Missing CFL a back and forth thing for me

The 2020 Grey Cup Festival T-shirt and baseball cap.

A pre-pandemic birthday gift is my reminder that this should have been Grey Cup week.

On my birthday back on March 4, I was given a T-shirt and a baseball cap to mark that the Grey Cup festival was going to be in Saskatchewan this year. Originally, this week was supposed to be Grey Cup week in Regina, and the championship game for the CFL was supposed to be played this coming Sunday at Mosaic Stadium.

Unfortunately, the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic gripped the world pretty tightly causing most of the sports world to shut down in North America on March 11 and 12.

After trying to figure out a scenario to take the field, the CFL officially cancelled its 2020 campaign on August 17.

Actually back on May 20, the CFL decided to move the Saskatchewan Roughriders hosting rights for the Grey Cup from this year to 2022. Originally on that day, the CFL said the Grey Cup host for 2020 would be the team that had the best record going into the game.

The CFL then experimented with the notion of having Winnipeg host the circuit in a hub city format before ultimately cancelling the campaign.

Evan Johnson, left, in action for the Ottawa Redblacks in 2019.

Across Canada, diehard fans lamented the loss of the CFL season. In Saskatchewan, the pain hit a lot of fans as the Roughriders have a well documented passionate following.

It is likely true that there have been some people in Saskatchewan who have thought about the Roughriders for at least half the time they have been alive through the COVID-19 pandemic.

For myself, I have wavered back and forth over whether I miss the CFL or not. I know when and if I ever get back to Mosaic Stadium for a Roughriders home game the reality of missing the CFL will hit me in a bigger way.

In that situation, I suspect I will see a lot of friends that I haven’t seen in a while that I usually see at Roughriders games. Seeing familiar faces will reinforce I am missing something.

As strange as it sounds, I don’t really miss the CFL on most days. After being involved with the sports industry as a sports reporter for 24 years in some shape or form, I realize that sports are a business.

I also realized that no matter how much I love a team or a league that something can happen that will take that team or league out of my life. That team or league will leave my life due to business.

Brendon LaBatte (#57) in action for the Roughriders in 2017.

I’ve conditioned myself to know that happens, and when it does, I just move on with my life. I always cherish the memories I made, and I’ve made lots of outstanding memories in sports over the last 24 years.

When the time comes that life creates a situation I am no longer a good fit with a team or a league, I realize what happened and just move on. I don’t take things personally.

I chalk things that I can’t control up to being the way they go sometimes. It is on to the next thing.

I actually don’t dwell on what life will be like if the CFL does or does not continue to exist.

That does change on days I see people who are hooked in with the league. If I am at the Gordie Howe Sports Complex and I visit with a number of the CFL athletes that train there, then I really miss the CFL.

That is a point in time I wish the players could be playing and the fans could be in the stands.

Jordan Reaves in action for the Roughriders in 2018.

Some of the CFL athletes that train at the Gordie Howe Sports Complex include Jorgen Hus, Patrick Neufeld and Evan Johnson along with CFL Draft selections Mattland Riley and Colton Klassen.

If I talk to Roughriders left guard Brendon LaBatte on the phone, I miss the CFL.

If I interact with Roughriders players Jordan Reaves or Chad Geter online, I miss the CFL.

If I see social media posts of Rider Nation home game regulars like Michelle and Paige Hansen, Lisa Lukye or Connie Dobson, I miss the CFL.

I do hope the CFL survives the COVID-19 pandemic, and we can all go to CFL games again one day.

If it does or doesn’t come back, life goes on for me and I will focus on adjusting the best I can versus the things I can’t control.

Hockey Harvest Lottery up over $146,000

Jackpot update:

💲1️⃣4️⃣6️⃣,1️⃣2️⃣0️⃣

— Hockey Harvest Lottery (@HockeyHarvest) November 20, 2020

Tickets have been on sale since this past Monday, but the 50/50 jackpot for the Hockey Harvest Lottery has already ballooned to $146,120 by Friday.

The lottery will be used to raise money for the player scholarship funds of the Moose Jaw Warriors, Prince Albert Raiders, Regina Pats, Saskatoon Blades and the Swift Current Broncos. The five Saskatchewan based WHL teams are running the lottery in partnership with the Great West Brewing Company.

The Great West Brewing Company assured that the 50/50 jackpot began at $75,000 before any tickets were purchased.

The progressive 50/50 will run through to December 20. December 21 will be the lottery’s grand prize draw date, and the draw will be conducted in Saskatoon.

Anyone over the age of 19 that is physically in the province of Saskatchewan at the time of purchase regardless of their home residence can purchase a ticket.

