University Games, Ritchie Foundation, PWHPA + OHL Series

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Dear Reader,

Welcome to this week’s edition of the Hockey of Tomorrow newsletter. It's Friday the 13th and a snowy day in most cold areas, so we hope you all have your winter tires on.

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Alright, thanks for answering, here are the top stories this week:

  • Canada Helps Ukraine Compete in The University Games

  • The Ritchie Hockey Foundation Brings Out Sports Legends to Make an Impact

  • St. Catharines, Ontario Is Hosting a Professional Women’s Hockey Game on February 10

Canada Helps Ukraine Compete in The University Games

While the war in Ukraine is ongoing, the country’s Men’s Under-25 team is preparing to take on the world in The World University Winter Games in Lake Placid, New York this week. It’s important for the country to do just that to show the world how strong and resilient the nation is.

Gleb Krivoshapkin and his teammates have spent countless hours in dressing rooms throughout 2022 to get away from shelling and violence sparked by the war.

The University Games features over 1400 students from 43 different countries.

Canada is thankfully doing what Canada does best: its part to help out. The Ukrainian hockey Federation is receiving help from the government along with private sponsors to help make the team’s journey possible.

The fact that Ukraine is participating in the event is a testament to the will and strength of the players, the staff, the country’s hockey federations and the nation as a whole.

You've already won the tournament in our books, Ukraine.

Photo of Gleb Krivoshapkin Courtesy of CBC.ca

The Ritchie Hockey Foundation Brings Out Sports Legends to Make an Impact

Donna Ritchie founded The Ritchie Hockey Foundation in 2009 after her son was tragically killed in a car accident while driving home from a game.

Later this month, 30 different sports legends including many from the Tampa Bay area such as Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ offensive lineman Warren Sapp and former Tampa Bay Lightning forward Brian Bradley, are participating in a celebrity golf tournament to honor Jason Ritchie’s legacy.

Fellow sports legends participating in the event include former Lightning goaltender Dwayne Roloson, Super Bowl champion wide receiver Santonio Holmes, and MLB Hall of Famer Barry Larkin.

The Ritchie Hockey Foundation dedicates a large part of its resources to hosting clinics for hockey and baseball players, focusing on youth programming. They get this weeks Hockey of Tomorrow thumbs up.

St. Catharines, Ontario hosts a Professional Women’s Hockey Game on February 10

Insurance company Sonnet and athletic apparel juggernaut Adidas are the title sponsors of the two teams facing off in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada on February 10 at The Meridian Centre.

Homegrown heroes Brianne Jenner and Alexa Vasko are going to be representing their home city in the Professional Women’s Hockey Players Association’s four-game tournament.

The tournament is a four-game series put together by the PWHPA and the Ontario Hockey League. The other three games in the series will be played in Peterborough, Barrie, and Kitchener, which normally play host to the Petes, Colts, and Rangers respectively.

Mercyhurst University’s Alexa Vasko in action. Photo courtesy of Mercyhurst University.

Props to OHL commissioner David Branch for helping to put this tournament together.

That’s it for this edition of the Hockey of Tomorrow newsletter. If you have any feedback for us regarding HoT content, please do let us know.

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Tom Sychterz, Founder

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