Canadian football followers now wimps towards weather

The weather doesn’t scare these Roughriders fans.

    It seems like the venerable Saskatoon Hilltops are the only ones left in Canadian football who are “prairie tough.”

    The 19 time champions of the Canadian Junior Football League seem to relish and enjoy situations when the weather gets a little adverse. Last week when it snowed at Ron Atchison Field and was -2 C, the Hilltops players had their fun moments acting like children with the elements amongst the seriousness of practice.

    The fun included star running back Logan Fischer stamping out “Hillies” in the snow.

    The linemen hit the field wearing short sleeve shirts and shorts.

    As time marches on, it seems like the Hilltops are the exception to the norm.

Fans come prepared for the cold for Saturday’s Roughriders game.

    On the CFL front this week, you could hear the sounds of a large vocal group complaining they didn’t want to go to the games, when the weather gets a little adverse.

    During Saturday’s game at Mosaic Stadium in Regina between the visiting Edmonton Eskimos and the host Saskatchewan Roughriders, the temperature was around -5 C and there was a light dusting of snow. For November, this is a heat wave moment to see any football game in Canada.

    The crews at Mosaic Stadium deserve huge applause for clearing the field from a decent overnight snowfall.

    Still, I encountered a large number of fans, friends in the media and some football players that were complaining like an old school Winnipeg, Man., type blizzard hit Regina leaving behind four-feet of snow with temperatures dropping to -30 C. All of a sudden, it was like let’s ensure all our football games get played inside of domed stadiums.

Quarterback Mike Reilly (#13) had a big game for the Eskimos.

    The Roughriders listed the paid attendance for Saturday’s game at 31,627, but it seemed like there were 10,000 no shows. The visiting Eskimos won 28-13, and the game was fairly good for the last regular season outing by both sides.

    The visitors held a 14-13 edge heading into the fourth quarter. Edmonton scored two touchdowns in the first six minutes of the fourth quarter to go up 28-13, and Saskatchewan started to gear down to ensure any unnecessary injuries were prevented before going into playoffs.

    Eskimos quarterback Mike Reilly exemplified old school tough completing 21-of-27 passes for 294 yards, and he scored three short-yardage majors along the ground.

    Both sides had a lot of players make good plays in the minor obstacle that was the weather on that day.

    While the estimated crowd of 21,000 that came out were engaged in the game and gave the stadium a great atmosphere, you still noticed the empty seats.

Eskimos RB CJ Gable tears downfield on a pass reception.

    Then you started wondering when did a larger chuck of society become wimps as far as the weather was concerned?

    Do we only go to outdoor football games when it is sunny, clear and around 23 C, so we can wear t-shirts, shorts, nice sun dresses and sip on fancy cool drinks?

    Do we all have a “silver spoon” complex now?

    As legendary Pittsburgh Steelers and Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Terry Bradshaw might say, “Come on folks. This is football!”

    Football is an outdoor game. It is made to be played in all sorts of weather conditions. Plus, the leagues in Canada are playing in Canada, so bad weather will be a reality.

    The weather can be perfect. The weather can also plague games with rain, wind and snow. When games are played on natural grass surfaces, the best part is getting to play in the muck and mud.

    The elements are part of the game and how the athletes deal with them adds to the story of the game.

Eskimos DL John Chick (#97) battles Roughriders OL Bruce Campbell.

    It seems like everyone is so plugged into the laptop computers and mobile phones that no one wants to go outside anymore.

    In all reality, the weather conditions in Regina on Saturday weren’t that bad.

    Now we go to Calgary on Friday, where the Stampeders hosted the Winnipeg Blue Bombers at McMahon Stadium for the final regular season clash for both sides. The contest was played at night and the temperature was around -13 C with some snow.

    The Bombers won 23-5 and the Stampeders announced the paid attendance as 24,281. When you watched the game on television, it seemed like about 10 spectators were in each section of McMahon Stadium and the two teams were playing inside basically an empty facility.

    Back in November of 2008, the Stampeders won a cold weather West Division final 22-18 over the British Columbia Lions before a soldout crowd, where almost all the ticket buyers showed up.

Bad Weather doesn’t phase players like Hilltops LB Cameron Schnitzler.

