Big game spotlight brings out best in Valkyries’ Girolami

Haley Girolami had three catches for 100 yards and three touchdowns for the Valkyries on Sunday.

    Haley Girolami is still oblivious to statistical milestones in football.

    The rookie receiver was unaware how big her performance was in the Saskatoon Valkyries 53-0 romp over the visiting Lethbridge Steel in a Western Women’s Canadian Football League semifinal match on Sunday at Saskatoon Minor Football Field.

    In that contest, Girolami hauled in three passes for 100 yards and scored three touchdowns. The 23-year-old scored the Valkyries first touchdown on a 28-yard catch with 5:52 expired in the first quarter to give Saskatoon a 7-0 lead.

    During the second quarter, Girolami caught a long pass and on the way to a 66-yard catch and run touchdown to account for her second major.

Haley Girolami reacts to making a six-yard TD catch.

    She hauled in a six-yard reception for her third score of the game before the second quarter expired.
    Girolami didn’t know a 100-yard receiving game is a big statistical moment for a pass catcher. She wasn’t even keeping track of the fact she reached the end zone three times.

    “I wasn’t thinking about it,” said Girolami. “I just knew I had to do my job.

    “If the ball was coming to me, I had to catch it. I did, and I was thankful for that.”

    Before joining the Valkyries this season, Girolami had been out of competitive sports for a lengthy stretch. For three seasons from 2010 to 2013, she was a defender for the Saskatoon Stars female midget AAA hockey team.

    After exhausting her midget AAA eligibility, Girolami continued to play sports at the recreational level. She is pursuing studies in nursing at the University of Saskatchewan.

    A year ago, Girolami watched her younger sister, Danielle, play through her rookie season as a receiver for the Valkyries. Haley decided to join her 20-year-old sibling this season.

    “Danielle played last year, and I guess I kind of saw her having fun,” said Haley, who stands 5-foot-9. “I figured I can’t let her have all the fun, so I thought I would join.”

Haley Girolami races downfield after making a catch.

    While Haley followed in Danielle’s footsteps in football, Danielle followed in Haley’s footsteps in hockey. After Haley graduated from the midget AAA ranks, Danielle joined the Stars playing defence for the team from 2013 to 2016. She helped the Stars win Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League titles in 2015 and 2016.

    Growing up playing hockey, the two never got to play a full season together on one team. They would cross paths from time to time with the Saskatchewan provincial hockey team program.

    Football has provided the two sisters the chance to play on a competitive sports team together for a full season.

    “It is great,” said Haley. “I love having my sister there on the other side of me.

    “I wouldn’t want it any other way.”

    Valkyries head coach Pat Barry was happy to see Haley Girolami have a big game against the Steel. The sideline boss has been impressed with how well Girolami has balanced playing for the Valkyries along with her commitment to the U of S nursing program.

    “She is an exceptional athlete,” said Barry. “I know she is in nursing, which is a very challenging program.

    “Sometimes, we haven’t had her at all the football games. We’re very pleased to have her, and we have to get the ball to her as much as we can.”

Haley Girolami scores a TD on a 28-yard reception.

    On Saturday, the Valkyries travel to Regina to play in the WWCFL Championship game against the host and two-time defending champion Riot at 4 p.m. at Mosaic Stadium. Barry believes Girolami could have a huge impact on the final outcome of that contest.

    “She could be a big factor,” said Barry. “Again, it is a team game, and we have to have 12 people on the field all pulling together.

    “If that happens, hopefully we will be successful.”

    Girolami has enjoyed the atmosphere of being on a competitive team again with the Valkyries. She missed the comradery that comes with the bus trips and the hotel stays with the team, which doesn’t happen often at the recreational level.

    On top of all of that, Girolami is thankful the Valkyries have been really welcoming.

    “It has been lots of fun,” said Girolami. “I missed competitive team sports, so it was really nice being back with everybody as a team.

Haley Girolami (#17) celebrates a touchdown with her teammates.

    “The girls are really encouraging. It is lots of fun being out there as a team together and you work well.”

    Now, Girolami will try and help the Valkyries win their first WWCFL title since 2016. They fell 14-10 in last year’s league title game to the Riot.

    She believes she will have some nerves going into that game, but expects her teammates will help her out.

    “The atmosphere is going to be a lot different,” said Girolami. “With all the team there, it is going to be pretty exciting I think.”

CFL and CFLPA looks bad on Lawrence suspension

QB Zach Collaros (#17) is out due to a Simoni Lawrence hit.

    The CFL and CFL Players’ Association are getting rightly roasted by pundits over the fallout of the Simoni Lawrence suspension.

    The CFL handed down a two-game suspension to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats linebacker for when he dove and drove his left shoulder into the head of Saskatchewan Roughriders quarterback Zach Collaros. The play occurred in the Tigers-Cats 23-17 victory over the Roughriders in Hamilton on June 13 in the regular season opening game for the entire league.

    Collaros, who has a history of concussion injuries, was placed on the six-game injured list and hasn’t played since the hit.

    Lawrence received a Grade 2 roughing the passer penalty resulting in a 25-yard gain for Saskatchewan.

    The CFL handed down its suspension to Lawrence on June 17. Last Wednesday, the CFLPA informed the CFL it was grieving the two-game suspension to Lawrence.

    The appealing hearing is set for July 9. Lawrence is eligible to play for the Tiger-Cats until the appeal hearing is held.

    This sort of situation has happened in the CFL before, and it will likely happen again in the future.

    If Lawrence agreed to sit out his two-game suspension, there would have been a lot of people that said justice was served. With that said, there would have been others that said the suspension wasn’t stiff enough, but their voices likely would have faded had there not been an appeal.

    Still, the Lawrence situation would have come to a conclusion instead of being dragged out like it is, if he served the CFL imposed suspension.

    There was a feeling before the season started that player safety would be more important to all parties involved. With how Lawrence’s situation has played out, that doesn’t appear to be the case.

