Less stress, more swagger: B.C. Lions' QB Nathan Rourke aiming to have fun this season
Nathan Rourke is trying to add a little something to his game this season — the B.C. Lions quarterback wants to have more fun.
Article content
'That's a little bit of a goal for myself, trying to play a little bit more loose and not take things so seriously. So, trying to have a little bit more fun out there,' he said. 'And when you try to have fun, you probably end up doing that and actually have fun.'
Article content
Article content
Article content
Last season didn't go the way Rourke or the Lions expected.
Article content
The Canadian QB wasn't on B.C.'s roster to start the campaign as he worked to land a permanent job in the NFL.
Article content
He re-signed with the Lions — where he had a standout campaign in 2022 — in mid-August, but struggled in his return.
Article content
B.C. finished with a 9-9 regular-season record.
Article content
Vancouver hosted the Grey Cup, but hopes of a home-team win were quashed when the Saskatchewan Roughriders downed the Lions in the West semifinal.
Article content
B.C. will kick off a new campaign on Saturday when they host a revamped Edmonton Elks side.
Article content
With a full training camp behind him and new head coach Buck Pierce at the helm, the 27-year-old Rourke believes this year could be different.
Article content
'I feel good. Body feels good. I'm excited about Buck's offence,' he said. 'It's been fun to practice these last couple of days and in training camp. Guys are excited about it. So hopefully that excitement just continues and turns into points.'
Article content
Pierce, a former CFL quarterback and longtime assistant coach with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, was named B.C.'s head coach and offensive coordinator in December, replacing Rick Campbell.
Article content
Article content
The league has long envied the offence Pierce crafted for the Blue Bombers, said Lions defensive back Garry Peters.
Article content
Article content
'They've been our rivals for so long, so I've admired him from afar. For him to finally be on my side, I can just pick his brain and learn as much as I can about the way they did things over there. Because obviously they're a championship program,' he said.
Article content
'For him to bring that over here and instil that in us, it gets me excited and gives me hope that we can do special things this year.'
Article content
Pierce helped the Bombers to five straight Grey Cup appearances, including wins in 2019 and 2021.
Article content
Having him in charge has injected a new sense of confidence into the Lions' players, said receiver Keon Hatcher.
Article content
'I feel like, especially in the offensive, the skill positions, we're very excited about what he's bringing to the table as an offensive coordinator, as a head coach, calling the plays and stuff like that,' he said.
Article content
'I feel like he puts us in a great position to make plays. And I just can't say enough about how excited we are just to learn this offence and be able to go out there and put on a display during the season.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
National Post
an hour ago
- National Post
Adam Hadwin finally seeing hope in 'hardest period' of golf career
CALEDON, Ont. — The thing with professional golf is that, unless you're Rory McIlroy or Scottie Scheffler, nobody pays much attention when you're not playing well. Article content With the golf world's eyes on the RBC Canadian Open this week, there is one native son quietly hoping that this trip home will be the turning point he has been searching for. Article content Article content 'This is the most comfortable I've felt with my golf swing in six months,' Adam Hadwin said after Friday's round. 'It's been a while. I feel like I'm finally able to kind of set up over the golf ball and have some sort of clue of where it's going.' Article content It's been nothing short of a dreadful season for Hadwin, who has seen his world ranking drop from 59th at the end of 2024, to 105th entering the Canadian Open. Article content 'It's been hard. I've struggled,' he said after his Friday round of 68. 'But I feel like every single week I have a good opportunity to play well, and it just never happens.' Article content Hadwin isn't particularly close to the top of the leaderboard after two rounds at TPC Toronto, but he's not near the bottom either. The 37-year-old Abbotsford, B.C. native is in the mix at five-under par, and for the first time in 2025 he is seeing results that have daylight in sight through the woods he has been lost in. Article content On the course, the camera hasn't been following him much these days. Although there was a somewhat embarrassing moment of frustration at the Valspar Championship — the site of his lone PGA Tour win in 2017 — when he slammed his club, broke a hidden sprinkler head, and set off a dazzling water display he would quickly apologize for. Article content Article content Admirably, Hadwin has never been one for making excuses. On Friday at TPC Toronto, after making the normal media rounds that follow one of Canada's most popular golfers, Hadwin spoke to the Toronto Sun away from the bright lights. Article content Article content 'This has by far been the hardest period that I've dealt with in my career,' he said. 'I've been through swing changes before but I've been able to put together results kind of working through it. With this one, for whatever reason, I haven't been able to do that.' Article content Speaking with him after disappointing rounds at big tournaments in the past you would rarely know anything was bothering him: the smile was always there, the sense of humour intact, the professionalism never wavered. Article content Article content For years, Hadwin's greatest strength on the golf course has been that he has no glaring faults. He won on the PGA Tour, he shot a 59, and he played in the Presidents Cup because he found a way to do a little bit of everything well and get the ball into the hole with whatever game he brought to the course. But recently, that last and most vital part has escaped him. Article content 'Doubt, lack of confidence in what I'm doing, probably all of the above,' he explained as reasons. 'Mixed in with the golf swing stuff.' Article content At home in Wichita, Kansas, Hadwin frequently takes a backseat to the popularity of his wife Jessica, whose often-hilarious insights into life on the PGA Tour have developed a cult following among golf nerds. Article content For the most part, Hadwin is fine with his private life gaffes often being made public. As the comedy straight-man in a social media life that he didn't exactly sign up for, he happily does his part most of the time.
