OverDrive - Roberts on the Battle of Ontario rewind, the success on the ice and Berube's coaching mentality

Episode Date: April 16, 2025

Former Maple Leafs Forward Gary Roberts joined OverDrive to discuss his experiences in the Battle of Ontario, his triple-overtime winner in the series, how the Maple Leafs found success against the Senators, the importance of strong goaltending in the games, Craig Berube's coaching mentality for the team and more.

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Join today and be part of something amazing. Here's a long time and a teleform relief, Gary Roberts. Gary, do you remember taking an eight iron flush off the face from the O-Dog back in the day? Well, first of all, did he said was a hundred eighty five yards away no hundred fifty a hundred and fifty out a hundred and fifty yards away and you know why is so why would i be at the green waiting for this guy can be done is gone out and he's got his watch to feel far into the like a half an hour

to get the shot haha they got a bit of the i'm busy i'm trying to get through my round you know this guy's out there taking forever so I'm standing on the green, he doesn't even say four guys, till the very last second and I literally, it hits me right in the forehead and down I go in the bunker. Yeah, that's a mess. Yeah, that's not good. Rob, we were all so ratt rattled i don't know if you

remember that we quit a whole later but we're just like we just need to get the hell out of it believe that you probably have been the safest place possible uh... right now and you're off that's all that i'm fine in the head of the good but yeah i do remember it so i obviously i wasn't that can cut i was good i guess yeah, I do remember it. So obviously I wasn't that concussed. I was good.

I guess so. I guess so. Well, are you, are you having flashbacks at all? I mean, now that we got the battle of Ontario right around the corner, I mean, it's, every Leaf fan alive, you know, of a certain age is like, I remember Robert's triple OT. I remember Tucker going into the bench,

all these different stories. Can you, do you, how vividly do you remember all those series? Well, I remember, you know, obviously 02, I remember it was a special moment for me to be a Toronto Maple Leaf, but you know, all the series, I just think about the momentum back and forth in the series. I think about, you know, we were a high risk high reward team i tell people you know trauma believes our dear friend pat quinn uh... he he allowed lots of turnover so we can't

you know i wasn't east west guy but we have a lot of guys like to go east west and we used to turn the park over quite often and and i say it often of the wasn't for a bull pending i'm not sure we win any of those series. Rob, when you talk about the intensity of the Battle of Ontario, you look back at the fights as you mentioned, some of that stuff, what can translate into today's game? There is a difference, the game has changed obviously, but when you watch this Toronto Maple Leafs team that's built a little bit differently this year, an Ottawa Senators team that doesn't have

a ton of experience, what translates as far as a battle of Ontario but into the playoffs now with that next level? I think the intensity. I know everybody says the game has changed and I hate comparing 2002 to 2025. I'm just not that guy to compare those. It's different time, different game. But if you look at the Stanica playoffs for the last few years, I mean, there's been some incredible series, incredible intensity.

Like I really don't think that's changed. Yeah. Like the, the skill of the game has changed. You know, your, your fourth line guys can all skate, all shoot. You know what I mean? I get all that, but the intensity is still there. The excitement is still there in playoff hockey. Whether you're a young guy, an old guy,

we walk on the ice at Scotia in the first game of the playoffs, Ottawa-Toronto, it's gonna be electric. I mean, it's just the way it is, the history of those teams. And of course, we all know the first round of Stanley Cup playoffs is usually the toughest round. And I'm looking forward to watching.

As a matter of fact, I shared tickets with three other guys. And this year is my year to get game one. So I'm excited to be in the building for game one this time around. Roy, what was your approach for your team? Because if you look at the rosters of Ottawa back then in Toronto, you guys had the intangibles. You had yourself.

You had Tux and Coarse and Ty. And Ottawa didn't. And I'm not saying that's why you guys won the series. But what was your approach? Because Ottawa was a heavily skilled team. And you could almost argue that it might be flipped now Or that Ottawa might be saying the same thing about Toronto What was your approach every time they touched the puck they needed to be punished or just?

