Real Kyper & Bourne - A St. Patty's Night Tilt

Episode Date: March 17, 2023

Nick Kypreos, Justin Bourne and Sam McKee look at the history of games between the Carolina Hurricanes and Maple Leafs, St. Patty's day game, and their expectations for Luke Schenn filling in for Justin Holl. Then, 3x Stanley Cup champion, and special advisor to the general manager of the Canes Justin Williams (20:58) jumps on to share who he thinks will step up in place of Andrei Svechnikov, the team's ability to keep the puck out of the net, and why players appreciate playing under head coach Rod Brind'Amour. Doug Maclean (42:37) stops by for his weekly chat to discuss why he thinks Sheldon Keefe is tinkering with the lines a few weeks before the post-season, and theories on how player suspensions have been down this year. Afterward, Jason York (1:08:40) joins the guys to weigh in on the trajectory of the Ottawa Senators, why they're the most attractive franchise to buy, and if a new owner will bring his own staff into the front office. The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates.

This is Real Kipper and Born on Sportsnet 590 The Van. Not just any off-the-rails Friday. No. No. Oh. Good. The green one. Oh, yeah.

I see you're wearing your green. I got a little green. I greened it up a bit. Sammy, you sporting a little green today? Yeah. He's got the St. Pat's bucket on back there. He's all in. Leaf screen.

Yeah. Can you guys hear me? Yeah. I can't hear you. What's going on? Hello? Can you talk to me now? Test one, two, three.

There we go. Yep. Checking, checking. I just hadn't turned up my headphones. All right. I love St. Patrick's Day. St. Patrick's Day was my favorite day of the year when I was in college and had all those friends and, you know,

you'd go drink a bunch of beer and enjoy yourself. It was the best day of the year. And this is very anecdotal, but it felt like maybe every third or fourth year it would be like 20 degrees outside and it would be like this is the first day of summer. And the cold weather. Was that a dangerous day for you in your uh other life that's amateur night for morning well it is and see that's the thing and there are people like myself who my local pub was overrun with you noobs who didn't

drink every single day get out of my way amateurs yeah they actually took this seats out of my local so it was standing room only it was the worst day to be at the bar. Yeah. I mean, there was a phase. Don't get me wrong where I was like, Hey, I haven't, I have cover for how much I want to drink. This is great. Yeah.

Yeah. He is Justin Bourne. I'm Nick Kiprios. That is Sammy McKee, Derek Brandeo, Dave sis. Should I always do boom bot? Like I'm starting to think, you know, if your mom's listening,

that's not his name. That's what my wife says. Like, what do you like? You think his mom wants to hear you say boom bah. Every time you mentioned his name, I'm like, I didn't really know.

I didn't think about that. He has to, you know, work long enough to get the courage up to tell you to stop so that's i think he likes it though yeah i think he's okay with dave sisboomba listen you once told me about a player in the toronto maple leafs that he needs to play enough for me to have to learn his name it wasn't my fault that i didn't know it so that's right get better we'll know your name when you're better give me a reason to remember your name who was that oh i don't know could be 20 of the league

right now please so are you happy with the green uniforms they're gonna be sporting tonight all green you like those i know you're a uni guy i love the fact that they still do this i think if i am gonna nitpick i think it's time to reverse the colors again. They used to have it more green. They used to have it be the green. Like back in the Sundin days, they really, they did like a brown helmet with brown pants, brown gloves with like the solid green. Their sticks were made of cabbage. It looked awesome.

I always loved it. And I like the jerseys they do now, but I think they're kind of desperate for a new St. Pat's rebrand. They've been wearing the same one for probably four or five years now. I don't feel like the green is Kelly green. It's a little neon, isn't it? Yeah. Very bright green.

And the numbers on the back, they're really doing a lot with these. I appreciate the fact that they still do it, honor their heritage on St. Patty's, but they could use a little help. What do you think of the stitching on the jerseys? I'm kidding. Way better than the black ones, though. Oh, well. I mean, listen, that goes without saying. The Bieber ones, I kidding. Way better than the black one. Oh, well, I mean, listen, that goes without saying. The Bieber ones, I think, are probably on the shelf forever. Let's hope, at least.

And then, yeah. Bring back Tim Biebs. Get rid of the Bieber jerseys. Agree. We got a great show for you. Off the Rails Friday. We'll give you, in about 15 minutes, Justin Williams, three-time Stanley Cup champion,

special advisor to the general manager for the Carolina Hurricanes. Doug McClain at 345. Who knows where that's going to take us? And then we finish it off with Jason York. Of course, the Toronto Maple Leafs right after the game. We'll head to Ottawa to play the Senators who, don't know is it is it a meaningful game saturday meaningful games they wanted to play meaningful games down the stretch we'll ask jason york in the next hour co-host of coming in hot sends podcast you see that as game winner against

ottawa last night the lars eller poked in icing goal yeah that was weird can you recover off of that i don't think so so they tried let me ask you this you know i know matt murray was there and he wasn't popular amongst the fan base and he's gonna get the start tomorrow night and i'm sure a bunch of his teammates had some, some feelings about the way last year went. Like, do you think there's added motivation and going against him in that building, knowing how the fans feel about him,

how some of the guys have a coach talked about him? Like, I feel like it's maybe not meaningful toward the standing standings, but I feel like it might be meaningful towards that fan base and team to light them up. It's hockey night in Canada. It's Saturday night. It's Hockey Night in Canada. It's Saturday night. It's Ottawa, Toronto.

And he'll bring emotion to that game, Matt Murray. Oh, without a doubt. You don't get kicked to the curb like that with wanting to come back and jam it down their throats. Yeah, for sure. Come on. That's all pride right there for Matt Murray Saturday night. So we'll ask Yorkie on that plus a

ton more. So tonight before we jump to the weekend, Carolina Hurricanes, they come in limping Feshnikov is a big blow to this hockey club. Guys, any way you look at it, he's not

Ovechkin, but he did Ovechkin like things with a guy that could skate, hit, score. Toughest guy to play against. Toughest guy to defend. No longer in their lineup. Yeah, it's a big loss. By the way, I can't not hear his name and think of Ovi, who you also referenced, punching him in the mouth.

But, yeah, I mean, that's a massive loss. It definitely is incumbent on them and proving that they can win in other ways the Hurricanes win the Stanley Cup in 2006 as a collective team right that's that's the whole thing no no real superstars um and that's kind of where they're at now they got a lot of very good players they're extremely deep their defense is the best in the nhl period um so yeah they're gonna have to win it that way rather than note scoring teams i think it's also um if you have a ticket to the least game tonight you might be in for something wild leafs and uh hurricanes play exclusively wild games which is strange at this in this building zamboni driving zamboni um they played a game where the least were down three twice and one i think it was like eight six they won the final mitch mourners mitch

marner scored a goal right off the face off jim ralph said it was the worst time out in the history of sports by uh by uh rod brindamore there's some wild games there so i could picture it being a little bit you know a friday night greased up crowd wearing green it being a little bit, you know, a Friday night, greased up crowd, wearing green. I can picture it being a little wild tonight. Love it. Let's do it. All right, let's go to our first Kippers Clipper on our Off the Rails Friday. Where do you want to start? I don't know.

I feel like poor Morgan. We've really just. So he was a chew them up. No, we did not. We've chewed up the topic. Not Morgan himself. Okay. Yeah. Yeah. All right. I don't think we've been hard on him. I think. I think the topic, not Morgan himself. Okay, yeah. Yeah, I don't think we've been hard on him, I think.

I think we've been fair. Okay, I do too. We know there's more, a lot more that Morgan can give. Well, let's see what the coach thinks. Let's do it. Very consistent in his approach every day. You know, I don't think it's, I don't think it's phased him. Obviously, the biggest thing that would probably weigh on him, you know,

is not scoring, you know, puck not going in. And, you know, you're a guy that has that ability, has produced in the past, and that the team relies on him for those types of things, power play, 5-on-5, whatever it might be. So, yeah, I think that's the fact that he's remained consistent, goes about his process the same, and knows what he needs to work at. He's very honest about his game. When I've met with him and chatted with him, you know,

Morgan really wants to win, really wants to help our team, and he knows that he plays a big role in that. So, you know, he's extremely committed to being at his best. You hope that Morgan kind of follows little Austin Matthews look in terms of Big 34 is getting stronger. Right about now. Right about now right about now yeah yeah i agree you know first off you know sheldon mentioned that when morgan comes in he's very honest about where he's at he's a really likable guy like i do find he's very forthright he's

yeah a few years ago he could have been the captain of the toronto maple leafs for sure he very well could be and he seems like he's a leader and he mentioned he wants to win he's all these things you can't help but root for Morgan Riley so yeah I hope he finds that he scores last game he builds on that and finds a little bit of momentum obviously would go a long way for the team having him be the better version of himself no Justin Hall in tonight Luke Shen comes in after a extended leave of absence as his wife had a baby, an addition to the family. You assume that's out of the way now, and he can now focus on getting ready for the playoffs. Yeah.

Oh, I'm certain it's out of the way. I don't think it'll happen again while he's with her or with the Leafs. I think we're in the clear. The distraction. That's all. Yeah, no, it's great. Don't call him up if the baby's crying yeah no it's going to be uh a relief for him to get away from that environment he'll probably sleep better here

than he would have in vancouver so yeah important to get him rolling and feeling good and being a part of it somebody asked him this morning then this is the answer that he gave we'll let's get some context like if he has to worry about luke shen you know coming into the lineup and doing too much is what somebody, I think Dave McCarthy asked him that, which I thought was fair because, you know, it's like a guy that's coming in here a second time around, trying to prove it. And the answer he gave was this.

I just wanted to give some context to the clip. So if we want to hear that clip right now, great. I tried to look a bit yesterday. It was more so about reminiscing about the facility in the city and stuff that things have changed, how things have changed since he was here last. But, I mean, a guy like Luke Shen is still playing and, you know, has had the type of career he has

because he knows exactly who he is and what he needs to do. I'm not concerned about Luke trying to do too much. No, this is not a dangling backhand toe drag type defenseman but at the end of the day he'll dictate how much he's gonna ask from him with his minutes yeah that's that's the first thing i think of is if the tendency is to do too much when you ask for too much yeah where is he gonna fall in yeah he's a third pair guy for me yeah so his league average of ice time on a really bad team for the most part of this season i don't care what they're doing right now under talk it but they were not very good in vancouver is what close to 16 and a half 17 minutes yeah you know whatever do we expect luke shen to provide

sheldon keith as early as tonight 17 minutes i'm not saying he's never going to play 13 minutes but i bet you when we sit here and unpack the season luke's friend luke shen's average time on ice is under 13 minutes like i bet he's a 12 and a half minute guy you know plays five on five and kills penalties but you're right if you're asking him to be morgan riley's d partner i think the leafs are in trouble do we know if they're going 12 and six tonight we oh it's 11 and seven again it is is 11-7. So Gustafson's still in, and Hall's going out. It is interesting that Justin Hall, we both agree, has played more physically and more involved lately.

