X (formerly Twitter) worst social media platform of all-time

Connor Bedard in action for the Pats this past April.

X – formerly known as Twitter – is the worst social media platform of all-time.

If I never used what I now call Platform-X ever again, I would be perfectly fine with that. Due to working in media and communications, I still have to be on that social media platform. With the toxicity that exists on that platform, I have limited my posts to the courtesy sharing of information on the sports world.

For my blog, I mainly cover the happenings with the WHL, the Saskatoon Hilltops of the CJFL, the Saskatoon Valkyries of the WWCFL and U Sports.

Thanks to how toxic Platform-X has become, I find people that look for information on those leagues and teams I listed are mainly no longer on that social media platform anymore. The ones that are on that platform are usually saying something quite awful and cutting using an anonymous account.

My best interactions on Platform-X come from fan talk about pro-wrestling specifically WWE and AEW with the Era of Bliss fan account and one of the best persons to come from the province of Quebec in Patrick Mercier. Even with that, you can run into toxic accounts that wants to jump into your fun chat and ruin your day.

Last week, Platform-X continued to prove why it is the worst social media platform of all time. Early last week on November 27, I was putting a house keeping sports information post on Platform-X.

At that time, two days had passed after the NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks announced right-winger Corey Perry would take an indefinite leave of absence from the team for personal reasons. I encountered an endless line of posts regarding the family of Blackhawks 18-year-old rookie superstar centre Connor Bedard and Perry.

Having dealt with Bedard and his family when he played in the WHL for the Regina Pats, my first thought was, “This is utterly ridiculous.”

After scanning those posts for 30 seconds of my time I will never get back, I created the posts I set out to create and got off that social media platform.

As the week progressed, it was easy to follow how that story developed without putting in much effort as it regularly came up on sports talk shows and sports news shows. The Blackhawks placed Perry on unconditional waivers on November 28, and after he cleared waivers the following day, the NHL club terminated his contract.

Of course, it came out the rumours were garbage. Perry came out with an apology for an incident that got him released and said he was seeking professional help for substance abuse.

Last Friday a day before playing the Jets in Winnipeg, Bedard met the media in the Manitoba capital. The question about the rumours came up and also how the rumours affected his family and himself.

Bedard handled the queries with a maturity way beyond his years. He said what happened wasn’t fair to him or his family, but they can’t control those things and they just go on and live life.

A picture of the front login page to Platform-X.

Bedard also added what happened with Perry was serious and the first concern was that he is OK and his family is OK. Paul Friesen of the Winnipeg Sun actually did a terrific job with his piece on what Bedard has dealt with in his NHL rookie year, and that piece can be found by clicking right here.

The fact Bedard, who doesn’t have a Platform-X account, and his family had to deal with this was an absolute joke. To show how stupid Platform-X and society of today has become, Edmonton Oilers superstar centre Connor McDavid never had to deal with anything like that as an NHL rookie in 2015-16.

Believe it or not, I found Platform-X to be a good social media line at one time. The first few years after I created an account on it back in 2010 it was great.

The mechanics of the social media platform worked well. You also knew that platform was a social media line where you posted things out in public which the whole world could see.

I found Platform-X took a turn for the worst around the time of November 8, 2016, when Donald Trump won his election race to become president of the United States. That started the rise of the extreme right holding the notion that, “If you aren’t with us, you’re against us.”

The extreme left has responded with similar rhetoric and positioning. On Platform-X seemingly through anonymous accounts, that type of rhetoric played out like promos you would see on WWE shows.

That type of positioning spread to discussion on all sorts of subjects including the happenings in the sports world and entertainment world. Platform-X was and still is the spot where all the bashing occurs.

For a lot of people, the endless toxicity has chased them away from Platform-X.

For myself, I found the 2018-19 sports season where the Prince Albert Raiders won the WHL championship was the last campaign where my posts regarding the amateur sports world that I cover saw a lot of action on Platform-X. When a post does get noticed now, it usually has idiots taking it on a tangent that goes to a dark place that was not intended.

Unfortunately, more stupid will come sooner than later.

On Friday at 7 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre, the Saskatoon Blades host the Red Deer Rebels in a WHL regular season contest, and the Blades will be holding their “Pride Night” promotion for a third straight season. In the building, that promotion is a healthy and warm celebration that honours LGBTQ+ community that is well received by those in attendance.

The Blades use that night to spread a message that hockey is for all. Unfortunately in the past two years on social media, the worst of society has made the most horrible of comments on the team’s social media lines in posts promoting their “Pride Night” game.

A Blades “Pride Night” post on Platform-X.

The Blades came out with their first posts this week on Tuesday leading to that promotion. I feared what I would find on Platform-X, because it seemed like the worst comments came out there the past two seasons.

The comments on Platform-X and Facebook have been good so far. I found numerous cringe comments on the Instagram post on Tuesday afternoon.

Still, Platform-X is the place that constantly turns discussions into a match in a UFC cage. The behavior of the baddies won’t change on there.

Unfortunately, that means for a lot of people it is time to kick that social media platform to the curve, and lots have done that. I wish I could follow suit, but limiting my time on that platform as much as possible is working for me.

Blades pair off to Canada’s world junior selection camp

Tanner Molendyk will try and make Canada’s world junior team.

Two members of the Saskatoon Blades will have a chance to make their world junior dreams come true for Canada.

On Tuesday, Blades offensive-defenceman Tanner Molendyk and centre Fraser Minten were named as two of the 30 players invited to the selection camp for Canada’s world junior team. The selection camp runs from December 10 to 13 in Oakville, Ont.

The upcoming world juniors are slated for December 26 to January 5, 2024 in Gothenburg, Sweden.

In 23 games with the Blades this season, Molendyk, who has a signed NHL entry-level contract with the Nashville Predators, has recorded four goals, 23 assists and a plus-20 rating in the plus-minus department.

Minten, who was recently acquired in a trade with the Kamloops Blazers, has a signed NHL entry-level contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs. He appeared in four NHL regular season games with the Leafs before being returned to the WHL. In 11 combined games with the Blazers and Blades, Minten had four goals and nine assists.

A total of nine players from the WHL were invited to the selection camp for Canada’s world junior team. Brayden Yager, who is from the Saskatoon area, was the only player with a hometown in Saskatchewan to be invited to the selection camp.

In 25 games with the Warriors this season, Yager has recorded 17 goals, 22 assists and plus-14 rating. Yager was selected in the first round and 14^th overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the NHL Entry Draft held this past June.

Blazers head coach and general manager Shaun Clouston will serve as an assistant coach for Canada’s entry at this season’s world juniors. Lethbridge Hurricanes general manager Peter Anholt serves as the under-20 lead for the Program of Excellence management group.

