Unique WHL season put to bed

Developmental campaign allowed games to return

Connor Zary had 24 points for the Blazers.

There were some bumps, but the WHL’s developmental regular season for 2020-21 accomplished its goal.

The major junior circuit, which plays under the CHL umbrella, was looking to get a shortened regular season in for the 2020-21 campaign for developmental purposes. With the world stuck in the grips of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the WHL faced a huge challenge trying to get games back on the ice with its member clubs located across four Canadian provinces and two states in the United States.

The WHL put in constant work dealing with four different provincial governments and four different provincial health authorities and long with two state governments and two state health departments trying to get back on the ice.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the WHL wasn’t able to complete its 2019-20 campaign with the regular season getting paused on March 12, 2020 before the rest of that campaign was ultimately cancelled.

As the months of September to December in 2020 came and went with no game action, one had to wonder if the WHL would take the ice at all. The OHL, which also plays under the CHL umbrella, never had a season of any kind in 2020-21.

From late January through February to March 2 of this year, the WHL succeed in getting return to play plans approved. Originally, each of the 22 member teams were scheduled to play 24 regular season games each.

Teams would only play against their division rivals, and no spectators were allowed to attend games.

The circuit experienced come hiccups with positive COVID-19 tests. Last Friday, the WHL announced it had conducted 9,735 tests for COVID-19 from February 12 to last Friday and only 14 results came back positive.

Still, the WHL regular season came to a successful end Wednesday, when the Kamloops Blazers blanked the Prince George Cougars 4-0 in Kamloops and the Kelowna Rockets slipped past the Victoria Royals 3-2 in Kelowna.

The WHL crowned champions for each of its four divisions and nine out of the 22 teams successfully played a 24-game regular season schedule.

The East Division contained all five of the WHL’s teams based in Saskatchewan and the two clubs located in Manitoba. Those seven clubs got all their regular season games in playing in a true bubble environment at the Brandt Centre in Regina.

When those seven clubs weren’t playing games, the players and staff all lived in the dorms at the University of Regina and Luther College, which is on the grounds of the U of R.

The East Division had the tightest divisional race, so in might have been huge all clubs in the division completed the entirety of their schedules.

The Brandon Wheat Kings topped the division with an 18-4-2 record edging out the Winnipeg Ice (18-5-1) by one standings point and the Saskatoon Blades (16-5-2-1) by three standings points. For their efforts, the Wheat Kings captured the Subway Cup.

Left-winger Ben McCartney led the Wheat Kings in scoring with 13 goals and 24 assists, while posting a plus-18 rating in the plus-minus department playing in all of Brandon’s 24 games.

Ice star centre Peyton Krebs led the entire WHL in scoring with 13 goals and 30 assists for 43 points in all of Winnipeg’s 24 games.

Jake Neighbours led the Oil Kings with 33 points.

Of course, 15-year-old phenom centre Connor Bedard of the Regina Pats gained most of the attention. He recorded 12 goals, 16 assists and a plus-nine rating in 15 games. The North Vancouver, B.C., product left the Pats early to help Canada win gold at the under-18 world hockey champions, which ran in late April and earlier this month in Frisco and Plano, Texas.

In the Central Division, the Lethbridge Hurricanes were able to play all of their 24 regular season games.

Positive COVID-19 test troubles with the Calgary Hitmen impacted the schedules of all the other teams. Still, the Hitmen played 21 regular season games, while Edmonton Oil Kings, Medicine Hat Tigers and Red Deer Rebels each played 23 regular season games.

The Oil Kings were the class of the division finishing first with a 20-2-0-1 record. Edmonton actually collected enough points in the standings to lock up top spot overall in the WHL even if every other team completed their originally scheduled 24-game regular seasons.

Star Oil Kings left-winger Jake Neighbours topped all Central Division players in scoring collecting nine goals and 24 assists for 33 points in 19 games played to go with a plus-29 rating.

In the U.S. Division, the Portland Winterhawks successfully completed their 24-game regular season. Positive COVID-19 test troubles involving the Tri-City Americans caused some cancellations in the U.S. Division schedule.

The Americans themselves still played 19 regular season games.

The Everett Silvertips topped the division with a 19-4 record. The Silvertips had enough points in the standings that they would have still finished first even if all the scheduled games in the U.S. Division were successfully completed.

Star netminder Dustin Wolf had an outstanding season with the Silvertips posting an 18-3 record, a 1.80 goals against average, a .940 save percentage and four shutouts.

Both the Central and U.S. Divisions played with teams playing out of their home rinks and players staying with their billet families.

The B.C. Division operated in a modified bubble playing games in Kamloops and Kelowna. The Royals, Prince George Cougars and Vancouver Giants all stayed in hotels, while the Blazers and Rockets stayed will billet families.

A major COVID-19 outbreak on the Rockets dented the B.C. Division’s schedule. The Rockets played the fewest games out of any WHL team at 16, and the other four B.C. Division teams each got 22 games in.

The Blazers topped the division with an 18-4 record allowing them to capture the RE/MAX Cup. Kamloops was the only repeat division winner from a year ago.

The Rockets only had a 10-lateral, 99-yard touchdown play chance of ending up with more standings points than the Blazers, if both teams made it to 24 games played.

The Rockets would have had to win all of their last eight games and hope the Blazers were limited to just picking up one point in the standings over their final two games.

Kelowna was awarded second place in the division due to its winning percentage coming from a 10-5-1 record.

Centre Josh Pillar topped the Blazers in scoring collecting 11 goals and 18 assists to go with a plus-11 rating playing in all of his team’s 22 games.

The Blazers ended the campaign winning six straight and were missing star captain Connor Zary for the last seven of their contests. He was injured on April 28 after taking a high hit from Cougars left-winger Jonny Hooker in a game the Cougars won 5-1 in Kamloops.

