Blades’ Crnkovic in pursuit of sweet award in WHL scoring title

Kyle Crnkovic sits third in the WHL’s scoring race.

Kyle Crnkovic is trying to go where no member of the Saskatoon Blades has gone in 26 years.

The 19-year-old left-winger from Chestermere, Alta., is in pursuit of the Bob Clarke Trophy, which is given to the WHL’s regular season scoring champion. At the moment, Crnkovic sits third in the WHL scoring race with 23 goals and 34 assists for 57 points appearing in all the Blades 38 games to date, and his goal total is a career high.

Crnkovic sits behind two members of the Red Deer Rebels in the scoring race in Arshdeep Bains and Ben King.

Bains, who is a left-winger in his overage season, leads the WHL in scoring with 20 goals and 39 assists for 59 points appearing in all of the Rebels 43 games. King, who is a 19-year-old centre, sits second in the WHL scoring race with 33 goals and 25 assists for 58 points.

Crnkovic’s Blades have five games in hand on the Rebels, so the Blades personable star has ample opportunity to overtake the two Rebels stars.

One of those games in hand will be played on Wednesday, when the Blades (21-15-1-1) travel to Regina to face the Pats (16-19-0-1) at 7 p.m. at the Brandt Centre.

Crnkovic is trying to become the first member of the Blades to win the WHL scoring title since centre Mark Deyell captured the Bob Clarke Trophy way back in the 1995-96 campaign. 

Kyle Crnkovic has piled up points since his rookie season.

That season, Deyell piled up 61 goals and 98 assists for 159 points in 69 games to win the WHL scoring race.

Deyell played three seasons for the Blades from 1993 to 1996 before embarking on a short stint in the minor professional ranks. 

He suffered an eye injury in an AHL playoff game playing for the St. John’s Maple Leafs on April 27, 1999, when an opposing player’s stick hit him on the follow through from a shot attempt.

Deyell would be forced to retire a handful of years after that injury.

Besides Deyell, only two other Blades players would win the WHL scoring race. Centre Bernie Federko topped the WHL in scoring piling up 72 goals and 115 assists for 187 points appearing in all of the Blades 72 games in the 1975-76 season.

Federko moved on to play 14 seasons in the NHL from 1976 to 1990 with the St. Louis Blues and Detroit Red Wings and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2002.

Left-winger Gerry Pinder won the scoring race in the WHL’s inaugural season in 1966-67 piling up 78 goals and 62 assists for 140 points appearing in all of the Blades 56 games. 

Kyle Crnkovic has 57 points in the Blades 38 games this season.

From 1969 to 1978, Pinder, who was nicknamed “Mouse” due to standing 5-foot-8 and weighing 165 pounds, split nine seasons playing in the NHL and the defunct WHA for the Chicago Blackhawks, California Golden Seals, Cleveland Crusaders, San Diego Mariners and Edmonton Oilers.

Crnkovic, who stands 5-foot-7 and weighs 166 pounds, is the Blades modern day version of Pinder. Since joining the Blades full time as a 16-year-old rookie in the 2018-19 season, Crnkovic has been consistently one of the Blades top six forwards.

From the start of his sophomore campaign in 2019-20, he has formed a dynamic duo with centre Tristen Robins, who was selected in the second round and 56^th overall in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft by the San Jose Sharks and has a signed NHL entry-level contract with the Sharks.

Robin, who is in his 20-year-old season, currently sits in a five-way tie for the seventh to 11^th spots in the WHL scoring race piling up 52 points on 20 goals and 32 assists in 36 appearances with the Blades.

Unlike Robins, Crnkovic hasn’t been drafted by an NHL team. Crnkovic’s small size has been the thing that holds him back.

His skill on the ice is undeniable, and he plays well in the defensive end too.

Kyle Crnkovic goal celebrations are a regular sight in the WHL.

