10 WEEKEND THINGS

Taking shots …

1 – THE CURTAIN RISES: It is the most wonderful time of the year. The WHL playoffs opened this weekend, the NHL playoffs are right around the corner, and the SJHL final (aka the Canalta Cup) is underway. We are keeping a close eye on them all and will have the results and analysis right here. These April snow dumps are annoying and making travel to the games a pain, but at least the farmers will be happy! If you don’t know why, ask one.

 2 – REBEL YELL: Here in Central Alberta Saturday night, the Enmax Centrium in Red Deer was nearly full to watch Brandon beat the hometown Rebels 2-1 and tie the series 1-1. A few things struck me: A) It was a great game between two great teams, B) There were A LOT of Brandon fans there, C) The Wheat Kings don’t look any different under new owner Jared Jacobson than they did under past owner Kelly McCrimmon. C) Fans don’t really care who the owner is, D) The attendance was 4,545 and you could count the number of masks on one hand. It truly feels like “we’re back”. What a great feeling!

3 – OIL COUNTRY: There were a few NHL teams in attendance at the WHL game including the Edmonton Oilers. GM Ken Holland was on hand along with staff and I had occasion to visit with them. There was a clear sense of relief emanating off their group after clinching a playoff spot in Friday’s 6-3 home win over Colorado. As one Oiler hockey staffer said, “Everything’s coming together at the right time”. I admitted I didn’t think they’d turn it around, so good on ’em and keep it going. However I still wouldn’t give interim head coach Jay Woodcroft a new deal until this is all over. (Coaching for his job isn’t a bad thing).

4 – FLAMING C: The Vancouver Canucks made the Flames sweat a bit, but in the end Calgary prevailed 6-3 in the Saddledome Saturday night in a game which was closer than the score indicates. That concluded the Flames’ home schedule and after road games this week against Nashville, Minnesota and Winnipeg, it’ll be playoff time. If the postseason started today, Calgary would meet Nashville. It says here Darryl Sutter’s biggest job will be shielding his players from the hoopla surrounding the team here in Calgary. Everywhere you go people are gaga and you hear all the time, “Johnny Gaudreau doesn’t get enough credit”, and “When are people going to start talking about Matthew Tkachuck?” I bite my tongue and think to myself, “They’ll get talked about enough when they go far in the playoffs. But not before then.”

5 -WHAT A GUY: What a tough year on the NHL, with the latest Hall of Famer passing away being the great Guy Lafleur. I can tell you in all honestly the original Flower was the first *skater* I ever loved. (Goalie Ken Dryden was my first favourite player). With the hair flying down the right wing at Montreal Forum, and the jersey flapping in the wind, Guy Lafleur was the definition of greatness. Those Montreal Canadiens teams of the 70’s were loaded with stars but that number 10 really stood out. Clark Gillies, Mike Bossy, Guy Lafleur … these are the kinds of guys that made us fall in love with the NHL and it’s great to see them get fitting tributes. I wonder what my fandom would’ve been like if my Dad hadn’t forbade me from cheering for the Canadiens as a child! Instead I opted for the Edmonton Oilers, and that was good.

6 – BLM: I’m getting to know a lot more about Bo Levi Mitchell. It feels like the Calgary Stampeders franchise face likes to stir people up and yank their chains, like the interview with CJME where he said the notion of retirement has crossed his mind due to lingering injuries. (If I read that right). Those comments contrast the information I’m getting which says Bo sought special treatment in Texas this winter and is throwing pain-free for the first time in two years! That’s bad news for the rest of the CFL. … There’s all kinds of buzz around the Stampeders in Calgary right now as we get close to training camp. From what I understand, there’s hype building in Edmonton too. … Regarding Bo’s and my longtime feud, a Stampeders staffer told me the reason Mitchell hasn’t accepted my invitation to bury the hatchet is because he enjoys the spat too much! It will be interesting to see where things go this summer.

7 – RIDER RADIO: It appears the biggest news in Riderville lately is the hiring of Michael Ball to be the new Voice of the Riders. Congratulations Ballsy! It’s a job he’s been working very hard to attain for the past 20-plus years. The relationship between the Riders, CKRM and Michael seems like a perfect match! Ballsy’s got his dream job, Derek Taylor got his coveted Voice of the Blue Bombers position and I’m obviously thrilled doing what I’m doing. Everybody wins!

8 – WE HAVE A SERIES:  Kudos to the Raptors for making NBA On TNT’s Shaquille O’Neal eat his words, beating the 76ers 110-102 on Saturday to avoid a sweep. I’m watching the series with more-than-casual interest and those games in Scotiabank Arena have been intense! … Although it seemed out of character for TSN’s Leo Rautins to Tweet after Game 4: “Respectfully … Embiid should stop bitching about the refs!” The Tweet got 11,500 likes but taking a shot at an opposing player doesn’t seem like Leo’s style. Me yes, but Rautins no. However it’s heat-of-the-moment stuff. Uncle Leo didn’t seem to have an issue with Raptors coach Nick Nurse bitching about the refs after the games in Philly. These are why playoffs are so special.

9 – RUSH HOUR: The NLL’s Saskatchewan Rush won another must-win game on Saturday, 17-14 at home over San Diego. I’m not sure how many wins in a row this is since the coaching change – the Rush website hasn’t been updated with a game story as of 7:04 AM Sunday – but put it this way; they haven’t lost since Jeff McComb was let go. It’s at least three games. Entering the weekend, seven teams were in contention for three playoff spots including the Rush, who are now 7-10. They go on the road next weekend to take on the similarly 7-10 Panther City (Fort Worth, TX) Lacrosse Club. I’m telling you, the NLL is this continent’s best-kept secret. Not sure what it’ll take for the general public to catch onto what a fantastic league and sport this is, but we can each do our part.

10 – RANDOM THOUGHTS: I’d watch more USFL games if they were more readily-available in Canada. However from what I’ve seen, the quality of play has been good and it’s nice to see other Life-After-The-CFL’ers like Jim Popp, Corey Chamblin, Jason Garrett and Mike Riley flourishing in this new league. … There’s been very little griping about the quality of USFL play from CFL types, which tells me it must be good. … Buck Martinez is the best broadcaster in MLB and is missed while he undergoes cancer treatment. As a former Blue Jays player, manager and now iconic broadcaster, Buck might just have to go on the Mt. Rushmore of Canadian sports. I love the guy. … They’ve got some really great deejays on the air in this town, particularly Country 105 and Virgin Radio 98.5. … How do you make Lady Gaga mad? Poker Face. … Not sure what’s going to become of our Regina Pats. They haven’t hosted a playoff game since the 2018 Memorial Cup (although they would’ve made the playoffs if they’d held them in the 2021 Bubble). On the other hand, the 2018 OHL champion Hamilton Bulldogs are considered to be the favourites to win Ontario again this year. And they don’t have a Connor Bedard! Go Pats Go. … We’ve seen lots of movies lately and here’s how I’d rank them: 1) The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent starring Nicolas Cage (by a miiiillllllle), 2) Death On The Nile, (think Love Boat meets Clue) and a distant 3) Ambulance (one of the worst movies I’ve ever seen but at least the popcorn, Nibs and hotdog were good). Get out and enjoy some shows at Landmark Cinemas across the prairies, proud partners of The Rod Pedersen Show!

Y’er welcome,
RP
@rodpedersen