Willie O’Ree. Photo from Sportsnet.

Formerly known as “Weekly Links,” our round-up of important and interesting pieces from the hockey blogosphere and media will now appear twice a month.

• Former NHL goalie, Ray Emery passed away during a recent swimming accident in Hamilton, Ontario. [The Globe and Mail]
• Stacy Lorenz from the University of Alberta discusses the deeply entwined culture of masculinity and violence with respect to head injuries with [Folio].
• This one about mental health and women’s hockey is from earlier this year but the importance of mental health is never out-of date. [CUSN]
• Keep an eye on the name Jermaine Loewen, who became the first Jamaican-born player to be drafted into the NHL (7th round). [CBC] [Color of Hockey]
• Canadian Olympic team stalwart Jayna Hefford will become the 6th woman to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. [Pension Plan Puppets]
• Also, joining Hefford (and after MUCH campaigning) is the well deserved Willie O’Ree. [Boxscore News] [Sportsnet]
• The [New York Times] wrote a great piece on the Indigenous history of hockey in Canada. It begs the question why these types of pieces are taken up by American outlets and not Canadian ones…

The bi-annual Hockey Conference recently took place in Edmonton, Alberta. It’s like comic-con for hockey geeks and we definitely geeked out:

• Hockey Night Punjbai’s Harnaryan Singh provided an engaging keynote and then was interviewed by the [Edmonton Star].
• Dr. Vicky Paraschak from the University of Windsor presented on hockey’s relationship with the Canadian Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action, so Brett Pardy re-circulated the following article on Twitter from 2014 about the possibility of an aboriginal Olympic hockey team. [Toronto Star]
• Brock McGillis gave a very personal keynote about his experience as a gay hockey player. [Edmonton Star]
• Here’s a picture of some of your Hockey in Society team geeking out:

• Peter Worrell is joining the coaching ranks of the Southern Professional Hockey League, as an Assistant Coach for the Fayetteville Marksmen. [Color of Hockey]
• The Canadian Museum of History’s “Hockey” exhibit is now showing in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Check it out!