OverDrive - OverDrive - February 3, 2026 - Hour 2 - Mike Johnson/P.K. Subban

Episode Date: February 3, 2026

Join Mark Roe and Dave Feschuk for Hour 2 on OverDrive! TSN Hockey Analyst Mike Johnson joins to discuss whether Sam Bennett was the right choice to replace Anthony Cirelli, if the Maple Leafs have run out of runway in order to sneak into a playoff spot, how much this Olympic break will benefit an injury-ridden Toronto group, and what level of intensity to expect from the best-on-best hockey tournament in Milan this year. Former NHLer and ESPN Hockey Analyst P.K. Subban joins to preview his newest sports feature “RIVALS: The 4 Nations Face-Off”, the level of competitiveness that comes with Olympic hockey, and his experience representing Canada in 2014. The guys wrap things up with Best Bets.

I think the boys are going to be hanging out with Bad Bunny in San Francisco? No, stupid question. Of course they will be. No, Bat Bunny wants to hang out with the overdrive guy. I think he'll be, yeah, he'll be hanging out at the set, at the fan dual overdrive set on Meteor Row. I love it. Yeah.

That's why there was a fourth chair. I couldn't figure it out. It's for Bad Buddy. It has to be. Mark Rowan for Brian Hayes today alongside Dave Fess Check of the Toronto Star. Hayes, O Dog, and Noodles will be live from Super Bowl 60 tomorrow, and they will be live for the rest of the week. Looking forward to seeing those shows on site at the Super Bowl,

which is going to be great. Mike Johnson is going to join us in a couple of minutes. We'll get his thoughts on the Leafs winning last night and the upcoming Olympics. Also, reminder, this is the final week to enter for your chance to win the golf trip of a lifetime. We're sending one fan to be our correspondent at the Players' Championship,

and you're not just watching. You're going inside the ropes. You'll get flights, hotel, cash, and a once-in-a-lifetime Vee. IP experience, courtesy of the PGA tour, go to TSN-1050.ca and submit your audition tape today and check out the entry gallery for some inspiration.

So like, limpsicking a legendary caller, you're doing a mock interview, or maybe you're making up your own iconic moment, whatever it is. Just make it unforgettable and show us why you deserve to be TSN1050's unofficial correspondent at the players, all the details at TSN1050.ca. I know you're going to the math. You should be going to the players.

You can write a story on whoever wins this and that great experience and then whatever else happens at the tournament. I would love to go to the players. It's, the TBC Sagrass is one place I haven't been. I love watching. It's one of the great events in the Gulf calendar. It's the fifth major. It's fabulous. And what a prize.

Like the TSN Radio, that is a big time prize. Yes. That's, out of all the contests, I think that's got to be near the top of them. And we're just over a month away from that. I saw, I think it's 17 days away from spring training starting. Like, we're getting there. Yeah. It's totally, but surely, don't look outside, but we're getting there.

Well, you're right. When golf's a big part of it, we get to watch, like, we were just watching them play. Last week at Tori, and the weather was perfect down there. It's nice to flip on the TV and see somebody in a short-sleeve shirt because it certainly ain't us. And then they're going to be playing at the waste management on Super Bowl Week, which is always a lot of fun. and apparently not that, not a, like, particularly warm in Phoenix this week, but, you know, they'll be okay. And also, uh, our, our Super Bowl crew was live from San Francisco inside the Golden Gate Bridge yesterday. And if you didn't see it on SportsCenter, the shot looked fake.

That's how nice it looked. Like it looked like you were in front of a green screen, like blue sky. The bridge looks obviously great. Uh, Davis Sanchez is wearing a pink suit and it looked great on him. Like he was, you know. not that Kara and Luke didn't look it either but I think Davis stole the show. Davis always steals the show. I mean it's wardrobe

actually the wardrobe contest I want to see is Davis Sanchez against P.K. Subat. Those two dudes know how to dress. And they have their own unique style right there. They do not hold back when it comes to picking the fashion stuff. He's going to join us at

530. We're all excited for the Olympics. You mentioned some of the events that are going to start over the next couple days like Mixed Curling and Women's Hockey. tomorrow. Yeah, it's happening. This weekend, some big ones, men's and women's downhill. Yeah. And the big news today

is that not just that Lindsay Vaughn is back, but she is back racing with a ruptured ACL from her recent crash in the World Cup Circuit, which I don't, listen, I would have to go through the history of Olympic Downhills.

I don't know how many racers have competed with a ruptured at those speeds holding that edge. At age 41. At age 40 regardless of the age, but that's pretty remarkable. It's a factor. I mean, it's a factor. I mean, you know, give her all the credit of the world. I mean, I, the ones, I've covered downhill at the Olympus a couple times and I once went on a ski lift that went right over the downhill course at Sochi, I believe. And when I saw the

steepness of the slope of the, out of the starting gate, the initial line. launch. It's not a slope. It's a wall. It is a vertical drop on ice. Yes. They hose down the course. I was afraid just looking at it. And these people hurtle themselves out of the starting gate as fast as they can and they just go down it. Yeah. It's wild. I do that with an ACL that's torn and a meniscus that's wrecked at age 41. I mean, Lindsay Vaughn is you know, she's incredible. Yeah. It'll be remarkable to see that.

our next guest never scared of any ski run that he goes down because he's he's a spectacular skier and he's not a bad hockey analyst as well. Mike Johnson joining us on the Maple Toyota Hotline. How are you? I'm Jay. How about that for an intro? Listen, I like to see Mark, you know I am a preferred bib racer only. I got to be in the first 10 out of the gate.

