THE MONDAY MORNING GOALIE

COMING OFF THE BENCH, FOR NOW …

1 – NHL RETURN DATE – Heard it again over the weekend. February 1 is the actual targeted start date for the 2020-21 NHL season to begin. This is coming from excellent league sources. I know the network insiders are pegging a January 15 start date with a 56-game season. However apparently I speak with different people! The word I’m getting is a 48-game season beginning on or around February 1. Time will tell who’s right.

2 – TOP 10 – Here are my Top 10 CFL free agents from the list which was released last week: 10) WR Greg Ellingson, 9) LB Avery Williams, 8) DT Drake Nevis, 7) DE Charleston Hughes, 6) QB Jeremiah Masoli, 5) WR Bryan Burnham, 4) RB Andrew Harris, 3) OT Stanley Bryant, 2) LB Henoc Muamba, 1) WR/KR Brandon Banks.

3 – CFL SIM – All of the gentlemen above had fine 2020 CFL SIM seasons! QB Bo Levi Mitchell was named the M.O.P. of our CFL Esports league. Interestingly enough, there are next-to-no QBs on the 2021 CFL free agent list which is a stark contrast from the past few years. Will there be a 2021 CFL SIM season? There’s been talk, but nothing’s been finalized. A lot of things need to happen first.

4 – HOLY CHILD – God willing, the WHL season will faceoff on January 8. I’m not sure about your circles but in mine, we’re discussing how many points Connor Bedard will notch in his Exceptional Player, 15-year old season. I suggested a point-a-game, and my hockey buddies scoffed. So I looked it up. In their Exceptional Player seasons in the OHL, Connor McDavid had 66 points in 63 games while John Tavares had 77 points in 65 games. I stick by my point-per-game prognosis for Connor Bedard. Now let’s play.

5 – CFL SEASON – Here’s why I think the CFL will play in 2021: They have to. It’s as simple as that. Are they coming together, and working together behind-the-scenes? Who knows, but you would assume so. My guess is that they’ll kickoff in June without fans but by Labour Day Weekend, stadiums will be opened to paying customers.

6 – E-CUP – The CHL’s Memorial E-Cup is into Round 2 and 32 teams have moved on. From the WHL East, Brandon, Saskatoon, P.A. and Moose Jaw are still alive. Losing out in Round 1 were Regina, Swift Current and Winnipeg. (I watched the Pats game, and they got hammered 7-2 in Rouyin-Noranda.) In this unique, fun tournament presented by KIA Canada, a designated player from each CHL team goes head-to-head in a March Madness-style bracket, playing EASports NHL video game. It’s fun! And not dissimilar from our CFL SIM. However I wish more work had been put into the rosters. Connor Bedard wasn’t featured on Regina’s roster, nor was 20-year goalkeeper Roddy Ross. It likely wouldn’t have mattered as far as results go, but it would’ve made it more authentic.

7 – COVID STATS: Angus Reid poll stats released this morning say 88% of Canadians will have family over for Christmas supper. 81% say they plan to visit friends and family over the holidays. 50% say they plan to attend a workplace party. That doesn’t bode well for keeping Covid cases low, which relates to getting back to sports early in 2021. The only good news from the poll is that 47% of respondents plan to donate to a charitable organization.

8 – COACHING TO LOSE: NFL analysts are suggesting the NY Jets coaching staff tried to lose Sunday’s home game against Las Vegas (a 31-28 last-second loss) by blitzing six and leaving their secondary out to dry on the last play. I find this incredibly hard to believe, and even less difficult to believe defensive coordinator Gregg (Head Of The Snake) Williams would send pressure in that situation. Rosters can be manipulated with an eye toward losing, but coaches never coach to lose.

9 – ESPN SHAKEUP – Another of my favourite sports talk hosts is out at ESPN Radio. Dan Lebatard and The Worldwide Leader In Sports announced a divorce late last week however Lebatard said in a statement “It is a very exciting time for us, not a sad one.” What’s sad is there’s no one entertaining on the ESPN Radio channel any longer. All my favourites like Dan Patrick, Colin Cowherd and Lebatard have been replaced by blander, and presumably cheaper, talent. I can’t even find Stephen A. Smith on the dial. The prevailing notion among sports media analysts is that ESPN doesn’t want any of its stars becoming bigger than the company brand. However both sides in this case will go on to thrive, just not together. It’s no different than Belichick/Brady, Pocklington/Gretzky or Krause/M.J.

10 – RANDOMS TO END: You shouldn’t wear headphones while driving, which I see lots of young people doing. Plus I believe it’s illegal. … The name “Edmonton Elk” is really growing on me. Or is it “Elks”, like the long-running service club? … If the term “Empire” is so offensive, I’ll expect the renaming of the Empire State Building and for that matter, the Empire State. Where’s the protests? … I’d rather watch live NCAA mens and womens basketball games than replayed taped hockey and football games. It’s been almost 10 months! Can’t we find more live programming? … Can’t people who hack Instagram accounts find a more original opening line than, “Hello how are you doing?” … I think a turkey & cranberry pizza would be AMAZING! I’d even throw some gravy on there. … Kids looking into the camera and dropping F-bombs is cute, NOW. It’s not cute when they’re teens and older. … Hang in there, stay sane and safe, and look after each other!

Y’er welcome,
RP
@rodpedersen