The American television drama Heated Rivalry - about two male professional ice hockey players in a secret relationship - has become the first viral show of 2026.
For most viewers, it is entertainment to be talked about at work or online. For Jesse Kortuem, it hit deeper.
Born, raised and still living in Minneapolis, he grew up with skates on his feet and loved ice hockey - but stepped away from the sport at 17 as he felt he would not be accepted because of his sexuality.
More than two decades later, watching Heated Rivalry inspired Kortuem to come out as gay, believing it shows attitudes within the sport have shifted for the better.
His Instagram post has since gone viral, leading to a "very surreal" start to the year.
"I'm just so grateful for where my life has ended up," he tells BBC Sport. "To finally have that relief... to bring 110% of myself into the locker room. Something was speaking to me through the show - I had to let something out.
"Then that release was shared with the entire world. For the first couple of days, it was shocking, but now it is humbling - people have reached out to say it inspired them to have the conversation with their parents. I'm honestly speechless."
Kortuem played ice hockey in local leagues in Minneapolis during his teenage years, and occasionally dipped back into the amateur game as an adult.
It was not until he joined Cutting Edges, an LGBT-inclusive team who play across North America, in 2017 that he re-engaged with the sport - and it was only this year that he felt comfortable to be open about his sexuality with the wider hockey community.
Now 40, Kortuem says he had to "edit" himself in hockey - and life - to fit in.
But seeing the show, in which two athletes enter a loving relationship, stirred repressed feelings.
"I had to hide, and looking back now it was tough," he says. "It was still a place of comfort, but a place I had to edit myself.
"It was time to put a real face to what this story has done for athletes, to get it out there. And it took off!"
Like many LGBTQ+ amateur athletes, Kortuem has a nagging feeling that having to repress a part of his personality stopped him being his best - and potentially cost him sporting opportunities.
But he says former team-mates getting in touch in recent weeks has helped.
"I didn't know what would happen if I disrupted the brotherhood you have in the locker room," he says. "Would I be a target?
"But I'm now at peace. I don't know where hockey could have brought me, if I would have had a career, but to have that pride on the ice, it feels like home."
Despite Heated Rivalry's overtly queer themes, the show has been embraced by the wider hockey community.
It is, of course, escapism rather than a realistic portrayal of what life would be like for a homosexual player in the American top-tier National Hockey League (NHL).
But Kortuem thinks a popular show with a positive attitude towards gay athletes can only do good.
"It really hit me and a lot of gay athletes; our whole lives we were taught it was not OK to be gay," he says.
"To see the positive reception - not only from gay people, but straight hockey fans - and watching them cheer on these queer hockey players really resonated, even if these are fictional characters who get this Cinderella story.
"Even ex-NHL players have embraced it - they say the hockey is terrible, but they like the story. It can resonate with people, and it means finally, for someone at my age, that it is a positive gay story.
"Not of heartbreak, of being beaten up, or about the Aids crisis - but an inspiring love story."
'I'd like the NHL to say they were wrong'
There are currently no active NHL players who are out as gay, though the sport does have more elite LGBTQ+ representation than many others.
In 2021, Luke Prokop became the first player contracted to an NHL club to come out as gay. The following year, Zach Sullivan, who plays for Manchester Storm in the Elite League - the top tier of UK ice hockey - revealed he was bisexual.
Women's ice hockey, meanwhile, has its own version of Heated Rivalry. Julie Chu and Caroline Ouellette were respective captains of the US and Canada Olympic teams. Since retiring, they have married and started a family.
The NHL, meanwhile, has been keen to capitalise on the popularity of the show, with commissioner Gary Bettman saying he binge-watched all six episodes in one night.
But Kortuem says "a lot of gay people" are "very hesitant" about what the NHL says.
During the 2022-23 season, the league eliminated Pride jerseys after some players refused to wear them. Bettman said shirts had become "more of a distraction" but Kortuem believes the message it sent to gay people was they were "not welcome".
In an interview with The Athletic, Bettman said: "You know what our goals, our values and our intentions are across the league, whether it's at the league level or at the club level. But we also have to respect individual choice. And part of being diverse and welcoming is understanding those differences."
Later that season, the NHL banned players from using using stick tape to express support for social causes, before reversing that decision.
"Actions speak louder than words," says Kortuem. "I would like to see the NHL say they were wrong."
Heated Rivalry itself has come in for criticism, for creating an impression that there is a secret network of gay athletes in the NHL - and some have found the explicit scenes too much to handle.
"The sex part in the first two episodes might have been a bit much," says Kortuem. "I had to tell my 77-year-old parents to stick with the whole show.
"But hopefully it opens people's minds. I wouldn't want my 12-year-old niece watching it, but for it not to be edited down speaks volume about wanting to show positive representation of a love story."
CHICAGO - The Chicago Blackhawks returned home for the second half of a back-to-back on Friday night. Chicago hosted the Columbus Blue Jackets with a chance to quickly move past their bad loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins one night prior.
The first period looked like it was going to be scoreless as both goalies (especially Spencer Knight) were brilliant. In the final minute of the opening frame, however, the two teams exchanged goals.
