WHL continues to roll as B.C. Division gets green light

Schedule announced for East Division hub

Connor Zary and the Blazers are set to be back in action.

WHL officials might be over celebrating if they pop the champagne corks, but they should feel free to indulge in their favourite order from Starbucks.

On Tuesday, the WHL officially announced they had the green light from the British Columbia Provincial Health Office to play games in two hub centres in that province in Kelowna and Kamloops. That means the five teams in the WHL’s B.C. Division will be allowed to begin an abbreviated regular season starting on March 26, where each team will play 24 games.

With that announcement, the WHL was successful in navigating all hurdles to this point in time to get all of the circuit’s 22 teams back into action for a shortened 2020-21 campaign. The season is being held for the purposes of developing players and allowing them to be scouted for the next NHL Entry Draft.

Action is already underway in the Central Division. The East Division is schedule to begin play in a bubble environment in Regina, Sask., on March 12.

The U.S. Division is slated to begin play on March 19.

Of course, the WHL clubs are playing shortened seasons due to the fact the world is still in the grips of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

“The WHL appreciated the cooperation we have received from the Provincial Health Officer and health officials in B.C. as we work toward a safe return to play in the B.C. Division,” said WHL commissioner Ron Robison in a release. “With our extensive protocols and the necessary approvals now in place, we are looking forward to play beginning in the Kamloops and Kelowna hubs.

Tarun Fizer will aim to pile up offence for the Royals.

“We are excited to now have all four WHL Divisions returning to play as it was our objective from the onset to deliver a season for all our players.”

On Wednesday, the WHL continued to roll announcing the schedule for al 84 regular season games that will be played in the East Division hub in the Brandt Centre. 

The schedule gets going on March 12 with two games as the Moose Jaw Warriors take on the Brandon Wheat Kings (4 p.m. Saskatchewan time) and the Regina Pats will tangle with the Prince Albert Raiders (4 p.m. Saskatchewan time).

As for the B.C. Division, games will be played at Prospera Place in Kelowna and the Sandman Centre in Kamloops. 

Like action in the rest of the WHL, spectators will not be permitted into league facilities for the 2020-21 season.

The Kelowna Rockets and Victoria Royals will be based out of Kelowna. The Rockets expect to stay with billet families, while the Royals are expected to stay in a hotel.

The Kamloops Blazers, Prince George Cougars and Vancouver Giants will be based out of Kamloops. The Blazers are expected to stay with billets, while the Cougars and Giants will stay in hotels.

Kaedan Korczak is expected to be back in the Rockets fold.

WHL teams will be permitted to travel between the two hub cities with no stops permitted. The two centres are about 170 kilometres apart from each other.

The players and staff from B.C. Division teams will begin self-quarantining this coming Saturday. 

They will report to their respective hub cities on March 13 and will undergo COVID-19 testing upon arrival followed by an additional quarantine period.

Players and staff will undergo a second COVID-19 test before being permitted to engage in any team activity.

WHL clubs will provide private PCR testing through DynaLIFE Medical Labs in order to ensure no additional strain is placed on public health. 

All private testing conducted in the B.C. Division will be processed and analyzed at DynaLIFE’s Alberta-based laboratory in Edmonton.

The major junior circuit will implement an ongoing weekly private PCR testing strategy.

If a WHL squad has one or more players or staff test positive for COVID-19 at any point in the season, the team will be required to suspend its activities for a minimum of 14 days.

There will be enhanced screening for all WHL players, team staff and officials that will take place on a daily basis including regular temperature screenings as well as symptom monitoring through the WHL Athlete RMS Mobile Application.

Masks must be worn by all WHL players at all times except when they are participating on ice for games and practices.

Alex Kannok Leipert will man the blue-line for the Giants.

WHL coaches will be required to wear masks at all times including while conducting practice and while behind the bench during games.

The schedule for the B.C. Division will be announced at a later date.

Overall, the WHL was able to accomplish something that looked to be impossible. For the longest time, there was huge doubt that the circuit would be able to hold any type of season for a 2020-21 campaign.

The fact the WHL will hold an abbreviated campaign getting all 22 member clubs into action has to be seen as a minor miracle.

Rush honour Shahab with jersey, other notes

“We presented Dr Saqib Shahab with a jersey in appreciation of his leadership and guidance under unimaginable pressure. We look forward to seeing him and his family in the stands next year alongside Rush Nation” Rush owner Bruce Urban

(Dr Shahab w/ Paul Merriman, Health Minster) pic.twitter.com/4X8C4ddf1V

— Saskatchewan Rush (@SaskRushLAX) March 3, 2021

The Saskatchewan Rush seem to enjoy hitting lots and lots of homeruns.

On Wednesday morning, the powerhouse National Lacrosse League club shared photos of having presented Saskatchewan’s Chief Medical Health Officer Dr. Saqib Shahab with a personalized jersey. The jersey is emblazoned with the number one and has Dr. Shahab on the name bar.

In a release, the Rush wrote that Dr. Shahab and his team have been working tirelessly to keep us all safe from the COVID-19 pandemic. The Rush release said Dr. Shahab is the face of thousands working in the front lines to make Saskatchewan better.

