10 WEEKEND THINGS

Taking shots …

1 – OH CANADA: Depending on your perspective, it’s likely not surprising that Canada is 3-0 at the 2022 Summer World Junior Hockey Championships here in Edmonton. It’s not surprising because we’re Canada after all, but it is a tad surprising when you consider Canada is missing some of its top players including Shane Wright, Daemon Hunt, Dylan Guenther and a few others for various reasons. But other nations are missing their top players too and Russia isn’t here at all, which has levelled out the playing field. However it appears Canada and the USA are on a collision course for another gold medal final and nothing would please me more. I’m so glad and grateful to be here! Thanks to River Cree Resort & Casino and Hockey Canada for making it happen.

2 – BEDARD: When people aren’t talking about the sad attendance numbers at the WJHC, they’re talking about Connor Bedard. The Next One has had at least a point in each of Canada’s games and has been his usual dazzling self. He’s made moves that have the Rogers Place crowd “oo’ing” and “aw-ing” just like the Brandt Centre at Pats games. Team Canada head coach Dave Cameron cautioned fans to temper their expectations of Connor earlier in the week and I scoffed but as the tournament’s gone along, I agree. People are expecting Bedard to go end to end like Connor McDavid every shift and score a hattrick every game. That’s just not his style. But you can bet dollars to donuts that Connor’s going to be there in the clutch moments, scoring or setting up key goals in the quarterfinals and medal round. Book it. But so far he hasn’t reached peak performance, IMHO.

Some say he isn’t working nearly hard enough and is cherry-picking. With that, my mind immediately flashed back to a family road trip in 1984 when the Pedersen fivesome watched the Oilers and Blues at Northlands Coliseum. I was 11. My brother said – regarding Wayne Gretzky’s lack of defensive play – “If Wayne Gretzky played for me, I’d cut him.”

I replied, “You would.”

Sometimes you need to decide what you can tolerate in order to reach the greater good.

3 – HOCKEY CANADA: I have absolutely no problem wearing Hockey Canada gear and have had a decades-long association with the organization, and it’s been a good one. The RP Show being in Edmonton has a lot to do with us being at the Centennial Cup in Estevan in May – another Hockey Canada event – and the beginnings of a partnership being formed there. Then the fit hit the shan, but I can assure you the people we’ve been dealing with had no part of the 2018 scandal and likely weren’t even aware of it. I respect TSN analyst Cheryl Pounder’s stance that she was hesitant to celebrate her Hockey Canada history or don the jersey but I also know the organization is bigger and better than what allegedly went down in London, ON. It’s a free country and we have the right to support – or not support – whom we choose.

4 – ATTENDANCE: Which brings us to the attendance at the 2022 Summer World Juniors. No matter what the paid attendance is, Canada’s opening two games were around 3,000 bums in seats but Saturday’s 5-1 win over Czechia drew, I’d guess, between 6,000-7,000. I have a sneaking suspicion that the barn will be full be week’s end. This is a hockey town, and province, and people want to see Connor Bedard live. And as was evidenced by the Rider jerseys at the game on Saturday, there’s tons of Sask folks here too.

In an informal poll, the #1 reason for poor attendance is the fact it’s 30 degrees outside and August. (Btw this is what hockey in Florida is like and it’s awesome). The #2 reason for poor ticket sales is the cost of Canada’s games. I’d suggest the recent scandal is a distant #3.

5 – PAID ATTENDANCE: It was roughly 15-20 years ago when sports owners went from announcing actual bums-in-seats at games to rather how many tickets were allegedly sold. Obviously there’s a big difference between the two. I clearly remember thinking to myself at the time, “This is actually worse. What you’re saying is thousands more people would rather make a donation to the team than spend their time actually coming to the game.” I piped up with those thoughts in staff meetings but was quickly shot down and told I don’t know anything. Before long, I wasn’t invited to those meetings anymore. Over the last while, I’ve realized I was right all along, about a lot of things.

But the disparity between the two figures is widening. The paid attendance for Saturday night’s Roughriders/Elks CFL game was 25,351, we’re told. Did you watch the game? It seems like 50% of that number was actually at Commonwealth Stadium.

A lot of teams, including the Eskimos, used to have an attendance pool in the press box and we all threw in a toonie to make a guess. I quit doing that after awhile because these attendance numbers became nothing but a fantasy.

Countless times I’ve been standing there when the team owner is told the attendance and he waves, huffs, and says, “Add 20%”. 

But let’s keep believing the mirage.

