SSD. The Steve dangle podcast with your hosts, Steve dangle, Adam Wilde, and Jesse blake. Hey, just a reminder, you can get every Steve dangle podcast episode for $6.99 ad free. We're calling it ViP ad free. And by the way, we do a fourth episode, if you haven't heard that yet. It's pretty awesome and fun. And somebody actually messaged me last night, and they're like, those are my favorite episodes now.

Oh.

Well, thank you.

I think it's. It's the whole. The whole thing is familiar characters, us, unfamiliar situations, non hockey content.

Yeah.

Which, if you've been around for a long time, you know, but, you know, for the last four or five years, that's all we've done, is just straight hockey.

So, Adam, it's Wednesday. It's raining outside. Can I let my intrusive thoughts win?

Yeah, of course.

All right, give me a second.

Oh, this is my. Jax always loves these. And this drives me crazy. Drives me.

Nobody listening has any idea what tendrils hanging out.

I got curly hair, and it's hanging on my forehead, and it drives me bananas because, you know, my ADhd goes bonkers. Well, so I can feel it. Yeah.

I gotta look at it. And I keep wanting to bluefit.

I wanted to. I want to say this. If the Leafs get one point tonight against the lightning guys, they are officially in the playoffs. Hey. Whoo. Now, the way forward, before you move.

Too fast away from SCP VIP.

Oh, sorry.

Clarify some things as I did last episode. There's more things to clarify as we continue to learn how these platforms work.

Got it.

So, when you're listening on Apple podcasts. So. Right, like yesterday's episode, if you have the subscription tier, you'll see two episodes. There's one that was ad free and one that was just the regular episode with the ads in it. But there's. Sometimes we can sync the episodes. So, moving forward, you're going to see one episode, but if you're on the subscription tier, you're going to be able to listen to subscription audio where there's no ads in it. But if you're not on the subscription, you'll just listen to the regular episode. So, you're gonna see one episode there on your Apple podcast app, and if you're subscribed, it'll automatically serve you the one without the ads. And so that'll be how it's gonna be done moving forward. But, like, previously, you would have seen two episodes. So mine, the two episodes, they're gonna live there for now. But today's episode, you'll see one episode, and if you're subscribed, it'll serve you the no ad one automatically. If you're on Spotify, there's a whole different feed, so you don't even have to worry about it.

That's an Apple thing.

That's an apple thing.

Okay. Yeah. It's funny. Cause every platform's a little bit different. Yeah.

On YouTube, there's two videos. You'll see there's two videos there, and you can just choose to watch whichever one you want.

Yep.

And then that's. And then Google podcasts shut down.

So, so far, every platform, we've had ideas, and they're like, you can do that.

It's a little different here, but, yeah.

If you listen to us on Google podcasts. I'm sorry. Like, Google shut down their podcast apart.

We used to do, like, pretty good numbers on Google podcast. Oh, yeah.

A lot of people had the Google podcast app on their Android phones.

Well, you know, they've run into hard times, Google.

Yeah. I think they're trying to focus their efforts to YouTube music. And that makes sense. That side of it. But podcasts don't really work.

When are we gonna get dynamic ad insertion on YouTube? I know I'm a salesperson, but I really. I'm really annoyed with the lack of options on YouTube on that one.

Yes. And if you're like, Adam, I'm not annoyed with that. I don't want it at all. Try SCP VIP ad free.

Hey, speaking of our YouTube channel, I do want to say thanks to everybody who tuned into the stream last night. I did, and I know Jesse did. I was there, and Drew was trolling me. He paid 1960, $7.

We had a poll going about who's the better SDPN employee, Drew or Justin.

Who won.

I think Drew came out on top.

What?

I'm honestly surprised.

It was like 51.49. It was real close.

Wow. You know what? I don't think we're over yet. I think we need to make that a seven game series.

Right. You know, running it back.

Yeah, we got to do that the next time you do a stream, Steve.

Hell, yeah. Oh, I think Justin will win.

You think so?

Well, because my stream will be more leaf fans.

Right.

Whereas you were doing a Preds Boston game. It's whoever I think Leaf fans will profoundly vote against. True.

Yeah, that's true. Yeah.

