32 Thoughts: The Podcast - Lots to Talk About
Episode Date: October 16, 2023Jeff and Elliotte open the podcast discussing the latest with the future of pride tape in the NHL. Elliotte adds to the Conor Garland story and the Canucks' mission to add cap space (10:48). They dive... into everything that's going on in Ottawa after a big weekend for the Senators (14:00). Elliotte provides some insights into the future of the NHL Draft and how the league is looking to improve the viewing experience. (18:30). The guys also talk about whether they are worried about the Oilers' tough start to the season (27:30). They touch on the Devon Toews extension (39:00), and set up Auston Matthews' first clash with Connor Bedard (43:00).Jeff and Elliotte answer your questions in the Montana’s Thought Line (55:00).Email the podcast at 32thoughts@sportsnet.ca or call the Montana's Thought Line at 1-833-311-3232 and leave us a voicemail.This podcast was produced and mixed by Dominic Sramaty and Jordan McRae and hosted by Jeff Marek and Elliotte Friedman.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.
Transcript
Discussion (0)
oh my god that's so bad so i have done that once before oh elliot oh no man oh that's um
no matter what else we talk about on this podcast that's going to get the most reaction
welcome once again to 32 thoughts the podcast brought to you by the new 2024 gmc sierra hd
american friedman with you one more time we have a lot to get to today news about the
Vancouver Canucks news about the NHL draft news about the Ottawa Senators but let's start out
with the future of pride tape in the NHL Elliot what's the latest what do you hear what do you
know there's going to be some meetings this week I think as soon as today I'm pretty sure there's
at least one today I just don't know
how long this is going to go or how many different meetings there are, but there definitely is or are
going to be some conversations about where everything stands, will anything change and
where they go from here. And, you know, I think Jeff, to be honest, if the NHL was going to change all this, it had to be in one fell swoop.
Because everybody was getting their, wrapping their heads around the specialty jerseys, including the pride jerseys from last year.
a memo that this year, months later, after the original announcement in June, that had people wondering about, well, can I wear a hockey fights cancer tie three months later?
And you can't do that.
First of all, nobody should want to go backwards in the first place.
But secondly, if you're going to try something like this, you have to do it all at once,
not in stages and not something that catches people by surprise and just confuses everybody.
And, you know, let me just say, I disagree with the banning of the Pride tape.
And, you know, Jeff, for whatever reason, and I don't have a great answer I've just been told this
I wonder if it's simply because it happened in two stages but it sounds like people are more
upset about the tape than they were about the jerseys whatever the case is there's meetings
this week as soon as today to figure out where we're going my theory on that is the jerseys were mandated, but the pride tape is
an individual choice. I think that's why it stings more for some players. I think that's a good
theory. As you say it, you know, there's one player, Travis Dermott, who wears it all the time,
right? Yep. And so, plus also too, I like this theory of yours because the teams ultimately
decide what Jersey you're going to wear. But as now we know in the rule book, the player can choose
what tape they're going to wear. Yeah. You know, Jeff, that's a, it's a, it's a great,
great theory. Great theory. The one thing that I wasn't able to to find out and i asked and i got a whole lot of well i
don't knows um the idea of banning the pride tape is one thing but then what is the penalty if a
player uses it in warm-up for example um my question was is it the player who gets the punishment,
i.e. the fine or whatever the consequence is,
or is it the team that faces the punishment for it?
Because this memo was sent to the teams.
And that's the thing.
I don't know either, Elliot.
And I wasn't able to get a straight answer from anybody.
I don't know the answer to that either.
Like, as I wrote last week, and I said on your radio show,
I'm not even convinced this is enforceable.
But we are where we are, and I think everybody's trying to sort it out.
To be honest, Jeff, I was surprised.
I had someone tell me they thought there was at least one player
who was going to use Pride Tape on the weekend.
Just throw it on and see what happened.
But we obviously didn't have that through Sunday.
Now, we'll see where this goes this week, and we'll see if anything gets changed.
You know, I'll say this.
For as much as there's been said about players and teams arguing against it,
I do think, you know, Brad Marchand hit on what people think quietly. And of course, he wouldn't
be afraid to say it out loud. His quote on Wednesday, to be pushed to do something you
don't want to do or to be banned from using something you believe in, there's got to be
a line where we can all have our beliefs and support each other. It's unfortunate we can't find common ground.
And I completely agree with him.
And, you know, one of the things I think that for the players
who quietly didn't have a problem with the change,
I think it's because they were tired of, you know,
people going through pictures online or on getting images and whatever and seeing
who was wearing the tape and who wasn't. And so I think quietly, a number of players and teams
felt very strongly about that. But what I think it should be incumbent on everybody here is
sit down and figure out if there's a solution. Well, it seems to me, I spoke to someone
on Friday night about this at length. And this person wondered to me whether, because we're all
trying to figure out, you know, what the future of these nights is going to bring. And this person
said to me, I wonder if not unlike other sports, Elliot, they dedicate a certain number of nights, one night,
two nights, five nights, I don't know, where every player in warmup, for example, gets to dress or
wear, you know, their own style of Jersey or pride tape or something on their gloves or on their
skates that reflects either a cause or something
they stand for. So it's not just, okay, everybody, now this is pride night and we're all doing X.
This isn't just military appreciation night. So we're all doing Y. You do it all together,
all in one night or five nights or six nights throughout the season,
whatever it ends up being.
So it's not just one theme, but players can choose how they're going to express themselves
and not do it all in the same way or for the same cause.
Does that make sense to you?
That could be some fun chaos, I would have to say.
And you know what you could do?
You could publish every player's choice beforehand.
This is player X is going to be skating out wearing this or representing this.
Correct.
It's actually, Jeff, I have to say, among the history of Merrick's, this is not the
worst one.
You know, because I'll say this, you know, I didn't realize this, but the Sharks played Colorado on Saturday night and they came out.
Obviously, I'm watching Vancouver Edmonton closer, but it was Los Tiburones night.
And please excuse me, my Spanish isn't very good.
I don't have a great accent.
But when they used to have that night, there would always be some really interesting jerseys.
They'd come out in some really funky designs.
And as I saw that, I was like, ooh, that's something we've kind of lost a little bit here with this change.
So, you know what, Jeff, it's a great point.
I think what I feel is, because I don't like the fact we're not wearing Hockey Fights Cancer jerseys.
Like, I don't like that fact we're not wearing Hockey Fights Cancer jerseys. Like, I don't like that.
In addition to everything else.
