10 WEEKEND THINGS FOR CAPITAL AUTO MALL

1 – GAME PLUS NETWORK: Friday was a huge day for us as we announced The Rod Pedersen Show will go coast-to-coast on Game+ TV beginning April 8. The specialty channel will make our show available to over one million homes in Canada and the USA daily! This was the dream. To answer a few of the many questions which have come in; yes we’ll still be on Facebook Live and no, none of our content will change. There will still be loads and loads of CFL, NHL, Junior Hockey, NLL, Curling & the rest. Is it available in your home? Call your cable provider.

2 – THE BUZZ: Andrew “Hustler” Paterson of TSN 1290 Winnipeg asked me on his show this week what the top storyline of the CFL off-season is? To me it’s the fact there are new coaches in Edmonton (Scott Milanovich), Ottawa (Paul LaPolice), BC (Rick Campbell) and Toronto (Ryan Dinwiddie). Add to that the fact there are three coaches going into their second season: Saskatchewan (Craig Dickenson), Hamilton (Orlondo Steinauer) and Montreal (Khari Jones). That’s 7 of 9 teams!

3 – IT IS WHAT IT IS: That’s not to say this is a blemish on the CFL. The mighty NHL has seen seven coaches fired in 2019-20 and the season isn’t over yet! This just speaks to the volatility of the coaching profession. Many, many years ago while chewing the fat with Raiders coach Donn Clark at Digger’s in P.A., he asked me “Why in the hell would you want to get into the play-by-play profession? No money and no stability”. I replied, “I’ll ask you the same question about coaching.” At least now there’s money in coaching.

4 – CROSS THAT BRIDGE: Count me as shocked when the Peel Regional Police (GTA) announced their newest recruit is CFL QB Brandon Bridge. Air Canada has become Law & Order. His friends say this isn’t a shock, and he’s been contemplating it for a couple of years. Regardless, Brandon is the kind of guy that’ll be a success no matter what he does and if his calling is to be a cop, then God bless him. I sure hope he feels he left it all on the field. Otherwise, it’ll gnaw at him for the rest of his life.

5 – SHIP AHOY: Rider kicker Brett Lauther was on the RP Show Friday and gave a fascinating interview. No surprise cuz he’s a fascinating guy. The Truro, Nova Scotia product got tongues wagging when he teased that he’s heard there will be a special announcement from the Atlantic Schooners at Touchdown Atlantic on July 25 in Halifax. Perhaps it’s the official announcement of a team? I sure hope so. People ask me daily if this thing is going to happen and lately I’m swaying towards the “yes” side. These owners generally get what they want.

6 – NHL NOTES: Love the new feature on The Score app which updates playoff match-ups daily, with a month to go in the regular season. As of TODAY, the Oilers would play the Flames in Round 1, the Golden Knights would meet the Canucks, and the Jets would take on the Blues. This adds up to hockey heaven for the Bermuda Triangle of the NHL (Saskatchewan), and the rest of Western Canada.

7 – NHL THOUGHTS: The Flames won’t go far playing only 5, 10 or even 20 minutes of hockey. It worked against Columbus this week, but it’s not sustainable. … The Oilers ran out of gas in Chicago, otherwise they’re clicking on all cylinders. Confucius say: “If the Oilers score 8 goals a game, they will win the Stanley Cup”. … The Winnipeg Jets are the team which has overcome the most this season to get here, and could be a darkhorse. Don’t forget they’ve been knocking on the door the past two seasons. … Las Vegas sports observers wonder what will happen to Knights attendance when the team’s on-ice fortunes start to slide. I say, they won’t need to worry about that. They are always going to be a contender, a la the Brandon Wheat Kings.

8 – RUSH HOUR: SaskTel Centre in Saskatoon is the place to be Saturday night as the Saskatchewan Rush host the Vancouver Warriors in exciting NLL action. The Rush need to get whatever ails them at home figured out. They are 1-3 at the Phone Booth, however leading scorer Mark Matthews (45 points) said on Friday’s RP Show that they aren’t worried. That’s the sign of a veteran club. Sask has won 8 in a row over Vancouver dating back to 2017 and we’re banking on that continuing. See you in ToonTown tonight!

9 – JUNIOR NOTES: Even during my 17 years in the Dub, I always said there is NOTHING like the SJHL playoffs. Friday was opening night of the S-J postseason and there were some upsets with La Ronge and Estevan winning on the road. I’m still not a fan of the league pulling the plug on the famed Survivor Series’, but what can you do. Unfortunately Melville, Notre Dame, Weyburn and Kindersley saw their seasons end this week. … Remember the name Brett Cameron. The 6’9″, 260 lb, 17-year old from Beardy’s was called up by the Humboldt Broncos for his SJHL debut Tuesday night. I called the game on Max TV. Cameron lists his favourite meal as Elk Meat & Potatoes and his favourite quote is “The takers may eat better but the givers sleep better“. On Tuesday evening, the opposing checkers looked like fleas on an elephant’s back. The kid can play. Big time. Broncos coach Scott Barney and I agreed that 20 years ago, Cameron would already have pro offers. This will be fun to watch!

10 – RANDOM THOUGHTS: Saskatchewan’s Matt Dunstone has moved up to the #2 seed at the Tim Hortons Brier on championship weekend. When does Saskatchewan bust loose? The Curse of 1980 may be about to fall. … Wait till Black Knight Sports & Entertainment in Las Vegas adds an NLL team to its sports conglomerate. … Verrrry underrated: Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. … The Raptors clinched a playoff spot this week? Where did the time go. … Not much buzz about Week 5 in the XFL. All the talk is of Tom Brady, who I’m gambling will switch coasts with his next contract. … Has spring sprung? I sure hope so. That was a long-assed winter. … It’s Telemiracle Weekend! Check it out. … Happy birthday on Saturday to Roughriders WR Shaq Evans and famed alum Kitwana Jones! … The MJ Warriors offer a Family Pack of 4 tickets, popcorn & drink for $65. There’s no excuse not to go!

Y’er welcome,
RP
@rodpedersen