallel?He was a part of the Original Six and played hockey when it wasn't really a thing. The salaries weren't huge, and it was just for the love of the game. That's exactly what we're doing with the PWHL. Obviously, it's getting bigger and better and it's growing. And I can't wait to see what it is when I'm no longer competing.Jolene Latimer is a features writer at theScore.

https://rich-content.thescore.com/content_cards/26229088/related

Great-grandaughter of Maple Leafs legend upholds hockey legacy

Zoe Boyd knows she's part of history every time she takes the ice for Ottawa during the inaugural...

Zoe Boyd knows she's part of history every time she takes the ice for Ottawa during the inaugural PWHL season. But there's a more personal reason she's excited to play professional hockey: This will be the first time since high school her mom will be able to watch. "She was just the most proud, loud, loving mom in the stands," Boyd says, remembering when they would both watch her older brother play minor hockey.There was once a time when Boyd's mom, Tammy Thomson, was the ultimate hockey mom, and missing so much of her daughter's career - one that includes representing Canada at the world under-18s and playing NCAA Division I hockey - would have been unfathomable. <div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div>"She was one energetic hockey mom. She absolutely loved going to the games and the practices, tying up skates, and being a team manager. She was very vocal and supportive," Boyd's dad, Jim, says."My mom was kind of a nut in the stands yelling, the whole game," Boyd says. "She loved to film things so she would have her camcorder out and then sometimes we would watch the game at home."<figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/611041/cropped_Screen_Shot_2024-01-11_at_11.41.18_AM.jpg?ts=1704991836" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/611041/w220xh124_Screen_Shot_2024-01-11_at_11.41.18_AM.jpg?ts=1704991836 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/611041/w320xh180_Screen_Shot_2024-01-11_at_11.41.18_AM.jpg?ts=1704991836 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/611041/w640xh360_Screen_Shot_2024-01-11_at_11.41.18_AM.jpg?ts=1704991836 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/611041/w768xh432_Screen_Shot_2024-01-11_at_11.41.18_AM.jpg?ts=1704991836 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/611041/w1080xh607_Screen_Shot_2024-01-11_at_11.41.18_AM.jpg?ts=1704991836 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption">Zoe Boyd and Tammy Thomson in an undated photo Supplied</figcaption></figure>When Boyd was about three years old, Thomson enrolled her in hockey summer camp alongside her older brother, and Boyd admits that at first she wasn't too interested in learning the finer details of the game."I would just do snow angels on the ice while they all did the drills," she says.But it wasn't long before her innate desire to keep up with the boys in her neighborhood changed that. "From the moment I could start dressing myself and expressing myself, I was very much a tomboy," she says. "Once I got skating under my belt, you just want to be competitive and play with the guys and be rough, and it just slowly developed."In the winters, we would skate with my cousins on the ponds and play pickup hockey. So I would say the love of hockey probably started more so coming to me out on the pond. I thought I was going to be playing for the Toronto Maple Leafs. My dad told me about Manon Rheaume when I was little and I thought, 'Well, she did it. I'm going to do it, too.'"Her daughter's growing interest in hockey wasn't something Thomson would ever be able to fully comprehend and support. When Boyd was five years old, Thomson was on her way home from work when her small car was hit by a pickup truck. First responders cut open her car to extricate her from the wreckage, and as a result of the collision she fell into a coma."It was an awful thing to go through as a partner or spouse, and an awful thing to go through for her children, and an awful thing to go through for Tammy herself," Jim says.After four months, Thomson regained consciousness but had a profound traumatic brain injury and full paralysis. While she relearned how to speak and read - and regained her sense of humor - she had lost her memory. Thomson doesn't recall getting married or becoming a mother. She requires indefinite support at a long-term care facility. <figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/611043/cropped_Screen_Shot_2024-01-11_at_11.39.47_AM.jpg?ts=1704991419" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/611043/w220xh124_Screen_Shot_2024-01-11_at_11.39.47_AM.jpg?ts=1704991419 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/611043/w320xh180_Screen_Shot_2024-01-11_at_11.39.47_AM.jpg?ts=1704991419 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/611043/w640xh360_Screen_Shot_2024-01-11_at_11.39.47_AM.jpg?ts=1704991419 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/611043/w768xh432_Screen_Shot_2024-01-11_at_11.39.47_AM.jpg?ts=1704991419 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/611043/w1080xh607_Screen_Shot_2024-01-11_at_11.39.47_AM.jpg?ts=1704991419 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption">Zoe Boyd with her mom Tammy Thomson in an undated photo taken prior to Thomson's accident Supplied</figcaption></figure>"It's really hard to be a young person and lose somebody who should have such a large impact on your life because you almost feel like you're missing a part of yourself," Boyd says. "I certainly went through a period of time where I felt like I didn't know who I was, or wasn't going to, because I didn't know who my mom was."Boyd wasn't left to deal with the trauma alone; she had a kindred spirit to help her through. Her childhood best friend, Kristin Della Rovere, lived just a few houses away in their hometown of Caledon East, Ontario, northwest of Toronto. The girls had met a few years prior when Thomson arrived at the Della Rovere household, Boyd in tow, to pick up her older son from a playdate."Tammy was a little bit upset because they had finished the day in kindergarten. And Zoe's teacher said, 'Zoe loves to play with boys, she wants to run around, she should try to find some girls that are friends because it might be hard for her when she goes to public school,'" Della Rovere's mom, Elizabeth Dimovski, says.As Thomson stood in the doorway explaining her concerns to Dimovski, Boyd stood behind her, arms wrapped around her mom's leg. "She had this cute little baseball cap on backwards and boys' clothes. And I'm talking to Tammy at the door and Kristin comes and stands at the door and she's got the same outfit. Like, mirror images of each other. Tammy almost cried. She said, 'Oh my God, you have one of those too?' There was an instant love."<figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/611037/cropped_599.jpg?ts=1704991446" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/611037/w220xh124_599.jpg?ts=1704991446 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/611037/w320xh180_599.jpg?ts=1704991446 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/611037/w640xh360_599.jpg?ts=1704991446 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/611037/w768xh432_599.jpg?ts=1704991446 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/611037/w1080xh607_599.jpg?ts=1704991446 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption">Kristin Della Rovere (left) and Zoe Boyd (right) as children Supplied</figcaption></figure>Their simpatico only grew after Thomson's injury. "When I was with (Della Rovere) I don't ever think I thought, 'Oh, my mom's not here.' It was always just like - we're doing something. We're playing pond hockey, we're playing road hockey. It was - I guess an escape is a good way to put it," Boyd says.Della Rovere's entire family leaned in to support Boyd. Dimovski still remembers the day a young Boyd approached her with a burning question: "What's a godmother?""Well, when your parents are busy and can't take care of you, the godmother takes care of you," Dimovski told her. "Can you be my godmother?" asked Boyd. After conferring with Boyd's dad, Dimovski accepted. <figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/611042/cropped_Screen_Shot_2024-01-11_at_11.38.34_AM.jpg?ts=1704991619" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/611042/w220xh124_Screen_Shot_2024-01-11_at_11.38.34_AM.jpg?ts=1704991619 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/611042/w320xh180_Screen_Shot_2024-01-11_at_11.38.34_AM.jpg?ts=1704991619 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/611042/w640xh360_Screen_Shot_2024-01-11_at_11.38.34_AM.jpg?ts=1704991619 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/611042/w768xh432_Screen_Shot_2024-01-11_at_11.38.34_AM.jpg?ts=1704991619 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/611042/w1080xh607_Screen_Shot_2024-01-11_at_11.38.34_AM.jpg?ts=1704991619 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption">Zoe Boyd and Elizabeth Dimovski Supplied</figcaption></figure>"I think spending all that time at Kristin's house with her mom and her dad and her siblings was super healing for me," Boyd says. "They did a really good job of protecting me and shielding me from some obvious hard things. It's safe to say her mom was kind of like a second mom to me. Just having them was huge for being able to kind of persevere."That didn't mean the road was easy for Boyd. "The older I got, the more that I understood what I was missing out on by not having my mom with me or knowing who she was, and the harder it became. My teens were really tough in that sense. I really felt a longing for what could have been. I really felt like I was missing out on what all my friends had," she says."Kristin and her mom Elizabeth did such an amazing job at talking about my mom and telling me about her. Even if we would pass a coffee shop and Liz remembered that my mom used to like that coffee shop, small things like that just meant the world to me."Boyd and Della Rovere played together through the 2014-15 season in Bantam AA with the North Halton Twisters. After that they remained close friends despite attending separate universities - Della Rovere at Harvard and Boyd two hours away at Quinnipiac University in Connecticut.<figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/611038/cropped_IMG-20120223-00001.jpg?ts=1704991532" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/611038/w220xh124_IMG-20120223-00001.jpg?ts=1704991532 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/611038/w320xh180_IMG-20120223-00001.jpg?ts=1704991532 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/611038/w640xh360_IMG-20120223-00001.jpg?ts=1704991532 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/611038/w768xh432_IMG-20120223-00001.jpg?ts=1704991532 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/611038/w1080xh607_IMG-20120223-00001.jpg?ts=1704991532 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption">Zoe Boyd (left) and Kristin Della Rovere (right) during their minor hockey days in Caledon East, Ontario Supplied</figcaption></figure>"When we were kids we always used to say, 'We're going to move in together, we're going to go to the same college,' but you kind of get on your own path," Della Rovere says. "We've always been close and stayed in contact, but you definitely don't see each other as much."But the PWHL draft put their lives on a similar course once again. Boyd was selected 53rd overall by Ottawa; Della Rovere joined her three picks later. "We missed Kristin's draft because we were celebrating Zoe's draft," Dimovski says. "The family chat was all about Zoe.""I wasn't even watching the stream anymore because we were all congratulating Zoe," Della Rovere says. "My agent called me and was like, 'You just got drafted!'""For them to be drafted on the same team was magical, honestly," Dimovski says."We knew right away we would be roommates," says Boyd. <figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/611045/cropped_GettyImages-1907504099.jpg?ts=1705004977" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/611045/w220xh124_GettyImages-1907504099.jpg?ts=1705004977 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/611045/w320xh180_GettyImages-1907504099.jpg?ts=1705004977 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/611045/w640xh360_GettyImages-1907504099.jpg?ts=1705004977 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/611045/w768xh432_GettyImages-1907504099.jpg?ts=1705004977 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/611045/w1080xh607_GettyImages-1907504099.jpg?ts=1705004977 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption">Zoe Boyd skates at home during the second period against Montreal on Jan. 2 Minas Panagiotakis / Getty Images</figcaption></figure>The 23-year-olds found an apartment together in Ottawa and their dads road-tripped from Caledon East to help build their furniture. It was a full-circle moment, and for Boyd the beginning of a new era of her hockey career - one where she's a bit more in touch with her own identity.Thomson has rarely been able to watch Boyd's career unfold. Boyd's college games weren't televised and were too far for her mom to travel. But this season with the PWHL is different. When Ottawa meets Toronto on Saturday, Thomson will be within an hour's drive of the arena, close enough to attend."When I saw the schedule I texted my dad right away, and I was almost in tears. I was like, 'You have to bring mom to our game against Toronto,' and he said, 'Absolutely, I will.'"It will be a lot of work to transport Thomson from the long-term care facility in Brampton to the arena, and Boyd's not sure how much of the game her mom will be able to follow. But it's her mere presence in Boyd's life that's important."I realized that I'm never going to get to know my mom as the person who she was pre-accident. And that shouldn't have to determine who I am. I should be able to determine who I am by myself," Boyd says. That doesn't mean she's leaving her mom out of the equation. "She can be a part of that." That's why having her loud, proud mom in the stands once again will mean so much. "It's going to be really special for me to have her there."<figure class="article-segment--embed"><center>                         </center></figure><figure class="article-segment--embed"><iframe title="Brains and brawn" aria-label="Table" id="datawrapper-chart-npw1P" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/npw1P/1/" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" style="width: 0; min-width: 100% !important; border: none;" height="726" data-external="1"></iframe><script type="text/javascript">!function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll("iframe");for(var t in a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r=0;r<e.length;r++)if(e[r].contentWindow===a.source){var i=a.data["datawrapper-height"][t]+"px";e[r].style.height=i}}}))}();
</script></figure>Jolene Latimer is a feature writer at theScore.

