OverDrive - Johnson on Marchand's mastery of baiting, Matthews' season turnaround and Canada's bronze medal win

Episode Date: January 6, 2026

TSN Hockey Analyst Mike Johnson joined OverDrive to discuss the headlines around Canada's landscape of international hockey, the team's tournament achieving a bronze medal, Zayne Parekh's comments on the personality of a team, Brad Marchand joking comments with the Maple Leafs and the players approach, Auston Matthews' turnaround and more.

Here's Mike Johnson, or TSA Hockey Analyst. Joining us here on the Maple Toyota Hotline. What's happening, Johnny? Just stepped in the door, like two seconds ago, long travel home, lost our bags, like half of our crew without our bags. Always going to be super happy tomorrow, Haiti. So, yes, and then I'm walking into, what, a referendum on Canadian hockey all of a sudden? Oh, you're not aware of that? Yeah, Chequia has ruined the country.

Chequia has ended us. So maybe should we be copying Czech? The country that didn't have a medal in 22 years, that's who we're copying. So it is slight overreaction, which I get. We are passionate. And just because, you know, they're very good. Canada hockey is very good.

Canadian hockey players are very good. It doesn't mean you can't have good, healthy conversations about doing things better, but, you know, little knee jerkish to me. I don't think, and I don't have boys. My kids did not play hockey growing up. They played other sports. But the hockey's not alone in this, whether it's AAU basketball, whether it's elite level club volleyball, whatever it is. I mean, you know, parents and kids get a little, they get a little dainy about these sporting events and chasing down their dreams. So, yeah, I think it's just maybe a breath and some perspective and a reminder that, you know, Canada still turns out the most best players.

And I think that's evidence every year by the NHL and the draft and the juniors and all of it. So, yeah, I mean, can get better, obviously, but it's not like it's falling apart. No, exactly. And listen, it's expensive for sure. Everything in life is more expensive today than it was 30 years ago. Like everything. Houses cost more, food costs more, gas costs more. Everything costs more.

You know, it's a tough reality, but it's true. I don't even want to tell you, my daughter, younger one, played a high-level volleyball on a good team. I don't want to tell you what it cost a lot to you. played that. She went to tournaments in Vegas and Cleveland and Ohio and Indiana and Florida. You know you had to be a travel agent to play for that team. I mean

it was you know tens of foul like so much money but that's what the highest level sort of program was. It's not just hockey. Equipment is more expensive than hockey of course and ice time is expensive but the actual dollars spent on coaches and travel and all the rest

it's the same soccer, basketball, baseball, hockey, you name it. volleyball. It's all, it's sort of youth sports in general. Yes, you're right. I mean, I've been in to buy sticks. I bought bats. Like, bats are 300, 400, 400 bucks.

You know, bats, you're not using a wooden bat that costs 20 bucks at the gas station. You know, if you're playing baseball, it costs money. You know, helmets, travel teams, exactly. I mean, it's not perfect. We'd love to live in a perfect world. It's just not, it's not realistic. But, you know, in terms of the world

juniors, now that it's over, And the dust is settled. You know, can you take solace in a bronze medal for Canada? And if they beat Chequia, I thought Sweden looked great last night. Like, is there a guarantee Canada was even going to beat Sweden in the gold medal game? Absolutely not the way Sweden played last night. They were spectacular. But Canada played them twice in the pre-tournament games.

They split those games. They would have been very close. Like, I think Chequette had the game of their tournament was the one they beat Canada in full marks. They were incredible in that tournament or in that game. but, yeah, Canada would have been old favorite, probably the favorite to beat Sweden in the final. So I do think

from personal experience I played in the World Championship Havy in this exact situation. We lost in the semi-finals to check you a late on a Robert Reichel goal. So we went to the bronze medal game. We played Finland in the bronze medal game and that team I was on

was so disinterested in the bronze medal that we did not play well at all. We lost to Finland, of course, because everyone loses to Finland for fourth. or third. So I give them, I give these kids, full credit for figuring out how to write themselves and prioritize playing well and going out and, and, and getting the bronze medal because it wouldn't feel good yesterday or today flying home. Trust me, in five years and 10 years and 20 years, you'll be very proud that you have a medal of any kind from that tournament. So I give them full credit. And they sort of did it, Hazie, with the personality they had

all tournament long, right? They were going to score. They were going to attack. They were going to give up chances, but generate more of their own. It was a very offensive-minded team that was going to sink or swim with how they create and not how they defend, and that was their personality the whole time. Absolutely. It was pretty entertaining, that's for sure. You know, up front, you got to see her up close. You got to see Verhock, big.

