32 Thoughts: The Podcast - First Time? No. Not Our First Time.

Episode Date: May 8, 2026

In this edition of 32 Thoughts, Kyle Bukauskas and Elliotte Friedman break down Thursday night's Game 3 tilt between the Carolina Hurricanes and the Philadelphia Flyers. The fellas talk about John Chayka's upcoming meeting with Leafs Head Coach Craig Berube (14:30) before unpacking the latest news from the Vancouver Canucks front office search (22:38). Elliotte also provides an update on Nashville's search (26:23).  Kyle and Elliotte answer your emails and voicemails in the Thoughtline (32:54).  In the last segment the guys talk about Wednesday night's action between the Sabres and Canadiens (52:00) and the Ducks and Golden Knights (57:40). The podcast wraps with an interview between Elliotte, Shane Doan, and Josh Doan (1:04:30). Today we're highlighting Surrey, BC's MARZIA and her track ORDINARY. Check out her music here. Listen to all the 32 Thoughts music here. Email the podcast at [e-mail] or call the Thought Line at 1-833-311-3232 and leave us a voicemail. This podcast was produced and mixed by Dominic Sramaty and hosted by Elliotte Friedman & Kyle Bukauskas. The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates

You know, the next round, by the way, in Buffalo, there would be the combine if Montreal wins Grand Prix. Oh, that's right. You're going to be staying in a hotel in Windsor for those games in Montreal. In Montreal. That's right. That's right. We've got you in the suburb. Yes.

Oh, yes, which suburb? The suburb of Windsor. Like Nova Scotia or Ontario? Oh, it's Ontario. Welcome to 32 Thoughts, the podcast, presented by your Canadian Toyota dealers and the 2026 Tacoma. Get yours before red tag days are over. Another Stanley Cup playoff edition for you. Dom, Elliot, and Kyle, the gang is all here.

Thoughtline is back this episode. You'll hear at the end of the podcast a conversation with Elliot, Josh Stone of the Sabres, and his father, Shane. But first, before we get to all of that, for each one game on the calendar on Thursday night, and I was kind of thinking about that one cutaway clip from Family Guy when Peter goes skydiving. First time?

Yeah, you? No, no, not my first time. I wonder if that's conversation could be had between the senators and the flyers right now. Seven straight wins to open the Stanley Cup playoffs for the Carolina Hurricanes, and I don't think any of us during the regular season were looking at the Metro Division as a juggernaut per se, but it had been clear, almost wire to wire,

that the hurricanes stood above the rest through 82 games. That hasn't changed through the playoffs. You cannot pick your opponents, but the hurricanes have taken care of their own business on the verge of a second consecutive sweep to begin their playoff run. it's kind of wild how in theory Carolina could be through to the Stanley Cup

semifinals on Saturday and Montreal and Buffalo might only be two games in Yes, they're eventual opponent, one of them Just bananas By the way, there's another juggernaut this round, Kyle Oh yeah? Yeah, I want to read you a text I got that I woke up to on Thursday morning.

It said, Stroman is legit, might take your job, he should quit now and transition to the panel. Did that come from Kevin? No, it did not, but it certainly could have.

That was, came from a retired player who's now in a management position. I woke up to that text on Thursday morning here in Buffalo. No, Ryan signed off after the game. He did a great job. Fantastic. No surprise. Anybody who knows him, no surprise that he was as good as he was. That short-handed goal, Chadfield, what a backbreaker, Kyle. What a backbreaker. That was where the game was in the balance and was no longer after that moment in my mind. I agree. One one game. The Flyers penalty kill one of the worst all year. I think it's something like three for 30 in the playoffs. The true Achilles heel of the team. And to give up that goal at that time was just a killer.

Yeah, I was short-handed. Yes, absolute killer. Absolutely killer. And you mentioned Ottawa, you know, first time. No, not my first time. It's almost the exact same series. I never think this is about lack of effort. I thought Ottawa competed hard. I thought Philadelphia is competing hard. Just in every game, especially with Anderson, continuing to be an absolute wall back there, Carolina just always finds a way to be a little bit better. Who makes the big play at the big time?

Chatfield, it's been like that for Carolina all the way through. They just, they've been, but they don't break. they continue doing what they do. And this was another example of it on Thursday night in game number three. And it's a Herculean task for Philadelphia. You know, one of the things I wonder about the Flyers is this whole league right now is going to have Caprum. And I look at Philly and I see a lot of. lot of guys who really improved this year.

Drysdale really improved this year. Zegroes really improved this year. The Mishkov thing, that's a story for another day. You know, we'll deal with that when and if their season ends and we'll talk about that. But one of the things the league did this week, Kyle, was they officially announced

with the Players Association, the payroll range for next year. And we know that the salary cap's going to be $104 million. and all these fans are saying, oh, our team's going to have this much. And everybody's talking about how they have $11 billion in cap space. There's not enough players to spend it on, right?

Some of these fans are going to be disappointed. And I'm not convinced that all of these teams are going to want to go to the cap. And especially since I don't think everyone's going to have players that are going to have access to get the kind of players that you're going to want to get to really jump up there. Like I look at Philly, I see a really hard, competitive, workman-like team. They need one more game breaker in the worst way. I just, you can really see it, especially since Mishkov, and again, he didn't play a ton late in that game.

his minutes, what did you play, nine minutes, something like that. So, you know, there's obviously going to be a question here. But I look at the flyers and I say, boy, Martone looks like he's a hell of a player. That looks like a 500 level home run. They need a game breaker. And that to me, like,

I think Ottawa has game breakers. Carolina just beat them. They just beat them. I think Philly has a lot of guys who play hard. I don't know how many true game breakers they have. That's the one thing. And those are the hardest guys to find. I mean, they may have one in Martone.

Yeah, it's interesting. A more powerful type game breaker, but he could be. He could be, you know, I mean, but I just watch them. I say they need one. And the easiest way to solve your problem is internal. And maybe Mishkoff will turn out to be that guy. But I watch them against Carolina. And they might lose anyway, but they just need one more game breaker.

They're competing their heads off. I never knocked the effort. They need one more game breaker there. One more. And it's funny to say that, you know, as they're, struggling to find some results against Carolina. If you look at, you know, the last two times that the hurricanes have reached the third round and both times come up short against Florida, haven't you kind of felt the same way

about them in those series? Yeah. Like, needed another big time game breaker offensively. I know, like, they went out and got Eilers this summer and he scores again on Thursday. So, like, they've, you know, they made the trade for Gensel a couple years ago, tried to to re-sign them. It didn't work out there. But they've tried to change that a little bit while

not losing who they are as a team. But, you know, it's just, you get later and later in the playoffs. It is, it's, it is a great, a great test of where your team really does stack up against the best, you know, because I do understand that, yeah, sometimes the top guys, they cancel each other out.

Can someone from lower in your lineup be the one to make a difference at a critical moment, but really, your highest paid guys, the ones in the highest leverage situations, can they look across at their counterparts on the other side and go, I'm beating you tonight? And that can be a true driver of things. And Philadelphia is still going through their development in that sense, to not take anything away from how much of a success, you know, this has all been.

And I also felt too, I mean, geez, nick up a couple of posts early on, you know, behind Frederick Anderson. And is it a little different if it's a half inch one way or the other? But I suppose it's the old Grand Fuhr line. That's all I gave you, if you're Anderson. But they did have chances early. It was not like it was a quiet game on that front for them. And then, yeah, the short-handed goal, like 11 seconds into the power play, that can't happen. See, I think even if Philly scores on those chances, Carolina approved in game two,

they fell behind two nothing, five minutes in. They still came back and they won the game. Like Carolina is like a steamroller right now. Even when things go badly, they don't break down, they don't give up, they continue to just come at you. And, you know, they're a machine. They're just an absolute machine. It was interesting, your Campbell River buddy got the, penalty.

