OverDrive - OverDrive - January 23, 2025 - Hour 3

Episode Date: January 24, 2025

Join Bryan Hayes, Jeff O'Neill and Dave Feschuk for Hour 3 on OverDrive! TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger to discuss J.T. Miller's trade buzz and his possible next teams, Matthew Knies' injury status and Morgan Rielly's performances on the blue line with the Maple Leafs. Canada's Men's National Team Head Coach Jesse Marsch joins to discuss the outlook of the team for the preparation for the 2026 World Cup and the mentality of the team in the tournament and Bryan gives his FanDuel Best Bets.

Don't miss Tech Talk with Mark Saltzman, Sundays 5 p.m. on News Talk 1010, brought to you by the all-electric Chevrolet Equinox EV. Final hour overdrive continues powered by FanDuel, bringing you everything from the opening line to the final score. Our best bet's later in the hour. Jesse Marsh in studio, I caught up with him earlier this morning. Head coach of the men's national team, they got the Nations League-final in a couple of months they're playing mexico in the semis and then if they get through that likely the americans in la right going for their first cup in a long long time we know the world cup will be here just over 500 days away from the world cup down at bimo field

and of course also in vancouver so got up up with Jesse earlier great great convo with him he'll join me in studio a little bit later this hour. Darren Dreger coming up here in a few minutes. I have a list it is Thursday right we do hazy bee listing on Thursday hazy bees list and I figured I'd focus on the captains we've been talking a lot about the captain of the maple leaves today right Austin Matthews had some commentary last night about how he didn't love the lack of energy in the crowd after that Ryan Reeves fight early in the game last

night so I want to be clear here this list is based on the regular season the remainder of the regular season it does not include the playoffs because that would be a completely different conversation altogether. Right. Okay. I don't understand. Like this is about Leaf captains? No.

The seven Canadian captains, the seven Canadian captains who, which ones have the most pressure to perform down the stretch for their respective team? Okay. The seven Canadian captains. Like seven. Right. I have Adam Lowry at seven of the Winnipeg Jets. Now for multiple reasons.

One he's hurt now and he's going to be out for a while. I have to take that into consideration. He's hurt. But also that team's been so good. They got a big overtime win last night in Colorado. That was big. You notice that you can take Utah out of Arizona, but you can't take Arizona out of Utah. Remember Bruce?

Well, but remember Bruce just well I remember Bruce Cassidy like last year is like no disrespect Arizona but Scott Arneal went nuts when they lost to you oh yeah nights ago yeah right you lose to Utah and a coach of a good team is gonna go crazy there's no disrespect Arizona yeah no disrespecting Utah but we can't play like that so anyway disrespect Utah I got's disrespect to Utah. I got a feeling that owner in Utah is not going to put up with it though. Yeah I think he's got some resources and it's going to take them a little bit of time but they've got a lot of young players and yeah

we'll see what comes of it in Utah but Scott Arnill went crazy the other night the Jets respond a big win. Adam Lowry of the Winnipeg Jets at seven due to injury and the fact that they've been great this year they've been great this year, they've been the best Canadian team all year. Also, he's an impact player, but he's not a superstar on that team. Number six, Connor McDavid. Vigilante, Connor McDavid.

He is a vigilante. He's a goon and he's currently suspended, but they're all about the playoffs. I don't think they care who they play in the first round. I'm sure they'd love to catch Vegas. I'm sure they'd like to play a wild card team, maybe avoid LA in the first round. But I think of all the Canadian teams, least included,

they don't care about the regular season. They just want to get there, punch a ticket, McDavid at six. Michael Backlund of the Calgary Flames at five. They've been really impressive this year based on expectations. It's all flowers, I guess it's bonus. But that but that's what it is now you get a chance to do something special actually getting so there still is some pressure on him

right is a guy's gonna play in your second or third line uh... they're in the hunt because vancouver hasn't taken advantage of the opportunity with that second wild card saint louis calgary's there back was playing every night is not a young guy but he's playing his plan pretty well he's generally been on that second line and putting up decent minutes and pretty decent production. So Backlin is at five. Number four of the Canadian captains with pressure to perform throughout the rest of the regular season. Number four,

I got Auston Matthews. I have Auston Matthews at four because I do think unlike Edmonton, it's important the Leafs hold on to the one seat I think it would be imperative in very very significant if they could hold on to the one seat avoid Florida or Tampa in the first round Avoid the state of Florida in the first round You can't fall asleep for three weeks no matter where you are in the East man, right? You can't you can't fall asleep for three weeks no matter where you are in the East man, right? Exactly. Top of the standings. I don't care like you fall asleep for three weeks. Everybody is charging like