One player who was omitted from the selection camp for Canada’s world junior team is WHL leading scorer Riley Heidt. Heidt, who is a Prince George Cougars centre, has recorded 53 points coming off 14 goals and 39 assists to go with a plus-10 rating in the plus-minus department in 26 regular season games.

The Saskatoon area product was selected in the second round and 64^th overall by the Minnesota Wild in last June’s NHL Entry Draft.

Near named incoming WHL commissioner, other notes

A WHL Instagram post welcoming Dan Near.

Dan Near has been tabbed as the WHL’s next head person.

Last Thursday, the WHL announced that Near will be the incoming commissioner of the circuit. The announcement was made by Ron Toigo, who was the chair of the WHL Commissioner Search Committee and governor of the Vancouver Giants on behalf of the WHL board of governors.

Near’s tenure in the WHL office will begin on January 1, 2024 as he transitions into the role of commissioner. He will officially take over the full responsibilities as WHL commissioner on February 15, 2024.

At that point, current WHL commissioner Ron Robison will transition to an advisory role providing support and guidance to Near.

The 43-year-old Near served as the global head of Adidas Hockey and was responsible for leading Adidas’s entry into hockey managing their global business since 2016. Prior to his time with Adidas, Near, who is a product of Markham, Ont., spent 10 years with the NHL’s head office in New York specializing in marketing, retail development and consumer product licensing from 2006 to 2016.

Last June, Robison, who is an alumnus of the University of Saskatchewan Huskies Men’s Hockey Team, announced the 2023-24 campaign would be his last as commissioner of the WHL. He took over that role on September 15, 2000. The 68-year-old product of Indian Head, Sask., will depart as the longest serving commissioner in the history of the WHL.

Before joining the WHL as commissioner, Robison spent about 19 years with Hockey Canada.

• On Tuesday, Gunner Kinniburgh, who is a third-year defenceman with the University of Saskatchewan Huskies Men’s Hockey Team, was named to the U Sports all-star team that will face Canada’s world junior hopefuls in a pair of exhibition games as part of Canada’s selection camp to pick its world junior team. Kinniburgh has two goals, four assists and a plus-14 rating in 16 games with the Huskies. The exhibition games between the U Sports all-stars and Canada’s world junior hopefuls will be held December 12 and 13 in Oakville, Ont. Former Saskatoon Blades members in defenceman Scott Walford, who played for the McGill University Martlets, and forward Eric Florchuk, who plays for the University of Alberta Golden Bears, will also be members of the U Sports all-star squad.
• A total of three WHL squads cracked into the latest CHL Top 10 Rankings, which were released on Tuesday. The Prince George Cougars were rated second, the Saskatoon Blades were ranked sixth and the Wenatchee Wild came in at eighth.
• It appears the odds of 18-year-old forward Zach Benson being returned to the NHL have decreased. Benson has played in 16 games for the Buffalo Sabres collecting two goals and five assists. Once he hit his 10^th game played in the regular season for the Sabres in the current campaign, the Sabres committed to burning the first year of Benson’s three-year NHL entry-level contract. The Sabres selected Benson in the first round and 13^th overall in last June’s NHL Entry Draft. Benson’s WHL rights belong to the Wenatchee Wild.
• Saskatoon product and 19-year-old defenceman Kevin Korchinski has two goals and five assists playing 24 games this season for the NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks. The Blackhawks selected Korchinski in the first round and seventh overall in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft. Korchinski’s WHL rights belong to the Seattle Thunderbirds, who won the WHL championship last season. Korchinski could be returned to the WHL, but he will be owed the entirety of the first year of his three-year NHL entry-level contract.
• The WHL’s trade deadline is set for January 10, 2024.
• Christine Sinclair’s career with Canada’s National Women’s Soccer Team was the ultimate “smile because it happened” time. It was fitting Canada blanked Australia 1-0 in a friendly on Tuesday night in Vancouver in Sinclair's final game with the Canadian national team. Kudos to the management at B.C. Place to change the name of the venue to Christine Sinclair Place for the night of the game. She deserves all the tributes that come her way.

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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2023 NHL Entry Draft will be memorable for WHL

Connor Bedard went first overall in the NHL Entry Draft.

The 2023 NHL Entry Draft will be remembered as two of the WHL’s best days.

Of course, the 33 players who were selected from the WHL in the NHL Entry Draft on Wednesday and Thursday in Nashville, Tennessee, still have to skate out careers in hockey’s top professional league. With that said, it wouldn’t be a surprise to look back on this year’s NHL Entry Draft a couple of decades from now, and one would reflect on it being a great one for the WHL.

No matter what happens in the future, this NHL Entry Draft will be known as the one where Regina Pats phenom centre Connor Bedard, who will turn 18-years-old on July 17, was selected first overall by the Chicago Blackhawks. The North Vancouver, B.C., product might have been the most watched junior aged player ever over the three campaigns he played with the Pats.

In his three seasons with the Pats, Bedard, who stands 5-foot-10 and weighs 185 pounds, appeared in 134 career regular season games posting 134 goals and 137 assists for 271 points to go with a plus-48 rating in the plus-minus department. That included recording 71 goals and 72 assists for 143 points to go with a plus-39 rating for this past regular season. His goal and point totals were tops in the WHL and his assist total equaled Prince George Cougars star centre and Saskatoon area product Riley Heidt for the league lead.

Bedard proceeded to have a monster post-season series posting 10 goals, 10 assists and a plus-eight rating in the WHL Playoffs as the Pats fell in seven games in a best-of-seven first round series to the Saskatoon Blades. The Blades claimed a 4-1 victory in a series deciding Game 7 on April 10 at the SaskTel Centre before a sellout crowd of 14,768 spectators.

Connor Bedard had 271 points in 134 WHL career regular season games.

His stock really took off at this past world juniors held in Halifax, N.S., and Moncton, N.B. Bedard set numerous Canadian team records helping Canada take the gold medal final 3-2 in overtime over Czechia this past January 5 in Halifax.

Bedard was named the most valuable player at world juniors along with picking up accolades being named the event’s best forward and a tournament all-star.

His tallies for assists (14) and points (23) were new Canadian records for a single world juniors along with setting a new record for points in a tournament by any player aged 18 or younger. In 16 career games played at world juniors, Bedard set new Canadian career records at the event for goals (16) and points (36).

Upon returning to the Pats, Bedard usually played in front of sold out rinks or record crowds wherever he was during the final four months he played in the WHL. There were public appearances in Regina where he would spend six hours signing autographs. Bedard experienced characteristics of fandom that were unheard of for junior hockey and often things you only saw in the NHL in Canadian cities for players like Oilers phenom centre Connor McDavid in Edmonton.

