TUESDAY COMMENTARY: THE SQUEAKY WEAL
(Listen daily for the Rod Pedersen Commentary on Cat Country 98, Rock 98.5 FM & LTD Radio)
It’s Tuesday and that means another edition of the Good, the Great & the Ugly!
First, the good: These Stanley Cup Playoffs took an unexpected turn on Monday evening when the Maple Leafs erased a 4-1 deficit and came back to beat the Lightning 5-4 in overtime in Tampa.
While the rest of the continent rolled our collective eyes, Leafs fans were brought to tears and now they’re a game away from eliminating Tampa and moving onto Round 2.
I think it’s really good. So many of my friends are Leafs fans and we’ve been laughing at them for 56 years. If this is the year they finally get to turn the tables, I’m all for it.
Next, the great: It’s simply astounding the hype that’s come with the 2023 NFL Draft this week in Kansas City. What used to be a one-day event has turned into a three-day extravaganza and there’s considerable intrigue heading into Thursday’s Round 1.
The Bryce Young/C.J. Stroud debate is very similar to the Manning/Leaf debate from the 90’s and controversial Georgia D-lineman Jalen Carter is a wildcard; a guy with #1 talent, but also a criminal record.
Who goes where? I’m just so curious to see who wins the ratings battle between the NFL Draft and NHL on both sides of the border.
And finally, the ugly: Former Regina Pats coach Pat Conacher got tongues wagging on Monday’s RP Show when he contended that forward Jordan Weal was a better junior player than Connor Bedard.
Predictably, some people are up in arms but let’s take a look at the numbers.
Weal – whose father Kelly is from Assiniboia – is 4th all-time in Pats scoring history with 385 points in 282 games. FOURTH! Behind only Derkatch, Sillinger and Sobchuck. So why isn’t Weal’s #19 in the Brandt Centre rafters?
The fact “The Other Jordan” never got a chance to play for Canada at the World Juniors is another discussion entirely but ranks as one of Canada’s all-time biggest snubs.
Anyway, Connor Bedard is 22nd in Pats history with 271 points in 134 games. That’s 114 behind Weal.
Debate this at will. But the fact Jordan Weal is nothing more than a fading footnote in Pats history is the ugly part.
And Conacher maybe right.
That’s today’s Rod Pedersen Commentary
(The Rod Pedersen Show airs daily at 12 pm ET on Game+ TV, WQEE & Streaming)
I agree Jordan Weal is one of Team Canada’s biggest snubs but that doesn’t make him better than Connor Bedard who scored over two points per game for his Pat career.
Having that “debate” would be like stating. You know the Regina Pats’ brain trust of that era – Owner – GM – Head Coach. If I’m not mistaken boy oh boy they are right up there with what Kamploops had going in the 1990s with their Ownership Board – GM Bob Brown and Head Coach Don Hay. If you close your eyes you can just see the comparison. To former Owners The Parkers – my sincere apology for taking that guy’s side. The most abysmal era of Pats Hockey to sit through. Yet it shows when an inexperienced yes man… Read more »
Jordan Weal is/was a great Regina Pat. His history is secure. He’s in that tier of the Gary Leeman/Lyndon Byers/Garry Dickie/Darrin McKechnie/Louis Dumont/Boyd Kane etc. group of guys. Include that with Sam Steele and Adam Brooks etc. They were all great Regina Pats. On the topic of retired numbers – that’s with a grain of salt. First off it’s a tradgedy it took as long as it did to get Jock Callander’s # up in the rafters. This ownership gets it. The previous regime – a lot of marketing ploys to get people into a building. Dale Derkatch finished his… Read more »
Kevin Haller? I will call your bid and up your bid with a Barret Jackman. Maybe even a Derek Morris. For a team that hasn’t won much in 50 years, we’re going to need three digit jersey numbers at this rate.
Jeff Freisen was a very Regina Pat player.
… very good …