Dorsett will always have a home with Tigers

Former feisty forward forever a hero in Medicine Hat

Derek Dorsett at the Memorial Cup in 2007.

Derek Dorsett will forever be a hero in Medicine Hat.

For three seasons from 2004 to 2007, the product of Kindersley, Sask., was a high energy right-winger for the Medicine Hat Tigers. He was the ultimate competitor who was a heart and soul member of the team.

Dorsett played a huge role in helping the Tigers win their fifth WHL title in team history in 2006-07 along with advancing to the title game of the Memorial Cup tournament, where they fell 3-1 to the host Vancouver Giants.

In the 2006 NHL Entry Draft, Dorsett was selected in the seventh round and 189^th overall by the Columbus Blue Jackets. He graduated to the professional ranks playing in the AHL in 2007-08 for the Syracuse Crunch.

Dorsett became a full-time regular in the NHL in 2008-09 and appeared in 515 career regular season games over 10 seasons posting 51 goals, 76 assists and 1,314 penalty minutes with the Blue Jackets, New York Rangers and Vancouver Canucks.

He was forced to retire from the NHL due to a cervical disc herniation near a previously treated neck injury. Dorsett made his retirement announcement on November 30, 2017 having started the 2017-18 campaign posting seven goals, two assists and 74 penalty minutes in 20 games with the Canucks.

Last Friday, Dorsett came home to Medicine Hat becoming an assistant coach with the Tigers. The 34-year-old was behind the bench when the Tigers downed the visiting Calgary Hitmen 4-1 in a WHL regular season clash at Co-Op Place in Medicine Hat.

He will remain with the Tigers through the end of the regular season. The Tigers (9-3-0-1) return to action Friday when they travel to Lethbridge to face the Hurricanes (3-6-2).

It just feels right that Dorsett got to rejoin the Tigers. He has the biggest heart and cared deeply about the team.

When Dorsett became a regular with the Tigers as an 18-year-old rookie in 2004-05, he never looked back.

In 180 career regular season games with the Tigers, Dorsett posted 49 goals, 79 assists and 593 penalty minutes. During his final season in “the Gas City” in 2006-07, he appeared in 61 regular season games posting 19 goals, 45 assists and 206 penalty minutes.

Standing 6-feet and weighing 192 pounds, Dorsett wasn’t the biggest player on the ice, but he didn’t back down from anyone. When he engaged in a fight, it seemed to always be against a player that was bigger than he was.

Dorsett was the agitator who knew what to say on the ice to get opponents off their game. 

The front of a Derek Dorsett Medicine Hat Tigers jersey.

You also always knew his work ethic would be at an extremely high level and unmatched by anyone else game in and game out.

Dorsett would throw hits, block shots and do all the gritty things that were needed to help the Tigers win games. He seemed to have the knack for getting points at key times too.

His biggest clutch goal for the Tigers came in their final preliminary round game at the 2007 Memorial Cup, where he had the lone tally in a 1-0 victory over the host Giants. That win gave the Tigers first place in the preliminary round and a bye straight to the Memorial Cup championship game.

If something needed said to spark the Tigers during pre-game or intermission, Dorsett was the one that would get fired up and say what needed to be said.

He was also the best teammate too. On the ice, it was always visible that Dorsett would stick up for his guys. Dorsett had a good sense of humour as well and would be able to say something that would break up the room, if levity was needed.

He would go the extra mile off the ice too.

During his 19-year-old season in 2005-06, Dorsett’s billet home was only about a couple of blocks away from the billet home of 16-year-old rookie right-winger Tyler Ennis, who is best known as an NHL regular these days.

Back in 2005-06, Ennis was a list player who was able to crack a strong Tigers roster standing 5-foot-8 and weighing 140 pounds at the time. While Ennis deserved the roster spot due to a strong training and play in pre-season, there was still a little uncertainty about him being with the Tigers due to his small size.

On top of adjusting to major junior hockey, Ennis had to worry about his Grade 11 high school studies too.

That season, Dorsett picked Ennis up every morning and drove him to Medicine Hat High School for school. After classes were done, Dorsett picked up Ennis to bring him to practice at the Tigers old long time home in The Arena. During those drives, the two had great personal visits.

Dorsett wanted to ensure Ennis was comfortable in his new junior hockey home. If Ennis needed anything, Dorsett told the rookie forward to give him a call.

The back of a Derek Dorsett Medicine Hat Tigers jersey.

In the grand scheme of things, Dorsett didn’t have to do those things for Ennis. The fact that he did helped Ennis feel like he truly was part of the Tigers family and was in the right junior hockey home.

Ennis would have a star career with the Tigers that saw him be selected in the first round and 26^th overall by the Buffalo Sabres in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft.