I think we need to try. You're assuming this Saturday, right?

No, not this Saturday.

Next Saturday.

Yeah. The 13th.

Yeah, the 13th.

Okay.

I think on the 13th, we need to, like, lead the stream with who's the best employee.

Don't even say who they're playing.

We gotta put their paychecks on the line.

Yeah. Oh, your family didn't eat. Sorry. Shoulda won. The popularity loser doesn't get vacation.

It's like the Joker breaking a pool queue accepts. Way more mundane. Exactly.

Exactly. Oh, hang on. Maddie.

What'd he say? I don't want any part in this. No, no. Matty wins.

You know what? You weren't going to be. But now that you mention it.

Maddie's holding the belt. You know, like, they got her. Like, she's us champion right now.

She's also, like, heading up the. The switcher and can make us look really shitty.

Yeah.

So I think you're doing a great job, actually.

Thank you.

Yeah.

I think you're doing a great job.

Thank you. As I said, the Leafs are a point away against the Lightning from being into the playoffs tonight. But what's more important here, guys, is that the Florida Panthers have been bad lately. They lost to the Montreal Canadiens last night. Now, they did not have carter verhege. They did not have Matthew Kacchuk. Kind of big losses. It's like the Leafs without Marner and Nylander, or Matthews and Nylander. However you want to look at ish. Ish. I know Varhege is not on that level, but he's a pretty damn good player. Pretty damn good player. Yeah. So I'm looking at this, and I'm thinking, okay, the Leafs have two games in hand on the Florida Panthers. Okay, they gotta win them both. But we. Could we actually be looking at home ice advantage?

It's possible. Like, I didn't allow myself to believe it. Just because you expect teams to be average ish.

Yep.

If you're in the playoff picture, you expect to go something like six and four in a ten game span. Seven and three, somewhere in that neighborhood. But sometimes one team gets hot and the other team gets really cold. I wouldn't have put my money on the Panthers getting cold. What's really interesting is the Florida Panthers don't appear to give a damn.

Well, they're two, seven and one in their last ten. I think they care a little bit.

They do care a little bit. And there's obviously some things with their game that they're unhappy with, but I'm struggling to figure out if they're just taking their foot off the gas.

Maybe some injuries, maybe some resting.

Yeah. Ahead of the playoffs. Like Carter Hagee. I think Paul Murray said is week to week. I'm not convinced he would have missed more than a shift if this was a playoff game.

That two, seven and one is since March 13. So this is over two weeks now. And that would give them the 30th most points since that date.

Wow.

The only team with less points since that date are the San Jose Sharks and the Anaheim Ducks, who are tied with them at five.

And they're good.

Who? Those two teams? Yeah.

Yeah.

Something like that.

Wow. Only the Sharks have less points than the, than the Florida Panthers since March 13. That's a. It's not a great stretch.

It's. I'm surprised.

Yeah.

Why I think this is a big deal is because, you know, as much as going into a series, like you talked about this on your LFR, I think on Thursday night, Friday morning, whenever I watched it, listen to it the last week, you're saying the least, are a good team. They're really good team. Feeling good about the team.

But enough that I'm like, you know what? Great, great job assembling this team.

Yes. But going into a series against Florida or going into a series against Boston, you kind of mentioned, and I agree with. I don't, I think the other teams get the edge.

They've struggled against those teams this year and.

And those teams are really good.

Yes.

I think that it's interesting for Florida if they are taking their foot off the gas, maybe it benefits them. However, the matchup doesn't, because there's a big difference between playing the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round, whether they win or lose, and playing the Tampa Bay Lightning or the Washington Capitals. And they were in line to play one of those two teams. Now, it's not that the Lightning are bad in the playoffs. We know they're really good, but we know that second wild card and we'll get to the terrible wildcard race in the east and the west.

Don't expand the playoffs.

I'm in for expanding the playoffs, but I was.

But Washington isn't.

Ruined it.

Yeah, but, but Washington is a far different opponent. I don't want to say easier, but it's easier.

Well, it's interesting. You have teams who have lots of guys who have won the cup in recent memory on those two teams, right.

Yeah.

