DAYTONA HOMES MONDAY MORNING GOALIE

If you were paying attention last week, we were all over the southern part of Saskatchewan broadcasting the SportsCage from the Telus Cup in Moose Jaw and then from the Taphouse in Estevan as part of the Bruins’ annual Sportsman’s Dinner celebration.  With Winnipeg Jets radio voice Brian Munz staying at our house as well, there wasn’t much time for column-writing and therefore there were no Friday Rodservations.  People seem to think you snap your fingers, show up in these places, and go on the radio and/or host a sports dinner.  There’s MUCH more that goes into it behind the scenes, and it was an unbelievably hectic week with no time to put together a column.  This blog is still a hobby, not a job!

When you factor in the Florida trip, the Las Vegas trip and seemingly endless meetings and conversations with CKRM radio management, the Roughriders and the new ownership group of the Regina Pats, you realize April has been an insane month.

However today in the Monday Morning Goalie, we recap it all:

WHAT’S NEW, WHAT’S SEXY:  Of all the questions I fielded on the highways and bi-ways of this great province last week, the most poignant one was this, and I don’t even remember who asked it: Just who is Anthony Marquart?  Well for starters he’s the front man of the new ownership consortium of the Regina Pats, Queen City Sports & Entertainment Group.  I came to know him by a chance meeting in Montreal two years ago in September.  I’ve bumped into him at various functions since and we’ve always chatted.  He’s also a member at Gold’s Gym so we’ve had plenty of discussions there as well.  Somewhere along the line we exchanged cell phone numbers and that certainly came in handy last week when he and his group assumed control of the Regina Pats Hockey Club.

You won’t find Anthony Marquart on Facebook or on Twitter.  A Google search of his name turns up only a few stories, including a Leader Post article about the downtown Regina office tower he’s building kitty corner from CKRM on Broad Street.

He’s 42 years old, originally from Calgary but makes Regina his home now with his wife and four children all under the age of 10.  Hockey scouts tell me his son is the best goaltender in the province in his age group.  Anthony has wavy red hair, wears hipster glasses and is always impeccably dressed. He is rarely without a smile.

He is very low-key, and prefers to stay out of the spotlight.  That’s why it was huge for him to grant his first interview to CKRM radio last week, and also allow us to break the story of who his ownership partners are.

I would suggest we have a very solid relationship and as I told him last week, I will do everything in my power with all of my resources to make this era of Regina Pats hockey an historic success.

Get ready for lots of Pats coverage.  I want to see that logo everywhere.  Every time you turn around.

More details will come out this week.  Pats legend Mike Sillinger has had his name tossed around but I’m pretty sure he does not have an ownership stake with this group.  However you’d have to be crazy to think that Sillinger hasn’t spoken to QCSEG about being involved in some capacity.

Things are unfolding at a breakneck pace, and the “leak” last week certainly exacerbated things.  However they are stabilizing now.

You want to keep informed on what’s going on?  Keep it right here.

It feels great!

*UPDATE:  Former Regina Pat, Boston Bruin and Calgary Flame Nevin Markwart had extensive talks with Russ Parker about purchasing the team but in the end I’m not sure he was ever seriously considered.  I’m not sure why that is, and I suppose it doesn’t matter now.  His group had up to four or five heavy hitters but they didn’t have the assets of the Queen City Sports & Entertainment Group.  Regardless, I asked Nevin over the weekend if he had a quote for today’s column regarding being passed over to buy the team.

“No,” Markwart said via text message.  “It’s best they have their day without me grabbing any ink.  That said, I am excited for Pats fans to see a solid, local group purchase the team.  I will be buying season tickets to support the team and new ownership group.  It is a new day for hockey in Regina.  Awesome!!”

He’s correct.  The hockey people in this city are tremendously excited about the change.

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Estevan Bruins executives are saying last week’s Sportsman’s Dinner was their best ever.  The event raised a staggering $125,000 and as team Vice President Chad Saxon said, “It could not have gone better”.  That was rewarding to hear since I was the one piloting the thing and had only five minutes to scribble down a speech while preparing for the SportsCage show at the Taphouse earlier in the day.

Speaking of, here’s a photo of Thursday’s show when we were joined by NHL legend Ray Bourque (second from right).  The guy in the white ballcap is Blaine Davies, an Estevan resident and lifelong Bruins fan who I threw on air to interview Bourque.  He said we made his life!  What the heck – he knew more about Bourque and the Bruins than I did.

Ray Bourque’s speech is recapped a little further down but first, here’s a rundown of what Saskatchewan Roughriders head coach Corey Chamblin had to say in his address in Estevan:

CHAMBLIN:

– I’ve been a part of helping the Roughriders get to, or win, the Grey Cups in 2007, 2009, 2010 and 2013.  I was with Winnipeg in 2007 and we allowed the Riders to win.  In 2009 I was in Calgary, same thing.  You get the idea…  It was all set up so I could come here and win with the Roughriders in 2013.