Charlie Coyle scored a power play goal at 19:13 to give the Blue Jackets a 1-0 lead. With less than three seconds remaining, Connor Bedard tied it up at 1. That 1-1 score held through the first intermission.
In the second period, Columbus dominated the first half. They scored two goals (Charlie Coyle again and Mathieu Olivier) and outshot Chicago 7-0 to begin the middle frame.
The second half of the period is where the Blackhawks took over. They ended up getting the second period shot counter to 9-8, and one of their shots went in via Frank Nazar. Nazar desperately needed a goal, and Connor Bedard set him up for a great chance that he didn't miss.
This 3-2 score went to the second intermission. In a game where the Blackhawks were being mostly outplayed, they were within one with one period to go.
In the third period, the Blackhawks were the better team, but the only goal was Charlie Coyle's hat-trick marker into an empty net. Both goalies were strong in the final frame, which favored the Blue Jackets because they came in with a lead and skated away with a 4-2 victory.
Once again, the power play was held off the board for Chicago. They are currently in a 0-26 drought as a unit after going 0/2 on Friday. One of their power plays came with under 6 minutes to go and down a goal, but they were unable get one to tie the game. It's getting to a back-breaking point of no production.
Before the game, the Blackhawks called up Sam Rinzel from AHL Rockford. Artyom Levshunov is going to take a seat for a while, so Rinzel's chance to prove he deserves to stay is staring him in the face.
It was a good start for Rinzel as he played a clean, safe, mistake-free game. He led all Blackhaws defensemen in time on ice with 22:18, earning ice time in all situations.
Chicago, as mentioned before, can make a claim that they were the better team in the second half of the game, but that isn't good enough when they can't find the tying and winning goal. It will take a full 60-minute effort to get back in the win column.
The Blackhawks are back in action on Monday night. Macklin Celebrini and the San Jose Sharks will be at the United Center for a battle of two young and exciting squads.
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With the NHL's Olympic roster freeze coming into effect at midnight on February 4, Winnipeg Jets' general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff should be a popular man within the league's 31 other front office staffs.
With his team currently enduring the worst season it has had in both recent and distant memory, the league's second-longest tenured GM is in a place no one expected him to be following last season's Presidents' Trophy winning campaign.
Photo by James Carey Lauder/USA Today
Winnipeg could become just the fifth team in NHL history to miss the postseason after finishing first the year before. But the Jets could also do something way more catastrophic: they could be competing for the first overall selection at June's 2026 NHL Draft.
Yes, things have been that bad for Winnipeg over the 2025-26 season.
And you really can't blame injuries for the significant portion of the year. Sure, Connor Hellebuyck missed three weeks with a knee injury and Dylan Samberg did not start the year until November, but those injuries pale in comparison to Winnipeg's record even with their stars in the lineup.
The Jets are currently tied with St. Louis for the 30th spot league-wide, and despite their 6-3-2 record in their last 11 games, remain 10 points out of the final wild card spot in the Western Conference.
It's just not worth the effort to fight for that final spot only to get a first round matchup with juggernaut - and recent postseason fiend - Colorado or Dallas.
A surge up the standings might make the typical, fair-weather Winnipeg fan happy in point production. But it's the true die-hards who will take more offence from the compounding victories.
Each point gained is a percentage point lost at the first overall selection this June.
Sure, Gavin McKenna and Ivar Stenberg look very appealing, but at this point, one of them is Vancouver's to lose and the other will likely go to one of the teams within that bottom-five standings placement (lottery odds have not been generous to the biggest losers over the last few seasons).
A player of McKenna's or Stenberg's caliber will immediately fix offensive issues left gaping by Nikolaj Ehlers' departure this past summer.
For Cheveldayoff and Co., the biggest need is that of the 'develop' aspect of True North's tried and true 'draft and develop' mantra.
At this point, the team may have actually lost more players than it has gained through the development stage: think Sami Niku, Rutger McGroarty, Pierre-Luc Dubois (not a draft pick), Evander Kane, Jacob Trouba, Patrik Laine - and now recently Luke Schenn, Ville Heinola and Brad Lambert? At one point Logan Stanley had event expressed his desire to leave the city.
At this point, with the Olympic roster freeze (February 4) and the NHL's trade deadline (March 6) fast approaching, Cheveldayoff has a number of priorities on his hands.
The first is that of allowing his younger players a chance to shine.
That said, packaging up a struggling veteran forward with a more highly-regarded piece (Stanley) could be a centrepiece to Winnipeg's long-term success.
Players considered to be more highly sought after are that of Stanley, Schenn and Cole Perfetti - all of whom could benefit from a change of scenery.
Perfetti should demand the highest return, with Stanley a close second.
Veteran forwards Nino Niederreiter, Tanner Pearson, Gus Nyquist and Vlad Namestnikov could also be considered moveable candidates.
They should be no-brainer 'throw-ins' to complete larger trades involving Stanley, Schenn or Perfetti that would demand significant returns on draft capital.
With Lambert, Nikita Chibrikov, Colby Barlow, Brayden Yager, Parker Ford and Danny Zhilkin all waiting in the wings, the time is now to truly bring that 'develop' aspect to the fold.
There is no reason to keep those young prospects in the minors. The time is now to sell the aging vets and promote the farm - Jonathan Toews aside.
