THURSDAY RUNDOWN: TSN’S BOB MCKENZIE!
We were back at it Thursday with big news and big guests on Episode #358 of The RP Show – Canada’s Daytime Sports Talkshow! Here’s the rundown:
- Rod and Dupes opened with The Warmup covering these Quick Six show topics: 1) NHL season plans – potential realignment and temporary bubbles, 2) The Masters begins Thursday and RP has Patrick Reed in The Tap Masters pool while Dupes is going with Collin Morikawa, 3) Thursday Night Football has the 5-3 Colts at the 6-2 Titans, 4) Covid’s affect on college football and junior hockey at the moment, 5) More on the Mike Reilly saga (RP said side deals make the league difficult to cover at times), and 6) The CFL SIM Division Finals go Saturday on the RP Show Facebook page with Ottawa at Calgary at 6:00 pm ET followed by Saskatchewan at Edmonton.
- We had breaking news Thursday morning that the CFL SIM Grey Cup game has been added to the CFL’s Grey Cup Unite week of events, and will be played on the evening of Saturday, November 21. The CFL will stream the game from their website www.GreyCupUnite.ca. Fans are encouraged to register for the events now on that website. RP said he’s incredibly grateful to the CFL for including the SIM, and we promise a game to remember!
- Hockey Hall of Fame curator Darren Boyko joined the show from his Toronto office. He said “we’re hurting”, regarding how the pandemic has affected the HHOF. He discussed growing up in Winnipeg and being childhood teammates of WHL greats Dale Derkatch and Mark McKay. Boyko talked about his one and only NHL game with the Winnipeg Jets during the 1988-89 season, and also the reasons behind the HHOF’s difficult decision to postpone this year’s induction ceremony. The Hall felt it wasn’t fair to the inductees to have a limited ceremony.
- The daily Capital Auto Mall/Universal Collision Centre poll question was: Who will win the CFL SIM Grey Cup – Calgary, Edmonton, Ottawa or Saskatchewan? At press time, over 60% of respondents voted for the Riders.
- Next up was Saskatoon Blades head coach and Team Canada World Junior assistant coach Mitch Love. He discussed plans for the upcoming WHL season, the outlook for the Blades, and the World Junior Hockey Championship in Edmonton. He admitted he never thought he’d have the chance to coach star Kirby Dach again. Love also said the WHL team which will have the most success this season will be the team that’s toughest mentally.
- Hour 2 was broadcast on national TV on Game+ as well as simulcast on Facebook Live and we were joined by TSN hockey insider Bob McKenzie. He discussed his new book Everyday Hockey Heroes Volume II and told some of his favourite stories from the publication. Since McKenzie’s the Dean of hockey insiders, RP asked what his secret is. Bob said his contacts were formed while coming up through the OHL, and advised young reporters to “GO TO THE RINK!” to uncover scoops. McKenzie talked about his semi-retirement role and how he’ll still be featured on TSN’s World Juniors and NHL Draft coverage.
- Thursday’s show is available for viewing now on our Facebook page, you can catch the replay at 4:00 pm ET on Game+ TV, listen to the podcast by clicking on the CONTENT tab at the top of this page, or listen anytime to our 24-hour live audio feed at RodPedersen.com/ListenLive.
- See you at 12:00 pm ET on Friday for a Flame Tech Football Friday. Our guests include former NFL QB Gus Frerotte, Tori Gurley and John Frenzy!