On top of his exploits on the ice, Crnkovic has been one of the Blades top ambassadors off the ice as a fan favourite. He was often front and centre when it came to meeting the team’s supporters before the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic gripped the world in March of 2020 cutting down what the Blades could do for public appearances.

Crnkovic is extremely popular with the Blades office staffers. It is safe to say that anyone who has met and spent time with him is cheering for him to do well.

If Crnkovic won the WHL’s scoring title, it would be an ultimate feel-good story, because he truly is that good of a guy.

He would also add further proof that the small guy with skill will always have a place in the game of hockey.

Brady retires from NFL as the all-time greatest

A pair of Tom Brady jerseys.

Tom Brady said the party is over.

On Tuesday, the iconic quarterback made it official announcing his retirement from the NFL after 22 seasons. He played 20 campaigns for the New England Patriots from 2000 to 2019 and finished up his career throwing for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers the past two seasons.

Brady is the all-time greatest player to ever come through the NFL. He hold NFL career records for most Super Bowl wins (seven), most Super Bowl appearances (10), most Super Bowl MVPs (five), most quarterback regular season wins (243), most career regular season pass attempts (11,317), most career regular season pass completions (7,263), most career regular season touchdown passes (624) and most career regular season passing yards (84,520).

For the longest time, I wasn’t actually ready to admit Brady was the greatest of all-time. I began watching the NFL on a regular basis in the late 1980s, when the San Francisco 49ERS were in their dynasty years.

When it came to quarterback, I thought the greatest player was Joe Montana, who had a perfect 4-0 record in the Super Bowl and called signals for the revolutionary system called the West Coast Offence. Montana played at an immaculate level in his four Super Bowl wins with the 49ERS.

I thought 49ERS iconic receiver Jerry Rice was the greatest player due to all the crazy records he set playing into his 40s and his endless quest for perfection. Rice, who was a member of three Super Bowl winners with the 49ERS, could get physical and throw blocks to take out the toughest guys on the opposition too.

I caved and changed my opinion that Brady was the greatest all-time, when the Patriots rallied from being down 28-3 in the third quarter to beat the Atlanta Falcons 34-28 in overtime in Super Bowl LI on February 5, 2017 at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas.

Brady completed 43-of-62 passes for 466 yards and two touchdowns, while throwing one interception in that win, which is the greatest comeback in Super Bowl history.

That was Brady’s fifth Super Bowl win. I didn’t decide to vault Brady to GOAT status just due to passing Montana and Pittsburgh Steelers legend Terry Bradshaw for most Super Bowl victories by a quarterback.

I realized the only reason I hadn’t conceded greatest of all-time status for Brady was the fact the Patriots didn’t complete their run at a perfect season in 2007. After going 16-0 in the regular season in 2007, the Patriots pushed their overall record to 18-0 heading into Super Bowl XLII against the New York Giants.

In that clash played on February 3, 2008 at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, the Giants prevailed 17-14, when quarterback Eli Manning hit receiver Plaxico Burress for winning touchdown pass with 35 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter.

That Giants’ winning drive was held together by a miraculous helmet catch by receiver David Tyree in a third-and-five situation after Manning escaped being sacked by three different Patriots players.

 After winning six Super Bowls with the Patriots, Brady won a seventh Super Bowl in a sensational first season with the Buccaneers in 2020.

Brady again had an outstanding campaign this past season leading the Buccaneers to a 13-4 regular season record completing 485-of-719 passes for 5,316 yards and 43 touchdowns, while throwing 12 interceptions at age 44.

No quarterback had even played as well into their 40s like Brady has. For most quarterbacks that make it to their 40s as a player, they are usually a second or third stringer holding a clipboard and acting as another coach for a young starter that is in his 20s.

Brady left you believing he could have an all-star season if he came back at age 45.

He deserves all the congratulations, well wishes and honours that come his way.

