Empty Netters Podcast - 92. Leafs Think It’s A Damn Fight w/ Sean McDonough

Episode Date: April 23, 2024

The Leafs could really use their second leading scorer if they don’t want to regress to first round clowns. Sean McDonough joins the pod to share incredible stories of calling the biggest games in sports history and how he learned from the Doc. The playoffs are in full swing. Some series look like sweeps. Some series look drunk. Find out who is in big trouble. PRESENTED TO YOU BY LABATT BLUE LIGHT SUBSCRIBE TO OUR YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuf52MHW1O7guPMzsMvv2kA FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/empty.netters/?hl=en FOLLOW US ON TIKTOK: https://www.tiktok.com/@empty.netters  (0:00) - Intro (3:27) - Two Series Start Tonight (16:04) - All The Big Cats Eating (19:39) - Big Willy Hurt (27:20) - Matt Rempe you SOB (29:30) – Jets/Avs Holy Shit (32:09) – Hot Ice: Comfortable wins? (38:08) – Sean McDonough (1:31:17) – Mailbag Qs (1:40:20) – Saucy Predictions Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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This episode of the MTV Netters podcast is brought to you by Labat Blue Light. It is the freshest Canadian Pilsner in the game, and you want to know why? Because it's brewed with Canadian kindness in every sip. I'm telling you guys, when you were watching the game, when you're hanging with your buddies, the weather's getting nice again. Always assigned a playoff hockey.

Labat Blue Light is your go-to drink for all those activities. Dan and I got them on deck. We're watching these games every night, and there's a stack of Lab Blue next to both of us. Make sure you're doing the same thing. Check it out as soon as you can. The ice is ready. East Coast Edition.

We are here in Boston. Shout out to the Big Night Media gang for hosting us in their unbelievable studio, as always. And we are back with another, and maybe technically, because we did conference predictions. First, playoff episode of the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs. Holy shit, CP. I'm fired up. And, you know, Dan, every time, isn't it sick that every time we come here, it's cooler? I know.

Literally, every time we come to Big Night. These goddamn sons of bitches just keep stepping up their game every second. We got the Voice of God with producer hurls now. It's like going to Tony Stark's basement. You know, like Pepper comes down there and Tony Starks. It's a new Iron Man movie. Every time we come out, there's a new Iron Man movie. Tony walks out, he touches a butt in a suit.

He gets a suit on. He's editing in real time on a digital screen. It's nanotech. You like it? Yeah. They're rocking nanotech in here. And it's absolutely incredible. It's a beautiful day out in Boston, by the way.

Oh, it's gorgeous. I'm so thrilled to be here. We got bees. We got playoff hockey. This might be my favorite East Coast slash Boston weather. As stupid as that sounds. I just think we all love summer. It's beautiful.

It gets a little humid here. Yeah. Right now we got a crisp walking around 62-ish degrees. I got a crew neck on. I feel perfect. I'm not sweating. I'm not freezing. It's beautiful out.

Blue skies. Unbelievable. How did, and not to. Well, I guess maybe I just should toot my own horn here because I don't ever get to do this. How flawless for the weather you just described is this Wall Road Jack? Oh, my God, dude. Everything. I was trying to pick out my War Road outfit today, and I got, you know, I got the hoodies,

I got the joggers, I got everything. This jacket, which is a snap button, by the way. Do you hear that? Do it again. Do it again. Let me do that again. Let me do that again, dude. One more time.

I love that. Snap button, perfectly light, perfect weather, perfect jacket. It's fantastic. Unbelievable. You're firing. I took the red eye. Yeah, you did. I posted on the IG.

I'm sure you saw it. I had my whole War Road fit. in the airport. Wonderful. She's from Minnesota. Yep. Probably 60-year-old woman. I got a, are you a pro-athlet comment from her? Did you lie? Do you lie to her face? It caught me off guard so bad because it was when we landed in Boston and I was like, and I laughed and I was like, well, made you say that? And she was like, well, you got, you got the athletic fit on. I just thought, and I was like. She thought you were suiting up tonight, Dan.

Yeah. She thought you were third D pairing tonight. I got the call on. Gonna get tossed out there. Kill a few penalties. Playing with Pete tonight. Listen, we are pumped to be here. Going to be in the garden tonight for game two, but we've got so much to talk about it. So we've got to jump into this episode. We're going to start, as always, with no Bucky warmup.

But no Bucky warmup is now going to be the five favorite stories going on in the NHL right now in these playoffs. Our top five to break down how we're feeling. Start me off, C.P. Number five, the last two series start tonight. This episode's coming out Tuesday. We're here Monday. The last two series start. tonight. So obviously we did, it's Oilers Kings, it's Vegas, Dallas. We did our Western

Conference preview. If you haven't watched the Western Conference preview, pause your Spotify, pause your YouTube, pause your Apple Podcast right now, go listen to the Western Commerce Preview, hurry before the game start, come back and finish this episode. Okay, so since we did our breakdown, I don't want to dive into it that hard, but what I did want to do with you, Dan, is just go through each of the four teams and give someone, give people a player to keep your eye on from each of the four teams. Yeah, I like it. Okay. So, Oilers, Kings, let's start. Let's start with Oilers.

You want me to go first? Yeah, you can go first. Oilers, I'm going, Zach Hyman. Okay, there's literally no reason to think that his season won't continue. He's still certainly playing on Connor McDavid's wing. And, dude, look at this cool stat I dug up for you, all right? Last two seasons, his playoffs in Edmonton, and I'm going to go to two seasons before that in Toronto.

Two seasons before, three seasons before that even. Seven games, one point, five games, three points, seven games, one point. Those were his three seasons in Toronto. last three on the playoffs. Edmonton, Dan, 16 games, 16 points, 12 games, 11 points. Been a point per game guy in the playoffs the last two years, even though in the last two regular seasons with the Oilers, 36 and 76, 39 and 79.

So, you know, like he was already stepping it up in the playoffs. For sure. Proven. So for him to have the season he had this year, if he delivers again in the playoffs, and I bitched about the Oilers' depth with R&H on having the year he had last season. But if he continues to fire the way he has in the playoffs,

that's a huge factor. for them. I love it. I love that one. I'm going to go, this is not going to be surprising. We all know I'm a defensive guy. My knee jerk that I wanted to say because I wanted to go a little off base here was Darnel Nurse. Okay. Because that's the type of guy to me that if he can dig deep and reach back to the Darnel Nurse that got him the contract he's currently playing on, that's a huge difference maker. But I'm not going to go Darno. Okay. I love it. I love it. I am going to go with my boy. who I've been stroking off gluck, gluck and what, the last couple of weeks. Evan Bouchard.

Yep. Unbelievable year. Back to back, unbelievable years. That said, Bouchard, big point guy, point per game this season, just about, I think. I think so. I think he hit it. 82? I think it was 82 on the dot.

Yeah. Looked out of for me while I'm saying this. Sure. Evan Bouchard in 28 games in his playoff career. Seven goals, 19 assists. You love to see. that. So that's 26 points in 28 games for a defenseman. This is my whole point about Evan Bouchard. But here is the thing. What do you think I'm going to bring up right now? Plus minus.

Plus minus daddy. Evan Bouchard for this Edmonton Oilers team. 82 and 81. There you go. Evan Bouchard for this Oilers team. He is their top defenseman. He is pumping in points. Top five in the NHL and defensemen this year in points. Seven goals, 19 assists for 26. That's quick math. 26 points in 28. games in his playoff career, he's a minus eight. Can't happen. Can't happen. Can't happen. So keep eyes on Evan Bouchard. I want to see, yes, I want to see him getting out his point production like he always does. I want to see if he can lock down and improve that plus

minus because that to me, and that's not just on Bouchard, but when you're logging the minutes he's logging, when you're that number one guy, you're going to be on P.P., he's going to do some PK time. 5V5 is where I'm focused most. You can't get scored on. That's what I want to see from this Oilers team. That's what I want to see from Bouchard in general. I absolutely love it. You got a Kings guy? Do you want me to go Kings first? You can go. I might take your guy, you sure? Yeah, that's okay with that. I wrote down a couple of them. That's okay with me.

But I'm going QB. I'll tell you why, Dan. Last season... But Honor is nicknamed, dude. Cube. We're going Cube. We can call him QB as long as we then specify. It's Cube. A.k.a. Cube. Last season was his first real taste of playoff action. Six games. one goal three assists four points dash five not bad at all honestly this year dan was his breakout year

55 points 20 goals we've been singing his praises all season they need him to produce i don't know where he's going to be in the lineup yet but wherever it is we got to have it from him so i am my eyes are locked on cube for this entire this entire first round i like it i like it a lot what's up boys let's go okay my pick looking at last series yep Last year, against the Oilers again. Who led the way? Juice. Eight points, six games.

Right behind him. Copey, seven points, six games. Love to see that. A lot of the guys really did step up and played really, really well. I love the cube pick. For me, I want more from Fiala. Yeah. And I don't know where he's going to play either, honestly.

He finished the season. Well, I really love about this King's team, and we don't need to pump them. It's in the preview. I really love how balanced their big boys are. They are all in that 70-point range. Fiala last season in the playoffs only played three games. He was battling to get back, remember? Battling to get back.

One goal, five assists, six points. That's good. It's fantastic. I want Fiala. I want more of that. Fiala is always a little bit more on the assist side. I want more of that balance, though. I want him through.

seven games when they defeat the Oilers in seven, I want four and five from him. You know, I want to see that balance. I want to see him pumping in goals. I want to see him getting a lot of those assists, setting up plays with that great vision that he has. I think a healthy Kevin Fiala with this team, with the way that they're kind of starting to rediscover that December rip that they were on, I want to see that Fiala right out the gate in these playoffs. I want two points from Fiala in game one. I love that because a healthy Fiala all playoffs last year, they might have got by the Oilers.

Absolutely. Let's go to Vegas, Dallas, Vegas. Do you want me to go first? No. Okay, go. I'm going to go first. Obvious one maybe. I'm going to start with Dallas Robo.

Oh, okay. I want, so Robo had a less explosive year than he did last season. In my opinion, more balanced year. Okay. Snapping it around a little bit. Not necessarily worried about all the goals. A quietly sick year, too, by the way. Not to his standard, but you know what I mean?

I feel like everyone thinks Robo did shit. this year and I'm like he had fucking 80 points. Yeah, like it's absurd. I really like the idea. Dude, Robo is so fucking good. Yeah. And this is something I don't think I really acknowledged until this season, which is one of the great things about this job, one of the things I love about this job so much

and I love about the fans so much. I am so used to watching every game and every team. People get honest in the comments sometimes in the DMs being like, you never talk about this team, you never talk about that team. and to an extent they're right with certain teams. Like Habs fans a couple times this year. I'm like, dude, you never talk about the Habs. And I'm like, you know what?

That's fair. You're also in like last place. So there's not much. And that's not a chirp. I'm saying it's hard when you're talking about, you know, the big stories in the league. It's hard to talk about some of the last place teams because it's like, well, you're not, what do you want me to say? Dallas is always on the tip of our tongue because I think we both really rate Dallas. You're a huge otter guy.

I'm a huge Miro guy. We also love Joey Tip Drill. I feel like we talk about them a lot, and I didn't acknowledge the fact that the league doesn't talk about them. They're not highlighted that much. They're in a huge American city, but maybe not one of the biggest hockey cities. So their fans feel like we're this amazing team.

We don't get the shine maybe that we deserve, and that is true, and it points towards what I'm saying in that robo is so fucking good. And, you know, he's an all-star. in last season. And I don't think people really focus on him on a league-wide standpoint. So this is me saying that kid is insane. He's a huge body.

People don't really realize that. So, end of rant. Robo. I got eyes on Robo in, I think maybe he had a more focused, more balanced, leveled season so that playoffs, he can go. Because I remember him being kind of quiet, at least the beginning of playoffs last year. So looking to avoid that. He was very quiet last playoffs.

