Riders Unveil New Jersey

Riders Release CFL Signature Uniform

 

 

The Saskatchewan Roughriders today unveiled a special edition jersey which will debut at Mosaic Stadium on August 16^th against the Montreal Alouettes.  The special addition jersey will be worn up to two times a year and is part of the new CFL Signature Uniform program from Reebok.  Player video’s and images of the new jersey can be viewed at www.Riderblitzgreen.com

 

Fast, bold and exciting, this new jersey was designed to capture the spirit and energy of Rider Nation.  The new design uses traditional Rider green as its core but highlights that iconic colour with a new blitz green.  A modern addition to the classic look, blitz green takes the design to a whole new level.

 

Special sublimated twill numbers show off the unique “wheat to sky” pattern inspired by the current logo.  Combined with the new carbon coloured pants a modern new sock design and topped by a wheat pattern wrapped helmet, the new signature uniform is unlike anything in the 104 year history of the Roughriders. 

 

“Our new special addition Jersey brings a new Green to the Roughrider Colour palette.   The new “Blitz Green” is a vibrant colour that complements the traditional Rider green   and delivers a new energy to game day”, said president and CEO Jim Hopson. 

 

Assistant GM Jeremy O’Day commented, “This is a very unique, bold jersey.  It’s definitely a statement jersey that our players are really excited to suite up and play in on Aug 16^th.”

 

In addition to jerseys, the Rider Store will stock an assortment of hats, tee shirts and a sideline polo.  Mark Habicht, Director of Retail Operations added, “We wanted to allow coaches and fans to get in on the new green and be part of this exciting new look.”

 

Starting immediately, the new jerseys and the clothing collection are exclusively available from all four Rider Store locations – Mosaic Stadium, Northgate Mall, Grasslands in Harbour Landing and The Centre in Saskatoon, as well as online at www.theriderstore.ca.  

 

 

This And That

I could give you the assortment of thoughts running through my muddled mind on a variety of topics, but who's kidding who, the Rider game takes center stage. Here are some thoughts on what went down at Investors Group Field.

 --Oh Drew Willy, didn't you learn when you were here that you don't try and beat Terrell Maze. This guy is so under-rated its not even funny. Opposition quarterbacks don't throw Maze's direction very often and when they do, they don't succeed. In this case, it turned a win into a loss for the Bombers.

--What more can you say about John Chick that you haven't said already when it comes to his play. Rumour is he sacked Drew Willy on the way to the team bus. Chick is definitely the top defensive player in the league at this stage of the season. Is he the best player period?

--Say what you will about Darian Durant, but he didn't throw three picks and one fumble with two of those plays turning into touchdowns.

--I have no idea who starts at running back against the Alouettes on August 16.

--Is a defender not allowed to hit a receiver within 5 yards of the line of scrimmage. If they are, there were some terrible calls against the Riders especially on the long TD drive. Both Rod Williams and Ricky Foley were victims of brutal calls---especially Foley.

--Macho Harris and Weldon Brown had tough nights, but its not as bad when you win. The same might be said for Chris Milo. All three can and will bounce back.

--The Riders to a man deserve credit for getting this win. Two road wins in five days is nothing to sneeze about. Where are all the haters now? This team has proven its resiliency and they are over their Grey Cup hangover which is something they don't want to admit, but its something I think they had after three weeks of the season.

--Corey Chamblin sounded like a proud father at the end of the game. I would have loved to have heard his game-end address to the team. Whatever it was, I think this team took a big step to being where they want to be at the end of the year. That trip was not easy and they come home after spending nine days on the road with a pair of victories. Coach C said the players will get a day off when they get home----cmon Coach, give em two!!

Your thoughts are more than welcome!

Riders #3 In Canada

Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League (NHL) have the strongest brand among professional sports teams in the country, concludes an opinion survey with Canadian sports fans released today by Insightrix Research Inc.

Toronto Maple Leafs, also of the NHL, ranked second, Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League (CFL) was third and Toronto Blue Jays, Canada’s lone team in Major League Baseball (MLB) was fourth.

Insightrix, an internationally-recognized research firm based in Saskatoon, conducted the survey in collaboration with the Phoenix Group, a Regina-based advertising agency.

