Raiders versus Tigers – a battle of legacy franchises

Mike Modano and Trevor Linden hockey cards.

So who is the better player – Mike Modano or Trevor Linden?

If you remember this question or debate and you live in Prince Albert or Medicine Hat, you are – like me I hate to say it – old or getting older. The question does show that the paths of the Prince Albert Raiders and the Medicine Hat Tigers have been intertwined in the past.

The Raiders and Tigers - they are two of Canada’s legacy junior hockey franchises.

The Raiders were born in 1971 as a junior A team. They won the Centennial Cup as national junior A champions in 1977, 1979, 1981 and 1982. After the second Centennial Cup win, Raiders legendary head coach and general manager Terry Simpson foresaw the day was coming soon that he thought the community owned franchise in “Hockey Town North” needed a bigger challenge.

While Simpson will downplay and say he had a small role in the Raiders moving from junior A to the major junior ranks, you will admit when sitting and talking to him about those times he envisioned the great things that came for the Raiders at that time in history. The Raiders jumped to the WHL, which is one of the CHL’s three major junior circuits, for the start of the 1982-83 campaign.

This column of mine appeared in the Prince Albert Daily Herald. To read the full article, feel free to click right here.

Raiders concluded junior A history with last lap title win

The team photo of the 1981-82 Raiders.

The 1981-82 season provided the perfect ending to the junior A history of the Prince Albert Raiders with a championship final bow.

In the regular season, the Raiders posted an impressive 57-3 record to top the SJHL standings outscoring their opposition 429-192. They won all 30 of their home games and had an overall winning streak that reached 30 games. Prince Albert continued to roll in the post-season going 20-3.

The post-season run concluded with the Raiders sweeping away the Guelph Platers from Ontario 4-0 in a best-of-seven Centennial Cup Championship Series where every game was played at the Art Hauser Centre, which was then known as the Comuniplex. In 1982, the Centennial Cup was awarded to the national junior A championship team in a best-of-seven series played between an Eastern and Western Canadian champion.

During the regular season, the Raiders had 10 players who recorded 20 or more goals and 11 players who recorded 50 or more points. They also received solid play in goal from the netminding duo of Tiger Pierce and Gil Hudon.

The Raiders were guided by their iconic head coach and general manager in Terry Simpson, whose disdain for losing has created many stories his players love to share to this very day. Still when Simpson looks back to that last junior A season in 1981-82 before the Raiders joined the major junior ranks in the WHL, the 57-3 regular season and the 20-3 post-season records jump out at him.

This flashback feature of mine appeared in the Prince Albert Daily Herald. To read the full article, feel free to click right here.

Hodgson will always feel home sweet home in Prince Albert

Raiders retire #16 of iconic high-scoring centre

Dan Hodgson, right, holds up a wall mount he was presented with.

PRINCE ALBERT, Sask. - Dan Hodgson lives the mantra “Once a Raider always a Raider.”

On Saturday night before 2,504 spectators at the Art Hauser Centre, the Prince Albert Raiders retired Hodgson’s #16 in a pre-game ceremony before their WHL regular season clash with the Moose Jaw Warriors. The skilled centre played for the Raiders in their first three seasons in the WHL from 1982 to 1985, and he set numerous club records that still stand to this day including most career goals (188), assists (305) and points (493) that were collected playing 202 career regular season contests.

He was the WHL rookie of the year in 1982-83 and finished off as the CHL player of the year and MVP of the Memorial Cup tournament, when the Raiders won the CHL’s biggest prize in 1984-85. In 1984-85 with Hodgson as captain, the Raiders swept the Kamloops Blazers 4-0 in the best-of-seven WHL championship series.

Dan Hodgson’s #16 is raised to the roof of the Art Hauser Centre.

On May 18, 1985, the Raiders won the Memorial Cup to become CHL champions downing the host Shawinigan Cataracts 6-1 in the title game of the CHL championship tournament that was completed in Drummondville, Que.

When Hodgson spoke to the Raiders faithful at the Art Hauser Centre after his #16 was hoisted to the building’s rafters, he closed with a comment that drew huge roars from the crowd.

“I just want to leave you with one thing – I am a Raider, and I will always be a Raider,” said Hodgson.

Hodgson joined the Raiders after they left the junior A ranks closing out their time at that level of hockey winning the Centennial Cup in the 1981-82 campaign becoming national champions for a fourth time.

Dan Hodgson address the crowd at the Art Hauser Centre.

While Hodgson had personal success in 1982-83, the Raiders posting a record of 16 wins, 55 losses and one tie. They improved to 41-29-2 in 1983-84 and 58-11-2 in their WHL and CHL championship season in 1984-85.

Hodgson played on Canada’s world junior team in his final two seasons with the Raiders, and that included winning gold in 1984-85, when Raiders iconic head coach and general manager Terry Simpson was head coach of the Canadian squad. Hodgson credited Simpson for being a huge influence on him in hockey and life during his address to all who were present in the Raiders storied home rink on Saturday.

“When I first got here, little did I know that I would play for one of the greatest mentors that I would ever have in my life,” said Hodgson, who stands 5-foot-11 and weighs 179 pounds. “(Raiders assistant coach) Rick (Wilson) and Simpso (Simpson) would shape me on and off the ice into the man I am today with how they were and how they treated me with respect and dignity and a lot of positive energy.

The video scoreboard shows newspaper clipping of Dan Hodgson.

“But more specifically with Simpso, I can’t express enough Simpso what you meant to me those three years we spent together and all the memories and thoughts you left me with for many years. Right up to this day, words can’t express Simpso what you mean to me. I held you in my heart all these years.

“I held you as a father figure. Simpso, I just want to really thank you for everything that you gave me, and let you know that you still mean the world to me, and Simpso, I love you very much. Thank you for everything.”

