Thankfully (mercifully?), the CFL and the CFLPA moved out of the media spotlight earlier this week, went quietly in behind closed doors and emerged with a seven-year agreement.
The CFLâs nine teams were on their respective practice fields on Thursday, with 
players and the board of governors expected to ratify the agreement in the days to come.
The players, it seems, made what TSNâs Dave Naylor referred to as âsignificant gainsâ in this agreement. But that doesnât mean it was one of those deals with winners and losers.
Yes, Virginia, these labour disputes can have winners and winners. At first glance, this looks to be one of those deals.
In this instance, a league that has long talked about having its players as partners may actually have taken giant steps in that direction.
For example, while we donât have access to numbers, the deal is said to include a decent increase in the salary cap and, more importantly for the players, the inclusion of all revenues, including from the Grey Cup game, as football-related revenues. And, itâs said, the players will have access to the books so will be able to have them independently audited.
Players also will be able to have some guaranteed money if they sign for a third year with the same team. Football, of course, is famous for having contracts that donât feature guaranteed money.
The guaranteed money is all part of an attempt to keep players with teams for more than a year or two. While this CBA doesnât directly tinker with the ratio and all that goes into that â teams must have seven Canadian starters â but it does allow players who have been with one team for three years or five in the league to, as Naylor put it, âplay as Canadians in some circumstances.â
On top of all that, the players will get improved medical benefits from teams that want more padded practices. There will be 12 such practices permitted this season.
While this is a seven-year agreement, there is a clause that could end it after five years, which is when the current TV deal with TSN is to expire. If you arenât aware the TSN deal is the CFLâs meat and potatoes. Without it, the CFL would starve to death.
One other key part is that this agreement is to end 30 days before the start of training camp. Past deals, including the one that just expired, were up the day before training camps opened, something that meant players had all travelled to sites and then had to sit around and wait. In the future, those extra 30 days could prove most important to those same players.
The exhibition season was to have started on Monday with the defending-champion Winnipeg Blue Bombers to travel to Regina for a game with the Saskatchewan Roughriders. That game now will be played on May 31.
The first exhibition games now will be played on Friday, with the Toronto Argonauts in Ottawa to face the Redblacks, and the Edmonton Eskimos in Winnipeg.
The regular season is scheduled to open on June 9 with the Montreal Alouettes visiting the Calgary Stampeders.
Naylorâs piece for TSN is right here.
F Kris Foucault, who spent four seasons (2007-11) in the WHL, ran and swam to the rescue on May 10 in Nassau, Bahamas, when a six-year-old girl found herself in trouble at a beach. . . . âAs I got through the wave, I saw her lifeless body floating on the top about 50 feet in front of me,” he told Lauren Merola of nhl.com. “I actually thought I was just recovering a body.â . . . The little girl was alive, but in great danger, and you can credit Foucault with saving her life. . . . Foucault, 31, has played the past six seasons in the DEL, Germanyâs top league. This season, he had 12 goals and 16 assists in 24 games and now is coming off shoulder surgery. . . . Merolaâs story is right here.
The WHLâs conference finals open tonight in Winnipeg and Kamloops. The last 
four standing are the teams with the first-, second-, fourth- and seventh-best regular-season records. Yes, thatâs comparing apples and oranges because teams didnât play outside their conferences this season, but it does show the quality of the remaining teams. . . . In Winnipeg, the Ice, who finished atop the overall standings, will play host to the No. 2 Edmonton Oil Kings. The Ice are 8-2 in the playoffs; the Oil Kings are 8-0. . . . In Kamloops, the Blazers, the No. 2 team in the Western Conference, will entertain the No. 4 Seattle Thunderbirds. The Blazers are 8-2; the Thunderbirds are 8-4, with four of those victories coming on the road. . . . Each of the two series will continue Saturday with games in Winnipeg and Kamloops.
The WHL held its annual draft on Thursday and you are able to find all the 
details at whl.ca. . . . There also were a couple of trades involving veteran goaltenders, who could be impact players next season.
