Real Kyper & Bourne - Leafs Hour: Buds' Game 2 'Edge' with Adam Copeland

Episode Date: April 22, 2025

Nick Kypreos, Justin Bourne and Sam McKee get set for the Leafs' Game 2 matchup against the Ottawa Senators as they look to keep the ball rolling after a 6-2 Game 1 win. They discuss the discourse around Ottawa's 5-on-5 play, what to expect from a physical standpoint, how the Leafs push back against Ridly Greig's antics, Anthony Stolarz's status, Pontus Holmberg's promotion to the second line and much more. Later, All Elite wrestler and Leafs superfan Adam Copeland (35:35) helps share the pulse from Leafs Nation ahead of Game 2.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.

Let's get going here. Fastest two hours in hockey. It's the Real Kipper and Bourne Show, 4 to 6 p.m. Eastern. We are live on Sportsnet 590. The fans, Sportsnet 360, Sportsnet plus Nick Kipriel, Justin Bourne, Sammy McKee, Derek Brandeo and Jake the Snake, Schultz. It is the Leaf Hour edition, game two of the Stanley Cup playoffs for the Toronto Maple Leafs. They look for their first 2-0 series lead since when, Sammy? 2002?

2002. 2002. Against your? Islanders? New York Islanders. Yeah. I didn't know that part. I made that guess up. Kip, do you think the Leafs can hang in there against Ottawa's vaunted five on five play tonight. Can they weather the storm from this elite firebrand offense? The most dominant six two loss in NHL history. Oh, you guys got all your analytics. It took 24 hours, but you guys are loaded with five on five analytics.

So how bad is Ottawa? No, the leaves are terrible. Ottawa is the greatest five on five analytics. So how bad is Ottawa? No, the leads are terrible. Ottawa is the greatest five on five. Didn't you read everything about, oh yeah, Ottawa is dominant. That's all the numbers today. Where were the numbers all season for Ottawa, five on five? They were 31st, I think, in the NHL.

The last game. No, forget last game. Where were they during the regular season? Legitimately, I think they were 31st. Okay. I got a disaster over here. Oh, Sam's got a coffee. Sammy, you're showing jitters

Didn't game one clear all that up Coffee usually doesn't help with jitters, but I've just made a mess here. I can't I put too much So the other one centers they dominate they're getting a split tonight. That's what you're telling me I'll be clear on on what I'm insinuating. Okay, there has been a lot of talk about how good Ottawa was last game. I mean, Travis Green kind of set that table for us in his post game. And Tim Stutzla came out and said we were really good at five on five. And most of the analysis about the Sens and how they can win tonight is about controlling the five on five.

And they're this great five on five team. I'm being sarcastic about it because the Leafs won last game by four goals. Yeah. I thought carried the play, good power play, and I thought packed it in defensively. I don't know, maybe Ottawa is gonna dominate them again at five on five, but I'm just surprised at the narrative around even the the betting lines have shifted in Ottawa's favor after a 6-2 Toronto win. Lee fans weren't too happy after the game right? Yeah. About I know our Hockey Night in Canada crew came out post-game and talked about Ottawa playing fairly well I think. Well you know. Do you think that narrative pissed off a lot of Lee fans? And I don't think it was their fault the

panel they just highlighted individually good things that both teams did and Ottawa had a Do you think that narrative pissed off a lot of Leaf fans? And I don't think it was their fault. The panel, they just highlighted individually good things that both teams did. And Ottawa had a couple in a row where it was like, they did control the run of play in terms of shots and attempts and all that sort of stuff. And were physical and there were good things in the game for Ottawa for sure. It's Leaf fans being like, we want everything biased in our favor. So when you see a 6-2 score, you think dominance, right? Do you think the Leafs didn't get enough credit for a 6-2 score?

Well, I just think if you look at how the Leafs closed the season out, I think in their last 16 games, they were 13-2-1. And they carried something like 40% of the shot attempts. They, in terms of ozone possession time, the other team had them by a few minutes every game. And it kind of became clear what their identity was. Their identity is a high danger team, protects against giving it at their own end,

wants to create at the other end. If you know analytics and you follow it, score effects have a big hand in things. And when it was close, after one period, even after two periods, the Leafs were ahead in some of these numbers. So, yeah, eventually you pack it in and the numbers change. But anyway, tonight, I think there's been a lot of hand ringing from Leaf fans.

Speaking about them, is it different? Feeling different? Different, different, different has been the biggest sort of conversation with Craig Brubeck going into this playoff. For me, tonight, with another victory, it is different. That's for losers. If they win tonight and it's two zip going into a Thursday night matchup in Ottawa with 50% Lee fans in that building. It's a different field. Maybe it's just a different type of heartbreak. I don't know.

Does it have to look like it's kind of looked in the past with great goal-tenning, shutting down defense, block shots again in game one. I don't know what they were like, 19, 20 block shots. Like there's, yeah. Which scary over a long playoff trying to do that. Yeah, but fairly consistent on the look that they've had. Like another look like that says to me, Sammy,

that that would have a different feel for sure. Yeah, and the Leafs with all five healthy D, and not to cut Benoit out of that because he defends the net front hard, they do a good job at that thing specifically. So I wonder what the date was where we came in here and Ruby said we need to get back to our identity. And we said, just a question, what is it?

