OverDrive - Schneider on the Canucks playing through noise, the goaltending mentality and playing in the 4 Nations Face-Off

Episode Date: January 29, 2025

NHL Network Analyst and Former NHL Goaltender Cory Schneider joined OverDrive to discuss the headlines around the NHL, the mentality of the goaltending and the preparation for the playoffs, the Canucks' conundrum for the team, the goaltending in the 4 Nations Face-Off and more.

Stock market returns can vary dramatically from year to year, but when analyzed over time, a clearer trend emerges. How are your stocks performing? What does the average return look like? Maybe you're not into stocks yet. You need a money guy. Kelvin the Money Guy can tell you which stocks performed best over the last 10 years, his predictions for 2025, and why the market always performs best during the first year of a presidential election. Call 416-457-PLAN or visit askkelvin.ca. Corey, let me ask you this to start off this interview. If you had a list of the 25 best players in the NHL leading up to this particular day right now, would Austin Matthews be in your top twenty five yeah you would be a doubt that i have a very much i don't think it is what i

don't know what it will be you had a big thank you very excited about where the best practice to that's how we're talking about now we are in a course matter uh... this it's not about if everyone's healthy and you're starting a game tonight who's in the who's the best player? Matthews I would have as probably number three, maybe number four on that list, and I'd have McDavid number one.

It's who's had the best year up until this day, like from game one through to today, that's what we're asking. Listen, if you see that way- Oh yeah, he's a great all-star team. Yeah. I mean, listen, if you see Austin that way, listen, go ahead. But I don't know. I don't think he's been one of the 25 best players because I don't think he's played

enough. I think he's been injured. And when he has played at times, he's been labored. I bet our team would beat his team. What's that? I bet our team would beat your team. Possibly. Possibly.

All right. Well, you guys, listen, you two are goalies. I'll tell you who I had at number one. Go ahead. Connor Hellebuck. Wow. I had Connor Hellebuck at number one. I think he's been the best player in the league so far up to this point.

That we can agree upon. Oh, there we go. We've got an agreement. There we go. See? I like it. See, now you're back in the good graces with Cory. Now Cory's my guy.

And Cory, what you do also have to understand is this guy runs the show he runs this operation and whenever there is an exercise like this he believes that his list is rock-solid and anyone that has an argument with him he thinks that they're certifiably nuts that's his problem he's a control freak well you know jimmy one day when i get my show with my name on i can make my own list. There you go. See, it's not, but see, I'm not the one running the show. It is Brian Hayes, because I'm going to pass it off to him, because my list, it just, I thought, like, I had to have reputation in there as well, because I'm like, for me, I'm

like, Conor McDavid's the best player. He's my number one, regardless. I disagree with you. Of course he is. Of course he is. I must have misinterpreted the rules. But Logan Thompson's not the best player. He's my number one regardless. I disagree with you. Of course he is. Of course he is. I must have misinterpreted the rules. But Logan Thompson is not the best goalie though. This is the thing.

And now we're yelling and screaming. Yeah. I will ask you, Corey, where would Logan Thompson for you rank in terms of, like if you're starting a team today, is he one of the five goalies you'd choose? Is he in the top 10? Where would Logan Thompson be? That's a great question. If I was starting a team today

and you factor in everything, not just this season, he might crack the top 10, like the lower end of the top 10. It's just not a big enough sample size yet for me. He's having a tremendous season. He's doing, it's unbelievable. It's like in full marks for this year, but I'd rather take a Shusterkin or a Hellebuck or a Vasilevski or you can go down the list until you get to him, but he's just way up there.

I think he might be in the bottom part of the top 10 right now. Quick follow up on the goaltending, Corey. We see now there's only a few standalones of guys who are going to be on pace to play north of 60. Do you just believe that that's the trend of the league with sports science, all of that coming in or is it just that there is a cycle where guys aren't wired to play 65 to 70 now? It's just more a starter is 55 games. I think it's a bit of both. So I don't know if that's copping out, but I think two things

can be true at once. I think the game and the of both. So I don't know if that's copping out, but I think two things can be true at once. I think the game and the pace and the importance of every game now, the coach is trying to win every single game. There aren't any more, you know, let's pencil in the back up here, let's throw our guys. You know, you can't just count wins on the schedule anymore. I think like you could maybe 20 years ago if you were a good team. Now you got to win every night. So you know, it's, it's.

