Under Further Review – Douglas Smith with Editor Bill Morphy. Regular contributors include Jordan Moss, Rob Wagner, Howard Steiss, Ian MacPhee, Dave Kittle, Peter Hucul, Ted Tait, Bill and Glen Myles, Frank Sullivan, Mark Hughes, Iqbal Grewall and Charlie Frenette.   

Spanning the digital ether to bring you the constant variety of sport… the thrill of victory… and the agony of defeat… the human drama of athletic competition… This is Under Further Review.

Radko the Terrible – Radko Gudas is a menace. Let’s review, shall we. By any account, Auston Matthews is one of the best players in the NHL. He’s a former Hart Trophy winner with a pair of 60-goal seasons. Gudas, the Anaheim Ducks resident hit man, is a third-pairing defenceman with a history of thuggery. No one would pay five cents to watch the guy play. Matthews is gone for the remainder of the season and may require surgery. Gudas will sit out five games. He now has five suspensions on his rap sheet. A quintessential repeat offender.

So much for NHL justice.

Seldom in the NHL does the punishment meet the crime. The Gudas body count grows yet the NHL does nothing. George Parros, the guy in charge of NHL supplementary discipline for the past nine seasons, is himself a former goon. That’s like having Bernie Madoff in charge of your investments. The NHL is helpless to make the game safe for its star players. Regardless of your opinion of Matthews, and we’ve been highly critical of his leadership capabilities, the NHL must protect its best players. Wonder what Sidney Crosby is thinking after his Olympics were ruined by Gudas.

Good on Judd Moldaver, the agent for Matthews and Connor McDavid, for sounding off. Moldaver called the suspension and the decision to hold only a phone hearing “laughable and preposterous.” In a statement, he added, “Players and fans deserve better. The Player Safety Department should be suspended.”

Player safety has never been a priority in the NHL. Pretty sad when you can’t even crack down on repeat offenders. If a dangerous knee-on-knee hit on one of the NHL’s best players is not a flashpoint, good luck hoping things will be different next time. And there will be a next time.

Meanwhile, much of the talk in Toronto surrounded the lack of response to the hit from Matthews’ teammates. No one stepped up to answer the bell. Privately, Craig Berube must have been seething. Just another black mark on the Leafs dismal season.

Canucks Notebook – The Canucks were certainly in need of some good news for a change. Reports say the team is close to an agreement with the City of Vancouver on a new practice facility at the old Britannia rink site. Canucks president Jimmy Rutherford has been working on this file for close to five years. The Canucks are the only team in the NHL without a designated practice facility.

It’s been a frustrating process for the Canucks with a number of complicating factors including the cost of land in Vancouver and the need to have the facility in close proximity to Rogers Arena. It’s rather ironic that the Canucks actually used Britannia as a practice rink back in the 1980’s and early 90’s. While details of the project are not yet known, it should make it easier for players to spend more of the off-season in Vancouver. Although it may be welcome news, it does seem like making the best of a bad situation rather than going the distance and building a first-class training facility of their own.

It’s apparently occurred to Canucks management that having some toughness in the lineup may be a good idea. The team hasn’t employed a certifiable ‘tough guy’ for several years. How many times have we seen opposing teams take cheap shots with no response? Just ask Brock Boeser who was concussed by Tanner Jeannot. The Canucks had no deterrent. How many times did a player take a run at Quinn Hughes?

Enter Curtis Douglas. All 6-foot-9, 242 pounds of him. If you are going to lose, and we know there are a lot of losses in the Canucks immediate future, you may as well ensure your young players are protected. In 29 games with the Tampa Lightning this season, Douglas had eight fighting majors, one more than the Canucks had as a team this season. No doubt Douglas is well aware of his calling card. He fought Ottawa Senators defenceman Kurtis MacDermid nine seconds into his first NHL game.

