Blades’ Crnkovic in pursuit of sweet award in WHL scoring title

Kyle Crnkovic sits third in the WHL’s scoring race.

Kyle Crnkovic is trying to go where no member of the Saskatoon Blades has gone in 26 years.

The 19-year-old left-winger from Chestermere, Alta., is in pursuit of the Bob Clarke Trophy, which is given to the WHL’s regular season scoring champion. At the moment, Crnkovic sits third in the WHL scoring race with 23 goals and 34 assists for 57 points appearing in all the Blades 38 games to date, and his goal total is a career high.

Crnkovic sits behind two members of the Red Deer Rebels in the scoring race in Arshdeep Bains and Ben King.

Bains, who is a left-winger in his overage season, leads the WHL in scoring with 20 goals and 39 assists for 59 points appearing in all of the Rebels 43 games. King, who is a 19-year-old centre, sits second in the WHL scoring race with 33 goals and 25 assists for 58 points.

Crnkovic’s Blades have five games in hand on the Rebels, so the Blades personable star has ample opportunity to overtake the two Rebels stars.

One of those games in hand will be played on Wednesday, when the Blades (21-15-1-1) travel to Regina to face the Pats (16-19-0-1) at 7 p.m. at the Brandt Centre.

Crnkovic is trying to become the first member of the Blades to win the WHL scoring title since centre Mark Deyell captured the Bob Clarke Trophy way back in the 1995-96 campaign. 

Kyle Crnkovic has piled up points since his rookie season.

That season, Deyell piled up 61 goals and 98 assists for 159 points in 69 games to win the WHL scoring race.

Deyell played three seasons for the Blades from 1993 to 1996 before embarking on a short stint in the minor professional ranks. 

He suffered an eye injury in an AHL playoff game playing for the St. John’s Maple Leafs on April 27, 1999, when an opposing player’s stick hit him on the follow through from a shot attempt.

Deyell would be forced to retire a handful of years after that injury.

Besides Deyell, only two other Blades players would win the WHL scoring race. Centre Bernie Federko topped the WHL in scoring piling up 72 goals and 115 assists for 187 points appearing in all of the Blades 72 games in the 1975-76 season.

Federko moved on to play 14 seasons in the NHL from 1976 to 1990 with the St. Louis Blues and Detroit Red Wings and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2002.

Left-winger Gerry Pinder won the scoring race in the WHL’s inaugural season in 1966-67 piling up 78 goals and 62 assists for 140 points appearing in all of the Blades 56 games. 

Kyle Crnkovic has 57 points in the Blades 38 games this season.

From 1969 to 1978, Pinder, who was nicknamed “Mouse” due to standing 5-foot-8 and weighing 165 pounds, split nine seasons playing in the NHL and the defunct WHA for the Chicago Blackhawks, California Golden Seals, Cleveland Crusaders, San Diego Mariners and Edmonton Oilers.

Crnkovic, who stands 5-foot-7 and weighs 166 pounds, is the Blades modern day version of Pinder. Since joining the Blades full time as a 16-year-old rookie in the 2018-19 season, Crnkovic has been consistently one of the Blades top six forwards.

From the start of his sophomore campaign in 2019-20, he has formed a dynamic duo with centre Tristen Robins, who was selected in the second round and 56^th overall in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft by the San Jose Sharks and has a signed NHL entry-level contract with the Sharks.

Robin, who is in his 20-year-old season, currently sits in a five-way tie for the seventh to 11^th spots in the WHL scoring race piling up 52 points on 20 goals and 32 assists in 36 appearances with the Blades.

Unlike Robins, Crnkovic hasn’t been drafted by an NHL team. Crnkovic’s small size has been the thing that holds him back.

His skill on the ice is undeniable, and he plays well in the defensive end too.

Kyle Crnkovic goal celebrations are a regular sight in the WHL.

On top of his exploits on the ice, Crnkovic has been one of the Blades top ambassadors off the ice as a fan favourite. He was often front and centre when it came to meeting the team’s supporters before the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic gripped the world in March of 2020 cutting down what the Blades could do for public appearances.

