OverDrive - OverDrive - June 2, 2026 - Hour 1 - Eric Staal

Episode Date: June 2, 2026

Join Bryan Hayes, Jeff O'Neill and Jamie McLennan for Hour 1 on OverDrive! The guys dive into the Hurricanes and Golden Knights' matchup in the Stanley Cup Final, the Conn Smythe Trophy sweepstakes, if Mitch Marner is the frontrunner regardless of the result and Zach Werenski winning the Norris Trophy. Former NHL player and Stanley Cup Champion Eric Staal joins to discuss representing the Hurricanes, winning the Stanley Cup and the matchup for Carolina.

Catch everything soccer with Bell's game time bundle. Get 5 TV with TSN plus 5150 internet, all for $99 a month. Price guaranteed for two years with a two-year internet and TV term and auto pay credit. Visit bell.ca for more details and to check availability. Bell, connection is everything. This hour of overdrive is powered by Fanduil. Fan duel, 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 up on TSN5, up on YouTube live, and later tonight up on Crave. Brian Hayes, the O'Dog, Jeff O'Neill, Jamie Noodles, McClennon. That's going on. How we feel in this afternoon? Beautiful day in Toronto. Oh, good. Beautiful day in Toronto, beautiful day in North Carolina. And I'm wondering if anybody's pre-Stanley Cup routine was similar to mine.

a couple days before the Stanley Cup final my best friend Sully said he's a lawyer he goes I got a buddy in town he wants to go tee it so I went and played 80 holes of golf like we just it wasn't anyone there and we just kept going around

we played 80 holes of golf that's a lot man and it was a lot like there's only about six weeks a year where you could even do that, right? You'd need the sun to come up at 6.30. And for it to go down at like 9, 9.15. Yeah. That, by all accounts, is the Michael Jordan lifestyle 365 days a year.

Yes. That he plays his own course, the Grove, down in South Florida. He has a cart, allegedly, that goes about 60 miles an hour. And this guy just loops the course. And never waits because anyone that sees him goes, go ahead play through like and a lot of times like again this is all hearsay but he's he'll be on his own and he'll play he'll play 45 holes in like two and a half hours yeah and just just cruise around beers and cigars yeah beers cigars stop and chat every once in a while when he

sees someone he knows dude another guy like that he was on the senior tour for a while and my course in south florida he was a member dana quigley this guy teed it all day long, man. Giant gar and just teed it every day. Yeah. And he just, and it was also his job. Like he would go play all the events. And when he was back in West Palm, this guy teed it from morning until the sun went down.

Oh, what a life, man. What a life. Dude, I got a question for you. And I just got to get to the bottom of this. I went and hit some balls today. Why do you and your cronies? take your own golf carts. It is the dumbest looking thing.

You guys do not ride together in golf cart. Why? We're the last breed that never accepted COVID came to an end. Because COVID had you, remember you had to drive in your own car. I know, but wouldn't you like to just shoot the breeze with the guy, like talk about. No, because those guys are out there every single day, right? I'm not there every day, but those guys, we see each other all the time. T-Deck, on the green, you're chatting, around the green guy, right?

So, but who made kind of the group announcement where it was like, guys, we're taking our own carts and we just don't need, like, it was never. I know, but somebody had to make it official where it's like, this is how we're going to roll. It was never announced. It was just never, it never rolled back to normal, right? Because it started, remember in COVID? Okay, so when things slowed down, didn't you say to talks one day, hey, pal, you want to ride with me today?

No, because he doesn't want to ride with me and I don't want to ride with him. So how many carts are we dealing with here? Dude, there was five. I saw five today. There must have been a fifth guy. No, we had a four some going. It's a traffic jam. Yeah, there's four.

As far as I know, we're the only guys to do it. I mean, I'm sure other people possibly do it. But our thought is it costs the same anyway, whether you share it or not. So it's like, all right, I got my own thing. I know. What I want is the reason. for. Do you guys find you play faster or is it just, you all like your own little personal space? Yeah, it's more about a personal space thing. You can just, you can look at your own phone, do your own

thing. It's funny because one of our kind of regular guys will walk sometimes. So he'll throw his bag on someone's cart for like a couple of holes and everyone's like, wouldn't allow it. Wouldn't allow it. What's this guy doing, man? What's wrong with that? The bag doesn't have. Because then you're on his program then you're like i gotta go to his ball i gotta wait for him there's your answer a lot of it is i'm going where i'm going you're alive you go where you're going i'm not going it's selfishness right a lot of it is yeah there's some selfish behavior in there i guess but it works it works for us it looks i understand what you're saying because we will cruise through the you know like make the turn and there's people around they're like those are four guys in four individual cards it's like a

Trump routine almost. I was just going to say, remember, was it last year you would call O Trump? where, like, Owen hit and he'd be long gone. Out of there. And that's a part of it, too, dude. You would appreciate it because there are times I'm up at the green and the other guys are back there shooting, and I'm gone. I'm like, I'll meet you up there.