Douglas, who just turned 26, is exactly what the Canucks need more of. Big, willing and Canadian. Due to his long road to the NHL, Douglas can become an unrestricted free agent this summer. The Canucks have a few weeks to assess his work. Judging by the early returns, it looks like it would be wise to bring him back.

It’s going to take more than just hoarding draft picks for the Canucks to turn their fortunes around. The team has shown little creativity when it comes to asset management. You need to serve as a clearinghouse. Rehabilitating distressed assets is good business. Montreal did it with Sean Monahan. San Jose did it with Jake Walman. Simply trading players for picks is not going to cut it.

The Canucks are reportedly in the mix to sign several NCAA free agents who are about to turn professional. One player in their sights is Union College right-winger Brandon Buhr, a 23-year-old Burnaby native. He played five seasons in the BCHL including a stint with the Coquitlam Express before going the college route. Buhr is 6-foot-4 and 205 pounds and fits the profile of the kind of player the Canucks need to be recruiting. Could be a potential bottom six forward.

NHL Notebook – There was cause to celebrate in Ottawa when word came down the NHL was reinstating the Senators 2026 first-round pick. The Sens had been stripped of the top selection after a botched trade with Vegas in 2021. The Sens will be fined one million dollars but now get to make the 32nd selection at the end of the first round.

It’s a big win for Sens owner Michael Andlauer. The penalty always seemed harsh since it wasn’t announced until after Andlauer purchased the team. His behind-the-scenes lobbying paid off. He wisely avoided any critical public statements. (you know how that works when you criticize Gary Bettman). Glad it was settled favourably. The last time the Sens drafted 32nd they took Shane Pinto. You can bet they’d like to do that again.

The Senators are making a late charge for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Don’t be surprised of Ottawa chases down the Detroit Red Wings and grabs one of the two wildcard spots. The Wings have run into a string of injuries down the middle and are currently without Dylan Larkin, Andrew Copp and Michael Rasmussen. GM Steve Yzerman may regret sitting on his hands at the deadline and not pulling off a deal for Blues centre Robert Thomas.

If you are keeping score, no less than 10 teams are without a 2026 first-round draft pick following this year’s trade deadline. The St. Louis Blues hold three first-rounders and a total of 12 picks overall. Seven other teams have a pair of first-round picks including Calgary, Vancouver, Boston, Chicago, Seattle, San Jose and the New York Rangers.

Looking back at the trade deadline, it’s hard to give high marks to several teams. The Rangers tried and failed to move veteran centre Vincent Trocheck. Defenceman Adam Fox  and winger Alexis Lafreniere may also be on the block this summer as the Rangers move into a full-blown rebuild. There’s still no hiding the fact the Rangers struck out at the deadline.

The New Jersey Devils have been a major disappointment this season. They were handcuffed by the inability to move veteran blueliner Dougie Hamilton. His contract has turned into a millstone. Still can’t understand why the Devils would consider trading Simon Nemec, the 2022 second-overall pick. The Devils have gone from emerging Eastern Conference power to enigma in a matter of a few seasons. Forget about Quinn Hughes signing to play with his brothers. The odds of Hughes re-upping with Minnesota have increased big time.

Leading up to the deadline, the Nashville Predators were pegged as one of the biggest sellers. Instead, things were very quiet in Music City. The big names on the market all stayed put. It will be someone else’s problem this summer since Barry Trotz is stepping aside as GM. It will be interesting to see how deep the Preds are prepared to cut. Stamkos, Marchessault, O’Reilly, even Josi and Saros, could be in play.

The Philadelphia Flyers got a bump this season with the arrival of Rick Tocchet. Not sure how that helps their long-range rebuilding plans. The Flyers still don’t have the kind of high impact foundational pieces you need to build around. The Flyers are going to end up drafting somewhere near the middle of the first round. Not the kind of place you want to be sitting when you are still miles away from contention.