Very quiet. We were all over him. And I was like, dude, get on the fucking scorching. 100 points, dog. Finally popped in a goal. I want him early out the gate and I want him dominant. I could see Robo stepping up and going David Creachie playoff mode here. Like, I am the guy and I want to see it.

I got Otter. I think you knew I was going there. But here's why. Statistically, this was the worst season. of his career. Statistically. Yeah. I know he had some great games,

but you just look at the numbers. Playoffs last year for Audor, Dan, 19 games, right? 306 goals against 8-95 save percentage. Yeah. Bad. Playoff. Hey, not great, Bob.

Playoffs the year before, seven games against the flames. 181 goals against 954 save percentage. Nuclear. Who won that series? Fucking Oppenheimer, dude. Who won that series? The stars won the cup, right?

No. I think they won the cup. They didn't. Which otter are you getting? Because that's what he's capable of. I know. He almost stole that series. I want it to do.

So that's what I mean, though, Dan. And this is a fucking bloodbath. You got Vegas. My eyes are squarely on my boy. It's my favorite goalie in the league, tied with Swamen. And I hope they both. Hey, nice safe. They both, I hope they both absolutely tear it up.

Yeah. Vegas. Who you got? Aiden Hill. I'm going goal on the other side. What's interesting. is I think there's questions of who's even starting for this team. You know, absolutely a situation where Logan Thompson could get the net.

But I just think after what Aiden Hill did for you last playoffs, you've got this young guy who just went lights out. You have to start him. He's coming off an injury. Vegas is healthy again. Mark Stone's back. Hurdles in the lineup. You've got some of these new additions.

I think it's, I'm not worried about anyone on Vegas. Yikes is going to get his cookies. Mark Stone is going to go Old Man Stone on everybody. Marshie's going to just pump in goals. I'm not worried about any of those guys. I'm not worried about Hanathan having a good playoff. He's going to. It's all Hill for me.

Okay. If Hill is healthy, I don't even need him to be lights out. But if Hill is healthy and if he's playing competent goaltending for this team, everyone who's going, Vegas is overrated dude. Everyone's so worried about Big Bad. Oh, LTIR, Vegas. There's been a bunch of people recently who have been like, They're not that fucking good.

If Hill, just even 90% of hell last year, how are you not terrified? Look out. How are you not terrified? Mine's a two for one. Stoner and Petrangelo, full contact participants at practice on Saturday. Get fucked everybody. They're both playing. But get absolutely fucked.

I'm excited to see, though, because it's playoff hockey and you're playing, in my opinion, one of the top two teams in the league. And so is there rust? Are you ready to go? You know, so I'm watching those guys tight. And what's so interesting is this, this seems like it's so old hat for them. Yeah. I think they're going to, I mean, Stoner's probably going to come out and just like have three.

I'll have a two point night. And I'm going to be like, okay. Incredible. Yeah. Okay, Sean just texted. He said he's 10, nine out now. I think we can do one more. Yeah, hell yeah, we can.

Okay, ready? Yeah. Number four, news story this week. All the big cats were eating for the Panthers in game one. Dude. Sam Reiner picks up right where he left off, bang, goal. Carter Hagee, bangle. Matthew Kachuk, bangle.

Three, two, win. And I should say, Tampa got Hagle and Stammer, too, so it was kind of everybody's firing there. But how often do we talk about, Dan? Guys vanish in the playoffs. You've got to get the Monk off your back right away. How fucking fired up are you if you're a Panthers fan where you're like, Bob played insane in our three best players score? And talk about, I mean, what a series.

Yeah. I mean, I think we're going to see fireworks tonight in Dallas Vegas. but God damn, the Battle of Florida is just so good. And I said in our Eastern Conference preview, I think, or I thought Tampa would beat any team that they drew except Florida. And that game won just felt like such a microcosm of that point. It was like, look how close it was. Two one game, really, right?

Because could Chuck, empty netter and then Stammer. Well, I shouldn't rule out the Sammer because Stammer's was a power play goal. Maybe they had them pull. I can't remember. But you know what I mean? like 2-1 till late late. And just played tight. Both goalies played great.

I mean, like, that's like your... You know, if you're a Florida fan, it's interesting to say. If you're a Tampa fan, you lost, but I think you feel good about that game. You're on the road. He said that, dude. He was like their home crowd. And I think, too, what I thought was interesting was Cooper said, too, they weren't ready to play at the beginning.

Well, you know, it's such a ridiculous comment. They were ready to play. But Florida took it to him for the first 12 minutes. Then it felt like Tampa really settled. in and Matthew could chuck at a quote that was like in the middle there, we were getting pounded. And we, all of a sudden, Bob was our bailing us out for a full stretch of that middle. Only 19 shots for Tampa on the whole game and you'd like more than that.

But to your point, it was like both goalies faced an absolute barrage at stretches and stood the test. And as you said to open this conversation, Tampa's job was to take one here, I would say. And actually, by the way, Tampa was such significantly, not significantly, but they were a much better home team this year than they were on the road. So even if they dumped two, I don't think that locker room is that worried. They're like, let's just go home and win to you again. You know what I mean? So, yeah, like they aren't stressing at all right now.

Yeah, I love that for them. And what a, is there a more pro vet team to have that attitude and really believe it? You know, like you just said, they're on the road. You lose game one. No big fucking deal, dude. You played fantastic. You held them to two, you know, a real, hey, they all count. but you held them to two goals, then an empty netter.

I think you feel fantastic about the performance. Obviously, you love seeing Hagle and Stammer get the goals. If you're Florida, you feel just as good if not a little bit better, because exactly what you said, all the big dogs eating, Bob's playing great. You looked like you controlled the ice against an insanely good team, held your own, for the most part, on special teams. I just, this is that Florida team that we've all been worried about. So to see them, you know, that was a, that was a one, uh, game one punch by Tampa.

Like that, that was a great performance by Vassie and then just like a hard nose game and you wore it on the chin and won. Got to feel fantastic. I also loved how it was, I'm going to forget the exact scores now, but we brought up in the Eastern preview. Florida tagged them like 9-2 at some point in, in midwinter. But then most recently Tampa beat them pretty good. I forget what it was, but I think it was like 7-4 or something like that.

And to see, I'm glad, like, let's say this goes seven. There's a version where it's like, and we kind of saw us in playoffs last year, it's like seven, two, one way, six one the other way, just blowout, blow out, blowout. And you're still trading wins, but it's just blowouts. Yeah. I'm so much more into the fucking three, two bloodbath seven games in a row. And I was pumped to see these two teams, which we both said is such a savage first round matchup, come out and play such a tight one right away because it really sets the table for what I think is going to be exactly. that script the rest of this series. I'd be very surprised if one of these teams takes a beat down in one of these. It could happen, obviously, but I'd be very surprised.

No, I'd be shocked as well. Okay. Number three, our third big story of the week, Slick Willie, is questionable, if not doubtful for game two here in Boston. For those people at, he didn't play game one. He played 82 games, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, 40 tucks 58 assists, or, yeah, 40 tucks, 58-s-sseason. everything for all the people DMing us,

we don't know. Yeah, and that's a true, like, we're not hearing anything. Everyone in our circle is very confused as to what about it. Everybody's saying this, he woke up with, didn't even happen in game 82. And that can be bullshit,

obviously we could find out after. Bergeron last year comes to mine. Yes. But they're saying nothing happened. He woke up with something feeling very stiff. I don't know what that something is. I don't know how stiff. I wake up with something feeling stiff,

but I think we're probably talking different, issues here. You know, if you get my meaning. Mine's not an issue, pal. I hope it happens. It's really insignificant, but it's not an issue. Yeah, exactly. So he's hurt. He did not play game one. He skated this morning. It's Monday afternoon we're recording. He skated this morning at Warrior alone on a fresh seat. People were there, and the reports were he looked very labored. He was practicing one-timers. He was shots were missing the net. He's hunched over between drills. Maybe he skates tonight. Maybe he guts it out. I don't know, but it is a major issue. Matthews, Marner, toe drags, zero points in game one. And I'm not saying if Nealander had been

there, it's a difference maker, but he's a difference maker. You know, of course he is. You need him in the building. Let me hit you with this, Dan. And I know most people know this, but this just blew my mind. Yeah. The Maple Leafs have lost eight straight regular and postseason games to the ruins, including five this season. And they have lost six consecutive playoff series to Boston, including four since 2013. They have gone eight consecutive playoff games scoring two goals or less. It's not good.

Listen, I really love Willie so much. Me too. I think he's just such a fun person, such a fun player, so you hate to see someone injured at any point. We don't know anything. You said it. This feels incredibly similar to Patrice Bergeron last year. It's one of the situations where I don't know if he got injured in Game 82.

I don't know what happened, but it... What just awful timing? Dude. For one of your star players, 40 goals, I think 90 points. 98, dude. That's what I was saying before. It's now out. It's just, it's so, so crazy that you can have the season that you do.

You're buzzing all season long. You play 82 games. And then this happens. Nothing would make me happier as a fan than the Bruins to beat the Leafs, obviously. to beat them in fucking five, like I said. But you don't even want to do it this way. And I'm sure there are super diehard Bruins fans that are like, you're an idiot.

I hope they all break their leg and we win. But I'm just like, I don't know, man. It bums me up for Willie, I guess. Okay. I'm just like, man, I would like him to be participating. I was about to disagree with you, but I now agree with that. I'm bummed for Willie. I don't, people get injured all the time.

And that's not to downplay any. one's injury, but I wouldn't, if I were a member of this Bruins team as a Bruins fan, I wouldn't sit here and go, oh, it feels less because we beat them without Willie. I feel bad because of Willie. You don't want to miss, you don't want to log the slog that is that 82 game season and then finally get to playoffs the ultimate goal and then not be able to play. Or even if it does get on the ice, not be able to play at 100%. That fucking sucks.

The Leafs can't afford this for so many reasons. obviously you're losing a 98.40 goal guy from your lineup. That's a fucking devastating blow. The bigger one, nah, not bigger. The equally large one for me is the emotional blow. You as a team, as a franchise, as a fan base, you can't have anything else on top of this series. Your second leading score in such a, whatever we find out,

it's either bad luck game 82 or, and that they've said it's not off ice, or it's like playing sewer ball. And you're like, fuck me, dude. You know, you just can't. I agree. it is a mental psyche. You have your first round demons, you have your Boston Bruin demons,

and now this, just a blow like this is added to it. Honestly, watching them come out, I thought Boston ragdolled them in one. It was just, you get goals from Boston in places that you didn't expect.

I want to ask you about that. Interesting goals scores. Very interesting. And if you're the Bruins, that is the best case scenario in the world. And it happens. to feel amazing. And Toronto just looked deflated all game.

And I wouldn't blame them if part of them was going into that game being like, Jesus Christ, Willie is out. Like we're back in Boston year. We haven't beat them all year. Eight straight losses like you just said to them going from last year to this year. And now Willie's out. I wouldn't blame them for just being deflated in that game. So I'm incredibly curious to see how they play tonight.

Because either that was a, okay, that was a devastating blow we didn't expect. Willys out tonight. I'm not, I mean, we'll know about time you guys hear this, but if Willie's out tonight, they'll know. And if they come out unfazed, buzzing, get a win tonight, or have a close game, then I'm like, game on, you know, we're okay. But if Boston handles them again tonight,

and, you know, this isn't one of those like, oh, what a daring call, Dan. If Boston goes up 2-0 in the series, they're going to sweep. I'm really mean, if they go up 2-0, and it feels like a night. other shit kicking. I don't know.

I don't see Toronto. Morale low, dude. Morale winning many games. Yeah, you said it, man, 35 stops from my favorite goalie in the league, tied with Otter. Well done. Swayman.

But he played fantastic. God, he played fantastic. He played, that was that sick thought. Yes, dude, exactly. And remember in his interview when he was like, it's just stop the puck? Like that's, you see that clip with Matthews when he's like eight miles out of the net?

