Tigers’ Desjardins still at the top of his game

Bench boss surpasses 500 wins as WHL head coach

Willie Desjardins pictured in the 2007 Memorial Cup game program.

“You still got it!”

That cheer is popular in the performance art professional wrestling worlds of WWE and AEW when long time veterans like The Undertaker, Randy Orton, John Cena and Bobby Lashley put on great matches.

In the WHL, that cheer should rain down from the stands at Co-op Place in Medicine Hat for Medicine Hat Tigers head coach and general manager Willie Desjardins. Actually, any rink in the WHL could give that cheer for Desjardins as a sign of respect as one of the best to ever be on the major junior circuit.

This past weekend was a milestone one for Desjardins. On Friday, the Tigers downed the Red Deer Rebels 8-1 at Co-op Place. That was the 500^th career WHL head coaching regular season win for Desjardins, and he became just the 12^th coach in the history of the circuit to reach that plateau.

One of the most beautiful moments of that night was one most fans likely wouldn’t be able to see. Current Tigers play-by-play voice Will Bryant brought the Tigers first and iconic play-by-play voice Bob Ridley on for the post-game portion of the broadcast. Ridley, who called 4,022 games over 52 seasons as the Tigers play-by-play voice, offered congratulations to Desjardins and the two reminisced about great times from the past.

On Saturday, the Tigers travelled to Edmonton and dumped the host Oil Kings 6-1 at Rogers Place. That of course was Desjardins’ 501^st career WHL head coaching regular season win.

At age 67 close to turning age 68 in February, Desjardins has the Tigers tied for the lead in the WHL’s Central Division and Eastern Conference at 52 points with the Calgary Hitmen. The Tigers have a 25-15-2 mark, while the Hitmen are 24-11-3-1. For his time in the WHL, Desjardins has a career regular season record of 501 wins, 384 losses and 85 ties and extra time setbacks.

Willie Desjardins works the Tigers bench in March of 2024.

His win total includes 10 victories as a midseason replacement and interim head coach of the Saskatoon Blades in 1997-98. Desjardins has served as the Tigers head coach for two stints with the first coming from 2002 to 2010 and the second starting in 2019 and continuing to the present day. The Tigers won two WHL titles with Desjardins as head coach in 2004 and 2007.

One of the reasons Desjardins always had “it” as a coach was because he was way ahead of the curve when he started his career. When he became the Tigers head coach for the first time way back in 2002, most hockey teams were filled with old time shouter head coaches. It was still an era when a hockey coach wouldn’t think twice about utilizing “the bag skate” style punishment practice as a necessary evil last resort to break a slump.

For the non-hockey people out there, a bag skate practice involves the players on a team skating hard for a lengthy period of time as hard as they can, and the overall sessions can last for two hours. During these types of practices, a puck never touches the ice.

In the 1987 “The Boys on the Bus” documentary on the Wayne Gretzky-era Edmonton Oilers, cameras filmed the Oilers participating in a bag skate during a slump in the 1986-87 season. Some players were vomiting including “The Great One” himself. This often happens in a bag skate.

From 1997 to 2002, the storied Tigers fell on tough times and went five straight seasons missing the WHL Playoffs going through a series of old time coaches. The respective loss totals in those campaigns was 50, 56, 45, 40 and 36.

Then Tigers general manager Rick Carriere thought he needed an “outside the box” thinking head coach to turn things around. Desjardins arrived in Medicine Hat in the summer of 2002.

Willie Desjardins pictured in the Medicine Hat News.

One of most eye-opening experiences about how much things changed with the Tigers came from a phone interview I did shortly before Christmas of 2006 with late NHL enforcer Derek Boogaard. While Boogaard only played 27 regular season contests as a 20-year-old at the start of the 2002-03 campaign for Desjardins, the gentle giant on skates loved his final Tigers bench boss.

Boogaard, who stood 6-foot-7 and weighed 258 pounds, said the players used to do things to rebel against the Tigers coaches that were behind the bench before Desjardins came. When Desjardins arrived in town, Boogaard said he treated the players with so much respect. Boogaard said he felt comfortable enough that he could tell Desjardins everything that happened with the team before he arrived hoping the bench boss could use that information to help turn things around.