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"There was never a moment when I didn't want hockey to be my job one day," says Elizabeth Giguere...

"There was never a moment when I didn't want hockey to be my job one day," says Elizabeth Giguere, who will take the ice for PWHL New York when the puck drops on the league's inaugural season on Jan. 1."I always said I wanted to play in the NHL, but I knew that wasn't possible," says Giguere. Instead, she focused on the daily business of earning wins, making two NCAA finals appearances, taking home the 2020 Patty Kazmaier Award, and becoming the sixth all-time scorer in women's Division I hockey. Along the way, Giguere, acutely aware of the changing women's professional hockey landscape, dared to hope there would be a professional opportunity for her after college.That chance has materialized in the form of the PWHL. Formed in the summer of 2023, the six-team league officially launches Jan. 1 when Toronto hosts New York in a historic season opener. That will kick off a 72-game regular season with each team - Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Boston, New York and Minnesota - taking the ice 24 times.<div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div>"I cannot wait for the public to get to watch the games throughout the season. I think it's going to be a lot of fun," says Giguere, who was selected 28th overall by New York in the league's first draft.Before the PWHL and its forerunners, female athletes like Giguere, a Quebec City native, had to rely on national team opportunities to extend their playing careers beyond college. Despite an outstanding NCAA career, Giguere hasn't been able to establish herself with Team Canada. Her only national team opportunity came at the 2015 under-18 world championship where she had three goals and four assists in five games.As a freshman at Clarkson in 2018, Giguere led the team to a national title, <a href="https://twitter.com/NCAAIceHockey/status/975488704683937792?s=20">scoring in overtime</a> to seal the deal. Giguere played four seasons for the Golden Knights and was named captain in her senior year. She set a school record for career points with 233 in 137 games.Then she transferred to the University of Minnesota Duluth to take advantage of an extra COVID-19 year of eligibility and earned another trip to the Frozen Four. Following college, Giguere signed with the Boston Pride for the 2022-23 PHF season, posting 22 points in 18 games.<figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/606730/cropped_GettyImages-1391659795.jpg?ts=1703099102" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/606730/w220xh124_GettyImages-1391659795.jpg?ts=1703099102 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/606730/w320xh180_GettyImages-1391659795.jpg?ts=1703099102 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/606730/w640xh360_GettyImages-1391659795.jpg?ts=1703099102 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/606730/w768xh432_GettyImages-1391659795.jpg?ts=1703099102 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/606730/w1080xh607_GettyImages-1391659795.jpg?ts=1703099102 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption">Elizabeth Giguere skating in the 2022 Women's Frozen Four final against Ohio State. Justin Berl / NCAA Photos / Getty Images</figcaption></figure>Those efforts were enough to attract some attention from Team Canada, Giguere joined the squad for the seven-game Canada-USA Rivalry Series in 2022-23. But the 26-year-old forward feels like she's just scratching the surface of her potential - and her PWHL tenure might be the right platform for her to show the world exactly what she can do.theScore caught up with Giguere ahead of the PWHL's season opener.This interview has been edited for length and clarity.theScore: How did you first get into hockey?Giguere: My family is huge into hockey. All my cousins were playing, but I wasn't because we didn't have a lot of money. My parents were like, "No, you can't play." So, I was playing soccer. But when I was about 5 or 6, after the first year that my cousin started, I started saving up my money - my birthday money. One time my mom saw, and she was like, "Why are you keeping all your money?" I told her it was to play hockey. After that, my parents were like, "OK, we have to sign her up."They signed me up and the funny thing was, I was so bad. I started skating and my mom thought I would quit because I was terrible at skating. So bad. But then I came off the ice and I was like, "Wasn't I so good, mom?" I just loved it so much that I kept playing and playing.Obviously at some point you stopped being bad at it.I think around 13, 14, or 15 was when I was really like, "I actually love this." I was going on the ice every single day because I did half school, half hockey since about grade four. I was active in that and I improved by 100 percent.What career opportunities did you see for yourself in hockey?I was hoping something would be there after college. I was more hoping I would get to play as long as I possibly could. When I was finishing up college, all of these leagues were happening, and I hoped it would all be figured out by the time I was out of college. That's when my dream became, "Maybe I can actually play after college." But it was never concrete, and I also always felt like I had to find another plan.I had friends graduating and not knowing where to go. And I did do one year in the PHS and then this summer we got the news that the PWHL was actually happening. It was a shock - we were like, "Actually happening?" We didn't know the process of how it was all going to work, when the season was going to start, where the teams were going to be. It was a big shock, but it was fun.The draft, to be honest, was a once-in-a-lifetime position to be in. My family was there with me and my first impressions were, "Holy cow, this is actually happening." To be here now is surreal.How would you characterize your style of play?I'm an offensive person for sure. I can score or pass - I like to create things and I'm someone that's really patient with the puck. I'm someone that loves to see great plays and I love to make like my teammates score. This historic season is under a microscope in many ways. Are you feeling that pressure?I'm not someone who puts pressure on anything like that. It's the first season and just the fact that everyone is so excited to get to play hockey, it's not a pressure. We know what we have and what we can show to the world - how women's hockey is fun to watch and good. It's a fast-paced game. And it's physical on the boards. Yes, there are no open-ice hits. But it gets very intense. You see a big difference between watching on TV and going to an actual in-person game. I also think there are sometimes nice plays in the women's game because there aren't open-ice hits. You see a lot of dangles and things that are fun for the fans. We make skilled, interesting plays.<figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/606731/cropped_GettyImages-933774902.jpg?ts=1703099232" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/606731/w220xh124_GettyImages-933774902.jpg?ts=1703099232 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/606731/w320xh180_GettyImages-933774902.jpg?ts=1703099232 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/606731/w640xh360_GettyImages-933774902.jpg?ts=1703099232 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/606731/w768xh432_GettyImages-933774902.jpg?ts=1703099232 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/606731/w1080xh607_GettyImages-933774902.jpg?ts=1703099232 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption">Elizabeth Giguere scores the winning goal in overtime for Clarkson in the 2018 Women's Frozen Four final. Carlos Gonzalez / NCAA Photos / Getty Images</figcaption></figure>Has there been a moment so far where it's started to hit home that you're a professional athlete?When you're sitting on the bus with your team, in the way you're treated, the way you get all your meals: It's your job. Tonight, I worked out and practiced. That's my job. That's what I got paid for. Do you and your teammates talk about the greater impact you want to have on women's sports through this experience?We actually talked about it, some of us on the bus on the way back from our preseason games. Someone said, and it struck me, that we're kind of doing this for the generations coming after us. There's a girl right now who's 10 years old and going to play here in 10 years or 12 years. We want her to have the best possible people around her and conditions. I think all the girls are trying to push it to make the next generation even better.I could never imagine this when I was a little kid. The fact that now a little girl can say, "I want to play professional hockey in 10 years," that's just crazy.<figure class="article-segment--embed"><iframe title="Five to watch" aria-label="Table" id="datawrapper-chart-k9zav" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/k9zav/1/" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" style="width: 0; min-width: 100% !important; border: none;" height="1171" data-external="1"></iframe><script type="text/javascript">!function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll("iframe");for(var t in a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r=0;r<e.length;r++)if(e[r].contentWindow===a.source){var i=a.data["datawrapper-height"][t]+"px";e[r].style.height=i}}}))}();
</script></figure> Jolene Latimer is a feature writer at theScore.

