OverDrive - OverDrive - January 24, 2025 - Hour 1
Episode Date: January 24, 2025Join Bryan Hayes, Jeff O'Neill and Jamie McLennan for Hour 1 on OverDrive! The guys discuss the Maple Leafs and Senators' matchup, the Bruins beating down on the Senators, Brad Marchand grabbing Nick ...Cousins' neck by his bare hand and Alex Ovechkin's pursuit of Wayne Gretzky's goals record. Ottawa Senators Head Coach Travis Green joins to discuss the matchup against the Maple Leafs, the importance of offense on the team and Brady Tkachuk's impact to the team and the Canucks' defeat to the Oilers and finding positives on the roster.
Transcript
Discussion (0)
Metallica's M72 World Tour is blazing through Toronto.
And iHeart Heavy Rock is your exclusive in...
Two nights, two unique sets.
One win.
Download the free iHeart Radio app and rock out with iHeart Heavy Rock.
Ten minutes of daily streaming enters you to win an epic Metallica iHeart Radio experience.
Four nights of hotel, 500 bucks and tickets to see Metallica at the Roger Center.
The more iHeart Heavy Rock you stream, the more chances to win.
Details at iheartradio.ca.
This Hour of Overdrive is powered by FanDuel.
FanDuel, bringing you everything from the opening line to the final score.
All right, here we go, Overdrive, off and running.
TSN 1050 on the TSN app, your home smart speaker
and up on TSN for Brian Hazy, O'Doug Jeff O'Neill,
Jamie Noodles, McClennan.
Mail it in Friday.
How's everyone doing today?
Doing fantastic.
I joked with you, Hazy, that I was excited
because the cold weather does not stay around that long.
That was a stupid comment because
it's kind of dragging out a little bit and i'm not happy about it i've had
enough yes it's again extremely cold today i get it the rest of the country
yes it's colder elsewhere we understand that's right before it's okay to not
like it as well absolutely it doesn't mean you're not canadian we all love
being canadian role from canada we all understand walking into It doesn't mean you're not Canadian. We all love being Canadian. We're all from Canada.
We all understand what we're walking into.
But it's more about January than anything else, man.
This month just goes on and on.
It never stops.
And that, I think, is even more aggravating, right?
Like, I look every day, I'm like, is it still January?
We have a week left, January.
Ten days. It's not like it is like other months
You're like you blink and it's like, you know
You you get to Halloween and then you blink in November's gone and you're like, okay, it's Christmas like like that
I feel like November really moves quickly
January is a slog like it is just it's the longest there a Just a little side note, February's not much better.
It's not, but it's shorter at least, right?
It's shorter, and you got some stuff going on.
The Four Nations, sometimes people get away.
You know, some different things you can look at in February and say, okay, I'm a step closer
to the spring.
But yeah, that's the word to use, it's a slog.
There's just nothing going on.
There is, listen, hockey, football, basketball, there is nothing going on there is listen hockey football basketball
there is stuff going on you know and the Leafs are I'm sure in the air right now on their
way to Ottawa we're going to catch up with Travis Green later in the hour and sure Travis
is looking forward to talking about his team right now they got shut out again last night
you were there Noodle yeah they can't score man Ottawa it's wild they've been shut out five times in the month in one thing to
look at brady kachak
one thing to look at brady kachak guys but
they didn't have a forward that was close to scoring a goal like some of
these other guys got us find a way to score a goal like yes the captain does
have to come through
but there was some guys that just
i don't know they're just they're not close to getting near the net or creating a chance or anything
yeah I mean it's you're right it's easy to circle the captain but you know you
look at Claude Giroux is 1 in 13 I believe Drake Batherson is is 1 in 13
like you know Kachuk is 0 in 9 now like you're right like losing Josh Norris is
a big big blow but you still have other players Tim Stootsla is a really good
player like you know to me I think the injuries are catching up but it's not an
excuse the whole league is banged up you you can't circle one team that doesn't
have some form of some form of adversity to go through but you know they
were right there in the game
yesterday, they just couldn't find one. That's the difference. It was a one goal game, it
was an empty netter. So it's a one goal game, but you've got to find a way to break through.
And they didn't, you know, it was one mistake. Like this goal here, that's the only goal.
That's a kid, that's a Seperango kid that got called up. So, you know, you've got a
young defenseman there. like they do miss Sanderson
obviously he missed the game last night you know they're starting to the leak oil
as far as the the injuries but again the guys that are playing it's not there's
no excuse you got to find a way to that stuff you saw at the end there guys like
Brady Kachaka that's enough like I love the heart he's one of the heart and soul players in the league just like his old man he's all
grit he's all heart you don't have to fight a guy at the end of every game
when you're losing it's enough focus your energy somewhere else well that I
love that he hits I love that he wants to punch a guy focus your energy
somewhere else it doesn't do anybody any good anymore it's like you want to fight
somebody once in a while go ahead but you're too good of a player to be doing that stuff I've seen
enough of that that game was a war like it that get pipped poured over a little
bit from Saturday like Marsha I get it but how many times has he got a fight
when it's three nothing it's just like well I know but he doesn't if you look
I don't think he has I think he has two fights this year I think the rough stuff
is there I I get what you're saying, but I don't think
that's the case on every loss.
