Scruffy’s This N That

1 – CHILD MAYHEM:  If you haven’t seen it, go back and look for what happened during the intermission of a Hershey Bears AHL game last weekend. A group of seven- and eight-year-olds got into a full-fledged brawl in the intermisson during what we in Canada would call a Timbits game!It was so funny to watch the little guys chucking the knucks with one kid fighting one of his teammates. The video went viral as many enjoyed the kids being kids. Predictably, there were others who were outraged because their meagre lives are not allowed to have any fun or frivolity in them. Some Karen’s and Kyle’s (isn’t that what the male Karen is called) were suggesting these kids should be punished severely.  I agree! Punish them with a pizza party or something!

I am guessing 95 percent of those in the crowd were loving it. I am also guessing every Dad, while maybe not publicly admitting it, was bursting with pride. I loved it and so did many others. If you didn’t, maybe try to enjoy life every now and then. It’s better that way! The only question I have is where were the coaches? 

2 – REMEMBER WHEN?: The anniversary of Saskatchewan being oh-so-close to having an NHL team hit this week. It was on January 13, 1983, that Bill Hunter announced he had reached a deal to buy the St. Louis Blues and move them to Saskatoon. The NHL said no to that venture, and you know the rest of the story. I always wondered how the sports landscape would have changed had this gone through. Would the Riders have taken a backseat to the NHL? Would the team have been able to stay competitive in the Bridge City or would they have to leave? What type of team would they have iced? Remember this was 1983 when things were a lot different than they are now. I don’t know if it would have worked. 

3 – REMEMBER WHEN PART 2: January 14 was the 10-year anniversary of perhaps the most controversial transaction in Saskatchewan Roughriders history — and it is one that truthfully would have passed me by had it not been brought up by CJME’s and Green Zone host Jamie Nye. The Riders, and newly-named Head Coach & GM Chris Jones, cut John Chick & Weston Dressler that day.

RP was on some kind of holiday leaving the Sportscage in my hands. He picked the wrong week! Thanks to Luc Mullinder, I had spoken to John Chick on the Cage the day before the hammer fell. John basically without saying goodbye to the fans wanted to say goodbye to the fans because as I found out later, he knew that he that he was about to be released. I am sure Weston Dressler knew the same thing. Chris Jones secured himself as public enemy number 1 amongst many in Rider Nation, to this day.

The show started at 4 and around 3:30, I walked into the studio with my notes when I saw that the phone lines were jammed. I just thought Colin Lovequist was running a contest.  Nope! Colin informed me that were some irate callers willing to wait until the show started to start venting.  

The 4 o’clock news ended, the intro started and the chaos began. It was one call after another after another. It didn’t stop in the first hour of the program. It didn’t stop in the second hour either. The anger was at an all-time level. It was without a doubt the best Sportscage I was ever a part of. 

The next day I was sitting at my desk when the phone rang. On the other end was Dressler wanting an opportunity to speak. We set up a time and a great interview was had with the guy who is my favourite all-time Rider.  On that day, the calls were not one of anger, but one of thank you as many called in to thank WD7 for what he had done as a Rider. 

They were two days of my radio career that are fondly remembered.

4 – FAREWELL CFL TIES: Thank you Stewart Johnston! The CFL has decided to eliminate ties. I still don’t like the overtime format, but it will be better now that the goalposts are going to the back of the endzone and if we have played two mini-games and we still have a deadlock, the ball will be put on the three and we will each team try and get the ball into the endzone with alternating plays. This should be fantastic. It will have a US college feel to it and if the defences don’t come through, we could be sitting on the edge of our seats or couches for a while. I heard someone say this will just emphasize the QB sneak, but I can’t see any team trying a QB sneak from the three. 

5 – AND THEN THERE WERE EIGHT: Who is moving into the NFL’s Final Four? We know a new champion will be crowned this year as the Eagles are out. Here are some talking points going into this weekend’s matchups. 