Yes, he sure did. See, I almost wonder if some kind of warning went out because, like we said on the last pod, I heard the league was unhappy about Quenville's reaction to that missed icing in game one, which I think is crazy. Like he, in that moment, I don't know how anybody could expect a coach not to react in that way, but there is something about Brindamore that really drive. the league crazy sometimes. He is definitely,

it's funny, you know, all the coaches, they kind of say, okay, they know when everybody, the league's getting mad when Brindamore starts getting hammered with stuff because he's always the guy they go to first. Easy target. So when Brindamore gets that penalty, that's assigned to all the other coaches that the league's had enough.

And again speaks to the respect that he still has of that group because that put him, what, down five on three briefly and they went out and killed the penalty for him. Yeah. They didn't let that be a turning point in the game. So second series in a row, I hit from Taylor Hall as Spark Debate, this one on Travis Sandheim initially called a major withdrawn to two. What was your view on it? because I've kind of gone back and forth. Like there's one replay that tells a story that would support Taylor Hall's argument, but that was,

it was a violent collision, no doubt. Yeah, it was. The thing is Sanheim's falling, right? And Kyle, one of the rules is,

does the person get hit? Does their body materially change position? And Sanheims does. Now, you can make the argument if you want that Hall should have pulled up. I think these guys are, are going hard, and it's hard to say just pull up when you see that happen. I didn't have a problem with the minor penalty, but I knew once I saw that Sandheim was falling,

that there was a good chance the major was going to be taken away. Yeah, the one replay where, you know, if a guy and, you know, Kevin Baxson makes a great point on the intermission, like, there's no sense trying to crawl into Taylor Hall's mind there and parse what he may be thinking in the moment. And of course, replay really doesn't do it justice because it all happens much faster than that. But you could see like where a player may be really trying to finish a hit and it's the forearm going across.

But that was not the case. Like that was his two hands coming out, trying to avoid Sanheim's head and brace himself up against the boards to try to minimize it a little bit. I think that, you know, the two minutes was the right call there. But, you know, I can appreciate the sensitivity from the flyers standpoint, too. It's just been a frustrating series for them all around. And you saw in the last couple of minutes when things got a little ugly,

told you everything you needed to know. I'll say this. The Flyers play hard. But Carolina, they're just on a run right now. It's going to take a lot to stop them. A lot in the east. A lot. And the 85 Oilers, and I believe that Oilers team will,

come up a little later on in the podcast too. Stay tuned for that. But they were the last team to start a playoffs, 8 and 0. Now, that was back when the first round was a best of five, not a best of seven. I believe these hurricanes are trying to be the first to go 4-0 sweep, 4-0-sweep to begin the Stanley Cup playoffs. And they'll have a chance to do that on Saturday in Philadelphia. Okay, so just a one game on Thursday. We'll get to the other series later on in the show after the thought line.

For now, let's get to the final thought, which is presented by your Canadian Toyota dealers. So, Elliot, of course, the Toronto Maple Leafs have been in the headlines this week with Chica and Sandine being hired. They win the draft lottery. Now, as Chica alluded to his introductory press conference, the meeting with head coach Craig Barubei. Sounds like that's coming this weekend.

Yeah. So that's, I'm not sure if it's going to be this weekend or it's going to be next week, but it's coming soon. There's no question about that. And it might be not just like a one day thing or a one hour thing. It sounds like there's a lot to talk about. I don't want to, I know there's been a lot of handicapping this. I think the one thing is that I remember when John Ferguson got the leaf job. he was asked about Doug Gilmore.

And Doug Gilmore had been on the roster. And he was asked, are you going to bring back Gilmore? And he said, no, I don't think we're going to do that. And the first day headlines were Ferguson were not bringing back Gilmore. And it was just bad. Like it was a really tough way for Fergie to start his Toronto tenure. And I just think that there was no way

Chaka or Sundin or even Peli were going to start this off by disrespecting Barube in any way until they'd really had a chance to have a meeting with them. Now, I've had some conversations with some of the people who had interviews, and they said that the leaves were very respectful to Barubei, but they didn't really take a position on should he be back. So Sandine and Chaka clearly have an opportunity here to decide what they want to do. It was clear that Peli liked Berube, but he didn't say you have to keep him. So I don't want to handicap this one because I think these guys bent over backward so it was not to tip their hand before they really had a chance to talk to him. I think this thing.

I mean, the data, we're all talking about data-centric here. The data, Kyle, said that the Maple Leafs were a very poor team last year. But I think they're going to give Barube an opportunity to talk about why he felt that was, how he felt he can fix it, and then we'll see how the positions align. So I'm not giving a prediction. I want to wait to see a little bit more about how I hear. this meeting goes. And then at some point after they meet with Baroube, I expect them to start discussing or reaching out to Austin Matthews about let's have some more serious conversations

about what you're thinking. I had heard kind of over the last week or two that Matthews might decide to wait until around July, see what the leaves do with the draft or free agency before making a decision. But if you're the Maple Leafs and the new regime, it makes no sense to wait that long to get an idea of what he's thinking. You might as well start as quickly as possible. Look, they had a big lottery win this week. You know, they're probably going to want to hear what, even though he's probably not

seen much of the player. they kind of know the generalities, what position they play, what skill set they are, what the team needs, and I'm sure they'll give him an idea of what that all means and what he might prefer. So I think you're going to see some conversations over the next couple weeks that could shape some of the teams. Now, one other thing I heard that doesn't necessarily tie into the Maple Leafs but could, is, you know, obviously Toronto hasn't made any other changes to their front office. We'll see what they decide to do. They said they were going to go in with an open mind.

I had heard there was a chance, and this is always dicey, because when Kyle Dubas left Toronto, he was allowed to take Jason Spetsa with him, and then the Maple Leafs basically said, we're not letting you take a whole bunch of guys with you from Toronto to Pittsburgh. I'm not sure Spetsa was the only one or there was one more, but there was a limit. The Maple Leaf said if you want to take one or two, you can, you can't take like five. Now, Florida, Sonny Medell just left there to go to New Jersey and he let go of a couple of

people with the devils. One of the people I'm curious to see if Meadow will try to add is Brian McCabe. Brian McCabe, the former Maple Leaf defenseman, has a really good reputation for player development. You know, McKenzie Weeger is one of the guys that has credited McCabe in the past for really helping him become the player he's become. But I've also kind of wondered, If for any reason, if, if, if Toronto makes any changes, if Sundin would vouch for him too in a player development role. So I'm curious about that because I heard there could be some, depending on what Meta's allowed to do,

I heard McCabe could be on his radar. The other guy I heard could be on Sunny Meadows radar is a guy by the name of Braden Birch. Now, Birch is his official position, as director of hockey operations, and salary cap management. He played hockey. He was drafted actually by the Blackhawks in 2008,

and then he went overseas. You know, he's kind of been around hockey all his life. And when we were kind of talking to Kyle about how some of these teams felt that some of the people they were interviewing were too siloed, and didn't really have a lot of experience in a number of different areas. One of the future candidates, because I don't think he's ready yet, that a few people reached out to me about was Birch, and they wonder if he's going to end up being Sonny Mehta's right-hand guy with the devils.

So just a couple of names I wanted to point out there. That's good, and it seems like, you know, though I'm sure Bill Zeta was fearing someday this day would come. It's kind of arriving now where you have enough success, the vultures start circling going, all right, who can we pry away? And there was the tip of the iceberg

of Medigo, New Jersey, and now no more names being bandied about here for possible promotions and new opportunities elsewhere after a great run in Florida for a number of names. Interesting. Yeah, Florida's got a big front office. They've got a lot of people there.

They still have Roberto. Luongo, they still have Paul Cropelica, they still have Paul Fenton, they still have Rick Dudley, they still have Brett Peterson. Zito's got a big, big front office there, but someone pointed out the McCabe thing to me, and I thought that was really interesting. Absolutely, it is, especially now with the Sundin factor, Toronto becoming an option in a way that maybe hadn't have been thought about before. All right, we'll keep an eye out for that there. So Toronto, continuing their process, Vancouver,

are we getting close here in terms of when they're going to make a decision? Do you have a new read, Evan Gold is a name that was out there when the Toronto search was going on and now it's surfacing out in Vancouver? What's the latest with the Canucks? Well, Providence got knocked out of the HL playoffs on Thursday night after a tremendous regular season. So Evan Gold, who is definitely on their radar and I believe was in there this week to be interviewed, he's done, his responsibilities. The only other thing I'm still waiting to figure out here is what they're doing with Scott White.

