Diggin' into the Archives...Jr. Pats from days gone by

Regina, SK - It's always tough over the holidays to keep the content fresh on the blog.  The team is resting, games are a few days away and everyone takes a bit of a break to relax.  With that in mind, I dug into the archives and compiled this gem of current Pat Blues who made up the nucleus of the Junior Pats in second year novice.  It's pretty easy to tell who's who with the possible exception of journeyman mascot/golf head cover "Junior Pat" (pictured second from the left enjoying some delicious Earl's Yam fries).  Enjoy!

Merry Christmas from patblues.blogspot.ca!

Regina, SK -  Let's hope everyone had a peaceful and restful Christmas Day.  It's a busy winter when you have children in hockey so a few off days should be enjoyed.  One of our traditions is to head out on the outdoor rink on Christmas day and the weather this year did not disappoint.  While we thought Sean was going to watch from the sidelines...well you can watch for yourself:

Raiders spoil Pats Christmas break with a 7-6 win

Regina, SK - Considering this was the Pat Blues 4th game in 6 nights and the Pat Blues won 3 of them I suppose the old adage of "you can't win them all applies".  Sure, it would have been nice to go into the Christmas break with a win but the Pat Blues have been on a tear for the last few weeks and currently sit comfortably in 3rd place in the tough Southern Division.  Let's give PA full marks for the victory as they head home north on Highway #11 with 4 out of 4 points from Regina area teams. The Pat Blues will enjoy a little break over the holidays before starting a very busy January in Bantam AA action.  Click on the video below for your Regina Pat Blues game highlights!

Millionaires run out of Christmas Cash - Pat Blues win 4-2

Dmytro Kazymyra celebrates his son's goal!

Regina, SK - The Pat Blues were up on the Melville Millionaires 3-0 and it looked like they were on cruise control.  Give marks to the Millionaires, however, as they clawed back to make this game much closer than it should have been.  In fact, they got to within 1 goal as the clock ticked down but Matthew Chekay sealed the deal with his second of the night to earn the Pat Blues the victory and the coveted 2 points against a divisional rival.  Jordan Kazymyra and Tristan Third had singles for the Pat Blues.  Matthew Lenz earned the victory in net!

Matthew Puglia, pictured to the left, earned the coveted hard hat tonight and he's featured on the video high-lights below with a nice shot from the point.  Well done Michael!

I've got some Christmas music to go with the high-lights tonight. That is if my good friends at YouTube allow me to use some classic Frank Sinatra that was suggested by Donavon Beatty's grandfather Ray.  Apparently Ray could really 'cut up the rug' in his day when he was listening to ol' Blue Eyes!

Player(s) of the game with added 'photo-bomb' bonus!

Swift Current, SK - Coach Dave sent me this nice shot of Co-Player of the game Randen Schmidt and Jacob Smith for their outstanding penalty killing effort against Swift Current the other night.  I'm also going to give a shout out to Coach Dave himself as his photography skills are vastly improving. Notice the nice photo-bomb by a pensive looking Matthew Chekay on the right?  Well done Dave and keep them coming!

Are you ready for some Dodgeball?

Emerald Park, SK - Get ready for some Dodgeball Pat blues because it is on!  Monday, December 23rd at 6:45.  Winning team goes on to face the Average Joe's!

Pat Blues send Swift Current down the river with 7-5 victory

Swift Current, SK - The Regina Pat Blues defeated the Swift Current Kabos Raiders (Now there's a team name that just rolls off the tongue....) 7-5 in front of a hostile Swift Current crowd.  I had to rely on some outstanding reporting from patblues.blogspot correspondent Garth Beatty for these game game updates:

"Two players kicked out, tons of penalties."
"Chase & Puglia ejected...reffing is brutal."
"Goal scorers: 4, 12, 8, 14, 14...5-5 early in 3rd"
"7-5 win...How's Sean?"

