Real Kyper & Bourne - All-Star Memories with PK Subban

Episode Date: January 30, 2024

Nick Kypreos and Justin Bourne start with Frank Seravelli (2:41) of Daily Faceoff, who weighs in on reports of the Senators' interest in Chris Tanev, Stamkos' free agent future, Sean Monahan's market, the Pens' plan for Guentzel and which Canadian team - buyer or seller - will make the biggest splash at the deadline. Later, former NHLer PK Subban joins the show (26:13) to discuss his time training with Kyper growing up, his transition to the media, memories from the All-Star game and why he decided to hang 'em up when he did.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.

semi-queue you know your cues whenever you want just tell me when you're ready all right let's giddy up here the national edition of the Real Kipper and Bourne Show. We are live and in color. It's really all national hours now because there's no more Leafs. Kipper, can I get a detailed line-by-line breakdown of the St. Louis Blues versus the Columbus Blue Jackets tonight? How does your forecheck stack up against the regroup? It is coming up. All right.

Well, listen, wherever you are watching and listening, Sportsnet, Sportsnet 650 in Vancouver, Sportsnet 960 in Calgary. We're glad you're with us. It's All-Star Week here. This hour of Real Kipper and Bourne brought to you by Bet365. Got a terrific lineup in this hour, pk suban who i taught when he was like seven years old did you teach him to win norris trophies i did you're a pretty good teacher at the toronto professional hockey school with chico really yes that's great. Yes. How long did you do that? Did you coach?

Every year I'd go to the camp for a few days. Oh, I was still playing for the Leafs. Were you doing it for money? Oh, no. I did it for free. Yeah, you think I want to go? First, I know the man, but I just can't get him. He's making NHL money.

He's going to make $1,000 to teach people to skate. Do you really think I would take a day off my summer to go find an 8-year-old PK Subban? Fun fact, I taught hockey schools every summer myself, and I taught Shea Weber to skate single-handedly. Oh, wow. He was in the camp, and I can't say that I... Wow.

All right. If you had not taught him, bottom the least would have beat them in the playoffs the least of stanley cup champions hey did i just get one upped yeah i think you might i don't know do you like jb or shea weber who do you like well they both they traded for each other i know and he broke that story yes i did a lot of synergy going on in this hour. That's what happens when there's no hockey. Before we get to P.K. Subban, let's bring in Frank Cervelli, who has done a terrific job on our show on occasion, and he will again in the next few minutes to tell us what's going on behind the scenes and what we can expect.

Frank, thanks for joining us and doing this i'm all tongue-tied because you're a big insider star yeah i don't know about that kipper borny good to be with you guys hey sam good good to see you all right um we just had jason york on talking ottawa senators and i'll come to you uh i know it's not much of a secret that Stahels is out there making a ton of calls and would like to kind of shake things up, but what is realistic here? And what is the latest? I know our buddy Elliot Friedman mentioned this Saturday night about Chris Tanev and Ottawa, and I've yet to hear a good reason

on why they would go get Tanev now. I'm actually kind of confused why you'd want to get Chris 10 of moving forward. And look, that's not a knock on, on Chris 10 of, and his game. I'm just thinking about where the sends are and where they're building to

everyone appreciates Chris Tana and his leadership and certainly his warrior mentality. But, you know, I'm thinking this team faster, bigger, stronger, all those things that go with it. Yeah, you need to defend properly and all that. But I kind of like, you know, where this team is heading and some of the foundational pieces that they've put in place.

To me, when you consider where Ottawa's going, the number one question that i think steve stayo steve pool and ryan bonus have to answer is who are our core pillars and if we have anyone that's out of place how can we make the proper adjustments to get ourselves in a better spot moving forward because the the addition that you know the way that they've pieced things together mostly under a previous regime it it's not working. This team is neck and neck with the Columbus Blue Jackets who are a disaster in their own right

in terms of the standings in the Eastern Conference. And they've got a long way to go to get from where they are now to being a playoff team, and then to take a bigger step from playoff team to threat. It feels a long way off. And so surgery is required. Yeah. And just one, one more thing on Tanaf. He's, he's got some sort of a trade protection. I don't think he'll, he'll lift it to go to a team. That's going to be missing the playoffs this year. It just, it just makes no sense. Go get them in the summer. If you want to

pay them and maybe perhaps overpay them to get them yeah and that's that's i think a point well made if you're chris tan of you you want to go to a contender and if you know you want to be part of building something else after the fact and they're willing to pay you handsomely a la uh i think of alex colorn going to the ducks or you know name a vet going somewhere else that gets paid a little extra to help be that guy, then that's great. But if not, stick to the teams that are squarely in the playoff race. Well, speaking of teams that aren't squarely in it,

but are kind of in it, the Leafs and Penguins, the two Kyle Dubas tied teams have some choices to make. We've had the debate here in Toronto, buyers or sellers. I know there's some debate going on down there, buyers, sellers, you know,

I'll get you to weigh in on both clubs. If I could, you know, where do you see these teams in terms of what direction is this the year for these teams to get aggressive and go for it? I don't think it's the year for either team to get aggressive, but I think they're in two totally different, like they may be close in the standings, but are heading into totally different directions.

