THE MONDAY MORNING GOALIE

10 MONDAY MORNING THOUGHTS

1 – GO PATS GO:  How many rounds can the Regina Pats go in the 2015 WHL Playoffs?  They breezed through the opening round with a four game sweep of the Swift Current Broncos but may have met their match in Round 2, lining up against the vaunted Brandon Wheat Kings.  Brandon (53-11-4-4) was the WHL’s top team in the 2014-15 regular season and finished almost 30 points clear of Regina (37-24-5-6).

The series opens with Games 1 and 2 at Brandon’s Westman Communications Group Place on Friday and Saturday before shifting to Regina’s Brandt Centre for Games 3 and 4 next Tuesday and Wednesday.  620 CKRM will have all games, but don’t forget about the time change.  Brandon is now one hour ahead of us.

My heart says Pats in seven games but my head says Wheat Kings in six.

That’s not much of a prediction is it?  But it says here the Pats are really in tough whatwith the loss of arguably their top player in Sam Steel due to injury and the suspension of rearguard James Hilsendager who will miss the first two games of this affair.  The Wheat Kings will be closely-watched this week as well as top forward Morgan Klimchuk missed the last two games of their opening round series with Edmonton due to injury.

However if the Pats play to the level they displayed against the Broncos they’ll have more than a fighting chance against their division rivals.  They certainly have a Cinderella-thing going but that storybook didn’t end too well for the princess.

17-year old Pats forward Jesse Gabrielle – who came to the Pats in the Klimchuk deal in January – figures to be a key component in this series.  The question is: will it be positive or negative?  He knows the Wheat Kings players inside-out but they know him as well and they appeared to be able to push his buttons in late-season games.  If he concentrates on being an offensive force rather than an agitator, he can really have an impact.  However if he spends time in the penalty box – as he did on ill-timed occasions in Round 1 – it could be counter-productive.  Here’s hoping for the best from Regina’s #63.  He certainly has it in him to turn the tide in this series.

Don’t forget too, that Brandon humbled the Pats 4-1 in their final regular season meeting on March 17 in Regina.

If the Pats have an edge in the series, it has to be in goal because I’d put my money on the Pats’ Daniel Wapple any day of the week over Brandon’s Jordan Papirny.  If there was a series MVP to be handed out in Round 1, it would go to Wapple.  He was among the three stars in Games 1 and 2 and posted a 24-save shutout in the clinching game.

Just like two weeks ago, it will be a fun week ahead previewing the series.

2 – IN THE PADDOCK:  No matter how this season ends for the Regina Pats, it has been a magical ride under the tutelage of John Paddock since he was hired by the Queen City Sports & Entertainment Group (QCSEG) on Wednesday, August 6.  I’ll admit to initially being skeptical at the hire, since the 60-year old pro hockey veteran hadn’t been involved in junior hockey since he was a player over 40 years ago in Brandon.  Boy was I wrong!

Paddock seems to have the magic touch, on the way to being named the WHL’s East Conference Coach of the Year in 2014-15.  What a rookie season.  His coaching staff tells me he has yet to raise his voice with his troops, and his calm demeanour has paid off in spades.

The players, in turn, have rewarded Paddock and have been a real treat to watch all season long.  John also noted last week that this team is the most enjoyable he’s had to coach in his long career in both the NHL and AHL.

Initially put off by Paddock’s gruff nature, I now find it amusing.  He doesn’t suffer fools and it’s hilarious to listen to his media scrums in which he’s not afraid to ignore a reporter’s question all-together.  After getting to know him, a little, you start to see where he’s coming from.

A rumour’s been making the rounds that Paddock will move into the sole role of General Manager soon and allow top assistant Dave Struch to take over the reins but the gossip has been quelled by Paddock’s Coach of the Year nomination.  Now the rumour is Paddock will be on the bench at least until the conclusion of Sam Steel’s 18-year old season, when this master plan is supposed to all come together.

3 – ATTENDANCE IS UP:  According to attendance figures released by the Western Hockey League, the Regina Pats had the league’s third-highest attendance jump in 2014-15.  Prince George (68.5%) is #1, followed by Brandon (10.4%) at #2 and then Regina (9.4%, or 4317 fans per game from 3956).

Incidentally the Moose Jaw Warriors were down the most (8.3%) followed by Vancouver (7.2%) and then Tri-City and Portland (both 4.8%).

