List of Players Available For Vegas Knights Released

The NHL’s newest team, the Vegas Golden Knights, will announce their roster at next week’s NHL Awards, but first they must pick players in a league expansion draft.

In that expansion draft, the Golden Knights will select 30 players — one from each established NHL team. Those 30 other NHL teams can protect players on their roster (seven forwards, three defensemen and one goaltender or eight skaters and one goaltender) but anyone left exposed can have their contract assumed by Vegas for no compensation.

The list of what players were protected and not protected by the various teams can be found here

Vince Young And Many Others Released By Riders

And with that tweet from Vince Young's agent, Leigh Steinberg, the former NFL quarterback's attempted comeback appears to be over.

CFL teams have to get down to the limit today and several Riders have already announced through social media they have been let go including Anthony Allen and Jenson Stoshak.

Young was trying to revive a football career that had seen him not play a game since 2011, but the 34 year old suffered a torn hamstring during training camp that will take 4-6 weeks to heal,


As for the rest of the moves made by the Riders, here you go....

 ADDED TO PRACTICE ROSTER:

·       International wide receiver Antwane Grant

·       National defensive lineman Makana Henry

·       National offensive lineman Eddie Meredith

·       International defensive lineman D.J. Pettway

·       National defensive back Denzel Radford

·       National wide receiver Joshua Stanford

·       International linebacker Myke Tavarres

SUSPENDED:

·       National offensive lineman Emmanuel Adusei

·       National linebacker Alexandre Chevrier

·       International defensive back Ahmad Fulwood

·       National wide receiver Mitchell Picton

RELEASED:

·       International defensive back Royce Adams

·       International running back Anthony Allen

·       International quarterback Bryan Bennett

·       International defensive back Zavian Bingham

·       National defensive lineman Ivan Brown

·       International defensive back Crezdon Butler

·       International offensive lineman Terrence Campbell

·       International wide receiver Joe Craig

·       National linebacker Alexander Gagne

·       International defensive back Warren Gatewood

·       National linebacker Dillon Grondin

·       International offensive lineman Jarriel King

·       International wide receiver Thomas Mayo

·       International defensive lineman Greg Milhouse Jr.

·       International wide receiver Desmond Reece

·       National defensive lineman Jordan Reaves

·       International defensive back Mark Roberts

·       International wide receiver Jenson Stoshak

·       International running back Quincy Walden

·       International quarterback Vince Young

Blown-Out In BC

 

That wasn't pretty!

The BC Lions throttled the Riders 42-10 in CFL pre-season play Friday in Vancouver.

Jonathan Jennings was the story as the BC quarterback threw touchdown passes to Jeremiah Johnson, Marco Ianuzzi and Emmanuel Arceneaux in the 2nd quarter as the Lions pulled away from a Saskatchewan team which struggled offensively.

The lone Riders touchdown came in the 4th quarter when Bryan Bennett connected on a 39 yard touchdown pass to Josh Stanford.

Cuts have to be made by 8 o'clock CST Saturday night. 

The Riders open the 2017 CFL season in Montreal Thursday.

Players To Watch

The Riders finish the pre-season off in BC Friday night.  While Chris Jones likely has a majority of his roster written down, there are still some areas where he likely doesn't know who stays and who goes.

Here are five  players to watch for tonight as the green-and-white take the field

KEVIN GLENN -  You really could put all quarterbacks into this, but it is the first appearance of the year for Glenn after he took the first game off.  Glenn will get a chance to work the rust off before giving way to Brandon Bridge, Bryan Bennett and Marquise Williams as he works with the number ones.

 

MITCH PICTON -  With the release of Canadian receiver Mitchell Baines this week, some believe it has opened the door for Picton to make the roster.  How many reps will he see tonight?  If he is out there a lot, it could be an indication as to whether or not he is going to stick around or not.  If he does make it and makes a game-day roster, his days with the Regina Rams are done.  If he makes it as a practice roster player and doesn't appear on a game-day roster, he can stay with the green-and-white until August 15 before a decision has to be made as to whether he stays in those colours or trades in a Rider jersey for a Rams one to finish off his USports career.

 

QUINN VAN GYLSWYK -  Josh Bartel will play tonight so Van Gylswyk may not get many punting opportunities as he returns to his home province and the city where he played university football.  Van Gylswyk has shown he can handle all three spots and that could be huge when it comes to finalizing who stays and who goes especially when it comes to Canadians or nationals if you have adhered to that.

