Off of here until July

Set to head out on a bike ride in early May.

For about a couple of weeks, I’ve kind been looking forward to taking a break from this blog.

I kind of felt I’ve needed to take a break in order to get refreshed.

I like the fact the last post I wrote before this one was a quoter piece from catch up interviews I did with sisters Sophie and Grace Shirley, who won an NCAA title together playing for the University of Wisconsin Badgers women’s hockey team. Both skilled forwards are outstanding persons, and I’ve enjoyed seeing them grow in the sport and in life since moving to Saskatoon in the summer of 2014.

I caught up with the Shirley sisters for Your Saskatoon News, and I had lots leftover for another piece.

Even when I was using the leftover quotes to craft a piece for this blog, the writing part wasn’t coming easy. I also started swearing at the computer when I was hitting glitches in the editing and layout phases.

I got frustrated when a feature on the blog platform I used stopped working like it used to.

I took those moments as another sign that I needed a break.

My break from this blog will run the rest of June and the next post is slated for July 3. On July 3, I will say I am either extending my break or I will have some sort post that kicks me back into action.

The other reason I am taking a break is because I haven’t taken a break from producing content for this blog since January 2020, which was before the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic gripped the world and really started to impact life in North America on March 11, 2020.

A wall of pictures I’ve taken at sports events over the years.

I have been fortunate enough to work through the pandemic as the communications coordinator with the Gordie Howe Sports Complex and on freelance opportunities that came up. The freelance opportunities have been far less than they were before the pandemic, but they have still come and been a nice bonus.

Still, I use this blog as my main outlet to cover the sports scene focusing on the WHL, U Sports, CJFL and SFU18AAAHL. A lot of the focus is on those scenes in Saskatoon and Prince Albert.

Columns about the NLL mainly involving the Saskatchewan Rush, CFL, NHL and other sports and topics outside of the sports world get thrown in too. I actually have to admit that while I am not a big lacrosse guy, covering the Rush has been extremely fun over the years, and I enjoyed that scene way more than I thought I would.

During busy WHL playoff runs which occurred before the pandemic, it is common for me to put posts up on this blog on a daily basis.

With that noted, the mind hits times where it needs to rest and refresh. Writing about the ups and downs of the sports world during these pandemic times dating back to March 11, 2020 has been challenging.

I am actually one of those that constantly fact checks sources to ensure facts are right. Fact checking items and weaving through social media battles between people has been taxing.

In my other work environments, I am still tracking how things are unfolding in the pandemic.

I’m surrounded by mementos in my basement workout room.

I just want to get a break from continuing that tracking on this blog.

On Wednesday, I saw the International Ice Hockey Federation announced the women’s worlds will run Aug. 20-31 in Calgary. While this was an upbeat update, I still need a break from being plugged in and keeping up on updates like that.

With the ups and downs of the pandemic, I’ve found the local sports world that I deal with has had its toxic times too. The out there emotions are understandable as coaches and administrators have poured their souls into get sports going again and have encountered many frustrations.

I don’t hold any of those emotions in upset times against anyone.

For myself, I just need to step away from that toxicity for a bit.

I also know as we work towards a new normal as vaccines for COVID-19 roll out that the sports world will build into a new normal.

In Canada, the sports world that existed on March 10, 2020 won’t be coming back in the new normal. There have already been changes like the elimination of the University of Lethbridge Pronghorns men’s and women’s hockey teams, the retirement of Dave Adolph as the head coach of the University of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s hockey team and Bruce Urban selling the Rush to the Priestner family.

A display of some pictures I’ve taken over the years.

Those are just some of the changes that have crossed my mind, but there are many more than that.

I want to take some time to step back to get a different look at how the sports world locally and in Canada is going to fall into place without writing about that process on a regular basis. As the sports world locally and in Canada falls into place, I will evaluate how I will fit into that new world.

Besides the sports side of things, my social calendar for 2020 was packed with items pre-pandemic that got called off. In the sort out going forward, some of those social functions at the moment are slated to come back include a big family wedding which I need to devote time and attention to.

I don’t think I will ever stop producing this blog. It is something that is mine.

When I have to make space and time to produce posts for this blog, I have told people to (*explanative*) off in some extreme cases. I have worked regularly to 1 a.m. or 3 a.m. when I am in the process of producing a post that I feel is really good.

Back when I first started to write this blog in the final five months of 2014, I thought I would just focus on writing about the University of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s and women’s hockey teams as my way to stay linked to sports.

From that simple expectation, I’ve lost track of all the cool things I’ve done. I’ve covered numerous championship wins involving the Saskatoon Hilltops, Saskatoon Valkyries and Saskatoon Stars.

