Showing posts with label NWHL. Show all posts
Showing posts with label NWHL. Show all posts

Wednesday, 17 March 2021

Warriors’ Yager takes Round 1 versus Pats’ Bedard

Contacts’ grad nets three points in OT win

Brayden Yager in action for the Contacts in 2019-20.
The initial Connor Bedard versus Brayden Yager battle delivered beyond anyone’s expectations.

On Tuesday, Bedard’s Regina Pats took on Yager’s Moose Jaw Warriors in a WHL regular season clash in a bubble environment played without fans at the Brandt Centre in Regina. The encounter was the first head-to-head match between the two young phenom centres.

In the 2020 WHL Bantam Draft, Bedard was selected first overall by the Pats and Yager went third overall to the Warriors.

Bedard became the first player to be granted exceptional player status to play in the WHL as a 15-year-old on a full-time basis.

After playing with the Saskatoon Contacts male under-18 AAA as a 14-year-old underager in 2019-20, Yager went through the process to try and gain exceptional player status to play in the WHL along with Contacts linemate Riley Heidt. Heidt went second overall in the 2020 WHL Bantam Draft to the Prince George Cougars.

Yager and Heidt weren’t given exceptional player status.

Due to the fact the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic gutted the minor hockey season in 2020-21, Yager and Heidt were allowed to join their WHL teams on a full-time basis after the Saskatchewan Male Under-18 AAA Hockey League decided against resuming its 2020-21 campaign after it was paused in late November of 2020.

Thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, WHL clubs are playing a shortened 24-game regular season inside of the circuit’s four divisions. The developmental campaign had a late start with the Central Division getting going on Feb. 26, and the East Division’s bubble taking the ice on March 12.

All of those factors allowed the initial Bedard versus Yager clash to happen on Tuesday.

In that contest, the Pats jumped out to a 3-0 lead and held a 4-1 advantage after the first period. The Warriors battled back to ultimately take the game in overtime 5-4.

Bedard, who stands 5-foot-9 and weighs 165 pounds, had two assists for the Pats. The 15-year-old North Vancouver, B.C., product has three goals, three assists and a plus-one rating over the Pats first three games.

On Wednesday, Bedard had the winning goal, an assist and a plus-three rating in the Pats fourth game of the campaign as they slipped past the Swift Current Broncos 3-2.

Heading into Tuesday’s action, Yager, who turned 16-years-old in early January, had been held off the scoresheet in his first two games with the Warriors. On the Sunday, the Warriors slipped past the Prince Albert Raiders 2-1 after a tiebreaking shootout, and Yager did net the winner in the tiebreaking session.

Against the Pats on Tuesday, Yager, who stands 6-feet and weighs 160 pounds, had a breakout game offensively. The Saskatoon area product netted his first career WHL goal and posted a pair of assists and a plus-three rating.

Yager picked up a helper on Moose Jaw’s overtime winner. The Warriors improved to 3-0 with the win.

After Wednesday’s action, the Pats record sits at 1-2-1.

In normal times, Tuesday’s clash between the Pats and Warriors would have been a marquee match on the CHL circuit due to the presence of Bedard and Yager.

Traditionally, the Pats and Warriors have had arguably the most heated and best rivalry on the CHL circuit. The storyline of Bedard versus Yager adds a unique element to the rivalry.

While it takes more than one player for a hockey team to have success, more people will pay attention to the games between the Pats and Warriors due to the Bedard versus Yager angle.

As for another crazy aspect, the coaching staffs of both teams are playing the two young skaters in all situations. Normally, young rookies like them are eased into the lineup.

Early on in Tuesday’s contest, it looked like Bedard would capture the headlines. As the Pats took a 3-0 lead, Bedard set up Regina’s second and third goals both scored by overage left-winger Carson Denomie.

Defenceman Tom Cadieux had Regina’s first tally.

At the 10:41 mark of the opening frame, Yager scored his first career WHL regular season goal tipping home a point shot from 16-year-old rookie defenceman Denton Mateychuk to cut the Pats lead to 3-1.

On that tally, Yager showed he isn’t afraid to go to the hard areas of the ice and stood his ground in front of the opposition net to tip home a goal.

A short time later, Cole Dubinsky scored to extend the Pats advantage to 4-1 heading into the first intermission.

In the second period, the Warriors trimmed the Pats lead to 4-3 with singles coming from the sticks of Tate Popple and Eric Alarie.

Just 63 seconds into the third, Yager picked up his first assist of the night, when veteran Warriors centre Ryder Korczak popped home a loss puck in the crease of the Regina goal to even the score at 4-4.

In overtime, Yager gave defenceman Daemon Hunt a drop pass at the Regina blue-line. The 2020 NHL Entry Draft selection of the Minnesota Wild proceeded to do his best Paul Coffey imitation weaving around a Pats defender and roofing home the winner to the top left corner of the Regina goal.

Veteran netminder Boston Bilous started the contest for Moose Jaw turning away 12-of-16 shots sent his way. He was pulled after the Pats fourth goal.

Brett Mirwald, who is a 17-year-old rookie, played the rest of the game in relief turning away all 27 shots he faced to pick up his first career WHL victory. Mirwald is a graduate of the Saskatoon Blazers under-18 AAA team.

Following the game, Yager told Claire Hanna of CTV Regina that Bedard congratulated him after he scored his first career WHL goal. The congrats came during a stoppage in the opening frame.

“It was a class act by him (Bedard),” said Yager. “He congratulated me on my first goal.

“It shows what kind of a person he is. He’s a great kid. We’re buddies.

“I mean, he didn’t have to do that. It was just a nice act.”

Yager added he previously passed on congratulations to Bedard, when Bedard netted his first career WHL regular season goal.

While the Pats and Warriors have an intense rivalry, there has been a lot of respect and class shown by both sides over the past five to six years.

Bedard and Yager, who have also known each other through minor hockey for about four years, are continuing that aspect of respect and class too.

If there were any doubts that the head-to-head meetings between these two players were must-watch encounters, those doubts were erased by what took place on Tuesday night at the Brandt Centre.

It should be great to see how this latest aspect of the rivalry between the Pats and Warriors plays out for at least the next two-to-three years to come.

Lisowsky getting big minutes for Blades

Brandon Lisowsky, right, in action for the Blades on March 6, 2020.
Brandon Lisowsky is being allowed to find his top gear skating in his rookie season with the Saskatoon Blades.

