The Monday Morning Goalie For SUDS
Truth & Rumours For SUDS Car Wash
1 – TRAGEDY IN MIN: The hockey world is rocked, and that includes us, with the news that NHL.com-Minnesota writer Jessi Pierce and her three kids were killed in a house fire in White Bear Lake, MN over the weekend. When I heard the news Sunday morning, I stared at the wall for a good, long time. Jessi was a regular on the RP Show – our Minnesota reporter for the Wild & Vikings – and she was stellar in every appearance. And, she never turned down an invitation. The tributes have been far and wide for Jessi, and every one has been appropriate and worthy. She was following a dream by covering the Wild and the love & respect was clearly mutual from the team.
2 – WHAT ME WORRY?: We are now just inside a month until the start of the Stanley Cup Playoffs and in case we missed it, the NHL sent out a reminder late last week. Hopefully that reminder hit the inboxes of the Edmonton Oilers and Vegas Golden Knights who had a dreadful week, but managed to hold onto playoff positions in the Pacific Division. The Oilers looked listless in being swept at home by the Florida teams while the Golden Knights finally snapped a three game losing streak with a 3-2 victory Sunday at Dallas. The victory leapfrogged the VGK over the Oilers from 19th overall, to 18th. Each team would prefer to be much higher.
When I saw that calendar reminder from the NHL, the first thing I thought was, “Oh great, more conjecture and phony baloney about wHo’S gOiNg tO mAkE tHe pLaYoFfs?” Sure everyone’s opinion is only worth the hot air it took to spout it, but it is a fascinating race. For instance, who the heck saw Columbus and Nashville coming back from the dead to gain Top 3 positions in their divisions as we sit here today? But the talk of “Is the lack of Canadian teams good or bad for the NHL?” or “Are the seven new teams in playoff spots good for the NHL?” is nothing more than bunk. As Washington Capitals TV analyst Alan May declared on the RP Show this week, “The 16 teams who make the playoffs will have earned it. Period.” As usual, Al’s right?! I was ashamed of myself for getting washed away in the hysteria. Fake News.
3 – PLAYOFF FORMAT: Gary Bettman confirmed at the GM meetings here in Florida this week that the playoff format will not be changing. Sure there’s some beefing from the teams and even more from the media and fans but this format’s been in place since 2014 for a reason. The wildcard format was added to ensure the best teams get in. The fact that top tier teams like Dallas and Minnesota are going to cannibalize each other in the early rounds is an unfortunate cost of doing business. And just why aren’t they considering a change? This format was designed to build geographic rivalries and it’s worked beautifully (see: Battle of Florida).
4 – STANLEY CUP ODDS: Either the oddsmakers are taking a nap or simply aren’t fooled by these late season swoons. The Stanley Cup-winning betting favourites as of today are: Colorado (+290), Carolina/Tampa Bay (+450), Dallas (+900), Vegas (+950), and Edmonton (+1300). So while fans in those last two markets are busy clutching their perils, the betting pundits – who have all the data and experience in the world – aren’t losing faith.
The Oilers pick is a curious one because the team definitely seems to be falling apart. Connor McDavid’s comments following Saturday’s 5-2 loss to Tampa Bay seem to be the hot topic coming out of the weekend, where #97 said the Lightning are “perfectly coached”. That’s led many pundits to insinuate that McDavid feels the Oilers are not. And then there’s the issue of their continually suspect goaltending. Getting worried yet?
5 – AT THE BOTTOM: Some of us are just as interested to see who the oddsmakers have installed at the bottom of the rankings (and/or draft lottery odds). See if you agree with the bottom five in the NHL: 28) Chicago, 29) New York Rangers, 30) Calgary Flames, 31) St. Louis Blues, 32) Toronto Maple Leafs. As we sit here today, the Vancouver Canucks are dead last in the actual overall standings. The Leafs don’t own their 2026 first round pick – Boston does – but it’s Top 5 protected. It’s unlikely they’re going to sink that far, however it sure looks like they’re trying.
6 – JUNIOR LOOP: It was the most convoluted ending of a WHL regular season of all-time but when the smoke cleared, the Regina Pats clinched a playoff berth Saturday night for the first time since 2023 while the Moose Jaw Warriors fell just short, finishing one point out. The Pats carry a five-game winless skid into the playoffs and will oppose the 50-win Medicine Hat Tigers in Round 1. Gulp. … This is the opening weekend of the SJHL Playoffs and here’s where the series are at so far: Flin Flon 2 Estevan 0, Melville/Yorkton 1-1, Weyburn/Nipawin 1-1, Battlefords 2 Melfort 0. Meanwhile the Humboldt Broncos missed the playoffs for the first time since 2016!
