Scruffy’s This N That

1 – ONE MORE CHANCE:  The pre-season is over and now it counts. The Saskatchewan Roughriders finished the pre-season with a smoke-delayed 27-20 home loss to Winnipeg. Should you be concerned with the fact that the offence only managed to get one touchdown in the two exhibition games and that came in the final minute of last night’s game?  Did Jake Coan do enough to perhaps send Jake Maier packing? Has Joe Robustelli done enough to make the main roster? Who will be RB2? Does Drae McCray replace Mario Alford as the team’s kick returner? We will find out before the weekend is over.

2 – LOOKING INTO MY CRYSTAL BALL: At this time next week, we will be underway with the 2025 CFL season. I am sure it will be another season that brings twists and turns for the Riders and all of the other eight clubs. The big question around Riderville is can the green-and-white go to and win the Grey Cup in Winnipeg? They absolutely can, but the same can be realistically said for the Lions, Bombers, Ottawa, Montreal and Toronto.  Sorry Alberta teams! That being said, both should be better.

As I have said a few times, I love what Corey Mace and Jeremy O’Day did in the off-season. It wasn’t so much getting the free agents needed to get them over the top, it was keeping the potential free agents here that can put them over the top.

This team might be the best team that has been on the field since the squad that lost the Western Final on that Cody Fajardo throw off the crossbar. There will be many factors that determine whether or not this team plays in the Grey Cup with the biggest one being Trevor Harris. It is imperative the 39-year-old stays healthy. If Harris goes down, all bets are off in my opinion. If he does stay healthy, he could put up one of the best regular seasons statwise in Riders history.

If you want a Grey Cup prediction, I will take BC over Toronto. I think the combination of Nathan Rourke and Buck Pierce might be something that gives DC’s across the league nightmares. I’ve also got Rourke being the MOP this season for what it is worth. 

3 – DON’T WRITE OFF THE BOMBERS: I’m not sure if it is just because of the hate that Rider fans have for the Bombers or if it is something else, but while I think Winnipeg will still be a team to contend with in the West, many don’t agree with me in these neck of the woods. This is a Bombers team that still has Zach Collaros, Brady Oliveira, Dalton Schoen, Willie Jefferson, Stanley Bryant and others. This is a team that I think will be like the 2013 Riders—a team that knows they can win and will do what it takes to give their fans the same experience the green-and-white did on that magical November night at Taylor Field. I don’t think they end up with the same result as the 2013 Riders, but in no way am I writing that squad off. 

4 – HERE WE GO AGAIN: The Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers are the last two teams standing in the NHL for the second straight season. We have to wait until Wednesday before the puck drops at Rogers Place in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final meaning you can watch everyone over-analyze everything for a few days. 

Do I see this series going seven again? Yes! Do I see the end result being different? Yes! Is part of that because of my allegiance to Edmonton. Yes! Should Florida be favoured because of last year and what they have done in this year’s playoff? You betcha! Are both teams better than last year? Absolutely! I thought last year that the combination of McDavid and Draisaitl would be enough for Edmonton to win. Like the Oilers in 1983 against the Islanders, they needed to maybe learn what it took to get over the hump and I can’t see those two being denied for a second straight season. Edmonton has been incredible when it comes to their defence. They won how many games without Mattias Ekholm in the lineup? At the end of the day, this will likely come down to whoever wins the battle between Stuart Skinner, who is crafting one of the best-ever playoff stories, and Sergei Bobrovsky. My VISA card didn’t take a beating last year, but I think it might this year and I’m OK with that. 

5 – THE POST-SERIES HANDSHAKE: I like Paul Maurice. I like him a lot. I have liked him since before he became the coach of the Florida Panthers. However, I don’t know if I can subscribe to his thoughts of not shaking the hands of the other team at the end of a hard-fought series. Maurice and Carolina coach Rod Brind’amour had an animated discussion after Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Final as Maurice asked Brind’amour not to take part in the handshake line. It was something he doesn’t do feeling there is no need for it as it is a players-only thing.

I think Maurice is wrong here. I also think the line can possibly be too long in some cases as some who had no real role on the ice take part.  As a head coach, I think you should be in that line to either congratulate players or say good series and show some respect. 

The post-series handshake is one you don’t see in the other sports. It should involve head coaches as well.  Thoughts? 

6 – STOP THE STATE TAX TALK:  Why is the hockey media so obsessed with the fact that the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning are succeeding because of favourable state tax laws? STOP IT! 

Are the Jacksonville Jaguars and Miami Dolphins the class of the NFL? Are the Miami Marlins and Tampa Bay Rays the class of MLB? Are the Orlando Magic and Miami Heat the class of the NBA?  It’s a resounding NO in all cases and athletes in those sports have the same “advantage” that the hockey teams have! 

