Real Kyper & Bourne - The Essentials for Edmonton

Episode Date: June 4, 2024

Nick Kypreos and Justin Bourne start with a chat on the pros and cons of the long break ahead of Game 1 of the Cup Final and which team it benefits more in terms of health and rest. Hockey Night in Canada's Garry Galley (6:33) reflects on Shesterkin's play in the conference finals before diving in on how the Oilers and Panthers match up and where each is most vulnerable. Former NHL forward Ryan Smyth (35:48) reminisces on his finals run with the Oilers in '06, how the game has evolved since and the keys for the Oilers to reach the peak. Finally, news & notes - Ottawa fills out their coaching staff, the Leafs eye Lambert for associate coach and projections for Shesterkin's next contract.The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates.

all right let's kick it up here we go a very fast one hour real kipper and born show about to begin the kibrios justin born in for sammy mckee Daniele, Franceschi, who's upstairs right now with Jake the Snake Schultz. He is. Let me start the show. Where do we got him?

On assignment? Oh, yeah. He's somewhere doing something about something. Golf. I think golf had something to do with it. McKee? Yeah.

It's not often I pay attention to him yesterday. Some golf Canada. Yeah, golf Canada. He's just golfing. Let's be honest I pay attention to him yesterday. Some golf Canada. Yeah, golf Canada. He's just golfing, let's be honest. Happy birthday to you. No, we stopped counting those. Did you?

Yeah. You don't put them in your stat total anymore? As soon as you pass mid-50s, I think. No celebration in order? No, just, you know, heavy drinking this morning. Yeah, good, this morning. So I'm just hoping that my buzz wears off by the time we hit the air. Couple of old Buddhas.

We got that fruity breakfast blend. I'll let everybody decide whether or not my buzz disappeared or not. No, all kidding aside, thanks for the well wishes. Also on social media. Really appreciate people reaching out. And it's all good. Yeah, well, that's great. Well, I hope you have a good one.

Thank you. And I hope you have more fun tonight than, you know, working. But I know you're doing some home stuff that sounds not as fun. So sometimes you just get through birthdays. Wherever you are on my June 4th birthday, we're glad you're aboard. Watching and listening. Sportsnet 590, The Fan. Sportsnet 650 in Vancouver.

Sportsnet 960 in Calgary. Sportsnet 360 and Sportsnet Plus. And remember, if you don't catch the fastest hour in hockey live, you can download it. And as always, this hour of Real Kipper and Bourne is brought to you by Bet365. All right. And any rumblings leading up to our game one on Saturday?

Or is this just one of those, just another day where you just sit and wait it's just the sit and wait thing you're looking at the distance between these games we laid it out a little bit but i mean they start june 8th which is a week between games you know it's a lot of long time to lose momentum a lot of times we had looked at these series and said teams that come out of like best of sevens and competitive series have an advantage early on, but neither team will have that advantage. Plenty of time to prepare.

My guess, that means a very tight game one. So, on the outside looking in, is there a feeling that one team might be a little healthier than the other? Do you feel like, you know, the rumblings on Evander Kane or Leon Dreisaitl at times getting up a little slower than you'd like after hitting the ice? Is there a sense that you have just from watching

that you think maybe which teams had more wear and tear? You know, I think they're probably both pretty banged up, but those two players in particular are big names. They have some injuries, and we saw them going down the tunnel last game. But a week, I mean, if you were playing the game and you finished the game and then you get a week, they're going to be fine. I don't think that's going to be a huge factor. Have you done any sort of assessment of what you think this series is going to look like?

I know we're not ready to make predictions. Maybe you are. Yeah. But what do you think the shape of it is going to look like? Yeah, I think, I don't think it's a stretch to think that the Florida Panthers will be the hunter and the Edmonton Oilers will be the hunted. But does that leave the Edmonton Oilers on the power play a lot? Good question.

Which is, you know, kind of leave it into the ref's hands. You know, I'm sure if you're the Oilers, you're trying to grease the wheels that the officials need to call penalties when they're penalty yeah you know what um just on that on the on the thought of of health and and the rest here let's go to paul maurice for our first kippers clipper uh on teams resting and being healthy going into game one you want fairness you know what in, you want both teams healthy. You want both fairly reasonably similar schedules, and away they go. It's probably the perfect amount of time off. You can take a couple of days.

Then you can push a little bit in the middle and then get ready for the game. So we are as healthy as you can be as a hockey club. Yeah. And if you go back this time last year, going into their final last year's Florida, they were not healthy. They were banged up. They were banged up. And I know that there's a few guys now really happy about the way they feel physically, at least from the Florida Panthers side. Paul Murray said it, and players have also said it,

that we're healthy, man. We feel good. Yeah. They're in a much better place. I know going into that series, too, it was also like that was gravy for the Panthers, right? They were the eighth seed last year. Getting to the cup final was a victory unto itself.