I've liked Justin Hall more in the last, well, since the trade deadline. Yeah. It's like he's aware, like, it's a battle to stay in. His next contract hinges on how he's used here in this postseason. I don't blame them for saying he's one of the guys who can take a break. You got guys on the right side. Lilligran's got to come in. To me, it's such a mixed message.

It's like now you're starting to bang and it's like, eh. You go to this guy and you say, I want 22 minutes. And he gives it to you. And on some nights, it's not bad. And he may come in the next game and he won't play 13 it'll be 22 i i would not have him out of the lineup for gustafson i just wouldn't no he does way too many important things to the leafs to have him out of the lineup for gustafson who's been playing like what 10 or 11 minutes a night for the Leafs. And I don't even really know what Gustafson situational use is.

Just power play. Yeah. PP2, which is what? 20 seconds per three power plays a game. No, I bet you Sheldon's going to start pulling somebody off Morgan. You got a minute.

Yeah. I mean, if you don't have him playing power play time significant power play time it doesn't make sense to me because as you mentioned hall plays big minutes he kills he's out in the final minute of the game protecting leads he matches against top guys i there is only one reason for 11 and 7 and that is sheldon's nervous about his power play from the back end, i.e. Morgan has not found his spot on a top power play in the NHL. I think this is all pointing towards feeling a little insecure about Morgan's spot on the power play.

I also think it has, I mean, it's not just that, Kipper. It also has to do with Ryan ryan o'reilly and them not being completely convinced that steves or simmons or all those guys that like the options that they want easily go 12 forwards put back pontus it's easy no i i understand but like pontoon boat i think there's no listen you're right but i don't think it's the only reason they're doing 11 and 7 yeah but it is there is there's no one listen, you're right, but I don't think it's the only reason they're doing 11 and seven. Yeah. But there is, there's no one else.

They want to keep Gus. They don't have a backup power play guy. No. It is about the power play. Yeah. Come on. Morgan gets hurt. Give it.

Give them first unit reps. Five forwards guys, because they don't have a second guy on the power play. Five forwards. Got to give them some reps. So, yeah, let's keep an eye on that tonight. Let's see how much power play ice time Gustafson gets. I'm going to say he shoots one in the net on the power play this weekend

and complicates things for all of us and for Sheldon. Well, nothing's ever easy in Leafland. And he's like with his power play unit sometimes the guys will come off you know a couple guys will come off early and the other some guys will stay out longer and like it's a mixed bag or whatever i like you mentioned i could really picture that being after a minute they'll be like hey you're six you're going out there gusting for a minute so i don't know we saw the oilers power play goal last night connor mcdavid comes up the flank he um he's skating with a puck someone fills in behind him he drops it back to the same flank

goes around the one pk guy and gets it right back in the slot in the middle of the ice and just shoots it in the net from there like their movement is so good the way they they work it and make penalty killers make decisions still an an issue here. They have top numbers, but there's some times when it gets slowed down on Morgan's stick and sometimes even Tavares' stick. Like Tavares, his strengths in front of the net, redirects, rebounds. But I'm not sure you want him to hold on to the puck

and start dictating plays. 131 points in 69 games now for conor mcdavid 57 goals 74 assists he's good yeah quite good wow that is wild okay we're running out of time we have lots of clips to go okay let's go to this one because this is a conversation that we had uh in depth uh the other day and that is is Tampa catching the Leafs in the standings. 88 to 89 points right now. Let's go to Sheldon on his thoughts on the pressure of Tampa Bay.

Sure. I think it's that time of year you're keeping notice of what's happening around you, but you don't lose focus to what's most important for us, which is to feel good about our team, have our team healthy and ready to play in the playoffs.

And that's really it. Obviously, you want to clinch your playoff spot and get that taken care of. In terms of home ice, we're in a position right now where we have the edge, and you want to maintain that through good play and good habits and all those things should take care of itself.

But the thing that's most important to us is feeling good about our game and being healthy as we get ready to play. Not wrong. Nope. You want to feel good? You want to be healthy? That's good. Yeah, but.

But. Yeah. And home ice is crucial. So I mentioned Toronto's 89 points, Tampa 88. you want to be healthy that's good but yeah but yeah at home ice is crucial so i mentioned toronto's 89 points tampa 88 uh the leafs do have two games in hand there so they get a couple cracks to get some extra points and put some separation but the devil you know we've been talking about uh tampa bay and their struggles they go out and beat new jersey who's you know damn near you know first second in the metro all season, back-to-back games. So look out, Tampa, playing well lately.

All right, let's listen to Keith on their priorities heading into the playoffs. That work for you? Yep. Each area, I think, you know, you want to really tighten up and be sharp in. And each opponent, each game brings different challenges and different opportunities.

But, you know, obviously getting healthy with O'Reilly in particular will allow a lot of things to really fall into place for us in terms of how our lines look and how we roll out our team. Right now, things are a lot more in flux, you know, since O'Reilly's been out. So that in itself is one thing that you'd like to get solidified. The other part of it for me is whether it's power play, penalty kill, your even strength, details, playing with leads, handling a different adversity like the other night.

I mean, it's such a tight game, and one thing here or there can make the difference. You want to be really sharp in those areas, and we were okay the other night but didn't get the second goal. So just those little details that you want to be really sharp in those areas. And we were okay the other night, but didn't get the second goal. So, like, just those little details that you want to feel good about. But the other thing, I think, if we've learned anything, you know, is you get your game feeling good and all that. There you go.

All right. And safe to say that no matter what the circumstances are tonight, you don't play Mitch Martin for 30 minutes. I think that's a safe guess. Yes. That's fair. Yeah. It's interesting to talk about getting the game feeling good.

Like, you know, they got to get comfortable when it's feeling bad. You know, this can't be when the Leafs are going good, they're winning. They're a very, very good team when they're on their game. What does feeling bad mean to you like yeah last night last night or uh uh two nights ago it's it's a game when it's not coming easy you got to find yeah you know when it's just like sure you just it wasn't coming you can't get to the parts of the ice you want to get to you're frustrated you know where they have 13 shots through two periods or something you we talked at the top about carolina's defense being so stingy and those numbers are off the charts but what i saw out of colorado two nights ago was

pretty darn close yeah they closed it up through the middle and that's when you got to find different ways either with secondary scoring or your stars come through for sure yeah you mentioned carolina's defense uh they're first in shot attempt shots and net slot shots against slot passes oz possession time cycle chances they give up nothing they're the best team in limiting quality chances, expected goals against. They're the best defensive team in the NHL. And they've got some big, strong guys, mobile guys, but they wouldn't be considered game breakers like they saw the other night, like Makar. Right.

Or to a lesser extent, maybe a McAvoy, those type of guys. Yeah, Colorado got more points or gets more points from its defense than any other team in the NHL. That's not Carolina, but Slavin and Pesci and those guys, they play defense, you know, like defense man. All right. All right. Just like we said, we'll bring in Justin Williams,

three-time Stanley Cup champion, special advisor to the Carolina Hurricanes. We're just talking about your club, Justin. First and foremost, thanks for joining us, man. Pleasure. Happy to say hi. Yeah. So, listen, we know all season long Carolina gets mentioned as a contending team, but what has been the psyche since losing a guy like Sveshnikov

to your lineup here moving forward? Well, I mean, listen, it's quite deflating. When you take a person like Sveshnikov out of the lineup and on top of that, Pat, you're ready before then. So obviously pretty frustrating down to the team, but certainly down for the individual as well as such an important player, both in our dressing room and on the ice. So you feel for him.

You also fear for the guys in the dressing room not being able to have him to lean on. But, you know, we got to move on. Yeah, I guess that's the only option you know i i was writing a an article today about the type of chances that are available in regular season versus the playoffs did you as a player feel that it was significantly different the type of way you had to play to create looks uh i did i mean i think typically it usually, I mean, kind of back when I played a little bit, even though it wasn't that long ago, it seemed kind of changed a little bit now that they're trying to keep the standard same as, you know, the regular season. And they're not trying not to change things very much. So a power play is a power play in the regular season,

and a power play is a power play in the playoffs as well. So I guess to answer your question, yes, I did find it a little bit tougher to score goals. You know, teams are a little bit more dialed in to every single zone in the ice, and that especially means the defensive zone. Justin, we know when players go down, coaches say, hey, opportunities. Who's the first guy on the roster you think about that can step up now in absence of uh Svesh

well I mean I think we we have quite a few guys who were trying to make that next step you know from star to superstar from from you know role player to you know everyday player and certainly from good player to great player and um I think I think a player that can certainly step up is a player like Seth Jarvis, even though it's his second year in the league. You know, Jesperi Kotkaniemi. We have some guys who we feel are ready to make that next step. We just called up Jack Drury from Chicago. You know, we're not just calling up these players to

be there we're calling them up to to have impacts and we believe you know players like that on top of obviously Jordan Stoll if he's had a he's had a another great year another solid year his line of speed together the whole year with Jesper Foss and and Jordan Martinuk and obviously you need your best players to continue to be your best players and carry the load. And, you know, we know we have some guys who are going to be dialed in on that as well. Yeah, so I imagine when you lose some top guys, the plan is to kind of win a Stanley Cup the way that you guys did in 2006, right?

It's got to be sort of a collective team effort. You know, how do you go into a series or a game to be sort of a collective team effort um you know how do you how do you go into a series or a game with that sort of mindset that is it just a matter of trying to be more patient like do things change when you don't have elite superstars and the way you want to go after a game well i mean it's obviously tough but you know we already talked about fetch and patch ready but you know you look at that you you know you think at the start of the season, you're like you're banking on those guys for 60 goals between the two of them. You take that out of the lineup, that's a significant chunk of game-breaker mentality

that can, you know, perhaps change the momentum of a series and could score at any moment, right? But I've said this, and I've said this at times, that it's not the best team that wins the Stanley Cup finals. It's the team that's playing the best. And when I was in Washington, it was probably the most talented team I'd ever been on. And it was the year before Washington went on to win the Stanley Cup.

