WEDNESDAY COMMENTARY – THE FLOWER SOURED
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BEING A VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS FAN IN SASKATCHEWAN HAS BEEN GREAT.
WHENEVER SOMETHING BIG HAPPENS WITH THE NHL’S SECOND-NEWEST TEAM, PEOPLE AROUND HERE GENERALLY COME TO ME FOR A REACTION.
SO THAT WAS THE CASE TUESDAY WHEN NEWS BROKE THAT FRANCHISE FACE MARC-ANDRE FLEURY WAS TRADED TO THE CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS FOR A PLAYER WHO ISN’T EVEN A HOUSEHOLD NAME IN HIS OWN HOUSE.
LET ME BACK UP. THE TEXT I GOT AROUND 9:30 TUESDAY MORNING SAID, “FLEURY TO THE BLACKHAWKS”. I THOUGHT, “WHO, THEO? CALE OR HAYDN?” (REFERRING TO THE PRIDE OF CARLYLE, SK)
NO, IT WAS INDEED MARC-ANDRE FLEURY. THE FIRST PLAYER CHOSEN IN THE 2017 EXPANSION DRAFT AND THE REIGNING VEZINA TROPHY WINNER AS NHL GOALIE OF THE YEAR.
MY FIRST REACTION? MILD NUMBNESS. THEN, IT WAS A SIMPLE SHRUG OF THE SHOULDERS AND THE FEELING OF, “LIFE GOES ON”.
I CAN’T REMEMBER THE LAST TIME SOMETHING IN SPORTS HAS FAZED ME. FOR THAT MATTER, I CAN’T REMEMBER WHEN ANYTHING IN LIFE HAS.
THAT’S NOT TO SAY I’M NOT DISAPPOINTED THAT FLEURY’S BEEN DEALT OUT OF VEGAS LIKE A BAD POKER HAND. HE WAS MY FAVOURITE PLAYER AND I’M NOT AS CONFIDENT IN NEW #1 ROBIN LEHNER.
IN FACT I’VE NEVER MET HIM. WHEN FLEURY CAME OUT TO MEET FANS AT A PRACTICE IN SUMMERLIN, NV LAST YEAR, I WAS IN THE BATHROOM. (TRUE STORY. ASK MY BROTHER.)
THE ANALYSTS ARE SAYING IT’S A SALARY DUMP AND I’M SURE IT IS. THIS IS $7-MILLION OFF THE BOOKS.
BUT YOU CAN’T, FOR ONE SECOND, TELL ME THIS DOESN’T MOSTLY HAVE TO DO WITH FLEURY’S GAFFE IN GAME 3 AGAINST MONTREAL IN THE CONFERENCE FINAL. WITH A 2-1 LEAD AND A MINUTE TO GO, THE FLOWER COUGHED UP THE PUCK TO THE HABS. THEY SCORED, TIE GAME, WENT ON TO WIN IN OVERTIME, AND NEVER TRAILED IN THE SERIES AGAIN.
MANY ARE CALLING TUESDAY’S MOVE CRUEL AND HEARTLESS, ESPECIALLY IF IT’S TRUE FLEURY FOUND OUT ABOUT THE DEAL VIA TWITTER. (BUT IT’S PRETTY TOUGH TO BE FASTER THAN THE SPEED OF LIGHT, OR THE INTERNET, THESE DAYS).
GOLDEN KNIGHTS GM KELLY MCCRIMMON SAID TUESDAY THIS WOULD BE A SAD DAY FOR SOME BUT IT’S HIS RESPONSIBILITY TO ICE THE BEST TEAM POSSIBLE.
I’VE NEVER WORKED FOR KELLY BUT I KNOW MANY WHO HAVE. THEY’VE SAID YOU’LL HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO PROBLEMS UNLESS YOU FAIL TO DO YOUR JOB.
MARC-ANDRE FLEURY IS THE LATEST TO FIND THAT OUT.
THAT’S TODAY’S ROD PEDERSEN COMMENTARY
You’ll have no problems if you fail to do your job. – Truer words have never been spoken. The New England Patriots have zero “motivational” statements on their walls within the facility. They have one and it’s right from Bill Belichick from when he was an assistant on Ted Marchibroda’s Baltimore staff in the 1970s. – “DO YOUR JOB” ….and when you do your job, you get to do a little bit more. Dot that, and they’ll give you something more to do. Bottom line there is not such thing as systemic bias. I was never a Brandon Wheat Kings… Read more »
Marc Andre, he’ll play in Chicago, money talks.
Question;
Are the Roughriders to bring Ricky Ray out of retirement?