Real Kyper & Bourne - Behind the Boards with Rick Bowness

Episode Date: October 30, 2024

Nick Kypreos and Justin Bourne are joined by former Winnipeg Jets head coach Rick Bowness (4:45) to chat about his former team's successful start to their season, how Connor Hellebuyck handles poor outings in net, coaches vs. star players controlling the locker room, his thoughts on Boston Bruins' head coach Jim Montgomery yelling at Brad Marchand on the bench, and assistant coaches speaking to the media. Then, Nick, Justin and Sam McKee go around the NHL with a look at the struggling Montreal Canadiens who've had a promising season ahead, Martin St. Louis's tenure coaching the Habs, and the Pittsburgh Penguins honouring Marc-André Fleury.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.

welcome into the national hour on sports net 650 in vancouver and sports net 960 in calgary this hour real kipper and born is brought to you by bet 365 nick kiprios justin bourne sammy mckee in a few minutes we'll welcome in rick bonus former nhl head coach now on the dark side of broadcasting yeah tnt tonight is that right he's going. Now on the dark side of broadcasting. Yeah, TNT tonight, is that right? He's going to be on the panel. Yes, sir. I don't know if he's doing it full-time, but he's on it tonight. Stars started a fair there.

They got Hank, Biz. Pretty good crew. We'll get into a ton with him, but off the top, the big news, high ankle sprain, as we discussed yesterday with Dr. Jason Smith. They're saying two to three weeks. Yeah.

What do you got? Our doctor said probably a month. When you consider that the danger of high ankle sprains coming back too early and then having to manage them the rest of the season is really, really tough. Probably not two is your point. I can't see two. Our friend Jason Greger laid out their schedule over that time with them.

So Nashville, Calgary, New Jersey, Vegas, Vancouver, New York Islanders is two weeks away. So that's six games there. And then it's Nashville. And then here in Toronto, which sucks, in Montreal, in Ottawa, then that's three weeks. So we could miss six to 11 games by that calculation. That's the one where you bought those tickets

at double the price. Right, wherever you get those tickets at double the price. Right? Wherever you get your tickets from, they were jacked up beyond belief. Yeah. And now you're finding out that he could miss that game, and you're like, oh. Oilers are currently tied for sixth in the Pacific Division

with nine points in nine games, much like the Toronto Maple Leafs. I know you were working the other night when he first went down, and I think you tried to look into the camera with a straight face and said, they'll be fine. They'll be fine. They'll be fine. I'm not sure.

No? Yeah, I'm not sure. Because we are dealing with a struggling team. We're struggling goaltending. The defense has not found itself. And a 50-goal score seems a little lost in the first 10 games. But that's kind of the point. Like, the puck is just not going in.

They have the puck in the offensive zone more than any team in the NHL. With McDavid in your lineup. So, if you go from the first-place team at that, take McDavid out, how far do you drop? Seven? Did you drop to 23rd? Like, no. So if you drop a bit,

they're still very good at having the puck. They're very good at creating shots and chances. We've seen that eventually these go in. What do the San Jose Sharks and the Pittsburgh Penguins have in common? Badness, general not goodness. The only two teams that are worse than the Oilers in goal differential.

Wow, is that right? Minus 13 for the Oilers. Yeah, I'm nervous for them over the next 10 games. I want to be clear. We're right back to where we were last year. We're actually doing, like we talk about how they did like the whole same thing last year, they fired the coach.

I know. We are doing the same thing we did and you're doing the same thing you did. We could play this show from, like, the same day. But, but, but, but, McDavid being hurt does change the mess. And I was going to add that caveat that it's not as sure that they find it here because I recognize it's going to be harder without McDavid. No doubt about it. And when did they start to pull out of it?

They were 2-9-1, was it? I don't know, January out of it they were two nine and one was it i don't know january november games in a row november yeah like mid-november i can't makes it harder to find it in november i think we're talking about uh 17 18 games yeah right yeah i think that sounds right to me you know valaket yesterday talked a lot about how the oilers that stew skinner is a good goalie if you don't make it an odd man rush fest and so far they've given up way too many odd man rushes i don't know that not having mcdavid hurts them like they should be able to tidy that up and make life easier on their goalie with stetcher dermot and emberson good point yeah not ideal not they got some work to do

so hopefully they're better than nashville because they got nashville twice the next couple weeks yeah all right um other way or other places in the nhl last night um you know kind of looking at the canadian teams the montreal canadians had a tough night. Yeah, they had a really tough night. Okay, as promised, let's welcome in Rick Bonas, former NHL head coach, retired after 38 seasons. 38 seasons, and then his Winnipeg Jets get off to an 8-0 start, and he's sitting at home going, I quit too early. Is that right, Rick?

No, no, it's not. Actually, I'm thrilled for the team. Listen, they're a good hockey team, so I knew they were going to have another good start and another good season. So, no, I knew at the time it was my time to step down, so there's no second-guessing whatsoever. Listen, I had a great run, a lot longer run than I ever, ever could have imagined

when I first got into coaching. I was obviously thrilled to coach the Winnipeg Jets for a couple of years and help turn that franchise around. But I'm happy where I am, but I'm just as very, very happy for Scotty and his staff, Mark Chipman, the owner, and Chevy, the GM, and all the players. I'm very, very happy for them. What his staff, Mark Chipman, the owner, and Shelby, the GM, and all the players. I'm very, very happy for them. What has been most impressive?

