The Monday Morning Goalie For SUDS
TRUTH & RUMOURS FOR SUDS CAR WASH
1 – TRAGEDY STRIKES RIDER NATION: An otherwise splendid Saskatchewan summer weekend was marred by the news that Roughriders linebacker and team captain Jayden Dalke was killed in a car crash late Saturday night near Lumsden. I was seated at the next table from Rider GM Jeremy O’Day at the CKRM function that same evening, and shared a brief word after, and can assure you that at that time, Jeremy hadn’t yet been informed of the crash. This type of event is franchise-changing. In the 24-36 hours later, Rider players and fans alike are in deep mourning over the loss of the fierce linebacker, Leduc, AB product, and teammate. Honestly I can’t remember a time when a current member of the Roughriders was killed in-season other than the infamous plane crash of 1956 which killed four Rider players. Our condolences to the family, friends and fans of Jayden Dalke, and equally to the family and friends of Bhishma Rajyaguru who also lost his life in this tragedy.
2 – ICONS NIGHT: It had a real Grand Ol’ Opry feel to it. Saturday night’s 620 CKRM 100-year Birthday Bash at Conexus Arts Centre in Regina, SK was one of the best events I’ve ever attended, and that’s not just because I was fortunate enough to be named one of nine “Icons” from the radio station’s first century. As fellow icon Perry Nyhus said afterwards, “It couldn’t have come off better”. A mini-museum of station artifacts was included and the soldout crowd included both long-time listeners and employees alike. It came up during the night that radio stations across Canada are closing their doors but CKRM is still going strong and that’s because of local ownership, a loyal listener base and management doing it right. What an honour to be a part of it! Congrats to the others recognized: Willy Cole, Fred King, Lorne Harasen, James Allyn, Jim Smalley, Colin Lovequist, Geoff Currier and all the builders. Everyone did such a great job.
3 – CFL SATURDAY: There was lots going on in Saturday’s doubleheader! … Jaws dropped in Hamilton where Toronto kicker Liam Hajrullahu missed a 31-yard field goal at the end of the game, giving the Tiger-Cats a 24-23 win. Under the old CFL rules, that MFG would’ve gone for a single and the teams would’ve gone to overtime. TSN’s Milt Stegall applauds the change while CFLPA lieutenant Peter Dyakowski is admonishing the change, and ruination of the great Canadian tradition of the rouge. I gotta side with Milt on this one!
Yes, the Argos lost it more than the Ticats won it, but Hamilton went to 3-3 and they did it on the arm of QB2 Tre Ford, who’s pressed into service due to the long-term injury to QB1 Bo Levi Mitchell. It’s a helluva story that Ford is from nearby Niagara Falls, ON and it feels like CFL football is thriving in Southern Ontario. … RP Show viewers agree that Toronto QB Chad Kelly – whose team is 2-4 – has a right to be upset the Argos haven’t played a home game yet due to World Cup, yet they also agree nobody likes a complainer. … Meanwhile in the early game of the doubleheader it was a QB shootout in Calgary where the Montreal Alouettes outduelled the Stampeders 38-32 to sweep a home-and-home set. … Montreal’s Davis Alexander set a league record for consecutive pass attempts without an interception (336) while Calgary’s Vernon Adams Jr. has a 243-game streak of his own and neither pivot has thrown an INT this season! … The Alouettes are now 5-1 while Calgary is 2-4, yet three of those losses have come in the final minute and the fourth came in OT. What a season!
