OverDrive - Pronger on the Maple Leafs' gaining confidence, the lead against the Panthers and Oilers top-notch run

Episode Date: May 8, 2025

Hockey Hall of Fame and Stanley Cup Champion Chris Pronger joined OverDrive to discuss the headlines around the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Maple Leafs' win against the Panthers and the notable series lead, how Toronto can continue their dominance, the Oilers prominent turnaround, his OHL records and more.

Introducing Brian Adams Radio on I Heart Radio. Hosted by Brian Adams himself. Join me for an insider look on a wild ride through 40 years of global rock and roll. Brian Adams Radio. Now available on the free I Heart Radio app. Or ask your smart speaker to play brian adams radio and i have radio radio the asaki hall of famer stanley cup champ but this guy the espy and last night there's chris partner has happened prongs uh... yes

hi guys so are you we're doing well and we're doing very well appear to run over i guess i'll ask you uh... yes you are well we should be right out with you know if you saw this one come what do you make it a lease up to nothing uh... i'd like to do you guys are talking about right before i came on just the composure with uh... with chief and i think you know i think it's been building since the day he got there uh... you know i know here in saint louis

how he handled that group in 2019 when they won the cup. There were a number of situations that happened during the course of that playoff that he could have easily lost his marbles on the ref, lost his marbles on a call, a hit, a goal, whatever the case may be. It was very workmanlike, very much like we take things in stride, get over it, you know, we need to stay focused. And I think you're seeing his mentality and his demeanor, as Noodles was talking about, really rub off on the identity of their team.

So you know, watching the game, obviously I was watching your broadcast last night to see how you were in your couple of debuts and it looked good, but what did you see from, okay, from a Leafs standpoint and then we'll go over to Florida's standpoint because, you know, you had to lay it out on both sides on the network you were on, but what did you see first and foremost from the Leafs standpoint and then we'll go to the Panthers standpoint? Well I like the fact that they're not getting drawn into the mocking and grinding and the face washing and all the extracurricular activities that Florida wants to bait you into to slow the game down to their level so they can plod and grind and play that below the circle game that they want to do on you.

As it relates to Toronto, playing with speed, getting to the front of the net, looking at them trying to get in the eyes of Bobrovsky and that net front presence and the flash screens that they scored on twice. Those are the situations that I love to see. Years past, they haven't really done that. They haven't gotten into the middle of the ice. They haven't gotten to the net very much. And you're seeing it consistently with each line.

And I think the fact that they're getting secondary scoring from Domi and Nye and all these other guys, as opposed to always having to rely on the big four, that really takes the load off. They're not going to score every game. Sometimes the other team is really good too and they're going to shut those guys down and they're going to limit their offensive production and then it's a matter of can you get those other guys to provide a little bit of offense and then play solid

defense and play with an edge and some physicality. In terms of the Sam Bennett discussion, everyone had been talking about it up here. I've seen you. You're on TSN, ESPN, everywhere discussing it. From my standpoint, I thought he had an incredibly quiet game. I don't recall him really in much to the table last night what is what would you read beyond that prongs do you think that's a coincidence do you think it was the the noise of the

last two days is an ontario guys got a lot of you know family and friends who are leaf and said it was crazy in this market man we what do you think led to his was it was like it was crazy and it was crazy in this market man we what do you think led to his life last night it was crazy and it was over the top uh... you know i'm i'd sense that it it bothered him a little bit uh... just in the fact that he wasn't out there running a mock and

blasted in the guys and you know he looked very measured in when he was gonna finishes jack and and how he was doing it and trying to make sure he always had his arms down and and just he didn't play with the same reckless abandon that he normally does he wasn't really going to the net as hard as maybe he would uh... you know prior to the incident you know that

that's unfortunate because i think it affects the the game for them and and uh... the story lines you know i don't want that uh... to play a role in this if you're trying you want to beat him you know with all their guys that at full uh... full health and you know we're here all the stories about well how is matthew kichuck feel is a growing still you know an issue and all the different things that that that are part of the

story like for the florida panthers but uh... you know i but I just got the sense that's not a typical Sam Bennett game. That's not how he plays night in and night out. In years past when there have been situations where he's had the ire of whether it be the Toronto Maple Leafs or the Vegas Golden Knights or whomever, Ed Mitchell and Euler's last year, it hasn't really bothered them. I think this one was just the vitriol and all of Toronto, all of Leafdom went hardcore at them, doxing them and doing all the stuff that that happened uh...