In, in the lightning and the caps. And then you have the Leafs who are still. Well, I can't use the word wild card, but they're still a bit of an unknown. And for the Panthers, they're unknown. You beat them last year, and even some of their tough guys who, who you know, have. Have maybe changed their game a little bit this year. They were on the team last year. You're not afraid of Jake McCabe? You know what I mean? There are a few other guys. I don't know if the Panthers are afraid of anybody.

I don't think they should be.

No.

But I do think it's a different matchup. I do think there's more of an attrition.

Yes.

That happens when you're playing the Leafs now. The Leafs now versus, you know, a Washington Capitals team.

I also think we're overthinking things.

Okay.

I think sometimes, you know, I was the one who said they're taking their foot off the gas. I'm sure they want to get healthy, so maybe they're taking their foot off the gas in that respect. But I don't think teams win or lose based on who they want to play against in the playoffs.

Right.

You know what I mean?

If they. I'm sorry, I have a problem with that.

Yeah.

Yes, absolutely.

What specifically?

I think you're wrong. Completely wrong. I think teams blow, I think, on purpose. No, I think teams want to want that first spot in their division.

Well, that's what I'm saying.

When you're saying they don't win. That.

I said they don't win or lose. They don't lose.

Right, right. But then you just suggested earlier that they've taken their foot off the gas, perhaps.

Yeah, and then I corrected myself.

Okay. Yeah.

And I think the. It seems like the division title is a little out of reach. Like, we. We talk about how, oh, you might be four points back, but four points, getting four points in the NHL is hard thing to do with the three with the extra point system. So I think, like, right now, they're just so far behind the Bruins that I don't think there's a chance. And even if they pass the Bruins, they probably face the lightning because the Rangers exist and the Hurricanes exist to get that actual number one seed. So, like, I don't think they're too worried about their place in the. In the standings. I think it's just about playing well, playing good hockey the next week or so.

I mean, you know what? There's a greater than 0% chance of happening. Leafs versus Tampa, the rubber match.

So the leaf would have to pass.

The Panthers, and so with the Lightning.

Right. But the Lightning are not going to the lightning.

Or how far back are they?

No, the Lightning are ten points behind the floor.

No, they're not.

Yeah, they are. Florida's at 99. Yeah.

That's not, that's the gap.

Yeah. And by the way, here's how much first of the division matters for if and winning the face. Frankly, winning the Eastern Conference matters. If you, let's say Washington makes it in, this is the playoff picture. You're looking at it right now. If Washington, which is in the second wild card spot, you play them. If you're the Boston Bruins, you have a plus 44 goal differential. They have a -35 goal differential. And I know that's just one stat, but there's a huge chasm between what the Panthers are going to face and what the Bruins are going to face.

Right. The Bruins wouldn't even play them right now.

No. They'd be playing Tampa.

Yeah.

Although that would be, I was saying last time on the stream Bruins, Tampa would be incredible.

Okay.

Yeah. The Rangers caps good for the Penguins.

For being in the playoff picture once again also. Oof.

Yeah.

They don't even have 80 points and they're. They have seven games left and they could very realistically.

We not get into that yet. Can we not get into that yet? No. Okay, I'm waiting on.

Sorry.

I'm not talking about Florida in the least.

It's on the screen, which means I see it erases everything that's being said.

There's an interesting wrinkle to the Pittsburgh thing. That's why I'm saving ice.

To me, with Florida and Toronto, Toronto struggles so much at home, they get the yips with when their own crowd is cheering for them, and, well, their own crowd is sitting on their hands nervously waiting for the Leafs to choke in front of them. So, like, home ice to me, doesn't really matter. This year. I've seen it too many times. We, Adam and I, have been at too many games where they've blown it. We haven't seen a single playoff win at all. I know. The last.

Last three years, we haven't seen a single win together.

No, it's been. It's been awful. So if they get home ice, if they don't get home ice, I think either way, the outcome is going to be the same.

Like, well, I'm trying to remember what my last leaf game I went to was.

I think it was with us. You went to Scotia at the squish bank lounge.

Then I went to Sweden. Oh, I think my last game was in Sweden.

Oh.

I've seen more leaf games in Europe this year that I have in Canada.

