Real Kyper & Bourne - Babcock's Influence + Managing Expectations with Colby Armstrong

Episode Date: October 8, 2026

Nick Kypreos and Justin Bourne are joined by Saturday Night Hockey's and former NHL player Colby Armstrong (3:51) to chat about Nick Robertson's start with the Pittsburgh Penguins, what Mike Babcock could bring to the Edmonton Oilers' long-term outlook, his influence on Evan Bouchard, hitting a learning curve when he entered the NHL, Gavin McKenna and Connor Bedard managing their respective expectations, players having the freedom to request for a trade, and why he thinks the Utah Mammoth could be a fun team to watch this year. Then, Nick, Justin and Sam McKee discuss the increase in scoring to start the season and their expectations for Bouchard. 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. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

It's the National Hour on Real Kipprenborn Show. We are live on Sportsnet, Sportsnet 590, The Fans, streaming always on Sportsnet Plus and YouTube, where we appreciate a thumbs up. Also available, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you download. This hour of Real Kippren Boren brought to by Bet365. Nick Kipriels, Justin Bourne, Sammy McKee. In a few minutes, we'll welcome in Colby Armstrong, former National Hockey League. Saturday Night Hockey on Sportsnet.

He'll be a staple on that. Plenty to get into, including. the Pittsburgh Penguins where we know Colby covers them extensively as well. Tough night for Sid against Ovi. Dash 4? You guys, we gotta suppress that. We shouldn't talk about that.

Yeah, that didn't you have it. Let's scrub that. Got some tweets about Nick Robertson. Scored again. Eight minutes ice time. That's the Nick Robertson hat trick. Really? Yeah.

Eight? Eight and change. Eight and change. Shot in the net. Yeah. Yeah. You know what that tells me? is that they're on to him.

He's really good. Like he's really good when he has the puck and he has high intelligence when he's trying to score. But it's play without the puck. I think if you put 10 pucks at the top of the circles or hash marks or wherever and had every player in the NHL shoot them

and try to score on goalies unscreened, might be the best player in the league. You'd be really good at that. But the NHL is played away from the puck. And that's where Toronto didn't trust him. And last night,

eight and a half minutes says, we've got some issues with you when you don't have the puck. Or when you do, you're not making entirely the right decisions. And... Counterpoint. Nick, Nick still had...

Like, Junior A disease. Whatever you got away with in junior, you can't do it up here. And who else does that? Apparently is Connor Zare is a bit of that, too, I think. Is that right? He has to get points for teams to want him, right? This is, like, he's not.

He's got three goals and four games. He's getting points, and it's still not good enough to play as a regular in the national hockey league. Here's my counterpoint for the WIFE's eight minutes. national audience who got Kipper, he started on Nick Robertson to lead off our hour. It's a national show.

He's on a team. He's on a national team. He's on a national team. He's not a leaf anymore, Sammy. Here's my counterpoint. The capitals are huge. Yeah, they're huge. Huge. Yeah, they're a big team. Like the biggest team in the league among guys, that top line of Tuck, Wilson, and Dubois,

they're like six, four, and maybe in the top two percentile skaters in the league. It's insane. Nick Robertson's not been great against bigger, heavier team. So maybe it's just a night where they're like, this isn't your matchup, kid. I will say pick them to win that division.

Having watched them a couple times, watched them last night, I'm like, that team looks dangerous. I can't believe how good. What did OV end up with? 14, I think. 14?

Do you get some points? No, zero. I think 14. A little slow start, too. I mean, I watched some of that game, and I watched him on the power play just like wailing away over. You know, he makes some plays from a standstill over there,

but it's a fast. fascinating dynamic. Everyone knows what's... You're not really on a power flag. Like, it's four guys moving and the one, it's the turret that stands there. It's the puck launcher. It's the potato gun. He's just kind of

directing traffic out there. Made a couple of passes through the scene, too. Beautiful. Okay, let's welcome him in. Colby Armstrong from a national hockey league. You're a big part of Saturday Night Hockey on SportsCut. Let's welcome him in. Colb's been a while, buddy. How are you guys doing?

We're good. We're good. Just a little bit of a discussion on someone who treated me with the utmost respect. Nick Robertson shook my hand out of function. This is all it takes. I'm really pulling for him. I really am pulling for him and he's off to a decent start and he had a good camp playing with the Lakes of Sid.

But clearly, if they're not playing him nine minutes a game, there are some issues there. But overall, Nick's start and the Pittsburgh. Penguins and what you saw last night versus Washington, Colby. Let's start there, pal. Yeah, first of all, thanks for having me, boys. Love the show, Unreal show. You guys dominate. But I will say, yeah, Nick Roberts, a good camp, good couple preseason games, for sure.

And an opportunity, I think the idea of it was great in Pittsburgh with potentially having Brian Rust moved down to that third line, which would be, you know, I think big for the penguins with their depth to add to that and kind of put them with Kindle with Russ down there. Now their whole third line was gone to start the season with injuries and whatnot. So things kind of got flipped around. Now Rust was back last game scoring a goal. And like we just saw Robertson where it was a good start. And then there was some, their last two games haven't been, they haven't played that good.

