 |
| Rush captain Chris Corbeil raises the Champion’s Cup. |
Wow! I am amazed at how much happened this year.
This year seemed to be incredibly busy, but it was a good
busy. Through using this blog and freelance opportunities, I traveled all
across the three Prairie provinces piling up memories in 2016.
During the busy times in my final three years in the
mainstream media, I wasn’t able to enjoy everything I was involved with because
the busy schedule was an overload one. Now that I am flying solo, I feel like I
was able to set my busy schedule to a point where I could soak in and enjoy the
experiences I was going through.
While 2016 will be remembered for the fact that way too many
celebrities passed away, I will still look back on the past 12 months with
fondness, because I believe I had a good year.
When the end of June rolled around, I could have made a top
10 list at that point of highlights for the first six months. I could have had
another for the last six months.
Overall, I think made a solid selection for top 10 memories,
but I still couldn’t believe what I left out. Memories that didn’t make the cut
included attending a Garth Brooks concert in June in Saskatoon, which is a
bucket list item.
Also not making the cut was watching the University of
Saskatchewan Huskies women’s basketball team win a Canada West title at home
and being pumped they moved on to capture their first national championship.
The Canada West title victory came against the U of Regina Cougars.
Attending the first football game at New Mosaic Stadium
between the U of Regina Rams and U of Saskatchewan Huskies also didn’t make the
cut as did watching Saskatchewan win Football Canada’s inaugural Senior Women’s
National Championship tournament.
During my journey in 2016, this blog also doubled in
readership, so I thank you all for checking in. I humbly hope I can keep
earning and holding your respect as I continue onwards.
I also did well enough I made donations to the scholarship
funds of both Saskatchewan’s university football teams in the Rams and Huskies
and the provinces two junior programs in the three-time defending Canadian
Junior Football League champion Saskatoon Hilltops and Regina Thunder.
Besides
the football teams, I donated to the scholarship funds of the U of Saskatchewan
Huskies men’s and women’s hockey teams, the U of Regina Cougars women’s hockey
team, the U of Regina Cougars women’s basketball team and to the Home Ice
Campaign, which is raising funds to build a new hockey arena on the U of
Saskatchewan campus.
Now without further ado, here are the memories.
10. Final Labour Day Classic at Taylor Field
 |
| Justin Medlock boots the winning field goal for the Blue Bombers. |
I spent the whole weekend in Regina enjoying and soaking in
the whole weekend on the social side. The partying was so good the Saturday
night before the game I was definitely not 100 per cent the Sunday morning of
the game.
A Bombers fan saw me and said, “Don’t worry. You’re still in
Calgary.”
I guess that shows where I was at in the recovery state.
This was my 16th Labour Day Classic, and with it being the last one
at Taylor Field, I wanted to make it memorable, and things were perfect on the
social front.
 |
| Darian Durant celebrates scoring a TD for the Roughriders. |
With under a minute to play, Kendial Lawrence returned a
punt 86 yards for the Roughriders to force a 25-25 tie. The Bombers pulled out
a 28-25 victory, when kicker Justin Medlock nailed a 43-yard field goal on the
last play of the game.
The Bombers victory dampened the fact Roughriders franchise
quarterback Darian Durant completed 36 of 47 passes for 399 yards, one
touchdown and two interceptions.
Winnipeg snapped its 11-game skid in the Labour Day Classic.
While I was cheering for the Roughriders, I was happy for the Winnipeg fans,
especially the regulars that make it to Regina every year for that contest. The
fan bases from both sides really get along well.
The Roughriders are 14-2 in the 16 Labour Day Classics I
attended at Taylor Field. While the Roughriders didn’t get the last one, I will
always remember that day and weekend fondly.
9. Rush conquer all
 |
| The Rush celebrate the NLL title winning goal from Jeff Cornwall, centre. |
Former veteran WHL coach/executive and current Calgary
Flames scout Brad McEwen said I would love the National Lacrosse League before
the Rush played their inaugural season in Saskatoon. The Rush moved to town
from Edmonton as defending NLL champions. McEwen definitely knows me, because
he was right.
After getting off the WHL playoff trail, I decided to check
out the Rush as a ticket buyer. I made it to their final two home playoff
games. I saw them lock up the West Final with a 12-9 victory over the Calgary
Roughnecks on May 21.
I was there when they won the Champion’s Cup to repeat as
NLL champions with an 11-10 victory over the Buffalo Bandits on June 4. With
the teams locked in a 10-10 draw, Rush defenceman Jeff Cornwall scored on a
breakaway with 12 seconds to play to deliver the Rush to victory.
 |
| Rush forward Robert Church drives to the net for a scoring chance. |
Between the tailgating in the parking lot, watching the
Crush dance team and high-tempo non-stop game action jumping at the pace of up
tempo music, Rush games are a hit. The way the province has rallied around this
team is impressive.