Overly physical or what was the mindset? Well, there's no doubt in combination probably was a bigger part of the game back then And you know, I'm not gonna sit here and say we won because we were tougher do I think that was part of the reason yes I do do I think that's as much of a factor today I don't but then the intensity is still going to be there I you know I'd go back to maybe we were a little tougher I thought our goal penning was better and that's not to put down Ottawa's goalie at the time. I don't think it's fair to put the series on him either, but you know Curtis Joseph and Eddie Balfour, they're big-time goalies and the more shots they got, the better they played. It was a joke in the dressing room. We used to say,

hey guys, Kujo needs at least 40 shots tonight or he's terrible. nice. Kujo needs at least 40 shots tonight or he's terrible. It used to be a little, literally a joke in the room before the game. We would say, holy shit guys, Eddie's way better when he gets shelved. So let's make sure we go up to two on ones, you know? The noodles knows that stuff. But that was just good dressing room talk. We used to, I used to love those conversations and Kujo Dabba's little smile on his face. He's such a good human and good guy about it. But they just played better the more work that they got. And you know Eddie Belfour, when he fell asleep,

it was only cause he didn't get enough action. We had amazing goaltenders and I, we all know you don't win without goaltending. Yes, defense wins championships, but your goalie has to be hot. and for Toronto to win this time around they need better go pending Yeah, well and that's you know going into it you got stole ours here who we believe will be the starter game one He's won his last eight starts three shutouts 950 safe percentage, but doesn't have any playoff experience Gary's you're aware of I mean he's never started a game in the Stanley Cup playoffs

I mean, I'm curious what you think the vibe might be or mood might be like in the room where you look at it He's red-hot. He's been unbelievable all year when he's played. He's been so good for the Leafs yet He doesn't have that playoff experience. Like how do you think his teammates could be kind of reacting to that? Well, I mean I'd be excited for I mean, I know if I was him I'm sure he is totally excited about the opportunity, but this is what all these, you know, this is what you guys get to talk about every day is how a guy comes out his first Stanley Cup playoff round

and plays amazing and gives the team a chance to win. I mean, this is what the Stanley Cup playoffs are all about. The parity is so close in the game that it has to be something that people don't see coming that becomes a big factor in the series and I think it's an opportunity for us to have an unbelievable playoff round and for the Leafs listen I spent lots of time with Chris Taneff in the last decade obviously Craig Berube and I go back a really long time I just think their team is better this year.

I think they're better ready to prepare for a playoff round than they've been in the past years. And obviously it's still going to come down to our Toronto's best players better than Ottawa's best players. We had Chief Han last week or a couple of weeks ago when he said you need him in Toronto so he beat the piss out of you at centre ice. So guys, listen to me. Listen to me.

Okay, I heard all that stuff. I sent Chief a note and I said, really? Okay, so you guys know, a quick story. He gets traded for the Gilmore trade, the big trade. He comes in, he moves into my subdivision We get to the rink the first day and he walks up to me Craig Boomer says hey Gary He says really sorry about beating you up last week in Toronto So I I went and got the VHS tape Brought him into the coaches office. I put the tape into the machine and I hit play

I said just want you to watch office, I put the tape into the machine and I hit play. I said, ìI just want you to watch this.î And we watched the fight together and I said, ìHow can you tell the media and me that you beat me up last week?î I said, ìLook how many times I hit you and look how many times you hit me.î And he says, ìYou throw pillows, I didn't feel a thing. Isn't that the best way to start a bond though in a team? I mean it can't be that way. Yeah that's how Craig Ruby and I became best pals and training partners and you know that's what yeah that's why the game is so great guys like it's stuff like that you just can't make that stuff up. Craig Ruby is a great person a great

human a great coach and if anybody's gonna put the trauma bleached over the top i would i would count on him if i'm going to war i want to go to war with kareem ruby well it's i mean it's such a big opportunity for him in the whole team and and that there were watching it now upon css as at the gardens to you know if you Roy. Like you got him pretty good. It was good. I thought I got him. I definitely thought I wanted to fight. I was pretty excited after that fighting

