TUESDAY COMMENTARY – MARLEAU MONDAY
(Listen daily for the Rod Pedersen Commentary on Cat Country 98 FM & Rock 98.5 FM)
SOMETIMES TEAMS AND LEAGUES GO OVER THE TOP WITH THEIR LAVISH CEREMONIES AND RECOGNITION OF FALLEN RECORDS.
NOT SO WITH PATRICK MARLEAU.
THE PRIDE OF ANEROID, SK (POPULATION 50) BECAME THE NHL’S ALL-TIME GAMES PLAYED LEADER MONDAY NIGHT WHEN HE SKATED IN HIS 1,768TH GAME. IT CAME AS HIS SAN JOSE SHARKS PLAYED THE GOLDEN KNIGHTS IN LAS VEGAS.
ON SATURDAY NIGHT, HOCKEY NIGHT IN CANADA VIRTUALLY DEDICATED THEIR ENTIRE TELECAST TO MARLEAU AS HE TIED THE RECORD, PREVIOUSLY HELD BY GORDON HOWE, WITH THE SHARKS PLAYING AT MINNESOTA.
ON MONDAY EVENING, I TUNED IN FOR IT ALL ON NHL CENTRE ICE AND IT WAS WORTH IT. (BY THE WAY, NHL NETWORK AIRED THE GAME COAST-TO-COAST IN AMERICA. WHY COULDN’T CANADA DO THE SAME THING ON ONE OF THE NUMEROUS SPORTSNET CHANNELS? BUT I DIGRESS).
I ALSO WANT TO STICK IN THERE THAT MARLEAU HAS GIVEN INSPIRATION TO ANOTHER GENERATION OF RURAL SASKATCHEWAN KIDS THAT JUST BECAUSE YOU MAY LIVE IN A SMALL TOWN, YOU CAN STILL ACHIEVE NHL GREATNESS.
ANYWAY I FOUND IT ODD LAST NIGHT THAT THEY DIDN’T HONOUR PATTY BEFORE THE GAME, BUT SHARKS COACH BOB BOUGHNER INSERTED MARLEAU IN THE STARTING FIVE AND AFTER HIS FIRST SHIFT, THE GAME WAS HALTED AND THE CEREMONY WAS ON.
IT INCLUDED A TOUCHING – ALBEIT LONG – MESSAGE FROM NHL GARY BETTMAN ABOUT WHAT AN ACCOMPLISHMENT IT IS TO SURPASS MR. HOCKEY.
I SAW A MILD BUZZ ON TWITTER THAT THE TORONTO MEDIA REFUSED TO RECOGNIZE THE ACCOMPLISHMENT BECAUSE MARLEAU IS HUNDREDS OF GAMES BEHIND GORDIE WHEN YOU CONSIDER HIS CONSIDERABLE TIME IN THE WHA.
I SPENT LESS THAN A SECOND ABSORBING THAT CRITICISM AND EVEN LESS TIME LOOKING UP WHO WAS SAYING WHAT. HERE’S A TIP – TURN YOUR PHONE OFF AND YOU’LL BE MUCH HAPPIER.
AT THE TOP OF THE NHL RECORD BOOK TODAY IN ONE OF THE BIGGEST STATS THAT MATTER, YOU NOW SEE THE NAME PATRICK MARLEAU; A KID FROM SASKATCHEWAN.
AT NUMBER TWO, THE PERSON’S NAME ALSO HAILS FROM SASKATCHEWAN.
IT’S BEEN A GOOD COUPLE DAYS FOR THE 3-0-6.
THAT’S TODAY’S ROD PEDERSEN COMMENTARY.
