The NHL’s digital board ads are back for the 2024-25 season, but not everyone is happy.
Editor’s note: This post has been updated for the 2024-25 season. It was originally published in 2023.
Welcome to FTW Explains, a guide to catching up on and better understanding stuff going on in the world. Are you wondering why the advertisements on the boards during NHL games keep distracting you? If so, we’re here to help.
Fall is here and that means hockey season is officially back in full swing. The 2024-25 NHL season promises to be filled with exciting games, captivating stories, and some darn good hockey to boot.
While a lot of the talk this season will be centered on the action on the ice, you can be sure that NHL fans will once again be complaining about one thing in particular: the league’s digital board advertisements. So, what are these digital board ads and why do hockey fans hate them with a fiery passion? Let’s dive in.
Meet Jessica Campbell, the Seattle Kraken’s new assistant coach.
The 2024 NHL season is here, and when the Seattle Kraken take the ice, there will be a new face on the bench — assistant coach Jessica Campell.
Campbell is a first-year coach for Seattle and the first woman to be an assistant or associate coach in NHL history. The Kraken hired Campbell in July after she spent the past two seasons as an assistant coach for the team’s AHL affiliate, the Coachella Valley Firebirds, gaining experience with Seatte’s new head coach, Dan Bylsma.
Campbell has a rich background in hockey, including a career that spanned college, the Canadian Women’s Hockey League and even Canada’s women’s national team, where she earned a silver medal at the 2015 world championship. She also spent time as a skating coach in the Swedish Hockey League and Germany with the Nürnberg Ice Tigers, and, in 2022, she was the first woman to serve as an assistant coach on the German national team for the men’s world championships.
"I believed I could do it….with that inner belief, whatever it is, in sport, in life, you can create whatever you believe in.”
To open the NHL Global Series in Europe on Friday, the league paid its respects to the Gaudreau brothers. The NHL put together what is likely the first of many tribute videos to the brothers that we’ll see this season and played it ahead of the game. There was also a 13-second moment of silence to go along with it. Johnny’s number was 13.
A tribute to Matthew and Johnny Gaudreau was played and a 13 second moment of silence was observed before today's Global Series game in honor of Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau ❤️ pic.twitter.com/76xC7J16I8
The start of the 2024-25 NHL season will officially begin in Europe.
For two NHL teams, regular season play for the 2024-25 season officially starts begins on Friday, October 4. The rest of the league, however, will have to wait a few days for regular season play to begin.
So, what’s the deal here?
You might have noticed that amidst the NHL’s preseason, two regular season games are being played by the Buffalo Sabres and New Jersey Devils in Europe. The first is on Friday, October 4 while the second is Saturday, October 5, both at the O2 Arena in Czechia.
The reason is because the NHL is kicking off the 2024-25 season with the NHL Global Series. Over the years, the NHL has put regular season games across the globe — from China to Sweden and more — in an effort to show off its product to other countries. The Global Series has been a thing off and on since 2017, with the NHL set to play games in 2024 in Czechia and Finland later this year.
So, while the rest of the NHL finishes up their preseason, the Sabres and Devils will get things started for the 2024-25 campaign on October 4! The NHL’s regular season begins in North America on Tuesday, October 8 with a three-game slate, including a matchup featuring the most recent Stanley Cup champions, the Florida Panthers.
Hear some thoughts from him ahead of his first full professional season.
After Notre Dame’s 2023-24 season wrapped up, [autotag]Landon Slaggert[/autotag] made his NHL debut with the Chicago Blackhawks. Over 16 games, he tallied four points, including his first NHL goal. Now, he’s hoping to build upon that.
The Blackhawks are conducting their annual prospect camp in anticipation of a prospect tournament to be held over the weekend. Like the other prospects, Slaggert hopes to make enough of an impact that he can start the season with the parent club.
Only time will tell whether that’s a sign regarding whether Slaggert will break training camp with the Blackhawks. For now though, he’s focused on being the best player he can be as he enters first full season of professional hockey.
Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes and opinions.
Hockey is a very tight-knit community, and Notre Dame is part of that community. So when tragedy strikes it, the Irish feel the rightful need to know that they’re mourning as much as those the tragedy directly impacts. Unfortunately, that time has come once again.
The Gaudreau brothers’ time at Boston College spanned from 2011 to 2017. The Irish went 7-6 against the Eagles during that time with most games coming when the Irish were a member of Hockey East. But the Eagles went to three Frozen Fours and won the 2012 national championship. Johnny Gaudreau also won the Hobey Baker Award to cap his collegiate career in 2014.
We at Fighting Irish Wire extended our deepest condolences to the Gaudreau family during this difficult time.
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There’s not a single detail in the Johnny Gaudreau story that doesn’t just rip your heart right out of your chest and snatch it in two.
