10 WEEKEND THINGS

SPITBALLIN’ …

1 – DUB HUB: The action remains hot under the orange top in the Western Hockey League’s East Division Hub Centre. On Good Friday at Regina’s Brandt Centre, the Moose Jaw Warriors handed the #1 Saskatoon Blades their first regulation-time loss of the season as Boston Bilous made 29 saves in a 4-0 victory. In the earlier game, the Winnipeg ICE blanked the P.A. Raiders 3-0 and this has all made the race for the SUBWAY Cup very interesting with a month to go. As we sit here on Easter weekend, here are your standings and point totals: Saskatoon (19), Brandon (17), Winnipeg (14), Moose Jaw (11), Regina (10), P.A. (8), Swift Current (7). Until Thursday’s 7-2 loss to Brandon, the Regina Pats had won three of four games to climb into 4th-place and things were looking up! More on playoff spots below.

Pretty much every team has an outright star or two (i.e. Peyton Krebs, Ozzie Weisblatt, Tristen Robbins, Daemon Hunt, Ridley Greig, etc.) and the statistical leaders are spread out quite evenly across the division as well. Have a look: Points – Connor Bedard/Regina (20), Goals – Carson Denomie/Regina (10), Assists – Peyton Krebs/Winnipeg (13), Powerplay Goals – Jakin Smallwood/Winnipeg (5), Insurance Goals – Reid Perepeluk/Brandon (2), Wins – Nolan Maier/Saskatoon (7), Shutouts/Save Percentage – Gage Alexander/Winnipeg (2, .926).

2 – CONNOR BEDARD: Ever since the Pats won the WHL Draft Lottery and took the North Vancouver product #1 last spring, I’ve been beating the drum for a year trying to wake people up to what’s coming. However there’s no more drum-beating needed. On Thursday alone, Bedard was named to Canada’s U18 roster, named WHL Rookie of the Month, and extended his point streak to 11 games. He leads the entire WHL in scoring with 20 points at age 15. And the Pats are cashing in. Read on…

3 – PATS TV: The Regina Pats are experiencing another renaissance with the dazzling play of Connor Bedard. Our data shows that in Access TV markets such as Regina, Weyburn, Estevan, Yorkton, Melville, Moosimin, Kipling and many far tinier points in between, more televisions are on Pats games than NHL games when they go head-to-head. This has led to a rush on Pats/Bedard gear (see the photo to the right) and been cause for massive brand impact in Southern Saskatchewan for the franchise. To say I’m thrilled to be a part of it is an understatement. I’d always heard how well Queen City Sports & Entertainment Group treats its staff – including COO Stacey Cattell – but now I can testify firsthand. That’s why they’ve put up as many banners in seven years of ownership. With a new arena on the horizon for Downtown Regina, this is the place to be and I could not be happier. #JoinTheRegiment

4 – DUB PLAYOFFS: The WHL’s East Division is playing for the SUBWAY Cup which will be awarded to the team with the most regular season points. However no decision’s been made yet on playoffs and I wouldn’t expect one for awhile. But that hasn’t stopped us from talking about the possibilities. Pats TV analyst Dale Derkatch feels all seven teams should qualify as a reward for their commitment to staying in the Hub for two-plus months however I respectfully disagree. Having a Top 6 format makes it a snap for scheduling and at least makes the battle at the top, and bottom, of the standings interesting on a nightly basis. For example last Monday had Swift Current beaten Regina in regulation, they’d have leapfrogged them for 6th place. As it was, the Pats won 9-4. The game had undertones. However I’ll respect and support whichever decision the WHL makes, including potentially not having a playoff at all.