The Moose Jaw Warriors acquired G Connor Ungar, G Justen Maric and a fourth-round pick in 2026 from the Red Deer Rebels for G Kyle Kelsey, a fourth-rounder in yesterdayâs draft and a sixth in 2026. With that fourth-round pick, which originally belonged to the Victoria Royals, the Rebels took D Tate Dolinsky of Winnipeg.
Ungar, a 20-year-old Calgarian, was acquired by Red Deer from the Brandon Wheat Kings prior to this season. He went 21-9-1, 2.43, .911 with the Rebels. . . . Maric, 18, is from Edmonton, and played this season with the U18 AAA CAC Canadians. The Rebels selected him in the fifth round of the 2019 draft. . . . Kelsey, 18, is from Maple Ridge, B.C. He was 14-12-0, 2.83, .913 with the BCHLâs Victoria Grizzlies this season. The Warriors had picked him in the fifth round of the 2019 draft.
Ungar joins F Calder Anderson, D Daemon Hunt, D Cole Jordan and F Ryder Korczak as the 2002-born players on Moose Jawâs roster.
As things now sit, the Rebels have Chase Coward, 19, and Kelsey atop their goaltending depth chart, with Chase Wutzke, who turns 16 on July 26, in the third slot. Coward was 22-10-2, 2.51, .906 in 35 games this season.
The Rebels still have six 2002-born players on their roster â D Blake Gustafson, F Jace Isley, F Ben King, F Dallon Melin, D Christoffer Sedoff and D Joel Sexsmith.
In the other deal involving a veteran goaltender, the Regina Pats got Koen MacInnes from the Everett Silvertips for two draft picks â a sixth yesterday (130) and a conditional seventh in 2024. . . . MacInnes, 20, is from Burnaby, B.C. He played with the Saskatoon Blades in 2019-20 and the 2021 development season. This season, with Everett, he went 21-7-5, 2.60, .909. . . . The Pats were lacking in experience in the goaltending department this season and are hoping MacInnes will solve that problem for 2022-23. . . . The Silvertips used that sixth-round pick to take F Lukas Kaplan of Spruce Grove, Alta.
In the only other draft-day trade the involved a player as opposed to picks, the Prince George Cougars got F Noah Boyko from the Saskatoon Blades for a fourth-round pick yesterday. . . . The Blades had acquired Boyko, 20, from the Lethbridge Hurricanes in late December. From Fort Saskatchewan, Alta., he totalled 30 points, 16 of them goals, in 47 games. . . . Boyko and D Aiden Reeves are the lone 2002-born players on Prince Georgeâs roster. . . . Saskatoon used that fourth-round pick to take F Maxx Hamelin of Winnipeg. . . . Boykoâs departure leaves the Blades with four 2002-born players on their roster â F Kyle Crnkovic, D Aidan De La Gorgendiere, F Josh Paulhus and F Josh Pillar.
From Wednesdayâs New York Times: Federal health officials warned on 
Wednesday that a third of Americans live in areas where the threat of Covid-19 is now so high that they should consider wearing a mask in indoor public settings. They cited new data showing a substantial jump in both the spread of the coronavirus and hospitalizations over the past week. . . . Dr. Rochelle P. Walensky, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said that the seven-day average of hospital admissions from Covid rose 19 percent over the previous week. About 3,000 people a day were being admitted with Covid, she said, although death rates, a lagging indicator, remained low.
One more from The New York Times: More than 70 New York City judges descended on a Long Island resort last week to enjoy an annual three-night retreat. In the days after, 20 tested positive for the coronavirus. . . . Lucian Chalfen, a spokesman for New Yorkâs courts, confirmed Wednesday that the judges had tested positive. He said that, to his knowledge, none of the judges were seriously ill, and that those who were symptomatic had not reported to work.