    In the West Final in November of 2010, the Roughriders came into McMahon Stadium and knocked off the host Stampeders 20-16 before a packed house in a cold weather game.

    Hamilton played host to a classic snowy Grey Cup in 1996, when the Toronto Argonauts knocked off the Edmonton Eskimos 43-37.

    There still has to be room in our game for the Cal Murphy led Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the 1980s or the Ron Lancaster, George Reed and Ron Atchison era Saskatchewan Roughriders from the 1960s that excelled in the bad weather conditions.
    Don’t you miss the shirtless guy that showed up at Bombers home playoff games at old Winnipeg Stadium when it was -20 C before windchill?

    To be honest, most football games in Canada are played in pretty close to ideal conditions, which makes the adverse weather games stand out and stick in the collective memory of all that saw them.

    Still, the fact people stayed home when conditions were slightly adverse looked weak. Here is hoping all of us in Canada can be just a little stronger when it comes to going to football games when conditions are slightly less than ideal.

Rams season ends in playoff loss to Thunderbirds

Quarterback Noah Picton (#4) and the Rams fell in the playoffs to UBC.

    The University of Regina Rams playoff comeback came up short causing their 2017 U Sports campaign to come to an end.

    On Saturday in Vancouver, B.C., the Rams trailed the host University of British Columbia Thunderbirds 23-2 early in the second quarter and 28-7 early in the third quarter. At that point, the Rams scored a pair of touchdowns to cut the Thunderbirds lead to 28-21 with 9:43 to play in the fourth quarter, but that score ultimately held up as the final outcome in the Canada West semifinal clash between the two sides.

    Rams quarterback Noah Picton had an off game completing 13-of-32 passes for 162 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions. Running back Atlee Simon had a huge day for the Rams carrying the ball 26 times for 222 yards and scoring one touchdown.

    Thunderbirds quarterback Michael O’Connor completed 17-of-30 passes for 259 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions.

Atlee Simon ran for 222 yards in the Rams playoff loss.

    Between the regular season and playoffs, the Rams finish with a 4-5 mark. 

    Last year, the Rams season came to an end, when they fell 40-34 in Canada West semifinal to the Thunderbirds in the final U Sports game ever played at Regina’s Taylor Field.

    The Thunderbirds improve to 7-2 including games in the regular season and playoffs. 

    They will travel to Calgary this coming Saturday and meet the U of Calgary Dinos, who have an 8-1 mark between the regular season and playoffs, in the Canada West championship game - the Hardy Cup – for the third straight year.

    The Dinos and Thunderbirds, who are guided by one of the all-time great head coaches in the history of U Sports in Blake Nill, are the recognized powerhouses of the Canada West Conference and were pegged to meet again in the Canada West final.

    Nill will be coaching in this contest for the 10^th straight year. He was the Dinos head coach for the first seven Canada West final appearances of that stretch.

Blades win thriller in Edmonton, other notes

Cameron Hebig netting the winning goal for the Blades on Saturday.

  The Saskatoon Blades won a thriller on Saturday night in Edmonton.

    Locked in a 2-2 draw with the host Oil Kings, Blades overage star centre Cameron Hebig blasted home the winning goal with 9.8 second to play to give the visitors a 3-2 victory before 11,172 spectators at Rogers Place. The Blades have won four of their last five games improving to 7-8-1. The Oil Kings fell to 5-10-2.

    Libor Hajek and Josh Paterson both had singles for the Blades. Trey Fix-Wolansky and Tomas Soustal replied with singles for the Oil Kings.

    Ryan Kubic turned away 29 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Blades. Boston Bilous stopped 25 shots taking the setback in goal for the Oil Kings.

    The Blades return to action on Friday, when they host the Swift Current Broncos at 7 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre.

