The Kevin Sheehan Show - Jason Wright CEO "Finalist" + Cooley
Episode Date: June 24, 2024Kevin opened with the news that Jason Wright was a finalist for the Green Bay Packers' President/CEO job which went to Ed Policy according to Jonathan Jones/CBS Sports. Chris Cooley jumped on to talk ...about his weekend here in DC and weighed in on whether or not the Commanders should be interested in Brandon Aiyuk. Ben Raby/Capitals Radio Network previewed and picked tonight's Stanley Cup Game 7 between Edmonton and Florida. Kevin closed with some of the more notable Game 7s in DC sports history. Download the PrizePicks app today and use code Sheehan for a first deposit match up to $100! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Transcript
Discussion (0)
You don't want it.
You don't need it, but you're going to get it anyway.
The Kevin Cheon Show.
Here's Kevin.
Window Nation is the presenting sponsor of this show.
Give them a call at 86690 Nation or head towindonation.com.
If you need new windows, mention my name for a free, no obligation in-home estimate.
Coolie's going to be available in a few minutes.
So we will talk to him in a few minutes for just a show.
short period of time because he is trying to get his stuff together to get to the airport
to catch a flight to head home. He was in town for a long weekend. He had a card signing show
out in Virginia on Saturday. I hung out with him pretty much the entire weekend. He stayed with me,
actually, which is always interesting and always a good time. He likes to stay up in chat late
into the night. I should have just recorded some of that and played it back today,
but we probably would have had to edit it in a pretty serious way. We did play a bunch of golf.
We played Friday. We played early Saturday. And I was hoping to get him on the show for
the entirety of the show on Friday or Saturday. He just didn't have the time for it
because of various commitments, including, yes, golf, but more importantly, the card show,
which was way out in Virginia and took much of the afternoon on Saturday.
Man, was it hot on Saturday?
But great time with him, per usual.
It always is when he's back in town.
So as he's packing and getting ready to leave, we'll get him on here for a few minutes coming up.
Ben Raby from the Caps Radio Network will join us in the next segment to preview tonight's game seven of the Stanley Cup finals, Edmonton and Florida.
I love Ben, he's a great guest.
And then after Ben, I'm going to take you through the game sevens in our city's history, at least the notable ones.
there have been three game seven championship series wins for teams in our town.
Most of you will remember at least two of them.
So we'll finish up the show with that.
Did you see this story from earlier today?
It comes from Jonathan Jones at CBS Sports.
He tweeted out, Washington Commander's President Jason Wright,
was a finalist for the Packers' president and CEO position sources tell.
Right, a Northwestern grad and a former NFL player would have been the first black man in league history
to be in what's essentially an owner's chair.
Remember, the Packers are a unique franchise in the NFL.
They're the only team in the league that is publicly held,
and they don't have an actual owner because the public owns the shares of the team.
And the president's CEO position is the top position in that organization.
He did not get the job.
Ed Policy, the son of former 49ers and Cleveland Brown's executive, Carmen Policy,
got the job which Mark Murphy had for many, many years,
as in the Mark Murphy who played safety for the Washington Redskins back in the early 80s
and was the starting safety on their Super Bowl 17 team.
Mark Murphy's been a big part of the Packers organization for a long time.
So that caught me by surprise.
I think it probably caught some of you by surprise the report.
My reaction to it is, first of all, he was interviewing for a job.
that maybe sounds similar in title, but is not in responsibility.
Jonathan Jones had that right.
Jason Wright became the first black team president in NFL history,
and that would have been a step up.
That would not have been a lateral move.
I don't think it would have been.
I think Jonathan Jones is right in saying that.
I would certainly assume that Josh Harris knew of him interviewing for this.
position. I would doubt that his approval was necessary because it was an interview for a job that
was a higher position in an organization than the one he has in Washington. Look, I can't tell you for sure
why Jason Wright was interviewing for this job. It could be very simply that it was just too good
of an opportunity and a much better opportunity and a more significant opportunity and position
than the one he has here. It's also possible that he senses or knows that the opportunity
here in D.C. for this franchise isn't forever. I don't know anything for absolute certainty.
I would guess if you forced me to guess that we'll have.
have an answer to that sometime soon, likely before the end of the summer. That would be my guess,
but he was one of the finalists, according to Jonathan Jones, for that position in Green Bay.
Did you see this from over the weekend? Jeremy Fowler, ESPN, on Saturday, on one of the NFL live shows, I would assume, talked about what people around the league
are saying about Jaden Daniels and the Washington commanders.
Quote from Jeremy Fowler,
Jaden Daniels not only did he have a very strong spring, by all accounts,
there is definitely buzz league-wide,
as I've talked to people this time of year about different players and big-picture items.
I've talked to multiple scouts and executives who've brought up Daniels,
unprompted, like, hey, it's kind of scary what Washington could be with Daniels because he's got the running ability,
but he's more polished as a passer than a lot of running quarterbacks coming out of college.
Really, the only knock on him right now is the offensive line.
If they can get that short up, Daniels could very well take off year one.
That's the expectation among a lot of people around the league.
closed quote from Jeremy Fowler at ESPN.
Man, let's face it.
I know that this is more of a feel thing because we're living it day to day.
But, you know, Gerard Mayo, the coach in New England, as it relates to Drake May,
early on said he's got a long way to go.
There were reports early on about Caleb Williams struggling in some of the early OTA sessions.
Pennix Jr. is not going to get a shot.
J.J. McCarthy, not this year.
J.J. McCarthy is 21 years old and will likely, you know, start the season on the sideline with a clipboard as Sam Darnold gets the start in Minnesota.
Bo Nix, the sixth of the six quarterbacks taken in the top half of the first round, actually may start because there's really no other option in Denver.
So Caleb, Jaden Daniels, and Bo Nix are the three out of the six favored to start.
But man, there is no doubt, right, that in terms of complimentary reports about these six first-round
quarterbacks, Jaden Daniels is leading the way.
We have been hearing this really since minicamp.
And let's also, you know, if we go back to prior to the draft, there was a lot of late buzz
on Jaden Daniels.
I kind of felt like, you know, based on what I was reading.
reading and hearing and watching that it had become obvious that Jaden Daniels was the second
best quarterback in the draft, according to most people. Look, there were some pundits that thought
Daniels was the best quarterback in the draft. You know, Dan Orlovsky, Lewis Riddick, Chris Cooley,
did film breakdowns of the quarterbacks and thought Daniels was the best quarterback that he
did film breakdowns on. But, man, since the draft,
You know, we've heard about the leadership and balls not hitting the ground and people already, you know, wanting to be accountable to them and, you know, all of the positives coming out.
You know, and I kind of think about this and I'm like, is it coming out because the team's front office, the team's coaching staff, you know, a lot of the guys in the building that the national NFL guys do,
tend to break stories after conversations or have stories based on those conversations,
even if they're off the record.
And not that local people don't break some of those stories, but over the years, you know that.
I mean, these guys like, you know, Dan Quinn and Cliff Kingsbury and even Adam Peters and a lot of
people, you know, in Washington's organization, they've got some veteran coaches on that staff
that have dealt, you know, Anthony Lynn, et cetera, have dealt with the media.
before. And so there's a lot of communication potential. Is it just coming from them, you know,
and they're really trying to get the marketing ball rolling on this? Or is it just so overwhelmingly
obvious that everybody's talking about this? I mean, Terry McCorn has, you know, been
outspoken here about how impressed he's been with Jaden Daniels.
you know, in a lot of different ways.