Dorsett left a legacy in Medicine Hat that will last for decades with everything he did as a Tigers player. It is fitting he gets to add to that legacy now as an assistant coach, even if it is ultimately for a short time.

Canucks confirm 25 test COVID-19 positive

A Bo Horvat card.

Facing whirlwinds of speculation, the NHL’s Vancouver Canucks released a statement on Wednesday regarding how bad the coronavirus (COVID-19) has affected the team.

The Canucks announced 25 individuals from the team had tested positive for COVID-19 including 18 roster players, three taxi squad players and four staff members. The Vancouver club added that one additional player is considered a close contact.

The statement said the source infection is a confirmed variant and the British Columbia Centre for Disease Control will need to do a full genome sequencing to determine the specific type.

The Canucks added in the statement, “An ongoing investigation by Vancouver Coastal Health and club contact tracing staff attributes the source infection to a single individual obtained in a community setting, which has since been identified by public health as a public exposure location.”

With the world stuck in the grips of the COVID-19 pandemic, it doesn’t come as a surprise the source infection came from a single individual in a community setting.

The Canucks said all players and staff currently remain in quarantine.

The statement concluded saying, “This is a stark reminder of how quickly the virus can spread and its serious impact, even among healthy, young athletes.”

The Canucks COVID-19 troubles began on March 30, when centre Adam Gaudette was pulled from practice after next day results from the previous day’s testing came back positive for COVID-19.

On March 31, defenceman Travis Hamonic found out he had tested positive for COVID-19 from testing done the previous day after he participated in a morning skate. The Canucks ultimately held two on ice sessions with infected players.

That resulted in the March 30 NHL regular season game between the Canucks and the visiting Calgary Flames at Rogers Arena being postponed 90 minutes before puck drop.

The COVID-19 outbreak with the Canucks escalated from there with stars like Bo Horvat going on the NHL’s COVID protocol list.

The Canucks last played at Rogers Arena when they fell 5-1 to the visiting Winnipeg Jets on March 24.

At the moment, the Canucks are slated to play again this coming Monday against the Oilers in Edmonton. As it stands right now, the Canucks have postponed six games.

The Canucks have played 37 of their 56 regular season games for the current campaign posting a 16-18-3 record. They sit eight points back of the Montreal Canadiens for the final playoff berth in the all-Canadian North Division.

Due to privacy issues surrounding health care in Canada, it becomes harder to get information in situations like the Canucks have encountered with COVID-19. As a result, there were reports that varied regarding the extent of the situation.

Kudos can be passed on to the Canucks for releasing the information that they did on Wednesday.

Traditionally, hockey teams and leagues can be sketchy when it comes to transparency regarding illness and injuries.

On the reporting front, TSN’s Darren Dreger nailed the Canucks positive test number spot on before the club released its statement.

Overall, it is good the Canucks themselves provided the clarity they could on Wednesday.

From what the Canucks provided, the team is still far from getting out of the woods as far as COVID-19 is concerned, but the club’s situation is being taken seriously.

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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Tigers would not be denied of 2007 WHL title

Bosch’s 2OT winner in Game 7 ends intense series

The Tigers team picture after winning the 2007 WHL title.

    It is the moment you can always see in The Arena even when it is empty.
    It is the second overtime in Game 7 of the WHL Championship series, and the host Medicine Hat Tigers are locked in a 2-2 tie with the Vancouver Giants.

    Tigers talented centre Brennan Bosch has the puck near the blue-line in his own zone, and he is tapped by a swinging stick of a Giants player. The Martensville, Sask., product goes down to his knees, quickly gets up and a 3-on-1 break ensues.

    Bosch skates two to three strides past the Vancouver blue-line and wires home the winner low stick side on Giants goaltender Tyson Sexsmith. The sellout crowd of 4,006 spectators at The Arena explodes like never before with the home side pulling out a 3-2 win and capturing their fifth WHL title.

    That was how the scene played out on May 14, 2007 in what goes down as arguably one of the greatest games in the history of the WHL.

    From that moment, Bosch would be forever cemented as a hero in “the Gas City.”

    It is crazy to think 13 years has passed since that game was played. I worked that game for the Medicine Hat News as the beat writer that covered that Tigers team.

    I can still remember that day and game well.

    Looking back now, I see myself as being really young. I was a really young guy who was locked into that series that day.
    That series had been an intense one. Before the opening faceoff of Game 1, there was a jostling match, followed by a beautifully conducted tag team fight in Game 2 and an overtime winner by Tigers defenceman Trevor Glass in Game 3.

A Tigers celebration picture from the pages of the Medicine Hat News.

    After Game 3, the Tigers were up 2-1 in the set.

    Game 4 featured “the bite,” where Tigers agitator Derek Dorsett bit the finger of Giants pest Kenndal McArdle, when McArdle was trying to use his finger to fish hook Dorsett.

