NHL’s Battle of Alberta is great sports entertainment

Oilers, Flames run it back in “old school” series

Hockey cards of Connor McDavid and Matthew Tkachuk.

After two games of the Battle of Alberta, we’ve learned Connor McDavid can skate on water and Matthew Tkachuk is working his way to sainthood.

On the ice, McDavid, who is the captain of the Edmonton Oilers, seemingly has the ability to turn water into wine filling highlight reels with the two goals and four assists he has collected in two outings. Tkachuk, who is the high-scoring agitator of the Calgary Flames, showed he does have a heart of gold during a hat trick performance offering to give Oilers pest Evander Kane a few bucks after hearing Kane might be having some money problems.

In an era of sports where rivalries are really lackluster and just rivalries in name only, the Oilers and Flames are seemingly turning back the clock to the 1980s with their best-of-seven NHL Western Conference semifinal series.

Over the first two games of the set at the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary, the Oilers and Flames have done their best to shoot out the lights on the scoreboard. The Flames took a wild Game 1 on Wednesday by a 9-6 final and the Oilers rebounded with 5-3 come-from-behind victory in Game 2 on Friday.

The two sides combined for 23 goals and were one tally shy of equaling the NHL record for most combined goals in the first two games of a playoff series at 24 set in the 1981 post-season by the Boston Bruins and Minnesota North Stars in a first round tilt.

There have been four other post-season series that have opened with a combined 23 goals in the first two games, and all of those sets were played in the 1980s with Wayne Gretzky’s high-octane Oilers being involved in three of those series.

There have been hard hits, scrums, heated exchanges and one-on-one personal rivalries are developing right before the eyes of all onlookers.

With Oilers and Flames meeting in the NHL post-season for the first time since 1991, fans of both teams were hoping to get a rivalry series that lived up to the five playoff encounters the teams had between 1983 and 1991, but there was probably a guarded expectation of realism that likely wouldn’t happen. To the surprise of supporters of both teams, the Oilers and Flames are giving them a Christmas gift in May.

Game 1 of the series has the feeling of chaos. The Flames built a 6-2 advantage only for the Oilers to even the score a 6-6 early in the third period.

A Johnny Gaudreau card.

Calgary closed things out scoring the final three goals of that contest, which included Tkachuk scoring his team’s eighth and ninth tallies to complete a hat trick night. Flames star left-winger Johnny Gaudreau had three assists in the win as well.

On top of the goals, Game 1 of the series had so many side plots happening you could miss something with a blink of an eye.

One of those included Tkachuk trying to get under Kane’s skin regarding reported money troubles the Oilers’ left-winger was facing. In January of 2021, Kane filed for bankruptcy after accruing more that US$26-million in debt.

In Game 2, the Flames took a 3-1 lead early in the second before the Oilers closed the contest scoring four straight goals. McDavid had a goal and an assist, while his high-scoring partner in centre Leon Draisaitl had a goal and two assists.

Like McDavid, Draisaitl has two goals and four assists after the first two games of this series.

In the Game 2 win, the Oilers received a key goal by veteran defenceman Duncan Keith and timely singles from defenceman Evan Bouchard and left-winger Zach Hyman.

As far as personal battles go, Tkachuk is having his aforementioned clash with Kane. Power forwards Zack Kassian of the Oilers and Milan Lucic of the Flames appear to like crossing paths and exchanging pleasantries.

Lucic played for the Oilers before being traded to the Flames before the start of the 2019-20 campaign.

Kane also appeared to have his with issues Lucic too. Near the end of the first period of Game 1, Lucic laid a massive hit on McDavid, and Kane immediately skated in to confront the Flames aggressor.

Overall, this series has been the overall tonic needed to pull in the casual fans. Even here in Saskatoon, the Oilers and Flames jerseys are seemingly popping up everywhere as closet fans continue to emerge.

Often those fans will be sporting jerseys that done of the names of Oilers and Flames players from years gone by.

So far, the Oilers and Flames are delivering great “sports entertainment,” and their games have become must watch television. Concerns for normal strategies and tactics of the game have been thrown out the window.

Instead, we are getting jokes from Flames fans about how difficult it is for Oilers fans to count to nine with regards to Calgary goals scored in Game 1, and Oilers fans joking back they are surprised Flames fans can count past one referencing how many Stanley Cups the Calgary side has won. The Oilers have won the Stanley Cup on five different occasions.

A Leon Draisaitl card.

Now the series shifts to Rogers Place in Edmonton for Game 3 on Sunday, which will on CBC at 6 p.m. Saskatchewan time.

Even people that don’t cheer for either team are going to be tuning in to see what happens next.

In the current day, the Oilers and Flames are showing sports rivalries can still be fun and colourful. That is important to remember, because too many people involved with professional sports forget that pro sports are a part of the entertainment industry.

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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NHL post-season brings much needed fun and entertainment

A Matthew Tkachuk card.

    It feels so great to be hooked into the NHL hockey world now more than ever.