4 – WEEK 7 – THE REST: The week closed with a true shootout in Ottawa where the Winnipeg Blue Bombers outlasted Ottawa 36-34 in, what, the fourth overtime period? There’s griping over the officials being confused with the new OT rules but don’t let that overshadow the fact the RedBlacks are now 0-6, plus Winnipeg QB Dru Brown exacted revenge for being traded out of Ottawa in June. Man we got plenty of drama to discuss this week! … Edmonton and Montreal are the class of the league at 5-1 while Saskatchewan (4-1) had a Week 7 bye. The Elks got past BC 19-17 Friday night at Commonwealth Stadium and yes, the biggest reason is likely that BC’s QB1 Nathan Rourke left the game with a shoulder injury. TSN’s Farhan Lalji reported Saturday the injury should sideline Rourke weeks, not months. As for the Elks, they need make no apologies. Whether they’re for real or not, they keep winning. … The announced attendance in Edmonton was 20,200 and the gate receipt numbers are certainly going the right way. I asked Edmonton Oilers voice Cam Moon – a product of St. Albert, AB – when they’ll be filling that place again and Mooner said, “That’s gonna take awhile”. We talk semi-regularly and Cam, a longtime Elks season ticket holder, would know far better than me. All it tells me is the former braintrust was really allowed to ruin that franchise. For shame. … Week 7 closes Sunday with Winnipeg (3-2) at Ottawa (0-5) and Dru Brown starts at QB for the Blue Bombers with Zach Collaros gone to the 6-game injured list. The future is now the present for the Bombers. Kickoff is 7:00 pm ET/5:00 pm MT.
5 – TRESTMAN: Speaking of icons, did we talk here last week about Marc Trestman? I can’t remember because Marc and I’ve had a running dialogue for the past several weeks as he promotes his new book ‘Teaching The Game’. It’s available now at TeachingTheGame.com and you can get 20% off your order with the promo code GAME20. I can’t wait to get my hands on it! Marc said the genesis of the book came from his time working with the L.A. Chargers a few years back when Jim Harbaugh tabbed Trestman with planning & running franchise organizational meetings. Marc thought it would make a great book; giving fans an inside look at how teams operate. It also combines all of what he learned in his years coaching in the NFL, CFL, College and High School. Marc is retired, living in Naples, FL. Next stop: the Hall of Fame.
6 – BEDARD: We need to stop trying to make it make sense, because it doesn’t. Friends and associates of Connor Bedard were all eagerly awaiting his next contract with the Chicago Blackhawks and it dropped on Saturday with an announcement from the team; five years at $15-million per season, beginning THIS season. Forget about Leo Carlsson ($18M per season) and Kirill Kaprizov ($17M) — where are Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon and Nikita Kucherov on the list of the highest-paid players in the NHL (because they actually ARE the best players in the game)? Don’t worry, it’s coming and those numbers are going to be eye-popping. For now, Bedard is content in Chicago with his second contract and he’s left a little money on the table to help build the team around him. Unfortunately the jury is out whether the Blackhawks are ever going to figure it out in Bedard’s time. Read on …
7 – TOP 5/BOTTOM 5: Believe it or not I was on the radio in Amarillo, TX this week – 806 Sports 107.1 FM – and the co-host Dusty Boyd asked who the Stanley Cup favourites are in 2026-27. I guessed the usual suspects (Colorado, Dallas, Vegas, Carolina, etc) but asked him to allow me to do some research before our next chat. It just isn’t where my head is currently. So here are the top five Stanley Cup favourites at Fanduel followed by, scarily, the bottom five: 1) Florida, 2) Colorado, 3) Carolina, 4) Edmonton, 5) Vegas … 28) St. Louis, 29) Chicago, 30) Seattle, 31) Calgary, 32) Vancouver. GULP! … To quote VGK General Manager Kelly McCrimmon, “Seattle had the same expansion rules as us. Where are they?” … For you Winnipeg readers, the Jets are listed at #25.
8 – NHL SCHEDULE: I’ve never been the biggest “schedule release” guy but can certainly appreciate how much the fans love it, and the fact teams are getting behind the push more and more every year. Remarkably, if I read it right, the Florida Panthers will appear in FIVE home openers this season including Carolina’s Stanley Cup banner raising game, followed by the Sharks, Ducks and Kings home-openers, and then their own on Oct. 10 vs Minnesota. … Initally I thought the Panthers were in danger of no longer being the NHL’s “it” team since their last two home-openers have been featured nationally on ESPN but as it turns out – with the Panthers listed as Stanley Cup favourites and led by the Tkachuk Brother sensation – they’re more the “IT” team than ever before and the NHL is putting them on full display! … The other thing that stood out was the final game in the Saddledome is to be between the Canucks and Flames and if the betting odds are any indication, that game will mean nothing. Sad!