    Dorsett was ultimately suspended for Game 5 for the bite. There were members of the Vancouver media that painted Dorsett as the real life Hannibal “The Cannibal” Lecter.

    The Giants claimed a 4-0 victory in Game 4 and a 3-0 win in Game 5 to take a 3-2 lead in the series as it returned to the Hat for Games 6 and 7.

    Dorsett was inserted into the starting lineup for Game 6. He was the last Tigers member announced as part of the starting six.

    The fans at The Arena rose to their feet to give Dorsett a standing ovation that was cut off after 90 seconds by the start of the national anthem.

    Dorsett went out and immediately laid a massive hit on Giants captain Brett Festerling. The Tigers took the game 4-3 with star centre Darren Helm scoring the winner with 7:43 remaining in the third period that broke a 3-3 tie.

    The series was now tied 3-3 going to the first Game 7 to be played in a WHL final in 13 years.

    Looking at the intensity of the battle in that 2007 WHL final, one would never suspect both the Tigers and Giants had berths locked up in that year’s CHL Championship tournament – the Memorial Cup – due to the Giants being the host team for that event.
    With all that had happened in the series to that point, I was ready for anything to happen in Game 7. Of course, I wanted the Tigers to win, and I believed they would find a way to get it done.

    The guys on that team were my buds. Until this day, the guys that played for the Tigers over the two seasons from 2005 to 2007 are still the best group I ever dealt with in hockey.

The left and right photos show Tigers Game 7 moments from 2007.

    It also helped that Tigers star captain Kris Russell and the leadership group were great at making you feel a part of everything.

    Still, I prided myself in being able cover games objectively, and I felt set for any outcome to play out. I wasn’t making any predictions for that game.

    In the hours leading up to that game, I remember fielding a couple of requests from people looking for Game 7 tickets. The Tigers were in the midst of a lengthy sell out streak, and I had to tell those looking for tickets that they were out of luck.

    I arrived at The Arena about 90 minutes before puck drop. I remember being so nervous that I had to go to the washroom to vomit.

    About four of the Tigers veterans saw me throw up before the game, and that seemed to provide a laugh and levity.

    I was thankful I had a great crew at The News to cover that game with and the bench was emptied for that one. I was in the press box with my partner in crime Collin Gallant.

    Sports editor Sean Rooney motored back and forth between the rink and The News office putting together a column and handling the desking.

    The talents of Emma Bennett and Ian Sorensen expertly took care of the photography.

    Believe it or not, there was a time I went a lengthy stretch where I didn’t shoot photos of sports events. As a result, you won’t see a whole lot of photos with this post.

    In later years, I would try to mirror a lot of Bennett’s pictures when it came to championship celebrations.

    I just had to focus on my main story and a sidebar column filled with my three stars and odds and ends.

    Another group that was ready for the game were the fans. The rivalry between the Tigers and Giants built up to the ferocity you would see between bitter division rivals, and the Tigers faithful did not like the Giants.

    Despised might have been an accurate descriptor. The biggest Vancouver villains were McArdle and right-winger J.D. Watt.

A Tigers WHL championship T-shirt.

    They were heckled any time they hit the ice, and one Tigers fan had a sign for Watt that said, “Watt’s your problem.”

    When the Tigers came out to the ice before the start of the first period, they were greeted with a wave of noise the drowned out the public address announcer.
    They were engaged in the game with constant chants of “Go Tigers Go,” cheers for every big Tigers play and hit and chants of “Keets!” for every big save from hometown hero netminder Matt Keetley.

    Game 7 carried the intensity of the previous six encounters of the series.

    Tyler Ennis put the Tigers ahead 1-0 in the first period.

    Vancouver forwards Wacey Rabbit and Michal Repik potted singles in the second period to put the Giants up 2-1.

    At the media break of the third period, in game host Mike Thibeau rallied the fans to give a salute to Tigers overagers in Dorsett, Keetley and Chris Stevens for playing their final home game that night.

    Within about a couple of minutes of that salute, centre Daine Todd scored for the Tigers to even the score at 2-2 and force overtime.

    Another what would become a romantic moment came in the extra sessions. Due to being warm outside, the fog descended on to the ice at The Arena.

    On about two or three stoppages, the players came off their respective benches to skate circles to dissipate the fog.

    The Tigers hit another gear in the first overtime holding a 10-6 edge in shots on goal.

    That set the stage for Bosch’s goal in the second overtime frame creating the signature moment in the Tigers storied old home rink.

    Right after Bosch scored, I phoned my mom in Saskatoon, who was watching the television broadcast of the game with family.

    Energized, I jetted to the ice surface. I remember interviewing both Bosch and Keetley and their excitement was going all over the place.

    Keetley, who was named the MVP of the WHL playoffs, spotted a big gathering of his family in the crowd and gave a shout out and wave to them.