Terry Simpson walks to the ice at the Art Hauser Centre.

During Hodgson’s number retirement ceremony, a number of video messages were played in the building from Hodgson’s family members, former teammates and coaches. Simpson, who was at ice level for the number retirement ceremony, gave one of the video messages.

While Simpson did joke about the shenanigans that Hodgson got into off the ice or that he sometimes needed to be reintroduced to the squad’s defenceman and goalies due to being a mainly offensive focused player, the bench boss listed a number of Hodgson’s major accomplishments in junior before closing with a crowd-pleasing comment.

Curtis Hunt address the crowd at the Art Hauser Centre.

“Hodgy had a tremendous career in Prince Albert, and in my opinion, he was one of the best players to ever play in the Western Hockey League,” said Simpson.

Current Raiders general manager Curtis Hunt was a rookie defenceman with the club during the Memorial Cup winning season. Hunt said Hodgson was an outstanding person along with being and outstanding player.

“You invested in the young players to make us better,” said Hunt. “When the stakes were highest, you performed at your best.

“Whether it was one week between when I saw you or a decade, every time we met it was, ‘Hello brother.’ There was the same infectious smile, and in an instant, we were laughing about the times that were.”

Dan Hodgson, centre, sets to drop the ceremonial faceoff puck.

Unfortunately, the current Raiders, who wore special Hodgson tribute jerseys during warm-ups, couldn’t cap the night’s festivities by pulling out a win on the ice. The Warriors jumped out to a 3-0 lead after the first period and would go on to post a 6-3 victory.

The Raiders cut the Warriors lead to 3-2 early in the third and were down 4-3 with 9:48 remaining in the third before the visitors sealed the win.

Import left-winger Martin Rysavy netted a hat trick for Moose Jaw potting his third goal into an empty net with 45.8 seconds remaining in the third to round out the scoring in the contest. Rysavy had an assist to go along with his four goals, and he was a plus-four in the plus-minus department.

Ryder Ritchie wears a Dan Hodgson tribute jersey in warm-ups.

Ethan Semeniuk, Lynden Lakovic and Atley Calvert netted singles for the Warriors. Jacob Hoffrogge, Cole Peardon and Krzysztof Macias replied with singles for the Raiders.

Max Hildebrand turned away 25-of-30 shots to take the setback in goal for the Raiders (13-11-0-2). Jackson Unger stopped 52 shots to pick up the win in net for the Warriors (14-10-0-1).

The Raiders return to action on Sunday when they host the Brandon Wheat Kings (10-11-4-1) at 6 p.m. at the Art Hauser Centre.

The Warriors return to action on Tuesday when they host the Swift Current Broncos (12-10-1) at 7 p.m. at the Moose Jaw Events Centre.

While the current Raiders weren’t able to get the win on the ice, Saturday night still belonged to Hodgson. Following his time with the Raiders, Hodgson would play parts of four seasons in the NHL from 1985 to 1989 with the Toronto Maple Leafs for one campaign and the Vancouver Canucks for three seasons.

A look at the backside of the Dan Hodgson tribute jerseys.

In total, Hodgson suited up for 114 career regular season games collecting 29 goals and 45 assists including playing 40 regular season games as a rookie with the Maple Leafs in 1985-85 posting 13 goals and 12 assists. Following the 1988-89 season, Hodgson would go on to play 16 more seasons professionally in Europe with most of that time being spent in Switzerland.

In January, Hodgson was one of eight players featured on an Indigenous hockey card set put out by Upper Deck dubbed, “First Peoples Rookie Cards.”

The now 58-year-old, who is Cree, resides in Fort McMurray, Alta. His return to the Art Hauser Centre to have his number retired was a triumphant homecoming to “Hockey Town North.”

During the second intermission of Saturday’s game, Hodgson signed autographs in meeting a lengthy line of well wishers. That moment showed how junior hockey heroes can live forever and never be forgotten in junior hockey towns.

Martin Rysavy (#19) had a hat trick for the Warriors.

Hodgson is a larger than life figure in the history of the Raiders. When you take into account what players were able to accomplish in Prince Albert, Hodgson is the greatest Raiders player of all-time.

It just felt right to see his #16 hanging in the rafters of the Art Hauser Centre between the #4 of Dave Manson and the #9 of Mike Modano.

The Raiders organization did an outstanding job making a special night in honouring Hodgson on Saturday. When giving his address, Hodgson spoke about how great the support from the fans was during his years with the Raiders as the team grew into the WHL and Memorial Cup championship winner in 1984-85.

He said the team in 1984-85 was the epitome of what it was to be a Raider for him.

Dan Hodgson, left, poses for a picture with a young fan.

“We handled ourselves on the ice, and I believe off the ice the way Raiders should be,” said Hodgson. “We were respectful.

“We were proud, and we always were proud to walk the streets of Prince Albert and be known as Raiders.”

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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“Hockey Town North” faithful can give boost to Raiders

The fans at the Art Hauser Centre cheer on the Raiders on April 16.

The Prince Albert Raiders faithful might be able to give the Winnipeg Ice an education on what it is like to be on the road in the WHL Playoffs.

As the series between the Raiders and Ice shifts to Prince Albert for Games 3 and 4 on Tuesday and Wednesday respectfully at 7 p.m. both nights, the Ice players might get caught off guard about what awaits them at the Art Hauser Centre. It is unlikely they will know what the post-season atmosphere is like inside the Raiders storied home until they are skating on the Hauser’s ice surface.

It is safe to say Ice head coach James Patrick remembers what the playoff atmosphere in the Hauser is like. Patrick played one season for the Raiders back when the team was still in the junior A ranks of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League.

