Happy return to Medicine Hat, but I miss my buds who passed

Back in Medicine Hat, I had to stop and visit The Arena.

MEDICINE HAT, Alta. – Tonight from the home of one junior hockey’s legacy franchises in the Medicine Hat Tigers, I bring you a self-serving column, because I need to do it.

On Saturday at 7 p.m. at Co-op Place, the Tigers will open a best-of-seven WHL Eastern Conference semifinal series against another legacy junior hockey franchise – the Prince Albert Raiders. In my 26 seasons covering the WHL, the Tigers and Raiders are the two teams I am linked to the strongest.

To be honest, the Tigers and Raiders are family. I’ve got so many great links with both teams that I am truly blessed on that front.

Now comes the challenging and heavy part. I miss my buds from the Hat who are no longer with us in this world.

The last time I was in the Hat was back in July in 2019 to take care of a personal matter. The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic ruined a return planned for March 14, 2020 to take part in the celebrations of the iconic Bob Ridley calling his 4,000^th game as the Tigers play-by-play voice. I wasn’t able to get back to Hat until today.

The summer of 2020 during all the restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic is known as the summer of the suicides in Medicine Hat, which made the national news. I remember seeing names of six to seven men come up who took their lives, and I pretty much knew them all.

A lot were alums of the Medicine Hat Junior B Cubs Hockey Team. The pressures of that time in the pandemic played a part in what happened.

Out of the suicides in 2020 in Medicine Hat, Mitch Serr and Mike Engel were two that I built tight friendships with when I lived in the Hat from 2004 to 2014. We shared lots about our personal lives with each other.

When the Raiders blanked the Edmonton Oil Kings 5-0 on Tuesday at the storied and historic Art Hauser Centre in Prince Albert in Game 7 to conclude a first round series, I was happy the Raiders were advancing to play the Tigers. Following post-game interviews, I went up to the Ches Leach Lounge to visit some friends before writing my game story for this blog and editing pictures.

On one of the big screens, the two teams’ logos popped up to tease the Eastern Conference semifinal matchup. All of a sudden, I froze. The memories of the men who passed away in 2020 came back to me.

When I got back to Coronet Hotel, I started to tear up. I had talked with Nathan Reiter, who is the sports reporter for the Prince Albert Daily Herald, after the Raiders win at the Hauser about seeing if I could drive him out to the Hat with me.

After the tears came in the hotel room, I messaged Reiter and let him know what the deal was. I said in the message I believe I better head to Medicine Hat solo to be able to deal with emotionally what I needed to deal with.

I felt bad about doing that, because I believe he has developed a best friend type bond with James Tubb, who is the sportswriter for the Medicine Hat News. I believe it would be special, if they could work this series together.

Before I sent Reiter that message, I was checking out a CBC documentary from 2020 that I had seen before on the suicide deaths of Brandon Niwa and Ryan Pancoast. The stories of Niwa and Pancoast led off the documentary about the multiple suicide deaths. Even now, it was gut wrenching to see interviews from people I knew in the Hat talking about all the suicide deaths.

I had dread of what it would be like to arrive in Medicine Hat physically for the first time knowing those buds are no longer with us. A scenario ran through my head where I imagined myself freezing up while covering the games.

On Thursday afternoon or two days after the Raiders first round series win, I messaged the Tigers that I would be in the Hat two work Games 1 and 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinal. Normally, I would have sent a message the next day.

CDs that helped me on the drive to Medicine Hat.

The drive down on Friday afternoon helped settle the mind. I was also playing CD’s from MacKenzie Porter and Mahoney which was helping bring back good memories of the Hat.

At a gas stop in Oyen, I got a message that one of my old friends from Winnipeg passed away in his sleep of natural causes.

That was a gut punch, but on that front, good memories went through my mind of how that friend in Winnipeg lived life pretty much on his own terms, which at the end of the day is all any of us want. I might have compartmentalized that passing too quickly, so it might still hit me more later on. It also went through my mind on the drive it 11 years to the day my uncle Art Steinke passed away.

With the passings of my friends in 2020 in the Hat, I remember Serr and Engel really loved the Tigers. There is a story on each front there that is a good memory I feel like I can share.

First, I will start with Serr. This one makes me chuckle now.

This memory happened after the Tigers blanked the Red Deer Rebels 5-0 at The Arena in Game 2 of a first round series in the 2007 WHL Playoffs. The win evened the series at 1-1.

That series was really rough and the Tigers had taken some hits from Rebels players that were borderline. Actually, Tigers star right-winger and agitator Derek Dorsett said some of the hits were cheap looking back in recollection.

Serr was still playing for the Cubs at that time, and I saw him at one of the Hat’s night spots following Game 2. Serr was mad at hits the Tigers players were taking. He told me he wanted me to tell Tigers head coach and general manager Willie Desjardins that he wanted to gather a couple of his toughest buds from the Cubs and wanted to be dressed as a line to go send a message to the Rebels.

Serr said they would all be junior B guys, so it didn’t matter if they got suspended. Serr said he knows the Tigers players, who were his friends too, could handle anything that was thrown at them, but he said they shouldn’t have to deal with what they had been dealing with from the Rebels.

I chuckle every time I think of that moment. The passion was priceless.

Engel, who was also a Cubs alum, would come up and visit me from time to time in the press box at The Arena. At Tigers games, he was always into what was happening on the ice. He always had really good observations about the game and thought Desjardins was the best.

One time at his house, we were having a few pops, and I am hoping I remember this right. I remember him telling me he got invited to Tigers training camp, and he was so pumped for that opportunity.

At camp, he said he knew playing hockey in the WHL wasn’t going to work out for him, but he said the team still treated him really well through that process. He said he was thankful for that chance.

I think a short time after that visit was when Engel gave up drinking. I support all my friends who made that choice.

He did it cold turkey and stuck with it. I will always be proud he was able to do that.

Another thing that crossed my mind on the drive down was what was I was going to do for the upcoming playoff games between the Tigers and Raiders as far as suit and tie combos go. Of course, one of my favourite looks is wearing an orange dress shirt with a black tie. I copied that look after I saw Desjardins wear it one game, and I thought it looked super cool.

I often wear that look when I am covering big WHL games and especially games in the Memorial Cup tournament as a call back to remembering all the big Tigers regular season and post-season games I covered during my time at the Medicine Hat News from 2004 to 2014. I’ve worn that suit and tie combination for a number of big Raiders victories including their WHL title win in 2019 even though their colours are green, white, gold and black.

The players on both the Tigers and Raiders truly believe they have the best fans in the WHL. The fans of both teams are extremely passionate, and they do let you know if they don’t agree with something you have written and are protective of anyone being biased against their squads. It is all in a good way on that front too.

Out of respect for my friends who are no longer here, I feel like I have to wear the orange shirt and black tie combination for Game 1 here in the Hat. I hope my buds enjoy the series up there.

Rest easy guys and remember you are missed.

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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Raiders’ 20-year-old class kept club on track

Helped team navigate pandemic rough waters

Landon Kosior in action for the Raiders on March 14.

Evan Herman, Landon Kosior and Keaton Sorensen had a special commitment that helped the Prince Albert Raiders navigate unforeseen rough waves that were beyond the team’s control.

