My boys are in their 30s, a touch older than the Gaudreau brothers.
And all I can think about this morning and yesterday — like a lot of you — is the Gaudreau family, all together to celebrate the younger sister’s wedding, and the two hockey-playing brothers are killed when out for a ride on their bikes, hit by an apparently drunk driver.
Johnny Hockey was a husband, a son, a brother, an all-star, a father of two little ones who will grow up not knowing their dad.
Matthew was a hockey player, not as famous as his older brother, but also a son, a brother, a husband with a wife expecting their first child. A child who will grow up without its father.
Family is everything. This is beyond hockey and sport and it is life and death at its absolute worst. Two athletes, two husbands, two terrific people, killed in a reckless needless collision.
Hug your kids today. Hug them tight. Hug them tomorrow. Tell them you love them. Make sure they know.
Think of the Gaudreau brothers. Think of your brothers and sisters and your family. Think of your own. Be fortunate for all you have.
A QUICK THOUGHT
Historically, the prison sentences for drunk drivers who cause death are not particularly lengthy in either Canada or the United States. It is a part of justice and society that is difficult to comprehend. One apparently drunken driver killed the Gaudreau brothers. He should have the book thrown at him. New Jersey is apparently one of the tougher states when it comes to punishment. This is a good place to begin precedent of harsher sentences for those who choose to drink and drive at a time when the alternatives are so apparent.
THIS AND THAT
Auston Matthews is the highest paid player in the NHL at $13.2 million a season, and you have to wonder: Is he getting ripped off by the Maple Leafs? And are all hockey superstars underpaid in the NHL’s salary-capped world? …. There are 120 players in the NBA this season who will be paid more than Matthews. Steph Curry just signed a new deal to pay him $62 million a season — which is almost five times what Matthews is getting paid. At $70 million, Shohei Ohtani outreaches everyone in major-league North American sport. And quarterback Joe Burrow will make more money this season with the Cincinnati Bengals — $55 million — than Matthews will be paid for the entirety of his four-year deal with the Leafs … Bigger picture, it makes you wonder: Are hockey’s greatest players getting paid what they deserve? Before there was a salary cap, Jaromir Jagr and Peter Forsberg were the highest paid players in the game. Their salary was $11 million in 2004. That was 20 years ago. At the time, Brett Favre was the highest-paid player in the NFL at $9 million a season. Shaquille O’Neal topped the NBA at $28 million and Manny Ramirez led baseball, taking home $22 million. NFL star salaries have gone up by six times since 2004, while baseball and basketball have basically doubled since then. NHL star salaries are up 20% in a 20-year-period in which league revenue is up 200%. Something doesn’t add up from the players’ end on this one, especially from the super duper stars such as Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar, the giant difference-makers …. The value of the Maple Leafs as a franchise in 2004 was $228 million. The estimated value now is $1.5 billion … This is an odd juxtaposition: At $4.1 billion, the Bengals are the least valued NFL franchise. And how often in sports does the franchise with the least value wind up paying the most money for its best player? Not sure that’s ever happened before. The Dallas Cowboys, by the way, have an estimated worth of $10.1 billion so, at the end of the day, what does it really matter how much or how little they end up paying quarterback Dak Prescott?
HEAR AND THERE
When Wayne Gretzky turned professional at the age of 17, there was all kinds of worry that he wouldn’t be ready for pro hockey. He was too skinny. He was too weak. He was too much of a kid to compete against men. All that was being said about him before he played a game of pro hockey. And if you listened closely in recent months, much the same was being said about Caitlin Clark. She was too skinny, too slight, not physical enough to compete in the WNBA. She hadn’t played against the best. But she has this Gretzky in her game. An innate ability to see what others cannot. To pass the ball (in Gretzky’s case, the puck) to places that don’t seem possible or likely. Her vision and sense of game is reminiscent of the Gretzky years. She’s inventing a new way to play. And like with Gretzky in the early years, and most years frankly, I can’t stop watching it. I want to see what happens next with Clark … As a rookie, Clark leads the WNBA in assists. Gretzky led the NHL in assists in his first season and did so for the 12 seasons that would follow … ESPN is trying to make the argument that there is a rookie-of-the-year race between Clark and Angel Reese in the WNBA. That’s nonsense, of course. That’s like putting Michael Jordan and Dennis Rodman against each other. The choice is that obvious … Bruno Caboclo, the one-time Raptors first-round pick, did enough at the Olympics to impress the Golden State Warriors He’s getting a look at age 28 with one of the NBA’s best operators … The same company that isn’t paying Matthews enough money is paying $35 million a year for Raptors guard Immanuel Quickley, who might be an above-average NBA player. And that’s how much an above-average NBA player gets paid these days. The economics of sport remains baffling … And, yeah, I liked the games better when we didn’t know what every player earned. Then we just liked or disliked players based on their play or their teams — not on their dollar value.