Bedard handled the fandom that came his way in humble and spectacular fashion, which is something most his age wouldn’t be able to do.

Brayden Yager is a first round selection of the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Bedard headed a 17-year-old class in the WHL this past season that might be the deepest the circuit had ever seen with that age group. Two potential big future NHL stars from the Saskatoon area include centres Brayden Yager and Heidt.

Yager, who turned 18-years-old in early January, piled up 28 goals and 50 assists in 67 regular season games for the Moose Jaw Warriors in 2022-23 to go with a plus-six rating. He went in the first round and 14^th overall to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Yager just might be one of those star players that leads the Penguins in an era after Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang.

Heidt appeared in all 68 regular season games with the Prince George Cougars in 2022-23, and he had 25 goals to go with his 72 assists for 97 points. He was selected in the second round and 64^th overall by the Minnesota Wild.

Due to the fact it is not easy to travel to Prince George, Heidt, who turned 18-years-old in March, wasn’t seen by scouts as much as the other players taken in the NHL Entry Draft. Had he been seen more playing on a team located on the Trans-Canada Highway, he likely would have been selected earlier in the draft.

Tanner Molendyk is a first round draft pick of the Nashville Predators.

One of the most astute picks in the first round might ultimately belonged to the Nashville Predators, when they took Saskatoon Blades defenceman Tanner Molendyk. Molendyk, who turned 18-years-old in February, appeared in 67 regular season games in 2022-23 with the Blades posting nine goals, 28 assists and a plus-31 rating.

He is one of the smoothest skaters among those in the 17-year-old age group this past season, and he has steadily improved as his WHL career has progressed. In the 18 games the Blades played in the 2023 WHL Playoffs, Molendyk posted three goals, five assists and a plus-two rating.

Where Molendyk really turned heads was in the Blades seven game first round series win over the Pats. Molendyk and defensive partner and Blades captain Aidan De La Gorgendiere, who turned 21-years-old in February, were matched up against Bedard every time the Blades coaching staff could get them out against the Pats captain.

While Bedard put up impressive point totals, Molendyk handed that challenge better than anyone could in junior hockey, and he came out of that series with just a minus-one rating despite the offensive numbers put up by Bedard. For anyone that saw Molendyk play in those games, they had to believe he was someone they needed to draft.

The Anaheim Ducks drafted Egor Sidorov in the third round.

Blades import right-winger Egor Sidorov was one of the players from this past season’s 18-year-old class that heard his name called at the NHL Entry Draft. A year ago, Sidorov was passed over in the NHL Entry Draft. He ensured he wasn’t going to be passed over this year.

During the 2022-23 campaign, Sidorov appeared in 53 regular season games with the Blades recording 40 goals, 36 assists and a plus-25 rating. He posted nine goals, 10 assists and a plus-three rating appearing in 16 games in the 2023 WHL Playoffs for the Blades.

Sidorov, who turned 19-years-old on June 18, was selected in the third round and 85^th overall by the Anaheim Ducks.

On the more gritty front, Prince Albert Raiders defenceman Terrell Goldsmith was taken in the fourth round and 102^nd overall by the Arizona Coyotes. Goldsmith, who turned 18-years-old in May, appeared in 58 regular season games with the Raiders in 2022-23 recording three goals, six assists, a minus-six rating and 102 penalty minutes.

Goldsmith is a defensive-defenceman that brings an imposing physical game that is aided by the fact he stands 6-foot-4 and weighs 220 pounds. NHL teams are looking for players to make life miserable in front of their net for opposing players, and Goldsmith can certainly do that.

Terrell Goldsmith was drafted by the Arizona Coyotes.

A number of other players from the WHL taken in this year’s NHL Entry Draft have the potential to be outstanding picks. They include centre Zach Benson of the Winnipeg Ice who are now the Wenatchee Wild going to the Buffalo Sabres in the first round and 13^th overall.

Other astute selections included the Predators selecting centre Kalan Lind of the Red Deer Rebels in the second round and 46^th overall, the Seattle Kraken picking defenceman Caden Price of the Kelowna Rockets in the fourth round and 84^th overall, the San Jose Sharks nabbing defenceman Luca Cagnoni of the Portland Winterhawks in the fourth round and 123^rd overall, the Wild getting defenceman Kalem Parker of the Victoria Royals in the sixth round and 181^st overall and the Washington Capitals selecting left-winger Brett Hyland of the Brandon Wheat Kings in the seventh round and 200^th overall.

One of the coolest moments was seeing the Winnipeg Jets take netminder Thomas Milic of the Seattle Thunderbirds in the fifth round and 151^st overall. Milic, who turned 20-years-old in April, was overlooked due to his lack of size as he stands 6-feet and weighs 179 pounds. NHL clubs often look for a goaltender who stands usually about 6-foot-3 minimum and will pass up smaller goalies including ones that can stop the puck.

Milic backstopped the Thunderbirds to the WHL Championship Series in each of the past two seasons. The Thunderbirds captured the WHL title this past season downing the Ice in five games in a best-of-seven championship series. 

Zach Benson was a first round pick of the Buffalo Sabres.

In the Memorial Cup tournament that determines a CHL champion that was held in Kamloops B.C., Milic backstopped the Thunderbirds to the event’s championship game this past June 4, where they fell 5-0 to the QMJHL champion Quebec Remparts.

On top of his post-season success with the Thunderbirds, Milic backstopped Canada to its gold medal win at this past world juniors.

During the 2022-23 regular season, Milic, who is from Coquitlam, B.C., appeared in 33 games for the Thunderbirds posting a 27-3-2 record, a 2.08 goals against average, a .928 save percentage and four shutouts. He appeared in all of the Thunderbirds 19 games in the WHL Playoffs posting a 16-3 record, a 1.95 goals against average, a .933 save percentage and one shutout.

At the Memorial Cup tournament, Milic played in all the Thunderbirds five games at that event posting a 3-2 record, a 2.41 goals against average and a .915 save percentage.

In Canada’s run to winning gold at this past world juniors, Milic appeared in six games posting a 5-0 record, a 1.76 goals against average and a .932 save percentage. Voted the WHL’s Top Goaltender and a first team CHL all-star, Milic has pretty much done almost all you can do at the junior level and more than most will ever do.

Thomas Milic was selected by the Jets in the NHL Entry Draft.

It would have been a crime had he not gotten an NHL shot. It is heartwarming to see he will get his chance to make his NHL dream come true.

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’ Allan finding timely offensive touch

D-man nets late third period goal in 1-0 win over Blades

The Raiders celebrate Nolan Allan’s winning goal on Saturday.

