Broncos’ Steenbergen is just too sweet on the ice

Swift Current star one of the WHL’s great hidden gems

Tyler Steenbergen speeds down the ice on a rush for the Broncos.

    If you miss seeing the Swift Current Broncos in action on the WHL circuit this season, you might be sorry.

    Located in the smallest market of the Canadian Hockey League, the Broncos have been experiencing a resurgence in Swift Current. The resurgence is being led by one of the WHL’s most dynamic star players in Tyler Steenbergen.

    Last season, the skilled forward from Sylvan Lake, Alta., had a breakout campaign appearing in all of the Broncos 72 regular season games piling up 51 goals, 39 assists and a plus-29 rating in the plus-minus department. His 90 points were good for a three-way tie for ninth in the WHL scoring race with Victoria Royals centre Matthew Phillips and Tri-City Americans centre Morgan Geekie.

    Steenbergen’s 51 goals ranked him in a tie with Tyler Wong of the Lethbridge Hurricanes for tops in the league. Out of the 51 goals Steenbergen scored, he netted the game winner on 12 occasions to lead the WHL.

    Thanks to these efforts, Steenbergen was named a second team all-star in the WHL’s Eastern Conference, and he was awarded the Brad Hornung Trophy as the WHL’s most sportsmanlike player.

Tyler Steenbergen (#17) of the Broncos cuts past Sam Steel (#23) of the Pats.

    In last June’s NHL Entry Draft, the Arizona Coyotes selected Steenbergen, who stands 5-foot-10 and weighs 188 pounds, in the fifth round and 128^th overall. At some point in the future, the Coyotes might look back and admire Steenbergen’s selection as a draft steal.

    Entering his 19-year-old season, Steenbergen is likely not the most recognized star name in the WHL circuit. The circuit’s most recognized returning standout is likely Regina Pats captain Sam Steel, who took the WHL’s and CHL’s scoring titles last season while also winning the Four Broncos Memorial Trophy as the WHL’s most valuable player.

    Last season, Steenbergen’s exploits were often lost behind a number of other established star players who played or likely played their final major junior seasons before embarking on professional careers like Adam Brooks and Connor Hobbs of the Pats, Brett Howden of the Moose Jaw Warriors and Mathew Barzal and Ethan Bear of the league champion Seattle Thunderbirds.

Tyler Steenbergen controls the puck in the offensive zone.

    Besides being lost behind other star players, Steenbergen likely doesn’t get a tonne of notoriety due to the fact he does play in Swift Current, which is often ignored on the national media front. Inside the WHL itself, the awards he won last season show those inside the circuit have definitely taken notice.

    While Swift Current is overlooked on the national media front, it might be the perfect setting to help prepare Steenbergen for a professional career. The Broncos players are stars in the small Saskatchewan city, and people notice everything you do. When you play for the Broncos, you realize quickly how valuable it is to carry yourself in a well-mannered way to make yourself look good and ensure the Broncos look good.

    Anyone that has dealt with Steenbergen even for a short time on a one-on-one basis will come away impressed with how well he carries himself.

    When the people in Swift Current view that the Broncos players are genuinely good guys, they will back them in a strong way. The loud sellout crowds of 2,890 that crammed the Credit Union i-Plex during the Broncos six home playoff games last season are testament to that.

    Steenbergen was at the centre of excitement of what went on in Swift Current last season. When he hits the ice, he made things happen. The home crowd in Swift Current rises to their feet, when Steenbergen hits the offensive zone with speed on a rush.

Tyler Steenbergen (#17) celebrates a goal for the Broncos.

    It seemed like he was always in the middle of things when the Broncos needed a play in clutch time.

    Thanks to Steenbergen’s efforts, the Broncos posted a solid 39-23-4-6 in the regular season in 2016-17. In the playoffs, Steenbergen recorded eight goals, six assists and a plus-one rating as the Broncos won a first round series that went the maximum seven games against the Moose Jaw Warriors and fell in a second round series that went the maximum seven games to the Pats.

    When Steenbergen dresses for the Broncos, he always gives the best effort, and you anticipate offensive fireworks happening that night.

    He is one of those players that is worth the price of admission any time he plays in a WHL game.

