Real Kyper & Bourne - Canucks' Magic Continues

Episode Date: May 9, 2024

Nick Kypreos, Justin Bourne and Sam McKee start the second hour with more on the Leafs dismissing Sheldon Keefe and whether they can follow the footsteps of the Canucks with their next coaching hire. They are joined by Craig Simpson (6:45), who shares his thoughts on Keefe before getting into the Canucks' comeback victory over the Oilers last night. He discusses how deflating a blown lead can be in the playoffs, Silovs' resilience and how important a bounce-back game is for Stuart Skinner. Finally, they regroup with Sam for news & notes.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 get it going the real kipper and born show national edition we're live on sports net and sports at 650 in vancouver vancouver wow vancouver sports net 960 in calgary this hour Real Kipper and Born brought to you by Bet365. In a few minutes, we're going to welcome in Craig Simpson, former NHLer, two-time Stanley Cup champion, and of course, one of the leaders at Hockey Night in Canada, breaking it all down for us during these NHL playoffs. But, news of the day,

around the NHL off the ice Sheldon Keefe head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs relieved of his duties today JB and a lot of people thought it was coming but this is the Toronto Maple Leafs where

no one gets to definitively figure out what they're doing or thinking these days, and yet they waited until today to do it. Your thoughts? Well, I think that Sheldon Keefe had a nice run in Toronto. He was a good coach. His 665 winning percentage is the highest winning percentage of any coach

who's coached 300 NHL games. So he won an awful lot I also think it's true that when you don't get over the hump it's someone else's turn and you know Sheldon put out a video today where he expressed gratitude and how he understands it's the results-based business and it really isn't more complicated than that here is how you did here are expectations it didn't meet them thank you for your time so i don't think anyone's too shocked or heartbroken or think anyone's wronged here i tend to agree with everything you said there and we talked about a little bit in our first hour but having the toronto maple east is your

first coat your first coaching job in the nhl there's definitely a world where he goes somewhere else with a different roster of guys who maybe you know have a little bit better playoff record and all this stuff, and he's away from it, much like what might happen with Mitch Marner if he goes somewhere else. And he is an excellent coach again, and maybe has even more success than he did here.

I think that world's possible, but the time had come. The time had come, and I think it was the right decision. As I mentioned at the top, we're at Sports net 650 in vancouver and i can't help but think like everybody's having a really good chuckle in vancouver yeah watching what's going on in toronto sorry sammy well that's true laughing enjoy it you're taking it on the chin right now hey i'm the only one here that picked the vancouver canucks to win last night so by the way you also picked them to win five oh yeah i did yeah nice i called that one the point i'm trying

to make here is that this time last year it was the thought that the leafs were on the cusp of being this stanley cup contending team right favorite in the second round against the florida panthers vancouver sitting there and we're listening to alveen and jimmy rutherford saying we don't think we're that far off and we're all laughing at vancouver going hey you guys stink rutherford i believe said preseason if things break well if everything goes right we're a playoff team and the point i'm trying to make in all of this is like it's incredible 12 months later that it's the leafs spinning their wheels and here's vancouver up one nothing against a team that a lot of people also pick to win the stanley cup and we're going

to get to that game but they handle their business last night it wasn't a fluke but what are we going to hear out of the Toronto Maple Leafs? Are we going to hear a Jimmy Rutherford that we make a couple of changes here? Is Rutherford available? Can we get him? Can the Leafs get back in the game 12 months later like the Vancouver Canucks? Yes. I mean, they can.

They didn't suck, though. They haven't sucked, Kipper. They've been a 100-point team every year. It's a different situation, I think,couver and toronto where vancouver was last year they didn't have a right where were they before uh talk it right yeah talk it came in for brood row and he they were good after they hired him and that they were a mess people think that the leafs are a mess right now but i think even with your 100 points if you're gonna make a comparison the comparison for the leafs would be that him

instead shanahan saying playoffs would be like you know we're gonna go to the the cup or we're gonna go further in the playoffs like there'll be a different kind of parallel to draw here as opposed to rutherford saying we're gonna make the playoffs shanee saying i think we're good enough to go deep like i think it's a different sort of goal, the different goalposts. No. Yeah. Well, I think that's fair, but it is now a point where the Leafs feel like they're,

we talk quite a bit in the first hour, but not even sure who would be making the decisions on some of these big decisions. Like, is it, is it tree? Is it Shani? Is it, you know, if you trade a core member who has to sign off on that is it keith pelly who knows so big decisions here i think we'll get a lot more clarity at least i don't know how how clean they'll come with brendan shanahan's role moving forward is it

exactly the same as before is he still the president and making decisions no different than before all of this before they got knocked out in the first round can i ask you a question and we've been talking about this a lot and i think i know the answer to the question is there any chance like he just like steps down tomorrow i don't think so zero okay first of all i'm just wondering uh what does stepping down mean like i'm stepping down but i don't want my six million a year like there's there's six what i hear is as much as six million dollars on the table maybe he's gonna go to robita island with sheldon when they're he's paid he's going to go to Robida Island with Sheldon. He's paid as an executive. He's paid as a president of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Okay, so no chance. But does he get stripped down a little bit of the decisions that he made in the past? Are they exactly the same? Okay. We'll find out. All right, I'm just wondering. Yeah, does Pelly want to be more involved,

have some more opinion, more skin in the game i don't know if i want that either like is pelly like a hockey guy through and through like i know he was running just running a golf tour yeah yeah world tour yeah so i don't know well that's i think he knows his stuff but yes brad tree livings there that's he's he's supposed to make the the decisions and then hopefully get the stamp of approval from people above him. All right, as promised, let's welcome in Craig Simpson, a very busy guy. Simmer, how's it going, man? You catch your breath from last night?

