The Hockey PDOcast - Episode 101: Making America Great Again

Episode Date: September 27, 2016

Chris Peters joins the show to discuss who's to blame for Team USA crashing and burning in the World Cup of Hockey, and what's behind Team Europe's improbable run to the final. Here's a quick rundown of the topics covered: 3:11 World Cup of Hockey surprisingly entertaining 5:28 Who's to blame for Team USA's failure 7:00 The infatuation with '96 9:48 Roster construction in a short tournament 12:20 Dean Lombardi empowering John Tortorella 16:00 Is Tortorella in 'The Tyson Zone'? 22:10 Team Europe's improbable run 25:50 Anze Kopitar getting his due This episode is brought to you by Freshbooks, an online accounting service designed to save time and help avoid all of the stresses that come with running a small business. They’re currently offering a free 30-day trial to listeners of our show at Freshbooks.com/PDOcast (just remember to enter “Hockey PDOcast” in the ‘How You Heard About Us’ section). Every episode of this podcast is available on iTunes, Soundcloud, Stitcher and can also be streamed right here on the website. Make sure subscribe so that you don’t miss out on any new shows as they’re released, and also take a minute to leave a glowing review. Thanks for listening! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices If you'd like to gain access to the two extra shows we're doing each week this season, you can subscribe to our Patreon page here: www.patreon.com/thehockeypdocast/membership If you'd like to participate in the conversation and join the community we're building over on Discord, you can do so by signing up for the Hockey PDOcast's server here: https://discord.gg/a2QGRpJc84 The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Media Inc. or any affiliate.

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If it feels like it's been a while, well, it's probably because it has been. But the summer's over now and I'm pretty excited to get back in the saddle. We did exactly 100 episodes through the first year of the show. show, which feels like a lot of audio content. So for those of you that have either been listening since the very beginning or caught on at some point and went back to listen to the early stuff, I'm really grateful for that. I'm a pretty diehard listener of airs, other shows myself. So hearing from people that say they hold this podcast and that type of regard themselves is a really humbling feeling. Same with hearing from people who during the hiatus were wondering where

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to the mean since 2015. It's the Hockey PEDEOCast with your host, Dmitri Filippovich. Welcome to the Hockey PEDEOCast. My name is Demetri Filippovich. And joining me today is someone who I've meant to have on for a long time now, but it hasn't worked out for whatever reasons, conflicts and schedule and all that sorts of stuff. And he's really busy with his own work. But it's Chris Peters from CBS Sports. Chris, how's it going, man? Demetri, it's going well. How are you? I'm good, man. I got to be honest. I was really enjoying my summer, just staying off the grid and not really doing anything.

And I honestly thought the World Cup of hockey would be a good excuse to kind of prolong that vacation, just because I wasn't personally too invested in it. And I thought that I might get a few more weeks here before the preseason starts before I actually have to start doing some work. But you know what? I've really enjoyed the play. And there's been quite a few storylines to come out of it that are worth talking about. So they've kind of dragged me out of my hibernation. Yeah, no, I know this, I know the feeling.

I was kind of enjoying my offseason as well. but yeah, this tournament really, I think, exceeded expectations. And, yeah, I mean, especially just with Team North America being as cool as it was. And I think that really brought the tournament to a new level. I think that was part of it. And, you know, obviously the American flameout certainly provides plenty of fodder. But yeah, I mean, it is amazing how much I've enjoyed the tournament much more than I thought I would. and I'm glad to see it bring some good hockey to September.

