The Sheet with Jeff Marek - The Wait Is Over ft. Greg Wyshynski

Episode Date: June 4, 2025

On this episode of The Sheet, host Jeff Marek is joined by ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski to tee up Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final between the Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers. The two dive into what to watch for in the series opener, including key matchups and potential X-factors. They also address the growing buzz surrounding Mitch Marner’s offseason future and what the Leafs might be considering. Plus, Jeff and Greg explore what’s next for the Dallas Stars after another strong but ultimately unfulfilled playoff run, and unpack what changes could be on the horizon. All that and plenty more on this jam-packed edition of The Sheet.#StanleyCupFinal #NHL #MitchMarner #DallasStars #MapleLeafs #Panthers #Oilers #JeffMarek #GregWyshynski #TheSheet #thesheet Shout out to our sponsors!👍🏼 Fan Duel: https://www.fanduel.com/👍🏼Ninja Kitchen Canada: https://www.ninjakitchen.ca/products/ninja-crispi-4-in-1-portable-glass-air-fryer-cooking-system-zidFN101CGY?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=olv&utm_campaign=25Q2-Crispi&utm_content=en👍🏼Budweiser: https://www.budweiser.ca/ca_enReach out to [e-mail] to connect with our Sales Team and discuss opportunities to partner with us!If you liked this, check out:🚨 OTT - Coming in Hot Sens | https://www.youtube.com/c/thewallyandmethotshow🚨 TOR - LeafsNation | https://www.youtube.com/@theleafsnation401🚨 EDM - OilersNation | https://www.youtube.com/@Oilersnationdotcom🚨 VAN - CanucksArmy | https://www.youtube.com/@Canucks_Army🚨 CGY - FlamesNation | https://www.youtube.com/@Flames_Nation🚨 Daily Faceoff Fantasy & Betting | www.youtube.com/@DFOFantasyandBetting____________________________________________________________________________________________Connect with us on ⬇️Link Tree: https://linktr.ee/daily_faceoff💻 Website: https://www.dailyfaceoff.com🐦 Follow on twitter: https://x.com/DailyFaceoff💻 Follow on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dailyfaceoffDaily Faceoff Merch:https://nationgear.ca/collections/daily-faceoff Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Shows from their Thursday and Friday here on the Sheet. Thanks for joining me today. Greg Wachinski standing by from ESPN.com. Greg is in the ring. Greg is wearing a tie. Greg has a fancy setup in the press box as well. And I'm really curious what Greg thinks, because listen, we've spent a few days doing this.

What Greg thinks the most sports topiest topic is, as we spent 72 hours getting ready for another hockey game. Finally, game one between the Edmonton Oilers and the Florida Panthers. I can't wait for this one. So let's get right to our outlook and right to our daily outlines and see what's on the program today and thank everybody in the chat and watching live on YouTube or listening on your favorite podcast platform.

Daily Outline is powered by FanDuel. Want to get right to it, folks. It's a busy day, busy show. Make every moment more with North America's number one sports book, FanDuel. Alright, also want to remind you in a second, Greg Wyshinski standing by Stanley Cup Final Game 1. We're going to talk about coaches the Penguins got their guy. We'll talk about Ted Lindsay Award. And we'll talk about a bunch of other things coming up on the program today.

But want to remind you as well, the segment here with Greg is brought to you by and as a presentation of Budweiser. Budweiser is encouraging buds to make time for playoffs, not excuses. Every goal, every check, every win is better enjoyed with your buds. Phone a bud, text a bud, ping a bud, and call out their excuses for bailing on the playoffs.

After all, the playoffs are the most wonderful time of the year. Make them count. When it's's springtime it's go time and we go to Edmonton for game one between the Oilers and the Panthers and our man Greg Wisinski from ESPN and ESPN.com hello you dashing young man wearing a tie with combed hair look at you all grown up now. Comte hair, yeah, definitely comte hair. First of all, it's cut, which was important. I want to thank the Panthers for dispatching the Hurricanes in five games

so I could get home and see my barber. A quick story about how I choose barbers. I look up on Yelp, the app that tells you if things stink or not. And the search that I put in is barber whiskey. Because for the longest time in New York, I went to this wonderful Ukrainian barber in the village, I think it was. And after you would get your haircut, and they'd like take care of you and hot towel the whole thing,

they'd offer you a glass of whiskey. And I felt like such a man. I felt like such a man after that, that every time I go to search for a new barber, the search is barber, whiskey, and so I have one now in Brooklyn, where afterwards all the Russians that cut my hair allow you to have some of the brown stuff

as you're leaving, which is fantastic. You know, I'll tell you, I had my feathers clipped on Saturday, because I'm going out of town this week, and it was getting to be too much. Like, we've talked about this before. My head is like the Kraft peanut butter bear when my hair starts to get out of control a little bit. And I went for the works.

I got like the neck massage, the hot towel, like the whole, uh, uh, a black cup of coffee as well. They didn't have the whiskey option, uh, for your, for your boy Jeffy. But you're right. Like there is something about that old school, the hot towel, the straight blade, all of it. And I'll tell you one of the things that I'm always stunned by, maybe I shouldn't be because I grew up watching these guys

and didn't think anything of it. When you go back and look at old hockey cards and you see all the guys without their helmets on and they're all there because like they're all like balding like they've all got the Friar Tucks going and then you look at the back of the card and they're like 23. Like is hair just better now? Like what happened to hair? Hair is better now. Hair everywhere is better.

Much better now. Right? Like you look at the NHL or maybe guys just bick it after a while like, ah, creepin'. Let's do the Messier here. Let's do the Gets laugh. Oh dude. So, I mean, the guy that I would bring up to that end is Nate Schmidt, my good buddy on the Florida Panthers who used to have like, I don't know, almost like a Disney cartoon amount

of yellow, of blonde hair on his head, like an ever decreasing. It's kind of like when you draw a child, that's how much blonde hair he had on his head. And now he's gone completely stone cold Steve Austin. And I don't know if it fits him really, but it had to be done, I think is probably the case of Nate Schmidt. By the way, every time I get the straight razor on the neck, but it had to be done, I think is probably the case with Nate Schmidt. By the way, every time I get the straight razor on the neck, because that's a thing

that definitely I get too. So good, so good. The issue for me is I immediately start thinking about Sweeney Todd, and I think about how, much like when you board a plane, your life is in the hands of the pilot, be it Nathan Field or someone else, your life is in the hands of the barber at that point

because he could just easily be like, I don't like your columns and just, you know, there you go. I remember, I remember when you flamed me on Twitter back in 2012. You think I forgot that Greg Wyshinski with a straight blade in my hand. Who doesn't watch the Western conference now? And then I laughed when you got that pie in the face, but it is like, it kind of is like flying. And as I've always been reminded, I would rather be down here wishing I was up there than up there wishing I was down here, which is why I never complain about airplane travel or delays.

