Real Kyper & Bourne - Canada Survives Late Push to Secure Spot in 4 Nations Final

Episode Date: February 17, 2025

Nick Kypreos, Justin Bourne and Sam McKee drop the puck on this episode of Real Kyper and Bourne reviewing Canada's 5-3 victory over Finland to set up a rematch with the United States in the 4 Nations Face-Off Final. The trio dive into the tense moments to end the game after three late goals from the Finnish side and the decision to start Jordan Binnington in a win-or-go-home game. After the debrief, they switch gears to discuss Canada's battle with the United States on Saturday, how it stacks up in terms of the greatest games of all time, the physical play on display from the outset, and how Canada will line up on Thursday. Later on, Nick, Justin and Sam sort through some postgame audio from Jon Cooper and set the stage for the final game of the tournament (32:00). 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.

All right. Let's welcome everybody in to our full two hour four nations edition of the real Kipper and born show. We are live on sports set five 90 the fan sports that nine 16 Calgary sports that six 50 in Vancouver and 360 Sportsnet as well. Sportsnet plus we're covered here for the next two hours. Lots of places. Nick Kiprios, that was Justin Bourne, Sammy McKee, Derek Brandale and Jen Rolnick pushing all the right buttons. Sammy, you okay over there? We just finished watching

a win by team Canada that sets up a Canada USA final. Everything seemed to be well in control. We had cruise control after the first 20 minutes and then the last two minutes only the Savior Sid Crosby yeah take it take a hit to make a play just a bully at the end and this and this stupid thing give me that what I play by said all in all a win for Team Canada and Sammy can take a deep breath. I Actually, don't want them to play Thursday. Can we just flip a coin? I Like I just I am so nervous already for that But that was a crazy end of the game like, you know

We're rushing around here to get everything ready for the show like we're on it for you know It's your get the lineup printed everything figured out and I'm kind of just getting things ready And I see the first one go in I look at camera like we really have to do this And then the second goes in like well as he said to me like this a bit of a game here all of a sudden Grandland shoots went in like why am I stressing about this? This game was for nothing. So I wouldn't say it leaves the best taste in your mouth But a wins a win you look ahead to Thursday, but man fins they don't quit Yeah, kudos to them for battling back but that I mean I understand that everyone had

a little nervous moment there. I understand you don't want those pucks to go in but for 55 minutes of that game that sure was exactly what you expected out of Canada. Handle your business big guys showed up you know first and second stars are McDavid McKinnon Finnington much better Does the last few minutes change how you feel about the whole thing that much kip? Um well like we can look at a few breakdowns on the goal, but

We can also just start in that I don't think that I'm not speaking for you guys, but anybody surprised Jordan Bennington officially named the starter earlier today? Yes. You're surprised. 100% surprised. I thought for sure it'd be Hill. Wow.

Yeah, I agree. Oh, like I understand. With my tongue, I thought we would all be unanimous. There was no time for Hill. I think there's no time for Hill. I got no time for Bennington right now. Yeah. You find a way to lose this game,

you're going to get roasted. Well, for if you put Hill in. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I think you need it to go down with a ship on Bennington. I don't think it's any different. If you stick with Bennington after he gives up a couple of softies or at least one softie,

and he gives up a bunch and this one looks bad you go God It ain't hill right there. Did he have to go back to the guy who had been struggling? I just figured Kip this is not a tournament that's long enough to let someone work through difficulties So I thought they'd go to hell. I don't disagree With them going to Bennington. I just expected them to go to I don't think he's working through anything I think this is who he is. I agree with that. So that's, and the acceptance of who he is,

they're on board with it. Yeah, clearly they are, but I didn't know that. I didn't know that 24 hours ago that they were fully Team Bennington. Do you think, you know, and there's a lot to talk about with Cooper here, but do you think like part of Cooper's mentality with the way he is with the Lightning, where he just has his starting goal?

He's got a very good starting goal. He's had a very good starting goal for a long time, but he just, that's the guy that plays and whatever happens. I do like it. You know, it's just like, I don't, I'm not screwing around with this. He hasn't been bad enough.

Remember Vasilevski didn't get pulled the whole year, one year in the playoffs, they scored like seven on him. You're like, nope, he's in there. I mean, I don't know if that bleeds over. Obviously there's been some lightning flavor to this. What about Doug Armstrong saying, hey, I trust this guy. I don't ever recall Vasilevski having a reputation for, he's going to let a bad goal in. No, of course not.

And this guy does. Yes. This guy is one bad goal a game. And you can get away with it against Sweden. You can get away with it against Finland, as they did today. Barely on both accounts, but yes. Barely on both accounts.

