Memorial Cup nix part of déjà vu moments in Canadian sports

The Acadie-Bathurst Titan celebrate a Memorial Cup win in 2018.

The sports world in Canada seems to like 2020 reruns in 2021.

The 2020 reruns are being caused by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The pandemic was unfortunately running in full force in 2020, and it doesn’t appear to be slowing down any in 2021 as variants add another difficult layer in trying to deal with it.

That is forcing government restrictions in various degrees around the world to stay in force in order to combat the pandemic.

Vaccines are rolling out across Canada, but life is still far from the normal experienced pre-pandemic.

On Tuesday, the Canadian Hockey League officially announced the Memorial Cup tournament was cancelled for 2021 marking the second straight year major junior hockey’s championship event was nixed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 2021 event was to be played in one of Oshawa, Ont., or Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.

The host city was never finalized and no dates were ever set for the tournament.

The 2020 Memorial Cup was supposed to be held in Kelowna, B.C., before it was called off due to the pandemic.

The cancellation hardly comes as a surprise when looking at the three major junior leagues that make up the CHL.

The QMJHL has attempted to hold a 2020-21 campaign that has included many stops and starts due to positive COVID-19 tests. Most teams have played on average 35 games.

The circuit is looking to start playoffs with action involving the teams paced in the province of Quebec on April 23.

The WHL’s four divisions had staggered and very late starts with each team playing a 24-game developmental regular season. 

The Red Deer Rebels enjoy a win at the 2016 Memorial Cup.

The Central Division began play in late February and the other three divisions hit the ice at different times in March.

Positive COVID-19 tests have caused some schedule reshuffling for the Central and B.C. Divisions.

The OHL hasn’t been able to start its 2020-21 regular season, and with Ontario once again experiencing stricter lockdown measures, it seems like a matter of time before the 2020-21 OHL campaign is outright cancelled without hitting the ice.

In a statement, CHL president Dan MacKenzie said a number of considerations were taken into account when it came to cancelling the Memorial Cup.

“The CHL is committed to the health and safety of our players, their families and billets, our teams, staff and officials, and the communities is which we play,” said MacKenzie in a statement. “The decision was made based on the limitations on travel, border restrictions, and quarantining requirements that would make it impossible to produce league champions.”

The CHL said the timing and location of the 2022 Memorial Cup would be announced at a later date.

For all sports in Canada, it appears limitations on travel, border restrictions and quarantine requirements will remain issues for the foreseeable future especially with regards to interprovincial and national competitions. Those were issues sports in Canada were still dealing with last year at this time.

In the CFL, stories are again circulating about that league talking to the Canadian federal government about financial assistance to play a 2021 campaign. That feels like a repeat of last year, when the CFL ultimately couldn’t secure funds to get back on the field.

Speculation is starting to rise that the CFL will push back the start of its 2021 campaign. Similar speculation was going down at this time last year.

One difference in the realm of the CFL this year compared to last year at this time is there were no talks about forming a partnership with the XFL. For the about the past month, there has been a tonne of speculation about what a CFL and XFL partnership could look like, or if it even will ultimately happen.

As the calendar progresses, one wonders what the summer sports season will look like when it rolls out.

Regina is hoping to hold the Canadian Masters Athletics Track and Field Championships from Aug. 27 to 29.

Cody Fajardo in action for the Saskatchewan Roughriders in 2019.

While that event is still listed as being on for the moment, Athletics Canada has already cancelled the Legions Youth Track and Field Championships, which were set for Aug. 6 to 8 in Sherbrooke, Que.

You can bet a few minor sports governing bodies in Canada will have mixed messages like that when it comes to scheduling. That happened last year too at this time.

As September approaches, one wonders if speculation will begin again about when major junior hockey or U Sports seasons will start up.

Right now in Canada, everything is the sports world hangs on whether mass vaccinations will make the COVID-19 pandemic go away. The actions of society in Canada and for North America for that matter don’t make any other option possible.

For the moment, it appears what happened in the Canadian sports world in 2020 is set to repeat in 2021.

Dach back rolling with NHL’s Blackhawks

SNIPE 🚀

Kirby Dach sets up Brandon Hagel perfectly to net the @SUBWAYCanada OT winner! pic.twitter.com/y0zVLcYyAZ

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) April 13, 2021

Kirby Dach is back, and he is on a roll.

The alumnus of the WHL’s Saskatoon Blades has appeared in nine games this season for the NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks posting one goal, four assists and minus-one rating in the plus-minus department.

Back on Dec. 23, 2020, the Fort Saskatchewan, Alta., product fractured his right wrist playing for Canada in an exhibition game in a bubble environment at Rogers Arena in Edmonton, Alta., just before world juniors. 

Kirby Dach in action for the Saskatoon Blades in 2018-19.

Dach, who was Canada’s captain, injured his wrist on what seemed like a harmless bodycheck in a 1-0 victory over Russia.

Dach, who stands 6-foot-4 and weighs 197 pounds, was originally expected to be out four to five months, which would have pegged his return for late April.

The 20-year-old centre made his return to the Blackhawks on March 27 in a 3-1 loss to the visiting Nashville Predators.

On Monday, Dach made the highlight rounds on social media for his beautiful set up pass to linemate Brandon Hagel, who netted the OT winner in the Blackhawks 4-3 victory over the Blue Jackets in Columbus.

Dach’s return is a welcome one for the Blackhawks, who have a 20-18-5 record going into their game Thursday against the Red Wings in Detroit. The Blackhawks are looking to make a push for the final playoff berth in the NHL’s Central Division sitting fifth and four points out of a post-season berth.

Maier equals Blades career shutout record, other notes

Nolan Maier tied the Blades career shutouts record.

Nolan Maier is on the cusp of taking sole ownership of another career Saskatoon Blades goaltending record.

On Wednesday playing in the WHL East Division bubble at the Brandt Centre in Regina, the product of Yorkton, Sask., made 27 saves to back the Blades to a 3-0 regular season victory over the Swift Current Broncos. The win was the ninth career shutout Maier has collected in regular season play.

Maier, who has one season of WHL eligibility remaining, equaled the Blades record for career regular season shutouts held by Andrey Makarov. Makarov collected his nine regular season shutouts playing two seasons for the Blades from 2011 to 2013.

Maier, who stands 6-feet and weighs 173 pounds, holds the Blades career regular season goaltending wins record, which currently sits at 89 victories.

In the first period of Wednesday’s contest, veteran right-winger Blake Stevenson scored twice in the first period to give the Blades a 2-0 lead. Captain Chase Wouters rounded out the scoring for the Blades with a single early in the second period.

Isaac Poulter made 37 saves to take the setback in goal for the Broncos.

The Blades improved to 13-2-2 with the win, while the Broncos fell to 3-13-1.

The Blades return to action on Thursday, when they face the Regina Pats (6-8-2-1) at 4 p.m. at the Brandt Centre. The Broncos get back at it on Friday, when they face the Winnipeg Ice at 6 p.m. at the Brandt Centre.