To top things off, the players seem pretty down to earth
during the brief interactions I have had with them. I enjoyed getting the
chance to watch them win it all.
8. “Thank You Mr. Hockey Day” exceeds
expectations
 |
| Gordie Howe’s four children take part in a ceremonial faceoff. |
On Sept. 25, the WHL’s Saskatoon Blades hosted a “Thank You
Mr. Hockey Day” to honour late hockey icon Gordie Howe. Howe passed away at age
88 on June 10, and the Blades were looking for a way to honour “Mr. Hockey” in
his hometown area.
When Blades president Steve Hogle found out from Howe’s
children that one of his wishes was to have his ashes interred at the base of
the Gordie Howe statue outside the SaskTel Centre along with the ashes of his
late wife, Colleen, the wheels were put in motion for a special day.
A private interment ceremony started open to 61 members of
the Howe family started the day’s festivities in the morning. The Howe family
was then taken to see the Circle Drive South Bridge, which was renamed the
Gordie Howe Bridge. They proceeded to visit King George School, which Gordie
attended, and one of Gordie’s childhood homes.
 |
| A fan gets her picture taken with the Gordie Howe statue. |
I soaked in the magic of the day and renewed ties with old
hockey friends and made new ones. I was able to visit with Bryan Trottier for a
short while.
The highlight was spending the whole second period hanging
out with old hockey bud Morris Lukowich and Gordie’s son, Mark, who I just met
at that point in time. It was fun meeting Gordie’s grandson, Corey, and his
girlfriend Davis Parkinson. The two were the textbook image of the cute young
couple.
The Broncos won the game 6-0, and I couldn’t tell you how
they got any of their goals. When the night ended, the Blades handed out Gordie
Howe posters that contained three pictures from festivities from that day.
It was the perfect hockey day that paid a fitting tribute to
a legend.
7. Valkyries win WWCFL final 81-6
 |
| Julene Friesen runs in for TD for the Valkyries in the WWCFL final. |
Since I first saw the Valkyries play in their sophomore
season back in 2012, I have always admired how well they approach playing the
game of football and all the accomplishments they have piled up. On a warm
Saturday afternoon in Lethbridge on June 25, I watched the Valkyries thump the
Edmonton Storm 81-6 to claim their fifth WWCFL in their six seasons of
existence.
The win concluded a 7-1 overall campaign for the Valkyries,
whose only loss was a 27-26 setback to the Riot in Regina on May 28. The Storm
had a strong season posting a 6-2 overall mark.
In the win over the Storm, the Valkyries may have never
looked more polished in setting a new team record for points scored in a game
and matching the team record for largest margin of victory.
It seemed you could
go up and down the Valkyries roster listing a special plays each member of the
team contributed in that outing.
 |
| The Valkyries celebrate their WWCFL championship win. |
Julene Friesen, who is Saskatoon’s Marshall Faulk style
tailback, was named her side’s player of the game. She piled up 142 yards
rushing on seven carries and 109 yards on three kickoff returns. Friesen opened
the game’s scoring with a 28-yard touchdown run and finished the scoring with
an electrifying 82-yard kickoff return score.
The Valkyries put together an impressive 2016 campaign with
a good mix of strong veterans and talented newcomers. Going into 2017, they are
set to have another strong campaign under new head coach Pat Berry. Jeff
Yausie, who was the team’s only head coach before Berry took the role, will
remain with the team as a position coach, but he is opening up his schedule to
focus on his various roles in the sport provincially and nationally.
With the title win in Lethbridge, the Valkyries cemented
themselves as one of Saskatoon’s great sports dynasties.
6. Saskatoon Hilltops are always a great
time
 |
| Jared Andreychuk fires a pass downfield for the Hilltops. |
In 2016, the Hilltops claimed their 19th Canadian
Junior Football League championship in team history, their six national crown
in the last seven years and their third championship win in a row. On Nov. 12
in Langford, B.C., the Hilltops downed the Westshore Rebels 37-25 to one again
capture the Canadian Bowl championship trophy.
In the process, Hilltops starting quarterback Jared
Andreychuk became what is believed to be the third signal caller in CJFL
history to guide a team to three straight national championship wins as a
starter. Andreychuk, who exhausted his junior eligibility following the 2016
campaign, finished his CJFL career with a perfect 9-0 record in the
post-season.
The fun with the Hilltops comes from everything that goes around
the team like enjoying the annual alumni game, involvement in community events
or participating in team fundraising functions.
 |
| Joshua Ewanchyna runs in for a winning TD for the Hilltops. |
Following that contest, the Hilltops had a nice pizza party
outside the stadium for the players, coaches, team staff and player families
before everyone boarded the bus to head home. It was a great time enjoying
fellowship on a warm clear night in Regina.
