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Winnipeg Free Press
12 hours ago
- Business
- Winnipeg Free Press
IIHF including women in tournament bonus money ‘significant', says Canada's Kingsbury
CALGARY – The International Ice Hockey Federation's decision to share tournament bonus money with women after years of men in the driver's seat is both symbolic and practical, says the general manager of Canada's women's team. 'It's very significant,' said Hockey Canada women's general manager Gina Kingsbury. 'For years, these types of topics have been brought up to the IIHF and they've always been shut down. 'More money invested in the women's game is really important.' The IIHF stated in a website report during its annual congress that 'development support,' worth nearly $9 million Swiss francs (C$15 million) in 2025, will be distributed to member federations based on their countries' performances across the men's and women's world championships, the men's under-20 championship and the men's and women's under-18 championships. 'Furthermore, the support will be weighted according to IIHF World Ranking,' the IIHF stated. The IIHF's development money was previously given to federations based only on men's world championship results. 'This has been a talking point on the women's side of the game for a long time,' said Canadian defender Renata Fast. The IIHF says the money will be split with 40 per cent going to the men's championship, 40 per cent to the women's championship, 10 per cent to the world junior men's tournament, and five per cent each to the men's and women's under-18 championships. That equates to roughly four million Swiss francs (C$6.7 million) going to federations based on the international results of their women's teams. 'It just signals that the IIHF is realizing that they need to modernize some of the things that have just been in place for years and years and years, and recognizing the growth of the women's game and the importance of acknowledging that and valuing it,' Fast said. 'The prize money to me symbolizes that.' The IIHF had previously argued that development money wasn't shared with women because the men's world championship turns a significant profit, while the women's tournament does not. 'Our organization wants to encourage its members to develop women's hockey and junior programs,' the IIHF said in an emailed statement. Even though Kingsbury sits on the IIHF's women's committee and Fast on the IIHF athletes' council, the report of bonus-money redistribution was buried in a congress report and came as a surprise to them. 'It just shows that there's a shift in thinking, maybe,' said Kingsbury. 'If we grow the women's game and if we kind of entice countries that may not have as strong of numbers on the women's side, or as strong a team … they'll be more motivated to invest in the women's side.' The IIHF may want to motivate countries to devote equal resources to men's and women's hockey, but it's ultimately each federation's decision how to use its developmental money. 'What also would be interesting is maybe if there's a federation where the women's program is stronger than the men's program in terms of a ranking standpoint, and how now their women's team can actually bring them in some prize money in an instance where their men's programs never did, that would be huge,' Fast said. Canadian women have never finished outside the medals at either the world championship or under-18 championship. Canada took silver and the under-18 team gold in 2025. Canada's men claimed under-18 gold, but were eliminated in the quarterfinals in both the men's and under-20 championship. 'If the women's program is stronger than the men's, there will be an increase in the support,' IIHF Director General Matti Nurminen said during the congress. 'If the men's and women's programs are as strong, there will be no real impact.' Hockey Canada and USA Hockey — perennial 1-2 finishers — already have the largest women's hockey budgets in part because their female registration far outstrips other countries at a combined 200,000 players. Nevertheless, Kingsbury says she would welcome any funding the women's teams are able to generate through international success. Thursdays Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter. 'Any increase in funds, trust me, we've got lots of projects and ideas that could grow our game and could help the women's program,' she stated. 'There's always more we can do.' After lopsided women's hockey scores at the 2010 Olympic Games — and then-IOC president Jacques Rogge warning 'we cannot continue without improvement' — the IIHF committed 2 million Swiss francs to international women's hockey development. More equitable shares in the IIHF's bonus structure 15 years later is seismic, said Kingsbury. 'Our women's committee, for many years, I remember even before I was on it, the big topic was always the trophy for the women's worlds is smaller than men's and we don't get prize money,' Kingsbury said. 'Both those things have changed.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 20, 2025.