• Last Thursday, The Canadian Press came out with story that said Canada Soccer, Curling Canada, Hockey Canada, Rugby Canada, Skate Canada and Tennis Canada have joined forces in asking the Canadian federal government for a $75-million sport recovery program. Those bodies want that program to support local and grassroots initiatives for all sports still reeling from the COVID-19 pandemic. The story on CBC’s website can be found by clicking right here.
• On Monday, the Lethbridge Hurricanes head coach Brent Kisio picked up his 200^th career regular season win. Kisio’s Hurricanes downed visiting Red Deer Rebels 8-5 in a WHL regular season clash for the milestone victory. Kisio became the Hurricanes head coach on June 4, 2015.
• On Monday, Saskatoon Blades centre Tristen Robins was named the WHL play of the week. He picked up four goals and five assists in four games for the week ending on Sunday. The Blades posted a 3-0-1 record over those four games. Regina Pats overager Roddy Ross was named the WHL goaltender of the week. Ross won both his appearances for the week ending on Sunday posting a 0.99 goals against average and a .964 save percentage.
• On Tuesday, the WHL announced the Medicine Hat Tigers have been cleared to return to team activities. Last week, the Calgary Hitmen had a player in their team cohort test positive for COVID-19, and the Tigers were deemed close contacts after falling 5-4 after a tiebreaking shootout on April 5 at Co-Op Place in Medicine Hat. Since the positive result from the one player on the Hitmen, the Tigers have continued to test negative allowing for the clearance to play. The Tigers will host the Red Deer Rebels on Friday in Medicine Hat.
• On Tuesday, the WHL announced the Kelowna Rockets were cleared starting Wednesday to resume team activities after all individuals in the team cohort tested negative for COVID-19. The Rockets entered a league mandated 14-day isolation period following the discovery of a positive COVID-19 test on March 30. Shortly after going into isolation, the Rockets had seven other members in their team cohort test positive for COVID-19. Since the club wasn’t involved in team activities and in isolation at that time, the positive tests didn’t effect when the Rockets would return to play. The Rockets are slated to play the Prince George Cougars on Saturday at the Sandman Centre in Kamloops, B.C.
• On Tuesday, former Medicine Hat Tigers import netminder Mads Sogaard signed a three-year entry-level NHL contract with the Ottawa Senators. The Senators selected the product of Aalborg, Denmark, in the second round and 37^th overall in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. Sogaard, who stands 6-foot-7 and weighs 201 pounds, played two seasons for the Tigers from 2018 to 2020 appearing in 74 WHL regular season games posting a 40-21-6 record, a 2.58 goals against average, a .915 save percentage and three shutouts.
• On Tuesday, Calgary Flames left-winger Milan Lucic played in his 1,000^th career NHL regular season game. The 32-year-old had an assist and won a fight in a 3-2 overtime victory over the Maple Leafs in Toronto. After the Flames 4-1 victory over the Canadiens in Montreal on Wednesday, Lucic, who stands 6-foot-3 and weighs 231 pounds, has appeared in 1,001 NHL regular season games posting 213 goals, 325 assists, 1,166 penalty minutes and a plus-81 rating. He broke into the NHL in 2007 with the Boston Bruins and also spent time with the Los Angeles Kings and Edmonton Oilers. Before joining the NHL, Lucic helped his hometown Vancouver Giants win a WHL title in 2006 and the Memorial Cup title in 2007 playing in the CHL championship tournament as the host team.
• On Tuesday, organizers for the annual Country Thunder music festival set in Craven, Sask., announced that event has been cancelled for a second straight year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This year’s Country Thunder was scheduled to be held July 8 to 11.
• On Tuesday, Gregg Drinnan wrote a piece in his Taking Note blog, where he gave another run down on how the COVID-19 pandemic is still wrecking havoc on the sports world. His Tuesday piece led with announcement in Buffalo, New York, that stated all spectators looking to attend home games of the NFL’s Bills and NHL’s Sabres will have to show proof of being vaccinated for COVID-19 before being allowed into those team’s home venues. Drinnan’s piece can be found by clicking right here.
• On Wednesday, former Moose Jaw Warriors and University of Alberta Golden Bears men’s hockey team netminder Zach Sawchenko signed an NHL entry-level contract with the San Jose Sharks, which runs through the end of the 2021-22 campaign. The 23-year-old, Calgary, Alta., product has split time this season with the San Jose Barracuda of the AHL and Allen Americans in the ECHL. Sawchenko, who stands 6-foot-1 and weighs 185 pounds, played four seasons in the WHL for the Warriors from 2013 to 2017 appearing in 177 regular season games posting an 88-65-16 record, a 3.11 goals against average, a .908 save percentage and nine shutouts. In two seasons with the Golden Bears from 2017 to 2019, Sawchenko appeared in 34 regular season games posting a 28-4-1 record, a 1.74 goals against average, a .919 save percentage and five shutouts. He helped the Golden Bears win the David Johnston University Cup as U Sports champions in 2017-18.

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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Sutter’s choice to step down as Rebels’ coach understandable

Red Deer hero has a lot on his plate in these crazy times

Brent Sutter mans the Rebels bench in the 2016 WHL playoffs.

The time finally came when Brent Sutter found he was spread too thin.

When it comes to Sutter, you almost didn’t imagine that moment would come until it actually came. Since buying the WHL’s Red Deer Rebels in 1999, Sutter had been the team’s head coach, general manager, president and governor for most of that time.

He gave up the head coach and general manager roles for five seasons from 2007 to 2012 to be an NHL head coach for two seasons with the New Jersey Devils and three campaigns with the Calgary Flames.

Following his time with the Flames, Sutter returned to taking on all of his many roles with the Rebels.

That all came to an end Saturday when Sutter, who is 58-years-old, announced he was stepping down as the Rebels head coach. The franchise owner will continue on as the club’s general manager, president and governor.

The coaching duties for the rest of the Rebels abbreviated season will be handled by assistant coaches Ryan Colvill and Brad Flynn, and they will be joined behind the bench by assistant general manager and director of player personnel Shaun Sutter, who is Brent’s nephew.

Speaking to Greg Meachem for a story on the Rebels website, Brent Sutter said the decision came from a perfect storm of navigating the team through the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, a rash of injuries especially to the Rebels defence and a lack of on-ice success that has left both the players and coaches frustrated.

Sutter made his decision to step down after conversing with Shaun and Rebels senior vice-president Merrick Sutter, who is Brent’s son, following the Rebels 6-3 loss at home to the Lethbridge Hurricanes on Friday.

The Rebels proceeded to fall 5-2 to the Hurricanes in Lethbridge on Saturday falling to 2-11-2 with an eighth straight loss.

Brent Sutter monitors game action in Prince Albert in 2018.

