The Steve Dangle Podcast - The Dubcision | November 20, 2019

Episode Date: November 20, 2019

**MIKE BABCOCK WAS FIRED AN HOUR AFTER RECORDING THIS PODCAST** On this episode of The Steve Dangle Podcast, Red Dead & Animal Crossing, and who wore the crown? (00:00), the Leafs lose to the Vegas Golden Knights (12:00), is Tyson Barrie the worst Leafs acquisition of all time? (17:00), let's talk Mike Babcock (25:00), Garnet Hathaway suspended 3 games for spitting at Erik Gudbranson (1:06:30), the Canucks (1:21:00), Bobby Ryan (1:23:30), the Buffalo Sabres (1:30:00), are the Calgary Flames Toronto West? (1:35:00), and the press conference: we play GUY OR NOT GUY! (1:51:00), Originally aired: November 20, 2019 Watch the full episode here: https://youtu.be/3tTJx64idro Merch: https://teespring.com/en-GB/stores/fancydangleshirts Follow us on Twitter: @Steve_Dangle, @AdamWylde, & @JesseBlake Follow us on Instagram: @SteveDangle, @AdamWylde, & @Jesse.Blake Subscribe to us on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/ca/podcast/steve-dangle-podcast/id669828195?mt=2 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hey, so it's Adam, and obviously you know what happened. Just after we finished recording the episode, as is tradition, we spent an hour talking about Mike Bagpaw's future, and he was let go, and Sheldon Keefe was made the new coach. So that's fun. But you know what's interesting about this? We talked about turning our cars around and going and doing the show and doing like an add-on or something. when you listen to it you're probably going to say yeah all those reasons i don't think there

was anything more we could have said and it will be very interesting to get your takes on this so anyway listen we love you have a listen to our show when we didn't know the ending but you do and listen how passionate steve gets he's fired up he's asking why not now why not panago pizza presents S-S-D-P-P, the Steve Dangle Podcast, with your hosts, Steve Dangle, Adam Wylde, and Jesse Blake. Let's go! Talking about people, I just ignore them, but they keep on saying we laugh just a little too loud.

Are we good? Oh no, we're great. Now sing Bodak Yellow by Cardi B I'll just whisper Cardi a bunch of times No, no, no I want word for word You don't dance now, you make money moves Well, Adam

You see these These is red bottoms These shoes have blood on them As she says Yes Nice Nice Truly, truly a fun conversation we are having

Hey When do we start recording? Remember when Adam Wild laughed at Steve Nangle for saying the Sens were catching the Leafs? Ha! Well, they're three points back with two games in hand That's from Jesse Turner It's funny Canada is

It's got one team that's steady Three teams on the up Three teams on the down Montreal is on the up Winnipeg's on the up Edmonton's on the up Vancouver's on the down, big time. Calgary's on the down, big time.

Toronto is on the down, I don't know, the biggest time? They're the most disappointing team in the National Hockey League. Yeah, and you know what? You know who called it? Our girl Christina Rutherford. Christina Rutherford, 100%. And even if they were top two, top three in the division, people would still call them disappointing.

Because the expectations were that high. They've lost six straight games, guys. Yeah. Stop sugarcoating it. Stop telling me what happened to are you in. but let's talk about who wore the crown why not

why not talk about it why not why not pour yourself and a friend a crown royal because we're going to talk about who wore the crown where we talk about the leaf

who gave it their all and there aren't many so it's going to be a short list but you know what we're going to try anyway because we like to look at the positive before we get into the truth and that's all brought to you

by your friends at crown royal we love them they love you live life generously And life will treat you royally Let's get into it, Steven Going first is always hard Because I gotta think about who you're gonna pick

I think I know Don't, don't Just go with whomever Then I'm gonna say Austin Matthews Wow I know Interesting

Because the pressure was on him last night I saw Brian Hayes had a tweet Like, it's time for the 11 million dollar centers to step up Tavares took a terrible penalty That was pretty dumb But like Austin Matthews I see him go out there Every shift now

Through the entire losing streak And dating back to the winning streak Because that was very abrupt Every shift He's just trying To carry the team on his back And what he's discovering Is he can't

It takes far more than one player Except for Connor McDavid Connor McDavid's a monster He's got a partner in crime now. He does have Leon. Yeah. But they're two of them together. Yeah.

I'm sorry. Andreas Janssen and William Nylander are not Leon Dreisaitl. They're not. They're not. But they're William Nylander. Hay is for horses, Jesse. And I'm sure we will get there. Hey, so are carrots.

You know what Auston Matthews is playing like? Red Dead Redemption there, Jesse. Adam said hay is for horses. So are carrots. So are carrots. Apples, too. Apples. Apples, too.

Yeah. How about these apples? Bloody What was his name again? Shoes have blood on them What was his name again? Arthur Morgan? Yeah

What happens if Arthur Morgan Shoots A guy Remember the YouTube? What happens if Arthur Morgan Shoots What's the I'm gonna report you

For this man I'm a witness Can you guys explain What's up No the YouTuber though The YouTuber Who does the Baits you into things

Oh you're talking about Mr. Boss What the fuck Or whatever his name is Arthur Morgan is... Arthur Morgan is the main character in Red Dead Redemption. Okay. If you haven't played Red Dead Redemption, Jesse, I'm assuming you haven't. I have not. Oh my

God. No. That's all I have to say. But I have to start again, because I stopped playing it for seven months because of the baby, and now it's like, I'm getting back into video games every once in a while, and it's like, if you want to get back in, you're now, you've diminished your skill, so now you can't even play to the skill level you were at. And it's not a hard

game. No, but it does take, it's like 60 hours of gameplay. Yeah. It's a lot. So, while you're not playing, your game is being diminished? No, I just diminished it. Oh, I thought it was like Animal Crossing where your game is playing. Oh, is that actually a thing?

Yeah, Animal Crossing, the world in the game is still playing. It never stops? It never stops. The world still exists. Did you ever have it for N64? Or, sorry, GameCube? No, I never did. No, unbelievable game.

Really? Yeah, yeah. Is it still online? I bet it's online now. I don't think, I don't know. I think they came out with the 2? I don't know, but back then It doesn't exist anymore, the servers, I think, because GameCube shut down. It's crazy.

Anyway, it's just a barren wasteland now. Well, there are games that people go back into where there's, like, nobody playing them anymore. So it'll be one person drops in, and, like, games that are 20 years old that were the original, like, internet games. Put the servers up. Yeah, and, like, video game sites will, like, do, like, hey, the servers are still up. Like, here's what we found, and it's pretty sad, and it's kind of neat. And it's games you've never heard of, but they had, at one point, a thriving online community, and they moved on. So, Animal Crossing is coming out for the Nintendo Switch in 2020.

Oh, I want a Switch so bad. I want it just for Animal Crossing. Yeah, well, can we play Animal Crossing together? Yes, we can. Oh! And yes. Anyway, you say Auston Matthews trying to keep this team on his back, almost like Animal Crossing. And that's my answer.

That is your answer. I say Jason Spezza. There it is. I got it right. Jason Spezza, who apparently couldn't play in the NHL a couple weeks ago. Oh, my God. Who very much can play in the NHL. And that wrist shot, that wrist shot is a goal scorer's wrist shot.

When that went in, it was like, whoa. NHL vet. Yes. But it was, that's a, there is very few people in the world that have ever been able to shoot a puck like that. Like, you think about that. And I'm not saying that he's the only one in the league that can do that. He's not. But, like, you think about the amount of people in the league that can shoot something like that at that speed.

That accuracy and that level. And it's just over the course of time, I think those wrist shots really and truly developed in the last 20 years because of the stick differences. Yeah. And I don't think there are many people who can do that. There just isn't. No.

And Spezza, he's one of those old guys in this league who you think he sucks just because he's a little older and slower. So does Mike. Yeah, well, so does Mike. You forget the hands are still there. Yes. Still there. Those never really go away.

No, no, and maybe he processes the game a little different, can't get around as much, but the hands are still there, and we've seen him destroy a few guys this year. This was a tweet from Barazin underscore goal. Man, good Twitter follow. Jason Spezza with two points tonight. Nick Shore has two points in 20 games this season. And that's the...

It doesn't... I don't know, I feel a little bad for Nick Shore in all this because it's like battle lines were drawn, but he had nothing to do with it, really. It's Babcock, though. That's who we're talking about. We're not really talking about Nick Shore. No.

And Freddy Gauthier. And there's a lot. There's a lot. We'll get to it. Let's get to producer Jesse. I'm dying to see how you pull this one off there. Finds Matthews in the slot. Puck retrieval on the rebound.

Strips stone. Strips Engelin cleanly, but without being physical. So this isn't good, apparently. Seam pass to Muzzin, who muffs it. Another one of those shifts by William Nylander they don't show you. That's from Mostly Leafies on Twitter. Man, these names are getting crazy. Pretty good.

Who pointed out that in a one-goal game at 1838 of the third period, William Nylander is still out there trying. Unlike so many of the least on this team At least one beautiful Swede from Calgary Is still giving his The most effort The most Who deserves the crown from me

I can't wait for William Nylander to play for the Canadian Olympic team It's going to be awesome Have I told you about the person at the office Our music director Lisa At Virgin Radio and at Chum Does not like William Nylander And she's the biggest Leaf fan out of all of us like she's just enormous and we're like lisa how do you not like william neal and she's like well

i'm very upset that he says that he's swedish because he was born in calgary oh he's getting the brett halt yeah and she's like that is that is crap right there she's like he's a canadian and he asked you should act canadian and he's canadian she's very proud of being canadian yes very patriotic yes yeah so the fact that he plays for sweden and doesn't really talk about being from Calgary. She's not the annoying patriot, though. She's not going to rub it in your face, but for Canada Day, we'll wear full-on Canada gear and stuff.

That's a holiday for her, unlike the rest of us who are just like, hey, free day off. Yeah. She's like, actually, we're going to honor the country today. Right. Which is the correct way to go about it. Yeah, it's nice. It's nice. Because, you know, for our American friends listening, you don't know what this is like.

But imagine the 4th of July if nobody cared. That's what Canada Day is. Canada Day is the second most important thing On Canada Day to most Canadians It's also free agency That's exactly it And sometimes it lands on like a Wednesday So you go to work Monday, Tuesday

And then Wednesday you're off And then Thursday, Friday you're back at work But America, if the 4th of July is on like a Wednesday They're taking that whole week It's like the 4th of July month Americans do holidays right Way better Thanksgiving, you're allowed to literally disappear

for what seems like a week. This week. Oh, is it this? Yeah, it's this week. They have the correct placement of Thanksgiving. Oh, yeah. Well, I think, you know, dinner comes before dessert. That's how I look at it.

I mean, that's a good way to look at it. And the reason Canadian Thanksgiving is so early is because we're a winter and the harvest ends sooner. However. Is that the real reason? That's the real reason. I assume so. The Farmer's Almanac?

Nope. Screw the Farmer's Almanac. It's full of bullshit. Stop subscribing to that shit. No, I get so mad If you ever want to get Adam If you ever want to get Adam Wilde worked up Bring up the Farmer's Almanac

Adam, what do you think about invading Russia in the winter? That's who That's who wore the crown for this week Brought to you by, as always, Crown Royal Next time the puck drops, why not? Live generously and treat your friends, your Leafs crew Everybody that you know to a Crown Royal old-fashioned Please drink responsibly

And let me tell you this Every time a stupid blog Every time a blog Tells you to invade Russia during the winter Wants you to click on their article They'll quote the Farmer's Almanac They won't go to the Weather Network They won't go to any of the other news weather services that we have

Environment Canada, whatever It's Farmer's Almanac says we're going to have a snowy winter Whoa! That's crazy And every winter they're like Wow, this winter is going to be snowy and cold No effing way Wow!

And yet people still quote it I don't get it This winter, it's going to snow exactly once, and it will be purple. Like, that's interesting. If you predicted purple snow, then I'm subscribed. I will buy your magazine every year. I would like to hear more of what you have to say. That's right.

Adam, if so many outlets use the Farmer's Almanac. Nobody uses the Farmer's Almanac. They all do. As you just said, every year, we get a whole bunch of articles about the Farmer's Almanac. So they must be doing something right. No. Clickbait. Clickbait.

You know what they came up with today or this year their their their their word for how cold our winter is going to be They called it a polar coaster That's all I got because you'll click on the headline that says polar coaster Yeah, you know I'm right stupid Google Polar Coaster. I'm serious serious look it up I Don't want to I don't know why you hate the wonderful people over there I don't like people misleading other people. It bothers me. It really bothers me.

Well, how about we turn to one Jesse Blake for saying that William Nylander wore the crown. Oh, did we get that? Did we get that in? He did say wear the crown. I did say that. Yeah, our segment, man. We already did that. No, I know.