The Hilltops seemed built to create great memories, and those
memories always help to brighten up any rough spots in life.
5.
Rams home opener and return to U of R
 |
| Ryan Schienbein catches a winning TD for the Rams. |
I have strong ties to the athletics program at the
University of Regina built from the years I attended school there, but it felt
like things changed. After Frank McCrystal retired as Rams head coach following
the 2014 season and Dick White retired as the school’s director of athletics in
December of that same year, I went more than a full year without hearing from
anyone in that athletics program.
With having covered the WHL for so long, I just wrote that
off as part of the business of sports. New people were in charge and they were
going to do things their way and communicate with the people they felt most
comfortable with. You just kind of move on while still holding a soft spot for
the program.
That changed this year when Steve Bryce, who was one of
McCrystal’s former players, replaced Mike Gibson as Rams head coach, and Tanya (Hutchinson)
Reynoldson, who is an alumna of the U of R’s Cougars women’s hockey program,
replaced Curtis Atkinson as the school’s interim director of athletics. I
started to hear from the U of R’s athletic program again.
 |
| The Rams celebrate a home opening win over the Bisons. |
During the Rams home opener, I found myself on the field
shooting pictures and it felt like old times.
The Rams trailed the visiting U of Manitoba Bisons 38-27 late in the fourth quarter and rallied for a 41-38 victory. With 25 seconds to play, Rams quarterback Noah Picton hit Ryan Schienbein with the game-winning touchdown pass, and the play literally happened right in front of me.
The Rams trailed the visiting U of Manitoba Bisons 38-27 late in the fourth quarter and rallied for a 41-38 victory. With 25 seconds to play, Rams quarterback Noah Picton hit Ryan Schienbein with the game-winning touchdown pass, and the play literally happened right in front of me.
The feeling of the Rams pulling out a game like that at
Taylor Field was a definitely flashback. In that moment, it felt great to be
home.
I will always have a soft spot for the athletics program at
the U of R, but I realized how special it was to feel that good about being
home again that night. I have been back to a couple of other Rams games. I hope
to be around at a few other U of R athletics events in the future too.
4. Run though the WHL playoffs
 |
| Jayce Hawryluk (#8) and Nolan Patrick (#19) enjoy a Wheat Kings win. |
Originally, I planned to hit games in Saskatchewan centres,
but those plans evolved to taking trips to Alberta and Manitoba. At first, it
felt a bit weird to be working a WHL playoff game that didn’t include the
Medicine Hat Tigers, due to the fact I covered the Tigers as a beat writer from
2004 to 2014. The last time I worked any WHL playoff games that didn’t involve
the Tigers was way back in 2004.
I was able to work a game in every round of the post-season,
and I was very well received wherever I went. The two most memorable stops were
Red Deer and Brandon. Both those cities’ teams went deep in the playoffs and
ended up in the Memorial Cup tournament. The Red Deer Rebels were the host team
and the Brandon Wheat Kings made it winning the WHL championship.
Red Deer was really memorable due to the fact it seemed like
everyone there remembered me from my days covering the Tigers. I was warmly
received, and I had some good nights out on the town there. It was also
interesting to see that the Rebels fans took the rivalry between the Rebels and
Tigers as seriously as the fans in the Hat do.
 |
| Winger Jake DeBrusk breaks into the offensive zone for the Rebels. |
Brandon was a blast as well. I hadn’t been to a Wheat Kings
home game for a while, and it was wicked seeing the citizens of Brandon rally
around that team. I was there to see the excitement when the Wheat Kings won
the WHL Eastern Conference title against the Rebels.
In the WHL championship series, I saw one of the craziest
finishes ever, when the Wheat Kings took Game 2 of that series against the
Seattle Thunderbirds 3-2 in overtime. The overtime winner came courtesy of Wheat
Kings forward Jayce Hawryluk, who deflected a puck in off Thunderbirds goalie
Landon Bow into the net from a bad angle against the right corner boards in the
Seattle zone. Hawryluk was trying to hit linemate Nolan Patrick with a backdoor
feed.
During that whole run, I learned I could enjoy working the
WHL post-season without being an employee of a mainstream media outlet.
I enjoyed the games, and was impressed I enjoyed them even
though they didn’t involve the Tigers. Trust me, I totally enjoy any WHL
post-season game that includes the Tigers, but I also enjoy seeing how each
club in the league builds on their respective histories.
Each team has its own unique stories that are fun to tell
and live through. Those stories help give the WHL its character.