“A total of 2,676 randomly-selected sports fans were polled online May 8-26 in nine Canadian metro areas that are home to professional sports franchises,” explained Mario Caceres, senior research executive with Insightrix.

“Results were weighted to accurately represent the population in each metro area as a percentage of the national population and by the proportion of followers of each sports league in those areas.”

Metro areas surveyed were: Calgary, Edmonton, Hamilton, Montreal, Ottawa, Regina, Toronto, Vancouver and Winnipeg.  Because the research was conducted online, he said it is considered to be a non-probability proportion sample and therefore, margins of error are not applicable.

Sports fans from the nine metro areas that are home to professional sports franchises were asked a series of questions to better understand their perception of NHL, CFL and MLB as well as the National Basketball Association (NBA) and Major League Soccer team brands in Canada.

Five key brand metrics were measured including first brand that comes to mind, their level of respect for team brands as well as their perception of the most loyal fans, team popularity and stadium atmosphere, Caceres said.

“The top four brand rankings were developed using a statistically-valid combination of the team’s rankings in each of the categories surveyed,” he said. 

The most respected team is the Canadiens, followed by the Roughriders, Blue Jays and Alouettes.  When it comes to popularity, fans perceive the Montreal Canadiens to be the most popular, followed by the Saskatchewan Roughriders, Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Alouettes.

The Canadiens edge out the Roughriders as the team perceived to have the most loyal fans.

Across all leagues the Montreal Canadiens have the strongest brand nationally followed by the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Saskatchewan Roughriders and the Toronto Blue Jays.

The top ten brands across all sports include three NHL teams, four CFL teams, one team each from the NBA, MLB and MLS.

The research reveals that individual NHL brands are very strong, but mostly in their local or regional markets. CFL brands also consistently show strength in local markets, however CFL teams enjoy greater out of market brand affinity.  Toronto and Montreal-based team rankings across all sports benefitted from the larger population base in their local areas.

Pats Make Paddock Signing Official

 

The Regina Pats Hockey Club is proud to announce the hiring of John Paddock as Head Coach and Senior Vice-President of Hockey Operations. The Pats are also happy to confirm Chad Lang continues in his role as Senior Vice-President involved in the hockey and business sides of the organization.



Paddock comes to the Queen City after five seasons with the Philadelphia Flyers as Assistant General Manager. Last season, he served as one of the Flyers’ assistant coaches as the team compiled a 42-30-10 record en route to a berth in the playoffs.



“I am very happy to be joining the Regina Pats,” commented John Paddock. “It’s an exciting time for the ownership group and myself as we join forces to build a model WHL franchise the people of Regina can get behind. It will be great to get started!”



Before his time with the Flyers, Paddock spent 21 seasons building extensive coaching experience with both NHL and AHL teams. The Oak River, MB native is a member of the AHL Hall of Fame (2010) and the third winningest coach in league history with a record of 589-438-98. He was named the AHL Coach of the Year for the 1987-88 season and is the only coach to lead three different franchises to Calder Cup Championships (Maine–1984, Hershey–1988, Hartford–2000). Paddock’s tenure includes head coaching in the NHL with the Winnipeg Jets (1991-94) and Ottawa Senators (2007-08).



“We are very excited to welcome John to the Pats family!” said Regina Pats Governor Anthony Marquart. “His extensive hockey experience in coaching and management is an asset as we work to build a solid foundation and develop our hockey club for future success. We went through an exhaustive search to find the right fit for our hockey club and in John we found exactly what we need.”



Prior to stepping behind the bench, Paddock played nine seasons of professional hockey in the AHL and NHL, winning two Calder Cups (Maine–1978, 1979). John played his junior hockey with the Brandon Wheat Kings from 1972-1974.



Paddock will be introduced at a media conference prior to the Pats’ 2014 Training Camp opening August 21st at the Cooperators Centre. The Blue and White play their first pre-season game August 28th at home to the Moose Jaw Warriors.



“Overall, this revised structure ensures a focus on sustained hockey development and commitment to winning while having in place a business operating model focused on an enhanced fan experience,” continued Marquart. “We are committed to bringing a Memorial Cup to Regina and the proper structure is the first step.”