Schenn’s bumps in Blades days long forgotten

Brayden Schenn skates at the Chase Fantasy Hockey Camp.

    When Brayden Schenn returns to Saskatoon, he is a hometown hero, and the bumps he had to navigate during his short time with the Saskatoon Blades are long forgotten.

    It should be noted the bumps Schenn faced with the Blades were never his fault or the team’s fault. The bumps were a learning experience about what could happen when an extremely high profile player laces up the skates for his hometown major junior hockey team.

    For three seasons from 2007 to 2010, Schenn was the star centre with the Brandon Wheat Kings and a highly rated NHL prospect along with teammate Scott Glennie. In the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, Schenn was selected in the first round and fifth overall by the Los Angeles Kings, while Glennie went in the first round and eighth overall that same year to the Dallas Stars.

    At the start of the 2010-11 campaign, Schenn, who was in his 19-year-old season, made the Kings and appeared in eight NHL contests. He also suited up for seven games with the Manchester Monarchs of the American Hockey League for conditioning purposes before being sent back to the Wheat Kings.

    The Blades were in a race for first overall in the WHL that season, and they made a monster trade with the Wheat Kings to get Schenn. In the deal that was made Jan. 10, 2011, the Blades received Schenn and a third round selection in the 2012 WHL Bantam Draft from the Wheat Kings in exchange for the Blades first and second round selections of the 2011 WHL Bantam Draft, a first round selection in the 2012 WHL Bantam Draft, a first round selection in the 2012 CHL Import Draft and then prospects in defenceman Ayrton Nikkel and centre Tim McGauley.

    Schenn played 27 regular season games with the Blades piling up 21 goals and 32 assists. Saskatoon topped the WHL standings with a 56-13-1-2 record for 115 points in the standings. The 56 wins and 115 standings points are still Blades club records.

    While Schenn always carried himself well, it seemed there were some in the public that wanted to bring him down.

Brayden Schenn looks to make a pass at the Chase Fantasy Hockey Camp.

    During the Blades first round playoff series with the Prince Albert Raiders, someone went online and made racist comments towards First Nations peoples in Schenn’s name via a fake Facebook account. That development caused the Blades to hold a news conference to state Schenn didn’t have anything to do with that fake Facebook account and request a police investigation. At that time, the Blades found nine fake Facebook accounts in Schenn’s name.

    Schenn wasn’t made available to the media at that press conference, but the Blades issued a statement from the skilled forward. One can only imagine how much time was spent putting this fire out that Schenn and the Blades had no part of starting.

    The Blades proceeded to eliminate the Raiders 4-2 in a best-of-seven series. Saskatoon was swept away in a best-of-seven second round series 4-0 to the Kootenay Ice, who went on to win the WHL championship.

    In 10 playoff games, Schenn put up six goals and five assists for the Blades. Expectations were high that year that the Blades would win the WHL title and sizable crowds were showing up at the rink that is now known as the SaskTel Centre.

    During the immediate aftermath of their playoff ouster, there were a number of people in the vocal minority of the Blades fanbase that blamed the post-season elimination on Schenn.

    I was working in Medicine Hat during that time covering the WHL’s Tigers for the Medicine Hat News, and relatives in Saskatoon told me that Schenn couldn’t show his face in public in town in the days that followed the Blades playoff exit. I do recall seeing a Facebook group that existed to dump hate on Schenn for costing the Blades the Memorial Cup. I can no longer find that Facebook page.

    Thankfully, the notion of being upset at Schenn quickly faded away. Disappointment over the fact the Blades didn’t have a long playoff run that season likely still lingers a little bit.

    Since leaving the Blades, Schenn has been a career NHLer appearing in 433 regular season games mostly with the Philadelphia Flyers collecting 109 goals and 139 assists. Thanks to an off-season trade at the NHL Entry Draft in June, the 26-year-old will suit up for the St. Louis Blues in the upcoming NHL campaign.

    Anyone that has dealt with Schenn and his family comes away with a fresh realization that they are all a good bunch. Anytime I take a photo of Schenn at a charity event and share it on Twitter, it usually gets a few likes from locals, and that is always great to see.

