Scruffy’s This N That

1 – DEFENDING DALE: Just before the Regina Pats went on their West Coast trip, I went down to the Brandt Centre to watch them play and one player that impressed me was 18-year-old center Julian Maze. When I mentioned him to someone who knows the game, he gave me a look and said, “great on-ice and terrible off of it”. He also said he would be surprised if Maze who came from Everett last year would be around at Christmas time.  He was right. Maze was sent to Calgary for a pair of 3^rd round draft picks and that had the fanbase – or those who just want to bitch to feel better about themselves – voice their anger.

I have zero idea if this kid is a good one or a bad one, but when all you can get for an 18 year old player that is your top scorer is a pair of 3^rd round draft pick, you know there wasn’t a lot of interest in him and that GM Dale Derkatch basically took the best offer. If you think he was going to get a first round pick or a top player in return, you don’t know as much about junior hockey as you think. Do you think other teams aren’t aware of players on other teams that may have red flags around them? Stop with the bitching about Derkatch and his position and stop with the bitching about Brad Herauf as head coach as well! Hey, I understand the frustration when this team appears to be spinning its wheels, but as Derkatch said when the trade was made, they are adding by subtracting. I am sure Dale didn’t want to part with his top scorer, but sometimes you don’t have a choice for the betterment of the squad especially when the return isn’t what you would like it to be.

Yeah, I thought this team would have a better record at the Christmas break than 11-17-2 and yeah, I expect them to be a playoff team this season, but it is next year and beyond that this team needs to start making noise again with Maddox Schultz and Liam Pue being full time WHL’ers. I fully expect Derkatch to use some of the trade capital that he has picked up to get some guys that can help down the stretch and beyond. 

2 – GATHER ROUND THE TV KIDS: TSN’s biggest event of the year is upon us as they put the pressure on a group of 18–19-year-old kids to bring home a gold medal at the World Junior Hockey Championship. Has Craig Button predicted a Canada-US final yet? Don’t get me wrong, I love this tournament, but I hate the intense spotlight put on it especially when the Canadians aren’t singing the national anthem and celebrating at tourney’s end as people from coast to coast will complain about players whom they probably never heard of until the pre-tournament games started.

I’ll watch the opening game against the Czechs, and I’ll probably watch the New Year’s Eve game against Finland, but I have no desire to see our kids skate all over Latvia and Denmark. This is an event that starts getting my attention come playoff time and yeah, I would love nothing more than to see the guys with the maple leaf on their chests win it all on American turf but if they don’t, they don’t. That mindset will change when its best on best in Italy next year when like you anything less than gold will be unacceptable, but that’s another story for another time. 

3 – WHL AT THE BREAK: The Everett Silvertips are the top team in the WHL at the break. Landon (no he’s not related to Darren) DuPont, Carter Bear and Matias Vanhanen are showing that they are more than ready to try and join the host Kelowna Rockets at the Memorial Cup.  In the East, the P.A. Raiders, Medicine Hat Tigers and Edmonton Oil Kings are fighting for first. One would think the Tigers would have a nice lead if Gavin McKenna didn’t chase the cash Penn State was offering but that’s another story. I’d like to see the Raiders make some noise mainly because of the great job Curtis Hunt continues to do with that team and Prince Albert would go crazy come playoff time much like Moose Jaw and Swift Current did in their championship runs.  The one number that stands out to me is that Medicine Hat defenceman Bryce Pickford leads the league in goals. A defenceman leads the WHL in goals? When is the last time that ever happened? Has it ever happened?

4 – LUKE AND THE COMMISH: If you’re a CFL fan, you should watch the sit-down with Stewart Johnston on Luke Willson’s podcast. The interview with Johnston on his first year and the controversial rule changes had its positives and negatives. Those who don’t like the changes and the Johnston/Willson combo will certainly pick what was said apart, but I thought the conversation between the two was excellent and was one that could have been had at any table with the two exchanging a beer or two. Some have already said it was just a softball tossing exhibition when it came to the questions, but I thought Luke did a great job with his line of questions including asking Johnston if he was happy with everything Luke has done this season which is rattle the cages of many while getting people to talk about the CFL. That last point is still the most important one of all. Like him or not, Luke Willson has gotten people talking about the 3 DOWN GAME …. the 3 down game with 12 MEN ON THE FIELD …. 12 men on a WIDE FIELD.

I don’t believe everything Johnston says when it comes to the current state of the game, but I do believe that like it or not he and the league are starting to do what others were reluctant to do and that is evolve. The NHL has done it, MLB has done it, the NFL has done it. It is time for the CFL to join the others.

There are questions I would love to ask him if given the opportunity without a microphone or camera in hand to get some answers on issues that I think the league needs to correct — issues that I have brought up in previous columns. I’m sure many of you feel the same way.  I’m looking forward to see what the league may look like in the next 5-10 years. Johnston said he wants a 10^th team in the next five years.  Where would you want to see a 10^th team? I want a team in the East before I see a team in the West.  My vote would go to Halifax or Moncton as the league needs that Maritimes presence that it is has never had. 

5 – MLS-CFL: Back in the Marc Cohon era, we sat down one day when he was in Regina to discuss the CFL game and he said don’t be surprised to see MLS start challenging the CFL for viewers. I scoffed at that idea and he explained to me why he felt that way. Turns out the then-commish may have been spot on and it is something the CFL has to acknowledge. 