Ottawa Montreal, they just don't want the wild card. They want to take they want more man. They're getting very very horny out there in terms of like chasing different, you know spots in the standings. They're blue chewing up the scoreboard. Yes they absolutely are and another thing with Matthews he's a new captain right this year first year now you're talking you're pretty free with the media which I like I want to see him be more outspoken and being more honest and more comfortable but unlike Backlund and McDavid, Lowry, Matthews in a bit of a different position he's at, number three of the Canadian captains with pressure to perform down the stretch

through the regular season. I have Nick Suzuki at three. Again, the Habs are right there. They are closer to Calgary, I think, in terms of like house money. You know, they've exceeded expectations. They've been great recently. They've gotten themselves back in,

but that market is so crazy right now Like Montreal's alive. Yeah the first time in years and it's great to see they are alive man They're alive the Bell Center is going wild They they they cannot get enough Montreal Canadians hockey and chatter and he's a young captain But he's a really important player for them, and I think you've gone this far you're into late January You're in a playoff position you gotta close it now you might as well why make the why look back on it miss and say well i was just a building block season why not take advantage right now for montreal

exactly nix is uki at three quinn hughes at number two vancouver's got to get in now it is tumultuous out there it's a soap opera as the captain you gotta find a way to quiet things down whether it's JT Miller, Elias Pettersson. He's the best player on the ice every night. He's been outstanding but the pressure doesn't stop in my opinion because he's been great the first 48 games. I do understand what you're saying. He's got to be great. He is though.

Okay. There's two ways to that. It's like there's a bunch of stuff over there that needs to be taken care of and you just keep being amazing because he is every night. You know what I mean? He is every single night. But again, unlike Montreal, Calgary, to a lesser extent, Ottawa, Vancouver's got to get in. Yes. And it may be Quinn Hughes on his own that has to do that because I don't know if you

can trust Demko. I don't know if Miller's going to be there beyond tonight. I don't know if you can trust them go i don't know if you get out of miller's gonna be there beyond tonight i don't know if i was going to come alive they can fix the miller situation and make a move or whatever but if he doesn't start stops start stopping part of the screwed their their big big trouble is there got his the one number one they paid on the committed to him and that's what i'm saying with you so i agree with you always been phenomenal he's got he's gonna might have to do it on his own that's how much pressure is on Quinn Hughes down the stretch and number one is Brady Kachuk. It's Brady Kachuk

He's he's the face of the organization. He's been there forever Eight games without a point going into Boston tonight. They're in a playoff spot. They've got to do it They they pronounced that the rebuild was over two years ago Yeah, Brady Kachuk most pressure of any captain on a canadian team to perform throughout the rest of the regular season that's a list right there as i like that list i'm sorry i don't think you can argue with me or tried to but i snapped them right back in the shape i think he was as

track he says that every week when he had to like he'd compiles the president always finishes up with that's all that's a matter of fact that no one pumps their own tires as drinks what he thinks of the list and then he always finishes it up with, that's a list! No one pumps their own tires. Ask Dreggs what he thinks of the list, Hayes. Okay, here's Darren Dregg or TSN Hockey Insider. Dreggs, I don't know if you can see the list, but I just... No. Okay, I went one through seven, the Canadian captains, the seven Canadian captains, issuing who I believe have the most pressure on them individually to perform for their team

for the rest of the regular season. Not into the playoffs but ends after game 82. I had Brady Kachuk one, Quinn Hughes two, Nick Suzuki, Austin Matthews, Michael Backlund, Connor McDavid, Adam Lowry. That's my list one through seven. Yes. Yeah, I like it. Brady Kachuk would be top of the list for me I mean you're gonna get what you get from Quinn Hughes and that's just you know Norris Trollman trophy-winning play

I'm one man can do it all and you know the Vancouver Cubs have gone through a world of turmoil already I might move might move off the top of that higher to your home now her and its regular season just regular season yes that is important point out go ahead and tell i don't know the plans is a totally different list all of our own is also one after that

yeah i'd not use to be at the top and mcdavid shoots up the list of his he's got a lot of form come play out here well why are we talking about a regular list of time the less socks i'm not right okay let me say this good good cut it off on you because you're like i mean so it's all of us it's

montreal and it's vancouver and maybe calgary right because? Because they're on the cut lines. Beyond that. So there's no pressure on Lowry, McDavid and Matthews to do anything the rest of the regular season? That's what you're saying? That's what you're telling me.

That's not what I'm saying. Okay. But, I mean, do you expect that Austin Matthews is going to go backwards? I don't. I don't think Connor McDavid is going to be less impactful than he is. Adam Lowry is the heart and soul of the Winnipeg Gets. So I don't think that there's any more pressure on those two, I guess. Okay. Well, I mean, I do think there's an important distinction that Montreal Ottawa Vancouver are in a different category in terms of what we're discussing now right and for all different reasons Montreal is playing

with house money they've been red hot for a month and now they're in a playoff one Ottawa has been telling us for years it you know rebuilds over we're legit we're gonna make it and they're a Jekyll and Hyde type team and Vancouver's just a circus like it's not all three of them are totally different yet they're all connected because we don't know if any of them are gonna make the playoffs or maybe all three do. Now the one thing you've been successful in here as an award-winning host is stirring the pot and generating content yes and that's what you've done here with this little work project. So I applaud you.