A lot of players have been.
And look, I'm not suggesting that it's not true.
I'm just saying it's coming from either, you know,
the executives who are really trying to pump up and, you know,
market the team and get everybody pumped up and excited.
Or it's just so true that everybody can't stop talking about him.
And when they're asked about him, it's just immediately, oh, my God, so impressive.
Look, I'm in benefit of the doubt mode, and I'm a big Jaden Daniels fan, as you all know.
I believe that they got it right.
I mean, understanding that there's a really good chance that I won't be right and that the people
that like Jaden Daniels like me will be wrong.
But I felt about as confident in him as I felt about anybody in recent years.
And one of the things from this report and other reports previously that is a bit revealing
is that, you know, you get this like, I mean, we knew he could run,
but he's more polished as a passer than a lot of the running quarterbacks
coming out of college.
You know, like that's, I mean, even Adam Peters, you know, until I turned on the tape.
And then when I turned on the tape, I saw it.
And it's funny because NFL general managers, assistant GM,
some of the higher-ups, not necessarily at the scout level,
They don't really focus in on this until, you know, after the season and sometimes not until after
free agency.
It's something we've talked about in the past.
I think it's asked backwards.
I think you've got to find out whether or not you're going to draft a quarterback before
free agency begins.
It's like, what was Atlanta doing?
Like, they should have known before they paid Kirk Cousins $140 million that Michael Pennix,
Junior was somebody that they really liked and they had a really good chance of getting him
at number eight overall.
That just is still a mystifying thing.
I mean, you should know before your offseason begins with free agency if you have a
quarterback need, if you have any need, you know, if you can address it in the draft and if it
makes sense to be addressed in the draft.
But it seems like really a lot of these.
guys like anybody that watched a lot of LSU this year knew that yeah he is an unbelievable
highlight reel as a runner but he is so so good in the pocket and even though like most of us
aren't going to sit there and tell you you know well he's got his arm at this angle versus an angle
that's you know less you know promoting of a good delivery you know all of the technical
We're not coaches. We're not football coaches or experts, but we know what good pocket presence. We know what good delivery. We know what it kind of looks like. And I told you guys this all season long. Like this guy, it's not, he's not Lamar Jackson. He's not just a dual threat quarterback, a run, or a running quarterback. This guy is great as a thrower. He's great in the pocket. He's pulling. He's pulling.
He's got great delivery. He's got a quick release. He can really sling it.
Throws a phenomenal deep ball. Has great feel, you know, in the pocket. And it's like that's what everybody's starting to focus in on as it relates to Jaden Daniels.
As Doc might say, I don't know anything until they actually play tackle football.
And I am with him on that. Look, I believe in Daniels. I do. And I do. And I don't know anything. I don't.
I can't wait for September 8th.
I can't wait for this upcoming football season because of him more than anything else.
But we're just not going to know for sure until they're playing tackle football 11 on 11.
I wanted to just mention before we get to Cooley, something that was really, really sad from over the weekend.
and I mentioned Doc, and Butch McAdams has been, you know, one of the great sort of basketball people in our city for a long, long time.
And he's been an ongoing, you know, year after year, probably once a month, once every two months guest on Doc's show, on Doc and Coach's show, on Doc, coach's show, on Doc, on Doc, Coach and Al's show, on Doc.
coach and Brian's show.
You know, Coach Butch McAdams was their guy.
You know, he was their guest.
And I loved when he was a guest on the show.
And very sadly and very suddenly over the weekend, he passed away.
And basketball people in town are just heartbroken.
And it was very, very surprising and shocking.
But, man, long-time coach at Marathon.
Ray, truly a D.C. basketball historian and always such a great guest. Whenever he was on with
coach and Doc and Brian or just Doc or, you know, I mean, I loved listening to it because I love
basketball and I love, you know, the DMV basketball. I mean, you guys know that about me. That's
really my first love. And I know how important the sport is to this area. It is. It is.
is a basketball town.
And Coach McAdams was really, you know, a guy that was there watching it and documenting it for so many years in such a big part of it.
So sympathies to his family and all of his friends.
I know many of them that listen to this show.
We are sad for sure.
All right.
Let's bring Cooley on.
He's got a few minutes just texted me as he's getting.
getting ready to leave for the airport.
And he's got a few minutes here.
We will talk a little football with him.
I'll ask him about Brandon Iyuk
and the possibility of trading for Iyut.
Good to have you back in town this weekend.
You played some good golf.
Shot two rounds out of your three, I think, in the 70s.
Do you have a good time being back in town this weekend?
Had a great weekend.
Yeah?
I think it's hilarious.
I think it's hilarious that I'm on myself.
on doing your show from your house.
Right.
That's what you're doing right now.
Well, I had to go do radio, and now, you know, you've got to go to the airport.
You didn't have time to come in.
You were going to do this with me on Friday, but we were running tight on time on our way to play golf,
which we played 36 holes of golf together this weekend.
You played a total of 54 holes of golf because you played with your good friend,
Mike McGuire and Jeff and other guys without me on Sunday out at Raspberry Falls.
But you played a lot of golf while you were here this weekend.
And you are a good golfer, an excellent golfer.
Broke 80, by the way, two different times this weekend.
What a great weekend.
So awesome.
It was hot, though.
Very hot.
It's so wild to think about going from 65 degrees.
and zero humidity to what we had this weekend.
But it was beautiful.
Your course is great.
It was good to be back and see everybody.
Can't be three days in a row golf.
How much did you want to talk about sports?
I've been talking about sports with your son for the last hour.
Yeah, I know.
We're doing a radio show from your couch.
I wish I could have recorded it.
I thought it was really funny.
So I had to do the – there was the –
car autograph signing
dealer, the card show
or it's a memorabilia show
that was at the Dullet's Exeter Center.
A lot of people were in town
from other teams and other places and stuff
and a lot of former athletes.
But I found hysterical that
I'm in there,
which you brought me to the show,
you drove me to Cantilly
farther than you ever drive west,
but you did it.
And you wouldn't come in.
Well, you didn't.
I didn't want to
They're meeting with a bunch of really nice people in the front area.
At least every third person asks me, where's Kevin?
Wouldn't it be cool if Kevin came to this?
That's not sure.
It would have been great.
He brought me here.
But he did not want to come.
No, it is true.
Kevin.
It is 100% true.
Who else was doing the card signing show with you?
Tell everybody.
You can look it up.
Well, I know Chris Sandler's, like, I don't.
Emmons Smith was there the day I was there.
Michael Irvin,
Kurt Warner.
The next day, I think Jamar Chase was there.
There was a bunch of people there.
The Bo Nix was there.
I think Trevor Lawrence was sitting next to me.
Hold on for a second.
You think Trevor Lawrence was sitting next to you?
It was busy.
Yeah, it was.
Trevor Lawrence, I'm sure it was.
I looked over at him.
Uh-huh.
Okay.
Did you spend any?
time talking to any of the other former players or current players?
No.
No?
No.
So it's been a few years since I've seen Chris Samuels and he was there before me and they said he had to leave you rushed out.
And Bosley was there in the morning.
I would love to have chatted with both of those guys.