The good guy tough guy was ultimately released by the Tigers in order to allow the club to add players who had more scoring punch. Shortly after his release, Boogaard was signed by the NHL’s Minnesota Wild and assigned to the ECHL affiliate at the time in the Louisiana IceGators, which started his journey in professional hockey.

I remember Desjardins telling me he wished he had Boogaard at age 19 as opposed to age 20. The likelihood would have been high Boogaard finished the 2002-03 campaign in Medicine Hat. Still, Boogaard made his way NHL debut three years later at the start of the 2005-06 campaign.

Desjardins always believed one of the best ways to help a player is to show a player respect. During one-on-one meetings, he will get to know the player and proceed to show genuine concern for all aspects of that player’s life.

Once the player understands the coach is legitimately going to be there for you, the player will play their butt off for the coach. That has always happened in all the years when Desjardins has coached the Tigers.

He knows when to allow the players to be themselves and when it is time to focus on work. Desjardins is comfortable enough to let players give him some light-hearted jabs and create some fun around the facility.

Willie Desjardins works the Tigers bench in December of 2019.

He has never been one of those coaches that took himself so seriously that something like this wouldn’t be allowed. Still when it was time to focus on the task at hand, he was able to get that message across and everyone went to work.

Desjardins, who as a player was captain of the 1982-83 University of Saskatchewan Huskies Men’s Hockey Team that won a U Sports championship, always pushed the idea that hockey is a great game and the rink is the best place to be. Even after games when the Tigers lost or if they were in a slump, the players always looked forward to coming to the rink. They knew it was still the best place to be and their head coach and his staff had the answers to help them play better.

Desjardins never used tactics like bag skates, because they were negative motivators that made players hate the coach and want to rebel.

That Tigers team Boogaard started the 2002-03 campaign with was a squad of highly talented players who liked to have a good time off the ice. They were characters with character.

When it came time to be on the ice, they were focused on the task at hand. When hockey was done, they were the guys you wanted to go have pops and socialize with even to this very day.

Most of the players on that 2002-03 Tigers team that snuck into the WHL Playoffs and fell in a heartbreaking seven game second round series to the Red Deer Rebels helped the Tigers breakout in 2003-04. In 2003-04, the Tigers topped the Eastern Conference with a record of 40 wins, 20 losses, nine ties and three overtime losses and advanced on to win the WHL championship.

Some of the players that were part of the Tigers in 2002-03 that helped them win the WHL title in 2003-04 included money goaltender Kevin Nastiuk, Chris St. Jacques, Darren Reid, Clarke MacArthur, Stefan Meyer, Cam Barker, Steven Regier, Ryan Hollweg, Dan Idema, Kieran Block, Steve Marr, Tommy Maxwell, Mark Vodden, Nathan Exner and Riley Day. It could be argued that the 2003-04 WHL champion winning Tigers were one of the best group of characters that had character that ever existed in the history of the circuit and I dare say the history of major junior hockey.

A picture of the Tigers 2004 WHL championship win.

It is common for the guys from the 2003-04 Tigers WHL championship team to joke that Desjardins liked the Tigers 2006-07 WHL Championship team that included money goaltender Matt Keetley and long time NHLers Kris Russell, Darren Helm, Derek Dorsett, David Schlemko, Tyler Ennis and Michael Sauer better because they were the more serious hockey team. It should be noted the 2006-07 Tigers knew how to have a good time on the social front too, but the 2003-04 Tigers were way ahead in that characteristic.

In truth, asking Desjardins to choose a favourite between the Tigers 2003-04 and 2006-07 WHL championship winning teams is like choosing a favourite child. Everybody was special.

Over his years as a coach, Desjardins has been so beloved by his players that in the off-season it is common for him and his wife, Rhonda Carlson, to find their calendars getting filled up with invites to weddings of players he once coached.

Because Desjardins was who he is, he got to be an associate coach with the NHL’s Dallas Stars for two seasons from 2010 to 2012. He guided the AHL’s Texas Stars for two seasons being named the AHL coach of the year in 2012-13 and navigating the Stars to a Calder Cup title as AHL champions in 2013-14.

