FRIDAY COMMENTARY – HAIL THE WHL

(Listen daily for the Rod Pedersen Commentary at 9:50 am and 5:20 pm on Cat Country 98 FM)

MORE DETAILS ARE EMERGING ON THE WHL’S RETURN TO PLAY.

MY FAVOURITE LEAGUE ANNOUNCED LATE WEDNESDAY THEY DO INDEED PLAN TO PLAY A SEASON BUT IT WON’T COMMENCE UNTIL JANUARY 8.

INITIALLY, I DIDN’T SEE THIS AS GOOD NEWS. I SAW IT MORE AS DELAYING THE INEVITABLE. FOR INSTANCE, THEY FIRST SAID THEY’D PLAY BEGINNING OCTOBER 2. THEN DECEMBER 4. AND NOW, ELVIS’S BIRTHDAY.

HOWEVER COMMISSIONER RON ROBISON EXPLAINED IT ALL THURSDAY SAYING THIS ISN’T A TARGETED DATE. THIS IS A CONFIRMED START.

AND THE DUB HAS ENLISTED TOP DOCTOR DHIREN NAIDU OF EDMONTON TO HELP CLEAR THE WAY. HE’S AN ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR AT THE U OF A, THE DOCTOR FOR THE OILERS AND EDMONTON FOOTBALL CLUB, AND AIDED THE NHL WITH THE EDMONTON BUBBLE.

SWIFT CURRENT’S MOVING BACK INTO THE EAST DIVISION TO MAKE IT A 7-TEAM LOOP WITH FIVE SASK TEAMS AND TWO MANITOBA TEAMS. THEY’LL ONLY PLAY AGAINST EACH OTHER, IN A SHORTENED SEASON.

THE SAME GOES FOR THE B-C TEAMS AND THE U-S TEAMS.

WHERE IT GETS MURKY IS HOW MANY FANS ARE ALLOWED IN EACH ARENA. APPARENTLY IT’S GOING TO VARY FROM PROVINCE TO PROVINCE OR STATE TO STATE, AND THE IDEA OF WEEKEND BUBBLE CITIES COULD COME INTO PLAY.

AS FOR THE PLAYOFFS, NOBODY KNOWS YET BUT THE LEAGUE IS PLOWING AHEAD ANYWAY.

THEY’RE NOT THROWING THEIR HANDS IN THE AIR AND GIVING UP.

I GUESS THAT’S A BIG PART OF THE REASON WHY THEY’RE MY FAVOURITE LEAGUE.

THAT’S TODAY’S ROD PEDERSEN COMMENTARY ON CAT COUNTRY 98.