10 WEEKEND THINGS

Taking shots …

1 – BECAUSE IT’S THE CUP: On a wild NHL Saturday where three different teams (Penguins, Flyers & Capitals) held the final wildcard playoff spot in the Eastern Conference over a 49-minute span, there was one Stanley Cup Playoff pairing confirmed. It comes in the West: the Winnipeg Jets vs the Colorado Avalanche. This hardly strikes fear in the hearts of Winnipeggers however, as the Jets went 3-0 against the Avs this season, and outscored them 17-4, including a 7-0 laugher this weekend. Jets fans don’t need to be reminded that the playoffs are a new season, but this is the best first round opponent they could’ve asked for!

2 – NHL NOTES: Connor Bedard plays the final home game of his rookie campaign on Sunday as the Chicago Blackhawks host the Carolina Hurricanes. The phenom has 60 points in 65 games this year on his way to winning the Calder so he didn’t quite meet my projection of a point-a-game but you get the point. He also still could! He had a 5-pointer earlier this season. … Meanwhile the Canes remain Draft Kings’ favourite to win the Stanley Cup this spring. How that? … Auston Matthews could hit 70 goals on Tuesday when the Leafs visit the Florida Panthers. I’ll be there! Toronto’s got two games left for him to do it. … FWIW the 2024 NHL Draft is in Las Vegas and I think it would be fun to be there.

3 – DESERT DOGGONE IT: Arizona Coyotes players and staff feel like the rug’s been ripped out from under them after they abruptly learned Friday night that the team is relocating to Salt Lake City after 27 mostly tumultuous seasons in the Valley of the Sun. Hockey folk are wondering what was the final straw for Commissioner Gary Bettman to say “Enough’s enough”? Was it the unpaid hotel bills around North America this season? Was it the unpaid vendors and team bonuses the past few years around Phoenix? Was it another empty promise by owner Alex Muerelo to build a new arena? My guess is it’s a combination of all these things but I wouldn’t gamble on the NHL ever returning to that great market. The league’s dumped on the people of the Valley – blamed them for their own mishaps – and there aren’t many whom are sad they’re leaving. But it is too bad. I guess there will be no more Riderville Arizona parties!

4 – YOTES MEMORIES: Regina businessman Gary Drummond anchored the Ice Edge Arizona ownership group in the mid-2010’s and they were the ones who changed the team name from the Phoenix Coyotes to the Arizona Coyotes. … Although the team never won anything there, it left quite a footprint including players Keith Tkachuk and Jeremy Roenick in the 1990s, Wayne Gretzky coaching the club from 2005-2009, making the Western Conference Final in 2012 against the LA Kings, and being the birthplace of NHL stars Auston Matthews, Keith Tkachuk, Tage Thompson and many more. Still, I can’t see the NHL going back there whatwith a lineup of other cities (Houston, Atlanta & Quebec City) expressing interest multiple times. And if Muerelo is still in charge, it definitely won’t happen.

5 – #WETHENORTH: The words of an RP Show viewer years ago keeps echoing in my head. “Rod doesn’t talk about anything he doesn’t know!” the chap said, like that’s some sort of criticism. Uhhh, ya you’re right! That’s why we keep the show content to NHL, NFL & CFL but that doesn’t mean we can’t still enjoy the Raptors, Blue Jays and all other sports (which we do daily). So it was a thrill to attend the Raptors/Heat game Friday evening at the Kaseya Center in downtown Miami. Toronto is 25th out of 30 teams and lost this one 125-103. Heat radio host Tommy Tighe observed Toronto’s got some key pieces like Gary Trent Jr., Immanuel Quickley and an aging-but-effective Kelly Olynyk (Kamloops, BC) so you can’t sleep on them. We live in a What Have You Done For Me Lately world, but I still appreciate the Raps’ 2019 championship. Oh, and you can get into the game for $15. If you wanna know why these arenas across America are always full, it’s because they don’t gouge.

