TUESDAY COMMENTARY – WHERE LIFE MAKES SENSE

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

AFTER MONTHS OF LOCKDOWN, IT WAS NICE TO MAKE A LITTLE ROAD TRIP ON MONDAY.

WE HEADED WEST TO SWIFT CURRENT FOR THE SIXTH ANNUAL BLACK TIE HOCKEY DRAFT BENEFITTING THE DR. NOBLE IRWIN HEALTH FOUNDATION.

IT WAS MY THIRD YEAR HOSTING THE DRAFT AND EACH TIME COULDN’T HAVE BEEN MORE DIFFERENT. THE FIRST YEAR WE HAD OVER A HUNDRED GUYS ASSEMBLED IN THE THEATRE AT LIVING SKY CASINO AND IT WAS THE BEST DRAFT I’D EVER SEEN. IT REALLY DIDN’T LOOK ANY DIFFERENT FROM THE ACTUAL NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE ENTRY DRAFT.

LAST YEAR, OF COURSE, WE DID IT ALL VIRTUALLY AND WE ANCHORED IT OUT OF REGINA WHILE THE POOLIES MADE THEIR SELECTIONS FROM HOME.

AND THEN LAST NIGHT PODIUMS WERE SET UP AT THREE LOCAL BARS WITH TEAMS SCATTERED ACROSS EACH PLACE WITH FOUR GUYS TO A TABLE, ALL SOCIALLY DISTANCED OF COURSE.

IN THE END WE PULLED IT OFF BUT AS YOU CAN IMAGINE, ON THIS NIGHT, IT WASN’T ABOUT PREDICTING WHO’LL SCORE THE MOST POINTS IN THE STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS.

IT WAS ABOUT GETTING TOGETHER, SEEING OLD FACES, AND TRULY ENJOYING EACH OTHER’S COMPANY.

IT’S SWIFT CURRENT SO OF COURSE THE PLACE WAS FULL OF HOCKEY PEOPLE AND IT WAS AN ABSOLUTE TREAT TO RUB ELBOWS WITH FORMER PROS TIGER WILLIAMS, MIKE SILLINGER, TIM TISDALE AND MORE.

FOR THE RECORD, SILLINGER PREDICTS THE COLORADO AVALANCHE WILL ADVANCE TO THE STANLEY CUP FINAL BUT FOR THE LIFE OF ME, I CAN’T REMEMBER WHO HE HAS COMING OUT OF THE EAST.

THERE WERE SO MANY PREDICTIONS FLYING AROUND THAT IT’S AWFULLY EASY TO LOSE TRACK!

THAT IS ONE SPECIAL COMMUNITY, AND THE IRONY IS NOT LOST THAT I’D BE INVITED TO DO ANYTHING IN SWIFT CURRENT AFTER ONCE NEEDING A POLICE ESCORT BOTH OUT OF TOWN AND INTO TOWN BACK IN THE WILD & WOOLY WHL DAYS.

THEY SAY TIME HEALS ALL WOUNDS BUT I’VE COME TO LEARN THAT IT’S ACTUALLY PEOPLE WHO HEAL THOSE WOUNDS, AND I CAN’T THANK THE HOCKEY FANS IN SWIFT CURRENT ENOUGH FOR ONCE AGAIN OPENING THEIR DOORS TO ME. (SPECIFICALLY DRAFT ORGANIZER JIM DEKOWNY).

IT TOOK A YEAR AND A TANK OF GAS TO FINALLY BE ABLE TO GO TO A PLACE WHERE LIFE MAKES SENSE.

THAT’S TODAY’S ROD PEDERSEN COMMENTARY.