I'm going right off the board with my video clip tonight and instead of using one from the actual game, I've got an 'out-take' from the Moose Jaw game spiced up with a little Phil Collins.  Hopefully Jordan Kazymyra will forgive me for the musical tie in on this clip!

Breaking: Sean Dawson undergoes knee surgery

Regina, SK - Breaking:  Sean had his knee surgery this afternoon in Regina and reports from the surgeon seem to indicate he did extremely well.  Sean had a meniscectomy which is the surgical removal of the torn portion of the meniscus.    

Pat Blues ring Notre Dame's bell; win 5-2

Regina, SK - This was a penalty filled match and it was a series of special teams that was going to decide this game.  With all those penalties, it results in penalty kills and power plays and thankfully the Pats were able to prevail and take the 2 points off the board.  I searched the Internet for famous "Blake's" and the best I could come up with to spice up the hard hat photo was Blake Griffin of the Los Angeles Clippers.  Congrats to Blake Diewold who was the player of the game tonight!

Virden Oil Capitals Christmas Message!

Virden, MB - With Christmas only a week away, I thought I'd post a festive video from our neighbours to the East.  What a great job the Virden Oil Capitals did on this video.  In four days, its already received over 50,000 hits.  If you haven't seen it yet, check it out below:

Moose Juice runs out of gas, lose 7-1 to Pat Blues

Regina - We've got a nice feature for the blog tonight: Video highlights!  Rather than put up with my observations of the game, I captured the first 6 goals scored by the Pat Blues for your viewing pleasure.  I'm not too happy with the video results because I had to shrink the video but it is nice to re-live this impressive game.  You'll note when you watch the goals that just about every one was scored with either an aggressive fore check or bodies in front of the net, particularly Tristan Third! That seems to be the recipe for success in this league.  Also, thanks to coach Dave who snapped this picture of Matthew Lenz who deservedly wore the hardhat home tonight!

Sean Dawson surgery date set

Regina, SK - Sean Dawson is scheduled to undergo arthroscopic knee surgery next week.  The surgery will remove the torn section of the meniscus on his right knee and get Sean closer to recovery from his injury, and tough start to the year. Sean's x-ray of his right knee is on the left while a short video of the procedure is on the right.

               

BREAKING NEWS: Multiple Pat Blues 2000's selected for Team Regina final evaluations

Regina, SK -  Multiple Regina Pat Blues have been selected to tryout for Team Regina.  The selected team will eventually compete at the Saskatchewan Winter Games in Prince Albert, SK from Feb. 16th to Feb. 22nd, 2014.  For a complete list of players selected for final evaluations, please click here.

Pat Blues get blown over by Prairie Storm, lose 7-0

Regina - I'm not going to dwell on this game for a second.  Let's put things in perspective, the Pat Blues took 4 of a possible 6 points after playing 3 games in 5 nights.  'Nuff said!  We'll see that team again, I'm sure.

I've got a short player profile for the blog featuring #15 defenseman Michael Puglia.  Always an exciting player to watch, suffice to say the opposing team knows when he's on the ice.  Not quite convinced....take note as to how this clip ends!  In recent games I've noticed Michael is much more disciplined with his play than earlier in the year.  Here is tonight's' player profile, Michael Puglia:

Pat Blues clip Wings - Win 6-5!

Weyburn - This will be tough to write a story when I really only saw the first 30 seconds of play so I'm relying on Garth Beatty and the text he sent me:

"6-5 win.  How's Sean?  U still at the Hospital?"

I'll have to let the pictures do the talking but great job Pat Blues as the team is really on a roll as they take on the league leading Prairie Storm tomorrow afternoon in Regina.  Matthew Lenz gets the win to continue his solid play.  Pictured is player of the game Alex Kanook as well as one of the Weyburn goals.

For those wondering about Sean, he fell awkwardly on the first shift of the game and has re-injured the same knee that took him out for much of November.  He went to the Hospital in Weyburn and will have his knee examined on Monday in Regina but it looks like further complications with his meniscus (see below).  Good luck tomorrow Pat Blues!