I don't know any of the former players.
So it's not a, there's nothing to talk about.
Right.
Yeah, that's kind of weird.
You haven't told me anything about this card show, but I'm just curious since it was
Virginia, was it a really good crowd? And did you have the longer lines than some of the other
players? Because some of the other players there are either current much bigger names than you are,
or even when they played. You know, you got some Hall of Famers in the group with Emmett Smith
and Michael Irvin. So were you, did you notice? Did you have the longest line?
Kevin, I paid
zero attention. I don't know
who had the longest line.
Well, and all of them were in at different
times. So if I was
out with all the people, the people,
there was like one of the guy during that time
and then the next hour
would be two more guys, and the next hour, two more guys.
And so
for the most part, I was in the back
area doing this
deal where you saw like, I think I
sound like three trillion
things. And I
always hated doing that, but they paid me to come out here and essentially paid for me to stay
with you and golf.
I was like, what?
I'll go, I'll do the trip.
I'll go see my, you see, I'll sign some autograph, and I get to hang out with Kev.
See my buddies.
Yeah, and we had a good time.
I didn't realize that some of those other players were there and that Trevor Lawrence was
there.
It's a big thing.
They do it every year at the Dolos Expo.
And it's a big event.
What's the show?
Is it called the CSA show?
I'm looking it up right now.
It's probably, I have no idea.
But I had done that before in the past when I was playing.
I mean, I've been to that show a couple times.
I'm just curious about how that works.
You get paid to sign football cards, correct?
Football card, your football card.
It's almost no football cards anymore.
You get paid.
There was yours.
Well, I think they do.
When the public.
it's the public signing.
And I've never liked that because I want,
they have to pay per autograph.
And then I think you have to pay for like inscriptions.
So if I write Captain Koff,
they have to have like another card.
They're like, okay, I want him to sign this and write this,
and they have to pay for both of those things.
And I've never liked doing that because I want to be like,
dude, they'll pay.
Just wait until I go outside.
I'll sign anything for free.
Yeah, but if they don't pay, then you, they're not going to pay you to come.
Well, I think the bulk of the money that I'm making is not assigned to the public.
I think it's all the behind-the-scenes things that then they go sell or take whatever.
They take them to stores or eBay.
I don't know.
I don't know really how that business runs, to be honest with you.
You know, it's kind of interesting to consider is this.
Your jersey, a Redskins jersey, is it in circulation?
Is it being sold anywhere?
because I do remember you telling me that you continued to get, you know, generate income off of the sale of your jersey even after you retired.
But with the Redskins jerseys, are they in circulation? Are they being sold?
No.
You can't produce the label.
So, no, there's nothing being told.
It was interesting at the card show because they had Burgundy Jersey.
jerseys that would have been Redskins jerseys.
They just, but with no logos.
No logos on those jerseys.
So, no, there's no way to capitalize on jerseys, which, I mean, I'm okay, but it's an
interesting deal because, let's say, we sold however many jerseys.
I think a couple guys that we looked at that were similar, or what would have been similar
in Jersey shows as a former player, it's like 15 to 20 grand a year.
10 years of 15 grand
but
you mean
you mean retired players
typically
yeah I think it's through
like a Mitchell and Ness
is like the brand
that makes them
through Nike or whatever
it is
it's like
that's who sells
for them
or the
whatever
what do you call it
why can I think of the word
that two sells
the old players jersey
retired players
jersees
yeah I go to Mitchell and Nest
and you can order
but honestly
the thing that part for me
is
I have
a lot of people
that
Oh, man, could I have a jersey?
Like, no, I don't have any.
Like, I don't have any more.
The ones I have framed.
That's all I've got left.
Yeah, I mean, the point is here is that with the termination of the name of the team that you played for, the Washington Redskins,
if it meant the termination of the jerseys being sold, you know, 47s and 28s and 44s and 9s and 26es and, you know,
and 36es and 21s, et cetera, you don't, because the name went away, the jersey went away,
so every retired player from the other 31 teams are making passive income on an annual basis off
the sale of their jersey, if they were popular enough and people have interest in buying it.
And that revenue stream is cut off for former Redskins.
I think so.
That's our guess, right?
Yeah.
I don't get a check from it.
I don't know what everyone really gets
or what hell away gets
in residual incomes on seven jerseys
for whatever purpose
who, whoever you want to say.
I'm not really sure what the percentage is,
but I think it would all just still continue to go
through the NFLPA as a record of how many things are sold.
That was part of the collective bargaining agreement.
It was a small percentage of things sold with your name on it.
Interesting. You know, just thinking about some of the other ramifications to the loss of the name and the loss of the logo and the jerseys from the past.
Not that I'm sitting here thinking that fans feel so sorry for former players not being able to generate income off of the sale of their jerseys.
But from a fan standpoint, they can't get access to those jerseys.
more if they wanted them because if we're right, they're not selling them.
But you had a good time, right?
You're always in a good mood when you are in front of people that come out to see you
that are excited to see you.
I wouldn't say that I love doing them.
I appreciate all the fans.
So I think it's funny because they have tables that everyone sits behind,
and then there are two or three people that are monitoring or making
sure the line, the situation is always all good.
And I don't want to be, you've already paid whatever.
I don't know where they had to pay for an autograph or thing,
but I don't want to be back behind this table in this word spot, like,
here, sign, have an I day, sign.
So I go sit on the front of the table.
And one of the guys there was telling me that I can't protect you from anybody up here.
I think we'll be all right.
I think we're going to be okay up front of the table.
So I just stand there and it's easier they want to take pictures or do stuff that you know like
Come on down, you know, we're on the table, we'll sit on Santa Claus's lap here.
Well, how are you?
I try to be up front with everybody.
I'll just go out out in front.
I don't know.
I don't love doing them, but I do actually really enjoy people and appreciate that.
All right, I know you got a roll.
I know you're in a hurry to get out of there.
But just one quick Washington football, Washington commander's subject.
It's something I know we've talked about not on.
on the podcast, I don't believe, because it's more of a recent subject.
But Brandon Ayuk, the receiver from the 49ers and the potential that he is available
via a trade is, you know a lot about the Niners.
You've watched a lot of Kyle's team over the last couple of years.
Should Washington be interested?
The question is, I guess there's other parts for this question.
Is that we're going to do it because the quarterback wants it?
do we have to do that now?
Do we have to give basically every young quarterback sort of ownership and say in what they're doing as a team?
I don't know if I love pandering to that.
What's our cap number?
What's it looking like?
Do we, I mean, they're really that bad at receiver?
Are they that bad at receiver?
No, they've got Terry.
I think most of us are still hopeful about Jahan Dotson.
But my personal view is that Ayyuk is better, at least slightly better.
than anything that they have.
And, you know, it would cost a second rounder at the very least,
and you'd probably have to pay him top five wide receiver money.
I would give up the second round pick for a great starting receiver.
If he's a top five receiver, you'd pay him accordingly.
I don't know if he's a top five receiver.
If I could definitively tell you, because I truly know who Brandon and I, you kids,
which I would have five years ago. Yeah, I would tell you that.
All right, go. I know you've got to go.
Appreciate you doing this, and that was fun this weekend.
Thanks. I appreciate it, but.
See you, fella.
Thank you, fella. Thank you, friend.
Chris Cooley, everybody.
