Zablocki making mark on P.A.’s storied female hockey legacy

Stryker Zablocki, centre, sets to drop a ceremonial faceoff.

PRINCE ALBERT, Sask. – Stryker Zablocki hasn’t even graduated high school, and she has already done enough to ensure she will one day be part of Prince Albert Sports Hall of Fame.

When her hockey career wraps up, there is a high likelihood she will end up with multiple Sports Hall of Fame nods. With that noted, the folks in Prince Albert love following and celebrating their sports heroes. Zablocki, who turned 18-years-old just past the middle of January, has carried hero status for a good stretch already in her hometown of “Hockey Town North.”

On January 12 in Vantaa, Finland, Zablocki had an empty-net goal helping Canada blank the United States 3-0 in the gold medal game of the IIHF’s Under-18 Women’s Would Championship Tournament. The skilled forward, who stands 5-foot-6, topped the tournament with eight goals and 12 points and was named to the tournament’s all-star team. Zablocki played for Canada one year earlier too at the Under-18 Women’s Worlds capturing a bronze medal at that event.

Stryker Zablocki, centre, gets a puck from Justice Christensen.

Last Friday, Zablocki received a hero’s welcome at the Art Hauser Centre when she dropped the puck for a ceremonial faceoff before for that night’s WHL contest between the host Raiders and the Moose Jaw Warriors, which the Raiders claimed 4-1. During the second intermission, Zablocki signed autographs for a seemingly endless line of fans in the Johnny Bower Lobby.

The supporters all wanted to ensure Zablocki knew they were proud of her. The upbeat smile never left Zablocki’s face, and she made sure everyone that came to see her left in high spirits.

Growing up in Prince Albert, Zablocki stood out in hockey and track and field. Zablocki played hockey in boys’ leagues on defence up until joining the Foxes female under-15 AA team and then switching over to forward.

Stryker Zablocki, right, signs a young fan’s jersey.

When it came time to choose an under-18 AAA team to play on, she elected to move away from home and join the Regina Rebels for the start of the 2022-23 campaign. The Rebels had just come off of falling in the Saskatchewan Female Under-18 AAA Hockey League championship series to the Notre Dame Hounds in April of 2022.

In 57 career regular season games with the Rebels from 2022 to 2024, Zablocki piled up 65 goals and 40 assists for 105 points. She helped the Rebels win SFU18AAAHL titles in both her campaigns with the squad.

On April 28, 2024, Zablocki scoring the winning goal as the Rebels downed the North York Storm 2-1 in the title game of the Esso Cup tournament that crowns a female national under-18 AAA champion. Zablocki recorded eight goals and three assists in seven games at the Esso Cup claiming honours as tournament MVP.

A large group of fans came to see Stryker Zablocki, right.

Zablocki also made a name for herself representing Canada in track and field. In July of 2023, she took part in the North American, Central American and Caribbean Athletic Association Under-18 Championships in athletics held in San Jose, Costa Rica. She was part of Canada’s four member gold medal winner in the 4 X 400-metre female relay race.

As a Grade 11 student at Prince Albert’s Carlton Comprehensive High School in June of 2024, Zablocki won gold in the senior girls’ 100-metre and 200-metre races at the Saskatchewan High School Athletic Association Track and Field Championships held in Saskatoon.

In September of 2023, Zablocki committed to the Northeastern University Huskies Women’s Hockey team in the NCAA Division I ranks for the start of the 2026-27 campaign. Northeastern University is located in Boston, Massachusetts.

Stryker Zablocki, right, shares a laugh with a young supporter.

Zablocki elected to join the Bishop Kearney High School Selects for her Grade 12 campaign this season in Rochester, New York, to prepare herself for the change of moving down south. The Selects are full of players from across the United States and have one player from Slovakia.

Zablocki will return to Saskatchewan for the final part of the school year to once again compete in track and field.

In hockey, Zablocki continuing the legacy of great female players who come out of Prince Albert including Danny Stone, Kaitlin Willoughby of the PWHL’s Toronto Sceptres, Jessica Vance, Brooke Hobson of the PWHL’s New York Sirens, and Abby Soyko. All play with incredible skill, heart and grit, which a signature for hockey players from the “Gateway to the North.”

Stryker Zablocki, centre, is pictured with two young fans.

Zablocki has the potential to write many more successful chapters in her hockey career. It wouldn’t be a surprise if one day she turned out to be the best female player to ever come out of P.A.

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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Badgers sudden victory NCAA title will always be special for Shirley sisters

Sophie, centre, and Grace Shirley, right, after a 2015 league title win.

Sisters Sophie and Grace Shirley will always be fond of the day they experienced sudden victory in championship style.

On March 20, 2021, the Shirley sisters were playing for the University of Wisconsin Badgers women’s hockey team in the NCAA title game against the Northeastern University Huskies in the NCAA Division I title game at the Erie Insurance Arena in Erie, Pennsylvania.

The two sides went to overtime locked in a 1-1 draw and the deciding goal was seemingly scored out of nowhere.

At the 3:16 mark of the extra session, Badgers superstar left-winger Daryl Watts took the puck down behind the Northeastern goal. From behind the net, Watts, who is a Toronto, Ont., product, proceeded to bank the puck off a Huskies defender and netminder Aerin Frankel into the Northeastern goal.

The Huskies roster included defender and captain Brooke Hobson, who is an alumna of the Prince Albert Northern Bears female under-18 AAA hockey team.

The Shirley sisters, who are both forwards with the Badgers, felt instant euphoria. They later pieced together what happened on the winning goal.

“When the puck went in, I had just come off of my shift,” said Sophie, who was in her third season with the Badgers. “Daryl’s line was on next.

Sophie Shirley in action with the Stars in 2014-15.