And that's really the tough part. I'll start with Pittsburgh just because it's almost like, think about sitting around the poker table. They've got so much committed to this pot this year with the contracts for Malkin and for the Tang plus now already having traded your first round pick to get, you know, all these years of Eric Carlson at 10 million bucks and, and not all of that has worked out, you know,

they've made and committed significant resources to this group right now. I think you owe them the longest runway possible to present themselves as a playoff team and certain metrics look really good. And others like they, they probably should be in a better position than they are right now. And with the Leafs, I think in the standings based on the way this team has built and,

and structured. And most of it again from Kyle Dubas, they're kind of exactly where they should be. I don't think this team right now has the pieces, and this is not breaking news, and it's not even new news for this year, has the pieces on their own blue line to be considered a true Stanley Cup contender.

And until that's rectified, they can have all the talent in the world up front, but if you can't defend you can't win and that's saying nothing of some of the question marks that exist in net you can do surgery but how much of it can you get done already with the limited assets that you have from the aggressive posture that they've taken the last few years these things all begin to add up at a certain point and you're left with not just little cap space, although they have some LTIR room to play with,

but really more so limited resources and prospects and picks to go out and even really make a difference. We're talking to Frank Cervelli, Hockey Insider, President of Hockey Content for Daily Face-Off. So depending on where you feel on uh the ufa market uh potentially a guy named steven stamkos can still put the puck in the net still get a point a game we heard uh their management team in in tampa bay breezeball i mentioned that he ain't going anywhere here but there's no guarantees that he's retiring a Tampa Bay lightning either.

Where do you see this heading? So I don't want to make too bold of a proclamation. No, you can. You can come back on your show and I will eat a stick of butter live. If Stephen Stamkos is not playing with the Tampa Bay Lightning next season. That is bold. We've done this dance before. We've already all been through this.

We've watched the game and how it's played back and forth. I say one thing, you say another. And for the most part, think back to the interview process nearly potentially becoming a Toronto Maple Leaf. It wasn't that long ago. It feels like yesterday in some ways. And I get his frustration. He goes, look, I'm playing at a high level at this age.

I've helped deliver two Stanley Cups to this market. What more do you need from me to sign me to a deal? I think what we're looking at is for someone that is playing at a high level, probably not going to take that much to get him re-signed to stay in Tampa, especially with the tax differences. Give me more detail than that, though. He's making eight and a half. Is it dropped to six and a half?

Or are they going to try to file? Does three times six not get it done? Like where he's at at this stage in his career? Even the Malkin contract or Claude Giroux's in Ottawa, something like that? I mean, any one of those would work. Tampa clearly has the ability to get it done. And when you stack up six and a half or six

or pick whatever number you want compared to what it would cost to equal that in Toronto or wherever else, just pick a hypothetical market. He's do he'll be doing just fine. I can't, it can't be about the money. It has to be about legacy, which is why I'm willing to bet the stick of butter. Yeah. It's such an arbitrary thing. I love it. Not candy. Like you can't go with like a box of candy bars or something a stick of butter i like that he means i mean i'm just like a stick of butter to eat is kind of gross so i'm trying to think like i could get graphic if you want i mean we could do one of those things where like you go to

uh i don't know pick a restaurant uh i'd see this a lot of times with fantasy football you got to sit there and you got to eat one pancake every hour and you got to stay there until you eat well listen on our show we'll give you a bucket of popcorn at least we can melt it for you yeah exactly help you through it the um you know that's the we're at that time of the year where you start to look at guys whose contracts are are up and what's going to happen with this guy that guy um montreal is not going anywhere sean monahan's the name that comes up a little bit um what sort of value would he have on the market and is it likely for him to get traded i think it is certainly likely that he's traded i think the feeling and the interest in montreal has been pretty amicable in the sense that you know they're on the same page with where this is heading he's really enjoyed his time there

they've enjoyed having him but they're in a position where they've got to harvest as many assets as possible and it's such a smart play by montreal you take on sean monahan you already got a first round pick from calgary for him in 2022 they worked with him through the rehab process get him back last year is so tough and then they re-sign him even after he misses the bulk of the year because of this exact moment because they can reap the rewards and they bet on sean monahan and his ability to come back he's having an excellent season and is in the conversation to be one of the nhl's comeback players of the year so what can they get for him i think you know historically when you look at the comps like you're dealing with a late first round pick 29 30 31 something like that based on his production this year based on

