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| The oxygen producing complex next to Merlis Belsher Place. |
In the parking lot facing the south east side of the
building sits a small complex used for producing oxygen. The small oxygen
producing complex is connected via pipe to the twin-pad rink facility that
contains two full basketball courts.
Besides that complex, a series of metal box type structures
can be found on the north side of the building too.
Those are obvious signs that the function of Merlis Belsher
Place these days is to serve as a field hospital in case of a possible surge of
COVID-19 patients. The neighbouring Saskatoon Field House is targeted to house
staff for the field hospital.
The conversion was done regarding original models and
predictions the Saskatchewan Health Authority had for impact of the current
coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
When ground was broken for the facility in late April of
2017 with a price tag of $42.9-million, everyone celebrated the construction of
the much needed sports facility for the university, which provided a big boost
for the hockey community in the city.
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| A sign in front of the oxygen complex. |
No one ever envisioned it possibly being a field hospital
for a pandemic, or more accurately a field hospital in waiting.
Right now, the description “field hospital in waiting” might
be the tripping point where one questions if the facility is being used
properly. By the sounds of things, it could be a long time before Merlis
Belsher Place is used as a host site for a sporting event again like maybe even
up to a year.
In a story that came out Wednesday, Dave Hardy, who is the
chief athletics officer for Huskie Athletics at the University of Saskatchewan,
told Darren Zary of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix he expects the Huskies men’s and
women’s hockey teams to be out of the facility for a year.
“We anticipate it will be utilized, and constructed, as a
field hospital, perhaps up to a year,” said Hardy to Zary. “Certainly, our
hockey plans do not include Merlis Belsher Place.”
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| The oxygen complex sitting beside Merlis Belsher Place. |
With the total added in from Merlis, a total of 1,266 beds
have been set aside for COVID-19 patients. Between the three regular hospitals,
there are 301 beds left for other patients.
At the moment, the Huskies teams as well as the Saskatoon Contacts
under-18 AAA hockey squad and the Saskatoon Stars under-18 female hockey club
are looking for new homes for the upcoming 2020-21 campaign.
If Merlis Belsher Place isn’t available, it would be safe to
assume the Saskatoon Field House won’t be available for any sports functions
either as long as the twin-pad rink facility remains a field hospital in
waiting. The Huskies track and field teams are one of the user groups that trains
out of the Saskatoon Field House.
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| New box structures on the north side of Merlis Belsher Place. |
If that scenario plays out, one has to ask if Merlis Belsher
Place was utilized properly?
Saskatchewan Healthy Authority officials said in early April
it would take about four weeks to convert Merlis Belsher Place to a field
hospital.
Still, one wonders if you could have waited before starting
the process of making Merlis Belsher Place a field hospital?
The rush to convert the facility came over fears of worst
case scenario models.
Could the conversion process have been done more efficiently
in less than four weeks?
As time keeps progressing, one has to keep asking the question
when will Merlis Belsher Place be converted back for its original purpose?
At the moment, it appears medical officials have been given
the authority to hold all the power in making these calls.
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| Merlis Belsher Place is a COVID-19 field hospital in waiting. |
It is possible the Contacts and Stars could play a hockey
season and the Huskies do not.
The Huskies play out of the Canada West Conference in U
Sports. The programs in Canada West have agreed the conference can’t return to
action until there is an OK by medical officials in all four provinces in
Western Canada.
Even if the Canada West season doesn’t go ahead, the
Contacts and Stars could play regular seasons in their respective provincial
leagues.
If the sports world isn’t allowed to return to action, the
availability of Merlis Belsher Place for sporting activities becomes a
non-issue.
With that noted, questions about whether it was used
properly should still be asked, if it is held for a field hospital and is never
used for that purpose.
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| The spot where the ice plant used to sit at the Rutherford Rink. |
The Rutherford Rink no longer has an ice plant, and enough decommission
work was done on its interior to cause that facility to be no longer usable.
Like most aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic, it will be
interesting in two or three years down the road to look back and wonder if the
correct actions were taken as far as the Huskies current home rink goes.
Americans in CFL make voices heard over
compensation
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| Dane Evans in action for the Tiger-Cats last season. |
The U.S. players spoke out with regards to compensation that
might come from any possible financial assistance from the Canadian federal
government.
During the final week of April, news came out that the CFL
was looking for $30-million in Canadian funds now to manage the impact of
COVID-19. The circuit is asking for additional assistance for an abbreviated
regular season and up to another $120-million in Canadian funds for a
completely lost season.
