Soccer star named to Saskatchewan Sports
Hall of Fame
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| Kaylyn Kyle, left, at an autograph session in June of 2017. |
Even as she neared her 16
th birthday, Kaylyn Kyle
was the player to watch.
Way before she suited up for Canada’s senior national women’s
soccer team as a midfielder helping them win a bronze medal at the 2012 Olympic
Summer Games in London, England, Kyle was in Prince Albert, Sask., in the
summer of 2004.
Prince Albert was hosting Soccer Canada’s all-star nationals
in the girls’ under-14 and under-16 age categories. Each of Canada’s 10
provinces fielded an all-star team in each of those age categories at that
tournament, and a national title was up for grabs in each age category.
Kyle was playing midfield for Saskatchewan’s under-16 team,
and a large number of officials from Canada Soccer were at this event to scout
players. To be accurate, pretty much all of them were in Prince Albert to see
Kyle play.
I covered that competition for the Prince Albert Daily
Herald and for a weekly segment I did for Prince Albert’s CTV station.
I went into this event thinking that Prince Albert product
Elizabeth Hudon was going to get to turn heads on a national stage in her
hometown. She was an elite goal scorer and was the ace striker at age 15 for
Saskatchewan’s under-16 team.
 |
| Kaylyn Kyle demonstrates a drill at her soccer camp in 2015. |
When I started talking to Canada Soccer officials, they all said
the player to watch was Kyle.
The Saskatoon product didn’t disappoint, when games hit the
pitch. Kyle was by far the best player at that event.
Watching her play in that competition had to be what it was
like to watch Sidney Crosby play midget AAA hockey or Connor Bedard play and
star for the Regina Pats at age 15 this past season in the WHL.
In the final preliminary round game for Saskatchewan’s
under-16 team, they needed to beat Alberta to finish first in their pool and
advance to a semifinal contest. Saskatchewan hadn’t experienced a whole lot of
success at this event, so this contest against Alberta was a big thing.
While soccer is a team game, confidence was high that the Saskatchewan
side could win that contest and advance due to the fact Kyle was playing on the
squad.
Just five minutes into that clash with Alberta, Kyle was
given a red card for a slide tackle against an Alberta player. A couple of Canada
Soccer officials did a visible freak out, because they came to see Kyle and now
she was getting kicked out of this contest.
That marked the only time Kyle ever got red carded out of a
soccer game. From what I remember of that play, Kyle got the ball first on the
tackle and shouldn’t have been carded. It was a bad referee’s call.
 |
| Kaylyn Kyle smiles during a break at her soccer camp in 2015. |
All these years later, I am going to stick with that story
about how I remember that game.
Saskatchewan played the final 85 minutes of that contest a
player short and lost by a slim 1-0 margin. Had Kyle not been given a red card,
the thought of what might have been had to have been on the minds of anyone
associated with the Saskatchewan side.
Saskatchewan’s under-16 concluded the tournament playing a
consolation game.
I interviewed Kyle for a tournament wrap up story on the
Saskatchewan teams. I asked a question that got jumbled in its presentation.
I asked about the loss to Alberta in the final preliminary
round contest, but the question came out in a way that placed blame on Kyle for
getting red carded early in that contest. I didn’t want the question to come
out that way, but I really did sound like the mean sports reporter in how the
question was asked.
Kyle, who was still 15-years-old at that time, didn’t look
impressed. It looked like she was getting ready to make a fist to punch me.
She did answer the question. I don’t even remember what the
answer to that question was, because that whole exchange was awkward.
In that moment, you saw Kyle’s competitive spirit and her
passion even at the young age she was.
 |
| Kaylyn Kyle encourages a player at her soccer camp in 2015. |
I didn’t have any interactions again with Kyle until six
years later in 2010. New interactions came when I first got on Twitter, when
that social media platform was still in its relative infancy.
Kyle, who stands 5-foot-8, had become a member of Canada’s
senior national women’s soccer team by that time. She was one of the first I
ever saw to make real connections with fans via Twitter.
I ended up emailing her through Facebook recalling the story
from that time in Prince Albert. She got back to me, and that whole situation
became a something we both took with humour now.
I would keep in touch with her via various electronic lines
and cross paths with her on three or four occasions.
Thanks to those interactions, my TV at home would be tuned
into games involving Canada’s senior national women’s soccer team, because Kyle
was on the team. She became a celebrity in the truest sense, and I marveled at
how well she carried herself in the spotlight.
I got to spend an afternoon shooting pictures of her hosting
a skills camp in Saskatoon at the SaskTel Sports Centre in October of 2015, and
that was a pretty fun afternoon.