It was the most talented roster I'd seen, you know, up and down the lineup, you know, from the goalies all the way to the forwards. It was so talented. But we didn't end up winning. We didn't get out of the second round. But, you know, you go to the teams that I won with in L.A. and, you know, obviously Carolina in 2006. I think you can make the argument that there were some maybe more talented

teams on paper, but we were playing the best and played the best team at that time and were able to win. So, you know, that's what we're looking for. maybe more talented teams on paper, but we were playing the best and played the best of the team at that time and were able to win. So, you know, that's what we're looking for. We're a team that's played well all year, and I expect that to continue throughout the playoffs. We're talking to Justin Williams, Carolina Hurricanes special advisor to the general manager.

Justin, it's going to be interesting to see how this kind of goaltending situation kind of plays out. We know you got Freddie Anderson, Ronta's there as well, but it's been well documented that they're done contractually after this season. And then you got this young kid that highly touted in Kochetkov, if I pronounce that correctly. And oh, by the way, can we set up a Binnington-Kochetskov pay-per-view? How do you see it playing out? How do I see it playing out?

Well, I think when you look at it, obviously, when everybody's healthy, you know, Freddie's our number one. Freddie's our guy. But you could see it last year. We have guys that can just step right in. Ranta carried the load last year during the playoffs, and he played spectacularly. And, you know, if something goes down where both guys are out,

you know, you have a really good option in Kochetkov, who is a battler, who's a great, great kid. He's really infectious to be around. His personality, how he carries himself, he always seems happy and go-lucky and feisty and ready for the battle. You know, you have that option as well. So, you know, as you said, how do you see it playing out? I think we're just going to let it play out and see what happens.

But we don't feel that that's a a part of our team that's uh that's lacking in any kind i don't think we're going to go into any series thinking um you know that's where the other team has the advantage no and whoever it is in that is going to have uh an easier job than a lot of other goaltenders by basically any metric you guys are first or second in all defensive categories um you keep a lot of other goaltenders by basically any metric. You guys are first or second in all defensive categories. You keep a lot of pucks out of the net. Do you attribute that to just, hey, we got good defensemen? Is that, hey, we have a coach that preaches a hard-nosed system?

How are the Hurricanes so good at keeping pucks out of their net? Well, I think it starts with structure, clearly. That's 1A. And secondly, it follows That's 1A. And secondly, it follows up with good leadership, with a good culture, with this is the way we do things, and if you're not going to do it, you're not going to play. We obviously have great defensemen as well.

I don't want to slight that as well. I mean, we have, you know, Jacob Slavin, who is the best defensive defenseman in the league, in my opinion. And, you know, we have a lot of guys that compliment him as well. So, you know, we play really well defensively, but at the same time, you know, your goalies, they don't necessarily have to make all the saves, but they have to make their saves at the right time. And if you can get timely saves in a playoff series, you know, you're going to be off and running. As someone that has had great success in the latter part of your career,

you must have a great appreciation for Brent Burns and what he's been able to do since coming over from San Jose. I have a huge appreciation for him. I mean, when you talk about what the Carolina Hurricanes aspire to be, hard-working, gritty, shooting pucks, just relentless team. I mean, he epitomizes all of those things. And off the ice, he is one of the hardest workers and, you know, came into our training camp with, you know,

at his age being one of the best in shape guys. I mean, that is part of the culture that we have developed here over the past handful of years. And he really epitomizes that just absolutely perfectly. And you talk about infectious personalities i mean he's he's a hoot to be around and he's always trying to get better i think he just fit in unbelievably and when we had the option to get him over the summer i was one of the guys that was just pushing so hard to try and make that happen it's funny you mentioned culture a couple times with that group and you know we often hear um you know former players talk about how you know how important the room is and having a good room

and we're all really close in here how important is that stuff you've won on different teams you've failed on teams that you said had lots of talent like it how important is it can you win with a group that doesn't get along? Well, I mean, I don't have an experience in winning with a team that doesn't get along. That's hard to say. But, I mean, listen, it goes through. I mean, everybody talks about it, right? It's such a word that just kind of gets thrown around.

And this is what we want. This is what we're trying to build, right? You know, sometimes you roll your eyes, but sometimes you're like, wow, these guys actually have it. And you look through any sport, right? Any sport, you know, you, you, you look at, you know, the New England Patriots and football, just kind of what they had been able to do. You know, you look at the Boston Bruins, what they're doing now, are they the luckiest team in the league? No, they have a great culture and great leaders and,

and they're good year over year over year. It's not that they're the luckiest teams in the league. No, they have a great culture and great leaders and they're good year over year over year. It's not that they're the luckiest teams in the world and they're just getting great performances. It's what they've instilled year over year and what they've learned and what they pass on to the others. That really is a culture. And, you know, it's not built in one day. It's built over time and continued success. And then there's that Rod the Bod Brindamore factor here and just what he's been able to do over the last few years to set the tone. Is that fair to say?

Yeah, I would say so. I think everybody kind of knows what he's what he's all about and everyone that comes here um you know just glows about how they love playing for him um he's just you know he's just he's honest about everything and he's he speaks with his um emotion that that you really feel and you know the fact that he's in his emotion that you really feel. And, you know, the fact that he's in the gym before you every day, too, kind of helps it along as well. Yeah, it certainly helps build the lore of Rob the Bot.

So how important is winning the division? You guys are a point up on the Devils right now. Is it one of those things where you just got to get in? A lot of people say, I know your Kings team's had some success doing that is it crucial or uh just get in wow i mean listen we're looking to try to get the number one seat no doubt you know do we feel that that's gonna um you know allow us a better opportunity to win i don't know we're gonna have we're gonna face a heck of a team um in the first round. And as you guys know, it's tough to get in. And that first round always seems to be one of the toughest to get by.

I know I'm speaking to the choir. I'm on a Toronto network right now, so I get it. I know all the fans get it around there as well. But it really, really is. I mean, everybody is as healthy as they're going to be throughout the playoffs in that first round, and it's go, go, go, and it's hard, hard, and getting by that first round is really tough.

And, yes, we're trying to get first overall. We're trying to get first in our division, and that's what our goal is. Hey, how's owner Tom Dundon doing? You know, if you guys get to a semifinal, a final, he's going to have to loosen up the purse strings. You know that, right? He knows that.

I mean, what do you mean by purse strings? Everybody kind of says that, but I'm just like, we had never been a cap team before he became the owner. We had never spent to the cap, and now we're spending over 80 million dollars and everyone's like wow the purse strings are a little tight all right so it's working he he he's listen he spends on the players and that's that's really what the what the players want that you want a winning team you want a guy that spends on players and getting the best players and and ever since he's come here uh we we've we've done that and now it's kind of becoming a place where players want to come and play and and i i don't know if i could say that 10 years ago where

in free agency or or or you know in trade players are asking to come here and i think you know we've uh really created something as soon as he's he's uh um you know spent to the cap and became owner well it's it's looking that way and the proof's on the ice uh justin uh really appreciate your time man thanks for doing this hey my pleasure guys have a good one thanks so much god he's so good in his career too. Like, just take a look at his numbers. They're just so steady and just the ultimate. He was just in the right position all the time. The last two years, I think the second last year,

he still had like 50 points and 20 plus goals. I got to say, boys, if there was one stat that I could have in all of sports. Game seven stat? Being the all-time leader in game seven goals would be high on that list of stats. That is a big boy stat. He was even in on a couple that he didn't score. Like, he's a part of it in game seven.

He had seven career game seven goals. It's just... Goal a game in game seven. Not too bad. Everybody's holding their breath in. He's taking nice, deep breaths. So the analytics community, like, tries, trying to make headway in the world and to be taken seriously

and to people to listen, respect it, whatever. Some of the early stuff was like, clutch doesn't exist. You know, the stats say there's no such thing as clutch or whatever. And it was like, well, you've ruined the whole thing because now you have no credibility. you can't say it doesn't some people have ice in their veins and they want the puck in those moments and they thrive and other people can't get off the ice fast enough and they shrink and we can't there's not enough sample size to measure it but there is no doubt that people react differently to pressure and that man thrived it. It is. He's like

he's Mr. Sunday if he was a golfer. Yeah. It's like oh this guy only plays well on Sundays. Yeah. Okay. So I lied to you. He played in 15 game sevens. 15? Yeah. No that's 15 points. Nine game sevens. Sorry. Nine game sevens.

He had 15 points. He's eight and one. Yeah. Listen listen that's just not a fluke no it's not a fluke that's not no he was not a point and a half per game player during the regular season you know that's a guy that elevates his game so it's incredible but cool i also think it's cool guys who win cups on different teams at different in different uh really i don't say eras but i mean oh six to you know what he went in 2012 no what the kings win it anyway they were different time frames in his career i think that's amazing to see the different types of teams that have success okay so he's played 1264 games he's had 797 points yeah so he's like a 0.7 per game guy or 0.8 162 playoff games

which is just again off the charts 41 goals 102 points is that not hall of fame like it's a really that's an interesting question why do we always just need to focus on the superstars why can't a guy like that go into the hockey hall of fame that's a really good really good case to me of a guy who's like yeah he took teams from okay to winning cups what are we doing here if we're not trying to win cups um hall of fame's about game changers yeah the top is oh go ahead but you know clark gilley's being in there a lot of people like well look at his numbers. It's like, well, it's not just that. Did you watch?

Can you think of a bigger name historically game changer than Mr. Game 7? Yeah. No, I mean, I get what you're saying there. It's. All right, go Sammy. The top 10 points for Game 7 is a really interesting list. Justin Williams is number one all time with 15 points. Doug Gilmore, second.

Mark Messier, third. Trevor Linden, fourth. Really? Wayne Gretzky, fifth. Patrice Bergeron, sixth. Wow. Glenn Anderson, seventh. Yari Curry, eighth.

Paul Stastny, ninth. And Hendrik Zetterberg, tenth. Here's Stastny's record would be in those games. Wendell Clark just outside the end. That's a good list. Remember Marty Gell another one year? Had three Game 7 game-winning goals? I can tell you what, Paul Stastny.