Well, and what I'm going to hear, I'm going to hear from Canadians around the country, like, Oh, really? You think Quinn, you wait till Vancouver gets a hold of that one. They love their cause they're so receptive to people in Toronto. So they care about their team. They really do. Vancouver drags, how much pressure up on them to get something done pays just mention the goaltender but you know they got a resolve what the hell's going on out there before it's

too late in the state lose the season yeah yeah i knew you'd definitely starting to feel that way which seems strange because you know they've done and they've gone to a world of of ridiculous speculation in some well-placed speculation on two of the players, right? And that's, of course, JT Miller and Elias Patterson. Now the focus seems to be narrowing on JT Miller with good reason, but I can't sit here as we're having this conversation and tell you with any level of knowledge that there's

an imminent deal with J.T. Miller. I can't. And those closest to J.T. Miller have no idea. Now, it doesn't mean that Patrick Albee, the general manager, can't pull J.T. Miller aside and say, hey, we do have something we're going to present to you and your agent in the next two hours. So here it comes. That could happen very quickly. That's what most expect is going to happen at some point, but nobody can pinpoint when that is. And I guess it speaks to the Vancouver Canucks not getting the package that they feel they need for JT Miller because

there's enough interest there's six seven teams probably that are at least tire-kicking on JT Miller but because of everything we've already talked about in the pressure the Vancouver Canucks to make the playoffs and to do all these things they need to get players in this deal back that can help them this year and obviously they don't have enough to make a deal. Well, in terms of the Canadian teams in the East, like is JT Miller just dead? Do you believe he's dead set on the States,

like going to the US if he's gonna go anywhere, or would he be open to go on anywhere else in Canada? And if so, would any of the other Canadian teams be calling on him? Well, I'm sure everybody's called Brian I mean I think that's just your due diligence as a general manager whether you're Brad Turloving or Kevin Trevolo I don't think it matters I think you have to make that call and then find out at that point but but even if if Toronto and all seven or six Canadian teams outside of Vancouver are on this guy's no

fly zone, does that even matter? Why would that matter? I mean, he's got a full no move clause. So automatically, he doesn't want to go anywhere by virtue of negotiating that into his contract. But there is a willingness. If there is a good fit, my sense is that JT Miller would be willing to waive that no move clause. So I think that all general managers, especially the contending teams in Toronto and

Winnipeg would be in that conversation of course, would be calling and asking. But even if there's a willingness, if you're Toronto here, fellows or your win, go down the list. It doesn't matter. How do you break apart your lineup to bring in JT Miller and how many teams is this now going to be for Miller for? Yeah. Yeah. That's a ranger.

I, and then why hasn't it worked in Vancouver? Like, you know, there's got to be a little bit of buyer beware here from the management groups. Everybody loves the idea of JT Miller and I do too because I love the way he plays the game when he's on it. But, you know, he's faced some challenges this year, both on and off the ice. We know how much of that a factor moving forward to go along with the pieces that you're going to have to give away to get him and if it didn't work inside that room in

Vancouver and maybe wasn't a great fit with the other teams are you absolutely rock solid certain that he could be and will be a difference maker to push you into a higher stratosphere of contending that that would be a conversation that would be lengthy, I would think, for any team. The Draggs Leafs lose last night to the Blue Jackets 5-1. They also lose Matthew Nyes to an apparent injury. What do you hear on that front and how do you think the Leafs might proceed? Assuming Nyes is going to be out for some period of time, how do you think they'll fill that hole?

Move. I mean internally I guess for the short term. You know the feedback that I got earlier today was that it wasn't viewed as being serious and he's not going to miss a significant amount of time, maybe a few days. But again I'm hesitant in saying that and I'm not knocking the approach of the Toronto Maple Leafs. It's just we've seen other examples with their better players where they go down the path of caution and being more careful. And I think everybody's on board with that.

But that was what I was told earlier today and I haven't heard anything that would push me away from that at this point. So I guess we'll have to check back in three, four days and see how he's feeling and where he from that at this point. So I guess we'll have to check back in three, four days and see how he's feeling and where he's at at that point. So I think Dave, they're going to have to just find a way to do it internally. Throw in a rash of injuries that has taken its toll and may take its toll moving forward on this club, again, on the short term. Greg, so do you think the first couple GMs to send out a mass text to the other one saying have at it fellas, name the price, come and get what I'm cooking over here?

Well, it's a good question and honestly that's a big part of why things are moving slowly right now on the trade front. We go through this on an annual basis, right? When you get just past the midway point, different this year because you've got the four nations looming and there are general managers who would prefer to get some business done ahead of the break but you got to have a partner to work with and because of the races certainly the races in the East I think that that is has kind of stopped things up a little bit you know the the sellers haven't been defined officially yet

and any of the teams that we know are in a selling mode or just have to be because of where they're positioned in the standings and have no hope of making the playoffs, they don't really have the pieces that you're interested in anyway. So I think it's still a wait and see right now for a lot of clubs. Yeah, we got to get something cooking here, man. Start, we need someone to start really, So I think it's still a wait and see right now for a lot of clubs. Yeah. We got to get something cooking here, man. We need someone to start really, really selling. That's what we're looking for.