And I think we're seeing, you know, Dan Mews starting to flip guys around. Now we hadn't had the option until, last game of Brian Russ being back up on that top line, which we saw him start to rotate in there as that game went on. I think that'll be ultimately probably where he, where he eventually lands as Russ back up there. But look, you guys know more than anything. Like he's fast, he's quick. He'll get on pucks. He can work hard. He can make plays. He can score some goals, which he's done early this season. But I don't know if it'll completely last with the chemistry. with Sidney Crosby.

Like, right? Like Russ can do those give and go plays and play in tight spaces and has that creativity, but he's played with him for a long time. And so, you know, it's something that I think is still a work in progress to see if they can do that eventually, or if that can stick and ultimately work. So they lose to the Capitals.

That Capitals team. Oh, yeah, the Caps. I know. So are they like the, I know Carolina stuff, Carolina, where do you have the caps in the league? Are they, Colby, I didn't think they're going to be this good, but they look really good. Yeah, a lot of, well, there's some question, March. You get, you add some new big boys in that lineup and, you know, what's that going to be like?

Then OVee comes back. How's that going to work? His deployment of ice time and how Carberry is going to manage that. I listened to that Pierre Luke Dubois on T&T interview last night and it was, it was, it was pretty good. Like he's found a home, right? Like Carberry's found a way to be the, you know, Pierre-Luc Dubois whisper, that top line completely dismantled Pittsburgh last night. But they've got size, they've got the speed, I think, with their big boys to be able to play

kind of like a skilled, speedy game as well along with their size. I think they're going to be one of the tougher teams to play against no question in the East. I mean, like their decor, they can move, they can move pucks. I think Thompson kind of gets overlooked seemingly all the time, but he's rock solid also. They've got a good mix top to bottom. Their fourth line is crazy too with Leonard down there in the fourth line and Sortiff and Boone Jenner.

So they've got a good mix. They're pretty deep, and they have the ability to kind of play any style of game you want. You're watching and listening to Kobe Armstrong, former National Hockey League, of course, a big part of Saturday Night Hockey on Sports. as well. So Colby, watching the Edmonton Oilers get off to what seemed a questionable start.

But here we are a handful of games later and go down to nothing last night to Anaheim and then come back with the likes of Guess Who? McDavid, Drysidl, and this Evan Bouchard. At the beginning of last season, no one had him on the Olympic team. And I think the three of us, or you had them all along? Yeah, I did. Pronger called me out on Twitter. I was late.

You must have had some under the hood stuff, Hey, boy. You must have been going to the analytics. I was late, but I did have him going at the end because it was just you cannot deny the offense. And here we are watching his start to this season. And you're almost laughing at, okay, defense, who cares? When you're that good and you provide that much offense,

it really doesn't matter anymore. about, you know, his defensive, you know, faults, if he has any. I'll ask you this. He's in the offensive zone so much. Is there any question that Babbs isn't going to tighten the screws on this team, though? Is there any question that, like, he's not going to come in and kind of implement and set a standard of the expectation of being, you know, different? Like, he has, like, the way he talks and the way he commands and the way his presence is. Like, there's no question he has that, right?

Like, and so when you think about how, like, I think regardless of whoever's there, though, the Oilers are going to be a fun team to watch. I think they, I think they just will. Now, can Babs tighten the screws on certain things about their team game that can make them a little bit tougher or better to play against and, you know, shore up some of these things or some, even some of the mistakes of a Bouchard, let's just say, where he's mishandled or flubs or isn't paying attention to something defensively? I think he has that much of like kind of a presence to be able to to make some changes in in regards to those different things. His offensive ability for Bouchard is Bouchard like underrated, would you say?

Would you guys say with his overall game per se? Because I think he obviously gets, yeah, he gets he gets kind of dumped on for his defense and play. But I think it's better. I think it's better than what we, that a lot of people give him credit for. You know, and then his offensive numbers to start this year, just insane, where you can kind of almost give him a pass on a few things, right? No, no, no, totally. He's been fantastic.

It could be a level of maturity too, right? Yeah. I mean, he's still relatively young. I think that's a fair question, just to ask about your own, like, learning curve in the NHL. Like when you first came in the league to the player you were at the end, did you have to evolve who you were, or did you kind of play the same game from start to finish?

Yeah, I think. I think you evolved. I think you can figure out. I think the thing with Bouchard, too, like if you look at him, he's got kind of like, he wears his pants weird and his skating stride. He's not like, uh, he's not like Cal McCar up and down the ice with his like skating or Quinn Hughes with his skating. He just,

he doesn't look like that. And so I think he's easy to pass off as not this like elite guy a little bit with the way it looks. But I think there, I think there is. I think there is something to being a little more mature. I think there's something there's something there's something there to studying your deficiencies and your game and tightening things up and looking at things and watching things and having a different voice that points different things out that you notice a little bit more. And I think that goes for everyone through their career.

I think there is a way to, I know, obviously grow and build your game and and fix things. And it helps too when you have a guy that's pointing at things. potentially in there and saying, hey, we need you to be better at this and this and this. Like these are just three simple things that you could clean up about your game. You're going to get the ice time. You're going to be able to play in these situations. Like, I need you to pay attention to this a little bit more.

