Canucks latest reminder COVID-19 pandemic is not over

A Bo Horvat card.

The NHL’s Vancouver Canucks have unfortunately become the poster example that the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is not over.

While vaccines for COVID-19 are rolling out across Canada, some areas of the country increased restrictions to try and combat the virus as variants of concern become an increasing issue.

Over the Easter weekend, the halt of the Canucks NHL season caught the attention of the country.

As of Monday night, the Canucks have 17 players on the NHL’s COVID protocol list. The list doesn’t mean a player has tested positive, but a player could be a close contact of someone who has tested positive for COVID-19.

Another unnamed player from the taxi squad is quarantining as a high-risk close contact, and three members of the Canucks coaching staff have tested positive for COVID-19.

It is reported that the NHL and the Canucks are proceeding under the belief they are dealing with the highly-transmissible P.1 variant, which was first identified in Brazil. At the moment, Vancouver is a global hotspot for the P.1 variant.

The P.1 variant is believed to be more transmissible and is capable of infecting people who were once infected by the original strain of COVID-19.

It is believed vaccines for COVID-19 that have been created to date are less effective on the P.1 variant, and people who get the variant can experience more severe sickness compared to the original strain of the virus.

It is believed younger people are more susceptible to a severe outcome, if they get infected by the P.1 variant.

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.

A Brandon Sutter card.

Last Wednesday, 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 last Wednesday’s NHL regular season game between the Canucks and the visiting Calgary Flames at Rogers Arena being postponed 90 minutes before puck drop.

By this past Friday, the Canucks had seven players on their COVID protocol list. Another seven players were added this past Saturday and situation grew to the levels it sat at on Monday night.

Those on the COVID protocol list included the likes of forwards Bo Horvat, Jayce Hawyrluk, Brandon Sutter and Antoine Roussel, defencemen Tyler Myers and Quinn Hughes and netminder Braden Holtby, who is an alumnus of the WHL’s Saskatoon Blades.

The Canucks have had a couple of instances where dehydration was severe enough that team medical staffers were dispatched to player homes to administer IV drips to players.

There have been reports that many family members of Canucks players have tested positive or are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19.

As of Monday night, the Canucks have had six games postponed due to this COVID-19 outbreak including tilts with the Flames in Calgary this coming Thursday and Saturday.

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 on April 12 against the Oilers in Edmonton.

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.

At the moment, there is no clear certainty as to when the Canucks will return to the ice.

An Antoine Roussel card.

In an interview with Eric Francis of Sportsnet.ca on Monday, former NHLer Brent Sutter, who is the head coach, general manager and owner of the WHL’s Red Deer Rebels, said he is concerned for his son Brandon, who plays for the Canucks, and Brandon’s family.

Brent confirmed that Brandon had indeed tested positive for COVID-19, and even though Brandon is 32-years-old, Brent said the parental instincts have kicked in, and he wished he could at his son’s side helping him out.

At the moment, no professional team in North America has had a rougher time dealing with COVID-19 than the Canucks have had.

The Canucks are an example that shows how real the COVID-19 pandemic still is.

Of course, the mixed messages are plenty when it comes to the COVID-19 pandemic. An MLB regular season game on Monday that saw the Toronto Blue Jays down the host Texas Rangers 6-2 drew 38,238 spectators to the 40,300 seat Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas.

The state of Texas is allowing 100 per cent capacity for sporting events.

Many that are against everything that is being done on the restrictions front to combat the COVID-19 pandemic seemed to pop the champagne corks at Monday’s developments Arlington celebrating the end to the pandemic.

It should be noted that the United States is still experiencing at least 50,000 new cases of COVID-19 per day, which is still an improvement of daily increases of 200,000 new cases at the start of the year.

Still, the new case counts that are happening in the United States, Canada and the rest of the world are still a problem.

COVID-19 is still a problem that creeps up in the sports world including Canada’s sports world.

The WHL’s Kelowna Rockets are in the middle of a 14-day suspension of team activities due to a COVID-19 outbreak.

A Quinn Hughes card.

