That's true. I forget about the Gold Saucer mini games because I don't play them, lol. But I don't know if any of those mini games would be considered canon or not. The Gold Saucer is a side attraction, and doesn't have anything to do with any storylines.
As for Blitzball, I HATED it with a burning passion in X, and am really hesitant to see it be put in XIV. If Yoshi-P decides to put it in, I only hope that the mechanics are VASTLY improved.