OverDrive - Strudwick on the Oilers back in the conference final, the mentality of the team and the Maple Leafs facing elimination

Episode Date: May 16, 2025

Got Yer Back Podcast Host Jason Strudwick joined OverDrive to discuss the headlines from the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Maple Leafs' response to facing elimination against the Panthers, the mindset for Toronto in the matchup, the viewpoint on the stars, the Oilers advancing to the Western Conference Final, the mentality of the team back to the Stanley Cup and more.

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Strudy? How am I doing? How are you guys doing? I can feel the intensity all the way from here and to all the men that you have. Shut up, Strudy. We are a solution-based program here. We want to know what we're going gonna do to get the positive mojo back flowing for Lease Nation. Talk to us, Goose! Man, I don't know. I guess you're not playing the Defending Stanley Cup Champions. They don't know what this moment's like, so that'll be one check mark against you. But listen, I'm not here to rip on the leaf. Last game to me, they accepted defeat. That's what I saw.

They just, they said, you could tell they were nervous after the first period, they're down one nothing. Did anyone talk in that room? Did anyone light a fire underneath them, get them going? They accepted it. They just accepted, for the most part, the whole game losing. So it can't happen that again.

You gotta talk about it. I'm sure someone brought it up, Craig Berube, maybe one of the veteran You gotta talk about it. I'm sure someone brought it up, Craig Barubey, made one of the veteran guys, talked about it. But, you know, it's like, you just, you know, as I used to go to the casino where you're playing blackjack and you have a tie and they don't wanna take the even money,

I'm like, no, I always say to them, I'd rather die on my feet than on my knees. And the Leafs just were on their knees, just accepting defeat. So they can't let that happen again. I don't think, I think after 48 hours of thinking about it, I expect them to come out and compete and push back. Because if they do that again, it's over.

I mean, it's not even a chance. No, and that was one of the things we mentioned earlier, like the intangibles, the fact that you've got to have some character, you got to have some pride, you got to show up. And then even then, it may not be enough But it's certainly at least you're in the fight And you mentioned Florida and everyone accepts what they are and what they're likely going to be like tonight And how prepare they're gonna be for this game

In terms of the Maple Leafs and their their best players There's been a lot of discussion about their best players and the way that they performed on Wednesday night. What is reasonable from your perspective, Strudy? Matthews and Marner in particular, you're going into a game tonight, you're watching it in Edmonton, Oilers are in the third round, it's all good. What are you really thinking you're going to see out of those two players this evening? Well, listen, there's a lot of being made about that the top guys not getting it done. I know looking over across that Jason's old door saying,

Hey, this is whatever number of minutes make a difference. But what you can't or you got to get us over the top, but what you can do is you can all make a difference. All make a difference. Look at the goal scores for Florida the other night. You know, there was a lot of first goals in there and I know that what you know, few guys probably have AJ Greer's rookie card hoping that skyrockets in value, but he's not going to know a goal score.

Kulikov, who else was it? A couple other guys had their first goals of the whole time. So Boqvist, there's another guy. So their supporting cast contributed. And so you have to find a way, even if you're an 8-minute, 12-minute, 14-minute, 15-minute guy, you've got to bring it and support those guys. And then you can hopefully launch them into the next level where they can go off and have a point or two.

Because they're also mashed up against really good players You know what? There's a lot of good players on Florida So I think the supporting cast by challenging Matthews and Marner all the time I think we are losing the narrative that the supporting cast didn't do it last game. No one did it No one got not on the board So I think both groups are responsible for doing it and there's a lot more support in cash. They can push harder. Can Martin and Matthews be better?

For sure. Yeah, I think for sure they can. Get to the net a little bit harder, all that stuff. But it's going to take everybody. The other night, Doan is one. Kaputin scored the winning goal. Kaputin. I think he was a leaf at one time.

No one thought he was going to score. And he wasn't even supposed to play. He plays, contributes. That's how it works. Everyone's got to be a part of it. So Strudy, when you look at it, the Maple Leafs I think had just a terrible game start to finish. And you mentioned nobody was pulling on the rope.

But if you're in that room and you feel like you're nervous a little bit, you feel like there's a little bit of paralysis instead of just relaxing and playing. What needs to be done? Is it your leaders? Is it your goal-tender? Is it your coach? Is it a combination of everything?

