10 CANADA DAY WEEKEND THINGS

Taking shots …

1 – OH CANADA: It’s been wonderful watching, and participating in, Canada Day celebrations from coast-to-coast. It feels like on this long weekend Canadians are putting their differences aside for a couple of days, and celebrating what a unique and great country ours is. Does it have problems? Yes. Every country does. But the pros outweigh the cons.

Remember there are idiots everywhere, but there are also good people everywhere. It’s up to you whom you engage with.

2 – NHL FREE AGENCY: Aside from Twitter malfunctioning this weekend, the opening of NHL Free Agency has been a TRIP! It was fun watching TSN’s coverage and the kibitzing amongst the analysts, and they brought all the heavy-hitters in like Craig Button, Darren Dreger, Bob McKenzie and my new buddy Pierre LeBrun. The signings were somewhat jaw-dropping but remember the analysis which goes with them is a whole lotta fake news. For instance, TSN’s Mike Johnson listed the Nashville Predators as the Biggest Loser of Free Agency so far while USA Today listed them as a Winner. Huh?

Anyway my Free Agency Winner is the Carolina Hurricanes while so far the Biggest Loser is …

3 – THE CALGARY FLAMES: It’s proving to be a steep learning curve for rookie Flames GM Craig Conroy after being handed a hot potato by outgoing GM Brad Treliving. The star players reportedly want out, he’s having a tough time getting equal value on the trade front (the Tyler Toffoli deal for instance), and there still seems to be an overall culture problem that wasn’t fixed by the ouster of Darryl Sutter. Oy vey, as my Jewish friends in Boca Raton say. It is definitely time to scrap it all and go with an outright rebuild, whatwith the new GM, rookie head coach and plenty of talent in the pipeline. These fans might even go for it.

Meanwhile Calgary media and influential insiders are imploring Flames owner Murray Edwards to sell the team. This all reminds me of circa 2012-2014 when we were begging for a sale of the Regina Pats. And on May 15, 2014, the Pats were sold to Queen City Sports & Entertainment Group, led by Todd Lumbard and Anthony Marquart. Within three years they were in the WHL Final for the first time since 1984.

So there’s hope!?

Yet no one seems to be able to put their finger on why these players and staff want out, which is scary stuff. Sort of like when the doctor says, “We’re not sure what’s wrong with you.”

Gulp.

4 – FINAL NHL NOTES: It was an exceptional move by the Florida Panthers to sign defenceman Oliver Ekman-Larsson. He’s a totally different player than outgoing D-man Radko Gudas, but a significant talent upgrade. Any early predictions on next year’s Stanley Cup Final? Maybe the Cats will get back there. … An NHL scout texted me Saturday that he’s hearing the Nashville Predators are trying to get their hands on Winnipeg Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck. Stay tuned. … Bruiser Ryan Reaves signing with the Toronto Maple Leafs is interesting. Confucius always said: “If Kelly McCrimmon is no longer interested, don’t touch him.” … Mike Babcock in Columbus is super interesting too. Has he changed into a players coach? It’s doubtful! In one of his post-Maple Leafs interviews on The RP Show, Mike refused to make any apologies for anything. But we’ll see! I like Babs and hope for the best, but the Blue Jackets don’t have a recent history of making great decisions. … And Shane Doan leaving the Arizona Coyotes tells you all you need to know about what’s going on in The Valley these days.

5 – LOU: Lost in the shuffle was Friday’s announcement by Peter Loubardias that he’s stepping down after 10 seasons as Calgary Flames radio colour commentator to pursue other opportunities. Also on Friday, Loubardias Media was quietly announced. I’m not entirely certain what Lou has planned but there are plenty of opportunities out there for someone of Pete’s experience, reputation, work ethic, and personality. Calgary Flames broadcasts won’t be the same!

6 – CFL WEEK 4: In a torrential downpour at McGill on Saturday night, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers scored a waterlogged 17-3 victory over the Montreal Alouettes. The TSN Turning Point was Cody Fajardo’s goalline interception in the third quarter with his Alouettes only down 10-0. I’d blame the weather for Montreal’s poor showing, but both teams had to play in it. Cody was 17/27 for 258, 1 INT, 0 TDs and had 40 yards rushing. On the other side, Zach Collaros was 15/23 for 193, 1 INT, 2 TDs and 4 rushing yards. Fajardo was also sacked four times, and likely has PTSD today.

