The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz - The Big Suey: The Messiah at The Elbo Room

Episode Date: June 18, 2024

"Crying in the Press Box: the Charlotte Wilder Story" coming to bookstores near you. Charlotte Wilder joins the show after her Celtics added another Championship banner last night. She shares the emotions she felt watching her team win, her "I told you so," and how Boston fandom works before drinking Heat tears. Then, Mark "The Messiah" Messier joins us with his Elbo Room hat to explain why Greg Cote's "McOverrated" take is wrong, the most fun he ever had in a season, and to play a game of Penalty Shot for Your Life with a shocking result. He also debunks some old rumors from a title celebration with the Cup. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You're listening to DraftKings Network. Welcome to the Big Sui, presented by DraftKings. Why are you listening to this show? The podcast that seems very similar to the other Dan LeBattard podcast. I'm sorry, I'm not going to apologize for that. In fact, the only difference seems to be this imaging. I have been tempted in restaurants just walking past tables to grab somebody's fries

that if they're just there. That hasn't happened to you guys? I've done it. And now here's the marching man to nowhere, Fat Face and the habitual liar. Everyone knows there is only one real championship in sports worth winning this week. It could be won tonight in sunrise

when the Panthers finish off possibly if it's not jinxing it to say it, the Edmonton Oilers. I just came in here and Greg and Stugats were having the discussion of what Greg Cody would write if indeed Connor McDavid and the Oilers come back to win four straight games and the conversation they were having was about Greg Cody writing the column after it's all over after the Panthers have lost a heartbreaking game seven writing the

column I was indeed wrong but at the time I was right. wrong, but at the time I was right. Put that on a billboard. It doesn't quite have the same ring. Look at radiant Charlotte Wilder. Look at her. She is holding up champagne. All illusions of objectivity have been discarded. She joins us from Boston where it is.

I'm assuming there hasn't been much sleep. Uh, what has the evening been like for you surrounded by all that racism? She joins us from Boston where it is. I'm assuming there hasn't been much sleep. What has the evening been like for you surrounded by all that racism? Okay, all right. I was so excited. I was ready to come in here and be like, don't let him get one.

And then you did that, Dan. Thanks a lot. Awesome. Love it. No, listen, listen. I highly recommend that everybody have the experience of their team winning a championship. This is fun, guys. Like more people should do this.

Why don't more people do this? This is a phenomenal, phenomenal experience. 10 out of 10, no notes. How much have you slapped? How many of the highlights have you been watching? How teary eyed did you get watching Jason Tatum hold up his child? Okay, well, I'm gonna tear up again.

Yeah, did I cry? Maybe in the press box? That's fine, right? Nobody, look, a little thumbs up. Yeah, I was out with the team all night. We were partying. Just got back to my parents' house. I'm in their basement in Massachusetts.

No, just kidding. They wouldn't even let me in the locker room, but I did try. Look, this, I just, this feels like, I am such a sicko, guys, this is the point that I'm at. I was in the, I was watching them win, and I was like, oh, before they won, sorry. Richard hits that buzzer beater, which, by the way, can I just say I called it?

They came in, he was in with four minutes, I mean with four seconds to go at the end of the third, and I saw him stretching. He was sort of stretching by the free throw line. And I was like, Richard is there, like he's gonna do it. He's gonna hit that buzzer beater. He gets the ball from Al Horford off that rebound, sinks it from from freaking Siberia.

And I was like oh my god is this the next dynasty is this the next warriors like that is how that is what a sicko I am right now guys that wasn't I told you so about a shot that you knew he was going to make in a game that was your analysis Mike brain did say he loves taking these shots they put him in just to take these shots. I mean, he's hit a few. He practices these shots. And Missoula puts him in. He's like, Percher doesn't care

if he messes up his three-point percentage. He wants to take those shots, so we let him. And he did it in the finals, Dan! That's pretty cool! Mike just muttered in my ear, heartbroken, Missoula's a champion. It's such a funny thing to think about. He was drafted. He was in the draft class of Kyrie Irving. muttered in my ear heartbroken, Missoula's a champion. It's such a funny thing to think about.

He was drafted, he was in the draft class of Kyrie Irving. He is a young person who should have been fired after game four last season in the first round. Now he's a Hall of Famer. Now he's a champion and you two are both talking dynasty. Put it on the poll at Levitard Show, is Missoula going to replace Red Arback as the greatest coach in Celtics history.

