Halford & Brough in the Morning - The Canucks Have To Start Dancing

Episode Date: February 26, 2025

In hour one, Mike & Jason look back at the previous day in sports (3:00), the boys preview tonight's Canucks matchup at LA (6:00) which also should see the return of captain Quinn Hughes, plus they go around the NHL with Sportsnet's David Amber (26:02). This podcast is produced by Andy Cole and Greg Balloch. The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Media Inc. or any affiliate.

Da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da- And a goal! Gooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo Get some help Good morning, Vancouver 601 on a Wednesday. Happy Wednesday everybody. It is half printed is breath. It is sports net 650 We are coming live from the kin tech studios and beautiful fairview slopes in Vancouver Jason. Good morning. Good morning A dog good morning to you. Good morning. Laddie. Good morning to you. Hello. Hello and internal SEO. Good morning to you as well Good morning. How far up in the morning is brought to you by Vancouver Honda, Vancouver's premier destination for Honda customers. They have a friendly, knowledgeable staff that can help with anything you're looking for, sales, financing, service or parts. We are in hour one of the program. Hour one is brought to you by North Star Metal Recycling.

Vancouver's premier metal recycler pays the highest prices on scrap metal. North Star Metal Recycling, they recycle, you get paid. Visit them at 1170 Powell Street in Vancouver. We are coming to you live from the Kintec studio, Kintec footwear and orthotics, working together with you and Stapp. Big show ahead on a Wednesday at Canucks Game Day. Four guests today on the Halford and Brough show

on Sportsnet 650. Guest list today begins at 6.30, David Amber. Sportsnet, Hockey Night in Canada, NHL host is gonna join the program. I have been told that we have a new intro alert. There's gonna be a new intro, new theme song from the dogs for David Amber. So that'll debut at 6.30.

Have we been using the rap horns a little too much? I don't know. That's a great one. I think not enough. Not enough. That's a hard take. Hit that rap horn. Hit that rap horn, buddy. I think it's a little too early for that.

It is Scotiabank Wednesday Night Hockey tonight. It starts with an all Canadian affair as the Jets travel to the nation's capital to take on the Sens. Then your Vancouver Canucks are in action against the Los Angeles Kings at 7 p.m. from Crypto.com. So David Amber will join us at 6.30 to talk about all that. 7 o'clock, Frank Saravalli from Daily Face Off is going to join the program. We are just nine days away from the NHL's trade deadline. Man, that crept up quick. We will discuss Frank's trade target board over at Daily

Face Off. Can also discuss who's going to be or who are going to be the busiest GMs heading into March 7th. That's at 7 o'clock with Frank Sarah Valley from Daily Face Off. Seven thirty. Barclay Parnetta, Vancouver Giants General Manager, is going to join the program this Sunday at two p.m. at the Langley Event Center. The Giants are going to host Wenatchee in the Nickelodeon night for the Children's Miracle Network. The Giants, Jason, are going to be sporting

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle jerseys on Sunday. Adog is so excited. Sick. Adog's like, I have pajamas like that. Oh, I have the exact same ones. We can ask Barclay who his favorite Ninja Turtle is. I'm sure you're a Raphael guy because he's cool, but rude. No, I've always been a Leo guy. So Barclay, pardon that. You had that real quick. You had that answer real quick. Hey, I was a child of the 90s man It's one of the biggest shows ever and you're adult of the 2020s. Yep, barely. Still one of the biggest shows ever So Barclay is gonna join us at 730 to talk about the Giants 8 o'clock Randy Jand is gonna join the program He's on the call tonight Canucks King 7 o'clock from crypto Canucks looking for their first win

Following the four nations face off break. We can also ask Randeeb about going to the Real Madrid Man City game last week where you got to see Achille and Mbappe Hatrick as the eliminated city from the Champions League. So we'll talk to Randeeb about all that at eight. That's it. Oh, one more thing. Sorry. Neil Young tickets for today. We are giving away another pair of Neil Young tickets. Neil Young and the Chrome Hearts. they're doing their Love Earth Tour. They're going to be at Deer Lake Park this September, September 6th, 2025.

It is an all ages event. If you would like to win a pair of tickets to see Neil Young in September at Deer Lake Park, be caller number seven at 815 this morning. So caller number seven at 815-815. Phone number here is 604-280-0650. That number again, 604-280-0650. Caller number seven at 815 this morning will win a pair of tickets to see Neil Young and the Chrome Hearts in September at Deer Lake Park. Okay, that's what's happening on the program today. Laddie, let's tell everybody what happened.

Hey, did you guys see the game last night? No. What happened? I missed all the action because I was. We know how busy your life can be. What happened? You missed that? You missed that?

What happened? What happened is brought to you by the BC Construction Safety Alliance, making safety simpler by giving construction companies the best in tools, resources and safety training. Visit them online at bccsa.ca. A fairly eventful practice for the Vancouver Canucks yesterday at the King's facility in El Segundo.

Quinn Hughes was back at practice and looks as though he'll play tonight against the Los Angeles Kings at crypto and a bunch of new lines Jason were unveiled yesterday in El Segundo. Yeah, Tauket said after practice that they had a good video session, they all gathered around and watched some video and said, hey coach, I bet you're going to say we got to move our feet more. Should we move our feet? I bet you, yeah, we're going to move our feet and he said it was one of their better practices in that guys were showing creativity and making plays. They were even hitting the net with their shots,

which is important. But Tauke had also said now they have to bring it to a game and not a practice in El Segundo. The new lines that you mentioned, and we talked about this yesterday. Is he going to shake up the top six? He sure did. Elias Pedersen was between Jake DeBrusk and Nils Hoeglinder.