And when you're a little more mature and, you know, things are kind of slowed down for you a little bit more as you, you know, gain, you know, your footing in the league and continue on, those things start to just happen naturally for you, especially when you're, you know, you're elite. There's no question. Like, he can think he sees those little plays, passes, ability to get open.

in certain areas. And then, you know, you point out, give them three things. Like, that's what all those skill coaches really do, you know, or coaches that, you know, really hone in on a player. That's what they do. They take what your game is. They take all the numbers from your game where you get pucks, where you do this, defensively, you know, where you're having troubles.

And they work on these things to make you three to five percent better. And three to five percent better when you're dealing with a guy that plays the minutes he does in situations he does is like. massive change and how much money is that also for these players too. So that's kind of the game individually now with all these guys. Like for me, I did a little bit of work with Daryl Belfrey. Some of these guys have oats and some of these guys. You know, they break down little things in their game.

And if they improve these certain little skill sets or getting pucks in these certain areas, like Kutrov is a perfect example. He's mastered picking pucks up off the wall and shredding people apart with what he's able to do in those situations. and that makes them like super elite in that spot. May the best in the league, no question. And so that's what guys individually have done now in the last, you know, eight to ten years

of kind of looking at their game and how to improve it. And coaches can do that too. Team coaches do that. Okay, so take those comments right now and slide them to the side with the maturation of Evan Bouchard and now put it into the context of Gavin McKenna or even Connor Bedard a few years. ago in Chicago.

And the challenges today, from the challenges, when you broke in the league to even me and managing expectations and especially in a market like Toronto where everybody says they got to win now, how do you look upon that scenario? Yeah, I think, well, just watching youth hockey now and seeing the training. Like I have a 16-year-old, right? He plays. He's come up. like I think the best young players now are trying to be or want to be or trained to be like a Gavin McKenna or try like everything is about that like skill on pucks and and how McKenna plays or how Bedard kind of plays the shooting that you know all these different drills that that they're grown with and and then they get to a level where where you need to do a little bit more than that and there's an adjustment right.

Right? Like I think we saw that with Gavin McKenna too last year, and he's made comments about that as well at Penn State and how he's, you know, slowly figured it out. We saw, you know, Baderd, question marks about him, slowly figured it out and how he has to play and get into traffic and push pucks deeper into the zone. I think we'll see McKenna, these guys are so smart, right? These guys are so smart. Like they'll figure out, even though they're slighter or smaller players, they'll figure out how to how to be good. and that does take time. But I do think that's common for like the modern like top player in our league or coming into our league or top picks. Like when they're that skilled or of that ilk and that size, I think it takes a little time to kind of figure out, you know, the world that they're playing in now and take those steps.

So there will be some growing pains, no question. And the expectations are always high on those guys. I think ultimately most of them, most of them have a way about them with their hockey IQ and understanding of what works and what won't. And they do figure it out. What's it like having a 16-year-old son playing hockey? It's crazy.

Yeah. It's crazy, especially now, right? Like, guys, you got junior, junior can go to college. Yeah. And, you know, we're down at Pittsburgh, right? So there's the USHL, there's a CHL, there's all these crazy options. Like, when I was growing up, up, I just played hockey with my friends

at school. Like, whoever lived closest to you was on your team. Yeah, it was awesome, right? Like, all my buddies at school, because they, it was like Mighty Ducks. It was like the movie Mighty Ducks. Where you live is where you play. It was the best. And that doesn't really exist anymore, unfortunately,

at the higher levels, right? Like, you know, and even down here with AAA hockey or you know, elite hockey, they have all these different categories. But, and private hockey schools. It's just, the landscape is just so crazy and different. Like, how

does it work? Where does it go? Where does he want to go? What do you want to do? We had questions. We had all these questions that never really got answered and all the kids have the answers already. Because we've answered them all, right? It's our fault. We've answered them all for them.

Just go out and play. But it's... Well, I didn't know this too is when my son was coming up because I play, this is something that all players should know that are from and played in the CHL. If you played in the CHL, you have like a, your kid has a chance to pick what league he wants to go to.

So for example, I played in the Western League. I am now living in OHL territory, but he said he wanted to play in the Western League, which I'm like trying to convince him. Like, hey, buddy, like, Eerie's just down the road here. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But guys don't know,

I talk to other players about that. Like, if you're playing your career and say you're in Toronto and your Ontario kid and you end up out in California, and you end up living out there, you're Western League territory, but your kid has a chance to make a decision and choice. Like I had no clue about this until like a month before the Western League draft,

which is crazy. So the options are crazier. The training is crazier. And, you know, I love that I got to play, and you guys probably do too, that we got to play like so many sports and it wasn't as crazy as it is now because believe me, it is.