• For the 3^rd straight year, the Houston Texans are playing a second-round game. The franchise is 0-6 in 2^nd round games. 
• Since entering the NFL in 2022, San Francisco quarterback Brock Purdy ranks fourth with 1,605 passing yards and tied for sixth with eight touchdown passes in seven career postseason starts. Purdy has five postseason wins and with a win on Saturday night at Seattle can become the fourth quarterback in NFL history with at least six postseason wins in their first four seasons, joining Russell Wilson (seven wins with Seattle), Tom Brady (six with New England) and Patrick Mahomes (six with Kansas City).
• Four teams that did not win their division – Buffalo, Houston, the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco – won on Wild Card Weekend for the third time ever, joining 2015 and 2020. Over 80 percent of the plays (775 of 968) during Wild Card Week occurred during a one-score game and four games were decided by four points or fewer, the most in a single round in NFL postseason history.

6 – DOWN THE STRETCH THEY COME: The WHL trade deadline has come and gone. How will it pan out for teams that think they can make a run at and win the Ed Chynoweth Cup? We will find out soon. The Medicine Hat Tigers may have been the big winner as a big-name player fell back into their lap when Andrew Basha was returned to junior by the American Hockey League’s Calgary Wranglers. I still wonder where the Tigers, who have won 19 straight, would be if Gavin McKenna was still with them, but it would appear as if they are just fine. 

With all apologies to the other teams in the Eastern Division, the addition of Brenden Cootes to a talented Prince Albert lineup may give them an easier path to the league final as Medicine Hat and Edmonton are likely to slug it out in the Central.  Thank goodness I’ve got the Victory app to enjoy WHL games because there will be some great ones down the stretch. If you haven’t got that app and you are a WHL fan I would strongly endorse it. It is great to watch the game with the radio feed meaning I can hear guys like Dante Decaria, Les Lazaruk, James Gallo, Jon Keen and Regan Bartel do their thing.

7 – SORRY! The New York Rangers are a mess! Isn’t that right Trent Fraser? The Blueshirts got pumped 10-2 in Boston Saturday and followed that up giving up eight in a one-sided loss to the Senators on home ice Wednesday.  On Friday, Rangers GM Chris Drury sent a letter to fans saying get ready for a retool that will mean trades — trades that will involve some of their better players.

This should have NHL GM’s salivating. One has to think Artemi Panarin is gone seeing he is in the last season of his contract. He has a no movement clause in his contract as does Mika Zibenajad, Igor Shesterkin and JT Miller but if the deal is right, talks will be had. This Oilers fan already wonders what it might take to land Shesterkin, but I am guessing the money he makes won’t allow that to happen. What team chasing down the Stanley Cup will try to make a move for Panarin? Helloooooooo Colorado! It will be interesting to see who stays and who goes and for what. I wonder if Drury is even given a chance to see things turn for the better. I gotta think he is done at the end of the year if not before. 

8 – BYE BYE BASEBALL:  There is a a thought amongst many that when the 2026 World Series comes to an end that it will be a long time before we see MLB again. This just in: if you don’t think Major League Baseball is going to lock out the players after the Dodgers signed Kyle Tucker to a contract that is just gross — unless you are Tucker. 

The Dodgers have become exhibit 1A as to why a salary cap is needed in the sport. The signing of Tucker gives the defending World Series champs eight players making over 100 million dollars. 

One might ask why we are even going to bother playing a 2026 schedule knowing full well the Dodgers will be the National League champs and likely the World Series champs as well? How can they not be? Teams like the Pirates, Rockies and Nationals are basically out of it before pitchers and catchers report. That does not bode well for the sport. 

If baseball can’t get a salary cap, and it will likely be a nasty fight that will cost the sport its 2027 season, there has to be some kind of salary restriction. The playing field needs to be more level. Look at what it has done with parity in the NHL and the competitive balance in the NFL is there despite what the Jets and Raiders might think. The future of baseball is at stake, and both sides are going to dig their heels into the batters box. Get ready! 

9 – RANDOM THOUGHTS:

• Where does one get those huge oversized jackets that you see quarterbacks and others wearing on the sidelines in cold weather games? I’d get one of those! 
• Congratulations to Kelly Knapp and Jolene Campbell for winning the provincial men’s and women’s curling championship last weekend. Best of luck at the Brier and Scotties. 
• If they are staying in Saskatoon, why is there a need to change the “Rattlers” name? 
• Should we let the Minnesota Vikings be the 10^th team in the CFL?  Think about it! 😊

That’s all I got.  Have a great week!