He was 4-2. 4-2 in those, yeah. Well, hey, look at that. He's a difference maker. He won a cup, didn't he? Yeah. I'm all over you right now. Hey, Google.

So I went to most Game 7s played and game seven wins, and I accidentally clicked the opposite, so it was like zero. Most game seven losses? Our boy Jason's bets are 0 and 6 in game sevens. Really? Yes, sir. That just bites. That sucks.

You know, not like he is the issue, but it is unfortunate. And number two, Daniel Alfredson. Everyone needs a little smirk on your face. And Wade Redden, 0-5. So it's all Ottawa Senators? I'm 1-0. One game seven. That's it.

That's it. So who will at least mr game seven be this year when it inevitably goes seven you want to know in the minors achari is achari gonna be mr game seven this year when it inevitably goes so i put an article out today and i'll just say it really quickly but there's this cool stat that is inner slot shots with traffic and it's all the most chaotic players in the league like guys who are shooting the puck from the inner slot but there's actually someone between the net like it's jamming at pucks and it's chaos as a stat i was looking into this today it's brady kachuk it's tyler batusi it's

everyone you think it is and nola char he's fifth in the league i'm just noticing really more lately than like in a long time certainly more so now than even in the beginning of the season, how many pucks are shot in that slot you're talking about? They just never reach the net. Yeah. Never. Well, everyone packs it in, right? Constant blocked shots and off sticks and into the mesh.

I know. It's so hard. So hard to get it through. You got to, I mean, first you got to get to that spot, let alone get there with that spot with the puck. So the app that I know. It's so hard. So hard to get it through. You got it. I mean, first you got to get to that spot, let alone get there with that spot with the puck. So the app that I built. Yes. Will Toronto get a shot on goal in the next two minutes? Yeah.

And we give a clock on it. And I'm like watching, like, I want my points, right? And I'm like, oh, get it to the, shoot it, get it to the net. But it doesn't get there. I know. Does not get there. You fools. Maybe that's why I notice it more. points right and i'm like oh you get it to the shoot it get it to the net but they don't it doesn't get there well i know does not get there you fool maybe that's why i notice it more that's true you're looking for it now all right well uh you have a next reward will the least get over five inner slot shots against tampa bay in game seven this year will that be the next words anyways i don't know what i'd pick next or no break. Next to break. Okay, we're going to go to break. We're going to bring back Doug McClain.

It's Friday, baby. You know what that means. Off the rails. You're watching and listening to Real Kipper and Born. This is Real Kipper and Born on Sportsnet 590, The Van. I got to think Doug McClain gets bored all week just waiting for us to call him. You don't think he does anything? No, not really.

Ah, pickleball on maybe Monday. There's Pickleball League. They're blowing up pickleball. Did you hear that? Like, pickleball is,'re predicting Pickleball will be a big like five sport in like 10 years. Yeah, they the people investing in it. Yeah, funny how that works. Let's ask Doug McClain.

How big is your seniors league right now? Well, I've got a big match Monday. I got a doubles match Monday morning with the pros, so I'm going to take it up to another level. We had a lesson here yesterday at Boca del Vista. We had a lesson.

The guy came and gave us a lesson. Are there singles games? Do you ever play singles? No, I don't play singles. There's too much movement. I said to the guy that was given the lesson, I said, first of all, I never took a lesson in golf. And every time I have, I said, I've taken two lessons in golf.

And after I had both lessons, I got worse. So I quit that. I took some lessons in hockey and I quit that early. So why would I take lessons in pickleball? Seriously. So I did. I watched. I didn't take the lesson.

I'm, you know, I'm not into the lesson scene. But I got a big match Monday. But anyway, it's fine. It's a good sport. My heart rate got up to 160 the other day. I thought I better slow down, period away. But anyway, fine. It's good.

All right. I want to lean on your coaching experience here. And we've had a couple of examples of coaches just changing it up. And Sheldon's been going through this thing with his roster since Ryan O'Reilly got hurt. 11-7, 12-6, bingo-bango balls. We saw Calgary, Daryl Sutter completely change it up. And it worked last night in Vegas. At what point when you coached did you have to witness before you kind of blew it up with your lines?

Well, you know what? I think it's funny, you know, when you're, every time I was sitting on an airplane, every time I was sitting in a bar by myself, I always had the napkin and the pen out and doing lines. I mean, you don't stop. And I remember Brian Murray and I would sit in front of, Hey, careful when you say that you're at a bar and you're doing lines. Oh no. I, yeah,. Yeah, I meant line combinations. Okay. All right.

Good. But anyway, or on a plane, I'd redo the lines. I'd pass it back to Brian Murray. You're just constantly looking at lines. But here's what I don't like. I don't like this 11-7 combination. I think it really throws you off sync as far as I'm concerned. And I know you do it every once in a while. I did it with Jason Woolley.

I dressed him as a seventh defense in the playoffs a couple of games. And, you know, you're nonstop fighting with line combinations, adding guys here, adding guys there. I think it's a distraction. And I think the quicker Sheldon can get to a 12 and six, the better off he is. I really believe that. He's got to figure out who he's going to name

or who he's going to put as his two depth guys for the playoffs for injuries or three depth guys. I guess they have nine. Three depth guys. And or three depth guys. I guess they have nine, three depth guys and go with his, his, his guys, go with his 12 and six for the last few games or the last six or eight games and figure it out because I don't think it's healthy going in there with guys. Number one, not knowing they're in and out of the lineup and not throwing off your ice

time for guys and your line combinations are a mess. I don't get why they're doing it. But he's trying to get, you know, it's like minor hockey. It's like, are the parents yelling at Sheldon? Is Gustafson's old man? Or are they yelling at Sheldon because he's not playing them? Or what? Like, seriously, it's pro.

Play the guys you want to play. I mean, the only guy that should be yelling at him is him and Dubas. But forget about the parents. Don't let them get to you, Sheldon. So what else, if you're the coach of this team or you're looking at the Leafs, what else does he have to figure out? What's his job between now and playoffs? I mean, you've got a lot of options between power play and goaltending You're looking at the Leafs. What else does he have to figure out? What's his job between now and playoffs?

I mean, you've got a lot of options between power play and goal tending and, as you mentioned, lines and deep pairs. What is it right now that they need to get in order before the playoffs start? Well, I think it's, you know, first of all, you know, your defensive game has got to be in order. And I thought, you know, the Colorado game was a great example of how this team can play if they put their mind to it. That was a playoff-style game. It was playoff-style execution for the most part. And I really thought it gave me some hope that they've got a good chance to beat Tampa Bay in the first round

if they play that type of game. But, I mean, you want your team to, you want to know exactly who your power play combinations are. You've got to figure out where Ryan O'Reilly is going to play. You've got to figure that out. Is he going to go with a real solid third line with Ryan O'Reilly as a part of it to match up against Paul

or whoever the matchup's going to be? Or is he going to try to go with him on a second line and then have a disjointed Tavares? I would hope he goes with Ryan O'Reilly on the third line, but that's just my own opinion. And get your lines of combination sorted out. Get your deep pairings sorted out and designate who your extra guys are going to be and get it going.

Cause you got, you know, you got 10, 14 games left to make sure you're, you're on top of your game and your power play looks, you know? So. Mac,

I know over the course of the times that we've had you on the show You're a big Morgan Riley fan Last game he scored Skated pretty well Is there anything that In his game that Suggests that You know he can't get back

To being the player that the Leafs signed You know what? I love this kid. I think he's a really team-first guy. I like the way he plays. But for me, he's a very, very good number two guy. He's not a number one guy for me, but he is the number one guy with the

leagues, and that's the tough part. Is he ever going to be what expectations want him to be? I don't think so, because I think he's as good a number two guy as there is in the league or in that group. He's in that group. But he's not a number one guy. So, you know, they've got to hope that by committee, they can equal, you know, the headman and company group in Tampa Bay.

But, you know, winning a Stanley Cup, I remember one team that won a Stanley Cup without a big horse in the back end. That was when Carolina fluked the Stanley Cup. I mean, a fluke Stanley Cup win when they didn't have a number one defenseman. Is there anybody else? Am I missing anybody that has won the Stanley Cup? Maybe Pittsburgh, the second cup. I think LeTang wasn't around.

If my memory hasn't been damaged too much. Yeah, but they did have Sid and Malkin and Fleurry and a few of those yeah they didn't play defense but but yeah you're right but very seldom very seldom does it happen so I just think I think Ryan Morgan is a great number two guy and I think he's a really valuable part of this team and yeah he's been off a little bit here and there but overall he's going to be there at playoff time he will be there at playoff time. He will be there at playoff time. They've got to figure out what they want to do with McCabe and Disgustis. I mean, I would take one or two of the new guys and put them in the lineup

and go with it and see where they are. And let the other guys be the guys eating the press room food. Fair enough. We've chewed up the Leafs pretty good this week here, so maybe Kipper will take it back to him, but I'm going to ask you a question about something league-wide. Suspensions are way down this year, Doug. I was a little surprised by that,

and we spent a little time yesterday kind of theorizing why they may be down. Is it all the earlier suspensions finally mattering? Kipper suggested finances being the reason. What are your thoughts on suspensions being down in the NHL this season? Is there a player safety department? It exists. Do they still have one?

Yeah. It's worked. Everybody's safe. Everybody's safe. Look, I watch games, and I pray that I may see a hit. I pray that I may see a hit. How the hell are you going to have suspensions when nobody hits anymore? Or if you do hit somebody, you have to fight.

So, you know, what are they going to suspend guys for? Well, you get the odd spear, and you get the odd slash, but they're only $5,000 fines. You get John Tavares. I mean, John Tavares is the dirtiest player I've seen in the last two months. He slashed somebody the other day. Come on. There's no contact.

So how can there be a lot of suspension? I want to get in more depth on this, but I might as well throw it up right now and just the fact that the Quebec Hockey League, the junior Quebec Hockey League is planning on banning fighting. Mac, is this just inevitable? You know, I think

I used to sit in Board of Governors meetings and NHL GM meetings and it was always a talk let's get fighting out of the game. Well, we got slashing out of the game. Oh, yeah. Are you feeding the birds in Florida? There's a bird building a nest up top of my patio.

