10 WEEKEND THINGS

Taking Shots …

1 – ON SALE: You can imagine the trail of broken hearts left behind in Calgary by departed – and beloved – Flames stars Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk as they’ve both left in the past week for their own reasons. I’ve been asked countless times by Flames fans what the stages of grief are (btw I have a certification in Stress, Trauma & Grief Management) and they are: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance. Being in the eye of it, I’d suggest Flames fans are somewhere between depression/acceptance. But we’re not nearly at the end of it …

2 – THE GUTS OF IT: Love the NHL insiders but not one of them predicted Johnny Hockey would sign with the Columbus Blue Jackets and not one of them could explain afterwards why he did. Here’s what I’ve heard: Everything Gaudreau said about leaving Calgary for family reasons was true and the plan was for him to sign with New Jersey however after leaving it to the 11th hour, the Devils didn’t have the space to offer the All Star forward what he wanted/needed and Columbus swooped in as a convenient fallback option. The Blue Jackets never really were on Gaudreau’s radar until the end. Makes sense now.

3 – WHAT THE TKACHUK?: The Florida Panthers were on Matthew Tkachuk’s rumoured list of desired teams he provided Flames GM Brad Treliving (however many NHL sources have said that list was inaccurate) and that’s where Matthew ended up going in a blockbuster trade Friday night. Having split the past 10 months between Calgary and Florida myself and watched these teams very closely, the deal is a bit of a head-scratcher. We can all agree the Flames won because they dealt a disgruntled player (Tkachuk) for an NHL All Star and the longest-serving Panther (Johnathan Huberdau), a Top 4 stud defenceman (MacKenzie Weegar), a promising up-and-comer (Cole Schwindt) and a first round pick. Any two of those four pieces for Tkachuk would’ve been sufficient. Yes, Tkachuk and Weegar each have one year left on their current deals but there was never any indication that they wanted out of South Florida, that we know of. Regardless, both teams seem extremely happy with the trade so we’ll have to wait to see where the chips fall.

*Incidentally Johnathan Huberdeau was on the 2012 Canadian World Junior team when I was the voice of Team Canada on Sportsnet Radio. Current Flames assistant coach Ryan Huska was on that coaching staff. These connections run deep.

4 – AGAIN, WHO WON?: The NHL adage often goes that “The team who got the best player won the trade” but I’m still not sold on who’s better between Huberdeau and Tkachuk. Neither has been a proven playoff performer, although both have put up big regular season numbers and are popular within their dressing rooms. Also, neither has been judged to be “captain material”. So again, it may be best to reserve judgment on who won this trade but for the moment, it’s Calgary.

5 – OH CANADA: Every day is a thrill. On Friday I took in the Red & White scrimmage for Team Canada’s World Under-18 team at Canada Olympic Park and that was another bucket list item to stroke off. It was pointed out to me by an NHL scout that of the 42 players in camp, 20 are from the Western Hockey League. … Upon closer examination, I noticed six are from Saskatchewan: Sam Oremba (Regina), Caden Price (Saskatoon), Riley Heidt (Saskatoon), Tanner Howe (P.A.), Kalan Lind (Shaunavon) and Brayden Yager (Saskatoon). … The game was so lopsided after the first period I asked if they could re-draw the lineups between periods. … The best player I saw was Riley Heidt. … There are 15 players from the OHL, six from the QMJHL and one from OJHL. … They played Oh Canada before the scrimmage. This is PRACTICE! I love it.

6 – THE NEXT ONE: Even though this is Connor Bedard’s age class skating at C.O.P., the Regina Pats star will be skating in the World Under-20 (World Juniors) camp. As one veteran NHL scout offered Friday, “And I expect Connor will dominate with the big boys too.” … Don’t forget The Rod Pedersen Show will be broadcasting live from Rogers Place Aug 8 – 20 during the 2022 World Junior Hockey Championship thanks to a partnership with the WJHC. … It was a very nice feeling to be with all my Dad’s old scouting buddies at the Calgary arena! … It’s the summer of hockey.