Let the losses keep piling up, shut down injured players preventatively, waive the leftovers who weren't picked up as trade bait and watch the ping pong balls stack up.
With the NHL trade deadline approaching and the playoff picture growing increasingly bleak, the Winnipeg Jets appear poised to shift into seller mode.
The Jets currently sit ten points out of a playoff spot, and the gap could widen further given a challenging upcoming schedule that features matchups against the Florida Panthers, Dallas Stars, Montreal Canadiens and Anaheim Ducks. As the losses have mounted, so too has speculation that Winnipeg will begin moving pieces with an eye toward the future.
That speculation gained traction this week following comments from Sportsnet insider Elliotte Friedman on Friday’s episode of his 32 Thoughts podcast. Friedman revealed that, according to one source, the Jets and the Detroit Red Wings have a “match” when it comes to a potential trade.
While Friedman emphasized that he was unaware of the exact framework of a possible deal, he suggested the discussions could involve defensemen Luke Schenn or Logan Stanley.
Detroit is well positioned to engage in trade talks, boasting significant draft capital and a deep prospect pool. Those assets could make it relatively easy for the Red Wings to put together a competitive offer for either Stanley or Schenn.
The Red Wings have reportedly been prioritizing players with term on the open market, but they could still have interest in Stanley, a 27-year-old blueliner who may fit their long-term plans. Should he prove to be a good fit in Detroit, the organization could look to negotiate an extension following a trade.
Regardless of whether a deal materializes with the Red Wings, the growing number of rumors around Winnipeg’s roster has created a clear sense that the Jets are preparing to pivot. With postseason hopes fading, the organization appears increasingly focused on selling at the deadline and retooling for next season rather than chasing a long-shot playoff push.
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The Montreal Canadiens picked up an impressive 7-3 win against the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday night. Juraj Slafkovsky played a role in the Canadiens' win over the Avalanche, as he scored a goal and recorded an assist.
With his two-point game, Slafkovsky now has 20 goals, 23 assists, and 43 points in 54 games this season with the Canadiens. With numbers like these, there is no question that the 21-year-old winger has taken a nice step in the right direction with his development this campaign.
Due to his strong play this season, Slafkovsky is already nearing a new career high with February just about here.
Slafkovsky needs to score only one more goal to hit a new career high of 21. The 2022 first-overall pick scored 20 goals in 82 games for the Canadiens during the 2023-24 season.
Slafkovsky also needs only 10 more assists and nine more points to set new career highs with those stats as well. With this, there is no question that he is having himself a nice year, and it will be interesting to see what his offensive totals are once we get to the end of the 2025-26 season.
On Friday afternoon, the Chicago Blackhawks announced that they were calling up Sam Rinzel. He has spent a couple of months working on his game with the Rockford IceHogs, and now he's ready to jump back in and show what he's got.
Part of this was the need to give Artyom Levshunov a break. He's been a regular in the lineup since he made his NHL debut last season, and he seems to have hit a rookie wall. Over the last 9 games, in particular, he has struggled mightily.
Not only does he have 0 points in those games, but his defensive game has left a lot to be desired. Shutting down gaps, being smart with his stick, and proper positioning have allowed teams to walk all over him during this tough stretch.
With Rinzel back in the lineup, Levshunov is going to be a healthy scratch against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Friday night. He is also going to have limited playing time, if any, leading up to the Olympic break.
Blackhawks head coach Jeff Blashill confirmed that they have a program for Levshunov to work on during his time off. He is going to work on three things in particular, which include shooting, playing with the puck, and his defensive game.
"Rather than send him down and play more games, I don't think that's what he needs." Blackhawks coach Jeff Blashill said. "What he needs is a chance to reset some foundational things."
All of the tools are there for Levshunov to be a high-end player in the best league in the world. He has the skating, the overall skills with the puck, and the will to win necessary to become an elite player.
Where the Blackhawks need to see improvement is in taking those talents and using them to be a winning player. If he improves on some of the skills emphasized in his new program, it should all come together.
For a defenseman to have regular playing time in the NHL at Levshunov's age (20) is incredibly rare. It doesn't happen often. It is even more rare for there to be no struggles along the way, no matter what age they are at in their development.
If Levshunov takes this opportunity to develop his game now with an open mind, he will come back stronger for it.
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Leave it to Tom Willander to keep things honest. The Vancouver Canucks rookie may be in his first season with the team that drafted him 11th overall in 2023, but he’s already proving himself as a driven, strong player who knows how to keep himself accountable.
“[It’s been] good and bad, we’ve had a rough patch, obviously,” the defenceman told The Hockey News regarding how things have gone for both himself and the Canucks as of late. “I’m having a good time still.”
At the beginning of the 2025–26 season, Willander didn’t quite know what to expect from himself or the NHL. Having signed his entry-level contract with the Canucks back in May of 2025, the defenceman was making the hop from the NCAA to his first pro-season. With a backlog of young defencemen in Elias Pettersson and Victor Mancini, many weren’t sure whether Willander would start the season with Vancouver or whether he’d be sent to the Abbotsford Canucks. Ultimately, he ended up spending five games in the AHL, grabbing a goal and an assist in his final couple of games. For Willander, getting those first few games was instrumental in helping him figure out how to approach the NHL.