    Even at that time and looking back now, that was a game neither team deserved to lose.

    With that noted, the fact the Tigers won was a good thing.

    Even with a deadline looming, it felt effortless to finish of the work that night.

    After the work was finished, it was off to the Silver Buckle for a victory party. There were a few different ones that happened in town that night.

    To this day, that game is still my best memory in hockey.

My story of the Tigers Game 7 victory in the Medicine Hat News.

    Of course, it was a great one for that Tigers team, which began a tradition of getting together every summer to enjoy the memories of that day and run. It appears that the current coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic will be the thing that breaks up those annual reunions this year.

    There are a lot of points in time I wish I could go back, be as young as I was and relive that day again. The fact that day happened will always make me smile.

    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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Klassen injury heartbreaking for football Huskies

Heart and soul player would want team to march on

Colton Klassen (#7) on the field during pre-game last Saturday.

    It was a moment where the silence might have never been more deafening at Griffith’s Stadium.
    Last Saturday during a U Sports regular season football game between the host University of Saskatchewan Huskies and University of Alberta Golden Bears, Huskies star utility player Colton Klassen was lying down on the turf injured late in the first quarter. A hush came over the 1,105 spectators in attendance as the foot on Klassen’s right leg was bending at the ankle in a direction it shouldn’t.

    The Huskies players on the field were immediate calling for the cart and trainers when Klassen went down.
    The visiting Golden Bears looked horrified.

An injured Colton Klassen about to be taken off the field on a cart.

    It was obvious that Klassen, who is a heart and soul member of the Huskies, would not only miss the upcoming U Sports playoffs, but he would be facing a long road back on the recovery trail. When Klassen gave the thumbs up to the crowd after being taken off the field on a cart, you just hoped he could make it back next year to play his fifth and final season with the team.

    The Huskies were down 8-0 at the time of Klassen’s injury, and they roared back to post a 22-9 victory.

    With the win, the Huskies finished second in the Canada West Conference with a 5-3 record.

Colton Klassen, left, pulls away from a U of Manitoba Bisons defender.

    They will host a Canada West semifinal playoff game this coming Saturday against the Golden Bears (4-4) at 3 p.m. at Griffiths Stadium.

    In the aftermath of the Huskies win last Saturday, thoughts drifted off to hoping the best for Klassen. He led the Huskies in receiving yards last season and this season. He played an instrumental role in helping the Huskies win the Canada West title a year ago, which was a first for the team since 2006.

    Huskies head coach Scott Flory said after last Saturday’s game it wasn’t right that Klassen wouldn’t be on the field for the team for the post-season.

    “My heart breaks for that young man,” said Flory. “We don’t know the extent of it right now, but it doesn’t look good.

Colton Klassen led the Huskies in receiving this season and last season.

    “Again, it is not fair, and I know he wants it more for this team than anybody else. He is a huge part of it. When he went down, it eliminated a huge chunk of the game plan.”

    Klassen is the emotional leader that makes the Huskies go. The 23-year-old is noted around the Canada West Conference for verbally engaging members of the opposition. The talk often gets under the skin of the opponents.

    Klassen, who stands 5-foot-8 and weighs 205 pounds, backs the talk up by making plays. The graduate of Saskatoon’s Holy Cross Crusaders High School football program has made numerous big plays for the Huskies since joining the team in 2016 after spending two campaigns starring for the Regina Thunder in the CJFL.

    For myself, Klassen reminds me a lot of a former right-winger for the WHL’s Medicine Hat Tigers in Derek Dorsett.

Colton Klassen comes up smiling after a TD catch last season.

    Dorsett played for the Tigers for three seasons from 2004 to 2007 and was known for getting under the skin of the opposing teams and their fans.

    In Medicine Hat, Dorsett was always given a rousing ovation befitting a hero. He put up penalty minutes, and he also put up points.

    During his final season as an assistant captain with the Tigers in their 2006-07 WHL title winning campaign, Dorsett appeared in 61 regular season games collecting 19 goals, 45 assists a plus-17 rating in the plus-minus department and 206 minutes in penalties.

    When the chips were down, Dorsett always played big for the Tigers. Actually, he gave a top effort every night.

    He would do anything on the ice to help his team whether that meant blocking wicked hard shots or taking on guys that were much bigger than him, and he was the leader in the dressing. Dorsett wouldn’t ask anything of his teammates he wasn’t willing to do himself.

Colton Klassen is an emotional leader for the Huskies.

    Off the ice, he was the best representative for the team in the community and always had time for the kids that came to watch him play. Those characteristics allowed Dorsett, who is from Kindersley, Sask., to play 11 seasons in the professional hockey ranks including the last 10 of those campaigns in the NHL with the Columbus Blue Jackets, New York Rangers and Vancouver Canucks.