Are they waiting to interview him in person? I don't have clarity on what they ask for permission to speak to him. That's for sure. But I don't know exactly what they decided to do in terms of do they bring him there or do they just do it by Zoom, how they're handling it? That's the one thing I'm not sure of as we record this pod. I'm still waiting for clarity on what they're doing with him. But gold is, I mean, I heard all the noise in Vancouver today.

I don't have reason to believe anybody's wrong. I believe he was there this week and also his team is now out. So if it is going to heat up around him, it's really going to start to heat up around now. But I'm still waiting for clarity on white. Is Ryan Johnson still in the mix? He's still in the mix, but I don't know what to make of this. If they're going to hire Evan Gold, who has a really bright reputation, it would seem that Johnson's really being passed.

over. It's just the whole thing is a little bit strange to me. They extended his contract. They said, you're here and you're not going anywhere else. And now they're, if

it is Evan Gold, they're basically passing them over for somebody with a similar skill set, right? So we'll see, but if that was the case, it wouldn't be good for Johnson. No. And just another strange handling of a situation in Vancouver. Yeah, that's a bizarre one.

The only thing I would just say, Kyle, is that I hope that they wouldn't pass over him simply because he's tied to the regime that they're starting to move out. I don't ever think that's a good reason. If you don't think the guy can do the job, that's one thing. But I don't like the idea of, okay, he was with Rutherford. He was with Alvin. You know, Alvin's out. Rutherford is moving to the advisory role.

We just want to make the fresh change. I don't agree with that. I would just wonder why it's gone from, boy, we think super highly of this person a year ago to this. It is a little unusual. No question. Is there anything new on Nashville while we're here? Yeah.

When it comes to Nashville, Kyle, another unusual search. Really? We've been saying that a lot. Yes. It's kind of an interesting time that we've talked about. Like one cohort of people is. kind of being phased out. And I don't mean to pick on him specifically,

but I'll use it as an example of that group of people. Like Mark Bergervan, for example, I would have thought that Bergervin would be a candidate in a couple more of these situations. But him and his generation or cohort a group of people, they're not really serious contenders for these jobs right now. and they're looking at the next generation, Nashville and others. There's nothing wrong with that.

It's fine. It's never wrong to search for fresh ideas. And I think they've interviewed a number of people, and some of these teams have interviewed a number of people that they really think are up and coming but aren't convinced they're ready yet. Or in some cases, they're really good at one thing, maybe two things. but they've been siloed and not enough things that you need to run a team. And so I've kind of, I think Toronto felt that.

I think Vancouver and some of the reports out in Vancouver, Kyle, that they are still deciding if they're going to hire one or two people, which would seem to indicate that they feel that way a little bit too. Nashville, I think, prefers to hire one person, and they made it very clear they want somebody who either ran an NHL or an HL team for at least a year. So that matters for them too. But that's what I think. I still wonder if Nashville is waiting to speak to somebody who either just finished competing or is now competing because it doesn't exactly make sense what's going on there. But I do think that all these teams, New Jersey new sunny meta, they're like, we're in with him.

But I think a number of these other teams are like, oh, these people are pretty good we've spoken to. But maybe we'd want them to be proficient in a tiny bit more. And I definitely think that's been a thing. And I guess when you look back now, Elliot, I mean, and it's not the same in every case, But for a long while, as you alluded to, there was a pool of options that many different teams continued to pick from as their general manager title holder evolved over time. And you think about within that time period how much the league, the job, the scope of the organization, the value of the franchise changed. and all the different things that you're responsible for as a general manager. So you continue to hire the same type of person.

Meanwhile, now you've spanned out your executive team and you've got people in that are, you're doing salary cap stuff, you're doing contract negotiation stuff. And now you want to look for the next wave as you say. But the job, the role as general manager has changed. much and yeah it's almost like you're you're caught in between of trying to find the next guy but or or woman and they don't have the same type of experience because so many of them have been

just in on one track minds in terms of their role it's it's it's an interesting one where we're at now mm-hmm it's definitely a thing you know the next round by the way in buffalo there would be the Combine, if Montreal wins, Grand Prix. Oh, that's right. You're going to be staying in a hotel in Windsor for those games in Montreal. In Montreal. That's right. That's right.

We've got you in the suburb. Yes. Oh, yes. Which suburb? The suburb of Windsor. Like Nova Scotia or Ontario? Oh, it's Ontario. Yeah.

Yeah, it'll be being billeted by the New Hook family, the Newfoundland. Yeah, that is, ah, tis the season, what are you going to do? So, right, teams are trying to find that next wave, that next new age general manager. And naturally, that pursuit is always going on in coaching, too. Are you hearing any names that may, whether they're working in the NHL or otherwise, that their stock could be rising here? Just that, you know, we've talked a little bit about Mani Malhotra and we've talked a little bit about Misha Donzkov. Someone else just mentioned to me, and right now there's nothing open, right, Kyle? Yeah.

But somebody else mentioned to me that if someone's looking for kind of a fresh, is face, fresh-ish face, easy for me to say. They mentioned Alex Tangay from Detroit. That was a name that got popped into my head. Just keep an eye on him. And I said,

all right, I will keep an eye. All right. Good stuff. That was the final thought presented by your Canadian Toyota dealers. We'll take our first break. Come back with a thought line and more on the Stanley Cup playoffs and our interview segment still to come on 30

Two Thoughts, the podcast. It continues after this. Okay, here we go. This is the segment we like to call the thought line, Elliot. I've witnessed you be a very busy and popular man already here in Buffalo. Surely you have some shoutouts or hellos you would like to make before we go any further. Yes. First, there were some complaints about the wing story.

And what exactly about the wing story? No, including one. individual who is a national hockey league employee who wrote ordering honey garlic wings in buffalo is a crime like asking for ranch instead of blue cheese i'm surprised you got out alive well and let me just say this isn't the only person who complained about the honey garlic even brian gianta talking to you brought up the honey garlic yes that's actually yes uh He, uh, loyal listener. If I can make any situation worse for the pure entertainment of the pod, I am happy to do so.

So let me just say to this individual and everyone else, I did ask for ranch instead of blue cheese. I am not a blue cheese guy. I don't like it. Now, I can't rip you for that because I do the same. I don't order honey garlic, but I do ask for ranch. Okay, I'll be going out for wings. Again, I believe, and I will order appropriately next time. Not my greatest night, I will say.

I do have some shoutouts from some people I met. I met a retired transit police officer. He actually retired just last month. His name was Douglas, really nice guy. We were chatting a little bit. He just retired, as I mentioned. He bought his dream car. He showed it to me.

I had it parked out front of the place where I met. Adam, really nice guy. Also, there was a Josh, Norm Roser, I think his name was. I believe Kyle, you and I walked into him on the street, walking over to the Canadians availability, the day of game one.

Yes. And there was also a Don, a Ryan, and I couldn't remember the name of the other person, unfortunately. And I also wanted to thank Kelly and Ashley, who let me borrow their beer saber to

go on air with Dave post game in game number one. That was the one that SportsNet used in their social. They said you can't keep it. Like they were legitimately concerned. I was going to attempt to steal it. And I may have. Yeah, but they allowed me to use it as a prop.

Very valid concern. But lots of great people in Buffalo, not surprisingly. Now the image I saw the saber was empty. At the start of your hit, was it at least partially full? Or was it empty the whole time? No, it was empty.

