10 WEEKEND THINGS

Taking shots …

1 – JONES’ING: There’s no actual football news relating to Chris Jones at the moment. I just put a photo of the Edmonton Elks Head Coach & GM in the header to get your attention. It worked! This week proved that this would be a good time for CFL teams to drop some news; preferably good. Comments made on The RP Show this week made headlines across the country and ruffled a lot of feathers, simply because there’s nothing else going on. (Sorry, but the Regional Combine results interest only a small few). Comments about Toronto CFL apathy, the NFL In Toronto, and the lack of CFL CBA talks got people hot and bothered, but I’d like to point out that those comments largely came from my guests, not me. At least people are paying attention! Sometimes you need to discuss the uncomfortable things in order to make progress.

2 – GO JONNY GO: Literally. News that the Saskatchewan Roughriders don’t want Regina’s favourite son Jon Ryan back in 2022 remains big news, not surprisingly. When we used to sit around at the Jon Ryan Charity Classic and dream of a time when J.R. might play for the Green & White, none of us envisioned it would end like this. But as they say, “Great game, crappy business”. It’s not the best P.R. for the football team however if they deliver a Grey Cup in 2022, no one will remember nor care. But that’s a huge IF. The more I think of it, there’s far more pressure on this Roughrider leadership group hosting the Grey Cup than there was in 2013 for Jim Hopson and Co. Hopson had already won a Grey Cup in 2007 and appeared in two more after that (2009, 2010). This regime hasn’t been close to a Grey Cup since Hopson left. Are the club standards simply lower now? I guess we’ll find out.

3 – ON THE MARK: Calgary Stampeders voice Mark Stephen dropped his 2022 West Division predictions on Friday’s RP Show and I have to say, I agree 100%. Markus has them ranked this way: 1) Winnipeg, 2) Calgary, 3) Saskatchewan, 4) Edmonton, 5) BC. With free agency largely done and the Draft not having as much impact as the NFL, the rosters in the CFL are generally set for training camp. You can feel safe to make your predictions. Mine last year were – 1) Winnipeg, 2) Saskatchewan, 3) Calgary, 4) Edmonton, 5) BC. The implosion of the Elks spoiled a perfect guesstimate.

4 – WAIT A MINUTE: There is something on Jones. Regarding his incessant nitpicking of Rider QB Cody Fajardo in the media, Mark Stephen quizzed on Friday, “What’s he doing?” We kicked that around for awhile and, knowing full well Jones doesn’t do anything that isn’t extremely calculated, I think he’s trying to get into Cody’s head. There could be a slim difference in the standings between the Riders and Elks this season and if Jones gets Fajardo off his game, it could lead to a playoff spot for the Antlers. However as a fan of both people, I think it could backfire on CJ. Playing with a chip on his shoulder could be the precise motivation Cody needs to not only beat Edmonton every time they meet, but have an MVP season and lead the Riders to first place. Plus Fajardo will need to have a season like that with, apparently, confidence in the quarterback eroding in the Wheat Province.

5 – GO PATS GO: Headspinning is the career of one Connor Bedard. The 16-year old from North Vancouver notched his 100th career point in the Regina Pats’ 4-1 home win over the Calgary Hitmen Saturday night. It came in his 62nd career game. Folks, a lot of Pats never hit 100 points in a four year career! Regina won both their weekend home games and the attendance was 3,735 and 4,150. Frankly we all thought Southern Saskatchewan hockey fans would fill the Brandt Centre every night to watch Bedard play but apparently we got ahead of ourselves. Regardless, the 7,885 who did show up got their money’s worth.

Meanwhile Pats owner Shaun Semple sent a letter to us season ticket holders this week reiterating his family’s commitment to providing the Pats the resources the team requires to be successful. There’s no doubt they’ve done that. He also implored fans to renew their season tickets for 2022-23. We’ll see.

*A Pats staffer asked me this week why I refer to the team as “God’s Team”. I said because Canada’s Team and America’s Team were taken! 

6 – RING OF FIRE: I’ll admit to being wrong about the Calgary Flames. Sort of. A year ago, when the perennially underachieving Flames missed the playoffs, I called for a franchise-wide scorching of the earth with nobody left standing but Darryl Sutter. Fortunately for the Flames, owner Murray Edwards doesn’t read this column. GM Brad Treliving stayed the course, tweaked his roster a bit (adding Blake Coleman, Tyler Toffoli and a few others) and now Calgary is pretty much pulverizing everybody. At times in Saturday’s 3-0 home win over Detroit, the Flames were outshooting the Red Wings 19-1 and 30-3.

On the RP Show recently Flames analyst Kelly Hrudey and I agreed this team has been good enough (aka talented) for a real long time but they’ve never been able to put it together. Now, here we are.