I don't want ruts. I don't want when it's worn down. If it's fresh, I'm okay. I'm not like you. I can't go deep. But that, I mean, it's almost sad for Lindsay Vaughn. Like, she was going to be likely the star of the Olympics, like the biggest star of the Olympics at her age.

And she was skiing as well as anyone in the World in the World Cup this year. So, I mean, I'll tune in. I mean, you know, she's fearless. Will the knee hold up? But like the torque, the torque in those, you know, like the load in the legs would be tough to manage in that, say, with that kind of injury. Well, I don't know, MJ, because I would never, ever come close. going down a hill at those speeds.

But I wanted to ask you, MJ, like, what's the worst injury you ever played with? Because this seems like an excruciatingly difficult injury to ski on. What did you skate on in your day? So it's funny, because I mean, I played with, like, torn laborers in my shoulders for better parts of two, three years. And it was uncomfortable, but it wasn't debilitating.

I had torn MCL, lots of broken bones. But the worst one of them all, horn intercostal muscle in the ribs. And it's basically like every time you breathe or turn, someone's sticking a knife in your side. It was brutal. I tried it for two weeks. I played so bad.

I remember I was diagnosed with it. The doc said, you probably shouldn't play. We can give you some pain medication. I was playing for Tampa. The coach was like, listen, you don't have to hit anyone. We just need to the power play. I'm like, I don't hit anyone anyways.

What are you talking about? I can't do anything out here. And I played for like three or four or five games and it was not very good in getting progressively worse. So that one was probably the most difficult one to play through. Well, Mike, unfortunately, injuries have hit the men's hockey team, Anthony Sorrelli, which you feel awful for him because you just never know when these opportunities are going to come his way or anyone's way, for that matter.

Is it the least surprising thing that Sam Bennett is the one that's replacing them? This was the easiest move for Team Canada management. because if it was Brayden Point, who wasn't unable to play, you know, they've spoken about wanting to be like a lateral move. Like, if we lose a player, we want to replace him, not with the next guy on the death chart, but the next guy at that position on the death chart. And those are two different things,

whereas Sorrelli was going to be fourth or fifth line player. He's going to be a penalty killer energy guy. And Sam Bennett would be very much that same exact player on this team for this Olympic. So, yeah, this was an easy swap for the management team. Brutal for Sorrelli, because I think everyone's easy to say, like, yeah, Sam Bennett, obviously. Look what he's done in the clutch. Look what he did in the four nation.

Look what he did in the playoffs. You know, in big moments, he has been there and he's been excellent in them. And he's had a really good year after the slow start. But it also just is brutal for Sorrelli because you're right, Mark. There's no guarantee. In fact, it's probably more likely than not that he never gets to an Olympics. You know, it's just hard to make Team Canada is at his position. So great for Bennett, so disappointing for Sorrelli.

But yeah, an easy substitution. What I am curious about, with anything too far, and the X's and O's, one of the reasons that Sorrelli made it ahead of Bennett was that he was a superior penalty killer. And they really like the Hagle Sorelli penalty kill combo from Tampa, knowing they're going to need somebody to do that in the games. Who kills penalties for Canada? That is one thing I'll be curious to see what happens there. Because Sorrelli is very good at that.

Bennett not quite as good. what happens there and the penalty kill rotation once they get playing? So before we get to that tournament we've all been waiting for M.J. There's still quite a few days left

in the NHL schedule. The Leafs play tonight in Edmonton, of course, and then there's two more nights of NHL play Wednesday and Thursday before they wrap it up. We were just going through

the scenarios with the Leafs, MJ, and the idea that if they won tonight, they went into the break with a three-game winning streak, if Boston were to lose to Florida and they, their final game, Leaves would be five points back with 24 games remaining on the schedule, post-Olympics, six games before the trade deadline.

How do you think they're going to approach this as they, you know, get toward the trade deadline? This whole city's written this team off and said it's over. They have no chance. Let's think about another plan. But you know how things go inside NHL front offices. It's not going to be that hasty. What's your best guess on, you know, how much credence they give to. making a run and making the playoffs

and how much or how close they can get to that deadline before they have to make that decision. Yeah, the point is very well made in that they're not going to, they're not going to want to believe it's over, that they're out, that they got to sell, they got to rebuild, whether it's the

players for sure, we always, you just laid it out there, like five points, 25 games, that's nothing. Although mathematically it's enormous. Yes. Right, like, when you start, like, the playoff cut line in the east before last night was 99 points for the least to get there they had to go 20 wins and seven losses so now to get to 99 they got to what 19 and 7 if they went tonight it's 18 and 7 like it's still very hard from they get there now if one of those teams at the bottom hits you know goes through a real slide well then maybe they get a couple more losses mixed in but they're also competing with columbus and washington and ottawa and florida so you can say yeah they're within five but so or five other teams. I think the models that suggest they have a 5 to 10% chance to make the playoffs are accurate.

