The Monday Morning Goalie For SUDS

TRUTH & RUMOURS FOR SUDS CAR WASH

1 – PEACHFEST: The game really didn’t matter. But Calgary smoked BC 41-33 on Saturday in the first-ever CFL game played in Kelowna, BC, a game in which the score flattered the home team. No, what mattered more were the stunning images and scenes from the beefed up Apple Bowl, which was retrofitted to hold 19,108 fans amid the mountainous scenery. It was stunning and as I watched the game from the opening kickoff to the final gun, all I could think of was “Bravo BC Lions, and bravo CFL”. Smaller but jammed stadiums – like the packed Griffiths Stadium in Saskatoon for the Riders’ preseason game against Winnipeg – look way more attractive and appealing than the cavernous stadiums which are sitting half, or more, empty for games these days.

2 – EXPANSION: It says here the CFL should stop farting around with Halifax and Quebec City, and put a 10th team in Kelowna right now. I floated the notion on social media Saturday night and the response was largely 50/50. As usual, we were inundated with reasons why it wouldn’t work, but also reasons why it would. Lions owner Amar Doman opposes the idea – he said as much on the RP Show – but two NHL teams work great in Florida. And New York. The two NHL teams in Texas are going to work great too, despite opposition from the Dallas Stars. Hey – I’m a Western Canadian guy and always will be. This is the heartland of the CFL out here, not Eastern Canada. Sorry! Fish where the fish are.

A CFL forefather scolded my Kelowna posts, saying it was reckless (to paraphrase) because Kelowna’s not a viable option, and that I should be directing people to U.S. expansion because that’s the only reasonable path forward. You can’t make this stuff up! I informed him I was just generating discussion, like I always do. Thanks for reading, as always.

3 – ON THE FIELD: Chris Streveler is the best new, young CFL analyst and he said Nathan Rourke’s 483 yards passing in the BC loss are proof that quarterbacking isn’t the Lions’ problem. Hmmm, consider the source (QB defending QB) but the Leos only had 32 yards rushing. This ain’t Madden. The fact is, the BC Lions have A LOT or problems. They alleviated one perceived problem by firing special teams coordinator Cory McDiarmid on Sunday. He probably wasn’t the biggest problem but these days, in situations like this, somebody’s gotta walk the plank. … Chris Streveler will be on the RP Show on Thursday. … There’s a line between “experienced” and “old”. The Winnipeg Blue Bombers crossed it in Thursday’s 23-16 home loss to the Edmonton Elks. The window has closed, but it was a helluva run. … I picked Saskatchewan to beat Toronto Friday night at Mosaic Stadium but that was before I sat down and looked at the numbers Friday morning. Chief among them was the fact Chad Kelly was 3-0 against Saskatchewan all-time. You can make it 4-0 now, after the Argos road out of the Wheat Province with a 40-34 victory. … Argo fans are crowing that the Boatmen should be #1 in this week’s Power Rankings after manhandling the champs. Can you blame them? … I love Argo fans and respect the sh*t out of them. There’s a lot of ’em, and they’ve always been good to me. If you love the league, I think we can really all get along. … Week 4 closed Sunday night with Montreal eaking out a 37-35 win over Ottawa at McGill. A blind man can see the RedBlacks are getting better under first year Head Coach/GM Ryan Dinwiddie. The only question is, how long will it take?

4 – NHL DRAFT: It came and went pretty quickly this weekend, but it was quite a bit of fun to follow. Of course I watched – I always do – but truly felt it was a little strange to have Justin Bieber casually announce Gavin McKenna as the #1 overall selection by the Toronto Maple Leafs on Friday night. They’re tweaking the Draft, I guess, and the fact is revenues in the major leagues have skyrocketed since they opened the doors to the entertainment world (see: Swift, Taylor). … All in all, I felt like the networks did a pretty good job with their coverage and it was a fun watch. However the days of the staunch, stuffy, white men in suits on stage announcing the picks seem to be long gone. There was a brief cry on social media this weekend to bring them back, but I can’t see it happening. Don’t cry because it’s over; smile because it happened.

5 – THE NUMBERS: The Medicine Hat Tigers led all WHL teams with five players selected in the 2026 NHL Draft, including the Ruck twins who miraculously both went to the Pittsburgh Penguins. I love when teams can pull that off. That figure also includes Gavin McKenna. The Regina Pats had one player selected (forward Zachary Lansard), while the Moose Jaw Warriors had none. PA Raiders defenceman Daxon Rudolph went #4 overall to Buffalo, in the pick famously acquired from Chicago in the Bowen Byram deal last week. … Not to be outdone, College Hockey Inc. jammed my inbox with the fact 109 current or former NCAA players were selected this year, the most since the NHL went to the current draft format in 2005. Of course, Gavin McKenna counts as both a WHL & NCAA player.