It’s been a nightmare season for the Toronto Maple Leafs but there is some good news on the way. They are in line to sign two top Russian free agents, Vitali Summer-off and Vladimir Tee-off.

Macklin Celebrini’s kid bother R.J. is putting up video game numbers in the top U15 league in Vancouver. R.J. is just 14 and playing out of the North Shore Winter Club. In 55 games, he’s scored 69 goals and 143 points. It’s one of the most dominant seasons ever. Could he end up being just as good as his big brother?

The Fifth Major – It was a remarkable weekend for Canada’s Sudarshan Yellamaraju on one of the biggest stages in golf. At the midway mark of the Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra, Florida, Yellamaraju was T51 and 13 strokes back of the lead. He struggled just to make the cut.  But Yellamaraju rallied with a 66 on Saturday, then followed it up with a final round 68 to finish in a tie for fifth. It was Yellamaraju’s first career top-10 and the best result at The Players by a PGA Tour rookie since 2013. He earned US$925,000 which is more than his career earnings as a professional.  For a kid who’s never had a swing coach and is basically self-taught from YouTube videos, Yallamaraju’s story is right out of a movie script.

In case you were wondering, a top-5 finish at The Players does not guarantee a spot at the Masters, unlike other major championships where a top-4 finish can provide an exemption.

American Cameron Young captured golf’s fifth major. England’s Matthew Fitzpatrick bogeyed the 18th hole to lose by a shot. Corey Conners stumbled to a final round 74 and dropped from fourth to T13. Conners continues to be plagued by sub-par putting. Among the other Canadians, Nick Taylor finished T42 while Taylor Pendrith finished T46. Mackenzie Hughes and Tour rookie A.J. Ewart both missed the cut.

Although missing the cut in his first Players start, Ewart has already proved he belongs. The Vancouver native missed the cut at the opening tournament of the season but made the weekend in five straight events with a combined score of minus-44. His best finish was T13 with two other top-30 finishes. Ewart has an excellent putting stroke which should serve him well.

Meanwhile, a missed two-foot putt prevented Toronto-born Richard Lee from a playoff with Bryson DeChambeau at a LIV Golf event in Singapore. Lee can’t be too upset. The 35-year-old picked up $2,250,000 for his runner-up finish, the largest cheque of his career.

Seahawks Notebook – Being Super Bowl champion is never easy. Teams come calling for your players. The first few days of NFL free agency hit the Seahawks hard. The crackerjack 2022 draft class took it on the chin. Outside linebacker Boye Mafe (3-years, $60 million) agreed to terms with the Cincinnati Bengals, safety Coby Bryant (3-years, $40 million) signed with the Chicago Bears, Ken Walker III (3-years, $45 million) joined the Kansas City Chiefs and cornerback Riq Woolen (1-year, $15 million) took his act to Philadelphia. Charles Cross and Abe Lucas are the only players remaining from the ’22 draft class. Altogether, the group has now signed second contracts worth over $310 million. What a tribute to the Seahawks front office.

The Mafe contract was a big overpay. No chance the Seahawks were going to go there. Walker earned a big payday but like many teams, Seattle was unwilling to pay a running back that kind of money. No question the free agent losses will have a negative impact. That’s life as a Super Bowl champ.

The Seahawks did hold onto two free agents. Cornerback Josh Jobe agreed to a three-year, $24 million dollar deal  and receiver Rashid Shaheed signed for three years and $51 million. Looking closely at the deals, both contracts are essentially two-year commitments that can be revisited before Year 3, depending on how each player is performing.

Seattle now stands to enjoy extra draft capital next offseason. The Seahawks are projected to receive a fourth-round compensatory pick for losing Mafe and a trio of fifth-round picks for losing Walker, Bryant and Woolen. Seattle still has over $40 million in cap space to work the secondary market. Pretty disciplined work in our opinion.