You want your goalies fresh. You want them rested. Uh, but at the same time, I do agree that it is a bit of a mentality thing that fewer guys have that Marty broder, Patty won mentality where it's my net. And I want to play every single night, you know, fatigue or whatever sports science has be damned. And I'm going to go out there and will myself to win. So I think it is a bit that, you know, I don't know how many kids and juniors are playing

50, 60 games a year. It's tough to do. It's hard to do until you do it. And I think teams are scared of pushing guys too hard and burn them out or, you know, have them not be ready come playoff time. But in order to do that, Corey, like you talk about the playoffs, like Toronto here, Joseph Wall, like if he's decided to be the guy come playoff time, he's got to figure out a way to play every night.

So sooner or later, you got to just throw yourself in there or have somebody throw you in there and say, we need you to go and you got to get used to going or you'll never be able to do it. It's true. Yeah. Because again, I think teams that try to do tandems in the playoffs just don't work. The Brewers are doing it and it's just, you got to have one guy who's conditioned and try to do tandems in the playoffs just don't work. Like the Brewers are doing it. And it's just, you gotta have one guy who's conditioned and able to do it.

And it's hard to ask that guy, I'm gonna put you playing every other night for potentially two months in the most important part of the season when you've never done it. And I feel like you gotta condition guys to get into that mode and that mentality. Because that's where it all matters,

is come April and May. So I agree that you gotta, at some point, you gotta be the guy and you gotta be ready and willing to do that and able to do that. And I think it's more mental than physical when you get to that point. We're chatting with Cory Schneider and we began the hour, like we have countless times

this year talking about this Vancouver Canucks scenario. And why don't we play this clip, JT Miller, I'm sure you're you know you're aware of this corey about you know jim rutherford speaker the globe and mail yesterday and basically saying it's come to a headache it's untenable it can't continue these guys they have an issue peterson and miller they've got a change and miller was asked about that in a scrum earlier this morning is what he

had to say reaction to the general comments's comments yesterday or this week on the situation with UNPD? I don't have any. You don't have any comments? No. Is there still all good between you two guys? I have no comment.

Okay, so no comment from JT. You're very familiar with the market and what do you make of this story, JT Miller, Elias Patterson, the Canucks, the season imbalance and what do you think an ideal world would look like for the Vancouver Canucks by the end of the year? What's reasonable here? Yeah, I'm not exactly sure. It's very confusing from afar. I mean, again, I've played there and not many people are still there from when I played.

But again, knowing the market and knowing the temperature of the fan base, it's I'm not sure what's going on. It's it just seems like there's always something going on there, whether it was both Horvat and his contract, and then he gets traded. And then, you know, that's the Demko's injury situation is kind of a mystery. And now this is simmering for over a year now. You know, Bruce Boudreaux, how he got let go. It just always seems like there's something going on.

Why though? Why does it happen there, Corey? It just seems like they... I said it yesterday. It's like they finally get it right. They get talk it in there. They have a great season. They almost won the President's Trophy.

They take Edmonton to the brink and then all of a sudden it's back to a Gong show. What is it about the market that that has to happen? I don't get it. I don't either. It's a coincidence or just what it is because it's different management now than when I was there with all that stuff. I know that people love a good story and they're going to grab onto the juicy story so I understand that.

I think it comes to all levels of the organization. As a player, you have to be an adult and learn how to play with a guy you know if you have you guys I didn't get along with everybody I played with and I'm sure not everyone got along with me but you find a way to figure it out like adults and play together so that's on you know JT and Elias potentially the coaching staff like talk it's his team so he's got a set the you know he's got to set the standards so here here you guys, here's what's acceptable, and here's isn't.

