WEDNESDAY COMMENTARY – NO CANADA

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

FOR ONE NIGHT, CANADA CAME TOGETHER.

OR I SHOULD SAY – CANADIAN HOCKEY FANS CAME TOGETHER – BECAUSE AS WE’VE BEEN TOLD REPEATEDLY THE PAST 10 MONTHS, SPORTS DON’T MATTER.

THE ANTICIPATION WAS OFF THE CHARTS FOR TUESDAY NIGHT’S CANADA-USA WORLD JUNIOR GOLD MEDAL GAME.

56 DAYS TOGETHER IN ISOLATION FOR TEAM CANADA WAS COMING TO AN END AND ALL THAT STOOD IN THEIR WAY FOR A GOLD MEDAL WAS TEAM USA.

HOW MANY DAYS HAD THE AMERICANS SPENT PREPARING FOR THIS? NO IDEA. I WASN’T FOLLOWING THEIR PATH. FOR ME, IT WAS ALL ABOUT CANADA.

AN HOUR OR SO BEFORE PUCK DROP I STARTED TO GET A LITTLE ANTSY. CANADA HAD NEVER TRAILED AT ANY POINT IN THIS TOURNAMENT AND IF THE AMERICANS GOT OUT TO A LEAD, HOW WOULD CANADA REACT? YOU TRULY CAN’T SIMULATE CONDITIONS LIKE THAT IN PRACTICE.

WELL, I HOPE YOU WATCHED IT. AND IF YOU DID, YOU SAW THAT USA GOT OUT TO LEADS OF 1-0 AND 2-0 AND CANADA SPENT THE FIRST 30 MINUTES OF THE CONTEST LOOKING COMPLETELY LOST.

THEY GATHERED THEMSELVES IN THE THIRD AND ACTUALLY WOUND UP OUTSHOOTING USA IN THE GAME.

BUT IN THE END, THE AMERICANS WON 2-0.

WHEN I SAY CANADIANS CAME TOGETHER, WE TRULY DID. I SPENT THE EVENING CONVERSING WITH HOCKEY FANS FROM COAST TO COAST ON TWITTER, ANALYZING EVERY TWIST AND TURN OF THE GAME.

IN THE END, WE ALL AGREED THAT TEAM USA WAS THE BETTER TEAM ON THIS NIGHT. FULL MARKS TO THEM AND CANADA CAN’T HANG THEIR HEADS ABOUT MUCH EITHER.

THE ONLY QUESTION I HAVE HAVE NOW IS … NOW WHAT?

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