TUESDAY COMMENTARY – NO WORDS

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

HOW DO YOU SPELL RELIEF? W-I-N.

A BARREL OF ROLAIDS COULDN’T HAVE PROVIDED MORE RELIEF FOR THE ESTEVAN BRUINS THAN MONDAY NIGHT’S 6-2 WIN OVER THE RED LAKE MINERS ON DAY 6 OF THE CENTENNIAL CUP HERE IN ESTEVAN.

AGAIN, 90 SECONDS AREN’T LONG ENOUGH TO DETAIL WHAT’S GONE HERE SINCE THE NATIONAL JUNIOR A HOCKEY CHAMPIONSHIP OPENED LAST THURSDAY AT AFFINITY PLACE BUT SUFFICE IT TO SAY, THE BRUINS’ 0-2 START TO THE TOURNAMENT PUT THEM IN ONE HECKUVA HOLE.

BUT THEY RALLIED FOR THE WIN IN A SOLDOUT BARN AND, FROM WHAT I CAN GATHER, NEED LONGEUIL, QUEBEC TO LOSE TODAY TO RED LAKE, ONTARIO, AND TO BEAT BROOKS, ALBERTA THEMSELVES ON WEDNESDAY FOR A CHANCE TO MAKE THE PLAYOFFS AND BE PLAYING ON THE WEEKEND.

BUT BY WINNING LAST NIGHT, THEY GAVE THEMSELVES THAT CHANCE.

LIKE I SAID, R-E-L-I-E-F.

AND TO SAY I COULDN’T BE HAPPIER TO BE IN ESTEVAN WITH THE ROD PEDERSEN SHOW ALL WEEK FOR THIS TOURNAMENT WOULD BE AN UNDERSTATEMENT.

I’VE ALWAYS HAD A VERY SPECIAL CONNECTION WITH THIS CITY AND I DON’T KNOW WHY. BUT THEY’VE BEEN THERE FOR THE RISE, THE FALL, AND THE RISE AGAIN OF MY LIFE AND HAVE WANTED TO BE A PART OF IT ALL.

THERE AREN’T WORDS TO EXPRESS MY GRATITUDE TO THESE PEOPLE.

IT FEELS LIKE MY SECOND HOMETOWN SO TO BE A PART OF THE WAVE CHEERING ON THE BRUINS FEELS PRETTY NATURAL.

AND AS FAR AS THE SCENE GOES, THERE ARE HOCKEY FANS FROM ALL ACROSS CANADA HERE CHEERING ON THE 10 TEAMS WHO MAKE UP THE LARGEST CENTENNIAL CUP IN HISTORY.

BRUINS ALUMNI HAVE COME FROM ACROSS THE CONTINENT TO CELEBRATE THE FRANCHISE AND ARE NOW CHANGING THEIR FLIGHTS TO STAY LONGER BECAUSE IT’S BEEN THAT GOOD OF A TIME.

AND IN THE NICK OF TIME, THE BRUINS DID THEIR PART TO MAKE THING THIS MUST-SEE TV.

SO FAR, IT’S ALL TURNING OUT NICE AGAIN.

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)