OverDrive - OverDrive - December 12, 2024 - Hour 1

Episode Date: December 12, 2024

Join Bryan Hayes, Jamie McLennan and Jason Strudwick for Hour 1 on OverDrive! The guys discuss the Maple Leafs and Ducks' matchup, Anthony Stolarz's notable performances and Juan Soto's deal with the Mets. ESPN Hockey Analyst Ryan Callahan joins to discuss the biggest headlines around the NHL and Bill Belichick becoming the head coach of University of North Carolina.

It's a brand new year. Time to review last year's financial decisions and set new priorities for 2025. Kelvin the Money Guy suggests the three-step approach. One, clearly define your goals for the new year. Two, create a plan tailored to your needs and ambitions. And three, make sure your portfolio is designed to serve that plan. Goal. Plan. Portfolio. Contact Kelvin the Money Guy and set your plans in motion. Call 416-457-PLAN

or visit askkelvin.ca this hour of overdrive is powered by fanduel fanduel bringing you everything from the opening line to the final score all right here we go overdrive off and running tsn 1050 on the tsn app your home smart speaker, and up on TSN 4, Brian Hayes, Jamie Noodles McLennan, and there he is, Jason Strudwick. Wow. The strud muffins are baking. The oven

is heated, and we're ready to rock. We're ready to rock. Noodles, you always miss out on this. Usually you're not here, and Struddy steps in, and now you're a part of it. I didn't get the memo, though. I didn't know it was hoodie day. I didn't know that we were going to wear our hoodies today. I mean, everybody 40 and over, let's wear a hoodie.

I'm going to have to go down to the lobby of the hotel and buy one by 5 o'clock. I don't know. I'm wearing a button down. I thought I was on TV today. This is a national television show. This is a theme for Strutty this week to mail in his appearances on TSN4 in terms of what he's wearing. Who are you all of a sudden?

Hey, is you Tommy Bahama? It's not like you dress that well. No, I don't. And then we got Noodles. Noodles, who do you think you are? Steve Jobs? You wear the same thing every day. It's black or gray.

There's no color. It's like you're in a Star Trek movie from 20 years from now. I don't want to be criticized by you two guys. That is valid. The two of us really have nothing to go on. That is valid. Fair enough. You're right.

I wear black or gray, and that's it. It matches the color of my skin after a late night out. And green. I should wear green. But, listen, you knew. You had noticed. I talked to Mike Lane yesterday, and he didn't call you five minutes before the show. When we did the panel the other night, you flowed in there.

You're wearing a cardigan or something. I don't know what you were wearing. I'm like, it had some sort of neck flare on it. Other than that, if you injured your neck, it looked like you had a neck brace on. I didn't know what it was. But you came on, and again, you were like in a cave. We couldn't hear you that well, but it was just, man, oh, man. Good to see you, though.

Good to see you. It was great to see you. Good to see you. It's a one-minute hit. I don't have to dress like I'm James Bond. I'm not going to a dinner party. What do you guys want? It's true. It's a one-minute hit. I don't have to dress like I'm James Bond. I mean, like, I'm not going to a dinner party. What do you guys want? It's true.

It's true. And I thought you brought the heat. I mean, naturally, all of you guys answered the same. We had a Connor McDavid question, which I'm sure played well in Edmonton. I'm sure Craig Berube's commentary this morning would play, would absolutely slay in Edmonton and through Alberta. You guys see he took a shot at the media here about the weather. Why don't we play it?

I love this kind of stuff. It was awesome. It's so typical of anyone from Western Canada. It was freezing here today. Like, Noodles, you're on the road. Strud, you're out there in Edmonton. It was so cold today, so windy. What's the temperature?

It was like minus. It was one of those minus 6 feels like minus 14 type of days. Minus 14? Yes. Feels like minus 14. I'm swimming in the North Saskatchewan River when it's minus 15. I know that. And that's the rite of passage.

If you live west of Ontario, then you have the right to say that. But here's what Berube said today when he opened up his pregame presser. Are you guys okay out there today? A little windy and cold for you? Are you alright? I had a t-shirt on coming out of the truck this morning.

There's so much I love about this clip. I want to address the fact that I believe he said driving in the truck this morning, which is like there is no more of an impractical move anywhere in the country than driving

a truck living downtown Toronto. I'm sure he lives like right across the street from the rink. He probably all, he's just driving that truck down Queen Street, King Street, trying to take a left on young probably illegally and he just doesn't care like driving a truck when you live and work downtown toronto is so unnecessary but it's such a western canadian play and uh you guys can speak to it to

to alberta guys you got to chirp everyone in southern Ontario because we actually have the audacity to say, wow, it's pretty cold, pretty cold outside today. Listen, I've been out here, I'm going to say here, but in Toronto. I've lived in Toronto now 14 years. I've gone soft. There's no chance. Minus 14 would feel like minus 40 to me. I would be the same way, complaining about the wind, complaining about the weather. I did grow up

out in edmonton and in alberta and that there was times where we did walk to school and it was minus 28 and all your parents would say is make sure your face was covered that's it like you know enjoy school have a nice walk but you know cover your face but i'm not like that anymore i am you know i live in eastern can. I feel the cold. And, you know, Greg Berube, I guarantee you, he drives an F-150 with maybe dualies, like dual tires on the back, like just gritty. 100%. Yeah.