I know they lost the other night to the Leafs, and they hit a bit of a wall maybe coming off a road trip, but what has stuck out for you in terms of that really good start? Well, if you look at the team, everyone that's playing for that team now all played there last year. Colin Miller was a late pickup, but everyone else that's playing there has been with the team for a couple of years. And what's impressive is that there's a strong unity there. The culture changed.

They pull for each other. And you can just tell the way they're playing now that they are really on the same page. They are really pulling for each other. And you can just tell the way they're playing now that they are really on the same page. They are really pulling for each other. They've had some lapses in the games and some games, there's no question. Helen Buck is, listen, he won the Vesna for a reason. He gives them a chance every night to win games.

There's a confidence that they have that it's taken a couple years to put in there. I hope this continues for them. I know they're in Detroit tonight, and I'm pulling for them again. But just the fact that they've all been together all of last year, there's no new players in there. They know each other really well,

and you can just tell from talking to Scotty and some of the players that they're just really pulling for each other. They're all on the same page. When you have that and you have some lulls in your game you're able to bounce back a little easier because of that well rick uh thanks for coming on our show i'm happy to get the chance to talk to you i uh you know hearing you talk about uh the confidence that team has and connor hellebuck i wanted to ask you what the weird oddity that he never seems to really, I don't know, think he played bad.

It's like a mental thing, you know, after playoffs, he didn't really think he was that terrible or anything. Is it, it's like a sports psychology thing. What are your thoughts on the way that Hellebuck handles poor outings? My first year at Winnipeg,

we had a game in Detroit. And we go in there, and he let in six. And they weren't good goals. And, okay, so I'm looking at Flats, the rolling coach, saying maybe we should pull this guy in. Flats said, no, no, no, let him go. After the game, he's telling me, no, I thought I played really, really well. Okay, this is a first for me.

This is interesting. But, man, there's a guy with an incredible amount of confidence in himself, and he's not going to let a bad game deflate him. No, he didn't have a great playoff, but neither did the whole team. But he has that inner confidence in himself that, remember Grant Fuhrer, man, he'd let in five, six bad goals, he'd still win and he'd shake it off and he'd be ready to go again. And Bucky's like that.

That was my first experience, dealing with a goalie that lets in six, probably out of 24 shots. I played really well. But it's safety that he's in confidence that he has in himself. And as a coach, you know he's going to bounce back, and he will. He did not have a great game against Toronto. And again, the team did not look good against Toronto early on. But I'm full confidence he's going to bounce back tonight.

We're talking to Rick Bone, his former NHL head coach, TNT hockey analyst. So, Rick, let me just stay on this kind of topic, this goaltending topic. We get Steve Aliquette every Tuesdays, and I find the position fascinating, and no one's had a closer view of the evolution of the goalie than you over close to 40 years now. And I'm listening to Vladar after the sixth or seventh game talk about cramping up and needing to talk to the head coach

because he's really tired. And it's been a very difficult last two days for him. And where is goaltending for you outside of Hellebuck or finding a horse that can play 55, 60 games? Do they have the mental capacity to play back-to-back games and still be Grant-fewish? Are those days over? Teams don't like to play their goalies back-to-back anymore.

I'm not against it. I know Bucky, he went to Hellebuck and said you can play back-to-back. He'd absolutely love it. The goaltending position, if you look at the game today, October, there's a lot of goals going in the net there are i think the average is uh say percentage previous three years was nine a little over nine now it's at 890 um there's a couple of reasons for that obviously it's october and the teams aren't dialed in defensively i don't't find the intensity level defensively playing in front of the goalies. But the goalies more and more in the league,

they're just the determining factor in so many games. The scoring chances are up. Goals are up. If you're going to get average goaltending throughout the season, average goaltending means to me inconsistent goaltending. If you have inconsistent goaltending in our league today, you're out throughout the season. Average goaltending means to me inconsistent goaltending. If you have inconsistent goaltending in our league today, you're out of the playoffs. You've got to have one of the top eight in the conference

if you hope to make the playoffs because, as you know, it's a tough league. But that goaltending position today, man, there's a lot of pressure on them. And, again, they decide the outcome of games uh you know you can have a play great in front of them they have a bad game you lose you could play terrible in front of them and you can still win the goaltending today uh decides the game more than any other player any other position any other coach in the game uh it's just that's the reality of it today the the game is faster now as we all game is faster now, as we all know. It's more skilled, as we all know.