 

Pat Blues Dad's get a jumpstart on Holiday Shopping!

It was nice to see a couple of the Pat Blue "Hockey Dad's" getting a head start to their Christmas shopping on Black Friday today.  I can't quite make out their identity, and I'm not sure why they're a bit camera shy in the first place, but I have it on good authority that their boys are on the squad. Kudos to them for starting their shopping well in advance of Christmas Eve when most of us will be out in full force.  It's creeping up on us as there are only 25 days left until Christmas!

Parallel universes collide in Moose Jaw - Pats win 6-4!

Moose Jaw, SK - This was a strange game from the time we arrived at the rink.  Maybe it was being shut out of our dressing room in favour of the Moose Jaw TimBits, or maybe it was the over-abundance of signage warning parents to properly supervise their kids...what's up with that anyway?? Perhaps it was the music at the game that put most every parent back to their high school graduation; was Noah Koczak really serenaded to the penalty box by Sir Mix Alot's "I like big butts" or was this all a dream???

The night got stranger as the game got underway with Sean Dawson opening the scoring for the Pat Blues.  A big night for Sean and his Dad who witnesses the rare event.  How rare you ask? We'll I had to dig into the archives for a shot of Sean the last time he tallied a marker for his team:  

After that goal, this game had just about everything:  Noah Koczak with 2 goals; with one scored from center ice (a real muffin), Noah Crowley being ejected for a major charging penalty, a couple of short-handed goals and some power play goals.  Thankfully, the night ended with the world being properly aligned;  The Pat blues earned 2 points with a 6-4 victory, all kids in the rink seemed to be properly supervised and Matthew Chekay walked out with the hard hat on his head!  Let's keep it rolling Pat Blues, rest day tomorrow and then it's back on the road for a battle with Weyburn!

Pat Blues in "Thanksgiving" Spirit!

Regina -  This was an unintentional tie-in but when Bill Lenz asked me to take a photo after the game on Monday to thank the sponsors, I realized that it coincided with American Thanksgiving tomorrow. It's a nice shot of the boys following their Monarch victory so instead of only sharing it with our sponsors, I thought I'd share it with my loyal blog followers...all 3 of you! (Click to view larger image)

Monarchs Dethroned!

Regina - The Pat Blues led this game after the first 15 seconds with a goal by Jordan Kazymyra (see below) and never looked back easily defeating the Monarchs 5-1 at the Al Ritchie arena on Monday night.  The Pat Blues strategy seemed to be to roll 3 lines, 5 Defenseman and simply wear down the Monarchs in waves.  Getting solid goaltending from Matthew Lenz seemed to make the skaters that much better. It's a busy week ahead with trips to Moose Jaw and Weyburn before a final match-up with the Prairie Storm.  Let's hope the team gets some good meals, and can squeeze in the odd nap throughout the week.  Jacob Smith & Carson Denomie are pictured below.

"Kaz" the Builder earns the helmet for hardest working Pat

Regina - Fans of the blog will be happy to hear that, for a change, I actually have some fresh content and will be adding several stories this week.  My harshest critic, Sean Dawson, recently indicated that when I posted a picture of my sister's dog 'Robson' the blog had reached, in his words 'a new low'.

Harsh criticism indeed but perhaps this story will mark an upswing in hits as tonight, we mark a new tradition for the Pat Blues!  Jordan Kazymyra was awarded the "hard hat" tonight for being the hardest working Pat Blue.  I won't divulge my source as to who provided the picture but I couldn't get over the uncanny resemblance to everybody's favourite building contractor "Bob the Builder"! (aside from the 3 fingers, cantaloupe shaped head, and Prince Charles ears that is).  I'll be posting some details from the game vs. the Monarchs tomorrow so, for now, this picture of 'Kaz' & 'Bob' will have to do.