    The CFL looks toothless, because it appears unable to enforce the suspensions it hands out. The CFLPA looks awkward trying to defend a player that has committed an obvious foul, while appearing to overlook an injury to one of its other union members.

    It seems like ensuring Lawrence doesn’t miss getting a game paycheque trumps player safety.

    This is one of those situations where all parties are in the wrong outside of Collaros himself.

    All the criticism that has come and likely is still to come is warranted.

NHL Entry Draft not be all in making league

A David Schlemko hockey card and puck set.

    If you get passed over in the NHL Entry Draft, it doesn’t all hope of having an NHL player career is gone.

    This year’s NHL Draft was held last Friday and Saturday in Vancouver, B.C., and in the immediate aftermath, a lot of draft eligible players are left to deal with the disappointment of going unselected.

    One of my favourite success stories was never selected in the NHL Entry Draft.

    In his final major junior campaign in 2006-07, David Schlemko piled up eight goals, 50 assists and a plus-12 rating in the plus-minus department skating in 64 regular season games with the Medicine Hat Tigers.

    Cementing a solid reputation as an offensive defenceman during what was his 19-year-old season in the WHL, Schlemko helped the Tigers win the WHL title and earn a berth in the Memorial Cup tournament championship game.

    The Tigers fell in that year’s Memorial Cup title game 3-1 to the host Vancouver Giants.

Schlemko, who stands 6-foot-1 and weighs 191 pounds, was never selected in the NHL Entry Draft, but in July of 2007, he signed a three-year entry-level contract with the NHL’s Arizona Coyotes.

    He made his NHL debut during his second year in the professional ranks in 2008-09 with the Coyotes and ultimately played three games that season.

    Over 12 seasons as a professional, Schlemko has played 415 career NHL regular season games collecting 18 goals and 76 assists with the Coyotes, Dallas Stars, Calgary Flames, New Jersey Devils, San Jose Sharks and Montreal Canadiens.

    The now 32-year-old’s NHL rights are held by the Philadelphia Flyers. While there is no certainty that he will play with the Flyers next season, his NHL career has to be deemed an unequivocal success.

    If you are signed by an NHL club as an undrafted free agent, most pundits view those types of players as a long shot to make it into the league.

    The fact Schlemko has played over 400 games in the league over 12 professional campaigns blows that notion away.

    He is a smart player who knows when to make the simple plays and went to take a calculated chance on the ice. Schlemko has always been a good teammate, and all those factors have allowed to play in the NHL for as long as he has.

    He showed it is possible for someone to make it to the NHL and play in the league over a long period of time even if they go undrafted.

Being first overall pick doesn’t guarantee anything

    Do you remember who was the first overall selection in the 1999 NHL Entry Draft that saw the Vancouver Canucks select twin brothers Daniel and Henrik Sedin?

    Believe it or not, the first overall selection wasn’t one of the Sedin twins. The Canucks took Daniel second overall and Henrik third overall.

    With the first overall selection, the Atlanta Thrashers picked centre Patrik Stefan from the Czech Republic.

    Who is Patrik Stefan you ask?

    He is best remembered for a regularly shown blooper, when he was a member of the Dallas Stars. On Jan. 4, 2007, the Stars were in Edmonton leading the host Oilers 5-4 in the dying seconds of the third period.

    Stefan had a breakaway towards an empty Edmonton net. He attempted a casual backhand shot that missed the goal, and he also tripped and fell to the ice.

    After falling to the ice, Stefan proceeded to clear the puck to an Oilers player. The Oilers came back up the ice and scored the equalizer that forced a 5-5 tie. Dallas proceeded to win the game 6-5 after a tiebreaking shootout.

    Stefan, who stands 6-foot-2 and weighs 210 pounds, is remembered more for that gaff than being selected first overall in the 1999 NHL Entry Draft.

    The 2006-07 campaign turned out to be Stefan’s final season in the NHL, and he retired in October of 2007.

    He appeared in 455 career regular season games playing for both the Thrashers and the Stars posting 64 goals and 124 assists.

    Most hockey players would do something extreme to have an NHL playing career like that.

    When you are the first overall selection of an NHL Entry Draft, those numbers make you a draft bust. While that might be cruel, that is the way it is.

    There is a notion that all first overall selections in the NHL Entry Draft are can’t miss prospects for star status.

    Stefan’s career showed being the first overall selection definitely does not guarantee you will make the Hockey Hall of Fame one day.

    Instead, you can become a permanent feature on the blooper reel.

Raiders, Blades kick off regular season against each other

The Blades and Raiders are set to get it on to start the season.

    Now that the rivalry is back to a fever pitch, the Prince Albert Raiders and the Saskatoon Blades will kick off their respective WHL regular season schedules playing each other in a home-and-home series.

    The archrivals collided in the second round of the WHL playoffs last season, and the Raiders claimed the best-of-seven series 4-2. Prince Albert marched on to win the Ed Chynoweth Cup as league champions.

    The Raiders host the Blades on Friday, Sept. 20 at 7 p.m. at the Art Hauser Centre. One night later, the Blades host the Raiders at 7 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre.

    Both games should draw big crowds, and that is likely an understatement.

    This also marks the first time the Raiders and Blades have opened a WHL campaign playing each other in a home-and-home series since the start of the 2015-16 campaign.

    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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Feeling connected calms the mental health seas

Ryan Holfeld, left, and myself during a social time.

    When he coached the Medicine Hat Tigers, Willie Desjardins often told his players one of the best places to be was at the rink.

    For me, that can expand to the football field, a basketball court, volleyball court, soccer pitch or even a UFC octagon ring. The reason those places are the best places to be are the people that are there.

    The athletes, coaches, trainers, staff, facility attendants and even the fans in the stands make those places enjoyable.

