Hockey
Sadly, the Oil Caps season came to an abrupt halt when the Steinbach Pistons won Game 6 of the final series in Virden but not before these young men played their hearts out and gave their loyal faithful truly a season to remember, and for that, we thank them.
Another boisterous sold out crowd tried their very best to provide that extra energy that would propel our boys over the proverbial hump and snatch victory, but to no avail. The dedication and work effort was there and that's all we can ask for. That old American expression comes to mind, "Close but no cigar".
NHL
There's been the usual annual heated discussions, debates and controversy over some of the referee calls and non-calls in this year's Stanley Cup playoffs and there is little doubt it will continue. My only comment would be that I wish the refs would call the game the exact SAME way that they have called it all season long.
Both the league and the officials have worked long and hard to establish an acceptable standard, the players have actually bought into it and they know where that bar is and yet when the playoffs arrive, that accepted standard is thrown out the window. Why the league and their refs would throw away the rule book, lower their standards and refuse to enforce the rules on a consistent basis is beyond me but I think it takes away from the greatest game on earth, makes it war on ice and survival of the fittest.
The best series in Round 2 will see Winnipeg and Nashville battle it out as both teams match up very well against each other, so expect a hard hitting affair with our Jets winning in six. The other western series sees fairy tale Las Vegas and San Jose going head to head and since no one has yet to burst their bubble, take the Golden Knights seven.
Over in the East, the two-time defending champions from Pittsburgh will finally see their incredible run come to end at the hands of the Capitals (in six because they’re due to break their jinx) while Tampa Bay, with their firepower, should be able to handle the Bruins in six if they can get by those surprising young Leafs.
Baseball
The SWBL held their annual meeting last week and all 11 teams have confirmed that they'll be back. Neepawa will once again host the provincials in August, won last season by the Boissevain Centennials. The only thing that wasn't agreed upon was officially naming an UIC (Umpire In Chief) for the league. Let's hope this little matter can be resolved in short order to everyone's satisfaction.
VCI Golden Bears' baseball and fastball teams are set to begin play next week, weather permitting, with the boys going to Birtle on Wednesday for their league opener while the girls are off to Killarney. The first boys’ home game is not until Sunday, May 6 with Boissevain providing the opposition while the girls host the Broncos the following Tuesday, May 8. There are 14 boys teams playing this season, divided into two divisions, while the girls have five teams on their side.
Olympics
One has to feel so sad and frustrated for Canadian Olympic female weightlifter Christine Gerard because sometimes life isn't very fair. In 2008 at the Beijing Summer Olympic Games, she came in fourth place and in 2012 at the London Games she won a bronze medal in her weight division, both excellent results.
Fast forward to 2018 and she now finds out that due to retesting of 1,500 samples, some of the athletes that beat her have been stripped of their medals due to steroid use and she will now receive a bronze from 2008 and better yet, she'll get a gold medal from 2012.
Just from the last two Olympic Games, there have been a total of 110 sanctions handed out involving 60 medals being "reassigned" to the rightful winners because of doping infractions.
This is all great and wonderful for the record books and athletes who finally receive their "just rewards" but just think about what it would have meant for these hard-working, clean athletes and what they could have accomplished if they weren't screwed out of their medals in the first place.
They would have garnered so much more fame and fortune, their lives would certainly have changed for the better but instead they wound up with neither. What a huge difference between living six years in obscurity vs spending all that time basking in the limelight. So frustrating!
This is not right or fair and begs the question, maybe it's time we thought about getting rid of the Olympics? Many would say Yes! Tell that to Calgary.
Until next time....
