Tag Archives: Hockey Wives

Best Canadian TV shows of the past and present for hockey fans

You might have heard that hockey is pretty popular in Canada; it’s the only sport that will make any Canadian sit up and take notice no matter what’s going on.

With this in mind, it is hardly a surprise that there have been plenty of TV shows based solely on the sport itself or at least featuring some element of the game.

Here are some shows of past and present which are sure to either put a smile on your face or, at the very least, make you think more deeply about the game.

Rent-a-Goalie
This show has to have one of the strangest premises ever conceived, as the protagonist dubiously named “Cake” runs a business that centres around providing local hockey teams with much-needed goalies.

We’re not sure if this was someone’s idea of what sports agenting could have been, but no matter, it managed to run for 26 episodes and is something of a cult classic, revered for how bad it was more than anything else.

The show did inspire an app, which still runs to this day, allowing amateur teams to find the goalie of their dreams, or nightmares.

Hockey is a way of life in many parts of Canada.

Letterkenny
While Rent-a-Goalie is funny because of how bad it is, Letterkenny is just hilarious, full stop.

The connection to hockey is that the show’s protagonists have something of a love-hate relationship with the hockey players in their local area.

This is about as far away from high-stakes NHL odds and picks as you can possibly get, as life unfolds in the barren winter wasteland.

Hockey Wives
The world has moved on somewhat from a time when reality shows about sportsmen’s wives were fashionable.

That said, Hockey Wives was pretty entertaining throughout its three-season spree. The show’s mainstay was Maripier Morin who only needed three seasons to decide that the life of a hockey player’s wife wasn’t for her, divorcing Brandon Prust soon after the show ended.

The particularly interesting thing about this show was that it followed the lives of hockey players’ wives not just in Canada but around the world, giving some fascinating cultural context to the on-screen shenanigans and dramas.

If you love hockey, then you should enjoy some aspect of all of these shows.

Hockey: A People’s History
If you are the sort of viewer who prefers a factual documentary over a comedy, or far-fetched reality show, then Hockey: A People’s History is perfect for you.

The show chronicles just why hockey is so important to the nation of Canada and will have you harking back to some of its episodes the next time you get in a heartfelt hockey conversion with fellow NHL fans at the local sports bar.

South Park
This long running animated series was more famous for ripping on Canada than saying anything meaningful about the country’s beloved sport.

However, all that changed in episode 153, when Stan was forced to become the coach of a hockey team in order to get his stolen bicycle back. The premise is almost as bad as Rent-a-Goalie’s, but the difference here is that South Park is genuinely amusing.

Power Play
Often the best stories in sport have nothing to with athletic competition and everything to do with the boardroom politics and backstabbing that goes on behind closed doors.

Power Play delved straight into that shady world, as a sports agent is thrust into becoming the general manager of an NHL franchise, battling to keep it afloat as he comes under attack from all sides. If you thought managing a team in the big leagues was easy, this show that aired for just two seasons will make you think again.

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W Network’s Hockey Wives expands in dramatic third season

I’m constantly fascinated by Hockey Wives. The unscripted series, returning for a third season on W Network on Tuesday at 10 p.m. ET/PT, follows the wives and girlfriends of professional hockey players. With that description alone, you’d think the ongoing series wouldn’t be worth your time. But I can’t stay away.

Unlike other series on W Network with a similar setup, these ladies are real housewives. And mothers. And entrepreneurs. They keep down roots in a city, often with children, while their partner plays hockey in North America or around the world. Hockey Wives is a peek at the emotional toll that takes on them. Often with time zones apart and FaceTime as the only way to connect, these women often lead a singular existence while their loved one is surrounded by a team. There are times of emotional distress, doubt and tears.

We get all three in Tuesday’s return, which begins with Maripier Morin, who is finding success as a talk show host in Quebec while fiancé Brandon Prust found himself unsigned. Her career is on a high in Montreal, so why would she leave that? It would seem, at first anyway, like Brandon isn’t as supportive of Maripier’s goals while she continues to stick with him. (Prust has, since the time of production, signed with the Nuremberg Ice Tigers in Germany.)

“Why do you always have to ruin everything?” she asks him early on in the episode. It’s a good question, but will we get an answer?

Meanwhile, Season 3 addition Catherine LaFlamme is still riding the high of hubby Kris Letang’s Stanley Cup win with the Pittsburgh Penguins. And, after worrying about the stroke he suffered two years and ago and focusing solely on raising their son, Catherine is ready for some “me” time by designing a children’s clothing line. Fellow newbie Martine Auclair Vlasic isn’t ready to say goodbye to Marc-Edouard as he reports to the San Jose Sharks, and he doesn’t want that either; the pair is deeply involved in his career because Martine loves the sport as much as he does. Cameras also follow Emilie Blum, Erica Lundmark and Vanessa Vandal in Season 3.

And while I enjoy Hockey Wives for what it portrays, an even better idea was put forth by Anthony Marco during our most recent TV, Eh? podcast. He thinks a reality series following the Canadian women’s hockey team players would be interesting. Spotlighting those athletes as they juggle playing for the national team and working jobs to make ends meet would be fascinating and informative. I agree, especially with the Winter Olympics happening next year. Make it happen, W Network and Bristow Global Media!