 

DARIUSZ BLADEK -  The Riders 2nd round draft pick was considered by some to be the best offensive lineman in the draft, and there were a lot of them.  Bladek has impressed when given the opportunity, and he will get the chance to start at right guard tonight in place of the injured Josiah St. John.  With the Lions starting their number one unit, Bladek will be put to the test.

 

CAMERON MARSHALL -  Right now, it would appear as if he is winning the battle to be the starting tailback for the Riders, but Anthony Allen is not making it easy.  Marshall showed some good power in the 25-25 tie with Winnipeg, but Allen had some positives as well.  A solid showing by the former Bomber may give him the job.

 

This and That

Welcome to Friday! Here are the usual weekly thoughts running through my muddled mind, and as always they come in no particular order.

--RIP Don Matthews. One of the most colourful characters and without a doubt, the most colourful coach professional football has seen passed away at the age of 77 this week. Once news of his death became public, the tributes flowed. Many in the industry wrote tremendous articles with Sportscage insider Arash Madani perhaps taking the cake with his that started this way

It was the first meeting on opening day of Alouettes training camp in the spring of 2002. Don Matthews stepped to the lectern at the military base in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que., to set the tone for the season, and begin his era as head coach of Montreal’s Canadian Football League franchise.
“There’s only one rule around here,” Matthews told the team. “Nobody, and I mean nobody gets more (women) around here than I do.”
The players looked around at one another, and the session broke up. Six months later, the Alouettes won the first Grey Cup championship of their modern era.

Matthews didn't ask much from his players until gametime and when he did, he expected their best. The record will show he got it.  The respect he has in the football world and the loss that has been created is huge. 

--The Riders finish their pre-season in BC tonight.  At this time next week, we will be discussing the season opener in Montreal. What will that team look like that takes the field against the Alouettes? Chris Jones and company have some tough decisions to make. Some of those decisions may be easier after tonight, but its' safe to say the coaches will have a lot of talk amongst themselves as they get down to the limit by Sunday. I'm not even going to try and guess who stays and who goes,  Are there any vets on the bubble? I would suggest there would be.

--The speculation continues about Vince Young in the wake of the hamstring injury that is going to sideline him 4-6 weeks. Is the comeback attempt over? One would think the answer is yes. Young needs to develop and continue learning the CFL. That can't happen when he isn't on the field. Filmwork only takes you so far.  While Vince has said he just wants to be one of the guys, some of those "guys" wouldn't get the chance to stick around like what Young will get because of his name.  I'm interested to see if he ends this experiment, if the Riders do or if it continues.

--As the team heads into BC, is there still a position that leaves you with a big question mark?   I would say the secondary, but it's not a big question mark.  The same goes for running back.  Where are you on that?

--The Jeffrey Orridge era is over.  His tenure as CFL commissioner ended on Thursday after just two and a bit years. I asked the question on Thursday's Sportscage what his legacy would be and the answers ranged to "Does he really have one?" to "Just a footnote in the history of the CFL" to "His legacy will be likened to Kim Campbell's #forgotten".  Safe to say Orridge was not popular in these parts for his constant fines towards the Riders, but I think he got put into a position he just wasn't ready for. Did he really know the league coming in? Did he know who the power-brokers were and did he really know what was good and what wasn't for the league.  He just seemed confused from the moment he took over. Now it appears as if no one wants to take over.  While that surprises me, it really shouldn't when you consider the commissioner has to make sure 9 teams with 9 different agendas are on the same page.  It's not an easy job that's for sure.  

 Have the Bombers accomplished a CFL first? Two games and two ties in the pre-season. Verrrrrrrryyyyy Winnipegish if you ask me

--The IOC has approved 3 on 3 basketball for the next Summer Olympics. As far as I know, NBA'ers can participate.  Would the IOC consider a 3 on 3 hockey to go along with the regular game? 

--Pro golfer Kevin Na isn't impressed with the fescue at the Erin Hills course---the sight of the US Open. He even went as far as making a video in which he smartly doesn't ridicule the course itself, just the rough.  Hmmmm, I don't see Na making a video saying a course is too easy when there is very little challenge and guys are shooting 63's and 64's. The US Open is supposed to provide a challenge and as Rory McIlroy said on Tuesday, 

"Really? We have 60 yards from left line to right line," said McIlroy. "You've got 156 of the best players in the world here, if we can't hit it within that avenue, you might as well pack your bags and go home. 