So there has to be a way to sort this out somehow.
And maybe that's what it is.
You have teams play 41 home games.
Maybe 10 of those are theme nights where the players can pick.
Or five or two or pick whatever it is. There has to be a
way to solve this. A little bit of the color of the league, I think, has been lost. There was
some great stuff on the weekend. You look at some of the players picking their own goal songs. When
I saw the Winnipeg Jets list of goal songs, I couldn't stop laughing. Some of them were just hilarious and great.
I want Laurent Bossois to score this year so I can hear Rasputin by Boni-Anne.
I was thrilled that Morgan Barron scored the other night so I could hear Home for a Rest.
But, I mean, obviously Pride Tape is the thing that's gotten, has had the most air to it,
and certainly I understand why.
But watching the Sharks,
not in any of those special warm-up jerseys on Saturday night,
I saw it and I said,
some of the fun around the league has been taken out of this.
And is there a way we can fix it?
Don't disagree at all.
Okay, a couple of things.
Let's go back to Saturday headlines from Hockey Night on Saturday. These two things are joined, so I'll ask them together, or I'll throw them out there on the table together. Wasserman has been given permission to go seek a deal and Vancouver and the need for cap space or looking to create more flexibility, which, by the way, is something that Jim Rutherford talked about initially when he joined Vancouver coming over from the Pittsburgh Penguins.
So that isn't anything new. Capspace for this season around trade deadline time, for example, or are we talking about,
well, you know what?
We know the salary cap is going up next summer, but we'd like even more flexibility to get involved in free agency, or maybe it's a combination of both.
So anyway, Capspace and Conor Garland for Vancouver.
I think it's a combination of both.
But, you know, one of the things I'd heard that a couple of people told me was wrong
is that I had heard the Canucks, if they were going to have to take a contract back,
it was only going to be someone who was under contract for this year.
They weren't willing to take anybody with term.
And I had a few people push back on that with me and say that's not the case.
If they like a player, they'll take a player who's got a bit more term.
I think they want the ability to add money this year or to bank cap space,
I guess is a better way to say it this year. You know, if they can win the trade cap wise
by a million or two, it allows them to start banking a little bit more space. Now, I think
the most interesting thing, Jeff, is, you know, the last podcast you asked me, it was a question
a lot of other people were asking is why would you change an agent right before the season especially
an agent who got you a good contract in the first place and I think the Canucks
were really trying to get this deal done before the years they wouldn't have to
start the season short which they did in their first game against Edmonton and
you know now that the season started it's a bit harder to get things done.
People tend to say, oh, let's wait 10 games, see what we got.
I think there's interest in Garland, but that's the thing that Vancouver is going to have to deal with.
And, you know, that's why I think the change was made, because initially I think Vancouver really pushed to get it done before the year.
Look, they're looking for D. And the other thing, too, is when Mikheyev gets back,
I just wonder where Garland fits.
You got a player making $4.9 million.
That should be a top six player.
And there's not necessarily going to be a top six spot for him.
So all of that, I think, plays into that.
One of the problems, though, is this is a league
that doesn't start making trades.
There is the odd exception, but that doesn't really start making trades until January.
Yeah.
You know, you had Aaron Portsline on your Jeff Merrick radio show with Jeff Merrick.
Trademark Jeff Merrick, yes.
You know, and he said that Columbus was interested, right?
Yeah.
A lot of the conversation revolved around Jack Roslevic as well.
Because it would kind of fit the MO, cap-wise, right? Yeah, a lot of the conversation revolved around Jack Roslevic as well because it would kind of fit the
cap-wise, right?
Expiring contract makes less than
Garland. It kind of fits what
we think that Vancouver's looking for here.
Yeah, except it's not a D.
That's the one thing that
would concern me because I think that's
Vancouver's preference. But Columbus
is a team I could see
saying, we have to make sure this year
works. So, you know, we'll see. I definitely think Nashville's in there too. Yeah. You mentioned
Nashville. You threw Winnipeg. Somebody else actually reported Winnipeg and heard it. There's
a few. Like there's, I don't necessarily think it's a dozen. I think it's less than that. But
I think there's a nice number of teams here. It's just a matter of, of when, when it happens.
Josh Norris and the Ottawa senators.
There's a few things going on in Ottawa.
One,
big smile on Michael and Laura's face.
And you saw this Saturday with him getting into it with the crowd after the,
the win against the Philadelphia Flyers Sunday,
they'd turn around and beat the Tampa Bay lightning as well.
I want to ask you about Matthew Joseph here in a couple of seconds.
But Josh Norris, we're going to get to Shane Pinto.
Your thoughts on what's happening with Josh Norris right now?
I don't think that DJ Smith likes talking about it every day.
No, he basically said, look, guys, when the doctors tell me we can play,
he'll play.
You know what that is?
That's code for stop asking me this bleeping question.
Leave me alone.
Leave me alone.
When you're bugging your sibling and they say,
just leave me alone.
I want to be left alone.
That's DJ Smith right now.
Anyway, Norris, they're hoping he'll take some contact this week.
I think they're hoping he can play Wednesday, but we just don't know. I hope that does happen. A, because it's good for Norris, they're hoping he'll take some contact this week. I think they're hoping he can play Wednesday, but we just don't know.
I hope that does happen, A, because it's good for Norris,
and B, because it's Wednesday night hockey on our air.
Look, Ann Lauer is never going to be more beloved in Ottawa
than he is right now.
He had all the right notes on the weekend.
They won two games at home.
Winning is the best.
What did they chant, Elliot?
Yeah, that's the only thing.
Shane Pinto's agent is paying fans to chant,
Sign Pinto.
Going to bring signs like old WWE Raw and WCW Nitro.
It'll be the Sign Pinto Wars.
There's going to be 10 fans showing up with, like,
Sign Pinto with an exclamation marks on each of their chests.
Right around the glass and warm up.
I mean, confiscating signs in Ottawa.
Confiscating chest hair, making them wipe off that paint.
Anyway, it's again like riffing off the joke we made on Saturday night.
As we record this on Sunday night, you you know there's doesn't seem to be that
anything's changed well you better time stamp but what time are we saying this at I said 10 56 10 56
Eastern yeah so it could change but you know Matthew Joseph who's the guy who's been kind
of in the middle of all this give him credit like all you control is how well you play. And he's played
really well. He started the year well. And with Norris and Pinto out of the lineup,
they need that scoring. But I'm not really sure what the end game to all of this is going to be.
You know, I will tell you this. I think that, you know, Pinto was there in town. He left.