I covered a Bears OT win on Nov. 21, 2020.

I renewed links with Prince Albert covering the Raiders and the Northern Bears.

Covering the Raiders 3-2 overtime win in Game 7 of the WHL Championship Series will always be an all-time highlight.

I’ve made numerous memories on the WHL circuit the majority involving the Raiders, Saskatoon Blades, Regina Pats, Swift Current Broncos, Moose Jaw Warriors, Medicine Hat Tigers, Brandon Wheat Kings and Red Deer Rebels.

There have been many special memories involving the Huskies hockey teams and the University of Saskatchewan Huskies football team.

I enjoyed getting to follow the hockey careers of my young cousins Nelson and Danielle Nogier. It was a different unique special to cover Nelson playing games with the Blades and Rebels and Danielle suiting up with the Stars and Huskies.

Covering the 4 Nations Cup women’s hockey tournament in Saskatoon in November of 2018 was a huge highlight too.

I’ve had so many great experiences come my way through this blog, so I can’t see ever at this time permanently giving it up.

For now, I am walking away for an extended time in order to get a break and get refreshed. Hopefully, I can get is some good coffee visits like one I had a few weeks back with Tim Shirley.

No matter what I am always busy in the home office.

So in the mean time and in between time, I hope you all stay healthy and safe and handle each day the best way you can.

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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Sudden NCAA title victory for Shirley sisters, Badgers

Hobson and Huskies fall in heartbreaker

BACK TO BACK NATIONAL CHAMPIONS!!!!!!!

Daryl Watts scores in overtime to help the #Badgers claim their sixth national title

Wisconsin 2, Northeastern 1#OnWisconsin #UWHealth pic.twitter.com/KMUsUQBJHp

— Wisconsin Hockey (@BadgerWHockey) March 21, 2021

Sisters Sophie and Grace Shirley experienced the definition of “sudden victory” with the University of Wisconsin Badgers women’s hockey team.

For Prince Albert product Brooke Hobson, she had to digest a heartbreaking loss as captain of the Northeastern University Huskies.

On Saturday, the Badgers and Huskies collided in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I women’s hockey championship 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.

NATIONAL. CHAMPIONS. pic.twitter.com/sOht3fVAHS

— Wisconsin Hockey (@BadgerWHockey) March 21, 2021

It was a slick play only Watts and a handful of others could make. In 134 career NCAA games with both the Boston College Eagles and the Badgers, Watts has piled up 108 goals and 132 assists for 240 points. She won the Patty Kazmaier Award as the top player in NCAA women’s hockey for the 2017-18 campaign.

Sophie and Grace Shirley after a Stars title win in 2015.

Watts’s tally gave the Badgers a 2-1 victory and their sixth NCAA title in program history. The Badgers six NCAA titles equals the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers for the most all-time NCAA championships in women’s hockey.

The first NCAA women’s hockey title was awarded in 2001.

Badgers head coach Mark Johnson has guided Wisconsin to all six NCAA titles becoming the all-time wins leader for NCAA women’s hockey in the process.

The Badgers have won the NCAA crown the last two times it was awarded including Saturday’s OT win and in 2019. The2020 NCAA women’s hockey championship tournament was cancelled due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic that has gripped the world.

The Huskies were trying to win their first NCAA crown in their first appearance in the NCAA championship game.

The Shirley sisters, who are alums of their hometown Saskatoon Stars female under-18 AAA team, got to soak in sudden win.

Sophie, who is a right-winger in her junior season, experienced a second NCAA title win with the Badgers. Grace got to experience her first NCAA championship victory as a sophomore forward.

Hobson, who is an alumna of her hometown Prince Albert Northern Bears female AAA under-18 team, had to digest a defeat as a senior defender that ultimately no one on her side could be faulted on. Saturday marked just the fourth time the NCAA women’s hockey final was decided in overtime.

Sophie Shirley in action for the Stars in 2015.

In Saturday’s NCAA title game, the goaltenders dominated the majority of the contest. Senior netminder Kennedy Blair made 23 saves to pick up the win in goal for the Badgers (17-3-1).

Frankel, who is in her senior season, stopped 35 shots to take the setback in goal for the Huskies (22-2-1).

The Huskies failed to score on four power-play chances, and the Badgers were unable to cash in on their one power-play opportunity.

The Huskies had won 18 straight games heading into Saturday’s title tilt and were the top ranked team in NCAA women’s hockey.

The Badgers entered Saturday’s championship game as the second ranked team in NCAA women’s hockey.