• While driving back to Saskatoon after Saturday’s Roughriders game in Regina, I miss the live late night radio hosts that pass on news updates, who have been purged over the years due to media cuts. Programs that air on late night radio are usually pre-recorded. I was wondering what the score was in the Canada West semifinal playoff game involving the Rams and what the scores were in the WHL and the SJHL. In the old days, someone would list them on late night radio and casual followers had an idea of who won or lost. There were no mention of any of those scores on Saturday night. I was thinking about checking my mobile phone during a rest stop in Davidson. I wondered how many casual fans actually checked their mobile phones for those types of scores.
• Former Roughriders defensive lineman John Chick appears to be ageless. Playing for the Eskimos in their win over the Roughriders on Saturday, Chick had a sack and four tackles and caused all sorts of problems for the Roughriders offensive line. At age 34, Chick had five sacks and 30 tackles in 16 regular season games split between the Eskimos and Hamilton Tiger-Cats this season.
• Team Saskatchewan fell 2-1 in overtime to Team British Columbia in the bronze medal game of the National Women’s Under-18 Championship on Sunday in Quebec City, Quebec. Saskatchewan had a 2-1 record in round robin play and fell 6-2 to Ontario Blue in a semifinal on Saturday. Ontario Red downed Ontario Blue 3-1 in Sunday’s gold medal game.

    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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Durant trade ends era for Roughriders

The Roughriders traded Darian Durant to Montreal.

    Darian Durant couldn’t play for the Saskatchewan Roughriders forever, but his departure is something most fans in Rider Nation are still digesting.

    Early Friday morning, news spread quickly that the Roughriders traded Durant’s CFL rights to the Montreal Alouettes in exchange for a fourth round selection (32^nd overall) in this year’s CFL Draft and a conditional selection in next year’s draft. Montreal has until Feb. 14 to sign Durant, or the veteran franchise quarterback can become a free agent.

    Durant, who stands 5-foot-11 and weighs 214 pounds, had been with the Roughriders for 11 seasons and became the club’s unquestioned starter in 2009. He was part of the Roughriders 2007 Grey Cup championship team as a backup to Kerry Joseph and powered the Roughriders to a Grey Cup championship at home as a starter in 2013. The Florence, South Carolina, product also started for the Roughriders in heartbreaking Grey Cup losses in 2009 and 2010.

    Injuries also kept Durant off the field for significant time in 2014 and 2015.

    Way back on July 12, 2008, Durant made his first start with the Roughriders and threw them to a thrilling 33-28 road victory over the Tiger-Cats in Hamilton. From 2009 to 2014, he was part of a core group of players that powered the “green and white” to success year after year including Weston Dressler, John Chick, Chris Getzlaf, Rob Bagg, Mike McCullough and Neal Hughes.

    Out of that group, only Bagg remains. Last season, Durant and Bagg were the two lengthy veteran mainstays.

Darian Durant runs in a winning overtime TD for the Roughriders.

    Other key figures that passed through the Roughriders during Durant’s era included Gene Makowsky, Ben Heenan, Ty Brackenridge, Andy Fantuz, Tristan Jackson, Eddie Davis, Lance Frazier and Ricky Foley. At the moment, the Roughriders don’t have a face for the franchise. Arguably, veteran offensive linemen Brendon LaBatte and Chris Best are the team’s two most recognizable players.

    Outside of the past two seasons, most of Durant’s time with the Roughriders is linked with winning. It seems like only yesterday that Durant hooked up with Getzlaf on a long touchdown toss with less than two minutes to play to beat the Stampeders in Calgary 24-23, but that game was actually played on Aug. 1, 2009.

    Later that season, Durant watched from the sidelines when the Roughriders fell 28-27 to the Alouettes due to the infamous too many men call at the end of the game. That penalty gave a second chance for the Als to kick a winning field goal after the first attempt was missed. Had the miss stood, the Roughriders would have won that contest.

    The 34-year-old leaves the Roughriders sitting second in team history for career pass attempts (3,584), completions (2,226), yards (28,507) and touchdown passes (152).

    Durant’s legacy is more than just numbers. Being the starting quarterback of the Roughriders might be the hardest job in the CFL due to intense fan scrutiny, and Durant exceled at it. He became a fan favourite despite still having a few vocal detractors.

    In social settings, he always put his teammates in front of himself ensuring they were having a good time. During Durant’s years with the team, I had a few buds that played with the Roughriders over the years, and I got to see that part up close. That is a big sign of a good leader.

Darian Durant fires a pass downfield for the Roughriders.

    At the moment, the Roughriders don’t seem to have a successor in place for Durant. Saskatchewan head coach and general manager Chris Jones needs to find the team’s next franchise quarterback.

