THE MONDAY MORNING GOALIE

TAKING SHOTS …

1 – DUB HUB: Through 10 days of the WHL’s East Centre Hub in the Brandt Centre, here are your team and individual leaders. This is exciting! –> Points – Saskatoon, (9), Wins – Saskatoon, Winnipeg, Moose Jaw (4), Goals For – Moose Jaw (19), Goals Against – Saskatoon (9), Points – Connor Bedard/REG (9), Goals – Carson Denomie/REG (6), Assists – Ryder Korczak/MJ (8), +/- – Braden Schneider/BRN (+7), GAA – Gage Alexander/WPG (1.49), PCT – Nolan Maier/STN (.926), Wins – Nolan Maier/STN (4).

2 – BIEBER ON SKATES: As you can see, 15-year old Connor Bedard leads all skaters with nine points and carries a 5-game point streak into Tuesday’s tilt with the Winnipeg ICE (8:00 pm/AccessNow TV, 620 CKRM). I’ve gotten a little heat for my incessant Bedard hype (for the moment I won’t divulge from whom, but suffice it to say it hasn’t come from neither the Pats nor the WHL). The critics say it’s not fair to the other 19 members of the Pats. Well I’m sorry, but the other 19 members of the Pats aren’t leading the division in scoring nor carrying a 5-game point streak. In normal times we’d be trying to sell tickets by getting the word out. These days we’re trying to attract viewers to AccessNow TV and highlight views on social media. (We can actually track how many DVRs/Tivo’s in Saskatchewan are tuned to Pats hockey). This afternoon I’m going on an Ottawa podcast who wants to discuss the “Next Connor McDavid”.

3 – MORE BEDARD: Furthermore the other 19 Pats aren’t facing the pressure Bedard is. The entire hockey world was focused on his debut, to see if he could live up to his Exceptional Player tag, and the kid delivered by sniping two goals in 47 seconds against PA. The pressure had to be unbearable, which none of his teammates face. Connor has also given up his privacy and personal life which the other players haven’t had to do. NEWSFLASH: God did not create us all equal. (Sorry to be the one to tell you). Sam Steel was 19-years old before the majority of Reginans clued in to what was going on in their backyard. By the time they did, it was almost too late. Until the Pats or the WHL advise me to cool it on Bedard, I’m going to continue to keep the hammer down.

4 – ROWDY RODDY: 20-year old Pats goalie Roddy Ross is still in search of his first win (0-2-2) following Saturday’s 3-2 OT loss to the Brandon Wheat Kings. He was better in that game than his prior starts – stopping 30 of 33 shots – so perhaps he’s coming out of his funk which opened the season. I spoke with both Seattle and Philadelphia (his former and future teams) and they’re not concerned. Pats coach Dave Struch said on Saturday they went with Ross over rookie Matthew Kieper (the only Pats goalie to register a win this year) because they’re focused on development of both older and younger players, Ross is trying to earn a contract, and it is what’s best for the team.

5 – SILVER ANNIVERSARY: Pats historian Kevin Shaw of DUBNetwork.ca pointed out that Sunday marked the 25th anniversary of the WHL’s longest game – March 21,22/1996 – when the Regina Pats outlasted the Lethbridge Hurricanes 3-2 in Game 2 of the WHL Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. In the Agridome, Josh Holden scored at 2:46 of quadruple overtime, tipping a Derek Morris point shot past Hurricanes goalie David Brumby. Al Dumba and I had the call on CKRM and TSN was broadcasting the game nationally. It was the wildest series I’d ever been a part of. That game ended at 1:27 AM and we basically turned around the next morning and immediately headed to Lethbridge for Games 3 & 4. It was after OT in Game 3 that Canes Coach & GM Bryan Maxwell *allegedly* assaulted referee Brent Reiber under the stands and off we went into another controversy.

6 – NHL LEFTOVERS: Still trying to figure out why Winnipeg Jets fans want to fire head coach Paul Maurice. Is it simply because the Jets blew a 2-0 lead against Edmonton and lost 4-2? … Since Toronto, Edmonton and Winnipeg appear to have the top 3 spots locked up in the Scotia North Division, which one of Calgary, Vancouver and Montreal will claim the fourth and final playoff spot? … My second favourite division is the MassMutual East as it’s a party every night. My beloved Vegas Golden Knights, Canada’s Team, plays in the Honda West division but it’s not nearly as exciting on a nightly basis.

7 – CFL/XFL: Wednesday marks two weeks since CFL Commissioner Randy Ambrosie dropped the news that the league is exploring a collaboration with the XFL. There hasn’t been a peep from the league office since, yet the huffing and puffing on social media hasn’t subsided. Two things have become clear to me: 1) The XFL isn’t any great shakes either. American podcasters have pointed out the league has a tarnished brand due to folding twice. I’d suggest we’re in new territory here with The Rock as league owner, but what the hell do I know. 2) Those who staunchly oppose any change whatsoever to the CFL appear to be deathly afraid of change and perhaps a little closed-minded. What they have isn’t working and stubbornness (see: ego) is the biggest impediment to progress. We have a saying in Recovery and it goes like this: “My best thinking got me in this mess. What do you have to help me?”  Another good Recovery saying is, “Nothing changes if nothing changes.” These concepts transfer well to regular life.

8 – THE RATIO: In the event the two leagues do merge, what about this — a ratio for the Canadian teams mandating a minimum amount of Canadian players yet no ratio for the American teams? We already did it once in the CFL (1993-95) and the games were fairly competitive. It would also create a huge nationalistic storyline that Canadians and Americans could/w0uld get behind. (i.e. Us versus Them).

9 – OKAY BLUE JAYS: It’s 2021 and we’re subjected to tape-delayed Toronto Blue Jays preseason broadcasts on Sportsnet. The sad thing is I’ll take a tape-delayed broadcast with Buck Martinez over a live broadcast from the other team. On Sunday roving reporter Ben Wagner took us on a tour of the stadium in Dunedin and Buck pointed out the Blue Jays have been there for 45 seasons. This is the kind of stuff we obviously don’t get from the *other* team broadcast. Don’t blame the broadcasters! They’re not the ones making these inane decisions. It’s the penny-pinching suits upstairs. You don’t think Buck wants to call every game????

10 – MARCH MADNESS: Are you getting with the thrill-a-minute fun of March Madness yet? The single knockout format creates a breakneck speed tournament and the stories have been fantastic. (How about that Oral Roberts University??? Glad I picked em!) Consider the money in that tournament and what Canadian leagues have been slow to pick up on: 14-million bracket entries at ESPN.com at $25 each adds up to $350,000,000 in revenue. IN A PANDEMIC! Hopefully the CFL can get with single game betting before it’s too late. But you can’t bet on games if there are no games. A Catch 22.

HAVE A GOOD WEEK,
RP
@rodpedersen

(Photo: Keith Hershmiller Photography)