10 WEEKEND THINGS

Taking shots …

1 – OH CANADA: In the first-ever Summer World Junior Hockey Championship, Canada skated off with the gold medal following a remarkably dramatic 3-2 overtime victory over Finland Saturday night at Rogers Place. Canada completed a somewhat improbable undefeated run to win gold and vanquish the ghosts which have dogged head coach Dave Cameron for a decade. It was improbable because over 70% of respondents in our poll felt there was no way Canada would go undefeated but they did just that, going 7-0 to win this country’s 19th gold medal. What a tourney with a WILD finale …

2 – GOLDEN NOTES: Team Canada captain Mason McTavish went down in World Juniors history by saving Canada’s bacon in overtime, swatting the potential game-winning shot out of the air on the goalline which swung Canada the other way and set up Kent Johnson’s OT winner. … Both McTavish and Johnson have NHL written all over them. … Phenom Connor Bedard was held off the scoresheet Saturday night but in the end, is going home with a gold medal which is what it’s all about. … The crowd of approximately 13,000 looked resplendent on TV and made me wonder if, after spotty attendance all tournament long, organizers papered the house to make it look good. If they did, GOOD FOR THEM. I’ve long pined for sports operators to do this. It makes you want to be there. BRAVO! … The RP Show is leaving Edmonton after an astonishingly quick two weeks and an even stronger relationship forged with Hockey Canada.

3 – BEDARD: The Regina Pats would prefer we don’t talk about this but, even though I love them to death, I don’t work for them and there’s a job of reporting to be done. The buzz at Rogers Place among the hockey people (NHL, WHL, IIHF, etc.) is that Connor Bedard will be traded this season by the Pats. “They HAVE to!” exclaimed one former team President, although in reality the Pats don’t have to do anything (see: Jordan Eberle & Colten Teubert, 2010). But Pats GM John Paddock knows the score and has the hockey sense to know the trade needs to be done for the betterment of all involved. Bedard’s likely landing spot is the 2023 Memorial Cup host Kamloops Blazers which would bring a nice haul for Connor. That would set the Pats up for years to come, and I trust Paddock’s ability to swing the blockbuster deal. He’s done it before.

Bedard’s time in Regina has been memorable individually but largely forgettable team-wise and he owes the Queen City nothing. Watch him while you can, get your tickets, and wear those #98 BEDARD jerseys proudly!

4 – DOWN WEEK: One can only imagine the mood in Rider Nation after the club was spanked 28-10 at home by the BC Lions Friday night. Until now, the Roughriders hadn’t lost three home games in a row since the disastrous 3-15 season of 2015 when everyone got fired. Now they’re 5-5 and fighting for their lives. Award-winning scribe Rob Vanstone has written off the season entirely and no one’s arguing with him. In the words of John Frenzy, “Where do we go from here caller?”

I wonder if anybody actually knows.

5 – FAJARDO: After Friday’s loss, Roughriders head coach Craig Dickenson alluded to the fact significant changes could be on the horizon and that got tongues wagging over what they could be. In a stretch of must-win games, we don’t even know whom the Riders’ starting QB will be in Week 12 after Cody Fajardo was pulled for Mason Fine against BC. Neither one showed a ton which has led many to believe a trade could be on the way but does anyone really believe that?

People are beginning to say that Chris Jones was right in his criticisms of Fajardo but I’d suggest piping down on that for now. I’d take Fajardo over Jones’s QB in Edmonton, whomever that is this week.

6 – STRANGER THINGS HAVE HAPPENED: It’s the CFL so if I’ve learned anything from covering this league since 1991, it’s that anything could happen. The Calgary Stampeders benched Bo Levi Mitchell in Saturday’s win at Toronto and back-up Jake Maier led them to victory. Could the Riders swap Fajardo for Bo? Let me ask you an even better question: would the Stampeders be interested in helping out a division foe or be content watching them circle the drain?

Rumours of back-up QB Vernon Adams being shipped out of Montreal have circulated all season so if there’s a trade to be had, that’s likely it. The Riders are quickly approaching “desperate” territory and if they’ve decided to move on from Fajardo, a trade could in fact happen.

Again, who saw this coming? Well, a lot of insiders did, whom said in the spring the Roughriders roster wasn’t near Grey Cup-calibre. Now, here we are.