Hoeglinder gets another shot in on the top line with Pettersson. We'll see if he, if he gets too fancy up there. Taka doesn't like it when he gets too fancy up there. He's got to keep his game consistent. This is interesting, I think. Hedl with Joshua and Garland. And I think in that you've got, in Hedl and

Garland, you've probably got the, the guys that have been moving their feet the most. It's the foot moving line. Yeah. He's, he's loading up a foot moving line and also Dakota Joshua. Brock Besser down on the third line, at least on paper with Suter and Drew O'Connor.

I wonder if that line's going to get some tougher matchups though. But, uh, you know, Brock Besser, we've got some audio to play from Rick Tauke on Brock Besser, but, uh, I do wonder how he feels about being on a line with, uh, Puse Souter and Drew O'Connor, but we'll see how that line goes. And then Bluger between Sherwood and Baines and

Baines stays in the lineup. And you know, for as good a story as Baines has been, I would like, and I think a lot of Canucks fans would like to see something out of him. He's played what, 20 games in the NHL. He has, I think a lot of Canucks fans would like to see something out of him. He's played what 20 games in the NHL. He has, I think one goal. He played seven minutes last game. Yeah.

And Nils Amann was the healthy scratch. And, um, you know, for, for all the talk early on about the, the great depth that the Canucks have up front, you know, with all due respect to Baines, I'm kind of like, can we do better than Bains? Can we? We can get into that later and of course, we'd love to hear all your thoughts and comments on the Dunbar lumber, in the Dunbar lumber text line at 650, 650 Metro Vancouver's trusted choice for contractors and rental warriors for over 50 years. Visit them on one of their three locations to serve you or online at dunbarlumber.com. Um, let's play some talk at audio because I do

want, um, I do want to talk a little bit about Brock Besser being on a line with, um, Souter and O'Connor. So he's not playing with Elias Pedersen, who is in theory their number one centre. He's not playing with Philip Hedl, who is been maybe their best and most dynamic forward, um, since coming over from the New York Rangers

and a trade instead he's with Suter and O'Connor. And even though that line might get some of the tougher matchups, you know, Brock Besser is, you know, he's a guy that's supposed to score goals for the Vancouver Canucks. And this is what Rick Tuckett had to say about Brock Besser's game.

Um, I don't know. Um, you know, Brock's a, you know, I've, you know, been here two years with Brock, I have a great relationship with him. You know, and there's certain times when, uh, you know, there's a you know, I've you know, been here two years with brah I have a great relationship with him, you know, and there's certain times when you know, there's a mental part of his game I hope the contracts not bother me. I mean, you know, he's never really mentioned that to me, but uh You know for me, he's a guy that you know, he's he's got to be around the net He's a sly guy around the net and I think he's been playing more of a Flanker outside a little too much for me and I think you, like today's practice, I thought he had one really good practice today.

He just needs a little more urgency in his game to get around that. That's what he's really good at. He's one of our best tippers. He's got one of our best shots. So I think he's got to be around the hole more. That'll help him for the distractions. So the big news yesterday was that Quinn Hughes was back. And we talk a lot about creativity on the Canucks. We talk about trying to find a guy that makes something happen out there. We all know it's a defenseman. You know, you can shuffle the forward lines as much as you want. Quinn Hughes is still going to be the most dynamic, most creative player on the Vancouver Canucks.

And here is Rick Tauket on the return of Quinn Hughes to practice and what that is going to mean for the team. Well, just having Quinn on the ice to the practice level went up one level. You know, he gets pucks to the net and it makes, makes people go to the net. You know, I told him today, I said, you know,

a difference in practice when you're out there is because, you know, when he gets the puck of the bull, and he does his dance, it makes people get to the net. And I think that's something that we've lacked since he's been out. So you remember bro do your deeks? That's kind of out now.

Bro do your dancing. Quinn do your dance. Yeah, bro do your dancing, but that's what he does. Right? And that's what Rick Tauke is constantly talking about. When Quinn Hughes is dancing along the blue line, he is opening up passing lanes. He's opening up shooting lanes and the Canucks

forwards need to take a cue from that. And you don't have to dance as good as Quinn. He's a great dancer. A good little dancer. But you got to dance a little bit, right? You don't have to dance as good as Quinn. He's a great dancer. A good little dancer. But you got to dance a little bit, right? You can't be like me at a wedding, you know? And well, I mean, I'll dance at a wedding, but I need a few cocktails in me first.

And you know, you shouldn't drink before games. That's, that's very important at the NHL level. Sound advice. Do not get, do not get wedding wasted before a game, but you still got to go out there and dance. You got to have some energy in your step and open up passing lanes, open up shooting lanes. Taka must be going crazy being like, hey guys, move your feet. This is something you've heard since what? You started hockey? So go do it.

Quinn can't be the only guy on the dance floor. It's really embarrassing for him. Well, you know, sometimes when you're at a wedding and there's that one person that gets the dance floor going and other people look to follow their lead. They're like, well, he's out there now cutting

a rug, maybe it's Jason, hands above his head. Like he just doesn't care. So I think part of it is like when the coach's message isn't sinking in or maybe it's not resonating, sometimes you do defer to the guys. You're like, just do what he's doing. Just do what he's doing. I do wonder if that's gonna be with Hughes.

