it’s my Parting Shot for an excerpt from my autobiography, which will likely never be published due to lack of interest, dealing with the Saskatchewan Rush…..

I’m slowly, but surely, warming up to the hype surrounding our local National Lacrosse League franchise – again – as they enter the N-L-L Cup final this weekend against Buffalo.

I vividly remember the enthusiasm for the move of a professional sports franchise from Edmonton to Saskatoon, announced on a hot July 20th afternoon in 2015. It became more palpable when our sister station, 92-9, THE BULL, did live broadcasts of the Rush’s 2016 playoff march to the N-L-L title.

However, things soured for me during the 2018 season. There was talk that the then owner of the Rush, Bruce Urban, was looking to buy the Saskatoon Blades, who were about to miss the W-H-L playoffs for a fifth straight season and were having troubles drawing crowds to home games at SaskTel Centre as a result.

So, during an intermission in a Blades’ broadcast in Red Deer, I had Blades’ owner Mike Priestner come on the air to address that rumour, among the many that the Bridge City Bunch were up for sale at that time. When I asked Priestner about the talk of Bruce Urban and the Rush buying the Blades, he responded with not a chance and that he would never sell to a, quote, Mickey Mouse organization!

This was live radio – not a recording, there was no seven second delay in which I could censor the comment from reaching the air, as is the case with, “Boots and Salutes” on CJWW!

Oops, nothing I could about it – except Bruce Urban didn’t believe it. So, Urban found out about Priestner’s remark and, as you would expect, didn’t like it! A short time later, 92-9, THE BULL’s play-by-play voice at the time, John Fraser, left broadcasting and his Rush duties for another line of work, leaving our company in need of someone to take over. I was prepared to as the Blades’ non-playoff season was done! However, Bruce Urban told a phone meeting, with me in the room, that I was too much of a Blades’ person for him and that I would never be their choice to do Rush play-by-play!

Needless to say, I was angry and hurt…moreso the former because I carried an on-air grudge in that, when I was talking sports on the air, the Rush would get the bare minimum coverage – as in, hey they’re playing or this was the score!! I don’t forget who people are that question my professionalism and integrity – never have, never will!!

The delicious irony to this story is that Mike Priestner bought the Saskatchewan Rush from Bruce Urban in May of 2021! You know what they say about karma!!

That’s my Parting Shot. I’m Les Lazaruk…and it turned out nice again!