“I remember that I basically sat down. I was just trying to catch my breath, because I had just been out on a shift. Basically, I sat down.

“I couldn’t really see, because when you sit down on the bench, all my teammates in front of me were standing up watching the play. Just like that, everyone just started celebrating, and we won the game. We had won the national championship.”

“Right when it happened I remember not even really looking,” said Grace, who was in her second season with the Badgers. “I think she (Watts) was trying to get it to the slot, so I didn’t even see it go in.

“Everybody on the bench just jumped. There was definitely a lot of screaming. I think me and one of my teammates Dara (Greig), as soon as it happened we just like looked at each other and just froze for like a second.

“Everybody just started jumping over, and we got over. That is all I can really remember. It was pretty exciting.”

The two Saskatoon products and alums of the Saskatoon Stars female under-18 AAA hockey team got to share in a national championship in a season like no other.

The Badgers won the NCAA crown in Sophie’s rookie year with the team in 2018-19. They were looking to repeat as NCAA champions the next season and were set to host an NCAA championship tournament quarter-final contest before the remainder of the tournament was called off on March 12, 2020 due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic that had gripped the world.

Grace Shirley in action for the Stars in 2015-16.

The Shirley sisters returned home to Saskatoon to finish their academic courses online. They returned to Madison, Wisconsin, in August of 2020 to rejoin the Badgers for a campaign there wasn’t any certainty it would be played to a conclusion.

The Badgers regular season opened on Nov. 27, 2020 with a 3-2 overtime loss in Columbus, Ohio, to the Ohio State University Buckeyes. After blanking the Buckeyes 5-0 the next night, the Badgers had their season put on hold as a COVID-19 outbreak saw six players from the team test positive for the virus.

All of the Badgers six games in December of 2020 were postponed due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

The Badgers resumed their season in early January and hit high gear and never looked back finishing the campaign with a 17-3-1 overall record. They played 20 games fewer than when they won their last non-COVID NCAA title in 2018-19.

Sophie posted 12 goals, 13 assists and a plus-18 rating in the plus-minus department in the Badgers 21 overall games. In 98 overall career games with the Badgers, Sophie has 61 goals and 63 assists for a total of 124 points to go with a plus-90 rating.

As a third-year player, Sophie, who is 21-years-old, focused a little more on trying to set a good example for the younger members of the team.

“For me, it was making sure that I am doing everything right on the ice just being able to help the team in any way,” said Sophie, who stands 5-foot-9. “It was also just kind of maturing a little bit and kind of fitting into that leadership role a little bit off the ice as well as on the ice too.

Sophie Shirley (#8) cuts up ice on a rush for the Stars in 2014-15.

“I think it was a different year for me, and I think it was one that I really enjoyed. I really enjoyed being that older player and being able to kind of lead the way by example, but also within the locker room. I enjoyed the year.

“Personally, I thought it was a pretty good year for me. I think that I learned a lot as well too, so yeah, it was a good year.”

Grace had two goals, one assist and a plus-two rating skating in all of the Badgers 21 contests. In 57 overall career games with the Badgers, the 19-year-old has three goals and five assists for eight points to go with plus-12 rating.

She was happy with her season personally and how she was able to develop playing on a Badgers team that has a huge amount of depth. A number of the Badgers players are in line to have future opportunities to play in either Canada’s or the United State’s national team system.

“You have to really earn your ice,” said Grace, who stands 5-foot-7. “I’m trying to work my way up.

“I definitely feel like maybe like I’m not getting as much ice time as I’m used to. I’m still definitely developing as a player and even just getting to practice with and battle with some of these future Olympians, it helps just kind of knowing that I am getting better and developing. I’m amongst the best.

“It is nice knowing that they are kind of pushing me to get better too.”

Both players have fond memories of their time with the Stars.

Grace Shirley jets into the offensive zone for the Stars in 2017-18.

Sophie suited up in three seasons for the Stars from 2012 to 2015 appearing in 58 regular season games collecting 41 goals and 27 assists for 68 points. She helped the Stars win their first SFU18AAAHL title and win a bronze medal at the Esso Cup female under-18 AAA national championship tournament in the 2014-15 campaign.

“When I think back to my high school days here back at home being at home, those were some of the best times of my life,” said Sophie. “Some of my friends that I still have today are from playing on the Stars and being able to play for that program.

“Ultimately, I think that I grew a lot. I got better while playing with the Stars. I think it kind of developed me into the player and the person that I am today.

“I’m always thankful for what that program has done for me. There were a lot of fun times that I had playing for the Saskatoon Stars. I miss it.”

Grace suited up in five seasons for the Stars from 2014 to 2019 appearing in 107 regular season games collecting 97 goals and 69 assists for 166 points. She was an associate player call up on the 2014-15 SFMU18AAAHL championship winning team.

Grace helped the Stars win three more SFMU18AAAHL title in 2016, 2018 and 2019 and appear at the Esso Cup tournament in each of those years. The Stars made it to the Esso Cup title game in 2018 falling to the Alberta based St. Albert Slash 2-1.

Sophie Shirley has fond memories playing for the Stars.

“It was big part of my life,” said Grace. “That is where I developed to be at this level, so I definitely reflect on it a lot.

“It was definitely a huge part of my life before coming here. There are lots of differences I’d say, but just in terms of some of the lessons that I’ve learned along the way, it is definitely still applicable today.”

The Shirley sisters are back in Saskatoon visiting family and friends. They are hoping to rejoin the Badgers for skating and training sessions in the middle of June.

Due to the fact the NCAA ruled that players who took part in the 2020-21 campaign would not lose any eligibility due to the uncertainties regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, Sophie can play two more seasons with the Badgers and Grace can play three more campaigns.

