Saskatoon Blades face Pats in opening round of WHL playoffs
The Saskatoon Blades' last two home games of the season have been against the Regina Pats, and with top NHL prospect Connor Bedard drawing big crowds wherever he's playing, almost 30,000 fans have come through the turnstiles at Sasktel Centre.
A Blades 3-2 win on Friday night secured a first round playoff matchup between the Blades and Pats, Regina's first trip to the postseason in five years.
“Obviously being on the team last year and having the frustration of not making it, we were close and we had so many games that we should have won, it was a tough pill to swallow,” said Connor Bedard. “It’s exciting to get in this year and compete on the big stage and when it matters most.”
With nearly 11,000 more people in the building than the Blades' season average, it's clear that a big part of that is 17-year-old Connor Bedard.
While the WHL’s leading scorer is staying focused on his job on the ice, he enjoys the atmosphere in Sasktel Centre.
“It’s fun, we played back to back and really good atmosphere both times,” Bedard told media on Friday. “It holds more people than I knew so a lot of people in here and it was loud and energetic, so it was fun.”
Blades coaches Brennan Sonne and Wacey Rabbit played in front of sold out WHL arenas during the 2004-2005 NHL lockout, and while they’ve got advice to give, Sonne says it's important to let the players learn through it.
“It’s one thing to give the words of wisdom, its another to experience it,” said the Blades’ head coach. “As we all know, teenagers maybe don’t listen the first time, and sometimes experience is the best teacher. But in general when the puck goes down, we've been doing it all year, so they know what to do, you’ve just got to experience it and learn from that.”
For overage defenceman and Blades captain Aidan De La Gorgendiere, more of these crowds and games is a good thing.
“It's awesome, the boys feed on that,” said the 21-year-old from Langley. “It’s great energy, you can hear it every TV time out; every whistle, you can hear it. It’s pretty cool to be out there.”
Game one kicks off Friday night in Saskatoon, and if they’re anything like the last two games between these teams at 14,768 recorded fans each, tickets will be going fast.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Half of Canadians have negative opinion of latest Liberal budget: poll
A new poll suggests the Liberals have not won over voters with their latest budget, though there is broad support for their plan to build millions of homes.
opinion Why you should protect your investments by naming a trusted contact person
Appointing a trusted person to help with financial obligations can give you peace of mind. In his personal finance column for CTVNews.ca, Christopher Liew outlines the key benefits of naming a confidant to take over your financial responsibilities, if the need ever arises.
Twins from Toronto were Canada's top two female finishers at this year's Boston Marathon
When identical twin sisters Kim and Michelle Krezonoski were invited to compete against some of the world’s most elite female runners at last week’s Boston Marathon, they were in disbelief.
Ottawa injects another $36M into vaccine injury compensation fund
The federal government has added $36.4 million to a program designed to support people who have been seriously injured or killed by vaccines since the end of 2020.
Senate expenses climbed to $7.2 million in 2023, up nearly 30%
Senators in Canada claimed $7.2 million in expenses in 2023, a nearly 30 per cent increase over the previous year.
NASA hears from Voyager 1, the most distant spacecraft from Earth, after months of quiet
NASA has finally heard back from Voyager 1 again in a way that makes sense. The most distant spacecraft from Earth hadn't sent home any understandable data since last November.
U.S. Senate passes bill forcing TikTok's parent company to sell or face ban, sends to Biden for signature
The Senate passed legislation Tuesday that would force TikTok's China-based parent company to sell the social media platform under the threat of a ban, a contentious move by U.S. lawmakers that's expected to face legal challenges.
Train derailed in Sarnia after colliding with a truck
Police are investigating after a transport truck collided with a train in Sarnia.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.