DuPont’s 10 Things
Welcome to the midweek coffee break, let’s get to it.
1. LONDON – I want to get to a late wrap of the 111th Grey Cup but I just got home from Kitchener and feel we should start there. It was a heavyweight tilt between the Kitchener Rangers and the London Knights in the OHL. London added an empty netter (Easton Cowan to extend his point streak to 52 games … yes you read that correctly) and won the game 3-1 but they were clearly the better team all night. The Knights, with I believe 11 NHL draft picks, are a WAGON. Look out.
2. GC 111 – It killed me not to be in Vancouver for the Grey Cup this year. All the photos and videos looked amazing and I lived it vicariously through social media. The game wasn’t great overall but ended up being exciting at times with plenty of drama. In the end it just seems Toronto had Winnipeg’s number this year. The injury to Zach didn’t help either!
3. TURNING POINT – There has been a lot of talk about the blocked punt and the dead ball foul that ended up negating the turnover and, to me, that was the turning point in the game. It was over at that point. People are saying the rule should be removed and I only sort of agree. It was a block or shove in the back so I’m ok with a penalty. If it was in front then no big deal. The heartbreaking thing in all of it is that Winnipeg didn’t even need to recover the ball! What a missed opportunity.
4. DYNASTY – Definition: a powerful group or family that maintains its position for a considerable time.
Where do we all sit on the Blue Bombers and the talk of a dynasty? Playing in five straight Grey Cups is a feat rarely accomplished. But losing the last three is tough. If they win the next one we could have the conversation again but as of right now I would say no to the dynasty. Some have brought up the Argos name as more of a dynasty now after winning 2 of the last 3 but to that I say no. Winnipeg is more of a dynasty than the Argos. Winning championships isn’t enough… you need to be good all year and everyone has to know you’re good too. It needs to be clear, consistent, and dominant. Outside of the Grey Cup game, Winnipeg continues to be the class of the League. This still after the tough start they had this year. Winnipeg will likely run it back with largely the same group to take another run at a home Grey Cup.
5. MORE OHL FUN – I had a great time Sunday in Oshawa working the game for Rogers TV. What I loved about the game on Sunday, besides the game, was the 2:00pm start which made it very easy to be home in time for kickoff in Vancouver. Thank you OHL! I’m also working games now in Kitchener and some new markets popping up in the near future. I’m a kid in a candy store.
6. CANADA – To the actual game on Sunday, and I had the fortune of chatting with Oshawa Generals star and Colorado Avalanche prospect Calum Ritchie in the second intermission of our television broadcast. Since returning to the OHL the kid is on fire. He had another multi-point game on Sunday and seems like a real good kid too. It’s fully expected that he’ll wear the red and white this Christmas for Team Canada at the World Jr’s…. and play a significant role.
7. VANIER – It’s down to the final two in Canadian University football. On Saturday the Laval Rouge et Or will meet the Laurier Golden Hawks for the Vanier Cup. Mark Lee will call the game on CBC Sports. It was a tough Saturday for the Regina Rams as they hosted the Mitchell Bowl against Laval. The Rams defence showed why I said they were the best defence in the country holding Laval to just 17 points. The offence moved the ball quite well but in the end couldn’t convert long drives into touchdowns. In the end it was a great year and the entire Canada West should be proud.
8. PREDICTION + 2025 – I’ll make this easy and make a prediction since I’m not calling the game. I’ll take Laurier to win 24-17. Taylor Elgersma comes as advertised and you should tune in just to watch him play. He has every tool to become a professional starting QB real soon. Should be a fun game though.
Be on the lookout for this week’s edition of Gridiron Nation on TSN. I joined the show to talk USports football and the Vanier Cup. Jim Mullin, the host, asked me if the Rams can possibly play in the Vanier Cup held in Regina next year to which I said absolutely. The Rams bring back a ton of key players in key sports and will absolutely have a real shot to be in the game. The problem? It’s very difficult to get out of the Canada West.
9. ALUMNI – I’m jumping around a lot today but thanks for following along! One last hockey note: Kitchener has entered the chat. I looked up into the rafters to see names like Scott Stevens, Larry Robinson, Bill Barber, Paul Coffey, and Al McInnis … that’s quite a list! Once I gather some more info from a few other buildings I’ll start thinking about ranking them. It’s fun to learn about new places.
10. RANDOMS – I need to slow down a little bit. … Had a great opportunity on Tuesday to talk to post-secondary students at a networking conference. I got a call at 10:30pm Monday night asking if I could give a keynote address at a conference. Absolutely, when? The next day at 10:30am! A 60-minute keynote with 12 hours notice. I loved it and by all accounts the students did too. That makes me happy. … I’ve never done an TV interview with someone’s backside just hanging out. Seeing Mike Tyson’s was a first. … The NCAA hockey rule has really devastated the BCHL and probably other Jr A leagues across the country. It’ll sting now but likely move our country to more of a tiered system and that could be a good thing. … Instant coffee has been making a surge up the depth chart lately. … More curling coming in this space again with football winding down up here. I’ll also get back to some NFL/NCAA talk too. I told you the Pittsburgh Steelers were good. You’ll have to watch the RP Show Wednesday to get my top-5. … Also, if you subscribe to the RP Show newsletter and take my picks we are now 6/6 through two weeks. Thank you Tyreek Hill!
Until next week…