While they have a good chance of piling up a number of more highlights in their respective playing careers, the Shirley sisters will never forget the sudden victory NCAA title win with the Badgers.

“It was a pretty crazy feeling,” said Sophie. “It was a pretty crazy bounce, a positive bounce behind the net there with Daryl kind of bouncing into the net.

“It happens just like that, and all of a sudden, we were national champions, so it was pretty cool.”

Grace Shirley was the Stars captain in 2018-19.

“There was so much adversity, and I know every team experiences it,” said Grace. “To kind of come out on the higher end of that and to say that we won in such a crazy year, I think it is pretty special.”

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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Kyle’s competitive spirit could be seen early on

Soccer star named to Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame

Kaylyn Kyle, left, at an autograph session in June of 2017.

Even as she neared her 16^th birthday, Kaylyn Kyle was the player to watch.

Way before she suited up for Canada’s senior national women’s soccer team as a midfielder helping them win a bronze medal at the 2012 Olympic Summer Games in London, England, Kyle was in Prince Albert, Sask., in the summer of 2004.

Prince Albert was hosting Soccer Canada’s all-star nationals in the girls’ under-14 and under-16 age categories. Each of Canada’s 10 provinces fielded an all-star team in each of those age categories at that tournament, and a national title was up for grabs in each age category.

Kyle was playing midfield for Saskatchewan’s under-16 team, and a large number of officials from Canada Soccer were at this event to scout players. To be accurate, pretty much all of them were in Prince Albert to see Kyle play.

I covered that competition for the Prince Albert Daily Herald and for a weekly segment I did for Prince Albert’s CTV station.

I went into this event thinking that Prince Albert product Elizabeth Hudon was going to get to turn heads on a national stage in her hometown. She was an elite goal scorer and was the ace striker at age 15 for Saskatchewan’s under-16 team.

Kaylyn Kyle demonstrates a drill at her soccer camp in 2015.

When I started talking to Canada Soccer officials, they all said the player to watch was Kyle.

The Saskatoon product didn’t disappoint, when games hit the pitch. Kyle was by far the best player at that event.

Watching her play in that competition had to be what it was like to watch Sidney Crosby play midget AAA hockey or Connor Bedard play and star for the Regina Pats at age 15 this past season in the WHL.

In the final preliminary round game for Saskatchewan’s under-16 team, they needed to beat Alberta to finish first in their pool and advance to a semifinal contest. Saskatchewan hadn’t experienced a whole lot of success at this event, so this contest against Alberta was a big thing.

While soccer is a team game, confidence was high that the Saskatchewan side could win that contest and advance due to the fact Kyle was playing on the squad.

Just five minutes into that clash with Alberta, Kyle was given a red card for a slide tackle against an Alberta player. A couple of Canada Soccer officials did a visible freak out, because they came to see Kyle and now she was getting kicked out of this contest.

That marked the only time Kyle ever got red carded out of a soccer game. From what I remember of that play, Kyle got the ball first on the tackle and shouldn’t have been carded. It was a bad referee’s call.

Kaylyn Kyle smiles during a break at her soccer camp in 2015.

All these years later, I am going to stick with that story about how I remember that game.

Saskatchewan played the final 85 minutes of that contest a player short and lost by a slim 1-0 margin. Had Kyle not been given a red card, the thought of what might have been had to have been on the minds of anyone associated with the Saskatchewan side.

Saskatchewan’s under-16 concluded the tournament playing a consolation game.

I interviewed Kyle for a tournament wrap up story on the Saskatchewan teams. I asked a question that got jumbled in its presentation.

I asked about the loss to Alberta in the final preliminary round contest, but the question came out in a way that placed blame on Kyle for getting red carded early in that contest. I didn’t want the question to come out that way, but I really did sound like the mean sports reporter in how the question was asked.

Kyle, who was still 15-years-old at that time, didn’t look impressed. It looked like she was getting ready to make a fist to punch me.

She did answer the question. I don’t even remember what the answer to that question was, because that whole exchange was awkward.

In that moment, you saw Kyle’s competitive spirit and her passion even at the young age she was.

Kaylyn Kyle encourages a player at her soccer camp in 2015.

I didn’t have any interactions again with Kyle until six years later in 2010. New interactions came when I first got on Twitter, when that social media platform was still in its relative infancy.

Kyle, who stands 5-foot-8, had become a member of Canada’s senior national women’s soccer team by that time. She was one of the first I ever saw to make real connections with fans via Twitter.

I ended up emailing her through Facebook recalling the story from that time in Prince Albert. She got back to me, and that whole situation became a something we both took with humour now.

I would keep in touch with her via various electronic lines and cross paths with her on three or four occasions.

Thanks to those interactions, my TV at home would be tuned into games involving Canada’s senior national women’s soccer team, because Kyle was on the team. She became a celebrity in the truest sense, and I marveled at how well she carried herself in the spotlight.

I got to spend an afternoon shooting pictures of her hosting a skills camp in Saskatoon at the SaskTel Sports Centre in October of 2015, and that was a pretty fun afternoon.

I enjoyed watching her interact with the youngsters, and she truly wanted to see the players get a little bit better during the short time they were at that camp. Some of the participants had even traveled into town from Winnipeg and Vancouver to be at that camp.

Kaylyn Kyle goes through a drill at her soccer camp in 2015.

Over the years, I’ve enjoyed interacting with Kyle’s parents in father, Doug, and mother, Pat. It was really enjoyable meeting Kaylyn’s older sister, Courtnee, too. At different times over the years, Courtnee helped Kaylyn manage life and the opportunities that came her way away from the game.