CP Reporter Jennifer Graham's Grey Cup scoop features Donavon Beatty

Regina, SK - Canadian Press reporter Jennifer Graham is pretty used to rubbing shoulders with some of the biggest newsmakers in Canada.  She's covered Prime Minister Harper, Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall and even rubbed elbows with the British paparazzi when Prince Charles and Camilla came to town last year.  All that aside, her interview with Regina Pat Blues Defenseman Donavon Beatty at the Grey Cup parade is "must-see TV" (or video, anyway).  As you'll see from the video below Beatty was as cool during the interview as he normally is on the ice!  Click on the picture of Donavon below and it will take you to the full video. Suffice to say this had to be the highlight of Jennifer's Grey Cup coverage during the week, if not her career!

@PaulDawsonSK That is great! Definitely one to remember.

— Jennifer Graham (@JGrahamCP) November 25, 2013

Yorkton clips Pat Blues 5-3

Yorkton - A couple things stood out when I reviewed the Pat Blues 5-3 loss on the Sask Bantam AA Website.   Firstly, the Pat Blues were 0 for 8 on the powerplay (Ouch!) and secondly, the Pat Blues actually out shot Yorkton in the game.  Yorkton made their power play chances count, going 2 for 5 with the extra man.  AP Isaac Sandomirsky opened the scoring for the Pat Blues who also saw markers from Noah Koczak and Chase Nameth.   The Pats play the Regina Monarchs on Monday night and that team features the stellar goaltending tandem of Zach Johnson & Morgan Bogdan so the Pat Blues will have to get some shots on net to beat either of those '99 goaltenders.  Pictured below is Captain Matthew Chekay who recently signed a deal with 2 for 1 Pizza!

Kazzzy gets the Hattie to beat Esteee!

Estevan - It didn't really surprise me to hear Jordan Kazymyra had a breakout game for the Blues tonight in Estevan.  Kaz tallied 3 for his first hat trick in his Bantam career as the Blues defeated the Bruins 5-3.  Kaz was a bit snake bit over the first few games and struggled to find the net but tonight was a different story.  I'm sure the bus ride back from Estevan was a bit crazy tonight but it will be that much more enjoyable with the 2 points that go along with the victory.  I had to dig into the archives for a picture of Jordan along with proud paps Dmytro as I couldn't make it to the game tonight. Well done Blues, congrats on the big victory!

Pat Blues rise to beat Barons, then sink to Wheat Kings!

Apologies to my loyal blog audience (Donavon's grandpa Ray and a couple of others), for not updating the blog over the weekend but I'm out of town in beautiful Vancouver Island! The best photo I could do was of my sisters dog 'Robson' going for a swim in the Pacific Ocean this morning! I was able to get a few details on the weekend action however so here we go...

The Pat Blues started the weekend with a 5-3 victory over North Battleford. The Barons made this much closer than it should have been and had it to 4-3 before Michael Puglia sealed the match with an empty net goal, his second of the game. Also scoring for the Pat Blues was 2000 forwards Dean Mason & Randon Schmidt as well as captain Matthew Chekay.

On Sunday, the Pat Blues got off to a bit of a slow start and went down 2-0 after the first period. The Blues battled back and dominated the Wheat Kings in the 2nd and 3rd periods but it wasn't enough as the Blues lost 3-2. The injury woes continued for the Pat Blues as I'm hearing reports that Donavon Beatty suffered a lower body injury during this game. Let's home he doesn't join Sean Dawson who is suffering from a meniscus tear in his knee. Tristan Third and Noah Crowley also added markers for the Pat Blues.

Pat Blues bow out on Saturday afternoon...

Regina, SK - I figured the Pat Blues were in good shape when I left after the second period yesterday as they really seemed to dominate the second period.  It came as a surprise to learn the Pat Blues fell to the Saskatoon Generals in a game that turfed the Pat Blues from the Graham Tuer Bantam tournament.  Isaac Sandomirsky added two nice goals back to back in the second period but he was shut down in the third.  There was some good hockey played over the weekend and the Pat Blues had the best record of all the Regina teams.  Thanks to all the parents who volunteered throughout the weekend and it's back to work come Monday night!

