MONDAY NEWS: BREAKING CFL NEWS AND STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS TALK!

Monday was a hot day for sports talk on Episode #279 of The RP Show! Here are the highlights:

• As is the custom, Rod and Dupes opened with The Rollout for Flooring Superstores covering these Quick Six show topics: 1) The Canadian government won’t allow the Blue Jays to play their home games in Toronto in 2020, 2) The Ticats’ Brandon Banks Tweets that he won’t play in 2020, 3) Thursday is the deadline for CFL players to accept or deny the Return To Play proposal, 4) Sidney Crosby misses Sunday Penguins practice for undisclosed reasons, 5) Oilers defenceman Caleb Jones reveals he’s recovered from Coronavirus, and 6) A recap of opening weekend at Kings Park Speedway.
• News broke in Hour 1 that the Province of Manitoba is going hard after being the CFL’s Hub City and Premier Brian Pallister has committed $2.5-million towards the effort. He feels it would inject $45-million into the local economy. The guys dissected this bombshell and it became the #1 theme throughout the show.
• Famed NHL super pest Matthew Barnaby joined the show from Ottawa to discuss the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Regarding the report that TV networks will institute a 5-second delay during NHL Playoff telecasts, Barney said he’d have loved to have been mic’d up during his playing days. Wives, girlfriends, and extra-curricular activities weren’t off limits when he was chirping opposition players. Barnaby listed the Avalanche and Bruins as Stanley Cup favourites but agreed with Rod that Winnipeg might be the most dangerous club from the 16 Play-In Round teams. The guys also debated if the 24-team format will be kept for years to come after the pandemic is over. You can find the Matthew Barnaby Unfiltered Podcast on Apple Podcasts.
• Hour 2 was broadcast on Facebook Live only and CFL alum Mike Abou-Mechrek (Bombers, Renegades, Roughriders) and Wes Cates (Stampeders, Roughriders) joined the bunker to analyze the CFL news. Cates predicts the players will vote in favour of playing while Abou thinks they won’t. RP said this illustrates the fact that no one knows for sure how this will go. The crew figures a 2020 season will favour veterans and that American rookies may be scared off by the Quarantine rule and pro-rated salaries. Wes also discussed being named to TSN’s All-Rider team over the weekend.
• The guys discussed NFL players’ concerns over Health & Safety protocols as training camps open this week but everyone predicted the NFL will play in 2020.
• The daily Capital Auto Mall/Universal Collision Centre poll question was: Do you agree with the Canadian government’s decision not to allow the Blue Jays to play in Toronto? Over 70% of respondents said yes.
• You can vote now on our Twitter poll for the Rockstar of the Day for RoxDar Supply Chain Solutions. At press time, Wes Cates was leading. Friday’s vote was won by Henry Burris.
• Monday’s show is available for viewing now on our Facebook page, you can listen to the podcast by clicking on the PODCAST tab at the top of this page or you can listen anytime to our 24-hour live audio stream at RodPedersen.com/ListenLive.
• Be sure to join us at 10 am MT on Tuesday on Game+ TV Network, Facebook Live and RodPedersen.com/ListenLive. Our guests include Gary Lawless of the Vegas Golden Knights and Andrew Walker of Sportsnet 650 The Fan in Vancouver!