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| Fans in Civic Square in Saskatoon celebrate the Raptors NBA title win. |
On Thursday, the party came to an end in a joyous fashion across
Canada. People all over the country were gathered in various Jurassic Park
parties watching the Raptors capture the NBA title on big screens.
In Game 6 of the NBA Finals at the Oracle Arena in Oakland,
Calif., the Raptors edged past the two time defending champion and host Golden
State Warriors 114-110 to take the best-of-seven series 4-2. The contest was
the last NBA game to be played in the Warriors long time home facility.
With the win, the Raptors ensured the Larry O’Brien NBA
Championship Trophy would be going to a team based outside of the United States
for the first time in history.
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| The party erupts in Civic Square when the Raptors win the NBA title. |
In Saskatoon, a cozy gathering of about 300 people gathered
at Civic Square in front of city hall. The viewing parties in Saskatoon were
held over the last five games of the NBA Finals thanks to the efforts of the
Saskatchewan Rattlers of the Canadian Elite Basketball League and the City of
Saskatoon.
The quaint gatherings in “The Bridge City” were a great
thing. They brought together people from all sorts of different cultural
backgrounds, and they were united in support of Canada’s only NBA team.
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| The fans at Civic Square cheer on the Raptors on Thursday. |
The watch parties had a similar vibe to when the WHL’s
Saskatoon Blades host their annual “Welcome the World” game, where a large
number of newcomers to Canada become Canadian citizens during a pre-game
ceremony.
During the three hours that the Raptors watch party took
place, everyone got along and was happy.
With all the adversities that can happen in life, it was great to see a gathering where everyone can stay in a great frame of mind for a small but still lengthy stretch of time.
With all the adversities that can happen in life, it was great to see a gathering where everyone can stay in a great frame of mind for a small but still lengthy stretch of time.
Thursday’s game featured 18 lead changes and nine points
when things were all tied up. Even when the Raptors were behind, there was
never an overriding fear that the outcome wouldn’t go the Raptors way.
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| Fans at Civic Square watch the early second half of the Raptors game. |
When the Raptors made big plays or jumped out ahead, the
cheers exploded from the crowd.
Everyone was glued to the screen for the game’s climax, when
the Raptors were holding a 111-110 lead inside of the final 10 seconds. The
Warriors had possession after a Raptors turnover.
Warriors superstar guard Seth Curry had a good look at a
three-point shot, and as his shot went up, you could see people in the crowd in
Saskatoon were starting to think about returning for a series-deciding Game 7
watch party on Sunday.
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| Fans collect video of the NBA title trophy presentations for the Raptors. |
At that point, the celebration in Saskatoon started to begin
in earnest as it was almost impossible for Golden State to win.
Raptors star guard Kawhi Leonard hit the free throw on the
technical. He was quickly fouled on the inbounds pass and hit two more free
throws to seal the final outcome.
As the last bit of time elapsed, the crowd at the Saskatoon
watch party broke into elation with people turning to hug others they just met
that night.
Leonard finished with 22 points and was named the MVP of the
NBA Finals. He received big cheers when he was shown accepting his MVP honours.
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| A fan at Civic Square watches the Raptors during the trophy presentations. |
The crowd in Civic Square happily dispersed as the post-game trophy ceremony went on with a few hardcores stay until the broadcast ended at 10 p.m.
After all the watch party viewers left, the Saskatoon Police
officers who were on site proceeded to depart with big smiles on their faces. A
few officers said they were happy there were no troubles and added to was great
to see everyone had fun during a nice evening in “The Bridge City.”
It was apparent they enjoyed themselves that night too.
It was cool to see an NBA team in Toronto could provide good
times in Saskatoon.
Ice ink top pick Savoie
BREAKING: Winnipeg ICE sign 2019 first overall draft pick Matthew Savoie to a WHL Standard Player Agreement.— Winnipeg ICE (@WHLWpgICE) June 13, 2019
DETAILS ➡️ https://t.co/KUpB0A7wVH pic.twitter.com/BSqRS8xngJ
The Twitter
accounts of numerous persons from the WHL lit up with a big signing from the
Winnipeg Ice.
On Thursday, the Ice announced they had signed centre
Matthew Savoie to a WHL Standard Player Agreement. Savoie, who is a 15-year-old
from St. Albert, Alta., was selected first overall by the Ice in WHL Bantam
Draft held in early May.
Last season, Savoie played with the Northern Alberta Xtreme
Midget Prep team of the Canadian Sport School Hockey League. He had 31 goals
and 40 assists in 31 regular season games and posted three goals and nine
assists in five playoff games as the Xtreme won the CSSHL Midget Prep
Championship.
Savoie captured MVP honours for the league.
Savoie had verbally committed to join the University of
Denver Pioneers men’s hockey team in the NCAA ranks in March, before changing
his mind to join the Ice. The Ice brought Savoie and his family to Winnipeg to
tour their training facilities at the Rink Hockey Academy shortly after the WHL
Bantam Draft.
Earlier this year, Savoie and his family applied to Hockey
Canada looking to gain exceptional status for Matthew, which would have allowed
him to play on a full-time basis in the WHL as a 15-year-old.
The application was denied.
Savoie is eligible to play five regular season games with
the Ice before his club team has its season come to an end. Once the season
ends for his club team, he can join the Ice on a full-time basis. He could also play games with the Ice on an emergency basis.
In early April, the Ice acquired the WHL rights of
17-year-old left-winger Carter Savoie, who is Matthew’s older brother, in a
trade with the Regina Pats.
Last season, Carter posted 31 goals and 42 assists playing
58 regular season games in the junior A ranks with the Sherwood Park Crusaders
of the Alberta Junior Hockey League. He was named the AJHL’s rookie of the
year.
Carter has committed to the U of Denver Pioneers and said in
a tweet on Thursday he intends to honour that commitment and return to the
Crusaders next season.
Still, the fact Matthew Savoie has committed to the Ice is
huge for that franchise going into its first season in Winnipeg after moving
from Cranbrook, B.C.
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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