Yeah, it was good to get back into game mode and obviously very different having two new teams, but couldn't have asked for a more exciting start and a great atmosphere. And just loving the fact that we're in the second round of the playoffs. And at least we have two Canadian teams really well represented with their fans in the cities. And if game one is any indication, it should be an exciting series to watch. Before we get into Vancouver's come-from-behind win over the Edmonton Oilers 5-4, you've covered the Toronto Maple Leafs more than anybody.

Get your thoughts on Sheldon Keefe and his dismissal as head coach and what maybe we can expect moving forward out of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Yeah, you know, I think I was listening to you guys before. I don't think it's a surprise to anybody, but no question. It's just another example of, you know, another sacrificial coach. It's hard to believe. Is it what? Is it two or three guys that haven't even got to their extension and got fired?

I know at least he's the second but uh maybe four or five yeah it's a lot is it more than that okay wow and what does that say to you about the lead like it it is kind of mind-boggling and it tells you a lot about the inability to make changes to your actual team that that is the group that's going to change the outcome for your you know franchise it's it's so much easier just to shuffle the deck and get rid of the coach so you know what i i'm not surprised by guys from the tea reading the tea leaves uh at the end of the season in the end it's all about the playoffs as it always is. And, you know, he got the one mark of winning the first round last year. But this year, as good as those last couple of games were

and the way that the team responded and played was a positive. But I just, I don't think maybe a second round exit or for sure a third round exit would probably have kept his job. But anything less, it seemed like it was a foregone conclusion, don't you think? Yeah, for sure a third-round exit would probably have kept his job, but anything less, it seemed like it was a foregone conclusion, don't you think? Yeah, for sure. Can I ask him one more coaching question? Please.

Because, Simmer, I mean, whether you're a head coach or an associate coach, assistant coach like you were in Edmonton, can you speak of the experience going through it for the first time? And I know you didn't come back and, you know, keep going on a coaching career and you stuck to the broadcasting. But a guy like Sheldon or anyone else that went through an experience like him for the first time and what you can take out of it and learn and definitively say,

if I could go back and do that over again, I definitely wouldn't do it that way. I mean, did you feel that way too from your, your short stint behind the Edmonton oiler bench? No, I think what you have to do and you probably feel a little bit better understanding of it is just like we said, at the end of the day,

you're hired to be fired, right? So you know that going in, that it's only a shelf life of gosh knows how long. And I think you have to be yourself and you have to really adhere to the things you believe in and that you feel will get the best out of your players and uh you know i i don't think you can try to be somebody to the outside of the media i i quite personally i think shellam's a really nice person and uh has a good character good uh want wants to portray things to the to the public and to the fans and sort of keep a balance there i think you have have to have a bit of a part of it saying, some of this stuff is none of your business. Some of this stuff, I'm not going to share with you.

And some of this stuff has only my players and I need to know what we're talking about. And I know how difficult that is in a market like Toronto. For Craig McTavish, when I was in Edmonton, it's difficult there as well. But the players get the feeling that they know exactly who you are, what you represent, and how your relationship with them is the only thing that really matters.

And, you know, I see that a little bit in Tuck coming back to what his third or fourth team that he's been involved in. I think here in Vancouver, he's of the mindset of going, no, I just have to be who I need to be for my guys. And, you know, I still have to talk and say the right things to the media. But I think probably if Sheldon goes, I'd worry less. There are times when I watch guys' press conferences and, you know, coaches' meetings in the morning and say,

stop talking, get off. Like, just go. And I know you might get ticked off, but you know what? At the end of the day, you're going, sometimes there's things that I don't think your players really want to hear either. And you get extended out there and maybe say things that you probably don't need to or go longer. And I think you have to have that balance of be confident in who you are as a person

and not worry if some of the people don't like it or criticize you. The only guys that matter about how they feel about you and how they respond to you are your players. And I think your players really get a feeling of that if you're true and honest and real to them. And sometimes it's peeling the onion back and getting hard on them and being honest with them. I think at the end, the coaches that are able to walk that balancing act are the ones that

have success and maybe last a little bit longer. But most importantly, you got to get them the most out of your team. And I heard you saying about what kind of balance is a motivator as opposed to an X's and O's. Listen, as Justin said, the X's and O's are not that different from team to team. They're very, very similar around the league. I always say you look at any Stanley Cup winning team and you've had breakthrough performances from key players to role players

to supplemental players to a goaltender all that how do you get those peak performances how do you get those breakthrough performances part of that is the coach's responsibility to build that and to get to gain that momentum as the season goes along, to challenge guys, to push them to become more than they are, to make them uncomfortable, to make them accountable. And I just think, you know, Glenn Sater for me was that guy that just really knew how to lay that out in front of you and challenge you at the right time, but also empower you to be your best. And that's probably easier said than done.