7 – RIDERS/ARGOS: It’s truly unfortunate for the Saskatchewan Roughriders to have had to re-schedule this weekend’s home game against Toronto from Saturday to Sunday. The last thing the Riders want to do is move a game because they know how much these games mean to their fans and that the fans have scheduled their summers around them. It certainly wasn’t the Riders’ decision. … Hall of Fame Stampeders broadcaster Mark Stephen quizzed on The RP Show this week why the game should be moved due to positive Covid cases? Mark pointed out that if 10 guys suffered broken legs in practice, they’d be replaced and the game would go on as scheduled. Why does Covid make things different? For that, I do not have an answer. … The opening line for this game from our official betting partner BetRegal.ca was Saskatchewan by five points. By Friday it dropped to Saskatchewan by two. As of Saturday morning, the Argonauts are now favoured by 1-point after it was announced rookie Jake Dolegala will make his first career start for Sask. Veteran Cody Fajardo won’t even be on the roster. Life without Fajardo has begun. Be careful what you wish for.

8 – OTHER CFL: So far this week Winnipeg has defeated Edmonton 24-10, Montreal got past Ottawa 40-33 and BC defeated Hamilton 17-12. … The TSN turning point in the Bombers/Elks game was the Roughing The Kicker call in the second half against Edmonton which extended a Winnipeg drive and allowed them to put the dagger in. Chris Jones was fuming after the game at his team’s lack of intelligence. That comment surprised me. … Edmonton still hasn’t won a home game since changing their name from Eskimos to Elks. … The BC Lions are not an overnight success. It’s been a rather slow, methodical approach by Co-GMs Rick Campbell and Neil McEvoy and now we’re finally seeing the dividends as evidenced by their 4-1 record, and *complimentary football* win over Hamilton. … Tons ‘o pressure on 0-6 Ottawa RedBlacks head coach Paul LaPolice after Thursday’s loss. It’s a tough call. Do you fire the coach over a drop in the end zone or other game-defining gaffes? What made me bite my lip was the Ottawa radio halftime hosts openly questioning Lapo’s decision-making. That was always a supreme no-no in Riderville. … Andy Fantuz is GREAT as an analyst on the Ticats games with host Bubba O’Neill. Like, really good. It’s also highly ironic because ‘Tuz was TRUCULENT with the Regina media during his time with the Green & White. And I say that with the utmost respect and adoration. It’s just funny! 🙂

9 – NFL: The National Football League has been fairly quiet ever since the draft and whatever news the OTAs produced this spring but teams are reporting for camp in a week and you’ll be hit with a tidal wave of news and fake news from all outlets and angles. The American media are wizards at drumming up storylines to keep the chatter going and my favourite this week was “Who’s your darkhorse NFL team in 2022?” When I read it, that voice in my head blared, “DENVER!” (Caution: That voice in my head isn’t always right). However that prediction will make esteemed Leader Post columnist Rob Vanstone happy and with Russell Wilson under centre and some other savvy off-season moves, the Broncos will be in a fight in the NFL’s toughest division: the AFC West. … Another discussion-generating topic was “Who’s the NFL’s most overrated player?” but when one analyst said Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes, I shut it off. … Tip: For years I’d insert *CFL* into those questions and ride it for months in the off-season with my old job. It IS possible.

10 – RANDOM THOUGHTS: So many Flames fans are bemoaning the loss of Tkachuk and Gaudreau and wondering what they’ll do with their #19 and #13 jerseys? Here’s some advice – Always go RETRO! My most prized Roughrider jersey is of my favorite all-time Roughrider, #18 Jeff Fairholm. What a joy it’s been to connect with “Fairway” out here in Calgary. … Remember *69? … Championship Sunday at the Calgary Stampede was a little too wild and long for me! I think I’ll settle for watching it on TV in the years ahead. … I realized I like rodeo but don’t love it. I love hockey. … The biggest loser in the Flames saga? Elias Lindholm, who lost both his linemates from the NHL’s best line in 2021-22. The arrival of Hubie should help. … Condolences and prayers to the vast family of Regina football legend Kelly Hamilton who passed away this week. Facilities will be named after Kelly. Irreplaceable. … If you’re struggling in life, my DMs are open. You can’t do it alone!

Y’er welcome,
RP
@rodpedersen