But however long you gotta take to make sure the plane is fine or going up in this flying tube for a few hours, whatever you have to do, that takes another hour, you ain't gonna get a complaint out of me. Now, here's my first question to you. We've spent so many hours, we've spent so much oxygen on shows like this, talking about game One and this

series. Is there, and maybe it's just the obvious one about Conor McDavid, what is and what have you heard the most repetitive question going into tonight's Game One against the Florida Panthers and is it the, can Connor will them to victory? It seems like so much of this revolves around last year and McDavid and the angry outbursts and they're not coming out for the Con Smythe and all of that. What is the sportsiest sports talk question

going into game one? I mean, that's the sportsiest sports talk question because it speaks to the sportiest sports talk topic, which is legacy and great players winning championships. That's obviously coin of the realm for Hot Take League, the idea that the best player in the world, maybe by the time of his retirement, the best player offensively we've seen since Gretzky

could maybe not win a championship. And then what does that conversation look like? You know, Pat Mahomes without the championships is Josh Allen. And Josh Allen's great, but he's not Pat Mahomes. And so there is a certain amount of cache that goes with winning championships in a team sport. And in Connor's case, there's a little bit of, you know, can he elevate the team? Because this is his second kick at the can. And in Connor's case, there's a little bit of, you know, can he elevate the team because this is his second kick at the can. And we know that he can lead this team to victory on his own. He's one of the few players in the league that have that ability. And so there's a bit of that. But the two questions that have been asked the most here at Edmonton

through media day and today, one, what motivates the Panthers? Which was really funny to hear that asked to Matt Kachuck, who immediately said, I don't know, probably the Stanley Cup. You know, like the idea that you win and then you're fat and happy is such an interesting notion for somebody to ask because like, it's not simply just like,

you don't wanna have spent your entire year for nothing. It's also wanting to get back to that moment of joy. Like this guy wants to bring the cup back in the ocean. Did you see how happy Kachuk was? Oh, of course. During the celebration. Like you want to feel that again. That's the motivation. By the way, did Jeff understand the Mahomes Allen reference is the the poll? Thanks, Zach. Yes, I actually got that even though I'm like the man football forgot. I actually did. There's a lot of those polls where the answer is yeah, that went right over Mark's head. But actually, no, no, no. I mean, anytime we dabble in pop culture, I know the answer. But I figured Buffalo being de facto Toronto's team, you probably would have understood the reference. Toronto South. Write down the QEW.

Where are we going later on today? Let me parse that a little bit about Matthew Kachuk. where I'll be going later on today. Let me parse that a little bit about Matthew Kachuk. I may be trying to really, really sharpen a pencil on this one, but I thought a lot about it ever since it became the Oilers facing off against the Panthers in the Stanley Cup final. Thought a lot about Matthew Kachuk. And I want to get into Brad Marchand too.

Great piece at espn.com, wish like that was really good. But for Matthew Kachuk, to the motivation question, I wonder if there was a part of Matthew Kachuck that wanted to say, what motivates me? I don't want the Oilers to win the Cup. There is a Calgary Flames background, there's a Calgary Flames background with Matthew Kachuck in the Battle of Alberta and you know the hatred between the the two cities, the two hockey clubs and all of it, I would have half expected Matthew Kachuk to come up with a, what motivates me is I don't want Edmonton to win anything.

That's what, it's not so much what I want, it's just I don't want them to have what I already have. You know what I mean? That wouldn't surprise me at all. He did nod to that. He said something along the lines of he thinks that he might be the player Who has the most games played in this building that's never played for the Oilers like he has a deep seated

familiarity with the franchise with the team the city and I think that was nodding to the history that he has with them But but again like someone bought up the flames as motivation and he said, look, that's ancient history, man. I've been a Panther for a few years now and I tend to believe him. But that's been the question of the Panthers. You win once, what motivates you to do it again?

And the answer to a man is to win the cup again because you have to, once you, I'm gonna get geeky for a second here. So there's a movie called Star Trek Generations. It was the one that bridged the next generation with the Shatner years. There was a character in the movie played by Malcolm McDowell who at one point was in,

he was in an alternate universe that was paradise. Like whatever your most blissful moment is, you live in that moment over and over again. His plot line in the movie was there's an energy wave in the universe that could get him back to where he wanted to be to live blissful moments over and over again. This guy was literally destroying planets and killing billions of people to try to get back there so the energy wave would hit him. I say this to compare it to the Stanley Cup

because that's how it feels. Like winning the Cup feels like you are living in the same blissful moment over and over again and that is the motivation. The motivation is that you're trying to get back to the Nexus, that's what it was called in Generations, and you are trying to relive those moments that you lived with your friends and your teammates and your family the last time you won. moments that you lived with your friends and your teammates and your family the last time you won. Okay let me let me take that let me let me push that a little bit here because we are to your point we're talking about things like like legacy and euphoria places in history okay and I think we're all wondering about the same thing about Conor McDavid and the loneliest club in the world that has Joe Thornton in it that has Henrik Lundqvist in it, that has Jerome McGinley in it,

you know where I'm going, Marcel Dion and Gilbert Perrault looking in your direction too. Mike Gardner's another one, man he got traded and the Rangers won in 95. Holy smokes, that was a tough one. That was a tough one for Garts. The best player to never win the Stanley Cup. So, but here's the other thing that I think about when it comes to legacy. This is the third Stanley Cup final in a row for the Florida Panthers. We've all talked about that. What if they don't win?

And what if like that's the only cup that they do win? Because we don't talk about how many times you made it to the Stanley Cup final. You know, no one talks about, you know, the Buffalo Sabres making it to the final against the Philadelphia Flyers. No one talks about, oh, that was awesome when the Buffalo Sabres made it against the Dallas Stars. It's just, there's the Buffalo Sabres, you know, there's no cups to talk about. If the Florida Panthers don't win this and they just go down as having a great team that won

one cup, like Kings won a pair, Chicago, Pittsburgh won a couple of cups in the salary cap universe three. You're at a different bracket. But if you're the Florida Panthers and you just win one, do you lump them in with the Carolinas and Anaheims? Or do they feel they're closer to the Chicago's, the LA's, and the Pittsburgh's? They're somewhere in between. They're probably Boston, like if we're being honest, right?

They didn't win twice. So they're not Chicago, they're not LA, they're not Pittsburgh, they're not Tampa. But there was something anomalous about Carolina, Anaheim, St. Louis, right? Like there was something anomalous about those teams rising up, getting their ring, and then you're not really heard from again in the same way. I think so I think I think that would they would be more akin to Boston who wins the cup and then in different incarnations of the team gets back to the finals but can't close the deal.

And so that's not where they want to be. Look, this is a hugely important series for Florida not only to try to win the cup again but to keep the momentum going for their franchise on and off the ice. Like Matthew Kachuck said it yesterday, you could make the case that hockey is the number one sport in South Florida right now, given the state of the other teams in that state, which is something you never thought you'd be able to say about the Panthers. But three straight Stanley Cups, a surge in fan interest, a beautiful new practice facility

that's got a team store attached to it. Everywhere you go, people are fanning the flags. It's really nice. The transformative thing that we saw in Tampa Bay when Vinnick took over the team and they started winning is happening now in Fort Lauderdale. And so this is important to keep that going. Now again, making the cup final that probably keeps it going in its own way. Winning another cup.

Now you've really pushed the boulder a little bit further. Yeah, because I keep coming back to this idea that if the Florida Panthers don't win, like again, like we talked about legacy, so much is on the line here, so it's weird. Like the more you start to add these things up and there's a lot on the line, then you can go down and say like,

well look, the Florida Panthers have been there four times if we wanna go all the way back to 96, and if they don't win, they've lost three and they've won one. And so where does that put this organization? I don't know that I've asked you, like I know you've liked Edmonton, but how do you see this one playing itself out? Cause we look at it and we say,

it all looks like seven games. It all looks like seven games, but does it looks like seven games to you? I wanna answer that, but before I do, I wanna tell you what the overwhelming, not hot take question about the Oilers has been in since I've gotten here. Okay.

And it's less about McDavid and the legacy and driving this team to win, than it is what have you learned from last year that'll make this different? And the answers to that question have been the most fascinating here. Stort Skinner talking about how he felt like he let Canada down, not just the Oilers, but Canada down by losing last year, and then how he built himself up back after that. If you're an Oilers fan, you hate hearing that your goalie understands the weight of the country on his shoulders.

