The Monday Morning Goalie For SUDS
TRUTH & RUMOURS FOR SUDS CAR WASH
1 – BASH BROTHERS: Write it down. June 20, 2026 Florida Panthers GM Bill Zito flipped the hockey world on its head by acquiring Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk in a trade for four draft picks, including two first rounders. Just like July 22, 2022 when Zito acquired Matthew Tkachuk from the Calgary Flames, this deal will also chart the future of the Florida Panthers. Oh, they’re howling far and wide in the nation’s capital about this one but Brady made it clear he wasn’t going to sign long term which immediately put the Sens at a disadvantage. So they’re in rebuild mode again. Meanwhile Zito pressed Turbo Boost on the Cats’ charge back to the Stanley Cup with this trade, and as soon as they get their crease figured out – Sergei Bobrovsky hits the free agent market on July 1 and all signs point to him leaving – they’ll be back in business. Panthers fans begged us to do an emergency Instagram Live show yesterday so we did, on our Cats N Bolts page. Check it out here.
2 – WHERE THERE’S SMOKE: The hockey games are over so the insiders need to report stuff to keep their hits/views up. Therefore, you have to be careful of what I like to call “Fake News” (that’s different from Donald Trump’s definition). The report that star goaltender Connor Hellebuyck would accept a trade out of Winnipeg has been well-placed, and stirred up fanbases in both Winnipeg and South Florida. ICYMI, Panthers fans are already tearfully planning their farewell to goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky and planning a welcome basket for Hellebuyck. Maybe this is all premature but one thing that’s become evident is that Bob re-signing in Sunrise appears to be a pipedream. He’s been deemed too old and too expensive for the contract he’s reportedly seeking despite the heroics he’s performed in the Panthers crease on his way to the Hall of Fame. It’s going to be a sad good-bye but as I often advise people, “Don’t cry cuz it’s over. Smile because it happened.” Sometimes I need to take my own advice.
Meanwhile, thankfully we got the weekend off from Oilers/Babcock chatter (thank you CFL for the distraction) but it’ll pick up shortly and, if the insiders are to be believed, we’ll be hearing about the Edmonton Oilers hiring Mike Babcock as their next head coach. Or will we? Something isn’t adding up here. If you had a choice between Babcock or Bruce Cassidy, 10 outta 10 hockey people would take Cassidy. So why wouldn’t Edmonton? Are they that broken/dysfunctional? (Possibly). Furthermore, why would the Oilers subject themselves to the avalanche of scorn the Babcock leak caused, the subsequent erosion of their mighty fanbase, and trigger an NHL investigation into Babcock’s past if they weren’t truly serious about hiring him? Makes no sense to me. So, I’m still leaving it out there that Bruce Cassidy will be coaching the Oilers next season. It’s 1/3 hunch, 1/3 guess and 1/3 inside info.
3 – HNIC: Can’t believe the uproar created by the simple joint news release and Tweet from CBC & Sportsnet this week that Hockey Night In Canada will no longer air on CBC, the free over-the-air TV channel after 75 or so years (Canada’s PBS). My first read is that HNIC isn’t dying, it just won’t air Saturday nights on CBC; it still will air on Sportsnet. Perhaps I’m wrong but trust the sturdy Dave Hodge (who was famously fired from HNIC in 1987) to clear all the smoke. In an interview with the Canadian Press, Hodge said if you didn’t see this coming, you’re blind, given the way the broadcast industry is going. Secondly, what’s there to miss? “They” have destroyed what Canadians loved about the show. There are no baby blue blazers, there’s no modern day Don Cherry, Brian McFarlane, Howie Meeker or even Peter Puck. Hodge also said the broadcasts on all the networks look the same and there is no distinction for HNIC as it is! In short, Canadians are mourning the loss of something that died a long time ago.
My biggest beef in it all was that the men & women who flawlessly worked on that show for 75 years, and built that brand, deserved better than a simple Tweet saying it’s over. Disgusting. … Also, one night years ago after hours in a watering hole in Edmonton known as Sherlock Holmes, Hockey Night In Canada statistician Dave “Moisty” Moir leaned over and said, “You remind me of Dave Hodge”. I said, “Thank you”. He didn’t explain why, and I didn’t ask. I just knew it’s good.
4 – NHL WEEK THAT WAS: Port Alberni, BC’s Jim Hiller was hired as the 41st head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs and the move attracted almost universal scorn from the Toronto media. However as Moose Jaw Warriors voice James Gallo pointed out on the RP Show, the support of the hiring came from out here in in the West, where Hiller is known and loved and remembered from his days coaching in the BCHL, with Tri-City of the WHL, and the LA Kings. If anybody cared to do any research, they’d know this the perfect hire. … Former Regina Pat and 10-year NHL’er Kyle Calder passed away at age 47 and we had multiple tributes on the RP Show and at RodPedersen.com this week. “Grease” was one of the most memorable Pats of all-time and I cherish our time together in Chicago last year. Never thought that would be the last time I’d see him. … And Vegas Golden Knights GM Kelly McCrimmon took aim at all the haters/critics in a Wednesday news conference where he said they’re all just jealous and that he and his team have done “a helluva job”. James Gallo called it “classic Crim”. I gave it a standing ovation. Sometimes, you’ve had enough and need to fire back. Glad I jumped in the foxhole with the VGK around January on the Silver State Sports Network in Las Vegas where the RP Show airs nightly in prime time.