“I think that was huge for me, because that kind of gave me a few games in the system with having that freedom and confidence that I feel like I wouldn’t necessarily have up here. So I think that was very important, to kind of kickstart it.”
Willander is one of two rookies to make their NHL debuts for the Canucks this season, the other being centre Braeden Cootes. The fact that Willander has stuck in the lineup is, in itself, a testament to how strong of a player he’s been this season. When you look at the NHL’s overall rookie scoring race, it’s even more impressive. He’s currently sixth in rookie defenceman scoring with three goals and 12 assists. When asked about what kind of expectations he had for himself this season, Willander kept things honest yet again.
“I didn’t really have any. It’s easy to watch the game on the TV, but you don’t really know it until you’re in it. It’s a hard league. I think I’ve experienced that firsthand. It’s been pretty good. Now, I think [I’m] starting to feel like I’m getting into it.”
His debut itself was something that many people probably didn’t expect until later on in the season, but a smattering of injuries in late October resulted in Vancouver calling Willander up less than a month into the regular season. Since then, the soon-to-be 21-year-old has stuck in the lineup consistently — and it doesn’t look like he’ll be leaving anytime soon.
“I actually didn’t see myself sticking long term for that at all,” he admitted, a thought that once-again circles back to his candidness and unexpected expectations. “[I] kind of surprised myself in that a little bit, but it’s been fun.”
Dec 6, 2025; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks defenseman Tom Willander (5) against the Minnesota Wild at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Morris-Imagn Images
Despite Vancouver’s blueline sporting its fair share of young players, the total experiences of veterans like Tyler Myers, Marcus Pettersson, and Filip Hronek comes to a total of over 2000 NHL games. The Canucks have been outspoken about how important it is to them to keep quality veterans as they prepare to transition into rebuild-mode. For Willander, these three have made a big difference in how he’s settled in and what he’s taken away from the league.
“I think they’ve been doing a great job,” he explained. “It’s always a tight group. I think you learn a lot from watching them play. Obviously, they all have their thing that they’re very good at. I’ve played a lot with Marcus, and watching Fil and watching Myesy, you learn a lot. I think they’ve all been very good teachers in the way that they’re definitely not shy from helping and lending a helping hand.”
As the NHL shifts into the Olympic break in February, Willander and the Canucks will be faced with many questions regarding the long-term trajectory of the team. For a player like Willander, who is finding more and more comfort with every NHL game that he tucks under his belt, the final few months of the 2025–26 season will be the time to fully iron-out his play at the NHL level.
“I look to better myself and better my game. Obviously, it’s a solid stretch of games where I feel like there’s still a lot of experience to be gained, and I think there are a lot of parts of my game that need a lot of working on — really, all parts of my game. I see it as a great opportunity to put myself in a good spot.”
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Let’s be honest. The Ottawa Senators have one of the worst prospect pools in the NHL. Trading top picks in 2022 and 2023 is starting to rear its ugly head, as the cupboards are bare when it comes to high-end talent.
But Carter Yakemchuk, the 7th overall pick in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft, represents the slightest glimmer of hope. He has the potential to be a top-pair offensive defenseman in the NHL if he develops properly.
Consensus seems to be that the 20-year-old needs time in the American Hockey League with the club’s affiliate team, the Belleville Senators, to work on his defensive game.
But Yakemchuk, who recently returned from an injury that kept him out of the lineup for 13 games, might actually be better served developing in the NHL.
Let me make the case.
Before diving into why the Senators should get Yakemchuk to the NHL sooner rather than later, I want to make it clear that his development is critical for the future of this roster.
There isn’t much top-end help coming in the pipeline, but if he pans out and reaches his potential, the Senators could be set on the blueline for years to come with Jake Sanderson and Yakemchuk leading the way.
So the pressure is on GM Steve Staios and his front office to find the right path for Yakemchuk, who was this regime’s first official draft pick.
The easy answer is patience. The organization has predicated itself on making calculated moves during Staios’ tenure, earning him the nickname Steady Steve.
It would feel out of character for the Senators to hand the keys to Yakemchuk and let him figure things out at the NHL level, instead of being patient and letting him get reps in the AHL while adapting to playing professional hockey.
On the surface, it looks like he has struggled to start his professional career. He is a -24 on the season with 19 points in 31 games. When a player is that far in the minuses, it raises eyebrows.
But the stout defensive game that the NHL team has developed under head coach Travis Green is not quite trickling down the 416 and the 401 just yet.
Belleville is dead last in goals against in the AHL, despite having a team save percentage of .894. The BSens give up way more shots than the NHL team, which leads us back to Yakemchuk.
Is it smart for a player who has undeniable offensive talent but needs to work on his defensive game to be on a team that struggles to defend?
-24 is an ugly stat line for a rookie defenseman, but +/- needs to be taken with a grain of salt. Jake Sanderson was -14 last season, yet no Senators fan was saying he needed to work on his game defensively.
I’m not pretending I’ve seen every single shift Yakemchuk has played in Belleville. The organization is obviously monitoring him closely, given his importance to the Senators’ future.
But it’s important to remember what Yakemchuk was drafted for. He is an offensive defenseman with skills that could help the NHL team today. I look at the Senators’ quietly struggling power play, which is ranked 31st in the NHL since Christmas.