"These are the widest fairways we've ever played in a U.S. Open. Even the first and second cut is another 10 yards on top of that. So if you've got 50 or 60 yards to hit into and you're complaining about the fescue that's wider than that, I don't think that's an issue."

Thanks Rory!  In the end, Rory may have been more affected by the course than Na was as Kevin shot 68 while McIlroy came in at 78

--Are you excited to see Floyd Mayweather vs Conor McGregor in August?  I'm not!  I have no desire to pay to watch Mayweather hug McGregor for 10 or 12 rounds.  I don't even know how interested I would be if it were a MMA fight if the truth be told.

--Small-town Saskatchewan and how great it is was on display Thursday night in Rouleau.  It was great to take the Sportscage to Rouleau for the "Hockey and Hearts" Sportsman banquet in an event Bill and Keith Aulie have really put on the map.

All you have to do is drive around the small town to see how the town has benefitted from money raised over the last six years.  The whole town seemingly gets involved, and the whole town was seemingly in attendance for the dinner which followed the golf tournament featuring celebrities like Ben Heenan, John Paddock, Tim Hunter just to name a few.  It was outstanding to see and congrats to all on what looked to be another great day despite the rain.  Rain that really had no one complaining since the agricultural community needs it. Let's just say Big Ben wasn't frowning over the fact he had to dodge raindrops.

That's all I got. Have a great weekend all!

Riders Depth Chart for Friday's Game in Vancouver

Before leaving for Vancouver, the team announced the signing of linebacker DJ Pettway and the release of Canadian receiver Mitchell Baines.

620 CKRM's broadcast from BC Place Friday begins at 5 with the play-by-play at 8

CP Canadian Women's Open Coming To Regina in 2018

For the first time, Saskatchewan will play host to a major LPGA Tour event as Golf Canada and Canadian Pacific (CP) have announced the 2018 CP Women’s Open will head to Regina’s Wascana Country Club from August 20-26, 2018.

“We are very excited to bring the CP Women’s Open to Regina and the province of Saskatchewan in 2018,” said Tournament Director Brent McLaughlin. “Saskatchewan is a tremendous golf community and we are confident Wascana Country Club will be a fitting test to challenge the world’s best women’s golfers.”

Through its CP Has Heart campaign, CP will once again be making a significant charitable donation within the host community. In its first three years of title sponsorship, from 2014-2016, the campaign has raised over $4.5 million in host communities.

The Wascana Country Club has welcomed more than 30 notable championships since its founding in 1911, including the PGA of Canada Championship in 1992; the Saskatchewan Men’s Amateur Golf Championship six times, most recently in 2005; and the Saskatchewan Women’s Amateur Golf Championship 10 times between 1915 and 1990. The 18-hole championship course set in the wetlands of Saskatchewan will also play host to the 2017 Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship later this summer in August.

“Our board of directors, members and staff are truly excited about hosting this most prestigious event,” said Greg Dukart, Chief Executive Officer of Wascana Country Club. “Our venue is ready and our championship golf course will provide a memorable and unique examination to the world’s greatest female golfers. We are looking forward to being part of the great history of the CP Women’s Open.”

Canada’s National Women’s Open Championship has traditionally featured one of the strongest fields on the LPGA Tour vying for a total purse of $2.25 million USD, one of the largest purses on tour. The CP Women’s Open welcomes the top players on the LPGA Tour including CP golf ambassadors Brooke Henderson and Lorie Kane and fellow Canadian Alena Sharp, along with past champions and LPGA stars such as Lydia Ko, Ariya Jutanugarn, So Yeon Ryu, Suzann Pettersen and Michele Wie.

“The Greater Regina Area is emerging as one of the best places in Canada to host an event, convention or trade show. Our unique assets and attractions combine to create what we call, the Regina Advantage. The 2018 CP Women’s Open Championship will help showcase Regina and all we have to offer to a world-wide audience,” said John Lee, President & CEO of Economic Development Regina. “

First conducted in 1973, Canada’s National Women’s Open Championship has allowed the brightest stars of the LPGA Tour to shine on Canadian soil and to inspire the nation’s next generation of female golfers.

Information regarding tickets, volunteer opportunities and corporate hospitality for the CP Women’s Open can be found at www.cpwomensopen.com.

(Golf Canada)