I thought you guys did that last night with Jonas. Yes. Well, listen, Jonas has got a 10 pack of players that are on the radar, right, as you know, and Ryan O'Reilly is at the top of that list. Well, okay, so let's just stop right there and i i i can understand that because of the history ryan o'reilly has with craig berubick right but we've forgotten something in this process and you can play for the press maybe well yeah you're right um but toronto wanted to keep Ryan O'Reilly.

Toronto tried to extend Ryan O'Reilly. Ryan O'Reilly didn't want to sign and extend in Toronto, so why would he want to come back? And he doesn't have trade protection, but there's no way Barry Trotz is going to do that with a highly respected player like Ryan O'Reilly if he gets to a place where he's gonna trade Ryan O'Reilly and Ryan O'Reilly. If he gets to a place where he's gonna trade Ryan O'Reilly and Ryan O'Reilly is willing to go and wants to go somewhere

else, I'm not a hundred percent saying it can't happen and we come back to Toronto but there are other contending teams that could be a fit for him as well. Well that's another part of it like obviously we're focused on Toronto and Jonas was and the Athletic but other teams might want to call him as well because you know he's got this year two laughs I'm talking about O'Reilly and at a reasonable price I think it's 4.5 million right exactly so other teams I'm sure will be kicking tires it just seems like you know and naturally it's the same way every single year it's centers and defensemen that's what everyone's

looking for centers and defensemen always That's what everyone's looking for. Centers and defensemen. Always. Always. Yeah it'll be no different this year. No and every team that I asked, Toronto included, I'll throw Calgary into that mix, Winnipeg to a point. They're all getting giving the same response today. Yeah good luck. Can't find them. You know, there's no tree in your backyard where you can go pluck one off. So let's hope it stays that way until March 7th. Otherwise, O-Dog's going to be looking for ketchup for his hamburger. Oh yeah, we'll really get some good

bits cooked up for the O-Dog on March 7th. I can't wait for that. Yeah, listen, I think that's become more and more clear for me in Toronto is, you know, there's been so much focus on that center position and I have no doubt they're looking around and they'd like to address that. But I think it's deja vu. We're back with the same question of who is Morgan Riley going to play with? Who is he going to play with? What can you expect out of Morgan Riley? Because I think in a perfect world, Ekman Larson is on a third pairing. I think they came into the season perfect world, Ekman Larson and Yanni Hakanpah are your third pairing. Two veteran big bodies. You look over the past, you know, cup champs, including last year, Ekman Larson was on the third pairing. That's generally what you have.

Veteran guys on the cheap with some size that can play in a variety of different ways, but you can't stress them too much come playoff time, especially over a long run. And then you got Tanev with McCabe, who's Riley playing with? He can't play with, it can't be Philip Myers, you know, it can't be Connor Timmons. It can't be.

I guess, but you know, Morgan would say this, it can't always be about who he's playing with. He obviously needs to start playing better. Yes. Right? And then maybe it becomes less of a need and more of a want. Who's the best available upgrade on defense leading up to March 7th? And maybe that becomes less of a need... unneeded more of a lot

if more than is playing the way that they need in the play and the belief is that he will get there but what is it the drinks do when you look at that you see that as riley having some growing pains is in in terms of trying to fit into the brew based i'll or what do you make of it yeah i i i think so but it's probably gone on long enough. Well, I mean, the last game wasn't a good one for Morgan or for a number of Leafs came before. I think the sense internally was that

he had played better, you know, and they were hoping that the trend had kicked over and away they go. Yeah, Barube has tried to change some things in Riley's game and the coaching staff of the Toronto Maple Leafs, you know, they push to get him to defend harder and take some of the risk out of his game that, you know, historically we've seen. But I think to this point, they'd be happy with a little bit of balance. If you need more of the green light to get going, then grab that green light and run with it for a while, and see if that works. And so far he just, he doesn't look comfortable.

I think we'd all agree, Morgan Riley doesn't look comfortable, but I'm sure there's a lot of conversation with him and the coaching staff over how he gets more comfortable with the way he's playing. Well, that'll be my next list. The assistant captains on Canadian teams with the most pressure to perform. Wow! Can't wait for that one. That's gonna be a doozy of a list. Morgan Riley up high? I think Moe's

got to be on that list. I think Morgan Riley will be high. How about this? We just touched on an insider trading. How about the most anxious owners general managers and coaches with their star players getting ready to play in the four nations face-off. That's a good one yeah that's a really good one okay there you go I'll cook something up on that I love it sure you guys will all agree there's nothing to disagree with whenever I come up with a list everything is just clear-cut bulletproof bulletproof stuff all right Drex thanks for doing this okay boys have a good Nothing to disagree with whenever I come up with a list. Everything is just clear cut. Bulletproof. Bulletproof stuff.

All right, Drax, thanks for doing this. Okay, boys, have a good night. Darren Drager, a TSN Hockey Insider. The thing is about the Four Nations, the owners are gonna be making money on that. Right, it's a league revenue event. Yeah. So, yeah, you'll hold your breath. You'll be nervous.

