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| A Roughriders “Bring ‘Em Out” T-shirt. |
The year
was 2015 and the Roughriders were suffering through a 3-15 regular season to
finish last in the entire CFL. The Roughriders stumbled out of the gate at 0-9 and
missed the post-season two years after winning their fourth Grey Cup title.
During the second
half of that 2015 campaign, the Roughriders stocked their gift store with a “Bring
‘Em Out” T-shirt, which referenced the team’s pre-game entrance.
The picture
on the T-shirt was a shot of the Roughriders storming on to the frozen concrete
of their old long time home in Taylor Field.
The three
players leading the charge were long snapper Jorgen Hus, left guard Brendon
LaBatte and centre Dan Clark. All three are popular products from Saskatchewan.
Hus is from
Saskatoon and an alumnus of the CJFL’s Saskatoon Hilltops and the University of
Regina Rams from the U Sports ranks.
Labatte is
from Weyburn and is a Rams alum. Clark is from Regina and is an alumnus of the
CJFL’s Regina Thunder.
Having to
deal with a campaign that had come off the rails on the field, the Roughriders
marketing crew created a product to pull at the heartstrings of the people in
the province.
Fast forward to 2020, the Roughriders and the rest of the CFL wasn’t able to take the field due to the coronavirus pandemic that had gripped the world. The Roughriders were looking to build off a 2019 campaign that saw the team finish first in the West Division with a 13-5 record before falling to the eventual Grey Cup champion Winnipeg Blue Bombers 20-13 in the West Final.
Saskatchewan had won 10-or-more games for three straight seasons and had a roster full of popular stars like quarterback Cody Fajardo, receiver Shaq Evans and defensive back Ed Gainey.
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| Jorgen Hus (#46) sets to snap the ball for the Roughriders in 2019. |
December of
2020 saw the Roughriders sign a mass load of players, which has included a
number of returnees from the 2019 season.
The re-signings
have included a number of stars like Evans, running back William Powell and
defensive back Nick Marshall.
The re-signings
have included contract extensions for Hus, LaBatte and Clark. Hus signed a
one-year extension that will carry him through to the end of 2021 CFL campaign.
LaBatte and
Clark have signed two-year extensions that will carry them through the end of
the 2022 CFL campaign.
While it is
huge to have big name stars under contract like Fajardo, Evans or Marshall,
players like Hus LaBatte and Clark make up the soul of the Roughriders.
All three have been with their home province club for an extended period of time, and all have come up to the professional ranks playing through Saskatchewan’s minor football system. The presence of Hus, LaBatte and Clark allow young players in Saskatchewan’s minor football system to identify with the Roughriders and see it is possible to have a lengthy professional career.
Hus, who stands 6-foot-1 and weighs 230 pounds, joined the Roughriders in May of 2015 after his CFL rights were acquired from the Edmonton Football Club. He had previously spent time with the NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs, St. Louis Rams and Seattle Seahawks.
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| Brendon LaBatte (#57) in action for the Roughriders in 2017. |
Hus has
become a successful mortgage broker in Saskatoon, when he is not playing or
training for football. He is seemingly willing to help out anyone who takes up
the long snapping craft in his hometown including members of the Hilltops and
the University of Saskatchewan Huskies in the U Sports ranks.
LaBatte,
who stands 6-foot-4 and weighs 320 pounds, has made his mark as one of the best
offensive linemen to ever play in the CFL and has to be destined for the
Canadian Football Hall of Fame.
After
playing his first for CFL seasons with the Blue Bombers, LaBatte joined as a
free agent signee before the start of the 2012 campaign. In 12 CFL seasons, the
34-year-old has played in 181 regular season games including 112 contests with
the Roughriders.
LaBatte was
named the CFL’s Most Outstanding Lineman in 2013, which was a campaign that saw
the Roughriders win the Grey Cup at Taylor Field by a 45-23 final over the
Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
He was named
a CFL all-star six times, a West Division all-star six times and an East
Division all-star three times.
LaBatte
prides himself in being a mentor to young offensive lineman who join the team,
and he is the perfect person you want in the community to represent the team.
Clark first
signed with the Roughriders way back in 2009 as a territorial junior player. He
made his debut with the Roughriders in 2012.
He became
famous for catching touchdown passes in 2013 and 2014 on a trick play as a
tight end in the team’s short-yardage package near the goal-line.