All I'm saying Dan is that Joe Missoula, he doesn't get too high, he doesn't get too low. He said winning can be just as dangerous as losing, but he kept his team even keeled, bunch of superstars, they all bought in, it was a team win. Don't put that up, me up no look look right now Listen, this is what's happening in here right now since last year. We have had this banner of Bill Simmons looking sad At last year's game seven Celtics heat and after the heat lost to the Nuggets

We were going to hang that as our banner in here from last season but we never got around to it and now that banner has been it has been I don't know what it is it's it's been drawn on it has been desecrated with graffiti his sadness has been turned into a smile now and all of Boston is thrilled tonight did you actually get out into the city? Like what was, I imagine that the cheapest ticket there last night was $1,700 to get into the building. I imagine it was a zoo there because I don't think Boston, nevermind the Patriots, I don't think Boston cares

about anything except basketball and baseball. What? Just that's- The Bruins. No, but that's higher than- I think hockey's the biggest. No, forgive me. The Bruins celebrated them ahead in the first round.

Forgive me, forgive me. I got caught up in the air there. That's okay. They like their sports. They do like their sports. This is their first title in five and a half years. But the way they care about the Celtics, I think is more than the way they care about the Bruins

and the Patriots. I got caught up in the air and realized that they care about the Red Sox that way too. They care about the Patriots. They care about the Bruins and the Patriots I got caught up in the air and realized that they care about the Red Sox that way, too They care about the Patriots. They care about the Bruins. They care about the Celtics Can we can we replace the bill in box there for the visual listeners with just another inbox of me? Because like look how look how I found these ski goggles in my parents and my parents freaking closet or whatever, yeah, thank you, there. This is what I want. I want double the Charlotte because these are heat tears. This isn't champagne, these are heat tears.

I told you I was gonna drink them, Dan. No, look, I got outside after the game. It was like 1.15, because I had gone to the press conferences like any good journalist does, and it was still a little scary. You know, I was well, I had to walk like two blocks to get a car. And I was like, I don't know if I should be out here by myself. Dan, people care so much. I think the fact that

the Celtics took like in 2018, I remember Tatum and Brown Eastern Conference Finals and it sort of blew my mind. I was like, oh my God, it's just possible. It's 2024 and they have lost Eastern Conference Finals many times. They have lost the finals. They lost the Eastern Conference Finals to the Heat. It took time for them to do this and I think patience is expensive in sports. It's sort of unbelievable that the front office stuck with this long enough for this to happen.

And they did it as a team. And I think that it made it so much sweeter that I remembered being in that building in 2022 and being like, this feels awful. Losing at home, it way it feels very very bad and then for them to win at home um it it felt like it's euphoric let me uh let me rephrase what it is that i was saying because in getting tangling up i think i failed uh i i want everyone to understand... this city's relationship with this team when it comes to sports identity regional identity and of the way boston generally just cares

about sports that was built by baseball and basketball and the way that basketball became what baseball was is they were winning so much that they sort of tried to take the city from baseball

yes and what ended up happening after that is the patriots got in that discussion with the same kind of winning boston doesn't care about the patriots the way that it cares about the celtics because it hasn't been handed down from grandfather to father to son from grandmother to mother to daughter it hasn't been handed down from grandfather to father to son, from grandmother to mother to daughter. It hasn't been handed down. The winning hasn't been handed down. Charlotte would know best, but I think that's by generation.

If you ask younger kids, what's the big team in Boston, they would tell you the Patriots. I agree, but my point is that that's because that's the one that did the winning with just football. It's not, it doesn't go back to when this all started. Where did Boston start caring about sports? When had bill russell and red are back winning anything and everything because boston ted williams wasn't winning no no and also fox bar is a far-flung suburbs not in the city like those other teams are

so you can speak to this i think that boston i think now like the biggest team is the Patriots. I don't think there's any way around that. I think that that, I think NFL has a much bigger hold on the country as a whole than any other sport. And I think that the Patriots, that dominance for 20 years, it's been 20, it was 20 years. Like it's, that's a generation, right? I don't know how long a generation is but I think that yes that the Celtics carries they carry so much weight and

But they they haven't for you. Look they won in 1986. They won in 2008. They won in 2024 That's in in Boston terms as obnoxious as it is to say this that is that is long 2008 to 2024 is like, well, we don't remember what this feels like for basketball, for everything else. Like it's the most obnoxious thing in the world to be a Boston fan. And- Charlotte, you're spoiled.