Yeah, but that's how he felt. I left my country. And Mick David's there and he looks so calm and collected. He talked about this now feeling comfortable because they've done it before. He felt like it was a circus last year, and now it feels like normal, especially because they're starting on home ice, which is probably the biggest difference year over year. And he's cracking jokes.

Like he was asked, I don't know if you heard this, but he was asked yesterday, do you have to lose before you win in the NHL? Like lose the championship before you can win one. And McDavid's like, well, if you asked me last year, I would have said, absolutely not. But now if you ask me this year, I'm like, yes, you totally have to lose. It's the Islanders and Oilers, 83 all over again, clearly.

He was drawing laughs, man. He was in a good mood. So that to me, that's the biggest thing. The biggest difference right now is the Oilers have a comfort. And the other part that I'll say before I say who I picked is Connor and Leon are rested and healthy in a way that they weren't last year, which is very scary, I think, for the Panthers. That being said, there's a reason they're rested and healthy, which is that they have

been unbothered. Nobody's bothered this team yet. They've had a very easy time going through the playoffs. You've had teams that have kind of like not played to their potential and some teams in Dallas' case that got so, to use a Jeff Merrick term, booboo faced about things not going their way, that they stopped competing in the same way

that they did in the previous two rounds. That's not the Panthers. The Panthers don't do that. They will try to drag you to hell until the final buzzer in a series win or lose. And so I picked the Panthers in six for the very reason that I think they will bother the Oilers more than any team has.

For the very reason that I think their forecheck will be able to overcome the mobile defense that the Oilers can put out there to try to negate it. For the simple fact that I think Bob can steal a couple games in the series. And for the simple fact that much like the Oilers are a better team than they were last year, from a depth perspective, maybe not so much

with Hyman being out, which we can get to. But certainly from a confidence perspective, the Panthers are really, they're better too. Marshand making that Listerine and Lundell line better. Seth Jones and Nico Michola blowing away the analytics from that Montour-Michola pairing from last season. And now also them having proof of concept

by having won the Cup. I think they're better than last year and I think they're gonna win the series, but I didn't really think about the whole Conrad-Leon healthy and happy and confident part until I got here. So I'm a little wary about the pick now. I just don't know that Leon's going to get shut out. Um, speaking of shutouts, you know, uh, game one, it was, uh, the Bobrovsky show

and he may be the factor in all of this. We see this every year in the Stanley cup, in the Stanley cup final every year. There's at least a couple of times where just flat out the goalie steals one. And some people are just waiting for the clock to strike midnight on Stuart Skinner. Um, but he's been great and he was great last year in the Stanley Cup final as well. You know, one of the things that I wonder about too with Hyman out and Hyman just like started the playoffs by just like walloping everything that moved.

Like everything he was hitting it, he was on it, he was hitting it. I think one of the big- 111 hits in 15 games, like insane. Remarkable, right? Just going, he's like, it's, I mean, he was on this show a few months ago and he's talking about Red Berenson teaching him

how to have a B game, because the A game that he used in junior wasn't gonna work in college, playing with the Wolverines. You got one goal this year, son, that game's not working here, let's develop something else. I wonder about Evander Kane here. Like I wonder about Evander Kane as far as being someone

that can neutralize or calm down the Florida Panthers. The other thing about Edmonton, my thing about this series is, on a state of the wish, with many predictions, I have no idea, I have no idea. I can make the argument that my head says Florida, but I can also make the argument that my heart says Edmonton. And both those things-

Oh, everybody's choice is Edmonton. We all wanna see it. Both those things can exist at the same time. And I don't know where the whole thing is gonna hinge, but I do wonder about a couple of players and one of them is, as much as we'll talk about Connor and Leon, I really wonder about Evander Kane

up against everyone that you're talking about, like the Marshans and the Bannetts and the Micholas, guys that just make it miserable to be a hockey player out there. And the other thing about Edmonton too, and this is what we see this year way more than last year. Maybe this is just comfort, but everybody on Edmonton has a role.

Every single player has a role, and then there's something they just have a role. Like all of a sudden, Vesalipad Colson understands exactly what he's supposed to do every single time he's out there, and that is go break something. Right? Look, Victor Arvidsson, you look at him in that series against Dallas, how great was Victor Arvidsson with the puck along the boards?

You would swear if you swapped out numbers and name bars and put Ryan Smith on it, he'd be like, oh, like Ryan Smith looks a little shorter now. But like his play against the, play along the boards with the puck was phenomenal. He was great. Everyone's got like a clearly defined role on this team, which is why I like both teams are better. I just think that Edmonton, even though Hyman is out, Edmonton is more better than Florida is better,

but both teams have improved. How about that? Yeah, I mean if you want to make the argument that Edmonton had the LART, the biggest glow-up, I think that's probably right, but only because the Panthers were pretty good to begin with. The Ravander Kane point is an interesting one because I think that you see him as a countermeasure against the Panthers and I see him as a countermeasure against the Panthers, and I see him as someone with a fuse. It's like knowing the words that sets the Winter Soldier off in the Captain America movie. There's a way that you can get a Vander Cane

to kind of like get a little goofy and take some dumb, dumb penalties. I think the Panthers are a team to do that. You know what's funny too, because we would go back and you can go back and look at Battle of Ontario games. And who was it that always got Kane to chase him

around the ice? Sam Bennett. Sam didn't put up the big but Bennett would like, Bennett and Kane would like go after each other non-stop. So it's not like there isn't a history there between those two. Yeah.

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Reach out to their happiness team for easy returns, exchanges or replacements. So to feel good and do good, go to bombas.ca slash the sheet and use the sheet for 20% off your first purchase. That's bombas.ca slash the sheet and use the sheet at checkout. I don't know. It's it's an intriguing matchup. And I think the other part of it for me, too, is that the oilers have really been able to exert their will on a lot of teams. Like I'll go back to the Dallas series again, and maybe I'm familiar with it because it broke my heart as somebody who picked Dallas to win the cup to see them go out so fecklessly. Which obviously is all Jake Otter's fault, by the way,

as we all know now. Um, dummy. Yeah, clearly, clearly. Jesus. Pete, so, but like, I don't think that, the Panthers don't quit. And the Panthers aren't gonna be frustrated and confused if the things that they do don't quit. And the Panthers aren't gonna be frustrated and confused if the things that they do don't work.

The genius thing about this team, and I give full credit to Paul Maurice for it, is that they will wait. It's like a gator in the Everglades. You just see the eyes above the water, and they'll just wait and wait and wait for their opportunity to pounce. And then when they pounce, they pounce again and they p just wait and wait and wait for their opportunity to pounce. And then when they pounce, they pounce again

and they pounce again. This is a team that in four wins against Carolina scored two goals within four minutes in each win. Think about that. Think about that blood on the water mentality. So one of the real keys of the series is that when the Oilers do slip up, and they will, and they allow the Panthers to kind of get in

and play their game a little bit, you cannot allow the avalanche to happen. Like you've got to not allow them to pour it on because they just need like nine minutes. Like they just need nine good minutes in a game and all of a sudden they've put you away. The interesting thing about that is, for last year's Oilers, yes, but what have all these guys been talking about? And most, most emphatically, Conor McDavid, you guys think we can't defend. You guys don't think we can play defense and look what they've done. Look what they did to LA. Look what they did to Vegas.