Cool seeing “BT” enter Canadian Football Hall of Fame

Brian Towriss, welcome to the @CFHOF!#CFL pic.twitter.com/hQ44TZVUHf

— CFL (@CFL) September 15, 2017

    It was definitely a cool sight to see the pictures and video legendary University of Saskatchewan Huskies football head coach Brian Towriss officially enter the Canadian Football Hall of Fame on Thursday night in Hamilton, Ont.

    Towriss resigned his post as Huskies head coach on Dec. 19, 2016 having complied a U Sports record 196 career wins, 11 Canada West titles, nine Vanier Cup appearances and three Vanier Cup titles. On March 22, an announcement was made that Towriss would be part of this year’s Canadian Football Hall of Fame class along with CFL player greats in Anthony Calvillo, Geroy Simon, Mike O’Shea and Kelvin Anderson along with former Calgary Stampeders president Stan Schwartz. 

    Towriss and Schwartz entered the Hall as builders.

    When Towriss saw his lifelike bust and put on his Hall of Fame jacket and ring, he looked really happy, and it was a happy look that was usually reserved for times when one of his player did something great. It was fun to see him enjoy his moment.

    Towriss was joined in Hamilton by his wife (Vicki) and their children (Kellie and Jake), and they got to experience something special that will be with them forever.

    It is always a great when good things happen to good people. Congratulations to “BT” on his Canadian Football Hall of Fame induction.

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

U of S Huskies men’s hockey team had a great run

The Huskies celebrate at playoff victory at the Rutherford Rink.

    Despite coming up short in the national final, the University of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s hockey team’s season has to be considered a success.

    On Sunday, the Huskies appeared in the title game of the University Cup national championship tournament in Fredericton, N.B., and they dropped a 5-3 decision to the host University of New Brunswick Varsity Reds, who claimed their sixth U Sport title in the last 11 years. Of course, there was some disappointment the Huskies fell short of winning their first national title since 1983, but the entire season can’t be cannibalized over one or two games.

    Since that last national championship win in 1983, the Huskies have fallen in the U Sports final in 1987, 2005, 2014 and last Sunday. 

    Under veteran head coach Dave Adolph, this marked the 13^th time the Huskies made it to the University Cup, but they still haven’t brought the championship trophy back to the U of S.

Jesse Forsberg sets up on the point for the Huskies.

    With all that said, the Huskies had one of the best teams in Canada in the amateur hockey ranks. Any time one could attend a game at the ancient Rutherford Rink you got to see a treat. 

    The Huskies posted a 21-5-2 record to finish first in the Canada West conference for a second straight year, and they were usually rated second in the U Sports top 10 rankings.

    On the national level, netminder Jordon Cooke was named the U Sports goaltender of the year and a first team all-Canadian all-star for a second consecutive season. He posted a 19-4-2 record, a 1.94 goals against average, a .929 save percentage and four shutouts during the regular season.

    Adolph was named the winner of the Father George Kehoe Memorial Award as the coach of the year in U Sports. He had been named the Canada West coach of the year in 1997-98, 1999-2000 and this season, but this marked the first time he was named coach of the year on a national level.

    Defenceman Jesse Forsberg was named a second team all-Canadian all-star after having a breakout campaign in his third season. He piled up 11 goals, 16 assists and a plus-eight rating in the plus-minus department appearing in all 28 regular season games.

Levi Cable scored a University Cup quarter-final OT goal for the Huskies. 

    The Huskies entered the University Cup on a down note having dropped a series deciding Game 3 in the Canada West final 6-3 to their forever rivals the U of Alberta Golden Bears.

    U of S rebounded nicely at the University Cup, which is played in an elite eight single elimination format. Under that format, a team can easily be eliminated thanks to one bad game or even one bad break.

    In a quarter-final contest last Friday, the Huskies displayed some overtime magic, when sophomore forward Levi Cable snuck home the contest’s only goal just 61 seconds into the extra session. The tally gave the Huskies a 1-0 victory over the York University Lions. Cooke turned away 24 shots to earn the shutout.

    The Dogs arguably had one of their best outings of the season in an 8-0 romp over the St. Francis Xavier University X-Men. Logan McVeigh scored twice for the Huskies, while Forsberg, Cable, Carson Stadnyk, Parker Thomas, Wyatt Johnson and Connor Cox all had singles. Cooke made 26 stops to pick up the shutout.