“On behalf of the entire Rush organization, we proudly present Dr. Shahab with a personalized jersey in appreciation of his continued leadership and guidance under unimaginable pressure,” said Rush owner Bruce Urban in a release. “His expertise and calm demeanor have been a guiding light in the storm, and we look forward to seeing him in the stands alongside Rush Nation next season.”

The Rush relocated to Saskatoon before the start of the 2015-16 NLL campaign from Edmonton as the defending league champions.

In that first campaign playing out of the SaskTel Centre, the Rush won a second straight NLL crown. They added a third NLL championship in 2018.

The Rush last played on March 7, 2020, when downed the visiting Vancouver Warriors 17-7 at the SaskTel Centre. The rest of the 2019-20 NLL was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The NLL decided to not play in 2020-21 due to the continuing pandemic electing to focus on returning for the 2021-22 season.

When action does resume, you can expect the Rush and the league will continue their entertaining magic.

• The WHL’s games will be streamed on WHL Live on CHL TV. Back on Feb. 16, the CHL announced Verizon Media Platform would be its streaming partner for this season. For WHL games, a season pass will cost fans $59.99 or a 24-hour pass will cost $6.99. As fans aren’t allowed to attend WHL games this season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many were looking for information regarding live streams for games. You can find more information on WHL Live on CHL TV by clicking right here.
• On Monday, Edmonton Oil Kings winger Dylan Guenther was named the first WHL play of the week for the 2020-21 campaign. The 17-year-old had four goals and four assists in two games for the Oil Kings, who picked up a pair of victories over the Lethbridge Hurricanes. Oil Kings 18-year-old netminder Sebastian Cossa was named the WHL goaltender of the week. He was in goal for both of the Oil Kings wins over the Hurricanes posting a 1.50 goals against average and a .935 save percentage.
• Tickets are on sale for the March jackpot for the Saskatchewan Amateur Football Mega 50/50 lottery. The funds from this 50/50 lottery will go to support the CJFL’s Saskatoon Hilltops and Regina Thunder and the WWCFL’s Saskatoon Valkyries and Regina Riot. One prize will be drawn per month, and the remaining draw dates are Wednesday, March 31, April 30 and May 31. Tickets can be purchased by clicking right here, and purchasers must be in Saskatchewan in order to buy tickets.
• On Tuesday, CTV Regina shared a story of an under-18 hockey team in Estevan breaking Government of Saskatchewan Public Health Orders in holding scrimmage with a referee. The teams weren’t social distancing on the bench either. Sport competitions are currently not allowed and Public Health Orders in Saskatchewan. The scrimmage was streamed live online, which basically means those involved with the scrimmage were giving the “Stone Cold Stunner” to authorities. Claire Hanna had the story, and it can be found by clicking right here.
• On Tuesday, Gregg Drinnan posted his latest entry on his Taking Note blog on how the COVID-19 pandemic is wreaking havoc on the sports world. He also shows an example of a factually inaccurate tweet that was made to try and influence government officials in British Columbia. It shows the unhelpful lows some will go to get sports back into action. Drinnan’s piece can be found by clicking right here.
• Netminder Garin Bjorklund of the WHL’s Medicine Hat Tigers delivered a message on the importance of masking in during these COVID-19 pandemic times in the tweet below.

Goaltender Garin Bjorklund knows his way around a mask. He’s here to ask you to keep one another safe by wearing your own. #WHLMaskUp

INFO 📝 | https://t.co/ReHDXwk3J4 pic.twitter.com/1fTz9BPtAP

— Medicine Hat Tigers (@tigershockey) March 3, 2021

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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WHL pushing back start date was to be expected

Spencer Moe and the Prince Albert Raiders wait for action.

With the way the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic was going in Western Canada and the United States, it seemed inevitable that the WHL was going to have to push back the start of its 2020-21 campaign.

Coming into this week, both Manitoba and Alberta were engaged in strict lockdown measures to battle the pandemic that are at the moment slated to last until January 8, 2021 and January 10, 2021 respectively.

On Monday, the Government of Saskatchewan announced current pandemic restrictions would be extended to January 15, 2021 and added some new tweaks that come in on Thursday at 12:01 a.m. The tweaks include limiting all private indoor gatherings to members who live in the same household and limiting all outdoor private gatherings to 10 people.

On Tuesday, British Columbia Premier John Horgan was vowing there would be tighter enforcement for the strict lockdown measures in that province.

The measures that are in place in all four Western Canadian provinces have prevented games and competitions in the sports world from happening at all. Where athletic activities can occur, training has been limited to groups of eight.

New COVID-19 case numbers are still rising at a concerning rate in both Canada and the United States.

On Tuesday, the WHL announced that due to public health restrictions in place across Western Canada and the Pacific Northwest U.S., the major junior hockey circuit is not in position to begin its upcoming regular season on January 8, 2021.

All Brandon Wheat Kings head bump celebrations are on hold.

The WHL announced that following further consultations with regional health authorities the league’s board of governors will meet in January to consider potential start dates. The circuit said it would continue to work with governments and health authorities in the region it operates out of to consider schedule options for the 2020-21 campaign.

“We continue to make every effort to get our season started, but our first priority has always been the healthy and safety of our players and everyone associated with the WHL,” said WHL commissioner Ron Robison in a release. “Given the public health restrictions that are currently in effect, we are not in a position to determine a new target date for our season.