Crnkovic is extremely popular with the Blades office staffers. It is safe to say that anyone who has met and spent time with him is cheering for him to do well.

If Crnkovic won the WHL’s scoring title, it would be an ultimate feel-good story, because he truly is that good of a guy.

He would also add further proof that the small guy with skill will always have a place in the game of hockey.

Brady retires from NFL as the all-time greatest

A pair of Tom Brady jerseys.

Tom Brady said the party is over.

On Tuesday, the iconic quarterback made it official announcing his retirement from the NFL after 22 seasons. He played 20 campaigns for the New England Patriots from 2000 to 2019 and finished up his career throwing for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers the past two seasons.

Brady is the all-time greatest player to ever come through the NFL. He hold NFL career records for most Super Bowl wins (seven), most Super Bowl appearances (10), most Super Bowl MVPs (five), most quarterback regular season wins (243), most career regular season pass attempts (11,317), most career regular season pass completions (7,263), most career regular season touchdown passes (624) and most career regular season passing yards (84,520).

For the longest time, I wasn’t actually ready to admit Brady was the greatest of all-time. I began watching the NFL on a regular basis in the late 1980s, when the San Francisco 49ERS were in their dynasty years.

When it came to quarterback, I thought the greatest player was Joe Montana, who had a perfect 4-0 record in the Super Bowl and called signals for the revolutionary system called the West Coast Offence. Montana played at an immaculate level in his four Super Bowl wins with the 49ERS.

I thought 49ERS iconic receiver Jerry Rice was the greatest player due to all the crazy records he set playing into his 40s and his endless quest for perfection. Rice, who was a member of three Super Bowl winners with the 49ERS, could get physical and throw blocks to take out the toughest guys on the opposition too.

I caved and changed my opinion that Brady was the greatest all-time, when the Patriots rallied from being down 28-3 in the third quarter to beat the Atlanta Falcons 34-28 in overtime in Super Bowl LI on February 5, 2017 at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas.

Brady completed 43-of-62 passes for 466 yards and two touchdowns, while throwing one interception in that win, which is the greatest comeback in Super Bowl history.

That was Brady’s fifth Super Bowl win. I didn’t decide to vault Brady to GOAT status just due to passing Montana and Pittsburgh Steelers legend Terry Bradshaw for most Super Bowl victories by a quarterback.

I realized the only reason I hadn’t conceded greatest of all-time status for Brady was the fact the Patriots didn’t complete their run at a perfect season in 2007. After going 16-0 in the regular season in 2007, the Patriots pushed their overall record to 18-0 heading into Super Bowl XLII against the New York Giants.

In that clash played on February 3, 2008 at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, the Giants prevailed 17-14, when quarterback Eli Manning hit receiver Plaxico Burress for winning touchdown pass with 35 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter.

That Giants’ winning drive was held together by a miraculous helmet catch by receiver David Tyree in a third-and-five situation after Manning escaped being sacked by three different Patriots players.

 After winning six Super Bowls with the Patriots, Brady won a seventh Super Bowl in a sensational first season with the Buccaneers in 2020.

Brady again had an outstanding campaign this past season leading the Buccaneers to a 13-4 regular season record completing 485-of-719 passes for 5,316 yards and 43 touchdowns, while throwing 12 interceptions at age 44.

No quarterback had even played as well into their 40s like Brady has. For most quarterbacks that make it to their 40s as a player, they are usually a second or third stringer holding a clipboard and acting as another coach for a young starter that is in his 20s.

Brady left you believing he could have an all-star season if he came back at age 45.

He deserves all the congratulations, well wishes and honours that come his way.

I should note there were initial reports on Saturday including a story on the NFL’s website and Twitter feed that Brady had retired that day. Those stories were pulled back, when Brady informed Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht a decision hadn’t been made yet on that front.

I suspect a decision was made, and it was leaked after Brady likely told too many people in his inner circle. I have a suspicion he didn’t want the timing of the announcement to overshadow the AFC and NFC Championship games that were played on Sunday.

The other cool thing about Brady was he knew when to have fun and had a sense of humour. That was best shown from this classic “Mean Tweets” on Jimmy Kimmel Live in early February of 2021.