“Everything (negative) that could possibly happen has happened,” said Brent Sutter to Meachem. “I have to think about the players first and foremost and get them into a good frame of mind, so that when they’re leaving here they feel good about themselves.

“I just felt like this is a good time for them to hear a different voice, get reset, leave here in a good mindset and then come back next fall with that mindset.”

With Sutter as head coach, the Rebels won the WHL title and Memorial Cup as CHL champions in the 2000-01 season. He guided Canada to gold medal victories at world juniors as head coach in 2005 and 2006.

The former veteran NHL player helped oversee the Rebels as Memorial Cup hosts in 2016.He has 526 career regular season wins to sit eight all-time on the WHL list for most head coach victories.

Sutter will make a decision on a new head coach in the off-season. He said he thought about stepping away from the coaching role last summer.

You can bet Sutter hasn’t been able to spend the time he wants to on the coaching side of things. When something comes up on the COVID-19 front even just administratively that deals with a government health department, Sutter likely has to drop everything and focus on that.

“You need someone younger, because to be quite honest, coaching is the hardest position in an organization, when you’re dealing with players of this age,” said Sutter to Meachem. “You have to put so much time into it, and when you’re doing that plus the management side of it…. Because you’re so dialed in on the coaching side you’re not there to help out with some of the other side.

“Mentally it’s been really tough for everyone with the whole environment we’re in. We need to get the player upbeat again.”

Away from the Rebels, Sutter has had to wrestle with the fact his son Brandon became infected with COVID-19 as a centre with the NHL’s Vancouver Canucks. The Canucks have been derailed with over 20 players, coaches and staffers testing positive for COVID-19.

They last hit the ice for a game on March 24 falling 5-1 at home to the Winnipeg Jets.

Sutter works the Rebels bench during a road game in 2018.

Brent spoke about his concern for his 32-year-old son to Eric Francis of Sportnet.ca noting that parental instincts have been kicking in.

In taking to Meachem on Saturday, Brent said he may take some time to wind down.

“I’ve been coaching for 22 years and two months and I’ve been so dialed into it, so passionate about it,” said Sutter. “Yet you can’t be selfish.

“The players and the front of the jersey always comes first, no matter what. The right thing for this hockey team and this organization is for me to step down right now. For me personally, it’s the right thing.”

Pats’ Bedard all-heart in end of his WHL season, other notes

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A post shared by Regina Pats Hockey Club (@reginapatshockey)

It is a situation no 15-year-old should have to face.

Last Tuesday, Regina Pats 15-year-old phenom Connor Bedard, who is the first player to be granted exceptional player status to play full time in the WHL before age 16, found out after his team’s 6-1 win over the Swift Current Broncos that his grandfather, Garth Bedard, passed away in a car crash near Sicamous, B.C.

The Pats offered to fly the youngster home, but he elected to stay with the team for their game against the Brandon Wheat Kings on Friday. All the WHL East Division teams are playing in a bubble environment at the Brandt Centre in Regina due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Bedard was slated to return after that contest so he could begin to self-quarantine before joining Canada’s entry at the world under-18 men’s hockey championships, which will run April 26 to May 6 in Frisco and Plano, Texas.

He said he wanted to play that Pats game on Friday, because his grandfather would have wanted him to do that. The two were super close and were best friends.

In that contest against the Wheat Kings, Bedard scored the first goal of the game 22 seconds into the second period. He gave a salute to the heavens after that tally for his grandfather.

The two sides went to overtime deadlocked at 1-1. With the Pats working on the power play, Bedard wired home the winning tally just 49 seconds into the extra session to give the Pats a 2-1 victory.

The Pats players poured off their bench to celebrate with Bedard and also support him in that emotional moment. Pats team photographer Keith Hershmiller got brilliant pictures of the celebrations from both goals.

Both Regina Pats play-by-play voice Phil Andrews and Rod Pedersen, who is doing play-by-play for the Pats television broadcasts of their game, had outstanding calls on the overtime winner.

Bedard’s performance was reminiscent of the game NFL legendary Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre played a day after his father, Irvin, passed away. In arguably Favre’s most iconic performance coming on Monday Night Football on December 22, 2003, he completed 22-of-30 passes for 399 yards and four touchdowns in a 41-7 romp over the Raiders in Oakland.

For Bedard to have the game he did against the Wheat Kings on Friday was something out of an uplifting Disney movie script. To think he had that type of moment at age 15 is something that is super hard to comprehend.

When Friday’s action wrapped up, Bedard was the leading scorer in the WHL with 28 points coming off 12 goals and 16 assists. He also has a plus-nine rating in the plus-minus department.

By far Bedard’s performance on Friday is the most memorable moment so far in this shortened WHL developmental regular season.

• I was busy adding new content to the Howe Happenings blog on Friday. My main feature focused on Ignite Athletics and how positive the crew there has been mentally for the athletes they train. The piece also shared information about the Spark Park Summer Sport Camps. I always enjoy writing about the crew at Ignite, because they are such a good bunch. The post on Ignite can be found by clicking right here.
• The second post I added to Howe Happenings on Friday was a feature on rising softball star Jorde Chartrand, who turns 18-years-old on April 22. The ace right-handed pitcher, who is an alumna of the regional 222’s Fastpitch program and the Saskatoon Phantoms Softball Zone, will be joining the University of Central Arkansas Bears women’s NCAA Division I softball team in the fall. Chartrand is really talented, and she is a regular at the Indoor Training Centre. I did a story on her, because I hadn’t seen a lengthy feature piece on her. That doesn’t come as a surprise in the media cut era in Canada. I felt she was one athlete that deserved to have a lengthy story written about her. She is also strong academically in school, and I have to give a big shout out for edits she made on the piece. The post on Chartrand can be found by clicking right here.
• On Friday, the WHL announced the Calgary Hitmen had a player test positive for COVID-19 causing the Hitmen to suspend all team activities. The Medicine Hat Tigers were deemed a close contact having played the Hitmen in Medicine Hat on April 5, and they have had all their team activities suspended. The WHL announced no one from the Tigers had tested positive for COVID-19. A total of six games involving the Hitmen and Tigers had to be postponed. The WHL also announced a positive COVID-19 test for a player from the Kelowna Rockets and a positive COVID-19 test for a player from the Vancouver Giants. The Rockets player was deemed to be a close contact with the seven COVID-19 positive tests that were announced for the team on March 31. As the latest test occurred with the Rockets team cohort being in isolation, it doesn’t impact a possible return date for a return to team activities. The positive case with the Giants was for a player that was going through a mandated quarantine before joining the Giants roster. Since that player hadn’t joined the Giants team cohort, the Giants were able to proceed with team activities.
• On Sunday, the Prince Albert Raiders downed the Swift Current Broncos 4-2 in a WHL regular season clash. The win was the 550^th career regular season victory for Raiders head coach Marc Habscheid. The Raiders improved to 5-8-2-1 with the win, while the Broncos fell to 3-12-1. The contest was the last game of the WHL season for Raiders 17-year-old defenceman Nolan Allan, who will join Canada’s entry for the world under-18 men’s hockey championships, which will run April 26 to May 6 in Frisco and Plano, Texas. Allan appeared in all of the Raiders first 16 games of the shortened regular season posting one goal, one assist and a minus-three rating. He is heading home to Davidson, Sask., to self-isolate before joining Canada’s under-18 team.
• Tickets are on sale for the April jackpot for the Saskatchewan Amateur Football Mega 50/50 lottery. The funds from this 50/50 lottery will go to support the CJFL’s Saskatoon Hilltops and Regina Thunder and the WWCFL’s Saskatoon Valkyries and Regina Riot. One prize will be drawn per month, and the remaining draw dates are Friday, April 30 and May 31. Tickets can be purchased by clicking right here, and purchasers must be in Saskatchewan in order to buy tickets.