It became pretty clear after that. It did, with Stolarts and Wall. I mean, Joseph Wall clear after that. Yeah it did. With Stowell Arts. And Wall. I mean Joseph Wall played well too. Yeah very well. I do think that this is going to be a much different game than the first one. Well it's gonna settle. That's what's gonna happen here. That whatever Ottawa went through, we won't see six power plays for the Toronto Maple East tonight. No, I think we're safe in saying that. Yeah, it's very uncommon. And I also think you're not going to see nine hits from Tim Stutzla Ottawa through 56 hits in Game

One Toronto, I think 30. I don't think Ottawa's a 60 hit team every night. I think it is going to be different and much more hockey like. The first 10 minutes of the first game of the playoffs at Battle Ontario, everybody's juiced up, everybody wants to run into each other. I think there's still some of that in game two, but once you get to game three, game four, it turns into much more of a hockey situation than it does in the first couple of games. So we'll see how much it settles in tonight, but it was a physical game on on Sunday. Let's go to our first kippers clipper of the day with Craig Ruby's thoughts on trying to go up to nothing in the series.

Yeah, well, you get a lot of desperation from the other team for sure. We're going to get a good push from the senators tonight. We know that they're going to be better tonight. So you know, we talked to our guys, we've got to be better. We're going to do things better. And, you know, you might not get all the power play opportunities you got last game. There you go. And that's fair. Ottawa did not like the power plays.

I heard. Did come up. Yeah. And I mean, it would be interesting because the Leafs don't Want to be you know as much as we said they're comfortable with this high danger play You don't want to spend the whole game in your own zone I'd like to see something better from you know, can Domi Robertson and McMahon have some better shifts Can they create a little bit more the second line? Yeah, Tavarez and Nylander didn't do much last game for me either. There'll be a bigger push and a more and more of an emphasis coming from Borubi to for those for those two lines

to spend more time in the Ottawa zone. Yep we do have a number of thoughts on from Borubi on line matchups on McMahon. Do you want to do on the top line matchups? Yeah I want to hear him on the line matchups? Yeah, I want to hear him on the line matchups. Yeah, well I thought we let Stutsel carry the pucks through the neutral zone a little bit too easily at times. So I think we need to force them to put pucks in more deep than they did. I thought they gained a zone on us with possession too many times. And then, you know, that's a good forward check in line. They're heavy with Kachuk on there and Stutzel's heavier than you think.

You know, we got to break the puck out better. So when we force them to dump pucks, we got to make sure we're getting that puck and we're making a strong play right away and getting that out of our zone, limit them from creating them zone time on us. That's a great thing to aspire to do. The old guard loves to call this guy Stutzel. Mac, Ruby. It's Stutzla? Stutzla. Yeah. L-U-H.

Kind of. Yeah. It's terrible to say. It's not natural in our... You're right though. Stutzel is the big time old guy. Old Timmy Stu. And he is he is a key for them. And to your point, if you're running around, trying to hit everything that moves like who's then your your go to guy up the middle of the ice? Yeah. Yeah, I mean, he had 79 points. So just a point per game 79 points in 82 games for them this year. He needs points every night for Otto in the series He needs to be dynamic and he is one of the guys, you know when you weren't here We talked about circles and squares big circle for me yeah, if you can I know he dives or whatever, but I think you got to make it unfun to play out there and We we know Brady Kachurk is well documented on what he can do and how heavy he is and be a wrecking ball out there. But the rest of their lineup, I'm not sure.

Like Dillon Cousins is a big boy, but I don't know if he's really been known as a guy that's gonna run anybody over. I actually doubt, that's my biggest disappointment with him so far. Look at that lineup and Perron can play a heavy game, but he's a step slower. He's a step slower and outside of that,

Batherson's a skilled guy and Claude Giroud to me, looked a little slow in game one. Batherson, Pinto, Gregg, or obviously Kachuk, Stootsla, like they got five guys that are good hockey players top six guys legitimately now Is there a push for for Ottawa or or at least? whoever's covering this series to make Ridley Greg a bit of a bad boy in this or a villain outside of Obviously the the brief histories had with Morgan Riley and last game crashing into Stolarz. Is he now villain number one?

I think he is. It's just you can't let that be. He's not good enough to worry about that much and he will be and he is good. Those are separate things. Is good, will be good. Right now if you're the Toronto Maple Leafs, you're too talented to be like, we gotta get Ridley Gregg. Like that's not the focus for me. And it's, you know, when you're covering a,

like you kind of mentioned there, Kipper, when you're covering a series, there's certain things that you kind of, as a writer, as a person who's covering it, there's certain things you kind of grab onto that are storylines and things that you can bring up to the coaches and the players and whatever to kind of get a clip. You know the game here and Ridley Gregg cross checking