For a while there, every coach in the league would tell you, if we can keep the chances against the 10 or 12, then we'd be happy with that. Well, now it's probably up over 15, just because of the evolution of the game, the speed of the game, the skill of the players. So the goaltending

today, to answer your question, Matt, there's a lot of of pressure on them and you better have one of the top eight goalies in your conference if you hope to make the playoffs and not only make the playoffs but take a deep run rick in the first hour of our show we were talking about having star players on your team and how in a way in some cases today they make more than the coach they have longer term than the coach they're you know the the fans love them it's almost like there's a power balance that's different from anything i experienced when you know i played in the minors and our coach had all the power did you ever find throughout your career that that that changed over the years where you almost had to defer to players a little bit or does does it not matter? It's still a team, and at the end, everyone has to fall in line.

It's still a team, and everyone does have to fall in line. But you're more and more communication now with the coach and in the leadership group. You've got to have that. They've got to be your voice. And when teams go and sign these players, these long-term contracts, no movement clauses, they're basically becoming partners with the owner because they're not going anywhere, right?

They're not. And they are making a lot more than the coach, and they are more secure than the coach because of those no movement. But we all live under those rules. We know what we're getting into when we sign up. So you've got to make sure that you're, again, that leadership group is not just the star player. It's the leadership group.

It's the captain, assistant captains, a few of the veterans. You've got to have regular meetings with those guys, and you've got to know where the team is, and you're relying on them, really, as a coach. You're relying on them to make sure the room's in order and everyone's ready to go. But that's, again, that's just the way the game has changed over the last 10, 15 years. And you change with it. And again, you got to, the players sign these long-term contracts and they want that

responsibility. They want the money, they want the responsibility. So you just have to work with them a lot closer than we ever did before, again, for the benefit of the team. But the team has to come first. And it's hard to have two sets of rules for players, even with the elite guys. The elite players, you have to give them more leeway. You do. You give them a lot more leeway. But they also have to put the team first,

and they have to be recognizing on the ice the time of the game, the score of the game, the danger areas of the game. You rely on them to recognize that as well. So the team has to come first. You try to avoid those two sets of rules. At the same time, it's giving the better players a little more leeway, a little more rope to make plays which they need, which they've earned, which they deserve.

And then we hope that you're all working together and you're all pulling on that rope in the same direction. In your 38 years behind the bench, you never had a no-move clause? No, but take a look at my track record, man. It's been ducked down a little bit. That was your problem you never asked for one um rick you know uh last week we saw jim montgomery like really give it to brad marchand who's the face and the captain of the

boston bruins and i it appeared like it worked out well because you had a Brad Marchand that came back in the media and said, yeah, that's what happens when you turn the puck over. And we're all too sensitive and good on him for saying the right words that really kind of snuffed out a storyline and you're able to move on.

But as a head coach, when you go after your captain on the bench like that publicly, is there always a danger for a coach to do that if you don't get the right response from Brad Marchand? Well, there is. But, again, there's conversations that have to take place during training camp. As a coach, your job is to try to stay one step ahead of potential problems. Okay? So now you're going into camp. You have those conversations with your players and your star players, like we just talked about, about what is and isn't acceptable, okay, in terms of play.

And then, so everyone's on the same page, okay? We know, as I mentioned earlier, the importance of the time to score, danger zones and things like that. Those things are discussed prior to getting into those situations. Now, you're not in that room every day. You don't know the conversations Marci and Monty have every day. I'm sure there's a strong rapport there. But if you look at the play, and maybe that's happened a couple of times,

and Monty's going to them and saying, look, that's what we're talking about here over the last couple of days. Those are the plays that are hurting the team. And, again, you can't have the two sets rules, and he can do that, and the guy in the third, fourth line can't do that. So there's just a lot of things to take into account when those things happen. Is that something that they had talked about before?

And Monty's saying, listen, that's exactly what we talked about. Not allowing that. And good on our, she would say it's not a thing. And, but again,

we can't get to the stage, and I hope we don't, that you're afraid to call out your players like that. When I went to Winnipeg, what was the answer there? All the players kept saying, we want to be held accountable. We want to be held accountable. That's all I kept hearing from all of them. And even before I went there, we want to get someone in here that's going to hold us accountable. You can never be afraid to hold them accountable. Now,

yeah, sometimes we overreact back there. There's no question. But it's an emotional game. It's a passionate game. And we can never take that out of the game either, right? So if Monty thinks that at the time, that's the right time to deal with it, then that's what you do. And you live with the consequences. Now, I'm sure they've got a great rapport, and I'm sure they've both moved on from that, but it goes back to having those conversations to stay ahead of problems.

And again, get those ground rules in place, what is and what isn't acceptable in terms of performance and playing the game the right way and with the score and the time and in the danger zone. So there's a lot of things you've got to take into account in those, but there also comes a point where you can't be afraid to address it. Rick, we talked about something in the first hour or two that I'd love to get you to weigh in on.

I wonder if you saw an evolution of how assistant coaches are involved with the team and specialize. The conversation came from watching when the Leafs have called a timeout and it's Lane Lambert who has the board or it's Mark Savard before a power play. It's never Craig Berube down with the board talking to the team. And I think that's pretty universal throughout the NHL.

How did you feel about, you know, in those big moments wanting to get in there and say something versus letting your assistant coaches draw up a play or have the final two words? Well, I was an assistant coach on the associate coach for a long time, and I wanted that. I wanted that responsibility. I did.