Look what they did to Dallas. And they're all, they're like, they're going out of their way to make this point. Now I think, like, if you look at what Knoblock is doing here, like, what I really love is he'll throw that third line out there to almost be like that boxer on the ropes, just take body shot after body, just take punishment. And then comes right back with McDavid or dry saddle right away. Like he's, he's done such a masterful job of, of, of who he puts out when. And that is like one of his things that that third line goes out and takes pain and just like, okay,

here's your job. Go out there and take body shots. A couple of the head, whatever, just so we can get Connor and Leon out there. I guess so much like that. Yeah, whatever It's just like that that so much it's like that that that that thing that coaches look at and say like oh, yeah Like okay We see what you're doing like that and it worked perfectly against LA worked against Vegas and it worked against Against Dallas and that's why I say everybody has like they understand the role and what that role can lead to and they're putting the accent on defense more than this oilers team ever has ever has I appreciate that you said a couple to the head and a tacit acknowledgement that they're playing the Florida Panthers well you're right there is the

presence of a impending free agent here who just I don't know it's coincidence it's accident is just gravity works from his elbow to goalie's heads on a consistent basis? I have been in their locker room a lot. I've yet to see the sign that says hit him high, hit him hard. But I wouldn't be surprised if that's the mantra. Look, you're right. I think what you're getting at is something that I love about playoff hockey, which is

that teams eventually learn what you need to do in the playoffs to close out opponents, the style of play they need to be consistent, to get to their game. And sometimes it looks boring, and sometimes it could be predictable, but that's what you need to do to win. And I know that we just talked about lose to win, and there's some people that just kind of don't buy the premise that you all of a sudden

learn how to win in the playoffs. But I go back to the work that say like John Cooper did with the Tampa Bay Lightning, where they kept on getting into the conference final and then falling apart. And one season he said, we're gonna dedicate ourselves learning how to play the way that you need to play in the playoffs to win.

And then they started winning cups. And I think that the same thing could be said for the Oilers here, which is that they went through the experience last year, they made mistakes, they saw how the Panthers played in particular, and they learned what you need to do to close out an opponent. I'm not sure. Listen, Dallas had some terrible games. The game two where everybody was on Skinner's tip, they missed 40 shots and had more giveaways in The game two where everybody was on Skinner's tip, they missed 40 shots and had more giveaways

in the first two periods of the game than they had in a full game in any part of the playoffs. They worked good. But I'm not trying to take away the fact that if you hold your opponent to four shots and goal in three consecutive third periods, you're doing something right. Playing pretty good freaking defense.

And so I do think they've learned how to play and they've learned how to close out opponents and it is going to make a big difference in this series. You know, the other thing too is, and again, like we think of St. Louis, that just sort of bam, out of nowhere and they win the Stanley Cup, goalie's hot, everything works together and they stay healthy

and all of it, it clicks. But by and large, like the one thing that I'm getting every time I check in on Edmonton, it's they all remember what game seven felt like when it was all over. Like that feeling, I mean, coaches say at the end of every year, like the way you're feeling now, remember this feeling when you're in the gym.

Remember this feeling when you're at the track. Remember this feeling when, like, whenever, like all through your training, all through next year. But you really get a sense of that and it's led by McDavid. Like honestly McDavid wears it. Like you know that he uh oh there's the horn check the lights. There's the um he uh he he wears he still wears that pain of game seven. I don't know about you and maybe I'm just projecting this because I want this to be a story but every time you hear him talk about you know what they want to do this year and what happened last year it's like there's like this anguish in his face like that hasn't gone away like that's

the hallmark of great players right like turn that turn that it is motion into motivation and great players can do that and we shouldn't be surprised that you know McDavid is one of those guys. And he has a hard time, he has a hard time masking it. And we all know it, we all know what it is. He said something really interesting yesterday, which is that he said that our sole focus is on beating the Florida Panthers

and we shouldn't be distracted by anything else. And when he said that, it occurs to me that it's clearly on his mind the legacy thing last year. Like it's not simply just beating the Florida Panthers. It's raising the cup for the first time as a multi-time MVP. It's winning a cup for everybody that's out in the fan zone out there that supported this team and loves this team and everything else. And it's probably also thinking about a bit of the legacy of Canada.

I mean, it's not lost on, I mentioned Skinner before, it's not lost on these guys that it's been since 93 since the Cubs been won by a Canadian team. And to be the first one to do that is meaningful. You know why? Why? Because us Canadians can't stop talking about it. Yeah, well, there you go.

I was like, there you go. We can't. I was like, oh, enough, enough. I love my fellow countrymen here and women who, you know, like, oh, stop talking about 93. We can't stop talking about 93. Like, as hockey fans, Canadians can't stop talking about it. So that beautiful level of focus to just be like, it's a series against the Florida Panthers,

and we have to win that series in order to then think about all of the other things. I don't think that mindset was there for Connor last year. And I don't know if it was the come to McJesus moment he had when they lost in game seven and he wins the MVP and he's an empty husk of a human because his soul's been sucked out of him vampirically by the Florida Panthers or what it was but like he clearly has thought about this a little bit more in the in the in the year since last year's final and I think he's landed on the right mindset to approach the Stanley Cup final. Yeah, anything more on this one before we move on to some news and some other funny stuff? Not really. It's an interesting grind right now in the sense of you're just trying to figure out what news could be.

I wrote about Zach Hyman today. I think it's interesting that he'll be around the team the entire time and be sort of their emotional leader a little bit. I am intrigued to see exactly what his loss will be. We're talking about how the pieces fit for the Oilers. Well now the pieces have to kind of like move around the lineup a little bit to plant Hyman's loss. And the Panthers don't have that right now. And so that could be an interesting thing for game one. Other than that, I'll say this.

It was like one of the chillest media days I've ever seen. The woman with the puppet was kind of weird. That was a little strange. But as far as like the boys and their comportment and how they're feeling about this insanely intense rematch that we're about to witness, it was a, both teams are endlessly confident right now. Like they believe in their style of kung fu and and that's a really intriguing matchup but you don't often get the two best teams both believing inherently that the cup is theirs in the final and we have that this year and I'm fascinated by it. So the loudest building I was ever in like hockey, wasn't for a hockey game. It was for a UFC fight.

It was in Montreal at the Bell Center for a GSP versus Diaz, which was, it was incredible. Now for a hockey game, it was Edmondson in the 2006 run when they ended up losing to the Carolina Hurricanes. I went to games against Anaheim and against San Jose. That was like the loudest building I think I have ever been in. I don't know if you think about these things much or you have like, okay, this is the clubhouse leader for me for loudest building I've ever been in, but you may be in the loudest building you've ever been in tonight when the

oilers hit the ice. Are you aware of that? It's possible. It's possible. I mean I only believe it when the Jumbotron puts up the decibel meter and then at some point it goes into the red and then explodes then I'll know that it is the loudest building that I've ever been in. But yeah, it's gonna be great. And again that's the that's the other fascinating part of it too, which is that amazing home team, amazing home crowd, road team that is putting up numbers that are on a NHL historic level as far as what they're doing on the road this year.

That's another part of it. It's just such a great final, man. Like, you know, we get stuck sometimes with these shitty finals of teams that don't belong and you're like, it's gonna be over in five like look at the NBA right now like they're they're they're playing the rosary that the Pacers get a game against Oklahoma City right now and we've got one where we're just like if it doesn't go seven it'll be a surprise like that's dope that's so I remember in the in the Quebec Junior League final

this would have been now when Pierre-Luc Dubois was playing for Blainville Bois-Briand they were down three nothing to St. John and before game four their in the, uh, in the Quebec junior league final. This would have been now when Pierre-Luc Dubois was playing for Blainville Bois Brienne, they were down three, nothing to St. John. And before game four, their coach Joël Bouchard, um, they didn't skate. They didn't practice. Instead, he took them to church to go and pray. That's what the NBA final is. Bless Indiana, but don't, don't practice.