But you've been using it in news? I'm disputing it. Oh. Because he had a chance to tie the damn game. Yeah. And the puck hit his stick. And his stick knew that the puck hit it, but William Nylander didn't. And I couldn't help but feel that if the puck was a golf ball, he would have crushed it and it would have hit the back of the net.

Why did it have to be a golf ball? Because old clueless Calgarian over there, on a five-game losing streak, now six, decides it would be a good idea to post a video of him golfing. Or a picture of him golfing. With Johnson, I think it was? I want to say Kapanen. Kapanen? I'm not sure. And, listen, we've dumped on this in the past, where the Leafs were on losing streaks,

and they were in, like, California, I think, and they went on a rollercoaster. I remember this from years and years ago. And we were like, oh, you have nothing better to talk about. Why are you talking about this? Listen, go play golf. It's Vegas. I don't care if you gamble and get smashed. You're an adult.

Do what you want. No, no, keep going. But get a clue, Willie. Get a clue. Now's not the time. Now you've lost six. No, yeah. How about you had a chance to tie it, and you didn't?

How about Nick Battan's weak-ass wrist shot? That was going like a mile above the net, but oh, a flower with a big save. No, no, I think I'm on Steve's side here, totally. I bet you are. Finally, you've seen the light. Posting an Instagram story is the reason they lost. It's not the reason. But like, okay.

No, that's reasonable, Steve. You ever have a friend that you vouch for all the time, and your friends are like, I don't know. Steve Dangle. I still don't. Exactly. You try to vouch for Steve No he's actually cool And then I go and do this

And I go and scream on my podcast And it gets harder and harder to defend you And you're like Steve can you help me Defend you I wish William Nylander would repay the favor Just once You know what You're not wrong

I know I'm not Nor have I ever been Wouldn't it be nice And I hate to be this guy If William Nylander could step up in the clutch at one point in his career Identify where the puck is at any given moment I just, like What is happening right now?

And he had a great game I honestly Who was he talking to? He was hustling on the four check I agree He's good at breaking a breakout So the focus of the game right now He had an opportunity to tie the bastard

And he didn't because he didn't know where the puck was Okay A defenseman named Tyson Barry tried to take a puck up ice and got stripped, and the puck is in the back of the net that directly led to the game being lost by the Leafs, and yet the problem here is William Nylander posting an Instagram story on his day off. Jesse, I would like to apologize. That's the problem here. Not Tyson Barry having a turnover in the middle of the ice

where he shouldn't be that led directly to the game-winning goal. Fellow Canadian Tyson Barry, just like William Nylander, I would like to apologize for the miscommunication. William Nylander is merely the moose boosh. We will get to Tyson Barry. I don't know what that is. Appetizer. Oh, appetize.

Appetize. Epitwizzle, whatever the fuck. Bloody shoes. Listen, I would just like William Nylander to repay the favor once. Now, how about Tyson Berry, who I don't even think has earned the benefit of the doubt that William Nylander has. This guy is, help me out, okay? Here's a challenge to both of you.

I'm about to say something and you try to prove it wrong. Tyson Berry is the most disappointing Leafs acquisition of our lifetime. Larry Murphy. Really? No, I think older fans would say Larry Murphy. I think they would and they would be wrong. They would be wrong because Larry Murphy was actually pretty good with this. Yep.

Yeah, I think recent years. They've been pretty shitty recent years. I think Dmitry Kristich is the worst acquisition. Dmitry Kristich! That guy was like a 30 goal scorer. Let's look it up. Let's look it up. Here, bring up the stats for Dmitry Kristich there, Jesse. I think I remember him fondly because he was good in the video games. Yeah, he was good in Boston.

Oh, everyone's good in Boston, Adam. I thought you knew that. Yeah, that's true. So here's the deal. Charlie Coyle's a damn superstar. He goes from two 29-goal seasons in a row, and in fact, he was coming off a 29-42-71 series. And then the next year in Toronto, he misses some time, 12-18. And then the next year, he plays full 70 games, 13-25, 38 points. And they finally traded him to Washington.

He played two more seasons, and he stunk up the joint. One of the worst acquisitions. Very disappointing. Adam, that is disappointing. How many goals? 12. 12? You know, the thing about 12 is it's bigger than zero!

Nothing! I don't expect Tyson Barry to get a goal. I expect him to get piles of assists. He's on base for less than 20 points. We were talking about this guy being the highest scoring right-handed Leafs defenseman of all time. He's supposed to be money in the bank for 50. It has something to do with circumstance. When you remove a guy from a number one power play unit, that's where he racked up the majority of his points.

I'm 100% on Tyson Barry. No. Not at all. What about the difference, the chasm between Mike Babcock and Jared Bednar says throw a pizza up the middle of the ice when you have two other options? I have a stat for you. What? Last night, towards the end of the game, when it was already out of,

well, not really out of reach, but out of reach, Mike Babcock finally threw out Morgan Riley and Tyson Berry. He's done it a couple times. At this point in the game, they generated seven shots for the Leafs. Oh, my God. and zero shots against for the Vegas Golden Knights. So we should probably never do that again. I don't think we should be yelling at Tyson Berry for his season so far.

I agree with that. He hasn't been put here in a position to win. Well, and the Perry-Dermott pairing, which I was excited to see, was terrible and cost him the game. I mean, poor Dermott. He's the last leaf back there on that no-sick goal. He's got no shot. And he's completely unprepared for the moronic thing his defense partner did.

There's no other way to put it. Nosek, by the way, went 14 games without a point. 15 games without a point. Until the Leafs decided, we're like, hey, you can get your point here. It always happens against the Leafs. Like, dude, if you're on a slump, if you're a Bruins fan, if you're a Sens fan, if you're an Islanders fan, if you're a Habs fan, like, just don't. The one favour I'll ask of all of you is just let the Leafs up for a breath every

now and then while you just repeatedly shove that head in the toilet. This joke of a franchise! I'm so sick of it! I've never been in this position where I realize today, I've never been talking about the Leafs on their way down. You know what I mean? Well, we did sort of have a playoff team once that lost, like, didn't win a game in 20. That team was trash.

That team was trash. Yeah, but they were in the playoffs. They were in the playoffs, but they were trash. And then didn't win one of their last 20 games. So that was on the down. Yeah. Wait, which team are we talking about? We're talking about, I think, 13-14.

Yeah. That was our first full season, my friend. Yeah, but I never really believed in that team. I think we did a little bit. We were talking about Montreal-Toronto potentially matching up in the first round. Potentially, yeah. Because that's what we hoped and dreamed for, Adam. Yeah.

We hoped and dreamed for fun first round matchups, never actually believing anything. I genuinely believe the Leafs had a shot at a cup this year. And lost. The expectations have never been so high. They've never been so high. Never fallen so far short. And they haven't beaten a team of consequence since April. Yeah.

Yeah, the last team they beat that was good was Boston. Yeah, in game five. Yeah. In regulation. The Maple Leafs suck. I'd like to bring up a couple things that are scary. Mm-hmm. Scary.

First scary thing. They've allowed first goal in 18 of 23 games. Great starts. Second. Is that over? Can I raise that heavyweight championship belt above my head? About what? The fucking, no, they actually start on time.

Oh, yeah. That was never, it was never true. Jesus. That other side. But you could have said last night, another one of those times when it's like, hey, they started well, but they still allow the first goal. The pace of play is there. That's proven.

But they still allow it. You know what I knew the moment I knew the Leafs weren't going to make the playoffs? They're not making it, by the way, guys. The moment I realized they're not making the playoffs, I was listening to the game on the radio on the way home from ice surfing, and it was a celebration that it was 0-0 after 1. They're not making the playoffs. They're a terrible hockey team.

The Leafs have gone over 430 minutes without holding a lead. They suck. According to Sportsnet stats. Yeah, that's what shitty teams do. From Andrew Berkshire, the Leafs are actually better on defense this year than they were last year. Shut up! He's texted me that a bunch of times. Freddie Anderson's all-situations expected save percentage last season was 9-1-3-3.

This season, it's 9-1-7-4. Every game, he's facing two fewer high-danger shots, two fewer passes to the slot, and one screenshot less. The Leafs are better defensively. The problem is the sacrifice they've made to offense. Because if you look at their offense, they're in the top ten in scoring in the NHL, but the differential is minus nine. And to be honest, when you have Matthews, Marner, Tavares, Nylander, and everybody else up front, you should be in the top three. The Washington Capitals are walking away. They have 89 goals already.

The Leafs have 73. And I think their next closest is in the 70s, and then it's the Caps. But the Leafs should be right there with the Caps with goals. The Leafs must lead the league in scoring when down by two or more goals. Their offense is not as good as even those numbers suggest It's the score effects offense They were down 3-0 and 4-1 to Chicago They were down 1-0 in this game

They were down 3-1 in this game They were down You know, that Spezza goal is a gift against Pittsburgh They weren't trying They were up 5-0 Like, how many garbage time goals have the Leafs got? And then you add in empty netters there This team doesn't score

They can't defend. They suck. They suck. I got stuck between stink and suck. They stink and suck. They suck. One thing that's funny is if the Leafs had league average penalty kill and power play, they probably have four more wins.

Easily. But they're sitting in, I think it's 27th and 26th in both categories. And I want to talk about that. If it was just league average. I want to talk about that. Has there been a more disastrous move in the Kyle Dubas era than hiring Dave Haxtell? And firing DJ Smith. Yeah.

Well, they didn't fire DJ Smith. He wanted to go. He was going to be a head coach. So he didn't get fired. And I'm not... Listen, man, I'm still not a fan of DJ Smith. I still don't think it was good enough. I am.

I've completely changed my mind. But Dave Haxtell has been an absolute disaster. And it's interesting. Flyers fans, when the Leafs hired him, they would tweet us and go, Hey, so heads up on that. No, it's okay, though. He talked to someone in Sweden one time. So he, like, Eureka moment, he's wicked at this now.

It's cool. I want to read what Ian Tulloch, who is oftentimes as objective as they come with numbers. But you could tell even Ian's kind of going over the edge. And this is a rant for Ian. And Ian is the nicest human being on the planet. He said, also, Dave Haxtell was a terrible choice for assistant coach. The penalty kill has been a disaster, and the Leafs have been relying on way too many shots from the point in 2019-2020. Those were areas of concern Smart Flyers fans could have told you about years ago.

Whoever was responsible for hiring him deserves some serious criticism. Well, you've got to put that on the GM, right? Yep. And let me ask you this. I think what they wanted was, if I remember correctly, in a perfect world, they would have had Paul McFarlane still manage the power play, and DJ Smith as the assistant. But like you said, he had the opportunity to become head coach in Ottawa.

And, buddy, didn't I call that? Didn't I call that? Like, the frustrations with the Leafs PK last year, totally legitimate. Like, it was his responsibility, and it's the reason they lost that series to Boston. Perfectly legitimate. But the players love him. And I couldn't help but go, okay, the players love him, according to that poll. He got the Memorial Cup there with the Gens.

He might be better suited as a head coach than assistant. And look at the Sens. They're watchable every night. which you can't say about the Leafs. And shit, they're about to pass the Leafs in the standings with a couple coffee lids and stir sticks as their roster. And Anthony Duclair. That's what the center made him.

And Peugeot. And Peugeot. Oh my god, what a wizard. He's like plus 15? I know plus minus sucks, but that's kind of interesting. So here's the thing. If you're going to make a coaching change now, Hackstall's got to be the guy.

Really? Yeah, I think so. I think he's got to go. Cush him the game again? Dude, he's got to go, and he's got to go now. They were 0 for 2? They are. Let me bring up, James.

Myrtle tweeted something last night that absolutely blew my head off. Hackstall has to be the guy. To get fired? He's got to be the first one at the door. Oh, okay, okay, okay. Sorry. You know what I like at this time of year? Package deals.

Hang on. I thought you meant he has to be the guy to replace him. Oh, no. That's what I was... Jesus. I was so confused. No. Hang on.

A couple things Myrtle had last night that are great. I'll give away my Leafs jersey. Dubas does that. I'll seriously give it away. Leafs PK has allowed 12 goals in the last 10 games now. They're getting scored on for every third power play. They suck. They suck.

It's okay, though. Have Nick Short take those face-offs. They are. The Leafs, and this is after the first game, guys. Sorry, after the first goal, because both the first two Vegas goals were power play goals. Leafs PK is at just 69% effectiveness over the last 10 games. That's not nice.

I mean, it's nice, but it's not that nice. You know, it turns out power play goals count. Weird, right? Weird. And so, like, if you're looking at the team objectively at this point, like, you could say what you want about Mike Babcock, and I'll probably agree, but I have to say, Dave Haxtell unequivocally cannot coach in this league. They've got to move on now.