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Paying for 'wraparound' mental health for kids divides advocates, business leaders
Cheryl Guerin of Enfield said her son, suffering from a chronic mental illness, would have been unable to survive without the 'wraparound' services provided through the state's FAST Forward program. 'We spent four years navigating the system and these services, once we got them, made all the difference,' Guerin said. A group of mental health advocates joined Guerin for a press conference urging House budget writers to agree with the Senate's spending plan that would create a permanent way to finance these benefits through an increase in the state's premium tax on commercial insurance companies. But several business and taxpayer organizations have mounted a late offensive against the measure, branding it a 'new tax' that would only lead to higher health insurance rates. Natch Greyes is a lobbyist for the Business & Industry Association and recently wrote House Majority Leader Jason Osborne, R-Auburn, to urge the House to block the program from becoming law. 'As the high cost of employee health care coverage reduces employers' ability to grow and makes it more difficult for workers to afford health insurance, the BIA has a standing policy position to oppose new or expanded health insurance mandates,' Greyes wrote. The Senate budget's trailer bill includes legislation (SB 128) that has never faced scrutiny before the House this year. Wraparound services are a family-centered program that identifies youth behavioral health problems at an early stage and through intervention provides support services that allow the family to keep the child at home and not need psychiatric inpatient care. The Fast (Families and Systems Together) Forward program is for those aged 5-21 years old. Denis Calcutt is the director of Connected Families Inc., one of the two case management programs offering these services; NFI North Inc. is the other. About 20% of the children in the program are covered under commercial insurance. 'We aren't talking about kids who need care once a week. We have known for some time the continuum for mental health is therapy at one end and the psychiatric hospital at the other,' Calcutt said. Advocates say earlier services have lowered costs The two providers reported to the state that the program has led to a 25% decline in systems costs because more expensive inpatient services have been avoided. Michele Merritt, president of New Futures, a public health advocacy group, said there's a perverse incentive for insurers not to cover this level of care because it means many families end up on the government-run, Medicaid health insurance program that does reimburse for this treatment. 'The system rewards commercial carriers for providing the least amount of care possible for these patients,' Merritt said. 'For five years we have tried to resolve this matter without legislation…this legislation is not about expanding government, it is above providing care through insurance. This restores basic fairness to a system that is basically not working.' Merritt said taxpayers currently are subsidizing up to $2 million a year for these services once some of the clients end up on Medicaid. John Reynolds, state director for the National Federation of Independent Business, said it's not right to charge employers through higher insurance premiums for the service. 'While increasing access to and compensation for children's mental health services is laudable, the assessment in SB 128 on fully insured and self-funded health plans is misplaced," Reynolds said. "Rather than assess health plans bought by individuals and small businesses, those known to be responsible for the surge in youth mental health issues, like social media companies, should pay for it.' Susan Stearns, executive director of the National Alliance for Mental Illness – N.H., said estimates are this tax would have very little impact on insurance rates and the more cost-effective care could end up making the program 'cost neutral' for employers. 'I would like to have a conversation with these employers' who oppose the change, Stearns said. 'Are they getting their money's worth (from health insurers) when it comes to behavioral health care for children?' The Granite State Taxpayers Association last week began its own lobbying campaign to try and sink the proposal that will be part of the give-and-take between House and Senate negotiators as they work toward a compromise state budget. 'GST opposes SB 128 as it stands or it being placed in HB 2 since this is an annual $2.5 million tax on all commercial insurance premium holders, most of which will never gain any benefit from the program it will be funding,' said former state Rep. Patrick Abrami, vice chairman of the taxpayers group. What's Next: House and Senate budget conferees are expected to begin their negotiations at the end of this week. Prospects: The changes for this becoming a reality are good especially because the bill's prime sponsor, Senate Majority Leader Regina Birdsell, R-Hampstead, is one of four senators who will be negotiating with the House towards a state budget compromise. klandrigan@
Yahoo
07-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Hurricanes' Jesper Fast makes retirement decision after missing 2024-25