Desjardins would serve as the head coach of the NHL’s Vancouver Canucks for three seasons from 2014 to 2017. He also served as the interim coach of the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings for part of the 2018-19 campaign.

Internationally, Desjardins was an assistant coach on Canada gold medal winner at world juniors in 2009 and was head coach of the silver medal winner at world juniors in 2010. In the 2017-18 season, he guided Canada’s national men’s team to a Spengler Cup title and a bronze medal win at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

Over the years, other WHL teams has strived build the cultural aspects into their programs that Desjardins instilled with the Tigers. It is common for coaches to strive to emulate Desjardins as opposed to being the hard-butt coaches that were shouters from the old times.

A picture of the Tigers 2007 WHL championship win.

Since Desjardins was the trailblazer in being the connected players’ coach, he still has it when it comes to coaching players in the current day. As the years and decades have gone by, Desjardins has improved and evolved as a coach, but with that noted, it has felt like he always had all the right answers when it comes to helping players be better on the ice and in their lives away from the game.

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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Tigers would not be denied of 2007 WHL title

Bosch’s 2OT winner in Game 7 ends intense series

The Tigers team picture after winning the 2007 WHL title.

    It is the moment you can always see in The Arena even when it is empty.
    It is the second overtime in Game 7 of the WHL Championship series, and the host Medicine Hat Tigers are locked in a 2-2 tie with the Vancouver Giants.

    Tigers talented centre Brennan Bosch has the puck near the blue-line in his own zone, and he is tapped by a swinging stick of a Giants player. The Martensville, Sask., product goes down to his knees, quickly gets up and a 3-on-1 break ensues.

    Bosch skates two to three strides past the Vancouver blue-line and wires home the winner low stick side on Giants goaltender Tyson Sexsmith. The sellout crowd of 4,006 spectators at The Arena explodes like never before with the home side pulling out a 3-2 win and capturing their fifth WHL title.

    That was how the scene played out on May 14, 2007 in what goes down as arguably one of the greatest games in the history of the WHL.

    From that moment, Bosch would be forever cemented as a hero in “the Gas City.”

    It is crazy to think 13 years has passed since that game was played. I worked that game for the Medicine Hat News as the beat writer that covered that Tigers team.

    I can still remember that day and game well.

    Looking back now, I see myself as being really young. I was a really young guy who was locked into that series that day.
    That series had been an intense one. Before the opening faceoff of Game 1, there was a jostling match, followed by a beautifully conducted tag team fight in Game 2 and an overtime winner by Tigers defenceman Trevor Glass in Game 3.

A Tigers celebration picture from the pages of the Medicine Hat News.

    After Game 3, the Tigers were up 2-1 in the set.

    Game 4 featured “the bite,” where Tigers agitator Derek Dorsett bit the finger of Giants pest Kenndal McArdle, when McArdle was trying to use his finger to fish hook Dorsett.

    Dorsett was ultimately suspended for Game 5 for the bite. There were members of the Vancouver media that painted Dorsett as the real life Hannibal “The Cannibal” Lecter.

    The Giants claimed a 4-0 victory in Game 4 and a 3-0 win in Game 5 to take a 3-2 lead in the series as it returned to the Hat for Games 6 and 7.

    Dorsett was inserted into the starting lineup for Game 6. He was the last Tigers member announced as part of the starting six.

    The fans at The Arena rose to their feet to give Dorsett a standing ovation that was cut off after 90 seconds by the start of the national anthem.

    Dorsett went out and immediately laid a massive hit on Giants captain Brett Festerling. The Tigers took the game 4-3 with star centre Darren Helm scoring the winner with 7:43 remaining in the third period that broke a 3-3 tie.

    The series was now tied 3-3 going to the first Game 7 to be played in a WHL final in 13 years.

    Looking at the intensity of the battle in that 2007 WHL final, one would never suspect both the Tigers and Giants had berths locked up in that year’s CHL Championship tournament – the Memorial Cup – due to the Giants being the host team for that event.
    With all that had happened in the series to that point, I was ready for anything to happen in Game 7. Of course, I wanted the Tigers to win, and I believed they would find a way to get it done.