5 – CFL 2021: Quite interesting is the situation the CFL faces regarding the 2021 season. It’s a pinch not to be made light of. Behind the scenes it’s all systems go with regards to holding Global Combines including Mexico and Italy, planning for the Virtual Combines and CFL Draft on May 4, plus goings-on with the Canadian Football Hall of Fame. That all sounds very positive doesn’t it? However on the flipside, over the past two weeks we’ve seen the retirement of such CFL stars as Delvin Breaux, Bryant Mitchell, C.J. Gable, Adrian Tracy, Jonathan Newsome and more. Meanwhile with training camps potentially opening in little over a month, TSN still hasn’t announced a replacement for Chris Cuthbert, the Alouettes haven’t replaced broadcaster Rick Moffat, and the Ticats and Lions have seen their radio partners go up in smoke. If they’ve announced new broadcast deals, I’ve missed it. Now, all these things could be sewn up within the next month very easily but I’m just pointing out that we’re watching it closely.

From a football perspective, it appears the CFL will be ready to hit the ground running once Covid restrictions are lifted and mass vaccination in Canada has occurred. In the meantime, an Oakland zoo is vaccinating its animals before the average Canadian has even received a Covid shot. And roughly 44 days before training camps would start, CFL hot spots Regina and Ontario are in total lockdown.

6 – THE CFL’S FUTURE: If there’s one thing we can all agree on, it’s that we cannot all agree on anything. If you’re reading this blog you’ve likely seen all the social media opinions regarding what’s best for the CFL and it ranges from keeping it the way it is, to merging with the XFL, to folding and starting up with a new CBA and ratio, to becoming NFL Canada. Ultimately the current CFL leaders will decide which direction the league goes – if they can even all agree on it – and I’ll absolutely support however it looks. I just want a league to cover that’s healthy and plays games. However I wouldn’t throw out the notion of becoming NFL Canada. For one, Saskies will fill Mosaic Stadium no matter what but this would be quality football too. For two, you’d never have any money issues again operating under the NFL banner and your marketing and salaries would be a breeze. Attendance problems in Vancouver and Montreal? So what. Roger Goodell’s picking up the tab. For three, Canadian sports networks would all be clamouring for a piece of the pie but games would also be aired on NFL Network in the United States. For four, Canadian football would truly be opening its doors to 328-million people south of the border, not to mention NFL fans around the world. Nobody would be calling us ‘State Fair Football’. And for five, perhaps most importantly, the CFL could stop competing with the NFL because it’s an unwinnable war. When Goodell said this week, “Canada is a very important market for us,” that should’ve caused CFL owners’ knees to knock.

A football insider told me this week the NFL wants the CFL to die. Not sure if that’s true or not, but they certainly haven’t helped the CFL in its hour of need.

7 – HOW IT WOULD LOOK: The CFL football purists – and I mean the football guys – are deadset against the NFL Canada concept for a multitude of reasons. For one, I think it’s because they think they’ll be out of a job but I don’t see any reason for that to be the case. They’re as good of football people as any and the smart people see that. No, the bigger reason is because the CFL has always been a haven for the “tweener” football player that doesn’t quite fit the NFL mold, but is tailor-made for the Canadian game. The CFL was built on players like that, so I get the argument. Obviously the third reason people oppose this is the ratio.

However resistance to change is what will ultimately bring down the CFL. In the hockey world, NY Rangers great Ron Duguay and I debated a few weeks ago on the RP Show the extinction of what Duguay called, “Rough and tumble Canadian hockey players”. The game changed and as I pointed out to Ron, it’s all about skill now. There are really only two current heavyweights in the NHL – Vegas’s Ryan Reaves and the Islanders’ Ross Johnston – yet every team had at least a couple up until the 1990s. 

In 11 Regina Pats games this season, there have only been four fights. Hey, I miss the old days but I love the game enough to have relented and gone with the flow. What am I going to do — not watch hockey anymore? The knuckle-draggers are extinct and even Stu Grimson admitted on the RP Show recently that he’d have never made it into today’s NHL.

I feel like the CFL is at a crossroads with a tremendous opportunity to pivot and refresh/reset itself. However the sense I get is that few inside it want to do that.