Pat Blues take two!

Regina, SK - The Pat Blues must have had Rebecca Black blaring from the ipod in the dressing room because "Friday, Friday" sure seemed to be their game day of choice for the squad.  The Pat Blues opened the day with a 6-4 victory over the Norman Wolves and backed it up with an 8-2 victory over Battleford.  Blake Diewold (pictured below) continued his fine record with a win in the afternoon tilt while Matthew Lenz got the W in the evening.  Tristan Third remains injured from a bad hit on Thursday while Sean Dawson went down with a knee injury during the second period against the Wolves.  The Pat Blues continue their strong tournament showing this afternoon at the Co-Operators.

Blues stung by Vipers

Regina -  This was an entertaining game from start to finish and it had just about everything; short handed goals, power play goals and even some big hits.  Unfortunately the Pat Blues came out on the losing end with a 3-1 loss.  The Pat Blues never had the lead in this game and failed to score in the first two periods.  Finally, in the 3rd period Sean Dawson slid a pass across to BFF Donavon Beatty who rifled it on net where it was deflected in by Matthew Chekay.  That was all the Pat Blues could muster, however, as the Vipers added an empty net goal to seal the game for Sask Valley.  The Pat Blues called a timeout in hopes of tying the game but it just wasn't meant to be.  The Pat Blues return to the ice tomorrow afternoon - see you at the Cooperators!

Greetings from Moscow

Moscow, Russia - Ever wonder what it's like to attend a Kontinental Hockey League Game (KHL) live in Russia.  To be honest, I never have either but considering I'm desperate for a new story on the blog this will have to do.  My brother is in Russia and attended a KHL game. Apparently he struck up a conversation with these "gymnasts" from Siberia that were in town to cheer for their KHL team, Sibir Novosibirsk. This may affect page hits for the next few days but he's likely to send me more "content".  WHEN IS THE REGINA TOURNAMENT STARTING....!

Melville: The lighter side

I'm not exactly sure where these "stories" fit in from the weekend but here they are.  One of the referees really captured the attention of the Pat Blues, particularly Tristan Third who was seen chatting with him during the warm-up.  I believe it was his old school helmet with 1/2 cage mask but it was nice to see the smiles on the bench from the Pat Blues.  Looks like Kevin & Dave weren't in on the joke, however!

Also, did anyone else notice that one of the Zamboni drivers bared a striking resemblance to everyone's favourite uncle, Si Robertson, from Duck Dynasty, or was it just me?

Pat Blues driven home by Yorkton & Estevan; lose in the "C" final

Melville, SK - The Pat Blues were 'driven' home down Highway #10 today after suffering two defeats at the hands of Yorkton & Estevan today in Melville.  Things started off well for the Pat Blues as they opened up a 3-0 lead against Yorkton in the first period but ended up losing 6-4.  That game was followed up by a similar story against Estevan where the Pat Blues enjoyed a 4-2 lead before falling to the Bruins by a score of 5-3.  It was a tough weekend for Regina teams at the tournament as they went a combined 1-7 for the weekend and suffered losses in both the C and D final.  Let's put the weekend behind us as the team has several practices before the Graham Teuer tournament over Halloween weekend.

Pat Blues buck Broncos, then get clipped by Wings

Melville, SK - The Regina Pat Blues are in Melville this weekend where they played at the beautiful Horizon Credit Union Place.  What a great rink and, as you can tell by the photo, the fans were really into the games today!

The Pat Blues began their tournament with a match against the Humboldt Broncos.  The Pat Blues scored the first 3 goals of the game in the 1st period before closing out the game with a 6-3 victory.  Matthew Lens was the tournament opening game starter and he looked stellar between the pipes.  Pictured below is Tristan Third doing his best to screen the Broncos goalie.

