Sports Roundtable – Sept. 13
Holy Sheets, he’s good
Edward Dodd, Braden Dupuis, Britton Gray, Colton Hordichuk, Kris Klein
Under the direction of newly acquired head coach Todd Johnson, will the Cougar men’s hockey team be able to end their playoff drought this season?
Dodd: I sure hope so. I once had a Cougar men’s hockey player in my history class – man, was he attractive and just genuinely friendly. I’d hate for someone that good looking to not make the playoffs because of shitty coaching.
Dupuis: Me and TJ go way back. It seems like just yesterday that I met him in an interview over the phone. We hit it off instantly. Being such close, personal friends with people like TJ means you’re privy to all sorts of insider information. The Cougar men’s hockey team will make the playoffs this year. Book it.
Gray: A new coach is sometimes the remedy to a play-off drought, but these kinds of things can take some time. It can take a few years to turn a program around but as we’ve seen it in Saskatchewan before – with Kent Austin – sometimes all you need is a new culture and a little luck.
Hordichuk: Sometimes a coaching change is what a team needs. Look at Autumn McDowell’s Penguins with Dan Bylsma. I mean, of course I’m comparing university hockey to the NHL, but it’s both competitive hockey, and a coaching change could easily turn a team around.
Klein: Woah, woah, wer’e talking playoffs? Lets just set some short-term goals for the Cougars first, like, winning a game, having a leading scorer that has more than 17 points, or how about limiting the U of S Huskies to only 5 goals a game against them. If they complete these short-term goals then maybe we can start talking playoffs.
Midway through the season, Kory Sheets is the CFL’s leading rusher. Will he still be there after week 18?
Dodd: Judging from his past performance, I would say yes. A touchdown a game to start the season, and even after the awful performance the Riders had after the first three games and he’s still the CFL’s leading rusher? That kid’s going places. He can meet me between the sheets any time.
Dupuis: After several years of watching Wes Cates plunge straight up the middle for two yards on every carry, watching Sheets is like fresh-scented downy on a freshly washed set of sheets. With his explosive lateral movement and big play capability, it’s very possible that Sheets will still be on top come November.
Gray: Kory Sheets has become one of the premier backs in the league in a very short period of time. With the passing game not always being consistent, Kory has proven he can be and I think he can continue his running dominance even though the riders may not always be consistent throwing it.
Hordichuk: If Sheets can be the CFL’s leading rusher despite the Riders recent five-game losing streak – which I do hate to remind people of – then he can absolutely hold onto the title until week 18 is over. It’s also a plus if the Riders can manage to put up some big numbers on offence.
Klein: Well with the way that Jon Cornish has been getting close to 200 rushing yards almost every game, its going to be tough for Sheets to catch up. But if he stays healthy and the Riders continue to give him the ball to make plays like he’s done, then he has an outside shot. Something else that will help is if Odell Willis or Brent Hawkins breaks Cornish’s femur next time they play which would be nice.
Georges St. Pierre has been medically cleared to return to the octagon. Will his performance be affected by the long layoff?
Dodd: Well, I think a long layoff will affect anyone’s performance. However, I am sure he’ll be eager to get back in there, and eagerness can go a long way. Really, it’s like riding a bicycle – you don’t forget the motions. That was a belabored sex metaphor, just fyi.
Dupuis: GSP! GSP! It’s hard to say what’s going to happen when Quebec’s favourite son steps back into the octagon. The guy is notorious for his relentless work ethic, so I can’t see conditioning or the long layoff being a problem, but with knee injuries you never really know. With UFC president Dana White starting to hype the long-awaited GSP-Silva super-fight, let’s hope he at least holds out until then.
Gray: GSP is one of the top athletes in the world, and top athletes have to have the ability to perform no matter how long they have had off. GSP can do just that, and he will show why he is the top pound-for-pound fighter in the world. Now we begin to pray for Silva Vs. GSP.
Hordichuk: He’s Canadian, hell no. I guess that’s my only reasoning that his performance won’t be affected by the long layoff.
Klein: He is going to have rust, but I’ll give it a round for that rust to be knocked off. Look, this man’s a freak. He was placed on this Earth to turn men into boys and break faces. Plus, his return fight is in Montreal, so he is going to have the home crowd behind him. But, God forbid he loses, Montreal will riot and burn that town to the ground. And Montreal riots makes the Vancouver riot look like it was performed by toddlers.
“I once had a Cougar men’s hockey player in my history class – man, was he attractive and just genuinely friendly. I’d hate for someone that good looking to not make the playoffs because of shitty coaching.” – Edward Dodd
The Regina Pats are back in action. Who should wear the C for the Blue and White this year?
Dodd: Well, knowing nothing about the Pats, I went to their website intending to select the most handsome player for captain. Aside from not having any pictures up yet, I realized they are all younger than my youngest brother, and I felt creepy and old. I am the old, creepy man. I am sorry, Pats players.
Dupuis: To be honest, I can’t name very many Pats players off the top of my head. Is that bad? I’m going to go ahead and say they should give the C to one of the older players who exhibits hard work and leadership qualities.
Gray: Not going to lie, wish I could say I follow the pats thoroughly but with football to keep track of and everything else, I’m not really too sure who plays for them. I guess if Jordan Weal is back, he should get it, but if not, maybe they should just go with the standard choice and give it to a vet.
Hordichuk: Simply because I remember playing against Andrew Rieder back when I was about 6-years-old, I’m going to nominate him as the next captain of the Regina Pats. It’s actually quite funny, as kids we used to call him ‘blue helmet’ because he played for the Hawks and sported a blue bucket. Years later, he’s still wearing a blue helmet!
Klein: Well depending if the NHL locks out and Jordan Weal comes back to Regina, its really up in the air. It will probably be a 20-year-old that will get it. Or they might throw us through a loop and give it to a 16- or 17-year-old, like Colorado did with handing the C to Gabriel Landeskog. I heard Crosby’s been crying non-stop because he isn’t the youngest captain in history anymore… Fucking Pussy.
Did the Colts make the right decision trading Peyton Manning?
Dodd: I think they did. It frees them up to go in a new direction offensively, and while Peyton led them to a SuperBowl victory in 2007, sometimes it’s best not to let nostalgia get in the way of meeting the current need of the team. Plus, it frees up a spot for them to sign Eli Manning, who is by far the cuter Manning.
Dupuis: It’s entirely possible that the old man has one or two good seasons left in him. If the Broncos win the SuperBowl before Peyton retires, the Colts will look stupid for letting him go, but let’s be honest, shipping out a 36-year-old quarterback coming off a neck injury is not really that big of a gamble.
Gray: Yes, no question about it. Andrew Luck was the best college QB in over a decade, and when you get a chance to draft someone like that, you do it. Peyton Manning had a good career but he’s not young anymore and who knows if his neck can handle contact again. The colts made the best choice for everyone.
Hordichuk: Ugh! Such a depressing question. As a Colts fan, I obviously loved having Manning on the Colts, but we now have Andrew Luck. Right decision? No. But whether on the Colts or Broncos, or any other team, I’ll always be a Peyton Manning fan. The guys got class, man!
Klein: I think they did. They might be God-awful for the next 3-4 years, but at least they have a young quarterback that can hopefully be the next Peyton Manning.