JUNIOR JOTTINGS: The Penticton Vees completed a BCHL championship series sweep of the host Nanaimo Clippers with an 8-2 victory on Wednesday night. Penticton lost its first game of this springâs playoffs, then won 16 straight. . . . The Vees held a 58-23 edge in shots, including 21-1 in the third period. . . . F Bradly Nadeau, a Penticton native, led the Vees with three goals and an assist. Nadeau, who turned 17 on May 5, is committed to the U of Maine. His brother, Josh, who also is headed for Maine, added a goal and two assists. . . . The announced attendance was 2,069. . . . While the 10-team national junior A championship for the Centennial Cup opened Thursday in Estevan, Sask., the Vees werenât there. You will recall that the BCHL pulled out of the CJHL, which oversees junior A hockey in Canada, prior to the start of this season. . . .
The BCHLâs Alberni Valley Bulldogs have signed former WHLer Wacey Rabbit to a two-year contract extension as assistant coach. He just completed his first season as an assistant alongside Joe Martin, the general manager and head coach. . . . Rabbit, 35, played five seasons (2002-07) in the WHL, enjoying stints with the Saskatoon Blades and Vancouver Giants. He finished his pro career with three seasons (2018-21) with the ECHLâs Jacksonville Icemen. . . .
Jake Grimes, who stepped down as head coach of the QMJHLâs Cape Breton Eagles during this season, is joining the U of Waterloo Warriors as an associate coach. Grimes also has worked in junior hockey with the OHLâs Belleville Bulls, Peterborough Petes and Guelph Storm. With the Warriors, he will be working alongside head coach Brian Bourque, who was a minor hockey teammate in Nova Scotia back in the day. . . .
The BCHLâs Merritt Centennials have added Sam Waterfield and Tyler Steel to their coaching staff. Waterfield, who had been with the Cowichan Valley Capitals, will be the assistant general manager and associate coach, while Steel, a former Centennials goaltender, is the new goaltending coach.
My wife, Dorothy, is preparing to take part in her ninth Kamloops Kidney Walk. . . . It will be held on June 5, but thanks to the pandemic it again will be a virtual event. . . . If you would like to sponsor her, you are able to do so right here.
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If you are interested in being a living kidney donor, more information is available here:
Living Kidney Donor Program
St. Paulâs Hospital
6A Providence Building
1081 Burrard Street
Vancouver, BC V6Z 1Y6
Tel: 604-806-9027
Toll free: 1-877-922-9822
Fax: 604-806-9873
Email: donornurse@providencehealth.bc.ca
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Vancouver General Hospital Living Donor Program – Kidney
Gordon and Leslie Diamond Health Care Centre
Level 5, 2775 Laurel Street
Vancouver, BC V5Z 1M9
604-875-5182 or 1-855-875-5182
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Or, for more information, visit right here.
before they meet the Kelowna Rockets. Johnson, who is from Spokane, will be the second player to have been honoured in this fashion, after F Ray Whitney (14). Johnson won a WHL title with the Chiefs (2008), a World Junior championship with Team USA (2010), an AHL crown with the Norfolk Admirals (2012) and a pair of Stanley Cups with the Tampa Bay Lightning (2020,2021). He now is with the Chicago Blackhawks.
season. . . . Linesman Travis Toomey, who worked NHL and AHL games last season, has been promoted to a full-time NHL position. Toomey played four seasons (2007-11) in the WHL, the first three with the Saskatoon Blades and the fourth with the Seattle Thunderbirds. He then spent four seasons at the U of Alberta with the Golden Bears. . . . Cody Beach, a referee now, will split his time between the AHL and NHL. Beach, 29, played in the WHL for three seasons (2009-12), spending one-plus with each of the Calgary Hitmen and Moose Jaw Warriors.
having tested positive for COVID-19. He will be away from the team for at least 10 days, at which time the situation will be re-evaluated. . . . The Alouettes are coming off a bye week, during which time Jones travelled to his home in Surrey, B.C., and then went to Toronto where he has a daughter in university. . . . Jones was found to be positive on Sunday. Everyone with the team was tested on Monday, but no more positives were found. . . . Montreal is to play the visiting B.C. Lions on Saturday. . . . While Jones is away, assistant coach AndrĂŠ Bolduc will be the acting head coach.