    Set to begin play at new Mosaic Stadium, the Roughriders need to surpass their 5-13 record from 2016, or the heat Jones feels now will really get out of control. If you are going to make a move to unload a player of Durant’s status and quality, you better have a guy waiting in the wings to do the job.

    When the NFL’s Green Bay Packers parted way with Brett Favre in 2008, Aaron Rodgers was ready to become the Packers starting quarterback. The Roughriders are not in that type of situation.

    With the way Jones has handed roster moves during his first season with the team, he doesn’t inspire confidence like a Wally Buono, John Hufnagel or the late Cal Murphy.

    It appears more rough times still await the Roughriders.

Wickenheiser calls it a career

A story on Hayley Wickenheiser from the 2013 Medicine Hat News.

    It was a low-key retirement announcement that was classic Hayley Wickenheiser.

    On Friday, the Canadian hockey icon announced over Twitter she was leaving the game. The Tweet included a photo of her relaxing on a bench by an outdoor rink.

    The 38-year-old wrote, “Dear Canada. It has been the great honour of my life to play for you. Time to hang em up!! Thank you! #grateful #graduationday #canada.”

    You would expect someone of Wickenheiser’s stature to announce her retirement at a huge news conference at the headquarters of Hockey Canada in Calgary. With that said, that isn’t her style. When news of Durant’s trade broke, you almost think Wickenheiser went into action to make her retirement announcement now in order to try and avoid being the centre of attention.

    The Shaunavon, Sask., product first made Canada’s senior national women’s hockey team at age 15 in 1994, and was part four Olympic gold medal winning squads and one Olympic silver medal winning team.

    I remember catching up with her for a story in the Medicine Hat News in October of 2013, when Canada’s women’s team was preparing for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. It was conceivable that Wickenheiser might play in the 2018 Winter Olympics, but it was highly realistic 2014 could be her last run. Canada’s national team system was being filled with numerous talented young players.

    At that time, Wickenheiser said she hadn’t made any decisions on her future but admitted to having little nostalgic moments.

    I asked her what it was like to be idolized by girls across Canada, and I received a unique response. Wickenheiser said she was glad female athletes in Canada have a lot of role models to look up to in sport.

    “When I grew up, I didn’t have female role models really in sport,” said Wickenheiser at the time. “Now there is myself and all the girls that I play with and players like Christine Sinclair in soccer.

    “You’ve got a lot of different female athletes that are high profile now in Canada, and that is really good for young girls that are coming up in sports.”

    Words aren’t enough to describe the impact Wickenheiser has had on the sporting scene in Canada. Here is hoping the next step of her life is as successful and rewarding as her playing days, and she gets into the Hockey Hall of Fame on the first ballot.

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

Roughriders are a big joke

Saskatchewan’s CFL franchise deserves all the criticism it gets

QB Darian Durant calls a play in the huddle for the Roughriders.

    You have to think some Saskatchewan Roughriders fan somewhere is getting the urge to throw his or her jersey on the field.

    While I don’t condone that type of behaviour, all you have to do is check social media lines and sports talk shows in Saskatchewan to feel the frustration of Rider Nation. After Saturday’s 53-7 stinker of a loss to the Tiger-Cats in Hamilton, it is getting harder and harder to see the light at the end of the tunnel for the Roughriders, who fall to 1-7 on the season and are 6-29 in their last 35 outings in the regular season and playoffs.

    A lot of TV viewers undoubtedly switched over from the game telecast on TSN over to see the impressive and heartfelt final performance of the Tragically Hip live from Kingston, Ont., on CBC. The iconic performance of Hip frontman Gord Downie, who is battling terminal brain cancer, will ensure the Roughriders performance will be forgotten for a short moment. The criticism for the “Green and White” won’t stay at bay for long.

    Outside of a handful of plays against the Tiger-Cats at Tim Hortons Field, the Roughriders weren’t in Saturday’s game at all. The second half really felt like it was mail it in time. You would like to see signs of improvement, but the team just keeps regressing.

    In the worlds of legendary former NFL head coach Bill Parcells, “You are what your record says you are.”

    Right now, the Roughriders are a very brutal CFL football team.

    There have been a number of things that have been hard to stomach, and a handful of them are as follows.

Release of Chick a huge mistake

John Chick signs autographs at Roughriders training camp in 2015.