On your head? No, it's just in my, I'm outside. Jill put the run to make sure that I was too loud. Then she said I was too loud on the patio. So now I'm moving back and getting away from the bird. But you know what? What were we talking about? So there's no fighting in the Quebec League.

Here's the thing that bothers me about the Quebec League and fighting is you've got 16-year-olds fighting 20-year-olds. I don't like it. I, you know, and I understand that. I mean, college hockey hasn't had fighting. They run around with their cages on slashing and hammering away at everybody. You know, I, I mean, I, I don't know. I saw a bubbles there, you know, from the trailer park. He did a, he did a great excerpt on the fighting. He said, I think, from the trailer park boys? Yeah. He did a great excerpt on fighting. He said, I think there should be more fighting.

I think you should give the boys a beer before the game, give them a cigarette, and then let them fight more. We need more fighting in hockey. That's Bubbles' feelings, you know? All right, for everybody joining us now from Sportsnet 590, we got Doug McClain, a former NHL executive. We got birds. We got Bub McLean, a former NHL executive. We got birds. We got bubbles with Doug McLean.

Anyway, I don't care about the fighting in the Quebec League and Junior. It doesn't bother me. You know, I like it the odd time in the NHL, but hey, it doesn't... People... I remember going to do luncheons in Columbus

when we were trying to sell the game of hockey there. And that was the first question they said, what about all the fighting? And I said, well, last time I watched a baseball game, there was more fights in that than there was in any hockey games I've seen lately because of being in the, you know, being in the batter. So, I mean, they want it out of the game and eventually it'll be out of the game. They want it out. The league want it out. And eventually it's going want it out of the game, and eventually it'll be out of the game. They want it out. The league want it out,

and eventually it's going to be out of the game. And, you know, I don't know. They don't hit now. They're not going to fight. I don't know. Soon we'll be able to take the equipment off. We're going back to leather helmets. It's coming full circle.

Give it a minute. Do you think the, I that physical nature of the game, the aggression, hurts fan appeal? I think that was a big part of what people loved about hockey. Will that hurt the game's ability to draw fans if it is purely speed and skill? Look, I'm a hockey fan. The really love like the colorado toronto game you love watching games like that but guys there's too few there's too few of those type of games in

the league i mean i i talk to people that they say doug we just we've lost interest if there's no passion there's no physicalness there's no no, you know, I shouldn't say violence, but there's no, you know, the physical part of the game has disappeared. It's a skill game. Well, some people love that. I happen not to love it. I mean, I remember scouting in Europe. I'd go over and watch the Swedish Elite League play,

and I'd go a week without seeing a body check over there. It's hard on the head to watch it, but some people like it, so each to their own. I happen to find that the physical aspect of the game, I find it a real turnoff for me. I really do. I want to see some physical play. Mac, they're turning our live game into a cartoon.

Does that not scream we're out of ideas? Oh, my God. They've got ideas. Like, I've nights sitting there just shaking my head at the ideas they've come up with. Now they want to go to an eight-minute overtime. And, oh, my God. Do they? I didn't hear that one. Bring it. Let's go. Somebody said, yeah, we're going to have eight-minute overtime, and oh, my God. Did they? I didn't hear that one.

Bring it. Let's go. Somebody said, yeah, we're going to have eight minutes of overtime. God, I can't stand the – well, the first five, I guess, is fine because they dipsy-doodle and they take it outside the blue line, and then they do an orchestrated line change. It's kind of exciting to watch the way they do it, but I don't want to watch eight minutes of it.

I want to see three rushes and score a damn goal and get it over with. But, you know, they've got ideas. They've got idea people there in that league that you just shake their head some of the stuff they come in with. Coley Campbell, his head must spin. Listen to the foolishness he has to listen to in that league office every week.

Leafs play Ottawa on Saturday night. The whole thing about Pierre Dorian was playing meaningful games this year. I'm not sure. Have they already? Will they still? Where's Ottawa with meaningful games? Well, they played a couple of weeks of meaningful games

when they were trying to get back in the race. And then they lose 5-0 in Chicago and they lose in Vancouver. And all of a sudden they're, and a couple other teams win and they're basically out of it. Disappointing. I mean, I like their team. I like the look.

You lose your number one goaltender and, you know, things fall apart. It's really unfortunate because I would have loved to have seen that team get in the playoffs. I don't see them making it. These are meaningful games to help develop the kids. Jake Sanderson looks like a star out there. I was wrong. I had

him as their number two defenseman last week with this show. He's their number one defenseman, the way this guy is playing. He runs their power play. He's got unbelievable talent. How is this guy a smart player like that? You played with his father, and I coached his father. Like, seriously.

He is the opposite of Jeff Sanderson. Sandy was good. Sandy was a great skater and could score, but this guy is a – this guy has got a chance to be a superstar. Sandy was a 40-goal scorer who could skate, but this guy is the total package. Yeah, no. Sandy was a great goal scorer and a great kid, but this guy –

No, you're right. He has a chance to be special. He really does. He really does. And a lot of guys in this team. The Stutzel kid, he's gone to a whole other level. We talked about him a couple of weeks ago. I think they're a fun team to watch.

Brady Kachuk is my favorite player in the NHL right now. I'd love to see them get in, but they're not getting in. And now, you know, all they're worried about is who's going to buy the team. Well, who's going to own the team and what's it going to cost them, Doug? Where's your money at? Well, if you listen to ESPN, I mean, they're on salary, I think, from the league pushing the expansion in Atlanta and Houston. It's such a joke listening to them talk about expansion.

I mean, it's a PR job for Bettman is what it is for ESPN. I'm still – Look, I guess they're going to go, will they go 900 plus million? I guess. It's all about, it's all about the real estate play. It is, it is. But I'm, I'm hearing some, some billionaires are balking at the close to a billion dollars. I mean, can you imagine? You can announce anything you want right but yeah we were we were involved to buy tampa in 2008 and the price was 200 million and it was unbelievable and it's

today for ottawa it's a billion now tampa today is worth, what, $700 million, $800 million, I guess is what they say. Well, if Ottawa is worth a billion, as Gary says, the franchise has been way undervalued, way undervalued. They've been undervalued, but they make no money. It's very confusing for me. Yeah, they're worth a billion dollars, but they don't have any cash flow. What are they, Uber? Good business. Yeah, they're Uber. No, they're not. They're Lyft.

That's a great line. Anyway. I hope they get a billion. Garyock, oh my god. Look, we're going to have to put Garyock in therapy if Ryan Reynolds doesn't get this team. Gary Yock will have to go into therapy. There's no doubt about it.

He's been talking Ryan Reynolds and marketing this and marketing that, and if he doesn't get it, oh, my God, what are we going to do with Gary Yock? Seriously. Well, listen, congratulations, man. You took this thing off the rails as good as anything you've done in a year. What did we learn today? That you got a

bird's nest on your balcony. Bubbles is an authoritative voice on hockey fighting. Sounds like he's keeping it on the rails at dinner some nights. No, and then he used to do lines at a bar when he was coaching. This is the first time I've been kicked off the patio because of birds and because I'm making too much noise for the neighbors.

Then I go in and I'm kicked out of the inside because I'm making too much noise for Jill. Like I said, where the hell am I supposed to do this show, Jill? I'm too, you know. Anyway, okay. Hey, great job. Yeah, thanks for having me, guys. I really appreciate it. Thanks, anyway. Okay. Hey, great job. Yeah, thanks for having me, guys. I really appreciate it.

Thanks, Doug. Yes, you do. No sincerity out of him whatsoever. No, not at all. All right. But lots of opinions. Lots of opinions. And I think people know about me and with our guests.

I enjoy people who give us opinions. That was good. Oh, my god. That was... I had to take my annual leak at 347 when I get the guest on. And I come back in and you're talking about doing lines at a bar. I'm like, what the hell? You go for a

minute! With a napkin. He liked to do them by himself, he said. Yes, by himself. He's a closet line changer. Not as social. All right, anything you want to go there? Well, maybe we could talk about the fighting thing now, right?

We mentioned the cute thing. We got a few minutes here. We could talk about that now. Debra's got something on this. No, I don't. I don't have a thing. I don't have a thing i don't have a thing and i'm i'm with doug on the part where it's like i'm not sure it's that big of a deal

in all honesty not gonna be in the queue yeah okay i think so i played college hockey yeah and you know one time some kid was being, you know, egregiously dirty. They still fought. Someone still fought him and took their one game suspension. I could see that still happening. I don't think it's going to affect the Q's product all that much. But what I do think is that it will hurt the players developmentally who are in the league as long as fighting still exists in pro hockey. Because, you know you gotta how many guys are we really talking about though that that this

will have a direct effect on that that they they weren't groomed that they didn't learn how to fight because they weren't learn how to fight learn how to play within a game where that is an element of of reality where there's intimidation and if you slash or spear someone that could be a consequence and you have to kind of play a little bit differently yeah that's fair that's fair but but i don't think it's going to affect the queue and the product and if you take a look already what's what's going on the fighters in our in our league they're going to disappear even more of them are going to disappear there's no more fighters leaving You have to be able to play. Ryan Reeves will retire maybe sooner than later.

Tanner Junot leads the league in fights and he had 24 goals last year. They're not being replaced. No. So they're not being groomed in junior anyways. Yeah. And they've already got tough laws where it's in the O, if I'm not mistaken,

it's you're suspended after three, I think. Yeah. Is it like a 10? I think it's in the oh if i'm not mistaken it's you're suspended after three i think yeah is it like a 10 i think it's maybe 10 games it's 10 in american hockey league i think i thought it was three fights and you get suspended for a certain amount of games to me that's the way to do it if you had some guy who's consistently a problem he should get suspended but if there's a game or two games or things get weird he should be. I don't... I think there's bigger fish to fry for the queue than focusing on this. Like, there are no fights in the NHL, relatively speaking, to what we've had in the past.

Yeah. I think there's one fight every three and a half games, four games. Yeah. It's nothing. Why are you making such a big deal out of it? No one's getting hurt doing it like that's not an issue it's not a safety issue no one's getting hurt fighting when was the last

time someone got seriously hurt in a fight i would find it hard to believe we couldn't find instances of guys getting knocked out historically this year i'm sure people have been knocked out i mean i feel like i've seen people take big blows listen here's my case for it is that he's not doing it very often that's no it's not that common but like if we educate the players in the risks associated with it then to me it becomes like ufc or mma or you know boxing or whatever i realize it is mma but where it's like if you decide you want to partake in this, there are risks associated with it. You're a grown-up.