    On July 28, the NHL resumed its 2019-20 campaign after being on pause since March 12 due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic with three exhibition tilts. Skating in the hub cities of Edmonton and Toronto with no fans in either building, NHL teams played a short exhibition schedule to prepare for post-season action.

    On Aug. 1, the NHL post-season opened in those hub cities with 16 teams taking part in a qualifying round that consisted of eight series that were best-of-five in length.
    As those games went on, eight clubs that comprised the top four overall spots in the regular season standings in the Eastern and Western Conferences played round robin games for seeding.

    The eight qualifying round series gave fans the NHL playoff fix they needed in spades. It was so easy to get wrapped up in storylines.

    Calgary Flames left-winger Matthew Tkachuk shined as the punk type pest as the Flames took out the Winnipeg Jets in four games in Edmonton.

    The Jets came unglued in the first game of the series, when their star centre Mark Scheifele was injured on a hit attempt from Tkachuk.

A Mark Scheifele card.

    Tkachuk was trying to finish a check and Scheifele turned awkwardly, avoided most of the contact and was lost for the rest of the series with an Achilles injury.

    After the Flames won Game 1 by a 4-1 score, Jets head coach Paul Maurice went off on Tkachuk saying the Flames forward tried to kick at Scheifele’s Achilles.
    Maurice was pulling classic gamesmanship, because even though Tkachuk is a punk, it is hard to imagine he would have time to even think about intentionally injuring Scheifele on that play with a kick.

    The posturing by Maurice led to the Jets pulling out a 3-2 win in Game 2. However, it seemed the Jets continued to be too distracted by Tkachuk and combined with the injuries piling up on the Winnipeg side, the Flames sealed the series with respective 6-2 and 4-0 victories.

    What makes Tkachuk more infuriating to play against is he puts up good statistics on top of being an agitator. He had a goal and an assist and was a plus-three in the plus-minus department in four games against the Jets.

    Tkachuk appeared in 69 regular season games with the Flames in 2019-20 piling up 28 goals and 38 assists.

A Connor McDavid card.

    The time off the NHL had from March to July provided some unpredictability when the post-season got underway too. That resulted in two of the NHL’s biggest names in Connor McDavid and Sidney Crosby getting eliminated in the qualifying round.

    In McDavid’s case, you also expected deep down the superstar centre would have a good series, but his Edmonton Oilers would still get knocked out of the playoffs.

    The Oilers proved they are the modern day “weak-kneed wimps” and couldn’t be saves by McDavid piling up five goals and four assists. They were eliminated by the 12-seeded Chicago Blackhawks in four games.

    In a normal season, the Blackhawks, who were the final Western Conference team placed in the post-season, wouldn’t have a sniff of the playoffs. Still, they had been improving during a reloading year with steady star veterans and young guns that were ready to take off.

    On the veteran side, Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane showed a pedigree that allowed the Blackhawks to win three Stanley Cup titles in the 2010s. Chicago netminder Corey Crawford rounded back into his post-season best form.
    Young 19-year-old centre Kirby Dach established that he could be a force with the Blackhawks piling up four assists and a plus-three rating. 

A Sidney Crosby Card.

    The graduate of the WHL’s Saskatoon Blades threw some big hits and executed tough defensive assignments against the Oilers biggest stars.

    Crosby and his Pittsburgh Penguins were done in by a tough goalie in Montreal Canadiens netminder Carey Price.

    Price stopped 126-of-133 shots fired his way for a .947 save percentage as the Canadiens, who were the 12^th seed in the Eastern Conference, took out the Penguins in four games.

    Crosby did collect a pair of goals and an assist for the Penguins in the series loss.
    Then there was the Toronto Maple Leafs. Loaded with young stars, they still couldn’t find a way to produce a long playoff run playing a back-and-forth qualifying series with the Columbus Blue Jackets that went to a series deciding Game 5.

    The Maple Leafs series with the Blue Jackets was the only qualifying series to go the distance. In that Game 5 that was played Sunday in Toronto, Blue Jackets netminder Joonas Korpisalo made 33 saves in his team’s 3-0 shutout win to take the series 3-2.

    For haters of the Maple Leafs, Sunday was an annual day of joy and celebration.

    Overall, the qualifying round of the NHL playoffs allowed the mind for a few hours to get immersed in the familiar ritual of following hockey playoffs.

    No matter who you follow, it was fun to have that back in life again, and here is to the rest of the NHL playoffs going off without a hook.

Hurricanes are good for the NHL playoffs, other notes

We the North Carolina pic.twitter.com/qxiwgkg2t8

— Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) August 5, 2020

    It is so great to have the Carolina Hurricanes in the NHL playoffs.

    The staffers that work in their communications, social media and marking departments are the best. The Hurricanes swept the New York Rangers 3-0 in a best-of-five qualifying series. Before taking Game 3 of the set 4-1 on Aug. 4, the Hurricanes put up a beauty tweet on Twitter.

    Playing in the hub city of Toronto, the Hurricanes on Aug. 4 walked past the lighted up sign of the NBA’s Toronto Raptors to get to the ice surface. The Raptors won last year’s NBA title.