NFL Free Agent Frenzy – There’s a definite stench around the Maxx Crosby fiasco. The Baltimore Ravens backed out of a trade agreement with the Las Vegas Raiders that would have landed the star pass-rusher in Baltimore for a pair of first-round picks. The fallout has reverberated around the league with calls for the NFL to mount an investigation. Crosby failed a medical upon arrival in Baltimore, the timing of which was very suspicious. The Ravens almost immediately signed Bengals free agent Trey Hendrickson.

There seems to be a very fine line between being shrewd and deceptive. Many executives around the league voiced skepticism since the Ravens have backed out of several agreements before. It sure looks like the Ravens played two hands simultaneously hoping to come away with a top pass rusher one way or the other. The Ravens avoided surrendering draft capital but you can be sure teams will be wary of dealing with them in the future.

World Baseball Classic – It’s been an unpredictable World Baseball Classic which is a big reason why it’s been so entertaining.

The U.S. moved into Tuesday’s final with a nail-biting 2-1 win over the Dominican Republic in a semi-final matchup on Sunday night. The U.S. will now await the winner of the other semi-final on Monday night which has Venezuela facing Italy, the surprise of the tournament. Venezuela shocked defending champion Japan in the quarter-finals.

It took 20 years and five failed attempts for Canada to advance out of pool play at the WBC. Their prize was a date with  the U.S. in the quarterfinals. Although Canada failed to advance, it was a positive showing. The pool of players is growing. We have advanced to the point where we can beat any team at any moment. What more can you ask for?

On the down side, and thanks to a convoluted qualifying process, Canada failed to nail down a spot in the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. Canada hasn’t secured a spot in the Olympic baseball competition since 2008.

It’s tragic to witness the decline of the black athlete in Major League Baseball. The U.S. roster in the World Baseball Classic contained only two black American players, Aaron Judge and Byron Buxton. Not a single pitcher was black. It’s a clear reflection of where the game has gone. Black athletes are not playing baseball. Plain and simple. Gone are the days of Rickey Henderson and Reggie Jackson. During the halcyon years of the Montreal Expos, the team had Andre Dawson, Ellis Valentine, Warren Cromartie and Tim Raines.

Why are black athletes not gravitating toward baseball? One of the main reasons is opportunity. Urban growth has stolen away the ball yards. There’s nowhere to play in the inner-city.  You can’t walk down the street in a black neighbourhood and find a ballpark for a pickup game. You can find a basketball hoop. High schools have football fields. For Latin players growing up in Puerto Rico or Cuba or the Dominican Republic, there are facilities available and a strong baseball culture. That’s not the case in the U.S. and the results are obvious. Major league baseball is largely a white sport with a strong Japanese and Latin presence. Great black ballplayers are few and far between. It’s definitely hurt the game.

MLB Spring Training Notebook – One of the real positive stories coming out of the Blue Jays spring training camp is the play of infielder Josh Kasevich. He’s finally healthy and determined to earn a backup infield spot. Kasevich is hitting .381 this spring with an OPS over 1.000. He’s always had a reputation for solid defence. The bat appears to be catching up.

Can anyone explain why the Blue Jays are babying Trey Yesavage? He’s yet to throw a game in spring training. They are trying to control the number of innings he pitches this season. Understandable. But it’s an odd way of building arm strength. The pendulum has swung too far the other way. Young pitchers are being coddled and too often, for no reason.

The Streak – Shai Gilgeous-Alexander continues to rewrite the NBA record book. SGA ran his streak of consecutive games with 20 points or more to 127 games, breaking the record set by Wilt Chamberlain. The mark had stood since 1963. Any time you can break a record held by Wilt, it’s saying something. It’s like shattering a Gretzky record. Among active players, the closest anyone had come to the record is Kevin Durant with a 72-game streak.