“We will continue to consult with health authorities to determine when it is safe and responsible to get our season started.”

Of course, vaccinations for COVID-19 have started in Canada on a very limited scale. It is expected vaccination rollout for the general public won’t happen until at least April of 2021.

If all goes well on the vaccination front, there is optimism that things could be back to normal by September of 2021. Again, that assumes everything goes well.

Still, the world is well in the grips of the COVID-19 pandemic in the current day. According to Worldometer, which is pretty accurate in accumulating daily totals on COVID-19 cases and deaths, the United States went through a 24-hour period within the past two days experiencing 246,996 new COVID-19 cases and 3,486 deaths.

Kyle Crnkovic and the Saskatoon Blades are still sidelined.

If those weren’t new highs for a single 24-hour period in the United States, they are in the top 10 for the worst daily totals that country has faced so far in this pandemic.

As a result, it is unclear what will happen to major junior hockey for the 2020-21 campaign or how all other levels of hockey and winter sports will get going in the 2020-21 campaign.

At the moment, the only junior hockey that will be played will be the action from the upcoming world juniors in Edmonton, Alta., which will be played in a bubble environment at Rogers Place.

Unless you are a big money professional circuit or the top tier of the NCAA, most winter sports in North America might be wise to throw in the towel for 2020-21 and start gearing up for the 2021-22 campaign.

Politicians can’t win in pandemic, other notes

Politicians like Scott Moe can’t escape criticism.

Politicians can’t win in the COVID-19 pandemic.

No matter where on the political spectrum you sit, politicians who make decisions during these COVID-19 pandemic times will be criticised for either doing too much or not doing enough. No matter what decision is made, it seems both types of criticism inevitably come.

It seems like you don’t have to work hard to find people on social media crapping on Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. The same goes for Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe.

Actually, you likely can find all sorts of venom directed at any provincial premier in Canada on social media.

Too much of the venom is downright hateful and personal.

Of course, there was one clown who fired off remarks that were racist towards Saskatchewan’s Chief Medical Health Officer Dr. Saqib Shahab at a so-called “freedom rally” on Saturday in Regina.

When you see all the vile comments, it makes you ask, “Why would anyone get into public service or become a politician?”

Even when the COVID-19 pandemic hits a conclusion, I don’t think anyone would want to be rushing to get into public service of become a politician due to the garage that would come their way. No matter what you do, you are never going to get a break on anything and people are going to take out a personal hate on you.

During the pandemic, it seems politicians of all political stripes can only do wrong.

The COVID-19 pandemic is definitely the worst time to be a politician.

• As of Wednesday night, the 50/50 jackpot for the Hockey Harvest Lottery sat at $297,520. The lottery is being used to raise money for the player scholarship education funds of Saskatchewan’s five WHL teams in the Moose Jaw Warriors, Prince Albert Raiders, Regina Pats, Saskatoon Blades and the Swift Current Broncos. Tickets can be purchased by clicking right here, and purchasers must be in Saskatchewan in order to buy tickets.
• As of Wednesday night, the December jackpot for the Saskatchewan Amateur Football Mega 50/50 lottery sat at $5,650. The funds from this 50/50 lottery will go to support the CJFL’s Saskatoon Hilltops and Regina Thunder and the WWCFL’s Saskatoon Valkyries and Regina Riot. One prize will be drawn per month, and the draw dates are December 31, 2020, January 31, 2021, February 28, 2021, March 31, 2021, April 30, 2021 and May 31, 2021. Tickets can be purchased by clicking right here, and purchasers must be in Saskatchewan in order to buy tickets.
• From what I can tell, the start date for the NHL’s upcoming season is still January 1, 2021. There have been speculation stories that said that start date has been moved to January 13, 2021 for a little over a week now. With that noted, I can’t find anything official from the NHL saying the start date has been pushed back. In reality, it doesn’t seem likely the NHL can actually start its upcoming season on that January 1, 2021 date.
• I haven’t done this in a while, so I figured I would add these again for a marker to look back on. According to Worldometer at the time this post went live 1,655,282 people have died so far this year in the world due to the coronavirus even with varying restrictions that have been imposed around the world. Also this year, Worldometer has reported 1,616,515 people in the world so far this year have died of HIV/AIDS, 1,298,066 died by road traffic accidents, 1,031,175 died by suicide, 809,776 people have died by water related diseases, 471,051 died by seasonal flu, and 297,221 mothers have died during birth. The skeptics of the COVID-19 pandemic always want to know the deaths from cancer it seems. Worldometer said 7,897,603 people have died of cancer this year.
• On Tuesday, Gregg Drinnan had some ponderings about the COVID-19 pandemic in his Taking Note blog. The ponderings made good points, but they were of the sad variety. Even though they were of the sad variety, they were still good points to ponder. That piece 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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If you like what you see here, you might want to donate to the cause to keep independent media like this blog going. Should you choose to help out, feel free to click on the DONATE button in the upper right corner. Thank you for stopping in.

Sask. sports community dodges COVID-19 bullet, for now

The Prince Albert Mintos and Saskatoon Contacts can keep playing.

In Saskatchewan, the games will go on.

The question remains for how long?