On Thursday, the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame announced its class for 2021. Kaylyn Kyle was named to the class in the athlete category along with Moose Jaw’s Justin Abdou in wrestling, Fillmore’s Rod Boll in trapshooting, Porcupine Plain’s Colette Bourgonje in track and cross-country skiing and Humboldt’s Lyndon Rush in bobsleigh.

Former Canadian senior national women’s hockey team head coach Shannon Miller, who was born in Tisdale and raised in Melfort, enters the Hall in the builders’ category. Miller played hockey for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s hockey team in the early 1980s.

The team inductees included the 2000-01 University of Regina Cougars Women’s Basketball team, who won a U Sports national title, and 2013 Saskatchewan Roughriders, who won the Grey Cup at their iconic home park of Taylor Field.

This class was selected in 2020, but the class announcement and induction was postponed due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic that has gripped the world. 

Kaylyn Kyle gives feedback to a player at her soccer camp in 2015.

While the 2021 class was named, there won’t be an official induction this year.

The Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame will do the official enshrinement at an appropriate time that allows for safe communal gatherings while following all provincial health guidelines.

Kyle played one season in 2006 in the U Sports ranks for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies Women’s Soccer team before opportunities in Canada Soccer’s women’s national team system and the professional ranks came calling.

She retired from playing in 2017.

These days, Kyle is a television soccer host and analyst based out of Miami, Florida, and she is one of the best in those roles.

She is married to English professional soccer player Harrison Heath, who is also a midfielder. The couple has two sons aged three and six-months.

Throughout her career, Kyle has represented her teams and herself with passion, grace and class. She seemed comfortable being in the spotlight.

Due to the fact how often she had to play in the United Kingdom and Europe, that spotlight included being photographed by tabloid publications in those places. 

Kaylyn Kyle, left, takes questions at her soccer camp in Oct. 2015.

The tabloids in the United Kingdom and Europe love to play up attractive female athletes in a tabloid style way, and it is safe to say those publications will never change.

Kyle handled that attention with an amazing amount of grace and class.

It was spectacular for me to see her become an outstanding ambassador representing soccer in Canada, and she still represents the game well as a broadcaster.

I’m happy that old awkward 2004 interview in Prince Albert is just a humourous story to tell now.

P.A. gets third crack as Esso Cup hosts, other notes

The Bears celebrate an OT home win in November of 2020.

Fingers crossed the third time will be a charm for the Prince Albert Northern Bears when it comes to hosting the Esso Cup.

The Bears were supposed to host the national female under-18 AAA hockey championship tournament in 2020 and this past April. Both times, the Esso Cup was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic that has gripped the world.

This past Tuesday, Hockey Canada announced the Bears will host the 2022 Esso Cup, which is slated to run April 17-23 that year at the 2,580 seat Art Hauser Centre, which can hold 3,289 spectators.

Hockey Canada also announced that same day the Estevan Bruins will host the junior A hockey national championship tournament – the Centennial Cup – in 2022. The 2022 Centennial Cup is slated to run May 20 to 29 of that year at Affinity Place.

On the Esso Cup front, the Bears deserve to host nationals as they have been one of the strongest female under-18 programs in Saskatchewan dating back to the inaugural season of the Saskatchewan Female Under-18 AAA Hockey League in 2006-07.

The Bears won league titles in 2009 and 2017 and appeared in the 2017 Esso Cup. They have a loyal following in “Hockey Town North.”

After Hockey Canada cancelled all its nationals for a second straight year, there had to be some uneasiness about Prince Albert getting awarded the Esso Cup for a third straight year.

Lloydminster, which sits on the border of Alberta and Saskatchewan, was originally slated to host the Esso Cup in 2022.

Brooklin Fry in action for the Bears in November of 2020.

Hockey Canada could have decided to go with host centres that were already decided for 2022 before coming back to centres like Prince Albert, which had lost out on hosting nationals twice due to factors beyond anyone’s control.

Hockey Canada gets kudos for ensuring Prince Albert would still get its turn to host the Esso Cup.

With the COVID-19 vaccine rollouts that are happening across Canada, it is reasonable to believe the 2022 Esso Cup will run when it is scheduled to run. When Hockey Canada made its announcement for host centres for its 2021 nationals, actually dates for those events were never announced.

When time for Hockey Canada’s 2022 national championship tournaments roll around, public health orders and travel restrictions have a good chance of being a thing of the past.

In 2020-21, the Bears themselves only got to play four regular season games posting a 3-1 record before new public health orders to combat COVID-19 put that campaign on ice permanently.

The Bears will get to celebrate a return to hockey. The Esso Cup will likely be one of the things Prince Albert as a community gets to rally around in a return to more normal times.