Tavares in the face, crashing into the goalie, scoring a goal, clearly a main character in the series. It's an easy one to bring up. So naturally they're going to ask the coaches about them. They're going to ask the players about them. So they have to answer, right? Like it's not like they can be like no comment. So it's, it's, it's built through the media and it's built on the ice too. So let's hear Ottawa's's coach Ottawa's coach weighed in on Ridley Gregg. Is that worth? Alright clip to from green. It's good hockey player. Yeah loves winning plays the right way plays hard everything you want and you know hockey player he's just doesn't say a lot it's easy to coach and

Place to win. That is extremely high praise in my opinion from a coach. Yeah outside of I'm not worried about Ridley Gregg too much other than don't take out you know the goalie. Yeah. Right. If I'm the Leafs. Don't take out our goalie if I'm a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Yeah definitely next time he touches the goalie and there will be a next time he should get bonked on the head Oh, no. No, he should be picking Splinters out of if I'm Anthony Stollers and Anthony Stollers is six seven two two fifty two. Okay, he is He's built like a linebacker. Yeah, like I'm falling on Ridley Gregg next time.

That's actually not far off, like, Gronk's dimension. He's huge. I saw a video of somebody who filmed him like walking to the game. He's a massive mad man. He should be worried more about being hurt with going up against a guy that size. It's a great point, like, maybe he was worried about

and maybe injury or he was kind of like in the heat of the moment There but they were up big in that situation. He was playing great He absolutely had like a freebie there to take one on Greg hammer on punch them do something to him, but it's just kind of the heat of the moment was it Mark Strum who took a swing at a Carolina player and hit his own player last night You took a swing at a Carolina player and hit his own player last night? Yes. It's good to see him swing, but you got to know what you're swinging at.

Allmark was slashing too. He slashed Domi in the button game one. The goalie's allowed to kind of cross check and hit. Stoller didn't scale. Go ahead. Was there a little bit of a panic when he didn't go on the ice? Yes. Oh, yeah.

No, for real. He didn't have a moment of, oh God. Well, in the playoffs. It was Joe Wohl to me last year. Yeah. No, because I had heard he was fine. Okay. I had heard prior to that that there were no issues after the game. And I don't know if anyone else kind of felt that way, but that was my first thought. Off day for him him and even if he

Yeah, maybe some like this is a guy that's gonna Have ongoing issues with his health the rest of his career So there's mate there's an elements of maintenance and that's the extent of what I thought Let's play a Ruby on this clip six from Ruby, please the extent of what I thought. Let's play a Borubi on this clip six from Ruby, please. No, it just rest. And then he gets his work here this morning. What he needs, I think, you know, with goalies,

it's a little different, you know, with I thought that, you know, he had some good work in that game. You know, he had to be sharp. You know, he played a lot of pucks and he was busy. So, you know, you got to manage of pucks and he was busy. So, you know, you gotta manage that and what you think's best for that individual, you know, the next day. I think it's been established already

that might be in Ottawa's heads a little bit. Stolars. Yeah. Yeah. Really? Yeah, already. They had some good looks The Pinto one stood out to me the most Where it's not often you got a guy

Point blank range no one within five feet Ea you got time to set up We saw the rookie and Saint Louis Snuggerud. What a shot. What a shot. Yes. Okay, that's the same amount of time Pinto had. And Snuggerud buries it on a Vezna goalie in Hellebuck and Pinto sees nothing but a brick wall. Pinto literally after that would be going, what am I supposed to do?

Yeah. What else? But he's just shoot it through. He's just so friggin big that and then there there there's no holes there's no he just he just comes out and he just the bottom he's so large his legs are so long that there's not much six inches off the ice and you got to find areas of the ice up top and there isn't right now Yeah, what we have clips of from Ruby on the attitude heading into game two and what they can improve in game two either one Just to finish up on the goaltending situation because I'm sure we'll talk about all mark here, but I can't imagine two teams

having The more different feelings about their goaltenders heading into game two than the Leafs have about Stollers in the Ottawa Senators have about Allmark and as you two both know very well The confidence of a good goalie in a hockey game that you play differently. You're more aggressive You're more willing to take risks make mistakes because you know you have a guy back there Add in the penalties that they're taking Scared of taking the tentative is with their goalie You could see you like a little bit of tepidness from the Ottawa Senators in terms of collapsing and all

that sort of stuff so I don't know if that's a factor or not but it feels like it could be absolutely yeah do you want to play one of those clips there the attitude or what they can improve either one more appealing to you let's do what they can improve in game two well I think we can do a better job defensively and check better and then we did last, I think we can do a better job defensively and check better than we did last game. I thought we gave up some chances that we didn't need to give up.

And offensively, we gotta control more of the game in the offensive zone than we did. That part of it's funny to me though. They haven't done that since October. But still, you can't control 35% of the play or whatever. Like call it 42. They're gonna have to, they're gonna have to get better as every game goes along here and that's, I think that's what he's talking about. Like it was good enough to win obviously by a wide margin but I don't think that you looked at their game one and said,

like this is we're cooking right now. I think it was again it factored into Ottawa did not have anywhere near their A game that got them a playoff spot. That's that's their play in game one was indicative of a team missing the playoffs with bad goaltending. So they're naturally gonna rise to a certain level. The Leafs really have to make game one their worst game of the series. Yeah, I think that's a great way to look at it. That like, we got away with one, they didn't play well, but we weren't good either.