“Under the ownership group we had the opportunity to discuss our organization's structure,” explained Chad Lang. “Recommendations were brought forward on both sides of the operation that will aid in the organization's short and long term goals. The organizational restructure allows me to focus my efforts to work alongside Todd Lumbard and the ownership group while remaining committed to assisting all staff on both sides of the organization.”

“Chad has been instrumental during this entire process. His knowledge of our league, recommendations and tireless efforts allowed us to bring on John Paddock and positioned our organization for future success. We are very pleased Chad continues in his role of Senior Vice-President as we move forward,” Marquart concluded

Riders News/Pats News

The Saskatchewan Roughriders allowed late Monday night receiver Taj Smith has been charged with violating a condition of his release on a charge of aggravated assault. It is not known what Smith is alleged to have done. The team says he will not play Thursday in Winnipeg.

-----

The Leader-Post's Greg Harder is reporting former Senators and Jets head coach John Paddock is the new head coach of the Regina Pats. Paddock has apparently also assumed control of hockey operations. Its not known what this means for current GM Chad Lang who is also the team's senior vice-president. It is expected a formal announcement will be made later this week.

Something To "Mitch" About

After watching the Riders completely demoralize the REDBLACKS Saturday night, I just had to ask one thing. That was "Who the hell was that with the "S" on their helmets in Toronto and at home against B.C. Through 5 games, this team has either been very good or very bad and really they weren't all that bad against the Lions. Once again, it was over early Saturday thanks to the defense who has come back from the bye week with an attitude. Just some thoughts on what transpired on the TD Place turf.


  --Tearrius George!!! His play this year hasn't been noticed because of what John Chick is doing, but the guy is playing his best football in a Rider uniform. You could see that thunderous hit coming on the Ottawa player on the Tristan Jackson punt return and it was a thing of beauty. I texted Luc Mullinder saying that must be a d-lineman's dream.

  --Chris Getzlaf showed us how much the Rider offence has missed him. There just seemed to be a different confidence with 89 back on the field.

 --I never have a problem seeing Rob Bagg have a good game. Like many of you, (and I'm sure Rob will hate this), I cringe whenever he catches a ball and just want him to get up and run back to the huddle after his previous knee injuries. Bagg may never suffer another knee problem during his career, but I and I think of lot of you still want the guy to compete the way he always has and not get hurt.

--If Tristan Jackson isn't either defensive or special teams player of the week, something is wrong. Barring injury, I think Marshay Green's time returning kicks on this team are over,

--Should I be worried about Brendon Labatte's injury? It didn't seem that bad as TSN showed him working on the sidelines, but he didn't get back in. He didn't need to the way the game was progressing, but with a  short week, I have to wonder if he will suit up in Winnipeg.

--This is being real nitpicky and chintzy and its not a knock on Coach Chamblin whatsoever, however, it would seem to me as if Anthony Allen is a better runner/pass receiver than Will Ford. I'm a guy who likes that guy who can catch out of the backfield. I'd give Allen another shot.

--I think everyone knows what I think of the work of the stripes in the CFL and that was evident again Saturday---especially early. What I don't understand is why does Darian take so many late shots that aren't penalized. There were at least two and maybe three where Ottawa defenders should have been flagged for roughing the QB under the way the rule is interpreted. If that were Hank or Mike Reilly or Ricky Ray, I'm sure a flag would have been thrown. Do I need to just stop bitching about these mistakes and take it for what it is or should I continue to be frustrated as a fan?



--Is Henry starting to slow down or is it the surrounding cast around him. He didn't look good at all.

--Was I the only one thinking disaster will come of this when the Ottawa guys were trying to get that chainsaw going after their TD. Perhaps Worksafe Bob needs to check out these guys!

Elsewhere......

--While being critical of the refs, two thumbs up though to the ref that got kicked in the face accidentally by Kyries Hebert Friday night and came back after getting bandaged up. Yes, that left a mark and yes. that's Canadian tough. Take that Ed Hochuli!!