We will get to Ben Raby to talk about tonight's game seven in the Stanley Cup finals,
right after these words from a few of our sponsors.
Hey, guys, I want to tell you about Harry's Razors.
I've been a customer for a long time, going back to probably when they sent me product and I endorsed them for the first time on this podcast several years ago.
Harry saw customers getting ripped off by the shaving industry with overpriced underperforming products and decided to do something better.
And they found their own way to make beautifully designed razors for a fraction of the price of other big brands.
I've been using their Truman handle.
It's a two-tone handle with a great grip.
It provides a close shave, no matter if you've got a beard and you're shaving around it,
or if you cleanly shave on a daily basis.
Their German-engineered blades stay sharp and stay sharp for a long period of time.
They've got customizable delivery options for scheduled refills for as low as $2.
That's half of what you pay other big brands.
Right now, you can get a five-blade razor.
weighted handle, foaming shave gel, and a travel cover for just three bucks at harries.com
slash sheen.
Harris has other self-care products that meet the same quality standards as their razors,
like their extra strength, high-quality, amazing-smelling deodorant for just $5,
plus hair and other grooming products that fit your unique look and needs.
Harris has the highest customer satisfaction in the shaving,
industry. And right now, they're offering up a no-risk trial. If you don't like your shave,
no worries, it's on them. They have convenient subscription options that you can cancel at any time
as well. Getting the best doesn't mean spending the most when you shave with Harry's. Get started
with a $13 trial set for just $3 at harries.com slash sheen. That's harries.com slash
S-H-E-E-H-A-N for a $3 trial set.
We've got a game 7 in the Stanley Cup finals tonight.
It's Edmonton at Florida.
The Panthers held a 3-0 series lead on to discuss it with us
as somebody who can actually discuss it with us
because I'm not going to give you the nuts and bolts of these two teams,
but Ben Rabie can and Will with us.
At Ben Rabie 31 on X on Twitter.
the host of pregame, in-game, post-game on the Capitol's radio network, and he joins me right now.
So before we get to kind of what you think may or may not happen in tonight's game,
like, was there any indication at 3-0?
Like, were the games competitive enough?
Was there any thought that Edmonton could win a game, extend it, you know, be in this situation that they're in?
I mean, the NBA finals for me, Ben, Boston was just the superior team, and it was obvious, really after game one.
How did you feel after three games? Was it obvious to you?
But there was always the possibility, Kevin, not unlike the Dallas Mavericks winning game four in the NBA finals,
that the Oilers would at least get a game. In their case, game four was on home ice a couple of Saturdays ago in Edmonton.
wasn't necessarily predicting a sweep at the time.
But after watching the first three games,
it certainly felt like an inevitability that the Panthers
would eventually win the series,
whether it be in five or six, whatever it might be,
I don't think too many of us predicted this would go the distance.
You watch the first three games of the series, Kevin.
The Florida Panthers were having their way.
They held the headliners for Edmonton,
but most part McDavid in check early in the series,
as much as you could do that.
Sergei Bobrovsky and goal was terrific.
It came as advertised the first few games, Florida.
Very aggressive, you know, heavy, physical type of team.
And they looked apart, the first three games of the series,
and I wouldn't have predicted, no, that we'd be here on June 24th,
talking about a game seven.
All right, so we are here.
How did we get here?
Well, McDavid has had a lot to do with it,
essentially putting the Oilers on his back,
in game four and five.
He had four points in each of those games, four and five,
and he has been playing like a man possessed, talking about the best player in the league,
McDavid, but he's been really good in four and five.
The other thing worth noting over these past few games is the Oilers have jumped out
the early leads, and when we talk about what to expect tonight in game seven,
we'll see if it plays out this way.
The Oilers have jumped out to early leads in games four, five, and six.
Panthers haven't had the lead in any of them.
of these past three games. The Oilers have gone to work early, and it's been a big difference.
They've been able to score a couple of short-handed goals, you know, really deflating type of goals
early in first periods in game five and six, and they've really kind of dictated play in terms of
momentum and getting up early and having the Florida Panthers to play catch-up hockey.
So between McDavid and between some of the depth scores behind him stepping up and providing
secondary contributions.
You know, you credit the oilers.
They've proven to be a stingy team,
but I do think it starts with number 97 in McDavid.
Ben, is it unusual?
I mean, we know, you know this,
but as a casual playoff hockey guy,
goaltenders can strap teams to their backs.
How unusual is it for a non-goaltender to do what McDavid's doing?
It's a good point to the way you word it like that.
I think if you look at history, there are other examples of real headliners and, you know, elite players.
You know, you just look at the capitals years ago, as good as Braden Holpey was on that playoff run, and he certainly was once he got in.
You looked at Ovechkin, you looked at Ovechkin. You looked at Evgeny Kuznets off that spring.
But they had contributions, certainly, you know, in terms of the skilled players.
But, you know, with the Oilers, it's interesting not to downplay Stuart Skinner and Goal, who has been good of late.
he wasn't even their number one to begin the regular season.
This isn't a team built on, you know,
goaltending and defensive play, the Oilers,
you know, without going into too much detail,
one of the knocks on them over the years is that they've been
too much of a one-trick pony in terms of the high-end skill
and leaning a little bit too much maybe on Connor McDavid and Leon Dreisdahl.
But, too, again, McDavid's credit in these playoffs, certainly,
he's continued to carry the team. Skinner and goal has been good enough. And, you know, the depth scoring, which, you know, has been in and out, if you will, throughout the playoffs. It's been very present over the course of the past few games, certainly.
For those that will be tuned in because it is the game, you know, deciding game, a game seven in a championship series, and they haven't been watching the playoffs throughout.
explain, A, what Connor McDavid is doing in this postseason relative to history, and two, what makes him so great.
We'll start with what makes him so great, and I hope you can appreciate this on TV.
I think it does translate, even if you're watching on TV, even as a casual viewer.
He is so fast.
He is so fast, Kevin, and what makes his speed unique, you have other speedsters around the league.
There's always been guys who can skate throughout the league's history.
what makes him unique is he seemingly picks up speed when he has the puck.
The puck is supposed to slow you down to an extent.
It's something else to keep in mind when you have the puck on your stick.
It's something that could potentially, you know, cause your mind to, you know,
keep the focus on the puck, et cetera, and what you're going to do.
He gets the puck, and he just takes off, and it's his ability with the puck to go zone to zone.
He gets it, and he is all turbo.
He is all go, and it's very entertaining.
It's a very easy watch when he has the puck and he's able to maneuver as easily as he is.
And perhaps you've seen highlights throughout this Cup series, not only an open ice, but he'll dangle.
He'll go through defenders.
He had a terrific primary.
It just going back a few games ago where it looked like it was a one-on-fourth to start the play.
And he literally went through three Florida defenders before making a very nice centering feet.
So what makes him so good, in addition, all the intangibles, the IQ and the vision, et cetera,
The thing that really stands out is the speed and how fast he is, and how he's able to use that to his advantage.
And as far as a historic perspective here, the answers play game seven tonight.
I believe he's now within five points of Wayne Gretzky's all-time single postseason record.
Gretzky had 47, one of his couple of years in the 80s, and McDavid has 42 points here in 24 games.
