Season 5/Episode 5 Wez Spurrett

This episode features Wez Spurrett, the UK officer for Hockey is Diversity. The organization was founded in 2010, and its main goal is to raise awareness of ethnic diversity in society and to extend that beyond sports and promote intercultural understanding.

Hannah Waterhouse is the 26-year old captain of the new professional women’s hockey team the Manchester Storm in the UK. It’s their first season, and they’re part of the Women's National Ice Hockey League. Hannah plays right wing, and she’s also a healthcare professional and hopes to go to medical school. Plus, Anar goes to Sweden for the Global Series and adds more hockey game vacation destinations.

Two-time Walter Cup winning PWHL player Sophie Jaques joins the podcast to talk about breaking barriers, making the move from the Minnesota Frost to the Vancouver expansion team, and what she hopes her hockey legacy will be.

Tom Bark of the two-time, back-to-back Stanley Cup Champions the Florida Panthers sits down with the podcast. He’s Director of Hockey Operations and Player Evaluation with the team, and grew up in a family that loves hockey.

It’s a new season! Former NHL player and Stanley Cup winner Devante Smith-Pelly joins the podcast to talk about his playing career, his current work as an analyst with Monumental Sports, and a full circle moment on his day with the Stanley Cup.

Tennessee State University head coach Duante' Abercrombie joins us on this episode. We first met Duante' in Season 1 when he was finishing a coaching program with the Arizona Coyotes. He was hired soon after that to work with the Toronto Maple Leafs, and now he is heading up the brand new hockey program for Tennessee State University. It's the first HBCU to have a hockey team, and we were excited to learn about his vision for this program.

On this episode, Jo Dabney tells us about her latest Black History Month collaboration with the San Jose Sharks. She’s an artist and designer based in Washington, DC who’s also done work for the Washington Capitals and many other professional hockey teams. We also discuss the Gr8 Chase and how it felt when her favorite hockey player wore her design.

Abbotsford Canucks head coach and former NHL player Manny Malhotra joins us on this episode. He was a first round draft pick and played professionally for 18 years. He tells us about his playing career, his shift into full-time coaching and what it’s like coaching current South Asian players. Also, Anar shares stories from her coverage of the Four Nations tournament.

We’re taking a little break to take care of ourselves and our loved ones. We’ll be back with new episodes in a few weeks. Stay tuned!

Author Renee Hess joins us to discuss her new book, “Blackness is a Gift I Can Give Her.” The Black Girl Hockey Club founder also shares upcoming events for that organization. Anar and Manashi share their 2024 highlights and their hopes for the new year.