STACKHOUSE’S 10 THOUGHTS

1 – CFL START DATE – There is now something to shoot for with regards to a start date and the first sign of a light at the end of the tunnel came from Scott Moe on Twitter when he indicated that it may be possible for the Saskatchewan Roughriders to play in front of fans by August. I’ll take it but am still hoping to still hear more specifics with regards to how many we need vaccinated, whether or not you need a vaccine to attend the games, and to what degree other factors will come into play as far as green lighting a gathering. I also truly hope some of the players don’t put all their financial eggs into the CFL basket and get the rug pulled out from under them come July.  

2 – WOMEN’S WORLDS CANCELLED – The IIHF announced the official cancellation of the Women’s World Hockey Championships, slated for May 6-16 in Halifax.  The Maritimes have been the least affected by the virus since the pandemic began but despite hockey being played by NHLers and despite top curling tournaments being able to figure things out in Alberta there is just no way to stage the Women’s Worlds I guess. American Coyne Schofield was fairly critical saying there was no contingency plan.  The IIHF is now saying ‘we are seeking new dates’ which is totally unacceptable at this point in the eyes of Schofield.  For what it’s worth, the World Men’s U18s were planned for Michigan but rather than be reactive, organizers were proactive and moved the event to Texas in February, a place where they could be assured there’d be no issues staging the tournament.  Seeing how things have gone in Canada for the last 13 months, I am in full agreement with Schofield on this.  There needed to be a back up plan and it’s a real failure (again) to those female athletes.

3 – BCHL – I had a discussion with a junior hockey friend this week about the BCHL’s intent to leave the CJHL and I think, for now, not a whole lot is going to change.  Don’t look for them to break away from Hockey Canada. It wouldn’t make a lot of sense from a business perspective to do that.  For now, I think it means they won’t be sending a team to compete in the Tim Horton’s Cup (National Junior A Championship) and I’m told by a couple of sources the BCHL didn’t want to be involved in that anyway, in part, because they want to still be in their league playoffs when the rest of the country is getting ready for the nationals.  Maybe they put in their own team for the World Junior ‘A’ Challenge.  This would be great for about 7-8 players in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba who would otherwise not have a roster spot on Canada West.  The same would be true for the Top Prospects Game, which BC normally has a healthy representation.

4 – PETER ZEZEL – Growing up I was a big fan of the Philadelphia Flyers and Peter Zezel was one of my favorite players.  Zezel was born this week in 1965 so that memory popped up on one of my social media feeds.  What I didn’t know was that Zezel actually retired from the NHL in 1999 at the trade deadline.  Zezel had asked Vancouver GM Brian Burke for a trade to the Eastern Conference so he could be closer to his niece, who was in Toronto and battling cancer.  Burke responded by dealing him to Anaheim, which for those geographically challenged, isn’t anywhere near the Eastern Conference.  Zezel opted to pack it in and Burke did have the Canucks buyout the remainder of the contract as well as make a donation to a charity that was connected with terminally ill children.  Zezel, himself, had a rare blood disorder and had his spleen removed in 2009 but twelve hours later he complained of headaches and doctors found hemorrhaging in his brain.  He lapsed into a coma and his family took him off life support, honoring Zezel’s wish to donate his organs. 

5 – TWO OTHER SPORTS ODDITIES – Zezel was born on April 22nd.  Another former Flyer, Milos Holan, was also born on April 22nd.  Holan contracted leukemia and was able to win his fight.  Now 50, Holan is a head coach in the Czech Extraliga.  The other oddity is former amateur wrestling standout Dan Gable telling a story on the Joe Rogan Show about the phone booth where he and his parents learned that Gable’s older sister had been murdered back in 1964.  In 2011, the man who committed the murder died while in jail and when authorities called Gable to let him know, he just happened to be driving past the site of where that phone booth used to be located.

6 – ALEX SMITH – Quarterback Alex Smith announced his retirement on Monday, a few weeks before his 37th birthday.  Smith suffered one of the most gruesome leg injuries I’ve ever seen on a football field back in 2018.  It was so bad that not only was there a chance of his leg being amputated, but there was concern he could actually die.  He ended up having 17 surgeries and made it all the way back to be Washington’s third string quarterback prior to this past season.  Injuries and ineffectiveness of the two other quarterbacks in front of him resulted in Smith actually making 6 starts and he gets to end on his own terms.  If this type of story doesn’t move you then you have no soul.  It’s easy to forget Smith was almost a bust number one overall pick after he threw 1 touchdown and 11 interceptions as a rookie in 2005 with San Francisco.  His best years came from 2013-2017 with Kansas City but the arrival of Patrick Mahomes resulted in him moving on to Washington, where his career came to an abrupt halt after 10 games.  The world needs more people like Alex Smith and if you are ever someone who thinks the odds against you are stacked to the point it’s not worth trying anymore, watch the Smith E60 and get back on the saddle.

7 – LTIR – Both the Toronto Maple Leafs and Tampa Bay Lightning are being looked at for some shady work-arounds with the salary cap as the Leafs have goalie Fredrik Andersen on long term injury reserve and the Lightning have Nikita Kucherov on it.  Once playoffs start, there is no such thing as a salary cap and both players are expected to be a part of each team’s postseason run.  Chicago did this in 2015 with Patrick Kane and it allowed them to add $6-million in trade deadline recruits.  Personally, I have no issue with it and don’t think there should be a salary cap of any kind.  Money will almost always buy you a competitive team but it never guarantees you a title and what fan doesn’t want his team to be competitive?

8 – BOB MENERY – If you have a sense of humour and aren’t offended by foul language, Bob Menery is a must add on social media.  He takes odd moments in sports and then does a play by play voice over with his own unique perspective on it.  Menery’s pipes are also featured in any Buffalo Wild Wings commercial you may hear or see.  This week’s episode of Cincinnati Reds pitcher Lucas Sims rejecting all the balls from the umpire while trying to play through a downpour of rain was a much needed laugh.

9 – GOLF – I’ve made the decision to get reacquainted with golf this Spring as there are just too many weekends where I find myself with more time on my hands than what I’m used to having.  I don’t intend on getting a membership anywhere, but rather travel around and visit a few courses and just take in the scenery and whack the ball around.  Before having kids, I used to golf fairly regularly in Brandon but haven’t done much at all over the last 20 years and I’m looking forward to it.  Maybe it’ll be worth writing about.  In my area there are no shortage of options (Deer Park, Good Spirit, Madge Lake, Canora, Carlton Trail, and York Lake are just a few).  

10 – THE ATHLETIC – I had high hopes but it looks like this is going to be a failing venture. According to Outkick’s Clay Travis, The Athletic is struggling despite having raised $140-million and the owners are  looking to sell.  It’s still not profitable despite generating that kind of capital and there are no solutions in sight. Personally, I have loved some of the content. It’s fantastic and definitely much, much better than what you get for free from your standard mainstream options. However, over the last year I have found there to be too many negative stories about sports leagues trying to play through the pandemic and that’s not something I’m committed to continue paying for.

BONUS – Food for thought during these times we find ourselves in with a sports twist – Stopping the clock doesn’t stop time.

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