    The guys on that team were my buds. Until this day, the guys that played for the Tigers over the two seasons from 2005 to 2007 are still the best group I ever dealt with in hockey.

The left and right photos show Tigers Game 7 moments from 2007.

    It also helped that Tigers star captain Kris Russell and the leadership group were great at making you feel a part of everything.

    Still, I prided myself in being able cover games objectively, and I felt set for any outcome to play out. I wasn’t making any predictions for that game.

    In the hours leading up to that game, I remember fielding a couple of requests from people looking for Game 7 tickets. The Tigers were in the midst of a lengthy sell out streak, and I had to tell those looking for tickets that they were out of luck.

    I arrived at The Arena about 90 minutes before puck drop. I remember being so nervous that I had to go to the washroom to vomit.

    About four of the Tigers veterans saw me throw up before the game, and that seemed to provide a laugh and levity.

    I was thankful I had a great crew at The News to cover that game with and the bench was emptied for that one. I was in the press box with my partner in crime Collin Gallant.

    Sports editor Sean Rooney motored back and forth between the rink and The News office putting together a column and handling the desking.

    The talents of Emma Bennett and Ian Sorensen expertly took care of the photography.

    Believe it or not, there was a time I went a lengthy stretch where I didn’t shoot photos of sports events. As a result, you won’t see a whole lot of photos with this post.

    In later years, I would try to mirror a lot of Bennett’s pictures when it came to championship celebrations.

    I just had to focus on my main story and a sidebar column filled with my three stars and odds and ends.

    Another group that was ready for the game were the fans. The rivalry between the Tigers and Giants built up to the ferocity you would see between bitter division rivals, and the Tigers faithful did not like the Giants.

    Despised might have been an accurate descriptor. The biggest Vancouver villains were McArdle and right-winger J.D. Watt.

A Tigers WHL championship T-shirt.

    They were heckled any time they hit the ice, and one Tigers fan had a sign for Watt that said, “Watt’s your problem.”

    When the Tigers came out to the ice before the start of the first period, they were greeted with a wave of noise the drowned out the public address announcer.
    They were engaged in the game with constant chants of “Go Tigers Go,” cheers for every big Tigers play and hit and chants of “Keets!” for every big save from hometown hero netminder Matt Keetley.

    Game 7 carried the intensity of the previous six encounters of the series.

    Tyler Ennis put the Tigers ahead 1-0 in the first period.

    Vancouver forwards Wacey Rabbit and Michal Repik potted singles in the second period to put the Giants up 2-1.

    At the media break of the third period, in game host Mike Thibeau rallied the fans to give a salute to Tigers overagers in Dorsett, Keetley and Chris Stevens for playing their final home game that night.

    Within about a couple of minutes of that salute, centre Daine Todd scored for the Tigers to even the score at 2-2 and force overtime.

    Another what would become a romantic moment came in the extra sessions. Due to being warm outside, the fog descended on to the ice at The Arena.

    On about two or three stoppages, the players came off their respective benches to skate circles to dissipate the fog.

    The Tigers hit another gear in the first overtime holding a 10-6 edge in shots on goal.

    That set the stage for Bosch’s goal in the second overtime frame creating the signature moment in the Tigers storied old home rink.

    Right after Bosch scored, I phoned my mom in Saskatoon, who was watching the television broadcast of the game with family.

    Energized, I jetted to the ice surface. I remember interviewing both Bosch and Keetley and their excitement was going all over the place.

    Keetley, who was named the MVP of the WHL playoffs, spotted a big gathering of his family in the crowd and gave a shout out and wave to them.

    Even at that time and looking back now, that was a game neither team deserved to lose.

    With that noted, the fact the Tigers won was a good thing.

    Even with a deadline looming, it felt effortless to finish of the work that night.

    After the work was finished, it was off to the Silver Buckle for a victory party. There were a few different ones that happened in town that night.

    To this day, that game is still my best memory in hockey.

My story of the Tigers Game 7 victory in the Medicine Hat News.

    Of course, it was a great one for that Tigers team, which began a tradition of getting together every summer to enjoy the memories of that day and run. It appears that the current coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic will be the thing that breaks up those annual reunions this year.

