THURSDAY COMMENTARY – “S-O-F-T”

(Listen daily for the Rod Pedersen Commentary on Cat Country 98 & Rock 98.5 FM)

There are just three football games left and then hockey truly will take centre stage until the snow melts.

And we’ll examine those three games – the NFL’s conference championships and Super Bowl – on Friday’s commentary. Fridays are for football.

Today we’ll look at the day-in, day-out drama of the world of hockey.

First, Connor Bedard was held pointless in the NHL Top Prospects Game Wednesday night. His Team Red lost 4-2 to Team White in Langley, BC and while you can’t hit the scoresheet every night, I was a bit surprised to see donuts on Connor’s stat line because the game was in his hometown.

But he’ll have plenty of chances to play in Vancouver over the next few decades, and light it up as he’s used to doing.

And I hope it’s not with his hometown Canucks, but rather as an NHL visitor.

But the Canucks are buying up as many tickets in the Connor Bedard Sweepstakes as they can. They came crashing back to earth Wednesday night, losing 6-1 in Seattle just one night after Rick Tocchet won his debut on the Vancouver bench, 5-2 over Chicago at The Garage.

After last night’s game, Tocchet referred to the Canucks as “soft”. Now listen folks, aside from harsh words about your mother, being called “soft” is the worst insult there is in the hockey world.

But the truth hurts, and that’s what the Canucks are.

I’ve had the good fortune to watch them play live several times the past couple of years, under multiple coaches, and the Vancouver Canucks remain as soft as baby food.

Now it’s up to the hard-nosed Tocchet to whip them into shape. To turn boys into men.

And I hope Connor Bedard doesn’t come anywhere close to it.

That’s today’s Rod Pedersen Commentary

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