The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz - The Hockey Show: RIP Matthew and Johnny Gaudreau

Episode Date: September 6, 2024

Roy and David Dwork are back for another edition of The Hockey Show and they begin by honoring Matthew and Johnny Gaudreau after their tragic passing last weekend. They discuss the outpouring of love from Calgary, Columbus and the entire hockey world in the wake of the news. Leon Draisaitl got a giant extension from the Edmonton Oilers and it has the guys questioning how the Stanley Cup runners-up will build their team in the future considering how much money they have locked up into two players. Then, what would the guys and Ethan, who is filling in for Rose, do if they had a day with the Stanley Cup? At what point does Phil Pritchard leave the room? Plus, hockey season is just around the corner and the boys are getting excited. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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See store for details. Hello, welcome to this week's edition of The Hockey Show. My name is Roy Bellamy. David Drucker, The Hockey News is to my left. We're going to get into some league business in a second, but first we're gonna talk about the candlelight vigils for Johnny and Matthew Coudreau that happened earlier this week, and the scenes from Calgary and Columbus as the fans and both teams got together to talk about Johnny and talk about his time with everybody there was certainly special. Yeah It's

Just looking at these pictures like it that the reception really across the board was you know as it as it always should be People are coming together Like I like that there was like an oilers fan holding a sign outside the saddle dome that said like it doesn't matter What's on the front of your jersey right now or something like that. It was just like, you know, this is, this is when, you know, everybody comes together. Yeah. And, you know, there was another, a memorial that was outside, I think,

the Boston College hockey rink. It's, yeah, I mean, it's gonna be really sad, I think, also when the season starts, because, you know, obviously it's gonna hit home a bit more when we get into the buildings and everybody's putting their gear on and they're doing their thing. Yeah, but once the patches get applied to both the flames and blue jackets, jerseys of number 13, that's going to be that that's going to be really bittersweet. You know, like the memory of Johnny Goudreau, especially at Boston College. That's that's going to really resonate and that man had a lot more to give. Yeah for this league and for his country with Team USA and

for that to be extinct, extinguished like that. It's not great, you know, no, it's I mean, anytime it's gonna suck. It's sad. It's awful. It shouldn't happen And yeah, just thinking about like how the reaction is going to be when you're on the ice and you're getting ready to play a game and you're trying to get into that focus and then you see those patches Like it's yeah, it's we're all human, right? Yeah, that's the thing. I think people forget

Is these guys are humans are just like us, you know, we all put our pants on in the beginning of the day the same way and these guys are humans, they're just like us. We all put our pants on in the beginning of the day the same way. And, man, I'm sad for the season, man. And just thinking for our terms, I'm pretty sure the Blue Jackets home opener is against Florida. So we're going to be covering, we're going to have a lot of eyeballs on that in terms of what we do and who we're around a lot. So it's going to be very front and center for a lot of us. Speaking of jerseys, Cole Caulfield of the Montreal Canadiens is changing his player's number to 13 in Johnny Couture's honor.

And I mean, you're going to see a lot of players making a lot of tributes to Johnny. And this one is when you're changing your player number, which is basically you're changing part of you. Yeah, part of you. It's like your identity. Yeah. I mean, that's a pretty special tribute right there.

Yeah. And specifically, like a guy like Colt Huffield, who's a smaller player, like you could argue that like his path to the NHL was kind of helped formed by a guy like Johnny Goudreau. You know when you think about like the smaller stars in the NHL there aren't many of them like you think like a Theo Flurry when we were growing up. But you know Johnny Goudreau did so much that people told him he'd never be able to do. So for someone like Cole Toffield who kind of walked that similar path as a smaller player that's now reached the NHL and it's playing quite well.

It's a touching tribute that I thought was really nice and I think that's going to be something that's just kind of like with the patches but with the number particularly, it's such a nice honor and it's just a really nice way to honor his memory I think. Yes, once again from the hockey show condolences to the Coudreau family and to Johnny and Matthew Rest in power. Let's move on to league business. Leon Drysado of the Edmonton Oil has got himself an extension, and it's a pretty big one, Dave.