That's cool. Now, I want to. I want to ask this question, guys, for the. For the Toronto Maple Leafs fans in attendance. I know that it's really hard to play here because what happens is when you play at home, the media get on the ice and they go, whoa, James Myrtle.

They actually let him go on the ice and just play as an extra man for the other team.

Crazy.

It's a new rule the NHL implemented.

And he's tall, he lacks foot speed, but he's long.

Yeah, he's got that reach, you know. So the media gets on the ice, you're like, whoa, boogeyman. Sorry, Leafs. I was watching and I've been talking about this a lot. There's a channel on YouTube and I. That post sold Leaf's playoff games the entire game. So you have to watch the commercials, everything. And it's, it's Bob Cole and Harry Neal. And it's funny because there, so I was watching game 719 94, who were the Leaks playing game seven, game 719 94.

What are you afraid of sharks or something?

The San Jose Sharks.

And so when the Leafs were in the Western Conference.

That's right. That's right. And so here's how. Here's how Bob Cole announced, like, starts the game off. He's like, there's two goaltenders and then he's. And then he said, who playing goal in a game seven? No, thank you.

It's a really funny clip.

And then later on in the game, real hardcore. I'm like, if you're a goaltender, ten the goal. Archer's urbe is the worst puck handling goaltender I've ever seen in my life.

In 1994.

In 1994. He's horrendous. And they even say it on the tv. They're like, they're like, hey, you know, it's really, it's tough for the Sharks defenseman to predict what archers Urba is going to do.

Really dry.

The reason I'm bringing it up is because if you go and you watch these games on YouTube and Jesse, you mentioned the noise. The Leaf fans are freaking ear cracking loud.

It's deafening.

Yeah, they are. They are in the game. They are throwing balloons around like it's maple Leaf gardens. But it is rocking in there. And we've been there, Jesse, when they at least, at least have scored a couple times, it does get loud in the Scotiabank arena.

Yeah, no, there was, there were some really good playoff games last year where the crowd was loud, but there was.

A, there was a nervous twitch, I think, from all the recent failures.

The worst one was the tampa one where the justin hall pick was called because that entire third period was silent.

Yeah.

In Scotiabank.

Terrible.

That was awful. That was awful energy.

Can.

I thought we put this to bed three years ago when they blew a three one series lead in front of no one. Empty buildings.

Yep.

Yeah.

It's over.

Their easiest chance to run to the Stanley cup final.

You got it.

Whoa.

We're so nervous. About what?

Do you guys.

Not even here?

Do you still have the division champs shirt?

Oh, no, that's. Someone in Oshawa's wearing that.

Oh, you donated it.

You donated it.

I donate a lot.

Oh.

I would have kept that as, like, a relic of. What the hell? Why did you print this?

I probably should have. I have so much. I. There's so much memorabilia. I have other people's throwaway memorabilia. But we've. We've talked about this before. One of the most unique. I have a. One of one item in the blue room. It is. My buddies used to do audio visual hookup. And I have a spoof movie poster of Wendell Clark in a cowboy hat. It is signed by Wendell Clark, addressed to Joe Bowen.

Wow.

Because my buddies were setting up a tv at Joe Bowen's house, and he has so much memorabilia that he has a signed gift from Wendell Clark, and he's just like, I have nowhere to put it. So here you go. Joe Bowen has no idea I have that.

That's cool.

It's just in my house. That's cool. Yeah, it's in every LFR video.

Yeah, but the leafs, they choked in front of me. Nobody.

Yeah, they did.

Maybe they felt the pressure through the cameras.

Could be.

I just. I think it's a made up thing. I think. Listen, the. The media narrative. I think. I think the worst is, remember Steve Simmons came on our show friggin eleven years ago, and he said, darcy Tucker knew where the commas were. I think newspapers and tv and radio used to poison the minds of some guys who would listen to them. And it's a totally avoidable thing. You don't need to listen to it. And I think for some guy, social media is a huge problem.

Yeah.

That's why I don't think it's a made up thing at all. I think when they are in those situations, like, even in the bubble where there's no crowd, they feel the pressure of the largest fan base in hockey weighing down on them.

Yeah.

There was no play a little tighter. And I think it's been evident over the last eight seasons, there was no.