You can make that decision. You know, no one's going to force you to. If someone jumps you and you don't want to fight, they're going to be suspended the same as they were if fighting was banned. Did you see Troy Stetcher last night with Carter? Yeah. Great fight. Great fight.

Why? Because it was real. It was yeah he was mad he was hit in the moment mad yeah like what what's gotten totally cleaned up is the george larocque at the face off hey how you doing good good how's the family family's good yeah okay are we gonna do this, let's do this. No. It has to be spontaneous. It has to be because you're pissed off. It has to be because I'd rather do this than take my stick and crack you over the head, which I could

easily do right now. For sure. So then how quickly are the Dub and the O going to take this out? Well, I think there's going to be pressure for sure. It's tough with kids, man. You know, in the queue. I don't know what's going on in the queue in terms of during the pandemic. I think there were some bailouts there. They got some money back to them.

And maybe there were some promises with the money. I don't know how it played out, but I think there's going to be pressure on the, on the O and, and, and the Western Hockey League. For sure there is. I don't think – I think Doug nailed it.

I don't really need to go to a hockey game and watch 17-year-old guys wail on each other's brains. Yeah, I'm with you. Listen, I grew up – I was a 20-year season ticket holder for the O and Son of Playters and Attack, and I went to games that lasted four and a half hours because all it was was fights. I'd leave at six o'clock go for dinner i get home at midnight like it it was ridiculous the amount of change that they've had over the last four or five like

may not even like 10 years all positive all positive yeah but like i still think that a passionate moment in a hockey game where the gloves can come off and that's a that's a thing it's not it's not It's not a horrible thing. And how about the reality that it's an entertainment product? Like the NHL is trying to sell tickets and fill buildings to pay salaries and to keep the whole machine working. People are entertained

by the passion you're talking about. Like they are incentivized to want this in the game. When it happens in a game, we come in here the next day. Giddy talking about it. Like half our conversations this year is like, I wish the Leafs would respond. Yeah.

When's the last Leafs fight? Did they fight? Great question. I don't know. Have they fought this year? I think hunt, hunt, font.

Oh yeah. Font, uh, hunt, font, font. I'm going to start. That's my new faux swear.

He smoked Jack McBain from behind, and then Jack McBain came down the end and beat the crap out of him. Oh, didn't Rasmus fight? He also got thumped by Wallstrom. The game we went to. He fought Wallstrom. Yeah. All right, we should go.

Okay, we're going to take a quick break. We got Jason York to discuss Toronto and Ottawa. Matt Murray making his return. We're going to get an update on Jacob Chikrin and his early returns now that he's in Ottawa. Tons more. Jason York after the break. You're watching and listening to Real Kipper and Born.

This is Real Kipper and Born on Sportsnet 590 The Van. From one favorite to another, back-to-back on Friday, Doug McClain and Jason York. Like, come on, does it get any better for the Real Kipper and Bourne show? No, sir. It's a perfect Friday. Yorkie, you're like... Doug McClain's like the warm-up band for you. Come on, that's pretty high praise. You and Dougie go back a long way. And he had a bird in his hair today.

In today's show, he had a bird. It sounded like he had a bird in his hair. What? Yeah, he did it from the balcony, and all we could hear, birds in the background. It was off the rails. Retirement community living. He sees a bird sanctuary in his backyard.

That's all. He's like that. I'm watching this show right now on Netflix with Eugene Levy. I don't know if you guys have seen it. It's called The Peculiar Traveler or something where Eugene Levy goes up. The Reluctant Traveler. Is that what Doug McClain does now?

Just travels all around as birds on his head? Yes. In an RV. Yeah, that's him. I love it. How are you? I'm good. I'm good.

Yeah, no. Just chilling out, hanging out with the dogs today. We had an earlier conversation about Pierre Dorian and the mission of the Ottawa Senators, or at least their goal was to play meaningful games. I'm not sure if this season's going to be remembered. Is there a cut line on when there were meaningful games or when there's not? Do they have any games left that are meaningful

including Saturday night against the Leafs? I think that word kippers now banned in Ottawa meaningful games. People are so sick of hearing that term. You know, I'll say this. When they beat Detroit on those back-to-back

games, those were, I'm not even going to say it, those were important games. And those were kind of testers. Okay, what have we made out here? Here's a team that we're kind of, we're kind of right about the same spot here. Detroit, Ottawa, both rebuilding, both trying to get better.

And then I thought Ottawa took a huge step. And then, you know, you could blame it Cam Talbot got hurt they've got their third string Solgaard man leaves you their fourth string it's such a big ask it's a big ask to try and make the playoffs or to make a huge run with those two goaltenders so you know that that last road trip they've had, that really cooked their goose. But I will say this. The team still is playing hard, and I'll give DJ Smith a lot of credit. This group, they still make mistakes. They still make young mistakes.

You look at their center ice position, they're really, really young guys. Down the middle, I think it's Sitzler, then it's Pinto, and then it's Kostelik, and then Gambrell. They're just so young down the middle. So they still play hard. Are they still meaningful games? Yeah, they are because I think this is a great time to evaluate. To me, you can't tell what kind of player you really have until you put them in a situation where there's a little bit of skin on the line,

and they've had that the last little while. So there's a lot of players that I can say, yeah, I know what this guy's all about now. So I want to talk about the next step with Ottawa, because I look at a lot of teams who tried to rebuild. They get bad. Like the Oilers did it for a while, and it's Yakupov, and it's Hall, and it's Eberle, and it's all these guys.

And it doesn't always come. It's not guaranteed to go from bad to having players to becoming a contender. So like the next step for the Ottawa senators is curious to me because we don't know ownership. We don't know like what they're going to spend or willingness to spend will be. What do you forecast for this senators team and trying to turn the page from bad to the middle to what comes next?

So number one, Bernieie i think new ownership whoever it's going to be here they're going to be close to a cap team if not a captain i i think there's an appetite for whoever buys the team you're not going to spend a billion dollars and come in and say you know what now we're going to cut some corners and we're not going to spend money. They're obviously going to have deep pockets. Number one, I think they've got to figure out what they're going to do on Nets. You're not going anywhere in this league

unless you figure out what you have on the Nets. We can talk about the Charlotte Maple Leafs later on. You guys want to trade for Matt Murray? No, thanks. We'll see. I think the draft is going to be really Matt Murray? No, thanks. So we'll see. I think the draft is going to be really important for them, Borny. I still think, and this is just me, and people thought I was crazy, I think Alex Dabrinkit is a huge piece to play at the draft.

I just think they can really do something. If he doesn't want to extend, I think he could move in and get a couple of really nice pieces. You look at a team like the Calgary Flames, if they miss the playoffs, they're just one team in particular, man, they're going to be looking to make some moves. So, number one, goaltending. And then number two, I think they need another defenseman

and a top six forward that plays on the inside, not on the outside. They need a guy that can play inside the dots and be a hard guy to play. It's just to add the guys like Kachuk and Stetsla. But I think it's going to be really interesting with what happens if they bring it in the summer. Speaking of goaltending, Matt Murray's slated to play tomorrow night unless he slips on a banana peel. How big of a return is that?

How big of a storyline is that? How big of a win is that for him if he can pull it off? I think for him if he can pull it off? I think for him personally, it's got to be a big game for him, right? Like going back to a team that was trying to get rid of you at all costs, just wanted you gone, wanted you away from the group, and you got a chance to come in and really stick a nail in their coffin. I would say it's a huge game for Matt Murray.

As far as the Senators, I don't really think they're saying, hey, man, we got to go and beat Matt Murray tonight. I just think they're just treading water right now. They're hoping to beat Toronto. The last thing they want to do is lose to the Toronto Maple Leafs in their own building where there's going to be a ton of Leafs fans and have a game of – it's a big game for them because it's just it's going to be like a nail in the coffin if they lose it so they the last thing

they want to do is lose to the Toronto Maple Leafs sure they don't want to lose to Murray I think it's a way bigger game kipper than that Murray so let's say well the Senators are probably not going to make the playoffs they're on the verge of being sold to someone else. They fell short this year. What is going to become of the people in charge, of Pierre Dorian, of DJ Smith, and Jack Capuano, and Davis Payne? Is everyone going to stick around there through new ownership, or do you think it's just a fresh start when there's new ownership?

Well, I don't have a crystal ball, Barney, but you guys know this as well as I do in this business. When things change hands, for example, when a new GM comes in, what's the first thing he usually always does? He always brings in his own guys. I don't want to say for sure. I know what's up, but I can just tell you from what I know from history, and you guys know this too, like new owners are going to want to bring in their own people.

It would be one thing if this team had been winning the last five years and things were, like you were inheriting a Stanley Cup team or a team that's further along in the process. So I would just, my guess is there'll be an evaluation period. There'll be meetings, just like any business, when the ownership comes in, and they'll make the decision. And I would have to think that they'll bring in their own people. And that's just what I've learned through the history of this league.

You really were hoping for the Ottawa Senators to have that push to keep them right in the thick of things, especially with the addition of Jacob Chikrin. It's not happening, but why? And where's his play in your eyes since he's been traded there? I like him, Kipper. He's been really good. I love the move because, number one, it gave him a little bit of a push.

It brings some energy to the new team when he came in. But he's under contract for, I think he's got two more years under contract. Don't quote me on that. Yeah, two more after this one. Yeah, two more, Kipper, and it's a really good contract. Yeah, it sure is. It's a great deal, and he's a really good story, too. His dad grew up here in Ottawa.

Jeff, who I know you played against him, Kipper. And with him. Yeah, so he's a great dude, great family. And the thing about small markets like Ottawa, you didn't have to convince a guy to say, hey, this is a great place. Because a lot of guys, American guys, his family's from here, but he grew up in Boca Raton, Florida. But he genuinely wanted to be here. And people in Ottawa, you know, there's a little bit of a complex here

where people think that, hey, we're Ottawa. We're sick of being kicked around here. Or now you've got a guy that was really happy to come here. And he's played well. He's played really well. But to answer your second question, Kipper, on what do I think that went wrong with the team, I just think they're not there yet, and it's particularly down the middle.