    There are a lot of points in time I wish I could go back, be as young as I was and relive that day again. The fact that day happened will always make me smile.

    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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Being content can become a mental health challenge

The Hilltops 2015 CJFL title win was a good day for me.

    I wish it was simple to be content and accept things as they are, but memories of a good part of my past keep getting in the way.

    Since 2012, I have known I have battled with issues dealing with anxiety. One of the hardest things for me is to be content in the here and now. I figured this would be my subject for what has become my traditional post for Bell Let’s Talk day.

    There is still a stigma around mental health issues, and they are unfortunately still treated as the elephant in the room in too many circles. I write about my experiences on the mental health front in hopes it will help others.

    I often stress over what I haven’t accomplished or what I don’t have. I sometimes dwell too much wondering if what I haven’t accomplished will happen in the future.

    There are times a song by the rock group Queen keeps ringing in my head called, “I Want It All.”

    I can hear the chorus line loud and clear, “I want it all, I want it all, I want it all, and I want it now.”

    I remember that song ringing out in the dressing room when I played football in high school. It blared out when playoffs started. The song was about a young man who was set to head out into the world and accomplish all his goals and nothing was going to stop him from doing just that.

    I can’t seem to find that place of being content due to the fact there was a lengthy period of time everything seemed to fall into place for me. That period of time occurred before I discovered I dealt with issues dealing with anxiety.

    When I started school at the University of Regina in the fall of 1995, I was set that I was going to be a sports reporter. I remember young me saying I was going to do this, or I was going to die. That seems kind of heavy, and looking back, it might not have been healthy.

    I remember I constantly had doubters. There were people that said I would never get into the University of Regina’s School of Journalism and Communications. I would never see the press box of a CFL stadium or an NHL rink.

All set for a U of Regina athletics awards night in 2001.

    I was wasting my time coming out to Regina and should go back to Winnipeg, Man., where I graduated high school and find some other path in life.

    The media cut era was just beginning, so that would provide another obstacle.

    Some of my biggest critics were other reporters and journalists. Consequently, I have found in life my relationships with reporters and other journalists was divided into becoming great friends with half the people I met and finding I was despised by the other half that didn’t want to talk to me.

    The ones that didn’t like me really showed it in a snobby sort of way like they were above me. It was natural for an industry that contains a lot of ego. I didn’t care.

    I found my best friends came from the University of Regina Cougars and Rams athletic teams. I covered them and helped them on the media front as well.

    I became involved with the Rams when they were still in the Canadian Junior Football League, and I ended up practicing with them when injury troubles struck in the 2000-01 university season, when the Rams appeared in the Vanier Cup.

    The U of R athletes were my positive support group that believed in me. Due to those friendships, my self-confidence grew immensely.

    All of a sudden, I went on a run where I seemed to be able to jump over all the hurdles and kick all the doors down.

    I went from being a sports reporter and then the sports editor at the U of R student newspaper, the Carillon. I got into the U of R School of Journalism and Communications and graduated, which was something I wasn’t supposed to do. I ended up in Prince Albert becoming a sports reporter for the Daily Herald, and I did sports television spots for CTV and Shaw.

Leah Levy (#10) and Jana Linner (#7) were part of a great U of R group.

    During my stop there, I entered a CFL press box for the first time in a working capacity. I wasn’t supposed to do that.

    From there, I moved on to the Medicine Hat News to become the beat writer that covered the WHL’s Medicine Hat Tigers. That became the first moment of my life I made a comfortable living doing what I did. I saw that as a real moment where I made it.

    On my birthday on March 4, 2008, I stepped into an NHL press box for the first time for a regular season game at the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary as the host Flames played the Columbus Blue Jackets. I was there to do catch up pieces with Tigers grads Kris Russell and Jason Chimera.

    Being in the press box that night, I remembered the doubters. I had pride in a huge sense of accomplishment. I heard the Queen song in my mind.

    “I want it all, I want it all, I want it all, and I want it now.”

    When I saw Russell that night, I thought it was only a matter of time before I saw my bud on a regular basis on the NHL beat. Away from the rink and a few months after that NHL game, action was developing on the romantic front. I thought the family thing was going to happen, which was something I subconsciously wanted too.

