Presenting the Fake World Cup of Hockey(tm)

It's an American Thanksgiving special edition of Neutral Zone Hotel. All of our Canadian hosts are working while SJ and Alex are off. We have a special report on the Mullet Arena Experience(tm) from our friend Nick. But before that, there is plenty of dicussion on Luke Prokop's callup to the AHL, the NHL's Global Series games in Sweden, The Fake World Cup of Hockey, the province of Quebec paying up to $7 million to bring the Los Angeles Kings to Quebec City for some preseason games, and the opening of PWHL training camps. First up, Jess welcomes Benjamin, Trevor, and John to the Neutral Zone Hotel. 2:34 We would like to note that we all saw the news about an NHL player who was arrested for an act of domestic violence. There is a brief mention of this fact and a quick note about why we are not talking abour it on this week's episode. We expect to cover the subject in a thoughtful, in depth, manner sometime in the future. If this announcement is something you do not wish to listen to, please skip from 2:34 to the start of the next segment at 3:53. 3:52 Luke Prokop, the first openly gay player signed to an NHL contract, was called up from the ECHL to the Milwaukee Admirals, making him the first openly gay player to play a game in the AHL. The crew discusses this and talks about Luke's story and why it is important. 21:04 The crew discusses the recent NHL Global Series games in Sweden. Oddly, none of us tuned in to watch the Leafs play the Senators at 8AM. 34:19 The NHL is proposing a Fake World Cup of Hockey in 2025. The tournament would feature games in North America between Team Canada and Team United States, games in Europe between Team Finland and Team Sweden, and a final round somewhere. The crew, unsurprisingly, has thoughts. 40:58 The government of Quebec is going to pay up to $7 million to bring the Los Angeles Kings to Quebec City for a couple of preseason games. The Canadiens said they would have done it for free. Benjamin is not happy and he's going to tell you why. 49:13 PWHL training camps are opening and the crew is excited. Too bad about those jerseys. 59:16 Speaking of the Kings, our friend Nick recently traveled to Arizona to see the Kings play the Coyotes at Mullet Arena. Jess and Benjamin welcome him to the Neutral Zone Hotel's guest lounge to talk about it. If you or someone you know is affected by domestic violence, you can reach out to:Canada: https://endingviolencecanada.org/getting-help/USA: https://www.thehotline.org/ or 1-800-799-SAFEIf you or someone you know is in immediate danger, call 9-1-1.Special guest Nick Vasquez can be found on X at @NickVazNeutral Zone Hotel is a production of the Neutral Zone Hotel TeamYou can find more information at https://neutralzonehotel.comLogo design by Emily MowbrayYou can follow us on social media if you're so inclined: Instagram: @neutralzonehotel Bluesky: @neutralzonehotel.bsky.socialNeutral Zone Hotel is a production of the Neutral Zone Hotel Team.More information is available at https://neutralzonehotel.comLogo design by Emily Mowbray.We're available on YouTube and all the major podcast platforms.You can follow us on social media if you're so inclined: Bluesky: @neutralzonehotel.bsky.socialYou can join our Discord server at https://neutralzonehotel.com/discord