He don't care, dude. There's no technique other than stop the puck. Sway is a sick person and in the best way, and he was so dialed that game. This is what Montgomery said in terms of who's playing tonight, because we don't know still. It's 3 o'clock. Yeah, it's 3 p.m. on game day, and we still look at. Montgomery says it would be very hard to go away from Swayman in game two. He played a terrific game.

We win 5-1. But if we decided to go with Allmark, we're comfortable with it, and our team's comfortable with it. Going back to Game 2 and then starting Allmark in Game 3, this is the article talking, would make a lot of sense. But Montgomery still hasn't revealed this final decision. We're not going to learn who's starting until pre-game warm-ups. what do you want to happen? I want Swayman to play.

I want Allmark to play. And I don't hate what they suggest going game three. To me, it gets, no matter the result almost, it gets harder. Oh, agree with that. If Sway starts tonight and wins, it gets harder to go to Allmark, even if that was your plan. That's a fair point. That's a fair point. If Sway starts today and loses, I think it looks almost like a panic move.

Or not a panic move, but it looks like a, okay, he lost. now Olmark goes in. And nothing gets in Sway's head. So I'm not saying the Sway would be like, oh, fuck, I lose one and I get yanked. Because it probably all, they probably know exactly. Yeah, true. But it does get harder. I think I would love to see, if they're going to do it, if they're going to do it now.

Put Allmark in and just go like this. Might convince me. Back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. That's what I would love to see if they're going to do it. The whole way. Yeah. But I would also love to see Sway just win 16 straight games. Come on.

Fucking unbelievable. Number two storyline this week. I titled Matt Rempe, you son of a bitch. You son of a bitch. Unbelievable. I mean, the fact that he got the first goal, everyone had those questions, like, should you even dress him in playoffs? Because let's be honest, he's come out here, he's been an unbelievable fighter. He's had a great attitude, but his play on the ice does it necessarily warrant a roster spot?

I'm not sure. But then he came in, and he was buzzing. He was flying around, doing exactly the job he wanted to do. He bangs in a goal. I thought MSG was going to explode. Yeah. And then he has those comments after the game where he's like, I feel like I was built for playoffs. And part of me is like, shut the fuck up, dude. But the other part of me is like, that's exactly what he should say. He's doing everything right. Even crazier, Dan, when two minutes into the game, because he scored in the second period, there's zero, zero after one.

Two minutes into the game, he takes a boarding penalty. And the rags go on the PK. And I was like, I literally had the hot takes ready. This is why you don't dress Renpy. This is what we said. He's too out of control once playoff start. He's going to do something stupid. The caps are going to score a power play goal here. and the whole series is off the rails. And then they kill it off. And then he scores. And I was like, never mind. You're the guy. I've been saying it for months, dude.

Just everything's coming up apps. The whole Rumpy experiment has been smashing success. And now here we are in playoffs. And it's a smashing success. It's been one game. But that was awesome. Yep. Absolutely awesome.

It actually was awesome watching how fired up. And people are saying that everywhere, the fourth line did it. But it was great to see Bredscore. It was great to see Ziba, passed to Kreider, even strength for the goal. but Jimmy Visi getting one, Rampi getting one. The Rangers aren't even at their full potential there. Vintage Criety goal, too. Nice little deep backhand that doesn't come off the ice and somehow finds its way.

Bang, goal. Ovi, zero shots. Fourth time is playoff career. Yeah, zero shots on goal. O'Shi, zero shots. Strom, one shot. Stifled. Stifled.

Yeah, good point. Give the Rangers credit, but also, if you're the Caps guys, OV did that to start this year, right? It was two games with no shots, and then he seconded. and half the season turned into vintage OV. I picked them to get sweat, but if they're even going to steal one game, the boy's got to put the puck on that. Yeah, I mean, that was huge.

All right, the number one story, Avs Jets, good God Almighty. Oh, my God, Dan. An absolute slugfest. An absolute slugfest in Winnipeg. Just crazy. I mean, what else is there to say? We knew that this series was going to be elite.

There was a lot of question marks about Giorgiov and his mentality right now. Obviously, you want to just take a second at all the time to just say, you know, you hope he's fine, mentally, everything like that. And I think he probably is. But he's been overplayed, I thought. I think he's played so much. He said that, 63 starts, I think? And yeah, I mean, shit, that game was just mental.

It was just goal after goal after goal after goal. It was so much fun, so electric. I was shocked how many goals, Hellebuck gave up. Honestly, it's like... He still made 40 saves, but six went by him. Six weren't by him. And I wouldn't even say those were his fault, but six went by him.

Yeah, and it goes to show how good the abs are, how much firepower they have. But then also, there were the comments of, you know, maybe Winnipeg's not that real. Maybe they're not that serious of a team. And here you go, you slap Colorado in the mouth and put seven by them. That's insane. But the second, like you had said last on the Western Preview app, they've tagged them three times and tagged them. Yeah. So to do it again, dude, and you brought...

this up to, I wrote this exact number down. Winnipeg, 190 goals against lowest in the league. Yeah. Avs, 304 goals, four highest in the league. Yeah. This is how, remember that Flames Oilers series two years ago when it turned into a track meet? I'm like, this is not how you want to play the Oilers. Yeah, the Oilers. If you're the Jets, this is not how you want to

play the abs at all. Yeah. A lot of guys said that. Valardi said it, but at this point in the season, you get a win. It doesn't matter how it happened. And in fact, when you look back on this series, I'm sure a 13 goal game is one the Jets expected to lose. And the fact that they won this one that way, and I'm predicting this goes seven, that could be all the difference right there. Totally. I thought that was fascinating.

When Nishuskin scored right away, I was like, here we go. Fucking ass. Dude, the difference makers, man, the difference makers came out. We had Nishushkin listed as a guy that was going to be a difference maker. And then Kyle Connor was another one, and he has two goals. The thing that I think that you are really excited about with Winnipeg is like that's a big win to get in front of your home crowd against an amazing team. Shows that you're ready to score. Taf, zero goals, zero assists.

And you know he's going to get going at some point. So it's like you've got a lot of firepower happening right now. Incredible. I cannot. I'm salivating for the rest of that series. All same. Every game is going to be so good. All right.

Let's get into hot ice. This week I have one question for you, Dan. I wrote it this way. Comfortable wins. Question mark? because we're looking at two series, the Keynes Islander series, and the Canucks Preds series. Both favorite teams, both home teams win by two. On paper, maybe you check the box score and you go, they're cruising.

I'm certainly all over the Canes. Like, they're going to sweep the Islanders. And I have picked the Preds, but I'm sure Canucks fans are like, yeah, we won. The interesting thing I felt like is, let's start with the Cates. Yeah. They are 1-1. Coozik scores a power play goal right away. You're like, hell yeah.

Yeah. But then it's 1-1 into the third. Fred D. Anderson makes an insane diving save, and he played fantastic. Unbelievable. I thought. Unbelievable. And you get one pretty close after that, and then you win three, three, one. There were significant stretches of that period.

Whole second period. The Islanders are all over them. Yeah. So Rod said, we weren't great after the game. Wa said, we feel pretty good. We've been resilient since I got here. We knew we were going to have to be resilient in the series. We feel all right.

So it's one of those games where I'm like, you got to win. You took care of business at home ice game one. But I'm like, I don't know how good that felt, honestly. Yeah, man. I mean, the way I look at it is we've been clowning on the Islanders a bit with all the sweep talk. But since Wa, they have been a different team. And while we make the jokes about the negative goal differential and then being in the playoffs, end of the day, with Wa, they're in the positive goal differential.

And they won the games they had to win down the stretch. And at the end of the day, we say, you know, if you win the games that matter and get you into playoffs, you're in playoffs. I think they're going to be a hard team to play against constantly. I do think the Keynes are just much better. And frankly, this is why this Kane's team is good. I mean, with the exception of that one huge, I mean, there was a bunch of great saves. So he had that one, Freddie had that one insane save. While the Islanders were kind of pumping them, shots were way higher.

The ice was definitely tilted in their favor. They weren't getting that many crazy high danger chances. And I think Carolina's happy to weather the storm. They're good at that. Their defense is phenomenal. Their goaltending's been phenomenal. and they know that they're going to capitalize on their chances, which they did. Yeah.

So if you're the Islanders, you should feel good about that game. But the difference is you can do that all day long, and Caroline is going to be fine with you knocking on the door if they never push it open. So you have to fucking score. Otherwise, you're going to keep going like this. We feel pretty good. And you're going to get swept out of the play. Yeah.

We felt pretty good for four games. If they have another game, let's say they outplay them again, which, again, Kane's fans, when I say that Islanders were beating the shit of you, I didn't say they were going to win. I said they're beating the shit out. play. You can take that all day long and be happy with it. But if the Islanders win or outplay them another game and lose, I'm not okay with Wobbing like, we feel pretty good again. Because it's like, dude, you got to score goals. You got to steal games. Obviously, they know that. But it is one of those

things that's like you can have the ice tilted in your favor all day. But if you don't score, make sense, right? That plays into the other team's hand. It's not like they're sitting there being like, oh my God, we got away with one. Carolina's going, no, we're fine with this game plan. So don't forget, the Cains lost both home games to the Islanders during the regular season. And to come here at home and get outshot 3426 and win, you go like this, thank you, see you later. Similar deal, Canucks spreads. Canucks win for two. We're down to one with 11 minutes left in the third. I think it was actually suitor that got it, not Quinn, but Quinn gets one on the cage, and then Joshua scores 12 seconds later, completely sucks the life out of the building. Joshua

finishes with one more. Canucks win by two, everyone's happy. Didn't feel very happy through 50 minutes of that game. Yeah, listen, I hopped on the IG, and I went big on my, and this is what I said in the Western Conference preview. I was like, I love the Preds, but I don't think that this Canucks team is a young, scared team that's going to feel like the playoffs are too big for them, and I stand by that. But of all the games we mentioned, Tampa against Florida, Islanders against Carolina, those teams going, we lost, but we feel pretty good.

If you're Nashville, you feel the best of those teams. Because that is a game, again, you can't live on two goals, dude. You cannot. That two goals are not going to win you. playoff games. But if you're Nashville, you had a very momentary lapse of play, and you led into quick, quick goals, and otherwise, you won that game. And Dan, I would even say to just piggyback on you, I think they were playing their best right before that shift. They were actually taking over the game. I know. This is done. And Elias Lindholm, massive shout out to Elias Lindholm. He has not had the

best stretch since that trade, and there's been a lot of pressure put on him and a lot of expectations. He came into this game, immediately got on the score sheet, and then he made, his forecheck made that third goal happen. He got in behind the net, fast, broke up the play, got the puck free, pass out front goal. So to see him play that well, if you're a Canucks fan, damn, does that feel good? You better believe it feels great for him as well. If you're a Preds fan, the Ryan O'Reilly, Nyquist, Forsberg, link up, I'll be it on the power play, but just to get them going, like I said, that's the line. So if you're not scoring, you're dead.

That was fantastic. let's go, baby. So that was huge. I agree with you completely. Maybe for Nashville, you're like, damn, we gave one away on the road there, but I'm in that locker and being like, boys, we had them. No doubt. The Demko looked good. 20 or 22. Sorrow 17 of 20. Very interesting. Just, I think that'll be a crazy storyline because I was banging the trade Sorrow's drum. They get so hot. They make the playoffs. And now I'm like, God damn, I need you now, buddy.

I just, I don't put any stock in that, though, because those two goals were, I think those were his defensemen and the guys around his error, not his. And it happened so quick, I almost wipe it off the board. To that point, I was like, you gave him one goal, dude. And honestly, sometimes when there's that few shots, it's almost worse, because he's like, I haven't seen any rubber today. So what do you want for me?

So true. Okay, so we'll be interested to see how those series shake out. Yes, we will. Let's throw it to Sean. Let's toss this over to our boy, Sean McDonough, unbelievable iconic sports anchor, has done it all in the world. What a fun time.

