From Ottawa To BC; Rick Campbell New Lions HC

One CFL team has scratched off its head coaching vacancy as the BC Lions named former Ottawa head coach Rick Campbell to be their new guy on Monday.  Campbell, who had been the only head coach the REDBLACKS had since joining the CFL, replaces Devone Claybrooks who spent one year on the job with the Lions winning just five times.

Campbell was 44-60-2 in his time with Ottawa including a 3 win season in 2019.  He took the team to the Grey Cup in three of the last four seasons.

“When we examined all of the qualities we wanted in a coach to lead the BC Lions, there is no doubt that Rick checks off every box,” GM Ed Hervey said in a team release. “His extensive coaching experience and past success combined with the universal respect he has earned from players and coaches across our league make him the best candidate for this position by quite a wide margin.”

NHL Three Stars Of Week

NEW YORK (Dec. 2, 2019) – Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon, Calgary Flames goaltender David Rittich and San Jose Sharks goaltender Martin Jones have been named the NHL’s “Three Stars” for the week ending Dec. 1.

 FIRST STAR – NATHAN MacKINNON, C, COLORADO AVALANCHE

MacKinnon topped the NHL with 3-6—9 in three games to power the Avalanche (16-8-2, 34 points) to a perfect week and into second place in the Central Division. He collected 1-1—2, assisting on the go-ahead goal and scoring 1:02 later, in a 4-1 comeback victory against the Edmonton Oilers Nov. 27. MacKinnon then registered 1-3—4, his eighth career four-point performance and third of the season, in a 5-2 triumph over the Chicago Blackhawks Nov. 29. He closed the week with 1-2—3 in a 7-3 win against the Blackhawks Nov. 30. The 24-year-old Halifax, N.S., native – who on Sunday was named the NHL’s “Second Star” for the month of November – is riding a seven-game point streak dating to Nov. 16, accumulating 6-10—16 during that stretch. Overall, MacKinnon ranks among the League leaders in assists (t-4th; 25), points (5th; 42) and goals (6th; 17) through 26 total contests this season.

 SECOND STAR – DAVID RITTICH, G, CALGARY FLAMES

Rittich stopped 95 of the 101 shots he faced, compiling a 2-0-1 record, 1.94 goals-against average and .941 save percentage in three contests to lift the Flames (13-12-4, 30 points) to five out of a possible six standings points. He made 35 saves in a 3-2 overtime loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins Nov. 25. Rittich then turned aside 34 shots, including 16 in the third period and overtime, in a 3-2 triumph over the Buffalo Sabres Nov. 27. He added 26 stops in a 3-1 victory against the Ottawa Senators Nov. 30. The 27-year-old Jihlava, Czech Republic, native has played in 23 total games this season, posting a 12-7-4 record with a 2.68 goals-against average, .915 save percentage and two shutouts.

 THIRD STAR – MARTIN JONES, G, SAN JOSE SHARKS

Jones went 3-0-0 with a 1.98 goals-against average and .935 save percentage in three appearances to backstop the Sharks (15-12-1, 31 points) to three wins in four games and into third place in the Pacific Division. He earned two victories against his former team, the Los Angeles Kings, making 33 saves in both a 4-3 overtime win Nov. 25 and a 4-1 triumph Nov. 29. Jones, who went 10-2-0 in November (2.62 GAA, .902 SV%), closed the month with 21 stops in a 4-2 victory against the Arizona Coyotes Nov. 30. The 29-year-old North Vancouver, B.C., native has compiled a 12-8-1 record with a 3.03 goals-against average and .896 save percentage through 22 total outings this season.

(NHL Media)

Something To "Mitch" About

3Down Nation's Justin Dunk has Rider fans talking with a pair of articles written over the past couple of days.  One of them was Ottawa has asked for permission to speak with OC Stephen McAdoo about their head coaching position with the other being Craig Dickenson is the lone coach on staff as everyone else that he had on his staff no longer has a contract.

The McAdoo thing divides Rider Nation.  There are some who came onside with his offensive scheme after seeing Cody Fajardo produce this season which is something that didn't happen in 2018 when Zach Collaros and Brandon Bridge were in charge of what was a rather putrid offence.   The addition of William Powell and the evolution of Shaq Evans and Kyran Moore along with Fajardo made the Riders offence much more pleasurable.  The scheme didn't change, the players did.

There are others who want McAdoo out of town on the next rail car with the blame being placed on him when the team doesn't succeed like in the Western Final.  With that rationale, I guess Ti-Cats fans are calling for Tommy Condell's head after what happened in the Grey Cup.   This just in---sometimes you have to give defences credit for what they do.

The McAdoo haters are quick to call for his ouster, but they aren't too quick to name a replacement.  If you are one of those saying Jason Maas, I laugh.  I don't want that guy anywhere close to the Riders locker room.  I just don't think he and Dickenson would mesh.

