B2 ■ SPORTS THE BRANDON SUN ■ SATURDAY JANUARY 2 2021

TODAY IN SPORTS

ON TELEVISION • HOCKEY — In the IIHF World Junior Championship quarterfinals, Russia vs. Germany, 11 a.m. (TSN1); Finland vs. Sweden, 2:30 p.m. (TSN1); Canada vs Czech Republic, 6 p.m. (TSN1); United States vs. Slovakia 9:30 p.m. (TSN1) • NBA — Toronto Raptors at New Orleans Pelicans, 6:30 p.m. (SN1) • COLLEGE FOOTBALL — In the Gator Bowl, it’s N.C. State vs. Kentucky, 11 a.m. (TSN2)

IN LOCAL HISTORY • 50 YEARS AGO — “Mr. Everything” to Westman baseballers and curlers, Don Sumner of Brandon was named the Sun’s sportsman of the year and received the H.L. (Krug) Crawford Award. • 40 YEARS AGO—Dan Halldorson became a two- time Brandon AAA U18 Wheat Kings defenceman Justin Watters said he was willing to do whatever it took in the national U18 cham- winner of the H.L. (Krug) Crawford Award. The Brandon pionship game against the Riverains du College Charles-Lemoyne on April 25, 2004. (Brandon Sun fi le photo) University Men’s Bobcats basketball team was the team of the year. • 30 YEARS AGO — Brandon Wheat Kings goalie Trevor Kidd won the H.L. (Krug) Crawford Memorial Award while » Dressing room was quiet Deloraine’s Duane Edwards rink of Kelly McMechan, Don Williams Jack Edwards Continued from Page B1 another gear to get a break, to vous. I was scared to be the was so respected and what and was team of the Year. get a chance and put this thing guy who screwed up.” he said was fi rm and concise TYLER DITTMER: “I away. They had to be terrifi ed JUSTIN WATTERS: “I re- and to the point and he didn’t thought we were going to be because they’re supposed to member sitting there. It was mince words.” nervous but everyone was just win and now we’re one shot quiet and we were all literally MICKEY McCRIMMON: IN OTHER NEWS so excited. Even in warmup, from being the champions.” physically exhausted because “Sometimes you’re saying it everyone was fl ying around BRYAN KAUK: “Johnny that was such a hard played for yourself as much as the and excited to get going. We would always say ‘If we knew game … It was just a matter of guys and you want to inject FLAMES SIGN FIRST-ROUNDER ZARY had some good hits, killed at the start of the game, we bearing down and doing what- them with that belief. It was would have been in that po- ever it took to ultimately get reinforced all year that words CALGARY — The have signed for- some penalties, got that pow- ward Connor Zary to a three-year entry level contract. er-play and Clarkie had sition, would we have taken that last goal.” could incite feelings and feel- it?’ He brought that up in the BROCK TURNER: “The big- ings could alter outcomes. It Zary, who is currently playing for Canada at the a crazy (celebration) after he world junior hockey championship in Edmonton, scored where he slid down the intermission. He said ‘If we gest thing to me was that it was was just something you re- knew at the start of the year the calm before the storm. We ally wanted to have out there was Calgary’s first-round pick (24th overall) in Octo- ice, and of course they tied it ber’s NHL entry draft. up. Why not? It’s TSN. Sixty that we were in the national all knew what we had to do. in the ether for anyone who championship, would we have After the speeches, it was calm wanted who wanted to take According to the NHL’s collective bargaining agree- minutes ended and we headed ment, Zary’s maximum compensation would be to the room.” taken it?’ Everybody agreed we and everyone was focusing on the energy … You’re setting the would.” the task at hand and sitting table for a feeling you know US$925,000 annually. The six-foot, 185-pound centre from Saskatoon had THE ROOM ALEX ARGYRIOU: “They there quietly. We were ready to exists. Now you have to just go were more calm than us go. No more words needed to and get it.” 38 goals and 48 assists in 57 games for the Western At the fi nal buzzer follow- Hockey League’s in 2019-20. ing the third period, the teams coaches. I remember going be spoken.” CRAIG ANDERSON: “I headed to their respective into the room to get a sense RYAN WHITE: “The room walked out of the dressing dressing rooms to prepare for of calmness. We were outside was quiet and it was on edge. room after and I knew we were BLUE JACKETS SIGN DUBOIS TO EXTENSION an overtime to remember. pacing and I think we went Mick got up and said ‘Boys, tired but still had a little bit left COLUMBUS, Ohio — Centre Pierre-Luc Dubois, MARK JOHNSTON: “We through a pack of gum each. we’re going to win this thing.’ in the tank.” who led Columbus in goals, assists and points during talked a bit as coaches and You’re anticipating something We always had that confi dence the playoffs, signed a two-year, $10-million contract let them have their time. You and hoping for the best, but in our team where we went » MONDAY’S BRANDON extension Thursday that keeps him with the Blue have to. We were tired. We had we didn’t even know what to through so much together. SUN: An overtime hero. Jackets through the 2021-22 season. played a lot of hockey and we say to each other.” All Mick was trying to say was Dubois, 22, who was a restricted free agent, will were trying to fi nd a way to get SHAUN EARL: “I think ev- ‘One more boys.’” » [email protected] earn $3.35 million during the upcoming season and erybody was quiet. I was ner- JOEL MALCHUK: “Mickey » Twitter: @PerryBergson $6.65 million in the second year of the deal, the team said. “I’m excited to have the contract done and to be able to get back on the ice and play hockey again, es- Darvish pecially with everything that is going on in the world right now,” Dubois said in a statement released by the team. learned The third-overall selection in the 2016 draft, Du- bois has 65 goals and 93 assists with 162 penalty min- utes in 234 career games with the Blue Jackets since of trade making his NHL debut during the 2017-18 season. The Blue Jackets open camp Sunday. via Twitter BANKS RE-SIGNS WITH TIGER-CATS BY BERNIE WILSON HAMILTON — The Hamilton Tiger-Cats have re- signed 2019 CFL most outstanding player Brandon SAN DIEGO — Yu Darvish Banks. found out things move fast The American wide receiver will return for his when San Diego Padres gen- eighth season with the club in 2021. Banks earned his eral manager A.J. Preller is fourth CFL all-star selection in 2019 after leading the wheeling and dealing. CFL in receptions (112), yards (1,550), touchdowns The right-hander didn’t (13) and targets (158) in 16 games. think he’d be traded away by The five-foot-seven, 150-pound Banks set a Ticats the Chicago Cubs but was record in receptions while helping the club finish caught up in Preller’s vortex. with a franchise-best 15-3 record. Within the span of about 24 In 101 career CFL games over seven seasons with hours this week, the Padres the Tiger-Cats, Banks has 60 touchdowns, scoring San Antonio Spurs assistant coach Becky Hammon calls a play during a timeout in the second obtained left-hander Blake five different ways: 42 receiving, five rushing, seven half of the team’s NBA game against the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday in San Antonio. Snell in a big deal with Tam- punt returns, one kickoff return, and five missed field After coach Gregg Popovich was ejected she took over, making her the fi rst women to serve as pa Bay, reportedly agreed to goal returns. terms with South Korean slug- head coach in a major North American sports league. (Associated Press) ger Kim Ha-seong on a four- year, $28-million deal and SLOVAKIAN TENNIS PLAYER BANNED then obtained Darvish in an- Hammon caps memorable LONDON — Slovakian tennis player Dagmara Bas- other blockbuster deal. kova was banned for 12 years on Thursday for match- Darvish found out about it fixing offences, the Tennis Integrity Unit said. on social media. Baskova admitted to charges of five incidents of “When I woke up that morn- year for women in sport match fixing in 2017, the TIU said. She was also fined ing I saw the Snell trade go $40,000 with all but $1,000 suspended and payable down and I thought nothing’s BY LORI EWING for our league,” James said. within 90 days. going to happen,” Darvish said Spurs guard Dejounte Murray said Hammon Baskova had a career-high WTA ranking of 1,117 in through an interpreter during TORONTO — There was no celebration when was “setting an example for every woman out singles and 777 in doubles. a videoconference Thursday. Becky Hammon took over as San Antonio Spurs there.” She has since retired from the sport, the TIU said. “I wasn’t expecting the Padres head coach on Wednesday night. But the year saw minuses as well. Already to make another move but When Gregg Popovich was ejected in