his ability to impact the game 95th percentile and high danger shots created you know kills penalties fifth in the league and face-offs among left-handed centermen there's a lot of different assets or attributes to his game that look he's not going to uh you know take a stanley cup contender and turn them into a favorite but if you could slot sean monahan on your third line i think you'd be doing pretty well all the leafs ears in here just went like this like oh tell me more kill penalties create third line center jb you mentioned pittsburgh you can't mention pittsburgh without genzel um my understanding frank that there might have been something offered to him in the ballpark of 50 million 8.5 times six and

what as of now he's not signed let's just put it that way so So more money. Will he get a better offer than that? Will Pittsburgh keep them despite not being signed? Where do you see this thing going? Yeah, that offer sounds short on term and short on dollars on a, you think he wants eight years at 30 years of age? I would, I'd want 10. I mean, years of age i would i'd want 10 i mean whatever the number you want max as much as you can get because this is your big boy contract i mean this is the big one that he's going to earn for his career and you know what he's way far down on my trade targets board for a reason because as

mentioned i think they need to give themselves every opportunity to play themselves into the playoffs. And then you've got the real hard question to ask if they're right on the cusp, but as it stands right now with the way that this team, especially kind of slid into the all-star break, I'd have to think that, you know, if you were to inject some truth serum into Kyle Dubas, that he'd tell you that he needs to cash in on a big deal for, for Jake Gensel to make this happen. I think if you're the penguins, the last thing you want to do, it's to me,

it's either you ride with Gensel into the playoffs or you, or you fall short, or you, you got to trade them and cash in because why would you sign him to a big number at the age of 30, as you mentioned to what be the best player on the 32nd place team for a period of five,

it's going to be a long time until the Pittsburgh penguins, if they go two straight years now with all of these guys and miss the playoffs to then finally get to a stage again, where they can be competitive, it's going to take them two or three years to clean house without again your first round pick this year you want to try and jump start that process and get in moving in the right direction as soon as you can and one of the ways to do that would be by moving what i believe would be the premier forward on the market yes i said ahead of elias lindholm if gensel indeed becomes available

well dubas just has to get it going back in the right direction by about year five of his seven year deal before his next deal comes up so you know that's probably a consideration for him um was going to ask you who's going to be the most active canadian team but i feel like calgary is going to do a whole lot i'm mostly interested in win Winnipeg and Vancouver, who are among the top teams in the NHL and seem like legitimate cup hopefuls right now. Do you see both of those teams being active in the market? I do, and I think they're both certainly leaning towards being aggressive.

I don't think Connor Hellebuck and Mark Scheifele decided to sign long-term in Winnipeg to have Kevin Chevalier off for draft picks. I think this team has played like they deserve a bit of an addition and upgrade. You can say the same thing about the Vancouver Canucks, although I would argue for a team that is really just kind of cracking the window open and doesn't have any sort of playoff success to speak of as a core, that as much as everyone wants Vancouver and it's certainly within Jim Rutherford's nature to be aggressive, I'd actually argue the other direction and say, you know what?

You've got a really good team. Unless you're trading for someone that has term that you think can stick around for a while in van, I'd like to see them get some playoff experience and then sort it out and get, get all these contracts sorted out as well to know that you are going to have the best competitive window that you can for the next 10 years that's how i view it winnipeg's different they've got a bunch of older guys their youngest guy cole perfetti is the only guy on the roster under 23 most of their defensemen are in that 29 30 31 range they've got a couple uh you know a couple guys that at some point are going to be pending UFAs.

They've got some questions to answer, and Connor Hellebuck, he's in the absolute heart of the prime of his career. So with him playing as well as he is, this is probably the year to strike and take a chance. Vancouver can kind of play it in the middle but still get a get rid of Kuzmenko's contract at five and a half million and not sway off the path right that's that's an easy kind of way to open up some room and go get another power forward well yeah I think the reason why you'd advocate for something like that is because it not just

solves your problem this year at the deadline in terms of helping you add but since he has one year left on his deal it clears up five and a half million bucks next year that really also helps you out then you know the uh the canadian teams are talking about um you know being active and i kind of sloughed off Calgary there. You mentioned Lindholm quickly. Is he, I mean, that's a big fish to me. That's someone that would be mean a lot to a lot of teams. How soon are they looking to be active?

And what sort of movement are we talking about? Tana of Lindholm? Are there others? I think they'd be willing to consider a whole host of things. I think part of Calgary's consider a whole host of things. I think part of Calgary's calculus here as they go into this deadline, it's, yeah, we want to stockpile draft picks and future assets, but we also want to try and get our hands on some players that might be able to help us here in the shorter term

over these next two to three years instead of just totally getting all futures and picks. So that's one part of it how deep will the cuts go um you know it kind of feels like a foregone conclusion that Lindholm's on his way out and Tanev the wild card is Hannafin what happens there with his contract as they continue to talk it's you know they're probably feeling a bit you know I don't want to say uncomfortable with the way that this has dragged out, but they put their cards on the table and gave him what he asked for. And he still didn't sign it. Craig Conroy, you know,