You're starry. You want them to get through, but you're also looking forward to the money that could be coming in you're also a good but you're also all day you're also well where last time they had best and best hockey and a little place called so she russia new york islanders found that the best player broke his leg yeah and i think it was out for us six weeks or something and i don't know

that i think a lot of ours that he was done for the year at that point Yeah, that's your biggest fear man. Somebody going there and blowing something out and it's like there goes the whole year and if like Austin like if you put Austin Matthews in that spot Basically seasons cook. Yeah, that's trouble man. That's big-time trouble. Yep You don't want you don't even want to think about it You just hope go there play everyone have a good time everyone compete maybe Austin take something out of it Marner take something out of it thankfully Joe Wall is not team USA no well yeah yeah that's true I mean Hellebuck though he'll play Hellebuck's not gonna say I'm taking a night off no

I mean by now he's wired they'll be playing it is a little out of control now the way we worry about guys get everyone's worried all the time yet never start to dis haze i know you say that like the way he's wired like do you not think joe wall wants to play or do you think he's just got an appetite of i just i need this time because there's some guys they will not put their gear on

unless they're 100%. Which I don't, like I said, I don't think that's the job. Like you want to make all the money, you want this and you want that, part of it is playing the full season. Or whatever, you know, if it's a starting goaltender, whatever people dictate or determine, that's the starting goaltender. It's not what you want or, it's a starting goaltender whatever people dictate or determine that's the starting goaltenders That what you want or it's not the job Yeah, I hear what you're saying and I it rings true and I get it and I don't know Joseph I don't know like imagine like true Joel and be being like I want 50 million a year

But if my knees not hurt, I don't play back-to-backs I give yeah, like that's not the job don't play back to backs. I give. Yeah. Like that's not the job. Don't play in Denver ever. Yeah. Won't do it. I just don't, I don't like the air up there. Dude, it's crazy, man.

It's become the job, oh. Like these guys, the trend has allowed guys to be able to. Because the organizations have enabled it. Exactly. The sport and the commissioners have allowed it. Everyone's guilty of it. Everybody is. No kidding.

All right. Jesse Marsh is the man. He's not going it everybody is. No kidding. Alright Jesse Marsh is a man he's not going to accept his players not playing load management doesn't apply to the men's national team Alright caught up with Jesse Marsh earlier today. We'll catch up with him next Alright best best powered by Fandu a little bit later in the hour a bunch of Canadian teams playing in the NHL you get the Raptors down in Atlanta, so we'll get to that a little bit later on and playing in the NHL you get the Raptors down in Atlanta so we'll get to that a little bit later on and we got the Nations League semi-final coming up in LA in a couple of months in March and we're just over 500 days away from the World Cup starting in 2026 which is gonna fly by man we're more than two years removed from the World Cup in Qatar that's how quickly it flies by and

Jesse Marsh the head coach of the men's national team He was doing the rounds here at TSN earlier today. He stopped in studio with me. I got the chance to catch up with him Here's my chat with Jesse Marsh Look who we have here the head coach of the men's national team Jesse March Jesse great to see does it feel like Wisconsin out here for you this weather in Toronto right now I'm innocent of the winters in Wisconsin except I always drove really bad cars and the heater never worked and so Right. nicer now. What about like the idea of training because you guys have to be prepared obviously there's a lot indoors, outdoors

But I can recall like CONCACAF and the build-up towards guitar like there were some incredible outdoor games at BMO Field Where the weather was absolutely absurd and Edmonton right and in Edmonton was ice yes it was absolutely I was in Europe at that time I think I was right Germany and I and I watched that game you know and like yeah you have to get up at like three in the morning to watch it and and I remember hearing that they were playing the Mexicans and then the US and in in Edmonton and right in the snow and I and and it was was a great strategy. It was I mean it obviously worked and it was it was an incredible build-up and CONCACAF went really well for Canada and the reason

you're in here for multiple different reasons but we're almost 500 days away yeah from the World Cup finally arriving and it's it's gonna be in Canada be in Toronto it's gonna be in Vancouver And obviously the weather will be beautiful at that point, undoubtedly. But the idea of building up towards it and the hype, like we're getting close man, we're more than two years removed from Qatar, which is amazing. Like it's going to be here before you know it. What's it like as you get, you know, inside 500 days? Yeah, look, the biggest reminder I have is I've been on the job for like eight months and it's gone like that. Right, right.

So we have to have a real urgency to what we do, how we work. A big part of it is obviously preparing the team, right? But they're all with their clubs right now and they're training. I give little reinforcements to them and I'm watching them play. But it's also doing some fundraising.

We need to reinforce the CSA and the infrastructure of what we're creating. We need to create a more robust youth system. We need to align the sport in the country and with the women's team. The women just hired a new coach, Casey Stoney, and we're really excited about her. So, you know, there's a lot of work to be done

sort of behind the scenes that can make sure that we support the team in all the right ways so we're prepared. Jesse Marsh with us. I'm curious about that, the communication with players when they're with their club teams. And like as a coach, I'm sure you're aware of that. You don't want to step on toes. Yeah.