There's gotta be another gear. One of the sort of the analytics things that stands out is that when Holmberg does play with that second line, they're at their best. You know, they control the most amount of play and time and all that in the ozone. It's easy to be there tonight. We do have a quote from him on leaving Holmberg on the second line there. Clip seven. That's all match-up oriented with me for the most part and what I'm seeing. Maybe I didn't, you know, if I don't like something, I'll switch it in game like I did.

And like I said, he played with that line before and I thought he did a good job there. I thought that line was pretty effective. He hangs on, I talk about Pontus, he's very good at hanging on a pucks I need that line to have more ozone possession time There it is. He's he's a mule too. Yeah When do you think? They go to the McMahon option on that line Like what I guess it's so early here and it's only game two. Yeah, but we know How incredibly good that line was together when they were together in the regular season? When do they go to that?

Yeah, when you're chasing the clock Yeah, when you need a goal. I do think that if he ends up there Like it would be because this third line, you know that Domi and Robertson line just doesn't work. You can't find anything. And at that point, okay, you put McMahon with the second line. I think then you're putting David Camp in the lineup and that third line is becoming

a totally different look, whether that's Robertson or Domi or whoever you want to take out. I think it just totally changes your lineup. If you decide this version of the third line can't work. It is a very different sort of philosophy than Sheldon Keefe like Camp not playing either of these games he was one of their go-to guys in the playoffs for the last couple years. Robertson you know playing I guess he played last year but he was always hesitant to play him. It is a different feeling in terms of the two coaches. Should we hear go ahead? Yeah, Craig's got one on Bobby McMahon himself there. Sure. Yeah

He he's getting his attempts at the net, um, I think there's times where I'm not sure the attempt is worth it I think i'd like to see him delay a little bit or hang on the pucks a little bit more and Um, he needs to get on the inside. That's going to be for us with him. He could be an effective player with a speed, body, strength, size, like we need him to get on the fore-check, we need him to get into the inside, and then the interior of the ice. Did a good job on the goal, you know, that's the interior of the ice I'm talking about,

but he can provide more, he can do more. I think there's a sense of rewarding a lot of these guys for a strong finish to the season and winning a division. And that includes Nick Robertson for me. And I told you guys, I wouldn't take them out of the lineup and put Pacioretty in. That's not to say that they're not gonna go to Pacioretty at some point.

I've stressed this, I've lived it as a member of a hockey team that won the Stanley Cup. You need 24, 25 guys. Like it's just a matter of time before someone takes a puck to the mouth or there's a small tweak somewhere and the next thing you know, you're making a lineup change. They will go to camp. They will, I think, go to patch ready.

And especially if you can play for another month, six weeks, which everybody in Leafland is hoping. For sure. I do think that it makes a lot of sense to say, we've had all the success with this lineup, so we're going with this lineup until it shows me it needs to be different. You might as well start with the way it's worked. And I thought Nick Robertson actually deserves a little bit of credit for his game one. I thought he was active. He was involved. I think he played just over 11 minutes. Yeah, good play pushing it back and the Riley goal

Yeah, and he's you know, he's me. I think he got an assist. He's mixing it up He's you know, he's it's your his he's in a see actually knocked someone to the ice with a hit I don't think he's ever gonna be what some people thought he was going to be in terms of the production in terms of Where he was drafted in terms of the hype? But as a guy who was so hard on him for his whole career, I gotta give him credit for trying to change his game. He's looking different. And he was nice to you with that thing.

You know how I feel. He was nice to you. He was nice to me. But give him full credit because I don't think that many thought in November or December he'd be in this position right now. No way. Right? Part of it is patch ready to be not available, but the camp thing is still, it's crazy that

Robertson's in and he isn't, but it's not that crazy when you look at how the year went. So. All right. Where do you want to go? You want to go a little Travis Green or you want to finish on Barube? You want to go Al Mark heading into that tonight? Sure. All right, where do you want to go? You want to go a little Travis Green or you want to finish on Barube? You want to go Al Mark? Heading into that tonight? Sure.

All right, let's try that. Travis Green, head coach on his goaltender. Yeah, I mean, he's, he has a lot. Yeah, I mean, he's, he hasn't been perfect all season. He's always bounced back and had good games. He's, he's great goalie in the league. I'm expecting him to be good tonight as well, much like the rest of our team.

He said he needs to have a memory of a goldfish going into tonight, but there's pressure on him now. What? Nothing. You're just thinking of the curled up goldfish. No, I'm thinking of a guy that is Outwardly making it seem like he's not overthinking things where it's like, you know Don't write in the papers that I'm upset kind of guy where he's just like he's not trying to seem

Phased but I gotta tell you look at those playoff numbers and I don't know seeing that first game I don't know how all the guys in his team and his coach and the fans are not in full panic mode about it He could play great tonight. He was good against Leafs last year in the in the loss against the Bruins I'm sorry when the Bruins lost the Leafs, but there there there's gotta be some panic amongst there is a big difference going to the rink and not knowing and a big difference in obviously sports sport, you never know the outcome, but like you have all the confidence in the world

that this guy's just, it's easier on your mind, your psyche. Like Ottawa, those guys are coming to the rink going, boys, if he doesn't show up, we're done. And there's no thought. And how does that affect how they play, right? Are they desperate laying out over out of position, trying to make sure they don't get shots and chances?

