The Sheet with Jeff Marek - Stamkos Speaks Out ft. Jay Woodcroft

Episode Date: December 2, 2024

Welcome to The Sheet with Jeff Marek for December 2, 2024! On today's show we discuss some recent officiating controversies including Marty St. Louis's spicy post-game presser, this weekend's trades between Nashville and Colorado as well as Minnesota and Columbus, react to the Steven Stamkos call out of the Nashville Predators, and are joined by Jay Woodcroft!Connect with us on ⬇️Daily FaceoffX: https://x.com/DailyFaceoffInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/dailyfaceoff/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dailyfaceoff/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@dailyfaceoff?lang=enWebsite: https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/The SheetX: https://x.com/thesheethockeyInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thesheethockey/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thesheethockeyDaily Faceoff Merch:https://nationgear.ca/collections/daily-faceoff Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If you're looking for flexible workouts, Peloton's got you covered. Summer runs or playoff season meditations, whatever your vibe, Peloton has thousands of classes built to push you. We know how life goes. New father, new routines, new locations. What matters is that you have something there to adapt with you, whether you need a challenge or rest. And Peloton has everything you need, whenever you need it.

Find your push. Find your power. Peloton. Visit Peloton at one you need, whenever you need it. Find your push. Find your power. Peloton. Visit Peloton at onepeloton.ca. Okay, we'll start with a PSA and a little story. If you're in the blue, that's on you. Now, this should be a mandatory mantra for everybody trying to understand goalie interference. Some quick history here, folks. The NHL debuted in 1917, as we all know, but it wasn't until 1931 that they actually bothered to introduce the idea of protecting goalies who had the nerve to try to stop a puck. The original goalie interference rule was wrought with problems as well.

Stop me if you've heard this one before. With no clearly designated area for goaltenders, nobody really knew where they were eligible to be interfered with or not. You can imagine the arguments. Fast forward to 1933, when the NHL managing director Frank Patrick mandated that a semicircle be maintained and painted in front of each net. It was a nine-team league back then, and no team did it.

Can you imagine for one second right now if Gary Bettman said to all 32 teams, we need to put a certain painting or a certain marking on the rink, and all 32 teams said, nah. That's what happened in 33. It was a different time. Instead, the teams were asked to then paint an L shape in front of the net to designate the goalie area. Eight of the nine teams agreed and made the markings except for, you guessed it, Toronto. Now after a controversial 4-1 Leafs win over the Ottawa Senators, the Sens protested that two Leafs goals shouldn't have counted because the players were in the Sens' crease.

But because the Leafs never painted a crease in the first place on the ice, you see where this one is going. Now the NHL, again, imagine this. The NHL made a deal with the Maple Leafs. The win would stand if they agreed to paint the crease. Essentially, the NHL bribed Toronto into complying. So if I'm an Ottawa Senators fan right now, I'm saying to myself, the Maple Leafs still owe me a win.

So now, a couple of things. Think about goalie interference today, 2024, in terms of liability. If you go into the crease, your liability goes sky high. Nudge the goalie even slightly while he tries to make a save. That goal is coming back. Four points to remember here. One, was there contact? Two, where did the contact happen? Three, how did the player get there? And four, what was the impact? You know, Colby Cohen from Morning Cup of Hockey here on DFO said the other week that officials have been consistent with this call all season so far. I agree. And I think outside of offside, it's the call officials get correct the most.

You know, I chuckle every time I see someone on television during one of these situations who throws up his hands in the air and proudly announces their own ignorance, saying, I don't even know what goalie interference is anymore. Disservice to hockey fans who rely on us to explain things. You know, we have access not only to people who write the rules, but also those who enforce them. And at NHL.com, there's a seven minute video explaining all the nuances of goalie interference. It's not that hard. Just remember, if you're in the blue, that's on you. In the white, that's all right. Oh, hi, you're here. Welcome to The Sheet for Monday, December the 2nd. Glad to have you aboard. I cannot tell you how happy I am to be back. Thanks for putting up with all the promos. Thanks for putting up with all the annoyances, I'm sure,

whether it's my social feed or others. Just happy to be here now. Settle back in where I'm most comfortable. And thanks to Small Town Strip Club, by the way, from Stratford, Ontario, for the intro song. These guys are really good. Great live band as well from Stratford, Ontario, as I mentioned. Home of Jared McCann of the Seattle Kraken,

who are in their own little funk these days, dropping a pair to the San Jose Sharks, who all of a sudden you have to watch on a consistent basis, and not just for Macklin Celebrini. Also from Stratford, one of the most underrated defensemen of all time, Craig Hartsburg of the Minnesota North Stars, Nick Leavitt. For all you old-timers, the great Joey Hisham and Howie Morenz. And I can already hear all my friends from the Society for International Hockey Research

saying he's actually from Mitchell, Ontario, not Stratford. He's the Stratford streak. And if you want facts, I'm going to have to ask for more money. All right. Lots to get to today, including a very special guest we're very much looking forward to talking to, and that is Jay Woodcroft. In the meantime, I want to introduce you to our producer slash co-host

slash bon vivant slash man about town. He is Zach Phillips, and he joins me now. Zach, how are you, pal? Jeff, I'm good. I'm glad I got through the intro there. I think that there was one slight hiccup, but I will deal with that. I think I might have had a double name key go up there.

But I mean, aside from that, I think I'm pretty happy with the way that this has gone so far. The show has clearly gone into the ditch then, Zach, right away with the double name key. So lots to get to today. And before we get into what the main topics are going to be for the day, and by the way, we're going to talk more about goalie interference here in a couple of moments and i really do like colby cohen says i really do think this is one of the calls that officials get consistently right uh more so than any other calls but one of the things that like if you're joining me from uh the old 32 thoughts podcast or if you heard me on chiclets last week or you're someone that's new to the

whole dfo the Nation Network family, really encourage you to check out everything that we have to offer audio-wise, digital-wise as well. I will put this lineup up against any lineup in hockey any single day of the week. And the nice thing about DFO, the website, is Matt Larkin gets everybody caught up and starts their weekend off with the things you need to pay attention to that week. And this morning I woke up and clicked on Larkin gets everybody caught up and starts their weekend off with the things you need to pay attention to that week. And this morning I woke up and clicked on Larkin, and it's this week in the NHL.

Offer sheet boys return to Edmonton. I want to get there in a second. Also points out that tomorrow is going to be a very special day in Calgary as the Columbus Blue Jackets return. This will be the first trip to Calgary since the Goudreau brothers passed away. There won't be a dry eye in the place, and we'll be very much looking forward to that. December 4th, roster announcements for Four Nations face-off. Not a moment too soon for me.

I guess it's fun marketing gets everyone hyped up about Four Nations, but I think I've read my last fantasy list, or here's my Team Canada. Here's why I think Sweden. Just get me the list. Just get me the teams and let's get this thing going. And then also mention something else and this is something to look forward to

on Saturday. The St. Louis Blues visit the Edmonton Oilers. And as Larkin puts it, the offer sheet boys return to Edmonton. So, Philip Broberg, Dylan Holloway. This was one of the great stories of the offseason. This was one of the great stories of the offseason. This was one of the great stories.