But if I'm a coach coming back like Sheldon will to another team, I think you can take pieces of that and improve on how you handle the situation with your players. And that comment about just stop talking, do you say that when you watch our show? I was just out for a walk. Yeah, I was going was going okay that's enough that's enough sammy i will give you a last one on the on the coaching thing before we turn the page

um is craig bruby then the answer for the leafs to someone who's a confident hard-nosed guy like that does that work here or do you think it could should be someone more like a mcclellan or whoever else you think yeah you know that is the hard one, and that's the big question, isn't it, Justin? You know, you never know how one type of person in a certain market will handle a different market because there are differences. You can't be the same coach for the New York Rangers, Kipper,

that you would be for maybe the Carolina Hurricanes. You know, it is a different, or the Anaheim Ducks. So I do think, though, listening to you guys about who the people might be, I do think you have to have a different personality. And clearly, you know, there has to be an element that the push has to be different. The accountability maybe has to be different. But you also do need a different type of voice that might get these guys to snap out of it and not you know the key underlying fact is

as i mentioned before the breakthrough performances haven't happened when it matters most so what is that i doubt that's x's and o's i think part of that is pushing and part of that is inspiring and part of that is bonding your group together to get to a different level. And maybe, you know, he's done that, obviously, in that tumultuous time in St. Louis, and maybe that was the perfect formula for him because of the kind of guy he was. I played with him for a little bit.

An interesting guy. I love him as a person. And he is someone that will inspire guys to do things differently. And I would imagine, though, you have to have a different type of voice than the one you had for the last three years. We're talking to Craig Simpson, Stanley Cup champion, Hockey Night in Canada analyst. So last night, the Vancouver Canucks overcame a three-goal deficit

to beat the Edmonton Oilers. And Simmer, how pissed did Connor McDavid wake up this morning going, how did we let that get away from us? Yeah, you know what? You know that as much as you say, you know, it's a long series and all that, you know, I go back to my experience coaching the Stanley Cup final with Mac. We lost game one. We had a 3-0 lead in game one of the Stanley Cup finals. 3-0 lead, and then our goalie gets hurt.

But we blew a 3-0 lead that ultimately, guys, lost us the Stanley Cup. Like, you know, I know we lost in game seven, but that's a game we should never have lost. In game six, we played our best game of the series, which should have been the cup being presented to us there. So it's not lost on anybody, and especially within that boiler organization, just how big a loss that is.

When you work to the level to get the 3-0 lead, you can't let it slip away. So I would expect that 97 would have been a little irritated this morning waking up. And I thought as a team, and Chris Knobloch said it after, you know, we just

didn't push hard enough when we had that position. I think part of the you know, Leon going down in that second and being gone for a while kind of stalled the way that the line went. Maybe they could have made it you know, Leon going down in that second and being gone for a while kind of stalled the way that the line went. Maybe they could have made it, you know, 5-1. And Ryan Nugent Hopkins misses a wide open net with the goalie not looking. That should have been 5-1.

And those are the little things that you've got to sort of flush out of your memory banks, but make sure that the next time you're in a tight situation, you can't let that happen again. But, you know what, give Canucks full measure. They are the type of team right now that is growing and growing and growing as the playoffs come because the new experiences are piling on each other

and they're gaining strength with those experiences. And when you find a way to overcome a couple of goal deficit and win, you know, next time around, you're well prepared to maybe deal with that situation differently and not be in that three down situation. So you create an enemy that all of a sudden is growing in confidence, which I know the Oilers are going to want to try to rectify game two.

Simmer, did anything about that first game change your mind about what this series is going to look like and how it's going to play out? Not so much changed my mind about it. Always going into a series, you need to get the first game to get a feel for what's the style going to be or what's the matchup going to be. I do think that what it did show was the improvement.

We knew coming in, although you gave up four goals and five goals, so you can't really talk about tight defensive games. But both these teams, and I think the biggest improvement for Vancouver, is to stick with the way that they have to play to be successful even when things aren't going well. And that's hard for a young team that's a little inexperienced. You get down and all of a sudden you open up and you give a team like Edmonton or Connor McDavid, you know,

five, six grade A scoring chances because you're pressing so hard to score. Instead, you know, even though you're down four to one, you hold McDavid to zero shots on goal for the first time in the playoffs. You know, that says a lot about the growth. So I kind of expected that type of a game a little bit from Vancouver, having watched them in the first and listened to Rick talk about them. But I think it did play out. The concern for me for Edmonton, or any team actually, always is, you know,

when you've got the star guys, if you don't get the big production of the big goals out of them, who else is going to come to the forefront? And, you know, last game was, again, really nothing from the bottom six, a couple of mistakes that end up in your net, and a goaltender performance that wasn't good enough. And so can you rectify that? I think no question justin you can't but uh that's something that you know when it creeps into the edmonton game that that's really

