OverDrive - Mudryk on the Canadiens' season turnaround, the pursuit of the playoffs and Suzuki's compelling leadership

Episode Date: April 3, 2025

TSN Canadiens Broadcaster Bryan Mudryk joined OverDrive to discuss the headlines around the Canadiens, the season turnaround for the team, Lane Hutson's incredible role on the blue line, Martin St. Louis' coaching impact, Nick Suzuki's compelling leadership and more.

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That just happened with Vashi Kapelos. Canada decides 2025. every Friday stream on your schedule with the free iHeartradio app. Here is the voice of the Habs, Brian Mudrik. What's happening, buddy? I don't know, Hazy B. I don't think maybe no pass, right? That big a game. I mean, that's that's quite the intro. I don't think I've had an intro like that. But Francesco, thank you for that, Francesco.

Thank you. Anytime, buddy. During the anthem, you just take them right off and fold them up and sit them in the corner. Wide power stance, too. Yeah, yeah. I guarantee you, you wouldn't be the first guy to do that. I guarantee you.

Nobody needs that. Nobody needs that. That's true. What a grind here, man. What a build-up and you've been calling, you know Montreal Canadian games on TSM for years now muddy like have you experienced anything like this like the build-up and the buzz and The pop at the Bell Center these days You know, it's really special Brian. It's been awesome. I say it all the time. It's the best job in the world It's the best office in the world and It's the best office in the world and

You know listening to your show a lot and you guys talk about it There's no better place on earth any night, especially a Saturday, obviously but at the Bell Center, especially when the team is going and There's only been a few moments that I've been involved of obviously we don't have the playoffs But like, you know, you know when Patty Waugh came back for the first time as a coach Slavkovsky's first goal, Lainey's first goal. You know, the COVID year was tough, obviously. It was special. They were gonna make the playoffs, but no fans, right? So until later they got outside. I don't recall goosebumps like that when Suzuki pulls off, you know,

they got a break obviously, but they'll take it. They played better. They got the break. He pumped in with eight seconds to go. And then the overtime goal. And I think Frank, he can attest to this. The beauty of getting to call that is you're so in the moment, you don't even expect it. And I think that comes out naturally because it's such a wild, that's a cool place. It's a very, very special place, the Bell Centre, to call a game. Muddy, I know you guys had some fun with your tweet about Hudson, but when you watched him

early on, did you think that he could have the success that he's having? He's going to win the Rookie of the Year, but he's a small guy and he's even smaller in stature than Quinn Hughes or McCarr. Did you think it would work this well and he'd be what he's become? Well, it's funny, Frankie and I, when he comes out at the beginning and the kids come out to hold the Habs flags and stuff, you think, he's tiny. He is a little guy. You hear about the years where Johnny Goudreau played in the NHL and they thought that he

wasn't even a player because he's a little guy. When I saw him, you got to give the scouting staff a lot of credit for Montreal. Me and Craig Button were blessed to go to these U18s and we watched, you know, we watched him, but he was so noticeable though, like the way he shifted, the way he moved, it's like you don't really see players like that. And you saw that at the U18 level and then the world junior level. And every single time you think, okay, someone's going to thump this guy, right? He's going to get lined up by, you know, a bigger player and and he's gonna get pummeled and it's gonna be he's down

can't hit the guy Patrick Kane is his favorite player how many times you remember Patty Kane getting throttled you know during his all-of-fame NHL career right and then he comes up to the NHL and the first two games of last season he played Detroit he set up Slavs goal his 20th so Slavkowski got his bonus for his 20th goal he made the shifty move at the blue line, dangled the guy and threw it towards the net and bang Slav tipped it in. I'm not going to suggest that I was gonna, you know, he's gonna win rookie of the year but I can just tell you this though, every single level he's proven everyone wrong. I believed in

him since I saw him and when he slid the number like to the second round in that draft I was like this could be to steal man like this kid He has IQ and the ability to see the ice and Frankie can talk about this the way he defends bigger players We watch it all year. He might get burned by a player then the next time you would think they could scout lean Hudson He's got a book on you man, and he'll he'll play you in the corner and he doesn't get hit He uses the body he gets in your hands and he finds that you in the corner and he doesn't get hit, he uses the body, he gets in your hands, and he finds that way to steal the puck. And I think his gambler mentality has slowed down

a little bit in the sense that I feel now, Marty accepts that, Marty St. Louis and the player he is, but he's gotten way better at deciding when to gamble and when to make a play when there's nothing there. The defensive thing is really cool because at the start of the season you would watch him sometimes, okay, maybe he's getting burned or he might be trying to do too much. They always say 200 games for an NHL defenseman.