The 16-year-old left-winger has been skating on a line with overage captain Chase Wouters playing centre and overager Caiden Daley holding down right wing.

Lisowsky, who stands 5-foot-8 and weighs 160 pounds, was selected by the Blades in the first round and ninth overall in the 2019 WHL Bantam Draft. In the team’s abbreviated 24-game regular season played against East Division teams in a bubble environment at the Brandt Centre in Regina due to the COVID-19 pandemic that has gripped the world, the Blades coaching staff is playing Lisowsky in all situations in the developmental campaign.

In the Blades season opener this past Saturday, Lisowsky scored his first two career WHL regular season goals in a 4-2 victory over the Swift Current Broncos.

He scored the Blades first goal at the 6:41 mark of the second period converting a backdoor set up from Wouters. Lisowsky also potted Saskatoon’s final tally in that victory.

He was held off the scoreboard in the Blades 6-3 victory over the Regina Pats on Sunday and the Blades 2-1 overtime setback to the Winnipeg Ice on Wednesday.

So far in the Blades 2-0-1 start, Lisowsky is experiencing a typical rookie season for a 16-year-old in the WHL as far as offensive production goes.

With that said, Lisowsky did get to play in two regular season games as a 15-year-old call up in 2019-20. The Blades are doing the right thing in ensuring Lisowsky benefits from some valuable experience in this shortened developmental campaign.

Founder leaves NWHL, other notes

It has been a tough 2021 so far for the National Women’s Hockey League.

Having had the 2020 Isobel Cup championship game originally set for March 13, 2020 between the Minnesota Whitecaps and the host Boston Pride ultimately cancelled due to the start of the COVID-19 pandemic that had gripped the world, the NWHL was hoping to crown a league champion for the 2020-21 playing in a bubble format.

The circuit’s six team were supposed to play in a bubble environment taking part in a short regular season round and a playoff round running from Jan. 23 to Feb. 5 at the Herb Brooks Arena in Lake Placid, New York.

The bubble environment ended up being too loose allowing COVID-19 to infiltrate the teams. The Metropolitan Riveters and Connecticut Whale pulled out of the bubble while the regular season portion of the campaign was in progress.

On Feb. 3, action in the NWHL bubble was suspended due to new positive COVID-19 tests and resulting concerns over player safety. The suspension occurred right before the playoff round was supposed to occur.

Since the circuit first hit the ice in 2015, the collapse of the bubble in Lake Placid, New York, has been arguably the NWHL’s biggest failure.

The NWHL is planning to finish the season with semifinals and a championship game for the Isobel Cup to be held March 26 and 27 at the Warrior Ice Arena in Boston, Massachusetts.

On Tuesday, the NWHL announced that league founder Dani Rylan Kearney was leaving the circuit. The 33-year-old announced her resignation as an NWHL advisor and president of W Hockey Partners, which is the entity that owns the Buffalo Beauts, the Whale, Riveters and Whitecaps.

W Hockey Partners operates those four member clubs with the intent to sell those teams to new owners.

The expansion Toronto Six rounds out the NWHL’s membership.

The Whale, Whitecaps, Pride and Six are the teams slated to compete in the upcoming playoff round.

At age 27, Rylan Kearney founded the NWHL in 2015-16 as the first women’s professional hockey circuit that paid its players. At the moment, the NWHL splits its revenues 50 per cent with the players on the circuit.

Rylan Kearney was the league’s inaugural commissioner.

Rylan Kearney held that role until stepping down on Oct. 12, 2020. She was replaced by Tyler Tumminia as interim commissioner.

Also on that day, the NWHL changed its governing model to an incorporated association that is overseen by a board of governors with on representative per team. At that time, Rylan stayed on with the NWHL as an advisor while becoming president of W Hockey Partners.

During her time with the NWHL, Rylan Kearney had an icy relationship with the Canadian Women’s Hockey League. The CWHL had been a longer standing women’s professional league operating in North American until it folded on May 1, 2019.

Rylan Kearney also had icy relationships with the biggest names in the women’s game and became one of the most polarizing figures in women’s hockey.

It should be noted that Rylan Kearney’s roll started to change with the NWHL after she married Sean Kearney on Aug. 1, 2020.

After the CWHL folded, the Professional Women’s Hockey Players’ Association was formed as a non-profit, and its members include most of the high-profile players that skate for senior national teams in Canada, the United States and Europe.

The PWHPA said it was boycotting the NWHL and any other women’s professional league in North America until players received health insurance and a livable salary.

Basically, the PWHPA would like to see the NHL come in and have the same relationship the NBA has with the WNBA, where the NBA fully backs the WNBA.

The PWHPA participated in a series of exhibition games in 2019-20 called the Dream Gap Tour.

For the 2020-21 campaign, the PWHPA organized into five hubs. The Canadian hubs are Calgary, Montreal and Toronto and the United States hubs are Minnesota and New Hampshire.

PWHPA teams have played a number of exhibition games in the United States in 2020-21 despite the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Dream Gap Tour continued with a game on Feb. 28 at Madison Square Garden that aired live on the NHL Network in the United States and Sportsnet in Canada.

At the moment, it would appear the PWHPA is looking better than the NWHL.

While Rylan Kearney was a polarizing figure, she put in a tremendous amount of work to build a league from the ground up. During her time with NWHL, she showed she was skilled at growing the business side of the game.

Now that Rylan Kearney is out of the picture, it remains to be seen what direction professional women’s hockey will head in North America.

It is highly unlikely the PWHPA and the NWHL will get together and make nice any time soon.

