Ian Kennedy looks at Ukrainian teams returning to play, Akil Thomas designing a jersey for the L.A. Kings, young women's hockey stars and PHF news.
Growing The Game is Ian Kennedy’s weekly feature examining the global game, how social issues impact the sport, and how hockey’s important cultural shift continues to evolve.
Ukraine Returns To Play, Canadiens Honor Ukrainian Youth
This year looks to be the time Ukraine returns to competition in ice hockey. After the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Ukrainian hockey players have been sidelined globally.
In January, at the FISU World University Games in Lake Placid, N.Y., Ukraine’s entry finished sixth out of the 12-team field, beating Czechia and Sweden in the preliminary round.
Ukraine’s women also returned to competition this month, putting in a strong performance at the Baltic Cup in Estonia. In their first game back in 14 months, Ukraine defeated Estonia 3-2, with captain Daria Tsymyrenko scoring twice, including the winner in the shootout.
Finally, a team of Ukrainian refugees competing at the famed Quebec International Peewee Hockey Tournament was greeted with applause and support from fans in Quebec. Thousands filled the Videotron Centre in Quebec City to cheer on Team Ukraine Selects in their opening game against the Boston Junior Bruins.
Fans wore white representing peace for Ukraine and urged on the Ukrainian squad to a 3-1 win.
“First of all, it’s a message that everybody can be friends and should be friends and live in peace and respect each other,” said Denys Lupandin, who scored two goals for Ukraine, via a translator. “It doesn’t matter from where you are.”
The Montreal Canadiens also got in on celebrating the Ukraine Selects while they were in Quebec. Following the team’s second win, a 2-0 win over Team Romania, the Ukrainian team got word they’d be the special guests of the Canadiens at their home game against the Chicago Blackhawks.
“We’re able to sleep without worry, and over there, you don’t know if a bomb will fall close by, so it’s tough to walk in their shoes,” Canadiens forward Alex Belzile told media following the game, a 4-0 Montreal shutout win. “We were happy to see them. The guys waved at them, threw them a few pucks, everything to make them smile. Plus, they’re kids, so I think it’s good for them to clear their heads and put smiles on their faces.”
Akil Thomas Designs Kings’ Black History Month Jersey
When designing a commemorative jersey for Black History Month, the Los Angeles Kings did not have to look beyond their organization. The Kings enlisted forward Akil Thomas and his design company Zale to complete the design.
In an article penned for NHL.com, Los Angeles Kings forward Akil Thomas discussed the design. “The opportunity to design the Kings jerseys for Black History Month felt like the perfect intersection for me between my hockey career and my passion for design,” Thomas said.
“The colors chosen for the jersey - green, yellow and red - create an African color palette, whether it’s different countries or religions, it represents African/Caribbean heritage to me. The font on the back is in that style for the jersey numbers,” he continued.
“The fist on the front is a bold emblem, a staple of our Black History jerseys. It fits with the Zale brand and the Kings brand. On the hoodies, which are available to buy, includes an important message - February and Forever.”
A swath of teams across the NHL, alongside the Kings, have celebrated Black History Month this week. Tonight, the Vegas Golden Knights will wear specialty warmup jerseys and will be visited by the United by Hockey Mobile Museum featuring a portion of Dean Barnes’ hockey card collection of every Black NHL player in league history.
Next Wave of Women’s Stars Ready
We often talk about young Canadian and American women’s hockey stars, but the women’s game continues to accelerate at exponential rates elsewhere in the world. It’s a point made clear by the standout performances of several youngsters with senior national teams in recent tournaments.
In preparation for the upcoming women’s World Championships in Brampton, Ont., in April, 19 national teams took part in four European tournaments last week.
Among the standout players were recent U-18 stars Nela Lopusanova, Tereza Plosova and Emilia Krykko, who were all making their senior national team debuts.
In Germany, Finland’s Emilia Kyrkko, who was 2022’s top goaltender at the U-18 World Championship, showed she could also dominate against older competition. Kyrkko won both of her starts at the event, including shutting out Czechia 1-0. She led the tournament with a 0.50 goals-against average and a .963 save percentage, almost certainly securing her sport on Team Finland for the World Championships.
Tereza Plosova, only 16, also had a spectacular tournament in Germany. Plosova led Czechia, who finished second ahead of Sweden, Germany, and Switzerland, with five points in four games.
Nela Lopusanova was the breakout star of the women’s hockey calendar when she dominated the recent U-18 women’s World Championship, leading the tournament in scoring, being named MVP, and breaking the internet by scoring the first-ever Michigan-style goal in international women’s hockey history.
The 14-year-old Slovakian left no question to her dominance opening the Five Nations tournament in Hungary with a hat trick against the host nation. The following day, she added a pair of assists in Slovakia’s 3-2 win over Norway.
Seeing Lopusanova in a senior World Championship event will undoubtedly provide more excitement. The win over Norway gives Slovakia hope for promotion to the top tier of the Worlds in 2024, as the two will seek promotion from Division IA.
PHF Announces Playoff Dates and Semifinal Locations
The PHF regular season is in the home stretch, and the semifinals are already scheduled.
The Boston Pride and Toronto Six are the only teams to clinch a playoff spot so far, and they will host two other semifinalists. There will be a best-of-three series at the Bentley Arena near Boston beginning on March 16 and the Mattamy Athletic Centre in Toronto starting March 17.
The seeding has yet to be finalized, but it will not affect the host locations, which will help showcase the PHF in both countries with greater access to fans and broadcasters, said PHF commissioner Reagan Carey in a statement.
“The 2023 Isobel Cup Playoffs will be a culmination of a truly historic season for professional women’s hockey,” Carey said. “We launched our new era with a record number of teams and the largest regular season schedule in our eight-year history that has provided greater competition for more athletes than ever before.
“It was imperative that our playoff format underscore the importance of every regular season game and the valuable points awarded in the standings throughout the year to produce a final four that is most deserving of championship contention.”
The Isobel Cup will be won in a single-game championship final at a neutral site yet to be determined. The Boston Pride are the defending champs and don’t seem to be slowing down. The Six, Minnesota Whitecaps and Connecticut Whale currently hold the rest of the top four spots.