So my feeling going into it is I'm going to hire, like, Scottie O'Neill ran the penalty killing last year, last couple years. I let Brad Lauer run the power play. Now, you have your coaches' group meetings, and they lay out their plan, and everyone has a chance to have input on that, on what they're saying. Their job is to prescout to just specifically

the penalty killing and the power play on the opposition. They spend a lot of time on it. But you want to give them that responsibility. I wanted that responsibility. I didn't want the head coach to come in and say, hang on here, I'll do this at those, because I'm the one who put the time in preparing for those situations. So you have to let them do it.

Now, I see some head coaches doing that, and that's fine if that's an agreement they have as a staff going into the games. You all have these things laid out before you. Again, stay a step ahead. You have those things all laid out before you get to that situation. But I never had any problems with players or with the coaches. I wanted them to do that because I want them to have that responsibility. I want them to take accountability for what's going on out there

in those positions. And you can't say, okay, you run the power play, and then you get in those key moments, and then you take it away from them. I'm not a believer in that. You're going to give it to them? Give it to them. You have your chance in the meetings, in the morning, when you just have your coaches, to have your input and go from there.

You also spend a lot of time as an associate coach, as you just mentioned. Where are you on assistant coaches, associate coaches, speaking to the media? Because we know a few teams that shut that down i just mentioned to the guys earlier in the show that i think there's a real chance of uh of mixed messages or you know just feeling like you know too many chefs in the kitchen could kind of confuse a few people the media media, the fans. Is it better that one voice represents everybody on the bench opposed to three or four? Again, I delegated that to the assistant coaches.

If I'm going to hire those guys to be on my staff and be on the bench, then I'm going to trust them to say the right things. So I have no problem. In fact, I would go to Brownie or see our director and let someone else speak to the media today. Let them go. But I have to have, I'm going to hire them. I'm going to have full confidence that they're going to say the right things.

And again, as a coaching staff, you're meeting every day. You're all on the same page. So those mixed messages, they shouldn't come out. And if you have those, like we met every morning. So we went over the day. We went over the planning. We went over the planning for the week. Everyone was always on the same page.

I was never worried about an assistant coach saying the wrong thing. But again, if you're going to hire them, you've got to trust them to say the right thing and do the right thing at the right time. One more before we let you go. I've got to get your thoughts on no Connor McDavid for possibly two, three weeks, maybe

a month coaching a team without your head honcho here. What kind of challenges does Edmonton have now in the next six to ten games? Your head coach, you're really relying on your assistant coaches a lot. No one's going to replace them. It's ridiculous to think they can. really relying on your assistant coaches a lot. Because they've got to, no one's going to replace them.

And it's ridiculous to think they can. Now you need your assistant coaches and you as the head coach to deal with those players, each individual player, a lot more direction that they are playing to the top of their ability. They're not going to replace them. Don't try to replace them. But you need your other players. They say pick up the slack.

But make sure that every player is playing to the best of his ability so there's a lot of work now with the assistant coaches and head coach dealing with each individual on that team to make sure that they are on top of their game and when they have a bad shift or they have a bad period or they have a bad game that it's addressed right away so it doesn't slide any further you really all they can do is give you the best they can but now it's the job of the coaching staff and the player to make sure that that happens that they give you the best they can every shift every period every game hey rick really appreciate your time i guess uh big night on tnt with uh biz and the boys here are you you're just

gonna fit like a glove a eh? Oh, yeah. Well, you just heard me speak for 15 minutes. I can talk and say nothing but the best of it. Have a blast, pal. Thanks for doing this. All right. My pleasure. Nice talking to you guys as always. Rick, bonus.

I don't think he said nothing. I think he said lots of stuff. That was a really good interview not maybe the questions but the answers just coach's perspective i hear who's had who's seen the nhl closer over 38 years than him really unique um i think most people disagree with the assistant coach thing about them being involved and that's interesting that he feels that way. And I think I do get the idea that you're like, you know, with the right, the meetings and that fostering a community and giving everyone responsibility. Yeah.

But I don't think he made them available every day. No. Right. So, but you could send them out every once in a while. Yeah. I'm really upset that I didn't put this in the lineup for you guys to ask him about basically this is maybe not your cup of tea but i was looking over his hockey db as i'm known to do when it comes to uh guests we have on and former hockey players and coaches he was a player head coach for the sherbrooke jets in 82 83 but that's got reg dunlop

written all over it he i mean he. I mean, he played 65 games. He scored 17 times, 31 assists, plus he was the head coach. That's unbelievable. I don't think you can be the head coach if you're bad. I am. Yeah, me again. Me again. Sit down.

I'm up. Who says who? The coach. Player, head coach. That's unbelievable. Switching from a fedora to a helmet, depending on which two cents you want to get. You know, it's just listening to him talk about the Winnipeg Jets.