But it's just been very impressive to watch, especially going back to one of your early.
questions in how he's elevated his play with the series on the line, with the Oilers down
three nothing and trying to claw their way back in his playing game four and five to really
put the Oilers at least in this position, really, really impressive. When you said that about
McDavid, it reminded me of my very simpleton explanation of the first time that I saw Alex
Ovechkin play because it was sometimes,
probably in 2006, 2007, and I was doing the show at the time with Rigo, with John Riggins.
And I remember, you know, he said to me something like, so you went and saw the Ovechkin kid last night.
And I'm like, yeah, I did.
He said, well, you know, you don't know much about hockey.
What was the?
And I said, it was so obvious that number eight was the best.
player on the ice because he skated much faster and he was bigger and stronger than everybody.
Like, I'm just curious when it comes to Ovechkin, that is a simpleton explanation. I understand that.
But did you feel like the first time you watched him like this was like a completely different
cat altogether? Yeah, he was more so because of the physicality, especially when you go back
early in his career and his ability to, you know, for lack of a better word,
bulldoze a defender into the board
to wind up with the puck and
and then have the
there's just
there's a strength with Ovechkin
even in his shot and his shot
which which has been around for 15 years
plus now in the NHL
there's like a brute strength so Ovechkin
to your point Ovechkin's noticeable
there's the eye test and don't you have the smell
test we're going to go with the eye test
and Ovechkin has the eye test
McDavid has the eye test
not everyone does like Gretzky
and the greatest of the mall
Gretzky was much more subtle and almost like quietly and then before the night was over.
Oh, Ho-Hummy has a goal and four assists tonight, does Gretzky.
He did it almost subtle.
Crosby, I'll say to an extent, is a little bit more subtle as well.
Right.
What he does and what makes him so good.
But McDavid, Ovechkin, to your point, that's the eye test.
You know, you put it on.
Number 97, you can't miss him.
Well, and Lemieux did the same way, right, because of his size.
Yeah, he was a big boy
And he used that, yeah
He had a physical side to him as well
Not even like
Not even hits, but just physical
Like he could he could skate through you
As opposed to skating around you
So tell me
Look, you are Canadian born
And raised
And I'm curious as to
The importance of tonight's game
To Canada
The Montreal Canadians of 1993
were the last Canadian
NHL team to win a Stanley Cup.
That's incredible to think about that.
I know that there have been plenty of opportunities,
including recently with Montreal in 2021.
How big of a deal is Edmonton winning tonight
to the rest of the country?
I don't want to be a contrarian here, Kevin,
but I'm going to say here's what's important
as far as Canadian hockey is concerned.
Really?
We spend how many times,
How many minutes here have we talking about, spoken about Connor McDavid?
Connor McDavid, as a Toronto native, you know, Gretti has his cup, Mario has his cup,
Bobby Orr was a Stanley Cup champion, Gordy Howe, Sidney Crosby.
You know, the faces of Canadian hockey, Broder and Wah as far as the goaltender.
McDavid needs the cup to be on the Mount Rushmore.
And I think as, you know, the next great or the current great Canadian hockey player,
the best player in the world, I think there's value from a country perspective in pulling
for the current best player, and one of the greats of all time, he's going to go down as
to get his Stanley Cup. I think the narrative of a Canadian-based team winning the Stanley Cup,
I think that's a little bit more media-driven, Kevin, to be honest, because it's not unlike,
you know, to use a comparison, you'll appreciate it. It'll come down to college.
athletics whenever we talk.
You know, when you have the SEC team playing in the national championship,
if Georgia is playing in the national championship,
are all the other schools from the conference getting behind them,
maybe pockets of them, or Alabama and LSU getting behind Georgia winning the national
title game?
I don't know that they are.
What I'm getting at is in Canada, you know, fans of the Calgary Flames,
fans of the Vancouver Canucks, fans of the Toronto Maple Leafs, were so starved for a Stanley
Cup of their own, I don't know that.
they're necessarily pulling for the Edmonton Oilers here tonight for that reason.
Maybe they are because they'd appreciate what a Connor McDavid Stanley Cup would do as far as
the individual. But there is a narrative, and you're not wrong, that there has been a long
way, 31 years in Canada since the Canadian-based team last won the Cup.
Yeah.
I think it's a little bit of a stretch to suggest the whole nation is suddenly rallying behind
the last Canadian team standing.
Gotcha.
but probably rooting for the Canadian-born player to get his Stanley Cup ring.
You know, I've watched some of the Stanley Cup finals, especially the games in Edmonton.
I mean, that crowd is insane at that place.
What will it be like in Florida tonight, in South Florida tonight?
How good is that fan base?
I don't know much about it.
Well, apparently, from what I understand and speaking to the colleagues of mine,
who are down in South Florida covering the practices the past two days and who will be there at Game 7.
They said at the airports, at the hotels, there was a noticeable uptick in Edmonton-Oiler,
orange and blue, as opposed to what they would have seen for games one and two and even five, you know,
going back last week.
In other words, I think it'll be interesting what the crowd is like just in terms of numbers.
I'm sure it'll still be a dominant Florida Panthers crowd, no doubt.
Are you seeing, I don't know, 15%, 20%, 25%, who knows of the number ultimately is?
But apparently a lot of Edmonton Oilers, fans and supporters have made the trek down to South Florida,
and we'll be in the building tonight.
So it'll be interesting to see that.
And the other thing I wonder, we've seen it many times in Washington prior to 2018,
a game 7 on home ice.
You fall behind early, all the energy gets let out of the building.
I referenced a few minutes ago, the Oilers have jumped out to leave in each of the past three games.
If it plays out like that again tonight, after having already, you know, blown a three-nothing series lead,
did the Panthers have it in them to rally here in game seven?
And I am curious what the fan base and the energy in the building, what it would be like if they do find themselves in an early hole.
The caps are 5 and 12 all time in game 7s with nine of those game 7 losses coming at home,
which is really, really amazing.
Before I ask you for a prediction on tonight's game,
let me just add to what you said,
what percentage of the Las Vegas game 5 when the Caps won the Cup?
What percentage of the fan base that night in Vegas was Washington Caps fans?
because it was a lot.
There were a lot of caps fans that night in that arena.
Yeah, and it's funny you bring that up because when I have seen
and received text messages telling me how many Edmonton Oilers fans are seemingly
flocking to Florida, the first thing I thought of is, yeah, I remember.
I remember game five, and I remember you were walking the strip, and it was a very
similar feel.
You're like, wow, there's a lot of red here.
And there was in the building that night.
What percentage of it was, I can't say, but it was noticeable, and you could tell,
I remember that night during the National Anthem for game five at T-Mobile Arena.
You know, when they get to the red and the O, and, you know, you typically hear the cap fans.
You know, you can hear it that night.
It was obvious from the get-go that the caps were well represented in the crowd.
And we'll see tonight, again, in South Florida, a little bit of a further trek for folks to make that from Albert.
Well, we'll see how they're represented.
Although, you know, if you're leaving Edmonton for South Florida,
Florida, this is not the time of the year to do it.
Vegas in June, it doesn't matter when you're in Vegas, that's not a bad trip.
What I was about to get to, though, was of all of the game sevens that the caps have played in,
17 of them, what's the most gut-wrenching loss?
In retrospect, I might say 2009, which was the first time Crosby and the Penguins defeated Ovi
in the cap.
Right.
2009 was a blowout lot.
