THURSDAY SHOW RECAP: RECCHI, BEDARD & REID JOIN!
We covered it all, and riled some people up, on Thursday’s Episode #206 of The Rod Pedersen Show! Here are the highlights:
- Rod and Dupes opened with The Rollout for Flooring Superstore covering these Elite Eight show topics: 1) How things would change with a 9-game CFL season, 2) Could you envision a QB controversy in Sask in 2020?, 3) Should the CFL merge with the XFL?, 4) Did the Memorial Cup being cancelled save the Kelowna Rockets?, 5) What are the expectations in Regina of phenom Connor Bedard?, 6) Wes Welker telling Boston radio that Bill Belichick treated everyone like crap, including Tom Brady, 7) Which athletes are you enjoying the most on social media during the pandemic?, and 8) Is it fair to expect players to leave their families for 3-month stretches for Bubble/Quarantine cities?
Regarding those topics, the Blue Bombers and Ticats would’ve finished first in 2019 under a 9-game season … OF COURSE there’s going to be a quarterback controversy in Sask … Peoples heads popped off over the idea of an XFL/CFL merger but Rod feels that might be the best option … Regarding the Memorial Cup being cancelled, it’s a ridiculous notion the Kelowna Rockets would be relieved … The expectations of Connor Bedard should just be to be himself, and not be expected to BE the Regina Pats franchise … Who’s anyone to criticize Bill Belichick? (Although the Patriots are primed for their demise) … The Rush’s Jeff Shattler has been the most creative social media poster … And Rod said the military leaves their families for 6-month deployments for far less money than NBA and NHL stars. They need to suck it up.- 5-time Stanley Cup champion and Penguins assistant coach Mark Recchi joined the show from Pittsburgh. He discussed how the Pens are staying in shape during the suspension, and how players are working with the team’s mental coaches to avoid mental health pitfalls. He feels that this year’s Penguins are Stanley Cup contenders, and always will be when they have Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Matt Murray on their roster. He went deep on the WHL’s Kamloops Blazers, a team which he partially owns. He said they were having a “good” year before the season was cancelled, but feels next year they’ll be “great”. The Kamloops product said the best part of owning a junior team is watching players come in as boys and leave as men. He also said his Hockey Hall of Fame induction in 2017 was “the icing on the cake” of his career.
Sportsnet anchor Ken Reid joined the show from his front porch in Toronto, where he’s biding his time until sports returns. He says he’s “really missing” sports. Reid discussed how sports media will look when the pandemic lifts, and sports in general. He also talked about his prized sports card collection (Bobby Orr’s rookie card is his #1), and about the the books he’s written on the subject.- Hockey phenom Connor Bedard joined the show from his home in Vancouver. He explained how his life has changed over the past week since being named Western Canada’s first-ever Exceptional Player for the WHL, but he’s taking it all in stride. Bedard, who turns 15 in July and will be a WHL rookie next fall, says he doesn’t think much about comparisons to Connor McDavid and John Tavares (who got Exceptional Player status in the OHL). As far as keeping busy, the projected #1 pick by the Regina Pats says he’s shooting lots of pucks and roller-blading. Asked to describe his style or compare it to a current NHL’er, Connor said he’s his own player and doesn’t care for comparisons! He was careful not to discuss playing for the Pats until he’s selected, but said he’s done plenty of research on the world’s oldest junior hockey team.
- The Capital Auto Mall/Universal Collision Centre poll question was: Should the XFL and CFL merge? 87% of respondents say no.
- We introduced a new feature on Thursday: The RoxDar Supply Chains Solutions rockstar of the day. Viewers and listeners can vote on Twitter for whomever was the top guest, commenter, staff, etc. from each day’s show. at press time, Mark Recchi was leading.
- Thursday’s show is available for viewing now on our Facebook page, you can listen to the podcast by clicking on the PODCAST tab, or you can listen anytime on our 24-hour live audio stream at RodPedersen.com/ListenLive presented by SUDS Full Service Car Wash.
- Join us at 10 am MT Friday for Football Friday on Facebook Live and RodPedersen.com/ListenLive. Our guests include John Frenzy, CFLPA’s Brian Ramsay, Gene Makowsky and TSN’s Matthew Scianitti!
Rod Pedersen is bang on with the idea of a XFL/CFL merger. (I endorse the idea). The CFL is too small to recover from the lost revenues of 2020 possibly 2021 due to coronavirus pandemic, (cancelled season, low Canadian dollar, future anticipated low crowd attendance from here on in). From a sound business/professional sports perspective it makes perfect sense to entertain these purcursory talks and planning immediately. There is a need to expand both league’s via this idea, credibility in a professional football world CFL has played it’s old archaic act out, a 9 team sometimes 8 team league very… Read more »
Vince McMahon is a billionaire & if the XFL & CFL were to merge, he would likely call the shots & it would cease being Canadian. There would be no requirement with that many teams to field a “quota” of Canadian players. Remember the Baltimore Stallions won 1 Cup, & should have won 2, because the Canadian content didn’t apply to them. It’s a dumb idea & would effectively spell the end of the CFL. Why go watch a minor NFL league in Vancouver, Toronto & Montreal? It would also eventually lead to Toronto now being fair game for the… Read more »
SeeSeeRider,
CFL = archaic, played out, boring.
After this world pandemic the CFL is going to need all the help it can get. Low Canadian dollar, low fan
attendance, recoup lost team revenues erc etc. the list is endless for the poor CFL. There’s already talk the Al’s new ownership in deficit and they have yet to play one game under that regime. It makes perfect sense from a business perspective for the CFL to merge with its football brethren XFL.
Then kiss the Canadian ratio goodbye. The American teams, just like in the last foray into the US will not start Canadians. When Ottawa joined the CFL, there was already not enough Cdn talent to go around to fulfill the ratio. It makes ZERO sense to join up with the XFL. And your Riders will be toast before long. How many small centers are in the XFL? There will be nowhere for the bulk of Cdn players who go to Cdn schools to play. McMahon isn’t going to convert to 3 down football.
I will never forget the Christmas I received a custom Montreal Canadiens Mark Recchi jersey. I was pretty pumped! And then he was traded three weeks later…
The Pat’s ownership better wise up fast and furious if they intend to draft hockey phenom Connor Bedard. He’ll need a top notch coach to make him a WHL Hockey superstar that will ascend to NHL superstardom. Start looking and interviewing the right coach to this highly anticipated commitment.