They were hurt. Anything from there was just kind of play and see where the chips fall. This year feels they are healthy they expected to be here they're there like they mean business so the Oilers are going to get the best of them that doesn't mean the Oilers can't handle them but they're going to get a good Panthers team well a big storyline going into game one is who's who's the edmonton version of a sam bennett or uh the cane it has to be yeah right yeah i mean this guy can be that and you know that's why when i was thinking about the series i was kind of thinking you know this panthers team is so good top to bottom but

there's the special teams for the edmonton and then there are guys in edmonton that can play in the blue paint and zach hyman can score there vander kane can score there like if you want some guys to fall on the goalie and get some ugly ones they can do it too they don't maybe as much as bennett but they can do it okay let's uh let's go to coach nabok on kane's availability in game one and maybe he'll give us a little idea of how healthy he is chris do you have any update on evander kane do you expect him to be able to start the series for you i do um yeah i don't believe he'll skate tomorrow i think he'll be on the ice um friday and playing on saturday all right is that it oh yeah i didn't get to hear the rest of that clip we had producer and

i here at the same time we were both like firing uh off uh gary galley's uh availability right now which is great all right let's go to the hockey night in canada star and uh terrific job covering the rangers and florida let's welcome him in hockey night in Night in Canada, Sportsnet, and Denver's Gary Galley. The Broncos. Look at the color scheme today. Wow. Love it. Those are...

My Broncos, man. My Broncos. And a little oiler color there. Well, you know, 84 is the... This is the 40th anniversary of the 84 championship team, Bowling Green. So that's the 84 not the lumberyard but a lot of us felt like we were working in a lumberyard with carrying around some of the wooden sticks we were using back in the day but uh yeah this year is a celebration so we're uh

we're thinking we're uh you know 20 years old again which we're not well listen if if anybody knows the florida panthers it's you after covering them against the new york rangers and and we saw them dominate on on so many levels here but you know before we move forward here was there ever a thought in your mind that said holy moly shisterkin could actually steal this one? I kind of thought that he could steal a game, but I didn't really feel like he could steal the series, not the way that they were playing.

You know, he was the best goalie left of the final four teams. I believe he's the best goalie that's remaining, and he played like it I mean the volume of work that he had to face the amount of time in the in the defensive zone where a goaltender has to be alert and ready in position all the time is very taxing I thought he was absolutely marvelous and that's not to take anything away from Bobrovsky who was very good as well but I believe if not versus Stur, this could have been over in four or five. So to go to six had a lot to do with that.

You know, and so, I mean, New York just got totally grinded out, which is what Florida does. They make you defend. They make you defend a lot. They grind you down, and they wear you out. And eventually you have no juice left to go on offense. And you're just basically in survival mode. And the Rangers tried.

Like I know at times people looked like they weren't, but they were trying. They just couldn't get through. And I felt the same way about Vegas last last year because i covered vegas for a few series and it got to the point where it was fairly obvious to me that there wasn't a team uh that if if vegas played to their capabilities there wasn't a team that could beat them and i feel like if florida pays place to their capabilities i don't know if they're beatable yeah you know we've been talking about the the shape of what this cup final series might look like. Have you done some thinking about how these two match up and where one team may have an advantage or a disadvantage? Well, certainly both teams' penalty killing units are playing really well.

I felt like that Florida just didn't respect New York's power play because they figured it out. They figured out how to kill it. The four-man press in New York never really got to a point where they felt comfortable on the power play. They really attacked at the blue lines, forced New York to not be able to get set up. So now you're going and you're looking at the best power play in the National Hockey League, in the Edmonton Oilers, and it took them a while to get going in the Dallas series. And I say get ready because Florida is extremely aggressive and you're not going to get a lot of time to set up. So they're going to have to really be on their toes.

But I think for Florida, who was willing to take a few penalties because they, you know, they are they are very likeyour-face kind of group. Maybe they're going to be a little more careful. And I know people are saying they're undisciplined. That was last year. This year, this is a very disciplined team. Paul Maurice has this team believing in play to the edges and no farther. And we don't need penalties going over the edge. And you saw Mikula run into the goaltender, and then Gustafsson just blew it by punching them and that negated a five on three,

which could have changed that game and maybe bought New York a bit of life. That was really one of the few times I think Bennett really squeezed Trouba's helmet off once. Those are the only the two times in the series where I thought they were, they were kind of selfish penalties where you weren't thinking. But other than that, they're a very disciplined team. Maurice has got them playing that way. So Edmonton's going to have to have a power play that's functioning,

and they're going to have to figure out how to exit their zone on a regular basis without spending large amounts of time defending in their zone. You know, Skinner is playing well. Can he handle volume, the kind of volume that Florida's throwing? You know, getting 15, 20 shots a game is one thing. is playing well can he handle volume the kind of volume that florida's throwing you know getting 15 20 shots a game is one thing getting 35 40 is a different story and quality so that's going to be something they're going to have to really take care of as well we're talking to gary galley former

nhl defenseman current sports net analyst so as far as this physicality gary they're they're they're gonna florida's gonna push. There's no question about that. And I'm just wondering, what will dictate how hard they push here? Like, how important is it, Florida, to not chase Connor on the score sheet or Hyman if they're down 3-1? I mean, is that going to dictate a lot of how hard Florida goes after the Edmonton Oilers? Well, Florida has four pretty good lines. And Paul Maurice uses these lines.

