Possible Hilltops, Thunder football friendlies could have unique potential

The Hilltops and Thunder go at it last season in Regina.

    If the powers that be gave their approval, it would be great to see the Saskatoon Hilltops and the Regina Thunder face each other in a series of exhibition games.

    On Aug. 6, the CJFL officially cancelled its 2020 campaign due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The Hilltops have won the last six straight CJFL titles and nine out of the last 10 league championships.

    The one title the Hilltops didn’t take out of that run was claimed by the Thunder in 2013.

    In recent days, there has been banter about the two sides going head-to-head in a series of exhibition games or scrimmages.

    The Hilltops and Thunder have developed an intense and high level provincial rivalry over the last decade. If the two sides could get together for a series of friendlies, it would provide a much needed familiar sight in the fall.

The Thunder defence wraps up Hilltops RB Carter McLean, middle.

    Of course, the biggest hurdle is those clubs would have to come up with a plan that would need to be approved by the Saskatchewan Health Authority. Considering the Saskatchewan Health Authority hasn’t approved a start date for the Saskatchewan Hockey Association to begin playing sanctioned games, getting football off the ground seems like an enormous task.

    One way the Hilltops and Thunder might be able to satisfy health authorities might be to shelf playing 12-versus-12 football for now. If they want to get some football action in, maybe the two teams should pitch playing games in the six-man or nine-man format.

Hilltops R Keegan Dicks, right, looks to get past a Thunder defender.

    In rural Saskatchewan, six-man and nine-man football is big. It is common for Saskatchewan towns to shut down in order to allow everyone to turn out for the six-man and nine-man high school games that take place in the fall.

    Of course, high school is the highest level you can play the six-man and nine-man games. At the post-secondary level, you can only play the 12-man game.

    Still, the six-man and the nine-man games have a deep history in Saskatchewan.

    It would be neat if the province’s two junior teams attempted to plays those types of games in an exhibition setting. Of course, the drawback is you are not creating a chance to gain more experience at the 12-man game.

Thunder QB Blake Scherle fires a pass downfield under pressure.

    On the other side, the novelty of seeing the Hilltops and the Thunder play six-man or nine-man games would be something that could peak people’s curiosity.

    The biggest selling point to the Saskatchewan Health Authority would be these types of games would cut down on the size of traveling parties.

    Unfortunately, another drawback is the Government of Saskatchewan has capped crowds for outdoor sporting events at 150 spectators.

    On the plus side, you could possibly get Regina’s Access Communications to broadcast those six-man or nine-man games between the Hilltops and Thunder on television.
    The Access feed could be shown on the Shaw community channel in Saskatoon.
    Even if the games rotated between cities, you might be able to convince Access Communications to broadcast the games Saskatoon.

It is always intense when the Hilltops and Thunder collide.

    Access Communications does that same thing when the WHL’s Regina Pats face the Blades in Saskatoon. 

    You would have to think a few football starved fans would check out those encounters between the Hilltops and Thunder on television. They would likely be popular among the football communities of both cities.

    You could make the broadcasts more fun by getting Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant and Thunder head coach Scott MacAuley to wear microphones for the game, since these are exhibition tilts.
    Even without microphones, both can still be heard from the sidelines by spectators in the stands.
    The Hilltops and Thunder could play a best-of-three series that could build up to play a 12-man contest.

The Hilltops and Thunder have a compelling rivalry.

    The first contest could be a six-man game, the second a nine-man encounter and the third could be a 12- man match.
    That type of progression might increase the confidence of the Saskatchewan Healthy Authority for allowing a 12-man contest.

    With all that noted, it still seems like a pipe dream of seeing the Hilltops and Thunder face each other on the field in 2020.

    However, everyone is permitted to dream.

Thumbs up to CEBL for crowning champ, other notes

The @ED_Stingers are UNSTOPPABLE. 👏👏

They are bringing home the 2020 @CEBLeague championship 🏆.#OurGame pic.twitter.com/FiXQhO1QBe

— CEBL (@CEBLeague) August 9, 2020

    The Edmonton Stingers were over the moon this past Sunday.

    Guard Xavier Moon sank a game-high 31 points to power the Stingers to a 90-73 victory over the Abbotsford, B.C., based Fraser Valley Bandits in the Canadian Elite Basketball League championship game in St. Catherines, Ont. Moon was named the CEBL Championship Finals MVP.

    The Stingers title victory capped the CEBL Summer Series tournament that saw all seven teams on the circuit play in a bubble environment at the Meridian Centre. All of the CEBL Summer Series games were played without spectators.

    Chief executive officer Mike Morreale, who was once a star receiver in the CFL, and the crew running the CEBL deserve major applause.

    The CEBL was only in its second season of existence and the professional circuit managed to hand out its championship trophy despite the fact the COVID-19 pandemic has ravaged the sports world.

    The CEBL used the Elam ending rule to add intrigue.

    The rule sees the game clock turned off at the first stoppage of play inside of the final four minutes of the fourth quarter. At the CEBL Summer Series, nine points is added to the total of the winning team at the time, and both squads push to hit that target score to end the contest.

    The rule was designed to prevent stoppages with fouling by the team that trails on the scoreboard inside of the final four minutes of the game.

    At the moment, the CEBL is the only team sports league that exists within Canada’s borders to crown a champion during the COVID-19 pandemic.

    The tournament was broadcast by CBC either through live television or on an online stream.

