Published Oct 28, 2025 \u00a0\u2022\u00a0 Last updated 4\u00a0hours ago \u00a0\u2022\u00a0 3 minute read<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n You can save this article by registering for free here<\/a>. Or sign-in<\/a> if you have an account.<\/p>\n The potential return of receiver Nic Demski to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers\u2019 lineup for the start of the playoffs took a hit on Tuesday.<\/p>\n Advertisement 2<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY<\/p>\n Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.<\/p>\n Exclusive columns by Ryan Stelter, Paul Friesen, Ted Wyman, Scott Billeck, Lorrie Goldstein, Warren Kinsella and others. Plus newsletters: Gimme Stelter for your beat on the city, The Exit Row for all your Jets news and On the Rocks for curling.Unlimited online access to Winnipeg Sun and 15 news sites with one account.Winnipeg Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.<\/p>\n SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES<\/p>\n Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.<\/p>\n Exclusive columns by Ryan Stelter, Paul Friesen, Ted Wyman, Scott Billeck, Lorrie Goldstein, Warren Kinsella and others. Plus newsletters: Gimme Stelter for your beat on the city, The Exit Row for all your Jets news and On the Rocks for curling.Unlimited online access to Winnipeg Sun and 15 news sites with one account.Winnipeg Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.<\/p>\n REGISTER \/ SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES<\/p>\n Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.<\/p>\n Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.<\/p>\n THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK.<\/p>\n Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.<\/p>\n Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an Account<\/p>\n or<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Nursing a hamstring injury, Demski remained on the sidelines as his team returned to practice ahead of Saturday\u2019s East Division semifinal in Montreal.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Winnipeg\u2019s passing attack, already at the bottom of the CFL with an average output of 235 yards per game, would be further hamstrung without its leading receiver.<\/p>\n Demski went down during an Oct. 11 loss in Edmonton, missing the last two regular-season games.<\/p>\n The 31-year-old Winnipegger caught 67 passes for 1,001 yards and seven touchdowns this season, all team-leading totals and the third straight year he\u2019s eclipsed 1,000 yards.<\/p>\n Fellow Canadian Gavin Cobb caught six passes for 51 yards filling in for Demski the last two games.<\/p>\n Joining Demski as a spectator at Tuesday\u2019s practice was backup quarterback Chris Streveler, who suffered a knee injury early in Saturday\u2019s win over the Alouettes.<\/p>\n The Winnipeg Sun’s Daily Headline News<\/p>\n Thanks for signing up!<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Advertisement 3<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Streveler\u2019s social media post after the game implied his injury was significant, and the reaction of his teammates as they returned to the field did nothing to alleviate the concern.<\/p>\n \u201cI was heartbroken,\u201d quarterback Zach Collaros said. \u201cIt\u2019s hard to put into words. I\u2019ve been talking to him the last couple days and just there\u2019s not really anything you can say to make it better. I just love Chris, and everybody loves Chris, but I get to work very closely with him, day in and day out. So I understand his work ethic and how much he cares about this sport and how much he cares about this organization and his teammates.<\/p>\n \u201cSo it was very tough to watch.\u201d<\/p>\n The offence\u2019s short-yardage specialist, Streveler scored a team-high nine touchdowns on the ground this season.<\/p>\n Advertisement 4<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Collaros says he\u2019s more than that, and will be missed as the 10-8 Bombers try to reach another Grey Cup the hard way, via a cross-over playoff spot \u2013 something that hasn\u2019t been done in 12 previous tries, all by West Division teams.<\/p>\n \u201cDifficult,\u201d Collaros acknowledged. \u201cHe\u2019s an emotional leader for us, for sure. When he\u2019s out there he does a great job and on the sidelines, whatever that is, he takes his role very seriously and leads. Anytime you lose leadership like that, it makes it tough.\u201d<\/p>\n Running back Brady Oliveira echoed the emotions Collaros expressed about seeing Streveler injure the same knee that ended his 2024 season prematurely.<\/p>\n \u201cIt just hits different when it\u2019s one of your guys,\u201d Oliveira said. \u201cA guy that I spend a lot of time with outside of this building. Just rattled for the guy. The guy does everything right. He\u2019s the definition of a true pro\u2019s pro. So to see a guy go down like that, yeah, brutal. But the guy\u2019s been through so much adversity\u2026 not worried about him for what he has to face.\u201d<\/p>\n Advertisement 5<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Streveler\u2019s absence leaves the short-yardage duties to second-year CFLer Terry Wilson.<\/p>\n It could also provide some motivation for a team that could use all the help it can get to win back-to-back playoff games on the road and get a chance to play for a championship on their home field.<\/p>\n \u201cWe wouldn\u2019t have that discussion\u2026 I\u2019m sure he wouldn\u2019t want us to have a discussion like that,\u201d Collaros said. \u201cBut, shoot, if you need to add another chip to your shoulder or something to motivate you, that\u2019s something you could certainly look at\u2026 you find a way to do another rep, you find a way to watch another half hour of film, whatever that looks like for you.<\/p>\n \u201cThinking about Chris and what he\u2019s going through right now can certainly motivate you.\u201d<\/p>\n A host of other players who were rested for the last game were full participants in Tuesday\u2019s practice, including rookie kick returner Trey Vaval, receiver Ontaria Wilson, linebacker Redha Kramdi, defensive ends Willie Jefferson and James Vaughters and O-lineman Stanley Bryant.<\/p>\n paul.friesen@kleinmedia.ca<\/p>\n X: @friesensunmedia<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Share this article in your social network<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Breadcrumb Trail Links SportsFootballCFLWinnipeg Blue Bombers Get the latest from Paul Friesen straight to your inbox Sign Up…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":246965,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[437],"tags":[49,48,521,522,520,82],"class_list":{"0":"post-246964","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cfl","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-canadian-football-league","11":"tag-canadianfootballleague","12":"tag-cfl","13":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/246964","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=246964"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/246964\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/246965"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=246964"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=246964"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=246964"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Winnipeg](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/demski-1.jpg\")
Winnipeg Blue Bombers receiver Nic Demski remains sidelined with a hamstring injury during practice ahead of Saturday\u2019s East Division semifinal in Montreal. The Winnipeg native led the team this season with 1,001 receiving yards and seven touchdowns. Photo by James Carey Lauder \/Winnipeg Blue BombersArticle content<\/p>\n![\"Winnipeg](\"https:\/\/dcs-static.gprod.postmedia.digital\/19.8.1\/websites\/images\/identity\/logo-identity-wsun-new.svg\"){kind=logo}
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