I should note there were initial reports on Saturday including a story on the NFL’s website and Twitter feed that Brady had retired that day. Those stories were pulled back, when Brady informed Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht a decision hadn’t been made yet on that front.

I suspect a decision was made, and it was leaked after Brady likely told too many people in his inner circle. I have a suspicion he didn’t want the timing of the announcement to overshadow the AFC and NFC Championship games that were played on Sunday.

The other cool thing about Brady was he knew when to have fun and had a sense of humour. That was best shown from this classic “Mean Tweets” on Jimmy Kimmel Live in early February of 2021.

WHL to host Talk Today games, other notes

The Raiders are scheduled to host a Talk Today game on Friday.

The WHL will be hosting RE/MAX Presents: WHL Talk Today Game Nights with the circuit’s 17 Canadian teams.

The WHL, RE/MAX and local Canadian Mental Health Association branches are teaming up to promote positive mental health.

During these Talk Today game nights, fans in attendance will have the opportunity to learn more about CMHA resources available in their communities in an effort to breakdown the stigma surrounding mental health.

The first Talk Today game is scheduled to be hosted by the Prince Albert Raiders on Friday when they host the Red Deer Rebels (7 p.m., Art Hauser Centre).

The Saskatoon Blades host their Talk Today game on Saturday when they play host to the Rebels (7 p.m., SaskTel Centre).

Fans have the opportunity to donate to their local CMHA branches by visiting TalkToday.ca/WHLDonate.

Leading up to those Talk Today games, WHL clubs participated in an additional awareness campaign aimed at creating positive discussion around physical activity in support of good mental health called “Moves for Mental Health.”

WHL fans were encouraged to post a video on social media showing ways they engage in physical activity for the sake of enhancing their mental health. Fans who participated in the social media campaign were entered to win an autographed jersey from the WHL club they support.

Jersey winners will be recognized at the Talk Today games.

The WHL and its teams have partnered with CMHA branches across Western Canada to provide mental health education and support to all players, coaches, parents, billets and team staff across the league since 2016.

Kelly Hrudey, a former NHL star goaltender and alumnus of the WHL’s Medicine Hat Tigers, is the celebrity spokesperson for this season’s Talk Today games.

• On Wednesday, Les Lazaruk will call his 2,000^th game as the play-by-play voice of the WHL’s Saskatoon Blades. The Blades travel to Regina to face the Pats for Lazaruk’s milestone call. Pat McKay of CTV Saskatoon broke the story, which can be found by clicking right here.
• Saskatoon area product Brayden Yager currently sits third in Moose Jaw Warriors team scoring in his 16-year-old sophomore campaign in the WHL. The skilled centre has 22 goals, 20 assists and a plus-seven rating in 39 games this season with the Warriors.
• Saskatoon area product Riley Heidt currently sits second in Prince George Cougars team scoring in his 16-year-old sophomore season in the WHL. The skilled centre has 11 goals, 22 assists and an even-rating in 38 games with the Cougars.
• On Monday, the WHL’s Swift Current Broncos announced Chad Leslie had officially been named the club’s full-time general manager. Leslie had been serving as the team’s interim general manager since October 14, 2021, when Dean Brockman resigned from the team.
• On Monday, Bill Chow announced he will be stepping down as commissioner of the junior A Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League on May 31, 2022. Chow has been serving as the circuit’s commissioner for a little over 10 years.
• The University of Regina community is morning the passing of Dr. Ernie Nicholls at age 84. He had a lengthy involvement with the school’s athletic department. He passed away in his sleep after a battle with Alzheimer’s dementia. An obituary on Nicholls can be found by clicking right here.
• On Tuesday, Gregg Drinnan reported in his Taking Note blog that Brad Hornung, who is an alumnus of the WHL’s Regina Pats, has been diagnosed with terminal cancer. Hornung was left a quadriplegic following a check in a WHL game on March 1, 1987. Drinnan’s story can be found by clicking right here.

If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

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