As a 17-year-old, Patrick starred on defence for the Raiders in 1980-81 and helped them win their third Centennial Cup as national junior A champions. Patrick, who is still viewed as one of the best ever to play defence for the Raiders, was then selected in the first round and ninth overall by the New York Rangers in the 1981 NHL Entry Draft, but he never forgot how all of “Hockey Town North” got invested in the Raiders.

Even with Patrick’s experience, it is hard to describe the playoff atmosphere inside the Art Hauser Centre until you are experiencing it in person. That intangible might be the thing that gives the Raiders a boost to get back in their series against the Ice.

This column of mine appeared in the Prince Albert Daily Herald. To read the full article, feel free to click the link right here.

Demise of traditional Raiders logo tough for P.A. faithful

A hat with the Prince Albert Raiders traditional logo on it.

It was a day the faithful of the Prince Albert Raiders franchise hoped would never come, but its arrival maybe did seem inevitable.

About a week ago on Friday, October 1, the Raiders unveiled new regular home and away jerseys along with a new alternate uniform. The alternate was styled after the regular jerseys the Raiders wore from 1982 to 1996 that included the team’s traditional Arab on skates logo.

One day later at 9:29 p.m. Saskatchewan time, the WHL issued a statement saying the league and the Raiders had agreed to discontinue the jersey and the brand immediately.

“On Friday night the Prince Albert Raiders unveiled an alternate third jersey, which was inspired by a highly successful era in club history,” said WHL commissioner Ron Robson in the statement. “We recognized the dated design is insensitive and offensive.

“After consultation with the Prince Albert Raiders, this uniform and brand will be discontinued effective immediately. On behalf of the WHL and the Prince Albert Raiders, we regret this uniform design was approved and sincerely apologize for any harm it may have caused.”

The release said there would be no further comment from the WHL or the Raiders.

All items that contained the traditional Raiders logo were removed from the team’s online store this past Monday.

It is safe to say in Prince Albert that statement was met with dismay. In Prince Albert, that Raiders logo was revered and loved. Originally designed during the 1973-74 campaign when the Raiders were still playing in the junior A ranks in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League, the sight of that logo flooded back memories of some of the franchise’s greatest days to the people in Prince Albert.

A Raiders pennant from the 1980s.

While the logo wasn’t on team’s jerseys at first, it was in use by the squad for four Centennial Cup championships for junior A national supremacy in 1977, 1979, 1981 and 1982. During those junior A years, the front of the Raiders jersey had the team named spelled out on it often accompanied by the number the player wore.

The traditional Raiders logo became the front crest on the team’s jersey, when the Raiders moved up to the major junior ranks and began playing in the WHL in 1982-83.

The Raiders won the Memorial Cup as CHL champions in 1985 wearing that jersey, and the team usually sat in the top five in the overall WHL standings wearing that jersey.

That jersey was worn by Mike Modano and Dave Manson, who are the club’s two more famous NHL grads. The Raiders have retired both of their numbers.

Various team stars like Dan Hodgson, Dave Pasin, Emanuel Viveiros, Pat Elynuik, Dean McAmmond, Jeff Nelson and Chris Phillips all wore that jersey.

That logo and jersey were used pretty much for the whole duration when Terry Simpson was with the Raiders as head coach or held the dual role of head coach and general manager from 1972 to 1986 and in 1989-90. Simpson will forever be a legend in P.A.

The Raiders wore that logo developing their image as being both a skilled and tough team. They could play the run and gun style, get down in the trenches or take part in a flat out brawl, if the opponent wanted things to go that way.

The back of a Raiders jacket circa late 1980s early 1990s.

They developed the romantic image of being the franchise “where honour still matters.”

At the other end of the spectrum, there are circles outside of Prince Albert that greet the Arab on skates logo with dismay. In those circles, the Raiders traditional logo was seen to be depicting a violent Muslim man or that all people from the Middle East are violent terrorists.

When the WHL posted a link to the statement nixing the traditional Raiders logo on Twitter, there were lots of people who piled on voicing displeasure or being offended by the logo.

For people in Prince Albert, it felt like those who voiced their displeasure were from outside the northern Saskatchewan centre, which caused the nixing of the logo to be that much tougher to take.

On Oct. 2, it seemed the displeasure with the traditional Raiders logo first popped up on a blog-type site called the Queens Citizen. The WHL issued its statement discontinuing the Raiders alternate jersey and traditional logo brand about six hours later.

It is common that voiced opposition to something does get rolling from a blog-type site, where questions start to quickly come from mainstream media outlets and sponsors.

While this may sound strange to people in Prince Albert, a lot of people outside of Prince Albert have never seen the Raiders traditional logo and don’t associate that logo with the team, because it has been 25 years since the hockey club used the Arab on skates logo as its main emblem. That factor also helps fuel outrage with regards to the Raiders traditional logo.

It is likely this is what happened with regards to the Raiders alternate jersey and their traditional logo brand, and the WHL and the Raiders took a temperature read. From that temperature read, a decision was made to get ahead of the story, which saw the WHL issue the release that it did.

The Raiders 1985 Memorial Cup championship team.

Looking back over the last seven days, the move worked. Outside of the initial outrage on social media, the story over what was the cancellation of the Raiders alternate jersey and traditional logo quickly went away.

During these social media times, it does feel like people in general have shorter attention spans, and the social media outrage mob quickly moves on to the next thing to get outraged over.

The Raiders faithful and the people in Prince Albert were left to digest what happened and work through how they felt about what happened once the mob moved on.

With that noted, the Raiders did get into hot water over their traditional logo before. In late 2014, the Raiders unveiled a new mascot named “Boston Raider” which was patterned heavily after the old logo.

Due to a national uproar, the mascot was mothballed shortly after being unveiled.

