What Did You Miss Saturday?

-Some CFL teams have announced their cuts, but the Riders haven't.   However, it is known the receiving corps will look much different. Rob Bagg, Bakari Grant and Chad Owens have all let it be known they have been let go by the club and offensive lineman Travis Bond appears to be gone as well.  Bagg was about to enter his 10th season with the team.  He played in 139 games for the Riders catching 364 passes for 4,705 yards and 24 TD's.

--Johnny Manziel appears to be catching on to the CFL game. The former Heisman Trophy winner went 12-for-20 for 88 yards and a touchdown. He also ran for 19 yards in a 30-15 pre-season win over Montreal

--The Saskatchewan Rush are NLL Champs.  They beat Rochester 15-10 in the 3rd and deciding game of the final. Its the 3rd championship for the team in the last four years.

--Justify has won the Belmont Stakes to become horse racing's 13th Triple Crown winner and second since American Pharoah in 2015. The Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner was a 4-5 favourite heading into the 150th Belmont. Justify was bred by John Gunther, of Langley, B-C, at Glennwood Farm in Versailles, Kentucky, which is run by his daughter, Tanya.

--Alex Ovechkin's first attempt at a ceremonial first pitch sailed over Max Scherzer's head at Nationals Park. The attempt was so bad he asked for _ and got _ a mulligan. The Stanley Cup champion got the ball back and connected with Scherzer on his second try.

What Did You Miss Friday?

Photo: Saskatchewan Roughriders

--The Riders were crushed 39-12 by the Stampeders as both teams finished off the pre-season. The lone Riders TD came on a 33 yard David Watford to Caleb Holley pass. Watford wasn't going to play, but head coach Chris Jones says he was left no choice but to put Watford in otherwise Zach Collaros and Brandon Bridge would get murdered as the o-line play left a lot to be desired. 

--The Golden State Warriors won the NBA title in four straight. They beat Cleveland 108-85. Kevin Durant was named the MVP.  The game might have been Lebron James' last one in his second stint with Cleveland.  It was also revealed after the game James suffered a broken hand when he punched a chalkboard after a loss in Game 1

--J.A Happ won his 100th career game as the Toronto Blue Jays won back to back games for the first time in over a month. They beat Baltimore 5-1.  The last time Toronto had won two straight was April 30-May 1.

--Hockey Canada has invited 28 Western Hockey League players, as part of a group of 111, to attend Canada’s national under-17 development camp as the road to the 2018 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge begins. The camp itself will take place from July 21-27 in Calgary. Four of the 28 are from Saskatchewan. They are Bryan Thomson (Moose Jaw), Tom Cadieux (Saskatoon), Ethan Ernst (Yorkton) and Josh Pillar (Warman)

-- The Washington Capitals will hold their Stanley Cup parade on Tuesday. They will ride down Constitution Avenue to the National Mall to celebrate the first championship in franchise history.

This And That

 

Welcome to Friday. Here are the usual assortment of thoughts running through my muddled mind. As always, they come in no particular order.

--So, the Saskatoon Star-Phoenix has a story that says SaskTel Centre is obsolete and outdated.  The building is 30 years old.  Down the highway, the Brandt Centre is over 40 years old. How would we define it?   I've been to the Brandt Centre many, many times.  I know every nook and cranny of that building.  Is it perfect?  NOOOOOOO.   The home of the Pats could use an elevator or two and a larger press box as we saw at the recently-completed Memorial Cup, but it has a lot of amenities needed.  Is the Brandt Centre better than SaskTel Centre? That's a question that needs to be answered by those who have been to both and have been to both on a regular basis. I am not one of those.  It has been a while since I have been to SaskTel Centre.  When I visit, I like the experience and have no real problems.  I am sure those in Saskatoon would say you need to see this or need to see that when it comes to problems.

I just ask the question "If STC is considered obsolete and out-dated, than what do you call the Brandt Centre that is a decade older?"

--Year 2 of Riders football begins at Mosaic Stadium tonight as we get our first look up close and personal at the 2018 version of the green-and-white.  I have no idea what Calgary is bringing, but I do know we will see a lot different team in green than the one who played in Edmonton.  All of the regulars will be in action.  The question is how much action will they see.  I am thinking Zach Collaros plays all of the first half and maybe part of the third quarter before giving way to Brandon Bridge. One has to think David Watford and BJ Daniels see some time as well.    How much time will Tre Mason and Zac Stacy get? Who will emerge as the team's Canadian linebacker?  There are so many questions that need to be answered.  Once the final gun sounds, it's go-time as everything starts for real in two weeks time.

