Scruffy’s This ‘N That

1 – THE WAIT IS OVER PART 1: Rookie camps are underway across the CFL with your Saskatchewan Roughriders starting main camp Sunday in Saskatoon. Once again, there is excitement in Rider Nation as Corey Mace has injected a lot of enthusiasm into a fanbase that had had enough after two consecutive six-win seasons and nary a win to show after Labour Day for the past two years.

Many still don’t like the fact Jeremy O’Day and Craig Reynolds are still around, and I understand that frustration, but remember Reynolds has nothing to do with the on-field operation and O’Day did a pretty good job in retooling the roster by adding AJ Ouellette, Jemarcus Hardrick, Jameer Thurman and others.

The addition of Mace has many believing a home playoff game will occur this year. I’m not that optimistic and I’m still not sold on a quarterback who will be 38 when the season begins and has not done anything of note in the playoffs. As it stands right now, I see Winnipeg and BC fighting it out for first with the Riders and Edmonton fighting it out for 3^rd.  Sorry Calgary!

2 – THE WAIT IS OVER PT 2: How ya feelin’ Moose Jaw? Does Lynden Lakovic have to buy another meal for himself in the Friendly City after his heroics in Game 6 and Game 7 of the WHL East Championship? The answer is likely no if Kelly Remple (aka: the Silver Fox) is anywhere close.

Moose Jaw went crazy after the seven game win over the Blades and good for them. They won a series no one deserved to lose and a series which is arguably one of the greatest ones if not the greatest one in the history of Canadian junior hockey. Six of the seven games went to overtime. If that happened in the NHL, we would talk about it for years. The only bad thing is unless you were at the rink or watching WHL Live, you didn’t see it.   Imagine if someone had picked up the ball and brought those games into your living room. I would argue the numbers might have rivalled the Stanley Cup playoffs but that’s another chat for another time,

Moose Jaw is a small market, and we know what those small markets are like at this time of year. If they can join Swift Current and Prince Albert as small market Sasky teams winning the big prize as the Broncos and Raiders did, I’m all for it.  

The Moose Jaw Events Centre has been crazy throughout these playoffs, but I think what we have seen will be tame compared to what we will see for Games 3, 4 and maybe 5. This just in: I think the scene after Game 5 will be one Moose Jaw will never forget as history will be made. It was a big win in the opener with Matt Savoie scoring late for a Game 1 win.

3 – THE WAIT CONTINUES: As David Pastrnak’s teammates surrounded him after his Game 7 overtime marker to give Boston a first-round playoff win over Toronto, the “now what” started across Canada as a tortured fan base and Toronto media came to the stark realization that another season had ended much too early for them. 

Let’s be fair. The team did not have William Nylander for the first two games. they did not have Auston Matthews for games that they actually won to get to a Game 7 and Joseph Woll was a no-go for Game 7 so the Leafs were behind the eight-ball, but that doesn’t matter. What does is that the Shannaplan failed again and what is clear now if it wasn’t before is that a new plan is needed. Keith Pelley seems to have other ideas though which should have Toronto hockey fans shaking their heads.

When you lose eight first round matchups in nine years and have no second-round wins in that time frame, you just can’t keep going back to the well hoping it will be different next year. The bottom line is this remains a group that hasn’t been anywhere near a lengthy playoff run. A team requires 16 wins in one playoff spring to lift the Stanley Cup, and you’d need to combine the past five Leafs postseasons to count up that many victories.  Let’s not forget the fact that this team has scored 3 goals or less in its last 14 playoff games which is not a recipe for success.

Matthews and Marner and Nylander and Tavares can all say changes aren’t needed and that this team can win, but the reality is they can’t. It wasn’t surprising to see Sheldon Keefe get the axe and he took responsibility for not getting it done, but the reality is it is Shanahan who hasn’t gotten it done.  If Marner, who once again failed this team in the playoffs, is with this team on opening night it will be a big-time shock.  

Management can simply not let this core gather together again for training camp and try and convince itself that is the year. They just can’t and I think many fans of that team would agree. 