And it's like, it's amazing how full time for youth sports in any sense. sport, right? Not just hockey, but any sport that your time is completely taken over by whatever sport. So, yeah, the game has changed. It's totally different. But it's fun to follow. It's fun to watch and follow, man. Yeah, not to be like, you know, negative Nancy over here, but like no one thinks it's better. You know, this is not. It's more stressful trying to figure out where kids should go, what you should do, training, all that stuff. It's a lot. Anyway, I'll take back to the NHL and a totally different world. So you talk about getting to play wherever you want to play. How do you feel as a former

player about players like Larkin and Hellebuck saying, I don't want to play for the team I signed with and not playing. Larkin obviously on the ice now. Yeah, how do you feel about it? Well, this is something that's negotiated in, right? And everyone's saying now, because this is happening, that they're using it, you know, in a backwards way to like pick where they want to play when they did this, it's not the spirit of the idea of this rule. And I can understand that, but I think it kind of is. It kind of is. Like you've been given and afforded the opportunity if you do want to get moved or if this

does happen that you can pick where you want to go because of the list that you're allowed to provide and no trade or no move. So I'm all for it. If they can get it in their contract, they hand them out like candy now. Isn't it crazy? So they're still handing them out. It's still like a negotiated part of a contract that can be battled with or fought with or push back against. And I'm sure sometimes it does.

But it seems like generally speaking, most of these guys get them. So if you got them and you have some more control, which is nice for a player, if it was on the other foot, like this is business. This business happens. And this is part of the game. Well, this is part of the game, too, in a sense, from the player's side. And they have a chip to play in a card in their deck, a reverse Uno, if you will, and they're allowed to use it. Well, said. No hella buck, no problem for the Winnipeg Jets, 3.0 and 1.

And Skinner was stellar, 32, I think, of 34 last night against the abs. I've gone on record on this show, Colby, he should go back to work. he should just suck it up and go back to work now. I'm thinking what I think of. I think of P.K. Suban, when I was in Montreal, that lockout year, he missed like the first, I don't know, I want to say like five to seven games of the season when he was, you know, sitting out negotiating his contract. He ended up winning the Norris trophy that year.

But it was a shortened season and we got out of the gates so good. Like we were rolling so good. And I'm kind of wondering, I don't know. if we did it like in spite of P.K that we were like playing so good. I think we're just like good at that time coming back in Montreal, but it

I don't think it benefits him by not playing through it. I mean, look at Larkin. I mean, that, did that suck for him? Yeah, it's probably suck getting booed and, you know, coming back in after all the turmoil and wanting to get traded and moved and

craziness of that situation. But he's back playing now. He scored a goal and assists first start, his first game back. And there's something to be said for that when you're there and playing. I mean, Connor's been around long enough and played long enough that, like, people know what he is. I think, I think we know what he is, especially after the year he had not so much team-wise as their team wasn't very good. But internationally, what he did at the Olympics, and then his track record and resume speaks for itself. So, yeah, the craziest thing is, it's like how everything has been stacked on top of it with players.

right now, right, in these situations. That's the thing, because it's taken over such a massive conversation. But when you miss a guy like Hellebuck, it's obviously a big deal. And I give the Jets a ton of credit with the noise of their MVP player and not being there and all the question marks. And after the season they had last year, to get off to the start that they had is incredible. How about Kyle Connor? This guy is just a weapon.

He's so good. You see the goal that shot the pass from Shifley? Yeah. And all through this, too. Sheifley 100 point, 103 points, whatever last year. He had like no points for the first few games. Perfetti and Connor are just lighting it up. But that pass and release by Kyle Connor was incredible last game.

But they've got a great start going. Stuart Skinner's a good goaltender. Like he's serviceable and really good. And, you know, what he did for the Oilers was great. What he did in Pittsburgh last year was good too. He played really good. He'll be a good goalie for Winnipeg. Last one for me, Cole was just like looking at the league the way it is.

that was a surprise the Jets getting off to a good start. Anything else that has made you change your initial view going into the year? I'll just go for myself where I thought Washington was going to be all right. But like they look really tough to handle. People had Florida winning the cup. I don't know. Anything change your mind in the early going about what you thought the year is going to be? That's a good one.

One thing that we knew that was happening was Utah. Utah making the playoffs. But you better pay attention to them. I think, you know, the additions of Trocheck and Lee, and their owners highly motivated and, you know, wants to win. And they've done a lot of good things since getting into Utah. But a little bit of the noise they made last year, I'm wondering what they could be or what they could do this year

with the team they have, the skill they have, the little pieces that they've inserted that add to making them better to in certain areas. I think like a fun kind of like a pretty fun. team to watch. And so I think they'll make some noise at West there and what kind of team they're able to do. The power play's electric. And I think they're going to be a really fun team to watch this year and have potential

to finish quite high in the West. Kobe, we've seen some significant names go down early here. And I think there was an update on Marchand. He's out. Just week to week. That was brutal. Week to week. Week to week.

which is crazy, right? I was like so sick to my stomach watching that. We've seen some older guys go down, you know, Rock Faber went down. We've seen some younger guys like Jake Sanderson not get off to a great start here. Is this all a correlation to a shortened training camp for you? Is it been a factor at all for you?

Yeah, I'm wondering that a little bit, but at the same time, like, I mean, you get twisted up at the net you hurt your knee. Could you see like hips and groins and some of these little things? Yes, I could probably see that start of the year. We have that usually all the time anyway. And I know I think most of the players I talk to though, guys, they loved the shortened camp.

They loved the way they did it this year. Everyone I talked to liked it. Yeah, well, no kidding, Colby. I know, but that's crazy for me. Like I'm an anxious human being. and I would like to get, if we're playing, you know, six preseason games or if you're with the Leafs and you play nine, which was crazy.