--Should I know who Tim Hicks is as a guy that works at a country music station?  When the CFL came out with his Thursday night concert list, I had to ask who it was.  If he has a song I've heard, it hasn't stuck in my head.  The question I have is why wouldn't you get someone from Saskatchewan for that game.  Jess Moskaluke, the Hunter Brothers and Tenille Arts are three names that come to mind.   Moskaluke and the Hunter Brothers are established while Arts is on the way up and the first two have performed or will be performing in front of Rider Nation so perhaps that is the reason.  I just looked at the acts who are taking part and had to go who with some of them.  It's a good idea by the league and I hope it continues, but I would like to see some more established acts taking the stage.

--I'm still trying to wrap my head entirely around the decision this week by the CFL to put a salary cap on football operations staff.  There is obviously a reason for this and I think the teams are responsible for it as they collectively don't want to see things spiral out of control.  I thought Chris Jones would be ballistic when asked about it, but he was very calm about his comments.  I don't know if he believes what he is saying, but he didn't take it the way I thought he would.  I don't think I am alone in those comments.  The real impact will be felt in a year's time.   It doesn't seem right and on the surface perhaps Randy Ambrosie has stumbled for the first time as Commissioner, but Ambrosie has shown that he will do what he feels is right for the league. I can't doubt him right now.

--For Game 4 of the NBA Final, an NBA officials Twitter account ( one that I don't think is a Bryan Colangelo burner account) in which the officials critiqued and defended calls that were made in the game.  Would it be possible for CFL officials to do something similar.  CFL fans beak about many calls and on some, there is good reason.  It would be great if in this day and age of social media we could get something like this during CFL games.  It might help with the relationship between fans and officials if we could get an explanation on plays where there are questions.  Are you reading this Mr. Ambrosie?

--Am I the only one that waits for Jay and Dan to invade the Tim and Sid set and beat the living hell out of those wannabes?   I had the misfortune of seeing their first 15 minutes this week.  Can you try any harder to be Jay and Dan boys.  Guess what, its not working!

--It's hard not to be happy for Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals.  The raw emotion of Ovi in the dying moments and the Cup presentation and follow-up was great to see.  I can only imagine what it will be like with him and the Cup in Vegas on Thursday night-Friday morning. Is a camera documenting everything? Will Phil Pritchard ever be the same?  The keeper of the Cup has had many memorable moments, but a Stanley Cup celebration by a road team in Vegas will test one's mettle. Congratulations to Regina's Ross Mahoney and former Pats Chandler Stephenson and Barry Trotz as well as former Blade Braden Holtby.  The Cup will be coming to Saskatchewan and it is likely headed to Humboldt.  I somehow get the feeling it would have ended up there at some point regardless of who won.

--Would it be wrong for the Riders to have Darian Durant come on the jumbotron to yell "Bring Em Out" for the Labour Day Classic this year? I think that would be outstanding.

--I'm OK with 25 degree days and rainy nights once it gets late.

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

What Did You Miss Thursday?

--The Washington Capitals have won the Stanley Cup. Lars Eller's goal with seven-and-a-half minutes to play gave the Capitals a 4-3 win over Vegas to take the championship in five games.  It is the first time Washington has won it all. Alex Ovechkin was named the Conn Smythe Trophy winner. 

--Moose Jaw Warriors GM Alan Millar has been named by Hockey Canada to the Program of Excellence Management Group.  Millar will advise and support the under-18 program, which includes the 2018 Hlinka Gretzky Cup (formerly the Ivan Hlinka Memorial Cup) making its debut in Canada this year.

--The Bombers won't have Matt Nichols for the start of the CFL regular season, but the injury he suffered Wednesday is not a season-ender as some were thinking. Nichols will miss four to six weeks. CFL pre-season play Wednesday had Ottawa beat Toronto 32-17.  As you know, the Riders are home to Calgary tonight with kickoff at 7:30. 620 CKRM's pre-game coverage starts at 4:30. 

--Tiger Woods will play the opening two rounds of the U-S Open with Justin Thomas and Dustin Johnson. The U-S-G-A released its tee times for next weeks major at Shinnecock Hills, and it offered two stacked groups. Phil Mickelson, Jordan Spieth (speeth) and Rory McIlroy tee off together in the morning of the first round.

