FRIDAY COMMENTARY – THE TRUTH HURTS
(Listen daily for the Rod Pedersen Commentary on Cat Country 98, Rock 98.5 FM & LTD Radio)
A coupla thoughts heading into a weekend where the weeks are flying by way too fast …
First, the Winnipeg Jets season is kaput following an uninspired 4-1 loss at Vegas last night, and the Golden Knights took the series in five games. I picked Vegas in six.
Afterwards Jets coach Rick Bowness roasted his top players for a lack of “pushback” not only in this series, but going way back to January when the team fell out of the race for top spot in the West. They hung on to barely make the playoffs, then quickly petered out.
How will Bowness’s comments be received in Winnipeg? Particularly by Jets ownership? It’s tough to say. The truth hurts and a lot of times it can get you fired.
Secondly, it’s a tad ironic that deposed Jets coach Paul Maurice is coaching the Florida Panthers in Game 6 in Sunrise tonight against Boston. It’s killing me to not be in Sunrise with my Panthers buds but duty calls and I’ve never found a way to be in two places at once.
But does Pomo win the divorce with the Jets because he’s still going and the Jets are not?
I think he does.
Thirdly, the WHL Conference Finals open tonight. The Final Four. Saskatoon is at Winnipeg in the East and Kamloops is at Seattle in the West.
Remember, with the Blazers hosting the Memorial Cup, if they win the West, the winner of the Blades and ICE will automatically qualify for the Memmer.
That’s reason enough to follow right there. Too bad it’s not on TV.
I’ll take Winnipeg in six and Seattle in six.
And finally, speaking of TV, the long-awaited CFL/U.S. TV deal was announced Thursday and 34 games will air on CBS Sports Network this season but not, apparently, the Grey Cup.
CBS Sports Network is one of a thousand obscure 24-hour sports networks in Canada which I’m sure I have in my cable package, but never watch. Obviously that’s gonna change pronto.
But American football fans have been able to watch every CFL game the last several years on one ESPN channel or another. I certainly hope that’s the case under the new deal.
Otherwise it won’t matter how much CBS Sports Network paid for the rights, and fans will be outraged. We’ll be discussing this and other things on today’s RP Show with special guest, Rider great Jeff Fairholm.
That’s today’s Rod Pedersen Commentary
(The Rod Pedersen Show airs daily at 12 pm ET on Game+ TV, WQEE & Streaming)
If the Blazers win the west, does that mean the loser of Blades / Ice will also advance to the Cup finals? The article says the winner will advance, but I am guessing that’s a typo?
The tourney can only have two Dub teams. So the Eastern winner gets to go if Kamloops wins the West. I believe that’s what I wrote.
Ah right … Apologies for the confusion on my part! 😀
The Jets, the ICE, the CFL. My kind of blog post, haha. Bowness is at retirement age so he can speak freely. The core is broken. In some respects this is a vindication for Maurice. The buck stops with Chevy. The ICE/Blades series will be a hell of a tilt and I agree, it’s a shame and in some respects unbelievable that it’s not on broadcast TV. You go down to the US and there is all manner of obscure live sports on all those sports channels you’re talking about. But here in Canada, two teams representing provinces with a… Read more »
What are you saying? If you’re at “retirement” age you can speak freely? In that case waiting 60+ years to open your mouth and tell the truth – that’s nothing more than a cubicle mouse who gets in his little metal coffin and drives to the Crown Corp/Public Service. Nothing more than a wasted life. When you’re a$$ is on the line you speak the truth no matter what because results matter. The other thing is one way or another either you’re staying or going. There is no consequence where you get to pick your poison. Rick Bowness has more… Read more »
I guess Paul Maurice must be a timid public sector bureaucrat then, because he refused to come out and say what Bowness did, even though he was obviously thinking it. The difference is that pomo isn’t 68 years old like Bowness and he wanted to be a NHL head coach again.
CBS TV deal. Notice how nowhere do we see how MUCH the deal brings in……..I’m willing to bet it’s “free because of the fantastic exposure” it will bring in.
I would have chosen ESPN for corporate synergy with a minority stake in TSN
Can Edmonton Oilers head coach Cash Cab Guy get the team to the NHL Stanley Cup this year?
So, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers were over the 2022 salary cap by $64,000. Did Randy tell the auditors to stop counting so his beloved double blue wouldn’t be over by $100,000 and forfeit draft picks?
Picking Florida tonight?