And he doesn't shy away from too much. But we showed him, we had a really great graphic that we had on our last broadcast that the best players on every team that you know Kucherov you know and then you know Pasternak and then Panarin and they show the amount of goals they had and I think at the time we showed the clip that was just Pasternak had the one goal and and that was it and then of course Panarin had one late in game six but Barkov I mean head-to-head with Barkoff there's just no one has been able to get anything so this is the Selkie trophy winner this is a this is a guy that plays as good a 200 foot game and is you know the size and I look at him he look reminds me he's got the size of Tim Kerr but he

moves and he's got better skill sets than Tim Kerr had, but he's that size. A guy that just rolls off hits, bounces around, comes out of corners, possesses the puck, distributes the puck well. A real good leader for that team. So it's going to be interesting to see that matchup and how much Paul Maurice, I mean, you know you're going to get a steady dose of, you know, a Forsling, you're going to get Forsling a lot against McDavid. He basically shut down Kreider. And Kreider's a big, strong man.

And people underestimated Gustav Forsling. And he shut him down. I mean, he had an incredible series. So it's going to be a lot of who plays on the defensive part for Florida against those lines. Because sometimes on the road, as you know, you don't get the last change. So there's going to be the defensive pairings to keep an eye on and see who Maurice wants to put out against McDavid.

And then if they split up, McDavid and Dreisaitl, who does he want to move from line to line? But Florida's defense is good. I do believe the one thing about Florida is they don't get rattled. They just don't get rattled. If they're down 1-0, they don't get rattled. If they're down 1-0 in the series, they rattled. They're down 1-0 in the series. They lost the first game at home to Boston.

No big deal. They just went about their business. They go on the road the next series. They win game one. They lose at home. No big deal. You know, an overtime game, they could have been up 3-1 instead. You know, it was a different story.

But they just don't get rattled. It's like they're so – it's hard to explain, but they're just – they've bought into it's like they're so it's hard to explain but they're just they've bought into who they are they know who they are they know what their identity is and they know that if they play with that identity their chance of winning is going to be at a real high you know they're going to have a great chance of winning so they don't they don't move away from it any interview you did with Reinhardt or Barkoff or anybody at the end of a period, they didn't go, well, we've got to get more shots. Yeah, we've got to get pucks in deep.

We've got to play better defensively. We've got to keep hitting. Like, it was nothing about scoring or who was going to score or that we need to get more off. It was all about their identity, how they're going to win. And for Edmonton, they're going to have to put some dents in that. They're going to have to get Florida onents in that they're going to have to get florida on their heels they're going to have to get florida chasing like you said they're going

to have to try to get florida on off balance a little bit maybe get you know get in on the forecheck on them force them to have to defend a little more these kind of things that you have to do you know you know regularly in a series you can't just like i think adam fox said it you know we finally get out of our end we get one chance at their end and then we're back in our ending like we didn't sustain enough they're gonna have to sustain offense to make it work and edmonton's more than capable i mean they're a very good team um they're showing that they have some metal as far as the defensive side of the game they're showing that they can shut down a good offensive team and not give them a lot.

So they are showing a lot of the qualities of a team that, you know, is potentially could give Florida a good run for their money. But I would say I have Florida, you know, I want to see Edmonton win because, you know, I just want to see them win. I'm a Canadian. It's a Canadian team. We need one here. We should get one. So I just want to see them win I'm a Canadian it's Canadian team we're we need one here we should get one so I'd love to see them win but I would have Florida just slightly

ahead of them right now and Edmonton's gonna have their work cut out for them I feel similarly gals you know going into this series one of the things I'm trying to do is is look for those strengths and weaknesses and differences and Skinner and and uh and Bobrovsky you know maybe there's some, maybe that's not quite equal. The other thing I wonder about and want to get your thoughts on is behind the bench, Paul Maurice is, I believe,

in his 28th season as an NHL coach. You know, Knobloch may have, I don't know, what's he got, 28 games? No, I'm joking, but probably 90 games of NHL experience or whatever it is at this point with the playoffs combined. Will that have a factor in this at all?

Will you see everything Knobloch has done so far has turned to gold? You know, will that keep up in the finals? Well, if you're Knobloch, you look to things like, you know, Dan Bilesma. Yeah. You know, you look to things that guys like Larry Robinson took over the bench in Jersey, I think, for Robbie Petorek late in the year, too. I'm trying to think. That was a while ago.

But there are coaches that have taken over a bench midseason or late in the season and then gone on to win Stanley Cups. Eight. So it has happened. Wow. That's a big number. Eight have done it. That's crazy.

It's a huge number. Ruby Lamarillo, I think. Was he one of them? Yeah, It's a huge number. Ruby Lamarillo, I think. Was he one of them? Yeah, there's a bunch. So it's kind of a thing where if you're in Knobloch's position, don't look at the things that you can't attain. You can't be Paul Maurice. You can't have 28 years.