  • Medicine Hat Tigers overage defenceman Cole Clayton was named the WHL’s player of the week for the week ending on Sunday. Clayton had four goals and three assists in the Tigers three games this past week against the Calgary Hitmen. The Tigers won two of those three contests. In the Tigers seven games this season, Clayton has five goals, nine assists and a plus-one rating. Moose Jaw Warriors veteran netminder Boston Bilous was named the WHL goaltender of the week for the week ending on Sunday. Over the seven-day period ending on Sunday, Bilous, who turned 20-years-old in February, won both his starts stopping 46-of-50 shots sent his way posting a 1.90 goals against average.
  • Tickets are on sale for the March jackpot for the Saskatchewan Amateur Football Mega 50/50 lottery. The funds from this 50/50 lottery will go to support the CJFL’s Saskatoon Hilltops and Regina Thunder and the WWCFL’s Saskatoon Valkyries and Regina Riot. One prize will be drawn per month, and the remaining draw dates are Wednesday, March 31, April 30 and May 31. Tickets can be purchased by clicking right here, and purchasers must be in Saskatchewan in order to buy tickets.
  • On Monday, the Saskatchewan Female Under-18 AAA Hockey League announced Saskatoon Stars netminder Kaitlyn Cadrain has committed to play for the Maryville University Saints women’s hockey team in St. Louis, Missouri. In 2021-22, the Saints will be a sophomore Division I program in the independent American Collegiate Hockey Association. In three seasons with the Stars from 2018 to 2021, Cadrain played in 29 regular season games posting an 18-8 record, a 2.24 goals against average, a .911 save percentage and four shutouts.
  • On Monday, the Saskatchewan Female Under-18 AAA Hockey League announced Notre Dame Hounds forward Brynn Maclean has committed to play with the University of Wisconsin-Superior Yellowjackets women’s hockey team in the NCAA Division III ranks. The school is located in Superior, Wisconsin. In four seasons with the Hounds from 2017 to 2021, Maclean has appeared in 65 regular season games posting five goals and 14 assists. She had one goal and five assists in four games with the Hounds in the 2020-21 campaign before it was called off due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • On Tuesday, the Prince Albert Raiders announced their captain and star defenceman Kaiden Guhle will be out indefinitely with a hand injury. He suffered the injury in the Raiders 2-1 setback in a tiebreaking shootout to the Moose Jaw Warriors on Sunday.
  • On Tuesday, Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post reported Regina Pats left-winger Jakob Brook is out for the after undergoing surgery to repair a break in his lower right leg. The injury occurred 34 seconds into the Pats regular season opener this past Friday, when they fell 6-3 to the Prince Albert Raiders. Brook helped the Raiders win the WHL title as a 16-year-old rookie in 2018-19 before being traded to the Pats on Jan. 9, 2020 in a blockbuster deal that saw netminder Max Paddock sent to the Raiders.
  • Sophie Shirley, who is an alumna of the Saskatoon Stars female under-18 AAA hockey team, has been named a top-10 finalist for the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award presented to the top player in the top level of NCAA women’s hockey. In 19 overall games this season with the University of Wisconsin Badgers women’s hockey team, the skilled third-year forward has 12 goals, 13 assists and a plus-18 rating in the plus-minus department. Shirley was nominated for the same honour last season. On Thursday, the Badgers are slated to play an NCAA Frozen Four semifinal game against the Ohio State University Buckeyes in Erie, Pennsylvania.
  • While there is optimism things will return to normal during these COVID-19 pandemic as vaccines across Canada are distributed for COVID-19, one wonders how much variants of COVID-19 will continue to prevent things from returning to normal. The B.1.1.7 variant, which was first detected in the United Kingdom, is present in Saskatchewan, and it has a sizable enough presence in Regina that it will continue to have slightly tighter restrictions than the rest of the province. On March 4, the Mayo Clinic listed three variants that are causing concern including the B.1.1.7 variant, the B.1.351 variant found in South Africa and the P.1 variant found in Brazil. These variants seem to spread easier and quicker than the regular COVID-19 strain. The Brazil variant has been identified as potentially the most dangerous and less vulnerable to antibodies generated by a previous COVID-19 infection or a COVID-19 vaccine.
  • Gord Steinke, who is not related to me, of Global Edmonton had a good interview with Kaleb Dahlgren, who is a player that survived the Humboldt Broncos bus crash in 2018, on Tuesday. They chatted about Dahlgren’s new book. The interview 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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Tuesday, 29 December 2020

Canada performs as expected – Big tests next at world juniors

Kaiden Guhle in action for the Raiders last season.
Let’s see – going 3-0 while outscoring the opposition 29-3.

It is safe to say Canada got all it needed out of its first three preliminary round games of the world junior men’s hockey championship.

On Tuesday playing inside a bubble environment at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alta., Canada crushed Switzerland 10-0 in a contest that was played without fans. World juniors are being played in a bubble environment due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic that has gripped the world.

Canada, which already had a berth locked up in the playoff round, improved to 3-0 in the preliminary round with Tuesday’s win and is 24-0 against Switzerland all-time at world juniors.

Canada will close preliminary round play on Thursday against Finland (5 p.m. Saskatchewan time, TSN). Finland is 2-0, but the New Year’s Eve tilt with Canada will be for first place in Group A.

Finland will play 1-1-1 Slovakia on Wednesday (1 p.m. Saskatchewan time, TSN), but will still have a chance to finish first no matter how the clash with Slovakia concludes.

Canada heads into that showdown with Finland playing as well as can be expected after three preliminary round wins. Canada was a heavy favourite to win each of its first three preliminary round contests and was a vastly superior squad in two of those outings.

One of the outings where Canada was expected to win in a romp was Tuesday’s clash with Switzerland, and Canada did just that.

Canada actually only led 1-0 after 20 minutes thanks to a goal from centre Philip Tomasino just 90 seconds into the contest. Tomasino wired home a sweet setup pass from centre Quinton Byfield, who is a centre with the OHL’s Sudbury Wolves.

Canada held a 14-3 edge in shots on goal showing a lack of finish around the net and looked off on three power-play opportunities in the first frame. If anyone wanted to be over-critical, the opening 20 against Switzerland provided ample opportunities to go off.

The flood gates did indeed open from there as Canada held a 5-0 advantage after the second period and rolled off five more goals in the third to close out the 10-0 victory.

Byfield had two goals and four assists in the romp. Jakob Pelletier scored twice, and Dylan Cozens, Ryan Suzuki, Connor McMichael, Cole Perfetti and Kaiden Guhle all had singles for the event’s host country.

Devon Levi turned away all 15 shots he faced to pick up the shutout win in goal. Noah Patenaude, who plays for the QMJHL’s Saint John Sea Dogs, turned away 42 shots to take the loss in goal for Switzerland.

Dylan Cozens in action with the Hurricanes in 2018-19.
Canada held a 52-15 edge in shots on goal, went 3-for-6 on the power play and 6-for-6 on the penalty kill.

Cozens, who is a star centre with the WHL’s Lethbridge Hurricanes, has points in all three of Canada’s preliminary round contests posting four goals and five assists over that time.

Guhle, who is a star offensive-defenceman with the WHL’s Prince Albert Raiders, has two goals in Canada’s three preliminary round games.

In the third period on Tuesday, Canada didn’t let the foot off the gas, which was a good thing. Canada needed to avoid playing the trap for prolonged periods of that contest to avoid getting into bad habits for when the schedule gets more difficult.