Would it be crazy to get Yakemchuk on the first power play unit right away?
Sanderson’s game has reached a new level this season, and reducing his minutes with the man advantage would allow the Senators to use him at even strength more often, and could rejuvenate that area of the Sens’ game offensively.
The power play just so happens to be where Yakemchuk has excelled in his first professional season, helping lead a top-5 power play in the AHL. Despite missing time with an injury, Yakemchuk ranks 8th in the league in power play assists, leading all rookies.
And with the way the Senators defend as a team, there might not be a better situation for a young defenseman to work on his defensive game.
His minutes could be sheltered behind Artem Zub and Jordan Spence, who have been excellent this season and would likely see more time at even strength than Yakemchuk.
He is also a 7th overall pick from two years ago. It’s fair to assume a player drafted that high can make an impact in the NHL at a young age.
It’s worth noting that during his midseason media availability in December, Staios said Yakemchuk would likely have been called up by that point had he not been injured.
So maybe we will see him in Ottawa sooner than we think.
The bottom line is the Senators probably need to make an upgrade on veteran defenseman Nick Jensen if they want to push for a playoff spot, and the solution might be right under their noses.
They need to take a look at Yakemchuk in the NHL before shipping out assets to acquire another right-shot defenseman.
Jack Richardson The Hockey News - Ottawa
This article was first published at The Hockey News. Read more from The Hockey News Ottawa:
Days after being called up from the AHL's Toronto Marlies, Marshall Rifai will make his season debut with the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday night against the Vancouver Canucks.
"(It's) obviously exciting," Rifai said after Friday's practice in Vancouver. "Just any other game, though. I've got to come in and prepare the way I always do. And that's what I plan to do."
This'll be the first time Rifai dresses for an NHL game with the Maple Leafs since Feb. 21, 2024 — almost two years ago — against the Arizona Coyotes.
Yeah, it's been that long.
(He was called up several times last year but never got into Toronto's lineup.)
The 27-year-old defenseman missed a good chunk of the season after undergoing wrist surgery in September, following an injury in a preseason game. Rifai returned to the Marlies' lineup on Dec. 27 and has since played 12 games with the club.
"It's one of those things when you don't get to do what you love every day, and you have to take a step back, it just leaves room for gratitude," Rifai said of missing three months.
"And when I came back, I was fresh, which I think is a big thing in a long pro season and played a lot of pro hockey here. And I try to use that to my advantage instead of thinking it was a disadvantage.
"I get to come in fresh in the middle of the season and provide a boost for my team."
Rifai will line up alongside Troy Stecher on Toronto's third defense pairing on Saturday against the Canucks (Simon Benoit will come out of the lineup for Rifai). The two defensemen share something in common: both went undrafted, with Stecher coming out of the University of North Dakota and Rifai out of Harvard.
What makes Rifai an interesting player for Toronto is his untapped potential. With only two games played (both under former head coach Sheldon Keefe), there still isn't much known about what he could do at the NHL level.
"What I've seen since I've been here, from last year to this year is how he prepared," said head coach Craig Berube. "You notice little things with some of these guys: how early they get to the rink every day and their preparation. He's a good pro.
"He does all the right things, and a lot of times it's important that these guys do take the mental side approach. That's definitely going to help their game."
With the Marlies, Rifai is a strong skater who can move the puck and is quite the physical player. He won't always put points on the board, but he can play in most defensive situations.
"I’d just say I'm smart, make a simple play, use my feet when I can," he added. "If I have a chance to be physical, I'm going to try to hit and go from there."
What Berube appreciates about Rifai is his competitiveness. The head coach added that the trait is one of the biggest separators between being a consistent AHLer and a consistent NHLer.
"To play in the NHL, you have to be highly competitive," Berube continued. "It's just all that preparation that goes into what's needed daily to play in the NHL. I'm not sure everybody's cut out for that. It's a grind."
Rifai has over 200 games of pro experience, mostly all with the Marlies. He understands what's needed of him in every game. And just because Rifai is up in the NHL, it doesn't mean he's going to try to change how he plays.
After all, that's what got him to this point in his career.
"Everyone's got a role on a team," Rifai said, "and you've got to lean into your role at whatever level it is, and that's the mindset coming in here."
That’s because the focus of the NHL is once again on the state of Florida, so naturally the two Florida boys who host The Hockey Show, Roy Bellamy and David Dwork, are in the middle of all the fun.
This time it’s for the 2026 NHL Stadium Series which is taking place in Tampa, less than a month after the league held the 2026 Winter Classic in Miami.
Yes, you are reading that correctly. Outdoor hockey in Florida is officially a thing.
On Sunday, the Tampa Bay Lightning will host the Boston Bruins on top of a giant treasure map inside Raymond James Stadium.
If its anything like what we saw for the Winter Classic, fans are in for a major treat.
This week on The Hockey Show, Roy and Dave went on location in Tampa after being granted access to the stadium a couple days early.
Joining the show this week was Lightning beat reporter for The Hockey News Diandra Loux to provide insight into Tampa Bay’s excellent season, how they’ve found success despite dealing with a plethora of injuries and whether this will be the season Jon Cooper finally wins the Jack Adams Award.