The heat doesn't work. Heat doesn't even work probably in the truck. Windows are open. Yeah. Don't need it. Like, to give you a sense of how tough kids are out in Alberta, they wear Birkenstocks up to minus 20. They just walk through the snow.

No problem. No socks. Is it cold out today? I don't know. There's a bit of a breeze. I know. I appreciate my kids today. They got out of the car.

We did the right up front move, which I don't think we're supposed to do. Ran in. My youngest goes in, and my oldest is like, why are we outside? Why won't they let us in? They were complaining. To your point, it's like that in July in Edmonton where kids are just outside in Birkenstocks and shorts

and hour recess. It's freezing outside. Frostbite isn't a thing apparently. I was thinking about doing a list because I've got the list coming today. I have a very optimistic list. It's only a three-pack. I could only come up with three.

Maybe you could help me, you know, fill out the edges if you want a little bit later on. But three reasons why a Canadian team is going to win the Stanley Cup this year. All right, I have three. I'm going to get to that a little bit later on. But, you know, feeding off Berube's comment, chirping people here because, you know know they have the audacity again to say wow it's kind of cold outside the most annoying things you know canadians

talk about because there's different pockets throughout the country obviously in toronto we have a lot of them i can look myself in the mirror someone born and raised here i think one of them is and this i think is a fact when people from toronto go elsewhere in the country and they don't have toronto things people are shocked by that right like why don't they have a soto soto here and right you know why don't they exactly why isn't there an eaton center in small town in porcupine plains like that's a very toronto thing why don't they have this here because it's a different part of the country but complaining and being a big timer because it's

cold somewhere else is such an alberta thing such a saskatchewan thing very aggravating i don't want to be a hero very heroic that's the thing like i i try and like i don't wear it like a badge of honor i i wear it like like i it was tough like i didn't wear it like a badge of honor i i wear it like like i it was tough like i didn't you know strutty you're still out there so you you live it every day your kids live it every day like i look back on it i'm like i didn't enjoy that like it wasn't like exactly there's nothing there's nothing fun about minus 40 outside the thing is it does harden you it hardens you but that's just what life... We didn't know better.

You would go, and I'm not lying. Strati, I'm sure you're the same way. Outdoor rink in a pair of jeans and your skates, and it's nine hours. Your mom would come up and go, hey, you missed dinner. Let's go. It's time. Okay, we'll steal 10 more minutes. That's just what it was.

That's not being a hero. It's just I didn't know better. Believe me, if I knew then what I knew now, I wouldn't have played pro hockey because I wouldn't have been out on the rink for eight hours. I would have been inside. That there was heat and there were things that I could do otherwise than sit there and freeze my ass off outside.

It was so cold. I'd have my Jord-ass jeans on playing in the ODR. I'd have to go home and take a bath to pull them off because they were literally frozen to my skin. The skin, it was so – and then you pull them off. You know when you're so cold, your legs are red? Red. So red.

Just pull them off. It would be Jord-ass jeans. They just see it going down with redness all the way down. You're like – but my mom would be like, what's wrong? I'm like, is this not normal? It was every day. That's the way you operate. It was the same thing.

And then I have nine toes. I didn't need that tenth toe. It doesn't matter. It's fine. I still got great balance. Don't miss a shift, man. It's all good. I love it.

And I've often wondered, wondered is there someone like is there another end of the spectrum someone that grew up in florida that's like oh 100 degrees outside too hot for you i wore a jacket today like is there the opposite guy that's like a percent oh you think it's hot this is nothing for me i'm i'm in jeans today and it's like that's equally as aggravating for people that are just acknowledging how hot it is. I witnessed it. I'll never forget this, and I still bug Pronger to this day. We were playing against Phoenix, and we were with St. Louis,

and his grandparents lived in a place out there, Scottsdale or one of these suburbs. And he's like, well, let's go to my grandparents for dinner. And so you fly in. So you're wearing a suit. So we're wearing a suit, but it's whatever, 190 degrees or whatever it is outside. We went into their place. They had the heat on inside their place. They were wearing sweaters.

I couldn't function. I had sweat right through my suit. And you're eating dinner, and you're just leaking on your plate. And I was like, what the hell is going on here? I know senior citizens get cold and all of that. They were wearing sweaters in Phoenix. It was ridiculous. Crazy heat.

Crazy, crazy heat. I know it, man. I hear you. But anyway, Craig's ready for the game tonight. That could have been a shot, I guess, at Anaheim media, that this would be a shock to the system, right? Like, they're coming through Eastern Canada right now. They were in Ottawa last night.

They got pumped. We were talking about yesterday, Noodles. That's what the Senators needed. Had to pick up a win last night, and they did. And I guess the Rangers had to have a win last night. But conversely, so did the Sabres, and now Buffalo's in a really bad place. And we'll get to that momentarily.

But the Leafs, you talk about being a favorite tonight. I want to say on FanDuel, they're like minus 450 or something like that. Like just a massive favorite. Stolarz is going, which I appreciate because he played so well the other night. Wasn't a shutout, but you steal a game like that, put him back in there, right? I think you give him that opportunity to stay hot, and Stoller's is going to go tonight. But this is one where if you're the Maple Leafs and you're looking at it, you better not look past Anaheim.