We don't see offer sheets anymore. Well, we do see offer sheets, and now we see double offer sheets. Now, a couple of things with this one that I want to share with you. Because a lot of people are curious about this one, really always interested in offer sheets, predatory or otherwise, and have wondered, were there any other teams? Because these two were always going as a package. Like this was going to be double offer sheet.

Broberg and Holloway were going together. This was going to happen. There were three teams who were prepared to do offer sheets for these players. St. Louis was the preferred candidate, I believe, for both these players. But as we all know, St. Louis had a hard time getting that second round pick back and they ended up getting it from the Pittsburgh Penguins. And then they had the compensation and they could check all the boxes and get both the players. But interestingly in all of this, again, two other teams were interested in trying to

get all the necessary ingredients together to offer Sheet Broberg and Holloway. And it sounds very much like one of the teams was the Calgary Flames. Now just think about that for one second. When you think the Battle of Alberta, when you think about the nastiness and the vitriol between these two teams, my mind right away goes back to, you know, the days of the 80s when they would compete and, you know, one team would win the Stanley Cup one year and the other would win it the other, the next. Calgary was a really good team. And we think about those games between the two that would take about four and a half hours

to play. You spent more time picking up gloves than announcing the goals. And these are the days of Dave Semenko and Marty McSorley and Don Jackson and Tim Hunter and Jim Poplinski and everybody else going at it on the ice. Legitimate hatred between Edmonton and Calgary. The fan base didn't get along, fights in the stands, etc. And we fast forward to the summer of 2024 and that feud could have been played out with offer sheets and just consider what that would have done

to the Battle of Alberta and if there would have been any more pressure on Edmonton to try to maneuver their player personnel in order to match the offer knowing that it was the provincial rival. I still don't know who the third team was. That may remain a white whale for me. We shall see. But it sounds very much like Calgary was one of the other teams that were in pursuit of the offer

sheet for Philip Roberg and Dylan Holloway. Okay, with that, let's get to our topics of the day. Things you're going to hear over the next 60 minutes here on this program, the debut edition of the sheet. Mentioned it off the top. If you're in the blue, that's on you. In the white, you're all right. We're going to talk about goaltender interference. And I don't know about you, but I'm still kind of scratching my head. If you watch that Vancouver-Detroit game on Sunday, I'm still kind of scratching my head like this

chimp over my shoulder and trying to figure out why Vancouver went for the goaltender interference appeal. I'm going to talk plenty about goaltender interference. That's one of the ones that I kind of look sideways at, folks, and maybe you did as well. Marty St. Louis, head coach of the Montreal Canadiens.

Some tremendous audio, maybe the best audio of the weekend. Coming out of MSG Saturday afternoon, the Montreal Canadiens giving everything they had trying to beat the New York Rangers. The Rangers end up winning this one. And there were a couple of moments that Montreal Canadiens fans, I think, have legitimate gripes about. Certainly head coach Marty St. Louis does,

and you will not believe if you haven't heard it already. His comments afterwards, where he just said the same thing over and over again. We had a couple of trades over the weekend. The big name moving, David Juracek, former sixth overall draft pick of the Montreal draft, going from Columbus to Minnesota. We're going to get into that and kind of do as much as we can, a sort of 360 view from as many different positions and angles, whether it's Columbus, whether it's Minnesota, whether it is also the Colorado-Nashville deal.

It's got Wedgwood essentially for UCN, and we'll get into that one as well. So we'll go over the weekend trades and what they mean for all four teams and what the commentary around all of them was. And speaking of Nashville, you know, I mentioned that the Marty St. Louis audio was kind of an all-timer. Stamkos over the past 18 months has been more outspoken than we've ever seen. You know, last year before the season began,

Stamkos had hoped to re-up with the Tampa Bay Lightning and then openly talked about that as well. That's rare. Generally, Stamkos is a button-down guy and tries to toe the line as much as possible. He was vocal about his contract status. And then on Friday, after yet another Nashville loss, and they lost all four of their games last week, Stamkos again coming this close to pointing his fingers at certain people on the Nashville Predators

and saying, this is our problem. Also, Jay Woodcroft is going to stop by. The former head coach of the Edmonton Oilers. Jay was a finalist for a couple of jobs last year. The Columbus Blue Jackets job that went to Dean Everson and the New Jersey Devils job that ended up going to Sheldon Keefe. We'll talk to, like, Jay's one of the more fascinating guys in the NHL universe. He is a student of the game. He is a genuinely and naturally curious person.

And where some coaches, as they wait for future work, will show up on panels on TSN or just sort of wait beside the phone for it to ring, Jay Woodcroft has spent the last 12 months essentially Jay Woodcroft has spent the last 12 months essentially traveling around the world to find out how coaches coach in different countries. And even how coaches coach on different teams. Seeing him up on the ice in preseason with the Philadelphia Flyers and John Tortorella. Jay Woodcroft is a guy that's not just going to sit around. He's going to find ways to improve himself. We'll talk to Woodcroft about his Edmonton experiences. Should probably talk to him about winning the cup with the Red Wings as an assistant and should probably get his thoughts as well on Jumbo Joe Thornton.

He was an assistant coach for the San Jose Sharks, of course, when Jumbo Joe was there. Have a look around the NHL this evening. Three games on the go around the league. So plenty to get to. And we'll start it all off with the big topic or the power topic, as we like to call it. This is goaltender interference. Now, I know that at first blush, goaltender interference may look like something

that is difficult to call. It looked like, and we've all heard people say, I don't even know what it means anymore. It just looks like they're throwing darts. As a matter of fact, like, and I went over this off the top of the program, there's a very sort of strict formula for how goalie interference is called. And I'll tweet out this link after the program goes off the air today. There's a sort of, it's kind of hidden,

like you have to really hunt for it. But if you have a look at the NHL video rule book at NHL.com, again, you have to hunt for it. but it's a seven-minute video that I encourage everybody to watch that breaks down what goes into a goalie interference call. Now, goalie interference, I will admit, is not as black and white as offside. But still, there is, like look at that, in the white, you're all right. In the blue, that's on you goalie interference is a subjective call but only at the end of goalie interference so the first thing you look at is was there contact and then you look at was there contact in the blue paint or was it outside? Where did the contact happen? How did the player get there?

Because you could be in the blue paint and score a goal, and it doesn't count as goalie interference. You can see a loose puck in the blue paint and go at it, and it'll still count as a goal even if you're battling the net minder for it. But what you can't do, and again, this goes back to the if you're in the blue, that's on you. What you can't do is deliberately go into the crease to make contact. Think of it in terms, again, of liability. Trust me, this will make your lives a whole lot easier.

Your life will be so much easier watching these calls and not having to guess, you know, because you'll be able to, there's always going to be one or two you don't get, but you'll be able to pick off goal interference when you start checking off all these boxes. If you see the player go into the blue paint on his own and have any type of interference with the goaltender as that goaltender tries to stop a shot.

