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Two wins in one day

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  The Terry Fox Run in Sherwood Park was held between 9am and noon. I do not run, but I donate and walk the course. My Mom and Dad both lost their battles to Cancer. Always thought of them as Superheroes...is there any mortal closer to superhero status than Terry Fox? Participating in this event is always a win. From Terry Fox to Grimace at the Spruce Grove Saints game. If your business is sponsoring a hockey game, having a big purple mascot definitely drives home your presence. Good on the Spruce Grove McDonald's for doing more than just slapping their name on a promo. Game two of the Saints regular season featured a trio of roster changes.  Colten Scott , from Calgary, made his BCHL debut in net. Now you will see five goals against and furrow your brow. Put those forehead hub caps of yours at ease, Scott and his flashy glove hand played well. Both Clubs alternated having penalty issue, with Okotoks scoring on a 5-on-3 advantage in the first period, after Scott had already ma...
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Spruce Grove Saints Game 1, Game won!

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  Over a decade in Sherwood Park as a volunteer for the Crusaders, last night in Spruce Grove was fun. As a new season ticket holder for the Saints, with handfuls of Crusaders fans in attendance giving me the gears for switching allegiances, the 2026-27 season started with a nail biting win! Entering the Thompson Family Arena one wondered who the scratches for the Saints were going to be. The question answered itself when Blair Erickson and Owen Cronan were on the concourse distributing tickets for the first intermission shoot to win game. ROOKIES REPORT    Eight Saints made their BCHL debuts with defenseman Michael Zuyev and forward Lucas Cilan out to take the opening draw. Zuyev was paired with incumbent Kohyn Pipke, which after seeing the chemistry he had with another rookie in Cole Bent during the preseason finale somewhat surprised. Owen Leckelt and Scott Sandilands were the two experienced forwards flanking Cilan. Zuyev earned the honour of being the first Saint ...
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Hello 2026-27 Spruce Grove Saints

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  Opening night in the BCHL! It is go time for the Spruce Grove Saints! Per Brian Wiebe of BCHL Network, ahead of 2025-26 season the league simplified their roster rules, " every team must roster a minimum of 10 Canadians. The rest of the lineup – whether Americans or players from Europe and beyond – is wide open"   From the BCHL June 2026 Annual General Meeting notes the only roster modification noted was the downsizing to a 23-man instead of 25.  The lineup the Spruce Grove Saints posted on their website lists 15 Canadians! As of this writing, the Blackfalds Bulldogs and Brooks Bandits rosters each have just the minimum 10 Canadians while the Okotoks Oilers and Sherwood Park Crusaders rosters are not yet posted. Of the 15 Canadians on the Saints, 7 are defenseman. That means if Brodie Kay (United Kingdom) misses a game, the Saints will ice an all-Canadian D unit. Both goaltenders for Spruce Grove are also Canadian.  8 of the 15 Canadians are Albertan. Forward...
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The "burden" of sports fandom in Edmonton

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  You cheer for your team whether they win or lose. That is the most basic definition of sports fandom. The childlike innocence of focusing solely on the game being played instead of the distractions of the outside world. Sure there are temper tantrums along the way when your team loses badly or slumps but akin to being angry at your dog when it does something wrong, the anger never really has a chance of surviving. Well holy hell have the Edmonton Oilers, Edmonton Elks and our contignent of BCHL teams burdened us with happenings outside the actual game being played that makes it difficult to focus on just wins and losses. The chase for the Stanley Cup has led the Oilers to hiring a general manager that many thought would never work in hockey again after how he completely mishandled a "bigger than the game" situation while in Chicago. After embarassing the organization with his handling of the firing of the incumbent coach, he and the Club hired a coach that needed to be clea...
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Spruce Grove Saints first game impressions

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First Spruce Grove Saints game as a season ticket holder. Weird cheering for them ( here is why)  So excited for this season, actually attending an exhibition game. Coming from over a decade in Sherwood Park I absolutely love how bright Thompson Family Arena is! Impressed by both goaltenders, interested by the size difference between Colten Scott (listed at 5'11") and Joseph Quintilio (listed at 6'4"). Got a lot of Kohyn Pipke and Cole Bent as a defensive pairing. Both are listed under 6 feet, neither ever looked overmatched. Pipke caught a lot of my attention as he looked comfortable playing physical in all three zones. Big 6'7" Blair Erickson struggled the first half of the game seemingly always a second behind. The young man caught up to the game in the second half.  Nikolas Salo (he is from Singapore, the Tommy you are thinking off is from Sweden) was burned badly on Blackfalds' second goal but otherwise didn't look like someone getting their feet...
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September Walks to Consider: Sherwood Park Terry Fox and Celiac Edmonton

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  YES, that is me in the mascot suit. NO, this article will not be asking you to pledge or donate. This is the sharing of good times had volunteering and/or participating in these events. The Sherwood Park Terry Fox Run at Broadmoor Lake Park and the Celiac Edmonton Ride Walk Run held at Rundle Park  are events, not infomercials, actual fun events. The story behind the mascot, whether my boss at the Sherwood Park Crusaders was Spencer Love (currently the founder of Love Pro Wrestling), Adam Sergerie (currently a pro scout for the Vancouver Canucks) or Adam Girard (currently with the Cru), the players were always a part of this day held just beyond their home rink the Sherwood Park Arena. Last year was the first year as a participant (human not mascot) and was a 5 KM brisk walk with my sister.  The premise of the Terry Fox run is very serious but the day itself is filled with smiles, bonding, and memory making. You do not need to be a participant to make a difference on S...
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Ravenwood plus Boots and Hearts equals great summer

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  The Ravenwood Music Festival  was held in Sherwood Park on the July 10th and 11th in Broadmoor Park. They bill themselves as the chillest music festival around and I am here to confirm that it is in effect the most laid back night(s) out you can have. You bring your own chair, you sit yourself down, enjoy. Well except for that bit in the middle of Pushing Ginger covering Roxette's "The Look" when everyone in attendance was told "get to your vehicles now, the storm we have been tracking is about to hit". Twenty minutes of mayhem later, the sun came out. We all felt like the itsy bitsy spider as mister sun dried everything up for us as we made our way back to catch the headliner. Appearing for the second consecutive year "Ahead by a Century", a Tragically Hip cover band, rocked their set. Night two's headliner was Captain Tractor. They were the reason I bought the tickets but the two acts before them stole the night for me. Donita Large took the s...
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