Nolan Allan is all about defence first and offensive flurries do not mean he is trying to rediscover his playing form from hockey days in younger age groups.

When offensive flurries and moments do come for the veteran defenceman, they are a bonus.

On Saturday night at the SaskTel Centre, the 18-year-old Davidson, Sask., product’s one offensive moment proved to be enough to push his Prince Albert Raiders to victory. With the Raiders locked in a 0-0 tie with the host Saskatoon Blades, the visitors were pressing for the contest’s first tally with less than eight minutes remaining in the third period just after a power play expired.

Raiders left-winger Sloan Stanick had the puck by the right boards in the Saskatoon zone.

Nolan Allan had the Raiders lone goal in a 1-0 win.

He passed the puck to Allan, who was positioned for a midrange shot from the centre of the Saskatoon goal. Allan blasted home his fourth of the season to the top right corner of the Saskatoon net to give the Raiders a 1-0 lead with 7:48 remaining in the frame.

Prince Albert made that 1-0 score hold up as a final to disappoint most of the 4,580 spectators in attendance outside of the healthy contingent of Raiders supporters who made their way to Saturday’s WHL regular season game from “Hockey Town North.”

Out of Allan’s four tallies this season, three of them have been winners. Allan, who was selected in the first round and 32^nd overall in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft by the Chicago Blackhawks, said it is always great to contribute offensively, but his focus remains in his own zone.

Nolan Allan is best known for his work on defence.

He put up huge offensive numbers coming up through hockey’s younger age groups, but he doesn’t expect those types of seasons to repeat themselves at higher levels of the game.

“I am a defensive first kind of guy,” said Allan, who has 24 assists and 28 points appearing in 52 regular season games for the Raiders. “That is what I will be going up the ladder throughout hockey.

“I think the offensive part of my game is something I want to work on. I am just continuing to do that while playing good defence.”

In the final seconds of Saturday’s contest, Allan showed his abilities in the defensive end coming up with a blocked shot on Blades rookie import right-winger Egor Sidorov.

Nolan Allan made a big shot block in the final seconds of the third.

Raiders head coach Marc Habscheid said his club looks to Allan and Allan’s defensive partner in Landon Kosior to come through for the team in lots of different situations.

“Him (Allan) and (Landon) Kosior for sure, they’ve been our two best defencemen,” said Habscheid. “They log a lot of minutes, and they get a lot of responsibility.

“To whom much is given much is expected. They’ve come through most nights, so they’ve been real good for us.”

Habscheid said Allan, who stands 6-foo-2 and weighs 184 pounds, can contribute on the offensive end, but the veteran bench boss, who sits fifth all-time in WHL regular season wins with 577 victories, is pleased to see standout rearguard is self-aware about focusing on the defensive end first.

Nolan Allan has 28 points in 52 games with the Raiders this season.

“He (Allan) knows at the next level he is not going to lead the league (in scoring),” said Habscheid. “If he is going to play in the NHL, it is going to be as a defender first pass, block shots and play good defensively.

“When he gets a chance to make passes and plays, he can do that. His strength is as a defender.”

The Blades came out with a lot of jump and had a big scoring chance early on a two-on-break with star centre Tristen Robins breaking down the right wing with the puck and star left-winger Kyle Crnkovic coming down left wing.

Tikhon Chaika made 31 saves in goal for the Raiders.

Robins wired a shot on goal, but he was turned away by Raiders import rookie Tikhon Chaika. The rebound from the shot went to Crnkovic, but he was turned away by Chaika too.

Allan said Chaika has kept constantly getting better as the season has gone on.

“He (Chaika) has been huge for us,” said Allan, who has a minus-one rating in the plus-minus department this season logging a tonne of minutes for the Raiders. “Without him, we wouldn’t be in a lot of games.

“We’re a pretty defensive team. We don’t score a whole tonne, but we don’t give up a whole lot either. He (Chaika) is a huge part of our group and the reason why we win a lot of games.”

Nolan Maier, right, made 28 saves for the Blades.

With 4:10 remaining in the first, the Raiders broke into the Blades zone on a three-on-one. Raiders centre Hayden Pakkala had a big chance to score in front of the Saskatoon goal, but he was stoned by Blades overage star netminder Nolan Maier.

Maier came up big again turning away Raiders right-winger Carson Latimer on a point blank chance with 90 seconds remaining in the first.

With 3.8 seconds remaining in the first, Blades overage defenceman Rhett Rhinehart nailed Raiders left-winger Sloan Stanick hard into the right wing boards in the Prince Albert zone by the blue-line. Raiders star right-winger Ozzy Wiesblatt took exception to the hit and engaged Rhinehart in a fight.

Tristen Robins had a big early scoring chance for the Blades.

The two had a short fight with Rhinehart getting in the majority of the hard shots. Wiesblatt left the game and did not return appearing to favour his left wrist.

The opening frame was pretty free flowing and wide opening with the Blades holding a 16-13 edge in shots on goal, but both the Blades and Raiders were unable to crack the scoreboard.

The two clubs played a more under control second frame with the Blades holding a 9-8 edge in shots on goal. Saskatoon had just under six minutes of power-play time in the second but the game remained tied at 0-0 thanks to the efforts of Chaika and Maier.

Blades D Rhett Rhinehart tangled with Raiders RW Ozzy Wiesblatt.

Going into the third, Allan said a strong feeling began to develop that Saturday’s contest would have a 1-0 final score.

“The goalies were playing good,” said Allan. “It was just a chippy game.

“Both teams are just battling hard. Neither team could find the back of the net. Once it got down there, it was just kind of looking like it was going to be low scoring.”

Early in the third, Raiders rookie import left-winger Vladislav Shilo broke down the right wing and cut across the front of the Saskatoon goal for a scoring chance, but he was turned away by Maier.

Near the midway point of the frame, Sidorov broke into the Prince Albert zone on a breakaway, but he was unable to get off a shot after being poke checked by Chaika.

Egor Sidorov was foiled on some big scoring chances.

That set the scene for Allan’s heroics at the end.

Maier turned away 28 shots to take the setback in net for the Blades (32-19-3-1). Chaika stopped 31 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Raiders (23-28-3-1).

The shutout was the third of the campaign for Chaika, and all of those shutouts have occurred during the Raiders last eight games.

After falling to the Blades 3-2 in overtime at the Art Hauser Centre in Prince Albert on Friday night, Allan said it was important to bounce back with a win on Saturday night.

“We are battling for every point we can get in this playoff race,” said Allan, whose team sits eighth overall and holds at the moment the final playoff berth in the WHL’s Eastern Conference. “We are doing everything we can.

