Fonthill native played more than 15 seasons in the CFL and won two Grey Cups. Pictured: Chris Van Zeyl. Photo Credit: Chris Van Zeyl/X. After more than 15 seasons in the Canadian Football League (CFL), including two Grey Cup Championships, numerous all-star nods and the league’s top lineman award in 2019, Chris Van Zeyl announced […]
Legendary play-by-play announcer was voice of Hockey Night in Canada for 50 years. Photo Credit: NHL/X. Today’s sports piece in The Niagara Independent wasn’t going to be about hockey at all. But when the news broke Thursday afternoon that Bob Cole had passed, this piece had to be written. When this author thinks of hockey […]
Despite the gold medals and representing Canada, Bach calls making her PWHL debut the highlight of her career thus far. Pictured: Victoria Bach. Photo Credit: PWHL Toronto on X. It was a long awaited and much-anticipated women’s professional hockey debut for Victoria Bach. The recent Brock University graduate had been waiting her whole life […]
Thirty-two years and 359 days after Scott Norwood missed a 47-yard field goal – wide right – that would have lifted the Buffalo Bills to their first ever Super Bowl, Tyler Bass missed a 44-yard attempt late in the fourth quarter that would have tied the game against Kansas City in Sunday’s AFC Division Round […]
Photo Credit: Pexels Coaches Association of Ontario report finds coaches play a vital role in sport, but only half are trained Is your son or daughter’s coach properly certified? It’s a question you may want to ask. The Coaches Association of Ontario (CAO), with the support of Hydro One Networks Inc. (Hydro One), released […]
Maple Leafs and Sabres began on-ice practicing Thursday. Photo credit: Facebook/Buffalo Sabres Physicals Wednesday, on-ice practicing Thursday. NHL training camps are officially underway. We’ll concentrate on the two closest teams to Hamilton, of course the Buffalo Sabres and the Toronto Maple Leafs. Of the two clubs, the Maple Leafs made the most significant changes […]
Online sports gambling in Ontario has exploded since single-event betting was legalized in the province last spring. Photo credit: Getty Images/Paul Ellis Okay be honest, over the past few months how often have you uttered the words “wow, another sports betting commercial?” You literally can’t go a single commercial break during a Toronto Blue […]
Jennifer Jones (pictured, centre-left) can’t wait to curl in the Honeymoon City. Last week, representatives from the municipality, Sportsnet, and the Canadian curling community gathered in Niagara Falls to officially kick-off the countdown to October’s competition. Photo credit: Twitter/Jim Diodati The hype is real. Perhaps Olympic Gold Medalist, two-time World Champion and 16-time Grand […]
Buffalo Bills star quarterback Josh Allen (17) in action against the Chicago Bears on Christmas Eve. Allen led the Bills to a convincing 35-13 win over the Bears Saturday, and in the process helped the team secure its third-consecutive AFC East divisional title and keep the hometown squad atop the conference. Photo credit: AP/Charles Rex […]
The regular season officially begins tonight, with the semi-local Toronto Maple Leafs and Buffalo Sabres starting off their seasons on Wednesday and Thursday, respectively. Photo credit: NHL The clock continues to tick on the Toronto Maple Leafs window to succeed, while the rebuild (again) is underway in the Queen City bringing optimism to the […]
Niagara native Anthony Federico (pictured back-turned, bottom left) trying to crack Hamilton line-up. Photo credit: Twitter/Hamilton Tiger-Cats The Canadian Football League (CFL) off-season was definitely a turbulent one. Many wondered if the league would be able to kick off its season on time as contract, labour and collective bargaining agreements took up most of […]
Photo credit: Niagara IceDogs It was music to many sporting franchises ears on Valentine’s Day. On Monday, the Ontario government announced it will speed up the province’s reopening timeline. In terms of sports, that means locally the Niagara IceDogs of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) and the six regional-based Junior B teams of the […]
SoFi Stadium (pictured), home of the Los Angeles Rams, is just 11 miles south of Hollywood Hills. Photo credit: LA Rams We’re just hours away from the biggest single sporting event in the world as the LA Rams clash with the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl 56. Over 91-million viewers, world-wide, tuned into last year’s […]
Ticketholders will be able to enjoy an extended schedule this season, as the CEBL has expanded to 10 teams. Photo credit: Facebook/Niagara River Lions The Niagara River Lions roar will be heard longer this year. The River Lions, and the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL), have announced their 2022 schedule. This season’s schedule has […]
Paralympic medalist, author, keynote speaker, and Niagara native Kevin Rempel. Photo credit: Keynote Speakers Canada As the Beijing Olympics officially begin Friday with the opening ceremonies, we continue to focus on Niagara athletes with connections to the games, past or present. One such athlete is Vineland native, and former Paralympian, Kevin Rempel. Everyone’s Olympic […]