They also chatted about Florida being the official State of Hockey and some of the pirate-related events happening around Tampa this weekend.
You can check out this week’s full show and interview in the videos below:
The Detroit Red Wings’ centennial season has given the historic franchise a chance not only to usher in a new era of Motor City hockey but also to reflect with fond nostalgia on the countless memories forged by the winningest U.S.-based NHL franchise.
Throughout their history, the Red Wings have featured some of the most iconic groups of players that eventually became known by instantly recognizable nicknames.
The famed "Production Line" consisting of Gordie Howe, Ted Lindsay, and Sid Abel helped to bring multiple championships to Detroit in the mid-20th century.
Later eras saw the legendary combination of Bob Probert and Joey Kocur, known affectionately as "The Bruise Brothers", followed by the iconic "Russian Five" of Sergei Fedorov, Vladimir Konstantinov, Slava Kozlov, Slava Fetisov, and Igor Larionov.
It was during that latter era that another legendary line combination was born: the Grind Line, a term coined by longtime team trainer John Wharton. Head coach Scotty Bowman, who drew inspiration from New Jersey’s “Crash Line,” built a grinding unit of Kris Draper with wingers Kirk Maltby and Kocur (and later, Darren McCarty).
Maltby, who was a 1992 third-round (65th overall) pick of the Edmonton Oilers, was traded to the Red Wings in March 1996 for defenseman Dan McGillis.
He explained that he initially wasn’t thrilled about the trade from the Oilers, who would go on to finish 10th in the Western Conference that season, because it meant leaving behind several teammates he had broken into the league with in a place he enjoyed playing.
"At that time when I got traded, we (the Oilers) weren't very good, we were a young and rebuilding team, but I was happy there," he said. "A bunch of us were young and were good friends and came into the League together, played together in the minors, just looking to build."
However, being traded to an established Stanley Cup contender like the Red Wings quickly eased any uneasiness he felt about the move. Having faced them multiple times with the Oilers, Maltby had already seen firsthand the star power that Detroit possessed
"My first year in the NHL was 1993-94, and obviously, the Red Wings were really good Cup contenders," he said. "So every time we played them over my first three years in the League before I was traded, we knew we'd have to bring our 'A' game just to keep it close."
"They had a great team, starting with Stevie (Yzerman), Sergei (Fedorov), Nick Lidstrom...they just had a great team," he continued. "When I got traded, I was upset initially because I loved where I was, and I wasn't sure what my role would be in Detroit. But once I got in and got settled, everything was fine, and the rest became history."
As Maltby explained, team balance is everything.
"Hockey, and I guess most team sports, you need to have different elements in different players," he said. "In hockey, there's obviously only one puck, and you have five guys that can jump over the boards at one time. Everyone wants to score, but not everyone can score. You need a good balance of offensive skilled guys, grinders, and physical guys, and a general mix of both."
"That was like Marty Lapointe, and then a high-end guy like (Brendan) Shanahan who could do both ends of it."
The Grind Line helped to power Detroit through the 1997 Stanley Cup Playoffs, gaining series victories over the St. Louis Blues, Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, and then the hated rival Colorado Avalanche in a rematch of the previous season's Western Conference Final.
Maltby would eventually grace the cover of "Sports Illustrated" after a two-goal performance in Game 4 of the series.
He emphasized just how unforeseen it was that things came together as they did, but how much they embraced it, as did the fans.
“It meant a lot—it’s obviously nothing we had foreseen or thought would come along,” he said of playing with Draper, Kocur and McCarty. “Drapes was already here, but he was traded here for $1, and then I was traded here; Joey went and got back in shape playing in the beer leagues.
“And the next thing you know, we start Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals against Philly. We had T-shirts with ‘The Grind Line’ on them, and we just kind of ran with it.”
It was Bowman who started the Grind Line in Game 1 of the 1997 Stanley Cup Final against the Philadelphia Flyers, and just minutes into the contest, Draper and Maltby broke in on a two-on-none rush, resulting in Maltby scoring over helpless Flyers goaltender Ron Hextall; Kocur later added a goal in the period.
Maltby then scored what proved to be the game-winning goal in the following game, beating goaltender Garth Snow with a slapshot from just inside the blue line. He would later add an assist on Lidstrom's goal in the final minute of the first period of Game 4 in Detroit, and later skated the Stanley Cup for the first of what would be four times in his career.
"We all kind of complemented each other, and brought something different to the table; it just kind of worked out," he said. "To be on a line like that with those three guys, they're great guys. We all live in Michigan, and two of us work with the organization. It was a special bond when you went as far as we did."
Unfortunately, the collective euphoria of the Stanley Cup win was shattered just six days later when the news of the tragic limousine accident, which nearly claimed the lives of Konstantinov and team masseur Sergei Mnatsakanov, broke.
Fetisov, who was also in the limousine, suffered minor injuries and was able to play one more season, but such a comeback was impossible for Konstantinov.
"We just couldn't believe it happened just a week after we won," Maltby said of the accident. "We did the right thing with our extracurricular stuff, going golfing and knowing that we'd be drinking and having rides arranged by car services. For that to happen, it was beyond words."
