When Shultz stirred the pot between Raiders and Blades

The Prince Albert Raiders logo in 2004.

    Tanner Shultz loved returning to his hometown of Prince Albert as the villain when he played for the Saskatoon Blades.

    Shultz, who used to be the pest/agitator for the Blades from 2002 to 2004, came to mind when Gregg Drinnan, who is “the man” when it comes to covering the WHL, and Blades beloved play-by-play voice Les Lazaruk recently made an appearance on the WHL Unfiltered podcast. Both Drinnan and Lazaruk told some colourful stories from their time covering the circuit, and Shultz sprung to my mind with a memory in regards to the rivalry between the Blades and the Prince Albert Raiders.

    When Shultz was a member of the Blades, he returned to Prince Albert during the summer months to work and play on the city’s top midget fastpitch team. One night after one of his fastpitch games in the summer of 2003, we socialized and talked hockey. At the time, I was working as a sports reporter for the Prince Albert Daily Herald.

    Shultz, who stood 6-foot-1 and weighed 185 pounds, said that I should call him and interview him at some point during the upcoming season before the Blades were to clash with the Raiders. He said he would love the chance to trash talk the Raiders and stir the pot.

The Saskatoon Blades logo in 2004.

    In January of 2004, I decided to pursue that idea. The two teams were to meet in a home-and-home series opening with a clash on Friday, Jan. 30 in Prince Albert and concluding Saturday, Jan. 31 in Saskatoon.

    The Raiders were having a good season sporting a 29-16-4-3 record at that time. The Blades were last in the entire WHL at 6-34-11.

    Shultz had built more than a nice reputation for being loose lipped. I found out afterwards that before being fired earlier in season Blades head coach Kevin Dickie told the pest centre to be silent. That order never seemed to be followed.

    Mike Jenkins, who is now the development and marketing officer for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies, was the Blades director of marketing back then, and he was one of those who was always open to doing something colourful to sell tickets. During Jenkins time with the Blades, the team held tailgate type parties before some games at a time when that wasn’t a regular occurrence in the WHL.

    When the Raiders came to Saskatoon one night, he had a “Pound P.A.” promo going, where fans could pay two-dollars to get a sledgehammer swing at a car done up in Raiders markings. The money raised went to the Blades education fund.

    Before the January 2004 home-and-home series, I called Jenkins up looking to talk to Shultz. Jenkins proceeded to give me Shultz’s billet home phone number. While Jenkins might deny it, I am pretty certain he knew the direction the interview would go on the colourful front, and it would create interest in the games.

    On a side note, Jenkins would likely get in big trouble if he did something like this on the Huskies front in the current day.

    Anyways, I get Shultz on the phone at his billet home, and he did his part. He said he really loved to get under the skin of the Raiders and he felt he could easily annoy Raiders left-winger Dane Byers and defenceman Chris Schlenker, who now works in the NHL as a referee.

    “I will try and get everyone (off of their game), but there is a couple of guys I really don’t like,” said Shultz, who was 19-years-old that season. “I will probably get in a couple of fights this weekend to make the games a bit more interesting.

    “Maybe Schlenker and Byers,” Shultz added with a chuckle. “I really don’t like that Byers. Maybe he will be ready to go this weekend.

    “I am always up for it. Sometimes, he bails out a bit. Maybe he will step up this weekend.”

    When he played at the Raiders home rink that was known as the Comuniplex at that time, Shultz went on to say he was at his happiest when the Prince Albert players, coaches, management, fans and maybe even the concession workers are upset with him. Before playing for the Blades, Shultz gained practice returning home to Prince Albert as the enemy playing midget AAA for the Saskatoon Contacts, who are still huge rivals with the Prince Albert Mintos.

    “Coming home, it is a lot more fun,” said Shultz. “You try to get the crowd on you and stuff, and it is pretty fun.

    “They are kind of harsh toward me, but that is the way I like it. I am not going to really complain about it.”

    After finishing the story, I decided the Raiders shouldn’t be tipped off as to what was said. I figured it would be best to run the story on the Friday the day of the first game and see what happens.

    Greg Nicholson, who covered sports for an extended time in Prince Albert and was a Daily Herald desker, edited and laid out my story that night. He knew Shultz’s family well.

    When he check out my story, Nicholson said, “I wonder what his (Shultz’s) mother is going to say?”