WHL to host Talk Today games, other notes

The Raiders are scheduled to host a Talk Today game on Friday.

The WHL will be hosting RE/MAX Presents: WHL Talk Today Game Nights with the circuit’s 17 Canadian teams.

The WHL, RE/MAX and local Canadian Mental Health Association branches are teaming up to promote positive mental health.

During these Talk Today game nights, fans in attendance will have the opportunity to learn more about CMHA resources available in their communities in an effort to breakdown the stigma surrounding mental health.

The first Talk Today game is scheduled to be hosted by the Prince Albert Raiders on Friday when they host the Red Deer Rebels (7 p.m., Art Hauser Centre).

The Saskatoon Blades host their Talk Today game on Saturday when they play host to the Rebels (7 p.m., SaskTel Centre).

Fans have the opportunity to donate to their local CMHA branches by visiting TalkToday.ca/WHLDonate.

Leading up to those Talk Today games, WHL clubs participated in an additional awareness campaign aimed at creating positive discussion around physical activity in support of good mental health called “Moves for Mental Health.”

WHL fans were encouraged to post a video on social media showing ways they engage in physical activity for the sake of enhancing their mental health. Fans who participated in the social media campaign were entered to win an autographed jersey from the WHL club they support.

Jersey winners will be recognized at the Talk Today games.

The WHL and its teams have partnered with CMHA branches across Western Canada to provide mental health education and support to all players, coaches, parents, billets and team staff across the league since 2016.

Kelly Hrudey, a former NHL star goaltender and alumnus of the WHL’s Medicine Hat Tigers, is the celebrity spokesperson for this season’s Talk Today games.

• On Wednesday, Les Lazaruk will call his 2,000^th game as the play-by-play voice of the WHL’s Saskatoon Blades. The Blades travel to Regina to face the Pats for Lazaruk’s milestone call. Pat McKay of CTV Saskatoon broke the story, which can be found by clicking right here.
• Saskatoon area product Brayden Yager currently sits third in Moose Jaw Warriors team scoring in his 16-year-old sophomore campaign in the WHL. The skilled centre has 22 goals, 20 assists and a plus-seven rating in 39 games this season with the Warriors.
• Saskatoon area product Riley Heidt currently sits second in Prince George Cougars team scoring in his 16-year-old sophomore season in the WHL. The skilled centre has 11 goals, 22 assists and an even-rating in 38 games with the Cougars.
• On Monday, the WHL’s Swift Current Broncos announced Chad Leslie had officially been named the club’s full-time general manager. Leslie had been serving as the team’s interim general manager since October 14, 2021, when Dean Brockman resigned from the team.
• On Monday, Bill Chow announced he will be stepping down as commissioner of the junior A Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League on May 31, 2022. Chow has been serving as the circuit’s commissioner for a little over 10 years.
• The University of Regina community is morning the passing of Dr. Ernie Nicholls at age 84. He had a lengthy involvement with the school’s athletic department. He passed away in his sleep after a battle with Alzheimer’s dementia. An obituary on Nicholls can be found by clicking right here.
• On Tuesday, Gregg Drinnan reported in his Taking Note blog that Brad Hornung, who is an alumnus of the WHL’s Regina Pats, has been diagnosed with terminal cancer. Hornung was left a quadriplegic following a check in a WHL game on March 1, 1987. Drinnan’s story can be found by clicking right here.

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

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’Riders release of Carter part of Belichick effect on Sports

The Roughriders released Duron Carter on Saturday night.

    If you live in Saskatchewan, there is a good chance you were consumed by some degree with the news the CFL’s Roughriders released Duron Carter over the weekend.

    Late Saturday night while the Montreal Alouettes were in Ottawa falling 24-17 to the host Redblacks, social media went haywire with the news that the Roughriders, who were on a bye week, released Carter. The Roughriders confirmed the move with a note on the club’s website that night while the CFL game in Ottawa was still going on.

    Carter had been playing both receiver and defensive back for the Roughriders this season.

    It was one of those moves that wasn’t a surprise, but it did catch you off guard. The Roughriders (3-4) aren’t due to return to game action until Aug. 19 at 5 p.m., when they host the Calgary Stampeders (7-0) at Mosaic Stadium.