    The fact the CEBL was able to pull this off is a big win for that circuit. It builds huge confidence that CEBL is going to be here to stay over the long term.

    It was able to play through a set of obstacles that are capable of crushing a fledgling league and has tripped up established and storied sports leagues.

    The CEBL had a great inaugural season in 2019 that saw the Saskatchewan Rattlers win the league title at the SaskTel Centre in Saskatoon. It would have seemed unfair if that turned out to be the end of the CEBL’s story.

    Now, it appears the CEBL has a high likelihood of being with us whenever the COVID-19 pandemic comes to a close. Here is hoping the CEBL will have a long and prosperous run.

• On Monday, longtime TSN hockey insider Bob McKenzie announced over Twitter he was heading into semi-retirement. He joined TSN in 1986 after starting his media career working for print publications including stops with the Toronto Star and The Hockey News. McKenzie, who will turn 64-years-old on Sunday, will still be doing draft rankings for TSN and working as part of the crew that covers the World Junior Hockey Championships.
• On Tuesday, the NCAA’s Big 10 and Pac-12 conferences each voted to postpone football and other fall sports season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Both conferences are holding out hope about having their fall sports play in the spring of 2021 but action at that time is far from guaranteed. That means there will be no November football clash between Michigan and Ohio State, who are storied Big 10 rivals.
• On Wednesday, the Regina Leader-Post reported the Regina Intercollegiate Football League high school circuit won’t begin regular season play any earlier than Sept. 28 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Originally, the Saskatchewan High School Athletic Association was going to allow practices to start Aug. 20, but that has been moved back to Sept. 14.
• On Thursday, 37-year-old Nashville Predators defenceman Dan Hamhuis announced he was retiring from the NHL. Hamhuis played in 60 regular season games for the Predators this past season posting eight assists and a plus-eight rating in the plus-minus department. The Smithers, B.C. product played in 15 NHL seasons from 2005 to 2020 appearing in 1,148 regular season games split between the Predators, Vancouver Canucks and Dallas Stars posting 59 goals and 297 assists. He played in the WHL for four seasons for the Prince George Cougars from 1998 to 2002 appearing in 247 regular season games collecting 34 goals and 122 assists. Hamhuis was named the WHL’s player of the year for the 2001-02 campaign. In the current day, Hamhuis is a co-owner of the Cougars.
• On Friday, the QMJHL announced it still intends to start its regular season on Oct. 1. The circuit said games in the province of Quebec would be played without fans and details were still being worked out for teams in the Maritime provinces.
• The tweet of the week goes to Canada track and field star hurdler Sage Watson. Known for her trademark ruby red lips on race day, Watson is pitching a new shade of red lipstick for L’Oreal Paris.

I am so honoured and excited to be partnering with @lorealparis to launch their new Colour Riche North Red. I want others to feel confident, beautiful and empowered like I do on the track when they wear this bold North Red shade! Because you’re worth it 😘💋#lorealparis pic.twitter.com/BObYDtTltx

— Sage Watson (@SageWats) August 14, 2020

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

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Out of sight out of mind fear drives COVID-19 sports world

Andrew Harris runs the ball for the CFL’s Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

    If you don’t play, you don’t exist.

    It is that type of fear that is driving the sports world right now in the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

    Teams, leagues and minor sports bodies fear the old cliché, “out of sight, out of mind.”

    A cliché becomes a cliché, because it is grounded in truth. The teams, leagues and minor sports bodies don’t want to be forgotten.

    There is a fear that if people stop interacting with their favourite team, league or the minor sports body they are involved with, those people will find other ways or focus on other interests to occupy their time and forget about the sports world.

    As a result, there are many inside these teams, league and minor sports bodies who feel they need to find some way to play at all costs.

    That line of thinking often results in pressure to throw good money after bad money.

    At the moment in North America, the big four professional leagues have returned to play or are about to return to play in the NBA, NFL, NHL and MLB. UFC and the NASCAR Cup Series have been motoring along since May.

    The WNBA has also hit the court, and out in Germany, the pro soccer Bundesliga completed its campaign in early July.

Most leagues in Canada have no where near the NHL’s resources.

    One thing all these circuits have is major resources noting that the WNBA is backed by the NBA. That doesn’t mean these professional circuits are immune to the impacts of COVID-19.

    In the MLB, the Miami Marlins and Philadelphia Phillies are still dealing with the after effects of being rocked by positive COVID-19 tests. Both clubs were last in action when they played each other in Philadelphia this past Sunday and haven’t seen the field since.

    There are fears the MLB season won’t be played to a conclusion.

    On the economic side, the NHL’s Vancouver Canucks gave a written termination notice to 49 people working full time in business operations. As it is unknown as to when the Canucks will host home games, they couldn’t keep those employees on staff. That story came out in the Vancouver Province on Thursday.

Will gate-driven circuits like the WHL find the conditions to play?

    The Canadian Elite Basketball League is in the process of conducting a month long Summer Series tournament to crown a league champion playing out of a bubble environment at the Meridian Centre in St. Catherines, Ont.

    The CEBL isn’t flush with cash, so Mike Morreale and that circuit’s leaders deserve big credit for getting that circuit going. Still, running a basketball league isn’t the same as getting a football league back in action in Canada.

    If the storied CFL takes the field in 2020, it will do so in the bubble city of Winnipeg. That league is still facing numerous hurdles as far as playing games go including getting players living in the COVID-19 ravaged United States into Canada and getting the CFL and CFL Players’ Association to come to terms on a deal to play this season.

