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On top of the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) announcing the start date for their inaugural season, they also have revealed the six venues the teams will be playing in.
Toronto will be playing in a building familiar to Maple Leafs’ fans, as their home games will be at the Mattamy Athletic Centre. The cathedral-like structure at the corner of Church and Carlton was once known as the Maple Leaf Gardens, the home for the Leafs from 1931 to 1999.
“It is almost poetic that we are set to write the first chapter of our franchise’s history in one of the most historic buildings in Toronto,” said Toronto general manager Gina Kingsbury in a release on Tuesday. “It is an honor that we will call Mattamy Athletic Centre home and be under the same roof that housed the legendary Maple Leafs organization for so many years.”
The building is currently the home of Toronto Metropolitan University’s basketball and hockey teams.
The biggest building in the league, at least by capacity, will be where Minnesota is going to be housed. They will be playing inside the Xcel Energy Center, the current home of the Minnesota Wild.
“The Xcel Energy Center is a premier venue,” GM Natalie Darwitz stated in a release. “Which has the amenities to provide our players and our fans with a first-rate game experience. The enthusiasm and excitement our players and fans will bring to Xcel Energy Center will guarantee our team having a home-ice advantage!”
Ottawa will also be playing in a familiar building, as their home games will be inside TD Arena. The barn is currently the home of the Ottawa 67’s of the Ontario Hockey League and was also the home of the Ottawa Senators from 1992 to 1996.
“TD Place is the go-to place for sports and entertainment in our city and we are honored to be one of only six North American sites for the launch of the PWHL,” Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group CEO Mark Goudie said in a release. “Ottawa has seen more than their share of historic hockey games over the last century and we are proud to play a small role in the latest of those.”
The arena was the home of the first IIHF Women’s World Hockey Championships in 1990.
Boston will be housed a little outside of town. They will be playing over 30 miles north at the Tsongas Center in Lowell. The arena is also home to UMass-Lowell’s men’s and women’s NCAA hockey programs.
“We’re thrilled to have the Tsongas Center as our home arena–a great facility with an ideal seating capacity of 6,500,” said Danielle Marmer, PWHL Boston General Manager, in a release. “Our anticipation for the January 3rd home opener…is immense. That moment is the result of the league, staff, and players’ hard work to pioneer this first-of-its-kind league and showcase our talented players. I can’t wait to see you there!”
Montreal will be playing inside the Verdun Auditorium in the suburbs of the city. The rink was the former home of the Montreal Junior Hockey Club from 2008 to 2011. It also homed the Montreal Force of the now-defunct Premier Hockey Federation for a handful of games last season. It was going to be the home of Les Canadiennes of the Canadian Women’s Hockey League before it folded in 2019.
“Having the best female hockey players in the world,” Centre 21.02 director Stéphanie Poirier mentioned in a release. “Who will come battle it out and showcase their tremendous talent for the fans, will be an experience we are so eager to be a part of. It is truly a dream come true for us.”
Last, but not least, New York’s team will not be playing in New York. They will be playing at Total Mortgage Arena in Bridgeport, Connecticut. It is the home of the Bridgeport Islanders, the AHL affiliate of the New York Islanders.
“Having the privilege to showcase our skills in front of our dedicated fans,” said Pascal Daoust, PWHL New York General Manager. “In a top-tier arena, represents an opportunity that impeccably aligns with the professional standards upheld by the PWHL.”
The 2024 season will kick off on New Year’s Day, with Toronto hosting New York.
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Proposed Arena Deal Puts Brady Tkachuk in Different Jersey
The Ottawa Senators’ long-awaited push to move downtown has revived more than just arena talk—it has also sparked speculation about the future of captain Brady Tkachuk. On episode 400 of the DFO Rundown podcast, NHL analyst Jason Gregor suggested that the timeline for the Senators’ new home at LeBreton Flats may not line up with Tkachuk’s contract, potentially influencing whether he stays in Ottawa. Tkachuk’s deal, an eight-year, $57.56 million pact signed in 2021, runs through 2028. By then, the Senators’ proposed arena—still facing construction and approval hurdles—might only just be opening. According to reports from the Ottawa Citizen, the building is expected to take at least two years to complete once the land is ready. That mismatch in timing could prove crucial. “Is that building done in three years? Probably not,” Gregor said. “So I’m going to actually sell [on him staying]. By the time that building is done, he’ll have moved on. I get a sense that he might be going to the USA.” Which Team Would Brady Tkachuk Join? It’s key to point out that Brady has never said he has intentions on leaving Ottawa. He’s excited about the upcoming season and working with the team to get better and become a legitimate playoff contender. His contract also includes a full no-move clause. It’s the control over any trade scenario he has that makes this interesting. In the past, he’s been loosely linked to the New York Rangers. In December, “The Post’s Larry Brooks reports the Blueshirts have been in trade talks with multiple teams — with Senators forward Brady Tkachuk their primary target.” The article added, “The 25-year-old Ottawa captain would bring a jolt to the lifeless Rangers lineup and in multiple ways.” Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Citizen later ruled out there being any truth to the speculation. Of course, there is also the Florida Panthers, where Brady’s brother Matthew plays. Matthew loves Florida and is signed until 2030. Could bringing in the younger brother be one of the things that gets both players to sign team-friendly deals and extensions? The Senators have made it clear that Tkachuk remains central to their long-term plans, but without a finished arena to market as a franchise reset, Gregor wonders if Ottawa could face a challenge convincing its captain to stick around for the next chapter.