Last Saturday, Canada opened the preliminary round thumping Germany 16-2. Germany’s roster was decimated due to positive COVID-19 tests.

The last 25 minutes of that game really didn’t help Canada, because the issue was decided and Germany was just trying to get out of that game too at that point.

There were ample opportunities for all sorts of bad habits to develop.

Last Sunday, Canada was pushed hard in its second preliminary round game by Slovakia. Canada led 1-0 after the first and was still up just 1-0 after the second.

Canada ultimately won 3-1 and needed an empty-net goal inside of the contest’s final 15 seconds to seal victory. Canada held a 23-18 edge in shots on goal in that gritty outing.

While that win wasn’t a romp, the clash with Slovakia forced the players on the Canadian side to get their intensity and complete level up another notch.

Tuesday’s romp over Switzerland had to play out to the satisfaction of Canadian head coach Andre Tourigny, who is the head coach of the OHL’s Ottawa 67’s.

Now business picks up. Canada has a big first place showdown for first place in Group A with Finland on Thursday.

After that contest comes the playoff round that begins with one-and-done quarter-final games.

Canada is where it needs to be at this point in time, but the host squad still has to find ways to improve and find ways to win as the schedule gets tougher going forward.

Huskies’ Lokombo picks up East-West Shrine Bowl selection

Nelson Lokomko (#25) was named to the East-West Shrine Bowl.
Nelson Lokombo is still collecting accolades even with the COVID-19 pandemic keeping his University of Saskatchewan Huskies football team off the field.

On Tuesday, the Huskies star defensive back was named to the roster for the 2021 East-West Shrine Bowl. The East-West Shrine Bowl is the oldest college football all-star game in the United States dating back to 1925, and it typically showcases graduating student-athletes from the NCAA ranks.

Canadian university players began receiving invites for the contest since 1985, and Lokombo is the seventh player from the Huskies program to pick up an East-West Shrine Bowl nod.

The upcoming East-West Shrine Bowl was set for Jan. 23, 2021 to be held at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida, but it won’t be played due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

While the game won’t be played, it was decided roster selections for the contest would be announced throughout December of 2020 to recognize outstanding senior seasons.

Players selected for the East-West Shrine Bowl will be able to participate in various virtual training/informational drills with current NFL coaches and members of NFL operations staffs.

Some of the 2021 all-stars will also participate in various virtual experiences with Shriners Hospitals for Children.

Lokombo wasn’t able to hit the field in 2020 due to the U Sports football season being cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He had a memorable campaign in his third-year of eligibility with the Huskies in 2019.

Lokombo topped the Huskies with four interceptions, and he returned two of those interceptions for touchdowns during the team’s eight-game regular season.

The Abbotsford, B.C., product posted 23.5 total tackles, 2.5 sacks and four pass breakups during the regular campaign as well.

Lokombo was named the winner of the Presidents’ Trophy as the U Sports defensive player of the year. On top of winning the Presidents’ Trophy, Lokombo was named a U Sports first team all-Canadian all-star.

Huskies head coach Scott Flory applauded Lokombo’s East-West Shrine Bowl selection.

“This selection shows how legitimate of a professional prospect Nelson (Lokombo) is, both north and south of the border,” said Flory in a release. “He has every bit of potential to be a phenomenal professional athlete.

“It’s all there for him. He is athletic, tough, durable and without a doubt one of the most talented player to ever put on a Huskie uniform.”

Lokombo still has two more seasons of U Sports eligibility to potentially use with the Huskies.

Oct/Nov. junior hockey worries gone in December, other notes

Cole Fonstad in action for the Raiders in 2018-19.
It is crazy how much of a difference a change in the month can make, especially when it comes to people losing it over the developments in junior hockey in Canada.

Back on Oct. 23, the WHL announced it had granted temporary transfers to WHL roster players to continue their development playing competitive hockey in junior A, junior B or the under-18 levels. Those loans were slated to expire on Dec. 20.

That decision was made at that time, because the WHL wasn’t planning to hit the ice until January 8, 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In various hockey circles people cried foul saying the major junior players were taking roster spots meant for others and the moves crush development in the junior A, junior B and under-18 levels. The cries came when the announcement was made and lasted through most of November.

As the number of new COVID-19 cases spiked and new restrictions were introduced in the four western Canada provinces which all hockey seasons at all levels come to a halt, those cries of foul about major junior transfers went away.

Some of those major junior players got in only five or six games before the season was halted. Cole Fonstad, who is an overage left-winger with the WHL’s Everett Silvertips, played junior A in the Saskatchewan junior Hockey League with his hometown Estevan Bruins.

Fonstad, who helped the Prince Albert Raiders with a WHL title in 2019 before being traded to the Silvertips, appeared in six regular season games with the Bruins collecting five goals and five assists.

In the big picture of things, was it worth it for someone to lose their mind over the major junior transfers issue over five or six games knowing everyone would hit the point they wouldn’t be playing?

As November went a long, most people that had any common sense could see the road was heading to a point where all hockey seasons were going to be put to a halt.

On Dec. 14, WHL announced it was pushing back its planned Jan. 8, 2021 start date and did not give a date for when its upcoming regular season will start.

All other hockey leagues in Western Canada are playing the same waiting game regarding the continuation of their respective seasons.

Everything depends on how the COVID-19 pandemic continues to play out. The vaccines rollouts that are occurring now likely won’t cause any major changes to allowing sports to resume until potentially July or August of 2021, if everything plays out positively on that front.

Another thing that people lost their marbles over was the notion bodychecking could be banned in the OHL for the 2020-21 campaign. In early October, Lisa MacLeod, who is the minister of sport for Ontario, said the OHL should remove bodychecking if it wants to return to play for the 2020-21 season.

There were various circles that went nuts over throughout October and November. There were people acting like this was the end of the world.

Come December, major lockdowns started to occur in Ontario again. A province-wide lockdown was put in place this past Saturday.

On Dec. 23, the OHL announced it wouldn’t be able to start its upcoming regular season on Feb. 4, 2021. No new start date has been set.

Looking back now, how much energy was wasted on the freak out of a bodychecking ban?

During the COVID-19 pandemic, what may be viewed as some a major tragedy in the sports world during one month may become a non-issue when the calendar changes to the next month.