    These days, fans from WHL centres that supported the Tigers biggest rivals still view Dorsett as the ultimate competitor – the guy you wanted on your team.

    That will likely be how Klassen is remember years after his Huskies days wrap up by fans that support the Dogs biggest rivals. Klassen will be remembered as the ultimate competitor and the guy you want on your team.

    Before joining the Huskies, Klassen had an outstanding 2015 campaign playing running back for the Thunder.

Colton Klassen will return kicks and do anything that is asked of him

    He was named the offensive player of the year for the Prairie Football Conference leading the conference with 911 yards rushing coming on 117 carries and scoring five touchdowns.

    Most running backs who have that type of season in the CJFL would insist they remain in that role in the university ranks.

    When Flory approached Klassen about moving into the slot receiver position, Klassen jumped at that chance. He put up stellar number last season hauling 38 passes for 676 yards and eight touchdowns earning accolades as a Canada West all-star.

    He had 37 catches this season for 456 yards and two touchdowns before going down.

    Klassen also blocks on running plays and returns kick offs and punts too.

Colton Klassen is a great representative for the Huskies in the community.

    “He (Klassen) is a sparkplug,” said Huskies star running back Adam Machart. “He is a heart guy.

    “We love him to death. We feel for him. That is a tough one out there, but I think we are going to rally around him.

    “We’re going to go play for number seven out there, play for those fifth-year guys, and I think all the best of him.”

    In practice and in games, Klassen is the one who can get the Huskies competitive fire going. When he leads the Ric Flair cheer of late former Huskies linebacker Justin Filteau, Klassen is able give it that right emphasis it gives you chills.

    Before Filteau passed tragically in a plane crash in June at age 26, he and Klassen coached inner city six-man youth football in Saskatoon together. One can only imagine how wired those young players were for game day with Filteau and Klassen showing the way.

Huskies fans want to see Colton Klassen (#7) return to the field. 

    Off the field, Klassen is one of those players you want representing the team in your community. He will take time to interact with kids that come to watch him play often giving the youngster “fives” before taking the field for a game.

    Huskies fifth-year star defensive tackle Evan Machibroda said Klassen always influences the team in the right way.

    “He (Klassen) is one of the hardest working guys out here,” said Machibroda. “When we see a guy like that go down, we know he wants to be here, and he wants to be playing with us.

    “We just have to do it for him. We play as a team, and we just all bind together here.”

    Klassen might not be able to dress to help the Huskies on the field, but you can bet he will still be able to give them an emotional push on their upcoming post-season run.

Machart claims Canada West player of the week honours

Adam Machart ran for 226 yards on Saturday.

    After breaking a team record that stood for 20 years, University of Saskatchewan Huskies star running back Adam Machart picked up another accolade on Monday.

    Machart was named the offensive player of the week for the Canada West Conference due to having an outstanding outing in the Huskies 22-9 victory over the University of Alberta Golden Bears last Saturday. He ran the ball 29 times for 226 yards, and he caught three passes for 46 yards to power the Huskies to victory.
    Machart’s rushing yardage total was the third highest put up by a member of the Huskies in one game in team history.

    Thanks to that performance, Machart set a new Huskies record for most rushing yards in one season. Over the Huskies eight regular season games, Machart carried the ball 156 times for 1,334 yards and scored eight touchdowns.

    The old record was held by Doug Rozon, who ran for 1,267 yards on 151 carries and scored five touchdowns in the 1999 campaign.

Adam Machart ran for 1,334 yards in the regular season.

    Besides the rushing numbers, Machart also caught 20 passes for 204 yards and three touchdowns this season helping the Huskies post 5-3 record and finish second in Canada West.

    The Huskies will open the U Sports post-season hosting a Canada West semifinal game on Saturday at 3 p.m. at Griffiths Stadium against the University of Alberta Golden Bears (4-4).

    Golden Bears defensive back and kick returner Wesley Bookland was the special teams player of the week for Canada West, and defensive back Jaxon Ciraolo-Brown was the defensive player of the week for the conference.

    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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Blades fall to Thunderbirds to close U.S. road trip

Seth Bafaro scored for the Blades on Tuesday night.

    The Saskatoon Blades just missed returning from their road trip through the WHL’s U.S. Division with a winning record over that five-game jaunt.

    On Tuesday night at the ShoWare Centre in Kent, Washington, the Blades concluded their five-game road swing with a 4-1 setback against the Seattle Thunderbirds before 4,003 spectators. With the loss, the Blades posted a 2-3 record playing each of the WHL’s five clubs based in the United States.

    Overall, the Blades record fell to 11-15-2-1, while the Thunderbirds, who are rebuilding after winning the WHL championship last season, improved to 13-13-2-1.

