TUESDAY CAT COUNTRY COMMENTARY

(Listen for the Rod Pedersen Commentary daily at 9:50 AM and 5:20 PM on Cat Country 98)

TODAY, A BREAK FROM THE COVID TALK.

LAST WEEK THE CANADIAN HOCKEY LEAGUE – WHICH INCLUDES THE WHL, ONTARIO AND QUEBEC LEAGUES – SETTLED A LAWSUIT OUT-OF-COURT FOR 30-MILLION DOLLARS. IT WAS FOR A LARGE GROUP OF PLAYERS SEEKING BACK-PAY AS MINIMUM WORKERS GOING BACK A DECADE OR SO.

IT EFFECTIVELY CLOSED THE BOOK ON AN UGLY PART OF HOCKEY HISTORY AND ENSURED THAT NO FUTURE CASES WILL EVER BE BROUGHT FORTH AGAIN AS GOVERNMENTS NOW DEEM JUNIOR PLAYERS AS STUDENT-ATHLETES.

THE JUNIOR TEAMS DIDN’T NECESSARILY GET OFF SCOTT-FREE EVEN THOUGH MOST OF THE 30-MILLION WAS COVERED BY INSURANCE. TO BE SURE, THEY LEARNED THEIR LESSON.

I SPENT 17 YEARS IN THE DUB AS A BROADCASTER SO I SAW FIRSTHAND HOW WELL THE PLAYERS ARE TREATED, HOW SCHOOLS ACCOMMODATE THE PLAYERS SCHEDULES FOR EXAMS AND ASSIGNMENTS, AND HOW BILLETS TREAT THE PLAYERS LIKE FAMILY. THEY TRULY AREN’T WANTING FOR ANYTHING AND 99-POINT-9 PERCENT OF FORMER PLAYERS SAY IT WAS THE BEST TIME OF THEIR LIFE. IT’S NOT A SENTENCE. IT’S JUST A FEW YEARS OF GAINING LIFE LESSONS AND BEING TREATED LIKE A ROCKSTAR.

HOWEVER IN MY VIEW HERE’S WHERE THE OWNERS ERRED: THE MODEST STIPENDS THE PLAYERS RECEIVE NEVER REALLY CHANGED MUCH FROM WHEN I WAS A PLAYER ATTENDING CAMPS IN THE 80’S TO WHEN I LEFT THE LEAGUE IN 2010. A FEW HUNDRED DOLLARS A MONTH JUST DOESN’T CUT IT WHEN YOU’RE TRYING TO GET TO CLASS, GO ON A DATE, OR MAKE COMMUNITY APPEARANCES ON BEHALF OF THE TEAM.

HAD THE OWNERS SIMPLY GOT OFF THEIR WALLETS AND BUMPED UP THEIR SKIMPY PAYMENTS TO THE PLAYERS GOING BACK 30 YEARS, THEY LIKELY COULD’VE SAVED THEMSELVES MILLIONS DOWN THE LINE.

THAT’S TODAY’S ROD PEDERSEN COMMENTARY ON CAT COUNTRY 98.