• On Tuesday, Major Series Lacrosse in Ontario and the Western Lacrosse Association in British Columbia in consultation with Lacrosse Canada cancelled their 2021 seasons and the Mann Cup national men’s senior box lacrosse championship due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This was the second straight year those lacrosse campaigns were cancelled due to the pandemic.
• Tickets are on sale for the May 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. The draw date will be May 31. Tickets can be purchased by clicking right here, and purchasers must be in Saskatchewan in order to buy tickets.
• On Thursday, the WHL’s Everett Silvertips announced they won’t be extending the contract for the team’s standout general manager in Garry Davidson and said the 70-year-old is departing the organization effective immediately. Davidson became the Silvertips general manager in February of 2012. Since that time, the Silvertips have finished first in the U.S. Division on five occasions. They reached the WHL Championship series in 2018 falling in six games to the Swift Current Broncos. In the WHL’s 2020-21 developmental season, the Silvertips topped the U.S. Division with a 19-4 record. Of course, the COVID-19 pandemic has played havoc on the last two WHL campaigns preventing any post-season action from taking place. The Silvertips release stated, “The past two seasons have necessitated the restructuring of Silvertips hockey operations, and this process is ongoing. The Silvertips remain focused on the long-term on-ice and business success for our players, fans, partners, sponsors and our ownership.”
• Back on May 13, the OHL announced it planned to open its upcoming 2021-22 regular season on October 7. The OHL is slated to host the 2022 CHL championship tournament – the Memorial Cup. In that May 13 release, the OHL said the 2022 Memorial Cup is slated to be held June 2 to 12 of that year. The OHL wasn’t able to play at all in 2020-21 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• This past week, I learned I came in third for the Best Sports Story award given out by the Saskatchewan Weekly Newspapers Association. The awards were announced May 17. The story that I wrote that came in third appeared in the Davidson Leader, and it was entitled “Hockey Day in Hanley.” Two of my buds took the second and first place spots. Brad Brown came in second with his “Gray’s diamonds are forever” story published in his Quad Town Forum. Lucas Punkari came in first with his “The end of an era” story that appeared in Prince Albert Rural Roots, which was about the Beardy’s Blackhawks final game in the Saskatchewan Male under-18 AAA Hockey League.
• On Friday, the WWE announced it will return to live event touring with a 25-city schedule. The tour begins on July 16 with a taping of Smackdown at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. The second event is on July 18 and it will be the Money In the Bank pay per view to be hosted at the Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas. On July 19, there will be a taping of RAW at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. The other tour stops are still to be announced. The WWE hasn’t toured since early March of 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to the fact the WWE’s weekly RAW, NXT and Smackdown television programs are the main thing that drives its business machine, it is interesting to see when that sports entertainment company hits the road. The RAW and Smackdown shows have been filmed before a virtual video screen audience since about the start of August 2020 in Tampa, Florida. NXT shows have been taped with a limited crowd of about 200 in Orlando, Florida.
• There are times Twitter can suspend an account, where it falls into the department of being an overreaction. This past Tuesday, the Era_of_Bliss account, which is a fan account of WWE superstar Alexa Bliss, was suspended by Twitter for violating Twitter rules. The account was suspended regarding copyright of music usage for a tweet that was posted in June of 2018 regarding UFC 225 that wished luck to fighter CM Punk. The Era_of_Bliss account, which had over 24,000 followers, was very active, so it is crazy to thing someone mined for that tweet from about three years ago. The person who runs the Era_of_Bliss account is a 20-year-old university student, who opened the account while still in high school in February of 2018. The account owner has followed Bliss since her first appearances as a performer on NXT in a glitter fairy gimmick in 2014. Bliss herself even followed the Era_of_Bliss account. The Era_of_Bliss account was fun, and it was not malicious. No money was made operating the Era_of_Bliss account. I hope the owner is able to get that account back.

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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NLL makes the right moves, turns focus to 2021-22

The Rush celebrate an NLL title win in 2016.

The National Lacrosse League is making all the right moves during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

As a result, the circuit won’t be held down by an anvil of a huge debt when it does return to action.

When North America came under the grips of the COVID-19 pandemic in March of 2020, the NLL suspended its regular season on March 12, 2020 and ultimate cancelled the 2019-20 campaign.

For a 2020-21 campaign, the NLL was planning to hold an abbreviated season starting in spring. The league had been looking at playing in a bubble in Hamilton, Ont., in April.

On Wednesday, the 14-team circuit, which includes the Saskatoon-based Saskatchewan Rush, announced the plans for an abbreviated 2020-21 campaign have been cancelled due to uncertainties arising from the continuing COVID-19 pandemic.

The NLL is planning for a traditional season start in fall. The exact start date for the full season will be announced at a later time.

During a normal season schedule, NLL off-season activities usually start heating up in September and regular season games usually start in late November.

The regular season runs through to the end of the following April with the bulk of the post-season taking place in May. The best-of-three National Lacrosse League Cup championship series usually runs in late May and early June.

As far as getting an abbreviated season going for 2020-21 was concerned, the NLL just couldn’t navigate travel and quarantine restrictions.

Mark Matthews is one of the star players on the Rush.

“We have gone through many scenarios including playing a bubble season in Canada in April, but the logistical challenges, including the recently announced tighter travel and quarantine restrictions across the Canadian border, have required us to pivot,” said NLL commissioner Nick Sakiewicz in a release. “While many of the factors we can control were moving along well, those outside of our control, especially pertaining to obtaining government approval as far in advance as we would have needed, are no longer feasible.

“All the efforts and innovations we were planning will now go towards a full season starting this fall and into next year. We thank our players, teams and board of governors, whose thoughts in this process were invaluable, and we now set our sights on getting lined up for a full NLL season starting in the fall. We also thank our fans for sticking with us – we will be back, and it will be even more exciting than ever before.”

The decision had the backing of the Professional Lacrosse Players’ Association.

“We appreciate the League’s extensive efforts to provide us the opportunity to play an abbreviated 2021 season in a safe and controlled environment throughout the changing landscape during this pandemic,” said PLPA president Zach Currier in a release. “While we are disappointed that it will not be possible to play this spring, we are even more excited and passionate about having a full 2021-22 season and are eager to get back on the floor this fall.”

The NLL was smart to cancel the action it already has and try to regroup to hold a full season at the earliest point it can. The circuit is a gate driven one, so to play in empty buildings doesn’t make sense from a financial standpoint.

When the NLL does get going, odds are high the game day experience will be as good as it was before the pandemic.

The Rush franchise knows how to turn a game day into an event. Rush fans in Saskatchewan found that out after the team moved from Edmonton to Saskatoon before the start of the 2015-16 season.

“Grandma Rush” is the Rush’s most passionate fan.

During Rush game days, the SaskTel Centre contained a party atmosphere. You could tell the Rush staff had mastered turning the game day experience into a must-see event.

