DAYTONA HOMES FRIDAY RODSERVATIONS

WHAT I’M THINKING

1 – A FIRST:  We’ll start off with hockey, then move on to football, and then make our way back to the world of stick and puck.  How can anyone ignore the circus that surrounds Evander Kane and the Winnipeg Jets these days?  And that’s exactly how one hockey scout labelled the whole Kane-era since the Jets’ return to Winnipeg three years ago when we conversed Thursday evening.  He called it a “circus”.

It’s the top item on the TV sports networks right now and details are still unravelling but it sounds like Kane has played his last game in a Jets uniform after the fiasco which transpired in Vancouver this week.  The enigmatic forward was a healthy scratch against the Canucks and as Winnipeg coach Paul Maurice put it, “It’s a Coach’s Decision”.  Apparently Kane violated team rules but, according to Winnipeg newspaper reports, he was also a regular target of ridicule and unending teasing from his teammates.  Kane had had enough and informed the Jets an hour before the game that he wasn’t going to play that night.

He pulled himself.  And in over a hundred years of professional sport, no one has ever heard of a player doing that before.  So now Kane has forced Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff’s hand and he’s on the trading block having vastly hurt his team’s leverage by refusing to play.

As the Winnipeg-based scout said via text message Thursday evening, “Bottom line is, he’s been doing his best to irritate management to get traded since he arrived.  He’s self-centred.  His circus started when he thumbed his nose at Bobby Hull.”

BTTU.  Better Them Than Us.

2 – SO LONG J.T.:  Thursday’s news that Jason Tucker has flown the Riders’ nest to join the NFL’s Tennessee Titans as Assistant Wide Receivers Coach truly came out of the blue.  I was alerted to the news by Scruffy who leaned back in his chair in the CKRM newsroom and said, “Have you seen the Titans’ website?”  Of course I hadn’t, but it was all there in black and white: Jason Tucker has left the Roughriders after three seasons as Receivers Coach to join Ken Whisenhunt’s staff.

From the outside it appears to have come out of the blue for the Roughriders as well, as Tucker was listed on the club’s 2015 coaching staff which was unveiled on Monday.  On Wednesday I bumped into Tucker in the Rider team offices and he was his usual smiling and joking self.  24 hours later, he was on a jet to Nashville.

“Awesome for him and the club,” Rider coach Corey Chamblin said via text message on Thursday.  “Very proud.”

As for the search for Tucker’s replacement, Chamblin wrote “Open at this point.”

On the SportsCage Thursday afternoon we hastily threw together a list of names along with assistance from the listeners.  The group included Geroy Simon, Don Narcisse, Dan Farthing, Paul Lapolice, Ben Cahoon, Marcus Crandell, Jason Clermont and Matt Dominguez.

I’m not sure about the others, but Geroy responded with a flat-out “No” when I asked if he had any interest.  However I’m sure it won’t be long before the spot is filled.

3 – NO TO NIK:  I’ve been loosely following what’s going on in Calgary with pending Stampeders free agent receiver Nik Lewis.  Apparently he’s written on Twitter that there’s been little contract talks with the Stamps and privately some have mentioned he’d like to come to the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

However the Riders told me they have no interest in Lewis’s services.  Apparently it’s been discussed within the Riders’ Mosaic Stadium offices but a group of veteran players nixed the idea.  So much for that.

4 – WHO DO YOU BELIEVE?:  There’s been plenty of speculation out there regarding the salaries of CFL receivers Chris Getzlaf, Andy Fantuz, Weston Dressler and the like this week.  Many numbers have been bantied about but there’s been no confirmation from anyone.

Some fans have lobbied for “transparency” as it pertains to CFL salaries such as the NFL and NHL but that will likely never happen.  The biggest reason for the secrecy over the years, I’ve been told over and over, is that for the most part CFL salaries are embarrassingly low and for that reason the league opts for privacy.

The other reason is, not unlike any other workplace, it’s bad news for the employer when employees sit around and discuss what each other makes.  It can be bad for morale and a headache for the bosses.

No one knows what Ben Heenan’s signing bonus from the Indianapolis Colts is either.  However it’s likely to be somewhat generous given the fact he signed a three-year deal.  Ironically Ben celebrated his 25th birthday on Thursday.  What a present!

Incidentally it’s Rider Hall of Famer Nate Davis’s birthday TODAY!  Thank God for Facebook.  That’s how I find these things out.

5 – BLAME LEIGH STEINBERG!:  The super agent whom the character Jerry McGuire was based upon may be the culprit for what I believe is the ruination of professional sport.  I recently finished his book “Agent” and in it he bragged that he was one of the first agents to make NFL salaries public knowledge.  He conspired with Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones on Troy Aikman’s first NFL contract and convinced Jerry it would be a good thing to tell the world how much Aikman was due to make.  They wanted to make a splash and Jones is the right guy to do just that.

Before that, pro sports owners were content to keep salaries under wraps.  It stands to reason because until the late 1970’s, salaries in the NFL and CFL were comparable.  In fact in some cases, the CFL paid more which led to future Hall of Famers George Reed and Ron Estay heading to Canada.  Similarly in the NHL, none of the Edmonton Oilers made more that $200,000 per season in their heyday of the 1980’s and the owners were left to rake in the riches.

Now it’s all about players getting their “fair share”.