Over the first two periods of Saturday’s battle, Blair and Frankel slammed door in front of their respective goals to keep their sides locked in a 0-0 tie.

The Badgers finally broke through at the 11-minute mark of the third period. Badgers freshman right-winger Makenna Webster fired home the rebound of a shot taken by linemate Casey O’Brien to put Wisconsin up 1-0.

Grace Shirley in action for the Stars in 2018-19.

Just 39 seconds later, the Huskies evened things up at 1-1. Hobson got the puck to the lower left corner of the Wisconsin zone to Northeastern centre Alina Mueller.

Mueller slipped the puck over to junior left-winger Chloe Aurard inside the left faceoff circle. Aurard blew home the equalizer to top right corner of the Wisconsin goal.

That set the stage for the overtime dramatics, where Watts netted the winner.

For the Shirley sisters, this marked the second time they got to enjoy a championship playing together. When the Stars won their first Saskatchewan Female Under-18 AAA Hockey League title in 2014-15, Sophie was a star 15-year-old centre on that team, while Grace was a 13-year-old associate player call up.

Grace was healthy scratch the night the Stars captured their first SFU18AAAHL title.

Following that season, Sophie moved on to play with two different academy programs and one CWHL season with the Calgary Inferno before joining the Badgers. Grace remained with the Stars helping them win SFU18AAAHL championship in 2016, 2018 and 2019.

Brooke Hobson in action with the Bears in 2017.

Hobson captained the Bears to a SFU18AAAHL title in 2017.

Saturday’s game concluded an NCAA women’s hockey season that many weren’t sure would get completed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Badgers had to cancel their last six games scheduled for this past December after a COVID-19 outbreak on the team. Media reports stated at least six Badgers players test positive for the virus.

The Wisconsin side returned after New Year’s Day and hit top stride on their way to winning the NCAA title.

Sophie appeared in all of the Badgers 21 games collecting 12 goals and 13 assists for 25 points to go with a plus-18 rating in the plus-minus department. In 98 career NCAA games, she has 61 goals and 63 assists for 124 points.

Grace skated in all of the Badgers 21 games posting two goals and one assist and a plus-two rating.

Hobson has made her mark as one of the Huskies all-time greats thanks to her skill as an offensive defender. In 128 career games with the Huskies, Hobson has 41 goals and 45 assists for 86 points.

She appeared in all of the Huskies 25 games this season posting two goals, 15 assists and a plus-33 rating.

Hobson could potentially return to the Huskies for a fifth season. The NCAA has ruled the 2020-21 campaign won’t count as eligibility used for players that take part in that season due to the uncertainties created by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Overall, the Shirley sisters and Hobson continue to make Saskatchewan proud. For Saskatchewan’s hockey community, Saturday’s NCAA women’s hockey final was a great day.

That winning feeling pic.twitter.com/rkyRlzuSeP

— Wisconsin Hockey (@BadgerWHockey) March 21, 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.

Expect bubble system to be part of sports for a while yet

Clark writes from Hockey Canada bubble

Emily Clark, centre, is at a Hockey Canada bubble training camp.

Until the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic goes away, expect various parts of the sports world to continue using the bubble environment.

That environment could be a more loose bubble. That basically means athletes exist by just community back and forth traveling between home and their athletic facility.

You don’t associate with anyone else outside of that little world.

The tight bubble sees all athletes from a team or league get rounded up and live at a hotel connected to an athletic facility. Those athletes are cut off physically from the rest of the world, and they live in their hotel rooms, a social room with their teammates or at the athletic facility.

Athletes and team officially are usually tested daily for COVID-19 in that setup.

That tight bubble environment is what most people think about of when it comes to a bubble environment. That bubble environment was used successfully by the NHL, NBA and WNBA to successfully complete their post-seasons in 2020.

It was used successfully by the International Ice Hockey Federation to complete the men’s world juniors in Edmonton, Alta., which wrapped up Jan. 5 when the United States blanked Canada 2-0 in the gold medal game.

An Emily Clark hockey card.

That type of bubble environment is being used by Hockey Canada again to host training camps for the senior national women’s team and the national para men’s team in Calgary, Alta.

The national women’s team camp began on Sunday and runs through to Saturday, Jan. 30. A total of 35 players will take part in this camp, while 12 were invited an unable to attend due to school commitments and other reasons.

Sophie Shirley, an alumna of the Saskatoon Stars female under-18 AAA team, was one of the invites that was unable to attend as the star centre is playing NCAA regular season games with the University of Wisconsin Badgers.

The national para men’s team began camp on Saturday and runs through to Tuesday, Jan. 26. A total of 14 players will take part in skating sessions in that camp, while another 13 players were invited but unable to participate.