– I was saying the other day I have a really tough job, being the head coach in Saskatchewan.  It can be a tough place.  And not only a head coach, but a young head coach.  When I started as an assistant coach I was younger than most of the players but at least now, I’m older than all the players except for Geroy Simon!

– Being a champ – that feels real good!  Especially here in Saskatchewan.  First thing I did when I got the job was call Darian Durant and ask him how he felt about it.  He said he’d heard great things and said ‘come on over’.  The first thing I wanted to do was get the approval of the guys in the room.  The first year we had our ups and downs but we were aggressive and pushed the envelope.  We were 29 seconds away from going to the West Final.  I still have a nasty taste in my mouth over that because I thought we had a chance to win it that year.

– This past year, one of the things that propelled us, we brought in winners and champs.  One way or another, whether it was coaching them or coaching against them, we needed men in here who knew how to win.  Those guys knew how to win.  That was very positive and it was right on.  We had success because those guys had had it elsewhere.

– Every single morning all year I greeted the team with “Good morning champs!”.  That was every single morning whether it was after a win, loss or tie.  I always believed that winning is a mindset.  Being a champ is a mindset and it’s a daily thing.  The first couple of times I could tell the players thought they weren’t champs yet and were a bit uneasy.  Now everybody calls me “champ” but I knew we were even before we were.

– It’s about hard work, dedication and commitment.  It’s about everyone headed in the right direction.  That’s something we did.  Along the season we had some adversity and some of it was off the field.  That was tough.  Anyone can be a champ in the tough times.  That’s easy.  But when you hit that extreme low or rough patch, that’s when the championship mindset is tested and you find out what type of team you’ll be.

– There was some times during the season the players and coaches get a little low but we didn’t hit rock bottom as far as “hey the season is gone”.  One of the turning points was ending our four game losing streak against BC in BC.  Kory Sheets made it back and had two touchdowns but it was more that the players had had enough.  It was 31-17 and the players made up their mind that we could win and we could do some things.

– Everyone says ‘what’s the turning point’ and I saw it was the four game losing streak.  We started with the 8-1 run early and then we had it tail off. But we learned from that and moved forward.  After that we went to Calgary and we were ready but we actually didn’t win that game.  But that galvanized us and got us ready for the playoffs.  BC in that semifinal was one of the toughest games that I’d ever had in the CFL because they were doing a good job.  They came with a great game plan, their players were ready, and the cold didn’t affect them that much.  The team really stood up and that’s when I finally saw that championship attitude.  Darian was the Darian of old.  That guy from when I was in Calgary showed back up.

– We saw our nemesis from Calgary in the West Final and for us to hold them to 13 points, well, it could have been a blowout.  At halftime, I thought ‘this is unreal’.  We’d had our ups and downs in Calgary but we overcame it.  Standing on the sidelines that day I was proud to be the head coach of the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

– Heading into the Grey Cup, there was a certain match-up there.  It’s all I thought about.  It was like 1989.  I didn’t think about Kent (Austin) being on the wall.  Rod writes about him everyday.  No just kidding!  I didn’t think of any of those things!! But that was a great match-up having Hank there, Kent there, it was awesome.  It was a storybook ending to our season.

– Going through that season, I even asked Brendan Taman yesterday what was the difference us winning this year and he said it was the consistency and message of us being able to champs.  We talked about winning all day every day in all that we do and that’s always been the message to my team.  Be a champ on the field and off the field.  Every for everyone here tonight raising money for the Estevan Bruins … it’s about being a champ, being aggressive and meeting your goals and winning.

Thanks

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RAY BOURQUE SPEECH

– If I’d have thought I’d have the career Rod mentioned (22 seasons, 17 All-Star appearances, 5 Norris Trophies, 1 Stanley Cup win and being the all-time highest-scoring defenceman) when I went into it, I’d have been a pretty conceited person.  I did not expect that to happen.

– I grew up in Montreal and I was spoiled watching the Canadiens win Cup after Cup.  I cheered for them up until 1979 and after that game when they beat Boston in overtime on the infamous “Too Many Men” call, I was so pumped and I was outside the Forum.  Two months later I was a Bruin after being drafted 8th overall and that’s where the allegiance to the Canadiens ended!

– I only had a month to negotiate my contract and my agent was involved with my junior team.  He was bright in a lot of ways but he drank way too much.  We met with Harry Sinden at the Dorval Airport and after some small talk my agent said “Harry we want $100,000 to sign and we want $100,000 per year for three years.  If Ray doesn’t get that, I’ll have someone break your legs”.  I can’t make this up.  Harry just sat back and said “Our goalie is from Montreal and is very well-connected.  If something’s done to my legs then I’ll have to have something done to you and the poor kid won’t have a contract”.   I thought I was never gonna play a game in the NHL but I got it!  So maybe I shoulda kept this agent!  I would have a lot more money in the bank today.  I saw Harry Sinden last week and he said, “Man your agent scared me way back in the day!”  Again, I should have kept him.