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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Give me a “Hell Yeah!” for WrestleMania weekend

An Alexa Bliss collectable figure.

It is something sports writers are looked down upon for admitting, but I had moments in my life where I fantasized about working for the WWE.

There is no way in hell I would ever be one of the wrestlers on camera. Even in my days where I was in my best physical shape, I would not survive tryouts or boot camp workouts at the WWE Performance Center.

During a first workout, I would be one of those that would have asked to be excused to go to the washroom and promptly leave the premises – never to be seen on that site again.

The in ring talent in WWE are incredible athletes who do amazing choreographed and often dangerous stunt performances. They do an amazing job telling stories in entertaining scripted matches that have pre-determined outcomes.

WWE is great live theatre, and that is the bottom line.

Early on in my sports reporting career, I always imagined throwing a resume at the WWE to try and become part of that company’s creative team or get a position as a photographer. I imagined being able to travel the world with WWE while getting paid reasonably well with that position.

Those visions kind of faded away after my third season covering the WHL’s Medicine Hat Tigers for the Medicine Hat News in 2006-07, when the Tigers won their fifth WHL title. From there, I was really focused on covering hockey.

Alexa Bliss and “The Fiend” have great merch.

WWE and sports entertainment’s professional wrestling was one of my rediscoveries during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. For about the last 16 years, being a sports reporter has been my life consuming thing.

I have usually been so busy usually on the WHL, U Sports, CJFL and SFU18AAAHL circuits that I really didn’t have time for other interests. During normal times before the pandemic, I might watch one movie or play one video game of Madden Football during a course of a calendar year.

Growing up, I watched the WWE (then WWF) a tonne. Of course during the 1980s wrestling boom, the favourites were Hulk Hogan and the “Macho Man” Randy Savage.

In high school, the favourites became Bret “The Hitman” Hart and The Undertaker.

During my days at the University of Regina, I still kept following WWE despite a busy schedule. It seemed most of my friends with the University of Regina Rams and the University of Regina Cougars men’s teams kept tabs on the action there.

The WWE during that time was in its “Attitude Era” and was involved with the “Monday Night Wars” with WCW. The “Monday Night Wars” ended in 2001, when WWE acquired the trademarks, video library and some contracts of WCW.

Favourites during that time were “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, “The Rock” and the NWO stable.

Around 2004, I really drifted away from following the happenings on WWE. I would catch it casually from time to time, but that was about it.

Things changed on Jan. 11 episode of Monday Night RAW when Alexa Bliss came into my life, and she shot a fire ball into the face of Randy Orton. All of a sudden, I was hooked, and I had time to be hooked.

A popular Alexa Bliss T-shirt.

Of course, Bliss, who real name is Alexis Kaufman, is arguably the most attractive female performer on the WWE roster, so that opened up the avenue for some good-natured teasing from friends.

I quickly researched using YouTube and Google searches the feud involving Bliss and Bray Wyatt, who goes by alter-ego persona “The Fiend,” and Orton.

I enjoyed Bliss’s current dark super-natural persona, and checked out her clips during her heel run as “the Goddess,” where she became a two-time WWE Women’s Smackdown Champion and three-time WWE RAW Women’s Champion. I learned about her baby face run with Nikki Cross as WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions.

I was really impresses with the range of Bliss’s acting abilities, which can be best shown on the YouTube video “Transformation ofAlexa Bliss: WWE Playlist.”

That video really showed the range of her acting abilities, especially over the last seven months where the storyline saw her morph into her dark super-natural persona.

I do remember seeing clips of Bliss hosting WrestleMania 35 in 2019, and I remember hearing she had been battling concussion injuries around that time. A thought ran through my head to not get too interested, because I probably wouldn’t get to see her in action.

I’m glad it worked out I did get see her in action in WWE. I checked out her back story and saw she overcame a life-threatening eating disorder at age 15 and took part in a variety of sports growing up.

She loves coffee, everything Disney and being from Columbus, Ohio, the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets.

I miss going to Blue Jackets games soo much!!! But for now I’ll chill in my jersey 🏒 🙌🏻 #BlueJackets @bluejacketsnhl pic.twitter.com/tRSbDHaB4Y

— Lexi Kaufman (@AlexaBliss_WWE) February 25, 2021

I am also amazed that she is able to hang in with WWE standing 5-foot-1, which created her “Five Feet of Fury” nickname.

Overall, I rediscovered how much good escapism WWE provided. Soaking in escapism in moderation in these crazy times is a good thing.

Along with Bliss’s exploits, I’ve enjoyed seeing that Orton is still as good as he ever was. I’ve gotten a laugh over the comedic duo of The Miz and John Morrison.

I’ve marveled over the sweet suit game WWE Champion Bobby Lashley has. He looks so ace in a suit.

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A post shared by Bobby Lashley (@bobbylashley)

I’ve even checked out WWE’s competitor in AEW and have enjoyed the product there as well.

From that point, I got reintroduced to the fans that make up the WWE Universe. I was floored by how many millions of followers the WWE performers have.

Some in WWE Universe have thousands and even tens of thousands of followers on the fan accounts they’ve created.

My personal favourite is the @Era_of_Bliss account on Twitter which has over 22,000 followers. If you haven’t followed it, it is definitely worth a follow.

Other fan accounts do incredible art work like the one operated by Christian Heard under the Twitter handle @KingOcho3K. The guy is super talented.

Here’s my latest edit I made of @AlexaBliss_WWE with The Fiend and Randy Orton at Wrestlemania. I hope you guys like it.#WWE #fanart pic.twitter.com/PYs1bjDYza

— Christian Heard (@KingOcho3K) April 10, 2021

The WWE Universe’s passion is amazing. It would be safe to say the passion of WWE fans is equivalent to that of European soccer fans.

For the WWE Universe, the excitement on Saturday is like what NFL fans have for Super Bowl Sunday as WrestleMania weekend began.

For the second straight year, WrestleMania ran over two nights. This was also the first time in 13 months fans returned to a live WWE show outside of a couple of hundred supporters that take in shows from the company’s NXT brand.

