WEDNESDAY COMMENTARY – TODAY’S LIFE LESSON

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

Another night, another chance to watch Saskatchewan-raised NHL players.

Or more specifically, Regina, as the Queen City has produced more NHL players per capita than any city in the world.

On Tuesday, it was Cole Sillinger and his Columbus Blue Jackets who came into Sunrise, FL to take on the hometown Panthers.

In truth, it wasn’t much of a game. The one-line Blue Jackets were outclassed in this one, getting spanked 4-0 by a Panthers team which was still smarting from Sunday’s embarrassing loss to Jordan Eberle and the Seattle Kraken.

But on this night, I went right down behind the Jackets bench to get a feel for how coach Brad Larsen – a former Swift Current Bronco – runs his team.

If I had a nickel for every time Larsen rolled his eyes. It’s been a long year.

But Cole Sillinger never let his team down. He was held pointless, but was even (plus/minus) and spent some time on a line with Patrik Laine and Johnny Gaudreau.

I remember interviewing Cole on the RP Show two summers ago and he said he was going to Columbus to make the team at age 18.

Frankly, I thought he’d gone mad. He only had one year in the Western Hockey League under his belt!

But he did it. Here in Florida, they’d say “He manifested it.”

In that interview I asked Cole if hockey comes easy to him, because he makes it look easy.

His father Mike – the NHL record-holder for having been traded the most times – interjected and said because of the thousand pucks per day Cole shoots in the summer time, and all the off-ice training, that the games become the easy part.

It’s true. Lots of people could do it but few want to put in the time, nor love putting in the time.

There’s your life lesson for the day.

That’s today’s Rod Pedersen Commentary

(The Rod Pedersen Show airs daily on Game+ TV, YouTube Live and WQEE Radio)