MONDAY RUNDOWN: LOADS OF HOCKEY TALK AND NFL WILDCARD WRAP

We came in hot with Episode #397 of The RP Show – Canada’s Daytime Sports Talkshow – on Monday! Here’s the rundown:

• Rod and Dupes opened with The Warmup for Four Seasons Sports Palace covering these Quick Six show topics: 1) Saturday’s Wildcard games BAL 27-IND 24, LAR 30-SEA 20, TB 31-WSH 23, 2) Sunday’s Wildcard games BAL 20-TEN 13, NO 21-CHI 9, CLE 48-PIT 37, 3) Zach Collaros takes a $40,000 paycut with the Bombers (Rod said if you don’t think that’s significant, would YOU like to take a $40,000 paycut?), 4) The College Football Playoff Championship goes Monday night with Alabama versus Ohio State, 5) Bulletin board material, and 6) Hockey notes – NHL waivers, Covid threats and the WHL’s Return To Play plan.
• On the bulletin board material, RP went deep into stories from his CFL days. He said Don Matthews didn’t believe in it, but cited many stories where coaches have literally pinned quotes up in the locker room from opposition as a means of firing up their team. It worked everytime.
• It was a busy hour. Roughriders LB Nakas Onyeka joined the show to discuss the Alabama-OSU game, the weekend’s NFL contests, the CFL’s Return To Play in 2021 and his new tech start-up Bettor. Football fans can get betting advice and insider tips by signing up at www.bettorapp.ca. Nakas explained his excitement over suiting up for the Roughriders and admitted he’s been itching for action since signing with Saskatchewan almost a year ago.
• TSN NHL Insider Darren Dreger joined the show for a wide-ranging hockey chat. He explained the waiver scenario and how it will shake out. He’s tremendously excited for action in the North Scotia Division but admitted the Winnipeg Jets don’t really have a rival in Canada. Dregs cut his NHL teeth as a reporter for the Jets in the mid-1990s. The Langenburg, SK product is a big fan of the new division but admitted he’s glad it’s only for one season. Regarding the WHL’s announcement of a minimum 24-game schedule, Dreger said he likes the way the WHL PR staff went about it. No details were disclosed, but it’s given fans tons of optimism.
• The daily Capital Auto Mall/Universal Collision Centre poll question was: Are you a believer in bulletin board material? At press time, 60% of respondents said yes.
• Hour 2 was simulcast on Game+ TV and Facebook Live and after re-upping the Quick Six, we were joined by NHL On NBC play-by-play man John Forslund from Raleigh, NC. Forslund discussed his own brush with Covid, reflected on calling Stanley Cup Playoff games in the Toronto and Edmonton bubbles, and predicted NHL hockey will be spectacular with the newly-aligned divisions. Forslund was the Voice of the Carolina Hurricanes for many years and tracked the franchise’s success with Western Canadian products Rod Brind’Amour and Dean Chynoweth on the coaching staff.
• Viewer Takeover spanned the show’s final two segments and the hosts kibitzed with viewers on the CFP title game, NFL results, and how the WHL will look upon its return.
• Monday’s show is available for viewing now on our Facebook page, you can catch the replay at 4:00 pm ET on Game+, listen to the podcast by clicking on the CONTENT tab at the top of this page, or listen anytime to our 24-hour live audio feed at RodPedersen.com/ListenLive.
• See you at 10 am CT on Tuesday on Facebook Live and 12 pm ET on Game+!