    The Thunderbirds got out to a quick start in Tuesday’s encounter as 17-year-old rookie centre Tyler Carpendale scored at the 2:19 mark of the opening frame.

    Just over four minutes later, Blades defenceman Seth Bafaro scored from the point to even the score at 1-1.

    Seattle controlled play in the second outshooting Saskatoon 17-3 in the frame. Due to the stellar play of Blades 16-year-old rookie goalie Nolan Maier, the Thunderbirds only managed to exit the second stanza holding a 2-1 edge.

    Finnish import winger Sami Moilanen potted his 16^th over the season at the 2:57 mark of the second frame, and the officials had to go to a video review to confirm Moilanen did indeed score due to the fact he was on the border of the crease of the Saskatoon goal.

Netminder Nolan Maier stopped 31-of-34 shots for the Blades on Tuesday.

    Just 85 seconds into the third, the Thunderbirds went ahead 3-1 on an unassisted goal by 17-year-old left-winger Dillon Hamaliuk. The Blades pushed back holding a 14-12 in shots on goal in the third, but the Thunderbirds salted away victory with an empty-net goal by Blake Bargar in the game’s final seconds.

    Maier turned away 31-of-34 shots to take the setback in goal for the Blades. Matt Berlin made 26 stops to pick up the win in goal for the Thunderbirds.

    The Blades return to action on Saturday, when they host the Kamloops Blazers at 7 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre. That contest is the team’s “Girls Rock Game,” where the Blades are partnering with Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Saskatoon.

    The Blades have a special ticket offer for girls groups in the city where 20 tickets can be purchased for $100, and it allows the group to attend a girl empowerment talk featuring Claire Hanna, who is a former member of Canada’s national women’s volleyball team and a sports reporter for Global Saskatoon. Hanna’s talk is slated to run from 5:30 to 6 p.m. pre-game at the SaskTel Centre.

    On Sunday at 2 p.m. at the SaskTel, the Blades host the arch-rivals the Prince Albert Raiders in their annual “Teddy Bear Toss” game. Spectators are invited to throw stuffed animals on to the ice surface after the Blades score their first goal.

Stars’ Leschyshyn commits to Syracuse University

The Stars’ Anna Leschyshyn has committed to Syracuse University.

    Anna Leschyshyn has verbally committed to play for the Syracuse University Orange Women’s hockey team for the start of the 2019-20 National Collegiate Athletic Association campaign.

    Leschyshyn is a star 16-year-old power forward with the Saskatoon Stars female midget AAA team. The Saskatoon product sits third in the Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League scoring race piling up 13 goals and 15 assists helping the Stars jump out to a 13-0 start.

    In 72 career regular season games with the Stars, Leschyshyn, who stands 5-foot-10, has 43 goals and 45 assists. She is the daughter of long time former NHL defenceman and Saskatoon Blades grad Curtis Leschyshyn, who is one of the Stars assistant coaches.

    Anna’s older brother, Jake Leschyshyn, is an 18-year-old centre with the WHL’s Regina Pats. Jake has seven goals and six assists in 24 appearances so far this season with the Pats.

    The Stars resume regular season play on Dec. 16, when they travel to Swift Current to take on the Diamond Energy Wildcats.

Dorsett pens a heartfelt thanks to his supporters

Derek Dorsett, seen here in 2007, penned a heartfelt letter to his supporters.

    Feisty forward Derek Dorsett, who was forced to retire from the NHL’s Vancouver Canucks last week due to a back injury, released a heartfelt thanks to his supporters on Tuesday.

    About a year ago, the Kindersley, Sask., product underwent a cervical-fusion surgery to heal up a damaged disk in his back. About two weeks ago, Dorsett’s doctors in Los Angeles, Calif., discovered another herniated disk near the rebuilt section of his back, and he was advised to not play again. His retirement was officially announced last Thursday.

    Dorsett had gotten out to a great start with the Canucks netting seven goals and two assists in 20 regular season games. After spending his first professional season with the American Hockey League’s Syracuse Crunch in 2007-08, Dorsett started playing in the NHL on a full-time basis with the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2008-09.

    He appeared in 515 regular season games with the Blue Jackets, New York Rangers and Canucks netting 51 goals, 76 assists and 1,314 penalty minutes. Over his hockey career, Dorsett, who stands 6-feet and weighs 192 pounds, became one of the game’s best agitators, but he was also viewed as one of the best teammates no matter where his career took him.

    Dorsett played for the WHL’s Medicine Hat Tigers from 2004 to 2007 and was one of the franchise’s all-time greatest fan favourite players. He recorded 49 goals, 79 assists and 593 penalty minutes in 180 regular season games with the Tabbies.

    His letter to his supporters can be found right here.

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

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Parker close to becoming SFMAAAHL’s second all-time leading scorer

Mackenna Parker is set to move to second in SFMAAAHL career points.

