Scruffy’s This N That

1 – NORRIS DEBATE:  The James Norris Trophy is supposed to go to the NHL defenceman who demonstrates throughout the season the greatest all-around ability in the position. Somewhere that has morphed into the defenceman with the highest point total. There is a movement out there suggesting Evan Bouchard win the Norris this year.  Excuse me? Is this being based on the fact that he has the most points amongst blueliners? It has to be because under no circumstance should anyone consider the Oilers defenceman to be the league’s best and this is coming from an Oilers fan.  Yes, Bouchard has had a much better second half but to suggest he is the favourite to win the NHL award for best defenceman is a little bit of a stretch.  Bouchard is more Paul Coffey than he is Nik Lidstrom.  There is nothing wrong with that, but there are many blueliners who are far better in “overall” defence than Bouchard.  Quinn Hughes, Charlie McAvoy, Cale Makar and Josh Morrissey are far better at the position if we are looking at “all-around” ability.  If you want to reward the league’s highest scoring blueliner with a trophy at the end of the year, I have no problem with that but please don’t try and tell me the Norris is supposed to go to the NHL defenceman with the greatest all-around ability if Bouchard should win it this year because he isn’t. 

2 – DOWN THE STRETCH THEY COME:  Tell me if you’re an NHL fan, and I seem to think there are a lot reading this that are, that you aren’t checking the standings daily as we have several great races going into the last week of the season.  Who is winning the Atlantic? Who is winning the Pacific? What teams are going to end up in the wildcard spots?  This is exactly what the NHL wanted when it came to the playoffs and the run up to them.  The best time of the year for hockey fans is just about on us.  Get your snacks and beverages now!

3 – SCRATCHING THE SURFACE:  That is what Pats coach Brad Herauf had to say about his team in his season-ending availability after his squad bowed out of the playoffs losing in five games to Medicine Hat in a series that was much tougher for the Tigers than many expected. 

The visit to the playoffs was the first for Regina since Connor Bedard left town and there was a 19-point improvement from this year to last as the team met its goal of making the playoffs. 

As the team looks to the ’26-’27 season, the excitement is there knowing Maddox Schultz and Liam Pue will be full-time members of the squad. Only two members of the team graduate so a lot of players can return including Zach Lansard who is on the radar of NHL scouts for the 27 draft. There is a logjam when it comes to 20-year-olds as five players ( Goalie Marek Schlenker, defenceman Kolten Bridgeman and forwards Keets Fawcett, Ellis Mieyette and Zach Moore) will be in the running for three spots so two will have to go and that will not be an easy decision. 

Some wonder if Herauf should be back and while he wants to be, that is up to General Manager Dale Derkatch to decide. Derkatch sees the improvement made from this year to last but with Schultz and Pue becoming full-time players does he want a new voice as their junior journey starts in earnest.  It should be an interesting summer at the Brandt Centre as the Pats attempt to get to the next level. 

4 – THE CALL:  A guy who has done play-by-play for some hockey teams in the US has started a firestorm over the call from the Edmonton Oil Kings play-by-play announcer of the Game 7 overtime goal scored by Saskatoon eliminating Edmonton. This guy called the call of that goal “a crime to the sport”. EXCUSE ME!!!  He thinks a little more excitement was needed by Mat Barrett on a Game 7 overtime goal even though his team lost. Get bent! 

It is a local game.  Mat represents the Edmonton Oil Kings. He knows the people in the organization because he, like other play-by-play guys, have spent all winter with this team and is just as invested as them.  When your team loses in Game 7 and in overtime, it is crushing.  While I didn’t hear Dante DeCaria’s goal call of the overtime winner by Medicine Hat in Game 5 to end the Pats season, I am sure it didn’t sound anything like the Tigers call and probably didn’t have the excitement level that Medicine Hat’s was because Dante knew that much like his team, the season was over. 

If this game was being broadcast across the country, then yes more pizzazz is needed even if that is your team, but it was a local call. The question I have is who at the WHL office decided to use that call on their socials instead of using Les Lazaruk’s call which the Blades quickly had up on their social media accounts to their credit.  In the WHL’s defence, they always do use the home team call though, but in this instance a change could have easily been made.  Thankfully the Blades had Les’s call for everyone to enjoy.

