Vegas Golden Knights
Lord Stanley’s cup is on its way to Manitoba this summer. With the Vegas Golden Knights defeating the Florida Panthers 9–3 in game five of the NHL Stanley Cup Final on June 13, the Stanley Cup’s appearance in Manitoba was secured.
The Golden Knights boast six Manitobans on their roster: Winnipeg’s Mark Stone and Nolan Patrick, Brandon’s Keegan Kolesar, Oakbank’s Brett Howden, Winkler’s Byron Froese and Sioux Valley Dakota Nation’s very own Zach Whitecloud.
Of the 24 Golden Knights players who made an in-game post-season appearance, 18 were Canadian, with 19 Canadians in total listed on the active roster hailing from British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec.
Men’s national hockey team
It was a rematch 93 years in the making. The last time Canada faced off against Germany in the International Ice Hockey Federation’s (IIHF) Men’s World Championship was the first-ever hockey World Championship in 1930. The Canadian squad had a direct bye to the final game and defeated the German squad 6–1.
After 93 years, on May 28, Canada would defeat Germany in the IIHF Men’s World Championship game 5–2.
Winning gold with the Canadian squad were Winnipeggers Cody Glass, who currently plays for the Nashville Predators in the NHL, and Joel Hofer, who currently plays for the NHL’s St. Louis Blues, along with a third Winnipegger, Kurt Keats, the team’s manager of hockey operations.
National soccer teams
The countdown is on for the women’s national soccer team as it prepares for the FIFA Women’s World Cup. Co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand from July 20 to Aug. 20, Canada finds itself in Group B of the tournament, paired with Ireland, Nigeria and co-host nation Australia.
Winnipeg darling, 2022 Order of Manitoba recipient and former Bison all-star Desiree Scott will take to the field to add a FIFA World Cup title to her Olympic gold and bronze medal collection.
While there may be no local connections to the men’s national soccer team, it finished second in the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) Nations League final held on June 18 in Las Vegas, Nev. Bested by the host team United States 2–0, it was a bittersweet parting gift for Canada’s team captain Atiba Hutchinson, as it was his last game before retiring from the international stage.
The men’s national team is currently playing in the CONCACAF Gold Cup, which runs from June 24 to July 16 and is being jointly hosted by Canada and the United States.