Hooker served a four game suspension for that hit.

Peyton Krebs led the WHL with 43 points this season.

Zary had six goals, 18 assists and a plus-nine rating in the 15 games he played for the Blazers.

For about three months from February 26 to this past Wednesday, WHL fans were able to enjoy following their team’s exploits, which may have included watching games online.

The fact the circuit got the games in it did is a major accomplishment.

Now league followers have to wait and see what an upcoming 2021-22 campaign will look like. At the moment, the start date is still foggy, but it could still potentially be in September or October.

The WHL will try to conduct as season that is as normal as possible, but in these COVID-19 times even with vaccines rolling out, there are still no guarantees.

🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆
cc: @kyrellsopotyk 🙏 pic.twitter.com/8KZmJhVWLH

— Kamloops Blazers (@blazerhockey) May 13, 2021

Chinn named Huskies chief athletics officer

The Shannon Chinn era is beginning for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies.

On Tuesday, the University of Saskatchewan and Huskie Athletics announced Chinn as the incoming chief athletics officer. She will begin her new position on June 15.

Chinn replaces outgoing chief athletics officer Dave Hardy, who is retiring. Hardy joined the Huskies in August of 2019 for what was originally set to be a two-year interim basis.

Born and raised in Regina, Chinn has most recently been working as the director of Look Sports, which is the Ontario-based Look Company. That company is responsible for the signing and branding at many large stadiums and sporting events in Canada.

In Saskatchewan, Chinn became well connected after holding the role of manager of corporate partnerships and game day operations with the CFL’s Saskatchewan Roughriders from 2006 to 2010, which included their Grey Cup championship year in 2007.

Chinn, 45, is an elected Football Canada board member, on the business development committee, the female development committee and co-chair of the diversity task force.

She has also worked for the NHL’s Ottawa Senators and TSN.

Before embarking on her sports administration career, Chinn was a player with the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees women’s basketball team and played for Saskatchewan’s women’s provincial team program. She has a bachelor’s degree in human kinetics from the University of Ottawa.

“I am appreciative of all of the previous leaders, coaches and athletes who have laid the strong and successful foundation here,” said Chinn in a release. “I look forward to building on their hard work to improve the student-athlete experience, amplify the high-performance culture, and raise the pride and profile through student and community engagement to take Huskie Athletics to the next level.”

Hulak returns to Huskies as assistant coach, other notes

Excited to welcome @dhulak89 back to Saskatoon as an assistant coach. One of the best in program history will join our staff behind the bench after 8 seasons as a pro!#HuskiePride pic.twitter.com/P4XeoqOnEu

— USask Huskie Men's Hockey (@HuskiesMHKY) May 13, 2021

Derek Hulak is coming home.

On Thursday, the University of Saskatchewan Huskies announced Hulak will be joining the men’s hockey team as an assistant coach. Hulak is popular in the Saskatoon and area hockey community, and he has a long history of being a skilled forward for many programs.

From 2004 to 2006, Hulak played two seasons for the Saskatoon Contacts male under-18 AAA team appearing 76 regular season games piling up 34 goals and 53 assists.

The Saskatoon product started his WHL career with the Regina Pats playing one game as an associate player call up in 2005-06 and 19 games to start the 2006-07 campaign with the Regina Pats. In his 20 games with the Pats, Hulak had six goals and four assists.

He was traded to his hometown Saskatoon Blades and remained with the Blades through the end of the 2009-10 campaign. Hulak was the Blades captain in his final season with the team.

In 247 career regular season games with the Blades, Hulak recorded 89 goals, 143 assists and a plus-23 rating in the plus-minus department.

Following his time with the Blades, Hulak started the 2010-11 season with the Tulsa Oilers in the Central Hockey League before joining the Huskies halfway through that campaign.

Derek Hulak pictured in 2015.

Hulak remained with the Huskies through the end of the 2013-14 campaign appearing in 87 career regular season games recording 34 goals, 89 assists and a plus-29 rating.

He was the Canada West Conference scoring champion during the 2011-12 campaign, when the Huskies won the conference title, and in his final season in 2013-14. Hulak was named the MVP of the Canada West Conference in his final season with the Huskies and the MVP of the U Sports championship tournament that was hosted in Saskatoon where the Huskies fell in the final to their “forever rivals” the University of Alberta Golden Bears.

On top of playing for the Huskies, Hulak moved back to the professional ranks in 2013-14 joining the Texas Stars of the AHL, and he helped them win the Calder Cup as league champions.

Hulak would play seven more seasons professionally before finishing with HC Thurgau this past season in Switzerland. The 31-year-old Hulak has kept strong with the former programs he played for in Saskatoon.

Hulak’s addition to the coaching staff of the Huskies men’s hockey team under the direction of head coach Mike Babcock will be popular in Saskatoon and area.

• I created a couple of new posts that went live on Sunday for the Howe Happenings blog, which supports the Gordie Howe Sports Complex. The first piece was an enjoyable one to write on Derek Rope, who is one of the newest Board of Directors members for the Friends of the Bowl. Rope is a long time coach and administrator in track and field, where he has had a focus on indigenous athletes. He was once a member of the University of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s track and field team too. The story on Rope can be found by clicking right here. I also put together another photo round of happenings at the Complex. That piece can be found by clicking right here.
• On Tuesday, the Western Canadian Softball Association cancelled all its western championships due to the COVID-19 pandemic. WCSA stated it ultimately felt the championships were no longer viable while ensuring the health and well-being of all athletes, coaches, volunteers and spectators.
• Tickets are on sale for the May 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. The draw date will be May 31. Tickets can be purchased by clicking right here, and purchasers must be in Saskatchewan in order to buy tickets.
• On Wednesday, five members from the University of Saskatchewan Huskies football team and three members of the University of Regina Rams were given roster recognition for the U Sports East-West Bowl. The Huskies named to the roster included defensive lineman Nathan Cherry, running back Adam Machart, defensive back Charlie Ringland, kicker David Solie and offensive lineman Noah Zerr. The Rams named to the roster included defensive back Jaxon Ford, receiver Bennett Stusek and linebacker Ryder Varga. The U Sports East-West Bowl won’t be played due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• On Wednesday, power forward Parker Kelly, who is an alumnus of the WHL’s Prince Albert Raiders, made his NHL debut for the Ottawa Senators. He scored the Senators third goal in their 4-3 overtime victory on home ice at the Canadian Tire Centre against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Kelly played four seasons for the Raiders from 2015 to 2019 appearing in 273 career regular season games posting 93 goals, 95 assists and a plus-50 rating. He helped the Raiders win the WHL title in 2018-19. The Senators finished the 2020-21 regular season with a 23-28-5 record.

