MONDAY COMMENTARY – THE HEARTLAND OF HOCKEY

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

THE STANLEY CUP IS RETURNING TO SASKATCHEWAN FOR ANOTHER SUMMER.

THE COLORADO AVALANCHE CLAIMED LORD STANLEY ON SUNDAY NIGHT WITH A 2-1 VICTORY IN GAME 6 OVER THE LIGHTNING IN TAMPA BAY.

AND WHEN THE CUP MAKES ITS ANNUAL TOUR AROUND THE WORLD AS EACH MEMBER OF THE WINNING TEAM GETS IT FOR A DAY, YOU KNOW AVS COACH JARED BEDNAR WILL BE BRINGING IT TO HIS HOMETOWN OF HUMBOLDT, AND HOPEFULLY YORKTON TOO, WHERE HE WAS BORN.

THE LAST TIME IT CAME TO YORKTON WAS WHEN L.A. KINGS STAR JARRET STOLL BROUGHT THE CUP BACK A DECADE AGO FOR A SPLASHY PARADE WHICH ENDED AT THE GALLAGHER CENTRE AND A PARTY THAT WENT WELL INTO THE MORNING.

AND IT WAS HARD NOT TO ROOT FOR THE AVS IN THIS ONE. THEIR HEAD SCOUT IS A GOOD, LONGTIME FRIEND OF MINE BY THE NAME OF WADE KLIPPENSTEIN WHO HAILS FROM BOISSEVAIN, MB.

I RAN INTO HIM AT A JUNIOR A GAME IN OKOTOKS THIS WINTER AND IF YOU CAN BELIEVE, HE WAS MOST CONCERNED WITH HOW I WAS DOING!

THAT TELLS YOU THE KIND OF GUY THAT WADE IS.

KLIP ASSEMBLED WHAT’S BEEN REFERRED TO AS THE MOST TALENTED TEAM IN THE NHL BUT HE KNEW THAT MEANT NOTHING IF THEY WEREN’T THE HARDEST WORKING TEAM TOO.

THANKS TO JARED BEDNAR, THEY ARE AND NOW THEIR NAMES ARE BEING ENGRAVED ON THE CUP FOR 2022.

THE CUP WILL BE IN SASKATOON TOO, THANKS TO AVS GOALIE DARCY KUEMPER AND IT’LL PAY A VISIT TO CANDLE LAKE, HOME OF JOSH MANSON.

IT MAY EVEN BE IN REGINA AS WELL. WHITE CITY’S RYAN MURRAY IS ON COLORADO’S ROSTER EVEN IF HE DIDN’T SUIT UP IN THE FINAL. RYAN IS A REGULAR AT EVOLUTION FITNESS ON QUANCE IN THE SUMMERTIME.

I SHOULD MENTION THAT THE STANLEY CUP WAS COMING BACK TO SASK REGARDLESS, AS IT DOES EVERY SUMMER. HAD TAMPA BAY WON, FORWARD BRANDON HAGEL WOULD’VE HAD STANLEY IN SASKATOON AND ASSISTANT GM AL MURRAY WOULD’VE BROUGHT THE CUP BACK TO REGINA.

WE ARE THE HEARTLAND OF HOCKEY, INDEED.

THAT’S TODAY’S ROD PEDERSEN COMMENTARY

(The Rod Pedersen Show airs daily at 12 pm ET and 10 pm PT on Game+ TV across Canada and the USA. Call your cable provider for details. You can also watch on YouTube Live or listen 24/7 at RodPedersen.com/ListenLive)