Hockey Wives airs Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET/PT on W Network.

Image courtesy of Corus.

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Hockey Wives returns April 19 on W Network

From a media release:

W Network heads into the third period with a brand-new season of fan-favourite Canadian docu-series Hockey Wives, premiering Wednesday, April 19 at 10 p.m. ET/PT. The nine-episode season offers off-the-ice access to the busy lives of six ambitious women and their pro-hockey husbands. Facing the everyday struggles of balancing families, careers, and personal aspirations, the women must also live with being married to the game. The third season introduces four new faces, plus a look at hockey life in Europe with the show travelling to Austria, Germany, and Russia.

Returning to the Hockey Wives team for her third season, Montreal’s Maripier Morin and her fiancé Brandon Prust face a dramatic year. After getting engaged last season, Brandon was traded to the Vancouver Canucks and later became a free agent this past summer. Now he might have the chance to play abroad, but that means the pair must endure the stress of a long-distance relationship. Returning from season one is Emilie Blum, who, newly pregnant, must prepare for the possibility of living a solo parent life as Jonathon’s career takes him abroad to the KHL in Russia.

Viewers get behind-the-scenes access to some of the most high-profile players in professional hockey through new cast members Catherine LaFlamme – married to Pittsburgh Penguins’ Kris Letang – and Martine Auclair Vlasic – married to San Jose Sharks’ Marc-Edouard Vlasic. The season sees Catherine launch her new children’s clothing line and support Kris as his team pursues winning consecutive Stanley Cup trophies. Meanwhile, Martine helps Marc-Edouard navigate his booming career, including celebrating his World Cup of Hockey victory together.

New to Hockey Wives but familiar with long-distance relationships, Erica Lundmark manages to keep her career and three children together while her husband Jamie Lundmark plays for the KAC in Austria. Also new to the series is Vanessa Vandal, who returns to St. Louis after her boyfriend David Perron is traded back to the St. Louis Blues. She will face even more change after deciding to go back to school and finding out she’s pregnant again.

Hockey Wives is produced by Bristow Global Media Inc. in association with W Network. Executive Producers are Julie Bristow President & CEO Bristow Global Media, Megan Sanchez-Warner, and Christie Callan Jones.

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W Network greenlights Season 3 of Hockey Wives

From a media release:

Corus Entertainment’s W Network and Bristow Global Media Inc. (BGM) are pleased to announce that Hockey Wives has been greenlit for a third season. Production is underway and will see the show travel to new locales over the course of the season.

Set to air in spring 2017, the popular series centres around the lives of ambitious women balancing families, careers and personal aspirations while being married to the game. Cast details will be announced in the coming months.

After the success of the first two seasons on W Network, Hockey Wives will continue to have unparalleled access to the off-the-ice lives of the women who are the captains of their families, careers and relationships.

Hockey Wives is produced by Bristow Global Media Inc. in association with W Network. Executive Producers are Julie Bristow, President & CEO of Bristow Global Media and Megan Sanchez-Warner.

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Uncertainty strikes Hockey Wives star Ashley Booth

Of all the things Hockey Wives cameras have recorded, there’s nothing more emotional than seeing a wife concerned about her husband’s future. That’s exactly what’s facing Ashley Booth when new episodes of W Network’s series resume on Wednesday at 10 p.m. ET/PT.

While other couples like Dan and Taylor Winnik make the long drive to Toronto, where he’s been traded—Dan has since been moved to Washington—and Carey and Angela Price enjoy some white water rafting, David Booth’s career at the time of production was up in the air. After a year with the Toronto Maple Leafs organization, David was trying out for the Florida Panthers when cameras recorded he and Ashley’s uncertain status in North America. You can’t help but feel badly for the pair, and wonder if they’d regretted agreeing to cameras capturing that for TV.

“I watched the first season and I knew that Hockey Wives wasn’t all about drama and gossip, so I said yes,” Ashley said during a phone call to promote the remainder of Season 2. Though they don’t appear until next week’s episode, the duo make up for it with entertaining moments. Eagle-eyed viewers may be able to suss out the secrets to Ashley’s South of the Border dip or be in awe of David’s typical restaurant meal until the next step in his hockey career is decided: he signs with Admiral Vladivostok of Russia’s Kontinental Hockey League. Viewers won’t see David’s exploits there, which is too bad, because everything is a contrast to North America.

“There’s so much that’s different, it’s too much to cover in one phone call,” he says. “Everything is different from the very beginning. The players all shake hands when they arrive in the dressing room. The coach goes around and shakes everyone’s hand. After a couple of games I was like, ‘Guys, we’ve already met!'” Ashley admits adapting to Russia was tough and her faith (and blog) were instrumental in getting her through tough times. As for what viewers can expect from the pair, Ashley offers up the following tease: “There’s something big that happens at the end of the season.”

Hockey Wives airs Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET/PT on W Network.

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