OverDrive - OverDrive - March 26, 2026 - Hour 2 - Chris Johnston

Episode Date: March 26, 2026

Join Bryan Hayes, Jeff O'Neill and Dave Feschuk for Hour 2 on OverDrive! TSN Hockey Insider Chris Johnston joins to dive into the biggest headlines around the NHL. Plus, Hayes gives his bold predictions for the Blue Jays' season and Bryan gives his FanDuel Best Bets.

With corporate traveler, you get a dedicated travel expert and 24-7 support. So business travel feels effortless. Big meetings land. Business grows. With corporate traveler, the booking is just the start. Search corporate traveler today. I'll tell you guys what, that Ernie Clement, he was at the Leaf game last night, penned a letter to Jay's fans, just had a magical run in the fall.

that guy might own the city if he can continue to if he just if he fades away and becomes a guy that like last year wasn't reality if he's like a good player and just Charlie Hustle and the guy's just got a million dollar smile like he could own the city listen it was uh it was really kind of funny last night him and Springer win the wrong seats that was great which uh like the usher you got you got to move But, like, the usher was like, hey, get the hell out of the way. You're in the wrong seats. And, of course, the cameras caught it.

And these guys are, I don't know if it was a schick or not. But it was pretty cool to see him there. And he's a big hockey player, too. Like Ernie apparently was a really good high school hockey player. Yeah, the clips. Like, he looks like a legit player in Rochester or Buffalo wherever it was. And I think he's a bit of a stick on the course, too. Like, he can golf.

And I think he loves to tee it up. I've seen reports. I've heard reports. He is an outstanding. an outstanding golfer. So you're right. And he's not a young guy. Ernie Clon is 30 years old.

Yeah. But he was an everyday player last year, close to it the year before. He got in a lot of games the year before as well. But he had 30 hits in the playoffs. And he's kind of a like a Dustin Padrella Light. You know,

like he's not going to hit for a ton of power. And Petroia is maybe an extreme case. He won an MVP. But play second, not the biggest guy in the world. Raw, raw guy. dirt bag type, but you mean that positively, runs the base as well. Like he's going to play second every day. Jimenez is playing short, and they got these guys locked in.

Like Ernie, they've got under control for another two or three years. So you've got Kirk behind the plate, Vladia at first, Clement at second, Jimenez at short, and Okamoto at third. All of those guys are on term. So their whole infield is basically locked in. The Ernie Clemente, though, the one thing about him is there's a good chance come to six or seventh. and you're going to look at him and there's going to be dirt all over his jersey. And I think that fans, they just have an appreciation for that. He's not a guy that tiptoes around.

Obviously, the performance has to kind of be elevated and matched to get people's attention. But I think just this whole outlook, his approach, I think people got a lot of time for him. And I don't know what his status is away from the ballpark, but the bar play. Oh, I think it's relatively impressive. I would think for Ernie. Yeah, Ernie Clement. Hey, listen, man, you make it to a World Series and you play the way he played.

It was incredible. Again, his stats, his numbers, 30 hits in the playoffs is absurd. It's crazy. Every single night, he was two for four, three for five, every single night. Big hit after big hit after big hit. And, you know, he's not a guy that's going to hit

high up the lineup. He's going to hit seventh. He's going to hit eighth. But that's a big part of him. rolling the lineup over, right? Like if Bichette is not here as we know and there's concerns like what's the offense going to look like this year, maybe compared to last year,

a lot of it is they're going to need Clement and Jimenez and you know, guys they're hitting later in the order to kind of roll it over to Springer and get it back up to Vladi and that's how you keep the engine rolling, man. That's how the best offenses always work. Yeah.

There's no, there's no like, you know, black holes, so to speak, in the lineup. And that's, and that's the only concern is like, you know, can you sort of, there was a certain magic to that team last year. Like, and let's not forget, they had a slow start to the year and there was, there wasn't a lot of expectation and a lot of people were writing them off in May, right? They were terrible. Yeah.

And so, you know, there was, like, can you kind of recapture that, right? Like, you're not going to recapture 30 hits in a postseason. You can almost guarantee that. No, he's not, he's not going to win an MVP or anything like that. Right. But can you, can you hit close to 300? Right. You know, can you get it on base?

set a decent clip. You know, can you push 180 plus hits in a season? Something like that. Is that possible? And let's not forget the year before guys. Like,

O'Dag, remember the year before, this was a team that had terrible luck with runners on base. They just couldn't knock anybody in. Awful. Last year at all, everything went there way.

Everything worked out. That was the year they literally couldn't hit one out of the infield. Yeah. Everything was a dribbler. Least clutch team in baseball. Now, David Popkins coming on as the hitting coach

was a massive shift in the organization. Yes. And it's worked out beautifully. 1-0 Italy, for those wondering. Joe from the bridge. Literally streaking through the halls of the Bresne. Yeah, so they're up 1-0,

so I guess it's looking pretty good for Italy, possibly to be in Toronto for opening night. Well, they've got to win two, though. Yes, they've got to go likely through whales, although that game's on going right now. I don't know exactly what's happening in that. Anyway, Leaves have won back-to-back games. We've got a bunch of games in the NHL tonight.

Here's our TSN Hockey Insider, is trying the Maple Toyota Hotline. There he is, Chris Johnston. How are you doing, CJ? I'm doing well, guys. How are you? Well, we're doing well. We're doing well, because the Leafs now are on a bit of a heater. They've won two games in a row.