    It wasn’t a surprise from the standpoint that it feels like teams at all levels of sports these days try to mirror how the NFL’s New England Patriots and Patriots head coach Bill Belichick operate. Basically, what that means is information is to be guarded tightly by the secret society of that team.

Duron Carter makes a circus TD catch against Toronto last season.

    In media gatherings, you expect a team official to go in front of a podium and say in a monotone voice, “In order to have success, we must be better on offence, defence and special teams.”

    You repeat that answer to any question that is fired your way.

    A lot of teams to varying degree these days follow the Belichick effect.

    Carter, who is from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, has never been shy when it comes to speaking his mind since he broke into the CFL in 2013 with the Montreal Alouettes. The 27-year-old comes off as being genuine when it comes to saying what he things and believes.

    That alone will get you cut from a number of sports teams these days despite the fact it has brought Carter a lot of respect in many circles.

    On Sunday morning, Carter sent out a tweet saying he received calls from teammates on Saturday asking if he was still with the Roughriders. Carter said he sent a text message asking why he was being asked these questions to Roughriders head coach and general manager Chris Jones.

Carter said Jones called and said the receiver was being released.

    Jones spoke to the media about the move during a press conference held Sunday morning in Regina.

Duron Carter defends a pass as a DB this season.

    “Over the break, we are always evaluating our roster, our team and the way we do things, processes and coaching (and) things that we do at practice,” said Jones. “Upon that evaluation again made the decision that we were going to go in a different direction from Duron.”
    His answer mirrored a scene that comes from the 2011 baseball drama movie “Moneyball” based around the Oakland Athletics’ 2002 MLB season. In the one scene in the movie, Athletics general manager Billy Beane talks to fictional assistant general manager Peter Brand about how you tell players they have been released or traded.

    During that scene, Beane said you inform the player that the team was “going in a different direction” and nothing more needed to be said. Due to the fact players moves are made frequently in sports, this tactic is used to avoid having a discussion to give reasons why a player was let go in order to not get too bogged down with lengthy conversations.

    This tactic from the movie Moneyball is used often in professional sports.

    Jones was asked for a specific reason for Carter’s release during the press conference. He responded with an answer that was a mix from what you would see from Belichick and the movie Moneyball.

    “We’re not going to go into any kind of specifics or anything like that,” said Jones. “We’re not here to put a guy on trial or anything like that.

    “We released a very good player. He is going to land on his feet. We decided to go in a different direction for our football team.”

Duron Carter makes a catch against the Argonauts last season.

    Jones did say the decision to release Carter had nothing to do with the fact the sideline boss worked out 44-year-old Pro Football Hall of Fame receiver Terrell Owens last week.

    Like anything that has to do with the Roughriders, interpretation of what went down is being spun in various directions by fans.

    Carter, who is 6-foot-5 and weighs 205 pounds, has had his share of well-documented antics during his CFL career including to getting into a fight with a practice roster player in October of last year. He is also an extremely talented football player.

    Last season in his first full campaign with the Roughriders, he hauled in 73 passes for 1,043 yards and scored eight touchdowns to be named a CFL all-star. On defence, he returned an interception 43 yards for a touchdown in a 30-7 victory over the Stampeders in Calgary on Oct. 20, 2017.

    This season, Carter has seen more limited time on offence catching eight passes for 111 yards and one touchdown. He started five games at cornerback and returned an interception 28 yards for a touchdown in a 40-17 loss to the Redblacks in Ottawa on June 21.

Duron Carter celebrates a TD catch last season.

    On the field, Carter did everything that was asked of him, and he returned kicks on occasion last season.

    During his time in Saskatchewan, Carter became a fan favourite for the Roughriders faithful. Carter acknowledged in a tweet on Saturday he loved the fans and his time in Saskatchewan was the most fun he has had in a long time.

    The majority of the fan responses to Carter on social media were those that wished him luck in the future. Carter embraced being in Saskatchewan and played hard, and that won him a lot of fans in Rider Nation. He was particularly awesome with little kids.