    In my life, I have found the athletes, coaches and staffers to be the most genuine and real people I know. It is the main reason I continue to be a regular at the Rutherford Rink and the Physical Activity Complex on the University of Saskatchewan campus, Saskatoon Minor Football field and so far a handful of WHL rinks.

    Since November of 2012, I have known I have had issues dealing with anxiety. The issues rose due to a mental health issue I discovered in my workplace at the time, which was the Medicine Hat News, and that resulted in a whole host of spinoff problems.

    There is still a stigma around mental health issues, and they are unfortunately still treated as the elephant in the room in too many circles.

    From the start of my mental health journey, the one constant group of forward thinking backers I have had have been the young athletes that have played either in the WHL, the Canadian Interuniversity Sport ranks or the Canadian Colleges Athletic Association. I have found they have always been the most open minded and genuinely positive in helping on the mental health front.

    I remember talking about a few of these young adults with former Medicine Hat College Rattlers men’s volleyball head coach Steve Russell during a coffee chat, and he said their support on the mental health front is fitting because these are our future leaders.

    If I tried to make a list of all the people I have leaned on, I fear I might leave someone out.

    The first group of people that knew about what I was going through included Tigers grads Brennan Bosch, Ryan Holfeld and David Schlemko. From Bosch and Holfeld, the group quickly expanded to the members of the 2012-13 University of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s hockey team. Bosch and Holfeld were in the middles of their CIS careers with the Dogs at that time.

    The early list also included Talayna Tremblay and Kelsey Konihowski, who were both still with the Medicine Hat College Rattlers women’s volleyball team at the time. All of five of those people were key in helping me make my initial steps forward.

The Hilltops win in the Canadian Bowl was a good time.

    Since those beginnings, the list has greatly expanded. Over the past eight months the conversations haven’t been about mental health, when I have been at sporting venues or visiting my friends that are involved in high-level sports. The visits mainly revolve around regular talks you have every day on a variety of topics.

    When I am in those moments, I feel most normal. Actually, I usually don’t even think about my anxiety battles until I am home or I am spending time alone.

    Connectivity is the main reason I remain around the sports scene.

    That connectivity can be viewed at an obvious time like when the Saskatoon Hilltops won their 18^th Canadian Junior Football League title back on Nov. 7, 2015. I think everyone that was at Saskatoon Minor Football Field that day felt connected to what went on at that Canadian Bowl championship game.

    Connectivity also comes during a more quiet time like last Sunday at the Agriplace Arena. After watching the Saskatoon Stars fall 3-2 to the Prince Albert A & W Bears in a Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League game, I spent a lengthy time visiting with University of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s hockey team members Kaitlin and Morgan Willoughby and their mother, Dinah.

    Our conversation ventured through all sorts of subjects including mutual friends, memories from sports and the Edmonton Oilers from Wayne Gretzky’s days.

    This season, I decided I would get my Canadian Hockey League pass in order to work a little more on the major junior circuit again. In those travels, I have felt a renewed connectivity to a vast network of people I got to know covering the WHL as a beat reporter for 15 seasons. Even Red Deer Rebels head coach, general manager and owner Brent Sutter smiled when he saw me during pre-game before his squad took to the ice to face the Saskatoon Blades at the SaskTel Centre. (Side note: Sutter does smile and he does so more than you think).

Being on the WHL trail allowed me to have a great visit with Jaeger White.

    On Saturday night, I had a great visit and talk with Brandon Wheat Kings centre Jaeger White, who is the step son of current Medicine Hat Tigers head coach and general manager Shaun Clouston. I’ve known White since his bantam hockey days, and I was impressed with how mature he was during our talk that I almost forgot he is 17-years-old.

    Connectivity is the thing for me that makes all the bad stuff with anxiety wash away.

    Actually, the more connected someone with a mental illness feels connected with their community and surroundings the better off he or she will be. As this is Bell Let’s Talk day, I hope everyone remembers how powerful connectivity can be.

    When you have visits with someone who is battling a mental illness, the talk doesn’t necessarily have to be about that subject. It can be about any topic of mutual interest.

    The key is to visit and to visit in person, because those visits can go a long way to improving your overall mental health.

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

My mental health story

Me trying to be calm about the day ahead.

    Don’t talk about it. Pretend it doesn’t exist.

    At times, the silence can be painful. I have no problem admitting I have issues dealing with anxiety, and I have known about these issues since 2012. These are issues and not a full out disorder, but it is something that has affected my life.

    I have no problem talking about it.  I find the more I talk I actually gain allies that want to help. Talking also makes me feel better.

    During my journey with a mental health issue, I have found that isn’t the case with everyone. I have met people that still hide their mental health problems and issues.

    I have run into a couple of friends with issues on the mental health front that have warned me to not talk about my issues. They say if you do so you will be blackballed out of life. They said that since I have long gone public with my issues the high point of my life will have been covering the Medicine Hat Tigers WHL hockey team for the Medicine Hat News.

    Now that I am home in Saskatoon, I can forget about doing anything else of significance with my life. I will no longer be able to get a good job, because I have baggage that will scare employers away. I will never be able to hold a romantic relationship because of the stigma that still surrounds mental health.

    For all intents and purposes, my life is over.

    There is a big part of me that doesn’t believe this. During the early years of my career as a sports reporter, I had a habit of proving people wrong. There is still part of me that believes I will persevere. I will find a way. My mental health issue will be part of my life story, but it won’t be the thing that defines me.

    There was a time not so long ago I never thought mental health would play a part of my life. I can pin the last time I was normal on a day-to-day basis for an extended period as the 2010-11 hockey season, or more accurately, the winter sports season.

    On a personal level entering that season, I was trying to distance myself from residue that remained from a couple of relationship situations. Due to budget cuts at the News, the winter sports season was very busy.

    My plan to get on the rebound included not engaging in anything on the relationship front. I was just going to enjoy covering the Hat’s sports scene, and my focus revolved around the Tigers, Medicine Hat College Rattlers and high school football.

