10 Monday Things For SUDS Car Wash

Truth & Rumours for SUDS Car Wash

1 – EH OH CANADA GO: Canada is 2-0 at the World Juniors in Minnesota but you wouldn’t know it. The media and fans are on Canada’s ass for not burying their opponents further (a 7-5 tournament-opening win over Czechia on Boxing Day and a 2-1 OT victory over Latvia on Saturday). Team Canada was called “lacklustre” in the Canadian Press story recapping Saturday’s game. I get the heat, but this isn’t College Football where dominance matters. If you haven’t noticed, the rest of the hockey world has caught up and that’s why Canada hasn’t won this thing since 2023. They’ve got Denmark next, an easy win, then Finland before the playoffs start. Try to enjoy the games and not over-analyze, if that’s even possible.

(UPDATE: Gavin McKenna scored a hattrick for Canada in Monday’s 9-1 win over Denmark)

Meanwhile I see complaints about the attendance at the WJHC in Minnesota. The culprit(s) is pretty simple in my eyes: the tickets are too expensive, the weak Canadian dollar, anti-US sentiment among Canadians, travel issues. Call it the “imperfect” storm. Don’t for one second think the tournament thrives on anything else but Canadian hockey fans. USA hockey fans have absolutely no idea what this tournament is and never will. They don’t need to …

2 – MCKENNA: There’s no Connor Bedard on Team Canada, but I needed only one period to conclude that Canada’s Gavin McKenna is the best player in this tournament. He setup both of Canada’s goals in Saturday’s win. The Whitehorse product’s smooth skating and “Gretzky-like” no-look passes are simply magical. He’ll go #1. … But let’s get real! I saw pre-tournament coverage which stated McKenna went to Penn State this season to “better further his hockey development ahead of the NHL Draft”. WRONG! He went to Penn State for between $700,000US-$900,000US per year (depending on who you believe) and if anybody has a problem with that, they’re just jealous! … Meanwhile how many games in a row has his former Medicine Hat Tigers won without him in the WHL? 11? 12? Imagine if they still had him. … On that Penn State NIL deal, hockey folk have pointed out McKenna is making wayyyyy more per game this season than Connor Bedard is earning in Chicago on his rookie deal. I say, GOOD FOR HIM.

3 – RIVALRY DAY: The NHL keeps getting it right. Saturday’s slate featured five cross-state/inter-provincial games – the most in league history on one day – and the tilts were fantastic. Let’s recap: Islanders 2-Rangers 0, Lightning 4-Panthers 2, Maple Leafs 7-Senators 5, Kings 6-Ducks 1, Flames 3-Oilers 2. You’ve gotta love when leagues tinker with their schedule to maximize outcomes. That’s what the NHL’s doing, with bursting attendance figures and TV ratings to prove it.

4 – BATTLE OF FLORIDA: There are few things I love more than a good rivalry and I’ve seen this Tampa Bay/Florida war escalate firsthand from the ground up. Five years ago, when I got here, these teams actually got along! LOL. And their fanbases did too. Last night’s game in Sunrise, a 4-2 Lightning victory, featured fight after fight, bursting penalty boxes and lengthy delays. Asked about the difficulty getting into a flow due to Tampa Bay’s antics, Florida coach Paul Maurice grimaced, “I’m kinda used to that with these guys”. …. Panthers forward Mackie Samoskevich was asked about the rivalry after the game and he replied “It’s fun. We both hate each other”. … Of course there’s cons that go with the pros. Lightning fans are on my back saying, “You are a Panther fan Rod. Take the L”. … Sighhhhhh. I don’t even respond anymore. Should I? …. The good news is Cats N Bolts Podcast views are wayyyyyyyy up.

5 – MORE NHL NOTES: Dustin Wolf made 29 saves in the Flames crease in that 3-2 win over the Oilers in the Saddledome on Saturday. It was Wolf’s 100th career game and his 49th career win. He’s got the third most wins in his first 100 games in Flames history behind Mike Vernon (54) and David Rittich (53). … The Buffalo Sabres have won eight in a row to move into a playoff spot. It coincides with the firing of GM Kevyn Adams and let me tell you dressing rooms feel way more guilt when a GM gets fired than they do with a coach getting torched. … Meanwhile the Maple Leafs suffered their first loss after firing assistant coach Marc Savard on Monday, a 3-2 defeat at Detroit on Sunday. They went 2-0 in between. As a Toronto fan, wouldn’t ya feel cheated? This team always has the talent, but needs a fire lit under its butt to achieve full potential. Sad. … Islanders defenceman Matthew Schaeffer has to be the Rookie of the Year doesn’t he? He has nine goals as an 18-year old and when he scores his 10th, he’ll be just the third NHL teenage blueliner to hit double digit goals behind Bobby Orr and Phil Housley! God is touching that kid.

