Something To Mitch About

Happy Family Day!! The first long weekend of 2014 is upon us. How did we ever get to April before a long weekend in the past?

A lot of nail-biting Sunday as Canada beat Finland to finish off pool play. Just some thoughts

--It doesn't matter how wide the ice is, teams still find a way to clog things up. Will we ever see free-wheeling open hockey for an entire 60 minutes again. That effort by the Finns was one of a team scared not to make a mistake and they showed it.

--Glenn Healy is as annoying on a Sunday afternoon from Sochi as he is on a Saturday night from Toronto. I don't know what the plan is when Rogers starts producing HNIC, but I hope Healy isn't a part of it. At least, the CBC didn't take PJ Stock over to Russia. If they have, I haven't seen him.

--Any coincidence that in the first big game of the tournament, Mike Babcock elects to sit PK Subban. Best defenceman in the league my ass. A guy who knows the game knows the liability Subban could have been so he sits.

--Drew Doughty is this decade's Scott Niedermayer. The Kings blueliner has been unreal in Sochi.

--Where's Sid? Canada's best forward has either been John Tavares or Jeff Carter. Carter is getting the points, but Tavares has been more noticable to this blogger. As for Canada's best player through three games, it has to be Doughty or Shea Weber.

--The Russia/US game is getting a lot of attention because of TJ Oshie's shootout prowess. My thoughts on the shootout are well known, but its proven even more when Americans like Kessel,  Parise, Van Riemsdyk, Kane, etc. etc etc don't have a hand in how the game ends. Oshie should have gotten one shot and that's it.-----yes that's the same way I felt when Jonathan Toews did his thing in the World Juniors as well.

--Oshie and Toews are both from the University of North Dakota which begs the question if having calm nerves in a shootout is a class there or something

Other thoughts

  --I've watched a lot of Cougars basketball over the years thanks to me doing play-by-play for Access and doing public address for them for the past two years. I don't know if in that time I have seen a better 2nd year player than Katie Polischuk. She is so good now and she has three years to go. There have been a lot of great players to go through that program and I highly expect Polischuk to be one of those if she keeps going.

 --It was a tough year for Steve Burrows and his mens team, but I actually think there's some light at the end of the tunnel for next year. They had a lot of games where I think inexperience showed and that inexperience shouldn't be a factor next season. I'm not saying this team will win Canada West next year, but with guys like Brendan Hebert,. Brandon Tull, Kade Marra and Jeremy Zver back, they should be an entertaining product. Burrows will also start forming the type of team he wants as he had to inherit a lot of what was left from James Hillis because of the timing of his hiring.

--I had the opportunity to meet and speak with Mark McMorris for the first time on Saturday as he returned to the Regina airport. I don't think that kid even realizes how big of a celebrity he is. He just reeks of cool and might be one of the most laid back guys I've seen. I was surprised when he asked him if he had his medal on him and he said it was in his bag that was coming through on the conveyor belts.  With all due respect, there is NO way that if I had something like an Olympic medal that I would be putting it in my bag and letting it sit underneath. There are too many horror stories of lost luggage and losing a piece of luggage with that in it would send me over the wall.

 --Why do people at grocery stores stop to have a conversation and become oblivious to the world around them thus blocking aisles with their carts and not caring? This happened at Costco three times Sunday afternoon. MOVE IT!!! Would we do that in our cars.....well wait a minute, I have seen people stop in the middle of main street before to have a conversation.

 --Just a hunch, but I'm guessing Richie Incognito will never play on the same team as Michael Sam!

 --Thanks to Torchy Simpson for providing me with not only a one of a kind Seahawks Super Bowl champions shirt, but for sewing a Super Bowl 48 patch on my jersey for me. I had hoped to have the patch to wear it on Super Bowl Sunday, but it got delayed at the border for some reason. Torchy does a great job in sewing numbers and letters on jerseys and he usually has the authentic numbers. You can find him right behind Bushwakkers.

--As I thought it would be, the NBA all-star game was a joke. That's not the way basketball is played and its a joke to try and pass the game off that way. The same can be said of the NHL all-star game and the Pro Bowl. Get rid of these games and just the keep league going.

--Its great to see spring training has started as soon it will be opening day.

--Congratulations to Saskatoon Blades broadcaster Les Lazaruk. On Saturday night, Les did his 1500th WHL game. That's a lot of miles on the old iron lung. Les is a true professional and is one of the best behind the mike that there is. I always have fun yakkin it up with him whether it be at the rink or on the Sportscage. Congrats again Les!

--The Pats are home on this holiday Monday to take on Brandon. It looks  like the Pats, Wheaties and Swift Current will be fighting for first in the East for the final six weeks of the season. It would be great to see a big crowd at the Brandt Centre this afternoon. My plan is to get down there so hopefully I see ya down there.

--Enjoy the holiday Monday!