Be yourself; Everyone else is already taken.
— Oscar Wilde.
This is the first post on my new blog. I’m just getting this new blog going, so stay tuned for more. Subscribe below to get notified when I post new updates.
Two Lions players selected as CFL All-Stars
Despite an unspectacular season, with only five wins in 18 games, the BC Lions had two players selected as CFL All-Stars, the league announced this Thursday: wide receiver Bryan Burnham and kicker Sergio Castillo.
Burnham, 29 years old, is in his sixth season with the team. Undrafted both in the NFL and CFL, he signed with the Lions in 2014. In 2019, the receiver had 100 receptions, 1,492 yards, 392 yards after catch, and 11 touchdowns.
Sergio Castillo is in his first season in British Columbia. Prior, he spent time with the Atlanta Falcons, in the NFL. The kicker has been played in the CFL since 2015, for Winnipeg Blue Bombers, Ottawa Redblacks, and Hamilton Tiger-Cats. Castillo even signed with the San Antonio Commanders, of the Alliance of American Football, but never player in the American minor league, which folded before the end of its first season.
The kicker converter 41 of 45 field goals (91.1%) and had 153 points in 2019.
Castillo’s selection made the fifth straight year in which a BC Lions special teams player has been selected to the All-Star Game — Richie Leone in 2015 and 2016, and current Los Angeles Chargers punter Ty Long in 2017 and 2018.
Keep or let go? Which players are in contract year for the Canucks
The Vancouver Canucks started relativelly well the 2019/2020 season. The team is in the third place on Pacific Division, enough to be on the playoffs zone so far. But it is also important to think about the future. From the current roster, a total of twelve players are going to be free agents next offseason. According to Spotrac, the Canucks currently have 18.4M in projected cap space to the 2020/2021 season.
Josh Leivo
Acquired by the Canucks via trade last December, the left wing is 26 years old. He is making 1.5M this season. So far, he has emerged as a nice surprise and is having the best season of his career. Maybe it would be a good idea to keep him and give him more chances. The problem, however, is that Leivo is unrestricted.
Jake Virtanen
The New Westminster native is 23 years old and was selected by the Canucks in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft. He was promoted to the major league back in the 2015/2016 season, and is developing. He has a 1.25M salary this season and is a restricted free agent.
Tim Schaller
The experienced center has already played for the Buffalo Sabres and the Boston Bruins before sign a free agent contract with the Canucks in 2018. The two-year contract expires after this season, in which he makes 1.9M. He will be a unrestricted free agent.
Tyler Graovac
A depth addition, Graovac signed a one-year contract with the Canucks last July. He already played for the Minnesota Wild and Washington Capitals. He makes 700k and will be unrestricted.
Tyler Motte
The American player is 24 years old, but has already been traded twice. First, from the Chicago Blackhawks to the Columbus Blue Jackets, and then to the Canucks on February, 2018. Since, he has been an unspectacular piece to the team. Motte makes 975k and is a restricted free agent.
Adam Gaudette
The young player was selected by the Canucks in 2015. Gaudette is in his third season on the major league, with little impact on the team. He makes 916k and will be restricted.
Zack MacEwen
The center and winger current plays his second season for the Canucks. After going undrafted and having experience with minor leagues and an Anaheim Ducks training camp, MacEwen signed an entry level contract with the Canucks in 2017. The agreement expires after this season, in which he makes 847k. He will be restricted.
Christopher Tanev
The experienced player has been on the Vancouver Canucks roster since 2010. Now, he is 29 years old and makes 4.45M for the season. But he has little impact on the ice. So, don’t expect him to be back, unless it is a team friendly contract. Tanev will be unrestricted.
Troy Stecher
The defenceman has had a very limited role this season and there are rumors he can be traded before the end of his contract – he is in the last year of his second deal with the team, after he signed an entry-level deal with the Canucks when he went undrafted. He makes 2.3M and will be restricted.
Oscar Fantenberg
The Sweden has been a role player during his journeyman career in hockey. In the NHL, he has already played for the Los Angeles Kings and Calgary Flames before being signed by the Canucks last July. He makes 850k and is an unrestricted free agent.
Ashton Sautner
Another low-level Canucks defenceman who will be a free agent next offseason is Sautner, who is going to be restricted. The 25-year old player has been relegated to the Utica Comets of the American Hockey League, and he hasn’t seen the ice for the Canucks.
Jacob Markstrom
The top Canucks goaltender is slated to be an unrestricted free agent next offseason after five years with the organisation. The Sweden goalie was acquired from the Florida Panthers in 2014. He makes 3.6M this season and is one of the most important free agents for the Canucks to take care of. The only other goalie on the roster is Thatcher Demko, who is under contract until 2021.
7 possible head coaching candidates for the BC Lions
One year ago, the BC Lions hired former Calgary Stampeders defensive coordinator DeVone Claybrooks as its 26th head coach. Now, the search for the 27th has already started. After a disappointing 5-13 season in 2019, Claybrooks was fired, and now owner David Braley, CEO Rick LeLacheur, and general manager Ed Hervey have the task to find the successor.
