Jeff and Elliotte open the podcast by reviewing the Red Wings defeat of the Toronto Maple Leafs, and a discussion around whether the Leafs should really be buyers at the deadline. That, and more, in this edition of 32 Thoughts!
———————————————-
0:00 – Discussing whether the Leafs should really be buyers at the deadline.
9:07 – They get into Jacob Markstrom and his potential trade availability.
16:09 – Diving into the future of Jake Guentzel and whether the Penguins go into a mini rebuild.
26:39 – The Ottawa Senators are gauging the trade market for veteran players.
34:33 – Thoughts on Drew Doughty responding to trade proposals on X/Twitter.
40:20 – Finally, is Cody Hodgson planning a comeback to professional hockey?
50:19 – The guys answer your questions in the Montana’s Thought Line 1:26:03 – Elliotte sits down with Colorado Avalanche Forward Nathan MacKinnon.
———————————————-
Subscribe to Sportsnet on YouTube – http://sprtsnt.ca/2paAT2L
Visit Sportsnet.ca for more sports news and highlights – http://www.sportsnet.ca
Follow Sportsnet on Facebook – http://sprtsnt.ca/YTFB
Follow Sportsnet on Twitter – http://sprtsnt.ca/YTTWTR
Follow Sportsnet on Instagram – http://sprtsnt.ca/YTINST
Follow Sportsnet on Snapchat – http://sprtsnt.ca/YTSNAP
Follow Sportsnet on TikTok – http://sprtsnt.ca/YTTIKTOK
Watch Sportsnet on Sportsnet+ – http://sportsnet.ca/now
———————————————-
Sportsnet is Canada’s #1 Sports Network. Your home for the latest highlights, breaking sports news, in-depth athlete interviews, cutting edge podcasts, live streams and much more. Don’t miss a single highlight reel goal, huge home run, exceptional dunk or mind blowing touchdown. Get inside scoops and industry leading insights with unparalleled access. Get to know a different side of your favourite sports superstars in one of a kind, offbeat comedic interviews. Sportsnet is the one stop shop for the fan inside all of us.
———————————————-
Should The Toronto Maple Leafs Buy Or Sell At The NHL Trade Deadline? 32 Thoughts Podcast
#nhl #hockey #nhlpodcast #hockeypodcast #32thoughts #torontomapleleafs
No no no we’re doing this right now we taking a time out hang second we are taking a timeout and we’re talking about Scooby-Doo yes here it is once again 32 thoughts the podcast presented as always by the GMC Sierra Merrick Freedman and Dom Shati along with you a little bit
Later he is one of the most focused individuals you will find anywhere in the NHL he is Nathan McKinnon Elliot sat down with him on Friday one day in advance of the Avalanche beating the Toronto Maple Leafs and Elliot beating the Toronto Maple Leafs was kind of a
Theme this weekend around the NHL and maybe on Sunday from one of the more unlikeliest foes Planes Trains automobiles snowstorms the det tret Red Wings still got through the game was delayed a little bit almost a full hour but at the end it was Red Wings 4 with
An empty net Maple Leafs two in a game that I think a lot of elite teams would look at and say this is a game we need need to get on the wings early foot on the throat and not let up that was a disappointing defeat and we one of the
Things we were talking about uh before the game Jeff in our 52-minute pregame and let’s face it nice let’s face it the real winners were the audience who got to listen to Dave and Justin Nick and myself talk for an extra 22 minutes please that is like worth its weight in
Gold that quality television anyway uh one of the things it remind me of remember a couple years ago when when Victor Hedman uh they had that game Tampa LA and and and Tampa was short guys and Hedman knew he was going to play 40 minutes or something and John
Cooper said that Hond was so excited to play the game that night because they knew they had every excuse to lose but Hedman was challenging himself to see if they could win it it was it was a personal challenge for headman I I just remembered that and I thought about
Detroit they’re walking in they really looked sorry guys disheveled they looked like they’v been sitting on a plane for eight hours your calling someone dis I know that is true oh uh yeah it’s it’s it’s pure pot calling the kettle black like the kettle is online too Mr it’s
Embarrassing there’s no question like I I am completely sh less and I have no morals yes they look disheveled they were sitting on a plane all day you know I kind of wondered if you know would iserman make them sit there all day in suits and ties and the answer was no uh
They walked in they were tired and but you know you wonder are they going to take this as a challenge we have every excuse to lose nobody’s going to think we can win this game and the way they celebrated at the end of the game Jeff the answer was the bench was obviously
Yes obviously yes but you’re right Toronto should have pounded the merly H for the travel reasons and also Samson off’s first game um you know you’ve got to protect your goalie and that to me was the was the biggest loss for Toronto in in the game he made a huge save when
It was still 2-2 a minute before cop scored the winner samsn gave you a game where you could have won and you need that for him and you need that for yourselves that’s that’s a bad loss for Toronto and Detroit is right there right there now they’re back in the race
They’re they’re right with them and that’s the one thing about Toronto like it was a bad week it’s been a bad stretch they’ve let some teams off the mat here and again that takes us back to a debate that we had on the Maple Leafs earlier in the season which is should
This team really be buying like is this the year to buy and and they wanted neander done and they got it done because they wanted to know that that bit of business was over but still still they have to be asking themselves with the limited amount of stuff that we have
To trade is this really the year to buy and I would be asking that question again this weekend what’s the old saying managers will always tell you teams make the decision whether we’re Buy fires or not uh there was that one year in Toronto when David SS came in for the
Carolina Hurricanes which pretty much made up Kyle dubis his mind that’s right the next meeting he was supposed to trade for Zach bagoan basically and he said Deals Deals on the table that went away B I’m not doing that yep I’m not uh I’m not rewarding this so I think that’s
A really interesting one uh I think from a e fans I’ve been saying and we’ve been talking about it all year don’t be surprised if the tronto beliefs come trade deadline time don’t do anything or if they do anything it’s not much unlike other teams that are um going to compete
For the stanle cup because on Saturday there was bad weather in Buffalo we all know the story they moved the NFL playoff game that’s right you were there you know Brad tree living made a trip on Saturday afternoon to go see the Sabers and the Canucks and and I and I think
One of the things we’re all kind of sitting there saying you know he doesn’t see Vancouver a lot he probably hasn’t seen Buffalo a ton um but everybody was kind of wondering with the weather the way it was and the team playing that night it’s pretty interesting that he
Went down there to to make that trip and you know there’s some there’s some interesting names you could look at in those situations and say you know what’s uh what’s he up to here but to to be up 3 nothing on Colorado and and then to have that team
In 22 with a couple minutes left and not come out with a with a point it’s a really rough outcome really rough outcome especially since uh Sheldon Keefe tried the mini Darko he didn’t go for the $25,000 fine and he didn’t have the crazy eyes that
The Raptor head coach had but he did complain about the one call and get three first period power plays about it so the the Austin Matthews calling Saturday night that you’re referring to y yeah and then uh was rewarded early uh in that game against the Tre redings
Well the good thing for the tronto beliefs Elliott is that as they go out on this road trip their schedule is going to be easy checks notes Edmonton oops they’ve won 10 in a row the Calgary Flames the Vancouver Canucks and then the Seattle Kraken who
At the time of this recording have won nine games in a row happy road trip Toronto yes and you know obviously huge win for the Red Wings and Patrick Kane he left in the first period tough shift where he took a big hit from Holberg and then fell
Making a good defensive play on Holberg what a great scoring chance but the in the initial word is it’s not the hip I think we all worried when we saw that that it was a a hip injury and Derrik Leone said post game that he didn’t
Think it was the hip and I’d heard the same thing reported during game we’ll wait for further Clarity but the word is it was not the hip I’ll say this if there’s one injury everybody’s winning on right now it’s Jack eel um that’s that’s the one uh
He he he got hurt against Boston on Thursday he came back he scored and everybody thought this was no big deal and I guess it the soreness just didn’t go away on Friday and I and I heard there was some inflammation there and they’re doing some tests and I was told
You know we’re going to have to wait a few days to figure out what this is and I I don’t like to jump to conclusions but um put it this way there there’s some people waiting okay what exactly do we have here and until we know it’s not that
Bad people are nervous I I guess that’s the best way to put it I don’t like to over State anything I don’t know but I think nervous is the right word until you know for sure this isn’t a bad thing people are nervous and getting called up because of
This injury Brendan Bron from the Henderson silver Knights of the AHL and in the process turns Pat Breon from agent to nervous anxious hockey dad as we uh stand by to see how how Brean does with this uh with this call up that’s a that that’s a great one one for that
Family certainly yep um you talked about eel on Saturday a couple of other things from your uh from your conversation with ramclean on Saturday headlines uh Jacob markstrom and the no move Jacob markstrom and the conversation what’s up with Jacob markstrom well look um you know Kevin
Weeks set Twitter on fire on the weekend and uh he did it in a very stylish way I have to say if you want to create Maximum Carnage just tweeting out a picture of Jacob markstrom would do that um you know I think that the the tough
Thing for the Flames was they was on like their father’s mentors trip and um you know and marrom was there with his brother and you know they basically told me we don’t want we don’t want to talk about this cuz it’s it’s a really nice time for us they they done really well
They won at home with all the families there they won in Arizona and and they obviously they went and they won with h Vegas so you know they were saying to me they didn’t want to say anything but you know the the thing that I heard just
From from talking around is that number one as of Saturday night and Sunday when we taped this I don’t think they’d gone to markstrom with anything I I I just there’s no evidence I could find that there was something there that they’d gone to him with so that’s number one
And number two what a couple people said to me was there’s an understanding there that they’re not just going to him with anything for example if some team says you know we’ll trade you markstrom for a seventh round pick Calgary is not going to him with that um
There what I was told and the words I used and I was told was high bar that it really has to be a great trade or somewhere they really think markstrom would want to go and other than that they’re not going to him and um because
I just don’t think markstrom wants to be bothered by it and then there’s also this this the Kelly Rudy rule which is that he believes that no move Clause players shouldn’t even be asked and you know that’s probably as far an ideology that you can get on this you know and
Craig Conroy was a player and I would assume that he has some recognition that of what it’s like to be a player and sort of put into the bad position of being asked to wave a no move Clause so that’s where I think it stands Jeff is that I don’t think
Anything’s happened so far and I think the words I was told was high bar to even go to them so um I’ve thought a lot about and I’ve talked to Kelly about and I’ve talked to you about it as well and um Kelly’s been upfront about this from
Day one his thoughts on on the no move Clause just so all of our listeners have an understanding Kelly’s point in all of that is because I think a lot of listeners may look at that and say well why shouldn’t you even be able to ask a
Player to wave his no trade Kelly’s point is that that is something that’s negotiated into to a contract that is something that two sides have agreed upon sometimes uh players will uh get a no trade in exchange for a lower salary they’ll have that type of security and
I’ve always looked at Kelly’s logic behind that and understood it and agreed with it um to me it it sounds and feels like you turn a contract into charity which is give me something in exchange for nothing you know we want you to wave your no
Trade so we can do this bit of business that player isn’t getting anything for agreeing to wave that no trade now if there was and we’ll see what happens the next round of CBA negotiations maybe this will get brought up maybe it’s been brought up before I still believe if a
