Real Kyper & Bourne - Leafs Hour: MSG Showdown

Episode Date: February 28, 2025

Nick Kypreos, Gord Stellick and Sam McKee kick off the Friday show with a look ahead to the Leafs' matchup against the New York Rangers tonight. They get into Ryan Reaves' return to the lineup with heavyweight Matt Rempe on the opposing bench, Chris Tanev's absence and how the Leafs handle their goalie tandem down the stretch. Then, they discuss Craig Berube's effusive praise of Brayden Schenn and the latest on Brad Treliving's negotiations with the Blues. Finally, they go to the Leafs Line to answer listener calls!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.

What a great way to close out a fantastic week here on the Real Kipper and Bourne show with a Toronto Maple Leaf game day. Wherever you're watching and listening, Sportsnet 590 the fans, Sportsnet 360, Sportsnet Sportsnet Plus, glad you're aboard. Nikiprios, the lovely, the talented Gord Stehlik. Sammy McKee, Derek Brandeo, and Jake Schultz, the Maple Leafs, in the Big Apple tonight to take on the Rangers at the world's most famous arena, Gord Stehlik. You think it's the world's most famous, I guess.

How do we measure that? I know, because they call it themselves. It's like Detroit calling themselves Hockey Town. It's pretty cool. You think it's the world's most famous, I guess. How do we measure that? I know, because they call it themselves. It's like Detroit calling themselves Hockey Town. It's pretty cool. Oh, it's New York, right? So I mean, you know, everything goes on there, but everything goes on everywhere. Maybe because it doesn't have a sponsor.

Maybe because it's still Madison Square Garden. It's not, you know, the China Club's Madison Square Garden or something like that, you know. So as long as you label something first, it doesn't really matter because I've officially labeled The Real Kipper and Born Show the fastest two hours in hockey. Yeah, I like it.

Right? I like it. Nobody can claim that now. No, they shouldn't. They shouldn't. I do think there's a lot of false claims from a lot of different organizations about this and about that, but I do think that Madison Square Garden is you know false claims from a lot of different organizations about this and about that

But I do think that Madison Square Garden is the most famous arena in the world Most famous city in the world. Yeah, like it's you know, it's Paris and yeah, come on. There's a few others, but I guess City, what's the big one in thing? Oh to arena is a big one in in London, England I know that's another famous arena, but I think I think this big one. But you have to, you're talking about expensive. You were kidding Craig Barubey yesterday, who I'm sure is living comfortably in Toronto. I think he's doing okay. But I remember Darren Pang when he was part of our,

come in and he just wasn't complaining, but just how expensive it is. And he's coming from Chicago, it's pretty expensive in Chicago too. But anyway, as I mentioned, New York's a place that you really need a lot of money. Like to really live there well. You know, do you not agree?

It's a tough city. It's a playpen too, right? Yeah, yeah. So it's just not enough to live there and work there. You gotta get out there and and soak it all in There's a lot of pressure to go out in new york And have a good time and it it ain't cheap. No, i'm sure you uh, I'm sure you have lots of experience in going out in new york and having a good time kipper

I don't recall ever stepping in here. I just rode coattails But do you remember Coming back from bars and you can't tell American money apart when you've had a few pops and you're the back of the taxi? I don't think I was ever that bad. It's dark. It's dark. Similar.

I well, okay. When I went to work at Madison Square Garden, I lived at 91st and York Avenue, which wasn't a smart spot. It was the Upper West Side. Yeah. And that's on the Lower Upper East Side. That's on the Lower West Side. So I did not have a car.

I took a shuttle bus, caught the subway at 86th and Lexington, and they have two subways. They got an express below, they got on the same thing. It's like having the Young Line, whatever. So they got stops, whatever, then below is the express one. And you'd wait, and you'd run up or down to get on that subway, right?

And then you'd get off, where'd I get off? At 42nd or whatever it would be, and take the N or the R train to Madison Square Garden. And I'd be saying, I used to be driving down Maple Leaf Gardens and parking right beside the building. And I'm just there. And then, in Toronto, they say don't walk between the, well now, now it's all different,

but remember don't walk between the subway cars? Slam, slam, slam. Just coming both ways at you, so anyway. And you've lived to tell about it. I've lived to tell about it, you know. It was an interesting experience. Fabulous city to visit, though. And a fantastic Off the Rails Friday as well.

Doug McLean will join us at the top of the hour. That's always worth the price of entertainment alone. Right. We also have in about 30 minutes, Sam, a little Leaf Line. Yeah, we're back big time. We're back. You know, that's been a couple weeks off with the Canada stuff and you know, we did we did the Canada Line sort of last week at this time. We did one, but you know, this is least related. People are back. It was a it's a lot of good calls, so get excited about that. Looking forward to that. In the meantime, we tee up the Toronto Maple Leafs

and the New York Rangers. I'm also on the telecast as well tonight. Looking forward to that with my good friend Elliot Friedman and David Amber. So yeah, don't go anywhere for the next six hours. I really meant it though. I go, that'll be great. It's like I'm reading from a cue card.