    Then, it all changed following the end of the 2008-09 season.

Hanging out in Vancouver, B.C., in 2007.

    What seemed like the continual tough times followed. The budget cut era in the Canadian media industry hit with huge force. The News was sold and unexpected mental health challenges started in the work place, which sparked my battles with anxiety issues.

    I thought all I had to do was work hard and everything would work out like it had in the past. I thought working hard would continue to earn respect and the doors would keep opening.
    If problems rose up, my voice would be heard, because by this time I had built up street cred in what I was doing.

    I could control everything in my life just with my effort.

    I was wrong on all fronts especially with regards to influencing those that held the strings of power. That was part of the 30 reasons I chose to leave Medicine Hat and move to Saskatoon to be closer to family in the summer of 2014. I had some supports in Medicine Hat, but without any family there, the support network wasn’t strong enough to keep me in that centre to deal with the challenges I faced.

    For the longest time, I kept asking myself why wasn’t I heard when problems rose up at the News or what I could have done differently. It wasn’t until I covered the Saskatoon Hilltops winning the Canadian Bowl at home in November of 2015 where I came to a place where I was content and at peace with the last years of my life in Medicine Hat.

The Hilltops 2015 Canadian Bowl win was good day for me.

    I hit that point where I ended up hugging Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant post-game, and he said, “Thanks for everything you’ve done for us.”

    I felt I was making a difference with what I was doing covering sports in Saskatoon, and with that feeling, I turned the page and accepted the final years of my life in Medicine Hat on an “it is what it is front.”

    You can’t go back and change the past.

    These days I struggle with being content on other fronts. I will look at Facebook and often compare my life with my friends from my university days. I often ask why my life didn’t mirror theirs on the career and family fronts.

    They always seem to never experience setbacks in their careers, were married, had kids and were happy in their family lives.

    One of the things that bugs me to this day is my romantic relationships from the past never turned out to be for the real long term.

    I even compare my life to the young adults on the Saskatoon Hilltops, University of Saskatchewan Huskies teams and the Saskatoon Blades and often wish I could turn back the clock and be back in my younger days. I keep thinking at their young ages they are getting way ahead of me in life.

    When I was at their stage in life, it seemed like I had all the answers, and life always seemed to play out like I did have all the answers. Now I struggle to find the answers. I realize now how much happens that I can’t control in life.

Me hanging out with Peter Loubardias after Game 6 of the 2017 WHL final.

    I go through moments where I wonder why things haven’t worked out for me like they did for a stretch that lasted about 15 years. I feel I work as hard as I did then, but the doors don’t open anymore.

    I will have times where I will go do something and wonder if I should be doing something else. An example of that would be tossing up going and covering one sporting event like a Blades hockey game as opposed to a Huskies hockey game.

    When I am covering sporting events, those are the moments when I find I am at my best focusing on the day for that day. I find at that moment I am content.

    I struggle with being wiser on the political front. I find I don’t react well when someone tells a white lie to me. I have worked at coming to a better understanding why someone would have their reasons for not telling me the whole truth.
    I find telling white lies seems to be a norm in way too many facets of life and overall people aren’t as accountable as they once were. I find you get penalized if you are accountable and tell the truth, and that is unfortunate. I see way too many spots where people progress by lying and not being accountable.
    I have worked to learn when to pick my battles on this front and accept when a situation is an “it is what it is thing.”
    Sometimes the best way to react to a situation where there are too many lies is to leave it.
    I don’t have the total answer for how I overcome all the other things I battle with as far as being content is concerned. I find I equal being content with giving up. That is also something I battle.

I rediscovered the joy of getting out to the lake last summer.

    My best comfort comes from the fact I have tools to deal with this. I will resort to breathing exercises or I will meditate. Over last summer, I rediscovered other things that helped make me content or settle me down like going to a movie or packing my bike to go for a ride at the lake.

    I find I am getting better at accepting things as they are.

    While that helps me be content in the here and now, I still find there is a part of me that refuses to settle. That Queen song come back into my head.