Player has a no trade and you ask that player to wave it and you make a deal that that player should somehow be financially compensated for waving that no trade clause that to me is a deal you wave the no trade you get this in exchange we want to do this business
With you you’re this is how you’re going to be compensated for it well that happens in the NBA the NBA has something called a trade kicker I don’t think that this would be allowed in the NHL um under the current CBA but the NBA does have a rule it’s called a trade
Kicker and and basically what it is is that a player who has one gets more money if he’s dealt to a new team so for example like one of the trade kickers out there a couple years ago uh Ben Simmons was traded and he had
A 15% trade kicker so now you can wave it if you really want to and I don’t remember what happened with Simmons but I do remember in that conversation that that came up so the NBA does have have a rule for that I don’t think you I don’t think you
Could do that in the NHL someone will tell me if I’m wrong but I don’t think you can no was that’s that was my point in the next round of CBA negotiations that’s a not for this one under this CBA you can’t do it like a
Contract is a contract there can be no new money introduced none of that but all I’m saying is in the next CBA if that’s something on the PA’s radar I don’t know but further to Kelly Rudy’s Point uh I think that if you’re going to again this is all philosophical
Theoretical ask a player to wave and that player agrees they should be compensated if a trade is consummated that’s my only point there and we’ll see what happens with Jacob markstrom but you can understand why he’s a highly thought of commodity out there um excellent excellent cender I I have I
Have to tell you that was uh that was a great performance by the Flames that was uh they had a hell of a week I wouldn’t let the parents go home or the or the mentors go home like you’re stuck there you have to stay yeah yeah sorry yeah
That was like the um that one uh that one uh early New York Islanders team what year was it was it 75 and they were playing at MSG Chico Rush told me the story they were playing at Madison Square Garden and the circus was there right before the uh the the the game
Against the Rangers and someone from the circus mistakenly put a bag of elephant dung in the Islanders room and they beat the Rangers and decided that their good luck charm was the bag of elephant dung and Chico said they took it from game to game as their good luck charm against
The New York Rangers anyhow um I don’t know why my BR I got to tell you thank God I wasn’t on that team that’s not the that’s not I I’d rather I’d rather Force the parents and the mentors to stay than have to carry around a bag of
Elephant poop that’s my contribution to this conversation I wonder whose job that would have been to carry the bag of elephant poop around wow okay uh off that page onto the Pittsburgh Penguins page you talked about this Saturday the future of Jake gensel of the Pittsburgh Penguins well obviously there have been
A lot of rumors and and the fans in Vancouver are are drooling over the possibility of of Jake gansel uh being a a kanak we all know how much Jim Rutherford loves his former penguins and gensel is a really talented guy the one thing that a few people said to me is
That first of all I still think there’s going to be another conversation between gensel and the Penguins at least one and I would assume it’s going to be sometime around or after the All-Star break but the one thing I really got told here is that the real determining factor is it
It’s not even as much the money as it or the contract as it is where are the Penguins going and if you know they they’ve put themselves back in the play playoff race they really looked ugly early in the year uh Crosby is allor he’s he’s very much in the hard trophy
Conversation and as we put this podcast to bed they are in the race and and I just think that’s where it’s going to come down to where is this team going over the next couple of years because what they’re talking about here is you know if they really think they’re going
To have to go through a kind of mini rebuild here what is that going to mean for players like gansel does it make more sense for them to move gel than keep them and the other thing that becomes a factor is if you want to keep
Guys like gensel they are going to want you to add and I think one of the questions the penguins are asking themselves right now is does it really make sense for us to add they don’t have a ton of cap room to just go out and throw money at people so
You’re going to have to trade for people and does it make sense for them to be giving up like we just talked about Toronto is this the year you’re chasing for Toronto they’ve got to be asking themselves that question but I think the other thing for Pittsburgh is the same
Thing they don’t have a ton of assets does it make sense for them to be throwing some of those assets away or trading some of those assets for something that helps you win this year or next year and I think they’re asking themselves that very question right now
Does it really makes sense so to me the question is not about gel’s contract it’s about a do they think that’s the thing that makes the most sense for them or B does gensel want to be there if you know Pittsburgh is going to say Hold On We’re Not Making short-term moves to
Make ourselves better now Penguins fans are going to hear this and they’re going to think what does leang think what does malan think what does Crosby think and I think those are all very fair questions uh I just think in the fir it’s like the nander thing you deal with what’s first
On the calendar and the first thing that’s on the calendar is gensel and I really do believe after researching it last weekend the direction of the franchise is is the biggest determining factor in gel’s future there okay while you were talking and it wasn’t that I was ignoring you no you I
I know you zone out but it’s okay cuz I do talk for a long time I found the poop story oh my God so I was shoveling the bleep and you were looking for it it was 75 and in the opening round of the playoffs the Islanders beat the Rangers
And at MSG they were sharing the facility with Barnum and Bailey and there were bags of elephant dung around and they went down in the next series now they ended up beating the New York Rangers and the bag of dung became sort of I guess a lucky charm for the New
York Islanders so they ditch that they’re playing the Penguins in the next round they go down three games to love if you’ll remember Elliot team ever to do it Bingo exactly they were the second team to ever ever go down uh to go down three nothing and win the first one uh
Were the Maple Leafs who beat the Detroit Red Wings ironically conversation in 1942 so they needed a spark and they decided that they needed to go get a bag of elephant poop from barnab and Bailey which was their good luck charm against the Rangers so it was an equipment
Manager that uh made the trip uh with the elephant Pooh to Pittsburgh which would became the good luck charm for the Islanders and the ended up defeating the Pittsburgh Penguins one- nothing in game seven to come become the second team of all time to go down three cob and then
Win sorry um you were saying something about and then you remember what happened the next round in the semi-final uh they would have lost to the Flyers yes but they were down ended up winning the Stanley Cup they were down three nothing in that series and I
Think it was Al arber who joked we’ve got them right where we want them and they won three in a row they forced it to game seven and they lost game seven at the Spectrum four so the I believe at that time the Islanders set a record uh I think they
Won I think nine or 10 games facing elimination something like that and they maybe I know would have to be H maybe eight I don’t know somewhere but at the time they set a record for most consecutive games winning when facing elimination but I remember they were
Down three nothing the next round forc game seven and lost to Philly speaking of the island ERS uh we saw one of the weirdest visuals we’ve ever seen on Saturday uh in Nashville against the Predators when after uh after the nationville Predator scored the empty net goal to make it 3
To one yo Parson and with the empty Netter on that one I guess everybody thought the game was over everybody bailed so so Thomas Hickey was the guy who kind of explained it a bit because initially when it happened I I was like are are these guys like protesting are
They on strike somehow you know I kind of laughed and I said are they protesting the stick makers because Mayfield stick broke allowing the game-winning goal to beat sokin with seven seconds left so I didn’t know if it was some kind of work to rule or something like that just a a horrible
Way to lose although I give credit to the Predator’s Twitter account who tweeted at me or a wonderful way to win something like that um but I wondered if something happened that the Islanders just said you know what we’re we’re Furious and we’re leaving and the thing
That kind of made me realized that it probably wasn’t the case is I don’t think the coach would do that like Lane Lambert is not storming Off the Bench you know with with time remaining uh because he’s mad about something and the whole team’s following him I and
Someone later on you know someone sent me uh the video if you look at it when the puck goes in it says zero on the the TV screen so the clock had the horn goes yeah and the horn goes off so the clock had to be right there too they thought
The game was over now why only six guys stayed maybe the linesman got them or the referee got them or they realized they were dropping the puck I’m not really sure but you know Thomas Hickey did make a good explanation for it because when the first time I saw it
Jeff I was like boy the Islanders must be furious then I started say what would Lou larell think about this like is he going to be happy with his team doing a work to rule with one second left in regulation but unfortunately the story was nowhere near that good and they
Simply thought the game was over you know Bo Horvat stayed on the bench too and the cutway to Horvat he has like one of the weirdest looks and expressions that we’ve seen from Bo Horvat and I like I have to write this one down because uh the next time we interview
Horvat I’m just curious to see like what’s going through your head at that moment you look over to your bench it’s empty uh you got Lee pelic Dobson fashing Nelson uh on the ice but everybody’s gone I’m just curious like what’s happening in between the ears of Boh
Horvat uh at that moment nonetheless it’s weird because everyone in Nashville is standing up on their bench and you look over the Islanders and it is the bench that hockey players forgot at that moment in the NFL you used to have to do that if you scored a touchdown with no
Time la left you had to kick the extra point it was part of the rule and about 5 years ago they they changed the rule and what one of the things that changed it was my Vikings one of the few times they didn’t break my heart like it was
Tough weekend for some football fans like those Cowboy fans it was brutal weekend uh great weekend for the Lions fans haven’t said that a lot but great weekend for the Lions fans but in 2018 uh Minnesota won a miracle playoff game against New Orleans and you know
With no time left they scored a miracle touchdown to win and they didn’t break our hearts for a change and uh they made the saints come back on the field for the extra point could you imagine like oh you’re in your room you’re despondent you’ve given up the most ridiculous like
The Saints deserve to win that game and they lost on a fluke touchdown oh by the way you got to come back out so we can kick the extra point it’s just I would have told them to get lost I I don’t care how much they would have finded me
Salt on an open wound yes you know most of my I’m not much of an NFL uh follower as you can tell um but all my buddies are all Pittsburgh Steelers fans and so they’re on pins and needles and they’ve got one extra day now uh to worry and
Fret because the Bills game has been been pushed to Monday because of the major snowstorm so um that’s about the extent I follow the NFL through my friends who are all Pittsburgh Steelers fans meanwhile Ottawa looking for Jeff Bills fans hate Jeff uh Ottawa Senators looking for veterans gauging the market on younger
Players Le well I think they have quite a few Untouchables and I think those guys are obvious like Chan’s name uh came out uh last week and uh like I don’t I don’t think they’re rushing to do anything like that I I I really don’t I do think one thing they’re figuring
Out is who teams like and I it doesn’t you know they’re a new front office um stos has been there for a few months uh bonus has been there for a little bit longer Dave Pand just got there you know I was talking to one of the one of the
Managers the other day of another team and he says one of the first things you do when you get in there is you know the person you replace some of them are really good they’ll leave you detail stuff and others don’t and now I don’t know which way that went in Ottawa but
Even if you’re left detailed notes you’ve got to find out for yourself right is this still true did this change and and and he thinks that’s one of the reasons like a like things like names like chick getting out there whether it’s true or not it’s because you know everyone wants to find