SCENE AND HEARD
Roger Federer is retired. Rafael Nadal is close to that. Novak Djokovic is out of the U.S. Open early. The greatest era in tennis is over. And with Carlos Alcaraz out early in New York, it’s hard to know what to watch late at night at the Open … Alexei Popyrin won the tennis Canadian Open in Montreal last month and used that momentum to knock out Djokovic on Friday night … Hands up, all of you who had hard-serving giant Gabriel Diallo as the last Canadian standing in singles at the Open. Felix Auger-Aliassime, Denis Shapovalov, Leylah Fernandez and Bianca Andreescu all lost their first-round matches. Only Andreescu, playing one of her best matches in years, put in a performance of any value. The greatest era of Canadian tennis — even with Diallo — appears to be on hold … A reason to avoid Argos games: They charge $8.50 for a bottle of Diet Coke (or regular Coke) at BMO Field. They asked me if I wanted a receipt when I bought one. I said: “No, I’m as embarrassed about this and you should be.” The same bottle sold for $5 at the Food Building, just steps away from BMO on the Exhibition grounds. The same bottle sells at your grocery store for just over $2 … If you ask Brian Cashman, general manager of the first-place New York Yankees, who the best GM in professional sports is, his answer wouldn’t take much time. He’d say Lou Lamoriello. He’d say it quickly. That attitude, of course, drives the online Lamoriello-haters — those who have never bothered to understand him — crazy … If Florida, Tampa Bay, Toronto, Boston, New York Rangers and Carolina are pretty much sure things to make the playoffs in the Eastern Conference of the NHL — and I think they are — does that mean New Jersey, Ottawa, Buffalo, Detroit, Pittsburgh, Washington, Islanders and Montreal are eight teams playing for the other two playoff spots? … Matthews is the seventh Maple Leafs captain I’ve covered in Toronto. Craig Berube is my 15th head coach. Brad Treliving is my 13th GM, 14 if you count two stints for Cliff Fletcher … The best GM to date: Fletcher; The best coach: Pat Burns … Sheldon Keefe is taking up season residence in Hoboken, N.J., birthplace of Frank Sinatra, as he prepares to coach his first season with the Devils. Keefe’s family will spend most of the hockey season in its Oakville home … The King’s Plate story that never got written: All-star jockey Kazushi Kimura didn’t show up to ride Midnight Mascot in the big race. The reason: Apparently, he either lost his passport or had it stolen in a California robbery, where he was working at the time.
AND ANOTHER THING
When the Blue Jays traded Teoscar Hernandez, it wasn’t because they wanted to cut down on fun in the dugout, the popular story going around, It was because they determined he wasn’t worth $20 million a year. Hernandez is being paid $23 million on his one-year deal with the Dodgers. He will be paid more than that next year, wherever he signs, including Toronto. Hernandez has 28 home runs and 87 RBIs. Vladimir Guerrero Jr., having a giant season, has 27 home runs and 88 RBIs. His next contract will pay him more than $30 million a season … If the Blue Jays return next season with Daulton Varsho starting in centre field and George Springer in right, they’ll need at least two monster bats to overcome two players who are below .300 in on-base percentage … Aaron Judge’s on-base percentage is .464. Juan Soto’s is .422. The two have walked 219 times this season. Varsho and Springer have been walked 98 times … You think of Vladdy as a kid and Soto as a veteran. And yet, Soto is only five months older than Guerrero … Judge is having one of the great offensive seasons of all-time, maybe as great a season as any American Leaguer has ever had. He currently leads in home runs, RBIs, walks, on-base percentage, slugging, OPS, OPS+ and total bases. He walks away with the MVP, even with Bobby Witt Jr. having a special season in Kansas City. Witt leads the AL in hits, runs, and batting average … You have to start believing in Bowden Francis. And I offer this up with the sound of Pat Gillick ringing in my ears saying: “Don’t believe anything you see in spring training or September.” September starts today. In August, Francis threw 34 innings for the Jays, with an earned run average of 1.05. That seems semi-believable under crazy circumstances … The Blue Jays record this season when they’ve score fewer than three runs: 3-38 … The Jays have had 26 games this season scoring one run or fewer. Their record in those games is 1-25. The one win came against the dreadful White Sox … The Yankees have 120 home runs from the top four batters in their order. The Orioles have 106 home runs. The Guardians have 86. The Astros have 94. The Jays have 69 … Depending on whether Guerrero plays first base or third base next season, the Jays will require a new corner infielder, possibly a new shortstop, a new outfielder with power, a new designated hitter with power and a new catcher. And, honestly, do you trust Ross Atkins and Mark Shapiro to do that much heavy lifting during the off-season? Really, Edward Rogers, where are you on all this? … Sportsnet has sold Monday Night Hockey to Amazon this coming season. Andi Petrillo will host, the excellent John Forslund will do play-by-play with Jody Shelley doing colour and Mark Askin will come out of retirement to produce the games … A belated happy 85th birthday to the legendary story-teller and hockey mind Sherry Bassin … And happy birthday to McKinnon (29), Rico Carty (85), Brian Conacher (84), Jalen Brunson (28), Edwin Moses (69), Tom Coughlin (78), Scott Niedermayer (51), Kent Nilsson (68), Brian Bellows (60), Mats Zuccarello (37), Mike Smrek (62) and Tom Candiotti (68) … And hey, whatever became of Kent Austin?
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