Trump’s executive order ‘show’

Along with the new Trump regime comes the return of the ubiquitous executive order signing ceremony. No other president, in my recollection, has been nearly so fond of this “show.” Perhaps, the folks who make his beloved black Sharpies are providing some sort of monetary kickback. The image that comes to mind for me, with each of these photo ops, is that of a chubby, orange-haired toddler, flanked by his proud parents and grandparents, as he points to what he just made in the potty chair. Little has changed about him in the intervening seven decades!

Bob Luhr, Boulder

Prevent misinformation with media literacy

“Fake news” is a term we have all started to hear more and more within the last few years. During my sophomore year of high school, the COVID lockdowns were in full effect and so was the panic over the “possible effects of vaccines.” Many dangerous unfounded claims were spread about the vaccines, like that they gave children autism, or even crazier some said they are a way for the government to control us. I began to ask myself, how could people have such opposing views from experts?

In my studies for the answer, I found that the Dunning-Kruger effect can be used to explain this lap in people’s judgment. The effect states in the simplest terms that the less you know, the more you think you do. This effect explains why some of the loudest voices on vaccines were those who are uneducated on the subject. An echo chamber was created where the misinformed were preaching to the uneducated causing many to fear vaccines and therefore not getting them. The effects of this misinformation were very real with the National Library of Medicine saying, that over 232,000 adult deaths in the U.S. were preventable with just the primary series of the vaccine.

To prevent future disasters fueled by misinformation, CU Boulder and universities worldwide should implement required media literacy and critical thinking courses. These classes would teach students how to assess sources, recognize bias (including their own), and separate fact from fiction in today’s overwhelming information landscape. Taking such proactive steps like this can save lives and cultivate a well-informed society.

Joe Harrington, Boulder

Bring a women’s hockey team to Colorado

Currently, Colorado is home to five major men’s professional sports teams but not a single professional women’s team. This gap in representation is a missed opportunity. As a female athlete, the lack of professional women’s sports in Colorado is not only disappointing but represents the bigger issue of the gender barriers that remain in sports for many women and girls.

The Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL), launched in 2023, has rapidly grown, gaining national attention and fan support. The league set a new attendance record with 21,105 fans in Montreal, enough to fill Denver’s Ball Arena. The PWHL brings visibility to women’s hockey, inspiring a new generation of athletes.

Hockey remains a male-dominated sport; according to USA Hockey’s membership statistics, only 15% of the registered players are female. In Colorado, the number is slightly higher — around 18%. Representation matters, and bringing a professional women’s hockey team to Colorado would give young girls in the state visible role models, helping to grow female participation not only in hockey but in sports across the board.

Despite the Colorado Avalanche ranking among the NHL’s leaders in average attendance, Colorado is not among the top five states for youth hockey participation. Bringing a PWHL team to Colorado could bring growth to the hockey community in Colorado. The league is looking to expand in the next few years, so reach out to the league expressing interest in a team in Denver, and watch their games on TV to support the league and expand the fan base.

It is time for Colorado to lead by example and bring a professional women’s hockey team to Denver. Doing so would be a meaningful investment in the future of sports, gender equity and community.

Sydney Albrecht, Boulder

Facebook @ohiostatewomenshockey / Via Facebook.com 

Jaques, who is Black, earned both her undergraduate and master’s degrees in engineering during her time in Columbus—no small feat while balancing the demands of elite athletics, and she was named the Arthur Ashe Jr. Female Sports Scholar of the Year in 2022, an award that celebrates academic and athletic excellence among student-athletes of color.”

Jaques was the 10th pick in the inaugural PWHL draft in 2023, going to a Boston team and market that was excited to have her and recognized the significance of her career. Alas, after just seven games with the Fleet, Jaques was sent to Minnesota as the centerpiece of the first trade in PWHL history.

“I just got a phone call from the Boston GM. Not much notice,” Jaques recalled. “I found out on a Sunday evening, and my flight left Monday morning.”