Like those are real. Now, players won't want to hear it. Management won't want to hear it. But you have to face the reality. That doesn't mean you throw in the towel. You want the guys to play hard. Maybe you fast, you string it out as long as you can, like right through the deadline right to the last day before. But you also have to be realistic.

And then the other part about it is that let's say they may. it. Are they really cup contenders? Like last year I'd say yeah. They legitimately could look at themselves and say they wouldn't be the favorite, but they can get to the Stanley Cup. And while it is maybe more wide open in the East this year where there's not so many proven powerhouses,

given what I've seen the way that Toronto plays for 55 games, I have a hard time seeing them get through three rounds of the playoffs to get to the final. No matter who they play in the Eastern Conference. So you put all that together, reality check, they're very

likely going to miss the playoffs and you have to proceed accordingly. Mike, you had a front row seat to that game yesterday so apologies. I also watched the whole game so I feel like I should get some sort of metal. It was not a Picasso. They get the win and they'll take it by unless you're Willie Neelander. That's true. He was playing a different game. That game was a nothing burger.

Then he stepped on the air. He's like, oh, look at this skill. Look at the plays. Look at the patience. He'd leave and then it's like, ugh. It's nothing. He'd come back on. Look at him go. Look at all the chances he's creating. And then they'd leave and then nothing happened.

It was so disproportionate how good he was relative to everyone else on the ice in that game last night. You know, he's not the best player by that margin. But as far as what he was doing in the game, it was heads into. He was playing a different league. It was a pro playing in men's league. That's how good he was every single shift. It was amazing, you know, the reason they won. But you're right.

Wasn't a beautiful game. against a bad team, and they were not really able to control play, which is a little unsettling. The home cooking in Calgary, I guess, his birthplace. Apparently. So you've obviously been able to watch this team up close for the last couple of weeks.

Give us some players who are really going to benefit the most from this Olympic break on the Leafs. There's one that is so wildly obvious to me when I watched them play first hand, and it's not the guy you're thinking of. It's Matthew Nyes. this guy when he is healthy

is physically imposing at the NHL level speed, strength, power, explosiveness and I watch him play now and all of that is sort of down to regular levels like it's no longer a point

of differentiation in his favor he's just sort of like one of all the guys that skate well but he's not any faster any stronger so he whatever's going on with his hip groin abdomen whatever he needs the break and hopefully two weeks off will get him

well enough that he can play the rest of the year so to me he is heads and tails obviously John Zavarra's at his age not surprising that he slowed down from the start of the year but he could probably use a reset and you know that he will use that two weeks to full advantage like he will dig into getting ready to be healthy and energized down the stretch and Morgan Riley like Morgan Riley didn't play last night

I thought it was because he blocked a shot with his foot against Vancouver. It's not what it was. It was nothing to do with that. It's some sort of pre-existing thing he was working through or playing with. And so maybe two weeks off we'll get him something closer to healthy too. So there's a few guys, but important players that will be well served to take a week or two away. Well, I wonder how much of that could be a factor coming out of the Olympic break, MJ, because the Leafs have one of the fewest numbers of players going to the Olympics.

Only three guys going in terms of Matthews, Neeland. and Ekman Larson, and they come out of the break. They got to play a back-to-back Tampa, Florida. Tampa's got, I believe, nine guys going now that Sorrelli's not going, but Sorrelli's hurt, and Florida's got nine guys going. Do you think that's just a marginal advantage, or could that be a substantial boost for a team considering their biggest rivals here down the stretch are going to be a little more fatigued?

It should be a significant advantage eventually. But in that first week, I don't know when. teams get eliminated. They might get home a few days earlier. Maybe the teams that have 10 players playing in the Olympics, those guys are sharper or more dialed in or more on top of their game. But by 10 days after the Olympics, absolutely, if you got a team with only three guys going, going up against a team where 11 other players were over there, travel, jet lag, emotion, physical, all of it, you should have more energy available to you. And in this season, more than any other one we've been around,

having energy available to you is a real asset. And not every team has it every night. So in that sense, yes, but I would be worried that, you know, if four Tampa players come off the high of winning a gold medal and playing well, like are they sailing that first week and that becomes a more difficult matchup, but eventually it should help them. You know, another reason not to sell, right, M.J.? No, no, that's not the reason not to sell.

Look, so like, if I was running, the team, I would not be running it on the, so you're saying there's a chance. What's all this one in a million times? Like, that's not the way that I would want to run a team. Now, we did, since the NHL has gone to 16 teams in the playoffs, Mark would know this because he watched the broadcast that it's in entirety. So like 45 years ago. Since that time, teams that have been eight or more points behind on February 1st and then

made the playoffs, three. Just three in 45 years. One was the hamburger run, which was the most recent one, which was like 10 years ago. So you can say there's a chance and we can talk ourselves into believing there's a chance. And as a player, I'm like, yes, 100%. Great for good players. Don't sell our good players. Bring us more good players.

