Sports

Grey Cup week in Regina cancelled; Sask. to host Grey Cup in 2022 – CTV News

Published

4 years ago

May 20, 2020

Harry Miller

REGINA —
Grey Cup week in Regina won’t go ahead in 2020, according to the CFL.

The event was scheduled for Nov. 22 at Mosaic Stadium.

“We are quite disappointed,” CFL Commissioner Randy Ambrosie said at a town hall Wednesday. “With all the things all of the things going on with the pandemic, having a traditional Grey Cup just is impossible.”

The CFL has awarded Regina the 2022 Grey Cup.

“Along with the Riders we made the decision that we would shift the Grey Cup away from Regina this fall. We’ve awarded the Grey Cup 2022 to the Riders and the province of Saskatchewan,” said Ambrosie.

If the season goes ahead, the team with the best record heading into the championship game will host the Grey Cup final in 2020. All nine CFL teams will have a chance to host the Grey Cup this year.

The Roughriders had discussions with a CFL committee comprised of representatives from past and future Grey Cup cities. They came to the decision that it was in the league’sd and the team’s best interests to postpone Grey Cup plans in Regina this year.

Next year’s event will take place in Hamilton. That host city was announced last year and work is already underway for the festival.

“It’s a disappointing day,” Craig Reynolds, the Roughriders president and CEO, said. “Most of it is just around the excitement that I know our fans had.”

Although the team is disappointed, Reynolds said the team is glad to have confidence that the big game will happen in 2022.

“If there’s any relief it’s just that we have certainty,” Reynolds said. “We just understood that increasingly we weren’t going to be able to deliver what we had planned.”

Although the team is disappointed, Reynolds said the Riders organization is glad to have confidence that the big game will happen in 2022.

“If there’s any relief it’s just that we have certainty,” Reynolds said. “We just understood that increasingly we weren’t going to be able to deliver what we had planned.”

The Riders have already spent around $500,000 on 2020 Grey Cup planning, but Reynolds said those costs can be applied to future festivities.

“We feel the majority of the costs that were principally planning focused, we will be able to incorporate or make use of in 2022.”

Reynolds said six staff members were hired for Grey Cup planning. The team will be retaining these employees until the end of July to make plans for budget and programming for 2022, and then they will be released.

Grey Cup tickets hadn’t gone on sale yet for the general public, but seats were sold to Riders’ season ticket holders. The club says a $50 per seat deposit will secure a seat for the 2022 Grey Cup Festival in Regina and the balance will be refunded automatically.

The Riders say season ticket holders will also get an email on Wednesday with information on the shortened season.

The league also announced on Wednesday that play won’t start before September. The league has discussed pushing back the season, with a potential December Grey Cup.

“We’re even looking at how we extend our season,” Ambrosie said. “In the spirit of looking at all possibilities were even considering pushing the game back a little bit, giving us a little bit more elbow room, so that we have the possibility of getting games in this year.”

While an even later Grey Cup could be colder than usual, it may be the compromise the CFL needs to make in order to play a 2020 season.

“We’re looking at every option to try to get a season, and so that meant shifting the Grey cup into December,” said Reynolds. “Certainly to try to get that game in in November, should we be able to, would be optimal, but the reality is we may not be able to do that.”

The Regina & District Chamber of Commerce said the deferral of the Grey Cup to 2022 is the best scenario, in a statement Wednesday.

“Clearly, we would have loved to have seen a normal Grey Cup, but people’s safety comes first. We respect the CFL’s decision. Moreover, we are appreciative that the Grey Cup will come to the Queen City in 2022.”

The chamber estimates the economic loss in Regina of not hosting the Grey Cup is in the range of $100 million.

Let’s block ads! (Why?)

Source link

Sports

Sports betting roundup: NFL and college football were all about the favourites

Published

13 hours ago

November 4, 2024

Anne Joseph

The past weekend of football was all about the favourites.

The favoured teams went 13-1 straight up and 10-4 against the spread in the NFL. In college football, the three most teams bet at the BetMGM Sportsbook in terms of number of bets and money all won and covered. All three were favourites.

Trends of the Week

The three most bet college teams that won and covered on Saturday were Ohio State (-3.5) vs. Penn State, Indiana (-7.5) at Michigan State and Oregon (-14.5) at Michigan. Penn State has now lost seven straight home games as underdogs. The Nittany Lions were up 10-0 in the first quarter and were 3.5-point favourites at the time. The Buckeyes won 17-10.