  • At the moment, the QMJHL is shut down too with play having been suspended on Dec. 1. The circuit is hoping its 12 teams in Quebec can play in four markets in late January of 2021. No timetable has been set to for the circuit’s six teams in the Maritime provinces to resume play.
  • On Monday, it was learned Kirby Dach, who is a centre for the NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks, will be out four-to-five months after having surgery on a his fractured right wrist. Dach was the captain of Canada’s world junior team. He injured his right wrist in Canada’s 1-0 exhibition game victory over Russia played in a bubble environment on Dec. 23 at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alta. Dach’s injury occurred during what seemed like a harmless bodycheck in the game’s third period.
  • The National Women’s Hockey League is slated to hold its upcoming season and playoffs in a quarantined bubble in Lake Placid, N.Y., from Jan. 23 to Feb. 5, 2021. The six-team circuit includes a Canadian expansion entry in the Toronto Six. The Isobel Cup semifinals and championship final will be shown live on the NBC Sports Network.
  • Back on Oct. 12, NWHL commissioner and founder Dani Rylan stepped down as the circuit’s commissioner. She was replaced by Tyler Tumminia as interim commissioner. Rylan is still with the circuit overseeing the operations of the Buffalo Beauts, Connecticut Whale, Metropolitan Riveters and Minnesota Whitecaps. She is searching for independent ownership of those league operated teams. Rylan got married this past August 1 to Sean Kearney.
  • Gregg Drinnan continues to track how the COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc on the sports world in his Taking Note blog. His entry from Monday night can be found by clicking right here.
  • Chase Claypool, who is a standout receiver for the NFL’s Pittsburgh Steelers and is from Abbotsford, B.C., posted a tribute on Instagram to late University of Saskatchewan Huskies running back Samwel Uko on Sunday. Uko, who played for the Huskies in their Canada West Championship season in 2018, passed away in May due to suicide while he was in the middle of going through a mental health crisis.

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.

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Saturday, 16 May 2020

Should Merlis Belsher Place be on indefinite hold for COVID-19?

The oxygen producing complex next to Merlis Belsher Place.
    It is hard to miss the new addition to Merlis Belsher Place.
    In the parking lot facing the south east side of the building sits a small complex used for producing oxygen. The small oxygen producing complex is connected via pipe to the twin-pad rink facility that contains two full basketball courts.
    Besides that complex, a series of metal box type structures can be found on the north side of the building too.
    Those are obvious signs that the function of Merlis Belsher Place these days is to serve as a field hospital in case of a possible surge of COVID-19 patients. The neighbouring Saskatoon Field House is targeted to house staff for the field hospital.
    The conversion was done regarding original models and predictions the Saskatchewan Health Authority had for impact of the current coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
    When ground was broken for the facility in late April of 2017 with a price tag of $42.9-million, everyone celebrated the construction of the much needed sports facility for the university, which provided a big boost for the hockey community in the city.
A sign in front of the oxygen complex.
    Anyone at that ground breaking ceremony likely envisioned Merlis Belsher Place just being the new home for memorable moments in the local sports scene.
    No one ever envisioned it possibly being a field hospital for a pandemic, or more accurately a field hospital in waiting.
    Right now, the description “field hospital in waiting” might be the tripping point where one questions if the facility is being used properly. By the sounds of things, it could be a long time before Merlis Belsher Place is used as a host site for a sporting event again like maybe even up to a year.
    In a story that came out Wednesday, Dave Hardy, who is the chief athletics officer for Huskie Athletics at the University of Saskatchewan, told Darren Zary of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix he expects the Huskies men’s and women’s hockey teams to be out of the facility for a year.
    “We anticipate it will be utilized, and constructed, as a field hospital, perhaps up to a year,” said Hardy to Zary. “Certainly, our hockey plans do not include Merlis Belsher Place.”
The oxygen complex sitting beside Merlis Belsher Place.
    Merlis Belsher Place is slated to supply 250 beds for COVID-19 patients. In battling the pandemic, the Saskatchewan Health Authority had designated 272 beds at Saskatoon City Hospital, 291 beds at St. Paul’s Hospital and 453 beds at Royal University Hospital for COVID-19 patients.
    With the total added in from Merlis, a total of 1,266 beds have been set aside for COVID-19 patients. Between the three regular hospitals, there are 301 beds left for other patients.
    At the moment, the Huskies teams as well as the Saskatoon Contacts under-18 AAA hockey squad and the Saskatoon Stars under-18 female hockey club are looking for new homes for the upcoming 2020-21 campaign.
    If Merlis Belsher Place isn’t available, it would be safe to assume the Saskatoon Field House won’t be available for any sports functions either as long as the twin-pad rink facility remains a field hospital in waiting. The Huskies track and field teams are one of the user groups that trains out of the Saskatoon Field House.
New box structures on the north side of Merlis Belsher Place.
    It is highly possible that Merlis Belsher Place might never have to be used as a field hospital and the hockey teams that call that facility home will play some sort of season in 2020-21.
    If that scenario plays out, one has to ask if Merlis Belsher Place was utilized properly?
    Saskatchewan Healthy Authority officials said in early April it would take about four weeks to convert Merlis Belsher Place to a field hospital.
    Still, one wonders if you could have waited before starting the process of making Merlis Belsher Place a field hospital?
    The rush to convert the facility came over fears of worst case scenario models.
    Could the conversion process have been done more efficiently in less than four weeks?
    As time keeps progressing, one has to keep asking the question when will Merlis Belsher Place be converted back for its original purpose?
    At the moment, it appears medical officials have been given the authority to hold all the power in making these calls.
Merlis Belsher Place is a COVID-19 field hospital in waiting.
    It is entirely possible that there won’t be a 2020-21 winter sports season. Medical officials have the final say as to when teams and leagues can return to action.
    It is possible the Contacts and Stars could play a hockey season and the Huskies do not.
    The Huskies play out of the Canada West Conference in U Sports. The programs in Canada West have agreed the conference can’t return to action until there is an OK by medical officials in all four provinces in Western Canada.
    Even if the Canada West season doesn’t go ahead, the Contacts and Stars could play regular seasons in their respective provincial leagues.
    If the sports world isn’t allowed to return to action, the availability of Merlis Belsher Place for sporting activities becomes a non-issue.
    With that noted, questions about whether it was used properly should still be asked, if it is held for a field hospital and is never used for that purpose.
The spot where the ice plant used to sit at the Rutherford Rink.
    One thing the Huskies hockey teams can’t do is return to their former home on the U of S campus in the ancient Rutherford Rink. The Huskies last used the Rutherford Rink in late September of 2018.
    The Rutherford Rink no longer has an ice plant, and enough decommission work was done on its interior to cause that facility to be no longer usable.
    Like most aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic, it will be interesting in two or three years down the road to look back and wonder if the correct actions were taken as far as the Huskies current home rink goes.