Next up in the afternoon was an exciting match-up between the Weyburn Red Wings.  I was impressed by the Red Wings who played a disciplined game with an effective power play.  Believe it or not, the Wings actually didn't score on the photo below but they did score 4 times to double the Pat Blues 4-2.  Sean Dawson had a rare double appearance on the score sheet with 2 points and was +2 for the game.  Blake Diewold was in net and he played solid, giving up few rebounds throughout the match.  The Pat Blues take on the always tough Yorkton Terriers tomorrow morning in Melville and that game will decide whether they're in the A, B, C, or D final.

Pat Blues D-man scores endorsement deal with Dodge

Regina, SK - This came as a bit of a shock to me but who would think the Pat's D-man with the least amount of penalty minutes (zero) would get a call from Dodge Trucks to do a commercial for a tough truck? Maybe it was for the same reason that Wilford Brimley sells oatmeal?  Steady, consistent, reliable defenseman....?  That's Seany D.  Anyway, hope you all enjoy Sean's commercial debut!

(Parody Video - Not an actual endorsement!)

Number Nine, Third, scores second goal!

A name like "Third" is a headline writers dream so a special shout-out to Tristan Third for scoring the game-winning goal tonight as the Pat Blues rolled over the Saskatoon Stallions in a spirited match at the Co-operators centre.  The Pat Blues started out slowly and spent more than 1/2 of the first period killing penalties.  Fortunately, the Stallions didn't make them pay for some of those transgressions. Other goals for the Pat Blues tonight came from Matthew Chekay and Carson Denomie.  Blake Diewold was great in goal and it was tough to see his shutout shattered by the Stallions in the last five minutes.  Third, Denomie, & Diewold all made it past the photo editors desk tonight and are featured below:

Chad and Garth - Modern day Statler & Waldorf??

Maybe it was the little wooden private box at the Ritchie but there was something about Chad & Garth's perch at the game last night that reminded me of the elder statesmen on The Muppets:  Statler & Waldorf.  For those unfamiliar with Statler & Waldorf they're two disagreeable old men who heckled the rest of the cast from their balcony seats.  That's where the comparison ends as Chad and Garth have done a great job with the music and announcing this year as it's really pumped the boys up.  Keep up the great work from your perch Chad & Garth!

Pat Blues send Swift Current down the river

Regina, SK -  This was an entertaining game tonight at the Al Ritchie where the Regina Pat Blues improved their record to 2-1 in regular season play with a 6-3 win over the road weary Swift Current Kabos.  In my opinion, this game was really decided in the third period when the Pat Blues took it to a Swift Current team that was playing its second game in as many nights.  Matthew Lenz played outstanding for the Blues and, in my opinion, was the first star of the game (aside from Garth Beatty who drew the winning 50/50 ticket tonight)!

Goal scorers for the Pat Blues included Noah Crowley with 2, and singles from Randen Schmidt, Tristan Third, Donavon Beatty and Matthew Chekay.  I've put a video montage up from the game tonight that includes the Blues taking the ice, Noah Crowley's highlight of the night goal and some post game comments from Blues rookie Randen Schmidt about the play of Lenz.  Next up for the Blues is the Saskatoon Stallions who, coincidentally, are named after fictitious boxer Rocky Balboa, the original Italian Stallion!

Millionaires send Blues of the fiscal cliff!

Melville, SK - It was a penalty filled game in Melville this afternoon.  I haven't seen the final score sheet but the best estimate I could get is in the low 20's for penalty calls for the Blues alone.  Despite a last ditch effort where the Blues pulled their goalie, the game ended as a 2-1 victory for the Millionaires.  Scoring for the Pat Blues was recent Ontario transplant Noah Crowley.  Here's hoping Noah got to keep the puck to celebrate his first goal in Saskatchewan.  Still, the Blues split their two road games this weekend and their record is now at 1-2.  Perhaps some home cooking will work some magic for the Blues next weekend as they have two visitors coming to town.

Pat Blues leave Wilcox with 1st win of the year!