    The CFL is still seeking money from the Government of Canada to take the field again and no results have occurred on that front. The CFL was looking for $44-million to play this year and was seeking $150-million in federal government assistance if the 2020 season is lost.

CFL great Charleston Hughes (#39) is focusing more on the working world.

    At the moment, players from the United States that live in Canada like Saskatchewan Roughriders defensive end Charleston Hughes are focusing more on opportunities in the working world. Hughes lives year round in Regina.

    On the minor sports front, minor sport bodies are content to get registration that reaches just 25 per cent of recent years in order to spring into action. Still, those bodies are facing the reality of needing like three years to recover economically from 2020.

    Even with that in mind, people are thinking about you, if you are out there playing.

    No one knows what the future will be like for gate driven leagues like the CHL major junior hockey circuit that includes the WHL, OHL and QMJHL.

    Same goes with junior A hockey that includes the SJHL or the professional NLL circuit.

    U Sports could look drastically different after the pandemic as opposed to before the pandemic. That circuit won’t hold any national championships in fall, and most of its conferences have shuttered fall competition. The odds aren’t great action will resume in January of 2021.
    The Government of Canada wouldn’t allow the MLB’s Toronto Blue Jays to play out of Toronto in front of no fans, so what are the odds that gate driven leagues will be able to operate with fans.

Will U of Saskatchewan Huskies football be hurt by not playing in 2020?

    Governments in Canada at the federal, provincial and municipal level don’t seem to be in a rush to allow sports events where around 1,000 people attend let alone attendances that surpass 10,000. In Saskatchewan, stock car circuits are racing in front of gatherings that are allowed to top out at 150 people.

    I have been thinking what my father, the late Dan Steinke, would do when it comes to the business side of the sports world, because he had his share of success in the business world.

    I suspect he would treat the COVID-19 pandemic like the world was in the grips of a world war.  

    Concluding that governments in Canada don’t have a will to allow sports teams to play in front of mass gatherings of people and most avenues to generate revenue have been significantly hurt, my late dad, if he was the owner of a sports team, would likely layoff all the staff and cut everything down to the point where he held just the intellectual property of the team.
    He would put the intellectual property of the team into storage ready for it to be brought back when the pandemic ends.
    My dad would suggest owners of sports teams to follow that course of action, because he would see no value in continually throwing money into a black hole as the end date of the pandemic is uncertain.

What will Makena Kushniruk and the Saskatoon Stars see in 2020-21?

    He wouldn’t like following this course of action, but he would do what needed to be done. If you think about it, 143 days have passed since the sports world in North America proceeded like normal.

    With that in mind, the leaders of teams, leagues and minor sports bodies are working their hardest to figure out the best path in this uncertain time. No one knows what the correct answer will be to get through these pandemic days.

    A bigger than major reboot for the sports world especially in Canada might be unavoidable.

    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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Does a reality check wait as pro sports ramps up in N.A.?

A Sidney Crosby card.

    Business is hitting a higher gear for pro sports in North America as we are only days away from seeing Sidney Crosby and the NHL crew play actual games.

    Actually, we are just three days away from that moment. On Tuesday, Crosby’s Pittsburgh Penguins face their archrivals the Philadelphia Flyers in an exhibition tilt in Toronto, which is the NHL’s hub city for all Eastern Conference action.

    Following that contest, the Toronto Maple Leafs will battle the Montreal Canadiens in Toronto.

    Out in Edmonton on Tuesday which will be the hub city for Western Conference teams, the Edmonton Oilers take on their archrivals the Calgary Flames.

    The post-season official begins on Aug. 1 with five contests that will open the play-in round, which contains eight series that are best-of-five in length.

    The NHL was last in action with five regular season games on March 11. On March 12, the league suspended play due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

    Now about four-and-a-half months later, the 2019-20 NHL campaign is set to resume with games played in arenas without fans in Toronto and Edmonton. The players and team staffs are being kept in nice hotels away from the general public in a bubble type situations.

    The NHL isn’t the only circuit that has gotten going. Major League Baseball held its opening day on Thursday with a pair of games. The New York Yankees downed the Nationals in Washington 4-1 in a game that was shortened to six innings due to weather and the host Los Angeles Dodgers thumped the San Francisco Giants 8-1.

A Carey Price card.

    In Canada on Friday, there was some excited online chatter as the Toronto Blue Jays slipped past the Rays in Tampa Bay 6-4 in the opening regular season game for both those clubs.
    The Blue Jays will be playing the majority of their home games at Sahlen Field in Buffalo, N.Y., after they were unable to get approval from the Government of Canada to get around COVID-19 restrictions to host games in Toronto.

    The WNBA regular season tipped off Saturday with six games at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida. That circuit is set to play its entire campaign at that facility.

    The Canadian Elite Basketball League started its month long Summer Series tournament with a pair of games at the Meridian Centre in St. Catherines, Ont., marking the first professional sports action in Canada since March 11. The entire CEBL tournament will take place at the Meridian Centre.
    On July 30, the NBA resumes its regular season with a pair of games at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at the Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando, Florida.

    NFL players are slated to report to training camps on Tuesday.

A Bo Horvat card.

    The NASCAR Cup Series season and UFC cards have been going full speed ahead since May.

    Those in the amateur sports world in Canada and United States will have their figures crossed looking to see how life unfolds in North America’s pro sports world.