    In the loss to the Tiger-Cats, Roughriders fans again had to mull over the fact that defensive lineman John Chick was no longer part of the team.

    Chick was cut by the Roughriders back on Jan. 14. During his time with the Roughriders, Chick became a fan favourite thanks to the combination of his stellar play and the fact he was very active representing the team in the community.

    The 33-year-old product from Gillette, Wyoming, was with the Roughriders from 2007 to 2009 and was a key cog in the club’s 2007 Grey Cup championship win. After a stint in the NFL with the Indianapolis Colts and Jacksonville Jaguars, Chick rejoined the Roughriders in 2013 and helped them win the Grey Cup later on that year on home turf at Mosaic Stadium. He remained with the Roughriders until being released in January.

    A day after releasing Chick, the Roughriders signed defensive lineman Shawn Lemon as a free agent. Lemon helped the Calgary Stampeders win the Grey Cup in 2014 and was a key member helping the second year Ottawa Redblacks reach the Grey Cup last year. At age 27, he was also six years younger than Chick, and a lot of people saw Lemon as Chick’s replacement.

    Lemon played one regular season game with the Roughriders and was traded to the Toronto Argonauts.

    If you are going to bring in a younger player to replace an established star, you better be sure the younger player stays with your team longer than the established star does, if the star player signs with another team.

    Chick resurfaced with the Tigers-Cats and has 16 tackles, seven sacks and two forced fumbles in eight games. He recorded two of his sacks on Saturday against the Roughriders.

    To make matters worse, the Roughriders defensive line has struggled all season especially with getting pressure on the quarterback.

Departures of Dressler and Getzlaf also hurt

Chris Getzlaf signs an autograph for a young Roughriders fan in 2008.

    The Roughriders lack of success on the field also has fans missing receivers Weston Dressler and Chris Getzlaf.

    Dressler was released the same day Chick was and Getzlaf was allowed to become a free agent after last season. Dressler, who turned 31 in July, is currently on the six-game injured list with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Getzlaf, 33, signed with the Edmonton Eskimos.

    The Roughriders have gotten good production from their receivers for most of the season, but there is a feeling among the fans the presence of Dressler and Getzlaf would result in more points. In Dressler’s case, he is also an accomplished kick returner, and if he wasn’t going to be used as a receiver, he is better than any returner the Roughriders currently have on their roster.

    Both Dressler and Getzlaf played with a lot of heart and genuinely cared about the team and the fans. Without Dressler and Getzlaf, the fans feel less connected to the team.

Roster fines were earned

Stamps QB Bo Levi Mitchell escapes the Roughriders rush.

    On Aug. 11, the CFL fined the Saskatchewan Roughriders $60,000 for roster violations and deducted $26,000 from their 2016 salary cap.

    The CFL said the Roughriders were in violation of policies that prohibit practice with ineligible players, having players participate in practice who are on the six-game injured list and having free agents practise with players who are under contract. The league’s investigation spanned over several weeks.

    Since those fines were announced, it seems like everyone has chimed in with their thoughts.

The bottom line was the Roughriders were caught violating the rules, and they paid for it. The whole situation also brought out Jones’ weakness on the personnel front.

    After Jones came on board, it seems players have be coming and going out of the Roughriders dressing room through a revolving door. At some point in time, you need to stick with a group of players and run with them. If you are shuffling guys on and off your roster, you can’t build any chemistry on and off the field that is needed to win.
    Roughriders fans got their backs up for a short time regarding a Twitter comment Calgary Stampeders quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell made about Saskatchewan’s roster situation a couple of days before the fines were announced. Mitchell’s words didn’t have a lasting impact as the losses mounted.
    When the Stampeders beat the Roughriders at Mosaic Stadium 19-10 on Aug. 13, the hecklers weren't even that harsh to Mitchell.

Defence is brutal

Members of the Roughriders suspect defence get ready for a play.

  In too many games this season, it feels like the Roughriders defence is non-existent.

    Over eight games, the Roughriders have held their opponents to under 30 points twice and under 20 points just once. If you are looking for you offence to score over 40 points a game to win in the CFL, you are in a lot of trouble.

    Against the Tiger-Cats on Saturday, the Roughriders allowed 421 yards through the air and 88 yards along the ground. You might think the rushing defence would be a strong point, but the CFL has been more of a passing league than normal this season.

