TUESDAY COMMENTARY – FEEL THE RUSH

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

IT WAS A MOVE THAT SEEMINGLY CAME OUT OF NOWHERE.

ON MONDAY IT WAS ANNOUNCED THE URBAN FAMILY HAS SOLD THE SASKATCHEWAN RUSH PRO LACROSSE TEAM TO THE PRIESTNER FAMILY, WHO ALSO HAPPENS TO OWN THE SASKATOON BLADES.

FOR ME, IT WAS A GUT-PUNCH. I GOT TO KNOW THE URBAN FAMILY IN THE FIRST YEAR THEY RELOCATED THE FRANCHISE FROM EDMONTON TO SASKATOON.

THEY REACHED OUT AND ASKED IF I’D SAMPLE THEIR PRODUCT. I WAS HOOKED IMMEDIATELY. THEN OWNER BRUCE URBAN AND HIS SON BRANDON – WHO RAN THE BUSINESS OPERATIONS OF THE TEAM – INVITED ME FOR A BREAKFAST THAT SPANNED 2 ½ HOURS.

WHEN YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW.

AND THE SAME CAN BE SAID FOR THE TIMING OF THIS SALE. IT CAUGHT US ALL OFF-GUARD BUT WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT IT, IT TOTALLY MAKES SENSE.

THERE IS STILL MUCH UNCERTAINTY ABOUT A RETURN TO PLAY EVEN IN THE FALL FOR MOST SPORTS LEAGUES. NO MATTER WHEN THEY GET BACK ON THE FIELD, ICE OR WHAT HAVE YOU, THE RECOVERY EFFORT IS GOING TO BE MASSIVE IN ABSOLUTELY EVERY REGARD.

THE URBANS HAVE ALWAYS BEEN OUT-OF-MARKET OWNERS. IT’S REMARKABLE THAT THEY WERE HABITUALLY ABLE TO SELLOUT SASKTEL CENTRE, ALL-THE-WHILE LIVING IN CALGARY AND FLYING IN FOR HOME GAMES AND STAYING AT THE DOWNTOWN RADISSON.

THE RETURN IS GOING TO REQUIRE A BOOTS-ON-THE-GROUND, ALL-OUT EFFORT AND PERHAPS IT’S JUST NOT SOMETHING THE URBANS ARE INTERESTED IN UNDERTAKING AT THIS POINT IN THEIR LIVES.

THEY DEPART WITH THREE NLL TITLES AND EVEN MORE FINALS APPEARANCES. THE POPULARITY OF LACROSSE IN SASKATCHEWAN HAS MUSHROOMED BECAUSE OF WHAT THEY’VE DONE.

THE URBANS CAN CERTAINLY DEPART WITH THEIR HEADS HELD HIGH AND HAND THE KEYS OVER TO THE PRIESTNER FAMILY, WHO’S BROUGHT GREAT RESOURCES TO THE BLADES AND BUILT ONE OF THE TOP MAJOR JUNIOR TEAMS IN THE PROVINCE.

THERE STILL MAY NOT BE MUCH SPORTS ACTION AROUND HERE RIGHT NOW, BUT THERE’S STILL LOTS OF NEWS.

THANK YOU URBANS FOR ALL YOU’VE DONE! IT’S BEEN AN HONOUR TO GET TO KNOW YOU.

THAT’S TODAY’S ROD PEDERSEN COMMENTARY.

(The Rod Pedersen Show airs daily at 10 am MT/12 pm ET on Game+ TV Network across all 10 provinces and 31 states. It’s also available live on YouTube & Facebook, and Listen Live at RodPedersen.com/ListenLive 24 hours a day)