Yeah, eight years, 14 million AAV, the highest now in the league. Well, it will be when it kicks in next season, out earning Austin Matthews 13.25. But all right, first off, before we get into the nitty gritty, what was your reaction when you saw this massive number for Leon Dreisaitl, who I know people are arguing, and you may be mentioning that he didn't really show up too well in the final.

No. Now, credit to Sasha Barkov, who makes about five million less than Dreisaitl, four million less than Dreisaitl, but what was your reaction when you first saw this contract? Well, I gotta say I wonder what the numbers gonna be for Conor McDavid who's up next, right? He's got two years remaining on his current contract and Leon dry side had a quote

Regarding the Edmonton all is potentially hopefully for them extending was potentially, hopefully for them, extending the Conor McDavid's contract. He said, and I quote, as I always do, I sure hope he follows along and we can be all ride or dies for a long, long time. The man's German, first of all. He's using the term ride or die.

I found that hilarious. Maybe he saw Will Smith and Martin Lawrence recently. I was thinking like he watched the Fast and the Furious movies What well it's like I think back to like You know like I think it was was it if Jenny Malkin or somebody when they first came over They didn't speak much English all they did was and I think they quoted movie lines. No. No you just watched Transformers over and over and over and over to learn English and when somebody asked them like why is that movie? He's just like Megan Fox. Oh, so I but I wonder if like, you know as dry side

Oh, you know, he's German, but I don't know how well he spoke English when he got here Maybe he watched the Fast and the Furious movies a lot to help him, you know acclimates. So the ride-or-die thing, but I Don't know man. Like dry side. I was making 14 million McDavid to help him acclimate so the ride or die thing. I don't know man, like Dry Cytle's making 14 million. McDavid you would think is gonna get more than Dry Cytle. So they're gonna have like between a quarter and a third of their whole salary cap. That's not a lot to build a team around when you got that little left on your salary cap.

That's gonna be like, what are you gonna do for the rest of your, who's going to be the other four on the first line? Well, and but also like look back to this past year's final, I think is a great kind of way to view it because you got four and this is even before Edmonton had all their money tied up to their top guys. But like you got Florida who you had a lot of guys with team friendly deals, which allows them to basically outfit an entire fourth line with good money to spend.

If you didn't spend a million plus on your whole fourth line, each player, you're going to be doing okay because that's your depth. Florida's depth was arguably one of their biggest strengths over the past couple years, but particularly this year when everybody didn't get hurt like they did last year against Vegas. But yeah, having those couple extra million, those two or three extra million, that goes over the past couple years but particularly this year when everybody didn't get hurt like they did last year against Vegas but yeah having those couple extra million those two or three extra million that goes a long way towards your depth when you get into the nitty-gritty

moments of the season. I was looking at the top fifty on the cap hit list right now for all the players uh... Alexander Bokov and Sergey Barbarosky are both tied for fifteenth at ten million dollars on their cap hit, and that's tied for 15th. The next player is 28th on this list, and that's Matthew Kachuk. I mean, and then Sam Reinhardt,

who just got extended his cap hit, who's gonna hit later. 57 goals, and he signed for, oh, what is it, 8.62 or 8.26 or something? 8 1 1⁄2 million basically for a 50 goal score. Thank you, Ethan, our co-producer today. And he said that in our ears. He did not say it, he said that in your ear.

8.625 is the number. I wanted to thank Ethan and welcome him to the show because he's filling in for Rose. Ethan, you can't turn your mic on, by the way. It's the EP mic, the second, second. That's not the right mic it's second from the left yeah exactly second from the left nearest you EP mic thank you that's what I just said EP mic Steve Martin also yeah I was gonna say

Sam Reinhardt's 48th on this list and that's before his cap hit from his extension actually does take effect It's gonna be a little bit higher So yeah, I mean no team friendly deals That's important. Yeah, yeah I mean that's how you win Stanley cups And I don't want to hear the argument about no sales tax in Florida and blah blah blah bullshit because there's been no sales That's in Florida the whole time the Panthers are have existed yeah