But if you show up to play, you should walk away with two points tonight. Yeah, it's a winnable game for me. You played last night. The one thing that Anaheim didn't really show up like you you heard greg cronin's comments last night they we didn't skate they were ready we weren't um you know the goalie the guy that the the toronto sun uh what did it call him again i can't remember it was something like no name goalie almost no name robs the leaves or something like that that that guy's playing tonight i I knew it would be Dostal.

You knew they were giving him this game. I guarantee you it's in reaction to the sun. And if he stands on his head tonight, we need this. The sun should be out there. The editor-in-chief should be on the ice tonight after the game apologizing to Leaf fans because that was a crazy story. Strud, you may not remember this. I think it was last year.

I think they went through Anaheim last year, and the Leafs put something like 50 shots on the guy. It was something absurd. It was more than what Jersey did to Stolarz. It was so extreme. The shots were like 48-7, and they won in overtime, I think, or in a shootout. But same kind of thing.

It was 1-1. Dostal was incredible. And the Sun was like, no-name goalie, almost steals the Leafs or whatever it was. And Anaheim jumps on social media and starts blasting at the Toronto Sun and Sun Media. And I think they were definitely, as an organization, saying, screw it, man, put him in when we get to Scotiabank

and let's see what happens. There's no better feeling than going in with a mission to just make the Leafs have a bad day. That's just, you just absolutely love that. That's why you exist. That's why they're in the league. Yeah, exactly. But when you look at it, when I think of that story,

I think of Reggie Miller getting on, sorry, Spike Lee getting on Reggie Miller in New York and then Reggie Miller just going off. And Spike Lee feeling like the heel. So if it happens tonight where he has an amazing game, we know who the heel is. And everyone gets more motivated when you have someone to direct your anger at. If I was a teammate, I'd literally print that out. And I'd put that up on the wall for my goalie to look at tonight.

And say, hey, bud, look at this again. And just people love, you play better mad. You play better mad, Noodles. Yeah, there it is. Austin Matthews saves day in OT after no-name goalie vexes Maple Leafs. That's even worse than I remember. No-name goalie is, like, so insulting. They don't even show a picture with his name bar on it.

They show the side profile so you still don't know who he is, or at least that's what they're indicating. That one hurt. That one stings. The thing is, though, remember Anaheim clapped back and said, well, this guy has been the AHL goalie of the year, or won goalie of the month last month. If you look at it analytically, I believe he's top three in goals saved above expectation.

Like, he's been an absolute rock star this year as far as statistically. He doesn't get goal support, and Anaheim's not a very good team. But he is a very good young goaltender. You know, the Leafs can't sleep on this team. That's the one thing. And the news coming out to Zegres, I don't know if you saw that injury. That was a weird transaction. He almost, like, it wasn't a hit.

He kind of just fell awkwardly. Yeah. And it looks like what? A torus meniscus. So Zegers torus meniscus, he had surgery today on his right knee, and he's out six weeks. So that's a quick turnaround. I'm a little bit surprised by that uh because you know sometimes if they repair a meniscus the only reason i know

this is because i went through it it can it'll that would have knocked him out maybe for the season it takes months to recover from that um although he's a pro athlete and i'm a slob i'm guessing he's a little bit better shape than you you, Dave. Probably a little bit of a different plan. A little bit stronger quads than what you're walking around on. I think the muscle mass is probably a little bit more supportive in his legs than mine. I just went through this, guys. I know exactly what it's like. I know exactly what he's going through right now.

Call me, Zegris. But he's out. We've spoken about him recently, how he's out. He was a guy, we've spoken about him recently, how he's lost his zip. Zegers was a guy that was coming into the league with a smile, and he was trying to pull off the Michigan every shift, or it felt that way. And he was Mr. South Beach, or not South Beach, SoCal, I guess,

and was going to be the face of the Ducks. And then he just kind of blended into the league the last year and a half, and now he's hurt and he won't be playing tonight. So there's one more hit, I guess, for the Ducks. But you've got Trouba in town. You've got Trouba, Goudas. You better keep your head up. Trouba is a guy, especially coming through Eastern Canada,

he's aware of the press that's going to come with him playing. He will be looking for takers tonight. Not necessarily fighting, but I'll bet you he throws five or six hits, and I wouldn't be shocked if he got someone tonight. It's just the way he operates. You've got to be mindful of him. That's the bottom line is this is a guy who will hit you through the middle of the ice.

He'll finish every check, and he is a guy that when you know, when he is motivated, he plays with an edge. And that gutus chases people around, too. So, you know, the Leafs have to keep their head up in danger areas because those two will finish their checks. And that Leo Carlson played his first game last night. He's a really nice player. Like, he's a very high-skilled guy. So we'll see what he's got on a back-to-back situation.

Yeah. Yeah, we'll see. Go ahead. Heavy hitter. Heavy hitter. And he puts everything he can into every hit. He's not just rubbing you out. Like you think about when he launches himself, it could be very damaging.

So you've got to keep your head up. And it's just about knowing who's on the ice. Look up. Oh, there's two. But maybe this is the time to skate with my head down. So I love the way he plays. Going to be tough. That's tough with both of them

because now two-thirds of the shifts you're up against someone who's heavy. Exactly. Like we saw White Cloud came through town a few weeks ago, and we know what happened there. And, you know, same kind of thing. Right shot, come down the wall.