where they can falter and uh i i think you'll see a better and a more organized team in game two similar it wasn't a stellar night for either goaltender. I think Kelly Rudy mentioned last night on air that he thought maybe make a goaltender change in between periods. I wasn't into that at all. I look at the fact that I said the kid came in in an unreal situation, the third string goaltender. He's got a little bit of history of of coming up big and not being overwhelmed he wins that first game when they're down by two and they scored two uh

two goals with the goaltender out and then winning overtime you know you get a one nothing shut out to get you into the second round i i didn't think there was any way that rick talker was going to pull them there and i think again he showed and that Rick Tucker was going to pull them there. And I think, again, he showed. And that's where you talk about a team getting dangerous that starts to believe not only in their guy who's an unsuspecting hero in there, but they believe in each other and they bail each other out. And so I don't often disagree with Kelly, but that was one for sure that I thought there's no way. And even Chris Cuthbert said to me after,

he'd go, oh, what do you think is going to be the starter in game two? And I go, I can't imagine that you would not start anybody than the guy that's won you two of the biggest games, you know, in your playoff run. So I think it's his until you lose and falter and then maybe make that distinction of go back to the Smith. And obviously if Demko comes back and is healthy, he's your guy. Zipper, according to the nerd numbers last night,

when Nurse and CeCe were on the ice, scoring chances were 12-1 for the Canucks. Do you have some concern that that second pair for the Oilers isn't going to be enough? Well, I just think that that's, again, where when the oilers are faltering a bit it it is where it's their defensive play and it's their inability to stop a cycle or they give up the line a little bit too easy or they create uh they get scoring chances created against them i you know what in a short sample size you got a got a game that probably those metrics, which are important, and when you match them with the eye test,

you go, yeah, was I seeing that of the group? And I'd say, yeah. There's times where you're not making the clean out. You're not making the clean pass. You're missing an assignment. You're a little late getting there. And those are the things that would concern you. I also think, though, if your goaltender is Stuart Skinner

that played most of that first round and played well, you're not probably having the conversation. So it is a balancing act, Justin, but it's definitely one that I think when you look at the back end, there's no question in my mind that Vancouver's sixth defensemen outplayed Edmonton's six defensemen in game one. So remember we saw Connor Garland break the tie on a fake slap shot at maybe one of the sharpest angles.

I'm still wondering how it went in. And then hearing the guys in the, in the studio talking about Sittler against Zarella and everybody's going, who's that? But listen, it was a good night for Skinner here. How important is game two for him before people start questioning whether or not it was left in the net with the right guy? Yeah, no, it's really important and like listen bounce back is what every playoff series takes a life of its own you know you're you're a favorite coming in

or you're an underdog doesn't really matter but i think everybody coming in is going hey i think edmonton's a better team they should win this series so all of a sudden it's a 4-1 lead and you got a couple of bad goals. There's no question that not only for the sake of Stuart Skinner's mentality, but every player on that bench. You know, it's not that long ago. Round two last year against the Vegas Golden Knights, a 6-4 loss in game one. Stuart Skinner got pulled in three of the next four games.

And that is something that guys don't talk about it or necessarily think about it, but it's there. And so you got to look at the guy back there and say, if he comes back and is Stuart Skinner, who had a heck of a game in L.A. with a 1-0 win, that's where your team goes, yeah, we're fine. But it's about passing those tests and jumping over those hurdles as the series goes along so there's no question

it goes right back into his crease and says he needs a game to settle everybody of every one of his teammates down to go i'm fine we're gonna bounce back and everything's gonna be okay get a good rest, my friend. Cause there's a real sense. You know what? You got two Canadian teams in the second round and you brought me back to talking about the Leafs too. Or it'll be over soon. Summer.

All right. Enjoy tomorrow. You as well, my friend game to Rogers arena, Friday night. Can't wait. Thanks. Summer. Oh, he gone. friend uh game two rogers arena friday night can't wait thanks emmer oh there you go he's so right about sheldon about talking yeah like you don't need to talk for 10 minutes twice a day it was the best yes it was the best for us on our show so craig brube if you're listening 10 minutes

twice a day every day for us. We'll pick through that. No, it is. It's a lot to give for people to pick through, and you're not going to say the right things all the time. That's just the way it goes. Listening to Craig talk about his past experiences and blowing a game like that for the Edmonton Oilers and whether or not that could haunt them in this series. Game one.

You know what is more concerning is that it happens and Drysaddle gets one of those mystery back he's not quite right things. And I know he had two assists and he was awesome and he's the on Drysaddle and he'll probably be fine. But if you're the Canucks you're like okay we found a way

to get a win and that guy's not 100% now. I'm not sure. I'm not as convinced as you. He'll be fine. No. No, that stuff. It's 48 hours, and if he can't, if he's feeling it in game one,

48 hours, there's going to be some lingering effect, I think, still there. He's a postseason freak, too. His point per game, it's like Gretzky-Lemieux-Drysdale. Yeah. What did they trade to get Z door off the canucks two seconds maybe was it that much maybe no maybe less two second and a fourth maybe yeah i just he has been awesome for them he is such a presence. He was traded for a three and a five.