I think the particular, the Rangers and Boston,
where there was some grit and there was some pushback.
The other team was looking for him,
and he was involved.
Yeah, Boston was in there.
Maybe it's an indictment on the other guys,
where they're just not involved, and he's gotta be like,
I have to show everyone that this is a war.
I don't know, but it just seems like
it was a greasy game last night like it you know marcia and i don't know if you
saw that
i think it's for certain on this
this is your opinion on that i i think you should be suspended absolutely just
like the liking is suspended for stupidity
i can't take my glove off and grab a guy like that
i give him a game for being a dummy it's the it's one of the more ridiculous
things i've ever i've never seen that before it's a happy gilmore move
it is it's crazy
so it caught me off guard like i'm calling the game and and i i'm watching
it live from the booth and i'm like
did he just take his glove off
and hand out
like what is that it
that's not a rear-naked chokehold, it's just a choke.
It's an undertaker choke slam almost.
Yeah, it's just like grabbed his throat and I'm like, alright, that was unique and it
was just a weird play how it all went down and I don't think there was no penalty called.
No penalty and the lead's not doing anything.
Nothing.
I think it's absurd.
I mean, it falls in line with me.
You spit on a guy, you bite a guy, you like a guy helmet. Exactly. And he's done it all. And it's Brad
Marchand. Like it's, you know, it's him and there's no explanation. Like if you were to
play a role play here and George Perros calls him and goes, what were you doing? What's
his explanation? He took his like, if he punches cousins in the head, that's a hockey play and you're
like, oh, he punched them in the head.
You're right.
You can't explain that.
You can't say, well, all my glove fell off so then I just magically started choking the
guy.
He put his right glove into his armpit and took it off, freed his hand up and then grabbed
the throat.
Like, honest to God, like, I probably should have done a better job calling the game that way but I was so shocked that it happened I
don't even know I have to go back into it I don't know what I said I was the
same way like I was I missed it live and then it came up on social media quickly
yes again we're talking when it there's a few players in the league when they do
something it causes an immediate
visceral reaction you know it immediately goes viral and and there's
different players in different capacities
it make david goes and and
give yourself
ninety seconds someone's gonna text you and say did you just see what this guy
did
and if tom wilson lays someone out with a massive hit it's a a c tom wilson
in bradmarsh and doing something that only he does If Tom Wilson lays someone out with a massive hit, it's hey, did you see Tom Wilson and
Brad Marshand doing something that only he does, give it 90 seconds.
90 seconds, someone will send it to you and say, check this out, what do you make of it?
And when I first saw it, I'm like, I've never seen that before.
I've never, ever seen a guy take his glove off.
Again, it's like Happy Gilmore, he took his skate off and tried to stab some guy.
No one's ever done that before Brad Marchand has now licked somebody and
taking his glove off and went for the throat of somebody I've never seen it
now like the reaction from a lot of people around hockey as well as Nick
Cousins and cousins is a guy he doesn't matter of course it shouldn't matter at
all but what the problem you have if you don't do anything about it is so what the next?
The next scrum grabbing a guy and choking him out and the scrum is legal and it's fine
I think it's absurd the leaks not doing anything like I think they're hoping they were hoping it would be swept under the rug
You know how can anything be swept under the rug?
Well, what's the explanation How can you explain Gary Bettman and George Parris not saying we have to do something here this is this is the most
absurd play of the year. So there's no fine no nothing as of right now.
Nothing is coming that that's what it sounds like. Could you put him on the books?
That at least should maybe be a fine. He wrote the books. He's licked players before.
This guy wrote the book. He's Dr. Seuss. I think he's got a lick and a kiss or was books as licked players before is that what i've had more to talk to students
like this is
i think he's got to elect and the kiss or was that the same thing all in one i
think there was a kiss involved yeah he's licking comarov
and i think he
he did something else to someone out brian callahan or something
yet might have been a lot of tampa
the i'm telling you i think it wasahan and licked Komarov and choked cousins.
Say that sentence out.
Like say it to yourself.
Dr. Seuss.
That's what I'm saying.
Kissed Callahan, licked Komarov, choked cousins.
Yeah.
He's got the trifecta, man.
No one's ever done any of them before.
And it's Marchand.
That's the thing.
Again, I don't think you can justify it if it's any player in the league, but if it's Marchand and that's the thing again I don't think you can justify it if it's any player in the league
But if it's him in particular you're like this is a guy who has a pattern of pretty obscure behavior
And it's not because it was malicious or cousins was in danger of like choking himself out
It's just for stupidity and optics can't have it on me
Yeah, and and you make a great point Brian is people are like yeah,, oh, that's Cousins, he's a pest too.
You know, like, because we were talking about it on the broadcast.
Both of them were trying to get at each other.
Like it was like pest after pest.
Like and I love the way Nick Cousins plays,
but he's the type of guy that you want on your team and you hate to play against.
And both of them were trying to get to it.