If they can get you, they're going to get you. So I would think Peru being a company are aware of that. The players would be aware of it. And, you know, we'll see what comes of it. Anaheim, again, not a great team coming off a back-to-back, but they probably didn't love their game last night. And we'll see what comes of it tonight.

So that game on TSN Radio tonight, we'll tee that up throughout the afternoon. I saw Al's brother right before we came on here. We're on the clock. Hazen Bro on a Thursday night. This is a big one. Both teams still in the hunt in the NFC West. So Luke Wilson will join us in studio coming up a little bit later in the

afternoon as we tee up Week 15 in the NFL. Niners-Rams tonight. Again, Niners, I believe a two and a half point favorite on FanDuel right now. We'll see if that line moves. It's been moving a little bit this week. We'll get to that just after 5 o'clock. Ryan Callahan coming up. Former

Ranger. The Rangers got a win last night. Sabres are in trouble. Sabres are in serious trouble. And we got some big games in the NHL tonight, including Edmonton and Minnesota. Like, this is a big one. I'm sure it's a lot of buzz out there in Edmonton stride, the fact that the Wild are doing what they're doing. And we'll come back and ask Callahan, and we'll get into this conversation ourselves.

Like, are the Wild legitimate cup contenders or are they just red hot to start the year? We'll get to that more and again week 15 in the NFL starting tonight. Jason Stradwick with us with Jamie Noodles McLennan. I'm Brian Hayes. Overdrive continues. TSN 1050 and on TSN 4. a brand new year. Time to review last year's financial decisions and set new priorities for 2025. Kelvin the Money Guy suggests the three-step approach. One, clearly define your goals for the

new year. Two, create a plan tailored to your needs and ambitions. And three, make sure your portfolio is designed to serve that plan. Goal, plan, portfolio. Contact Kelvin the Money Guy and set your plans in motion. Call 416-457-PLAN or visit askkelvin.ca Alright, Overdrive continues. Brought to you by FanDuel, bringing you everything from the opening line to the final score.

Ryan Callahan will join us here in a moment and get his take on the Leaf game tonight. Oilers in Minnesota playing the Wild tonight. And he's from, I guess, Rochester. So I'm sure he's got a connection with Buffalo, but he played for the Rangers and get his take on what happened there last night.

Again, we've got the Thursday nighter tonight. You see Juan Soto was introduced as a New York Met. And some of the details of what this guy got in the deal are incredible. Luxury suite at Citi Field, four premium seats per home game.

Why do you need a suite and four tickets? Isn't that, at what point, I guess you got it, and you can negotiate for whatever you want, but at what point would Cohen have said, can we just relax here a little bit? Do you need a luxury suite and four tickets right behind home plate. Who's he giving those to? Maybe he's giving them to kids.

Maybe kids. Maybe kids. Maybe I want to believe. Maybe the premium seats for his family and the luxury box. He'll rotate it. I want to think the best. I saw that. That was my thought.

Not just handing it out to his agent or whatever. I want to see the best. All right. I like that. Class half full kind of guy. Yeah, that's not where my head went at all. No. Mine was I want everything I can get.

I'm just going to keep asking. I don't know if he's single or not, but that kind of had a vibe of like, hey, I've got four seats. He's at the bar. You know, is that called marquee? I've got four seats. I'm not going to put you with my family. I'm going to put you in my special seats over there. That where my head went when it comes to now again i don't know

he might be married and and have six kids or whatever and be happily married or he's just signed for what 760 million dollars 765 you got to get that right sorry i just got to get that right he 765 and he's out on the town and going to be on page six twice a week. That's what he's going to do. Yeah, I mean, he's going to have to be careful out there, though, because you're going to run into a lot of Yankee fans when you're in New York, and Yankee fans are not going to forget. But he's got security for his family at home and on the road.

And then this is what I found interesting. You're paying the guy $765 million. Here we go. Okay. Say it. $500 grand for an MVP and then an additional $1 million for each MVP after that. Isn't the $765 for the MVP? It's nothing.

Why would you have incentives to play? A, it's nothing for him. It's nothing. But why do you need to incentivize him to go out and play well? It's like me finding $5 in my shoe. It doesn't make a difference. I'm going to make it rain, buy a couple Slurpees. I don't get it.

I think that $51 million or whatever is enough. It's enough. It's like I don't get why you need that. Does that really say, oh, man, I've got to get that extra $500,000. I've got to buy that extra house. I don't get it. That makes no sense to me at all. No, me neither.

It's motivation. What it is, to me, and we can't understand it because we're not in that stratosphere. The salary is the salary. The bonus structure is the bonus structure. Everybody's got bonuses, even pitchers that make $30 million a year. It's a bonus for Cy Young. Everybody's got a bonus. It's probably a little bit weird when you go, here's $765 a year. It's a bonus for Cy Young. Everybody's got a bonus. It's probably a little bit weird when you go, hey, here's $765 million.

Okay, and then the agent goes, let's work on the bonuses now. I'm sorry? I'm sorry? Basically, that's what they did. And it is weird because we are talking about $765 million, but that is the lay of the law with standard contracts and it's like okay let's look at the bonus too and and in his mind he might you're right strutty he might go those bonuses mean nothing to me it is a pebble in my shoe or i

might give it to a children's hospital or whatever but it's his right to earn them and regardless of what he makes there will be a billion dollar athlete when did here's a question for both of you when are we going to see a billion dollar contract when like within the next three years i i would guess it's coming in baseball first because there's no term limits right like right i in the nba i could i would be the nba first if they didn't cap the amount of years you can give someone. Free agents can only get a certain amount of years. If you re-sign with your own team, it's only a certain amount of years. And the dollar amount keeps going up, but

it's going to take a long time until you get to a point where someone's making like $200 million a year or it signs a five-year deal. So I guess it would be baseball. I mean, we've seen back-to-back years of $700 million, but how much further can you really go and who's coming that is going to be more valuable than Otani or Juan Soto?