    If these pro sports circuits can finish their seasons with as few hiccups as possible, it increases the optimism the amateur sports world can get going more in full swing.

    In Saskatchewan, sports like golf, baseball and softball are taking part in meaningful competitions on the amateur side.

    If action in the North American pro sports circuits gets derailed by a surge of positive COVID-19 tests, that scenario could cause action that is already going on the amateur sports world to get rolled back. A surge in positive tests is possible as the amount of new COVID-19 cases in the United States seems to increase by an average of 60,000 a day at the moment.

    In Germany, the pro soccer Bundesliga restarted on May 16, and Bayern Munich won an eighth straight league crown. The Bundesliga officially wrapped up on July 6, when Werder Bremen played Heidenheim to a 2-2 draw in a relegation game and avoided being knocked out of Germany’s top professional tier.

    The Bundesliga proved what could be done if focus is maintained regarding virus testing and medical protocols.

    Even with the success the Bundesliga had and the momentum the pro sports circuits in North America have, there is still uneasiness on the amateur side of sports in North America.

A Brendan Gallagher card.

    This past Monday, the Southwestern Athletic Conference postponed all fall sports due to the COVID-19 pandemic including football, and it is an NCAA Division I conference. The SWAC still aims to get football going with a seven-game conference schedule for football starting with an eight-week training period in January 2021.
    The QMJHL has started to adjust its plans for the 2020-21 campaign. That circuit will shorten its regular season from 68 to 60 regular season games with the regular season slated to start Oct. 1. The league’s 18 teams will be split into three divisions of six clubs each and squads will only play in-division games.

    At the moment, fans of professional sports in North America have to be pumped action has already started to happen or will happen. In Canada, there will be lots of excitement for the NHL as the Oilers, Flames, Leafs, Canadiens, Vancouver Canucks and Winnipeg Jets will all be part of the play-in round.

    Still, could there be a COVID-19 reality check waiting around the corner that could bring everything to a halt?

    That is the big fear as things play out.

Winterton will always be linked to Raiders, other notes

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The Raiders are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of former Team President and Wall of Honour inductee Doug Winterton. The organization offers its condolences to Doug's family and friends.

A post shared by Prince Albert Raiders (@paraidershockey) on Jul 22, 2020 at 1:41pm PDT

    It is hard to imagine going to a Raiders hockey game in Prince Albert without Doug Winterton in attendance.

    Whenever the Raiders do resume playing home games with fans at the Art Hauser Centre in a world that is caught in the grips of the COVID-19 pandemic, Winterton won’t be sitting his is seat located in the first row of the west end of the facility a couple of sections north of goal on that side of the building.

    He sat in that spot of the Art Hauser Centre next to his wife, Joan, for as long as anyone can remember.

    This past Monday, Doug Winterton passed away of natural causes at age 91. He was born on December 23, 1928 and moved to Winnipeg at age 21, where he met Joan.

    They lived in Manitoba and Alberta before settling in Prince Albert in 1972.

    Upon arriving in Prince Albert, Winterton became involved with the Raiders, who were still playing in the Junior A ranks in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League at that time, and the Cooke Municipal Golf Club.

    Winterton served as the Raiders secretary for seven years and was the club’s president from 1978 to 1980. He was a charter member of the Raiders booster club, and he and Joan were billets for a lengthy stretch during the club’s time in the SJHL.

    Doug Winterton’s involvement and support of the Raiders continued when the club moved to the major junior hockey ranks joining the WHL in 1982.

    This past season, Winterton could still be found volunteering his time to help out in the media and scouts lounge even after he celebrated his 91^st birthday. He was inducted to the Raiders Wall of Honour on September 27, 2013.

    Winterton could tell you stories about the Raiders recalling the team’s entire history for hours and hours. While he had fond memories of the Raiders past, he was really proud of the players coaches and staff of the organization in recent years.

Doug Winterton enjoyed watching the Raiders win the WHL title in 2019.

    When Brayden Pachal, Sean Montgomery, Parker Kelly, Cole Fonstad, Spencer Moe, Zack Hayes, Max Martin and netminder Ian Scott first began playing together in 2016-17 going through growing pains as youngsters posting a 21-44-5-2 regular season record, Winterton saw something special.

    During that 2016-17 season, he would tell anyone that came into the Raiders media and scouts lounge about how much he enjoyed watching how hard that group worked and how much that group was improving as the campaign went on. Winterton said he believed that group of players could do something special.

    On May 13, 2019, Winterton was in his seat to see that core group of eight players help the Raiders as veteran team members win the WHL title. The Raiders claimed Game 7 of the WHL Championship series with an epic 3-2 overtime win over the Vancouver Giants with Dante Hannoun scoring for the Prince Albert side in the extra session.

    Doug and Joan were on their feet cheering and stayed to witness the on-ice post-game celebrations with the Ed Chynoweth Cup for a lengthy amount of time.

    Doug Winterton will be remembered as one of the Raiders most passionate supporters. In spirit, you get a sense he will still be a fixture at their games.