– Congratulations to Corey, Chris Getzlaf and the Saskatchewan Roughriders on the Grey Cup.  I made a note to congratulate you guys.  It’s amazing the support you guys have.

– Terry O’Reilly was the ultimate Boston Bruin.  He was the hardest-working player I ever played with and he was the toughest player I ever played with.  As I young guy I just watched and listened and took notes from him.

– As a rookie nobody thought I could speak English but I could.  I just didn’t say anything.

– I wore three numbers with the Bruins beginning with #29 in training camp.  I had a good camp, made the team, and for the first game #7 was hanging in my stall.  I knew about Phil Esposito and everything and he was a great Bruin.  Bobby Schmautz said if I heard any heckling from the crowd about wearing Esposito’s number, ignore it.  But I never heard any.  In 1987 they decided to retire his number and although nothing was said about it, we had a pregame ceremony and I presented Phil with his #7 jersey and when I pulled it off, I was wearing #77 underneath.  It was perfect although there was absolutely no communication with management at the time.  It’s always like this.  But it worked out okay because no one, no players, no fans, NOBODY knew it was going to happen.  I knew we made Phil’s day because for the first time in his life, he was speechless.  That does not happen if you know Phil.

– We had some great runs through the 80’s but could never beat Montreal.  The Bruins will probably meet up with them again this year.  I used to go back to Montreal in the summers and always got the, “what happened? why couldn’t you meet Montreal?”.  We finally did in 1988 for the first time in 45 years but ran into Gretzky’s last run with the Oilers.  But we did nothing, losing four straight.  We got back in 1990 with the best record in the league and got the Oilers again but, again, it didn’t happen for us.  Klima hadn’t played in five periods and then goes out to score the winner in the sixth period and we go on to lose in five.

– It’s so hard to win.  You’ve gotta win four series and it’s so grueling and grinding, no matter how talented you are.  So much has to go right for you.  Pittsburgh got Chicago and Minnesota to win consecutive Cups.  We’d have had a better chance against them rather than Edmonton.

– The late 90’s weren’t great for us and I didn’t think management wasn’t doing enough to be a championship team.  I didn’t want to ask for a trade but I had to.  I went to the rink knowing the will from the franchise to win wasn’t there.  I have my Four P’s: Plan, Preparation, Perserverance and Passion.  They weren’t there in Boston at that time so I got the trade to Colorado.

– We went to the conference finals in 2000 in my first year with the Avalanche but lost to Dallas.  I knew I was coming back for the next season.

– We got to the Stanley Cup Finals and faced the defending champions, New Jersey.  I knew going into the year this was going to be it for me.  The only people who knew were my wife and I.  I knew regardless, win or lose, it was going to be over.  We won Game 1, lost Game 2, won Game 3 in New Jersey and I scored my last-ever goal in that game.  I called that I was going to score in that game.  But every game I said I was going to score!  We lost Game 4 and went back for Game 5 with the best home record in the league.  We gotta back to Jersey for Game 6 facing elimination.  No one gave us a chance but it kicked in for me because I had family and friends there.  We won 4-0.

– Game 7 in Denver.  Joe Sakic was chasing me down all the way back from New Jersey asking how we were gonna do the Cup thing, and who’s gonna grab it?  I said, “Let’s win the game first then worry about the Cup thing!!!!!!!”  Well we got up 3-0 in the third period and I couldn’t believe it was going to happen.  I had to talk myself down but all the things I envisioned with my sports psychologist came to fruition that night.  I could hardly breathe on the ice for the rest of the game.  I almost fainted but the guys kept putting me out there.  I played the last 2:00 and what a feeling when it finally happened!

– The Mayor of Boston asked if I would bring the Cup to Boston for a ceremony but I would only do it with the Bruins’ blessing.  They insisted, and I brought it back.  20,000 people showed up for it.

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Here are some leftover photos from the Estevan event:

Rider receiver Chris Getzlaf helps auction off his brother Ryan’s jersey.   Chris’s Rider jersey went for $3700 while the Duck sweater went for $3400.  Chris was pumped to sell for more money than his little brother.

Former Pats head scout Todd Ripplinger is filling a similar role with the Estevan Bruins.  After the dinner I posed with Todd’s son, Turner.  He wears a mullet in honour of Chicago Blackhawks star Patrick Kane.

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THAT’S ALL! TALK TO YOU IN THE CAGE..
RP
@sportscage