Because you're right, I think to a man, everybody just looked like they were thinking instead of reacting. Is it just getting to the net? Is it getting pucks to the net? It's not fighting. I don't think fighting is anything, but is it playing getting to the net? Is it getting pucks to the net? It's not fighting. I don't think fighting is anything, but is it playing whistle to whistle? What would you say may be one or two things that could help to have them success tonight in game six?

Well, two things. So number one, I hate it when people come to the blue paint because I'm like, oh man, this is gonna be a hard night. And a guy like Chris Jury was really good at it. You're just constantly going to the net and I'm now I have to fight you off around the net there's rebounds or shots it's just really chaotic when you stay at a distance or you know I'm thinking of the one play where Matthews walked from behind the net and I think he had two shots in

Bobrowski. Bobrowski was square and it just hit him twice you know could he have taken that puck instead of shooting right away could he have maybe driven the back post yes he would have been hit someone would have hit him twice. Could he have taken that puck and set a shooting right away? Could he have maybe driven the back post? Yes, he would have been hit. Someone would have hit him, but you know what? It's just chaos, because now there's bodies flying all over the place. Maybe Barofsky isn't quite as square or as set, and there's a rebound there to make it happen.

And I would like to see them make it uncomfortable on the goalie by driving the far post. As a demon, I hated it when guys would walk and then instead of shooting right away, just take it in front of goal and go past them. Cause now it's just chaos and I got to react and there's other people coming in. So that's something I think that it can do to make Bobrowski uncomfortable. I'd also love to see one of the big guys do something special early. It doesn't mean a goal. You know, what would it mean if Matthews was able to just unload on someone?

Took a run at someone the first shift. If you think back to the winners game the other night, Connor McDavid back checked. I think he was somewhere in the North Saskatchewan River. He was so far behind and he caught all the way up and broke that pass up crash into the net. When you're on the bench and you see your best player doing that, I can tell you it gets you so excited and so... I mean, I want to contribute. I want to be a part of it. So if you're your best player doing that, I can tell you, it gets you so excited and so, I want to contribute. I want to be a part of it. So if you're the best player or one of the best players on the team, maybe it's hard for you to score a goal. It doesn't mean

you can't still affect the game in some way and be a difference maker so that other players are inspired to do what you're doing, which is giving it everything you've got. And like I said at the beginning don't accept defeat don't accept that we're gonna lose this game don't have your head down on the bench don't look sad show that you're a leader looking down the same I'm doing everything I can I might not be the one scoring tonight but I'm gonna give everything I can everybody else better do the same thing Rod you ever fire up the boys at the Spangler in between periods and say

something meaningful that worked uh... uh... just keep playing the pack when those bottle and uh... people dot that

so i don't know though i don't know if i can't play with mark bestian and he was you know he's getting near the end of his career but you always felt better when he was on the bench because he might throw a check, he might say something not like a whole let's win one for the Gipper here, but he just felt better when he was on the bench and he was going to do something. And try to create something, whether it was offense or hitting or a good defensive play, and you follow your leaders.

You look around that room like look at the guys on the bottom six forwards, they're looking for someone to do something. They want to be inspired, they want to follow. I didn't see anyone do anything inspirational the other day. I'm sorry to pick on them but Matthew's a turnover on the first goal. The third one, Marner's backhand pass, you'll see that at Ogo Pogo Arena, whatever that rink is called, you know, at men's night, a guy just shows a backhand pass hoping it hits someone. That's uninspiring me. That's frustrating me as a teammate.

We just have to clarify, it's Etobico, not Ogo Pogo. Etobico, say it with me. It's all the same. Yes. Etobicoke, say it with me. Yes, Etobicoke. It's all the same. Starts with a no. No one cares. No one cares. It's bad mentally anyways. People understand. We get it.

I don't think there's an Etobicoke community center either or hockey rink for that matter. Capolo. With Jason Strudwick. So Strud, what is the deal with McDavid the other night? They go into Vegas, they win in overtime, and he's bent out of shape about Skinner. He hates that one guy talking about defending. The one guy bothered him so much. Whoever asked him that question, he wanted to scissor kick him in the face.

Yeah, what's his deal? Does he not realize that they're halfway home to the Stanley Cup or is that just not enough for him? Well to me he was madder after a serious clinching win than Matthews and his buddies were after a loss which is crazy to me. He was angry. He was mad about the Skinner comment. He was also asked about what is it like for this team to finally play a defensive game and win it. He's like we've been doing that. That's why do people keep asking this? We've done this before, you know, and it's, I like it.