The grand prize winning ticket will receive a cash prize of 50 per cent of the final jackpot. The remaining funds will be split evenly between the five Saskatchewan WHL teams and be placed into their respective player scholarship funds.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, WHL teams haven’t been able to raise money for their player scholarship funds like they have anywhere near in the past. The WHL is targeting to start its regular season on January 8, 2021.

Tickets purchased prior to 11:59 CST on November 27 will also be entered into a draw to win a Saskatchewan WHL team jersey prize package featuring a jersey from all five Saskatchewan WHL teams. The early bird draw will be made on November 28 in Saskatoon.

Ticket prices are one for $20, five for $50, 20 for $100, 150 for $500 or 500 for $1,000. They can be purchased through the websites of any of the Saskatchewan based teams or by clicking right here.

WHL launches T’s For Toys Campaign, other notes

The WHL is proud to launch #WHLTsForToys in support of children across all 22 WHL markets this holiday season!

DETAILS 🎅 | https://t.co/sNRrvzwzQe pic.twitter.com/HlmAjxQCeT

— The WHL (@TheWHL) November 17, 2020

On Tuesday, the WHL launched a cute Christmas fundraiser involving the mascots of the circuit’s 22 teams.

The mascots are taking part in the WHL’s T’s For Toys Campaign. Fans will be able to purchase limited-edition WHL club T-shirts feature that features a team mascot.

That means, there are 22 different T-shirts WHL supporters will be able to collect.

T-shirts can be purchased online for $20 in Canadian funds and are available in adult and youth sizes. For each T-shirt that is sold, $7 in Canadian funds will go directly to a local charity in the home community of the mascot depicted on the T-shirt purchased.

The proceeds will be used by these charities to purchase toys for local children in need.

For the five Saskatchewan based teams, the Moose Jaw Warriors funds will go to the Salvation Army in Moose Jaw, the Prince Albert Raiders funds will go to the Prince Albert Optimist Club, the Regina Pats funds will go to the Eagle Heart Centre, the Saskatoon Blades funds will go to EGADZ and the Swift Current Broncos funds will go to the Southwest Newcomer Welcome Centre.

The mascot T-shirts can be purchased by clicking right here.

• The University of Regina Rams football team is running a traditional 50/50 lottery online. The funds will be used to run the Rams program. Tickets can only be sold to those in Regina and surrounding communities of a 30-kilometre radius. The draw date is this coming Monday. Anyone in those areas that want to purchase tickets can do so by clicking right here.
• On Monday, track and field star Savannah Sutherland from Borden, Sask., committed to joining the University of Michigan Wolverines women’s track and field team in the NCAA Division I ranks for the 2021-22 campaign. Sutherland specializes in hurdles events.
• On Wednesday, The junior A Manitoba Junior Hockey League and Hockey Manitoba levied a $5,000 fine against 50 Below Sports and Entertainment, who own the Winnipeg Blues and Winnipeg Freeze on that junior A circuit. The fine was given due to the fact the Blues and Freeze held a practice in Warren, Man., on Nov. 9 going against COVID-19 restrictions at the time that prevented Winnipeg based hockey teams from taking part in any sort of hockey activities. The Blue and Freeze also forfeited their respective first round selections in the 2021 MJHL Draft. Each team will be required to complete a community initiative as approved by the MJHL and Hockey Manitoba. The money from the fine will go towards buying COVID-19 personal protective equipment for frontline workers across Manitoba. Manitoba is now currently in a lockdown that prevents any sports from being played.
• On Friday, the Saskatoon Secondary Schools Athletic Directorate announced it will not be offering the winter sports of basketball, curling, dance and cheer and wrestling in the 2020-21 campaign due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The SSSAD said in a release the decision was made after Saskatoon Public Schools and Greater Saskatoon Catholic Schools jointly made a decision to extend the pause on extracurricular activities in schools. The SSSAD hasn’t run any sports so far in the 2020-21 campaign due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• On Friday, Patrick Maze, who is the Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation president, asked for hockey and other recreational activities to cease operations to help keep COVID-19 cases out of schools across the province. Keenan Sorokan of 650 CKOM put together a story on Maze’s request, and it can be found right here.
• Gregg Drinnan put together another round up in his Taking Note blog on how the COVID-19 pandemic is wreaking havoc on the sports world on Thursday. That piece 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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Sask. WHL clubs, Great Western team up on fundraising lottery

The Raiders and Blades in action last season.

Thanks to the fact most of Saskatchewan was digging out from a weekend snowstorm, you might have missed that the Hockey Harvest Lottery was coming.

On Monday when a lot of Saskatchewan was deep in the dig out, the province’s five WHL franchises in partnership with Great Western Brewing Company announced that the Hockey Harvest Lottery was going to be launched on Monday, November 16.