It can have an impact. That's simpler than that. Yeah. Yeah. It's just if he's no good, we have no shots. It's true for everyone. I know. But they feel it.

They feel it. And the Leaf players don't coming to the rink Yeah, right. They say whoever is in our net we feel very comfortable with these could be either guy He's got to build that up Starting in the first minute and he's he's got a he's got to build up some cred back for his hockey club And yes, he's done it before. And there might be a level of some guys going, he'll show up, but not to the extent of the other team

right now. Most goals versus Linus Ulmark. Barkov has nine. Matthew Kachek has 10. And number one in the league, Austin Matthews. 13 times he scored on Ulmark. So see if that one plays out at all tonight, all right What's the crushed it? What's what's the thought on Nick Cousins here?

Well, cuz I mean he got asked if he was gonna play tonight if he potentially was gonna come into the lineup And this was his answer a lot. Yeah a lot. He's He's won played in pressure situations. He's feisty. He Compete hard he He's won. He's played in pressure situations. He's feisty. He competes hard. He He's an aggressive player. There you go. Kind of strange and had some experience, eh?

With the Florida Panthers. Didn't play in game one. Mm-hmm. I think he might have to do more about his knee than maybe a coach's decision because that one didn't make much sense to me. Not feeling 100%. To have to be really aggressive, you know, the type of game he plays when your knee's not feeling good. He played all five games against Elise in 2003. And scored a couple goals, did he? Yeah, he scored a rather big one down the left wing. Shot it past Joseph Wall. A certain bearded man screamed in his face right after. Yeah, yeah. His cousin that scored the overtime one. Yes, it was. I don't know. One down the left wing shot past Joseph Wall a certain bearded man screamed in his face right after yeah

Yeah, his cousins that scored the overtime one. Yes. It was I don't know who could remember that So details what are you there's been a lot of questions about Chuck today at practice all the players were talking about the the Brady sucks Chant and you know, they were all defending them. What do you expect them from Brady tonight boys? It's a great question and an important question. I think he's a gamer. Brady Kichuck is not going to go away. Some of these guys, you lean on them and you just, it doesn't quite happen for him. No chance he's not a discussion point game three.

When we're sitting in here tomorrow discussing the game. Yeah, I think this game will be a lot closer, a lot tighter. Maybe the outcome is not decided in the third period, but whatever the reasons why Ottawa is better tonight, and we'll start with their goaltender Brady will not be that far off on one of the reasons why I think Ottawa will make game two a lot tighter. And I do think that whatever his injury was or is the longer he goes into the series the better It's probably getting you know, whatever that injury was. So hopefully that was good what I was gonna ask All right, a lot of speculation head was it was it do you think had a cushion symptoms? Yeah, cuz if that is the case, then it's just better. You're not playing if it's not better.

But there's been a lot of speculation from some fans that I've seen that they're like, maybe he's playing a little bit hurt because he wasn't really, I mean, he has the breakaway off the Morgan Rielly fumble, a couple of chances in front of the net, but not his usual bulldoze self. You came into this series after watching that Four Nations final, which is the biggest game that he's played in where you're like Oh my god, that's what they're gonna have to play against in this series. Yeah, and he just wasn't close to that and it's a different thing It's the Four Nations the finals said, you know Canada vs USA understand all that but it wasn't close to that. No. No, nope. Didn't have that kind of juice. Yeah

Leafs also did a pretty good job on Sanderson and Shabbat in terms of nullifying their ability to kind of control pace of play, too Yeah, I mean I I do think that A lot of their whole thing is keeping them out there and I think that's it's going to be get the body on those guys They're going to play a ton of minutes like Ottawa needs tonight And i'm not saying it's you know must win But I expect them to play like it is yeah I expect I'd be shocked if Sanderson plays less than the 27 minutes he played last game. He was 27 2648 or something like that interesting if you look at that number versus what the Leafs Defense core did and nobody was over 20 right so yeah, but they also had a for sure for one lead.

Also this power plays, they don't put a demon on the end. Can roll. It's easier, you know, unless you're the Edmonton Oilers, right there. There's no McDavid that for Ottawa on game one to get them back into series like we saw last night, but leads, leads are huge for the Leafs because they're good at it and they've got the goaltending that can discourage thinking you're back in the hockey game.

And I don't have the stat in front of me, but Ottawa is one of the worst teams in the league. Coming back after the first period. Is that what it is? Yeah. I think maybe four or five wins out of 27, 28 attempts. It's tough for them because they don't have the elite. After the first period.

They do. Samson Stutzla that can do it. Yeah. You know, can break a game open, but. Down in the first period, they don't win many hockey games. Yeah. So. First goals will be big.