6 – RIDERS/ELKS: Can’t imagine what the attendance would’ve been if not for Rider fans Saturday night. Regardless, Saskatchewan won a must-win game, 34-23, over the Elks in a game which was far closer than the score indicated. Similar to Montreal’s win at Winnipeg on Friday, the Elks lost it just as much as the Riders won it however Saskatchewan doesn’t need to make any apologies for that. We’re far from that being a playoff-clinching game but it certainly went a long way to Sask burying Edmonton in terms of the playoffs. At 2-7 and without a top flight quarterback, Edmonton is sunk.

7 – FAJARDO: Keep your Fajardo hate out of here. It’s become en vogue to bash the Saskatchewan quarterback and we continued to see it last week from TSN analyst Milt Stegall and CFL greats Nik Lewis and Wes Cates on my show. “He’s not this” and “He’s not that”, they say. Here’s what he is: a WINNER.

For much of Saturday’s game Cody was prancing around like a deer on the highway but can you blame him? He can’t trust his offensive line for blocking and taking penalties, can’t always trust his receivers to catch the football and can’t always trust his offensive coordinator to make the right call. Yet, when the chips were down and the game was on the line, Cody delivered.

You will never convince me that Cody Fajardo isn’t all that and the simple fact is he’s worth every penny he’s been given by GM Jeremy O’Day.

8 – QUEEN CITY SPORTS: Regina sports fans have Cody Fajardo and Connor Bedard right under their nose on the same 320-acre lot at Evraz Place. Enjoy them while you can.

9 – OCHO CINCO: A video went viral this week of NFL great Chad “Ocho Cinco” Johnson extolling the virtues of his time in the CFL (Montreal – 2014-15). #85 said on his first day in Canada he was amazed by the talent and wondered why these dudes weren’t in the NFL? Dozens of people sent me the video but frankly I got irritated and wondered why? I’VE KNOWN SINCE I WAS A LITTLE KID THAT THE TALENT IS JUST AS GOOD! So have you. I don’t need validation from Chad Johnson, nor anyone else.

I think what irritated me the most was how, through years of mismanagement and lack of leadership, the CFL brand has slipped to the point that people now treat it like a beer league. The quality of play is as good as ever – maybe even better – yet Canadians feel the need to defend the league now more than ever.

NEWS FLASH: The only one responsible for your reputation and image is YOU. How and where would the CFL begin to repair theirs? I used to lay awake at night stewing over this but frankly I don’t care anymore. We’re building our own brand with The RP Show.

10 – RANDOM THOUGHTS: Overheard in the Commonwealth Stadium press box Saturday night: “Really all everyone’s waiting for is the Oilers to open training camp.” … It was odd to be in there and not see larger-than-life Terry Jones at his usual post. However Jones At Large was unceremoniously dumped by the Edmonton Sun this spring. In fact there were far more empty seats than occupied ones in the press box. What’s happened to our business? … I think that’s why The RP Show’s been so popular in Alberta. It’s new, we’re everywhere, and we’re credible. … This past Tuesday marked the 34th anniversary of the Wayne Gretzky trade. August 9, 1988. It was cool to be in Edmonton for it, but I think I was the only one who made a big deal out of it. It’s a painful memory for Edmontonians that they’ve healed from and prefer not to bring up again. … That was also the day I stopped being an Oiler fan. … Not a shock that Robin Lehner is done for the year with Vegas. He was on the outs with the franchise anyway. They kept the wrong goalie. … The Canadian Elite Basketball League plays its championship game Sunday in Ottawa between Hamilton and Scarborough on CBC. Please check it out! … There’s going to be some exciting CEBL news coming out before long about franchise relocations. Stay tuned. … QB Chris Streveler threw two touchdowns for the New Jork Jets in a 24-21 preseason win over the Philadelphia Eagles this week. He won’t be back. Good for Strevy! … I asked Wes Cates on The RP Show if there was as much hype around the Riders when he played (2007-2011) as there is now. “There was way more!” the Columbus, OH product exclaimed. “In 2007 we sold-out every game!” Touche. They did. … They’re using microchip-tracked pucks here at the World Juniors. I hope the data is made available! … All I’d prefer to discuss is hockey and football. Hope that works for you! … And Recovery from addiction and mental health issues as well. But nobody cares about that until it affects them. Que sera sera. It’s God’s work! … Some jerk left his dog in a parked car outside Rogers Place in 30 degrees Celsius on Saturday. Don’t be a jerk! 

Y’er welcome,
RP
@rodpedersen