It is now because of the last 20 years, Charlotte. Before that, they were losers, except for the Celtics. Like the Red Sox were a laughing stock. The Patriots were a laughing stock. Yeah, I know. I was alive for it. But at the same time, when I was growing up in the 90s, they won in 86 and then they didn't win until 2008, the Celtics.

I think that there's a, that is the handed down generational love for this team. But I think every sport now, because it's been so dominant, I guess something that was exciting, Dan, last night was to see how much fans cared. How much fans cared about the fact that this was not just a rote championship. This was not like, oh, cool, they did it again. This felt, the garden was so loud. It was even in a blowout in the fourth quarter, everybody was just losing their mind.

And I was very, I was proud because I was berating fans a couple of weeks ago for leaving early and they didn't leave early. So yes, I think the weight of this team has carried and the history has carried a lot of that. But I think it's also just the heartbreak of the last, you know, seven years that has made that that made this feel so good. A generation is considered to be 20 to 30 years. Just just

so we're all clear. Because I know we were all thinking it. Right. I mean, I was at least I looked it up. The the generations.com. The thing that I was thinking of was uh... how absurd a love for something has to be for it to be the cheapest ticket in getting in is seventeen hundred dollars which made that ticket last night the most expensive in the history of boston sports racy because of how that city wanted to win there and because of whatever it is that charlotte is talking about that's the last five years combined with mike ryan being able to say for this entire century you've won one

you're telling me you're the most historic franchise and i in my lifetime have seen you win one time and now they get to say that they've won twice when you were crying in the press box, Charlotte, what was happening there? Like what, was it just watching the happiness or was there something specific that triggered it? By the way, that's going to be the first of all, can we get me back in the double box? What happened? I really liked that.

That was fun. That was exciting for me. Can we get more you maximum me, maximum me. You have 20 seconds left. First of all, first of all, the, okay, the name of my memoir is going to be crying in Maximum me, maximum me. You have 20 seconds left. You have 20 seconds, 15 now. First of all, okay, the name of my memoir is gonna be crying in the press box, a Charlotte Wilder story.

No, Dan, it was that, you know, that's where I grew up in and around that city. It felt very, I think for me personally, just to be there, and this is my job, and there was sort of a full circle moment, and they lost so many times in the past seven years and then they won. And it just, I was so happy for them

and they tried so hard and they did it. And it was a historic season. One of the best, maybe the best team ever. I don't know. You can't say it was luck. You can't say it was luck. It wasn't luck. Oddball, every day but Monday

on the LeBotard and Friends Network. Thank you. Thanks guys. Folks, the Dan Lebatard show is sponsored by BetterHelp. Look, this year has gone by very quickly. Reaching the halfway point of the year is an excellent time to reflect on your mental health journey. Assess your progress. Make plans for the future. Ask yourself, what's something you're proud of so far in 2024?

What's something you still want to accomplish this year? When life goes fast, it's important to take a moment to celebrate your wins and adjust what currently doesn't work for the rest of the year. Therapy can help you take stock of your progress and set achievable goals for the next six months. If you're thinking of starting therapy, give BetterHelp a try.

It's entirely online, designed to be convenient, flexible and suited to your schedule. Just fill out a brief questionnaire to get matched with a licensed therapist and switch therapists at any time, no additional charge. Reflecting on the first half of the year and planning for the next can help you stay proactive about your mental health.

Take a moment, visit betterhelp.com slash dlbtoday to get 10% off your first month. That's betterhelp, H-E-L today to get 10% off your first month. That's betterhelp.com slash DLB. Don LeBretard. Yeah. Enjoy. Enjoy a long and fruitful run, Dan. What was that voice? A Celtics fan. That was a Celtics fan. Well, it was me. Stugats.

It's amazing to see the mask pulled off and to see you so clearly. You were in such good disguise and I didn't know it was you. It's me, a Celtics fan. This is the Don LeBathard Show with the StuGuts. Two on one, down the left side, here's Ballard with a wrist shot shoots he scores! We've landed on the moon! The Morak takes a shot, loose puck right out in front, pelted in, pucks in the rebound! What's in the box? Frohlich again he's set up, another shot he scores!