It's still the numbers, the history, the reality is unlikely that they make it. Here is our TSN hockey analyst Mike Johnson joining us on Overdrive. And we saw them on the Leafs broadcast last night. and next week you're going to be calling games in Milan for the upcoming Winter Olympics and we're all looking for it obviously best on best. And this is the first opportunity for Connor McDavid to play at the Olympics. I know you've been in transit. So I don't know if you read the article and the players trip.

I did. Okay. So as someone who is not always forthcoming to the media, what was your takeaway that he wrote this strongly worded article about just what this tournament means to him? So I think the one phrase that sort of stuck out in the article that resonated with me is like, maybe I shouldn't write this until after we make it. Like, you know, like the fact that he put it out there beforehand. And that's human nature.

Nobody wants to suggest something means the world to them before they've achieved it. Because they're putting that risk, the disappointment and the public disappointment if you don't. But I love that he did because he knows that. He acknowledged it in the article. You know, like, hey, maybe I should just go back and be in quiet. being the robot, but no, like this is it. And the other part that really rang

true was when he talked about winning the Four Nations was the first thing he's won since was the World Junior. He's like, I'm, right? World Junior, World Championship. World Championship in Moscow. Yeah, whatever was, seven years or something.

He's like, the best player in the world. The best player in the world. He's like, I haven't won anything playing hockey as a team for seven years. And that, And that also, like, as a former player who never won anything, like, it's so true. You stop winning once you get to the NHL. It's so few teams, so few people that get to win,

especially without this best on best stuff that they haven't had to augment the reality of it's Stanley Cup or bust. So I love him leaning into it. I love him not shying away from the pressure from the moment. I liked him talking about Marshie and Sid and Dowdy, who doesn't have a nickname apparently, he's just called Dowdy. and like how calm they were and how focused they were. And I just, you know, the best players of the world still learning from others in these big moments.

The way I've heard Sid talk about Scott Niedermeyer in 2010 when they lost the lead late in overtime. And then it was Niedemeyer and Pronger were like, no, we got this. We absolutely got this. And that whole glimpse behind the curtain is fascinated me. But it's he's not alone. He is just the one articulating what every great. player is feeling. This is something that this generation of players

have grown up wanting to chase because they grew up through 98 and 02 and 06 and 10 and 14. This is something they want to achieve which leads me to believe that it's going to be just, I don't care about the dress rooms or the walk or the dust.

The games are going to be spectacular because the players are the best of the world and they want it as much as anything. MJ how do you think it's going to sort of compare to the foreign nations? Because we're going to have P.K. Suban on here shortly. He's the executive producer of a little documentary that recaps the

Four Nations that's going to be airing this week. A little bit of a appetizer for the main event of the Olympics. And we all know how the temperature got ramped up in that thing with the politics on the outside of the hockey and then the three fights and nine seconds on the inside

of the rink. We're not going to have that. But how do you think it'll differ when you've got the double IHF rule book and you got the five rings hanging over the rink? I mean it'll be NHL refs. So while the rule books are very similar now, so with

NHL refs involved, I don't think you'll be worried that it's going to be called really different than an NHL game might. So I would not be worried about that. But the idea of fighting is obviously out the window. You can't do that internationally. So the three fight thing or that somehow if the U.S. and Canada face each other

again, there would be fights. There won't be. Because guys get kicked out of the game and that'll be it. And the other part about this is that Canada and the U.S. can only play each other once. There'll be no warm-up and then the final. They will meet somewhere along the road to the final or in the final if they play against each other. So there is that part of it as well.

So I think that sort of will make it feel a little bit different because there won't be a chance to stir up more emotions. If they get there. And I think everyone in North America would hope that it is Canada to the U.S. Not because we love those countries the most, well, Canadians love the Canadians, but that would be the best theater for North America. Like that, these two countries are two best countries in the world at hockey.

I love the way the U.S. and their commercials are leaning into the fact that they want Canada. In many ways, Bill Garen built his team to beat Canada, not to be the best team in the tournament, to be the team that can beat Canada in this tournament. And so that would be just compelling, compelling theater. But while it is likely, would either of you guys be surprised if, Sweden or Chequia gets to a metal game or the gold game. Like, not at all. In a seven game series, it would be Canada, the U.S. in the final every single time.

But in a one-off, don't be stunned. Finland, Czechia, Sweden can all get there. Switzerland might give people trouble as well. It's going to be more competitive than just this march to the U.S. and Canada together for the gold. And just like the four nations face off, Mike, the United States, at least on paper, have the edge in net compared to Canada. And last night we're watching Hellbuck versus Ottinger and, you know, the stars beat the jets. And is it, what does Helbuck have to do to kind of lose that net? Because it seemed, especially with the way that he played last season, that it was his net and no questions asked.