That had to foreshadow that the day may indeed come where the Raiders traditional logo would be nixed for good.

Back in 2014, CBC’s This Hour Has 22 Minutes arrived in Prince Albert when the “Boston Raider” mascot episode occurred. It is safe to say the CBC comedy show wasn’t going to put Prince Albert in a very good light.

Due to the fact the WHL and Raiders got ahead of the story, no TV programs like This Hour Has 22 Minutes ventured to Prince Albert to make the city look bad, and uproar had to be judged to be a lot less than it was in 2014.

Brayden Pachal wears a throwback Raiders uniform on Feb. 15, 2019.

It was smart for the WHL and the Raiders to not say anything further, because it was impossible to win no matter what you said. All that could be accomplished was an unsatisfying tie or going out and digging a deeper hole.

In the years since 2014, the Raiders quietly brought back the traditional logo on merchandise in the team’s gift store inside the club’s home rink, the Art Hauser Centre. Those items were always big sellers, because of the good memories it brought back for locals in Prince Albert.

The staff in the Raiders business office saw the logo made locals happy, so they kept bringing it back. The Raiders even wore jerseys that mirrored those worn from 1982 to 1996 for two games in their 2018-19 WHL Championship season.

Despite the fallout over the traditional logo, the Raiders have one of the best business offices in the league with Michael Scissons as business manager and Cliff Mapes as executive director of business operations leading the way.

The Raiders have one of the best hockey operations staffs in the WHL led by Curtis Hunt as general manager and Marc Habscheid as head coach.

Over the longer stretch of time, the Raiders have the people in place to keep the franchise in a good spot.

The fact that the traditional logo has gotten nixed doesn’t negate all the great things the Raiders franchise has done. 

The Raiders wear throwback uniforms on Feb. 15, 2019.

As time moves on, this episode might be a blessing in disguise helping the Raiders franchise move forward.

When it comes to the core of everything, the Prince Albert Raiders are still the franchise “where honour still matters,” and the faithful that follow the team are still good people. Those are things that are always good to remember.

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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NLL makes the right moves, turns focus to 2021-22

The Rush celebrate an NLL title win in 2016.

The National Lacrosse League is making all the right moves during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

As a result, the circuit won’t be held down by an anvil of a huge debt when it does return to action.

When North America came under the grips of the COVID-19 pandemic in March of 2020, the NLL suspended its regular season on March 12, 2020 and ultimate cancelled the 2019-20 campaign.

For a 2020-21 campaign, the NLL was planning to hold an abbreviated season starting in spring. The league had been looking at playing in a bubble in Hamilton, Ont., in April.

On Wednesday, the 14-team circuit, which includes the Saskatoon-based Saskatchewan Rush, announced the plans for an abbreviated 2020-21 campaign have been cancelled due to uncertainties arising from the continuing COVID-19 pandemic.

The NLL is planning for a traditional season start in fall. The exact start date for the full season will be announced at a later time.

During a normal season schedule, NLL off-season activities usually start heating up in September and regular season games usually start in late November.

The regular season runs through to the end of the following April with the bulk of the post-season taking place in May. The best-of-three National Lacrosse League Cup championship series usually runs in late May and early June.

As far as getting an abbreviated season going for 2020-21 was concerned, the NLL just couldn’t navigate travel and quarantine restrictions.

Mark Matthews is one of the star players on the Rush.

“We have gone through many scenarios including playing a bubble season in Canada in April, but the logistical challenges, including the recently announced tighter travel and quarantine restrictions across the Canadian border, have required us to pivot,” said NLL commissioner Nick Sakiewicz in a release. “While many of the factors we can control were moving along well, those outside of our control, especially pertaining to obtaining government approval as far in advance as we would have needed, are no longer feasible.

“All the efforts and innovations we were planning will now go towards a full season starting this fall and into next year. We thank our players, teams and board of governors, whose thoughts in this process were invaluable, and we now set our sights on getting lined up for a full NLL season starting in the fall. We also thank our fans for sticking with us – we will be back, and it will be even more exciting than ever before.”

The decision had the backing of the Professional Lacrosse Players’ Association.

“We appreciate the League’s extensive efforts to provide us the opportunity to play an abbreviated 2021 season in a safe and controlled environment throughout the changing landscape during this pandemic,” said PLPA president Zach Currier in a release. “While we are disappointed that it will not be possible to play this spring, we are even more excited and passionate about having a full 2021-22 season and are eager to get back on the floor this fall.”

The NLL was smart to cancel the action it already has and try to regroup to hold a full season at the earliest point it can. The circuit is a gate driven one, so to play in empty buildings doesn’t make sense from a financial standpoint.

When the NLL does get going, odds are high the game day experience will be as good as it was before the pandemic.

The Rush franchise knows how to turn a game day into an event. Rush fans in Saskatchewan found that out after the team moved from Edmonton to Saskatoon before the start of the 2015-16 season.

“Grandma Rush” is the Rush’s most passionate fan.

During Rush game days, the SaskTel Centre contained a party atmosphere. You could tell the Rush staff had mastered turning the game day experience into a must-see event.

Rush games contained everything from dance teams, a cool official mascot in Bruiser the Bulldog, a cool unofficial mascot in Rush Hulk, a jumping party zone, a D.J., various games for kids and an outstanding sports product on the turf.

The Rush captured an NLL title in 2015 based in Edmonton and added two NLL crowds residing in Saskatoon in 2016 and 2018.

The Rush party was going strong even when they played their last game on March 7, 2020 downing the Vancouver Warriors 17-7 at the SaskTel Centre.

The NLL will be able to keep launching great game day experiences thanks to not piling up a massive debt.

Due to television contracts, circuits like the NFL, MLB and NBA can operate in a healthy fashion.