    Hurricanes Twitter showed video of their players walking by that Raptors sign and put up the caption, “We the North Carolina.”

    It was funny.

    Of course, it played off the Raptors slogan, “We the North.”

    Still, it is those type of little things from Hurricanes Twitter that make the NHL playoffs that much more fun.

The Hurricanes made David Ayres famous.

    The Hurricanes have hit a few homers in the last couple of years. They made emergency backup goalie David Ayres famous after he dressed for the Hurricanes on Feb. 22 and entered their regular season game after both regular Carolina netminders went down with injury.

    The 42-year-old Ayres turned away eight of 10 shots sent his way picking up a regular season win as the Hurricanes beat the host Maple Leafs in Toronto 6-3.

    Following that contest, Ayres went on seemingly a hero’s tour across North America.

    Last season, the Hurricanes advanced to the Eastern Conference Championship series and sold a tonne of T-shirts with a “bunch of jerks” written on them after long time hockey commentator Don Cherry used that line to describe that hockey club.

    As the playoffs move along, you wonder what the Hurricanes office crew will come up with next.

• Phase 2 of the confusing 2020 NHL Draft Lottery goes Monday at the NHL Network studios in Secaucus, N.J. The first overall pick for the NHL Entry Draft tentatively scheduled for Oct. 9 and 10 is still up for grabs. Left-winger Alexis Lafreniere of the QMJHL’s Rimouski Oceanic is expected to be the first overall selection.
• On Friday, the NHL’s Washington Capitals loaned centre Aliaksei Protas to Dinamo Minsk of the Kontinental Hockey League to start the 2020-21 campaign. Last season, Protas topped the WHL’s Prince Albert Raiders in scoring with 31 goals and 59 assists for 80 points in 58 regular season games. He had a plus-37 rating in the plus-minus department. Protas is eligible to return to the Raiders for his 19-year-old season. The start of the WHL’s regular season has been pushed back to Dec. 4 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Protas is expected to be recalled when activities start for the 2020-21 season in the NHL or WHL.
• I had a pair of stories appear on the newly created Howe Happenings blog that was created for the Gordie Howe Sports Complex. The post “Aiming for new future heights building on a storied past” about the evolution of the Gordie Howe Sports Complex Management Corporation can be found by clicking right here. The story “McCullough’s day at Bob Van Impe” about Devon McCullough’s glorious win at softball worlds in 2015 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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“Willo” deserves professional shot with CWHL’s Inferno

Expect Huskies’ alum to give effort to earn place at next level

Kaitlin Willoughby celebrates an OT goal in January of 2017.

    Could Kaitlin Willoughby live out a situation that is meant for a dream in Calgary?

    From 1996 to 2013, Jarome Iginla starred at right wing for the Calgary Flames, and when he left the Saddledome after practice or a team function, he almost always stopped at the gates to the team parking lot and signed autographs for all the fans that were waiting there. He became one of the Flames most beloved players thanks to the culmination of small little actions like that.

    Willoughby, who graduated as the captain of the University of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s hockey team after last season, may one day have to stop and sign autographs for fans outside of the home rink of the Calgary Inferno of the Canadian Women’s Hockey League.

    On Sunday, the 23-year-old Prince Albert, Sask., product, who originally hails from Canwood, Sask., was selected in the seventh round and 37^th overall in the CWHL Draft held in Toronto, Ont., by the Inferno. The Inferno have a partnership with the Flames making the NHL franchise a major supporter of the CWHL club.

    The CWHL is a professional women’s hockey league established in 2007, and it mimics the National Lacrosse League in establishing a sustainable business model.

    Willoughby announced publically on her Twitter account on Sunday she plans to follow through on her draft selection and join the Inferno. Inferno training camp is slated to run Sept. 19 to 23 in Calgary. The CWHL regular season usually begins in October.

Kaitlin Willoughby gets set to fire a shot on goal for the Huskies.

    A number of steps still have to transpire for Willoughby, who stands 5-foot-6, to ever attain star status in the CWHL. The speedy and skilled right-winger is part of the top one per cent of female players in Canada, and she deserves this opportunity.

    During her time with the Huskies, Willoughby finished as the second all-time leading scorer with the program recording 111 career points in 132 regular season games. Her career regular season goal total of 50 ranks third all-time and career regular season assist total of 61 is fourth all-time in team history.

    Last season, Willoughby finished fifth in Canada West regular season scoring with nine goals and 10 assists in 26 regular season games.

    She has attended the women’s summer camp run by Hockey Canada in 2016, 2017 and earlier this month and helped Canada win silver at FISU Winter Universiade in Almaty, Kazakhstan, in February of 2017.

    Still, Willoughby will join the Inferno coming in as an underdog looking to make an impact on the CWHL ranks. If she makes an impact, she could possibly open more doors in her hockey future like getting a shot to make Canada’s senior national women’s team.

    The six-team CWHL is made up of players from Canada, the United States and Europe who are all part of the top one per cent of female players in the world. Willoughby will be facing numerous players that are veterans of senior national team programs and have played in the Winter Olympics.