I enjoyed watching her interact with the youngsters, and she
truly wanted to see the players get a little bit better during the short time
they were at that camp. Some of the participants had even traveled into town
from Winnipeg and Vancouver to be at that camp.
 |
| Kaylyn Kyle goes through a drill at her soccer camp in 2015. |
Over the years, I’ve enjoyed interacting with Kyle’s parents
in father, Doug, and mother, Pat. It was really enjoyable meeting Kaylyn’s
older sister, Courtnee, too. At different times over the years, Courtnee helped
Kaylyn manage life and the opportunities that came her way away from the game.
On Thursday, the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame announced
its class for 2021. Kaylyn Kyle was named to the class in the athlete category
along with Moose Jaw’s Justin Abdou in wrestling, Fillmore’s Rod Boll in
trapshooting, Porcupine Plain’s Colette Bourgonje in track and cross-country
skiing and Humboldt’s Lyndon Rush in bobsleigh.
Former Canadian senior national women’s hockey team head coach
Shannon Miller, who was born in Tisdale and raised in Melfort, enters the Hall
in the builders’ category. Miller played hockey for the University of
Saskatchewan Huskies women’s hockey team in the early 1980s.
The team inductees included the 2000-01 University of Regina
Cougars Women’s Basketball team, who won a U Sports national title, and 2013
Saskatchewan Roughriders, who won the Grey Cup at their iconic home park of
Taylor Field.
This class was selected in 2020, but the class announcement
and induction was postponed due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic that has
gripped the world.
 |
| Kaylyn Kyle gives feedback to a player at her soccer camp in 2015. |
While the 2021 class was named, there won’t be an official
induction this year.
The Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame will do the official
enshrinement at an appropriate time that allows for safe communal gatherings
while following all provincial health guidelines.
Kyle played one season in 2006 in the U Sports ranks for the
University of Saskatchewan Huskies Women’s Soccer team before opportunities in Canada
Soccer’s women’s national team system and the professional ranks came calling.
She retired from playing in 2017.
These days, Kyle is a television soccer host and analyst
based out of Miami, Florida, and she is one of the best in those roles.
She is married to English professional soccer player Harrison
Heath, who is also a midfielder. The couple has two sons aged three and six-months.
Throughout her career, Kyle has represented her teams and
herself with passion, grace and class. She seemed comfortable being in the
spotlight.
Due to the fact how often she had to play in the United
Kingdom and Europe, that spotlight included being photographed by tabloid
publications in those places.
 |
| Kaylyn Kyle, left, takes questions at her soccer camp in Oct. 2015. |
The tabloids in the United Kingdom and Europe
love to play up attractive female athletes in a tabloid style way, and it is
safe to say those publications will never change.
Kyle handled that attention with an amazing amount of grace
and class.
It was spectacular for me to see her become an outstanding
ambassador representing soccer in Canada, and she still represents the game
well as a broadcaster.
I’m happy that old awkward 2004 interview in Prince Albert
is just a humourous story to tell now.
P.A. gets third crack as Esso Cup hosts,
other notes
 |
| The Bears celebrate an OT home win in November of 2020. |
Fingers crossed the third time will be a charm for the
Prince Albert Northern Bears when it comes to hosting the Esso Cup.
The Bears were supposed to host the national female under-18
AAA hockey championship tournament in 2020 and this past April. Both times, the
Esso Cup was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic that has gripped the world.
This past Tuesday, Hockey Canada announced the Bears will
host the 2022 Esso Cup, which is slated to run April 17-23 that year at the
2,580 seat Art Hauser Centre, which can hold 3,289 spectators.
Hockey Canada also announced that same day the Estevan
Bruins will host the junior A hockey national championship tournament – the Centennial
Cup – in 2022. The 2022 Centennial Cup is slated to run May 20 to 29 of that
year at Affinity Place.
On the Esso Cup front, the Bears deserve to host nationals
as they have been one of the strongest female under-18 programs in Saskatchewan
dating back to the inaugural season of the Saskatchewan Female Under-18 AAA
Hockey League in 2006-07.
The Bears won league titles in 2009 and 2017 and appeared in
the 2017 Esso Cup. They have a loyal following in “Hockey Town North.”
After Hockey Canada cancelled all its nationals for a second
straight year, there had to be some uneasiness about Prince Albert getting awarded
the Esso Cup for a third straight year.
Lloydminster, which sits on the border of Alberta and
Saskatchewan, was originally slated to host the Esso Cup in 2022.
 |
| Brooklin Fry in action for the Bears in November of 2020. |
Hockey Canada could have decided to go with host centres
that were already decided for 2022 before coming back to centres like Prince
Albert, which had lost out on hosting nationals twice due to factors beyond
anyone’s control.
Hockey Canada gets kudos for ensuring Prince Albert would
still get its turn to host the Esso Cup.