The NHL, which doesn’t have a rich television contract and needs fans in the stands, is playing with financial fire playing a shortened 2020-21 campaign.

On January 11 in a Zoom conference call with league media, NHL commission Gary Bettman said his circuit was playing because the stakeholders on the circuit felt it was important for the game, and they hoped to give fans a sense of normalcy. NHL teams in Canada are playing games without fans and there are a few clubs in the United States playing in front of small limited crowds.

Bettman said it would be cheaper to shut the doors and not play. He said the NHL at the club and league level is going to lose more money by playing than not playing.

The Rush captured their third NLL championship in 2018.

“The magnitude of the loss starts with a ‘B,’” said Bettman. “We’re out of the ‘M’ range and in the ‘B.’”

In the United States, the NHL has had a number of games get postponed due to positive COVID-19 tests among team players and staffers, but the circuit is motoring along.

If the NHL and its teams as a whole go next season and future campaigns with a debt over the billion-dollar range, you have to wonder how the circuit will keep creditors away?

You could almost see a circuit like the NHL asking for a government bailout.

The NLL is smart to not going into the future dealing with that type of led weight. Also, the NLL marketing staffs are so good it is highly unlikely the issue of relevancy will be a problem.

When NLL game days return, the party will be on.

Hockey Canada cancels spring nationals

The Bears plans of hosting the Esso Cup were dashed again.

For the second year in a row, Hockey Canada has canceled its spring national championships due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

On Friday, Hockey Canada officially canceled the Esso Cup, which is the national female AAA under-18 championship tournament and the Telus Cup, which is the national male AAA under-18 championship tournament.

The Centennial Cup tournament to crown a national champion in the junior A ranks was also axed along with the Allan Cup tournament that determines a champion at the highest level of senior hockey in Canada.

All of those events were cancelled last year by Hockey Canada due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Prince Albert Northern Bears were set to host the Esso Cup last year and this year before the event got cancelled.

As for the other 2021 host centres, Calgary, Alta., was supposed to host the Telus Cup, Penticton, B.C., was slated to hold the Centennial Cup and Dundas, Ont., was set to host the Allan Cup.

In a statement, Hockey Canada said it was left with no other option but to cancel these events due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the fact many regions in Canada aren’t playing organized hockey at the moment.

All hockey season in Saskatchewan were put on ice in late November 2020 due to government restrictions.

Hockey Canada is working on confirming host cities for these national championship tournaments in 2022.

Overall, Hockey Canada’s announcement on Friday did not come as a surprise.

Going forward, one of the big hurdles in holding these championship tournaments or championship tournaments governed by any minor sport body is travel.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the airlines have severely cut back their flights in Canada, and there are no guarantees air travel will return to what it was when the pandemic ends.

You also can’t get across Canada via passenger train, so teams might have to make long hauls via chartered busses. Of course, that would mean some teams would be traveling for days via a bus to get to a championship tournament.

Going forward, these championship tournaments might look different when they are eventually held compared to what they looked like in past years.

TSN axes some of the best, other notes

Had I known last night was my final show, I would have tried a little harder. Ahhhh, who am I kidding. I probably wouldn't have. It was a wild ride. If you got our show, then you laughed along with us. Thank you! Peace and love and let's raise a glass together once Covid is over.

— Dan O'Toole (@notontvotoole) February 4, 2021

TSN appears set to march on minus a few of its biggest names.

After holding their Bell Let’s Talk day fundraising campaign for mental health charities and to promote mental health awareness on Jan. 28, Bell Media has spent the past week making a huge number of layoffs.

Those cuts included letting go 210 staffers at Bell outlets in Toronto and area.

Walking papers were given to four prominent TSN staffers.

On Wednesday, Brent Wallace confirmed his 23-year run came to an end at TSN via Twitter. The in depth reporter was covering the NHL’s Ottawa Senators on a full-time basis when he was let go.

On Thursday, Dan O’Toole announced via Twitter that he had been cut, and he was no longer going to be co-hosting TSN’s nightly Sportcentre show with Jay Onrait. When they did Sportscentre, the show was called “SC with Jay and Dan.”

Late on Thursday, word got out that TSN ace anchor Natasha Staniszewski was let go after a 10-year run. She was popular in the Prince Albert and Saskatoon areas having worked with the CTV outlets in both centres from 2006 to 2009.

On Friday, word dropped that Tim Moriarty, who was known as “Producer Tim,” was also axed by TSN. Moriarty was a long time producer for Onrait and O’Toole. The trio was together at TSN from 2003 to 2013.

All three moved to FOX Sports 1 for a four-year run from 2013 to 2017 before returning to TSN in 2017 to a lot of fanfare.

Moriarty changed his Twitter account title to “The Artist Formerly Known as Producer Tim.”

The cuts of Wallace, O’Toole, Staniszewski and Moriarty show how cruel the mainstream media world can be. All four were still at the top of their respective games and the best in their lines of work.

I want to thank everyone sending kind words regarding my departure from TSN. It hasn’t been easy to digest but your support has helped lessen the sting and I appreciate it more than you know.
I feel nothing but love and gratitude for the 10yrs I had with the network. 1/2

— Natasha Staniszewski (@tvnatasha) February 5, 2021

Just my observation, it seems management at mainstream outlets starts looking for ways to get rid of talent once talent hits the age of 40. All four TSN veterans were over the age of 40.

Bell has also taken heat over the layoffs when it was recently revealed that the company had received $122-million in COVID-19 relief while increasing dividend payouts to shareholders.

Thanks to all the Bell Media cuts, young Victor Findlay, who is best known for covering action in U Sports men’s hockey, called his first NHL game on Thursday on TSN5, when the Ottawa Senators visited the Montreal Canadiens.