Some amazing stories in this one. Can't wait for you guys to hear it. All right, everybody. We are joined today. See if I can do this one. This might be the hardest one I've ever done. It might be. With no notes.

Yeah, right here. Right here. Wow. A Syracuse Orange alum. Uh-huh. You're one for one. A Boston native. And surely our Boston followers will recognize you as the voice of a billion

Red Sox games on TV and radio. Yep. A man who is called March Madness Games, an Orange Bowl, the college world series, Monday night football, the U.S. Open tennis, the PGA Championships, the British Open, the Masters, three Winter Olympics. Wow. Okay.

Unbelievable impressive. He was, at the time, the youngest man ever to call a World Series game, a national sports broadcaster of the year, board winner, multiple sports Emmy winners, the current voice of the NHL playoffs on ESPN and ABC, and most importantly, our friend. Sean McDonough, welcome to the afternoon's podcast. That's the most important part of it to me, too. Yes, absolutely. I don't think I ever was national sportscaster the year. Unless my family gave out the award, in which case I might have been. Yes, that was from us.

That one's from us. I've been a finalist a few times. There it is. Yeah. I'm like Susan Lucci. You know, she never won. I get nominated a lot, but more deserving people win. Let us tell you, we're so pumped to have you here.

And this happened by accident. We met in a wait room and a hotel in Hoboken, New Jersey. Sure did. I had burpee envy watching you two guys jumping around all over the place. I was just looking for the vending machine where I get like a ring ding or whatever. Do they still make those? Yeah, definitely. That's why I do all the burpees so I can eat those.

It's working for you two. Impressively fit. Usually when people like you are in there, I just leave because I feel inadequate. But I kind of needed the workout. Hey, well, you know what? I got to say, no one else is in the gym grinding during Stadium Series. It was just us three. That's half the battle right there.

And probably one of the nicest compliments I could give you guys. There were four teams of the stadium series. I thought these guys must play for one of these things. So I thought you were an Islander or a flyer or New Jersey Devil or New York Ranger. That right there is the only reason I keep working out. It's just like that that illusion that maybe I am in the league somehow. So there you go. That's great.

And you kept bothering me with the hair. I was. The hair was longer. I had mine up. Yeah. And I was flipping it a lot. A lot of flipping. Yeah.

But we obviously, for those who didn't catch on, Stadium Series and Hoboken Newsre, this is how we met. Our mutual friend, Chris Rooney also is keeping us connected. But I can't tell you how many of our friends from growing up, like Chris mentioned, with all the Red Sox memories, as this was leading up, and we were talking and getting this set up, so many of our Boston buddies were like, oh, my God. I can't wait for the stories that you're going to get. Well, you know what? I guess that's when you know you're getting old, right? Because people remember, we just did the Masters a few weeks ago. now and the par three contest and this year we had some of the players who had uh air pods in and

a war microphone for a hole or two and we just walk and they were walking and talking and we were interviewing it was really fun yeah so one of them was kegan bradley and as soon as i started talking a huge redstock as soon as i started talking to him he's like this is the voice of my childhood in my ear here you know i think oh gosh yeah but i guess it was that long ago so yeah it's it's nice that people associate you with parts of their life. Yeah, absolutely. And listen, that's a perfect segue into. We're going to get into hockey eventually.

But we have to talk about Red Sox because, obviously, we grew up with that, and there's so much of your life that's tied to that. Your dad was writing for the Globe. You were kind of jammed in the radio booth growing up. And then you started getting into this game, and you got your reps in with the Syracuse Chiefs games, calling those. Wow, you both did your homework. And then I had some college hockey in there as well.

But then, you know, you've said multiple times, that core memory for you, 1988, calling opening day at Fenway Park for the Boston Red Sox. And that was one of those first, holy shit, moments for you. Yeah. Well, when my dad would take us to spring training when he was covering the Red Sox, and I was really young, five, six years old, maybe. The Red Sox were still training in Winter Haven, Florida. So six, seven, eight years old, maybe even. We'd get out of school for about a month.

We'd get homeschooled, if you call it that. My mom, I don't remember her being very enthusiastic about that. I think it was mostly go play putt, putt, and go to the pool. Yeah. But there was probably some education in there. The lack of education probably explains where I am today, as a matter of fact. And then we'd go over to the park in the afternoon, and, you know, the writers couldn't all bring their kids in the press box because then it would be, you know, romper room in there.

But my dad was friendly with the radio announcers, Ned Martin and Ken Coleman, who, you know, my two idols. And then the cool thing was in 1988 when I got there, they were both still doing the Red Sox game. So, you know, so I knew when I was five or six, that's what I wanted to do. And then I was 25 on opening day in 1988. And, yeah, I just remember sitting there. You know, opening day, it's like the flags on the wall and the bunting everywhere and all the pomp and circumstance. And I literally was staring at the feeling, oh, my God. I'll borrow your phrase that you just use.

I always hate to swear on a microphone. Today might be your first. Actually, I've done it accidentally. But, no, I just remember staring out the field like, holy crap, this is really my job. I'm going to be living my childhood dream. for a while. Unbelievable. So insane. So, I mean, I always love looking at when you have that moment,

you know, your dad's in this world, you're a fan, then you have that, oh my gosh, moment of getting to do that opening day game. And then you flash forward 20 years later and the Sox are winning a World Series. And I want to know a couple things.

One, is there part of you that as a fan, as professional, when you've put in all those hours, you feel like a part of the family, when that World Series is one, was there a part of you that felt like you were along that journey the whole way and it was even more meaningful? And then two, is it true that you have a World Series right? Yes. Yes, it is.

You know, the hard part when you're a local team broadcaster is the local TV announcers don't get to do the postseason in baseball. So you feel like you're along for the ride and then you get there. This is the best part and you can't do it. It's one of the fun things now about doing the radio, although since I've been doing the radio, Red Sox won't even in the postseason. Once, I mean, as usual, my timing was bad. I came in the year after they beat the Dodgers in the World Series. So you kind of do, you know, feel like you're a part of it, although you remember you guys, you guys, remember Jacques Joubert who played at BU. Yeah.

I coached him in the New England Pro Am summer hockey league that the O'Connell's ran, maybe still do. So my buddy David Quinn, now the coach of the Sharks, was supposed to be the player coach, and he didn't want to coach. And I think it was one of the year. It might have been, was 94 the baseball work stop. I wasn't doing it. So come coach the team. I'm like, I can't. He said, it's a summer league.

Just make the lines and yell at the refs. So I'm like, well, I can do that. So we had a good team. We had Chris Drury and Mike Greer and Todd Copeland, a bunch of guys. So anyway, now I'm losing my train. Oh, so I got to know Jacques's brother, Mark, and he became a really good friend of mine. So the year the Red Sox broke the curse way before the fall. Mark Jubeir asked me to come to his wedding in Maui in, I don't remember the date, late October.

Yeah. So, sure. So now as it's getting closer, I'm thinking, oh, my God. This is a nightmare. The Red Sox's going to be in the World Series. So now they're trailing the Yankees three games to none. Problem solved. I'm like, okay, this sucks, but at least I'm not going to miss the World Series.

Going to Maui. Wing, ba-a-bing, bing, bada-a-bing. So they win. So I am at game two at Fenway, and I'm flying to Maui the next day. And I run into a friend of mine who's extremely wealthy and says, I'm so glad I saw you, I was going to call you. I'm taking the jet to St. Louis. We've rented a house, and he got all these.

I think Lenny Clark was going with him and a bunch of guys. Come with us. It's a great seat. You know, I'm like, hmm, okay. I can't. No. I said one of my best pals is getting married in Maui. We're a good friend.

You know, so the next morning I met Logan getting ready for the like 92. I'm using my frequent flyer miles. So it's like Boston to Atlanta to Winnipeg, to Honolulu, to Maui. And then, you know, if you've ever been to Maui to over to Kappalua, that drives like an hour. Yep. So it's literally almost like a 24-hour deal. I walk into the lobby of the hotel. Mark and Christine are in the lobby of the hotel, putting,

Hawaiian lays around the guest neck and she comes over and hugs me and the first word either one of them said when I got to the hotel was Christine saying, I can't believe you came. I told Mark to tell you it's okay the Red Sox are in the World Series. Mark. Should be a text Mark.

Mark, relay that message, dude. So I was actually I don't know, 6,000 miles away or far away Maui is, but the coolest thing, and the reason I got on the plane, my dad had not long before passed away. My dad was very much right and wrong, and I was sitting in the airport, sitting at Logan, and I'm thinking, I'm going to bail. I'm not getting on this plane. I'm

going to call my buddy. I'm going to St. Louis. They'll understand, right? And then I hear my dad's voice in my head. They're your friends. It's more important. So anyway, I went. But when the Red Sox, there were a lot of Red Sox fans there. We were all at the pool when the Red Sox got the final out. and I told everybody to start about my dad's voice in my head. Yeah. You know, like Hawaii, late afternoon, early evening, you get those little rain showers, and then right on the final out,

there was a rainbow right across the top of the hotel, and my buddy said, look, that's your dad. Yeah, he knows they did it. You know, because my dad never saw the Red Sox win in the most series. Anyway, long story. Oh, that is incredible. Thank you so much for sharing that. So that was, you know, and then you get the call.

Hey, would you like to help MC the celebration on City Hall Plaza? That would be great, but we're playing golf in Lenni today. We were there. But I do have the ring. Yes, that's fantastic. Which my nephew, Jerry, was never impressed by anything when he saw the ring. He was probably late teens at the time. He looked at it in the first thing, he said, when you die, can I have that?

That's a really nice thought. Unbelievable, Gary. That's the first thing that pops in your head. Yeah, thank you. Chearing on an early death so you can get the ring. Yeah. Well, actually, speaking of your dad, I wanted to ask you a question, and obviously it's an emotional subject, but I thought this was so beautiful. Your dad, there were a lot of comments that I found that you had brought up to from Peter King, Adam Schephler, John Clayton, these guys, that were saying this was really the first guy that was an informative writer of a huge publication to go on TV. Correct.

And all these guys' careers, he paved the way to do that. So when you are calling all the things I expertly listed off at the top of this interview, how. How cool does that feel for you to be carrying on his legacy yourself, not just those other people, but you too. It's so cool that I had. When my dad was at CBS, some company made baseball cards of like the people on the NFL today. And I have a laminated one in my briefcase, and I take it out every game I do. And I put it on the counter right against the monitor. Just a reminder, like, don't say or do something dushy.

Make your dad proud. Be a professional, work hard, all the things that he did, be fair. Yeah. So, yeah, I mean, he was the greatest role model for me ever on and off the year by far. And really proud of his legacy. I mean, he was the first information man on TV. It was really by accident. The NFL today brought him down just to do a guest thing about something he had written.

And Brent Musburger told me this story himself. He said, and your dad knew like everything that was going on around the league. Yeah. He said, we already used to send the, you know, this is back in the day, the newspaper would come out at what time. But he said, we used to send an intern down to Times Square. at like 7 o'clock on a Sunday morning. So when the Sunday Globe got there,

go down there and get Will McDonough NFL notes column, so we know what's going on on the show today. So my dad went down, knew a lot. Brent's like, we should bring him back again next week. And then it kind of became a segment. That's how it started. Wow, that's crazy. And all those guys you mentioned have thanked me at one time or another

or mentioned to me that I'm so grateful to your dad because if he didn't do it and do it well, then they might not have kept doing it. Yep. And I think that's such a cool thing. every time you read anyone talking about your job and your career, it's that wealth of sports knowledge that people love about you too. So, you know, people are going to be young kids now are going to be thanking you someday.