I've had other people say to me, he's got to be thinking about asking for a trade.
And every time I've checked, the answer everywhere has been no, it's not happening.
I think that's the only thing that everybody really has to be worried about here is does that ever change?
But again, I asked everyone I could on Saturday.
And if someone makes a trade request, it usually filters its way around the league and as of Saturday night people were saying no there
was there was nothing. Let me get your thoughts on on one other Ottawa issue and I think we're all
a happy to see him on the ice with the players at practice on Friday and then as part of the ceremony on Saturday.
And that is Daniel Alfredson officially returning to the mix with the Sens.
Do you have a thought on what we all thought was inevitable?
I mean, we all thought that, you know,
eventually Daniel Alfredson was going to rejoin the mix in Ottawa.
He's there. It's official.
There is no job title yet. There's no business
card, but he's
back. And Steve Stahel is saying they're going to
figure out what the exact title
and job description is at a certain point
here. But just your thoughts on Alfredson
returning to the Sens. Well, just look.
Some people should be
with certain organizations, right?
And one of those
guys is Daniel Alfredson. All those guys, Chris Phillips, Chris Neal of those guys is Daniel Alfredson.
Like all those guys, Chris Phillips, Chris Neal,
those guys should be senators.
They should be part of the group
and they should be part of the organization.
And there's just no other way to say it.
I was very happy to see it
and I have no doubt this will be a long
and fruitful partnership.
Excellent.
Future of the NHL draft.
Yeah, I got to say, just as a person who covers the NHL,
I don't like the idea of changing it the way it is.
This is just my personal opinion.
I love having everybody together.
I love the draft.
I love seeing everyone.
But I will say I understand why they're talking about this.
Last year, Jeff, what was the date of the draft?
28th, 29th.
And free agency is the first.
And this year, even though we don't have a set location yet, what's the date of the draft?
Same.
Yes.
And then you've got to travel like
crazy to get back for July 1st so I think that that is a very very big part
of it why are we all running around like this right before a free agency because
we know Jeff nobody talks to anybody before free agency there is no tamp
what's that word oh so right so right at 1201 those phones
start ringing and no deals are agreed to right before that at 1201 a very sophisticated uh seven
year contract for player x and the bonus structure to put that together in a cozy 25 seconds and wow
this is agents and gms really get to work quickly and got it through central and oh boy
wow that's remarkable so yes but anyway on that point i kind of get um i think the other thing
too is you know there's a cost issue uh you know although someone made a good point to me they said
if you're flying all your scouts and your staff into your office,
is it really that much cheaper than everybody going to one location?
You know, some team can tell me if that's the case or not.
But I thought that was at least a fair thing to throw out there.
I think there's also a feeling that not enough is happening.
You know, there's 15 people on the front stage.
It takes forever for everyone to go up and take the picture. Could they make the draft quicker? And not enough big deals have
happened. I think that's all part of this. But I guess at the Board of Governors meeting,
Bettman said that people could vote on it. Now I'm under the impression it might not just be a vote.
They might just say to them, hey, we're going to take a poll and see kind of which way the wind is blowing but I had some
people tell me don't be surprised if this gains momentum so it's more like like the NFL draft
you know there are some players who are there some players are at home, same as the NBA draft. It's going to be more like that if they do do this.
And if the draft keeps staying so close to July 1st,
I think there's a very good chance it happens.
By the way, in Vegas, there were reports about the Sphere.
I think the big question is how much would that cost?
Jim Dolan, who built the S sphere and is very proud of it.
Oh, he'll give the NHL a break.
Oh, yeah.
He's had some big battles with it.
He'll probably charge them more rent than he charges you two.
Yeah, that story is well told.
So I think one of the possibilities in Vegas is the Thomas and Max Center,
which, you know, I would love to see simply because
I assume UNLV still plays their basketball.
But when you think the UNLV running Rebels,
which was the sports team that really built Vegas sports,
and for all intents and purposes, it was a professional team.
You know, Jerry Tarkanian chewing the towels with the running Rebels.
Tark the Shark, baby. Tark the Shark.
Laurie Johnson, Craig Anthony, Anderson Hunt.
Should have won two in a row.
Duke beat them.
Christian Laettner.
I would just love to see that building just for the history of it.
So I still think it's going to be in Vegas.
My Disneyland idea doesn't seem to be going anywhere, I have to tell you, Jeff.
But this has gained some momentum, and it's not impossible that it happens.
All right, we'll see where that one heads.
Okay, I have a favor.
To anyone in the Tampa Bay Lightning organization
who is listening to this podcast right now,
can we please have the next time,
and Elliot, I really hope there is a next time too,
the next time Sam Gagne plays at Amelie Arena,
can there be a tribute video for Sam
for the one hour he spent as a member of the Tampa Bay Lightning?
Not unlike what we saw with what the Columbus Blue Jackets did
for the returning Ranger netminder, Jonathan Quick, on the weekend.
First of all, whoever came up with the idea deserves a promotion.
Someone sent me a text and they said, is it true that the Blue Jackets did a tribute video for Jonathan Quick?
And because I was watching the three early games on hockey night, I didn't see it.
So I was like, no way.
No way anyone did that.
That's some Internet joke, right?
You know, there's this internet joke site,
like sports site, Balzac Sports. And like, that's, I was like, it has to be them or something like
that. And I looked it up and it actually happened. And first of all, I liked it because it was funny.
I thought it was really funny. But the other reason I liked it is because it's been a really
heavy start to the year in Columbus between Babcock and losing the first game and Kent Johnson getting benched for the opener.
Like, it's been a really tough start there.
First of all, they had a great Fantilli video for his opener.
Oh, yeah.
That was awesome.
If we were doing the standings by some of the stuff that has been created by team entertainment departments
columbus would be number one in the league between that fantilly video and this and there's been a
lot of good stuff but that's what i really liked about it for columbus was not only that it was
funny but that team needs a good laugh like a good storyline around it and then they went out
and they and they beat the rangers in game two i also wanted
to mention when it comes to columbus jeff rimmer announced this will be his last season yeah and
you know when you think of the blue jackets the number one person you're going to think of is
going to be rick nash right because he's mr blue jacket of course but after that i wonder how many
people you'd get to if you were to ask the fans, rank the most important people in Blue Jacket history,
you'd probably get Nash first,
then you get the McConnell family.
And then what would, I mean,
Columbus people can tell me if I'm wrong about this,
but would Jeff Rimmer be third?