    The Roughriders have been giving up huge amounts of yards through the air all season comparable to the yards given up to the Tiger-Cats. Besides the fact their defensive line has struggled, there are times when the receivers from the opposing team have been wide open to the point you can’t see a Roughriders defensive back anywhere.

    Jones built a reputation as being an outstanding defensive coordinator in the CFL with the Calgary Stampeders and Toronto Argonauts before becoming a head coach first with the Eskimos and now with the Roughriders. When you become a head coach, it is never a good sign when the side of the ball that is your specialty is not getting the job done.

Can the Roughriders break their funk?

Roughriders QB Darian Durant stays cool under pressure.

    You never say never.

    While star quarterback Darian Durant had a rough outing against the Tiger-Cats throwing his first four interceptions of the season, he gives the Roughriders a chance to win every time he steps on the field. His composure was evident on Saturday even when things went downhill.

    Unfortunately, losing has become a habit for this team, and as anyone can see over the Roughriders last 35 games in the regular season and playoffs, losing is a hard habit to break.

    The Roughriders travel to Edmonton on Friday to take on the defending Grey Cup champion Eskimos (4-4), who appear to be getting on track after two-straight wins.

    For the moment, it seems like things are going to get worse before they get better.

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

Oh what a Rush

The Rush's Crush Dance Team has been very visible in Saskatoon.

    If you live in Saskatoon, it almost seems impossible to escape the hype surrounding the Saskatchewan Rush.

    On Friday, the province’s National Lacrosse League team opens its much anticipated home schedule hosting the Vancouver Stealth at 7:30 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre. That SaskTel Centre will be the place to be on Friday night. The anticipation level was upped a few notches when the Rush posted a thrilling 10-8 comeback victory over the Roughnecks in Calgary on Jan. 2.

    The Rush enter the current NLL campaign as defending league champions having won the Champion’s Cup last season in Edmonton. After spending 10 seasons in the Alberta capital, the Rush were forced to relocate after they were unable to secure a home venue.

    As the NLL is a well-established league, people in Saskatoon have been jumping on the bandwagon to support a club that has the makings to be a league power for some time. After the club opened its business office on 2^nd Avenue South across from Midtown Plaza, more and more residents have been spotted around “The Bridge City” sporting Rush gear. The excitement over the team is also trickling throughout the province.

    After seeing their season opener broadcast on TSN, it looks like the Rush will be a whole lot of fun to watch. It really seems like the hype is warranted.

    Actually, the Rush has a huge opportunity to really build a fan base rapidly in Saskatchewan. Out of the club’s 18 regular season games, it is possible to view 13 of them, if you attend all nine home games and the four road contests that are shown on TSN. If the Rush repeat their accomplishments of a season ago, their players will become household names.

    If all goes well, TSN might be showing post-season games from the SaskTel Centre.

    For now, feel free to enjoy the fact that the hype is likely very real. Allow yourself to enjoy the Rush.

Huskies Saskatoon’s most exciting hockey team

The Huskies celebrate a goal at the Rutherford Rink.

    While the Rush have a lot of hype, a well-established local team that dates back to 1910 is having a pretty good season to say the least.

    The University of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s hockey team has been Saskatoon’s most exciting hockey club this season, and the Dogs have reclaimed a spot as one of the premier teams in Canadian Interuniversity Sport. After posting an uncharacteristic 10-15-3 last season, the Huskies top the Canada West standings with a 15-3 mark so far this season.

    With an infusion of a number of talented young forwards, the Huskies have returned to playing a real up tempo style this season that has been fun to watch. Everyone has been chipping in too, as 10 players have 10 or more points so far in the current campaign.

    The dynamic rookie line of Kohl Bauml, Levi Cable and Andrew Johnson are first, second and third respectively in team scoring. Bauml has five goals and 13 assists, Cable 11 goals and five helpers and Johnson has popped home eight goals and seven assists.

    Defence was a strong spot for the Huskies last season, and that hasn’t changed with a veteran group including Zak Stebner, Kendall McFaull, Connor Cox, Jordan Fransoo and Jesse Forsberg leading the way.