On Thursday, new restrictions became active in Manitoba to battle the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, and those restrictions are slated at the moment to last four weeks. Recreational centres have to remain closed in the province during those restrictions bringing sports in Manitoba to a halt.

On Friday, Alberta added new restrictions to battle the COVID-19 pandemic that are slated to last two weeks at the moment.

Alberta suspended indoor fitness programs and team sports. Sports restrictions are specifically for recreational teams or group activities that occur indoors. Outdoor sports are not affected and neither are individual sports or exercise.

Junior, collegiate, university and professional sports are also exempted.

Those restrictions have caused the slowdown in that province’s sports scene.

At 11:30 a.m. on Friday, the Government of Saskatchewan held a press conference to introduce new restrictions. You can bet the sports community in Saskatchewan was wondering if there would be any clamp downs in the sports scene.

During that press conference, it was announced new restrictions were coming in Monday and would remain in place for 28 days.

A mandatory indoor mask rule that was already in place for Regina, Saskatoon and Prince Albert was expanded to all communities with populations over 5,000.

The Saskatoon Stars can stay in action.

Communities that surround Regina, Saskatoon and Prince Albert are included in the mask mandate, even if their populations are less than 5,000.

Licensed liquor establishments will have to stop serving alcohol at 10 p.m. and consumption must end by 11 p.m.

The use of hookah and water pipes in lounges won’t be allowed.

Gyms and fitness centres can stay open, but group aerobic classes are limited to eight people, and they must maintain at least three metres of distance between each other.

Saskatchewan high schools with at least 600 students were recommended to move to level three of the province’s Safe Schools plan. The amount of in class learning is reduced at that level.

At the press conference, Saskatchewan’s Chief Medical Health Officer Dr. Saqib Shahab said the government has considered sports restrictions, and some could come next week.

It was noted the spread of COVID-19 during sports activities has been low risk unless someone is participating who is sick. Shahab said virus transmission usually spreads before and after games when people are socializing.

Saskatchewan also reported it had 81 new COVID-19 cases on Friday with 108 recoveries. The province’s active case count dropped from 1,459 on Thursday to 1,427 on Friday.

From the press conference, it was apparent the Government of Saskatchewan is sticking to its plan in dealing with the pandemic. The provincial government is trying to balance battling the pandemic, while trying to keep the economy going.

By the sounds of things, it is looking more and more that “Linus blanket” field hospitals in waiting like the converted Merlis Belsher Place sports facility might be put more into action. Merlis Belsher Place and the field hospital at Evraz Place in Regina have some minor action with regards to the pandemic.

The Prince Albert Northern Bears can keep rolling.

The Saskatchewan Health Authority announced Thursday it will reopen its emergency operations centre, and that reopening will go into action on Monday. The emergency operations centre coordinated the health system’s pandemic response in spring.

For now, the Saskatchewan sports community dodged a bullet. Minor hockey and junior A hockey games will continue to be played in the province.

Activities in various other sports will be able to continue as well.

It should be noted that those in Saskatchewan’s sports community have been doing their best to follow public health guidelines and protocols.

If the games, practices and training sessions do indeed stop, it might be something that is ultimately out of the control of the sports community.

Huskies’ Humbert picked for coach mentorship program

Emily Humbert serves for the Huskies in 2015.

The University of Saskatchewan Huskies brought a sweet ray of sunshine to the day on Friday.

The Huskies announced that Emily Humbert, who is an assistant coach with the Huskies women’s volleyball team, was chosen for the University Female Coach Mentorship program, which is run by the Coaching Association of Canada.

The program aims to support the increased recruitment and retention of female coaches through financial and human resource support.

Besides being a coach, Humbert played five seasons for the Huskies women’s volleyball as a middle blocker from 2012 to 2017.

“It is truly and honour to be part of a program that aims to increase the presence of female coaches in the Canadian university system,” said Humbert in a release. “Throughout my time as a U Sports athlete, I was fortunate to learn from incredible female coaches such as Tiffany Dodds-Little, Lindsey Mehler and Shelly Dodds.

“The impact these women had on my development as a player and person was incredible. I hope I can have a similar impact on the athletes that I coach.”

During her time as a Huskies player, Humbert, who stands 5-foot-10, ranks in the top 10 in modern program history in kills, aces, blocks and points. The Saskatoon product received U Sports academic all-Canadian honours multiple times during her playing career.

Humbert took on an assistant coaching role with the Huskies Volleyball Club program in 2013. She went on to head coaching roles with the Huskies Volleyball Club program and at Bedford Road Collegiate.

Humbert currently teaches and Bedford Road and coaches the school’s senior girls volleyball team.

Before the start of last season, Humbert joined the Huskies women’s volleyball team as an assistant coach under head coach Mark Dodds. In the 2019-20 campaign, the Huskies finished sixth in the Canada West Conference with a 14-10 record and earned a playoff berth for the first time in 18 years.

The Huskies fell 2-1 in a best-of-three opening round playoff series to the University of Alberta Pandas, who won a silver medal in the conference post-season.

Humbert is a deserving choice for the University Female Coach Mentorship program.

Ivy League cancels winter sports

Willow Slobodzian skates during a summer session in 2019.