But your lineup should be good enough where he can let in a bad goal, you still win, but not Saturday night. Yeah. Saturday night. One bad goal was the difference between a game going in overtime or losing in regulation. And he hit his bad goal Saturday night, lost the game for them. Really? In 60 minutes. Yeah, and so I guess that's part of why I thought they'd say, okay, well, we just can't go back. Now, one thing we'll say about that goal is it's not just the goal, it's the timing of the goal where you talk about the start, the electricity, the adrenaline, the McDavid,

beautiful goal, and then all of a sudden the way that that goal changes the tone of the game and the shape of the way you have to play. If you can score the next one and make the Americans have to go get one and take chances, it opens things right up. The second, all right, we're back to a tie game. US can fall back in the structure. It changes the play from there. And that to me was why it was so damaging.

This says to me by going back to him a lot more about they don't think much Aiden Hill. They don't think he's the better guy. They just Bennington's won the cup. They trust him. I know Hill has too, but I guess you're just not. Yeah. You're not going to 2010 Luongo here. No, it's another guy that's not very similar goalie in Aiden Hill. So we'll see about that. But I mean, do you guys want to talk more about Finland or you guys want to talk about Saturday night? What happened Saturday? What's the deal about Saturday?

Yeah, I think we're wasting everyone's time if we do too much Finland. We can get to it if we have more time. We're gonna try to track down Edzel, Eddie Olchuk. Open from five o'clock. TNT, so we should have him at the top of the hour Outside of that we'll try to get some sound too as well from the hockey game as it trickles in but sit back and relax on Family Day and Get our crazy takes. Let's talk hockey. Happy Family Day guys. Happy Family Day. I saw Saturday night. I

Think that that's the most electric hockey game outside of a cup final and probably including because it wasn't two fan bases heart rates. It was the collective nations. You're not going to poo poo that game. God, I'm not going to poo poo it. I'm not going to poo poo it. But like there's there's people screaming that that was the greatest hockey game that we've ever seen on the planet and I'm like Uh, not really

Not really. No, but I get the build-up and the excitement and the fights I get all of that and Like the stars are relined The stars were aligned beautifully for this game. And you cannot hide the political aspect of it that built this thing up. But once the game settled down, it was a lot of kind of cancellation. To me, it was a lot of Tortorella hockey,

clog the neutral zone, keep everything on the outside. The stars couldn't get going. There's a lot of frustration in that game too. To me that's, it was beautiful hockey. Like it was the Americans defended like hell. You had guys, you know, Matthews defends well. Like it was really hard to get anywhere. And I thought plays were still made, but there was no breakdowns. And so it was like elite on elite and you, you said cancellations and I agree that there's a lot of neutralizing plays but I mean if you watch a game with a lot of breakdowns

and goals you go bah that's dang no one defends. I'm not saying that it was not entertaining or it was not a special game but the best game ever in the history of mankind. But who said that? Take it easy. Who said that? Take it easy. Who said that? Oh, there, you, I don't know, Eric Engels?

Okay, I don't know, I mean, there's a few of them out there. Buddy, people enjoyed it. It was unbelievable. I'm not saying that. But people, I mean, anybody says, oh, it's the greatest thing ever, it's what we always do. It's just people bloviate about these things. But that first period. Nine seconds in, people were it's the greatest thing ever. It's what we always do It's just people could blow the eight about these things But that first period nine seconds in people were calling it the greatest start and it's like, okay three fights

It was incredible game. It's the fights. Well, that's the start of the game. I mean challenge that Start to it. That's if you like that if you don't like it, then it's not everyone likes it Not everybody but who can't everybody are we doing the show for the people that don't like that? Are we doing it for the show who do like that? I said I loved it. Me personally, but I'm just not ready to anoint it the greatest hockey game on the planet. That's all. This sucks. You thought it was the greatest thing you've ever seen? No, I didn't say that. Those are your words. I said it was the most electric start and that was an unbelievable hockey game. For the record, 2002 gold medal game Canada versus USA is the greatest hockey game ever.

That's my favorite hockey game ever. I think that's the greatest hockey game for the record. But having not had best on best hockey for over almost a decade. Sammy, having it built up. The stars are lined up. When you haven't eaten in nine years, your next meal will be the greatest meal you've ever had. And the next meal was what we saw Saturday night.

It was Thanksgiving dinner after that. It was like, you know, it wasn't like the first meal back was McDonald's. Those guys came out and cared and battled and fought. But I mean, it was, which literally watching that Canada USA jerseys, you know, I sitting there with my eight year old son, the first time I've watched a full game with him since the Leafs lost and talk about like you couldn't fry him away from that game. I said to you before here, I'm reading in the Dallas Fort Worth paper about how hockey's back.

Bill Simmons is tweeting about it nationally. Internationally, this made way. It's listen, I don't want to poo poo anymore, but I have to. I have to. Why? Because it's in it. Who knows if it's back? It's back. Who is the guy in Dallas to say that it's back? Tim Kalashaw, okay Listen, we've got we've got

40 of the best players in the league on the ice who care Exactly. Yes, we're gonna go back to the NHL and we're gonna have maybe four of them on the ice in a game if we're lucky and the rest of them on the ice in a game if we're lucky. And the rest of them are not going to be as good as those guys are. You have to break down some of them won't even care as much as those guys did. Yes. So can we enjoy the one where they were all out there carrying and trying? I'm just saying why would I think about that when I just literally got to watch that and today?

