TUESDAY RUNDOWN: A STANLEY CUP CHAMP AND AN EDMONTON BUBBLE?!

We came in hot on a brand new week with Episode #337 of The RP Show – Canada’s Daytime Sports Talk Show! Here’s the rundown:

• Rod and Dupes opened with The Warmup covering these Quick Six show topics: 1) Taylor Hall to the Sabres and Alex Pietrangelo to the Golden Knights, 2) Dak Prescott’s season-ending injury, 3) MLB’s League Championship Series are well underway, 4) Vegas Golden Knights players are upset over a lack of loyalty?, 5) Lebron wants some “damn respect” and 6) Who’s telling the CFL’s story these days?
• RP broke the news Tuesday morning that Edmonton is being looked at as a potential Bubble City for 2021. That caused an avalanche of reaction – both positive and negative – and Rod said it’s a prudent move for the CFL to investigate this scenario in case nothing changes with the pandemic into the New Year. CFL players seem very excited with the possibility.
• NHL alum and TSN 1260 Edmonton’s Jason Strudwick joined the show for a wide-ranging chat. He empathized with NBA and NHL players in the bubbles and said it would be incredibly mentally and emotionally taxing. “Struds” surmised that it was a tremendous display of strength for the Lightning and Lakers to win the titles. Regarding NHL free agency, Jason said he was as surprised as anyone that Taylor Hall would sign with Buffalo. “When I first heard it, I thought ‘What, the Bills’?” Strudwick laughed. However after examining the signing he feels the lynchpin was Sabres coach Ralph Krueger. Jason also went deep into the “loyalty” situation with Las Vegas and understands why the players would be miffed because it’s reportedly a very close locker room. Regarding an Edmonton bubble for the CFL, Strudwick said he’d be excited to watch from a luxury suite to enjoy his favourite team: Cody Fajardo and the Saskatchewan Roughriders. “I’ll bring the corndogs!” Strudwick chuckled.
• The daily Capital Auto Mall/Universal Collision Centre poll question was: Which is Canada’s Game of the Week in Week 19 of the CFL SIM season – Ottawa at Calgary, Edmonton at Hamilton or Toronto at Winnipeg? At press time, the RedBlacks/Stampeders were leading.
• Hour 2 was broadcast on Facebook Live only and we were joined by Calgary Flames broadcaster and Minnesota Vikings fan Peter Loubardias. “Lou” said he wasn’t surprised by the Vikings’ gaffe on Sunday Night Football – losing a last-minute decision in Seattle – and said he’s given up on watching Minnesota because they give him so much anguish. He applauded the Flames’ signing of Jacob Markstrom, and answered viewer questions from Flames fans.
• Stanley Cup champion Braydon Coburn of the Tampa Bay Lightning – a Shaunavon, SK product – joined the show from Tampa. He discussed the road to the Stanley Cup title after joining the Lightning in 2014, and the club’s strong core of players. The former Portland Winterhawk explained that he’s under contract with Tampa for the 2020-21 season but is hoping at some point to bring the Cup home to Sask. He professed his love for the Roughriders and said he was able to play at Taylor Field as a member of the Notre Dame Hounds football team. Coburn also talked about what makes Shaunavon special and he reflected that he grew up as a rink rat, growing up four houses down from the rink. A viewer asked Coburn about the NHL scolding the Lightning for not respecting social distancing during their Stanley Cup celebrations. “I guess we got a little bit of a peepee slap,” Coburn shrugged.
• Ty McGauley of Om Hockey Systems talked about his training academy for youth First Nations hockey players and said Oilers defenseman Ethan Bear of Ochapwace, SK is a tremendous role model for them. 
• Tuesday’s show is available for viewing now on our Facebook page, you can catch the replay at 4:00 pm ET on Game+ Network, listen to the podcast by clicking on the CONTENT tab at the top of this page, or listen anytime to our 24-hour live audio feed at RodPedersen.com/ListenLive.
• See you at 10 am MT on Wednesday!