    “I want it all, I want it all, I want it all, and I want it now.”

    I have accepted it is all a work in progress.

    If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com. My Bell Let’s Talk post from last year called “Recognizing and respecting triggers is key for mental health” can be found right here. A piece called “Feeling connected calms the mental health seas” can be found right here. A piece called “My Mental Health Story” can be found here. Another post I like that I wrote in February of 2015 about my mental health journey call “Huskies hockey was good for me” can be found here.

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NHL shafting prospects that lack size

Adam Brooks led the WHL in scoring this past season.

    What is old has become new again if you are a small guy trying to make the NHL.

    When I covered the Regina Pats in the last half of the 1999-2000 season and first half of the 2000-01 campaign, two of their most exciting players to watch were Matt Hubbauer and Kevin Korol. Both were heart-and-soul skilled players, had tonnes of speed and competed hard night in and night out. Off the ice, they were gold in the dressing room becoming best friends with all of their teammates.

    Despite all their positive characteristics, you had a gut feeling that no matter how hard or how well Hubbauer and Korol performed they would never play in the NHL because of their size. Hubbauer stood 5-foot-10 and weighed 194 pounds, while Korol was 5-foot-10 and 175 pounds.

    While they played hard, it was viewed players like Hubbauer and Korol would not be able to hold up to the physical pounding a player takes in the NHL. Despite posting solid statistical seasons in their major junior careers, Hubbauer and Korol were never drafted and never played a shift in the regular season or playoffs in “The Show.”

    Fast forward to the current major junior campaign that is nearing completion with the Memorial Cup tournament getting underway Friday in Red Deer. Two of the most exciting players on the Pats this season were Adam Brooks and Cole Sanford. They were key in helping Regina advance to the second round of the WHL playoffs, where the Pats fell in an exciting seven-game series to the Memorial Cup hosting Red Deer Rebels.

Matt Hubbauer used to pile up points for the Pats.

    As a 19-year-old veteran, Brooks topped the WHL in regular season scoring with 38 goals and 82 assists playing in all 72 regular season games. Sanford was an overage right-winger the Pats acquired in a trade with the Medicine Hat Tigers. In 63 regular season games in 2015-16, Sanford had 41 goals and 39 assists. In four seasons in the WHL, Sanford collected 126 goals and 123 assists in 260 career regular season games.

    Both were dynamite in the Pats 12-game playoff run. Brooks pick up seven goals and 16 assists, and Sanford posted seven goals and nine assists.

    Both also have shortcomings in the size department. Brooks stands 5-foot-10 and weighs 175 pounds, while Sanford stands 5-foot-9 and weighs 165 pounds.

    Neither player has been selected in the NHL Entry Draft, and they will likely be camp bodies when NHL training camps open this fall. That will likely be the closest either player comes to appearing in an NHL regular season or playoff game. Barring something unforeseen, Brooks will be back with the Pats next season as an overager.

    It seems like NHL scouts are just looking for players that stand 6-foot-3 and weigh in the neighbourhood of 210 pounds. Gifted Brandon Wheat Kings Centre Nolan Patrick is viewed as a perfect prospect, because he has the size, as he stands 6-foot-3 and weighs 195 pounds, to go along with his outstanding skill. The Winnipeg product isn’t eligible for the NHL Entry Draft until next year, so he will have lots of time to bulk up and fill out.

Cole Sanford (#26) has never been afraid to battle in the hard areas.

    The travesty is the fact the little guys with skill don’t seem to be on the radar of NHL scouts anymore. The WHL might be the most physical of any junior hockey circuit in the world, but players like Brooks and Sanford have still flourished. Both never shy away from battling the corners or other tough areas on the ice.

    They have proven they can play and should be given a real chance to make an NHL roster.

    At one time not long ago, the door was wide open for the little guy. From a period of about 2005 to 2008, there was a serious effort to crack down on obstruction at all levels of hockey. All of a sudden, the little guy with skill became a valuable asset.

    It was during this time that brilliant puck moving defenceman Kris Russell, who stands 5-foot-10 and weighs 170 pounds, went from being the WHL’s most valuable player in 2006-07 with the Medicine Hat Tigers to becoming an NHL regular. Over nine NHL seasons, Russell has suited up for 573 regular season games collecting 38 goals and 139 assists.