I mean, this is usually a dragging month where we're dealing with the preseason. But this has been fun. Well, I think it was definitely a little bit of a crossroads there because I could see it going either way, right? Like it could have been just sort of like a lack of desical exhibition tournament where no one was really caring and it would have been something that wouldn't have been too interesting. But instead,

it's actually been pretty competitive. And there's been various storylines from Canada's just sheer dominance and insanely stack roster throughout to, as you mentioned, North America's youth and young talent and team Europe's surprising run and the U.S. And I think that when I think of U.S. hockey, I think of Chris Peters. I know that you're all in on that brand. So it made perfect sense to have you on to discuss whatever happened there with that team. Yeah, what did happen? I've been trying to wrap my head around it. I, you know, it is funny. Yeah, I mean, just, you know, for my background, I spent three years at U.S.A. hockey and started my first block.

before CBS was all mostly national team, world juniors, American hockey prospects, kind of that. That was my niche. And then I've obviously expanded in the NHL now. But yeah, I mean, it is, that was, well, it was something. I'm not sure what it was, but it was something. Well, there's a lot to unpack. And I think that a logical starting point for us is whenever something goes off the rails like it did with this team, there's obviously going to be finger pointing involved and people trying to figure out who's to blame. So I think I have my answer, but I'll tee it up for you. Who do you think is primarily to blame for what happened with this team?

Well, I think it has to start at the top. You know, I think Dean Lombardi kind of set the tone very early on when he was hired. And we kind of had some hints as to the team that he wanted to build that was all talking about roles, the importance of players buying in, the importance of, you know, following in the footsteps of the 1996 team that was, you know, far more talented than people seem to remember. But, you know, there were that that's, that's kind of where it starts. And then it, you know, it goes, he's the one that brought on John Tortorella. He's the one that, you know, made some of the decisions that the, the team made. And it's kind of followed. And I really think

U.S. roster construction has kind of been devolving a little bit, you know, at the upper level. as we've seen, you know, from the Olympics to this. And then obviously the results kind of went that way. So obviously the philosophy, you know, Dean Lombardi laid it out. He didn't back away from it after Team USA lost. He just said, this is, we picked the team with the style that we thought could beat Canada. Turned out, couldn't beat Europe, couldn't beat the Czech Republic. So that's where it starts for me.

It's Dean Lombardi. Yeah, in infatuation with that 96 team, I feel like it became a, a real just kind of running joke on Twitter, but it's, it's weird. Like, I'm thinking back to 96, I was four years old myself and I didn't even speak a lick, lick of English at the time. I still haven't come to Canada. So it's like, it's one of those things where you'd like to think that the people responsible for building the team would take maybe a more modern approach, something that's, something that's happened in the past 20 years, as opposed to looking back at kind of lionizing the glory days. Yeah, yeah. Well, I was, I was 12, and that team meant a heck of a lot

to me at that point because, you know, I grew up a Chicago Blackhawks fan and so I had never experienced, you know, a hockey championship before. So I understand the infatuation with it because obviously it was a great team, but they also had six Hall of Famers on that team. You know, they had Brett Hall leading the tournament and scoring and just being a completely dominant player in that tournament. So they had these guys at the peak of their, their talent. And, you know, I think some of the decisions to bring some of the grinders, they definitely had guys that, that were grinding physical players. But there were guys that kind of like Chelyos,

who was both a grinding physical player, but also very good. So, you know, the fact is, is that the U.S. roster and the talent pool right now, even with Team North America, there are enough guys that you could have brought

that would have given you a team that could still be physical, that could still score. You know, I think, you know, they felt like they were behind the eight ball no matter what. And it's true. I think the first key to,

to beating Canada is understanding that you cannot stop them. You have to figure out how to counter what they have. And that was, to me, the big failing of this tournament is that they didn't counteract. They wanted to build a roster they thought that could inflict punishment, could inflict, you know, a defensive style that was going to be too difficult for Canada's best forwards to get through. And that is a mistake. You know, and I think we've seen other teams play a little bit more competitively against Canada, where it wasn't necessarily they were defending all that well.

It was they were just trying to to make the saves and then counter with an offensive attack. And we saw that against Russia in the semifinals. And so that focus on Canada really was to the detriment because if you get through to the championship round or the semifinal round, you know, anything can happen at that point. So you have to at least get there. And the way that the tournament was set up, you'd figure that Europe and Czech Republic were games that you had to have. So you had to at least beat those guys and then you're in.

