STACKHOUSE’S 10 THOUGHTS

1 – NHL BORDER DISCUSSIONS – The NHL continues to discuss playoff border crossing plans with the Canadian government as far as allowing the winner of the Gord Downie Division to play ‘at home’ until such time as that team is eliminated. Current rules require all people to quarantine for a period of time that doesn’t jive with an actual playoff series so it’s possible the Canadian team will have to relocate to an American city. Everyone is saying the right thing but there are indications the NHL is growing weary of the restrictions up here as fans are being allowed back in increasing numbers down there while arenas remain empty up here. Isaac Bogoch is an infectious disease expert from Ontario who has been working with the NHL and he didn’t hold back during an interview earlier this week. “It’s not about player health. It’s not about public safety. It would be about optics and ethics. You have the capability to have the American teams vaccinated. Everyone 16 and up in the US is eligible for the vaccine right now. These American teams have exquisite amounts of resources at their disposal so this does not pose a risk to the general public, let’s be clear here. This does not pose a risk to the players or the ancillary personnel involved. This would be an ethics and optics issue.”

2 – NHL TV DEAL – The impact for the viewer will be minimal. Sportsnet pipes in the US feeds no matter who has the rights so Canadian fans are not going to see any change really unless you are one to be interested in the intermission shows. As far as revenue to the league is concerned, it’s much better than their last American broadcasting contract so score another one for Gary Bettman, who despite being unpopular amongst Canadian NHL fans, deserves an A+ for always over-delivering to those he works for – the owners.

3 – JETS SOAP OPERA – Paul Maurice isn’t John Tortorella. Which is to say ‘benching’ isn’t usually in his tool kit when it comes to motivating his players. In fact, I’d argue Maurice is too easy on his players at times so it came as a shock to me last weekend when he parked Mark Scheifele on the bench for an entire period during a listless loss to Toronto. The following game, the Jets were even worse as they got blown out by Edmonton and it appears more clear than ever the Jets are the third best team in this division. My larger concern would be Maurice’s departure from his usual tactics could cause him to lose the room and have the players go into Operation Shutdown for the remainder of the schedule. I agree with the benching, but pro egos being what they are and because this is out of character for Maurice, he’s walking a very delicate line if this team rolls over further.

4 – PREPARED FOR THE FALL – I’m seeing hockey advisors start to promote, through social media, to have families get in touch with them with regards to a plan for their elite kids and the hockey season this Fall.  Let’s just say playing in Canada is not being encouraged. I’m seeing more and more posts from American people who are stunned at the difference in restrictions between here and there. This week, USA Hockey will have 400 teams play in multiple locations for various national championships.

5 – BUMGARNER NO-HITTER – I’ve seen lots of discussion on Madison Bumgarner’s 7-inning no-hitter and whether or not it should be ‘counted’ as a legitimate ‘no hitter’ in the record books. If the answer is ‘no’, then what sort of a gimmick are we allowing to decide actual wins and losses then? If a 7-inning game is a serious game with credibility then it should count. If it isn’t, then don’t even play them.  

6 – QUARTERBACK CAROUSEL – In addition to seeing where the five top QB prospects land following the NFL Draft, I’m also curious to see which veteran moves work and which ones flop. Earlier this week, Denver took a low risk gamble on Teddy Bridgewater and I think Bronco fans will be fairly happy with this one. Bridgewater is competent and he’s got a roster that is already pretty good. I think his addition makes them a playoff team. Sam Darnold landing in Carolina is a complete toss up. Darnold’s Jets tenure was a nightmare and he’s no sure thing to figure it out with the Panthers, although he’s going to a much better situation and I’m, personally, rooting for the guy.

7 – AARON RODGERS – On Thursday, word leaked that Aaron Rodgers wants out of Green Bay.  A reigning MVP has never ever been traded but Rodgers appears destined to be the first.  If he’s dealt after June 1st, it’s not as harsh a cap hit so don’t look for something to transpire immediately.  Where he lands is anyone’s guess but you have to assume they’ll move him to the AFC.  I just talked about Denver in the paragraph above.  Vegas could be an option and I also wonder about Tennessee.  I also think Rodgers really wants the Jeopardy gig and if that show is serious about expanding its audience, they’d give Rodgers the nod.

8 – SOLDIER FIELDS – The Chicago Bears traded up for Justin Fields, taking him with the 11th pick on Thursday night. I’ve paid extra attention to Fields since he and his family lobbied for a return to play last Fall and I hope his determination translates into success in the NFL. I never could figure out why scouts soured on him and he dropped from what seemed to be the consensus number two choice behind Trevor Lawrence to where he ultimately was chosen but here’s to hoping a few teams that could have picked him and didn’t end up with regrets.

9 – WWF CLASSICS – Occasionally I get roped into watching some classic professional wrestling matches and that happened earlier this week when I discovered a Survivor Series match that featured Curt Henning and Randy Savage against Ric Flair and Scott Hall. Truly, I don’t think many appreciated just how amazing these athletes were in their prime. That match was one of the best I’ve ever seen and it featured four of the greatest of all time in the prime of their careers. The lead up was a round table television show, which was great theatre, where Savage hand picked Henning to be his partner and it was one of the better ‘face’ turns in wrestling history. 

10 – LAWLER ANNOUNCING CAREER – I also listened to a podcast where Jerry Lawler talked about how he got into the announcing side of the wrestling business. Some diehards may already know this story but it goes back to 1993 and Vince McMahon used to host the show with Randy Savage but one night before the taping began McMahon was inside the locker room and he couldn’t find Savage to go over some notes for the broadcast. Apparently, Savage was nowhere to be found and was already signed and ready to appear that same evening on a WCW show. McMahon looked at Lawler and told him he’d have to fill in for the week until they figured out something more permanent.  

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