• On Thursday, the Prince Albert Raiders announced they have signed CHL Import Draft selection Uladzislau Shyla to a WHL Standard Player Agreement. Shyla, who is from Minsk, Belarus, was selected by the Raiders in the first round and 45^th overall in the CHL Import Draft held on June 30. The 17-year-old, who stands 5-foot-9 and weighs 147 pounds, had 10 goals and nine assists in 55 games for Belarus’s under-18 team this past season.
• Veteran Regina Leader-Post sports columnist Rob Vanstone was featured in a CTV story in his quest to lose weight and improve his health. CTV’s sports reporter Claire Hanna produced an uplifting piece and that story can be found by clicking right here.
• On Thursday, 15-year-old Brooklin Fry won the Saskatchewan women’s amateur golf championship at The Legends Golf Course in Warman. The Shell Lake product posted a 7-over-par 223 to take the title. Fry, who is set to enter her rookie season with the Prince Albert Northern Bears female under-18 hockey team, had won the Saskatchewan junior girls’ golf title on July 16 in Swift Current. The Saskatchewan men’s mid-amateur golf championship also wrapped up at The Legends Golf Course on Thursday with Danny Klughart of Prince Albert taking that title for a second straight year. On Friday, Saskatoon product Ty Campbell captured the Saskatchewan men’s amateur golf championship at The Legends Golf Course.
• On Friday, Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, who is from Mont-Saint-Hilaire, Que., announced he was opting out of the NFL season due to the COVID-19 pandemic via Twitter. The 29-year-old is the starting right guard for the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs. He has played for the Chiefs since 2014. Duvernay-Tardif graduated from McGill University’s Faculty of Medicine in May 2018 with a doctor of Medicine and a master of surgery. He began working at a long-term care facility in April in Montreal and remained in that role through June. Duvernay-Tardif has decided to continue to work in the health care system and is waiting for another role. Before joining the Chiefs, Duvernay-Tardif played in the U Sports football ranks for the McGill University Redmen.
• Gregg Drinnan continues to do an ace job rounding up how the COVID-19 pandemic has hammered the sports world in his Taking Note blog. His latest offering can be found by clicking right here.

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

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Riley’s day – Huskies OL goes seventh overall to Roughriders

Mattland Riley will be looking to open up huge holes for the Roughriders.

    Mattland Riley will become the latest to live out the Saskatchewan football dream, and he totally deserves that opportunity.

    On Thursday, the Melfort, Sask., product and left guard with the University of Saskatchewan Huskies football team was selected in the first round and seventh overall by the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the CFL Draft. 
    Riley’s selection helps the Huskies uphold their reputation as “O-line U” as the storied U Sports program has a history of sending numerous offensive linemen to the Canadian professional ranks over the years.

    The 23-year-old becomes the latest player to go on the journey of growing up in a smaller Saskatchewan learning the game of football there, moving on to the university ranks and finding his way to the province’s CFL team.

    Riley, who stands 6-foot-3 and weighs 300 pounds, played high school football in the nine-man ranks with his hometown Melfort and Unit Comprehensive Collegiate Comets before joining the Huskies in the U Sports ranks.

    Over the past two seasons, Riley piled up the individual accolades with the Huskies.

Mattland Riley has been an elite pass protector.

    In 2018, Riley was a Canada West all-star and a second team U Sports all-Canadian all-star. He helped the Huskies win the Hardy Cup as Canada West Conference champions.

    In 2019, Riley was again named a Canada West all-star and a first team U Sports all-Canadian all-star. The Huskies finished second in the Canada West Conference with a 5-3 record and advanced to the Hardy Cup title game falling 29-4 to the eventual U Sports champions and Vanier Cup winners in the University of Calgary Dinos.

    Riley, who has used four years of U Sports eligibility, has all the physical tools to succeed at the professional level. He is really skilled at using his hands to tie up the hands and arms of on-rushing defensive linemen.

    The engineering major has smarts too.

    On top of all that, Riley is pretty down to earth, easy going and enjoys each day as it comes. He is pretty humble and never likes to have himself put in front of his teammates as individual awards pile up.

    When he arrives with the Roughriders, he is going to find he has a lot in common personality wise with veteran star offensive left guard in Brendon LaBatte, who grew up in Weyburn, Sask. The main difference between the two is LaBatte likes to race fast stock cars and does that as a hobby.

    Riley is one who legitimately puts the team first. He knows that if the team succeeds he will ultimately find success.

Mattland Riley, right, was a first team U Sports all-Canadian all-star.

    He always notes he plays along with some really good guys on the Huskies offensive line.

Riley will also get to renew some old football ties and seen an old friend when he begins working out with the Roughriders.

    In late November, the Roughriders signed offensive lineman and fellow Melfort product Logan Ferland to their main roster. Ferland was on the Roughriders practice roster last season and played his fifth and final CJFL campaign at left tackle with the Regina Thunder.

    Riley and Ferland were former teammates on the Comets and will now get to reunite in the professional ranks.

    While the spectre of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic hangs over the world having shutdown most walks of life in Canada, Riley has continued to work out at home turning the spare room at his place into a weight room.
    On Thursday, he got to enjoy a great day as all the hard work he has put in and continues to put in has resulted in the chance to live out the Saskatchewan boyhood dream, because he will have a chance to play for the Roughriders.

Mattland Riley, right, is at locking up a D-lineman’s hands.

    Overall, Riley was one of five Huskies player to be selected in the CFL Draft. Defensive end Nicholas Dheilly, who stands 6-foot-4 and weighs 230 pounds, was selected in the fifth round and 46^th overall by the defending Grey Cup champion Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

    Receiver Sam Baker, who stands 6-foot-3 and weighs 205 pounds, was picked in the sixth round and 48^th overall by the Toronto Argonauts.

    Right tackle, Nick Summach, who stands 6-foot-8 and weighs 330 pounds, was selected in the seventh round and 57^th overall by the Edmonton Eskimos. Summach’s selection helps further cement the Huskies reputation as “O-line U.”