On Thursday, the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s Ivy League cancelled all winter sports due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Ivy League had already cancelled its fall season for the 2020-21 campaign.

That means the men’s and women’s NCAA Division I hockey teams at Brown University, Cornell University, Dartmouth College, Harvard University, Princeton University and Yale University won’t take the ice for any meaningful games in 2020-21.

The Rochester Institute of Technology had previously cancelled its 2020-21 campaigns for its NCAA Division I men’s and women’s hockey teams.

The Cornell University Big Red women’s hockey team features three grads of the Saskatoon Stars female under-18 AAA hockey team.

They include senior defender Willow Slobodzian, rookie defender Ashley Messier and rookie forward Kaitlin Jockims.

All Ivy League competition has been officially halted until March 1, 2021.

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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If you like what you see here, you might want to donate to the cause to keep independent media like this blog going. Should you choose to help out, feel free to click on the DONATE button in the upper right corner. Thank you for stopping in.

Saskatchewan Hockey Association has plan, ventures into uncertain COVID-19 future

Fingers crossed all goes well for sports body

A picture from the Saskatoon Contacts last game on March 12.

The Saskatchewan Hockey Association’s return to play plan has been green lighted by the Government of Saskatchewan, but the road forward is still not a certain one.

March 12 was the last day meaningful hockey games were played in the province. Hockey Canada cancelled all its sanctioned events on March 13 due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic that has gripped the world.

At that time, shutdowns were occurring across all sectors due to the pandemic, and all sports activities in Canada had basically been brought to a stop on March 13 outside of some recreations leagues that are not governed by sports bodies. Those recreation leagues would be halted too in the handful of days following March 13.

Hockey Canada lifted its national ban on sanctioned activities on June 4. That allowed the ball to get rolling for provincial associations to start working towards resuming game play.

In a media conference on Thursday, Dr. Saqib Shahab, who is Saskatchewan’s Chief Medical Health Officer, talked about how important it was to work with organizations that promote physical activity and hockey will be treated like all other organizations that have returned to play with public health measures in place.

He said there have been sporadic cases from people playing hockey just like those that have occurred in schools and work places, but there hasn’t been any widespread transmission associated with sports. He credited everyone involved with sports in the province for following the guidelines and rules in place to help prevent widespread transmission of COVID-19.

The Moose Jaw Warriors and Saskatoon Contacts battle on March 12.

After that press conference was held, the Saskatchewan Hockey Association released its return to play plan that has been approved by the Government of Saskatchewan.

The 64-page document is pretty comprehensive, and it is obvious a lot of work was put into creating it.

Only evaluation and training had been allowed by the Saskatchewan Hockey Association until now. Under Phase 2 of the plan, exhibition games within a mini-league have been given a tentative start date of this coming Saturday.

Phase 3 will allow for regular season games to take place in a mini league starting tentatively on November 1. Phase 4 for league games with expanded mini-leagues have been set with a January 18, 2021 tentative start date.

Phase 5 for playoffs and provincial championships are still being determined.

The start dates for the under-11, under-9 and under-7 age categories are a little different. For the under-7 age category, exhibition games will tentatively start on Dec. 1, and regular season league games are slated to tentatively begin on January 1, 2021.

In the under-9 age category, exhibition games are set to tentatively start on Nov. 15, while regular season league contests will tentatively follow on Jan. 1, 2021.

For the under-11 age category, exhibition and league games are tentatively given a Nov. 15 start date.

The Saskatoon Stars and Regina Rebels battle last season.

A face covering policy has been put into place for all members of minor hockey including players, coaches, bench staff, on-ice officials, off-ice officials and parents and spectators until it is deemed safe to remove that policy.

Tournaments and out of province travel will not be allowed for teams this season.

Each team will have a designated safety person who will be responsible for ensuring guidelines and protocols are followed.

At the moment, spectator capacity for minor hockey games has been capped at 150 people provided there is enough room to maintain two-metres of physical distancing between extended household groups.

For junior, senior and under-18 AAA hockey games, assigned seating must be available. If assigned seating is not available, a maximum of 150 spectators are permitted.

Also for junior, senior and under-18 AAA hockey games, spectators are allowed to attend at up to 50 per cent capacity provided there is enough room to maintain two metres of physical distancing between household groups.

The junior A Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League announced in a release on Friday a start date was still being determined for that circuit once protocols and the abilities for arenas to handle fans are satisfactory to the Government of Saskatchewan and the Saskatchewan Health Authority. The SJHL operates under the Saskatchewan Hockey Association umbrella.

The WHL, which includes five Saskatchewan teams in the Moose Jaw Warriors, Prince Albert Raiders, Regina Pats, Saskatoon Blades and Swift Current Broncos, is targeting to start on Dec. 4.

That circuit is facing the challenge of satisfying four provincial governments and four health authorities in Canada and two state governments and two health authorities in the United States along with issues regarding crossing the border between Canada and the United States.

The Prince Albert Mintos and Saskatoon Contacts go at it.

The WHL, OHL and QMJHL, which are all under the umbrella of the CHL, operate as entity separate from Hockey Canada and Canada’s various minor hockey organizations, but all those bodies do work in partnership with each other.

Looking at the Saskatchewan Hockey Association’s plan, it is a good one to get the sport rolling in a bigger way in the province.