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| Dan Clark calls signals for the Roughriders in 2019. |
The 2019
campaign was Clark’s finest personal season being named a West Division
all-star, a CFL all-star and the Roughriders Most Outstanding Offensive
Lineman.
Clark is
another local who is sensational at representing the Roughriders in the
community.
With the
CFL having not played a game in 2020, it is important for the Roughriders to
have veteran Saskie products on their roster.
When the
Roughriders do return to play, veterans like Hus, LaBatte and Clark will give
the community owned team the local pull on the heartstrings asset it needs.
Blades’ Robins signs with NHL’s Sharks
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| Tristen Robins in action for the Blades in the 2019 WHL playoffs. |
On New Year’s Day, the NHL’s San Jose Sharks announced they had signed Robins to a three-year, NHL entry-level contract. The 19-year-old centre with the WHL’s Saskatoon Blades was selected in the second round and 56th overall in the NHL Entry Draft held this past October.
Robins, who stands 5-foot-10 and weighs 173 pounds, has played two full seasons with the Blades. He shot up to star status in 2019-20 piling up 33 goals, 40 assists and a plus-16 rating in the plus-minus department in 62 regular season games.
As an 18-year-old sophomore in 2019-20, Robins kept turning more and more heads of NHL scouts. He was rated 134th among North American Skaters in the midterm ranking put out by NHL Central Scouting.
Robins leaped up to the 86th spot among North American skaters on the final NHL Central Scouting rankings. His stock continued to rise resulting in a second round draft selection.
The 2019-20 WHL campaign was ultimately ended on March 12, 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Robins helped the Blades post a 34-24-2-3 record to officially lock up a playoff berth before the season was halted.
He has the skating, puck handling, shooting and hockey sense abilities few have. Robins has been a perfect representative for the Blades in the community.
Robins is also following in the footsteps of his father, Trevor, in joining the Sharks. Trevor, who was a Blades goaltender from 1989 to 1992 and played for the Brandon Wheat Kings in 1992-93, signed a free agent contract with the Sharks and played two seasons in their minor system from 1993 to 1995.
In his second season as a professional in 1994-95, Trevor was called up from the International Hockey League’s Kansas City Blades to the Sharks, who dealing with injury problems in goal. Trevor spent about three months going up and down between the two teams but ultimately never saw action in and NHL game.
Tristen has the potential to play for the Sharks one day over an extended period of time. If he gets to skate in just one NHL regular season game, he would one up his father in the process.
Canada off to semifinals at world juniors
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| Bowen Byram in action for the Giants in May of 2019. |
Playing in a bubble environment at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alta., without fans on Saturday due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Canada blanked the Czech Republic 3-0 in a single-elimination quarter-final game to improve to 5-0 at the event.
Dylan Cozens, who is a star centre with the WHL’s Lethbridge Hurricanes, netted Canada’s first goal scoring on a breakaway at the 8:22 mark of the opening frame.
Bowen Byram, who is a star offensive-defenceman with the WHL’s Vancouver Giants, netted his first goal of the tournament sneaking a shot through Czech netminder Nick Malik at the 11:39 mark of the opening frame to give Canada a 2-0 advantage.
Cozens picked up an assist on Byram’s goal for a two-point night.
The Czech side didn’t go away and controlled play for sizable stretches of the contest.
Canada finally got the knockout blow with an empty-net goal by Connor McMichael, who is a centre with the OHL’s London Knights, with 2:49 remaining in the third period to round out the 3-0 victory. McMichael also had an assist in the contest.
Kaiden Guhle, a star offensive-defenceman with the WHL’s Prince Albert Raiders, had an assist on McMichael’s empty-net goal.
Peyton Krebs, who is a star centre with the WHL’s Winnipeg Ice, had a pair of assists for Canada.
Devon Levi, who is a member of the Northeastern University Huskies men’s hockey team in the NCAA ranks, turned away 29 shots to pick up his second shutout win of the tournament for Canada.
Malik turned away 22-of-24 shots to take the setback in goal for the Czech Republic.
In the
other quarter-finals on Saturday, Russia downed Germany 2-1, Finland slipped
past Sweden 3-2 and the United States beat Slovakia 5-2.
Canada will face Russia in one semifinal match on Monday (5 p.m. Saskatchewan time, TSN). The United States and Finland will go at it in Monday’s other semifinal (8:30 p.m. Saskatchewan time, TSN).
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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