🚨Parker Kelly scores his 1st career NHL goal! What a weird one!#GoSensGo pic.twitter.com/y9R8FSdlNO

— Sens Prospects (@SensProspects) May 13, 2021

• On Thursday, organizers of the Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo in Calgary, Alta., are postponing this year’s event due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The expo was planned tentatively to run July 30 to August 2. No new dates for the expo were announced.
• On Thursday, the WHL announced it raised $19,455 for the Canadian Mental Health Association in Western Canada through the Goals for Mental Health campaign presented by RE/MAX. RE/Max donated $15 for every goal scored by the 17 WHL clubs in Western Canadian markets this past season.
• On Thursday, the CFL’s Toronto Argonauts signed University of Saskatchewan Huskies football team defensive back Josh Hagerty. The Argonauts selected the U Sports standout in the sixth round and 47th overall in the CFL Draft on May 4.
• Two years ago today, the Prince Albert Raiders won the WHL Championship  in an epic Game 7 league title clash against the visiting Vancouver Giants at the Art Hauser Centre. Dante Hannoun scored the winner in overtime to give the Raiders a 3-2 victory. I was in the building live that night, and my blog post about that came can be found by clicking right here.
• Taking a cue from sites and platforms that cover and comment on sports entertainment’s professional wrestling, please feel free to like and share this blog post on social media. It does help this blog.
• Speaking of professional wrestling, there is no question that Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada’s own Chris Jericho has reached legend status in that industry. At age 50, he still performs at a high level. Jericho will always be remembered as one of the greatest on the microphone. At AEW shows, the fans show respect for Jericho by singing his theme song “Judas,” when he comes out for matches. Jericho’s rock band, Fozzy, created that theme song. It is a moment that gives you chills. You can see that moment on the AEW Dynamite show on May 5, when he headed to the ring with his Inner Circle stable for a War Games style “Blood and Guts” match. That entrance is shown in the tweet below.

Judas hits a little different tonight #BLOODandGUTS #AEWDynamite pic.twitter.com/3m114t5uoD

— All Elite Wrestling on TNT (@AEWonTNT) May 6, 2021

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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Raptors two-year elite run was good for the soul

One missing link makes difference in NBA

A Kawhi Leonard card.

    The Toronto Raptors had a great run over the past two seasons, but even they weren’t immune to the difference one special player can make.
    On Friday, the Raptors 2019-20 campaign came to an end when they fell 92-87 to the storied Boston Celtics in Game 7 of an NBA Eastern Conference semifinal series. The Celtics took the best-of-seven set 4-3 with all games being played in the NBA bubble at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at the Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando, Florida.

    The Raptors were unable to repeat all their exploits from the 2018-19 campaign.

    During the 2018-19 campaign, the Raptors had the second best record in the NBA regular season with a 58-24 mark. In the 2019 playoffs, they went on to win their first NBA title in team history.

    The Raptors first hit the court in the 1995-96 NBA season.

    As the Raptors advanced through the 2019 post-season, there were massive watch parties held across Canada including quaint gatherings of 300 people that packed Civic Square in downtown Saskatoon for Games 5 and 6 of the NBA final.

    On June 13, 2019, the Raptors knocked off the powerful Golden State Warriors 114-110 in Game 6 of the NBA final at the Oracle Arena in Oakland, Calif., to capture the NBA title winning the best-of-seven series 4-2.

    The Warriors had a championship pedigree having won the NBA crown in 2015, 2017 and 2018.
    The Raptors did all that with star guard Kawhi Leonard in the fold, who is considered one of the top five players in the league and its best defensive player.
    After that one season in Toronto, Leonard decided he wanted to return home to Los Angeles and signed as a free agent with his hometown Clippers. Leonard had arrived in Toronto in a blockbuster trade with the San Antonio Spurs on July 18, 2018.

A Kyle Lowry card.

    In that deal, Leonard and guard Danny Green were sent to the Raptors in exchange for small forward DeMar DeRozan, centre Jakob Polti and a protected 2019 first round NBA Draft selection.

    After Leonard moved to L.A., many wondered if the Raptors would remain one of the NBA’s elite clubs and continue to contend for a league championship.

    Of course, no one could imagine how crazy the 2019-20 season would be due to the onset of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The Raptors completed the bulk of their regular season schedule, when the NBA decided to pause its campaign on March 11 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

    That was the first domino that saw the rest of the sports world in North America follow suit.

    The NBA resumed play in August, and when the dust settled, the Raptors again had the second best regular season record in the league at 53-19. The team’s regular season schedule was ultimately shortened by 10 games.

    The last eight games of the Raptors 2019-20 regular season was played in the NBA bubble at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at the Walt Disney World Resort.

    Still, the Raptors finished first in the Atlantic Division for the sixth time in last seven seasons, and they won 48 or more games in each of the last seven campaigns.