And I can get out and get ready. I can meet you on the green. But there's a lot of conversing. There's a lot of socializing. No, there isn't, dude. When you're all in your own carts, it's all you say is good pot or good shot like that's it there's no chitter chatter yeah there's not a ton of deep conversation like when i play golf i play with my best friends a lot and we love sitting in the cart you know wind

shots how's things go i'll give a shot i'll ask i i know you won't because if you guys are still doing it covid was five years ago i know it's it's absurd behavior like i we understand it's silly and i'm sure it looks ridiculous but that's the way we operate see i'm perplexed here because oh i didn't think you were so super social when it comes to golf i've heard that you are all business it's like hit your shot and move on like i didn't realize you like to sit in the cart and chit-chat well and he likes to drive the car too noodles like that's another oh dude i only i will never be exactly everyone that plays i'm driving i hate being driven around that's the i don't love it either

it's just it's awkward what do you care it's just there's something about about it. It's like, oh, okay, this guy's dry. Oh, you're going over here now, and it's aggravating when some guy turns left. You're like, actually, my ball's over here. I know. I know. Anyway, it doesn't matter. But, well, I'll, I'll approach the topic and we'll see if we can get everyone going together. Let's just cold call talks if we've got 10 minutes and to see what his philosophy is. He might have a better answer on it than me, but it's just, I don't remember it ever coming up, but it just consistently happened. It's probably a routine that you've done and you just haven't switched it back. You probably had a brief.

Last thing on this. Last thing on this. What if it came to a vote and everyone said, write an answer on a piece of paper and put it in a golf hat. Do we continue to go solo carts or do we want to? I can tell you it would be unanimous solo cards. It would be a yes. It would be an overwhelming majority solo card. But we'll ask.

I'll get to the bottom of it. Hey, it's something I've never seen, man. It is very unique. And that's how you guys roll. You got to stick with it, man. Well, what are you going to join us? We're waiting for you. You got to get in there.

Solo cart. You'd be cruising around. Dude, you let me know. The one thing, you got your buddies, you do your own thing. I do not need to interfere with your time. I want you in there. We all want you in there. There's always spots.

It's just, it's not 7.30. You're a 7 a.m. guy. That's not the way of time. Once in a while, I can work out of whatever you guys do. And I'll get my own cart. Actually, me and you, same card. Now, when you come out, we're right. Biden, but I'm driving.

I don't want to do it. I don't want to do it because I'm going to feel like I got to drive and you're going to be annoyed to hold that. I know you can be annoyed easy. I'm not, I refuse to do it. All right. We were talking about the cup final, though, a lot. The sense, you talk about a sense, I will say this, there's still this kind of, I

don't know if I can believe in Freddie Anderson routine kind of lurking. Who's saying that? Wow. It's still out there. And I'm with you, noodles. Like this guy has been phenomenal through 13 games. 12 of 13, he's been great. The one game he wasn't great.

The rest of the team stunked. They lost. Yeah, I guess you're saying that's probably unfair, but it's a scenario where I guess the reasoning is it's been kind of easy. To the credit of his team, they've made his life very easy. Like Freddie Anderson, he's had to make the stops, but he hasn't been overwhelmed. I would have to think if I'm joined John Tortorella,

I'm telling my team, and I'm sure St. Louis. said it. I'm sure Travis Green was saying it. I'm sure Rick Tocket was saying it. Try to make this guy make 30 stops tonight. Like force him to make 30 saves. But is that even possible? Well, the way Carolina plays, it hasn't been through 13 games. Yeah. But that, you know, and maybe Carter Hart should get the same treatment.

Maybe, like, you never want to stand the copy. Don't you guys think it's going to be probably the biggest key that which one of these two guys who don't have, track records of stellar play in the playoffs. They're kind of unproven to get this far. So whatever guy bubble doesn't burst, it might be the difference in the series. Because everyone watched Carter Hartner like, man, this guy is incredible right now. And he had some bad teams in Philadelphia. But I don't know.

It's going to be a massive key in the series. As far as Freddie goes, and Jamie, you know better than anyone. I think sometimes as a goaltender, you just get to a. certain age where you're like overwrite mature wise and you're just like screw it man it's it's it's it's either do it or don't or i'll never do it and maybe and maybe it's just go play and i got confidence i got a great team in front of me and i'm going to stop worrying about everything else because it seems like that's what he did a lot in the past i i think that's fair you get to a maturation level where it's like you are comfortable with how you play how you prepare how you

handle the ups and downs and, you know, within a game after a game before a game, that's the one thing that has kind of been lost in all of this. And, you know, we brought it up slightly when we were talking about Marner and all, like, keep in mind, like, we've watched players. And let's leave Mitch out of it. We just everybody. We've watched players grow up in front of our eyes, you know, from the start of their career to mid-level, to the end of their career.

We've been around that long. And you can see a lot of these guys change as they get more experience. They get more comfortable. and in tougher situations. So coming back to Freddie Anderson or any goaltender who's a veteran, they know how to get to their game quick. I remember talking to a goalie. He was 35 years old and kind of getting flushed out of the league.