We are gonna go back to the game that we played that's future me problem. I get to worry USA on Thursday night, baby. It's just for a week. Yes, it's back for a week No, it made inroads into people's attention. All right, okay now people's attention. Okay. Now part of my issue is that I can't watch Saturday and just say, oh, it was great. It was great. I'm looking at it. We lost for a Canadian point of view. And I thought Saturday kind of sucked for Canada on many levels. Okay. The nation or the hockey team? many levels. Okay. The nation or the hockey team? The hockey team. Why? Why? Yeah. Because Canada's management team was not prepared for that start. Okay. And I'll just start by the roster.

You have the Kachuk brothers. We've talked since the inception of this tournament on what the Kachuk brothers, the style of play, what they can do, what they're capable of doing. And then you guys go out there, management, and you bring us Seth Jarvis and connect me at five foot 10 and you leave six foot five Tom Wilson home you start that game Saturday night with Tom Wilson on the ice that doesn't happen Matthew Kachuk is not the first fight I guarantee you Matthew Kachuk is scared of Tom Wilson he would have touched a gonerum with a 10-foot pole. Guaranteed! But Kim, we sitting here, none of us anticipated it to look like that. No, no, no. Friday I told you guys that I expect fireworks.

Fireworks. Okay? Who didn't expect it? Who didn't expect it? You know, you didn't expect it. Fire! What do you think fireworks were? Three weeks prior to that, you weren't sure if anyone would care at all about the event. So when they're picking the team in December, But you gotta cover yourself.

That's, if I'm sitting here as an analyst, but if I'm sitting there as management, I gotta cover off the Kachucks. I'm not doing it with Seth Jarvis on the team. How nice was it? How nice is it having Sam Bennett in there? Like, thank God he was there. Thank God he was there, and it still wasn't enough.

Okay, the lineup cannot go up against America Thursday night and look much different than they did Saturday night. I'm sorry, but unless the Americans roll over and Saturday night's a one-off, and those Thursday, unless they roll over and they go, oh God, we can't do that again. And then they wanna go and try to Finland them up,

then Canada's got a chance. But I'll say this, I don't think once the game got started, the US physically dominated Canada. And I will say- what are you talking about? Okay, thought they did. Did you see McAvoy Drive? McDavid the same way I saw Bennett McAvoy Drive Sydney Crosby's head into the ice

Early, you want someone to go fight him. I want something. Yeah. I want something. I'm not saying I think, I think Ron McClain in the first intermission looked at the panel and said, so should someone have jumped McAvoy? No, no, that's not what you do. And that's not where you act, but you don't let them get away with that with nothing Zero, okay to me. It's like we know we lose a game two to one three one They shot a three right there's empty netter two to one three to one and you know that to me is not the separating factor And they was for me or enough. It's me. Yeah, I thought I thought I thought after that hit McDavid was not anywhere near as effective. I thought that hit canceled thought after that hit, McDavid was not anywhere near as effective. I thought that hit canceled them after that.

There is part of me to what you're saying, Kipper, that I watched that American team against Canada on Saturday night and you're going to have a chance on Thursday to potentially come back. But there is part of me watching Saturday night being like that's what we used to look like That's what Canada used to understand used to have the physical forwards the guys that ran people through the boards they were the ones initiating and You know, I'd be lying if I said it wasn't one of the more heartbreaking outcomes I've had in a sporting event a long time

Listen the hits at the end of the game are pretty close to dead Even I feel like Canada was very physical on the puck. And I thought the Canadian forwards who typically play that way leaned into it a little bit. But what I did like is when the U S pushed at the start of that game. So they talked about it in a group chat. They want to have these fights. Brandon Hagel, 180 pounds says, okay to Matthew Kachak. I love that. I love Colton Perreco, 800 NHL games, one fight. He says okay to JT Miller. These guys weren't scared.

They weren't scared and good on them. I loved it too. But it put them on their heels despite Connor scoring their first goal. It put them on their heels. It caught them off guard. And I don't think they really truly recovered after that. I mean, it was a great start by Canada.

Yeah. They were buzzing to start that hockey game. I mean, it was a great start by Canada. Yeah. They were buzzing to start that hockey game. I thought if there's anything that you're gonna be upset about it would be the second and third period. I thought the first period they were really good. Their one stinker goes through that can't go in and you feel a lot different if it doesn't. But I think there is some element of truth

to what you're talking about. Like I hated seeing McEvoy drive Sid's face into the boards. But you can't have that, I'm sorry. You can't have that. But it's not the best of seven. You don't have time to work through these. McAvoy hammering McDavid. There's a play in the game where-