Findlay, who is in his mid 20s, is hard-working and accurate on details. He is also a good guy, and if he contacts me needing help on a story, I will try and help him.

When someone like Findlay gets a break, you are happy to see that happen.

When you connect the dots, it would be nice if that type of break didn’t come at the expense of veterans who did not deserve to get dumped.

• Tickets are now on sale for the February jackpot for the Saskatchewan Amateur Football Mega 50/50 lottery. The funds from this 50/50 lottery will go to support the CJFL’s Saskatoon Hilltops and Regina Thunder and the WWCFL’s Saskatoon Valkyries and Regina Riot. One prize will be drawn per month, and the remaining draw dates are Sunday, February 28, 2021, March 31, 2021, April 30, 2021 and May 31, 2021. Tickets can be purchased by clicking right here, and purchasers must be in Saskatchewan in order to buy tickets.
• On Wednesday, the NWHL announced the remainder of the circuit’s season that was being played in a modified bubble with looser restrictions in Lake Placid, N.Y., was being suspended due to new positive COVID-19 tests and resulting concerns over player safety. The Metropolitan Riveters pulled out of the bubble on Jan. 28. The Connecticut Whale dropped out of the bubble on Monday leaving four teams including the expansion Toronto Six to try and continue the season at that point. The NWHL season was supposed to last two weeks in Lake Placid. The NWHL wasn’t able to play its Isobel Cup championship game last season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Minnesota Whitecaps were supposed to meet the host Boston Pride in last year’s Isobel Cup title game.
• Late Friday night, the WHL announced its five-team U.S. Division is set to begin regular season play on March 19. The five clubs are expected to play a 24-game regular season schedule. The WHL said it received clearance to play in the state of Washington, which contains the Everett Silvertips, Seattle Thunderbirds, Spokane Chiefs and Tri-City Americans. There was no word on what was happening with the Portland Winterhawks, who are based in the state of Oregon. It is likely the Winterhawks will locate to the state of Washington for a shortened season. The WHL said no spectators will be permitted to enter WHL facilities. It was already announced the WHL’s five teams located in Alberta are slated to begin regular season play on Feb. 26. The league is still looking for clearance to allow competition to be held in the East Division and the B.C. Division.
• On Friday, the Boston University Huskies women’s hockey team blanked the visiting Merrimack College Warriors 6-0 in an NCAA regular season game broadcast on TSN. The Huskies roster contains two alums of the Saskatoon Stars female under-18 AAA hockey team in Nara Elia and Mackenna Parker. Elia had an assist in the win, while Parker potted her first goal of the season. The Huskies improved to 3-3, while the Warriors fell to 1-12.
• On Friday, the University of Wisconsin Badgers women’s hockey team won their fifth straight slipping past the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers 4-3 in overtime in an NCAA regular season game in Minneapolis, Minn. The Badgers roster contains two alums of the Saskatoon Stars female under-18 AAA hockey team in sisters Sophie and Grace Shirley. Sophie had an assist in the Badgers win. The Badgers improved to 9-2, while the Golden Gophers fell to 9-5.
• In the realm of sports entertainment, huge respect has to be given to Orangeville, Ont., product Adam Copeland for his performance in the WWE’s Royal Rumble pay-per-view last Sunday. Copeland, who is best known by his wrestling persona as Edge, won the men’s Royal Rumble match entering the rink as the first among 30 wrestlers taking part in the bout. Edge is one of the greatest performers the WWE has ever had. Edge is also 47-years-old, but even at that age, he was still in shape to perform for over an hour in the ring. While WWE is scripted entertainment, the talent that takes part in matches in the ring has to have incredible athletic ability to do all the stunts they do. The fact that Edge can still perform at a high level at his age is incredible. He also returned from a real neck injury that saw him step away from the company for a lengthy stretch from 2011 to 2020, which makes his story that much more amazing.

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 have chance to post biggest home win since 1982

Raiders netminder Ian Scott focuses on the play down ice.

    PRINCE ALBERT, Sask. – Tonight could be a night in Prince Albert that gives citizens those good chills for years to come.

    When the Prince Albert Raiders hit the ice tonight at 6 p.m. local time against the Vancouver Giants in Game 6 of the WHL Championship series, the Raiders will be looking to post their biggest home since 1982. If they down the Giants in front of a sellout crowd of 3,289 spectators at the 2,580 Art Hauser Centre, the Raiders will win the Ed Chynoweth Cup as champions of the WHL.

    If the Giants prevail on Sunday, the Raiders will have a second opportunity to win the best-of-seven series at home in Game 7 on Monday. Prince Albert leads the WHL final 3-2.

    Believe it or not, the opportunities for hockey teams to win major championships on home ice are a rare thing.

    The last time the Raiders posted a victory in “Hockey Town North” which is as significant as what they will be trying to do in the WHL final came 37 years ago.

Bowen Byram leads the Giants in post-season scoring with 25 points.

    In May of 1982, the Raiders down the Guelph Platers 8-4 to win the Centennial Cup at the Art Hauser Centre which was then known as the Comuniplex and graduated from the junior A ranks as national champions. That win allowed the Raiders to sweep what was then the best-of-seven junior A championship series 4-0 and gave them their fourth Centennial Cup title.

    The Raiders proceeded to move up to the major junior ranks joining the WHL for the 1982-83 campaign.

    When the Raiders won the WHL title in 1985, they swept the best-of-seven league final 4-0 with the series clinching victory occurring in Kamloops against the Blazers.

    On May 18, 1985 in Drummondville, Que., the Raiders downed the Shawinigan Cataractes 6-1 in the championship game of the Memorial Cup tournament. The Cataractes were the host team of the event.