    Into the NBA playoffs the Raptors went, where they promptly swept the Brooklyn Nets 4-0 in a best-of-seven first round series.

    The Raptors were riding all sorts of momentum going into their next series, which was the set with the Celtics. The Celtics won the first two games to go up 2-0, but the Raptors showed their championship heart.

    In Game 3, Raptors star point guard Kyle Lowry fired a smart pass to small forward OG Anunoby, who hit at three-point shot at the fourth-quarter buzzer to give the Raptors a 104-103 victory and a new life.

An OG Anunoby card.

    The Raptors tied the series up 2-2 with a victory in Game 4. After the Celtics posted a convincing 111-89 victory in Game 5, the Raptors evened the series at 3-3 taking Game 6 in overtime 125-122 last Wednesday.

    In Game 7 on Friday, the Raptors led 68-67 with 1:45 to play in the third quarter. The Celtics proceeded to get momentum and built an 88-78 lead with 4:45 remaining in the fourth quarter.

    The Raptors went on a 9-1 run to cut the Celtics edge to 89-87 with 1:21 remaining in the fourth. Toronto had one possession to try and tie the contest but couldn’t. The Celtics closed the 92-87 victory on free throws.

    During the series, the Celtics were more consistent than the Raptors in executing in the half-court game. Too often in key moments, the Raptors would get the ball offensively, spread the floor and settle for a jump shot. 

    That scenario played out in Friday’s Game 7 loss.

    If the Raptors still had Leonard in the fold, they likely would have won the series against the Celtics. Offensively, Leonard draws double teams which cause more favourable match ups for his teammates on the floor.

    Defensively, Leonard causes all sorts of havoc when the opposing side tries to execute offensively.
    Leonard is a special type of player you can’t replace, and in the game of basketball, your team’s chances of winning a championship increase greatly when you have a special player like Leonard.

    Still, the Raptors had a great campaign in 2019-20, but one wonders if this is the end this particular chapter of success in team history.

    Other key players like guard Fred VanVleet, centre Marc Gasol and forward Serge Ibaka are all set to enter free agency. An end of an era might be coming for the Raptors.

Fans in Civic Square in Saskatoon enjoy the Raptors NBA title win in 2019.

    For basketball fans, the rest of the NBA playoffs are intriguing. The best-of-seven Eastern Conference championship series between the Celtics and Miami Heat sees two clubs looking to add another league title to their storied past histories.

    The Los Angeles Lakers with all-time great in forward LeBron James have a berth in the Western Conference championship series. They will face the winner of a Tuesday Game 7 Western Conference semifinal series encounter between Leonard’s Clippers and the Denver Nuggets.

    No matter how the NBA post-season plays out, the Raptors left their mark on Canada. Over the past two seasons, the Raptors drew support from people of all cultures.

    Their ability to be a unifying force should not be overlooked, and it was great they could perform that role for a short time.

Huskies lucky to have Hardy for time they did

Dave Hardy.

    The ageless Dave Hardy is someone who could be involved in Saskatoon’s sports scene at a high level forever if he so desires.

    With that said, the 73-year-old, who doesn’t seem like he should be that old, has well earned the right to do whatever he chooses in his life.

    Last Wednesday, the University of Saskatchewan announced a search had started to find Hardy’s successor as the chief athletics officer for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies athletic program. Hardy will stay on as the CAO until his replacement is found.

    He officially stepped into the role on August 12, 2019 for a term of up to two years that could possibly be extended. Of course, the changes in the world due to the COVID-19 pandemic played a part in this decision.

    “The world has changed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and university athletics was by no means spared,” said Hardy in a release. “The road to recovery is going to be a long one, and I feel it is in the best interest of Huskie Athletics to have long-term leadership in place.

    “I have been proud to have had the chance to contribute to the university’s storied athletic program during these challenging times, however I feel that it is the right time to begin the search for a new CAO.”

    Hardy has a storied career in the Saskatoon school system as a teacher, principal and school superintendant. He is a former president of Vancouver College, and he led that institution to new heights in academic and athletic excellence.

    That included facilitating a capital fundraising campaign that exceeded $20-million.

    In Saskatoon, Hardy is widely remembered for guiding the Saskatoon Hilltops as head coach for 10 seasons from 1988 to 1997. The Hilltops won two Canadian Junior Football League titles in 1991 and 1996 under Hardy’s guidance.

    Hardy posted a 70-18-1 regular season record guiding the Hilltops as head coach. In 1995, Hardy was named the coach of the year for the entire CJFL.

    When he departed from the Hilltops, Hardy was at that time the team’s longest serving head coach.

    He is an alumnus of the Huskies men’s basketball team and coached basketball for extended stints during his time in the Saskatoon School system.

    To use a cliché, Hardy has done his part for king and country. If he decided to continue to play a part in Saskatoon’s sports community, everyone in Saskatoon’s sports community would be better for it.

    The Huskies were blessed to be able to have him on board for a little over a year. Even Huskies football head coach Scott Flory, who has been able to draw from a lot of mentors, said he has learned a lot from Hardy.

    Still, these COVID-19 pandemic times have been hard on the sports world in Canada. The sports world in Canada is likely at the start of a major reset.

    At the U of Saskatchewan, Huskie Athletics will likely be trying to navigate waters on how it will keep all 15 of its varsity teams. Preserving teams is likely a concern for every program across U Sports as multiple sources of revenue dry up that normally wouldn’t dry up due to the pandemic.

    The U of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s and women’s hockey teams don’t have a home as Merlis Belsher Place has been taken over by the Saskatchewan Health Authority and turned into a “Linus blanket” COVID-19 field hospital in waiting.

    The Huskies hockey teams are currently operating out of the SaskTel Centre, which is home to the WHL’s Saskatoon Blades and the NLL’s Saskatchewan Rush.