Players have to quarantine for three days upon arriving in Calgary, and they are closed to the public and media.

On the women’s side, national team veteran and Stars alumna Emily Clark typed out a post on Hockey Canada’s bubble blog on Tuesday.

In the short piece Clark wrote, the 25-year-old Saskatoon product said she went straight to her room upon arriving at the team hotel. Once she was at her room, she unpacked and waited for her first COVID-19 test and dinner to arrive at her door.

For down moments, she brought a Nintendo Switch game system and books to pass the time.

Clark wrote about all the Zoom meetings she took part in on Monday along with medical check ins. She visited with teammates on FaceTime and wrote it was strange to visit with someone that way, when they are in hotel rooms in the same building.

An action shot Emily Clark hockey card.

Clark said she was grateful to be under the same roof as all her national team teammates, and she noted it had been 11 months since they were all together. She ended by saying she believes the next two weeks were going to a lot of fun.

Clark’s full piece can be found by clicking right here.

In both camps, the players will start on ice sessions by skating in small groups before they grow to the size of full practice groups. In both camps, the full practice groups will see the players split into teams red and white.

The camps will progress to the point where there are red and white intrasquad games.

These tight environment bubble camps Hockey Canada is having for the national women’s team and the national para men’s team won’t likely be the last of their kind.

It is a good bet the tight bubble environment will be used for camps and league and post-season games in the sports world for the foreseeable future to come.

Video shows Badgers at their best

When the University of Wisconsin Badgers women’s hockey team gets rolling on all cylinders, they might be the most exciting team in the overall female game.

Last weekend, the Badgers looked like the 1980s Edmonton Oilers sweeping the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers at the LaBahr Arena in Madison, Wisconsin. The Badgers hammed the Gophers 5-0 last Friday and rolled to a 6-3 victory last Saturday.

The Gophers entered the two contests as the top ranked team in NCAA women’s hockey, while the Badgers were ranked number two.

The two-game series was expected to be a hard-fought showdown, but the Badgers proved to be too much improving their overall record to 6-2.

Badgers star centre Sophie Shirley, who is an alumna of the Saskatoon Stars female under-18 AAA team had a goal and an assist in Friday’s win and followed that effort up with a three-assist night in Saturday’s victory.

The 21-year-old has three goals and eight assists appearing in all eight of the Badgers games so far this season.

The Badgers roster also contains Sophie’s younger sister, Grace. Grace, who plays forward, is another Stars alumna.

The Badgers were so impressive in the sweep that the University of Wisconsin athletic department put out a cool one-minute highlight video on their social media feeds. The video can be found below.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Wisconsin Women's Hockey (@badgerwhockey)

Hurricanes suffer small loss in 2019-20, other notes

Peter Anholt, left, watches over his Hurricanes in Dec. 2015.

The WHL’s Lethbridge Hurricanes almost broke even on their 2019-20 season that was cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic, but they are expecting a sizable loss in 2020-21.

During a virtual AGM that was held on Monday, the Hurricanes announced they lost just $1,030 on the 2019-20 campaign. As one of four community owned teams in the WHL, the Hurricanes present their financial statements at an annual general meeting.

Their financial loss was quite a bit less than the WHL’s other three community owned teams, which are all located in Saskatchewan.

On Sept. 29, 2020, the Swift Current Broncos announced they lost $791,000 on the 2019-20 campaign. On that same day, the Moose Jaw Warriors announced a loss of $391,299 for 2019-20.

On Oct. 7, 2020, the Prince Albert Raiders announced they lost $331,895 on the 2019-20 season. In the Raiders case, they would have easily made money had they hosted their final two home regular season games and from their home playoff dates.

The losses of all four community owned teams were compounded by money they didn’t receive from the Sportsnet television contract for broadcasting CHL games. Sportsnet didn’t have to pay out for games that weren’t played due to the COVID-19 pandemic and from the 2020 Memorial Cup tournament that was cancelled in Kelowna, B.C., that annually determines a CHL champion.

The Hurricanes celebrate a goal in 2017-18.

It was also easier for the Hurricanes to get closer to the break even point compared to the Saskatchewan community owned teams due to the fact the Lethbridge side plays out of a bigger rink. The Hurricanes averaged 3,970 fans per game in 2019-20, while the Warriors averaged 2,981 spectators per game, the Raiders averaged 2,642 patrons per game and the Broncos averaged 1,954 supporters per game.