Kelly and Ashley had made sure that there was nothing left to wait for their game enjoyment. Well done. I feel I need to update the listeners on the ongoing Fridge Circus here in Buffalo because it did not stop at the wing sauce, the honey garlic wing sauce all over himself, a mere hours upon arrival in the city. So Wednesday morning, him and. and I, Elliot, we drive over to the rink for the skate and then we drive back to the hotel afterwards. And then when I go to leave for the rink later in the afternoon, I start driving and realize you left your credential in the car. So now I've got to go drop that off at security to make sure you can still get into the building to work that night. Then I realize, because

my position is right next to where you and Dave are, we both realize that you had a hole in your suit jacket. Thankfully, I don't think it came across on camera, but only further added to the disaster makeup that Elliott has been portraying ever since crossing the border at Niagara Falls. And then the real topper was Thursday morning. Elliot, I could only describe, was in the state of like the dad from 50 below zero, the Robert Munch book. He comes walking down for breakfast. I'm sitting at a table with Rick Houston, one of our camera operators here covering the series. He says good morning to us, walks past, there's a table two down with a gentleman sitting there, and Elliot thinks it was David Amber. All I'm going to say is this man could

not have looked any less like David Amber. And I watched it all. I saw you like lean in and then you were like, oh, sorry about that. And I just was like, did he, did he think that was Dave? It was an outstanding start to the day. I don't know what was going on with me on Wednesday morning. I really don't. It's so good. Anyway, I appreciate you. I literally walked by the guy.

I was like, oh, that's Dave. And I went and I turned in. I was like, oh, I'm sorry. He looks at me. I'm like, oh, sir, sorry. I thought you were someone else. Oh, man. That was a great start.

All I will say in my defense is that for the suit with the holes in it, I don't know what happened there. I put it on and I noticed it. I don't know if moths had gotten to it or what had happened, but it's a real shame because that's a beautiful suit. Yes, it is. And I hope you can still, yeah, find ways to, carry on with the holes or maybe there's a patch job that they can do back at at HQ because

it is a beauty. Okay. Oh, by the way, before we do this, you gave my credential to a young man who working at the Sabre's security desk. I think his name was Liam. Oh, yeah. And what did you tell him to say to me? Well, first I said, act like you have no idea what he's talking about when he asked for the credential. But when I explain the situation, they're like, oh, that stank Friedman again forgot his credential. I said, yes. I said you should refer to him as that. And did they?

Yes. And there's been a little bit of it. There have been about, I would say, probably about 10 social media posts referring to me a stank, although Liam was the only one who did it in person. Nice. Well done. So you got some traction on this, Kyle. Nice job. Okay.

I'm still laughing and getting Dave confused for that other guy. is true. I don't know what planet I was on on Thursday morning. My POV was incredible watching that all unfold. It was so good. Okay, I got a couple submissions here to get to today, and we begin with Shane in Saskatoon. If all the information is correct on the Maple Leafs, being able to choose who gets the 2027 top 10 unprotected pick between the Flyers and the Bruins, could this actually be a good thing for Toronto? For example, Say it's top three overall. Could they use that as leverage and create a bidding war between Boston and Philly to give up an asset to ensure the Leafs choose them?

I feel like they could squeeze a prospect, a second, a late first out of one of these teams. So in theory, they could trade the pick again. Am I crazy? You're not crazy, Sheen. And that's why there is some, let's just say there's a tug of war going on here. Philadelphia has appealed the current interpretation. I don't even know if appeal. I don't know if I would say appeal is the proper word in a legal sense,

because I don't know if there's anything formal here. But Philadelphia has asked the league for clarification on this to avoid that exact scenario. Basically, the easiest way to say this is that the league is looking into it. And I have sent a note into the league and I have not received an answer. And my history with the NHL is that if they're ready to say something, they will respond. And if they are not ready to say anything, they won't respond. And it sounds like they're still working their way through this.

Now, the flyers have basically asked that they be awarded the 2027 pick. But at this point in time, there was still no. absolute clarity, so we're kind of waiting for the league to decide on what's going to happen here. They have acknowledged that there is a conversation going on. They have acknowledged that the flyers have asked for a certain interpretation, but at this point in time, it's not set. Okay. Good question, Shane. And that's sort of is not over yet. No, it's not. Okay, Ben in New York City. Hi, Kyle and Elliot.

Currently watching Game 1 between the Sabres and Habs here in the States on TNT with Brendan Burke on the call. I see Darren Pange is between the benches with Shane 90 up top, but isn't the game also broadcast in Canada? How does the NHL decide which network or country gets to have an analyst in that tight space between the benches? Is it based on which nation is the whole city. So in this case, in Buffalo, Panger would get the call, but in Montreal would Craig Simpson get that spot. So in theory, yes, where the game is held either in the United States in Canada, first right of refusal goes to either the American national broadcaster or the Canadian one. So in this case here in Buffalo, TNT, which was doing the game one,

on Wednesday night. They had first priority to say, do we want to put a commentator between the benches? Of course, you're right. Darren Pang was down there. He wants to be between the benches. Now, for our crew, it's kind of a moot point

because Craig Simpson has no desire to be between the benches. He likes working the game from up top in the booth. That's where his preferred vantage point is. So we'd never be in a scenario so long as he's working games where we would be requesting to have him between the benches. But in theory, when we go back to Montreal, if we wanted to have a commentator between the benches,

we would have priority as the Canadian national broadcaster for the game. Now, as you know, some buildings are different. The space between the benches and some are wider than others. Sometimes there's room to have both the U.S. and Canadian guy. You've seen that in the past. Sometimes there's not enough space. In a case like Montreal and Edmonton, too, Elliot, as you know, there really isn't a between the benches.

It's just an extension of the home bench. You see Louis de Bruss down there in Edmonton all the time, Renaulte LeVois or Mark Denny in Montreal. So that comes into play. However, for us, a big thing, if we're not going to have a commentator there between the benches, if there is space because priority is commentator first, and then once all those requests are satisfied,

if there is room, we will try to put a handheld camera in that spot. And as you know, there could be some great vantage points on a replay, seeing faces on the bench up close, or if there's scrums in between the benches, that can be a really great perspective to have. So that's become, certainly in the playoffs, a priority for sports net that if there is a situation where, again, Craig Simpson is an example,

doesn't want to be between the benches, no problem, but we would love to have a camera there if there is room. Nice. Now, the only thing I wanted to correct was, I thought in the United States, it is U.S. national, then us. And in Canada, it is us and then U.S. national. but I thought in Montreal it was the French rights holder first and then us. So the key there is which, whether it's us or TVA, which one is putting out the play-by-play camera.

Okay. That's how that is determined. I believe it was the case last round and I believe it's the case this round. We are putting out our own play-by-play camera. So in theory, we would have first choice. But again, it becomes a moot point for our crew. Craig Simpson goes up top. You know, we're still wishing Renaulte de Beauvoir all the best.

But when he does get back, he would be someone that he would be the man in between the benches there in Montreal. But I think during the regular season, there are instances where it's TVA that would be the one providing the play-by-play camera. And then they would be considered the primary broadcast there. and would have first dibs. It's a great point you make. Excellent.

Good work. Good question, Ben. One final one here. Stephen from St. John's Newfoundland. Nice. Good evening. Good evening, Kyle Adom. My name is Stephen, and I'm writing.

Wait, wait, wait, wait, what, what, what, what? Didn't even say good evening to me? Just said good evening to the two of you guys? So he goes, good evening, Kyle and Dom. My name is Stephen, and I'm writing from St. John's, Newfoundland. And oh, hi, Ellie. it. Nice.

As I sit here, enjoying a beverage watching the Avs and Wild game, I'm wondering what is the most goals ever scored in a series? After Sunday's 15-goal game

and now I see two goals on the first two shots in this one, I can't help but wonder if it goes the distance. Will we see 100 goals? Keep up the great work and just so you know, there are not any raccoons

in Newfoundland if you're looking for a nice spot to retire. sincerely a disgruntled Bruins fan who is not happy about the draft lottery. I have to say this. I would move there if there were no raccoons. I would at least consider it. Most goals in a playoff series? I would have to say this.