    At that time, the Prince Albert Daily Herald hit the streets at 11 a.m., and on one of the coldest days and nights of the year, that story was the talk of the town. From what I heard, one of the alums brought a copy of the story into the Raiders coaches office for then head coach Peter Anholt and assistant coach Dave Manson, who is currently an associate coach with the club, to see. That happened shortly after the time the paper hit the streets.

    On the weather front, the night was so cold that people likely shouldn’t have been venturing out of their home, but 2,341 fans turned out to the Comuniplex, which could seat 2,857 spectators in the old Smarty Box seats that were in the building back then.

    Just 47 seconds into the contest and right after the puck was dropped for the game’s second faceoff, Shultz and Schlenker were on the ice, dropped their gloves and took off their helmets to duke it out. That would be classified as a staged fight and is no longer legal in the WHL. The two combatants threw bombs at each other for a good 45 seconds until the officials broke up the bout in what was one of the better fights of the season.

    The Raiders won the game 4-0 to lock up a playoff berth with Prince Albert netminder Rejean Beauchemin making 25 saves to collect the shutout. The contest had six fights in total including a second confrontation between Shultz and Schlenker and 138 minutes in penalties. Chris Savage was the referee for that contest, and years later, he would be one of the big influences that got Schlenker into officiating.

    Anholt cut to chase right away in the post-game interview.

    “Our guys read the paper and I think they understand some things were said,” said Anholt. “I thought Schlenker really stepped up tonight and showed a lot of leadership.

    “I thought our team played real well tonight. I don’t think (the fights are) that big a deal.

    “We feel we have enough toughness on our team that we can handle anything that comes our way. I don’t think we should blow things out of proportion.”

    Schlenker was ready for battle after reading my story.

    “It is just incentive to fire another guy up,” said Schlenker. “Since the pre-game meal, that was all that I was thinking about. I cut the article out in my stall.

    “I don’t really see any need for someone to do that. It worked against him (Shultz). We pretty much took it to them out there tonight.”

    Shultz was pretty proud he stirred up the pot.

    “I know sometimes we come here, and it just feels like we are playing a team in the B.C. Division,” said Shultz. “It shouldn’t feel like that.

    “I am real proud of the young guys at the end. I think we had three 16-year-olds and a 17-year-old drop the gloves. It is about time.”

    One of the undercard bouts saw rookie forward Devin Setoguchi of the Blades and rookie defenceman Jeff May of the Raiders go at it. Setoguchi, who had recently turned 17 at the time, was more known as a goal scorer and wasn’t really a fighter during his WHL career that spanned four seasons closing with one campaign with the Prince George Cougars in 2006-07.

    He has played 516 NHL regular season games with the San Jose Sharks, Minnesota Wild, Winnipeg Jets, Calgary Flames and Los Angeles Kings.

    May, who was 16-years-old at the time, was known more as a rearguard that could supply some offence during his five WHL seasons, which concluded in 2008 with a short stint with the Lethbridge Hurricanes. He went on to play in the minors and a couple of short stints in France. May has been out of professional hockey for a year.

    Courtney Gillies, who is the niece of former NHL standout Clark Gillies, shot pictures of the game that night. My standout co-worker and partner in crime on the sports beat in Prince Albert took some unreal photos of that first fight between Shultz and Schlenker. The deskers that night elected not to use them saying they were against promoting fighting in hockey, which was an odd sentiment in Prince Albert considering the Raiders rough and tumble traditional reputation.

    With the turnover in staff and the cuts in budget, I am pretty sure the photos from that night have likely disappeared into the abyss, which from a historical perspective is too bad. Media outlets all across Canada have dumped numerous pictures and rolls of video into the trash over the years due budget cuts that have caused a reduction in storage space.

    Shultz ultimately finished that season appearing in 69 regular season games with the Blades collecting six goals, four assists and 331 minutes in penalties. That was his last full season in the WHL as he concluded his major junior career with a one-game stint with the Kamloops Blazers in 2004-05.

    He eventually ended up in the U Sports ranks playing three seasons for the University of Regina Cougars men’s hockey team from 2007 to 2010. Shultz last played professional hockey with the Pensacola Ice Flyers in the Southern Professional Hockey League collecting 17 goals, 23 assists and 121 penalty minutes in 52 regular season games in 2010-11.