Go to church. That that's what you need. Go to go to church. That's what you need. Go to church. Ask your God. That's what you need. Ask your God if you can get more than one win against the thunder. That's what you need. All right, a couple of news and notes from around the NHL. Dan Muse will be the new head coach named today of the Pittsburgh Penguins. Mitch Love very much in that conversation, but they go with the New Penguins. Mitch Love very much in that conversation but they go with the New York Rangers, there he is if you're watching us on YouTube. Dan Muse, a former assistant coach of the New York Rangers Nashville Predators as well to which Greg Wyshynski says what?

Uh boom time for uh inexperienced head coaches with bald heads. Carberry is as blaze the trail Dan oh is that what this is? Find me the big man Find me the most Lex Luthor looking MF or you could buy Everyone in the Metropolitan Division shave your heads immediately Rod Brenda Moore. I'm looking your direction. You have a great head of hair. Oh Sheldon Keefe with a shiny knob head is something I need to see now that you've mentioned it. Yeah, I need that in my life.

We talked about it briefly before we went on the air. It's a move Taylor made to help younger players that the Penguins will have on their roster. And so you could read that one of two ways which is that this is the last go-around for the core I mean Malkin I think his contract expires so if he retires if he leaves that could potentially mean Sid leaves we don't know I think we will all expect he's gonna retire a penguin but who knows and so you could read this as Kyle Dubas clearly looking ahead to the next phase of the franchise and saying, we need a guy in there that can coach the kids.

Now, the other way to look at it is, the kids are gonna be the support cast to these veterans. They're not gonna go on a spree to supplement the roster with long-term contracts for UFAs, clearly. And so, I'm reminded of when guys like Bruce Boudreau got elevated to the capitals job. I'm reminded of when Bruce Cassidy got elevated to the Boston job. The idea that you need someone in there to coach the young supporting cast and to support them and to get the best out of them, the cheap labor that will be on your roster, it's

not the worst idea in the world to get someone that is adept at doing that. So I do think it kind of serves two purposes. It makes their supporting cast better in the short term probably, with a guy that can coach younger players, he coached majority, and then also kind of nods to where this franchise is probably going in the next like two years.

So a couple of things to that. The other person that I will watch for now with the Pittsburgh Penguins is Michael Leone. So he's the head coach of the Rochester Americans of the American Hockey League. He was with Dan Muse with the U S development program, the U 17s, the U 18s. He coached the oh threes, which would have been the Cooley group. Nazar would have been there, Luke Hughes, and then he would have coached the 05s as well. That's your Aziv Boyums and your Ryan Leonard's, etc. Those types of players. So

I would watch to see if Michael Leone, because he had a great first year in Rochas. Rochas is one of the best teams in the American league. And there's a background there with Dan Mew. So I wonder if Michael Leone ends up on the bench as well. Just something to throw out there as a little flavor puck and things to pay attention to. I love when Merrick plays insider. I don't know, maybe it'll happen.

Maybe it'll go. I'll give that an M4 rating on the What do you give that what do you give all the G's what do you give all the other Jason Robertson? Talk that I threw out there. That's it. That's an M2 Jason Robertson. I mean it happened so quickly didn't it like Carcass was still smoldering from them getting extinguished in five games from the Oilers. And all of a sudden, you know, Rick and Vancouver is like, Oh, they're playing music now. Rick and Vancouver is like, yeah, they're going to trade Robertson. I'm like,

all right, maybe they will, maybe they won't. It just seems a little early for that kind of conjecture to start. I, I just wonder if they're going to go in a new direction here. I think, and I don't think they're going to take a step back. And I don't think the owner is too thrilled with the way things have gone down the last couple of seasons specifically this one Where they went all in and traded three first round draft picks only to find themselves losing again in the in the conference final there's only so many moves you can make and other players to sign and Listen Robertson's on a I've mentioned on the show yesterday. Robertson's on a very good contract considering his production

He's on a very good contract considering his production. He's on a very good contract. So if you talk about like maximizing a return to help other areas of this team and not take a step backwards, that one might be the most obvious one that you can make. And and he's a he's a restricted free agent at the end of next year with arbitration rights. And he will just kill you in arbitration if you get there, destroy you. Yeah, I mean, I guess from a financial standpoint and a future contract standpoint, maybe you don't wanna pay him and give him term. It's just kinda funny to see the only guy

that was offensively effective in that series all of a sudden be like, we gotta get him outta here. He's gone. It's just wild. But I mean, the stars are gonna have to do something. Do you buy that DeBoer is safe? I guess at this point he would've been fired if he was gonna be. I don't buy that he's safe. I don't buy that he's safe. I think that there's I think what Dallas is probably doing I think there are a

lot of people having a lot of conversations right now about what we want to do and he's going in the next season on the last last year of a four year deal so I'm not rock solid that that Peter DeBoer is back as head coach of this team. I mean, cause that's it, but here's the thing. Like there are going to have to be some changes somewhere with the Dallas Stars. And I think this comes like right from the top. So what's it going to be? Like where are these changes?

Like you're not just gonna shuffle out like a couple of guys on the fourth line. Like hey, nice shot Blackwell, but it's not working out here. Like I don't think that we're talking about that kind of change here. Like I think the Dallas Stars want to and need to do something kind of profound.

And I don't think that they're in a position and I don't think their owner wants them just to run it back. I don't get that sense at all. What do you think about like, I mean Harley's great but do you think that they kind of need their Ryan McDonough to their Victor Hedman on that team? Or by that I mean like a real solid A- defenseman that could anchor a second pairing or do you think they'll just split up Harley and he's gonna and that could anchor a second pairing or do you think you know they'll just split

up Harley and he's gonna and that could be what it is? I do. The other thing you have to consider with Harley is he's got one more year and then he's do a whopper of a contract. Like his coming out party was the Four Nations when everyone said like holy smokes we knew he was good. We had no idea he was that good. Now you can make the argument perhaps too that he kind of ran out of gas by the end

and he wasn't that same guy that we saw previously, but make no mistake about it. But that was the whole team. Make no mistake about it. He did some heavy lifting. This guy's getting a- Didn't expect to do. I totally agree.

This guy's getting a whopper of a deal. And that's why I keep coming back to this idea. Like, okay, Dallas knows they have to change. Where are you gonna do it? And how are you gonna do it? Now, do you start to allocate more on the blue line? You bring in one more top four D and then all of a sudden you have like maybe the best defense

in certainly the Western Conference and maybe the NHL or do you try to load up with another scoring forward? They're gonna be, again, they're gonna be one of the more fascinating teams to watch. It occurs to me, I don't think we've spoken since Dallas was eliminated. You're like, the out and your stuff is whatever, but you know what was the most fascinating thing

that DeBoer said in that press conference was saying, hey, listen, man, sometimes it takes a while for these teams to win. Remember the Washington Capitals? Remember how they couldn't get past the same round in the playoffs for three consecutive seasons? And then they won. Yeah, exactly.

He put out the Barry Trotz thing because the Capitals went three straight years losing in the second round. And then in year four, they figured it out. I'm like, Pete, you genius. Like, don't you remember this other team that won the cup? Bring me back for year four, damn it that's why I don't figure it out I need an extension clearly couple more years like look I'm back for year four

and then they'll fire him for stupid reasons to bring in Todd Reardon so that'll be what happens Brock Nelson signs an extension with the Colorado Avalanche three years 7.5 is the AAV I guess they ain't going shopping for a second line center I mean it could either be him or coil right like they've got a couple different options there if they want it perfect three he's such a perfect three he's a perfect three but you could elevate him if you need to but I mean of course I guess in Brock Nelson they have the kind of complimentary 2C to play behind McKennedy does.