into the fold on Friday with the announcement that Dale Derkatch has joined the teamâs scouting staff. . . . Derkatch, 56, had spent five seasons (2015-20) as an amateur scout with the NHLâs Toronto Maple Leafs. . . . Derkatch holds the Patsâ career records for goals (222), assists (269) and points (491). He accomplished that in 204 regular-season games. . . . Derkatch played three full seasons (1981-84) with the Pats, putting up 142, 179 and 159 points. He won the scoring title in 1982-83 with 179 points. . . . He was the Patsâ head coach for one season (2008-09), and spent six seasons (2009-15) with the Prince Albert Raiders as their director of player personnel and skills coach.
Vikman, 19, was a selection in the CHLâs 2021 import draft. . . . The Vegas Golden Knights selected him in the fifth round of the NHLâs 2020 draft. . . . In 2020-21, he was 5-4-0, 4.10, .851 in nine games with AIKâs U-20 side and 2-1-0, 3.42, .885 in five games with AIK in Swedenâs second-highest pro league. He also went 3-5-0, 3.00, .897 in eight appearances while on loan to Tyreso/Hanviken of HockeyEttan, the third tier league in Sweden. . . . From the Giantsâ news release: âVikman is the third Swedish-born player ever selected by the Giants in the CHL import draft, joining Casper Carning (2010) and Fabian Lysell (2020). Heâs also the third goaltender ever selected by the Giants in the import draft, joining Jonathan Iilahti (Finland, 2011) and Marek Schwarz (Czech Republic, 2004). . . . Lysell, an 18-year-old forward, was a first-round pick by the Boston Bruins in the NHLâs 2021 draft, and the Giants are hoping that he will end up signing with them.
tests in the previous two weeks without even one positive test. . . . On Friday, the Edmonton Elks, who are to open their season at home tonight (Saturday), were found to have two positives in their camp â one a roster player (LB Brian Walker) and the other an unidentified non-roster player. . . . The team all was tested again on Friday morning, with results expected back at any time. . . . The Elks are to entertain the Ottawa RedBlacks in the home-opener. . . . The CFL announced in mid-July that it had 10 positives out of more than 6,000 tests in the early days of training camps. Five of those positives involved a player before he crossed into Canada, while three of the other five turned out to be false positives. . . . On July 30, the league announced that there werenât any positives from the second round of testing.
when the Hamilton Tiger-Cats visit the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in a rematch of the 2019 Grey Cup game. That just happens to have been the last CFL game played because of the pandemic. . . . Winnipeg won that game, 33-12, in Calgary, taking possession of the Grey Cup for the first time since 1990. . . . On Tuesday, the CFL announced a cancellation program that could result in teams forfeiting a game and players not being paid. . . .
Tuesday night in the first American Association baseball game in the Manitoba capital since Sept. 2, 2019. There were 2,716 fans in Shaw Park. You will recall that I had something here yesterday about the problems the Explorers were having fielding a team because a majority of their players arenât vaccinated and even some of those who are vaccinated didnât want to come over the U.S.-Canada border for fears of testing positive and having to quarantined. . . . Hereâs Ted Wyman of the Winnipeg Sun: âThat was a big problem for the Explorers, who had only nine of 24 players on the roster who were vaccinated. Eight of those nine vaccinated players were leery about crossing the border and chose not to travel to Winnipeg. So the Explorers signed a bunch of players from the Pecos League, considered a step down from the American Association, to travel to Winnipeg.â
Eastern and Western conferences, which means, unfortunately, that fans in U.S. and B.C. division centres wonât get to see F Connor Bedard, the most-publicized prospect to enter the league in some time, live and in person. . . . Bedard is the first player to receive exceptional status in order to allow him to claim a full-time WHL roster spot as a 15-year-old. Bedard, who will turn 16 on July 17, has 12 goals and 16 assists in 15 games for the Pats in the pandemic-shortened 2020-21 season. He left the Pats mid-season in order to play for Canada at the IIHF U18 World championship in Texas, where he had seven goals and seven assists in 14 games. . . . Bedard is eligible for the NHLâs 2023 draft. . . . It also means that those same U.S. and B.C. division fans wonât get to see F Matthew Savoie of the Winnipeg Ice. He was denied exceptional status prior to the 2018-19 season, but still got into 22 games and earned seven assists. He spent 2020-21 with the USHLâs Dubuque Fighting Saints, putting up 21 goals and 17 assists in 34 games. . . . Savoie is eligible for the NHLâs 2022 draft. . . .