As far as beloved Columbus Blue Jackets personalities?
Or maybe most important people around
in the history of the franchise?
He's the guy that introduced the franchise to them, really, in the market as their voice of the Blue Jackets.
It's the same way that I feel about Ted Darling with the Buffalo Sabres, another team that's near and dear to my heart.
Or Jenneret.
Rick Jenneret for the following generation as well.
I think that Pete Weber with the Nashville Predators.
I think these voices, whether you, here's the thing that I always feel, whether you
realize it or not, they are the sounds of your hockey team.
Like you will close your eyes and think about your hockey team if you're a Blue Jackets
fan, and it's going to be Jeff Rimmer's voice subconsciously.
You might not even realize it at the time, but those broadcasters, because I know what
Ted Darling did with me, and I still to this day, when I see the Swords jersey, I hear that voice.
You don't realize it at the time, but as time goes on, Jeff Rimmer's voice will stay with Blue Jackets fans.
I completely believe that.
Yeah, I agree. The other thing I'll say about Jeff is there were times when maybe he didn't like something I said or wrote about the Blue Jackets.
And my phone would ring and Jeff Rimmer's name would pop up.
And I'd be like, oh, God, I'm about to get a lecture here.
Or he knew that the Blue Jackets were going to be in the news.
He'd call and say, you know, Elliot, here's why maybe something had happened.
And maybe give you a bit of he never told me anything that I think the Blue Jackets would be upset about him telling me but he would
always try to soften the blow as much as he could and it didn't always work Jeff I have to tell you
that but I really appreciated the effort.
The man loves the Blue Jackets. Whether he's calling the games or not, he loves the Blue Jackets. The sound of CBJ.
We wish him all the best for the remainder of the season. We'll talk more about
Jeff Rimmer as the season starts to wind down for the Columbus Blue
Jackets. Okay, I've promised myself, as I do each and every
year, not to read too much into what happens in the first week
or the first couple weeks,
or really even, Elliot, the first month,
because hockey in late November
is going to look profoundly different
than it does right now.
But having said that,
if you're the Oilers,
are you concerned about the goaltending
and the blue line, or are you saying, calm down,
it's early? Pat McAfee has a segment called, I don't want to overreact, but Edmonton would
be the main topic of that segment if he did it for the NHL instead of the NFL.
Look, there were some things I really didn't like. And the number one thing you have to worry about
if you're the Oilers is,
look, there were a lot of questions about the goaltending
and you looked at the way Campbell in particular
played in the preseason
and I got sucked in just like everybody else did, Jeff.
He looked really good.
And you're feeling really confident
and you're feeling great and you're saying,
okay, it doesn't have to be great,
but if he can be Aiden Hill or Darcy Kemper, one more save than the other goalie, we can win the Stanley Cup. And
he couldn't get out of the second period of game one. So I understand why the nervousness is there.
That's why people are looking at this and saying, to me, I always look at things like it's the first
two games of the season, relax. Edmontmonton shooting 2% at five on five.
Last year, they were one of the best teams in the league shooting five on five.
They were at 9%.
They're not going to say 2%.
I think like only Washington's worse and they got shut out.
So that's why they're worse.
So like that to me will all correct itself.
But the goaltending, I can understand why people are looking at the
Oilers and they're saying uh-oh we thought this was fixed based on the exhibition season I think
they're trying to change their defense and BX has showed some really good examples on Saturday night
of of how they're still struggling with the box and one that Woodcroft wants them to play but I
think the other thing here is that, like last year,
the difference between Vegas and the Oilers was they were a little bit deeper.
They got the saves, but also their attention to detail was better.
There were the details of the game.
Vegas was better than Edmonton.
And, you know, for example, on Saturday night,
in the game that wasn't a
blowout, they tie the game and immediately they give away a two on nothing. And that says to me
that your details slip. So I guess the short answer is, there's a lot of things I don't worry
about. But your whole season this year is about, as your coach said,
making sure you control the things that you control.
And in games one and two, they were sloppy.
And I think the goaltending, I think everybody looks here and says,
what did we just see this week?
Is there a reason for us to think it's going to be like this again?
Is there a reason for us to think it's going to be like this again?
Like the goalies have to regrab the confidence of themselves and their market.
Let's wrap up this segment.
We have more news on the other side and more thoughts on what we've seen around.
By the way, Jeff, we should give a lot of credit to Vancouver.
Of course. Whether it's Elias Pedersen, whether it's JT Miller,
who I think has played really well too,
to Thatcher Demko, who made saves and then barfed into his own mask,
to Casey DeSmith, who looked fantastic,
just getting shell-shocked with being cool the whole 60 minutes on Saturday. There's a there's a lot to like about what we saw
for vancouver in the first two i i have to say thatcher demko and i have one thing in common
you both barfed on opening night no i it wasn't an opening night for me it was i did it during a
hit once and i was out in the zamboni entrance of i think it was vancouver and i held it in my
mouth while i was doing the hit you did not
you did not no no
I had no garbage that I could spit it
into where did you stuff it
people could see me it was like under my tongue
oh my god that's so bad
so I have done that once before
oh Elliot oh no
man oh that's
no matter what else we talk about
on this podcast that's going to get the most reaction.
Elliott Friedman holding barf in his mouth.
Let's finish on that.
I'm betting it wasn't as much as Demko had.
It was like one of those small ones.
Speaking of goaltenders, highlight Mackenzie Blackwood against Colorado.
51 save performance.
Needed that one.
San Jose loses. They pick up a point in the process i want to get to philip zadina here in a second too but just a quick thought on mackenzie blackwood
of the sharks well first of all great for him he needed a change of scenery the devils needed to
move on for him i think there's a chance that i i think you get into situations where every player
could need a change of scenery once.
I've learned in my own life there were times I didn't realize it, but I'd gotten stale in
situations and you go somewhere else and you just feel refreshed. And you kind of look back and say,
boy, I didn't even know I needed that change of scenery, but I did. So I think this is perfectly
normal. You know, I didn't watch a ton of the colorado san jose game but i
will tell you this when i looked up at that screen i don't think i ever saw the puck in the avalanches
end of the ice it was all it was all mackenzie black aside from the bordello goal i think that
was the only time i saw the puck and congrats first nhl goal well done awesome for him and and
they were swarming all around, and Vlasic got hurt,
and I think he missed the third period.
And remember, this is a guy who was on Team Canada's list
for the 2022 Olympics.
People forget that.
It's true.
Like the list of five or six goalies, McKenzie Blackwood was on it.