Americans in CFL make voices heard over compensation

Dane Evans in action for the Tiger-Cats last season.
    The United States products in the CFL made their voices heard this week, and they delivered a good message.
    The U.S. players spoke out with regards to compensation that might come from any possible financial assistance from the Canadian federal government.
    During the final week of April, news came out that the CFL was looking for $30-million in Canadian funds now to manage the impact of COVID-19. The circuit is asking for additional assistance for an abbreviated regular season and up to another $120-million in Canadian funds for a completely lost season.
    In other words, the CFL is looking for $150-million in financial assistance if its nine teams are unable to play the 2020 regular season and playoffs.
    On May 7, CFL commissioner Randy Ambrosie made a presentation to a House of Commons standing committee on finance regarding his financial assistance request.
    After Ambrosie’s presentation, he was grilled by MPs Kevin Waugh (Conservative, Saskatoon), Peter Julian (NDP, New Westminster-Burnaby) and Peter Fragiskatos (Liberal, London North Centre).
    Ambrosie came away not looking good after that grilling.
    On Tuesday, Fragiskatos told Rick Westhead of TSN it would be “alarming” if that emergency relief was used to pay American players living in the United States.
    Fragiskatos said to Westhead, “The supports announced by the government are for the benefit of Canadians and the country.”
    When the CFL made a pitch for financial assistance to the Canadian federal government, it had to be expected this exact thought would rise to the surface somewhere.
    When it did from an MP, the U.S. players playing in the CFL rallied on Twitter and made a good case about not being left out in any compensation package.
    Veteran star British Columbia Lions quarterback Mike Reilly said he had been playing Canadian taxes for a decade, has two daughters with Canadian birth certificates and has spent hundreds of hours giving back to Canadian communities.

    Dane Evans, who is a quarterback for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, wrote U.S. players pay taxes in Canada and in some cases pay more taxes than Canadians do. He questioned why U.S. tax-paying employees in the CFL would be left out of compensation.

    It should be noted Calgary Stampeders star quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell and his wife, Madison, make their home year round in Calgary, and they are involved in a lot of community functions in that centre.
    Saskatchewan Roughriders star defensive end Charleston Hughes decided to remain in Regina in the off-season. He did doing a number of appearances before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and he is still doing community work with club and on his own initiative.
    There are a number of other U.S. players in the CFL, who have elected to remain in Canada.
    A number of U.S. players decide to remain in Canada after completing their CFL careers. Former star quarterback Henry Burris might be the most notable.
    After quarterbacking the Ottawa Redblacks to a Grey Cup title in 2016, Burris and his family decided to remain in Canada living in Ottawa. He is analyst on TSN’s CFL broadcasts and can often be found being a hockey dad for his sons Barron and Armand.
    The CFL’s U.S. players crushed it out of the park regarding the impact they have on the centres they play out of. It should help in the push to obtain federal financial aid.

PWHPA rolls out new regional structure

    On Wednesday, the Professional Women’s Hockey Players Association announced a new structure that will see five regional training hubs set up for its members.
    There will be three hubs in Canada located in Calgary, Toronto and Montreal. The two hubs in the United States will be set up somewhere in the states of New Hampshire and Minnesota.
    The regions will aim to provide players with improved access to resources like full-time dressing rooms, access to strength and conditioning facilities, support staff and coaches.
    Players will be required to tryout to make a regional training group. Each hub will carry a roster of 25 players who will be eligible to attend showcases. Each regional hub will play more regional games too.
    The PWHPA was formed as a non-profit after the Canadian Women’s Hockey League folded on May 1, 2019, and its members include most of the high-profile players that skate for senior national teams in Canada, the United States and Europe. The PWHPA said it was boycotting the National Women’s Hockey League until players received health insurance and a livable salary.
    The PWHPA states its mission is to promote, advance and support a single, viable professional women’s ice hockey league in North America. The PWHPA has been in a standoff with the NWHL.
    It has been hoped that this women’s league would have the backing of the NHL and mirror the relationship the NBA has with the WNBA, where the NBA fully backs the WNBA.
    Last season, the players win the PWHPA played a series of exhibition games at various locations in North America calling the series of contest the Dream Gap Tour.

CHL settles minimum wage lawsuits, other notes

    After being before the courts since 2014, the Canadian Hockey League minimum wage lawsuits have been settled.
    Back in 2014, Charney Lawyers PC, a firm specializing in class action lawsuits, filed lawsuits on behalf of former CHL players against the CHL and its member major junior leagues in the WHL, OHL and QMJHL. A total of three lawsuits were filed.
    The lawsuits contented the players of major junior hockey teams are employees of their member clubs and should be entitled to minimum wage, back pay, overtime play, holiday pay and vacation pay.
    On Friday, the CHL and the plaintiffs announced the CHL has agreed to pay $30-million to settle the lawsuits.
    The settlement was reached in February before the COVID-19 pandemic caused massive shutdowns in North America starting on March 11.
    Lawyers’ fees and expenses will come out of the $30-million before it is split up between players.
    The lawsuits were originally seeking $180-million.
    Over the years while these lawsuits were before the courts, the provinces and states where CHL teams are located have changed their laws to exempt CHL players from minimum wage laws.
    The only way the CHL could be exposed to further litigation on this front is if subsequent governments rolled back these changes.
    The CHL has always contented the players are amateur student-athletes.
    After the settlements were announced, the CHL posted an open letter on its website. In the letter, the CHL said it elected to settle because these types of cases are expensive and a distraction to the league.
    The letter added the settlement does not mean the CHL agrees with the plaintiffs.
    A sizable part of the CHL’s settlement will be paid via insurance.
    Over the years, I had followed the developments of these lawsuits more in a casual form. There were warnings that many clubs in the CHL wouldn’t be able to pay minimum wage to the players outside of teams like the Calgary Hitmen and Edmonton Oil Kings, who are both owned by the NHL’s Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers respectively.
    In my opinion, I believe the major junior level of hockey would have ceased to exist if the clubs had to pay minimum wage. Most of the teams are small businesses and a $500,000 profit would be seen as a good year.
    If the clubs in the CHL had to pay minimum wage, I believe the junior A level of hockey would rise up to be basically the new major junior level to replace a CHL that would go by the wayside.
    I also felt these lawsuits mirrored the proceedings of a divorce, which allowed lawyers to make lots of money.
    In the end, you can be sure the CHL teams are happy to have that issue dealt with.