Yeah, the old useless heater. The old heater. The gold tending, though, the last two nights has been great. You know, they played really well in Boston, to their credit. They played very well, but so did Stollars. Wall was phenomenal last night. How do you project? the goaltending

shuffled to play out here for the Leafs with the guys in the miners who they've signed to extensions and obviously they have some faith in their NHL futures Stolar's wall both on term both injury kind of labeled players

what do you see happening here with the gold tending moving forward well I think it's certainly an area of depth for them and an area where you know look goaltending trades don't tend to bring back a lot in return and that will

probably dictate in part what they do in the offseason, but I think they can at least get into conversations with other teams to see if, you know, does somebody want an Anthony Stolars or Joseph Wall? And, you know, I do think when we're talking about where the Leaps can look to find some gains, that that's a potential avenue for them to go down because, you know, they do feel good about Dennis Hildeby and where he's at. Obviously, he needs waivers next season. So there's, you know, that aspect of things that will need to be factored in ultimately. And so, you know, this is, it's, if you're looking for a good news part of the organization, I think it is the goal tending. You know, unfortunately at the start of this year, both wool and stole ours for different

reasons missed, you know, quite a bit of time. They, they were part of, you know, probably not getting the team off to the kind of start they needed to. And, you know, obviously they find themselves where they are now. But they're both signed, you know, for the foreseeable future. They like Hildaby. And I, I do think it's notable that, you know, Actamov, who's right now the fourth goal in the system, did sign recently a new extension. Just the timing of that, you know, made me think that they're at least positioning themselves if they move one of the guys at the top, that they're pretty well insulated below them. C.J, we were speaking at the top of the show about, you know, it's the NHL, you've got to have some pride and, you know, try to put forth efforts, but what is the reason

for Hill to be not playing in, like, carrying the load down the stretch, possibly shutting guys down. I mean, both of the goaltenders have been injury prone. Why not, why put them through the ringer coming down the stretch that doesn't mean anything? Other players got to be nicked up. Why is everyone still

going out there every night, I guess? Are you thinking that by putting Hildaby in, they'd be increasing their odds of losing the games? Is that kind of the... I'm not, so why not get him some experience? These games don't mean squat. Well, I mean, he played, what, 15 games earlier in the year?

You know, it's a fair enough point. Look, they have two more call-ups that they can make under the rules. So there's some limitations there. And, you know, obviously, I think they want the Marleys to, you know, be competitive as well. And so there's definitely a balance. You know, we've seen them call up a couple forwards and, you know, be playing the Quillan and Bull grew here for a little while. And, you know, I would think as things get a little closer to the end, you'll see a bit more of it. But, look, I mean, the least, it's a no-win spot.

I feel like for the organization right now. I mean, they didn't expect clearly to be this low in the standings. There's still so many games left even at this point. I mean, we're getting towards the end, but three busy weeks still before the end of the regular season. And, you know, you also need your NHL players, you know, being willing to not play, which is, you know, not something I think too many of them are willing to do necessarily.

So it's just kind of this weird time where we know they're playing out the string and the rules of the league. You know, it's not like September and baseball, where teams that are out of it can call up everybody. I mean, the NHL doesn't work that way, and so there's some limitations there as well. CJ, we were talking about the hard luck of the Ottawa senators to find out that Shabbat, you know,

is going to need surgery, had surgery on the broken forearm from the J.T. Miller cross-check, and they're so depleted on the back end, and yet, you know, the other night they hold the Rangers that 10 shots on goal, they continue to play a very effective button-down style of defensive hockey. As you watch them sort of go down the stretch, so depleted on the back end,

what's your feeling about whether they're going to be able to sneak in or not? I feel pretty good that they're going to get in, just because their form has been so good. You know, they consistently just out-shooting out-chanting teams, doing the things you need to have success. They've obviously won a lot of games to climb back into it and actually, you know, get into a wild-card spot now. And, you know, the teams are going up against, you know,

kind of faded off, right? Detroit hasn't been nearly as good. Boston's, you know, I know they got to win last night in Buffalo, but they've kind of not looked as strong here in the last little while. So I think Ottawa's well positioned, even with the injuries to get in there. But this loss of Shabbat, I mean, there's no positive spin to be put on that. You know, the fact that they say it could be four, six or eight weeks, that's the first round, the second round or the third round,

depending on where he lands on that timeline. And so, you know, that's a lot to ask, I think, you know, whether they can go on a playoff front, if he's not able to be available on the lower end of that timeline, just because he soaks up so many minutes for them. Obviously, their blue line, you know, Jake Sanderson's getting close to his return here in the next few days or early next week. So, you know, that's a positive. But this is the kind of injury, I think, that could maybe limit what they can do once you get in the playoffs. But that being said, the East is, in my eye, still pretty wide open this year.

And, you know, I think Ottawa will benefit from the experience they had in last year's playoffs going up again. against the Leafs and then taking that thing to six games after pulling behind three-nob things. So I actually think they're a dangerous team if they do get in there. Where does Travis Green fit on your coach of the year ballot if you had one? I don't have one. And it's funny, I've been wrestling with this a little bit. Like, I think he should be in the mix. You know, it's a bit of a tough year, right?

