10 WEEKEND THINGS

Taking shots …

1 – C-CUP: The championship final is set at the 2022 Centennial Cup presented by Tim Hortons in Estevan, SK. The AJHL champion Brooks Bandits will oppose the OJHL champion Pickering Panthers at 4:00 pm MT today (Sunday) at Affinity Place on TSN. After a 10-team round robin, two days of playoff games and a whole lot more kibitzing, cavorting and fun all week in the Energy City, it’s come down to the two best teams vying for Canadian Junior A hockey supremacy.

2 – C-CUP NOTES: It’s been fascinating to watch the 11-day road to get to Sunday’s championship final. The hosts and SJHL champion Estevan Bruins never made the playoffs due to a 1-3 round robin record and as one of the player’s dads said to me, “It’s a good life lesson for them. Just when you think you’ve made it, you haven’t.” Bruins fans gave the team a royal send-off in their final game and I wonder what this team’s legacy will be in the years ahead? … Brooks will probably win this thing. They cleaned up on Pickering 9-1 in the round robin and made the Panthers pay for their chippy, dirty play in that game. Pickering’s the only team who plays with full cages/bubbles and they carry their sticks up. We’ll see if their head coach – former Toronto Maple Leaf Rob Pearson – can change their style of play by Sunday afternoon.

3 – MORE C-CUP NOTES: Brooks has been called “cocky” by those who’ve dealt with them in Estevan but I don’t mind them. Is it cocky if you can back it up? They’re the first hockey team I’ve ever seen that practices with loud dance/hit/hiphop music blaring over the speakers and the players bop and bounce around – some of the coaches too – just like the Roughrider players I’ve seen at music-infused practices. I like their vibe. They even purchased RP Show merchandise because they all watch the show. GO BANDITS! … Host city officials were unhappy that Flin Flon lost out to Pickering in double overtime in Friday’s quarterfinal. Half of Flin Flon was in Estevan as it was and if they’d have advanced through the playoffs, the other half would’ve shown up. Bomber fans like to drink and whoop it up! But alas, the Bombers’ hearts have now been broken twice at Affinity Place this spring. … Sad to see the Summerside (PEI) Capitals bite the dust in a quarterfinal on Friday, losing out to Longueuil, QC. Summerside is home to NHL icons Doug MacLean and Gerard Gallant (Gerard even got his coaching start with the Caps) and are currently coached by my good friend Billy McGuigan, a former Regina Pats assistant. But it wasn’t in the cards. … The Dauphin Kings lost out in a semifinal on Saturday and that’s unfortunate for an iconic franchise too. That’s where hometowner Barry Trotz got his coaching start and famous Kings alumni include Butch Goring.

4 – EVEN MORE C-CUP NOTES: It’s all about the buzz and everyday I thought about how much my Dad would’ve loved it. The Days Inn was the epicentre for the week and all hours of the day and night you could find someone in the lobby or restaurant willing to talk hockey. Here are some things that came up: CJHL Presidents will vote this week on players moving to full helmet cages Canada-wide next year. The OJHL went with full masks this year, but concussions tripled. … Everyone agrees the absence of a rep from British Columbia was a huge void in this tournament. The BCHL broke off from Hockey Canada and it’s still undecided if that was a good idea or not. They’re either going to become a Canadian division of the USHL or come back to the CJHL. Insiders predict the latter. … Next year’s Centennial Cup will be in Portage, MB. The guestimate for 2024 is Summerside, PEI. I’d like to attend both with the RP Show!

5 – JOLTIN’ JOE: The Centennial Cup is hockey heaven. Tons of hockey types and Stanley Cup champs showed up simply to watch some hockey, like Alan May, Craig Button, Grant Jennings and Joe Watson. In the case of Jennings, the Melfort product won two Stanley Cups with Mario and the Penguins (1991 & 1992) and is now working as an airline mechanic in Alaska! However he bought a plane ticket and a ticket package just to come watch some great hockey. That’s just fantastic.

But my favourite has to be the iconic Joe Watson. The Smithers, BC product is 78 years old and played for the Estevan Bruins from 1960-62 before an 11-year stint with the Philadelphia Flyers where he won two Stanley Cups. He flew back to be part of the Hot Stove at the Bruins Sportsmans Dinner Thursday night. Joe is a quote machine! Like this one: “Bobby Clarke is the greatest Flyer ever. He couldn’t skate and he couldn’t shoot but he was the best HOCKEY PLAYER!” Former Pat and Flyer Ron Flockhart from Smithers, BC was an altar boy at Joe’s first wedding and Bobby Orr was his best man. I asked him how and why he got #4 and Joe exclaimed, “Well I needed somebody!”

I spent a lot of time with Joe Watson this week. Did you know he saw Elvis Presley perform four times? And when The King died in August of 1977, Joe cried for days.