And then Ridley Gregg put his hand up and said, well, I'd like to get in there
because Ridley Gregg is a guy who likes to get underneath the skin
that was an early played to
but keep in mind like that didn't happen
late in the third after like twenty scrums in the game
i'd i want to say that happened five to eight minutes into the game like it did
the tone was set with that's like that's the type of nonsense
and you know could shock was going after the door off like it did the tone was set with that like that's the type of nonsense and you know Kachuk was going after Zdorov like it was it was a nasty game and it was
a good game even though it was a zero zero there were chances of both ends and and it
felt it had kind of a playoff feel but it was it there was some stupidity and that one
like it caught me off guard because that was a weird play. I would like to see Nick Cousins show up today in a neck brace.
Really put it over the top, right?
Show up in a neck brace and really sell it.
Oh my God.
How funny would that be?
Dude, you're right about the explanation.
I had one hearing where I had to explain to Colie Campbell, I hit Sheldon Surrey from
behind in the playoffs
and i think jimmy rutherford was trying to coach me out before the lake you got
a you know
whatever
if someone called and you had to explain that to them how would you even explain
that like
yeah i don't know what you say like well
you can't like using using mcdavid as an example his i'm sure his explanation
was
i try to get him in the
shoulder, he fell, I lost control of the stick.
Still weird describing that one after you cross-checked the guy in the neck.
No, of course.
But at least I can give you an explanation, whether it's real or not.
This is one where a lawyer comes in and goes, just get a plea deal, plead guilty.
Whatever you do, yeah, exactly.
Just plead guilty. Here it is. yeah, exactly. Just plead guilty.
Here it is.
Okay, here's, that's him licking Komarov.
Okay, yeah, that's right.
Which is just crazy.
And yeah, that's Marshad.
So he's licked Komarov, we remember that.
We think he kissed Ryan Callahan, we'll find it.
And now he's trying to choke out Nick Cousins.
It's crazy.
It is insanity.
Yeah, it's a wild scene.
But Boston ends up winning last night.
And again, listen, if you're Ottawa, Brady Kuchuk, the postgame, the stuff throughout
the game, I think he's compensating a little bit too.
Like nine games without a point, that's got to be dragging on him for sure, man.
And he's been dying to get into this position, get them the playoffs and here they are they have an opportunity to do it
They still have that opportunity
But now you got the Leafs coming in tomorrow night
And this is I think a big big game for Ottawa tomorrow because massive man
You know leaf fans are gonna be there. You know they're gonna be loud
The Leafs are playing well the Leafs are you know, it seems like they have five breakaways a night
Joseph Wall is gonna play tomorrow
you gotta get one
you gotta get on the game she got a score
but it
it could be an ugly kind of vibe tomorrow
if i want can't get on the board of the lease going there and when it may be
when they get their fans are going crazy
like this feels like a really
castle or what we talked about last week with the
Leafs in Montreal.
It's the same kind of scene.
You got to show up and play.
Like the thing is, is everybody's got a tough schedule.
Everybody's like I mentioned at the start of the show, like everyone's got injuries.
Everybody's got adversity.
You've got to find a way to fight through it.
And you know, last night I was putting put that group tax like it's not gonna get
easy for them they didn't have sanderson last night that have norris
you know i don't know the status of nick jensen whose plays a lot of minutes on
the back and like he'd be left so i don't know if he's gonna play like
they've they've got some adversity
you know all marks
i don't know if he's taking shot like i i don't know so you've got him
and installers are you know they're going back and forth Stoller's I guess practice today
Sounds like he could be ahead of schedule like he's not gonna play tomorrow
I doubt he plays next week, but he might make the Western trip right the least have Ottawa tomorrow, Minnesota Wednesday Edmonton next Saturday
Maybe he makes that trip and plays
All-mark again, it's not goaltending though. That's the issue now. No, no, it isn't. They gotta score goals, man.
If you're in Ottawa, you're like, you're looking at Kachuk, you're looking at Stootsla,
you're looking at some of these veterans and you gotta supply some offense, man.
Yeah, they've gotta find a way to...
You have to score.
...to fight through it and not have the excuses.
But you know, that's the biggest challenge.
They played seven games in 11 nights, get a day off and they play three and four.
You gotta do it. Well, and they like playing the Leafs. day off and they play three and four you gotta you gotta do it
Well, and they like playing the Leafs, you know, they play well against Toronto as you can see
They've played Toronto very well recently the what are they one in one in or four and one in the last five
Against the Maple Leafs. So as for the Leafs, you know, like you said, they're they're dealing with injuries
Matthew Nives is not gonna play tomorrow
It's a pretty cool story over the course of 12 months that this time last year Bobby McMahon
was defined as an American hockey league player and not a young one.
Not a 20 year old kid, 21 year old.
29 isn't he?
Well, he's in his late 20s.
I think he's 27.
So this time last year he had a cup of coffee in the NHL.
Maybe he comes up.
Hey, someone gets sick and Bobby's in there
What a night this guy is on a line with Austin Matthews of Mitch Marner
At practice today very likely gonna start the game tomorrow night with Austin Matthews and Mitch Marner
Bobby McMahon and
I might work the way he plays it might like he goes to the net
He's big and strong can skate it wouldn't shock me if he just catches on fire. It would not shock me whatsoever.
I think he deserves it.
Not saying, yeah he does and I'm not saying Nye isn't going to get the job back when he
returns or whatever, but it would not shock me if this guy flourishes playing with those
two. He loves going to the net, he's strong, can shoot it. See what happens.