the next day and and uh... you know if if you're not prepared for it it can it can certainly affect you and you know i think now the the pages turned i expect to see uh... the same sam bennett that we saw it in previous years in round one and and certainly game one uh show up in game three in South Florida to

to see if they can try to get back into this thing being down to nothing. In terms of the league's kind of eyes being on you as a player, I don't know if they even said anything to Sam Bennett because he wasn't penalized on the play and there was no supplemental discipline so I'm not even sure if there would be you know any any need for that necessarily from george perrot or anybody else but

get a lot of women assume that you have had the eyes of the league on you at some point your career like we're watching uh... if there are a number of occasions hazy yes i could imagine uh... can imagine. How does that factor into the way you play and the way things can play out, especially in the playoffs? Well, frankly, I didn't care. I was going to play how I played. Sometimes you cross the line and you pay for it and whether you're getting suspended or fined or what have you and that's life of playing on the edge.

That to me is the only way I know how to play to be as effective as I can be. You know, keeping the other team on edge and at bay at times and then allowing me and buying me or my teammates that extra second to make a play, get the transition game going, get on the attack, get out of our end, whatever the case may be. I learned early on what worked for me and my team and gave us the best chance to win. You have those conversations, whether it was Colin Campbell, Brian Burke, they're not easy. And certainly it's in the back of your mind a little bit of like, okay, are they, like, how much scrutiny am I really getting here as I go to finish this check?

What are they really looking at? Hey, you've got to keep your stick down. Hey, you've got to keep your elbows down. Hey, you got to keep your elbows down. Hey, you got to do all these different things. At the end of the day, I was just like, well, screw it. I'm just going to play as hard as I can and you know what? If it happens again, it happens again. I'm not going to change the way I play.

What did you see in the last two games, but particularly last night, what have you seen from Florida that is missing from kind of what we're used to I mean even series one against Tampa they that was a different series for them obviously physically and emotionally but what are you seeing from Florida that they're lacking against the Leafs in two games? Well I think pace of play number one the the Leafs are clearly the much faster team they play with more pace They have transitioned the puck much faster They're getting that stretch guy out now to really get in behind their D They're not playing with the same sense of urgency that that I think Toronto is right now. And you look at every time Florida scored, Toronto has matched it right away.

Within 15 seconds to a minute, they've scored either tight or take the lead again. And they're just not giving Florida enough time to play with a lead or get comfortable. They're just getting right back at it. And they're not allowing them a lot of sustained pressure outside of the last five minutes in game one and the last three minutes of yesterday's game. They really haven't had a lot of sustained pressure. The Leafs defense core has been remade. They're much bigger, they're mobile, but they're defensive oriented and they're battling harder in front of the net you know battling harder in front of the net they're

clearing the front of the net they're not allowing second third fourth opportunities that in years past we've seen and i think that allows the goaltender whether it's wall or stollers to really feel comfortable that okay if this rebound there's going to get cleared i just need to make the stop i need to make that first save and then we're going to clean up the rebounds. Our guys are going to be Johnny on the spot.

And I think counter to that, the Leafs, as I mentioned at the opening, they've done a much better job of hanging around the front of the net, getting all those loosepox, getting the tips. And I think that it's paid dividends, not only in the Ottawa series, but so far in these first two games with uh... chris prongers so we get game two tonight in vegas uh... admitton was down two nothing early in that game and then they stormed back they took over the game they they really dominated outshot vegas twelve one in the second period never

look back what would you expect vegas to uh... bring to the table tonight game two I don't know Edmonton has just gotten better and better and better and better with each game they were dominated in the first four games against LA for the most part outside of the comeback in game one and then games three and four and Edmonton they they came back to ultimately get the victory, but they didn't play great. Completely dominated L.A. in game five and then again in game six.

