Stackhouse’s 10 Weekend Thoughts

1 – RATTLERS FINALLY WIN – The Saskatchewan Rattlers halted a seven game losing streak by beating Winnipeg 96-84 on Thursday night at Sasktel Centre.  Teddy Allen was the Player Of The Game with 21-points but three games into Allen’s Rattler career, we still haven’t really seen vintage Allen yet.  The Rattlers are 6-and-9 and, probably, have to win 4 of 5 and maybe even all 5 games remaining to make the playoffs. 

2 – NEW LOOK RATTLERS – It’s too bad the season is only 20 games (next year, it will be 24).  I don’t mind the new look of the Rattlers with Allen leading the way and the much improved Emmanuel Bandoumel emerging as a legitimate threat as a scorer and a rebounder.  James Montgomery has been very strong on the glass as a first year pro and Tyrell Green is a real weapon from behind the three point line.  But, with the heavy turnover year after year in the CEBL, it’s unlikely this group will be together again in 2025 and I’m not sure they have enough time to gel as a unit to go on a run.  

3 – NEPOTISM – I see the media and fans are piling on Bronny James, the son of NBA great LeBron James, for getting selected in the NBA Draft simply based on who his father is.  I shouldn’t be surprised, but I wonder why it’s never been pointed out how often this happens in the NHL.  It seems there is no worse professional sport than the NHL when it comes to nepotism.  The examples are endless and, in some cases, like the Tkachuks the players are in the NHL truly by merit.  The Hulls are another example that comes to mind and while I think some of the Sutter brothers and subsequent offspring only made it to the NHL because some of the other family members did, I will give full marks to most of them for getting there on their own individual laurels.  But, here goes:  Dallas Stars GM Jim Nill’s son Trevor played Junior A hockey for Penticton and scored 11 points in 53 games but somehow also made it on to Canada West at the World Junior A Challenge.  From there, he was given a scholarship to Michigan State where he scored 6 goals in 4 years but somehow was drafted by the St. Louis Blues.  He never did play an NHL game, however.  Then there is Will Acton.  He was never drafted, but toiled in the Junior A ranks with an unremarkable career but he was also given a spot in the World Junior A Challenge and later got an NCAA scholarship.  He finally made his NHL debut in 2014 with the Edmonton Oilers, where his dad was also the Oilers’ Assistant Coach. He was 27-years-old when he played his first NHL game and finished the year with 5-points in 30-games.  I remember seeing industry wide recognition for his incredible hard work and how he made it to the NHL through good old perseverance.  I won’t go into much more but if you want to do your own search, it’s not hard.  The latest would be Saku Koivu’s son, Aatos.  He was a third round pick by Saku’s former team, the Montreal Canadiens.  Nothing about Aatos’ stats jump off the page but what a coincidence to see him make it this far and get chosen by his dad’s former club.  NHL Vice President Colin Campbell’s son had a very long NHL career despite doing nothing overly well.  But, yes, let’s focus on Bronny James.

4 – CFL QUICK HITS – Friday’s CFL game between Winnipeg and Calgary gives me a bit of hope as both Zach Collaros and Jake Maier were slinging it and providing solid entertainment but with Cody Fajardo getting hurt this week, the dearth of talent at the quarterback position is rearing its ugly head.  I told a couple of Rider fans this week that I can see Saskatchewan winning as many as 15 games and rolling all the way through to the Grey Cup but that’s a statement that is reflective more of the calibre of play in the CFL as a whole right now as much as it is a testament to the Riders.  I’m not trying to take anything away from Sasktchewan’s hot start.  You can only beat the teams that are on the schedule and that’s exactly what they’ve done and I expect them to only continue doing more of the same in the weeks ahead.

5 – MCGROARTY TRADE DEMANDS – 2023 Winnipeg Jets first round pick Rutger McGroarty is on the trade block and word leaked this week as to why that may be the case.  Apparently, the Jets and Montreal Canadiens were moving towards a deal but it’s alleged McGroarty wants some assurances from wherever he plays that he’s going to see a set amount of ice time and is going to be a fixture on the powerplay.  Earning his spot in the lineup doesn’t appear to be something he’s keen on achieving.  Usually when a player’s attitude surfaces such as the case here, it can easily be traced back to his minor hockey days so this is a matter the Jets should take some blame on by choosing a player whose character is very much in question.  I think Kevin Cheveldayoff should cut his losses on McGroarty and tell him to spend two more seasons in the NCAA and then he can become an unrestricted free agent and go sign with Anaheim, where they let the tail wag the dog.  For what it’s worth, McGroarty suffered a fairly serious injury this past season and we aren’t guaranteed anything in life so I would think the notion of playing two more years of college hockey isn’t near the top of his list of desires.  It would also send a statement to anyone else who may try to give marching orders to the Jets in future years that they aren’t opposed to playing serious hardball.