Also should note, this is the first time that we're gonna get a look at this blue line. The new look blue line is fully put together because you gotta remember that when Pedersen was acquired, Marcus Pedersen was acquired, almost immediately Quinn Hughes started missing games due to the injury and he's missed the last six. So the unit, if you actually look at how the blue line

could shape up tonight, considering that Mancini is probably in the mix, I guess it would depend based on whatever Rick Tauke had thought about his previous few outings, with DPD kind of becoming a guy that they are relying on with regularity. So suddenly you're looking at it and you're like, this actually looks like if when Hughes is there and healthy and dancing, like a pretty

competent unit and by far, at least on paper, the best defensive group that the Vancouver Connects have had all year. Yeah, no, I agree. Um, I don't know if DPD is going to play tonight. He was on the fourth pair at practice. Um, but from what I've heard, I, I, I, I, I, I think there's a chance that he's going to play

tonight and can we just talk about the importance of winning tonight's game for the Canucks? Uh, because it was not a good night for the Canucks last night on the outer town scoreboard. Calgary went into Washington and played very well and got a win over the Capitals and Utah played Chicago and despite the score only being 2-1 for Utah, they absolutely dominated the

Chicago Blackhawks and we all know that they just beat the Canucks and that was a big win for Utah. That was one of those four point swing games and all of a sudden the Canucks are not in a playoff spot and they've also got Utah chasing them as well and they've got massive concerns about their ability to create offense. They've got an injured goalie in Thatcher Demko.

And you know, we've all kind of been like, for the last month or so, we've been like, well, despite all the problems that the Canucks are having, they should be able to beat Calgary in the race, and they should be able to beat Utah, but Calgary keeps hanging around, and Utah might be playing better hockey than the Canucks right now. And the start to the post-Foreign Nations faceoff break has not been good for the Canucks. There have been some alarming stories across the NHL, which we'll get to throughout the show as we do our NHL whip round of some teams that have really struggled coming out of the break in the

first two or three games. You can put the Canucks in that category so they're not alone, but the concerns are two goals in two games, consecutive losses. You mentioned no Demko, so with the two back to back sets, Vegas, Utah, and then LA Anaheim, you're talking about almost having to play Silov's in two of the four games coming out of the break, which is less than ideal, even though he did play well against Utah on Sunday. Also, this was a team that was without Hughes prior to the break. I thought played some pretty inspired hockey. I thought the three nothing win over Colorado

was terrific considering Hughes wasn't there. The Toronto win the last game before the break, where they were without Hughes, they also suffered that loss of Thatcher Demko having to leave that game early, which can often throw a team into a bit of a tailspin. They played well there. Things were looking somewhat optimistic

going into the break. And it wasn't just because of the two losses on the weekend. Let's make that abundantly clear. It was how toothless the offense looked and how few shots they were getting on net that really drew everyone's ire. Like it was, so getting Hughes back at the very least,

you would hope, would be able to increase some of that offense. But the next three games, as they finish this road trip, like I did not expect it to be this fundamentally important. Like the table would flip so quickly, but that's how tight things are at the bottom of the West when you're talking about those playoff spots. Calgary went on a bit of a heater and then last

night went into Washington, got that win. Now they're looking down at the Canucks and it's holding that second and final wild card spot. So the guy I'm going to be watching pretty closely tonight is Nils Hoeglinder. Yeah. And Danny Texin, and he said, so based on what Tauke it is saying, does Hoeglinder need to get just the right amount of fancy?

Not too fancy, but not just dump and chase unfancy. What exactly does that mean? Well, here's what Elias Pettersson said about Nils Hoeglender. He said he's a little pit bull out there, just hardworking, strong on the puck, bring that game. Maybe win me some pucks or vice versa. It's fun to play with him. I think what Rick Taukett is saying is he needs

to still grind out like he's playing on the fourth line and not act like, you know, he's. I know what you're saying. Yeah, I mean. You can't be acting like a first liner. Yeah. You gotta act like you're playing a first line role. You've got a role on that line and I think, you know, when Pedersen was saying like, go win some pucks for me and then he added, or vice versa, like I'll win some pucks too.

Right. But like, like, you know, like Holglunder is out there to, um, bring a bit of, uh, you wouldn't say like he's not like a big hitter or anything like that, but he can play nasty when he wants to, and he needs to keep playing that way. And he said, dig out pucks. Yeah. I mean, it's. It's not complicated.

They have, they have had some chemistry, the two of the Hoaglander and the Pettersons playing together in part of it because Hoaglander will go to the spots and do the work that allows Petterson to facilitate and be a playmaker. Like you can't do, in Pettersons world, I don't think you can be both. I don't think you can be the dig Pedersen's world. I don't think you can be both. I don't think you can be the digger and the playmaker.

I don't think it's going to happen. Jeremy Langley said, Hoagie needs a tuxedo t-shirt fancy. Yeah, right. Yeah, yeah. This is my fancy shirt. I'm wearing a tuxedo, but it's also a t-shirt. Yeah. And you know, it's.

I can get ketchup on it. It's not the end of the world. I've got another one in the closet. And I know that I know exactly what talk it's trying to achieve here. Um, I do think it comes at the expense of Besser and that line and whatever comes of it with, um, suitor and O'Connor, it's going to be tough for Hogan.

Like I know talk it's saying like we need the offense and he needs to get to the net and everything. And then to put them on that line, I don't exactly see it being like a bounty or very fruitful when it comes to scoring chances. For Brock? Yeah, he's got four goals in his last 21 games. Like I knew that the production had fallen off

in January and February. I didn't realize it had fallen off quite that much. And then after yesterday's conversation, I went and looked at where his plus minus went in the tank. And there were a lot of games in January and February where he had a lot of minuses and you know the production for him for a variety of reasons really needs to ramp up. There's the personal obviously which is he is looking to secure a new contract and you know having an 18 goal season after putting up a 40 goal season isn't exactly the most lucrative bargaining chip when you're going into

negotiations. He's on pace for more than 18 goals. Right, but the other part of this too is that when the team is struggling to score the way that they have in January and February, you rely on certain guys and look at certain guys who have done it before to say, hey, you need to help us find the back of the net. With the amount of guys that the Canucks have lost who have given them offensive punch, specifically JT Miller, who's no longer with the team,

and Quinn Hughes, who's missed the last, what, six games, you do sort of look at the besters of the world and be like, this is when we need you. You're a 40 goal scorer last season. This is when we need you to, as Tauke said, get to the dirty areas, tip pucks, find the back of the net. Go do it with Pugh Suter and Drew O'Connor. And that's a tough, that's a tough ask.