And he said to me, and I thought it was an amazing comment. He said, I've never been a better goaltender than I am now and I'm going to be out of the league. Because he said he felt like he could handle the mental duress. I know the goal that you're talking about. Can I guess? Yeah, sure. Why not?

Curtis Baclehini. I think I told that story before. No, I swear to God, you didn't. No, you didn't. CMAX's a great friend of mine. And what happened was he, I think the Leafs had waved him. And he was a really good ball. Yeah, and it was, yeah, they took Jerry Sparks over him.

And he went on one, a couple of cops, I think, in Tampa. Yes, I'm right. But he had found his game. And I talked to a lot of. And they were really good. But that's the thing. When you get to an age where you can still handle it physically, but you can handle it mentally, it's impressive.

That's that sweet spot. Maybe Freddie's in that sweet spot right now mentally and physically, because he looks really good. Sure does. And, you know, on Fanduel right now, the favorites to win the cons might, Mitch Marner plus 180, Frederick Anderson, plus 200. So, like, the two heavy favorites on both teams are former leaves. Yet, you know, they're not alone. I know leave fans, of course, are going to say.

say, what are we thinking here? I don't get the impression in Dallas. They're rattled that they have Ranton in instead of Stan Kovin. You know, Stan Kovin's been phenomenal, clearly. But Miko Ranton, I think is going to pay off pretty well for them. Yeah. But I am curious about the Taylor Hall, you know, how people look back on Taylor Hall, you know, in his career. And obviously, he was famously traded one for one, you know, and Adam Larson isn't in Edmonton anymore,

and he hasn't been for a while. and that was a long time ago and who knows what Taylor Hall would have turned into if he stuck around there but does Edmonton say what were we thinking? Did we make a mistake there if Taylor Hall keeps playing like this and ends up winning?

Is that a missing piece that never should have left Edmonton? Taylor Hall the way I look at it is he played with Connor McDavid and it didn't really work out. They were both going a zillion miles an hour and the team was like, I don't know if this is going to work out, so they moved off of Taylor Hall, and they felt they needed to strengthen their D. So they pulled the trigger on Taylor Hall for Adam Larson, which at the time I thought was bizarre a world.

Did anyone else that? That was a crazy trade. It was a wild trade for sure. Yeah, I mean, you know, Larson's kind of a three, four, and Taylor Hall, what always hurts is when the better player in a trade goes on and has success. Taylor Hall won a heart. He went on and won a heart. And he won a heart with 90 points, 91 points. But the argument was he had 40 more points than Heeshire at the time, right?

I think Heeshire had like 50 points. Yeah, they got into the back door into the playoffs unexpectedly. And that was a down year for, we'll call it candidates in the heart, and Taylor Hall deserved it. And it's interesting. I thought about that today, because Joe from the bridge threw it in there. What if he won the cons? What if he was up for the consmite? because he might be in there, right?

He's third in terms of odds plus $6.50 on Fanduel. So think of this. He's a big cup final and they win. He could definitely win the consmiles. So if he has a great cup final and wins the consmite, he wins a consmithe, a heart, you know, all of that type of stuff, the hardware. But my question would be, like, is there a clear cut? Like usually right now at this time, there's always a clear cut.

Right now it seems to be Mitch Marner. From Carolina, I think it's a coin talk. because how well they've played as a group. And that's the difference. Like there's no clear cut where we've seen in past years it's like, hey, it's McDavid or Bobrovsky, or it's, you know, name some guys in the last, you know, Kutrov. Yeah, Kutrov's got 30 points or 25.

Yeah, like you look at it right now. It's kind of mirrors. Taylor Hall, if he wins this, it might mirror the way that he won a heart. Very similar. Like, it's Freddie, Taylor Hall, Stan Coven, Jackson Blake, those are the four guys kind of in contention. And I think that's valid,

and I think that's a testament to what Carolina has accomplished here, that it has been more about the system, the style. And I think Rod Brindemore's got a lot of stake here in terms of his reputation and his legacy. If he can close this out and win, you know, he launches himself into that conversation of being the best coach in the league. maybe he's there already, but I think people might lean Cooper because he's got the two Cubs,

you know, or lean, you know, I don't know, Bedner or something like that, but because they've got a Stanley Cup. Or if Brindamore and the Cairns can pull this off in the style in which they've been playing, I think that's going to go a long way in boosting his legacy and what he represents in the league. But yeah, it really is, I think it's a crapshoot. I think the cons might is still up for grabs, you know, on both sides. I think mourners the pace car. I think Freddie makes sense because he's played very well and hasn't given up anything.

And, you know, when you're 12 and 1 and don't give up goals, the goal is going to get a lot of love for that and deservedly so. But, you know, I think beyond that, it really is up for grabs. I don't know who number two on Vegas would be necessarily. Maybe Carter Hart. Dorothea, maybe. Dorothea could be up there. Jack Eichol, I mean, obviously, is a name and is a guy that is more than capable of having a big. Cup final and possibly stealing something.