All of a sudden figured out that this amazing little trick canary in the fight no man It's like there's more to it than just that They've built a culture down here, and it's you know it all starts with what Bill Zito has done Started by bringing in the guys like hornQuest and Goudis and those guys yeah I don't want to hear this anymore you're tired of it I'm over it yeah on the other side of things though in Boston the spitting chicklicks guys Ryan Whitney in particular said he had a source saying that Jeremy Swainman who by the way the Bruins get rid of Linus Ohlmark for Jeremy Swainman Right now the Bruins are low balling Jeremy Swainman. I don't get that at all. Yeah, they're offering right now four years

6.2 million dollars per on the on the AV according to Ryan Whitney's sources. Yeah, that's what Ryan Whitney is saying according to his source. For 25-year-old Jeremy Swainman, who's just entering the prime of his career, who was arguably the best goalie the first round of the playoffs last year,

I know, or the second round of the playoffs last year, the first and second round, confusing seasons. No, like, because he was amazing against Toronto last year when Boston beat them in seven. And then he was really good against the Panthers, even though the Panthers beat them in six. Swainman kept them in a lot of those games. So it made sense when they traded Olmark, like, have fun in Ottawa. And Olmark's comments, by the way, he said, I think yesterday, he likes it in Ottawa because

he doesn't hear the sirens or anything anymore. It's just silence, which he loves. So happy for you, Linus. I'm glad he didn't go to DC. But I don't get that at all. Like this Swainman could be like that next level goal center coming into his prime on a great team in Boston that always seems to be good and defensive and smart. What are they thinking?

The other thing about this is they lowballed him on that offer. That's what I'm saying. What are they thinking? And they haven't called him back in three weeks. Three weeks they haven't talked to him. So they made him the lowball offer and then they're like, alright, just let us know when you say yes Yeah, sweat it out and let us know or counter offers. I hope that's not true because that sounds like a not great way of Negotiating especially with like unless they're not viewing Swamen is what we all assume They should be viewing him as,

which is their goalie of the current and of the future, then there's no one else in the cupboard, right? I'm not sure what Boston's goaltending situation is, but I don't think they've got somebody that's going to step in right now and be that next guy. Yeah. I mean, the spitting-chicklets crew, just like the missing missing curfew crew, they have their hand in the pulse. I mean, the former players, they got their sources within the teams and I'm willing to believe what Ryan Whitney is saying based on his source. But Jesus Christ, for four years, $6.2 million for somebody who's that young, who is that good?

Get out of here. They did trade for Yornis Corpusalo, who's got a decently sized contract. But again, they made that trade. One should not have to deal with the other, I don't think. You gotta take care of Swainman. Yeah, you have to. I wouldn't mind seeing him leave Boston,

because it's a team in Florida's division, and I'm not particularly prone to liking Boston sports teams, because I'm a South Florida sports guy. So, you know, in that regard, cool. But for my fellow goaltenders, Wayman, like dude, I hope they take care of your brother. Yeah, the Bruins, the past two seasons in regards to when they play their goaltenders

and how they pay their goaltenders and what they do with the contracts of their goaltenders, a bit questionable. I mean, you remember last season when the contracts of the goaltenders, a bit questionable. I mean, you remember last season when the Panthers upset the Bruins, who happened to be the best regular season team in the history of the league that year. Yeah, Olmark was injured, and they continued to play him.

I mean, it's a bit different when, you know, it's one of the position players, you know, I mean, they like tend to play through these things, but when when is a goaltender, that's a completely different situation. I don't know what they were doing in that situation Playing a very much injured all mark And now they're doing and now they trade away all mark to make swimming their prime primary goaltender and They're doing this to I mean that's Once once he gets to extension time again. I mean, that can't be any way that he's going to stay on that team.