You don't have 28 years. But you know that there are guys that got it done with a lot less because they stayed in the moment, trusted their gut instincts, understood their team, and understood the opposition, and they went out and played. I mean, you've got the best player in the world on your team. And then you've got a guy who's not too far behind him. And I think this is a team that has learned how to play defense and the

responsibility of defense by taking a lot of hard knocks and a lot of disappointments and and a lot of people challenge them can they do it can this team ever figure it out so this is a team that has risen up to the challenge of that and are finally saying you you know, we get it, we understand, and we're doing it. So, you know, it's one of those things where the Stanley Cup finals, like any other playoff series, has momentum swings in it, you know, in games, in the series itself. So, you know, how Edmonton is able to grab a hold of momentum at times and then really shut down Florida's momentum

and not give them a lot of time the one stat that jumped out at me guys because I thought Florida was by far and away the best of any team in the playoffs was that they put teams at stints of nine plus minutes without having a shot on net many times in the playoffs this year and I didn't think there was anybody that did it more than them and there there was anybody that did it more than them. And there was one team that did it more than them. And that's Edmonton. And that was a shocker to me.

I looked at that stat. I was like, whoa. So Edmonton has done it as well. They have shut down their opponent for long periods of time. So, you know, I think that's a really good sign and confident for a team that's going into the finals. Obviously not with the experience that Florida has. They were just there last year.

They have the sting. I've done that. I've gone to the finals and lost, and it hurts. It stings. You always worry, are you ever going to get another chance? I never did. It just was really hard. And it's still, every time they hand the cup out, I'm cheesed off for about 30 seconds still.

And then after that, I'm happy for the guys, right? I'm happy for everybody, and it's a joyous thing to watch. And, you know, but for the first 30 seconds, I'm cheesed off, you know, and it's just, it's still with me. So to do that last year and have that so close to them this year, they're not going to want that to go down again. That would be extremely hard, especially, you know, they know Reinhardt and they know Montour. They're going to get guys, you know,

this team might not look the same ever again. This is their chance. And, you know, and so hopefully we're going to have a really good series. You know, I think it will be a really good series. I think it's going to be one that's going to be long. I don't think it's going to be short. And it's going to be interesting to see. To me, can Florida continue to control the ice as they have

and grind like they have? And can Edmonton figure out a way to exit uh spend less time in the defensive zone and spend more time attacking than florida's had to handle in the first three series interesting you mentioned spend less time in your own zone and then you mentioned the the stretch of of of not giving up a shot on goal Are we still underestimating this blue line? Are we still kind of waiting for them to falter? And is it going to happen? Is it not going to happen?

Where do you have the depth of both blue lines? And in particular, you know, the thought of, you know, Ekholm and Bouchard kind of just carrying the freight on the back end here. You know, again, getting to where they are now, you have nothing but to give them credit. I mean, they have done a really nice job, and they've taken a ton of criticism and a ton of people doubting them. And maybe that's the fire that drives them too, right?

Maybe that's why they feel like they have something to prove and something to show. And the team is stuck up for them. Even when people have criticized their defense in the past and certain players on their team, they've done nothing but stick together and stick up for their guys. And that galvanizes you as a team as well.

For the Edmonton Oilers, this is an unbelievable opportunity. And for Connor McDavid, who watched Jack Eichel carry this thing around last year, you know for the edmonton oilers this is an unbelievable opportunity and for connor mcdavid who watched jack eichel carry this thing around last year uh you know this is something he he wants to have and he wants and he on his resume card and so this is going to be a guy who's of course driven to the utmost and when he's driven he's a difficult guy to contain so uh you know i think this is the first time maybe in the three series and ed kucheroff in series one right that they're having a guy that you know can really turn a game on his own on a dime and and and they're going to have to defense around that

so that's going to be interesting to see how paul maurice decides how he wants to handle that who he wants to handle that i would imagine he at home it's going to be Barkoff. That's my guess. But, you know, Paul Maurice, you'll have a plan. And for the Edmonton Oilers, man, speed, speed, speed. Get that speed up, pace, because Florida tries to kill the pace. They try to take the game down to a point where, like for the New York Rangers who never flip pucks out of the, you know,

I know you're the Dallas series had a lot of flipping going on, flip it out, flip it out, flip it out, get out of the zone, whatever you do, don't turn it over, flip it out. We'll chase it down. The New York Rangers didn't start flipping the puck till game six when they realized they couldn't get out of there. Right. Then they started flipping it. But the problem was they didn't know how to flip it. They couldn't get it over the blue line. They kept turning it over.

And it came right back. Yeah, for the Edmonton Oilers, they're going to say, look it, we know how to flip and chase it down. We know how to put the puck in the spots. We know how to attack it. So that's going to be some adjustments Florida's going to have to make. You can't let Florida just walk in and just feel good about themselves and play their game.