Vikings GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah's biggest find is ready to take a huge step forward, and it could be huge for Brian Flores' defense
After joint practice on Wednesday between the Minnesota Vikings and New England Patriots, I was asked by some members of the Patriots beat about just one player. "Who's 61? He's a dude." That player is Jalen Redmond, who has quite the story heading into his second season with the Vikings. He was playing in the UFL in the spring of 2024 with the Arlington Renegades. He was a signing the Vikings made on June 18th, 2024, which came after mandatory minicamp. Redmond was the 90th player on the roster and excelled throughout training camp to earn a roster spot. That ability is showing up once again. Jalen Redmond is taking another step forward The signing of Redmond was a massive win for general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and his scouting staff, especially Ryan Grigson, who was given a lot of credit for finding him. "I remember he [Grigson] called me and said, 'I like this guy.' I think it was late May," Adofo-Mensah explained. "You have to ask yourself, what's your standard for bringing people in, because a lot of good players are on teams already, so there's going to be something there that's not perfect, not clean, and earlier he had injuries, so you've got to understand why he's available, but ultimately here's why he might be a good bet. "And you saw the flashes for an interior guy with burst, his run defense kind of jumped out to me. That's the other thing, when you've been together for two or three years, and my history with Grigson before, he knows how to communicate with me, makes a cut-up, knows exactly what we look for." You can see the power and explosiveness in Redmond's game. He rarely gets washed out by the offensive line, and often penetrates the backfield with his ability. Where things have gotten really interesting with Redmons is seeing how good he can be from a short and long-term perspective. Last season, Redmond played in 13 games and flashed in a major way. While he went undrafted out of Oklahoma, it wasn't so much due to talent, but a health issue that kept him from being selected. He certainly looks like a player who should have been selected. Over the course of the season, Redmond got one sack and 6.0 tackles for loss to pair with 18 tackles. His ability to be a penetrating force on the line earned him a starting role at the end of the season, with two starts in his first year with the Vikings. Going into year two, Redmond shouldn't be overlooked. He won't be a starter with the additions of Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave, but it shouldn't be much of a surprise if he approaches 500 snaps as a rotational player. His teammates believe he's a stud, something that Jonathan Greenard emphasized last week. "Redmond is a dog," said Greenard after Redmond's great practice on Thursday. "Jalen's been a dog since last year in training camp. I knew he was a dog when he got thrown out of practices last year. So I was like, listen, from that day forward, he got thrown out, he came back in just completely, just dominating. And at that point even to see it during the season and see him continuously build. Now I'm like, man, everybody knows, but when you see, obviously, you bring in two guys like JA [Jonathan Allen] and Grave [Javon Hargrave], you kind of think that he gets put in the wayside, making the same place he was last year, if not more. And that just helps us out to know that it's not gonna drop off whenever those guys get a breather or something like that. If I'm coaching, I'm putting him in." Don't sleep on Redmond going into this season, as he's only getting better.