9 – WCBL ALL STAR GAME: They moved it to Saskatoon this year and the event ran over two days at the Berry Patch this weekend. The East Division won 9-2 over the West and honestly, the empty seats were hard not to notice. Has the shine worn off the WCBL in the Bridge City? Country singer Jordyn Pollard played a concert Saturday night but admitted on her social media that she played to a small crowd. … Saturday’s Homerun Derby was won by Energy City (Edmonton) Cactus Rats DH David Simmons, a product of Atlanta, GA. THE LEAGUE IS SO GREAT! … Our Moose Jaw Miller Express enjoyed the weekend off after sweeping a pair from Energy City last week, as part of our franchise record 11-game win streak. The Millers have home games Thursday, Friday and Sunday this week at Ross Wells Park. … The 2027 All Star Game has been awarded to the Sylvan Lake Gulls.
10 – WORLD CUP: Was your TV on Sunday’s World Cup Final featuring Spain vs Argentina from MetLife Stadium in New Jersey Sunday afternoon? Mine was, split with the WCBL All Star Game. We’ve got this far with the World Cup coverage, so I felt the need to finish it off properly. Spain beat Argentina 1-0, if you haven’t heard. … Frankly I enjoyed the halftime show featuring Madonna, Justin Bieber and Ted Lasso, and even the pregame ceremony featuring Tom Cruise. Viewers are griping of course, but they’re always gonna gripe. … One last note: there wasn’t one hint of buzz about this game in my circle and I’m regularly wondering if soccer will ever be BIG on the prairies. My thought is, not in my lifetime.
RANDOM THOUGHTS: What’s the difference between Mainly Sunny and Partly Cloudy? … It takes two to tango. … If you want to see me do something, tell me I can’t. … Marie Osmond still looks good. … Love that the Blue Jays unveiled a Joe Carter statue this weekend. … Advice to Roberto Alomar, Theo Fleury and Ron Duguay: be patient. … It’s been 90 years since Hall of Famer Rabbit Maranville roamed the infield for the Boston Braves Perhaps the Reno Aces have found his successor. At the very least, they’ve found his namesake. The minor league team had an actual rabbit throw out the ceremonial first pitch recently, with some help from a pitching machine. The rabbit, named Alex the Great, has become a bit of a sensation on social media. According to MLB.com, Alex was rescued from a meat farm in California and adopted. He’s now a certified therapy rabbit who visits hospitals and charity events. Alex also visited the broadcast booth at the game in Regina and showed off his appetite. … AND HOW WAS YOUR WEEK?
Y’er welcome,
RP
CKRM is like the CFL my friend. The only ones listening are those over 50. Like the CFL, that station hasn’t really done anything progressive over the last decade. CKRM used to be a staple in our kitchen and the truck but it has kept getting worse over the years. Riders p x p has not been the same since you left and while Derek Taylor and Dave Thomas are good, they aren’t in your league. We won’t get into how terrible Michael Ball was. The Sportscage is atrocious these days. It used to be “the show” for sports fans,… Read more »
The shine certainly hasn’t worn off the Berries in Saskatoon. A two day All Star weekend is too much to ask fans, especially in a season that crams 30 home games into two and a half months. There’s still Berries hats all over the place in Saskatoon and their home games are always well attended. Attendance in Saskatoon is the least of the league’s problems.
Would seem to me by looking at the news today that Jayden Dalke is being saluted because he wore a green uniform.
If Mr. Dalke did not have a celebrity status what would the reaction be?
You can say what you want but a member of the Saskatchewan Roughriders killed a man shortly after committing a crime of theft.
This is a man who can be remembered, but saluting him says a lot about those doing it.
If the Riders honor his memory Thursday, my days supporting team are over.
Can’t ignore the fact he was a Rider, mattered to many people in the organization and fan base, obviously they are going to honour him, I also hope they honour both of the deceased and promote getting home safe. I am aware of what happened and how it complicates Dalke’s legacy in life, but the difference between him, and myself and many more people then they care to admit is dumb luck and hopefully this accident is a reminder of the risks of driving under the influence not that we ignore what happened or judge. I hope this unfortunate event… Read more »
Miles, I guess you will no longer support the riders. There will definitely be something done at the rider game Thursday