What an NCAA rule change might mean for junior hockey in Sask.
16h ago
Previously, WHL players were declared ineligible to play NCAA hockey in the U.S.
Injuries can be prevented both on and off the field, according to SGI.
The Crown Corp. has teamed up with the Saskatchewan Roughriders to encourage fans to find a safe ride home from games.
At every Rider home game this season, there will be safe ride messaging on the SaskTel MaxTron, as well as on wristbands, parking passes, and decals around the concourse. Team President and CEO, Craig Reynolds, said there will be “50,000 items and signage throughout the stadium.”
Minister responsible for SGI, Dustin Duncan, announced SGI will also be crowning a Safe Ride Champion at every home game this season.
“Picking out one season ticket holder each game, to recognize those that are travelling in and out of town that maybe have to be a little bit more creative in terms of how they get home safe if they’ve been consuming alcohol,” said Duncan.
“Just noting that it’s not just people in Regina, obviously, that come to games, it’s people from right across the province, and we want every single person to have a safe ride home.”
The SGI Safe Ride Champion will receive a free jersey, courtesy of the Riders.
According to statistics provided by SGI, more people are being caught with a non-criminal 0.04 to 0.07 blood alcohol level while driving, than being caught driving while over 0.08.
SGI also said the latest five-year average, from 2018–2022, showed significant improvement in the number of crashes where impaired driving was a factor. Compared to the five-year average from 2013–2017, the number of impaired driving collisions decreased from 1,100 to 688, injuries dropped from 511 to 368, and deaths fell from 47 to 34.
Duncan said the numbers are being driven down, but that doesn’t mean efforts to oppose impaired driving will stop anytime soon.
“Now is not the time to say that we have a victory in this. We need to continue to drive those numbers down, and this is just one more initiative that we can do, partnering with the Saskatchewan Roughriders, to see people plan a safe ride home before they even show up at Mosaic Stadium,” said Duncan
The first SGI Safe Ride Champion will be named at the Riders home opener on June 23.