THE MONDAY MORNING GOALIE

4. At least five members of the Toronto Argonauts – including kicker Swayze Waters and defensive end Tristan Okpalaugo – have earned NFL tryouts this off-season.  Free agent quarterback Trevor Harris has drawn some NFL interest too.  However no Saskatchewan Roughriders free agents have been extended NFL tryouts, or at least not to anyone’s knowledge with the football club.   Should diminutive slotback Ryan Smith (5’7″, 175 lbs) have warranted a tryout down south after a 991-yard campaign in 2015?  I guess not.

5.  Former Calgary Stampeders Buddy Jackson (defensive back) and Joe Anderson (receiver) have signed futures/reserves contracts with the Dallas Cowboys and New York Jets respectively.  Meanwhile former Stamps centre Brett Jones of Weyburn, SK remains on the New York Giants Injured Reserve list, collecting $20,000 US cheques weekly.

6. Speaking of injuries, Roughriders safety Keenan MacDougall is scheduled to undergo surgery on an injury he sustained during the 2015 season.  There was a rumour floating on the internet that MacDougall had been released, but it turned out to be false.

7. Eskimos linebacker Dexter McCoil will workout for the Washington Redskins this week.  If McCoil doesn’t sign in the NFL, he’ll sign a new CFL deal with the Eskimos this spring.  Meanwhile CFL leading receiver Eric Rogers will work out for 16 NFL teams in all, and you have to think he’ll land a deal with one of them.

8. Sportsnet/CKRM CFL insider Arash Madani reports Dan Dorazio is set to rejoin the B.C. Lions as offensive line coach.  Dorazio filled that role capably with the Saskatchewan Roughriders in 2015, but his move to B.C. appears to be the ouster for Doug Malone with the Lions.

9. I was wearing a black Saskatchewan Roughriders warmup top while sipping coffee in a Dunkin Donuts Sunday morning in Glendale, AZ when a gentleman stopped by the table and said, “You from Canada?”  Turns out the guy used to watch all CFL games on CBC-TV in Tacoma, Washington but moved down here in 1984 and hasn’t seen a Canadian game since.  However he rattled off just about all of the team’s names and asked for an update from the past 30 years!  He thought Calgary’s CFL team was called the “Calgary Stampede” which is a pretty cool nickname, albeit incorrect.  It was a nice chat.

10. We’ve been able to mix in some meetings regarding the Roughriders’ 2nd Annual Riderville Arizona Tour which will take place on Thursday, March 3.  The Coyotes will once again be home to Ryan Getzlaf’s Anaheim Ducks that night and the Saskatchewan Roughriders will be recognized at the game.  Details are forthcoming.

11. There’s always a Regina or Regina Pats conjunction in just about every NHL game and that was on display during Saturday’s 4-0 Coyotes’ win over the Nashville Predators.  Former Pats captain Barret Jackman is now toiling with the Predators while former Pats tough guy Stu Grimson provides the colour commentary on the Preds television broadcasts.  Meanwhile Regina product Boyd Gordon centres the Coyotes fourth line and habitually wins over 50% of his faceoffs.

12. There will be another Regina connection Tuesday evening at Gila River Arena when Arizona welcomes Jordan Eberle and the Edmonton Oilers.  The Coyotes own a 20-point streak against the Oilers, and are playing their best hockey of the year.  Head coach Dave Tippett generally gets consideration for the NHL’s Jack Adams Trophy as Coach of the Year and this season should be no different with the ‘Yotes on an 8-3-2 run and the owners of a playoff position.  They’re one of the funnest teams to watch in the NHL which is a big change from last year at this time.

13. The unfortunate farce continues.  2016 NHL All-Star John Scott was once again a healthy scratch for the Coyotes on Saturday night and as evidenced by their 4-0 victory, Tippett appeared to have made the correct roster call.  The 6’8″ enforcer was voted in as a goof by the fans, and has been one of the NHL’s hottest topics over the past week.  As SportsCage NHL analyst Rich Sutter said on Wednesday, “That’s what happens when you let the fans vote.  No one should be surprised”.  Perhaps the NHL will look at this policy next year.

14. The attendance at Saturday night’s Coyotes-Predators game was 12,345, or as the public address announcer enunciated, “1-2-3-4-5”.   Arizona is no longer talked-about with regards to poor attendance (that honour goes to the Islanders, Hurricanes and Panthers).  This new ownership group, anchored by Regina’s Gary Drummond, appears to have turned the corner in all areas.  Their game night presentation is second-to-none in the NHL and a large crowd is expected for the Edmonton game on Tuesday.

15. It really isn’t that expensive to plan a winter getaway to this area.  In fact, Scruffy’s on a similar venture to Edmonton for a pair of Oilers games and I bet my trip was far cheaper that his.  You can even get to Phoenix from Regina by 8:08 am on the Saturday direct WestJet flights.  Although I was a little miffed on Sunday morning — I could see my breath!  😉

16. What about those wild card NFL playoff games on the weekend?  In Thursday’s column I correctly predicted all four road teams to win but wouldn’t you know it — it was the one weekend where I suspended myself from sports betting.

17. NFL fans were scrambling to hear the last-second play-by-play call of Minnesota Vikings voice Paul Allen when his team muffed a 27-yard field goal to cost them a playoff win over Green Bay on Sunday.  “P.A.’s” playoff calls are legendary and we even play some of them on the SportsCage but he was far less dramatic this time around then I figured he would.  There was much more anger in his voice when he grumbled, “Are you kidding me?  The season can’t end like that!”  The clip has already been downloaded hundreds of thousands of times.

18. Seahawks punter Jon Ryan of Regina displayed that he’s indeed Saskatchewan Tough by doing a faceplant on the frozen Minnesota tundra in the first half on Sunday, however he recoved enough to finish the game with a punting average in the mid-30’s.  The radio announcers on the national broadcast said Ryan’s bloody nose was “an improvement”.  Seahawks coach Pete Carroll updated the media after the game saying Jon’s schnozz “might be broken”.  Carroll pointed to his own beak and quipped, “It looks like this!”

19. The Regina Pats indeed made a splash on Sunday’s WHL trade deadline by acquiring 20-year old sniper Cole Sanford from Medicine Hat.  When we called a Pats-Tigers game on Access in the first half of the seaosn, Sanford was the WHL’s leading goal scorer.  Sunday’s trade was a conviluted deal involving an injured player, a prospect and draft picks.  When it was all said and done, the team moved forward Colton Kroeker and released European defenceman Nikolia Knyzhov.  To me, the move gets the thumbs-up because the club got immediate help and Pats Coach & GM John Paddock admitted Sanford gives Sam Steel someone to play with on the right side.  That void was something we’d all noticed, but hadn’t mentioned.  Did Regina mortgage too much of its future?  It’s obviously too early to tell but right now it looks great and Regina could do something in the playoffs.

However the irritating thing about this year’s Regina Pats is that they only “crank it up” when they need it, and seem to score easily when focused enough.  That habit always bites you in the butt come playoff time.

20. We’ll be home just in time to catch the second episode of the brand new crime drama Shades of Blue starring Jennifer Lopez and Ray Liotta (who bares a striking resemblance to Regina Pats COO Marty Klyne) on Thursday evening.  It’s the new “hot show to watch” for us, since we’ve exhausted all episodes of Law & Order SVU.

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THAT’S ALL FROM DOWN HERE! STAY WARM …
RP
@rodpedersen