You have to disrupt their game. You have to do something that makes them change the way they're playing and will your identity onto them a little bit, try to throw them off a little bit. If they're comfortable and you let them play their game, that's going to be a tough opponent. But Edmonton's got to disrupt that and get them off their game and make them do some things they haven't had to do in the first three rounds.

Last one for me, just kind of a quick thought. Weird series timing, right? A week gap before they start. There's three days between a lot of the games. The travel is substantial. I mean, is this going to play into it at all that it's almost, I don't know, it feels like tough to get this thing going? It's going to be the grind within the grind.

No kidding. I mean, what is it, over 4,000 kilometers per trip? Yeah. I think it's the farthest two teams could be apart. The poor media gals. Yeah, come on. You know, but so, and then the two-day breaks, three two-day breaks, I guess it is, right?

Three two-day breaks. So, yeah. Game seven could be the 24th of June. That's a long's a that's a long ways away and i think this is gonna go six or seven games i really do um you know unless something you know unless one team just jumps on top early to the point where the other team loses this momentum right and and you know that's that's what happened to us in 90 right we lost the first game in triple overtime, cleanest scores.

And then, you know, a game that, you know, we could have had, we didn't get. And then game two, we came back into it and, you know, we lose again at home. All of a sudden, you're down 2-0 at home. Now it's like, it's tough. If something like that happens, you know, one team could fall off the rails. But, you know, I don't think that will.

I mean, I think both these teams that are really good job of rebounding they've showed really good resiliency um you know and and and so it's uh yeah it's gonna be uh it's gonna be a fun series to watch and both teams didn't touch uh the respectable trophies so so that means that both of them think that by not touching it they're gonna win so someone's gonna be wrong there right and uh and for the florida panthers they touched it the year before now i didn't realize until after the game because paul maurice was extremely vocal to his captain do not touch that i was surprised i was surprised they touched it the year before you want to know this is what i asked i said why was it like that yeah i and you know

what they said because he told him not to touch it last year yeah he told him not to and they went they went they went they grabbed it if nothing else they're bought into what their coach is saying this year to me to me like to watch him so adamant on the bench like that i mean barkov's been around a long time he's the one out there taking the bumps and the bruises like if i want to touch it i'll touch it i mean everyone's falling in line right fall in behind the skipper i i'm not superstitious but why take any chances i'm not superstitious i'm a little but at the end of the day it's the it's the player's call it is but the crazy thing is that you told them the year of the day, it's the, it's the player's call. It is. But the crazy thing is that he told them the year before,

not to touch it. And they didn't listen to him. So they went and it didn't work out. So now they're like, okay, maybe we should listen to him this time. But I'm, I'm of the belief. These are the most beautiful trophies in sports. You, I have never seen trophies handed out that are more beautiful than the national hockeyockey League. The blood, sweat, and tears that goes into winning them. Hey, listen, and this isn't a knock on other sports, but you don't win a series or a wild card game and go and champagne toss it here in the locker room.

It is crazy watching baseball celebrate and then our guys won't even touch the trophy. This is an arduous journey that takes a long time to get done, Pipper. You know this and every series is such an old battle zone and when you get to that trophy i think you know you may never get back there again you might never get a picture with it you never touched it you never did anything with it and then you get this little replica sent to you it's like yeah that's what i got to take my picture with like so it's such a beautiful trophy that you you think the guys should take it and take pictures and but they don't i i won't i won't debate that but if they continue to disrespect it like that then they gotta seriously consider not presenting it

anymore it's almost really awkward to watch bill daly and he doesn't even know what to do with his arms it's great right they're like kind of dangling and hanging. I love it. He looks awkward. They won't go near it. Like, what are we doing? It's great. It's great.

It's a perfect hockey quirk. It is the embodiment of the way our players think, and I think it's wonderful. You can send an intern to present it. You can send, you can send, get the Zamboni driver to stand out there. Why are you wasting Bill Daly's time? And they didn't just not go near it.

They made a four foot width gap. No one wanted to accidentally brush it with their jersey. And you know what? Tyler Pozo. And here's a guy who has, who has, this is a really good person who's, who's really battled a lot of things to be in the national hockey league. He's a leadership guy in Buffalo we know the struggles in buffalo this guy has been not a sniff close to anything and here he is going for the stanley cup and here's this trophy in front of him and you know he wants to touch it you know he wants so he came around the back of the pile

and poked his head around so at least he was in the picture near the trophy you know and i and i thought it i thought it was such nice to see him do that it just showed how much it meant to him that this is somebody who didn't win this last year or has won a couple of them he's never even been close to this and to see that near him and i think some of the players were worried he was going to touch it and they kept kept telling him, no, no, no, don't get that close to it. So it was odd to watch it. I mean, hey, Kipper, we touched it in 90. It didn't work out for us.

So maybe the second time around I won't touch it. But I'm too late now. So I still don't even want to touch the cup still. I don't know. I go to Sean O'Donnell's Stanley Cup party, and he wants me to drink out of it, and I don't even want to touch the cup still. I don't know. I go to Sean O'Donnell's Stanley Cup party, and he wants me to drink out of it, and I don't want to. And he's like, Gaga, you're not winning it. Who says who?