You've had Buffalo, you know, clearly Lindy Rough, to me, would be the favorite. You know, not only just as this team about to end a 14-year playoff drought, but, you know, they're ending it with an exclamation point. They could win the Atlantic Division, depending how this last couple weeks goes. And it's been such a dramatic turnaround from last year. Rick Bonas is hired by Columbus in January. They've, you know, lost like three games in regulation in a couple months. You know, they've charged into a playoff spot.

So I think, you know, he's going to be part of it. I think John Cooper, it's, you know, it's almost, you have to scratch your head that he hasn't won a coach of the year. But, you know, Tampa's played it through a lot of different injuries and issues this season. and, you know, they conversely could still win the Atlantic, depending how things go with the saver. So I think he should be out there. You got Bednar.

So to me, it's a year where there actually are quite a few compelling candidates. So I'd probably put Travis Green somewhere, like if I had to order them, probably around fifth. And there's only three finalists. But, you know, that's not to in any way, shape, or form, you know, take away from his season. I just think there's, you know, this tends to be a bit of a narrative-driven award. even if you look across history, it's usually find the guy who's got a really good goalie, which has not been Travis Green's thing this year.

You know, goaltending, if anything, is the only reason the senators aren't comfortably in a playoff spot right now, I'd say. But, you know, I do think he's just got a few other names ahead of him that'll probably squeeze him out in terms of being a finalist for that trophy. CJ, we joke around with it sometimes, but, like, is Kevin Adams going to get GM of the Year award, like, talk? because if Lindy Ruff is the runaway coach of the year,

or that's the way people are talking right now, or the favorite, like Yarmal Kekhalainen hasn't exactly, he just took over the team when they started winning. Like, where does this all leave Kevin Adams at all of this? It's really a bizarre scenario. Yeah, I can't, is, can you guys think of anything equivalent to this?

Like, I don't, there's nothing in the recent memory that I can recall to even equate this to. And you're right. I mean, he'll probably get some votes. You know, we see some cheeky votes sometimes when it comes to the GM of the year award. If nothing else, though, I think he should be getting attention, you know, with some job openings. And we'll see what happens after the season and, you know, how many seats will be opened up. You know, we know they're doing a search right now in Nashville for general manager.

And, you know, I think if nothing else, Kevin Adams can point to the fact that he built this roster. He made the most critical and important personnel decisions that put this team in place. and the winning, you know, they actually started this, the win streak initially, you know, just before he was fired. I think they won two or three games right before he was immediately fired and they didn't lose again for about a month after that. So, you know, I do, I do think that it's probably got to be a little bittersweet if you're Kevin. I haven't spoken to him since he lost his job, but I can imagine it must be tough watching this all happen because he put so much work into getting the team to this stage. But, you know, if there's a positive side of that, I just can't imagine he's out of work. too long because, you know, I think we were seeing that he had to make some tough decisions

during his time in Buffalo, and that really is his roster. I know Kecklein and, you know, brought in a couple of defensemen, you know, brought in Sam Carrick at the deadline, but I mean, he made depth moves at the deadline that the team, for all intents and purposes is the one that Kevin Adams put together. With Chris Johnston. So we got a few big games in the NHL tonight, including Vegas at home against Edmonton. And I referenced the stat I saw last night that Vegas, according to Sin bin Vegas covers the Golden Knights. What is Sin Ben? I don't know.

You know, Sin City and it's just a name on Twitter. The Golden Knights now lead the NHL and time spent trailing. Vegas has been behind for 1,845 minutes. Vancouver is the only other team within 100 minutes of Vegas. So they're worse than Vancouver. Now they used Marner's picture to illustrate this problem, which I found somewhat comical. Put it up again, Joe. Let's see you have a little.

It is kind of, and it's, of course, it's not a flattery picture of Mitch. It's a classic Mitch in the penalty box after shooting a puck over the glass. But we ran him out of town, Hayes. Exactly, exactly. The big bad, the Toronto media somehow is responsible for using Marners. Joe from the Bridges watching the Italy game. They're up 1-0, so I don't even think he's paying attention. But where does Marner fall in line in the, you know, taking the bullets in Vegas if this continues to go awry?

Like they're likely to make the playoffs. But if they do and they go out quick, that's a team that I think will have a reaction. Like that owner will freak and the GM will do something about it. Like where does Marner fall in line with fitting in and being a part of the problem, the solution? Where do things stand with Mitch and Vegas and their future if this continues to fall off a cliff for them? Yeah, well, Mitch Marner doesn't deserve too much of the blame for them, that leading in games. I mean, he doesn't wear goal-tending pads.

You know, I think really that's a team that's had a tough time getting a save all year. And, you know, obviously a lot of things go into trailing. I mean, you're not producing enough offense to get a lead back or get the game back to zero. But, you know, they've found themselves behind, I think, you know, predominantly because they're not getting enough saves. They're not playing at the same level defensively. They've also lost Alex Petrangelo before this season. He was a rock on their blue line for a number of years.

And so, you know, I actually don't think. it's going to, you know, in a new environment, you know, it's a different way Mitch is viewed, obviously in Vegas. It's not as emotional for people there. I don't think he's going to get very many of the arrows at all, quite frankly. I mean, you know, he's been among their more consistent performers. He's been healthy. He's played. You know, his point production is off a little bit from last season, but he still put up pretty fair numbers for that team. And I think, you know, maybe he hasn't tilted the game as much as some fans would want, but he's been pretty darn good. I think he's earned his paycheck.