    There doesn’t appear to be any bad will between Carter and Jones when you view their statements over the last couple of days, so that has to be considered a positive sign.

    For my two cents, I do not see Carter as a diva receiver in the image of Owens and former NFL star veteran Chad Johnson. In the few encounters I have had with Carter, I see him as a good guy, but a different cat.

    I see him more as a person that gets his fun trolling on Twitter, playing video games and watching science fiction movies. I could never see him out at a nightclub or a fancy hotel partying it up like how former NFL star receiver Michael Irvin did in his heyday with the Dallas Cowboys in the early and middle 1990s.

    I think Carter is a high-maintenance player, and Jones said he had daily meetings with Carter during the 2017 season which didn’t happen this season. Those meetings included talking about other subjects besides football. It seems like the coaches didn’t want to put any more energy into the high-maintenance aspect of Carter.

Duron Carter always interacted well with young fans.

    In June, Carter pleaded guilty to drug possession after getting caught with marijuana-laced chocolate chip cookies at the Winnipeg airport, and he received an absolute discharge as well. Another charge of marijuana possession in Saskatoon is still before the courts.

    Those developments don’t bother me, because I believe marijuana should be legal. I also came across a situation where it led me to believe marijuana could possibly be used to treat cancer and more research needs to be done on that front, but I will save my views and debate that for another day unless someone asks me person to person out in public.

    It has been reported by multiple sources that the Alouettes, Hamilton Tiger-Cats, Toronto Argonauts and B.C. Lions have shown interest in Carter. Hopefully, he will find a new football home sooner than later.

    As for the Roughriders, their offence has been waffling all season. Part of that is due to the fact starting quarterback Zach Collaros missed time due to injury.

    Saskatchewan has shaken the deck a bit on that side of the ball too. Besides Carter’s departure, Bakari Grant, Rob Bagg and Nic Demski were all regular receivers with the Roughriders last season, and they moved the ball quite well in that campaign and are no longer with the team.

Duron Carter was always popular with the fans in “Rider Nation.”

    The steady influence of veteran quarterback Kevin Glenn from last season is missing too. Glenn is the backup quarterback with the Edmonton Eskimos this season. Cameron Marshall, who was a regular running back last season, is no longer with the Roughriders as well.

    For the present, Carter’s release has been made. Now, Carter and the Roughriders will go their separate ways in search of respective successes on the new path that was created.

    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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Patriots make last big play, take title

Iconic Patriots quarterback Tom Brady.

   The talking point of the Super Bowl revolves around one play, but give the New England Patriots credit for making it.

   With time ticking down, it appeared the Seattle Seahawks were going to pull out victory after a two-minute drill drive. Facing a second and goal on the New England one yard line, Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson tried to hit receiver Ricardo Lockette on a quick slant.

   Patriots defensive back Malcolm Butler saw what was happening, jumped the route and made a game-saving interception to give New England a 28-24 victory in Super Bowl XLIX.

   Right after the game checking out social media in any form, a large number of Seahawks fans were expressing their shock that their team didn’t hand the ball off to running back Marshawn Lynch. He had 102 yards rushing on 24 carries and had scored one rushing major already. If he was stopped, the Seahawks had a timeout to stop the clock.

   Had Lockette fought for the ball and made a game-winning touchdown catch, no one would be second guessing Seattle’s coaches.

   Coaching staffs in the NFL put in tonnes of research time to try and hit an opponent with something unexpected. A pass in that situation on second down isn’t something you would not expect.

   With that said, Lynch is arguably the Seahawks’ best player, and normally you put the ball in the hands of your best player, when the game is on the line.

   The fact the Seahawks didn’t run the ball with Lynch shouldn’t take away from the Patriots victory.
   They made the interception play when they had to and took their fourth Super Bowl title.
   Iconic quarterback Tom Brady, who is just so pretty, rallied the Patriots from a 24-14 fourth quarter deficit against the best defence in the NFL this season. In winning his third Super Bowl MVP award, Brady completed 37 of 50 passes for 328 yards and four touchdown strikes. He made the effects of the two interceptions he threw earlier in the contest go away.