6 – CFL NOTES: The shot at the CFL by New England Patriots QB Nathan Rourke this week about their handling of the Chad Kelly sexual harassment case seemed oddly-timed and completely out of nowhere. Yet we all respect the heck out of Nathan so there had to be a reason. My take is this: added allegations have been brought forth, yes, but the case still hasn’t been heard in court. What is the CFL supposed to do before then? We’re not in-season so suspending him isn’t an option. Public opinion may want Kelly declared guilty already, but it hasn’t had its day in court. What am I missing? … I have no reason not to like Commissioner Randy Ambrosie. That’s not popular with some people, but so what. … The Winnipeg Blue Bombers announced a profit of $5.7M in 2023. When the Edmonton Eskimos were the CFL’s flagship franchise from 1978-2005, Hugh Campbell was in charge. When Saskatchewan took that mantle from 2006-2014 it was because of Jim Hopson and now since the Bombers became the CFL’s marquee franchise in 2019, the credit goes to President Wade Miller. All three are CFL Alumni who played for the team. Is Calgary’s Jay McNeil going to be next? Could the Stampeders ever be the CFL’s marquee franchise? Stay tuned. … CFL coaching king Wally Buono pointed out on the RP Show this week that although he’ll go on the Stampeders Wall of Honour this July, the Stamps actually tried to do it years ago while he was coaching the BC Lions. However he declined, thinking it would be awkward to honoured at McMahon Stadium while coaching the other team. … The Saskatchewan Roughriders are holding a free agent camp today in Fort Lauderdale, FL and are being represented by GM Jeremy O’Day.

7 – WIN IT FOR WOLSELEY: In the aftermath of Wolsley, SK coming up short in this year’s Kraft Hockeyville contest – and the Oh-fer Saskatchewan drought continuing – I wondered if the 306 should ever enter the contest again. However that silly notion flies in the face of everything I stand for so it’ll be interesting to see which community from the Wheat Province enters the contest next. You. do. not. ever. give. up. Also, the Wolseley committee’s Vance Weber told me this week that the Nashville Predators donated $25,000 to their cause! Just the notoriety gained from entering this contest made it worthwhile, plus bringing their community together.

8 – NFL NOTES: Interestingly there is absolutely nothing going on in the NFL at the moment – on the surface – other than speculation and pre-Draft talk leading up to the event in Detroit April 25-27. (The CFL Draft goes April 30). Bravo to the media pundits who have the cajones to publish a Mock Draft right now because there thousands of different permutations of what will go down but 99.9% of projections will be wrong. However American sports media & fans would rather speculate on TV & Radio shows about the NFL Draft than what actually is going on in the NHL, MLB, etc. Hey, it’s always been that way and always will be. But the only guy whose opinion I care for leading up to the Draft is Mike Mayock. He usually nails it. The rest of the media really has no idea what the teams are thinking. 

9 – O.J.: The story of the week was O.J. Simpson passing away at age 76. It’s shocking how many young people weren’t even aware of who he was, let alone his story which is a massive part of American culture. If you’ve got time today, check out the streaming documentary June 17, 1994 in which the wild events of the “White Ford Bronco” are detailed forensically. … O.J.’s passing was ignored by his former teams at USC and Buffalo, as well as the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but was acknowledged by ESPN. Fred Goldman, whose son Ronald was murdered leaving O.J. accused, was asked about Simpson’s passing this week. He replied, “No great loss.”

10 – RANDOM THOUGHTS: One thing they’re forgetting — someone still needs to do the work. … King Kong was 300 feet tall! … One thumb up from the MMG for Godzilla X Kong, now playing at Landmark Cinemas. … Fanny packs are in? We used to get bullied for wearing them. I didn’t care. I needed something to hold my sh*t at Craven. … Do you clean up after yourself at the movies are you a heathen? … Life has never been easier (more convenient) yet people have never been more screwed up. Figure that one out. … There’s nothing in the world like a small city/town getting swept up in the Jr. Hockey playoffs. Get involved! … Justin Dunk will host Rider Radio from the GTA. Rhett Warrener appears on the Flames Barnburner Podcast daily from Buffalo. I host the RP Show from Florida. That’s the media in 2024. Get on board, or get out of the way. … We began the road to The ONE, USA Football flag championships this weekend with local tournaments leading up to the regionals, and then the nationals in Los Angeles in June. Once again, we plan to be there broadcasting the games. … An escaped mountain goat that somehow got stuck under a Kansas City bridge has survived a rocky rescue effort and now will be reunited with the owners who suspect he was stolen from their farm two months ago. After Monday’s eclipse, people spotted the animal, believed to be a missing goat named Chug, hopping around on the pillars that support the bridge, high above the ground below. When firefighters tried to rappel over the side of the bridge to capture the goat, he spooked and tried to jump to the next platform. But his hooves slipped and the rope caught, causing the goat to hang from his neck, not moving. The goat then fell as much as 15 feet to the ground, landing in a spot where crews had added padding. Veterinarians applied oxygen and he was good to go! … AND HOW WAS YOUR WEEK?

Y’er welcome,
RP
@rodpedersen