--The Regina Red Sox fell to 1-3 on the WMBL season with a 6-2 loss at the hands of Weyburn at Currie Field. 

June 7th Stanley Cup Playoffs Morning Skate

Game 5 Officials

The referees for today's game are Marc Joannette (#25) and Wes McCauley (4). The linesmen are Jonny Murray (#95) and Matt MacPherson (#83).

Game 5 Trends
* The Golden Knights went 2-0 in Game 5 en route to the Stanley Cup Final, defeating San Jose at T-Mobile Arena in the Second Round and clinching the Western Conference Final at Winnipeg. The Capitals are 2-1 in Game 5, recording home wins over Columbus in the First Round (overtime) and Pittsburgh in the Second Round before losing at Tampa Bay in the Eastern Conference Final.

* Teams that take a 3-1 lead in a best-of-seven series have gone on to win the series 90.8% of the time (276-28 in 304 series), with the success rate increasing to 97.0% in the Final (32-1 in 33 series). The Capitals have won 58.3% of series in which they won three of the first four games (7-5 in 12 series). The rest of the NHL owns an all-time series record of 269-23 (92.1% in 292 series) when leading 3-1 in a best-of-seven series.


* The Golden Knights, who face elimination for the first time, aim to become the 16th team to force a Game 6 when trailing 3-1 in the Final. The last team to do so in any series was the Toronto Maple Leafs in the First Round this year against the Boston Bruins; the Bruins went on to win in seven games.


* The Capitals (9-3 away from Capital One Arena) can match an NHL record with their 10th road victory. Only four teams in NHL history have earned more road wins than Washington in a single playoff year, three of which captured the Stanley Cup: the 1995 Devils (10-1), 2000 Devils (10-2) and 2012 Kings (10‑1). The 2004 Flames (10-4) also won 10 road games, but ultimately lost in the Stanley Cup Final (4-3 L vs. TBL).


* The Golden Knights, meanwhile, are a League-leading 7-2 on home ice this postseason. Only one other team in NHL history has recorded seven home wins during its first-ever playoff appearance: the 1996 Florida Panthers (in their third season) went 7-4 at home to reach the Final.

 Capitals Notes

* The Capitals – who fell behind 2-0 in the First Round vs. CBJ, 1-0 in the Second Round vs. PIT, 3-2 in the Conference Finals vs. TBL and 1-0 in the Stanley Cup Final vs. VGK – are attempting to become the second team in NHL history to win the Stanley Cup despite trailing in all four playoff rounds. The 1991 Penguins also faced a series deficit in each round, eventually defeating the North Stars in the Stanley Cup Final (4-2 W).



* The Capitals went 3-for-5 on the power play in Game 4, raising their conversion rate to 29.6% this postseason (21-for-71). Among teams with at least 60 opportunities, only three have converted at a higher rate during a single playoff year since the League officially began tracking power-play percentage in 1977-78: the 1981 New York Islanders (37.8%, 31-for-82), 1982 Islanders (29.9%, 23-for-77) and 1994 Toronto Maple Leafs (29.7%, 22-for-74).



* Captain Alex Ovechkin opened the scoring in Game 3 with his 14th goal of the playoffs, matching Winnipeg’s Mark Scheifele for the League lead and also tying John Druce’s (1990) single-year franchise record. Only one NHL player since 1997 has potted more goals in a single postseason: Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby in 2009 (15) en route to winning the Stanley Cup.



* Ovechkin became the 34th player in League history to register 60 career playoff goals. Only three other active NHLers have reached the milestone: Patrick Marleau (72), Crosby (66) and Evgeni Malkin (62). Ovechkin’s average of 0.50 goals per playoff game (60 G in 120 GP) ranks ninth in NHL history among players with at least 100 postseason appearances.



* Ovechkin has 33 goals in 56 career games (regular season and playoffs) against Golden Knights netminder Marc-Andre Fleury, his second-highest total versus any NHL goaltender behind the Rangers’ Henrik Lundqvist (35 in 71 GP).



* Ovechkin, who eclipsed 600 goals and 1,000 games during the regular season (607-515—1,122 in 1,003 GP), is making his Stanley Cup Final debut in his 13th NHL season. Only one player has scored more regular-season goals prior to making his Stanley Cup Final debut: Dave Andreychuk, who had 634 goals when he played for the Lightning – and ultimately won the championship – in 2004.