And then they just went winless throughout. So to me, that's the real disappointment here. It starts at the very beginning when they built the roster, when they picked the head coach. You know, in hindsight, you know, we all have hindsight now and we know that it was not just a risky play. It was a complete and utter failure. Yes. And I think the key thing there is that, you know, you're definitely not going to be able to match a team like Canada, you know, strength on strength in terms of talent and outscore them. to kill them, but that doesn't mean that you should just completely go the other way and just

forego skill entirely, right? Like, it's not like if you take guys like, let's say, a Tyler Johnson or a Kevin Shaddenk or a Justin Falk or guys like that that were sort of the notable omissions from this team when they announced it a few months ago. It's not like you bringing those guys and all of a sudden saying, well, we also can't play a, you know, a defensively responsible brand of hockey. Like it did those two things. The offense of the defense sort of go hand in hand, right? It's like a symbiotic relationship. It's not just one or the other. Right. Yeah, exactly. And I think that really it started with the defense where that's where the mistakes were made, the biggest mistakes. I know everybody wants to focus on Phil Kessel not being there.

Obviously, he wouldn't have been able to with the hand injury or Tyler Johnson, Caliposo. But to me, you know, you touched on Justin Falk. He was one of the biggest omissions to me. Kevin Chatt and Kirk right up there with him. You know, you could even talk about Keith Yandel, you know, guys that like that that move the puck. I think that it's so important to have a decor that can get the puck up ice quickly, you know, to try and beat candidate transition. They had the forwards that could do it.

They didn't necessarily have the defensemen that were getting back and getting the pucks up the ice and triggering that transition. You know, John Carlson was won. Ryan McDonough did it for some time. You know, some of the tournament, you know, Ryan Suter can play that way. But they were stuck defending the entire time. It really never came to fruition.

I think if you have guys that can control the puck and move it, you're going to have a better opportunity. And that's where, you know, again, you're not going to beat Canada skill on skill. Everybody understands that. But if you can have, you know, you know your goalie is going to have to be important for you. You're going to get out shot. It's just the way it's going to be.

How do you exploit the mistakes? How do you, the few mistakes that are going to be made. And that's, that's one of the things that Europe has kind of built their team around is that, you know, we're going to play conservative hockey. But we've, when we're going to pick our spots and they pick their spots extremely well. It's dangerous to do it. No question. But you're not going to win the possession battle anyway.

way. So, you know, maybe try and figure out ways that you can exploit the opposition. And, you know, you look at Europe and it's guys like Ange Kopitar, Leon Dreisital, even Tomas Tatar, those guys that have the skill that when you give them an opportunity, they're going to have success. And the U.S. had those guys. They just couldn't play a style of hockey that put the puck in their hands enough. Right. And when we're trying to kind of divvy out the blame here, you mentioned Lombardi. He was responsible for building the team. But I think also the big failing was I imagine the person responsible for also empowering John Tortorella, hiring him, and then giving him the leeway to make these personnel decisions. Not in terms of the guys they actually brought, right?

We saw Dustin Bufflin being shifted between the fans and forward and then being healthy scratched. And it was very, very puzzling to me because even from the guys they brought, I feel like they didn't optimize that set of players as well. Yeah, you're exactly right. I mean, it was kind of interesting to see how everything kind of devolved as time went on there. You know, Dustin Bufflin was one of the first 16 players named to the, to the team. And to me, that, that showed me that there was some innovative thinking because

Bufflin had never played on a national team before at any level. And finally, he gets his opportunity. And so I thought, you know, okay, well, there's that. But then, you know, when we see the next layer of players and it's Brandon Dubinsky and Jack Johnson, you know, it becomes very evident how much control John Tortorella, you know, had in that decision because, you know, Jack Johnson didn't make the team in 2014. for the Olympics and it was to that group, it was tough to leave him off.