I like a fiery economy, David, because again, the teammates are listening, right? Other teams are listening and they're not satisfied. They're not, I mean, I probably would have gone out in Vegas, but they're probably not going out after a big win, having a good time. So I think he is singularly focused on winning the Stanley Cup and nothing else matters. I don't think he cares about any other series win. They're important to get done, but I don't think to him it's anything worth celebrating. The only thing to celebrate is getting to lift the cup with eight more wins.

Yeah, and I can appreciate that. I mean, that's a great mentality to have and I think it speaks to what you were just talking about. Like, the leaders are going to lead and kind of set the tone and if that's his mentality, that's his approach. Everyone else is going to fall in line. Do you have a rooting interest in terms of it favoring the Oilers? Would it be Dallas, Winnipeg?

Who do you think they would prefer to play in the next round? You know, I think the best thing to have happen for the winners is this going to game seven this series I mean Winnipeg last night Hellebuck you know I didn't think it'd be incredible he was good and Dallas is a good team so I think the longer that series goes that's the best I think both are good teams I really do and you know maybe Winnipeg if they're able to win the series, they get more confidence, right? And the goalie gets a lot more confidence,

which is crazy to talk about Hellebuck like that. But if I had to pick after going seven games, I would choose Winnipeg to play if I was the winners. I think Dallas has gotten the depth. Heisken is back now. Jan Djer, he's a good goalie, so that's the team I would probably roll with. But if you're the Orders, their game is looking pretty good, right?

Skinner is coming back in, they're getting scoring from all over the lineup. I think my concern for them right now is their power play, which is, I can't believe that's what I'm worried about, but their power play hasn't been't been great and specifically last game they're really stagnant guys so they have some time here they're gonna practice a few days I'd be really focused on that power play look at what Dallas has done cuz Dallas is doing a pretty good in the PK against Winnipeg till I think last night didn't have two goals I think Winnipeg on the power play so I'd be watching what Winnipeg's done against them and what Dallas has been doing at the family kill.

Well also Winnipeg had the number one power play in the league this year. They were really good. Right. Did you pay any attention to this Carolina Washington series because Carolina's just played ten games and they're waiting for everybody. I mean this has been a master class and I don't feel like anybody's given them any respect. It's hard and I've tried. I watched their game before, the orders game four and I almost fell asleep. It's not very exciting and then the orders game comes on and Vegas orders are running

each other and it kind of wakes you up again. But this is what I like about the Canes. I feel like this team reminds me a little bit of when they won in 2006. They're four lines deep. They all play the same way. You could take the name bars and the numbers off the back and they just roll them out, just coming at you one shift after another. We play fast.

We attack, get pucks to the net. We're just playing so quick that I think that they're gonna be hard to beat and they'd be annoying and because every shift they play the same. No one's taking shifts off. Rod the bod won't let you take the shift off. So they look good and I think we're all not giving them enough respect because now you're going into, you know, they got to play I guess Toronto or Florida next and that'd be interesting. Can those two teams keep the pace of what these guys and how they play In it so yeah, they're no they have not got the respect But I think the other three series have been more compelling by a long way absolutely

Speaking of respect. This is the one-year anniversary study of when you enlightened me that It's a long weekend in Alberta, so I to enlighten me that it's a long weekend in Alberta, so I appreciate that. I've never forgotten that. It's great to know you guys are going to get Monday off too out there. You deserve it. And we love you. We love everything about the West, man. We love it. I love it. I just want to thank you for having me on because you guys never have me on when the Leafs are losing, the orders are winning. So we should mark this as an anniversary as well. First time in how many years did this happen guys? It's been a long time. It's been a long time Strudy. Congrats. It's been a long time. A couple of anniversaries

Mark today. We appreciate it. Enjoy the long weekend Strudy. We'll do it again soon. Oh, man I can't wait. Enjoy the game tonight guys. I love the stress level. It's so much fun. Enjoy it. Jason Strudwick joining us. The biggest songs in the world. You've heard them countless times. Now, learn the details of how they came to be. Join Ruby Carr for Encore, the stories behind the songs you love. New interviews and newly unearthed archive footage make for a fascinating weekly deep

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