THROWIN’ ELBOWS WITH BRENDAN MCGUIRE

1. CFL DRAFT: Booorrrring! An NHL GM once said “Draft picks are great when they play. Problem is only 20% of them actually play.” That number would be a lot worse when measuring CFL draft picks who actually have an impact. I’m not sure what the answer is beyond including American players or perhaps just incorporating it into part of CFL Week. Still feels as much like a non-event as it ever has and maybe that’s simply all it will ever be.

2. BALLSY WILL DO RIDER GAMES: Michael Ball will move from the sidelines to the broadcast booth. Nobody can say he hasn’t earned it and nobody can argue he doesn’t automatically make the sports cage a lot more entertaining than it’s been in three years. It’s a good move to bring in someone who cares about Saskatchewan more than just the Riders. I haven’t heard much of the cage since 2018 and it’s a common refrain I hear from a lot of fans. Will the change be enough to bring everyone back? Time will tell.      

3. WHERE WILL THE RIDERS FINISH: Canadian Football Hall of Fame writer Bill Selnes of the Humboldt Journal and I discussed this Sunday in Battleford as we voted in the class of 2022 for the Saskatchewan Baseball Hall of Fame. I can’t speak for Bill but I think the order of the west division goes unchanged from 2021. I’m sure Chris Jones in Edmonton will have something to say about that and there are some glaring questions about how the Blue Bombers will stay on top without Andrew Harris and a few others. #isitmayyet?  

4. DID YOU KNOW: The Saskatchewan Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum has the world’s largest baseball bat? Check it out next time you’re passing through and need to stretch your legs or come to the induction August 20^thto see 13 people inducted. You’ll be glad you did. The stuff they have there is unbelievable.  

5. WHL PLAYOFFS: My Moose Jaw Warriors are up 2-0 on Saskatoon and are a good bet to carry the torch for Saskatchewan after this first round is all said and done. There’s a pretty good chance they’ll face Winnipeg in the next round where the Warriors would be big-time underdogs. I covered the 2005 Centennial Cup (then the Royal Bank Cup) in Weyburn and remember thinking the Prince Albert Raiders losing out of the WHL conference final to Brandon that spring was maybe a good thing as it would shift attention to the event and I think it worked. So maybe a short spring for Saskatchewan WHL teams this year could do the same for the Centennial Cup in Estevan a few weeks from now. 

6. SJHL FINALS: Could not think of a better historical matchup than the Flin Flon Bombers and my Estevan Bruins. In my three years down there, I heard many a tale of Bobby Clarke, Reggie Leach and the Flin Flon Bombers coming to town to play the Bruins of the old Western Canadian Hockey League. Saw game one and although the power outage issues chased me away from seeing game two, I have to admit I came away from the Sasktel Max broadcast thoroughly impressed. From the intermission feature on outgoing SJ commissioner Bill Chow to the game broadcast itself, the production has been top-notch. With the Bruins up two games to none, I’m intrigued to see if they can pull off the sweep in Flin Flon Tuesday and Wednesday night. I remember broadcasting games with the Bruins in the old Whitney Forum up there and it always reminded me of Maple Leaf Gardens. I think every diehard hockey fan should do at least one road trip to the Flon. It’s like a whole other world up there. We rode the 9-hour bus trip there overnight and as we slowly rolled into town that Friday morning, we looked out the window and saw rock and ice when one coach asked, “Why do I feel like I’m in Newfoundland?” It was awesome!  

7. IS THE NHL BACK?: Florida Panther broadcaster Steve Goldstein pointed out on Saturday’s broadcast that the Panthers have the highest scoring team in the NHL since the 1995-96 Pittsburgh Penguins and that this NHL season is expected to have the highest amount of goals-per-game since the 1993-94 season. Like, wow! In all honesty, even I’ve been re-connecting with the sport in recent weeks in ways I had started to think wasn’t possible even a few months ago. It all makes for some great anticipation for the first round of the playoffs, especially since the first battle of Alberta since 1991 is even still possible in the 2^ndround. I’m not sure the NHL is all the way back yet but it sure looks to be headed in the right direction.  

8. THE RAPTORS: Great rally for them to come back from down 3 games to none with 2 decisive victories to set up game 6 later this week in Toronto. No NBA team has ever completed a comeback from down 3-0 but don’t bet against these guys from doing it. Just when you think you’ve got this team figured out, they will stun you in ways both good and bad. They’ve been that way all year. Very unpredictable and fun to watch.  

9. REGINA PLUMBING & HEATING COMMERCIALS: I hear comments about them everywhere I go and I must agree they are terrific. I really hope it encourages other local small businesses to get creative and have fun with their ads.  

10. GUY LAFLEUR: Interviewed him once about 15 years ago on a stop in Regina when he was promoting recycling. Or maybe it was preserving electricity through light bulbs? Those details are a bit fuzzy for me to remember but that’s not important. For some reason, I expected The Flower to be a prima donna. I don’t know why, exactly, but it was just the vibe I had gotten from seeing him on TV. He was the exact opposite. He was chatty, folksy and told some great hockey stories. We snacked on cake and coffee and he told me all about his final years in the NHL with the Quebec Nordiques rooming with a young prospect who had moved from Saskatchewan named Joe Sakic. For me, it turned a bland winter afternoon into a great memory. Rest In Peace, Guy. God must’ve needed a right winger.