   On top of that, Brady joins Terry Bradshaw of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Joe Montana of the San Francisco 49ers as the only quarterbacks to win four Super Bowl titles as a starter.

   With New England’s defence coming up with the big interception to save the final outcome, the victory was a team win. During their victory celebrations, most of their players will be able to point to a play they made to ensure the final outcome came out in their favour.

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

Seahawks’ Ryan still one of the boys from the Rams

Jon Ryan boots a punt for the U of Regina Rams in 2002.

   Jon Ryan, the popular and star punter for the Seattle Seahawks.
   I still can't wrap my head around that phrase.
   The 33-year-old Regina product is has one more game to play in his seventh complete season with the Seahawks, but even with his tenure with that NFL club, it still sounds unbelievable. I will always think of Ryan as a talented member of the University of Regina Rams football team.
   During those Rams days, no one ever thought Ryan would earn a Super Bowl ring with the Seahawks last year, throw a touchdown pass in Seattle's NFC Championship victory against the Green Bay Packers last Sunday and will be playing for the Seahawks in the upcoming Super Bowl against the New England Patriots on Feb. 1.
   In Canada, the biggest realistic sports dream is winning the Stanley Cup as a member of an NHL team. In football, the biggest dream is winning the Grey Cup as the champion of the CFL. If you are from Saskatchewan, capturing the Grey Cup with the Roughriders is usually the ultimate dream.
   Winning the Super Bowl with an NFL club wasn't something you dare to dream about as few Canadians have had the opportunity to play in the biggest professional sports league in North America. Super Bowl victories included finishing seasons on the video games Tecmo Super Bowl and Madden Football. Tecmo Super Bowl for the old Nintendo Entertainment System was a favourite video game in Ryan's household, when he was growing up.

Jon Ryan caught a lot of passes as a Rams receiver.

   I first saw Ryan play live in 2000 during Saskatchewan's high school all-star game for graduating players called "The Senior Bowl." He was punting and place kicking for the South Team during a clash with the North Team at a very windy Griffiths Stadium in Saskatoon.
   During that contest won 23-9 by the North Team, I was certain Ryan would become a standout kicker in the Canadian university ranks. If he kept improving, I could foresee him moving on to the CFL, where he did play for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in 2004 and 2005.
   If he kept and improving and there was a break or two, he might have had a slight chance to crack an NFL roster. As a few Canadian born kickers did move on to have long careers in the NFL, you always had to think that was a possibility, but it was still a remote possibility.
   Ryan joined the Rams in the fall of 2000 for their second season in the Canadian Interuniversity Sport ranks after leaving the Canadian Junior Football League. The big story that year was the return of star quarterback Darryl Leason and his brother and star receiver Michael Leason to the Rams program.
   Both left the University of Calgary Dinos to rejoin the Rams, when the left the junior ranks. Both were stars with the Rams during their junior days.
   When Ryan came as an 18-year-old, the big thinking was the kicking game was never going to be in question, while he wore the green and gold. He was slated to be the punter and place kicker. As I was pretty active with the Rams at that time, I was pretty happy the Sheldon-Williams Collegiate grad was there.

Jon Ryan kicks a field goal for the Rams in 2003.

   Very quickly in training camp, it was easy to take notice of Ryan's booming punts. As his first season began, the Rams coaches had other plans for him.
   Growing up, Ryan was a stellar athlete, who also turned heads in hockey and lacrosse. At one time, there was a thought Ryan could become a professional goaltender in hockey.
   In football, he also played receiver, and Rams brain trust decided it would be wise to utilize his abilities on the offensive side of the ball. As his rookie campaign went on, Ryan began taking more reps in practices and in games playing wide receiver.
   This was a very bold move. Before Ryan, the Rams kickers mainly focused on their kicking duties. The team was also very deep at the time at receiver.
   At receiver future CFL star Jason Clermont, Chris Warnecke, Mike Thomas, Michael Leason and Shane Ostapowich all had stellar careers with the Rams. Also catching passes out of the backfield were with current Saskatchewan Roughriders fullback Neal Hughes, another future CFLer in Cory Olynick and Chris Briltz, who all shared in the Rams spotlight. It was common for the football to never hit the ground in a Rams practice.
   Putting Ryan in with that group was really high praise.
   During that freshman season, Ryan helped the Rams advance to their only Vanier Cup appearance, where they dropped a 42-39 decision to the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees. In that run to the Vanier Cup final in Toronto, Ryan played a part in one of the most memorable plays during a regular season game against the University of Alberta Golden Bears.
   Trailing 31-28 with under two minutes to play in the fourth quarter, Ryan booted up a high on-side kick. The kick was knocked out of the air by Clermont to Warnecke, who was clear of all possible tacklers and had an open path to the end zone. Warnecke charged the distance for the winning score in a 35-31 victory.