He looked humongous out there, I thought. What were your impressions of this guy? You know, it was a little bit more under the radar, maybe than some of the other guys or maybe up front for, you know, top picks this year? Well, you know, he didn't get to play every game strutty. And when he did play, he was largely sort of, you know, seventh defenseman or whatever, not huge minutes. We know he's a big-time offensive guy,

but his aim per rec was snapping the puck around like it was nobody's business. So he didn't get to play in the power play. Farahub is big. He is, um, he moves well for a big guy. He attacks well. He clearly has the mind to go and be an offensive player. The only thing I'd say, And again, I think Verhof is 17, what I would say, Strady, is that you know what it's like when you go back to your defenseman and you've got to go pull a fuck off the wall and figure out everything that's happening, make a good decision, then make a good path.

I think processing everything at this level, at this speed, which he wasn't alone. Like a lot of the Canadian defensemen, 19-year-old guys were having a challenge with that sometimes. That's probably the one area you would like to see him improve on, which of course he will. but he's also playing college against 23, 24-year-olds all year long. Like, he's got the physical tool to be really good. I think he gets more experience and just sort of gets more comfortable in the timing of high-level hockey. That'll come along with it.

But, yeah, he's very good. I mean, he's a right-shot guy, power play guy. Like, how many teams are looking for a good, right-shot, top pair of defenseants? Every one of them. So, yeah, he looks good. I think what's tricky, Struddy, and I'm not a scout, is you look at Verhoff and he say, okay, is he better than Gavin McKenna?

Is Gavin McKenna better than Ivers Stenberg today? And that's one conversation. And then the next one is, well, who's going to be better in two years or four years or whenever they, you know, fully mature? And that feels like it's a different conversation. And you heard a lot of both of those versions of chatter from the scouts and from the people around the games because, you know, the Swedish Ivers Stenberg,

who had a great final game and a great tournament, he looks more prepared to play in the NHL than Gavin McKenna or Keith Beirhoff. But four years from now, you might not be able to say the same thing. Like the ceiling for Verhoff and McKenna might be higher. So you mentioned Perak, and man, he put a spotlight on himself on the ice and then off the ice where he said earlier in the tournament, quote, I think it's more watching NHL guys be robots and not having any personality. I think you need some personality, and it's the best way to,

grow the game. I don't want to come in here and be a robot. When I'm in Calgary, I definitely have a lot of guys that are telling me to give really simple answers, but here I kind of do what I want, end quote. Needless to say, that got back to Calgary, because I think

his response to all of this, yesterday I think he spoke where he said, apologies, shouldn't have said it, you know, I'm paraphrasing, but he backtracked pretty quickly. What do you make of the original comment? the response to it, and where this goes for Perak when he gets back with the flames?

So, I mean, I don't think it's particularly inflammatory, Haley, to suggest that hockey players traditionally and generally are bland and careful and polite and maybe don't show the personality that they may have in the media. I think that's been a fair comment, maybe criticism of the sport of hockey in the NHL or the last several, several decades, really. I think it's changing a little bit, and we see it more younger players and a new, different generation of people. But, like, doesn't he prove his own point? The fact that he had to apologize for saying that, he proves his own point.

Like, literally, he felt like he said something wrong, which he didn't. But I guess he was calling his Calgary teammates boring or cautious or whatever. I don't know. You guys have been in the room. He'll probably take some flack for it. They'll probably be, like, you know, dressed up as robots or something when he first shows up, whatever it might be. But trying to find that balance where you can be who you are and also be respectful to your teammates in the game and everything else. And I guess that's what he's trying to do.