If you're going to make a mistake, make it quick. That's always my thing. Make a mistake quickly. And that's not an overreaction. The numbers are there. Don't keep him the entire year. And difficult schedule, injuries, back-to-backs. I know there's always an excuse,

but I think the fan base is reasonable enough that they could have a record similar to the one that they have now. But if they had just been playing adequately, If their power play Their power play is It's fine It should be better I think it's 18th overall in the league

18th or 16th It's not good enough In this losing streak, the last 16 games Where they have two regulation wins, it's the bottom It's like 26 In the last 16 games And their penalty kills garbage Hyman's back

Wasn't that supposed to be the cure-all Everybody? Oh, Marner's out It's always fucking something. You know what I mean? It's a bad hockey team. Real question. It's what it is. It's a bad hockey team.

Serious question. Riley and CeCe, first pair. Are they actually or are they the third pair? They're not committed to change. They wouldn't break them up. And, like, CeCe had, honestly, one of his best games of the season against Vegas. Yeah, well, a good game for CeCe is he doesn't screw it up. Yeah, but he did.

That's the point. Shit. But he did. Yep. Because when they were on the cycle in there like you guys don't saw the tweets where Cody CC where offense goes to die Oh, it's like and and I was at Ray Ferraro. Somebody said he's got a toolbox like Brian McCabe Literally one of the one of the best offensive defenseman on this team in our lifetime Cody CC one in the same it's like the spider-man meme. That's right. Yeah

He has one goal And Damien Cox was like I guess you guys are going to blame the coaching Let me guess, it was coaching after this one too And I wrote back You're so fucking smart Listen, I'm serious Kevin Pappetti was the first one to float this

So I'm giving him full credit But I think Riley and CeCe are objectively the worst pairing on this team And what I don't find What I find awfully funny Is that When other players underperform Babcock sits them why hasn't he sat these two

and he said they were good do you see that thing with Mark Masters Babcock's doing a bit at this point he's doing a bit he quit weeks ago and he's just fucking with us seriously no seriously mentally I think he's doing a bit

and this is performance art he's Joaquin Phoenix from a few years ago just screwing around on Letterman I honestly think he's doing some man on the moon Jim Carrey shit because there's no way he's serious. There's no way. Now, he bets on Mike Babcock.

Do you? He bets. No. No, get out of here. I was done here a long time ago. And again, like what Mike Stevens said, you don't luck into 700 wins. But this team does not play the way that it played three years ago.

It's stale. We're done here. Joel Quinvo, man, they brought up a stat on ice surfing yesterday did you know that Joel Quinville so I think he just won his 900th game you know who he has more wins than the Florida Panthers franchise that started in 1993 that's insanity even more insane he got fired last year that to me is the Gretzky got traded of coach firings. Why is

Babcock so sacred? And he got fired because the general manager goofed up and traded one of the most valuable players in the league for a guy who can't hang. I mean, that was Stan Bowman should have been the guy gone. Well, sorry.

But he wasn't. I don't know how. I don't know how Stan Bowman is, like, I don't get that at all. I don't understand how, what was Joel Quimble supposed to do? And look at the Florida Panthers this year. 11-5-5. With garbage goaltending. Yeah, the worst goaltending

in the world. Like, Brobovsky's been awful. They're spending $10 million on one of the worst regular goalies in the NHL this year and they're still winning hockey games. They could have hired me and I probably would have had similar stats. It's that bad. Trent. Yeah, Trent. From the Easter Seals tournament. Holy shit. That guy was amazing.

Yeah, Quenville got fired last year. I don't understand why Babcock's so sacred. I guess you can't do it in the middle of the road trip They got Arizona Thursday They got Colorado Saturday And then goodbye And then Buffalo next week

They got three days off though That's when everybody speculates it's going to happen Now Ian Tulloch made another good point In his article for The Athletic And he said Next three games The word is Brian Burke said

The Bab Clock has started And I tend to believe Brian Burke on stuff like that. We don't know what it's like to be a GM. I wouldn't trust Brian Burke on in terms of— I think I fired his best friend. Yeah, he did. But I also wouldn't trust Brian Burke to run a team anymore. I don't think his brand of hockey is relevant anymore, to be honest.

Sure. But I do think he knows when a coach is on the clock. Yeah. That's not a style thing. That's a temperature thing, right? His opinions on the sport are still— Very relevant. They're very relevant.

Yeah, the inside information. And he also knows how to get people's attention, which is, you know, Matthews will leave in five years. But that's just his opinion. Like, to me, I think that's as relevant as any of ours. But he's Brian fucking Burke, man. But he's Brian fucking Burke. That's who he matters. But when it comes to when is it time to fire a coach, well, why not ask a guy who's done that?

And he said, he said they've already done the thing, which is where you try to save the head coach, which is replace the assistant. It's over. Now, Ian said, listen, he said, why would you let the next three games determine whether or not you're going to keep a coaching staff? At this point, you've seen 20, 21 games, and the next three games are somehow going to decide it for you? Sorry, but— They were talking about this on Hockey Central today, and Bourne and Stewart, I think it was Ambrose, I was thinking, they were all like, if they were firing him at the end of this road trip, that decision's been made. If you're a GM of a franchise this big, you don't make decisions on a three-game sweep. It's already been done.

It's either going to happen at the end of this or his job is safe at the end of this. I think he got fired last night. Yeah. You think so? Yep. I think Mike Babcock was fired last night. Wow. Okay.

I'll tell you this. I was taking phone calls all throughout the ride here. I'm getting the just-in-case calls for content creation at Sportsnet. Like, you know, so you were saying when you were with Tim and Sid, you had to prepare or you had to have footage ready if someone unfortunately passes away. Yeah, the big thing I was telling you was the Donaldson trade. Or that. He was like on the DL and then he came off and he played a couple of minor league games and we were just getting a whole bunch of viz and all of our content ready for eventually when Donaldson's traded. So I'd like have a whole bunch of, I had a whole bunch of just templates.

Oh, he's going to the Braves. Oh, he's going to the Mets. and I'd have them all ready just whenever it needs to go up because we knew it was happening in the next week or so. Exactly, and that way you're not scrambling when the news happens. Right, we're all prepared because it's news, right? So we're all actively preparing for when, not if, when Mike Babcock is fired. I know what I'm doing.

I'm not going to tell you. But, yeah, we're all preparing for when. I think it's inevitable. I think he was fired last night. So, interestingly, Kevin McGrann. I don't know that. Kevin McGrann spoke with Kyle Dubas about this, and he said last week he wasn't, Dubas this is, he wasn't so much asked about Babcock's job security, though the question was hinted

at it, and was framed as if the pressure was on Babcock to start getting some results. So Dubas answered this. I just keep crying. I think whenever a team is at its best, or whenever a team is trying to find its way, whenever a team is having a tough stretch, it's on the collective. It's not up to any one person or one player or one coach or any one member of the front office. It's the collective group to forge its way through. This is a long quote, so hang with me.

I think that's what makes the most successful organization. And I don't think, I don't look at it as being any one person, but all of us collectively to pull in the right direction. Now, so Kevin McGrann goes on to say, so you think, so think what you will about how Dubas answered. I could write that Dubas refused or declined to give Babcock a vote of confidence. And maybe, yes, he evaded the question, but I conclude he doesn't want to fire Babcock. He wants the group to figure it out. But he said, in my view, there are two justifications for firing Babcock. Here's the first one.

He's simply the wrong coach for the team. Dubas would have to believe the talent is there and the season could be salvaged if only they could hear a new voice and play a different system. If that's the case, Sheldon Keefe gets the call. Number two, the season is lost and you let the tanking begin. You recognize that players like Tyson Berry will get traded. The backup goalie will play more, and a remarkable number of season-ending injuries will occur for some of the star players. A bottom-10 finish would be the goal, because their first-round pick is traded to Carolina, is bottom-10 protected.

I doubt Babcock would want to guide the team through a tank again, at least without guarantees that he'd be back next year. If we're in for a tank, the interim coach is the solution, maybe Dave Haxtell. Jesus, can you believe we're having this conversation? I know. So here's the interesting part. So somebody responded to Kevin, and they're like, well, wait a second here. Your article presents, and this is interesting, your article presents a premise, tanking, that neglects to consider that the Leafs cannot tank. In previous years, only finishing 10th would have hurt them, but now they've got to finish

in the bottom 7 or risk losing their pick. In summary, they aren't tanking. To which Kevin rightly points out, by points percentage, the Leafs are 7th from the bottom. As of today. I can't believe it. So that means they'd be in the Lafreniere sweepstakes. However slightly. That's

Fucking bananas Now I want to remember something here I want to remember something A couple years ago The Tampa Bay Lightning Missed the playoffs Yes

That was 2017 They are They were collectively bad That year Stamkos was out He broke his leg Yeah

They were just not a good team Didn't have it together They were really unlucky And John Cooper Was the coach then He survived I think so And they've gone on

To do great things What happened the following season? They won the President's Trophy. That's right. And they were able to, in that time, I believe, draft Jonathan Drouin. No, that was before. No, that was 2013. They drafted someone else who they drafted in them.

But the point is, long term, I don't want to do this. It may not be the worst thing. You might be able to get some good value this season if it's a throwaway. You trade Barry, you trade Muzzin. But boy does that suck It's one of the most disappointing trades in Leafs history Right now I hope it turns around

I just don't know that it can I think he's done I think he's out To Barry? He wants out He has spent They were talking about if the Canucks Had traded for him

They were willing to offer him 8x8 That's 64 million dollars But he would be useful to the Canucks because they'd play him properly. But we're talking about he has spent this year with his inability to do anything. He spent millions and millions of dollars. How many millions of dollars? I don't know. Fifteen?

But think about this for a second. Think about this for a second. Imagine spending $15 million in a month and a half. If we don't know that. Could do it. Because if they do make a change at head coach, remember guys, St. Louis made a coaching change right around this time last year. I am on the team of you don't make any roster decisions until the head coach has changed.

Because we don't know whether it's the players or the system. I think it is the coach. Also, we've seen it like three times now. We saw it with Pittsburgh twice, where the head coach gets fired and they win the Stanley Cup. Because the talent's there. It's weird that it works in hockey, but it works in hockey. I don't care how good Pittsburgh's record is. If you're Mike Sullivan, you've got to be like, uh-oh.

Right. Uh-oh, their tried-and-true strategy of firing the coach and then winning the cup. I don't know. Yeah. Well, and you look at what happened with Carolina, and you look at what happened with St. Louis. You get Bill Peters out of there. You get Rod Brandon Moore in. The players will die for Rod Brandon Moore.

Literally. Craig Berube. You get Craig Berube. The players will die for Craig Berube. Now, St. Louis has an incredible goaltender, but so do the Leafs. Jordan Bennington was not Dominic Hasek last year. Well, they also had a good, talented team, though. That was underperforming.

Yes. Yeah, I would say the coaching change was an even bigger factor than Bennington. Or they were equal parts. Is Shelly Keith the guy, though? Because, I mean, you wouldn't think. I don't know. Hasn't this been obvious to us Since he got hired to be head coach of the Marlies

You know what I mean This feels as As obvious as Paul Maurice did When he took over for Pat Quinn Even though that was the right He was okay You gotta give him the shot right I don't think you have him there

And you don't give him the next job Else he's gone You had him in the OHL You had him in the AHL You have him in the AHL You've won a championship with him Didn't he pass him the trophy He's probably the highest paid coach

In the American Hockey League What are we wasting time for What are we wasting time for Why wasn't this done in April Follow your gut Follow your heart This is what they wanted I know deep down this is what they wanted

Next time don't ignore it Lesson learned Sometimes you need to let people dig their own grave if that's what he's letting Babcock do because I gotta tell you it's his it's his grave too if the Leafs start slow this year with Sheldon Keith

we're having some pretty serious conversations about oh man maybe he should have hung on to Babcock they needed to do this they needed to do this they needed to and I get what Kyle Dubas even if and this probably flies in the face of what I said last episode

if Kyle Dubas does this at the end of last season, which honestly, that is the worst Game 7 performance Mike Babcock ever had. It was embarrassing. Second to, sorry, and the second worst Game 7 performance we've ever seen from him was the previous year. But last year, he got blown out. Blown out.

Butch Cassidy. Cassidy, absolutely, just, like, it was shocking. Shocking, the difference between the two teams. in preparedness in line matching in strategy and there's a lot of people talking about ray ferraro's brought this up a lot of people on twitter talking about mike babcock likes to be so um strategic that it seems like the leafs don't know what to do with the puck once they get it so what i'm what i'm seeing is and i think a lot of people are seeing this this isn't some hot take is a team that is so terrified to make the wrong move and you've mentioned this steve yes because

they don't know what mike's thinking today you know what i see simplify you've got the talent keep it simple it all starts in their own end but when i feel the worst about the leafs is when they have the puck in their own end and what i see so often is they'll be in the corner with the puck there's an obvious decision to make there's an obvious outlet for them and whatever the most obvious decision to make is you watch their brain short circuit because they tell themselves they can't do that whatever the most obvious decision is i can't make that decision so now i gotta they take that split second and they do this random backhand pass to the next guy and the other team knows that their brain short circuiting and so they pinch them and and then okay let's say

they do break out of the zone and Kapanen takes it along the boards and oh he's going to stop and curl back and oh we've pinched that off because it's the most obvious thing ever oh uh let's just delete Kasperi Kapanen's name and we'll throw William Nylander in there uh sometimes like uh Ilya Mikheyev man I'll tell you what is really or another thing that's really killed this team is uh at the beginning of the season they were getting crazy depth scoring Mikheyev's magic is gone. Goat's magic is gone. Before he got hurt, Trevor Moore's magic is gone.