3. Final Roughriders home game at Taylor
Field
 |
| Rider Nation soaks in the final Roughriders home game at Taylor Field. |
The CFL’s oldest franchise in Western Canada was playing its
final game at its iconic home park. During the drive down from Saskatoon to
Regina to attend that contest, it felt weird knowing that would be the final
time I would see the Roughriders play at a facility I hold close to my heart.
The day was festive when you arrived in the Queen City. It
felt like a mix between a Labour Day Classic game and when the Roughriders
hosted and won the 2013 Grey Cup. The festive activities included a kick butt
halftime performance from country star Jess Moskaluke, who is from Langenburg,
Sask.
The post-game ceremony definitely took you on a trip down
memory lane seeing all the old photos from years past. The day provided a great
celebration of all the good things that went on at Taylor Field over the years.
 |
| Terrell Sinkfield Jr. makes an acrobatic TD catch for the Lions. |
You would have thought the Grey Cup was on the line. The
passion of Rider Nation was at its best.
When the post-game ceremonies ended, I lingered around the
field just soaking in the sites and the sounds like I did when I was there for
the Roughriders 2013 Grey Cup victory. It was different to walk out of there
after that game to a post-game party on the Dewdney Avenue strip.
Taylor Field was the place that memories were made, and the
memories from that park will always be special. It is still weird to think I
will never see the Roughriders play there live ever again.
2. Stars keep getting brighter, excite on
repeat long playoff run
 |
| The Stars celebrate a SFMAAAHL title win. |
As my young cousin Danielle Nogier was playing out her final
season of eligibility as the Stars captain, I thought it would be neat to cover
their playoff run like a WHL post-season run. I figured the Stars had a good
shot of repeating as Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League champions and
returning to the Esso Cup national championship tournament. I did have dreams
of the Stars winning it all.
With the way the schedule works out in the SFMAAAHL
post-season, the Stars pretty much ended up playing every second day like a
team in a WHL playoff run would.
The Stars also have an outstanding group of players,
coaches, staffers and the best parents group I had ever seen around a minor
sports team. I felt pretty positive that this would be a good time.
Following the Stars took me on the road to Swift Current and
Weyburn provincially as well as Shoal Lake, Man. During the run, it seems
readers appreciated the fact I followed the Stars and their exploits as my page
views big time spiked when I wrote about them.
I also gained a new appreciation for how well Swift Current,
Weyburn and Shoal Lake, Man., back their female midget AAA teams.
 |
| Emma Johnson makes a save in goal for the Stars. |
Another special night was seeing the Stars lock up the
Western regional playdown series with a 3-1 victory over the Yellowhead Chiefs
in Shoal Lake, Man. Star goalie Emma Johnson was stellar making 32 save to
steal that win, while 18-year-old defender Rayah DeCorby blasted home the
winner in the third period and added a key empty-net insurance goal.
I followed the Stars to the Esso Cup national championship tournament,
which was held in late April in Weyburn. They made it to the tournament’s
semifinal. The goal dried up at that point, and they came away with a fourth
place finish.
The whole run was spectacular. I was glad I decided to pile
up the road miles.
1. Huskies get sweet title sweep for Smuk
 |
| Kendall McFaull (#2) shows off Cody Smuk’s jersey. |
I have seen teams win national championships and numerous
conference, league and provincial titles, but the emotion I saw when the
Huskies won the Canada West title in memory of former teammate and alumnus Cody
Smuk was unique. Smuk was a gritty forward, who played for the Huskies from
2010 to 2014, and he was known for his hard work and being the ultimate glue
guy in the dressing room. He passed away from cancer in June of 2015.
 |
| The Huskies are all smiles after a goal from Logan McVeigh. |
On March 5, the Huskies swept their “Forever Rivals” the U
of Alberta Golden Bears taking Game 2 of a best-of-three Canada West
championship series 3-2 at the ancient Rutherford Rink. Trailing the Golden
Bears 1-0 entering the third period of that contest, the Huskies rolled off
three straight goals to cement a championship victory.
After the game, Huskies captain Kendall McFaull skated on to
the ice with Smuk’s #24 jersey. McFaull along with third-year forward Josh
Roach helped bring Smuk’s father, Marty, mother, Darla and fiancée, Stephanie
Vause, on to the ice for the team championship picture. All three attended
every Huskies home game.
 |
| The Huskies celebrate a Canada West title with Smuk’s family members. |
I really thought the Huskies men’s team was going to move on
and win the University Cup national championship tournament, which was held in
Halifax, N.S. The Huskies weren’t able to pull out the fairy tale finish.
Still, the emotion of the Canada West championship win will
be the dominate memory for the 2015-16 campaign. To this day, my post of the
recap of that night’s events is still my most viewed blog post.
The Huskies conference title win helped bring the healing
process of Smuk’s passing to as much of a closure as you could get. That is
something that is absolutely priceless.
If you have any
comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them
to stankssports@gmail.com.