Actually, the entire WHL should be thankful for the overage class of 2022-23. This group of players felt the effects that came with the various stops and starts when the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic gripped the world in earnest in March of 2020. Thanks to the commitment of this season’s 20-year-old player class, the WHL got to experience its first what can be termed normal season since the 2018-19 campaign.

Last Saturday, the Raiders were officially eliminated from post-season contention with a 4-1 loss to the WHL leading Ice in Winnipeg. While there was disappointment among the Raiders faithful there would be no action in the WHL Playoffs in 2023, a youthful Raiders squad fought hard enough that the team would only experience three games where it would be playing out the string.

After Sunday’s 6-1 loss to the Ice in Winnipeg, the Raiders have two games left on their regular season schedule. On Friday, they will host the Moose Jaw Warriors at 7 p.m. at the Art Hauser Centre. On Saturday, the Raiders wrap up the 2022-23 season traveling to Regina to take on Connor Bedard and the Pats.

This column of mine appeared in the Prince Albert Daily Herald. To read the full article, feel free to click the link right here.

Shooting from the hip on Bell Let’s Talk day

A display featuring a Bell Let’s Talk toque.

Forget getting out of the starting block, I wasn’t even in the starting block waking up this morning when it came to writing my annual column for Bell Let’s Talk day.

Usually, I have column done ready to go live with pictures when Bell Let’s Talk day begins. After checking messages and taking care of some other work related tasks, I am getting down to work on a piece in earnest at 3 p.m. All of sudden, I am having trouble with my printer/scanner system, and I spend three hours dealing with that to delay things further.

As they say, better late than never.

As a result of those things, this is will be more kind of a “shoot from the hip” type piece.

On my own front, I have known I have battled with issues dealing with anxiety since 2012. I write about my experiences on the mental health front in hopes it will help others.

Since 2016, I’ve kept up with a tradition where I write a post regarding mental health on 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.

On my own front, I am in a way better place than I was 10 years ago. I am in a way better spot than I was six years ago.

Abby Soyko heads down ice on a rush for the Pandas.

Actually in the current day, my day to day dealings on the mental health front are likely not that sexy or exciting. I am kind of in the place where I deal with the issues of the day as they come up.

Basically, it often comes from prioritizing what I believe needs to be done and just handling things one day at a time. If something expected comes up that is out of your control that you need to adjust to, you make adjustments.

My world since Thursday has been consumed with putting together hockey stories and columns that had deadlines that needed to be met. All of that work was fun, but I had to push back typing this column out.

I got to see a long time friend in Prince Albert product and University of Alberta Pandas Women’s Hockey Team right-winger in Abby Soyko on Saturday. Due to how the world has played dealing with the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic that gripped the world in earnest in March of 2020, I hadn’t seen her since crossing paths at a Raiders WHL hockey game in Prince Albert in late December 2019.

We had a great visit after the Pandas downed the host University of Saskatchewan Huskies 3-1 in a U Sports regular season contest at Merlis Belsher Place, and I put together a catch up feature story on her. That piece has been the most viewed post I’ve created on this blog for the last two years.

I also got to chat with Raiders all-time great Dan Hodgson for a story for the Prince Albert Daily Herald about him getting a licensed NHL hockey card. The chat with Hodgson was great, and it is always a highlight any time I can talk to members of the Raiders 1984-85 WHL and Memorial Cup championship team.

As I type this, I wonder what will await me when I tackle messages related to work on the non-hockey front I’ve checked minimally the last few days. I am hoping to get the remainder of the photos I took at the Pandas/Huskies hockey game edited and a small grouping of photos edited for another work-related project done.

I’ve been busy the last few days writing hockey stories and columns.

Those types of things provide what I would grade as standard anxiety for me, but I am confident I will get to them in due time.

One of the things I’m still bad with in day-to-day happenings is shutting out outside noise. If I have phones and social media lines turned off, it usually means I am focusing on work I feel I really need to get done but haven’t due to interruptions. Outside of that, I am likely working out.

As far as shooting from the hip goes, I didn’t really know what I was going to say for this column. A lot of years I have a focused theme as opposed to just going in random directions as I type.

I like today a lot, because I see it gives people freedom to come forward to share their own stories of challenges on the mental health front. I find that part to be extremely helpful and educational for me.

Having worked in the mainstream media, I know this isn’t a great day for a lot of people. In recent years, Bell Canada, which is the telecommunications company that run Bell Let’s Talk day, has had a habit of releasing employees in the months after the company’s mental health awareness and fundraising day.

Any time Bell Canada cuts jobs, the term “Bell Let’s Cut” is inevitably brought up.

I’ve had friends who have been axed by Bell Canada as part of the cuts that have come shortly after Bell Let’s Talk Day in recent years. I saw a post on Twitter from former TSN broadcaster Dan O’Toole asking people to not include him in anything regarding Bell Let’s Talk day due to that day being hard. Bell Canada runs TSN, and O’Toole was released following Bell Let’s Talk day in January of 2021.

Me stationed up in my work perch at the SaskTel Centre.

I met O’Toole along with Jay Onrait at a Saskatchewan Rush NLL home game in April of 2017. 

I had a long visit with them, and you wouldn’t have known we just met. They were outstanding with everyone they met that night.

I decided to keep writing posts on this day, because of the awareness it brings to mental health issues. I know this can be a painful time for friends that used to work for Bell Canada. 

Those cuts have caused people that used to support Bell Let’s Talk day to find other avenues to support charities that assist with mental health causes.

For me, it is fine if you choose to participate in some way on Bell Let’s Talk day, and if you chose not to participate, that is fine too. I am not going to judge anyone.

Since the earnest onset of the COVID-19 pandemic March of 2020, I found the overall toxicity and just plain meanness in the world to have been increased to the highest levels I’ve ever seen in my life. The Twitter social media platform is by far the worst when it comes to encountering people who are toxic.

I try to avoid that type of noise as much as possible, but it is only human to be dragged into it from time to time.

I just hope you are all trying your best to find your way. I am always open for talks about mental health, and I am willing to listen. I know that is not for everyone too.

A picture of myself after finishing a workout.

For myself, I just try to get a little better each day. I hope everyone out in the world can find positive ways to navigate their respective mental health journeys.

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 “Riding hamster wheel is not always good for mental health – Excusing yourself even for a short time is good for soul” can be found by clicking right here. A piece from 2021 called “COVID-19 pandemic forces world to face mental health” can be found by clicking right here. A piece from 2020 called “A big mental health challenge is learning to take a break” can be found right here. A piece from 2019 called “Those facing mental health challenges can still be great in all parts of life” can be found right here. A piece from 2018 called “Being content can become a mental health challenge” can be round right here. A piece from 2017 called “Recognizing and respecting triggers is key for mental health” can be found right here. A piece from 2016 called “Feeling connected calms the mental health seas” can be found right here. A piece called “My Mental Health Story” can be found right 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 right here.

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Break time on here for catch up, Christmas and a break

I’m dressed in a signature look for Saturday’s WHL game in Prince Albert.

Just when I feel like I am getting back in my WHL groove, I am putting this blog aside for a bit to get a break.

It seems a bit weird to do this now. Due to the way life has dealt out the cards, I wasn’t able to get back into the WHL rinks as quickly as I wanted.

I got out to scout a game in Regina between the host Pats and the Everett Silvertips on Oct. 29. The next day I covered the PFC final between the Saskatoon Hilltops and host Regina Thunder at Mosaic Stadium, which was won by the host side.

