Squire on Sports

The Toronto Raptors have done it again.  They beat the Golden State Warriors...But it was different than the first time.

A lot going on locally in sports...The Canucks won, The whitecaps will have a new captain next year & The BC Lions brought in DeVone Claybrooks as head coach.

Pete Carroll on the sidelines of a football game, is like watching someone who just got tickets to a big concert.  The coach is 70 years old, and although he is on the sidelines, he is as much apart of the game as any of the players.

The Canucks got a much needed win last night as they beat the Predators 5-3.  And the game had some highlights that might suggest the Canucks aren't giving up just yet.

The Canucks have now lost 12 out of their last 13 games.  For some reason fans don't seem to be too worried.  That's because they are on the "Lose For Hughes" bandwagon.

In the last couple of years the Toronto Raptors were like the tin man, they didn't have a heart.  They could play the game, but not through adversity.

Last night the Buffalo Sabres set a record, kind of.  They became the first team to be in first place overall, 25 games into a season, following a season when they were the worst team in hockey.  But all summer there was talk around the league that they were most likely to succeed.

The rebuilding of the Whitecaps started yesterday with the "tear down" phase.  A number of players were let go including Brek Shea, who was somehow the second highest paid player next to Kei Kamara.

One of the things that came out of Grey Cup week is just how close the league is to adding a team in Atlantic Canada.

All the talk about the NFL losing fans because some players decided to kneel during the National Anthem to protest, has fallen by the wayside.  The real reason that ratings are dropping for the NFL is because of bad prime time match-ups and terrible games.

If the old football axiom  of "defense wins championships" is still law, then maybe we shouldn't like the chances of the Rams, Chiefs and Saints.  Even though the teams have been doing pretty well so far.

If you look at the Wally Buono bobble head that is being passed out to the first 5000 people at the stadium this weekend, you might think that the famous BC Lions coach could throw on some pads and play along.  Wally Buono will retire this season and this weekend marks his final regular season game with the Lions.

The public post-mortem of the Whitecaps season yesterday, showed us that the players care more about their own situation than they do about the team.  There are bad feelings about player trades and management tactics.  Is there a way to just forget about the 2018 season and just move on?

It's still early days, but it appears that Elias Pettersson is the real deal.  He can rush the puck, he can pass, he's not afraid to play defense, and he is not afraid to block a shot.  Now, Pettersson should not be blocking shots but his determination to persevere and get better is a good sign that he is the real deal!

One of the big differences between the Canucks and the Whitecaps, when it comes to developing young players is...The Canucks usually get to keep theirs.  After seeing Alfonso Davies grow into an all-star soccer player you might think it's weird for the Whitecaps to sell Davies to a big European team, but NOT to do so would have been cruel.

Of all the big North American team sports, basketball is the closest sport you can get to a one man team.  If you have a great player, the other members on the floor just need to be consistant and not make many mistakes, and you can safely have post season dreams.

Last night the Vancouver Canucks showed us a few things in the shoot-out win over the Vegas Golden Knights.  One of the things that should be obvious, is that a "C" should be seen on the Jersey of Bo Horvat.

It's been a pretty good summer if you are a Toronto sports fan.  Kawhi Leonard was traded to the Raptors and John Tavares was signed by the Maple Leafs.  Both are considered top athletes in their sport.

The World Series starts tonight in Boston between two of baseballs most storied franchises.  It's the second markee match-up this season and it's also a big budget series.

The Canucks are having an unexpectedly good start this season and it’s more or less on par with how they started last season.  The season starts off exciting, but the good times tend to fall by the wayside around December.  But it doesn’t have to.  If the Canucks goaltenders can continue to play at a higher than normal level, this season could stay exciting for a little bit longer.

The BC Lioins want tonight to be perfect!  They want a party, they want the crowds, and the climax of the evening would be a win over Edmonton so they can make the playoffs.  It's also the last year for Wally Buono and going out with a bang would be a great send off to a great BC Lion.

Last Night, the Vancouver Whitecaps were missing 7 players because of international duty!  And in the final half of their game, it looked like 11 more went missing.  The whitecaps lost 4-1 at home, in a game they needed.  It was as if Fright Night had moved from the PNE to BC Place!

Seattle born and raised Paul Allen died yesterday of cancer at the age of 65.  He's probably best known for his partnership with Bill Gates in the building of Microsoft.  But he was a hometown man and did a lot for his city, including giving them the gift of the Seahawks.

When Jim Benning decided to re-sign Erik Gudbranson, he said it was to have a protecter for young players, like Elias Pettersson, to develop without being picked on.  But over the weekend, Pettersson got put down hard with Gudbranson no where to be seen.  Which begs the question..."Where are the Canucks Enforcers"?

Nobody expected the Canucks to win in Tampa Bay last night...Not even the Canucks. But they did win, and it had a lot to do with surviving in the first period with the penalty kill and having the tide turn.