One of the heaviest-hitting defensemen in the NHL, Konstantinov was feared by opponents for his brute force on the blue line and was a finalist for the Norris Trophy that fateful season.
"Not to get into detail, but I don't think that had it been any one of us in that accident with the injuries that Vladdy sustained, I don't know if we'd have pulled through it," Maltby said, which was a sheer testament to Konstantinov's fortitude. "Vladdy was so strong will-wise. Not just physically, but will-wise."
Konstantinov, who is wheelchair-bound, was one of the special guests on Jan. 12 for Fedorov's banner-raising ceremony and drew a massive ovation from the crowd filled with generations of Red Wings fans.
"Saw him at Sergei's banner raising, and he looks great," Maltby, who was also on the ice with several former Red Wings alumni for the ceremony, explained. "Obviously, he's not where he was before the accident, but to be able to say hi and to see him, it was great to take advantage of that."
Ultimately, the Red Wings would repeat as Stanley Cup champions the following season, which culminated in an emotional celebration with Konstantinov in his wheelchair on the M.C.I. Center Ice after they swept the Washington Capitals.
After accepting the Stanley Cup from NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, Yzerman placed the trophy on Konstantinov's lap
"The following year, we kept it within ourselves. We kept his stall, and we had the stone that said, "Believe", we had the patches. It was a year we played for him. Obviously, it's hard to win the Stanley Cup in general, let alone in back-to-back years."
"But for the team to be able to go out there and see Vladdy a couple times a year and to win it and bring him literally on the ice in his wheelchair and have the Stanley Cup on his lap and in the room - it was awesome."
Maltby echoed a sentiment expressed by Lidstrom in Detroit’s 1998 championship documentary, that in the aftermath of the devastating accident, the collective feeling around the team was wanting to give the Stanley Cup back if it meant that both Konstantinov and Mnatsakanov could be healthy."
"I think if we were able to give that Cup back and not have that accident, maybe the majority, if not all of us, would do it," he said. "Having a healthy Vladdy for the next 10, 12, 15 years, maybe we win more Cups than we ended up winning."
"We wanted to do right by him as best as we could....there's only so much you can do, and winning the Cup, basically in his honor, was the best we could do."
Serving as a special guest at Fedorov’s jersey retirement ceremony, Maltby said he not only enjoyed playing alongside him for nearly eight years but also marveled at his sheer skill.
"Sergei is a good person, first and foremost, regardless of the hockey aspect," he said. "I enjoyed my time with him, and I enjoyed watching him. He was a world-class player, and the types of players that Sergei was don't come around often."
Upon Fedorov’s departure from the team in 2003, Maltby said that while the Red Wings remained a contending squad, as they not only won the President’s Trophy three times in the next four seasons but also claimed the 2008 Stanley Cup, there was simply no replacing him.
"We were going to do the best we could to fill the void and replace him, but there's just no replacing a Sergei Fedorov," he said. "As much as we would have loved for him to stay, we know it's a business, especially moreso nowadays with the dollars that are thrown around."
"Sergei did his thing and kept playing and whatnot, but to see the reception that he got at the banner raising, I'm sure he was extremely happy, and I was super happy for him," he said. "Watching his wife and two kids see him speak and see the reaction from the crowd - I don't know how well the kids speak English, but I kind of got the sense that they were like, 'My Gosh, my Dad really is a big deal over here!'"
"We had the (team) dinner the night before, we had the banner raising, and got to spend a lot of time with Sergei over the course of two days. Hopefully we'll get to see him again soon, but I was so happy for him and his family that his number is in the rafters where it belongs."
Maltby, who was coached by Bowman for the first six and a half years of his tenure in Detroit, joked that he could talk for hours about not only the effect Bowman had on the entire team as a whole, but on his own career in particular.
"I loved my time with Scotty, I owe a lot of my career to Scotty," he said. "In saying that, I didn't talk to Scotty much - he didn't even really talk to a lot of the guys during our playing days. It would be a different story now, but without saying it, you know you had to play the way he wanted you to play and how your role was, and play your role, and do your job.
“I’m not saying we’re rocket scientists, but we’re not dumb either. You know when you’re playing well, and you know when you’re playing bad," he continued. "Scotty was one of those guys who, just because you had a bad game or shift, which everyone does, you didn’t suspect that you’d be out of the lineup.
“But if you had two or three bad games in a row, the next game, you might not be in the lineup. Scotty did a lot without saying anything per se; a lot of his conversations were aimed at the team, the general atmosphere in the dressing room. It was delivered to everyone."
Maltby continued by saying that while there were moments when the team didn't fully understand Bowman's reasoning, his track record at having already won the Stanley Cup as a head coach six times earlier in his career meant that he knew what he was doing.
“He did a lot of stuff that we kind of shook our heads at, yet he had a pretty good track record," Maltby said. "There wasn’t a need for too many questions, and whether you liked it or didn’t, you couldn’t argue.
“For all of us who were in this game, the ultimate goal as a kid was to win the Stanley Cup. To do it multiple times with him as head coach was special. Obviously, he had his share before that as well."
Maltby, who won the Stanley Cup three times under Bowman, was grateful for the opportunity to play for one of hockey’s most legendary figures, knowing he would continue to see the ice as long as he played the right way.
