Prime Time Entertainment PRO WRESTLING - This Weekend!

Primetime Wrestling is a new Northern BC Wrestling league. Stuart Brown and Davy Greenlees are behind the madness looking to bring body-slams into the local scene, AND for a cause!

Friday, March 17 and Saturday, March 18 at the House of Ancestors several matches will take place .

Entry fee (for each event) of a minimum $5 donation will go to the Prince George Crisis Intervention and Prevention Centre. They can be purchased either at the door or the Scrapbook Zone (in-person, or… by phone if you’re coming in from out of town (250) 562-9663)

Canadian Tire is a supporting sponsor making this event possible. DON’T MISS IT!

Doors at 6:45pm, Bell goes DING DING at 7:30pm!!!

Both male and female wrestlers will appear at the event including Northern BC’s The Mauler, Slammer, Wes Barker, Steve Stone, AND A WHOLE LOT MORE, including PG’s own…

PRINCESS DELTA DAWN

(Yes it’s true! And she’ll be available for autographs [eeeeeK])

Support this event to help out the Prince George Crisis Intervention and Prevention Centre and make it the first of many more to come!

Info credit PG Ctizen

Smoke's Rant: Harkins Snubbed for Summer Development Camp

Now, this really grinds my gears. As a hockey fan and a fan of the WHL's Prince George Cougars, I am more than a little discouraged that Jansen Harkins was left out of the Team Canada Summer Development Camp. Yes, I know that he still has a chance to make the team if he does well in the start of the regular season either with the Cougars or the Jets. It's the fact that he has been passed over by most of the Canadian teams, despite being a catalyst for the resurgence of the Cougars organization. The Smoke Show had Cougars President Greg Pocock in the studio a couple of weeks ago; he mentioned that the reason some of the other players on the team got the looks they did from the scouts was due  in major part to Harkins plays and draft status. How can you ignore something like that?

If Tom Renney and company wanted to bring in fresh faces to see what they looked like, why not bring in a guy that has helped your nation to a gold in the Ivan Hlinka tournament and a bronze in the under 18 tournament last year? Maybe they have seen what Harkins can do on multiple stages and want to look at players that they have never seen at any point in the international realm. Then why do you have Dylan Strome, Jake Virtanen, Lawson Crouse, Robby Fabri, and Tomas Konecny? All of these forwards are high draft picks and they were on the world junior team next year. There is no need to "develop" these particular players because you already know that they are the best in the world for their age group. It is time to give the likes of Harkins their due on one of the biggest international stages in sports.

Speaking of draft picks, one could argue that all the aforementioned players were drafted higher than Harkins, so they deserve to be in Calgary instead of Harkins. I present exhibit a) Dylan Sadowy. Sadowy plays for Saginaw of the OHL, and was drafted in the 3rd round by the Tampa Bay Lightning, he also happens to have the exact same physical stats that Harkins does. Both are 6 foot 1, both are 180lbs, both shoot left handed. So, why do you invite a guy of similar attributes physically but has supposedly less skill to a Team Canada camp. Colour me confused. Exhibit b) Spencer Watson. Now this one really baffles me when compared to Prince George's Harkins. Watson is smaller at only 5 fo0t 9, and he was drafted a significant amount lower in an arguably weaker draft year; he was drafted 209th overall. Now, I can do into some conspiracy theory arguments right about now showcasing that the vast majority of the invitees were from the Ontario Hockey League (much like where most of the brass is from), or that you can count on one hand how many players are from B.C compared to the overwhelming majority that were born in the east. No, I am not going to go down that path. Instead, I am simply going to say that Team Canada missed the boat on Harkins, but they better start giving him a fair look when it gets closer to Christmas and Hanukkah when he is ripping it up for the Cougars or NHL's Rudy, the Winnipeg Jets.

My name is Smoke Stark and this has been my rant on Team Canada snubbing Jansen Harkins from development camp. Thank you very much for reading and, Hockey Canada... YOU HAVE FAILED THIS CITY!

Smoke’s Rant: Toronto Blue Jays; Stop Giving Fans False Hope

The Toronto Blue Jays have stormed into the Friday’s MLB trade deadline with the might of Mjolnir, making the rest of the teams in the league take notice. On July 28th, the Jays pulled off an improbable trade sending dugout and fan favorite Jose Reyes to the Colorado Rockies for the consensus #1 shortstop in the majors Troy Tulowitzki. Even to the casual fan of the Jays, this trade seems to be almost highway robbery in the favor of Canada’s ball club. Tulowitzki is ranked first in every statistical category for a shortstop. He has the best batting average on the Jays now, and he has the best on base percentage of any shortstop the Jays have had in a long while. Heck, he even lit things up in his debut against the Phillies on Wednesday, getting 3 RBI’s and blasting a homerun out of the park. Nothing about this player screams that this won’t work out, but only time will tell.