Out you know what you know what is Ottawa thinking of doing cuz look when when a team comes out and says look we want to do do something like Ottawa basically has these guys they’re like sharks right oh there’s a there’s there’s a a a a milimeter of blood in
The Atlantic Ocean let’s all go for it like that’s that’s the way these guys are and so they’re asking what are you thinking and look like I don’t think K Chuck’s getting traded I don’t think stut is getting traded I don’t think uh sanderson’s getting traded and I’ve been
A real by suggesting any of these names because now people are going to be like oh Elliot didn’t say xam so they could be traded no I I I think they’ve got a quite a few Untouchables here but I think they want to know Elliot fre Elliot freedan says Drake
Bon’s getting traded that’s right he left he left the out of his list I think they I think they want to know like who’s what do people think of our players and that’s what I think Otto is doing I mean we’re going to hear a lot
Of crazy rumors with Vancouver I I think that’s going to just because they’ve got such a passionate fan base and they’re so aggressive and they’re out there on social Med media I I think Vancouver is going to be the rumor Center of of the NHL over the next little while like
Obviously I think there’s a lot of circumstantial evidence that makes sense on the gel Ericson e this weekend I I don’t buy that one I I don’t see any any reason why Minnesota would do that um you know I it would really surprise me but I I just think you’re going to start
Hearing a lot of stuff about the kanaks I and obviously the wild the wild are going to have some big decisions they’re going to have to make you know the the coach bounce it’s not there that was an awful awful loss like the only thing I
Was mad the ice Bo off the ice and we’ve seen that a few times this year the only thing I didn’t like about that from Arizona’s point of view is that the wild shouldn’t be allowed to lose that bad in those uniforms those are beautiful
Uniforms and if they say we have to put them away because we lost six nothing to Arizona that is a that is a capital crime by the by the coyotes to to make Minnesota put those uniforms away um what they should have done what they should have done is call the timeout and
Everyone had to go and change cannot lose this badly that Clayton Keller goal what a beautiful goal and uh a hockey player K fantastic but um I uh I look at Min like Minesota doesn’t have does not have a lot to trade and you know it’s been a hard year
There some of the recent stories the investigations um and injuries injuries um and you know you what what someone said to me and they made a really good point is that whenever you go through with the wild went through with investigations you always wonder okay you go through the initial investigation
And then you know people start looking around what else comes what’s the aftermath and I don’t know that I’m expecting anything to be perfectly honest um but you you really on edge and you know the it’s it and when you’re losing like they’re starting to lose now
Like I I could just see Minnesota being like we we just have to like I don’t know get to the end of the season whatever and just take stock on everything that’s happened um because you’re you’re organization is just shell shocked when you’re going through times
Like this and and I think that’s exactly what the wild are going through right now the kings are different Jeff the Kings it’s just hockey um and you know eight losses in a row they have to figure out Simply how to win games and it’s obviously you know Edmonton has
Caught them now and that’s that’s a big concern Seattle is is coming back right at them Calgary is coming back right at them it’s a big concern but I think it’s different when it’s just hockey as opposed to you know some of the off I stuff the wild have had to deal with
Ellot I know we’ve used up a lot of oxygen this year in our lives talking about the Philadelphia Flyers that was a really emotional week for the Philadelphia Flyers um is it going to be calm for a while for the Philadelphia Flyers or will there be minor eruptions
Uh volcanic I’m sure they hope it’s going to be a lot quieter look they had they had a great weekend they they beat the Jets um and the good news for the Jets is not too bad on shley and it looks like Kyle Connor’s getting close
So the rich get Richer there um but you know they they had the win over the Wild on Friday night to and by the way uh I I could not believe the wild didn’t get a penalty shot in overtime like right before the winning goal that was that
Was that was crazy I know Keith was mad on Saturday but that one was even more egregious on Friday but look like you know Dale didn’t play on Saturday sick but he he looked really good for them early and you know Philly Philly got a
Bit of a jolt it’s a positive one um with with Dale’s arrival the one thing I wonder there is I I really wonder if they they try to get sealer done um you know they they kind of have to figure out where they’re going here you know
Dale ‘s another body they they and I do think that they would like to start figuring out where they’re going long term here but to me the guy I think they they really try to get done and no insult to anybody else but I I think sealer um that’s the one
I that’s the one a couple teams told me um and again I don’t want anyone to turn this into what does that mean for Walker I because I don’t know but I had some teams say indicate to me they think Philly is trying to get at least seeler
Done although I think a lot of people look at that and say of course they’re looking to extend the left-hand shot d uh there’s a you know that right-hand shot as you mentioned and Shan Walker on the expiring contract they just bur in another right-hand shot defenseman in
Jamie Dale Rasmus Rolan and right shot defenseman is sitting there as well someone’s drawing sanim can play Both Sides yeah so we’ll we’ll we’ll see what happens but that doesn’t surprise me about sealer like look we all know what Philadelphia wants to build and the kind of players they want to build around
Steeler fits that identity very much thought on Drew dowy responding to uh trade proposals so so somebody somebody sent me this and uh it’s crazy stuff like fans are fans they’re discussing trades what can we do and you know the the Kings fans they want to see Spence
And Clark in the same game which the Kings have decided to avoid and I I really like both those young players and I guess there’s some Tweeter who said well we’ll probably have to trade Matt Roy who’s been our best defenseman for the last five years and Drew dowy who uh
Hasn’t tweeted in about five years tweeted ha at this and what that says to me is that Drew dowy and Carolina on Monday is going to have a monster night so Drew dowy by the way prior to that hadn’t tweeted since June 2022 and it was about
One that’s right um I I do I can’t let something go here I do have to remark on it the person who made that tweet that Dy responded to yeah Marcel and rogi like come on that’s a great Twitter handle do you think it’s a person half Marcel Deon half rogi ason
That would be the perfect hockey player that would be the play the game by themselves Hall of Fame of two of my all-time favorite players in the history of the sport Marcel Dion and RI Vashon going away West Coast Hockey bias at Marcel and RI great great handle right
There I got to tell you like that tweet is a window into the soul of Drew dowy and the Kings right now okay Dr Freud well no no no cuz I I I try to put myself I try to put myself in people’s shoes I got Freud’s book on the bookshelf I’m
Looking at it right now I because I always try to put myself in people’s shoes and it’s going really badly for the Kings right now and if if they go out and they have a big night and they beat the hurricanes on Monday night you’re going to know that look Drew
Doesn’t need any more motivation he’s got a lot of Pride they’re struggling he wants to get a win but you you always have to dig a little bit deeper and Drew dowy is going to be digging a little bit deeper cuz some Rando on social media said that Matt Roy is the best
Defenseman on the Kings for the last five years you know I respect it I I I respect it I you know I I get a lot of people who take shots at me too and that’s life in the big city I think if you’re going to do these jobs that’s the
Way it is but I and I really have a thick skin and I don’t really pay attention to a lot of it but I admit there have been times where where someone said something about me and I’m like oh yeah like just a random person on Twitter a bot with nine
Numbers at the end of their name and only fans model it’s it’s all happened I’ve had people do do shots like that and I just say oh yeah and it’s stupid it’s really stupid I cannot deny it’s stupid but once in a while we do need to
Dig a little bit more out of ourselves so when someone sent me that I just laughed I I I just thought it was funny you know what I find Elliot when things are going poorly for you either personally or professionally yeah it’s a really good time to spend a lot
Of your hours on Twitter real real smart things are going awful I’m gonna go on Twitter right now Drew Dy what are you doing um I think I think I think it’s like you know I think as you know the media we love Dy we love Dy are you kidding for sure this
Is another chapter in The Legend that is Drew dy I I really I really want want to see him have a monster of a game on Monday night like just a monster of a game if you’re producing that Kings Carolina game for Los Angeles that Drew Dy response is what you open up
With depends on how good your relationship is with them then you wait until it’s always tougher on the team broadcasters it really is they have to they have to walk a tighter line than we do that is true okay uh I want to through a couple of things here um any
Update on CY Perry and that situation no I I I don’t think so I I hadn’t heard much today I think I I think people just want to be as quiet as they possibly can on it okay um Edmonton 10 straight RNs courtesy of Evan Bard yeah Edmonton
Toronto on Tuesday night uh games that you know the only thing that bothers me about Edmonton Toronto on the Tuesday night is that it’s a re it’s it’s a regional game McDavid Matthews should never be Regional games never um it’s the only thing I don’t like about it the
The entire audience should be able to watch these games but they look they look fantastic and and and and again I think they think they’re a little bit thin the Oilers and but before they kind of dialed it back it’s like we sucked about Toronto now I think they’re looking around
Again Cody Hodson comeback that made me smile on Saturday Elliott I was surprised at how much reaction it got but maybe uh people loved them yeah maybe I should loved them um people loved Cody hodon did Cody hodon first round pick played 325 games retired at
26 um you know admitted later he had a condition and it’s a condition that’s different for different people um and uh you know for him it caused him some real serious muscle injuries tears and things like that and he talked about it later he had to retire
And um you know I heard someone sent me a note and I don’t know if this person would want me to say who it was um but it was a former player who skates with him you know he sent me a note saying you know I skate with Cody Hodson and
And he looks great and I think he wants to play so I reached out to him and uh he told me it’s true he’s skating five six times a week he’s you know he’s doing some work with Yari the skills coach Yari burki no way is he burki yeah he’s doing
Burki and and he’s skating and he’s working out five six days a week he said he got kind of a clean bill of health in the summer and you know I like anybody who’s like anybody who would have to retire that way you’re unfulfilled right
It’s one of the things I tell a lot of young students I say look like I can’t tell you what to do but I can tell you from personal experience what you don’t want to do and the way I kind of live my life and that was because when I turned
50 I promised myself that I was never going to look in the mirror and say I really regret I didn’t give it my all at that because that’s something I really wanted to do and we all have things we don’t do to the fullest but there’s the
Things we we’re going to look back and we’re going to say I I’m going to regret that I didn’t do that and you know for the most part I Liv my life like that when I hit 50 and I’m now 53 there weren’t many things I looked at and said
Man I I I really regret that and I always tell people ask yourself that question am I going to regret not doing this when I’m 50 and you know so hodson’s going to be 34 next month his birthday’s in February and I get it he’s probably looking at it and saying boy
I’m going to regret the way it ended and the thing he said to me is look I know I’m not going to the NHL I I know that I’m not going to be guaranteed anything I just want to play I I I want to play somewhere and to to
Be honest I was thinking about about the New Finland Growlers after uh Terry Ryan after after the Terry Ryan thing um but uh he just wants a chance to play like just get back in take a run at it and I and I hope he gets this