But you look at the two stats this year and they almost mirror each other. what is going to be tricky for the American team is that the way this tournament works is there's three pools of four and the Americans are the number one seed so they have the easiest pool in their pool Germany, Denmark, Latvia respectfully Markey you could probably play a net and they would win all three of those games

so I don't know if the states I don't know if the states will get to know if Hellebuck's on top of his game until they're in an elimination game against Germany or Switzerland, a better team that will challenge them more significantly. So if I'm the coach, if I'm Mike Sullivan, I'm not sure how I deal with that rotation. I probably play Ointinger or maybe even Swamen, who knows, in one of those round-robin games and then just go with your gut, I suppose. But whoever gets game one in game three is going to get quarterfinal one.

And then if you win that, you're just sort of the guy for the rest of the way. This depth and net doesn't really help them because only one guy gets to play. and there's not enough games for them to explore who might be playing better. Like Canada will find out their first games check you. They'll know about joining Binnington right away. And if Bittington plays poorly, they'll make a pivot and somebody else will play game two against Switzerland.

And if they win, that guy's probably going to be the goalie down the stretch. The U.S. because of their schedule won't have that kind of competition to make that decision. Would that be your estimated guess that Biddington gets game one or it could be anyone? I think it's going to be Bennington. Again, that's what I think they will do. Not what I would do. That's what they will do. And if he gets through Chek-Yea, then he probably should be the guy going for it,

because Chekke is going to be really good. Maybe they give Logan Thompson, Switzerland in game two, back to Bennington for France. But there is an advantage of finishing higher up because no one gets eliminated, like the top four go through, the next eight play, like a playing game to get to the quarter-final. So you play one less game and get a back. better seating if you're able to

sweep your round robin play. So you don't want to throw a game while experimenting with goaltenders. But yeah, I think Benison gets to start and then probably a different goal he plays game too. You go Thompson, MJ? Yeah, I suppose, yeah.

Yeah, yeah. I mean, I know he's a lot of confidence there. Well, no, I guess I like Darcy Kemper. And I like Darcy Kemper in a game where he knows what's going on, like where he has good defense in front of him. Like, if he knows

what's coming and he's not worried about the next play, he can be, I almost trust him most on the first shot. The second one, maybe not so much, but I don't know how many second ones there will be with his team Canada. Who knows? I guess in something in my mind, I'm still thinking of 2014 when teams couldn't even get a shot on carry

price. Like 10 shots a game, no scoring chances. That wasn't the Four Nations. Yes, they won, and it was awesome. But it's not like the teams they played against didn't get good looks against them. So, So yeah, it would probably be Thompson in game two, and then you make your pick. Well, it's great to chat with you before you leave.

I hope the Italian is good in terms of your speaking ability. I know the Italian food will be great. No, Bueno. No, bollo. No, no. That's okay. You just need like four, four, five words. I have a plain right to work on it.

There you go. Yeah. Yeah, that's your whole bar. Have a great tournament, man. What an experience for you. I know this means a lot, and we're going to be walking. watching and I think it's going to be a fantastic tournament. I appreciate that, guys. Thank you.

There you have it. Mike Johnson, joining us on the Maple Toyota hotline. It's time to Toyota in the 2025 Prius. Go up to 72 kilometers on battery alone, then seamlessly switch to the hybrid mode. Check it out at Maple Toyota near Canis Wonderland in the Maple Auto Mall. P.K. Suban is going to join us next. We'll get more on the state of the NHL, the state of the upcoming men's Olympic tournament and also his upcoming feature, which will be aired on CBC on Thursday called

Rivals. That's all coming up on Overdrive. TSN 4 and 5, TSN 1050 and also up on the TSN app. I'm Dylan Playfair. And I'm Tyler Smith. We're putting loneliness in the penalty box by talking to some of our favorite athletes about the importance of friendship. This is bromance. Bromance is brought to you by Charm Diamond Centers, proudly Canadian-owned and operator. Charm has been part of your love stories and bromances for over 50 years. And you can find bromance on the IHeart Radio Network or wherever you get your podcast. Overdrive, continuing. Mark Row in for Brian Hayes,

alongside Dave Feschuk from the Toronto Star. Hayes, Odog, and Noodles will be live from Super Bowl 60 starting tomorrow and running for the rest of the week from Radio Row. A lot of anticipation of their studio that they have there, the show that they'll put on

on and a few other questions that need to be answered. But I'll let them handle that. Well, the big questions, will they lose Dugie and will they find O'Dog's Dental Bridge? That too. And do they get into the media party tonight? That better be a yes. Yes.

It would be a huge mistake by the organizers of the Super Bowl. They don't have those guys there. Goodell, you know, Roger Goodell himself should escort them in. That's how big this is. I like it. I like it. I don't know if they need to be on like a Thron or something, like our throne or Yeah, that's right. I don't know.

Those are called where you have four people holding it. I think a throne would be appropriate. Why not? I mean, they should be honored guests, their first timers, and their first time at the greatest party in pro sports, I think, is a significant occasion. Well, that will be a lot to talk about, obviously, the Super Bowl going on, and the trade deadline in the NBA and getting set for a men's hockey tournament at the Olympics that we've had to wait since 2014.