Rush games contained everything from dance teams, a cool official mascot in Bruiser the Bulldog, a cool unofficial mascot in Rush Hulk, a jumping party zone, a D.J., various games for kids and an outstanding sports product on the turf.

The Rush captured an NLL title in 2015 based in Edmonton and added two NLL crowds residing in Saskatoon in 2016 and 2018.

The Rush party was going strong even when they played their last game on March 7, 2020 downing the Vancouver Warriors 17-7 at the SaskTel Centre.

The NLL will be able to keep launching great game day experiences thanks to not piling up a massive debt.

Due to television contracts, circuits like the NFL, MLB and NBA can operate in a healthy fashion.

The NHL, which doesn’t have a rich television contract and needs fans in the stands, is playing with financial fire playing a shortened 2020-21 campaign.

On January 11 in a Zoom conference call with league media, NHL commission Gary Bettman said his circuit was playing because the stakeholders on the circuit felt it was important for the game, and they hoped to give fans a sense of normalcy. NHL teams in Canada are playing games without fans and there are a few clubs in the United States playing in front of small limited crowds.

Bettman said it would be cheaper to shut the doors and not play. He said the NHL at the club and league level is going to lose more money by playing than not playing.

The Rush captured their third NLL championship in 2018.

“The magnitude of the loss starts with a ‘B,’” said Bettman. “We’re out of the ‘M’ range and in the ‘B.’”

In the United States, the NHL has had a number of games get postponed due to positive COVID-19 tests among team players and staffers, but the circuit is motoring along.

If the NHL and its teams as a whole go next season and future campaigns with a debt over the billion-dollar range, you have to wonder how the circuit will keep creditors away?

You could almost see a circuit like the NHL asking for a government bailout.

The NLL is smart to not going into the future dealing with that type of led weight. Also, the NLL marketing staffs are so good it is highly unlikely the issue of relevancy will be a problem.

When NLL game days return, the party will be on.

Hockey Canada cancels spring nationals

The Bears plans of hosting the Esso Cup were dashed again.

For the second year in a row, Hockey Canada has canceled its spring national championships due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

On Friday, Hockey Canada officially canceled the Esso Cup, which is the national female AAA under-18 championship tournament and the Telus Cup, which is the national male AAA under-18 championship tournament.

The Centennial Cup tournament to crown a national champion in the junior A ranks was also axed along with the Allan Cup tournament that determines a champion at the highest level of senior hockey in Canada.

All of those events were cancelled last year by Hockey Canada due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Prince Albert Northern Bears were set to host the Esso Cup last year and this year before the event got cancelled.

As for the other 2021 host centres, Calgary, Alta., was supposed to host the Telus Cup, Penticton, B.C., was slated to hold the Centennial Cup and Dundas, Ont., was set to host the Allan Cup.

In a statement, Hockey Canada said it was left with no other option but to cancel these events due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the fact many regions in Canada aren’t playing organized hockey at the moment.

All hockey season in Saskatchewan were put on ice in late November 2020 due to government restrictions.

Hockey Canada is working on confirming host cities for these national championship tournaments in 2022.

Overall, Hockey Canada’s announcement on Friday did not come as a surprise.

Going forward, one of the big hurdles in holding these championship tournaments or championship tournaments governed by any minor sport body is travel.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the airlines have severely cut back their flights in Canada, and there are no guarantees air travel will return to what it was when the pandemic ends.

You also can’t get across Canada via passenger train, so teams might have to make long hauls via chartered busses. Of course, that would mean some teams would be traveling for days via a bus to get to a championship tournament.

Going forward, these championship tournaments might look different when they are eventually held compared to what they looked like in past years.

TSN axes some of the best, other notes

Had I known last night was my final show, I would have tried a little harder. Ahhhh, who am I kidding. I probably wouldn't have. It was a wild ride. If you got our show, then you laughed along with us. Thank you! Peace and love and let's raise a glass together once Covid is over.

— Dan O'Toole (@notontvotoole) February 4, 2021

TSN appears set to march on minus a few of its biggest names.

After holding their Bell Let’s Talk day fundraising campaign for mental health charities and to promote mental health awareness on Jan. 28, Bell Media has spent the past week making a huge number of layoffs.

Those cuts included letting go 210 staffers at Bell outlets in Toronto and area.

Walking papers were given to four prominent TSN staffers.

On Wednesday, Brent Wallace confirmed his 23-year run came to an end at TSN via Twitter. The in depth reporter was covering the NHL’s Ottawa Senators on a full-time basis when he was let go.

On Thursday, Dan O’Toole announced via Twitter that he had been cut, and he was no longer going to be co-hosting TSN’s nightly Sportcentre show with Jay Onrait. When they did Sportscentre, the show was called “SC with Jay and Dan.”

Late on Thursday, word got out that TSN ace anchor Natasha Staniszewski was let go after a 10-year run. She was popular in the Prince Albert and Saskatoon areas having worked with the CTV outlets in both centres from 2006 to 2009.

On Friday, word dropped that Tim Moriarty, who was known as “Producer Tim,” was also axed by TSN. Moriarty was a long time producer for Onrait and O’Toole. The trio was together at TSN from 2003 to 2013.

All three moved to FOX Sports 1 for a four-year run from 2013 to 2017 before returning to TSN in 2017 to a lot of fanfare.

Moriarty changed his Twitter account title to “The Artist Formerly Known as Producer Tim.”

The cuts of Wallace, O’Toole, Staniszewski and Moriarty show how cruel the mainstream media world can be. All four were still at the top of their respective games and the best in their lines of work.