On pure talent alone, this guy has the talent.
And he looked like a stud that night.
You know, we'll see where it goes.
San Jose's not a team that's built to win this year.
But a record for most saves in a debut with a team.
I mean, he deserved better.
He deserved to win that game.
They lost in the shootout.
But, you know, he played fantastic.
I'll tell you this, Jeff.
I think, like, to just about Jersey,
I'm wondering if we're going to see an Akira Schmidt extension soon.
And the reason I say it is,
Jack Hughes, they extended eight times eight,
and that's going to age to be a phenomenal contract.
I mean, the player's going to make $64 million,
but it's going to be a great deal for the team too.
True.
Akira Schmidt is in the last year of his current deal.
He started Game 7 of the playoffs last year.
He won it.
He's the goalie of the future.
I always look, the surest predictor of future behavior is past behavior.
Akira Schmidt's not Jack Hughes,
but he's very important to the future of the New Jersey Devils.
I thought about this the other day.
I was wondering that's what they're going to do.
Let me zip back to San Jose real quick before we get to a break.
Actually, I want to ask you about the Ducks quick and then we'll get to a break.
Philip Zidina with his first goal as a shark.
This is someone, and we talked to him in Stockholm at the European Players Tour, walked away
from $5 million and the Detroit Red Wings
to get, as you mentioned,
the fresh starts. There are some players
that you cheer for just based on what's
happened to them and you hope for the best.
Philip Zidina is one
of those players. Scores his
first goal at the San Jose Sharks. Your
thoughts on Zidina? Just happy for
him. Like another guy who needed a fresh
start. I mean,
you told the story, as you said, we heard him in Europe. I root for people to succeed. I want
people to do well. And I really root for a guy like that because there's a lot of people who
would never have done what he did. And so I'm happy for him. You know, Anaheim. Yes. Greg
Crowan, first NHL win on Sunday night.
And Carolina made that interesting.
They got to within 4-3 in the third before the Ducks pulled away.
Minchikov, first NHL goal.
Lucas Dostal gets the win.
You know, Anaheim's not going to win a lot of games this year,
but they've got a lot of good players.
But, you know, I have to to tell you i was kind of wondering
you know anaheim's going for the top pick again they want the eiserman they want the celebrini
they want to add to their talent and i'm wondering when they're up four one after two
is pad for beak in the dressing room before the players getting in there
putting like crushing sleeping pills into their water bottles.
If Tim Murray were the general manager of the Ducks,
that might be something that we could see happening. Remember when they were chasing Conor McDavid
and every time a goaltender would have a nerve to make a save,
that goaltender would get traded or waived, Elliot.
It does very much seem like a Tim Murray chasing Conor McDavid type move.
To the point about Minchikoff and Jackson Lacombe with the nice setup there.
A couple of weeks ago on the pod,
you mentioned all the prospects on the blue line specifically that Anaheim has,
and it is lengthy.
And even though it's only two games,
it's his first two pro games.
Olin Zellweger,
who may end up being the best of the bunch on the blue line there,
three points in his first two games with AHL San Diego. Like right away, this guy is super
comfortable playing pro hockey. So it is an embarrassment of young riches for the Anaheim
Ducks. By the way, Max Comtois, former Anaheim Duck, now has a home in the American League
with the Chicago Wolves,
which, as we know, is an independent organization.
If an NHL team does come calling, however, he does have an out.
Chicago has granted him that.
Otherwise, he'd have to get a proper release.
That's fine.
Any NHL team comes looking for Max Comtois, he's good to sign with them.
But right now, his home is with the Chicago Wolves
of the American League.
On that, we'll hit a break.
Montana's Thought Line and more thoughts
on, well, the Devon Taves contract for one.
Austin Matthews, six goals in two games, not too shabby.
And he's about to face off against
Conor Bedard later on tonight.
32 Thoughts continues. And he's about to face off against Conor Bedard later on tonight.
32 Thoughts continues.
Listen to the 32 Thoughts podcast ad-free on Amazon Music, included with Prime. All right, welcome back to the program here.
Welcome back to the podcast.
Elliot, it is old-ish news,
but we haven't had a whack at this pinata yet
since the news broke.
Devon Taves, seven-year extension,
$50.75 million, AAV 7.25.
You've been following this one from day one it's one of those deals
Jeff where everyone looks at it and says I gave a bit more than I wanted so you know it's a good
deal Colorado didn't want to go to seven years they did to get the deal done Taves you know like
a couple agents and teams were telling me the number here is 56.
If Devon Taves goes to the open market, he's getting at least 56 million, right?
Over seven years, over seven years.
Or eight. He's either getting eight times seven or he's getting seven times eight, at least,
at least. So Devon Taves, he's not getting $56 million, but he's getting $50 million.
And he's going to be more than happy with that.
It's still $50 million.
So Taves gives a little bit in terms of his market value.
And the Avalanche give a little bit in terms of term.
But you know what this says to me is, first of all, he wants to be there.
They want him there.
They both found a way.
Everybody wanted it to get done.
And that's the biggest thing.
But the other thing it says to me is that the Colorado Avalanche look at this and say,
we are here to win more Stanley Cups.
We've won one.
We want two or three.
We want to be pigs.
We want to be greedy.
We want to win two or three.
And you know what?
They have a much better chance of
winning two or three stanley cups with devontae's than without them and they said we'll whatever
happens down the road like if if devontae slows down then they'll deal with it later but right in
the short term him in the lineup gives them their best chance to win Stanley Cups. And he and Makar, don't forget, we talked about the Olympics with Blackwood.
Tays and Makar were going to be a defense pair for Team Canada.
And they may be again.
Like, it still could happen.
So, at the end of the day, why I think Colorado did what they did was they just said,
do we want to win the Stanley Cup?
Yes.
Do we want to win more than one Stanley Cup?
Yes.
Are we going to do it without Devontae's? Maybe, but it's going to be a lot harder.
So we're going to find a way to get this deal done. You know, the other thing too here, Jeff,
is someone made a really good point to me. And that is that Devontae's will be 30 in February.
How many NHL games has he played? 317. How many guys, this was what someone said to me,
how many guys do you know who signed for 50 million at age 29
and they've only played 317 games?
Well, he's kind of the late developer though, right?
That's the thing about Devon Taves.
For the longest time from Quinnipiac to playing with Bridgeport, it wasn't as if he, you know, joined the NHL when he was 20 years old.
It took a little bit longer for him to get there.