That is on you. That goal is coming back. If you are outside of the crease. As we saw Michael Rasmussen Sunday. In that game against the Red Wings. Even though the goaltender, you can make the argument there might be a little bit of a bump. He's outside the crease. He has his feet on the white ice. That is going to be a goal all day long. So that is the power

topic of the day. Discuss amongst yourselves as you already have. But the one thing again, don't just throw your hands up and say, I don't even know what goaltender interference is. It's a call just like any other call, just like slashing, just like cross-checking, just like high-sticking, just like tripping, name it. There are resources available, and again, I encourage you to watch that video, for you to be able to discern

and for you to be able to give yourself a little bit of advantage over your buddies who just sort of look at goalie interference and shrug and say, I don't know, they're throwing darts. You can come back with, actually, they're not. And here's why they're not. And you'll get to the place where, you know, as Colby mentioned on Morning Cup of Hockey the other day, it's a consistent

call. And the officials have been incredibly consistent with it. Now, I want to get to this Marty St. Louis audio. Saturday's a really good game on MSG. Lane Hudson looked really good for the Montreal Canadiens. This is a recording. Tough one for the Habs at the end. A couple of really questionable calls by the officials. Like, I'm not normally a ref baiter. I try not to get on them. It's a really difficult job,

and they're the best in the world. But that Josh Anderson call at the end, like I, I I've watched it a million times and I, I still don't see it. So St. Louis has legit reason to gripe. Okay. With this one, I can, I can understand it, but you know, you get fined if you go after them in the post game, you know, and Marty doesn't want to be thousands of dollars lighter. And I don't think the Montreal Canadiens, if they're going to pay Marty's fine, want to be thousands of dollars lighter. So Marty, in both French and English, has an all-time presser. It didn't matter what the question was that he gets asked,

he answers the exact same way. Here is the brilliance of Marty St-Louis on Saturday. I loved our game, but I'm not going to talk about the refs. I loved that match. I couldn't talk what the question was he was going to respond the exact same way and I think he got his point clearly across

you've heard the old cliche coaches are hired to be fired right there's a shelf life for all of them there are just some guys though that you hope coach a certain team forever I really hope that Martyy saint louis coaches the montreal canadians forever i know that there is probably more expected of the habs this year

i thought that you know they're not quite in that conversation with detroit and ottawa and buffalo as being teams are going to take that next step and finally nudge themselves into a playoff spot. But you thought the Montreal Canadiens would be better. Lion-A returning, we'll see what happens with that. But at the end of it, it's another year where you're only going to ask yourself, are the kids getting better? And I don't know that I can think of in the NHL right now a better coach that's going to be developing his players, a better coach that's going to be developing his players

or a better coach that's going to be deflecting criticism of his players and at the same time taking a good run at the officials than Marty St. Louis. Again, I hope Marty St. Louis coaches this team forever. Before we bring on Jay Woodcrocraft, one final thing here, and that is the trades over the weekend. And there's some sort of hand-wringing, I suppose, in some circles about what's happened with the Nashville Predators and what the Nashville Predators have been doing lately.

Like when Barry Trott said we may need to start the rebuild or get underway with the rebuild, I think a lot of us looked at it sideways and said, what's Barry Trott said we may need to start the rebuild or get underway with the rebuild. I think a lot of us looked at it sideways and said, what's Barry Trott's mean here? Well, what he means is he's going to start sending bodies out. And it's tough to move the big ticket agents. And I know that they just brought in a whole bunch of new players in the offseason.

Brady Shea, Stephen Stamkos, Jonathan Marcheseau. But when you have a look at what the National Predators have done in the last couple of weeks it's Thomas Hino to the Pittsburgh Penguins it's Dante Fabro on waivers and then claimed by the Columbus Blue Jackets where by the way he looks like a completely different player but nonetheless and then it was moving out Scott Wedgwood

to the Colorado Avalanche Preds, picking up Eustace Ananen, a younger goaltender, and a 2025 sixth-round draft pick. The Avalanche picking up Scott Wedgwood, hoping to calm things down in the crease. It has to be one of the most frustrating things for a team, for a coach, to do a lot of good work for three periods to have the whole thing undone by bad goaltending.

And this is the place where you insert your cliche about goalies, right? Show me a good goalie, I'll show you a good coach. Sure. If you have a goalie, it's 70% of your team. If you don't have a good goalie, it's 100% of your team. Alain Vigneault would often say,

goal hockey is simple. Your goalie is better than my goalie. You win simple. Your goalie is better than my goalie. You win. If my goalie is better than your goalie, I win. Ned Harkness, head coach of the Detroit Red Wings saying we need to change the name of the sport from hockey to goalie,

et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. But it's true. And this isn't a season that the Colorado Avalanche can afford to squander. That one makes a lot of sense. The David Yurochek deal is a massive one for the Minnesota Wild. And I'm not sure how you look at Minnesota here,

but they pick up Juracek, and a lot of people looking at that right side with Brock Faber and saying this is going to be the envy of the NHL for a lot of years, and rightfully so. The Blue Jackets pick up Damon Hunt, a conditional first, third and fourth, and a second rounder in 2027, and the Wild pick up David Juracek in a fifth round draft pick in 2025. At the end of it, the Minnesota Wild got the player, and not to be too overly cynical about this, but they have a stronger sense of what they're getting

in David Juracek than what the Blue Jackets understand they're getting in a collection of lottery tickets. And that's what draft picks are. Now, they're valuable, and they could turn into a lot of things. One of them might even turn into David Juracek. They got lottery tickets for David Juracek, and there's still an outstanding player waiting to happen there.

You wonder, much like Dante Favreau from Nashville to Columbus, if a change of scenery can ignite what we all think is an outstanding defenseman there in David Juracek okay let's bring on our first guest he is a uh the former head coach of the Edmonton Oilers he is a former assistant coach of the Stanley Cup winning the Detroit Red Wings uh former assistant coach with the San Jose Sharks so you know we're going to get some Jewel Thornton stories here. And he spent the last 12 months or so canvassing the globe to learn and to learn about coaching. He is Jay Woodcraft and he joins me now on the sheet.

Jay, thanks so much for stopping by today. How are you? And I want to jump in quickly as we welcome you aboard. I love the Christmas motif behind you. First of all, let us know, like the last 12 months for you have been fascinating. Where have you gone and what have you learned? Well, hi, Jeff. First, thanks for having me on.

It's an honor to be on your first show and I wish you great luck in this new venture. Thanks. You know, this last 12 months has been a time for me to get better. Essentially, that's what I've tried to do. You know, I look at having the time that I've had as almost a form of wealth. And I want to make sure I use my time wisely. And, you know, I think, you know, the first thing I tried to do was reflect, spend some time with your family, try and figure out ways to get better.

You know, I was made sure that you know I wasn't full of negativity I don't find myself to be a resentment collector you know I wanted to find you know the good in what had happened and rather than getting bitter I wanted to use the adversity as as a way to get better and that's what I think you're referencing there you know I went over to Europe in February of last year. I spent some time with two different organizations. And, you know, all I did was hang around the coach's room and enjoyed having a coffee,

listening to how other people approach different problems. I watched some games and it was really enjoyable. I came back and then was asked to go over back to Europe for the World Championships, which was a great experience. Anytime you go over with the people that run Hockey Canada and Scott Salmon, his staff there, and then certainly Andre Tournier, who was the head coach. It was a fantastic experience.