Ho-Sang (left) and Jenner (right) for Canada; Smith for China. “I can’t even describe it.” Those are the words of former Niagara IceDog Josh Ho-Sang after being named to Team Canada’s Olympic men’s hockey roster. “The fact that I was even on (Hockey Canada’s) radar means a lot to me, but I wouldn’t have […]
Former Niagara Falls Canuck and NHLer Keith Jones (pictured) breaks things down. Photo credit: NHL Quick, raise your hand if you knew long-time NHLer Keith Jones was a former Niagara Falls Canuck. That’s what I thought. This reporter didn’t know Jones played in the Honeymoon Capital either. Jones put up some fantastic numbers during […]
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen exits the field after a heartbreaking OT loss to the Kansas City Chiefs Sunday night. The Bills were the only underdog team not to win on Divisional weekend. Photo credit: Buffalo News/James P. McCoy If you’re a Buffalo Bills fan, like many here in Niagara, your thought is likely […]
Niagara Falls native, and Niagara College Broadcasting alum, Amy Audibert breaks things down. Photo credit: Niagara College/Robert Deak The (21-21) Toronto Raptors officially reached the midway point of their season earlier this week. The NBA, and its 30 teams, play 82-game schedules. The 2021-22 campaign has been another interesting one for the Raptors, who […]
The 6-foot-9 Welland native recently finished off her rookie season with the Wisconsin Badgers women’s volleyball team as a national champion. Photo credit: University of Wisconsin Badgers To say Anna Smrek has the genes to be an impressive athlete would be a massive understatement. And at just 18 years old. she’s already reached heights […]
For whatever reason, the GOJHL doesn’t qualify as an “elite” league under provincial guidelines. Photo credit: Pexels/Tony Schnagl They’re ready to play, and wish they could be. The latest COVID-19 restrictions meant that all six of the Niagara-based Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League (GOJHL) Golden Horseshoe Conference teams had their seasons paused for at […]
NFL Wild Card Weekend is set. Locally, the Buffalo Bills will host the New England Patriots on Saturday, Jan. 15 at 8:15 pm. It will be the two teams’ third meeting in just five weeks. Photo credit: AP/Steven Senne The NFL is calling it ‘Super Wild Card Weekend.’ For the first time the league’s […]
Photo credit: Twitter/Niagara IceDogs The latest COVID-19 protocols across the province have put a pause on local sports here in Niagara. Arenas and gym doors are locked, while minor hockey, basketball, volleyball and curling have had the rest of their seasons either postponed or canceled. The Brock University Badgers and Niagara College Knights have […]
The Bills clinched a playoff berth Sunday with their win over the Falcons. If Buffalo beats the New York Jets on Jan. 9, the team wins the AFC East division for the second consecutive year. Photo credit: USA Today Sports/Mark Konezny One week. That’s all that remains in the 2021-22 NFL regular season. And […]
St. Catharines’ Kristen Kit (bottom, second from right) winning Olympic gold with the women’s eight rowing crew was one of only several momentous sports accomplishments achieved by an athlete with a direct Niagara connection in 2021. Photo credit: Canadian Olympic Committee/Lean Hennel It’s hard to believe that 2022 is here. 2021, despite its cancellations, […]
CEBL continues to garner respect across the basketball world. Photo credit: Niagara River Lions It was an early Christmas present for a former Niagara River Lion, and the organization. Two days before the holiday, the River Lions were thrilled to announce that Javin DeLaurier signed with the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball League […]
‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the Niagara Region, not a sport was playing, not even on the TV at the Merritton Legion The stockings were hung by the Meridian Centre with care, In hopes that sports soon would be there. The children were nestled all snug in their River Lions beds […]
Calgary Flames head coach Darryl Sutter. The Flames franchise currently has over 30 members, including Sutter, in Covid protocol. The NHL, NBA, and NFL are all suffering case surges and havibg to postpone games due to the pandemic’s latest wave. Photo credit: NHL Perhaps it’s time to change the name Covid-19. The average person doesn’t […]
Photo credit: Boxing Ontario Fans of the sweet science and cage fighting will have their fill this weekend in Niagara. Boxing and Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) are front and centre in St. Catharines and Niagara Falls starting Friday evening. ‘Murphy’s Gloves’ is an annual fundraiser that supports youth initiatives at the St. Catharines Boxing […]
Hamilton Tiger-Cats quarterback Jeremiah Masoli (8) hugs linebacker Curtis Newton (44) after losing the 108th CFL Grey Cup at home in Hamilton to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Sunday, Dec. 12, 2021. The overtime loss came shortly after the Buffalo Bills suffered their own heartbreaking OT defeat at the hands of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers […]
Participants enjoy a match at the Niagara Falls Curling Club (NFCC). Photo credit: Facebook/NFCC Fresh off the Canadian Olympic Trials, in which Jennifer Jones and Brad Gushue earned the right to represent the Red and White in Beijing, the sport of curling continues to grow in Niagara. Stephen Fish is a coach, promoter, and […]