Raiders fans cheer their team’s game winning goal.

“It sucks not being able to get a full two points last night, but you know to come out here and battle against these guys hard and get the two points is huge.”

The Blades return to action on Tuesday when they travel to Red Deer take on the Rebels (7 p.m. Red Deer time, Peavey Mart Centrium).

The Raiders, who have points in their last five straight games with four wins and an extra time setback, get back at it on Wednesday when they host the Swift Current Broncos (7 p.m., Art Hauser Centre).

Habscheid said his team needs to keep finding different ways to win night in and night out to keep their current roll going.

“It is a result oriented business,” said Habscheid. “It is about winning.

The Raiders celebrate their win on Saturday night.

“Obviously at this level, you want to develop these young guys. It is about winning too, and you have to find ways to win. If you are not going to score a lot, you have to defend, but you have to score some, so there has to be a balance in giving the guys opportunities to score too.

“Then, your special teams have to be good. You just try to find ways.”

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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Memorial Cup nix part of déjà vu moments in Canadian sports

The Acadie-Bathurst Titan celebrate a Memorial Cup win in 2018.

The sports world in Canada seems to like 2020 reruns in 2021.

The 2020 reruns are being caused by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The pandemic was unfortunately running in full force in 2020, and it doesn’t appear to be slowing down any in 2021 as variants add another difficult layer in trying to deal with it.

That is forcing government restrictions in various degrees around the world to stay in force in order to combat the pandemic.

Vaccines are rolling out across Canada, but life is still far from the normal experienced pre-pandemic.

On Tuesday, the Canadian Hockey League officially announced the Memorial Cup tournament was cancelled for 2021 marking the second straight year major junior hockey’s championship event was nixed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 2021 event was to be played in one of Oshawa, Ont., or Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.

The host city was never finalized and no dates were ever set for the tournament.

The 2020 Memorial Cup was supposed to be held in Kelowna, B.C., before it was called off due to the pandemic.

The cancellation hardly comes as a surprise when looking at the three major junior leagues that make up the CHL.

The QMJHL has attempted to hold a 2020-21 campaign that has included many stops and starts due to positive COVID-19 tests. Most teams have played on average 35 games.

The circuit is looking to start playoffs with action involving the teams paced in the province of Quebec on April 23.

The WHL’s four divisions had staggered and very late starts with each team playing a 24-game developmental regular season. 

The Red Deer Rebels enjoy a win at the 2016 Memorial Cup.

The Central Division began play in late February and the other three divisions hit the ice at different times in March.

Positive COVID-19 tests have caused some schedule reshuffling for the Central and B.C. Divisions.

The OHL hasn’t been able to start its 2020-21 regular season, and with Ontario once again experiencing stricter lockdown measures, it seems like a matter of time before the 2020-21 OHL campaign is outright cancelled without hitting the ice.

In a statement, CHL president Dan MacKenzie said a number of considerations were taken into account when it came to cancelling the Memorial Cup.

“The CHL is committed to the health and safety of our players, their families and billets, our teams, staff and officials, and the communities is which we play,” said MacKenzie in a statement. “The decision was made based on the limitations on travel, border restrictions, and quarantining requirements that would make it impossible to produce league champions.”

The CHL said the timing and location of the 2022 Memorial Cup would be announced at a later date.

For all sports in Canada, it appears limitations on travel, border restrictions and quarantine requirements will remain issues for the foreseeable future especially with regards to interprovincial and national competitions. Those were issues sports in Canada were still dealing with last year at this time.

In the CFL, stories are again circulating about that league talking to the Canadian federal government about financial assistance to play a 2021 campaign. That feels like a repeat of last year, when the CFL ultimately couldn’t secure funds to get back on the field.

Speculation is starting to rise that the CFL will push back the start of its 2021 campaign. Similar speculation was going down at this time last year.

One difference in the realm of the CFL this year compared to last year at this time is there were no talks about forming a partnership with the XFL. For the about the past month, there has been a tonne of speculation about what a CFL and XFL partnership could look like, or if it even will ultimately happen.

As the calendar progresses, one wonders what the summer sports season will look like when it rolls out.

Regina is hoping to hold the Canadian Masters Athletics Track and Field Championships from Aug. 27 to 29.

Cody Fajardo in action for the Saskatchewan Roughriders in 2019.

While that event is still listed as being on for the moment, Athletics Canada has already cancelled the Legions Youth Track and Field Championships, which were set for Aug. 6 to 8 in Sherbrooke, Que.

You can bet a few minor sports governing bodies in Canada will have mixed messages like that when it comes to scheduling. That happened last year too at this time.

As September approaches, one wonders if speculation will begin again about when major junior hockey or U Sports seasons will start up.

Right now in Canada, everything is the sports world hangs on whether mass vaccinations will make the COVID-19 pandemic go away. The actions of society in Canada and for North America for that matter don’t make any other option possible.

For the moment, it appears what happened in the Canadian sports world in 2020 is set to repeat in 2021.

Dach back rolling with NHL’s Blackhawks

SNIPE 🚀

Kirby Dach sets up Brandon Hagel perfectly to net the @SUBWAYCanada OT winner! pic.twitter.com/y0zVLcYyAZ

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) April 13, 2021

Kirby Dach is back, and he is on a roll.

The alumnus of the WHL’s Saskatoon Blades has appeared in nine games this season for the NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks posting one goal, four assists and minus-one rating in the plus-minus department.

Back on Dec. 23, 2020, the Fort Saskatchewan, Alta., product fractured his right wrist playing for Canada in an exhibition game in a bubble environment at Rogers Arena in Edmonton, Alta., just before world juniors. 

Kirby Dach in action for the Saskatoon Blades in 2018-19.

Dach, who was Canada’s captain, injured his wrist on what seemed like a harmless bodycheck in a 1-0 victory over Russia.

Dach, who stands 6-foot-4 and weighs 197 pounds, was originally expected to be out four to five months, which would have pegged his return for late April.

The 20-year-old centre made his return to the Blackhawks on March 27 in a 3-1 loss to the visiting Nashville Predators.

On Monday, Dach made the highlight rounds on social media for his beautiful set up pass to linemate Brandon Hagel, who netted the OT winner in the Blackhawks 4-3 victory over the Blue Jackets in Columbus.

Dach’s return is a welcome one for the Blackhawks, who have a 20-18-5 record going into their game Thursday against the Red Wings in Detroit. The Blackhawks are looking to make a push for the final playoff berth in the NHL’s Central Division sitting fifth and four points out of a post-season berth.

Maier equals Blades career shutout record, other notes

Nolan Maier tied the Blades career shutouts record.