I finally started covering WHL games again in November, and it felt outstanding to be back in the rink. I feel like I am in my good place, when I am covering WHL games, because I’ve had so many great experiences with that circuit covering it over a span of time that now stretches to 24 seasons.

With that said, I’ve been trying to get off the train for some time since the end of the 2021-22 campaign to get recharge time. I will still be around the WHL rinks, as I write columns for the Prince Albert Daily Herald, and I will still be busy with work at the Gordie Howe Sports Complex.

When I took a break from producing content for this blog back in July, I replaced with work on a special project I was doing. That special project was putting together a longer reflection feature on the Hilltops run of six straight CJFL title wins from 2014 to 2019 for the team’s first game program of the 2022 campaign. That feature also appeared on this blog.

The Hilltops reflection feature was fun, but transcribing the seven long interviews and crafting everything still took time to do. Plus, spring and especially summer are the busy times at the Gordie Howe Sports Complex, so I was putting in extra hours there in summer.

I didn’t really have any days that were like days off outside of a day here and there I just slept away.

At Mosaic Stadium for the PFC final on October 30.

The tough part about the sports world in Canada is no aspect of it gets the coverage it should outside of NHL hockey. When you are involved in sports in Canada, you are often always making decisions that come down to robbing Peter to pay Paul.

If you decide to do stories and cover games of one team, you have decided you won’t be doing stories or covering games of another team. You throw in juggling time where family needs you and all of a sudden you are wondering where weeks and months disappeared to.

Starting in August of 2021 when the Hilltops got back into action after the 2020 CJFL season was cancelled due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic that has gripped the world, I’ve been going non-stop. When the WHL returned to full regular season play for the 2021-22 campaign, I hit the ground running covering games from the opening night of the regular season on October 1, 2021. I also got in a handful of University of Saskatchewan Huskies events mainly games involving the football team.

When the sports world started to return to normal for the 2021-22 season, there were still no guarantees if seasons would play out. A year ago at this time, you needed to show proof of vaccination for COVID-19 to get into most sports facilities in Canada.

Outside of going to a wedding for my niece in early September of 2021, I avoided all big gathering events on the social front. The only big gather events I went to were the games I covered, and I got out to those lots.

There are times people are shocked to hear I haven’t been to a Saskatchewan Roughriders game since the Labour Day Classic on September 1, 2019, or since March 15, 2020, I hadn’t gone to events as a ticket buyer until I went to a WWE show at the SaskTel Centre this past October 2 or went to a smaller venue concert that expanded to a social night out this past November.

During the 2021-22 campaign, one of my main focuses was to not accidentally be the one that brought COVID-19 to a team I was covering, because you knew in that campaign a team would be shut down for two weeks. The WHL was pretty much all shut down for the first two weeks this past January, and it was due to multiply positive COVID-19 tests among the member clubs.

It is amazing how quickly people forgot those things were a reality. It has only been since the start of the current 2022-23 sports season where I have started to experiment with going out again to something that is not a sports event I am working in some capacity.

Any time spent with the Valkyries is always a fun time.

When the WHL playoffs started in April of 2022, I did get that feeling like everything was a grind, as I covered the Prince Albert Raiders and Saskatoon Blades going out in the first round. While WHL playoffs are life consuming, I had never felt like I was in a grind until this past season. That was a sign I needed a break.

Still, the train didn’t stop. I elected to cover the Saskatoon Valkyries as they went 7-0 and won the Western Women’s Canadian Football League championship. I hadn’t been around women’s sports as much as I would have liked since everything started up again.

The Valkyries have always been one of my favourite teams, and everything naturally clicks when I’m around them. I didn’t want to miss out when they returned to normal play.

In July, the Hilltops feature consumed my time. In August, the Hilltops started their 2022 campaign, but life threw a wrench in the path.

An immediate family member found out after a medical appointment in late August a surgery was needed right away, and that family member had that surgery in early September. Everything on that front was a resounding success, but that kept me stapled close to home for six weeks starting in early September taking on extra responsibilities.

Over that period of time, the extra responsibilities ate up the time I would have used on the sports front. When I was writing sports stories and columns, the task seemed to be harder than normal, which was another sign a break is needed.

In my home office, I have a stack of WHL game notes from last season, camera equipment I purchased that I need to test out and there a bunch of other catch up and clean up tasks I need to do. I am one of those persons that rightly or wrongly likes to get those tasks done before something becomes a need to do task where you have to drop everything.

I know there are people out there that never do catch up tasks until they are need to do tasks and that is fine, if it works for their lives.

My plan right now is to not return to this blog until the first week of January 2023 in the new year. I will still be writing WHL columns for the Prince Albert Daily Herald, so I will try to do teases from this blog to the Daily Herald pieces in between now and the first week of January 2023.

Tanner Molendyk is heading to the CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game.

On the Daily Herald front, I am still trying to figure out what I am going to say about the 9-0 loss the Raiders took on the chin at home this past Saturday against the Saskatoon Blades for my column this Wednesday. On the Blades front, they got more great news today as 17-year-old defenceman Tanner Molendyk was invited to the CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game set for January 25, 2023 at the Langley Events Centre in Langley, B.C.

Saskatoon born 17-year-old defenceman Caden Price, who plays for the Kelowna Rockets was also invited to the Top Prospects Game. Saskatoon area products in Riley Heidt, who plays for the Prince George Cougars, and Brayden Yager, who plays for the Moose Jaw Warriors, are both heading to the Top Prospects Game as well. Heidt and Yager are both 17-year-old centres.

Red Deer Rebels 17-year-old centre Kalan Lind from Shaunavon rounds out the Saskatchewan products heading to the Top Prospects Game.

Of course, Regina Pats 17-year-old phenom centre Connor Bedard will be the main showcase player for the Top Prospects Game.

On Saturday, it was cool to see Medicine Hat Tigers head coach and general manager Willie Desjardins record his 400^th career regular season win as head coach of the Tigers, when his squad downed the visiting Moose Jaw Warriors 6-3 at Co-op Place. Desjardins is the first to record 400 regular season head coaching wins behind the bench of the Tigers.

While I will still be doing work for the Daily Herald and the Gordie Howe Sports Complex, I am hoping the break from this blog will give me catch up time and down time. I am also hoping to take part in more Christmas time gatherings. I am slated to go to one of those this coming Saturday.

With that noted, the time off from this blog will fly by, and it will be the first week of January 2023 before any of us know it.

For now as Winnipeg product and God of pro wrestling Kenny Omega would say, I must bid you all adieu.

Dressed up and looking good with the Hilltops mascot Topper.

I hope you all have a Merry Christmas, a Happy New Year and spectacular holiday season.

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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Is the CFL a place you should or shouldn’t be?

Great Grey Cup game doesn’t erase uncertain feelings

Mosaic Stadium at pre-game of the 2019 Labour Day Classic.

Is the CFL good and feeling alright?

It feels like those who are overseeing the operations of Canada’s professional football circuit want you to believe the answer to that question is yes. The CFL has a solid backing of ultra-passionate fans who believe the answer to that question is yes, and the league doesn’t have any problems at all. Those fans believe the only problem the league has are negative people that want to talk bad about the CFL, and those negative people aren’t real fans.