If it was a five-gamer, I would pick that famous Edmonton Kings won with the miracle on Manchester. but there's no way there isn't a seven gamer that goes longer than that. Yes, and actually the top three for this answer were all six-game series. Really? Yeah, didn't even see a seventh. No, you know, off the top of my head. I mean, look, if I was to guess anything, Kyle, I would guess something that would have the 80s oilers in it,

but that's purely a guess. Yep, and it led you to the right place. Oh, really? Yes. I couldn't pick a series, though. Fair. I wouldn't know. Fair.

1985 conference finals, they knocked out Chicago in six games. There was 69 goals scored in that series. That is the record. So they averaged 11.5 goals a game in a series, the two teams? Wow. Yes. So the only thing close recently, So in the bubble, Dallas, Colorado,

and also New York Pittsburgh in the 2022 playoffs, those were both seven gamers. Those both had 57 total. But that's tied for sixth all time. Jeez. 69's the target. Now, game two, Colorado, Minnesota wasn't the same as game one.

Although it was tracking that way when you sent this in, Stephen. Yeah, they slowed down after that. Yes, yeah. So they still got a long ways to go to get those totals. 69 and six games, crazy. So I went looking

for that King's Oilers series and according to what I see, it's 50 goals is like 35th all time. but it is also, I think, the only five-game series that's in the top 50. Mm-hmm.

So I was on to something there at least. Yeah, that was... One of those games was 10-8, I remember. It was 10-8. No, and they met in 87, because that wasn't a miracle on Manchester you, right? That was later. No, a miracle on Manchester was...

That was that was 1982. Yeah, sorry, I met earlier. The first game of that series, I think, was a 10-8 game. Right. So when they met again in 87, Edmonton 1 and 5, that was 52 goals total. So yeah, that's the only five game series within the top 25 all time. There you go.

You're on the right path, though. I'll give you credit for that. All right, that'll do it for another edition of the thought line, 1833, 311. 32, 32, if you'd like to call and leave a voicemail or email us at 32 thoughts at sportsnet.com. We've got Elliot's conversation with Josh and Shane Don't still to come. We'll also look at the other series that played out Wednesday night in the Stanley Cup playoffs. All of that still to come on 32 Thoughts, the podcast. Okay, so Colorado, Minnesota. We haven't played since our last episode dropped on Wednesday.

They're in the middle of a boatload of days off. Game three of that one goes Saturday. So we will talk about that on Monday's episode, Elliot. Why don't we start with a series that we are at in Buffalo here? The Sabres and the Canadians, one game in there. Buffalo wins game one by a score of four to two. This is a different opponent for Montreal than they just spent going head to head with for seven games in Tampa.

But the Sabres are for real. Zach Benson is for real. Alex Lyon doesn't look like he's dropping off just yet. Rasmus Dahlin is a finalist for the Norris Trophy. Congratulations to him. What did you think about how this series started at the Key Bank Center? I think that that is a game. Game one of that series is one that if you're Buffalo, I think you have to win it.

If you're serious about winning the series and the Sabres sure are, you know, you've had a bit more time to relax. You went six games. Montreal went seven. They have a shorter turnaround time. They're the ones that have to travel into your city. They're rotting that emotional wave a bit closer to game one game time. I think if you're the sabers, you're waiting for them at home. You've had a few more days to rest.

You have to jump on them. And I thought they did. In the playoffs, you don't have to apologize for how you win, and you just have to win. And Montreal wasn't sharp. They weren't themselves. They took a penalty eight seconds in. Hudson tripped over the kickplate of the boards. I'm betting he's not going to do that the rest of the series,

and Buffalo took advantage. That's what good teams do. I didn't think Montreal was sharp. I think they lacked the emotion that they showed at more points in that Tampa series. And I thought they paid for it. You know, Dobish gave up maybe his worst goal of the playoffs. That Greenway goal was, even though there was a screen, it was kind of ugly. It went through them.

I just don't think Montreal is going to be like that again in the series. That to me is, that's the kind of game where Buffalo has to take it and they did it. I think both teams are going to be a lot better in game two. Like you heard Lindy Ruff, he wasn't saying we were great or anything like that. What was his line? We have to be more on top of them. I think when you win an opening game and the other team doesn't play great, you're spending the next two days or day and a half preparing.

your team for, they're going to be a lot better than that. They're going to be much better than that. And that's exactly the mode rough was in. I just didn't think Montreal was very good and I don't think that'll happen again. You know, you talk to him at the end of the game, Kyle, but the Benson stuff is very real. Like for a long time, you know, we remember what big heroes Rob Ray, Brad May, and Matthew Barnaby were in Buffalo. And we aren't going to see guys with 300 penalties. minutes in a year anymore. Like those days are just over. But it doesn't mean you aren't going to have guys who play an edgy, nasty game,

and fans aren't going to love them just as much. And you can really feel the love affair growing in Buffalo between Benson and the Sabres fans. Yeah, it was awesome to see. He got a huge pop when he called out for the first start at the end of the game. I give credit, like Alex Tuck saw this coming. Like even before he knew whether it was going to be money. Montreal or Tampa, he felt this was going to be a series where there was going to be more room for us kind of in the middle of the ice to create some things off the rush. And that's where they did a lot of their damage.

And Montreal just as going to have to do some adjusting to now because we saw it. Obviously, the one was the tough break on the Hudson there, but even the Greenway goal, you know, coming off the rush. And, you know, like, that's been when the Sabres are playing a game that they want to play. between that and how they got rolling around in the offensive zone for a few stretches there in the second period more so than in any other point. That was savers hockey that led them, you know, in a lot of ways to first in the division this year. And now, you know, Montreal, it's their turn to adjust. But I think there's still a very compelling series to be had here.

And now, you know, as St. Louis said after the game on Wednesday, like it's kind of the first time in two weeks that our top guys actually had a bit of space with the buck on their stick after how tight it was in Tampa. And so it was interesting. They had an optional practice here on Thursday. The last two guys on the ice were Hudson and Caulfield. The Hudson one I'm not surprised by because that's his sanctuary. He's always on the ice and usually a lot longer than most. But Coffield putting in extra work still stuck on just the one goal.

You know, you could tell he was struggling to find whatever kind of rhythm he's looking for there in game number one. Like that's where my mind's kind of going of, you know, as a team, of course, you got to respond after losing the opening game. But for a guy who scored 51 in the regular season, all right, like, here's your moment to try to try to break through. I think this series is going to be a lot better, a lot better. And I think that what the Buffalo player said to you, Kyle, before game one is true,

there's going to be more room out here than there was for both. both the Sabres against Boston and the Canadians against the Lightning. These two teams just play differently. They won't lock it down. They will attack and they will take chances. And my bet is that game one is a complete dud compared to the rest of this series. Ooh, I like that bet. Okay.

Meanwhile, out in Vegas, that felt like an important one for Anaheim, beyond the obvious of winning the game, even the series going back home, but a game where they controlled play, but unlike other games against Edmonton where the goals were adding up for them, that was a night you had to stay patient and trust that it was going to come

and don't get out of what was making you successful. And that was a young team that stuck with it and full value, nearly a shutout for Lukash Dostel, but full value, going into Vegas and earning a split there. Like this young Anaheim team continues to impress a lot of us here, Frege. Yeah, I have to say that this is a different series for Anaheim.

You know, we've all talked about how Anaheim was full value for beating the Oilers and they deserve credit and nobody should take anything away from them. But I think we also felt that this series was going to be very different. And they've shown that they can add. adapt to two opponents who don't really have a lot in common in terms of the way they play. Edmonton's super fast team up and down the ice, they beat them. The Knights more structured, definitely about being in the proper position and trying to exploit your weaknesses. And I think Anaheim's played two games really well.