    I had long befriended a number of people in all those walks of life, and I gained a lot of joy covering their journeys through their respective campaigns. In 2010-11, The Tigers had a strong season, and most of the Rattlers teams had successful campaigns.

    As the calendar turned to March in 2011, the Rattlers seasons closed and the Tigers were gearing up for a playoff run. I was looking forward to the WHL post-season and was feeling really good.
    Every day was a great day, and even the day-to-day challenges that caused some extra stress didn’t feel like a problem. Little did I know, my life path was going to change drastically over the next few years.

    This is the part where the story gets tough to tell. I do have to play politics a bit in order to protect good people that meant well but didn’t know how to handle the situations that came up.

    While covering the Tigers post-season run, I discovered a mental health issue inside my workplace. Before arriving in the Hat in September of 2004, I worked three years at the Prince Albert Daily Herald, and from my training there, I remembered we had the ability to dial a 1-800 number if you discovered something on this front that might be concerning. A number of workplaces have this option in place for their employees, but the News did not.

    My memory also vaguely recalled an incident in 2001 back in Regina, where a former CTV employee fired a shot through the entrance of his old workplace after being let go. My mind seemed to recall that was linked to mental health, but I wasn’t sure. I had a couple of friends that worked at CTV at that time, and they were freaked.

    My educated gut feeling was that my discovery at the News should be treated seriously.

    When playoffs concluded, I told my mom what had happened, and I consulted a small group of three people for advice. Looking back now, I should have expanded the group, but worked to keep some details like names and places vague. That group should have also included my older sister, Michelle Stephen, who has been a social worker for over two-and-a-half decades.

    I also have to admit my concern at this time was tempered. The summer of 2011 was looking to be an exciting time, as I was pursuing opportunities to make a career move upwards in Calgary and Saskatoon.

    I was excited, because up to that point in my life, it seemed a break upwards in my career seemed to always work out at the appropriate time. I figured the appropriate time had come again.

    Unfortunately over a two-week vacation late that summer, it became clear those opportunities wouldn’t work out. I had a good break watching the University of Regina Rams play their season opener and the Saskatchewan Roughriders play in the Labour Day Classic, which included some great social time around those games. I also kept a promise I made to an old friend from Prince Albert in Elizabeth Hudon, and I watched her play for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s soccer team in her fifth and final season of eligibility.

    Looking back now, the first bad sign for me came up, when it came time to return to the Hat. I remember getting in my car to leave my mom’s place, and I started crying. That had never happened on a return trip to the Hat.

    I admitted to her I didn’t want to go back, because I worried about what awaited me. I had kicked the tires about living in Saskatoon in the summer of 2010 for family reasons, but this was totally different. I feared my return to Medicine Hat wouldn’t be good.

    When I returned to the Hat, I told a member of the senior management at the News about the mental health issue I discovered. I figured that would make everything better. Unfortunately, I think this whole situation was new for the senior manager too, which further complicated things.

    I was left to manage the issue, and if people say otherwise, I definitely felt like it fell on my shoulders to manage it. To make matters worse, I wasn’t in a position to manage that situation.

    As the months went on, things kept getting worse, incidents piled up and my mental well-being went down the tube. It seemed like those in the small group that knew about the situation and my mom didn’t think the situation was as serious as I thought it was.

    This became another lesson I learned on the mental health front. If a mental health situation is discovered and no one acts on it, it becomes way worse.

Hanging out with Elizabeth Hudon in 2011 before the tough times.

    For the longest time, I soldiered on convincing myself everything was in my head. I kept thinking God and life wouldn’t throw anything in my path that I couldn’t handle.

    With that said, I got to the point where I would shut off my cell phone and disconnect my land line when I was on days off. I basically did what I could do to isolate myself.

    Things disintegrated to the point in 2012 that I considered suicide, which will likely come as a revelation to my family members let alone my friends. In my mind, I was sick of being the pawn that was shouldered with making everyone else’s life easier.

    Other thoughts that ran through my mind was that no one outside of my mom would miss me, if I no longer existed. The paper would still come out and each Tigers season would come and go whether I was there or not. I wasn’t in any relationship, so no one would care from that front.

    I also reasoned that I had a good run at life, as being a sports reporter allowed me to have a number of unique experiences most will never have. I was thinking that it was better to burn out than to fade away.

    It was around this time my mom arrived for an extended visit, and couldn’t believe the bad shape I was in. Another lesson I would learn is that this journey was extremely hard on my mom. With her arrival, I never did attempt suicide.

    It was also round this time my social working sister Michelle became more active in the picture. She would drop hints about courses of action to take. I guess she figured I would follow them, when I was ready.

    One of the actions included going to see my doctor, telling him everything that was going on and getting help that way. I had no clue you could do such a thing.

    After a couple of incidents at the start of the 2012-13 season, I decided I would see a doctor, but not just any doctor. I was going to go see the team doctor of the Medicine Hat Tigers, Bill Ruzycki. My mind was made up that he would be able to make me better.

    The thinking came from the fact the Tigers former long-time head coach and general manager Willie Desjardins, who is currently the head coach of the NHL’s Vancouver Canucks, had his master’s degree in social work, and I felt very confident mechanisms were put in place with the Tigers medical staff to deal with mental health issues. With that in mind, I didn’t want to see anyone else other than Dr. Ruzycki.

    To be honest, I did not have the greatest faith in the staff at the News at that point in time to be able to handle things.

    I was put on medical leave for November of 2012. Dr. Ruzycki set me up with a really good councellor and a plan was put in motion to help me get better. I wanted to get better without the use of drugs.

    I found out I developed issues dealing with anxiety due to my situation at work. I started to learn about how breathing exercises and meditation could help.

    I also tried to do my best to learn more about mental health. That is still an ongoing process.