    Sophomore goalie Jordon Cooke, who is a graduate of the Western Hockey League’s Kelowna Rockets, has been spectacular recording a 13-3 record, a 2.43 goals against average, a .926 save percentage and one shutout. He has shown the ability to steal games, which helped him be named the Canadian Hockey League’s goalie of the year back in 2014.

    Cooke has been overlooked for a serious professional shot due to the fact he stands only 5-foot-10, but there is no denying he has professional level talent.

    The Huskies host the University of Calgary Dinos (7-8-3) on both Friday and Saturday night at 7 p.m. at the ancient Rutherford Rink. If you haven’t seen the Huskies men’s team play in a while, now would definitely be a good time to check out a game and get reacquainted with the team.

Releases of Dressler and Chick tough to swallow

    Saskatchewan residents received a reminder of how cruel the business of professional sports can be.

    On Thursday, the CFL’s Saskatchewan Roughriders released beloved veterans John Chick and Weston Dressler, which caused immediate shock and dismay among “Rider Nation.” The move was made to give the club’s new management group - led by new head coach and general manager Chris Jones - more room to work with under the salary cap.

    The moves caused the Roughriders to be the province’s biggest sporting news story on a cold day on Jan. 14. Actually, it is quite common for the Roughriders to be the biggest sports newsmakers on any given winter day.

    Chick and Dressler are two of the team’s biggest stars, who have been long established as premier players in the CFL. What makes their respective releases that much more tough to swallow is the fact they have been entrenched in the province’s community since joining the “Green and White.”

    Both are the perfect examples of players you want representing your team in the community. They are personable and friendly guys who are very approachable. While they are not from Saskatchewan originally, they are basically viewed as neighbours.

    Their release is almost the equivalent of watching a close family member go work in a country far away.

    Roughriders fans have experienced this same gut punches in the past, when the team released other popular stars that had reputations just like Chick’s and Dressler’s like Don Narcisse, Bobby Jurasin and Dan Farthing. All of those departures were emotionally hard to take. Unfortunately, that is the dark side of professional sports.

    With that in mind, Chick was a key part of the Grey Cup championship teams in 2007 and 2013, and Dressler also earned a Grey Cup ring in 2013. Both will be future member of the Canadian Football Hall of Fame, and they will always be Roughriders legends.

Golf allows Nelson to travel the world

Wyatt Nelson-Zook, left, hangs with his father Gerry Nelson.

    One of my big recent thrills was getting the opportunity to write a long feature story Canadian blind golf champion Gerry Nelson for the Saskatoon Express.

    The 52-year-old Saskatoon resident lost his sight due to complications from diabetes at the age of 25. From that huge setback, Nelson built as storied career as a blind golfer.

    When you get the chance to sit down and visit with Nelson, he can captivate you with the vast amount of stories he can tell like the late great iconic CFL head coach and general manager Cal Murphy could.

    Nelson can often be found at the SaskTel Centre as a regular in the crowd at Saskatoon Blades WHL games along with his 12-year-old son Wyatt Nelson-Zook. Wyatt gives his father the play-by-play of the contest.

    Gerry Nelson’s amazing story 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.

The 2014-15 Saskatoon Stars will shine forever

The Saskatoon Stars celebrate winning the SFMAAAHL title.

    When you post a 45-5 record, there isn't too much you can be disappointed about.
    That mark was put up by the Saskatoon Stars during action in the Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League regular season and playoffs, the prestigious Mac's tournament and the Esso Cup national championship tournament. On Saturday in Red Deer, the Stars skated away with a 5-1 victory over the Portage la Prairie based Central Plains Capitals to capture a bronze medal at the Esso Cup.
    With the way victories piled up for the Stars this season, it seemed they would win the Esso Cup to complete the triple crown of female midget AAA hockey in Canada by winning the Mac's tournament title, the provincial title and the Esso Cup all in the same season.
    On New Year's Day, the Stars downed the Calgary Fire 4-2 at the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary in a nationally televised game to bring home the team's second ever Mac's title. Saskatoon was a perfect 9-0 in the SFMAAAHL playoffs. A 2-0 victory over the Prince Albert A & W Bears at the Agriplace Arena gave the Stars their first SFMAAAHL title in team history.
    They advanced through the preliminary round of the Esso Cup with a 4-1 record. In a semifinal match on Friday, they suffered an untimely fifth loss with a 2-1 setback after a tiebreaking shootout to the host Red Deer Chiefs.
    Saskatoon rebounded nicely with the 5-1 win in the bronze medal game. Mackenna Parker, Sophie Shirley, Julia Rongve, Kianna Dietz and Nara Elia all scored singles for the Stars, while Karlee Fetch made 27 saves in goal to pick up the final victory of her midget AAA career before graduating to the post-secondary ranks.