Then Alex Anthopoulos goes and makes another gigantic deal mere days later acquiring dominant ace pitcher David Price from the Detroit Tigers for some prospects. I am not saying that the prospects of P David Norris, P Matt Boyd, and Jairo Labourt won’t turn out to be great assets for the Tigers in the future, but to get an ace like Price to try and Juggernaut your way into the postseason takes some major stones and some masterful negotiating by the Jays GM. Price has a 2.53 ERA and is 9-4 on an underachieving Tigers team. Now put him on a team with the most potent offense in the league and you have a recipe for success. But why am I saying that these trades lead to a false hope for Jays fans?

Well, recent history shows that the Jays like to hover around .500 year-after-year. They start every season campaign saying that they are going to contend for the divisional title and then predictably they miss the playoffs with a mediocre record. Yes, adding these pieces is a huge step forward for this season, and yes, Troy Tulowitzki is locked up long term (6 more years) but Price is only a rental, and if the Jays miss the playoffs and continue their par play next year, then Jose Bautista is definitely going to walk once his contract is up. It does seem like the Jays are going all in for this season and possibly next year as well, but they are heading towards a cliff that they might fall off if they are not careful. If one looks at the Jays payroll, one would realize that most of their players contracts expire in a year or two. Josh Donaldson and Mark Buehrle are free agents at year’s end, although at least Donaldson is likely to resign with the team. Encarnacion, Dickey, Bautista, and Izturis are all free agents at the end of next year with at least a couple of them destined to be opponents afterwards. Of course the Jays will have Rogers money to try and keep the team in tact, but one has to believe that some of these players are inching closer to the end of their careers and want a legitimate chance at the World Series Championship. If the Jays fall flat on their faces at the end of this season, then Toronto becomes a less desireable team to stick with for current players and even less desirable for top-end free agents to come to the north. In talking to a Jays fan before writing this article, him and the rest of Jays nation have been dragged through the mud hoping that they will see their team in the promised land but fail to make it every time, who's to say this time is any different. The Blue Jays need to stop giving their fans false hope, because you keep hearing tens of thousands of baseball heart break every single year.

I am Smoke Stark and this has been my rant on the Blue Jays giving their fans false hope after two spectacular blockbuster traders. Thanks for reading, and, It’s Clobbering Time!

Smoke's Rant: Kenny Lally Makes PG Proud at PanAm Games

The PanAm games recently finished in Toronto with an astounding showing by Canada racking up 217. One of those Canadians that made our nation proud, and more specially, our northern city proud was boxer Kenny Lally. I mean let's be honest, Prince George is a beautiful town, but we are also a tough town. It's about time that we have a champion fighter to try and combat Williams Lake and Quesnel, who can boast that they have perennial #1 contender Rory MacDonald in the UFC. Boxing is the oldest and most prized fighting in the world. When there is a big fight, the world stops to watch as the next icon makes there way to squared gladiator arena to entertain the masses in a physical chess match the would make Bobby Fisher roll in his grave in fright. Now the new wave of Gladiators enter the ring, and this time Canada has one of the best fighters in the world. Kenny Lally is a 6 time national champion and has made huge strides to gaining a spot in the Olympics. His quarter-final match against Ecuador's Padilla Segundo was fast paced and exciting. The Canadian champ ended up with a split-decision call to earn a spot in the semi-finals against Cuban boxing sensation Andy Cruz. Unfortunately for Lally, he couldn't muster any sustained offense against the Cuban, who looked like he could have tried out for the Justice League as the scarlet speedster. Despite the fact that the casual observer believes that offense wins bouts, elite level boxing uses a lot more strategy and angles. Look at Floyd Mayweather or even Lally's idol Muhammed Ali, both fighters used their speed and angles to frustrate opponents before going in for the kill. Cuban fighters in Lally's division are the gold standard, but Lally has been one of the only Canadians to be successful as he defeated a Cuban during the Continental Championships in 2010. Even though he fell short against Cruz (the eventual gold medal winner), he captured the bronze medal at the games and has gained incredible momentum when he continues to make his bid for the Brazil Olympics in 2016. Lally's next tournament is in the middle of August when he knocks heads off in Venezuela. But, before he makes that journey, he is training hard in his hometown of Prince George, as well as making his debut on The Smoke Show on Wednesday. I will have the honor to sit down with Kenny Lally to talk about the PanAm games, the upcoming Continental Games, his training regime, and his debate between boxing and MMA. Listen live on Wednesday at 4pm for all the action.