    Talking also helped.
    My best listeners during my medical leave included former Tigers Brennan Bosch, Ryan Holfeld and David Schlemko, as well as Kelsey Konihowski and Talayna Tremblay. Konihowski and Trembley were still members of the Rattlers women’s volleyball team at the time, and I felt secure talking to them due to the fact they had been in nursing at one point in time.

    Schlemko, an NHL veteran defenceman who finished last season with the Calgary Flames, came back to town when I was on leave for a funeral, and he has always been genuine and trustworthy. I also went to see Bosch and Holfeld play with the Huskies men’s hockey team, and going to those games became a regular tradition for me to get into a different but good world for a short time.

    When I was gone, the News brought in the human resources department to handle the issues that were in place. I returned and had a good 19 months. There were still a lot of changing stresses due to budget cuts at work, which no one could really control.

    A pile of 30 reasons built up, where I thought it would be best to switch scenery. At the end of June of 2014, I resigned from the News to move to Saskatoon to be close to family. I was giving a heartfelt and unreal great going away.

    No matter what happened in that building, I still see everyone there as being good. I believe everything that went down was a learning experience for everyone as it was for me. It wasn’t one anyone always liked, but it was a learning experience none the less. I will go out for pops with anyone from that place at any time.

    Now in Saskatoon, I have to be honest and admit some residual effects from what I encountered in my last three years in the Hat still surface. From time to time, my anxiety will get heightened due to triggers I would never suspect. On the bright side, I have become more mindful in recognizing what is happening, which has helped to get me settled down.

    It has also been great for me to reconnect with Cam Hutchinson, who is the editor of the Saskatoon Express and former long-time managing editor of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix. He has gone public with his battles with anxiety, and when I talk to him, it feels like someone else actually does know what I am going through.

    I tell my mental health story in hopes people can learn just how quickly things can go downhill, even if you were at an awesome and healthy place at one point in time.

    On Friday night, I will be heading to the One Voice fundraiser at TCU Place here in Saskatoon, which supports the Neural Health Project at the U of Saskatchewan. From what I understand, the hopes of this project are to develop a more complete approach to the treatment of mental illness.

    Mike Babcock, who is the head coach of the NHL’s Toronto Maple Leafs, and Dr. DeeDee Maltman are the ones behind the idea of the One Voice fundraiser. The idea for the project and fundraiser came about after the deaths of Saskatoon products Ian Buckwold and Jordan Chartier in July of 2013 at the hand of mental illness. Their deaths were hard on their family and friends.

Out watching a Huskies hockey game with Howler.

    I plan to learn more about the Neural Health Project, and I am hoping it will create an avenue to better treat mental illness. The fact Babcock is involved in this fundraiser increases my optimism for the project.

    I will see a lot of people I have met from the sports world again on Friday night, and I expect to make some new friends. A lot of the people attending the One Voice fundraiser have had their own mental health battles.

    I expect I will learn some new lessons about mental health on Friday night, but I plan to go for all intents and purposes to have a good time.

    I hope I can add to the conversation and gain another reminder I am not alone in my mental health journey.

    If you have any comments about this blog post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com. Feel free to check out the other post I wrote back in February about my mental health journey entitled, “Huskies hockey was good for me.”

People who rock

    Wherever my life travels have taken me, I have found outstanding individuals.

    For just a plain feel good exercise, I thought I would list a few people who are “beauties” and make life just so much better. By no means is this list complete or even in any sort of order. I am just hoping it creates some good, upbeat and positive energy.

Kabree Howard

Kabree Howard in action for the Huskies.

    The University of Saskatchewan Huskies are so going to miss her.

    For five seasons, Howard was more than just a point guard on the Huskies women’s basketball team. She just made life better for everyone at the U of Saskatchewan.

    The Regina product was the heart of the Huskies program, who was everyone’s best friend and always knew the right thing to say to pick up someone’s spirits and motivate them. She also seemed to get out to every community event the Huskies held, and volunteered to help out numerous other community projects.

    When her final season was complete, Howard won the Huskies team award as the program’s all-around female athlete of the year. The 23-year-old has also excelled in the classroom being constant academic all-Canadian.

    While she has exhausted her playing eligibility, the Huskies would be wise to find a permanent position for her within their athletic department. All Howard has done is make the Huskies look good, and you can’t put a price on that.

Bob Ridley

Bob Ridley calls a Tigers game at The Arena.

  Ridley has been the play-by-play voice of the Medicine Hat Tigers for all 45 seasons of their existence and drove the team bus for the majority of that time.

    Les Lazaruk, who is the play-by-play voice of the Saskatoon Blades, called Ridley the dean of all WHL broadcasters, and the label fits.

    Between the regular season and post-season, Ridley has called all but one of the Tigers games. He has worked 3,219 of the team’s 3,220 regular season contests, all 388 of the club’s contests in the WHL playoffs and all 20 games the team has played in at the Memorial Cup tournament for a total of 3,627 contests.

    Ridley, 70, is a WHL legend and icon. Back in 2006, he was the recipient of the WHL’s Distinguished Service Award. There is hope that one day he will find his way into the Hockey Hall of Fame, and he is deserving of a spot with the game’s all-time greats.

    The best part about Rids is he has always taken all the accolades that have come his way in a humble manner, and he has never made himself that big of a deal. The press box in the new Medicine Hat Regional Event Centre, which is nearing completion, will be named after Ridley.

    Last season was the first campaign Ridley wasn’t the full-time bus driver for the Tigers since the early 1970s. He does admit he is getting older, and he needed to depart from that role.

    Ridley has been blessed with great health for his whole life, and here is hoping he will still be calling Tigers for a few more season’s in the future. When the day comes you no longer get to hear “he scooorrrreeeesss” on the radio, it will feel like something is missing.

Cody Smuk and Stephanie Vause

Cody Smuk and Stephanie Vause watch a Huskies men's hockey game.

    The former U of Saskatchewan Huskies athletes, who are engaged to me married, never cease to be inspiring.