--Do you think the producers at TSN cringe every time Matt Dunigan does colour. I don't think anyone knows what is going to come from the mouth of the former CFL quarterback and I don't know if Matt does either. Someone also needs to tell me my Gord Miller and Matt kept calling Martell Mallett---Martell on Friday night. They don't call Jon Cornish Jon and they don't call Darian Durant Darian so why did they keep saying Martell. Was no one around to correct them? It didn't sound good.

--The NFL Hall of Fame ceremony was magical on Saturday night. Michael Strahan brought the house down with his induction speech while Bills receiver Andre Reed was also very passionate in his speech. Canton, Ohio and a trip to the HOF is a must. Its on the bucketlist. I just don't know how long I would be in there.

--I think the frustration has started in Jays-land. Losing three of four to one of the worst teams in baseball is not a good way to start the final two months of the season. These three games coming up against Baltimore are beyond huge! By the way, I love the debate on whether or not Toronto should have made a trade or two at the deadline. A lot of you feel like I do and lot of you don't. I just think the time to win is now and the time to add players and payroll if necessary was now and not to shy away as the team has done. I just don't think they have the horses to make the playoffs, but they would have had they added an arm or two. Time will tell and that time starts Tuesday.

Another year of the QCX has come to an end and while my wallet isn't feeling the sting of a day at the exhibition, my feet are! The oldest Scruffette and I went to go see "Down With Webster" and she was thrilled to meet the band. Me....MEHHH!!! Although I will admit, they were pretty good.  I would have rather met Bret Michaels Friday night, but she had the opportunity and that is what counts. As for me, I was in good company.....

Before the show, I had about 90 minutes to just sit and people watch. It is an interesting dichotomy of people that walk the Evraz Place facility and I mean interesting. I don't really think I have to explain.

As mentioned, I would have loved to have seen Bret Michaels Friday night, but no one did because of that storm that rolled through. I am thinking my good friend Kelly Remple must have been near suicidal. The opening band Bleeker Ridge ended up coming to the WOLF 104.9 trailer and did a song in front of everyone unplugged. Word is it was awesome and one of the highlights of the entire fair. Those guys are good!

A belated thanks to the guys at the Regina Motor Products collision centre. They took the Scruffmobile in for repairs while I was in the states after some douchebag sideswiped it in the Northgate Mall parking lot in June. It looks brand new so thanks kindly.

There's a suggestion out there to name the August long holiday after Terry Fox. Sign me up on that one. I can't think of a better Canadian to honor than that of Fox.


Tweet of the week and perhaps a candidate for Tweet of the  year goes to country singer Brad Paisley.

Uh oh, saw some breast feeding tonight in the crowd at Sacramento. Thankfully, no infants were involved.

PK Subban got how much???? Man, if he is hauling in that type of coin, I can't wait to see what Drew Doughty ends up with, That deal is beyond ridiculous if you ask me. I''m not a Subban fan though.

Classy of the Ducks to retire Teemu Selanne's jersey before a game against the Jets. I can only wonder if Jets might decide to retire his number as well at some point. Why not?

Peyton Manning can throw a football and can involve himself in some entertaining commercials, but he can't dance as was evidenced this week when he was shuckin and jiving to Rocky Top  at camp this week. That would have made Simon Cowell run for the exit.

That's all I got. Have a great holiday Monday.