So, Queen City hockey fans seem to have taken notice at what’s been going on at the Brandt Centre but they’re still not convinced seeing as Games 1 and 2 of the Swift Current series failed to sell out.

Will Regina and area get behind the Pats in Round 2?  Assuredly it will depend on how the opening two games go in Manitoba this weekend, but Pats hockey continues to be a tougher sell than it should be.

Still, it’s fun to see what’s going on with our favourite hockey club under the new ownership.  The fact the Pats owners flew in and out of Swift Current for Games 3 and 4 on a private jet caught everyone in the league’s attention.  (It was a 25-minute trip on the Brandt plane each way, I’m told).  When they breezed through the doors of the Credit Union I-Plex on Tuesday with their lawyer in tow, everyone’s jaw was on the floor.

It truly is a brand new ball game.

And I know if I was a Pats player and the ownership was flying in on its own plane for games, it make me want to pull my socks up and play my best.  From the top down, this franchise is serious about winning.

Meanwhile the rumour of the new hockey arena has only gained steam after it was first published on the front page of the Leader Post two weeks ago.  Someone said QSEG only plans to spend two more seasons in the Brandt Centre and that they’d prefer to be in their new facility “sooner rather than later”.  However for now, that’s just juicy gossip.

But it’s still an infinite amount of fun to follow.

4 – DUB NOTES:  WHL Commissioner Ron Robison is a proud export of Indian Head, SK and I think he still has a soft spot for the Regina Pats after having donned the club’s sweater in the mid-1970’s.

Robison has been making a tour of WHL cities during the playoffs – including Regina – and last week while visiting teams in the U.S. Division, he stated that he’s confident the WHL will be deemed an amateur loop by lawmakers in the State of Washington.  There was a movement to have WHL players in Seattle, Everett, Tri-City and Spokane considered seasonal workers and be compensated for their hours however the State Senate in Washington approved that “amateur” bill in early March by a 47-0 vote and later the House Labor Committee moved the bill to the Full house by a 5-2 vote.  Robison is said to be encouraged by the progress.

Robison also told reporters that the cities of Wenatchee and Boise are “on our radar” in terms of becoming home to WHL teams.

Meanwhile there was disturbing news out of Prince Albert last week when club officials told Shaw TV that the WHL’s Raiders only have five or six more seasons left given the WHL’s current financial climate and if additional revenue streams cannot be found.  Meanwhile the movement for a new arena in Prince Albert seems to have come to a screeching halt.

And on the topic of the Raiders, former team equipment manager Stan Wilson (a Melfort, SK product and member of the 1985 Memorial Cup championship squad) is putting the finishing touches on his 25th season with the Winnipeg-Phoenix-Arizona franchise.  He initially joined the Winnipeg Jets as equipment manager in 1990 and moved with the club to Phoenix in 1996.  He’s the longest-serving employee of the franchise.

5 – SO LONG JACK:  Longtime Regina Pats fans were saddened to learn of the passing of former team owner Jack Nicolle last week.  Jack was part of the ownership group along with Bill Hicke, Ted Knight, Morley Gusway and Huddy Bell which purchased the Regina Pats in the mid-1980’s from the Pinder family.

I got to know Jack during that period because that’s when my Dad was scouting for the club under head coach Doug Sauter.  I was only 14 years old at the time, but my Dad always toted me along to club functions and I got to mingle with the owners and team personnel.  In discussing Jack this past Easter weekend, my Dad said Jack always referred to him as, “Hey! Scouter guy!”

Jack’s son Randy was nice enough to pen this obituary about his father for the MMG:

Jack Nicolle

– Jack Nicolle was born John Frederick Nicolle, an only child, on July 25, 1935 and passed away peacefully on April 1, 2015. Jack was predeceased by his father John T. Nicolle and his mother Barbara (Granny) Nicolle.

He joins the love of his life, Beryl Nicolle (Brown) who he cherished 53 years of blissful marriage to. Beryl also predeceased him on September 10, 2010.

He leaves behind his 5 children Kim, Randy (Brenda), Angela (Andres) John (Janice), and David (Kathy).
He also leaves his loving grandchildren Chairra, Joel Kylie, Justine Ariana, Jade Johnny, Juliet and great-grandson McKinnon.