Changes are needed. Those changes need to start with Shanahan and move their way down into the dressing room. It would appear that may not happen which means Toronto fans can likely start preparing themselves for another frustrating season next year.

By the way, if Sheldon Keefe is fired for having one playoff win in five years, how does Shanahan stick around when he has one playoff win in 10 years?

4 – NEW CANADIAN COACHES: With Keefe out in Toronto and Rick Bowness calling it a career in Winnipeg, who takes over? I would think Scott Arniel is the guy in Winnipeg considering he was behind the bench when Bowness took some leaves of absence this year. It just seems to make sense.

As for the Leafs, the names are out there from Craig Berube, Joel Quenneville, Jay Woodcroft and Gerard Gallant. I have zero idea who it might be, but if Carolina can’t come to terms with Rod Brind’ Amour on a new deal, it would be foolish to think he isn’t the guy if he wants to. As for Keefe, could he reunite with Kyle Dubas in Pittsburgh? It wouldn’t surprise me.

5 – CHAD KELLY: There is only one thing to say about this and that is what a mess! I don’t know if we ever see Kelly in the CFL again and if we don’t, it is his own fault. Look at his career and you will see he is no choir boy. If Nathan Rourke decides to come back north of the border which he might if his latest stint with the New York Giants doesn’t work, I would expect a bidding war between MLSE and Lions owner Amar Doman. On the surface, it would appear MLSE would win that handily, but I think Roarke, being a West Coast native, would likely love to continue his CFL career with the Lions.

6 – PS: The CFL and Commissioner Randy Ambrosie are getting a lot of heat for allowing Kelly to take part in Argos rookie camp. The fact is though that the agreement with the players association means he can take part and the Argos are allowing it. That heat on the league needs to be re-directed. I didn’t think Pinball Clemons would allow it. I was wrong!

7 – WYATT JOHNSTON:  Since we found out the NHL would be represented at the Olympics meaning we will finally see international best-on-best, many have started to give their two cents as to who should be on the Canadian squad. I don’t think any of the big names that have given their two cents on this matter has mentioned the name of Wyatt Johnston.

The Dallas forward has to be considered and might be a shoo-in. Many knew who Johnston was last year and some thought he should have been considered for rookie of the year.  If the 21-year-old continues on his current trajectory, he has to be one of those wearing the Canadian uniform in Italy.

8 – THE SCHNEIDER WATCH: Can’t be easy being Blue Jays manager John Schneider these days. With the Jays floundering (remember who told you that would happen by the way!), many are wondering how much longer it will be before Schneider is told his services are no longer needed.  The Jays have won four of their last 14 going into this weekend’s series at home against the Twins, who are the hottest team in baseball, and the trio of George Springer, Bo Bichette and Vladimir Guerrero Junior have been duds at the plate.

If the Twins give it to the Jays at Rogers Centre this weekend, will that be it for Schneider? I don’t know if the team has any other choice if they want to try and make a run for it this season.

9 – SAVING SAKIC: I had a chance to watch the one-hour long show on Amazon Prime this week. I knew about the Rangers offering Sakic 21 million over three years with a 15 million dollar signing bonus, but I had zero idea about how Harrison Ford’s “Air Force One” played a huge role in the former Swift Current Bronco staying in Colorado. If you haven’t seen it, I recommend it.

10 – ANOTHER BLOW FOR DOWNTOWN REGINA: The people in charge of wanting to get downtown Regina a destination for those in the Queen City after 5 o’clock had a tough blow dealt to them this week with word the Bay is leaving the Cornwall Centre. I don’t have to tell you that malls aren’t what they used to be. I don’t know what is going to go into the Bay once it departs, but I think putting the Regina Public Library in there would be great. Foot traffic from people downtown, and bus routes which are right there are a big plus but a big negative might be the rent.

At the end of the day, if downtown Regina wants to be a place that is busy at night, just get a rink built somewhere. It has worked for Edmonton, it has worked for Winnipeg, it has worked for Moose Jaw, it will work here. Until that day comes, it isn’t going to change.

That’s all I got.  Have a great weekend!