Opportunity Let’s uh and and I’m with you I wish him all the best I think a lot of people are cheering for Cody Hodson um let’s finish with Terry Ryan then 47 years old um plays on Sunday for the Newland Growlers against ader rondak team they’re chasing in the north uh
It’s a 6-2 loss um uh in the process Terry Ryan fights Zack Walker I didn’t see the first guy was but the guy who basically threw up his hands and said it’s not going to be me I I thought that was hilarious it was pretty good um Terry Ryan who I mean you
Know Terry I’ve known TR for years Larger than Life personality uh loves everyone that he’s around just has like the heart of a newlander just big huge you know hug for everybody body your thoughts on on Terry Ryan getting the call Terry Ryan getting in the game well I think this is Paul
Biset story to tell and I’m sure he’ll tell it on on spint and chicklets this week but Paul was the one who heard about this like on Saturday night he was sitting around with us when he got the call that Ryan was going to play and
When he was telling us we were looking at him and we thought he was joking Paul is is so hilarious that you you don’t know at the beginning like is is he being serious or is is this a joke but you know it as as as Ryan said himself
They called him while he was out celebrating his birthday and you know basically he asked them if you’re serious about this I’ll go back home and I’ll stop drinking now and they said yeah we’re we’re really short um we we’re actually going to need you you know first of all it’s hard to
Get players to go out to newfinland and secondly I didn’t realize this but I guess there’s a rule in the ECHL that if a player Le leaves you after I think it’s January 10th you can’t bring them back so so I I guess they they must have lost some player
Like it’s different if it’s a call up and the Marley’s have had a bunch of call-ups so they’re short players but if if a player leaves you to go play somewhere else I guess you can’t bring them back so they were stuck and I guess one of his teammates called first and
Then Adam party called and they got all sorted out but this was incredible promotion for the ECHL like I know there’s going to be people who are going to look at this and they’re going to say really like this is the story we need a
47y old guy being pulled out of a bar to come back I don’t have time for people like that I’m looking at Ken Reed uh Ken Reed like watching the game is tweeting out him watching the game on his computer cuz he’s so interested I’m just glad that Ken Reed didn’t show us
His tabs I’m I’m I’m literally afraid to know what’s on Ken Reed’s tabs but you know I mean it it was great I thought it was really fun you uh listen I’ve got a soft spot in my heart for Terry Ryan going I met Terry she’s 2007 208 we’ve always kept in
Touch uh sometimes we’ve been able to to cross pass and and get together other times uh we haven’t just you know he’s one place I’m in another place hey buddy we’ll have to catch up with you next time um I for of all I I I have a ton of
Respect for someone who like you can tell TR loves he loves H still to this day like 47 years old and I don’t know if you saw his post game like he’s really emotional about this like he is really emotional about this he has you know he’s from a hockey family his dad
Played professionally his dad played for the Minnesota Fighting Saints his father has this legendary basement um at the at the Ryan household where it’s like a Hockey Hall of Fame and there’s great memorabilia from you know the NHL and the wh and I’ve talked to senior a number of
Times there is no short conversation with Terry Ryan Senor and that’s what I love about it like if you’re calling tr’s Dad Park an hour because you’re G to get a million great story so I have a lot of time for the family and I have a
Lot of time for someone like Harry himself who you know when he started the weekend you know like he he started the weekend just thinking it’s going to be another regular ordinary weekend I’m gonna have my birthday and I’m GNA have a couple of drinks with my friends and
At the end of it he played a pro hockey game listen life can be so great yeah life can be so special just when you think when’s the last time you played a pro game 20 years ago and he’s a big ball hockey player too like he loves
Everything about about hockey he loves the game he loves the room he loves to talk and that’s the family too like that comes right from Dad so listen I’m a hockey Dad too and part of me is you know Watching Terry play in that game against ader rondak on Sunday and I’m
Thinking if I’m senior how much am I loveing watching this just when you think you’re never going to watch your kid play hockey again this happens so I’m with you it’s just too much of a good story to be cynical about or to be all bundled up about like this is a
Beautiful story for a really beautiful hockey person just enjoy it yeah I’m really ha I’m really really happy for Terry Ryan really happy for TR I I have to tell you too I’m really happy for him and I think it’s great I’m happy for the ECHL
Um I’m I’m just going to tell you this right now when when you retire I’m when you’re like 70 I’m going to H call you and say you have to host an a radio show tomorrow I I first of all um nobody retires you get retired yes that but so you should say
When I get retired get retired yeah I’m I’m GNA call you at 70 and say there’s a 12 to2 Eastern radio show tomorrow that needs hosting do you want to come in and I’ll say I haven’t watched a hockey game in 30 years yeah you know and I’ll just say it doesn’t
Matter you’ll have to talk about elephant poop from 1975 and you’ll get through it 19 listen man I I don’t take any of it for Grant like I know that it’s a blessing that I get to do a show like this with you and talk about elephant poop from 1975 and there’s
Context for it and there’s a story that comes along with it and I love it um that would make me very happy if he called me up at 70 and I still had my faculties and could Cobble together a 2our radio show so thank you for that
Elliots uh on that we’ll pause we’ll come back with the Montana’s thought line congratulations TR come back with the Montana’s thought line and also Elliot’s one-on-one with Nathan McKinnon of the Colorado Avalanche listen to the 32 thoughts podcast ad free on Amazon music included with Prime okay welcome back to the podcast don’t forget still to come Elliot freedman’s one-on-one sit down with Nate McKinnon of the Colorado Avalanche uh that recorded Friday uh in advance of Colorado’s victory over the Toronto Maple Leaf Saturday on Hockey Night in Canada time now for the Montana’s
Thought line Montana’s barbecue and bar Canada’s home for barbecue Elliot TR ribs man what a pause 32 thoughts at sportsnet.ca 32 thoughts at I’m going to try different tones I’m and different cadences I’m going to be like pton Manning at the line I’ve got to mix this up really think you’re over little
Bit overthinking this one but we sold your on Omaha Omaha try the ribs try the ribs Omaha you got to put the accent on the right cabable that’s the key to all of this Elliot 32 thoughts at sportsnet.ca 1833 311 3232 32ths at sportsnet.ca 1 1833 311 3232 Kevin oh be
Be before we get to Kevin in the next one I wanted to tell you I got a note from someone when we were talking about the goalie Gordy how trick or the goalie hatrick whatever we were going to call it so someone reached out to me one of
The great people in the league and I’m not going to say what his name is because I I think some of these people get paranoid that they’re ever linked to me one of the great people in the league reached out to me and told me about Mike
Smith oh yeah now Mike Smith in his first game in the ECHL this person thought he scored got a shut out and got into to a fight and Not only would this have been a legendary performance it was not exactly correct but it was close so
Mike Smith played in the ECHL for the Lexington menow war that was a one-year team they played in Lexington Kentucky and they were named and because you know Kentucky is obviously a big horse racing area yeah Kentucky Derby it was named after one of the world’s most famous
Horses man War so it was called The Lexington Mena war and I believe it was Smith’s first game there he had a shut out and he scored and it was a one- nothing game when he scored I think the final score was two nothing like you can find quotes
Of him saying yeah I know I maybe shouldn’t have shot it but look we know Mike Smith now 20 years later he was going to shoot ITT he did not get into a fight in that game but he got into a fight I think about two weeks later so
Basically Mike Smith almost his first week as a pro he he he completed the Gordy how hatrick in like five games not bad it’s hard it’s rare it’s close like it’s close there’s a lot of really rare things that are in the in the goalie Gordy there um first of all
The goal absolutely and the fight which happens seldom now here’s the thing do you get special marks for fighting a player or does it have to be another goalie I thought about that after you just fight fight anybody just fight like a fan or an official like doesn’t matter
Like just grab a random fan and like that’s don’t be too picky Jeff like you know what like some people can’t afford to be picky and you’re one of them so don’t be too picky M Mike Smith always amazed me because he would go on these stretches where he was the best goalie
In the world like did it be like these one month stretches where he was invincible like he always had one of the one of the more interesting careers to me and was well one a great Puck Handler two you know like I said like at times
Like just the best goalie on the planet you know I was talking to somebody about Mike Smith this week and they said to me I first of all I think the ERS really miss his competitive nature yes like that that was the thing that people used to love about Mike Smith was how
Competitive that he was and he drove players with him like he on a team he was a driver but the one the one thing the funniest thing that someone said to me about Mike Smith was you know how you say on the podcast to me you know sometimes your your best characteristic
Is your worst characteristic and and I saides and he goes That’s Mike Smith because Mike Smith believed he could do anything and there were times as a coach or a teammate of his you would say Mike you can’t do that don’t even try it and and they would say that some of the
Biggest mistakes that he would make or some of the ugliest goals that he would give up were be were because he could thought he could do anything and it would get himself into trouble but more often you would take it over not taking it but I really appreciated this person
Reaching out and I wanted to mention it and we should track down Mike Smith I bet you that would be a hell of an interview thanks for the text Gary yeah sure I gotta tell you I’m not I’ve heard I’m not in his good books right now okay let’s get to Kevin in
Massachusetts um that’s I’m GNA hear about that one Merrick thanks a lot Kevin in Massachusetts Elliot and Jeff statistically I believe the majority of emails come in with Jeff’s name first so I’m sure he appreciates that all right Elliot and Jeff the NHL All-Star Game skills puts power on display with the
Hardest Slap Shot the game today has so many players with an unbelievable wrist shot have they ever considered a hardest wrist shot competition uh nice job making them sound good Dom and shout out to number six a beer league Dy we lost last year all right has there have they
Ever considered a hardest wrist shot usually wrist shots are just used by part of the as part of the accuracy shooting yes that that’s what I would agree I to be honest I don’t know like I don’t know if people would find that interesting you guys can all tell me if
I’m wrong the hardcores would the hardcores would why why am I fast fastest fastest backwards skater how about hardest backhand shot competition like come on Elliot we can we can we can spice this up look I know the slapshot isn’t taken anymore but there is still some magic about who can really fight
That the the thing I do wonder about Jeff is will we get to the point where nobody can even take a slap shot anymore I hope that never goes away uh I don’t think we’ll ever get there although listen the Gap is so tight now that it’s
Really like you raise your stick up off the ice a second and yoink like that’s it that that Scooby Snack is gone um I was gonna you know what you watched your Scooby-Doo this morning because you did yoink and refused to refer to Scooby Snacks you’re going through full Shaggy
Mode right now by the way if you were if you were a Scooby character you would be Shaggy like that part was written for a little bit I think there I always think of uh Scooby-Doo that there are part the reason that it resonated so well with a
Lot of people and even into our adult years is I think a lot of people can see a little bit of every single character in themselves this is for a different podcast at a different time when we really stretch for Content but I’ve thought about Scooby-Doo a lot in my
Life and I really do one of the things have come to is we all see characteristics from our own personality in all no no no no we’re doing this right now we’re taking a time out hang on second we are taking a timeout and we’re talking about Scooby-Doo why do
You think about this well first of all it was one of it’s there is no way I’m not asking you this right here okay um let me just get a list here of all the Scooby-Doo characters so no okay can can you make it like reasonably quick though they’re only