  • The WHL continued to roll out its league awards via an online format this week. On Tuesday, Calgary Hitmen centre Riley Fiddler-Schultz was named the recipient of the Doug Wickenheiser Memorial Trophy as the humanitarian of the year. On Wednesday, Dylan Garand of the Kamloops Blazers took the Daryl K. (Doc) Seaman Memorial Trophy as the goaltender of the year. On Thursday, right-winger Seth Jarvis of the Portland Winterhawks claimed the Brad Hornung Trophy as the most sportsmanlike player. On Friday, Edmonton Oil Kings left-winger Dylan Guenther claimed the Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy as the rookie of the year.
  • On Friday, the NASCAR Pinty’s series announced it has cancelled its race on July 25 in Edmonton and its twin races slated for July 29 at the Wyant Group Raceway in Saskatoon due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • On Friday, Football Canada announced it was cancelling its national and regional summer flag and tackle football events due to issues associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. The women’s national championship that was originally scheduled for July 30 to August 7 in Sherwood Park, Alta., has been postponed.
  • On Tuesday, the City of Medicine Hat announced all organized sports and league play in the Alberta centre will not be permitted due to the COVID-19 pandemic until further notice. The city said the decision was made to follow provincial guidelines that limit large gathers to 15 people. All the city’s bookings for ball diamonds and sports fields have been cancelled through to the Aug. 31.
  • On Thursday, the Saskatoon Blades announced captain Chase Wouters raised $10,000 through the Nutrien Faceoff for Hunger Campaign, where all the proceeds went to the Saskatoon Food Bank and Learning Centre.  Nutrien was donating $10 for every faceoff Wouters won in the 2019-20 campaign to the Saskatoon Food Bank and Learning Centre with the goal of winning 1,000 draws. Wouters won 837 faceoffs before the WHL season was called off due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Nutrien still covered the remaining funds to reach $10,000. Wouters also put $200 of his own money to the initiative pledging on Jan. 30 to donate $1 for every draw he won from that point in time to the end of the season. Wouters made a call to the public to match his pledge and 11 pledges to match Wouters donation were collected through the Blades website.

    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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Sunday, 3 May 2020

Huskies’ Klassen ripping up comeback trail

Huskies utility player Colton Klassen was drafted by the CFL’s Alouettes.
    Would the rehab result in a reward he dreamed of?
    Over the past four seasons, Colton Klassen established himself as the heart and soul utility player for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies football team. With the game breaking plays he made on the field, one wondered if someone in the CFL took notice and would be willing to give him a shot.
    Would Klassen’s named be called in the CFL Draft that was held last Thursday in an online format?
    Some might consider his size of standing 5-foot-8 and weighing 200 pounds as being a detriment to the professional game. When you see him live and you see him on video, all you see is Klassen making explosive and game-changing plays.
Colton Klassen is about to be taken off the field on a cart.
    The CFL dreams for the graduate of Saskatoon’s Holy Cross High School Crusaders football team appeared to have come to a halt on October 26, 2019 at Griffiths Stadium. The Huskies downed the visiting University of Alberta Golden Bears 22-9 to close the regular season, but Klassen went down with a gruesome dislocated right ankle near the end of the first quarter.
    Those that knew Klassen expected the visions of the comeback were already being made when he was being taken off the field on a cart.
    The most optimistic timeframe would have seen Klassen ready in time for the Huskies to begin their next regular season in September of 2020. Klassen set his sights on being ready for CFL combine activities in March of this year.
Colton Klassen, left, pulls away from a U of Manitoba Bisons defender.
    Even if Klassen was ready and performed well in CFL combine activities, there was a notion that it still might not be enough to erase doubts in the minds of those who make decisions in CFL player personnel departments. CFL clubs could elect to see how Klassen performed with the Huskies in his fifth and final year of U Sports eligibility to confirm that the horrific injury from last season truly healed up.
    Klassen started healing up like the fictional superhero Wolverine. He meticulously followed the instructions of the team around him that was helping him with his rehab.
    Dr. Mark Ernst performed the surgery to repair Klassen’s ankle. Physiotherapists Stephanie Peppler and Mitch Dahl set Klassen on a path that allowed him to rebuild the strength in his ankle and help him regain his range of motion.
Colton Klassen is a heart and soul member of the Huskies.
    Massage Therapist Gerrit Delver helped ready Klassen’s ankle for his workouts.
    He made unbelievable progress on a week to week basis. Klassen was invited to a CFL regional combine, and he was going to be ready for that event, which was ultimately cancelled due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
    Before the shutdowns intensified in late March to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, Ignite Athletes was able to run athletes through testing at the Gordie Howe Sports Complex. Klassen ran the 40-yard dash in under 4.6 seconds.
    Klassen did the work and received miraculous results in return. He handled what he could control in outstanding fashion.
    The question remained. Would it be enough?
    Round after round went past in last Thursday’s CFL Draft, and after seven rounds were complete, Klassen’s name had yet to be called.
    Over those first seven rounds, four of Klassen’s teammates with the Huskies heard their names called.
    Offensive left guard Mattland Riley, who stands 6-foot-3 and weighs 300 pounds, was selected in the first round and seventh overall by the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
Colton Klassen plays receiver, running back and returns kicks.
    Defensive end Nicholas Dheilly, who stands 6-foot-4 and weighs 230 pounds, was picked in the fifth round and 46th overall by the defending Grey Cup champion Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
    Receiver Sam Baker, who stands 6-foot-3 and weighs 205 pounds, was taken in the sixth round and 48th overall by the Toronto Argonauts.
    Right tackle, Nicholas Summach, who stands 6-foot-8 and weighs 330 pounds, was selected in the seventh round and 57th overall by the Edmonton Eskimos.
    All that remained was the eighth and final round that contained nine selections. After four more selections were announced, Klassen was still waiting to hear his name to be called.
    Would the CFL dream not materialize?
    Finally with the 69th overall selection, Klassen was drafted by the Montreal Alouettes. It was the fifth last selection in the draft.
Colton Klassen can make tough catches in traffic.
    At that moment, it seemed liked someone noticed Klassen was named the offensive player of the year for the Prairie Football Conference playing his final season in the CJFL ranks in 2015 with the Regina Thunder. Klassen led the conference with 911 yards rushing coming on 117 carries and scoring five touchdowns.
    Someone saw that Klassen agreed to move into a slot position receiver role in the Canadian University ranks after being approached about the move by current Huskies head coach Scott Flory.
    In 2018, Klassen hauled in 38 passes for 676 yards and scored eight touchdowns earning accolades as a Canada West all-star. Someone saw that.
    Someone saw Klassen catch 37 passes for 456 yards and two touchdowns last season and once again earn Canada West all-star accolades.
Colton Klassen has celebrated many big plays with the Huskies.
    Someone kept up with the news on how Klassen’s rehab was going.
    Klassen is going to get his CFL chance. Besides playing running back and receiver, he can return kicks too.
    When he gets to audition for a position with the Alouettes at a training camp, Klassen’s ace card is his versatility. If has the opportunities to hold for field goals or maybe unload the odd punt, he should try to do that too.
    The more he shows off his versatility the more valuable he is going to be. The Alouettes coaches and management will have their hands forced to hold on to a national player that has a number of skills for the game and can make plays.
    Klassen has earned his chance to make it to the CFL as a drafted player. The fact his CFL dream didn’t go down on that Oct. 26th day last year when he dislocated his right ankle makes his journey look that much more remarkable.