I think it's to think of those Mike Babcock teams beating the states I think like 1-0 in the semis and being Sweden like it seems forever ago

and yet you know Sidney Crosby and Drew Doughty are back I don't think if there's any other returning guys but certainly those were a linchpin of those teams

and they're back and they're going to be big parts of this year's team it's going to be interesting like that that team you point out the low scoring hockey they played the risk-a-verse hockey they played

three goals against in the tournament for Canada, right? Like, not only did they have incredible D, you know, the Drew Doughties and Duncan Keys of the world, but they had Kerry Price if all else failed. Right, who was stopping like 14 shots a game at most. It was, it's funny that it was, the Vancouver tournament was so different. Yeah.

I don't know if it's the North American ice or what. Like, to me, and it's on home soil, so it's unfair to compare the two, but there's a much more entertaining tournament than Sochi. Great end result for Canada. Yeah, it wasn't exactly riveting hockey a lot of the time. You know, beating Latvia 2-1 was dramatic. Right. In an unexpected way.

But like, do you think of the Russia game in the quarters? Yeah. Having to play and they were the underdogs going in. And they lit them up, you know, and scored out well. And the two games against the United States. And, you know, it was just, you know, it was obviously a very special that was on home soil. But we're looking forward to that. And we're soon going to be joined by P.K. Subin, who was on that 2014 team.

So we can ask him about what it was like. the pressure and everything because I don't know if there's anything else in hockey that can that can compete with that. The pressure of playing for Canada at the internet on an international stage when it's best on best. Yeah. You might go into some tournaments and you don't have the best world junior team

that year, the best world championship team, but Olympics, you know, it's the definition of gold or bust. It is for Canada. You know, and the United States, same thing as well. So looking forward coming up on Thursday. day at 8 p.m. on CBC and CBC gem rivals the four nations face off. It's an original feature special about hockey, culture, politics, and the Canadian national identity told through the lens of the iconic 2025, Four Nations faceoff.

And who better to talk about it than the executive producer, P.K. Suban, NHL superstar, Norris Trophy winner, and he just had to add executive producer to his title. You're adding titles by the day, my man. Thanks for joining us and congratulations on putting this feature together. Thank you. I appreciate it. Maybe the most important title, Philanthropist, that seems to be the one that I enjoy the most. But this was a pretty special project. And when I started my production company, I started it to be able to tell stories and tell stories that are authentic and that I love. And this was definitely a story worth telling for sure. So take us through the process, PK, and obviously you know so much about what it means to represent Canadian hockey and what that rival of the Americans is like.

What did you learn going through this process that maybe you didn't beforehand? Yeah, I mean, you know, to be able to do a sports feature and represent your country, I think that what makes it so special is to be a part of it, you know, watching the whole thing happened, seeing the rivalry meet an all-time high, see the game. game hit highs that we've never seen before was pretty special and to be able to tell a story like this and watch that doc. I'm still pinching myself trying to make it seem real. But to be able to tell that story to Canadians and have them relive that moment the night before the Olympics kick off, I think is a pretty special thing to be able to contribute to. So, P.K., one of the things that made the Four Nations so special was the pent-up demand

for best on best hockey because we hadn't seen it since you were a member of Team Canada in 2014. You know, Mark and I were just talking about that 2014 gold medal team, coached by Mike Babcock that you played on. Bring us inside that room,

you know, in the big moments of that tournament, what made that team so special and what made it win? Oh man. You know, when it comes down to it, the game has to be played hard. And when it has to play, played hard, I don't think there's a better country that does it like us. And you know, you can see

that in Four Nations, you can see that in Sochi. And every time when we have to answer the bell, it's not about skill, it's about Will. And I feel like it's written in our DNA. We know what we have to do in those moments. And you looked at Four Nations. It wasn't the offensive plays that won Canada, that tournament. It was the defensive plays. It was Sidney Crosby against Finland. It was, you know, McKinnon. and McDavid all buying in and being patient as Team USA came and droves and droves and waiting for their opportunities. So it's a chess match and you need to have smart players and players that understand the moment. And that's why they have so many winners on that team is they know what the moment is

going to call for. And when you got Stanley Cup champions and guys that have been there before, those things matter in those moments. You know, P.K, you've been in this situation that the players currently are in, and that's getting on a plane in a couple of days and going overseas and going to an Olympics. Is it excitement? Is it anxiety? Describe the emotions that you're going through before the games are actually played. Oh, man, you know, there's so much tension there. It's super competitive. I think that, you know, the Olympic stage is just, it's different.

You know, when you're considering it, you've got so many other distractions and things that are around you and there are great distractions. You know, you got families, you got all this other stuff, but, you know, you're representing your country and you're doing it amongst the world. So it's just a different level of hockey, you know, I think that it's going to be interesting this Olympics because we're coming off the backs of the four nations, which reached heights in our game that we've never seen before. So what does that mean for the Olympics? Is there another level that it's going to go to? I think that's the anticipation of it, is that there's more countries involved. But I don't know. We'll have to see.

