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Ontario university study finds hockey fanatics get more excited for faceoffs
Researchers at the University of Waterloo conducted a study which found that hockey fanatics react differently during key moments in a hockey game versus how a more casual viewer takes things in.
“The broad aim of the study was to examine the extent to which brain activity, as captured by a brain imaging device, might differ between spectators who identify as being a highly-committed fan of a sport, compared to the more casual viewer,” professor Luke Potwarka told Global News.
To conduct the study, the researchers found undergrads who were more committed or more casual fans and had them watch a period of a hockey game from Europe in 2018 with a brain imaging device strapped to their head.
“Once the participants were in our lab, they were fitted with a functional near infrared spectroscopy brain imaging,” Potwarka said.
“It’s a non-invasive headband that just goes right over the forehead. And what the device does is it uses infrared light to detect blood flow in the medial prefrontal cortex.
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“Then we then monitored and collected real-time data as participants watched the first period, the 20 minutes of this 2018 European Hockey League game between the Cardiff Devils and the Nottingham Panthers.”
In a bit of a cruel twist, the lab rats were subjected to 20 minutes of scoreless hockey, but the researchers were not looking at goals but rather other portions of the game.
“Our research team really focused in on examining responses to two key moments during a previously recorded European hockey game: scoring chances and offensive faceoff opportunities,” Potwarka said.
“We found that more committed and passionate hockey fans had significantly more activation in the regions of the brain that are responsible for evaluating and judging social situations than more casual viewers. And surprisingly, this trend was not observed for scoring chances, so it was just the offensive faceoff.”
Adrian Safati, A PhD candidate at the university, said it was also a chance to test out the Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS).
“This is a more applied use of this neuroimaging technology. So in a way, it’s a proof of concept that we are able to detect physiological changes in the brain in response to key events during something like a sporting match,” he explained.
“And this could allow us to, in the future, try to understand different underlying mechanisms in attention and involvement in viewers watching the sport.”
Potwarka noted that this is just proof of concept as they move forward in a journey which could lead to a better understanding of fan engagement.
“I think the payoff, practically speaking, is we may have a better sense of what might actually drive non-casual fans or what types of things we could narrate or broadcast or produce sports in ways that may be more engaging for both sets of audiences,” the Waterloo prof said.
“So we may (see) some insights about what’s really happening here and what might people bring viewers in. Maybe there could be long-term implications for turning more casual fans into longer-term fans.”
© 2025 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
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Jagmeet Singh apologizes for attending Kendrick Lamar concert after Drake calls him out
Jagmeet Singh has issued an apology on social media for attending a Kendrick Lamar concert in Toronto over the weekend after receiving sharp criticism from fans and rapper Drake.
Singh, the former federal NDP leader, was spotted inside the Rogers Centre during one of Lamar’s back-to-back Toronto shows, part of the Grand National Tour with SZA. It’s not clear what show he attended, but photos of Singh at the event quickly began circulating online, drawing attention to his controversial attendance.
Drake publicly weighed in on Singh’s decision by posting a screenshot of an Instagram message he sent to Singh, saying, “You’re a goof.”
Drake calls out former NDP leader Jagmeet Singh for attending a Kendrick Lamar concert.
Drake/ Instagram Screengrab
Singh responded publicly just hours later, explaining himself in an Instagram story. “I went for SZA, not Kendrick,” Singh wrote. “I was born in this city. I love this city. But real talk, I get it. I shouldn’t have gone at all.”
Former NDP leader Jagmeet Singh apologized after Drake called him out for attending a Kendrick Lamar concert in Toronto, amid an ongoing feud between the two rappers.
Jagmeet Singh / Instagram Screenshot
The apology comes amid heightened tensions in the hip-hop world.
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Lamar’s Toronto shows were his first in the city since a highly publicized feud between the two rappers.
One of the most viral moments from the concerts came during Lamar’s performance of Not Like Us, a diss track aimed at Drake. The song earned a standing ovation and chants of “one more time” from the crowd.
Despite the response, the track has sparked legal action from Drake, who is suing Universal Music Group, which represents both Lamar and SZA, claiming the song falsely portrays him as a pedophile and has endangered his safety.
None of the allegations in the lawsuit have been tested in court.
In his statement, Singh made it clear he didn’t intend to take sides but acknowledged his stance over social media.
“OVO and Drake have lifted this city and Canada,” Singh said. “For me, it’ll always be Drake over Kendrick.”
– With files from the Canadian Press
© 2025 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
Police in Hanover, Ont., have released an image of a “destroyed” vehicle which they say had been set on fire shortly after a fatal hit and run in the small Ontario community last week.
On Wednesday at around 5:20 p.m., police said emergency services were dispatched to the entrance to Hanover Park after a hit-and-run collision involving a pedestrian had been reported.
Police said 66-year-old Hanover resident Sheila Lamont was crossing the street when she was hit by a vehicle, which fled the scene at a high rate of speed.
Lamont was transported to an area hospital by paramedics where she later died due to her injuries.
“Shortly before the collision it was determined the suspect vehicle had travelled along Concession 2 SDR in the former Brant Township, also known as Southline,” a release from police read.
“The vehicle went northbound past the Hanover and District Hospital onto 7th Avenue driving in an erratic manner before striking the pedestrian at the Hanover Park. After the collision, the suspect vehicle continued northbound on Bruce County Road 10, turning westbound on Concession 4 in the former Brant Township.”
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Two days later, Hanover police chief posted a picture of a burnt-up 2008 Chrysler PT Cruiser on X, saying that further details were to follow.
Deputy Chief George Hebblethwaite told Global News on Monday morning that a tip had led them to find the destroyed vehicle in the brush near Morry’s Trailer Sales on Sideroad 25.
“We were speaking with someone who we had been given the name of, and that person turned out to have some information which led us to the car,” he said.
Police believe the fire occurred within a couple of hours of the initial crash and that the vehicle has been examined by OPP forensic officers.
In a release on Sunday police said that “the registered owner of the PT Cruiser has been interviewed and is cooperating fully with the investigation. Although this person was the registered owner, they never had care or control of the vehicle since it was purchased.”
Hebblethwaite also told Global News that police expect to make an arrest on Monday in connection with the case.
“There is a person that we are seeking,” he explained, adding they expect to make an announcement Monday afternoon or Tuesday morning.
Hanover is a town of around 8,000 people in Grey County about 100 kilometres north of Kitchener.
© 2025 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
Ontario Provincial Police say a $50,000 reward is being offered for information that can help solve a 2008 cold case murder in the Belleville area.
Calvin Vanness, 65, was last seen in Belleville on March 26, 2008, driving a grey 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix with flames painted on the side.
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Police say his car was found on April 1, 2008, in a commuter parking lot on Highway 38 in Kingston and investigators believe someone else was driving the vehicle for some of that time.
The OPP and Belleville police have been investigating Vanness’s disappearance as a homicide since April 2010, and they believe someone has information that will help determine what happened to him.
Police say the Ontario government is offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible.
Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the OPP.
© 2025 The Canadian Press
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