That's like put the money in the bag and don't try any funny stuff. How did they get him for that? They wanted him out of Calgary. It must have been that. To get him for that is he's been awesome.

He's putting himself in a very good place moving forward for his next contract all right we're doing game time well i got a few clips you want to just move off of that i'm gonna do that and we'll come back with uh some clips okay uh it's game time is that my bet 365 visit the app for latest odds and find out why it's never ordinary at bet 365 must be 19 plus Ontario only. Please play responsibly. So a couple games on the ice tonight. The Rangers heading to Carolina. Bet 365 is pretty convinced that the Carolina Hurricanes are going to get one on the board here.

Carolina is a minus 165 favorite on their home ice. If you are a gambler who's looking for some value the new york rangers who have won six straight playoff games and look to be like a bit of a juggernaut at this moment they are plus 140 it's a great number and one that i would be having a look at i think borning the way you're looking at me that you like the carolina hurricanes tonight i do like them but i also think plus 140 on the team that's got Shusterkin and has won sixth grade, not the worst you can do. And we'll talk a little bit about this in News and Notes,

but Freddie, not playing tonight on the bench. They're going to... Kuchetkov? Yes, sir. Yeah, they're going to Kuchetkov. So maybe a little bit of a boost for them. They get back in the series. They got you nothing.

But I mean, didn't I say, like, what are the chances we see another goal in this series before it even started? And the chances were... All I know is my Freddie Anderson for Norris. For Norris. Sorry, Norris. Whatever it is.

So, the Rangers have won the first six? Yeah. I think in 94 we won the first six. 100%. We did? Accurate. What happened in game seven? Someone find out and bet it.

We swept the Islanders and then we beat washington five in the second round okay like it's just it's crazy and then the devil was washington good um no oh let's do bad carolina's pretty good yeah no no no um they were kind of kind of like the way they were, the Washington Capitals, this year. Just limbs to the slaughter, yeah. One of the two. Fair, fair. And then the other game tonight, of course, is the Colorado Avalanche and Dallas Stars.

Ooh. Yeah, it's just two excellent hockey games tonight. Dallas Stars are minus 135 on home ice. Bet365 expecting them to get back in the wind column colorado avalanche plus 115 can't tell like those are i mean what does a parlay of the new york rangers and the abs and the abs pay here uh if you want to pay the 90 uh hold on the two underdogs and as i do this on air the two underdogs tonight are paying plus 416. Oh my God. A Rangers Colorado parlay. You could do a hell of a lot worse

than plus 416. Yes. Got some for me? Go ahead. Finish it off. All right. That was game time presented by Bet365.

Visit the app for the latest odds and find out why it's ever ordinary at Bet365. Must be 19 plus. Ontario only. Please play responsibly. In your Kippers Clipper, no, Kippers responsibly in your kippers clipper note kippers corner today in your article yeah you mentioned that the first round of playoffs wasn't you know

it's usually fireworks and there was only a handful of overtimes there was a it just didn't feel quite as whatever this second round oh yeah is already oh yeah so much better. I mean, Boston and Florida is an absolute melee. It was last night anyway. How do you go back-to-back blowouts? I know, but there's still tension and the series feels close even with that. Let's take a break and talk about that game. We will, including pasta.

And kachuk. El Dante pasta. Who had that on your fight card not me not you all right plus we got uh kippers clippers out of uh head coaches last night in vancouver and edmonton we'll get their thoughts on uh zadoroff from talkett stewart skinner from knoblock so plenty more when we return to real kipper and born Their thoughts on Zdorov from Talkit, Stuart Skinner from Knobloch. So plenty more when we return to Real Kipper and Born. Unrivaled insight, analysis, and opinions on all things Blue Jays. Blair and Barker. Be sure to subscribe and download the show

on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. The Kipper is Justin Bourne. Sammy McKee. nick kiprios justin bourne sammy mckee how big's game two for skinner for you thank you so craig mentioned also mcdavid no shots on goal so i mean and that's different ways to kind of look at this, but goaltending has got to be better. Yeah. Yeah, Myers pair did a really good job on McDavid. So I just got to say, the goal that Garland scores on Skinner, so I love that play.

I love the Jason Spezza kind of coming down, fake clap, get the goalie to slide, open him up. Can't go in. That was a 1981 goal. It can't go in. The fake clapper on the ice i love the play i truly love that but the angle was so bad i think it was going wide it wasn't going in it wasn't going in hit his pad and went in yeah it's like i know you're on the bench you're just going god come on yeah like you know we're doing our best out here all right let. Let's go to a Kippers Clipper with Coach Knobloch on Stuart Skinner.

Clip two. Stu has won so many games. He's played so spectacular through the years. And there's going to be games where they're not his A game. And he'll be the first to admit today wasn't his A game. But we'd never doubt him with how he plays and, more importantly, how he responds after a game that wasn't his best. Yeah, this dude has played very well for us throughout this time,

and he'll play really well for us in the games going forward. Yeah, you don't bail on him publicly. No. I noticed you just said publicly. Well, I mean, there's some conversations happening, boys. He's talking to us, so he's speaking publicly. Yes. But you don't expect anything less.

