COMMENTARY: IT IS WHAT IT IS

(Listen daily for the RP Commentary on Cat Country & LTD Radio)

A coupla three or more thoughts entering the weekend …

#1 – They’re calling it a wild night in the NHL, and it was. Every Canadian team was in action ‘cept Montreal and Winnipeg and I wish we had more time to get into it here. Suffice it to say the Oilers fired 57 shots on goal but lost to Tampa Bay and the Leafs spotted Columbus a 5-0 lead only to battle back and lose in overtime.

This seems to have been one of the most unpredictable NHL seasons in years and that is exactly what you want.

#2 – You can plan and project all you want but you never quite know what sports fans are going to grab onto. We started our Cats ‘N Bolts Podcast in Florida simply as a fun thing to do. (Watch it here).  That’s all! But it’s taken off and an NHL TV analyst said this week he enjoys the show, and kudos for growing the game in the South.

That was never the intention, and still really isn’t, but it’s a really cool feeling to get stopped on the street by a stranger and asked about hockey.

#3 – It was a combined 40 or so seasons that I called play-by-play between hockey and football (and now you know why I needed a long, perhaps permanent, rest) and I never really got too wound up about the schedule release. It was like, “Tell me where I need to be and when.”

But I’m not too closeminded to appreciate the fans’ exuberance over Thursday’s announcement of the 2024 CFL schedule. Week 1 begins on June 6 and there are some marquee match-ups including Montreal at Winnipeg in a Grey Cup rematch, Sask at Edmonton which is always fantastic, and Calgary opens at home to Hamilton. Now the Ticats just have to figure out if Bo Levi will be with them or not.

For years I was disappointed that there wasn’t more fanfare around this – like the NFL’s schedule release parties – but I’ve accepted that it is what it is.

Life is a heckuva lot more peaceful that way.

That’s today’s Rod Pedersen Commentary

(The Rod Pedersen Show airs daily at 12 pm & 5 pm ET on Game+TV, WQEE Radio, Podcast & YouTube Live)