Gaudreau was a beloved hockey player. He’d already made his mark in the NHL as one of the league’s premier players and was only just getting started with the Blue Jackets. His brother, Matthew, 29, was a minor league hockey player, too.
That news alone is incredibly sad. But, with every detail, the story gets worse.
They weren’t doing anything out of the ordinary. The brothers Gaudreau were reportedly out for a simple late-night bike ride when they were both struck by a seemingly impatient driver who tried to force their way around another vehicle, according to reporting from ESPN.
We’ve learned the two New Jersey natives had a day ahead of them. The Gaudreau brothers were scheduled to be groomsmen at their sister’s wedding in Philadelphia on Friday.
Here’s the worst part: The driver of the vehicle that struck the Gaudreaus was allegedly arrested and charged with two counts of driving under the influence and death by auto, as announced by ESPN’s Mike Greenberg.
Not only did this not have to happen, but it shouldn’t have happened.
Driving under the influence doesn’t just ruin the driver’s life. It doesn’t just end the lives of the victims. It rips families to shreds.
The Gaudreau brothers should be waking up this morning with joy in their hearts. They should be heading to Philly to play their part in the best day of their sister’s life. They should be tying each other’s ties and fixing each other’s collars, making sure that they’re sharp enough for pictures with the family later. Later tonight, they were going to dance until they couldn’t anymore at the wedding reception.
They won’t get to do that now. Instead, their family gets to think about planning two funerals on their sister’s wedding day.
All because someone allegedly decided they were OK to drive last night when they probably knew they shouldn’t have. Calling a rideshare would’ve saved two lives last night. Thousands more lives have been lost to the same story.
There’s not much to say here, man. Don’t drive under the influence. It’s not cool. It never has been. It never will be. There’s no excuse.
An early exit for Carlos Alcaraz
(Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images)
In one of the most shocking turn of events in men’s tennis in a long time, Carlos Alcaraz is out in the second round of the US Open.
Not only is he out, but he lost in straight sets to unranked opponent Botic van de Zandschulp, who just easily had the biggest moment of his career. You wouldn’t know it if you were watching the match, though.
This is what acting like you’ve been there before looks like. Van de Zandschulp seems unmoved after taking down arguably the best player in the world.
It’s hard to overstate how big of an upset this is. Alcaraz had just won Wimbledon and the French Open. Van de Zandschulp is unranked. Yet, here we are, with Alcaraz’s season over and Van de Zandschulp moving forward.
What a turn of events. Tennis, man. You’ve got to love it.
College football is still a mad house
Isn’t it just the best? Colorado beat North Dakota State after this wild go-ahead grab in the fourth quarter from Travis Hunter.
The numbers in this one were crazy. Shedeur Sanders finished the game with 445 yards passing and four touchdowns. Hunter finished with 132 yards and three touchdowns. Jimmy Horn Jr. had 198 yards and a touchdown himself.
Look, I think we all understand the pain of having to take a new headshot for a new job.
It’s genuinely annoying! You’ve got to wear a nice outfit, obviously, which takes a bit of time to put together. And, whew boy, don’t let it be a bad hair day. That’s another problem entirely. All of this for a work photo? Nobody feels like doing it.
Sometimes, though, the new gig lets you use the photo from he old gig as your headshot. That’s always a relief.
Sometimes the old gig’s photo simply isn’t usable. Or, well, maybe it shouldn’t be. Somebody should’ve told that to Jon Erlichman before he submitted his old picture as a new hire photo for the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Erlichman was once the VP of process and analytics for the Tampa Bay Rays. Obviously, he took a photo for that job. And that job just so happened to require him to put on the Rays uniform.
Yes, I know what you’re asking. “Wait, what? He had to put on the uniform? But he didn’t play?” I know. It’s ridiculous. It’s one of those weird baseball things, though.
I don’t know how or why this happened, but I’m so happy that it happened. For a split second, I thought we had just seen our first interleague trade. Of course that was unrealistic. But a man can dream, can’t he?
The Penguins are going to correct this at some point down the line when they get a proper staff photo. The only thing I ask is that they require Erlichman to dress in a full Penguins kit. It’s only right.
It was always a matter of ‘when’ Stan Bowman would get hired again, even if he shouldn’t get the chance
When it came time for the Chicago Blackhawks to decide whether or not sexual assault against one of their own players should even be reported to the authorities just as the team clinched a spot in the 2010 Stanley Cup Final, general manager Stan Bowman was one of seven members of Chicago’s front office to turn their heads and look the other way.
When it came time for the Edmonton Oilers to pick themselves back up after a devastating loss in Game 7 of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final, they turned to Bowman.
Make no mistake, someone would’ve hired him sooner if they could. The NHL reinstated Bowman on July 1 after exiling him for nearly three years following the Brad Aldrich scandal in Chicago. Former Blackhawks head coach Joel Quenneville and executive Al MacIsaac were reinstated, too, and it’s hard to imagine they won’t find gainful employment in hockey’s top circuit soon enough.