    At this point in time, Willoughby will likely rank at the bottom of that top one per cent of female players in the world. That won’t change until she does something to raise her stature at that level.

    Willoughby will be really busy with her new life as a professional player as well, but she has already handled schedules that contain very little down time. The CWHL is also a working women’s league, where most of the players work full-time career jobs away from the game.

Kaitlin Willoughby gets set to start a rush up ice for the Huskies.

    Players can earn $2,000 to $10,000 per season playing in the CWHL and teams operate under a salary cap of $100,000. Willoughby is still finishing her studies in the nursing program at U of S, so her efforts to finish that program will have to be worked around her hockey schedule similarly to when she played with the Huskies last season.

    In order for female players to continue with hockey at an elite level when their university careers wrap up, everyone who is part of a players’ support system have to be “all in” to make it work.

    Willoughby has had the unconditional support of her family and friends since her minor hockey beginning in Canwood, and the number of people who back her have multiplied over the years. She will have the support system, when she makes that jump to become a pro.

    As far as the on-ice aspect of game is concerned, Willoughby needs to play in the CWHL and with the top one per cent of players in the world to get even better at the game. When she starts skating with the Inferno on the CWHL circuit, Willoughby will likely find she likes it.

    Everybody will have an elite skill set, and she will start to realize there are more opportunities to be creative with her linemates. She will probably discover she has more space to make plays due to the fact she won’t be the target of agitator type players that will try to do something underhanded to get her off her game like in the U Sports ranks.

    At the CWHL level, anyone trying to engage in an agitation type tactic really opens themselves up to being exploited by a skilled play.

Kaitlin Willoughby looks to make a play in the offensive zone.

    Most of the other players in the CWHL are usually good character persons, so Willoughby will find that enjoyable too.

    One thing that Willoughby does have that gives her an advantage over the other players in the league is the fact she can respond and act in a positive way when things go wrong or there is a really disappointing outcome in a big game. On the media front, Willoughby can responsibly handle tough questions from a tough and even a controversial loss, and she can get herself refocused to do better the next time out.

    While the most of the players in the CWHL are good character people, a lot of them don’t know how to handling things when the water gets really rough, because they have never experienced that before. With the CWHL’s playoff and all-star games airing on television, the intangible of Willoughby’s ability to handle that type of adversity has to be remembered.

    In getting to this point in her hockey career, Willoughby has earned her way here. Playing for the Prince Albert Northern Bears female midget AAA team from 2008 to 2013, she recorded 34 goals and 63 assists in 96 career regular season games. She was the team’s captain in her final season with the Bears.

    Skating in an era of the SFMAAAHL when players like Emily Clark, who is now on Canada’s senior national women’s team, and Olivia Howe were putting up insane point totals, Willoughby was viewed as a good player but not a guaranteed blue-chip prospect. She improved greatly during her university career and outscored and outperformed players that scored more than she did in the midget AAA ranks.

    In my time dealing with Willoughby, I will never say she can’t do something lofty or seemingly unattainable, because I will end up looking bad, when she goes out and does it.

    Willoughby still has potential to keep improving in the future, and her best is still yet to come. It is great to see that she will have a chance to reach new peaks in the sport.

Beyond excited to begin my professional hockey career and for my future with the Calgary Inferno!! https://t.co/oufunqJPbo

— Kaitlin Willoughby (@willowtree92) August 26, 2018

Back in the Express with cover story on Dach

The cover of this week’s edition of the Express.

    I was back in the Saskatoon Express this week with a cover story on Saskatoon Blades centre Kirby Dach.

    The Fort Saskatchewan, Alta., product is entering his 17-year-old sophomore season with the Blades. As a 16-year-old rookie last season in the WHL, Dach piled up seven goals and 39 assists in 52 regular season games.

    Earlier this month, Dach helped Canada win gold at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, which was held jointly in Edmonton and Red Deer, Alta. The Hlinka Gretzky Cup is the annual best-versus-best under-18 hockey tournament.

    At that event, Dach played right wing on a line that featured Peyton Krebs of the WHL’s Kootenay Ice at centre and Alexis Lafreniere of the QMJHL’s Rimouski Oceanic at left wing. Dach netted two goals and five assists helping Canada post a 5-0 record at that event.

    I came away from the one-on-one interview with Dach more impressed than I had been with him before. I liked the demeanour he had, when I asked him about handling agitation tactics from opposing teams in the WHL.

    His approach is similar to what former Regina Pats star centres Adam Brooks and Sam Steel and former Swift Current Broncos star right winger Tyler Steenbergen follows. That is a very good sign for Dach.

    The hard copies of the Express containing the story on Dach can be found at stands and locations throughout Saskatoon. You can also check out the story on Dach by clicking on the link right here.

Four years ago today Sermon goes live

    Crazy to think that four years ago today the first post ever went live here on the Stanks’ Sermon blog.

    I started this blog more as a vehicle to get back to writing. I had left my position as a sportswriter with the Medicine Hat News on June 30, 2014 to make a family move to Saskatoon.