What are you, like, I can't get a read on you, Kipper, for how you're feeling about the night. About, from the Leafs perspective. I think there's a great opportunity to go up two nothing. I also think you don't think they played well in game one. Leafs? Yeah. They're okay. Yeah. Yeah, but I'm also watching like other series, and I'm like, yeah, the Leafs have another gear for sure.

Yeah. Yeah. What other series made you feel like that? Oh, St. Louis. Winnipeg, St. Louis. Winnipeg, St. Louis is hockey. I gotta tell you, that might be a different sport than the Eastern Conference this way. Yeah.

I was going back and forth between Montreal, Washington and St. Louis, Winnipeg. Yes. Like, these two teams would crush these two teams. West is in a different league right now. And Winnipeg getting through that series, if they can do it in five or less look my my thinking also is that

The west In the next month and a half will beat the crap out of each other And somehow the east may slide in and win a stanley cup Old mr Ovechkin with two goals last night has a chance to win a Con Smythe. I'm telling you that. You think you're going to go through Florida or Tampa and you're not going to get beat up?

Like, I mean, that series might be the devious of all. Playing for him. You know, we'll see what kind of blood bath they... Okay, one series. Yeah, one series. I guess you're right. Like Carolina and the Devils isn't exactly no, you know, Colorado and no neither Detroit of the 90s here. Neither is Washington Montreal but hey

As far as the Leafs are concerned, they just Just got to work on getting better and that's what you in the playoffs you do you do grow You grow as a team. Mm-hmm over a stretch of two months to try to win a Stanley Cup before we go to break joining your green on his team heading into yeah let's play let's play Travis Crane clip one clip one ah expect another another pretty good game I thought five on five our game was good the other night you know probably going to say a lot of the same things I said in here before. I thought we were a little nervous at the start of the game and, uh, probably won't be as nervous tonight to start.

But, uh, you know, when you start the first two games on the road, you, you're hoping to get one of them. We're hoping to get tonight. Very true. Win tonight. It's a win. Everybody's hoping. We're hoping to get tonight. Very true. Win tonight. It's a win. Everybody's hoping. There is a lot and God this word is terrifying for Lee fans, but there is a lot of optimism

about this after game one and even before the playoffs started about how they're feeling. And I thought that you really saw it with the crowd at Scotiabank Arena on Sunday night. I thought it was an excellent crowd. People seemed genuinely excited, not tepid like they have been in years past. I think that place will be on fire tonight. I really do feel that people are genuinely excited. And it's not Easter Sunday now this time.

Like it's, you know, it's a different crowd. I feel like it's gonna be a really, really good crowd. So we'll see. All right. I got a quick promo before we had to break here boys Sportsnet and Muskoka Bay Resort are excited to kick kick off a contest to give away an incredible stay-and-play package for for retailing for $4,500 books Have you guys entered yet? I literally have yes. I don't know if they'd let me win. I'm coming with it. Yeah

I don't know if they'd let me win. I'm coming with it. Yeah, yeah, yeah. You were and I'm coming. It's actually for one. Yeah, because we have three booked. All you have to do is text Muskoka to 59590 to enter. Visit sportsnet.ca slash 590 contest for more details. Standard message and data rates may apply.

Visit sportsnet.ca slash 590 contest for more details. That's a prize right there. Boys, speaking of people that are gonna be in attendance tonight at Squash Bank Arena our next guest. Oh, who is it? It is Hall of Famer. WWE Hall of Famer. AWE. I was told upstairs those guys got mad at me for screwing up his title or whatever, but AW superstar now Lee fan pretty exciting for a lot of people cope formerly edge Let's go boys. I've bumped into on a number of occasions

Okay, nobody loves the least like this guy. Do you think he would really? Yes, but he's really sweet to me Side good good good. We'll find out after the break how much I'm on his good side. When we return star wrestler. Cope next on the real Kipper and Bourne show. Get smarter when you listen to hockey talk, the hockey PDO cast with Dimitri Filipovich. Subscribe and download the show on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Welcome back to the real Kipper and boring show. I can't think of a better guest to get absolutely jacked for game two and our wrestling champ of the world, Adam Copeland, this guy cope with. Where are you? Are you in our alumni room yet? I'm not yet, but I will be. How are you? I'm great, man. I flew in this morning. super stoked, beautiful day ready for game two. Yeah. I'm done. Super excited, you know, and all this talk of five on five and the New York from the eighties, like, well, I've been lost too, but he listened to the pleasure of hanging out with you a few times at Scotiabank arena Your passion is through and through as good as anyone's I've ever seen Explain to me how a guy your size from Canada ends up in a wrestling ring and not

Playing with me in the NHL I'll boil it down real, real simply. It's way cheaper to buy tights than it is hockey. And that's just cost way less. No, I played for a couple of years growing up, but I've come from a single, single parent household and my mom just, you know, I was growing out of my equipment every season

and we didn't own a car either. So getting to games was difficult and just keeping up with the costs. That's why I love Hockey House, you know, cause they help kids like me. That's awesome. Well, we sure appreciate you coming on and your support of the show and the team.