He didn't get any better over the next two years and then he was on the team. So that was really troubling, I thought, and it showed that, you know, Tortoella had this style and, you know, the reasons that he said that he brought him, you know, one of the classic quotes is that when Jack Johnson makes a mistake, he makes it out of aggression. And he wants guys that make mistakes out of aggression.

It's not often that you're going to hear a head coach talking about how he likes a guy. the way a guy makes mistakes. You know, so that that was there. And then certainly, you know, then you bring Brandon Nubinsky. And it's very clear to me is, you know, when he was on there, I was like, okay. So if this roster is designed to beat Canada, he's obviously there to annoy Sidney Crosby. And that's going to be his primary role in the team doesn't dress against Canada, which to me was fine because he, he did not have a good game against Europe.

He took a bad penalty. And so, yeah, so those are all those decisions that kind of pile up. And then to have made those decisions, you lose the flexibility then to bring in a guy, to have guys that have more offensive ability because you're trying to stick with that style. You know, and you kind of stick with the David Backus and, you know, Eric Johnson, you know, and Eric Johnson wasn't one of the ones where I was like, oh gosh, that guy shouldn't be there. But he was still like one of those, you know, could we have had somebody that was a little more offensive for the U.S. there? is it could have, you know, it's just really, you know, they were so focused on, on the aggression.

We saw it in the preliminary round games too. I'm sorry to be all over the place here. But yeah, but in those those pre-tournament games, it was very clear what they were trying to do. And I think they kind of spent all of their energy in those games playing that style. And then all of a sudden we see, you know, the result in the actual tournament, Canada was playing, you know, a different game compared to before. And the U.S. was trying the same things over and over again. So, yeah, certainly John Tortorella is going to deserve quite a bit of blame.

I mean, you know, you look at some of the coaches in the U.S. pool right now, guys that could have been options that play a completely different brand of hockey. Peter Lovillette comes to mind. Mike Sullivan, who was right next to Tortella on the bench. You know, and obviously, you know, there wasn't a whole lot of influence there because if you were hoping to see a team play anything similar to what the penguins were doing to win a Stanley Cup, the U.S. did the exact opposite. For people that don't know or don't follow his work, Bill Simmons a handful of years ago

coined the term the Mike Tyson zone where basically Mike Tyson had reached this point where you could hear a story involving him, regardless of how ridiculous it sounded, you just have to believe it because it's Mike Tyson. And it would be like Torrella reached the point with quotes where I could, I could, I could open up Twitter and see some quote that's completely fabricated. I just have to believe it just because he's reached that level of just, just random comments. I mean, there's a lot of a low hanging fruit here, but I think the best one was when he was asked about the thinking behind putting Appalcator on the same line as Patty Kane.

And his response was there wasn't any thinking involved. And I think that just summed everything up very neatly. Yeah. Yeah, that was that was a classic. You know, the full context made it a little softer, but not really. You know, so yeah, I mean, the thing is, is Justin Amdel Cater is a first line player for the Detroit Red Wings. Right. There is a salary cap in the National Hockey League.

There is not in the World Cup of hockey. You know, so that is that is kind of, you know, yes, he plays with good players. He is supposed to open up space. But that was all those decisions. They were building this team based on, you know, these ideas that just didn't seem to make a whole lot of sense. And, you know, the thing is is, is when you. go 0 and 3, every single thing deserves to be nitpicked. And in USA hockey should be nip picking every decision.

Where did we go wrong with this roster should be the common theme? And then it was obvious to pretty much everyone outside of the decision making process that this was not going to be a team that was going to have a great chance. And as you mentioned, they went in the opposite direction. They made themselves less talented. and, you know, they even got, they weren't even as fast as a normal U.S. team is. That's kind of been one of the hallmarks of USA hockey. It certainly was in 2010 and in other years, but you're going back to the well with the same guys and they're not as quick as they used to be.

