STACKHOUSE’S 10 WEEKEND THOUGHTS

1 – CFL CBA – No professional sports union should ever accept a 10-year offer on a collective bargaining contract. The fact this was even on the table tells you there is no respect for these players from the CFL. CFL teams have played senseless games with its players for as long as I’ve been alive. It’s time for players to call the bluff and go on strike. Here’s the reality: If you want high end players, you must pay them top dollars. If you can’t afford to pay them what they are worth, then you simply cannot have a top professional sports league. Harsh. But it’s also true. The CFL cut the salaries of its top quarterbacks prior to last season. That’s not the direction you want to be headed if you are a viable professional league.  

2 – FURTHER CFL LABOUR – The teams also offered zero financial assistance to the players during the lost 2020 season and the federal government backed them up on that by hanging out the players to dry. I, for one, am 100% behind the players on this. Then if teams want to charge $100 a ticket, let’s allow the market to decide if this country wants professional football or not. For me, it costs $200 to go to Regina just for fuel alone. I have to make my own cost cuts as I don’t live like politicians who have a tax base with which I can just increase what people pay me whenever things get too expensive. Life is about to get real and CFL players are no different. They need more money to make ends meet, not less.  

3 – RATIO – I’m also seeing things surrounding the ratio and doing away with it. I have no idea why. I think the current set up works perfectly fine. The level of play does not suffer because you have ‘too many Canadians blocking qualified Americans’ and the other thing that you simply should not ignore is the engagement with the community. I was at Football Night In Yorkton last weekend and former Rider Scott Schultz was at my table. The Canadian players always seem to stay in tune with their roots and act as excellent ambassadors and you absolutely have to have them promoting the league and its teams. Having said that, former Calgary WR Nik Lewis was also in attendance in Yorkton last weekend and he’s from Texas. If there was ever a player who was never a Rider but should have been a Rider..it’s Lewis.   

4 – USFL – I have not watched for the last two weeks. What’s happening? Then again, I haven’t watched much of anything.  The weather is nice and I don’t really want to be inside. This is, partially, why I can’t understand why the NHL insists on dragging out their season the way they do. Get the regular season over with in mid-March like all other hockey leagues and have the playoffs wrapping up by May Long Weekend.  That’s plenty.

5 – LEAFS/OILERS – I’ve seen two separate stories where the Toronto Maple Leafs and Edmonton Oilers took buses to the American border and then flew to their respective locations to continue their playoffs series (Tampa Bay and Los Angeles).  If you see this as anything other than a complete joke I can’t even begin to have a conversation with you. Find someone to explain why certain rules still exist and they won’t be able to give you a reason. Guaranteed. It’s just further proof that the best person to keep you safe is … you. Not some politician or bureaucrat.

6 – NHL PREDICTION – If the Toronto Maple Leafs don’t win the Stanley Cup this year, they will never win it. So to that end, I’m predicting a final between Toronto and Calgary. I think Tampa Bay is tired of playing so much hockey over the last two years while other usual contenders in Boston, Pittsburgh, and Washington are on the way down. I don’t think Florida is ready, Carolina may not have a goalie, and that leaves you with the Rangers as possibly being the top threat to block the Leafs from going all the way. The West is more wide open but I’m picking the Flames anyway although I think there’s a good chance you will see Colorado there instead. I’m rooting for Minnesota and they could be a sneaky contender as they have a lot of good players that nobody pays any attention to.

7 – CHEVY – Winnipeg Jets ownership has decided General Manager Kevin Cheveldayoff has earned a three year contract extension as they continue to indicate to their fan base they have absolutely no intention whatsoever of icing a winning product. The Jets have gone downhill ever since advancing to the NHL semi-finals in 2018. There are various reports of numerous players looking to be dealt this summer. Somehow, True North has made this an unappealing franchise to both players and fans at the same time. Well done.  It’s almost like they are purposely trying to sewer the product so they can relocate.

8 – JETS UNRAVEL – Remember, back in 2015 The Hockey News predicted the Jets would win the Cup in 2019 based on their young talent?  But, let’s look at some of the players who have left since 2018 and let’s compare to who they were replaced with:  Patrik Laine’s 44 goals are gone and replaced with Pierre-Luc Dubois who scored 28. Don’t forget Jack Roslovic was a throw-in on this trade and he scored 22 this year.  Jets fans love Dubois but this was a terrible trade. Laine was a point per game player over 56 games this season. Dustin Byfuglien quit immediately following the 2018 year and Chevy blamed the fact he wasn’t prepared for his absence as to the reason the defense was bad in 2019 but he still hasn’t addressed it in 2022.  I get that Byfuglien type players don’t grow on trees but it remains a massive hole.  Rugged winger Brandon Tanev left via free agency and the Jets have become a much softer team to play against ever since.  Tyler Myers, Ben Chiarot, and Jacob Trouba are also gone.  In their place:  Neal Pionk, Nate Schmidt, and Brenden Dillon.  Suffice to say, it’s a significant step down, especially when you look at the ability to play a physical game with Chiarot and Trouba.  

9 – NLL FINALE – The Saskatchewan Rush won again on Saturday night, marking their fourth straight victory to end the season at 8-10. They miss the playoffs for the first time since relocating to Saskatoon from Edmonton but there are positive vibes here as a late season coaching change appears to have paid off and some of the veteran players still have some gas left in the tank. On top of that, rookie netminder Cam Dunkerley made 40-saves in a 13-9 win over Panther City in the regular season finale. One has to think Dunkerley is going to get a long look at the starting job for next year.  

10 – RATTLERS – The season and home opener is May 25th against the Niagara River Lions. Either the communications officer for the Rattlers is doing a great job at pumping up the players signed in press releases or else this is going to be a much improved team.  On Friday, the Rattlers announced the signing of former Penn State guard Tony Carr, a 2018 draft pick of the New Orleans Pelicans. Devonte Bandoo, the top player from last year, is back with the team and the roster, as a whole, does appear to be much more formidable than 2021. Other than Bandoo, only D’Andre Bernard returns from last year and that isn’t a bad thing with all due respect to the others.

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