    I had been settled in Saskatoon for about a month, when I typed my first post. That post contained thoughts that ran through my head on what it was like to be back in Saskatoon and back living in the province of Saskatchewan.

    I was trying to figure out what my role and identity would be in the community. I find that it has seemed to change over the last four years.

    I have enjoyed continuing to cover the sports scene through this blog. I have gained a tonne more awesome memories I never thought I would make, when I arrived in Saskatoon a little over four years ago.

    With that in mind, I don’t plan to look back at various memories I have made at this moment. I love marveling how simple my first post looked. It didn’t contain a single picture, which is one aspect I know everyone enjoys when they see my posts.

    If you like to look back on that first post from August 29, 2014, you can do so 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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    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.

Rally for Smuk gains momentum again

Cody Smuk gets set to drop the puck for a ceremonial faceoff.

    Losing is not an option for Cody Smuk and his family and friends.
    Since his Cancer diagnosis in May of last year, the former member of the University of Saskatchewan Huskies men's hockey team and his supporters have put up a fight that has been worthy of winning the Stanley Cup. With the latest challenge in that battle, Smuk and his supporters are showing they will go beyond even that effort to win this fight.
    At first, Smuk was diagnosed with testicular cancer, and he had a tumour in his right lung that was causing concern. His friends and family rallied.
    Last June, his girlfriend and now fiancée Stephanie Vause and her sister, Leah (Vause) Lewis, set up a profile for Smuk on the GoFundMe.com website to raise funds to help with expenses during his cancer treatments. Over $20,000 was raised in a three-day period.
    The cancer battle took an upward swing. Smuk, who stands 5-foot-11, completed his original chemotherapy treatments on Aug. 11, 2014, and good news kept coming back from subsequent visits to the doctor for the man that played in the WHL with the Chilliwack Bruins, Lethbridge Hurricanes and Moose Jaw Warriors.
    Things were going so good that in November of 2014 Smuk donated $10,000 from the GoFundMe.com money to Choc 'la Cure, which raises fund for equipment for the Saskatoon Cancer Centre. He also had surgery to remove the tumour in his right lung that month and optimism was high that the cancer battle was about to be won.
    Then, the next setback came. Shortly before Christmas of last year, Smuk was informed the tumour that was removed had evidence of uniqueness to it. He discovered he was dealing with another type of cancer that was usually found in children, and there were signs that the tumour that used to be in his right lung was growing back.

Cody Smuk drops the puck for a ceremonial faceoff before a Huskies game.

    In response, both the men's and women's Huskies hockey teams held fundraising game nights in January for cancer fighting charities in Smuk's honour. He dropped the puck for a ceremonial faceoff before a men's hockey game between the Huskies and University of Alberta Golden Bears on Jan. 31.
    Last Sunday, more tough news followed. Smuk's family announced the treatment plan for the 25-year-old had changed. The hard working and team first forward on the ice found out the tumour in the right side of his chest was having a mixed response to three months of chemotherapy treatments.
    Doctors also said the tumour was inoperable because of its mass and location in Smuk's chest. As a result of this news, Smuk will seek alternative treatments in place of chemotherapy.
    Smuk and Vause are departing for Germany on Sunday, where Smuk will undergo a vaccine treatment. Doctors there plan to boost Smuk's immune system by taking a sample of the tumour in his chest and create a vaccine for it. Other treatments will be decided upon once Smuk arrives.
    The treatments and trips add up to an expensive cost, and Smuk's family was once again engaged with fundraising through the GoFundMe.com account hoping to hit a goal of raising $100,000.

Cody Smuk and Stephanie Vause watch a Huskies game.

    In November of 2014, the account sat at $33,000. Last Monday, the account sat with just over $40,000. On Friday as the lunch hour neared, the account had grown to just over $80,000.
    A large number of current and past members of various Huskies teams and the Warriors spread news of Smuk's situation through social media sites like Facebook and Twitter. A steak night fundraiser has been planned for 6 p.m. on Thursday, June 4, at the Kinsmen/Henk Ruys Soccer Centre for when Smuk returns to Saskatoon. Tickets will be $25 for adults and $15 for children, but a date for when ticket sales are to start is still to be determined.
    Smuk has always been a likable and community minded person. During his cancer battle, he has tried to spread the work about others who are also enduring their own fights with the disease.
    Through the journey, Smuk and Vause have remained positive and upbeat, which in itself has been inspiring for family and friends. Smuk won't quit and his supporters won't give in until this battle is won in spite of any obstacle that comes along the way. They want to ensure this heartwarming story has a positive and inspiring outcome.
    For those looking to donate to Smuk's GoFundMe.com account, they can do so by clicking here.

Stars stars capture Esso Cup awards

Sophie Shirley (#8) was named the MVP of the Esso Cup tournament.