You learn a lot about people, a lot about the players that go over there. And I know I got better in that situation. And then, you know, heading into this year and this summer, you know, not having a team to go to in September was new to me. It's not something that I think I've ever had. Going back to when I played minor hockey as a kid, team to go to in September was new to me. It's not something that I think I've ever had going back to when I played minor hockey as a kid. I always had a team to go to in September. So I wanted to make sure that I was, you know, as I said, using my time wisely, I went to Europe and,

you know, they had the opening of the NHL season in Prague, Czech Republic, had an opportunity to talk to a lot of coaches over there, talk to the coach that I used to be, you know, and offer any insights and benefits of my experience to these people that were trying to get better over there. And I got to watch the first two games of the year. But as you mentioned, I went to Philadelphia for training camp. I didn't go on the ice. You know what? I actually made a point of sitting in the stands and just kind of watching.

And what that allowed me to do, first of all, I'm very thankful that John Tortorella invited me to come so that I could watch and see how somebody else does something. But I like the fact that someone who's very well known for having these very intense, hard training camps that are legendary in NHL circles, I got to see firsthand. And it spawned a whole bunch of ideas in my head. And I know that, you know, I took some good notes. And I'm fortunate that John invited me to go over there.

I know I got better during that trip as well. You know, Jay, one of the coaches that I really admire in junior hockey, a coach of the Kitchener Rangers, you see a hocus. And, you know, there's a great video on the coach's site about him talking about positionless hockey and the future of the game, etc. I'm curious when you know when you uh when you traveled around europe like what were what were a couple of your sort of main takeaways anything profoundly different that you can share with us well it's a different game it's and it's not the nhl the skill level is not the same the stakes aren't the same the payrolls aren't the same but there's a lot of really good hockey people and those people are looking for solutions that

might be a little bit different problems that you find in the nhl in terms of tactics and whatnot but i i when i go to europe i i'm always enamored by the rhythm of the game you don't see a lot of straight ahead stop and start hockey teams play on the move. They build offences on the move. And, you know, I think any time a national team goes over to play in Europe on the bigger ice surface, that's always something that needs to be discussed and find ways to beat it. And like I said, I got to spend some quality minutes with great hockey people in both Finland and Switzerland. And I'm thankful for both of those organizations. They were both at different points in their year.

And like I said, just having a coffee in a coach's room, it really brightened my day. And I know I got better. With Jay Woodcroft. Jay, I want to ask you about something. And I mentioned this off the top of the show. And every couple of days, it sort of raises its head. And some people throw their hands in the air and say, oh, they're just making this up as they go along. But, you know, I really, I try my best to understand why calls are made.

And I'm getting to goalie interference live real time and you watch it on the ipad what are the sort of the boxes that you're looking to check before you decide on i'm going to appeal this or not yeah you know what i i thought in listening to your introduction you did a really good job of that uh explaining whether you're in the blue or outside the blue that that's like a critical point right there um but for me in my experience as the head coach in edmonton we spent a lot of time in the off season working on projects and what i meant about that is uh just studying the calls that have been made throughout the previous season or previous seasons to try and get a better handle on the decision makers' reasonings for decisions.

And, you know, as new ones would pop up during a season, always spent time with our coaching staff discussing it. And, you know, I was very fortunate. I had what I felt was the best video coach in the league. And I've had some good ones, you know, in other places. I had Brett Heimlich who works in Colorado. I had Sam Kim who works in Toronto and these guys are stars. They're unbelievable.

But I felt that I had the best video coach in the league with Jeremy Kupal. And we had a system in place that if there was ever one of those situations would arise we had a protocol we followed that protocol strictly we adhered to it and we trusted our instinct and as a result we did pretty well on on when to challenge or when not to challenge but a lot of that came down to his expertise and and the protocols that we put in place to make sure that we were making clear-headed decisions not not emotional ones um a couple of other things in the game right now that i want to get your thoughts on and then i want to talk about um

winning the stanley cup in detroit i want to talk about some edmonton uh edmonton things as well i want to talk about jumbo in um in san jose it was beautiful ceremony for him a couple of a couple of weeks ago you know i always i always used to make the joke there's only two places that do ceremonies well uh one is buckingham palace and the other is the bell center but man san jose just like hit it out of the park with that joe thornton um ceremony but i want to get your thoughts on attention to detail and connor mcdavid now when i was doing the pod with elliot we sat down with you a couple of different times and there's one thing that you said that always really stuck with me and i've always referenced it and we're talking about mcdavid and you stopped us and you said look

one thing we need to all remember is don't be numb to what we're seeing like i grew up you know watching rain get wayne gretzky and i look back now and i'm like how was i not more impressed like he was impressive it's wayne gretzky's incredible things, but I don't know that the, the, the full gravity sank in while I was watching it. And you said to us, you said, don't be numb to this. Like what we're seeing is great. Like, can you expand on that? And also, and I'm thinking of tiny little things like offsides, like things that McDavid pays such attention to that mere mortals probably wouldn't. Yeah, well, I mean, obviously his talent is elite and it was special to be able to coach him for the years that I was able to coach. And that year in particular, when we sat down, I think he was on his way to 160 points in the Hart Trophy.

And what he was doing was extremely special. But I think when you discuss those elite talents, and I'm very fortunate because I've been around some in Detroit and San Jose and certainly in Edmonton's organization, but I think what doesn't get talked about enough is their character and the amount of work that they put in to be as great as they are. We're talking about the 0.01% of the 1%. And you talked about being detail oriented and earlier you were talking about challenges and everything like that. And, and, you know,

one time I can remember with Connor was, you know, certainly in NHL pregame skates, everyone kind of finishes their practice with a two-on-one drill where a goalie split and regroup and go back two-on-one. It's quite common in the NHL. It would always drive them mad when some younger players would just, in order to keep the rhythm of the drill, they would go a little bit offside into their two-on-one. And he didn't understand why. And as I started to watch, you know, he made a real point of dragging his foot to never be offside.

And then sure enough, you know, a few games later, I think there was a disputed offside goal where it was him on a two-on-one. He dragged his leg and the other team challenged and maybe didn't have the proper protocol in place, but he was onside and looked back at me and said, that's why you dragged your leg on those pregame skate two-on-ones. You know, it's interesting.

Wayne Gretzky used to always say it's the most selfish play in hockey, the offside. And like, I'm sure you probably saw the exact same thing with McDavid. Like that's just, like, that's just, it's, it's, it's sloppy and it's not fair to everybody else. Accurate. Yeah, I think so. You know, it's like, it's just like saying to some people,

sometimes not shooting the puck is selfish. And you know, in the, in certain situations you, what you want to make sure you don't want to kill offense. Offense is hard enough to come by in the league and to be on a two on one and not have that attention to detail to make sure that you're, you're dragging a foot or being extra careful in that situation to me is, you know, it shouldn't just be the hallmark of the greats like Connor. You know, here's more of a philosophical question for you,

but I know you think like this. You're a thinker of the game and a student of the game. Do you find that, because if you look in your past, like McDavid and Dreisaitl, 13, 40, and 5 in Detroit, Jumbo in San Jose. Do you find that coaches that coach superstar players don't get as much credit as coaches that don't have superstar players in their lineup? Is that a thing amongst coaches? Is that a thing in the NHL?