    Mackenna Parker is on the cusp of achieving a huge milestone, but the skilled centre will have to wait a bit to achieve it.

    The 17-year-old captain of the Saskatoon Stars is one point away for equaling Alyssa Wiebe for second all-time in career regular season scoring for the Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League. Parker has 72 goals and 69 assists for 141 career points in 94 regular season games.

Wiebe piled up 74 goals and 68 assists for 142 points playing 55 regular games at forward for the Notre Dame Hounds from 2006 to 2008 in Wilcox.

    With the way the SFMAAAHL regular season schedule has worked out, Parker will have to wait a bit for her next chance to pass Wiebe. The Stars next regular season game is set for Dec. 16, when they travel to Swift Current to face the Diamond Energy Wildcats.

    The SFMAAAHL is in its 12^th season, so what Parker is about to do can be viewed as a significant accomplishment.

    It also provides an opportunity to reflect on some recent women’s hockey history.

Mackenna Parker has been on fire this season.

    Wiebe, who is from Saskatoon, played for the Hounds the first two seasons the SFMAAAHL existed. She played the first games Canada’s under-18 women’s team ever took the ice for in 2007 before moving on to the university ranks.

    She played four seasons in the National Collegiate Athletic Association with the now defunct University of North Dakota women’s hockey team at the Division I level piling up 49 goals and 66 assists in 141 overall games.

    Following her hockey days at UND, Wiebe returned home to Saskatoon and suited up for the Saskatoon Valkyries of the Western Women’s Canadian Football League for the past two seasons. She became a star receiver and helped the Valkyrie win a league championship in 2016. Wiebe was part of Saskatchewan’s team that won gold at Football Canada’s inaugural Senior Women’s National Championship tournament in July of 2016.

    Wiebe, who is now 27-year-olds, showed just insane athletic ability playing football for the Valkyries. That same athletic ability showed through, when he played high level hockey.

    Parker, who is playing out her final season of midget AAA eligibility, will pass Wiebe, but likely won’t catch Olivia Howe for the top spot as the SFMAAAHL’s career all-time leading scorer.

    Howe, who is from Moose Jaw, played forward for the Hounds from 2008 to 2012 and piled up 107 goals and 100 assists for 207 points in 106 career regular season games. She is the SFMAAAHL’s career leader in goals, assists and points and was a consistent high point producer in each season she played in the league.

Mackenna Parker will play for Canada’s under-18 team in January.

    Following her time with the Hounds, Howe, who is now 23-years-old, played four seasons with the Clarkson University Golden Knights women’s hockey team in the NCAA Division I ranks from 2012 to 2016 piling up 42 goals and 58 assists in 152 overall games. She helped the Golden Knights win the NCAA championship in 2014.

    Parker has been on a tear to start the season with the Stars. She leads the SFMAAAHL in scoring with 23 goals and 20 assists in 13 games played and needs one more point to match her career high in points set last season.

    Besides accomplishing huge milestones with the Stars, Parker will play for Canada’s women’s team at the International Ice Hockey Federation’s Under-18 Women’s World Championships, which runs this coming January 6-13 in Dmitrov, Russia.

Dorsett had a great run through WHL and NHL

Derek Dorsett, centre, during down time at the 2007 Memorial Cup.

    Feisty forward Derek Dorsett decided retire from the NHL due to an injury issue with his back.

    About a year ago, the Kindersley, Sask., product underwent a cervical-fusion surgery to heal up a damaged disk in his back. About a week ago, Dorsett’s doctors in Los Angeles, Calif., discovered another herniated disk near the rebuilt section of his back, and he was advised to not play again. The NHL’s Vancouver Canucks officially announced Dorsett’s retirement on Thursday.

    Dorsett had gotten out to a great start with the Canucks netting seven goals and two assists in 20 regular season games. After spending his first professional season with the American Hockey League’s Syracuse Crunch in 2007-08, Dorsett started playing in the NHL on a full-time basis with the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2008-09.

    He appeared in 515 regular season games with the Blue Jackets, New York Rangers and Canucks netting 51 goals, 76 assists and 1,314 penalty minutes. Over his hockey career, Dorsett, who stands 6-feet and weighs 192 pounds, became one of the game’s best agitators, but he was also viewed as one of the best teammates no matter where his career took him.

    You hated to play against him, but you would love it if he was traded to your team.

    At one time, it didn’t appear an NHL career would be in the cards for Dorsett. His services were offered to every team in the Saskatchewan Midget AAA Hockey League, and only the Swift Current Legionnaires stepped up to take him.
    With the Legionnaires in 2003-04, Dorsett collected 19 goals, 34 assists and 132 penalty minutes in 42 regular season games. That season wasn’t enough at that time to ensure him a spot in the WHL.

    As a result, he started the 2004-05 campaign in the junior A ranks with his hometown Kindersley Klippers of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League.