It just amazes me how the hockey media bemoans this! Would we be talking about this if it benefitted the beloved Leafs? Is this why this is such an issue? Was it an issue when high-tax California was watching the Kings and Ducks playing in and winning the Stanley Cup with San Jose being close for how many years? 

The fact is both the Lightning and Panthers have excellent organizations that know what they are doing and can attract or retain players because of their winning culture.  Yes, I am sure the tax laws do have players looking at that state as an option, but when you are winning and you are playing in an environment where it is warm 365 days a year, it is a huge plus.  It’s no wonder why Vegas, LA, Dallas, Carolina etc etc are amongst the league’s top teams and why Winnipeg isn’t a desired destination.  The climate might be a bigger advantage if you ask me. 

7 – BACK AT CURRIE: Those that know me know I love baseball. Needless to say, I was quick to let the Regina Red Sox know that yes I would help them out this year by doing Public Address Announcing for them at a number of home games this season. Opening night this past Thursday was fantastic. It was a tremendous night weather-wise and it was a tremendous night between the lines as the Red Sox exploded for eight runs in the 7^th inning as they beat Swift Current 11-1 in front of 800 people who enjoyed themselves.

I knew going in that Regina had a stacked lineup and it showed on opening night, but we haven’t seen anything yet. The team has a handful of players that haven’t arrived yet as they finish off their US college schedule including a group of players from LSU-Shreveport. If you haven’t heard, this team is going after an NAIA World Series. They go into the championship riding a record of 58-0. Yes, you read that right. I don’t care the sport, this is one of the greatest ever seasons ever seen. Tell me the guys who will be making the trip north of the border from this school won’t bring a winning attitude with them. 

8 – C’MON RORY: I don’t know about you, but Rory McIlroy is just coming off as a d-bag with each passing week. Rory wasn’t the most popular guy amongst golfers when the whole LIV-PGA thing started as some of his comments angered golfers on both sides. He has been known to avoid post-round questions when he doesn’t do well like at last year’s US Open when he gassed the tournament on the last round and this year’s PGA Championship when he failed to speak to anyone after each of his rounds apparently because he was pissy over the fact a driver he wanted to use was deemed to be ineligible for play.

After getting some wise advice from Jack Nicklaus before this year’s Masters which resulted in him winning the event—an event in which he was more than happy to speak to anyone about it after his 4^th round and in the days after, he didn’t show up at Nicklaus’s tournament which is happening this weekend in Ohio. He also didn’t have the courtesy to tell the golf legend who helped him win that he was going to be a no-show. 

Rory’s team needs to have a little sitdown with him. Some of the stuff is a little over the top like his refusal to speak with Bryson DeChambeau during the last round of the Masters which is fully understandable, but some of the other stuff is just wrong and needs to be fixed asap if you ask me.

9 – MEMORIAL CUP CHAMPS: Will the Stanley Cup and Memorial Cup both make its home in Alberta this year?  The Medicine Hat Tigers will look to bring the WHL its first championship in quite a while as they meet London in what should be an epic battle for Canadian junior hockey supremacy. This was the final I think many wanted to see. That being said, it would have been an emotional victory for the Moncton Wildcats after the sad news they received during the tournament with the death of his son’s father in law who was in Rimouski for the games.   While on the topic of the Wildcats, those that follow junior hockey know how successful Gardiner McDougall has been behind the bench.  The guy just wins.  When does he get a chance in the NHL? I had heard some rumblings that he was in the running for Seattle’s job, but that talk came to an end when the Kraken announced Lane Lambert as their new HC on Friday. He certainly has the resume to be on an NHL bench. 

10 – RANDOM THOUGHTS: 

• If I am watching an Oilers game and anthem singer Robert Clark saunters into my aisle before the game with mic in hand, am I staying in my seat to sing with the camera on me or am I going to the concession to grab a beer or a bite or both.  I honestly don’t know. 
• I’m not sure what Peter DeBoer was thinking in pulling Jake Oettinger so early in Game 5 of the West Final, but the way that move was handled may have severe repercussions that ends with Dallas having a new number one goalie next season.
• Do the Leafs need to make an offer to sign UFA Brad Marchand? Tell me some heads would not explode in Leafs Nation if that happens! 
• How the h-e double hockeysticks have the Pittsburgh Steelers not retired the “12” worn by Terry Bradshaw.  Bradshaw let it be known this week what he thinks of his former team trying to land Aaron Rodgers.  If he does sign there, you know he is wearing “12”.  YIKES! 

That’s all I got! Have a great week!