I mentioned it earlier. You can't win in this league if you're center ice man. And I'll take Stutzler look for example who's been awesome this year he's still 21 still learning to play the offensive side of the game and then pinto is your number two center who's a rookie and then you got a couple guys that are still trying to find their way in the league and castellac and gambrel so you're not winning this time of year with that much lack of depth at the middle and And to throw in the fact, we've got a third and fourth string goaltender. And at the end of the day, that start in November really killed them, fellas.

They got off to such a bad start. They almost had to play perfect hockey down the stretch. And for those two reasons, goaltending, center-right position, you're not going to get it done. And Josh Norris. Yeah, and that's the fact. Losing Norris just put everybody out of sorts. It just puts everybody in a position they're not ready for yet

as far as the Senators go. So, you know, Chikrin was one of two people who wanted to go there and was a great player. Claude Giroux made the choice this past summer to join Ottawa. How has his first season gone in Ottawa, and do you think he's going to be able to be a contributing player as they do aim for playoffs and beyond? He's been really good,

Barney, really good. He's still super competitive. He scored a lot of big goals and I'll tell you where he's been most important. I think the effect he's had on guys like Brady Kachuk and Tim Stutzler, he's got that will, he's got that competitiveness, he works super hard, he trains hard in the summer.

I just think he's been something Ottawa hasn't had in a long time, and that is a legitimate older guy that's been there and done that. It's one thing when you have older guys, but if they haven't really had success in the league, sometimes younger guys aren't going to take them serious. We've got no choice but to take Claude Giroux serious. And I think the leadership effect, I guess is what I'm trying to say, Barney, has probably been the biggest impact on the group.

You mentioned DJ Smith. Has he solidified himself as a good coach here moving forward? I know there's some people that were in and out on his future. Has he done enough with this group? So if you talk to people in the city, and if you read Twitter, Kipfer, it's like, no, nobody's ever happy. The team's not going to make the playoffs. This is what I'll tell you about my take on DJ Smith.

I think the job of a head coach is to motivate players and make them play hard. I think DJ Smith has done a really good job of doing that. The group plays hard. Is he going to be back as coach? I already said that earlier. I don't think so. But I think he's shown that he can coach in this league.

I've shown that he can motivate guys. I think he's got a lot of energy. I think for whatever happens here with Ottawa, if for some reason he loses his job, I think he'll be a head coach again. So it's tough. He's been here a long time. New ownership is coming.

So he's going to be in a tough situation. But I like what he's done with the group. I am probably in the minority, where my belief is, if you can get guys to play hard, I think that's 75% of being a really good coach. York, you will pivot to

the most important team to this show, the Toronto Maple Leafs here. Get your thoughts on them rolling 7-D since they've made a bunch of trades at the deadline here. How would that make you feel if you're a fifth or sixth guy and you're getting suddenly 13 a game? Or the seventh. Yeah, or the eighth.

Or the first. Or the first. Right. The first guy doesn't want his minutes being chopped into. You're probably asking the wrong guy that question because I hate it. Whenever I coach, I always made a point when I was coaching junior hockey, I never, ever dressed 70 because I hate it. It complicates the things for your D coach as far as rolling guys out.

Can it work? For sure it can. But you you got to have a really good guy back there that knows how to mix and mingle in your things because you get a guy sitting too long with 70 you might as well just staple him to the bench because he's going to be useless you can't at least i couldn't i couldn't play 12 minutes and be effective in the going out there because i'm cold with legs flags are bad, but so I hate it. Some guys love it, but I'm I absolutely can't stand it.

You got any Ryan Reynolds updates for us here moving forward? Well, he just sold his company Kipper. Isn't he a 300 and some million richer right now? He's looking to spend it on something. So yeah, no, I'm here. I'm hearing the same things you guys are uh he's he's latched himself onto the remington group uh there's there's three maybe four serious bidders or they took their first rounds of bids last week i believe and they're

gonna try and narrow that down i think when it's all said and done kipper yeah um i i would it's pretty well known that batman wants Reynolds part of any group. So I think it happens to be another group that wins the bid. I could very well see him jumping over and saying, hey guys, I'm still here. The name we hear now is Graham Rosten, who

owns the Hockey News. Yeah, yeah. I heard that one today, and that one came out of nowhere, out of the little lake. Is that a profitable enterprise? Listen. What else does he own?

What's the other stuff? There's not a world that I see that you're going to recoup $900 million. Yeah. Well, I'll tell you're going to recoup $900 million. Yeah. Well, I'll tell you one thing with the project. As of right now, the amount of acreage at the LaBreton's class site, you need more. So whoever does, in fact, get the team, they're going to negotiate with the NCC,

the people that can control the land down there, to try and get more land. Because I'm with you. You're going to need more land to get more value out of your investment. I just want to clarify that I love the hockey news and always have and just didn't think you made enough money owning the hockey news. Oh, no. It's not his money.

It would be definitely a conjunction with someone with really deep pockets. A consortium of many people? Yeah. That will be fascinating to keep an eye on. Obviously, you know, rooting for Reynolds to be involved just from an entertainment

perspective. You know, last one from New York is just to get your thoughts on the Leafs as they head into the postseason. I know you keep at least an eye on this Toronto Maple Leafs team. Tampa may be reeling a little bit. Do you think this is the year? Do they look better to you now? I do.

I honestly do. What's the status on Ryan O'Reilly right now, Barney? He'll be back before playoffs. I imagine, in a couple weeks. He should be able to get a handful of games in. Yeah. Well, I love the Atreides move, the O'Reilly, Jake McCabe. Like, they brought in some real grit. And O'Reilly, too, a guy that I can't say enough good things about.

I'm a huge Ryan O'Reilly guy. I love how he plays the game. He plays on the right side of the puck, great on face-offs. You guys know everything he does. So if there's any year, doesn't this have to be the year? My only concern is goaltending. Are they good enough in that? That's the one thing.

If you're best of seven, or the Leafs goalies, it's going to be better than Vasilevsky. That's my only concern. And you guys know as well as I do, it's a game of goalie on the playoffs, right? We'll continue to get a feel on that one tonight. Leafs in Carolina, tomorrow night

against the Ottawa Senators. Yorkie, thanks for doing this, man. Enjoy the weekend. Enjoy the games. Yeah, happy St. Paddy's Day, boys. You too, pal. Enjoy some Guinness. Jason York, co-host of the Coming In Hot Sens podcast. Always a great guest.

He is. Wonderful. So just to touch on the Ottawa situation, it's a ton of money. It's a market that's limited. You can't write off government skyboxes or anything, entertainment there. I don't know where the industry is going to be to support something.

The last thing I want to see is billionaires go in there, build this huge thing, and then start taking it out on the Ottawa fans to pay back. It's going to get really expensive. They're going to want to recoup some of that money, and it'll come at the expense of jacking it beyond belief. Yeah, I can see that happening. And it'll come at the expense of jacking it beyond belief. Yeah. I can see that happening. I hope they have a smaller building. Who was it we talked to that mentioned that? You know, like have a.

15-5. Yeah. You know, that's what Winnipeg is, right? Like, could they be, you know, 16 or something like that? But then you got to, if you're having, you know, 5,000 less seats in another arena, you got to jack up the price even more. Right? If you're having 5,000 less seats in another arena, you've got to jack up the price even more. Right?

Yeah, I mean, everything is probably lower, right? Your upfront costs are lower. The amount of space you need is not as much. But yeah, no, it's true. When they're hot, it would certainly cost more per ticket when they're hot. Okay. Oh, I got something for you. Yeah, go ahead.

I was just scrolling Twitter while you guys were talking to Yorkie there. And a fan account put this out today. The name of the account is Willie O'Reilander. So take this, you know, as you will. But they were talking about the five-on-three opportunities for the Leafs because the broadcast mentioned it last night. Is it still zero? Zero.

They've had zero. And there's been no other time since 2009, 2010, when the stat has been available, that a team has gone 67 games without a five-on-three power play. You know what's going to happen? Game one. Game one of the playoffs, they're going to be down a goal in the third period, five on three.

The only other time it's happened was New York Islanders with zero five-on-three opportunities in the 2020 shortened season of 56 games. 56 games, yeah. That is a strange one, though. And you know who leads the league is the Winnipeg Jets. How many do you think the Winnipeg Jets have? They've had half a dozen.

Close. Seven? Fourteen. Oh! Minnesota has 14. Ottawa has 11. That's close. That's not close.

I think he maybe thought you said a dozen. Oh, did you say a dozen? Half a dozen. Oh, I thought you said a dozen. Oh, my God. Yeah, yeah. Fourteen? Fourteen.

Oh, the Leafs are getting... There needs to be an investigation. No, it's just like... Call Gary. Someone hasn't committed one infraction on a power play that they've had this year? Yeah, I call BS. That's insane. Listen, I'm not saying...

I'm not like being Mr. Ref or there's a conspiracy here. It's the most popular team in the league. I think they want them to win. I just think it's a little crazy that they haven't had a five on three. It's nuts. Something I thought was worth talking about on the radio. Yes. No, 100%.

It is a very noteworthy quirk and oddity. We got to tee up some YouTube and text questions. It is Friday. But before that, just a thought on Sidney Crosby. Clinching his 18th point per game season. 18? In 18 years. Points per game season.

Holy smokes. Yeah. The guy that's got the all-time lead, I think you might have heard of him, Wayne Gretzky. Yeah. He has 19. So he's one behind. We can sit and do it again.

Yes. Why not? Well, you know, what makes me believe is he's going to decimate a point per game this year. Yeah. He's at 82 points in 60-some games. I mean, he's not going to get to 100, to 100 but it's like you know he'll be in the 90s that's a remarkable stat to me it is he's a remarkable player yeah but like the you know

it's just consistency doesn't ovi have like 18 30 goal seasons or something like you know the these guys how long they've been as good as they've been it is jarring particularly you look at the elite goal scorers, Austin Matthews last year. It's not a given you come back and you're the same guy as your best season, even in your prime. You know, it's tough to do it over and over and over. McDavid's 300. He's four goals away from 300 for his career.

And probably, what, two goals away from 60, and we're barely discussing that. Yeah, three goals away from 60. Yeah. Four away from. Everyone's like, yeah. It's a nice number. 60.

So many. Is he going to say it's just a number? Oh, he is for sure. There's no chance he's going to celebrate it. I'm Mr. Grumpy. I don't like things. Connor, you guys won 10-0 tonight. God, you're so jealous.