    The accolades keep pouring in for Saskatoon Stars forwards Sophie Shirley and Nara Elia.
    The two standouts captured big honours at the Esso Cup female midget AAA national championship tournament taking place in Red Deer, Alta. On Friday, Shirley was named the tournament's most valuable player and won the top scorer award piling up seven goals and six assist in the preliminary round. Elia was named the most sportsmanlike player, while recording four goals and five assists.
    Karli Shell of the Sudbury Lady Wolves took home honours as the event's top forward, her teammate Danika Ranger was named the top goaltender and Tamara McVannel of the Central Plains Capitals, who are based out of Portage la Prairie, was named the top defensive player.

Nara Elia was name the Esso Cup's most sportsmanlike player.

    The Stars finished second after the round robin portion of the six-team tournament in second place with a 4-1 record. They opened the tournament last Sunday falling to the Lady Wolves 4-1, but proceeded to roll off four straight wins.
    During their current four-game winning streak, the Stars downed the Capitals 3-2 on Monday, the Edmonton Thunder 5-3 on Tuesday, the Red Deer Chiefs 3-2 on Wednesday and the Moncton Rockets 7-1 on Thursday.
    Saskatoon faces host Red Deer (2-2-1) in one semifinal tonight at 7 p.m. Saskatchewan time. The other semifinal, which is set for 3:30 p.m. Saskatchewan time, features the Lady Wolves (4-1) taking on the Capitals (2-1-0-2).
    The Esso Cup concludes on Saturday with a bronze medal game set for 12 p.m. Saskatchewan time and the gold medal final set for 3:30 p.m. Saskatchewan time. The gold final will be broadcast on TSN5.

Ferland's feel good story

Michael Ferland, centre, shown on TV on the Flames bench.

    It is safe to say that former Saskatoon Blades forward Michael Ferland has become one of the top feel good stories of the NHL playoffs.
    Now a member of the Calgary Flames, the 23-year-old product of Swan River, Man., celebrated his one-year sobriety anniversary on March 27. He opened up to the Calgary media about his journey to quit drinking on his sobriety anniversary day and big support poured in from Flames fans in Calgary ever since.
    During the playoffs, Ferland, who stands 6-foot-2 and weighs 215 pounds, has developed an even larger fan following after developing into a power forward that lays out all sorts of bone-crunching hits. As the Flames built a 3-2 lead in their best-of-seven opening round series with the Vancouver Canucks, Ferland has talked often about his story to the media and continues to be a prime choice as a post-game interview candidate due to his play. The Flames will try to eliminate the Canucks in Game 6 on Saturday in Calgary.
    Ferland has recorded an assist, a plus-two rating in the plus-minus department and 21 penalty minutes in Calgary's five post-season games, but his impact on the forecheck has been huge. His physical play has become more pronounced than it was in his WHL days with the Blades and Brandon Wheat Kings, where he had 88 goals, 123 assists and 301 penalty minutes in 215 career regular season games.
    Ferland split time in the regular season between the NHL Flames and their American Hockey League affiliate in Adirondack. In total, he played 26 regular season games with the NHL Flames collecting two goals, three assists, a plus-one rating and 16 penalty minutes.
    He has received huge credit for his success in his quest to stay sober. The Flames organization itself should be given huge credit too.
    Shortly before he quit drinking, Ferland, who was selected in the fifth round and 133^rd overall in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft by Calgary, broke down and opened up about his battles during a one-on-one meeting with Calgary head coach Bob Hartley. The Flames proceeded to give Ferland the help he needed. Since the Flames took that action, Ferland has taken off.
    It is safe to say there are still far too many professional sports teams that wouldn't have done what the Flames did, and it is conceivable to believe a number of other NHL teams would have released Ferland. That observation likely holds true with the everyday working world, which is also unfortunate.
    Hopefully one day what Ferland and Flames did will be the norm and not the exception.
    I was also able to interview Ferland for a story for the Saskatoon Express before the NHL playoffs started, and that piece can be found right here.

    If you have any comments about this blog, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

My love-hate relationship with the NHL playoffs

The Calgary Flames and Vancouver Canucks battle on television.

    Oh NHL playoffs, you are so good to me and so bad to me.
    I love your day to day drama. I can't get enough of seeing the reaction from everyone over the P.K. Subban slash on Mark Stone.
    That line brawl between the Calgary Flames and the Vancouver Canucks on Friday night had me full awake as the 11 p.m. hour neared here in Saskatoon. I couldn't get enough of the shenanigans between Derek Dorsett and Deryk Engelland.
    As I watch Detroit play Tampa Bay as I write this blog post, I perked up during a first period line scrum.
    I also loved seeing the New York Rangers jump out to an early 2-0 lead on the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday night and hold on for a 2-1 victory. I was compelled by how ordinary Sidney Crosby looked only recording one shot on goal and finishing at a minus-one in the plus-minus department. I wondered if this could be the end of the Penguins being considered a serious contender in the present and in the future.
    Kris Russell blasting home a late winner for the Flames in their 2-1 victory over the Canucks in Game 1 of their series was cool to watch. So was Alex Galchenyuk's overtime goal celebration for the Montreal Canadiens in their Game 2 victory on Friday over the Ottawa Senators.