you would think theoretically is this all-star break. He's trying to get an answer one way or the other, yes or no on, on Noah Hannafin, are you coming back or not? But that's sort of those three guys help shape, you know, the deadline and where Calgary is heading. And then the rest of it is about trying to put the pieces together to be competitive in a two- to three-year window. Hey, Frank, I don't want to, you know,

crush the excitement of every, you know, of a trade deadline because we know what it means to Sportsnet and TSN and, you know, you or me or anyone else that likes that kind of action but I think it's going to kind of suck this year no I don't want to do the thing I'm about to do but I don't think you're wrong I I think well here's I'll start off by saying this what if an NHL GM said to me two days ago what if you took Calgary's players off your board what would we be looking at and the answer is is, you know, a bunch of question marks. Some guys that can help you, not guarantees,

don't know what the prices look like. Is Jake Ensel available? Is he not? You know, it would be a lot less interesting without the Calgary Flames. I can say that. And, you know, the other part, too, think there's some real soul-searching to do for some of these Western Conference teams that there's, in my estimation,

I'm going to include the Kings in there because I think they'll figure it out. There's seven really, really good teams. That means three excellent teams are losing in the first round. And as good as the Canucks have been, I could just as easily see them getting to the West

final or the final as I could losing in the first round, depending on what that matchup is. It's going to be a real fight for the number one seed because that's the only easy first round matchup theoretically that there should be this year because it's a pillow fight for the eighth seed. But short of that, it is an absolute meat grinder in the Western Conference. And I just want to say

that the reason why I say it's going to suck is it's salary cap. It's a tough year. Locked in, flat cap, still pandemic issues. That's all an excuse. This should be.

I'm sorry. It is. I think it is. So if the cap goes up. Stop telling me how hard it is to make a trade when the Vancouver Canucks have made like five out of the last eight. But if the cap goes up, it invites more teams to go and make some moves. No?

It will, of course. But in the meantime, get creative. Put on your thinking cap. Find solutions instead of tell me what the problems are. We're paying you millions of dollars a year as our gm to find them don't don't just sit here and fold your arms i like it listen i yell that i'm good i'm good by that like oh yeah it's impossible except that it's not yeah but you know are you are you trying to make your team better or are you trying to save your ass

right which one is it hey look that's that's the the biggest thing. I was listening to an NFL podcast last week, and they said, what's the number one rule for NFL GMs? What's their goal? And everyone would think, oh, to win or to win the Super Bowl. No, stay employed. No, it's to keep your job. Not get fired. And that's it.

That's all GMs in hockey. For sure it is. Last one for me, just a light and fluffy one. All-star game this weekend. You excited? How do you feel about theonto version of it compared to previous years i'm excited because it has some juice like i remember leaving florida last year thinking oof this was a really rough weekend it was nice scenery great you know parties on the beach it was awesome but the hockey part was very painful and especially the skills

competition well yeah i mean at least that was i'd like to see some guys on a golf course but the rest of it in the arena and they're cutting to the beach stuff that was shot a day ago like it's tough for the people that were in the building this year this might be the best skills competition that we ever see with the players having some autonomy, the 11 best players in the world plus JT Miller. And, you know, you've got a really interesting hockey market that eats,

sleeps and breathes it. Like it should be pretty darn good. That's what happens when you get actually hockey people that know hockey in charge again. For sure. Canucks fans going to be mad at you frank that's okay i love jt miller it's just a fun joke to make jt miller can play on my team any day oh me too me too this jt miller not the one in the previous years current iteration jt mill. Frank, great stuff, man. Really appreciate it. See you guys. Thanks, buddy.

Appreciate it. Frank Cervelli. Yeah. The stick of butter thing is concerning. No one wants to see anyone eat a stick of butter. I do. You do? Absolutely.

I don't know if that's good radio. It's just an ASMR. It's good TV. I mean, hopefully we're still on TV. Unsalted is our producer. Derek Brando. It's okay. I mean, everybody's got their thing. He's got butter on his mind.

Everyone has their thing. Fair enough. The talk about the trade deadline, I like his stance on just like, it's harder to make trades. It doesn't mean there's nothing to be done. I'll give Dubas a lot of credit he was really good in past years about using third teams as brokers to eat salary cap to make things happen that look challenging um it's going to be interesting to see how aggressive teams are with that this year gencil's issue and again are you

is it a money thing or is there more to just your next contract? If it's a money thing, then I'm sure it's going to be there for him in Pittsburgh. I don't know. I think it'll be there for him anywhere. I don't think he'll get eight years. Somewhere else? Or seven. Not at 30 years of age.