I've never thought of it, actually. But you raising it, it makes me think of it. You know, I look at coaching the players that I've coached as a real privilege. They're, as I said, they're the 0.01% of the 1%. They get you out of bed in the morning with ways to find motivation for them. My experience around those grades is that they all

If you're looking for flexible workouts, Peloton's got you covered. Summer runs or playoff season meditations, whatever your vibe, Peloton has thousands of classes built to push you. We know how life goes. New father, new routines, new locations.

What matters is that you have something there to adapt with you, whether you need a challenge or rest. And Peloton has everything you need, whenever you need it. Find your push. Find your power. Peloton. Visit Peloton at onepeloton.ca. power peloton visit peloton at one peloton.ca they all wanted some kernel of information or tactic that was gonna push them uh to reach their full potential and and the team's full potential like i said earlier they're

they're all elite talents elite elite talents but they're great people they're character people and they're driven to be their best and you know as a coach uh in the nhl i don't worry so much about who gets credit for what i uh i certainly uh you know put my focus on trying to get the most out of the team on a day-to-day basis and and try and and, uh, help whatever team my coach pursue its potential. Let me fire a couple of quick ones that you hear from your, from your past. You know, there used to be a saying around the NHL that if you're going to win the Stanley cup on the road, this is the old Pittsburgh arena.

If you're going to win the Stanley cup on the road, don't win it in Pittsburgh because the visitor dressing room is tiny. Uh, but you guys did you guys did in Pittsburgh. What was the... See, I was always told that there was like the tiny room celebration and then the Illich family got everyone on the charter as fast as they could to get back to Detroit. Take us back to winning the cup as a Red Wing in Pittsburgh in tiny rooms.

Wow. First of all, what a thrill. It's a dream come true for any hockey person to raise that trophy over your head. And, you know, you go through the ceremony and the pomp and circumstance and families come on the ice and then you go into the dressing room afterwards and it's absolute mayhem in the greatest way possible. But what I'll always remember about that team, and specifically about winning the cup was it was not

all of that stuff it was kind of when everybody got got cleared out of that small room the trainers the coaches the players all kind of made their way back to a little portion of that room a trainer's room and we were all together and it was great you were sitting having unbelievable conversations there were a few uh adult beverages being had and people were you know relishing in the accomplishment of winning the stanley cup and it was funny because uh after a while with everybody in that small room, realized that the Stanley Cup wasn't in the room with that group of people. And out of nowhere, just like eight-year-olds who had won a novice hockey tournament, everybody started chanting, we want the cup, we want the cup.

And it got louder and louder. Eventually someone brought the cup in through the threshold of the doorway and got showered with champagne and everyone's having a good time hooting and hollering and uh for me that that was really fun to see these men uh who behaving like little kids and remembering why everybody plays hockey is to win the big trophy win your last game of the year um but but for me what was really cool was when we were all in there with the cup they turned some music on and it could have been we are the champions i can't even remember what the songs were but i'll always remember that the cup got passed from individual to individual and it didn't matter if you were nicholas lidstrom the captain of the it didn't matter if you were Nicholas Lidstrom, the captain of the team.

Didn't matter if you were Chris Capetto, the assistant equipment manager at the time, or Pete Van Zandt, the head athletic therapist, or one of the coaches. It didn't matter who received that cup. As soon as that person received the cup with the music in the background, they raised the cup over their head

and a huge roar emanated from that room and everybody cheered everyone individually in that moment and uh that's something that i'll always always remember and i can tell you that in my career in hockey that's a moment that I, I continue to chase. I I'm chasing that feeling again. It's what drives you. It's your motivational fuel. It's what, as I said, gets you out of bed in the morning is, is trying to recreate that moment. And that certainly was a special one in, in Detroit. And I have another special one I want to tell you about too.

I coached a team in the american hockey league during the pandemic where i had that feeling again and uh our team in bakersfield you know it was a unique time it was a shortened season we were in a unique situation because our team was separated from our parent club by an international border so there wasn't movement between players i think the big club had 28 players or so and we were just kind of off on our own and and doing our thing against the division that had a lot of natural advantages because teams were the american league team and the NHL team were in the same facility. They could move players up and down. And we started that year 0-5. And then we came out of it.

I think we won nine games in a row. We ended up getting to second place during the regular season. And as the regular season wore down, there uh dispute between the league and some of the owners and and players of whether there should be a playoff played and eventually that dispute got settled um but the big factor was because you know there wasn't bonuses for the players and and and whatnot and as i said it got settled and ended up our division played playoffs. And, you know, I'll never forget that we played the Anaheim Ducks Farm Club who came into our building to play a series.

And, you know, their parent club hadn't made the playoffs. They sent down all these young NHLers like Zegras and Drysdale and Dostal and these types of guys, Sam Carrick. And they're a great team. and we won that playoff series, but we won having never led for a minute of the series. We won our games in overtime, which was a really unique thing, but I think it spoke to the people that we had on that team. But from there, we went into Las Vegas to play Vegas' Farm Club

in T-Mobile arena and i won't bore you with the details of the series but it came down to the final game and uh you know we ended up winning we came out on the right end of it by a goal it was great 15 000 people at t-mobile arena we go into the dressing room afterward and I'll forever keep that memory of that team and how special they were. And the reason is because they were playing for the right reason. They were playing for each other. They were a team that was so strong in their relationships

that they refused to cut corners or take shortcuts. And it was a victory that was really, really driven out of camaraderie. And now when I think of that situation in Bakersfield, that group that won, and then that team that won in Detroit, I understand, you know, how getting the relationships right, getting the people side of the business right is so very important. For me, you know know hockey's a game played by people coached by people managed by people you have to get your people processes right and those

are lessons that i'll take from those two teams as i move forward in my coaching career um i got time for a couple more and i want to ask you i want to ask you about your favorite hockey story ever but before we get there you know yeah know, I always bang this drum about you is that you're constantly in a process of learning. Like you embrace it. Like that's who Jay Woodcroft is. For the next team that you coach, who slash what are they getting in Jay Woodcroft now?

Well, I think they're getting someone that is young. I'm 48 years old. He had been in the league for coming on 20 years here and have had a unique set of experiences. Obviously, came through Red Wings University at a time when a lot of coaches came through there and had the resources available to us. And I'm not just talking the ability to talk with Ken Holland and Jim Nill and, and Scotty Bowman, but the players that were there that I was able to learn from was amazing. And then spent seven good years in, in San Jose with great players and great people forever. Remember my time there. It's where my kids were born. And then, you know, nine years in the Edmonton Oilers organization wearing all different types of hats.

I was an assistant coach, head coach in the American League, head coach in the NHL. Coming up when the team was in some difficulty out of the playoffs halfway through a year, I think there were 30-odd games left. And we were able to have the success that we were able to have. But for me, it comes down to the relationships that you build along the way. And I know you mentioned it. The work that I was able to do here over the last little while has really set me up.