I just grew up, you know, I loved all the sports. I mean, we went to every game. We were sitting here at TD Garden. You know, I was to every, lots of games at the old garden, including the Blizzard of 78 when we almost got stuck here when I was in a high school. Which is the story of itself. That's unbelievable. We actually made it back to the Boston Globe, basically pushing my deal.

dad in the car down the highway from here to the globe a few miles south but past every kind of abandoned car and yeah uh but yeah saw a lot of game at fenway park and i i didn't grow up wanting to be a broadcaster for one particular sport i loved all the sports i still do i watch everything and so you know when you list it off and i'm appreciative of that all the things at the beginning like if you said when you're 25 and you started out doing the red sox game could you ever imagine you would have done all those things absolutely not right but i really wanted to i got asked all the time the sports you do, which one's the favorite. It's Kaaba, but it's kind of whichever one I'm doing

now. I'm here today. I'm going to do a Bruins playoff game. But the B's, yeah. Against the Leaves, too. Against the Leaves. You're all amazing. It should be the Leaves. Yes, I say that all the time. I'm probably going to call them the leaves and see if I think. Don't do this, Sean. I don't need you two teaming up on me with this one. He's a big

leaves guy. I always call him the leaves. Listen, I get it. Grammatically, it's correct. Right. But I, listen, it's the Leafs, and we're just going to live with it. It's one of these mistakes. Go out. in the fall and rake the leaves. It's ridiculous. The leaves. It's the leaves. But one thing that's come since what happened to your dad is your golf tournament. And I wanted to ask you

about that and just how much fun that's been for you to organize and how moving it's been to watch how much you get to meet the patients that you're helping save their lives. So just talk to us a little bit about that whole experience. You hit on both of them, really. It's super fun. It's a lot of work, but it's super fun. And more than that, it's ridiculously rewarding. Yeah. And inspiring. You know, my dad died in 2000. January 9th, 2003, he'd been having heart problems. They did all the traditional tests that they do, couldn't figure out. You know, he didn't have blockages.

And he was healthy and worked out all the time, played tennis and racquetball. So anyway, they couldn't figure it out. So one of the things they had mentioned to him about a month before he died was cardiac amylidosis. What's that? It's a rare heart disease, super rare. You almost certainly don't have it. It's a one in a million thing. Well, how do you check if I do have it?

well, we crack you open, take your heart tissue, sample it. And then if you have it, there's probably not a lot of you can do it. The only cure is a heart transplant. Yeah. And my dad was 67 years old. So he's like, well, if it's low percentage, anyway. So the day he died, he went in for a stress test. They told him you're as healthy as a 67-year-old guy can be.

Get off the treadmill. He said, can I ease back into working out? Yes. Can I go to the Super Bowl, which was a couple weeks later? Because he'd been to every one. Yep. And he said, yep, certainly. You know, so he was really happy, went to dinner, came home, was watching TV with my brother,

and dropped dead on the porch of our house the same day they told him. So the doctors begged us to do an autopsy because they were mystified, and they felt kind of guilty, felt inadequate. So we did, and that's when they found out he did have cardiac ameliosis. So we had a golf tournament for years giving money to children's charities around the state, and then that kind of ran its course. and then Brigham and Women's has the foremost cardiac amyloidosis. It's a hard thing to say.

As a matter of fact, every year when Charles Barkley comes, he says, I won't, he can't use Charles's language. I'm here. I don't even know how to pronounce this disease. So they're doing great research. So we brought the golf tournament back five or six years ago now, and it's super fun. And, you know, the people who buy the forsems, the sponsors, the volunteers, the people at Boston Golf Club.

You know, Sam Adams has been tremendous to us, Jim Cook. You know, it's an army. Yeah. And it's a ton of work. But when you see the people there having a great time, and you see the friendships that have been made. But more than anything, when you see, I'm sorry, it is emotional. No, of course.

Last year, we have a speaking program the night before at the Boston Harbor Hotel, and then we have the golf term of the next day. So all the golfers are there, the sponsors, the whole thing. And we have patience because I want somebody to get up and speak. and say, this is what it's like. This is where your money went. So there was this young man whose mom had been our speaker two or three or four years, probably three or four years before. And after the speaking program was over and everybody's kind of leaving, he came over to me, he said, my mom is alive because of your golf tournament. So, you know, when you hear that,

you have to keep doing it. And we're going to keep doing it until they cure it. And they're making progress. You still kind of need a heart transplant, unfortunately. But they can extend your life and make it a lot better and slow down the progression. So we're going to keep doing it. We raised a lot. I mean, last year we gave them $600,000 for a little two-day event. Over a million, right? Yeah.

Yeah. Well, I think it's five years, but one of them was a COVID year. We didn't even have the term. That was probably my favorite year. People sent us $80,000 and got nothing in return. They didn't have a golf tournament of a party. They just said we support the cause. But the last two years when we've done the party,

the tournament. It's been over $500,000. Yeah, incredible. John, that's amazing. The total's about $2.5 million so far. Yeah. And it's really just so amazing. It's in August, right? Well, they need the help. One of the problems, and we and three of us have been talking about a friend of mine who's battling cancer and it's really bad.

I haven't spent a lot of time with them the last month and a half or so. The medical system in our country, please fix it America is so messed up. The drug companies and the insurance company, you know, these doctors and nurses and people are so dedicated and so invested in it. And they're fighting so many battles that they shouldn't have to fight. And one of the problems is because they think cardiac amylidosis is rare, the government said, you know, not enough money. They're not enough people have it.

We could spend our money on cancer or other things, COVID or whatever. So the money that we give to them is really meaningful. Well, you know, it's one of the biggest, if not the biggest grant that Dr. Falk and his team get every year is the money that we incredible. The big question is, is the golf game going to be ready? With the hand.

Oh, yeah. I'm sorry. I've been hiding my bad hand. People have probably been watching the hockey for months now. Like, holy, what's going? I mean, his finger's been wrapped up forever, but detached the tendon. It's called mallet finger. Yep. So this

tendon here that controls the tip of your finger popped off the bone. So had a cast for a long time. That didn't heal it. Try to live with it. That didn't work because I was annoying the heck out of me. And so then they went in and did surgery. So right now I have a, the stitches that are holding the tendon to the bone,

and they have a pin to keep my fingers straight. And we heal just in time to play. I'm a hockey. It's a hockey guy. You're playing through it. It's hockey playoffs. You've got to play hurt. It's going to be perfect in time for golf season.

It's going to be great. Well, that's why I did it now, right? Yeah, yeah. Everything revolves around golf. And I think, well, we're on the year almost every day for two months during the hockey playoffs, so not playing much golf or any golf anyway. so let's do it. I mean, this is just perfectly time.

Yeah, for being honest. But like today, getting ready for this game, I'm trying to do my charts, and my handwriting already sucks, and now I'm sitting there. Yesterday we did a New York Ranger game, and I'm looking at my chart for some note that I know I run on there,

and I have no idea what that says. Yeah. I had a really interesting, timely note about this, but I think we're going to be. In that case, I should have just made it up. Speaking of being back in the booth, I had a really interesting thought that I wanted to bring up to you.

We, you know, our seminal moments of watching sports, all of them are with guys like you. You know, voices of our favorite teams. Every real fan has that. You think of those amazing calls. And I really love that there's so many different facets of the sports world. There's coaches, there's players, there's broadcasters. And it's been an interesting wave, I think, of the last several years,

10 years or so, you could call it, where we're seeing a lot more former athletes getting in the booth. And in football, you see Troy Aikman has been doing a great job. and, you know, love them or hate him. Tony Romo adds a very, you know, specific and personal flair to the game. And we're starting to see it more in hockey now, too, with, you know, obviously guys like Biz and Colby Armstrong getting in there and P.K.'s getting in there. I'm curious what you think, and Hank, obviously, too, I'm going to check.

I'm curious how you feel about that as, you know, an icon of the sports broadcasting world. And it did sort of feel like there was always kind of this element that there was the guys in the booth and the guys in the field. And now they're starting to mesh a little bit more. How do you feel about that as a sort of... Well, I think most of the... You know, I think there are more former players and coaches involved prominently than they were before.

But, you know, as long as I've been doing this, which is a long time, you know, it's pretty much the play-by-play person. You know, we're talking about the games or even the studio shows. You know, we're generally not former players. Now, like Frank Gifford did the play-by-play on football for a long time, he was a great player. But when Pat Somerall was a player who was a play-by- by play person. But usually, you know, the play by play person, somebody like me who didn't play anything

past high school. And then, you know, then the analyst was a former player coach. So, you know, that's typically the way it works. And, you know, that's the way you should leave. You know, we just did the masters. And I remember when the first time I got put on golf, network golf, my golf buddy's like, they're going to let you do golf like on TV, the way, the way you play? I'm like, you know, I want to say, I get to do football. I'm not Tom Brady. Yeah, exactly. It's like, yeah.

Just, you know, so, but I don't sit there when, you know, Tiger Woods is in the bunker analyzing how he should hit the shot, right? Well, you need to, you know. You can open up the blade. Make sure you accelerate through the ball and, you know. But so I leave that to the analyst, and that's generally what I try to do, you know, in the other sports that I do too. Yeah, yeah.

Now, sometimes you can help lead the analyst into something like, yeah. Are you surprised they're not pulling the goalie or, you know, or you spies are not calling a timeout or stuff like that. Yeah. But for the most part, you know, we should leave the analysis to the former players and coaches. Yeah, I like that. I think it adds a good balance to that side of it. And I think the great word, I think you do need balance, and we don't need to get into this.

But I thought it was really interesting hearing your quotes about the Monday Night Football Experience. And one of the criticisms was it was very, it was steered a lot towards John Gruden in that moment where it's like just X and O this baby. And it's like, well, I'm trying to do my job too. And I think, to your point, you really need both. Yeah, you need both. You know, John was pretty honest. I mean, for maybe the first time I talked to him after I got the job, I knew him a little bit before I got the job.

But he said, I hate stories. I hate stories. And the reason he hates the stories is, you know, especially if it takes two or three plays. Yeah. That's two or three plays where he can't get out the telestrater and say, you know, I call this 96 Wanda. Yeah.

So he would get, you know, sometimes visibly annoyed if something went on a little longer than he thought it should. And he was great at it, and that was his interest. But the challenge for me was when they hired me, they said, you know, we want you to bring out more of John's personality because he has it. Yep. Oh, yeah. But, you know, when you see it on that, you used to see, it doesn't do it anymore.

And then, um, can you throw, sorry. No. That's the, can you throw a wet ball? Yeah, correct. That is our favorite quote of all time. I was with Andrew Luck. No, no, is the Notre Dame kid, Brady. Quinn.

It was. Brady Quinn. Can you throw a wet ball? Just like the way he says it. He used to ask questions like that when we'd be in the production meetings of the day or two before the teams before the Monday Night Football game. So they said, you know, we want more storytelling. We want more interaction with John. You know, you with Jerry Remy and Bill Raftery and Jay Billis.

You know, you do a good job of bringing out the personality or engaging them in conversation or whatever to help do that. I'm like, I can do this. Yeah. And I wanted to. Like when I was a kid, my night football was fun, right? It was Howard Cocell. This is going to be fun.

Well, John and, you know, just he wanted no part of the conversation. If you're asking me a question, I'm not circling the left tackle who did a great job on that corner blitz. You know, so I kept saying, like sometimes I would say something to me,

he just wouldn't respond at all. So, which is really, really awkward when you're at national. TV. Because my friends and I would say, well, it sounded like he was annoyed. I'm like, because he was. He was. He was. He was. Yeah. So, yeah. How do you navigate out of that? You ask him politely off the air. Even if you don't want to answer, could you just answer? Because, you know, the awkward silence is really pain.

I've worked with 150 or 60 different analyst hosts, whatever, sideline reporters. I kept a list of it. And there might be two or three I didn't like. And I don't dislike John. Yeah. But there's nothing worse than when you're watching a game and you kind of feel like these two don't like each other. Yeah. And every now and then, I'll hear a little exchange. I enter because I know from my own.

Of course. They're not feeling. Wait until the commercial. It's going to be, listen, dush face. Oh, wow. That's so funny. Oh, yeah. Do you feel like you're hearing or you're listening for that more and more?