    Utility player Colton Klassen, who stands 5-foot-8 and weighs 200 pounds, went in the eighth round and 69^th overall to the Montreal Alouettes. Klassen made an amazing recovery from a season ending broken right leg.

    Defensive end Tom Schnitzler, who played for the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds and is an alumnus of the 22-time CJFL champion Saskatoon Hilltops, was selected in the eighth round and 72^nd overall by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. Schnitzler, who stands 6-foot-5 and weighs 245 pounds, is an accomplished long snapper too.

Mattland Riley (#55) has enjoyed being part of the Huskies O-line.

    The University of Regina Rams had two players picked in the CFL Draft.

    Offensive lineman Theren Churchill, who stands 6-foot-6 and weighs 280 pounds, went in the first round and ninth overall to the Toronto Argonauts.

    Offensive lineman Andrew Becker, who stands 6-foot-3 and weighs 280 pounds, was selected in the sixth round and 49^th overall.

    The British Columbia Lions traded up to get the first overall selection from the Calgary Stampeders in the CFL Draft. In a trade that was announced at the draft, the Lions sent the third and 12^th overall selections to the Stampeders for the first overall pick and 15^th overall selection.

    With the first overall pick, the Lions selected linebacker Jordan Williams, who stands 6-feet and weighs 230 pounds, from the East Carolina University Pirates football team in the NCAA Division I ranks.

CFL seeks financial aid from federal government, other notes

Will the COVID-19 pandemic crush the CFL?

    On Tuesday evening, The Canadian Press broke a story the CFL was looking to the Canadian federal government for financial assistance due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

    After The Canadian Press broke that story, it blew up on all of Canada’s mainstream media outlets. It was even covered by FOX News in the United States.

    The CFL is looking for $30-million in Canadian funds now to manage the impact COVID-19 has had on league business. The circuit is asking for additional assistance for an abbreviated regular season and up to another $120-million in Canadian funds for a completely lost season.

    In other words, the CFL is looking for $150-million in financial assistance if its nine teams are unable to play the 2020 regular season and playoffs.

    The CFL isn’t the only sports organization looking for financial assistance from a government in Canada due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On April 22, the British Columbia Hockey League, which is a junior A circuit, asked the provincial government in B.C. for financial aid.

    On Tuesday, the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League, which is a junior B circuit that has 19 out of its 20 located in B.C., said in a release it will be seeking financial assistance from both the B.C. provincial government and the Canadian federal government.

Will fun times like this return to Mosaic Stadium in Regina?

    On Wednesday, it came out the Canadian Premier League, which is an eight-team professional soccer league, is asking the Canadian federal government for $15-million in financial aid.

    Also on Wednesday on the profession basketball front, Devin Heroux of CBC Sports reported the Canadian Elite Basketball League is looking for a $5-million loan from the Government of Canada to help with finances.

    I have no problem with the CFL going after financial assistance from the Government of Canada. I believe the CFL is a Canadian institution that needs to be preserved.

    I could see the CFL folding if it doesn’t have a season in 2020 and doesn’t receive financial assistance.

    Actually, I do not have a problem with any sports league, sports entity or non-sports business seeking out financial assistance from the Canadian federal government of any of Canada’s provincial governments.

    In order to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, all these governments have ordered shutdowns and prevented all of these entities from doing business. The ability of any of these outlets to bring in revenue has been extremely hampered due to no fault of their own.
    It is highly unlikely any of these sports leagues, sports entities or businesses would be asking for aid if a pandemic didn’t happen. 

Will Canadians like Evan Johnson (#64) be able to show off their skill.

    If the pandemic didn’t happen, all of these entities would go on with business as usual and be healthy.

    They weren’t mismanaged, and they didn’t ask to be forced to shut down by governments.

    If you shut down the entire whole non-essential work sector in society, there will be massive consequences, and these financial aid requests are part of the consequences.

    On Wednesday, Global News national telecast said Statistics Canada had complied data with the cooperation of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, and the numbers aren’t good.

    In that story, Statistics Canada said 53 per cent businesses surveyed reported revenue decreases of 20 per cent or more during the first three months of this year compared to the first three month of last year.

    Statistic Canada said one-third of businesses surveyed reported revenues dropped by 40 per cent or more during the first three months of this year compared to the first three months of last year.

    Out of the businesses surveyed, 41 per cent of businesses have been forced to lay off some employees. In the accommodation and food services sector, 24 per cent of those businesses surveyed said they have laid off all of their workers.

Will Zack Evans, right, be able to keep playing in his home city?

    I suspect if you take out what happened in January and February out of that Global News report the gloom of those numbers would be worse.

    I have no problems with sports leagues, sports entities or non-sports businesses asking for financial assistance from governments in these COVID-19 times. I also realize that there is only so much money to go around.

    Unless the governments of Canada elects to throw open the economy for business as usual, it is hard to optimistic about what could happen to these sports leagues, sports entities or non-sports businesses on the business front.

    One thing is for certain, I can’t see life in Canada returning to what it was on March 10 of this year before all the shutdowns happened until after a lengthy stretch of time passes.

