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Howdy, folks,
Feeling a mix of gratitude and nostalgia this week as I celebrate a full decade on the sports beat.
June also marks 31 years since I first stepped into a newsroom as a fresh-faced 20-year-old straight out of the Creative Communications program at Red River College.
Time really does fly when you’re having fun.
Much has changed in my industry over the years — that would be a major understatement — but I’d like to think my excitement and passion for the work have not.
“Do what you love and love what you do” are words I’ve truly been able to live by.
And talk about a full-circle moment. I remember watching the World Series in the fall of 1993, just a few days into my two-year journalism program, dreaming that one day I might get to cover such an epic event.
Tonight, I’ll attend the Rady Sports Dinner here in Winnipeg and get to meet the hero of that series, Joe Carter, whose famous “touch ’em all” walk-off homer gave us a moment to last a lifetime. The skipper of that club, Cito Gaston, is the other featured speaker.
I’m not sure who would be more excited — 18-year-old me in 1993 or 51-year-old me today.
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All of the above has put me in a reflective mood as I sit down to type this missive, thinking about the assignments I’ve been fortunate enough to cover during the sportswriting portion of my career. I figured you might enjoy joining me on this trip down memory lane.
Speaking of which, I’d be remiss if I didn’t thank you, the dear reader, for your continued support. None of this would be possible without it.
I promise to do everything in my power to continue giving you the maximum bang for your buck. And I know my dozens of talented colleagues in sports, news, business and entertainment feel the same way.
Here are my Top 10 events from 10 years in the toy department. There’s no World Series — at least not yet — but there sure have been some magical moments.
10. THE ALYSSA SELMAN STORY: I was at Assiniboia Downs in 2015 on the night jockey Alyssa Selman was thrown from her horse down the stretch, suffering catastrophic injuries that left her paralyzed.
Nine years later, in the spring of 2024, I spent several days with Selman and her family, chronicling every aspect of her incredible life and recovery — including a return to riding.
It was an honour to share her story with readers and later win a Sovereign Award for the final result.
Alyssa Selman with her horses on her property west of Carman. (Mikaela MacKenzie / Free Press files)
9. THE 2019 NBA FINAL: Admittedly, I wasn’t much of a basketball guy. But my eyes were opened when I got to cover the Toronto Raptors taking on the Golden State Warriors in June 2019.
Being on press row to watch those two teams battle it out — knowing the entire country was invested in the result — was pretty special.
And you couldn’t ask for a better ending, with the NBA championship coming north of the border for the first time.
8. AARON COCKERILL ON TOUR: Getting to follow Manitoba’s top pro golfer for two weeks — first at a European Tour event in Hamburg, Germany (my first time ever overseas), followed immediately by his PGA Tour debut at the Canadian Open in Toronto — was quite a thrill.
The result was one of my favourite features.
7. THE BUBBLE PLAYOFFS: What a strange world it was in 2020 as COVID brought the sports world (and much of the world in general) to a screeching halt.
I was in Edmonton that night in March when it all came to a head, with the Jets and Oilers on the ice below.
Five months later, I returned to Edmonton to cover the “bubble playoffs” inside Rogers Place, which included the Jets quickly getting wiped out by the Calgary Flames and, ultimately, the Tampa Bay Lightning beating the Dallas Stars in a nearly empty rink to win the Stanley Cup.
That was surreal, to say the least — and not the way I imagined witnessing my first NHL final.
Tampa Bay Lightning players celebrate after defeating the Dallas Stars to win the Stanley Cup in Edmonton on Monday, September 28, 2020. (Jason Franson / The Canadian Press files)
6. TAMPA BEATS MONTREAL IN 2022: Fast-forward one year later and there I was inside Tampa’s jam-packed, rowdy rink, watching the Lightning raise Lord Stanley for a second straight year. Now that was more like the scene I had always pictured in my head.
5. BOMBERS END THE GREY UP DROUGHT: My first CFL championship game as a reporter was a memorable one, with the Blue Bombers ending a 29-year (!!!) drought by beating the Hamilton Tiger-Cats 33-12 in Calgary in November 2019.
Was I the good-luck charm that year? Maybe!
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers celebrate winning the 107th Grey Cup against the Hamilton Tiger Cats in Calgary, Alta., Sunday, November 24, 2019. (Nathan Denette / The Canadian Press files)
4. THE 2018 JETS PLAYOFF RUN: It was an incredible spring as the Jets, who finished second overall in the NHL, beat the Minnesota Wild in the first round and then outlasted the top-ranked Nashville Predators in a classic seven-game series in Round 2.
Off to the Western Conference Final they went, easily handling Vegas in Game 1. I was convinced they were going all the way that year, as I suspect many of you were.
It all came to an end a couple of weeks later, but I’ll never forget the buzz in the city and how much fun it was to cover, both at home and on the road.
3. BACK-TO-BACK GOLDEYES CHAMPIONSHIPS: These will always be near and dear to my heart, as the Winnipeg Goldeyes were basically my introduction to sportswriting in 2016 — and they rewarded me by capturing the American Association championship that fall.
I was there in Wichita, Kansas, when they won it all and once again on the field — this time in Winnipeg — when they made it two straight the following September.
The Winnipeg Goldeyes celebrate after winning the American League Championship in 2017. (Phil Hossack / Free Press files)
2. THE MANITOBA MIRACLE: I had my season-ending obituary-type story all ready to go as the clock ticked down in Game 7 and the Jets appeared headed for a multi-goal loss to the St. Louis Blues last spring.
Then a miracle happened.
I certainly didn’t mind hitting delete on all my copy and hammering out an incredibly unexpected new narrative as the night unfolded.
The roar of the crowd when Cole Perfetti tied it and Adam Lowry won it in double overtime will stay with me forever.
1. 2026 WINTER OLYMPICS: Recency bias putting this at the top of my list? Maybe. But probably not. This was truly a bucket-list assignment, and the nearly three weeks I spent in Italy this past winter were the highlight of my career.
It’s been more than three months since I got back, and I’m still riding an emotional high from the experience. I really hope my first Olympics won’t be my last.
The trip of a lifetime. (Mike McIntyre / Free Press files)
Thanks, again, for following along. It is truly appreciated.
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