The junior A Alberta Junior Hockey League currently has six teams in the Grande Prairie Storm, Drayton Valley Thunder, White Court Wolverines, Okotoks Oilers, Camrose Kodiaks and Drumheller Dragons who are all under a 14-day suspension of team activities due to positive COVID-19 tests.

You can continue to keep listing examples like this.

Overall, the NHL’s Canucks have been the biggest recent noticeable example about how quickly things can still escalate on the COVID-19 front.

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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Wheat Kings put Thunderbirds on ropes

Seattle’s mental toughness faces huge test in WHL finals

The Wheat Kings mob Jayce Hawryluk (#8) after his OT winner.

    BRANDON, Man. – Jayce Hawryluk potted one of those ugly overtime winners that drove a dagger through the hearts of the Seattle Thunderbirds.

    With the host Brandon Wheat Kings locked in a 2-2 tie in overtime with the Thunderbirds in Game 2 of the WHL championship series on Saturday night, Hawryluk had the puck in the right corner of the Seattle zone. The Roblin, Man., product tried to hit linemate Nolan Patrick with a backdoor pass for a scoring chance. 

    Hawryluk’s pass banked off the inside of one of the pads of Thunderbirds goaltender Landon Bow and bounced into the Seattle goal 6:56 into extra time. The marker gave the Wheat Kings a 3-2 victory before 5,621 delirious onlookers at Westman Place, which seats 5,102.

Ethan Bear gave Seattle a short-lived lead.

    Brandon takes a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series, which moves to Seattle for Game 3 on Tuesday. The Thunderbirds aren’t dead as they also host Game 4 on Wednesday and a potential Game 5 on Friday, but they are on the ropes. Saturday’s loss has to be a tough pill to swallow, as even the winning goal scorer himself admitted he wasn’t trying to put the puck in the net with his pass attempt.

    “I was trying to hit Patrick backdoor,” said Hawryluk. “I saw him going in. It caught a fortunate bounce.”

    That positive bounce marked the second straight overtime victory for the Wheat Kings, who took Game 1 a night earlier by a similar 3-2 outcome. Brandon centre Tanner Kaspick netted the winner in the series opener, when he showed great hand-eye coordination in knocking a puck out of the air into the Seattle net.

    Seattle’s mental psyche is being tested like it never has before in the 2016 post-season. Over the first three rounds of the WHL playoffs, the Thunderbirds won 12 out of 13 games. Now, they have lost two straight overtime games in a battle for the Ed Chynoweth Cup, and they drop two contests they could have won, if they had just a couple of breaks go their way.

Jayce Hawryluk finds a way to come through for Brandon.

    On Saturday, the Thunderbirds never trailed until Hawryluk’s winner went in. Seattle led 1-0 and went up 2-1, when a point shot from defenceman Ethan Bear found the back of the Brandon goal. Donovan Neuls scored Seattle’s first marker just a minute into the second period.

    The Wheat Kings, who were swept out of last year’s WHL title series by the Kelowna Rockets, found a way to get it done, and that has ultimately made the difference so far in this year’s league title series.

    Just 81 seconds after Neuls’s goal, Patrick wired home his 12^th of the post-season on a two-on-one break to tie things up at 1-1. Patrick’s goal came when the Thunderbirds were on the power play.

    After Seattle went up 2-1, Wheat Kings left-winger Tyler Coulter netted the equalizer with 5:20 to play in the third to force a 2-2 score.

    Wheat Kings goaltender Jordan Papirny proved to be a Thunderbirds nemesis making 37 stops to earn the win in goal for Brandon. Bow, who had a stellar night outside of Hawryluk’s winner, turned away 36 shots to take the loss in goal for Seattle.

The Thunderbirds couldn't crash in a potential winner late in the third.

    Right now, the Wheat Kings, who have won 14 of their 18 post-season games, have to be feeling they can overcome every obstacle that comes their way. Some doubt has to be creeping in the minds of the Thunderbirds, who don’t have a whole lot of history of recent long playoff runs.

    Game 3 is a must win for the Thunderbirds. If the Thunderbirds fall, a sweep will likely be in the cards for the Wheat Kings.