    Merlis Belsher Place will not be available as a sports facility for the 2020-21 sports campaign, and it is highly possible it won’t be a sports facility for some time after that. Even if it was green lighted for use as a sports facility in 2021-22, there are rumblings it is going to needed some decent work to rebuild the inside for it to become a sports facility again to undo modifications that made it a field hospital.

    Those are just some of the things the incoming CAO for Huskie Athletics will have to navigate through.

    Of course when Hardy became the CAO for Huskie Athletics in August of 2019, no one expected a pandemic would throw the world into flux.

    With all that considered, Hardy has done mammoth world in the sports world in Saskatoon. If he decides to go into retirement, he deserves to enjoy all the perks that part of life offers.

Huskies football to hold passing showcase

    The U of Saskatchewan Huskies football team is planning to hold a passing showcase.

    The Huskie Football Passing Showcase is open to all high school students in Grades 10 to 12. 
    The showcase runs from 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. on five Saturdays including September 19 and 26 and October 3, 10 and 17 on Fields 10 and 11 north of the Education Building.
    The sessions include practices and games.
    The passing showcase is for quarterbacks, receivers, running backs, linebackers and defensive backs.

    Anyone looking to sign up for those camps can do so by clicking right here.

Hilltops to hold evaluation camp

    This coming Saturday, the Saskatoon Hilltops are holding an evaluation camp for players who recently graduated high school and are under the age of 22.

    The Hilltops, who have won 22 CJFL titles, will run the camp from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. this coming Saturday at their clubhouse. All current COVID-19 protocols the team has put in place will be followed.

    The camp is also free to all who register.

    All the players need to bring to the camp is a helmet. Registrations are being accepted by Wednesday, and those looking to register are asked to email allisonwalker1616@gmail.com.

    There are a limited number of spots available for the camp.

Valkyries to hold fall camp, new players welcomed

    The Saskatoon Valkyries of the Western Women’s Canadian Football League are slated to hold a one-day fall camp this coming Saturday for new and returning players.

    The camp is slated to run from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Saskatoon Minor Football Field. The cost to attend the camp is $50 and all the equipment that is required are running shoes or cleats and a water bottle.

    Those looking to register for the camp can do so by clicking right here. All questions can be sent via email to saskatoonvalkyries@gmail.com.

Pats’ phenom Bedard going to train in Sweden

    Connor Bedard is going to Sweden – just to train.

    On Monday, the WHL’s Regina Pats announced the 15-year-old phenom forward from North Vancouver, B.C., is heading to Sweden to train and practice with the HV71 junior program until the start of the 2020-21 WHL campaign.

    Bedard is the first player in the history of the WHL to be granted exceptional status, which allows him to play in the major junior ranks as a 15-year-old on a full-time basis. The Pats selected Bedard first overall in the WHL Bantam Draft that was held last April.

    “I’m really looking forward to this unique opportunity,” said Bedard in a release. “I look forward to being able to develop in Sweden with HV71 and prepare myself for when I arrive in Regina.

    “Hopefully, we can be playing in front of the fans in December.”

    Bedard, who stands 5-foot-8 and weighs 165 pounds, played for West Vancouver Academy’s under-18 team this past season in the Canadian Sport School Hockey League. He piled up 43 goals and 41 assists for 84 points in 36 games.

    For his efforts, Bedard was named MVP of the CSSHL’s under-18 division.

    At the moment, the WHL’s start date is slated for Dec. 4 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On a side note, Sweden is the only country in Europe that has not enacted any COVID-19 lockdown measure.

    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.

Graham grabs on to last run of highlights with Hilltops

Connor Graham hauls in an 18-yard touchdown catch for the Hilltops.

    Connor Graham wants to clutch every highlight catch he can during his remaining time with the Saskatoon Hilltops.

    That was why the 22-year-old receiver was determined to hang on to a touchdown reception early in the second quarter of a CJFL regular season clash against the Calgary Colts.

    On Sunday at Saskatoon Minor Football Field, Graham ran a corner route into the Calgary end zone, and saw a pass rainbow towards him from Hilltops quarterback Tyler Hermann over the outstretched hands of Colts defensive back Joseph Okunlola.

    Graham juggled the ball and finally secured it going to the ground for an 18-yard touchdown reception to give the five-time defending CJFL champion Hilltops a 31-0 lead.

    Saskatoon rolled to a 53-6 victory before 1,236 spectators and improved their Prairie Football Conference leading record to 5-0.

Connor Graham holds up the ball from his touchdown catch.

    “I would have liked to have attacked the ball probably a little bit better than I did,” said Graham. “His hands kind of came up late.

    “I got my hands on it, and then it was kind of just juggling all the way down to the ground and just trying to get a squeeze on it.”

    Graham finished the game making three catches for 73 yards to go with his touchdown. 
    With the Hilltops holding a 41-0 advantage at halftime, Graham sat for most of the second half as Saskatoon’s reserves hit the field for mop up work.

    Now that the Hilltops are past the halfway point of their regular season schedule, Graham said it is strange to think that he is playing through his final games with the team as he is in his fifth-year and final season of CJFL eligibility.

    “It is surreal,” said Graham, who stands 6-foot-2 and weighs 180 pounds. “I try to stop and kind of take it in.

    “It just goes by so fast. I’m just trying to enjoy it the best I can and make my plays.”

Connor Graham (#8) gets congrats for his TD catch.

    Graham said it seems like yesterday that he joined the Hilltops as a rookie. 
    He is happy a lot of his teammates from his rookie class have remained with the club through the years.

    The Hilltops roster contains 14 players who are in their fifth and final seasons of eligibility for the CJFL.

    “We have a lot of fifth-year guys this year,” said Graham. “There are a lot of guys that I’ve seen around and kind of seen grow up too through this program.