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During the peak of the Cold War in the 1970s, a new front opened: a cultural battle between the t...

During the peak of the Cold War in the 1970s, a new front opened: a cultural battle between the top hockey players in North America and the best from the Soviet Union. The winner would not just determine hockey dominance but would symbolize the triumph of an ideology.The Soviet system had moved to the forefront of the international game, dominating the world championships and Olympics in the 1960s by skirting the rules of amateurism with jobs that allowed them to train as hockey players full-time. Professionals were not allowed to compete in these international events, so the best players from the NHL had never faced off against the dominant Soviet teams.That changed in 1972 when the Summit Series pitted an NHL all-star squad featuring 13 future Hall of Famers against the Soviet national team. They repeated the event in 1974 against WHA players. Canada won in 1972, the Soviets triumphed in 1974.<div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div>For 1975-76, an event was planned to have two Soviet league teams play eight games in North America during December and January: Super Series '76. "This was a groundbreaking event in not only NHL history but in hockey history. It was the first time that the Soviet teams played NHL teams, as opposed to playing NHL All-Star teams," says Ed Gruver, the author of the new book "<a href="https://rowman.com/ISBN/9781493079445/The-Game-That-Saved-the-NHL-The-Broad-Street-Bullies-the-Soviet-Red-Machine-and-Super-Series-76">The Game That Saved the NHL</a>," which chronicles what happened as a result of the 1976 event both on and off the ice. Early series results heavily favored the Soviets; CSKA Moscow, the famous Red Army team, bested the New York Rangers 7-3 at Madison Square Garden while the Soviet Wings defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins 7-4. In perhaps the most famous game of the series, the Red Army had a New Year's Eve date with a Montreal Canadiens team on the cusp of winning the next four Stanley Cups. Montreal outshot the Soviets 38-13, but the magnificent play of goalie Vladislav Tretiak earned them a 3-3 draw.<figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/605371/cropped_GettyImages-159988778.jpg?ts=1702055312" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/605371/w220xh124_GettyImages-159988778.jpg?ts=1702055312 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/605371/w320xh180_GettyImages-159988778.jpg?ts=1702055312 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/605371/w640xh360_GettyImages-159988778.jpg?ts=1702055312 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/605371/w768xh432_GettyImages-159988778.jpg?ts=1702055312 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/605371/w1080xh607_GettyImages-159988778.jpg?ts=1702055312 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption">Tretiak, center, with Montreal's Peter Mahovlich and Yvon Cournoyer following the New Year's Eve tie. Denis Brodeur / NHL / Getty Images</figcaption></figure>By the time the last of the eight games came around on Jan. 11, the Soviet Wings had won three of their four games and the Red Army was 2-0-1. The last NHL team standing: the two-time defending Cup champion Philadelphia Flyers. <figure class="article-segment--embed"><iframe title="Super Series results" aria-label="Table" id="datawrapper-chart-pMAmo" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/pMAmo/1/" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" style="width: 0; min-width: 100% !important; border: none;" height="318" data-external="1"></iframe><script type="text/javascript">!function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll("iframe");for(var t in a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r=0;r<e.length;r++)if(e[r].contentWindow===a.source){var i=a.data["datawrapper-height"][t]+"px";e[r].style.height=i}}}))}();
</script></figure>Almost 50 years have passed since that matchup, but its results are still felt throughout the NHL today. The Broad Street Bullies, as the Flyers were then known, managed to exact a measure of revenge with a 4-1 victory.The Flyers, known for their physical, domineering approach, stunned the Soviets with their aggression, and they left the ice in protest 10 minutes into the first period. When they did return to play, the Flyers didn't back off. The crowd roared when Flyers defenceman Ed Van Impe leveled a ferocious hit against Russian star Valeri Kharlamov, whose ankle had previously been shattered by Flyers captain Bobby Clarke in the 1972 series. Still, when the final whistle blew, relations between the teams improved, with players from both sides sharing drinks in the locker room after the Flyers' win.While that win might have saved face for the NHL, its legacy can be seen not just in what was proven that day, but in what was learned. The collision of two disparate styles of play led to significant on-ice changes for both the NHL and the Soviets. Meanwhile, the cultural significance of the series opened the door for more international competition between professionals and the eventual influx of Russian and Eastern European talent in the NHL.theScore spoke with Gruver, whose book focuses on that final game of the series in Philadelphia as well as the impact the series had on two hockey cultures. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.theScore: Why is this an important story right now?Gruver: Today, the story is especially important when we see relations between East and West, between the U.S. and Russia. The detente that came about after the fall of the Berlin Wall seems to be faltering again with Russia's invasion of Ukraine and all the negativity that has brought about.Can you describe the prevailing public sentiment around mixing sport and politics in 1976?It was very much an us-versus-them outlook, and that prevailed on both sides - whether you were North America, or whether you were Russia. Since the end of the Second World War, the Soviet Union saw sports as a way to emphasize their political system. Their teams were seen as kind of Cold Warriors. The thought was, if they can defeat North American athletes in head-to-head competition, that proves to them that the Soviet system is superior to the North American system or, you know, democracy.The flip side was that from the standpoint of North America it was seen as: If we can defeat their athletes in head-to-head competition, we're proving that our system of government is superior to what's being practiced in the Soviet Union. It was very much an East-versus-West, us-against-them, democracy-versus-dictatorship matchup.<figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/605257/cropped_Flyers_defenseman_Joe_Watson_works_to_control_the_puck_in_front_of_Soviet_Red_Army_goalie_Vladislav_Tretiak-edited.jpg?ts=1701985953" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/605257/w220xh124_Flyers_defenseman_Joe_Watson_works_to_control_the_puck_in_front_of_Soviet_Red_Army_goalie_Vladislav_Tretiak-edited.jpg?ts=1701985953 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/605257/w320xh180_Flyers_defenseman_Joe_Watson_works_to_control_the_puck_in_front_of_Soviet_Red_Army_goalie_Vladislav_Tretiak-edited.jpg?ts=1701985953 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/605257/w640xh360_Flyers_defenseman_Joe_Watson_works_to_control_the_puck_in_front_of_Soviet_Red_Army_goalie_Vladislav_Tretiak-edited.jpg?ts=1701985953 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/605257/w768xh432_Flyers_defenseman_Joe_Watson_works_to_control_the_puck_in_front_of_Soviet_Red_Army_goalie_Vladislav_Tretiak-edited.jpg?ts=1701985953 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/605257/w1080xh607_Flyers_defenseman_Joe_Watson_works_to_control_the_puck_in_front_of_Soviet_Red_Army_goalie_Vladislav_Tretiak-edited.jpg?ts=1701985953 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption">Flyers defenseman Joe Watson fights for the puck in front of Red Army goalie Vladislav Tretiak. Philadelphia Flyers archive</figcaption></figure>That's why the players who were in this Super Series, and particularly the Flyers, no team in NHL history ever felt the pressure, or will ever feel the pressure, again, of what they went through. It was left to the Flyers to uphold the honor of the NHL, which is kind of ironic because they were the Broad Street Bullies, they were almost universally hated outside of Philadelphia. But, it all came down to this.