He was laughing about Hellebuck before he even got it. Yeah, I know. That actually might have been his funniest answer. But, like, you don't know. Like, this guy's straight as an arrow. I don't know if you caught that iso that the tv camera had on him before the game but he's looking right in the camera and he's like stone-faced who hellebuck yeah hellebuck right yeah well the guys other guys are tying their skates they're

moving this guy's like stone camera time go out you know boys there's this he's just a serious guy there's an age-old story about goalies that we all know what the answer to the story is it's interesting cats pretty much across the board but he also made it a real point that same guys pulling for each other he said pulling for each other

three or four times and it's like clearly in the past they weren't pulling for each other yes jets yes yeah yeah well that became a thing right the culture of the room moving on for that and big getting away from what was their core yeah i guess blake wheeler yeah game time game time all right boys uh it's game time presented by bet 365 visit the app for latest odds to find out why it's never ordinary. Bet365.

Must be 19 plus. Ontario only. Please play responsibly. A few things for tonight. Tampa Bay Lightning against the Colorado Avalanche. Good matchup. Suspect goaltending on one side. Some what of suspect goaltending on the other side.

A lot of talent in this game. A rare total for me to pick, but give me the over in this game tonight over six and a half goals think they may fly into the net both teams are banged up i think the abs has lost ross colton for six to eight weeks that hurts they've been fighting back from their bad start but that hurts that hurts so give me an over in that game uh borny's wonderful new york islanders the red hot new york islanders uh minus 150 tonight in columbus to anaheim last taking on the columbus blue jackets plus 125 boys i gotta tell you from what i've seen from the columbus what is going on there with your islanders like are they gonna make a change there like they just don't tons of respect tons of respect to lou lamorello what

he's done over the years but yeah it's it's over isn't it fans it's over for fans they want it to be over there's just no change having the off season they had this past off season was mind-blowing you know they did nothing they did literally nothing and they're just like oh what if we just try it again it's like it's not good enough how about nothing and then uh so so, you know, like I said, love the Red Seats, the Blue Jackets this year, playing hard, playing with a ton of heart. Give me the Blue Jackets plus 125 tonight

against your Islanders. It's a terrible bet. Why? Terrible. Because this is where everything kind of falls back into place. Yes, Columbus has been better than you thought. Islanders have been worse than you thought. Eventually, these things happen.

Good value on Columbus. And my Sharkies last night, they killed me. They got hot and they won. And the last thing, the LA Dodgers are minus... Oh, sorry. I think I got this mixed up. The Yankees are minus 150 versus the Dodgers who are plus 125 tonight. Garrett Cole on the mound. I have

no idea where this is going to go, but... Okay. I know we got into it in the first hour, but this is our national show as well. And the guy that... You know about got into it in the first hour, but this is our national show as well. And the guy that went into the stands is now guard. Yeah, but have you seen the hockey connection? No. Well, I know there's a Capobianco that played for Arizona, right? It's him.

Austin Capobianco is him. No. Yes. No. Yes. No chance. That was a former NHLer? No, this guy.

I'm showing you. What card is that? This is the guy that was in the nhler no this guy i'm showing you what card is that that's this is the guy that was in the stands last night yeah spitting chicklets just put out a thing saying he's a hockey guy he's wearing the arizona jersey in 0607 what's like and is it nhl like no it's like an arizona ice cat he's just a super fan what is it for the university arizona hockey and gronk knew him back in the day gronk yeah i know adams today talking about it saying he'd do anything for his team okay kyle capo bianco played for the arizona coyotes okay okay he's not of what very recently like to 2023 okay well 2022 okay we got the wires 45 45 games. Anyways. That helped no one. Anyways. Austin Capobianco, who tried their ball.

He's played hockey. Yes. All right. Yes, he played hockey for Arizona, and he was friends with Gronk. If the Yankees extend this and go back to California, he's going to be a hero beyond belief. I think he's already a hero. Just for saving this, which is ridiculous.

He showed a willingness to put the team ahead of himself. He kicked out and he said, if I can save the team one year, Yankees fans are going to love him forever. He got a refund for the tickets and he's banned for just tonight. Just tonight? Yeah, the Yankees.

Oh, the Yankees love it. Of course they love it. He's getting a jersey. He's going to make so much money from this 15 minutes. If they send it back to L.A., he's gone. He'll be in training camp. I'm calling her right now. He'll be in Florida training camp next March.

So last thing, Mike Francesa, who of New York radio fame, one of the best of all time, he sent out a great tweet saying that, you know, tonight was an annoyance, but if the LA Dodgers get back on the plane without the trophy, that's when the pressure starts. So tonight's really interesting. If the Yankees win tonight, we have a couple unbelievable baseball games coming up this weekend,

but I don't see it tonight. I don't know. This era, is it, my first instinct is that it's easier to come back three and oh in this era than it ever was in the past anything i mean they just threw it a bullpen game in game four of the world series of the chance like baseball they don't there's no studs anymore there's no aces anymore anything can happen like you know they're sending out garrett cole who's banged up anyways it's all baseball takes here but i think the dodgers are a pretty

good chance to win tonight with everything that happened last night. But if the Yankees win tonight, don't let them get hot. And that was Game Time, presented by Bet365. Visit the Appalachian Dots and find out why it's never ordinary at Bet365. Let's be 19+. Ontario only. Please play responsibly. Okay, let's take a quick break,