Smoke's Rant: Prince George Cougars Charity Golf Tournament

This past weekend, the Prince George Cougars held their 4th annual charity golf tournament at the PG Golf and Curling club to benefit the Spirit of the North Healthcare foundation. This charity directly benefits the Prince George Northern Health hospital with gaining funding to buy expensive medical equipment; such as the SPECT CT scanner that the hospital has been trying to purchase for a while. Just like with most charities around northern B.C, people came out in droves to support this worthy cause. Even current NHL stars and Cougars owners Dan Hamhuis and Eric Brewer made the trip to their old stomping ground to take part in the weekend festivities. The Cougars set up a meeting with the fans on Friday at 4pm, where fans could get autograpghs from their favorite Cougars alumni. CFUR 88.7fm caught up with current Vancouver Canuck d-man Dan Hamhuis to talk about the charity, the Cougars, the Canucks, and his golf game.

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BxiV5C7L-GI[/embed]

CFUR and The Smoke Show would like to thank Greg Pocock and the rest of the Cougars organization for facilitating the interview and making this past weekend a positive time for every sports fan in PG. I am Smoke Stark and this has been my rant on the Prince George Charity Golf Tourney. Cut off one head, two more shall take its place...HAIL HYDRA.

Smoke's Rant: New CFL Rules are AWESOME

The CFL came into the new season with a handful of new rules that were meant to inject some more excitement into an already exciting product on the field. The CFL is forever fighting the battle of legitimacy because of our neighbors to the south having a larger than life football entertainment. A new set of rules voted in by the CFL board of governors aim to do just that. If you are not up on the rules; here's a rundown:

1) Holding the five interior players at the line of scrimmage until the ball is kicked: What the heck does that mean? Well, it means that the center that snaps the ball, as well as the two players on either side of the center have to stay where they are until the ball is kicked from the punter. CFL vice president of officiating has stated that this rule change gives more time to the punt returner, less "no yards" penalties, and less illegal blocking by the returning team. This new rule is aiming to give the returning team a better chance to make a fantastic run before being mauled by their opponents. Unless your name was Cory Banks, you were not going anywhere after you caught the ball on a punt return last year. Teams were on the returner like white on rice, which made for a much more boring play. Now the field has opened up more for the flashy runners to gain some more yards.

2) Illegal Blocking on the Defense: No longer can the cornerbacks harass the receivers after 5 yards. This rule is for pure entertainment and high scoring affairs. The board of governors found that there was too much grabbing and obstructing from the cornerbacks and safeties against the receivers. After the receivers get past five yards from the line of scrimmage, defenders are not allowed to push, grab, or obstruct the receivers ability to catch the ball. The defender will have to try and knock the ball out of the air or have a brilliantly timed hit that will cause the receiver problems holding onto the ball. This rule was on full display when the B.C Lions took on the Roughriders last Friday at BC Place Stadium. The Roughriders Kevin Glenn was able to complete 23 of 29 passes for 271 yards, but the most impressive part of his play was that he connected with Weston Dressler on numerous occasions including 2 wide open touchdowns that made their opponents defense look completely silly. The Lions QB Travis Lulay did pretty darn good as well with a 77% completion record with an astounding 400 yards passing. Lulay finally found the openings that he had been searching 3 quarters for, as he roared back from a two touchdown deficit to force overtime. All this action would not be possible without the blocking rule change for defense.