He has a different skill set. He does different things. You know, he's a bit more defensive, I think. And so it's fine. The aging curve on Brock Nelson scares me a little bit by the end of that contract, but they're clearly looking at a window here to win and Brock Nelson probably helps them next year to try to accomplish that. Okay, we got something that I wanna do.

I got some video that I wanna show you as part of our Ninja Crispy inbox. I don't know if you've seen this before. Oh! Yes. Yes! I think you will like this. So, time now, Greg Wyshynski, Deep Voice guy, for the Sheet Crispy inbox presented by the Ninja Crispy 4-in-1 portable

glass air fryer. Zach! Meet the first of its kind. The Ninja Crispy Portable Cooking System. The power of a full-sized air fryer in the palm of your hand. So you can cook big or small batches. Just prep it, crisp it, serve it, and store it all in one. Okay, this is an all-in-one system that includes four quart, six cup, tempware

glass containers and two storage lids. The Ninja Crispy is thermal shock resistant and can go from frozen to crispy in minutes. With the Crispy Power Pod you get the power of a full-sized air fryer in the palm of your hands. The four quart container fits four pounds of chicken or veggies. Cook a personal size meal in seven minutes in the six cup container. Max crisp, bake, airfry, and recrisp with the Ninja Crispy. You can prep, cook, and store anything from crispy favorites to one-dish meals and contest notes. Visit their website in the link in the show description. We've been talking about all playoffs here on

the sheet. Now is your time to win your very own Ninja Crispy 4-in-1 portable glass air fryer. Something I know Greg Wyshinski wishes he had in his hotel room in Edmonton. So he didn't have to fight the sodium wars as he goes out for lunch and dinner every day. All you have to do is head to our Instagram page to find our contest sign up.

Follow at Ninja Crispy Canada and reply with what kind of dish you'd like to cook in your ninja crispy I'm sure Greg has a couple in mind already Contest available to Canadians only sorry Greg and will not and only and will end on June 6th at 1159 p.m. Eastern if you had one of these lovely things in your hotel room, maybe it's salmon Maybe it's chicken wings. What would you have in your Ninja Crispy, Greg Wyshinski, before we get to the question?

Tots. Just like I go buy a bag of frozen tots from, was it Ludlow's? I think that's where I just bought some Celsius. And then I'd go and keep them in my room, and then I'd come home from the game. Maybe I got a little block of cheddar there too. Oh boy.

Fry up the tots, make a little cheese cheese tot situation. Okay. Sit at my desk, watch Boccha Mania. That's what I do on the road. Oh Boccha Mania yes! Oh such a oh amazing. You want to you want to share what our mutual friend Arda found yesterday online? What he found, what was it, Flash Gordon match against Sin Bodhi and it's considered to be the worst wrestling match in the history of WWE and it really holds up to that standard. It is a train wreck. My favorite part is when the two are trying to trade worked punches and they're so awful that the crowd just starts laughing. It's so good.

I know the arm drag that doesn't, where they don't let go, that goes into the ropes and then bounce back and they stand there dumbfounded. Like what do we do now? It's so great. It's so bad. That's so great. I was so happy when Artis sent us that text last night. Anyhow, we actually do have a question here

and there's a video that I wanna play for you. I'm not sure if you've ever seen this before. We're gonna go back into the 90s for this one. All right, Zach, what is the question we have in the crispy inbox today? Guys, actually Zach, you handle this one. Long time listener, first time caller. I have a question I thought of when Jeff was talking

about the Autinger pull. You're allowed to pull your goalie at any time, but could you replace your goalie during play? I'm not sure why anyone would hot swap their goalies, but is it allowed? Has it ever been done? Thanks gang, I'll hang up and listen. Damn. Greg, what do you think the answer is? I mean, if we've got video, using all those skills, I would say you probably can do it. And it's happened before. Let's go to, I'm just gonna before,

before we throw this here, cause I'm not gonna say anything. All right, so Jim Houston has the play by play of this. This is 1992. It's late in the season. This was a dare. Okay, so Scotty Bowman's coaching the Penguins and Ken Reget is in net.

Wendell Young is the backup. As I understand the story, I remember talking to Reget about this off air once, it was a bet that a couple of the guys had on the team and as the puck goes down into the Rangers zone they do it. Now the camera doesn't catch all of this but Scotty Bowman's the coach, Pittsburgh Penguins, Joe Mullin leading a three on two, Penguin Rush splits to the fence,

heads for the goal, passes it off for Stevens, and he couldn't get a shot away. Back comes Messier, the goaltenders have just changed on the fly. Wendell Young is in the net. Centering pass, and he stops it. It's Wendell Young. That's unbelievable.

I knew he'd try to do it sooner or later. They swapped. The goalie swapped. Ken Reggett goes off off and Wendell Young appears From 31 to 1 so yes the answer I mean has happened it has to be like you if you were gonna do it it would just be like a Tactical mind F for your opponent right like so sudden your starter comes off the bench or something like they they go from like You know Vana checks to all of a sudden

Bob's in the net for Florida. That seems like a Paul Maurice move, if you've ever seen one, right? So as I understand this, and I do have to call Scottie Bowman and ask him about this, because what I was told about this, but actually I think Ken Rigg told me this one.

Bowman had talked about a coach, I think it was with Montreal, it might've been Toblake, who during the playoffs would what would at whistles, swap the goaltender just to throw off the other team. And then they started talking about doing it on the fly. Can you do it? Yeah, why not? You just swap it out one player for another. But I don't know who the coach at Bowman, Bowman got the idea from,

but obviously these guys took it one step further and said let's do this on the fly. Wouldn't it be interesting if handedness was part of that too? Like if all of a sudden, you know what I mean? So here's a right catch goalie, here's a left catch goalie! Oh my god now we're talking a tactical reason to do it. Now that was, I believe late in the season. I don't think playoff positioning was a consideration as well. Kind of an empty calorie game against the Rangers. So I mean, I love that bit of video.

The only thing that I think we all wish is that we actually captured the visual of Ken Reget skating to the bench, Wendell Young jumping over the boards. Or did he go at the gate? We'll never know. And getting into the net. And then he makes a save right away on Messier.

He makes a save. Yeah, of course there's like an odd man rush the other way as soon as you pull this malarkey. Yeah, of course there's gonna be. Dude, it's the 90s Pittsburgh Penguins. The whole game is odd man rushes up and down the ice. You were there for all of it. We all loved it.

Oh, I'm watching Penguins, man. This is gonna be two on ones and three on ones back and forth. It's the most exciting team in the NHL. Just flat out fun. Anyhow, is there anything else you wanna get into before we start to wrap this puppy up? And let you get to your duties tonight.

I wanna address one of our most dedicated listeners, Karen Douglas, who texted, who wrote, I guess, in the YouTube comments, or in the chat rather, wish this tie is so bad, good thing that NHL ties on Twitter is going around. Karen, let me tell you something a little bit about this tie. I was texting with him the other day, Patrick's still around.

This tie, you can't see it because it's dark probably, maybe you can see it better here, It's got skulls on it. Yeah, it does. It's got skull and crossbones on it across the stripes. I don't know if that helps you understand why I'm wearing this tie right now, but perhaps you're a little hasty in your NHL ties snitchertum if that account still occurred. It's a very cool tie. It is literally from old Navy. So, you know, it costs $10 and I wear it proudly.