As for the future, the Hurricanes are estimating they could lose as much as $1,3-million for the 2020-21 campaign. The WHL is still planning to play a regular season for 2020-21 with each team playing 24 regular season games exclusively against division rivals.

The games will likely be played without fans.

Danica Ferris of Global News reported that Hurricanes general manager Peter Anholt said playoffs are planned to be held to crown division champions, but the post-season structure hasn’t been decided upon.

When asked why the league has decided to go ahead with a season that will mean a significant hit to clubs, Anholt said it’s in the best interest of the league’s future.

“You know there’s always the other side of it, if we don’t do it, what’s our league going to look like coming out the back end,” said Anholt. “I think that’s a big, big concern to us.

“So this season is all about development for our players and for our players alone.”

Ferris’s story can be found by clicking right here.

• On Thursday, Jan. 14, Kalli Hiebert, who is a 17-year-old defender with the Saskatoon Stars female midget AAA team, committed to join the Fredericton based University of New Brunswick Varsity Reds women’s hockey team in the U Sports ranks for the 2021-22 campaign.
• Last Friday, Boston Buckberger, who is a 17-year-old defenceman with the Saskatoon Blazers under-18 AAA hockey team, announced he has committed to play for the Madison based University of Wisconsin Badgers men’s hockey team in the NCAA ranks. Buckberger plans to play in the junior A ranks first before joining the Badgers.
• On Monday, offensive lineman Mattland Riley signed with the CFL’s Saskatchewan Roughriders. The Roughriders selected Riley in the first round and seventh overall in the 2020 CFL Draft. Riley, who is from Melfort, Sask., played four seasons for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies football team from 2016-19. Suiting up at left guard, Riley was a second team U Sports all-Canadian all-star in 2018 and a first team U Sports all-Canadian all-star in 2019.
• On Monday, the International Ice Hockey Federation announced the men’s world championships were being pulled out of Belarus following pressure from opposition groups and threatened boycotts by sponsors due to political unrest in that country. The tournament was slated to start on May 21 and was to be co-hosted with Latvia. The IIHF said it will seek a new co-host country or elect to allow Latvia to host the event on its own.
• On Tuesday, Diane Jones-Konihowski, who was a superstar with the University of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s track and field team from 1969 to 1975, was named to the Canada West Hall of Fame. She helped the Huskies win Canada West title in 1970, 1971 and 1975, while capturing 12 individual gold medals. Jones-Konihowski represented Canada at the Olympic Summer Games in 1972 and 1976 and won gold for Canada in the pentathlon at the 1978 Commonwealth Game in Edmonton, Alta.
• The QMJHL is slated to resume its regular season on Friday. The major junior circuit last hit the ice for regular season games on Nov. 29, 2020 and paused after new COVID-19 cases continued to rise in the communities the circuit is based in. The 12 teams in Quebec will play in protected environment bubbles in Chicoutimi, Drummondville, Rimouski and Shawinigan. The circuit postponed a total of six games involving the six teams in the Maritimes Division slated for Friday and Saturday following meetings with government and health officials in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island.
• On Wednesday, the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) levied sanctions against Basketball Canada after it decided its men’s senior national team would not to attend a FIBA AmeriCup qualifier this past November on the advice of medical experts amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Canada was to play two games in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. Canada could lose a point in the FIBA AmeriCup standings and is slated to be fined between $80,000 to $160,000 in Swiss Francs, which worked out to $113,988 to $227,997 in Canadian funds. If Canada plays the final stage of the FIBA AmeriCup qualifier set for Feb. 18 to 22 in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Canada won’t lose a point in the standings and only be fined the lesser amount. CBC did a detailed story about this situation, and that piece can be found right here.
• Happy birthday shout outs for Thursday go to Jordan Kulbida, who is a forward with the University of Regina Cougars women’s hockey team and a pitcher for the Saskatoon G-Force women’s softball team, and Kirby Dach, who is an alumnus of the WHL’s Saskatoon Blades and a centre with the NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks.
• On Thursday afternoon, the Manitoba Under-18 AAA Hockey League went public with a letter to Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister to reopen sports facilities and let games resume in the midst of that province’s COVID-19 restrictions. The open letter cited fears about the mental health challenges young player face due to being isolated and not playing sports. The letter is sure to be controversial. People from the sports community have chimed in agreeing with it in initial reactions. Others have chimed in accusing this being the work of selfish parents that want to live their lives through their children and jeopardize public health in the process. Just want to note that I am just passing on the message. The letter can be found right here.
• On the fun side of things, I’ve been reintroduced to the WWE Universe thanks to the kick butt storyline involving Alexa Bliss, Bray Wyatt, who goes by his alter-ego persona “The Fiend,” and Randy Orton that has gone on for the last seven months. I was checking out various social media accounts from WWE talent and marveled at home many “Millions and Millions” of followers they have. A veteran line John Cena has 12.7-million followers on Twitter and 14.7 million followers on Instagram. Charlotte Flair has 1.8-million followers on Twitter and 4.3-million followers on Instagram. There are fan accounts of these WWE superstars that have tens of thousands of followers. Two really good ones follow Bliss. The @Era_Of_Bliss account on Twitter has over 20,000 followers and the @alexa_bliss_wwe._ account has over 59,000 followers. The fans also make tribute music videos of the WWE Superstars they follow and post them on Youtube. A lot of them are quite good. I came to a new realization just how big the WWE Universe actually is and how many people follow. I am also impressed with the passion of the ultra-passionate fans.
• On Monday, I watched Monday Night RAW from beginning to end live just for the second time in the last three years. The main aim was to check out Alexa Bliss and what would happen next with her new evil persona character, and that didn’t disappoint. She was so good. The other part of the show I got a kick out of was duo of The Miz and John Morrison. They made fun of Goldberg and WWE Champion Drew McIntyre on their interview show “The Dirt Sheet” having Gillberg and mini Drew McIntyre appear on the show. The whole segment is hilarious. The Miz and Morrison are outstanding in the comedy department.
• Sticking with the WWE, after Alexa Bliss hit Randy Orton with the “fireball shot heard round the world” on the Jan. 11 edition of Monday Night RAW, the WWE put out a top 10 video of “Superstars throwing fire” this past Sunday. The Bliss fireball topped the list. The fireball stunt is a dangerous one, and most of the videos in the list are from the 1980s and 1990s. That shows the WWE doesn’t bring it back very much. One of the videos on the top 10 list featured Sabu from the ECW days. One I forgot about that made the list was Hulk Hogan taking a fireball shot from Yokozuna’s photographer at King of the Ring in 1993. Yokozuna proceeded to win the WWE title after that fireball shot. The top 10 fireball shot video can be found by clicking right here.
• In checking out the WWE, I noticed their creative team is great at weaving a glimpse of the personal lives of the company’s talent away from the camera and the show’s storylines. One was a video from October of 2020 of Alexa Bliss, whose real name is Alexis Kaufman, visiting with her mom, Angela Kaufman, who works as a nurse in Florida actively treating COVID-19 patients. The video was one of the few in person meetings the two have had during the COVID-19 pandemic, and it can be found by clicking right here.
• The sports community in Saskatchewan is morning the passing of veteran Regina-based sports broadcaster Warren Woods. Woods passed away on Wednesday at age 66 due to complications battling COVID-19. Woods was a mainstay on Regina’s version of Sportsline, which air on STV that later became Global Regina. He then moved from Global Regina to work the radio waves with CJME. He was involved with many sports communities with the strongest ties going to the curling community and the University of Regina Rams football team. All-time great Regina Leader-Post sports columnist Rob Vanstone typed a heartfelt farewell piece on “Woodsy,” which can be found 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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Buckle up – we’re still in for a long pandemic ride in 2021