You know, they've had other failings. I think really their blue line is not the same as it once was. And as I mentioned, the goaltending's held them back. And so, you know, it's a weird year, though. I mean, their core is getting older. They've got a ton of good players. I don't think they're falling off a cliff here by any means,

you know, moving forward. But, you know, this has been an eye-opening season. And, you know, it's another year older for guys like Mark Stone, who unfortunately has been out a little bit with injury again this year, as he has a number of the most recent years. Jack Eichael adds another year on. And so if they aren't able to get things together and go on and run the Pacific Division,

I agree with you, there'll be changes. I don't know if they've come with the coaching staff. Certainly there'll be some decisions on the roster. But I don't think you're likely to hear a whole lot of criticism specifically around Mitch because I think on the list of problems they have, he's nowhere to be found at this point. CJ, there seems to always be in the National Hockey League of Market Correction. Tampa Bay Lightning, they weren't very tough, they weren't very physical. They went and got all those guys that won a couple Stanley Cups.

Your team can't defend. You get some shutdown D-Man. You're not tough. You get fighters. What the hell is going to be the market correction? Because how many teams have we talked about that we're saying can't get a save all year? How is there going to be a market correction for everybody having a crappy goaltender? I don't know because there's almost no free agents in the goaltending position.

I mean, Sergey Bobrovsky is the biggest. name and we'll see like if i'm sergey brabaraovsky even though things haven't gone well i just can't really imagine him willingly leaving florida but you know we'll see how that plays out but he's a pending uf a right now but beyond him there's there's almost nobody i mean most of the players that that could have been uf a mean even anthony stolars at the start of the season signed his extension in toronto you know he would have been one of the ufas and there's just not many guys around the league so you know if anything odog it makes me think this might not be the worst kind of in environment, if the Leafs do end up deciding to move on from one of their goalies,

that there'll be teams out there looking for upgrades. Now, you know, but it's tough. Basically, I mean, if you don't have one of the five or six, you know, Sorokans, Helibucks, you know, the proven guys Vasilevsky that are at the top of the league every year and consistently making a difference, you know, I think every team elsewhere feels like they're rolling the dice. I mean, we, not to pick on them at this point, because I know it's the same. discussed that nauseam, but look at the Edmonton Oilers. After getting to two cups, after

Connor McDavid gives them a break on that extension, you know, they've still had a difficult time improving the goalie position. And, you know, you might sit here and argue that they're worse off right now entering this year's playoffs than they were in the last two seasons. So, you know, I think we'll probably have to see more trades because I don't see solutions out there that are easy just to throw pure money at and free agency. And, you know, that could benefit a team like the Leafs, you know, could have a player to move. Well, that's good news for the Leaf, C.J. Bad news for the Tampa Bay Lightning.

We've been talking about how they've been, one of the great stories of the league, and Cooper should probably get some run as a coach of the year candidate. Victor Hedman, taking a leave of absence. It was announced today for, you know, an unknown amount of time for unknown reasons. This is a year where he's missed 30-something games to injury,

and, you know, he's getting up there in years, CJ. But he still is, you know, the captain of the team and a linchpin to their plans, I'm sure. What do you make of it? And what can we expect going forward? Well, one of the nicest stories probably in the league right now is Darren Radish, who's not a known commodity, but is that 20 goals as a defenseman a little over 60 points. And, you know, part of the way he's gotten there is that he's been the main fill-in for Victor Edmund,

for all those games that you mentioned, Dave, that Victor's missed this year. You know, he stepped in on the power play and has at least been able to pick things up. you know, in terms of producing offense, distributing the puck from the back end. So I think that's been a positive story for the lightning. But there's no good way to say that the lightning are in a better spot if Victor is out for any meaningful amount of time. And, you know, the difficult thing for us, of course, is, you know, the lightning in the statement when they announced that he was taking that leave of absence, basically said there'll be no information provided. You know, don't ask us any questions about it. It's a private matter. So, you know, it's hard to know, and I certainly don't want to guess at how long he's going to be out for.

and what the nature of what he's dealing with is to step away from the team. But, you know, it's been just one of those seasons in Tampa. I mean, part of it's, they have a veteran roster. I think when you have an older team, you have to expect there's going to be injuries and things that happen. But they've played a lot of games this year without Edmund, without McDonough. You know, their forwards, obviously, that you had Sorrelli and Braden Point both miss the Olympics after being named to Team Canada.

You know, I watched their game last Saturday in Edmonton. Sirelli left the game at one point. Hangel left the game at one point. They both came back, but it just gives you the impression that, you know, this is a pretty veteran team that's already, you know, weathered a lot of, you know, a lot of mileage this year. And they're probably the best team in the Eastern Conference on paper. And if you look at things like the underlying numbers, I think suggests that Tampa's

would be poised for the kind of run to get back to a Stanley Cup final. But, you know, there's circumstances that could get in a way of that. And I think one of them would be headman not being able to get back and be part of their lineup and part of their success. So it's a big story, but it's hard to know where it's going, because I don't know how long he's going to be out for. Well, and if he is out, I mean, as of now, it would be Montreal Tampa in the first round. And it does seem like Tampa's that one team that no one really wants to play because of their history, because of their goaltender. But, you know, where do you stand on Montreal here?