And also, you're going to be playing some, some of the harder matchups. And it's a tough ask. And it's maybe some would say an unrealistic ask, but that's what they want out of Besser. So Simon texts in and I get this. He goes, who are you guys kidding? Hoeglinder isn't saving anything. He's the answer.

This is what the Canucks have. Yeah, Simon, if the question is. This is what the Canucks had. And we looked at the top six yesterday as it was constructed for the first two games. And our whole thing was like, who's a guy in that group that's going to make things happen, bring some energy.

And we were like, oh, I don't know, but maybe Hoaglander, he's been playing better. Maybe he can bring some energy. And then you were like, I think their biggest play driver right now at forward is probably Connor Garland. Well, both those guys got bumped into the top six. Right?

So Holgländer needs to go out there and bring the same type of energy that he brings to the bottom six when he's on his game. And then Garland's out there with Philip Edel, who was with Brock Besser and Garland usually brings along Dakota Joshua to the party. And that's the second line with Heidel and, you know, Brock Besser gets bumped out of that

because he really wasn't making anything happen. But if you're texting in and saying, we're trying to sell this to you, like, I don't think we're trying to sell this to you. We're trying to tell you like, this is what Rick Tocket has at his disposal and he's doing the best he can with a pretty toothless forward group right now. Yeah.

You can't say that he's the answer. You can say he's the best answer that they got at the moment, because after those two games against Vegas and Utah, it's pretty obvious that they had to the moment, because after those two games against Vegas and Utah, it's pretty obvious that they had to change something up. A Utah game was pretty glaring, where Tocket came into the post game media availability and pointed out right away

how many shots either missed the net or got blocked. I think it was 36 or something like that against Utah. So you can't run that back. You need to try and find something different, and you can only work, you can only cook with the groceries that you've got. And that's it. Hoaglander and Pedersen at times, and again, best answer we got, they have had some chemistry

and Hoaglander theoretically gives you an element on that top line that they haven't had in the last couple of games. But it is by far, by far from being the quote unquote answers, just the best one they got. Can I tell you the funniest moment on the station yesterday? Yes.

I was in the car listening to this and uh. That is funny. Do you know that scene in Seinfeld when Seinfeld and George are, they're having lunch at that cafe they go and go to and Seinfeld goes to George like, what are we doing here? Yeah. What are we doing?

And it's kind of like- We're not men. Yeah, and it's kind of like, what kind of life is this? It's an existential question. So I had that moment when IMAQ was on the show, breathlessly breaking down his back and forth with Pedersen. Oh, yeah.

When he was, he was like, it was like, so tell us about, you know, essentially Elias Pedersen being rude to you. And I'm at, you know, went through it all and he was like, you know, and then I made sure that the, the camera was off and I went over to Elias and I asked him first of all about the shot that he missed on the breakaway.

And then, then I asked him about his confidence and he took a few seconds. He took a few moments to think about it. Then he delivered that line and I, and I was sitting there and going like, what, what are we doing here? What are we doing here? This is like, we're just breathlessly breaking down

this back and forth that a reporter had with this player. Is this gonna be what it is? How much longer are we gonna do this? And I realize I've been one of the guys that's been doing it the most. I don't enjoy it though. I yelled at Adog yesterday because we had a tweet that referenced Petey. And I was like,

we didn't even talk about Petey. We didn't even talk about Petey. We can't have a tweet where it talks about Petey and then we don't even talk about it. We can't keep doing this. And is this a life? Is this a life? Listening down to... This is no life. This is no life. Not only having... It isn't a life, but it's our lives. Not only having the conversation about Pettersson being rude or his answer, which by the way, did not go down well with the Canucks. Just so you know.

Not, did not sit well. Was talking about him or his comment? No, no, no, no, his comment. Did not sit well with the Canucks. But like that's another thing that's like, and like people are like, oh, it didn't sit well with the Canucks. Like, oh, they, it's like people are like, oh, it didn't sit well with the Canucks. Like, oh, they're mad at PD.

Is this, this isn't a life. Is this a life? It's our life. So what you're saying is the Canucks are not betters than? We're not men. No, we are not. This is no kind of life. But it's our life and we're gonna continue to live it.

We're gonna continue this radio show on the other side of the break. David Amber, Sportsnet, Hockey Night Canada NHL host is going to join us. We got a double header on Wednesday night, Scotiabank Hockey. It's the Sens and the Jets followed by the Canucks and the Kings. And we've also got a new intro song for David Amber. So you can't change the station. You have to keep it right here.

That's all coming up next on the Halford and Brough Show on Sportsnet 615. It's Canuck Central with Dan Riccio and Satyar Shah, your destination for everything Canucks. Exclusive interviews, inside info, and even the post game show. Listen 4 to 6 p.m. weekdays and on demand through your favorite podcast app. It is time for David Amber, he is on the hotline baby. It is time for David Amber, he will talk some hockey maybe. It is time for David Amber, he is on the hotline baby. It is time for David Amber, he will talk some hockey maybe. I'm on the hotline baby.

I'm riding in the Shrooms hockey. I remember what I was doing at 23, pooping in my pants. There's a massive butt coming here guys. No one's fighting Rick Tuckett. No one wants to fight Rick Tuckett. I'm on the hotline baby. It is, it's David. It is, it's David.