There were no fans at WrestleMania in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. That meant the 2019 WrestleMania at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, that attracted 82,265 spectators was the last one of those events to have a crowd.

On Saturday night, the WWE sold all 25,675 tickets they were allowed to sell at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. Before the show, the WWE roster came out to salute the crowd, and WWE kingpin Vince McMahon offered the WWE Universe a thank-you for the support during the COVID-19 pandemic and a welcome to WrestleMania.

To open tonight's show, WWE Chairman @VinceMcMahon finally got to say what we've been waiting to hear...

Welcome back, @WWEUniverse. And welcome to #WRESTLEMANIA!!!! pic.twitter.com/yMU7AfuESE

— WWE (@WWE) April 11, 2021

All the matches were crowd pleasers.

Among the highlights, rapper Bad Bunny spent months training at the WWE Performance Centre and he turned heads and delivered in the ring with tag team partner Damian Priest. Their match win over The Miz and Morrison will likely pick up media attention outside media outlets that follow the WWE.

The night ended with the hair whip heard round the world as Bianca Belair became the new WWE Women’s Smackdown Champion defeating Sasha Banks. Belair used her lengthy tied up hair to whip Banks near the end of the bout, and the sound was painful to hear.

The two burned the house down with their stellar main event performance.

OMG that was LOUD!!

Sasha Banks vs Bianca Belair #WrestleMania #WrestleMania37 Hair Whip 😮😮😮 pic.twitter.com/q0O1jFGu3z

— ✨#PLAY😈PAIN ✨Alexa Bliss Fan Account (@Era_Of_Bliss) April 11, 2021

The WWE Universe is likely heading to bed getting all energetic and excited for Sunday’s closing day of WrestleMania.

Bliss is on for night two taking the side of “The Fiend” in his match against Orton.

The main event sees Edge face Daniel Bryan and title holder Roman Reigns for the WWE Universal Championship in a triple threat match. It is crazy to think this is a main event after Edge and Bryan overcame career-threatening injuries and Reigns won a battle against Leukemia over the past 10 years.

Overall, I found the value of having another interest to follow outside of covering events in the WHL, U Sports, CJFL, SFU18AAAHL and working with the local sports scene in Saskatoon.

When the COVID-19 pandemic passes and the world becomes closer to what it was pre-pandemic, I admit I am not sure how much I will continue to follow the WWE, but I will be more motivated to continue to check out the company’s live shows on TV.

Alexa Bliss and Rob Gronkowski WWE figures on display.

If things work out, maybe I will get tickets to live event, whenever the WWE starts touring the world again.

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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Dorsett will always have a home with Tigers

Former feisty forward forever a hero in Medicine Hat

Derek Dorsett at the Memorial Cup in 2007.

Derek Dorsett will forever be a hero in Medicine Hat.

For three seasons from 2004 to 2007, the product of Kindersley, Sask., was a high energy right-winger for the Medicine Hat Tigers. He was the ultimate competitor who was a heart and soul member of the team.

Dorsett played a huge role in helping the Tigers win their fifth WHL title in team history in 2006-07 along with advancing to the title game of the Memorial Cup tournament, where they fell 3-1 to the host Vancouver Giants.

In the 2006 NHL Entry Draft, Dorsett was selected in the seventh round and 189^th overall by the Columbus Blue Jackets. He graduated to the professional ranks playing in the AHL in 2007-08 for the Syracuse Crunch.

Dorsett became a full-time regular in the NHL in 2008-09 and appeared in 515 career regular season games over 10 seasons posting 51 goals, 76 assists and 1,314 penalty minutes with the Blue Jackets, New York Rangers and Vancouver Canucks.

He was forced to retire from the NHL due to a cervical disc herniation near a previously treated neck injury. Dorsett made his retirement announcement on November 30, 2017 having started the 2017-18 campaign posting seven goals, two assists and 74 penalty minutes in 20 games with the Canucks.

Last Friday, Dorsett came home to Medicine Hat becoming an assistant coach with the Tigers. The 34-year-old was behind the bench when the Tigers downed the visiting Calgary Hitmen 4-1 in a WHL regular season clash at Co-Op Place in Medicine Hat.

He will remain with the Tigers through the end of the regular season. The Tigers (9-3-0-1) return to action Friday when they travel to Lethbridge to face the Hurricanes (3-6-2).

It just feels right that Dorsett got to rejoin the Tigers. He has the biggest heart and cared deeply about the team.

When Dorsett became a regular with the Tigers as an 18-year-old rookie in 2004-05, he never looked back.

In 180 career regular season games with the Tigers, Dorsett posted 49 goals, 79 assists and 593 penalty minutes. During his final season in “the Gas City” in 2006-07, he appeared in 61 regular season games posting 19 goals, 45 assists and 206 penalty minutes.

Standing 6-feet and weighing 192 pounds, Dorsett wasn’t the biggest player on the ice, but he didn’t back down from anyone. When he engaged in a fight, it seemed to always be against a player that was bigger than he was.

Dorsett was the agitator who knew what to say on the ice to get opponents off their game. 

The front of a Derek Dorsett Medicine Hat Tigers jersey.

You also always knew his work ethic would be at an extremely high level and unmatched by anyone else game in and game out.

Dorsett would throw hits, block shots and do all the gritty things that were needed to help the Tigers win games. He seemed to have the knack for getting points at key times too.

His biggest clutch goal for the Tigers came in their final preliminary round game at the 2007 Memorial Cup, where he had the lone tally in a 1-0 victory over the host Giants. That win gave the Tigers first place in the preliminary round and a bye straight to the Memorial Cup championship game.

If something needed said to spark the Tigers during pre-game or intermission, Dorsett was the one that would get fired up and say what needed to be said.

He was also the best teammate too. On the ice, it was always visible that Dorsett would stick up for his guys. Dorsett had a good sense of humour as well and would be able to say something that would break up the room, if levity was needed.

He would go the extra mile off the ice too.

During his 19-year-old season in 2005-06, Dorsett’s billet home was only about a couple of blocks away from the billet home of 16-year-old rookie right-winger Tyler Ennis, who is best known as an NHL regular these days.

Back in 2005-06, Ennis was a list player who was able to crack a strong Tigers roster standing 5-foot-8 and weighing 140 pounds at the time. While Ennis deserved the roster spot due to a strong training and play in pre-season, there was still a little uncertainty about him being with the Tigers due to his small size.

On top of adjusting to major junior hockey, Ennis had to worry about his Grade 11 high school studies too.

That season, Dorsett picked Ennis up every morning and drove him to Medicine Hat High School for school. After classes were done, Dorsett picked up Ennis to bring him to practice at the Tigers old long time home in The Arena. During those drives, the two had great personal visits.

Dorsett wanted to ensure Ennis was comfortable in his new junior hockey home. If Ennis needed anything, Dorsett told the rookie forward to give him a call.

The back of a Derek Dorsett Medicine Hat Tigers jersey.