"He played me a lot," he said. "I got a lot of games under him year after year, and I felt that as long as I kept doing what I was doing, it was good for Scotty and was what he wanted."
Following Detroit's 2008 Stanley Cup win, Maltby played another two seasons, during which he and the Red Wings came within a victory of repeating as champions yet again in 2009.
He ended his playing career in 2010 after appearing in 908 games with the Red Wings, recording 107 goals and 115 assists. In 169 postseason games, Maltby added 16 goals and 15 assists.
There have now been 100 years of Motor City hockey, and Maltby carved out a pivotal role in some of their greatest triumphs.
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But team owner Jeff Vinik won't be able to attend the game that he helped bring to Raymond James Stadium because of a serious injury.
The Lightning announced Friday that Vinik had suffered a "major leg fracture" when he had a snowmobiling accident while on a recent vacation with his children.
"He is currently under the care of exceptional medical professionals and is expected to make a full recovery. While we are grateful he is doing well, the extent of the injury means he will unfortunately be unable to attend the Stadium Series game on Sunday," the team said in a statement.
"As an organization, we are deeply thankful for his resilience and dedication and although we are heartbroken we will miss this historic moment for the Tampa Bay Lightning, we know he will be watching and taking immense pride in what Team Tampa Bay has accomplished."
The Buffalo Sabres continue to be the hottest club in the NHL, winning 4-1 over the Los Angeles Kings for their fifth victory in a row on Thursday. The Sabres are now eight points up on the Florida Panthers in the race for a playoff spot, and tied with Boston and Montreal for third place in the Atlantic Division, but winger Alex Tuch, who scored a hat trick in the win, was thinking of higher goals after the game.
"We're coming in with a lot of confidence. "Everybody's coming in trying to prove themselves, and we're trying to prove as a team that we're legit. We're not just going to go for the playoffs. We're going to go for the Cup," Tuch said. "That's our goal, to get better each and every day. That's it. That's the end goal. We're not in here just to squeak in. We're here to try to keep winning."
While it is understandable that Buffalo is brimming with confidence after going 20-3-1 in the last 24 games and rising like a phoenix from the ashes, that has to be balanced with the fact that they were in last place in the Eastern Conference in mid-December after firing GM Kevyn Adams and that everything is going right since.
Could Rasmus Dahlin win a Norris Trophy?
Are the real Sabres the team that struggled through the first third of the season, or the one that has been arguably the best club in the league in the middle third? One thing is for certain, this confident young squad and head coach Lindy Ruff wishes they could keep playing based on how hot they are.
"It's hard to say (whether the break will be a good or bad thing)," Ruff said earlier in the week. "I think we've pushed hard. I think you've got to use that break to get refreshed, but at the same time, you've got to use it to be ready from day one as soon as it starts right afterwards."
Buffalo has two more home games against Montreal on Saturday and Pittsburgh next Thursday, with back-to-back road games in Florida against the Panthers on Monday and Lightning on Tuesday sandwiched in between before breaking for the Olympics for nearly three weeks.
The St. Louis Blues have recalled winger Matt Luff from the AHL’s Springfield Thunderbirds for the second time in as many days.
The recall is once again on an emergency basis as the Blues have several players who are considered game-time decisions but will likely play on Saturday.
Neighbours and Jimmy Snuggerud were absent from practice today due to maintenance, and both are game-time decisions on Saturday against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Pius Suter is also a game-time decision.
Luff will most likely be sent back down to the Thunderbirds prior to puck drop, like he and McGing were yesterday, but if a spot in the lineup opens up because several players aren’t able to play, the Blues will have the insurance that Luff can slide into the lineup.
The 28-year-old Luff has scored one goal in five games in the NHL this season, while pouring in 13 goals and 33 points in 33 AHL games.
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The Winnipeg Jets were outmatched Thursday night against the Tampa Bay Lightning and fell 4-1 in a decisive loss. The defeat adds to a string of struggles for the Jets, who have now lost five of their last seven games just as they were beginning to gain momentum.
Winnipeg's trajectory continues downward and could worsen with their challenging remaining schedule. The Jets currently hold a 21-25-7 record, tied with the St. Louis Blues for the third-worst record in the Western Conference.
They still face difficult matchups, including three more games against the Colorado Avalanche, two against the Dallas Stars, and single games against the Montreal Canadiens, Boston Bruins, and Tampa Bay Lightning, the team that just defeated them.
The Jets' road ahead will not get easier and their chances of climbing out of the league basement are diminishing. Time is also running short for the organization to make key decisions about the team’s direction.
According to insiders at TSN, the Jets are still trying to compete and see if they can make a playoff push. Meanwhile, the Olympic trade freeze begins next Wednesday, a period when many believe trades will start to take shape. Once the Olympics conclude, the trade deadline follows on March 6.
They must act quickly as the team can either make moves to strengthen the roster and attempt a turnaround or trade pending free agents and begin planning for next season. Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff faces a shrinking window to make decisions. Acting promptly would give him the ability to field trade offers and pursue players without being rushed.
The next two games before the trade freeze will provide insight into the team’s strategy, as the Jets face the back-to-back Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers on the road followed by a matchup with one of the top teams in the conference, the Dallas Stars.
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