I'm going to give him seven. You really believe that? I do actually believe that, yeah. Wow. You know, it's just that's the one thing you can do everyone's saying we'll give you six times whatever eight we'll give you seven times it's how you get them gensel's issue if he has turned down a significant offer is like what is this team gonna look like in two years okay it's not like is sid still gonna be here malkin's not latang's not how how bad is this team gonna be right am i gonna be playing for future chicago blackhawks you know like it looks right now while you sort of tear it down and you certainly hope not but it's easy

to envision pittsburgh getting there so let's break so we can get to pk do you have to do a read okay we can do we'll do it after PK. Okay. We're going to take a quick break. When we return, it's PK Subin time on the Real Kipper and Bourne Show. Everything Raptors before and after the games. The Raptor Show with Will Liu. Subscribe and download the show on Apple, Spotify,

or wherever you get your podcasts. Nick Kiprios, Justin Bourne, Sammy McKee. We await PK Subban, who's in town for the NHL All-Star Weekend. I'm just gonna give it to him. We're getting them set up here, I think. Yeah, i think yeah we are yeah they buzzed in your ear not yet okay not yet all right okay there we go as i was telling sammy mckee and justin bourne i've tried like for two years to get pk suban to come on our show

and all i got was tell my people to tell your people to tell my people to tell your people that you want me on my show. And now Sammy McKee, our producer, who's really PK, just a nobody, gets you to come on our show just like that. Explain. nobody gets you to come on our show just like that uh explain kipper can you guys hear me yes we can hear you can you hear us yes first of all it's great to hear kipper's voice so for the people listening i've known kipper since i mean kipper how old six how old? Six years old. I gotta be what? Six, seven years old, maybe a little bit older than that. So that range, you took credit for your Norris trophies. He did.

Go ahead, go ahead, Kipper. Go ahead. I was just telling the boys about the Toronto professional hockey school, Chico. And I also told them, I told them if I had a nickel for every time I said, PK, stay in line, I'd have more money than you. You and my power skating coach, Cam, brother, probably, definitely. I had way too much energy as a kid, and my energy hasn't changed, if you can believe it. It's the same way it was when I was six or seven years old. So, you know, I always had that zest for life.

But, Chipper, we're here now. I'm finally on the show, so I'm happy to do it. I mean, you know, I sort of took a break when I retired. I didn't really want to do any interviews, to be honest with you. The first one that I did was the pivot show with Ryan Clark and RC and those guys, which isn't really a traditional hockey show, more of a sports show. And my whole thing was to take the time that I wanted away away from the game and just enjoy uh those first couple months of retirement so but i knew i'd get around to a kipper and you know what uh i'm happy that i'm here so hopefully we can do this more often i'm happy too pal yeah we're really uh pleased to have you pk uh so how are you enjoying

joining the dark side here? You're in the media doing your thing with ESPN. How's it going? How are you adjusting to this side? Well, you know what? I drew a line in the sand. You know, I don't think I'm on the dark side yet.

I'm not an insider. I'm not looking for scoops. I'm an analyst right now. So if I become an insider, then, you know, I think people could start calling me a scumbag, but I'm not an insider yet. I'm just an analyst right now. So if I become an insider, then, you know, I think people could start calling me a scumbag, but I'm not an insider yet.

I'm just an analyst. So I'm not looking to break any news, just looking to call it the way that I see it. And I think that's something that everybody can respect. But I, you know what? I enjoy it. It allows me to be connected to the game and the players, which obviously, you know,

any hockey player would love to be connected to the game. It's such an amazing game. And I was very fortunate to have, you know, a 13 year career and play with some amazing players. And now it's time for me to give back to the game some more and highlight the stars in the game and sell the game and help build and grow and be a part of that. And it's exciting. It's exciting, the opportunity for hockey. I think hockey's got a tremendous ceiling. So to be able to be a part of the broadcast team at ESPN, you know, along with Matt Sleavy,

Bucci, Weeksy, Callahan, the whole list goes on, Emily Kaplan and the whole crew. You know, Ray Ferraro does an amazing job too. We got a really good team over there. And if I've missed anybody, you know, I'm sorry, but we got a great team at ESPN and I'm just happy to be a part of the team. We're talking to P.K. Subban, former NHLer, Norris Trophy winner.

So, P.K., of course, we've got Sportsnet owning hockey up here, but on occasion we do get a telecaster too, as you mentioned, on ESPN. And just how's it working with my buddy, Mess, here? Every once in a while, do you get the look? He's given me that look a couple times. I think I may have gotten it off the air a couple times when I first met Bess. And then I definitely got it on the air

more than enough times. There's just times he looks at me. And you know what it reminds me of? It reminds me of my dad. Every time I came around the table when grownups were talking and shut my mouth off, my dad would give me this look. And he didn't have to say anything.

And you know what? Believe it or not, my dad might be the only person in this world that can give me this look, and he didn't have to say anything. And you know what? Believe it or not, my dad might be the only person in this world that can give me a look, and my mouth instantly closes, and it doesn't open. It doesn't open after that. Mets has a similar effect. And you know what it is with Tim?

