--What the hell is happening in Brandon? Is there anyone out there, and I mean anyone who thought the Edmonton Oil Kings would walk into Westman Place and beat the high-flying Wheat Kings twice? An Edmonton win in this series might be one of the biggest upsets in WHL history.
--The Moose Jaw Warriors are showing they are a better team than the Prince Albert Raiders from top to bottom. PA's goaltending has let them down in watching the first two games of the series. Zach Sawchenko is winning that battle and he hasn't really been that spectacular.
--Speaking of the Warriors, remember Dustin Boyd? From the where are they now file, Boyd is going to play for Kazahkstan at the upcoming World Championships after gaining citizenship. He has been playing in the KHL for the past number of years.
--The SJHL is getting attention around North America for the brawl in Flin Flon last week which started when a member of the Weyburn Red Wings tried to get away with a moose leg thrown on the ice after a Bombers win. The video clearly shows a Flin Flon player skating the length of the ice which started the whole event, yet when the discipline came down, that player that started everything got off with nothing. That is just incredibly asinine if you ask me! It also makes me wonder how many three legged moose are wandering the forests in Flin Flon. Somewhere, Bullwinkle isn't happy!! One of the highlights during my time with the league was a visit to the historic Whitney Forum in Flin Flon. It is a building all hockey fans should spend time in. It is a hockey shrine!
--55-thousand people showed at BC Place for a football game Friday night. Canada's national soccer team got blitzed by Mexico in a World Cup qualifier by a score of 3-0 in a result which could have been much worse, but the fact is 55-thousand people showed up for the game. A friend of mine texted me just after the game started sarcastically asking if that crowd equals what the Lions get all season. In all seriousness, the Lions have to be looking at that crowd and wondering why they can't get that for their games. If they could find out, it would make BC Place the toughest place to play in the CFL.
--Canada's Chelsea Carey did not win the World Womens Curling Championship in Swift Current, but I don't think the locals are letting that get in the way of what looked to be a pretty good week.
After getting into the playoffs Thursday night to make the weekend a success, Carey's chances to win came to an end Saturday afternoon at the Credit Union I-Plex as she was beaten by Russia's Anna Siderova with Siderova preventing the Canadians from winning the bronze Sunday as well. The community was caught up in curling fever, and like they did years ago, Swift Current showed an event like this in their city can go off without a problem. Well done to all involved! The one thing I heard though is that the Canadian rink weren't exactly the most accomodating rink over the week, and that there were some who weren't disappointed with the fact the host side walked away without a medal. I am not sure exactly what went down, but there were quite a few people disappointed with the attitude of the Canadian reps.
--The Saskatchewan Rush are winning over more and more fans with each game. Many have made the trip up Highway 11 for a game this year and many have come back impressed. Will the Rush hold a training camp or a pre-season game in Regina so those who for whatever reason can't get to Saskatoon for a game be able to see what all the hype is about first-hand. If the Riders can head to Saskatoon for training camp, I would think Saskatchewan's 2nd pro team can make the trip south for their training camp. It would benefit both cities tremendously.
--How about this stat from Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun .... This is 10 straight seasons out of the playoffs for Edmonton. This is 10 of 11 for the Leafs. This is six of seven for Calgary. And this is 14 of 16 for Winnipeg, dating back to the Atlanta days. WOE CANADA!!
--Prediction: The Vancouver Canucks will end up with the worst record in the NHL and have the best shot at drafting Auston Matthews. Talk about falling completely off the deep end. Vancouver has seemingly forgotten how to score.
--Admit it, you love the puppymonkeybaby commercial. Don't deny it!!
--The Toronto Blue Jays need to find a trading partner for Drew Hutchison and they need to find one within the first month of the season. If they can get someone who can save 25-30 games a year, move Aaron Sanchez into the rotation and make Roberto Osuna an 8th inning guy, I like their chances of getting back to the playoffs. If they can't, I don't know if they will or not. One more question when it comes to the Jays---did Mark Buehrle ever officially announce his retirement? If he did, I missed it!
--Did you pick North Carolina, Syracuse, Oklahoma and Villanova to be in the final 4. If you didn't, don't worry, because less than a percent of people who made brackets in the ESPN pool had those teams.
--That's all I got. Have a great week!
18 comments:
Hey Scruffy, I guess the real question to ask is, out of the 55,000 soccer fans at the game in Vancouver, how many were "new" Canadians.
Not surprised to see the Pats split in Lethbridge, but I was surprised to see a shutout in Game 2. Hopefully Brandt Centre is packed tomorrow and Wednesday and fans come out to cheer instead of sitting on their hands as Regina hockey fans are known to do.
Try Roberto, not Antonio... LOL
The playoff drought really stinks, and We have had a few "close but no cigars" but... Cheese Louise!! Canada haven't had Stanley leave his cup in one of our cities since 1993...1993..we may have to install "mandatory NHL Canadian team service" for 3 years of all Canadian players up to 25 years old.
and the crappy things is most of these teams are "rebuilding" so no relief in sight.
...maybe we can enter the team from Flin Flon in the KHL to see ANY cup come to our soil (c'mon part of all of us want to see some of the robust fans from Minsk on a roadie fight it out for the leg of Moose to feed his family.
Scruffdog, Antonio Osuna is with the White Sox. Roberto is the Blue Jays pitcher. CMON!!
Should anyone be surprised at what Moose Jaw is doing to P-A? I'm not. This is why the Pats were trying to so hard to catch Moose Jaw because they knew the Raiders would be an easier get than the Hurricanes. Looking forward to Tuesday.
Kevin
Went to my first Rush game on the weekend. It won't be my last. Junior hockey teams could learn a thing or five from what they do.
PS: Why doesn't anyone call for a ban in fighting in lacrosse?
New Canadians or old Canadians, the fact remains there were 55-thousand people at BC Place. Perhaps the Lions should be trying to market the CFL to these "new Canadians" anon 1. Think about that!
Someone in the SJHL should ask why Bill Chow has it in for the Red Wings. He f###ed them over a few years ago in the final against Humboldt, and now this. Very Winnipegish if you ask me!
Lots of "new Canadians" mixing with the "old stock" Canadians at the Curling rink these days. Great to see. Now if only someone can fix my Canadiens! Go Habs in 2017!
Does anyone really think Brandon won't still win?
Who is Roberto Osuna?
GO YANKEES!!
Rush games are great! Wasn't at the one this weekend, but I have been to two games and it is something to see.
Brent L
Chelsea Carey's rink was not ready to represent Canada. I'm not sure how they won the Scotties, but in Swift Current they were outplayed and outclassed.
I don't know how much people who go to Rush game know about lacrosse, but they are loving it! It is a great game to watch and the game-day production is something WHL teams could take a lesson from. Yes, I am talking about the Regina Pats!
I was a volunteer in SC. I will say this about Carey team. They weren't the most pleasant team to be around. I could go on, but I won't. All I know is next year I will not be cheering for Team Canada at the Scotties.
I would disagree with you on Hutch and Osuna. While this is just preseason and I don't read much into preseason. Having depth in the organization is always good. A major league roster will not have a pitcher go on the injury list. Having Hutch down in the minors allows you the opportunity of bringing a proven major league starter up when someone goes down or someone is not doing well.
On Osuna.. I think leaving him as the closer is the best move. He has proven himself in that role last year and will again this year. The Jays will league arms in the pen as pitching will be an issue as well as back up catcher. If Martin goes down the jays are done
Cory
The Carey team came across rough on television, but everyone I talked to said they were the most pleasant team to be around all week in Swift Current.
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