Reasonably quick way that I can that I can make it is Scooby-Doo is sort of always presented as a star of of this one but I always it’s funny you mention Shaggy because you know the main reason that I always resonated with Shaggy as a character one because I thought he was
Hilarious um two characters like that in movies and there was a great one in Pulp Fiction um always caught my caught my attention and three you know who had the voice of Shaggy in scoobydoo was someone that I like case who oh really I never knew that that was
The voice of Shaggy and I remember always watching Casey Cas every week this was on Saturdays it is now time for this week’s longdistance dedication did you love Casey Cas so like we all did Casey 20 years ago I met a guy named Dom whose picture on his iPhone was of him
Canoeing we met one weekend in Tofino and unfortunately we could never see each other again but I think about Dom all the time can you please play We Built This City by Jefferson Starship in honor of my friend can you please play I I sorry I you know what I’m ruining this
Know it’s funny one side note on Casey KAS as well I always love the sort of the weird bizarre turn like I was expecting that to be can you please play like Mr robado by Sticks it just turns out to be like this longwinded way of trying to get your favorite song on
Which may or may have anything or nothing to do with the person you just dedicated um that to no but I was always drawn to shaggi’s voice because it was Casey kasm and that was one of the first examples of voice acting and then later
On I learned all about Mel blank and um and all the wonderful voices that uh that he did and then later on fell in love with the story of Christopher mnie who played Hanrahan in the movie slapshot who went on to be this wonderful voice actor uh and it was
Actually um the voice actor of Chester the Cheetah in the Cheetos commercials as well but Shaggy was the first one that I was like wait a minute that’s Casey kasm like that top 40 guy that I watch after solid gold every Saturday afternoon um but were you not a huge fan
Of Scooby-Doo Elliott as a kid like did this not like totally capture and I would have gotten away with it if it wasn’t for you meddling kids yeah during my University years there were some late night Daphne Velma arguments that turned borderline violent I have to say Okay we
Turn our attention now away from how do we get from the hardest RIS shot to Scooby-Doo nonetheless there was uh real quick uh hey Jeff Elliot and Dom first I want to thank you for helping me get through some of my work days having the Pod to distract me definitely doesn’t
Impact my productivity apologies apologies employers all out there I had a question about the The Fallout from the cutter go chain and flyer situation do you think this will at all deter teams from selecting players out of college now or will we see the NHL revisit its rules around players getting
Drafted and out of NCAA and allowing them to choose not to sign and hit free agency without any sort of extra compensation to the team thanks for keeping us entertained and keep up the good work that comes from there’s actually there there’s no name attached
To that one so that comes from Mr or Mrs Anonymous from parts unknown exactly weighing 237 lb the masked Superstar uh okay Mr or Mrs X if that is indeed your name uh it’s a good question and and I’m going to say no and and and the reason
I’m going to say no uh is that number one if you draft a player where go got drafted from which was sort of like the the USHL College route you keep their rights for four years and I just don’t think and it’s the same thing for Europeans if you’re drafted out of
Europe they keep your rights for four years I just think that after four years if you can’t convince a player to play for you um then you know you’re never going to convince a player to play for you and I just don’t see the nhlp wanting anything that gives um any teams
More control over the rights of a player so to me four years is enough if the player wants to go through the process and say I’m going to wait four years or whatever um you know that’s that’s life now the Canadian Hockey League rule by
The way is two years um but uh you you know so if you’re if you’re still under draft age you go back into the draft if you’re overage you become an unrestricted free agent so it doesn’t usually happen as much with the CHL players but in theory they have even
Less time to wait uh than a player like cutter go would so I don’t see that changing uh really I’ll tell you what I do think and you know I unfortunately I couldn’t write the full blog this week because there was a lot going on but the
One thing that someone told me was they can guarantee me this that when the cutter goce thing broke and the reasons got out or the conversation around it got out every single team in the league called their top prospects and said how are you feeling you know what’s going on
On here he said there is not a single team in the league that didn’t think do we have to worry about this is there any one of our prospects who could be leaning this way and you know one of the things that lisis Gro said in our
Interview with him on Friday was talking about how uh kids had changed and the parents well he didn’t say so much kids he said the parents were tougher but he also blamed the agents for going after younger kids and uh someone in the league said to me
They were really surprised that he went there they were really impressed that he went there and but he also said that this is a reality that they all have to live with it’s not just the agents who live with that it’s the teams who live with that and he said the big lesson
With cutter goce was you really have to be on top of your players and that you know Philly thought that they were doing the right thing here by giving goce space it turned out to be the wrong thing so there will be teams now that
Are going to be even more on top of their prospects because they said you know Philly tried to give them room and they lost the player they lost control of the situation so I think that’s probably going to be the big lesson for so now all these college kids going to
Be like G thanks cutter now I have to talk to my NHL team every single day I got I’ve got the director of Player Development is really on my tush every single game I got to talk to someone from the team H thanks cutter um let’s get to a voicemail uh
Thomas in Columbus go ahead Thomas well hey guys I am a recent listener and I am wondering your guys’ thoughts is this the best league has ever been from a produ production and a talent standpoint like I just watched four games that went into overtime and I was wondering is
That some of the best hocky you guys have ever seen well first of all Thomas welcome to the Pod we are always happy to hear that there are new listeners sometimes Jeff and I wonder why but we are appreciative a lot of Bor people out
There Elliot a lot of time on I I would the one thing I would completely agree with is that it is the most skilled the league has ever been I I I do believe that I I I strongly believe that and I don’t think that’s an insult to the
Great players of the past I I just think the way the game is taught from a younger age um with more emphasis on skill coaches and skill development have really changed what a lot of these players could do equipment and training on that training equip and the training
You’re you’re right you know like for example it used to be that you got fat over the summer and you got in shape over training camp like that doesn’t exist anymore so yes I I you’re right Jeff and Thomas I do agree I think where things have really changed for the
Better in the league and we got away from it like don’t forget in the 80s and I don’t know how old Thomas is but you know you had 40 players a year getting a 100 points you had 20 players a year getting 50 goals and unfortunately we
Went away from that but now I just think Jeff that there there seems to be comebacks every night like we went through in baseball they used to call it the dead ball era in hockey we went through the dead Puck era and that was sort of in the late 90s and the early
21st century now we’ve got comebacks um and I think the thing that really changed the in the eyes of the league was you know the 2004 Stanley Cup Final there were no lead changes between Calgary and Tampa and people realized that can’t work you know you cannot have
That then there was the lockout and at the same time as the lockout you know they had the Shanahan Summit that kind of changed the way the game was looked at and I know people will always be mad at referees they’re always going to disagree with calls but there’s no
Question to me that the that the the ability for comebacks and the ability for skill is as great as it’s ever been uh Jeff how do you feel I feel the same way uh I think it’s a a matter of sitting on the shoulders of the the
Generations that came before um you know I don’t think we get to this place in hockey unless there are a those glorious athletes that that came before to to to pave the way and set a standard and two um both rule changes uh quality of athlete I know that we’ve talked plenty
Now about how specifically in the United States elite elite elite athletes now for the first time on mass in the history of hockey are choosing hockey first before choosing football or track and field or basketball or baseball or or whatever um I think the uh Equipment
Technology is at a um is at a place right now which is the best that we’ve ever seen I mean even just think about even like 2000 I want to say like 2002 or 2003 when a lot of players started switching to composite sticks and there
Really were only about a handful of guys that knew how to use them like it was don’t forget like remember how many passes went off blades like you were used to a wooden stick and it’s really easy to take a pass on a wooden stick
Like if you ever you know you go back and use a wooden stick you the first thing you notice it’s like wow taking passes is great and it took a long time for players to learn how to use composite technology and the technology itself improved to say nothing of what
Happened with skates and and that technology think nutrition and training is a big one as well um and and I think the the league was the league has been allowed to breathe and grow even as the population of hockey players expands I’ll tell you one of the things that I
That I often think about I think you and I I’ve talked about this before not necessarily I want to take this in a different direction is this the strongest the league has ever been and I think hockey everywhere right now is better than it’s ever been um I I spend
A lot of time thinking about and again this is no insult to those players at that time you’re just this is just circumstance this is just the nature of hockey I always wonder about that era between 1967 and 1975 where I I still maintain the NHL
Was at its weakest and it’s just because of expansion there was the league doubled in 1967 right and then in 1970 you went from 12 teams to 14 teams you know welcome the Vancouver Canucks welcome the Buffalo sabes uh and then two years after that all of a sudden we
Got the Islanders welcome we got the Atlanta Flames welcome like you went through a really fast period of mass expansion which watered down the NHL and because of that we saw a lot of videos of you know the high-end guys of the time skating around pylons with Minnesota nurst Stars jerseys on or
Detroit Red Wings jerseys on you know two the the weaker teams of the era uh again no knock necessarily on all those elite players who played in that era but I think of two things one when has the game been the strongest and two when is
That game when has the game been the weakest and I’ll always point to that time between 67 and 75 at the time where the there was just this massive and to say nothing of the fact that the throw this one in the equation too the World Hockey Association took a lot of good
Players from the NHL as well further weakening that product and giving you know the NHL um headache after headache anyway uh long-winded answer here for me but Thomas and Columbus thanks so much I I would also say this I think that’s all great stuff I think I would also say say
This for a long time in recent memory the goalies were ahead of the shooters now I think the shooters are ahead of the goalies the goalies have not learned and well enough yet that if you give a shooter an inch yeah they will put it in
Well there was a long time too let’s not for I mean we’re both kids of the 80s and that was Advantage shooter I mean it took a long time for goalies to catch up to Shooters and then when they did coupled with you know defensive schemes and you know looking
The other way on interference and hooking and holding and all these other types of infractions it became Advantage golender but I think you’re bang on what’s the uh the Elaine Vigo line about making Nets bigger and Elaine vinho said oh if you want to score more goals go
Work on scoring goals in the off season because goenda go work on your shot you know what I got to tell you you know what we’re missing in hockey we have to bring this back somewhere we’ve really gone down the rabbit hole here good luck with