Timoshev, that magic's gone. Kerfoot, injured. Their depth has taken a huge beating. Nothing is going right for this team. Nothing. Whether it's their own doing or God.

Sometimes, we always sit from afar and we go, uh-oh, so-and-so team is having their nightmare season. This is it. It's ours. You know, I wonder, too. I think nightmare seasons every once in a while aren't the worst thing in the long term.

No. It sucks right now. No question. But, I mean, listen, maybe they turn around like St. Louis. That's once in a decade, usually. However, it can refocus. Dave Hamber had a great line. He's like, I don't think that's the recipe for success for most teams.

No, I think he's right. It has to be last and then win the Stanley Cup. But what it does do, if you're the GM, if you're winning, pretty tough to sell a trade or a change to the board, a major change. If you're the GM, though, and they've invested confidence in you, and Dubas has not been GM long enough for them to even consider letting him go, and he's also done a great job. He's added enormous amounts of talent to this team. Come on.

They're losing. Come on. They are losing. but but you can't tell me that objectively they're not a better team there's no more bad contracts really Zaitsev deal's gone the Tavares deal never happens without Dubas uh the fact that Tyson Berry's here at all whether Babcock chooses to use him correctly or not is not really that Kyle Dubas can't control that in as far as how he's played night after night he can the coach. The decision's been made

for him. Prove it's not you. Prove it's not your fault. Make a change. Well, and I think that's what's going to happen. There can't be any doubt about that now. Here, let me check my phone. Let me see if there's an announcement here.

I'm just going to check real quick. The best way to sell an organization on change is when they're not doing well. Chris Johnson. John Tavares is absent from Leafs practice in Scottsdale. Fuck off! His finger's not healed.

His finger isn't healed. He's just taking a day, Steve. A day on a road trip. And also, they brought him back too quick. Let the hand heal. Yeah, they needed to, though. Well, it hasn't helped. No, no.

I think Dubas has to have more patience than us, Steve. Yeah, and I also don't think that you could I don't think you could sell them on firing Babcock even at the end of that Bruins series. Because they'll be like, well, but we still made the playoffs three years in a row. And we ran into a red-hot, amazing Boston Bruins team two times. And then the year before, the Caps. You know, a really good hockey team that was supposed to win the Cup that year.

Sounds an awful lot. Sounds very similar to they have a tough schedule, a lot of back-to-backs. No, I understand where you're coming from. I mean, I think I've even said this before. He needs to be more patient than us. But I trusted him to look at the game differently and be revolutionary. And I... Revolutions take time, man.

I'm just saying. And Mike Babcock is not on board with this revolution. And you know that. Adam, we didn't need the past 23 games to know that. But you didn't. Yeah. But Leafs management, beyond Kyle Dubas, probably did. Because remember, Steve, you're not just selling them on a season.

You're selling the board on paying a guy $5 million for three more years. This isn't an easy decision. Oh, no, not if you don't give a shit about winning. Steve. There's been a disconnect with this GM and coach for over a year. Right. And the smart, prudent thing to do for management is to say, let's see if you guys can sort it out in the sandbox. Right. Obviously, they can't.

It's already too late. It's not already too late. We're reaching the point of too late. Yeah. We had to get to here. You have to let other people lose faith. We didn't, though. No, Steve, you do have to, though.

Why? Because that's the way organizations work. If they were too reactive. That's it, Adam. That's what I'm talking about. No, but organizations can't. You were supposed to do shit differently. He was supposed to do something. You can't change the way a corporation works.

That's just the way it works. Steve, you work for a massive corporation. Do they make changes quickly? You bet your balls they did. No, they don't. You check your phone over the past week? Dude, no, they don't. Steve.

If they made changes quickly, that move would have happened this summer. No, that move would have happened 15 years ago. Yeah. I wonder if some people don't wish they did. Do you think? Oh, I'm sure they do. But the thing is. If there's a lesson we've learned from the past week is do that thing you were thinking of doing in the summer.

Sure. But you've got to remember, you've got to remember that Leafs are a corporation. And they're a part of a, they've got boards, they've got board members, they've got two corporations besides Larry Tannenbaum who don't like each other who are also a part of this. And they have to sell them on, okay, we're going to pay $5 million to sit a coach and do nothing. Okay, now. And hang on, hang on. Can you stop reading off that article from 2005? You're talking about John Ferguson Jr., right?

Any of the moves that the Leafs... Listen, the Leafs... Oh, my God, it's the same fucking team. Dude, in the past, they were too reactive. They lied to us. They didn't, man. They didn't. It's 20 games.

They got time to turn this around. They do. All they have to do is do the thing. God, we're such Leaf fans. They're not going to do the fucking thing, Adam. Yes, they are. Wait, what do you mean? Fire them?

They're going to fire Mike Babcock. Yes, they are. Yeah. Unless he goes on, like, a five-game tear, and then they're like, well, shit, I guess we can't now. But yeah, they're firing Mike Babcock You think that they can get to seven or eight games Lost in a row

And not fire Mike Babcock? Adam, I'm sure we're about to find out Do you think Phil Kessel's not going to fucking play his ass off Tomorrow night? Phil Kessel is going to One man wrecking crew, the Toronto Maple Leafs For what happened Can't wait

It's going to happen, it's crazy You know what's so funny? The room is so bad that we have a players only meeting Riley and Tavares going to meet with Babs on their own And Marner is flying out to be with the team just so he can just hang out. Oh Red Bull I yeah, I know. I can't remember who had the tweet. I'm so sorry, but it was other teams Other teams buy puppies and have team puppies to the Leafs have Mitch Marner. Yeah, he is a team puppy Yeah, bring him out

See if he helps a guy He's getting paid for it. Yeah, bring him out. Bring it. See if it helps dude See if it dude they find the assistance. They're flying some guy out to make sure everyone feels nice fire the fucking coach here's what happened this offseason Jesse I know Jesse's on board

with this here's what they did Dubas said I think we gotta make a change of coach and they said we're not gonna change Babcock

but we'll meet you halfway we got one assistant leaving we got the other guy that you're not thrilled with because the power play

is not good with that much talent why don't you find two new assistants we'll do the same thing every fucking team does dude

you gotta give it more time you had to give it more time than that but I think now we've reached the point where yeah I think they've made

the decision already They're not different. This group that I thought was really different is not different at all. They're the same thick-headed hockey management team that every shitty team is. Steve, that's every organization in the world. I know. Adam, and I dared to hope for more. You can't run a multi-billion dollar organization like that, the way you're suggesting. You cannot run it that way.

It's impossible. Plenty of them are. Plenty of them are. You don't think there's any gunslingers out there just randomly firing guys, walking in there like Ari Gold with their friggin' Nerf gun? If you're running it like that, then you're making bad decisions on the other end. Yes. Then you're making decisions too quick because you're too reactive. I already know this isn't fuckin' working, so. It's too reactive, man.

You can't be reactive. And listen, it's time to move on. I 100% agree. But we weren't at this point yet. Yeah. Now we're here. You had to be at the point of despair, essentially. No, you know what it was?

In April, they said, is that a fart? We're 23 games in. It wasn't a fart, guys. Go and change. It was a windstorm. But for an organization this big, it takes that long to get your smelling senses right. Yeah, exactly. Like, look at how long.

You didn't feel it? Look at how long. Look at the Raptors with Dwayne Casey. Yeah. They did the exact same thing. They replaced the assistants, didn't they? In the summer. and he still

refused to make adjustments in the playoffs. Refused. He was a lot like Mike Babcock. And what he did, which was great, was he instituted a system of accountability, which Mike Babcock did too. The Leafs didn't have any of that before Mike Babcock. They are still better than where they were. Sure. However,

it was time to move on. Nick Nurse came in and said, I'm just going to let the guys play. And you know what Nick Nurse did that was so amazing? He had the starting lineup together, what? 18 times last year? Yeah, because Kawhi was always out and Lowry would take some days off.

And managed to make it work into the playoffs. What they need now, they don't need disciplinarian now. They don't need disciplinarian now. They need inspiring. That's what they need. They need a guy who's going to get them fired up to play hockey and be excited about putting a leaf on.

Make guys like me look like an asshole. Make me look stupid, please. You're not wrong. I understand what you're saying, but you know that's how corporations work. Adam, if I'm not wrong then I'm right. They should have fired him. They should have. But you have to get to this point to

get conservative guys who are, you know, I've been in business for years and I have to, they have to, it's almost like you have to wait until it's so close to the edge that you're going to fall off. You need to go too far to bring it back. Bingo. You've got to prove a point. And this is a

good thing. The Leafs are losing. Kyle Dubas can now sell management on a plan because he can say to them, listen, we're not getting the results let me do what you brought me in to do or this one's on you and and i i hope that he sincerely does i think he's bold enough to do that i think he's confident enough to do that let's see it but then it's on kyle i think they might be believing the quotes on their starbucks cups and they're just going to work hard and get out of this mike back i did say let's keep grinding oh my god it's because that's what it's not no imagine being in that dressing room and just

hearing that every day. Oh, you'd be done. I think they're done. Let's also not forget that Brendan Shanahan played for Mike Babcock. He knows who he is. So if...

Did he play for him? Yes, in Detroit. Did he not? I don't know. Didn't he play for him the last year of his year? I don't know. I think he did.

He played most of his Detroit time with Scotty Beaumont. Yeah, but his last season in Detroit. And then he went to the Rangers or something, right? Yeah, something like that. Yeah, okay.

Hey, guys. Well, and Brendan Shanahan knows what a winning team looks like. Is this it, Brendan? No. I don't think so. I think he knows.

0-5-0-6 last year in Detroit. When did Mike Babs join them? When did Babs join them? 0-6-0-7? I don't know. Let's look that up. I don't know, because Babs was with that 2003 Ducks team. He was there for two years and then went to Detroit.

So his career began with J.S. Jaguar pulling off one of the best 0-5-0-6. There you go. So they did play. Last year, like I said. Like I said. Sorry, I'm not. We've gotten things wrong before on this show.

I've never been wrong. Imagine I could be a bit cagey. Hoops. Hoops among us. All right, now. Brendan Shanahan has played for Mike Babcock. He knows who he is. So when Kyle Dubas comes to him at the end of last season and says,

hey, I want to fire Babs, Brendan Shanahan says to him, he's like, okay, I know Babs is frustrating. You guys lost again. Run it back for a little bit this offseason. You're going to go out. You're going to have this new roster with Barry and Muzzin. You're going to try it out for the season, and then we're going to see how it goes.

You did all this work. Let's take a quarter of the season to, like, see if we can waste it. What? We knew this was going to happen. No, we didn't know. We 100% knew. We didn't know that. We didn't know at all.

You said they were going to win the Stanley Cup. Yes, come on, Steve. How did you? Okay, you knew this was going to happen when you said they were going to win the Stanley Cup. Absolutely. Absolutely. Thank you. St. Louis, Pittsburgh, all of them.

As the guy who thought they were going to win the Stanley Cup, you could probably give the team a chance for 20 games. Is this enough? Now we're here. We got this road trip. It's probably going to happen sometime. If it doesn't happen now, it happens before January. Maybe fire the guy who undercuts you at every turn.

Just all this passive-aggressive bullshit in the media. I don't think Mike Babcock's stupid. So, like, I read his quotes, and I'm just like, like, he's so disrespectful of his boss. Like, I don't know how Dubas hasn't fired him already, just based on that alone. Forget the fact that he's not the right coach for this group. He undercuts him at every turn.

He's not in charge of this hockey team. He's in charge of the bench. That's it. He should have been fired the day of the Muzzin quote. in most fields if we're going to talk about most fields in most fields you can't punch a guy in the face well there's that

sports is different we're talking about board stuff versus quotes in the media but I think I know what you're saying it's a little bit apples to oranges but yes and you know what I think Mike played Mike tried to play the political game I'm not going to lie

I think Mike's been playing the political game with Leafs management Kind of like, yeah, I don't believe in this guy. And I'm going to undermine it. I do. And I think there's going to be articles about that when he inevitably gets fired. Because you've been getting the calls. I'm sure there are plenty of journalists with some stuff ready to go.