3) Longer Field Goals and Short Two-Point converts: This may not seem significant, but it definitely is for a couple reasons. The first reason is that the point after is no longer an after thought. Most of the time, when fans are watching the game, the extra point is so close to the uprights that everyone expects the ball to go through. One of the biggest reasons that people watch sports is because the athletes are challenged on every play or every shift. The board of governors understood this particular problem and decided to bring the extra point back from 5 yards to 25 yards away. As the vice-president of officiating, Johnson, stated, "the likelyhood of the kicker making the point after goes from 99.6% to around 80%" (MontrealGazzette.com). People will now covet the point after as entertaining instead of routine. Second, the reason this rule change is significant is because now there will be more two-point conversions. Last year teams tried a two-point conversion only 30% of the time after a touchdown. Now, the CFL predicts between a 40%-50% likelyhood that teams will go for the extra exciting play instead of kicking it through the uprights.  Much more strategy is being implemented when you have to plan whether you wan to take a chance on another endzone play or kicking the football. Another aspect of this new rule that coaches have to factor in is, the starting point for a two-point convert is now even closer to the endzone. Before, teams would have to start their conversion on the 5 yard line, now they are starting it on the 3 yard line. Johnson stated that they wanted to make the extra point harder and the two-point convert easier to make the more exciting play more appealing to the coaches. This was again in full display at Friday's entertaining match-up between Saskatchewan and B.C. Lions kicker Richie Lionne made , what many thought to be a crucial missed extra point (after the Roughriders completed a couple of two-point converts), before making a clutch 54 yard field goal to push it to overtime. An amazing play made possible by intelligent rule changes by the league.

Unlike rule changes from other leagues that sometimes don't pan out the way the board of governors would like, this has been a breath of fresh air. The fact that we even give a damn about the extra point, is something spectacular. The fact that we get to see more highlight reel plays from our star player, is a sorely missed aspect of the game over the last year. The fact that Travis Lulay hasn't shattered like glass over the first couple of games has been a huge bonus to Lions fans everywhere. I am Smoke Stark and this has been my informative rant on the new CFL rules. Thanks for reading, and, in the Game of Thrones, you win or you die.

Smoke's Rant: Really Racist Teams

Now, I have been pissed off a lot with sports politics and general antics that come with some professional sports ie crime in the NFL, crime in the NBA, corruption in soccer, and the white hot lights beaming on Connor McDavid despite not playing an NHL game yet (too much pressure for a young guy); but one issue that has pissed me off for a while is the racist names for some sports teams. I am looking straight at you Washington and Cleveland.

U.S district judge Gerald Bruce Lee decided to uphold a ruling by the Trademark and Registration Board to cancel the trademark on the name "Redskins" due to the fact that it's blatantly racist against Native Americans. Thanks the Gods someone high up in American society has a brain and a more bone in their body. How would Caucasians like it if there was a team called "the crackers" or "the pale people"? It's time for owners of sports teams to get a grip and make sure that their names are culturally sensitive. It's not like anyone is trying to tell them to change it from the Washington robots to something else; YOUR NAME IS OFFENSIVE! Owner Dan Snyder has come out and tried to explain to the media and anyone who cares to listen, that the name is rooted in tradition and historical significance. The tradition he is talking about is the fact that no one has had the brains to change the name. The historical significance is that George Preston Marshall, who founded the team, was known as the biggest racist in the NFL while owning the team. During his tenure as team owner, he refused to sign any African-american players while others were signing and even drafting players in the early 1940's. He tried to play it off saying he wanted to pander to the southern market as a reason for not signing African-Americans; no you're just a terrible person. To have a person with the societal standing of Snyder saying that he respects this tradition, commissioner Roger Goodell needs to give him an ultimatum; either change the name or sell the team. Just from a business standpoint, your brand is being rightfully dragged through the mud. Your sales will plummet because no new fan is going to want to be associated with a racist name. Taking emotion right out of the equation, change the name and while you're at it, grow a heart.

Now, despite Dan Snyder and the Washington Redskins are getting all the negative attention, there is a team in baseball that is even worse. Not only does the MLB team from Cleveland have a very racist name "Indians", they also have an even more racist logo. Everyone with half a brain knows that "Indian" is a derogatory name for First Nations and Native American people (despite the Canadian government still using the term in a very significant piece of legislature), not to mention the fact that you are grouping a very proud people in with people of a similar skin color that are halfway across the world (India). Lets now focus on the logo, ARE YOU KIDDING ME? How on earth are people lighting torches outside Larry Dolan's house trying to force him to change both the name and the logo. The logo originates from a caricature of Native American people entitled: Chief Wahoo. A rather alarming business fact is that when the caricature logo was put on to their hats in 1986, the sales went through the roof. Yeah, consider me a little shocked and offended too. At least the Redskins logo is somewhat respectable illustrations of a strong looking Native-American who is ready to kick some ass in battle. The Chicago Blackhawks of the NHL have shown the world how to actually represent the Native-American community with dignity and respect. Their logo is of a proud Blackhawk warrior and is used a symbol of strength throughout the city of Chicago and beyond. In multiple surveys of sports teams logos, the Blackhawks have consistently been voted as having the best logo in North American sports. The one positive aspect of the Cleveland Indians is the fact that Larry Dolan is not as ignorant to societies stance on inappropriate logo's as, since 2014, his team is using a "C" in block lettering as their primary hat logo. Bravo Larry Dolan, now wouldn't it be easy to just either phase the logo out all together or do a re-imagining of the logo?

