Stackhouse’s 10 Weekend Thoughts

2 – WATER WET, SKY BLUE, OFFICIATING IS BAD – I am seeing a lot of griping on social media regarding the officiating from yesterday’s game and I’m puzzled as to why fans continue to air their grievances week after week when we go into every single game of every single week knowing there is going to be some aspect of the game that will be egregiously screwed up that, likely, is going to affect the outcome.  We can disagree on why this happens or how often it happens during each game but the reality is that it has always happened and is always going to happen.  On the bright side, we don’t know when and we don’t know who is going to benefit so there is still an element of suspense that all sports games should have.

3 – VIEW FROM SEATS – I saw a post on social media this week from a fan wondering how his season ticket price for next season is going to be affected as he is expecting to have a different view of the field from his seat due to the more compact end zone, shorter field overall, and the moving of the goal posts.  It’s a valid concern as the viewing experience is sure to be different from what some fans are used to having.  If you are a season ticket holder and have similar concerns or have heard from the Riders on potential changes in price or an option to move, etc. please comment below.

4 – MORE MONEY TO WATCH – We are about to find out to what extent hockey fans will go to watch their favorite teams.  Sportsnet, which already forced the hands of some by subletting part of their NHL deal to Amazon, is taking their broadcast rights one step further down the road to price gouging by moving their Monday night games to their streaming only service, which will require further monthly membership costs.  They’ve also, cleverly, made sure to put teams on Monday nights that people care about (Winnipeg, Edmonton, and Calgary) rather than stick teams like San Jose, Nashville, Columbus, etc. on there so that fans could just shrug off watching.  I can only speak for myself by saying I am out on further costs to watch sports.  I’m at my limit and while I enjoy watching, it’s not life or death for me.

5 – NEW SENIOR MODEL – On the topic of spending, there are a few senior hockey teams in Saskatchewan who are experimenting with offering free admission to their games.  How the formula works is like this:  they get a title sponsor for the game to kick in a set amount (the dollar value seems to vary by market but it’s not a crazy price for the sponsor to commit to) and then bank on more people overall showing up because the cost is free and then you end up selling more 50/50 tickets, more food at the concession, etc.  Two teams told me they actually made more money per game doing it this way and the fans are happy getting something for nothing in an era where they are used to getting nothing for something.

6 – FORMENTON FINDS HOME – The moral police were out in full force in Edmonton again this week as the Oilers signed Alex Formenton to a one-year contract.  Formenton was one of the players charged with sexual assault in relation to the London World Junior incident in 2018.  He’s been out of the NHL since 2022 but has played three seasons in the Swiss League.  Formenton has not only been acquitted of charges, he was wrongly pinpointed as the main figure in the incident.  He’s still only 27 and at the time of his exile, he was considered a key component of Ottawa’s rebuild.  I think this is a fantastic signing and he’s going to be a cheap source of depth up front who can play anywhere on the top three lines.

7 – BAD ACTS – One question I have for the holier-than-thou among us is: would signing Formenton be okay if he took part in a questionable moral act (such as the case with the London situation) but that moral act wasn’t publicized?  Which is to say, is it fine for teams to sign bad characters as long as their skeletons are in the closet rather than in the limelight?  I can assure you there are worse humans than Formenton playing on NHL teams but the difference is that it’s just not widely known in the public domain.  How is that fair to Formenton?

8 – HUGHES CONTRACT – Minnesota defenseman Quinn Hughes made public comments this week regarding his contract status with the Wild.  Hughes talked about doing what’s right for himself and said a lot of the same things all players of his stature say when discussing a contract.  He wants to play for a winning team.  Well, Hughes is already on a winning team and that winning team has the checkbook open but he isn’t ready to sign his name.  I hope fans are seeing that when it comes to players who claim to want to be a part of a successful team, they don’t actually care if they win a Cup or not.  Players who say they care about winning and then go suck every last dollar out of the salary cap possible have to know that doing so actually reduces their chances to win and then when you hear these same players complain there is no support, they are hesitant to look in the mirror as to why that may be.  This is why Connor McDavid makes what he makes and Kiril Kaprizov makes what he makes.  One wants to win.  The other wants to make as much as he can.

9 – NLL REDUCED BY TWO – And then there were 12.  The National Lacrosse League has announced franchises in Philadelphia and Ottawa are ceasing operations and the players will be dispersed throughout the rest of the league later this month.  It’s a significant blow to the NLL, which had as many as 15 teams as recently as 2024.  I can’t help but wonder if a niche sport like lacrosse shouldn’t look to niche markets where competition for fans is not as strong.  Perhaps instead of looking at Edmonton, Red Deer could be an option.  I also wonder if Regina wouldn’t work as, even, a transition location for a year just to see how it goes over rather than fold two teams and that would give the league another year to search for a more stable home for, at least, one of them.  Would a Regina professional lacrosse team get 4000-5000 a game?  You can’t make a ton of money with those numbers but if you can save a franchise until a permanent home is found, why not?

10 – UFCNOCHE – Tommy McMillen and Marwan Rahiki stole the show at UFCNoche yesterday as the two undefeated featherweights went toe to toe for fifteen minutes with McMillen being wobbled in round two and Rahiki getting beaten up badly in round three.  Personally, I thought it was a draw but McMillen was awarded a unanimous decision and I can’t say I was surprised as the Richard Ramirez lookalike is about to be promoted heavily by the UFC as he has all the intangibles to cross over and catch the attention of casual fans.  It wouldn’t be a shock to see McMillen fight again before the end of the year against a top fifteen fighter, perhaps Aaron Pico or Steve Garcia.

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