No, I like you and Elliot together. But now, like I'm going to judge this, but Sammy, when Kipper has TV, does he mail it in on radio sometimes? Like, that's what I want to find. No, like the next two hours, because we were at sports set, he was Kipper. Like backlit, let's get Kipper on the set. And El Gordo was, oh, hey, why don't you go to that third desk over there with Rob Falls

and Charles Nelson Riley, like whatever. And if there's a natural disaster in one of the games and Kipper needs to get some more makeup, whatever, we'll throw to your panel. We'll throw to your panel. And a match game reference to boots. Just one. Just one.

Fantastic. Oh my God. All kidding aside, you could have easily mailed it in because you've been also working on your morning show on NHL Morning Skate. Yeah. Radio, Sirius Radio. Yeah. And, you know, the whole time I'm like, God, I hope Gord leaves some good stuff for the

Real Kipper Bourne show this week. I've done it so far? Yes, you have. Okay, we're challenging each other today. We're challenging each other. I have caught you in the morning and you stunk and I really appreciate it. Really, really appreciate it.

I will say though, it's very, not to get too inside baseball here, but doing what you do on the broadcast is a much different animal than what you do here, right? Like it's quicker you have to more concise. It's less drawn-out thoughts Like it's a much different animal than it is doing this show and we just get to talk about bull crap I'll tell you that it sucks compared to what we do. It's that it's hard. Yeah, it's totally different Yeah, you got it

You only got a certain amount of time to kind of wrap it up with a introduction, a middle and a bow at the end of what you're saying and then it moves down the assembly line and everybody goes and we're going to commercial break or we're throwing it. This is real. This is the real stuff right here. So we talked, I didn't talk you into taking this job.

We just talked before and I said, Kipi, you're gonna love this, because you're gonna be able to bring back your personality, you know, whatever. And that's what I've really enjoyed on radio. And then TV, you know, it's all the time. So I did the hockey day in Canada once, right? You know, there's five finalists.

So I was in West Colona and Bobby Hulik was my hockey, he was good guy. So between the first game and the second game, the first hockey day in Canada game went into overtime. So now before the second game, they go, okay, we're gonna be quick. We're supposed to do a minute each. They go, here's the one place, here's the other place,

here's the other, all five. And I'm last in West Kelowna. And supposed to get a minute with Bobby Haleek, right? And then all of a sudden they go, oh no, just get rid of the other guy. We got 30 second hit scene. So anyway, I go, okay. And they start with Colleen Jones in the East.

She goes, eight minutes. She's got her person on, whatever. And I go, somewhere else. Now at least this person didn't have the, you know, whatever on. And I got like five seconds, you know? And all these people are behind me and they're pissed off, whatever.

I go like, you know, so that happens in TV. Listen, TV does wonderful things for wonderful people and can get you a good suit. You got a great one on today. You definitely have a different beast to get your point across or to your point show a little personality or just have some fun. This is what we're doing unscripted. And everything's about a presentation in a package on television. So you and Ellie you're good again I sound like I'm stroking you because they love to have genuine banter and I love panels that you can tell it's not good

Hey Nick, that's that's really funny. You know, hey Sammy, you know, whatever they suck, right? Versus you can tell the ones, you know, like like on the NBA side, you know, Shaquille Yes, that's great. Right and there and I'm you know, there's a lot of hockey but there's other ones and you're watching anyway Okay, the gold standard Stop it. Stop it. No, what do we get out of tonight in terms of storylines because Ryan Reeves is in we know what Matt Rampe means to the New York Rangers Ryan has not played I think in close to Reeves is in, we know what Matt Rempey means to the New York Rangers. Ryan has not played, I think, in close to four weeks, a month.

Like, it's been a while here, Gord, but gotta think it's the right move putting him back in tonight. Yeah. A couple reasons. And one is, we just talked about New York, in all seriousness, and chatting with Mike Johnson about it, a couple off days, you know what I mean? Like kind of nice. They've had a few wins. You know, I'm not saying they're painting the town red and certainly Craig Barube says everyone's

responsible nowadays, but Rangers have something to play for. They're in a dog fight for the playoffs and you kind of wonder might this be one of those where the Leaf team, the best Leaf team doesn't show up, whatever, you know, just, and maybe Ryan Reeves will help, I know there's the Rempey, but maybe give a little bit of a spark that way. This is kind of a gap in that, you know, that we may need that. All right, let's go to head coach Craig Bruby on why he's putting Ryan Reeves in tonight's contest.

I think Rempey over there, obviously, he's an effective player in my opinion. He's physical. He's, you know, he's a hard guy to handle. So I just wanted to get Rivo in there. Did you watch their fight from last season? I did see it a while ago. I haven't watched it in a while. Maybe this afternoon, I'll pull it up. Yeah. We didn't remember about that.

He's no dummy here. Ryan Reeves takes out one of his players and you don't have Ryan Reeves on the bench. You have Rempey takes out one of your players, you mean? Yeah. Sorry, Rempey takes somebody out on the Leaf. Who did he hit again? Who was it? Was it Labushkin?

How many guys? Yeah, Labushkin. He hit and hurt Labushkin in that game. Go down the list, including his suspension, including those first few games that he played in his career against New Jersey Devils. This guy can hurt people, if not maybe potentially end someone's career. Yeah. He's a great hockey story.