    When Smuk was diagnosed with cancer just over a year ago, the resolve this young couple has displayed has been breathtaking. Smuk, who was a forward with the Huskies men’s hockey team, has always been a hard-working and ultimate team guy. Vause, who was a member of the Huskies track and field team, never wavered as a source of outstanding support for Smuk.

    She started the Gofundme page to raise money to help Smuk in cancer battle. The funds have been used to send Smuk to Germany for an alternative vaccine treatment. The doctors took a sample from the cancerous tumour in Smuk’s chest and created a vaccine for it, and the initial news is that the treatment is working.

    Smuk proposed to Vause in late December of last year. In February, the couple won a Dream Wedding Contest, which was organized by Crystal MacLeod of RSVP Event Design.

    Smuk and Vause have impressed all of their supports throughout Smuk’s cancer battle. They deserve nothing but good things to keep coming their way.

Steve Hogle

Steve Hogle, right, works the card table at the Blades Vegas night.

    The president of the Saskatoon Blades has become the public face of the hockey club.

    Hogle arrived in Saskatoon in September of 2013 and became Blades president under the club’s new owner Mike Priestner. Since landing in the Bridge City, Hogle hit the ground running to do his best to become part of his new community.

    Any time the Blades are engaged in a community event, Hogle is front and centre ensuring that everything is organized. He has represented the team in all sorts of forums, and on game nights, he can always be found on the concourse level interacting with fans.

    He has developed a reputation for being fun and energetic, and he helps add a lot of spark to the club’s various nightly promotions. That includes have a very noticeable joy of being part of the hoopla during the club’s Las Vegas night, where Hogle can be found working a card table.

    Away from the Blades, Hogle can be found wandering Saskatoon doing various other activities like taking in other sporting events like the Canadian Interuniversity Sport Men’s Volleyball Championships at the U of Saskatchewan or checking out a Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan play performance.

    Once thought to be a lifer with CTV News in Edmonton, Hogle has found a home in Saskatoon.

Kandace Cook

Kandace Cook zips down the ice for the Huskies.

    The gritty and hard-working forward in hockey always finds a place in your heart, and no one in the Canada West women’s conference was a feisty as Kandace Cook.

    She stands only 5-foot-2 but played the game like she was 6-foot-2. The Lloydminster product was spectacular in her fifth and final season with the U of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s hockey team. For the third straight season, Cook appeared in all of the Huskies 28 regular season games, and she had career highs in goals (13) and points (22).

    For her efforts, Cook was named the most valuable player of the Huskies women’s hockey team.

    When she is on the ice, you can tell Cook loves the game. She is not afraid to go in front of the net or into the corners, where players do still take a physical beating in the women’s game. Away from the rink, she is energetic, outgoing and is very popular with the rest of her teammates.

    Now that she has exhausted her university eligibility, the Huskies will definitely miss Cook next season, and could only wish to find five more players just like her.

    Away from the rink, you don’t have to know Cook long to learn that her other big passion is farming, and she can usually be found helping out the family farm operation.

Peter Anholt

Peter Anholt.

    It was a big lift for the WHL, when Peter Anholt once again became employed with one of the league’s member teams in a role as a manager or coach.

    The Naicam, Sask., product was a respected, accountable and personable career coach in the WHL for much of his life. After guiding the Prince Albert Raiders to the playoffs in the 2006-07 campaign as head coach, Anholt parted ways with the club when his contract was allowed to expire in the off-season.

    Anholt had huge ties to the Raiders and to the Prince Albert community, and it was strange that he was no longer the team’s head coach. He was a defenceman on two national championship teams with the Raiders in 1979 and 1981, when the club was still a member of the junior A ranks. It seemed like he was meant to coach that team forever.

    The former defenceman with the U of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s hockey team 1983 University Cup national championship team was hired by the struggling Lethbridge Hurricanes as an assistant general manager in June of 2014. The Hurricanes last made the WHL playoffs in 2009. Anholt’s arrival was the first huge positive step forward the team took in some time.

    In December of last year, the Hurricanes cleaned house firing general manager Brad Robson and head coach Drake Berehowsky.

    Anholt became the club’s new head coach and general manager. For the rest of the 2014-15 regular season, the Hurricanes were no longer an easy win for every other team in the league. The Hurricanes played inspired hockey and started rolling off some winning streaks.

    The coaching veteran treated the players with respect but still held them accountable. His biggest strength is his ability to instill confidence, and that could be seen when the Hurricanes took the ice. They still finished second last in the league at 20-44-5-3, but hope had returned to Lethbridge.

    In May, the Hurricanes signed Anholt to a three-year extension as the team’s general manager. On Thursday, Anholt hired long time Calgary Hitmen assistant coach Brent Kisio as the Hurricanes new head coach. The hire was a forward thinking move by Anholt bringing in an eager 32-year-old bench boss, who had been part of a winning program.

    Not so long ago, the Hurricanes were a franchise players wanted to leave. Under Anholt, players are now excited about the prospect of joining the Hurricanes.

Kris Russell

A Kris Russell card from his Tigers days.

    The Caroline, Alta., product is living proof that talent, hard work and persistence can take you a long way.

    During his major junior days with the Medicine Hat Tigers, Russell was viewed as one of the most exciting players in the entire Canadian Hockey League helping Canada win gold at the world junior championships in 2006 and 2007 and being named the WHL’s MVP in the 2006-07 campaign. He also accumulated numerous other accolades in his four seasons with the Tigers from 2003 to 2007, and he was key in helping Medicine Hat win WHL championships in 2004 and 2007.

    Russell started his NHL career with an extended stay with the Columbus Blue Jackets before being dealt to the St. Louis Blues. The Blues built a deep back end, and traded Russell to the struggling Calgary Flames in July of 2013.

    With the Flames, the dynamic Russell was given a full out shot to excel, and he didn’t disappoint. This past season, Russell cemented a reputation for being a standout on the blue-line at the NHL level.