Yeah, it doesn't happen often. Yeah. Because most of the time, right, if you're together, and you have that kind of chemistry, you're not going to stay together. Yeah. You know, like, I didn't think it was vibing with John Gruden, but I thought when he went back to coaching that I might stay for another year. But by then, you know, the plan was to go back to college football.

And I much prefer college football. Yeah, yeah. I'm an NFL fan, but, you know, there's a sameness when you're broadcasting the game. Like the NFL teams, they kind of all look the same, play the same. The stadiums are the same. The presentations, you know, college, every place is different. They all their own traditions. One team's playing option football and the other team's playing this and that.

So just the atmosphere on these campuses from the minute you get there on Wednesday or Thursday, you know, there's a vibe in the town. So I was really happy. You know, it was great to do Monday Night Football. But when you take your ego out of it, oh, it's Monday Night Football, you take the ego out, which ego is the end of me is a great book, you know, you got to be happy. Yeah, totally. I was very happy.

And I'm still very happy to be back. When I think of your great calls of all time, there's an awesome list. This won't be a long conversation. You kidding me? Michigan, Michigan State, Blue Jays World Series, Braves NLCS, Devendorf. He's doing the hair thing again. I hope that was on camera. That was the Michigan, Michigan State.

That was more effective. That's one of the worst memories of my life. God. Oh, really? You're a Wolverine? I didn't go there, but I've just been a lifelong Michigan man. YouCon, UNC Nova. You don't have to pick your favorite, but can you give us?

Well, it's funny, because yesterday, when we were at MSG, I was going up in the elevator to the ceiling, which is where most of these hockey broadcasts. Yeah. Which is the pain of my existence. Oh, yeah, it's like, I tell friends of mine all the time. You go to TD Garden, buy a seat in the last row of the balcony, the worst seat in there, and then look up and further back. And then you'll see us.

Yeah, then try to do play back. I was trying to see the puck, you know, this big. So anyway, but yesterday I was going up in the elevator, and the elevator door opened on one of the floors on the way up, and there was an exhibit for the six-overtime Syracuse, Yukon, basketball game in 2009, I think it was, which was unbelievable. Insane. Yeah, so good.

Yeah. But I'm lucky, you know, just being around that long and doing all these things you mentioned, you know, just the odds are at least a few times you're going to be in the right place at the right time or something cool happens. And then that's the, to me, the most fun part of this is it's live. You know, you get one shot at it, like the players, the coaches, the officials, and you either nail it or you're okay or you totally whiff. Yeah.

You know, the Sid Bream thing in 1993, you guys probably weren't even alive. Were you? Yeah, yeah. You were? Yeah. The, um, barely, if you were. So, but it's amazing. I talk to colleges now and I'm referencing games that I did are players, you know,

and they're just stuck in me like, who is that? What? Peyton Manning played football. Yeah. Yeah. So I just thought he was that guy on TV. Yeah. You know, but that's a little bit of exaggeration.

But, you know, the Sid Bream thing, you know, was probably the first of my kind of famous or infamous voice cracks when he slid across when I played. And I thought, oh, my God, you know, that's probably the biggest play I'm ever going to call him. It's game seven of the World Series. They were behind two to nothing going to the bottom of the night. They rally and win. I mean, it's still one of the greatest games of all time. And, you know, that call is going to be played forever. And my voice cracked.

Like I was a 12-year-old. And so when I go. got to the truck a long time later because we had a long postgame show. You guys know Billy Andrade, the golfer from Rhode Island, is on the championship store. Now, he's a good friend. He's lived in Atlanta for a long time. His wife, Jody's from there. And they were in our booth in 1992. So we were walking down to the truck, and I was like, oh, my God. I don't even know if they're going to let me do the World Series. I may not be the youngest guy ever to do the World Series. They're going to give me the hook. And when I got to the truck, everybody came running over and was hugging me about,

that was so awesome. There you go. Okay, maybe it wasn't so bad. So, you know, to me, like the Michigan, Michigan State thing, again, there's some voice cracking it. But your call should match the moment, right? I mean, like, it's the most, we've all been and watched a million games, I've broadcast thousands of games, but I've never seen an ending like that. Yeah. And so, sorry.

Yeah, you know, it is what it is. But you're so right, those moments for us hearing it, it's like that you can feel the emotion from you. You know, it shows that you're a fan. It should be. Holy crap. Yeah. Oh, my God. What just happened?

Exactly. And there was that one Michigan kid. You know, that was the greatest thing. You know, and that's, to me, the number one rule. Call the play in a moment like that. And then shut up. Yeah. They said Vin Scully, in big moments, would stand up and walk away from the microphone like this,

so he would avoid the temptation to say something. There's nothing you can say that's better than the pictures in the audio. Yeah. What a problem. Let them. He was, I saw you say that about the Henry Aaron home run. Yeah. He didn't talk.

And it's like, let the audience sit with it. For a second. I think that was so well said. Call it, chronicle it and get out of the way. You know, so many people want to keep talking because they kind of at least subliminally or maybe just, you know, consciously want to be attached to this moment forever. So I'm just going to keep attaching my voice to this. So every time someone watches it, you hear me, yeah. You hear me. But that's not what we're there to do. That's awesome.

Similar, but a bit different. Do you have a favorite game, regardless of the call, regardless of maybe the moment? Is there a game that sticks out? That's a big one was unbelievable. Yeah. You know, during COVID, when there were no live sports and every network is doing the greatest, whatever, games of all time, players of all time. But Major League Baseball Network did a series, I think it was called Baseball's greatest games. And I believe that game was number four of all time.

And, you know, it's game seven of the NLCS, which might be the most pressure pack thing. You know, at least if you lose in the World Series, you made it to the World Series. This you get as close as you can get to the World Series. And that Pittsburgh Pirate team had, you know, that was their last chance. Bonds and Jim Leland was the manager and a bunch of other guys who probably weren't going to be playing for them anymore. So to lose and to lose in excruciating fashion. And I thought a lot about it last fall, and I'm going to get emotional again. But because you know who would have been the MVP of that series if Pittsburgh had won?

Tim Wakefield. Get out of town. He won two games in that series. Wow, that is a killer. Yeah. Wow. Tim Wakefield. We talked about it a bunch.

Matter of it became a running joke. I was working with Tim McCarver. Tim had played. I don't know if it was in the majors of mine or somebody with a guy named Bill Wakefield. Yeah. And every time Tim took the mound, every time we ran into Tim in the clubhouse, he called him Bill. So that for the next 30 years, every time I saw Wake, hey, how you doing, Bill? It was our own little private joke.

Nobody else knew what we were talking about. But, yeah, he, I'm pretty sure he won two games, and I'm not good at, you know, remembering the specifics. But, yeah, he would have. And then like that, he was gone, thank you. God, for us. For us. Because, you know, he wasn't as good, and Pittsburgh let him go, and he came here and, you know, won 200 games. Absolutely.

Insane. God. And seeing him in 2004. It was the all time, you know, when people die, it's always, oh, he was the greatest. But everything everybody wrote and said about Tim Wakefield was 100% accurate. You know, sincerely a great teammate, citizen of the community,

champion of charity, husband, father, friend, you know, you name it. That's awesome. He died way too young, but at his memorial service, the Red Sox did a great job, and the Wakefields did a great job as a family, taking pictures and videos. And I'm sitting there watching. I'm like, you know what? 58, I think he was. That sucks, and it's way too short.

But this guy had an unbelievable life. He packed. He had a top 0.1 percentile life of all time, regardless how long it was with everything that he did. I mean, pictures of the family all over the world, and he's playing golf at Augusta Nationally. He was a major league baseball legend and champion and, you know, much admired citizen. So it was too short, but he had a hell of the life. Yep, he did. Any broadcaster that you've worked with that you want to show out that's one of your all-time favorite partners?

I know, so many great. I had so many. I love Jerry Remy. That was nine great years. Bill Raftery and Jay Billis, I did the basketball with. You know, the football, college football, Todd Blacklick. Greg McElroy, last year, in one year we become really good friends. Todd Blackledge and Chris Spielman, I work with before him, are two of my very closest friends.

You know, most of the closest friends I have are people I've worked with. Yeah, of course. You know, he spent a lot of time together and share a lot of experiences. You have a lot of time you get on the road. You're talking about family stuff and the, so, yeah, it's, I feel bad. I'm probably short-changing people. Of course, but, yeah, no, that's great. Even back to Nesson College hockey, the legendary Bob Norton.

Yeah, wow. just talked through the other day. He's 81 going strong. Remember, he gave me a great note, which I think I may use on this game tonight, because we're talking, you know, some of the question is, or the Bruin's going to keep alternating goalies.

And I talked to Nort's not too long ago, and he reminded me that when Jim Montgomery was at Maine, playing for the late great Sean Walsh in 1993, Maine, that year, that year they won the National Team, I think it was 93, they alternated goalies the entire, year right through the Frozen 4. It helps.

And you have Mike Donovan for snow, but they did it. So I think in Jim Montgomery's mind, proven. Yeah. That's actually great tidbit. Yeah. That may get in tonight. The problem with hockey play-by-play is there's no time to even tell a story that long.

Yeah. Because the first year, this is our third year back, the first year, I didn't realize as a broadcaster how much faster the game had gotten in the 17 years that ESPN was out. Yep. And there were a number of times at the beginning where I was just in the middle. of this rambling story. And, you know, and the University of Maine goal. Yeah.

Oh, geez. You know, here's a penalty, you know, right in the middle of this. So hockey, it better be brief. Yep. Yeah. Or on a stoppage. Yeah, yeah, there you go. Because it's amazing how fast you think, okay, the defenseman just standing

behind his own net with the buck. Nothing's going to happen in the next five seconds. So then here comes the four check, and it's right in front of that, and bang, it's in the net, and you're like, son of a guy. Yeah. sticking with hockey. When we think of playoff hockey, we think of Doc Emmerich. Me too. One of the great icons of all time

and you have some really awesome quotes that you said and moments about Doc where you were actually in the stands in 2019 in the Bruins Blues. Right here. Right upstairs. We are not going to talk about because that was horrible. It really was. And when we were walking out, there was a woman, you know, it's totally quiet, right?

We're just walking, heading toward the escalators down. And there's a woman who says, good for St. Louis. Like, we've had so much winning lately. You know, they've never won it. And everybody was going to say, you're in the wrong city. That was not a widely held opinion

by those who were leaving. Oh, I saw this really awesome moment that you had with your buddies that I love stuff like this. You said that you turned to your buddies and you looked at Doc doing what he does and he said it'd be really awesome to do something like that. I grew up loving all the sports, as I said earlier. But when I was a kid, Bob Yor and the Bruins, they were the thing, even though the Celtics were winning

all these championships. and the Bruins started winning them. But Bobby Orr was every kid my age, and still is. Yeah, yeah, absolutely. I still get, like, a little nervous every time I'm around Bobby, like, because Bobby Orr knows my name now. Yeah, yeah. It's so cool. And it's really cool when you meet your idol, and he's, like, the nicest guy.

I played a lot of junior tennis growing up. That was sort of my sport. Yeah. And ball boy did some tournaments and stuff, and I idolized Rod Laver. He was the greatest tennis player in the world when I was a young kid. And so four or five years ago, I was at Wimbledon just as a fan, and we're in a restaurant and the hotel we're staying in it. And I look over, about as far, but a little further away than you are.

And I said, I think that's Rod Labor. So I said to the matri-D, is that Rod Laver? Yeah, it is. He was at four or five other people. I said, I don't want to bother him. I don't want to say. I just would love to buy him and his group a drink. Yeah.

So a Major D came over and said he appreciates it very much. they're not staying too much longer, but he said, please come over and say hello. There was a woman actually in the group who recognized me. But anyway, he invited me to sit down. I have all these pictures in my phone right here, but he has his arm around me. And I said to him, it's the coolest thing ever

when somebody, you know, you've kind of idolized your whole life that turns out to be as nice as you are. Yeah, no, that's so cool. And Doc Emrick speaking of which nicest people of all time. He's in any conversation. Oh, my gosh. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, that's great.

