10 NEW YEARS THINGS

Taking shots …

1 – New Years Day was spent at a nearly-soldout FLA Live Arena, enjoying an NHL clash between the New York Rangers and Florida Panthers. Few things give me as much pleasure as watching the Sask boys – or players with Saskatchewan ties – come through Sunrise and Sunday was no different. Prince Albert’s Braden Schneider wears #4 on the Rangers blueline and the former Wheat King had an assist, was plus-1 and logged 12:52 of ice time. Meanwhile Panthers defenceman #28 Josh Mahura was a key member of those Regina Pats teams who went to the 2017 WHL Final and hosted the 2018 Memorial Cup. The St. Albert, AB product also had an assist, was plus-1, and logged 11:46 on Sunday. The Rangers won 5-3 but it’s the games-within-the-game that I enjoy the most.

**NHL NOTE: The Boston Bruins host the Pittsburgh Penguins at Fenway Park Monday at 2:00 pm ET in the latest NHL Outdoor Game. The Bruins – 18-0-3 at home – are looking to match the N.Y. Rangers with the most all-time outdoor game wins at four (4). Enjoy! The game is on TNT and Sportsnet.

2 – Josh Mahura was part of a group of Pats players whom were regulars at our Famoso Pizzeria in downtown Regina, along with Sam Steel, Jake Leshyshyn and a few others. If they’d let me take their picture, I’d let them eat for free. Same as the Riders. We had a great thing going! Just about every CFL and WHL team came through there.

3 – That period between Christmas and New Years is the only week we take off on the RP Show out of the year. It was tough to let off the gas but I suppose everyone needs a break now and then! Our crew from IKS Media is the hardest-working in show business. The Holiday break brought about a road trip through Georgia, North & South Carolina and Virginia and included a stopover for one night in Florence, South Carolina, the hometown of Darian Durant. The sleepy community of 39,000 at the intersection of I-95 and I-80 is a sea of motels and gas stations but was once home to a Blue Jays minor league affiliate who featured Pat Borders, Jimmy Key, Cecil Fielder and Fred McGriff. It was nice to see where “Doubles” grew up! He’s always been one of my favourites, and Darian’s listed as one of Florence’s distinguished citizens.

4 – It was a quiet week in the CFL and methinks the league preferred it that way. Again, everyone needs a break now and then. The biggest news item was BC Lions quarterback Nathan Rourke teasing news on Twitter about his future, and then announcing his engagement. Congratulations! There are also underground murmurs of the Montreal Alouettes ownership situation – apparently a rocky affair – but we’ll leave the heavy lifting of that story to the experts!

5 – Brendan Taman for the Roughriders Plaza of Honour!

6 – Really the most exciting event of the Holiday – for me – has been the World Juniors in the Maritimes. Watching Connor Bedard shred the Canadian record book has been particularly satisfying. But again, the hockey gods have intervened, allowing Bedard to only tie Team Canada greats Eric Lindros (31 points) and Jordan Eberle (14 goals), rather than break their tournament records. (So far). Those hockey gods are tough to impress! I guess he’s not done yet but now the goal is to win it all and Canada faces Slovakia in a quarterfinal Monday evening.

7 – It’ll be interesting to see what happens with Bedard and the Regina Pats after he returns from Halifax. The Pats are basically a .500 team with or without Bedard, and sit 7th in the WHL’s East Conference as the Trade Deadline looms. We’ve been assured enough that he won’t be traded, so it’ll be interesting to see how the season plays out.

The attendance for Sunday’s 5-2 home Pats loss to P.A. was listed at 3,597, which isn’t much more or less than when Bedard suits up. Pats attendance has been criticized mightily this season and the #1 reason I hear is ticket prices. Hey, I’m not gonna criticize Regina sports fans; they’ve paid my salary for decades. But if there’s one thing I know, it’s that most people will go to a game or two to say they’ve seen Bedard play live, but won’t flock to the Brandt Centre unless the team’s a contender.

8 – NFL Notes: It’s quite the first-year for Jacksonville Jaguars Offensive Quality Control Coach Henry Burris! Thanks to a 31-3 rout of the Texans in Houston on Sunday, the Jags need only a home win over Tennessee next week to qualify for the playoffs under first-year head coach Doug Pederson. You knew Hank would be a winner. … Meanwhile in Miami, talk about a glum lot! After an 8-3 start, the Fins have lost five in a row including Sunday’s 23-21 loss at New England. Now they face a win-or-go-home scenario next week against the division rival New York Jets. To say the Dolphins fanbase is up in arms would be an understatement.

9 – SaskTel Centre in Saskatoon was the place to be on New Years Eve! The Saskatchewan Rush improved to 2-1 with an 11-9 victory over the Panther City Lacrosse Club (Fort Worth, TX). The Rush don’t play again until Friday, Jan. 13 at the Colorado Mammoth. This NLL season has been slow-going off the start, but will heat up in the New Year.

10 – RANDOM THOUGHTS: The highlight, of many, of 2022 for the RP Show was broadcasting all week from the Centennial Cup in Estevan in May. We enjoyed three games per day, got to hang out with my best friends, meet new ones and even had family come stay with me at the Days Inn and enjoy the hockey! What could be better? … The Super Bowl in L.A. was pretty cool too. … What I’m looking forward to the most in 2023 is the Memorial Cup in Kamloops, BC but as yet, no plans have been finalized. I’m just putting it out into the universe! … The best streaming shows over the Holidays: Don’t Pick Up The Phone and High; Confessions Of An Ibiza Drug Mule on Netflix, and of course Yellowstone, Tulsa King and Mayor of Kingstown on Paramount+. … Why do you drive on a parkway and park on a driveway? … How long do we say ‘Happy New Year’ for? I say January 31. … Happy New Year!

Y’er welcome,
RP
@rodpedersen