    The Raiders two most significant victories at the major junior level happened on the road.

    Actually, the last time the Raiders clinched a playoff series on home ice came back in 2005, when they blanked the Medicine Hat Tigers 3-0 in Game 6 of a second round series.

    Following that series win against the Tigers, the Raiders advanced to the WHL Eastern Conference Championship series falling to the Brandon Wheat Kings in the maximum of seven games.

Brett Leason leads the Raiders in post-season scoring with 25 points.

    After the 2005 post-season, the Raiders wouldn’t win another playoff series until this year. Of course, they have won three straight playoff series to make it to the WHL final.

    Each of those series was clinched on the road.

    The Raiders faithful hasn’t had the chance to see their team win a series on home ice since 2005.

Of course, the Giants aren’t planning to make things easy. They are trying to force a series deciding Game 7.

    On top of that, Vancouver is attempting to become the first team to overcome a 3-1 series deficit to win the WHL final since the Victoria Cougars pulled the trick in 1981 against the Calgary Wranglers.

    During the WHL regular season, the Raiders and Giants were the circuit’s top two teams.

    The Raiders topped the WHL regular season standings with a 54-10-2-2 record and were rated second in the final CHL Top 10 rankings.

    Vancouver finished second overall in the WHL with a 48-15-3-2 mark and was rated sixth in the final CHL Top 10 rankings.

    The winner of the WHL final will earn a berth to the Memorial Cup, and this year’s CHL championship tournament is being held May 17 to 26 in Halifax, N.S.

    Raiders star right-winger Brett Leason tops the Raiders in post-season scoring with 10 goals and 15 assists for 25 points. Standout overage centre Dante Hannoun is second in Raiders post-season scoring with 13 goals and 10 assists for 23 points.

David Tendeck will aim to hold the fort in goal for the Giants.

    Star netminder Ian Scott has been the only Raiders goalie to see the ice in the playoffs. In Prince Albert’s 21 post-season games to date, Scott has posted a 15-6 record, a 1.94 goals against average, a .927 save percentage and five shutouts.
    Star offensive defenceman Bowen Byram leads the Giants in post-season scoring with eight goals and 17 assists for 25 points. Overage centre Davis Koch is second in Giants playoff scoring with three goals and 16 assists for 19 points.

    David Tendeck has emerged as the Giants post-season starter in goal. Appearing in 15 of the Giants 20 playoff games, Tendeck has posted a 10-4 record, a 2.41 goals against average and a .914 save percentage.

    The Raiders want to get the rare championship victory party started in P.A.

    Can the Giants still spoil the proceedings?

    We’ll find out at game time.

Huskies win second QMJHL title in last four years

    The Rouyn-Noranda Huskies returned to the pinnacle of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.

    On Saturday, the visiting Huskies blanked the Mooseheads in Halifax, N.S., 4-0 before 9,602 spectators at the Scotiabank Centre in Game 6 of the QMJHL Championship series. With the win, the Huskies took the best-of-seven series 4-2 and captured their second league crown in four years.

    The Huskies last won the QMJHL championship in 2016 and advanced to the championship game of the Memorial Cup tournament held that year in Red Deer, Alta. Rouyn-Noranda dropped a 3-2 overtime heartbreaker in the title game to the London Knights.

    Against the Mooseheads in Saturday’s QMJHL title clinching game, the Huskies led 1-0 after the first period, 2-0 after the second frame before rounding out the 4-0 final with a pair of goals in the third.

    Rafael Harvey-Pinard had a pair of goals for the Huskies including an empty-net tally, while Tyler Hinam and Alex Beaucage had singles.

    Samuel Harvey made 28 saves to pick up the shutout win in goal for the Huskies. Alexis Gravel turned away 31-of-34 shots to take the setback in goal for the Mooseheads.

    Huskies defenceman Noah Dobson was named the MVP of the QMJHL playoffs posting eight goals and 21 assists in 20 games.

    The Huskies topped the QMJHL regular season standings with a 59-8-0-1 record and were rated first in the final CHL Top 10 rankings.

    The Mooseheads finished first in the QMJHL’s Eastern Conference in the regular season with a 49-15-2-2 mark and were rated eighth in the final CHL Top 10 rankings.

    As Halifax is playing host to the Memorial Cup from May 17 to 26, both clubs already have berths locked up in the CHL championship tournament.

    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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Prince Albert Raiders are more than just a hockey team

The Raiders celebrate their Game 2 win in this year’s WHL final.

    PRINCE ALBERT, Sask. - Could you ever imagine the city of Prince Albert without the Raiders?

    What would it be like if Reg Martsinkiw wasn’t able to schmooze and sell the concept of bringing a junior franchise to Prince Albert to the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League office in the summer of 1971?

    Martsinkiw’s pitch allowed the Raiders to be born and join the junior A ranks.

    Martsinkiw, who was the Raiders first president, sold the SJHL on the new community-owned team for a franchise fee of $2,000 as the arena that would house the club was still under construction. That rink was first known as the Comuniplex and is now know as the Art Hauser Centre.

    The Raiders wouldn’t play their first regular season game in their home rink until Dec. 12, 1971 when the 1971-72 campaign was well under way.

The Raiders first Centennial Cup winning team.

    The club would move up to the major junior ranks joining the WHL in 1982.
    Since they were founded back in 1971, the Raiders have become to Prince Albert what the NHL’s Maple Leafs are to Toronto, the Oilers are to Edmonton, what the CFL’s Roughriders are to the province of Saskatchewan, the Rocky Mountains to Banff or what skiing is to Jasper. They are all important attractions to their respective communities.

    Without them, it wouldn’t be the same. It would feel like something important is missing.

    Could you ever imagine not hearing “The Song in Prince Albert is Go Raiders Go” echoing through the inside of “the Hauser.”

