MONDAY COMMENTARY – MORE ON BABS

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

WHAT A DIFFERENCE A WEEKEND MAKES.

IT SEEMED LIKE WE WERE HEADING INTO ANOTHER SLEEPY COVID WEEKEND, HUDDLED UP AND WATCHING HOCKEY WHILE THE WINDS AND SNOW HOWLED OUTSIDE.

BUT THEN DARREN DREGER STUCK A STICK OF DYNAMITE INTO THE HOCKEY WORLD WITH SATURDAY’S SCOOP THAT MIKE BABCOCK IS JOINING THE UNIVERSITY OF SASKATCHEWAN AS MENS HOCKEY COACH.

YOU HEARD THAT RIGHT … THE TWO-TIME OLYMPIC GOLD MEDAL-WINNING COACH AND STANLEY CUP CHAMPION – WHO WAS FIRED LAST YEAR AS HEAD COACH OF THE TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS – IS GOING TO COACH UNIVERSITY HOCKEY IN SASKATOON.

IT’S NOT AS BIG OF A STRETCH AS YOU’D THINK, AND I’VE MARVELED AT THE REACTION IN THE 48 HOURS SINCE.

LET ME FIRST SAY I’M DISAPPOINTED IN HOCKEY NIGHT IN CANADA’S REACTION. THE BABCOCK HIRING BY THE HUSKIES CAUSED BARELY A RIPPLE IN THEIR SATURDAY NIGHT COVERAGE. IT GOT A MENTION, I’M TOLD, IN THE SECOND INTERMISSION YET I WAS EXPECTING WALL-TO-WALL ANALYSIS AND MAYBE FROM BABS HIMSELF.

BUT, IT AIN’T WHAT IT USED TO BE.

WHEN BABCOCK WAS GASSED BY THE LEAFS, A LOT OF HIS FORMER PLAYERS JUMPED ON HIM AND TOLD CRINGE-WORTHY TALES OF HIS MENTAL ABUSE. I HAVE NO DOUBT THEY’RE ALL TRUE.

I’VE BEEN BULLIED TOO, BUT IT NEVER WAS FRONT PAGE NEWS. I’VE EVEN SUFFERED FROM CHARACTER ASSASSINATION FROM SOME VERY BAD PEOPLE BUT NOT ONLY SURVIVED, I’M THRIVED! IT’S EUPHORIC TO EMERGE EVEN STRONGER. 

BUT BACK TO BABS. THE FIRING BY TORONTO WAS A MAJOR SETBACK IN HIS CAREER. IT’S FORCED HIM TO LOOK AT HIMSELF. AND IF YOU’VE NOTICED, TORONTO IS NUMBER-ONE IN THE NHL WITH HIM OUT OF THE PICTURE.

MIKE IS A HUSKIE ALUM, COACHED THE LETHBRIDGE PRONGHORNS IN CANADA WEST AS PART OF A STOP ON EVERY RUNG OF THE HOCKEY LADDER, AND NOW HE’S LITERALLY GOING BACK TO WHERE IT STARTED.

WILL IT LEAD HIM BACK TO THE NHL ONE DAY? MAYBE. MAYBE NOT. I’M GUESSING THAT’S NOT EVEN ON BABS’ MIND RIGHT NOW.

WHAT IT IS, IS A FRESH START FOR ALL.

GO DOGS!

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