Like four preseason games is good. You kind of get a couple under your belt, then you start to ramp it up, and then your fourth one, you're ready to go. Maybe that's too much for others. They don't need as much, but I like to know that I'm ready. I like to just, like, feel that way.

Now everyone's in the same boat, which is great. You're not going to camp, and you're the one guy that's played five preseason games while the other vets have played two or three. That's a little bit brutal. But at the same time, it is a change for some guys that probably were used to that and like to have their three. And this year they only got two with extra shortened camp as well and everything jammed in. So some of the bigger injuries, like a skull fracture and like, you know, falling and tweaking your knees that we've seen from some of these guys, okay, that's hockey.

Like sometimes this happens. I hate to see it though, like it sucks, especially for bar. of that missed all last year and Marci who's a player that we love to watch and um you know especially in florida with those two guys but like hips and groin's i would expect more of like when you ramp it up that quick that certain things would happen so i think everyone generally holding together fairly good the penguins had some big injuries here through camp as well with guys that missed time and kind of russ and um are just getting back in the lineup as well so i I expected probably to see more of that kind of stuff.

Here at the start of the year, not so many big injuries as we've seen some of those big star players. Great stuff. Colby, really appreciate your time, my friend. Have a great season. You guys are beauties. All right. Love listening, love watching. All right.

We'll have you on again real soon. Awesome. Good stuff. Like every four years like the Olympics, Sammy. Yeah, it's on me. There is a very serious. He's got a hundred jobs. I don't love bugging him.

it's like he does every job. There's a good conversation, probably an episode to be had just about the leagues below the NHL. It is a mess for kids trying to figure out, you know, like where to play, how to play, summer training, elite this, what it costs, where to go. No one has to be happy on any team and you should go somewhere else the next year. Find a place where the kid is happy. Find a place where you think he can learn.

and don't worry about so much. I agree with you wholeheartedly. Parents generally do not. There's no real, if your kid's got a smile on his face, there's really no mistake that you can derail the kid. No. But did you guys play hockey in the summer? Like were you summer hockey guys?

I played soccer. Yeah. I remember you were the butcher. That was the fullback. I was a fullback sweeper. You would have committed atrocities back there. With my buddy Elvis. It's like water polo

He was just beneath the service Given. You and Elvis. Oh my God. My cousin George. Oh my God. You have an all Greek team. Yeah.

But my cousin George was soft. He was a little soft. Oh, George. I had to toughen him up a little bit. Okay. But it was fun. It was fun being away from the hockey. I got to be honest with you.

Did you play ball, didn't you? Yeah, I played baseball and golf. It's nice to miss it. But you know, but I also think that now they'll take the kid and they'll They'll do all the things you would do at soccer, and they'll call it footwork drills, and they'll have you run laterally and do it. It's all the same.

The biggest scam in elite sports stuff right now is relabeling things that have always been done, giving it a fancy name, you know, foot speed, work dynamics, when it's just running and playing soccer. You know, a slot area penetration. Totally, you know. It sounds way smarter, hey, that way. You just come out on top of your head pretty good. I remember, you know, be on the ace. Oh, that's a, you know, an elbow tuck pivot or something.

Say it's a pivot. Just a pivot. It's always been a pivot. But then I don't sound as smart or as important. I make myself the expert by classifying a thing that's been around forever, making it sound like I created it. Just off of what Colby said when you asked him about the team that jumped out to him. You picked Utah to win the Pacific, didn't you?

Or did you? I had them in the final. No, you didn't. You said you did, but you didn't. I didn't? Oh, you're right. Yeah. I can't be accountable to the words he says.

And then I had, you know, when you double, double, triple second guess yourself. Yeah. That's what I did. I had them in. I took them out. I put them back in. You like them. I like them.

I like them. They're going to make a huge trade. I feel, I feel, in Montreal guys. They, they, they're loaded. They have, they have. And he wants to win now that owner. That's what I mean. Like they have a pick this year.

They have, first this year, two picks. next year. I think they have the fourth or fifth best prospect pool in the league. Capspace, motivated owner. They could make one hell of a trade. Hellibuck? Oh, yeah. Now we're talking.

No, yeah, maybe. Is it like veggie? Yeah. Mellka, the answer? I mean, Connor Helfuck would probably be a better answer, I would imagine. See, you don't need to make that trade right now. That's the beauty is that you can just see Vermelka in the next month. I like a half.

You can go to Christmas, right? Trochecks a good ad. Would Larkin go there? Trochak's good at Lee's been good. Yeah, it's just Logan Coley's awesome. Larkin needs to go to Montreal. He needs to lift his thought on Canada and go to Montreal. Not going to happen.

The group chat would never approve. Yeah, be like, uh-uh, I'm allowed. The boys would be like, you maple syrup. If he changes his mind, that deal could happen tomorrow. Montreal's holding everything he needs. They want them, eh? They want him. Really?

They want him. His wife's Canadian. They're tied. Whoa, is she? Yes. Oh, he's from near Canada, right? He's a Detroit area guy. Why the hell would you not want to go to the Montreal Canadians right now?

Like, you have to be. Of all the teams in the league, like Montreal is an unbelievable city, like stacked young teams. You just have to be so short-sighted to not be like, I'm not going to Canada. It's like, look at the T. It's the most classic team in the NHL. You could put them over the top. And if he has.