Like I love his genuineness. He's, for whatever reason, he's hard to go to any goals, but they've all been big ones. And then he started with the outdoor game and that. So there's a great part to his story, but also there's really a lot of carelessness about the way he hits. You worry about him in fights, and the one or two times that he taunted going out

and all that. And I know the range, like he's not moved up the ranger echelon like they thought he would, right? They started using Johnny Brzezinski a little bit more and guys like that, because he can't really corral it or hasn't been able to corral it. I wonder too, and the recklessness that you speak of, it's gotta be hard at what, six, eight, six, nine,

to still trying to find your ways with your body and the balance and all of that. And while it may be simple for us to accuse them of being reckless, but when you're totally on board to try to be that physical specimen that the team is asking you to do on every given shift and you're at times overextending yourself, man, it's got to be tough because I just look at him and sometimes I'm like,

the balance isn't there, you know, and he's throwing himself out there and it of course it can look really reckless. Yeah, he's just a big guy. That's sometimes it looks like he's Bambi on ice. No, you're right. Like the bad stork or something like that. To your point Ryan Reeves, the last game he played was February 4th against Calgary So we are going coming up in almost a month since he's played a game. I You know, I wasn't really were you thinking about Reeves? There's his rempey before this morning Like it wasn't a story like you think of last year when they came to Scotiabank Arena

It was a road show. So it like the, what was the basketball player? The guy, it was like Lin Sanity at that point, where it was like this huge story across the league. And it kind of happened on Saturday night with him and Reeves. Will they, won't they? And it ended up happening in the tie game late in that game. I just, I didn't think there was much of a story heading into this. I wasn't thinking about it, but then he says it.

And I think inadvertently, he's kind of created some anticipation for these two guys squaring off tonight. All right, we'll get a comment from Gord as well from myself, but let's go to Craig Bruby, clip three on Rampe, and then we'll come out of it. Well, I mean, yeah, a kid coming up like that in the league and what he's done and what he's trying to accomplish and trying to make a name for himself.

You know, he's, like I said, he's an effective guy that way. And I think, you know, when you're going against a guy like Reeves and Toronto Maple Leafs, there's going to be some hype for sure on it, you know. I don't expect much hype tonight or anything, you know. Just go play. And if something happens, it happens, you know just go play and if something happens it happens you know but you know Rivo in the lineup maybe deters him from being as physical as he has been or their whole team for that fact and that's the reason I went with him

tonight. It's almost as if this the storyline kind of snuck up on us. Maybe it's still the after Reality of getting back to work after four nations or maybe it's just the fact that we weren't even sure if Rempe would be in the lineup Against the Leafs and who found out? First right? Yeah, so But once it's there, it's it's a story. Yeah, yeah, I mean, he doesn't play a lot, Matt Rampy. So I think that's why people kind of have forgot he's there. But just to Sammy's point,

the timing of it all when he came last year, you know, it just that you thought, and then I don't know if they still owe him because of the injury, I don't know. But also you got the Rangers do need two points. I think he's looking to, I believe, looking just to give them a spark. I don't know, like does it help?

And when they fought Sammy, like the game was, like it was late in the game. It wasn't at the right point in the game. That's the other part. And I, so Ryan Reeves engaging in a fight, is he letting the Rangers get a spark against a better Toronto Maple Leaf team? You know what I mean?

Is that the deal or Ryan Rees being the sheriff in town just to kind of go like Tom Wilson could have been for Team Canada, for example, just that presence out there, is that the story? He's coming off his season high in ice time, rempe when they played against the Islanders, played 11-30, he had a goal in that game, he was a plus three in that game.

So I guess maybe that's the game that Brumay watched that he's an effective player. But I think this did sneak up on us, and I think him saying this stuff this morning is sort of created a little bit of an anticipation. I am one to not necessarily think that a fight needs to happen just for the sake of it. A lot of things can happen that isn't known to the

viewer at home, like what things might have been said during a warm-up or what things have been said on opening face-off draw and if push comes to shove and then it escalates. There's a lot of stuff that behind the scenes that doesn't tell the story of something that may happen, but I'm a little bit with you and not to go back to Four Nations, but like, you know, the thought that the Kachuk brothers were going to get a jump on Canada, like, you know, where does that fit in the storyline of the game and all of that? Still questionable, right? Yeah, yeah. Still questionable. Yeah. But is that where we're going back to?

Well, we don't have the opening like we had in Montreal. Okay, so you had that off the charts opening, the booing of the anthem that I think for Team USA. But nobody really ever said, listen, they booed our anthem, we're gonna come out and kick your ass in the first shift. To me, that was part of it. Whatever may be.

But nobody went down that path or admitted it. It was just like, let's do it. So in this case tonight, yeah, it's not, cause the Rangers story has been one of kind of chaos this year. Great start, then they plundered, all kinds of disharmony off the ice. Finally, Jacob Truba is basically forced out of town.

Like they almost like bully the players to finally try to get them to acquiesce for a trade and You see you you thought they're gonna do something drastic and then they've kind of righted the ship Crider at one point traded for J. Yeah, there's a working contract and it wasn't it wasn't swayman But you can compare the put the the distraction of it as a comparable. And I'm not sure, you know, Shusterkin is anywhere near his capability still.