I would rather turn it into a bloodbath and let them do that to Sidney Crosby, okay? But they don't have, I guess, in that go back to the original point. They don't have it. I think to Borny's point earlier, It's hard to sit here and say, you know, they have to take Tom Wilson and listen there was an argument to take Tom Wilson without this but to be like hey we have to take a bunch of goons because what everybody was calling it a car is not a good no no, but like they're I mean just

For the toughest guys and only who can play I understand kipper, but everybody Including some of us. We're considering this gonna be an all-star break We didn't know I thought it was gonna be good And I don't think we all knew that there was gonna be a hootenanny to start a USA Canada game with three straight fights No one saw that coming even if you didn't you got to cover yourself off. That's your job as a management team No doubt that you're correct that every person in Canada now having to watch some games would have said Tom Wilson over Yeah, that's every guy who's not paid to lead the country and pick players Okay, fair enough Kyle Dubas skill skill skill. You got his Seth Jarvis

He left Tom Wilson home seen that movie didn't cherry pick your buddy Doug Armstrong for that one who's actually in charge, did you? Is that what happened? Do you know that for sure? Because if they know that. That feels selective to me. Yeah, listen. Or consistent.

We all, for sure, we all sat here and said that Seth Jarvis is questionable. And I don't know, Shifely's got a bit of an edge. He runs around sometimes, I think he could elevate. He's a bigger guy. Tom Wilson, Zach Hyman. There's guys that you're looking back on it, but definitely in retrospect those names sound more appealing and I don't think

it's retrospect. I think all of us sat here multiple times and said that we would like those guys on the team and they went in a different direction. There's some surprising choices, but I guess you have your chance on Thursday to redeem it, but for being in the trust tree, can I be in the trust tree here guys?

It's just the three of us talking, no one else is listening? The Thursday's a little bit, like it's down the road, sure they can win, but it's just one and one. They came into your building in Canada after you booed their anthem and they they started fights with you They are running your captain into the end boards. They look like the bigger stronger faster team and even if they win Thursday I'm still gonna have that game in the back of my head. That's always gonna be there that sucked. That sucked

Do we not sorry? Just the truck. No like the result Do we not? Sorry. Just the result. No, like the result. Having them win, having them out physical, having them to clog the middle of the ice, play what looked like our game against us. That sucked. And Thursday could be great and they could win. Do we expect anything different out of the US Thursday night? I don't. Yeah, I don't think it's going to be fight, prove a point. Why wouldn't it? You think it'll start with three fights in nine seconds? No, I'm not, I don't think so because the odds are still overwhelmingly against that start.

But if you're the US and you did it Saturday night and you won and then you don't do it Thursday night in home on your home soil in Boston and you lose. What's that say about you guys? You might have one. I mean to me it would be superstition at that point because as we said Canada came out one nothing more shots more control play. So I don't think it jump started their team to play well.

But if you want to say we did it and then we won you might as well. It's like not change. I think you put them on their heels. So do you? Hey, who shut down who didn't play well, I have a I think there's some differences going in Sid He didn't play didn't play well. I mean Connor didn't I didn't think Connor played well after after he got After his goal and the head I didn't really really well Marner didn't play well Marchand didn't play well

Everybody think both teams got shut down. It was a clinic of defensive hockey and two bad goals go in Yeah, certainly when you can't break the inside you miss Kale McCarr. So that's Theodore Petrangelo There's a few guys there that would have been nice So going into Thursday if we're looking ahead to that Which you'll get a lot of time to do it, but what gives you more confidence on the power rankings of things? There's no question number one is kale mccart Watching them play with kale mccart today and watching the pop that he had and watching what he does for the game It's a massive blow like not having him in that game Saturday night sit sucks So does that make you feel better having him in going up against them on?

Thursday No, Quinn Hughes Saturday, so yeah, I don't know it's the closest thing you could have to a wash for sure But he was never involved to begin with right my heart comes back in How does it not give Canada a huge lift? Yeah Thursday Yeah, Thursday. Yeah. Right. And then the lineup changes were made today where they shuffled the lines. And I thought again against Finland and you know, Finland comes back to make a game of it. The top six looks a lot better now to me than it did before.

So we can get into that a little bit with point going up, Marter going down. It was, I thought it was a good adjustment for Cooper. Yeah. Yeah, I don't know, your thoughts on that? I thought it worked. Again, with so little room out there and some guys being a little frustrated, I think it's always good for a coach

to not leave things too stale for too long. So I'm okay with it until it kind of clicks a little bit. And it'll be interesting to see him come out for this game against Finland and then what carries on ultimately to start Thursday night. The thing that stood out, so you come off that US game

and you look at the time on ice for guys and Nathan McKinnon played like 1830, like he plays 2230 per game in the regular season. Heading Hegel, I want to say played 13 minutes and I thought he was one of Canada's best forwards same with point was 16 and a half and he plays you know he's so effective. I just think he pushes the D back a bit for McDavid makes space and they asked him about playing with McDavid that was the one thing he said just try to make space for him and yeah worked for them today. Mark Stone had a good game, too, so