With a Grey Cup year on the horizon, I think it would behoove the Riders to get McAdoo, defensive co-ordinator Jason Shivers and QB coach Steve Walsh back.  Fajardo still has a lot of room for growth and now is not the time to bring forth a new offensive scheme.  Yes, that scheme McAdoo has needs some tweaking---especially inside the 20, but I don't think now is the time for a new O-C.


--When will the CFL be giving us another snapshot as to some of the players currently on neg lists?  With conference championships and bowl games about to start in the US, I think all CFL fans would like to know who to keep an eye on.

At one time, LSU quarterback and Heisman favourite Joe Burrow was on the Riders neg list. Is he still there?  If he is, I am guessing the chances of him coming to Canada are remote unless he is taking a holiday here.  He could be the number one pick in the NFL draft.    Remember when Baker Mayfield was on the Riders neg list?

--The 2013 Iron Bowl was on ESPN Classic on Friday.  That game saw Auburn beat Alabama on a last-play missed field goal return for a TD.  Some of the players playing for Auburn in that game were Nick Marshall,  Tre Mason, Quan Bray and Jonathan Mincy.  I thought former Eskimos, current Buffalo receiver Duke Williams was on that team too and maybe he was just hurt.

Its always cool as well when you are watching a college game and you see the names of a former or current Rider come up.  There was a mention of Riders practice roster player Jamal Morrow during Friday's Apple Cup game between Washington and Washington State and when North Carolina plays, you sometimes will see Darian Durant's name come up as he still holds some records at his alma-mater.    By the way, would NFL teams today rather have Durant in his prime or another NC quarterback in Mitch Trubisky.  What did the Bears see in him to trade up to number 2 leaving guys like Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson go to other squads.  I would love to sit in a war-room one night and just see the discussions that go on as to why this player should be taken and why this player shouldn't be.

--The Pats finally seem to have found some traction.  It is probably too late when it comes to being a playoff team, but they are finally getting rewarded for their effort.  It just has seemed this year that on most nights it has been one or two things that turns a win into a loss and those things are maybe now in the rearview mirror.  Time will tell.  I do think the 2nd half of the season will be much better than the first though.   They're back at home Friday on what is Teddy Bear Toss night which is always a great night at the rink.

--Those inside the CKHS Saturday night were treated to a classic as the U of R played the University of Alberta.  In the end, Alberta won the game by one point in double overtime, but it was one that left everyone inside the gym including Craig Dickenson and Jeremy O'Day entertained.  It was a great showcase for the University game.   If that contest was on TV, many would have put down their remotes to watch what was a heavyweight battle go down.  With CBC getting back into the game by showing the Vanier Cup, I can only hope it translates into more University sports being shown even if it has to be online.  Yes, CanadaWest TV brings you games, but more eyes would come if they were on CBC or the CBC sports website.  If you can have the Canadian Little League Baseball championship on your site, you can surely have Canadian University sports on it as well right?  That is not a shot at Little League Baseball either.

--Sunday's Niners-Baltimore game was one many want to see again in the Super Bowl.  As good as both teams are, I don't think either gets there.  Despite New England's loss, I still think we will see the Patriots and Saints playing for the Vince.

DUNK: No Rider Assistant Coaches Have Contract

Craig Dickenson is the only Saskatchewan Roughriders’ coach under contract beyond 2019.

The first-year bench boss signed a three-year pact after he was promoted to the role of head coach in January. Dickenson’s prior contract — originally inked while Chris Jones was the general manager and head coach — made him the CFL’s highest-paid special teams coordinator and would have expired in 2019.

Saskatchewan added two more years onto Dickenson’s deal to match it with general manager Jeremy O’Day. That pairing inherited Jones’ group of assistant coaches when he left for the Cleveland Browns. Due to the league’s new coaches cap, Dickenson kept the crew intact for the year.

Continuity paid dividends in Saskatchewan as the Riders finished 13-5 to finish atop the West Division regular season standings. The crossbar at Mosaic Stadium was the only thing that kept the green and white from a potential Grey Cup spot.

Offensive coordinator Stephen McAdoo and quarterbacks coach Steve Walsh were integral in the rise of Cody Fajardo. McAdoo was the assistant head coach and play caller and should be given more credit for the success of the offence and building the playbook around the new face of the franchise.

Defensively, pundits questioned whether the massive void left by Jones could be filled by a rookie scheme, but Jason Shivers answered the call to duty. Saskatchewan allowed the fewest points in the West Division (386), the lowest amount of offensive touchdowns in the league (30), and net offence per game (294). They also tied for the CFL sack lead with 56.

Both McAdoo and Shivers are starting to be mentioned as developing head coach candidates around the league — the performance from their respective units stood out in a strong Riders season.

