The Monday Morning Goalie For SUDS

TRUTH & RUMOURS FOR SUDS CAR WASH

1 – OLE, OLE, OLE: Hands up – how many outside the 514 area code (Montreal Island) had the Canadiens steamrolling their way to the NHL’s Eastern Conference Final? It ain’t over yet of course, but Les Habitents flattened the Buffalo Sabres 6-2 on Sunday at Centre Bell to grab a 2-1 lead in that Stanley Cup second round series. Rookie goaltender Jakub Dobes continues to evoke memories of Ken Dryden and Patrick Roy, and the hockey gods have very clearly stated whose side they’re on this spring. Fun to watch!

The Anaheim Ducks seem to have the air of “Team of Destiny” as well, and their 4-3 home victory over Vegas on Sunday tied up that Western Conference series 2-2. Cinderella’s carriage will turn into a pumpkin at some point for these teams, but we don’t know who or when. However for the Buffalo Sabres, it appears it already has.

2 – HURRICANE SEASON: The Carolina Hurricanes are the first team to advance to the NHL Final Four after completing a sweep of Philadelphia with a 3-2 OT victory at the Flyers on Saturday. The NHL game notes have me confused; they say the Canes are the first team in NHL history to sweep the opening two rounds (8-0) but are the third team to enter the Conference Finals on an eight-game win streak. Errrr, isn’t that the same thing? Regardless, Rod Brind’Amour’s squad tied a franchise record for regular season points this season, and spent the entire year within the playoff bracket. They’re not a wagon. They’re a freight train. It’s looking like this will finally be their year.

3 – THE NOISE: What a week OFF the ice it was. The inane “Will he or won’t he?” drama surrounding Connor McDavid and Auston Matthews is surprisingly easy to tune out, and simply smacks of media-driven hype to get the clicks up since the Oilers and Leafs are out of the running. … However when somebody sent me the video of the Toronto Sun’s Steve Simmons gashing the Leafs at the John Chayka introductory news conference, I had to check to make sure it wasn’t A-I. UNREAL!! That’s not old school reporting, really. 40 years ago you never saw a writer attack a team President with a machete like Steve did. Popcorn-worthy stuff! … Coincidentally, Simmons appeared on the RP Show just a week before and gave no indication he was preparing a Pearl Harbour on the Leafs. Steve winters in nearby Pompano Beach, FL and we see each other regularly. We got to be pals in the CFL …

Overtime Hockey Lanes – Calgary. Give Us A Shot!

4 – DUB HUB: The Western Hockey League championship series is tied 1-1 heading back to the Gateway To The North. The P.A. Raiders have to be pleased with earning a split at Everett, winning 4-2 Friday before succumbing 6-2 on Saturday to the Silvertips. Games 3, 4 and 5 go at Art Hauser Centre this Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. … The hockey world is mourning the loss of the iconic Ernie “Punch” McLean who was killed in a car crash this weekend in Northern BC, at age 93. Born and raised in Estevan, SK, Punch gained fame for early success running the Bruins. I first learned of Ernie as a little boy, and he was held up as an icon even then. Legend had it that he only had one eye. I’m sure we’ll hear more as the stories pour in. The amount of young men whose lives McLean touched positively over the decades is in the thousands…

5 – TERRY BONNER: This point deserves a paragraph on its own. The WHL’s Vancouver Giants were dinged $5,000 after their 80-something year old head scout Terry Bonner told WHL reporter Cami Kepke that she’s “good looking” during a draft day interview this week. I’m sorry; Donald Trump told Florida Panthers forward Anton Lundell the same thing during a White House visit a couple years ago. Is the NHL going to fine Trump? IMO it all adds up to a harmless incident. Even female reporters across the industry have come to Bonner’s defence! Meanwhile I’ve known Cami for years, and she’s a tough cookie. Regardless, the Giants are 5-grand lighter and hopefully Cami receives the counseling she needs! /sarcasm off

6 – CENTENNIAL CUP: It’s Day 5 of the National Junior A Hockey championship in Summerside, PEI and some things are becoming clear. The AJHL champion Canmore Eagles appear to be the class of the field, going to 3-0 with a victory over the host Capitals on Sunday. The Niverville Nighthawks and Toronto Patriots are unbeaten as well. The Flin Flon Bombers (0-2) look for their first win on Monday as they play Sudbury in the first of a tripleheader.