Nolan Maier is on the cusp of taking sole ownership of another career Saskatoon Blades goaltending record.

On Wednesday playing in the WHL East Division bubble at the Brandt Centre in Regina, the product of Yorkton, Sask., made 27 saves to back the Blades to a 3-0 regular season victory over the Swift Current Broncos. The win was the ninth career shutout Maier has collected in regular season play.

Maier, who has one season of WHL eligibility remaining, equaled the Blades record for career regular season shutouts held by Andrey Makarov. Makarov collected his nine regular season shutouts playing two seasons for the Blades from 2011 to 2013.

Maier, who stands 6-feet and weighs 173 pounds, holds the Blades career regular season goaltending wins record, which currently sits at 89 victories.

In the first period of Wednesday’s contest, veteran right-winger Blake Stevenson scored twice in the first period to give the Blades a 2-0 lead. Captain Chase Wouters rounded out the scoring for the Blades with a single early in the second period.

Isaac Poulter made 37 saves to take the setback in goal for the Broncos.

The Blades improved to 13-2-2 with the win, while the Broncos fell to 3-13-1.

The Blades return to action on Thursday, when they face the Regina Pats (6-8-2-1) at 4 p.m. at the Brandt Centre. The Broncos get back at it on Friday, when they face the Winnipeg Ice at 6 p.m. at the Brandt Centre.

• Last Thursday, The Canadian Press came out with story that said Canada Soccer, Curling Canada, Hockey Canada, Rugby Canada, Skate Canada and Tennis Canada have joined forces in asking the Canadian federal government for a $75-million sport recovery program. Those bodies want that program to support local and grassroots initiatives for all sports still reeling from the COVID-19 pandemic. The story on CBC’s website can be found by clicking right here.
• On Monday, the Lethbridge Hurricanes head coach Brent Kisio picked up his 200^th career regular season win. Kisio’s Hurricanes downed visiting Red Deer Rebels 8-5 in a WHL regular season clash for the milestone victory. Kisio became the Hurricanes head coach on June 4, 2015.
• On Monday, Saskatoon Blades centre Tristen Robins was named the WHL play of the week. He picked up four goals and five assists in four games for the week ending on Sunday. The Blades posted a 3-0-1 record over those four games. Regina Pats overager Roddy Ross was named the WHL goaltender of the week. Ross won both his appearances for the week ending on Sunday posting a 0.99 goals against average and a .964 save percentage.
• On Tuesday, the WHL announced the Medicine Hat Tigers have been cleared to return to team activities. Last week, the Calgary Hitmen had a player in their team cohort test positive for COVID-19, and the Tigers were deemed close contacts after falling 5-4 after a tiebreaking shootout on April 5 at Co-Op Place in Medicine Hat. Since the positive result from the one player on the Hitmen, the Tigers have continued to test negative allowing for the clearance to play. The Tigers will host the Red Deer Rebels on Friday in Medicine Hat.
• On Tuesday, the WHL announced the Kelowna Rockets were cleared starting Wednesday to resume team activities after all individuals in the team cohort tested negative for COVID-19. The Rockets entered a league mandated 14-day isolation period following the discovery of a positive COVID-19 test on March 30. Shortly after going into isolation, the Rockets had seven other members in their team cohort test positive for COVID-19. Since the club wasn’t involved in team activities and in isolation at that time, the positive tests didn’t effect when the Rockets would return to play. The Rockets are slated to play the Prince George Cougars on Saturday at the Sandman Centre in Kamloops, B.C.
• On Tuesday, former Medicine Hat Tigers import netminder Mads Sogaard signed a three-year entry-level NHL contract with the Ottawa Senators. The Senators selected the product of Aalborg, Denmark, in the second round and 37^th overall in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. Sogaard, who stands 6-foot-7 and weighs 201 pounds, played two seasons for the Tigers from 2018 to 2020 appearing in 74 WHL regular season games posting a 40-21-6 record, a 2.58 goals against average, a .915 save percentage and three shutouts.
• On Tuesday, Calgary Flames left-winger Milan Lucic played in his 1,000^th career NHL regular season game. The 32-year-old had an assist and won a fight in a 3-2 overtime victory over the Maple Leafs in Toronto. After the Flames 4-1 victory over the Canadiens in Montreal on Wednesday, Lucic, who stands 6-foot-3 and weighs 231 pounds, has appeared in 1,001 NHL regular season games posting 213 goals, 325 assists, 1,166 penalty minutes and a plus-81 rating. He broke into the NHL in 2007 with the Boston Bruins and also spent time with the Los Angeles Kings and Edmonton Oilers. Before joining the NHL, Lucic helped his hometown Vancouver Giants win a WHL title in 2006 and the Memorial Cup title in 2007 playing in the CHL championship tournament as the host team.
• On Tuesday, organizers for the annual Country Thunder music festival set in Craven, Sask., announced that event has been cancelled for a second straight year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This year’s Country Thunder was scheduled to be held July 8 to 11.
• On Tuesday, Gregg Drinnan wrote a piece in his Taking Note blog, where he gave another run down on how the COVID-19 pandemic is still wrecking havoc on the sports world. His Tuesday piece led with announcement in Buffalo, New York, that stated all spectators looking to attend home games of the NFL’s Bills and NHL’s Sabres will have to show proof of being vaccinated for COVID-19 before being allowed into those team’s home venues. Drinnan’s piece can be found by clicking right here.
• On Wednesday, former Moose Jaw Warriors and University of Alberta Golden Bears men’s hockey team netminder Zach Sawchenko signed an NHL entry-level contract with the San Jose Sharks, which runs through the end of the 2021-22 campaign. The 23-year-old, Calgary, Alta., product has split time this season with the San Jose Barracuda of the AHL and Allen Americans in the ECHL. Sawchenko, who stands 6-foot-1 and weighs 185 pounds, played four seasons in the WHL for the Warriors from 2013 to 2017 appearing in 177 regular season games posting an 88-65-16 record, a 3.11 goals against average, a .908 save percentage and nine shutouts. In two seasons with the Golden Bears from 2017 to 2019, Sawchenko appeared in 34 regular season games posting a 28-4-1 record, a 1.74 goals against average, a .919 save percentage and five shutouts. He helped the Golden Bears win the David Johnston University Cup as U Sports champions in 2017-18.

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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World juniors will be rallying point for Canada

Kirby Dach in action for the Blades in 2018-19.

The world junior hockey championships will bring Canada together.

In Canada, it is an annual Christmas holiday season tradition to watch the world junior hockey championships on television and cheer for Team Canada. It can be argued the Christmas tradition really took flight when the entire province of Saskatchewan hosted the tournament from Dec. 26, 1990 to Jan. 4, 1991.