This 9h hour podcast on uh but we’ve really gone down the rabbit hole here but we are missing and I know you watched this when you were a kid cuz I watched this when I was a kid a showdown yes and they used to film that in the
Off season and Markham Ontario yeah and and you’d have you’d have the you’d have the scrimmage and you’d have the drills and it would be a scoring system it would be one goalie paired with two or three teammates um you know the shooting drills all that
Stuff and they would film it in the summer and then they would show 30 minutes of it before as Hockey Night in Canada on Saturday nights there were episodes until one team one was so good like you know and and I remember years ago when John Shannon produced Hockey Night in
Canada one thing he did in the offseason once was called the laat blue pickup cup uh which Alan mccaul’s team won if I remember correctly and I I love this stuff and when I was working at the score we had one year we got the rights to the CFL quarterback challenge where
The quarterbacks in the CFL did a competition of drills and our viewers loved it it was so good that TSN stole it from us those thieves that’s why I called them the evil Telecom because they stole the CFL quarterback challenge from us but I I wish there was some sort
Of short offseason compe ition cu the the players deserve their offseason time but I wish there was some sort of short offseason competition that you could package and air later Showdown competition great or like a pickup competition I think people would love that I think they would eat it up so I
Mean look players deserve their time in the summer The Season’s long but if there was a way to do this I think it would be awesome do you remember when Daryl sitler had to compete in Showdown without a maple eafs Jersey well that basically got him traded right him and
Pal Meer that that’s what started the fight with Harold Ballard and pun jiml that Harold was feuding with them and didn’t want the Maple Leafs logo attached to them yeah so I I yeah it was I remember that was that was a big story at the
Time yes okay let’s get back to the regular scheduled podcast here uh let’s get to another voicemail this is Josh in skatan hey guys it’s Josh calling from the home of Mike Commodore Fort skatan Alberta uh just listening to the Pod here on the highway uh a minus 46 night
On the way to my 10 o00 beer league game uh because I’m a crazy Canadian and it got me wondering if you guys had ever heard any funny stories about former NHL players playing beer league with the rest of us Average Joe’s um I guess if we win tonight Jeff
That’ll be for you if we lose Elliot it’s your fault thanks guys keep up the good work okay I thought I was first of all that doesn’t make you crazy that makes you perfectly normal in this great country of ours that you would Brave minus 46 to go to beer league I see
Absolutely nothing wrong with that nothing so uh I announced uh that it was Saskatchewan it’s Fort Saskatchewan Alberta uh AP apologies there uh I got a good one I love this one I’m glad Josh called in on this one so this is years ago so uh here in stov Ville uh one of
My best buddies is Shawn Pearson sha Pearson is a former MMA fighter he has six fights in the UFC in the welterweight division uh our kidss play hockey great dude whole deal I’ve known Pierce for a number of years um I’ve worked out with him he’s sparred with me
I have never either taken him down or landed a punch it’s just like you realize really quickly Elliott just when you think you can handle yourself there’s a whole different world out there Elliots of people that do it professionally anyway Pearson and I have been buddies for years so Pearson told
Me this great story he was playing I want to say it was in witbe for people that don’t know where Whitby is it’s a little bit east of the city of Toronto so he was playing on a team and this would have been a summer team and Shan
Thorton was on his team as well and this happens a lot I I’ve seen this happen to Pearson before even in like baseball like summer summer ball guys for whatever reason want to go after the UFC fighter you know the former MMA guy like ha like watch this and he said he
Said you know a couple of guys you know would take runs at him and he said one guy I don’t know if he caught him behind or Sean didn’t see him coming but Pearson said that he got smashed by this one guy like right up against the glass
Thon happened to be on the ice grabbed him and like filled them up like you know that’s ridiculous guy so Pearson tells me afterwards he’s uh they’re in the they’re in the in the dressing room Pearson goes up to thoron and says hey you know thanks for that I really
Appreciate it but you know I can I could kind of handle myself and thoron stops him and says no no no no no no no no no that happened on the ice and on the ice that’s my fight now we’re going to the bar if it happens there it’s your
Fight that is my favorite NHL beerling story with a with a UFC tie-in so thought you might like that one the I’ll I’ll give you one I I remember some friends of mine uh who work in uh the financial business organized a game against some an alumni this is probably
About 15 years ago and uh the alumni told me later that uh the dressing rooms were next to each other and and when they got the list of alumni who were going to play they realized a lot of them were in their like late 40s um
There were a bunch of older guys who at that time could only be available for that game so when they got the list of who was going to play the the financial guys said you know we could beat these guys they’re in their 40s we could say
We beat these guys so they got a young team they got a younger team and there were a couple of older guys like so I would have probably been about 35 30 40 at the time so there were a couple guys my age but they went and they got some
Younger players they’re like and they’re in the room like and they’re talking like guys like these guys are in their late 40s we’re going to beat them like if you’re not here to win like go home right now and what they didn’t realize is the alumni could hear them and so
They told me that it went from this was going to be a fun game to where okay this is the way these guys are talking we’re going to teach them aess and oh that’s awesome I I couldn’t go but my buddy told me later he said that
They never touched the puck oh yeah like you like they said like we were faster than them uh we were we were younger than them but when they decided that they were keeping the puck away from us there was nothing we could do nothing
And I I think I I can’t remember I think they actually did score but they almost got shut out and nobody gets shut out in those games and then at the end of the game one of the alumni told them we heard what you guys were saying about us and
You know like what the guy said was if you ever play these games again remember it’s supposed to be fun and don’t ever underestimate the pride of someone who played in the NHL and actually my friend told me that a couple of alumni told them that there are alumni who won’t
Play in these games because of people like them because like they’re supposed they want they want to have good time they want to have a couple beers they just want to enjoy themselves and you get people who think like this is my chance to prove I should have been in
The NHL yeah so they got embarrassed like they just like they said I think they lost like 8-1 or eight nothing or something like that and they just said like we never they were all exhausted after the game they couldn’t move they they spent the whole game chasing and
That’s the one thing I would always say is that maybe some of these guys are a little bit older maybe some of them have let themselves go but but you never forget how to play and there’s a big difference between a person who plays
One as little as one game in the NHL and somebody who thinks they’re the best beer league player ever I’ll tell you what I played in a charity game online and I I felt I’ll be honest with you I felt like Paul Henderson I’ll tell you
Why I remember playing in a charity game on a line with Norm Alman and Ron Ellis and in the early Norman using the two-sided stick the two-sided stick what’s the two-sided normalan stick well cuz normalan used to show up at charity games and he had a stick that had a
Right blade and a left blade and he would turn it over no way no he wasn’t using that one yeah I saw I saw it once it was it was hilarious that’s awesome you could shoot both ways that was the line in the early 70s uh Henderson Ellis
And Alman and I remember thinking to myself like okay we’re going to take it easy like you know a little bit older to be generous felt very very much older and honestly every pass was like hard and on the tape in motion like you’re
Right like they may be a little bit of a step slower but they can still think the game and move the puck and this was incredible I’m like holy smokes this was the line al man Ellison Henderson and I’m in the Henderson role and all I’m doing is throwing passes in Norm Man
Skates I’m throwing passes like way ahead of Ronnie Ellis I’m like geez guys I’m really so I had to apologize like after every single shift cuz I couldn’t keep up with them you’re right like it doesn’t matter how old you are these guys remember and these guys were nhlers
That’s the Montana’s thought line Montana’s barbecue in bar Canada’s home for barbecue Elliot’s one-on-one with Nathan McKinnon is Next all right welcome back to the podcast Nathan McKinnon leader of the Colorado Avalanche one of the favorites for the heart trophy had a chance to sit down with Elliot fredman on Friday one day in advance of the Avalanche game against the map Leafs on Hockey Night in
Canada so here it is Elliot Freedman in conversation with the most serious player in the NHL John the Taves isn’t playing anymore Nathan McKinnon on 32 thoughts the podcast first thing I wanted to ask you big news the other day Landis scog on the ice how good was it
To see him it’s great um even just around the room um you know he’s still rehabbing obviously but just to have his presence back in the room you know he’s in our team meetings now he’ll come to the odd power play meeting uh with our unit just hearing his input is is so
Valuable you know um just having that voice back there’s there’s not many as you you know it’s my 11th season now and there’s not many players that have a big presence in the room a lot of guys are in and out or they’re new or you know
He’s been there since day one and has such a big presence as a captain for a reason obviously and uh it’s great to have him back do you game one playoffs is he going to be there I’m I’m praying he is yeah he’s doing all the right
Things and he looks great um you know I don’t want to it’s just hard I don’t want to put something out there but we’re all very hopeful and uh he’s an Irreplaceable player in person so we’re all praying he’s back how much did you keep in touch with him when he he was
Away all the time yeah we talk a lot um yeah we’re just friends at the end of the day we’re we’re very close and every year I feel like we’ve gotten closer and closer and um you know a lot of us miss them myself included and but we
Definitely uh stay in contact it’s just hard though I don’t want to ask him how he’s feeling every day right you know it’s more about how’s your wife kids things like that what are you doing whatever um Nate what the heck were you thinking on that play last night yeah
Exactly definitely said some of that for sure um this year you know you’ve got a point in every home game uh you’re on an absolute Terror would you say that this has been your best season so far um it’s hard to say I had I didn’t
Have a great start to this season um for whatever reason I was just wasn’t playing that well and then at the 10 1011 game Mark something kind of clicked for me and um been feeling good lately um you know I think at the beginning of Seasons you want to you’re excited you
Want to press hard and you want everything to come so quickly and um yeah I just had to try to relax a little bit and uh you know fall back into how I play well and um you know last year was was a solid year and this year has been
Good so far but we’re at the halfway point so who cares haven’t accomplished anything yet no sure have it the one thing you have done the point at every home game and I know you care about bigger things than that but there’s only one guy who’s kind of done that before
And it’s Gretzky and I know how competitive you are and I know how much you care about the game and I wonder if any part of you says I would like to do that just to say I did something that he was able to
Do um yeah it’s I mean I like to get a point in every game every year but it’s it’s going to come to an end I I know it will um I’ve gotten very fortunate you know last game I had a second Apple off
A and board shot so I mean moo made a great play to vow in front of the net through his legs and I get a point so it you know it’s it’s hard to uh you know base happiness or uh fulfillment off of a second assist or a point streak or
Whatever um definitely striving to look at a bigger picture than than that but um whenever you’re mentioned with Wayne Gretzky obviously it’s cool but it’s still a home point streak it’s like I don’t know I don’t think it deserves to be with Wayne you know it it’s funny to
Say this because I was making calls the last couple days knowing to do this and I said has he has Nate McKinnon changed Nathan McKinnon changed at all since the since you won the Stanley Cup and everybody said you would think that maybe he would relax a little bit or be