In the grand scheme of things, Dorsett didn’t have to do those things for Ennis. The fact that he did helped Ennis feel like he truly was part of the Tigers family and was in the right junior hockey home.

Ennis would have a star career with the Tigers that saw him be selected in the first round and 26^th overall by the Buffalo Sabres in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft.

Dorsett left a legacy in Medicine Hat that will last for decades with everything he did as a Tigers player. It is fitting he gets to add to that legacy now as an assistant coach, even if it is ultimately for a short time.

Canucks confirm 25 test COVID-19 positive

A Bo Horvat card.

Facing whirlwinds of speculation, the NHL’s Vancouver Canucks released a statement on Wednesday regarding how bad the coronavirus (COVID-19) has affected the team.

The Canucks announced 25 individuals from the team had tested positive for COVID-19 including 18 roster players, three taxi squad players and four staff members. The Vancouver club added that one additional player is considered a close contact.

The statement said the source infection is a confirmed variant and the British Columbia Centre for Disease Control will need to do a full genome sequencing to determine the specific type.

The Canucks added in the statement, “An ongoing investigation by Vancouver Coastal Health and club contact tracing staff attributes the source infection to a single individual obtained in a community setting, which has since been identified by public health as a public exposure location.”

With the world stuck in the grips of the COVID-19 pandemic, it doesn’t come as a surprise the source infection came from a single individual in a community setting.

The Canucks said all players and staff currently remain in quarantine.

The statement concluded saying, “This is a stark reminder of how quickly the virus can spread and its serious impact, even among healthy, young athletes.”

The Canucks COVID-19 troubles began on March 30, when centre Adam Gaudette was pulled from practice after next day results from the previous day’s testing came back positive for COVID-19.

On March 31, defenceman Travis Hamonic found out he had tested positive for COVID-19 from testing done the previous day after he participated in a morning skate. The Canucks ultimately held two on ice sessions with infected players.

That resulted in the March 30 NHL regular season game between the Canucks and the visiting Calgary Flames at Rogers Arena being postponed 90 minutes before puck drop.

The COVID-19 outbreak with the Canucks escalated from there with stars like Bo Horvat going on the NHL’s COVID protocol list.

The Canucks last played at Rogers Arena when they fell 5-1 to the visiting Winnipeg Jets on March 24.

At the moment, the Canucks are slated to play again this coming Monday against the Oilers in Edmonton. As it stands right now, the Canucks have postponed six games.

The Canucks have played 37 of their 56 regular season games for the current campaign posting a 16-18-3 record. They sit eight points back of the Montreal Canadiens for the final playoff berth in the all-Canadian North Division.

Due to privacy issues surrounding health care in Canada, it becomes harder to get information in situations like the Canucks have encountered with COVID-19. As a result, there were reports that varied regarding the extent of the situation.

Kudos can be passed on to the Canucks for releasing the information that they did on Wednesday.

Traditionally, hockey teams and leagues can be sketchy when it comes to transparency regarding illness and injuries.

On the reporting front, TSN’s Darren Dreger nailed the Canucks positive test number spot on before the club released its statement.

Overall, it is good the Canucks themselves provided the clarity they could on Wednesday.

From what the Canucks provided, the team is still far from getting out of the woods as far as COVID-19 is concerned, but the club’s situation is being taken seriously.

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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Canucks latest reminder COVID-19 pandemic is not over

A Bo Horvat card.

The NHL’s Vancouver Canucks have unfortunately become the poster example that the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is not over.

While vaccines for COVID-19 are rolling out across Canada, some areas of the country increased restrictions to try and combat the virus as variants of concern become an increasing issue.

Over the Easter weekend, the halt of the Canucks NHL season caught the attention of the country.

As of Monday night, the Canucks have 17 players on the NHL’s COVID protocol list. The list doesn’t mean a player has tested positive, but a player could be a close contact of someone who has tested positive for COVID-19.

Another unnamed player from the taxi squad is quarantining as a high-risk close contact, and three members of the Canucks coaching staff have tested positive for COVID-19.

It is reported that the NHL and the Canucks are proceeding under the belief they are dealing with the highly-transmissible P.1 variant, which was first identified in Brazil. At the moment, Vancouver is a global hotspot for the P.1 variant.

The P.1 variant is believed to be more transmissible and is capable of infecting people who were once infected by the original strain of COVID-19.

It is believed vaccines for COVID-19 that have been created to date are less effective on the P.1 variant, and people who get the variant can experience more severe sickness compared to the original strain of the virus.

It is believed younger people are more susceptible to a severe outcome, if they get infected by the P.1 variant.

The Canucks COVID-19 troubles began on March 30, when centre Adam Gaudette was pulled from practice after next day results from the previous day’s testing came back positive for COVID-19.

A Brandon Sutter card.

Last Wednesday, defenceman Travis Hamonic found out he had tested positive for COVID-19 from testing done the previous day after he participated in a morning skate. The Canucks ultimately held two on ice sessions with infected players.

That resulted in last Wednesday’s NHL regular season game between the Canucks and the visiting Calgary Flames at Rogers Arena being postponed 90 minutes before puck drop.

By this past Friday, the Canucks had seven players on their COVID protocol list. Another seven players were added this past Saturday and situation grew to the levels it sat at on Monday night.

Those on the COVID protocol list included the likes of forwards Bo Horvat, Jayce Hawyrluk, Brandon Sutter and Antoine Roussel, defencemen Tyler Myers and Quinn Hughes and netminder Braden Holtby, who is an alumnus of the WHL’s Saskatoon Blades.

The Canucks have had a couple of instances where dehydration was severe enough that team medical staffers were dispatched to player homes to administer IV drips to players.

There have been reports that many family members of Canucks players have tested positive or are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19.

As of Monday night, the Canucks have had six games postponed due to this COVID-19 outbreak including tilts with the Flames in Calgary this coming Thursday and Saturday.

The Canucks last played at Rogers Arena when they fell 5-1 to the visiting Winnipeg Jets on March 24.

At the moment, the Canucks are slated to play again on April 12 against the Oilers in Edmonton.

The Canucks have played 37 of their 56 regular season games for the current campaign posting a 16-18-3 record. They sit eight points back of the Montreal Canadiens for the final playoff berth in the all-Canadian North Division.

At the moment, there is no clear certainty as to when the Canucks will return to the ice.

An Antoine Roussel card.

In an interview with Eric Francis of Sportsnet.ca on Monday, former NHLer Brent Sutter, who is the head coach, general manager and owner of the WHL’s Red Deer Rebels, said he is concerned for his son Brandon, who plays for the Canucks, and Brandon’s family.

Brent confirmed that Brandon had indeed tested positive for COVID-19, and even though Brandon is 32-years-old, Brent said the parental instincts have kicked in, and he wished he could at his son’s side helping him out.

At the moment, no professional team in North America has had a rougher time dealing with COVID-19 than the Canucks have had.

The Canucks are an example that shows how real the COVID-19 pandemic still is.