The changes seem to have worked. I can't see them doing too much different I can't imagine Jarvis coming in for connect me now, you know that's probably connecting end up playing today It's good question. He was the the the least on the team I believe if I'm looking at it here that Marner was the least you second least on the team For forwards, so I'm just pulling it up in front of me here quickly. Yeah So yeah, I mean Jeopardy music Time on ice I mean there was all as I yeah Marner played the second least 1246 connect He played 1211, but nobody was above 16 37 Reinhardt led forwards in time with 16 37

So they're really rotating the lines. Sure. He led for just 16 something. Okayinhardt led forwards in time with 1637 so they're really rotating the lines. So he led forward to 16 something? Okay so no one played much. Yeah they were. That's you get up in the game you try to spread it around it's a and now Cale McCartney ended up playing 2357. There was a there was a bad flu bug going on in Montreal like I think one of the hotels got hit really really hard. Is that right? Someone told me that maybe there might have been someone from the league office that needed

to be hospitalized if I'm not mistaken. Geez. Well, I mean, how, say, Mekar must have been feeling. Must have been. I mean, brutal. Outside of any injury that we don't know about, That's the logical explanation for McCarr missing Saturday night was he got hit hard by a flu bug. Yeah, I mean, he, you had to be pretty sick

to be held out of that game, especially with he knows how important he is. He's one of the best players in the world. That's where you want to play. So he had to be really sick. So yeah, you look at the ice times for today, it's just kind of, I don't think it tells you a lot Just with the way the game was going

Marter does everyone's yelling at me on Twitter to be like a kipper Marter played the second least so here you go I'm doing I mean, what do you want played a lot at the second least? We gotta talk about him. Yeah It's not a ton of room out there there's not right there's not so Connect me yes, I mean no one played a ton of minutes tonight said played 1453 Sam Bennett 1411 yeah, I don't think it's been a great tournament for Bermuda so far, but there's still a game left here But yeah, he shoots one in the net in the in the overtime and against Sweden, but I don't think it's been particularly great

But I also think You know everybody time and against Sweden, but I don't think it's been particularly great. But I also think, you know, everybody wants to hammer them and you know, it's, it's not just Lee fans that are doing it now. It's a nation that's doing it. And I think it's confirmation bias for a lot of people. I also think, you know, the coop really does like them, you know, like, and I think that, you know, you, I think he was second most time on ice against the Americans. I want to say he played 19 and a half minutes. Uh, I, yeah, the first game, what was the game where he was just 20 seconds behind? That was the first game. The first game against Finland. Against Finland. Sorry, against Sweden.

Against Sweden. Yeah, my bad. And you, uh, and then it's, you brought this point up earlier in our show that, you know, he, he relies a lot on it, what you know and that's so rally and and Hagel yeah I think Hagel is guy who's gonna get a little bit more opportunity in the next game just in terms of the competitive factor getting to the net pushing back through guys that's gonna be fascinating I am curious to see what Sweden USA looks like tonight you know it doesn't matter Kachak's not gonna play. Yeah, I think Sweden is is not dressing Mattias Ekholm and Rasmus Anderson, oh, Rasmus Anderson is going in. Yeah, and Arvidsson is going out and Leo Carlson is going in. If Matthew Kachak's hurting

I pull a reverse Thursday night. I go and challenge him right off the gate first shift first shift Yeah, you know you want a turtle you want a tower in front of your home soil here go ahead You got to turn me down. It's also I think it's fascinating that he asked Brandon Hagel to go I don't know who else would have been out there. He's not even a fighter That's what I mean Matthew Kachuk's not a fighter. He's 200 Junior spot you never fought in junior. Okay, but if he's fought in the end I mean, he's fought more than had his fight, but he's not he's not that guy No, he's certainly not I wrote about it in my article and I want to say he's got no JT Miller JT

Miller's 35 fights and preco who had won so I Thought pretty cool. He was 35 fights. Yeah, it's really as a really was an uppercut away from ending his night early. Do you see uppercut himself? Yeah, I mean Praco didn't look like he was necessarily comfortable in that but You know what? That start shook up a lot of guys who weren't comfortable in that environment They want a nicer easier Environment. I think that had to play out a little bit Saturday night, too. I love Pareko. I gotta tell you that this tournament has changed me on a few guys. Josh Morrissey is I love him.

Yeah, he really skates well and Josh Morrissey outside of my car is like the most important most important defenseman. Yeah, he moves the puck like he's he's really really good Winnipeg Jets fans are just like we know It's just it's time for jet star. Where's he? Holy crap. Do I like him? Braden point Nothing. No surprises there. He's just he's got a presence when he's out there. He really does You really don't seem fazed by the moment one of those guys just just a grindy sort of guy said tonight plus three I think the only guy oh him and McKinnon said made him the biggest play of the game as far as I'm concerned

Shut her down. They're hitting the neutral zone and then end in the game I think he's leading the tournament in points if they go on last thing I want to bring up before we go to break and we have all the Principles involved in today's game. We can listen to some of the audio after the break Thomas Harley plays on Saturday night and I was impressed with a guy. It's a big guy. I didn't I mean he wasn't on my radar If there's anyone who built a team, I think you said this to me on Friday But there's anybody who built a team like in the media

Yeah, Harley was not in the conversation for anybody and for having him step into that game, I gotta tell you, weren't you guys a little nervous about the potential of him going in there? Yeah, he was excellent. You look good. So I thought even today that if he was eligible to play, he would have been in the conversation for me.