Gals, I'll buy a team, I'll hire you, and you can drink out of it. That's still out there, buddy. That's still out there. I got no money but i blame me i blame my parents for putting me in it when i was an infant i've touched it unwillingly does that count that was great stuff man thanks for doing this pal is always great uh great great season man hey guys i really appreciate you having me on and shooting the breeze with you about hockey i love coming on oh good you guys enjoy the finals yeah you guys have done a wonderful job with the show i really

think it's awesome uh enjoy the finals and uh eventually in september you can have a break well listen you're we're coming back at you we're gonna bring you back in midpoint of the stanley cup final so uh you're not all right going away don't go away too far looking forward to it okay gary galley maybe next season when they present that trophy they can put like a covid mask So you're not going away. Don't go away too far. Looking forward to it. Okay, Gary Gally, everybody. Maybe next season when they present that trophy, they can put like a COVID mask on it so it will remind the players to stay within six feet of it. If you just wrap the whole thing in saran wrap, you could hold it and it would still look the same,

but you wouldn't be physically touching it maybe. Yeah. I don't know. They got to come up with something. It's just really, really awkward. I thought about this. I should bet men be like, hey, this is a trophy. We want people excited.

Soccer players or baseball players, whatever. You celebrate every round. Touch the damn trophy. But I like this. This is fun. It's our unique little hockey superstition that collectively most people buy into. Why not? We're talking about it. It's a dumb league it's a

yeah we're dumb we're dumb we're super dumb but let's embrace the dumbness superstitious yes so superstitious we have to go to break because we have a guest and we have to do game time all right you heard the man my producer away from sam mckee right here. Justin Bourne channeled him more of us when we return. In-depth Blue Jays coverage with an analytical twist. Jays talk plus with Blake Murphy. Be sure to subscribe and download Jays talk on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Nick Kipper here with Justin Bourne

The Real Kipper and Bourne Show In a few minutes we'll welcome in Long time Edmonton Oiler Ryan Smith He's getting ready to watch his Former team go to a Stanley Cup Final For the first time in 18 years, one that he was a big part of. Yes, sir.

That's excited to get him on the show today. Do we think I should do game time now? Yeah, squeeze it in. All right. It's game time presented by Bet365. Visit the app for the latest odds and find out why it's never ordinary. Bet365 must be 19 plus. Ontario only.

Play responsibly couple things catch my eye stanley cup winner at the oilers are favored plus or sorry underdogs plus 110 you almost surprised me there for a second no yeah they're they're underdogs plus 110 florida's minus 130 more i think about this series i think it's a reasonable bet to take the value with edmonton one of the things that stands out to me most top goal scorer in this series there's names at the top hyman is most likely to lead the series in goals sam reinhardt right behind him you can get connor mcdavid sixth highest odds plus 550 don't hate that i also evander kane is plus 3300 plus 3300 so So a big bet on Evander Kane.

Because he's in playoffs. What did he have a year ago? 12 goals in the postseason or something? He can get hot. This might be his type of series. Do you have any feel about the Oilers like you would have Pittsburgh Penguins, Stanley Cup in what, 2016? 17?

16. Yeah, where Sidney and Malkin just carried the offense, right? 30-plus seasons in playoff points. Yeah. And then everybody underneath. And at the time, Matt Murray in that, question marks. Yep. Skinner, question marks yep skinner question marks latang on the blue line you know he should miss the year latang missed one of those yeah that's

right he missed the first one yeah bouchard there to offset uh some offense on the back yeah i can see that as a comparable it's con Connor and Leon are going to have to carry the offense or bust here. We assume just like Sid did in Malkin. They probably are, but I do think that there's more behind them than those guys had. And Kane is one of those guys. He had 13 goals in 15 playoff games two years ago. He's only got four in 18 games this year,

but he's the type of guy that could get weird and could do it. All right, let's wrap that up and we'll carry on that conversation. That was Game Time presented by Bet365. Visit the app for the latest odds and find out why it's never ordinary. At Bet365, must be 19 plus, Ontario only, play responsibly. But yes, I do think that there are more people behind him

or behind those guys. Hyman being one of them, obviously. But R&H is being that dude this year the guy that they hoped the number one overall pick could be he's that secondary wave that they need when everyone focuses on connor and leon so if we went back a few years you know when they first broke in the league and they got these first pick overalls and top picks of course nugent hopkins first overall eberly remember when they re-signed them to those five million dollar contracts and people were like it's way too much and too much too soon and blah blah blah yeah and now now you got nugent hopkins who's a little over five million

dollars right now yeah with unbelievable value unbelievable value all right let's welcome in longtime edmonton oiler member in 2006 ryan smith how are you pal i'm doing really well how are you guys we are where are we finding you right now where are are you watching the Stanley Cup final? We live out here in Nashville, Tennessee, and just out on, we have a ranch. I don't want to call it a farm. It's a ranch.