No, and you just kind of wonder also, like are the Bruins kind of, you know, on a downward slope because they've lost a lot of talent over the last few years. Yeah, I mean, and guy, you know, Marshan's not getting any yonder. Oh, and Marshan, three surgeries in the off season. Three, three, I mean, what he was playing with in that Florida series apparently was major. Yeah, he didn't look like himself. And you won, like, maybe it's age, but yeah, he. Maybe it's, I'm not even including the punch to the face

by Sam Bennett. No, that wasn't part of the... Or him trying to... Or that check they tried to lay later in the game, which he, which is how he got concussed. Yeah, he took more of the brunt. It's, you have to wonder what's going on in Boston. And you know what?

We have this conversation, and they're still gonna find a way to be a top three team, because it's Boston. Yes. Before we get out of here, and we talked about this on the big show, just a bit after the Stanley Cup final, the Stanley Cup is now back in town. It was overseas for a little bit with the Finnish players,

but now it's back in South Florida. So what would you do with the Stanley Cup if you had a day with him? We're gonna ask Ethan as well. What would you do, we're gonna start with Ethan since he's in the other room. What would you do with the Stanley Cup for a day? You put me on the spot here.

The first thing I'd do is put you on the spot. Inspired by Sam Bennett, I would eat Fruity Pebbles out of the ice cream or something. I would totally eat something out of the same I Was thinking like some Captain Crunch like Sam Bennett or some crunch berries I'm more of a crunch berries guy, but yeah I thought that's one thing I would have liked to do because cereal is such a pure thing I love you guys to go golfing with it like I think that's so cool

Yeah, you can't use it around the course and no absolutely someone to like carry it though. Yeah, like the caddy I mean, he's always got a cup I think I need a cup caddy. Just hold it the entire day. Just hug it. Just look at it. Just put it on. I think Matthew Kachuck said on a podcast recently that he just like put it on a table. Yes Just stared at it. That's what I'm that I get to. Well sleep with it. You're gonna end up like Alexander Vritsky and just sleep with it. That's a classic picture of OV. That would be me too. Like I'd have it in the bed like Cuddling with it like falling asleep. I mean, how could you not? It's the Stanley Cup, it's your day with it. You have to go to sleep at some point

unless you just spend 24 hours a week with it. That's the dream. Well, the whole 24 hour thing is kind of like, it's not actually 24 hours. A lot of the guys get it for 12 to 14 hours or something like that. Yeah. Yeah, I don't know.

I mean, it has to be a special request. You wanna sleep with the cup and the other thing about this is It's Phil in the room like is the cup gonna be in the room as I leave It's like on the Bachelorette or something like you get the fantasy suite with the Stanley Cup But there's cameras everywhere and it's like yeah, it's kind of romantic This is something I think about all the time is when does he go like at what point does he go away? Even when he we away like he's just going away to the couch like he's not leaving the house like there We've talked him about this like he slept on couches across the globe. Yeah, wait, can't have a pillow

Is that the coolest gig? If you can handle the travel, yeah I mean I imagine it's tedious because of all the places you have to go and you're schlepping this 40 pound cup that has to be taken excellent care of. But I mean, aside from that. He must have the most amazing stories.

I mean, I know he does. He's been on the show and everything, but like. We need to have our own South Beach session with him. Yes. Yes, have a nice hour with him to regale on his stories and whatnot. That'd be a good one. For me, it's always going to be food,

because I'm always hungry all the time. I was thinking that you'd find a way to smoke in old fashion in the cup. Smoked old fashion. Man, do you know how much whiskey's going to have to go in that for a smoked old-fashioned. Man, do you know how much whiskey is gonna have to go in that for a smoked old-fashioned? And then you gotta find a wood and then you gotta have like a big chunk of wood. It's the Stanley Cup, dude. You figure it out. That's gonna smell like hickory for years. Yeah, I wonder if they let you actually. Yeah,

probably not. Like, poor whiskey. It would to be crowned royal or some Canadian club When I think it's the cup man, I feel like my goal for this sorry to interrupt Yeah My goal for the summer was to drink out of the cup but my goal for this summer now is to get Roy to drink Out of the cup like that needs to happen at some point. It's a little FOMO I'll be honest like seeing a lot of like the cup has been like it's been having oysters this week I see like, you know, some of our colleagues in the news are somehow drinking out of it, and I'm like man I Know I I'm like what I want to like is that why we're not getting these memos

What is my thing is where is the cup I keep seeing people with it? I'm like why is nobody telling me or the show or anybody where the cup is Roy has to drink out of the cup at some point. It has to happen. I hope so. I would absolutely love to. If Phil or the Panthers organization would allow such a thing to happen, which I doubt because I'm just a freaking guy.