and when we return, we'll get into some NHL news and notes, including an embarrassing loss for the montreal canadians yikes like and where are they going you mentioned the ottawa senators are starting to heat up a little bit flurry flurry back in pittsburgh bruins stink bruins got some issues plenty more the whole block on the table still when we return to real kipper and born hey it's matt marchese and i'm mike fuda we're discussing the top stories of the day across the nhl and the hockey world weekdays at noon it's the fan hockey show on sportsnet 590 the fan

and wherever you get your podcasts This is How We're Real, Kipper and Bourne, brought to you by Bet365. Brought to you by ice cream. What we were just talking about. Yeah. You mentioned about a week and a half ago this death by chocolate or something. Oh, yeah.

I mean, listen. I'm from up and on sound area. I'm a Chapman's guy at heart. But Korthis, they have this Death by Chocolate. The alders are unbelievable. The cookies and cream in Death by Chocolate in particular are two of the most unbelievable ice cream. You can't mention that and not bring one in eventually. Maybe if somebody from Korthis is listening, they can send it.

How am I supposed to get it here? I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I saw just Moose Tracks and Vanilla. What do I look like? What are those things called back in the day?

A Dickie D where you'd like ride around and ding, ding, ding. I don't have one of those. How am I going to get frozen ice cream here without it melting? It's amazing when you're a kid how much better your day got when you heard those bells. Oh, my God. The most electric feeling. You'd go sprinting out there with whatever change you had. My wife said that on the beaches of New York,

they used to have these guys driving around, you know, hairy-chested gold chain. Ding, ding, yummy, yummy. Budgie, budgie bars. Good New York accent on it. Love that. It was probably Austin Capobianco. Austin's dad.

Yeah. Anyway. So where do you guys want to start? Let's start with the powerhouse of the Seattle Kraken and their offensive machine last night going into Montreal and, I don't know, embarrassed, humiliated. What's the proper word about how a Montreal Canadian fan feels today? Yeah, that sounds about right. Now, their record's not atrocious

there are good teams with a record not too far off their theirs but they're minus 12 now and they're showing signs of they're leaking oil a little bit so is what rick bonus talked about on the top of the hour here about goaltenders and where you stand and like Monta Bomp, what led in the first four and was... Yeah, five. Five? So he led in five goals on 10 shots last night.

And where's his save percentage at now? It's not great. It's 367 goals against, 891. 891. Let Sam give the stat on Canadian goalies. I think I saw it was Josh Clibberton tweeted it out from the Canadian press but I think Cam Talbot

is the only Canadian goaltender with a save percentage above 9. One goalie from Cam. With 913. If you want to check out sportsnet.ca It's not good. I wrote an article based on Valaket's interview with us yesterday and how league-wide the save percentage is 897.

Last year it was 903, and it's gone down every year since about 2015 and theorizing on that and why that's happening. So check that out. The Canadians. Was your number one theory that people hate playing goalie? Playing goalie is probably the worst thing you could possibly do? Not my number one, but that's valid. Yes.

A valid theory. Continue. Is Gen Z the laziest generation? In the last four games, the Montreal Canadiens have lost 7-2, 5-2, and 8-2. We did win against the Flyers in there, but a couple of tough nights. So I think there's some frustration. I think there's some people giving marty st louis a harder time reality is you could put prime scotty bowman who everything is the best coach of all time with that roster and they'd probably make playoffs

let alone where are we now on the decision to go yep marty st louis because he came in with no experience, right? Coached his kid to where he is today with his hockey club. Because it... Can't even evaluate him. Say what you will about, you know, his experience as a player and the knowledge that he has about the game. It's still a very difficult ask, pulling a guy like that, putting him behind an NHL bench and saying,

okay, year one, year two, year three, when does it kind of start looking like they made the right choice? Are we there? No, to me it's like it's more about Gorton and Hughes. Like year one, year two, year three, when do you start saying maybe don't finish last now maybe it's time to turn things around i don't blame saint louis personally and maybe kip that it's not it wasn't fair to him to have him come in and be the head coach immediately maybe that's

too hard but i think they're viewing him more as like charlie montoya here at the blue jays where they're like people like him people know him yeah They're not really trying to win right now. Once they are, maybe it changes. The bilingual thing, they needed to hire a French Canadian head coach. La histoire du hockey. And, you know, is it now 2024 and just hire the right guy, whether or not he speaks French or not? I think most montreal canadian fans would say get us the best coach we can get you're not speaking french to the players

we want to win more games typically i don't think it hurts them that much i think there's plenty of good french canadian coaches but yeah in this case would it be different if they had who behind the bench if john cooper's their coach is their record five four and one is it much different yeah i i don't know but uh i'm watching dean evison and columbus have a pretty big impact on the way they've played the last two weeks so i mean that's the last team we thought could ever look as good as they've looked. And I know it's a week and a half, two weeks. I know.

