News you need to get through the day …
CAPTURING THE SPIRIT OF THE THING
Under the category of Well-Of-Course-They-Are, nurses in Edmonton hospitals are showing up at work the past few weeks wearing Darnell Nurse T-shirts and sweaters.
“He’s taking care of business just like nurses should do,” one nurse told Global News.
That said, on Twitter the Hamilton native is @drtwofive (doctor two five). So perhaps the physicians should be wearing them as well.
OTHER SWEATER OPTIONS
This opens the door to all kinds of other workplaces wearing hockey sweaters in honour of their favourite business-appropriate players. Consider just a few of the endless possibilities: Bedding store – Ryan Spooner Optometrist – Cody Ceci Weight loss centre – Chris Wideman Home security service – Richard Panik Comedy club – Ryan Getzlaf Psychiatrist – Brandon Saad McMaster campus – Patrick Maroon NHL replay official – Evgeny Kuznetsov Science lab – Mark Letestu Chiropractor – David Backes Roofing company – Patrick Eaves Church – James Neal Pet store – Jay Beagle Wine shop – Patrick Marleau
STILL STUPID
The NHL allows coaches to request an instant replay challenge to review goalie interference, offsides, whether a goal was scored with a high stick, whether a puck was shot directly over the glass leading to a delay-of-game penalty and a few other things. Yet, these same coaches can’t challenge icings, whether a stick to the face drawing a penalty actually made contact with the face and other infractions/rule breaches.
This wildly flawed system suggests the league really cares about getting everything right … unless it doesn’t. It’s completely nonsensical and ridiculous. Just ask Washington (given a high sticking penalty that wasn’t one in the last moments of a crucial game) and Edmonton (Anaheim iced the puck but it wasn’t called, leading directly to the winning goal in overtime).
THAT’S A PRICEY TWO POINTS
Toronto Raptors nemesis LeBron James was the NBA’s highest-paid player this season with a salary of $30,963,450 US. Yes, that’s 30 million dollars. American. It’s OK to pause here for a second to let yourself absorb that before continuing. Ready? OK. In 74 games this season, he scored 1,954 points. Which means he made $31,692 per basket. Or $43,402 in loonies. How much is that in human terms? Hamilton’s average family income in 2014 was $84,980 … or slightly less than two hoops from LeBron.
HOMETOWN TICATS?
There is a chance the Hamilton Tiger-Cats could select McMaster receiver Danny Vandervoort with the fourth-overall pick in Sunday’s CFL draft. The last time the Ticats selected a Marauder in the draft was 2013 when Mike Daly was taken with the first pick of the sixth round (45th overall).
The last time they took a McMaster player with their first-round pick was 2005 when they grabbed Jesse Lumsden sixth overall. That year, they doubled down by taking Mac’s Fabio Filice in the second round.
The last born-and-raised local to hear his name called by the Ticats in the draft was Burlington’s Mercer Timmis who was taken in the second round last spring.
ROUGE ET BLACK ET GOLD
If you had to bet on where at least one Ticat player will come from, you might want to drop a few bucks on Laval. Over the past 10 drafts, Hamilton has taken more players from the Rouge et Or (8) than from any other school. Next on the list is St. Mary’s with six, and the University of British Columbia with five.
MASCOT?
Fifty years ago this week, the Maple Leafs won the Stanley Cup for the last time. As with every other team that won, all the players and management’s named were engraved on the silver trophy. The oddest entry, though?
Look closely and you’ll see Richard Smythe — son of team doctor Hugh Smythe and grandson of former team owner Conn Smythe — etched onto the mug as Mascot. sradley@thespec.com 905-526-2440 | @radleyatthespec Spectator columnist Scott Radley hosts The Scott Radley Show weeknights from 7-9 on 900CHML