* Forward Evgeny Kuznetsov collected four assists in Game 4, tying a single-game Stanley Cup Final record achieved by 11 other players. The last: Colorado’s Joe Sakic in Game 2 of the 1996 Final vs. FLA (8-1 W). Kuznetsov’s four assists also equaled a Capitals’ single-game playoff record, achieved by Scott Stevens in Game 6 of the 1988 Patrick Division Final at NJD (7-2 W) and Andrei Nikolishin in Game 3 of the 1998 Eastern Conference Final at BUF (4-3 OT W).



* Kuznetsov leads the playoffs with 12-19—31 (23 GP), tied for the second-highest point total in a single postseason since 1997. Pittsburgh teammates Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby notched 14-22—36 and 15-16—31, respectively, in their Stanley Cup-winning 2009 campaign.



* Kuznetsov (Chelyabinsk, Russia) and Ovechkin (Moscow, Russia, 14-12—26) rank 1-2 in playoff scoring. Only two Russian-born players have led the NHL in postseason scoring during the League’s modern era (since 1943-44): Detroit’s Sergei Fedorov (Pskov, Russia) in 1995 and Malkin (Magnitogorsk, Russia) in 2009 and 2017.



* Kuznetsov, who set a franchise playoff record with an 11-game point streak (May 3-28: 6-10—16) that ended in Game 2, has 23-36—59 in his past 41 outings (regular season and playoffs) dating to Feb. 24.



* John Carlson scored in the second period of Game 4 to boost his career playoff totals (all w/ WSH) to 18-36—54 (99 GP), matching Calle Johansson (12-42—54 in 95 GP) for the most postseason points by a defenseman in Capitals history. Carlson also owns the franchise playoff record for goals by a blueliner (18) and ranks third in assists by a defenseman (36), behind Scott Stevens (44) and Johansson (42).



* Carlson, who led NHL blueliners with 15-53—68 during the regular season, paces all defensemen with 5-14—19 during the playoffs – franchise records for assists and points by a blueliner in a single postseason.



* Goaltender Braden Holtby is 44-37 in 81 career playoff appearances (all w/ WSH), compiling a 2.03 goals-against average, .929 save percentage and six shutouts. That is the second-highest save percentage and fifth-best goals-against average in NHL postseason history among goaltenders with at least 50 outings.



* Forward Devante Smith-Pelly posted the winning goal in Game 4, his second tally in as many games and sixth of the playoffs (23 GP) after scoring seven times during the regular season (75 GP). Smith-Pelly has registered one other winning goal this postseason, the series-clincher in Game 6 of the First Round at CBJ.



Golden Knights Notes

* The expansion Golden Knights are seeking to become the first NHL, MLB, NBA or NFL team to win a championship in its inaugural season – excluding the first year of a league’s existence – since the 1950 Cleveland Browns captured the NFL Championship. The NBA’s Minneapolis Lakers (1948-49) and Baltimore Bullets (1947-48) also won the title in their respective first seasons.



* The Golden Knights are the first expansion team in 50 years from the NHL, MLB, NBA or NFL to even reach the championship series or game in its inaugural season. The 1967-68 Blues were the last to accomplish the feat, emerging from the NHL’s all-expansion West Division to advance to the Stanley Cup Final (where they ultimately lost to the Canadiens in four straight games).



* The Golden Knights have recorded three consecutive losses for just the fourth time in 101 games (regular season and playoffs). The other three instances, all during the regular season: Oct. 30 – Nov. 2 (0-3-0), Nov. 28 – Dec. 1 (0-3-0) and Feb. 26 – March 2 (0-2-1). They have not lost four consecutive games at any point in 2017-18.



* Forward Jonathan Marchessault has registered half of his team-leading eight playoff goals in games following a loss, scoring in three of five such contests for a total of four goals and eight points. In the Second Round vs. SJS, Marchessault collected 1-2—3 in Game 3, including an assist on William Karlsson’s overtime goal that gave Vegas a 2-1 series lead. In Game 5 against the Sharks, he posted 1‑1—2, including a late insurance goal to give the Golden Knights a two-goal advantage. Marchessault then scored twice in Game 2 of the Western Conference Final at WPG, including the winning goal, as the club rallied for four straight victories to clinch the series.