You must now be thinking, what name should the Redskins use instead? Or, what logo and name should the Cleveland Indians use instead? Well, here is some options:

Options for the Redskins name change:

1) Crows: A fierce and noble tribe of Native Americans all over North America.

If they change the logo, it could be either:

   or       (Jon Snow in GoT)

2) Change the name and logo all together:

Name: Washington Orcas: Orca's are one of the national animals of Washington and they are pretty violent creatures.

Logo:    or   

As for the Cleveland Indians, here are my suggestions for a complete re-branding:

Name #1: The Cleveland Lebrons:

Lebron James is probably the only good thing to happen to this rust-belt city in its history.

Logo #1)

Name #2: Cleveland Rockers:

Cleveland is home to the Rock-and-Roll hall of fame. Every game could have a upstart band rocking out during the 7th inning stretch.

Logo #2:  or      

Let me know what you think of the article, name changes, or the logos. My name is Smoke Stark and this has been my rant on two of the most racist teams in sports. Washington Redskins and Cleveland Indians YOU HAVE FAILED THIS CITY!

Smoke's Rant: Winners of NHL Free Agency

Christmas comes early in late June and early July as the NHL Entry draft transitions into the Free Agent Frenzy that keeps hockey fans glued to their television, tablets, and phones to see how many changes that their favorite team makes. Fans of the the top teams are hoping that their GM can just keep the team together, while fans of bottom feeders hope that their team gets a shakeup to turn their fortunes around. Since the dust has settled a little bit from all the off-season action, it is my sworn duty to tell you which teams have gotten better and which have gotten worse. Here are the NHL's two biggest Winners of the the off-season so far:

1) Calgary Flames: If the Flames were not already scary enough because of what they did last season, they got even more scary. At the draft, they pulled off the best trade that has been seen in some time trading away a 1st round pick, and two 2nd round picks in exchange for young star defenceman Dougie Hamilton from the Boston Bruins. Some would say all those picks are a steep price for one player, but it was the missing piece to a pretty awesome puzzle in Calgary. When they played against the Ducks in the second round of the playoffs this past season, they were very vulnerable in their own zone and as well as against the transition game. Dougie Hamilton gives the team a young guy that can contribute a little bit offensively, but on the defensive end of the puck, Hamilton is as solid as any young player can be. He always makes the safe play up the board, or makes an outlet pass to let the forwards charge into the oppositions zone with a head of steam. Critics of this addition to the Flames might say that he is not a game changer or that they have never really noticed him as an integral part of the Bruins. THAT"S THE POINT!!! Hamilton will never wow you with making highlight reel goals, he might not even be very noticeable at time, that's because he is doing his job properly. A good defensive d-man is one that nobody notices unless they make a great defensive play or when you look at the score sheet at the end of the game and realize he has a great +/- record. In 2013-14, Hamilton played 64 games, got 23 points and was an astounding +22, one of the best in the NHL. The Flames needed to get a young pillar that they form their defensive core around, they found one of the best young defenceman in the entire league. The Calgary Flames also added some secondary scoring, picking up Michael Frolik from the Jets in the free agency market and locked him up for 5 years. Frolik not only brings you exactly 42 points a season (exact same points that last couple of seasons), he also gives the Flames some much needed Stanley Cup experience, which they will need when they try to make a long run in the playoffs next year.

2) Edmonton Oilers: The Edmonton Oilers are finally moving in the right direction. They went from looking like the goat of the league to a young dragon destined to become a devour-er. The stellar off-season started in April with the luckiest lottery pick in a decade. Facing insurmountable, the Oilers got their name called to pick the 1st overall pick. On June 27th, the Oilers made if official by drafting Connor McDavid, but that was more luck than skill for the Oilers brass. The true work came after the 1st pick when they got Cam Talbot in a trade with the New York Rangers. Now, I am not completely sold on Talbot as a legitimate #1 goaltender. His numbers this past season were great, but he was just covering for an injured Lundquist. Talbot is going to have to face the scrutiny and media that surrounds the Oilers. Next, Peter Chiarelli went into free agency and targeted his team's other weakness by snagging Mark Letestu from the Columbus Blue Jackets and Andrej Sekera from the Kings. Letestu was a solid secondary scoring option for the Jackets with 34 points in 64 games in 2013/14. At only $1.8 mil per year for 3 years, he is low risk good reward. Sekera is the prize signing fore the Oilers, who has very particular stats that interested Chiarelli. When Sekera is on the ice, his team

Teams that were once floundering have now become the envy of most teams with a dominant off-season of change. I am Smoke Stark and this has been my rant on the NHL winners this off-season. I am the best at what I do, but what I do isn't very nice. Thanks for reading Sports Fans!