But that's the point is that there's a lot less mileage on him than there would be a lot of 30-year-olds when this contract starts.
But, you know, the teams are really into the post-34-year-old drop.
And this is the interesting thing about this.
What a couple teams told me,
I'm going to write about this a little bit tomorrow,
is the number now is 30.
We talked last week, Owen Power.
One of the reasons he extended in Buffalo was
Kevin Adams wanted to sign for eight years.
They got seven.
So he signs again in the 29-year-old summer rather than the 29-30.
Teams are adamant that players, the last, what was the way someone phrased it to me?
They said, I should have really written this down, but then I'd be smart, so I didn't do it.
But basically, people drop off a cliff after 34 is what a lot of these teams think.
Now, obviously, there are exceptions.
Henrik Lundqvist was one exception.
But they drop off a cliff after 34.
So the earlier you can sign that big deal, the better you're in.
But Tay, because he's only played 300 games, it's a bit of a different bet.
Interesting.
Okay, a couple more things here.
Austin Matthews, back-to-back
hat tricks and later on tonight the toronto maple leafs will face off against the chicago blackhawks
taylor hall looks like he's good to go and that's great news because i thought that he might be out
a little bit longer um after that brandon carlo hit last week. And of course, this means Austin Matthews up against Conor Bedard,
a player whose shot has been and maybe always will be compared to Austin Matthews.
Well, he's admitted himself.
He said he's looked at Matthews videos on YouTube and he practiced that.
So there's definitely more than just a comparison there.
This is a man who is stealing intelligence from Austin Matthews.
This is hockey treason.
No, I, you know, also credit to Taylor Hall.
It looks like he's going to play.
I know, right?
After opening night, you know, Luke Richardson was saying, you know, he's out week to week.
Not anymore. You know, he looks like he's out week to week. Not anymore.
He looks like he's going to play on Monday night.
I know people are going crazy about the Bedard stuff.
One of my buddies texted me and said,
do you guys have a camera on Bedard when he goes to the bathroom?
And I just said, if we could, we would.
Not yet.
Everything this guy does impresses me.
I'm a very big fan.
I have to say that
defenseman korchinski he's really good too like that guy looks like already looks like one of
their best defensemen too i like him a lot too i'm really excited to see this they're not going
to win a lot of games and that's by design but this guy is he a, he's a heck of a player, man.
He's a heck of a player.
He really is.
On Matthews.
Yeah.
I was having a long conversation.
I was at a birthday party on Sunday night, a kid's birthday party.
Have you ever been to Sky Zone just north of Toronto, the trampoline place?
Yeah.
I'm there all the time.
It's right beside pro hockey life where I seem to live.
That's right. Good point. You're right. It is right there. First of all, the party was from 5 to 8 PM on a Sunday night.
Yeah.
I think it was two kids who were turning 10 and another one was turning 12, I think.
I probably should know more about this than I do, but-
Good job, dad. I do but good job dad parent of the year right here I was thinking five to eight on a Sunday
night there's gonna be nobody here or it's not gonna be that big it was an absolute zoo I could
not believe how many kids were in there I used used to be on Sunday nights. You stayed
home. You kind of got ready for school. You had a nice relaxing
evening after going crazy all weekend.
I guess that's completely changed. Anyway,
it was insane in there. Anyway,
one of the fathers says... Tell us you're out of touch without telling
us you're out of touch. Oh, wait till you see the piece that's
airing on wednesday before the centers game you want to see me look out of touch i'm not telling
you any more than that oh i think i know is it what is it what i think it is yes you know okay
i don't want to give it away because no this it's fun yeah that's a that's a that's a good hook
yeah watch this on wednesday folks i'm gonna tweet out the hello fellow kids, Steve Buscemi one with this.
Because this is me.
Hello fellow kids.
That's good.
Anyway, so one of the fathers there is like, do you think Matthews is for real?
I'm like, Matthews is for real.
He scored 60 goals two years ago.
He's a great shooter.
Of course, I think he's for real.
He goes, yeah, I don't think that guy's that serious enough.
And I don't know where this comes from.
And everybody has their own ideas.
And I don't like to tell that this is our audience, right?
So I'm like, you know, I listen.
But I think Matthews is a killer.
Like I do, I really do.
I think that he's a guy who is determined to win and every silently, because he's not
very public about it.
I think everything that he does is about winning.
And I think he trains right.
I think he eats right. I think he's got his own personal
chef that stays with him. Like, I think everything that guy does is about building himself into
physically and mentally the best winner that he can be. And, you know, I think we see all the goals
and, you know, the one thing I thought was, you know, a couple of years ago, like when he got ragdolled a bit by a Montreal, like he kind of smiled.
And it's like one of those things that it's like sometimes it's like that old line about how you never get the second chance to have a first impression.
Like, I think that's stuck with people, but I don't think that's who he really is like the first night when Bertuzzi got jumped
and all those Leafs including Matthews and Marner jumped to his aid Matthews and Marner they aren't
gonna fight guys but I do think those guys they really want to win and I think what they are
learning now is how to channel that into winning, I think what happens is because of the contracts they've signed,
people just think that they don't want to win.
And I don't believe that's true at all.
I think they're both very, very serious about it.
And Marner, I think, just has to shut out the noise.
But I think Matthews already has.
Like, he does not understand why there was any doubt he was going to sign in Toronto.
And, like, I think he's going to have a massive year.
He's already started there.
I'm not surprised about this at all.
I just, you know, whenever someone asks me, it happens honestly quite a bit in Toronto.
People say, do you think that guy really wants to win?
I'm blown away by that I have never yes I have never believed anything but that I just think that everybody has a different route to getting there and I think he's really figured it out
one of the things that and there's only a handful of that, and there's only a handful of players. And again, there's only a handful of players that I feel this way about.
I'm talking about shooters specifically.
There's only a handful of guys.
Shea Weber was number one for the longest time.
I've always felt this way about someone like Patrick line.
And I feel this way about Austin Matthews,
Elliot.
There are just some shooters that when they
shoot they're not just shooting to score a goal i get the sense they're trying to shoot the puck
through the net like jack i did this like yeah like like your guy i know your man crush arbor
jack i did but like they're deliberately trying to shoot the puck through the net like you know
how some boxers will talk about,
I'm trying to punch to the back of the head when I hit.
I get the sense that when Matthew shoots,
he's trying to shoot it not just so it goes in,
but so it goes through the nets.
And there's only like a handful of guys I feel the same way about.
But Matthews is that guy.
I just love how comfortable and confident he is with the puck on his stick
and just how violent the release is.