(NHL commissioner) Clarence Campbell went into their locker room before the game and said, "Boys, you've got to win this game." The players talked about that intensity - they were representing not only their team and the NHL, but North America, our form of government, everything was on the line for 60 minutes of hockey. If the players lose to the Soviets, then what does that mean for the NHL? What does that mean for the Stanley Cup? Now suddenly, it's all devalued? The Stanley Cup is no longer representative of the best team in hockey? Because the best team in hockey would have been in the Soviet Union. It was for hockey supremacy in the world, both sides understood that. Was the pressure the Flyers felt for this game comparable to the atmosphere of a Stanley Cup final?In 1972, when the Soviets played the NHL All-Stars, it was an eight-game series, and the NHL All-Stars pulled out a victory in Game 8 to win the series. Two years later, the Soviets soundly defeated the WHA All-Stars in the Summit Series. That set the stage for the Super Series in 1976 where you had the top two Soviet hockey clubs coming to the U.S. and North America to play some of the best NHL teams. But this matchup against the Soviets and the Flyers was just a one-game situation. It wasn't a best-of-seven. It wasn't like if you had a bad game, you can rebound and come back the next night like in a Stanley Cup Finals scenario. The Red Army team were the champions of the Soviet league. The Flyers were the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions of the NHL. It was the best against best in a one-game showdown. The players (interviewed for the book) told me that the Stanley Cup pressure was nothing compared to this.<figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/605373/cropped_GettyImages-1247954409.jpg?ts=1702056981" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/605373/w220xh124_GettyImages-1247954409.jpg?ts=1702056981 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/605373/w320xh180_GettyImages-1247954409.jpg?ts=1702056981 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/605373/w640xh360_GettyImages-1247954409.jpg?ts=1702056981 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/605373/w768xh432_GettyImages-1247954409.jpg?ts=1702056981 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/605373/w1080xh607_GettyImages-1247954409.jpg?ts=1702056981 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption">Flyers goalie Bernie Parent and captain Bobby Clarke skate with the Stanley Cup after defeating Buffalo in six games in the 1975 Finals. John D. Hanlon / Sports Illustrated / Getty Images</figcaption></figure>You talked to a lot of people who were present at this game, what stood out to you the most about what they remember almost 50 years later?Talking to the players involved and the media and everyone else involved who was there firsthand, what stood out was the intensity of the series and, in particular, that final game. The schedule makers really did everyone a huge favor by scheduling that game for the final game. I'm sure it was done for a reason because they wanted to match the champions up in the climactic game. It worked out well.The Red Army team rolled into Philadelphia to play the Stanley Cup champs and the Russians were undefeated. The Red Army team was unbeaten. There's no coming back from a loss in a one-game scenario like this. By the 1970s, the NHLers and the Soviets had developed two distinctly different styles of play on the ice. What made their approaches both so unique?The Soviet style was born out of a game called bandy. That was a sport that had been played in the Soviet Union. At the end of World War II, when the Russian government turned its attention away from war and to sports and entertainment, and the arts and things like that, they used the Canadian game as a building block to a point. But they more heavily relied on bandy because it was something they knew and had played. It was kind of like field hockey on ice. So the Soviets played a game that was less linear than what the NHL played. The NHL played end-to-end hockey. They played a dump-and-chase system. The Soviets played what would be considered more of an east-to-west game with more passing. They never did dump and chase, it was short passes basically aimed at trying to lure the opposing players out of position, which would give them the best shot possible. The NHL favored high-volume shots. They would just shoot anywhere inside the blue line and sometimes even just inside center ice. The Soviets would hold the puck for several stretches and then try to score with what they thought would be a premier opportunity. To the Soviets, a missed shot was like a turnover. The NHL didn't see it that way, they were willing to pepper the opposing goalie with as many shots as possible. It was such a contrast between Soviet hockey and North American hockey that it was very visual when you watched the game. It's very evident that these two teams were playing a brand of hockey that was completely foreign, in many ways, to one another.<figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/605219/cropped_Flyers_Joe_Watson__foreground__and_Bill_Barber_shake_hands_with_Soviet_Red_Army_Goalies__Flyers_Archive_.jpg?ts=1701977096" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/605219/w220xh124_Flyers_Joe_Watson__foreground__and_Bill_Barber_shake_hands_with_Soviet_Red_Army_Goalies__Flyers_Archive_.jpg?ts=1701977096 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/605219/w320xh180_Flyers_Joe_Watson__foreground__and_Bill_Barber_shake_hands_with_Soviet_Red_Army_Goalies__Flyers_Archive_.jpg?ts=1701977096 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/605219/w640xh360_Flyers_Joe_Watson__foreground__and_Bill_Barber_shake_hands_with_Soviet_Red_Army_Goalies__Flyers_Archive_.jpg?ts=1701977096 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/605219/w768xh432_Flyers_Joe_Watson__foreground__and_Bill_Barber_shake_hands_with_Soviet_Red_Army_Goalies__Flyers_Archive_.jpg?ts=1701977096 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/605219/w1080xh607_Flyers_Joe_Watson__foreground__and_Bill_Barber_shake_hands_with_Soviet_Red_Army_Goalies__Flyers_Archive_.jpg?ts=1701977096 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption">The Flyers' Bill Barber and Joe Watson shake hands with Red Army goalies Vladislav Tretiak and Nikolai Adonin after the game. Philadelphia Flyers Archive</figcaption></figure>How did both sides influence each other's style of play in the years that followed?It brought together two schools of thought on how hockey should be played. In the bringing together of these two contrasting styles, the clash between them made them both better in the long run. Interestingly, both claimed victory in the Super Series. The two Soviet teams won the Super Series by a 5-2-1 score. But, the NHL's viewpoint was that the Soviets had beaten some of their lesser teams, but not the three top teams. While both sides claimed victory, they also saw that they had to make changes. Following the proceedings, the Soviets began getting more physical in some of their games. They never resorted to the fighting that the NHL did, and particularly the Broad Street Bullies, but they did become more physical with their body checks and they did rely less on looking for the perfect scoring opportunity and began taking more shots. The NHL adjusted as well. They looked to improve their conditioning, which at the time was sorely behind the Soviet conditioning because the Russians trained year-round and the NHL didn't. NHL players also looked to improve their passing, getting away from the dump-and-chase and looking for better scoring opportunities.In your book, you highlighted that the influx of Soviet players after the collapse of the U.S.S.R. marked "the greatest migration of talent from one league to another league since the Negro Leaguers joined Major League Baseball." Was this Super Series a foreshadowing of that?I think so, yes. You start to see more of an influx of European players into the NHL from the mid-'70s on. When the Berlin Wall came down, then you started to see a heavy influx of Russian players coming into the NHL. Both sides realized that they could benefit from the other. In the end, the real winner was the sport of hockey because it truly became a global game. Hockey isn't regional anymore like it was in the '70s when you had North American style and European style. Now, it's more of a worldwide game. It matters less now who won the Super Series back then because the ultimate winner was the sport of hockey. The migration of talent from one league to another really benefited the sport as a whole. Jolene Latimer is a feature writer at theScore.

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Weeks after the initial shock and public outpouring following the tragic death of former NHL play...