To me there's only one formula to play with those guys in that straight line and play
fast and go get the puck, like play physical.
That's why Nice has had success is Nice is kind of a programmable player where he's big,
strong, he can be physical, he can go get the puck and he's got good hands around the
net.
So hey, you have some success.
To me, Zach Hyman, you plug in any player like that that understands the role
and the role is straight line, get the ultra skilled players to puck and get available for
any type of loose change, one timers, all that stuff and be ready because that's the one thing.
They will find you when you least expect it.
You notice top players, they'll find lanes, they'll find holes, and if you're not ready,
it'll go by you and then they'll say, we got to put somebody else on that line that can
execute, right?
You miss a couple of passes you're supposed to take and that could be the end of the road
for you.
Yeah.
But it might be nerve wracking because of the assignment and because of the opportunity
but it is a pretty simple
schedule right like you said straightforward go to the corners go to
the front of the net in a fall how braced loose be in there first
yet right if some crazy happens be prepared to get in there because you
get your your going in
you know basically you're the one that's going in
and i think he's prepared for that i think he's i think he's deserved it i
think it's a great story this bobby mcmahon story
um you know he's he's kind of a life for the american league not a guy i thought
was going to be an everyday nhl player
and over the course of a calendar year got himself a contract didn't have a
great camp remember didn't play opening night
borubi sent him a message and he and he didn't pout and he didn't say well blah blah blah
Where's Sheldon Keefe he figured it out and he said a really good year. Yeah. Yeah, I
when I like I thought it today the choke hold from Marchant and
I don't know if I told you guys when during the lockout when the season got canceled
I went and played in like the England League, the European, whatever it was called, the British National League
for the Guilford Flames.
And I'll never forget, I had a scrum and I punched a guy in a scrum, the guy was being
a hero.
And the guy took his stick in his hand and he grabbed the back of my head and he started
choking me with his stick.
Oh, wait.
My teammate...
Whose top show is that?
My teammate, David Oliver, goes, he gave you the duck bill.
I don't know if you've ever heard of it.
You take the blade of your stick and you jam it in a guy's throat and you grab the back
of the head.
He was choking you.
I've never heard of that before.
And I was screaming to the ref and the ref's like, I see it, but he didn't call it.
I just looked him up the guys name was not bill
hilton ruggles
he's from montreal he was a canadian and he was forty one years old at the time
no way
career i am glad i never played in the league where someone was even familiar
with the duck bill that dot bill he was choking me with his that
the blade of a stick in his hand.
It was like a prison move.
That is a prison move.
That's the penal system hockey association.
I love the ref.
I see it not doing anything about it.
Knock it off.
He's yelling at him.
Knock it off.
Knock off the duck bill.
Get the duck bill out of there, you idiots.
The guy, I just looked him up on hockey DB
He's 61 years old right now. He was 42 at the time. That was his last year of playing pro hockey
He's probably not a man's league and just giving it to guys too, right? That guy was crazy. Yeah, that is that
All right, we're learning things today
We're learning you can take your glove off and try to choke a guy and we're learning about the duck bill
This is great. Very important. Oh, yeah. Oh, he licks
All that's right. So it wasn't a kiss. He went for the for the barely
He licked Callahan kind of half kissed half licked comar off and choked cousins. Yeah
Yeah, okay. I think he's gonna get fighting to someone's gonna
I think someone's gonna to get fined.
I think someone's going to look at this and say, we have to find the guy.
I think it's too late though.
Maybe.
But based on what stipulation?
There's nothing in the CBA that says you have 12 hours to make a call.
No, but when does Boston play next?
I'm assuming tomorrow.
So you'd have to have something on the books. Like put it this way, that player safety,
they get everything across their desk.
They've made a decision not to pursue it.
Like I don't think they're gonna go sleep on it tonight
and go, you know what, we should have done something.
Like it's, I think that they're through it now.
I think they are.
And yeah, Boston's at home against Colorado tomorrow.
I wouldn't be surprised if that was a game
that was on ESPN or something.
Marchand, Boston, they're not gonna do it.
And he didn't get anything for the last stuff.
This is almost another, like the PA,
the players association is always conflicted
because they represent both parties.
But this is when you think that the association
and the players would be like,
we can't have this kind of stuff
I guess just kind of crazy. Yeah, I'm free
Anyway, Travis green in ten minutes Leafs Ottawa tomorrow night Luke and Al's brother coming up
We're two days away from go time. I'm seeing a FC. Tell me we're not gonna tell you which game
There's no preparation for you guys. We'll put you on the spot. We'll tell you at six o'clock
tell you which game there's no preparation for you guys we'll put you on the spot we'll tell you at six o'clock dude at least have some common
decency to just text us what you're taking so we can exchange a thought.
Absolutely not. I can't wait for this weekend. We have no decency. This is the
rubber match right? Like we are are we at 3-3 or 4-3? Well it's 6-5 I think.
6-5. And I have the hats the hats of arrived but there's only two of them
there's only two of them
the playoff champs someone's get the hat
this is very significant stuff
so uh...
i got i have a i wish i could i got asked a guy
at receiving at tsn like he's he's probably what else is going to have
seven six months
hazen bro on wilson playoff champs but it's all represented it's all there
only two of them this time probably two of them
only two of them and it's six five right now team on wilson and uh... haze and
bro on the clock with our pick
just after six o'clock or a travis green coming up mike johnson will join us
uh... there are some hirings in
but just a going on in the nfl including the NBA again. The Raptors with a win last night. First time they've won on the road
in 93 days. 93 days between wins on the road. And they pulled one off in Atlanta last night.