I feel like taking crazy pills! Weiss he shoots he scores! I'm never gonna dance again. Ballard, he tries to shoot these scores! Ball! The meatloaf! McClain to the left side of Frohlich, top of the faceoff circle, fires, he tries to shoot these scores!

Get off my lawn! McCabe's got a wide open net, bingo, empty net goal come with me if you wanna live Campbell, throws it on the front, goes back to the point long shot, they shoot, they scoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo shoot the stars! Wilson! One of my favorites, Randy Moller hockey on the radio. That was a thing that we were doing 20 years ago.

There was some sounds, Dugats, that you were giggling about earlier because you almost went to go be the boss of Sal Lakata in New York because he's an angry New York sports radio host and I don't know if that anger is real or if it is contrived for the air but the thing that he's angry about most recently involves Grimace, the McDonald's mascot, or I guess one of the McDonald's mascots. In fact, where does he rank in the history of McDonald's mascots? It's Ronald McDonald, is the Hamburglar ahead of Grimace,

or is Grimace ahead of the Hamburglar? Well, there's a lot of controversy going on with the McDonald's mascots, if you will. We've discussed how Ronald McDonald hasn't really been shown, other than like the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade for a while now. Now Grimace might be on the outs in the rankings of McDonald's mascots because last year,

there was this big campaign to celebrate Grimace's birthday. I think it had been like 30 years, 20 years, something like that, since they had celebrated Grimace's birthday. Now, what happened was they commemorated Grimace's birthday last year with a Grimace shake. Then the internet got to the Grimace's birthday. Now, what happened was they commemorated Grimace's birthday last year with a Grimace Shake. Then the internet got to the Grimace Shake and the TikTok got to the Grimace Shake

and then what was happening was viral videos were going around of people celebrating Grimace's birthday saying, happy birthday Grimace and consuming the Grimace Shake and then seemingly recreating crime scenes in which they had overdosed or been slaughtered by someone and the Grimace Shake was all around them as you can see on the floor.

So it was like horror movies were being done with the Grimace Shake. So this year, after three months heads up last year, there was no celebration of Grimace's birthday. However, it seems as though the Mets invited Grimace right around Grimace's birthday to throw out the first pitch. Now Grimace, not on Grimace's best behavior

the day of the first pitch. Shenanigans behind home play, trying to distract the pitchers. I believe the game was against the Marlins. Lo and behold, the Mets have won six straight games since Grimace has thrown out a first pitch. So many people are crediting Grimace and not the Mets having the highest payroll in baseball

as to why the Mets are now all of a sudden hot. You didn't answer his question. Odd detail, Grimace is wearing a lefty glove even though he throws righty. I mean, Billy's wheelhouse. Well, not answering my question, which was... Requiring context as to what we're gonna see in the clip. You didn't answer my question, you gave me the context.

He ranks third. Third? Whatever. I feel like the Hamburglar might, but that's from a different time. They don't even do the Hamburglar anymore. Yes they do. In fact, both Grimace and the Hamburglar

were featured on Michael Jordan's racing teams over the weekend at Iowa. And nobody's talking about Birdie, the other mascot. So Sal Okada is WFAN's angry voice here and because Grimace is at the center of a winning streak at the summer is and he has been in the rage by grimace the best finally are playing well they go on a winning streak they won't bother all hot team baseball eight of ten whatever it may be

and yet you've got some not go heads on social media and elsewhere giving of all people credit for this run, Grimace, that fat McDonald's mascot. That's who's gonna get called the Grimace Mets. I even saw a Zoom tweet about this. Oh, the Grimace Mets.

And it's not just him. Everybody's doing the same. Oh, the Mets are five and O's since Grimace throughout the first pitch. That's really what we're talking about. Like the Mets are actually playing while they've won five in a row. And it's because Grimace throughout the first pitch. That's really what we're talking about. Like the Mets are actually playing well. They've won five in a row and it's because Grimace throughout the first pitch.

He's got good scouting report. Scouts like him. This is what I mean. Like this is such, it's such like minor league stuff. Yeah, exactly. You know what I mean? Can you imagine it being with the Yankees? Five tool player.

