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Luke Tasker watched his team from the sidelines for the final third of the 2016 season. Tasker was unable to contribute on the field, unable to train in the weight room, and anxious to be doing both those things. Really, he was anxious to be doing anything productive at all. Tasker’s abdominal injury required passive rehab and denied him the chance to take his recovery into his own hands.
“A lot of the time the rehab I was supposed to do was just to do nothing. That’s tough sometimes because you feel like you should be lifting or something,” said Tasker, following a productive day at training camp.
The 2016 Tiger-Cats were plagued with injuries and lost the service of a number of notable players. Quarterback Zach Collaros missed the majority of the season until he returned from ACL surgery. Safety Craig Butler missed the entire season, and his replacement, Courtney Stephen, was also sidelined toward the end of the season. Tasker wasn’t the only receiver impacted by injury, as Chad Owens and Andy Fantuz both missed time down the stretch and would not return.
Receiver Luke Tasker battles for position with DB Dominique Ellis during 2017 Ticats Training Camp (Ticats.ca)
Injuries are part of football, and they have played a large part in the careers of many notable Tiger-Cat stars. In 1962, still firmly entrenched in the team’s heyday, a knee injury to Bernie Faloney prevented the Tiger-Cat great from participating in the historic Fog Bowl. The Tiger-Cats would ultimately lose the famous Grey Cup contest to Winnipeg, despite trailing the Blue Bombers by just a single point in the fourth quarter before play was suspended due to poor visibility. Perhaps with Faloney behind centre, instead of replacement Joe Zuger (who nonetheless performed admirably in Faloney’s absence), the Tiger-Cats may have boasted the extra panache required to manufacture a championship victory. As an interesting side note, Zuger would go on to play defensive back the following season.
Paul Osbaldiston is another long-serving Tiger-Cat who suffered from injury throughout his illustrious career. After 18 seasons with the Ticats, during which time he tore his quad and battered his hip, Osbaldiston sustained a final career-ending injury when kicking a simple field goal in an exhibition game prior to the 2004 season. Regardless, Osbaldiston praised his time in Steeltown calling it, “the best 18 years I’ve ever had.”
In present day, injuries continue to have an impact. With Fantuz taking on an intermediary football-ops role until he returns to the field, the Tiger-Cats are in dire need of receiving experience. Head Coach Kent Austin has utmost confidence in Tasker to inherit this role.
“Luke is unbelievably valuable, because, not just what he does, but the knowledge that he can impart to the other guys. They [Tasker and Fantuz] know our offense in and out. And Luke just has an awareness in time and space on the field that is not normal,” praised Coach Austin during Thursday’s post-camp media scrum.
As for Tasker, he’s just happy to be playing football. “It’s been absolutely great being back, and I think camp has started off really well for us,” said Tasker, adding, “I think we have guys who are excited to learn and who are putting in extra time, and veterans who all have a good attitude.”
Tasker will be a valuable resource for incoming receivers new to the CFL and eager to learn.
Numerous Tiger-Cat greats have overcome injuries to forge their place in Tiger-Cat lore. In that respect and many others, Luke Tasker is well on his way to joining them.