So more on that still to come as well. Overdrive continues. TSN 1050 and on TSN 4.
Melon in Friday is brought to you by Boston Pizza, Canada's favorite sports bar.
This January at BP get delicious mouth-watering pasta starting at $11.99 every single day.
Enjoy the pastas you love at prices you can't miss.
Hustle into your local BP tonight.
Overdrive continues powered by FanDuel, bringing you everything from the opening line to the
final score.
Travis Green coming up here in a few moments
Leafs in Ottawa playing the Senators tomorrow night
So we'll catch up with Travis Mike Johnson still to come you see Alex Ovechkin with another empty netter last night
guys feasting on empty net goals and
Having people always been feasting. It seems like even the quiz masters all bent out of shape about empty netters
I don't know Nathan McKinnon gets a bunch of empty hasn't that always been the case been feasting on. It seems like even the Quizmasters all bent out of shape about empty netters.
I don't know. Nathan McKinnon gets a bunch of empty netters. Hasn't that always been
the case? Best players are on the ice at the end of the game to get a chance at these and
they capitalize. Why is it all of a sudden this year a big deal?
I think it's just because it's OV and it's chasing Gretzky, right? So what will happen?
What is it? Michael Grabner, remember Michael Grabner had 25 goals one year or something like that,
and like nine of them were empty netters.
And I had this argument with the quiz master about it.
He scored 40 one year that time.
Well, he did.
He scored 38.
Yeah, you're right, around 40.
But one year he had like nine empty netters or something ridiculous like that.
And I said to the quiz master, I said, well, he's still scoring.
You can't, on the stat sheet it doesn't go, well, that was a freebie and this one wasn't.
Well, how many did 99 have?
Oh yeah, a fair amount.
I guarantee you that.
The most famous, I don't know, probably the most famous goal he ever scored was 50 and
39 was on an empty net.
That was his fifth goal of the game.
It was, which is incredible. but still he hit 50 and 39.
No one's like, well, that's kind of cheap, but I'm going to say 50 and 40 with an asterisk.
No one holds that against him.
It's actually a credit to Washington that they just keep winning and stifling teams.
They don't give up anything and OV's in a position every single night where the net's empty.
Yeah.
I agree.
Which I think is significant here in terms of the chase.
I have to give Washington full credit.
I was of the impression a couple of years ago that it was going south, and in fact it
was.
It wasn't like I was seeing something that other people weren't.
No, I think we're all on the same page.
Yeah.
It was kind of like Backstrom was done, Kuznetsov was going to be out of there, they
were, you know, it was, Holtby was done, it was just a big transition period, and they've
turned it around so quickly, and I think it makes the chase just feel...
Real.
...feel legit, because exactly it's happening within the context of the team winning, as
opposed to it being cheap, and're brutal and obviously, you know
Just running cherry-picking this guy they win every night Washington
But every move they made in the offseason has paid off so far. We're looking at Pierre-Luc Dubois
You're looking at
Manjia Pani
Brandon Duhame like guys that may not be household names, but they but they're good good players
Tom Wilson's having a great season, you know, the chickren trade was a really good trade Logan Thompson
You know has to be up for the Vesna right now
Yeah, you know likes for sure you Matt Roy that he was a guy that was coveted
I would I believe the Leafs might have I thought I that you know at least we're connected Leafs were connected to him
Like he's their third pairing right shot defensemen like they they've they've really so they bring in Chickren and Roy
You know they bring in Duhaime Manjia Pani
PLD we've talked about it how many years Oh have you we talked about PLD if this guy decided he wanted to play
Like what type of player he could be
Well remember him playing against the Leafs in that bubble series that you're like watching him saying this guy's a monster
He's an animal crushing guy, and then he just went on a four-year holiday
Well, he's he's yes. He's come out of it exactly. He's he's alive here lurk the boss playing really really well
Yeah, and the radish kid Taylor radish as well to they. And the Radish, Taylor Radish as well too.
They just, like they've got these, and I think I told you guys, I did their game, I'm actually
doing it this Thursday as well, but I did their game last week.
And just being ice level, they're a massive team.
Like just the actual physical size of them.
They're big, big.
Yeah, that goes a long way come playoff time too, right?
Yeah, size.
Yeah. Now Washington's, they've been really good they've they've been
outstanding
uh... as of now looks like they're
they are the top seed east and they may end up with that top seed the leaser
are chasing on them
we skip back in action tomorrow night they're in ottawa playing the senators
and we'll have there now and
catch up with a head coach of the ottawa senators here's travis green
how you doing travis what's up guys? Good to hear from you again. Yeah good to
hear from you. We appreciate you doing this. You saw it last night. You were up
close and personal. Have you ever seen a guy take his glove off and try to choke
somebody like Marchand did last night? Not on the ice. Valid. Yeah, that was wild, man.
It was a pretty, like, Noodles was there calling it.
He said it was a pretty intense night and crazy game.