8 – THE ROCK: The comments made about XFL owner and CFL alum Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson the past few weeks have been nothing short of appalling. The Toronto Business Journal referred to him as a “pimp”. Others have childishly mocked his brand and appeal. All kinds of insults have been hurled his way – the same goes for CFL Commissioner Randy Ambrosie – and neither guy asked for it, nor deserves it. The simple suggestion of a collaboration has CFL supporters ready to riot in the streets, and brought out the absolute worst in people. (I’d personally like to thank Randy Ambrosie for three consecutive weeks of talkshow fodder with many more weeks to come, but I digress). However I’m sure those two can handle the barbs, just like I’ve marvelled at the comments directed at me like “you’re sucking up to The Rock” or “quit begging for a job.”

Yo — I’m not looking for a job in football. Like I said, I’ll happily support whatever they come up with.

9 – MLSE: Edmonton sportscaster Bryn “Mighty Mouth” Griffiths dropped the tidbit on his Outsiders podcast that he’d heard at least one CFL owner wants to pursue the merger with the XFL. TSN’s Dave Naylor has further reported that owner is Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, owners of the Toronto Argonauts. While we’re told other CFL owners are vehemently against any changes to CFL football, I have the feeling that if MLSE wants this, they’ll get it. As the world turns …

10 – RATTLE THE RIM: The Saskatchewan Rattlers of the Canadian Elite Basketball League own the #1 overall pick in the 2021 Draft. It’s a dubious honour as the Rattlers earned the top spot by finishing last in last summer’s CEBL Summer Series in St. Catherines, ON. Teams will conduct the Draft virtually and results will be unveiled on April 14. The Round 1 Draft order is: Saskatchewan Rattlers, Niagara River Lions, Guelph Nighthawks, Ottawa Blackjacks, Hamilton Honey Badgers, Fraser Valley Bandits and Edmonton Stingers. The Rattlers open the season June 7 at SaskTel Centre against the league champion Edmonton Stingers. Visit their website here. It’s happening.

RANDOMS: It’s been a few weeks since his passing but I wanted to acknowledge the life of Ken “Scoop” McCabe, the longtime newspaper man and curator of the Saskatchewan Rural Sports Hall of Fame & Museum in Indian Head, SK. Scoop wasn’t just a treasure to the sports community, he was a treasure to the entire Province of Saskatchewan. When he inducted me into the SRSHOF in 2003, I didn’t even fully appreciate at the time how big of an honour it was. Regarding his sports Hall, Scoop did as much for the Roughriders and CFL as anybody and there just aren’t people like that around anymore. Rest easy Scoop! You’re one of the greats. … I have another nickname for the Voice of the Saskatoon Blades, Les Lazaruk. He’s the “Elton John of the WHL”. Every time he broadcasts a game, he does it with the enthusiasm of his first and his time with the Blades goes back to 1994. Watching his WHL Live broadcast Friday night, he reminded me of Elton John singing Crocodile Rock in the Brandt Centre a few years ago. Elton jumped up on his piano bench and waved/bowed to the crowd like it was the first time he’d ever performed the song in public. These guys are stars! … If you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life. … Kudos to Saskatoon’s Lane Pederson! The former Bronco/Rebel scored for Arizona in his NHL debut Friday night. The Coyotes groomed him well, appearing in 183 games with AHL Tucson before this weekend. … How is that WR Martavis Bryant signed with the Toronto Argonauts in January and now is playing in the Indoor Football League with Massachusetts beginning next week? Are there rules anymore? … CFL great Joe Paopao has joined the coaching staff of the European Football League’s Barcelona Dragons. The Throwin’ Samoan was named by Dragons head coach Adam Rita. The 8-team EFL is scheduled to kickoff its 2021 season on June 20. … Former NFL 1st round pick and Saskatchewan Roughriders RB Trent Richardson has signed with the Chihuahua Caudillos of Mexico’s LFA and they also kickoff their season in June. … Does anyone else get the sense they’re playing football everywhere else in the world but Canada?

Happer Easter!
RP
@rodpedersen