OverDrive - McLennan on Skinner getting the start, his mindset in the crease and Bobrovsky's compelling role

Episode Date: June 17, 2025

TSN Hockey Analyst Jamie McLennan joined OverDrive to discuss the headlines around the Stanley Cup Final, Stuart Skinner getting the start in the crease and his mindset back in the net, Sergei Bobrovsky looking for a big game and becoming the X-factor in the series and more.

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FaceTime. I wasn't aware this was a possibility. What's going on, Noodles McClennan. Oh, FaceTime. I wasn't aware this was a possibility. What's going on, Noodles? What's up? What's up? How we doing? Am I too close to the camera? My mom was 80, like, hey guys, what's going on? I love it. Is Philip Pritchard there yet? Where's Pritchard at?

He's brought in a flood in Chicagoago still i haven't heard from him right jerry's i i i heard you guys i heard you guys chirping about no i don't have a saint louis ring i i don't even why would you want to rain and it is a small little replica and then you go they've got a stanley cup ring what did you do to get it nothing i played for the team twenty years ago what does that mean? It's nothing. Like I just you're an alumni of me getting a ring. You're an alumni. I am alumni. One of your teams is in action

tonight. Do you get the full alumni treatment during the cup final or how does this work? So one of the scribes was teasing with me because apparently like you know they have a different person bang the drums and there was a rumor going around that the in law and over going to bang the drums and i think that the fact that i have i will not be banging the drum tonight i'm sorry i it's they had the for me it's embarrassing like make why would they get like uh... taylor swift or something that that i don't know that would be interesting

did she get me back there tonight? Is that the plan? I've heard that her and Kelsey are supposed to be here again, but again I don't know and it's not insider information. I read that online. They're supposed to be here. They should get Kelsey to do it in those weird shorts that were showing a little too much. Do you see those things? Well his whole style, ever since he's been with her

now he's like this upper east side you know like swanky because remember this guy used to wear like baggy clothes and chains. He was wearing the shorts from the episode of Friends where the guys like put his leg up on the... Yes, his balls were hiding out. Yes, thank you. Literally. Yes, his testicles were hanging out. It was ridiculous. He was like a bus driver sitting there and it was ridiculous and the camera was going right up his shorts. I'm like, what is going on here?

It was absolute... I felt like Ace Ventura. Doesn't it? Was it Ace Ventura in the two where he goes up, excuse me, your balls are showing. And he's like, that's what he should have happened to him. I'm honestly surprised with that humidity there. We didn't see more. Oh, shorts are everywhere there.

No, not the shorts. Like his shorts specifically with that kind of humidity. Like you ever been in a sauna? Yeah, I hear what you're saying. Okay, so that's possible tonight. I mean, I'm sure if he shows up, he'll be in more more ridiculous gear like he may be no shirt tonight because it's so hot down there but anyway we do have a game I can't imagine what the ice is gonna look like this evening or how it's gonna play but Skinner's getting the start would I

guess well how do you feel about that Noonels is that the right play in your opinion I thought it was gonna be Pickard to be honest the other night I kind of said like you come back with the guy you in your opinion? I thought it was going to be Pickard to be honest the other night I kind of was said like you come back with the guy, you know, we had chatted about it earlier Brian and even in our group chat is like when Pickard came in and got the win it's like, that's it. That's curtains for Skinner. And then I didn't think the loss was at Pickard's feet.

You know, game five, I thought the whole team was out to lunch had a couple of good chances early on and then everybody, like Florida played a master class. But I can understand the reasoning. This is their guy, he's been their guy two years in a row and you know, with his back up against the wall, he's played pretty well. And I will say, in game four where they came back, he had a good start. Like they had, the high danger chances were 13 to one. And it just, he got hung out to dry and you know,

they ended up pulling him for momentum. But this is, I mean, wouldn't you say this is the most important game of his career? And really a career as an Edmonton Oilert as well. Because you know, if they lose tonight, we know we're going to circle the goaltender and say, these guys are what, oh oh you had that stat earlier like that aren't they like a hundred and fortieth and say percentage, you know since

since like 2004 or something ridiculous like you know, they're they're both in the high 80s 88 or something you get nine out of ten The series might look a little different, but it's certainly the biggest game of Stuart Skinner's career. There's no doubt about that. What is he saying to himself, Jamie, going into the game? Is he just like, how do you kind of, everyone's got different ways, you've told me how nerve racking it can be playing the position in big moments. Is he just literally saying, I gotta throw a first period at these guys because if I

don't it's just, that's game over? Yeah. I think they're all saying it like, dry sidling. I don't know how you guys felt about it. The other night, so the game was at 6 o'clock local. They were doing their media at like 11.30 in the morning, quarter to 12. Calvin Pickard sitting on the podium with, with Vander Kane talking like this guy's stopping pucks in game five, six hours from now. And the same thing,