Huskies netminder Jordon Cooke plays the puck behind his own goal.

    In the championship final, the Huskies were done in by a star player, who had a hot night. Varsity Reds standout Cam Braes, who played for the WHL’s Lethbridge Hurricanes and Moose Jaw Warriors from 2007 to 2012, fired home four goals. Mark Simpson had the other lone tally for UNB, while Etienne Marcoux made 18 stops to pick up the win in goal.

    Connor Gay, Jordan Fransoo and Kohl Bauml all had singles for the Huskies, while Cooke turned away 31 shots taking the loss in goal.

    The Huskies trailed 4-1 at one point in the second period, but cut the deficit to 4-3 in the third. Braes proceeded to pick up his fourth goal that that point on a power play, which turned out to be a key insurance marker.

    U of S did pretty much everything this season but win its last game. They fell in the national final to great team, and there is never any shame in that.

    While it would have been nice for the Huskies to win it all, the reality in sports is that it sometimes will just not happen no matter how many times you reach the national championship tournament or the national final. You just have to try again next season.

Towriss heading to the Canadian Football Hall of Fame

Brian Towriss, right, will be inducted Canadian Football Hall of Fame.

    Legendary U of Saskatchewan Huskies football head coach Brian Towriss didn’t have to wait long to get named to the Canadian Football Hall of Fame.

    Just a little over three months after resigning his post as Huskies head coach on Dec. 19, 2016, Towriss was named part of the 2017 Canadian Football Hall of Fame class on Wednesday in Regina during an announcement hooked into a league promotion called CFL Week. Towriss enters the Hall as a builder along with former Calgary Stampeders president Stan Schwartz.

    Also entering the Hall are a quartet of the league’s all-time great players in Anthony Calvillo, Geroy Simon, Mike O’Shea and Kelvin Anderson.

    Towriss played defensive tackle from 1974 to 1977.  He was an assistant coach with the Dogs from 1980 to 1983 before becoming head coach in 1984. As a head coach, Towriss compiled a 196-118-1 overall record, guided his team to 11 Canada West titles and three Vanier Cup championships.

    The formal induction of the Hall of Fame class will occur on Sept. 14 in Hamilton, Ont.

Blades’ Flodell named WHL all-star

Blades goalie Logan Flodell was named a WHL second team all-star.

    Saskatoon Blades goaltender Logan Flodell was rewarded for his stellar season by being named a WHL Eastern Conference second team all-star on Wednesday.

    The Blades acquired Flodell in a trade with the Seattle Thunderbirds before the start of the regular season. The Regina product, who stands 5-foot-11 and weighs 166 pounds, appeared in 48 regular season games posting a 22-20-4 record, a 2.81 goals against average, a .912 save percentage and three shutouts.

    He played a major role in almost pushing the Blades into the WHL playoffs for the first time since 2013. The Blades finished ninth overall in the WHL’s Eastern Conference with a 28-35-7-2 record to sit five points back of the Calgary Hitmen (30-32-8-2) for the conference’s final wildcard berth.

    One of Flodell’s best performances came on Dec. 10, 2016, when he made 39 stops in a 2-1 overtime road victory over the powerhouse Pats in Regina. He is eligible to return to the Blades as an overage player next season.

    The WHL also held its annual WHL Bantam Draft lottery on Wednesday, and the Blades draft position didn’t change in the first round. They currently hold the fifth overall position and the 10 overall pick, which was acquired in a trade with the Victoria Royals. In the subsequent rounds, the Blades usually pick in the fifth spot.

    Also on Wednesday, Saskatoon product Connor Hobbs was named the WHL’s Eastern Conference nominee as the top defenceman and was named a first team Eastern Conference all-star. Hobbs, who can return as an overage player next season, had an outstanding 2016-17 campaign for the Regina Pats netting 31 goals, 54 assists and a plus-30 rating in the plus-minus department. The Pats topped the WHL’s overall standings with a 52-12-7-1 record.

Nogier makes NHL debut with Jets

Former Rebels D Nelson Nogier made his NHL debut with the Jets.

    Tuesday ended up being a proud night on a personal front for my family as my young cousin Nelson Nogier made his NHL debut with the Winnipeg Jets.