If he has trying to win the Stanley Cup at the top of his priority. Oh, he doesn't. I don't think he does. That's the best spot, though. Isn't that what we're led to believe? No, we're led to believe, O'Say, can you see by the Dawn's early light? He wants to go wear flip-flops and have no one care, I think. I'm not making that accusation.

I will. I think he wants to be in the USA. As priority one. I got news for him. He's in the USA. Oh, yeah, great point. But it's too close to Windsor. You can see Windsor.

He's north of Canada where he is, I think. Is he not in some place? I don't know. I don't know, man. So what is the top of his priority? Winning. Yeah. Like, if I was, I mean, I can't stand the Montreal Canadians,

but if I'm Dylan Larkin, I'm looking around the league, and they're like, checks every ball. Easy. You get to wear red still. Yeah, you know, go be the guy. And Suzuki would be. Good one-two punch. Nice, one-two.

Game time? Tough to be. Let me get my read here, boy, so I got a lot of sheets. Sammy really loaded me up. Too many sheets, Sam. It's game time. Oh, cold. All right.

It's game time. Presented by Bet, 365. Home of the three goal, early payout. And you were hot the last one. Yeah, I was. Let me start that again. It's game time. Presented by Bet 365.

Home of the three goal, early payout, and an official partner of the NHL must be 19 plus, Ontario and Alberta only. Please play responsibly. Yeah, I was really hot. I picked Kyle Carter to score goals. Wow. What a pick.

I once was the video coach when he was in the American League and he was coming off a eight game scoring straight goal, goal, goal, goal, every single game. He's unbelievable. He's got the knack to find the sweet spot. So he finds a sweet spot. So lots of games on tap tonight, 10 games. I, of course, I'm going to focus on the Toronto Maple Leafs,

and I bet you know what I'm going to do. Okay. The Leafs are going up against Mitch Marner. I think there's some history there. Three points. If I'm not mistaken. Mitch Marner, three points plus 425. Take that one to the band.

Three points? Yeah, come on. Oh, that's a lot. And then I got to come in here tomorrow. That's a lot. No, listen, it's been a bad start for former Leafs. Like, I don't know if you guys have seen any. Bad for you.

That's what I mean, for like former Leafs. Yeah, ripping out. I mean, I don't know if you've seen Matthew Nyes. Like, he's saying all the right things. He's already beloved there. Like, it's not. Buddy, he is a perfect fit there. And it's just, you know, Nick Robertson's scoring goals in his eight minutes of ice time.

Mitch Marner, three points tonight, plus 425, take that one to the bank. Hey, where was, I went, here we go. Sorry, I lost my sheet here. The Montreal Canadiens hosting Nashville tonight. Jacob Fowler gets to start tonight for the Montreal Canadiens, Montembow, hurt. No, no value on the National Predators coming in there, plus 139 young goalie backup. No.

Okay. I don't see. It's got my on that. Hope for Nashville tonight against the Montreal team. That needs to tighten up. Montreal has. as one of Canada's three best goalies in Montembow, according to

some of our, you know. Decision makers? Well, I'm not even laughing at him. It was a fair choice. I wonder if he would be made available when healthy in some sort of a trade. I think a pretty good goalie. And the last one I'll bring up.

The Ottawa senators tonight having their home opener boys minus 181 on the money line for them tonight against the Philadelphia Flyers. Your boy. A lot. Hallmark. Ler Marke. back between the pipes, a miracle

of modern science, you recovered. That was game time presented by Bet365, home of the three goal, early payout, and an official partner of the NHL must have been a team plus. Ontario and Alberta only, please play. It's a lot. Otto would like to early pay out that contract. Oh, by the way, before we go to break,

did you see that they're firing the bus around for the... All right, do your thing. What? You're... No, it's a great... It's a cool thing Ottawa is doing. Okay, hold on, hold on. Let's go to break.

Okay, okay, we'll talk about it after me. Sure, yeah. You're right, it is late. Okay, good, good, good, good. We're really late here. We'll regroup. Including, I want to ask J.B., scoring way up, why. Okay.

That and Allmark, with your follow-up of a bus story, I can't hardly wait to here. And, boys, cut some Babcock. And, Babcock. We've got a couple Babi. Wow. A couple Babies. They're all on the edge of their seats on that one as we go to break on the real Kipper and Bourne show. The best Blue J show out there, period.

Blair and Barker. Be sure to subscribe and download the show on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome back in studio. Nick Kippreos, Justin Boren, Sammy McKeigh. This hour of Real Kipper is brought you by Bet365. Okay, Sammy, you left us on the edge. Bus story?

You want to start with the bus? Is this the Jersey story again? That you lost? No. No. A different bus? Okay. That's a pretty...

I really can't believe that happened. I'm such an idiot. Yeah, we can believe it. I have no problem believing it. I've been doing this a lot in my life. I lose a lot of things. Okay. So I saw this from the Sends yesterday.

New stops added for the Sends Army Express. Departing 90 minutes before Puck Drop, we're thrilled to offer free bus service to every home game. Make sure you register at one of the participating most-cleading bars, blah, blah, blah. And they have a list of bars and a bus goes and picks them all up and takes them to the game. Yeah.