The lottery will be used to raise money for the player scholarship funds of the Moose Jaw Warriors, Prince Albert Raiders, Regina Pats, Saskatoon Blades and the Swift Current Broncos.

The money will be raised through a progressive 50/50 lottery that will start on November 16 and run through to December 20. December 21 will be the lottery’s grand prize draw date, and the draw will be conducted in Saskatoon.

The Great West Brewing Company has assured that the 50/50 jackpot will begin at $75,000.

Isaac Poulter makes a stop for the Broncos.

“We are thrilled to have Great Western Brewing presenting the Hockey Harvest Lottery,” said Great Western Brewing vice-president of sales Scott Henbury in a release. “We value and appreciate our relationships with all of the Saskatchewan-based WHL teams, and this gives us a unique opportunity to continue our support.”

Tickets will be available for purchase to anyone over the age of 19 that is physically in the province of Saskatchewan at the time of purchase regardless of their home residence.

The grand prize winning ticket will receive a cash prize of 50 per cent of the final jackpot. The remaining funds will be split evenly between the five Saskatchewan WHL teams and be placed into their respective player scholarship funds.

Tickets purchased prior to 11:59 CST on November 27 will also be entered into a draw to win a Saskatchewan WHL team jersey prize package featuring a jersey from all five Saskatchewan WHL teams. The early bird draw will be made on November 28 in Saskatoon.

“The Western Hockey League takes pride in providing a world class player experience, which includes the most comprehensive scholarship available in North America today,” said WHL commissioner Ron Robison in a release. “What better way for our Saskatchewan-based WHL clubs to come together than with the creation of the Hockey Harvest Lottery presented by Great Western Brewing Company in support of the WHL Scholarship program.

Drew Englot works in the offensive zone for the Pats.

“By purchasing tickets, Saskatchewan residents will have a chance to win big, and they will also be supporting the academic endeavours of their favourite WHL players.”

Ticket prices are one for $20, five for $50, 20 for $100, 150 for $500 or 500 for $1,000.

For each season played in the WHL, players are awarded a one-year post-secondary scholarship, which includes tuition, textbooks and other compulsory fees. More than 400 players took advantage of their WHL Scholarship during the 2019-20 academic year, and many of those competed for a Saskatchewan based team.

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has caused a major financial shortfall for teams across the WHL. A bulk of the funding for the post-secondary scholarships usually comes from 50/50 ticket sales on game day.

Of course, the WHL hasn’t hosted any games so far in the 2020-21 campaign due to the pandemic and has set January 8, 2021 as a start date for the upcoming campaign.

 The Hockey Harvest Lottery will help make up some of the funds that weren’t able to be raised from 50/50 ticket sales on game day.

The Warriors celebrate a goal last season.

Tickets will be on sale on starting November 16 online through the website of each Saskatchewan-based WHL team and the WHL’s main website.

Hockey Harvest Lottery rules and regulations can be round at www.whl.ca/hockeyharvestlotto.

Daily jackpot updates and Hockey Harvest Lottery news will be available daily on Twitter at @HockeyHarvest.

Overall, this is a pretty sound idea to help the post-secondary scholarship programs of each of the five WHL clubs in Saskatchewan.

Introducing the Hockey Harvest Lottery, presented by @GWBrewingCo in support of WHL player scholarship funds!

Starting jackpot | $75,000
Tickets on sale | Nov. 16
Draw date | Dec. 21

Follow along for daily jackpot updates and more opportunities to win big! pic.twitter.com/LGMoeOAiBh

— Hockey Harvest Lottery (@HockeyHarvest) November 9, 2020

Buckle up as COVID-19 restrictions get tighter, other notes

Devon Skoleski and the U of Manitoba Bisons can’t do anything.

In Western Canada, business is picking up when it comes to increasing restrictions to battle the COVID-19 pandemic.

On Thursday, Manitoba went into a strict lockdown similar to the ones most places in Canada and I dare say North America observed in March and April.

Social gatherings are limited to five persons indoor or outdoor unless everyone lives in the same household.

Non-essential retail stores, gyms, places of worship, theatres, hair salons and recreational centres have to remain close during the lockdown.

Essential retailers such as grocers and pharmacies may remain open at 25 per cent customer capacity. Restaurants may only serve delivery and takeout customers.

Dental clinics and other therapeutic businesses may remain open along with schools and child-care services.

Winnipeg, which is Manitoba’s capital city, has been under stricter lockdowns since Nov. 2, which saw restaurants and bars, theatres and recreational facilities all closed down at that time with retail outlets moving to 25 per cent of customer capacity.