Not lately. Yeah. So that hasn't been as much of a factor as we thought at the beginning of the year on how good the Rangers will be. I look at Panarin and Trotschek and Lafreniere and I don't think they they've scored a goal since the first week in February as well. So there's

there's a lot of things going against the Rangers still. Yeah and Zbinajid, I know Fox has heard but they've had off seasons, right? Just yeah and and what the Leafs have tonight is what they had the other night against Boston. Now, they haven't played the Rangers forever in the playoffs, I think it goes back to the 1970s, but you got a chance to eliminate, help eliminate, two teams that very much everyone thought

would be in the playoffs, in Boston and the New York Rangers. Boston lost to the Islanders last night, like it's just kind of, you know, they're kind of just not making any traction. And the Rangers are making some traction, but Detroit and Columbus are as well. So all of a sudden this traction, the Rangers are met. If it stalls and tonight would be, you're losing at home,

that would be part of a stall. Then all of a sudden two teams you thought were going to be in aren't in because of games like tonight. Another big storyline is the Toronto Maple Leaf Blue Line minus Chris Tanev tonight. Uh, we'll come out of Craig Bruby's comments on his D pair and discuss. Clip one. Um, just, I didn't want to split up, uh, the other two pairs, you know. They've been playing together here for a bit.

So I'll just put Myers in there and just keep the other pairs together. Don't sound so excited. That's Riley and O'El and Benoit and Timmons stay intact. And McCabe obviously goes with Myers, Philip Myers. Yeah. No? No, it's like he gets right to the chase. Which is not, he didn't sound

because he wrote it. Sounds like he wrote him on a napkin. Yeah. And like, what a, you know, keeping it simple, right? You know, just keeping it simple. Don't ever think, meet. Yeah, I think so.

I think so. Just, you know, and giving his logic why. Thought the other pair staying together was more important. Yeah, I just, you know, you look at that, D-Core with that, I get you know you look at that decor with that I gets any any Decor across the league you subtract your best guy They're gonna look a little bit thinner But yeah, you do look at this one you're like yeah

They really do need to add some depth to it when you look at when tanf goes out you automatically You're Philip Myers on your second pairing. It's a little bit scary in terms of depth to me Now that they know Fox is out there. He's the only one right? Fox is that and Keandre Miller is a time to say okay. Yeah, so I mean, that's even though they both have had not their best season still you missed two from the Rangers side as well. That obviously significant. All right. I see a couple of clips out of you

from Matthews, Nylander, where do you want to go? I actually want to go to the goal-tending one because a friend of the show, Josh Cloak, asked Barube about his goal-tending and how he's going to handle it, looking ahead towards the playoffs, and he actually had a pretty interesting answer for, so clip six, please.

You know, I think going into the playoffs, it's normally one guy that's gonna take control of it and go and see where he's at. Sometimes you gotta make switches, which I've done in the past. I mean, I remember I started Husso against Minnesota in the playoffs. I thought that he was the better goalie down the stretch

and he played the first two games and then who's Bennington came in we won the series and Bennington played until he got hurt against Colorado and played extremely well got hurt so who so had to go in so there's always things you're going to have to change but I think you know going into the playoffs you want one guy being ready to take it yeah that's interesting yeah for me there hasn't I mean, Cam Ward and Martin Gerber way back when. I'm trying to think like, and again, a lot of it's predicated by injury like he talked about. I mean, Vancouver last year probably was the one that depth goal, but it just seems more

and more depth goal tending during the season. And I really think we're going to see more depth goal tending required in this playoff. The only thing that I now think about is with a little over 20 games to go, will we see small snippets of a decent stretch for Stolarz? Well, Stolarz goes against. Yeah, he goes against tonight, because Wall's not feeling well. So is this the window for Stolarz to get a bit of a runway

so he can have some sample sizes going into the first round? Well, would you like to see that if he speaks of one guy running hot here? Yeah, like I'm big on both of them, but you know, and, but Boston had that and they kind of said, okay, once the playoffs starts going to even Steven and I mean, look at Vasilevsky, nine starts in a row and they're playing their best hockey.

And people talk about load management or getting a break or whatever, he's playing great. And he looks like he's kind of back. Yeah, yeah. And he kind of says, if I'm back, I'm like Peyton Manning, okay, I don't give the ball to someone else as the quarterback, whatever, basically.

Now Toronto's situation is a little bit different. You won't have someone run with it like that, but I don't think it's a bad idea at all. Like, you know, hey, I'm fine with 50-50, but if you start leaning towards someone, you know, go 70-30, give them four games in a row, whatever it may be, and try to emulate what it would be, that kind of grind in the playoffs. Maybe we're overthinking it, but I think the big thing with the coach and the goalie, a goaltender coach and that, goaltenders are different and they're different as well amongst each others.

So about, you know, what is the right way to handle them, the best way to handle them and not. Yeah, it's just an interesting, I was surprised to hear him say that because I don't think he's the type of guy that goes out there and says in the media, like, oh, I'm going to send a message through the media here or whatever he got asked a question, he just answered it. But he hasn't given any indication at all that he would want one guy to run with it at all this year.

Right, like it's been a pretty consistent 50-50 when both guys have been healthy. It's just, if you're gonna continue to do 50-50, then one guy is gonna play the whole playoffs. How are you gonna get a guy ready to push here? I was surprised he said it. Now, as a player, my first incline to think about being in the shoes of Wall and Stolarz,

would that have been reiterated? Guys, listen, at some point, you know Come to playoffs One guy gets hot. I'm running with them would they have known that or would they have learned that through this clip? Yeah, yeah, that's a great question with this weekend. No idea. No ideas All of a sudden if I'm Joseph Wall, I'm like Damn bad time to get a cold. Yeah, my coughs start to feel a little better here. Am I gonna get the net next week?