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

Patrick seals Eastern Conference title deal for Wheat Kings

Nolan Patrick (#19) had five-points on Friday for the Wheat Kings.

    BRANDON, Man. - Nolan Patrick might have cemented his status as a playoff hero for the Brandon Wheat Kings.

    The 17-year-old centre from Winnipeg had a dream game on Friday night. The sophomore posted a hat trick and a pair of assists to power the Wheat Kings to a 5-2 victory over the Red Deer Rebels before 5,605 spectators at Westman Place. The win allowed Brandon to win the WHL Eastern Conference championship for a second straight year as they eliminated the Rebels in the best-of-seven set 4-1.

    “It is obviously nice to get those numbers, but my linemates were unbelievable,” said Patrick, who isn’t NHL Entry Draft eligible until 2017 due to a late birthday. “Jayce (Hawryluk) made a great play on my second goal there.

    “John (Quenneville) made a great pass on my third goal there, so I had to pretty much put it into an empty net. They were unbelievable all night, and I think everyone contributed tonight.”

    Patrick came through at timely points in the contest. After Rebels right-winger Jake DeBrusk gave the visitors a 1-0 edge with a tipped in goal at the 7:16 mark of the first, Patrick wired home a wrist shot to tie things up at 1-1 just past the midway point of the opening frame.

    The Rebels, who will host the Memorial Cup championship tournament in May, managed to take a 2-1 lead into the first intermission off a gritty goal from left-winger Evan Polei. That tally created another opportunity for Patrick to make an impact.

Nolan Patrick celebrates his hat trick goal with his teammates.

    Just 86 seconds into the second period, he drove hard to the Red Deer goal and converted a nice set-up feed from Hawryluk to tie things up at 2-2. With 3:41 to play in the second, Patrick potted the game winner after receiving a beauty pass from Quenneville across the face of the Red Deer net.

    With 47.2 seconds to play in the second and Red Deer on the power play, Patrick proceeded to set up Quenneville for his 13^th tally of the post-season to give Brandon a 4-2 edge.

    In the third, Patrick helped account for the final dagger slipping a beautiful back-door feed to pinching defenceman Kale Clague, who roofed home a marker that put the Wheat Kings up 5-2. The final Brandon goal came during a stretch of four-versus-four play due to offsetting penalties.

    “He (Patrick) was special tonight,” said Wheat Kings head coach, general manager and owner Kelly McCrimmon. “He was really good.

    “I’m not so sure the nicest play of the night might have been the assist on the fifth goal. It was a great play by Kale Clague to read it. It was a great play by Nolan (Patrick) to get it to him.

    “The goals were really timely. We were down after one, so we needed to get that first one. I thought (Jayce) Hawryluk made a really good play to Nolan (Patrick) on the tieing goal there.”

Jayce Hawryluk (#8)  helped Nolan Patrick have a big night.

    Patrick has a bit of family pedigree that could help foreshadow hockey success. His father, Stephen, was a star right-winger for the Wheat Kings from 1978 to 1981, which included helping Brandon capture a WHL championship in 1979. Stephen played 250 regular season games in the NHL with the Buffalo Sabres, New York Rangers and Quebec Nordiques in the early to just past the middle part of the 1980s.

    Nolan’s uncle, James Patrick, had a lengthy NHL career that spanned 1,280 games from 1984 to 2004 patrolling the blue-line for the Rangers, Hartford Whalers, Calgary Flames and Sabres.

    During the 2015-16 campaign, Nolan Patrick, who stands 6-foot-3 and weighs 195 pounds, had a break out year in Brandon appearing in all 72 of the Wheat Kings regular season games collecting 41 goals and 61 assists.

    Quenneville was pumped to see Patrick take his game up to another level on Friday.

    “It was incredible,” said Quenneville. “There is no secret of what kind of player he is.

    “He took the game over all by himself, and he was the man. Having a guy like that step up for you is what you need at playoff time and what a job he did tonight.”