    In helping the Flames make the playoffs for the first time in six years, Russell established a new NHL record for most blocked shots in a season at 283, which broke the old mark of 274 set back Anton Volchenkov in the 2006-07 campaign with the Ottawa Senators.

    Russell, who stands 5-foot-10 and weighs 173 pounds, also set career highs in assists (30), points (34) and plus-minus rating (plus-18) playing 79 regular season games with the Flames. In the playoffs, Russell netted two goals, seven assists and blocked 54 shots in 11 games.

    Away from the rink, Russell has always been well mannered and has treated others with lots of respect. He is a good guy, and it is great to see success at the NHL level come to a good guy.

David Schlemko

David Schlemko back in 2007.

    During his whole professional hockey career, David Schlemko proved that you can make it into the NHL as an undrafted player.

    The Edmonton product was never selected in the NHL Entry Draft, but he made it to the professional ranks after signing an NHL entry-level contract with the Arizona Coyotes in 2007. An offensive defenceman in his major junior career with the Medicine Hat Tigers, Schlemko was being molded into a power-play specialist as a member of the Coyotes franchise.

    He started in the Central Hockey League ranks, worked his way up through the American Hockey League ranks and joined the Coyotes on a full-time basis for the 2010-11 campaign.

    For a time, it seemed like Schlemko would be a career member of the Coyotes franchise. That all changed this season, when the Coyotes decided to go in another direction dumping a number of veterans to get younger.

    With his contact set to expire at the end of the season, he was placed on waivers after playing 20 regular season games with the Coyotes and claimed by the Dallas Stars in January. He played five games with the Stars before again being placed of waivers, and he was claimed by the Calgary Flames in early March.

    Joining his third team in the final year of his contact, you had to wonder if Schlemko would be cycled out of the NHL. He turned 28 in May, but lots of players get cycled out of the league at that age to make room for younger prospects.

    Schlemko has a good understanding of the realities of the business side of hockey, but he showed he still has a lot to offer at the NHL level in his time with the Flames. He made an immediate impact in his first game with the Flames.

    Locked in a 2-2 draw against the Bruins in Boston on March 5, the Flames sent Schlemko on the ice to win the contest in the eighth round of a tiebreaking shootout.

    He scored on a sick move to give the Flames a 3-2 victory. He appeared in 19 regular season games with the Flames posting a plus-six rating helping the club earn a post-season berth for the first time in six years.

    With star defenceman and captain Mark Giordano gone for the season with a torn biceps tendon, Schlemko provided a calming influence on the Flames back end. He also suited up for all 11 of Calgary’s post-season games posting an assist and a plus-one rating.

    Between the Coyotes, Stars and Flames, Schlemko appeared in 44 regular season games last season posting one goal, three assists and a plus-one rating. He is reliable on the back end, and the Flames would be wise to resign him. If the Flames believe they will have depth on defence, they could convert Schlemko into a forward. He has play making skills that would allow his to flourish at that position.

    Schlemko can still contribute at the NHL level, and hopefully he will get another contract with some team in the show. If he does get cycled out, he would depart on a high note.

Valkyries eye up playoffs

Julene Friesen runs to daylight for the Valkyries

    The Saskatoon Valkyries are heading into the Western Women’s Canadian Football League playoffs on a high note.

    On Sunday in Winnipeg, the Valkyries closed the regular season dumping the Manitoba Fearless 36-15. Saskatoon finished at 3-1, while Manitoba closed out at 0-4. Valkyries running back Julene Friesen had one of the biggest plays of the contest scoring on a 49-yard romp.

    The Valkyries finished second in the WWCFL’s Prairie Conference to the 3-1 Regina Riot. The Valkyries and Riot split their two head-to-head meetings, but the Riot held the standings tiebreaker outscoring the Valkyries 68-37 in their two regular season tilts.

    Regina closed the regular season by dumping the Wolfpack in Winnipeg 47-3. The Wolfpack finished off at 2-2.

    After a bye week, the WWCFL Prairie Conference semifinal games are slated for June 21. The Valkyries will host the Wolfpack, while the Riot host the Fearless. The start times for those matches are still to be announced.

    On June 13 at 7 p.m., the Valkyries are hosting a fundraising cabaret at the #38 Anavets – Army, Navy and Airforce Veterans club. It is an 18+ event. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased from any Valkyries player.

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

Rare chance escapes Huskies

Ben Baker quarterbacks an offensive set for the Huskies.

    The University of Saskatchewan Huskies men's basketball team were minutes if not seconds away from a dream Saturday night.
    Playing at the Physical Activity Complex before a crowd of 1,802 spectators, the Huskies were trying to win their first Canada West championship on home court. For a program that has one modern era Canada West title win and one national championship coming in the 2009-10 campaign, Saturday's conference title game against the University of Victoria Vikes presented a unique opportunity.
    It was obvious from the outset the crowd was energized with hopes of celebrating a title win at game's end. The PAC was alive and rocking way beyond anything that was seen in the regular season, when an average of about 600 people turned out for hoops games. It was a dream those involved with Huskie Athletics had envisioned when the PAC replaced Education Gym as the home of the program's teams in 2003.
    The PAC was full of a large number of members from all the other Huskies teams, whose respective competitive seasons had come to an end. There was also a big representation for the community at large, who were checking the game out intrigued by the excitement.
    The raucous gathering witnessed an epic contest, which showed Canadian Interuniversity Sport hoops at its best. Unfortunately, the home side didn't win.
    The Vikes pulled out a 70-67 victory. When it came time for the banner and trophy presentations, most of the crowd had bolted for the exits.

Matthew Forbes battles in the post for the Huskies.