* Marchessault collected one assist in Game 1 vs. WSH, giving him 8-11—19 in the 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs. That established a record for a player with a franchise in its first-ever postseason, surpassing the Islanders’ Jude Drouin in 1975 (6-12—18) and Sharks’ Igor Larionov in 1994 (5‑13—18). Marchessault and Reilly Smith are currently tied for the team lead in playoff scoring (Marchessault, 8-12—20; Smith, 4-16—20).



* The line of Marchessault (8-12—20), Smith (4-16—20) and William Karlsson (7-8—15), featuring Vegas’ top three point-producers, has combined for 19-36—55 and five game-winning goals during the playoffs (19 GP).



* Goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury has allowed two or fewer goals in 10 of his 19 postseason appearances this year, compiling a 13-6 record with a 2.15 goals-against average, .929 save percentage and four shutouts. That includes a 7-2 clip at home, where he has a 1.91 goals-against average, .936 save percentage and two shutouts.



* Already a three-time Stanley Cup champion (w/ PIT), Fleury is the 19th goaltender in NHL history to represent multiple teams in the Final. The last netminder to do so was Dominik Hasek, who backstopped the Red Wings to a Stanley Cup win in 2002 after playing in the Final with the Blackhawks (1992) and Sabres (1999).



* Fleury, who registered every win during Pittsburgh’s championship run in 2009, can become the 11th goaltender in NHL history to have his name on the Stanley Cup at least four times – and the fourth of that group to win with multiple clubs. He also can become the first goaltender in League history, and eighth player regardless of position, to win the Stanley Cup in consecutive years with different teams – and first since Cory Stillman did so in 2004 with the Lightning and 2006 with the Hurricanes.



* Skating in his 97th NHL contest (regular season and playoffs), forward Tomas Nosek (2-0—2) registered his first career multi-goal performance and winning goal in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final. Vegas acquired the 25-year-old Pardubice, Czech Republic, native from Detroit in the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft. He originally signed with the Red Wings as an undrafted free agent in 2014.



* Nosek also provided the heroics in Game 1 of last year’s Calder Cup Final, scoring the winning goal for the Grand Rapids Griffins with 13.9 seconds remaining in regulation (vs. SYR). He led the Griffins, and ranked third in the AHL, with 10-12—22 in the playoffs en route to winning the Calder Cup.



* Nosek became the 10th Golden Knights player with a game-winning goal in the 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs, one shy of the NHL postseason record last accomplished by the 2017 Predators.

Injury to Matt Nichols Not Season-Ending

It’s not as bad as originally feared, but the Winnipeg Blue Bombers will still be without their No. 1 quarterback and most important player for the next 4-6 weeks.

Matt Nichols, who suffered a knee injury on a non-contact play on Wednesday in practice, will start the season on the six-game injured list.

It’s not exactly good news, but it’s better than what many people feared when he first went down, which was a torn ACL in his knee.

“We’re gonna put him on the six-game, like we do with anybody who is out 4-6 weeks,” Bombers coach Mike O’Shea said. “That’s an administrative thing. So, if he’s healthier in four, which I would think he would be, then he’ll come off the six-game and we’ll decide what we’re gonna do. I always expect a player is going to be four, rather than six.”

Nichols was not going to play in Friday night’s final exhibition game in Vancouver against the B.C. Lions anyway. Alex Ross and Chris Streveler, who have been duelling in the pre-season for the primary backup job, will now be competing to see which one gets the opening-day start next Thursday at home against the Edmonton Eskimos.

(Winnipeg Sun)

What Did You Miss Wednesday?

--The Winnipeg Blue Bombers may have a huge problem on their hands.  Quarterback Matt Nichols suffered some kind of lower-body injury during a drill at practice. The severity of the injury is not known.  Head Coach Mike O'Shea had already said before the injury Nichols would not be playing in the team's final pre-season game at B.C

--Riders HC & GM Chris Jones says he will abide by the CFL's decision to cap assistant coaches and football operations staff. When asked if he would take a pay cut, Jones responded by saying "absolutely" before adding "you should know me better than that".

--Hockey Day in Saskatchewan has a host venue for 2019.  Gull Lake will be the site of many activities on the January 18 weekend. Details will be announced later this year

--The Hamilton Golf and Country Club will host the PGA Tour's Canadian Open in 2019 and 2023.
Golf Canada made the announcement on Wednesday, confirming the club will be the site for the event for the first time since 2012. The tournament has been at Hamilton five times, first in 1919.

--Golden State got 43 points from Kevin Durant as they beat Cleveland 110-102 to take a 3-0 lead in the NBA Final.