Stackhouse’s 10 Fathers Day Things

2 – ROURKE/ADAMS – TSN is trying to force Nathan Rourke down our throats as an out-of-this-world superstar, but he was anything but that on Thursday against Winnipeg in going 12-for-27 in a 34-20 loss.  He had one TD and one interception and also carried the ball six times for 58-yards and a major.  Meanwhile, the QB the Lions got rid of to pave the way for Rourke to be unthreatened as a starter, Vernon Adams, had a 300 yard game for Calgary as the Stamps improved to 2-0.  How Adams’ and Rourke’s seasons go should be something we all watch close with each passing week.  Did BC make a mistake by moving on from Adams in place of the more heralded but unproven Rourke?

3 – UFL TITLE GAME – The DC Defenders defeated the Michigan Panthers 58-34 in the UFL Championship game on Saturday and just like the CFL, the UFL has difficulty when it comes to announcing attendance numbers.  Officially, they are saying just over 14,000 watched the game, which was played in St. Louis, but online reports suggest the number of bums in the seats was closer to 5,000.  Last year’s announced attendance, also played in St. Louis, was 27,000 so this is a sharp dropoff.  Spring American football leagues have never done well with the American public and it remains to be seen how much longer the UFL will survive, but if it goes under that would be good news for the CFL, which is suffering from a talent drain and would, surely, see an influx from players who would, typically, play in the UFL.

4 – HELLEBUYCK DOUBLE WINNER – Winnipeg Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck was named the winner of both the Vezina and Hart Trophies this week for being the NHL’s top goalie as well as its most valuable player.  It’s hard to argue with the selection after watching Hellebuyck stumble in the playoffs.  When he was on his game, the Jets were an unstoppable President’s Trophy winning team.  When he wasn’t, they were easily beatable.  It’ll be interesting to see if the Jets try to find a backup that can give him more time off during the regular season and also be an option in the playoffs in the event of another Hellebuyck meltdown.  Hellebuyck has been unable to match his regular season in the playoffs, really, for four straight years and it’s fair to call him a great regular season goalie who can’t get it done in the playoffs.

5 – OILERS GOALTENDING – Speaking of goalies, the Edmonton Oilers go into Game 6 of the Stanley Cup final not really knowing which one they should use in an elimination game.  Calvin Pickard suffered his first loss of the playoffs in Game 5 on Saturday night but it’s tough to blame him for any of the four goals allowed.  Stuart Skinner has been the number one all season, but he’s given the net to Pickard three times in these playoffs.  For as unspectacular as Pickard has been, he’s also been very predictable and steady when compared to Skinner, who seems to have no middle ground.  He’s either great or extremely poor with little in between and for that reason I would go with Pickard.

6 – BODY LANGUAGE – When the Leafs were squandering their 3-games-to-1 lead to the Panthers in the second round, much was made about Mitch Marner’s body language, culminating with his outburst in Game 7 where he can be seen mouthing to his teammates to ‘wake up’ while it would appear he hasn’t even broken a sweat himself and Marner took a lot of heat for that.  There has been similar instances of negative body language in the finals with Connor McDavid but he seems to be getting a free pass over it. I don’t recall seeing Wayne Gretzky or Mario Lemieux acting like this when things didn’t go their way.

7 – PENDING FAs – The Panthers haven’t won yet, but if we are to assume they will, the Conn Smythe Trophy is going to come down to either Sam Bennett or Brad Marchand, both of whom are pending free agents.  The Leafs, apparently, have their sights set on both but it will be interesting to see where Canada ranks on the list of destinations for those who have a choice on where to play.  Before some of you lefties go bananas over the tax advantage the state of Florida has over most other locations, let’s not forget that Florida has always had an advantage and nobody even mentioned this perk until the Panthers became a good team.  It’s also not a ‘fault’ of a state or province to provide good living conditions. I’d also issue a cautionary tale when it comes to Bennett: I’ve never been a fan of players who put up career seasons when in the final year of a contract and that’s exactly what Bennett has done.  Someone is, probably, going to give him $10-million a year and that’s about $4-million too much. 

8 – USMAN UFC – Former UFC Welterweight champion Kamaru Usman returned to the octagon for the first time since late 2023 last night and won his first fight since 2021 by dominating up and comer Joaquin Buckley with a unanimous five round decision.  Buckley has devastating punching power, but Usman took him down in each of the first four rounds and kept him on the mat for most of the fight.  At 38 years-old, Usman was the underdog and was also coming off three straight losses in addition to the long layoff but he looked sharp and could be poised for another title fight.  In Usman’s defense, the last time he was in the octagon was on 10-day notice as a replacement for an injured fighter and it was as a middleweight.  He lost a decision to Khamzat Chimaev, who is currently 14-and-0 and should be next in line for Dricus Du Plessis. 

9 – RATTLERS BIG GAME ON ROAD – The Saskatchewan Rattlers play the Winnipeg Sea Bears on Sunday afternoon in what should be considered the first really big game of the season for both clubs.  With Edmonton starting to win and improving to 4-and-6, it’s imperative for the Rattlers to beat the Sea Bears and other teams with similar records when the opportunity presents itself.  Saskatchewan enters today at 2-and-6 and while they’ve had glimpses of promise, the reality is that team defense is little more than a rumour and they seem to be missing that one player who can go off at any given time to bust open a game despite the fact they’ve got decent scoring depth overall.

10 – RISK OF FALLING FURTHER BEHIND – Last year, the Rattlers had the best roster they’ve ever recruited but everyone left for greener pastures by midseason.  This year, they may have to look into what they can do for additions as Winnipeg has added former Rattler star Jalen Harris and ex-Calgary forward Simi Shittu played his first game earlier this week and scored 20-points in 20-minutes so despite the 3-and-6 record, the Sea Bears should go into today’s game as heavy favorites.  

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