That was pretty early in the game last night.
Yeah, it was, you know, yeah, it was an intense game.
It was a big game, obviously, between both teams.
And, you know, you like it when the emotions are running hot.
I know I do as a coach. between both teams and you know you like it when the emotions are running hot. I
know I do as a coach and you know it's great it seems like it's early in the
season but there's so many teams that are so close. There's a lot of big games
being played right now. So Travis you you know did you feel last night at least
the atmosphere or some of the juice was a little bit of a
carryover from Saturday's game where you guys had an epic battle with Boston on home ice?
Yeah, yeah I did.
I felt like when you look at the standings and just the way everything is set up, I think
it's pretty obvious that you can look at the schedule and think that both those games are
going to be tagged as an emotional game and
you know, I think it's great for our team to
get into many of these emotional games that they can and
Hopefully we're still playing them down the stretch and in a playoff spot
Greenie what's the message from the coach when it seems like your team was emotionally invested and
You know, they didn't just mail it in and get crushed but they
couldn't get any offense cooking like what is the message from that is that
just from get certain guys like look instead of me trying to draw up X's and
O's or do this or do that or don't cheat it's just you got to be better play
better you know what oh dog we've been there's been a lot of talk about offense around our team
for a little bit now.
And you know, we've really talked a lot about being a better defensive team, quite frankly,
from the offseason until now.
But I'd like to think we're not idiots and know that, you know, you have to score and
you got to create offense.
And we've always kept an eye on our offensive game and
uh you know with today's analytics and you it's not that hard to take deep dives and
you know we've we've been pretty good offensively like we've been above the top in the top half
since december the first expected goals five on five uh And the puck's just not going in the net.
And there's gonna be nights, hey,
when you're not gonna create as much as you want,
if certain guys are out of line up.
And you can still, you know,
you gotta find a way to win a close hockey game.
And I think last night was one of those nights.
I think we hit three or four posts,
probably had a goal that should have counted.
And it gets magnified a little bit when guys haven't scored in a little while and they're
starting to feel it and they're starting and you're losing games. It'd be different if
guys were on a heater and you just had a game where they didn't score, I think. But you
know, it's human nature that they're going
to feel it a little bit and they're starting to hear about it and it can affect your game
a little bit. But for me as a coach, as long as we're, you know, creating chances or getting
the looks that you'd hope that the puck's going to go in eventually. Now, last night,
I thought, I didn't think we created enough last night or the ranger game, but I think overall we have been and
You know confidence is a funny thing and
You know, that's the one thing coaches talk about you try to give a player offensive confidence is
You know, it's not easy I
Know how to give them confidence, Greeny.
You put them at the four blues and you do the Pat Quinn loop-de-loop drill where you
go across and get a pass and you do a spin-or-rama move and then you go down and shoot it on
the goalie.
That works every time.
I get to bring back the loop-de-loop by the exact time.
You know what?
We've done a few offensive practices but I've forgotten about the loop-de-loop.
Could you imagine lining up now and saying, hey, this is called a loop-de-loop.
I think guys would pass out at center ice if you said, let's do the loop-de-loop.
I might have to bring it out tomorrow morning skate.
Give it a shot.
See how many agents call you within the hour
saying my player just said he launched a loop-de-loop right before the game. Dude, you'll put up
an eight spot, I guarantee you, man. Just give it a rep. We put up an eight tomorrow
and the loop-de-loop becomes just instantly famous. Absolutely. Every coach in the league
will be pulling out the loop-de-loop to do that.
Odog will be on every coaching staff in the league, hot commodity.
Secret weapon.
With Travis Green, Leafs in Ottawa tomorrow.
Obviously, you mentioned certain guys with some offensive issues right now in terms of the game sheet.
Brady Kichuk is pointless at nine now.
I'm curious how you balance what you just said Travis like you know is it battle and confidence, is it
snake-bitten, is it combination of both and what do you kind of expecting out of him going
into a big game tomorrow night?
Yeah, I've you know I talk to our players a lot with each of them individually at different
times and you know it's when a guy knows when he scored or when he hasn't scored or
if he's got points and, and, you know, I'm not worried about Brady at all.
Uh, up until the last two losses, uh, I think we had gone six games without,
without a loss five, oh, and one or something like that.
And all he cares about is winning.
And he's gonna get his points.
The great thing about him is he's not just a point producer.
He's tough, he's hard to play against.
Other team knows every time he's on the ice,
he cares, his points are gonna come and
all our guys quite frankly I worried more about how they're playing
individually and you know when you just play the game to win everything else
takes care of itself and it's easy though for me to sit and say don't worry
about it just play to win but you know, don't worry about it, just play to win.
But guys tend to worry about it and that's just human nature.
I think there are certain moments when a coach can help them to relieve the stress and the
pressure of scoring.
That's probably where I'm leaning or where I am leaning right now.
So Greenie, there's a lot of adversity throughout the league, but you guys certainly have had
some with the scheduling, but now you've got some injuries to some key players.
That's something that you've had to balance too.
Is it a challenge when you're looking at your line up and going, geez, that guy's not available
for me or this guy's not available for me.
What is the mentality?
Next man up, or what's your thought process with that?
It is.
I think from a team standpoint, it's always next man up.