• On Wednesday, Donna Spencer of The Canadian Press wrote a story that quoted a trio of people involved with the now defunct Canadian Women’s Hockey League being upset about men’s professional sports leagues asking for financial assistance. The CWHL folded on May 1, 2019 due to financial difficulties. The article quoted others who worried this will widen the gender gap in sports. Spencer’s piece can be found by clicking right here.
• On Tuesday, the 2020 Hlinka Gretzky Cup hockey tournament, which is an under-18 national team best versus best event, was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Hlinka Gretzky Cup was set for Aug. 3 to 8 in Edmonton and Red Deer, Alta.
• On Tuesday, the Medicine Hat Exhibition and Stampede summer festival scheduled for July 22 to 25 was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• On Tuesday, the Clunie-Cooper Memorial Professional Bull Riding event slated for June 12 to 13 at the Art Hauser Centre in Prince Albert was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• On Tuesday, it was announced the Saskatchewan Summer Games set to run July 26 to Aug. 1 in Lloydminster have been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They are now slated to be held in Lloydminster July 18 to 24 2021.
• On Monday, the Saskatoon Blades signed offensive defenceman Tanner Molendyk to a WHL Standard Player Agreement. The Blades selected the McBride, B.C., product in the first round and fifth overall in the WHL Bantam Draft held on April 22.
• On Wednesday, the Prince Albert Raiders signed defensive defenceman Terrell Goldsmith to a WHL Standard Player Agreement. The Raiders selected the Fort St. James, B.C., product in the first round and 15^th overall in the WHL Bantam Draft held on April 22.
• On Thursday, the University of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s hockey team announced that 21-year-old forward and Saskatoon product Dawson Holt has committed to the team. Holt played for four and a bit seasons with the WHL’s Vancouver Giants from 2014 to 2019. Last season, he started the campaign in the WHL with the Regina Pats before joining Vernon Vipers of the British Columbia Hockey League in the junior A ranks.

    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’ Protas picks up WHL Eastern Conference sportsmanship award

Aliaksei Protas won a WHL Eastern Conference award.

    Aliaksei Protas has continued to rise during his two seasons in the WHL, and it has resulted in a conference award nod.

    On Wednesday, the Belarusian import centre with the Prince Albert Raiders was named the most sportsmanlike player from the WHL’s Eastern Conference. The Western Conference’s most sportsmanlike player honour went to Seth Jarvis, who is a centre for the Portland Winterhawks.

    Protas had a stellar sophomore season with the Raiders leading in the team in scoring with 31 goals and 59 assists for 80 points in 58 regular season games. Out of his 31 goals, seven were game winners.
    He posted a plus-37 rating in the plus-minus department and just eight minutes in penalties.

    A signed NHL Entry Draft selection of the Washington Capitals, Protas is eligible to return to the WHL for a 19-year-old campaign next season.

    Protas joined to the Raiders after being selected in the first round and 26^th overall in the 2018 CHL Import Draft.
    Standing 6-foot-6 and weigh 210 pounds, Protas came to the Raiders with impressive physical tools and soft hands in the offensive zone.

Aliaksei Protas (#21) picked up 59 assists this season.

    As he got used to a new culture in Canada, Protas had a sound rookie regular season in 2018-19 posting 11 goals, 29 assists and a plus-24 rating in 61 regular season games. The Raiders finished first overall in the regular season standings with a 54-10-2-2.

    The product of Vitebsk, Belarus, became a fan favourite as rookie campaign went on, and he picked up the nickname “The Viper of Vitebsk.”

    The 2018-19 regular season was just a small precursor of what was in store for Protas in the post-season.

    In the 2019 WHL playoffs, Protas turned a lot of heads with a number of big performances playing left wing on a line centred by overager Sean Montgomery and Brett Leason staring on right wing.
    Protas appeared in all 23 of the games the Raiders played in the WHL playoffs piling up 12 goals, 10 assists and a plus-12 rating.

Aliaksei Protas topped the Raiders in scoring with 80 points.

    He played a sizable role in helping the Raiders win the Ed Chynoweth Cup as WHL champions for the second time in team history and appearing in the CHL championship tournament – the Memorial Cup.

    In the NHL Entry Draft in June of 2019, the Capitals selected Protas in the third round and 91^st overall. The Capitals has selected Leason in the second round and 56^th overall in that same draft.

    Leason was signed by the Capitals and played this past season with their AHL affiliate the Hersey Bears.

    After all those experiences as a rookie, Protas came back to the Raiders with added jump and confidence.

    Having helped the Raiders finish first in the East Division with a 36-18-6-4 record, Protas was named a WHL Eastern Conference first team all-star last week. His season allowed him to have his name inscribed on the Raiders’ Dave Balon Leading Scorer Award, which was officially presented online on Tuesday.

    Due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the Raiders weren’t able to finish their regular season schedule and the CHL cancelled all its post-season action for all three of its member leagues including the WHL, OHL and QMJHL.

Aliaksei Protas (#21) celebrated lots of goals with his Raiders teammates.

    The Raiders have handed out three more of their team awards so far this week. Sophomore centre Ozzy Wiesblatt took home the Three Stars Award on Tuesday.

    On Wednesday, the Raiders named rookie defencemen Nolan Allan and Landon Kosior as the co-winners of the Belle Merrell and Calla Grasley Award as the team’s scholastic player of the year.

    Also on Wednesday, overage defenceman Jeremy Masella captured the Travis Laycock Award as the team’s humanitarian of the year.

    For Protas, he cemented himself as one of the WHL’s top players in 2019-20. He has the potential to have even better days in the sport of hockey in the years to come.

Hurricanes get two conference front office awards, other notes

Hurricanes GM Peter Anholt, left, was named a top executive.