Yeah. Am I coming back? When am I coming back? Stolar's knows firsthand about having a real solid regular season with Florida, but Bobrovsky being the guy. Someone else took it, ran with it, and happened to win a Stanley Cup, so I'm sure he would relish that opportunity

to do the same, but yeah, like it's a harmless clip. It's kind of like when Mike Sullivan said, Quinn Hughes is coming. So that really helped us a second off day because we're looking for stuff to say. Quinn Hughes is coming. Like that's not Elliot saying that. That's like, and he was wrong.

He was wrong, but just kind of, and just there about okay. Yeah, that was a real strange one. This one about, like he's done in the past, but he also says, I'm not unafraid to make a switch, that people forget that Vili Hosu was used in some playoff games. What do you like out of Matthews or Nylander? Will we get an update on Nylander?

We do, he's playing tonight, apparently totally fine. So. Is it short, can we hear it? Yeah, let's hear the knee lander five, please No business as usual he feels good You know, so he's something happened in the game and you know, I didn't he didn't feel he could Go out there and overtime. So that's all that was but he's he's a hundred percent today He didn't feel it's not like we didn't or the trainers or the doctor it was he They were only guessing here, but like does that not sound like maybe he got conked in the head again

Oh, so you're going back to the headache thing. Well, but then Usually don't you err on the side of caution about missing games? I don't know we're guessing I know we're guessing a hundred percent We're like you wouldn't be playing tonight Would it you know does it lend more to like a wrist injury or a finger injury? Because his glove was still off and now he's feeling much better probably Slamming your finger in the bench doors I don't know I don't know jammed it got hit with a puck who knows but he's back unfortunately all right Craig Ruby told us yesterday Kristanov won't play tonight but they

didn't he didn't offer much he kind of says I believe it's day to day but he doesn't know he says I you know I'm not the doctor but really hope it's day to day so the one funny clip I wanted to play. So Braden Shen last night plays his thousandth game in a win against the Washington Capitals. And which was extremely heavily scouted. Yeah, few scouts in the building, I'm sure. And then I think it was Masters this morning asked Rube about Braden Shen. And you know, if he had gotten in touch with him. And this is the clip, clip seven on Braden Shen and you know if he had gotten in touch with him and this

is the clip, clip seven on Braden Shen. Yeah I congratulate him today you know I love that player I love the guy you know he's a super human being and you know thousand games a lot of games in the league he's a dedicated player I always say that guys that can play that long are dedicated to the game. They do all the right things throughout the summer, game in and game out, preparing. And he's a very prepared player, you know, and looks after his body and looks after himself and loves the game. He's a hockey nerd.

He just loves the game. So it was great, great to see him get a thousand games and very happy Doug Armstrong needs to file tampering charges right there on Craig Barube. He also delivers food to my mom He also, you know takes my dog for a walk and he also does this for me like, oh my god Well, just say yeah go get him Well, and and he played best under great ruby right Braden Shen did and then the other Ron Wilson got fine once he was kidding but on this station When I wasn't July 1st yet and he goes I told Burke he go get those sedans Right, and they were not gonna get the sedans. He got fined for saying that on the fan

Yeah, you remember that yeah, whatever just think so that's one thing Craig Barube is careful about. Would love to have him on our team. No, didn't say any of that. But basically that's the longest answer he gave. Every other answer was about one second. This is August. There's about like, there's three quarters of the roster right now going, he's never said anything like that. and I'm on his team now. Braden Schen's going, Braden Schen's going, I'm gonna live a long time, but he's gonna do my eulogy. I mean, who is more effusive in their praise?

Brad Marshand of Team USA or Garube of Braden Schen. So like that's, I mean, you hear that clip and you're like, yeah, you want, I don't know if I'm overthinking this, that's what I do, I overthink. But I'm sure True Living doesn't love that clip when he's trying to negotiate with Doug Armstrong and you know, you see out in the news right now,

our friend Andy Strickland saying that like, the parts are there. Can you read Andy Strickland? Because Andy Strickland covers the St. Louis Blues and probably as tied in as anybody with that organization. He had an interesting tweet today the tweet reads Where am I going to find it here? Sorry I had it in front of me Did I lose it maybe he Jeopardy music here

Toronto has Toronto has Toronto has the pieces to make a deal for Braden Shen But as of now they haven't put a package together to make it work Told at this point deal with the Maple East is unlikely could change but as of now doubtful So yeah a little message sending yeah, yeah, yeah, totally like a lot of of the message sending, I said yesterday, I don't like artificial intelligence, but we could almost use it, because the same quotes come out about, you know, about, you know, no kidding if it's a good deal,

you'll make a good deal. You know, you'll buy a house or a car or a car, or a cold, if it's a good deal. So I don't, what he said is harmless, and Brad True Living and Doug Armstrong are pros as far as negotiating goes for shin You would think it would whatever the package is it would have to include one of Cowan or Minton, would you agree with that? Yeah and and talking to Jason yesterday

How do you pronounce his last name? Okay, okay that yesterday how do you pronounce his last name? Bukola. Bukola. That Easton Cowan is like this man of mystery. Easton Cowan was the most non-touchable of untouchable of prospects out there and in a year... But that's a typical of Toronto media to always pick one guy that they fall in love with. Well no, it's not Toronto media but just no but no but but to your point absolutely like you know whatever you got gotta stick with what you feel, what your eyes say. And, you know, and I liked what I saw, whatever.