So NHL ties, for those of you who weren't around for the heyday of NHL ties, was an account run by and created by our good friend who lives in Seattle, Patrick Manager, who came to a couple of MVSW, um, events. Great. Awesome guys, a wonderful family. Um, and he would rate all of us on television based on how well our ties were done up and how our ties looked. And do you remember who was whenever he was on TV was as Patrick would call him, tie 99.

The NHL's perfect tie. Do you know what I'm going to probably say? It's Prince of pay was it? No, it was not Jean. It was drew Ramenda. Oh, right. I'll tell you, like as someone who's, you know, worn ties pretty much his entire adult life, I still can't get that dimple on the tie no matter what I

do and Remendas was always like James Bond perfect. Like he looked so good like that tie was like I don't know how I've asked him before like I would work with Drew like show me how you do that and he's like little little little little and then there it was like the perfect tie. Ties are a racket man. Ties are great. They're a racket. Like I had to buy a tie recently for a wedding. I went to in South Jersey I was a beach wedding. I was trying to match it to the suit that I got I was trying to match it to Ruby's like bridesmaid dress she had to wear uh-huh Freaking tie like I found it. It was perfect. I'm like I'm gonna get it. I bought the type

I think it cost more than the suit No one wears them anymore is scarcity is it just like we've got to charge that cost more than the suit. What's going on with ties? No one wears them anymore, is it scarcity? Is it just like we've gotta charge that much for a tie because no one's wearing ties anymore? They're all doing the open collar on a, maybe it was the, you know, a tech exec thing, I don't know. Maybe it was the fabric, I don't know, I don't know. What was it, was it woven by a spider?

Like, why did it cost so much, I don't know. I don't know, But I bought it. You should have just gone bricky style. You should have just gone bricky style with it. You get the last call look. I think that's fine. I've said many times, like, the reason that I like wearing ties is because

when I don't, because of the shape of my face, I really, I look like a drunk. Like, I just look like a staggering drunk. And this keeps it it keeps good lines. It distracts from this whole thing and And I don't look good with an open collar. So I'll always Rockets I I'm a big fan of you wearing the ties. I'm a big fan of ties in general Thank you said the guy that doesn't wear one on a daily basis anymore, but I still love All right. Enjoy game one man. Like tonight's gonna be be awesome tonight's gonna be so much fun and tonight's gonna

be really really loud so enjoy yourself and we will talk are you with us next Wednesday or next Tuesday? You know you Wednesday again? I gotta check the schedule it's either gonna I think it might be Wednesday again because travel but we're gonna we're gonna work it out. Well, Kate, watch the socials and you'll see when the shows with me and Merrick are gonna happen. I spent 90 minutes after the Stanley Cup final was set plotting out my travel through game six. I am picking the Panthers in six that's not why I'm ending my travel at six. I just think the series might stop before seven and if it stops before seven that means that I will be in Fort Lauderdale

I will schedule a flight home later on the day after the cup final is completed Yeah, I will take a gummy. I will go to the beach and I will listen to like the flaming lips for a day and just All let it all kind of just get out of my system for a day That's why I think I want 10 in 6. When you go to the beach, are you like me, the flag of Poland, either totally white or totally red? I'm the guy who gets a sunburn that turns into a tan. I burn easily, but then eventually it becomes a really nice tan.

The swarthiness of my Ukrainian skin comes through eventually where it becomes a nice tan. But the Irish nature of my skin, as my mother's maiden name is Loudon, means that I'm gonna be cherry red for at least a day. I was born a Lachlan and then adopted into the Merrick family and I am either red or white. There is no in between for this guy but I will say this like for those who who love the beach I'm not a huge beach guy

but I am a huge beach guy in the sense that there's absolutely there's something about falling asleep on the beach that reboots your system I know times when I've been on vacation and I fall asleep on the beach, I wake up and it's just like, life is renewed. I feel like I've just come out of a cocoon and I've become a beautiful butterfly. Like, I don't know what it is about falling asleep on the beach,

but your body needs it. Like, your body needs to fall asleep on the beach. And then you wake up and like, oh God, I've never felt this good. I don't know what it is. Playing the role of Alan Watts is Greg Wyshinski from New Jersey. Thanks pal, we will talk to you in seven days, six days.

We'll see, follow the socials as Greg says. Enjoy game one bud. Very cool, thanks everybody. There he is, the great Greg Wyshinski from ESPN. I didn't get a chance to ask him about Brad Marchand, but I will say this, go read his piece on Brad Marchand because it is outstanding. In the meantime, I don't know what we have planned for this. I'm going to turn the recreation over to Zach. The sheet is powered by FanDuel, folks.

You know that. You watch and listen to this program. Home of the same game, Parlay. Make every moment more on FanDuel folks, you know, that's you watch and listen to this program. Home of the same game parlay, make every moment more on FanDuel. FanDuel, proud to connect fans to the major sports moments that matter to them. We actually have a game tonight. I don't know how to do this segment now that we've done it so long without games and now we actually have a game tonight. We can say things like, you know, no Zach Hyman tonight for the Edmonton Oilers. Upper body surgery out for the remaindermonton Oilers upper body surgery out for the remainder of the season no AJ Greer. The biggest cast of all time on his arm. It's upper body. You see my upper body cast?

Yeah. Oh wow wonder what hurt. Boakvist in for Greer tonight for your your Florida Panthers. What are you thinking about this one, Zacharu? I'm really, really interested to watch what McDavid and Dryset will do in the opening 10 minutes. You talked about that. It was you brought it up in that game, Five against the Stars, when you said, they got to kind of get through this That's the one to me. We've talked about how loud it's gonna be what that building is gonna be like and the excitement behind it There's no jitters anymore for this oilers team for the most part. They'd be in there. They've seen it They've done it. Yeah both sides have experienced this I kind of feel like this is gonna be can Florida survive the first ten and if if they can, if they can get through it and they're not down one, two, nothing, then

this is where I give you the crappy answer where it's like, we'll see what kind of game we get from there. But that opening 10 is going to be really exciting to see how it comes out and the energy in that building. It's just going to be so loud. It's just going to be so loud. Yeah. That's going to be a great experience tonight. A couple of things from the

from the chat. Where will Merrick be tomorrow in Buffalo? We're gonna be in and around the rink. We'll put on the socials which do you know which place we're gonna be broadcasting out of? Southern Tier Brewing Company. I'm 99% sure it's right beside the arena. Okay, perfect. Spencer Newton wants us to talk about vasectomies. Zach, have you considered a vasectomy yet? Is that somewhere on your horizon? You know, after you... It's a little premature for that. You know, they say after you dip the stick, you have to wait for the oil, but after that it's time for... I haven't worried about the initial part that would like proceed that.

So, no, that's not. All right, well, I think that's pretty much all we have right away that I saw there in the chat. But nonetheless, thank you for remembering our perspective. We talked from earlier on this week. Yeah, thanks. Do the responsible thing, guys. I wanna ask you something before the series starts here.

Turn the tap off. Yes. It's not gonna hold the same weight once the series starts here. Turn the tap off. Yes. Because it's not going to hold the same weight once the games get underway. Okay. Oilers lose this series. Hypothetical here. Oilers lose this series.

