STACKHOUSE’S 10 THOUGHTS

1-AIR CANADA GROUNDED: Brandon Bridge was cut by the Toronto Argonauts. Does this mean their offensive co-ordinator is just as bad as Stephen McAdoo, or can we find some common sense and realize that McAdoo didn’t forget how to coach? Perhaps McAdoo instituted the game plan he felt gave
his team the best chance to win. I remain forever puzzled as to why last year’s woes were the fault of McAdoo as opposed to the fault of the players on the field.

2-CIRCUS IN MONTREAL: Firing your coach a week before the season starts is never a good look, but Montreal has done it. The fact the league is running the franchise can’t be a good sign either. I believe Rick Campbell is one of the better coaches in the CFL. If not for that, I’d be having my doubts about where Ottawa is headed too. We know the fans won’t support them if they end up being a bottom feeder. Let’s hope they stay in the mix, for the good of the league.

3-BOMBERS THE FAVOURITES: I’m not sure Winnipeg will ever have a better shot at winning the Grey Cup than what they have this year. I like all the ingredients to their roster. I’m not saying they’ll win, but their fans have to be optimistic.

4-WHAT, ME WORRY?: I don’t know why everyone is, suddenly, up in arms about NHL officiating. It’s been called this way for as long as I can remember. What’s different is there have been a few goals scored as a direct result of it. I wish fans would have gotten mad a long time ago about the goals that were not scored because of muggings that went ignored. The problem is that you can’t definitively say a goal was prevented because of an infraction that was uncalled. But, it happens in just about every single game. What’s worse is the chintzy sh-t (pardon my French) that is always called in the first 6 minutes of the first period of most games that shouldn’t ever be whistled. It’s been consistently inconsistent for as long as I’ve watched the NHL.

5-IT’S LEONARD’S TIME: Watching Kawhi Leonard dominate these NBA playoffs has made me think about the most dominating athletes during my lifetime. In no particular order – Mike Tyson, Tiger Woods, Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, Tom Brady, Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Pedro Martinez, Michael Phelps, and Doug Flutie. I may be missing a few.

6-DAYS GONE BY: Dominating athletes I wish I had been alive to see: Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig (although I despise the Yankees), Muhammad Ali, Terry Sawchuk, Walter Payton (I have faint memories), Bobby Orr, Eddie Shack, Ron Lancaster, and George Reed.

7-LES HABITENTS: I would have said Ken Dryden but he’s such a liberal that I can’t bring myself to admit that I’d have loved watching him dominate. Didn’t he also only play home games or something so that he could earn his law degree? Imagine doing that now. As a kid, I couldn’t stomach the Montreal Canadiens. So, that means Doug Harvey, Rocket Richard, Jean Beliveau, etc would not have been people I would have appreciated at all. Bob Gainey, Guy Lafleur, Larry Robinson, Guy Carbonneau, and Brent Gilchrist were bad enough.

8-NO CANADA: I have to think the biggest reason Kawhi Leonard wouldn’t stay in Toronto is because of this country’s tax rate. I can’t imagine that even in the most heavily taxed US state that it would be as bad. Which is unfortunate. Toronto is Canada’s version of Vegas.

9-DA-DA-DA!: Best current on air personality on TSN – Sarah Davis. The old SportsDesk with Michael Landsberg and Brendan Connor was the greatest.

10-GOING THE DISTANCE: Perhaps I’m missing an all-time great Stanley Cup final and I’ve found that as I get older, I’m not captivated anymore by teams I don’t have a rooting interest in. But, as I reflect on my favorite Cup final of all time I go to 1994 when the Rangers beat Vancouver. I didn’t care about either team, but I was on the edge of my seat for most of that series.

(Mike Stackhouse is a freelance reporter/broadcaster. Follow him on Twitter at @Stack1975)