the sec- facing an uphill battle for equal opportuni- » Wire Services I was receiving phone calls ond quarter, he simply pointed at Hammon ties in sport, COVID-19 halted major momen- within the hour and I found and said “You got ‘em.” tum, including women preparing for the Tokyo out on Twitter, yeah. Social media, however, erupted. Olympics and Paralympics, a stage on which “I wasn’t expecting to be Golden State guard Steph Curry tweeted: “Big Canadian women traditionally shine. traded and obviously this hap- Time.” “The disruption of COVID was potentially pened in one single day so I Ja Morant of the Memphis Grizzlies wrote: devastating for women’s sports, because they was pretty shocked. Not in a “Salute Becky Hammon.” went into the pandemic at such a big disadvan- bad way,” Darvish said. Tennis superstar and breaker of glass ceilings tage, less visibility, less investment, less power After running out of start- Billie Jean King posted: “See it. Be it.” at decision-making tables, and ultimately just ing pitching during their fi rst Hammon became not only the fi rst female facing so many hurdles to be seen and to be post-season appearance in head coach in an NBA game, but also the fi rst valued and respected,” said Allison Sandmey- 14 seasons, the Padres added female head coach in the history of four biggest er-Graves, the CEO of Canadian Women & two aces in moves that solidify North American pro leagues (NBA, NHL, NFL Sport. “And so COVID has had and still has the them as one of baseball’s best and MLB). potential to really set women’s sport back.” teams and should make for The 43-year-old’s night capped a year un- Sport participation numbers for girls, Sand- an interesting NL West race like few others for women’s sports, with some meyer-Graves pointed out, are bleak, and she against the eight-time defend- breathtaking highs. There’ve been some no- fears the pandemic has only widened the gap. ing champion Los Angeles table hirings, including Kim Ng as GM of the The Rally Report, released in June, found that Dodgers. Miami Marlins and Bev Priestman, head coach participation levels for Canadian girls are much The 34-year-old Darvish of Canada’s women’s soccer team. lower than boys, with a dramatic dropout rate was 8-3 with a 2.01 ERA in 12 Viewership for the National Women’s Soccer of one in three girls leaving sport late in ado- starts for Chicago during the League, which was the fi rst North American lescence — a number that has barely budged pandemic-shortened season pro league to return after the pandemic began, since a similar report in 2016. and fi nished second in the NL grew by a whopping 498 per cent, while the By comparison, the number for boys in the Cy Young Award race. He has WNBA saw a 68 per cent increase while battling same age group is only one in 10. three years and $59 million left the other major sports, including the NBA. Despite the high-profi le hirings, women-in- on the $126-million, six-year Hammon said she would have preferred a coaching numbers also remain grim. deal he signed with the Cubs win Tuesday night — the Spurs lost to the Los Amy Stuart is one of four female head coach- before the 2018 season. Angeles Lakers. But what she called “a substan- es — out of 600 teams — in the Greater Toronto Chicago will send San Diego tial moment” wasn’t lost on the six-time WNBA Hockey League, the world’s largest youth com- payments of $500,000 on the all-star, who’s been a Spurs assistant since 2014. petitive hockey league. fi rst day of each month from “I try not to think of the huge picture and “I encountered one (other woman) in a train- April through September in huge aspect of it because it can be overwhelm- ing session. And another one found me over 2021, offsetting a portion of ing,” she told reporters after the game. email,” said Stuart, a mom of three boys — she Darvish’s $22 million salary. Lakes star LeBron James was among the coaches her 11-year-old son Joey. “But I’ve He is owed $19 million in 2022 players who applauded the historic moment. never encountered one like out in the wild. I’ve and $18 million in 2023. “It’s a beautiful thing just to hear her barking never coached against, or seen another woman out calls, barking out sets. She’s very passionate on the bench. » The Associated Press about the game. Congrats to her and congrats » The Canadian Press