6 – WINTER CLASSIC: Spent all day Sunday at loanDepot Park – home of MLB’s Miami Marlins – as the building gets a makeover for the 2026 NHL Winter Classic presented by Discover. What a novelty this event is! It has a Super Bowl/Grey Cup feel with weeklong events being held in South Florida, leading up to Friday’s clash between the NY Rangers and Florida Panthers. It’s tickled me to read the scorn from the nincompoops who say hockey wasn’t meant to be played “outdoors” in Florida and there’s nothing about here that screams “winter”. Hey – why should we be excluded from outdoor, winter hockey fun? They’re just jealous …

7 – CFL: Rider fans got an early Christmas gift when receiver Sam Emilus signed a two-year extension, which was announced on Christmas Eve. It seemed like a mere formality that the 2025 Grey Cup Top Canadian from Montreal would be staying with the Riders, but I sensed some angst in the fanbase. At our fundraising event in Lanigan, SK earlier this month, Emilus was the player which Rider fans asked offensive coordinator Marc Mueller the most. …. The Christmas Eve signing reminds me of December 24, 1999 when Roy Shivers has named General Manager of the Saskatchewan Roughriders. What a whirlwind seven seasons in Riderville that touched off! … Roy Shivers is in the Canadian Football Hall of Fame but Kent Austin and Jim Popp aren’t. Yowza. … The other CFL news of the week was Edmonton shipping import linebacker Nyles Morgan to Ottawa for a pair of picks in the 2026 CFL Draft. I always get Nyles mixed up with former Regina Pats bruiser Nyjer Morgan.

8 – THE RODDY’S: To much fanfare, we announced on Monday’s RP Show the introduction of The Roddy’s; year-end sports awards similar to the ESPY’s, Grammys, Junos, Emmys, etc. Viewers wrote in with their nominations for Team of the Year, Athlete of the Year, Coach of the Year, and Media Person of the Year. The entries were wild! We’ll have a day-by-day vote this upcoming week on the show, and would love your input. You’ll be able to vote on Twitter and YouTube. … FYI for those looking for the show and other RP content over the Holidays, Game+ is on a two-week Holiday hiatus as is Hits Radio 98 CKHD but we’ll be back up and running live on both January 5. As far as I know, we’re still airing daily as scheduled, across Nevada on the Silver State Sports & Entertainment Network. Airing daily in Las Vegas has been very cool and well-received! (Programming note: The RP Show is off Monday, Tuesday & Thursday of this week, but airing Wednesday and Friday on YouTube and S.S.S.E.N. in Las Vegas).

9 – OTHER FOOTBALL: Enjoying College Football Bowl Season presented by Coca Cola? I am. It was a thrill to witness the Bush’s Boca Raton Bowl of Beans on Tuesday, won 27-22 by Louisville over Toledo. Bush’s Beans did the best job of marketing and in-stadium promotions of any sponsor I’ve seen over the five seasons I’ve been attending the Boca Bowl. … Friday’s Rate Bowl in Phoenix featured the first overtime of the Bowl season as Minnesota downed New Mexico, 20-17. There was personal interest for me, as good friend and CFL alum Matt Dubuc’s son Trey is the longsnapper for the Lobos. He will be in the CFL one day soon, but the heartbreak of that loss will sting awhile. …. The College Football Playoff Quarterfinals are at hand with Miami vs Ohio State on New Years Eve in the Cotton Bowl Classic. New Years Day features a tripleheader of the other Quarters.

10 – RANDOM THOUGHTS: I’m not a fan of leagues playing on Christmas Day but they didn’t consult me. The NFL came in and QUASHED the NBA’s hold on December 25 games. For instance, did you even know there was hoops played on Thursday? …. College Football tried to go up against the NFL in last year’s Round 1 by playing on Sunday but were QUASHED in the ratings. No Sunday games this year. … The NFL is king. I’m still reflecting on them urging me to talk more NFL on the RP Show, but I just can’t go away from our NHL & CFL talk. … Slow and steady wins the race. … A penny saved is a penny earned. … The average age of Palm Springs is 90. … Sports dinners bring a community together and raise a lot of money. Let’s do one! … They don’t make broadcast gear like they used to. … People appreciate when you call them by name. … If you’re bad with names, it means you simply don’t care. … Christmas came early for someone who purchased a Powerball ticket at a gas station outside Little Rock, Arkansas, worth more than $1.8 billion. The lone winner in Wednesday’s Christmas Eve draw matched all five winning numbers to capture the second-largest lottery jackpot in U.S. history. The winning ticket was sold at a Murphy USA gas station in Cabot, a suburb northeast of Little Rock with a population of about 27,000 people. The entire community of Cabot is buzzing about who the potential winner might be, said the city’s Mayor Ken Kincade. Because the gas station is located near a major interstate, Kincade said it’s also possible the lottery winner was from out of town. “I hope it’s a citizen from Cabot, of course,” Kincade said. “That would be wonderful.” … AND HOW WAS YOUR WEEK?

Y’er welcome,