Toronto Star
an hour ago
- Toronto Star
Oilers vs. Panthers: Florida's Brad Marchand steals Game 2 of Stanley Cup final in double overtime
The Florida Panthers never panic. The defending champions, playing a bend-but-don't-break brand of hockey, got back into the Stanley Cup final with a 5-4 double-overtime win in Game 2 on Friday night. Brad Marchand's second goal of the game earned the Panthers a split at Edmonton's Rogers Place. The first two games didn't disappoint in this final rematch. BRAD MARCHAND PLAYS HERO FOR THE CATS 🐀 The Panthers even the #StanleyCup Final on Marchand's Subway Canada OT winner 🚨 — Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) June 7, 2025 Once Marchand scored short-handed in the second period for a 4-3 Florida lead, the focus in the third was going to be goaltending. There had been no shortage of chances all game, with both Florida's Sergei Bobrovsky and Edmonton's Stuart Skinner called upon to make big saves. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW Bobrovsky's stop on a Leon Draisaitl one-timer with 57 seconds left might have been a game-saver, until Corey Perry scored with 18 seconds to go and the Edmonton net empty to force overtime. Sam Bennett, Seth Jones and Dmitri Kulikov also scored for Florida. Draisaitl, Evan Bouchard and Evander Kane struck for Edmonton before Perry's marker. It's the 30th time a best-of-seven final has been tied at a game apiece. And the Panthers are 9-3 as visitors this post-season, a franchise record for road wins in one playoff year. The Oilers, though, have history on their side. Even though the Panthers now have home-ice advantage, teams that open at home have won 20 of the 30 finals that started 1-1. Bennett vs. Skinner It was a first period for the ages, with something for everyone — from goals to fisticuffs to big hits and big plays. Bennett did what he does best: scoring while also getting under Skinner's skin. Bennett opened the scoring with his playoff-leading 13th goal, just 2:07 into the game. Canada 'Forget about the past': Fans weigh in on criticism of Wayne Gretzky over Trump ties EDMONTON - It wasn't long ago that some Canadians were up in arms about hockey legend Wayne … The Oilers, however, haven't been letting Florida hold a lead for long, with Kane and Bouchard scoring 1:40 apart to make it 2-1 Edmonton. Jones tied it, taking a pass Eetu Luostarinen while Edmonton's defensive zone play broke down. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW The big moment of the period was still to come. Bennett fell into Skinner in the first game and got credit for a goal. But he didn't get away with it in Game 2 after brushing Mattias Ekholm and falling into the goalie, who seemed to be in pain with a twisted leg. Skinner would eventually get up, but not before Matthew Tkachuk and Trent Frederic got into it. Bennett got the extra two minutes, joined by Tkachuk in the box. Tkachuk patted Bennett on the shoulder, as if to say: good job falling on the goalie. On the ensuing power play, Connor McDavid made them pay. He dipsied around Selke winner Aleksander Barkov, doodled past Aaron Ekblad and passed the puck past Anton Lundell to a waiting Draisaitl for a 3-2 Edmonton lead. As McDavid said before the game: 'We've definitely developed a sense of understanding what the other one's thinking in any given moment. Leon and I have a great understanding of each other. Sometimes all it takes is a look.' Panthers pounce Panthers coach Paul Maurice said he wasn't going to change his lineup, or ask players to do anything differently in Game 2, because he thought they played a decent Game 1 in defeat. 'We do think there's a few things that we can do a little bit better,' he said before the game. Nhl Analysis Edmonton Oilers vs. Florida Panthers: Everything you need to know about the Stanley Cup final From Connor McDavid and Brad Marchand being X-factors all the way to the coaching matchup, One of those things was forechecking. And they were much better in the second period, playing more of a Panthers style. They were rewarded with two goals and a 15-8 shots advantage. The Oilers had no answer for Florida's physicality as the Panthers won puck battle after puck battle. Finally, Kulikov scored from the point, off Bouchard and past Skinner to tie the game. The referees were busy in the first period with 11 minor penalties called; less so in the second, with three. One was against Florida's Niko Mikkola, but even that didn't give the Oilers relief. Marchand managed a short-handed breakaway and gave Florida a 4-3 lead. It was Marchand's second career short-hander in a Cup final, exactly 14 years after the first against the Vancouver Canucks. Cup notables Before Marchand, defenceman Larry Robinson (Games 1 and 2 in 1989) was the only player 37 or older to score in each of the first two games of a Cup final. Bennett's game-opening goal was his 12th on the road in these playoffs, an NHL record. His five-game road goal streak is a Panthers best, breaking his own mark.