Sam and I played well today. He did. Tough spot in our camp. The whole thing kind of goofy about like, Weird. Let's be honest, they got caught with their pants down a bit. They didn't know what to do here. There was nothing written about this. They're like, he can't play. Okay, now that he's played, he can play.

Why was there nothing written about it? Like, why are like something so obvious as sickness or health that could leave you short? You only need to be two guys down before there's an emergency. So if like three guys get the flu or something, like you're cooked. And I thought if you were going to bring someone, you were allowed to bring someone, I wonder if Mackenzie Weigar or someone was told, hey, maybe don't go to Cabo. Weigar had the Phil Kessel tweet that was like... No, I think it was the opposite. They said, we don't want you to miss your vacation to come and just sit and do nothing case we don't need you so they told him to go

but I bet you there's some guys now who are like I just stayed home yeah to have played in that game yeah there's a lot of guys who would like to play in that game I would imagine but you know I not to that's not to go away from Harley but not to go and watch and cheerlead no no yeah you're not gonna be and that's where you're calling full marks for showing, but tough change on the second goal by Harley, but otherwise very good showing. All right. That was contentious, boys.

I love it. Great start. Great 10. All right, we still got Edzo to go. We'll hear from... Give me a chance. Here, I'm just seeing who we got here. We'll hear from Sid.

We can hear from Point, Binnington, see who we got here. We'll hear from said we can hear from Point Bennington a whole bunch of different stuff after after the break. So let's we'll come back Let's do a little bit of audio talk a little bit more try not to yell at each other anymore. Maybe we foreign Asians Wow, that was a good 30 minutes right there Plenty more still don't go away away. Real Kipper and Bourne back after these words. Diving deep into Leaps, Raptors, Jays and NFL. The JD Bunk is podcast. Subscribe and download the show on Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome back in to the real Kipper and Bourne show. Top of the hour we'll track down Eddie Olchuck and I don't know Sammy, are we going to get

some sound coming out of Boston? Yeah, apparently John Cooper's pretty close to talking here. So maybe we'll wait a couple seconds here and the finish coach just finished speaking so I'm sure they'll go to him after that but is there anything else that we left on the bone after that first block? Well it depends if you want to do more US or Finland. Finland I thought the decision to not use Yussi Saros, I know Lankan is having a great year I know Saros got lit up by the US but he's still Yussi Saros. Has he won a Vezina?

At least he's been nominated several times. Kind of, you know, rather see you go down with your. It's not a goaltender's tournament. No, although I don't know is Bennington's numbers. Yeah, they look, is he 900 save percent? No, no, no, no. Minute and a half. Yeah, he's below going into tonight and then the game 890.

It's kind of looks like his numbers and yeah. It's very similar to the guys. Now, Hellebuck should get some love. That's who the guy is. Right. Hellebuck should get some love because I think he's been a 950 and a 963 or something in his two games. And there's been a lot of talk about that Colorado series last year. And can this guy buckle it down for them?

He also has an unbelievable defense in front of him, which is that, you know, God loved the Winnipeg Jets, but you know, having a really good goalie with that decor in front of him, like, I don't know. You gotta start thinking about really getting to him Thursday night. Yeah. Getting in the crease. You know, Chris Pronger has been tweeting about the type of offense Canada needs in its crease. Well, okay, that's slaving. It's just he's got a bumble me like, okay Maybe take a penalty. Mm-hmm. Maybe yeah, but you can't have them too comfortable He looked like I you looked very comfortable in Saturday except for one of the more electric hockey moments have had in a long time It's Connor McDavid breaking in off the right wing and going top corner that that sent the bar into a bit of a tizzy

I would Want to drive Sydney Crosby's heading in the ice? I got a freebie on Connor. Yeah buck, you know, it's tough, right? Because I'm sorry Sammy, but well, that's the way that's the way you got to look at it It's a one game final coming up. Mm-hmm So do you want to spend your energy chasing around Charlie McAvoy? With that kind of start. Okay. And I know that I could still beat Finland and meet you guys again. Yeah. I'm not taking more skin off of you guys. I am. You're saying to the break, you probably don't finish that game. I'm a sore loser. I'm the first one to admit it.

When I see the Kachuk brothers start the game like that, the only thing I want to say is, okay, you guys got the way you wanted it started. I'm going to get the way I want it finished. And I would rather it look like 1987 World Juniors, the punch. The punch up in somewhere. P.S. Danny? That sounds right. P.S. Danny?