You know, so yeah, so there were so many things that went wrong and now they have to really kind of do some soul searching to figure out why this keeps happening. Yeah, I think that, okay, just to put a ball on this. Like, I think the, the thing that frustrates me the most is, it's um, Lombardi's quotes about sort of, uh, caring and all this stuff as if, you know, uh, having a certain level of desire to win these games is what's going to make the difference. I mean, these guys are playing at the highest level and they're all competitive athletes and, you know, they're representing their country on a national stage. I'm sure that any single player that would have come to this team would have, uh, tried their very best. But at the end of

the day, it's like, it's, it's sort of missing the forest for the trees, right? It's like, you need a certain level of ability to actually put you over the top. And it was all these quotes about guys like abdilcator and bacchus and how they're the nucleus of caring quote unquote i don't even know have you still figured out what that means like do we need to get some astrophysicist on the case here like i don't i don't even know what that the nucleus of carrying even involves yeah no i know i really do enjoy a a good dean lombardi press conference because he does he's going to bring out some things and you're just like what is he talking about but you know you know that he he knows what he's talking about i guess but yeah it's it's really that that was the thing and and

And to me, it was never a question of whether or not this team cared. I think they did. You know, I think that all the players tried hard. You know, I don't think that anybody laid down. And it, and we see what the results still are after the fact. And, you know, and, and Lombardi talked about how, you know, it'll sit with him that the players were crying after the, after the game. And I think that, you know, I'm not at all surprised by that because, you know, Canada, Canada has set the standard now where they are the team to beat. and I think everybody really desires that.

And USA hockey is having more success against Canada at the lower levels where, you know, they've had a few world junior wins. They've had a lot of under 18 world championship wins and things of that nature. You know, so that the mystique of Canada is, you know, taken away a little bit. But at the same time,

if you don't give those players the very best of the best to make the plays to, you know, to have the depth of talent to at least give yourselves a chance, then you're in deep trouble. And that's what we've seen is, you know, I don't think, you know, there used to be an old stereotype that the American player was more of the kind of the pampered and has,

you know, a little bit arrogant. And I think that, you know, that's less and less the case now. It certainly could have been at some point in the past. But, but there, there certainly,

they come with an attitude. And I think that they've come with the, attitude that they can win. And so when they don't, they do have that, that real, you know, sadness. And, and, and, and, but this time I, I, I, I, I, I, the players certainly deserve blame. They did not execute very well in a lot of those games. But again, you need the guns. You need the, you need the, arsenal. And they did not have it in this tournament. And obviously to, you know, the worst result. I, I, tweeted out that this is the biggest disappointment in U.S. hockey history. And I wasn't talking about necessarily the players. It's just the entire thing. Because it was, you know, I, I, I, I tweeted out. And I,

it was so avoidable and so clearly, you know, unfortunate that this is, you know, this is the first time they've not won a game in a best on best tournament. I mean, they had some really bad teams in the Canada Cups over the years and they still managed to win a game there. Couldn't get it done here. You know, the check game, what it was what it was. There wasn't much to play for. There wasn't a lot of emotion. But you still got to find a way to at least come away with something and they got nothing out of it. And I think that it was just kind of a confirmation of what so many people had thought from the outside that this was a team that did not have a great chance.