    The 20-year-old defenceman had 12 minutes and 16 seconds of ice time making three hits and getting one shot on goal. The Saskatoon product, who stands 6-foot-2 and weighs 191 pounds, has always been known as a sound defensive defenceman who is tough to play against in his own zone. Nogier was solid in his role as the Jets pulled out a 3-2 win over the Philadelphia Flyers at the MTS Centre in Winnipeg.

    He was selected by the Jets in the fourth round and 101^st overall in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft. Before Tuesday’s game, Nogier had spent most of the season with the Manitoba Moose of the American Hockey League, where he has collected two goals, 11 assists and 33 penalty minutes in 57 regular season games.

    Before moving to the professional ranks, Nogier spent four complete seasons in the WHL with the Saskatoon Blades and Red Deer Rebels, where he appeared in 235 regular season games collecting eight goals, 42 assists and 196 minutes in penalties. He played for the Blades in the 2013 Memorial Cup in Saskatoon and the Rebels in the 2016 Memorial Cup in Red Deer.

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

Late Regina Rams head coach cared about the person first

Gordon Gray Currie 1923-2017

A picture of Gord Currie from his celebration of life.

    REGINA - “You win by not looking at the scoreboard at the end of the field but the scoreboard in your heart.

    “When you walk off the field, that is great when you look at the scoreboard in your heart. You walk away with something with substance, and it adds to the rest of your life to what you are.

    “It goes far beyond moving a football up and down the field. It is difficult to measure this type of growth. It is an amazing thing to witness in life.”

    Gordon Gray Currie spoke those words to me back in November of 2000, when I was putting together a history feature on the Regina Rams for the official website for university sports in Canada called at the time CIAU.ca. The piece ran days before the Rams, who were in their second season as a university team, appeared in that year’s Vanier Cup championship game. They ultimately fell 42-39 to the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees in that contest.

    Currie, who was the Rams head coach in their Canadian Junior Football League days from 1965 to 1976, was describing the intangibles as to why the Rams won. He followed these words during his whole coaching career, which included guiding teams in football, baseball and hockey.

    Currie passed away at age 93 on Feb. 22, 2017. He was in remarkably good health and active in his late 80s and his 90s. It was only in recent years he battled with medical issues.

    A massive group of family and friends gathered at the Conexus Arts Centre on Wednesday in Regina to pay tribute the legendary coach, who is best remember for guiding the Rams to six CJFL championships, at a celebration of his life.

    Currie was also an educator, school principle and a member of the legislative assembly in Saskatchewan for one term. He was named to the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame (1978), a member of the Order of Canada (1979) and to the Canadian Football Hall of Fame as a builder (2005).

A memorial set up at Gord Currie’s celebration of life.

    On the little known fact side, the sport Currie pursued and played at a high level was hockey, which was the first sport he coached.

    Everyone remembered that his greatest gift was his ability to make people feel important and special. The star running back for the Rams played that much better because of Currie’s influence. That Grade 12 student from Campbell Collegiate that was just scraping by and looking to drop out stayed in school and graduated at Currie’s request.

    People “upped their game” due to Currie no matter what walk of life they were in.

    What was more amazing was the fact Currie coached and taught at a time through the 1940s, 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s when it was unheard of to inspire people by treating them with respect. He inspired people to be better persons at a time when most coaches motivated through intimidation and fear. Currie never dipped into the intimidation and fear tactics that were prominent in his time.

    As a result of Currie’s approach, the results did look after themselves, as his coaching career resulted in numerous championships. One of those championships included his last game as Rams head coach in 1976, when he guided them to a CJFL title with 45-23 victory over the Hamilton Hurricanes before over 10,000 spectators at Taylor Field.

An old Leader-Post page paying tribute to Gord Currie.

    Everyone that came to his celebration of life had some memory of meeting Currie and feeling better about themselves. Even if you only dealt with him two or three times in your life, Currie still remembered you, and you came away feeling better about yourself.

    If you wanted to write a tribute about all the great things Currie did in his life, you could spend an endless amount of time doing that.

    Those that knew Currie would know the best tribute you could give to the late coach is just working to be the best person you can be every day and do your best to make a positive impact on your community and in life.

    That is also a great lesson everyone can follow and an enduring one coming from arguably the most legendary amateur coach in Saskatchewan.

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