I hope Michael Russo leaves the Minnesota Wild and does a deep dive into what the hell happened between Dubas and Babcock. But it's happening. Now, guys, let's switch to something fun. Can we? Yeah, let's try. Let's switch to something fun. Let's talk about Christmas. let's talk about the holidays let's talk about giving adam a gift

let's give giving adam a gift a thoughtful gift you might say who's better than adam it's great see i deserve a gift for that you sure do right listen so here's the deal we we're working with a website called thoughtful uh and it's thoughtful t-h-o-u-g-h-t full how thoughtful how full of thought but full is two l's thoughtful.com and essentially the idea here is it's to make it easier for you to shop. It's never been more accessible to shop because of the online thing, right? You've seen, there's a million websites out there.

Oh, I just got a notification. No, not hockey related. I'm like, oh, Babs. No, you get, you could log on to any website and shop a bazillion items. Like there's a, there's a... Is that exact? Well, like if you log on to, and I can't,

I'm not even gonna name the website right now, But there is several, like, home websites where, like, Caprice and I would be, like, looking for throat cushions. And they have 180 pages of throat cushions. And you're like, how is anyone going to get started on this? This is ridiculous. What if there was an easier way that narrowed down the selection? And what if you could get the gift same day? That's what Thoughtful is all about.

And the idea with Thoughtful is it's like, like, think about Spotify, right? Or think about iHeartRadio, which, by the way, you can find us on both. If you've got iHeartRadio, they have channels dedicated to you based on the music you've listened to. If you have Spotify, you can subscribe to your friends' lists. And we were talking about one on the radio this morning, which is the worst songs to get down to. You know what I'm saying? And it is going viral because it is so bad. It's like the Law & Order theme song and everything is awesome.

Very funny, right? And so, with all that in mind, these are gifts that would be dedicated to not you, but the people you're buying for, and that would actually mean something. Things are good. What, like, honestly. Honestly. How many gifts have I gotten you that you actually remember? I remember that time you gave me back the mini sticks that I bought you.

Right? There's like one gift that I can even remember getting you, and that was the... You got me the Aretna sweater? Yeah, and the eff-a-duck stitching thing. Oh, yeah! You taught me that! See, this is the point. The idea with Thoughtful is that it's supposed to get you

gifts, so if you're shopping for your mother-in-law and you have no idea what to get her, you log on. Don't get her candles. And then it's like, make my gift a Thoughtful gift. So you click on the first page, and it's like, who's the gift for? Enter their name. What's your mother-in-law's name?

Louise. Okay, so you're searching for Louise. You go to friend, partner, sibling, mother, father, colleague, someone else. I'm going to say someone else continue. Boom. And it's for holiday season. Boom.

And how would you like Louise to feel? That's the important part of gift giving. Do you want her to feel appreciated, inspired, adventurous, surprised, or relaxed? Ooh, I think Scottish Lady Louise deserves to be relaxed. Relaxed. Okay. Yes. Her energy's up here.

She needs to chill. Okay. So, give me three to five interests based on these. Is she interested in self-care? Not really. Beauty? Not really. Creativity?

Ooh, yes. Click on that one. Home? Yes. Cooking? Yes. Is she a foodie? Not really.

I like her food. Okay. Yeah, it's not really. Foodies are like people I run. Yeah, no. Travel? She likes travel. What about coffee?

She does like a coffee. She does. Design? No. Wine? Yeah, okay. Well is Drambuie on there? And also OVD rum so what it's done and I'm looking at right now is there are here's here's 14 gifts exploring worldly places There is a coffee gifts for brewed for relaxation. Oh

Actual it's like a play coffee for relaxation Yeah So there is a there is a brew like a coffee table book how you can brew better coffee at home There is a kettle a copper kettle that you can get for French press She would like a kettle. There is a take the chill off gift box, which has coffee, biscotti and some other treats and that sort of thing. And you can give. That's really great for someone to work.

There's a white honey pot mug set, things like that. And what it does is it just it's like, oh, that's a great idea related to the thing that they like. And that's sort of the whole point with thoughtful is it's just supposed to just narrow it down for me. Make it easier for me, please. And there's all sorts of price range. You can spend $200. You can spend $30. It doesn't matter.

and this is going to just make things so much easier and the best part about it again is the same day delivery it's the same day so you forgot that morning you wake up you log on you pick what you want it's there and then you can go take that gift the next day boom you know every now and then I just take a break from yelling

and I realize how much I like listening to you explain things was that actually okay? it was I would have explained it no I like Adam you make me feel smart and like but we haven't decided what we're getting Louise yet Do you get it?

No, but I trust you. Okay, well, we've got a Columbia double wall French press. That's looking awfully good. It's a 12 cup. How much? 100 bucks. But it's one of those things that's going to last you a lifetime. Now, what's your budget?

Is 100 bucks too much? Let's say 100 bucks. I don't think she would go for a French press. What about... Okay. Okay, so you think 100 bucks is your... Sure, let's just say... Well, there's a pour over double wall coffee maker that's eight cups.

So you're pouring it over. So you grind it up for 60. And then you can get an insulated travel mug, copper colored, for $35. Boom. And it's there the same day. Taking care of it. You know what? That's getting closer.

Right? You're getting warmer. This is what I'm saying. Like a coffee. Exactly. In the morning. And that's just one of the curated gifts that came up. Like, obviously, there's a wine list and there's other relaxation gifts out there.

And tons that you can just kind of browse the website. But thoughtful.co. Check them out. It's going to make your gift giving a heck of a lot easier. And the people you give gifts to are going to feel great about it. And relaxed. whole life and relax or be adventurous whatever you choose for them now I ask you about this and I want to pose a question in a real question you're at

I'm just gonna assume this is a bar okay okay out of bar mm-hmm and you get upset with somebody at the bar for whatever reason or they're upset with you okay you end up in the back alley okay and you guys are upset with each other so This has never happened before. It never happened to me either. No. I'd be like, yeah, no, you go back in the alley, I'll just buy a beer. But let's say you're dumb enough to go to the back alley too.

Yeah. You have two choices. This is a pick your own adventure. Oh, like Goosebumps. Yes. Okay. Or the books choose your own adventure. Fair enough.

So, you can. I'm not a smart man, but I know what love is. If we're playing PlayStation here, you got two choices. Click X on your PlayStation controller. Good doubt. And you get punched in the face. Click O, and you get spat on. What are you choosing?

Spit. This is a really interesting one. There is, okay, so I've thought a lot about this. No, answer the alleyway question first. Punch. I'm team spit. I'm team... Why are you team take a punch?

And then I'm asking you, Jesse. There's something cultural, I think, about it. And I, and I, I've been thinking about it. I think it goes back like decades and decades, maybe a hundred years. I think you, I don't know. Punching is just, that's just how you fight, right? It's how humans have decided they fight. They ball up their fist and they punch.

I feel like spitting, there's something extra disrespectful about it. And I want to say the, the, I don't know, can there be a stigma around spitting? Sure. I don't even know. Let's say stigma. It has to do with disease. I don't want to catch the... I don't want to be spat on by a friend, let alone a stranger.

Some random... I don't know what he's got. So here's the other option. You get punched in the face. You end up with a concussion. Brain image. Yeah, that's true. I don't know.

I've been punched in the face. So the worst thing... My answer was spit because of the recovery time. Yeah! Yeah! I can grab a Kleenex, but I can't grab a Kleenex to clean my CTE. No, bingo. Because here's the thing.

In hockey... If it's Guard at Hathaway or Eric at Branson I got to take the punch from, I'd pick spit. Yeah. In hockey, we accept punches, which are objectively far more dangerous and cause far more short and long-term damage than spit would. Now, there are some diseases that could get passed. We don't need to get into that. Of course.

Like everybody, somebody's going to be like, but actually, did you know the spit? Save it. Save it. I don't care. You know I'm right. Stop it. Stop. Stop.

Don't you make me come over there. But here's the thing. You wait until your father Adam gets home. You nailed it. I know. Spitting in society, we view as one of the most disrespectful things you can do to a person. And assuming there's no disease, it is relatively harmless.

Or if you're at a punk rock show and punk fans used to at least spit on their favorite bands. That was like a thing that they did. What? Because it was so gross. That was the whole point of punk. it was you know they used to

punk bands from the early 80s always talk about how they used to go to clubs and get spat on and hated it but that was a cool thing to do in punk

are people fucked yes people are fucked yeah are people fucked yes the answer is yes yeah but like

I know people are fucked I'm always surprised when people are fucked en masse oh yeah well en masse en masse

en masse like you show up and you're like ah I'm gonna spit on my favorite bit if you spit on someone in real life

police are gonna at best If they ever even show up Are going to be like Hey Knock it off Hey idiot Hey you

Stop it If you do it again I might have to come back here If you punch them You're going to jail That's assault That's assault That is assault

Well and they're both assault Yeah spitting is assault But punching is far more assaulty Right Yeah it's not a pepper But it's assault We're talking On the levels of assault

Punch goes higher than spit I would think Because it's You know assault's a many layered thing Yes The one thing that shocks me, shocks me about this Garnett Hathaway thing, and by the way, he did get three games, we do know that, is that Eric Goodbranson is not in front of NHL players' safety.

He's getting nothing. All you're seeing, like, all you're seeing in the replays is the actual spit itself. Yeah. But what you don't see is the ref grabbing Goodbranson, grabbing Hathaway, splitting them up, and Goodbranson absolutely clocks him while he's undefended. They have got to stop that shit. But they have really got to stop that shit. Well, what is the ref even in there for?

Let them go. Let them fight so at least they can defend themselves. If there aren't two of you, get out. That's a really good point. If there aren't two of you, get out. You, all 185 pounds of you, you're going to separate Garnet Hathaway and Erica Branson? Get out of here. Oh, one of them doesn't have a helmet.

Get out of here. If it's mutual combat If it's two guys I don't give a shit If one of them doesn't have their helmet You okay You prevented him from smacking his helmetless head on the ice And instead he got two Erica Branson punches to the face

If the rule is You can fight in hockey You gotta let them fight Allow them to fight It's ridiculous It's more dangerous not to His arms were down There's no defending that

If you can each grab a dance partner, great. Great. If there's one of you, get the fuck out of their way. And this is the problem that I have. I mean, there's a few issues with Garnett Hathaway getting free games here. Now, am I defending what Garnett Hathaway did? No. Absolutely not.

What a scumbag for doing that. It's disgusting, and that's stupid, and it's terrible. But this is a league that allowed Brad Marchand to lick a Toronto Maple Leaf player, Leo Komarov, and then handled it, quote, internally. And Ryan Callahan. And Ryan Callahan, too. I don't think he ever got anything. It's the same damn thing.

What is the difference? And that's... This is the problem. The amount of spit. What was the... It's the visual. It's just the... It's honestly how it looks on replay.

And it was Brad Marchand in the playoffs, and he gives away a lot of signed sticks. It's a joke that Hathaway got more than one game. A joke. What is he suspended for? Like, what's the wording? That's a good question. I will look that up on Twitter. I actually retweeted it.

Hang on, hang on. Being gross. Stop it, it's gross. Okay, let me... Because do they differentiate spitting and licking and the wording? Okay, go ahead. Washington Capitals forward Garnett Hathaway has been suspended for three games without pay for the spitting incident involving Anaheim defenseman Erica Branson

during game number 316 in Washington on Monday, November 18th. The NHL announced today the incident occurred at 1926, the second period. Hathaway was assessed a match penalty under the terms of the CBA, and based on his average annual salary, he'll forfeit $24,000. dollars of money goes to the players emergency assistance fund that's it that is a lot of money that is one magical loogie well but but let's take a step back from the yellow tape here objectively what garnett hathaway did was gross but in a you'll never hear me defend it in a no never but in a real world sense what eric branson did was way worse a thousand a thousand times

worse and and it's not that they fought it's that he punched garnett hathaway while garnett hathaway had no defense and wasn't expecting it that's the kind of shit that i do not understand about this league why why is it the nhl lives in this bubble where the real world just doesn't apply listen it's a wild it's enough it's enough that we accept that fighting is a part of it and it's been a part of the culture of the nhl for a long long time fine i like the fact that There's less fighting now because, honestly, the NHL can't afford the lawsuits it has coming to it. But beyond that, in any real-world sense, what Eric Gabransa did, he'd be in jail. Yes.

And overnight. He'd be in jail overnight. They'd release him the next day. They'd have a charge. It would drop. Whatever. That's what happens. I'm 100% on board with everything you're saying.

There's no disagreement. But I'm trying to think about, like, at the Easter Seals tournament, so that guy, like, gave you a couple shoves, right? Let's say that escalates and he punches you. I go, what the fuck? And I jump in there and I try to separate you two or whatever. I maybe even clock the guy myself. If he just spat on you? I'd be like, what the hell is that?

We would all be far more flabbergasted if he spat on you. It'd probably be a brawl. If a man spits on another man at a charity tournament, there's probably a brawl going on. He also probably needs help. Yeah. Yeah. If he's spitting on me in a charity tournament, there's more at play there.