But, you know, we're going to find all these answers out in the next couple of weeks. We'll find out, you know, who boosted their legacy, who got the Cup, who got the Consmite, who folded in a Cup final. You know, it's kind of amazing that there's still a lot at stake here, even though 30 teams are gone. You know, 30 teams are out, and those players, their legacies aren't changing. Yet there's a team full of guys who will go up, a team that may go down, the uncertainty of the future of John Tortorella.

There's just a million storylines going into the couple. You're right about the legacy thing, Hayes, because I always think a lot about getting to the finals. And you just think, like, if I could have caught fire for 10 days, like ripped home, it seems like not doable, but, like, if I had a ripped home two hat-tricks and somehow helped care, like, it's the legacy thing is there. Instead of being a guy that led their team in scoring,

the playoffs, you're just out of it. And the other side is that you could have been a guy that helped your team win a Stanley Cup championship. Like it's massive stuff. It's crazy. Like to fight this much and get here, yet you still got to finish now. Well, there is one scenario here, and I don't disagree with what Joe put in there, but I also thought of this. If, say, Marner, who's clear cut on the Vegas side, has a great final but still loses. You could still have a consmite winner.

You see a McDavid scenario with him? He hasn't been that great. I know, but what if there's just no clear cut on Carolina where it's literally been by committee? Do you just go, oh, well, hey, we'll give it to this guy who had six goals and 14 assists. I don't know if Mitch has gone, Jesus, like McDavid did. I understand that. It was just like Taylor Hall's point total compared to the net. Like McDavid was just, his points were outrageous.

It was so dominant where he was getting no matter what. And they got back to a game seven after being down on three. But again, there's different pathways here. I'm trying to remember. It was a jiggy that won it in Anaheim when they lost. And I think Hextall in 87. Yes. And McDavid, that's it.

McDavid, yeah, there's not a lot. Maybe Vashon maybe won it. Like, I think there might have been three goalies who lost in the cup file. That's a blast from the past. I think it might have been. I don't know why I pulled that name. What do you pull a stinky old Brokeye on? I was just going to say, like, what's wrong with this guy?

Tell me I'm wrong. I feel like in like the mid-70s, I think against the flyers maybe. Dogey. Like 75 cup final. Pull up Rogi. Dude, if I pull this out, it's one of the all-time great goals. You do have an amazing callback. You do have like, oh and I laugh about it where it's like, we'll say something.

I'm like, well, wasn't that the 1978 second round, Montreal Canadians? You're like, what? Where did that come from? Dude, if this guy, if Rogie won it against Philly and 75, I will lose it. Dugie, did Rogie win it? I don't know why I'm pulling that. No, he did it, you idiot. He didn't win anything.

Just making things up. JP off the top turnbuckle just said, no, you didn't win it. You're absolutely incorrect on that. So, Haxthal, Jigare, McDavid. I guess there's only been three. But anyway, yeah, I mean, listen, it's an interesting case to make that, like, from Carolina standpoint, there isn't that clear-cut leader. I just, I don't think Marner, he has not been anywhere close to what McDavid was a couple of years ago.

I agree. And he'd have to be outrageous in the finals. You know, he'd have to have 14 points in seven games and they lose in a heartbreaker. And, you know, we'll see. I'm not holding my breath on that, though I think whoever wins ends up with a con smite. Some of the awards are starting to come out, though. Zach Werenski won the Norris. That was announced today.

I think that's deserved. I thought of a phenomenal year. The amount of minutes he played. Now, they didn't make the playoffs, which is always interesting with certain awards, right? That was one thing that I, you know, I think you're guilty of that, Hayes are getting in my head when it comes to that because I have. Like Rogi Vashon. Yeah, Rogi, that and the conspite.

No, but I do agree with you where I think it carries weight if you can get your team into the playoffs. We talked about Celebrini for Heart, and I had Celebrini for Heart, but I had him farther down because the team didn't make the playoffs. I think I had Werenski at four, which I should have had him higher technically. I may be three, but I'd have to look, but maybe he would have been higher if his team had the playoffs. That's the thing. I think I had Dahlene at one and Bouchard at two and Werenski. Dahlene had a phenomenal year. I think there's, you know, when you look at it, there's not a bad job.

choice. There was four or five guys that you could actually make an argument for and go, could see that. Lane Hudson, another one, had an unbelievable season. But, you know, in the end, you know, I don't think it's a bad choice. He's a fantastic player. He had a great year. Yeah, he had a phenomenal year. He plays a ton of minutes. Every scenario put up huge points in numbers. And in large part was the reason they were kind of knocking on the door down the stretch. So, you know, shout out to Zach Werenski for winning the Norris. All right. Eric Stahl on the show, this afternoon. We'll catch up with Eric. Obviously, he won a Stanley Cup in Carolina.

His brother is the captain of the Carolina Hurricanes. So Eric Stahl is coming up. We got Mike Johnson. We've got confirmed with deny. Jay's back in action tonight, the memorial this week. We'll get to that. And we got picks coming up. We got the NBA finals starting tomorrow.