Satisfied a little bit and it’s not happened at all if anything it has made you hungrier it has made you more determined to be as successful as you can be and for the Avalanche to be as successful as they can be true yeah definitely I think a little wiser maybe
Though um the the passion is there it’s been there my whole life I don’t think it’s going anywhere uh whether you know hockey or post talky who knows but I think I learned a lot from that cup run and I learned a lot from the failures before that and I’m trying to shape
Myself into the best leader I can be for the team and um trying to push guys the right way um and I definitely think I’ve learned a lot um of how to do that and when we won we had you know it’s we went
16 and four um you know felt like a lot of rough patches though and uh a lot of uh things to overcome and with the group we had I learned a lot from you know guy like kakan Landy those are two guys I’ve learned probably the most from in my
Career and that are honest with me and I’m honest with them and um the fire is there uh that’s for sure it’s burning as as much as ever but definitely trying to shape myself uh and to be a good leader one of the things that someone said to
Me was kind of like that that you learned about about what happened that year and what worked that year as opposed to what didn’t happen in other years and you’re kind of alluding to that there so what did you learn about what it takes to win and what a good team
Does yeah I think well in this I watched it after we won but in Ted lasso when he talks about being a goldfish I know that kind of went viral um I think it’s easy to try to break down every single game and every play and but sometimes you
Have a bad night and everyone has bad days um and just flush down the toilet and move on and um with that I think comes more resilience um you know you let things go more and that’s what I’m trying to do personally and I think the
The whole team is just you know we lost seven nothing to Vegas this year we you know bad night moved on and we went on another streak so um I just think in that run though especially we you know losing to Tampa at home to win the cup
Was was gut-wrenching and um we had to move on we had 48 hours to to uh you know I don’t think we even watch video on that game I don’t remember anything about it and we won game six so I guess uh just trying to have a short memory so
Three years ago you lose 7 nothing to Vegas what’s Nathan McKinnon like that’s an ugly human yeah that’s an ugly human um hopefully yeah I’m glad I’m glad we didn’t three years ago you know I wanted to ask you a little bit about like that that those Vegas games
You guys played great the other night but that exhibition game this year I have never seen an exhibition game like that do you guys and them hate each other more than any two teams in the NHL right now uh I don’t hate them um and I respect I respect them honestly uh I
Think they’re an awesome team they beat us in a playoff series a couple years ago um and then they won the cup a couple years later um I Know Jack Aiko a little bit and I respect his game I think he’s a good good person works really hard so um yeah it’s
There’s a big rivalry there for sure um if we uh want to uh get to the finals I think we’re going to have to go through Vegas which is not going to be easy um but you know we’re up for the challenge you’re playing more than any other
Fordward in the NHL this year can you handle that all year yeah yeah I can uh that’s my job and you know I try to get myself uh mind and body ready for everything every game one of the things I’ve heard is that you’ve worked a lot
On I guess the the physical nature of your skating or the training nature of your skating are there things that you have done to work on to sort of improve your stride and and improve your power which a lot of people don’t necessarily think needs to be improved but I know
The best players are always working on that yeah I think efficiency is something um mo mo trying to work on um you know to play 22 to 26 27 a night you need to be efficient you can’t burn out quickly so um you know always working on
That andio Bran’s my strength coach and um break some break some things down every year uh and a lot of it’s you know single leg strength um you know as it as skating we’re always on one leg so trying to be uh equally strong everyone’s got a dominant leg and little
Things like that uh nothing crazy but um you know every every year trying to get better I always wonder about those summer battles with with with s and the other players from Nova Scotia and it was funny I was talking to Ryan Graves and he said what an honor it was when he
Got included because players say that they know they’ve made it when Nathan McKinnon and cydney Crosby say uh that you can join our skates what are those skates like yeah don’t forget about marshy either he’s no right of course yes yes um they’re they’re awesome they’re so much fun um
You know we you know from being from a small area we actually have a lot of very talented players a lot of nhlers now coming from Nova Scotia which I think um you know Sid and and Marshy kind of pav the way for all of us and uh
When I see younger guys coming up I feel proud as well um hoping to have played a small role in that um you know cuz growing up I’d play an Ontario and the Ontario kids would have no idea where Nova Scotia was I’m like it’s we’re not
That smart in Ontario everyone thought I was a fisherman and things like that so I think we always had a chip on our shoulder um so but they’re fun they’re competitive and um yeah couple a couple times this summer there’s some heated arguments but usually we’re okay that’s
Where I was trying to get to because the those players said well first of all the one thing they all said was that you guys are very inclusive like sometimes you go in with the veterans and you’re worried how the veterans are going to treat guys but they say the three of you
Are fantastic but the other thing they say is you are the one that never takes a day off in terms of this better be a good skate like no screwing around this better be a good skate is that true yeah I think Sid Sid’s the same way I’m a
Little more vocal maybe than him but um he’s the same and you know we’re we’re just our careers are short and I think in the Summers we only skate two three times a week and we just want to make them the best as we can and it’s it’s
Fun though everyone that comes out knows they they got to be ready to go and uh yeah it’s not uh it’s not a leisurly skate cogo came down a few years ago and he loved it too and it’s just fun it’s it’s a it’s a fun environment to work
Hard in are you and Sid always on separate teams yes yeah always always yeah he’s I’m I’m in a blue he’s in a black every summer um marshy and sit on the same team always always yeah that’s tough to head that’s I don’t win many games but uh
It’s fun is there anybody you’re always with um I’m usually with Drake bson and um Logan Shaw and uh sha O’Donnell are we’ve been skating together for 10 years now so those are the the three guys I’m usually with what is the biggest fight you’ve got or battle you’ve had with Sid
In one of these games nothing physical just nothing physical just um usually if a goal counts or not in our in our summer coach uh has to be the one to decide and uh it’s it’s funny it’s really funny um yeah poor guy feel bad for him he has to
He has to pick if if I’m right or Sid’s right and okay here’s the toughest question I can ask you about Crosby and that’s the last one will you guys ever play together I hope so um I’m hoping um I don’t know what’s before uh the 26 Olympics but there might be something
But next year next year mhm but I guess the main thing I’m focused on is the Olympics and Y that’s what would be amazing um I think Sid has a ton of game left I think he can play as long as he wants to honestly um I’m a believer that
Primes are a little longer now and if you do the right things look at a guy like him pavelski there’s lots of examples of guys that very successful in their 30s and I think Sid’s going to be a great player uh two three years from now so hopefully uh I can stay good
Enough to make that team and uh play together I think your position is pretty safe I remember a couple years ago you skated with Marner right because you wanted to get used to just in case it ever happened you and Marner would play together on Olympic team or a World Cup
Team is there anybody else you skated with just in case like that um over the years I think just through the World Championships I’ve you know played with Braden Point um I played on line with Ms um power play at the 2017 World Championship so was a ton of fun um yeah
Sid played with Connor the North American team so um familiar with a lot of guys and I’m sure the summer of 25 maybe we’ll do some more camps things like that to to get ready for it I can tell you you want this I know there’s a
Lot of players who’ve been very vocal behind the scenes at its time and you’re one of of those guys aren’t you yeah I think so I mean um I missed uh three Olympics now I guess at 18 I wouldn’t have made it but 22 and 26 I
Would have had a would have had a good chance so um yeah I I would like to I mean if if not the next one then when I guess so I might be done if I don’t get to the next one I’d love to play in one
I know Connor really wants to play in one and um hopefully win and I think it’s just such a special thing that I grew up watching and you know winning the the Stanley Cup is one thing but you know representing and competing for Canada is a whole another thing um that can really
Stify your career and look back on and be uh something super proud of okay I wanted to ask you did they they asked McDavid a lot about the All-Star game did they ask you about it at all no nothing no they didn’t they probably didn’t think I was going to make it or
Something so happy here well you know I’m sure it was really close I’m sure it was really tight but now there’s this competition right have they talked to you about that uh no my agent Pat said I’m that’s Pat person Pat person he said
Um that they want me to be in it so I’m going to be in it I have no idea what I’m going to be doing but you’re going to do all the events I think yeah I don’t know what the events are but I’ll
Be ready to go you know it’s hard a shot it’s oh okay it’s no but there’s all there’s the skating compe how do they do it do they like put everything together and then you know how well it’s one event after the other and I don’t know what the order is but
It’s it’s skill stuff they’re going back to the hardcore it’s things like hardest shot it’s things like the fastest skater there’s I’m Puck handling drills and things like that and they want you know the top guys playing they want you they want McKinnon they want Matthews I mean
Bard would have been there but he’s hurt now so we’ll see so I I mean I really am interested in this like the best players going head to head to head what do you think of it I think it’ll be much better um even just family and friends that go
To the skills competitions I lose interest and um it it sounds exciting like I said I didn’t have any say in it but I’m willing to participate and um I’m not sure how good I’m going to do um but um I’ll be happy to watch the
Other guys uh do it as well now who would be the the person that you would enjoy beating the most beating yeah I don’t know I might not beat anybody so I’ll come 12th not not last it’s called 12 I’m not I’m not wagering
On that I can I can tell you that much but you know you are a big fan of hockey so on nights where you’re not playing I know you watch I know you keep an eye on the league who is the player that you love watching the
Most um I think Sid I watch a lot of Pittsburgh games I I watch uh Braden Chen as well just two two good friends of mine um Tyson Barry Nashville um and then you know I love watching COV I think everyone does I think if you asked everybody’s favorite player in the
NHL I think they’d say COV really I would say like all the you know top guys in the league whatever you want to call it I think everyone uh you know is a big fan of his um obviously McDavid is MC David I don’t know what to say about him
Um yeah I think though I like watching Pastor Knack and um is a right-handed shot guyh um yeah I’m a big fan of the game I think there’s such amazing talent right now in the NHL I think uh more maybe than there’s ever been um obviously Conor Bard coming up as well
Skate with him a little bit and uh just marvel at what he can do so definitely a big fan and it makes me want to get better myself just watching watching these guys play what’s the thing that you think you’re most better at than maybe when you started of all the things
That you do uh I think passing um I think um trying to slow the game down a little bit out there and that’s why I like watching cout so much because I’m probably the opposite player as him um he’s just has no pulse out there it looks like when he’s playing it’s
Amazing to watch and um I think that helps his vision he sees everything he’s never in a panic so I think uh for me trying to slow down just a hair you know krov is of all the players you mentioned he’s probably the one we know the least