I'm not saying behind the scenes he's ripping them. I'm just saying when you speak of them to people like us and the fans, that's your guy. Yeah. You know, I read some skinner quotes from the game where he was like you know we can't stop playing when we were ahead and like you know how it is like we scrutinize quotes that people so whatever but i was just like don't say anything about the team yeah just you know keep it out yeah keep it out of the net that's all you're

asked to do so So tough spot. He does have to sort of build that confidence back up. We know that when he plays well, he can be an excellent goaltender. Five straight L's to the Canucks for the Edmonton Oilers. Baffling. On that, let's go to Coach Knobloch on that. 0-5 this year against this team for some reason. It seems like every game has been lost sort of a different way.

Is there something there? Well, I wasn't here for the first three, so I can't comment on those. Obviously, I've seen them on video. Yeah, we've just got to find a way to get that finished the job. And I thought, for the most part, you know, you have a 4-1 lead. We're in a good enough position that should be enough to win a hockey game. And we let it get away from us. Did he just tell Speck, I'm 0 for 2?

I didn't expect him to use this shaggy, it wasn't me, defense. I don't know what you're talking about, Speck. I wasn't here for the first three. I'm surprised you said that. That, to me, I mean, we've had, no, we had Knobloch on the show. I wouldn't exactly call him the most electrifying personality. That's fair. That is so close to, I had my man.

Yeah. You guys gave one up. I had my guy hey i don't know what happened over here coach but i had my man we lost i scored two boys i scored two but in all seriousness like i i was among the camp that when they went up 4-1 it was like okay the the hyman's second goal that goes under she loves pad was like okay that was so bad i've seen enough you know what my thought was you can't give them freebies that was my whole thought was like this the oilers they're gonna get theirs you can't give them freebies night night yeah and not night night that's that's a i mean a real testament to the canucks willingness to stay in

it and fight and yeah all right let's listen to r Rick Talkett talk about how confident he was being down 4-1. Yeah, no, we talked about it. I said to him afterwards, 4-1. I said, you know, don't get frustrated. It's not that bad. We don't have to push all our chips. And I thought we were pretty good. So I think that's the key.

There wasn't a lot of guys hanging their heads. Coaches weren't yelling and screaming. I didn't think it was that bad. I thought we were pretty good. So I think that's the key. I actually agree. For long stretches of that game, the Canucks were dominating them. They spent a ton of time in the Oilers' defensive zone.

It didn't start that way with too many men on the ice. What a beginning. It was like, you can't take a penalty. You can't. And it was just like, and they're shorthanded. And Hyman scored. And this is over. I mean, the techs that were going around at that point are like this is gonna be a bloodbath

can i be totally honest i was watching the basketball game and i hadn't flipped over yet and i flipped over i'm like they're already on the power i know how did this happen i know and if you're like if you're on the bench for vancouver you're like that's the worst case scenario yeah you know outside of like your best players being hurt you can't do worse than that so i can't believe they hung in there. But, you know, the nerd numbers really like the Canucks performance in that game in terms of expected goals and all that other stuff. They were the team.

Part of that is because it's score effects, right? You're losing the other teams playing to prevent defense. But how about that Dakota Joshua? I found out today I completely forgot that another big guy that Dubas got rid of. No, no, we had this conversation. Did we? Oh, yeah, we did. We talk a lot.

I know. No, we did. And maybe one of the few times I've gone to Kyle Dubas' defense, then no one saw this guy coming. Well, Vancouver did. No. I mean, they signed him. Yeah, when?

I don't know. When he was like 27 years later. I just don't know how. You don't see it. Early, no one saw this coming from him. He's a beast. He also worked his ass off on every part of his game. And now he's in a position to really make some good money this summer

and still be a very important part before then for the Vancouver Canucks. But you couldn't read the tea leaves on this guy coming out of college. Not a chance. I mean, the play he makes off the end boards, he needs an open net, but he has to short arm it upstairs. He wasn't making that play three or four years ago, I assure you. Can I do a Leafs quickly? Yeah.

Watching that goal, I was like, where are those bounces? How do a million pucks just find sticks around the net? I don't mean for the Leafs. In those series, like Boston didn't get them. Like just such low scoring games. So this one just felt like everything you shot could go in. Expected goals with McDavid on the ice. The Oilers got 33% of them.

So they were out-expected goals. I mean, that matters. Yeah. The play was in his end. Zdorov didn't need a bounce. No, he just hammered it through. Hammered it. Through the net, basically.

What if a guy, like, I know you're in your defensive zone, but there was three Oilers not covering anyone, just standing in a line in their goalies' eyes. Perry was there. I forget who else was there. It's like, get out of the way. Let them see it. All right, let's go to Rick Tockett on Zdorov.

Yeah, I think Z, you know how I feel about him, it's just his, you know, as much obviously on the ice, he's had a hell of a playoff course, but his locker room, you know, you guys don't see the stuff that he does. He's a leader, but he's also a funny guy. Like, he keeps guys loose. Like, even on the bench with me, like, he says some stuff, and the pressure's on, and somehow he says something. I chuckle.