    Unfortunately NHL playoffs, there is a drawback. You are starting to take up too much of my time.

Petr Mrazek looks shocked on television during a Detroit loss to Tampa Bay.

    For the first time in about 14 years, my evenings have been cleared of work. I am plunking myself in front of the television and watching you all the time.
    The weather for most of the past week in Saskatoon has been good. I should have tuned up my bikes and gone for a ride. I should have gone out for a walk or a run on the Meewasin Trail.
I should be trying to set up visits with family or friends. You distract me as I try to work out, and as a result, I am planning my workout schedule around you.
    Due to the fact you are on television so much, you are preventing me from doing a pile of other tasks I should be doing in my day to day life.
    But, you are able to catch my attention like the way you notice someone as beautiful as Carrie Underwood walking down the street. Actually, you are able to bring her into my living room too as she watches husband Mike Fisher play for the Nashville Predators. Those camera crews show those lovely pictures of Underwood in her Predators gear to keep me further hooked in.

Derek Dorsett fight Deryk Engelland on television.

    Oh NHL playoffs, you also tease me with the fact that five Canadian based teams are among the 16 clubs battling for the Stanley Cup. As a topper, I get to watch the Winnipeg Jets compete in an NHL post-season for the first time in 19 years.
    The Jets are my favourite team, and I have dug out old items from the past for this year's "Whiteout." I have proudly worn my 1980s white Dale Hawerchuk jersey and my 1990s white Keith Tkachuk jersey. My current era white Jets jersey is a Dustin Byfuglien beauty.
    I was so crushed when their 2-1 lead over the Anaheim Ducks disappear and turn into a 4-2 setback in Game 1 of that series on Thursday night. In defeat, I did appreciate how gifted Ducks forwards Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf were in combining for three goals and four assists.
    As a fan, I do see Perry as a little punk, but he is a likable little punk. If Perry played for the Jets, I would be doing the big fist pump and would be super happy he played for my team.
    When the games go on, I also find myself making comments both serious and humourous on the games, and one like or retweet is enough to keep me going. Seeing Theo Fleury's comments about the Flames also keeps me engaged.

I am all set to watch the Winnipeg Jets play on television.

    Yes NHL playoffs, you are becoming an addition. On the plus side, I am good at recognizing behaviours that become an addition, and you are the type of addition I can put on the shelf with a snap of a finger.
    But right now, I don't want to. Please keep teasing me NHL playoffs and keep holding my attention with all your dramas. You are a great distraction.
    And if you could, please allow my Winnipeg Jets to win tonight. That would be really good.

    If you have any comments about this blog, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

Rare chance escapes Huskies

Ben Baker quarterbacks an offensive set for the Huskies.

    The University of Saskatchewan Huskies men's basketball team were minutes if not seconds away from a dream Saturday night.
    Playing at the Physical Activity Complex before a crowd of 1,802 spectators, the Huskies were trying to win their first Canada West championship on home court. For a program that has one modern era Canada West title win and one national championship coming in the 2009-10 campaign, Saturday's conference title game against the University of Victoria Vikes presented a unique opportunity.
    It was obvious from the outset the crowd was energized with hopes of celebrating a title win at game's end. The PAC was alive and rocking way beyond anything that was seen in the regular season, when an average of about 600 people turned out for hoops games. It was a dream those involved with Huskie Athletics had envisioned when the PAC replaced Education Gym as the home of the program's teams in 2003.
    The PAC was full of a large number of members from all the other Huskies teams, whose respective competitive seasons had come to an end. There was also a big representation for the community at large, who were checking the game out intrigued by the excitement.
    The raucous gathering witnessed an epic contest, which showed Canadian Interuniversity Sport hoops at its best. Unfortunately, the home side didn't win.
    The Vikes pulled out a 70-67 victory. When it came time for the banner and trophy presentations, most of the crowd had bolted for the exits.

Matthew Forbes battles in the post for the Huskies.

    By making the Canada West final, both teams earned spots in the CIS men's championship tournament, which starts this coming Thursday and runs through to Sunday at the Mattamy Athletic Centre in Toronto hosted by Ryerson University. In Friday's Canada West semifinal games, the Huskies knocked off the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds 81-75, while Vikes dumped the University of Fraser Valley Cascades 86-61.
    Even with their spots at nationals all locked away, the Huskies and Vikes played like their seasons were on the line.
    The Vikes led by 14 points at one point in the second quarter, but the Huskies roared back to hold a 10-point edge at one point in the third quarter in a back-and-fourth contest.
    Huskies guard Ben Baker, who was the Canada West defensive player of the year, was outstanding in leading the Huskies with 21 points and 10 rebounds. Guard Evan Ostertag came off the bench to provide huge energy for the home side and 17 points.
    Vikes guard Marcus Tibbs had a huge outing for the Vikes leading all scorers with 25 points, while dishing out seven assists.
    The Vikes held a 41-32 lead at halftime, but the Huskies rebounded to hold a 60-56 edge after three quarters. The teams were locked in a 65-65 draw with 3:44 to play in the fourth quarter, when the defences came to dominate on both sides.
    The Vikes outscored the Huskies 5-2 over the final 3:44. The hosts also had a basket taken off the scoreboard due to an offensive charging foul.
    Tibbs put the Vikes up 67-65 with a jumper. Huskies forward Matthew Forbes hit a pair of three-throws to force a 67-67 tie.
    With an even score, Tibbs hit a baseline jumper, which resulted in the game-winning points. Vikes forward Chris McLaughlin, who is the Canada West player-of-the-year, hit a foul shot to give the visitors their 70-67 edge.
    Baker attempted a three in the game's final seconds to try to force overtime, but facing huge defensive pressure, his shot was off target.