You know, like I'm sure you're not giving tactical advice necessarily, but you're always thinking through the lens of the Canadian team. Yeah. Take us through that process when you're watching the guys, scouting the guys, seeing them play in certain formations and systems and what have you, and trying to figure out how's that gonna work into my puzzle once I get them with my team. Look, there's in Europe, right, there's some guys that are performing at an incredibly high level right now, there's some guys that are

struggling to establish themselves with the team, and you know I'm checking in with them, I go to matches you you know, a lot. So I get to see them before or after the game. Maybe we have coffee the next day and just talk about how things are going. Like one of the things people lose track of sometimes is these guys are still young, you know, and they're over in Europe. They're fighting every day. It's not easy. Maybe it's a different language, a different culture. They're lonely. And so part of it is just like supporting them, you know, and being there and when things are tough, saying,

hey, you gotta keep going, like this isn't easy and you gotta be up for the challenge and this will make you better, this will make you stronger. So, and then there is still some part of encouraging, look, this is what we think is gonna be important for the national team, make sure you're fit, make sure you're getting in the gym, make sure you're playing aggressively, so that the adaptation when you come back with us

is as smooth as possible. In terms of preparing again for the World Cup that will be in Toronto, be in Vancouver, be on Canadian soil, you know, like you just mentioned, the preparation that goes into tactics and the physical side of things and making sure you're in shape and everything that comes with,

okay, the whistle's gone, now you're within the lines, you're going to go play. I don't think you're overly concerned about where their mentality will be at that point. But in terms of off the pitch and preparing for something that is so monumental for the country, how do you chip away at that preparation over the next 500 days that these guys are representing the country at home and it's going to be unlike anything our country's ever seen before. So like I said I took the job about eight months ago and when I came into the job I really challenged them to, I said grow up you know and I didn't mean to insult them but one of the things I said to them was that too many of them played

professional soccer because they were good at it and it was fun. And not enough of real pursuit of excellence. Right. And I talked about it the very first day we got together. I talked about the vision toward 2026, which was two years away at that point. And I said that we have to start the process. Now we have to commit to the physicality and the intelligence of what we want to be and how we're going to commit to it on a day by day basis of when we're together because we're not together all the time. And then through that, it's building the mentality

to make sure that the belief system is so strong that it makes us feel unbeatable when those matches come. And so I can only say that they've responded incredibly well and they see the reasons that I try to do the things that I do with them, that I say the things, that I create really high demands for them because it's the only way for us to achieve the goals and the dreams that they have for what it means to play in a home World Cup. Right and I would think, I think I can speak, you know, as a Canadian, like there's been somewhat of a disconnect, I would say, over the last 20 years prior to what happened,

you know, from 2019, 2020 through Concord Calf up to Qatar, where obviously it popped and they made it back to the World Cup. Yeah. There was this really dark period for a good portion of my life. You know, I'm born in the early 80s. So 86 when they made it, I don't remember that. Through the 90s and 2000s, it was like the national team is not on the radar, they're not gonna win. And I think the best way to get, you know,

the average Canadian on board is the ability to believe in the confidence of the group. And I think what you did at Copa America really set the tone for a lot of that. The fact that you made it to the semis, the fact that you competed with Argentina, you almost had it in that third place match. The confidence within the group and the importance of that

to exude throughout the rest of the country and for everyone else to jump on board. Do you see that and how important is that? Yeah, and let's even start with, so the previous coach, John Herdman, had helped the team win CONCACAF to go to the 22 World Cup. Obviously, the players were disappointed that they weren't able to to get more out of that World Cup.

But I think those experiences have equipped them with more to understand what the games are like. And then when I came in and my experiences that I have in Europe and coaching the game at the high level and the mentality of of what it takes to be successful against the best players and best teams. I think together all these things, the chemistry of what we've created now and then has been created has meant that there's a better belief system, there's a better understanding, there's more expertise and experience for what these games require.

And the style of play that we've created is dynamic, is about speed, is about power, and that accesses the true potential and qualities of these players. And now you start to see truly how talented they are. Well, when you look at Copa America in that experience, that first match against Argentina, and they slow play you guys coming out in a half, and I was watching it,

I was texting group chats with buddies and we're losing our minds. Why aren't they out there? Who does this messy guy think he is? What are they doing to us? We're playing, we're prepared, we're ready to go. And obviously those are tactics, they're veteran tactics. We know what Argentina is and what they represent on the international stage and what they ended

up doing in the tournament. But I'm curious if you saw a difference in the way Argentina approached Canada from game one of the group stage to that semi-final. Did you see anything different? Feel anything different? Yes, and we were also, I think, in that two and a half weeks in between those two matches,

we grew. They knew we were a good team. The coach said to me at the end of the first match, when it was over, and they beat us two nil to know he said you guys were physically too much for us And I was like we just lost what do you yeah? that doesn't make sense right, but I understood what he said because we we we played to our strengths and we used our speed and athleticism in power and we challenged them and so