I you know if you're the docs you're probably sitting there saying boy I wish we were up two nothing instead of one one duh that's obvious but there's nothing I saw from the first two games for Anaheim that make me concern that they can't win this series you know dostall is settled down and so is hard for Vegas he started to play a lot better going back to the back end of the the mammoth series but I like the way that They have defended Vegas so far. And that's, I think, the one thing. I didn't watch the beginning of game number two in this series

because we were finishing our work here in Buffalo. But I saw a team that had a good defensive game plan for Vegas and was prepared to execute it. So I always believe in Vegas. It takes a lot for me to think that they're not. going to win a series. The only reason I was really concerned about them earlier this year and at the start of the playoffs against Mammoth is they were getting at no saves. Like that's a terrible Achilles heel to have and not even a team like Vegas can overcome it.

But now that Hart is solidified a bit, I think they're a very dangerous team. I just watch Anaheim in the first two games of this series. they took advantage of an Edmonton team that had a lot of holes and a lot of weaknesses. And it looks to me like they understand that this is going to be a different challenge. This is going to be more of a playoff challenge and the first two games they've been up to it. The thing that they have to realize is that Vegas tends to get better as the series get longer. That definitely happened in round number one. so you know that the Golden Knights are going to go to a different level here.

And so Anaheim has to handle that. The other thing, too, is, you know, William Carlson came back. I tend to think that players, they get better, the more games they play, especially. Usually there's a bit of a jolt in game number one, but then it hits you and then you recover. Carlson and Marner played a little bit at the end of game two. I want to see if that's what Tortorella goes to in game number three. I think Carlson will get better as the series goes on, and I think the Golden Knights will too.

Ryan Paling has become a really good quote in terms of understanding a player's mindset and just how they're viewing the game. And he said after the fact that the way to beat Vegas is just outpacing them. And he's not necessarily talking about only how fast they skate, but just the way they process the game and how they go about it that way.

and it's been working for for Anaheim. I just wonder, you know, how long until do we get the, the John Tortorella, we're ready to play press conference again? As you go down that, that route again, because it's set the right tone and kind of turn their series around against Utah. It does it 26 times a year, so you're going to get it again for sure. Yes. The minute long press conference is, it's not a one-time occasion.

It's a multi-time occasion. Yes. By the way, I don't know if you saw it, like when Mark Stone busted the shutout with like six seconds left, he almost felt bad about it all. You know, I forgot to mention this, but every time I see that, I think of the late Pat Quinn. I covered a game once when Quinn was coaching the Leafs and the Leaves and was one of Glenn Healy's rare starts when Curtis Joseph was in, was standing on his head in Toronto. And he had a shoutout going in the last minute against Vancouver and they lost it.

The Leafs ended up winning that game 4 to 1. And Quinn came out and he was furious. The first thing he said was, I thought these guys liked Healy. He was so angry that they blew the shutout in the last minute. And I always remember that. He's like, that was like a sin to Pat Quinn losing a goalie shutout late like that. I didn't realize how long it's been since Anaheim had a shutout. Yeah.

It's been what? Yeah, almost two years? Yeah. Regular season of playoffs, of course. But I'm glad you reminded me of that because they played an unbelievable game that night and beating the Canucks and Quinn was seething when he came to meet with the media. He's like he totally forgot they played the best 59 minutes because they blew Healy shut out. That's good.

That's, yeah. Coach who understands the value of those. little moments there. That's an awesome story. Okay, you want to get to the interview? Yes. All right, let's do it. So Josh Dohn, you may have heard on 32 Thoughts, the podcast earlier this season.

He opened the scoring in game number one against Montreal. Elliot earlier in the playoffs had a chance to sit down with not only him, but his father, Shane Dohn as well, who's got his own playoff experience and experience for the game in his own right. So the Dones and Fridge on 32 Thoughts, The Podcasts. Let's listen. So many places to start. I think as a father, I'll start with the dad.

And Josh, you knew he was good, but this has been sort of like the breakout year. What's it been like watching it? You know what? It's been so fun. And yeah, without doubt, we always view your son as a good hockey player. But to see him. have the impact that he's had. And just who he is as a guy,

that's probably been the most fun to see the joy that he's had and to see him have him score and obviously makes him a little happier than not score. So that's made it fun. So Josh, when you pick up your phone after a game, what's the text message look like?

It depends on the game, I think. He'll leave me alone if I don't feel good. It's usually the same thing. thing, just good game or depending on how I play, depending on our biggest thing is it's not always about points or scoring. So if I play well and I don't score, I'll usually hear from them just to keep it up. My mom's usually doing more my phone. So she sends gifts and messages with like bangs and stuff and go Buffalo no matter what if we win. She's got it all dialed in. So what is what is your mom's key gift? Like everybody has.

She's got a couple. She's got like a charging Buffalo cartoon that comes across a lot right now. Yeah. How often do you and your wife watch games together? We watched the majority of them together. She was in Toronto with me for probably most of the whole first half this season up until the middle of January, we're there.

And then she went back. And then I've been back a couple times. So we watched back in Arizona a couple times in the last two or three weeks. but it's been together and she's a lot of fun to watch it with. I was going to say, what's it? Because you've always, when you played, you were like the charging rhino, but as a person, you've always been pretty calm publicly. What do you guys like when you're watching games together?

I'm pretty calm, I think, hey? I'd be calmer. I've heard from all the siblings and he's the calm ones. Yeah. I am. I will, I get more excited about the things that I see that, like, when he does something that might not work, but was the right idea.

Andrea can be just, she's a big fan and she's a big Josh fan. She is a Buffalo fan, but she is a Josh fan. The trade this summer, like how did you walk Josh through it and the shock of it and how to handle it? I guess, well, we were talking when we heard about it and we didn't know that he was in on it and he was excited. I thought JJ is a good player and he was excited to get to play with him and then when he found out that it was going the other way. I found that I was in the trade.

It was, that was unique. Obviously, I'd never experienced it. And you know what? His, probably his biggest strength is his love of his teammates. He loves his teammates. And that was probably when you get traded, the biggest, you know, the biggest thing to get over is,

for guys always talk about. And he had just had the experience of the world championships. And he was saying how he was going to miss the guys in Utah, and that was going to be hard. And after the world championships, he'd been talking about how much he loved those guys and how amazing they were. I said, you were with them for like two and a half weeks, three weeks,

and you were talking like that about them. In less than two weeks, he'll be talking the same way about your Buffalo teammates. And it wasn't two weeks. It was like five days, four days. and I'm hearing about everybody and how awesome they are and how great this guy is

and he's the best player and Sammy's amazing and Bisey's unbelievable and Tom's the best and he already knew Thomas. It was just in that part it didn't really take any talking. It was just him being him and he got excited.

What's the best advice your dad's ever given you? There's a couple things. I think obviously the most cliche one is he really emphasizes the fun in the game. And you do get to play a sport as a living is super cool and unique. And you're creative when you're doing that. And that's when I'm playing my best is when I'm doing that. I think the main one that sticks out to me is when I'm not playing well,

it's to trust your instincts and just go, don't try to think the game. When you think the game, you stop moving your feet and then you get yourself in trouble. And then I think the one that away from the game, too, is just to be a better person than hockey players. I think all three of my siblings and I can, anything that we do is important to be better at being a nice person to who you're with than to focus on what you're doing.

What's the best thing you're watching your son has taught you about being a dad? Maybe all your children. Yeah. You just, I don't know, my wife did an amazing job. I guess when I watch them and see all my kids, I know how much I was gone and and I do appreciate.

And when I watch him, watch him and all of them, they're just, they love each other. And I guess as a dad, that's probably the thing that I'd appreciate the most is I think Josh has a genuine love for people. And that's, that's probably the coolest part of watching him interact, whether it's on the bench or whether it's off the ice, whether it's coming across people, whether it's on the and his passion for the game, I think it kind of spills into everything, and I think all four of the kids have that,

and I thought's probably the coolest part. That's awesome. What does it mean to hear that from your dad? Yeah, it's pretty cool. It's fun to listen to him talk, and he gets to be nice to us all. So that leads to the question. What is the angriest Shane has ever been at you?