    As the WHL has continued to roll out its major conference awards online, the Lethbridge Hurricanes took a couple of big honours as far as front office work goes.

    On Tuesday, Hurricanes general manager and alternate governor Peter Anholt was named the executive of the year for the Eastern Conference. Anholt has been with the Hurricanes since the start of the 2014-15 campaign and played a major role in turning the Hurricanes around from being one of the WHL worst franchises into a club that now enjoys elite status.

    This season, the Hurricanes posted a 37-19-2-5 record to finish third in the WHL’s Central Division and eighth overall in the entire league standings. The Hurricanes had locked up a playoff berth for a fifth straight year before the COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of the final part of the regular season and the entire post-season for all CHL leagues.

    Anholt selected Slovakian left-winger Oliver Okuliar in the first round and 49^th overall in the 2019 CHL Import Draft. The 19-year-old finished second in Hurricanes team scoring with 33 goals and 35 assists for 68 points in 55 regular season games to go with a plus-25 rating in the plus-minus department.

    Anholt acquired overage centre Brett Davis in a trade with the Red Deer Rebels to help boost the Hurricanes scoring. In 57 regular season games played between the Rebels and Hurricanes, Davis had 25 goals and 24 assists.

    Anholt brought in depth right-winger Dino Kambeitz to further solidify the Hurricanes offence. The veteran GM added local Lethbridge products in left-winger Zack Stringer and netminder Erick Roest via separate WHL Bantam Drafts.

Zack Stringer was a big local WHL Bantam Draft pick by the Hurricanes.

    Stringer had a solid campaign as a 16-year-old rookie netting 11 goals, 23 assists and a plus-13 rating in 48 regular season games. Roest will attempt to crack the team’s roster next season as a 16-year-old rookie in goal.

    On Friday, the Hurricanes claimed the Eastern Conference business award. The Hurricanes have tried out new things like having intermission segments with skaters dressed in dinosaur costumes and providing more features on their website.

    They strive to give back to the community contributing over $163,000 to communities and organizations in Lethbridge and surrounding area.

    Matt Bardsley, who is the vice-president and general manager of the Kamloops Blazers, was named the Western Conference executive of the year on Friday. Bardsley helped build the Blazers roster and revamp the coaching staff by bringing in Shaun Clouston as head coach to allow the Kamloops club to top the B.C. Division with a 41-18-3-1 mark.

    The Seattle Thunderbirds claimed the Western Conference business award on Friday.

    On Monday, Edmonton Oil Kings head coach Brad Lauer was named the coach of the year for the Eastern Conference. Lauer guided the Oil Kings to the best record in the Eastern Conference and third best overall mark in the league at 42-12-6-4.

    Everett Silvertips head coach Dennis Williams was named the Western Conference’s coach of the year on Monday. Williams guided the Silvertips to the second best record in the WHL at 46-13-3-1.

• On Monday, the XFL filed for bankruptcy citing in a release the harsh economic impacts and uncertainties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The XFL suspended operations on March 12 and laid off most of its employees on Friday. The 2020 campaign was the first of a rebooted XFL and drew a high amount of positive reviews. A rowdy version of the league ran for one season in 2001. The XFL was owned by WWE chairman/president Vince McMahon and Alpha Entertainment. On Wednesday, the WWE laid off a significant number of its performers.
• The 2020 Saskatoon Fringe Festival became a casualty of the COVID-19 pandemic on Tuesday, when it was cancelled. The Fringe Festival was slated to run July 30 to August 8.
• Canada Basketball announced on Tuesday its under-15 and under-17 men’s and women’s national championships set for Aug. 2-9 were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Kingston, Ont., was slated to host the men’s under-15 and under-17 tournaments. Charlottetown, P.E.I., was set to host the women’s under-15 and under-17 tournaments.
• The Canadian Elite Basketball League announced on Wednesday its original regular season start in May had been pushed back to June due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. A league release cited government regulations currently limiting the size of public gatherings and causing the closures of team practice facilities as the reasons for the schedule change. The regular season was originally slated to start on May 7 with the Niagara River Lions hosting the Ottawa Blackjacks. The Saskatchewan Rattlers won last year’s inaugural CEBL championship.
• The Thursday edition of the weekly Quad Town Forum is online, and the Vibank, Sask., publication is well worth the read. Brad Brown, who is the publisher and owner of the Forum, has a great tribute piece on late Edmonton Oilers system forward Colby Cave. As a staffer for the Prairie Post in Swift Current, Brown covered Cave during part of the two-way player’s time with the WHL’s Broncos from 2012 to 2014. Brown typed out a good piece on Prince Albert Raiders 17-year-old rookie defenceman Landon Kosior. I contributed a piece on Saskatchewan Roughriders star left guard Brendon LaBatte. The online version of the Quad Town Forum can be found by clicking right here.
• The feel good tweet of the week so far comes from University of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s basketball team head coach Lisa Thomaidis. She shared a short video put together by team video coach Connor Jay of the squad’s U Sports national title win on March 8. The Huskies downed the Brock University Badgers 82-64 in the national final held in Ottawa, Ont.

It's been 5 weeks since our @USPORTSca National Championship. So grateful to @CJ7Ten for capturing our @HuskieWBB "One Shining Moment" in such a beautiful way. @HuskieAthletics ` pic.twitter.com/GmPVRVrCz1

— Lisa Thomaidis (@LisaThomaidis) April 14, 2020

    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.