It forces you to refine what your core beliefs are. It helps you learn from different people. refine what your core beliefs are. It helps you learn from different people. And, um, you know, I'm, I'm excited about bringing those communication skills and the things I've learned into my next opportunity. Okay. You mentioned Ken Holland there a second ago. Okay. I want to own a freestyle one here. Um, is it true that when you were coaching the Oilers, when you were in Tampa, if you guys had bad line changes, Scotty Bowman would reach out and give you crap. I mean, he had those habs in the 70s practicing line changes like crazy. He was the master of the line change.

Is it true that Scotty Bowman would reach out to both you and Holland to give you crap for bad line changes? Yeah, that's true. Scotty was a stick crap for bad line changes. Yeah, that's true. Scotty was a stickler for good line changes, and that was something that was a focal point of our team in Edmonton, and we tried to improve on. We weren't perfect, certainly. There were times where you get caught with a tough line change,

and you get a scoring chance against, or even you can get victimized by teams quick-upping it. It was always a focal point. Anytime we went through Tampa that, that Scotty would be sure to either get, get to Ken or myself. And I'll tell you what, I learned something great at the world championships from Andre Tournier,

who's a, who's a fantastic coach. And, you know, the, what he would say in that situation to make sure that you don't get, you don't get quick upped or and you know the what he would say in that situation uh to make sure that you don't get you don't get uh quick upped or you know victimized on a poor change that type of thing he had a great term that he he said was uh keep one dog in the fight always keep one dog in the

fight one dog in the fight and i know uh i'm stealing that from him as as i move forward i love it okay so what I want to do with every guest and we're going to kick it off with you is share with us your favorite hockey story of all time. Mine involves the Flyers who have been 74-75. The legendary and late Fred Shiro is the head coach one of my favorite coaches I'll get into that in another program is one is the coach of the Philadelphia Flyers are the best team in the NHL. They march into Pittsburgh, who are awful at that time, on a Saturday, and get scotched, like 6-2 or something like that. And the Flyers are awful.

The next day at practice, not a single puck hits the ice. It's down and back, down and back, down and back. Tongues are hanging out. The guys get into the room after, and Fred walks in. And Fred says, he's looking at the guys, and he says, like, I heard you coming off the ice yesterday. You made a contribution. I made a contribution on my shift. I did something on my shift. I made a contribution on that shift. And he goes to the board and he draws a plate

and he draws three strips of bacon and he draws two eggs. And he says, gentlemen, this is what I had for breakfast this morning. And this is what I expect out of all of you as Philadelphia Flyers. The guy's looking around the room like, what's Freddie going on about here? Has Freddie finally lost it? And he goes, you tell me about your contributions and what you did in that game last night. And he points to the board and he said, on my plate this morning, the chicken made a contribution, but the pig made a commitment.

And that's what I expect out of you as a Philadelphia Flyer. That is, hands down, Jay, my favorite hockey story. And Fred's got a million stories like that about Fred. Jay, what is your favorite hockey story? Wow. First of all, that's an unbelievable story. Use it. Take it. Yeah, I'm going to steal it.

I'm stealing that one. But, you know, it's hard to think of, you know, just one. But you were mentioning Joe Thornton a little bit earlier. And I have some good stories from Joe and, you know, when he got feted the other day in in San Jose and they did such a great job it it brought those stories to to mine and I was telling a few friends of mine um you know some of the things and and you know one of the stories that I always I always love because Joe in my opinion is a true character in the game in the same way Fred Shiro is a true character in the game.

And obviously he's had a Hall of Fame career, but just a Hall of Fame person as well. He approached every day with like an enthusiasm and a sense of humor that I felt was infectious. And he spoke to me every day in terms of, of you know how to how to come to the rink with some some juice and uh you know i i you know there's so many of his but i'll go to this one um you know there i think it was early in my time in san jose we had a young wide-eyed rookie come come up to the team and it was his first experience in the nhl and he's a little bit naive and jumbo kind of adopted those guys he took them in and and was really friendly with them and whatnot i think as it was said in his uh his jersey retirement uh he loved

to give people nicknames and uh so he decided to call this young wide-eyed rookie meat as in meathead kind of like kevin costner's character uh did in bull durham to tim robbins character in the movie bull durham uh he called the guy meat and so you call him meat all the time and it was like a running joke and whatnot then one time, I think we were in Ottawa, and a few players after the pregame skate, they kind of go back to the pregame meal early on their own before the bus. And I think Jumbo had a lot to do with this, but I know when I went back to the pregame meal,

you know, it's in these beautiful hotel. All the food is labeled. You got steak, you got fish, you have Caesar salad, and you come to the pasta and different types of pasta. And you came to the sauce option. Sure enough, there's the Alfredo sauce listed. There's the marinara sauce. And the third sauce was this player's last name and sauce.

So that was the meat sauce. And that kind of grew on its own. And, you know, I just love that story because that's who he was. He, he wasn't doing it to push anyone away. He was doing it to pull people in. And, you know, certainly, you know, he, he was a joy to be around and he deserves all the, all the attention and attention and, you know, well wishes that he got on that weekend. And I'm sure the next step for him will be in Toronto at the Hockey Hall of Fame one day. Oh, that's an absolute no-brainer. Jay, this has been great.

Thanks so much for stopping by. Listen, success on the coaching hunt. Listen, you've taken over teams mid-season before and helped turn them around and, you know, taking the conference final. You did that with Edmonton. We, you've taken over teams mid-season before and helped turn them around and taken the conference finally. You did that with Edmonton. We wish you all the best this season and beyond, and we'll check back

regularly. Thanks, pal. Thanks, Jeff. Good luck with this new venture. I appreciate it. Thanks. Jay Woodcraft is the former head coach of the Edmonton Oilers, former assistant coach with the Detroit Red Wings and the San Jose Sharks. He's been behind the bench, Zach, with some of the Edmonton Oilers, former assistant coach for the Detroit Red Wings and the San Jose Sharks. So he's been behind the bench, Zach, with some of the best of the best of that last generation.

I always wonder, as a coach, how much you don't just sort of give in to the awe of, wow, I'm watching Datsuk do things that I never thought possible. Wow, I'm looking at Henrik Zetterberg, who's, you know, both him and Datsuk are, you know, both the best offensive and defensive players on this team and i'm watching nick lidstrom who's in my mind anyhow the best defenseman to ever play the game to say nothing of coaching joe thornton to say nothing of conor mcdavid

and leon dreisaitl it's almost kind of been an embarrassment of riches zach for jay woodcraft yeah it's kind of interesting to hear like his perspective on having to go through or being able to go through these guys, right? Like it seems like in every step, he just finds a way to learn from each of them. Um, one of the things that I thought was super cool, honestly, about that interview that we just did, there was him talking about McDavid and the attention to detail. You know, you hear all the time time whether it's your parents or coaches or whoever say you know practice like you play practice like you play and then you have an instance like that where he could have gone offside and you know because he practices with such attention to detail

uh saves them an opportunity or saves them a goal because he is aware of those things and doesn't let that half second or half step or half inch get away from him just at any given moment i thought that's just really really cool to hear it was an interesting answer yeah it made me think about um a story i heard a number of a number of years ago about sydney crosby and i think this might have been in denver he was in the Maritimes. I think it was actually in Denver. So he's skating with about three or four guys and they're only using half ice. And you know what NHLers are like and how they chew up the ice and how they dig it up. So after about 20 or 30 minutes, like half the ice with, you know, four or five, five or six NHLers,

the ice is totally chewed and they're skating and practicing and doing drills, et cetera, et cetera, and doing three-on-threes, two-on-twos, whatever. And one of the guys who was an NHLer, I'm not sure who, said to Crosby, why don't we go down for the second half hour of the skate and go use the ice down there that's clean? And Crosby said, no, we're going to stay here because it's harder. You're going to get ice late in a period that's like this. You better practice for it.