The U of Victoria Vikes celebrate a Canada West title.

    Had the Huskies won, they would have been able to soak in the attention from family, friends, classmates and fellow Huskie athletes in the post-game celebrations. The chance for a rare home celebration was gone. They had finished first in the Pioneer Division to earn the chance to host the Canada West Final Four, but those types of regular seasons don't come around that often, even if the team is good.
    With all that said, the Huskies can make the disappointment of not winning the Canada West title go away, if they can capture a second national title. They enter the eight-team CIS tournament as the lowest seed and open against the Carlton University Ravens, who have won the last four CIS titles and 10 CIS titles in total.
    The Huskies will be the underdogs going forward. Back in 2009-10, the Huskies were also the underdogs in a national title run that came virtually out of nowhere. They finished that campaign with 13 straight victories to win it all.
    While winning a national title would make the setback in the Canada West final mostly forgettable, a home court victory party would have been a nice memory to have.

Heartbreak in Vancouver

Kelsey Trulsrud - a heart and soul Huskie.

    A March Madness type finish proved to be the difference in preventing the U of S Huskies women's basketball team from winning the Canada West title for a second straight season.
    On Saturday night in Vancouver, the Huskies led the host UBC Thunderbirds 68-67 with about 15 seconds to play. Huskies guard Kelsey Trulsrud was at the free-throw line for a pair of shots trying to extend the lead for the visitors.
    Trulsrud missed both attempts. Thunderbirds guard Kris Young hauled in the rebound from the second miss, went coast-to-coast and hit a runner off the glass with 7.8 seconds to play to give the Thunderbirds a 69-68 victory. The Huskies couldn't get a shot off with their final possession.
    Young, who was the Canada West player-of-the-year, topped the Thunderbirds with 21 points, while forward Harleen Sidhu added 18 points to aid the winning effort by the hosts.
    Laura Dally had a huge night for the Huskies leading the team with 21 points, which included making 4-of-8 shots from three-point land. Trulsrud, who is one of those heart-and-soul players you need in the dressing room, had a strong outing too recording 15 points, 12 rebounds and four assists. One of the Huskies most unsung players, it was more unfortunate than anything that she wasn't able to make the two foul shots in the final seconds of the fourth quarter.
    The Huskies entered the Canada West final riding a 16-game winning streak and had downed the University of Alberta Pandas 77-61 in a Canada West semifinal match on Friday.
    Both the Huskies and Thunderbirds earned spots to the eight-team CIS women's championship tournament that begins Thursday in Quebec City at the Universite Laval.

Schlemko can be a good surprise

David Schlemko at the 2007 Memorial Cup.

    It only took one NHL game for Calgary Flames supporters to know who David Schlemko was.
    In his debut with the Flames, the veteran 27-year-old defenceman scored a spectacular winning goal in a tiebreaking shootout to give Calgary a 4-3 road victory over the Bruins in Boston last Thursday. The tally was replayed on numerous sports highlight shows.
    The Edmonton product is also in the final year of his current contract and has been bounced around this season. He started the season with the Arizona Coyotes. Entering the current campaign, Schlemko had played his entire professional career with the Coyotes organization.
    After recording a goal, three assists and a minus-five rating in 20 regular season games this season with the Coyotes, Schlemko was put on waivers and claimed by the Dallas Stars. He played five games with the Stars before being placed on waivers again, where he was claimed by the Flames.
    Going back to his major junior days with the Medicine Hat Tigers, Schlemko developed a reputation as being an even-keel player with a nice offensive touch and someone who is just an all-around good guy. He also became well known as a shootout specialist, who score goals in the tiebreaking session with an arsenal of moves.
    In the NHL ranks, Schlemko has only received two opportunities in the shootout, and he scored on both of them.
    Before joining the Flames, Schlemko had appeared in 212 NHL regular season games dating back to the 2007-08 campaign. As NHL teams have a tendency to constantly bring in young prospects, it looked like with two waiver placements that Schlemko might get forced out of the league. That happens to a number of players in his situation, even though he could hardly be considered old for a professional hockey player.
    If he is given a fair opportunity and allowed to use his strengths, Flames supporters will likely see their team received a gift in being able to pick up Schlemko. When the Flames campaign does end, the likelihood is very high Schlemko will do enough that Flames management will be convinced to sign him to a new deal.

    If you have any comments about this blog, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.