    By making the Canada West final, both teams earned spots in the CIS men's championship tournament, which starts this coming Thursday and runs through to Sunday at the Mattamy Athletic Centre in Toronto hosted by Ryerson University. In Friday's Canada West semifinal games, the Huskies knocked off the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds 81-75, while Vikes dumped the University of Fraser Valley Cascades 86-61.
    Even with their spots at nationals all locked away, the Huskies and Vikes played like their seasons were on the line.
    The Vikes led by 14 points at one point in the second quarter, but the Huskies roared back to hold a 10-point edge at one point in the third quarter in a back-and-fourth contest.
    Huskies guard Ben Baker, who was the Canada West defensive player of the year, was outstanding in leading the Huskies with 21 points and 10 rebounds. Guard Evan Ostertag came off the bench to provide huge energy for the home side and 17 points.
    Vikes guard Marcus Tibbs had a huge outing for the Vikes leading all scorers with 25 points, while dishing out seven assists.
    The Vikes held a 41-32 lead at halftime, but the Huskies rebounded to hold a 60-56 edge after three quarters. The teams were locked in a 65-65 draw with 3:44 to play in the fourth quarter, when the defences came to dominate on both sides.
    The Vikes outscored the Huskies 5-2 over the final 3:44. The hosts also had a basket taken off the scoreboard due to an offensive charging foul.
    Tibbs put the Vikes up 67-65 with a jumper. Huskies forward Matthew Forbes hit a pair of three-throws to force a 67-67 tie.
    With an even score, Tibbs hit a baseline jumper, which resulted in the game-winning points. Vikes forward Chris McLaughlin, who is the Canada West player-of-the-year, hit a foul shot to give the visitors their 70-67 edge.
    Baker attempted a three in the game's final seconds to try to force overtime, but facing huge defensive pressure, his shot was off target.

The U of Victoria Vikes celebrate a Canada West title.

    Had the Huskies won, they would have been able to soak in the attention from family, friends, classmates and fellow Huskie athletes in the post-game celebrations. The chance for a rare home celebration was gone. They had finished first in the Pioneer Division to earn the chance to host the Canada West Final Four, but those types of regular seasons don't come around that often, even if the team is good.
    With all that said, the Huskies can make the disappointment of not winning the Canada West title go away, if they can capture a second national title. They enter the eight-team CIS tournament as the lowest seed and open against the Carlton University Ravens, who have won the last four CIS titles and 10 CIS titles in total.
    The Huskies will be the underdogs going forward. Back in 2009-10, the Huskies were also the underdogs in a national title run that came virtually out of nowhere. They finished that campaign with 13 straight victories to win it all.
    While winning a national title would make the setback in the Canada West final mostly forgettable, a home court victory party would have been a nice memory to have.

Heartbreak in Vancouver

Kelsey Trulsrud - a heart and soul Huskie.

    A March Madness type finish proved to be the difference in preventing the U of S Huskies women's basketball team from winning the Canada West title for a second straight season.
    On Saturday night in Vancouver, the Huskies led the host UBC Thunderbirds 68-67 with about 15 seconds to play. Huskies guard Kelsey Trulsrud was at the free-throw line for a pair of shots trying to extend the lead for the visitors.
    Trulsrud missed both attempts. Thunderbirds guard Kris Young hauled in the rebound from the second miss, went coast-to-coast and hit a runner off the glass with 7.8 seconds to play to give the Thunderbirds a 69-68 victory. The Huskies couldn't get a shot off with their final possession.
    Young, who was the Canada West player-of-the-year, topped the Thunderbirds with 21 points, while forward Harleen Sidhu added 18 points to aid the winning effort by the hosts.
    Laura Dally had a huge night for the Huskies leading the team with 21 points, which included making 4-of-8 shots from three-point land. Trulsrud, who is one of those heart-and-soul players you need in the dressing room, had a strong outing too recording 15 points, 12 rebounds and four assists. One of the Huskies most unsung players, it was more unfortunate than anything that she wasn't able to make the two foul shots in the final seconds of the fourth quarter.
    The Huskies entered the Canada West final riding a 16-game winning streak and had downed the University of Alberta Pandas 77-61 in a Canada West semifinal match on Friday.
    Both the Huskies and Thunderbirds earned spots to the eight-team CIS women's championship tournament that begins Thursday in Quebec City at the Universite Laval.

Schlemko can be a good surprise

David Schlemko at the 2007 Memorial Cup.

    It only took one NHL game for Calgary Flames supporters to know who David Schlemko was.
    In his debut with the Flames, the veteran 27-year-old defenceman scored a spectacular winning goal in a tiebreaking shootout to give Calgary a 4-3 road victory over the Bruins in Boston last Thursday. The tally was replayed on numerous sports highlight shows.
    The Edmonton product is also in the final year of his current contract and has been bounced around this season. He started the season with the Arizona Coyotes. Entering the current campaign, Schlemko had played his entire professional career with the Coyotes organization.
    After recording a goal, three assists and a minus-five rating in 20 regular season games this season with the Coyotes, Schlemko was put on waivers and claimed by the Dallas Stars. He played five games with the Stars before being placed on waivers again, where he was claimed by the Flames.
    Going back to his major junior days with the Medicine Hat Tigers, Schlemko developed a reputation as being an even-keel player with a nice offensive touch and someone who is just an all-around good guy. He also became well known as a shootout specialist, who score goals in the tiebreaking session with an arsenal of moves.
    In the NHL ranks, Schlemko has only received two opportunities in the shootout, and he scored on both of them.
    Before joining the Flames, Schlemko had appeared in 212 NHL regular season games dating back to the 2007-08 campaign. As NHL teams have a tendency to constantly bring in young prospects, it looked like with two waiver placements that Schlemko might get forced out of the league. That happens to a number of players in his situation, even though he could hardly be considered old for a professional hockey player.
    If he is given a fair opportunity and allowed to use his strengths, Flames supporters will likely see their team received a gift in being able to pick up Schlemko. When the Flames campaign does end, the likelihood is very high Schlemko will do enough that Flames management will be convinced to sign him to a new deal.

    If you have any comments about this blog, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.