Amber, it is, it's David. He's on the hotline. 6.33 on a Wednesday. Happy Wednesday everybody. God damn it, A-Dog, you beautiful bastard. Every time I think you've outdone yourself, you outdo yourself. You are listening to the Haliford and Bruv show

on Sportsnet 650. Haliford and Bruv of the morning is brought to you by Vancouver Honda, Vancouver's premier destination for Honda customers. They have a friendly, knowledgeable staff that can help with anything you're looking for. Sales, financing, service, or parts. We are in hour one of the program. As the music suggests, David Amber is going to join us in just a moment here to kick off

hour one. Hour one is brought to you by North Star Metal Recycling. Vancouver's premier metal recycler pays the highest prices on scrap metal. North Star Metal Recycling, they recycle, you get paid. Visit them at 1170 Powell Street in Vancouver. To the phone lines we go. David Amber joins us now on the Haliford and Brough show on Sportsnet 650. Good morning, David. How are you?

I am great. Listen, Andy Cole is my new favorite DJ. Like, that was fantastic. That's a nice little jingle. You've got to send me that. It is the highest honor that we can bestow upon a guest is giving them their own personalized jingle. It's like getting your jersey retired. Pretty much.

You are in- But not very special. You are in- You are in hallowed company here, David. Okay, before we get into the NHL stuff, I do want to go back to the Four Nations face-off. Tremendous tournament, just an amazing, amazing display and great for the NHL. But I will say this, maybe I'm a bit naive, but I did not think in the aftermath,

the two stars that were going to be everywhere following the tournament were the runners up in Brady and Matthew Kachak, who are seemingly on every media outlet imaginable right now. Did you see they're doing the Kelsey uh, the Kelsey Brothers podcast now? That's the latest, the latest venture for someone texted into the show and said, these guys are getting a lot of, uh, attention for finishing second place. Yeah.

Maybe all you need to do, David, is just be the runner up. I'm not sure, but have you, I'm assuming you've noticed this as well. I have Matthew Kachuck was on Fallon. They're on the Kelsey podcast. I don't listen. I know as Canadians we're kind of

like rolling our eyes a little bit. At the end of the day guys, it's good for the game. And the reason they're getting all this publicity and all this attention is because it opened a lot of eyes down south, wow, these guys are really passionate, these guys are really emotional, look at the physicality of the game, look at the speed of the game, look at the skill.

And it's like, yeah, we know, we watched the game or we're fans of it, but it opens a lot of eyes. Yeah. We like hockey. We've liked it for a while now. Yeah. Thanks for, thanks for joining the party. Um, but, but you know, it's not a bad thing and they are good spokespeople for the game, right? They definitely have the personalities to go for it. You know, that's been some of the criticism back in the day when Sid was just getting started out and certainly with Connor McDavid that they've shied away from having a spotlight put on them individually. These guys embrace it. And you know what they're doing?

They're doing important work and good work for marketing the game and getting new eyeballs on it. So I have no problem with it at all. It's kind of funny, though you're right. Victory lap when they didn't win. But if nothing else, it's good to grow the game in that sense. There was a lot of people watching, after Saturday's US Canada game, there was a lot of people watching that Thursday final.

I mean, my texts were blowing up with casuals. People haven't heard from for two, three, four years, going, oh my God, go Canada, da, da, da. I was like, who is this? And they're like, oh, it's four years going, Oh my God, go Canada. I was like, who is this? And they're all alive and talking in 10 years. I'm like, okay. So it's, it's one of those things where, um, I think it's a good thing. But yeah, that the mediator, it's a lot.

And did you hear Brad Marchand comment? Well, you know, sometimes, sometimes you get into the media a little too much and it blows up in your face. So I think, you know, I think some of the other players have maybe taken note of these hmm, these guys are kind of walking around like they've won, even though they didn't win. Um, so it just kind of adds another layer to the

rivalry, which isn't a bad thing. David, um, I know this question isn't about hockey, but what is your strategy when you get a text from someone and they're not in your contact book and you don't want to be mean or rude? Do you ever just go like, ha ha? Or do you always text back and be like, do you lie? Sometimes I lie. I say, I was like, I've got a new phone. And I guess, like, what's your strategy there?

Yeah, the new phone one, because you feel bad if it's someone who's super familiar with you and you're not quite sure who they are. But, you know, I've had a lot of contacts and I think if it's someone who's super familiar with you and you're not quite sure who they are. But I have a lot of contacts and I think if someone's not in that list, I'm kind of thinking I probably don't know you very well. And if something's coming across that seems off, I get a lot of job recruiters and things like that and they have money. Just send me your banking information, I've got $10,000 ready for you. But generally when it's someone who clearly knows you, whether it's high school or wherever,

yeah, I'll kind of do the, oh, new phone, who is this again? So you lie. I lie too. I lie basically. Alfred, do you lie? I lie. Yeah, I'll do, sometimes I'll just-

You just be like, who is this? Yeah, who is this? With a smile. Don't pretend to know me. With a smiley face though, just to take some of the sting away. Right, yeah, yeah. Hey David, with the coming out of the

Four Nations face off, everyone's kind of wondering if this might be a bump for some guys or if the bumps and bruises might keep some guys out of the lineup. We've seen some guys struggle and some teams struggle. Is this going to be a jumping off point for Mitch Marner though? Because I watched that game last night in Boston, it was probably the most entertaining game of the night. It wasn't just that Marner was producing, he looked electric out there in what was a very stirring comeback victory for the Leafs in Boston last night.

