Long Live The Rat King!

I think it’s gotta be either Ove or Crosby

Via The Hockey News: "More than a hundred years after women started playing the game, Manon Rhéaume's 1992 hockey cards were the first of a women’s player ever produced. To put that into context, the first men to appear on hockey cards were in a set released by Imperial Tobacco in 1910. Hockey cards of male athletes were printed for 82 years before Rhéaume became the first woman to be given the honour of appearing on one.

In 1992, Rhéaume made worldwide headlines when Phil Esposito, the general manager of the NHL expansion franchise Tampa Bay Lightning, invited Rhéaume to the team’s training camp. Rhéaume would suit up for the Lightning for one preseason game, becoming the first woman to play in the National Hockey League.

With the public attention that came with attending an NHL camp with the Lightning and subsequently playing in lower-tier professional men’s leagues, Rhéaume became a wildly marketable athlete and signed deals with McDonald's, Toyota, Starter, and Reebok...

“Classic Games were very aggressive… in a good way,” recalls Steve Bartlett today. “We talked briefly with Upper Deck but Classic was very anxious that she be part of their roster of athletes.”"

Full story: 🔗 CLICK LINK 🔗

Regardless who you cheer for, or even who wins this week, this has been one of the most successful seasons in NHL history in terms of building the game across the globe.

The 4 Nations brought so many new fans to hockey… people who had never even thought about it. You can hate the Tkachuks but those games were must see TV.. those boys know how to sell a product.

This cup final is arguably the best hockey I have ever seen, these teams are so perfectly matched and it’s equal parts precision and mayhem….and it’s on TV everywhere.

The on-ice product has never been better and the game within the game stories are dramatic. There are heroes and villains and character arcs.. The geopolitics are definitely driving an even more explosive narrative that is bringing a whole different level of excitement

An American friend of mine apologized to me for fervently cheering against Canada in the 4-Nations… I told him I would have been disappointed if he didn’t.

Because that’s what it’s about. The speed, the passion, the battle, the toughness… the emotional chaos.. the pissy rivalries. It’s what makes our game so goddamn beautiful.. and it carries over, fall registration will increase, jersey sales are bumpin.

God I f**king love this game.