Jamie Nye: No excuses! Shake hands no matter what

Moose Jaw Warriors head coach Tim Hunter got some heat for not shaking hands after the Saskatoon Blades swept his Warriors on Wednesday night.

Hunter’s excuse is he was looking at the replay to see if it was offside. Two problems; the goal judge can’t review offside and there are no coach’s challenges.

I’m not going to say he wasn’t looking at the replay, but it was no reason to disrespect fellow head coach Mitch Love on a great rookie campaign as the Blades’ bench boss or the players, especially the 20-year olds of the Blades who are in their last season.

Some believe the handshakes are a tired tradition, but it’s a healthy one. It’s a tradition to remind us it’s only a game and sportsmanship should override bitter rivalries in the end.

Former Dallas captain Brenden Morrow said it best on the Green Zone. His hate of losing was more than his love of winning. But, he still did the right thing after a playoff defeat and shook hands.

Hunter needs to set a similar example for his teenage players no matter how hard the losses are.