THURSDAY COMMENTARY – WHAT’S HAPPENING (?)

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

IT’S BEEN AN INCREDIBLY CONFUSING WEEK IN THE NHL.

FOR ME ANYWAYS.

YOU MUST HAVE BEEN FOLLOWING. MONDAY NIGHT IN NEW YORK, WASHINGTON CAPITALS SUPER-PEST TOM WILSON LOST HIS MARBLES AND RAGDOLLED TWO OF THE RANGERS’ RUSSIANS.

ONE OF THEM HAPPENED TO BE NEW YORK’S BEST PLAYER – ARTEMI PANARIN – WHOM WILSON PICKED UP AND SLAMMED HEADFIRST INTO THE ICE. THE BIGGEST PROBLEM THERE WAS PANARIN WASN’T WEARING A HELMET AND I THINK MOST OF US KNOW IN THAT CASE, HE LITERALLY COULD’VE BEEN KILLED.

IF YOU DON’T AGREE WITH THAT ASSESSMENT, THEN WE’LL NEVER AGREE. AS IT WAS, PANARIN’S SEASON WAS ENDED BY THE HEAD INJURY HE SUSTAINED.

BUT THIS IS WHERE IT GETS CONFUSING.

THE NEXT MORNING NHL TOP DISCIPLINARIAN GEORGE PARROS ASSESSED TOM WILSON A PALTRY $5000 FINE AND DEEMED HIM ELIGIBLE TO PLAY IN WEDNESDAY NIGHT’S RETURN MATCH.

THE RANGERS WENT WILD, AND SENT OUT A STATEMENT SAYING THIS WAS A HORRIFYING ACT OF VIOLENCE AND PARROS IS UNFIT FOR HIS POSITION AND SHOULD BE REMOVED.

SO FAR, I WAS FOLLOWING JUST FINE. BUT WITHIN HOURS, THE RANGERS FIRED THEIR PRESIDENT JOHN DAVIDSON AND G-M JEFF GORTON. THEN THEY HAD THE GALL TO TELL TSN’S DARREN DREGER THAT THE FIRINGS HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH THE TEAM STATEMENT.

RIGHT. AND THERE’S NO MAKEUP CALLS IN HOCKEY EITHER.

REGARDLESS, WEDNESDAY’S GAME WAS A RATINGS WINNER AND FEATURED A 3-ON-3 BRAWL AT THE DROP OF THE PUCK, THEN FIGHT AFTER FIGHT AFTER FIGHT. OLD TIME HOCKEY. WILSON WAS EVEN INJURED IN THE GAME AND DID NOT RETURN.

MY GUESS? GARY BETTMAN CALLED RANGERS CEO JAMES DOLAN AND TOLD HIM TO STRAIGHTEN OUT DAVIDSON AND GORTON. SINCE THE PAIR WAS ON THIN ICE ANYWAY, THE DECISION TO FIRE THEM WAS MADE.

AS FAR AS ALL THE FIGHTS WENT, YES I LOVED THAT STYLE OF GAME, BUT I THOUGHT IT’S WHAT THE NHL DOESN’T WANT ANYMORE.

WHAT SCARES ME THE MOST IS THAT PERHAPS THE NHL IS ANOTHER LEAGUE THAT’S LOST ITS WAY. WE ALREADY KNEW THAT IT’S NOT WHAT WE GREW UP WITH AND LOVE, BUT ACCEPTED THAT LONG AGO.

THE TROUBLE IS, THE NHL DOESN’T SEEM TO EVEN KNOW WHAT IT IS ANYMORE AND IS CONTENT TO WATCH GOOD PEOPLE GO DOWN TO COVER UP THEIR OWN MISTAKES.

THAT’S SCARY AS HELL TO ME.

THAT’S TODAY’S ROD PEDERSEN COMMENTARY.