Smoke’s Rant: Team Canada does Nation Proud at Women’s World Cup Despite Early Exit

Sure, some would say that it was disappointing that the Canadian team didn’t go as far as they did in the 2012 London Olympics where they captured bronze, but that is complete garbage. The girls went unbeaten in the round robin, then shut out a very strong Swiss team with a complete defensive game, the likes of which coaches around the nation should look at when trying to make their own minor teams better. Hell, GK McLeod had three clean sheets in five games. Christine Sinclair and company took the weight of a nation on their shoulders and performed on the biggest stage of them all up until the last whistle. Even, when faced with a team that was ranked higher in the world ranking than them, team Canada still went out and dominated the game; unfortunately the result did not go in their favor. So, what happened in the quarter finals against England?

One simple answer: we couldn’t finish. I am not talking about finishing strong in the game, I am talking about the inability to capitalize on golden opportunities to put the ball in the back of the net. The biggest culprit go throwing away chances was striker Melissa Tancredi. Less than 1 minute into the game, Christine Sinclair kicks a beautiful cross to Tancredi and she beats the defender that was on her, but instead of taking the time that she had and placing the ball for a perfect shot, she decides to fire a shot off in a hurried fashion and wings it about 10 feet over the net for a missed opportunity. Just get the ball on the giant net and see what happens! Throughout the game Tancredi had a handful of glorious chances to help get Canada the lead to tie the game when the team was down, but failed on every attempt. Coach John Herdman realized about three-quarters of the way through the game that Tancredi had lost confidence in herself and her abilities and mercifully decided to switch her out for Andria Leon, whom created more chances and looked sharper overall then Tancredi did. John Herdman relied heavily on some players to pull through for him, which ended up being his team’s downfall in the end.

Second simple answer: Sesselmann. For those who watched Canada’s last two games, a one name explanation is all you need. For those whom unfortunately didn’t catch some of the spectacular action displayed by number 10, let me catch you up to speed. Let’s start with the game against the Swiss. Sesselmann appears to have a lack of confidence from the very first kick. Placed at left-back to defend from any crosses that might worry the goalkeeper, it became very clear that the Swiss were targeting her side for entrance into the offensive zone. Everytime the ball crossed halfway, i would close my eyes and predict where there midfielder was going to take it, and without fail, it was always to Sesselmann’s side. Thank goodness John Herdman is not blind. Because halfway through the game, after numerous glorious chances for the Swiss, Sesselmann was put in the center-back position for the remainder of the game. This is not to say that this fixed the problem altogether, but it did reduce the number of chances for the opposition. So, one would ask themselves, why don’t we put another defender in the next game that has confidence in herself and is solid defensively. John Herdman may not be blind, but he might have amnesia, as Sesselmann was put in the starting rotation for the game against the English. Within 10 minutes, after Tancredi has missed a couple of grade A scoring chances, Sesselman coughs up the ball on an easy pass from her teammate this gives England a partial breakaway, which striker Taylor makes no mistake putting the ball past McLeod. It was the second guessing of herself and the errand passes she made all tournament that caused Canada to not go as far as its supporter wanted.

Despite Tancredi and Sesselmann’s lack of stellar play, the overall effort of the team was absolutely incredible. To have the girls even get past the round robin stage, is a feat in of itself. The fact that stepping on the pitch and playing with as much heart as they did inspired a nation of young girls and boys to pursue their passion in soccer, in the hopes that one day they can represent their country like Sinclair and company.

As Andrew Soltis brought up on The Smoke Show, Canada has a great chance to get right back on the horse in August as they represent their country again in the Pan-American Games in Toronto. This next tournament gives them a chance to prove to the world that they are even better than their World Cup result signified, and bring a nation to their feet one more time on home soil.

I am Smoke Stark and this has been my rant on Canada doing us proud at the Women’s World Cup. Thanks for reading and the night is always darkest before the dawn.