MONDAY COMMENTARY – GREATEST REGINA PAT EVER DISCUSSION
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HE’S THE TALK OF HOCKEY, NOT JUST ACROSS SASKATCHEWAN.
CONNOR BEDARD MADE WHL HISTORY AGAIN ON SUNDAY, BECOMING THE YOUNGEST PLAYER TO REACH 50 GOALS IN A SEASON. IN FACT HE NOTCHED 51 GOALS AND 100 POINTS IN 62 GAMES AS A 16-YEAR OLD.
BOTH ARE REGINA PATS RECORDS AS WELL.
IT’S BROUGHT ABOUT THE NATURAL DISCUSSION OF WHETHER CONNOR’S THE GREATEST REGINA PAT OF ALL-TIME.
I CAN’T STAND THE FACT THAT I’VE BEEN AROUND FOR ALMOST A HALF CENTURY, BUT STILL FEEL LIKE A NEWBIE WHEN IT COMES TO PATS HISTORY!
BUT I HAVE BEEN WATCHING THE PATS SINCE 1980 AND MY CANDIDATES FOR TOP REGINA PAT EVER ARE DOUG WICKENHEISER, DALE DERKATCH, MIKE SILLINGER, JEFF FRIESEN AND JORDAN EBERLE.
HOWEVER PEOPLE WITH GREYER HAIR THAN ME SAY I’M MISSING THE LIKES OF DENNIS SOBCHUCK, ED STANIOWSKI, FRAN HUCK AND BILL HICKE!
HEY, I CAN’T HELP IT IF I NEVER SAW THEM PLAY LIVE. BUT IT NEVER CEASES TO ASTOUND ME WHAT WENT ON WITH THIS FRANCHISE LONG BEFORE I WAS BORN.
THIS MORNING I TRULY TOOK A LONG LOOK AT THE NUMBERS AND HAVE REACHED A CONCLUSION.
KNOWING FULL WELL THAT THIS IS A SUBJECTIVE DISCUSSION, IN THE END, I HAVE TO SAY THE GREATEST REGINA PAT TO EVER LACE ‘EM UP IS DOUG WICKENHEISER.
HE’S A LOCAL GUY, WHICH COUNTS FOR A LOT WITH ME. HIS 352 POINTS IN 207 GAMES AREN’T AT THE TOP OF THE RECORD BOOKS BUT THEY’RE DARN IMPRESSIVE AND HE WAS THE CAPTAIN OF THE LAST PATS TEAM TO WIN A WHL CHAMPIONSHIP IN 1980. LEADERSHIP SHOULD BE A FACTOR IN THIS DECISION.
THAT LARGE PHOTO WHICH HANGS IN THE PATS OFFICE OF WICK LEADING HIS TEAMMATES AROUND THE AGRIDOME ICE WITH THE CHAMPIONSHIP TROPHY OVER HIS HEAD STILL BRINGS A TEAR TO MY EYE.
HE WAS ALSO THE LAST PAT TO GO NUMBER 1 OVERALL IN THE NHL DRAFT.
I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO EMCEE DOUG’S JERSEY RETIREMENT NIGHT AND THERE WASN’T A DRY EYE IN THE HOUSE. (DOUG PASSED AWAY FROM CANCER IN 1999).
SO WICK IT IS.
BUT THAT TAKES NOTHING AWAY FROM CONNOR BEDARD AND WE SHOULD ALL GET OUT AND WATCH HIM BEFORE HE HEADS TO THE NHL LIKE THE REST.
HIS #98 WILL BE THE NEXT ONE TO GO TO THE RAFTERS.
THAT’S TODAY’S ROD PEDERSEN COMMENTARY.
(The Rod Pedersen Show airs daily at 12 pm ET on Game+ TV Network 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)
Have to agree Roddy, Wick best Pat!
There has been some good ones, so yes it’s a hard pick. Hockey has changed so much from “back in the day”.
I never got a chance to Connor play this yr, hopefully next.
It’s pretty hard to call a 16 yr old the best Pat ever, but if he was to be here for the duration (which won’t happen), they yes he’s in the running.
The kid is elite no question.
Agreed
Great discussion I think and this is splitting atoms. Sobchuck, Wick, Derkatch in retrospect all had those deep playoff runs. Having aaid that their teams were loaded top to bottom. In 1999 pre-internet on phone/and one day a week CKRM Sportsline. They had a promo for Pats trivia. If you win you get a game voucher and kids sport jacket. I won 6 weeks in a row. Rod on air said “he is winning legit let ’em keep going”. I was ken jennings before ken jennings. Perry Nyhus came out to meet me when i came to pick up. He… Read more »
Agree that one year (and a few months) in the league isn’t enough time to judge whether Bedard is the best Pat ever. He is talented and we are very lucky to have gotten to watch him the past 2 seasons and hopefully all next year. He brings out the best in his team mates and from what I have seen on the ice the Pats were a very tightly knit group this year. It’s unfortunate that D Struch was forced out of the organization as coaches are very seldom the problem with a Team’s lack lustre/inconsistent performance. I understand… Read more »
I agree with the choice of Wick, but have to note that several of the other candidates were Notre Dame Hounds where they got the best coaching of their careers.