Yeah, one thing about Grimace, I think he could have stole some bags on the Yankees. Yeah, even him right off Trevino. I know what you mean. The grimace match. And that makes Sal LaCotta our gas bag of the week. You throw it out there though Dan you take phone calls for three hours 20 share boom. I mean that's how you do it's a good job by Sal. Sal's second time winning, right? Yes. First repeat winner? Yeah. There's no way a person is that angry every single day. It's impossible. He woke up one day, he had no one to be angry at. There was no one to be angry at. The Mets were

winning, the Yankees are good, all the other sports are done. So, we went after Grimace. Don LaGreca, by the way, would be that person. That's also a classic sports, old timey sports radio journalism type thing where you complain about everybody talking about this too much while you're talking about it. It's totally ridiculous to think that Grimace would lead the six game winning streak, but not ridiculous to think that our billboard

would lead to a four game losing streak. You got away from that and you had to bring it back. God, I was thinking the same thing. The more you talk about it, the more you put in this thing on a pedestal, it's very dangerous. Just saying. I wanna do the opposite.

Can we stop saying the word jinx for the rest of the show? Can we just take a moment and enjoy this moment? And I don't mean tonight's game, like right now, the moment before the game, we have a chance tonight to clinch the Stanley Cup final. Again. In our barn. I don't wanna savor this moment, I hate this moment.

Wait a minute, why can you say that? What? Why can you say that we can celebrate winning tonight if he can't put up a billboard celebrating? No, I'm not putting up a billboard saying we've won the championship, McHeese overrated, I'm saying this is a good feeling. I was driving in today and I'm just like holy shit,

we have a chance to win the Stanley Cup tonight. That is just, I'm nervous, I'm gonna get nervous as the game gets closer, but it's just really cool. Can that be a thing? No more jinxes, this is really fun. I'm looking forward, the group chat's on fire, it is just a fun time to be alive right now. I'm not having any fun.

Last night was terrible, last night was terrible, I'm not having any fun. Last night was terrible. Last night was terrible, I'm in a bad mood. I just want this game to start already because it's been 72 hours. Like right now. I had to sit with 8-1, I've listened to every podcast under the sun, I hate it. Just drop the puck, just drop the puck.

I've been on a plane for 72 hours, I feel bad. Chris, the other day you went. You might be going straight back. You went to Sawgrass Sunrise in order to watch on video with what looked like thousands of very excited people. Yeah, it was sold out. And so for as much fun as we've been making of Miami proper not being able to get that far north, this is Sunrise team, Plantations

team, Fort Lauderdale's team. That entire region has absolutely embraced everything that's happening there. What was the level of deflate in seeing five goals scored in the first 16 shots on Bobrovsky and how quickly did people flee the last time you had this feeling going to an arena being like, this is really cool? Something about it not being actually there and it was just on a screen made it a little less sad. If the game was there,

I feel like I would have felt worse about it, but everyone cleared out after the second period. I tried to beat traffic and I couldn't beat it because everyone left after 6-1. I want you guys from my perspective, you've heard me pretty consistently over the course of this, just generally fearing hockey. Where's the hot goalie going to come from? What's the weirdness that's going to present itself that's going to break my heart? Because I know they have a good team, but Tampa's also good, and Boston's also good, and the New York Rangers are also good. Now, Mike Ryan said that he feared Dallas Moore,

but what I'm telling you I fear the most isn't hockey, just hockey happening in the playoffs and the randomness of it. It's hockey, and they've got the monster. Whether Cody wants to say he's overrated or not, the other team has the beast. Now that didn't do anything for Luca last night going into Boston because when you have the better team, you're supposed to win this game at home even if the other team has the

monster. But I'm scared of that dude. And now he's playing well. Well, but he always plays well. Like that, he never doesn't playing well. Well, but he always plays well like that. He never doesn't play well He's never he's never not the biggest fastest guy on the ice. Yeah He's always the biggest threat. It's it's pretty obvious to the eye That's the biggest threat on the ice. You could be watching hockey for the first time in your adult life

You see that dude skate for 10 seconds. You realize yeah, he's different, but it's's the one thing it's the one thing that for me spooks me on oh I get the pleasure of having the hot goalie and now I'm coming in off of eight to one and the hot goalie was taken out after a shutout in the first game of this series and they've got that guy you understand how my fear gets ratcheted up as someone who cares about the Panthers because I do respect and got that guy. You understand how my fear gets ratcheted up as someone who cares about the Panthers because I do respect and fear that guy, no matter what Greg Cody is making Roy ask all that NHL royalty in Edmonton.