Jon Ryan launches a punt for the Rams in 2000.

   The play was a legal one under Canadian rules and one the Rams worked on in practice.
   Ryan made his most memorable offensive play as a sophomore in 2001 in a regular season game at Griffiths against the host University of Saskatchewan Huskies. After a goal-line stand, the Rams were at their own one yard line.
   The Huskies came with a blitz, and Rams quarterback Mark Anderson threw a deep sideline streak pattern to Ryan. Ryan out jumped a defender for the ball, came down with it and raced down the sideline for a 109-yard touchdown reception. Regina fell 34-28, but Ryan's catch was something that would never be forgotten.
   In his final season with the Rams in 2003, Ryan was named the all-star punter for the Canada West football conference and a first team CIS all-Canadian all-star averaging 45.9 yards per boot on 67 attempts. He also had 27 catches in eight regular season games to lead the team with 501 receiving yards, while scoring four touchdowns on receptions. Ryan cemented his reputation as a standout receiver.
   During his final campaigns with the Rams, Ryan got to play alongside younger brother and defensive back, Steve, who was the holder on field goal attempts.
   Away from the field, the elder Ryan was everyone's best friend. The Rams at the time went everywhere together and did everything together.
   I still have very good memories of cruising to a few social occasions with my old white 1987 Chevrolet Capris former police car packed with Ryan and a bunch of other players. One trip I remember Ryan being pretty pumped that rapper Eminem was being cranked on my old stereo system.

Jon Ryan fires a punt for the Rams in 2003.

   It was also cool from that first year with the Rams to see Ryan develop a really super tight friendship with Jarrod Livingstone, who is a Rams super fan that is confined to a wheelchair because of spina bifida. Livingstone was also the grandson of the late Scotty Livingstone, who was a key influential director in building the Rams in their junior years. The friendship between Ryan and Jarrod Livingstone has grown and is stronger than ever in the current day.
   During his Rams years, Ryan set the team's career record for punting average at the university level with 42.6 yards per kick, which still stands to this day. After his final season, hopes were high Ryan would have a lengthy career in the professional ranks in the CFL.
   In 2004, Ryan was selected in the third round and 24^th overall by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the CFL Draft. The rookie punter played a key role in the Bombers prevailing 17-4 in what is still their last Labour Day Classic victory over the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
   That contest was a huge defensive battle, and Ryan twice pinned the Roughriders at their own one yard line with two coffin corner kicks. The kicks were so perfect that the football landed both times exactly on the out of bounds spot on the sidelines right beside the one yard-line marker. The officials didn't have any trouble spotting the ball.

Jon Ryan jogs out for starting intros in 2003.

   After witnessing those kicks, you have to believe Ryan would stick in the NFL, if he could get a chance. He signed with the Green Bay Packers in January of 2006. During various Packers camps, the media covering the Packers quickly started asking questions of the Canadian kid who could boom the long punts.
   He spent the 2006 and 2007 campaigns with the Packers. The first season was tough from the fact his father, Bob, passed of cancer. The son played two days after his father's death, and the Packers teammates voted the Canadian punter as the recipient of the Ed Block Courage Award for his display of courage and sportsmanship.
   After being released by the Packers, Ryan quickly caught on with the Seahawks. While career punters and place kicker can be journeymen in the NFL, Ryan's identity has become tied to the fact he is the Seahawks punter.
   While he is making memories doing things in the NFL no Canadian kid would dare dream about, he will still be thought of by a number of people in Regina as a just a good bud from the Rams.

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