Monday night with a 4-1 victory over the visiting Montreal Canadiens, it seems the rest of the hockey world is learning what WHL fans have known for a long, long time. Yes, Kelly McCrimmon, the Golden Knightsâ general manager, knows what he is doing.
If you are in the market for something to read, may I suggest you take a gander at Call Me Indian, a book that was published last month and tells the story of Fred Sasakamoose. Whatâs it all about? Well, the subtitle pretty much tells it all â From the Trauma of Residential School to Becoming the NHLâs First Treat Indigenous Player. . . . To think that Sasakamoose went from playing hockey and trying just to survive at a residential school in northern Saskatchewan to the lineup of the NHLâs Chicago Blackhawks in a few short years almost beggars belief. But he did just that, and a whole lot more. . . . Considering all that is happening these days involving residential schools and their history, both here and in the U.S., this really is a timely read. . . . Sasakamoose, who died of COVID-19 on Nov. 20 so didnât live to see his book published, doesnât go easy on himself either. He bares his heart and soul, including his issues with alcohol and parenting. In fact, if there is a hero in this book it isnât Sasakamoose, rather itâs his long-suffering wife Loretta with whom he had nine children. . . . Give this book a try; I guarantee it’ll stay with you for a long time after you’re finished with it.
teams begin a 14-game regular season on Aug. 5. The season is to begin with a rematch of the last Grey Cup game â the Winnipeg Blue Bombers beat the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, 33-12, in Calgary on Nov. 24, 2019. . . . The CFL hasnât played a game since then because of the pandemic. . . . The 2021 season is to open with that rematch being played in Winnipeg. . . . The 2021 Grey Cup game is to be played in Hamilton on Dec. 12. . . . Training camps are to open on July 10, with players needing to report and go through a quarantine process that will be decided in conjunction with local health officials. . . . There wonât be any exhibition games. . . . Ted Wyman of the Winnipeg Sun takes a look at the CFL situation 
Rivières Lions, an expansion ECHL franchise that will be affiliated with the NHLâs Montreal Canadiens. . . . BĂŠlanger, 43, spent the previous two seasons as the head coach of the midget AAA Chevaliers de LĂŠvis. . . . His playing career included 820 NHL regular-season games split between the Los Angeles Kings, Carolina Hurricanes, Atlanta Thrashers, Minnesota Wild, Washington Capitals, Phoenix Coyotes and Edmonton Oilers. . . . In 2008-09, he was teammates with Marc-AndrĂŠ Bergeron with the Minnesota Wild. Bergeron now is the Lionsâ general manager.
said Monday that it will open its 2021-22 season on Oct. 1 and wrap things up on Feb. 20. . . . âAll 20 of the KIJHLâs member clubs will complete a 42-game regular season schedule that includes eight games against divisional opponents and two games each against teams in the opposing division within the same conference,â the league said in a news release. . . . That means that the Spokane Braves will be back after not operating in 2020-21 due to the U.S.-Canada border being closed to non-essential traffic. . . . The KIJHL news release is 
before nine other teams were to begin arriving for their quarantine sessions, the Nova Scotian government chose to inform the IIHF and Hockey Canada that the tournament was off.
