It’s my Parting Shot for some Weekend Short Shots…..

So, Saskatchewan’s Brier-winning drought will extend into the 100th anniversary edition of the Canadian Men’s Curling Championship next year here in Saskatoon! Neither Kelly Knapp’s Regina foursome, nor Mike McEwen’s Saskatoon quartet managed to qualify for the playoffs at the St. John’s Brier – the latter much to the chagrin of The Fearless Predictor, who felt that the McEwen squad would break the winless streak for the Wheat Province at 46 years! Wah, wah!!

Now that the Olympics is behind us and the Brier will be done on Sunday, start watching for changes to some of the lineups of top-ranked Canadian men’s teams that haven’t won those two big prizes over the last four years. The life cycle of competitive teams is four years, unless you have success, and it goes in concert with the Winter Olympics timeline of being held every four years. My question becomes, will there be movement – some top curlers either moving to Saskatchewan or one top curler joins three very good players from this province? All I know is I’m tired of having to mention the Brier drought for Saskatchewan, now stretched to 47 years, incredible for a province that used to win the event on a semi-regular basis before 1980! What’s up with that people?!! By the way, the facts have to be reported, you can’t just sweep them under the rug!

Notice how I used a sweep reference in a curling rant?! Ha, ha!!

Going into the third-last weekend of the Western Hockey League’s regular-season, the only team with a guaranteed spot in the bracket is Everett. The Silvertips cannot be caught for first place in the Western Conference. After that, there are others who are close to knowing for sure where they’ll finish, but with anywhere from six to nine games remaining for all 23 teams, the chance of teams going either red hot or ice cold through March 22nd exists! The one thing that has a better than even chance of happening, in both Conferences, is a special playoff game to determine the eighth and final playoff spot – a rule that I whole-heartedly endorse!!

Lastly, there is no Saskatoon Blades’ game tomorrow night on CJWW because they aren’t scheduled to play, hence the 50th anniversary celebration of CJWW and a live Old Tyme Dance Party program will be on the air from 8 to midnight! I’m taking credit and you’re welcome!!

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