    The Raiders downed the Blades 5-2 before 4,512 spectators in what was then known as the Credit Union Centre to complete the home-and-home series the next night in Saskatoon. There were four fights and 72 minutes in penalties in that contest. Shultz and Byers had a bout in that game.

    Nights like that home-and-home series used to be a more common occurrence in the WHL. The league is more businesslike now as compared to then, which is due to how the game evolved over the years.

    With that said, it is still great to remember stories like this, which get lost over the years. For the younger generation, it gives a little glimpse of why the hockey rivalry between Saskatoon and Prince Albert at all levels can still get intense.

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

Schlenker going to "The Show?"

NHL job would be well-earned reward for Medicine Hat referee

Chris Schlenker waves off a goal in the WHL playoffs.

    It appears the WHL won’t have the services of its award winning official this coming season.

    Last season, Chris Schlenker won the Allen Paradice Memorial Trophy as the WHL’s top official. On July 7, Scoutingtherefs.com reported that the Medicine Hat product was one of four officials hired by the NHL. A day later, Hockey Alberta sent out a release stating Schlenker was making the jump to the NHL.

    The NHL itself has yet to officially confirm any new referee or linesmen hires. Unlike player, coach and general manager signings, referee and linesmen hires barely register as a blip on the radar for most hockey fans. Those that care about that kind of news are usually the family and friends of an official.

    Schlenker’s case is different.

    The 32-year-old has always been popular in his hometown of Medicine Hat, and when he skated as a defenceman with the WHL’s Regina Pats and Prince Albert Raiders from 2001 to 2005, his popularity expanded in the hockey world in Western Canada.

    On the ice, fans loved the hits Schlenker dished out. Standing 6-foot-2 and weighing 198 pounds, he was a rock solid and tough defensive defenceman.

    Off the ice, he built a reputation as being a solid team guy serving as the Pats captain and as an assistant captain with the Raiders. When the Pats traded Schlenker in early January 2004 to the Raiders, his departure was greeted with sadness in Regina.

    When he arrived in Prince Albert, there might never have been player that was welcomed right away and greeted so warmly into the Raiders dressing room. In 284 WHL regular season games, Schlenker collected 25 goals, 67 assists and 718 minutes in penalties.

    After his playing days wrapped, Schlenker settled back in Medicine Hat to raise his family and pursue his career in policing. While his hockey playing days were over, his days in the game were not.

    Veteran referee Chris Savage, who had storied career wearing the striped shirt, had also settled down in Medicine Hat to pursue a career as a firefighter with the Medicine Hat Fire Department. Savage got to know Schlenker and recruited the steady rearguard to return to competitive hockey as an official.

Chris Schlenker keeps tabs on the action on the ice.

    Savage thought that Schlenker would be a natural as a referee after playing the game for an extended time at a high level. If Schlenker applied his gritty work ethic towards officiating like he did his hockey playing career and his policing career, there was no telling what doors might open for him.

    Schlenker contemplated the decision for an extended time, before becoming a hockey official about five years ago. He quickly worked his way up the officiating ranks. By the time he was skating in his third season as a referee, Schlenker was in the WHL on a full-time basis.

    The games he worked always seemed to have a nice flow to them. He let the soft calls that didn’t have an effect on the game go, and he always got the major ones right.

    He mastered the skill of communicating well with the coaches and players on both teams in the games he worked. As a former player, he often was able to spot times when tensions were about to escalate, and he was able to put out fires before they happened.

    Schlenker was professional and detailed when it came to watching game film and working with officials supervisors with regards to positioning on the ice and making the correct calls in muddy situations.

    He was making the effort to master the craft of being a referee, which takes a lot more commitment than most in the public realize.

    At the WHL level, most coaches and general managers that saw Schlenker play respected him for the work he did on the ice as a blue-liner. When Schlenker returned to the WHL as a referee, he earned a new respect from players, coaches and general managers for his efforts as an official.

    After Schlenker started working some assignments in the American Hockey League this past season, there were a lot of people in the WHL hoping he would get an NHL shot.

    A lot of Schlenker’s teammates from his Pats and Raiders days were sad the Hat product didn’t get a chance to be part of “The Show” as a player. Everyone that knows Schlenker will be pumped to see he found another way to make it to the top.

    While most of Schlenker’s assignments next season will likely be in the AHL, his eventual NHL debut will be a 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.