Even with the best thought out and made plans, the spectre of the COVID-19 pandemic still hovers over everything.

In Saskatchewan, there was great joy when outdoor sports like auto racing, baseball, golf and softball were able to successfully hold modified seasons this past summer.

There is still trepidation when it comes to indoor sports and the possible transmission of COVID-19. Hockey is the one everyone is watching to see how it operates and handles difficulties.

Most sports bodies take a cue from what is done in hockey.

All it takes is a surge of cases somewhere to get the ball rolling to bring everything to a stop.

On Monday, Saskatchewan recorded a jump of 48 new COVID-19 cases, which is the largest jump seen since July 29 as 50 new cases were reported at that time. As of Monday, there are a total of 215 active COVID-19 cases in Saskatchewan.

The provinces of Ontario, Quebec and New Brunswick are bringing back in various degrees of shutdowns due to an increase of new COVID-19 cases. The Greater Toronto Hockey League has postponed all sanctioned activities until January 1, 2021.

The Saskatoon Stars celebrate a win from last season.

On Friday, the World Health Organization announced a new daily record high for COVID-19 cases in a 24-hour period at 350,766. Over the past week, a number of countries including Canada have set a daily record for COVID-19 cases in a 24-hour period.

The Saskatchewan Hockey Association has a good plan, but you still have to cross fingers and hope factors outside of the organization’s control will allow it to go forward. There are no guarantees that shutdowns will be avoided.

The Saskatchewan Hockey Association’s ‘Safe Guidelines’ document for a return to hockey will be a fluid one as restrictions are lifted or imposed. The latest version of that document can be found on the Saskatchewan Hockey Association’s return to play page, which can be found by clicking right here.

CJFL franchise explored for Lethbridge, other notes

The Hilltops and Huskies could have a new PFC foe.

Teams in the CJFL’s Prairie Football Conference could have a new rival in the summer of 2022.

On Friday, the PFC announced it had received an application to establish a junior team in Lethbridge, Alta. The Lethbridge Junior Football Club, which is led by Lethbridge area football enthusiast Anthony Parker, will be called the Vipers and will play out of the University of Lethbridge Community Stadium.

The next step in the expansion process will see the Lethbridge Junior Football Club develop a strong business plan, which will address the operations side of the organization, formalization of recruitment strategies and long term player, coach and organizational development plans.

The PFC will ensure that its expectations from all member teams for a high degree of social responsibility and community involvement from players, coaches and organizations can be met through granting a franchise to Lethbridge.

The Lethbridge Organizing Committee will continue to work on the expansion plan through the winter and is slated to give a presentation including a business plan at the PFC’s Annual General Meeting slated for March of 2021.

At that meeting, the membership will vote to accept the franchise, reject the franchise or put out a request for more information deferring a decision to a subsequent meeting.

The Lethbridge Junior Football Club is proceeding with the support of the City of Lethbridge, local MLA Nathan Neudorf and the Lethbridge Sport Council.

The Calgary Colts may play a new nearby rival.

The CJFL hasn’t had teams located in Alberta outside of the cities of Edmonton and Calgary since the Red Deer Packers were in operation from 1969 to 1978 and the Medicine Hat Rattlers existed from 1976 to 1979.

Lethbridge has a population of over 101,000 people and is located in an area of Alberta that has a high level of support for the sport football. The small city has two major post-secondary institutions in the University of Lethbridge and Lethbridge College.

Lethbridge’s economy is traditionally agricultural based, but it has diversified in recent years getting into businesses related to alternative energy including wind power, solar power and biofuel.

On paper, Lethbridge should be a strong candidate to land a CJFL expansion team.

The last time the PFC expanded was when the Winnipeg Rifles joined the circuit in 2002.

The PFC also includes the storied Saskatoon Hilltops, who have won the last six CJFL championships and 22 CJFL titles overall, Regina Thunder, Edmonton Huskies, Edmonton Wildcats and Calgary Colts. The CJFL as a whole is composed of 18 teams from across Canada.

The CJFL season was cancelled for 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but the circuit is aiming to hit the field in 2021.