7 – MORE CFL: The whispers grew into murmurs, and now they’re screaming in Edmonton for Chris Jones’ head after the Elks lost another one, 26-7 at Ottawa Friday night, to fall to 0-4. The game was actually closer than the score indidates, but the Elks were still dreadful and as much as I’m a Jones guy, this team and regime are getting awfully hard to defend. At this point, somebody’s going to need to walk the plank and my guess is it’ll be Offensive Coordinator Stephen McAdoo, however he’s closer to Jones than anybody. Sometimes you’re blinded by your loyalties. But folks, before the season the Elks raved to me about their talent and the fact remains, they’re the youngest team in the CFL. So is this still a “it takes time” thing? … One thing I love about the reaction in Edmonton is the PASSION displayed by the media whom are raging about Jones. They’re uncharacteristically emotional for reporters, which I actually love. They care. When that ends, look out. … So far, so good for the Saskatchewan Roughriders. At 2-1 and on a bye – which has allowed them to heal up – they look good. Remember who implored the Rider Nation to give rookie Offensive Coordinator Kelly Jeffrey a chance this offseason? This guy. … This season is still in its infancy and every team will face adversity at some point but again, so far, so good. … Monday’s clash at BMO Field between B.C. and Toronto – the Braley Bowl – will decide who’s the CFL’s top team. … Don’t look now but the Calgary Stampeders are 1-2. Their bye week has allowed coach Dave Dickenson to look under the hood and give his club an early season tuneup. Not sure what happened to CFL coverage in this city but the Stamps can go about their business in relative obscurity and Dickenson seems like the kind of guy that would like that. But some hype would be nice! … Oh, and Genius Sports better be frigging amazing because so far they’ve been exactly the opposite and have been a giant egg on the CFL’s face.

8 – ESPN LAYOFFS: There were some big names among ESPN’s latest round of layoffs on Friday including analysts Chris Chelios, Jeff Van Gundy, Jalen Rose and Rob Ninkovich. The NY Post also reported that longtime ESPN announcer Max Kellerman “was affected” but didn’t say he was outright let go. (How many of Kellerman’s shows need to be cancelled before they open their eyes? But I digress). None of the news of those top guys bothered me because they made millions as players and will be fine. None of them are actual broadcasters. However the one layoff which bothered me the most was Suzy Kolber. She was, reportedly, one of the first females to play boys tackle football in America, and was also an original anchor on ESPN2 when it launched in 1993. Suzy deserves to be known for so much more than the sideline reporter a drunk Joe Namath tried to kiss on the sidelines of a Monday Night Football broadcast. (Broadway Joe entered a treatment program and never drank after that night, by the way. Talk about a rock bottom). Anyway, Suzy has had a stellar career and didn’t deserve for it to end this way but if you’ve noticed, not too many get a 21-gun salute in the sports, media, or sports media business.

My phone keeps ringing from suddenly out-of-work broadcasters in both Canada and the USA wondering what to do next? I routinely tell them to dust off their other skills but so few have ever worked to find, or refine them. I’m so grateful to have this booming Recovery Coaching business. (PedersenRecovery@AOL.com)

9 – CHARLOTTE, NC: Pleased to announce on Friday that we’ve been tabbed to broadcast USA Football’s IFAF Americas Continental Championship and NFL Flag One Flag Championship on the Olympic Network and HomeTeam Live next weekend in Charlotte, NC! We’ll also be broadcasting the RP Show live from UNC-Charlotte so be sure to tune in as we cover all the same sports, but from a new, exciting location. What a tremendous opportunity this is to make new friends with USA Football and the National Football League. The door finally opened. Thanks Logan Fraser, Tanner Goetz and HomeTeam Live!

10 – RANDOMS: The Blue Jays stink! … “They hate when you’re wrong. But they hate it even more when you’re right.” – Former Roughriders Voice Geoff Currier. … The Saskatchewan Rattlers host the Niagara River Lions on Sunday evening at SaskTel Centre. Go!! … I knew Connor Bedard when he only had 16,000 Instagram followers. Pshaw. Now it’s a half mill. … Dodge Caravan drivers don’t wave to each other like Jeep drivers do. … Why don’t deejays give their last names on the air anymore? … 90% of the battle is just showing up. … People keep asking why I don’t golf. Let’s recap: I’m shitty at it, it’s hella expensive, and it pisses me off. To quote Coach Mike Kelly again, “Now what don’t we understand about that?” …. AND HOW WAS YOUR WEEK?

Y’er welcome,
RP
@rodpedersen