One step removed from the ultra-passionate fans are passionate fans who have loved the league for a long time, but aren’t sure what their current relationship is with the circuit. Some of those fans that have been season ticket holders for decades are planning to not be ticket buyers in any form in 2023.

As the 2022 CFL season concluded with the playing of the Grey Cup game on Sunday at Mosaic Stadium in Regina with the Toronto Argonauts ousting the two-time defending champion Winnipeg Blue Bombers 24-23, it didn’t feel like the campaign finished off as the normal love in that it usually does.

 No matter what challenges the CFL deals with, it always seems the bad stuff is forgotten during Grey Cup week, and everyone bonds over the circuit’s great attributes. The Grey Cup is often a compelling contest, and when it is completed, fans come away thinking the CFL game is great no matter who won.

The CFL is this league that seems to survive through sheer stubbornness. While I myself have loved the league, the realist in me was surprised the circuit was able to survive financially after the 2020 campaign was completely cancelled due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic that has gripped the world.

When the CFL returned in 2021, some of the festivities surrounding the Grey Cup played in Hamilton, Ont., were limited as there were still various restrictions in place across Canada to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. The Bombers downed the host Tiger-Cats 33-25 in overtime before 26,324 spectators at Tim Hortons Field in that contest.

This year marked the first time the CFL could host a full out Grey Cup week since the shutdowns that occurred in 2020. The circuit also ran its first full regular season where each club played 18 games for the first time since 2019.

By all accounts, the Grey Cup Festival events that started last Tuesday and ran through to Sunday were a success. CFL commissioner Randy Ambrosie’s state of the league address on Friday mainly received a warm reception. It looked the 2022 CFL campaign was going to conclude with the classic love in the Grey Cup week brings.

The Grey Cup game delivered with lots of thrills. At the start of the fourth quarter, Bombers returner Janarion Grant returned a punt 102 yards for a touchdown. The run back was the longest punt return in Grey Cup history.

The previous record was held by Terry Williams of the Calgary Stampeders, who returned a punt 97 yards for a touchdown in his team’s 27-16 victory over the Ottawa Redblacks in the 2018 Grey Cup played in Edmonton.

The Bombers missed the extra point after Grant’s return score to make their lead at the time stand at 23-14. The Argonauts rallied for 10 straight points to win the game 24-23.

When Toronto closed the gap to 23-17, they had to finish the rest of the comeback behind backup quarterback Chad Kelly as starter McLeod Bethel-Thompson dislocated his thumb on his throwing hand.

Cody Fajardo (#7) slings a pass in the 2019 Labour Day Classic.

After the Argonauts got ahead 24-23, the Grey Cup ended with a wrinkle I had never seen happen in the countless number of football games I’ve watched live in person or on television. The contest ended with blocked field goals on back-to-back series in the final minutes of the fourth quarter.

First Argos kicker Boris Bede attempted a 37-yard field goal attempting the increase his team’s 24-23 advantage, but his kick was blocked by Bombers defensive back Nick Hallett. The Bombers had the ball at their own 29 yard line with two minutes remaining in the frame after the block.

Bombers star quarterback Zach Collaros drove his team into position to attempt a 47-yard field goal to go back ahead on the scoreboard. Winnipeg kicker Marc Liegghio’s kick was blocked by Argonauts defensive lineman Robbie Smith.

The Argonauts got the ball on their own 19 yard line with 45 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter. They were able to bring the contest to an end with three kneel downs before going off to celebrate their one-point championship victory.

Even with the exciting finish, there was a visible sign that all was not good. Looking at the game on TV, it was easy to see Mosaic Stadium was about 40 per cent empty. A sellout attendance of 33,350 was announced by the CFL.

Way back on September 28, the CFL and the Roughriders jointly announced the Grey Cup game was a sellout. On Grey Cup game day on Sunday, you could have easily gone on to Ticketmaster’s website and bought tickets for the contest.

During the week leading up to events like the Grey Cup, it is common that tickets that are reserved for dignitaries that won’t be used for that purpose are released for sale to the public. Still, there seemed to be about 1,000 tickets on the Ticketmaster site that were coloured in blue meaning they had yet to be bought by someone in the public.

You could purchase upper deck tickets for $296.85 each or tickets five rows behind a team bench for $546.60 each.

There were a sizable number of tickets available in the resale red, which means people who originally purchased the tickets were trying to unload them.

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the NFL had a practice of announcing an actual attendance figure of people who actually entered the stadium and a no show figure. The no show figure was for people who purchased tickets but didn’t go to the game.

It is unlikely a no show figure will ever be released for Sunday’s Grey Cup game.

In the 2000s, it was common for tickets anywhere in CFL stadiums to cost between $40 and $60. The focus was to get the average working person into the stadium.

At least for Saskatchewan Roughriders games this past season, about 70 per cent of the seats at Mosaic Stadium cost at least $100 per seat. In 2019 which was the CFL’s last year operating before the COVID-19 pandemic took hold, the ticket prices in the lower sections between the 20 yard lines was anywhere between $55 to $155 before fees and taxes in eight of the nine CFL stadiums.

Patrick Neufeld (#53) sets to make a block for the Bombers.

Price point is a big problem in the CFL. It is an even bigger problem in 2022, when inflation in Canada has seen seemingly every product in Canada increase in price. Travel costs are higher, and it seems taking a flight to travel anywhere in Canada via airlines becomes a bigger gamble by the day.

The CFL’s solid backing of ultra-passionate fans don’t seem to mind the increased costs. They see rising ticket costs as a tax increase you pay to show your loyalty to your team. If it means you go into debt to support your team, you do it.

Judging by how many people didn’t show up for the Grey Cup, it appears all the inflationary costs do actually matters to a sizable amount of people these days.

During the regular season, 3DownNation reported the Bombers led the CFL in attendance for the first time in league history averaging 28,652 fans per game. The Roughriders were second averaging 27,431 spectators per game according to 3DownNation, which the first time attendance dropped below 28,000 per contest since 2006.

The Bombers record for average regular season attendance was 30,637 spectators per contest in 2013. The Roughriders record for average regular season attendance was 37,503 spectators per contest in 2013.

The Argonauts had the worst average attendance during the 2022 regular season averaging 11,874 spectators per game. Believe it or not, the Argonauts record for average attendance per contest is 47,355 spectators per game set back in 1976.

It is a fact that attendance in the CFL isn’t what it used to be.

For myself, I often struggle with the notion that the CFL is a place for me when it comes to any form of a role. The last game I attended in person was the Labour Day Classic contest on September 1, 2019, when the host Roughriders downed the Bombers 19-17 at Mosaic Stadium.

I didn’t go to any CFL games in 2021 due to the fact I was covering the CJFL’s Saskatoon Hilltops and the WHL’s Prince Albert Raiders and Saskatoon Blades on a regular basis. The teams in the CJFL and WHL were doing frequent COVID-19 testing and it was still common for teams and leagues to be shut down due to positive tests. No matter what, those three teams elected to interact with the media in person.

I personally didn’t want to be the one that accidentally brought in a COVID-19 case to get the Hilltops, Raiders or Blades shutdown, which meant no CFL games for me. Since March of 2020, I’ve only been out to four big fun social gatherings that included a family wedding in September 2021 and a WWE house show this past October.

I was planning to go to a CFL game this season, but work related projects prevented that from happening.