It was a sudden shift, but quick turnarounds like that come with the territory in professional sports. It could have rattled just about any player, but Jaques landed on her feet thanks to a familiar face. “One reason I was able to adjust pretty quickly is because [Minnesota] had Liz Schepers from Ohio State on the team,” Jaques explained. “She had space for me to live in her home, so I didn’t have to stay in a hotel. That made it really easy for me, and meant I didn’t have too much to worry about off the ice. On-ice came natural and was pretty easy.”

Jaques played 15 regular-season games for Minnesota last season, notching two goals and eight assists, and hitting her stride along with her teammates right when it mattered most.

After qualifying for the playoffs as the fourth and final seed on the last day of the regular season (sound familiar?), Minnesota hit its stride at just the right time. “We had some highs and lows and were just able to have success when it counted,” recalled Jaques of a run that saw Minnesota overcome a 2-0 deficit in the best-of-five first round series against Toronto before beating Boston in another five-game series in the PWHL Finals to capture the first-ever Walter Cup.

The team celebrated its win that late-May night and again at various times throughout last offseason, but one of the sweetest moments came recently, when last year’s champions were each presented with an official Championship ring.

Entering a professional sports league as a brand new franchise is a significant challenge, regardless of the event or competition level. Inaugural-season teams often struggle due to obstacles that more established teams have already overcome, including assembling a roster of unfamiliar players, building team chemistry from scratch under a new coach and settling into an unfamiliar city.

When Athens was awarded a professional minor league hockey team, one of the first and most critical steps was hiring a head coach to lead the roster-building process. When Steve Martinson, one of the most accomplished minor league hockey coaches of all time showed interest in the position, a deal came together quickly.

Before his illustrious coaching career, Martinson played professional hockey himself. Born in Minnetonka, Minnesota, Martinson began his career at the collegiate level at St. Cloud State University.

Afterwards, Martinson played over a decade of professional hockey for numerous franchises. While most of his career was spent in the minors, he did appear in 49 games for the Detroit Red Wings, Montreal Canadiens and his hometown Minnesota North Stars.

After his playing career, he went straight into coaching. His first year came during the 1995-96 season, when he immediately led the San Diego Gulls to a title. Martinson would go onto coach a few different teams in several minor hockey leagues, winning a total of ten championships. Martinson most recently coached the Allen Americans, but after ten years with the team was not offered a new contract in 2022.

“The people that hired me, they knew me from Allen,” Martinson said. “They had kind of put a feeler out and said, ‘Hey, would you be interested? We’re not sure what league it’s going to be in [yet],’ and I said, ‘Yeah, I’m interested.’”

A few key factors enticed Martinson to take on a new position in Athens.

“The organization that I worked for before, by the time I left, was really bad. It was really frustrating to go out if I wasn’t going to coach again. When I had the chance to work for an organization that does everything right, then you’re like, ‘Okay, this is going to be completely different’. It’s great to have an arena downtown, and Athens being a college town and having some live music were things that were attractive to my wife and I,” he said.

Once Martinson was officially on board, it was time to start acquiring players. Most of the Rock Lobsters’ group were signed after spending last season with other teams, either in the FPHL — the league the Rock Lobsters ultimately joined — or the SPHL, a tier above.

Some were recruited in groups. For example, Garrett Milan, Malik Johnson and Orca Weisblatt all played for the Pensacola Ice Flyers of the SPHL, while Troy Murray, Riley Robertson and Justin Portillo came from the Knoxville Ice Bears, also in the SPHL.

“The key is just having good guys,” Martinson said. “No matter where they’re from. I always say good guys refer other good guys and bad guys refer other bad guys.”

Over the course of the season, many players played the best hockey of their careers, truly bying into Martinson’s system.

“It’s got to be a part of [coach Martinson’s] knowledge, putting the right guys out on the power play,” Rock Lobsters forward Kayson Gallant said earlier this season.

Gallant credited Martinson as a key factor in his development over the course of the season, particularly for his emphasis on defensive responsibility — a focus that Gallant said ultimately created more opportunities and helped him finish as the league’s leading goal scorer.