It makes me very happy being with these guys.

6 – DAYS GONE BY: It doesn’t really matter anymore and nobody seems to notice – or care – but me. However up until a decade ago, the Centennial Cup in Estevan would’ve been an absolute media anthill. As it was, this event was entirely sold out (at an average ticket price of $12.50 per game) and sponsorships were sold out too so bravo to Estevan and area. But back in the day you’d have had CTV, Global TV, probably CBC, the Leader Post and at least one Regina radio station all on hand for the duration in the Energy City. That certainly seemed to be the case in 2005 in Weyburn, if I recall. But in 2022, the RP Show was the only out-of-market media on hand. It’s not an indictment on the reporters at those outlets, but rather the penny-pinchers who run those stations. However my co-host/boss Darren Dupont and I agree; keep on doing what you’re doing because we’re more than happy to swoop in and take it all! We’re proud of the coverage we provided for the event and are grateful to have been invited. Thank you City of Estevan, Power Dodge, Cavendish Farms and Wanda Harron Photography for helping to make that possible.

7 – MORE RUMOURS: Something’s going on with the Regina Pats but I’m not certain what it is. Rumours abound that there could be a shake-up behind the bench however the names being bandied about are outlandish. One grapevine story suggested former Pats captain Barret Jackman could be in line to return to the Queen City as head coach of the Pats. However a quick text to “Jack” in St. Louis snuffed that out. He laughed but said it was nice to hear that his name came up. Another rumour suggested Barry Trotz – another former Pats captain – could be lured to the Brandt Centre by Pats owner Shaun Semple. Stop it! As Ron Lancaster once said, “In Regina if they haven’t heard a rumour by noon, they start one.”

But something’s going on.

8 – STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS: The Calgary Flames and Florida Panthers biting the dust in the Stanley Cup Playoffs severely foiled my spring/summer travel plans. I’ll still be in both markets with the RP Show however, sadly, there won’t be anymore NHL playoff games to attend. Being swept by Tampa was a bitter pill for the Panthers to swallow but it’s generally acknowledged that before you learn how to win, you need to experience the pain of losing. Tampa went through that themselves. As for the Flames, you’d think they’ve been through that pain enough. Calgary hockey fans wanted that Round 2 Battle of Alberta, and they got it. Be careful what you wish for. … Rangers netminder Igor Shesterkin recorded a goalie version of a Gordie Howe Hattrick Saturday night in New York’s 5-2 win over Carolina. He had 37 saves, two assists and two penalty minutes! … In Round 3 we may finally get the answer to the age-old question – Who’s better: McDavid or MacKinnon? Thank God they’re both Canadian.

9 – CFL: We had the CFL preseason action on in the luxury suites at Affinity Place this weekend. Exhibition football games are what they are, but there’s always something to talk about with them. What I observed with a casual eye were the two last-minute home wins for Ottawa and Hamilton, Nick Arbuckle taking a major step forward for Edmonton (who else was it going to be?) and the BC Lions are mad that the Stampeders ran up the score and blitzed/injured their rookie quarterback in a 41-6 romp at McMahon Stadium. Did I miss anything? I’ll delve into it more today and discuss it throughout the week on the RP Show. … There’s some grumbling over attendance at these games but CFL preseason games are never well-attended. If it continues into the regular season, then we’ve got a major problem. The league just needs to work hard to be visible in an ever-increasing sports marketplace. … Global National brought me live on their morning show this week from coast-to-coast. Why? Because they said they knew I’d tell them the truth about the CFL. The anchor, Antony Robart, asked if Touchdown Atlantic on July 16 between the Riders and Argos in Nova Scotia was in jeopardy due to the labour war. I said, “Buddy, they’re going to be playing by this weekend.”

They were.

10 – RANDOM THOUGHTS: I saw somewhere on Twitter where a guy said it’s “sad” that I’m not covering the Roughriders daily anymore. Dude, really? It’s been 3+ years. What more do I need to do? It’s over. Please move on.  … The NLL championship final will feature the Colorado Mammoth versus the Buffalo Bandits. Colorado advanced with a 15-13 win over San Diego this weekend in Game 3 of the Best-of-3 West Conference Final. … The CEBL’s Saskatchewan Rattlers visit the Edmonton Stingers Sunday at 1:00 pm MT. The Rattlers are 1-0 to start the season. You can watch the game on the CBC Gem app or CEBL+. For the best coverage of these teams and leagues, follow their social media channels. … In the lone Canadian Premier League game on Sunday Cavalry (Calgary) visits York at 12 pm CT. Yes, I’m finally following it. … Speaking of local sports, the WCBL’s Regina Red Sox are in need of four billets for this season! Contact the team through their social media channels if you can help out. … Happy Sunday and Memorial Day weekend!

Y’er welcome,
RP
@rodpedersen