There's a coach hiring out in Vancouver. There's a lot going on around the league. So a lot to get into today. Overdrive off and running TSN 1050 and up on TSN5. Catch everything soccer with Bell's game time. bundle. Get 5 TV with TSN plus 5150 internet, all for $99 a month. Price guaranteed for two years with a two-year internet and TV term and auto pay credit. Visit bell.ca for more details and to check availability. Bell, connection is everything. I'm Cynthia Lois and I'm Josie Dye and we're done

pretending we have it all figured out. Each week we laugh, cry and talk our way through life's messiest moments. The things you think about but would never say out loud. The questions you are always too shy to ask, relationships, regrets, awkward moments and the stuff no one warns you. about. It's honest, it's funny, and sometimes it gets a little uncomfortable. But that's kind of the point. This is Cynthia and Josie's unmentionables. Listen on the free IHeart Radio app or wherever you get your podcasts. Drive continues, powered by Fanduel, bringing you more ways to play your game, your way. Eric Stahl coming up in a few moments. We've got Mike Johnson, confirm or denying about an hour where we will ask whether or not

Mani Mulhulchra getting that gig out in Vancouver is going to have any effect on who they pick with that third pick overall. Because it is going to be a pretty wild scene considering his son Caleb is expected to go somewhere in the top five. Yeah, it'd be weird. I'm not going to lie, it would be a weird vibe. I talked about my old roommate Kevin Deneen, him playing for his dad Bill in Philadelphia back in the day. But just nowadays, it would be, and apparently that was one of the questions that was brought up in the evening. interview from Ryan Johnson. I don't know. It's a weird play because guys talk.

Guys sit on the back of the bus. They go for a beer and they talk about the coach and not everybody loves the coach. So it would definitely be a different vibe. I don't know. It's very hard too because ask Adam Lowry, who was the captain of Winnipeg and his dad. Dave took over there in an interim. Adam Lowry is an unbelievable human. Dave's a great human as well.

But it's hard because. When you're an established NHL player, or in this case, trying to be an established NHL player and your dad's the coach, like, that's a, you know, it's just another layer of, maybe pressure that you don't want. But if, knowing Manny, and I don't know if you guys know him, he's a great guy, and he's pretty laid back and very, very cerebral, very smart, I'm sure that that family would be able to handle it. Because if the kid's anything like the dad, pretty, you know, pretty soft.

it humans. It's just more about the baggage what comes with it on the outside. Yeah, and that's the difference. Like Adam Lowry had established himself in the league. Yes. I believe was already the captain. Long before Dave took. Yes.

And Dave, it was an end of the season. Paul Maurice is out. Someone's got to get us home for 20 games. Very different situation from first head coaching gig. Because it's also about Manny, too. It's not just about the kid. No, good. You're Manny Mulhulcher.

This is your first job ever as a head coach in the league. Yeah. And the next one is, like, if that kid, you go third overall to a Canadian team, that market's going to go nuts for him. Clearly, it would deserve it. But the microscope is so much different in Vancouver in 2026 than, you know, Philadelphia in 1987, whatever, I don't know, whatever it was. Yeah.

And I don't believe Kevin went third overall. all, you know, to Philly and then walked right in with his dad behind a bench. You know, it's, it just, it's an incredibly different dynamic. Does he go back to junior? Does he stay? Does Manny make a call on that? Like, I know management has to be involved. It just seems like a complicating relationship that almost feels unnecessary.

Guys study coach, like the coaches know the players and they know who's serious or not. And if there was ever an instant, and I'm not saying this would ever happen, but undeserved at power play time or something like that, the guys would be like, this guy's not a serious coach, man. That's just that guy's just out there. You know what I mean? Absolutely.

Or the opposite. Or the opposite. The kid's killing it, and Mani isn't going to play him because he doesn't want to show. They would say you're not serious too because you're just trying to prove a point, not putting them out there. It's a very difficult scenario to be in. Yeah.

How about the intangibles? Guys get caught out after curfew or something like that, you know, and he's there. Like, right? What did you see? Sorry, Dad. Who are you living with if you're 18 and in Vancouver, probably with the head coach. When you're 18 coming into the NHL and we've got a guy on the line who learned from great veterans how to conduct themselves in the National Hockey League.

Ask him. Okay. Here he is. One of the great Carolina Hurricanes of all time because of his mentors when he arrived, Eric Stahl. Is that a true statement, Eric? make sure you got a thousand bucks cash on you at all times that's great for mowedog yeah and i could i could i could still guess his uh his bank pin i could tell you it right now if you want it you want it on air i can let everybody know his pin what is it what is it

well i won't say it i won't say it so what does that mean he'd give you his card and said go get me cash is that what no i i i vividly remember going through the bank uh like through the ATM with O in the back and then I put his card in. I think I was 18 and he I was like what's what's the code he's like guess it and then so I put it in the code and I guessed it correctly and then I think that was around the time when he said you got to make sure you have a thousand bucks cash on your whole time in NHL if you're a natural leaguer I like it well it served you pretty well didn't it that kind of advice yeah I believe it yeah you never know where you're going to be and you know know who you got to make sure you're treating well.

So it was good advice. Okay. Well, O also just told us at 4 that prior to his cup final in 2002, about 48 hours before a puck drop, he played 80 holes of golf to prepare for the cup final. What was your preparation like in 06? A little different than that. We, oh, I don't know. Oh, we came right off of game 7.