You know, it's like a side game or something. He said something. I can't remember what he said. I was laughing but um he's uh he's obviously a huge acquisition for us on and off the ice how many chuckles down three less chuckles if you chuckle at that point they send you to the dressing room i have experience with that i uh i'm so ready for creed overpay for zadora of this offseason god and i'm just gonna I'm just going to hate it. But right now, this version of Zdorov, I'm like, just be on the Leafs.

Yeah. Love him. He has a couple moments. He scored. He's had some big years, I think, didn't he? He scored 14. 14? Yeah.

That's a good number. That's a lot of goals. He can hit it. He's got five points in seven playoff games, including three goals for them. And that one against Nashville where he shot it under the bar against Soros. Like he's a, he's a player.

Hammers. He'd be a popular guy here until his first turnover. Yeah. So the Canucks land the first blow. Speaking of blows, you don't talk about Florida, Boston now. Yeah.

It's been long enough. Yep. I mean, that game was fascinating. You got Brandon Montour doing the licking motion, motion at Brad Marchand. You know, you had weird semi-fights happening all over the ice. This game got really confrontational once.

They pulled Swayman. By the way, they pulled Jeremy Swayman, who had a 9.55 save percentage going into that game in the postseason this year, and then just all hell broke loose, where the Bruins clearly made the decision that we're just going to set the tone for next game. Yep, which I love. They stopped playing hockey.

Montgomery went over to Swayman and said, hey, I still love you. Let's hug later. We're best friends. And the goalie went, okay. And then he went to the bench and said, I hate you all. Go do something.

And they decided to fight everyone. That was not verbatim. It's crazy though, the swing in that game because the end of the second period, Swayman makes two or three unbelievable saves to keep it at 2-1 with maybe like 30 seconds left. And you're like, oh, okay, we're going here. And then they score with.3 to make it 3-1.

It felt like that just completely broke the Bruins. Like that is such a huge moment. And then a brouhaha, just a hoot nanny. Good old-fashioned donnie brooke my favorite part of that game was watching uh keith kachuk's wife i think chantelle yeah look at the big guy going okay settle down all keith was wired he was fired up he's like let me add my hole shut he legit was like leaving. And she was like, back here. Yeah, get back here.

The wires were crossing in the luxury. And all you could hear is, yes, dear. 100%. We had to get Walt on the show. They've had that conversation before. And he was like, I better see him. Oh, yeah. You think he's allowed to come on the radio now?

Remember the last couple of times I texted him, he said he wouldn't do it. No. Okay. I'm going to text him. It's a past the fight. Yeah. Give us your thoughts, yeah. You think he's allowed to come on the radio now? Remember the last couple of times I texted him, he said he wouldn't do it. No. Okay. I'm going to text him. It's a pasta fight. Yeah. Give us your thoughts, Sammy, because on pasta.

Well. Because you're pasta. I hate him. Yeah, you hate pasta. That makes no sense. You hate all cars. It doesn't make sense. No, he is a flashy, dynamic talent who scores and hits.

The reason I'm here is because I'm a diehard Leaf fan, and he owns them. He kills them. He scored a series-winning game seven overtime goal against the Leafs. I hate his guts. Gotta respect that. But I'm of two minds on this. I think it's great that he fought, and we're going to listen to some clips where everybody kind of says the same thing,

but he's a guy that likes to act tough, and we found out definitively he is not tough. So I think it was a two-way street. He tried to line up a switch. Little from column A, little from column B. Somebody's got to work with him. Like, hey, Cam. I know we're old, Cam, but get down there on ice level

and help him a little bit. That was ugly for him. Ugly. But I tell you, you know, as someone who didn't fight a ton, I remember having a moment where going, you know, to the coach, being like asking, you know, can I fight this guy? Kind of hoping he said no. You know, like if you're pasta and you're like, hey, can I fight this guy?

You saw Monty's face light up. He's like, you want to go home? Yeah. He was so excited. He loved it. He was like, okay. When you say not a ton, is that like never? Yeah, once a year, so no one made fun of me.

Yeah, no, but it was like I vaguely remember that. And you could see Monty be like, go ahead. And Pasta's like, okay. Now, do you want to start with the Bruins perspective on this? All right, well, we'll get the Jim Montgomery clip on Pasta versus Kachuk. They're two teams that are rivals, you know. We played each other last year, we're playing each other this year,

and it's going to be a series. And what I'm really proud of, I'm proud of Pasta. Because there's so many guys out there pushing after Whistle when the linesmen are there. Pasta and Kachuk, they just went out there and fought. That's what you like. You like your hockey players to be competitors. I love that.

You know, so many of the old guys. It's a gamble, I get it. The old guys. I like your hockey players to be competitors. I love that. You know, so many... It's a gamble. I get it. The old guys. I get it. It's a gamble. If that guy gets hurt, you know, it may fall on Jim Montgomery. You didn't control him.

For sure. You didn't tell him to stop it. But he literally asked you if you could. You said yes. He gave him the green light and he got concussed or whatever. That's the chance that you take. Do you want to hear Pastor Knack himself talk about the fight? Sure.

