Regular game, historic broadcast

“It’s gameday in Calgary and with puck drop still a few hours away, 29 women gather at centre ice. A freshly-cleaned sheet glistens beneath heels and work boots and sneakers. The soft sounds of careful shuffling and chatter and laughter carry through the empty Scotiabank Saddledome stands that will soon house fans.”

 

Emily Sadler – Sportsnet – March 2020

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The Template

“Like every kid on the ice with his under-18 team, Jack Hughes has never known hockey without Sidney Crosby. They were lacing on skates for the first time when Sidney Crosby was in Rimouski. They were in junior kindergarten when he was in his rookie season in Pittsburgh, in Grade 3 when he hoisted the Stanley Cup for the first time. More than they can know, they’re playing a game that Sidney Crosby created or, at least, remade.”

Gare Joyce – Sportsnet – November 2019

First of her kind

“That Huitema is so comfortable is especially great to see given she faces the most daunting task in Canadian soccer history: Following in Sinclair’s incredible footsteps. The 18-year-old happens to play the same position as her favourite player — they’re both B.C. born strikers with a penchant for goal-scoring. But once Sinclair calls it a career, how can Huitema hope to follow the greatest ever for Canada? The five-foot-11 product of Chilliwack has it figured out. She’s going her own way and blazing a new trail for soccer players in this country.”

Kristina Rutherford – Sportsnet – August 2019

The Hustler

“One game is every game for Brendan Gallagher. It’s almost as if the Montreal Canadiens right winger skates in front of a green screen, performing the same actions over and over while the images change behind him. It doesn’t matter whether he’s playing in Boston, home of a blood rival, or in California on a once-a-year trip. Or if it’s in front of empty seats in Arizona or at home in the ever-humming Bell Centre. To No. 11, every sheet of ice is the same and the job he has to do doesn’t change.”

Ryan Dixon – Sportsnet – December 2018

A Better Mirror

“For the people behind Hockey Night Punjabi, this set, and the studio it sits within, are more than just an address stamped on a business card. This is the final, shining stop on a circuitous path that has run from Toronto to Calgary to Vancouver, with all manner of unexpected turns and detours along the way. It is the tangible proof that after fighting for a voice and devoting years to reinventing and refining it with eyes on bringing about positive change for their community, Hockey Night Punjabi has found itself. Now, bent to a shared purpose in front of that iconic logo, they look perfectly calm and right at home. But their work is still far from done.”

Sonny Sachdeva – Sportsnet – November 2018

‘There was no fear’

“The Hall of Famer who built the Detroit Red Wings into a juggernaut on the ice and eventually did the same for the Tampa Bay Lightning from the front office has a trophy case stuffed with team and individual awards. But before all that — before he was captaining big-league squads to back-to-back Cup Final sweeps in the late ’90s — Yzerman was a quiet, doggedly determined kid in Nepean, Ont., routinely making life nightmarish for his teenage foes.”

 

Sonny Sachdeva – Sportsnet – November 2018

‘He’s part of our family’

“Diamante walks over to a giant shelf near the entrance of the second-floor space at Yonge and Gerrard in Toronto and picks up a baseball bat. ‘Best cut in the league!’ is scribbled in silver Sharpie on the black lumber by its former owner, Blue Jays catcher Russell Martin. Other game-used bats rest on the shelf — Toronto teammates Kevin Pillar and Troy Tulowitzki donated their hardware — in addition to a baseball autographed by Marcus Stroman and a Pillar bobblehead. There’s also a basketball signed by each member of the 2016–17 Toronto Raptors.”

 

David Singh – Sportsnet – July 2018

Changing His Stripes

“Manziel, it seemed, had never really gone away; or, depending on your disposition, wouldn’t ever go away. That public presence wasn’t by chance. It’s simply a lifestyle choice. After all, before the Ticats could introduce Manziel to their fans, he had already posted a video on Twitter announcing his signing while passing through Canadian customs. Same as it ever was, at least since he became the first freshman to win the Heisman Trophy in 2012.”

 

Gare Joyce – Sportsnet – May 2018

‘An Embarrassment For Hockey’

“Controversial moments on the ice usually involve a referee’s missed call. That wasn’t the case 38 years ago. The 1980 Memorial Cup is considered one of the most divisive moments in junior hockey history — and blame and bad feelings for what unfolded remain to this day.”

 

Daniel Nugent-Bowman – Sportsnet – May 2018

Like it was yesterday

“One of the charms of the Masters is that it represents the hope of summer while much of the continent — and Canada certainly — is still thawing out from winter. The lush green grounds and vibrant flowers are a beacon. But in 2003, the weather wouldn’t cooperate. Eastern Georgia was deluged with cold, steady rain and high winds, a weather system called a ‘wedge’ that persisted through the week.”

Michael Grange – Sportsnet – April 2018