In other words, the CFL is looking for $150-million in
financial assistance if its nine teams are unable to play the 2020 regular
season and playoffs.
On May 7, CFL commissioner Randy Ambrosie made a
presentation to a House of Commons standing committee on finance regarding his
financial assistance request.
After Ambrosie’s presentation, he was grilled by MPs Kevin
Waugh (Conservative, Saskatoon), Peter Julian (NDP, New Westminster-Burnaby)
and Peter Fragiskatos (Liberal, London North Centre).
Ambrosie came away not looking good after that grilling.
On Tuesday, Fragiskatos told Rick Westhead of TSN it would
be “alarming” if that emergency relief was used to pay American players living
in the United States.
Fragiskatos said to Westhead, “The supports announced by the
government are for the benefit of Canadians and the country.”
When the CFL made a pitch for financial assistance to the
Canadian federal government, it had to be expected this exact thought would
rise to the surface somewhere.
When it did from an MP, the U.S. players playing in the CFL
rallied on Twitter and made a good case about not being left out in any
compensation package.
Veteran star British Columbia Lions quarterback Mike Reilly
said he had been playing Canadian taxes for a decade, has two daughters with
Canadian birth certificates and has spent hundreds of hours giving back to
Canadian communities.
It’s “alarming” that he would feel this way about U.S. players. I have been paying Canadian taxes for a decade now. Have 2 daughters with CAD birth certs. Spent hundreds of hours giving back to Canadian communities. As have all CFL payers, both Canadian and American.— Mike Reilly (@Rikester13) May 12, 2020
Dane Evans, who is a quarterback for the Hamilton
Tiger-Cats, wrote U.S. players pay taxes in Canada and in some cases pay more
taxes than Canadians do. He questioned why U.S. tax-paying employees in the CFL
would be left out of compensation.
But we Americans still have to pay taxes in Canada just as the Canadians do, in some cases more! So why would we not be eligible to receive the same benefits of the rest of the tax-paying employees in the CFL?? https://t.co/pYxog514OU— Dane Evans (@daneevans9) May 12, 2020
It should be noted Calgary Stampeders star quarterback Bo
Levi Mitchell and his wife,
Madison, make their home year round in Calgary, and they are involved in a lot
of community functions in that centre.
Saskatchewan
Roughriders star defensive end Charleston Hughes decided to remain in Regina in
the off-season. He did doing a number of appearances before the COVID-19
pandemic hit, and he is still doing community work with club and on his own
initiative.
There are a
number of other U.S. players in the CFL, who have elected to remain in Canada.
A number of
U.S. players decide to remain in Canada after completing their CFL careers.
Former star quarterback Henry Burris might be the most notable.
After
quarterbacking the Ottawa Redblacks to a Grey Cup title in 2016, Burris and his
family decided to remain in Canada living in Ottawa. He is analyst on TSN’s CFL
broadcasts and can often be found being a hockey dad for his sons Barron and
Armand.
The CFL’s
U.S. players crushed it out of the park regarding the impact they have on the
centres they play out of. It should help in the push to obtain federal
financial aid.
PWHPA rolls out new regional structure
There will be three hubs in Canada located in Calgary,
Toronto and Montreal. The two hubs in the United States will be set up
somewhere in the states of New Hampshire and Minnesota.
The regions will aim to provide players with improved access
to resources like full-time dressing rooms, access to strength and conditioning
facilities, support staff and coaches.
Players will be required to tryout to make a regional
training group. Each hub will carry a roster of 25 players who will be eligible
to attend showcases. Each regional hub will play more regional games too.
The PWHPA was formed as a non-profit after the Canadian
Women’s Hockey League folded on May 1, 2019, and its members include most of
the high-profile players that skate for senior national teams in Canada, the
United States and Europe. The PWHPA said it was boycotting the National Women’s
Hockey League until players received health insurance and a livable salary.
The PWHPA states its mission is to promote, advance and
support a single, viable professional women’s ice hockey league in North
America. The PWHPA has been in a standoff with the NWHL.
It has been hoped that this women’s league would have the
backing of the NHL and mirror the relationship the NBA has with the WNBA, where
the NBA fully backs the WNBA.
Last season, the players win the PWHPA played a series of
exhibition games at various locations in North America calling the series of
contest the Dream Gap Tour.
CHL settles minimum wage lawsuits, other
notes
Back in 2014, Charney Lawyers PC, a firm specializing in
class action lawsuits, filed lawsuits on behalf of former CHL players against
the CHL and its member major junior leagues in the WHL, OHL and QMJHL. A total
of three lawsuits were filed.