Yeah. But, like, for me... I almost pity him at that point. Oh, totally. By the way, that was not that guy. No, no, no. Of course not. But it's easy for us to say that, and we're right.

Punches to the head are far worse than spitting. But I would react way more... Way worse to the spit. I don't know if you would if you thought that the fight was over. And again? Because the fight was over. None of this happens. Garnet Hathaway chose to spit on Erica Branson.

It's his fault. Sure. None of this happens if there's two refs in there and they each have a dance partner. Right. I think the reason that it's so atrocious, and again, go back and watch the full replay. We're showing it right now. It's like 90 seconds in. Yeah, you can see it on the screen if you're watching.

The reason it's so bad is because Goodbranson punches him without, like, he went at him after the fight's over. If you want to fight later in the game, fight later in the game. But doing what he did there is bullshit. It's a bullshit move by a marginal player. Marginal player. And guess what's going to happen the next time Washington and Anaheim play? Just watch. And again, it's an incident involving Eric Goodbranson, team not in the same conference.

Like, doesn't this sound familiar to the Matt Martin leaf shenanigans and everything? But again, it's all, if it was just the punches, I think it's done and over with. But now because of the spit, Gabranson's hands are tied a lot like Hathaway's were in this instance. But Gabranson has to try to beat the brakes off him next time they play. Doesn't he? They can't not fight. I think Gabranson's in big trouble the next time they play. Yeah?

Yeah, I think it won't be just Garnett and Hathaway. I think it'll be the whole team. So Tom Wilson's look on the bench I don't think he saw the spit I don't think he could see from that far I think what he was pissed off about And this happens with heavyweights What do you do in fighting him

If you want to go I'm your dance partner So he's gonna Don't you want If you're Hathaway don't you want to fight that battle It's a mess When you add in the code Whatever the frig that is

You bring in laws Which do not apply It's wild man It's wild But I'm still saying My number one thing in all this If there aren't two refs, stay away Can everyone be wrong in this situation?

Can we just say that? Yeah, but there isn't more wrong here There are levels of wrong And the level of wrong to me is Goodbranson Socking the guy in the face with no defense That's just gutless bullshit He didn't get him clean Oh, he got pretty clean.

It wasn't a rabbit punch. Oh, he friggin' smacked him. No, he smacked him hard. It's a good punch. From the other angle, you see he doesn't cut him. The reaction of the head, though, is where... Yeah, but it was more of like a kind of a shove. He doesn't get him clean on the other angle.

Okay. His angles were a big part. When you're watching from the back, it looks really intense, but from the front, it's a little... Now, if Jim Rutherford had just done what he should have done, which is kept Johnson and Cabranza together, this never would have happened. Jim Rutherford deserves to be suspended.

Just a quick heads up, by the way. Alex Kerfoot is back in his regular spot in practice, according to Kristen Schulten, with Jason Spezza moving to the wing. I saw that. Engvall is the placeholder for Tavares. I thought Kerfoot was going to be out a while. It's supposed to be like four weeks. I think he might just be a practice.

Because it's his face, right? Placeholder. Yeah, it is his face. So if he wears a full cage. And he played two or three games with his injury. He got injured against the Kings. Here's how long ago Kerfoot got injured. He got injured during a Leafs winning streak.

Yeah. Hey, welcome to the Upside Down where the Leafs are terrible and the Oilers are on fire and beating the Sharks. Oh, and don't worry. No one in my mentions has mentioned it. Oh, man. The Oilers are 6-2-2 in their last 10 games. Fucking unbelievable.

Unbelievable. McDavid is God. Yeah. And when it comes to hockey? And it's funny. As late as last season, people were saying, oh, no, but Crosby's still the best player on earth. No.

No. No, he's not. No. Listen, he's unreal. He's absolutely unreal. He's Sidney friggin' Crosby. Connor McDavid scored six points in his sleep. And took off the third period.

He played four minutes and like 30 seconds in that third period. Which is good. They probably need to do that for him. Same with Dreisaitl. Dreisaitl played under five as well in that third period. Which, that's brilliant coaching. Vacation. Imagine that.

They're employing, he scored so many points, they're employing like basketball deployment strategies with hockey players. That's what, yeah, Michael Jordan, you got enough points, come off the court. You're doing that with Conor McDavid in the middle of a... They're unbelievable right now, those two. Yeah, no, the, and again, oh, McDavid might not even be the best player on his team. Shut up. Yeah, that's... Dry Seidel can be amazing.

It's like the Crosby-Malkin thing. Like, listen, listen, we're not diminishing Malkin, but he's not Crosby. We're not diminishing Dry Seidel. He's not McDavid. McDavid's the best player in the league. He's not McDavid. But he's phenomenal, and he's a winner. He's won Cups.

McDavid hasn't. Also, Mikko Koskinen. Shout out Mikko Koskinen for turning around his career. 9-23 in 12 games right now. Guys, Peter Shirelli's a fucking genius. He's going the Curtis McElhinney route. He's waiting until his mid-30s to play his best hockey of his career. Guess they saw something.

On the other side of that, the Canucks are having a very bad November. They started the season 9-3-2. They are now in the last wildcard spot after going 2-5-3. They were blown up by Dallas last night. But I've got to ask this question. Is this a good young team having a bad month? I think so. Because that's all it is to me.

However, scary stat, they have given up the first goal in 15 of 22 games. More acceptable. That's not 18. Yeah, not 18. More acceptable from a team at their developmental stage than the Leafs. But you still look at it and go, I still think this is a good team. Again, there was legitimate criticism of some of the decisions they've made, the contracts they signed. But I still say at the end of the day, you look at their team on paper, this should be a playoff team.

Sure. My issue was never with Pedersen or Horvat or any of the other good players they have. It's the dumb contracts they've signed. Jay Beagle's making like $3.5 million for something? It's like way too much. And like, I don't have a problem with having Jay Beagle on your team. Or Michael Furland on your team. And JT Miller on your team.

And, you know, they have a number of guys where I'm like, yeah, sure. But the length, the amount of money in the term on those contracts is tough. And the fact that at this stage they still haven't made the playoffs yet and they're already trading their first-round pick for a JT Miller. Right. Right. And you've got to re-sign Pedersen at some point. Yeah.

You're going to have to re-sign Hughes at some point. And I know Hughes is so far down the line, but because of the length of the contracts that they acquired and signed, you do have to take that in mind. Yep. Right? You have to keep that in mind. Jakob Markstrom.

That guy's going to ask for a lot of money too. They've got $229,000 in cap space right now. Now. Right now. Now, Levo and Schaller are both off the team after this year of the UFAs. And Chris Tanev's deal comes off. So they've got about $5 million extra bucks. But when you've got Patterson coming up in a couple years, they might be okay.

Like Tanner Pearson will be gone. Sven Berchies, the contract, will be gone. But you've still got Louis Erickson on that. There's a lot of deals on this team that you're like, you didn't need to sign that. However, good for them. And I do think this team makes the playoffs. They have to. I think they do too.

But they are speed wobbling right now. They'll recover. Which is A-OK. We found out today that Bobby Ryan is heading into the NHL-NHLPA player assistance program. Now, according to... Yeah, I wasn't able to read that. According to the NHLPA website, that's all we know. It was formed jointly in 1996 and is funded by the league and the players union to assist

players and their families in the treatment of health problems, including substance abuse. Including substance abuse. So we don't know. We don't know. But usually what happens, if it is substance abuse, is the first time you don't hear anything. Right. They just go. And I think this would be the first time.

You're not going to find out. When it gets to the second and third time, you start to find out whether it's substance abuse or not. I hope for Bobby Ryan, whatever's going on, that he's able to get through it. Jesse, you did have an article you found from TSN. Yeah, because he left practice early on Monday, and the report was that he was feeling ill. And then this report comes out today, Wednesday. so yeah what happened between monday feeling ill and wednesday maybe it was just a breaking point for him whatever program yeah and he back in it was three weeks ago sports and i did an article

about how he was a little down because he was a healthy scratch for the first time in his career and he had he was dealing with that as just a teammate and he was around the all around a bunch of guys and everyone's obviously only nice thing to say about bobby ryan but it i think it hit him hard this year i don't know personally obviously but i don't know from the reports seems like it's been a hard year for bobby ryan i think it would be it'd be hard on anyone you're making the most money on the team and you can't crack the lineup on one of the objectively the nhl's worst teams right that's tough and it's it's tough when for bobby like if you if you deep dive into bobby's story like he was once his dad was a fugitive and they were like hiding yeah he's in like

witness protection or something yeah like it was crazy stuff that happened in his life and i won't get too into it but you should read that story um to have come through that and made it this to have made it as far as incredible absolutely amazing second overall pick yeah and um and to have played as long as he's played as incredible second overall pick or not any player that has played this long to make the money he's made and will continue to make is incredible what what is a shame is the thing that gave you focus your entire life you imagine right you're a hockey player you've gone through some serious turmoil turmoil as a child and the one thing that's given you purpose and i i think i'm convinced and i've been convinced of this now more than ever

the the key to life is purpose having one yes and the hardest thing that any athlete will tell you is when that purpose changes or goes away for some people it changes they get into coaching scouting gming whatever they're still in hockey for other players they're just not and either they didn't prepare or they don't want to or they're done but what's the purpose now and you know you could say well it's got to be his family it's got to be this got to be yeah that's that's true but family is that's that's not a that's a default isn't it yeah yeah yeah i think i i don't take anything away from somebody who would say well that's my but it's not your entire purpose in a lot of cases for a lot of people it's different for everyone right a lot of people

you've got career and family you can both those can be both purposes in your life and i wonder if he's starting to feel like um you know i've lost sort of my purpose and how and and that could come up in a million different ways as we've seen with depression anxiety whatever substance be whatever it is it could be none of those things but i hope that wherever he's at and whatever he's doing, he's able to at least refocus that purpose in his life and hopefully get back to playing at a level where at least he's in the lineup. That's where I hope. He's not going to be the big goal scorer that he was, I don't think, anymore.

Oh, he scored like 40 goals. Yeah, and he also had a ton of hand injuries. You keep bringing that up. He had a lot of broken wrists and fingers. Just the worst luck. He was always injured and it was always the same damn injury. Right. but we wish our best for Bobby

Ryan and anybody else who might be going through this I always imagine it hits professional athletes so much harder because they spend their entire childhood, their entire teenage years, their entire college years being the best out of anybody in their town in their city by just like

it's not even fair and then they reach this other level and then sometimes they're still the best but most of the time they're just another guy and they reach their like now early twenties and they've never experienced not being the best. And then all of a sudden they're not the best. And then even when they reach their end of the career, it's like, well, I'm not even

not the best. I'm just out of this. Yeah. And that just must be so difficult just mentally. And, and like, I know it's easy to look at it and go, well, he's made his money and he makes a lot of money. I wonder, you know, I'm sure, I'm sure you'd rather have the money than not, but I wonder if making a ton of money

and then getting knocked out of the lineup makes it worse? Well, I think Luongo said he would have torn up his deal. Yeah. He just wanted to play and not be a burden on his team. But that was that one time. And also they had a bad coach that year, or an ill-fitting coach, Tortorella. He was still with

Vancouver when he said that. Yeah, they couldn't trade him because of the deal. My contract sucks. Yeah, my contract sucks. And I don't think he hated that contract when he was in Florida. I think he just hated it when he was in vancouver and so maybe bobby ryan move tough to move bobby ryan's deal but maybe if this whatever this is gives him the opportunity to look at it and not and not have the contract be the focus right just playing hockey just not be the focus yeah and you know what i think it's time for the

sense pr department if one exists because i know there's like three people who work for that organization um it's time for them to step up and say okay enough with the questions about the contract and it's not not because it's not a relevant question but it's been asked it's been asked a lot it's been the focus of a lot of things how many more answers out of bobby ryan do you think you're gonna get he was already asked directly about it and at a certain point a player's health will take precedence you've asked the question the question's been asked he gave you an answer he thought the question it was funny when he answered he was really good about it he was like well i still think it's a pretty good contract but you've asked it move on yeah he'll

Well, I don't think he'll be asked about it again. Yeah. After this? No. Also, Spartacat runs their media relations. True. Come on, Spartacat, be better. Yes. Be better. You know, like, I mean, listen, I know it interferes with journalism, blah, blah, blah, blah, but

remember that this is sports. Like, it's different if this is politics or if it's, you know, news or whatever. This is sports. You got your quote on Bobby Ryan, you can keep using that quote. You don't need anything else. You don't need to ask him about that anymore. If you need to file a story, you've got enough information here.

Yeah, exactly. You don't need to go dig it. And who looks at Bobby Ryan, who's a hockey fan now, and goes, well, Bobby Ryan and that contract. Like, that's sort of hanging in the winds there, right? Anyway, that's just my thought. Sabres are the first team that have finally come out and said, we are actively looking to trade.