I didn't think it would go as badly as it did. And I certainly gave them the benefit of the doubt that it could potentially work over three games, but it didn't. So now everything's up for debate. Right. And we see that in these short tournaments, I mean, that's why you don't really want to have very definitive opinions because three games, so random little things can happen. And we're seeing that, I mean, this is a perfect.

segue. There's a reason why I'm a podcasting professional. It's a team Europe where heading into the tournament, they were, I think, like the 33 to 1 or something like that to be the champion. And, you know, it still seems like it's a long shot, but at least they have a fighting chance now that they're in the final. And it's a fascinating group because it is sort of this rag tag group of players from different countries. And it seemed like a gimmick at the time. I remember when the groups were released, it kind of seemed like, I don't know, maybe this isn't, this This isn't fair to the other teams of all, but it did seem like Team Europe and Team Czech Republic were basically there as sort of filler for Canada and the U.S. to get out of the group stage and play each other on a bigger platform because that would be obviously a huge draw for the NHL. But they've managed to make it work somehow. I mean, Yarohalak has been amazing. I think he's probably been their best player. And they've had guys like Kopitar and Yosi, shouldering, heavy workloads and doing really well. But I don't know, how have they managed to make it this far? Yeah, well, I think it's, for one, Ralph Kruger deserves a lot of credit because all those players said that after those first two exhibition games against Team North America, they really had a better idea of how they needed to play.

And they had to have structure. And they have good veteran players. I guess part of building the team, you know, they're the oldest team in this tournament. And part of building that team that way, it gave them a lot of really responsible. responsible players. And I, you know, I worried greatly about their decor and the age, the, the, the, the speed, you know, there was not a lot of speed there, um, outside of Yosi. But, you know, I, I still thought, you know, if they, if they can, you know, play smart hockey, they're going to have a chance. And that's what we've seen. I mean, really against, um, Sweden, one of the things I noticed in the semi-final was, uh, Europe played much more aggressively, particularly in the second period. They started, you know, generating more. They were getting up the ice more quickly. And Sweden was playing more conservatively. So they read games very, very well. They make adjustments very, very well.

You know, they, they, Yaro Halak, clearly the key, but what they've been able to do is, is play such a structured style that, you know, they're limiting quality chances. They know they're going to get outshot. They're going to, you know, Halak's got to make that first save for them or the second save.

And then they, they jump on those opportunities. And we saw them do that, particularly against Sweden, where Sweden was just giving them way too many chances. And they were taking advantage of it. And so sought against the Czech Republic. They, you know, Czechs make a mistake. They're pouncing.

Saw it against the U.S. They didn't have many opportunities against the U.S., but they were, when they got the free look, they took it. So, yeah, so that's really, that's kind of how Finland has built such a great international resume, is that they will play a team defense. They understand that they have to pick their spots and that they're going to have to make those count. And it doesn't always work, but there's a reason that they've continually won Olympic medals

and that they've had more success at the World Junior and World Championship levels. And it's because of that style. And so that that structure, I think that that is what Europe has really managed to get through. And again, you know, it's a short tournament. Things happen. You get a bounce here or there.

You do need some luck to, get through this and they've had that. And they have the guys like a dry sidle or Kopitar where where they're skilled enough, Hoss obviously Gabrik, where they're skilled enough to make other teams pay when they do make mistakes. So I think that's the value of having a veteran team, particularly a team with a lot of guys that have played internationally because it's the same thing on the big ice. You just have to take advantage of what's given to you.

Yeah, well, it's amazing. I mean, a guy like Kopitar, for example, he's had so much success than HL level and he's won Stanley Cups. And he's making a lot of money now with his latest contract extension, but still it feels like he doesn't get the credit he deserves as sort of being an upper echelon player amongst the very best in the league. And it's kind of cool to see him. He really is kind of dragging this team along. Other guys have contributed, of course, but really, like when you look at especially the forward core, it's like he's really the one name that sticks out as being an elite player that could really play out against any of these other guys on state team Canada or something

like that. Yeah, absolutely. I mean, I've, I've been amazed at him and just the sheer amount of of time he's playing against top players and still managing to, to be a force at both ends of the ice. And it also speaks to the value of having guys like that, you know, going back to the U.S., they didn't have that one guy that was stepping up and was making every play they needed them to make that was going to give them the good minutes, that was going to be a guy you could throw over the boards in any situation. that's what Copatara is. You just put him out there and he gives you good shifts every time out.