6 – GO PATS GO: The naming of David Bell as the newest head coach of the Regina Pats last week had the Western Canadian hockey crowd, and Pats fans, scratching their heads saying “Who?” However the 49-year old from Wiarton, ON has a lonnnnnng history of coaching in the OHL and spent the past three seasons as head coach of the AHL’s Belleville Senators. I think he’ll be good. … Pats GM Dale Derkatch says he and Bell have a connection as both being former Notre Dame Hounds. Luctor et Emergo. … Pats icon Jamie Heward was the sentimental favourite however he never even interviewed for the job, and it’s expected that we’ll hear shortly that his contract as assistant coach with the Henderson Silver Knights has been renewed under new HSK head coach Joel Ward.

7 – BABCOCK: It’s a head-spinner, and daily readers of RodPedersen.com already know what I reported last week; the hiring of Mike Babcock as head coach of the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday was a decision that came straight down from owner Darryl Katz. Piecing it all together, I got the distinct sense that Katz took umbrage with being forced to wait to interview free agent Bruce Cassidy, so he jumped the shark and hired Babcock. Watch, now they’ll go win the Stanley Cup. … A highly prominent Edmonton media member asked me if I thought they were too hard on Mike in their coverage. I reported no, they gave Babs every opportunity to walk back his conduct in prior stops but he ignored it. They didn’t set a trap. It’s just Mike Babcock being Mike Babcock. Now we wait to see how it all turns out.

8 – WCBL: The farmers are happy with the rain on the prairies but the baseball players – mostly from California, Arizona, Texas & Florida – are getting very frustrated with the record number of rainouts across Canada’s top summer collegiate league. There’s going to be A LOT of doubleheaders in ballparks across Saskatchewan & Alberta in July and August so keep your eyes trained on WCBLBaseball.com for schedule updates. … The Moose Jaw Miller Express remain absolutely redhot and at 14-7, sit second-place in the WCBL East. Please consider coming out for our traditional Canada Day clash as the Medicine Hat Mavericks come to town. The Millers will wear limited edition Canada uniforms and hats, which are auctioned off after the game. … The Okotoks Dawgs lead the WBCL in runs scored with 300! By comparison, the East-divison leading Saskatoon Berries have 194. The Dawgs are the collegiate version of the LA Dodgers.

9 – AT THE MOVIES: The rainy weather had me indoors at Galaxy Cinemas this weekend, enjoying JACKASS: Best & Last. Yes, it’s the final ride for Johnny Knoxville, Steve-O and the gang and as usual, it left me hyperventilating on the theatre floor, doubled over in laughter. I guess their zany brand of stunts & humour isn’t for everybody, but it sure is for me. … My favourite gag in this one? When Knoxville gets dressed up in his Bad Grandpa garb and “Irving” heads down to an all-black male strip club. Hint: he asks the women in attendance if they’d “like a serving of Irving?” Buy a ticket and thank me later. … I’ve had the good fortune of getting to know Steve-O through Recovery circles (his sober date is March 9/2008) so it was nice to go support a friend. Recovery Warriors!

10 – RANDOM THOUGHTS: Dwight Yoakam sold the most tickets of any concert, ever, in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. Thank you Temple Gardens Centre for the ticket to Wednesday’s show! I enjoyed every single note. But Dwight didn’t sing my favourite of his tunes; his cover of Cheap Trick’s Want You To Want Me. … 1 out of every 5 pairs of jeans sold in America is Wrangler. … I’d submit 5 out of every 5 pairs of jeans sold in Saskatchewan is Wrangler. … You know what Nirvana means? “Extreme peace”. I’ve achieved Nirvana. … The Bellamy Brothers “Liked” my Facebook post about the Dwight Yoakam concert so I feel like I’m winning at life. … Orville Redenbacher was born in 1907 in Brazil, Indiana. … A woman attacked by a shark at Sydney’s Coogee beach has uttered her first words after waking from a coma 10 days after sustaining her injuries. Stewart, a 34-year-old teacher who is a mother to a one-year-old girl, remains in intensive care. A fundraiser page set up to fund her medical procedures and aid her family has garnered more than $488,000 in donations. Stewart has had five days of surgeries – including an arm amputation – with more to come, her brother Josh Stewart wrote on a fundraising page. Her first words to her mother and partner after a 10 day coma? “I love you”. … AND HOW WAS YOUR WEEK?

Y’er welcome,