The punch up in somewhere is not what it's called, but the punch up somewhere. I would almost like to have finished the game that way. Do you guys want to go to Coop? Then losing three-one Saturday night. All right, John Cooper. Let's go to John Cooper you think of your team's performance for the first 53 minutes? What was the last seven minutes like for the coach behind the bench? Like I thought we played extremely well tonight I

The way we manage the puck You get the best players in the world doing things they're probably not accustomed to and all for the benefit of our team winning hockey games. It was a 200 foot game. You've got McDavid, McKinnon, Crosby, and all these guys dumping pucks and going to get them. It was the way we had to play to win this game, and we did it. And whatever, you're going to dissect the game.

Doesn't matter by how much you won. The bottom line, the goal was to play Thursday night. So if anything, we got great video for 5 on 6, if we need it Thursday. Left side, second row. Yeah, John, you mentioned Crosby, McKinnon, McDavid. To be able to look down the bench and know that those guys can deliver

in the most important moments, what kind of luxury is that? Well, here's the thing. I talked to Connor, if you remember, against US, he's basically one-on-one with Hellebuck, and he passes to Reinhardt, it gets broken up. I was talking to Conor, like somebody's got to shoot it in the net. So why not you? To see what he did in the first goal of the game, he just kind of circled down and got

it. Stoney gave him a great screen but you know meeting with those guys last night it was you know you're you're to win hockey games you have to be so selfless but it's weird how you have to tell the players at times to be selfish and being selfish is like you got it you have to shoot in the net don't and well McKenna did it twice and Mack did it twice and Mack did it once and Krazy was a little bit more distance but it's good. You're saying you know those three specifically or? Well no, no, no.

No, no, no. Yeah don't read them. That's, but you talk to your best players and that's a lot of the message was going into today's game. Coach, how did it feel to have Kale McCarback out there and then knowing he'll be there for Thursday's game? I mean, he's a star. And just to play half the game and he's a one-man breakout, he just glides out there on the ice, but his reads are phenomenal and

It I mean it's a luxury let's be honest, and it was so I'm so glad to have him back Right side first row. Hey John you elevated Braden point to that line with McDavid and Stone. How do you think that changed your game in your offense? so McDavid and Stone. How do you think that changed your game and your offense? So it's hard in these tournaments because you don't know who's going to be able to play where and for pointer now he's got to play the wing and that's not traditionally the spot he can play or he has played often. And, and so, um, you just, And so it's short term trial and error. And you see which guys are going and which not.

And then you kind of get this feeling, OK, this should be able to work with this. But I can't come into this tournament and sit here and say, hey, I'm going to put Brayton Point with Connor McDavid. Like, there's a little process to this. And you actually have to watch him play and then see what he needs.

And now that I'm behind the bench and I'm with these guys in practice, I got a pretty good feeling what they need. And I thought Pointer would be a good fit with him. And he was. Left side, third roll. Coop the betting markets have the Americans favorite on Thursday and I'm wondering if you consider yourselves the underdogs. I don't know listen it's you know betting

has become quite an industry now it's amazing that we sit here in a press conference talking about gambling. So I don't care. Who's favored, who's not? You know, we come in here to win this. And it's, I don't know who's making, are you making the lines? I wish. Yeah, so I don't know who's making the lines, but it's,

I'm really looking forward to the game. This is why we came here and regardless of other people out there say, you know, we're the underdogs. I mean, everybody in that room thinks we have a really good chance to win. Left side standing. How much, John, though, is getting another crack at the US been a motivating factor for your players after Saturday night?

I can't sit here and say that is the case. Like, even if the US wasn't in the final, we wouldn't be like, oh, we don't want to be in. We want in this. And this is, we came here for this purpose. And now it's win one more game. It just happens to be against the team that beat us after the fireworks that went off on Saturday night. So I think it should be a pretty good made for TV event.

Left side front row. John, what you said off the top, having the best players chipping pucks in and dumping pucks and going after it. I'm wondering what role does Sid have in selling that to the room, if any? And just how have you seen him interact with some of the guys who are representing Canada for the first time in an event like this?

Have you taken, are there any takeaways from how you've seen him interact with the group? I have, and I've got a ton. And probably a lot more will come out after this tournament ends. But you see somebody from afar, and then you don't want to be disappointed when you meet them

in person. It's like you want to meet your hero and you want them to be your hero. To be honest, a lot of times it doesn't happen. How many times have you said, oh man, I wish... You look at them in a certain light. Well, the light that you look at Sidney Crosby is still the same light when you meet him. And he's been a true inspiration to all the young guys in our locker room and even older guys. He is in our country, he walks on water.

And he is as humble as they come and and You can see why? He arguably is one of the most respected people in this game. We'll take a couple more right side back corner coach Fireworks and intrigue aside. What do you guys have to do specifically better against the US to have a more successful outcome? Probably a lot of things we did tonight, and I don't know who asked that question. So, a lot of this game is about puck management, and sometimes it's not as fun to watch.