Zach, we always talk about there's different levels of players. And you mentioned the McDavid story that Jay told there about meticulous about offsides, even in practice, and not wanting to get into that lazy habit just to keep a flow drill going. I always think of that Crosby story. No, we're going to practice here because it's harder. You know, we never really think. I remember, you know, here's another one.

I remember talking back at hockey night a few years ago with Kevin Bieksa and we're talking about, because he coaches kids. And I said, what's the one thing that you do that no other coaches do? If there are any coaches out there watching right now, youth hockey, minor hockey, this is really interesting. You'll like this, Zach.

BX says, the one thing that I do is I don't let my kids take a knee. Like, you know, Zach, like a lot of coaches are like, all right, blow the whistle, everyone comes by, take a knee, and you're up at the glass and you're going through the Drigos. I have my guys stand, and we do that as practice. And I said, why do you do that? That makes zero sense to me. Why?

He said, one of the things we never practice is getting caught deep in a shift on the ice and having to learn how to embrace being that uncomfortable on the ice at all times. He said, we never practice it, but what we do in practices is, you know, hard laps, hard laps,

all that, you know, uh, fast drills, guys are bagged and I'll call them to circle or I'll call them to the boards and I'll make them stand as just a way so they can get comfortable being bagged on the ice. The different way to think is that it's a wild one yeah yeah

capped out at minor hockey is that was taking too many knees at the whiteboard yeah that is interesting but it's like those little things right crosby in the in the tough ice in the late because you're saying hey we're gonna have to deal with this mcdavid watching the blue lines in practice bx and making kids stand. Those are incredible things that always to me are just amazing to hear. Like the little things we maybe don't pay attention to that go on behind the scenes that make some of these guys as special and amazing as they are. One of my favorite stories is still something Adam Oates told me a couple of years ago and what he makes like, you know, Jack Eichel and Mark Shifley do as part of their training.

So they don't put their heads down when they put their bottom hand on their stick, which all players do. I do it. Zach, you probably do it as well. Everybody does. But if you put your head down for one second in the NHL, it can be a disaster. He'll have his guys stand there

and practice with their heads up just putting their bottom hand on the stick. Can you imagine saying, hey, Jack Eichel, here's what I'm going to do for 15 minutes. You're going to stand there and put your bottom hand on your stick with your head up. I mean, Mark Shifley. Hey, imagine saying, hey, Jack Eichel, here's what I'm going to do for 15 minutes. You're going to stand there and put your bottom hand on your stick with your head up. Mark

Shifley. Hey, Mark Shifley, here's what you're going to do for 10 minutes. You're going to practice putting your bottom hand on the stick. But again, tiny little detail-oriented things. All right. Before we call it a program today, I want to let you know that one thing that we can

announce, and there'll be more announcements tomorrow, Tuesdays here on the program is the return of MVSW. Greg Wyshynski of ESPN, my old podcast mate from many, many years ago, will pick that up again. So MVSW Tuesdays here on the sheet. Greg will be aboard tomorrow for the full compliment. So looking forward to that. Three games on the go around the NHL this evening. We have the Devils and the Rangers, the Blackhawks and the Maple Leafs. You know, I have a hard time believing that somewhere down the road, that somewhere down the road, the Maple Leafs don't make a pitch for or have a conversation about Nazem Qadri of the Calgary Flames. As the Calgary Flames, like, it was a great start for the Calgary Flames, but I think we all know where the Flames are. I think we all know where the Maple Leafs want to be. And I think that they're looking at the Florida Panthers and saying, if we're going to get out of this division, we have to go through them,

and we need more toughness and more toughness down the middle. I really do wonder if there's a conversation about Nazem Qadri and the Toronto Maple Leafs. Nonetheless, they're hosting the Blackhawks tonight, and the Dallas Stars facing off against Utah Hockey Club. By the way, where do you stand on Utah should keep HC as their name? I might be in the minority. I know a lot of people don't like it.

I kind of do. I kind of do. We see it all the time in Europe. I think it's cool. It's the one and only, Jeff. It's the one and only here in North Carolina. Yeah, but everything is one and only. Like there's only one and only flyers, penguins, oilers, you know?

I know. I guess. I guess. Just give me Yeti. I want to ask you a question. Just give me Yeti. Just give me Yeti. Yeah, go.

I want to ask you a question quickly because you brought up the Nazem Khadji thing. We dig more into it throughout the week we got plenty of time but just quick thoughts on this is would calgary have interest in dealing with tree living i see people in the chat already asking about that so it's it's funny too because when the chris tan of um trade auction was happening last year you know the the feeling the feeling around, uh, around many circles was, oh, there's a, there's a Maple Leafs tax on this one or a tree living tax on this one. Um, I would wonder how much the conversation like, cause I don't think it's smart to do business that way. I can understand, you know, being bitter maybe for a short amount of time, but then,

you know, saner heads need to prevail. You need to do what's right for your team um i don't know that the alleged true living tax would necessarily still exist if it'll help craig conroy get to where he wants with the flames and get him some renewed flexibility and assets in the process like to me it to me it's it's kind of hand to glove like you know true living tried to bring in cadre before and cadre refused to wave to go to calgary and that in that uh that uh that botched toronto calgary deal plus toronto wants to get nastier like they just flat out want to get want to get snarlier. So to me, this one is, and it's the local boy comes home story as well. I don't know. I think a lot of this sort of measures up.

I wonder where this one goes, Zach, but I have a hard time believing that there wouldn't be at least conversations between the two teams. How's that? I wonder if we'll hear that on Leafs morning take tomorrow. Leafs morning take, Leafs nation after dark tonight, following tonight's Blackhawks-Leafs game. It'll be coming up throughout the rest of the week.

But, yeah, I agree with you. I think that, and honestly, I don't blame them for putting a tax on it maybe in year one. He's right there in the organization. He's so familiar with everything. But now as we go, like if it makes the Flames better, why would you not do that? Like you're really going to be so petty about this situation.

Like there are two teams that are different places, right? There's two teams that are totally different places of their organization. Um, anyhow, tonight, as I mentioned, uh,

I know you got your eyes on New Jersey and the New York Rangers. Like, uh, I watched that game again on, on Saturday between the Rangers and, and the Habs and, and came back with, um,

the same thing that I've been saying for a long time. The Rangers are okay. They're a good team, but they have the best goaltender in the world. That's really keeping them afloat. I know it was quick in that on Saturday, but they have the luxury of having the best goaltender in the world.