6 – MORE ON THE RUINATION OF SPORT:   Timothy 6:10 “Money is the root of all evil”.  If you asked Steinberg, he’d scoff at the notion that he started the problems which plague pro sport today.  After all, he was just getting more money for his clients which is his job.

However now you get pro athletes who try to amass as much wealth as they can so they never have to work again.  Maybe I missed it, but I don’t see it written anywhere that just because you’re a gifted athlete you should be able to coast for the rest of your life.

It’s refreshing to see former local NHL’ers and CFL’ers still working in their 50’s and 60’s.  For example: Bob Bourne (landscaping), Tiger Williams (real estate and stocks), Ray Bourque (restaurateur, public speaking), Clark Gillies (investments), Ray Elgaard (investment planning), Don Narcisse (new car sales), Carm Carteri (property management, fitness) and even Scott Schultz (insurance).

Forgive me for the soapbox rant, but alert me the next time you see Mike Modano, Brett Hull or Eric Lindros breeze through town on an NHL Alumni rec hockey tour, or speaking at a small-town fundraiser.

It’s something I visit with the NHL and CFL greats about all the time.  They’re on the same page as me.

And who loses?

Us, the fans.

7 – WHAT’S WORSE?:  An interesting question was posed by our friend Schad Richea, athletic therapist for the Calgary Flames, after the stunning ending of Super Bowl XLIX.  What’s worse: losing a championship on a boneheaded playcall (like the Seahawks), losing a championship on a boneheaded team error (the Riders’ 13th Man), or losing a championship by having a game-winning punt return touchdown negated by a penalty call in the final minute (see: Hamilton Tiger-Cats)?  From our corner the clear winner is the 13th Man – and most would agree – but it would be hard to perceive that any of the Seahawks or Ticats feel any better than the 2009 Saskatchewan Roughriders did at the time.

8 – RIDERS IN THE GATEWAY TO THE NORTH:  It’s always great to see members of Canada’s Team traveling about the province to spread the goodwill of the Rider Nation.  The WHL’s Prince Albert Raiders have announced that Rider players Anthony Allen and Paul Woldu will be in attendance when the Raiders welcome the Spokane Chiefs to the Art Hauser Centre on Wednesday.  The players will perform a ceremonial puck drop and sign autographs before the game and in the first intermission.

9 – SMITTY RETURNS:  There won’t be a dry eye in Moose Jaw’s Mosaic Place Friday night when the Warriors retire Ryan Smyth’s #28 in a pregame ceremony.  The Warriors will wear #94 Edmonton Oilers jerseys during the warm-ups and then don retro 1992-95 era Warrior sweaters for the game to honour Smyth.

Is the Banff, AB product worthy of such recognition?  Of course.  But he only stands 12th in the Warriors’ all-time scoring.  His accomplishments came mostly during his 1270-game NHL career when he was dubbed “Captain Canada” for his many years playing for our country in international competition.

I was calling Prince Albert Raiders games during Smyth’s time and he truly was an All-Star, capable of scoring on any shift.  The clearest memory I have of Smyth was a game in the Crushed Can when, late in the game and the Warriors up a ton, the Raiders’ Shayne Toporowski wound up at centre ice with an axe-like swing to Smyth’s knees which left him crumped on the ice.  It incited a full-scale bench-clearing brawl which I believe was the last of its kind.

Then-Warriors coach Al Tuer smiled to me after the game, “You gotta have one of those things every now and again!”  “House” then quickly added, “And if you tell anyone I said that, I’ll kill ya.”

I think the statute of limitations has run out on that by now.

10 – A MAN WITH A PLAN:  WHL blogger Kelly Friesen for Yahoo.ca wrote a fantastic column on Thursday in which he says the Regina Pats represent Saskatchewan’s next chance at being a WHL champion.  The last Saskatchewan team to win the WHL title was Swift Current in 1993.  You can read the full article here:
https://ca.sports.yahoo.com/blogs/jrhockey-buzzing-the-net/regina-pats-give-province-hope-to-break-championship-drought-005337662.html?soc_src=mediacontentstory&soc_trk=tw

The story brought a smile to my face – for a number of reasons – but it was simply nice to see the Queen City Kids finally getting some recognition.  CKRM hockey analyst Al Dumba noted on Wednesday’s SportsCage that Pats Sr. VP of Hockey Operations and Head Coach John Paddock “has a plan”.  I’d be interested to investigate that plan in full detail but this year’s decision to be a “seller” before the trade deadline was clearly the first part of it.  Saskatoon Blades Coach and GM Bob Woods told us on Thursday’s SportsCage that Paddock’s trades were “a smart move”.

Paddock said that Tuesday’s 4-2 win over Prince Albert in the Brandt Centre was “sloppy” but I left the rink feeling good about the club.  Coaches see the game far differently than we as fans do.  But it’s simply comforting to know that the Regina Pats are in good hands and there are nothing but good days ahead.  Get on board!

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Lastly here are some posters from local fundraising dinners featuring sports celebrities you may be interested in attending:

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That’s it for this week.  Talk to you in the SportsCage at 4:00 pm on 620 CKRM live from the 6th Annual Kinsmen Sports Celebrity Dinner at the Delta Regina featuring Ray Bourque, Jon Ryan, Geroy Simon and Julie Stewart-Binks!

RP
@sportscage
Instagram: ridervoice