I gotta ask, are you like a major anomaly or other wrestlers into hockey? So the Canadians for sure. Yeah. You know, Christian and I, my buddy, Jay, best friend growing up. We we we love hockey. We talk hockey. We we text during the games, you know, all that good stuff. We hit as many as we can in Tampa because he lives down in Tampa and then I make the the Forays up north here to come back home. So

The feature I saw I think was with Stephen Brunt if I'm not mistaken It was at your house with all the memorabilia. That's North Carolina if I'm not mistaken Yeah, I lived down in Asheville, North Carolina and my wife and my two daughters gave me the bottom back room They said you were allowed to have this with it what you will and I Decided to turn it into my leash room. So I've goalie masks from Wayne Thomas through Paul material the way up to you know wall and Stole ours now, where are you finding all of this stuff? Oh, dude, like I

Went online and found a chair from maple leaf gardens like I scour I've way too much time on my hands is what it boils down to. And I just look for stuff. Like today I went by the store at the arena and I bought the latest Austin Matthews Funko because it was in the home jersey. That is awesome. God, I have it. So you spent time and you watched all those Battle of Ontario's from years past.

Do you enjoy this version of this Leafs team, which I think is a little bit more physical than they've had the previous core four years? Yeah, so at the beginning of the season, not that I'm like that guy to get myself patting back, but anybody who would listen, I said, it's a different Leafs team. If they buy into the Peru based system, they're not going to be as exciting, but they're going to win games. And, and that's been the case. You know, I'll take a 2-1 win over a 6-5 loss any day. And the physicality, the D that they have, I think, is that that and the goal-tending

and Barube, to me, are the biggest differences. And then you get a guy like Nice up front. People don't talk about Tavares' physicality. I would just spend games watching Tavares when he's on the ice and no one else just to see how he separates himself and keeps the puck away from guys. He just has this innate ability to do that. And I love that he plotted, you know what 38 this year I love that. I

Just I really think this team and I say it every year But I truly do feel like this year with Barube with the D with the goal-tending. It's a different animal this this season So I'm not gonna ask Adam this question. I'm gonna ask like edge or cope this question Okay, Ridley Gregg's driving hard to the net Okay, and you're the goalie. What is gonna happen to Ridley Gregg? He's gonna eat a forearm Dollars like if I see that dude coming down the blockersers coming straight out. Oh, the waffle. He's eating waffle. Yeah.

That seems totally reasonable. Absolutely. Especially with, yeah, with the Stowellers at 6-7, like, Greg's got to be careful because he'll get his head taken off by Stowellers. So are you expecting, what do you expect tonight? What's your feeling going into game two here? Well, I think the Stens are going to be far smarter than they were in the first game. I think you saw a lot of playoff nerves,

and you did see the fact that the Leafs have been in nine straight years. They had plays. I think Ottawa is going to be better, because they won't take those stupid penalties. I still like to think, though, that that's the Leafs kind of game. Like, if you get into a tight checking, low scoring game. I don't think the least really care this version

least really care if the opposition has it in their zone. I really don't because they got Chris Teneff and they got Jake McCabe and they got you know, they got a good core and Carlo and I really love the defensive core. I really do. I miss Jake Muzzin man. I miss Jake Muzzin, man. I miss Jake Muzzin, but him in this D-core would have been, would have been ugly. You're feeling confident that this is shaping up

for a 2-0 series lead after tonight? I mean, I will always, you know, come in on the side of Leafs and say, yeah, they're going to take it. That's just, you know, no matter what kind of season they have, I mean, I was a the side of Leafs and say, yeah, they're going to take it. That's just, you know, no matter what kind of season they have. I mean, I was a fan through the Ballard years, right? If you maintain your fandom through that, then this is like, this is like unicorns farting

rainbows. Hey, all kidding aside, do you watch and listen to our show or are you just telling me that to be nice? No, I watch. You can ask my wife and kids. I get the girls from school. I come back home. I already got the workout in and I watch the show.

I do. Oh, we love you, man. It's true. Hey, Adam, awesome stuff. Cope, we love your enthusiasm. You are welcome on our show at anytime to talk Leafs, man. Thanks for doing this. And have a great time tonight. You're going to have me on every week. Thanks, Cope. Appreciate it, man. All right. Wrestling royalty right there. Adam Copeland. What a star he is. I mean I mean in my Jack for tonight. I know. Put

him on the ice though. You think Ridley Gregg will watch that segment and go I don't want to go near him anymore. I think he'd be terrified. I there's just you know wrestlers have such an awesome charisma and personality and like radiant. Yeah. I just want to be around that guy. I know. I just listen to him talk, wear his Leaf shirt, he loves the Leafs. I would, you know, I'm kind of the Leafs talker at the game of course, but I would, you know, I wouldn't mind going to the game tonight

and hanging out with Adam Copeland, it'd be all right. He's fascinating guy too, but the music guy reads a ton, loves hockey, like it doesn't feel like what I imagine a wrestler to be like. So when I was in Hershey, Pennsylvania, when I played with the Hershey Bears in the American Hockey League, like that was a big spot for the WWE at the time.

And I would like pretend I'm going to get treatment or work in the dressing room when the wrestlers were down there. And I would like fake to the security guard, I'm going to our dressing room just to sneak a peek at Hulk Hogan, Andre the Giant, Randy Savage. Back off little man. They'd be down there like playing cards. That's so sick.