I mean, this, it seems around the world junior thing, just a lot of things went south. It just, unfortunately, was a bad world junior, one of the worst world junior experiences. So, I mean, I still think he's a great prospect. It looked like he was about as, almost as good a prospect picked in the first round as and they got him In the Rasmus Sandin trade too. I mean that's a nice one that you move a piece like that

Get a first round pick late Later first round pick and get him but to answer your question Yes, but he's just the big mystery and I'm curious what the lease act never mind what other people think You know what the Leafs actually think as far as their different prospects go. Yeah, I I am hesitant to trade cow and or mitten in that package, but it's not going to, I mean, I also would have been hesitant however many years ago to trade Nick Robertson for Sam Bennett. So, you know, you deal with the prospects and you get in love with them and you think that they're going to be the greatest player ever.

And a lot of times you hold on too long. They lose value all this stuff It's it's scary for leaf fans And I think there's a lot of leaf fans out there that really are attached to Cowan You know the local being in the OHL playing for the Knights like there's a big there's a big connection to him I feel like and You know it's scary But when push comes to shove I think the the Leafs have an excellent chance this year to go deeper than they ever have,

and you gotta do what you gotta do. And if I'm not mistaken, it's a no-move clause, correct, with Shen? So he would be hand-picking the coach that he won a Stanley Cup with. Like you think he'd wanna come here. In a Canadian market like Toronto would, for me, I don't know if there's a better option for him yeah and I think during your career like and you dealt with so

many players that's even the ones that would rather stay in Columbus or whatever most say man I'd like time in the Apple whether it's the Big Apple the Toronto Big Apple you know but yeah we're so, you're right in the sense there's, but the fact it's out there and not being shut down, because otherwise it'd be shut down on St. Louis' side, that no, no, he's gotta, then you're going through a Matt Sundin situation again, that he didn't wanna go anywhere

and it got talked about forever and he got vilified and all that, so yeah, so there seems to be a meeting of the minds about that kind of deal. And keep in mind, you could not give up a better prospect than Nick Suzuki going to Montreal, but it showed the Vegas Golden Knights, if you're in that mindset, okay,

if you're going for the big kahuna, then you gotta go, you gotta be all in. And you can look right now, who's better, Max Pacioretti or Nick Suzuki, whatever. They want a Stanley Cup with that kind of mentality. Okay. And, and there's an element of that if you want to get to that last step. Yeah, that's what you got to do in some cases. Right now. Yeah, it's a no trade clause. It's a modified one on

July 1 2025 where the player submits it. No, right now it's a no move. Right now it's according to cap wages. It's a no trade clause. Okay, dude, do they mention how many teams? No, I just or complete a complete no trade. Think complete no trade. Okay, it's a no trade cost. Okay, do they mention how many teams? Nope, just the only- Or complete, a complete no trade. I think complete no trade. Okay, that's, I mean,

Yeah, it's the same difference. That's my ability, yeah. Right now it would be the same difference. The other option is clearing him on our waivers and that won't happen. So we know it's for Shen to decide where he wants to go. Now, if they do get Braden Shen, does that shut down the speculation that John Tavares has a seven million dollar per year times three contract

somewhere waiting for him? Well, you know, it's funny. We mentioned the quiet line that John Tavares said he didn't watch the overtime of the Canada USA, kind of saying, hey, you know what? I probably should have gotten more consideration. I was the captain, went to the world championships last year, maybe did that predicated on thinking he's gonna get a better opportunity. So now, and he's a pro, like that guy's a pro. Almost too much of a pro in some ways, very focused.

I remember when we came back from COVID and the season started, what did it start, in January and we had the divisions and we went crazy about the blue-white game. Like the blue-white inner squad game was on TV and everything and Tavares was getting interviewed and he goes, well, when I got up and I'm on the white team. Like he talked like he was on the,

he goes, he's getting into being the white team Yeah, you know And that game was lame anyway, you know, so so I respect that but but he's a pro But then all of a sudden he's not you're reading you kind of go. Okay, there's so many bodies here There's so much money to go around. There's a body that's kind of where I feel I'm slotted to be There's kind of money I feel I'm so I wonder how it would affect them a little bit I mean I don't I think you'd have to be a robot and sometimes I wonder if he is or not but I think you'd have to be a robot for it not to affect you you see that guy

come in and you're hey if he's one step closer to me winning a Stanley Cup then yeah let's let's let's win it and then we'll see how things go. And that's the way I hope everybody's thinking, not just JT. And I'm not trying to be negative about another playoff bust, but another playoff bust, then all of a sudden you're looking at hypothetically

Shen and Tavares and a lot of things differently. Because I was at a pre-COVID, just before COVID, so that would be like five years ago, right? At a corporate function with Brendan Shanahan, we kind of did, actually it was the milk one. You know, they now they got the, I must have done a good job because the milk's now on the sweaters, right?