Six, seven games. I don't know. McDavid has 12 to 15 points. Yep. Can it happen again? Yes but he comes out because if it's gonna be seven games is gonna be at home comes out this time it'll be at home if it's game six in Florida he says like right okay go piss up a pole but if it's at home I could see him coming out I wondered about that last year like if

that if that game seven last year was in Edmondson Would he have come out for the ConSmythe? Don't know. I think no matter what 6 or 7 He does not come out. I think that he is almost more pissed off the second time around if that happens Man I second time around if that happens. Man, I try not to get caught up in it like emotionally because I'm sort of agnostic about hockey games. But like really like my heart,

I don't know what's happened here. I mean, it's just like, it's been like such a, this year specifically, such a big deal for our country to remind ourselves that we're Canadian. I don't know, it's like something has come out of me that I almost like have this like I really want Edmonton to do this. Like my heart is like, and it probably the same thing about, I don't know if you like for every team it probably would be. And I wonder too, I wonder if it's part for me that it's just like there's just so many Ontario-born players that have watched play hockey, like I've just watched them grow up around the OMHA and GTHL, that it's so much easier to just, if you're just going to cheer for players, a lot of players on that team that I really want to see do well. But I really want to see the Oilers do this. I really do. I really want the Oilers, again,

I can't remember the last time I was so invested in a series, but I want the Oilers to do this. And as these games go on, I'm probably gonna get that feeling, it's probably gonna get stronger. And I'm really conflicted because again, I'm hockey agnostic, I don't care.

I really don't care, but for whatever reason, I really want Edmonton to do this Okay, you're ready to for me to be just a complete asshole comma again Again, yeah I'm not rooting for the Oilers to lose But there is not a single ounce in me Because I'm a Leafs fan. Let's also preface this, that is rooting for the Oilers to win here, not the slightest bit.

And I saw earlier today that the CN Tower is gonna be lit up in blue and orange. That makes you mad? This should not be happening. Listen, dude, the section that I was in at Scotiabank for game seven between the Cats and your Leafs, that was the section that started the Let's Go Oilers chance. Yeah, I get it.

Caught on through the rink. If you're not a real Leafs fan, if you're cheering for the Oilers to win. And I'll just pose it as this way. If the Toronto Maple Leafs were the team in the Stanley Cup finals this year and it wasn't Edmonton it's Dallas Colorado etc and the Leafs have a chance to be the first team Canadian team no but that's different because everybody hates everybody hates everybody hates Toronto right so Leafs specifically I'm not talking about the other teams Toronto

fans specifically should not be supporting the other Canadian teams. You know the old joke, like what's on the outside of Toronto? No. Canada is on the outside of Toronto. There's Canada and then there's Toronto. But everybody hates Canada, everyone hates Toronto, even in the country. That would be an interesting one because I think there's a lot of Ontarians that could

get behind Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, go right across Montreal, Ottawa even. If you're a Make Beliefs fan, could you do Ottawa? Can I cheer for the senators? Yeah. No. Come on. No. Ottawa? Can I cheer for the senators? Yeah. No, come on. No. Is there a Canadian team that you could cheer for to win the Stanley Cup that you'd be happy

for? Like when Montreal played Tampa in the final in the COVID Cup, who would you cheer for? Tampa. Like, really, eh? More than you could imagine. Again, like hockey agnostic, I just wanted to watch a hockey game. It was cool watching. It was very cool watching the Montreal Canadians fans and everybody in the Montreal organization respect the fire marshals wishes and not completely fill the building during COVID.

Yeah. That was fun. Which is a great building. Look I'm again, I'm not rooting against the Oilers. I want to make that clear. I'm not rooting against them. Yes you are. I'm just not cheering for them.

And to answer your question, if there's a team that I could get behind, Winnipeg, probably the only one. I don't, I kind of like Calgary, but I just like, but I've been to Calgary. I like Calgary. It's not that I don't dislike the other cities, like the actual physical locations, but I like Calgary, kind of liked how their teams used to be built. Like when they went that Jake Otter series that we're talking about like I was kind of like, you know, like I don't mind

that but like that's David and Connor Brown and Zach Hyman and Darnold nurse like all these. No, I do like all these on to you with the Oilers with the Oilers support the Leafs if they were in the cup finals We can't agree don't count Leafs don't count. I'm a leader That's the problem most hated city of the most hated team they don't count You should you should you should look at that you should look at that distinction with pride

That everybody yeah every other hockey fan base just lives to torture you. Like your hockey team lives in their heads. As much as they may deny it, there's a part of your team that lives in every hockey fan's head in Canada Canada whether it's love or hate and They hate it when they when the Maple Leafs come to their town in their rink and there's all those blue jerseys cheering Buffalo Sabres, I'm looking direction to anyway. Yeah, it's weird because I don't care who wins But now that we're here, I'm like, I really want Edmonton to do this. I don't know what it is about me anyhow tomorrow Now that we're here, I'm like, I really want Edmonton to do this. I don't know what it is about me. Anyhow, tomorrow, Southern Tier Brewery is where we're at tomorrow in Buffalo.

Next couple of days, we will be there. We'll be at the NHL Scouting Combine. We're heading down the QEW later on tonight. If you see us, pull us aside and say hey, or come by the Southern Tier Brewery tomorrow from three to four, and we will be there barking it out. Oh, you know who's going to be dropping by not live but on video on Friday? Sam Dickinson.

Confirm that with the CHL yesterday. So Sam Dickinson will be aboard from the... Are you allowed to cheer for London? Can you cheer for the London Knights? Can you be happy for the London Knights winning the Memorial Cup? I went to school in London. Oh, that's right. You're purple, yeah, that's right. I'm a Knights fan.

I cheer for the Dark Empire, that's the CHL. Man, you really do it, eh? Like, you like the Leafs and you like the London Knights. Oh yeah. Holy smokes. What other teams? Oh, I don't know if this counts, but like, I started recently cheering for Notre Dame football. Okay, yeah, yeah, yeah. I don't know if this counts, but like I'm Notre Dame. I started recently cheering for Notre Dame football. Okay Yeah, I don't know if that's quite the same but pretty sure for in lacrosse the rock

Yeah, the rock Yeah cheer for Jays Raptors just Toronto centric and then the rock. Yeah. Yeah. Oh look, there's my navel. All right. Thanks to Greg Wyshinski For stopping by from ESPN calm and ESPN check out his piece on Brad Marchand, which is outstanding We're getting heavy on time. You got a game to watch. So do I We'll talk to you tomorrow at 3 o'clock Eastern. Don't forget morning cup of hockey tomorrow 9 a.m Eastern Johnny Lazarus and Colby Cohen, still the best show going.

DFO Live at noon and then our little act here. No, it won't be here. It'll be in Buffalo for the next couple of days. If you're in and around the area, please stop by and say hi. And as I said before, everyone at Daily Face Off here thinks that Zach is really cheap,

but he's vowed to prove everybody wrong by buying us dinner tomorrow night. Right Zach? You and Stephen Ellis. Yep. You and Stephen Ellis. Oh, Ellis says you squeeze the beaver on the nickel till it squeals.

That's how cheap you are. Throw nickels around like manhole covers. Oh yeah, yeah, yeah. Here comes the bill. Oh, Zach's finest place. Wings and beer. All right, very cool. Wings in beer. We'll talk to you tomorrow and we'll see Zach's onion wallet

Because every time he opens he cries. That's enough of my bad jokes. Talk to you tomorrow. I can't get out my head Lost all ambitions day to day Guess I can call it a ride I went to the dark man He tried to give me a little medicine I'm like, no, man, that's fine I'm not against those methods but I knew It's me, myself and Alice gonna be fixing my mind I do wanna break it I turn down the music I do wanna break it I turn down the music I turn up the battle

That you sometimes lose it Helping on the days that went wrong