They're by no means a lock to make it. They're in a good position. But they had the playoff experience from a year ago. You referenced Ottawa's experience from a year ago. How much do you think it's worth for the HABs? And, you know, everyone seems to have a different viewpoint on what the expectation should be or what the limit could be come playoff time for them. Yeah, I mean, look, there's more expectation this year. I mean, last year they were just sort of happy to get in, right? They got in on the last game of the season and, you know, had a series with Washington. And everyone viewed that as a stepping, you know, point forward from where they had been. Now, you know, I do think that there's some hope or

expectation will be a little more competitive. when they get to the playoffs. For me, the big question there, and I feel like I'm really, good thing Noodles isn't on with you guys today because I'm banging on the goalies a lot, but, you know, what kind of goaltending is Montreal going to get in a playoff series?

I mean, you know, Dovish has put up good numbers if you look at the win column, maybe less good numbers if you keep scrolling across the page and see, say, percentage, and, you know, where he ranks compared to his peers and things like that. You know, they've got a prospect they love in Jacob Fowler, who's played a bit this year,

but he's 21 years old. Can you go with a rookie goalie? Would they go with the rookie goalie? I think that's going to be a huge question for Marty San Luis and the Havs as they get into the playoff environment. And then if you come up against a team like Tampa, which has Andre Vasselowski, I mean, you're clearly going to be in the number two position

of the two teams on the ice just when it comes to having the best goalies. So, you know, it could end up being a one and done for them depending on matchup. But, you know, I like what I've seen from their team. You know, you've really seen guys like calls, Offield, Slefkowski, even the Suzuki, you know, it takes steps forward this year. Their productions up and, you know, it feels like they got quite honestly a little bit of something special.

They come back a lot in games. They just have sort of that vibe about them. So, you know, I think if everything comes together, I could see them going on at least a mini run. I don't see them as a true contender just yet, but it's a team headed in the right direction that's being driven by young players that I think are only going to get better and better and better in the years to come. CJ, is it a blessing or a curse for Jacob Fowler that franchise legend

Kerry Price comes out the other day on a podcast hosted by, I believe, Julie Petrie and Kat To Foley and says the goaltender that reminds him the most of himself is Jacob Fowler. Oh, boy. No pressure, kid, right? I mean, it's got to be nice to have that confidence, but it does come with a little bit of expectation. You know, when fans hear that, what are you going to think? I mean, I'm sure there's a lot of fans in Montreal and around Quebec that are clamoring for this guy to be the guy.

I mean, the oldest of those fans will remember that Ken Dryden once helped the Canadians win a Stanley Cup as a rookie goalie. Maybe the next generation down, remember that Patrick Waugh once did it in 1986 as a rookie goalie. I mean, they did throw carry price between the pipes. I know they didn't win a Stanley Cup with him as their goaltender, but certainly wasn't his fault. Any of the long runs they had, he was in the middle of it all. And so, you know, it's been kind of a special organization for goalies. And, you know, I do know there's a lot of hype around the kid. I'm sure that's one thing that the organization is trying to manage.

And, you know, when you have a franchise legend say that, I'm sure Kerry meant well by those words. But probably does up the expectations on them just a bit. Carrie had to have known where those comments were going to go. Like, you can't blurt that out and this think there's going to be nothing to it. Like, that's Carrie Price, man. You know, sometimes maybe you're doing a podcast. You almost feel like you're talking to your friends

and you forget that it's going to be blared loudly. I don't know what was going on there. Kerry doesn't give a lot of interviews, so his words carry even more weight because he doesn't say a lot in that public forum either. Yeah, and maybe he's just being honest. That is hopefully the case if you're a Hab fan, or if you're a foul or for that matter.

All right, CJ, good stuff, man. Thanks for doing this. We'll do it again soon. Right on, boys. There he is Chris Johnston, our TSN Hockey Insider, joining us on the Maple Toyota hotline. Red Tag days are here with the all-electric Toyota BZ. Goes from zero to 100.

In just 5.1 seconds in charges from 10 to 80 percent, just 30 minutes dropped by Maple Toyota today. In reality, this may not help in terms of the pressure and having to handle all of that if you're Fowler. But that market, that's what they're used to. From Dryden into Waugh, into Theodore, into price, you know, Halak prior to that. Like, that's what they expect.

That's, they've had great, great goaltending for 55 years. Well, look at that run, the least goaltenders were like Cujo, Eddie Belfour. Like, that was a pretty good run, too. Grant Fier was here. Like, that Grant Fier, Felix Potvin, like, that's a pretty good run of gold tend. Not drafted, by the way. Felix was. Felix was, yeah.

No, you're right, though. Grant Fure was early 90s and then into Potvin, into Coojo. And, me and Jamie talk all the time. It's like the run of Mike Richter into the king, Henrik Lundquist, into Schisturkin, all like drafted by the team. Like, what a run. Yeah, that's what keeps, it can keep you afloat. Oh.

Like it's like a great quarterback. Yes. The same thing. If you go from Favre into Rogers, maybe into love, like that's going to put you in a very good position to win. Maybe we get into that a little bit tomorrow. the best runs at one position for an organization. That New York Ranger goaltender has got to be up there.

Richter Lundquist Schisturkin, Favre Rogers Love. Yeah, we'd have to determine how many links in the chain do there have to be. Does it have to be three? That would be three minimum probably, right? I think it's all got to be drafted too, like your own players. I don't think it's like trade. Right. but you know what I'm saying?

If you go two, you could go Mario into Sid. That's a strong one. That's 40 years of Mario into Sid, but they don't have a third link. There was no one before Mario, and there's no one really common after Sid. But he wasn't there before Lemieux. Yeah.