Courtney Cormack (#17) hugs Brittany Heuchert after a goal.

    Sheridan Oswald had the lone reply for the Capitals, while Lauren Taraschuk stopped nine shots in goal.
    While there had to be some disappointment the Stars didn't get to the Esso Cup title game and win it, they were still making their first appearance in team history at nationals, and the bronze finish was their first medal win at the event. Their season was spectacular.
    They were good even in their semifinal loss on Friday. Shirley gave the Stars a 1-0 lead scoring on the power-play at the 8:18 mark of the first. It looked like Saskatoon would get rolling at that point.
    Cassidy Hollman potted the equalizer for Red Deer on the power play in the second to make the score 1-1. Chiefs netminder Sarah Murray turned away 30 shots through regulation and a 10-minute four versus four overtime period.
    Emma Johnson, a 15-year-old sophomore, was equally as good in goal for the Stars turning away 25 shots through 70 minutes of play.
    The Chiefs had two goals disallowed. One was called back due to the Saskatoon net being knocked ajar and the second was disallowed after being knocked in with a high stick.
    The Stars failed to score on at least four different breakaway opportunities. One of those chances came in overtime, when 18-year-old forward Brittany Heuchert failed to find the back of the net. As one of most loved and respected players amongst her teammates, Heuchert would have written a story book finish to that game had she scored.
    Instead, Red Deer's Mairead Bast scored the only goal in a tiebreaking shootout in the session's fourth round to give the Chiefs victory.

Karlee Fetch made 27 saves in her final win in goal for the Stars.

    Overall, the Stars season was beyond something that would be written about in a fairy tale or a movie script even with the semifinal setback. They entered the season with only five players in their 17-year-old and final midget campaign. Saskatoon's roster was loaded with players in their 15-year-old seasons and five players in their 14-year-old campaigns, which meant they were still eligible for bantam hockey.
    At the start of the campaign, it would be hard to think the big goals they accomplished would be possible. Going out and winning 90 per cent of your meaningful games is something no coach or anyone involved with a team can imagine at the start of a season.
    Various football teams have done that, but over the course of a season that ranges anywhere from 10 to 16 games at the amateur level. It is unthinkable over a campaign that contains 50 contests.
    Over the season, Shirley, who was the SFMAAAHL and Esso Cup most valuable player, and Elia, who was the SFMAAAHL scoring leader and Esso Cup most sportsmanlike player, emerged as superstar talents.
    The campaign was a dream that became a reality. Had the Stars won the Esso Cup, the campaign would have been better than a dream.
    It is safe to say the season the Stars had will never be forgotten by the players, coaches, team staff, parents or the team's fans.

Narcisse All-Star Event a big success

A Don Narcisse football card from 1991.

    Saturday was alright for Don Narcisse and friends.
    The Canadian Football Hall of Fame member, who starred as a receiver for the Saskatchewan Roughriders from 1987 to 1999, was in Saskatoon on Saturday hosting a one-day football kids' camp. The day concluded with a gala dinner at the Travelodge hotel. The entire function for the day, which was titled the Don Narcisse All-Star Event, raised funds for Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Saskatoon and Area.
    The camp held at the Sasktel Sports Centre was a big hit, where about 150 kids aged seven to 18 ran through a series of fun drills to develop skills. The camp helped reinforce a love of the game for the kids, and it allowed them to meet a number of current and former Roughriders players.
    The guest coaches included Belton Johnson, John Chick, Anthony Allen, Levi Steinhauer, Xavier Fulton, Marco Harris, Paul Woldu and Weldon Brown. Chick was the keynote speaker at the gala dinner.
    This marked the fifth year in a row Narcisse hosted one of his All-Star Events in Saskatoon, and it was once again a big hit bringing in all sorts of positive reaction.

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