    The Raiders have become etched in the psyche of Prince Albert. As they finish up their 48^th season of play, the Raiders in a lot of ways have become the face of the town.

The Raiders faithful cheer one of their team’s goals in the playoffs.

    In their half century of existence, they have carved their place in junior hockey helping countless kids make the NHL. Along the way, they won the Centennial Cup four times as national junior A champions and captured the Memorial Cup for national major junior supremacy in 1985.

    Currently, they are trying to win their first WHL title and return to the Memorial Cup tournament for the first time since that special 1984-85 campaign.
    Kids in “Hockey Town North” grow up dreaming of playing for the Raiders. In past days playing games of pick up street hockey, they were Alvin Moore, Theran Welsh, Dave Manson or Mike Modano. These days, they are Ian Scott, Brett Leason, Parker Kelly, Noah Gregor or captain Brayden Pachal.
    For players like Calgary, Alta., product Sean Montgomery, Prince Albert has become like a second home.

A little road hockey action before a Raiders home game.

    Since joining the Raiders as a 16-year-old rookie in 2014-15, Montgomery has skated in a team record 345 career regular season games with the Raiders representing the city with pride.

    Players like overager Dante Hannoun, who arrived in a trade on Jan. 3, quickly become fan favourites.

    The Raiders are a lot of things. They are the players past, present and future that come through their dressing room to carry their proud tradition of being the franchise “where honour still matters.”
    They are Ron Boskill, Lennie Hicks, Mike Kindrachuk, Willie Friesen, Ron Delorme, Darcy Regier, Brad McCrimmon, Glenn White, James Patrick, Warren Harper, Dave Tippett, Mark Odnokon, Bob Lowes, Dan Hodgson, Dave Pasin, Emanuel Viveiros, Steve Gotaas, Ken Baumgartner, Pat Elynuik, Darin Kimble, Dean McAmmond, Jeff Nelson, Denis Pederson, Darren Van Impe, Shane Willis, Chris Phillips, Evan Lindsay, Scott Hartnell, Nick Schultz, Grant McNeill, Luke Fritshaw, Jeremy Colliton, Rejean Beauchemin, Seth Leonard, Kyle Chipchura, Dane Byers, Travis Young, Chris Schlenker, Mike Gauthier, Ryan McDonald, Harrison Ruopp, Josh Morrissey, Leon Draisaitl, Reid Gardiner and Adam Herold.

The Raiders 1985 Memorial Cup championship team.

    Countless other names of players can be thrown on this list.

    The Raiders are the numerous great coaches that have shaped the team’s character. The top of the list is legendary head coach and general manager Terry Simpson, who guided all five of the Raiders national championship teams.
    The list includes Alf Poulin, Rick Wilson, Mike Fedorko and Kevin McClelland.

    As both player and a head coach, Peter Anholt will always be the people’s choice to be captain or head coach.

    Donn Clark, who recently passed of cancer in March, is receiving his due being remembered fondly for pouring his heart and soul into the team as a player, head coach and general manager. He had a big hand in helping the Raiders appear in the league semifinals in 1995 and “The Run” in 2005.

Sean Montgomery is a career heart and soul member of the Raiders.

    Current general manager and former captain Curtis Hunt and current head coach Marc Habscheid along with late director of player personnel Ron Gunville, who passed away last December, have delivered the Raiders to the special season they are currently enjoying. They have returned the club to its romanticized storied tradition.

    The Raiders are the masses of their passionate fans who pack into the 2,580 seat Art Hauser Centre over 3,000 strong often standing on top of milk crates to see the action on the ice.
    They are diehards like the late Calla Grasley best know as “Grandma Raider,” who cheered for her boys through thick and thin.
    In their team history, the Raiders have had their tougher times like the 13-year stretch from 2006 to 2018 when they missed the playoffs seven times and were eliminated in the first round six times. They have also been brilliant posting a record of 57 wins and three losses in their final SJHL regular season before moving on to capture their final Centennial Cup.

    The brilliance includes the 1984-85 WHL championship and Memorial Cup winning season where the Raiders topped the WHL regular season with a record of 58 wins, 11 losses and three ties.

The Raiders team from “The Run” in 2005.

    To put that in perspective, the Saskatoon Blades have been in the WHL since it was founded in 1966 and have never won a Memorial Cup or a league championship.

    (*Right now, a few Raiders fans will have the urge to play the Guess Who’s “Runnin’ Back to Saskatoon.”*)

    The Regina Pats are the oldest major junior franchise in the world dating back to 1917, and they have won the Memorial Cup three times since their founding with the last title coming in 1974.

    It is possible that the toughest place to win a national championship is junior hockey, because you only have your players for about three years. For the current Raiders, the dream is alive in their eyes.
    The last time the Raiders were this close to returning to the Memorial Cup tournament was 1995. 

    They dropped a 5-1 decision in a series deciding Game 7 to the Wheat Kings in Brandon in a league semifinal series.

The Raiders salute the faithful at the Art Hauser Centre.

Had the Raiders won that game, they would have been in the Memorial Cup as the tournament hosting Kamloops Blazers had advanced to the WHL final.

    At the moment, the Raiders are only in the WHL final for the second time in team history holding a 3-2 lead on the Vancouver Giants. The Raiders are looking to close the series out in either Games 6 or 7 held respectively on Sunday and Monday in Prince Albert.

    The Raiders history is ready for a new chapter. These chances are fleeting, when you look at history.

    Wins in the league final and the Memorial Cup tournament would have all the citizens of Prince Albert and area rejoicing, and they would cherish those memories for years to come.

    If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com. Special thanks to Alastair Tams for the video of “The Song in Prince Albert is Go Raiders Go.”

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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.