Weeks after the initial shock and public outpouring following the tragic death of former NHL player Adam Johnson, the debate over how to get athletes to meaningfully protect their necks hasn't subsided.NHL commissioner Gary Bettman has said a neck guard mandate is a complex issue that would have to be negotiated with the players' association, and only a handful of players have adopted the added protection, but the Western Hockey League got in line with Canada's other two major junior leagues by issuing an immediate provision this month. Meanwhile, conversations are happening at every level of the game."My oldest son, Luke, plays professional hockey in Germany, and he played with Adam (Johnson)," said Mary-Kay Messier, Bauer Hockey's vice president of marketing. "He talked to me about how the players got together and discussed how they felt about it. It really impacted them."<div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div>The players decided they would try wearing neck guards. "I was really shocked that my son and a bunch of players on the team came back afterwards and said it wasn't bad at all," said Messier, whose company is a leading supplier of neck guards. "He started texting me saying, 'What can we do about getting neck guards? The team wants to try it.' We have a distributor in Germany, so that came together."It's an example of organic adoption that Messier and industry leaders hope will become the norm following Johnson's death. With an increasing number of hockey leagues mandating neck guards' use, it's logical to believe that as players advance up the ranks, they'll naturally continue to use them - even when they reach a level where they're optional. The same evolution introduced helmets and visors into the NHL. Bauer estimates a roughly 40% increase in neck guard demand in the weeks since Johnson's death."If we start to mandate this at the youth level, then all the kids are used to it. Young kids that graduated from junior went into the NHL wearing a visor, there was no issue - zero issue. So attack it at the youth level," Messier said. <figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/601622/cropped_GettyImages-1778593221.jpg?ts=1700174505" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/601622/w220xh124_GettyImages-1778593221.jpg?ts=1700174505 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/601622/w320xh180_GettyImages-1778593221.jpg?ts=1700174505 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/601622/w640xh360_GettyImages-1778593221.jpg?ts=1700174505 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/601622/w768xh432_GettyImages-1778593221.jpg?ts=1700174505 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/601622/w1080xh607_GettyImages-1778593221.jpg?ts=1700174505 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption">Ottawa's Claude Giroux started wearing a neck guard earlier this month. Chris Tanouye / Freestyle Photo / Getty Images</figcaption></figure>The Ontario Hockey League mandated the use of neck guards 15 years ago after a player survived a jugular laceration in 2008."It, in my view, required immediate consideration. We convened a conference call of our owners, and they all supported it," OHL commissioner David Branch said. "You develop a culture of understanding, where you go, 'Hey, we have to do the right thing here.' Right away, we introduced it, and it was interesting because there was pushback from players."The players might have been vocal in the media, but behind the scenes, Branch got calls from families that had a completely different sentiment. "They'd say, 'Mr. Branch, don't back down. Listen, it's so important for the safety of our son.'"In the WHL, which mandated neck guards in early November, one coach believes their adoption will proceed without too much fuss."You see this throughout society. Something will come in that's good for us, but we don't like doing it - maybe it's seatbelts or whatever," said Willie Desjardins, head coach and general manager of the WHL's Medicine Hat Tigers. "But, once it's mandatory, then you have to do it. When referees enforce it, then you don't have any choice but to do it. This is a rule, and this is what we need to do."For leagues and governing bodies hesitant to issue a mandate, part of the reluctance comes down to questions about the efficacy of neck guards."We want to make sure the material of the equipment that's available actually does what it's supposed to do. So players don't have a false sense of security out there," said Marty Walsh, head of the National Hockey League Players' Association.<figure class="article-segment--embed"><iframe title="Neckguard mandates" aria-label="Table" id="datawrapper-chart-nuMdL" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/nuMdL/1/" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" style="width: 0; min-width: 100% !important; border: none;" height="295" data-external="1"></iframe><script type="text/javascript">!function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll("iframe");for(var t in a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r=0;r<e.length;r++)if(e[r].contentWindow===a.source){var i=a.data["datawrapper-height"][t]+"px";e[r].style.height=i}}}))}();</script></figure>Dr. Michael J. Stuart, professor of orthopedic surgery at the Mayo Clinic and USA Hockey's chief medical officer, <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/11/10/sport/ice-hockey-neck-guards-adam-johnson-spt-intl/index.html">told CNN</a> he believes more players will adopt neck guards with better education.Before Johnson's death, Stuart and his team received survey responses from 26,589 registered USA Hockey athletes to assess their neck laceration experiences. It found that 45% of athletes were voluntarily wearing neck guards despite no USA Hockey mandate. More than 60% of players under the age of 12 reported wearing them, but usage starts to drop off quickly after that; only 22% of players 19 and older reported wearing a neck guard.A total of 1.8% of respondents (485 athletes) experienced some form of neck laceration from a skate blade, but most were minor injuries. As many as 27% of those athletes were wearing a neck protector at the time of the laceration.However, survey results didn't indicate if neck guards played a role in reducing or adding to the severity of sustained injuries. Stuart believes the effectiveness of neck guards often comes down to their material and how they're worn."The protective device should literally go from the ear down to the collarbone because it needs to protect the area underneath the angle of the mandible (the lower jaw) and the area right above the collarbone where there’s also neurovascular structures," he told CNN.<figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/601625/cropped_GettyImages-1777264840.jpg?ts=1700174565" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/601625/w220xh124_GettyImages-1777264840.jpg?ts=1700174565 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/601625/w320xh180_GettyImages-1777264840.jpg?ts=1700174565 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/601625/w640xh360_GettyImages-1777264840.jpg?ts=1700174565 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/601625/w768xh432_GettyImages-1777264840.jpg?ts=1700174565 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/601625/w1080xh607_GettyImages-1777264840.jpg?ts=1700174565 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption">A detail of a neck guard worn by the Blackhawks' Wyatt Kaiser. Michael Reaves / Getty Images</figcaption></figure>Messier draws a parallel between this reasoning and the former conversation around helmets. "We saw this with helmets in two ways. One argument was: helmets aren't always worn properly. And two: there was a discussion at one point about, 'Can helmets really prevent concussions?' But, the story kind of falls apart. Are you more protected with the helmet? I think we can absolutely say yes. And then you can make the same connection with neck guards. Would it eliminate any type of injury? Cut-resistant neck guards are probably not there. There might be some freak accidents. Will it really cut down on the number and the severity? Could it be life saving? If you have that opportunity, why wouldn't we at least go there?"Branch backs her up here. After learning of Johnson's death, his immediate thought wasn't to question neck guards altogether but rather how to optimize their effectiveness. "My mind went to: We've got to revisit the proper wearing of neck guards by our players," he said. "We've got to make sure we've got the leading supplier, with Kevlar and other such things."Kevlar may be the answer to the other major factor causing reluctance to wear neck guards: they can be uncomfortable and aren't breathable. "I'm satisfied that our current supplier is (using) Kevlar. There's nothing better on the market right now. We've got to keep challenging ourselves in that area," Branch said.Bauer, which supplies the OHL's neck guards, has been consulting with elite athletes about ways it can elevate its product for enhanced wearability. "We've been working with Kevlar for years, and we've been manufacturing a product that works: integrated base layers and cut-resistant neck protection," Messier said.There's a chance that product could be put to the ultimate test early next year, with the NHL set to resume discussing neck guard mandates at the All-Star Game in Toronto. "A lot of companies now, I'm assuming, they'd be smart to come up with something," Walsh said. "I don't know if they'll have it ready by February, but the conversation is going to happen in February."The <a href="https://lethbridgeherald.com/sports/national-sports/2023/11/14/nhl-general-managers-talk-cutproof-equipment-tweaks-to-3on3-overtime-rules/">Canadian Press</a> reports the NHL is working on clearing 12 to 14 new neck guards from eight different manufacturers.While the debate around neck guards remains ongoing, the conversation itself is a sign athletes are taking neck protection more seriously than ever before."I think if guys enjoyed wearing them, they would have been wearing them before," Desjardins said. "But they didn't realize the significance of them either. And so you know, if something tragic happens, then you realize maybe I should look at this a little different."With files from John Matisz.Jolene Latimer is a feature writer at theScore.

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Natalie White isn't like the millions of hoopers who lace up their Nikes and Jordans to play pick...