There was no stat padding during SGA’s streak. He had five games of 50+ points. He hit the 20-point mark before the fourth quarter 39 times. Gilgeous-Alexander is still just 27 years old. His OKC Thunder are a budding dynasty. There’s no telling how many records he will set over the next five years. He’s not only the best basketball player ever produced in Canada; he may well end up being one of the greatest all-time Canadian athletes. Not bad for a skinny kid from Hamilton.

Random Leftovers – March Madness is set to begin. Duke has been named the top seed followed by Arizona, Michigan and Florida. The tournament starts Tuesday with play-in games. Last season, defending champion Florida was part of an all-No. 1 Final Four — the first time that happened in 17 seasons. The national champion will be crowned at the Final Four in Indianapolis on April 6.

What the heck is going on with Canadian soccer star Alphonso Davies? His run of bad luck continues. The Bayern Munich left-back suffered a torn thigh muscle in Champions League play. Davies has been snake-bit by injuries and you have to wonder about his fitness heading into this summer’s World Cup. He had ACL surgery in March of 2025 and just returned to action in December. Davies is not expected to return from his latest setback for up to three weeks.

On the surface, it was a remarkable feat. Miami big man Bam Adebayo hit the NBA record books by scoring 83 points in a lopsided win over the Washington Wizards. May have well been the Washington Generals. When you look at the stat line, it was a little short of remarkable. Adebayo shot 20 of 43 from the field, 36 of 43 from the foul line, and 7 for 22 from 3-point range. That’s a lot of shots. The refs certainly played a big part. Adebayo set league marks for free throws attempted and made in a single game. Seems ridiculous he would go to the free throw line that many times. Wilt Chamberlain’s record of 100 points has stood since 1962. Kobe Bryant had been No. 2 on the list with 81.

Nothing like a police manhunt during the middle of a PGA event. A man who shot and killed two people in a Walgreens parking lot near TPC Sawgrass was finally apprehended on Saturday morning. Officials had to delay opening the gates as a precaution prior to the start of the third round. At one point, the police canine unit had pursued the suspect onto the tournament grounds. He managed to steal a vehicle and was finally apprehended about an hour north of the course.

How’s this for appreciation? Former Montreal Expos great Andre Dawson has requested and been granted approval to recast his Hall of Fame plaque with no logo on his cap. The Hawk was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2010 with his plaque representing the Expos organization. The option of a blank cap was not offered until 2014.

“I extend special thanks with much appreciation to the Hall of Fame Board of Directors for a blank cap, which allows me to represent each club fairly,” Dawson said as part of a statement from the Baseball Hall of Fame. The eight-time All-Star played the first 11 seasons of his career in Montreal, where he slashed .280/.326/.476 with 225 home runs and 838 runs batted in.

We have two words for Dawson. FUCK YOU!!!

YouTube Music Video of the Week – One of the performers we have recommended in our regular music playlists is American songstress Diane Birch. She was born in Michigan but raised in Zimbabwe, South Africa by her South African-born parents. After years of urging by their daughter, the family moved back to Portland, Oregon where her music career began to take shape. By all indications, Birch now resides in the UK.

Her hit album ‘Bible Belt’ was recorded in New York City and New Orleans with a formidable team of Grammy-winning producers including the trio who produced Joss Stone’s acclaimed debut, ‘The Soul Sessions.’ Among the players accompanying Birch are guitarist Lenny Kaye of The Patti Smith Group, bassists Adam Blackstone from The Roots, and George Porter of The Meters, acclaimed drummers Stanton Moore of Galactic and Cindy Blackman of Lenny Kravitz fame, saxophonist Lenny Pickett, and trombonist Tom “Bones” Malone, who also wrote horn charts.

Here’s Diane performing “Wind Machine” at the Blue Note in Tokyo in 2024.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNwF0P7SvgE&list=RDrNwF0P7SvgE&start_radio=1

Birch appeared on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson in 2015 and performed her hit “Nothing But a Miracle.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wKnIJv0yCA&list=RD9wKnIJv0yCA&start_radio=1

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