Yeah, I actually, it's funny, I just said that a few minutes ago, I was talking about the Marner goal, a buddy of mine's in Florida. And so I heard Marner made a move in overtime, that's unbelievable, and they didn't score on it. He goes, they can't find the video, So I actually sent him the video of it. Listen, he's feeling it right now. And maybe this will be the boost to have that confidence. Scoring three on three in overtime

is different than winning in playoff hockey. So I don't want to make more of it than it is. But Mitch Marner made three of the biggest plays of any player in that Four Nations tournament, including the gold medal winning assist. So this could be a point where, and in talking to him after since then, he told me, he goes, watching how these guys prepare for the game, I think being in a dress room and seeing Sidney Crosby, seeing Nathan McKinnon, seeing that type, but you know even seeing Brad Marshann and how these guys who have been gamers and winners

their whole careers prepare for the big games and how psychologically, you know, they don't let the moment get too big for them probably will really serve him well come playoff time. And I imagine whoever else was in the Canadian locker room, a young guy who hasn't had the playoff success that they've wanted is probably taking note as well. So specifically, and I'm glad you made that point

because I really did see that as, you know, some guys are having sort of the four nations hangover and have to seem to be getting back to the NHL, you know, game a little slower than you'd like. And Mitch Marner is the exact opposite. He seems to have his confidence sky high right now, and we saw that last night. You know, I'm looking at the list of pending

unrestricted free agents and we, we're talking a lot about Rantinen because he was traded to Carolina and we're wondering if he's going to resign there or if he's going to get flipped at the deadline or if he's going to stay there and, and then maybe sign somewhere else on July 1st. Maybe it's just because we're not in Toronto, but we don't talk as much about Mitch Marner

being a pending unrestricted free agent. Perhaps it's because we just assume he's going to resign with the Leafs. What's the assumption in Toronto that Marner is going to do? Yeah, I mean, it's been talked about here. Um, it hasn't been ad nauseam because effectively Marner and his group and the Leafs have shut it

down, they sort of said, you know, we're quietly going to go about our business and we don't It hasn't been ad nauseum because effectively Marner and his group and the Leafs have shut it down. They sort of said, you know, we're quietly going to go about our business and we don't want to be asked about it every day. And the media respected that to some degree. I wouldn't say the assumption is that Marner is going to return, but I think the assumption is Marner wants to return and the Leafs want to keep them. And when two parties want the same thing, then it's really the negotiation becomes, you would think, seemingly easier. They would have to just find some common ground. You know, Brad Tree Living is using the one resource that he has at his disposal, and that's

time. There's no point in rushing into something, and then, you know, having buyer's remorse. Why not allow Mitch Marner to go out, have a fantastic playoff run, do everything in his power to get the Leafs where they want to get in the postseason. And then you come up with a number that makes sense for both parties. And if Marner falls short and he's invisible in the postseason, the number changes.

If Marner leads them to the Stanley Cup final, the number changes as well. And I think that might be something that Mitch Marner appears to be comfortable with. And it certainly seems to be something the Leafs are comfortable with. I know there's been some negotiation by all reports, but they haven't come to that, to that same ground. And the fact of the matter is guys, the salary caps moving in the right direction

for players. So that's a really positive thing. And I imagine for Mitch Marner, maybe what he wanted in September is now changed a little bit knowing that the cap could be at what 113 million or whatever they said it's going to be in three years so it's going to be very interesting and you mentioned ranting guys that's that's one big thing with Colorado is they didn't want ranting and to come close to to McKinnon like McKinnon's our alpha dog and you're riding shotgun we're not going to have you eclipse him regardless of what the cap is. I wonder how that negotiation with the Leafs are going to go. When you have Matthews, you know what, I can't remember what the number at 13.25 or whatever it is. And if you give Marner more than Matthews guys, he's the highest paid

winger by a couple of million dollars in the NHL. Are you prepared to do that? So there's a lot sort of, you can, you can bake it one way, you can bake it the other way. There's a lot to be decided there, but I wouldn't say there's assumption he'll be back, but I think the idea is that both parties would like him to be back and let's just wait and see how this plays out. Which team do you think has the potential? And I'm talking about the East, which team do

you think has the potential to improve the most at the trade deadline? I'll give you the East. Which team do you think has the potential to improve the most at the trade deadline? I'll give you a couple candidates. You don't have to pick them. Florida, maybe they use the space if Kachak is injured and LTI'd until the playoffs. We don't know that for sure, but there's the potential there.

Um, a lot of people seem to think that Steve Iserman is up to something in Detroit and they've got some injuries there and they've cleared some cap space, um, or you can, uh, take someone else. So who do you think is going to be the most aggressive and has the most potential to improve in the East? That's a great question.

I mean, we also had Chris Tanev leave the game and leave the arena in a sling. And if that's something that's going to hold them out, we're now at the stage where if someone's out for six weeks, you could pull them out for seven weeks and use the cap space. So I don't know. That's a really good question. Detroit is certainly moving in the right direction. And they just had Andrew Cop go down for the season, a torn pack, I believe, so they have his cap space to play with and I think Steve Iserman obviously since Todd McClellan got there the team has been sensational and maybe he can add something to give them that extra push because right now they sit in the first

wild card just to sort of solidify their standing as a playoff team. Yeah that's you know you look at other teams, the Rangers remember the Rangers made those moves with Kako and with Truba and, you know, obviously with the Miller move and everything else, I'm wondering what space, if any is available to them. They might be a quiet sort of, hmm, I didn't see that coming, but the New York Rangers would be a team.