Through the Peterborough Pete's, it's okay. He's got a chirp it, eh? Because it's the sense? Well, listen, they don't have a subway. Yeah, but like, I don't know. Okay, anyways. What should they do? It's a little minor league, boy.

He's like, come on. Like, it's a little. Minor league. I'm not spending 50, 60 bucks on an Uber if I don't have to. Well, how are you to get home? Well, one way he can get Uber. It doesn't run after the game? That bus is going to have an odor.

curcuit boys. Oh, the drunk's getting on that bus. Hope it has a washer. Hey, you're having a good time. You're not drinking and driving. Right. Okay. Come on.

Okay. Just a little. I support it. It's a little, you know. What, minor leagueish? Yeah. Like, you're a national hockey league. To get people to the game.

We're going to pick them up with a school bus and drop them out there. Like, they even have seatbelts in those things? Like, it's a little bit of a minor league move, in my opinion. Buddy, there's no. I think in all honesty, it's like, it's not that big of a story, is it? I just, I noticed it. You help a couple season ticket holders get to the game. Taking a school bus to a major.

It's not a school bus. I think it's a school bus. Okay, now we got a problem if it's a school bus. The picture is a school bus. It's hilarious, but it's not. I don't know if it's, okay, well, you think it's going to be a motor coach? Yeah. I think it's going to be.

You think they're set in the school? coach bus down there. I think it's a proper greyhound style bus. Or it could be a custom with the bed. Stripper pulls inside. Party box? Actually. No, we're talking.

Shout out Tommy's Bar and Grill in Detroit. I went out there for a boys weekend a couple years ago. And all of us were at this bar. Did they pick you up? They had a bus from the bar. So like the bus ran a bus. So they pick you up at the front door. And then they'll take you right back to the front door, clearly.

Now that's service. Now that we're talking. But it's not the team doing it. All right. Okay. Let's talk. Okay. Scoring up.

But I don't know if it's that significant. 6.2 to 6.2 to 6 point, a little over 6 point. You know, scoring is typically up in the first half of the season. Defense is get better. It goes down. The average is whatever. And next year at the start of the year, the average will seem high again. It does seem loosey and sloppy.

Yeah, that we can chalk up to some of the preseason stuff, right? Well, and also, we had a 9-season. seven game. Like that has to alone skew the numbers from the old Oilers and Canucks to kick things off. Oilers stuff. We got Babs comments, right? We do have Babs stuff. He,

we want to hear his overview of the game last night? Yeah, so last night they're down to Cobb to the ducks. They lock it up and superstars superstarred their way to the end. By the way, they make David play. He enters the zone at a pace where he doesn't put himself into traffic and then chips a little backhand.

over to Kaepinan who's scraping the ceiling. So good. Just so good. The pass dry sidle makes where he barely looks and hits Podkoulson in the middle of the stick with over two lines. Those two guys are the best two passers in the league. They're unbelievable. They're freaks.

So let's listen to Babs' overview of the game. Let's just get a full Babs clip here. We've been no good in the second. I don't know what happened. We've been so good in the first, but, you know, they won every battle, every race, every competitive part of the game in the first period. And then, you know, we talked as a group that we needed to be more competitive.

And then when we got competitive, things turned our way. So I thought it was a good effort from our guys. It was a big win for our team. I thought we got really quality goal-tending. Our penalty kill that started. Crazy was excellent for us. And in the end, it turns out to be a good night for a team. Oftentimes the key.

As much as you just want to, focus on the big boys in Edmonton. But Colson, found money. He's turning into a big power. Good trade player. No, I mean, what a pickup. He was 23 at the time.

He gave up on him. Fourth round pick is with it. And now he's a big part of their team. I mean, that puck lands on his stick at the blue line. You still got to go in and make a play and score a goal. You know, like he's a great guy to play. Mitz. Yeah.

Really good to play with him. And the other guy, too, Cappaninan. Yeah. He's matured, I think. He reminds me of Willie a little bit out there. Well, they were besties, right?

Willie Neelander, like he's a very poor man's, Willie Nealander. One of the guys with the bus to Otto off, man. But he's noticeable. He can be dynamic. Yeah. He can bury a puck.

He also, though, he runs into people. Like, if he's not. effective with the puck that night. He can run into people too. He's competitive. Still questionable, though. Their bottom six and their blue line.

Yeah. And they just traded for Philip Hollander. So we'll see if he can help it all. Let's listen to Babes' comments on Evan Bouchard, who's lighting the league on fire to start for the year. Let's go. I didn't know he was this good, this talented, saw this many plays,

move the puck as good as he does. And in seeing that, you know, I've talked a lot to Bush about it. Bush can be way better. And he's got a growth opportunity here. There's no question he should be in running for the Norris every year. He's that good. And we just got to get him to be a little more competitive defensively.

And he's already working towards that. And then he'll be right at the front of that group. See, that's his ego talking. Bingo. Okay. What? Oh, yeah. Because I'm going to do it.

I'm going to get you way better. Then whatever anybody thinks you are, I'm going to get you way better. To me, that's the definition of, like, Bab's coaching is not just coming in and saying, these are my best guys, go, go, go, boys, but rather being like, I'm going to hold them accountable to get better. And I'm going to hold them, that's what the top guys wanted. That's the most. It's okay. I'm totally okay.