This And That

The weekly collection of thoughts running through my muddled brain

1. Jose Bautista is pissed because the Blue Jays stood pat at the trade deadline. I can't blame him. In fact, I will say on this the last day of July the Blue Jays will not make the playoffs. While Toronto added some bats, what they needed was an arm or two and GM Alex Anthopoulos failed or Rogers Communications failed the fan-base by not letting him strike a deal. Anthopoulos has let it be known the right deal wasn't there. I say BS to that. While I'm sure every team wanted to know about the availability of trading top prospects, every team would want the top prospects of every other team. The Cleveland Indians sent Justin Masterson to St. Louis for an outfielder ranked 8th in their system. I'm sure the Indians asked for OF Oscar Taveras or Stephen Piscotti, but they eventually came to a deal to send James Ramsey to Cleveland. Could Anthopoulos have not done this? That's just one example.  I'm sure Toronto could have struck a deal to get an arm without giving up an Aaron Sanchez or a Marcus Stroman. Toronto needed a starter to improve a rotation that doesn't strike any fear in anyone or some relief.  The Jays won't have a chance like this again for a while. They have methinks let one get away. Perhaps, they can stick around and if they do that's great, but I don't like their chances especially when I see how many games they have against contending teams that did improve themselves like Baltimore, Seattle and the Yankees.  Even the low budget Oakland Athletics realize this is the year to lose the dice and as a result, they gave up Yoenis Cespedes for Jon Lester and Jonny Gomes. If Oakland wins it all, no one will remember Cespedes getting dealt even if he has a Hall of Fame career with Boston.  Jays analyst Gregg Zaun said Thursday night the Jays worsened themselves by not adding anyone. ESPN's Steve Phillips says it was a horrible day for the Jays. I can't argue with them. I know there are some who are fine with what Toronto has done. That's cool, but I question how much they want their team to win it all.

• The WWE network is finally coming to Canada. Excuse me, its finally coming to southern Ontario. It would appear is if the 24/7 wrestling network that many in our province would like to have is only at this time going to be a part of the Rogers network. ?????  Why is it many of these networks come to Rogers first while we wait in Saskatchewan whether we have Access or Sask-Tel? How much longer till we have the option to buy this and other networks we can't get like the MLB Network! At least we can get Sunday Ticket and yes, I will be ordering mine this weekend.

• Its great to see Chris Getzlaf back practicing with the Riders. The offence has sputtered without number 89 in there and it will be great having him back in there against the REDBLACKS doing his thing. Is he the solution to what has plagued Darian and company over the first four games. No he hasn't, but his absence has been noticeable.

• Is Kent Austin still considered a coaching god?

• Have the Bombers announced the date of the Grey Cup parade? If they haven't yet, I'm sure they will next week if they beat the Riders.  Why are the Bombers playing so many Thursday night games?

• After seeing so many Weston Dressler updates, it was refreshing to get some Kory Sheets updates from the Raiders camp. Like Weston in KC, the coaching staff in Oakland appears to like what they are seeing from Sheets. I will ask you this though. If one were to come back, who would you rather have? With all apologies to Sheets, I would say Dressler because we have seen this year that any running back can do his thing behind that Riders o-line. That's no insult to Sheets either because his talents don't need to be described on this page.  Guys like Sheets can be found, guys like Dressler can't be.

• The provincial NDP must be wondering if Christmas has come six months early. I can't believe how badly botched this Saskpower smart meters has become for the government. Brad Wall is saying the right things, but someone has to pay the price for this mess. Who will it be and when?

• Just so I know in advance, what are the popular stuffed animals on the midway at the Queen City Ex this year? I will be attempting to win one of them for my 11 year old this weekend without sacrificing a mortgage payment.

• Did Global weathergirl Tiffany Lizee really do her forecast Thursday night from atop the ferris wheel at the Ex. If so, attagirl Tiff!!! Is the slingshot next?

• If there is a better female news anchor out there than CBC's Jill Morgan, I'd like to know who it is. She's the best on my TV screen and I've got many channels.

• Best news of the week was that of Vin Scully returning for another year to do LA Dodger games. There is no one better and there will be no one better than Scully at any sport doing his thing. I have driven many a road or sat in the backyard many nights with Mr. Scully calling a Dodgers game on satellite radio. He simply is magical when behind the mike.

• A belated congratulations to the Regina team that will go to the Little League Junior World Series in Taylor, Michigan. The group of 14 year old boys will be representing Canada at the event which isn't as marquee as the event Regina went to several years ago in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, but its just as prestigious. Have fun guys and good luck!!!

• Best of luck to the Regina Red Sox as they start playoffs Friday night against the Yorkton Cardinals. The best of 5 affair will see Games 1 and 2 at Currie Field with a 705 start each night. I'm guessing because of the Riders game there won't be a great turnout on Saturday, but lets see if they can get a grand in the park for tonight's tilt.

• Its the last real long weekend of the summer so if you are getting on the highway, play it safe and get to and from in one piece.