In Saskatchewan, I felt the negativity when things go bad for the Roughriders has been way worse since they returned to play in 2021 than it had before the shutdowns in 2020. That had been a factor in killing the motivation to go to games even with having a couple of friends on the Roughriders roster. Cost also became a factor too this season as I’ve elected to spend money elsewhere to adjust to various price inflations that are currently seen in Canada.

I also feel the CFL isn’t as connected to the fans as it once was. It seems like the decision makers on that circuit are comfortable with getting by on the support of the ultra-passionate fans who will spend huge amounts of money on the league no questions asked.

Dan Clark calls signals for the Roughriders in 2019.

The rules and the CFL game itself are as awesome as always. This past week I caught the re-airing ESPN broadcast of the 1981 Grey Cup.

Famed NFL analyst Paul Maguire did the analyst work on the 1981 Grey Cup, and he went into great lengths about how great the various unique rules are for the Canadian game. It felt like the ESPN broadcast was an advertisement for the Canadian game.

No matter what happens in Canada or the world, it feels like the CFL will somehow always be around. The Grey Cup game has been awarded in Canada since 1909. Again by sheer stubbornness, the Canadian version of pro-football never goes away.

Will it have another golden age when it comes to fan interest? Being a realist, the jury is out on the answer to that question, but it doesn’t seem possible in the short term or midterm.

Johnson gets final salute at Hilltops team awards banquet

Konner Johnson was named the Hilltops most outstanding grad.

Konner Johnson received one last hurrah with the Saskatoon Hilltops during the team’s annual award banquet, which was held Saturday night at the Delta Marriott Hotel.

The weak side linebacker, who established himself as one of the storied CJFL club’s all-time greats, took home the Drs. Landa-Doig Award as the club’s most outstanding graduating player. During the Hilltops eight regular season contests, Johnson piled up 31 solo defensive tackles, 13 defensive tackle assists, four special teams solo tackles, two special teams tackle assists, two quarterback sacks, five pass knockdowns and four interceptions.

Individually, Johnson picked up a lot of accolades this season. The 22-year-old was named a PFC all-star, the PFC’s most outstanding linebacker, the PFC’s most outstanding defensive player, a CJFL first team all-Canadian all-star and the CJFL’s most outstanding defensive player. This past May and June, Johnson attended the training camp of the CFL’s Saskatchewan Roughriders.

The Past President’s Trophy as the team’s rookie of the year went right tackle Davin Johnson. Davin was a true first year player having graduated from Saskatoon’s Walter Murray Collegiate this past June.

He became the Hilltops starting right tackle about halfway through this past season and started the Hilltops two post-season games. It is rare for any rookie straight out of high school to earn a starting spot as a rookie with the Hilltops, so Davin accomplished big things with the Hilltops in 2022.

Jaxon Funk was named the Hilltops top lineman.

Graduating centre Luciano Jolly took home the Blue and Gold Award for outstanding leadership and commitment to the team. Graduating receiver Dillan Heintz captured the Courtice Inspiration Award.

Defensive back Evan Mantyka, who also exhausted his CJFL eligibility, was given the Ron Atchison “True Grit” award. Middle linebacker Matt Wist, who has one year of CJFL eligibility remaining, claimed the Don and Jim Seaman Memorial Award as the team’s top linebacker.

Graduating defensive tackle Jaxon Funk captured the Ray Syrnyk Trophy as the team’s top lineman.

The Hilltops posted a 5-3 record in regular season play to finish second in the Prairie Football Conference. They advanced to the PFC final, where they dropped a 39-21 decision to the host Thunder in Regina at Mosaic Stadium back on October 30.

The Hilltops graduate 20 players from their 2022 roster including Connor Green, Matt Turple, Mantyka, Damon Dutton, Carter McLean, Steve Gilewicz, Tanner Szakacs, Konner Johnson, Jayson Kehler, Dylan McNutt, Mitchell Clarke, Jordan Bisson, Jolly, Aidan Connoly, Ethan Paslowski, Daylen Hartz, Funk, Presley Peterson, Heintz and Lachlan Horsley.

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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Out of here for rest of July

I’m hoping to get a little more down time the next few weeks.

Time seems go by faster and faster the older I get.

I kind of underestimated how fast this past winter sports season would go by. Going into the 2021-22 winter campaign, I didn’t really know what to expect.

A year ago in July of 2021, it seemed like restrictions regarding the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic could come and go seemingly at a moment’s notice. After there wasn’t much of a winter sports season in 2020-21, I wasn’t sure what to expect in 2021-22.

I have to admit I did not follow through with the original plan in my head. Originally, I was thinking about making just weekly or twice weekly posts on this blog and sitting back and seeing how the sports world in Canada would play out.

I expected there would be pauses and schedule alterations due to positive COVID-19 tests and there were.

It was still in the realm of possibilities that sports seasons that start in Canada might not be completed. To my knowledge, all seasons in the 2021-22 winter campaign were played to a conclusion.

At the professional level, I was pretty certain the NHL season would be completed as the Stanley Cup was awarded in 2020 and 2021. In a 2021-22 campaign that still had its wonky parts, the circuit finished a regular season where every club played a full schedule of 82 games.

The regular season was followed by on exciting post-season. There was still a fairly late finish as the Colorado Avalanche captured the Stanley Cup in Game 6 of the NHL title series by a 2-1 score against the host Lightning in Tampa Bay on June 26.

The Avalanche became “the team” by beating “the team” in the Lightning, who won the Stanley Cup the two previous years.

Hockey in the major junior ranks had an even later finish. In the Memorial Cup championship game held on June 29, the host Saint John Sea Dogs downed the OHL champion Hamilton Bulldogs 6-3 to take the CHL title. The Sea Dogs bowed out in the first round of the QMJHL playoffs but used the time off to be able to finish first in the preliminary round standings with a 2-0-1 record at the Memorial Cup tournament before claiming the event’s championship game.

The one loss came in overtime by a 4-3 score to the WHL champion Edmonton Oil Kings. The Oil Kings win ended a 14-game skid by the club that was the WHL champion at the event.

It was great seeing the Hilltops back in action last season.

Before the Oil Kings win, the last time a WHL champion posted a win at the Memorial Cup came back on May 29, 2015, when the Kelowna Rockets hammered the host Remparts 9-3 in Quebec City, Quebec, in a semifinal contest.

The Oil Kings weren’t able to make the playoff round with their 1-2 record getting edged for third place in the preliminary round standings and the tournament’s final playoff berth by the 1-2 Hamilton Bulldogs.

Hours before the tournament started on June 20, the CHL announced a new points system would be used for the preliminary round standings that saw three points given for a regulation win and two for a win in overtime. The Bulldog advanced to the playoff round due to the fact their win came in regulation, and it came against the Oil Kings to boot.

The overtime format was changed for the preliminary round too. Overtime in the preliminary round would be 20 minute periods played in a sudden death three-versus-three format.

The merits of those changes can be debated, but the timing of the announcement of when those rules were changed was awful. If the CHL was going to change rules in the Memorial Cup format, they should have been announced before the 2021-22 season started.

If the rule changes were announced during the event starting with next year’s tournament, the CHL would have come away with a way better look there.

With all that said, I didn’t find myself on the perimeter watching the 2021-22 winter sports season play out. 