The restrictions brought in on Thursday for the entire province of Manitoba are set at the moment to last four weeks. The Government of Manitoba has declared the entire province is under a Code Red.

On Thursday, the Manitoba Junior Hockey League junior A circuit announced it was pausing all hockey activities until the start of 2021. The MJHL is targeting January 1, 2021 as the tentative date to resume hockey activities.

The MJHL had gotten comfortably into its regular season, when the entire league had to pause due to the Manitoba public health order.

Manitoba announced it had 474 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday and nine deaths due to COVID-19. There are currently 6,030 cases of COVID-19 that are considered active.

New COVID-19 restrictions are coming to Saskatchewan. A press conference is slated for 11:30 a.m. on Friday. Saskatchewan had 111 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday with 15 recoveries with for a total of 1,459 active cases.

The active case count is a daily high for the province.

On Thursday, Alberta reported it had 860 new COVID-19 cases and a total of 8,305 active cases in the province. Alberta government officials had been saying they did not want to return to any large lockdown measures.

With that noted, Alberta added some new restrictions that are slated to last for two weeks. Starting on Friday Alberta will suspend indoor group fitness programs, team sports, group performance activities and reduce operating hours for restaurants, bars and pubs.

The U of Alberta Golden Bears can still train.

The measure will apply to Edmonton and surrounding areas, Calgary and its area, Grande Prairie, Lethbridge, Fort McMurray and Red Deer.

Sports restrictions are specifically for recreational teams or group activities that occur indoors. Outdoor sports are not affected and neither are individual sports or exercise.

Junior, collegiate, university and professional sports are also exempted.

All licensed restaurants, bars, lounges and pubs in those areas that were listed must stop liquor sales by 10 p.m. and close their doors by 11 p.m.

With the restrictions that have been brought to life in Manitoba and Alberta, the sports community in Saskatchewan has to be wondering if activities on the sports front will be coming to a halt.

Hockey at the junior A and under-18 AAA levels are underway skating in regular season contests. The Manitoba-based Flin Flon Bombers played out of the junior A Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League circuit.

On Thursday, the Bombers games slated for Friday and Saturday against the Kindersley were postponed. Those games were originally set to be held in Flin Flon, but were announced on Wednesday as being rescheduled for Kindersley before Thursday’s postponement came down.

So far, the Government of Saskatchewan has tried to avoid restrictions that will further hamper the activities of sports teams and leagues.

Still, there has to be a feeling that even targeted restrictions on the sports front might be coming down the line.

Those in Saskatchewan’s sporting community will likely be waiting anxiously to see what is announced by the provincial government on Friday.

• In Manitoba, serious heat is coming in the direction of 50 Below Sports and Entertainment. On Nov. 2, lockdown orders were enacted in Winnipeg to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, which restricted sports of any kind. Hockey Manitoba stated on Nov. 2 that hockey teams and individuals in the Winnipeg  Metropolitan Region were ineligible to participate in hockey programming. The junior A Winnipeg Blues and Winnipeg Freeze, which are both owned by 50 Below Sports and Entertainment, conducted a practice in Warren, Manitoba, which is 45-kilometres northwest of Winnipeg. Those teams went against the COVID-19 restrictions that were in effect. Situations like this have the potential to get the entire sports community unfairly painted with a broad brush and be viewed in a bad way. Gregg Drinnan rounded up some of the Manitoba media reaction in his Taking Note blog, and that piece can be found by clicking right here.
• On Monday, I went live with a couple pieces on the Howe Happenings blog, which supports the Gordie Howe Sports Complex. Both pieces were connected to the Saskatoon Lions Speed Skating Club. I put together a feature on Lions standout speed skater Bon Lowe, which can be found by clicking right here. I also posted a story on the history of the Saskatoon Lions Speed Skating Club, which can be found by clicking right here.
• As the United States election went along, there were a handful of people in Saskatchewan’s sports community that wanted to see Donald Trump re-elected as president of the United States on Nov. 3. The thinking was that if Trump was re-elected as president it would force the government in Canada to allow the sports industry to operate without restrictions and allowing full venue capacities in a quicker time frame. Of course, Joe Biden won the presidential race and was officially tabbed as the president-elect this past Saturday. Those in Saskatchewan’s sports community are free to say who they want electing in a political race, but you have to be ready to take the heat. When an election is on, it is always wise for those in sports to not divulge or hint at who you would want to win. This is another situation that has the potential to get the entire sports community unfairly painted with a broad brush and be viewed in a bad way.
• On Wednesday, Ryan Flaherty of Global Saskatoon did a sweet feature piece on Dave Westbury, who is the equipment manager of the University of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s hockey team. Westbury is one of the best in hockey to serve in that role. The piece on Westbury can be found by clicking 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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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.