At the time, world juniors was an eight-team event played in round robin format. TSN took over as the television rights holder that season and went full steam ahead with top level coverage.

The Canadian team contained the likes of Eric Lindros, Mike Craig, Patrice Brisebois, Kent Manderville, Mike Sillinger, Pat Falloon, Scott Thornton, Kris Draper, Scott Niedermayer, Trevor Kidd and Felix Potvin.

On the final day, Canada faced the Soviet Union at the rink then known as Saskatchewan Place in Saskatoon. The winner would take the gold medal with the way the event played out.

The Soviets could capture top spot with a tie as no overtimes were played in world juniors at that point in time.

The teams were locked in a 2-2 tie in the third period when defenceman John Slaney would step up to forever be a household name in Canada. Slaney fired home the winning goal from the point with 5:13 remaining in the third period as the then capacity crowd of 11,312 spectators did their best to blow the roof off at the fairly new facility as Tina Turner’s “The Best” played over the sound system.

Slaney’s goal stood up as the winner allowing the host side to capture a storybook 3-2 gold medal victory.

From that moment, world juniors forever became must-watch television in Canada.

This year the tournament is being played in a bubble format at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alta., and it will likely be that much more of a must watch event for Canada.

With North America being in the grips of coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic for over nine months, world juniors are going to be shown on TSN across Canada to pretty much a captive audience.

While the games at Rogers Centre will be played without fans, most parts of Canada have moved to observe more strict type lockdown measures in order to combat COVID-19. With the majority of people in Canada glued to stay in their homes, this might be one of the most watched world juniors ever.

Canada is a big favourite to win gold led by a leadership group that all has WHL ties. Saskatoon Blades alum and centre for the NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks Kirby Dach is the captain.

As soon as Dach makes one or two hero type plays, even the fans of the Prince Albert Raiders, who are the Blades archrivals, will be cheering for him.

Lethbridge Hurricanes centre Dylan Cozens and Vancouver Giants offensive-defenceman Bowen Byram are the assistant captains. Both helped Canada win gold at last season’s world juniors in Ostrava in the Czech Republic.

Kaiden Guhle in action for the Raiders last season.

Speaking of “Hockey Town North,” it would not be a surprise to see Raiders defenceman Kaiden Guhle emerge to play big minutes for Canada.

It would be cool to see Guhle possibly paired with Prince Albert product and Brandon Wheat Kings rearguard Braden Schneider.

Saskatoon product and Kamloops Blazers centre Connor Zary is another player that has the potential to step in the spotlight in the clutch.

The Canadian roster is loaded including the likes of Cole Perfetti and Ryan Suzuki, who are both of the OHL’s Saginaw Spirit, and Peyton Krebs of the Winnipeg Ice at forward, Yorkton, Sask., product Kaedan Korczak of the Kelowna Rockets on defence and Dylan Garand of the Blazers and Taylor Gauthier of the Prince George Cougars in goal.

The pressure will be on as this is a gold medal or bust team. That always seems to be the case for Canada at this event.

Canada will benefit from the fact some of the other top squads at this year’s 10-team tournament will be weakened from players being disqualified due to testing positive for COVID-19.

Sweden arrived in the Edmonton bubble without four players including Albin Grewe, William Wallinder, Karl Henriksson and William Eklund. Eklund, who is an 18-year-old forward, is viewed as a top prospect for the 2021 NHL Entry Draft.

The United States arrived in the bubble minus five players due to positive COVID-19 tests in Robert Mastrosimone, Alex Vlasic, John Beecher, Thomas Bordeleau and goalie Drew Commesso.

Germany showed up in the Alberta capital city without four players due to positive COVID-19 tests in Lukas Reichel, Nino Kinder, Elias Lindner and netminder Tobias Ancicki.

In Edmonton, Germany had eight players test positive for COVID-19 and later one staff member, while Sweden had two staff members test positive. That resulted in the exhibition schedule shrinking from 10 games to four contests.

Canada plays its lone exhibition game on Wednesday against Russia (5 p.m., Saskatchewan time). Russia might be the hardest team Canada plays, because we all know how much Russian President Vladimir Putin likes to win at hockey.

The tournament’s preliminary round starts on Christmas Day and Canada’s first preliminary round game is Saturday against Germany (5 p.m., Saskatchewan time).

While some hardcore fans might say the field at world juniors isn’t as strong as it should be due to the pandemic and put the tournament down, it will be a feeling limited to those hardcore fans.

For the millions - and millions - of fans in Canada that will be cheering for the Canadian side watching on television, most just want to see victory, and they won’t care how it comes. A Canadian gold medal win would bring a much needed release for all those in “The True North strong and free.”

Wiesblatt outdoor rink incident shouldn’t have heated up

Ocean Wiesblatt outdoor rink arrest incident shouldn’t have gone as far as it did.

Since Saturday, video went viral on Facebook and Twitter saw Calgary police executing an uncomfortable looking violent takedown arrest of Wiesblatt that was fit for a drug dealer at an outdoor community rink in that centre on Thursday. Wiesblatt had been playing shinny hockey with some friends.

Police said more than 40 were using the area when Calgary’s Bylaw Services were called to enforce Public Health Orders to combat the COVID-19 pandemic specifically regarding the size of the outdoor gatherings. The police said they were called after Bylaw Services ran into non-compliance issues.

The police said Wiesblatt was asked multiple times to leave and was issued ticket. The police said after Wiesblatt refused to provide his name or identification the arrest was made.

Wiesblatt was charged with resisting arrest, obstruction and breaking a Public Health Order. The Public Health Order ticket is $1,200. The resisting arrest and obstruction charges are both criminal code infractions.

The 21-year-old Wiesblatt just finished up a playing career in the junior A ranks with the Portage Terriers in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League. He has three younger brothers who have all played in the WHL.

His 18-year-old brother, Ozzy, is a star with the Prince Albert Raiders and is a first round NHL Entry Draft selection of the San Jose Sharks and has signed an NHL entry-level contract with the Sharks.

The four Wiesblatt brothers have been raised by their mother Kim White, who has been deaf since birth. White has been a single mom since 2014.

The Rebel News Network, which is a far right-wing political and social commentary media outlet run by Ezra Levant, went to town on that story. A staffer interviewed Ocean Wiesblatt on Saturday and posted lengthy video story on Sunday on The Rebel News Network site.

In the piece, Wiesblatt said he and his friends talked to the bylaw officers once. He said a bunch of people left and he stuck around with four other guys.