Well, I mean, listen, it's like, I just think it's so great. You know, you've done all of these amazing things. We went down the list. But I just think it's so cool, Sean, when you have that moment of saying, you know, later in your career, saying it would be so cool to do that. Yeah, I was sitting in the stand just to finish the story. And, you know, I've been, as we've said, a lot of sporting events, but just the energy in the building before the puck drive. They lead up to the anthony. And sometimes when you're in the booth, you're a little detached from that.

You don't know if it's the walls. You know, I've experienced that much more as a fan. And I just remember thinking, how cool, looking at where Doc was, how cool would it be to call this? Never thinking that I would. Hoping since I was a little kid, literally lying on the floor in the living room with my little tape recorder calling the Bruins games. Back in those days, the Globe used to print like these little, the rosters. And it was only one through 30 or 31. No one was number 68 or whatever.

So it was easy to remember, and I knew all the Bruins names and numbers. And I could probably still recite the ball for back then. Yeah, definitely. But that's what I always wanted to do. So a couple of years later, that was 2019, and we've been in it three years. So, you know, I was walking down the street, and I got a text from somebody, hey, we got the NHL back. And I immediately texted Jimmy Petaro. I'm like, you know what?

He's our runs. Yeah, yeah. I want this. I'm not going to mess around. I'm just going to go straight to him. So I text and said, I'd love to be the lead play-by-play guy on this and we're involved in some way. He's like, oh, that's great. So let me talk to the other.

people are going to make the decision. So, yeah. It's fantastic. You were just talking about how fast the game is. Looking at your career and all the things that you've done. I mean, you just said it. And for the listeners, again, it's something that maybe we don't consider those stories, those little asides that you can do in other sports that you just can't do in hockey.

It's such an interesting thing. And I loved seeing this little quote you had about Doc, something you admired about Doc, is his little strategy of when a shot goes, doesn't go in the net, how he just does that. And it did not go. Yeah. And it's, you know, like, well, that's a pretty good invitation. You don't know. Was it a safe?

That happens a lot, right? And I, because you're way up there. I mean, in most of these arenas, you're dangling from, like here. Yeah, yeah. And the TD Garden, you know, the ice level is on the third floor of the building. Like if you came up to the ice level, you take the elevator to three from the street level. And then we're on nine. Yeah.

So we're six stories, basically, above. We're like looking out a six-story window. And you're set back this way, too. And here's better than Somme. I mean, there are a bunch that are even further away. As a matter of fact, last year, when you're thinking about, oh, what matchups do we want in these playoffs, I'm always rooting for the team that has the low booth to win. Like Vegas, great booth, basically in the bar.

Our buddy Dave Gosher, who you guys love him. We love Coach. We're here. The Ghosh, when the Golden Knights first started in Tebow Arena, they were dangling from the ceiling. I think he actually said something to Bill Foley, the owner, like, you know, this is awful. Yeah. So they build them a little booth. It's in the bar.

It's at the top. The last row of the lowest section, you're probably 20 rows off the ice. Pittsburgh's the same way. You're in the Captain Morgan Club. But most of them, you're way up. As a matter of fact, the only Stanley Cup final we've done so far, we'll have it again this year because we alternate with Turner. We had two years ago, Colorado and Tampa,

and those are probably two of the five worst. You're so high and so far back. So I think this year, ESPN is going to do what they used to do for Doc, what NBC used to do, and buy up some seats or something and build a little platform down lower. I came here to the bean pot, and I was in a suite. And I took pictures, and I sent it to my boss is like, any chance we could get this close to the ice? This is amazing when you can actually see what happened. And you don't have to say, and it did not go.

My Doc used to say, and that means, I don't know. What happened? If it missed the net, the goalie stopped it. You know, if it hit the post. Yeah. I even like, I don't like to have a lot of crowd sound and the noise that you hear sometimes on TV. Because everybody my age who's done this is completely deaf. And I didn't want to be completely. So I always like everything kind of low.

Yeah. So Buddha, our audio guy, Dan Bernstein, who's here tonight, I said, Buddha, you know, when we first started the hockey, they have mics in the net. And every time, you know, there's action around the net, it was like, you always couldn't hear yourself talk. So I said, could you take the net mic out? Well, now, from where I am, the puck is hitting the post. And everybody at home is hearing ping, right? And I don't. So I don't know that it hit the post.

Everybody's like, what are you a moron? I mean, didn't hear the ping? Well, no, I didn't, because I asked them to take that out, and I'm 10 stories away, and I have headphones on. So two years ago in the playoffs, we were in New York, I said, okay, Buddha, I can't have that happen. You've got to give me that mic a little bit. So very beginning of the game, I don't remember.

It was a Pittsburgh penguin. coming down the wing, shoots, Igor Shosturkin, slides across, like, from post to post, and you hear ping, and I said, hit the post, right? So I show the replay, it missed the net mic about this much,

well, his skate, hit the bottom of the post and caused the ping. So I'm like, all right, Buddha, get the net mic back out there. So, you know, I just like, I would love to be close, but a lot of times we're just not. Yeah, one of my favorite things

that I've noticed that Doc does is the player name after. I was just about to say it. same thing as like he does that thing where he's like and going around the net to collect the buck is Phil Kessel. Well, that's that. I love that strategy. Well, that's a very effective way of giving yourself extra time to figure out what it is.

Right? Like he's like, I have no idea who this is. Yeah. And I used to listen to Jack Buck on Monday night football on the radio with Hank Stram. Right. Yeah. And he was the king of, and it's caught at the 42-yard line. That's the big tight end.

Number 88. He's at the 30 and it's Jay Nov. check or whatever. And it sounds like, then you just don't. He's looking for the number. Yeah. You know, and that happens a lot. Yeah.

And especially from where we are, you know, one of the things you have to do in hockey broadcasting is not only memorize all the names and numbers, but sometimes the numbers can look alike. 15 can look like 16 and look like 18 or 19. Yeah. So now you actually have to memorize, okay, 13's a left shot, 15's a right shot. That guy skates hunched over. Yeah.

This guy's more upright skater. whatever it is because it's just you're so far away that a lot of times you're guessing. A lot of times it's an educated guess. We were joking around. I forget who it was. I think it might have been with Army, but last year, the year before, Tampa had those blackout jerseys and the numbers were black as well. And it was like, what the hell do you expect me to do?

Last year in Florida, when they came out, they had the exact same uniform on. The exact same uniform. Remember, Ray Ferraro was between the benches and the kids. the officials came out and said, what the hell are we supposed to do with this? Yeah, it's like. Caprizov sent a guy on the other team in on a breakaway thinking he was on his team. And they took a shot at the bench and they're all laughing. Like, yeah, of course, what are we going to do? Yeah, yeah.

So you're all fired up to go to the All-Star game. And from the minute they took the ice, I thought, this is going to be the longest three hours of my life. And they have double numbers. Yeah, also. Right. God. Yeah. So people, but people watching don't know.

And they don't really care. Yes. Right. So don't make excuses. Do the best you can. Exactly. I don't know if you're allowed to do this, but if you are, do you have any who you like this year?

Any Cup favorites? Oh, yeah. I mean, ESPN just published our picks for who's going to win each of these first round series and then who we're going to pick. I picked Carolina in the preseason, so I just stayed with them. I like that. Looking good. They've gone wire to wire.

I like that. Yeah, I think adding Gensel was huge. To me, and I think to most people, the thing that's always held them back is just not enough guys you could rely on for scoring. And Kuznets off, you know, he looked like he was done in Washington. I mean, they basically, you know, said goodbye. And then bang, so sometimes it changed scenery. And he took a little time away, so maybe that helped.

But the, yeah, so I like them, especially if they continue to get really good goaltending like they did getting. So, but there's, there's a bunch of teams that could win, you know, the Rangers we had the other day. Of course. Florida Dallas is really good. Would anybody be surprised at Vegas as the eight seed one? Shawnee, we were just talking about it.

It's like, whole hum, look at that. Petro's back, Stoner's back, like everyone's healthy again. It's miraculous how they all get healthy, right? Did you look at that? I swear that Dallas, Vegas, and Florida, Tampa series, the winner of that first round batch up could be the final. We had Dallas and Vegas last year in the Western Conference final. So, again, a win.

Yep. Two good booths. That was not as low as Vegas, but lower than most. This is something I'm going to keep an eye on. Me too. Oh, yeah. Well, hopefully, we're going to build some platforms. Yeah.

You know, MSG is fine. It's a little higher than you want to be, but it's doable. Yeah. But there's just a Carolina, my God. So you're screwed. If you're pick hits, you're screwed. You might as well be calling it from the good year blimp. Okay.

So how's the, how's the booth at Florida? Because when we're up. Yeah, we're up there. media room, I was like, this is fucking insane. I'd rather just walk the concourse. Thank you for speaking my thought every time I walk in there. I mean, it is like, it's comically high. Yeah, it really is.

You have no chance. You know, it's just an educated guess a lot of the time. It really is. And then you, you know, like people say, is it okay having Ray Ferraro not in the booth next to you? Like, yeah, somebody needs to be down there to see what happened. Yeah. I tell them, like if you know that puck was deflecting.

or hit somebody off the leg. Feel free to say, I won't feel like you're correcting me. You know, the number one thing for us is to get it right, no matter what. So what I've done, what I've done a better job of now is not really going to the Doc Emmerich school of around the net, and he's going to fetch the puck, and that's the big defenseman, you know, surrogate chef, whatever. So, yeah. So at the beginning, I was a little too committed to getting the call in real time, and there's

nothing worse than you have to go back and correct it. So now we wait. And it's cool. I think you've said about building the chemistry with someone not in the booth next to you. And I think you guys have done such a good job of that. Yeah. Well, the first two or three games we did, we were together. Yep.

And not only allow these booths far away, but they're really small. Yeah. And I am legendarily nerdy about, I have charts. And, you know, my Gruden used to love my football spotting chart, which is about the size of this monitor. Remember, we're on the air one time, and he compared it to Andy Reed's plague-calling chart that he has on the sideline. And so I need my space. Yep. And, you know, we did a game here, one of the first games we did together.

And between Ivan, our stage manager slash that guy, me and Ray, we almost couldn't stand shoulder to shoulder. So when Ray said, you know, in Canada all these years, I've been between the benches, how would you feel about that? I'd feel really good about it. I'd feel great about it. Yeah. And please love it and stay down there. And, you know, you worry about stepping on each other, but we really don't that much.

And, you know, what I try to do. do is natural pause, the guys behind his own holding the puck. If the play's been going on for a while, pause because maybe Ray wants to come in. If they're kind of mozing around center ice, there's a time. And then I try to give them all the time on the stoppages.

Yeah, sure. It's interesting to hear. There really is a dance about it. Yeah. Of, you know, giving each other time, finding the right cadence. That's really cool. Yeah, and it takes time.

But he's been invaluable being down there between the benches. Because he sees and hears things that we would never. You know, I remember the kid, Coachekoff, the Carolina goalie a couple of years ago. He came over to the bench during the game, and Ray was right next to the bench,

and we don't know what's going on. And there was a delay. And they said the problem is nobody speaks Russian, though they don't understand what he's asking. So they had to get Svetznikov from the other end of the bench, and he had a problem with his skate. They're like, oh, Svetschnikov said he needs to have his skate fix. Got it.

So funny. That is so funny. Yeah. He hears a lot of stuff. You know, the Bruins in Florida series last year. like Kachuk and Marshan and all this night. Well, he hears all of it. Oh, yeah. Edits some of it.

Oh, yeah. So it's very valuable having them down there. No doubt about it. All right, Sean, I know we've got to get you in the garden here. Yeah, I'm going to go see Jim Montgomery. I wish we could go for a much longer. I agree. Can I invite myself back? I was just getting to that because this is, I mean,

we could do this for hours and hours and I hope we do in the future. But we'll get you into the garden before we let you go and before we say thank you so much for this. This was so amazing. Is there anything you want to shout out, anything you want to plug before we let you out of here? Just appreciate you too very much.