Natalie White isn't like the millions of hoopers who lace up their Nikes and Jordans to play pickup basketball worldwide. When she hits the court - whether in a legendary New York City streetball game or playing pickup in whatever gym will have her from Brooklyn to the Upper West Side to Harlem - you'll most likely catch her wearing a shoe that doesn't even have a name yet.White, founder of one of the rising shoe brands making noise in the United States, tests every single shoe developed by her company before it goes to market. Pickup basketball isn't just a hobby; it's her testing ground. It's part of her process in trying to stand out in the highly competitive and highly lucrative athletic shoe market."I wear test all of our shoes that go to market - including our kids' line - every single week from idea of the shoe, initial design, until launch," White said.<div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div>She founded Moolah Kicks in 2020. The company develops shoes specifically for women and is sold in 450 Dick's Sporting Goods locations throughout the United States. The brand boasts strong results: ​​In October 2023, it reported a 112% yearly increase in retail sales and a 147% increase in gross revenue. With the recent addition of the Neovolt Low and Triple Double models, Moolah now has a shoe designed for every position on the basketball court.Rather than an anomaly, White and her brand are the epitome of a growing trend in the sneaker market. Consumers are consistently prioritizing performance and customization, something the big brands haven't necessarily delivered on.<figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/599281/cropped_GettyImages-1232545315.jpg?ts=1698952911" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/599281/w220xh124_GettyImages-1232545315.jpg?ts=1698952911 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/599281/w320xh180_GettyImages-1232545315.jpg?ts=1698952911 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/599281/w640xh360_GettyImages-1232545315.jpg?ts=1698952911 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/599281/w768xh432_GettyImages-1232545315.jpg?ts=1698952911 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/599281/w1080xh607_GettyImages-1232545315.jpg?ts=1698952911 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption">Natalie White and an early model of her Moolah Kicks shoes in 2021. Jessica Rinaldi / Boston Globe / Getty Images</figcaption></figure>"Before the pandemic, we were talking a lot about small being the new big. The idea that kids were still going to wear sneakers, jeans, and hoodies, but they wanted to wear different brands than their friends had," footwear industry analyst Matt Powell said. "We were seeing some real strength in smaller brands, and that has continued. None of these brands are in a position to challenge Nike for supremacy. But they're all taking share from Nike and from Adidas. The composition of the sneaker wall will look different in two years than it does today because of this phenomenon."Nike and Adidas have been the leaders in sneaker culture for decades. But if there's one thing about dynasties, it's that they don't last. And small changes are afoot that could signal the slow dawning of an eventual new paradigm in the shoe game. In September, <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/retail-consumer/nike-air-jordan-cachet-tumbles-resale-market-is-sneaker-culture-moving-2023-09-27/">Reuters</a> reported data from Altan Insights showing Nike's Jordan brand shoes declining in resale value, and data from the resale platform StockX showed nearly a 57% value decrease since 2020. Yes, those numbers don't impact Nike's bottom line, but they are a somewhat reliable gauge of consumer interest. That interest, it seems, has begun to shift elsewhere.<figure class="article-segment--embed"><iframe title="The well-heeled brands" aria-label="Table" id="datawrapper-chart-VLKYe" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/VLKYe/1/" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" style="width: 0; min-width: 100% !important; border: none;" height="362" data-external="1"></iframe><script type="text/javascript">!function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll("iframe");for(var t in a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r=0;r<e.length;r++)if(e[r].contentWindow===a.source){var i=a.data["datawrapper-height"][t]+"px";e[r].style.height=i}}}))}();
</script></figure>"During the pandemic, the general wisdom out there was: Don't take any risks, lean on your bestsellers, and try to get through the pandemic without any serious damage," Powell said. "And when you're playing it safe, you're not innovating. Innovation really requires a certain amount of risk and investment in something that may or may not pan out."It's not that Nike and Adidas haven't been innovating. Nike continues to focus on improving performance for elite athletes, but its emphasis on nabbing big-name partnerships with athletes to preach about its on-court capabilities might be netting diminishing returns. "Brands need athletes performing at a high level wearing their products," Powell said. "It gives them authenticity and credibility. That truism is never going to go away. But I think that brands are spending far too much money on athletes and really not seeing the return, at least in terms of merchandise sales, to offset those costs."<figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/599277/cropped_GettyImages-1246959093.jpg?ts=1698952773" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/599277/w220xh124_GettyImages-1246959093.jpg?ts=1698952773 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/599277/w320xh180_GettyImages-1246959093.jpg?ts=1698952773 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/599277/w640xh360_GettyImages-1246959093.jpg?ts=1698952773 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/599277/w768xh432_GettyImages-1246959093.jpg?ts=1698952773 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/599277/w1080xh607_GettyImages-1246959093.jpg?ts=1698952773 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption">LeBron James and Nike founder Phil Knight meet up in Los Angeles in February. Juan Ocampo / NBA / Getty Images</figcaption></figure>Adidas took another celebrity approach, leaning into style innovations by partnering with rapper Kanye West, now known as Ye. This partnership, initiated in 2013, birthed the Yeezy line, a fusion of avant-garde design and innovative technology. The Yeezy line subsequently raked in more than $1 billion annually for Adidas. The collaboration expanded into apparel and accessories, emphasizing minimalistic athleisure wear and high-concept sportswear.The Yeezy line's success transcended sneaker culture, resonating globally in the high-end streetwear and fashion scene. The partnership represented a convergence of artistry and technical expertise, signifying a new era in the fusion of music, fashion, and design. As <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/27/business/kanye-west-adidas-yeezy.html">The New York Times</a> reported last week in an investigative story looking back at the partnership, the Yeezy line represented a significant portion of Adidas' bottom line. But in October 2022, the two giants parted ways after weeks of antisemitic and erratic public remarks by Ye.Adidas will have to find another avenue to excite consumers. It's not that Nike and Adidas aren't constantly looking to what's next, but they're no longer the only ones doing it. Smaller, more nimble brands that have been hyper-focused on innovating might be proving where the real interests of consumers are."Brands that look new and fresh, like Hoka or On Running, are doing really well right now," Powell said. The Swiss brand On <a href="https://www.retaildive.com/news/on-running-athletics-competition-wholesale-innovation/696513/">reported</a> in August that its second-quarter net sales increased 52.3% over 2022 to about $506.5 million - a high-water mark for the company. Projections have the brand doubling net sales by 2026.Powell points out that the bigger contenders for market share can take on the Nikes and Adidas of the world due, in part, to their deep pockets. "One other piece of the formula for Hoka and On was that both brands were very well capitalized," he said. "It's extremely expensive to develop a shoe. You have to invest hundreds of thousands of dollars in the shoe before you've even sold a pair. There are only dozens of shoe brands out there when there are hundreds and thousands of apparel brands. It's much easier to make a T-shirt or a hoodie than it is to make a shoe. So that's part of the formula."Powell's point is that Moolah could have trouble competing in the space when push comes to shove despite investment from Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban - and that's why sneaker innovation is rare.But newcomers can find their opportunity by listening to the niche needs of their target market. It's the same formula Nike used in its early days to establish itself against the brands that had already become popular in the first half of the 20th century, like Keds, Converse, Adidas, and Puma.In the early 1960s, a track-and-field coach, Bill Bowerman, and his former athlete, Phil Knight, joined forces to embark on a remarkable journey redefining the global athletic footwear and apparel industry. With a shared vision of revolutionizing the world of sports and performance footwear, the duo established Blue Ribbon Sports (BRS), initially operating as a distributor for the Japanese shoe company Onitsuka Tiger. Bowerman and Knight believed the running shoes on the market at that time - primarily manufactured in Germany - could be better tailored to the needs of runners. Tiger, which had already established itself in Japan, proved to have designs almost immediately popular in the United States when BRS began distribution.<figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/599290/cropped_GettyImages-1330109191.jpg?ts=1698952519" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/599290/w220xh124_GettyImages-1330109191.jpg?ts=1698952519 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/599290/w320xh180_GettyImages-1330109191.jpg?ts=1698952519 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/599290/w640xh360_GettyImages-1330109191.jpg?ts=1698952519 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/599290/w768xh432_GettyImages-1330109191.jpg?ts=1698952519 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/599290/w1080xh607_GettyImages-1330109191.jpg?ts=1698952519 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption">One of Bill Bowerman's handmade track-spike prototypes on display at Sotheby's in 2021. Cindy Ord / Getty Images</figcaption></figure>Nike's customer-centric approach resonated with a growing community of athletes, particularly after BRS designed a shoe for Tiger with support tailored specifically for runners. This shoe immediately became a bestseller. A falling out with Tiger ensued, following which BRS rechristened itself as Nike and renamed this shoe the Nike Cortez. With a newfound identity and a burgeoning reputation for innovation and superior craftsmanship, Nike solidified its position as a trailblazer. Today, Nike stands as an enduring symbol of athletic prowess, performance excellence, and unwavering dedication to the pursuit of greatness.But it isn't serving every market with the same attention to detail. That's where founders like White have seen opportunities. "Every single thing we do is putting women's basketball at the forefront," she said.When she was a student at Boston College, an ad stood out to White that showcased four WNBA athletes promoting sneakers named after NBA players. "When I looked into footwear, and I looked into this issue, it was clear that there's a performance implication because the female foot form differs from the male foot form in four key places." This hyper-focus on the needs of specific consumers - not just women in general but for each particular position in women's basketball - has been the key to fuelling Moolah's innovation and subsequent success."Our exponential growth timeline is in part due to this symbiotic relationship that we have with women's basketball. Our women's basketball community has loved what we're about, the vision we have for the future of women's basketball, and our products," White said. "In turn, they are making the company stronger. We are making them stronger by, of course, getting them products that fit their feet, but also marketing opportunities, sponsorship opportunities, and opportunities to grow their platform."<figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/599282/cropped_GettyImages-1495922720.jpg?ts=1698952708" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/599282/w220xh124_GettyImages-1495922720.jpg?ts=1698952708 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/599282/w320xh180_GettyImages-1495922720.jpg?ts=1698952708 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/599282/w640xh360_GettyImages-1495922720.jpg?ts=1698952708 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/599282/w768xh432_GettyImages-1495922720.jpg?ts=1698952708 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/599282/w1080xh607_GettyImages-1495922720.jpg?ts=1698952708 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption">Detail of the Moolah Kicks sneakers worn by Chicago Sky player Courtney Williams earlier this season. Sarah Stier / Getty Images</figcaption></figure>White also recruited a slate of rising players to represent her brand. "The biggest difference is that the sneakers actually fit to my feet because they're made for women, and I don't have to be breaking them in," said Caroline Ducharme, a guard for the University of Connecticut women's basketball team. "I'm really proud to wear them and be a part of a brand I stand behind, as they're the only brand exclusively focused on women's basketball."White keeps her customers in mind by being a relentless product tester. "When I try out the different models, it's through every single stage that we're thinking things like, 'OK, this is delivering on stability? Could it be more stable when I'm doing lateral movements? We have a synthetic knit as the upper, do we add maybe a harder plastic piece? Then I work directly with our designer, our developers, and our factory partners to better cater to the goal of that shoe."It's not just athletes who have taken note of Moolah Kicks, but collectors, too. "I remember on a couple of our first models, I had a few people write a note to me saying they were sneakerheads. They said, 'I'm buying this for my daughter who can't wear them yet. When she turns 21 or 18, she will be in disbelief that I have a very first model of Moolah Kicks," White said.The potential for growth by focusing on those left behind by the big brands is hard to deny but equally hard to consistently meet. "Brands like Moolah are really bringing in a woman-made shoe made for a woman's foot, and I think that's going to revolutionize the marketplace," Powell said. "(White) really is addressing a very serious need. But there will remain pressure on her to stay fresh and new. And that's really challenging."Despite being difficult, expensive, and something very few succeed at, Powell is convinced the sneaker market will continue to thrive with the right focus. "Right now, the consumer desire for new and different is probably the strongest it's ever been," he said. "The brands that are succeeding are bringing fresh products to market all the time. And that's very much needed."Jolene Latimer is a features writer for theScore.

