WEDNESDAY COMMENTARY – THE GAME - The Rod Pedersen Show

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

Well, after just one night, not everyone’s in first place.

On the opening night of the NHL season (in North America), the New York Rangers downed the Tampa Bay Lightning 3-1 and the Vegas Golden Knights surprised the Kings in L.A. 4-3.

With six more games tonight, everybody else is playing catch-up and there are even more juicy encounters on the schedule as the Maple Leafs visit the Canadiens and the Oilers welcome the Canucks.

The Flames and Senators get their seasons going on Thursday, as do the Florida Panthers, whom I’m been watching in the preseason and working closely with over the past month.

It was a treat to welcome members of the Panthers organation to the RP Show on Tuesday here in South Florida.

Get your predictions (errrr, bets) in now for the Stanley Cup Final before it’s too late, because lots is going to go on between now and June.

And we’ll have hockey to watch between now and then pretty much every night.

And that’s just in the pros.

I’ll be returning to Saskatchewan (via Atlanta, if you can imagine) this weekend to broadcast the first-ever game in the brand new Southland Co-op Centre in Assiniboia on Cat Country 98 Saturday night, featuring the Assiniboia Southern Rebels.

Listeners have asked if I’ll be prepared enough to call a game between two teams I’ve never seen, having not watched any of training camp.

Well, having called Russia versus Finland at the World Juniors, and literally thousands of other junior hockey games, I’m pretty sure I can handle a game featuring 40 junior-aged kids from Saskatchewan!

And I will enjoy it every bit as much as sitting in the pressbox at the Saddledome taking in the Flames and Oilers.

It’s a trait I learned from my Dad; to love the game, and the thrill of competition between the teams, and the boys and girls of all ages at all levels.

I hope I don’t ever lose it.

That’s today’s Rod Pedersen Commentary

(The Rod Pedersen Show airs daily at 12 pm ET on Game+ TV and WQEE Radio. Call you cable provider to subscribe. You can also watch on YouTube Live or listen 24/7 at RodPedersen.com/ListenLive)