Officiating always a work in progress

An official explains a blown call at a CIS football game.

            Being a referee is never easy, but it seems like fans of Canadian football want to throw the men in the stripes under the bus this year more than ever.

            During the CFL season, it has been common place to see spectators get upset at the officials, besides frowning at the fact defensive play rules the game this year. During contests, more penalties have been called than ever before, and it seems like the consistency isn’t there.

            The complaints seem to go down the ladder. At university, junior and high school games, it seems no one is happy with the officials.

            A couple of understanding coaches have said to me that a new group of younger officials is coming up through the ranks, because a number of older ones have retired. As a result, there will be some growing pains.

            Unfortunately, officiating in football has a couple of common characteristics that go along with officiating in any sport in Canada, which hamper officials from being as good as they can be.

First, more resources need to be utilized in every sport to help officials. In too many instances, officials are usually undertrained. Because of this, they hit the competitive stage at a total disadvantage.

Second, there is a feeling in Canada that officials should not have to be accountable. Part of this comes from the fact they usually go into games undertrained.

Being unaccountable also becomes a big problem. It allows one to accept a notion it is alright if officials do not get better at their craft.

As for the first point, to become a good official you need ongoing coaching and support. Athletes in their sports receive continuous coaching to become better. Officiating is the same.

            It is still common place for someone to go to a weekend course and become a referee. From there, officials get placed in a game environment, where the abuse at times does not fit the game day pay an official receives.

            Officiating also is more than just about making the right calls. The biggest skill in officiating is dealing with people. Once you have mastered the skill of dealing with people you will run into fewer situations where you have to deal with disrespect.

            In hockey, one of Canada’s top referees was Chris Savage, who had a lengthy career officiating in the major junior ranks and worked a whole host of world competitions. When you talk with him, you quickly realize how much there is to the art of being an official and how much there is to learn about being a good one.

            He approaches officiating with a real upbeat passion for the craft and the game of hockey itself. A Medicine Hat resident, Savage, who is pretty skilled as a coach, has worked with numerous officials in that geographical area.

An official breaks up a scrum at a CIS hockey game.

Those officials will all tell you they are way more confident and even more excited to do their jobs thanks to the small tips they receive from Savage. A lot of the tips are usually with regards to dealing with people in various sorts of situations, which Savage encountered as a referee. The value of the experience Savage passes on is priceless.

            You wish someone like Savage was offered a position with great compensation by a body like Hockey Canada to help with developing officials across the country. As the old saying goes, in order to be the best it helps to learn from the best.

            With that said, the WHL should be given big credit last season to having officials supervisors out what appeared more than ever, when the league was going through a youth movement in that department. They were really visible. Video is also often used to help officials.

            In the United States, more money in thrown into helping officials, because the sports culture there is just way bigger than it is Canada. In Canada, hockey can only really legitimately be viewed as a “big sport.”

            When officials in Canadian football are compared to those in U.S. football, the officials in the Canadian game always come up short. In the NFL, officials have weekly meetings where they simulate what to do in almost unheard of complex and tough calls.

            The scrutiny is also a lot bigger. All one has to do is remember the heat placed on the replacement officials, when the NFL locked out their regular officials in the 2012 campaign.       

            The tipping point came during the “Fail Mary” game, when the Seattle Seahawks defeated the Green Bay Packers 14-12 on a Monday night contest that concluded Week 3 of the season. The contest ended when Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson threw a Hail Mary pass to the Green Bay end zone, and both Seahawks receiver Golden Tate and Packers defender M.D. Jennings got their hands on the ball in the air.

            Singles of touchdown and touchback were made by the two officials nearest to the play, before a ruling of simultaneous possession occurred resulting in a Seahawks touchdown. Before the catch, Tate shoved Packers cornerback Sam Shields with both hands, which the NFL later acknowledged should have resulted in an offensive pass interference penalty that would have negated the touchdown and given victory to Green Bay.

            That was the last game worked by replacement officials, as the NFL quickly came to a new collective bargaining agreement with their regular officials to bring them back.

            To various degrees, all sports bodies in Canada can make cases about the efforts they make to help officials. Even with those efforts, strides should always be taken to put more resources into officiating.

            Also, officials should be a little more open to receiving criticism. One of the ways you get better is to learn from your mistakes.

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