But he's a different kind of got. He's wired, sort of free-spirited and sort of loose, the way he plays, the way he carries himself, all of it. But maybe that's what makes him good, right? Like if you try to change the way a person behaves, it might change the way he feels about himself, change the way he plays, and why he is such a talented player. So, you know, as long as you're being polite. sometimes you're not like disrespecting anyone you can say whatever you know say what you like just show who you are

as long as you know you're not insulting people I don't think that should be a big problem yeah I'm with you I think it was the last part where you said I have a lot of guys telling me like basically saying revealing the advice he's getting yeah exactly and then then what happens is the media I'm sure goes to the veterans and say

oh is this true why are you doing that what else are you telling them and you know if you left that comment out I think it's likely the end of it but it's really not that inflammatory. Where are you on in this strutty? What do you say this? Go ahead.

Like, what if you say this? I'm the veteran. Struddy's the rookie. I'm like, I say, hey, struds. You know, just be mindful. Media really like to, you know, chew on every word and twist everything. So, you know, just be aware, you know, sometimes less and more can make your life easier. Now, if I say that to strutty, strutty, am I telling you just be bland and super?

Or am I trying to be like, you know, helpful as a veteran? You kind of spit it both ways if that's the conversation, no? Yeah, 100%. And I think you do, you know, the older guys always try to help the younger guys. You're not trying to make it worse for them. You want them to feel comfortable and help your team, especially a young guy like Perak, who obviously has the ability to be a major game changer for the flame.

So I read the comment, and I agree with you. It's not like it's not terrible, but I just know that I never want to have to answer questions about what my other teammates are saying. I hate it that. I don't want to have to do that. That's your business. You sort it out with them, and so that was what would bother me. Like, yeah, we're robots, sure, and we choose to be, but I don't want to answer for you.

Like, remember when Tim Thomas, I think he chose not to go to the White House, I think. Yes. And then he wouldn't talk about it. Well, guess who had to talk about it? Everyone else did the dress show, well, I don't want to talk about it. Go ask him, well, he doesn't want to talk. We'll make him talk. Like, that is where I would get frustrated.

So, yeah, maybe welcome it back and give a hard time. But, I mean, this guy's going could be a big stud for them, you know, maybe not so much right away, but in the next year or two, for sure. Absolutely. Yeah, he's a player. Well, you're back home, so you're aware that the Panthers are in town. And Brad Marchand shows his personality, and Brad was speaking today. And, you know, he was talking about how the fans ran Marner out of town. And how, you know, he was, if it wasn't Florida, it was Toronto.

You know, it was two T. He never got to July 1st, but somehow there were only two teams that were pursuing him and two teams he was considering. And, you know, he made the point again of why he might have come here was because they play the right way and they've learned to play the right way. And Struddy, I thought, made a great point. I hadn't looked at it through the lens of leaf players,

how he's insulting them. You know, this, like I always looked at it as, okay, he's trolling Toronto, the market, the fans, the media. But he's sitting here on his perch saying, oh, no, now those guys actually compete properly, and they play properly, and they actually know what they're doing now. What were they before?

Exactly. And even he's saying that, even though they, you know, he was on the ice in game seven when they didn't do that. They did not compete properly. Any of the game sevens he's played against them with Florida or Boston. Like at what point

should the players on the Leafs realize he's trolling you? Like forget Leaf fans and the market. He's trolling the dressing room 15, 20 feet down the hall. They probably should. But, Hazy, you know, like, you wouldn't want to look at it way, right?

They're like, oh, Brad's being Brad, Marcy's being Marcy. You don't want to kind of revisit your own shortcomings. Like, that's probably not right where you would want to go mentally, you know, just because it's, you know, you're going through bad memories that maybe you didn't do exactly what you were hoping to do or play the way you wanted to. But, yeah, it's, he knows he's such a maestro at this. He must love coming to Toronto because he does it every time.

He goes out of his way, even like sort of out of context of like whatever he might be talking about to, you know, just to plant some of these seeds and stir it up a little bit and have a great time with it. Yeah, I mean, the current players, I don't know if they're going to, you know, take great offense to any of it. They probably will just move along. But yeah, I remember a long time ago, I was playing for Tampa, and I think it was Patrice Breeswa. We beat Montreal and Tampa was no good. And he said something to the effect of like, you know, we got to be better. That team's not good enough to beat us. And like, he was talking about himself, but in the Tampa room, We're like, what the hell are you talking about, man?