I get it. But they're still playing their hearts out. They are. They're punching above their weight class right now. Columbus. I just don't know how long, like, I think people here were spoiled with the quote-unquote rebuild. that was like the shortest rebuild of all time where they stripped it down, they got the number one pick,

they get Austin Matthews, and away you go. So I think people in Toronto are spoiled. But there wasn't a really long rebuild here. You know, that's a pretty fiery market, as we all know. Yeah. And how long? They have smart fans. They really do and like they love hockey there it's a very very smart fan base i just don't know how long you can be like okay we're still sucking i think you want to see the direction sucking right yeah like you just want

to see positive signs and is slavkoski has that been positive enough? What's the... Did you guys catch Saturday? It was our Sean McKenzie interviewing... I loved that, actually. I thought that was hilarious. Buddy, I cringed. Why? Why didn't they just stop and do the interview? It was funny.

It was good. Why? Barry? No, no, no, no. Listen, I like Marty St. Louis a lot. I really do. Oh, I thought it was a good idea.. Listen, I like Marty St. Louis a lot. I really do. I thought it was a good idea. You know, it's something different.

Tell me what the good idea is. Running up and down the stairs, doing something a little different. You know, oh, great, another rinkside interview. Would they say the same thing? Something a little different. I was good. What is the point? What do you mean?

So you need to see him exercising to answer questions? I will say it was good to get to see his calves. Those were some serious. I just think it's a different angle. They've done a million pregame interviews. I saw it. Here we go. I saw it right away, and I'm like, this is like Babcock stuff.

Like Babs running around the rink, right? He's just working out. Started good tonight. So you thought it was a performative self-serving act by St. Louis? Yeah, and I don't know. Marty's the type of guy that says, you know, and I don't know how it got addressed. Did the Montreal Canadiens go up to Sean McKenzie and say,

hey, let's try an interview running up and down the steps? I bet you we suggested it. Exactly. I bet you it was Sean's idea. And Marty's the type of guy saying, hey, let's try an interview running up and down the steps. I bet you we suggested it. Exactly. I bet you it was Sean's idea. And Marty's the type of guy I say, listen, whatever. It only reminds me of Babcock running around the building because

it is, in a way, maybe it was self-serving for Sportsnet who recommended it and he said yes. But I watched it, and I'm watching the players behind on the ice, and I'm watching our television station say, hey, this is the biggest star in the Montreal Canadiens organization here.

Like, I wouldn't want that attention on me yeah i like hey they're practicing down there and i'm watching tv go talk to a guy that doesn't play and i'm like no go talk to my players they're they're the stars of the team not me it's just it's just an attention we do thing and i'm like if I was a player on the ice and I watched that, I'd roll my eyes. I would. Like just me as a viewer, I was like, just stop and talk. You guys are both like stressed out trying to do this at the same time.

I just have the conversation. It didn't bother me though. It's just a way of, it's a unique, different way. And it's like, okay, but what about us on the ice? You just would have preferred a series of grunts. No, get it. The implication here, though, is that you think the way it's being handled, a different coach wouldn't be doing that sort of thing.

I just think it's like I don't want to do – my players are on the ice here, and it's like they're watching us look like I don't know what we're trying to do up and down the stairs. And I'm like, if I was on the ice, I us look like, I don't know what we're trying to do up and down the stairs. And I'm like, if I was on the ice, I'd be like, what is that? Yeah. You know, I do think, though, that some of these coaches that still prioritize their fitness, particularly former players, it seems to be a part of the message they send to their teams,

whether it be Rod Brindamore, Rick Talkett, St. Louis. If my coach is in such great shape, go play. Go back on the ice. Pull a Rick bonus. Play a coach. Maybe he's in better shape than the guys on the ice. I don't know, Kiffy. I like a fresh

take listen i i would never in a million years have thought that because i saw it i was like oh that's different i like that but i guess i'm just a rube i don't know i'm just a mark i don't know i don't i i can't recall how sean ended the conversation but i think it had something to do with like could you still play today? They're both finished. Based on what we saw the other night, I'd say he'd be okay. He wouldn't be any worse.

A two loss. I think he'd get through. He'd give you a solid 12 minutes. Ovi scored twice last night. Empty nets? No. Good goals scored twice last night. Empty nets? No. Good goals. Pretty good goals.

I mean, both. No, no, no. No empty nets. Both of them were. And that's a pretty impressive win, by the way. It was. It was over the Rangers. They're now 6-2.

Yes. Rangers 6-2 as well. Ready to call them contenders for a playoff spot? Yeah. I mean, they made the playoffs last year. They got some better players. I just thought last year they were such frauds that getting better would bring them up to about a playoff team.

But they were a playoff team, and they seem to be better than last year. So, yeah, maybe they're better than I gave them credit for. Vintage. No, no, no, no, no. The one that's vintage just shoots it through. That's the vintage Ovi. The one where he's at the side of the net is not.

Yeah, he shoots it in. He kind of chops it up. The five-hole one from the slot was vintage. That's Ovi. Okay. We'll give you that one. Marty St. Louis? Or, no, I'm sorry.

Still mad at him. No, I'm not mad at him. You got Marty on the mind. Love him, love him, love him. Marc-Andre Fleury. Oh, yeah. In Pittsburgh. Like, that's...