But it was one game. I know Edmonton blew him out, but it's one game. They're still down three to one. But he's the best player on the ice in every game. I understand that, but the Celtic fan base was also nervous because the Mavericks blew out Boston in game four. And then what did Boston do once it got home?

They blew out the Mavericks. And let's not make this just a one man team. They still have Leon Drysado and Zach Hyman on that team. Their top five defense too. Like it's not just, it's not just scoring. That's a very good team. An action packed fight card is taken over Las Vegas for UFC 303, Alex Beheda versus Yuri Prohaska two in the main event.

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jurisdiction, bonus bets expire 168 hours after issuance. See dkng.co.mma for eligibility, deposit restrictions, terms, and responsible gaming resources. Don LeBataard! What do I got here? restrictions, terms, and responsible gaming resources. Don Lebatard. What do I got here? I got a Magnum condom. We won't get that out. That's shocking. Stugatz.

Here's a picture of Christopher when he was like three years old. Right next to the condom. Yeah. That's a subtle reminder. Yeah. Never forget. This is the Don Lebatard Show with the StuGats. The Messiah is in the zoo.

Oh, I'm sorry. I don't know. I feel terrible. He was listening to us talking hockey, and we should be listening to him talking hockey. Let me introduce him correctly. He's a six-time Stanley Cup champion. You did.

You did it more efficiently than I'm going to do it. It can't just be the Messiah, or it can a six-time Stanley Stanley Cup champion. You did. You did it more efficiently than I'm gonna do it. It could just be the Messiah or it could be six times Stanley Cup champion. Five with the Oilers, one with the Rangers, guaranteed the one with the Rangers. The third leading point scorer in NHL history and now he has made the 2,500 mile flight again from Edmonton to the real new capital of ice hockey all over the world, South Florida. Somehow that guarantee didn't jinx the Rangers. That's right. Somehow it did not. Look at that hat, by the way. Look at that hat. Elbow room.

Elbow room. The elbow room. Tell us about the elbow room, Messiah. Oh, it's a great, great place to chop up the series and talk to everybody about what's going on see all the great fans That's what we're calling it homework cuz I've been to the elbow room that place is that place is a special kind of fun dirty I love it. It's great to be down by the water uh... great people thought uh... wanted to talk some hockey with you because we have among us the last time we broke some news from the elbow room connor mcdavid's dad was bought a

drink and uh... uh... reporter gave him the drink and connor mcdavid's dad said you're not that greg cote are you because we're with gregé, who has said that Connor McDavid is overrated. And I- I love the way- That is actually funny. How right he is. That's a headline grabber.

So how, can you explain to him how absurd, how asinine his opinion is well that's a great thing about sports is everybody uh... has an opinion and that we all get the shirt and uh... it doesn't have to be right or wrong or indifferent uh... that's what you feel that's that's that's great uh... i i think he may be underrated but uh... that's just an opinion as well i i don't know how anybody could call conor mcdavDavid overrated.

I respect it. I respect the opinion, but that's what makes sports so great is we can sit here and debate it all day and chop it up and wherever we land, it's great. Well, Mark, let me explain my opinion and see if I at least have a point here. I've never said McDavid isn't great. I mean, he's the best player in hockey overall but I don't think he's a two-way and PK Saban was saying that Barkov is a better all-around player. You called him an underachiever. A 200. Yeah yeah I did and here's the reason. He's laughing at you. I think he's an underachiever because for all this greatness, nine years into his career,

he hasn't won a Stanley Cup, and the odds are still long that he's not going to win one again. And I think you don't get to be the top echelon of the goat pen without a champion. You've won six of them. He hasn't won any yet for all his stats, for all his numbers. Not saying he's not great, I'm saying until he wins the cup... He's 27! I understand, in his ninth year. Until he wins the cup, he doesn't get to be the best

ever. He doesn't get to be MacJezus and the next Skretzky and everything else people say, in my opinion. Well, I think he would agree with you. I don't think he's arguing the fact that through his career he'll want to win the Stanley Cup, or he'll need to win a Stanley Cup to be considered along the great set. You just talked about Gretzky, Lemieux, Howe, or all the greatest luminaries or a game. The unfortunate part of team sport is you can't do it alone. I wrote a book exactly that.