COVID shutdown for Twitter.

So.

Exactly. Like, everybody's still, if anything, like we were all together. There's more eyeballs on it, you know? And, like, there. There were fans in that. Remember, they brought, like, a thousand healthcare workers into the building and all the tweets mocking them about. They put them in the worst position of the pandemic to watch this team.

And all that stuff.

Like, I feel like they do feel the weight of the situation. What's on the.

And you know what?

Never saw a first or second period leaf goal.

No. That sucks. Um, I think, uh, by the way, nobody remembered that. And now you've brought it back to the fore.

You're welcome.

I just want you to thank you for reliving that trauma with me.

Well, because I just had to sit there for, like, six days going, this is happening.

Yeah.

Oh, my God. This is happening.

So blowing it. Yeah. Let's not get down that road. That's not what I was trying to do.

Nope.

What I was trying to do is say, Toronto fans can. Can get loud. We can. You just have to go outside the arena. I keep saying that. How many. How many buffalo. How many other teams have 40,000 fans show up for a playoff game?

Right.

Only half of them get in. But there are 40,000 fans that show up to every Toronto Maple Leafs playoff game, whether they're here or not.

Wait, Edmonton.

Edmonton does that. Yes.

Put a bunch of them in the hallway.

They put them in the hallway. By the way, there are not fire code issues with that.

Like, well, I mean, you know, we make fun of them for that, and then it's like, what? Is it better to stand in the rain? Yeah, I've been there, man.

It can be cold there, too.

It's. It's not the greatest place to watch a hockey game.

I'm looking at inside the arena is pretty nice, though.

Inside is great. Outside, cold, rain.

I guarantee Vancouver is gonna have one of the best play out playoff atmosphere.

Yeah. Yeah. They're just gonna be rocking. Yeah.

That's gonna be a fun city.

What do we think of the clinch shirts?

I didn't see them.

They had t shirts.

Well, I want to go a different direction.

A playoff spot, and people were dunking on them.

When we come back. Clinch.

Yeah. Well, because, I mean, that, to me, is on par with Toronto Maple Leafs.

Canadian. Yeah.

Like, okay, you clinch the playoff spot. Sick.

I don't.

One of half the teams.

I don't think you need to sell a t shirt for clinching a playoff spot, guys.

Can you. Baseball, can you let. Can you let people just have a good time? Both of you sound curmudgeon y, right?

Yeah.

If a kid wants that t shirt, are you gonna take that? That's not what winning is, children.

No kid has ever asked for that.

It's a shirt. It says their favorite team.

Oh. So it's marketed to children.

And the leaf should have one. It should be called clenched, as in.

That'S a good one.

I think if the leaf sold clinch.

Shirts, I think if the leaf sell.

Anything, we would be mocked for years.

Oh, my God. The Leafs could make millions and millions of extra dollars if they just finally put their pride aside and were in on the joke.

Mm hmm.

Oh, yeah. Sold.

Dude, I'd buy a clenched shirt.

That's so funny.

That's a great idea.

I'm just saying. I'm saying, like, listen, if you don't like it, you don't have to buy it, but, like, let him celebrate it. What was the last time they were the playoffs? 20, 1514.

Forget editing the show. Put clenched shirt on the store today.

Yeah, put that in the SD pn store.

You said if they got a point today, they clench.

Yeah, they clench. Is that what it's gonna be now?

Clench.

Clench. A playoff spot along the media thing and the pressure and that sort of thing. We did get a little off track. You know, when Mitch Marner was interviewed, I think it was this weekend before morning skate, it was odd. He made a comment about how he didn't. It seems as though, and I'm paraphrasing here, I'll play.

I'll bring it up and bring it up.

Yeah. Seems as though. And I'll introduce here. Seems though he didn't love the way that his injury was covered. Now, I think it's really important in, you know, if you're a Leafs fan, most of the clips that you're going to see or written word that you're going to see is on video. Right. Most of it's posted somewhere, so make sure you watch the video first. But I'm curious about what you think hearing this, watching this on the SDP because he seems kind of ticked.

Well, I. I'm gonna pull up Steve's tweet.