6 – OTHER CFL STUFF: I’ve always said if you believe “The CFL season doesn’t start till Labour Day”, then you’re missing a lot. The 2022 season has already had plenty of intrigue including: Danny Maciocia leading the 4-6 Montreal Alouettes back from the dead despite his critics … Chris Jones doing the same with the 3-7 Edmonton Elks … Elks President Victor Cui steadfastly standing up to his detractors and valiantly trying to restore that once respectable franchise … Als owner Gary Stern begging fans on Twitter to sellout Percival Molson Stadium. (And they are) … Paul LaPolice doing all he can to revive the 1-8 Ottawa RedBlacks but the team isn’t responding and the fans are beyond irate. … Canadian QB Nathan Rourke has become the poster boy of the league but now we await an injury update on “WestJet” entering Week 12.

7 – MARQUEE PLAYER: Unfortunately many CFL personnel and fans alike can’t see past their own noses and would prefer to stifle Nathan Rourke’s career by blocking him from signing in the NFL, and having him stay in Canada. I’d prefer to simply cheer for Nathan and encourage him to do what’s best for him! Regardless, some fans have revived the notion of the “Marquee Player” rule which was popular in the 1990s when every CFL franchise had a $1-million quarterback except Saskatchewan (Damon Allen/Memphis, Doug Flutie/Calgary, Matt Dunigan/Birmingham, Tracy Ham/Baltimore, etc.). This kept the big stars in the league but almost bankrupt the CFL as well. Or so it seemed.

A bunch of us old-time CFL guys debated this concept in Edmonton this week and were split on whether or not it should be brought back. The idea is that Nathan Rourke could be given $1-million and retain his star power which is badly needed for the CFL. It’s true; many fans came to Mosaic Stadium on Friday just to watch Rourke.

I’d vote “no” for bringing the rule back, but that’s just me.

8 – HOCKEY STUFF: It continues to be astounding to me how hockey-mad the Province of Alberta is. I mean, I went to college in Calgary but never really noticed the intense passion till now. And the hatred between Calgary & Edmonton is at an all-time high. I love it! And we’ve been able to do a pretty good job of straddling the madness on the RP Show, and not picking a side. … The war now rages over who’s better on paper between the Oilers and Flames as the teams get set to open training camp in a few weeks. The correct answer is –> it’ll be determined on the ice. But that doesn’t stop the fans from endlessly debating the question all day everyday. … Profuse apologies to Flames GM Brad Treliving for any criticism I may have levied in the past. I based my assessment on comments from Brad’s former employers in Arizona but it’s become evident they had no idea what they were talking about. … It’s too early to say the Flames won the off-season because let’s not forget they lost Gaudreau and Tkachuk but by adding Nazem Kadri, they’ve got a guy with balls, Stanley Cup credentials, and WANTS TO BE THERE! That’s a win in my books. … Now I can’t wait to get back to Florida and follow the Panthers/Tkachuk/Maurice story. Can’t wait for fall!

9 – BOB RIDLEY: The biggest news in the Dub this week was the retirement of famed Medicine Hat Tigers broadcaster and bus driver Bob Ridley after 4,022 Hall of Fame games. In my 20 or so seasons in the WHL, I always referred to Bob as “Uncle Giggles” (after the famed Flintstones character) and Bob always got a laugh out of it. He was the Dean of WHL Broadcasters and as iconic as it gets. His calls were legendary but what I treasure the most is our traditional visits 90 minutes before game time in the press box. We talked a little about hockey and a lot about life and Mr. Ridley always served as a fine mentor for me. I love him. All the best Bob! Irreplaceable.

10 – RANDOM THOUGHTS: If they’re not complaining about the heat, they’re complaining about the cold. … Speaking of, Rogers Place is the coldest rink I’ve ever been in. But not complaining! … Loved learning a ton about Connor McDavid while in Edmonton. He’s assimilated in the community – a regular with his pup at the local dog park – and will likely never ask for a trade. What a great guy! … What should we do to people who leave garbage in our cars? … Don’t forget the 163rd running of the Queen’s Plate Sunday afternoon on TSN/CTV! And make sure to download the Dark Horse App before post time and get your wager in. … If You Sprinkle When You Tinkle, Be A Sweetie & Wipe The Seatie. … Thanks to WestJet for the upgrade to first class this weekend!! Membership has its privileges, and the airline’s been given an unfairly rough ride through Covid. … Can’t wait to cover the NFL beginning immediately. The Dolphins host the Eagles next Saturday. … I could write a book just on the last year alone including hanging with Michael Irvin at Super Bowl, watching the Stanley Cup Finals at Chris Nilan’s Montreal home, plus the Centennial Cup, World Juniors (hockey AND lacrosse) and so much more. Very blessed and grateful with how things have turned out. … There’s a big, great world out there waiting to be discovered! Thanks for supporting.

Y’er welcome,
RP
@rodpedersen