7 – CAMPING: Don’t look now but CFL training camps opened for real across the land on Sunday. After a fairly uneventful off-season, the chase for Lord Earl Grey’s silver chalice has begun in earnest. Top 10 Burning Questions entering the season: 10) Does Calgary have their next franchise pivot in QB Vernon Adams Jr?, 9) Will Edmonton finally escape the West Division basement with sophomore coach Mark Kilam and warrior QB Cody Fajardo?, 8) Can a healthy Montreal QB Davis Alexander keep up his record-setting pace and get the Als back to the Grey Cup?, 7) Will it be the Bo Levi of old, or an old Bo Levi trying to lead Hamilton to back-to-back first-place finishes?, 6) Who starts at QB for Winnipeg in Week 1 – Zach Collaros or Taylor Elgersma?, 5) How will the new rule changes play out (modified rouge and 35-second playclock)?, 4) Can first year head coach Mike Miller and embattled QB Chad Kelly lead Toronto back to prominence?, 3) Will HC/GM Ryan Dinwiddie turnaround the Ottawa RedBlacks in Year 1?, 2) Is this the year Nathan “WestJet” Rourke finally leads BC to the Promised Land?, 1) Can the Saskatchewan Roughriders repeat as champions?

8 – DIGGING DEEPER: Page 1 of the Donald J. Trump playbook says “Bad publicity is better than no publicity”. The CFL may not like criticism of their raft of recent rule changes but the simple fact is, the more people talking about them, the better. I don’t like the new playoff format, at all, nor do TSN’s Luke Willson and CFL alum Mike Davis (now running the IFL’s Vegas Knight Hawks), as Mike explained on Friday’s RP Show. Thank God it doesn’t come into effect until next season, but it dawned me that doing a preseason standings prediction is moot; what’s the point when everybody makes the playoffs? It’s cheapened the product, and regular season, dreadfully. … I know the BC Lions and their fans don’t like me putting pressure on Nathan Rourke for not leading his team to a Grey Cup yet (they tell me) but they should actually thank me. That kind of naysaying fuels players like Nathan. Y’er welcome. … Look for BC Lions owner Amar Doman to appear on the RP Show in the next few weeks.

9 – NFL: Wonder when the national media pundits are going to get Vegas’s #1 pick’s name right? It’s “Fernando” Mendoza, not “Francisco” Mendoza. … Seriously, how did these guys get their jobs? It’s sad what we’re being peddled these days. … Guessing Commissioner Roger Goodell would be happy if somebody got arrested or some other scandal broke, just to get the media to stop talking about Patriots coach Mike Vrabel, and his off-field activities. … Honestly I’m shocked some sort of PR play hasn’t been cooked up by now … Rookie minicamps are on this weekend across the land but all anyone wants to talk about is if Aaron Rodgers will return to Pittsburgh (he’s meeting with the Steelers as we speak), and Vrabel. … Why is this what they’re all talking about? Because it’s easy.

10 – RANDOM THOUGHTS: 2026 is almost half over. So there’s that. … A watched pot won’t boil. … Why should I want to be on Threads? … Guess I can delete my Spirit app now. … This week I heard EST be referred to as “God’s time zone”. … There’s nothing more vile than bird shit. … WKRP isn’t dead — in fact as of Monday, it’s living on the air in Cincinnati. The call letters from the fictional radio station featured in a CBS sitcom from 1978-82 were adopted by a trio of real “adult hits” stations in the Cincinnati area and co-owner Jeff Ziesmann described listeners as “stoked.” “Our phones have been mobbed this morning, as I’m sure you can imagine,” Ziesmann said. “I think we can all hope that WKRP will return to the airwaves with more music and Les Nessman,” said Ziesmann, echoing a running joke on the comedy series. … AND HOW WAS YOUR WEEK?

Y’er welcome,