CTV News
an hour ago
- CTV News
Marchand scores in double OT, Panthers beat Oilers to tie Stanley Cup series
Edmonton Oilers Head Coach Kris Knoblauch talks to media after losing Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final to the Florida Panthers. Brad Marchand had a pair of goals, including the winner in the second overtime, as the Florida Panthers evened their Stanley Cup final rematch with Edmonton, defeating the Oilers 5-4 in a wild Game 2 on Friday. Marchand got a breakaway and was able to sneak a backhand shot through Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner's legs 8:05 into the second overtime. Sam Bennett, Seth Jones and Dmitry Kulikov also scored for the Panthers, who improved to 9-3 on the road in post-season play. Sergei Bobrovsky made 42 saves to register the win in the Florida net. Evander Kane, Evan Bouchard, Leon Draisaitl and Corey Perry replied for the Oilers who had a five-game win streak snapped and dropped to 7-2 at home. Play Stanley Cup Final Game 2: All Oilers goals Evander Kane, Evan Bouchard, Leon Draisaitl and Corey Perry all scored for the Edmonton Oilers in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Finals. Skinner made 37 saves in the loss. Florida started the scoring 2:07 into the opening period on an early power play as Nate Schmidt fed it across to Bennett and he deposited his 13th of the playoffs into the net before Skinner could get across, setting a new NHL record for road goals in a single post-season with 12. The Oilers tied it at 7:39 of the first frame as Kane was sprung on a partial breakaway and beat Bobrovsky up high with a shot that went off the post and in for his sixth of the playoffs. Edmonton then surged in front less than two minutes later with the teams playing four aside as Connor McDavid dropped it back to Bouchard and he got the rebound of his own blocked shot and then sent it past Bobrovsky from distance for his seventh. Florida knotted the game back up with just over eight minutes to play in the frantic first as Eetu Luostarinen made a nice pass across to Jones, who had a wide-open net to rifle in his fourth of the playoffs. Edmonton jumped back in front a minute later after Bennett was sent off for goaltender interference after landing heavily on Skinner's right leg in a play reminiscent of the challenged goal in Game 1, as McDavid made a couple of incredible moves before passing it to Draisaitl who scored his 10th of the playoffs and third of the finals after being held without a goal in last year's final. It was the highest scoring first period in a final since 2016. Florida made it 3-3 at 7:23 of the second period as a Kulikov shot went off of Bouchard and then the post and in for his second. The Panthers took the lead with 7:51 to play in the middle period as Marchand sent it through Skinners' legs on a short-handed breakaway for his sixth. The game looked like it was over, but Edmonton engineered another comeback, scoring with just 18 seconds left in the third period and their goalie pulled as Perry found the puck in a mad scramble in front and managed to bang in his eighth of the playoffs to send the game to extra time. Florida had the best chances in the first overtime, with Marchand sliding a puck under Skinner only to hit the post and be fished to safety by John Klingberg, as well as Sam Reinhart missing the net on a clear breakaway. Game 3 takes place on Monday in Florida. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 6, 2025. Shane Jones, The Canadian Press
