WEDNESDAY COMMENTARY – YAHOO

(Listen daily for the Rod Pedersen Commentary on Cat Country 98 & Rock 98.5 FM)

WHAT A TIME TO BE ALIVE.

ESPECIALLY IF YOU’RE A FAN OF THE CALGARY FLAMES.

COWTOWN IS JUMPING THESE DAYS, WHATWITH THEIR TEAM RIDING A SEVEN-GAME WINNING STREAK FOLLOWING TUESDAY NIGHT’S 6-2 DRUBBING OF THE COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS IN THE SADDLEDOME.

IT. WAS. A. PARTY.

ALBERTA COVID RESTRICTIONS HELD THE CAPACITY TO 96-HUNDRED FANS BUT YOU WOULDN’T KNOW IT. THE FLAMES JUMPED ON THE JACKETS EARLY AND THE FANS WERE DANCING IN THE AISLES PRETTY MUCH ALL NIGHT LONG.

AND UNLIKE THE LAST TIME WE WERE HERE, THE CONCESSIONS AND BEER LINES WERE OPEN AND THAT PUT EVERYONE IN A CARNIVAL-LIKE MOOD.

IT WAS FUN. AND FOR A CITY WHO’S HAD A LOT OF BAD NEWS OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS WITH THE ONGOING ARENA STRUGGLE AND STUNTED PLAYOFF RUNS, THEY FINALLY HAVE SOMETHING TO CHEER ABOUT.

AND THEY WERE LOUD.

THEY KNOW HOCKEY IN ALBERTA, AND PEOPLE GASPED EACH TIME ONE OF THEIR STARS GRABBED THE PUCK, LIKE JOHNNY GAUDREAU, MATTHEW TKACHUK OR NEWCOMER TYLER TOFFOLI.

IN FACT TOFFOLI SCORED IN HIS FLAMES DEBUT, AND EVERYONE WENT HOME HAPPY. AS CACTUS JACK WOULD SAY, “IT ALL TURNED OUT NICE AGAIN.”

EXCEPT FOR THE BLUE JACKETS. I SPOKE WITH SOME OF THEIR STAFF BEFORE THE GAME AND THEY WERE STILL STINGING FROM THE LAST TIME THESE TEAMS PLAYED WHEN CALGARY WON 6-0 AND PEPPERED AN NHL RECORD 62 SHOTS IN COLUMBUS.

THIS GAME WASN’T MUCH BETTER FOR THE JACKETS.

ALTHOUGH IT WAS NICE TO SEE REGINA PRODUCT COLE SILILINGER WEARING #34 FOR COLUMBUS. HE TOLD THE ROD PEDERSEN SHOW THIS SUMMER HE WAS GOING TO CAMP TO MAKE THE TEAM AT AGE 18 AND I’LL BE DARNED IF HE DIDN’T JUST DO IT!

I’VE ALWAYS WANTED TO HOST THE SHOW FOR A TIME IN AN NHL MARKET AND IT SEEMS WE’RE JOINING THE FLAMES BANDWAGON AT JUST THE RIGHT TIME.

AND IT ALL TURNED OUT NICE AGAIN.

THAT’S TODAY’S ROD PEDERSEN COMMENTARY.

(The Rod Pedersen Show airs daily at 12 pm ET on Game+ TV across Canada and the USA. Call your cable provider for details. You can also watch on YouTube Live and listen 24/7 at RodPedersen.com/ListenLive)