Long haul can wear you down
We can forgive the Junior A Crushers for the 9-3 pounding they suffered on Thursday night against the South Shore Lumberjacks.
Two days after they were officially eliminated from the MHL playoffs, it’s very possible the Crushers lacked the necessary intensity against a team that still had something to play for, after Pictou County had spent the better part of three months trying to chase down the Truro Bearcats.
That long haul, followed by a sudden and irrevocable end to their playoff hopes, can wear you out mentally, and while some might say a hockey team should be able to get up for every game, that’s not always how human nature works.
If there’s any positives to take from a 9-3 loss — and it wouldn’t take all day to list them — it’s that Michael Dill scored two goals and is now four points away from hitting the 200-point mark in his junior career, with four games left in which to do it.
“You just don’t replace a Michael Dill,” assistant coach Chad McDavid said this week.
Arguably the best player in team history, Dill recently broke the Crushers’ all-time points record (as well as the all-time assists mark) and the captain will surely be missed when he’s playing U.S. college hockey next season in Massachusetts, and not wearing his familiar #47 sweater on Thursdays at the Pictou County Wellness Centre.
Other random sports thoughts
• Basketball is a sport that I find much more entertaining when watching it in person as opposed to TV, which is why I’d much rather watch a local high school game than the NBA, where some hustle and defence would be a welcome addition. A high school provincial girls game on Thursday at North Nova Education Centre between the NNEC Gryphons and Horton High School – Horton won it – was intense, fast and highly competitive. You can literally stand a few feet away from them and watch as the players fiercely compete for every rebound and every inch of the floor. Good stuff.
• A couple of buddies who are passionate fans of the Edmonton Oilers are not in a good mood these days. Just to provide one example, I ran into Dave the other night and with as much sincerity as one could muster, said to him “sorry about the Oilers situation” and Dave goes “f--- off” because he thinks I’m pouring salt on the wounds (or maybe he said it just to say it, which is not beyond the realm of possibility, either).
Meanwhile, I’m getting daily texts from Mr. Loc about Taylor Hall, the former Oilers captain who was traded to New Jersey a couple of years ago, and now looks to be leading the Devils right into the playoffs. (He has a 23-game points streak going into the weekend, but Oilers fans aren’t in the mood for celebrating it. Understandably so.)
Hall’s former team in northern Alberta can’t win even with Connor McDavid; doesn’t have a lot of solid prospects in the minor leagues; is bereft of good draft picks and salary cap space to bolster their roster in free agency.
Oh, they also don’t have anyone who can score beyond McDavid and their goaltending isn’t very good. Otherwise, the Oilers are in great shape.