It's just he commands so much respect. And I know Kemper. I know you respect the hell out of him, but so did all of his teammates. And rightfully so. I never got to play with the guy, but, I mean, to be able to work with him every day, I still pinch myself. You know, listen, we have a job to do at the end of the day, and I commit to the job, but I don't know, man.

The excitement that I have to go to work every day, a lot of it has to do with the people that I sit with. And, I mean, Mark Messier, it's so funny because when I think of Mark Messier, And the excitement that I have to go to work every day, a lot of it has to do with the people that I sit with. And, I mean, Marc Messier, it's so funny because when I think of Marc Messier, I think back to that Lays, those Lays chips commercials that he had when I was like three or four years old when he's playing for the Rangers. Like, that's how young I was. Like, that's how I remember him. You guys remember him on the ice, but I was so young.

Like, I remember him winning the Stanley Cup, right, for the Rangers. And, like, I didn't realize how big of a deal it is. Now I live in New York City, you know, three-quarters of the year. And, you know, this guy is a legend. He's one of the best leaders in the game. You know, he's amongst the top leaders, you know, to ever play in the NHL. And to have him as a guy that I can learn from every day at work is pretty amazing.

But he still gives me that look. Every now and then, you know, you've got to get checked in, and he's not afraid. He gives me that side eye, and I fight right down. You know the deal. Oh, yeah. PK, this weekend in Toronto, the All-Star game is here.

You yourself have been a three-time NHL All-Star. Do you have a particular memory that stands out from your time at All-Star Games that you remember fondly? Yeah, every single one was surreal for me. Because, you know, no matter how long you play in the season, no matter what type of career you have, I'm sure Sidney Fosney, as many All-Star games as he's been to, you know, cups he's gotten, individual awards,

I'm sure he starts to pinch himself every time he comes to All-Star because he meets so many legends, so many great people that have helped build this great game. And that's what the All-Star weekend is about, is celebrating the game. So every time I'm there, it's just a real experience. And, you know, it was the same thing last year. Being there, a part of the media, like, I'm sitting here being like, I'm on the ice, holding a jersey, you know,

that Sidney Crosby, you know, Vetski signed, and I'm interviewing both of them. And, like, to me, you know, to be able to have that privilege, that privilege in my immediate year was pretty special. I look forward to those experiences again this year. Every player has got to take it in

because you know this. You look back at all the All-Star games and all the basic players that come through the league. This is a special weekend and it shouldn should be taken for granted. Enjoy it. Enjoy it with your family and friends because it's such a weekend you'll never forget.

Hey, just one more for me because I'm not sure if you're moving around or how our connection is, but I'm going to try to ask you one more question here. And that was your – Hold on. It was – you got me, PK? Yeah. Oh, yeah, I got you. I got me, PK? Yeah. Oh, yeah, I got you.

I got you, Kempis. Listen, your decision to retire so early, do you know if you were playing right now, you and Chris Tanev would be the most sought-out defenseman coming up here in the next little while, man. You still had more juice, PK. Why did you give it up so early? You know, it was pretty simple for me.

You know, I don't think anybody will ever kind of really understand it because, you know, they don't really understand, you know, what it's like. I don't imagine what it's like to walk in Timmy Cosby shoes or a veteran's shoes. I don't think what it's like to walk in 50,000 shoes or a veteran's shoes. I don't think anybody should try to put themselves in anybody else's shoes. But when it comes to my career and how I've approached it, I've always approached it a certain way with a certain amount of professionalism. And I've always earned my independence in wanting to do things the way that I feel they should be done. And, you know, and that's a lot of that is based on the guys that have taught me, you know, from when I was at the Toronto Maple Leafs hockey school.

And you got Nick Kiprios and Lanny McDonald and Doug Gilmore and Daryl Sittler, Johnny Bauer. These types of people that, you know, going to golf tournaments and golfing with Peter Mihaljevic and Frank Mihaljevic and, you know, all of these amazing hockey players that, you know, are a part of the culture and the history of this game that have influenced me and my approach to the game. And if you can't have that same approach to the game, I don't want to play. And I think that for me, you know, I had every intentions to continue my career. I know I left probably four or five years left on the table. But, you know, at the end of the day, I have a standard that I have to be a great teammate.

And I always want to be a great teammate. I always have been one. And, you know, to go to the rink and not be able to put the you know leave everything on the ice the way that you think that you should rather than go and fight a coach and tell him i deserve more ice time or you know try to tell people what i think my value is i'd rather just go down the road because the game has given me so much i have so much uh to thank the game and and people in the game for that i'd rather have people remember the version of me that that was happy that enjoyed the game that wanted to be there and

um you know i never got any offers guys like you know that whole summer like as much as i know i can sit here and talk with you guys all day about teams that can use me on their blue line but you know who does that help you, that certainly doesn't help me. You know, I've moved on. So, you know, anything that I do now is about the players playing and the game now. You know, is it going to bother me knowing that I left years on the table? Absolutely not.