The other night in Vegas, they were much better and much more diligent in the defensive zone. They gave up some chances. There were a few mistakes. Hockey is a game of mistakes and you're going to make them. It's trying to limit them to the best you can. And then after that, as you said, 12-1 in the second period with the shots. We tracked it. Kaden Korczak had a 56-foot shot on net. That was their shot. Wow. So I'm not really going gonna call that a scoring opportunity

so they had zero in the second and not much in the third when you know you got a Heimann scoring that that nice game winner and then Connor Brown's move to seal it for the fourth goal they were very dominant in the second and third period and building off of how they took LA out. They're bringing with confidence. They're not giving up a ton yet and Vegas is a little banged up and I didn't think Vegas played that well against the Minnesota Wild either. They easily could have been down where they were tied to too. They easily should have been down 3-1 I thought in that series. So you know they're not firing on all cylinders in my opinion. should have been down three one in that series uh... so they're not firing on all cylinders in my opinion

so let me ask you this about calvin picker it's clear like he the team is playing for him he's played well he's made some good saves when he's needed to did you ever plan on trying to remember yet jakey where you guys you know what to the finals and won like Was it Michael Layton like who where was it?

So in Philly we had Michael Layton and and Brian Boucher were our two goalies and they Layton got hurt in the Boston series Which was the second round and then Bush went in and then? Bush got hurt in the Montreal right at the end of the Boston series and when Layton was ready to come back so then he came back so they you know we had flopped back and forth all season. I guess my point is is you didn't have you had Roli the goalie who in Edmonton where you guys acquired at the deadline and he didn't he wasn't great you snuck into

the playoffs and then went to the finals like I guess that the Calvin Pickard story is very fascinating and and I'm going to bring it back to Toronto here as well because now you've got both goaltenders that have had to go because of injury this is because of play you know in the playoffs now are you seeing teams that you know adapt to what they have back there and certainly the goaltender has to be good, but could Abinton make a run with Calvin Pickard, just him playing good Calvin Pickard hockey? Or do you think at some point they're going to have to go back to Skinner if they're going to get deeper? Well I think they have that opportunity, but I think right now you're running with the

guy who got you there. Throughout the course of the playoffs you know skinner struggled they went to pickard he's picked up the ball and he's running with it uh... he's looked pretty sharp the the last few games and uh... you know as you as you mentioned you know toronto the luxury toronto had was that wall played last year

and was there was a goaltender in the playoffs. He has that experience. He's not coming in cold. Pickert hasn't hardly played in the last five years. He hasn't played much in the NHL. That's the interesting side note with him. I've been fairly impressed. He didn't wilt under the pressure in the LA series and certainly didn't the other night.

And they're gaining confidence with them and they're also, I think, understanding how they need to play in front of them. As the goalies change, the sight lines change, how they like to defend, where they leave rebounds, how they play the puck. There's so many different things that play into it as you know noodles that uh... you know kinda like when you kick rebounds out to the defenseman is coming down one time and it's just not ideal but there was always a good setting reset right into it

i reset after i've get your foot foot broken and you give me the finger in between periods and i'm almost crying yes yes i still traumatized i'm gonna be fifty four in a month and a half two months yes yes still traumatized I'm gonna be 54 in a month and a half two months and I still remember that moment like it was yesterday put it that way so remembers it too thank you Chris Pronger so prongs there's this kid playing for Oshawa but his name's Luca Morelli. He's got 31 points and the Generals are in the OHL final. They're playing the Knights Game 1 in London tonight. The reason I mention that is I saw the OHL was... Just the guy chasing my record?

