10 WEEKEND THINGS

AN UP WEEK

1 – THE DUB: The smiles of hockey people were as wide as the prairie sky this weekend after the WHL announced on Friday that it intends to play a minimum 24-game schedule this season. Sportsnet’s Jeff Marek called the plan “ambitious” in a Tweet Saturday afternoon, laying out five key points – 1) Eyeing a late February start, 2) Weekends only, 3) Some teams will share rinks, 4) Hubs have been discussed, and 5) Some U.S.-based teams may move to Canada for the season. A lot of folks are already trying to poke holes in this venture but, for the moment, the players and coaches are tremendously excited and it added to a positive week on the Canadian sports scene.

2 – ONE DAY AT A TIME: Some reporters have referred to the Friday gathering of WHL Governors as a “chat”, but I’ve been told it was an outright vote. The result was one we were all hoping for. WHL ownership is vast and varied ranging from NHL teams, to private owners with NHL team-like resources, rich families, and community ownership. The announcement has triggered an avalanche of questions from fans such as a possible playoff format, Memorial Cup competition, will fans be allowed, and the like. My advice for the moment is to … just … chill. Grab a Snickers bar if you must. Some bloggers have openly questioned if the WHL knows something we don’t and the answer to that is, yes they do. Friday’s announcement was a long time coming and included a tireless amount of behind-the-scenes work. Let’s wait to see what’s next, stay positive, and hope for the best. The Holy Child is coming!

3 – BUT WHY?: A lot of people have wondered why the WHL is trying to play at all. Those questions don’t deserve a response. Others feel that 24-games don’t preserve the integrity of a WHL season. But a trusted hockey source tells me this plan is as much about player identification as anything. NHL teams want to get junior players on the ice for their development and identification. It has A LOT to do with the 2021 NHL Draft. Remember the source who told me of the “wealthy private donor” who’s prepared to underwrite the cost, or a portion of, playing a season. If fans aren’t allowed into WHL buildings and traditional revenue streams are non-existent, SOMEONE’S going to have to pay for this.

4 – S.J.: Adding to the positivity of the week was SJHL President Bill Chow telling Jamie Neugebauer’s podcast on Thursday that he is “very optimistic” that they will get a season in. Precious few details were divulged but I’m told politicians and health officials have been working feverishly to make a Junior A hockey season in Saskatchewan happen. Just like their WHL counterparts, SJHL people are smiling ear-to-ear with this latest development.

5 – CFL: The Canadian Football League isn’t much different. All the recent news releases of player signings, restructured deals and “all the money being handed out” – as 3DownNation’s Justin Dunk put it – has football followers believing the CFL will take the field in 2021 come hell or high water. However just like the junior leagues, very few details have been disclosed as to how they plan to pull it off. But that’s not to say they won’t be able to do it. All this PR posturing has produced the desired effect; Canadian football fans see a light at the end of the tunnel.

6 – AMBROSIE: In the most recent interview we did with CFL Commissioner Randy Ambrosie – during Grey Cup Unite Week – I got the distinct sense that the League has more options than simply a prayer and a vaccine. If they plan to play a full 18-game schedule knowing full well fans won’t be allowed in stadiums till Labour Day at the earliest, then the money has to come from somewhere. The NHL found a portion of it by selling sponsorships to their division names. The CFL could do something similar. There’s mounting pressure on the CFL to play since the NHL begins next week and other leagues in Canada are making their moves. I’ll go back to my prediction from a few weeks go that the CFL will play in 2021 simply because it has to. This is fascinating to watch.

7 – CFL NOTES: In retrospect, the GM of the Year in 2019 was Kyle Walters of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. His trade deadline deal to acquire Zach Collaros won the Blue the Grey Cup, and that alone should cinch him the award. Now, if there only was such an award. … With Dave Randorf being named Voice of the Tampa Bay Lightning this week (congrats Rambo!), you can scratch him off the list of candidates for the #1 play-by-play position on the CFL On TSN. Could it end up being James Duthie? He told the RP Show he’s long had his eye on that. … According to Pro Football Focus, the CFL grad who graded out the highest in the NFL in 2020 was Philadelphia Eagles LB Alex Singleton (77.5%). The Canadian who graded the highest was Saints DL David Onyemata (88.2%) followed by Chase Claypool (75.6%). There were 17 Canadians in the NFL this season and 25 ex-CFLers.