Yeah, it was.
But the cap, that series,
had a two games to none lead.
They had won game six in overtime,
a couple of nights previous in Pittsburgh to set up to game seven.
And I say in retrospect,
that might be the most deflating,
because you wonder in retrospect,
who knows if they beat Crosby and the Pence there in 2009,
and the Penns won the Cup a couple of weeks later.
You know, who knows revision and history,
how it all plays out differently.
So I'll say in retrospect that comes to mind.
I think if you speak to members of Capitol teams and the core of the team, the backstrom of the Ovechkins,
losing 2017, also to Pittsburgh at home, the year before they won the cup.
But many believe that was really the president's trophy winning team.
That was a team that was, again, built to really win the whole thing.
and it was, I believe, a 2-1 loss at home.
That was pretty, pretty deflating as well.
Sorry that they're both from the OV era.
That's very recent.
Well, I'm surprised you didn't mention the loss to Halak and Montreal in the first round.
Because that team was the first of the Ovechkin teams that actually was legitimately favored to go deep, deep, deep into the postseason, right?
And they lost to an eight seed.
Of the wins, I would assume that Tampa Bay, on the,
road of the game sevens. It's funny when we were having this conversation on radio, the one that
really stands out to me, and I guess it was just the drama of it, because the game seven win in
Tampa Bay to get to the cup was a blowout win. In fact, I don't think Tampa Bay scored in the
final two games, but was the Joel Ward game winner in Boston against a much higher seeded team.
There was just a lot to that in that moment.
It was an overtime.
That was the one that really stood out to me,
but I would assume that Tampa is the best game seven win.
Yeah, Tampa to me is actually, and I've covered the Capitals, Kevin, for 15 years.
The Tampa Bay Series, and the way they ultimately won that to me,
is probably my favorite series I've covered, even more so, yes,
than the Vegas Stanley Cup final.
That East Final, and more so than, you know,
Kuznetsov knocking off Pittsburgh around earlier,
to me that the Tampa series almost gets lost in the shuffle
because it wasn't Pittsburgh, it wasn't the Cup Vegas.
Kevin, they're down three games to two.
We talk about all the shortcomings and all the history that they had.
They win game six here,
which was arguably one of the most complete games they played in the Oviaro,
the three-nothing win.
You're right, Tampa didn't score the final two games.
But then they went into Tampa, and I was there at whatever it was called, it's called Amelie Arena at the time.
And I remember the morning of game seven, we're talking about all the game seven shortcomings for the capitals.
The morning of game seven, they had a looseness, they had a swagger, they had a confidence, the likes of which I had not seen.
And then I went to the Tampa Bay dressing room following their morning skate.
And they were saying all the right things, but you wondered did they mean it?
And I said to myself, shoot, I've been in this room before.
I've seen the capitals like this with the game seven on home ice.
And, you know, bringing up full circle talking about what to expect tonight and talking about
what if Edmonton scores early, boom, Ovechkin scored 62 seconds into that game seven.
And you just knew, Kevin.
You just knew the energy was let out of that Tampa Bay crowd.
The momentum was all on the cap side.
They were there for a business trip, carryover from game six.
and that game seven in Tampa, to me, one of the best games, you know, most significant games in the OV era.
And, yeah, just the rare game seven were, yes, they had a whole lot of swagger and confidence been carried right into the game.
Yeah, I mean, you've already mentioned it and you just mentioned it again.
And it's, you know, the experience really with the caps in particular with all those game seven losses at home.
but the tension of that, you know, the pressure on them, look, it went back beyond the, you know,
well before the Ovechkin era, you know, losing to Pittsburgh in game sevens and the devils and
other teams, you know, the famous Islanders for overtime game in 87.
But the franchise history weighed in a lot on kind of the game seven at home and not scoring first.
and then it's like, oh my God, you know, you could sense that they felt it, the crowd felt it.
And maybe, by the way, the best thing about that Tampa game was that it was on the road, you know, in so many ways.
But do you think Florida tonight will feel that?
I mean, there's not really the history, right, that the caps have had, but it's the three nothing series lead that they're on the verge of potentially blowing, which is why they would feel it, I would assume.
I was about to say that I would have to think it just has to do with how they've gotten here.
Yeah.
And they could say all the right things, and they've tried to say all the right things.
Kevin, over the past 24, 48 hours, oh, if you would ask us before the season,
if we could be in a game seven on a whole life of the Stanley Cup final,
you take it 100 times.
You know, that's trying to talk themselves into this.
But Kevin, they've been out scored 18 to 5 and losing three six games.
Right.
I mean, they haven't won a game because even the way the same.
schedule is all spread out. They haven't won a game in like 10 days.
Like, you know, they've been through a lot over the course of those 10 days, right?
Since they last won a hockey game as far as all these defeats piling and, you know,
just continuing to remind themselves, hey, the cup is in the building, the cup is in the
building. So I do wonder mentally, and there's nothing even a comparative. There hasn't been a
three-nothing cup lead blown, you know, since the 1940.
42. You can't even, yeah, I can't even get.
even drawn on, you know, past, past experiences, that type of thing.
It's such a unique situation that's unfold tonight.
But I really do wonder, and one other thing real quick about the Panthers, I wonder, too,
you know, without looking too far ahead, if Edmonton wins tonight, what does this do for
the Panthers long?
How do you come back from this in the fall?
It would be a second straight Stanley Cup final defeat.
They also had a President's trophy-winning season two years ago that they couldn't capitalize on.
You'd be looking at a President's trophy-winning season gone for not.
A trip to the Stanley Cup final last year, which ended in defeat to Vegas,
and a Stanley Cup trip to the final this year with a potential epic collapse
blowing the three games to them three weeks.
That's looking ahead, but you do wonder how a team potentially would have to deal with that
and handle that and have to come back next year.
season. A really good team, but
that's a lot of battle scars right
there. It's a Rory McElroye
conversation, actually.
Real quickly, the goaltender for
Florida Bovrovsky, he was
the guy that nearly beat the caps
their cup season
when he was in Columbus.
They were up, you know,
I mean, hell, I think they
had a chance. They were up
three games to two in that series, right?
Or two games to none? Didn't
they win the first two in Washington?
games to none. Yeah. Yeah.
Two games to none, and then game three required double over the capital.
But you're right. But you're right. The Bob was the goaltender there, and he was the
goaltender the following season, talking about a president's trophy winning season, the
following year, 2019, when Columbus finally did win a playoff series, they took out the
the president's trophy winning Tampa Bay Lightning, a Tampa Bay Lightning team, which is 62
wins that year. They swept him. And yeah, Bobrovsky has a, he's got a track record. He's a
two-time president's trophy winner. The league's number of
one goalie and really good to start this series.
For three games, he was among the difference makers.
His name was in the conversation.
He's going to win the Kops Mike Trophy's playoff MVP.
It's been rough the past three games.
The others have gotten to him.
But for the most part, you're looking at a goaltender.
Yes, with the track record and, you know, who should be able to potentially come
through tonight if the Panthers ultimately need to lean on him in that capacity.
Crazy hockey, right?
I mean, down two games to none, and in a second overtime against Columbus and the Caps,
win that game, and they go on to win the Cups.
So, all right, who wins tonight and why?
My gut says Edmonton.
And Kevin, I'll say this, I could explain why I want Florida to win.
