Win or lose, playoff hockey is the best!

Reader here, and today, I’m talking hockey, specifically the agony and ecstasy of playoff hockey.

Here at home, the Yorkton Terriers’ season came to a close on April 23 at Westland Insurance Arena, when the Flin Flon Bombers blanked the Terriers 2-0 in Game Four of the SJHL’s Canterra Seeds Cup Final, to complete a four-game sweep of the championship series.

In the process, after coming up short in three 0f the previous four SJHL Finals, the Bombers ended a championship drought that stretched back to 1993.  Congratulations to Head Coach and G.M. Mike Reagan and the Bombers, as well as their fans, on their title win.  I have to say, in all my years of watching hockey, I don’t know that I’ve seen a team’s fans travel so well as the huge number of Bomber faithful, that made the long trip from Flin Flon to Yorkton, to cheer on their club.  I definitely have to give ’em props for that.  Enjoy your victory, because both the Terriers and Melville Millionaires will be coming for your crown in 2026-27!

Though it may not have ended the way they hoped, it was a heck of a year for the Terriers, who should hold their heads high, and be proud of a great season.

As tough as it was to watch the final game come to an end, it’s a contrast to the ending of the Terriers’ semifinal finale against the Battlefords North Stars, when they skated to a 6-3 win in Game Seven, to earn their trip to the final.

That whole thrill of victory, agony of defeat thing, right?

It can be a game of bounces and breaks, one way or the other, that can help determine the outcome of a tightly-contested battle.

But though the Terriers may not have brought home the Canterra Seeds Cup, they have a great roster and staff, and are in a great spot heading into next season.  There’ll always be new faces, and it’ll be fun to see how they fit into the team.

In Round One, it was the Highway 10 Battle renewed, as the Terriers and their archrivals, the Millionaires duked it out, going six hard-fought games, with Yorkton ultimately coming out on top.  But it was great to see the Mils have another strong year, and I’m definitely hoping to get to a few more games at C.N. Community Centre in the upcoming season, and cheer on the Millionaires.

I made it to one game during that series, and people were asking me who I was cheering for, and I gave the answer that my Mom always gives, when my brothers and I ask who she loves the most… and she says “I love you all equally!”  Very diplomatic!

But I love seeing all of our teams do well.

I’m also looking forward to seeing what the Swan Valley Stampeders can do in 2026-27, and would love to see the Stamps get back into the postseason, after two seasons on the outside looking in, when it comes to the postseason.  I need to get to Swan River for a game or two in the upcoming season!

And speaking of the agony and ecstasy of playoff hockey, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention my Philadelphia Flyers finally finishing off our biggest rivals, Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang and the Pittsburgh Penguins last night.

Philly jumped out to a 3-0 series lead, before the Penguins made some adjustments, yanked Stuart Skinner from the net (sound familiar?), and won Games Four and Five, to send the seires back to the City of Brotherly Love for Game Six.

The game was fairly even through the first 30 minutes.  But then, Pittsburgh took over, and the Flyers couldn’t do anything.

Thank goodness Dan Vladar was a wall between the pipes for Philly, or the game wouldn’t have been close.

60 minutes solved nothing, and for the first time, the series went to overtime.  The Pens dominated in the extra frame, but then, say hello to Flyers defenseman Cam York…

What about that celly?  Someone took home a heck of a souvenir!

From the agony of almost blowing a 3-0 series lead and going to Game Seven, to the thrill of victory, in the blink of an eye!

As far as I’m concerned, my Flyers weren’t expected to be quite this playoff-ready yet, so after knocking out the Penguins, anything that happens now is gravy.  And boy oh boy, Philly has a tough matchup in Round Two, against the top team in the East, the Carolina Hurricanes.

I’m just going to enjoy the ride!  Let’s go, Flyers!