The lawsuits contented the players of major junior hockey
teams are employees of their member clubs and should be entitled to minimum
wage, back pay, overtime play, holiday pay and vacation pay.
On Friday, the CHL and the plaintiffs announced the CHL has
agreed to pay $30-million to settle the lawsuits.
The settlement was reached in February before the COVID-19
pandemic caused massive shutdowns in North America starting on March 11.
Lawyers’ fees and expenses will come out of the $30-million
before it is split up between players.
The lawsuits were originally seeking $180-million.
Over the years while these lawsuits were before the courts,
the provinces and states where CHL teams are located have changed their laws to
exempt CHL players from minimum wage laws.
The only way the CHL could be exposed to further litigation
on this front is if subsequent governments rolled back these changes.
The CHL has always contented the players are amateur
student-athletes.
After the settlements were announced, the CHL posted an open
letter on its website. In the letter, the CHL said it elected to settle because
these types of cases are expensive and a distraction to the league.
The letter added the settlement does not mean the CHL agrees
with the plaintiffs.
A sizable part of the CHL’s settlement will be paid via
insurance.
Over the years, I had followed the developments of these
lawsuits more in a casual form. There were warnings that many clubs in the CHL wouldn’t
be able to pay minimum wage to the players outside of teams like the Calgary
Hitmen and Edmonton Oil Kings, who are both owned by the NHL’s Calgary Flames
and Edmonton Oilers respectively.
In my opinion, I believe the major junior level of hockey would have ceased to exist if the clubs had to pay minimum wage. Most of the teams are small businesses and a $500,000 profit would be seen as a good year.
In my opinion, I believe the major junior level of hockey would have ceased to exist if the clubs had to pay minimum wage. Most of the teams are small businesses and a $500,000 profit would be seen as a good year.
If the clubs in the CHL had to pay minimum wage, I believe
the junior A level of hockey would rise up to be basically the new major junior
level to replace a CHL that would go by the wayside.
I also felt these lawsuits mirrored the proceedings of a
divorce, which allowed lawyers to make lots of money.
In the end, you can be sure the CHL teams are happy to have
that issue dealt with.
- The WHL continued to roll out its league awards via an online format this week. On Tuesday, Calgary Hitmen centre Riley Fiddler-Schultz was named the recipient of the Doug Wickenheiser Memorial Trophy as the humanitarian of the year. On Wednesday, Dylan Garand of the Kamloops Blazers took the Daryl K. (Doc) Seaman Memorial Trophy as the goaltender of the year. On Thursday, right-winger Seth Jarvis of the Portland Winterhawks claimed the Brad Hornung Trophy as the most sportsmanlike player. On Friday, Edmonton Oil Kings left-winger Dylan Guenther claimed the Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy as the rookie of the year.
- On Friday, the NASCAR Pinty’s series announced it has cancelled its race on July 25 in Edmonton and its twin races slated for July 29 at the Wyant Group Raceway in Saskatoon due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
- On Friday, Football Canada announced it was cancelling its national and regional summer flag and tackle football events due to issues associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. The women’s national championship that was originally scheduled for July 30 to August 7 in Sherwood Park, Alta., has been postponed.
- On Tuesday, the City of Medicine Hat announced all organized sports and league play in the Alberta centre will not be permitted due to the COVID-19 pandemic until further notice. The city said the decision was made to follow provincial guidelines that limit large gathers to 15 people. All the city’s bookings for ball diamonds and sports fields have been cancelled through to the Aug. 31.
- On Thursday, the Saskatoon Blades announced captain Chase Wouters raised $10,000 through the Nutrien Faceoff for Hunger Campaign, where all the proceeds went to the Saskatoon Food Bank and Learning Centre. Nutrien was donating $10 for every faceoff Wouters won in the 2019-20 campaign to the Saskatoon Food Bank and Learning Centre with the goal of winning 1,000 draws. Wouters won 837 faceoffs before the WHL season was called off due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Nutrien still covered the remaining funds to reach $10,000. Wouters also put $200 of his own money to the initiative pledging on Jan. 30 to donate $1 for every draw he won from that point in time to the end of the season. Wouters made a call to the public to match his pledge and 11 pledges to match Wouters donation were collected through the Blades website.
Thanks for the amazing opportunity @NutrienLTD ! @yxeFoodBank @BladesHockey pic.twitter.com/Fay3DbPlnq— Chase Wouters (@wouters_44) May 14, 2020
If you have any
comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them
to stankssports@gmail.com.
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