THROWIN’ ELBOWS WITH BRENDAN MCGUIRE
1 – DARIAN DURANT’S SIGNING BONUS: As someone who considers himself among the most loyal of Darian Durant supporters (I even wore an Alouette Durant number 4 t-shirt when he came back to play the Riders), it’s very difficult for me to throw stones on a week we should be celebrating his retirement.
But Darian’s refusal to repay a $70-thousand signing bonus he got for agreeing to a contract with the Blue Bombers for the 2018 season and subsequent belittling of questioners via social media gives me no choice. That’s shady, deceptive, and just plain wrong.
As for Darian’s commenting on the Sportscage, “I’m not going to address the bonus situation”, that’s usually a good explanation for someone who has no explanation.
And it’s not the same thing as a team cutting a player before a roster bonus is due either. Those roster bonuses are normally paid before the season for services the player is about to produce as money up front. Darian got paid up front for a job he didn’t do.
Never thought it was possible Darian, but ya lost me on this one pal.
2 –PLAZA CAMPAIGN FOR KJ: Okay lineup for the Plaza of Honour, I guess. I had a front row seat to both Jim Hopson and John Terry’s contributions but once again, no star players. That’s what we as fans want to see and if the organizing committee really wanted to spark fan interest in this event again, their first step would be to put Kerry Joseph in. Richie Hall and Roy Shivers should also be in and it’s a joke they still aren’t.
3 – KAVIS WANTED STUBLER ALL ALONG: My eyes and ears in Montreal tell me there shouldn’t be a lot of surprise with Khalil Carter’s sudden “resignation” as Alouettes defensive coordinator. Given Head Coach Mike Sherman’s lack of familiarity with the CFL or even his own coaching staff, it makes sense that GM Kavis Reed would have had input. And Kavis has been joined at the hip with Rich Stubler since the 90’s through stops together with Edmonton, Toronto, Edmonton again, and now Montreal.
Carter says it was all his idea. He might be okay with it but I’m suspicious Kavis wanted Stubler in there from the get go.
4 – SWIFT CURRENT INSPIRATION FOR SMALL MARKETS EVERYWHERE: Bronco radio broadcaster Shawn Mullins did a masterful job of capturing the essence of Saskatchewan’s first WHL championship win in 25 years Sunday night for those of us who weren’t able to watch it. As recently as 10 years ago, I recall hearing WHL people suggest places like Swift were about to be pushed out of the league by bigger, more powerful markets like Vancouver, Calgary, and Edmonton.
Well since then, the Vancouver Giants have had to relocate out to the suburbs while both the Calgary Hitmen and Edmonton Oil Kings play in front of largely empty arenas. Swift Current, on the other hand, sells out just about every night, has an amazing atmosphere in that tiny rink where every seat is close to the action, and a community-owned team where the fans actually feel like they own it. And now another championship to boot.
If that isn’t hockey’s version of the Saskatchewan Roughriders, then I don’t know what is.
The Western Hockey League is really important to Speedy Creek but not nearly as important as Swift Current is to the WHL.
5 – MEMORIAL CUP MATCHUPS FINALLY KNOWN: Got tickets for my brother-in-law from Swift Current and me to see his Broncos play the Pats in the final round-robin game on the Wednesday of Memorial Cup next week in Regina.
It’s so nice to actually put a team name to these tickets now that we know the Hamilton Bulldogs and Acadie-Bathurst Titans will be joining the Broncos and Pats.
I plan to remain neutral as I have no dog in this race (grew up a Moose Jaw Warrior fan somehow), but I must point out that with all 4 teams coming from within Canada and 2 from within Saskatchewan for the first time in 29 years, that’s about as good as it gets.
And should be a good omen for Swift who won it all that year at the 1989 tournament in Saskatoon.
6 – FIGHT OVER #HUMBOLDTSTRONG MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING: My SJHL goons tell me league president Bill Chow is a “no-nonsense shirt and tie guy who means business”.
Great! Just what the SJ needs. Except with this trademarking of #humboldtstrong business.
The Humboldt Broncos president, Kevin Garinger, has told him and the league to back off of their trademark application, saying it belongs to the team and the people of Humboldt.
The reality is, most of the money raised through that initiative has already been raised and will have been raised before this trademark application is dealt with about a year from now. The spitting contest makes for some interesting theatre but probably won’t help raise money for the cause and the actual impact of this trademarking will be somewhere close to zero anyway.
Not productive, guys.
7 – WINNIPEG JETS WILL WIN STANLEY CUP: My prediction for the SJHL champion Nipawin Hawks to steamroll Manitoba’s Steinbach Pistons blew up in my face so my NHL picks have had to make up for it. I predicted at the end of the first round, we would see the winners of the Jets-Nashville and Washington-Pittsburgh series get to the finals and I’m sticking with it. But this week I go a step further in boldly predicting a Winnipeg Jets Stanley Cup championship. Portage and Main will be worth the price of admission without even getting into the Arena. Road-trip anyone?
8 –TWO WORDS FOR TORONTO RAPTOR COACH SEARCH: Phil Jackson.
9 – DOCUMENTARY/BOOK OF THE WEEK: Sudden Death: The Incredible Saga of the 1986 Swift Current Broncos. Leesa Culp, Greg Drinnan, and Bob Wilkie take us through the events and firsthand accounts of the team’s exciting return to Swift Current, the bus crash of ’86, national championship of ’89 and eventual downfall of the team’s coach, convicted pedophile Graham James. A fascinating read that tugs at the heartstrings and I think a fitting one for all that has gone on this spring.