Martinson didn’t just guide his players to individual success though — he earned his own recognition too, being named FPHL Coach of the Year. Under Martinson, the Rock Lobsters exceeded all expectations, and the league took notice.

Despite winning far more games than imagined in the regular season, the Rock Lobsters’ season ultimately came to an end after a loss to the Columbus River Dragons in the first round of the playoffs. While questions remain about the future of several key players, the team appears well-positioned moving forward under the leadership of Martinson, whose track record suggests prolonged success in the league.

It didn’t take John Lloyd long to find a new hockey home.

The former Fort Erie Meteors netminder has committed to Adrian College in Michigan where he will don the pads for the Bulldogs and study science and physics with the goal of becoming an engineer.

Lloyd, whose junior career ended recently when the Meteors were eliminated in the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League Eastern Conference finals by the St. Catharines Falcons, is thrilled to be able to continue his hockey career.

“Obviously, the goal was to continue playing junior hockey, to try and play at the next level, especially (getting) a degree along with that as well,” the 21-year-old North York native said. “It’s fantastic. I mean I think it’s what everyone in junior wants, if they want to do the school side of it especially. I look at some people on my team and it sucks. The hockey’s over for them and I’m lucky enough to get the opportunity and the chance to play for another five years here.”

Lloyd said academics played a big factor in his decision.

“The school side is big for me and they run a great program, hockey wise and school wise. I’m getting exactly what I want. I think they’re getting exactly what they want as well,” he said. 

Lloyd said he was contacted earlier this season by representatives from Adrian.

“They reached out to me after the showcase in Caledonia. I guess they’ve been following me, tracking me, and they follow the league as well and I had good numbers.”

A trip to Adrian, located near Ann Arbour, followed.

“I did a visit, a tour earlier in the year, and they have great facilities,” Lloyd said. “They run a great program. They’re the top program in their division and league and they really run a great facility and all that.”

The Bulldogs play in the American Collegiate Hockey Association (Division 1) in the Great Lakes Conference.

Lloyd is ready for the challenge of playing at the next level.

“They just said it was a grind. You’ve got to balance school and hockey and you’re playing every weekend and practising every single day of the week,” he said. “You’re grinding through the week to play the games.”

Lloyd has been told he will get a chance to play as a freshman.

“What I learned from the coaching staff is it would be 50-50 for the first 25 games of the season and then they would play whoever’s hot for the playoff tournament there.”

Lloyd joined the Meteors last season and put together a solid season as back-up to Charlie Burns before taking over as the No. 1 goaltender this year where he fashioned a 2.03 goals-against average, .924 save percentage and four shutouts in 27 regular season games.

He credits Meteors general manager/coach Nik Passero and associate coach Anthony Passero for helping him develop. 

“Nik and Anthony have a college hockey background, so they definitely helped me in that path a lot,” Lloyd said. “They run a great program and their big goal is to get guys on to the next level and that’s exactly what they do.”

Lloyd has fond memories of his two seasons with the Meteors.

“One of the great memories I have is just looking up around the Leisureplex and seeing all the fans come out. I think almost the whole town knows that Saturday night is the Junior B’s night in the Leisureplex,” he said. “(I’ll miss) pulling on the black and orange and white sweaters and playing for the packed house there.”

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NCAA coaches across all divisions are meeting in Florida this week at the annual American Hockey Coaches Association convention. The official meetings wrapped up this afternoon (Tuesday).

One of the most significant parts of the three-day conference was a meeting between NCAA coaches and NCAA president Charlie Baker. It’s believed to be the first time that a sitting NCAA president met with coaches (virtual or in-person) as part of the convention. Baker met with the coaches for two hours on Monday as part of a panel with Penn State men’s head coach Guy Gadowsky, Northeastern AD Jim Madigan, Dartmouth women’s head coach Maura Crowell, and NCHC commissioner Heather Weems.

This is a non-rule change year, which means there wasn’t significant discussion of on-ice issues. However, there were several high-level discussions on off-ice issues.