https://rich-content.thescore.com/content_cards/25630538/related

How new sneaker brands are hustling to upend the industry Goliaths

When Christine Simpson began her career as a hockey reporter in 1998, Google did not exist. Viewe...

When Christine Simpson began her career as a hockey reporter in 1998, Google did not exist. Viewers relied on broadcasters and print reporters to uncover information about their favorite players that wasn't accessible anywhere else. Today, information is instantly available and, as a result, the role of storytelling has changed.But Simpson, who you can catch this season on Sportsnet's Hockey Night in Canada, has changed along with the times, leveraging her vast hockey knowledge and deep contact list to continue to develop feature stories that show a different side of hockey and its biggest stars. As more hockey players get comfortable showing their personality, people like Simpson are there to bring them out of their shell.theScore recently caught up with Simpson to talk about the changing dynamics of storytelling in hockey and what stories she's paying attention to this year. <div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div>This interview has been edited for length and clarity.theScore: How has the way you tell hockey stories changed from the beginning of your career to now?Simpson: So much of storytelling comes out of the preparation that you do for the interview. I would say that is one area that has changed so much from when I began. Keep in mind, I started at Sportsnet in 1998. So if I were, for example, heading to California to do a story on one of the Los Angeles Kings, it's not like I could Google the player. Back then, research started by looking up who is the beat reporter for the L.A. Kings and phoning them. Or, if I knew anyone from that player's past, like a junior coach where they played, a good friend, someone in their world, I would get a hold of that person. That would be kind of the only way that you could do research.Now, with technology, the players themselves tell you a lot about themselves, especially the younger generation who have social media. One of the first things I would do if I'm interviewing, for example, Trevor Zegras from the Anaheim Ducks, is go to his Instagram and find out, where was he this summer? Did he travel somewhere? Did he go to a teammate's wedding? Does he have a cool hobby that I could ask him about? There are so many other ways to find out about a player. It's been nice to see a lot of players now are a little more open to sharing more of their personality. How does hockey's culture of conservatism impact your approach to interviews?Hockey players have always been known as the conservative ones that don't really want to be bigger than the team. I do respect that very much. It's a team sport, but it's nice that a lot of the newer generation can kind of let their hair down a bit and have some fun. Trevor Zegras is a good example of that. They can tell us a lot about themselves through their own channels. It's certainly a helpful tool when I am deciding, "How do I approach this interview and telling the story of this particular player?"As far as interviews go, it all depends who the leader is. Any team that has, for instance, Lou Lamoriello at the helm - Lou's got his rules, and you will never be able to get around that. I mean, I remember being a rinkside reporter for the Toronto Maple Leafs when Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner were in their rookie seasons. Two of the biggest superstars to come into the game. Lou's rule was, during the game broadcast, I was not allowed to interview rookies. And again, I respect him. Obviously, he's a Hall of Famer. In his mind, they haven't really earned the right yet to have the focus on them. I think he wanted them to just put their head down, do their job, not be distracted. Well, I'll never forget the very first game of that season: Auston Matthews' debut. They're playing the Ottawa Senators in Ottawa. I'm not allowed to talk to him at the pregame bench warm-up interview, intermission interview. The only caveat was if he does something truly special, then the Leafs' PR would go to Lou and see if he would rescind that rule and allow me to interview him. Well, of course, in Auston Matthews' first NHL game, he scores four goals.I've got to think that this qualifies as something special. Lou did let me do the postgame interview with Auston Matthews, which I did appreciate. <figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/598026/cropped_GettyImages-614196886.jpg?ts=1698347478" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/598026/w220xh124_GettyImages-614196886.jpg?ts=1698347478 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/598026/w320xh180_GettyImages-614196886.jpg?ts=1698347478 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/598026/w640xh360_GettyImages-614196886.jpg?ts=1698347478 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/598026/w768xh432_GettyImages-614196886.jpg?ts=1698347478 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/598026/w1080xh607_GettyImages-614196886.jpg?ts=1698347478 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> Andre Ringuette / NHL / Getty Images</figcaption></figure>That might be an extreme example, where leadership just does not want, in any way, shape, or form, anyone to feel bigger than the team. It's all about the culture for hockey players. It's always all about the team. If you're too flashy, you're probably going to have some veteran on the team kind of put you in your place. I guess it's the old-school way of thinking. I do feel that it's changing. But for players, I also think they need to respect what the rules are of their team.It seems like many athletes today are also concerned about saying something controversial that could become a distraction.A lot of teams media-train their players. In my experience, that teaches them how to say something without actually saying anything at all, which is why it is so refreshing when a player does open up or even says something controversial, which people can jump on them for. But in my mind, you can't jump on a player. All we want is for them to show more of their personality or to say exactly how they feel.A huge example is Travis Dermott. Keep in mind, he is not a seasoned veteran with a 10-year deal, he's on a one-year contract. But it was so important to him to use Pride Tape, even knowing he's going against the NHL rules, that he did it. That takes a lot for someone like him to do that, because his convictions were so strong. I have all the respect in the world for him. It forced the NHL to look at their policy and change it. So there's an example of kudos to Travis Dermott of all people, who stood up for what he believed in and felt was right. That's not an easy thing to do.<figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/597519/cropped_GettyImages-1750516440.jpg?ts=1698347571" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/597519/w220xh124_GettyImages-1750516440.jpg?ts=1698347571 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/597519/w320xh180_GettyImages-1750516440.jpg?ts=1698347571 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/597519/w640xh360_GettyImages-1750516440.jpg?ts=1698347571 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/597519/w768xh432_GettyImages-1750516440.jpg?ts=1698347571 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/597519/w1080xh607_GettyImages-1750516440.jpg?ts=1698347571 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> Zac BonDurant / Getty Images</figcaption></figure>There's so much information online now - does this change your role as a storyteller? It's hard to bring the viewer something new when they could just Google it themselves. Does that mean you have to ask different questions today than in the past?I feel like you do need to have a reason for wanting to talk to somebody. You're always trying to find a nugget of something about a great player that people wouldn't have necessarily known, or just get him to open up about something that he hasn't talked about before. Most of my favorite interviews are where we're actually not even talking about hockey. It's more about delving into something about that player - a passion they have, a story about their family, a story about their child, a story about what their goals are beyond hockey, anything like that.It's also about trying to ask the questions in a way that doesn't allow them to give the cliche answers. And, if they do give the cliche answer, you need to follow up with another way of asking the same question, but wanting to delve a little deeper into it. It makes you work harder to want to get an interview out of a player, where someone's going to say, "I learned something about them, or even just saw them in a different light."Is there one career moment that stands out to you when you think about everything you've done?I have been fortunate enough to be a part of so many Stanley Cup playoff games, All-Star Games, outdoor games, all of that. But, if you force me to pick one, I think I would actually say my biggest highlight was March 8, 2020: International Women's Day. I was part of the first-ever all-female broadcast of an NHL game in Canada. Myself, Cassie Campbell-Pascall, and Leah Hextall. We also had a female producer, director, and most of our truck was female. It was such an amazing feeling to have all of these women who do these jobs all together. I've worked with women over the years, but never kind of all of us coming together at the same time. It was just such an incredible feeling of pride for the industry. When I started in 1998, there was not a chance that any network would even try and do that. They wouldn't have been able to do it because there weren't enough women in those roles who could perform those duties. The fact that we did it, and it was such a huge, huge success, was absolutely one of the career highlights.<figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/598028/cropped_GettyImages-1694433853.jpg?ts=1698347618" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/598028/w220xh124_GettyImages-1694433853.jpg?ts=1698347618 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/598028/w320xh180_GettyImages-1694433853.jpg?ts=1698347618 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/598028/w640xh360_GettyImages-1694433853.jpg?ts=1698347618 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/598028/w768xh432_GettyImages-1694433853.jpg?ts=1698347618 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/598028/w1080xh607_GettyImages-1694433853.jpg?ts=1698347618 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption">Christine Simpson interviews Connor Timmins during a Maple Leafs preseason game in September. Nicole Osborne / NHL / Getty Images</figcaption></figure>Which storylines are you personally most interested in this hockey season?We all know that a Canadian team has not won the Stanley Cup since the Canadiens did it in 1993. When you saw all the pundits giving their predictions for the season, a lot of them had the Edmonton Oilers potentially playing the Toronto Maple Leafs in the Stanley Cup final. That would be a dream for us in Canada. The Oilers are going to have to get going, but I have every hope that they will.The other thing I would look to is Connor Bedard. What a phenom. I know the season is young, but he's been living up to all of the expectations and accolades that he got coming into the season. It'll be exciting to see how his rookie season unfolds. Lastly, for us here in Toronto, we've got the All-Star Game coming to town and that's always a fun event. To have it in our own backyard is something that I am very much looking forward to.Do you have any cool features in the works that you can give me the inside scoop on?I was actually just in New York City last week and did two sit-downs that will be coming up. One with Blake Wheeler, who was the captain of the Winnipeg Jets and had a bit of an awkward ending to his career in Winnipeg. He is now with the New York Rangers and will be traveling with the Rangers to Winnipeg on Oct. 30. We talked a lot about how it ended in Winnipeg and how he thinks he'll feel going back there as a member of the Rangers.The other one I got, and I'm very excited about this one, I sat down with Henrik Lundqvist, who will be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame on Nov. 13. I spent a few hours with him in Tribeca, where he co-owns a restaurant. We did the interview at his restaurant and walked the streets of Tribeca. I remember interviewing him in his rookie season back in the day. So, just to have him in a very relaxed state and look back on his career and what some of the highlights were was fun for me. Jolene Latimer is a writer at theScore.