    “I’m really thankful to be a part of it. I’m glad I stayed all five years.”

    Legendary Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant is happy Graham played out his eligibility too. Sargeant said Graham and Hermann, who is also a fifth-year player, have a good rapport on the field.

    “Connor (Graham) and Tyler (Hermann), they just have a great synergy,” said Sargeant. “They seem to find each other.

    “When the plays are called, they have a tendency to look for each other. They’ve been very successful.”

    The Hilltops were very successful on offence on Sunday piling up 301 yards rushing and 304 yards passing as a team.

Tyler Hermann threw three TD passes for the Hilltops.

    Hermann completed 17-of-25 passes for 222 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions. 
    While Hermann is in his fifth year of CJFL eligibility, he is in his first year holding the starter’s role, and Graham said his long time teammate is getting comfortable in the new role.

    “It has been good, and Hermann is getting confident too,” said Graham. “That is the biggest thing.

    “We work on it every day in practice. He trusts us, and we trust him so just going out there and executing is the big thing.”

    The Hilltops hit top gear early storming out to 24-0 lead by the end of the first quarter. 
    Backup quarterback Doug Fleming ran in a major from five yards out and receiver/kicker Rylan Kleiter booted a 19-yard field goal to account for Saskatoon’s first 10 points.

    Hermann hit star defensive tackle Jesse McNabb for a four-yard touchdown toss with 47.7 seconds to play in the first quarter to push the Hilltops lead out to 17-0. 
    McNabb plays as an extra lineman in the Hilltops short yardage offensive package.

Jesse McNabb makes a four-yard TD catch for the Hilltops.

    On the final play of the opening quarter, Hilltops defensive back Evan Mantyka intercepted Colts quarterback Cole Belway and ran the ball back 58 yards for a touchdown.

    After Graham’s touchdown catch, Hermann hit backup running back Carter McLean on a 21-yard pass reception for another major score to give the Hilltops a 38-0 advantage. 
    Kleiter hit an 18-yard field goal to round out the scoring in the first half.

    The Colts had the only score in the third quarter on a one-yard touchdown run by running back Ike Okafor to cut the Hilltops lead to 41-6. The hold on the point after attempt by Calgary was botched.

    In the fourth quarter, Kleiter hit a field goal from 10 yards out, the Colts conceded a safety and Hilltops reserve running back Zach Grodecki ran in a final major from 14-yards out to finish off the 53-6 final.

    “We were physical,” said Sargeant. “The line got off the ball, and there was just some good energy early.

Ben Abrook, left, powers his way to 152 yards rushing for the Hilltops.

    “The last couple of games, we’ve been slow out of the gates. Today, I was much happier with the polish and how we looked and kept going. When the young guys got in to play, they played real well too.

    “I’m very excited with their performance. We have lots to build on and still lost to coach, but we’re moving in the right direction.”

    Power running back Ben Abrook led the Hilltops in rushing with 152 yards on 17 carries. On the season, Abrook has run the ball 140 times for 794 yards and scored four touchdowns.

    Second-year receiver Dillan Heintz topped the Hilltops with 89 receiving yards coming off four catches.

    K.J. Stembridge starting the game at quarterback for the Colts competing 1-of-3 passes for 10 yards and running the ball once for 12 yards.

Evan Mantyka (#15) returns an interception for a TD.

    Belway played most of the game in relief completing 10-of-20 passes for 106 yards, no touchdowns and three interceptions.

    Tristan Hering and Jordan Seipp each had a sack for the Hilltops. Brant Morrow and Wade Keating had interceptions for the host side.

    The Hilltops defence limited the Colts, who fell to 1-4, to 89 yards rushing and 116 yards passing.

    Devon Southwell had a sack for the Colts. Okunlola, Tyrese Bristol and Mackenzie Bannatyne had interceptions for Calgary.

    The win allowed the Hilltops to improve their overall winning streak to 24 games, and they officially locked up a playoff berth.

    Saskatoon needs one more win to clinch first place in the PFC as the Regina Thunder and Edmonton Huskies sit tied for the second and third place spots in the conference standings with 3-2 records.
    The Thunder beat the Huskies 24-21 in Regina, Sask., on Sunday.
    The Hilltops hold the standings tiebreaker over both the Thunder and the Huskies.

The Hilltops celebrated a season high 53 points on Sunday.

    The Hilltops return to action this coming Sunday, when they travel to Edmonton to face the Wildcats (2-3).
    Having played for the Hilltops’ last four CJFL title winners, Graham admits he would like to depart like last year’s eight Hilltops fifth-years, who won a national championship ring for every year they were a member of the team.

    “That is always the end goal,” said Graham. “We don’t want to look too far ahead.

    “In the back of our minds, we always know what our end goal is. We are not satisfied with anything else.”

Hilltops honour Bowers family before Sunday’s game

The family of the late Kelly Bowers was honoured on Sunday.

    The Saskatoon Hilltops honoured the family of the late Kelly “Biff” Bowers before they thumped the Calgary Colts 53-6 on Sunday at SMF Field.

    Bowers passed away of a heart attack at his home on Tuesday. A moment of silence was held for Bowers before the Hilltops contest with the Colts kicked off on Sunday.

    Bowers is a member of the Saskatoon Sports Hall of Fame and spent over five decades coaching, officiating and volunteering in the sports scene in “The Bridge City.”

    He is a former Hilltops assistant coach working on the staff when Dave Hardy was the team’s head coach.

Tom Sargeant, centre, meets the family of the late Kelly Bowers.

    Bowers was best known for his involvement in football and with the Bedford Road Invitational Tournament, which is one of the best high school tournaments in Western Canada.

    At the time of his passing, Bowers was the president of the Kinsmen Football League.

    He had involvement with the Hilltops, the University of Saskatchewan Huskies football team in U Sports and the WWCFL’s Saskatoon Valkyries.