Of course, the mixed messages are plenty when it comes to the COVID-19 pandemic. An MLB regular season game on Monday that saw the Toronto Blue Jays down the host Texas Rangers 6-2 drew 38,238 spectators to the 40,300 seat Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas.

The state of Texas is allowing 100 per cent capacity for sporting events.

Many that are against everything that is being done on the restrictions front to combat the COVID-19 pandemic seemed to pop the champagne corks at Monday’s developments Arlington celebrating the end to the pandemic.

It should be noted that the United States is still experiencing at least 50,000 new cases of COVID-19 per day, which is still an improvement of daily increases of 200,000 new cases at the start of the year.

Still, the new case counts that are happening in the United States, Canada and the rest of the world are still a problem.

COVID-19 is still a problem that creeps up in the sports world including Canada’s sports world.

The WHL’s Kelowna Rockets are in the middle of a 14-day suspension of team activities due to a COVID-19 outbreak.

A Quinn Hughes card.

The junior A Alberta Junior Hockey League currently has six teams in the Grande Prairie Storm, Drayton Valley Thunder, White Court Wolverines, Okotoks Oilers, Camrose Kodiaks and Drumheller Dragons who are all under a 14-day suspension of team activities due to positive COVID-19 tests.

You can continue to keep listing examples like this.

Overall, the NHL’s Canucks have been the biggest recent noticeable example about how quickly things can still escalate on the COVID-19 front.

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’ Habscheid sits alone in sixth for WHL coaching wins

Prince Albert downs Swift Current 4-2 for victory 549

Marc Habscheid mans the Raiders bench in September of 2019.

During his coaching career, Marc Habscheid is often showered with praise from his players that might be greater than any championships he’s won or the victories he’s piled up.

After being guided by Habscheid, it is common for players to refer to him as the best coach they’ve ever had. Players will also say they couldn’t imagine playing for another coach after being coached by Habscheid or it was hard at first to play for another coach after playing under Habscheid.

When players start playing for another coach, they will at times have a habit of comparing what that coach was doing to what Habscheid would do in various circumstances often concluding Habscheid would handle things better.

On Saturday in a bubble environment without fans in attendance at the Brandt Centre in Regina, Habscheid hit another milestone in his coaching career. When his Prince Albert Raiders doubled the Swift Current Broncos 4-2, Habscheid picked up his 549th head coaching win of his WHL regular season career.

The victory allowed Habscheid to move one win ahead of Ernie “Punch” McLean to sit alone in sixth spot on the WHL’s all-time career regular season wins list. McLean is best remembered for being the head coach of the rough and tumble New Westminster Bruins teams that won the Memorial Cup as CHL champions in 1977 and 1978.

Habscheid took up coaching in the 1996-97 season when he became the head coach and general manager of the Melfort Mustangs in the junior A Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League. The Swift Current, Sask., product’s coaching career came right after a lengthy playing career.

Marc Habscheid sits sixth on the WHL’s career wins list.

From 1979 to 1982, Habscheid played one partial season and two full seasons as a star centre for the WHL’s Saskatoon Blades piling up 107 goals and 169 assists for 276 points in 148 career regular season games. He was a member of the Canada’s first ever gold medal winning team at world juniors in the 1981-82 season.

In the 1981 NHL Entry Draft, he was selected in the sixth round and 113^th overall by the Edmonton Oilers, who had stars like Wayne Gretzky and Mark Messier.

Habscheid played seven games with the Oilers in 1981-82 and would earn a full-time spot in the professional ranks the next season. His NHL stops included spending time with the Oilers, Minnesota North Stars, Detroit Red Wings and Calgary Flames.

Habscheid played his final professional season with the Augsberger Panther in 1995-96 before joining the Mustangs as head coach and general manager.

After one season with the Mustangs, Habscheid moved up to the WHL ranks as head coach and general manager of the Kamloops Blazers in 1997-98. During his career in the WHL, Habscheid would also serve stints as the head coach and general manager of the Kelowna Rockets and the Chilliwack Bruins/Victoria Royals franchise.

In Kelowna, Habscheid led the Rockets to a WHL title in the 2002-03 campaign and a Memorial Cup title as the tournament hosts in 2003-04. 

Marc Habscheid has coached with four different WHL franchises.

In the 2004 WHL playoffs, the Rockets advanced to the Western Conference Championship series before falling in a series deciding Game 7 to the Everett Silvertips, who were skating through a Cinderella expansion season.

Habscheid was hired as the Raiders head coach on November 1, 2014 as a midseason replacement for Cory Clouston.

When Curtis Hunt became the Raiders general manager before the start of the 2015-16 campaign, Hunt and Habscheid became a hockey power couple. They restored the luster of the Raiders franchise to a level that hadn’t been seen in some time.

Under their watch, the Raiders would finish first overall in 2018-19 WHL regular season standings with a 54-10-2-2 record. The Raiders advanced on to win their second WHL title in team history on Dante Hannoun’s epic Game 7 overtime winner in the WHL Championship series at the Art Hauser Centre.

Hannoun’s winner in May of 2019 gave the Raiders a 3-2 victory in Game 7 over the Vancouver Giants that will live forever in the hearts of the Raiders faithful.

In all of Habscheid’s coaching stops, the players he coach always turned out to be first class citizens. His teams won with class and lost with class, and it should be noted that winning was often the norm.

Curtis Hunt, left, and Marc Habscheid have made the Raiders go.

On the ice, the biggest thing he did was allow his players the play the roles they were suited for. Skilled players who scored were skilled players who scored and were encouraged to execute creative plays.

Defensive players played defence. In goal, Habscheid’s netminders usually had the confidence to shine in big moments.

Overall, Habscheid instilled confidence in his player that they could accomplish big things as long as they focused on getting better every day. He also makes coming to the rink enjoyable.

In Saturday’s win over the Broncos, the Raiders received an inspired performance from overage power forward Justin Nachbaur, who had a goal, two assists and engaged in a first period fight with Broncos overager defenceman Kaleb Bulych.

The goal, assist and the fight allowed Nachbaur to pick up the “Gordie Howe hat trick” for the night.

Dallyn Peekeekoot, who is a 16-year-old rookie centre from the Ahtahkakoop First Nation in Saskatchewan, scored his first career WHL goal tallying 67 seconds into the first period to give the Raiders a 1-0 lead.

After Broncos defenceman Sam McGinley evened things up at 1-1 at the 15:46 mark of the opening frame, Nachbaur scored with 2:50 remaining in the first to put the Raiders up 2-1.

Justin Nachbbaur had a “Gordie Howe hat trick” on Saturday.

Overage centre Spencer Moe scored early in the second to increase the Raiders advantage to 3-1.

Broncos rookie right-winger Josh Filmon, who turned 17-years-old in March, scored on a breakaway early in the third to cut the Raiders lead to 3-2.

