Here is a snippet from my weekly column that will be coming out on Halloween...I propose a few questions and who I would vote for...of course they are sports related...
With the election just a week away in Saskatchewan, I thought I would go with a voting theme. Since there is another week until the election, this is part one of a two-part voting column.
Starting in the CFL, which team has been the most surprising this year from a positive perspective? The choices are the B.C. Lions who got off to a dismal start and turned it up rattling off multiple wins in a row; the Edmonton Eskimos who went from basement dwellers last year to the top dogs; and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers who could not get a win when it was close last year but were first in the east heading into the weekend. They also adapted the phrase swaggerville to their name as they have been playing relatively good.
My vote: While the Lions have been unreal right now and the Bombers have turned their ship around, I am going to have to go with Edmonton. After adding Eric Tillman as the general manager, the team went through an overhaul of sorts and has got things turned around in a hurry. I don’t think anyone would have predicted the Eskimos to be in first in the west this late in the season.
To the NFL and who has the best chance at getting the first overall pick in next year’s draft? The winless Miami Dolphins who are going through quarterbacks like there is no tomorrow; the St. Louis Rams who were thought to have a decent year but were 0-6 last week; or the Indianapolis Colts who miss Peyton Manning as their quarterback.
My vote: The Colts. You can tell that the 0-7 team misses their injured quarterback and they have yet to get much going. However, Manning does not run the defense and giving up 62 points to the New Orleans Saints does not bode well. What it does bode well for is the first overall draft pick, which could be a quarterback if Manning’s injury persists.
My NHL question pertains to the Winnipeg Jets and is more of a dream for fans of that club. Who should the Jets acquire next? The choices are former netminder Nikolai Khabibulin who is also known as the ‘Bulin Wall. The tender played with old Jets team, albeit near the end of its tenure in the city; Teemu Selanne, the finnish flash. Selanne was the Jets for many years, setting a record for most goals scored by a rookie; Jonathan Toews. The captain of the Chicago Blackhawks is a native of Manitoba and a Stanley Cup winner.
My vote: ‘Hawks captain Jonathan Toews. Toews is the face of that franchise and would easily be the face of the Jets for years to come. Having a local guy as the team’s captain would not only be amazing but also raise interest to the team like never before. I know that there is enough interest there right now but adding Toews would be pretty cool. My second choice would be Selanne. I am a fan of retro stuff so adding the finnish flash to the organization would be incredible, although it would probably only be for a year since he has been contemplating retirement for the past few seasons. In his hey day, Selanne was simply outstanding.