Oh, no. He doesn't always get angry with us. Like, we would joke his kids and my sister Karas loves the fact that she can tell people, like, we've all seen him mad on the ice, but there's a look that us four kids have gotten that no one has seen before. And it's not a, nothing needs to be said.

You're like, okay, yeah, noted that won't be done again and just kind of go to your room or avoid him for a couple minutes and then he's the happiest guy alive five minutes later. But I think he's, I don't know, I try not to do anything too bad. to make them that upset with me. I think we've all avoided too much consequence. I need you to turn to the camera and give that.

I wish I could do it. They pointed it out to me once in a while. And I know I've seen it. I've seen it in a game or whatever at a moment or two, but I've seen it on his face a couple times in a game. Jam-up. Yeah, when you see, I was like, oh, and it kind of laughed. But it's...

It usually takes quite a bit. Wouldn't you remember, like your first memory is your dad playing? Yeah, it was quite a unique experience, obviously, to be 15 years old when he was done. So a lot of memories is when I was in my early teens, getting to go to the rink with them and watch him play. I think going to the World Championships as a kid was always super exciting for me and getting to watch him play there. But I'd say one of the cooler memories would be at the All-Star game in Montreal. getting to be a part of that with him

or my sister around on the bench when he somehow won the shootout competition. Somehow, but he did. So I guess I took my couch him on that. But it was just stuff like that where you're around the game and you get experienced that kind of stuff where you get to interact with him

and his teammates in those events and kind of enjoy the moment with them where you don't realize how cool they are until you get a little bit older and looking back at it's pretty special. So my son's 14 and he is not remotely interested in what I do. It doesn't care and that's fine. Like I want him to be happy and pick his own path. I'm good.

But when, like, do you remember there was a point where you realized, you know, just how accomplished your dad was and is and you said, I want to follow that path? Yeah, I think growing up I was, I just loved hockey and it was because obviously he did but then just how much fun I had playing it or with him in the backyard or garage and stuff like that. And then I was probably around 10 or 11

when you kind of realized what he did was pretty cool and not a lot of people can do that at that level. And I don't know, there wasn't really a time where I thought I was going to be able to really perform at that level or play at that level. I think there was some tough years growing up where he obviously helped me a ton in getting now to where I am from then.

But I think growing up, you don't really realize it because he is dad for the majority of your childhood. And then at some point you come to realize that it's pretty cool doing what he's doing. I mean, probably the first time they made the playoffs that I could remember as a kid was, you realize how important the game is and how big it is. And it's not just like a job. It's serious to a lot of people and it's fun. So I think that would have probably been those Detroit playoff series of this kid were the first kind of moments you realize how cool it was.

Was there a moment, Shane, where you looked at Josh and you said, my son's got a chance here? Yeah, it probably was right at the end of his early, early, early on when he was a kid. He actually was against Dustin Wolfe. He scored a goal, which is crazy because this is back when he was like nine or ten. Or it was for the brick. He was getting ready for the brick. And he came in, he made a really nice move, and Dustin Wolf stayed right with him, stopped him. and nobody had really, he had, he made the right move and no one had really stopped him.

And Dustin stopped him. He got about two shifts later, he got another breakway, came in and made a little move and took a shot. And Wolfie stopped it. And then Josh got the rebound, put it in. And for the first time I'd ever thought of was, I think he almost bounced it off his pad to himself. And I asked him about it after the game. And this might be a show my own abilities. I was like, did you do that on purpose?

Did you try to go? And he's like, well, I knew if I went there, I probably could get a rebound and I could get another chance at it. That had never crossed my mind. An entire time I'd played hockey. And I was in the NHL for a while and I'd never thought like that. And so that was when I was like, oh, he thinks the game so much better than I do. And he was like, nine.

But then in his first year in Chicago at the end of the year, the beginning of the year, I thought he was in trouble. I let him at the end of the year. He had a game where he just, his motor was, he was kept his motor going, and now he was starting to get to where he could, if it got into a 50-50 battle, he was strong enough to win maybe a couple of those battles. And then the stick was really good. I was like, ah, if he can improve the same as what he did from the beginning of the year

to this point for next year, maybe he's got a chance. and then obviously the following era, he really improved. He improved even more. And then he kind of grew and got into his body and all that. But that was probably when I was like, okay, maybe he's got a chance. What do you remember about your draft do? I was in Michigan at the World Junior stuff. So I was with my mom.

Obviously, she was there. But I was with a lot of the guys that I had played in Chicago with. So that was pretty cool to share that day with a lot of them, just because it was off-site and you had a chance to kind of be around guys that you had taken those steps with and people that supported you throughout the way, I think it's cool being, being with them. And then obviously going out to talk to my mom and she was excited when I got drafted and it was to Arizona.

So we got a chance to talk to him on the phone pretty quickly after, which was super cool. What do you remember about that moment? Like just as it was, obviously you knew there was a chance it was going to have. Yeah, it was, well, it was crazy. So the exact moment, going into that day, no one, we had had quite a bit of talks about as a family, whether or not he wanted Josh to get drafted by Arizona. Like it was, we really had kind of hinted that we didn't.

But at the same time, we weren't going to, it was like whatever is best for everybody will just do. So I never got to see our list past, I saw the list, but Josh wasn't on the list up until that point because the scouts kind of had discussed it. I thought what Bill and the scouts had done was an incredible job of just whenever Josh was discussed, I was out of the room and I wasn't involved. And then the morning of the second day, they gave me a new list. They were like, hey, we'll give you a list where Josh is.

And it showed that they had them, I think they had them a 19 on their list. and either like he's going to go early and we want you to know where we have him and I was like okay I see it and I was like hey if it doesn't line up we are not moving off this list like that's the way you've always done it that's what you do so at 36

they had I guess I can tell now that they had Williams they had shy ahead of Josh and they had him at 18 and Detroit traded up to move ahead of Arizona and took him at 36. And so when the trade went through,

they're like, they're taking, you know, the room's all talking. They're like, I think they're taking boo-yo. And then everyone in the room turned and looked at me, and I'm like, ooh, that's lining up perfect. So they took him with the next pick, and that was pretty exciting. It was really unique for about a minute and a half

to two minutes of knowing, like, oh my goodness, Okay, all the ramifications of it kind of run them through my head and then to get to talk to him right after it was really special. Now, did anyone in your family say to you, did you know that this was going to happen? Yeah, nobody, it was literally a minute. And everyone asked me, and everyone asked me, and I'm like, I swear, I thought that we were because of the situation,

and according to what the scouts were saying, that it was going to be, William, and then we had two more picks, but everyone was telling me like there was no way that he gets to the second or third one. And I was, so then you're kind of like, okay, well, if that's the case, I'm happy regardless because he's going to get picked relatively soon and I'm going to get to see. But when that trade went through, it was crazy. And so it was like, oh, my gosh, it literally was, it fell back into place. And it was pretty special.

The thing I always remember, too, about your first, jump ahead of your first goal was, We were watching again today before the interview. First of all, he had two. The building was crazy, but Uncle Dan. Uncle Dan, that is the one that stands out as much as anything else. What do you remember about that? Yeah, I think we were talking about it before that he would owe me, we had some wage in the summertime about something,

and I was going to play in Tucson, and we went to Abbotsford a couple times. So if I scored while he was present in the building that he had, to take a shirt off in Abbotsford. Not many people would have saw except the people in the building and it just would have been awkward for him. And he agreed to it, but my aunt, my mom's sister, had vetoed him when I scored in Abbotsford. So she didn't want the secondhand embarrassment of being there, which is fair.

But my little cousins kept him to his word and they weren't supposed to be in Arizona for my first game. I got called up while they were in town and I was in. San Jose playing against the barracuda and they were like well now we're not going home because they're supposed to fly out that night and they decided to stay a couple days so over that couple days I think he planned out that if I had scored it he would go tarps off in his words and and he did so he's he's meant a lot obviously to me and my siblings but we've been pretty close since I was super young and he's he's been one of the mentors in my life that has has done

and kept things fun for me in the summertime and training. So it was pretty cool that he got the opportunity to show the world what he does in the gym. But I think he's adamant that he's coming here for the playoffs. And we'll see. We'll see what happens then. But I think it would be pretty entertaining to see it again or maybe get some paint on his chest or the saber. A painted don't saber's chest.

