EDITOR'S NOTE: This column was written, and Robin Short's opinion was expressed, prior to the National Basketball League of Canada's 11-game suspension of Royce White of the London Lightning Friday..
Nobody asked me, but …
Not sure if I’m crazy about the name for the new ECHL team which hits the Mile One Centre ice next season — Newfoundland Growlers, as reported by The Telegram’s Brendan McCarthy Friday — but at the end of the day, the name doesn’t really make a difference. It’s a seven-day wonder. Back in 2011, when the Winnipeg Jets announced they were relocating their American league operation to St. John’s, there was an outcry when it was announced the new team would be called IceCaps. References to Tim Hortons were as predictable as they were plentiful. Of course, soon afterwards, when the team had played a half-dozen games, all was forgotten and they were simply known as the IceCaps, without a hint of hostility. If the new team is winning, or at the very least entertaining, no one will care what it’s called …
That said, mark this one down: the official name of the province is Newfoundland and Labrador (though we all know everyone just calls it Newfoundland). So rest assured there’ll be someone out there who will be taking issue to the fact the team is called ‘Newfoundland’ Growlers rather than ‘Newfoundland and Labrador’ Growlers which, of course, would be ridiculous … Hearing Rod Snow won’t be returning as chef de mission of the Newfoundland and Labrador contingent for the 2019 Canada Winter Games in Red Deer, Alta., even though Snow had represented the province in Red Deer for Canada Games meetings. Snow is a Newfoundland and Labrador Sports Hall of Famer, a Canadian rugby icon, a veteran of four World Cups of Rugby, one of the top five or 10 athletes this province has ever produced, the high performance director at the Newfoundland and Labrador Sports Centre. The man who brought accountability to the provincial Games teams, some of whom were “just happy to be here” prior to his arrival …
I’ve been banging out sports copy from this corner for 33 years, and the political jockeying and otherwise fawning over the big-ticket sports story of the day from politicians is both laughable and a just a tad sickening. We saw it a couple of weeks ago with Kaetlyn Osmond. We’ve seen it with the Gushue curlers. With Daniel Cleary. We’ve witnessed it going way back to John Slaney and his world junior celebrations, to the 1988 Olympic Torch Relay that went through the province and had the politicos fumbling over the themselves. For a day, sports is all that matters, and we’re reminded of it’s critical importance, from a health perspective and from an advertising and promotional angle for the province. Then a new day comes, and all is forgotten. Not forgotten is Newfoundland and Labrador’s awful showing at Canada Games, a record that’s getting worse, from seven medals, to six, to two to one at the past four Canada Summer Games. Then again, is it any wonder? Our facilities are a joke in comparison to the rest of Canada, our coaching isn’t up to snuff, there’s virtually no governmental support for amateur sport, and we’re an island which makes travel and competition a luxury …
In what other league would a player, in full view of 4,496 fans, stand up and berate — finger pointing and all — its deputy commissioner? It happened Thursday night, during a one-sided exchange between the London Lightning’s Royce White and National Basketball League of Canada commissioner Audley Stephenson. I felt bad for Stephenson, to be honest, and if I’m in his shoes, I’m suspending White. He’s getting it, one way or another. White’s a great player, but his antics this week during the three playoff games at Mile One Centre were amateur hour. The Lightning played better when the former NBA first-round draft pick fouled out … Couple of observations after three St. John’s Edge playoff games: it’s great entertainment, that basketball is a non-contact sport is the greatest fallacy out there, there’s not a lot of lock-down defence played, and a lot of these guys bitch and moan over every, single call …
When you look at the Boston Bruins and consider David Pastrnak, Jake DeBrusk and Charlie McAvoy, and the Toronto Maple Leafs with Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander and Kasperi Kapanen, you quickly realize how positively awful the Montreal Canadiens are, with nothing on horizon. Valid observation, one would think. Still, Habs fans are resolute over social media in the fact they have youngsters ready to seize the torch, mentioning, among others, Nikita Scherbak and Jacob de la Rose. Scherbak will never play , and de la Rose is at best a third-line player (in 131 NHL games, he has eight goals; in 133 AHL games, he’s scored 27 goals). He’s not even remotely in the class of the Bruins’ and Leafs’ prospects, not a lot of others … The Canadiens hired Dominique Ducharme as an assistant coach starting next season. You think Claude Julien won’t be looking over his shoulder every game? …
Robin Short is The Telegram’s Sports Editor. He can be reached by email [email protected] Follow him on Twitter @TelyRobinShort