He's got you in sight. So you had 40 points in the playoffs back in 92-93. Wow. You had 15 goals and forty points at twenty one games how many penalty minutes we didn't say that fifty one pence not bad you can know if you were composed actually fifty one penalty minutes how many minutes fifty one of the playoffs that year yeah i yeah that's the same here i took a slap shot at teddy nolan

okay so that i've been suspended the bulls today's model uh... based on uh... the suspensions that i've seen coming out of the appalling at twenty yeah but but uh... i didn't even get now i did i didn't get that into the public

i was saying we were killed a penalty and i needed ice the park their bench was in the way i was trying to go off the glass it just missed the glass kind of uh... what do you have to show that it's that it was like a lot of standing behind the bench on his back there you know i don't know you've got to pay attention what a wonderful yeah i don't know man morelli will say i guess maybe you'll hear from the or atill at some point say yeah

uh... i try to see if he's got one games are he's got it he's got a really good chance yeah i mean it goes seven he's gonna need nine points to tire still is off to you know is he's he's playing was played sixteen games to always get thirty one points generals by sure they're not planned to one games now and i have not been holding chill and this one is that they never lose there it may not even go five who knows

yeah france we were we were joking about the other day who was it was a maryland you had like two hundred eighty points sixty three games and yeah like who was it when you were playing that had the ridiculous was it i guess lindros was uh... kicking around when you were there lindros uh... lindros my rookie year we had there was some guys that didn't play pro but were really really good junior players that like a hundred and fifty hundred eighty points

yeah you know you get those guys are nineteen years old or twenty years old and yeah just a lot older guys they know what they're doing all day they've already game the system and no uh... no they get the phantom second assist all the time all the rest of the twenty-year-old no i don't know yeah has a little three years that i can't wait to play those are the best guys yeah exactly like you know you're not ready for the games like no i was at

school all day what have you been there like a little all twenty-year-old plan uh... anyway chris it's always great catching up with you buddy will do it. Like hang around the mall. 20 year old playing in the air. Anyway Chris, it's always great catching up with you buddy. We'll do it again soon. Thank you for this. What am I Winnipeg Jets gonna do? That's a great question, Noodles. I mean, how do you stop ranting? And that's the question right now. The moose is on the loose there. This guy, and I was joking before you came on on I said this last night on our broadcast

He goes to shoot it it hits Sandberg skate and goes in I'm like if that was in Carolina That would have hit his skate and hit the mascot stormy the pig I mean, but now everything now everything he's shooting is going in the net I mean, it's just he's on the heater of all heaters but i don't want to see on it it would have played pretty well last night so you know i i thought it was a pretty good game that the goaltender looked like the goaltender actually both goalies played very very well so united battles it'll be a hard-fought series

i wasn't a fan of scott arneals comments that it felt like a game forty five irregular season and all and he's uh, he's been jittery, man. They were not that bad. By the way, they come back, epic game seven come back, and then to have the moxie and the will to again try to mount a comeback and apply the pressure the last two minutes to try to tie the game, they've got a lot of hard a locker and if they've to to say that i thought was a little disrespectful i thought that they played pretty hard

you know they've good the previous series with st louis they were a hundred and i think it was a hundred twenty five plus more hits in the saint louis when a picture is that any other series and there is a lot of our great morris you didn't play as well yeah they're missing absolutely yeah they are they got there all they just recently got allers and already back so they're not really at top

top speed in there's a weird i don't know what the other game too i'm glad you brought that up because i i was thinking the same thing like that just doesn't seem unnecessary for game one. Yeah I'll be honest. There are coaches that win press conferences. Like I think Chief does a good job. He's pretty you know kind of light and makes a joke. Paul Maurice is very well-spoken. You know Pete DeBoer. Arneal is he never wins a press conference. Like he just Washington generals of press conferences. He's up there and he's like

agitated it like he just it even if when they win he's kind of beside himself like it i don't know if it is a super emotional guy or whatever but there are certain guys when you look at it you can't wait to hear the press conference this guy you're like i don't need to hear it because i don't know why he's been signed a bill that he's not going to have a lot of yeah we're gonna bring up the assistant you know that there's a year zia shakha and the leader of the they have a good to see uh... i brought my ways i'm going to tell you guys this i'm gonna put my

uh... dale howard chuck winnipeg jets jersey from when i was a kid yes right up here next time so that uh... we give them a little luck i love it and let's get the jets cooking here in the second round yeah i promise good senior there is a staggers pronger uh... hockey hall of famer nostalgic unmistakably canadian

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