    Dorsett’s career path changed on Nov. 19, 2004, when he jumped on board the bus of the WHL’s Medicine Hat Tigers outside the 7-Eleven in Kindersley. He dressed for that night’s road clash with the Blades in Saskatoon and picked up an assist in a 6-2 Tigers victory.

    During his career in “the Gas City,” Dorsett recorded 49 goals and 79 assists in 180 regular season games. To this day, he still remains an all-time fan favourite among the Tigers faithful.

    Dorsett was a heart and soul player with the Tigers who agitated opponents, scored, blocked shots, fought guys that were much bigger than him and was still effective playing with injuries.

    He set the emotional tone and the intensity for the Tigers every time he stepped on the ice. Dorsett always gave his best.

    If something needed to be said in the dressing room to get the Tigers going, Dorsett was entrusted with being the guy that said something.

    Dorsett played a huge role in capturing the WHL championship in 2007 and advancing to the final of that year’s Memorial Cup championship tournament before falling 3-1 to the host Vancouver Giants.

    In the 2006 NHL Entry Draft, he was selected in the seventh round and 189^th overall by the Blue Jackets, which opened the door to his NHL career.

    Dorsett’s 31^st birthday is Dec. 20, so he has a big next chapter to live in life. Let’s hope he enjoys lots of great days with his wife, Allison, and their two young sons Dylan and Ethan.

SHA should rethink boundary changes for female game

    If you’re involved in female hockey in Saskatchewan, you’ve likely heard through mainstream media outlets that the Saskatchewan Hockey Association is intent on going ahead with plans to make Saskatoon and Regina geographical subdivisions for the 2018-19 campaign.

    Basically, girls from rural Saskatchewan will be unable to go to Saskatoon and Regina to play on those cities’ teams. The SHA is putting that rule in place to push rural minor hockey associations to create their own female teams and leagues.

    When girls become old enough to play at the midget AAA level, they can go play for any of the provinces eight female midget AAA programs.

    I normally try to avoid minor hockey arguments and minor hockey issues. In the past, I find involvement in minor hockey politics just tends to bring me down.

    This issue has been in the news a lot, so I figured I would say something.

    I can see what the SHA is trying to do in theory, and there is concern about getting numbers up in rural areas and allowing rural girls to play closer to home.

    Through all sorts of social media channels, I’ve seen great push back against this decision. Actually, it is hard to find a voice that agrees with the SHA.

    I’ve seen numerous former players, current coaches, family members of current coaches and players, and executives from minor hockey associations speak out against this. There have been a number of people I know speak out against this move, who I deeply trust when it comes to judgments about the female game.

    I saw the martial from the Saskatoon Comets regarding this decision. They noted from experience that next season rural Minor Hockey Associations won’t develop a female program of any kind and will welcome girls to join their boys’ teams. The Comets said girls will quit if the appropriate level of play in girls hockey isn’t available to them.

    The Comets said the rural Minor Hockey Associations cited a number of reasons for not starting a new female committee including too much work for too short of a deadline, shortage of available ice, don’t know where to start and no one on their current boards have an interest in female hockey. I can respect these arguments, because life in the current day is way more stressed than it has ever been.

    There is a big concern girls in rural areas will decide to quit and take up another sport or activity as opposed to playing on a boys’ team. When players get old enough that body contact is allowed, there are a lot of girls that don’t want to play on boys teams if hitting is involved.

    I saw one post from a mom that lives in Pilot Butte, which is just outside and almost now borders with Regina, be downright upset that her daughter would have to go to Weyburn to play next season, which is a lot further away. I don’t like the idea of cutting Saskatoon and Regina off from their suburb bedroom communities.

    I know long time veteran SHA general manager Kelly McClintock has taken a lot of heat over this.

    I feel comfortable siding with the large number of people in the female game that are against these changes. Since I moved to Saskatoon in the summer of 2014, I have been impressed with how much everyone involved with female hockey pulls in the same direction. People from rival teams have respect for each other and hope players from the rival side do well.

    You do not see that type of unity on the boys’ side of the game, and it is refreshing to see that unity in the female game.

    I trust the judgment with those involved with female hockey in Saskatchewan and hope the SHA will delay the border changes or rethink them entirely. At the moment, I believe these border changes will hurt the female game in Saskatchewan.

    If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com. A special shout out thanks to the Swift Current Diamond Energy Wildcats female midget AAA team, who provided the information about Dorsett’s one season with the Swift Current Legionnaires midget AAA team in 2003-04. That piece of information was missing in a previous version of this post, and it was great to include it.

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My love-hate relationship with the NHL playoffs

The Calgary Flames and Vancouver Canucks battle on television.

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

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

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

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

Derek Dorsett fight Deryk Engelland on television.

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

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

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

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