So it was a game seven win at home against Buffalo. I think we started right after that. So no golf for me. I was keeping it pretty dialed at that time. As you should. Absolutely. With Eric Stahl. So we're just discussing the uniqueness of what could happen in Vancouver.

Mani Mulhawtry just got hired as the head coach with the Koducks. And his son, Caleb, is expected to be a high pick. They've got that third pick. The dynamic of, you know, a father's son kind of working together. you've dealt with it in terms of playing with your brothers before. What is that relationship like in the room? You know, like your brother, Jordan's the captain, he's obviously starting another cup pursuit tonight.

But what's it like having brothers on the team and in the room and how it kind of affects the dynamic of your relationship with your teammates? Yeah, I mean, I think brothers are probably, I would say, a little different than a father's son combination. but, you know, for us, we tried to, you know, keep it, you know, you're kind of teammates. You're in the locker room. You're brothers, but your teammates, just like you are with the rest of the guys and you, you know, you're treating everyone's the same.

And we kind of kept it that way over our times of playing together. Obviously off ice and away from the rink, you spend more time together just because of, you know, family reasons and all that that goes with it. But in the locker room, we were always. you know, similar with every other guy as we were with each other in the games. Maybe, you know, when I was with Mark and he's on defense and I was forward, we maybe yelled back and forth at each other a little bit more than with Jordan and I, just because the D are always the ones that screw things up.

And then other than that, we were pretty much, you know, similar, you know, as far as any other teammate goes. You ever have one of those brotherly pissing matches where you want to beat the hell out of each other, either in practice or in the dressing room or something like that, Stolly? No, we had a lot. I mean, even my, even when I was the old guy at the end, and Mark was too in Florida, we had, we did a little two-on-two drill, I remember, and it ended up being him versus me, and we were just, like, going at each other.

I think everyone was, I mean, we were, like, going at each other hard, but, like, kind of laughing at the same time, and, like, everybody that was. and Mo was the coach and everyone that was there was watching. Look at these two idiot old guys still going at it and being idiots in practice and just competing and whacking each other and all that kind of stuff. So yeah, we've had many of those moments. But that's what makes it fun.

That's why you're out there. You know, even when you're an old guy, you still get a little, the juices flowing and stick swing at somebody a little bit. It was a ton of fun. I missed that part. So, Eric, let's talk about the Buffalo Sabres, you know, the team that you're advising for right now. It's a massive turnaround this season, nice run in the playoffs, something to build on.

What did you see the biggest difference this year, you know, once Yarmu took over? Yeah, well, I actually, even before that, I really liked the way they were training. They had some pretty significant injuries to count of first couple months of the season. But I just think, you know, the credit to the coaching staff, they stuck with the message of continuing to push those guys to a way to play that was going to bring and it's just success. And, you know, I think they just, you know, gain confidence in, you know, a few gutty, gritty wins there in December.

And then when you start to feel that and believe that with the talent that they have and those guys can bring every day, it's, you know, it was no surprise. You know, they had, you know, a good taste of, you know, what it's going to take. You know, they put a lot of work and time. And I was proud of, you know, a lot of their leadership guys to, you know, really, you know, kind of get over

that hump of, you know, being back in the mix. And now, you know, now it's like they're hungry for more and I'm excited for, you know, for those guys this summer to push themselves and then be ready to go next year because, you know, they're going to be no longer a team kind of under the radar. They're going to be noticed. They've got enough talent and skill, but it takes more than that. And I think they just, they started to believe and understand what it takes in certain situations, what kind of game is presented. You've got to be able to play it. They had a real solid year, but, you know, bigger things ahead for those group of guys, for sure. We're chatting with Eric Stahl Cup final game one tonight, Carolina Vegas.

And I think when we talk about Buffalo throughout the year, we'd reference their speed, the pace they'd play with. You look at these two teams, they can move. You know, we've noticed just the animosity, at least from our standpoint, it doesn't seem to be there as much during the playoffs this year. I don't know if you've experienced the same thing with you watching, but is that because the game is just so fast now? Everyone is so dialed in. How would you compare the playoffs of this year maybe to the playoffs

when you got into the league 20 years ago? Yeah, I mean, I do agree with that. I think there were moments where there was some serious animosity. And I think once you get later and it gets further down the line in the playoffs, everything is so important and so magnified that, you know, there's just so much focus. Both these two teams that are here at the end are just, they're dialed, they're determined. Their leadership group, they're from their coaches down.

They have these guys prepared and ready. And, you know, it's going to take a lot to phase either team. And I think that's what you need to be at the end is a team that will be unfazed regardless. And, you know, I think it'll be a test. It'll be two really good teams to play similar styles really fast. pace. You know, I will agree. I think from 20 years ago, it's probably a little less mean with some of it around the net, but partly with that's, you know, with the rule changing and the refereeing. It's, you know, and I think it's just extremely fast, really, really competitive and fun to watch.