History will be written again, right? Yeah, for sure. I mean, P.K., when you handicap it, I mean, obviously, Canada gets the upper hand in the four nations by the skin of their teeth on a great play. McDavid scoring the winner. This is a different type of tournament. Like, Canada and the U.S. aren't even guaranteed to play. I mean, God forbid, there's a scenario where they actually don't get to meet. but if they do meet again

I mean you know how do you given the fact that you're not going to have three fights in nine seconds under Olympic rules given the fact that it you know double IHF rule book is slightly different and you're on a on a foreign soil I mean how do you expect those kind of factors to change the way these games are played

or this game is played if indeed we do see Canada USA well as far as Canada goes that's why we're Canada you know it doesn't matter what the game dictates you know the players that you've selected can play all in different situations and different positions. And they're capable of doing what you ask them to do. And that's play winning hockey.

So when you're selecting Team Canada, it's not just about putting the puck in the net. It's everything that goes into building a team. And every country is prioritizing that. So, you know, like you said, you know, you can't just be thinking about Team USA. Sweden's good too. Finland's good. There's a lot of great countries. So, you know, for me, when you're building that team, you're going to know where you've got to go through

in terms of the tournament format. And like I said, it's not like you're playing on Olympic size rink either. So, you know, it's a lot of things to consider. I like the Four Nations format where the guys can fight. Maybe they'll change the rules, but I don't think that's happening. So it'll be a chess match.

There's no question. You know, there's always going to be curveballs and some adversities. So teams are going to have to make adjustments. But it's going to happen quickly. So, you know, you don't really. have that much time to dwell on anything, you just have to play. And for these guys, I think that's where they're at their best. But it's so competitive. You look at the NHL, the competitive balance. Well, these are all NHL players representing against their country. So, you know,

it's, it'll be interesting to see. I'll be watching every game. Well, and guys have to buy in, obviously, to the team. And you're a guy who has a skill set that you could go out there in an NHL game and take risks. And you're one of the most entertaining players that we, have seen over the last 25 years and yet when you're on team Canada you're probably asked to play a little differently how long did it take in the the process of the tournament for you to kind of really find your own game on team Canada that differed from your game with the montreal canadians or the national predators oh well it's simple it doesn't matter what's asked of you when you enter that locker room and you see that jersey hanging in your stall i mean it's it's it's no longer about

you but you know i don't think that's ever been an issue whenever i've been in Team Canada, it's like a known thing. It's like you just do what's asked of you. I think, you know, as a player, you always want to do more. But when you're with Team Canada, less is more. And you got a lot of great players that you're playing with. So the number one thing about going to the Olympics, no matter what anybody says, there's a lot of great things, a lot of distractions.

What makes the whole experience fun is winning. You got to win. So you want to win. And so at the end of the day, when you put your country's jersey on all that should matter is winning. And whatever is asked of you, you go there and you do that. And P.K., you're a winner. You're an Olympic gold medalist. You are an executive producer.

You're a philanthropist. And you're a great guy for coming on the show today. We appreciate this. Thank you, guys. Thanks for having me. There you have. Go Canada. There you go.

Go Canada. Hey, he's also the star of rivals. He does an outstanding job breaking down. rivals breaking down the poor nations matchup in this feature presentation that is on CBC tomorrow night that he's an executive producer of

PK's living the life man. He is. A man of many hats, quite literally sometimes, as we know with this fashion. A lot of different hats. He's the executive producer. Again, rivals will air on CBC and CBC gem on Thursday at 8 p.m. As you point out, great appetizer for the men's Olympic tournament.

All right, we're going to take one more break. We have our Fandul Best Bet. To wrap up the shows, Overdrive continues on TSN 4 and 5, the TSN app and also on TSN 1050. I'm Dylan Playfair. And I'm Tyler Smith. We're putting loneliness in the penalty box by talking to some of our favorite athletes about the importance of friendship. This is Bromance. Bromance is brought to you by Charm Diamond Centers, proudly Canadian-owned and operator.

Charm has been part of your love stories and bromances for over 50 years. And you can find Bromance on the IHeart Radio Network or wherever you get your podcast. Overdrive continuing. Mark Rowan for Brian Hayes alongside Dave Fesuck of the Toronto Star. Today's best bets powered by FanDuel. Make your picks and assemble a same game parlay in seconds on the FanDuel Sportsbook app. We're going to focus on the Leafs and Oilers tonight. The over under six and a half goals.

We're going to take the over at minus 150. Anthony Stolars. Still finding his legs, to put it mildly. Connor Ingram in net for the Oilers, McDavid, Nealander, finding their groove. And we're also going to go with Bobby McMahon anytime goal score at plus 310. Parlay those two and it's plus 382. Today's best best power by Fandul. Sam Gay Parleys are now available for every NFL game on the FanDuel Sportsbook app.

There's only one NFL game, but they've got it. Please play responsibly 19 plus and physically located in Ontario. Yeah, it's a gambling fest, the Super Bowl. But yeah, Bobby McMahon and Emmington tonight is that a trade deadline? addition for a guy that I know a lot of oilist fans have been. Was the empty netter, a stat filler last night. There you go. But yeah, like what?

Up in the price. What are you getting for a Bobby McMahon? What are you getting for Oliver Ekman-Larsen? Like this is what we're talking about here. selling high, man. Oliver Ekman-Larsson will his value be any higher than it is right now? Right. You know?