The post Hurricanes' Jesper Fast makes retirement decision after missing 2024-25 appeared first on ClutchPoints. The Carolina Hurricanes lost to the Florida Panthers in the Eastern Conference Final. Their embarrassing defeat, the third in the East Final in seven years, could prompt some changes. One player the Hurricanes won't be getting back is Jesper Fast, as he has decided to retire. The former Rangers forward did not play while dealing with a neck injury during the 2024-25 season. 'I never took for granted the privilege of playing in the best league in the world,' Fast told the Hurricanes website. 'I am grateful for all of the teammates, coaches, staff, and fans from the Rangers and Hurricanes who made my time in the NHL so special, and for my family for everything they did to help me achieve and live my dream. I'd also like to thank Nässjö HC and HV71, organizations that played a vital role in my development into an NHL player.' Advertisement Fast played seven seasons with the Rangers and four with the Hurricanes. scoring 91 goals in 703 regular-season games. He was a depth forward who played a key role in eight playoff berths in his 11 seasons. A neck injury cost him the 2024-25 season and is now forcing him to retire. Fast did not play in the final year of a two-year contract that paid him $2.4 million per season. He would have been an unrestricted free agent on July 1 if he had not retired. This move does not impact the Hurricanes' plans for free agency, which should lead them to add scoring this summer. Fast suffered the neck injury in the 2024 season finale against the Blue Jackets. It knocked him out of last year's playoffs, which saw them lose in the second round to the Rangers. After missing this year, the Finnish forward hangs up the skates. From a sixth-round pick to over 700 games played, it was a great career for Fast.
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Philipp Käßbohrer Accepts Deadline's German TV Disruptor Award: 'You Cannot Be A Disruptor Alone, You Have To Find Other People And Take Fear Away From Them'
Philipp Käßbohrer is a writer, director, creator, producer and indie boss and in a sit-down with Deadline before accepting his German TV Disruptor Award said his aim is to keep shaking up the business. More from Deadline 'Ginny & Georgia' Creator Unpacks Season 3 Ending And Teases Season 4 Theme 'Ginny & Georgia' Stars Brianne Howey And Antonia Gentry Discuss Season 3's Big "Heartwarming" And "Heartbreaking" Moments It Starts On The Page: Read 'The Diplomat' Season 2 Finale Script "Dreadnought" With Foreword By Debora Cahn 'We see change everywhere in the world right now and I think that the most comfortable way to adapt to this is to follow the stream and go where that change leads you,' Käßbohrer said during the award presentation at the Seriencamp drama confab. He continued' 'You need to take some energy… to get to the places where it's uncomfortable and where you try to figure out how to adapt, because that's something the young generation already does. Creators on the internet don't wait for a commissioner.' Käßbohrer runs the Cologne-based indie bildundtonfabrik with Matthias Murmann, with whom he created Netflix hit How To Sell Drugs Online (Fast). It now has its own studios in Cologne as well as a games division, out of Berlin. Having started out in music videos btf came to everyone's attention with the anarchic talkshow Roche and Böhmermann. 'It was a talk show for everybody who hates talk shows,' Käßbohrer said. The show was for what was then a newbie channel and market disruptor ZDFkultur. 'It was a cultural digital channel with not a lot of money, but a lot of freedom. They also kind of had the idea of disrupting the system.' Determined not to stay in one lane, Käßbohrer and btf then buddied up with another outfit looking to come into the German market and shake things up – Netflix. The streamer greenlit How To Sell Drugs Online (Fast), about a nerdy high schooler starting a drugs empire on the dark net. 'All the doors we knocked on, they stayed closed. And then suddenly there came this new player on the market, which was Netflix. And they also had this pretty similar idea of 'we have to enter the market, to show that we are here, to do something different'. And they were looking for people who also thought like that.' Speaking about the show he said: 'The pitch always was 'Breaking Bad in Silicon Valley'. We really wanted to make the show feel like a day in the life of a Gen Z person. And then we ended up with our tagline; 'entertaining the kids and frightening the parents.'' Whether it's a new digital, channel, or a new streamer, the plan is always to find other disruptors, Käßbohrer explained. 'I thought about the word 'disruption' and what it means to be a disrupter and a lot of it is about getting people together. You cannot be a disruptor alone or you are just the annoying kid in the class. You have to find other people, and then you have to take fear away from them, to take risks, to go somewhere you don't know.' Check out the full interview of Deadline 2025 TV Series Renewals: Photo Gallery 'Stick' Soundtrack: All The Songs You'll Hear In The Apple TV+ Golf Series 'Nine Perfect Strangers' Season 2 Release Schedule: When Do New Episodes Come Out?