It was more like Mario and Yonker and Sid. I know, but we're talking about like, yeah, it's not the same thing. You can only have one quarterback play. You know, it's, I don't know. Three links is tough. Because I don't think they would count, like,

driving into Waugh into Price. Didn't really. He left in 96. Price guy. Yeah, he got drafted 10 years after Patrick left. It's tougher if you have to overlap him, you know, like. Overlapping is tough. It's tough.

Don't forget Steve Penny in Montreal. He was my favorite goalie. Steve Penny. Why was he your favorite? Shout out. I don't know. Me and my cousins used to draw goalies all the time. We drew Steve Penny all the time.

Love it. Okay. All right. There's Donnie Edwards, too, and then he ended up being my goalie coach, Vez. Nice. Did he win a Vezna? Is that why that was his nickname? I called him that.

Remember, he was the guy he said, hey, Dale, dog, you want to tee it up one day, and he showed up and he looked like a senior tour player, man. Gorgeous slacks. He was a good player, too, wasn't he? Did he say it was sick? Sick. I love golfing with Donnie Edwards, man. He was sick.

Yeah. They just catch you off guard, and they show up. You're like this guy knows how to play golf. Dude, out of the blue, never even knew he liked golf whatsoever. A little whisper, eh, you want to tee it up later? Yep, see you on the tee. He showed up, and this guy is just Don Johnson and Tin Cup, dialed to the nines. Just moving his golf ball all over the ball.

Oh, fades, draws, putting, shipping. Like he was a senior tour player, man. I love guys like that that just can literally, like, hit a cut into a draw. Dude, like any T-shot called for. This is my goalie coach out there, like, wheeling and dealing. And you know that the tour golf pants old school with no belt? They just had to strap that one earlier? Oh, wow.

Dude, he totally dialed. I love Donnie Edwards. What a legend. Yeah. All right, best bet still to come. Overdrive continues. TSN 1050 and up on TSN4. All right, Best Bet's powered by Fandrel later in the hour.

Joe from the bridge is literally going to come streaking through the studio. soon because Italy's up 2-0 on Northern Ireland, so Italy's going to get through to the next round, and if they win the next round, then they're coming to Toronto for the World Cup. I always ask Kilbane we talk about this. Like,

Ireland just forget about soccer? Like, they're never good. Well, the Republic of Ireland is also playing right now. This is like McElroy's watching this and not in a very good place with Northern Ireland losing. But the Republic of Ireland is playing

Kecky Checky and they're tied actually two, two. They're in extra time right now. So yeah, you're right. Kilvan needs to figure it out. Somehow it's Kevin's problem. But, yeah, I don't know. Listen, Ireland's not a big country, man.

It's tough to get out of Europe, right? I guess. We talk about the Leafs having too much pressure on them, but how about if you're whales, playing in Wales, tied an extra time, and if you lose, you're not going to the World Cup. Like that's... Right. They got Bosnia playing there right now.

And you're heavily favored. heavily favored, heavily favored. So there's a lot of action going on right now as we're getting closer to the real stuff. World Cup is like just over 75 days away. So yeah, we're looking forward to it. Alastair Johnston's going to be in here tomorrow. So we're looking forward to catching up with him.

He'll be in studio. Jay's in action tomorrow starting their season. I have five bold predictions. Now, admittedly, these are Uber positive. Again, we talked about it earlier. It's just I think that's where the, vibe of the team is the fan base is right now it's tough to poke or positive where you're going to be like holy what a fluff list this is um yes yes it is yeah so that's why i'm somewhat reluctant

to really go forward with it but i just want to say but like if i had a list one of them would be one of the golden boys and i don't know who which one it would be that had the magical fall is going to turn into a pumpkin yeah Not everybody. No, you're right. Not everybody can be awesome every night. Like somebody's going to take a step back and be like, this is reality. Well, that's the truth.

I mean, you look at it. Ernie Clement, Nathan Lucas had a great year last year. He was 32 years old. Yes. You know, Addison Barger has the makings of being a stud. Like, he looks great. But he's got to do it for a full season. I know.

I'm very, like I'm excited. I've got to say, Ernie Clements, like Cinderella story to that Barger, Yes. He is a moose. I want to see him because he just, he had a look to him some at bats last year where you're just like, what is the limitations for this guy? He could go nuts.

Yeah, he really could. I mean, he mashed right-handed hitting last year. And that was the thing, like Schneider did a really good job of, like they manipulated their lineup all like daily. And throughout the game, they went to their bench a lot. And, you know, it's going to be a little bit different this year. but he's a guy. I'm curious if he can play every day.

They were obviously reluctant to do that in the past, but he's a guy. I'd stuff him in right field and say, you're playing, man. Yeah. Like, I don't care who's on the mountain, you're playing. I think you have to.

Yeah. Like, if he's got that type of talent and those type of capabilities, let him play. But, yeah, it's an Uber positive list. Okay. I mean, let me make sure that I describe it that way. And that's why they're called...

Don't back down on it. Well, they're called bold predictions for a reason. Like if I'm doing room temperature predictions, then I'll say, ah, Vladdy's going to be very good this year. Let's just leave it like this. You're going to come up with your list, and me and Fastchuk have the right to carve you after. Sure, go ahead. All right.

Number five, Dalton Bar Show has 30-plus home runs this year. Whoa. Okay. Now, he's in a contract year. When he was healthy last year, he was mashing. I know, dude, but he's like Serrano. He can't hit the curve. I understand.