• Last Tuesday at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, the Seattle Storm down the Las Vegas Aces 92-59 in Game 3 of the WNBA Championship series and swept the best-of-five set 3-0. The win marked the fourth time in team history the Storm captured the WNBA title. This one came playing in a hub facility format.
• On Wednesday night, the Prince Albert Raiders announced at their annual general meeting the team lost $331,895 for the 2019-20 campaign, which was cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic cost the Raiders two home regular season games and home dates what would have come from the 2020 WHL playoffs had they been held. The Raiders lost out in shared revenue from the Memorial Cup that was to be hosted in Kelowna in May but cancelled due to the pandemic and a loss of money from Sportsnet’s CHL contract rights that didn’t come in due to cancelled games. The Raiders losses included their share of a settlement in a CHL-wide class action lawsuit that argued major junior players are employees and not student-athletes and were entitled to employment standard compensation. Lucas Punkari of the Prince Albert Daily Herald had a good breakdown of the story, and it can be found by clicking right here.
• I contributed two pieces to the Howe Happenings blog run by the Gordie Howe Sports Complex that went live on Friday. The entries had a “girl power” theme to them. I put together a piece on track star Michelle Harrison, which can be found by clicking right here. I created a piece on all the media attention Emmarae Dale has received since being added to the roster of the CJFL’s Saskatoon Hilltops, and that piece can be found by clicking right here.
• On Saturday, the Texas A&M University Aggies drew an announced crowd of 24,079 spectators to Kyle Field at College Station, Texas, to see the hosts down the visiting University of Florida Gators 41-38 in contest in the top tier of NCAA football. The online story from The Dallas Morning News focused on how the crowd noise helped the Aggies win this game played during the COVID-19 pandemic. Several photos of the packed student section at Kyle Field circulated on social media. The Dallas Morning News reported A&M athletic director Ross Bjork tweeted a video message about Kyle Field protocols and safety on Friday urging fans to wear face coverings and stay in their assigned seats. There has been speculation over social media the Aggies drew more spectators than the attendance figure they announced.
• On Sunday at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at the Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando, Florida, the Los Angeles Lakers downed the Miami Heat 106-93 in Game 6 of the NBA Championship series. With the win, the Lakers took the best-of-seven series 4-2. The Lakers have won 17 NBA titles in team history and this was the first captured in a hub centre format. The NBA had no positive COVID-19 tests holding the final bit of its 2019-20 regular season and entire post-season at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex.
• In his Taking Note blog on Saturday, Gregg Drinnan outlined the difficulties the QMJHL was having in its restart with COVID-19, and there are a lot of them. That piece 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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WHL Bantam Draft made me feel normal in COVID-19 times

All set to cover the WHL Bantam Draft last Wednesday in the home office.

    It is a different question to be asked, “What is it like to feel normal?”

    I remember being asked that very query about seven years ago during a rough stretch when I was feeling better again.

    My obvious response was, “It feels good.”

    If you go through a period of time where you don’t feel normal, it is an odd different good feeling when the light bulb goes on when you realize you are feeling normal.

    The part that sticks out in your head at that sort of time is the thought that, “This is how it should be.”

    In the current day under the spectre of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, it seems like the days are never normal.

    Actually, the common term that is thrown around is “the new normal” to basically insinuate that what used to be normal will never return again.

    Back when the shutdowns first started to happen on March 11 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it seemed like the only thing that felt different was adjusting to daily change in society. Eventually going into the fourth week of shutdowns, it seemed like a new daily routine had unfolded in life at least for me.

Some of the pictures I’ve taken on recent WHL playoff trails.

    Still, I had a moment where I felt normal. Actually, it was a run of time where I felt normal.

    The run of time centred around covering the WHL Bantam Draft, which was held last Wednesday. I did pre-draft work the day before WHL Bantam Draft for this blog.

    Last Wednesday, I was covering the WHL Bantam Draft for the Davidson Leader and this blog. The pieces on both platforms focused around highly skilled forwards Riley Heidt and Brayden Yager, who played midget AAA last season for the Saskatoon Contacts and lived for a time in Dundurn, Sask.

    Both were selected in the first round with Heidt going second overall to the Prince George Cougars and Yager going third overall to the Moose Jaw Warriors.

    I’ve covered the WHL for 21 seasons and have worked my share of past WHL Bantam Drafts.

    Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the WHL Bantam Draft was held in an online form. Over the years, that never mattered to me.
    I haven’t attended any WHL Bantam Draft in person, because usually you would be busy trying to phone team officials and players who were selected in the draft.

I try to have some fun when I work from home.

    Only a handful of players in the past have attended the WHL Bantam Draft in person, so it only made sense to follow it online.

    This year it likely felt really different for team officials, because they usually gather in one location for a live in person draft as opposed to conducting a draft online.

    Last Wednesday, I was tracking the WHL Bantam Draft online, made some social media posts in the morning and did a phone interview near the lunch hour with Marc Chartier, who recently stepped down from being the Contacts head coach. I later did a second interview in the early afternoon with Yager.

    After the interview with Yager, it hit me that this was what I was supposed to be doing. I felt normal.

    The only thing that made that moment different was the realization that I felt normal. I was doing exactly what I have done on many WHL Bantam Draft days in the past.
    I should note that from 2016 to 2019 I usually covered off the WHL Bantam Draft with note type items, because I was on the road covering the WHL playoffs.
    A number of other things would be going on too that captured my attention like the Dogs’ Breakfast, which is an annual scholarship fundraiser for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies football team, and the Saskatoon Valkyries starting a Western Women’s Canadian Football League season.

I enjoyed catching up with Marc Chartier, back row right.

    Still, I was working a day last Wednesday that was pretty much identical to days I worked covering the Prince Albert Raiders for the Prince Albert Daily Herald or the Medicine Hat Tigers for the Medicine Hat News.

    After transcribing interviews with Chartier and Yager, I got in touch with Heidt. After the interviews were done, we had short visits over the phone afterwards, and it was great to catch up like you normally would.

    The longest visit was with Chartier, who noted it felt like it was the right time for him to leave the Contacts after 13 seasons. He stepped down after this past season concluded.

    I hadn’t talked with him since the season concluded, and I was wondering how he was doing.

    You could tell he felt comfortable with his decision. Of course, we shared a bunch of old hockey stories too.