He also leaves behind the many friends who always made him welcome at the Regent restaurant 4 nights a week at 9:35 PM.  Everyone remembers Jack mostly for his Dairy Queen days and many other businesses he was involved in. Jack was a proud Reginian having spent his entire life here. He was also responsible for helping spearhead a group of Regina businessmen who bought the Regina Pats in the 80’s to keep them from leaving Regina.

Jack had the most incredible care at the Pasqua hospital with so many fine people who cared for him in ICU which our family will never forget.

Hi celebration of life will take place at the Knox-Metropolitan church at 2340 Victoria Ave at 1 PM.

Jack was the farthest thing from a flowery guy, so in lieu of flowers, please send a donation to the Heart and Stroke Foundation 279 – 3rd Ave N. Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7K 2H8

Cause of Death:

I went for lunch with dad at Montana’s as we usually do on Fridays ( March 27, 2015). Dad was fine and we talked briefly with Barry and Doug Trapp who were dining there as well. Jack had his shoes on ready to go to the Regent Restaurant as he does every Friday night at 9:30. My brother saw him at about 9 PM and he looked fine as he was about to leave. They did not hear him leave as he lives with my Dad downstairs so went up at 10 PM and Jack was non-responsive.  They called 911 and he was rushed to the hospital. I went to see him and he was responsive to my voice and acknowledged me by squeezing my hand clearly in answer to each question. The doctors told us he was only getting worse and he passed away peacefully on Wednesday, April 1, 2015.

Businesses Dad and I owned together with my Mom:

–       Dairy Queen – Northgate Mall
–       Dairy Queen – Pasqua St.          
–       Dairy Queen – Truesdale Drive
–       Grandma Lee’s – Albert St.
–       Grandma Lee’s Sask. Franchisor
–       Memories in Oil – Albert St.
–       Regina Pats Hockey Club            
–       Granny’s Bake & Eatery
–       Mutt & Jeff’s Sport’s Bar & Grill Fronted by Ridgway and Fairholm
–       That’s Entertainment – Audio Video Northgate mall
–       J&R Nicolle Thoroughbreds
–       Regina Waterslides with Bill Hicke

Jack and Bill Hicke flew to Calgary to make their pitch to keep the Pats from moving in 1985 as the WHL bought the team from Herb Pinder Jr. and wanted to keep Canada’s oldest Junior franchise in Regina. Their bid won over another local group and partnered up with Ted Knight, Morley Gusway and Huddy Bell on February 24, 1986. Jack was part owner of the team when the bus from Swift Current did not make it here for the game as the bus crashed and 4 players died.

6 – GO RIDERS GO:  All has been quiet on the Saskatchewan Roughriders front over the past few weeks but that’s about to change in a big way.  The Riders will head to Bradenton, Florida this week for their annual minicamp at the IMG Academy on the weekend.  620 CKRM’s SportsCage will be broadcasting live on location from Florida with shows on Friday, Saturday and Monday.

All Rider fans in the area are welcome to attend the workouts, but plan to come early because you’ll need to clear security at IMG.  The workout schedule is as follows, and keep in mind all times are Eastern Standard Time (two hours ahead of Saskatchewan).

Friday:
11:00 am – 12:30 pm
2:00 pm – 3:15 pm

Saturday:
11:00 am – 12:15 pm (walk-through)
2:45 pm – 4:00 pm

Sunday:
9:30 am – 10:45 am

The training camp is invite only, and will consist of roughly 70 players.  Friday’s workouts will include mostly newcomers who’ve signed with the Riders out of the NFL, NCAA, CIS and current negotiation list players.  For many, this will be their first introduction to the CFL and its intricacies.

Veteran running backs and receivers will join on Saturday and Sunday for their first introduction to new offensive coordinator Jacques Chapdelaine’s offense.

Don’t forget too, that quarterback Darian Durant will be participating in the minicamp and we’ll be following his progress closely.  It will all be reported here, complete with photos and perhaps videos.  Veteran receivers Weston Dressler, Chris Getzlaf and Rob Bagg are also expected to participate.

And today (Monday) in the SportsCage we’ll have loads of Roughrider coverage as I’ll be joined by co-host Mike Abou-Mechrek and we’ll have interviews with Riders Assistant GM Jeremy O’Day, Rider Radio analyst Carm Carteri and alumnus Larry Bird.  The fun gets rolling at 4:00 pm on 620 CKRM!