    A celebration of life was held for Bowers at a packed Hall C at Prairieland Park on Saturday.

    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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Bourbonnais deserving of captain’s tag with Canada

Young defender’s star continues to rise in hockey

Jaime Bourbonnais, right, gets an award at last year’s 4 Nations Cup.

    It seems like fate has Jaime Bourbonnais destined for big things on the international hockey stage.
    She’s suited up with Canada’s senior national women’s hockey team to play at a 4 Nations Cup and a women’s worlds all before her 21^st birthday this coming September 9. The day is coming when Bourbonnais will become a household name across Canada, because this young lady from Mississauga, Ont., will make it happen.

    Throughout her hockey career, Bourbonnais, who stands 5-foot-7, is a rarity being a skilled and elite offensive-defender. She is already one of the top female players in the world at her position.

    Last Sunday, she was named to the roster for Canada’s national development team for a three-game series against the United States, and she named captain of the Canadian side. Canada closed out the series in Lake Placid, N.Y., winning Game 3 by 2-1 final on Saturday. The U.S. took the series 2-1.

    The captain “C” is a great nod of respect for how far Bourbonnais has come and shows how much of a positive influence she has on her teammates.

Jaime Bourbonnais in action at last year’s 4 Nations Cup.

    At the 4 Nations Cup in Saskatoon last November, it seemed like the atmosphere automatically went up no matter what room Bourbonnais walked into. You all of a sudden got this fuzzy feeling that good things would happen the way her personal and perky demeanour came out.

    It was great to see Hockey Canada entrusted her with a leadership role, and you already believe that she is going to run with it.

    One of the old clichés in sports is hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.

    However, when talent works hard you get Peyton Manning or Warren Moon. That notion was told to me by legendary CFL coach and general manager the late Cal Murphy, who is in the Canadian Football Hall of Fame.

    Bourbonnais fits the description of talent working hard to become Peyton Manning or Warren Moon.

Jaime Bourbonnais is an elite offensive-defender.

    At last year’s 4 Nations Cup, Bourbonnais collected a goal and an assist in four games helping Canada to silver medal finish. Statistics only told part of the story.

    In her first games with Canada’s senior national women’s team, Bourbonnais was the most noticeable player on the ice for Canada, and it can be argued she was Canada’s best player at that event.

    While Canada fell 5-2 to the United States in the tournament final of that event, Bourbonnais left one final big impression blasting home a power-play goal in the third period to account for Canada’s second tally.

Jaime Bourbonnais (#25) celebrates a goal at last year’s 4 Nations Cup.

    Last season for the Cornell University Big Red women’s hockey team, Bourbonnais appeared in 32 overall games recording nine goals, 20 assists and a plus-29 rating in the plus-minus department.

    She helped Cornell, which is located in Ithaca, N.Y., advance to the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s Frozen Four women’s hockey championship tournament in Hamden, Connecticut. The Big Red fell 2-0 in a semifinal match to the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers.

    Along with piling up numerous all-star accolades, Bourbonnais was nominated for the Patty Kaizmaier Award, which is given annually to the top female college ice hockey player in the United States.

Jaime Bourbonnais is destined for big things on the international stage.

    In three complete seasons with Cornell, Bourbonnais has posted 17 goals, 52 assists and a plus-51 rating in 94 overall games. At worlds last April in Espoo, Finland, she had a goal and two assists in helping Canada to a bronze medal finish.

    Bourbonnais is following in family footsteps suiting up for Canada. Her grandfather, Roger, played centre for Canada’s senior men’s national team in the 1960s and helped Canada win bronze medals at the world championships in 1966 and 1967 and a bronze medal at the Winter Olympics in 1968.

    He turned down chances to join the NHL’s Detroit Red Wings in order to pursue a career as a lawyer.

    Jaime has a big chance of likely eclipsing her grandfather’s accomplishments on the international stage before her career is finished.

    Jaime Bourbonnais is a great player and you can bet she will still find a way to get better than she already is. When she hits her peak in the game, it will be marvellous to behold.

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Great end to a great week 🍁 honoured and excited to be heading out to Lake Placid 🔜

A post shared by Jaime Bourbonnais (@jaimebourb) on Aug 11, 2019 at 12:58pm PDT

Gordie Howe Sports Complex a winner in IBA deal

Joe Gallagher Field at Gordie Howe Sports Complex.

    The Gordie Howe Sports Complex is one of the winners regarding the Integrated Bilateral Agreement (IBA) between Canada’s federal government and Saskatchewan.

    On Monday, Francois-Philippe Champagne, who is the federal Minister of Infrastructure and Communities, announced with a tweet that included a letter to SaskBuilds that 13 of 25 projects submitted through the Integrated Bilateral Agreement (IBA) have been approved.

    This deal could potentially bring $896-million into Saskatchewan for infrastructure projects over the next 10 years.

    The minister added approvals for 11 other projects are expected shortly.

    One of the 13 approved projects will see more money go toward the revamp of the Gordie Howe Sports Complex in Saskatoon. The Gordie Howe Sports Complex is the area of town that contains numerous sports facilities like Saskatoon Minor Football Field, Cairns Field, the Geoff Hughes Minor Baseball Complex, Bob Van Impe Stadium and Gordie Howe Kinsmen Arena.

    A multi-sport indoor athletic training facility and a track and field are the newest additions to the Gordie Howe Sports Complex.

    The amount of money that will flow into the Gordie Howe Sports Complex wasn’t divulged. The master plan for the facility said that $62-million would be spent on improvements, and as of July of last year, $42-million was raised towards that goal.

    Since July of last year, fundraising has continued and construction has continued to proceed as funds came in.

    Overall, this is a win for Saskatoon.