You know, you are in the game. It's a lot of emotions. I mean, I'm not afraid of him. To be honest, I can take a punch and I do anything for these guys here. I love that. If you're a Boston Bruins fan,

you're beating your chest. Your best player, I mean, Willie. I love that. If you're a Boston Bruins fan, you're... You're beating your chest. Your best player. I mean, Willie's not doing that. Everybody's... Well, listen, there's two or three guys on every team in the league where, like,

any fan base can go, I wish that guy said that. Yeah. It's just... It's either in you or it's not. Yeah, well, I was going to say a lot of the older generation

watching these games now sees these scrums where you see two guys like Brezzo and whoever it was doing a West Coast swing dance move. And, you know, there's a couple of moments where guys are doing the gloves, gloves, gloves, gloves, gloves. And they're like, do you want to fight or do you don't want to fight? Pick one.

So, you know, I guess go ahead and have it out now. That's done. We got to hear Pomerese's thoughts because they are excellent. So let's hear Pomerese. They each have their team. All right. They got their brothers in the room. It gets a little spicy out there and they want to go.

I think it was awesome. When it was over, they both looked like they were fine. And let's move on. Sorry, whoever's offended by that concept. I don't care. I thought it was over, they both looked like they were fine. And let's move on. Sorry, whoever's offended by that concept. I don't care. I thought it was awesome. There you go. I thought it was awesome, too.

And I think, you know, I think you talk about these big playoff moments. And what do you think about when you remember the Cavalier and the Gimla fighting? Remember Thornton and Getzlaff fought. When two stars are like, I hate you enough to risk the good parts of my game just to beat the crap out of you, that's what you love about playoff hockey, that they care that much. You know they're invested in the series.

Matthews fought Stamkos last year, boys. Remember that? But I mean, that's not too dissimilar that there's the idea that it's like, all right. All right, we got a couple of minutes here, and I don't usually really care about this stuff, but Utah's list. Oh, my God, you're not breaking this up. Yeah.

Amazing, amazing. You have the list in front of you? I do. I didn't even put it on the lineup or even talk about it because I can't believe. Good news, I've been through it. Utah Powder. That's actually the worst name I've ever seen. I mean, it's horrible a

professional hockey team named the powder thank you where do you get your nickname softer title that sponsored my talcum and that can go a couple ways oh yeah after hey that we came up with that nickname after 2 a.m yeah good idea good idea okay The powder is awful. Utah ice. Also the worst. Actually, call yourself the powder before you call yourself the ice. Were they Kootenai ice? Was this a junior? Was this a survey with grade two kids?

Yeah. Utah ice. Get it? Hockey ice. They're on it. Oh, good one, kids. And there's some in Utah. No good.

No good. Utah blast. Didn't get that one. Doesn't make sense to me. Utah HC. No good. Utah Blast. Didn't get that one. Doesn't make sense to me. Utah HC. That's Hockey Club. Oh, thanks, Tips. Utah Frost.

Also don't like it. Utah Freeze. These are exclusively horrible. You haven't got a good one yet. Utah Hive. That's for the beehives. But there's also the swarm is one of the suggestions. Remember the beehive?

There's the beehive state. It's giving me a bad rash. I don't mind the hive. You like for the beehives. No, but there's also the swarm is one of the suggestions. Remember the beehive? There's the beehive state. It's giving me a bad rash. I don't mind the hive. You like having the hives? Go hive, go? Yeah, it kind of stinks. No, no. You call the rink the beehive?

There's one in my life. Mountain ears. You know what I like? I like the mammoth. I actually love Utah Mountaineers. Mountaineers is the classic sort of sports team name that works. Outlaws from the 1910s. Outlaws.

You don't like Mammoth? I like Mammoth. Mammoth's okay. I like Mammoth. I don't mind Outlaws either. I don't mind Outlaws. Okay, so they're going to go the whole year without a name. Yeah, it's just going to say Utah on their jersey.

You're right. Why could you not unveil it at Christmas? Why do you need the whole year? It is one of the most baffling decisions. I agree. So you're going to go the whole year because you don't want to screw it up. Do you know you can easily screw it up in a year from now than you can in three months? You're right. By the judging by those names, it's screwed up.

They already screwed it up. You know what's good about it? Like the Squall, that was one of the ones. Mountaineers or nothing. I just don't understand. Hire a company, pay them to come up with a good name. That's their job. I think his company, Qualtr to come up with a good name. That's their job. I think his company, Qualtrics, is like a survey company.

This is part of what they do. You know why they won't do it? Because they're scared. They're scared they're going to make a bad name. What's it going to be called? Kraken? You're following the Kraken. You're going to be okay.

You can't make a decision on your name. How are you going to do a trade deadline, Utah? Okay. I can't believe you brought that up. I love that you did. I was just running out of things. And I'm tired because I played 18 and I walked.

Can I have a push cart with a brake that works? I lost my bag. I lost my watch. I lost everything. It almost went in the river. Shout out Scarborough. Thanks, everybody. We're back tomorrow.