I want to hear the boards rattle when I put this thing through the net.
You know what Toe Blake always said?
The only kind of shot I don't like is the shot I can hear.
Yeah, amen.
By the way, just one last thing before we go on the leaves
who scored for the toronto marlies on sunday who has five points in their first two games
nick robertson that is an excellent guess usually i'm used to your guesses just missing the mark completely but no uh and it's an interesting
one I I think when Robertson went down they told him look we're carrying the minimum here
I really wanted if Robertson got sent down if there was going to be a conversation about
it's time for a fresh start for him. Like we talked about it with Blackwood and maybe it's time for him to go somewhere else.
But I think they told him,
it's not like we've got a lot of players here.
It's not like you're buried behind a lot of extras
because the cap doesn't allow them to have it.
But I think that'll be a fascinating one to watch.
He's doing what he has to do.
He's got five points in two games.
A couple of more things
before we give way to the thought line questions,
the Montana's thought line.
How are you feeling about the Buffalo Sabres early, Elliot?
And I'll ask you the same question I asked about Edmonton goaltenders.
How are you feeling about Devin Levi?
This was bound to happen. Okay. You know, first of all, that Benson,
boy, that guy looks like a real player like add another level of young stud to the Buffalo Sabres offense that Benson looks like he's the real deal
to assist top five skill man I said last year on the podcast top five skill and two assists against
the Islanders I think the Sabres one of the reasons they kept three goalies it's one of those just in case
things just in case this doesn't work with levi and still it's early i don't panic or anything
like that but like they still have two guys if he needs to go down to the
American Hockey League. I refuse to say that needs to happen after two games. I think this
kid is too talented, too confident, too good. I'm going to bet on him long term. But this to me is
a reason that Buffalo didn't put either Comrie or Lucan on waivers because it was just in case they needed to put Levi down there.
I think part of it was they were scared that someone was going to claim them.
Well, of course.
I mean, that's the obvious thing.
Thanks, tips.
Well, I mean, like, let's not let's not let's frame this accurately here.
Part of it was, I mean, everyone's scared.
I don't think I'm framing it inaccurately.
I think that was,
I think that was part of it.
Like,
okay,
let's see about Devin Levi here.
But I think the,
the,
the bigger one is they thought that they lose one of the guys on waivers.
They put them on.
Yeah.
I mean,
you're obviously right,
but I could say the obvious thing,
or I could go for the deeper theorizing this podcast tries to do more
than just scratch the surface jeff i'm gonna go back into the shallow end where it's noisy you're
way out there in the deep end i tread water and barely keep my head up i'm going back into the
shallow end here ellen i can't tread water in the deep end with you here. Okay, let's get to the Montana's Thought Line.
The Montana's Thought Line brought to you by Montana's Barbecue and Bar.
Canada's home for barbecue,
which you always say.
Try the ribs.
And the deep fried pickles.
32 thoughts at sportsnet.ca.
1-833-31.
They're so good, man.
How do you not like deep fried pickles?
Like seriously, Elliot.
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1-833-311-3232. 1-833-311. They're so good, man. How do you not like deep fried pickles? Like seriously, Elliot. Come on, man.
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1833-311-3232.
All right.
This is Andrew Elliot from Maple Ridge saying,
I was wondering if you think it's possible that Patrick Kane is waiting until November 19th
to sign a new contract.
This would put him at 35 years old and make him eligible for
a performance bonus structured contract, at least as far as I can tell. Thank you and keep up the
good work. New Amel. That from Andrew in Maple Ridge. What would you say we should call him?
Old Dom. Old Dom. That's Amel. Old Dom. Yeah, because Dom is our new guy.
And so instead of calling him new Amel, we're calling Amel Old Dom.
Old Dom.
No, it's a really good question.
I'm sorry.
What's the question's name again, Jeff?
Andrew in Maple Ridge, sir.
Andrew in Maple Ridge.
It's a very good question.
But the answer is no, because the way the NHL works is on a calendar. And that calendar
ends on June 30th and starts again on July 1st. And your age on that season is your age on July
1st. So he doesn't become eligible for an over 35 contract because his birthday is on November 19th.
I love the way you think Andrew, like if I was running a league,
I would try to get away with that, but it's not the way it goes.
So because Keane's birthday is after July 1st,
that he's considered 34 this season. Great question.
I really liked the way you think though.
Eric C. Hey, boys.
Eric from Maryland here.
Question for Merrick, but by all means, Elliot, chime in as necessary.
Believe me, after Merrick answers the question, it's always necessary.
Yeah, no, it's always.
Yeah, here comes the sniper, Elliot, from the weeds.
Now that Conor Bedard has made it to the big show, who's next?
Who's the next great
can't-miss
future franchise
savior
league-wide
darling
we should keep our eye
out for?
Is this kid coming
in next year's draft
or is he
or she
only getting going
in juniors
or overseas
and will have to wait
a little longer?
Love the pod.
Keep it up, Eric.
C.
There's a few
and there's one person that got
put on my radar in a late night text on Friday nights. The guy, and I've mentioned, we've talked
about him before here, Elliot, who just actually on Sunday committed to the University of Minnesota
at the age of 16. And that is John Mooney or John Mooney Jr. or LJ Mooney, who's playing the U16 development team.
This kid has been out there for a few years. He's Logan Cooley's cousin. His dad played briefly.
He's from Pittsburgh. This kid has been out there and making noise for a couple of years in prospecting circles.
There's Michael Misa of Saginaw.
His draft.
And they're going to have the Memorial Cup this year.
2025.
Correct.
Saginaw's got Memorial Cup.
Gavin McKenna is a 2026 draft.
Hopefully he plays Medicine Hat Tigers.
And then someone who got put on my radar.
I got a late night text on friday from someone
saying you need texting you late at night on friday it's someone from out west so over there
it's nine o'clock and they're texting me at midnight with hey you got to get this guy on
your radar i got a text from someone saying have you seen landon dupont play? And I said, no. And he said, well, he's playing at the U18 at the
Edge School. He's a 2009. He's a defenseman. This person said to me, I haven't seen someone
dominate this age group since Conor Bedard went through. So there you go, already getting the
Conor Bedard comparisons, even though he's a defenseman and of course bedard's a center he's the son of do you remember mickey dupont the defenseman a little guy right yeah
mickey dupont's kid now mickey is now an agent remember mickey dupont was not that big but he
was a really skilled player hang on i will call up up Mickey DuPont stats for you right now.
