James Loewen

Jan 12, 2025 | thecarillon.com | James Loewen

BIGGEST NATIONAL PUNCH TO THE GUTWayne Gretzky used to stand for decency and all things good about Canada, but that no longer is the case after images of him and his family were published standing arm in arm with Donald Trump and wearing a MAGA hat after the presidential election.

Dec 8, 2024 | thecarillon.com | James Loewen

Whether it’s the Winnipeg Jets or any other professional sports franchise in any professional league, the idea that poor results are a product of a challenging schedule or lots of travel is pure bunk. It’s meaningless and simply an attempt to distract from the poor play of whatever team needs an excuse. Let’s unpack the ridiculous notion of travel hurting a team’s performance.

Dec 1, 2024 | thecarillon.com | James Loewen

Hockey fans of a certain vintage fondly remember Theo Fleury for a couple of big reasons. First, despite his small stature, he excelled at a time when the NHL was primarily a physical, ‘big boys’ league where players of smaller stature were rare. I especially loved watching Fleury play for Canada internationally. The larger ice size gave him the room to showcase his prodigious offensive skills.

Nov 24, 2024 | thecarillon.com | James Loewen

Just over a week ago, wild-eyed Manitoban sports fans were toying with the incredible possibility that we could have not one, but two parades at the historic corner of Portage and Main. The first would be a parade honouring the Blue Bombers. Fresh off a convincing win over the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the western final, it was more than just conceivable that the Blue and Gold would finally exorcise their Grey Cup demons (after losing two in a row).

Nov 16, 2024 | thecarillon.com | James Loewen

So our beloved Blue and Gold will be playing in their fifth consecutive Grey Cup. If my friend’s research is correct, only Edmonton has played in more consecutive CFL championship games (six). It’s a remarkable stretch of high-calibre play. It’s even more remarkable when you consider the atrocious start the Bombers had at the beginning of the season.