6 – DEVELOPMENT MODEL – The WHL and Junior A Hockey have entered into a development model pilot project to better support one another and also provide more consistency within the rules, which should make it better for the players.  For example, it looks as though the mandatory full shield rule for Junior A aged players is going away because Major Junior doesn’t make their players wear them.  However, Junior A is not adopting the Major Junior rule when it comes to fighting.  After all, we wouldn’t want to upset people who hate the game.  

7 – LOCAL BASEBALL – I attended a local senior baseball league game in Yorkton this week and I got to thinking that while there is an option for fans wanting to watch higher level baseball (WCBL), there really isn’t much for an elite local player or fans of local talent and I wonder if there would be a market for a league similar to what we see in hockey right now where small towns are thriving with senior teams.  The old Manitoba Senior Baseball League had quality players, most of whom were from their local communities but there were import rules where you could add 3-4 other players from American colleges or wherever you wanted and that would add to the overall caliber of play.  The WCBL is, predominantly, a college baseball summer league and the focus isn’t on using local guys.  That can still exist in the bigger centres but I can’t help but wonder if it doesn’t make more sense for team budgets and overall fan interest if towns like Weyburn, Swift Current, Melville, etc. went back to a more traditional, local junior/senior league.  There’s a 12-team AAA 18U league so there’s definitely enough players to support a 6-team junior/senior loop.

8 – SKENES PULLED – Pittsburgh Pirates rookie phenom Paul Skenes was pulled from his start on Thursday after 7 no hit innings and 99 pitches, with his team leading the Milwaukee Brewers 1-0.  Apparently, there is data somewhere that says allowing him to pitch more will destroy his career or cause him to undergo Tommy John surgery.  I’ve written about this kind of baseball idiocy for years but what I haven’t written about is how much of a pushover the pitchers are.  Skenes should have forced his robot manager to haul him off the mound.  This is, partially, why nobody cares about baseball anymore outside of the local markets.  There is no ‘must watch’ player like there is in the WNBA (Caitlin Clark), which would elevate the profile of everyone else.  Skenes would be as close as you can get, but what’s the point when you know he’s only going to be in there for part of a game no matter how much he dominates?  There’s also something odd to me about wanting to get your stud pitcher out of a 1-0 game and turn it over to an inferior hurler.  You’d never pull Sergei Bobrovsky with 9 minutes to go in the third period of a 1-0 game because you are worried about him getting a potential knee injury.

9 – LACROSSE CHAMPIONSHIPS – Canada has named its team for the 2024 World Box Lacrosse Championship, to be played in late September and while I’m fairly new to being a lacrosse follower, I can say Canada goes in as the heavy favorite.  Rush veteran Robert Church is on the squad and he appears to be a depth player judging by the embarrassment of riches on the roster.  In goal, I could make a case that all three of the top three NLL netminders are on Team Canada (Nick Rose, Christian Del Bianco, Dillon Ward).  Just to give you an idea, Jeff Teat, Josh Byrne, Dhane Smith, Wes Berg, Jake Withers, Challen Rogers, and Zach Currier are some of the others on the team. The US is ranked third overall with Canada being first and Haudenosaunee ranked second.  Haudenosaunee is an indigenous sports organization that competes on the world stage.  I haven’t seen their roster, but my guess is that it would feature the likes of former Rush faceoff specialist Jeremy Thompson as well as his brother Lyle, Halifax goalie Warren Hill, as well as other standouts like Larson Sundown, Tehoka Nanticoke, and Austin, Jerry and Randy Staats.

10 – TRAGIC DEATHS – Sadly, we can’t escape the week without reporting on more tragic deaths amongst professional athletes.  43-year-old Tony Voce died suddenly this week, with no cause listed.  Voce won a Calder Cup with the AHL Philadelphia Phantoms and was the team’s leading scorer in 2006.  Minnesota Vikings rookie Khyree Jackson was killed last weekend in a car crash.  The 24-year-old Jackson, a fourth round draft choice, was one of three people killed in the multi-vehicle collision.  

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