And Andre would have like a bottle of red. Yeah. Or four. And he'd be holding it like it looks like this Yeah, yeah, and I'm like I'm in some hair and that's a terrifying era of wrestling, you know You watch some documentaries have you watched that have you watched the one on Netflix the latest one mr. McMahon? Yes, it is fantastic. Oh my god. Have you seen the one on Andre the giant his life growing up? No, I've never seen it

just heart Is it? Oh my god. Have you seen the one on Andre the Giant in his life growing up? No, I've never seen it Just heart heartwarming and heart-wrenching at the same time because You know he was different right and the things that he had to endure To get to the point to being one of the most famous people on the planet on the planet. Yep How many plants we have? There's a few plants out there anyways on the planets on the planet yep how many plans we have a few plans out there down eight now anyways that's that's wrestling love it and my grandmother forced me to watch it when I was a really a little kid my Greek grandmother knew no English she picked up a word or two it would come off of watching wrestling yes yes you remember oh Iron Sheik maybe back then. I can't even remember but she's like, don't touch, don't touch, don't touch.

Either way. Don't touch TV. What a great guy Copas. Appreciate his support. Love it. So tonight, one thing that stuck out to me when talking with the physical hockey, if you think if Brady Kachuck had any sort Of like, you know head injury that he's been told like no fighting or no

No, no, no, no, that doesn't happen. No, no, you're in you're in you're in you're in like a coach Coach wants you like once you got medical clearance. You don't go backwards. Yeah, right? You only look ahead medical clearance, you don't go backwards. Yeah. Right. You only look ahead. Go big or go home. You want you want to squeeze out every possible thing you cannot a Brady Kachuk tonight to even up the series. Well, let's let's keep it on the theme of this intensity in the battle. Craig Berube clip five had a clip about being in the battle. It's not terry. I like to be in the middle of the battle of Ontario? It's been great. Yeah, like, you know, it's a battle. It's funny, you know, like, I didn't really understand all of it, you know, before. I watched it in the past, obviously, but, you know, there's some hatred there for sure,

and it's pretty good. I enjoy it. Enjoy a little bit of hatred. It doesn't really give you anything at all. There's some hatred there for sure and it's pretty good. I enjoy it. Enjoy a little bit of hatred. It doesn't really give you anything at all. What do you think of the battle of Ontario? It's a battle. There's two versions of him after listening to countless scrums of him all year long. It's like the kind of grumpy post- one or the pregame one where he like will joke and like smile a bit but gives you nothing else. Like it's nothing more that he gives you. That McMahon clip where he's talking about how it's like, oh my God. Well, Sheldon

Keefe used to give you in-depth breakdowns of every player, every game for 13 minutes afterwards. With Sheldon though, there used to be like these peaks and valleys and this guy has nothing, flat line. And I will say it's working for him. And it's, it's, yes, it's the, the team has kind of taken on that personality. Now it sucks for us. It would be great if you'd have a hill and a dip, a ditch of some variety, but it's been

Saskatchewan all the way through. No, no. It's like, you know, he's just got two words for the team. Just play. Yeah. Those are his two words, just play. Don't be too fancy. Right, just play.

Let's go and play. That's his message. Do you think it's a pregame speech? Just play. Just play. Wow, I mean, he did have a pretty great pregame speech actor in game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals You guys seen that the one went against the Bruins pretty famous one Where he goes you guys have never seen that you guys cover the lease

I gotta be honest with you're not racing to for Craig Bruby documentaries. Okay, it's a Incredibly We're watching Under the Giant. It's an incredibly famous clip of him pumping up the blues before the game. And it's really, really good. So here's what I remember. He's saving it then for the Leafs. I remember it being contrasted with a Sheldon Keefe clip that was played. Yes, he's like, let's have some fun here guys. And then Brew was like, let's pump it up here boys.

And he just like gets into it. I'm going to watch it tonight again. It's one of my faves. I'm going to watch it. We're watching the break. But I'm pretty disappointed in you guys. I'm gonna bump it up here, boys. And he just like gets into it. I'm gonna watch it tonight again. It's one of my faves. We're watching the break. But I'm pretty disappointed in you guys. I'm already watching it. Okay. And I'm seeing it.

You got me going now. So predictions for tonight? I wanna go maybe three, two Leafs. Maybe an empty net, four, two. I was gonna say eight goals scored last game. I think you're looking at five goals tonight. So however you want to divide them up, I think it's a close one.

This is going to test my heart. Two one Leafs in overtime. Low scoring. Kerfoot scores or who? Who do you got? You got Omar playing a good game, Ned. Yeah. All right.

Goldfish brain will be good. We're just getting warmed up here. That is our Leaf Hour edition. We go national next. Sean Reynolds, who's done a terrific job all season long for us with Jets Talk. Big Jets Talk. Big Jets Talk.

And we'll cover the Edmonton Oilers, what happened last night against the Los Angeles Kings. News on Lou Lamarrillo. Remember that name? Yes. More when we return to Real Kipper and Bourne.