I want to thank everyone sending kind words regarding my departure from TSN. It hasn’t been easy to digest but your support has helped lessen the sting and I appreciate it more than you know.
I feel nothing but love and gratitude for the 10yrs I had with the network. 1/2

— Natasha Staniszewski (@tvnatasha) February 5, 2021

Just my observation, it seems management at mainstream outlets starts looking for ways to get rid of talent once talent hits the age of 40. All four TSN veterans were over the age of 40.

Bell has also taken heat over the layoffs when it was recently revealed that the company had received $122-million in COVID-19 relief while increasing dividend payouts to shareholders.

Thanks to all the Bell Media cuts, young Victor Findlay, who is best known for covering action in U Sports men’s hockey, called his first NHL game on Thursday on TSN5, when the Ottawa Senators visited the Montreal Canadiens.

Findlay, who is in his mid 20s, is hard-working and accurate on details. He is also a good guy, and if he contacts me needing help on a story, I will try and help him.

When someone like Findlay gets a break, you are happy to see that happen.

When you connect the dots, it would be nice if that type of break didn’t come at the expense of veterans who did not deserve to get dumped.

• Tickets are now on sale for the February 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 Sunday, 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.
• On Wednesday, the NWHL announced the remainder of the circuit’s season that was being played in a modified bubble with looser restrictions in Lake Placid, N.Y., was being suspended due to new positive COVID-19 tests and resulting concerns over player safety. The Metropolitan Riveters pulled out of the bubble on Jan. 28. The Connecticut Whale dropped out of the bubble on Monday leaving four teams including the expansion Toronto Six to try and continue the season at that point. The NWHL season was supposed to last two weeks in Lake Placid. The NWHL wasn’t able to play its Isobel Cup championship game last season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Minnesota Whitecaps were supposed to meet the host Boston Pride in last year’s Isobel Cup title game.
• Late Friday night, the WHL announced its five-team U.S. Division is set to begin regular season play on March 19. The five clubs are expected to play a 24-game regular season schedule. The WHL said it received clearance to play in the state of Washington, which contains the Everett Silvertips, Seattle Thunderbirds, Spokane Chiefs and Tri-City Americans. There was no word on what was happening with the Portland Winterhawks, who are based in the state of Oregon. It is likely the Winterhawks will locate to the state of Washington for a shortened season. The WHL said no spectators will be permitted to enter WHL facilities. It was already announced the WHL’s five teams located in Alberta are slated to begin regular season play on Feb. 26. The league is still looking for clearance to allow competition to be held in the East Division and the B.C. Division.
• On Friday, the Boston University Huskies women’s hockey team blanked the visiting Merrimack College Warriors 6-0 in an NCAA regular season game broadcast on TSN. The Huskies roster contains two alums of the Saskatoon Stars female under-18 AAA hockey team in Nara Elia and Mackenna Parker. Elia had an assist in the win, while Parker potted her first goal of the season. The Huskies improved to 3-3, while the Warriors fell to 1-12.
• On Friday, the University of Wisconsin Badgers women’s hockey team won their fifth straight slipping past the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers 4-3 in overtime in an NCAA regular season game in Minneapolis, Minn. The Badgers roster contains two alums of the Saskatoon Stars female under-18 AAA hockey team in sisters Sophie and Grace Shirley. Sophie had an assist in the Badgers win. The Badgers improved to 9-2, while the Golden Gophers fell to 9-5.
• In the realm of sports entertainment, huge respect has to be given to Orangeville, Ont., product Adam Copeland for his performance in the WWE’s Royal Rumble pay-per-view last Sunday. Copeland, who is best known by his wrestling persona as Edge, won the men’s Royal Rumble match entering the rink as the first among 30 wrestlers taking part in the bout. Edge is one of the greatest performers the WWE has ever had. Edge is also 47-years-old, but even at that age, he was still in shape to perform for over an hour in the ring. While WWE is scripted entertainment, the talent that takes part in matches in the ring has to have incredible athletic ability to do all the stunts they do. The fact that Edge can still perform at a high level at his age is incredible. He also returned from a real neck injury that saw him step away from the company for a lengthy stretch from 2011 to 2020, which makes his story that much more amazing.

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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Epic comeback caps Bears most memorable night at Hauser

The Bears celebrate clinching a berth to the Esso Cup in 2017.

It was a game where it appeared the Prince Albert Northern Bears were going to have to rely on a second chance to nail down an Esso Cup berth.

After capturing their second Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League title in team history in March of 2017, the Bears hosted the Hartney, Man., based Westman Wildcats in a best-of-three female midget AAA Western regional playdown.

The Bears took Game 1 of the series 6-4 on March 31, 2017 at the Art Hauser Centre.

Brooklyn Anderson (#7) had the late third period winner.

In Game 2 of the series on April 1, 2017, the Bears found themselves down 6-3 with 13:24 remaining in the third period. At that point in time, it appeared the two sides would play in a series deciding Game 3 the next night.

All of a sudden, the Bears made a frantic comeback. With exactly two minutes to play in the third, rookie forward Brooklyn Anderson tipped home a point shot from tough as nails defender Jordan Ashe to give the Bears a 7-6 lead.

Prince Albert held on from there to ensure that score would be the final result in order to capture the Lanchbery Family Trophy. The Bears swept the series 2-0 to qualify for the Esso Cup – the female under-18 AAA championship tournament – for the first time in team history.

The Bears celebrate Brooklyn Anderson’s late third period winner.

“It feels amazing,” said Anderson after the game. “I know the team was really excited to get there.

“We weren’t losing this. We wanted to get there, and we got there, so that is awesome.

“I saw Jordan (Ashe) had it on the point, and I knew that I just needed to get in front of the net. It is exactly what I did, and it just went off my stick and in.”

The Bears in 2016-17 were the carbon copies of the romantic image of their WHL cousins the Prince Albert Raiders, when the Raiders are at their best.