And it's got to be a perfect storm where you also have the desperation or willingness of a guy like Steve Cohen, who's basically, like this would suggest, all the details in his contract. Cohen actually was the first one to send over like a blank piece of paper and said, fill it out, and I'm just going to accept that. Like, how was there a negotiation? Like, Strutt, you tell me. Was Cohen like, you want six premium seats?

I can only give you four, and that's where I draw the line? It doesn't seem as if the owner drew the line at any point. He just gave them everything. Well, this negotiation reminds me of when Noodles comes to town, I tell my wife. She's like, so you're going out Saturday night with Noodles? I'm like, yes. She's like, you would do this, this, and this.

And in my mind, I'm like, I would have done four things. That's only three. I'm out of here. See you later tonight. What a deal. What a deal. You're willing to do anything. So it's not surprising.

But I think that the player who's going to get a billion, I don't think he's in Major League Baseball right now. No. I think these are the two guys, so I think it'll take a little bit longer. I might be wrong. Maybe there is an incredible player, but is there a Soto or Otani that is 22 right now or 21 somewhere that I haven't seen? I don't think so.

I think he's not there yet. And these guys are obviously cashed in already. So where's the next guy? I don't see him right now. I don't. I don't either. Send me a note. It could have been.

I mean, if we wanted to, it would have been already. Wouldn't it have been Ronaldo going to Dubai or Messi going to Dubai? Yeah, that's true. Or Tiger going to Dubai, right? That's right. Fair point. They didn't live. I think we were close to it with the Saudi money, but the guys chose not to go there.

But I'm just talking the traditional top four sports. Because I think it might be soccer, European footy, we'll call it. It might be that because those guys just make so much money and they're so much valuable, and that sport is a world sport. Or it could be an F1 guy. I don't know, maybe a race car driver. I don't know enough about their contracts and the way that works. I think once you get into marketing and you get into endorsements and stuff,

then you're going to get there for sure. I mean, there's already been athletes who have made a billion dollars throughout their careers. But the idea of signing a contract that has $1 billion on it, it will happen at some point. It's crazy to think that that's a reality. But it will likely happen at some point. All right, we've got Leafs-Ducks tonight.

We've got the Oilers in Minnesota playing a while. JT Miller returning tonight as well for the Canucks. They're at home against Florida. And you look back at last night, Ottawa needed that win. They got it. The Rangers and the Sabres needed a win. Only the Rangers got it last night. Sabres losing 3-2 in regulation to chat about it.

Among other things around the NHL, we're joined now by former NHLer, former Guelph Storm, current ESPN hockey analyst. Here's Ryan Callahan back on Overdrive. How you doing, Ryan? I'm doing good, guys. Thanks for having me on. I like the Guelph Storm shout-out as well. Yes, mandatory. Oh, it's not on today, but it's in his contract that whenever we have a former Guelph Storm on,

we have to make sure to pump their tires. But yeah, we were discussing it a lot throughout the week and certainly leading up to the game last night. Rangers found a way to get a win, but the Sabres, man, they haven't made the playoffs in 13 years. Now they're at the bottom of the Eastern Conference. It doesn't feel as if they're going to find a way to get

out of this. How desperate is the situation in Buffalo right now? I think it's code red. If you look at it, just like you said, 13 years without a playoff spot. I think it's only the New York Jets are the only other franchise that has been longer of a playoff drought. But I guess the big question is, if you look at the Sabres,

and it kind of has me scratching my head too, is what is the path out of it? You change your coach many a times. You've changed the GM there. And it just keeps seeming to be the same recipe. And I was watching that game last night, and you're sitting there, you're watching it, and, you know, I think it was their fifth game of a five-game homestand. They've lost four in a row.

Things aren't going great. You're expecting them to come out, you know, absolutely on fire with desperation, urgency. And I sat there for two periods and I didn't see that, you know, and then I thought they played a pretty good third period, which showed a little bit of that, but it's just surprising to me. You know, what, where is that urgency? Where's that desperation? You know, I just, I just don't see it in that group. Do you have to change the personnel somewhat? That makeup of that team, it just doesn't seem like it's working.

So the team that they were playing against, you're very familiar with as well, the Rangers. The true betrayed, but I don't know if there's an actual just one thing that could fix that group but from you know from your outside opinion there and just watching this team nightly you know what do you make of it i mean is it as simple as hey now we're going to have to deal with the coach if they don't get on track is it you know you're going to use some of that truba cap space to bring in another player like what do you do you make with the Rangers and kind of how they've had that inconsistent start? Yeah, you know, you go back, and I was one of the guys that, you know, early on before the season started,

I thought the Rangers were going to be one of the top teams. You know, I thought they would come out of the East and potentially with Florida be right there, and especially after making the conference finals last year, you know, going six games with Florida, and I think three of those games were one-goal games. So, I mean, they were right there, a bounce here, a bounce there. They could have been the Rangers in the finals, right?