8 – NFL WILDCARD NOTES: Great games on Saturday. Has anyone in the Washington locker room had a word with rookie DE Chase Young for calling out, and subsequently firing up, Buccaneers QB Tom Brady before Saturday night’s prime time game? Pundits thought it was cute, but Tampa made Young look foolish. Rookies need to be seen and not heard! Tampa won it 31-23. The pregame line was Bucs by 8. … An odd quirk in the L.A. Rams’ 30-20 win over the Seattle Seahawks is that Rams coach Sean McVey is getting all the credit. That’s great, but rare! Usually it’s “players win and coaches lose” in the blame/credit game. … The Bills Mafia is rejoicing after a 27-24 win over the Colts at Ralph Wilson Stadium. This has been an impressive season by Buffalo, who’s posting a wire-to-wire buttkicking. … Haven’t heard of any concrete Coach of the Year candidates but I’d put a vote in for Cleveland’s Kevin Stefanski or Washington’s Ron Rivera. Who else do you like?

9 – BACK TO HOCKEY: The World Juniors did not disappoint, even if the gold medal game did. The USA beat Canada 2-0 Tuesday night in a case of the Americans beating Canada at its own game. It’ll be interesting to get the reaction of Team Canada members in the months ahead. Did their heads get too big? Believe their own hype? This year’s Canadian squad was set to go down as one of the strongest in history when all of a sudden, POOF, their guns went silent when it mattered most. Some are saying USA will be the hockey superpower within a generation, but I’ll point out they’ve been saying that for the past generation. It hasn’t happened yet. Take a bow Hockey Canada and IIHF! Many thought you couldn’t pull this thing off, but you did in spades. Naysayers, critics and haters provide excellent motivation.

10 – RANDOMS TO END: Just like farming & ranching, there are no weekends in the media. That’s why we’ve always been a perfect fit. #NoDaysOff. … Bye bye ESPN Radio. It was nice knowing you, and thanks for the memories. Management types at the Mother Ship have gutted all talent to the point that my finger never hits that radio preset anymore. The last straw was sending popular host Dan Lebatard out the door because he wouldn’t conform to ESPN concepts. When will these people realize you need some sandpaper in your programming? Oh well. There are plenty of other more entertaining options out there. … It would seem Hall of Famer Michael Irvin simply sits and does interviews all day from his Dallas home. He’s on the NFL Network regularly, and does TV and radio hits across Canada and the USA multiple times daily. Why? Because he’s ENTERTAINING! … Huge debate this week over who’s the biggest guest to ever appear on the RP Show – Don Cherry, Ron MacLean or Paul “Biz Nasty” Bissonnette? It’s a tough call but the wonderful thing is we’ve had them all. … Really big news coming out about the show, potentially as early as this week. Stay tuned! … The Regina Red Sox sent out letters to sponsors, partners and stakeholders this week that they intend to play in 2021, beginning in June at the latest. Again, this was a very positive week for our favourite leagues. …  It was fabulous to hit the road Saturday to Saskatoon and spend some time with RP Show sponsors and stakeholders in the Bridge City. We hit five meetings in three hours, then hightailed it home. Can’t get enough of that town! … If I walk into a store or gas station but forgot my mask in the car, please don’t treat me like a serial pedophile. It was an accident! The looks you get are vile. Isn’t this still all new to us? Sheesh. … Broadcasting intrasquad games in the NHL has been a novelty this week. Fans have been EATING IT UP. Let the record show that I begged the teams I worked for – BEGGED – to stream their games online or on Facebook Live over the years. However they weren’t interested. … It’s a sad state of affairs when the Toronto Raptors are off to a 2-6 start but it isn’t anywhere close to their worst start ever. It’s brought back their nickname from days gone by, the “Craptors”. … Netflix and streaming shows we’ve dove headfirst in – Virgin River, Yellowstone, Unabomber, Suburra. Any other recommendations?

Y’er welcome,
RP
@rodpedersen