He's got some issues with certain pitches. Do you remember in the playoffs with the curve? Like he was It was outrageous to watch And he is the definition Obviously of a pull hitter You know We don't need to revisit the ICF

And ninth inning All over again But you know It sounds as if they're going to possibly Hit him second in the lineup We'll see how long that last I don't know But that's going to lead to possibly more at bats

If he stays healthy It's a contract year Yeah He is capable of hitting I think his career has like 27 It's not I'm not saying he's going to hit 50 here, 30 plus for Varsho.

You guys are going to challenge me on that? I mean, he's never... That's a bold prediction. He's never done it. We'll start there. Okay. He's never done it. I mean, last year you could argue he had 20 and 71 games.

Yes, exactly. So that's pretty much a 30 home run season if he's halfway healthy. I'll give you that. I'll give you Varshow at 30. But Vladdy hit 23 last year. How does this guy just... Well, that's on Vladdy. That's not on Varsho.

Like you said, it's an ultra-optimistic kind of... Okay. So you guys are going to let that one fluff pass. That'll fluff pass. I'm not actually going to call. I'm not buying that one. Okay. All right.

Here's the next fluff piece. Best Chuck texts me. He told me he thinks that one stunk, but he didn't want to say it on there. That's because I'm in the room with him. George Springer will sign a multi-year extension with the Jays. Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. What are we talking about here?

He was their best player last year. I'm all in on this. I'm all in on this because he's, you know Georgie boy is saying, I have another good. Feschuk's digging up some numbers right now. Well, listen, part of the last, though, the previous two years, he was a disaster. I'm checking my notes here. He's 36 years old.

Yes, he's 37. It'll be 37 in September. I think he has a good year and gets a two-year deal out of it. That's what I'm saying. I'm not saying it's a five-year deal, six or seven. You go any more than two? You're nuts. Two-year extension, maybe three.

Yeah. He has another great year. It'll be three. He'll get a third year, and they'll pay him until 40. And he's going to be there, David Ortiz. you dh every day you're the vibes guy you've won before that's what he is he's a lead off right right-handed hitting david ortees yeah you know what yeah when we were on with ross like ross indicated that he wants that to happen there's negotiations they're separate and they're private but you know

the vibe we got i like how ross described those he's like yeah well we have conversation I don't know what's agree to that. Yeah, we know, Ross. We're pretty certain you weren't going to reveal it to us. But I think this is a way you can get yourself in trouble as a franchise. When you start awarding guys' lifetime achievement contracts. You got to know when to walk away, man. That's very valid.

Okay. Puff piece number three, all right? Puff piece number three. Jeff Hoffman will be the closer post-trade deadline. Closer of the team post-trade deadline. You know what? I'm going to jump on the puffy train, and I'm going to say he rebounds. and he's counted on and he's the guy.

Shoot, chew. Right through the, right through Pufftown. You know what? It's plausible because the whole band base didn't think he'd be the closer after last year's trade deadline. Right. And he was the closer after last year's trade deadline. I still can't believe Rojas hit that ball out.

Like that one, I know Ross would give us an answer of like what's popped up into it. It has to be Rojas hitting the home run. But it's not like everybody didn't see it coming. Nobody wanted this guy to be the closer. Everybody that watched him pitch, but we could really use another closer. He'd probably be a lot better in another inning other than the last. It was an interesting comment where you say,

after the way that ended, he was like, our confidence couldn't be any higher. I'm like, really? It could. It's the only option they have. It has to be high right now. I mean, the guy, they don't have anyone else that screams closer. Barland's not a closer.

Rogers isn't who they acquired. And it's not easy to find one. No, it's not. Okay. Number two, this one is where we start to get a little bit. Here's where we get really puffy. By the end of the season, Cody Ponce will be the staff ace. What are you on trucks?

He'll have the best stuff, the best numbers. If they make the playoffs, your game one starter, if they could time it out, Cody Pons. He was pitching in Korea last year. I know that. He's the MVP of the Korean League. His numbers have been phenomenal in the spring. I'm not. I'm calling you out on this.

is electric. Puff page. Dude, what? It's a full prediction. It's a puff. Who else? They don't have another guy who screamed.

Now, you're Savage, you could say screams aes. Yes. Bieber when he won a, of Sy Young screamed ace. He's not in that world anymore. Opening day starter, Kevin Gosman. Gosman is not an ace, though. He's not like a, you know, he's not a scubel ace. He's not a crochet ace.

They don't have one of those. I'm saying maybe Ponce is that he's not going to be scubel or, you know. anything of that nature. That take is fluffier than a hockey bag full of free merchandise that O'Dog is going to have scone with out of the Blue Jays locker room. The doors open for Cody Ponce. Three-year deal.

Dude, I'd love it if it happens. As you said, Gosman's getting a little bit older. Who knows what he's got in the tank? They need it. Burrios is just the big question mark. He's not a part of their future. Yeah, I don't see it. I don't see it. I mean, CIS is a guy that he's got elite stuff

and they paid him a lot and he's going to Ponce bypass C-Sys, I totally forgot about that. I understand. It's a bold, puffy prediction. I like how C-Sys does that last, that nasty, that nasty little kind of tiny tucking go right before he throws it. Oh, yeah. He's got a stash going, like he's got everything cooking.

