The Monday Morning Goalie
Coming off the bench …
1 – OH RIGHT. OVIE.: While Connor McDavid was laying it all on the line for Canada in the NHL’s 4 Nations Faceoff tournament, Alex Ovechkin was clearly going to bed early and eating his Wheaties. The Washington Capitals star erupted on Sunday, notching the 32nd career hattrick of his career as the Caps routed the Oilers 7-3. That moves the Great 8 just 13 goals away from breaking Wayne Gretzky’s career goals record (894). NHL Stats had Ovechkin on pace to set the mark in early April, but now he could easily achieve it in a month’s time. Incidentally Ovechkin is now 8-6 in career head-to-head meetings with McDavid. As for the Oilers, they lost 6-3 in Philly on Saturday and 7-3 in Washington while McDavid was a combined minus-6. The Oil visits Tampa Bay on Tuesday and Sunrise on Thursday. In the meantime, the Edmonton fanbase is having a meltdown and wondering what goalies will be available at the Trade Deadline.
2 – RUSSIA: We all boasted, for good reason, that Canada is on top of the hockey mountain following their 3-2 OT win over USA in the 4 Nations final last week but in truth, Canada’s simply the best out of USA, Sweden, Finland and themself. Do we truly believe that if Russia was allowed entry into that tournament, they wouldn’t win it? With Bobrovsky, Shesterkin and Vasilevskiy in goal and Ovechkin lighting the lamp it probably wouldn’t even matter who else they threw out there. It’s a shame that for political reasons they won’t be in the Olympics either.
3 – GRETZKY: The Great One has likely had far better weeks after being attacked by the cancel culture mob for his relationship with US President Donald Trump. I stand with Wayne, as he’s the best ambassador the sport has ever had and a great Canadian. Bobby Orr withstood a similar barrage for his political leanings and as one veteran hockey man told me recently, “Bobby kept the names of every single media member who attacked him. He’ll never talk to them again.” Gretzky has likely done the same. The NHL and NHL On TNT don’t seem to have an issue with Gretzky’s friendships, I’ve noticed.
4 – YOU’D BETTER WATCH OUT: Years ago I was cautioned, in the Mental Health & Addiction Recovery world, not to have any political affiliations but Saskatchewan Premiers Brad Wall and Scott Moe simply became real good friends, organically, and still are. Coincidentally, no Saskatchewan government has done more for Mental Health & Addictions in the province than the Moe administration. And that wasn’t even my intention. I’m too dumb to orchestrate something like that!
5 – GAME NOTES: Speaking of Russia, Philadelphia rookie Matvei Michkov’s 39 points (59 GP) are the most by a Flyers rookie since Shayne Gostisbehere’s 46 in 2015-16. … Minnesota’s Marc-Andre Fleury appeared in his 1,045th game on Saturday moving him past Roberto Luongo into the #2 spot all-time. He won’t catch Martin Brodeur however, who appeared in 1,266 contests. … Washington’s Jakob Chychrun notched three goals on the weekend giving him 17 on the season and is the fifth blueliner in the past 15 years to score as many in his first season with a team (the others are Dustin Byfuglien, Brent Burns, Dougie Hamilton and Shea Weber). … Chychrun’s father Jeff is a regular analyst on our Cats N Bolts Podcast here in Florida and a dyed-in-the-wool CFL fan just like his father John, a product of Goodeve, SK. We discuss the CFL regularly. … The Capitals clearly benefitted from having NO players in the 4 Nations Faceoff. … Did you know Sunday was Hockey Day In America? … The NHL announced the 2026 Draft will be held in Los Angeles June 27-28, the first time it’s been in Tinseltown since 2010.