Circuits like the SFU18AAAHL are in a holding pattern.

We’re only nine days into the new year, but it already feels like the bloom has come off the 2021 rose.

When the calendar changed from 2020 to 2021, there seemed to be big celebrations among the general public and high hopes with a symbolic new beginning. Most couldn’t wait for the year 2020 to be over.

Of course, 2020 will always be the year that will be associated with the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic that saw massive restrictions and lockdowns take place all over the world. That resulted in numerous annual events getting canceled along with special festivities like weddings.

Along with the cancellations, annual events like high school graduations didn’t occur in traditional fashion. The sports world was thrown into havoc with seasons being cancelled, while some sports played modified seasons.

North America got caught firmly in the grips of the coronavirus on March 11, 2020, when the NBA elected to pause its season and domino effect of shutdowns began to occur in all walks of life.

Due to the upheaval created by the COVID-19 pandemic, most could wait to kiss 2020 goodbye.

A stick tape job to cover an event in a pandemic.

The only problem was the pandemic didn’t go away when the calendar flipped over to 2021. As the days go on, it seems like the people who test positive for COVID-19 are starting to become more and more people I know.

Vaccines for COVID-19 started to roll out in December of 2020, but the rollout is still a long way away from returning society to a pre-pandemic state.

When vaccines appeared, it seemed to be a realistic optimistic expectation that things might return to normal by September of this year.

With that said, there were media reports this week that vaccination of the general population in Alberta and Saskatchewan might not start until September of 2021.