Yeah, of course then when we got to the semiifinal, I tell you, we were then tired. I hadn't made a lot of changes. Most of the games that we played went to the final whistle, which meant that I had to be a little bit more careful about the kinds of subs that I made. I didn't rotate enough because we were just starting the process with the team. But that was one of the things that we learned is is in Tournament play we have to develop not just the the the identity of what we're creating But also the breadth and the width of the player pool so that throughout tournament play we can draw on more players

And we can depend on more players Which will allow us to be more fresh and more prepared for later stages in the tournament. Jesse Marsh, with us head coach of the men's national team, just over 500 days away from the World Cup. And of course we will we will co-host with the Americans and with Mexico and the US, Mexico, Panama, they're waiting for you at the Nations League, right? You got the semi-final against Mexico in a couple of months in LA. How significant would that be for the growth of this program if you can find a way to win this?

Yeah, I think our quietly internally we've had our eye on this for months. Why so? Because we didn't just want Copa America to be a one-off. We wanted to make sure that we use that as a platform for confidence and belief in the team to continue to push and grow and develop. Since then, we beat America in the US for the first time in 67 years. We've now achieved our highest FIFA ranking of all time

at 31, and I think it set us up for a big challenge, right? To now see if all of the lessons that we've learned, all the progress that we've made, now to put it to test in a semi-final and a final, that if we get there would probably require us beating both Mexico and the US. This is now in our region as big as it gets. So we know how difficult that will be,

but we believe we can achieve that. Yeah and in terms of you know the players that kind of represent your program Alfonso Davies and Jonathan David among others and now that they've been with the program for a while like you said you've only been on the job for eight months but you're familiar with their history and their their their come-up so to speak and what they did through CONCACAF into Qatar. How significant do you think that is, like a veteran presence, and now that these guys have lived it,

like you said, beating the Americans in the US, highest FIFA ranking, been to a World Cup, now you're going into a Nations League where you guys are the top seed at this point going into the Final Four. Like how much of that success do you think might actually be about just them growing up, them getting that message you talked about

when you arrived, you know, I I've I've been very Clear that this is a Canadian national team and I'm so impressed with the qualities of the men in the team like their Selflessness their togetherness their desire to achieve for the country and for the national team and in there I've also kind of talked about arrogance. You know, and I always say like, this is America's number one export. You guys do own that. And so, but you know, arrogance isn't a bad thing.

You know, in sports, you have to have self belief and like creating this sense that we're not just underdogs anymore, but that we're good, we're talented, and we deserve to be here, and we deserve to win. And then backing it up with the work, the performances, the details, the intelligence, this has been what the process has been. And so I feel like this has been a really good fit for me.

I'm really honored to be the Canadian national team coach. And I think it's a situation where it's a good fit for me. I've been really I'm really honored to be the Canadian national team coach and I think it's a situation where you know it's a good fit for what the players need for what I need. Our chemistry together is really strong and I think we're really enjoying the process of the potential of what we can create. Right and you speak of the you know the arrogance and the confidence does that has that broken through CONCACAF yet? Because, again, I mentioned the previous decades where it was really just about, can we beat Jamaica? Can we beat Panama? And obviously you're always looking up to the Americans and Mexico. Now, over the last three or four years, we've put our stake in the ground in terms of this continent and

certainly CONCACAF. But how do you expand beyond that? Are you reluctant to do that? Do you look at Europe? Do you look at South America and say, bring it on? Like what kind of approach do you have to that? Yeah, look, you know, it's step by step. Right. And this is an opportunity to prove as much to anyone, to ourselves, that we can be as good as we wanna be, right? But I can say this, that now the mentality in the team is

that whoever we play from anywhere around the world, we're not afraid and we believe on the day that we can win. And that in itself, I think is a big development within the team, within the culture of the sport and of the team. Even when we played Mexico back in September after we beat the US, you could see that Mexico feared our physicality. And you could see that they knew they hadity, you know, and you could see that that they knew they had to file. They had to be very combative. They couldn't let us get out into open space because they knew we were very dynamic.

And I think even inside the team there was disappointment, but there was a that that we didn't dominate and beat Mexico the way we wanted to. But I think they also could feel the sense that that this was a different kind of Mexico game than maybe what it's been like in the past Jesse Marsh with a set coach of the national team in terms of friendlies like once you get past the nation's league and you get closer to 2026 How do you balance that like how do you go about preparing that and how do you? Contact different countries around the world. Yeah, we'd like to do this and we'd like to do it

I'm sure you'd like to get some on home soil, probably at BMO, maybe Rodgers Place out in Vancouver, if you can prepare for the actual events, because you know you're going to be playing there. You're right about all of it. And we already have a real good start on some really good opponents. So it is challenging because when everybody else

is playing qualifiers, we don't need to qualify because we're the host nation. We have to find gaps in other team schedules and then invite them here and then create relationships. So we'll be making announcements soon, but I can tell you that already, from what it looks like, the docket of teams and challenges that we will have in 2025 is exciting.