I mean, I think it's been a great playoff to watch, and I think this series is going to be no different. Stolly, when you played with Roddy, did you think that, I mean, nobody knew that he was going to become a coach, but I didn't see him as a head coach. I don't know why. I didn't really see it. Does this surprise you at all that he's regarded as the best coach in the league? I know you know how Hardy works and what he's all about. I just didn't kind of associate Roddy with being a head coach.

Did it surprise you? Does any of this surprise you? I mean, maybe a little bit just because, you know, the amount of effort and time and work it takes to be a head coach. But then if you say it that way, you're like, well, that's kind of Roddy and anything he does. If he's going to do it, he's going to be all in and do everything you need to do. And then you add in his work ethic and his determination. And, you know, he kind of walks the walk. And if you have those tools in the NHL in a locker room, you know, you're already ahead of the game.

And, you know, I think the guys respect him as a person and, you know, know, know what kind of player he was when he played. And then so, you know, his message is easy in that regard. And, you know, but, you know, he's been doing it a while now. And it's been really impressive. It's impressive that he hasn't wavered. It's impressive that he's, you know, continued to, you know, adjust this playoff, you know, different moments, you know, making sure his team prepared different times. So, you know, I wouldn't say I was for sure going to think he was going to be a head coach for

this long, but I don't think I'm overly surprised that now that he's in it and doing it, that he's one of the best because, you know, he's just that kind of guy. With Eric Stahl. So Jordan, again, the captain of the hurricanes playing in the cup final. What is the, what are the Stahl family rules when one of you are in a cup final? Is there interaction? Is there a group chat? Does it get quiet?

What happens? No, there's a group chat. We have a brother's four of us chat that is pretty consistent, you know, throughout the whole playoff, especially post-game and nothing like crazy. But, you know, and then Jordan and I, Mark, actually talked before this round because they're playing Vegas, and that's who we played with Florida a couple years ago. So he's kind of asking just, you know, certain things as what we did, what we'd like, they didn't like as far as travel when we were in Vegas, kind of little logistic things. But, yeah, we communicate regularly.

I'm here down in Raleigh. I'm going to be at the game the night with my family. My boys weren't going to miss it. They're like, Dad, it's like, it's like, it's not like you don't go there every year. Like, we have to be there. I was like, you're right. You're right. We got to be there.

So we'll be at the game the night. It'll be a lot of fun. We're not staying with them. My mom and dad are, but we're off on our own, kind of give him the space. We visited with him last night for a little bit with the kids, let him run around and have some fun and then kind of give him his space today, so we're staying somewhere else. He'll be dialed. He'll be ready.

He's excited. I think they're well prepared, and I just hope they start off with a good game tonight. Absolutely. Well, you guys have both got it in common. You know, you've been in Carolina for a cup final. before we get you out of you, I guess set the scene on that. What's the buzz and vibe like down there? Well, it's pretty good.

I mean, we spent a lot of today at the golf course this morning, which was a lot of fun. And then, you know, just driving back to our place, you know, a lot of people with the jerseys on already and a lot of people walking around with, you know, the flags on the cars and whatnot. And I'm sure there have been people tailgating since 9 a.m. And we're going to make our way down there here soon.

enjoy some of those festivities. A little less pressure for me, so we'll sit back and try and soak it in and just take in the environment and have some fun. Like I said, it's a special time to be playing and being in the Stanley Cup final doesn't happen all the time, so it's going to be exciting.

It's a great atmosphere. This building's one of the best as far as just how loud it is and how these fans can get going especially early. So we're going to enjoy it. Hopefully, hopefully, Jordos team can get off to a good start and get that first, first win in game one.

Thousand bucks at all times, kid. Never forget that. And thanks for doing this. Great on, boys. Be good. See Eric. Great seeing you. There's Eric Stahl.

He looked Southern relaxed. I was thinking maybe Thunder Bay, but he's... I thought he was on his porch in Thunder Bay. Like, he looked very comfortable. That's Carolina relaxed. That's what that looked like. And that's got to be a great fun. when, like, he's got a ring.

He went to a cup final, obviously, with Montreal, with Florida. But you've got your ring. He's an all-time great cane. He gets to go into the rink tonight, probably luxury sweet and hang out. You know what I'm happy about for the organization? That guys are starting to realize how awesome it is there. Like, you talk about weather, like, beautiful place to live. Like, if you're in the golf, you could, like, some of the best golf in the world.

And guys are starting to find it as a destination in the free agent market. because for a long time it was just like, oh, there's those guys down in Carolina. And, you know, guys would get traded from big markets to come down there and say, oh, this is like Mickey Mouse or that, and they wouldn't last that long. They'd always be gone. And now guys are starting to realize it's an awesome place to play. That's true. And if you look through, you can, you know, guys that sign their contracts that have no trades

or limited no trades for a while there, Carolina was on the no trade list. There's certain teams that just are always. I don't think that's the case now. With what they've built, I think it's become a destination where you look at the coach, the culture. Like you just said, all of the intangibles that come with it. But for a while there, there are certain cities that are just always on the no trade list just because of either weather taxes. You know what's involved now, Jay? And I'm not saying it never was.