Canada West scoring champ embraces NWHL, other notes


    Autumn MacDougall is taking her talents to the National Women’s Hockey League.
    On Wednesday, the 22-year-old star forward, who just graduated from the University of Alberta Pandas women’s hockey team, was selected in the third round and 14th overall by the Buffalo Beauts in the NWHL Draft.
    This past season, MacDougall played out her fifth and final season of U Sports eligibility with the Pandas leading the Canada West Conference in scoring for the second time in her career. The Cole Harbour, N.S., product piled up 17 goals and 14 assists for 31 points appearing in all of the Pandas 28 regular season games.
Autumn MacDougall in action for the Pandas in October of 2016.
    MacDougall was named a first team Canada West all-star and a first team U Sports all-Canadian all-star.
    She helped the Pandas finish first in Canada West with a 20-8 record and win the Canada West Conference title for a second straight year.
    The Pandas never got to play at the U Sports nationals held in March in Charlottetown, P.E.I., because the event was called off after the first day of play on March 12 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
    MacDougall, who stands 5-foot-1, had a storied career with the Pandas. In the 2016-17 campaign, she helped the Pandas win their eight U Sports national title in team history.
    In 2017-18, MacDougall won her first Canada West scoring title piling up 12 goals and 18 assists for 30 points appearing in all of the Pandas 28 regular season games. She picked up first team Canada West all-star honours and first team U Sports all-Canadian all-star honours.
    In 2018-19, MacDougall piled a career high 35 points coming off 14 goals and 21 assists appearing in all of the Pandas 28 regular season games. She finished second in the Canada West scoring race behind teammate Alex Poznikoff.
    MacDougall again picked up first team Canada West all-star honours and was named a second team U Sports all-Canadian all-star.
Autumn MacDougall in action for the Pandas in February of 2018.
    All total, MacDougall appeared in 139 career regular season games with the Pandas posting 58 goals and 67 assists for 125 points. She is the sixth all-time leading scorer in the history of the Pandas program.
    MacDougall holds the Pandas records for career regular season power-play goals (24) and game-winning goals (18).
    On Twitter, MacDougall said she was excited to start the next chapter of her hockey career with the Beauts.
    Last Wednesday, the NWHL also put out a tweet great complementary quote on MacDougall from her Pandas head coach in Howie Draper.
    MacDougall is the first player from the Canada West Conference to be selected in the NWHL Draft.
    The NWHL was founded in 2015 by Dani Rylan, who serves and the circuit’s commissioner. It just finished its fifth season of operation and recently grew from five to six teams adding an expansion club in Toronto.
    This season’s Isobel Cup championship game slated for March 13 between the host Boston Pride and Minnesota Whitecaps was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the fate of that contest still hasn’t been determined.
    The NWHL used to have a competitor in the Canadian Women’s Hockey League that was founded in 2007 and folded on May 1 of last year.
    After the CWHL folded, the Professional Women’s Hockey Players’ Association was formed as a non-profit, and its members include most of the high-profile players that skate for senior national teams in Canada, the United States and Europe.
Autumn MacDougall and the Pandas celebrated lots of win.
    The PWHPA said it was boycotting the NWHL and any other women’s professional league in North America until players received health insurance and a livable salary.
    Basically, the PWHPA would like to see the NHL come in and have the same relationship the NBA has with the WNBA, where the NBA fully backs the WNBA.
    At the moment, the NWHL splits its revenues 50 per cent with the players on the circuit.
    There is a standoff between the PWHPA and NWHL or more accurately it seems the standoff is between the PWHPA and Rylan.
    Still, it seems that Rylan’s league is attracting skilled players that fall through the cracks when it comes to being scouted or making national team programs. The fact that her league is getting cooperation from coaches like Draper and programs like the Pandas is a big victory for Rylan.
    During a video speech on Twitter on Wednesday, Rylan showed confidence that her circuit will ultimately be able to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic.
    Over the past week, the 32-year-old Rylan, who was once the gritty captain of Northeastern University Huskies women’s hockey team in the NCAA Division I ranks, came out with some big wins over her detractors in the PWHPA.

  • Jaycee Gebhard, who is an alumna of the Saskatoon Stars female midget AAA team, was selected in the first round and sixth overall by the expansion Toronto club in last Wednesday’s NWHL Draft. The 22-year-old centre was the captain of the Robert Morris University Colonials women’s hockey team in the NCAA Division I ranks. In her final campaign of eligibility with the Colonials this past season, Gebhard piled up 20 goals and 43 assists for 63 points in 36 overall games.
  • A pair of players from the Regina Riot powerhouse Western Women’s Canadian Football League team are on the front lines battling the COVID-19 pandemic. Veteran linebacker Adrienne Zuck is a registered nurse at the Regina General Hospital. Julianna Cornish, who played on both the offensive and defensive lines, is an educational assistant and youth care worker at Ranch Ehrlo. Both are doing their parts to get society through this unprecedented tough time. The 2020 WWCFL season was outright cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • The University of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s hockey team got in on the #SocialDistancingChallenge fun. They put together a fun pass the puck video that included contributions from players and players’ family members.

    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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