I don't care. I'm a grump. No, he's grumpy. He's a big time. I like him, though. It's okay. I like him, too. He can-0 tonight. God, you're so jealous. I don't care. I'm a grump. No, he's grumpy. He's a big grump. I like him, though. It's okay. I like him, too. He can be grumpy.

Yeah, I like him, too. Be grumpy until you win a cup. It's okay. No. The only thing that gets him non-grumpy, and we're actually very similar in this, is Nickelback. Yeah. Anytime I hear a little photo, look at that photograph. Of all Nickelback songs to reference,

you want photograph? I like you guys want a thought on the Panthers scoring seven goals in the first period. Well, Montreal sucks. I think it's like, what happened? Hey,

what happened? Like, where's the Marty factor here to play with pride? They're right. It's a punt now, man. I mean, everyone got what they wanted out of that game.

The Panthers got their win the canadians forwards got their points the team got their loss the only person only person who didn't benefit was montreal's goaltender and the team's trying to lose so what are you gonna do they're now getting down into the into bedard territory here like may 8th yeah is the draw or the lottery or whatever i guess it's the draw or whatever you want to call it but um do we know if sportsnet's gonna like invite everybody in big party again oh they always do that they always bring in all the well no the pandemic kind of shut it down oh yeah right yeah yeah right well and also the leafs first pick is 32nd

overall they may be not going to celebrate this one like they did the Matthews draft. Columbus is still in last. San Jose second last. Anaheim, Chicago, Philadelphia, Montreal is the order. Hold on. Anaheim's not last? Nope. They're not last. They're really bad too.

They're awful. Anaheim is just a bad team. Columbus. Columbus. Yeah. awful anaheim just all it's just a bad team columbus yeah so my goal differential like columbus who's in last is minus 77 san jose's minus 66 the ducks are minus 102 when they lose they lose bad oh yeah they just get blown out just filled so i uh i think my and then i look at vancouver who inexplicably got hot and what would would they win? Five in a row, you're saying, Borny?

Yeah, five straight wins. They've won seven of the last ten. Perfect timing. Why did they hire Tarkin? We talked about this every day on the show for a week. Being like, don't do this. They wanted to keep Boudreaux, and we just wouldn't let them. No, we said you should keep them and suck.

Well, they logically should have, and they wanted to. But I think the public roar was just too loud they just couldn't do it anymore they should have brought in the they should have brought in you should have given it to the angel of death mike yo he fills in for every head coach he's ever worked with yes i was trying to come up with a term there's always two or three teams no matter what start getting hot this time of year. And everyone goes, oh, maybe next year. And then they start the next year 06 and 04 or something. Yeah.

You know, March hockey for a bad team and September baseball for a bad team are often telling you a lot of lies. Yeah. Okay. Read some questions, would you? Okay. Whoa. All right.

I don't really have a whole lot here. Okay. This is a good one because we're playing Ottawa. They're playing ottawa they're playing ottawa this weekend is ottawa gonna let the brinket walk or trade him in this offseason well you know if i learned anything from jason york he called them a nice chip did he not like a trade chip that's uh the only thing i got leading me on that one but again it does i think there's still so much of the Ottawa pitcher to unfold, like the ownership

and what they want to spend, how aggressive they are in free agency. He is a $7 million player for me. Yeah, guys who score 40 goals get $7 million. Seven, four, seven, five. You got to be in that ballpark. Where are the Sens here? So he's not going to score 40 goals this year, though, five. You got to be in that ballpark. Where are the sense here?

So he's not going to score 40 goals this year though. No, but he's got the potential to do it. And that's in the ballpark of six and a half, $7 million. They got to try to sign them. Yeah. It's just not many guys available.

Yes. He makes 6.4 right now. 6.4. Yeah. So get them 6.4 right now. 6.4. Yeah. So get them a little above seven, seven to five. Is there, is there teams out there that are willing to give them seven and a half or

eight a year? I don't think he does enough other things to get that much more than what you're talking about. Yes. Like goal scoring is valuable. So here's your seven and a half million. But once you start talking about those type of numbers over seven or eight years,

now it's like, are you happy here? You like the area? Wife, kids happy. That's no one's outbidding anybody to the point where it's like that. I just couldn't turn it down. Yeah.

It doesn't happen anymore. Johnny Goodrow? Took a pay cut to leave. That's true. Took a pay cut to leave, to play in the worst team in the league. Literally the worst team in the league. It doesn't happen anymore. He's going to be setting up Conor Bedard next year.

It's going to work out for him. Is there anything more anti-competitive and less inspiring than a guy leaving a good team to play for a bad team for less money? No. What are you... What is the vibe going to be

the moment on May 8th when Bill Daley announces Arizona Coyotes are the number one pick. I know what it's going to be. Frozen envelope talk. It's going to be hair on fire. It's going to be absolute rigged talk.

Okay, so let's get it out of the way before that happens. Just like the league should have done for the Toronto Maple Leafs. It's going to be like. They don't want him in Arizona. Yeah, they do. No one wants that superstar playing in front of 4,600 people for three years. You can't make less money off him than that. But what does that do to their value of their team?

Up. They'd love him in Arizona. Only if you... Are you talking about moving the team or now like you need money to build an arena there's a chance that their vote will get voted down and they won't get the the state money or do they still not know if tempe's approved no no they're waiting for so if it doesn't then will they relocate i don't know what's left because if they'll, maybe that's why everyone's talking about Atlanta and Houston, because the league knows that eventually this team's going there.

Sure. There is a major. Give Conor Bedard to the Houston Oilers. There's a major public vote that has to surface here with the, the future of a building. Do we know if that's before May 8th? That'd be fascinating. Sammy,

Google it real quick. What am I Googling? They're not sending an Arizona to rot there for three years. What am I 8th? That would be fascinating. Sammy, Google it real quick. They're not sending him to Arizona to rot there for three years. What am I Googling? I don't know. Okay. We don't have time for that. Coyotes vote. Tempe Arena vote.

Okay. Tempe Arena vote. I'm Googling. But if it's rigged in any direction, because people are going to say rigged almost no matter where he goes. Is there a chance that he could pull a card that says, don't draft me, I ain't going? Yeah. I would say that. I would say it loudly and not through backdoor channels.

I would say it in media interviews. Here's the problem. Not going. I need a plan B. What do you mean? For the dark? If he doesn't go to Arizona, where does he go?

Literally anywhere that isn't Arizona? And that's better? No, I'm saying if he gets drafted by Arizona, and they pick him, and he says, I'm not going. Right. What's plan B? For Arizona?

Oh, just not playing. Just not playing. He's telling them, don't draft me. I'm not going. They draft him anyways. And then. Yeah, I'm going to play for Midler and getting conscripted into the war and fighting Ukraine at that point.

I'm just not playing for Arizona. I'm going back. I'm joking, by the way. I'm going back for my fourth year in junior. Yeah. I'm going to play the road score 1,000 points. World juniors again. May 16th is the vote.

Eight days after? Eight days after. Crisis. They're going to get him, and then their vote's not going to go through, and they're not going to have a rink, and then he's going to be stuck, and they're going to relocate, and he not going to have a rink and then he's going to be stuck and they're going to relocate and he's going to be in the middle of the circus. Are there rinks in the mall anywhere

in Arizona? There's a couple of outdoor rinks in the winter. They keep cold. Very impressive. There's a rink in there's an indoor rink in a mall in Edmonton. Maybe Edmonton will win the draft lottery somehow like they always do. Wow, now I'm fascinated because I think I should put a poll up. If you're're going to claim rigged where do you think the league would rig conor mcday or sorry

conor bedard to go that's sammy says arizona chicago philly yeah i don't think all these destinations kind of stink i don't think there's one that's gonna really that's a big market philly be nice too love chic Chicago. I would love Philly. Columbus I'm okay with. San Jose no thank you. Don't put him on the west coast for me. I need him selfishly. Totally selfishly here. I'd like to watch him play before midnight.

Montreal would probably be pretty good for the league. Ooh. I didn't want to put that one on the universe but it would probably be pretty great if they got him. Okay. This is a two part question from SJ in North York. Over-under playoff games at.5 for Wayne Simmons. And then if you were coach, how close would he be playing on your depth chart?

Like one bad loss away or what? I want to say this respectfully to Wayne Simmons, who's had a great career and is a person I admire, but 0% chance under negative games somehow. He's just not in the plans. And if it's like David Riddich, when they traded for him for a third rounder, if you get that far,

it's over. Yeah. Yeah. A hundred percent. I mean, we're talking the guys ahead of him on the depth chart are, you get O'Reilly in, and then it's Holmberg, and then it's McMahon, and then it's Steve. And he's not playing.

Think about that. He's not playing hockey currently. No, what I'm saying, yeah. Well, what I'm saying is like, he's played two games, three games in two months. How many has he played this year? Has he been in 10 hockey games in 22, 23? He won't play for the Marlies.

Right. He won't go down and play games there. He's courteously allowing him to collect a paycheck, be around. Like he's, I understand it's possible he could get into the lineup. I understand that. To me, it's strange. I wonder if he'll get in down the stretch as they rest, guys. Even the thought that, like, you know, I could hit a couple injuries,

you could be back in there. Play games. Just play games. Yeah, he should get in there. I don't think it's as crazy. Like, you don't think it's as crazy as Maroon and Perry are acting like D-holes and he runs out there and fights one of them? D-holes. I don't think and fights one of them? D-holes.

I don't think... No, it's not impossible. I don't think it would be like... Gotta stay sharp, guys. Yeah. You need to be playing hockey now. Are we getting played off the stage here? Is it time? It seems like we started a little earlier than we usually do, but... We'll take it. Yeah. We'll take it. It's Friday.

Oscar hook. Oscar hook just came out. I don't know. The normal amount? We usually go to 454, right? I don't know. Do I have to thank everybody now? 55, chum.

Do I have to thank everybody now? You need to thank everyone. Justin Williams. Great guy. Doug McClain. Yep. Jason York. Derek Brandeo.

David Sispumba. Sammy. Justin. Nick. Have a great weekend, everybody. Give us a rating and review if you get a chance, okay? We want to hear from you. Leafs talk tonight following the final whistle with myself and Brent Gunning.

Give me a score tonight, Sammy. Low-scoring match again. I'm saying 3-2 Leafs. Leafs win. 4-2. Empty netter, Leafs. 2-1. Okay. Alright.

Have a great weekend, everybody. We'll be you next time.