For what it’s worth, I have never heard a call from Mat so I couldn’t tell you if he is good at his craft or not, but to have him unfairly criticized and have one of his calls referred to as “a crime to the sport”  because his team just had their season end is a little over the top as far as I’m concerned. 

5 – FROZEN FOUR: The NCAA hockey championship is happening in Vegas this weekend with Wisconsin and Denver meeting Saturday for the national championship in a final that was unexpected. Both teams had key efforts from WHL grads to get there as the Badgers rode the goaltending of Daniel Hauser, the WHL’s all time wins leader, while former Swift Current Bronco Clarke Caswell had a game-tying goal late in the 3rd .  Part of me loves the format as you have your four teams that have advanced through regionals playing a one-game winner take all in the semi with the final also being one game.  It’s clean and it’s quick.  It won’t happen, but I would love to see the Memorial Cup do this.  There is seemingly no willingness to expand the event to six teams ( the two league champs from whatever league isn’t hosting along with the league champ and host team) so let’s get it done in a weekend.  You would probably have to rotate the matchups each year much like they do in USports football, but it would be a great twist.  Thoughts?

6 – TIGER: Tiger Woods is not at Augusta as the Masters is happening this weekend.  He was going to go to Augusta to hang out if not play until his latest incident behind the wheel in which he was in no condition to drive. Tiger is not well and while he has left the US to get treatment, the sport that thrives because of him is just turning their head and saying what they have to.

Would the golf world had exploded if one of its top stars came out this week and said he was disgusted with Tiger for what he has done? If that happened, would the golf world shun him or thank him for saying what so many are likely truly feeling but they will only say it behind closed doors?

It is because of Tiger why the PGA Tour is where it is at. It is because of that why no one, including Tour brass, will say anything about him and what should be done.  The Tour won’t, the players won’t and you will hear very little about it from Jim Nantz and crew this weekend.  It is likely a taboo topic and I am guessing emails have been flying around saying this is the position to take. 

Golf fans need to take some blame in this too.  They don’t care about Tiger’s health, they just want to see him tee it up with hopes that he will capture some magic and be on the leaderboard come Sunday morning.   Tiger needs help and hopefully he gets it, but his latest accident can’t be swept under the carpet like others seemingly have.  Ignoring this does no one any good. 

7 – THE MASTERS:  Is this the greatest golf tournament? It is the event that players cherish being in. It is the event that golf fans and competitors romanticize. It is an event where there are no cellphones allowed.  WHAT???  How are we supposed to live without checking our cellphone? While the price to get into the grounds is high, the concession prices are as cheap as can be. Decorum is called for so you are not going to get a circus like you get at the 16^th hole at the Waste Management Phoenix Open. It is perhaps a little too stodgy in some cases, but one can’t deny the prestige of Augusta National and the beauty of the course.  If the weather is fine, there might be no better scenery in the game. 

8 – BACK OFF: I had to laugh when I saw a story out of the Toronto Sun saying a petition has been launched by some Blue Jays fans aimed at getting Daulton Varsho to change his walk-up song because it doesn’t fit the vibe. Are you f-ing serious? I’m sorry, but the decision for walk-up music is up to the player, not the fan. In my opinion, you have zero right to ask for him to change the song no matter what it is. Varsho obviously won’t tell these people to go (rhymes with truck) themselves, but I would love it if he did.  It just amazes me as to how far some people think they can get.  Those signing this show me what a sad, pathetic life they are leading.

9 – RANDOM THOUGHTS:

• I want the Senators and Jets to make the playoffs and it’s not just because they are Canadian teams.  I think there are some teams that don’t share that sentiment especially those who might end up playing Winnipeg. Speaking of which, why is no one outside of Winnipeg talking about the great season Mark Scheifele is having. 

• Why do I think Jalen Hurts is going to get traded at or before the NFL Draft. It just seems as if his popularity in Philly continues to decline for whatever reason.

• Hard to believe that in the storied history of the Montreal Canadiens that they have only had seven 50-goal scorers with Cole Caufield becoming the 7^th this week. Of course, Guy Lafleur reached that mark six times.

• Shohei Ohtani and the Dodgers were accused of bending the rules this week by George Springer who didn’t like the time he was given to warm up. If anyone knows about bending the rules, it is George Springer.

10 – That’s all I got.  Have a great week!