6 – JUNIOR WARS: We’re now seeing the fallout from the NCAA’s landmark decision in October to grant eligibility to major junior players with Penticton poised to join the WHL and the Notre Dame Hounds relocating to Warman, SK next season. It was always ironic and a little confusing in my decades in the WHL when our players with the Regina Pats and P.A. Raiders would complain that their buddies in Junior A were getting paid more than they were, yet were the only ones eligible for college hockey. … Just like College Football where the now-legal NIL money has created a clear separation between the haves and the have-nots, the same will occur in Junior A. A pretty big time College Football program near where I live has raised the white flag and said, “We can’t compete in NIL money. Besides, we’re a school!’ … The Junior A hockey teams with the deepest pockets will be the perennial winners, like the Brooks Bandits have been doing for years. “Brooks has broken every rule in the book,” huffed one League President to me. Sadly, no one cares.
7 – BATTER UP: I certainly never planned to be a minor league baseball broadcaster but as the saying goes, “People plan and God laughs!” I’m eagerly anticipating Season 2 in the WCBL with the defending Eastern Division champion Moose Jaw Miller Express but until then, it’s nice to be able to walk onto an MLB or NCAA diamond and have no one bat an eye. It was cool to see John Gibbons managing the Mets split squad team! The Blue Jays haven’t been the same without him. … It was also a treat to take in the Mets & Nationals spring training game on Sunday in West Palm Beach, and the Indiana State-Florida Gulf Coast tilt on Tuesday in Fort Myers. And of course it was a particular treat to watch Carnduff, SK’s Carter Beck light it up for ISU before a bevy of MLB scouts. The reigning WCBL MVP of the Saskatoon Berries doesn’t trot out onto the field. He hops, or floats. I can’t wait to see him in the majors one day! And he is a spectacular young man.
8 – GRIDIRON: Back to Point 6, the CFL’s joining the party too. The well-heeled, big-spending private owners have seemingly eschewed the salary cap for this Marketing Money scheme. CFL On TSN’s Jim Barker has referred to these new side funds as being “unlimited” which harkens back to the 1990/ and the famous *Personal Services* contracts. Clearly these boys wanna win and to hell with a level playing field! Frankly I have no problem with it. The winners are the players and since I have no specific rooting interest anymore, it’s hella fun to watch! May the biggest wallet win. … The NFL types are returning from a two-week respite and preparing for the upcoming NFL Combine in Indianapolis. The most interesting tidbit I heard this weekend is that DB Shilo Sanders, brother and teammate of Colorado star QB Shadeur Sanders, was not invited to the Combine so he hired the testing company to clock his personal workout at home. Did his father Coach Prime pay for that or did Shilo shell out his own NIL dough? If you knew what some of these kids are getting, your head would spin. Even a back-up longsnapper is earning more than we could ever hope to! … The CFL types have seen the hiring cycle and free agency calm down and are now prepping for the regional combines. CFL On TSN’s Jim Barker will join the RP Show live from the Waterloo Combine on Friday. The football types go bonkers over the Underwear Olympics but I do not.
9 – COACH PRIME: Deion Sanders sure has a long list of haters but I’m not one of them. Primarily because he helped my Dallas Cowboys win two Super Bowls, but he’s also a personal inspiration. In an interview with Pro Football Talk during Super Bowl Week, Prime said, “When I was going through it personally, I thought to myself ‘For some reason the devil’s trying his best to kill me. That’s when I knew I had a purpose.” He lives right and doesn’t care what others think. Pro Football Talk Founder Mike Florio is an inspiration too, but for other reasons.
10 – NEW YORK, NEW YORK: What a shock it was to be interviewed last week by the New York Post for a 4 Nations Faceoff preview on their digital side. In truth, it wasn’t that big of a shock at all. Former Montreal Alouettes and NY Giants receiver Brandon London is the NY Post’s content manager and close friend of former Rider Luc Mullinder. Luc hooked me up with Brandon years ago and we stayed in touch, even sharing time together at Super Bowls. Last week London said, “My assignment editor said we needed to get someone on to talk hockey and I knew of only one guy!” Life’s about relationships. And as for New York, if you can make it there, you can make it anywhere.
Y’er welcome,
RP