Yeah, because they've got too many guys. Yeah, well, they've had a lot of injuries. Ocpozo just got his third concussion in four years. What a shame. That's another one. You're like, just bad luck, right? because he had a concussion and then he had an illness well didn't he yeah he had a terrible illness wasn't he in like hospital or something trying to remember i want to say it was neurological

i don't remember crazy maybe it was concussion related i don't know i don't know either um and tj brody had that terrifying thing happen on this past week too you you just never know right right you never know uh his uh his wife had this like chilling tweet where it was it was a picture of him and i want to say his daughter and his dog uh and she took the picture and i think it was like the morning of the incident and she's like he's he's a pro athlete he's healthy he's 29 years old you just never know right uh sorry where did this start my brain well we're talking about being out for the third concussion in four years and the sabers who started well are now 10 8 3 on the season which isn't bad and eichel's shooting the lights out he had a four goal game four goal

game the problem is getting anyone else to score they need help they need a top six forward and in 31 thoughts um freeman's mentioning how they're sitting nhl caliber caliber defenseman right now just they're healthy scratching colin miller and marco scandela man wouldn't it be great if the leafs could make a move right we got a lot of depth depth forwards colin miller really look really good all right so you can't have guys like that just sitting on the sitting up in the press box. It doesn't make sense. And they have Zach Bogosian coming back, which adds cap chaos to the equation, as Friedman

wrote. So there you go. That's a tough go, and I really thought they were going to take a jump this season. I feel like all the teams who I said were going to stay bad are good now, and all the teams I said were going to get good are bad. Yeah. The Sabres, the Devils, both still bad. Oilers are amazing.

How's your Stanley Cup prediction doing? I said Now in my official Okay so in the summer On July 1st I said Florida That's actually not looking too bad At the moment They need goaltending though for crying out loud

Then right before the season For Sportsnet I said my Stanley Cup final prediction Was the Colorado Avalanche Not bad And when they're healthy I mean right now it's tough Colorado Avalanche versus the Carolina

Hurricanes. Those are two really good picks. Two top 10 teams right now. Now, I don't remember who I said was going to win. I don't remember. Carolina? I think I said Carolina. Oh yeah, because Drew was mad at me. Producer Drew was mad. So, because he's an avalanche. I said Carolina was going to win the Cup.

And then you said... The Leafs. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. Ah! They're bad. They're a bad hockey team. But, I was right in the video. Remember though, I also said I thought the Leafs were going to win, not because they were the best.

I said they were going to win because the best team never wins. I genuinely thought Colorado was the best team in the West, and I genuinely thought Carolina was the best team in the East. Just saying. Holy shit, the Islanders are on a heater. They are. 14-0-1. And the Bruins are really good, too.

14-0-1. They were losing 4-2 to the Penguins with, like, five minutes to go last night. They win in overtime. Barry Trotz, it's amazing what a good coach can do It is Also in 31 Thoughts today, and it was item number one The Jets suspended Dustin Bufflin September 21st

And we've talked about this situation for a while Normally, grievances must be filed within 60 days And that would put today, Wednesday, November 20th The time of this recording Be the 60th day However, one source indicated the clock might not have started Ticking at that specific date um elliot friedman doesn't know why whatever the case is the decision on whether or not to contest

bufflin's suspension is coming soon like i if you if you cover sports or you want to cover sports you got to be good at storytelling for sure you got to understand humans and the human element it's becoming more and more you need like a law degree to actually understand this well it's because it's because we've made things harder than they need to be yeah i mean there i mean And we've got a lawyer at the head of the NHLPA and the head of the NHL. Gary Bettman's a lawyer. But isn't that their job? To complicate things?

Yes. That's what they do. True genius. No offense to any lawyers. True genius, though. A lot of people think genius is making things complicated. True genius is taking things that are complicating and making simple. Yes.

And that's why I don't believe we've got geniuses at the head of either the PA or the NHL. No. I think we've got very average, normal guys. Yes. With suits. With suits. For sure. and a lot of degrees

and I respect that it's just that I don't believe I don't believe they know what's good for the game all the time I think that they were absolutely right in the changes that they made about play but when it comes to things like Bufflin just tell people

what's going on what do you mean this day because apparently September 21st was a weekend so they're not really sure if it starts that day if that's a business day Like, it's just crazy stuff. But we should find out soon.

Yes. I want to throw something at you two. The Calgary is Toronto West. Toronto is Calgary East in terms of their team performance. Terrifying. Terrifying. Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monaghan both had over 30 goals last year. They're both on track for like 18 or less this year.

Now, it has come up that Gaudreau could get traded. According to Elliot Friedman, he's historically a 12-5 shooter percent. He's at 7-8 this year. So that... Okay. You see a regress to the mean eventually. He's going to improve. He's going to score.

But... Or he couldn't. Yeah, but there are teams that, like, there are teams, like the Colorado Avalanche from like five years ago, who were insanely good for no reason. Yep. And they go the entire season now. They lost in the first round, but PDO benders can last an entire season. That does happen.

Islanders. Oh, it's going to end. Nope. No, it won't. Nope. It's continued into this year. They're good. Yep.

Nope. They're good. And I wouldn't have believed it either, but the Islanders are good. Johnny Goudreau and traded. Doesn't seem right, does it? No. That's the Calgary Flames' best player. Some might say Giordano, but...

Let me ask you this. Calgary didn't make the playoffs two years ago, made it last year, won the division. Calgary, to me, they strike me as similar to Toronto because they are a deeply flawed team with extreme talent. Sure. When they have extreme talent working, and obviously Brody aside because of what happened, when you've got Giordano who won the Norris last year, you've got a pretty good defense core there, Hamannik's still there, and you've got goaltending's a little suspect. You've got some young pieces.

Yep. And Tuchuk. Tuchuk. Yeah. Tuchuk. Matthew. Matthew. It's hard for me to think that Calgary's going to stay this way.

you know i really yeah okay so they started slow um and it's funny because i look at them and i i see a lot of similarities to toronto in the sense that that deeply flawed teams and when their stars don't show up they don't win but let me ask you this what team wins when their stars don't show up like like really if gaudreau and monaghan aren't scoring calgary isn't winning right but the precedence is the precedence is that they're just having a slow start if LeBron has a slow start and Anthony Davis has a slow start the Lakers don't win anything

if Kawhi and Kyle Lowry last year with the Raptors if Kyle Lowry and Pascal Siakam are not playing well for the Raptors and they're playing but they're not playing well they don't win that was the beauty of the Raptors there were plenty of nights where Kawhi got shut down but because he was being shut down

Spicy P is like oh boy and he just gets in there and throws in 30 points I just think it's interesting. I mean, like, Matthews is leading the team in scoring. Matthews is still a good player. Riley, I think he's leading the team in assists. Some of these guys are showing up.

But are they showing up in the right way? And that's what I wanted to ask you. In Calgary, it's a rough translation. It's a bit of an unfair comparison because it's a different setup for the team. It's not without merit. Or are both coaches wrong for the teams that they're coaching? And I'm going to ask you this again. and I've asked this three times, is Bill Peters actually a good coach?

I would like you to present me with any evidence that shows that Bill Peters is a good head coach. Dude, Jared Bednar had tire fire in Carolina. Jared Bednar stole his lunch money last year in the first round. Show me the proof. I don't get it. But, I mean, if you're a Calgary fan and you look at Toronto and you look at the team that they have and you go, I guess the coach then. I wonder if two enormously disappointing Canadian teams look at each other

and they go, hey, we almost made a trade in the summer. Want to figure something out? Want to give it a shot? The Tyson-Barry saga to me is just so mind-blowing to me that we're even discussing trading him. Barry for a good draw. Barry for Hamannik, maybe. Done!

Yeah, I don't know. I really don't know. It's an interesting one. Really, really interesting. And then we'll find out what Mike thinks about the trade. I don't know that Mike's going to be here the next time they make a trade. Honestly, if you're Kyle Dubas, and we're going back to the Leafs, well, whatever. If you're Kyle Dubas, you're not making a trade for Mike Babcock at this point.

You're letting this team just, this is your team. Yeah, you can't trade Barry at the absolute sewer of his value. Oh, my client doesn't like it here because it's a contract. Fucking shut up. Shut up. And I think on paper, and even I would include some of the Detroit teams he had later in the post-Lindstrom years, this is objectively the most talent he's ever had on one roster. And, you know, Detroit fans, you can say Jackson, Zetterberg, but what else, right? I think those last couple years in Detroit, especially that last year where they kind of squeaked in to the playoffs,

that was not a great team. And we got to see Lindstrom play the other day at the Leo Vegas thing. Oh, yeah, that was a lot of fun. He's so silky still. He's unbelievably good. He's a guy that Mike Babcock would play 30 minutes a night. I was looking at him like... He probably could.

Is he in shape? Because if he is, he could probably still play. That's a guy who chose retirement. Yes. Retirement did not choose Nicholas Lindstrom. He could have played until he was at least 45. By the way, Jerome McGinley, next year, will the Hockey Hall of Fame choose him? He's got to get in right away, first ballot right now.

I don't know, maybe. Yes. Maybe if they choose him. 600 goals. 600 goals is the magic number. He's getting in. He doesn't get to go in. They'll choose it for him.

He will have Hall of Fame thrust upon him. And Brad Marchand will win the Hall of Fame trophy game again. And we'll lift the trophy on Leafs ice again. Aguilera matches all the criteria. Scored 600 goals. He's got the gold medals. And he's a good man. No cup.

Real shame that he didn't get a cup. No cup. Matt Sundin's in there. No cup. Gold medal. Gold medal. Shitload of goals. I don't know if he hit 600.

Max? Did he end up hitting? Don't know. I know he hit 500. You're asking me about numbers, man. Against the Calgary Flames. Matt's indeed for Miki Kiprasov. Do you do it?

Let's go. You know, considering where the Leafs' goaltending situation was at the time, I might have considered it. Especially when Miki Kiprasov was posting like two goals against average. Miki Kiprasov at his absolute best. Outrageous. Oh my god. Go jump back in.

Boy, did he make Dion Phaneuf look like a good defenseman. There were some, it's, oh my God, it was, it's, it's fun to go back in time and look at who was the best for like a little stretch of time. Right? Like that, that to me is what's so amazing about Henrik Lundqvist is he was always in the top three, but it was so rare for him to get into that number one slot. Oh yeah. Oh yeah.

I feel like Kiprasov was sort of that for a number of years, but he was the best for a period of time. It was crazy. Like if you ever played Wayne Gretzky's 3D hockey for NHL or for Nintendo 64, the goalie, if it made like four saves in a row, would turn into a brick wall. But inevitably the next shot would go in. And like Martin Brodeur had the longevity and the crazy resume. But during that time. For six or seven years, Dominic Hasek was the best goalie in hockey.

Yes. While Curtis Joseph, Martin Brodeur, and Patrick Waugh all still played. You could not beat the Dominator. No. No. Kip Russoff was another guy too, man. You can tell I'm tired and running out of use when I'm digging that deep. Hi.

I'm going to the washroom while you talk about this. You go to the washroom. I'm going to ask you something quickly on the Leafs for a second because I just saw a picture of Jeremy Bracco come up. You know I love you, right? I love you too, man. What was that for? It got heated earlier.

Oh, I don't care. Come on, man. I just get passionate about my buds. It wasn't personal. I watch my goal all the time, But it's not for my goal Because it's a shitty shot And I'm embarrassed

Just your little hoppity hop It was very exciting It's so cute I got to be there for it I was happy I got to be there for it There's a pal Well because

Here's the thing Is Jesse and I Were talking about this We're like We would be so mad If you Because we missed The first game

Of the Easter Seals tournament For anybody that doesn't know If we We missed it And you'd score it We would have been really upset Well and Originally

We were supposed to play At 10 and 11 And I got it changed I'm glad you did Glad you did I want to ask you about Sheldon Keefe, though, for just a second. Sheldon Keefe, if he is the new Leafs head coach, like let's say, you know, whatever, the three-game streak is up

and Babcock still stinks and next Wednesday they've got a new coach. Do you think guys like Jeremy Bracco come up and play a little bit? Like, and I ask about Jeremy Bracco specifically because he seems like the thing they need on the second power play unit the most. which is a setup guy. And Scott Wheeler said this, and he took a lot of shit for it, but I don't think he's wrong. Jeremy Bracco is probably the best passer in the organization.

He may not be the best player, but he might be the best passer, just on that one skill. I would say after Marner. After Marner, sure. If you've got a PP2 with Jason Spezza sometimes in the setup role, doesn't it make a lot more sense to have a guy who's a phenomenal passer be in that role? It does, because you've already got guys who you understand are flawed, but have a very specific purpose.