Just because you know we you don’t see him do long form interviews or anything like that aside from the fact he slows the game down you know what else have you learned or noticed about him that maybe people wouldn’t know I’m know I know nothing about really see none of us
Do yeah I I played against SM junr so I have that connection but um yeah he’s mysterious guy and I’m sure he does that on purpose but um I’ve met him a few times seems like a really nice guy MH um but yeah just marvel at his game 18
Million over the cap Nikita coer yeah that was great great um I want to ask you about Jonathan drwan and I’ve told this story before but when Jonathan drwan uh left Tampa for a while uh I came to do a game in Colorado and you said don’t give up
On that guy he’s a he’s a good man he’s a good player and he just needs an opportunity and I know that this off season when it came to I know you’ve been very supportive of him behind the scenes and when he became a free agent I
Mean everybody knows you played a big role uh in getting him to Denver and first of all I just wanted to ask you why was it so important for you to look out for Jonathan drewan yeah well I think first of all I know he’s a great person and he’s even
Better as a person than 10 years ago when we were in high school whatever but um you know he’s uh his talent is just it’s still there and you you can see this season it’s he had a slow first 10 games just getting comfortable but now he’s taken off and he’s looked awesome
And uh we’re playing together on a line and he’s earned it he was getting healthy scratched and still had a smile on his face every day and um but I guess in the off season I you know I knew you know he took less money to to come to us
And which was great but I just felt like um the value he would bring um and you know I just felt like there’s so much more there um you know I don’t know I can’t speak on Montreal but I know in Denver it’s pretty good uh there’s you
Know not a ton of pressure um you know he can kind of do his thing and fly under the radar and um he even talks about just going to the grocery store now or you know he’s just a civilian living his life and I think he really
Enjoys that and um he’s uh he’s playing really well right now I understand you guys are always together you go to practices together you drive almost everywhere together um you’ve really taken a role in making sure he’s comfortable uh well I’m just curious like what kind of interest do you guys
Have in common and why was it so important to you to kind of be the Big Brother of drwan um yeah he’s uh he I guess I didn’t really I knew it but he loves hockey like he watches every game um uh like he really loves the game and
You know we we we can just talk about anything and I think when you have a friend you know from your childhood pretty much um you just feel so comfortable with them and I feel very comfortable and you know we drive together a lot you know on road dinners
We go every time together um you know we do a lot of the same workouts together we’re we’re just together all the time in the gym and the after practice we’re just on the same page with everything um um which is awesome you know you don’t
Find that a ton that friendship and um so I’m grateful that we are teammates again and we’ve had a lot of fun this year do you guys play the credit card game together when you go out for dinner uh a little bit yeah sometimes sometimes yeah who’s the big
Winner and who’s the big loser um I’d say I’ve lost more this year so trying to pick them up took less to come so I got some meals I understand I understand you talked about workouts one of the stories that’s pretty legendary about you is after
Games that you have a big workout after games and the joke is that the bus never leaves on time because Nate’s working out but no one’s got a problem with that what do you do after games um I love to bike Andy got me on that y the The Zone
2 ride Health uh and fitness people will know that the zone 2 um it’s like the subconscious of your nervous system and um yeah just kind of get all the lactate out and um you know I think actually that you know the Tor to France people when they have a day
Off they do like a six hour zone two ride and then they ride the next day um if they didn’t do that they wouldn’t be able to move so that’s kind of where the idea came from and um the more you play the more biking that I do so okay a few
More number one good stories I heard about you golf I heard there was at one point in time you were a terrible golfer and now you’re a very good golfer is that true yes and yeah The Temper was bad I’m sure no one wanted to play golf
With me I was terrible uh would get really frustrated and uh put some effort into it and I don’t play as much anymore but um got decent so what do you shoot now I’m usually uh high 70s mid mid to low 80s kind of thing um um I think I’m
A five handicap I heard you dropped like 20 Strokes in a year or something like that yeah I was in the hundreds and then in a year yeah yeah and then I kind of PL you know it’s hard to get once you get to a four or five it’s hard to get
Better than that you got to really put some time in and maybe when I retire I’ll I’ll start doing that so how’ you do it did you buy did did you buy like a simulator or something like that I took a lot of lessons in Denver I I was from
Like 20 to 23 I would just like 10 minutes from my our rink um awesome guy I would just go there for an hour after practice and just hit balls like every day um and then I had to stop my back was a little tight I’m like what am I
Doing so uh I don’t do that anymore in the Summers I like to play but in the season I don’t really touch the clubs so who was the best guy that you beat after years making fun of you for the way you played or took money from you or
Anything like that probably Tyson Barry yeah used to give it to me so uh yeah he’s the worst he’s the worst one now so really a yeah the worst player or the worst need the the worst golfer on uh oh yeah on our little golf trips we do so
It’s fun to beat him who’s the best um brayen Shen’s really good and me and him are probably pretty close Okay so the other one the other funny story I heard is that nobody tells Nate Nathan mckinon what to do except his dog is that true that’s I don’t know who
Said that but yeah it’s probably true yeah okay tell us about this dog her name’s Maggie um she’s like a small dog she’s like yeah 25 30 lbs and I never thought I could love a dog so much before so yeah she’s better than coming home to her is better than
Scoring any goals and uh really enjoy it what kind of dog is she she’s a Cavapoo okay so they’re pretty popular right now and uh doesn’t really shed that much and she’s just she’s great m already that’s what someone said to me bring it up man nobody tells Nathan
McKinnon what to do except he melts in front of this dog I do I do it had to be bra that said that I’m never giving up the source you know that I’m never I’m never giving up the source um I want to ask you a yic I understand there was a
Charity event on Thursday night that uh the Avalanche do with the other members of Kony sports with the nuggets and the soccer team and the lacrosse team and you I mean we’ve seen the video before of you a little bit with yic and I I
Know you went to a game in the finals last year do you guys have any kind of relationship at all not a super I wouldn’t say we have a relationship I’ve I’ve met him a few times at uh events like that um I’ll go to some nugget
Games and um see him there and say hi to him there but um I I know um Caleb Jones’s dad popey Seth yep Seth and Caleb’s Dad sorry yes as no worries papey yes yeah papey popey Jones so he was I talked to him actually last night
At the event and uh I’m just so interested in Joker I think he’s an anomaly obviously and he doesn’t have social media and I watched an interview he did with uh Michael Porter Jr has got a podcast him and Joker to interview and he says he doesn’t want to phone when he
Retires and he just lives like a low profile kind of life and um you know everyone just talks about how selfless he is he’s not worried about about you know external Awards or uh he just wants to win and have fun with his teammates
And um I think he’s an awesome guy to uh look at as an athlete and try to emulate see I see all the work that you put in and I see that he he jokes like he basically does nothing and does it make you crazy that you’re putting all this
Effort in and he doesn’t look like he’s even trying and he’s as successful as he is but you hear things and that’s actually not true at all with him I always thought that too um but I guess he’s an he’s an animal in the gym after games and he’s actually looks super
Competitive he’s got suspended a couple times for hitting people uh have you seen his brothers yes so I would not want to cross those guys like he he’s a fiery guy and uh I think you know he’s he’s he just looks so funny and you know
I guess I people say he treats like a 9o5 and doesn’t even like it um but I hear I hear behind the scenes how hard he works and how much he loves to compete and win so um maybe there’s a little little bit to it uh that I do
Hopefully hope I’m not wasting my time no you’re not last one for you uh Nathan if you could change one thing in the NHL or you could bring one thing that could happen in the NHL what would it be I would love to see a team in uh
London in London England yeah really I would I I love Europe um I don’t logistically I don’t think it could ever happen but you never know maybe one day um yeah I love to also play there um you know in the global series or whatever playing the O2 or something like that I
Just think I think uh British people would love hockey if they uh saw a little bit more of it and saw all the best players play that’s a great answer very unique thanks for your time Y no problem thank you having Me hope you enjoyed that Nathan McKinnon of the Colorado Avalanche we thank the ABS for making him available uh don’t forget this Thursday we will be in Victoria as part of scoti Bank hockey Day in Canada and along with that celebration of the game uh we’ll be
Doing a live podcast uh we’ll be recording it it’s Thursday in Victoria at Wicked Hall uh we’ll record it poor Dom this is going to be like a million hours long too and uh that’ll be our Friday drop uh for 32 thoughts the podcast so again Thursday uh podcast
Recording live at Wicked Hall in Victoria and you can hear all of it if you’re not there Friday morning good luck Dom we’ll talk to you again Friday
22 Comments
Trade kickers wont work becouse guys who only care for money will want to get traded not fare
does anyone out side the gta listen to this crapola?
Seriously people hate the Leafs with good reason. We gave the players the keys to the Kingdom without winning anything, they show zero heart, they blame the coaches, it’s the refs, etc. wake up and look in the mirror. Nobody except Reilly was willing to take a team friendly deal. AM does nothing against elite competition time and time again. Guy is gonna be the highest paid player and isn’t in the top 10 in scoring. Honestly if this team keeps meandering I hope they just stand pact or even become sellers to show these no heart, overpaid babies that they need to dig deep if they think management should go out to get them help. We have bled the coffers dry and need to reset and rebuild this team with a proper D corp and depth.
the leafs
Leafs buyers? Lmao! 😂
Here we go again. Leafs drama. What for?
Year after year we get this crap about a team that never has any chemistry. Same old same old.
Leafs need players care
Doing nothing would be the most courageous thing. This team isn't one or even two or three moves away from the top.
They sort of have to buy. 62% of their CAP next year is dedicated to five players. Trouble on defense. Trouble in nets. Trouble with offensive depth. Have to buy if they can
Trade marner for some real dmen for goodnesss sakesss
sell
It's going to be Canucks vs Panthers
Those are the only two teams in the league that consistently put up %110 every single game & play for more than just the money.
Oilers fan here but i honestly dont understand anyone commenting that Marner should go ahead of Matthews. AM is going to sign in the states as soon as hes a ufa
Salary cap. Greed kills teams. The core 4 are narcissistic lazy entitled goofs that destroyed a once in a lifetime opportunity to build a great team with their delusional self importance. What a disgrace after 51 years following this garbage. It’s not lost on me that Shannahan and Burke worked in NHL head office before sabotaging the Leafs in Toronto starting in 2006.
This team knows it had to trade either Marner or Nylander and they chose, so going forward Tavares will be gone and Marner will be gone . You keep Mattews and Nylander , Reilly. The rest are expendable. With the Marner trade you get your defence or high draft pick in the 2024 or 25 draft.
Sell your nowhere near a cup contenders
The Nathan MacKinnon interview starts at 1:22:15
Leafs are built for regular season hockey. Leafs are not built for the much more physical grinding playoffs. Tweaking 1 or 2 players is not going to change the outcome.
Leafs are 6th in the division in regulation wins just one more regulation win than Ottawa. Compared to the rest of the league they are 25th in regulation wins. Paying half your cap to 4 forwards was, is and always will be a huge mistake going into the playoffs.
MacKinnon time stamp is wrong in the video description. It starts at 1:22:25
I'm hearing Leafs
…Or fold?