Classic Indeed

I hate to toot my own horn, but in this case I must.  Many media outlets and many oddsmakers had favoured the Stampeders by 12 points, with an over/under usually in the neigberhood of around 45 points.  Let's see, that means Stamps 28, Eskimos 16.  Now I made a different and if I dare say, a bolder prediction.  On Friday I wrote:

"If the weather stays dry, and Coach Hufnagel lets 'em go wild, the Stamps will break this record, and score over 55 points. I also think they're going to win this game by more than four scores. You heard it here first!"

Well, after it's all said and done, the Calgary Stampeders beat the Edmonton Eskimos on Monday by a score of 52-5.  While I fell short on the 55 points, I was more than right on the four-score lead, and I was correct on the Stamps exceeding the existing Labour Day Classic record of 51 points.  I'd add too, that if the Stamps hadn't taken a knee three times on the 25 yard line in the final minute, they could've easily scored those extra three points!

Blitzkrieg of Alberta

It's that time of year again, time for Calgary and Edmonton to start hating each other. While the two cities can seem civil to each other in June and July, the Labour Day Classic marks the start of the Battle of Alberta each year, a conflict that includes everything from football to hockey to politics.  This year marks the 50th installment of the game and has the possibility of really being one for the ages

The past ten years have seen the two teams fairly evenly matched, with Edmonton having six to the Stamps' four victories. For the past seven years, neither team has won the game more than twice in a row, and the Stamps were victorious last season, defeating Edmonton 32-8. So, what does this year's contest look like? Can the Stampeders repeat as Labour Day champions?

Ken King Responds...quickly

So I sent my latest blog post to Ken King himself because he had asked at the lunch that if anyone was a blogger to identify themselves. I realistically did not expect his response for weeks, if not months, but definitely not hours. I sent him the email at 8:53am; he responded at 10:05am. This, once again, speaks to how Ken King is one of the most approachable and candid men in sports today. Here was his rebuttal:

"On facts, the Phaneuf comment was far more reaching in that I indicated respect for him, and highly qualified the best player on bad team quip which explains the facetious comment. On TV we were/are completely aware of the Shaw/Rogers process. The aspect of not knowing if they will be aired by season start is that it is determined by the negotiations (between them) which we are well aware of. To suggest we didn’t know possible outcomes or overlooked it is incorrect. Good of you to clarify facts. A good start on credibility much needed for the blog world. KK"



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The Flames Speak

It’s the start of September 2010. Summer is over; well, in Calgary, it never really began weather wise but that's neither here nor there.

For the Flames, it was time to give their “Hot House” members (people who are on the waiting list for Flames season tickets) an update on the team.

The Flames invited all of their HH members to a lunch with Ken King, the Flames President. He answered questions for about an hour on the team, the potential for a new ‘Dome, the new TV contract, and the waiting list for season tickets amongst other things.

My friend/fellow blogger and I had the opportunity to grill him about the issues we cared about; Olli Jokinen and Ales Kotalik.

Hitmen Revving up for a Repeat

Matt MacKenzie

So what do you do for encore when you have a season like the Hitmen just had?

After winning 52 games in the regular season and then running over the competition in the post-season en route to a WHL Championship, the Hitmen are faced with a daunting task.

With possibly 13 players returning from last year’s championship team, there will definitely be some new faces in the dressing room this time around.
With the likes of Brandon Kozun, Michael Stone, Joel Broda, Martin Jones and possibly Ian Schultz moving on into the professional ranks, that leaves some mighty big shoes to fill on a roster in need of some new leadership.