WEDNESDAY COMMENTARY – FAREWELL FREDDY

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

IT’S THE HORROR MOVIE THAT WON’T END!

ON TUESDAY WE LEARNED THAT SASKATCHEWAN HOCKEY ICON FRED SASAKAMOOSE PASSED AWAY AT AGE 86, PRESUMABLY FROM COVID, IN P.A.

HAVING WORKED IN HOCKEY IN THIS PROVINCE FOR A GENERATION, I WAS AROUND FREDDY A LOT SO TODAY I’D LIKE TO TELL SOME STORIES.

TSN’S MICHAEL FARBER DID A GREAT JOB REMEMBERING FRED ON SPORTSCENTRE, EVEN POINTING OUT THAT THE ACTUAL PRONUNCIATION OF HIS NAME IS “sa-sa-KAH-Moose”.

BUT WHAT FARBER LEFT OUT IS THAT FRED WALKED OUT ON THE MOOSE JAW CANUCKS IN THE EARLY 1950’S, LITERALLY! FREDDY WAS HOMESICK, AND LITERALLY STARTED WALKING BACK TO HIS HOME IN NORTHERN SASK. THE G-M OF THE CANUCKS LITERALLY CAME AND SCOOPED HIM UP ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, AND RETURNED HIM TO THE JAW.

THINGS WERE SIMILAR IN CHICAGO, WHERE SASAKAMOOSE PLAYED 11 GAMES WITH THE BLACKHAWKS IN 1953-’54. IF YOU SAW THE HIGHLIGHTS ON THE SPORTS SHOWS, FREDDY DAZZLED WITH THE PUCK, AND WITHOUT.

BUT HE WAS HOMESICK AGAIN, HE TOLD ME, AND YEARNED TO GET BACK TO SASKATCHEWAN. HE PLAYED MINOR PRO AND SENIOR OVER THE NEXT FEW YEARS IN CHICOUTIMI, CALGARY, KAMLOOPS, AND NEW WEST, BUT THERE WAS NO SUBSTITUTE FOR HOME.

REGARDING PLAYING FOR BOTH THE CANUCKS AND BLACKHAWKS, FREDDY JOKED “I COULD NEVER GET THAT INDIAN HEAD OFF MY CHEST!”, TO WHICH THE ROOM GENERALLY ERUPTED IN LAUGHTER.

FAREWELL FREDDY. YOU BECAME AN ICON FOR THE NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE AND NATIVE YOUTH SIMPLY BY BEING YOURSELF.

I’M GLAD YOU COULD LEAVE WITH NO REGRETS.

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