Can you get over this or can you not? That's the coach's job. And then management, you knew what JT Miller was like. You know what Elias Pedersen's like. You don't commit that much money in years without knowing exactly who these people are. So you knew that this could be an issue. You kept them both, and then you fan the flames

by saying stuff like this. When you're in that market, they're gonna ask you about it. And now you put your players in a tough spot. So now they got to answer questions about what you said about the drama. It's like, Hey guys, let's get on the same page here and let's have a clear message for the organization that this is what we're going to do and how we're going to do it. And they just can't seem to do that right now. And I can't understand why. Yeah, it's wild, man. And yet again, they they're they're right there chasing a playoff spot. And if everyone's healthy and they get in and everyone's kumbaya, I mean, that is the

crazy thing, Brian, they do have a pretty damn good record with all this nonsense. Yeah. Quinn Hughes could be the MVP too. Like he's having outstanding year and it might go for waste, you know? Absolutely. Absolutely. It has been phenomenal. All right, we're chatting with Corey Schneider. In terms of that mentality we referenced with the goaltenders, like the old school, it's my net and I want it. Curious how you think it applies to the upcoming Four Nations faceoff where, like, I would have to believe it's a lock, Hellebuck is the guy for the American team. I don't know what else he could possibly do.

But would you expect him to have to lobby for that? Would he have to go in there and be like, I want to be the man, I'm going to be the man I'm playing every single night. What do you anticipate happening at a tournament like this that is manufactured, we're not quite certain what it's going to look like, what it's going to feel like, he plays so much for Winnipeg. How do you expect Hellebuck in particular to handle his role with the American team at the Four Nations faceoff? Yeah, I mean, I would think it's his net to start. It's yours to lose.

Maybe we filter in either Swamen or Auden during one of the round robin games just to get him a look in case. But it's yours until you prove otherwise. And that's the hard thing about a short tournament. You don't have a lot of time to reassess and make adjustments. But the way he's played, he's left no doubt that it's his net. Swamen's been average, better lately, but lack of experience. And Ander has been okay. I've always waited for him to take that next step into that top five and he's doing fine, but he just hasn't quite elevated himself there yet.

So based on my own experience playing the 2016 World Cup, we had a talk. John Tortorella sat us down, me, Quick and Bishop, and said, here's how it's going to go. Quickie, you start. It's your net. Bish, I want to maybe get you in. And Schneids, like, you're basically the number three. Like, I'd love to get you in.

I don't know if I can or not. So I think that discussion has to be had, either Billy Guerin or the coaching staff, just to set expectations. But you want guys to be ready. You don't want guys checking out or saying, I'm just here for a vacation. I'm not going to play. Because that did happen a little bit on our team. There were guys who weren't playing and were kind of annoyed that they had to come here and do this when they weren't going to play. So you have to make sure that everyone understands the expectations. And then you go from there. But I think absolutely

it's, I don't think Halibut should half the lobby. I think the first discussion is, hey guys, Haley's a starter. You know, I'm going to put one of you guys into one of these games and be ready in case he gets hurt or something happens. That's the first discussion that should be had with the goalies. Cory, we were talking and we have been talking all week about, we'll call it the level of commitment from the players that play in this tournament. You just mentioned you play in the World Cup. How was that from an intensity level compared to NHL playoffs?

And do you believe here at the Four Nations face off that we're going to see that same type of intensity, maybe even more, you know, not just like NHL All-Star style type of play? Yeah, I'm, I'm hopeful and confident that it'll be really good this year. I think we haven't had best on best in eight or nine years. A lot of these guys are doing it for the first time. That generation of player who hadn't played in Olympics and McDavid's, Matthews, those guys, this was their first crack at it.

So I think they're gonna be fired up and they're gonna be ready to go. It depends as the tournament goes on, if you're 0-1-2 after the first two, how's that third game gonna look for that team? Are we gonna give it everything we have? Are we looking at their vacation that uh... you know the rest of the by week and i can see themselves

i think i think the start of those first few games are going to be uh... at the advertising guys are gonna be going full-bore and can be okay i think you have played with these guys before is not a lot of time to put in systems that uh... get familiarity so it could be a little chaotic but i think you're going to see energy and passion to start for sure. That's what we're hoping for. Thank you Cory for putting up with us man.

Next time it will be just hard hitting journalism. Alright I'll get my referee Jersey Whistle out next time. Absolutely. Thanks for doing this. Appreciate it. Alright guys. Thanks. Cory Schneider joining us here on the Maple Toyota Hotline.

Thanks.