So, see the way they've started, and it kind of started in the offseason with them. I don't think the Trubis situation was a great situation. Obviously, they tried to trade him in the offseason. He denied the trade because he had a no-trade clause, which is his right. That's why he negotiated into contracts. But, yeah, that's out there, right, as you enter the year. And that's tough being a captain there in New York,

knowing that the team has already tried to, you know, deal you in the offseason. So you start with that distraction a little bit as you start the year. And they started off good. They looked like the team they were last year, you know, to season and then you know they take this dip and you know then they you know chris jury comes out and um you know he doesn't come out but it gets leaked out that you know he's looking to move some players maybe crider's name gets thrown out there true but which wasn't a surprise because they've already tried to move him in the offseason but you know then it i think the team can respond one of two ways.

You know, either you take that as a challenge and realize that things aren't good enough and, you know, we need to improve or there's going to be changes or, you know, you go the way they did and, you know, you don't respond to it. And, you know, unfortunately, that's the way they went. And, you know, you look at a team,

and you guys know it's hard to move players, right? It's hard, even with cap space, to add to that that group and but something needs to change and you know obviously loudly that's a really good coach i don't condone anybody getting fired or want anybody to get fired but unfortunately in this business that's what seems like the answer always is and it probably shouldn't be because he's not the one on the ice right he's not the one that's not performing um and then you go back to last night's game, I didn't see much from the Rangers either. I thought it was a pretty sleepy game to start, you know, and two teams that, like I said about Buffalo, that, you know, you think you're

going to come out and see that effort and see that desperation, urgency. I didn't really see it from either team. So I kind of left that game last night, kind of scratching my head and wondering, you know, did Rangers came out and dominated that game and played well? You know, you're like, okay, that's something you could build on. That's something, you know, maybe a stepping stone to kind of take off and put this bad play behind us. But I don't think they played an unbelievable game either last night. So, you know, is that a game that you can build on? I'm not sure it is.

I mean, you know, that a game that you can build on i'm not sure it is i mean you know you beat the buffalo sabers it's not like you know they're going to a stanley cup favorite that's uh kind of give you that momentum so it's going to be interesting for both those teams i mean where do you go right what direction you're going as i said it's it's hard to you know with cap space to to find players in the middle of the season that are going to come in and make an immediate impact. Callie Strutty here. It's great to chat with you. I don't want to bring this up, but you were a rookie when I was in New York, and I kind of guided you through and bought you a couple of meals.

When you were there, you came in and you had a chest like a surfboard. Is there ever any thought of you paying me back for those dinners, like maybe as gift certificates or something, even flowers delivered to my house? I don't want to make this a big deal, but you do owe me, buddy. I do owe you, Stretch. But listen, I might have had a chest like a surfboard, but I tell you what, your pins and your legs were nothing to write home about.

I don't think you ever thought about squat rack your whole career. I love it. Well, Cali, you had a great career there in New York, and you ended up being the captain, and you career. I love it. Well, Cali, you had a great career there in New York, and you ended up being the captain, and then you were traded as the captain. So I'm wondering, in your experience, because there seems like it's at times more difficult to be a captain with the Rangers. Is that fair? And if so, why would you see that, or what did you see when you were captain

and then just prior to you being moved out down to Tampaa yeah i think you know just going back on my time i didn't find it'd be difficult to be a captain there really at all and i think part of that was is because i started with the rangers right so i guess the media around it and expectations original six team i didn't i didn't know any different right so i didn't know how the rest of the rest of the league really operated so i was kind of used to that kind of internal pressure that you have, especially when we're in the sea with the Rangers. But I guess similar to Trouba's situation, you know, what I found difficult is my last year I was up for contract.

There was negotiations going on. You know, and that's where it kind of got hard. It's like, you know, am I staying? Am I going? I wanted to be there. You know, throughout that year the negotiations kind of got hard. It's like, you know, am I staying? Am I going? I wanted to be there. You know, throughout that year, the negotiations kind of went south and everything else. It was hard to go to the rink and, you know,

stay focused on what you had to do every single night. And I think for Troopa, it was probably the same thing. You know, it's hard to go into that room and lead knowing that, you know, there's a good chance that, you know, in Troopa's situation, that they were, you know, they're looking to move him. He knew that. That's a hard situation to go to the rink every night in battle and try to put your best foot forward knowing that the team is trying to move you

and doesn't want you there and are looking to make moves. As my negotiation went on as well, with Glenn Sather, he was telling me to go talk to other teams, and he'd trade me to another team. So as that year went on, it was tougher and tougher for me to go talk to other teams and you know he'd trade me to another team so as that year went on it was tougher and tougher for me to go to the rink every day and be like you know what I mean the GM's telling me right now that they're looking to move me you know I'm going to go in here and lead and try to do everything I can and block shots and take the bodies similar to Trouba's game right you know so I can feel for Trouba a bit in that situation where it's hard you know and

and the rest of the room knows it too, right, Strads? Like, we've been there. Like, you know what's going on with guys and their deals and what's going on behind the scenes. I mean, you know a lot more than the media does or the fans do. So it's not a secret, you know. Like, you know, for me, everybody knew in the room what was going on. A lot of it, you know, guys would talk to me about it,

kind of what's happening and, you know, what's going on with your deal. And it's just not an easy situation. So I feel that for Trouba. But with saying that, too, like, you know, now that he's moved, guys move on quickly, too, right? Like, it's a business. Guys understand that. So guys in that room, once Trouba's gone, you kind of turn that page.