Whenever someone goes down, there's new opportunity for someone else.
The reality is when you're missing a Sanderson and Norris, they're big pieces
of your team.
And again, you go back to play to win and do the right things.
Do it every shift.
It's not complicated.
And it doesn't mean we're not going to win.
And last night's a great example as well.
We could have easily won that hockey game and that'll be our mindset again going into
tomorrow night's game.
Well, the cameras are going to be on that pregame skate tomorrow, Travis.
Dude, I might drive to Ottawa in the morning.
I'll be calling old dog after the show and just saying, hey, can you send me a picture
of diagram it?
I know it's a little complicated.
Oh yeah, it's really complicated call you out call you after and really describe it so you get a full
feel for it good luck tomorrow night Travis thank you for doing it guys
thanks for having me you got it Travis Green oh dog you got to describe the
loop-de-loop because now I'm like, I'm getting my mind out.
What is it?
The four blue lines.
It's just a neutral zone and one guy starts with the puck.
He passes it across and skates halfway across the blue line and receives the puck back and
does a spinorama at the blue line and then goes and takes a wrist shot and then when
he's done the other guy from the other side goes I love that drill man dude I
love that drill the first time I heard it explained by the great Pat Quinn I
literally I always say someone's almost I almost passed out like there's no way
this is a drill right Right. Yeah. Get the
Pash, do a loop-de-loop and take a shot. Let's go boys. And I'm like, no way. No way, man.
We're doing this. I love it. I love it. The loop-de-loop. Dude, next time you golf with Tux, ask him about that
drill. It was the most insane warm-up drill that I've ever done in the NHL. The loop-de-loop.
You know what? Next time we have Struddy on, because Struddy had Pat Quinn in up drill that I've ever done in the NHL.
Next time we have Struddy on, because Struddy had Pat Quinn in Edmonton as well, because
Struddy imitates Pat Quinn dropping his marker and he had the bad back and he would always
not be able to pick it up.
Dude, if he dropped that marker and he had to do the tilt over to get that thing, I couldn't
look at Toxin Caber because it was, I just couldn't do it. I could
not be in that setting and be laughing that much.
Luke D. Luke. I need to see it tomorrow. I need Travis Green to bring it up tomorrow.
Any type of video evidence, he called it Jukebox. He'd be like, the jukebox doesn't lie!
that would mean what's happened on the video
the jukebox doesn't lie!
there's another piece of technology that I bet you do he's never heard of before
a lot of people never heard of it
jukebox used to be
cigarette dispensers and like
remember diners and little donut shops.
You could go put a quarter in and buy a pack of cigarettes.
It was crazy back in the day.
I've seen some of those like in retro.
Like I bought a pack of smoke somewhere.
I swear to God like recently in Vegas or something like that where you like have you pull on
the dispenser, like you pull the knob out and then the cigarettes or whatever comes out,
the gum, whatever it is.
There used to be options.
There was a place where I grew up
and like that's where kids would just go and buy cigarettes
because it was still available.
Like we're talking early to mid 90s.
There was no like, hey, where's your ID?
It was just, I have a dollar and I'm gonna go buy
whatever pack of cigarettes I'm gonna buy.
It's crazy
Saturday and yeah the jukebox the jukebox doesn't lie now loop-de-loop
We need it tomorrow, man. I want to see it
I want I want to see a crazy game tomorrow because you know guys are gonna break out like you said
It's not like Brady Kachuk or students
So these guys don't know like they're paid to score their well
You don't think they're gonna bring their their best tomorrow know they can bring their their best tomorrow they'll be rocking i would they'll be
rocking tomorrow
release have to be prepared for that hopefully it'll be a good game that's
all i care for sometimes is your like a saturday night
yes good game and i always said i don't care who wins i just want an intense
game and entertain there you already said that you've got blown up on twitter
you said trade via just now i would you write Trapien? That's a troll.
That's a troll where you were like... You know what? A lot of people bought into it, but there was just a few that were just like,
Hey, I thought you cared and I'm like, of course I care. It was the most...
...deceitous tweet I've ever tossed out there, but not everybody bit on it.
Disingenuous. That's what it's... Rememberrick kane scored that unbelievable goal in your life patrick
kane just made the canadian olympic team i had a little bit like you're a second
here
he's american
come on now
figure it out the press
love it uh... all right so we saw what's more mike johnson uh... in about twenty
minutes
edmonton beat up on
Vancouver last night too we'll get to that with MJ because it is full-blown
panic attack in Vancouver right now. You got to make a move you either got it you
got to figure out something to save the season man I don't know what the hell
that is but they got to figure something out to save the season yeah so I think a
break and we'll get into that yeah okay we'll come back and get into that and of course we got the two football games this weekend
Luke and Al's brother coming up as well overdrive continues TSN 1050 and on TSN for Mike Johnson in 15 minutes
Luke Wilson Al's brother still to come and it's time for you to tell us where Al's brother was hiding this week
Call us right now at four one six eight seven zero1050. 416-870-1050.
First caller through with the correct location wins a pair of tickets to see the Leafs play
the wild on Wednesday and I think we all know where he is, right?
We all know where he is by now.
Casaloma.
There is a steakhouse there.
I was right.
Apparently it's a Leaf.