The funny thing about that is, I can't tell if you're, if you, if he, if you want him there, I want to get away from him. Like, he decided he's going to be with you. I can tell how you felt. Yeah, you know what? We were so excited, obviously, when he scored his first goal. Like, that was unbelievable. And then, um, to get the second one, Dan and I were laughing about the first one and I was

laughing. We were just having a good time. And when the puck went in, I was like, it might have been a high stick because we were trying to decide. It didn't really matter. The shirt was off. And he made me feel so small. Like, I'm not... He's ripped. He's huge. He's ripped. Yeah, yeah. And it was really cool to see. And the key to it, and I really believe, him and Josh, Dan has been an unbelievable kind of role model to Josh right from like four years old. He's been there and has always made Josh feel so important and special

and for that to happen and there was a lot that went into it and it was a lot of fun it was so much fun that was a great night we had an unbelievable night thing that you're most like your dad thing that you're least like your dad

is how I think I'm the one that's bad for both of us is probably our phones were terrible I don't know that feeling I'm bad with texts and I feel bad and now we would tease him as kids out like it'd all be like

You never answer your phone. And now I'm like, oh, boy, now I see why. I'm in the same boat now where I'm terrible on my phone. And then different, I don't know, we're, I don't know, that's a tough one. Pretty similar in a lot of ways. I'm a way better Smash Bros. Player than Nintendo. That's not even close. No, not even remotely.

Ability to smash buttons, I guess. I don't know. I think my siblings would have a better answer for that than I would. We're pretty similar in a lot of things. Maybe where you think you guys are most similar and most different. Yeah, the phone thing is definitely similarities there. I think Josh's ability to gather and hold information. Like, if you need something found out, if you need to figure something out,

he is so good at that. I do call him and be like, hey, uh, what's going on with so-and-so? And it's like instant. Like, and his passion of knowing information is really,

I guess we're kind of similar in that way, but he is so much better at it. I think I'm understanding the world that we live in now of Twitter and everything where I'm, I get it, but I don't get it like he does. And it's, maybe that's probably the,

I don't know, we're pretty similar in that. All right. Last question for you. You know, like I said, I'm a father too. All we do in life is hope to see our kids do well. And you've got lots of successful children. But to see Josh, it's about to play his first playoff game. I know how you felt when you played your first playoff game.

What's it going to be like to see that? It's the whole reason you play. Like, from when you're a kid, to forever, the reason you play is to play for the Stanley Cup. Like, that's what you do, is you play for a chance to play in the playoffs. And it's hard to understand and explain it to people when, like, it's, it's that passion that you've had from the very beginning. And for him to get to experience it, him and I've talked a little bit about it, how amazing it is, the playoffs there. It's so much fun.

And I can't wait to watch. And it's amazing you want your, I read a quote, your dad is the only man that you come across that wants you to do better than him in life. And nothing would make me happy. I mean, watching Keith with Maddie celebrate with the Stanley Cup has been pretty cool. And that's, it's a pretty amazing thing to see your boys get a chance

to do something that I'd love to watch him do. And I can't wait. I can't wait. Josh, the day that comes, that comes, imagine maybe around that saber logo, the Don family, Shane, Andrea, your siblings, Uncle Dan, whoever else is invited, like to stand on the ice with it. Have you thought about it? Yeah, I think it sounds stupid. I was that same brick tournament, our team, because the Kings won the Stanley Cup that year, celebrated with the, we got to go in and see it, and I refuse to go into the room. celebrate with a standing cup unless it was with him. And that was part of me being a stubborn 10-year-old that was upset that my dad lost. But I think that was also like just, I mean, seeing how much he cared and how much he put into his career was something really cool.

And part of why I'm where I am now. So it would be something where I think he would be obviously, I think it would be the two of us first would be really cool. And then bring the rest of him in after. It'll be hard to keep my siblings away. They're pretty passionate too. Gracie in particular would be upset with me, I think, because she's been a huge supporter of mine since I was little. But yeah, it's something that as a kid, it was him and I,

and that's how I kind of pictured it as growing up. If I'm going to do it, I'm doing it with him, and that's kind of a thought process. Do you guys still skate together? Yeah. Yeah. What's that like? Depends on if we're on the same team.

I think is a huge Wolfsgate in the summertime at ASU if he'll I'll bring him out because they can have coaches so he'll run me and a couple guys out and the two of us

if we don't have or if we have an odd number of guys he plays it's the only way he'll play with that group and then usually we'll try to get on the same team and it's pretty fun I think we we think the game pretty similarly so it's fun to play with them and then against each other

it's another level of... I've said it where I got asked earlier this year about battling with him and he's still pretty strong in the corners around the net, so I try to expand the zone as much as possible versus him now, but he's still... I mean, I still think he's got it. He's somewhere in there and he's down.

He's still got it. Depends on if he wants to shoot or not. Yeah. It's so fun to watch him play and to see the skill level of all the players now. I was watching the game when they played Anaheim just recently, and Mike Smith was texting with me, and he was chirping me.

There's no chance I would have scored that. I probably would have missed the net, hard-rimmed it around on the ice, where two-on-one the other way, because I think the exact quote that he said, but to watch their skill level is amazing and their game, and it's fun to be on the ice and play together and have fun playing together,

but man, what they can do now, what they do with, the puck is just, stuff you didn't even think about. You didn't even comprehend that that would even be an option and you'd be ridiculed if you did. Do you remember the first time

Josh out-muscled you for a puck? Yeah, well, I remember the first time that I went to lift his stick and I didn't, and it didn't, I'd kind of give it a pop and steal it. And I was, oh, I think he's got a little heavier stick now than, but he's more, he uses a stick as a, he knocks things down and steals it more of quickness than just strength,

which really bugs me when he does it to me. It's more than when he steals it from me that bugs me. I don't really get to steal it from him, but he steals it for me all the time. So, yeah. Our thanks to Josh and Shane and the Buffalo Sabres for making that conversation happen. Two games on tap tonight in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, including right here in Buffalo, game two, the Sabres and the Canadians. Hockey Central, the pregame show, gets you set at 630 Eastern 3.30 Pacific time,

the game a little after 7ET from Western New York. That will be followed by game number three of Anaheim and Vegas from the Honda Center should be a great environment there at 930 Eastern Time. It will begin on Sportsnet 360 and move to the Sportsnet main channels, once the Sabres and the Canadians are all wrapped up. Taking us out today, a track from Marzia, who's an R&B singer born in General Santos, Philippines, and raised in Surrey, BC.

Her soulful vocals and vulnerable songwriting have quickly established her as one of Canada's rising voices in contemporary R&B and soul, earning chart success, critical recognition, and institutional validation for her artistry. Her sound, which she described, as laid back, emotional, and rooted in soulful live instrumentation, feels like dim lights on a rainy night, slow drives through empty streets,

and quiet moments of self-reflection. A proud Filipino Canadian artist, Marzia, brings over a decade of dedication to her craft representing an underserved community with authenticity and grace. This song, along with all the others we've featured this season, as you know, can be found on the 32 Thoughts, the music playlist on Spotify. Here is Marzia and Ordinary on 32 Thoughts. The podcast, have yourselves a great weekend. We'll talk to you again on Monday.

Lately, I've been feeling so low, thinking that I'm not where I'm supposed to be. I've been stuck here running, running circles. Am I going to make it? Will these dreams come true? You see, I've never been a time. To be you lost with nonsense like I lose it for Am I getting feeling so low thinking that I'm not where I'm supposed to be I've been stuck here running round in circles

Am I gonna make it will these dreams come true Feeling so low thinking that I'm not I've been feeling made dreams for me My life But when I lay with my mind Can't sleep where I could just be a reflection Am I gonna be true? Am I just an ordinary?