We have some cattle. Yeah, we have lots going on here at the farm. Awesome. So just give me your thoughts on watching the journey of the Edmonton Oilers this spring. And if by chance, you know, will you be able to get to Edmonton for a game? Hopefully a clinching one. Yeah, we'll see how things go. I mean, we got lots going on around here, but I've kept up to date on the games.

We got one game on uh throughout the uh the playoffs we went up uh my son was at a spring camp for a team and and uh we caught a game so but they're playing really well they've got some depth more depth than i've ever seen um you know they've got uh um you know skinner's doing his job. You know, he doesn't have to be great. All he has to be is good, and he's doing that right now. Ryan, what are your fondest memories from your guys' Stanley Cup run in 2006? Oh, gosh, there was quite a few.

Even just before getting in, you know, and into playoffs, it was like the second or third last game we, you know, and into playoffs. It was like the second or third last game we, you know, since December or the trade deadline, and we just carried momentum right on through. But we just snuck in as eighth seed, but we were firing all cylinders. The big game, I think, that helped us was beating San Jose. You know, we were down 2-0 in the series. We'd come back home, and we chipped away

and battled back into the series, tied 2-2 in the series, and then we won the next two after that. It is remarkable to start a journey that almost ends up being, what, seven, eight weeks to win a Stanley Cup playing every other night. I mean, I do recall you guys being banged up, but the biggest one I think in 2006 was

Roley. Rolston hurting his knee and just what it really takes this time of year, Smitty, to end up lifting the Stanley Cup, and health is a big part of it. What do you remember in terms of the banging and the bruising that you guys suffered?

Well, that's the key. You said it. You know, it's the bangs, the bumps, the bruises, the few broken bones here and there. You know, guys fight through it for sure. But, you know, I think the technology and the doctors that help out these days and the training that these guys do is way above when we played and even before you, Kip. I mean, just the fact that, you know, trying to stay healthy all year long is one thing,

but then doing it in the playoffs is another thing. When you look at this Oilers team here, what are your thoughts about the way they're constructed and the way they play? Obviously, it's a little, you know, they got the flash and dash at the top of the lineup. That's for sure. It's a little different than you guys were constructed, maybe. Yeah, we weren't as gifted as far as a lot of their uh i was trying to say that carefully yeah no that's all good don't we had we had

grinders we had a lot of grinders but we had guys that uh uh competed not you know and you know that was how i played the game is the the competitiveness and we had that depth as far as, you know, the guys that wanted to compete on a nightly basis. And we found ways to overcome some skill at times. And hard work overcomes skill if you have that mindset of doing it. And we had that in 06. And, you know, obviously I do believe that there's a good mix with the existing Oilers right now with a lot of great talent.

But they have some workers, like I said, they have some depth that is really helping this organization, you know, in the last few years. And I think they solidified certain areas that have helped them get over the hump now. Listen, I don't want to take anything away from certain markets south of the border but to go on a run like this in a canadian city smitty and um and what you personally went through in 2006 and what you're personally watching today in edmonton it's it's fascinating it's remarkable isn't it to be a part of that? Yeah, most definitely. And, you know, as well, the media hype, the fans, it's our game, it's Canadians' game. And, you know, overcoming difficult situations at different times throughout a season is one thing,

but when it gets to playoff, everything's magnified, and you've got to be on top of your game. You know, media, fans, they don't miss a lot up there. When you get to Skinner, for example, he didn't have the game that I'm sure he'd like to, and then all of a sudden he rebounds and is playing the way he's doing it. So sometimes players can't overcome that.

It's our game. You heard him. The only captain Canada we know, Ryan Smith. Thanks, man. Appreciate your time. Smitty, awesome stuff, man. Appreciate you guys. Enjoy your Stanley Cup final from Nashville.

Thank you. All right. That was awesome. God, he played the game. Like, just he. How competitive. Him in his prime this time of year. Yeah.

Like, it can do it all. Like Matthew Kachuk. Yeah. Very much. And just, you know, talk about like the guys this time of year got to play in the dirty areas and the blue paint. And let's say he didn't know anywhere else to play. I got to say him ending up with a ranch in Nashville

is like the most predictable thing. If someone had said to you, you don't know where he is, what do you think he's doing? That's what I would have expected. For sure. Okay, we got a few minutes here. You want to go around the NHL a little bit because there is some news. The Ottawa Senators solidified their coaching staff

around Travis Green with Nolan Baumgartner and Mike Yeo. And now we're hearing some news. Hold on, Mike Yeo has been on an nhl bench for 400 straight seasons has he not yes i feel like he's been he's coached every team in the league which kind of brings us to lane lambert because his name's now uh out there for the toronto maple leaves and maybe like mike yo a little bit i believe that you know ever since i started getting around uh or been involved in pro hockey there seems to be a sense that that there's some really good assistant coaches associate coaches that try their luck at a head coach it just doesn't fit you're just you're you're an assistant

coach you're an associate coach that's your strength that's where you're best at yeah is that lane lambert could be i mean i uh i've heard nothing but good things about the guy but i can't help but notice that the islanders got quite a bit better when they made a coaching change this year and that could be a team that just wanted to change a voice or whatever but they were the worst defensive team in the nhl this year so maybe it didn't quite work out it's tough to say tough to look at how it went on long island and say it was an awesome tenure i think he would say it was disappointing compared to where expectations were so but that you know i can think you guys like that particularly like outgoing jovial guys you connect with i think rick bonus made the transition to head coach

really well but i think of jack Capuano, who I had, who was a great assistant coach, is a head coach. I don't know if his personality is suited for that. He's such a great guy to just chat with, and you can't really talk with your head coach the same way you can an assistant. And then Lambert had, like you said, a good reputation working all these years with Barry Trotz.