And I'm not going to comment on it because I don't want to. Right, right. I don't, but the wives are like, they're, they have a bit, a lot of input on decisions like that. You want to talk about, like, as a family, they're going to a different city. If the wife says no dice, you've got a problem on your hands. Yeah. This is the way it is. The kids are a brand now.

Now, it's not, you're not just acquiring the player. You're acquiring everything that comes with it, whether if they're married or they're single, the, the parents involved, all of that type of stuff. It just wasn't that as much. when we were playing. It's now, it's a bigger money business game. Well, there's so much money now too, right? Yeah, exactly. If you get, and you got to work for it, you've earned it,

all these players have earned it, but if you can get your hands on a long-term deal, you're set, you're not just set for life. Like, it's beyond that. Yeah. So, you know. It's crazy, Hayes. You're talking about, like, there's so much money involved now.

I laugh to myself when these baseball players, like they've come out and said, we're going to fight till the end on this salary cap. Do they think the owners, like, do they think the owners, like, you want to go to battle with these guys? Go ahead. I think they're going to. Dude, they're insane. They're insane.

I hear you, but they've always done it, and it's almost like they have to, for the past generations that fought. Like, that's the sword they're going to fall on. Well, if they're smart, you know what they should do, and I'm being dead serious? They should sit down with 10 NHL players that were involved in those negotiations and sit down and put them up on a podium. and ask them questions. Jamie, like you're an example. You could be one on the do's and don'ts, and if you're being stupid like this.

Like it should be player with player. No one else, not your leader, not anyone else. Players with players, just to say, you know, because if you think you're just storming the beach and going to take down these owners, you are sadly mistaken. And what is also, James, is the owners have way more money now, too.

Like back in the day, there was some owners with some money, but it was kind of... You're not buying franchises for $200 billion anymore. Now it's $6 billion. Billions and they can fight. Mike Johnson, confirm it with the Nye. Still coming up.

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All right, Mike Johnson confirmed with an eye still to come. I guess A.J. Brown's already out there in New England, like, working with Drake May, and that's quick. Like, that's a quick turnaround. And I haven't seen anything from Miles Garrett out in L.A., but I'm sure he's there, and I'm sure he's loving life. I can guarantee you that. What a life-changing move going from... The memes are in full force, man. You know, it's going from Cleveland to L.A.

There's dudes getting out of cars, and it's... Those are the best memes of all time. Yeah. Like, L.A. is just a different world. Yeah. And if you're a superstar like him and you're making like $40 million a year. Yeah. It wasn't A.J. Brown, the dude that was reading the book on the sidelines for Philly?

Yeah, he was not happy with the way. He and Jalen Hertz. Something happened there. I know, but wasn't he the guy like he was reading the motivation? I believe so. I thought that team in Philly, the way they dismantled Casey in the Super Bowl, I was like, what the hell is going to stop these guys in the years to come? Like, they crushed Kansas City.

And manhandled them. I'm like, these guys are going to win two or three Super Bowl. Dynasty. Yeah, Dynasty of something. And I kind of am guilty of doing that every time a team wins a championship. But it just seems like their coach seems to be controversial. And then just the chemistry and the quarterback is under fire. And it all went up in smoke.

Yeah. Yet it's weird because I don't... But they still win enough games to be the semi-dominant team. Yeah, they make the playoffs basically every year. Usually they just fade down the stretch. You know, it's happened two of the last three years, I believe. Yet you say that, and I agree with you, but I don't look at Seattle as a team I expect to win again, win the Super Bowl again. Right.

And I don't know. You don't think they come back strong next year and be a team to be record with. I don't think they repeat as champs. Like they had a phenomenal season, a great team. And they dominated in that Super Bowl and actually kind of throughout the playoffs. And Sam Dornold, unbelievable. Like Unreal and McDaniel, the coach, or McDonald's the coach. Yeah, and they got a really young defense.

I just feel like someone else is coming for that crown. I don't think New England gets back to a Super Bowl this year. I don't think Seattle does. I think Casey's going to have a year. They might. They might. Now, you know, Mahomes had surgery, right? Like, he's got to get back to 100%.

I would assume he will for week one. And I'm curious how Bill's fans feel like they went out and got DJ Moore, which was kind of a polarizing acquisition. And everyone's been saying, go get a stud wide out. And then New England's like, we'll go grab A.J. Brown. And Brown, when he's healthy and motivated, can play. Like, he is a stud. So that is certainly going to help them.

And May actually put the bills in a tougher position to try to get back into competing for that division. All right, hour two coming up. Jay's in Atlanta. You got Kevin Gosman on the mound tonight. We've got game one of the cup final, game one of the NBA finals tomorrow. Confirm with an eye coming up as well. Overdrive continues up on YouTube live. You've been listening to Overdrive, powered by Fanduel.

FanDuel, bringing you everything from the opening line to the final score. Hello, Canada. This is Brian Adams Radio. Hosted by Brian Adams himself. We'll play a few of mine, a ton of my favorites, and some money. You must hear behind-the-scenes stories in the world of rock and roll. I'm coming to get to. One thing about doing rock and roll so long

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