You know, you lose a buddy, but you continue to go forward. Trades happen so much throughout the NHL. You're used to guys coming in and going out. So I don't think that affects the team at all, him getting dealt. But I think while he was there, it's a tough situation for both the guys in the room and Trouba. With Ryan Callahan of ESPN, and you've got Edmonton and Minnesota tonight.

The Wild are 19-5-4. Are they a legit cup contender for you, or is this just a really, really hot start? No, I think we're at the point now where you have to call them a cup contender. You know, if it's first 10, 15 games, then you kind of wonder is it just a good start for them. But, you know, you look at that team and they're already

20-28 games into the season. I think they're the real deal and the way they defended and what kind of surprises me is in Minnesota is their power play and penalty kill aren't off the charts. They're 20th

in the league in power play, 29th on penalty kill. Usually a team like that that's, you know, first in the NHL, you look, their power play is cranking or their penalty kill is really good. You know, they're below average in both special teams. It just shows how well they play five on five, how well they're defending. And, you know, I think Kirill Kaprizov, you know, is right there for the heart conversation, the way he's playing. It's such an impressive player,

and I think he's starting to get some more love now that Minnesota is up more in the standings and they're having such a good year as a team. He's being recognized more, as he should be, because he's one of those guys that's just fun to watch every night, right? You know, you're scrolling around in games, and, you know, I find myself stopping to watch in Minnesota just to watch and see what he's one of those guys that's just fun to watch every night, right? You know, you're scrolling around in games, and I find myself stopping to watch in Minnesota just to watch and see what he's going to do. So I have to point this out because I'm a former Ranger as well.

I played a solid six weeks for the New York Rangers. They still talk about it. They should. They didn't even let you finish your cup of coffee huh it was back it was back when they were just flushing people down the toilet left and right like it was just i think we had an 82 million dollar payroll and they just it was uh leach out and messier finished his career he had about 10 more root canals to finish with with all of us slugs there at the end of the season. But, you know, Callie, before I get to my question, do the New York Rangers have alumni coats?

Because it's a big topic of conversation on our show. Because the Toronto Maple Leafs have an official alumni coat to the point where Jeff O'Neill has multiple ones. I think he's got designer ones and all that. I never received a New York Ranger alumni coat. Strutty, I don't think you have one. Maybe you sold it or something in one of your Facebook specials. Facebook marketplace for $35. Callie, is there an alumni coat with the Rangers?

Liz, don't feel bad because you're there for six weeks or you're there for eight years and more to see. I don't have a coat either, so I don't think there is a coat. I'm a 42 regular, though, if anybody's listening. There's an extra Ranger coat available. I've seen you lately. You're not a 42 regular anymore, buddy. Come on. These meals are getting to you, Callie. Come on. code available i've seen you lately you're not a 42 regular anymore buddy it's kind of like

these meals are getting to you callie come on so my real my real question is is uh from the outside if you've watched the toronto maple leafs do you see anything different this year you know they've had a little bit of turnover they brought in some uh defensemen you know a guy likev, Oliver Ekman, Larson to shore up that defensive core. Craig Berube is driving the boat here. You know, what do you make of the Leafs in some of the games you've watched? Yeah, I think, you know, obviously I think, you know, Berube coming in was a big move,

and it looks like they're defending a lot better, right? Yeah. And another big thing, too, is goaltending, right? I mean, they're getting their goaltending as well. Stolar has been unbelievable for them. And, you know, you look at this team, and, you know, the Leafs are always a team, you know, I always look at, and, you know, they've got that high-power offense. They can score goals.

But it's always for me was, you know, can they defend? Can they keep the puck out of their own net, especially come playoff time where, you know, that's where it matters, right? You have to defend and it starts with defense and, you know, going out and getting a guy like Tanev, I love that move for Toronto and it's paying off. You know, I absolutely love him as a player and the style he is. I think that's something they definitely needed. But I feel like you bring a guy like Brube in who can just kind of change that culture

a little bit more, just that mindset, right? You don't have to completely change a culture but just that mindset of defending they're a good enough team where enough skill they're going to score you're going to get goals right so I've seen that shift this year in them um where they're defending a little bit better good goaltending and I'll tell you what come playoff time that's going to pay dividends and I think Toronto is is on the right track right track to not only have another good regular season, but I think this style of play that they're playing can now translate to the postseason and bring them more success come the postseason.

That's what Leaf fans want to hear. And they've got Anaheim in town tonight. There's a lot of games throughout the league, so enjoy those, Ryan. We appreciate you doing this, as always. Thank you for those. Awesome. Thanks, guys, for having me on. And Strutty, don't be scared of that squat rack either, buddy. You still can get grown even though you're getting older.

My legs are great. I don't know. I'll send a picture. You can check them out. I play tennis now, buddy. Here we go. Quick short shorts. Still telling your stories like you were back then, huh? Still got it Still got it

Still got it Can't challenge any of them You know what Struddy always used to say? Why change the lure? You're still catching fish That's why he was a great vet Sure the best in the league back in the day Thank you, Callie

Appreciate it Awesome, guys Thanks for having me on There's, Callie. Appreciate it. Awesome, guys. Thanks for having me on. There's Ryan Callahan. That's a good line, Strud. It was good. Well, because the guys, you know, he played in New York. Everyone, like Ryan Callahan, he came up.