Special teams coach Terry Eisler, offensive line coach Stephen Sorrells, running backs coach Kent Maugeri, receivers coach Travis Moore, defensive line coach Mike Davis, linebackers coach Chris Tormey and assistant defensive backs coach Richard Kent came together well under Dickenson.

Dickenson was not able to hire his own staff. It’s conceivable based on the results from 2019 that the same men could be back next season, especially the two closest to Fajardo. Keeping the No. 1 QB comfortable is a high priority.

However the deals work out, Dickenson is going to have the ability to decide on the hires for his staff moving forward.

(3DownNation.com)

DL Mak Henry Staying In Riderville

The Saskatchewan Roughriders have signed Canadian defensive lineman Makana Henry to a two-year contract extension, keeping him with the Club through the 2021 season.

Henry (6’1 – 275 lbs) is coming off one of his best seasons yet, playing all 18 games for the Roughriders and making 11 starts. He racked up 26 defensive tackles and three quarterback sacks while contributing to a veteran defensive line that was third best in the league at getting at the quarterback.

 Henry will enter his fifth CFL season after initially joining the Roughriders in 2016.

 Henry is a strong presence on the field as well as off it, committing himself to the Saskatchewan community. He’s won the Roughriders Community Service Award for three straight years (2017-19), was the team’s nominee for the Tom Pate Award for three years running (2017-19) and was the Roughriders 2018 nominee for the Jake Gaudaur Veterans’ Award. Henry gives back to many local charities and non-profits in the province and runs a backpack drive for inner city kids at the start of every school year.

This Weekend In Cougar Athletics

Home Events – Friday
Women's Basketball vs. Alberta, 6:00 PM (CKHS)
Women's Hockey vs. Calgary, 7:00 PM (The Co-operators Centre)
Men's Basketball vs. Alberta, 8:00 PM (CKHS)

Home Events – Saturday
Women's Hockey vs. Calgary, 3:00 PM (The Co-operators Centre)
Women's Basketball vs. Alberta, 6:00 PM (CKHS)
Men's Basketball vs. Alberta, 8:00 PM (CKHS)

Away Events – Friday
Women's Volleyball - at Winnipeg, 7:00 PM (Winnipeg, Man.)
Men's Hockey - at Calgary, 7:00 PM MST (Calgary, Alta.)

Away Events – Saturday
Men's Hockey - at Calgary, 3:00 PM MST (Calgary, Alta.)
Women's Volleyball - at Winnipeg, 7:00 PM (Winnipeg, Man.)

Swimming (Men's U SPORTS Ranking: No. 8) – The Cougars took home seven medals from the Canada West Championships in Lethbridge including one gold as Etienne Paquin-Foisy took first place in the 200-metre butterfly. Brian Palaschuk (200 IM) and Bree Crookshanks (200 breast) both won silver medals, while a total of four bronze medals were won by Palaschuk (400 IM and 200 free), Crookshanks (100 breast), and Paquin-Foisy (100 fly). Crookshanks broke her own school record in both the 100-metre and 200-metre breaststrokes.

Men's Basketball – The Cougars (4-4) went up to Saskatoon and registered a road split with the No. 5-ranked Huskies, falling 93-89 in overtime on Friday but winning 103-74 on Saturday in a game that saw the squad tie a school record for most three-pointers in a Canada West game with 18. The Cougars will face the No. 5 team in the nation for the second consecutive weekend, as Alberta (7-1) moved up to take Saskatchewan's spot in the poll and the Golden Bears will visit Regina on Friday and Saturday. Tip-off is scheduled for 8:00 on both nights at the Centre for Kinesiology, Health & Sport.

Women's Basketball – The Cougars lost twice on the road to the No. 1-ranked Saskatchewan Huskies, dropping a 73-59 decision on Friday before falling by a 74-45 margin on Saturday. The Cougars (3-5) will now close out the first half of the Canada West schedule against Alberta, which isn't ranked but is off to a solid 6-2 start through the first four weekends of conference play. Game time is set for 6:00 on both Friday night and Saturday night at the CKHS.

Women's Hockey – The Cougars collected their fourth win in five games on Friday with a 3-2 shootout win over Saskatchewan in Saskatoon, but were edged 4-3 by the Huskies in Regina on Saturday in the second game of the home-and-home. Regina (3-8-3-0) will play host to Canada West-leading Calgary this weekend, as the Dinos are 8-3-1-1 on the year and sit at No. 10 in this week's U SPORTS poll.

Women's Volleyball – After two home losses to Calgary last weekend, the Cougars (1-9) are on the road this Friday and Saturday to finish the first half of Canada West play. Regina will meet Winnipeg (4-6) at the Duckworth Centre with first serve scheduled at 7:00 PM for both matches. After this weekend, the Cougars will step away from competition for three weekends before playing in the New Year's Classic in Edmonton in late December.