According to Worldometer over the last three days, the United States had a 24-hour period where it experienced 279,204 new COVID-19 cases and 4,245 deaths due to COVID-19 and a following 24-hour period that saw 307,579 new COVID-19 cases and 4,010 deaths due to COVID-19.

In Saskatchewan, there were still 3,186 active COVID-19 cases as of Saturday. Alberta still had 14,437 active COVID-19 cases on Saturday and detected Canada’s first case of the South African variant of COVID-19.

On Thursday, Alberta announced its tight COVID-19 restrictions would stay in place until Jan. 21, and British Columbia extended its gathering restrictions until Feb. 5.

Over the first nine days of 2021, there has been so much noise coming on the COVID-19 front that it still feels like 2020.

A house decorated for Christmas in Saskatoon.

Despite the pandemic, good feelings from the Christmas holiday season in 2020 did come into existence, but it feels like those happy holiday feelings are already long gone.

Besides the noise around the COVID-19 pandemic, we haven’t even gotten into the coup insurrection attempt that happened in the United States on Wednesday, when supporters of President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C.

Before the calendar flipped from 2020 to 2021, any realist would know that 2021 was going to be far from a normal year. It is already playing out as being far from a normal year.

People all over the world are still going to have to navigate the daily noise that has occurred for almost the last 10 months during the COVID-19 pandemic possibly through the entire calendar year of 2021.

The challenge seems to get tougher and tougher for individuals to focus on what they can control and try not to go overboard emotionally with the news that comes out on a daily basis. People are still going to have to self-regulate the amount of time they spend consuming the news or the seemingly continuous toxicity that occurs on social media.

In the sports world, you can expect constant changes and will likely continue to see governance decisions that have no consistency.

The NFL is in playoffs, the NBA has started a regular season and the NHL is slated to begin a regular season this coming Wednesday on Jan. 13.

A classic movie viewing during the pandemic.

In the United States, some NCAA sports have resumed including regular season action involving the University of Wisconsin Badgers women’s hockey that features Saskatoon sisters in forwards Sophie and Grace Shirley. Both are alums of the Saskatoon Stars female under-18 AAA hockey team.

The Badgers were only able to play two regular season games before Christmas due to positive COVID-19 tests on the team.

In Canada, most sports have been mothballed unless you play NHL hockey. In Saskatchewan, sports teams and groups can conduct training in groups of eight, but there are provinces that have been shut down on that front all together.

This past week in Saskatchewan both the 53^rd Bedford Road Invitational Tournament in Saskatoon and the 69^th Luther Invitational Tournament in Regina have been cancelled for 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Both are extremely prestigious events on the high school basketball calendar in Saskatchewan.

Late Friday night, the WHL announced a renewed commitment to play the 2020-21 campaign with each club playing 24 games. A new start date still hasn’t been announced for the season.

The start date for the 2020-21 WHL campaign has already been pushed back a handful of times.

There has been speculation in hockey circles that major junior and junior A leagues might be willing to push campaigns back to the point games will be played in June or July in order to get playoff champions crowned.

Each WHL team hopes to play a 24 game regular season.

Who knows how well that will go over as there could potentially be huge season creep with spring and summer sports like baseball, golf, softball and soccer. That just scratches the surface with sports schedule conflicts that could happen, and there are a number of other sports that get going in spring and summer.

There has also been speculation that all hockey seasons in Canada that aren’t NHL campaigns might not ultimately continue their 2020-21 campaigns.

For myself, I covered two Saskatchewan Female Under-18 AAA Hockey League games this past November. Those are the only two live hockey games I’ve covered since March 12, 2020.

Going forward, I will continue to try let things develop as they develop without putting any expectations on them. Whenever sports do get going again, I will start feeling my way through when it comes to covering or just being involved with events again.

I was in the process of doing that with the two SFU18AAAHL games I got out to this past November before the season got halted.

As hard as it is, I will try not to immediately act emotionally to how events evolve around me. I find for myself dealing with others acting out emotionally to evolving events makes it harder to take things as they are.

I hope those in society will try and take deep breaths before reacting to how the world unfolds moment by moment.

Me pictured at the Art Hauser Centre on Nov. 21, 2020.

I have also accepted people in general are selfish. In general, most in society expect the world to bend to their selfish needs. I also have to remember that humanity as a collective never learns from past mistakes.

However the cards get dealt my way, I just have to play them the best I can and hope one or two others do the same.

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. products stay on radar for Hockey Canada female teams

Willow Slobodzian takes part in a skating session in July of 2019.