Jordon Cooke of the Huskies has been the top goalie in the CHL and CIS.

    Forward Tyler Ennis, who stands 5-foot-9 and weighs 160 pounds, went from being a star with the Tigers to a first round selection by the Buffalo Sabres in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft. After going 26^th overall to the Sabres, Ennis has appeared in 368 career regular season games over seven seasons collecting 92 goals and 131 assists. While he was out most of last season with a concussion, Ennis proved he belongs in the NHL.

    Unfortunately, scouts have a little too much fear that smaller players have a greater chance of suffering injuries like concussions, so that fear helps little guys get overlooked. With that said, a lot of big players have suffered their share of concussion injuries over the years too.

    As a result, you can go to a Canadian university hockey men’s game and watch players like goaltender Jordon Cooke and forward Kohl Bauml shine with the University of Saskatchewan Huskies. When you see both of those players perform, you think they should be in the professional ranks but realize they aren’t because of their size.

Kris Russell has played nine seasons in the NHL.

    Cooke, who stands 5-foot-10 and weighs 185 pounds, came to the Huskies after having an outstanding WHL campaign in 2013-14 with the Kelowna Rockets, where he was named the Canadian Hockey League’s goalie of the year. Just think about that for a second. Cooke was voted the best goalie in all of major junior hockey, and he still didn’t get an NHL contract.

    That fact right there shows how difficult it is for the small guy to gain a legitimate chance to make an NHL team.

    Cooke had a spectacular campaign in 2015-16 for the Huskies posting a 19-5 record, a 2.52 goals against average, a .921 save percentage and two shutouts. His win total set a new Huskies regular season team record, and he was named the goaltender of the year for Canadian Interuniversity Sport and was a first team CIS all-star.

    Bauml, who stands 5-foot-9 and weighs 170 pounds, potted 30 goals and 30 assists in 71 games as an overager with the Everett Silvertips in 2014-15. He topped the Huskies in team scoring as a rookie recording 12 goals and 21 assists in 28 games. The Saskatoon product was named the rookie of the year for the Canada West Conference and was named to the CIS all-rookie team.

    You can keep adding from there to the list of small guys who are not getting a serious NHL look. These players have kicked down the door to prove they can play. All they need is another cycle to arise where NHL scouts come to their senses to allow small players to have legitimate shots to make the league again.

Back in the Express with Nogier

Nelson Nogier will play in the Memorial Cup tournament for a second time.

    I was back in the Saskatoon Express this week with a story I really enjoyed writing.

    I had the opportunity to craft a feature story on my young cousin Nelson Nogier, who is about to appear in the Memorial Cup tournament for a second time. Nogier is a 19-year-old stay-at-home defenceman with the Red Deer Rebels, who are hosting the Memorial Cup. The Rebels open the tournament on Friday against the Ontario Hockey League champion London Knights.

    The prospect of the NHL’s Winnipeg Jets was a 16-year-old rookie with his hometown Saskatoon Blades when they hosted the Memorial Cup in 2013. Nogier, who stands 6-foot-3 and weighs 209 pounds, joined the Rebels via a trade that came shortly before the WHL’s Christmas break in 2014.

    On a personal note, I had a lot of fun interviewing Nogier, and I had so much pride and enjoyed watching him help the Rebels make it to the WHL Eastern Conference championship series, which they lost to the eventual WHL champion Brandon Wheat Kings. My story on Nogier 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.

People who rock

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

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

Kabree Howard

Kabree Howard in action for the Huskies.

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

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

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

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

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

Bob Ridley

Bob Ridley calls a Tigers game at The Arena.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Cody Smuk and Stephanie Vause

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

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

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

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

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

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

Steve Hogle

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Kandace Cook

Kandace Cook zips down the ice for the Huskies.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Peter Anholt

Peter Anholt.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Kris Russell

A Kris Russell card from his Tigers days.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

David Schlemko

David Schlemko back in 2007.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Valkyries eye up playoffs

Julene Friesen runs to daylight for the Valkyries

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

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

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

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

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

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

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