He was on the ice for the game winning goal. No surprise there. You know, he's making things happen all the time. So yeah, for me, you know, obviously when,

when you, when you watch the game a lot or, you know, if you follow the game closely, you know about Copatar. I think that, you know, it's certainly beyond time for him to be considered,

you know, top five, top seven, you know, somewhere in there. He's that caliber of player. And I think that, you know, people are seeing that in this tournament and seeing the way that one guy really can at various points take over a shift, take over a game and make all the difference. So if Yarrow Halak stands on his head and improbably leads Team Europe to victory over Canada here, would that be more impressive to you than that run he had for the Canadians where he beat the penguins and the capitals?

Yeah, I think so. I mean, because, you know, he's got, he's got, I did mention the aging decor. They're still there. They're going to have their hands full with Canada. And they know that they're going to get out shot. I think if he does stand on his head in this, he's going up against one of the best forward groups I've seen Canada put together ever. I mean, really, it's up there with, you know, the Gretzky era teams and, you know,

that didn't have as much success internationally, but still on paper, or just ridiculous. And this team certainly is that. So, yeah, if Halak can win two of three somehow, I think that'd be one of the most incredible accomplishments for any goalie at any point. I mean, he obviously carried the Canadians in that series and the playoffs are a whole different story and it's a grind.

But I think if you can manage to go best on best and win two out of three, there's something really, really special about that. And I guess the New York Islanders don't have a goalie controversy anymore. No, no, it seems like it's been settled. Chris, man, thanks for taking the time to come on the show. It was a lot of fun. a belated appearance, but I'm, you know, I'm glad I finally happen.

Well, I am honored. It's, uh, you, you run a great podcast here. I really enjoy listening to it. And I think it's, uh, great for hockey fans to, uh, to get, uh, all, all different perspectives. So I really appreciate you asking and it was a real pleasure to be with you on this podcast. Well, it's just cool to have hockey to talk about, man. I feel like it's, uh, it's been so long.

And, and the World Cup has been a pleasant surprise. What are you, what are your plans for the coming season? Do you have any, any, any projects in the work? or is it going to be just kind of status quo? Yeah, just I guess grind, grind, grind, you know, try and try and get through another long season. You know, it's been a lot of fun covering the league and trying to cover it at all angles and all areas.

And I, you know, one of my things that I try to do as much as possible is shine a light on some of the less talked about things and, you know, just trying to get, especially when it comes to the young players in the league, you know, we certainly need, as a hockey community, need to jump on board with promoting some of these young players. Because as we saw with Team North America, the future of this league is incredibly bright. And those young guys are among the most exciting we have in the league. So certainly that's going to be a priority coming

out of this World Cup is hopefully those guys are going to get a lot more attention. And they certainly deserve it. But yeah, man, it's, I love the game. It's, it's, it doesn't feel like work when we've got so many great players to, to follow and track and certainly some great teams. So I'm very much excited. I think This is going to be an unpredictable year, just like last year was. And, yeah, let's keep it rolling. It should be a good time. It's very well said.

Finally, this is the part of the show where I let you plug some stuff. So where can people find your work and where can they follow you online? Yeah, well, CBSSports.com. If you want to go right to the NHL, it's just CBSports.com backslash NHL. All my writing will be there. And on Twitter, I'm at Chris M. Peters. M is in Merca. So that is, that's what it is.

But yeah, I hope you follow along. And, yeah, Dimitri, thanks so much, man. This is a pleasure and honor to be on the PDO cast. I can't believe it. This is a dream come true, really. That's very kind of you say. All right, man, we'll chat soon and I'll make sure to have you back on, okay? All right, great.

Thanks, man. The hockey PDOCast with Dmitri Filippovich. Follow on Twitter at Dim Philipovich and on SoundCloud at soundcloud. At soundcloud.com slash hockey PDOCast.