With the COVID-19 vaccine rollouts that are happening across
Canada, it is reasonable to believe the 2022 Esso Cup will run when it is
scheduled to run. When Hockey Canada made its announcement for host centres for
its 2021 nationals, actually dates for those events were never announced.
When time for Hockey Canada’s 2022 national championship
tournaments roll around, public health orders and travel restrictions have a
good chance of being a thing of the past.
In 2020-21, the Bears themselves only got to play four
regular season games posting a 3-1 record before new public health orders to
combat COVID-19 put that campaign on ice permanently.
The Bears will get to celebrate a return to hockey. The Esso
Cup will likely be one of the things Prince Albert as a community gets to rally
around in a return to more normal times.
- On Tuesday, Major Series
Lacrosse in Ontario and the Western Lacrosse Association in British
Columbia in consultation with Lacrosse Canada cancelled their 2021 seasons
and the Mann Cup national men’s senior box lacrosse championship due to
the COVID-19 pandemic. This was the second straight year those lacrosse
campaigns were cancelled due to the pandemic.
- Tickets are on sale for
the May 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. The draw date will be May 31. Tickets can be purchased by clicking
right here, and purchasers must be in Saskatchewan in order to buy
tickets.
- On Thursday, the WHL’s
Everett Silvertips announced they won’t be extending the contract for the
team’s standout general manager in Garry Davidson and said the 70-year-old
is departing the organization effective immediately. Davidson became the
Silvertips general manager in February of 2012. Since that time, the
Silvertips have finished first in the U.S. Division on five occasions.
They reached the WHL Championship series in 2018 falling in six games to
the Swift Current Broncos. In the WHL’s 2020-21 developmental season, the
Silvertips topped the U.S. Division with a 19-4 record. Of course, the
COVID-19 pandemic has played havoc on the last two WHL campaigns
preventing any post-season action from taking place. The Silvertips
release stated, “The past two seasons have necessitated the restructuring
of Silvertips hockey operations, and this process is ongoing. The
Silvertips remain focused on the long-term on-ice and business success for
our players, fans, partners, sponsors and our ownership.”
- Back on May 13, the OHL
announced it planned to open its upcoming 2021-22 regular season on
October 7. The OHL is slated to host the 2022 CHL championship tournament –
the Memorial Cup. In that May 13 release, the OHL said the 2022 Memorial
Cup is slated to be held June 2 to 12 of that year. The OHL wasn’t able to
play at all in 2020-21 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
- This past week, I learned I
came in third for the Best Sports Story award given out by the
Saskatchewan Weekly Newspapers Association. The awards were announced May
17. The story that I wrote that came in third appeared in the Davidson
Leader, and it was entitled “Hockey Day in Hanley.” Two of my buds took the
second and first place spots. Brad Brown came in second with his “Gray’s
diamonds are forever” story published in his Quad Town Forum. Lucas
Punkari came in first with his “The end of an era” story that appeared in
Prince Albert Rural Roots, which was about the Beardy’s Blackhawks final
game in the Saskatchewan Male under-18 AAA Hockey League.
- On Friday, the WWE
announced it will return to live event touring with a 25-city schedule.
The tour begins on July 16 with a taping of Smackdown at the Toyota Center
in Houston, Texas. The second event is on July 18 and it will be the Money
In the Bank pay per view to be hosted at the Dickies Arena in Fort Worth,
Texas. On July 19, there will be a taping of RAW at the American Airlines
Center in Dallas, Texas. The other tour stops are still to be announced.
The WWE hasn’t toured since early March of 2020 due to the COVID-19
pandemic. Due to the fact the WWE’s weekly RAW, NXT and Smackdown
television programs are the main thing that drives its business machine,
it is interesting to see when that sports entertainment company hits the
road. The RAW and Smackdown shows have been filmed before a virtual video
screen audience since about the start of August 2020 in Tampa, Florida.
NXT shows have been taped with a limited crowd of about 200 in Orlando,
Florida.
- There are times Twitter
can suspend an account, where it falls into the department of being an
overreaction. This past Tuesday, the Era_of_Bliss account, which is a fan
account of WWE superstar Alexa Bliss, was suspended by Twitter for
violating Twitter rules. The account was suspended regarding copyright of
music usage for a tweet that was posted in June of 2018 regarding UFC 225
that wished luck to fighter CM Punk. The Era_of_Bliss account, which had
over 24,000 followers, was very active, so it is crazy to thing someone
mined for that tweet from about three years ago. The person who runs the
Era_of_Bliss account is a 20-year-old university student, who opened the
account while still in high school in February of 2018. The account owner
has followed Bliss since her first appearances as a performer on NXT in a
glitter fairy gimmick in 2014. Bliss herself even followed the
Era_of_Bliss account. The Era_of_Bliss account was fun, and it was not
malicious. No money was made operating the Era_of_Bliss account. I hope
the owner is able to get that account back.
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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