necessitated by teams having missed games because of positive tests. . . . The end result is that without any more postponements a number of teams wonât play 24 games in this developmental season as was originally hoped. . . . Two of the teams that have experienced positive tests, the Calgary Hitmen and Kelowna Rockets, will play 21 and 16 games respectively. . . . The Hitmen, by the way, have completed their 14-day isolation period and have been cleared to resume team activities. They now are scheduled to return to game action on Friday afternoon against the visiting Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . The WHLâs news release on the schedule changes is 
over the Swift Current Broncos. . . . The Wheat Kings (16-3-2), who have won five straight, now hold a three-point lead over the idle Saskatoon Blades (14-3-3) and the Winnipeg Ice (15-5-1), which beat the Moose Jaw Warriors last night, atop the Regina hub standings. . . . The Broncos (4-16-1) have lost two in a row. . . . F Lynden McCallum (13) gave Brandon a 1-0 first-period lead, with Ritchie, who has 10 goals, making it 2-0 at 14:49 of the second. . . . D Mat Ward (5) scored for the Broncos, on a PP, at 16:39. . . . Ritchie got that one back at 17:33 and D Rylan Thiessen (1) added another at 19:04. . . . F Brett Hyland (3) and D Vince Iorio (5) added PP goals for Brandon in the third period. . . . The Wheat Kings were 3-for-6 on the PP; the Broncos were 1-for-6. . . . Brandon held a 33-18 edge in shots. . . . 
the Moose Jaw Warriors, 6-5 in OT, in the Regina hub. . . . The Ice (15-5-1) has points in four straight (3-0-1). . . . The Warriors are 8-11-2. . . . F Cade Hayes (4) gave the Warriors a 5-4 lead with a PP goal at 14:38 of the third period. . . . F Peyton Krebs (13), who now has points in 20 straight games, tied the game at 18:48 with G Carl Stankowski on the bench for the extra attacker. . . . Smallwood, who had opened the scoring at 1:08 of the first period, won it with his 13th goal at 1:46 of OT. . . . The Ice erased deficits of 3-2, 4-3 and 5-4 to win this one. . . . Winnipeg was 2-for-4 on the PP; Moose Jaw was 2-for-3. . . . Krebs finished with two goals. After being blanked in his first game, heâs got 13 goals and 26 assists in his 20-game streak. Last season, he scored 12 times in 38 games. . . . The Ice also got two goals from F Skyler Bruce. He has three on the season. . . . Hayes finished with two goals and an assist. . . .
assists to help the Vancouver Giants to a 5-3 lead over the Victoria Royals in Kelowna. . . . The Giants (9-3-0) have won four in a row. . . . The Royals (1-10-1) have lost seven straight. . . . The gameâs first five goals came via the PP. . . . F Brayden Tracey (8) gave the Royals a 1-0 lead at 3:25 of the first period. . . . Kannok Leipert (4) tied it at 15:32. . . . Victoria went back out front on a goal by F Tarun Fizer (3) at 2:58 of the second period. . . . The Giants took control with the next three goals â from F Eric Florchuk (4), at 14:58, Sourdif (5), at 16:21, and F Zack Ostapchuk (4), at 3:18 of the third. . . . F Ty Yoder (3) got Victoria to within a goal at 4:57, but F Justin Lies (2) restored Vancouverâs two-goal lead at 13:47. . . . The Giants finished 3-for-9 on the PP; the Royals were 2-for-5. . . . Vancouver had a 38-20 edge in shots, including 11-5 in the first period and 12-5 in the second.
would be almost two months later than the June 10 opening date at which it once was aiming. . . . The plan is to open training camps in late June, have each team play 14 games, down from the normal 18, and hold the Grey Cup game in Hamilton on Dec. 12 instead of Nov. 21. . . . Hereâs Randy Ambrosie, the CFL commissioner: âWe will play CFL football in 2021.â . . . He then admitted that it all hinges on getting approval from public health officials in various jurisdictions and getting the OK from government and health officials to have âa significant number of fans in the stands, in a significant number of venues at the start of the season, and in the rest of our venues soon after that, so a 2021 season is financially tenable for our clubs.â . . . In the end, like so many other things, the CFL will go ahead if the virus allows it. . . . In the meantime, get vaccinated so that we can get all sports back and with fans in the stands. . . . 
remainder of its season, including the playoffs.
TAKING NOTE 