They rolled out the red carpet there. I didn't do this yesterday. He gave you the W and everything. Okay, what, over the top for you? I just think that, like, he has a very flawed reputation, in my opinion, as an actual goalie. Oh, you're going to talk about his record as a goalie. I think people...

I think he is one of the most beloved teammates in the history of the league. I think people love him. I think he has what almost 500 wins over like he's got a ton of wins. Three Stanley Cups. I just think that like maybe it was the World Juniors at a formative age where he shot it in off Patrick O'Sullivan and

broke my little heart. It was that he hides in a in a hockey bag and scares his teammates. No I just. No, he is that likable, though. He's incredibly likable. And that is a big part of what we saw last night. But when you look at my favorite hockey player of all time, probably in Sidney Crosby,

and you go back and you look at some of those playoff series, you know, Sid might have had four or five cups if they had a better goalie. Like, I don't want to put it all on him. It's fine to have the, you know, what is Marc-Andre Fleury's legacy because it's mixed. And at times he was pulled for Brent Johnson and Matt Murray and guys. In six games in 2011-2012, he had an 8-4-3-4.

Yeah, he had some tough playoff stretches. 4-6-3, 3-5 he had an 8-4-3-4. Yeah, he had some tough playoff stretches. 4-6-3. 3-5-1. 8-8-3. But what did you think of last night then about the way that? I thought they all love him. And I think everybody loves him. And I think it's, you know, he's had a long career.

He was just like beloved by everybody. And I think it was good if they love him. So they love him. He's just got a flawed career for me a little bit. What has added to that love is that there hasn't been anyone close to take over that net and carry on. They gave it to Murray, right? They chose him.

That was a short window, though. That was like over very quickly. I'm talking about going from Mike Richter to Lundqvist. Yeah. Right? Not bad. They've had nothing outside of their last Stanley Cup in which Matt Murray carried the freight.

They've had nothing to cheer for. And based on their start to this season, it's only good. That could have been their highlight of the season. Maybe the story of the year. Marty St. Louis. Marty. Oh, my God. Marc-Andre Fleury last night. There's a year. Marty St. Lou, Marty, Mark Andre Fleury last night.

There's a hyphen in there. Yeah. Mark Andre Fleury last night will be, could be the highlight of Pittsburgh's fans season. That's all they got boys in Pittsburgh is memories. Like it's over. It is over. What do you do?

What do you do? Sid? Yes. He plays. Carlson's been that decisions done. It's over with. it is over. What do you do? What do you do, Sid? He plays. He signed for two years. That decision's done. It's over with. It's like not going anywhere.

So I guess the Penguins can't do nothing. They can't be three and seven. They've committed to trying to be good now before these guys age out and they all make a bunch of money. They got to get active. Kyle figured it out. He's got it.

I did feel like I'm looking forward to Fleury having, like, you know, his jersey retired in Pittsburgh and everyone can. What? I'm just saying, Kyle. Kyle's focused on being one of the managers for Team Canada. Is he not? Does he have a spell over everybody? what is what is it can you explain that to me please okay we're on the like how how is this guy putting part of team canada

you know my guess is it would be that he was the general manager of an nhl team for four years that had 100-plus points, and people think he does a pretty good job generally, so much so that another team hired him for seven years and made him, what, the president and GM? Yeah. He took over a team with a pretty rough roster that's not doing great, but I'm guessing other people see more positives than you are.

Including a huge fourth place finish for Team Canada at the World Championships recently where he was a big part of. Was he? I don't know. Yeah. Alex Kerfoot, fourth line center for Canada? I don't know. What?

I just can't... You would have been better off with, God, I have no idea why. What do you mean? Why are we pretending he hasn't done anything? There's so many unbelievable hockey minds that are Canadian. Like, it just feels like it's like. I think part of the reason he's in the system is that they're hoping that to graduate people

with experience within the program, right? Maybe I'll graduate to being a USA fan. Stop it. Sorry. Don't go there. Not yet. You think the guy who gave your best friend all his money everything's great talking about the mvp of the leaps oh yes no we're not we're talking about marner oh i love it the uh the other one last night, Canadian team, Ottawa Senators finding their stride.

Yeah. Eight snipes and kind of rolling a little bit here. Maybe becoming a believer in the Ottawa Senators. 5-4-1. Like the Toronto Maple Leafs. Did Dr. Seasendoff's client play last night? Yeah. One goal.

Good for him. Here comes Ulmark. Did Dr. Seasendoff's client play last night? Yeah. One goal. Good for him. Here comes Ulmark. Alright. Let's get through the weekend and we'll have a clearer idea, maybe where they are. We got Buffalo starting to find it too. I know they lost, but Buffalo's starting to come around too. But the

Boston Bruins, tied for last in the Atlantic. I watched a lot of that game last night. They play so much harder against the Leafs than any other team. They were awful last night. Awful. Our thanks to Rick Bonas, who joined us, and Gord Stelik in the first hour.

We're back again tomorrow. Enjoy your games tonight, everybody. Thanks for watching. Thanks for listening.