Tronlis tough guys. So yeah, I was a lightweight back then as you saw. Yeah, that was a good tilt. That was a good tilt. Good old days. But you know in terms of the way Borubey's kind of handled the meat, I don't know him personally. Noodles, you know him really well yeah I mean I haven't seen him change at all over the course of 81 games now like I'm guessing that doesn't surprise you Gary that you know he's very comfortable with who he is his approach and would you expect a different kind of approach come playoff

time like a different personality that Barube is going to show with the media on the bench what what might we expect as a game on Sunday night? Yeah, and I'm sure he had lots of people in his year when he became the coach of the Leafs And how he was going to have to choose his words carefully and maybe change a little bit I mean he wears his you know his passion on his sleeve like he is he is who he is As a teammate noodles you had him as a teammate. Like he walked in the dressing room in Calgary. After we won the Stanley Cup, because Ruby was part of our team a couple of years down the road.

And he walked in the room one day and he says, you guys think you're all stars. You guys are terrible. I won't say exactly what he said. You guys are terrible. All stars. You guys are dog shit, basically, he said to us. And he was talking to Gary Suter, Al McKinnis, Mike Vernon, Joe Neuendike. It was crazy. He walked in.

This is the kind of guy that he was as a teammate. He was an amazing teammate. One of the best teammates I had, I had the most fun with. He's just one of those guys you want to play for. For me, I'm thrilled to have a history with Craig and to watch him go through this process and see how he's handled himself as the Leaf coach, when he does have so much passion and emotion that he's been able to kind of find a way to gauge it a little bit and maybe choose his words a little more carefully to survive in this market.

I think he's done a tremendous job. Yeah, he has and I'm looking back on that season, that 91-92 season, that was your 53 goal season, Gary. That was the best goal season Gary that was that was the you know best goal scorer in your career and every once in a while in the show we end up on like hockey DB and looking at different stats and you had 53 goals 207 penalty minutes that year like if you had like if you didn't have that many penalty minutes you might have scored 60 that year yeah that was

probably fighting chiefs battles back then you know. Good old days yeah well thanks very much that's a nice memory you guys it's a nice memory for sure. Absolutely taking a Pro V right off the forehead and 53 goals back in the day. I know well I have quite a few stories about old dog but that's a very you guys don't have enough time in this interview for that But I miss our old dog training days to you We got some great stories Jeff and I but we were not going to share all those today. Well, it'll be another day Of course, we will get a brand new facility opening the old dog and I have I put in a special

second floor private executive wellness training center with an eatery private executive wellness training center with an eatery so you can come all day you can hang out you can work out you can do sauna cold tub you can eat you can have a smoothie you can do the Norma tax you can you can do plotties so it's whenever May 15th we open bud I'd love to have you okay I can't wait to get there right I've got myself back in shape but it's highly unlikely i'm going to be there uh... it's involved on the bottom of your golf course the family leader at the drive by i had to go

okay i i love it uh... i'm a i'm a i'm a little looking forward to it i guess could congrats to sam as well as that's down the way when the first round is yeah gotta be pretty excited well i'm just trying to wonder if he's my kiddies uh... high-scoring right-handed shot they all have a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a know it could be all it's kid. Okay. Check them out at the at the gym at the grand opening. We'll bring the two of them together up there. What was that May 15 you said Gary? Yeah around May 15 we opened and that's what I've been doing every day is helping behind the scenes trying to make sure this facility gets open for our summer program this year. So we're pretty excited about it. Awesome. Okay. Well good luck with that. Good luck. Have fun down at game one, and we'll do it again down the road. Thank you for this.

Okay, good luck, guys. You got it. There he is Terri Clark. We are Nickelback. Made in Canada on iHeartRadio. Rock, pop, hip hop, and when it comes to country, it's the true north all the way. Loud and proud. An all new digital radio station from coast to coast. Made in Canada, played in Canada on the free iHeartRadio app and at iHeartRadio.ca. It's gonna get loud.