It's a brilliant taking a lot of ways because he's been, hasn't been in the major league since, what, 20-22 or 21? Yeah, 21, I think. And he got ran out of the league. Yeah. Like, it was ugly. So it would be a hell of a story. That's what I'm saying.

It's, Todd. I love the way you just. I just said this guy is going to be the ace of the staff, and then you follow it up with. He got ran out of the league, and it was ugly. The guy was in Korea, picture. He made himself over. He was in Japan. He was in Korea.

But he was good there. Korean MVP. Yeah. Yeah, absolutely. I'm all in on the Cody Ponce train here, the Puff piece train. All right, here we go. The fifth puff piece, bold prediction. I know what this.

Can I guess this one? Yeah, go ahead. Vladdy hits 50 home runs and is in contention for the AL MVP. Not contention. wins. Gladdy wins. Gladdy wins, ALMVP. Wow.

Challenge me on it. Screw it. You and Buster. Buster had that this morning on Carlo and A.K. Buster and Hayes. Buster and Hayes. Buster and Hayes, new pod coming out. Shout out.

I am going to totally agree with you on this podcast. See? There you go. Because there is a chance that once a guy like has that competitive experience in the playoffs and he turns into that guy, he just takes off and runs with it and maybe Vladdy is just like right ready to go in prime beast mode I'm totally buying into it I want to see it and what everyone's on board with these you guys are carving me for being Uber positive and everyone's seeing out of eye are you getting a text from your dad no I'm just you were

the one that was being critical to begin with and now I thought you're going to go crazy outside of Cody pawns is a stretch you're in you're all in on everything else I've been saying I mean there's a lot look I mean We're saying this hates it. Judges 0 for 5 last night. That's the four strikeouts. Adjusting the lines. But I mean, you look at it. There's a lot of guys that are probably ahead of him in line.

I mean, possibly. Bobby Witt, Jr., you got Roder. Rally, the dumper. Yeah, the dumper. I mean. But Vladia is. He's in the mix. And he's in his prime now, right?

Like he is officially hitting prime, Vladian. It's going to come down to power numbers. You're not winning the MVP if you hit 25 home runs. like that was proven last year with Raleigh and which Raleigh hit more than any catcher in history he didn't even. Yeah. So he's got to put up phenomenal numbers, but

Well, the question with Lattie for me is is this going to be a, will he build on that year, on that playoff performance? Because he only had 23 home runs, but will he build on the playoff run or will there be a relaxation after the playoff run? I don't think so. Let's hope not.

Speaking of the dump, I don't know. I hope I didn't get A-I'd on this, but I think Seattle, is doing a big dumper ice cream. Did you see this? No, I did not do that, no. Yeah, it comes in like a plastic toilet. I'm not, I hope it wasn't AI.

I'm dead serious, I saw it. Okay, we'll break it down tomorrow, the dumper, dumper ice cream. Doogie, you got to find out if that pick with the plastic toilet bowl loaded with ice cream, chocolate, and it's a big dumper ice cream giveaway. Yeah, he's looking it up. You find some there, Doogie? The Doogie desk is already working? Is it an accurate statement?

It's fake. It is false. It's false. You got AIed. I love how anything anyone gets wrong now, you blame on AI. What'd you shoot today? 94 AI. What happened there?

You shank that wedge, AI, jammy. It's always an excuse. It's the way to get out of everything. That came from the good folks, not at Fox Sports. That's Fax Sports. Okay, Fax. Brad Faxon Sports. It looks kind of cool.

It does look good, actually. I like it. The good concept. Best bets coming up. We'll get to that next. All right, Best Betts powered by Fanduel. Make your picks and assemble the same game parlay in seconds on the Fanduals sportsbook app. Take the over in the Havs game tonight. That'll be electric, man.

Columbus is just on a heater. And the Habs, they score a cold Cawfield, man. I wholly expect these scores tonight. Rocket bound. He's chasing down a rocket. Two back of McKinnon right now. Good for him, man. Yep, absolutely. He's unreal.

He's unreal. and I'm on the under in the Vegas Edmonton game tonight. I know that sounds weird with the way they've been playing and the goaltending issues. That just feels like both teams

are going to try to grind it out for overtime. Like grind out, two, two. Like your season's on the line. Yeah. You got to play well tonight. You mean it's like going to be like a pillow fight? Pillow fight in the Pacific.

That's a perfect description. You know, three teams have got to get in. That's the way it goes. Get a point. Three teams have got to get a point. We just need one point tonight. Yep, that's right. So Italy's through, for those of you wondering, I haven't seen any

of the other matches. Wales and Bosnia is still tied. Uh-oh. In extra time. That's troubling. Well, I guess depending on which side you're on. But yeah, so a lot of these teams are through and some of the games are still ongoing. Jay's in action tomorrow night.

So we look forward to that. We've got a golf tournament down in Houston. We're tracking that. A lot of stuff going on. And Alistair Johnston's going to be in here from the national team. He'll be in studio tomorrow. We can't wait for it. Yeah. Just to let you go, Hazy-B. Thanks to everybody behind the scenes.

Enjoy the games tonight. Enjoy everything. I borrowed some shorts from you, and they had some gross things on them. I'll show you tomorrow at... 4 p.m. We'll chat then. 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 must-hear behind-the-scenes stories from the world of rock and roll. You do. One thing about doing rock and roll so long is you end up meeting a lot of the people that you admire. Sometimes you even get to work with him. Brian Adams Radio. Now available on the free IHare Radio app. Hey, everybody. How are you tonight?