Now, is his contract help or hurt? Because of his age. I think it hurts because he's, but he's also an Olympian who's having a great Renaissance kind of year. And he brings a lot of things teams want, right? Like he's got a little bit of an edge. He can play on the power play. He's been on a Stanley Cup winning team.

Durability. Incredible durability. Touch wood. Yeah. You know, the Leafs are open. They're hoping he's very durable in Milan. The big topic of conversation within the Leafs organization recently. But yeah, it's.

Yeah. You know, what do you? Like, it is, I'm trying not to sound too hyperbolic. but it's a really important deadline for this organization, whether you're going one way or the other. Because if you're doing the reset like the Bruins, that's great to say it, but the Bruins had draft picks. Yeah.

And they had some prospects. And, you know, you're trying to recoup some of your, it's easy to say it now mistakes. At the time, you're going for it. No one's going to criticize you for going out and getting a Scott Lotton or. Well, I think people within the organization now are starting to say, like, hang on here. We had a lame duck president in the seat and was desperate

and threw a lot of assets out the window that we probably shouldn't have thrown out the window in retrospect. Right. Again, you're... Everybody blamed tree living for that, but Brennan was sitting there knowing he was on the clock. Right. Now you win game three against the Panthers and go up three nothing and maybe it's a different story. And you're like, well, it's great. Wouldn't that have been great?

Yeah. You know, they had it. We went to a Stanley Cup funnel or who knows. Then everything changes, right? The whole perception of this team changes if they, if they, if they close out the Panthers, if they step on the throats and say, oh, you know,

we got two, two goal leads in game three with a chance to go up three nothing in the series and basically guarantee that even we can't choke this up. Yeah. And they failed to do it. Yeah. So who knows how we'd see this team if they would have beat the Panthers?

We'd see it a lot differently than this. The amount of people who are angry that Hayes, O, and noodles are on the show right now and that we're talking about the Panthers series against the Maple Leafy. You brought it up. I brought it up. I will take 100% credit for that.

But yeah. But it goes hand in hand with the deadline last year. What they did to what they've been doing, what they did for nine, essentially, well, most of nine years under the Shanna plan, going back to the Jake Muzzen,

throwing out a first rounder for the Jake Muzzin back in 2019. You know, it made sense in those days to say, we got to do whatever we can do. We got to maximize this window. But guess what? I mean, if that window ain't closed,

there's a big, you know, there's a big crack in it. Right. And it's so funny, the perception that you have of teams where you play in the Oilers, again, you're technically, I think two points behind them,

not behind them because they're in their different conference. They're relevant, though. It is, totally. But yet, regardless of those records, you look at the Oilers and go, well, they have McDavid and Drysidal who have proven to not only be as good in the playoffs as they're on the regular season, they might be better.

They're better. Right? They're all timers. And look at their points from the playoffs. They've been top 10 all time in playoff points per game. You know, and yeah, like Matthews, everybody wants to talk about, you know, who should be leading the charge? Should it be Brad Tree Living?

Should they bring in another executive? They've got to make a decision on is Matthews a guy that you can continue to build around? Yeah. And maybe we'll find out, maybe in Milan he will prove to be the captain and everybody in Toronto and certainly everybody in the United States of America hopes he can be. And maybe he'll be the guy that comes through for once. And if that changes, maybe that changes the way he plays in the playoffs going forward

and maybe it changes the way you look at him. But right now, yeah, he's been a regular season star at a postseason disappointment. Right. And to much the delight maybe of Team USA, he has looked good recently. He's been, as much as this team has not played well, Austin Matthews being the problem is

way down the list of things that you're... Except it's fundamental to your future and how you look at going forward here, right? Because guess what? There's a reason Bradsonahan got fired. It wasn't because they couldn't make the playoffs, because they couldn't win in the playoffs. And guess who, I think anybody that's

attached to that organization points to, it wasn't the executives, it was the players. It was the players who let down the executives again and again and again and again. So that's the decision they got to make here. But, you know, the idea that they're going to make it under this regime with this GM,

it's hard to, hard to imagine. What do the leaps do? What do the Raptors do. Yon is coming up north finally. Hey man, at least the Raptors are going to the playoffs. Yeah, that's good point. For sure. Yeah.

I think that's, we can put that. And we're not talking playing. Playing for what, right? Well, barring a collapse here. You're right. You're right. Playing for what? Let's knock on wood. Looking forward to seeing the guys from San Francisco over the next three days.

It was great to get to work with you again. It's been too long. Always fun. Awesome stuff. Looking forward to your work on the, throughout the Olympics. and the rest of the NHL season and the Raptors. And you got those early Olympic mornings coming up, my man. I do.

3.30 in the morning. So it'll be Hayes, O'Dog, and Noodles live from Super Bowl 60s starting tomorrow. Enjoy the show and enjoy the rest of your night. I'm Dylan Clayfair. And I'm Tyler Smith. We're putting loneliness in the penalty box by talking to some of our favorite athletes

about the importance of friendship. This is bromance. Bromance is brought to you by Charmed Diamond Center, proudly Canadian-owned and operator. Charm has been part of your love stories and bromances for over 50 years. And you can find bromance on the Iheart Radio Network or wherever you get your podcast.