You can't win. No one wins alone so of course the evolution of any hockey player goes through tough times you have to learn how to win you have to know how to play you have to know how to play in tight situations but it's all just a learning journey for every player not only Connor McDavid and sure did he know everything and when he came in the league no has he gotten better as he's gone through his career of course he has has when he came to the league? No. Has he gotten better as he's gone through his career? Of course he has. Has he learned how to lead better through these times when

the team's down three-nothing, the world's looking at him? In my opinion, he's done an amazing job of the leadership. He hasn't pointed a finger. He hasn't complained about anything that's happened. He just got out there and played hard every game, which is amazing. And then to put on top of it, played hard every game, which is amazing. And then to put on top of it, when your team's looking at you as a leader, they're looking for anything that for any sign of resignation or we can't do it, but he hasn't given any of that. So when you talk about underrated, I mean, there's,

you know, sure, he hasn't won because he's nine years, but there's a lot of players that have gone through their whole career and never won because they haven't been in a situation where the team is strong enough to support them. Good teams put special players in position to make great plays at the right time. And I can talk about that firsthand of all the great teams that I played on. Edmonton's got a team this year where they can compete.

Now, whether they can win the Stanley Cup this year, I don't know, that remains to be seen, but ultimately, he needs the support and then he needs to be able to figure his own game out on both ends of the rink, which every player has to. Wayne Gretzky had to, Mary Lemieux had to, Bobby Orr had to, all the greats, and he's going through that process right now. I wouldn't jump to the conclusion that he's, um, myself personally,

and this is just the debate. I personally wouldn't call him underrated at this point. I would call him it's a, it's a, like every other great player. It's a, it's a learning curve. You got a standing ovation at Roger's place in Edmonton over the weekend. Uh, where are you less likely to have to pay for a drink in public, Edmonton or New York? Oh, New York, I think. Well, I'll tell you, you know, I played 12 years

in my home city of Edmonton, which was amazing. I was born and raised there, played my hockey career, minor hockey there, family, friends, and of course, when the Edmonton Oilers became part of the National Hockey League, I was drafted by Edmonton and spent 12 incredible years. I played with some of the best teams ever, some of the greatest players ever. We had Hall of Famers. To be able to do that in my hometown was incredible. When I left Edmonton and asked to be traded, the team was breaking up when it was

starting over again. So I told the GM at the time, Glenn Saylor, that perhaps maybe I'd like to go try it somewhere different. And he goes, where would you like to go? And I go, I think New York would be a really fun place to play. I live in New York City. 51 years at the time when I went there, they hadn't won the Stanley Cup. So the challenge was too great to pass up. I don't look at it in terms of not buying a drink. I look at it in terms of the people I've met along the way. It's been an incredible, incredible, fortunate journey for me as a hockey player.

And here we are years later, almost 30 years later since we won the Stanley Cup in New York. It doesn't seem that long ago, but wow, unbelievable. Yeah, but which city though? Yeah, pick a city, pick a city. You don't have to look at it about buying a drink, but where are you just simply less likely to have to buy a drink when you walk into any local establishment? Edmonton where you won five or New York where you won one? Or the Elbow Room.

Can it be? The Elbow Room, that's it. No, don't let him out. Edmonton where you won five or New York where you won one or the elbow can be The elbow room that's it I've been treated in card both I'm gonna to their time for first You can't say all right that is unacceptable Room was a better now the questions are gonna get harder This is from Anderson Cooper's interview on 60 Minutes with a mob informant and the former owner of the Gentleman's Club, Scores, and I quote, the New York Rangers came to Scores on the night

they won the Stanley Cup, filled the Stanley Cup with champagne and shared it with everybody, and then they left the cup. They got drunk and they left the cup. Can you confirm or deny that story from a professional snitch? I cannot confirm that story. I don't believe I was there, but if I was there, um, I would have confirmed it, but I, I not sure that happened. I don't think any,

as, as, as drunk as everybody might've been, I don't think they would have left the Stanley cup at the scores. In 1987, you allegedly brought the Stanley Cup to a gentleman's club in Edmonton, then placed it on the stage where the cup was reportedly used as the prop by the talent. Can you confirm or deny that the Stanley Cup was damaged enough that night to necessitate repairs? Again, I'm gonna deny that the cup did have a screw that holds the actual very top of it to the bottom part of it that had come loose and so we took it to a place where they attached

it back on. Classic Messiah. Can you tell us the most fun that you ever had in a single season? I don't know whether the last one ends up feeling better than the first one when it comes to championships. Oh that's a great I've never been asked that question before. The most fun of any year? Wow. I don't know I had a great time that year in Edmonton. I would say 84-94 probably two of the best. The pick one, I'm going to say 94 only because I was 31 at the time. No, it's 31 or 32 or 33 at the time. We had it's 31 or what was it? 32 or 33 at the time. We had a great season and joined New York City and all those great things it has to offer.

