THURSDAY COMMENTARY: I-R-O-N-Y
(Listen daily for the Rod Pedersen Commentary on Cat Country 98 & Rock 98.5 FM)
TODAY’S COMMENTARY, AND WEDNESDAY’S ACTION AT THE CENTENNIAL CUP PRESENTED BY TIM HORTONS HERE IN ESTEVAN, IS BROUGHT TO BY THE WORD “IRONY”.
IN A FEW WAYS.
THE ESTEVAN BRUINS TOOK TO THE ICE AT AFFINITY PLACE AGAINST THE ALBERTA CHAMPION BROOKS BANDITS KNOWING FULL WELL THEY WERE GOING TO MISS THE PLAYOFFS AT THE CENTENNIAL CUP. IT WAS GOING TO BE THE LAST GAME OF THEIR SEASON, NO MATTER WHAT.
AND IN A MICROCOSM OF WHAT THEIR WEEK AT THIS TOURNAMENT HAS BEEN LIKE, THE BRUINS FELL DOWN 2-0 EARLY, STARTING GOALIE BOSTON BILOUS WAS PULLED IN HIS LAST-EVER JUNIOR GAME, AND BROOKS WENT ON TO AN UNEMOTIONAL 4-0 VICTORY.
ESTEVAN WILL BE THINKING FOR YEARS ABOUT HOW THIS TOURNAMENT WENT DOWN. THE BRUINS WON THEIR FIRST SJHL TITLE IN 23 YEARS JUST A FEW WEEKS AGO, BUT IT’S PRETTY CLEAR THE PLAYERS THOUGHT THE MOUNTAIN HAD ALREADY BEEN CLIMBED. THEY LARGELY DIDN’T SHOW UP FOR THIS TOURNAMENT IN THEIR OWN RINK.
I DON’T PUT ANY OF THAT ON BRUINS HEAD COACH & GM JASON TATARNIC WHO DID THE JOB HE WAS HIRED TO DO. THEY’RE GOING TO GET RINGS AND A BANNER NO MATTER WHAT.
IT’S IRONIC THAT THE INTENSITY IN ESTEVAN IS HITTING A FEVER PITCH AND FANS FROM ACROSS THE COUNTRY ARE JUST GETTING HERE FOR PLAYOFF WEEKEND WHILE THE HOST BRUINS CAN PACK THEIR BAGS AND HEAD HOME.
TO TOP IT ALL OFF, THE POWER WENT OUT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SECOND PERIOD LAST NIGHT WHICH CAUSED QUITE THE LENGTHY DELAY.
I WAS WATCHING FROM A SUITE WITH ALL THE CANADIAN JUNIOR LEAGUE PRESIDENTS AND ONE QUIPPED, “ISN’T THIS THE ENERGY CITY?”
IRONY INDEED!
THURSDAY’S A DAY OFF WITH THE BANQUET GOING TONIGHT AND THEN THE QUARTERFINALS OPEN ON FRIDAY WITH FLIN FLON AGAINST PICKERING, ONTARIO AND LONGUEIL, QUEBEC FACING SUMMERSIDE, PEI.
BELIEVE IT OR NOT, THE REAL FUN IS JUST BEGINNING!
THAT’S TODAY’S ROD PEDERSEN COMMENTARY
(The Rod Pedersen Show airs daily at 12 pm ET on Game+ TV 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)
Great show today, Rod! Brian Williams, what a legend. He’s like Patrick Stewart: ageless. I could not believe he is 75. A Canadian treasure.
Keep it up, you’ll be in the Hall of Fame too!
I liked seeing Allan May. BTW it’s only because of your show I even knew there was a CEBL.
That CEBL looks like it will be a sleeping giant. Great show. Regarding Estevan. I look at the SJHL as the WHL Lite. It’s such a tough league. By the end of the winter and certainly the playoffs the last man staning has had the p!$$ beat out of them so bad that anything else is a window dressing. It is what it is, but I put more stock into the WHL and SJHL title than I do these tournaments which are fun to follow/watch. If you win in the West you’re legitimate and had a hard winter, and very… Read more »