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• The Nashville Predators, a first-time Stanley Cup participant, are a nice story. But there needs to be a more compelling reason to stay indoors and watch paint-by-numbers hockey at this time of year, when a walk or a bike ride in the park is an option. Thank goodness for mobile-friendly NHL radio broadcasts.

• Whoever conceived the idea of hockey panels should be forced to watch 231 consecutive showings of “Snatched” or “King Arthur: Legend of the Sword.” (The sword, by the way, should have been used to savagely edit the film.)

• The Roughriders’ current head coach, general manager and vice-president of football operations is the second Chris Jones in franchise history. A receiver of the same name caught eight passes for 56 yards for the 2009 Roughriders.

• The “other” Chris Jones has actually assembled a decent team. Most of the requisite pieces are in place. The primary concern here does not pertain to the quarterbacking, but instead to whether the Green and White will be able to protect the passer.

• It is difficult to watch the Memorial Cup without wondering how the Regina Pats would have fared.

• With Shaw out of the equation as far as covering major-junior hockey, Sportsnet West should pick up the slack. What is more “West” than the Western Hockey League?

• The WHL has the right idea. The league has named trophies in honour of Ed Chynoweth, Brad Hornung and Doug Wickenheiser. Now, when will the CFL get around to naming a trophy after Ron Lancaster?

• Nice people who deserve a plug: Jeff Fairholm, Craig Dickenson, Brad Evanochko, Rhett Dawson, Gord Craig, Susan Craig, Aimee Kowalski, Carmen Agar, Kelsey Murphy, Lyndon Bray, Roshelle Montgomery, Noah Picton, Nathan Morrison, Brian Robinson, Tim Iannone, Sheryl Iannone, Georgia Iannone, Clint Uhrich, Nancy Ostime, Corey Rubisch and Joyce Murphy.

rvanstone@postmedia.com

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