Like, you mind your own business. Like, you can't help but take it personal. Like, you shut up. Like, worry about yourself kind of thing. So maybe the least could take it that way. Either way, it's a big game tonight. Huge. It's a significant game, the standard.

At least could get themselves right to the playoff order if they're able to have a good game. So you've got to park that sort of commentary or maybe use it to motivate you, but you're not going to be running around trying to get Brad Marchand. That's a game that you're not going to win, that he wants to play, and one that he's best. at than you. So don't worry about that. Just worry about going out to play. But no doubt it's a big game. Huge game. Yeah, huge.

I mean, the Leafs have been better. Matthews has been great. Amazing. Yeah, I mean, he's like where, I get asked this all the time, and I, when I'm talking with friends, family members, you know, the he's back conversation. You know, I'm reluctant to 100%

commit to it. He looks, he's been outstanding the last 10 days. The last 6th day of games, he's been great. The last two in particular, Johnny, I know you're down at the juniors you're tracking it you're watching he's chugging man like he looks he is old school like can i even say that about him big time but like that's like the sort of undeniable presence he had all over and over and over and then the finish and i you know we went through some of the numbers in his in his game right you and i'm the show and how he'd slow down and i'm

curious to dig back in the numbers like in the last 10 days has he pops more like you know that we talked about those little speed bursts right and how he was way down in the league and relative to himself in the past in how often he got to what is for him top speed and it feels like anecdotally I haven't checked all the numbers that he's gotten those more examples of that little dash of speed

in his game now than he's had the first half of this season so I don't know what he did at Christmas break I don't know where he went to rejuvenate himself he went down to cocoon and sat in the pool whatever but he's moving so well And when he moves, the rest of the stuff all just makes sense. So, yeah, I don't know if he's back. I don't know if he's got to go three weeks.

He's got to go a month. He's going to go 10 games, 12 games. Whatever it is, he's probably not quite there. But it's such a massively positive sign that he has it, that he can bring it. And now if he can bring it sort of consistently, well, then you're on to something. Because when he's at that level, he's good enough to be, you know, an obvious difference maker. you know john i played with steve sullivan um and very confident guy very yeah you would have been very well you know very confident very um a type personality and he came in and joined the team as

assistant coach and i wonder what impact he may have had just a fresh set of eyes on him him being uh the captain and i wonder if there's any conversations there because it i mean they've been the two pretty closely when when one arrived and the other one kind of found you know a better version of himself Yeah, and you know what And Sully is great But you're right, Struddy He wouldn't be shy about going up to Austin And talking to him about what he needs to do better

Or what he needs, what's he seeing Like he would not tiptoe in there That's not who Sully was as a player And not who he is as a coach I'm going to see Steve tomorrow down in Philly When we go down for the game there I don't know, Struddy Like he showed up the first day

They scored two power play goals like 10 seconds Like I don't know that's Sally They'll take it though The greatest timing for a debut of all time for a power play coach and you know it's like wait like and somewhere four Mark Savard

is watching this by what is going on out there are you kidding me right now but you know maybe but again I put this largely on Austin I don't know if it's a physical thing it's a mental thing I do think if you're being honest

about how Toronto is playing we talked a lot about the system and I think Toronto is trying to tweak their system in real time and add more neutral zone play and more rush play and less dump and chase. And we talk about how do you find moments to be fast within the context of the system?

I think Hazy, the system's changing a little bit where all the players, often included, have more opportunities now to maybe show more speed because they're allowed to make more play. They're not always just kind of chipping it away. Yeah, I think that seems to be the case. For sure, it's been very noticeable, and we'll see what they can do tonight with a team that,

obviously, you know what Florida's going to bring to the table, all right johnny well save travels tomorrow i mean you hit the road again honestly enjoy your house for 24 hours right now it's laundry reload and on we go yep good man all right buddy we'll do it later in the week thank you for this all right boys have good night there he is mike johnson guy never stops never stops uh joining us here on the maple toyota hotline it's time to toyota in 2025 with the 2025 preas go up to 72 kilometers on battery alone, then seamlessly switch to hybrid mode. Check it out at Maple Toyota near Canada's Wonderland in the Maple Auto Mall.

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