    On Monday, reality hit again, when you go back to living your lockdown life. That included doing work in the home office and not going to any sports events or anywhere in fact.

I look forward to return to live WHL games when normal times return.

    There is no place to go as everything is shutdown.

    Usually at this point in the year, I would be life consumed busy with the WHL playoffs going on. I am still busy, but it is a controlled busy.

    I actually have time to help around the home and enjoy down time things like movies, YouTube videos and video games. I have gotten it into my mind I will allow myself to enjoy these things.

    With all that said, it was great to feel like I was living my life before the COVID-19 shutdowns during the WHL Bantam Draft week, even if it was just a seemingly short period of time.

Money, economics elephant in COVID-19 days, other thoughts

Will people have cash to go to sports events after the COVID-19 pandemic?

    I feel like money and economics are the elephant in the room during these shutdown times of the COVID-19 pandemic.

    Of course, the top priorities have to be health and safety. It is cool to see that it feels like everybody is on board with saving as many lives as possible.

    I think new compassion has developed with regards of caring for the elderly.

    After the shutdowns started to occur on March 11 due to COVID-19, it seems like for me people try to shy away from talking about money or economics. To be honest, I have lots of days were I do the same thing.

    Still, questions go through my head every now and then. I wonder how businesses will stay open as the time span increases where they are bring in a lot less income than they used to?

    How will sports teams continue without money coming in from ticket sales and dealing with decreased sponsorships?

    How will minor sports organizations keep going without being able to conduct the fundraisers they used to while also dealing with a decrease in sponsorships?

    How will everyone be able to keep paying their bills, especially those that are dealing with a reduction in pay, reduction in hours or have been laid off?

Will the paused businesses in downtown Saskatoon survive COVID-19?

    I know the Government of Canada has rolled out a number of emergency measures, but you have the gut feeling there will be a catch there in the tax department. Nothing is ever free.

    On top of that, how much debt will governments at various levels take on, and how will that affect things going forward?

    It feels like the Canadian thing to do is throw everything on credit and expect your life insurance to pay for everything once you pass on. I kind of had that jaded view about Canada for a least the last 10 years.

    My head also proceeds to ask, “When will the bottom fall out when it comes to throwing everything on credit?”

    Over the past week, I have heard one economist on news talk radio say more damage has already been done to the economy than what occurred in the years of the first half of the “Great Depression” spanning 1929 to 1934.

    To me it seems like the defence mechanism that all walks of life use is to not talk about money at all and proceeded with your day as normally as possible.

    As for me, I just take things one day at a time, and I have said that lots before.

    My gut feeling that when it comes time to eventually pay the piper, there will be a lot of people that forget what happened in the COVID-19 pandemic with regards to saving lives, and they will constantly say how upset they are.

• It seems like it is pretty easy to find a COVID-19 conspiracy theory out there or find people who believe a conspiracy theory. I believe conspiracy theories take root because there is a distrust of politicians and world leaders that has hung around for a number of years. I believe that distrust helps feed conspiracy theories.
• For what it is worth, I think most of the politicians and leaders in Canada have handled themselves well and have handled the COVID-19 pandemic well. To me, it seems like you those with different political views are all pulling in the same direction to gain the best result possible in navigating this crisis.
• When I have made a supply run to the grocery store and I see someone wearing a mask, I always keep thinking of Canada’s criminal mask law. Of course, that doesn’t apply to shoppers and those out an about in public. They are trying to protect themselves from COVID-19. The mask law introduced by the Government of Canada in Bill C-309 that became law on June 19, 2013 bans the use of wearing masks during a riot or other unlawful assembly, and those convicted could face up to 10 years in prison. Canada’s Criminal Code, Section 351(2) covers “Disguise with Intent” that makes it an indictable offence to wear a mask or disguise to commit an indictable offence. I can’t see those laws having to be enforced during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• It was four years ago today on April 28, 2017 the ground-breaking ceremony was held for Merlis Belsher Place, which is the new hockey rink facility on the grounds of the University of Saskatchewan campus. At the moment, Merlis Belsher Place sits in waiting to see if it will become a field hospital for overflow COVID-19 patients. Hopefully, that day never comes. My old story on the ground-breaking ceremony day can be found by clicking right here.
• A Twitter fan account has been created for Dr. Saqib Shahab, who is Saskatchewan’s Chief Medical Health Officer. The Twitter handle is @ShahadFanClub and followers call themselves the #ShahabSquad. To me, it feels like Shahab is the best out of all the Chief Medical Health Officers who has been shown in the media dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. It does feel like Dr. Shahab is becoming a celebrity. I can already see him doing a ceremonial kickoff of home game for the CFL’s Saskatchewan Roughriders when the COVID-19 pandemic ends. If you haven’t been following the account, it is worth your time to do it.

It's the weekend! It's time to sit back, relax, and admire Dr. Shahab's best knits.

Pictured: March 17 and April 24 Press Conferences pic.twitter.com/I57Q8VbTYP

— Dr. Shahab Fan Account (@ShahabFanClub) April 25, 2020

    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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    If you like what you see here, you might want to donate to the cause to keep independent media like this blog going. Should you choose to help out, feel free to click on the DONATE button in the upper right corner. Thank you for stopping in.