No, but that's the thing. I'm seeing some of our local news colleagues drinking from the cup over the last few days. How's OJ McDuffie drinking from the cup? But that's the, and that's cool. I just want to find out how do I get in that line? How do I get on that text chain? Like, yeah.

Yeah, I'll take a number. Right? Like I'll, I don't, tell me where to go. I'll be there. I had a couple friends that were at the elbow room the day they, like the morning after. Nice. And one of them like literally touched the cup

as Aaron Echberg was walking by with it. And I'm just like, how did you get in there? How did you get a picture with it, drink out of it? And it's totally different because going to the Hall of Fame or to an all-star event or whatever and seeing the cup there and taking a picture of it, that's cool, that's one thing. But to be a part of a celebration moment

and touch it when they're getting drunk with it or have them pour beer Like that's a completely- That's pour beer on you from the cup. Yeah, absolutely. I'm sure I'll see it at some point in the next season because it'll be at the arena, I imagine, plenty of times while we own the cup. But I want it actually, I want it to be authentic.

Yes. Celebrating the Panthers winning the cup. It's not staged. Exactly, exactly. Yes, so hopefully I'll, you know, I'll drink whatever booze they pour in that thing. I'll drink apple juice out of it. I'll drink Absinthe. I'll drink that nasty stuff that's in Chicago that tastes bitter as well.

Oh, Everclear? No, what was the, there was like a blue one that like was popular when I was a kid that was an Absinthe. Everclear. Oh, the hypnotic? Yes. Oh, hypnotic. Hypnotic with a Q., oh hypnotic not it with the cue. Oh Hypnotic here's my plea to the Panthers in the NHL

Bring the cup to the bright side. It's the hockey bar. It's where it went crazy in appropriate place I've never been right side Roy you got to come next season first of all can't believe you never was gotta be a road game Okay, yes, I'm gonna be at Emmer and Bank. We should do a hockey show watch party or something. A watch party something like that would be great. We're spitballing on the cheer. We're doing a production meeting. Bring it to the bright side. I'm telling you. Where's Rose? That's what I'm trying to get this planned. Rose's antlers are sticking up from wherever whatever college town she's in right now. Yeah so yeah that's an excellent idea bring the cup to the right. Where's the bright side anyway down in?

Gables on Coral Way Bring it down there. We have a great time. Make our annual trip to the UM area Yeah, well you gotta go down at least once a year, but if we do this we got a plan a stop at the Big Cheese Oh Bring it to the infield to I know that's your guys spot after the game. Yeah, I'm surprised that wasn't there yet. The Stanley Cup at the infield, that's a vision. Yes, yes. That's a vision.

I probably can't even fit in there, it's so small. The infield. That's the spot, man. That is the spot. The infield is where we usually go after games for a quick drink and for most of us to finish stories. Oh yeah, well, if you come to the infield 90 minutes after a Panther game, you are probably going to see at least two people either at the bar or near the bar on their laptops clanking

away with their drink in hand. Like this is, that's how it should be. And George Richards being the host. George is the mayor of Sunrise. Yes, George is absolutely the mayor of Sunrise. He's been the mayor of Sunrise for like, once he got back from Columbus, what was that, like 10 years ago?

Yeah, we'll see him soon. We're gonna see him at golf Monday. Oh yes. Yeah, yeah, let's talk about that actually. Goldie's golf tournament. What's the official name of that? The Goldie's Gang Golf Classic, I believe. Yes, we are gonna be there.