That helps. reputation working all these years with barry trotz and that helps a lot of people said that that you know the success of barry around the technical part of the game really was credited to lame lane so you know if the toronto maple leafs are kind of looking that way where Craig Berube's the kick in the ass or pat on the back guy. And Lane's X's and O's. I don't think Lane will ever get the Leafs to play like Barry Trotz's team. No, that would be pretty impressive. But, you know, from the technical part of that part of the game, maybe it could be a good mix with Craig Bruby.

Craig Bruby and possibly, sorry, Mike Van Ryn would stay on the bench, maybe Marc Savard. So the Leafs bench has taken shape too. Shusterkin had a quote here. Do you want to hear? This is Shusterkin's quote on his long-term future in New York. Igor, now that the season is over, do you allow yourself to think about contract or wanting to be here for a long time?

Sorry, I don't speak English. What a great option to have. I speak money. Yeah, oh yeah, we all speak USD. But yeah, that's a pretty clever way to bail out of that. He's got one more year before becoming a restricted free agent is that i don't know his status i'm gonna give you his status in 10 9 8 all right he is a uh ufa after this next season after next so he makes 5.66 this next season, and then will be UFA, 28 years old.

With the cap going up significantly. If he has even a halfway decent start to next season, he's the next $10 million. Oh, keep going. Oh, yeah. Yeah, keep going. Ten's an old number. It is old.

Bob got it a million years ago. Ten's like five years old. Price got it. Yes. Yeah, like a number of guys did yeah all right was there color television back then i don't know who knows shesty's gonna get himself 11 12 yeah i i'd say that he he'd have a good case to to push it to yesterday's price is not today's price and that quote comes from all the islanders fans listening run it up run the number up they they clearly have a thing going in new york with richter to

king henry yeah to shisterkin so they truly haven't it's like being a pittsburgh steelers coach or something it's like you know coward a tomlin just a couple of guys it's all you need um i like the devil's open to trading their 10th pick overall like that little tidbit and who's uh uh nakesh natchez natchez yeah martin natchez is out there. Now I heard him linked to the Montreal Canadiens. Really? Yes. Makes so much sense. Yes, it does.

Although, are Carolina and Montreal over their little feud from the Kaka, Niemi, Ajo stuff? Bergevin's gone. First round picks and prospects talk BS walks. Yeah. And that's probably what Carolina's going to be looking at right now to move them but they're they're they're going to want they're they're going to want that eight to ten pick the other one that could fall into that is the kraken for martin

they also i think if i'm not mistaken, Ron Francis drafted him. Yeah. In Carolina. So there's a bit of a link there. They need offense bad. But a trade for him would fall in with that pick. And then extension for him? Where's he at in his contract?

I don't know that answer. Ask his dad. What? Or his uncle don't you said did somebody a family member mentioned uh him getting out of there and oh is that a thing i think that's the thing uh natchez yeah he's just rfa right now yeah but he'd be he'd be eight nine he'd be up there i mean his he is maybe it's like mcdavid and he might be the second fastest guy in the league mcdavid mckinnon natchez he's in that category so if you're rebuilding canadians team to put you know a growing slefkovsky and caulfield with the speedster like him he had 24 goals 53

points last year 71 points the year before the guy's got a lot of value for a guy who's still pretty young so 25 years old six foot two 190 all right what else you got got a lot of things uh penguins are prioritizing a crosby extension not sure what a pittsburgh crosby extension would look like tell us what you want he'd be one of those where it's like it's too much it's too much you think he's gonna want less than they offer well it'll be it'll be like, if I leave less, what can we do? Kind of negotiation. That's the type of guy he is. It's all about winning right now for him.

Yeah. I mean, we got all sorts of quotes from novels and whatever. In your opinion? Probably not. Can he be a league minimum guy and help someone? He seems like one of those guys who'll just play until they tell him he can't. Yeah, I don't want to see him like that. I don't either.

I don't like to see any athlete just kind of holding on just for that, you know, to be a healthy scratch. I imagine then you're like, this is all I've ever done. What, I got to learn how to knit or something now? Hey, it happens to all of us. At least I didn't have a career to let go of. When it's over, it's over. All right.

Our thanks to Captain Canada, Ryan Smith, and Gary Gally. Enjoy your night, everybody. We're back tomorrow.