So they're like a thousand milk guys. And we were just chatting about, and Brendan was very forthcoming. He had some fun things like about when Arizona tried to bluff them they were gonna take Mitch Marner, you know, when they took Strom and Leafs. Anyway, but then someone brought up the story again.

What do you do again if the same old thing in the playoffs? And he said, I know it's not the sexy thing, but you gotta believe in it, go at it again. Well, that changed. That changed last year too, you know, with Keith Pelley. I said, no, no. So if we have another one again. Yeah, like a first front leg you then you're kind of like Not not back to the drawing board, but boy. Oh boy

You can't you can't accept that answer again just like last year They said you couldn't you're thinking about getting the chalk and then out of the you know out of the drawer for the drawing board If that's if that's the case, I thought you're doing a corner. Yeah, the chalk goes on the floor, buddy if that's the case. I thought you were doing a corner thing. Yeah, the chalk goes on the floor, buddy. Oh, sure, we can do that. We can do that too if you guys wanna go there. We usually break because we got a lot of calls.

Okay, all right, Leafline coming up. Sammy's promised us he's got some doozeys. That more when we return to Real Kipper and Born. Everything you need to know about the Blue Jays, Blair and Barker. Be sure to subscribe and download the show on Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Off the rails Friday continues at the top of the hour. We'll

welcome in Doug McLean, former NHL president, GM and head coach a week before trade deadline. I'm sure he's got a ton to get off his swimming chest. He's in the pool right now as we speak. Probably a week today a week at this very time we will we will know the the fate of everybody in the NHL. Wow. Yeah. All right, Sammy, what do you got for us? I got lots today. Um, I can't remember all the did I like this one? How about we go to? unnamed from a Tobacco Hey Kipper born. It's 66 scores from Nova Scotia

Okay, I'm from a Tobacco, but Sammy loves to get everybody else on except from a topical and I part but here I am I'd love to talk about Sammy continue to bring up baseball references that's okay we'll let it go we'll talk to Blake Barker or whatever that we don't have a Tucker a Roberts those guys we need a couple of those guys and then we will raise Lord Stanley Kipper thank you all right unknown from I mean no more baseball Atobico yeah I do I do favor the people that call from listen those guys are we we all know what they've meant to Lee fans over the years, right? But they're hard to find. And it just seems to me that there is this window gourd

of style of play that has made them less desirable because of the fact that they're not that many out there anymore. And I don't know, I don't know, is the pendulum kind of swung back a little bit? Does it go back to last week where we saw three guys willing to do it? Does that leave players that are on the cusp

of going to play junior hockey or college hockey to go, hey, I should be more like that. Maybe I should prepare myself to go to play in the NHL with more of that style. I don't know. But can it swing back to those guys? Well, you got Slavkovsky in Montreal saying I want to play like Brady Kachuk. So you've got Tom Wilson, you've got the Kachuk brothers, like you still have those types along the way. But to your point, Nazem Kadri was that guy with the Leafs.

OK, he just kind of went too far in two consecutive playoffs. But yeah, I agree with the caller. I don't know what the 2025 version quite is, but yeah, those were huge pieces in the Pat Quinn era, and in Toronto, we don't have them right now. That era of Leafs hockey has a real hold on all of these nations, myself included, where the type of team that was, it was yeah just to make a point it's because it's up

against the last few early exits that didn't show much of that at all that's the thing like I've often said that the way this Leafs team has played over the years is an awful matchup were for what a lot of Leafs Nation really loves in terms of hockey players and you know you think of the people who have been glorified by a Leafs Nation it's a lot of Tucker it's a lot of Roberts it's a lot of you know Domi like Ty I'm talking you know it's just this era of these hockey hasn't provided a ton of that and you know you Gary Roberts and this team would be great well they knocked Ottawa out the way Toronto's been knocked out the last exact six years they've upset teams you know I

gotta give Max a little credit in Boston and of course we can all sit there and nitpick and go bad penalties stupid penalties you can label that on any player but he does show a side that has been missing. Yeah. Right. Like he cares. Even the little cross checks in the neutral zone where it's like, you know, sometimes it's like, did you really need to do that? And if, if you want to constantly send a message that we're going to be hard to play against the answers. Yes. You do have to do that every once in a while. Yeah. It's a, it's a different spice. It's a part one, eight, one, eight, you know, and I think it did have a while. Yeah, it's a it's a different spice It's a pot when he you know

And I think it did have a factor the way he played on the edge and the way he was still in guys faces And yeah, it had something to do with the ability to come back against Boston this week Let's go to Kinley in Victoria It's all week people have been talking about how they're trying to grow the game with the Kachaks and their second-place loser tour Be honest. I just don't care. Why should we even grow the game? RK shouldn't be anywhere south of Boston. It annoys me that recent years the most successful teams have been the ones in small fan bases and I don't really get who's excited about the idea of putting a team in Houston. I recall the last time we won anything there were only six

teams in the league and now people are talking about putting in over 32. Also you can't really grow the game anywhere outside of America. I don't really need America to get any better at hockey. Anyways my question is just are we trying to grow this? Thanks for your time. Go Leafs. It's a fantastic call. I totally agree. Shrink the game. This is where you cue the scene in Wall Street with Gordon Gekko