https://rich-content.thescore.com/content_cards/25570002/related

Christine Simpson on the storyteller's evolution in the digital age

Quick, what's the No. 1 women's sport North American audiences love to watch? You probably guesse...

Quick, what's the No. 1 women's sport North American audiences love to watch? You probably guessed basketball, tennis, or soccer. The answer might surprise you: volleyball.Volleyball has been steadily gaining popularity in the United States. Nebraska volleyball fans set the world record for the biggest audience at a women's sporting event on Aug. 30, with 92,000 people filling Memorial Stadium in Lincoln. But that wasn't simply a flash in the pan.Morning Consult <a href="https://pro.morningconsult.com/analysis/most-popular-womens-sports-athletes-us">data</a> show a majority of U.S. adults rank volleyball as the women's sport they most enjoy watching (basketball came fourth, and women's soccer seventh). Years of grassroots initiatives at the high school and college level have contributed to its rise.<div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div><figure class="article-segment--embed"><iframe title="Popularity of women's sports" aria-label="Table" id="datawrapper-chart-oudu0" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/oudu0/1/" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" style="width: 0; min-width: 100% !important; border: none;" height="498" data-external="1"></iframe><script type="text/javascript">!function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll("iframe");for(var t in a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r=0;r<e.length;r++)if(e[r].contentWindow===a.source){var i=a.data["datawrapper-height"][t]+"px";e[r].style.height=i}}}))}();
</script></figure>"It has secretly been a big sport for a while, but we seem to be hitting a tipping point," said Cassidy Lichtman, who played on Team USA from 2011-16 and now plays professional volleyball in the Athletes Unlimited league. "Volleyball is not an upcoming sport anymore. It's here." Participation data back Lichtman's claims. Volleyball is the No. 1 team sport for high school girls to play, and it's just 2,500 athletes away from surpassing track and field as the top overall girls' high school sport, according to <a href="https://www.nfhs.org/articles/nfhs-releases-first-high-school-sports-participation-survey-in-three-years/">data</a> from the National Federation of State High School Associations.Those young enthusiasts naturally move up to the college level, which is now playing a pivotal role in elevating the sport's profile. NCAA women's volleyball tournaments have become must-watch events, with the 2021 final drawing a TV audience of 1.2 million people on ESPN.<figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/593733/cropped_GettyImages-129768912.jpg?ts=1695917523" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/593733/w220xh124_GettyImages-129768912.jpg?ts=1695917523 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/593733/w320xh180_GettyImages-129768912.jpg?ts=1695917523 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/593733/w640xh360_GettyImages-129768912.jpg?ts=1695917523 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/593733/w768xh432_GettyImages-129768912.jpg?ts=1695917523 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/593733/w1080xh607_GettyImages-129768912.jpg?ts=1695917523 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption">Cassidy Lichtman, left, competing for the U.S. at the 2011 Pan American Games. Martin Bernetti / AFP / Getty Images</figcaption></figure>A strong international team also helps - the U.S. indoor volleyball squad took home gold at the Tokyo Games."The Olympics is always a big moment for volleyball … it's a hugely important sport to watch in the Olympics," Lichtman said.Whereas before the sport would see interest wane following an Olympic year, that too has started to change."We're now starting to see fans transition over after the Olympics," she says.But despite positivity, the sport still has to overcome major headwinds to continue its ascent. First, while there's a strong market for professional volleyball internationally, options in North America are harder to come by. Until Athletes Unlimited launched in 2020, there was no professional women's volleyball in the United States."In order to have some sort of credibility or visibility as a mainstream sport, you have to have the pro side," Lichtman said. "Even though we have these massive numbers at the U.S. collegiate level, we didn't have any pro volleyball in the U.S. for decades … even though people have played volleyball for a long time here, the fandom hasn't developed in the same way. We're really having to teach people how to become volleyball fans."<figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/593732/cropped_GettyImages-1659998930.jpg?ts=1695917395" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/593732/w220xh124_GettyImages-1659998930.jpg?ts=1695917395 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/593732/w320xh180_GettyImages-1659998930.jpg?ts=1695917395 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/593732/w640xh360_GettyImages-1659998930.jpg?ts=1695917395 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/593732/w768xh432_GettyImages-1659998930.jpg?ts=1695917395 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/593732/w1080xh607_GettyImages-1659998930.jpg?ts=1695917395 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> Steven Branscombe / Getty Images</figcaption></figure><a href="https://auprosports.com/volleyball/">Athletes Unlimited</a>, which kicks off its third season Friday in Mesa, Arizona, is a forerunner in that department. By 2024, there could be three more pro leagues: League One Volleyball, Pro Volleyball Federation, and Volleyball League of America. League One <a href="https://sports.yahoo.com/league-one-volleyball-raises-35-175029653.html">announced</a> last week it had recently raised $35 million in funding from institutional sources, as well as athlete-investors such as Kevin Durant, Jayson Tatum, Candace Parker, and Lindsey Vonn.Beyond launch, though, where will the money come from to sustain these pro leagues? With fan bases still in their infancy, they'll need to lean on sponsorship opportunities to pave the way."The brands who have sponsored volleyball so far, most of them are endemic to the sport," said Pat Heffernan, senior vice president of sponsorship and strategic planning at Jack Morton, a global experiential marketing agency. "There's not really a robust pro league, but the feeling is you're going to see a couple spots of momentum. Then we'll see where this goes." Heffernan's sense is that while bigger brands like Nike and Adidas haven't engaged in meaningful volleyball sponsorships just yet, their participation is not long off. "There is an eye toward planning because (volleyball) feels like it's going to have its moment within the next year or so," he said.Part of the hesitancy could be mired in old ways of thinking."I do think there's a bias toward men's sports, and because this is a female-driven sport, we haven't seen it get a lot of attention yet," Heffernan said. "The awakening to women's sports that has just started really in the last couple of years I think is what will unlock the next step for volleyball."Lichtman believes that extra support will be more than sufficient to help the sport break through."Look at what we've done with very little visibility," she said. "Now, if you give us a little bit of visibility, some media coverage, we've got plenty of space to keep exploding."Jolene Latimer is a video producer and feature writer at theScore.

https://rich-content.thescore.com/content_cards/25399510/related

Women's volleyball prepares to meet its moment as its popularity grows

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