After Watching the Film, Critical Assessments Arise Regarding the Raiders
HENDERSON, Nev.—The Las Vegas Raiders began the preseason with a record of 0-1-1 after losing to their former Bay Area rivals, the San Francisco 49ers, last night. I had the opportunity to review the film today, as did Pete Carroll. After discussing it with him, several observations emerged that can only be made with the clarity of hindsight. In our latest episode of the Las Vegas Raiders Insider Podcast, we take you to today’s joint practice with the San Francisco 49ers to highlight specific players who had standout performances, those who faced challenges, and those who may have secured a spot on the roster. You can watch the entire podcast below: Pete Carroll’s leadership has been phenomenal for a franchise desperate for a winner. He has been the exact prescription the Raider Nation needed After watching the film of the loss to the San Francisco 49ers, Carroll addressed several questions, and below is a partial transcript of his responses. Head Coach Pete Carroll Q: I was curious on what your thoughts are on the play of your linebackers and your quarterbacks last night? Head Coach Pete Carroll: "Thought the linebackers were really downhill, really aggressive, flashy. I really liked the way those guys played. I thought we took a step forward in the run game and just attacking line of scrimmage like we want to. We played to the nature of our players, I thought, which is really good because we're aggressive in the tackling, and that showed up. Geno [Smith] was on the money. He was right on everything. Tempo was good. I thought Aidan [O'Connell] continued to little bit -- we're not quite as fast when he's playing. We don't play as quick from huddle to the snap, still trying to work that out. And he made a poor choice on the throw for the pick, unfortunately. It was a crucial time, that was tough. Just the guy was covered, and if he had to it throw away or take off, we would have preferred that." Q: I wanted to ask you about Geno Smith. Back when the two of you were in Seattle when he was playing backup to Russell Wilson, was there ever a time or a moment in practice or in the meeting room where you kind of had this idea that, if given the opportunity like he has the last few years he was in Seattle, now in Las Vegas, that he can be this quality star? Was there ever a moment when he was a backup under Russell that kind of gave you that idea that Geno had that potential? Coach Carroll: "Yeah, I think it was probably in the middle of those first couple of years, and you'd just see him maintain the competitive edge because it's kind of hard to believe that a guy could compete like he's going to play. What I keep telling you is the very next play, he knew he could be in. He seemed like he held onto that long enough, I sensed that and respected that. And his arm talent was always there, the ability to throw and rip the ball, so I was cheerleading for him. And that's kind of when he finally got his chance, I might have been his biggest cheerleader because he had waited and deserved it, and he came in and played really well and almost won a game that way, and then played well the next couple weeks. That was, at the time, when he finally got his chance, and he got out there, he demonstrated it, but you could sense it earlier than that just because he was so dedicated and he looked so good in practice all the time." Q: Obviously your offensive line has been performing well, but there's a clear drop off between the first and second team. How concerned are you about that second string offensive line? Coach Carroll: "Well, we're just so young on the second group. It's just going to take time. We feel like we move well. We have good movement by the young guys. They get out of their stance, and they get on people well. We're just not as accurate with our calls. We're not as clear with our technique stuff, but that takes time. And so I'm not worried about that. Athletically, we're okay, and we just need to find our consistency, and that's just going to take time. They won't play all at the same time very often. They'll spot in, and they'll have the benefit of experienced guys making calls around them and helping them play better. And so I think that the individual development is pretty good. As a group, they're still learning. That's going to take a bit." We'd appreciate it if you would follow us on X @HondoCarpenter and IG @HondoSr , and let’s talk about the Silver and Black’s training camp and Pete Carroll’s comments.
Progress of young WR could be huge development for Steelers offense
Even though the names of the players on the roster have changed, the Pittsburgh Steelers' wide receiver room is facing the same big question it did a year ago. It is a question of depth. Going into both seasons, they had a very good No. 1 wide receiver (George Pickens a year ago; DK Metcalf this season) and then a lot of uncertainty over who the No. 2 wide receiver would be and if they had enough talent to piece together a solid depth chart. While they could still potentially be in the market for another veteran addition, the emergence of second-year player Roman Wilson this preseason has been one of the biggest early-season developments for the Steelers offense. The Steelers selected Wilson in the third round (No. 84 overall) of the 2024 NFL Draft, but did not get anything out of him during his rookie season due to injury. He appeared in just one game and did not receive a single target. It was the NFL equivalent of a redshirt season. That seems to be rapidly changing this preseason. Not only is Wilson healthy, but he is starting to emerge as a legitimate target in their passing game and has flashed big-time potential in each of the team's first two preseason games. In their first preseason game against Jacksonville, he caught two passes for 24 yards (including a 19-yard reception), and followed that up with a two-catch, 72-yard performance against Tampa Bay on Saturday. That included a 42-yard catch from Mason Rudolph, where he showed his ability to get downfield. He also demonstrated his ability to get open over the middle later in the game for a 30-yard reception from Skylar Thompson. Wilson has the potential to be a real X-factor in the Steelers' passing game. Even though Metcalf is new to the offense, he is a proven veteran, and there should be some expectation as to what he can do. They know they have at least one good option. They also have a very deep group of tight ends with Pat Freiermuth, Jonnu Smith and Darnell Washington on their depth chart. But they still need another wide receiver to emerge and take some of the pressure and attention away from Metcalf. Wilson doesn't have big-time size (5-10, 186 pounds), but he ran a 4.3 40 at the combine, is a willing blocker and can line up both outside and in the slot. There is serious potential with him, and he is finally starting to show it after what was a lost rookie season. If he can keep building on this preseason performance, it will give quarterback Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers offense a much-needed playmaker. He is certainly off to a promising start.
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