This is the NHL, after all. A league of 32 teams featuring 10 active head coaches who have each led at least three other clubs. Established names die hard. Anyone expecting morals and values to win the day (any day, really) should look elsewhere for their hockey fix.
This is the end result of process that rightfully and forever tainted one of the sport’s most iconic names: Bowman now gets to manage a roster featuring the best player in the world in Connor McDavid.
“I am excited and pleased to be welcoming Stan to the Edmonton Oilers,” Oilers CEO of Hockey Operations Jeff Jackson said in a statement.
“I believe his vast experience and proven success in this role, together with the important work he has done in his time away from the game, fits our goal of being best in class when it comes to all facets of our organization. Through our many conversations, we share a common vision of where we are as a team and what is required to achieve another Stanley Cup title.”
The most surprising aspect of Jackson’s comments, of course, being that he even mentioned Bowman’s “time away” from the sport.
It’s hard to feel anything but nihilistic — though anger and embarrassment put up a good fight — because this is just what hockey does. It allows someone like Mitchell Miller get drafted despite knowing he bullied a Black classmate with developmental disabilities. Then it allows Miller to get signed (and quickly dropped) again after fans pressured the Arizona Coyotes Utah Hockey Club to renounce his rights. It lets Trevor Connelly get drafted in the first round this year despite similarly concerning incidents. It lets Logan Mailloux, who was charged with sharing explicit pictures of a sexual act without the consent of his partner, get drafted even after he asked to be removed from the prospect pool. None of those incidents even begin to cover the Hockey Canada mess, either.
Sense a pattern here? The next time you wonder about why a GM would bring troubled players into the league, remember it’s people like Bowman who are being empowered to do so.
By all accounts — for whatever those are worth — Bowman has put in work during his exile to grow. That’s great. Good for him. It does not mean he deserves to work in hockey ever again. Regardless of what his last name is.
Maybe Edmonton fans will get as worked up over Bowman’s arrival as Arizona Utah supporters did when Miller was drafted forcing the Oilers to cut ties. But don’t hold your breath.
There’s a reason Edmonton’s interest in Bowman didn’t leak before his hiring. The team knew there would be tremendous backlash and decided to make his employment official before anything could talk them out of it.
That’s NHL logic for you. The same decision-making process that led seven allegedly grown men in the Blackhawks’ front office to protect a predator instead of their own player because it might disrupt team chemistry.
As the player who began his pro career living in Bowman’s basement likes to say, that’s hockey, baby.
Wisconsin men’s hockey legend officially announces retirement from the NHL
Former Wisconsin men’s hockey legend Joe Pavelski has officially announced his retirement, according to the NHL’s recent post on X.
After 18 illustrious seasons representing both the San Jose Sharks and Dallas Stars, Pavelski officially hung up his skates after 1,332 games in the NHL. The Plover, Wisconsin native orchestrated one of the more storied amateur and professional careers of any Badger in program history.
Before representing Wisconsin, an 18-year-old Pavelski earned United States Hockey League Rookie of the Year in 2002-03 with Waterloo on the junior ice hockey scene. The Sharks picked the Wisconsin product at No. 205 in the seventh round of the 2003 NHL draft before he starred in Madison.
During his 2004-05 freshman campaign at UW, Pavelski led NCAA first-years in points with 16 goals and 29 assists. He followed that up with an NCAA championship in 2006 and paced the team in both assists and points.
After 1,332 games, Joe Pavelski has announced his retirement. 🫡
Pavelski made his professional debut with San Jose on Nov. 22, 2006 and registered his first 20-goal season in the NHL in 2008-09. He reached his peak during the 2013-14 season after recording career-bests in goals (41) and points (79). The output netted him NHL Second All-Star Team and Sharks Player of the Year nods.
As captain of the 2015-16 Sharks, Pavelski earned his first NHL All-Star Game bid and guided San Jose to its first Stanley Cup Final against the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Sharks would ultimately lose the series in six games.
The former Badger’s quest for a Stanley Cup, however, would not end there.
A year after signing with the Dallas Stars in July 2019, Pavelski’s Stars reached the Stanley Cup Finals but fell to the Tampa Bay Lightning in six games. Still, the Plover product led Dallas and was second among all players with 13 playoff goals at age 36.
Pavelski played four more seasons with the Stars and scored his 1,000th NHL point on April 10, 2023.
The Badger legend finished his career with 476 goals and 592 assists for 1,068 points in over 1,330 regular-season games for Dallas and San Jose. After the conclusion of the 2023-24 slate, Pavelski also ranked fifth in goals and games among active players.
Pavelski will now turn a chapter on his ice hockey career after cementing his legacy as one of the Badgers’ all-time greats. It’s safe to say the NHL and Badger faithful throughout the nation will miss watching him skate past defenders on a professional stage.
