AS I SEE IT COLUMN: A nation mourns the passing of Ken Dryden, a truly great Canadian

If you only look at his amazing statistics while he played with the Montreal Canadiens, Ken Dryden had the kind of career numbers that defy description.

In just more than seven seasons in the NHL, Dryden won an astonishing six Stanley Cups, five Vezinas (for best goalie), one Conn Smyth (for most valuable player in the playoffs) and one Calder (for rookie of the year).

For sports fans too young to remember Dryden’s playing days, his amazing career got started in a script that might as well have been a Hollywood feel-good movie. He got called up from the Canadiens farm team just a few games before the start of the 1971 playoffs. He was beyond incredible in the net and led Montreal to the first of the six Stanley Cups with Dryden between the pipes.

As jaw-dropping as those stats are – and I think it’s fair to say that no former athlete in the history of Canada would go on to do the kinds of amazing things for our country once his playing days were over as Dryden did – his most impressive accomplishments and contributions to Canadian society took place off the ice and away from the rink.

Late home games key for Kickers and Force in MMSL

The ultimate fates for the Niverville Force and Hanover Kickers could be decided Sept. 13, as both teams host their final home games of the season.

The Division 1 Force have been flirting with the relegation line all season, but a big 3-1 win over Sport Without Boundaries vaulted them over AK Academy with just two games remaining.

With the bottom two teams facing relegated to Division 2, Niverville is hoping to pull off a great escape, as the bottom four teams are all hoping to keep in the division.

Lucania United FC’s b-team appears all but out of the race. The basement-dwellers only have nine points on the season, but with four games remaining a good run of form could vault them up the standings.

Steinbach Pistons evaluators busy with turnover

Potential Steinbach Pistons have given the team’s coaching staff plenty to think about through two games of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League pre-season. The Pistons took down the Winkler Flyers in back-to-back games, coming out with 5-2 and 3-0 wins.

“We always say these games don’t mean anything, but they do,” head coach and general manager Paul Dyck said after a game in Steinbach Sept. 7.

“They mean something for the players they mean something for the dressing room afterwords and for the culture we can resume building this year.”

A round of roster cuts happened right after the end of the game Sept. 7. There is plenty of work for team staff to do this off-season, with only a few players returning from last year’s squad. Despite the turnover, Dyck is enjoying the process of building the team this year.

Expectations high for experienced Niverville Nighthawks squad

On paper, the Niverville Nighthawks should have one of the best teams in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League this season. With a deep roster of returning players, assistant coach Tyler Anderson said the team is feeling the pressure to complete.

“We’ve got to set the tone by saying, ‘yeah, we’re really good on paper, but we’ve got to go prove it,’” Anderson said after an inter-squad game Sept. 5.

“We’ve got to prove we belong and push it every day.”

The team held multiple practice scrimmages before lining up for formal pre-season games against their MJHL competition. The team split a pair of games against Selkirk. Anderson said coaching staff is looking for players to continue doing what they did to get to a junior A camp.

SRSS Sabres battle to win in home football opener

An emotional week for the Steinbach Regional Sabres football program came to an end with a win on the field, as the school's varsity team defeated the Vincent Massey Vikings in their first game of the season 29-13 Sept. 5 at A.D. Penner Park.

The game was played just a few days after one of their players died in a dirt bike crash Aug. 31.

“They played hard, they were physical, at times we were imposing our will on our opponent, which is what we want to do,” varsity head coach Stephen Fedus said after the game.

“(The players) can be proud of their effort, proud of this win. It hasn’t been an easy week for us.”

Carillon Sports Second Shots: September 4th edition

Featuring photos from an SRSS Sabres pre-season football game Aug. 28, an Eastman Warriors match Aug. 29, a Providence Pilots women's pre-season scrimmage Aug. 30 and the Steinbach Pistons pre-season training camp Sept. 2.

Pitcher Kaden Coldwell ready for university

Fans who follow the Carillon Sultans closely may have noticed a big name was missing from all their rosters this season, as Kaden Coldwell remained out West to play summer ball with Lethbridge in the Western Canadian Baseball League.

The pitcher has spent the last two seasons playing non-summer ball at Vauxhall Academy, an elite baseball-focused high school in southern Alberta.

The WCBL was the perfect proving ground for a pitcher ready to make the leap from high school baseball to NCAA Division 2, as Coldwell is set to join the University of Mary this year. Coldwell said he knew players who went to the school and are on the roster, so the decision to commit there was an easy one.