Opportunities arose to get back into covering games of the CJFL powerhouse Saskatoon Hilltops in a beat writer fashion and the WHL, where I focused around covering the Prince Albert Raiders and Saskatoon Blades.

In my head, I was thinking the mainstream media in Canada wanted to get out of covering the sports world unless it was the NHL, so I wasn’t thinking opportunities would come in that realm. I find in the overall populous in Canada sports isn’t a big thing unless you are involved in sports with the NHL being the exception to that thought.

I also had an opportunity to get back into covering the University of Saskatchewan Huskies teams in a bigger way. I wasn’t expecting that to come up.

The Oil Kings won the WHL title in 2021-22.

The opportunities to cover the Hilltops and the WHL came up first, so I decided to go with those routes. Out of all the leagues in Canada, I thought U Sports would be the one where their season wouldn’t be played to completion. Fortunately, I was proved wrong on that front and U Sports did play its season to conclusion.

The other decision to just focus on Hilltops and WHL was to limit covering stops and starts and possible cancellations due to COVID-19 positive tests. The WHL had to pause its season for almost all the first two weeks of January due to an abundance of positive COVID-19 tests.

 Following the WHL season, I thought I was going to go for a rest, evaluation and reset period. I elected to cover the Saskatoon Valkyries in a beat writing form as they won their seventh WWCFL title, because my relationship with that team has always been outstanding.

I decided I didn’t want to miss out, because they had a lot of returning players that were around from the 2019 squad before the COVID-19 pandemic disruptions occurred. I enjoyed getting to know the first and second year players this past Valkyries season too.

Now that Valkyries season is done, I’ve decided take a break from creating content for this blog for the rest of the month of July. On the weird part, the break from writing this blog won’t be primarily due for rest and recharge reasons.

At the moment, I am working on a project on the side. I need to sacrifice time in other areas to focus on that project.

In August, I’m hoping you will all get to enjoy seeing the results of the project I am working on.

I hope to get some rest and recharge time in too. Actually, it disappoints me to see my two mountain bikes have been sitting in storage this year waiting to be tuned up for use. I haven’t used them yet.

When August comes, I will be back covering the Hilltops in a beat writing form. I suspect the upcoming 2022-23 winter sports season will see me focusing on the Hilltops and WHL.

I figured I need to focus, because even with the opportunities that have come my way, almost everything in Canada’s sports scene is not being covered outside the NHL, Saskatchewan Roughriders, Winnipeg Blue Bombers, Toronto Blue Jays, Toronto Raptors and the MLS teams in Canada’s three big cities.

It was so much fun seeing the Valkyries in a seventh WWCFL title.

By the amount of releases and news that comes my way in the sports world for Canada, I have to say that everything is happening now. Everybody in some way is searching for attention.

I will never close the door with regards in potential directions I could go. I do have to weigh how involvement in Canada’s sports scene affects and accompanies everything else in my life, and I find I do that a lot more than I ever had before in my life.

For now, it is time to sign off for a bit. I’ll see you all in August.

Rabbit’s return big for Blades, other notes and observations

Ashley Callingbull, left, and Wacey Rabbit. (Photo courtesy Saskatoon Blades)

The Saskatoon Blades made a big splash bringing Wacey Rabbit back to his first and long time WHL home.

On June 27, the Blades announced that Rabbit was returning to the team as an assistant coach. His wife, Ashley Callingbull, joined the Saskatoon Entertainment Group, which is the parent company that owns both the Blades and Saskatchewan Rush, as an ambassador.

Rabbit, who is 35-years-old, played centre for the Blades starting as an underage call up way back in 2001-02 and the following four seasons through to the conclusion of the 2005-06 campaign, when he was the team’s captain. The Kainai First Nation, Alta., product played in 259 career regular season games with the Blades posting 80 goals, 106 assists and a plus-seven rating in the plus-minus department.

During his overage season in 2006-07, Rabbit started the campaign playing for the Providence Bruins of the AHL. After his WHL rights were traded to the Vancouver Giants, Rabbit was returned to the major junior ranks.

Rabbit finished his WHL career with the Giants appearing in 30 regular season games posting 11 goals, 25 assists and a plus-13 rating. He helped the Giants advance to the WHL Championship Series, where they fell in seven games to the Medicine Hat Tigers. Following that series, he helped the Giants win the Memorial Cup as the tournament’s host team.

Rabbit proceed to play 14 seasons in the minor professional ranks and retired from the game as a player on August 26, 2021. Last season, Rabbit was an assistant coach and skills development coach for the Alberni Valley Bulldogs of the junior A British Columbia Hockey League.

Callingbull, who is 32-years-old, is an actress, model, motivational speaker and international celebrity who has over 1.2-million followers on Instagram. The Enoch Cree Nation, Alta., product became the first Canadian and Indigenous woman to win the Miss Universe title on August 29, 2015.

The Blades had a coach vacancy to fill when it was announced on June 20 associate coach Ryan Marsh was leaving his position to become an assistant coach with Schwenninger Wild Wings in Germany’s top professional league.

Rabbit was a fan favourite during his time with the Blades and is one of the all-time most enduring players for the team’s fanbase. When a coaching role came open on the team, Blades management made the first move to contact Rabbit about returning to the club in a coaching role.

Rabbit said in many media interviews he wasn’t looking for jobs in the WHL, but when the Blades came calling, he said that was the team was going to say yes to. Rabbit has always considered Saskatoon as a second home.

Both Rabbit and Callingbull have been active with regards to Indigenous outreach throughout their adult lives, and they plan to continue that work in Saskatoon. Both have been outstanding role models for Indigenous youth.

For the Blades, bringing Rabbit back was a home run on so many levels and some levels that might not even be comprehended at the moment.

Blades management deserves huge applause for having the vision and making the approach to bring Rabbit and Callingbull to the team. This will likely be a move that has a huge positive impact on the community beyond what happens on the ice surface at the rink.