Mickey DuPont from Calgary was 5'10", buck 86,
93-round draft pick of the Calgary Flames in the 2000 draft,
playing with the Kamloops Blazers of the Western Hockey League.
He played 23 games in the NHL with the Calgary Flames,
three with the Pittsburgh Penguins,
and finished with the St. Louis Blues,
wrapped up the career playing in Germany.
Anyway, his kid-
He retired four years ago.
I know.
And his kid, who's a 2009, all right,
and is already playing with kids much older than him,
is apparently the next big stud to come out of the West for that age group.
Landon, put it on everyone's radar.
Landon DuPont.
Another one.
Remember the name.
So John Mooney or L.J. Mooney, Michael Misa, Gavin McKenna, and Landon DuPont.
Well, I have to tell you, that DuPont's interesting
because I do remember his dad
being one of those guys,
I think if he,
I mean, basically he did play now,
he played up until four years ago,
but if he was in his prime now,
he would be a hell of a player.
You know what he does now,
Mickey DuPont?
Actually, he already was
a hell of a player.
He would be respected more as a hell of a player. You know what he does now? Mickey DuPont? Actually, he already was a hell of a player. He would be respected more as a hell of a player. You know what he does now?
What's that? He works with Titan. Kevin up.
So the kid's already got an agent. So all you agents drooling about, ooh,
it's a new fresh meat out there. Yeah, I guess again, too late. Too late.
Too late. I'm going gonna get your hooks into uh into
that one uh but that's a wonderful question yeah get landon dupont's uh name in your brain
um here's an interesting one permission to seek a deal hi elliot and jeff i had a question about
trades at times a team will quote give permission for a player to seek a deal how does this work
does the player and the representation contact other clubs and try to broker a deal at which point they take it back to the general
manager appreciate the time for reviewing my question please keep up the great work
p.s i tried the ribs very good ah excellent good job tried the ribs so good generally what will
happen is the team will tell the agent, this is what we're willing
to do.
This is the parameter of what we're willing to do for somebody.
You can't just have a situation where the agent calls up another team, makes a deal
that's ridiculous, and goes back to the team and say, well, I made you a deal.
You have to take it now.
First of all, the team ultimately retains the power to say yes or
no. It's not the agent. It's the team. The agent will reach out to interested teams and say,
I have permission to talk. The teams will check with the current team and say, is this true? Yes.
And the agent will say, look, like this is what I've been empowered to say in terms of what a team is
willing to do. And, you know, I think the one thing is like the more clients you have, you know,
it's a tricky thing to talk about because, you know, I don't want to create the impression that
the agents mostly say, say, look, I'll give you a better deal on somebody else. If you find a way
to take my player, you're not supposed to do that. That's not a good thing for an agent to do.
But I think there is no question that sometimes the more powerful an agent is, some teams,
especially if they're interested, legitimately interested in the player, they will want to
play ball with that agent. And I've seen that kind of situation happen before.
And sometimes what the agent can do is,
if a team says we're only willing to do this,
sometimes they can move the line and say,
look, I can get this done for you if you're willing to do this.
And sometimes that does happen.
Excellent.
Let's finish up with a voicemail.
Juan in Montreal.
Seeing, you know, we have now games in Australia.
How do you guys see the development of hockey
or even like the NHL going into Latin America?
Are we going to be seeing like a game in Mexico maybe?
You know, that is pretty close to us.
I wonder how do you guys, your, your opinion on this, this topic.
Thank you very much and keep up good work. Bye.
Thank you, Juan. I love Juan's accent. Beautiful.
Like just a beautiful accent.
And then we come in afterwards with our sloppy tongues.
Ah, well, thanks Juan.
Juan sounds so beautiful than us.
Lyrical.
Very lyrical.
The answer is yes.
They want to do this, right, Jeff?
They've talked about it.
They've definitely talked about it.
The Coyotes thought they were going there at one point.
Yeah.
David Proper runs international,
and it's up to him and his group
to determine whether that happens.
But Dave, definitely, I can for sure, Elliot, you know this.
They've talked about Mexico.
They've had discussions about going there, for sure.
Yeah, I know the Coyotes thought they were going to go there
at one point in time.
I would love to.
I don't even know if it's possible, Jeff, to be perfectly honest.
But if you saw told
me i can go watch a hockey game at azteca stadium wow don't they i would sign me up like sign me up
there is a mega as it's described a mega skating rink in mexico city 3200 square meter rink
beautiful outdoor rink in Mexico City, Elliot.
Well, I would prefer Azteca.
No offense to the outdoor rink.
I would prefer Azteca Stadium, but I'll take it.
Look, I do think they should go there.
I do.
I just think it's newsy.
It's fun.
It's different.
It's right on our doorstep, Mexico and the United States of America.
It's another fan base.
But the key is if you're going to go once, you've got to keep going,
as was said by Luke Robitaille in our pod.
Juan, I would love to see it.
I really would, and I think it's the kind of thing
that we absolutely should be looking into.
With you 100%.
Montana's Thought Line, Montana's Barbecue and Bar,
Canada's home for barbecue. Wrapping up 32 Thoughts next.
Okay, not that anybody wants to hear me blather on about my career.
One thing, considering I did get a lot of texts and DMs and tweets and voicemails, etc.
But I thought I should address it here at the end of the podcast, if you're still with us.
I'm not back on Hockey Night in Canada this season.
They have decided to go in a different direction.
The 32 Thoughts segment no longer exists. Elliot is still doing Saturday headlines,
which we will listen to and watch with great interest every single week. This was a decision that was made for me, as we say in the industry, but I just wanted to take a chance and take a
moment to thank everybody who made my second go round with hockey night in
Canada a really memorable one and a lot of fun I'm gonna miss seeing everybody there whether it
was people that we work with on the floor in the control room in front of the camera the makeup
room Gus who's cutting our feathers and Deb Berman and Amy like everybody with all of our stylists
and everyone I'm just going to miss everybody.
I'm still going to be watching every Saturday.
It's a Canadian staple, so I won't miss that.
But I just wanted to take a moment to thank everybody who made this last go-around at Hockey Night for me a memorable one.
And it is the industry standard leading show.
And there are few thrills better than when you work in hockey media
to be able to say you worked on Hockey Night in Canada.
So for everyone who helped me along the way
and encouraged me along the way,
and we're just great colleagues and great friends,
I just want to say from the bottom of my heart,
thank you.
And Elliot, yes, that does even include you.
We miss you, Jeff, already.
We miss you a great deal.