My college roommate, one of my great buddies is their play-by-play voice on the radio side.
We've been keeping tabs on this team.
We have a soft spot for them for many years.
I'd like to see them ultimately win, but I got to tell you,
the way this series momentum has shifted,
the way the Oilers seemingly have a belief,
it's almost, you know, you think about the other three-nothing,
you know, the epic three-nothing comeback, right?
The Red Sox going into Yankee Stadium.
They went in that night game, so they had won game six night before
were shilly, but they go in game seven.
I think there was a good.
Maybe Johnny Damon Grand Flammer.
I mean, they just put them away early.
You just knew there was like a belief and an invincibility to them
going into that game seven at Yankee Stadium.
So look, who knows?
You know, maybe the Panthers come out on top.
I just see that the Oilers just, there's such a belief now and confidence
and you do wonder at the other end of the spectrum what the Panthers have left here,
given what they've been through over the course of the past 10 days.
Would be great to see a great game, like even an overtime game.
I mean, just for the drama of it.
It's great at any point during the postseason, but a game seven in Stanley Cup finals would be incredible.
Thanks for doing this.
I appreciate it.
always enjoy having you on. Ben Rabby, everybody. Take care.
Thank you, Kevin. Appreciate it.
Ben Rayby from Capps Radio Network. Ben's always great. It's always a pleasure to have Ben on the show.
If you're going to watch the game tonight, why not make it fun? Prize picks is one way to make it fun.
The largest DFS platform in North America. Prize picks is easy. It's exciting.
It's just you against the numbers. You don't battle thousands of other players, including pros,
It's just you picking more than or less than on between two and up to six players,
their stat projections with odds.
Here is my prize picks play for tonight's seventh and deciding Stanley Cup final game.
I am feeling like this is going to be a tight game, a long game, maybe overtime.
That's what I'm hoping for.
Connor McDavid's time on ice number is 20.
24 and a half minutes, I'm going more than.
Even if it's a regulation game, your stars are going to be on the ice more than they typically have been.
He's been on the ice 24 and a half minutes in three of the last four games.
And then I'm going to go Alexander Barkoff, the star for the Panthers, over 21 minutes time on ice.
Basically pays nearly three to one.
It's that easy.
You just pick more than or less than on a bunch of player stat projections
in a daily fantasy sports platform and environment.
And prize picks right now is the biggest and the best and the most fun
and the easiest way to do it.
Download the prize picks app.
Use my promo code Sheehan, S-H-E-E-H-A-N,
and you'll get a first deposit match of up to $100.
Look, you can win up to 100 times your money on prize picks with as little as four correct picks.
You can turn 10 bucks into as much as $1,000 on tonight's NHL Stanley Cup deciding game.
And prize picks even offers injury insurance.
So if the players that you have in your entry tonight, if one of them gets hurt, it's okay.
You've got insurance against that.
The rest of your play stays in.
place as is with that player that got injured excluded from the actual Daily Fantasy Sports
Play. Prize picks, great app, lots of fun, a fun way to watch the NHL's last game of the
year. Download the app, use my code Sheehan for a first deposit match of up to $100. Again,
download the prize picks app, use my code Sheehan, S-H-E-E-H-A-N for a first deposit match of up to $100.
Pick more, pick less, it's that easy at prize picks.
All right, we'll finish up with sort of a history of game sevens in this city when we come back.
Right after these words from a few of our sponsors.
Hey guys, most of us are interested in our mental and physical well-being.
to a certain degree. And with that in mind, I'd like to welcome and introduce a new sponsor to the podcast.
The new sponsor is Unified Healing, Unified spelled, U-N-I-F-Y-D healing. It doesn't matter if you're a big-time
world-class athlete or just a somewhat athletic podcaster like me. We all understand the importance of
mental and physical well-being and proper recovery for top-notch performance. That's why I'm excited.
that Unified Healing is sponsoring the podcast now. Unified Healing is a new and super innovative
global network of wellness centers powered by energy enhancement system or EE system. If you
haven't heard of the EE system yet, listen up. This technology promotes wellness, deep relaxation,
purification, and rejuvenation. Whether you're here in the DMV or anywhere else across the globe,
access to a center is easy and affordable.
Interested in experiencing the EE system technology for yourself,
we'll go to unifiedhealing.com slash sheen to learn more and find a center near you.
That's unified spelled unifed-y-d-healing.com slash sheen.
No material or testimonies on the Unified Healing website are intended to be viewed as medical advice
or a substitute for professional medical advice diagnosis or treatment.
Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health care providers
with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment
and before undertaking a new health care regimen, including EE system.
The kick in here it comes.
Swag and a mess! Swag and a mess!
And a World Series game seven winning Curly W is in the box.
The celebration is on.
The Washington Nationals
or the world champions.
October 30th,
2019, that was Daniel Hudson
getting Michael Brantley to swing and miss
to end the seventh and deciding game
of the World Series with Washington
winning 6 to 2 in Houston
in a game that was actually more dramatic
than the final score reflected.
This segment of the show brought you by Window Nation.
Window Nation's semi-annual sale has been extended through the end of this month.
Call them now at 86690 Nation or visitwindonation.com to get access to 50% off on all windows with 0% interest for five years.
Plus, if you schedule your estimate today and mention my name, you'll get a bonus 10% on top of the
the 50%, so you'll get 60% off your window purchase. It was hot over the weekend. If you've
got older windows, you're going to see it in your next air conditioning bill. Let window
nation save you big money on utility bills and make your home look much better with quality
affordable windows. Through June 30th, 50% off, 0% interest for five years, an additional 10% off. If you
mention my name, scheduling your free, no risk in-home estimate today.
86690 Nation or windonation.com.
So, you know, we're not a city that's had a lot of game sevens.
We've had plenty in hockey, that's for sure, and I'll get to some of those here momentarily.
But not having a baseball team for all of those years, not having, you know, an NBA.
team until 1973, you know, there were nearly 20 years of the NBA, more than that, actually,
before the bullets arrived in D.C. from Baltimore, in Landover, anyway, from Baltimore.
And the caps were more of a later arrival to the NHL in 1974. And let's face it,
with the NBA franchise not much to write home about over the last 45 or so years. But certainly the Nats
game seven win in Houston is at or near the top of the list for everybody. For me,
however, it's number two on the list in terms of game seven wins by DC sports pro franchises.
And that's because I'm old enough to remember when the bullets went to Seattle for a seventh and
deciding game of the NBA finals on June 7th, 1978. They had trailed in that series, actually,
three games to two. They won game six in Landover, 117 to 82. In fact, the 35 point margin of
victory at the time was the biggest in NBA finals history. And then they had to play a seventh
and deciding game on the road, and only two teams in the history of the league had won NBA
championship game sevens on the road. The Celtics had done it with the Lakers in 1969, and the
Celtics did it also with the Bucks in 1974. But the bullets went to Seattle and beat the Supersonics
in game seven. In the downtown Seattle,
arena. It was a series which was played in the Seattle downtown arena, but also at the Kingdom,
which was the Seattle Seahawks home. They played game four at the kingdom in that series,
and at the time, I believe it was the largest crowd to ever attend an NBA playoff game. But
the bullets went into Seattle on that night, beat the Sonics 105 to 99. It was a game in which they
not need their star Elvin Hayes. He fouled out of that game and was not a massive factor in that
particular game. In fact, in the history of Elvin Hayes' career, who for those of you that
don't know, Elvin Hayes is definitely one of the greatest power forwards in NBA history. I mean,
he is still, I think, in the top 11, top 12 all time in points and rebounds of all time.
but he did not, you know, have great playoff moments or memorable playoff moments.