Stuart Skinner was on the podium with dry saddle this morning. Like I, I, I do, you know, I do applaud Edmonton's PR group. It's like, we're not hiding these guys. Like this guy's going out and talking every day regardless. Right. So Skinner talked about, he goes he's been keep in mind he's been pulled in this building two games in a row games three and four he got lifted here and and go back to game seven he lost you know lost two one so ultimately I think he has to have a great start oh I think he's got to show this group that he can get it done and That'll be the biggest challenge But the team needs to play a lot better in front of them because they had a couple looks early on and then they mailed

It in in game five. It wasn't good Well that that's where where I was headed noodles Like it seems like when Pickard has been in the net more recently The team played a little bit different or they got different results. Is that part of the concern? I guess for you with going with Skinner that the team isn a little bit different or they got different results. Is that part of the concern, I guess, for you with going with Skinner, that the team isn't going to play the way that they had played with Pickard in the net? I think the biggest thing is, you know, with Pickard, he plays a certain way, which they're like, this guy makes no apologies.

He's just aggressive and he's kind of, you know, they joke it's like a road hockey goaltender just goes out and it's it's an unmade bed in there but the team has to be a lot better and I think Skinner's at his best when there's more predictability in front of him and You know, I think the thought process and talking to somebody from Edmonton this morning is that Skinner ceiling is higher than Pickards So they need hit, you know, his good game is better than Pickard's good game. So what they're hoping on is that he can actually have a good game. Where Pickard is more stable,

so his high end is lower, but his low end is just below it because he's not wildly inconsistent. Skinner is either top shelf or it's at the bottom. So that's the, his swings are a lot more wilder. So what they're saying is, we're hoping that open that this guy you know falls on what he had in Dallas because he was at the top of his game and won seven of eight. So that's kind of what they're looking at. Well and what also is concerning and you can't

really control it necessarily is Bobrowski his ceiling is is higher than Skinner's ceiling. Like even if Skinner has a game, Bob could just say, that's good, great, good for you, but. Which he very well might do tonight. That's kind of what I feel like noodles. That's almost being, it's not overshadowed or under, I mean, everything's been talked to death the last two days, but Bob could just say, screw it, man.

We're not going back to Edmonton and put a clinic on tonight. I'm talking about that on Sports Center. McDavidDavid and Dreisettel they could have 45 shots and Bob might go not getting on the plane. So good little we're winning it tonight because he literally could be the difference maker. Now he's been really good. He could have played in the lawn chair last game so he wasn't really pressed. He had a couple saves early on and yeah Edmonton had a little bit of a push near the end but you're right Bobrovsky is the X factor because if he decides that I'm not

getting on that plane like that's it that's curtains and you know as much as we talk about Marchand and we talk about Bennett you know for Con Smythe lost in all this is Bobrovsky. You know, if he decides to not steal, well, he could steal the game, just have a game of his life. And that's it. That's curtains for Edmonton. So he is the X Factor.

And Paul Maurice even talked about it this morning saying, I don't think you guys give Bobrovsky enough credit. He said, I talked about McDavid and Dry Settle is that when you watch watch them so much you just get used to their special and how special they are he goes that's what Bobrovsky's like you just get you take it for granted how good this guy is and we talked about it all the time you you know the only time you don't you talk about goaltending is when you don't have it and guess what you talk about evidence goaltending all the time now talk about Florida's no kidding Jamie we probably have a couple more hard-hitting questions but i had to

ask you any fans yell at you while you're doing this love you as a panther noodles i'd know because uh... the nine games i played they were throw away there were six thousand people in the stands and they wouldn't even know me but uh... i did have a hazes of fraud yesterday. Oh, good. Oh, that's good.

It was really concerning. In South Florida, hazes of fraud. I was probably at Pearson. South Florida. The guy came up, well, it was at Pearson, and the guy came up and just said, love the shows early in the morning too. Love the show. I don't want to bother you, but hazes of fraud.