7 – RODPEDERSEN.COM: Thursday marked the 20-year anniversary of RodPedersen.com and it was a great feeling. The first ever blog post on the website was March 19, 2006 when the upstart Regina Pats, under the guidance of Curtis Hunt, notched their 40th win with a victory at Medicine Hat. The headline trumpeted “Lordy, Lordy Look Who’s Got 40”. That was one season before Jordan Eberle arrived. 40-million-plus hits later, and two Canadian Blog Awards, the highest-traffic day was the Humboldt Broncos bus accident. #2 was the Eric Tillman incident with the Saskatchewan Roughriders. What a statement that is on what sells. On a much more positive note, although the media game, and our lives, have changed immensely in the 20 years since, I’ve kept the website going because I love it and it remains a tremendous vehicle for information, entertainment and fun. Besides, how could you throw that history away? Thanks to the sponsors, and my writers (particularly Mitchell Blair, Mike Stackhouse and Glen Erickson). As my friend Chris From The Bronx said about the all-time traffic this site has generated, “Those are Taylor Swift numbers!” For that, I credit Saskatchewan and Canadian sports fans. So thank you. Who knows what’s ahead?
8 – FOOTBALL: It was a treat to attend Sunday’s Saskatchewan Roughriders free agent camp in Fort Lauderdale, FL. It was the second of two workouts on the weekend in the Sunshine State for the Grey Cup champs. I had the opportunity to run onto the field to snap a photo, and get a quick visit in. The Green & White are optimistic about their chances in 2026 despite losing some talent in free agency. They kept the players they wanted to. It won’t be long now! … It’s a big week in the CFL and the focus is on Edmonton where the 2025 Coach of the Year Award will be handed out on Wednesday at a gala. Wanna bet Saskatchewan’s Corey Mace wins it? Meanwhile the inaugural Ted Goveia Award for the best Football Operations Dept. will be handed out as well and the finalists are Sask, Calgary and Hamilton. My vote’s for the Riders but the pundits are saying it’ll be the Ticats. The National Combine goes next weekend in Edmonton and the RP Show will have a reporter there. … Interesting note, Vegas Knight Hawks Head Coach/GM Mike Davis has replaced Jim Barker on the RP Show’s Football Fridays and I asked him which NFL team faces the most pressure on a yearly basis? “Dallas,” Mike blurted without having to think about it. Agree or disagree?
9 – ODDS & ENDS: They’re in the homestretch of the NLL season and the Saskatchewan Rush and Vancouver Warriors are atop the overall standings at 11-4 despite the Rush’s loss to the Toronto Rock this weekend. Next Saturday the Rush host the Buffalo Bandits at SaskTel Centre in a 2025 finals rematch. … They’re still celebrating in Venezuela after their baseball team knocked off USA 3-2 in Tuesday’s World Baseball Classic in Miami. Attendance and TV ratings are at an all-time high so OF COURSE the suits are considering moving the tournament to mid-season! … Frankly I think playing the event in the preseason is ideal – the numbers indicate that – and it tells the world “WE’RE HERE!” Maybe the NHL should do the same thing with their World Cup? As it is, the start of their season is buried, believe it or not, behind NFL kickoff and MLB Playoffs in the US. Don’t think that isn’t a major consideration.
10 – RANDOM THOUGHTS: Larry King was married eight times. … Larry King was also the radio color commentator for the Miami Dolphins in 1971 & 1972. Look it up. … Show me a good loser and I’ll show you a loser. … So we’re supposed to boycott Target now? … On shelves crammed with cuddly toy native animals in an Australian airport gift shop, one fluffy possum stood out: Its big brown eyes were moving. A browsing passenger first spotted a living Australian brushtail possum peering out from among the kangaroos on the display shelf at the departure terminal shop at Hobart Airport in Tasmania state on Wednesday. Above the possum were bilbies, marsupials with rabbit-like long ears, and dingoes, Australia’s native dog. A staff member took a video of the possum with her phone before the animal grew wary of the growing attention and left the shop. Airport staff were able to remove the possum from the airport unharmed. … AND HOW WAS YOUR WEEK?
Y’er welcome,
RP
The RP Blog is the “newspaper of record” for Saskatchewan sports media and editorial content. If a matter was posted here and discerned then it has the gravitas to set the record straight. There has never been a more important time and the credibility a given. The platform plus Stackhouse/Blair/Erickson is locked in and the kids should be coming here for the go to source. Who’s Gonna Fill Their Shoes – RP Blog – Sturgill Simpson is saving country music Random – I miss Ron Rimmer from the old STV sports show. I always thought he would have been a… Read more »
I’m that gravitas you speak of who sets the record straight.