If you wanted to play run and gun, the Bears could run and gun. If you wanted to get down in the trenches, the Bear would get down in the trenches.

Captain Brooke Hobson was the Bears best player.

While fighting is technically banned in the female game of hockey, the Bears had the toughness to take care of things in a flat out brawl, if their opponents chose to play that way. The Bears had a team that was built for any type of game.

Overall, head coach Jeff Willoughby liked the high tempo offensive games the best being a fan of the 1980s NHL’s Edmonton Oilers. It seemed fitting the Bears most memorable home game turned out to be a 7-6 shootout that saw a championship trophy and banner handed out at the end of the contest.

The Bears finished second overall in the SFU18AAAHL with what was at the time the best record in team history at 22-6.

When they got to the best-of-five SFU18AAAHL championship series, the Bears swept away their archrivals the Saskatoon Stars 3-0. The Stars had topped the league standings with a 25-2-1 mark.

Camryn Amundson (#9) jets up ice for the Bears.

The Bears had a well-rounded roster, but their best player was captain and ultra-talented offensive-defender Brooke Hobson. Hobson was a member of Canada’s under-18 national women’s team and turned heads with a shot that seemed to be gifted to her from a Higher Power.

Veteran forward Camryn Amundson skated through an inspired season in 2016-17. She played in 27 regular season games setting career highs in goals (13), assists (14) and points (27).

Her older sister Shaye had passed away tragically in a single-vehicle accident in June of 2016. On the ice, it seemed like Shaye was still there helping her younger sister play.

Abby Soyko had the equalizer for the Bears.

The Bears roster had some classic Prince Albert hockey elements.

 They had the great power forward in Abby Soyko. At age 15 that season, Soyko topped the Bears in scoring with 18 goals and 13 assists for 31 points in 27 regular season games.

The Bears had players that could put up points with a finesse offensive game like Kate Ball, who had 15 goals and 15 assists appearing in all of the Bears 28 regular season games.

They had gritty checkers like centre Ireland South, who also showed some offensive touch netting 11 goals and 10 assists in 26 regular season games.

Finesse defender Hannah Koroll was solid and made the game look easy to play at both ends of the ice.

Of course, the Bears had Ashe on the back end, and she was the Bears version of Raiders legend Dave Manson on defence.

Kate Ball had a big offensive season for the Bears in 2016-17.

In goal, the Bears had the reliable duo of Ryan Fontaine and Brooklyn Elek, and the team couldn’t go wrong playing either in big games.

Overall, the Bears had their own unique collective personality, where it seemed it was always a good day to go to the rink. Ultimately, everyone on the roster stepped up with big performances and moments at different points in the campaign to make it a special one.

When the Bears showed up for Game 2 of their series with the Wildcats, they had an estimated 1,200 supporters waiting for them at the Art Hauser Centre.

A sweep in the short set wasn’t guaranteed as the Wildcats had some star players like forward Ashton Bell, who was the captain of Canada’s under-18 national women’s team.

Hannah Koroll made playing the game look easy.

The Wildcats scored on their first two shots of the game to go ahead 2-0, but the Bears stormed back to take a 3-2 lead early in the second period.

The visitors proceeded to score four straight goals to go ahead 6-3 with 13:24 remaining in the third.

Josee Casavant and Bell had each scored twice for the Wildcats, while Camryn Clyne and Haley Wickham had singles.

Ball, Amundson and Story Navrot replied with singles for the Bears up to that point in time.

With 12:22 remaining in the third, the Bears got traction when forward Miranda Heidt slipped a pass across the front of the Westman goal to Hobson. The Bears captain potted a tally to cut the Wildcats edge to 6-4.

Hobson struck again with 7:54 remaining in the third, when she blew home a point shot to further trim the Wildcats lead to 6-5.

Jordan Ashe brought grit and toughness to the Bears.

Soyko proceeded to even things up at 6-6 with a power-play goal with 3:13 remaining in the frame. That set the stage for dramatics on Anderson’s winner.

Elek made 24 stops to pick up the win in goal. Kaitlyn Slator turned away 19 shots to take the setback in goal for the Wildcats.

“Both teams kind of just let it loose,” said Willoughby after the game. “It was kind of run and gun and fun to play in and fun to coach.

“I’m sure all the fans got more than their money’s worth here. It was incredible to coach in I will say that first of all. There was lots of intensity on the bench.

“The girls didn’t get down too low, didn’t get up too high. It was very good.”

The Bears raise the Lanchbery Family Trophy.

The win marked the first time the Bears accepted a championship trophy and banner on home ice. 

The two times they clinched the SFU18AAAHL title were both on the road.

The Bears on ice celebration with their parents and fans seemed to last a good two hours after their series clinching win ended.

Later that same month, the Bears finished fifth overall in the round robin standings at the Esso Cup tournament, which was held in Morden, Man. They just missed out making the playoff round with a 2-3 record.

The Bears are all smiles after their epic comeback win.

Looking back now, the excitement Prince Albert that season had for the Bears in 2016-17 seemed to be a prelude in “Hockey Town North” for the huge excitement that followed for the Raiders in their special 2018-19 campaign.

Of course in 2018-19, the Raiders topped the WHL standings with a 54-10-2-2 record and went on to win the WHL title thanks to Dante Hannoun’s overtime winner of Game 7 of the league championship series at the Art Hauser Centre.

In 2016-17, it was Anderson’s late third period goal and the Bears that took centre stage at the Art Hauser Centre. Prince Albert rallied around the Bears as they collected championship trophies and banners.

Camryn Amundson enjoys her moment with the trophy.

The Bears crafted a story in 2016-17 which will be passed down through generations in P.A.

That season, the Bears truly embodied the romantic image of “Hockey Town North.”

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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