I definitely say there's pressure for Chris Dury to make the playoffs this year. And maybe he wants to give them a little push to make sure that they do end up on the right side of the ledger there. Those would be teams and let's not sleep on Columbus. I'm naming a lot of teams here so maybe I'm not answering your question that well but Columbus is another team that has some cap space and may be a bit more aggressive than we ever imagined they would be to sort of solidify their group. So I've named a few teams but if you're gonna make me pick

one, I'll say Detroit, Detroit does make a lot of sense. You brought up a Iserman and I think that does make a lot of sense. We're speaking to David Amber, Sportsnet Hockey Night Canada, NHL host here on the Haliford and Bref Show on Sportsnet 650. Okay, let's look ahead to tonight, David. Scotiabank Wednesday night hockey, we got a doubleheader.

We will save the Canucks and Kings for the second half of this but right now let's Ottawa, Winnipeg from the nation's capital Jets coming in on a 10 game winning streak and I'm not sure if Ottawa will have Brady Kocheck in the lineup or not and all eyes will be on that one let's set that one up for the listeners. Sens Jets. It's an important game first of all the Jets it's a franchise record 10 straight wins. They've scored in the final minute, the last two games, and in overtime to win and keep this winning streak alive.

They've just been such a fun team to watch. And if your viewers or listeners haven't had a chance to really watch the Jets closely, they have the top line in hockey right now in Velarde, Connor, and Shifeley. They are absolutely dynamic. And honestly, there's something special to watch there in Winnipeg on the other side of the ledger.

You mentioned Brady Kachuck. He skated for 19 minutes yesterday and then left the ice before the sentence official practice began, which doesn't bode well from being ready to return. He says he might just need one more game. So they're saying it's not like a long-term injury that he suffered during Sweden and the four nations face off, but it's certainly something they don't want to be nagging to lower body injury for Kachak. And the loss will probably have Pinto out.

Pinto is wearing a non-contact jersey. So you could be missing two other top forwards. The good news for them is that Josh Norris appears to be ready to go tomorrow or tonight. So that's good news. But the senators, they've slipped out of a playoff spot. They've lost four in a row. They have to write things and really quickly. So it's a really, really important game tonight.

And again, I think it's one of those matchups that you ought to pretty desperate. Well, certainly a desperate Ottawa team and then you'll have a Winnipeg team. That's just been so, they're just so dynamic right now. It's worth tuning in for sure. And then the second of the Wednesday night doubleheader, it's the Vancouver Canucks in Los Angeles to take on the Kings at crypto.com. Canucks obviously have lost both,

coming out of the four nations face off break. The Kings have been fantastic, including a big win the other night. Four unanswered goals in the third period to beat the Vegas Golden Knights, five to two. Drew Doughty's back in line up has made a big difference for them. So yeah, the second of the doubleheader tonight,

Canucks, Kings. Yeah, listen, the Canucks, they're concerning me. I'm sure you guys are talking ad nauseam about the lack of offense they're putting up. I read since January 1st, they're dead last in the league in goals per game. You know, there's a lot to get sort of straightened out there because they've wasted two very good goaltending performances to start since the break ended. I'd like to

see them correct the ship. This is important. We talked about Ottawa slipping out of a playoff spot. I don't have to tell you guys that Calgary won last night and now Vancouver finds themselves on the outside looking in. So it's going to be a tough challenge tonight. LA has been exceptional this year at home specifically. So I'm going to be a tough challenge tonight. LA has been exceptional this year at home specifically. So I'm interested to see what Vancouver has in store tonight and that's another big game and we'll have that on Sportsnet Pacific tonight. Three Canadian teams in action on Sportsnet tonight. It's the Sens, it's the Jets and of course it's the Canucks. David, thanks a lot for taking the time to do this today. We really appreciate it. Enjoy all the games tonight. This

should be fun. We'll do this again next Wednesday. Yeah. Thanks guys. I like the jingle too. Thanks to Andy Cole, your great producer for getting that put together and I look forward to joining you next week. Andy smiling in the background. Thanks David. Appreciate it. That's David Amber, Sportsnet Hockey Night in Canada, NHL host here on the Halford and Brough Show on Sportsnet 650. So I know this is going to get into something that you want to talk about, but you know which team in the East is kind of on fire right now? Who? Tampa Bay.

Yep. Six wins in a row. Last night, they're six in a row was over the Edmonton Oilers who are not hot. The Tampa Bay Lightning are 7-0-1 in their last eight games dating back to before the Four Nations face-up break. But yeah, Edmonton last night, probably the

bigger of the two stories, even though the bolts are on fire. A lot, a lot to unpack from that game last night. I've got a really quick clip from Chris, don't call me Chuck Knoblach, talking about his team's current form. Here is the Edmonton Oilers head coach after yet another loss,

this time for one on Tuesday night in Tampa Bay. You know, we're a fragile group right now and we're just a little reluctant to play our game and just confidence is a little hard right now. So here's what's happening. Edmonton has been outscored 17 to seven in their last 17 goals in three straight and three losses, which is an incredible amount.

That includes getting bombed by the capitals over the weekend as well. The Knives are now fully back out for Stewart Skinner again. So Specs got a big piece up at sportsnet.ca talking about how yet again, there was a game in which Stewart Skinner was the second best goalie on the ice. This time it was against,

like did you see the wraparound goal? Yeah, it was about five real time minutes after they Gene Principe interviewed Dwayne Rolston in the intermission who had high praise for Skinner. And then they came out and immediately gave up a wraparound goal. So I didn't clip the audio from this, but Knoblack had some very interesting audio there

because he said, you know, it's not a terrible goal, which means in coach speak that it was a terrible goal. Anytime a coach leads by saying it wasn't terrible, that means it was terrible. But he, and then he went on to say, it's a save that we hope Stewart would make. Well, in goalie coach speak, I can tell you right now, it was terrible.