    Another win for Saskatoon on the cultural and arts front is the fact funding for a new site for Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan has been approved through the IBA deal. Again, no figures were released regarding what will go to this project.

    With that said, Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan has become an important staple in Saskatoon, so that is another win for the city with regards to the IBA deal.

Expect new WHL rink talk to heat up in Sask.

The Raiders raise the Ed Chynoweth Cup last May at the Art Hauser Centre.

    One of the interesting revelations regarding the Integrated Bilateral Agreement (IBA) between Canada’s federal government and Saskatchewan was the fact funding for a new multi-sport complex was proposed for Prince Albert.

    The proposed multiplex would include an aquatics centre, two smaller rinks and a larger rink that would be the new home of the WHL’s Prince Albert Raiders.

    This project was not approved as the federal government deemed the Raiders to be a semi-professional sporting franchise.

    In a post on Thursday, I wrote that Prince Albert deserves such a facility. If you want to see that piece again, you can do so by clicking right here.

    Going forward into the future, it will be interesting to see how the various levels of government treat building rinks for WHL teams in Saskatchewan.

    It is safe to say over the last four years the idea of building new rinks in three other Saskatchewan WHL centres in Regina, Saskatoon and Swift Current has been test floated out there.

    In August of 2011, Mosaic Place opened in Moose Jaw giving the WHL’s Warriors a new 4,414 seat rink to play out of plus standing room.

    Since there have been notions to build new rinks in Prince Albert, Regina, Saskatoon and Swift Current, one wonders how those notions will evolve going into the future.

    Not like my two cents really matters, but I would like to see government money used to help Prince Albert and Swift Current get new facilities first before the two bigger centres. In Prince Albert and Swift Current, you can get their WHL clubs and midget AAA teams all located in one building creating a great sports centre for those communities and surrounding areas.

    The people in Prince Albert and Swift Current have shown strong support for their respective WHL and midget AAA teams.

    With that said, just because I have those thoughts doesn’t mean they will become a reality.

Will IBA influence CHL class action lawsuits?

    One has to wonder if the Integrated Bilateral Agreement (IBA) between Canada’s federal government and Saskatchewan will have an effect on the CHL class action lawsuits?

    Charney Lawyers PC, a firm specializing in class action lawsuits, has filed lawsuits on behalf of former CHL players against the CHL and its member major junior leagues in the WHL, OHL and QMJHL. The lawsuits content the players of major junior hockey teams are employees of their member clubs and should be entitled to minimum wage and overtime pay.

    The IBA deal between the federal government and Saskatchewan views major junior teams as semi-professional teams. That could be interpreted as a tidbit that could help those making the class action lawsuits against the CHL and its member leagues.

    Don’t expect decisions on this front to be made any time soon. Litigation has been ongoing since these lawsuits were filed in October of 2014.

    I don’t want to speculate what type of decisions could be made. I know in Canada’s court system that anything can happen even if it is viewed as remote.

    Typically in Canada’s court system, nothing happens fast. If this comes to an end within the next five years, I would be very surprised.

What will happen with Board of Trustees for Huskie Athletics?

    One of the hanging questions around Saskatoon’s sports scene is what will happen with the Board of Trustees that was developed for Huskie Athletics at the University of Saskatchewan?

    During the final week of June of this year, five out of the six external community member resigned from the board that was part of a governance model for the U of Saskatchewan Huskies teams.

    The resignations included David Dube, who was the board’s chairperson, Diane Jones Konihowski, David Sutherland, Tom Anselmi and Ken Juda.

    The Board of Trustees includes five representatives from the university. The creation of the board was announced in September of 2016, and it became active on Nov. 1, 2016.

    Under a new governance model that saw the Board of Trustees become a reality, the board was to advice and guide Huskie Athletics, who play out of U Sports, and report to U of S president Peter Stoicheff.

    The external members resigned over a feeling of frustration regarding the influence they had on the athletic program.

    Since the details came out via mainstream media outlets during the first week of July, all has been quiet on the Board of Trustees front.

    To me, I just see it as a university political squabble. I think the board members who resigned had good intentions towards Huskie Athletics.

    I believe Stoicheff has good intentions towards Huskie Athletics. Stoicheff is also tasked as part of his job with ensuring the university has proper oversight over anything that has the institution’s name.

    This whole concept hasn’t really been around long enough to judge if it is good or bad.

    The board was around when the departure of legendary Huskies football head coach Brian Towriss was mishandled in December of 2016, but Stoicheff took responsibility and apologized for how that news came down.

    That episode has long since blown over, and Towriss is a regular visitor at various events involving Huskies football.

    It will be interesting to see how the U of S as an institution proceeds from here.

Hardy a welcome addition for Huskies

    One spot where the U of Saskatchewan Huskies hit a massive home run was when Dave Hardy was named the chief athletics officer on Aug. 7.

    He officially started his new position last Monday.

    At age 71, Hardy takes over the top job with the University of Saskatchewan Huskies program from Shawn Burt, who recently stepped down to be closer to family in Ontario.

    Hardy has a storied career in the Saskatoon school system as a teacher, principle and school superintendant. He is a former president of Vancouver College, and he led that institution to new heights in academic and athletic excellence.

    That included facilitating a capital fundraising campaign that exceeded $20 million.

    In Saskatoon, he is widely remember for guiding the Saskatoon Hilltops as head coach for 10 seasons from 1988 to 1997. The Hilltops won two Canadian Junior Football League titles in 1991 and 1996 under Hardy’s guidance.

    He is an alumnus of the Huskies men’s basketball team, and coached basketball for extended stints during his time in the Saskatoon school system.

    Hardy has made a big positive impact on the community of Saskatoon during his life. It is safe to say the news that he has become the Huskies CAO has been well received in Saskatoon.

    Optimism is high the Huskies program will accomplish great things under his watch.

    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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