I said, okay, fair enough, fair enough. That seems to be... That's pretty consistent when people come up to you to say it. Like, I got that in Rimouski at the Memorial Cup because our booth was in the stands basically because RDS had the actual booth. And people would come tap on your shoulders, you know, when the play wasn't happening and be like, don't want to bother you, just want to say Hayes is a fraud. Yes, I just want everyone to know that and like parents parents of kids on the London nights. Oh really? Yes Yeah, that would be big. I would guess yeah, yeah the Ontario team I could see being very supportive of that, you know perpetuating Hayes

Yeah, I played with a very famous player whenever a person would come up to them and say I hate to bother you He would say well, you don't hate it that much because you're doing it I wonder who that was actually but i don't know who that might have been i played my fair like i played with the same guy chris pronger used to do that all the time but i think that that that that that that that that that that that that that that don't mean to bother you well then why are you

yeah i don't mean to have a problem prongs is that in Edmonton the other day he was getting the full treatment too they put him up on the screen place went nuts I think he had his kids out there with him. You guys haven't heard this story and I can't wait to tell it but so Struddy had to fill in did you hear the story where I'm aware of the mosh pit yep and so they like the NHL this Edmonton alumni had a promised an autograph session for Chris Kronger in the moss pit and prongs his flight was canceled and delayed Jason Strudwick pinch hit and people they want to riot disappointed I was supposed to meet up for dinner before the game and he disappeared on me.

The honest God. I go, what happened? He goes, sorry, I had to pinch it for prongs. He goes, there was a lot of disappointment. That's what he wrote in the text. I'm like, oh my God. I cannot believe what people would have said to him. Apparently they announced it on social media.

You got to look at the mentions. Like it's insane. I can't even, I don't even want to read those because I would feel, I would, it would be so cringy because like what a trait, like prongs to Strudy. Now Strudy is a local guy that everyone loves, but like Chris Pronger, Chris Pronger, and if you're not on social media and you've been in line for three hours and your first one and you're like I'm getting in there and I've got a Pronger jersey and I can't wait to meet them and they open you know they take the rope out and they and you turn the corner and Struddy's smiling at you. I'm reading this thing right now it's outrageous some of the responses. In a pair of tight jeans and his hair on sideways and it's like they're strutting.

Someone goes, maybe the most disappointing thing Pronger has ever done to this franchise. Imagine the dad conversations with the kid. The dads would grab the kid by the hand and say, we're leaving, we're not doing this. Yeah, forget it, we're out of here. We'll catch Strutty at the West Edmonton Mall in July. We'll go buy a bookshelf off him. Exactly. I'm bartering with him right now. Was Ladislav Shmeid unavailable? It's over, it's over. That read this as a common maybe the worst thing progress and her time to consider it

included demand to get treated after that uh... force try but he steps up to that written boys he should be as he has as yes i do know as well uh... maybe we see him maybe we don't have a will find political i don't know i don't know i'm either i mean they're flying on tomorrow and on the show runs like an adman sense i have no idea what's what we're going to be doing but uh... well no one about four hours i guess that's right now yet we're gonna know

pretty quickly and i was a little longer they could be a good one i think the is going to indicate a lot in terms of what's left in the tank for both for the Oilers in particular and Skinner I think. I don't see it like a dud from Florida to me would be shocking. Now again using the leaf analogy it did happen. The Leafs went down there in game six desperately and played a very good game a low event game and won. You know it's happened before it's possible but it just seems like Florida is going to be ready to go tonight and it's going to be on Edmonton to match it. I mean, that seems like. I mean, they the the urgency from Florida will be there. We'll see if the urgency will

be there from Edmonton. Yeah. And if there can be a separator tonight and not just 29 or 97, like there's got to gotta be somebody that has a game. If it's a Vander Cane, if you're Ebbenton, it's a Vander Cane and you know, somebody like that, right? A Trent Frederick who has a score, he has people like that. But in Florida, it might just be Verbrosti says, not happening tonight on my watch and that's it.

You know, curtains. Yep. So, who knows? Exactly, exactly exactly all right buddy enjoy it safe travels maybe we catch up tomorrow chat later there he is you're back talk to you later Jamie noodles McClennan I Heart Pride Canada. From dance anthems to pop icons. Let's celebrate diversity and love. And hits from 2SLGBTQ Plus Canadian artists. Be yourself and stand proud.

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