Yes. Freddie the Goat and Nick Shore being primary among them, I think. But they have a very specific purpose. They go out there, they win face-offs, they kill penalties. Freddie the Goat sometimes. Why can't you have a power play version of that? Jeremy Bracco is not ready for the NHL, I don't think, in a perfect world. at five and five he is not a good enough 200 foot player however okay scores a shitload on

the power play and as we've discovered this year special teams count i think if sheldon keith comes on board uh all bets are off how much yeah how much does does bracco need to play five on five if he's on the fourth line exactly you you shelter him and that's your job as the coach are you a good coach well protect your players um that's a bracco engvall another thing i bet we see is engvall at center yeah i'd like to see that he didn't look good against vegas well in parts and he drew a call i'd say in an nhl debut doing anything positive is probably good yep especially with this leafs team especially with this leafs team mid-season road trip all that nonsense and he showed up late i'm pretty sure but sheldon keeps been using pure engvall

at center and he's scoring you know what was it five goals in three games at center like i i think we see guys used a little differently why have a system where you're supposed to be inserted into your position when you're called up and not use them in that position when they're called up like yeah like peering ball has been has been uh it's amazing that a seventh rounder even made the nhl for a game that's great yes if he's been such a good center at the american hockey league level why is he not playing center when he's brought up you brought him up to be a third you you have raised this man to be a third fourth line center yes well and that's a relatively recent development like he started as a winger and all that i'm trying to

remember what the there was this ridiculously tall line that they had during the calder cup run it was him and greening it might have been goat in the middle i'm trying to remember anyway but um he's already thrown off because he's gone up a level right it's the nhl it's not the same and you're going up against vegas that's not that's not just jumping up a level even when they're bad they're fast and then you're putting them in a position that he hasn't really played in a few months this is what i don't get yeah i don't this is where i'm like yeah he's objectively the wrong guy like i don't i don't think it's smart but if you put sheldon keith in there who knows who knows maybe he's able to use guys a little differently that that is another thing that gives me pause

I look at the Leafs organization, we talk about all these trades they can make. I think the answer is within the organization. I don't think they need to make a trade. Kenny Agostino? I think you've got to let the players be the players. Kenny Agostino's good. Garrett Wilson we didn't even get to see in the preseason because he was hurt and he spent most of last year in the NHL. Korshkov looks like a

monster. He scored a ridiculous goal the other day. But you've got to let him develop. You can't bring him up yet. And also, isn't there a waiver thing with him? No. I don't think so. I think he's on entry level. Well, they suck anyway. Why not try him out? Give him a couple games.

This is what I'm saying. And, like, I know you're trying to develop him, but for him, I think it's more just getting used to North American ice, which he seems used to. He's already played professional hockey and against men for several years. Damn the development. Throw him in there. Throw him in there. Let him. You're allowed to develop guys in the NHL.

I think there's plenty of answers within the organization. Keefe probably helps with that. I think he helps with the synergy. Matt, yeah. And that's the thing, is he knows the Marlies so well. This is Keith, Jesse, and I wonder if he allows Tyson Berry to be Tyson Berry, all of a sudden Tyson Berry becomes Tyson Berry. And I know that sounds really simple,

but Tyson Berry is not playing anything like what he's ever played before. No. If Jake Muzzin is allowed to be Jake Muzzin and has a solid defense partner, I think he'll be okay. If Cody CeCe's limited to 10 to 12 minutes a game, I think Cody CeCe looks pretty good. I don't know I don't understand

this isn't that hard like Barry Riley is a slam dunk who cares how they are on defense who cares they'll always have the puck this Leafs team

has no identity anymore right and people are now making the claim today that it's by the way it's Nazem Khadri well they don't

have Nazem Khadri and Nazem Khadri brought a lot but come on you can't tell me that Nazem Khadri was the identity of this team

no and he had like a pretty off year by his standards yeah your third line center isn't the identity of your team. No.

That's what he was last season. And even though he's a great third-line center, probably the best third-line center in the league. Yeah, and now he's second-line because he ought to be. Yeah, but that's what he was last year and he wasn't the identity of the team. That's ridiculous.

Yeah. Yep. I agree. Their identity was they score a shitload of goals and they might win some games, 7-6 and 6-5 and 5-4. But they scored them. But they scored.

And their defense is Freddie. They don't even have that. And their defense is Freddie. Yeah, but now they don't even have that. Yeah. Right? I don't know how we could do this, but I would love to know, at this point last year versus this point this year, how many four-goal games and five-goal games the Leafs had this year versus last.

Hey, give me five minutes to count. No, don't do that. It's a damn game, isn't it? Huh? No, no, as in the Leafs score four or five goals. Oh. But, like, again, whatever number you come up with, it's less. Like, the Chicago game, to me, does not count.

Yeah. Pittsburgh, a couple goals there. It doesn't count. Or one goal. Or whatever. Anyway, just a thought. Now let's get into the press conference, shall we? The Presser SDP.

The Steve Dangle Press Conference. For today's press conference, we have what might be, and no disrespect to any of the trivia I've been sent so far, but Bill Swadden may have sent me the best trivia I have ever been sent. Interesting. Okay. What he has sent me is, are they an NHL player who's played over 100 games or made up? Interesting.

This is great. Do you have a pen over there? For a marker? I've got another pen. Here you go. Excellent. He's given me a list. All right.

Let's do this. Players who are either creative players, a.k.a. made up, or a guy who's played over 100 games in the NHL. It's like the random name generator from NHL. Right, right, right. First on the list, Lucas Walmark. Is he a guy that's been made up, or a guy that's played over 100 games in the NHL? Okay. Stephen Dangle, what is your answer?

I have real. Adam Wild? Guy Played. Guy Played! Both of you are correct! I don't know who or for what, but I know that name for some reason. Can I guess? Yeah, sure.

You don't get any bonus points. No, I know. Columbus? I'm going to look it up. Lucas Walmark played for the Carolina Hurricanes and is currently playing for the Carolina Hurricanes. He's played 21 games this year. All right. Well, there you go.

Carolina fans. He's the guy. You know he's scoring against the Leafs, right? Yeah, he is now. We're going to get our image just lit up. Okay, next. Next on the list. Nikita Nesterov.

Yes. Yes, that. Yeah, he played. Yes, he is real. Congratulations. Yeah. Both of those guys. You could have said Sergei Nesterov, and I would have been like, yeah, probably.

Both of those guys are nuts. I knew Nesterov. Who does he play for? I want to say he was a Bolt. Okay. Sounds like it. Nikita Nesterov. Like, you believe it, right?

It doesn't matter if I'm right. It's just you believe it. He played for the Tampa Bay Lightning 2014 through 2017. There you go. And then is currently playing for CSK Moscow. There you go. That's right. I can't even picture him, I think.

Okay. All right. Next up on the list. We have Alexander Kovalenko, guy or not guy? I have my answer. Steve has his answer. Okay. Adam has his guy.

I said not guy. I said nah. You both are correct. Not guy. There you go. He is a made-up name. It is tied 3-3. Excellent.

Let's keep going down the NIST list. Next up is Nathan Gardner. Nathan Gardner, guy or not guy? I put nah. Adam Wilde. Not guy. Four for four, ladies and gentlemen. All right, all right, all right.

He is not a guy. Next up. Watch, there's like a Nathan Gardner who listens to the show. Hey, I'm a guy. I'm a guy. I exist. Next up, Elias Anderson. Guy or not guy is the question.

My answer is guy. Steve says guy. My answer is also guy. Sounds like someone who played for Calgary. He is not a guy. That was a made-up guy. Damn. Really?

He's not. He isn't a person. All right. Next up on the list. Sorry, Elias, wherever you are. I mean, I'm sure he is. Nope, nope. He is made up.

Remy, Ellie, guy or not guy is the question. I don't know my answer. Okay, I'm going to say. You currently have four points each. I'm going to say guy. I say guy who plays for the Dallas Stars. Hey, guy. Five for five.

I'm pretty sure he scored against the Leafs last year. Probably. Best way to know a guy. Isn't he? I think he's from France. I'm going to look it up. Isn't he from France? Remy Elie, currently playing for the Rochester Americans, which would be Buffalo Sabres,

selected by the Dallas Stars in the 2013 draft. This guy. Huh. Born where? Born in Cornwall, Ontario. Not even close. Not French. That's not French.

All right. Antoine Roussel is French. Now we are into the sudden death. That's a bit different. It's a little bit different. Well, you know, Cristobal Uwe. Cristobal. Oh, Napoleon.

Yeah, that's right. It was Mary Antoinette. Sudden death. Sudden death. Michael Bourneval. Guy or not guy? He was a guy. He was a guy.

He is a guy. We're tied 6-6 in sudden death shootout. I think, was he on the Shawinigan Cataracts? Jesus, I don't know. I don't know, Pierre McGuire. Find out! Sorry, Pierre McGuire. We don't know.

Why not? Damn it. Oh, look at that. What did you say? Schwinnegan? Schwinnegan Cataracts. He was on the Schwinnegan Cataracts. Hell yeah!

Also played for the Lightning. Ah, it doesn't matter. All right. Yeah, he was like... I want to say he got suspended. Anyway. Is that it? We're tied, so we need to keep going.

All right. Guy or not guy Mike Weaver Guy or not guy Weaver Weaver

Mike Weaver Okay Guy or not guy What's your answer Steve? I say guy Guy Ah He's a guy

Hey From Panthers? Bramley, Ontario There was a Jared Weaver but was he a pitcher or something? He played for the, Jared Weaver was a pitcher. He played for,

he played over 600 games in the NHL, Mike Weaver. What? Yeah, yeah, yeah. 600, 633 NHL games for Mike Weaver. You ever met someone who's like parent

has played sports professionally and like you see the jersey hanging up and you're like, wow, that's got your name on it. That's crazy. Like, yeah, my dad, my uncle, blah, blah, blah, played for so-and-so for years

and you're like, yeah, cool. Played 1,400 games for the Orioles and you're like, what? I dated someone like that once, and I was like, never heard of him. Nope. I'm sorry. Wow.

But great. Next up on the list, Jordan Booth. Jordan Booth. Guy or not guy is the question. Hot game on the SDP is guy or not guy. Not guy. I say nah. Damn it.

Both of you are correct. We are still in overtime. Fun fact, I worked with a Jordan Booth at the Toronto Zoo. Really? Did he work at the Booth? She. Oh. Sorry.

She's one of those Jordines, like spells it with the Y. Oh. Lots of that. You'd know if you saw it spelled. Yeah. You'd be like, wait a tick. Next up on the list, Dalton Smith. Dalton Smith.

Guy or not guy is the question. Let me know if you think he's a guy or not a guy. Steven? I say nah. Adam? Nah. That was a trick question because Dalton Smith is a guy, but he did not play over 100 NHL games. So you are both correct.

Okay. He is not a guy. All right. We're just going deep here. Jeez. All right. Wayne Gretzky. We'll just keep going.

All right. All right. All right. Next up on the list, Jason Dickinson. Is he a guy or not a guy? Jason Dickinson. I'm taking a risk here. Steven.

I literally played ping pong with him. Guy, Adam Weill. I said not guy. Ah, Steven. Congratulations. Who does he play for? You have won this round. Dallas.

Guy or not guy? Sorry, Jason. He plays for Dallas and is a bad ping-pong player, but he's better than me We were the worst team at the Smash Fest tournaments I didn't know you played ping-pong with uh, he played a hundred and twenty-three currently playing for the Dallas Stars Oh played a hundred and twenty-three NHL games We so I saw that I was paired with Jason Dickinson and I'm like, all right time to look up who Jason Dickinson is He's a guy

He's a guy. Noted guy. That's my new favorite game. Human being. Guy or not guy. That's a really funny game. We should definitely do that with baseball. Oh, man.

And I'm just going to judge by how ridiculous their name is. How baseball the name is. Yeah. Chuck Knobloch. Yeah, that's the name. Not a carpenter. Nomar Garciaparra. Oh, yeah.

That's a guy. Great name. Great shortstop, too. Oh, yeah. Yes. Because what else? Because he'd have to be. You don't.

You're not. With a name like that, you're not doing anything else. No, you have to be... Like the Canadian ball player, Stubby Clap? Stubby Clap had to play baseball. Yeah. Of course. My name's Stubby Clap, and I'm here to fix your toilet.

Nope. You're not. Give him a baseball bat. Crank baseballs. Exactly. Go crush a ball. That's what you're good at. I'm here to make ridiculous outfield catches.

Yes. Okay, so that's it for this episode. God, it was so nice to go Don Cherry free, wasn't it? No, yeah. Adam! We almost made it two hours. Oh, I'm sorry. Damn it.

Hey, we'll see you on Sunday. We love you. Keep sending your questions. DMs are open. We'll catch you soon. What? Is Mike Babcock head coach of the Sun Raiders when we do our next podcast? Yes, but not next Wednesday.

Yes, he is. You're saying no on Sunday? Who are you going to get for Sunday? I think you're going to get fired Monday. Because it's a business day. Adam, W-Y-L-D-E, and at Jesse Blake. Brought to you by Panago Pizza. Order at Panago.com and stuff your face with deliciousness.

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