Stackhouse’s 10 Weekend Thoughts

2 – HOCKEY PODCAST – The Ice Guardians podcast out of St. Louis, which is hosted by Brett Hull and Kelly Chase may be the top podcast in all of hockey right now.  Hull is nothing short of pure gold every time he opens his mouth. One of their more recent guests was former Blues defenseman Jeff Brown, who coached in the USHL as well as the OHL and he was asked about the calibre of play between the two leagues and he didn’t hesitate when saying the USHL had reached the point where it should be considered an equal to the top junior leagues in Canada.  

3 – HULL, CHASE, WENDEL CLARK – Hull and Chase also welcomed former Leaf great Wendel Clark during one episode and the stories Chase and Clark told from their childhood while growing up in Porcupine Plain and Kelvington were classic. Clark also made an excellent point on the state of the game today claiming that the more equipment players wear the less respect they have for their fellow player. He’s 100% right on that but good luck ever getting organizers to reduce the amount or size of the gear. Meanwhile, Hull talked about how important confidence and timing are for players. “I knew I was done when I was in Phoenix and playing for Gretz. I turned around on the bench and told him I got the puck on my stick and I have no idea what to do with it.”  He also delivered a classic when discussing his reputation as a coach killer.  “The Blues fired Jacques Martin after I came to St. Louis. I had only played 12 games. I hadn’t been here long enough for anyone to realize I was lazy, so I don’t know how I got that reputation.”

4 – NLL SEASON – While the Saskatchewan Rush don’t play their first game for another week, the NLL raised the curtain on a new season this weekend with four games (one on Friday, three on Saturday), headlined by defending champion Buffalo downing Georgia 15-11 on the strength of Dane Smith’s four goals and four assists. Of note from this game that I haven’t seen before was Georgia goaltender Brett Dobson getting called for a major penalty and, in lacrosse, the goalie has to serve his majors. The Swarm didn’t give up a goal with backup Devlin Shanahan in the crease but did allow one on a miscommunication just as the Dobson penalty expired.

5 – OTHER NLL GAMES – Perhaps the most exciting game was San Diego’s 16-13 win over Ottawa on Saturday.  The Seals jumped ahead 6-0 but Ottawa kept hanging around and narrowed the gap to 14-13 with just over three minutes to go. Tre Leclair had five goals and three assists to lead everyone on offense. Will Malcom scored six goals in Colorado’s 10-7 win over Vancouver, spoiling the season debut of Christian Del Bianco in the Giants net. On Friday, Oshawa (formerly Albany) edged Toronto 8-7. Former Rush superstar Mark Matthews returned after missing most of last season with an injury and had three assists for the Rock.  Alex Simmons had 2-4-6 for the Firewolves.

6 – PLANTING FLAG – Ohio State defeated Michigan 27-9 Saturday but the real story came after the game when Wolverine players refused to leave the field, guarding their logo at midfield under the potential threat the Buckeyes may want to ‘plant a flag’ there to further impose their dominance. Last year, the Wolverines defeated the Buckeyes and a brawl ensued after Michigan planted a flag. Following the game yesterday, Ohio State coach Ryan Day stated during an interview that his team fully intended to win with class and there would be no planting of a flag but that the Michigan players should still leave to prevent trouble from ensuing. I’ve always felt winning with class is more insulting than acting like you’ve never won before. Carry yourself like you beat the other team so often that it’s boring, and that has to be a very defeating feeling for the other side.

7 – KOSAR LIVER – Former Cleveland Browns quarterback Bernie Kosar, who has been very active on social media providing updates to fans on his health situation, received word a couple of weeks ago that a liver donor had been found for him.  Kosar, literally, had reached the stage where he was likely to die before his November 25th birthday but the surgery was performed on November 17th and there have been no complications.  Kosar, this week, announced a $25,000 donation to the family of Blake Dunlap, the young man who died and whose liver Kosar now has in what is a second chance at life.  Dunlap was a very healthy 21-year-old Browns fan who died from an anoxic brain injury that followed a perfectly normal sudden medical emergency a week earlier.  An anoxic brain injury means the brain is deprived of oxygen to the point that death occurs.  These sudden and unexplained deaths amongst young people, which seem to be happening more and more, are very alarming to me (but nobody else) and I pray with each passing day I’m not ever personally affected by one.

8 – HARDY RETIRES – Former NFL player Greg Hardy, most well-known for his involvement in a domestic dispute where he’s alleged to have thrown his girlfriend on a bed full of loaded guns, has retired from his second career as an MMA fighter after he collapsed in the middle of the ring during a match in Russia on the weekend.  Hardy last fought in the UFC in 2022 and had lost three in a row in that circuit.

9 – UFC – Lightweight champion Ilia Topuria announced through social media that due to personal reasons, he will not be competing in the first half of 2026 and therefore the first UFC event to be broadcast on Paramount + January 24th will feature Paddy Pimblett against Justin Gaethje for the interim title.  Pimblett, who is a polarizing figure, is listed as an early -230 favorite on FanDuel.  Meanwhile, the women’s bout between Amanda Nunes and Kayla Harrison is also on the card.  Harrison is the current bantamweight champion and Nunes may be the best female fighter of all-time.  

10 – GRETZKY CAUSE HEADS TO EXPLODE – A radical left wing newspaper writer posted a picture this weekend of Wayne Gretzky and Donald Trump in a golf foursome, which seems to indicate the two visited with each other recently. Fortunately, Gretzky has long ago quit caring what Canadians think of who he picks to associate with.  The moral outrage expressed in a reply to the post on X was over the top crazy.  Canadians were totally fine with, knowingly, electing a racist Prime Minister who dressed up in blackface a bunch of times but when it comes to golfing with the President of the United States who mocked the banana republic that we’ve become….well that’s the last straw.

(Mike Stackhouse is a freelance writer/broadcaster)