Honestly, like I think he dressed in the dark, right? And then he also started dressing good. And I didn't care. I didn't care. One time for the playoffs, I bought a tie off like a guy off the street who opened his trench coat. I'm like, I'll buy that tie. And I told the guys, I'm like, this is a designer tie for $7.

I think I got it down for like $11. And the guys are all over me. So I kept saying, when you're good looking, you don't need good clothes. All you ugly guys got to dress well, like Dan Girardi. That guy needed a $2,000 suit. He was not attractive. Ryan Callahan, 5'7", bad body. He better wear a good suit.

It doesn't matter what I wear. I could use the tablecloth off of your bed, off your table. That's right, man. I could wear that sweatshirt of yours and still look good. Hey, this is high-end, dude. Do not... This is high, high-end material that I'm wearing here. You're right, Strud.

The clothes are irrelevant, man. When you got the full package, everything else is just, it doesn't matter, man. The ladies are going to love it, and you're going to send a buzzer. He's a witty guy. I thought I'd hit him and he'd go down, but he wouldn't go down. He kept swinging. Even on the way out, I thought he'd just say goodbye, and he had to come back and smack you across the mouth one more time.

That's awesome. Yeah, he's good. That was great. That was great catching up with him. We got Pierre Lebrun still to come. Carlo will join us in studio. He's awesome. Yeah, he's good. That was great. That was great catching up with him. We got Pierre Lebrun still to come. Carlo will join us in studio. He's going to be on the panel tonight with a bunch of games in action here at TSN

and throughout the league. Yeah, and Leafs in action tonight. And, of course, you got Edmonton again in Minnesota, so we'll continue to look ahead to that. And Luke Wilson coming up on Niners Rams tonight, Thursday night or in San Francisco. Overdrive continues, TSN 1050 and on the TSN app. It's a brand new year.

Time to review last year's financial decisions and set new priorities for 2025. Kelvin the Money Guy suggests the three-step approach. One, clearly define your goals for the new year. Two, create a plan tailored to your needs and ambitions. And three, make sure your portfolio is designed to serve that plan. Goal, plan, portfolio. Contact Kelvin the Money Guy and set your plans in motion.

Call 416-457-PLAN or visit askkelvin.ca. All right, Pierre Lebrun coming up. Luke Wilson on the Thursday night or tonight. See Bill Belichick had his introductory presser today. Yeah. Down in North Carolina. I saw a bunch of people point out how terrifying it's going to be

for student journalists. Like, imagine after a bad loss, they get pumped by Duke, and some 19-year-old in the journalism program has to grill him on what went wrong in the game. Like, how is that possibly going to work? I don't see how it's going to work like he's not going to loosen up with that right like he'll have to loosen up in certain areas because these are now they're amateur athletes although they're making money but they're kids it's college

but if you get a journalist in there grilling him he's not going to handle that well no but you know what though he has to change his. Do you think he's capable of doing that at 72 years old? Like maybe he'll be a little bit more relaxed, but once the juices get flowing, he's probably going to tune some people up. Absolutely. Absolutely. But what's the relationship with the alumni? Like is there a pretty – do you have to spend time with the alumni?

Like do you see him in a room full of alumni just telling stories about Tom Brady? Is that part of the role as a head coach in college? Good question. I mean, it is with donors, Strud, for sure, right? Right. If you've got big donors that are basically offering you up the money to get into the portal and start paying for players and stuff. I was just seeing online this Quinn Ewers,

who's the starting quarterback for Texas, who I think a lot of people thought would go into the draft. He's had a lot of injuries this year. And if he went into the draft, he could be a first-round pick. They're saying he may return to college, but Arch Manning is ready to go. Texas is going to push him out. Manning's starting

next year. There's no way they're going to go back to Ewers. So Ewers could hit the portal. I could see Belichick grabbing him immediately. Like what a way to start your, your program with a kid like dad, it would be a four or five year senior. That's a stud quarterback, but someone's gonna have to pay for that.

And it won't be Belichick, right? Like it's, it's some donor. It's some significant alumni. Like you said, I don't know. I don't know how he's going to handle

all that but it's a totally different world like he had to deal with agents and stuff in the past right and probably some parents reaching out but in the pros you could kind of tell parents to beat it you can't do that now like parents with collegiate athletes are right in your kitchen all the time parents alumni and boosters like there's a i i would feel like there's a lot of relationship building and talking and i think that i don't know that that's his strength who has ever shown it is except for the roast of tom brady that's it yeah when you put it that way this may go horribly wrong for bill belichick but well he's can't be worse remember well it went reverse though our buddy urban meyer was having himself a time when he got to the NFL.

That's right. That's right. Stayed behind and got Hansy at the bar. I mean, I don't know. Belichick's got a young girlfriend. He might have turned over a new leaf. He's living young, man. 72 is the new 30.

That's what they're saying in the collegiate ranks. So shout out to Bill Belichick. Pierre Lebrun coming up. Luke Wilson in studio. We got Carlo coming up. I've got a list on three reasons why a Canadian team

is going to win the Stanley Cup this year. I think you guys are going to want to hear that coming up later this afternoon. Overdrive continues. TSN 1050 and on TSN 4.

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