Raiders veteran centre Eric Pearce sealed the 4-2 win scoring into an empty net with 47.5 seconds remaining in the third.

Overage netminder Max Paddock made 19 saves to pick up the win in goal for the Raiders (4-6-2). Veteran 19-year-old netminder Isaac Poulter turned away 22-of-25 shots to take the setback in goal for the Broncos (3-8-1).

Star centre Ozzy Wiesblatt picked up three assists for the Raiders, while 19-year-old veteran centre Reece Vitelli had a pair of helpers.

The Raiders return to action on Monday in the Regina bubble against the Brandon Wheat Kings (8 p.m., 900 CKBI).

The bubble environment is being utilized due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic that has gripped the world.

So far during the shortened 24-game developmental 2020-21 campaign, the Raiders have dealt with a rash of injuries. They also weren’t able to bring in bring veteran Belarusian forward Aliaksei Protas and Belarusian forward newcomer Vladislav Shyla to Canada due to how the COVID-19 pandemic has played out.

Marc Habscheid raises the Ed Chynoweth Cup in May 2019.

With all that noted, Habscheid has the patience to allow newcomers to learn and grow playing in the WHL. While he will be challenging and providing road maps for ways that players can improve and be better, Habscheid knows there will bumps in the road and won’t panic.

When the developmental season comes to an end, you can bet the Raiders players will depart for their respective homes believing they had never played for a better coach.

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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COVID-19 puts Rockets on shelf

The Rockets have had their season halted by COVID-19.

COVID-19 has forced the Kelowna Rockets and the WHL to execute some audibles.

On Tuesday, the WHL announced there was a positive COVID-19 test to a hockey staff member of the Kelowna Rockets’ team cohort. As a result of this positive test, all team activities were suspended.

On Wednesday, more test results came in and six more members of the Rockets tested positive for COVID-19 including two hockey staff members and four players. The WHL also announced there were no other positive tests coming from the four other teams in the B.C. Division that are playing in the hub centres of Kelowna and Kamloops.

All team activities for the Rockets have been suspended for 14 days through to April 14.

After the first positive test came up on Tuesday, the Rockets players and hockey staff were immediately isolated and tested. That testing resulted in the positive tests that came out on Wednesday.

All close contacts have been instructed to self-quarantine and monitor for COVID-19 symptoms for 14 days.

Due to the Rockets having team activities suspended, the WHL postponed nine contests involving the Rockets along with Wednesday’s game between the Vancouver Giants and Prince George Cougars in Kamloops.

The WHL said the clash between the Giants and Cougars was postponed due to an abundance of caution.

The Rockets last game was on Sunday, when they were blanked by the Giants 6-0 in Kamloops. At the moment, the Rockets are next slated to play on April 17 against the Prince George Cougars in Kamloops.

On Thursday, the WHL announced another couple of schedule changes due to the fallout of the positive tests for the Rockets.

The WHL postponed an originally scheduled game between the Victoria Royals and Kamloops Blazers to be played in Kelowna. Instead, a clash between the Blazers and Cougars originally scheduled for Easter Sunday was rescheduled to be played Thursday in Kamloops.

Kaedan Korczak in action for the Rockets in 2019.

The Blazers downed the Cougars 6-1 in that contest.

The Rockets had played the Royals last Friday in Kelowna posting a 5-0 victory.

Back on March 18, the WHL announced there was a positive COVID-19 test in the Rockets team cohort during the initial return to play testing phase before the Rockets began their shortened 24-game regular season that is being held for developmental purposes.

The individual who tested positive and a close contact in the Rockets cohort entered into self-isolation. Due to the fact that positive test was discovered in initial testing, the rest of the Rockets team cohort were allowed to continue on in following the team’s return to play schedule and no games had to be postponed.

With the world still stuck in the grips of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the fact the WHL couldn’t avoid a positive test at some point doesn’t come as a surprise.

The bubble the B.C. Division teams are playing in isn’t exactly like the bubble the WHL’s East Division clubs are competing in at the Brandt Centre in Regina.

The seven teams in Regina are cut off from the public rooming in dorms at the University of Regina and Luther College.

In the B.C. Division bubble, the Rockets and Blazers players are staying with billet families. The Royals are cut off from the public staying at a hotel in Kelowna, and the Cougars and Giants are also cut off from the public staying in a hotel in Kamloops.

Even just the fact the Rockets weren’t totally cut off from the public increased the odds of a positive COVID-19 test, especially with more transmissible COVID-19 variants becoming a problem in Canada.

Props have to be given to the WHL and the Rockets for being as transparent as they have been with the positive tests.

It is safe to assume everyone associated with the Rockets were doing their best to try and avoid COVID-19. The positive tests were just one of those unfortunate things that happened.

WHL places 10 on Canada’s under-18 team for worlds

Nolan Allan in action for the Raiders in 2019.

It appears the International Ice Hockey Federation’s under-18 men’s world championship is a go.

Nixed last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the under-18 worlds are slated to run this year from April 26 to May 6 in Frisco and Plano, Texas.

On Thursday, Hockey Canada announced its 25-player roster for its under-18 team, which includes 10 players from the WHL.

Heading the list of WHL representatives is Regina Pats phenom centre Connor Bedard, who is the only player to be granted exceptional status to play in the WHL full-time at age 15. Bedard has points in all 11 regular season games he has played with the Pats posting eight goals, 12 assists and a plus-six rating in the plus-minus department.

Bedard had an assist on Thursday as the Pats fell 7-2 to the Brandon Wheat Kings playing in a bubble environment at the Brandt Centre in Regina. He will play his last game with the Pats on April 9 against the Wheat Kings.

Also cracking the Canadian roster is 17-year-old centre and Regina product Cole Sillinger. Sillinger is a member of the WHL’s Medicine Hat Tigers, but he was loaned to the Sioux Falls Stampede in the USHL.

That decision was made due to the uncertainty earlier in the 2020-21 campaign about the WHL playing a season. In 27 games with the Stampede, Sillinger has 21 goals, 20 assists and a plus-six rating. The Stampede is based in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

The Canadian roster also includes Prince Albert Raiders 17-year-old defenceman Nolan Allan, who is from Davidson, Sask.

Allan has played in all of the Raiders 10 games collecting one assist.

Prior to traveling to Frisco on April 17, players and staff will self-isolate at home starting on April 12 and will be tested for COVID-19 three times.

Upon arrival in Texas, all team personnel will quarantine for four days at a hotel before starting a pre-tournament camp on April 21. Canada will on take part in one pre-tournament contests slated for April 24 against Finland.

Canada opens its preliminary round schedule on April 27 taking on Sweden in Plano, Texas.

It should be noted that it probably doesn’t come as a surprise that this event is being played in Texas, because that state arguably operates with the loosest COVID-19 restrictions in the world.

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

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If you like what you see here, you might want to donate to the cause to keep independent media like this blog going. Should you choose to help out, feel free to click on the DONATE button in the upper right corner. Thank you for stopping in.