WEDNESDAY CAT COUNTRY COMMENTARY: THE NHL IS BACK

(Listen daily for the Rod Pedersen Commentary at 9:50 am and 5:20 pm on Cat Country 98 FM)

SO … WHAT DO WE THINK?

THE NHL RETURNED TO PLAY ON TUESDAY WITH A TRIPLE-HEADER OF EXHIBITION GAMES.

THERE WAS SOME GRUMBLING THAT THE LEAD-OFF GAME – THE FLYERS AND PENGUINS IN THE TORONTO BUBBLE – WASN’T SHOWN IN CANADA BUT GIVE ME A BREAK. WE’RE GOING TO GET ENOUGH HOCKEY OVER THE NEXT TWO MONTHS OR SO, INCLUDING A QUINTUPLE-HEADER ON SATURDAY AS THE PLAYOFFS BEGIN!

I’M TALKING ABOUT THE BROADCASTS, IN THE STERILE ENVIRONMENT OF THE QUOTE-UNQUOTE “BUBBLES” IN TORONTO AND EDMONTON. YOU GOTTA ADMIT IT WAS STRANGE WHEN THE PLAYERS WERE INTRODUCED ONE BY ONE AND THE TEAMS MIXED ON EACH OTHER’S BLUE LINES.

CLEARLY ONCE INSIDE THE BUBBLE, YOU DON’T NEED TO STAY SIX FEET APART.

AND ASIDE FROM MONTREAL’S CAREY PRICE ALLOWING A GOAL ON TORONTO’S FIRST SHOT, THINGS DIDN’T SEEM MUCH DIFFERENT TO ME. BUT REMEMBER – I’VE BROADCAST LITERALLY THOUSANDS OF FOOTBALL AND HOCKEY GAMES AND HAVE WATCHED PROBABLY AT LEAST 10 TIMES MORE SCRIMMAGES IN EMPTY ARENAS AND STADIUMS.

FANS OR NO FANS MAKES ABSOLUTELY NO DIFFERENCE TO ME. AND I RARELY LISTEN TO WHAT THE ANNOUNCERS SAY ANYWAY. SO AS FAR AS TUESDAY WENT, WE ARE BACK TO NORMAL WITH HOCKEY.

THE SAME CAN’T REALLY BE SAID FOR BASEBALL. AT LEAST FOR ME. THE BLUE JAYS GAMES IN EMPTY STADIUMS ARE A REAL STRUGGLE TO WATCH. THERE’S SO MUCH DOWNTIME BETWEEN PITCHES SO WE’RE RELYING HEAVILY ON THE ANNOUNCERS. THANK GOODNESS THE JAYS’ DAN SHULMAN AND BUCK MARTINEZ ARE THE BEST IN THE MAJORS.

BUT HEY – AT LEAST WE’RE NOT TALKING ABOUT CORONAVIRUS ANYMORE.

THAT’S TODAY’S ROD PEDERSEN COMMENTARY ON CAT COUNTRY 98.