Toronto FC, the Vancouver Whitecaps and FC Montreal are doing better than their CFL counterparts in the same city when it comes to key demographics. How has the CFL not realized this and if they do realize it, what are they doing to try and combat it? I would even argue that TSN is paying more attention to soccer than football, but that could be to generate more interest in the upcoming World Cup when that will dominate programming.

CFL teams have done tremendous things with the Indigenous community, but what are they doing with those who have come to our country from various countries? Those who know soccer because they grew up with it and know nothing about football. Those are people you need to become interested in the CFL.  If the league is going to turn a blind-eye to these people, things won’t change. Well, actually as the older demographic ages out you will have more that don’t care about the CFL. 

6 – WHAT DID I JUST WATCH? On Wednesday night, I saw a tweet from the PGA Tour showing a team consisting of Rory McIlroy, Luke Donald, Shane Lowry and Haotang Li get a birdie on a regular par 4 in just 28 seconds in some rapid-fire speed version of the game that was played at night. McIlroy’s team was going up against a team led by Scottie Scheffler in an event called the Optum Golf Channel Games. 

It was crazy. I don’t know what was on the line for the two teams but seeing the best in the world do this and other competitions was wild. It was very similar to competitions you see at the NFL Pro Bowl and the NHL All-Star game when it came to events as there were chipping and putting competitions. 

All of the golfers were having a lot more fun than they would at Augusta, Sawgrass or Whispering Pines, but it made me wonder how bizarre it would be to see something like this instituted on the PGA Tour instead of some pro-ams that are held.  Imagine McIlroy and Scheffler doing this on a team with some average duffer. I’d watch it.

I give the PGA credit for doing things like this and that TGL indoor golf that we saw last year.  It shows the personality of those playing.  You don’t usually see Rory, Scottie and others chuckling on the course and having fun with one another, but you do in these events. 

7 – THE QB CAROUSEL: I get the feeling the QB carousel in the NFL will be spinning big-time in the off-season. The benching of Tua Tagovailoa in Miami this week just adds the Dolphins to a number of teams that may be looking for new guys under centre. Add Miami to a list that I think includes Arizona, the Jets (AGAIN), Cleveland (AGAIN), the Raiders and Saints and may include Indy, Minnesota, Pittsburgh and Atlanta.  

As it stands right now, there could be at least three quarterbacks going in the first round. Those would be Heisman winner Fernando Mendoza, Oregon’s Dante Moore and Alabama’s Ty Simpson but there are a lot of other guys out there too, but Arch Manning won’t be one of them.

Tua isn’t done, Kyler Murray isn’t done and Daniel Jones isn’t done so where do they end up? One has to think Kirk Cousins won’t be in Atlanta next year and will Aaron Rodgers retire?  The same question might be asked of Matthew Stafford and the Rams but I can’t see that. 

Bottom line is there will be a lot of QB talk—perhaps moreso than usual in the NFL off-season which the league will be more than happy with. 

8 – WEEK 16 NFL NOTES: Just a couple of weeks to go before the battle for the Vince gets serious.  Here are some notes leading you into Sunday’s action. 

• In 26 of the past 29 seasons (1996-2024), at least one team has made the playoffs the season after finishing in last or tied for last place. Chicago finished  last in the NFC North a season ago and can clinch a playoff spot on Saturday with a win and Detroit loss or tie or a Chicago tie and Detroit loss. New England, who finished last in the AFC East in 2024, can qualify for the playoffs with a win or tie on Sunday Night Football at Baltimore.
• Denver head coach Sean Payton has 12 wins this season and has four seasons as a head coach with at least 13 wins. With a win on Sunday against Jacksonville, Payton can join Bill Belichick (seven seasons) as the only head coaches in NFL history with at least 13 wins in five different seasons.
• Last week against New England, Buffalo became the sixth team all-time with at least 10 wins in seven straight seasons, joining the 2003-19 New England Patriots (17 consecutive seasons), 1983-98 San Francisco 49ers (16), 2015-24 Kansas City Chiefs (10), 2002-10 Indianapolis Colts (nine) and 1975-81 Dallas Cowboys (seven). The Bills continue their quest to win the AFC East with a game in Cleveland on Sunday.
• Last week, Jacksonville quarterback Trevor Lawrence became the first player in NFL history with at least 300 passing yards, five touchdown passes, 50 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown in a single game. 

9 – WHAT’S YOUR CALL? Now that NFL overtime rules have changed and we have each team getting at least one possession, here is a question for you.  We see teams that need a touchdown and score one decide to go for two instead of kicking the traditional one-point PAT.  Seattle did it to the Rams on Thursday in what arguably was the best game of the season so far.  Here’s the question.  If you get the ball to start overtime, do you go for two if you score a touchdown taking the risk that if you don’t get it, the other team just has to get the traditional one-point kick? If you get two, the other team can’t beat you as the best they can do is tie and you may get the ball back with a few seconds.  What do you do?

10 – RANDOM THOUGHTS:

• I have zero idea what receivers will be with the Riders when training camp hits, but remember the name Malik Knowles.  The Kansas State receiver has the potential to be a real good one. 
• We are less than 100 days from Opening Day in Major League Baseball. Is it April yet?
• In an AFC that is wide open, don’t discount the Houston Texans to be in the Super Bowl. If that team can put up 20 points on someone, it may be enough to win some playoff games.
• Tom Wilson is on my Team Canada.
• “Courage” from the Tragically Hip is Canada’s goal song at the World Juniors. I was so hoping it would be the Kars for Kids jingle.  Oh well! 

That’s all I got. Have a great week and Merry Christmas.  If offended by that, take your anger elsewhere.