THURSDAY COMMENTARY – ISN’T THAT SPECIAL
(Listen daily for the Rod Pedersen Commentary on Cat Country 98, Rock 98.5 & LTD Radio)
If there’s one thing I’ve learned after many years in this perilous trade, it’s this: When you’ve got something that’s hot, ride it till the wheels fall off.
And around here, that’s Connor Bedard.
4,292 showed up at Regina’s Brandt Centre on Wednesday night (it seemed like more) to witness another stupendous outing by the player we can now confidently call The Greatest Regina Pat Ever.
Bedard notched a goal and five assists in a 6-3 Pats victory over the Tigers. That’s right; the Pats scored six goals and Bedard factored in all of them.
I was really in my glory, watching the game with a bevy of NHL and WHL scouts plus, at times, the assembled media. Everyone’s jaw was on the floor.
It’s a privilege to watch Connor play live each night.
And of course hockey people watch the game differently than fans although not that much differently because after all, they’re fans too.
But as they noted to me last night, Bedard would have had even more points if … well … you know.
Time after time Bedard put the puck on the tape of his teammates but they whiffed on it, missed the pass altogether, or weren’t in the right spot. So he had six points but probably could’ve had around 10.
It’s made us wonder how many points Bedard will have as an NHL rookie, playing with players of his calibre. I say 82. Some pundits say no more than 50. Sidney Crosby had 100 at his age.
We looped Dale Derkatch into the discussion and the Pats all-time leading scorer spoke of his linemates Jeff Crawford, Brad Pascall, the original Taylor Hall, Lyndon Byers and Nevin Markwart.
THIS STUFF IS SO SPECIAL!!
Slowly but surely people are getting around and watching Bedard play live for the first time. He’s filling the net and the Pats are filling the bank.
That was the other buzz in the arena last night; that the Pats will be sold at season’s end, having extracted all the money they can and cashing out.
Let’s get that one going!
Oh wait … those days of stirring things up are behind me. They were fun while they lasted.
That’s today’s Rod Pedersen Commentary
(The Rod Pedersen Show airs daily at 12 pm ET & 10 pm PT on Game+ TV, YouTube Live and WQEE)
This is your best commentary ever made. The written in stone gospel is true. Conor Bedard “The Greatest Regina Pat Ever”. The old timers and the kids we’re all in agreement. For those of us who have seen them all come through town; the very idea of speaking this would have been sacrilegious. I’m at this point prepared to say he’s the best WHL player I’ve ever seen. I get weepy at the names Dale mentioned. People of today hear my words: If Conor played in Dale’s era with his 2023 skillset. Never mind touching him…….if anyone didn’t “Social Distance”,… Read more »