Wiesblatt said when the police arrived they were talking to some children, and he decided to see what was going and provide the presence of an older person. Wiesblatt said he started talking with the police, and it was at that point he was told he was breaking a Public Health Order.

Of course, The Rebel News Network is going to slant their piece to paint the police in an evil picture. The piece said Calgary police exaggerated and inflated the number of people that were at the outdoor rink in their original report.

On a gut judgment, I believe Wiesblatt when he said went over to check on the police talking to some children and his talks with the police there developed to the police telling him he was breaking a Public Health Order causing things to escalate.

Knowing Ozzy and knowing the background of the Wiesblatt family, my gut tells me that Ocean is not a violent criminal. I think the police could have been feeling pressure to make arrests to set the tone for the Public Health Order.

If someone isn’t used to dealing with the police feeling under pressure which is most of the general public, it leads to the potential of things escalating. Those thoughts are influenced from years of talking to court reporters during my time in the mainstream media.

In the video of the arrest, Ocean Wiesblatt asks why he is being arrested, and he never gets a straight answer in the video.

Those that took videos and posted those videos to social media likely did that, because they felt in their gut something wrong was going down. It also appeared at one moment early in the video the friends were succeeding in convincing Wiesblatt to leave.

Due to all of reaction from these videos, Alberta Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Deena Hinshaw clarified on Monday that outdoor hockey is not allowed under the Public Health Orders if players are not from the same household.

Overall, I think the situation with Wiesblatt should not have gotten this far, and it is unfortunate court time and taxpayer money will tied up with this situation as it goes forward.

Blades hold distanced “Teddy Toss,” other notes

So blessed to have the best.#BladeCity | #TeddyBearToss pic.twitter.com/BzRdR5xaBv

— Saskatoon Blades (@BladesHockey) December 19, 2020

The COVID-19 did not stop the WHL’s Saskatoon Blades from holding their annual “Teddy Bear Toss.”

When times are normal, the “Teddy Bear Toss” promotion usually happens during a regular season game in December, where the spectators throw stuffed animals on to the ice after the Blades score their first goal of that contest. The stuffed animals are collected and given to charities.

On Friday night at the SaskTel Centre parking lot, the Blades held a modified “Teddy Bear Toss” for the pandemic. People were able to drive into the parking lot and throw stuffed animals into large inflatable tubs.

The Blades delivered the stuffed animals to the Salvation Army in Saskatoon on Tuesday.

It seems the last week has been full of developments in the sports world with a mix of good and bad. Here is a quick rundown.

• On Dec. 16, Softball Saskatchewan said they will allow sanctioned activities that follow provincial guidelines including those for sports and activities. The notice was put out due to Public Health Orders changing on a continuing basis with regards to COVID-19. Athletes in Saskatchewan in any sport are allowed to train currently in groups of eight.
• On Dec. 16, the Saskatchewan Hockey Association announced it had cancelled provincial playoffs for the 2020-21 campaign and carded team programs. I got confirmation that the cancellation does not include playoffs for the male and female under-18 AAA leagues in the province. The Saskatchewan Hockey Association is still holding out hope playoffs will still happen in those leagues, but the first concern is just resuming regular season play.
• Last Thursday, Saskatoon Stars 17-year-old defender Kalli Hiebert committed to joining the University of New Brunswick Varsity Reds women’s hockey team in Fredericton, N.B., for the 2021-22 U Sports campaign. Hiebert has two assists in the two SFU18AAAHL regular season games the Stars have played. She spent two seasons from 2017 to 2019 with the Battlefords Sharks.
• Last Thursday, the Canada West Conference in U Sports announced the cancellation of its conference track and field and its conference swimming championships for the 2020-21 campaign due to the COVID-19 pandemic. All Canada West competitions for 2020-21 have been cancelled due to the pandemic except for curling. A decision on the conference championship for curling will be made at a later date. No meaningful games or competitions have taken place in Canada West for 2020-21. All U Sports nationals for 2020-21 have already been cancelled due to the pandemic.
• Last Thursday, Medicine Hat Tigers 19-year-old forward Lukas Svejkovsky gamed his side to winning the inaugural Memorial eCup video game tournament. Svejkovsky and the Tigers finished the event with a perfect 8-0 record. In the best-of-three Memorial eCup final against Riley Bezeau of the QMJHL’s Saint John Sea Dogs, Svejkovsky swept the series 2-0 with victories of 10-0 and 4-1. The CHL made a $1,000 donation to a charity of Svejkovsky’s choice, and Kia Canada provided $1,000 gift card to the winner. Svejkovsky donated the gift card to charity too. Svejkovsky chose to support the Medicine Hat Santa Claus Fund and the Medicine Hat Women’s Shelter.
• On Sunday, the NHL and NHLPA announced a plan has been put in place for the upcoming season. The regular season is now slated to start Jan. 13, 2021 and will be 56 games long. All seven Canadian teams will play in one division. Playoffs will be a more typical 16-team format with all series being best-of-seven. Of course, all these plans could change again due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The upcoming NHL season was originally slated to start Jan. 1, 2021.
• On Monday, Lynn Moe was drawn as the winner of the 50/50 jackpot for the Hockey Harvest Lottery, which supports the player scholarship funds of Saskatchewan’s five WHL teams in the Moose Jaw Warriors, Prince Albert Raiders, Regina Pats, Saskatoon Blades and the Swift Current Broncos. Moe, who son Spencer is a Raiders centre, took home $185,365.
• On Monday, the 2021 Saskatchewan Summer Games, which were to be held in Lloydminster, were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They were slated to be held in July. Originally, those games were supposed to happen July 26, 2020 to Aug. 1, 2020 before being postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• On Monday, the WHL announced the WHL Bantam Draft will now be known as the WHL Draft, and the 2021 WHL Draft has been moved from May to a date to be determined in December of that year. With most minor hockey shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the WHL made the move to give teams a better chance to scout draft eligible players.
• On Monday, the WHL announced the league’s board of governors approved the Winterhawks Sports Group as the new owners of the Portland Winterhawks effective Jan. 1, 2021. The Winterhawks Sports Group is led by Michael Kramer and Kerry Preete, who will be managing partners. The Winterhawks Sports Group has also acquired the operations of the Winterhawks Skating Center in Beaverton, Or, and all Winterhawks junior hockey programs. The Winterhawks were previously owned by William Gallacher, who is a Calgary based oil man.
• On Tuesday, the Notre Dame Hounds female under-18 AAA team announced forward Emma Thomas has committed with the Nipissing University Lakers women’s hockey team in North Bay, Ont., for the 2021-22 U Sports Campaign. Thomas has six goals and one assist in four SFMAAAHL regular season games the Hounds were able to get in during the current campaign.

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.