This one's at MSG, so it's not in the backyard for the New Jersey Devils, but what's spicing your chili about this one? Well, I think New Jersey is legit. I think they were last year. They dealt with injuries. backyard for the new jersey devils but what's spicing your chili about this one well i think new jersey is legit um i think they were last year they dealt with injuries they changed things up they get a goaltender like they had their their program back in the right direction it's new york that is interesting to me because i think they are a really good team but i wonder what the hell is going on locker room wise um you know you you see the stuff with kind of throwing out there that,

hey, maybe we're trading some veterans and stuff, which it's no secret they've wanted to trade true, but like that's not a shocker to anybody. But what does that do to the room now? And then I'm listening to Morning Cup of Hockey this morning. I heard Colby, excuse me, accusing uh laz about you know he's he's the reason laugh is slowed off here because he's partying with them too much but he did he did slow off and and it is affecting as you're killing the rangers bud you're killing the rangers yeah

yeah you got to look internally there last i'm one might be on you but i know i just look at those and i'm like okay i think they've got it. They've got what it takes. But like, can you turn it around in the locker room? And I feel like you're kind of looking at a team with some maybe internal turmoil where they are a good team and a Devils team that is really well-oiled right now. I don't know. That's the one that sticks out to me.

Like, how do these two teams face off here tonight? And because if the Devils lose, I don't think. That's the one that sticks out to me. Like, how do these two teams face off here tonight? And because if the Devils lose, I don't think it means too much to them, you know, big picture. It could mean a lot to the Rangers here, one way or the other. Yeah, you know, I just hope that there's always teams you always want to see face off against each other in the playoffs, Boston, Montreal, and they're both good. But for me, New Jersey and New York,

like a couple of years ago, like that was the Stanley Cup for the New Jersey Devils when they knocked off the New York Rangers coming back after being down to bagel and coming back to beat them. That was, first of all, it was a hell of a series. Second of all, it's always good when the battle of the Hudson rears its head. Maple Leafs facing off against Chicago Blackhawks as well, as we mentioned. And also you're going to see the Utah Hockey Club in action tonight

facing off against the Dallas Stars. And I'm telling you, man, like when the Dallas – I know they're still looking for one more defender. I get it. There's one more defenseman on the horizon. Just like last year with Jim Nill and when Evan got Kristanov, Nill's going to be on the hunt for one more defenseman this year. But when that team is grooving –

and by the way, if you haven't watched Dallas a lot this year, they're getting it done with the gray beards. I know we'll talk a lot about Rupert Hens and Robertson, et cetera, and Wyatt Johnston, but Matt DeShane is leading the team in scoring. Mason Marchman looked fantastic again yesterday against Winnipeg Jets. And also Tyler Sagan seems to be rejuvenated. Right-hand shots for your Dallas Stars.

So that's, once again, Dallas is a good hockey team. Wash, rinse, repeat. On the network, I want to point out a couple of things as well. On Leafs Morning Take, Luke Shen will join the boys on Wednesday. Dave Pagnotta, guest host tomorrow. Also on Morning Cup of Hockey, also on morning cup of hockey, which is like my favorite hockey show. Uh,

I'm addicted to those two guys. Uh, for me, it's like one of the best, not just hockey shows, but sports shows going. Um, I always look forward to hearing Pat Maroon and I know he sort of jumps

around, uh, doing different dates with the guys, but you know, one of the, the hockey media highlights for me this year has been hearing pat maroon talking about because you never hear players talk like this how much he hates brandon montour like just flat out like yeah i don't like that guy like trip this try to fight him here and all

yeah i just don't like that guy and if we were on the same team it might be okay i i love maroon on that show because he just flat out lets it fly just doesn doesn't care. Like took one of these like IDGAF pills and said, all right, I'm going out with the coffee boys. Let me at it. It's one of the best things that we have. DFO Live, every day, noon Eastern as well. Morning Cup of Hockey, nine o'clock Eastern

with Johnny Lazarus and Colby Cohen. Thanks for joining me on the maiden voyage here. Like I can't, I mentioned off the top, but I can't tell you how happy I am to be back on the air and talking to you, Zach. Thank you very much for holding my hand through the first show. A lot of people to thank.

I want to thank Jay Cassidy, Jay Cassidy. It's interesting. Now that I'm here at TNN, I've worked for his father at chorus, John, the great John Cassidy. And now I've worked for his son,

Jake. I don't know if that makes me old. Yeah, it probably does. Now that I've worked for a father-son combination. Jay Downton, who runs everything here at TNN. Thank you. Nick Caroli, who's over to my left right now. He's probably spent more time at my house than he has his own house in the last week,

trying to get all of this set up. Mike Gagnon handles everything at Digital. Adam Seaborn and Jared Sharp at Sales for helping keep the lights on the entire network. And the entire TNN creative team who have gone above, like, out the door and around the block, A, to make me feel welcome,

and to make everything real professional and real smooth. All the shows, and again, like I said it off the top, and I'll continue to say it, I will take this lineup, like everything, like, Sakeris and top and I'll continue to say it. I will take this lineup like everything. So Karis and price, right? Fantastic barn burner, like all, like I will take all of our properties, put them all up

against any other organization in hockey, any single day of the week. It is, um, you know, as I've mentioned before, it's inspiring to, to, to work with a group of people who wake up every day and live their passion for hockey. And again, like not just NHL, but PWHL, you know, junior hockey and prospects with Stephen Ellis, looking forward to doing more with him. You know, pick it, you know, NCAA and that story with the CHL, Colby and Laz are all over that one.

You know, great insiders on the network. We have a combination of, you know, highly intelligent and respected veterans. And a lot of people that are going to be future impact players. And I think of the Tyler Remchucks of the world. And I think about the Colby Colons and the Johnny Lazaruses and these types of people. It's a great, healthy mix when you look at what goes into a successful team. I really think we got it here at the Nation Network. On behalf of Zach Phillips, Merrick signing off.

And I got to thank Amal Delic as well. What I would always say about Amal is when I was doing 32 is no one's ever confused anything that I've ever done with art until I met Delic. He is as meticulous as Connor McDavid not going offside. He is as meticulous as Adam Oates getting all of his players to practice putting their hands on their stick

and Sidney Crosby practicing with bad ice because it's harder this way and you'll grow as a player. Amel Delic is that guy. Thanks, Amal. I'm thrilled to be here. Thanks for joining me on the Maiden Voyage.

We're back tomorrow at 3 o'clock Eastern for The Sheet. Have a great rest of your day. If you enjoyed that video, and we certainly hope that you do, please hit the subscribe button right there here at Daily Faceoff. I will put this lineup up against any hockey lineup anywhere. It all gets underway at 9 o'clock Eastern with Morning Cup of Hockey. That is Johnny Lazarus. That is Colby Cohen.

Then at noon, it's DFO Live. And then 3 o'clock Eastern, The Sheet. Get caught up on everything in hockey. Eastern, The Sheet. Get caught up on everything in hockey. If you're looking for flexible workouts, Peloton's got you covered. Summer runs or playoff season meditations, whatever your vibe, Peloton has thousands of classes built to push you.

We know how life goes. New father, new routines, new locations. What matters is that you have something there to adapt with you, whether you need a challenge or rest. And Peloton has everything you need, whenever you need it. Find your push. Find your power. Peloton.

Visit Peloton at onepeloton.ca.