WEDNESDAY COMMENTARY – WHERE BEDARD RATES
(Listen daily for the Rod Pedersen Commentary on Cat Country 98 & Rock 98.5 FM)
WE’RE STARTING TO GET SOME ANSWERS AT THE 2022 WORLD JUNIOR HOCKEY CHAMPIONSHIP HERE IN EDMONTON.
ACTION GOT UNDERWAY ON TUESDAY WITH A TRIPLEHEADER … CZECHIA BEAT SLOVAKIA 5-4 IN A WILD OPENER, FINLAND BLANKED LATVIA 6-1 IN A SNOOZER AND THE USA ROUTED GERMANY 5-1 IN THE NIGHTCAP.
THE GAMES WERE PLAYED IN A MOSTLY EMPTY ROGERS PLACE SO IN THAT WAY, THE CRITICS MAY BE RIGHT THAT THIS SUMMER TOURNAMENT MAY BE A HARD SELL.
THERE WERE MORE SCOUTS IN THE STANDS THAN FANS BUT THAT’S OKAY. THE SCOUTS ARE WHO I SAT WITH.
AND YOU CAN IMAGINE THE CONVERSATION. WE WERE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHICH OF THESE 10 TEAMS REPLACED RUSSIA, WHO’S BEEN BOOTED OUT OF THE TOURNAMENT?
ONE SCOUT SAID IT’S EITHER AUSTRIA OR GERMANY.
ANOTHER SAID NO, IT’S LATVIA.
ANOTHER SAID THERE’D BE MORE PEOPLE IN THE BUILDING IF THESE GAMES WERE BEING PLAYED IN DECEMBER, WHEN FANS WOULD’VE TRAVELLED FROM AROUND THE WORLD AND HAVE BOUGHT FULL TOURNAMENT PACKAGES.
INSTEAD, THIS IS A HASTILY THROWN-TOGETHER TOURNAMENT FOR THE SAKE OF THE PLAYERS, AND TO SAY THEY DID IT.
THE REAL PROOF WILL BE IN THE PUDDING THIS AFTERNOON WHEN CANADA TAKES ON LATIVA IN ITS TOURNAMENT OPENER (4 PM MT, TSN). THEY SAY ONLY A THOUSAND SEATS ARE LEFT AND TO BE HONEST, THE HYPE IS REAL.
EVERYONE WANTS TO SEE CONNOR BEDARD AND TEAM CANADA.
LET ME JUST SAY THIS ABOUT BEDARD AND WHERE HE LINES UP IN THE PANTHEON OF REGINA PATS GREATS:
JORDAN EBERLE IS THE GREATEST WORLD JUNIOR EVER. HE ALWAYS HAD A SMILE ON HIS FACE AND STILL DOES TO THIS DAY. PLAYING THE GAME OF HOCKEY HAS BEEN NOTHING BUT FUN FOR JORDAN.
THE OTHER JORDAN, WEAL, WAS LEFT OFF TEAM CANADA AND HE RARELY SMILED. HOCKEY WAS A JOB TO HIM AND WHILE HE’S HAD A RESPECTABLE NHL CAREER AND HAD BETTER JUNIOR NUMBERS THAN EBERLE, WEAL’S NOT AT THE TOP.
AS FOR BEDARD, THIS CONNOR HAS A TWINKLE IN HIS EYE AND A BIT OF AN “F- YOU” ATTITUDE WHICH, FRANKLY, I LOVE. HE GOES OUT EVERY DAY TO BE THE BEST HE CAN BE AND PROVE THE DOUBTERS WRONG. HE’S ANSWERED THE BELL EVERY TIME AND RISEN TO THE OCCASION.
HOW BLESSED AM I TO HAVE CALLED ALL THESE GUYS’ GAMES AND GOTTEN TO KNOW THEM?
TODAY BEDARD WILL CONTINUE HIS ASSAULT ON THE RECORD BOOK ON THE WORLD STAGE AND WE’LL HAVE A FRONT ROW SEAT.
IT’S TIMES LIKE THIS WHY WE LOVE THE GAME.
THAT’S TODAY’S ROD PEDERSEN COMMENTARY
(The Rod Pedersen Show airs daily at 12 pm ET & 10 pm PT on Game+ TV across Canada and the USA. Call your cable provider for details. You can also watch on YouTube Live or listen 24/7 at RodPedersen.com/ListenLive)
(Photo: Hockey Canada)