    It wasn’t just Patrick’s play that allowed Brandon to advance to the WHL’s championship series. With the Wheat Kings holding on to a 4-2 edge early in the third, 19-year-old veteran goalie Jordan Papirny stoned Rebels captain Luke Philp on a breakaway to prevent the visitors from gaining any traction.

Goalie Jordan Papirny had a key third period save for the Wheat Kings.

    Papirny made 24 stops on Friday to allow Brandon to capture the WHL Eastern Conference title. Rylan Toth turned away 26 shots to take the loss in the Red Deer net. The Rebels are off until May 20, when they open up the Memorial Cup tournament with a clash against the club that wins the Ontario Hockey League title.

    The Wheat Kings, who are in search of their first WHL title since 1996, battled the Seattle Thunderbirds in a best-of-seven league title series. The Thunderbirds, who last appeared in the WHL final back in 1997, swept away the defending WHL champion Kelowna Rockets to take the Western Conference title.

    Game 1 of the WHL championship series is set for this coming Friday at 8 p.m. Brandon time.

Patrick believes the Wheat Kings are most battled tested after beating the Rebels this year than after downing the Calgary Hitmen in last year’s Eastern Conference championship series in five games.

The Wheat Kings salute the fans at Westman Place.

    “I think this series was a lot better test than it was last year,” said Patrick. “I know this series was the same 4-1 as last year, but I think the games were a lot tighter this year.

    “That was a better team to play before the finals. They were a great test for us, and hopefully, we can keep carrying this on to the finals.

    “We have a lot of guys that know what it takes to win, and a lot of positive voices in the room who can help us in tight games. We have positive guys to get us through these games.”

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

Why not the Wheat Kings?

Brandon set to challenge for a WHL title

Kelly McCrimmon has built another championship contender in Brandon.

    They are arguably the favourite road team on the WHL circuit among hotel and restaurant staffs.

    When the Brandon Wheat Kings come to down, they dress to impress and carry themselves with a class that matches their look. Hotel and restaurant staffs for years often compliment the players for how well-mannered, nice and personable they are.

    Excitement usually follows when Wheat Kings head coach, general manager and owner Kelly McCrimmon phones to make a reservation. Road businesses want the Wheat Kings to come to town.

    Those intangibles have been some of the key reasons as to why the Manitoba’s only major junior franchise finds itself contenting for a WHL title on a regular basis going back to the start of the 1992-93 season. Since that campaign, the Wheat Kings have won more than 40 games 15 times. The good habits and culture they create off the ice translates to a good culture and habits on the ice.

    Going into the 2015-16 campaign, the Wheat Kings were viewed as a favourite to possibly challenge for another WHL title. While they won’t match their blistering league leading 53-11-4-4 record from last season, the Wheat Kings have been steady.

    In the current campaign, teams like the Lethbridge Hurricanes, Kelowna Rockets and Victoria Royals have all had surges at different times that have allowed them to float to the top of the league standings.

Reid Duke (#27) battles for a draw for the Wheat Kings.

    The Wheat Kings hovered near the top of the WHL’s East Division for about the first two-and-a-half months of the campaign and have remained in the division lead since returning from the Christmas break. After downing the Blades 5-1 in Saskatoon on Friday night, the Wheat Kings have earned points in their last nine games coming off seven wins and two extra time setbacks.

    They improved to 44-18-4-2 to sit two points ahead of the Lethbridge Hurricanes (45-21-1-1) for top spot in the Eastern Conference. Brandon also sits two points behind the Victoria Royals (45-16-3-3) for first overall in the league. The Wheat Kings also broke into the Canadian Hockey League’s top ten rankings this week in the 10^th spot.

    During a season where the consensus among scouts is that defence and goaltending across the WHL isn’t as strong as it normally is, the Wheat Kings might be able to finally capture their first league title since 1996.

    While they have piled up outstanding records in the regular season, the league title has eluded the Wheat Kings including last season, where they were swept away in the WHL final by the Rockets.

Jordan Papirny is loaded with playoff experience in goal.

