Commentary: The Good, The Great & The Ugly

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It’s Tuesday and time for the Good, the Great & the Ugly!

First the good: Round 2 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs got off to a good start. If you’re a Leafs fan.

Toronto dominated the Florida Panthers for 50 minutes in a 5-4 victory Monday night in Game 1. All the talk coming out of the game is of Florida’s Sam Bennett knocking Leafs goalie Anthony Stolarz out of the game with an elbow in the second period. A suspension awaits.

**UPDATE: Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston reports Bennett will not have a hearing for the contact with Stolarz. As you were.**

But I’m here to tell you Sam Bennett is a real nice boy from Holland Landing, ON and Leafs fans and media (pretty much the same thing) should stop picking on him!

More than anything I love it when my worlds collide: like the Panthers playing Canada’s Team in hockey, or a CFL team having a tryout camp here in South Florida.

It makes things flow real well.

Next the great: Couldn’t help but swell with pride at Monday’s announcement of the Saskatchewan Roughriders 2025 Plaza of Honour Class.

The team’s longest-serving Assistant Coach Alex Smith, two-time Grey Cup champion lineman Chris Best, and running back Steve Molnar (1969-78) got the call to the Hall and they are totally deserving.

Alex and I worked together with the Riders for 14 seasons and I saw firsthand how much input he had in the team’s success. We still keep in touch. Meanwhile “Bestie” was everything you wanted from a player: talented, hard-working and dependable.

These are the traits that get you into a Hall of Fame.

And lastly the ugly: Let me tell you it’s nearly impossible to shake a label. I got into a *debate* with someone about the Winnipeg Jets advancing to Round 2 and he said Commissioner Gary Bettman wouldn’t like it since he doesn’t favour Canadian teams. Most Canadians agree.

I informed him that way of thinking is 25 years out of date and Bettman learned long ago that Canadian teams butter the NHL’s bread. He loves Canada.

Nope. They’re not having it. Arguing further is pointless and it certainly isn’t my cross to bear. But I’m sure Bettman is more than done with hearing about it.

It’s a shame those that don’t live with an open mind.

That’s today’s Rod Pedersen Commentary

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