    Being a virtual invite to a summer camp for one of Hockey Canada’s women’s teams is a huge thing in these coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic times.

    On Monday, Hockey Canada announced seven Saskatchewan products were among 109 players to earn invites to a pair of virtual camps with Canada’s National Women’s Program.

    Forwards Sophie Shirley and Grace Shirley along with defenders Brooke Hobson, Ashley Messier and Willow Slobodzian are among 50 players who will meet weekly on a virtual basis as part of Canada’s national women’s development team summer camp. These meeting will continue until these athletes return to university in the fall.

    Forwards Neena Brick and Baylee Kirwan are among the 59 players who will meet weekly on a virtual basis as part of Canada’s national women’s under-18 summer camp. These sessions will run until the 2021 under-18 women’s worlds.

    The upcoming under-18 women’s worlds are slated to run Jan. 5 to 12, 2021 in Linkoping and Mjolby, Sweden.

    Normally, these players would physically get to skate in a camp that is usually held in August in Calgary.

    This year, these players wouldn’t have the chance to impress Hockey Canada brass with an in-person performance. Due to the shutdowns that occurred in North American due to the COVID-19 pandemic starting in earnest on March 11 and 12, most of these players missed playing time in the post-season resulting in another lost chance to turn heads of Hockey Canada decision makers.

Grace Shirley in action for the Stars in the 2018-19 campaign.

    No national championships were won in NCAA women’s hockey, U Sports women’s hockey and in Canada’s female under-18 AAA ranks, because they were all cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

    If you are a player who is taking part in these virtual female camps run by Hockey Canada, you have accomplished a big thing. You have done enough to remain on Hockey Canada’s radar despite some lost opportunities to turn heads.

    Sophie Shirley, who has been in Hockey Canada’s female national team system since 2015, had an impressive sophomore season with the defending NCAA champion University of Wisconsin Badgers.
    In 36 overall games, the star forward and Saskatoon product piled up 29 goals, 32 assists and a plus-36 rating in the plus-minus department.

    Sophie was named a second team Western Collegiate Hockey Association all-star and was named a top-10 finalist for the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award as the NCAA’s top female collegiate hockey player.

    Grace Shirley, who is Sophie’s younger sister, finished up her rookie campaign with the Badgers. With the Badgers, dynamic forward went through a learning year netting one goal and four assists in 36 overall games.

    Grace helped Canada win gold at the under-18 women’s worlds in 2019.

Brooke Hobson in action for the Bears in April of 2017.

    Prince Albert product Brooke Hobson had a solid junior season controlling the blue-line for the NCAA’s Northeastern University Huskies. Hobson posted six goals, nine assists and a plus-22 rating in 30 overall games, and she has been named the Huskies captain for her upcoming senior season.

    Messier, who is Wilcox, played for the Selects Hockey Academy in Rochester, New York, for her Grade 12 year. In November of 2019, Messier helped Team Saskatchewan win silver at the National Women’s under-18 Championship, which features provincial all-star teams.

    This past January, the slick offensive-defender helped Canada take home silver at the under-18 women’s worlds.

    Slobodzian, who is from Clavet, finished her junior season with the NCAA’s Cornell University Big Red. She appeared in 31 overall games posting two goals, 15 assists and a plus-28 rating.

Slobodzian’s 15 assists, 17 points and plus-28 rating were career highs.

    The Shirley sisters, Messier and Slobodzian are alums of the Saskatoon Stars female under-18 team. Hobson is an alumna of her hometown Prince Albert Northern Bears female under-18 team.

    As for the under-18 camp invites, Brick had an impressive 16-year-old campaign helping her hometown Regina Rebels finish first in the Saskatchewan Female Under-18 AAA Hockey League with a 27-2-1 record. She was the SFU18AAAHL’s top scorer piling up 30 goals and 28 assists for 58 points.

    Brick was named a first team SFU18AAAHL all-star and claimed the circuit’s Hayley Wickenheiser Most Valuable Player award and the Kelly Bechard Top Scorer award.

Neena Brick was the SFU18AAAHL’s most valuable player last season.

    Kirwan, who is a Gull Lake product, had a spectacular 16-year-old campaign helping the Swift Current Diamond Energy Wildcats finish second in the SFU18AAAHL with a 22-7-1 record. She finished third in SFU18AAAHL scoring with 29 goals and 12 assists for 41 points.

    Kirwan was a second team SFU18AAAHL all-star and claimed the circuit’s Fiona Smith Most Sportsmanlike Player award.

    All seven of these players with Saskatchewan roots have already made waves in the game. They have the potential to be playing hockey at an elite level for a lengthy number of years to come.

    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.