• Saskatoon Blades left-winger Brandon Lisowsky was selected in the seventh round and 218^th overall on Friday by the Toronto Maple Leafs on the final day of the two-day NHL Entry Draft held in Montreal, Que. Last season in his 17-year-old campaign, Lisowsky appeared in all the Blades 68 regular season games posting 33 goals, 25 assists and a plus-one rating in the plus-minus department.
• In the CHL Import Draft on July 1, the Saskatoon Blades selected 17-year-old defenceman Tomas Zizka, who is from Zlin, Czechia, in the first round and 37^th overall. Zizka, who stands 6-feet and weighs 170 pounds, played last season with the Lidingo Vikings J18 squad posting one goal and 13 assists in 31 games. He also played 11 games for Czechia’s under-17 team collecting four goals. Zizka joins 18-year-old fan favourite Belarusian right-winger Egor Sidorov as the Blades two import players. Due to Russia’s invasion attempt and war with Ukraine, Sidorov is residing in Saskatoon for the foreseeable future.
• The Prince Albert Raiders didn’t make any selections in the CHL Import Draft held on July 1. They will return Belarusians in goaltender Tikhon Chaika and left-winger Vladislav Shilo as their two imports. Both are heading into their 19-year-old seasons. Both Chaika and Shilo are residing in Prince Albert for the foreseeable future due to Russia’s invasion attempt and war with Ukraine.
• On July 2, Bret “the Hitman” Hart turned 65-years-old. Hearing that, it is another sign that time is passing way too fast. When it comes to sport entertainment’s pro-wrestling especially if you reside in Canada, Hart will always be, “The best there was, the best there is and the best there ever will be.”
• Jorde Chartrand is the unknown Canadian idol. The 19-year-old right handed pitcher and Weyburn, Sask., product has been playing with Softball Canada’s National Women’s Team. She has been training and playing on the Gordie Howe Sports Complex grounds for a number of years. She has a good following inside the local Saskatchewan softball community, but with Canada’s downsized mainstream media particularly when it comes to covering sports, Chartrand isn’t well known outside the sport. That is too bad, because she is an outstanding role model athlete that excels in the classroom as well as the field of play. Don’t be surprised if she pops on the media radar in a future Olympics.
• The Saskatoon Cubs will host the Saskatchewan Premier Baseball League under-18 AAA championship tournament July 22 to 24 at Cairns Field and Leakos Field. If you have never seen a Saskatchewan Premier Baseball League game, you are missing out. In Saskatoon, it is still kind of a hidden gem. As the SPBL regular season heads into the home stretch, the Cubs top the under-18 AAA standings with a 19-4 record.
• The prestige and reputation of Hockey Canada has taken a major hit over the past four months. On April 20, a woman, who is now 24-years-old, filed a $3.55-million lawsuit in London, Ont., against Hockey Canada, the CHL and eight unnamed CHL players over an allegation she was sexually assaulted by the players. The alleged sexual assault was said to occur a hotel room after Hockey Canada gala and golf event in London, Ont., in June 2018 and members of Canada’s 2017-18 gold medal winning world junior team were alleged to be among the eight players. The allegations have not been proven in court. Hockey Canada quietly settled the lawsuit in May. The Government of Canada started looking into Hockey Canada’s handling of the lawsuit in June. That included a meeting with the House of Commons standing committee on Canadian Heritage, where Hockey Canada executives were grilled and came out not looking good including then Hockey Canada CEO Tom Renney, who retired on July 1. After that meeting, the federal government froze fund they were putting into Hockey Canada. A number of major sponsors have frozen their funding to Hockey Canada. This story isn’t leaving the news cycle, so expect developments to keep coming.
• From what I heard, Kevin Waugh, who is a Conservative MP representing Saskatoon-Grasswood and is a former CTV sports reporter, was one of the key figures that pushed for the federal government to look into Hockey Canada’s handling of quietly setting a lawsuit regarding sexual assault allegations with a now 24-year-old woman. Waugh was concerned that the stories produced by TSN’s Rick Westhead weren’t getting traction in the rest of the mainstream media, so he wanted to bring the federal government into the picture. Ultimately, Waugh might be looked upon for playing a sizable role in finding out the truth and creating accountability over this matter.
• Regarding Hockey Canada’s handling of quietly settling a lawsuit regard sexual assault allegation with a now 24-year-old woman and the fallout that is still coming, you have to wonder if those holding leadership positions in Hockey Canada will be able to survive in those positions. In a strange coincidence, Hockey Canada announced on April 20 that CEO Tom Renney was going to retire effective July 1, 2022. That April 20 announcement was the same day the alleged sexual assault lawsuit was filed in court in London, Ont. With that noted, somebody in Hockey Canada’s leadership could have fallen on the sword taking ultimate responsibility over the handling of the lawsuit in being in a leadership position in the organization. That type of act could have prevented a funding freeze from the federal government and sponsors.
• The most powerful person in sports entertainment’s pro-wrestling is being dogged by sexual misconduct allegations. On Friday, the Wall Street Journal published a story saying Vince McMahon, the famed CEO of WWE who stepped down from his role on June 17, paid four women US$12-million total over the past 16 years to hide numerous allegations of sexual misconduct. This story came out after the Wall Street Journal reported on June 15 that McMahon, who is 76-years-old, paid out a US$3-million to hide an alleged affair with a former employee, who reportedly was hired as a paralegal in 2019. The WWE’s board of directors was investigating the US$3-million payout, and McMahon stepped down from his CEO role due to that investigation. McMahon’s daughter, Stephanie McMahon, is serving as interim CEO and interim chairwoman after serving as the company’s chief brand officer. The US$3-million payout was part of the US$12-million payout in the Wall Street Journal’s latest story. This story has been picked up by most of the major mainstream media outlets in the U.S. It is possible this could end Vince McMahon’s involvement in sports entertainment’s pro-wrestling scene.
• Today on Saturday, July 9, I had new content appear on the Howe Happenings blog that supports the Gordie Howe Sports Complex. I put together a feature story Parker Frey, who is the ace pitcher of the Saskatoon Cubs under-18 AAA team. The piece on Frey can be found by clicking right here. I also created a new photo roundup of the sweet cool moments happening on the Complex grounds that 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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Blades had good return to full season play

Injuries prevented Saskatoon from realizing more potential

The Blades celebrate a goal on March 25.

While the injury bug was a big foe, Saskatoon Blades had a respectable campaign playing their first full regular season since 2018-19.

In 2021-22, the Blades finished fifth overall in the WHL’s Eastern Conference with a 38-26-3-1 regular season record. With one more standings point, the Blades would placed fourth in the Eastern Conference during the regular season and earned home ice advantage for a first round playoff series.

The WHL wasn’t able to play any complete regular seasons or crown league champions in the 2019-20 and 2020-21 campaigns due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic that gripped the world. The CHL didn’t crown any Memorial Cup champions in either of those campaigns too.

When the WHL Playoffs came around following the completion of the 2021-22 regular season, the Blades found themselves taking on the Moose Jaw Warriors. The Warriors finished fourth overall in the Eastern Conference with a 37-24-4-3 mark to just edge out the Blades with 81 standings points to 80.

Saskatoon won six out of the eight head-to-head meetings between the two sides in the regular season. The Warriors claimed a best-of-seven post-season series 4-1.

Moose Jaw clinched the series with a 6-3 victory at home in Mosaic Place in Game 5 on April 29. The Warriors have to be credited with building a skilled younger roster that played well together in the series against the Blades.

The Blades had a fairly young roster too, and they had some skilled youngsters too that came along way.

Kyle Crnkovic was the Blades leading scorer.

Left-winger Brandon Lisowsky appeared in all 68 of the Blades regular season games in his 17-year-old campaign piling up 33 goals and 25 assists to go with a plus-one rating in the plus-minus department.

Rookie 17-year-old import left-winger Egor Sidorov made noise potting 23 goals and 12 assists appearing in 58 regular season games.

Defenceman Tanner Molendyk skated through his 16-year-old season, and he has potential to be one of the better rearguards on the WHL circuit. He had three goals, 15 assists and a minus-six rating in 55 regular season games, but he showed he could play a high volume of minutes when injuries added up.

When it came to the injury department, Blades play-by-play voice Les Lazaruk calculated the club lost 250 man games due to injury in 2021-22. Blades first-year head coach Brennan Sonne had to lament all the line juggled he had to perform due to necessity.

When playoffs came around, the Blades were without captain and star offensive-defenceman Aidan De La Gorgendiere, who had season ending shoulder surgery. During his 19-year-old season, De La Gorgendiere appeared in 54 regular season games for the Blades posting four goals and 41 assists.

He last played on March 25, when the Blades downed the visiting Regina Pats 3-1 at the SaskTel Centre.