Because of that, Vancouver Sports Wire lists seven head coaching possible candidates.
Paul LaPolice (Winnipeg Blue Bombers offensive coordinator)
LaPolice, 49 years old, has a large CFL experience. This season, as the Blue Bombers offensive coordinator, he guided the best offence in football and to a Grey Cup championship. The New Hampshire native also has head coaching experiente – he occupied the position in Winnipeg from 2010 to 2012. As offensive coordinator, he found his groove again after four years away from the league. LaPolice presence would be important to improve Mike Reilly’s play – the quarterback signed a four-year contract last offseason.
Tommy Condell (Hamilton Tiger-Cats offensive coordinator)
Condell spent the last season as Tiger-Cats offensive coordinator. He was promoted four months after being hired as wide receivers coach and guided the Hamilton offence to a high level of play on the last part of the season. The team scored 36 points in the Divisional Finals against the Edmonton Eskimos, but struggled in the Grey Cup Finals, scoring only 12 points in the losing effort. Condell also has experience as offensive coordinator for the Toronto Argonauts for two seasons.
Rick Campbell (former Ottawa Redblacks head coach)
Campbell agreed to part ways with the Ottawa Redblacks after six seasons as the team’s head coach. During the period, the team won a Grey Cup championship, in 2016, but had the league worst record last season, with only three wins. They also had the worst scoring offence and defence. Rick Campbell has experience in all phases of the game, because he already spent time as defensive coordinator, special teams coordinator, defensive backs coach and running backs coach.
Joe Philbin (former Miami Dolphins head coach)
Philbin has never worked in Canada, but he is an experienced coach in the NFL. He spent nine years on his first stint with the Green Bay Packers, serving as assistant offensive line coach, tight ends coach, offensive line coach and offensive coordinator. He was the Miami Dolphins head coach between 2012 and 2015. After two years with the Indianapolis Colts, he came back to the Packers in 2018 to be the offensive coordinator, and ended up being the interim head coach after Mike McCarthy’s firing. As a coordinator, he helped the Packers to win the only Super Bowl in Aaron Rodgers’ era.
Jason Shivers (Saskatchewan Roughriders defensive coordinator)
If the Lions prefer keep going with a defensive-minded head coach, Shivers may be a good option. Former NFL and CFL defensive back, he started his coaching career with the Toronto Argonauts, as defensive assistant in 2013. He was the Edmonton Eskimos DBs coach for two years before being hired as Saskatchewan Roughriders defensive coordinator four years ago. This season, the Riders had the second best scoring defence of the regular season. The team lost to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the Divisional Finals allowing 20 points.
Mark Washington (Hamilton Tiger-Cats defensive coordinator)
Mark Washington guided the best scoring defence in 2019 with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats after spending the last 15 years of his life with the BC Lions organization. Between 2003 and 2007, Washington was on the field, playing as defensive back. Right after retiring, he was hired as defensive backs coach, a position he held between 2008 and 2013. From 2014 to 2018, he served as Lions’ defensive coordinator. With the Tiger-Cats, he worked as defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach, leading the team to be the most prolific defence – allowing only 344 points in 18 games.
Greg Marshall (Western Ontario head coach)
The former Edmonton Eskimos running back has a large coaching experience. Since 2007, he serves as head coach and offensive coordinator for the Western Ontario University – this season, the team is undefeated and is at the top of Ontario University Athletics. The coach has three Vanier Cup championships (1989, 1994, and 2017). Marshall also has CFL head coaching experience – he was the Hamilton Tiger-Cats HC between 2004 and 2006.
Introduce Yourself (Example Post)
This is an example post, originally published as part of Blogging University. Enroll in one of our ten programs, and start your blog right.
You’re going to publish a post today. Don’t worry about how your blog looks. Don’t worry if you haven’t given it a name yet, or you’re feeling overwhelmed. Just click the “New Post” button, and tell us why you’re here.
Why do this?
- Because it gives new readers context. What are you about? Why should they read your blog?
- Because it will help you focus you own ideas about your blog and what you’d like to do with it.
The post can be short or long, a personal intro to your life or a bloggy mission statement, a manifesto for the future or a simple outline of your the types of things you hope to publish.
To help you get started, here are a few questions:
- Why are you blogging publicly, rather than keeping a personal journal?
- What topics do you think you’ll write about?
- Who would you love to connect with via your blog?
- If you blog successfully throughout the next year, what would you hope to have accomplished?
You’re not locked into any of this; one of the wonderful things about blogs is how they constantly evolve as we learn, grow, and interact with one another — but it’s good to know where and why you started, and articulating your goals may just give you a few other post ideas.
Can’t think how to get started? Just write the first thing that pops into your head. Anne Lamott, author of a book on writing we love, says that you need to give yourself permission to write a “crappy first draft”. Anne makes a great point — just start writing, and worry about editing it later.
When you’re ready to publish, give your post three to five tags that describe your blog’s focus — writing, photography, fiction, parenting, food, cars, movies, sports, whatever. These tags will help others who care about your topics find you in the Reader. Make sure one of the tags is “zerotohero,” so other new bloggers can find you, too.
Vancouver Sports Wire 