6 – HENNNNNNNNRY:  Henry Burris’s attempt to become a Canadian citizen due to his 16 years of service in the Canadian Football League seems to have lots of football fans talking in these parts.  The news first broke late last week while Burris was co-hosting an Ottawa morning TV show and the CBC quickly picked up the story.

The full details are contained a few posts below but, despite what many Rider fans think about Burris, Hank is getting plenty of support.  It’s hard to believe that the Canadian government only sees CFL players as part-time workers in our country.

No matter how this all turns out, I’ve long been a proponent of the idea that once an import player plays six seasons in the CFL, he acquires non-import status.  It’s a hybrid of the old non-import ratio rule.  For instance, a player like Weston Dressler would now become a “National” and the Riders wouldn’t be scrambling to find enough starting Canadians to fill the quota of seven.  This has nothing to do with citizenship however.  They’re on their own there.

I dunno.  Just a thought.

7 – PLAY BALL!:  The 2015 MLB season began last night with the St. Louis-at-Chicago match-up on Sunday Night Baseball and the Blue Jays get it going with a matinee at Yankee Stadium today.  The game will be nationally-televised in the U.S. on ESPN and of course across Canada on Rogers Sportsnet.  Here’s hoping the Jays start off on the right foot with Drew Hutchison and continue to challenge for the AL East pennant.  Optimism abounds right now, as everyone team is tied for first (except in the NL Central where Scruffy’s Cubs are 0-1).

Also, kudos to Canadian baseball fans who turned out in droves on Easter weekend to watch the Blue Jays and Reds split a preseason pair at Olympic Stadium.  The topic of pro baseball returning to Montreal reared its head again, but it seems to be a long ways off.  The Big O looked liked a dump (it is) and the only way Montreal gets a MLB team is if they build a downtown ballpark.  And that’s a long ways off.  There are many in baseball who feel Montreal doesn’t even deserve a team after the palty crowds the Expos drew near the end of their tenure.

Meanwhile on the local front, the Regina Red Sox are looking for billets and volunteers for the 2015 WMBL season.  Red Sox season tickets are also now on sale.  All the info can be found on the team’s website at www.reginaredsox.com.  And also don’t forget the Red Sox’ annual fundraising dinner on Saturday, April 25 at the Turvey Centre featuring Blue Jays great Devon White.

8 – SILENCE OF THE RAMS:  The U of R Rams have taken to SaskJobs.ca to find a replacement for offensive coordinator Bernie Schmitt.  The job was posted to the website on March 27.  They should get some interesting candidates that way.

9 – A WEEKEND OF ENTERTAINMENT:   REVIEWS – We caught two movies on the weekend: The Gunman starring Sean Penn which gets two thumbs up from the MMG.  It’s got a The Pelican Brief sort of feel to it and Penn is fantastic.  It was great to screw the thinking cap on at the movies for a change.  But you had to take that cap off for the movie Get Hard starring Will Ferrell and Kevin Hart.  It gets two thumbs up as well but as usual, go with an open mind.  The Galaxy Theatre was PACKED and the girl at the ticket counter advised to scout out our seats before hitting the concession because it was sold out.  She was right, and what a great tip.  It will go down as one of the classic Ferrell movies and Hart is on fire right now.

Then on Saturday we caught the Best of the Winnipeg Comedy Festival at Casino Regina featuring four comedians.  Initially I thought “this is the best of the Winnipeg Comedy Festival?” but after a slow start, there were great performances by Erica Sigurdson and Mike MacDonald (you’d remember MacDonald from plenty of Canadian TV appearances).  All in all, it was a great way to spend Easter Weekend.

10 – SEPARATED AT BIRTH:  Have a look at this comparison between actor Sean Penn and longtime WHL/NHL figure Lorne Molleken.  Tell me that when they make a movie about Lorne, Sean Penn doesn’t play him?

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FOR SALE – THE MMG:  Our years-long sponsorship deal with Daytona Homes expired last week and we’re currently looking for a new sponsor for the MMG and the Friday Rodservations columns.  Any interested parties can email me at ridervoice@yahoo.ca.  If a new sponsor can’t be found, perhaps it will be time to retire the Monday Morning Goalie.  It’s a lot of work to do for nothing!

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THAT’S ALL FOR THIS WEEK!  SEE YOU IN THE CAGE
RP
@sportscage
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