Rose is gonna bring her camera because she can't swing a golf club. But yeah, she's gonna bring her camera and we are going to film some stuff for the hockey show of me slicing. Slicing and Dicing. Slicing and Dicing. That ball's gonna go straight to the right.

Like boom, over there to the right. We don't need to keep score when we golf. We just go out there, we have a little fun. Well, you don't need to keep score. I certainly don't need to score. I just have it in my head, 20. As long as I get out of the round with a par or two, or a birdie, a rare birdie, I'm pretty happy.

Yeah, God willing, we play in front of Jeff Remmer. I'm pretty sure. You're like, you're taking too long. Last year, I'm pretty sure we got to like the 15th hole and we just said, you know, let's just go drink. Yeah. We just didn't even finish. Yeah, let's just go to the clubhouse

and get some whiskey or something. Yeah. Yeah. So yeah, that's up. That's up. September 16 at Coral Ridge Country Club. Yeah. If you haven't signed up yet, it's always a fun time.

We are a month away from a training camp in the season starting. Less. Less than that. Media day is in like three weeks. Less than three weeks. Oh, we're going to be there too. Yeah, we'll be at media day. There's a lot going on. We've been having some fun with our Panthers summer content, our hockey content this summer and everything, but yeah, hockey season is right around the corner. We have like maybe one or two more shows before like they're back on the ice. We got stuff Yeah, yeah hockey seasons right around the corner and we just turned from the corner of which these Stanley Cup was actually awarded. I mean, it's just Like there's no rest. There's no rest for the very man. I'll tell you right now

Well before we wrap wrap up the show because you did bring up the Stanley Cup being awarded, Ethan's got something for us to remind us of that. Ethan? Alright, we have made it from Amarin-Beggarina to the infield, which is a couple blocks down. Why do you hurt I, man? Why? So people thought that you were drunk already when you did that? I wasn't. No. We had not, our drinks were to the brim, had not been touched yet. We had just walked in the infield, we started talking to people.

Yeah. Can confirm. We had not, we were drunk on victory. We came straight from the arena. We were ourselves celebrating on the ice. We were like, I didn't want to leave. We were like one of the last people on the ice. Yeah.

There was not much there when we left. Nope, nope, not much there at all. And we left and we got straight, we went straight to the infield, walked in, we talked about how we were going to talk to the patrons there. And we got to work. We got to work. I didn't have a single sip. No, like within 30 to 45 minutes of that being recorded, we had a few sips.

But no, at that moment, which is what I love about that video We're we're just Sober drunk. Yeah, we're just so happy drunk. Yeah, it was just an awesome night joy drunk. Yeah. Yeah is Exhilaration, you know because it's like when your kids born. Yeah, I mean because we're Panthers fans and we like to pretend like we're I mean because we're Panthers fans and we like to pretend like we're professional We are professional hockey fans. We grew up as hockey fans and we did it in a market where it's not like you're not born into it There's nobody, you know you're not watching with your parents or with your friends like hockey was very new when we were kids and we were a couple of the people that it just

Gravitated us toward it and we fell in love with the sport very naturally and so to have this happen for us it was it was monumental it's a big deal for us dan often tells this story of gonzo of poppy because once 96 happened and they made their run and it started to get a lot more popular down here apparently gonzo thought the puck was metal he didn't know that was rubber he thought vulcanized rubber he thought it was metal which would hurt a lot more that I'm choking on that idea as a goaltender oh oh no I mean it's a bullet the sound effects would be great the bruises wouldn't you imagine? Can you imagine the sound of that metal puck? Well, you'd need to wear like a suit of armor as a goalie. Yeah, but can you imagine that sound hitting the post?

Bink! Earth shattering. It'd be like the Little League World Series was in town. Yes We're gonna try to talk more hockey next week I'm sure there'll be some league news or something. But right now, this is off season. And we are just trying to get to the preseason at this point. So David Jork and Ethan, what the f**k is your last name again? Because it's unpronounceable.

It's Podowski. That guy, Roy Bellamy, this is The Hockey Show. We'll talk to you next week.