How confusing is it to you as somebody who loves Edmonton, loves Canada? How confusing is it to Canada to have Florida dominate hockey for the last five years? I'm not sure if for the last five years? I'm not sure if it's in five years, but the hell of that, you're right. I've looked at Tampa and there's clued as well. Uh, that's a great part about our sport is that, uh, the expansion in the Southern States and the amount of kids that are playing hockey and getting

the opportunity to play hockey and have role models right in front of them. Uh, it's what the NHL wanted to do. It's what Gary Bettman's initiative was to grow the game, diversify the game. We've done a great job of it. And we look at Austin Matthews being born and raised in Arizona, one of the greatest players in our game today. Just goes to show you how successful it's been coming into the Southern States like Florida and like California, like Anaheim, like Nashville. It's amazing. I don't think anybody looks at it as the geography because we have great Canadians playing all over the world and certainly back down here in

Florida as well. I want to come at this Connor McDavid conversation from a different angle. All right, let's circle back on that. All right. Yes, I have my top five Edmonton Oilersers I have my top five oilers of all time. Okay, top five oilers of all time. All right, that's what I have Okay, so you don't so we'll find out right now. You're telling mark Messier. Yes top. Well, he's got to be on this, right? All right. Let's see where we're let's see where we got to end up here Maybe that's why we're having the conversations because I'm not on it, which is okay

I don't think he's a top five oiler of all time. You are. I don't think Connor McDavid is. Okay. Whoa. Spoiler alert. Whoa. That is a spoiler.

Go ahead. You're not going to put him in this top five? Number five. Yari Curry. Number four. Amazing hockey player. One of the best two-way hockey players I've ever played with could have won the Selkie Trophy for the best defensive forward scoring 70 players that I've ever played could have won the Selkie Trophy for

the best defensive forward scoring 70 goals a year which is amazing. Number four, Grant Fier. Well you can't win championships without great goaltending. He's gotta be on the list. Number three, Paul Coffey. Highest scoring defenseman ever. You know, to talk about the tandem with Gretzky and coffee together. Great defenseman. Number two. Mark Messier. Oh, that's bomb. I'm not sure about that. I think we can replace him. Number one.

The great one. Oh, wow. No, Conor McDavid. No, No Connor McDavid in the top five. No Houston Olas. Go ahead and knock off one of your teammates, Mark. I dare you. I thought Warren Moon for sure was going to be on the list. What about Kevin Lowen?

What about Kevin Lowen? Glenn Anderson. Glenn Anderson was an all-time great. You can put Moog on the list, Dan. All-time great. The unfortunate part about Edmonton, there's quite a few great hockey players, Hall of Fame hockey players that could be on the list too. But I'll certainly move out of the way for Connor there as soon as he wins the Stanley Cup.

He's going to smash a lot of records in Edmonton. So you agree he has to? Thank you. Boom! We got him, Greg. Oh, I'm not denying that from the get-go and he won't deny that as well. I think he's well aware of what's at stake in his career. But that doesn't mean he's underrated, so I'm with you. Or overrated. He's definitely not underrated.

Mixed properly rated. Hey, maybe he is underrated. Maybe he is. Let's play a little game. Maybe he is underrated. Let's play a little game of penalty shot for your life. Okay. You have to choose one guy to take a penalty shot. If he converts it, you're living. If he's not, unfortunately, you die. We understand the game. I'm making sure Mark understands the game. It's for your life. Yes. Wayne Gretzky, Connor McDavid. Patrick Kane. Why would I do that? A shocking answer from the Messiah.

Thank you Mark, good talking to you. Pre-game coverage begins 7pm Eastern tonight ESPN2 with The Point. It features Steve Levy, PK Subban and Mark Messier. See you later Mark. Thank you for being on with us. Thanks for having me on you guys. Take care. Thank you Mark. Howdyban, and Mark Messier. See you later, Mark. Thank you for being on with us. Thanks for having me on, you guys. Take care. Thank you, Mark.

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