Men's Hockey – The Cougars played a home-and-home series with Saskatchewan, falling 3-1 to No. 5 Saskatchewan on Friday at The Co-operators Centre in the team's annual game in support of the Shine On Foundation and losing 2-0 to the Huskies on Saturday in Saskatoon. The Cougars (2-11-1) play a nationally ranked opponent for the third consecutive weekend this Friday and Saturday as they'll travel to Calgary to face a Dinos team that's 9-3-2 and ranked No. 9 in U SPORTS.

This And That

--Welcome to Friday and the usual assortment of things running through my muddled mind.   As always, these come in no particular order

--The Bill Peters story is a shocker! It has stunned not only the hockey community, but the entire sporting landscape.  Yes, what Peters did was many, many years ago but it doesn't excuse him from what was said.  Like many of you, I am left to wonder what is taking the Flames so long to jettison him from the organization and how did Peters continue to get NHL jobs when it is obvious that the hockey community knew what was going on----at least they seemed to.   When it comes to why he is still employed, I am guessing there is a lot of legalese happening.

How did and why did  Hockey Canada reward this guy with assignments?  How did the Red Wings allow him to come on board their organization and how did he get head coaching jobs in Carolina and Calgary.  To be fair, I have heard nothing but great things about Peters from those in the hockey community including people that were here for the Heritage Classic.  Those people must be as stunned as anyone.

This isn't as large as the Graham James scandal, but it is an eye-opener for hockey. A big one!  I am guessing there are a lot of coaches in a lot of sports that are going back and reviewing their tactics for situations that have come up in the past.


--The ink is slowly drying on the 2019 CFL season, but it is safe to say that there will likely be a lot of off-season talk which is good for the league.  There are three head coaching vacancies as BC, Edmonton and Ottawa need to fill their spots.  The Bombers still haven't signed Mike O'Shea to an extension and why would Toronto want to keep Corey Chamblin after the disaster they have just gone through.   Yes, I know the Argos have stated they will likely keep Chamblin, but why? Until I see something official from the Argos on Chamblin's status, I would say they are looking.

You have to think Rick Campbell ends up in Edmonton and one would have to believe Jason Maas re-surfaces in BC, but I don't know if he would be the head coach.  I wonder if Mike Reilly would have any say in that.  Does Mike Benavides deserve another shot?

--What do the Bombers do with Zach Collaros?   He gave them the greatest four games in franchise history by bringing a Grey Cup.  How can Winnipeg not offer him a contract after what he did.  I am guessing Zach would like to go back to Toronto or Hamilton for family reasons, but if the money is right.

--How much quarterback movement are we going to see in the off-season?  With the Lions, Eskimos, Stamps, Riders and Alouettes secure with their signal-callers. there will be some openings, but who falls where.  Does Hamilton stay with Dane Evans and let Jeremiah Masoli go.  Where does Nick Arbuckle end up?If Winnipeg keeps Collaros, where does Matt Nichols end up?

--Who celebrated their championship harder.  Chris Streveler or Alex Ovechkin?

--In watching the Grey Cup again, I would have cast my vote for the game's MVP to Willie Jefferson. He was everywhere in that game right from the opening series.

--If you have seen the CFL free agent list, what three free agents from another team (not the Riders) would you like to see wearing green-and-white next year.

--Back to hockey.  If the old adage of 75-80 percent of teams in the playoffs as of the American Thanksgiving holiday make the playoffs then you would find right now that four of the seven Canadian teams would be in (Edmonton, Winnipeg, Toronto, Vancouver) with Calgary and Montreal on the edge of a spot.  Its hard to fathom that stat when there is so much time to go in the season, but the facts show it to be reality.

--True and loyal Toronto Raptors fans are complaining that their team is getting no respect despite the fact they have the 2nd best record in the East.  On this one they are right.  This team isn't getting back to the championship with the roster it has now, but they deserve to be mentioned as one of the league's top teams which they aren't anymore.  Meanwhile, the mighty Golden State Warriors are now the 2nd worst team in the "association" ahead of only the Knicks. Oh, how the mighty have fallen.  Not many are complaining about that.

--Who is the next head coach of the Dallas Cowboys?  Jerry Jones has said he isn't getting rid of Jason Garrett, but one has to think that as soon as the final gun sounds ending Dallas' season that Garrett will be a man without a job.  Would an established NFL coach want to go work for Jones in the environment that is the Cowboys or would he have to find a college coach.  I think its the latter.

--Week 13 NFL Lock Of The Week --- Chiefs over Raiders
   Week 13 NFL Upset Of The Week  --- Steelers over Browns

--Should be a good weekend of basketball at the CKHS as the Cougars take on Alberta.  Go check it out.  It won't break your wallet!

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