I think that it will bother a lot of other people that maybe missed out on an opportunity to have me on their blue line. You know, as somebody who had been to one Stanley Cup final, lost to Sidney Crosby in game six, you know, in a situation where we were missing our number one center and our top goal scorer, you know, I can live with that. I think that there's other people that, you know, are in positions of power to make decisions, to acquire players,

that have to live with the fact that they didn't you know make an offer to me or or bring me in the training camp or give me a shot to help their team win a championship anybody that knows me knows that i'm a second half playoff guy uh that was my only goal was to win a championship it wasn't about money it wasn't about anything like that um and if you look at it you, players are making more money than they ever made. So, you know, it's not about the money. It's about the opportunity. And I think people also have to see what you bring to the table.

And I've never been in a situation where I got to sell myself to anybody, and I never will. If you don't know what I can bring to your team, then you haven't watched the game enough. So, you know, for me, I'm very happy where I am now. I want to celebrate the game stars and the game itself and continue to help, you know, carve a new path for the game. And hopefully the game continues to grow. And, you know, the next generation of players have more and more opportunities, not just on the ice, but off the ice as well.

And I think I can help be a part of that. Well, I got to tell you, PK, I've been around broadcasting a long time now. It's one of the best, most candid answers I've ever heard. Someone talk about retirement, man. Really appreciate it. Thank you. I really appreciate it. And Kipper, you always know I'm going to give you one.

So thank you for having me on, guys. really appreciate it. And Kipper, you always know I'm going to give you one. Oh, yeah. Thank you for having me on, guys. I appreciate it. And God willing, I'll maybe bump into you guys this weekend. For sure. Don't be such a stranger on the real Kipper and Bourne show. Thanks, PK. All right.

Love you guys. Love you, Kipper. Appreciate it. Thanks. PK Subban. You know what? That was an unbelievable answer thank god the phone cleared up right when he was giving it no it was it was because he swallowed it for a second but

he got it back it is so hard and i don't care if you're wayne gretzky mark messier pk suban Messier, P.K. Subban, Nick Kiprios, somebody you've never heard of, letting go of the game is like something dying inside of you. You don't know who you are after. You've always played. Yeah, you do. You got to just, it is just, sometimes it's just gut-wrenching. But, you know, to listen to him articulate what he went through personally and just he had a standard in his head that if it was not meant i will not let as much as i love

this game i will not let it hold me hostage and there are some guys out there that will, like, sell their soul before they get kicked out of the league. Yeah. And it's crazy hearing that he didn't have an offer. He didn't have a team saying, come to camp. And, you know, I'm sure he has questions about why that was or what happened towards the end for him. It's just for him to be able to make that clean divide and say, I'm not going to sit here and beg someone and try to prove myself,

given what I've done and what I've been in this game. Some guys do do that. And I'm not here to judge that it's wrong for you to do that. You're going to do whatever you want to do with your life. And there's some guys that are actually really good at reinventing themselves when you've been a star for 10, 12, 14 years, and then you turn around and you're like, well, I still love the game. I still have something to give the game.

That's his time in Toronto. Listen. Dumping pucks in and me and Pionk in the head. Corey Perry was a 50-goal scorer, an MVP that went on to do some good things as a role player. Like, there are guys that can still hold on and contribute. How about Cogliano in Colorado still? But PK, he never saw himself like that.

Yeah. And didn't want to do that, which, again, you have to respect that. He wants to be remembered as the guy that the freshest memory of him playing was still as a fairly top guy, high-end guy. He was an absolute joy to watch play hockey. He was a personality. He was offensive and talented, and he was just fun to watch. Two of the clips I think of when I think of him.

Rushing Brad Marchand. And the goal he scored coming out of the penalty box against the Bruins in the playoffs. Don't know what year it was, but he had a breakaway. He came out of the penalty box, backhand forehand, goes five-hole on Tuukka Rask, and just does the largest celebration of all time. He didn't do small celebration. can forehand goes five hole on tuka rask and just does like the largest celebration of all time you

didn't do small so no no and i gotta think the teams were were nervous about uh the attention that he could well and that's part of what it is right it's a big personality and it's do you want that if if it's on your third pair is it you know do you want the attention the action the whatever you know and and i like the pk's you know not going to apologize action, the whatever? And I like that PK's not going to apologize for being the guy he is and was. Yes. Beat it. I'm going to go make more money on ESPN.

Game time. It's game time. Presented by Bet365. Visit the app for the latest odds and find out why it's never ordinary. At Bet365, must be 19 plus. Ontario only. Please play responsibly.