And we're gonna have some tough opponents, but again, I think it's a chance for us to test ourselves against some of the world's best teams. It's gonna be amazing. And again, we're just over 500 days away, but it's gonna happen quick. And like 48 countries in there now, right? More groups and the expectations are gonna be high

based on merit because of the way you played. But also I'm sure, again, we're still a ways away. And if everyone's healthy and feeling good, you got to be thinking, we can get out of the group stage, right? You still don't know quite who you're going to play yet, but why wouldn't you have that mentality? Well, look, the first thing is to continue to the development of the team, the continued connection with the community.

So this week I'm traveling from Halifax to Vancouver across the country and doing coaching symposiums meeting with with spheres of influence in the sport and Making sure that everybody feels a real strong connection to the movement that we're trying to create so that we have a true Home field advantage, right? So when we say a home World Cup We want to make sure in those three matches at the Just at the start in that group phase Yep action that we electrify the country that the anticipation and the expectation for what team we're going to be how we're going to perform the

Excitement around our team is massive that makes us feel unbeatable, right? Like this is a huge advantage and we have to make sure we take take advantage of it And then yeah If we win the group we have then the potential to play also the next two home games in Vancouver is that right at home in Canada so this the motivation to not just get out of the group but to win the group to make sure that we stay at home and continue to push to go as far as we can and you know I've had questions all day today about what do you think about winning? I'm like, why would we go in the tournament

and not say we're gonna win the tournament? Right, exactly. Right, so obviously I know we're a long shot, but this team, the belief is growing and we're gonna go after it. Can't wait for it. 500 days, just a bit more than 500 days away. We're looking forward to it.

Enjoy the coast to coast. It's a big country, man, you know that. Beautiful weather right now. Oh, it's just stunning outside. You can coast to coast. It's a big country, man. You know that beautiful weather right now. It's just stunning outside. You can't beat it. So spectacular. Uh, he is Jesse Marsh, the head coach of the men's national team. Great seeing him. And thank you for doing this. All right, man. There he is. Jesse Marsh, impressive guy. He is an impressive guy and he's got belief and he's sending a

message saying it's time to grow up here. Boys like let's get after it. I love that. I like that message. I love the idea that hey we're not just underdogs we can have a little bit of arrogance we can have a little bit of swagger. Well and again with 48 teams now in it and we don't know who they're going to play yet but they're probably going to have a somewhat watered down group. Yeah. So why can't you win it and like you said if you get out you win your group stage you're going to play multiple playoff games, right? On Canadian soil. Exciting. Hugely valuable. It's just going to be amazing. And again, 500 days, it's, that's a long time. I get it, but it happens quick. Really? It happens quick in sports. You're right. So thanks to Jesse Marsh. We appreciate him joining us We'll come back with our best bets powered by Fandual overdrive continues TSN 1050 and on TSN 2

Alright today's best bets are powered by Fandual make your picks and assemble a same game parlay in seconds on the Fandual sportsbook app We have a shots total parlay here Brady Kachuk four plus shots in Boston tonight Eric Carlson three plus shots against Anaheim Roman Yossi three plus shots against San Jose. All rightson three plus shots against Anaheim. Roman Yossi three plus shots against San Jose. All right that pan plus 518. Ooh love that shot parlay. Today's best bets powered by FanDuel live same game parlays are now available for every NHL game on the FanDuel Sportsbook app. Please play responsibly 19 plus physically located in Ontario. All right, Raptors five point dog in Atlanta tonight.

Trey Young was some concern that maybe he wouldn't play. It sounds like he will play. Quickly is not playing. Quickly, well, when does he play? Like it's a report when Emmanuel quickly decides he will play, that's the report. Breaking news. Breaking news that quickly.

Might actually do his job. Actually is going to play. Like I'm not sure he plays in 20 games this year. It's crazy. Yeah, he's hurt all the time. It's just, he's always hurt. And it's like, in one way it's like good for the tank. Yeah, it helps the tank.

But bad for assessing what you got. You paid him already. You paid him, you paid him. You paid him a million dollars. You committed to him. And it's still like, well, does he mesh well with Scotty? How does it work? We have no idea.

No idea. No idea. Next year we'll figure it out. Maybe. Right? Cooper flag quickly. There you go. Scotty Barnes.

Now you're talking. Now we've got something. All right, Dave, good seeing you. Great seeing you. Great stuff by the O-Dog today too. Outstanding. O-Dog, unbelievable show for the O Oh, Doug Jeff O'Neill. Dave Festrick, the Toronto Star.

Thanks to everyone behind the scenes for helping out. We appreciate it. Everyone for tuning in today. TV, radio, podcast, web. We appreciate that. We're out of here. Enjoy your evenings. Enjoy the games tonight.

We're back tomorrow at 4 p.m. We'll chat then. TSM Plus is taking game day to a whole new level with NFL red zone Subscribe now for every touchdown from every game every Sunday afternoon NFL red zone available on TSM plus