He disengaged from the post. It should have been an easy transition over and he blew it. Now, what does that mean to disengage from the post? So usually when you're on the post, the goalie is leaning up against the post. It should have been an easy transition over and he blew it. What does that mean to disengage from the post? So usually when you're on the post, the goalie's leaning up against the post, you want to push directly off that post. He let his foot come off the post, pushed it down into the ice, then pushed across. And that half a second delay is what

cost him. That's why he didn't get over quick enough. Can I ask a dumb question? Yeah. When the goalies are pushing off the post, is there ever a worry that like, do you have to make sure that your skates are sharp after that? Like, does that, is that a problem? Usually when you, when you have your skate on

the post, it's the outside edge that's contacting it, your inside edge is sort of protected. The only time that becomes an issue is if you get like knocked into the net and your inside edge rubs up against the post. Okay. That's when you would lose an edge, but goalies don net and your inside edge rubs up against the post. Okay. That's when you would lose an edge,

but goalies don't use their outside edge. So, okay. Okay, so they're a fragile group. I'd like to see a goalie try with the outside edge. Stuart's getting a little rickety out there. Stuart Skinner's skates aren't sharp because he's been rubbing up against the post too much. And since we're into plus minus right now,

can anyone tell me what Connor McDavid's plus minuses over the last three games? I love this plus minus right now, can anyone tell me what Connor McDavid's plus minus is over the last three games? I love this plus minus talk. Can anyone, what? Hey. Two days in a row. Yeah, can anyone tell me what Connor McDavid's plus? Minus five. Minus seven.

Woo. That's crazy. Connor, come on buddy. Like you talk about letting your foot off the gas after you scored in the Four Nations faceoff final. Like you can't rest on your laurels, but. Marner's not. Marner was, I don't know if you watched that game last night,

but the Leafs looked horrible to start. They were down three nothing in Boston. Looked like it was gonna be like a complete avalanche. It was a big game for the Bruins, so they were ready to go. And they were. And they played great. And then the Leafs just kinda kept chipping away at it.

And then Marner in overtime was an electric factor. Like he was doing everything that he wanted to do. He was making behind the leg kick passes with a skate, he scored on a breakaway to win it. It was, it was a show that he put on. Yeah. He's feeling it right now. Like David mentioned, and we talked about it,

Marner made two huge plays in the final game. I mean, he scored a big goal against Sweden, but I didn't think he played particularly well in that game against Sweden, but he scored a big goal and maybe he got some confidence from that. And obviously we're all going to remember the pass he made to Connor McDavid, but in all honesty, that was not a difficult pass to make.

The best pass he made was the pass he made to Sam Bennett on the tying goal where he kept the puck when he entered the zone, came over the blue line and he just waited for the play to develop. He waited for the overlap from, there's a soccer turn for you. He waited for the overlap from Sam Bennett and just gave him a perfect pass.

And like that took, that took composure. So in that tournament. So composure with the puck is so important. In that tournament, I kept looking to see who Cooper was putting out there in very pivotal moments. Right? Cause it kind of gave you an idea of who the alphas were on a team full of alphas.

You know what I mean? Like everyone out there is talented, except according to Ladi, Anthony Cirelli, all the guys out there were like all star caliber players. So in that instance, you are curious to see like, who do you put out there in crunch time? Marner got a lot of love in those moments from John Cooper. If you think about it, over time against Sweden,

over time against the US in the gold medal game or the finale, whatever you wanna call it. And what's more interesting is that Marner, who's routinely been ripped for coming up small in the big moments, came up huge in the big moments. Right? And I know the pass in overtime wasn't exactly like a thing.

It was a big play though. And he made it. Right. Yeah. He took the puck off his skate along the boards and then just fed Connor McDavid. It was a good play. You could have made the argument that if you

were going to give out a final game MVP, that it could or should have been Marner with the plays that he made. Oh yeah. You know what I mean? Like, and so I take no enjoyment in praising Mitch Marner and what he might be doing for the Toronto Maple Leafs, but I can't ignore it.

How funny was that when David was talking about Mitch Marner goes into that Canada dressing room and he sees how guys prepare for the game. Like has he not been playing with Austin Matthews and John Tavares? What are those guys rolling in five minutes before the game or something like that? Yeah.

In flip flops. I'm still drunk from last night guys. Yeah. I don't know. Like what's going on? I think maybe what he was talking about, and all due respect to Matthews and Tavares is being around guys that have won.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Right? Like. Ooh, burn. Well, they haven't won anything, you know? Tavares and Matthews have that have one. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Right? Like- It'll burn. Well, they haven't won anything. You know, Tavares and Matthews have won just as much as Marner, which is not much. Matthews needed that experience.

Yeah, right? Now he knows what it's like to be a runner up. He can carry that with him forever. Okay. We got a lot more to get to on the Halford and Broughshaw on Sportsnet 650. Frank Zavale from Daily Faceoff is coming up on the other side of the break. I want to ask Frank, I think I may just throw out some general managers of interest and what they might be doing going into the trade deadline, which I will remind you is only nine days away. So we've got a lot to get into with Frank. Steve Iserman is. I think Iserman's cooking up something. I'm thinking about Don Sweeney in Boston. Selling? Yeah. Selling

Marshawn? For the first time. Selling Marshawn. For the first time in like a decade, I think that could be really interesting. But, Izerman's another one as well. So we'll ask Frank about those two guys and a bunch more coming up next on the Haliford and Bruv Show on Sportsnet 650. But before we go to break, I need to tell you about Denny's.

True North taste awaits with Denny's 100% Canadian beef burgers made with new, I'm just gonna call it shreddis, just shreddis. It's shredded. Can I have some shreddis please? Shredded iceberg lettuce on a brioche bun and all the classic ingredients you love. You are listening to the Haliford and Bref Show

on Sportsnet 650.