“(Head coach) Tanner Spencer seems like a great guy, a great coach,” Coldwell said, speaking the day before he left for Bismarck, North Dakota.

Krueger reflects on lessons learned in Steinbach

Ralph Krueger’s sporting journey started in the shadow of rinks in Steinbach, and has taken him to some of the highest profile positions.

The former NHL head coach and president of Southampton FC reflected on the lessons he learned in Steinbach during the grand opening of the Southeast Event Centre, which was built on the same land he grew up on.

Krueger’s parents moved to Steinbach in 1959, nearly a decade before the first indoor rink in the community was constructed, and the year Krueger was born.

“The outside rink was 100 metres from our house and I wandered over regularly, eventually with my skates in tow,” Krueger told the gathered crowd to celebrate the grand opening of the Southeast Event Centre.

SPORTS FLASHBACK 1984: Saints defeat Sultans for provincial fastball title

The Ste Anne Saints came back from a five-run deficit to edge the Friedensfeld Sultans 6-5 in an all-Hanover final at the 1984 Manitoba Intermediate ‘A’ Fastball championships in Steinbach.

The Sultans came back up the ‘B’ side of the draw after a 6-4 loss to the Saints in the ‘A’ side final and would have to defeat the Saints twice to win the title.

Friedensfeld appeared to be on their way to a victory and a second chance at the Saints in the A-B final, as they scored a run in the first inning, added one in the second and went ahead 5-0 in the third.

The Saints started their comeback in their half of the third, when they got two runs to trail 5-2 at that point.

Hockey Manitoba reverses Ste Anne Aces decision – SEMHL removes team from league

The Ste Anne Aces will not be playing hockey in the South Eastern Manitoba Hockey League this season.

The Aces appealed their ejection this summer from the league to Hockey Manitoba, and although the governing body initially ruled in the team’s favour, the league announced Hockey Manitoba were reversing their decision Sept 2.

“The decision to remove the Aces was made in accordance with the SEMHL’s Constitution, By-Laws, and Regulations and remains a private league matter,” an emailed statement from commissioner Tom Vatrt on behalf of SEMHL members reads.

“For 74 years, the SEMHL has upheld strict codes of conduct and a longstanding tradition of gentlemanly behavior and remains committed to protecting the integrity of the league.”

Steinbach Regional Sabres aiming high this football season

What could be a memorable year for the Steinbach Regional Secondary School football team got off to a tough start on the field, as they were defeated 20-0 by St Paul’s in pre-season action at A.D. Penner Park Aug. 28.

Football camp opened for the Sabres Aug. 23, with varsity head coach Stephen Fedus praising his team’s commitment level.

“We had a good quality game against a very quality opponent,” Fedus said following the game against St Paul’s.

“There was nothing for us to hang our heads about.”

Carillon Sports Second Shots: Aug. 28th edition

Featuring photos from an Eastman Warriors Rugby match Aug. 21, Steinbach Pistons prospect camp Aug. 22, Raiders Day at A.D. Penner Park Aug. 23 and a Hanover Kickers match Aug. 25.

Raiders Day celebrates football gains in region

The Eastman Raiders minor football program continues to grow.

Gavin Don is the president of the Raiders, and he reported another increase in enrollment during the team’s annual Raider’s Day celebration. Five of the program’s teams were in action Aug. 23 at A.D. Penner Park, with games starting at 9 a.m. and running until 7 p.m.

There was some pre-season disappointment for the club, as plans to enter a team in the U18 Rural Manitoba Football League were dashed after 11 of the 18 hopeful players signed up.

“That was a bit of a heartbreaker,” Don said.

Pistons show off $1 million locker room to community

Steinbach Pistons players have a new place to call home, and not just on the benches or on the ice.

The club invested nearly $1 million dollars of their own money to build a state of the art dressing room for their players inside the newly opened Southeast Event Centre.

The room rivals some National Hockey League set-ups, and couldn’t come at a better time, with rule changes across junior hockey fuelling massive roster turnover throughout North America.

The space has drawn rave reviews from nearly everyone who has gotten a look inside, including former NHL coach and Steinbach resident Ralph Krueger. He coached both the Edmonton Oilers and Buffalo Sabres, making the rare move to switch sports to join the Premier League’s with Southampton FC as their director. He also had a long career coaching in Europe and internationally.