It's a lot of fun. And thanks for mentioning the charity. If people want to do that, they can find it's the Sean McDonough Celebrity Golf Classic and Brigham and Women's and there's links that people want to donate. That would be great. But no pressure. And thank you. Great to be with you guys.

Oh my God. It's the best. We'll do it again soon. Are you going to now just start jumping up and down and doing burpees? Yes. There's actually a full gym in the other room that we're just going to run right. No, but seriously, Sean. Thank you so much. It's so fun. Thank you.

Awesome. Huge. Thank you to Sean McDonough. That was one of the favorite interviews I've done in a long time. He is a great person and even better friend. And I can't wait to have him back. Yeah, he's going to be back for sure. That conversation made me want to get in the booth. I've never felt that way in my life.

And that just goes to show how cool he is and how special he's made the job. Absolutely insane. All right, quick mailbag. We've got three questions. that we got to hit, they're kind of covering all the teams. I love it. First one is, who do you think will be the biggest rat in these playoffs? Great one. And hey, thank you to everyone submitting. We're going to do this every week, so keep them coming. And we're going to get to as many as we have time for every week. The biggest rat, man, obviously we're here in Boston.

I want to say Marcy, but I'm going to go, give me Sam Bennett. I just feel like he crossed so many problems last year. A couple high hits. It's a solid one. He's up. He's in the mixer all the time. And I think that Florida team's going to make a run. And I think they play with a lot of that. Yeah. That's maybe what is it for the Panthers, Scratch. Claw. They play with a lot of that claw, let's call it.

So I'll take Sam Bennett on that one. I like it. First of all, I'm a sensitive boy. I hate the term rat. Yeah. I just, I think that there's a way to be players like this and you're not a rat. I like pest more. Okay.

I am going to go marshy. There's something about this season, seeing him wearing the sea on a sweater, and the way he has not shot. away from that element of his game at all, especially against Toronto in the regular season, the ways that he's just yapping at the bench. He was going neck and neck, or going at the throat, rather, with Marner.

Yeah. I just think, I think Marci's got, like, an extra element of fire under his skin, and I think he's going to really get under people, you know, get people hot under the collar. If our picks are right, next round, we'll see a couple pests going head to head. Yeah, I'd like that very much.

All right. Hit me with the next. Next question is give us your top five players in the playoffs. Oof, okay. I would say that my top five guys in the league are like still in the playoffs. So I don't want to necessarily just do that. I'm going to say Nate Dogg. Nate Dog is my one.

I think he is so insane. And I just, especially after that first loss, too, I think he's going to kick it into an even higher gear. I'm going to go Connor after that. I just think he's undeniable. Even if and when they lose, he's always undeniable. Was it last year or the year before? It's like they lost, and then it took a full another round for someone to pass him in points.

Yeah, you're right. I was like, what is going on? He's an absolute mutant. Drysena might have been doing that too. Absolute mutant. After that, I'm going David Pasternak. Okay. Pasta has just been a perennial performer in the playoffs.

I don't think he gets his flowers enough when it comes to his playoff points. He was quiet in game one. but was happy too because a lot of other secondary scoring came, which you love to see. And I just, I think he's been a performer all year. I think he elevates his teammates, and I'm excited to see him keep pumping. I'm going Panarin.

Ooh, good one. I'm going Panarin. I feel insane doing this over Cooch, but I am going Panarin. I think the last two seasons he's been unreal this year, best year of his career, obviously gets on the board in game one right away. I think we're going to see some big stuff from him

and then I just, I have to go cooch after that. Yep. Okay, that's a fantastic list. It's probably a correct list because the three MVP finalists are in it. I'm just going to go a little rogue for people because I like this question so much. And I'm going to tell you the top five guys, I think.

And let's just call it round one because it's hard to predict who's going to get out. It's a couple Tasty Series. So round one, here are my top five performers. Ready, Dan? Number five, sane in New York, Chris Kreider. I just think he had the breakaway talking game one. He is going to have,

at least three power play goals against this cap team. That series I think is only going to go four games, but I just really think Kreider is going to, he almost had one, he almost had two in game one because he almost had a power play goal. He is going, he's immovable in front of the net, and he is going to put one in. Number four, give me Jonathan Marsha, so. 42 goals this year. Damn, I really like that one.

I don't think they're, I have picked Dallas to get by them. I could easily see Vegas getting by them, but I just think Marci has been the, Every time that team has needed a goal this year, Marci has been the guy. And I love, God, Willie, Ikes, a million guys can score on that team. But I just think Jonathan Marcioso is going to stay hot and have a bunch of goals on that squad.

Number three, number three, Jake Gensel. Oh, okay. Heat smoke the rest of the regular season on the Canes. I believe pointless in game one? I'm not, I don't remember. I believe pointless. And this one could bite me because they,

I also think that's going to be a quick series, but he has just been everything that team needed down the stretch here. And I think he really continues in the playoffs. He has playoff success in his past. He knows what it takes to win the finals. He is going to be the guy for this team. Pointless in game one. Number two, Matthew Kachuk.

I've been on him the whole second half. How could I not have my boy here? I think the Panthers are the best team in the league. Top two, Dallas. I don't know. He's just off mine. He already scored. And I just think he's bus in 10, baby.

Here we go. And number one, round one performer, Kyle Connor. two tux in game one guy's going to have five goals in the first round five goals and damn near double digit points if not double digit points best performer of round one what's really funny is i think we did this list so differently yeah we did that's why i wanted to do it that way they asked us who are the five best players in the playoffs and you gave five like completely off the five best players in the playoffs list but those are very good are going to the top three are very are going to perform which i really like okay um all right our final one Should officials call less in the playoffs or doesn't matter as long as it's consistent? Hold on.

So if you think they should call it differently, say yes. If you think they shouldn't call it differently, say no. On three. If they should call it differently, say yes. If they shouldn't call it differently, say no. Ready? Okay. Three, two, one.

Yes. Nice. But I have a caveat to mine. Okay. In the third period. Oh. First two periods, because, Dude, here's the thing, man.

I don't think playoffs should change the way you call the game. And I don't think it should change the way that you allow players to play the game. If you fucking trip me, it's a trip, dude. And it's even the little ones. Like, you know, you might call an elbow. You might call an interference that in the playoffs, you're like, ah, I'm not going to call that one. Again, like the question said, if you keep it consistent and every ref is like, we're not going to call as much. We're all doing this.

and you keep that same consistent level great, I just think that's hard to do. I think it's hard for everyone to go, we're changing the way we do this, but it's going to be consistently changed. That's difficult. So I think first two periods, dude, this is a fucking hockey game.

If you commit a penalty, you're getting called, you're going to the box. Third period, I am okay with. And the term that we always say is swallowing the whistle. I am okay with swallowing the whistle in the third period

as long as the entire league is doing it And as long as every game does it too. The trips, the delay games, and the high sticks have to get called. Yeah. And like egregious, like hitting from behind or like, you know, some elbow across the face. Like, of course, anything egregious, for me, the difference in the playoffs, because you're right, those are penalties, should be the hit stuff and the hold stuff and some of the hook stuff. You know, it's like hits that you might have called interference or roughing.

I'm like, let him go. I almost didn't want to agree with you on the swallow the whistle. stuff because I'm kind of like, I hate, I hate the like, well, it was a penalty in the first. It's not in the third. But even when I'm watching, I can feel myself being like, dude, let him play. Let them finish it themselves. O.T. as well. I'm like, literally, dude, don't call anything.

Yes, unless it is one you have to call, which is like a high stick and he's bleeding or a delay game. And I know we both hate delay game. The last thing I'll say in this topic, Dan, and I think some people disagree with this. I am completely for the even and out on the penalties. Like, if one team is to have a bunch of penalty power plays, fucking find something to call. Like, period. It's so unfair when one team takes four penalties and one doesn't. No, it's not.

Dude, it's- It's such a crazy take by you because I get it, but it's such a crazy take because if a team is playing a clean game and you just go like this, we're going to just call that one. I'm like, no, dude, they're playing better than you and not committing penalties so they shouldn't go to the box. If they were actually playing a perfectly clean game, then yes, of course, I agree. Which is comment.

No, there's always something. No, don't pull that shit, dude. It's not football. There's not a hold on every play. Like, the things that you're like, yeah, we can call that one. that's not a penalty. You're just doing it because you're a bitch and you want to even it out. Well, my point is this.

No, it's crazy. My point is this, if there's a hold that we both agree, like, it's playoffs, that's a hold regular season, but it's not a hold in playoffs. Well, sure, that one. Then I go, if it's skewed, I'm like, call it, dude. There are perfectly clean games played by teams, dude. That's fair. I'll accept that. And I'm saying if that's the case, I think it's bullshit if you're just going, yeah,

we're going to give them two because the other team made shitty place. Even it out. Even it out. You're out of your mind. Great questions. Fantastic questions. Fantastic questions. All right, Dan, let's get into saucy predictions.

I know a lot of people thought that was going to be done in the regular season. It's not. Hell no. I've got an addiction to hot wings now. I can't get enough of it. When we do an episode and we don't rip the hot sauce, I feel like something's missing. Not only in my mouth, but in my life. So sauce your predictions continue.

It's going to be in the Tuesday app. We're not going to do it. It's going to be the full week. We have the saucey prediction until the next week. We'll be back in the Tuesday up. We don't have any punishment this week, Dan. Probably the only week, I'll play. playoffs will have no punishment because no no i'm going to hit every single and i've got mine and it's mine is

scorching oh okay scorching you want to start yes i do yep my saucy prediction for the week by this time next week artemmy peneran will lead the stanley cup playoffs in points in points they're going to say goals i like it he had how many in game one he had one one point but it was beautiful came from laugh, so the connection continues. Yep. The Rangers are buzzing. Everyone thought, everyone thought, oh, regular season doesn't matter. We're going to get to the playoffs.

President's trophy curse is real. The Rangers can't do it. They're perennial chokers. Ho-hum, would you look at that? A 5-1 dick slapping of the capitals. And rent-pee gets on the board. Panarin gets on the board. Getting paid not a lot of money

for fucking working, dude. The Rangers are absolutely buzzing, and Panarin is staying hot. He will be leading the league, the playoffs, in points this time. A lot of guys had three burgers in game ones. Don't care. Don't care. He doesn't care at all. Don't care.

Okay. I love it. Mine is a massive overreaction already. Okay? I would expect nothing else of you. By this time. But at this point next week, a week from today. Yeah.

two teams gone we'll be out of the playoffs two sweeps two maybe three come on no but two's my prediction come on this guy I mean I'm massively overreacting and this is one of those ones too where I hate when my saucy

prediction is dead a day after I make it you know it's gonna be yeah and I'm like oh damn that's what's great he's like we'll be watching games on Thursday and you'll be like this well you'll be doing the math Alan from the hangover at the crack at the blackjack tables just all the numbers going around your head going, is anyone possibly going to get swept? And the answer's no. Two teams going to be out. Do you know who I think?

You know what I think could be? I was about to ask, are you going to grace us with your guesses of who's going to get swept? There are three teams I think that could get swept. I think you think the Islanders are going to get swept. Ping, that's one of them. I think you think the capitals are going to get swept. Ping. I think you think the least are going to get swept.

Did I just go three for three? That's a sweet hat. I'm massively overreacting. I'm aware of that. You sure are. But I'm just telling you two teams. When this Tuesday up, next Tuesday up drops, two teams gone. I like it.

Two teams already golf and damp. There are both of ours. A bonus third tossing is we're both going to be eating hot sauce next. So enjoy that. All right. That is it for us today at the Ampton News podcast. We've got to get into the garden for this game two matchup between the Bruins and the Maple Leafs. Unbelievable stuff, guys.

We will see you again in a few days for the next episode. And until then, skate hard.