Star overage centre Tristen Robins, who finished the campaign as the Blades captain when De La Gorgendiere wasn’t able to comeback, missed the Blades last four regular season games due to injury and their first two playoff contests.

Robins, who has a signed NHL entry-level contract with the San Jose Sharks, suited up for the Blades last three post-season games playing only on the power play with a hobbled ankle. In 62 regular season games, Robins recorded 33 goals, 45 assists and a plus-four rating. He was only a shadow of that type of player in the post-season due to his ankle injury.

Tristen Robins had 33 goals and 45 assists for the Blades.

The Blades came out of the gate with a hot start posting a 9-2-1 record. Struggles took hold of the team at that point.

Following a 4-1 loss to the Prince Albert Raiders on home ice on Dec. 18, 2021, the Blades found themselves heading into the Christmas break with a 15-13-1 mark. At that point, the fact that about two-thirds of the Blades roster had never been through a full 68-game regular season became apparent.

There were a lot of guys that ran out of gas and played on fumes, when the schedule turned to November.

After returning from the Christmas Break, the Blades and the rest of the WHL had their troubles with players, coaches and staff dealing with COVID-19. Most of the WHL was shut down for the first two weeks of January, which included the Blades not playing any games between Jan. 1 and Jan. 14.

Blades rugged overage defenceman Rhett Rhinehart found himself on the WHL COVID-19 Protocol List for a short span.

There was a period of time ranging from three-and-a-half to four weeks during the campaign when Blades general manager Colin Priestner was down due to COVID.

Despite the challenges, the Blades rallied on the ice and had a 29-18-2-1 record when February came to a close.

Over the Blades last 18 regular season games, injuries really started to pile up. 

Rhett Rhinehart gave the Blades a physical presence.

By the time a 7-0 loss to the Warriors in Moose Jaw ended on March 26, the Blades were down eight regulars due to injury including all four regular centres in Robins, Jayden Wiens, Trevor Wong and Josh Pillar.

When the playoffs came around, the Blades were relatively healthy outside of the big exceptions that De La Gorgendiere was out and Robins played the club’s last three post-season games being limited physically due to his ankle injury. Besides the injury battles, the campaign had its highlights.

On April 8, Blades overage star netminder Nolan Maier made 20 saves in a 2-0 win over the visiting Prince Albert Raiders to move alone into top spot on the WHL’s all-time career regular season goaltending wins list with his 121^st victory. 

He finished his regular season career with 122 victories.

Maier had a strong final campaign with the Blades posting a 31-23-4 record, a 2.82 goals against average, a .910 save percentage and three shutouts.

Blades star left-winger Kyle Crnkovic, who was skating through his 19-year-old season, finished fifth in the WHL’s regular season scoring race piling up 94 points on 39 goals and 55 assists to go with an even rating. Crnkovic’s goal, assist and point totals were all career highs, and he was the Blades leading scorer.

With the 2021-22 campaign at an end for the Blades, they of course graduate Maier, Robins and Rhinehart due to the fact they age out of the major junior ranks.

The Blades celebrate a win on April 15.

There were some fans that gripped on social media with classic moans about the Blades lack of post-season success that existed before the COVID-19 pandemic caused shutdowns in March of 2020. Those moans are misplaced due to what has happened in the world since March of 2020, but some upset fans will continue their upset fandom no matter what happens in the world, while conveniently forgetting they cried about having no Blades hockey to watch during shutdowns.

The Blades have the potential to return a strong roster for the upcoming 2022-23 campaign and will have a more regular off-season to prepare for the next season.

Going forward, there should be some well-placed optimism about the future looking good for the Blades.

Oil Kings deal Rebels major blow with OT win, other notes

Jake Neighbours scored the OT winner for the Oil Kings.

Captain Jake Neighbours’ overtime goal might be a blow the Red Deer Rebels can’t come back from.

On Monday before 3,506 spectators at the Peavey Mart Centrium in Red Deer, Neighbours, who is a star left-winger, scored his first goal of the post-season at the 7:17 mark of overtime to deliver his Edmonton Oil Kings to a 5-4 victory over the Rebels in Game 3 of a WHL Eastern Conference semifinal series between the two sides.

With the win, the Oil Kings took a stranglehold 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven set. The favoured Oil Kings will try to close out the series against the Rebels in Game 4 on Wednesday set for 7 p.m. local time at the Peavey Mart Centrium.

Luke Prokop, Dylan Guenther, Carter Souch and Justin Sourdif all had singles in regulation for the Oil Kings. Liam Keeler, Kalan Lind, Arshdeep Bains and Jhett Larson replied with singles for the Rebels in regulation.

Edmonton had a 4-2 lead, but Bains scored with 7:10 remaining in the third and Larson potted the equalizer with 6:34 to play in the third to force overtime.

The Rebels comeback wasn’t to be as Neighbours netted the overtime winner.

Sebastian Cossa made 18 saves to pick up the win in goal for the Oil Kings. Connor Unger turned away 47 shots to take the setback in net for the Rebels despite a valiant effort to steal the game.

On Monday, Cossa was named the WHL’s goaltender of the week for the week ending on Sunday. He captured the weekly award having shutout the Rebels in the first two games of the series.

Last Thursday, Cossa made 18 saves as the Oil Kings downed the Rebels 4-0 in Game 1 of the series at Rogers Place in Edmonton. Cossa followed that up with a 26 save performance last Saturday as the Oil Kings blanked the Rebels 5-0 in Game 2 of the series also played at Rogers Place.

The WHL’s conference semifinal round could potentially be a quick one. In the other Eastern Conference semifinal, the Winnipeg Ice, the WHL’s top club in the regular season, hold a 2-0 series lead over the Moose Jaw Warriors.

In the Western Conference, the favoured Kamloops Blazers lead the Vancouver Giants 2-0 in one semifinal series, and the favoured Portland Winterhawks lead the Seattle Thunderbirds 2-0 in the other semifinal series.

• On Monday, Winnipeg Ice left-winger Owen Pederson was named the WHL’s player of the week for the week ending on May 8. He had a goal and four assists helping the Ice win the first two games of their WHL Eastern Conference semifinal series against the Moose Jaw Warriors.
• On Monday, Kelowna Rockets import right-winger Pavel Novak signed an NHL entry-level contract with the Minnesota Wild. The Wild selected Novak in the fifth round and 146^th overall in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. Novak, who turned 20-years-old on April 16, appeared in 62 regular season games for the Rockets in 2021-22 recording 29 goals, 43 assists and a plus-26 rating in the plus-minus department.
• Last Wednesday, Mitch Love, who is the head coach of the Stockton Heat, was named the AHL’s coach of the year. Love guided the Heat to a first place finish in the Pacific Division with a 46-16-5-2 record. The 46 victories is a regular season record for the Heat along with the team’s 97 standings points. The division title win was a first in Heat franchise history. Before joining the Heat, Love was the head coach of the WHL’s Saskatoon Blades for three seasons.
• I put together new content for the Gordie Howe Sports Complex’s Howe Happenings blog that went live on Monday. I created a piece called “Home is where the heart is for Neufeld – O-lineman finds stomping grounds in Sask. and the ’Peg.” It is a catch up piece with Winnipeg Blue Bombers star offensive lineman Patrick Neufeld, who is a graduate of the University of Saskatchewan Huskies Football team from the U Sports ranks. That article can be found by clicking right here. I also created a photo roundup that 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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