going Greed. Greed is good. If you're in a Canadian hockey market quite often, you go, I'm fine with just, let's just have our seven teams or what and let's six, whatever, and let's have, you know, five from the States, the old original six teams, four, whatever, but that, you know, just like let's have Sidney Crosby on some other teams

so we see him on the playoffs, right? So there's no problem being selfish and and that but it's not gonna happen and to your point about growing the game There's no other markets in Canada that you're gonna be able to get the kind of expansion fee that Seattle and Vegas paid and It's growing the pocketbooks. It's not growing the game. Yeah, that's that's right. That's right It's also when people figured out a commissioner in general in sports is That's right. That's right. It's also when people figured out a commissioner in general in sports Um is the owners are his boss, you know, the old baseball idea was oh, you know kind of the For the love of the game and all that stuff all sports all sports come down to the business side and here In this particular case the players are partners now It's it's it's it's spelled out how their partners in growing the game

The one thing that the four Nations tournament did also is show like the distance between having a game with so much amazing talent on the ice to now the product on an average night comparing the talent on the ice today. So that's going gonna be the tricky part as we continue to go from 32 to 34 teams in the near future is like the product is suffering because you do not have the talent to withhold that type of hockey that we saw last week.

And it will never hit that level. I know we can still be entertained with a Stanley Cup final and communities and cities can get excited for their championship but it won't hit that level. Yeah, and places like Nashville and Columbus and that, hockey fans there get to embrace hockey, right? Which it and again like the color says why should we care but that but that's part of in growing the game and what's need is a new market but in

saying that we've got an outdoor game this weekend everybody says it's tired and old and yet they're gonna talk about 90,000 people going to Ohio Stadium between Columbus and Detroit and a game David matters there's there's another that's true, but but there's another side of like still a demand out there You know as much as we don't think it's growing me. Maybe that's a great example of how it is growing I mean if the Florida Panthers find their way into the final again This year be six straight years where the Eastern conference representatives from Florida shrink the game. It's not an advantage though. The taxes aren't an advantage. There's no way. It's only six straight years. They've represented the Eastern conference. Oh, you got one more. Sorry, sorry,

sorry. Let's go. Let's go to will from Sydney, Australia. Oh. So now that the Four Nations is finished and the regular NHL season is back, we have all this growth in the game and I now have mates who are exposed to hockey for the first time. So my question for you guys is how would you recommend people who have no geographical allegiances pick their team? I have lots of family from Toronto, so that's how I was suck it into supporting the league But should I try doing mothers to the same fate or should I recommend a team that will probably win now or just draw a name? out of a hat

So yeah, let me know what love the show boys. Thanks cord. Will you go home tonight put the shrimp on the barbie? You know, I'm gonna I'm gonna I'm gonna Google I gonna Google, I'm gonna Google what was the kangaroo show? I love that out of- Captain Kangaroo? No, no, no, out of Buffalo. Skippy, wasn't it the Bush Kangaroo? Yeah. You're like, you might as well be 100 years older

than me right now. I don't, but anyway, Skippy the Bush Kangaroo was a good Australian show, so I might Google. I'm gonna, I'm not gonna put some shrimp on the barbie. And so what's he saying about? If you're recommending if you're know if you're recommending somebody yes to cheer for a team, what is the hook? Who would you recommend for them to cheer? Yes, like if you're jumping on now who or what's gonna hook a person to become a hockey fan

Going to a game Okay, I think part because if you the vibe or whatever may be and then you you find the your own like New fans quite often are hooked by someone that we don't think about because they're looking at the game differently So you don't have to say okay Connor Mcdavid or Nathan McKinnon or Austin Matthews? Yeah, yeah, I know just about if you go to a game and like it I you kind of grow it organically my nephew Thomas Flack won a championship with the Melbourne Mustangs. Wow. Yes. They will, I mean, in England,

England, they love their hockey and it's physical. Like they love it. They love the fights and everything. I mean, there's this, you talk about growing in North America, we're talking worldwide. I know it's not anywhere close to the NHL level. That's a neat story. And Kerry Goulet has been over there for many years now. And it is popular and we saw the

NHL do an exhibition game there. The great sport from there is Aussie Rules football. I've been up late enough at night to watch their sport. It's great. Fantastic. They're warriors down there. No, they're just nuts. So I like Carlton. I don't know if you'll know what that means, but. They're fantastic. They're warriors down there. No, there's just nuts. Yeah. Mm-hmm. So I like Carlton I don't know if you'll know what that is, but I like Carlton the baggers But if I would recommend a team just choose the Leafs Because if you if you choose the Leafs and they win

There'll be nothing like if you if you find a new sport you not kind of glom on to the best team Well, or the best player just Google McDavid for like two seconds a hockey fan who watches our show he knows who McDavid is obviously you can't help but become an Edmonton Oilers fan but he's in a funk right now yeah it's a bad time to Google McDavid maybe wait a week wait a week I will say after watching the first eight minutes of that Canada Sweden game and cheering for McDavid for the first time in my life. I was like, you know what? I think I'm an Oilers fan now. All right.

Google Clayton Keller today. Do not go anywhere as we kick it into our national hour where Gord Stehlik will lead us with what's wrong with Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers. And of course, Doug McLean back on Off the Rails Friday. The Kipri Osel. Sammy McKee, Ward Stehlik, right back at you.