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Carolina Hurricanes forward retires from NHL due to injuries
The Carolina Hurricanes Jesper Fast (71) and Jesperi Kotkaniemi (82) react after a goal by teammate Teuvo Teravainen (86) to give the Hurricanes a 2-1 lead in the second period on Wednesday, October 11, 2023 at PNC Arena, in Raleigh N.C. The Carolina Hurricanes Jesper Fast (71) scores the game winning goal in overtime, securing a 3-2 victory in Game 5 and clinching their second round Stanley Cup playoff series on Thursday, May 11, 2023 at PNC Arena in Raleigh, N.C. The Carolina Hurricanes Jesper Fast (71) scores the game winning goal in overtime, securing a 3-2 victory in Game 5 and clinching their second round Stanley Cup playoff series on Thursday, May 11, 2023 at PNC Arena in Raleigh, N.C. The Carolina Hurricanes Jesper Fast (71) and Jesperi Kotkaniemi (82) react after a goal by teammate Teuvo Teravainen (86) to give the Hurricanes a 2-1 lead in the second period on Wednesday, October 11, 2023 at PNC Arena, in Raleigh N.C. The Carolina Hurricanes Jesper Fast (71) scores the game winning goal in overtime, securing a 3-2 victory in Game 5 and clinching their second round Stanley Cup playoff series on Thursday, May 11, 2023 at PNC Arena in Raleigh, N.C. Jesper Fast always hoped of recovering from a neck injury and returning to the Carolina Hurricanes and the NHL. But the forward has decided to retire. The Hurricanes announced Monday that the Swedish winger had made the decision to end his NHL career after 11 seasons. Advertisement Fast, 33, was a valuable and versatile player for the Hurricanes, capable of playing an effective 200-foot game. He was a part of three Stanley Cup playoff teams with Carolina, at times playing with center Jordan Staal and winger Jordan Martinook to form a formidable checking line. Fast twice had overtime goals during the 2023 playoffs. The first beat the New York Islanders in Game 2 of the opening round, and the second goal clinched the Canes' playoff series in Game 5 against New Jersey. Fast was injured in the final game of the 2023-24 season in Columbus after taking a cross-check from the Blue Jackets' Erik Gudbranson and crashing into the boards. During his end-of-season media interview, Fast said sitting out the 2024 playoffs was the 'worst-case scenario' and said he was 'hopeful' of a return. But Fast had neck surgery Aug. 6, 2024 and was ruled out of the 2024-25 season as he underwent physical rehab. Advertisement 'I never took for granted the privilege of playing in the best league in the world,' Fast said in a statement. 'I am grateful for all of the teammates, coaches, staff and fans from the Rangers and Hurricanes who made my time in the NHL so special, and for my family for everything they did to help me achieve and live my dream.' Fast played 703 career regular-season games for the New York Rangers and Hurricanes over 11 seasons, finishing with 91 goals and 157 assists and a plus-41 plus/minus rating. The Nassjo, Sweden, native also appeared in 80 career Stanley Cup playoff games. Fast, after playing parts of seven seasons with the Rangers, signed with Carolina as a free agent on October 2020. He established career highs in games played (82), goals (14), points (34) and plus/minus (+24) in the 2021-22 season. Fast was selected as the winner of the Steve Chiasson Award that honors the player who best exemplifies determination and dedication while proving to be an inspiration to his teammates through his performance and approach to the game. Fast was in the second year of a two-year contract that paid $2.4 million a year and was due to become an unrestricted free agent.