7 – THE JOLLY RANCHER: It says here Darryl Sutter should be one of three finalists for the Jack Adams Award as NHL Coach of the Year along with the Rangers’ Gerard Gallant and the Hurricanes’ Rod Brind’Amour. However I’d advise the Calgary players NOT to listen to Darryl’s quotes in the media because methinks they’re a lot different than what he says in the dressing room. Regarding goalie Jacob Markstrom not facing a shot for 20 minutes Saturday night yet remaining sharp, Darryl told reporters “That’s his job”. Flames goalie coach Jason Labarbera was a little more empathetic, telling the postgame radio show, “That’s very tough mentally for a goalie.” Yet no sympathy from Darryl!

During our Super Bowl coverage in L.A., 2-time Stanley Cup champion Jarret Stoll of Kings fame joined the show and said, “Darryl’s either going to make Johnny Gaudreau or break him”. Now, having an All Star season and sitting 4th in NHL scoring, I’d suggest Sutter has made Johnny Hockey.

8 – ONE DAY AT A TIME: Monday marks the beginning of the final week of a 5-week stint for the RP Show at Grey Eagle Resort & Casino on Game+ TV however we’ll be back in Calgary for another extended stay in April. This association has pretty much been a dream come true, and not just because we’ve been treated like royalty at this resort. Over a lunch buffet in the casino recently, a veteran Calgary sports personality scribbled down a list of names and phone numbers of big name Calgary sports people and slid it across the table. “We want you to be successful here,” he nodded. You could’ve bowled me over with a feather.

Furthermore it hit me like a lightning bolt during another meeting at the resort this week; the reason why I’m here. It’s not because of a sports talk show, but that’s the vehicle for this all to happen. WILD! I’m grateful to be grateful, and on pins and needles with where this road is going. Thank you! We are all where we’re supposed to be in life, and that’s a very comforting notion.

9 – NHL NOTES: Heads up folks – you’re in the playoffs now if you’re a fan of the Oilers, Jets, Canucks, Ducks, Stars, Golden Knights or any other team languishing around that Wild Card line. Some of those teams aren’t going to taste the postseason so enjoy the thrill every night now. … When are we going to start talking about the struggles of the Golden Knights by the way? Has the window closed already? … TSN Ottawa’s Shawn Simpson – a former pro goalie and NHL front office staffer – told us Ken Holland “Had to say that” when mentioning the Oilers are comfortable with their goaltending moving forward. I ask, why? Clearly I’ve never been good at political correctness nor sugar coating things so someone will need to explain to me why Edmonton’s GM can’t say the truth. Darryl Sutter does, and look where they are. … Can you imagine a Calgary/Toronto Stanley Cup Final? Personally I’d prefer Calgary/Florida.

10 – RANDOM THOUGHTS: In defense of Leon Draisaitl, everybody’s pissy right now. … Explain to me why Daylight Savings Time is a thing? It seems dark for longer this morning. … This week marked the one year anniversary of the CFL/XFL collaboration talks announcement. What a complete, colossal, waste of time and energy. … See you at the Saddledome on Thursday for a HUGE St. Patricks Day showdown between the NLL’s Saskatchewan Rush and Calgary Roughnecks. It’s a must-win game for both. … Expansion cities/areas I’d like to see considered for the NLL in no particular order: Arizona, South Florida, Montreal & Winnipeg. … I believe I’ve spent at least $500 in masks which I’ve gone on to lose over the past two years. … Pretty sure I got Covid in Florida while talking to my neighbour, maskless, on the front lawn. So, there’s that. … All this pent up Covid frustration, I believe, has led to the senior hockey brawls we’ve seen on social media, and hockey parents losing their minds at kids games. … As Billy Currington sang, “God is great, beer is good, people are crazy.” … The Edmonton Stingers (Canadian Elite Basketball League) are representing Canada in the Basketball Champions League Americas tournament at Calgary’s WinSport Arena on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday nights this week. The CEBL has come to us to help promote it. You can get your tickets at CEBL.ca and they start at $35 per game! See you WinSport, the home of Hockey Canada. … The CHL has scrapped the annual Subway Series between Canada and Russia due to the war on the other side of the world. What a great time to scrap this initiative altogether and go back to the WHL All Star Game where we showcased twice as many league stars, filled the barns, had a splashy luncheon with sponsors and brought the league together annually. How about that? … Loving all the Junior hockey highlights on TSN and Sportsnet. Welcome back. … Sask is out at the Brier once again as Team Colton Flasch couldn’t make it past Saturday. Like so many before him, the Saskatoon rink showed well but the province’s Brier drought has now gone 43 years. They’re asking me in Alberta what the problem is. Trust me, they’re asking the wrong guy. … Have a great Sunday!

Y’er welcome,
RP
@rodpedersen