In the NFL, the three most bet teams in terms of number of bets and money were the Washington Commanders (-4) at the New York Giants, the Detroit Lions (-2.5) at the Green Bay Packers and the Buffalo Bills (-6) vs. the Miami Dolphins. All three teams won, but only two of the three covered the spread as Buffalo beat Miami 30-27.

When it came to the players with the most bets to score a touchdown on Sunday, only two of the five reached the end zone — Chase Brown (-125) and Taysom Hill (+185). David Montgomery (-140), Brian Robinson Jr. (+110) and AJ Barner (+500) did not score.

Upsets of the Week

The biggest upset in the NFL was the Carolina Panthers coming from behind to beat the New Orleans Saints 23-22. New Orleans closed as a 7-point favourite and took in 76% of the bets and 79% of the money in against-the-spread betting. The Saints fired head coach Dennis Allen following the loss. They have now lost seven straight games after starting the year 2-0.

Arguably the biggest upset in college football was South Carolina beating No. 10 Texas A&M 44-20 at home. Texas A&M closed as a 2.5-point favourite and took in 59% of the bets and 58% of the money.

Coming up

Right after the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the New York Yankees to win the World Series, odds for the 2025 World Series were released.

The Dodgers have the best odds at +400, while the Atlanta Braves and Yankees are next at +800.

The Baltimore Orioles and Philadelphia Phillies round out the top five, both at +1100.

___

This column was provided to The Associated Press by BetMGM online sportsbook.

___

AP sports:

Source link

Sports

Longtime rivals Ovechkin, Crosby join Necas as NHL’s three stars of the week

Published

13 hours ago

November 4, 2024

Anne Joseph

NEW YORK – Washington Capitals left-wing Alex Ovechkin, Carolina Hurricanes centre Martin Necas and Pittsburgh Penguins centre Sidney Crosby have been named the NHL’s three stars of the week.

Ovechkin had a league-leading five goals and nine points in four games.

The 39-year-old Capitals captain has 14 points in 11 games this season, and his 860 career goals are just 34 shy of Wayne Gretzky’s record.

Necas shared the league lead with nine points (three goals, six assists) in three games.

Crosby factored on seven of the Penguins’ eight total goals scoring four goals and adding three assists in three appearances. The 37-year-old Penguins captain leads his team with 14 points (five goals, nine assists) in 13 games this season.

Crosby and Ovechkin, longtime rivals since entering the league together in 2005-06, will meet for the 70th time in the regular season and 95th time overall when Pittsburgh visits Washington on Friday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 4, 2024.

Source link

Sports

Oliveira, Mitchell named as finalists for CFL outstanding player award

Published

5 days ago

October 31, 2024

Anne Joseph

TORONTO – Running back Brady Oliveira of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Hamilton Tiger-Cats quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell are the finalists for the CFL’s outstanding player award.

Oliveira led the CFL in rushing this season with 1,353 yards while Mitchell was the league leader in passing yards (5,451) and touchdowns (32).

Oliveira is also the West Division finalist for the CFL’s top Canadian award, the second straight year he’s been nominated for both.

Oliveira was the CFL’s outstanding Canadian in 2023 and the runner-up to Toronto Argonauts quarterback Chad Kelly for outstanding player.

Defensive lineman Isaac Adeyemi-Berglund of the Montreal Alouettes is the East Division’s top Canadian nominee.

Voting for the awards is conducted by the Football Reporters of Canada and the nine CFL head coaches.

The other award finalists include: defensive back Rolan Milligan Jr. of the Saskatchewan Roughriders and Montreal linebacker Tyrice Beverette (outstanding defensive player); Saskatchewan’s Logan Ferland and Toronto’s Ryan Hunter (outstanding lineman); B.C. Lions kicker Sean Whyte and Toronto returner Janarion Grant (special teams); and Edmonton Elks linebacker Nick Anderson and Hamilton receiver Shemar Bridges (outstanding rookie).

The coach of the year finalists are Saskatchewan’s Corey Mace and Montreal’s Jason Maas.

The CFL will honour its top individual performers Nov. 14 in Vancouver.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 31.

Source link