    This season, the Wheat Kings forward group is as solid as ever. Centre Jayce Hawryluk leads the team in scoring with 42 goals and 56 assists, while 17-year-old sophomore centre Nolan Patrick has impressed with 40 goals and 57 assists. Due to where his birthday falls, Patrick, who stands 6-foot-3 and weighs 195 pounds, isn’t eligible for the NHL Entry Draft until next year.

    Brandon’s back end is anchored by overage captain Macoy Erkamps, who has 13 goals, 55 assists and a plus-43 rating in the plus-minus department. Russian rearguard Ivan Provorov has also provided an offensive spark with 19 goals and 48 assists to go along with a plus-58 rating. Before the WHL trade deadline, the Wheat Kings also acquired overage defenceman Mitchell Wheaton, who stands 6-foot-5 and weighs 223 pounds, from the Blades to beef up their physical presence.

    The Wheat Kings back end has more parts than most other teams in the league to get the job done.

In goal, 19-year-old Jordan Papirny has carried the load as a starter and has been solid. He has posted a 28-17-6 record, a 2.69 goals against average, a .908 save percentage and five shutouts. Other netminders have better numbers, but Papirny has a tonne of post-season experience.

Ivan Provorov has 67 points on defence.

    Before 4,396 spectators at the SaskTel Centre on Friday, the Wheat Kings showed how opportunistic they can be going 3-for-7 on the power play, while adding a short-handed marker. The short-handed goal was a backbreaker for the Blades, as Hawryluk scored with 1.8 seconds to play in the second to give Brandon a 3-1 lead.

    The tally came just over two minutes after Blades captain Nick Zajac potted his 20^th of the season to pull the host side to within one.

    Hawryluk also picked up a power-play goal in his two-goal night. Patrick, John Quenneville and Erkamps all potted singles for Brandon. Papirny made 29 stops to earn the win in goal.

    Brock Hamm turned away 43 shots to take the loss in goal for the Blades. Saskatoon fell to 25-39-4 to officially be eliminated from playoff contention for the third year in a row.

    The Wheaties appear to be ready for a long playoff run. With the good habits they have developed off and on the ice, all they need are some breaks to go their way in the luck department and that elusive third WHL title in team history might finally fall into their grasp.

Gold Wings pull even with Stars

Chantal Burke (#39) made 42 saves to earn a shutout win against the Stars.

    The Saskatoon Stars saw their 13 game winning streak in the Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League playoffs come to an end on Friday night in Weyburn at the hands of the Esso Cup hosting Gold Wings.

    Gold Wings forward and University of Saskatchewan Huskies recruit Bailee Bourassa scored 48 seconds into a second overtime period to give her side a 1-0 victory over the Stars, who are the defending SFMAAAHL champions. Chantal Burke made 42 saves to earn the win in goal for Weyburn, while Emma Johnson turned away 41 shots to take the loss in goal for the Stars.

    With Weyburn’s win, the best-of-five SFMAAAHL semifinal series between the two clubs is tied 1-1. Game 3 of the series is set for Sunday at 4:45 p.m. at the Agriplace Arena in Saskatoon.

    The other best-of-five SFMAAAHL semifinal series between the Swift Current Diamond Energy Wildcats and the Prince Albert A & W Bears is also tied 1-1.

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

Hebig hits stride with Blades

Cameron Hebig has exploded offensively for the Blades.

    When Cameron Hebig achieves a milestone, he automatically sets his sites on a higher goal.

    After his hometown Saskatoon Blades selected him in the third round and 56^th overall in the 2012 WHL Bantam Draft, Hebig saw that moment as an opportunity he wanted to take advantage of.

    “I just wanted to make it a goal of mine to make it into the WHL,” said Hebig. “The goals just keep getting hirer and hirer. I am always setting goals.”

    The speedy centre cracked the Blades lineup as a 16-year-old in the 2013-14 campaign. With the Blades having turned over most of their roster after hosting the 2013 Memorial Cup, Hebig received a lot of opportunity to gain experience and picked up 13 goals and 13 assists in 67 games.

    Having learned what the grind of the circuit was about, Hebig set out to improve his game in both the offensive and defensive zones as a 17-year-old sophomore last season. He dressed for all of the Blades 72 regular season games picking 18 goals and 22 assists.