Doogie was raving about it yesterday.
So it's a great, great steak place.
Steak Blue Bloods.
Blue Bloods.
Yeah.
Yeah, but like I don't trust Doogie's like steak experience.
When's he been there?
Yeah, when the hell has that guy been out at Steak House?
He brings out his A plus cologne on a Saturday night and apparently he gets the Henry Hill
routine when he shows up up like through the kitchen and
Greasing guys $20 everywhere he goes and right in front really I've been with guys in Toronto that get the through the kitchen routine
He ain't one of do you love the guy, but he's not one of them. He's not one of them
He is a casaloma. That's my understanding it that's that may be the only spot, but doogies getting the full treatment.
That is a baller move.
It's somewhat unnecessary, but I'm sure it would be pretty cool.
It's such a New York thing to write like through the alley and then through the kitchen.
And that would be pretty cool.
But yeah, do you use on a short list?
And apparently it's a great spot.
So there you go.
Call in now.
And that's the last leaf home game for a while to write.
They play in Ottawa tomorrow. then they're at home against
Minnesota and then they go out to Western Canada they play Seattle then
you hit the four nations yeah it's like a break for like a month or you know
like they're I don't think they're back home for like close to what three weeks
or yes it's a pretty long stretch in between home games so yeah we'll get
into that more with Johnny coming up. Vancouver, Edmonton ends up beating them. Edmonton was up 5-0 at
one point last night. Yeah, they took their foot off the case. What I think was worse was they kind of
bullied them and kind of pushed them around and Corey Perry was right in the
middle of everything. Yeah, like why didn't somebody make it non-negotiable
for Corey Perry? That's what I don't quite understand either. Did you see what he did though in that scrum? So Garland takes a swat and everyone
goes to Garland. Watch Perry, he gets involved and he goes, well I'm just going to grab Quinn
Hughes. That's the thing, like everybody's focused and he goes, yep, grab you by the
head, stinky glove, flip you over. And then Miller and him have a spirited conversation
at the end of the period. And then, uh, Kenny Bluger tries to fight him and he dropped out.
Edmonton was getting a penalty at the time, so he drew him in. That was four on four.
And I think Edmonton scored on that play. And it just, uh, the Edmonton kind of like
they bolt, like they dragged them into it like harry
but i don't want it all under one umbrella it turned out ultimately to be
a mess for the canucks exactly yeah that's that that's the reality of it is
you know with every game like that
i walk away thinking they're just gonna lose this season
like it's just what was called very won again last night.
That's the one thing.
I thought if you look at between Calgary and Vancouver on paper, Calgary is kind of in
a retool a little bit.
Younger guys coming up, Dustin Wolf who's been in the league.
Not a little bit, Noodle, a lot.
I know, but I mean, Hubrido, Kadri, you've got some veteran players there.
But Calgary wins last night and Vancouver is, don't know there's still got lots of games left
But I think at some point it's just like figure that situation out because it's just sitting there like it's it's like a
It's just a cloud sitting there the JT Miller
Pederson whatever that is the only guy who's been unbelievable is Quinn Hughes like everybody else has been underperforming.
That's my concern though is fine you trade Miller tonight I'm not convinced they just
snap out of it and you know we're deeper into the season now where there's one spot up for
grabs in the West everything else is accounted for.
Well hey you got to get that second wild card spot.
You talk about igniting a fire you get get rid of Miller, do you think Pedersen's been dialed in where he's gonna just say,
now it's my team, now I'm really...
He's not.
He's not even close, man.
Same thing with Demko.
I don't believe Demko.
There might actually be a fear of saying, we can't get Miller away from Pedersen because
now he's exposed even more.
Right.
I don't know what you'd do with that.
They might be viewing it again,
you're a weaker team without JT Miller, unless like I would, I want to give them and Jimmy
Rutherford knows what the hell he's doing. Who's coming back because it might be addition
by subtraction, but the player coming back might be a younger version. Maybe it's a guy
who needs a change too. I mean, I don't know if the Rangers need a change. Now they're what's there's seven oh and three in
their last ten. I mean they're big again last night. And they're not they're not
taking a step back anymore. I think they've had their nonsense. I think
they'll add to that group but the Rangers are a playoff team for me. They're
well and that to me is scary if you're Ottawa, if you're Montreal. Yeah all
those teams. Yeah because if you're ottawa if you're montreal yeah i don't think that because if if the if you believe
you know washington's clearly and i think carolina's definitely gonna get in
people if jerseys too far gone
then new york's gonna take one of the wild card spots yep so i think we gotta
have a many jerry's with mike johnson rangers make the playoffs okay
many jerry coming up on the rangers making the playoffs vancouver making the playoffs Vancouver making the playoffs. Yes
There's a lot. Yeah a lot to get into
Yeah, and Jersey took a hit Markstrom's hurt right Markstrom's out for six weeks
But two of those weeks are the four nations so it may actually be you know somewhat of a beneficial time
To suffer an injury like that all right many Jerry Jerrys coming up with MJ into the next hour,
sliding into the weekend with Jerry, we love it.
Overdrive continues, TSN 1050
and on TSN 4.
You've been listening to Overdrive
powered by Fandual.
Fandual, bringing you everything from the opening line
to the final score.