5 – CFL WEEK 3: Here are your scores … Hamilton 41-BC 27, Toronto 44-Ottawa 24, Edmonton 32-Montreal 29 (OT) and Saskatchewan 40-Calgary 37 (OT). … I went 3-1 on my picks, only getting the Riders/Stamps game wrong and that ended up being a pick ’em. … Death, taxes and Cody Fajardo winning. That’s what you can always count on without fail. … BC went 0-2 on the road to start the season before heading home to host Edmonton & Calgary in Touchdown Kelowna games. That will make or break their season. … Lions QB Nathan Rourke didn’t look too sharp against the Ticats. … The RedBlacks are in a world of trouble at 0-2 and QB Jake Maier doesn’t look like the “Next One”. … The official attendance at McMahon Stadium for Riders/Stamps was listed at 21,262. That’s disappointing with an ideal kickoff time, decent conditions and a great rivalry.
6 – FAJARDO HATE: Finally we have some independent voices calling people out. Recently-retired Bombers great Chris Streveler Tweeted after the Als/Elks game, “The broadcast just said Fajardo has been labeled as a guy who ‘can’t win the big one’. Dude was a Grey Cup MVP in 2023! Put some respect on his name! #CFL”. That particular announcer has been taking cheapshots at Fajardo for years and I can only chalk it up to one thing: jealousy (Kelly McCrimmon 101). … Not sure how TSN and the CFL allows this because it’s mean-spirited but all comments like that do is fire Cody up time after time. That’s how the tables turn and the joke’s on the people who say these things; Cody just keeps jamming it down their throat. Fun to watch!
7 – CHRIS MORRIS: Attendance for the Edmonton Elks home-opener was listed at 14,664 at Commonwealth Stadium but it looked far more sparse than that due to bad weather. Kudos to Elks President Chris Morris for his honesty in a Canadian Press interview this week where the 3-time Grey Cup champion player admitted the name change from “Eskimos” to “Elks” was a disaster and that they simply can’t change it back now. He said it’s “not viable”. The Board of Directors at the time, President Chris Presson and GM Brock Sunderland did unspeakable damage to that franchise – the treatment of 49-year equipment manager Duane Mandrusiak comes to mind – and Morris has been left to clean it all up. If there’s any CFL market where a disaster clean-up like this could actually happen, it’s Edmonton. And winning with Cody Fajardo is probably the quickest path back. We’re pulling for them because it’s a first class organization which has ALWAYS treated me top notch. … I was actually offered the opportunity to replace legendary Eskimos voice Bryan Hall but didn’t want to leave my home of Saskatchewan at the time.
8 – WORLD CUP: Turns out you CAN teach an old dog new tricks. The global crypto casino BCGame out of Europe hired me to host a livestream (or “Watch-A-Long” as they call it) for the Canada-Qatar soccer game on Thursday. I said to Darren “Moose” Dupont that if he co-hosted with me, I’d split the money with him 50/50. Moose joined from LA where he’s producing the USA Flag Football Championships and it came off so well that they’ve hired us back for the Canada/Switzerland match on Wednesday!! THANK YOU SO MUCH TO RP SHOW viewers because they filled the stream and made it a ton of fun. “The client absolutely loved it” was the feedback we got. It also didn’t hurt that Canada speedboated Qatar 6-0 for our country’s first-ever World Cup win. As my advisor says, “Just keep going with the flow.” Turns out she’s right.
9 – WCBL: We’ve had more rainouts this season than the last two seasons combined. The farmers are happy but the schedule-makers have gone on anxiety meds. But that’s okay! The sun will shine in July and August giving you plenty of time to enjoy our top-rated NCAA baseball in the ballparks or on Flo College Baseball. … Our Moose Jaw Miller Express motorboated the Okotoks Dawgs 17-10 at Seaman Stadium on Saturday night in a rematch of the 2024 WCBL Final. … If you check the standings, our Millers are 12-5 and in first place in the East Division under rookie coach, and longtime assistant, Michael Gonzalez of Secaucus, NJ. I spent a long time with Gonzo in the dugout prior to Tuesday’s game and told him how proud I am of him. He smiled ear-to-ear. I just love this stuff so much.
10 – RANDOM THOUGHTS: It’s possible to ignore the negativity. … Stats are for losers. … The numbers don’t lie. … If you plant apple seeds, you don’t get oranges. … A guy tried to tell me this week that there’s no such thing as “hell”. I replied, “Yes there is. I’ve been there.” … A tourist from Atlanta is leaving Las Vegas with a staggering $10 million prize after playing a slot machine for less than five minutes. The lucky guest, who has not been publicly named, was playing the Megabucks Wolf Run Eclipse slot machine at the Westgate Resort & Casino on Tuesday morning. After only three minutes of playing with a $5 wager, the visitor won the multimillion-dollar jackpot of $10,292,912.32. “Las Vegas is built on unforgettable moments, and it doesn’t get much more memorable than turning a $5 bet into more than $10 million,” Cami Christensen, President and General Manager of Westgate Las Vegas, said in a statement. “We’re thrilled for our guest from Atlanta and love seeing these legendary stories happen at Westgate.” … AND HOW WAS YOUR WEEK?
Y’er welcome,
RP