There's a lot of hard work because much of the game you might be working without the puck, but when you put it in places and go get it back, you can lean on teams. And I think we did that, we didn't do that very well against the U.S. the first game and made some adjustments in it tonight and it worked in our favor. So anytime you do those and the guys see a little success. But we have to put stress on them. And I didn't think we did enough. And there was a lot of tribute to them too. They have a phenomenal team and they defend and play hard. So I think you're

going to see two really evenly matched teams. Like I said, the city of Boston will be treated to something special, I think, Thursday night. Left side, third row. John, Sam Reinhardt's certainly not the flashiest of players, but he does so many things well, whether it's scoring or defensively. You've been on the other bench plenty of times

against him recently, but I just wanted to get your take on coaching him and what it's been like in terms of just watching the way he does things yeah, he so it's one of those guys with elite brains and He may not be the most fleet of foot out there but he gets there as fast as anybody else because he just knows where to go and He thinks this game out and it what I really like about a lot of this players in this team what did what did he have last year 50 was it yeah so he's damn

near 60 goals and but hey there we go back hi hi so it's what's the longest we've ever had John Cooper like but he's positive John. Yeah that's right. Mckee hearing it for his the team he's cheering for must have been a trip. Oh Christ. This guy loves the sound of his own voice. Listen, listen. It's not personal. Okay. It's a great, the great quote. You think he's that positive back in Tampa? You think if we pulled the guys and said you know he must be a ray of sunshine every day yeah I'm sure not as much do you think I was just thinking about him during that and I love the Sidney Crosby walks on water

in this country it's a beautiful line yeah we know that all right it's a it's a nice thing but how is he gonna like he's coaching this team you gotta go back to Tampa I'm just looking at his fourth line today and Tampa. He's like, oh Mitchell Chafee Luke Glendening and Dylan Duke It's like that's where you get to go back It's gonna be you mentioned it a little bit coming off of this and like when in your first segment though, it's gonna be really Funny to go back into the regular season here. It's coming down off of us. We're watching the best of the best. All together, all on one ice, which is again, fantastic. I'm loving every minute of it.

But then you're going to go back and it's spread. It's spread thinly over 32 teams. Yeah, it would be so good if there was just 10 less what the league would look like. It would look a lot closer to that. Yeah. If we had 24 teams even 24 and less games guys less games. I actually was thinking about the NFL and it's a huge advantage to build up to one game and overreact to one game samples. Truly like for the NHL this is kind of cool that it's like one game. We're not finding the best teams necessarily that way but not to get totally ahead of ourselves but go look

at the weekend that these guys are going to have to come off of this rush. Oh yeah. And then go back and play head Well, we care we want to protect the game I mean it is I tell all these guys take the weekend off I think Connor or David flying to Philly for a 1 p.m. Puck drop against the Flyers on Saturday might be they're nuts if they dress They well, I don't know. They're not. Yeah, they're not if they dress a lot of teams Scrambling right now to make the playoffs. There are no, there's about six, eight teams that cannot have their player. What do you think?

For rest. What do you think Stan Bowman was watching? How was he watching that hockey game on Saturday night? It's watching McDavid. Every general manager around the league watching that game and listen I don't I didn't I didn't think once and that's I think the true test is that I didn't think once in that game I was like, oh god, please nobody get hurt Oh, yeah

like it had enough stakes to me as a fan who they're trying to appease to they're trying to grow to that I didn't really Think about oh god, please Marner don't get hurt. Oh god, Matthews, please don't get hurt I was just out for blood and wanted canada but you know so i think that's good that conversation was would only have been delayed what do you mean i mean that if connor ended up with a separated shoulder or broken collar bone or yeah put himself in a position to not be there to start maybe a playoff for whatever reason then then that conversation is like... So do you think this tournament shouldn't happen? I think now that we've gone from nothing after nine years

to this type of tournament or expect this type of intensity moving forward every other year is a very big ask on your most important assets in the league. It is. Which I think in turn, when we look back on this, we'll make it all the more special and we'll make what happened on Saturday night and what we have to come on Thursday, we'll look back and be like, remember how much they tried to kill each other in the middle of

a season for a tournament that was invented last season like I do think I think this is going to be remembered as a very special event Hockey history, but again the first time back There's there's something really strange going on between Canada and the US and that's the perfect time it it's magnified it You know hockey's always been that? Like when you had the Soviets and you had like that extra layer is real. And it's... And you think as crazy as this world is, you'll probably have another one in two years

and another one in two years, another one. Is that the new norm now? IIHF won't... Let them murder each other. It won't have that. Like the Olympics will be unbelievable, but it won't be three guys having a brawl. We went into this game going, oh, my God,

this is set up to be awesome, and it exceeded that. But it's also the fact that they're playing under NHL rules. Yes, which is great. Everything came together for it to be amazing. It was unbelievable. So we want fights now. But the game on Sunday is going to be bad.

So we want fights now. I wanted them to win wasn't that for fights