It's okay. He's all right. Because when he wins the Norris, he did it. I'm going to get a ton of credit. Well, he should have been a North Finals last year. He had 95 points. Even if he did, it's okay not to tell him. anybody. It's okay not to

announce it. It's okay that you can just leave it in its place. It reminds me of Willie, though. You know, Willie was getting 40 goals and 90 points and people were going yeah, but. And I think he's trying to kill the yeah, but and try to get the most

out of him. Bouchard, by the way, six goals leads the NHL, 11 points as second to only Connor McDavid. One ahead of Eichel there. And we just got to get him to be a little more competitive. If he stays how 100 points is a slam dunk because there's only been a handful of guys

that have ever done that. 95 last year you said, Sam. Yeah. And he didn't, wasn't a... He wasn't a Norris finalist last year, and I thought that was absurd. It's like, it's always been a points award. Related.

The top guy out, like, you know, Carlson was terrible in his own zone, but he won it because he had 105 points. That's the goofiest Norris ever handed out. He had 100 points. And everyone was like, it's 100 points for a D-Man. Wasn't he dashed though that year?

You got a dash a million. It's crazy. The shark stunk out loud. He's on the goal for, on the ice for every goal. It's still the shiniest. Look at me.

Look at me. 100 points. 100. The man is a crazy number. So I just, I think that a lot of people probably talk about Bouchard. And, you know,

I watch Joyler's probably second most of the teams, watching with the, beside the Leafs, obviously. And people get on him for being a merchant of McDavid and dry, and dry siddle in those forwards. Like, really makes things go.

On that power play, like he's amazing. Totally. Changes everything. They have to on to that shop, freeze up space for the other guys. Snaps it. 100 point D.

Off the top of your head. You got them? I mean, you got Leach, coffee. Who else? Modern Day Carlson. Number four. Bobby Orr.

Has there been anymore? There's a weird man ever get there? There's a weird one. Yeah, Islanders. Yeah. Podvan. And I want to say Al McGittes.

Really? I remember one year he just Like it was a machine. I think the 86 goals I think that Polly scored Or somewhere around in there. Okay, I got it right here.

I'm pulling it up. I want to add that Bouchard is plus 11. So it was five on five. Derek, hold on. I can't do it with people talking to my ear. He gave us an answer. The Bobby Or did it a bunch of times. He had 139 points in 17.

in 7071. That's absurd. McKinness did do it. Bobby O'R. McKinness. How many goals did Holly get that here? Derek. Holly? Yeah, Brett Hall.

He's asking Derek. I don't have that. I was like, I don't have that. Any of the deed that we missed? Nope, you got him. Okay. Yeah, we're good. You wanted his name a dude?

It will. Love name a dude. What do you got? It'll be very special. Phil Housley was close. He had 97 points. Ooh, yeah. Roman Yosi was pretty close recently.

He had 96. And Evan Bouchard had 95, yeah. Quinn Hughes must have been the 90s. He was 92, yeah. National should trade. You're right, Brett Holley-6, yeah. Your boy, your boy, Zubov with the Rangers, had an 89 one year.

And he started in the minors. Yeah. Come on. Well, yeah. That's the year he scored. That's the year Keenan thought he was out of shape, I think. Was he out of shape? Listen.

Anybody that probably throws a pack a day down, you know, who smokes a pack a day might not be in the, in your eyes, the best shape. Was it him? I remember hearing the story about, you know, the skate sharpener has like a fan to soak up the dust and he'd be blowing smoke into the... And the dryer. And the dryer. And the dryer vents.

Whatever else could suck up the smoke. Hold on. So did he hack darts intermission? Big game, yeah. Oh, Al, I afraid he was hacking darts. like in the late 80s, and there was a section of the cap center I thought he was like smoking dubies.

I mean, and reported him to like David Poyle. The Islanders built a smoking room off the dressing room so they could play cards after the game or whatever and smoke darts. God, I love that. God, I just love that. I love it. I just love it. Oh, my gosh.

There's this one story, too, like darts and beers. Like, maybe I shouldn't say it. No, I didn't really. Listen. There was one guy at the caps who liked a few cocktails on their drive home. Yeah. Okay. And David Poyle is on the highway.

Come on. Driving beside a teammate of mine who's got a bud light going. DART? David Boyle gives him the old. You know, finger waving. Oh, man. And it's like, oh, okay. And Billy Smith had to have a,

that was the 80s. That was like the standard thing. La Histoire do hockey. Do guys still crush a beer after games? Not in the dress room much, I don't think. Like, can you? Oh, yeah. In the room, yeah.

That's the best part of hockey. There's a whole reason I go on Monday. You don't have, you can just be low key about it. You can be low key about it. Definitely on the team buses. You can hear it once in a while. and it's like, come on back there. That's the best part of hockey.

All right. Pleather of games tonight. Ten games. I forgot to list them, but there's ten of them. Ten is a lot. Including a few late ones. Come on Hockey Central in 30 minutes. Check us out.

Have your cup of coffee and join us again tomorrow. Off the rails Friday? I haven't texted them yet, but we got to go. Have a great night, everybody.