Well, we're winding down the games that we have to talk about here, fellas. There's five left before the fall all-star break kicks in. Two games tonight. Neither of them, I would say, are barn burners. St. Louis and Columbus, followed by Seattle versus the Sharks. So get your popcorn ready for those ones. Tonight on Sportsnet

maybe maybe for a night to go for a walk with your wife or something like that anyways a couple bets for those games the Columbus Blue Jackets are limping into the break here we know what's going on with Fantilli we've heard about about Line A and his struggles

you know the Jura check just feels like they're a hurting unit and they need a break Tilly, we've heard about Line A and his struggles. You know, the Eurocheck. Just feels like they're a hurting unit and they need a break. Blues are kind of hot right now. So give me the Blues money line and a Shen goal, which pays plus 300. Shen's been hot too. I think he's had three goals in his last five or four in his last five. So he's been on fire.

And the second one I have is Vince Dunnn and two assists and a seattle money line plays plus 375 sharks suck and vince dunn gets a lot of assists yeah uh that's plus 375 that's the only way i could find any value for two huge favorites so there you go and uh that was game time presented by bet365 visit the app related sides to find out why it's never ordinary at bet365 must be 19 plus. Ontario only. Please play responsibly. Love it. Thank you Sammy. No problem. Alright just in the latest on

sportsnet.ca there's a story up where lawyers have released a statement on behalf of Devils forward Michael McLeod confirming the charges for sexual assault. And they've also,

they've also mentioned that he will be pleading not guilty and will vigorously defend the case. None of the evidence has been presented, let alone tested in court. So that's the latest on that. Thank you for the update. Not a whole lot else that you can add to that's the latest on that. Thank you for the update. Not a whole lot else that you can add to that at the moment, but there you go.

Yep. Borny, you've brought my attention to this article today. We have to do this. What article? I put it in the lineup. Just read the headline. It's from Mark Spector talking about the Oilers. Read the headline.

McDavid has hit a new level even if the numbers don't show it. I think he might be a listener to our show. You know, we were saying, Kip, this article. Did I write it for him? Exactly. This is catnip for you. Right here. This is written for you. How about this quote from connor mcdavid

um oh i lost it oh there it is it's not one of those years where everyone's going to be writing about all these big numbers and stuff like that but we've been there and done that mcdavid said it's about a part being a part of something and i think it's a good thing that no one's writing about connor mcdavid leon dry said on that way that being said i think my game is another level to get to and i know that would help the team as well so it's evolving oh we even have a drop honestly we even have a drop that says i'm evolving that is the most boy stick with me oh boy it's not to underappreciate what Austin Matthews is doing. But. But.

But. Right? You've never said that without the but. Got to get to the point where this is maybe he's just another year behind that type of response from a Connor McDavid. How much does this extend beyond Matthews to the other guys, That type of response from a Connor McDavid. How much does this extend beyond Matthews to the other guys, to Nylander, to Marner, to Tavares, to those guys?

Distance second, third, and fourth. It has to start with Matthews. Matthews is the Leafs version of Connor McDavid. So. He's your best player. Right. He's your best player. But in this article, he's talking about Dreisaitl,

who's 14th in scoring. And, you know, I assume it's the same idea there. So we can kind of saw off Marner for Dreisaitl. Right. Good passer. Great passers. World-class passers but your your your your head guy has to be that guy that sets the table and austin needs to share the puck a little bit more question for you uh right now the vanc Canucks have 71 points, 49 games played.

The Oilers have 59 points. That's 12 fewer, 45 games played. So four fewer games played. Let's say they win three of those four. Given their winning percentage, that's about fair. That puts them at 65 points. And that's six points behind Vancouver in same games played. That is mind-numbing.

Yeah, I know. And by the way, the Canucks are 8-0-2 in their last 10. All they do is win. So the Oilers conceivably could get to 6-4 behind, 6 behind, whatever, when the games played are even. Can the Oilers win the division? Oh, my. Yeah, can they catch

the... Because think of the difference. If you win a second in the Pacific, you have to play Vegas or Vancouver. That's your prize. If you win the division, you have to play vegas or vancouver that's your prize if you win the division you get nashville st louis schedules will tighten up a little bit here they're gonna i gotta think edmonton's gonna hit a speed bump somewhere this you know sam did highlight yesterday the oiler schedule has been softer they've taken care of business you can only beat the teams you play but it has been a softer run of games they come back and play vegas the the first game you know and and then it'll be interesting i think

it's a fair question you know that right now vancouver is in their crosshairs like i said 12 points back and there's no given that you win the games that you have in hand, but it's not done. If they get through the Golden Knights, they'll have the Ducks to set the all-time record. Then they go to the Kings, Red Wings, Blues, Stars, Coyotes. They'll play good teams at some point.

Bruins, February 21st. Okay, two hours, eh? Four guests on the show great guests Hall of Famers, Norris Trophy, Insiders unreal interview with PK boys yeah it was really good he was really good

great job boss and Yorkie too out of Ottawa let's not forget him thanks for watching thanks for listening if you get a chance for a rating and review let us know what you think of the real Kipper and Bourne show we're back tomorrow