This guy's kind of figured it out in short order. Muddy, you and I, we get to talk to Marty after every morning skate. We kind of value that and he tells us some interesting stuff. Any conversations that stick out to you that we may have had with him this season where either Hudson came up or the team or Suzuki that you're like, man, that was really well put. And you can understand where the players kind of get it

from with Marty. Well, there's a couple of things that stand out throughout the season. The first one is Lane just doesn't seem to get tired. We forget, guys, he just played at Boston University like you're the NHL grind against the best players in the world against big guys that are physical forwards when you look at a bark off or a dry title or go down the list right it is a different beast and it's a different animal. We asked Marty on that

road trip and I said to him I'm like you ever like he was popping 28 minutes per game Frankie and I remember I think he hit 28 minutes one game and I said to him, I'm like, do you ever, like he was popping 28 minutes per game, Frankie. And I remember, I think he hit 28 minutes one game and I said to Marty, I'm like, do you worry about this kid because he'll be the first kid out on the ice the next day at an optional. Like you can't take him off the ice. Like he doesn't take days off. And Marty's like, nah, I'm going to let Lane do Lane, man. I'm not getting in his wheelhouse. He can go do his thing. And like we've watched it. We've all got to watch it. But the kid is a hockey junkie. He loves it. He comes out in the morning first. A lot of times at morning skate, he'll work by himself in the corner net and he'll work on his shot. And you cannot drag this kid off the ice.

Maybe someday he's going to, he's going to have to take a break, but man, the motor is high and, and his drive and his compete is next level And how do you not love the kid? Yeah, he's he's an incredible player to watch like thoroughly entertaining to watch play with Brian Mudrik And and I was pumping the tires of Nick Suzuki the other day after he played the way he played He's been great as well, and someone wrote me and said Suzuki's great But Hudson's the superstar of this team. Hudson is the face or will be the face of the Habs. Do you see it that way, Monty? Like how, when

you're in town, when you're at the Bell Center, when you're interacting with Montreal Canadian fans, is Hudson, has he already reached that level where he is, he's the guy in terms of the Habs and the way fans are gonna react? Until his Demidoff kid arrives. Yeah. Man, but yeah, you know what? No, it's a great point. I would suggest the hazy that, oh, I brought this up, I forget which show, but it was a while back.

But the thing with Suzuki and the thing with Hudson, I would say that Hudson is going to be the guy for sure. But what Nick brings, the intangible that we don't talk about enough with what Nick brings to this team is how respected he is. He is an old soul. Shea Weber called this two years before Shea retired that Nick Suzuki was going to be the next captain of the Montreal Canadiens. And it's how he operates outside on the road with fans.

He'll take young guys. There was a story, I think it was, Nishar was drafted and you come in, you come to the first camp and Nick reaches out, hey man let's go for a coffee. Like makes a point that these kids that are coming up, that Nick makes sure that everyone is on board with the culture. And I think Frank, you can attest to this too, the one thing that Jeff Gordon-Kent Hughes should be really proud of, that is a real quality room. That is a room of young men in there that are really tight and are really awesome.

And I think Nick Suzuki's stamp is all over that. Hudson's got the flash and the dash and he's very exciting, you'll get me wrong. But Nick Suzuki, let me just be clear, is the number one centre in the National Hockey League and he is an outstanding leader and I think he's the catalyst for other players to have that success that you're talking about, Brian. For sure, like every day of the week, and I think for Suzuki, he's only gonna get better, Brian, because at some point,

there's gonna be more reinforcements for this team. Like there could be another second line center next year. Demidov is gonna be there. So the outlook for Suzuki looks better when there's more underneath him as far as talent. But what do you make of how resilient this group has been? You just talked about the character in that locker room. Are you surprised with all the comebacks and the resilient play that we've seen from this group this year? Not really. And I only say that just because that goes through the

other leader and his name is Marty St. Louis. I mean when you have a Hall of Famer like Marty who has been in the minors, who was sent down, who was a fourth-line player, who was put on like all of it, right? There's not one player in Montreal's room, the skilled guys down to like the grinder guys like a posetta that Marty loves for his energy, right? No one could look at Marten St. Louis and go well I'm not listening to this guy. Like, they love Marty. I think Marty really takes the time to coach individually as well and as a team and with the system. And I think there is a belief in that room that Marty,

and it's taken a while. You ask the veterans like Brendan Gallagher, it's taken time. Cole Caulfield talked about that early in the year. It's taken time for this, the hard work. But now it's paying off. And now in these close games, they don't give up and they truly do believe. The question mark at times I would suggest is the goaltending.

Dolbash came out red hot, shut out the Panthers like insane. The shine's come off a little bit. Samuel Montalbos having a heck of a year. Whatever he soaked up with that Four Nations, I know he didn't play, but that was incredible. But you know, Frankie, I truly believe that those guys never believe they're out of a game. And you can say that sometimes. I actually really believe it. I believe it. Well, Muddy, it'll be a fun one tonight. And again, on Saturday night, they got Philly, then they're at Nashville. You got three games you got to get here. You try to get five, six points of your Montreal and you take it from there to these next three games

it's been a great ride great calls all season I know you got a few more left in you so enjoy it and we appreciate you doing this today anytime guys we'll see it summit golf and Country Club on me yes lock it in lock it will be there 100% be there cannot wait and wait. We'll chat then. We'll chat then. Thank you, buddy. Brian Moodrick. Signing your material on the way out the door, too. What an invite on the way out, too, man.

Well, it's a great place. We gotta take him up on that. 100%. All new, all Canadian. The best of our great nation, one song at a time. This is Justin Bieber. Hi, this is Terry Clark. We are Nickelback.

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