There were a few here and there, but in the seventh and deciding game of the only title won by the bullets back in 1978,
he did not play well, and he fouled out of that game.
And the star of that game really was Bobby Dandrich, and he ended up winning the MVP.
of that series. Dandrich was incredible for them throughout that postseason.
Wes Unseld had a big game as well in that series. But in that final game,
Elvin Hayes scored just 12 points, grabbed eight rebounds, which was much below his average,
and fouled out playing just 30 minutes, while Dandrich scored 19 in 42 minutes,
and Unseld scored 15, including knocking down the.
clinching free throws at the end in a 105 to 99 game 7 championship win.
Charles Johnson, who was a bench player, scored 19 points, including knocking down a shot from
beyond half court at the end of the third quarter.
It was worth just two points.
It was not worth three, but they won that game 105 to 99.
And that would be number one on my list in terms of game sevens, followed by.
the Nats win over the Astros, which in many ways that win by the Nationals was not anti-climactic.
I wouldn't describe it that way, but the Game 6 performance by Steven Strasbourg is in all-time.
You know, it's up there on a list of top 10 pitching performances in World Series history.
Game 7 was a dramatic game, and it was a game in which,
which, let's face it.
I mean, Houston, I think, made a big mistake
pulling Zach Granke in the seventh inning
after giving up a home run to Anthony Rendon,
which was only the second hit of the night that he had given up.
Then he walked Juan Soto, and they took him out.
He was on an incredible role that particular night.
And the bottom line is the relief pitchers,
Will Harris, et cetera,
did not do well as the Nats, you know,
got the two-run shot from Howie Kendrick for the lead and ended up winning the game going away six to two.
So those would be really the championship game sevens.
Now, in 1924, the then-Washington senators defeated with the help of Walter Johnson and some of those players,
Bucky Harris, I think, defeated the New York Giants in seven games to win the World Series.
And of course, the next one would come in 2019.
but no other championship has been won by a D.C. sports team in a game seven.
That's it for baseball, 24 and 2019.
We know that the bullets only have one title,
but it did come in a seventh and deciding game in Seattle in 1978.
And the Caps won Stanley Cup, came in a fifth game in Las Vegas.
However, the Caps game seven win in the Eastern Conference Finals
in 2018 over Tampa Bay, 4 to nothing.
That's certainly on the list of most memorable game seven wins for a D.C. Sports
team.
Alex Ovechkin scored early.
You heard Ben Rabie talk about that game.
The first game seven win for the caps that sort of jumped to mind for me was the
Joel Ward game winner in Boston in the playoffs in an earlier round in 2020.
on the road. Look, the caps were five and 12 all time in game sevens, nine game seven losses at home.
That Tampa game, though, you know, the dominance of that game, you heard Ben describe it in the last
segment, the fact that it sent them to their just second Stanley Cup final in franchise history.
That is certainly on the list. Also on the list for me, just thinking about basketball.
and wins in game sevens.
The 1979 Eastern Conference Finals game between the Bullets and the San Antonio Spurs,
who were in the Eastern Conference, is not only a memorable game for Bullets fans.
It's one of the great game sevens in the history of the NBA playoffs.
Now, you'd have to dig up a list of like the top 15, top 20 game sevens of all time.
It was a good enough game and a measurement.
memorable enough game to sort of make that series that ESPN did for many years.
Greatest games in NBA history.
Dan Patrick, you know, I think hosted it.
And there's a whole 30-minute show about Game 7 of the 1979 Eastern Conference Finals.
It was a shootout between, you know, George Gervin and then, you know, Bobby Dandrich and Elvin Hayes and Washington's team.
They were, the bullets were the defending champions.
They had actually won a Game 7 in the conference semifinals.
which was a memorable game seven.
Elvin Hayes went for 35 points.
I think it was 15 rebounds and six block shots.
It's probably the signature playoff game of Elvin Hayes' career.
The seventh game against the Hawks in 1979
is the defending champions at home in front of a raucous crowd,
which included Jimmy Carter, the then president.
But the series that followed was very memorable
because they were down 3-1 the bullets were to the Spurs.
And they came back, and they won game six to force the seventh and deciding game.
And they were down 10 points with about four minutes to go in that game.
There was a power outage, which the Spurs faithful still to this day say that it was planned,
that the Spurs had all the momentum in the world in the fourth quarter,
and then they had this power outage.
And the bullets came back.
and Bobby Dandrich won it in overtime on a baseline jumper.
And then Elvin Hayes got a block shot on James Silas in the final few seconds,
and the bullets won that game 107 to 105.
But it was a great NBA playoff game.
Now, the bullets went on to lose the NBA finals
and a rematch against the Supersonics in five games that year.
But that was a truly memorable game seven.
And then, look, you've got a lot of Caps game sevens.
And by the way, you've got a lot of nationals game fives, you know, in the best of five first rounds.
But we're talking about game sevens here.
And, you know, the Capitals are five and 12 all time, nine home losses to me.
You know, the Tampa game and the win over Boston in 2012 are the two wins that stand out.
You know, we talked to Ben about the losses, and he mentioned the Pittsburgh loss in 2009.
To me, the 2010 loss when the Capitals were prohibitive favorites to beat Montreal in that first round and then to go deep into the postseason.
And they lost that two to one.
I remember when they got absolutely blasted by the Rangers in 2013 the next year in a seventh and deciding game at home.
but a lot of game seven losses, you know, going back to, you know, losing to Pittsburgh twice,
once at home, once on the road, and 92 at home, 95 on the road.
They lost to the devils at home.
And, of course, one of the all-time great NHL playoff games, the four-over time loss in the season of spring of 1987,
a game that ended early Easter morning back on April 18th, 1987.
They lost that game three to two to the Islanders,
seventh and deciding game at the Capitol Center.
And that was really the beginning of the heartbreaking defeats at home in game sevens.
But, you know, it would be, for me, Bullet Sonic 78, Nats Astros, 2019.
I can't tell you anything about the 20.
24 win. And then I think you have to because of the stakes say caps over Tampa Bay in 2018 on the way to their Stanley Cup win.
You know, I think the game six win in Pittsburgh, the Kuznetsoff goal is as memorable a game in caps playoff history in terms of wins.
Look, the bullets have had some crushing game seven losses.
including the loss to the Celtics back in 2017.
They also lost to the Knicks in a seventh and deciding game in Madison Square Garden
in their very first season in D.C.
But there you go.
Kind of the history of game sevens in D.C.
with, I guess, my top, actually, to be fair, because I'm not as, you know, I'm not the Big Caps fan.
Number one would be bullets over Sonics.
Number two would be Nats over Astros.
And number three would be bullets over Spurs.
Because I remember that game so well.
That was just an incredible game.
George Gervin was incredible in that entire series the Ice Man was.
and the bullets who won that game on a big-time clutch
and Bobby Dandrich was clutch, a game winner from the spot he loved to shoot from,
which was that baseline.
All right, that is it for the show.
I will be back with Tommy tomorrow.