    This season Hebig has become a force offensively piling up 22 goals and 27 assists in 43 games.

    “I just had a good start to the year and have just been positive,” said Hebig, who stands 5-foot-10 and weighs 190 pounds. “I think if you are working hard chances will come, and you just have to bury those.

    “I’ve been grateful for the points I have got and just keep going.”

    In their third season since hosting the Memorial Cup, the Blades are still going through growing pains. After jumping out to a strong 7-4-3 start, the Blades, who still have one of the youngest teams in the WHL, hit the wall in the middle of November. After falling 6-2 to the Brandon Wheat Kings before 4,637 spectators on Saturday night at the SaskTel Centre, Saskatoon’s record dropped to 17-27-4.

    Hebig’s jump has not waivered during the down stretches. On Saturday night, he netted both of the Blades goals on a couple of nice shots and was a plus-two in the plus-minus department. On his second tally, he stole the puck from a Wheat Kings defender, used another rearguard as a screen and tucked a shot home past netminder Logan Thompson.

Cameron Hebig celebrates with his teammates after scoring a goal.

    “He (Hebig) is our best player, and he brings it every night,” said Blades head coach and general manager Bob Woods. “He is not a real vocal guy, but he leads by example because of his work ethic.

    “He is a big part of our offence, so we really depend on him to take care of that.”

    Woods believes a missed goal helped kick Hebig into another gear this season.

    “I think not getting drafted (into the NHL) was kind of not a wakeup call, but he just didn’t like it,” said Woods. “He worked extremely hard this summer on his game.

    “We talked a little bit about just being the complete player. I thought last year maybe he didn’t do the things that he has to do. He is a skilled player, but he is not skilled enough to live on that.

    “He has to be that guy that can kills penalties and block shots and play good defensively. I think he has really come through with that, and I think that is a big reason why he is having more success.”

    Hebig prides himself in playing a strong two-way game. On the intangible side, he finds he just doesn’t get down on himself or his team when things get rough.

    While the Blades trail the Edmonton Oil Kings (19-22-6-1) by seven points for the final playoff berth in the WHL’s Eastern Conference, Hebig believes it is still possible for his club to make an appearance in the post-season.

Cameron Hebig looks to make a play in the offensive zone for the Blades.

    “We’ve got a good group here, and we believe in ourselves,” said Hebig. “When things get tough, we can’t pack it in. We always have to bring it every game and always try to get better.

    “Obviously, we want to make the playoff push. It is a goal of ours. It is just about sticking together as a team and playing together. Anything is possible.”

    When it comes to making the NHL, Hebig’s lack of size might be the biggest obstacle he has to overcome. He is quick to point out you don’t have to be 6-foot-2 and weigh over 200 pounds to make an impact in the NHL.

    The shifty skater lists off Tyler Johnson of the Tampa Bay Lightning, Brendan Gallagher of the Montreal Canadiens and Brad Marchand of the Boston Bruins as smaller players that have made an impact in hockey’s top professional league. Gallagher and Marchand both stand 5-foot-9, while Johnson is 5-foot-8.

    “When you are small, you just have to use your speed and show that you can play there and show that you are worthy of a draft pick,” said Hebig, who is rated 140th among North American skaters in NHL Central Scouting's midterm rankings. “I don’t like the size comparison. I think it is what is in the heart.”

Cameron Hebig gets set to take a draw for the Blades.

    In Saturday’s tilt with Brandon, the Wheat Kings, who top the WHL’s East Division with a 29-13-2-2 mark, led 2-1 after the first period and 5-2 after the second frame after Hebig gave the Blades a short-lived 1-0 edge.

    Reid Duke had a hat trick for the Wheat Kings, who received a two-goal performance from Jayce Hawryluk and a single from John Quenneville. Thompson made 18 stops to earn the win in goal.

Brock Hamm turned away 25 shots to take the loss in net for the Blades.

    The Blades return to action Friday, when they travel to Regina to take on the Pats. The Wheat Kings are in Regina to face the Pats on Sunday.

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