Wilcox, SK - The Regina Pat Blues evened their regular season record to 1-1 with a spirited victory against the Hounds of Notre Dame.  I've got limited information for my post as I wasn't able to make it to the game but I was able to secure a couple of shots from the game action including  'tender Blake Diewold who was the player of the game this afternoon.  I also have a nice shot of a frustrated Hound trying to contain Dean Mason.  Other than that, I pretty much only have texts from my wife Myrna; with my favourite being: "Order 2 pizzas from BP's for the way home, I'm not cooking tonight!"  I did hear that the Pat Blue goal scorers included Jordan Kazymyra, Tristan Third, Noah Kozak, Noah Crowley and Matthew Chekay with two.  Carbo load tonight boys, get a good nights sleep as it's a road trip to Melville tomorrow and a visit to the beautiful Horizon Credit Union Centre where the Pat Blues will face the Millionaires.

Pat Blues fall in opener to Yorkton; lose 7-1

The Regina Pat Blues opened their 2013-'14 season tonight in Regina with a 7-1 loss to the Yorkton Terriers.  No doubt, some of the players had some butterflies at the home opener as many players were making their Bantam AA debut.  Let's give credit to Yorkton as they looked solid in all facets of the game. Had it not been for Alex Kanook's goal in the final couple of minutes of the game, Yorkton would be driving home with a shutout.  Yorkton made the Pat Blues pay for their penalties as their power play was firing on all cylinders during the game.  

 Michael Puglia clears the crease for goalie Matthew Lens

 Jordan Kazymyra signs an autograph following the game

50/50 sales were Brisk at C6!

There was a special guest in town tonight as Fred Gillis, a graduate of the Cross Lake, Manitoba Hockey League and former Hockey Regina coach was in town to take in the action.  Fred knows the game and was often paired with another former Hockey Regina coach Pat Tardif, as they toiled at senior hockey tournaments throughout western Canada.  Fred offered some insight on a couple of Pat Blues that caught his eye at tonight's game:.

Hockey Great Bobby Orr on Role Models, Youth, & his Legacy

I recently came across a feature in the Boston Globe on one of Hockey's all time greats Bobby Orr.  For any of the Pat Blues who are unfamiliar with Bobby, I suggest you talk to your parents or grandparents because even to this day, many argue he's the greatest hockey player of all time.  I wasn't aware of this but over the past decades, Orr has forged a transcendental legacy by privately counselling the sick and the dying, the disabled and the disenfranchised, the poor and the grieving.  The video is short but it leaves an impact with the viewer. Hope you enjoy it!

      

Pat Blues help out little tykes at Tryouts!

Regina, SK - While most of us were sleeping in on Saturday morning a couple of Pat Blues were helping out with the Novice Try-outs at the Cooperators.  Sean Dawson & Randen Schmidt both spent four hours working with the future stars of tomorrow.  There was some talent out on the ice too so let me be the first to say the 2007 birth year looks strong!

Blues concerto cancelled due to Storm!

Regina, SK - The always strong Prairie Storm defeated the Pat Blues 6-3 this evening in exhibition play at the Balfour arena.  This was a penalty filled game with the Pat Blue getting over 30 minutes of penalties throughout the game.  On at least a couple of those power plays, the Prairie Storm capitalized on their chances as well as getting a short handed marker to seal the game in the win column.  Although the score sheet indicated Jordan Kazymyra had two goals, I counted Kaz with one, Randen Schmidt with one and Jacob Smith with the final goal for the Pat Blues.  Since Kaz Sr. generously donated a caramilk bar to Sean Dawson (in an effort for him to gain some weight), I'm going into the archives tonight for this signed photo of Kaz in honour of his goal tonight!

Pat Blues name leadership group

The Pat Blues named their leadership core tonight at the Jack Staples arena in North Regina.  Matthew Chekay was named captain while defensemen Donovan Beatty, Noah Kockzak, and Michael Puglia will sport the A's for the team.

Great choices all the way around and remember as one of the greatest captains in hockey history Wayne Gretzky once said:  "90% of hockey is mental and the other half is physical."