Yeah, this. This clip, I, quote, tweeted it, and then I posted the video and people were like, see? And I'm like, yeah, it confirms the way it reads.

You think so, huh?

Oh, he's kidding around. Oh, yeah. He looks at. He doesn't know. He looks miserable. He looks completely miserable. He'll be back. Looks like Saturday, by the way. Yeah, we're setting this up. Morgan Riley should be back tonight against the Tampa Bay lightning. And boy, I post you, lot of you way too. I'm trying to support the business.

Found it.

Holy shit.

Hold on, hold on. I want to. We can read your tweet as well and then let me cue the video here.

Okay.

I still, by the way, as long as we're stalling for time. Unless Jesse found it.

What do you want?

No, I was just gonna say I still like the idea of Marner on his own line.

Okay. So this is what Steve said.

This is the video. Watching it, he just seems ticked that people speculated as to what his injury was. Question mark. Who knows? There's a game tomorrow and I'm sure everyone, Mitch included, would rather talk about that.

And then let me bring up the video.

Watch this video. Yeah.

And then, by the way, they played a game and they won the game and no one, no one's talking about it anymore.

But I mean, it's worth, it's worth mentioning.

Well, watch the clip.

Here we go.

How you feeling? First practice in a while?

Yeah, it's great. It feels nice to be out back out with the guys, obviously, you know, we want to be around the guys and want to try to be helping out. So it's nice to be back out there and get a sweat with them.

How close do you feel like you are playing again?

Yeah, it's close. So, you know, just take it day by day. Just keep progressing the right way. You know, just be ready when the time comes.

When you initially got hurt, did you think you'd be out this long?

It's just, you know, didn't really know what was going to happen and it's kind of just been what it's been.

Do you see any benefit, Mitch, in getting two or three weeks to, as you recover, at least recharge the battery.

To an extent before it playoffs. That's how you got to look at it because, you know, we're all competitive in here. We don't want to miss games, especially, you know, this is late in the season, so you can look at it that way. And that's how I've been trying to look at it.

When you got hurt, like what happened there?

What do you recall?

Yeah, I mean, I've been watching every game, you guys been talking about it every single game. So I think you guys can say whatever you want behind me now. You know, stuff happened and kind of just go on from it.

You of course went through an ankle, 1920. What do you recall about that? Because he came back pretty, pretty strong back then.

Yeah, that's a compliment. It's a softball.

Mental's good. You know, I'll let you guys speculate on what you think it is.

So, is it not a high income.

I don't know, whatever you guys want to say it is, but, you know, it's behind me now. I'm excited to be back out here with the guys and competing with them again, shoving buddies.

Right.

All right, now, there it is.

That's a guy who's hidden and loving it.

So. So, everyone. Can we.

Can we stop?

I think people are entitled to a bad day. I think people are entitled to be grumpy. But I think it is important that, you know, you mentioned Steve Simmons talking about Darcy Tucker knowing where the commas were.

Right?

This is where this all thread comes from. The reason I'm bringing it up is not to make Mitch Marner look bad. He's clearly frustrated. I like that he's frustrated, actually. I. To me, the frustration.

He's been pissed off all year, and he's been playing fine.

Yeah, well. And I think, no, he wasn't playing fine at the beginning of the year. Right?

Like, okay, yeah, sorry.

He's been coming on since early December.

He's been. I think he's been fake fantastic. A lot of leafs did not have an ideal start. No, I think he's been fantastic almost all year.

So while I do disagree with that vehemently, because the first two months of the year, I thought he was not up to his part, even though he was still a point of game. I think that Mitch Marder has been a spectacular, like, incredible leaf when he's been on the ice this year. And I don't think anybody's gonna disagree. But my. Hold on. But my point is, I'm concerned about, like, when we make this show, who do we make it for?

The fans.

Maddie?

We make it for Matt.

Matty.

Yeah. We make it so, like, most media, we don't make it for the players. I'm not like. It's not that I wouldn't be friends with a player, but, like, I'm not like, oh, man, I'm in the media. I hope, sure hope one of the players notices me. Like, I'm. It's not like. You know what I mean? And I know that there are certain media organizations and certain things where that makes sense, right, where a player, you know, the media guys arm around the player. Like, that's cool. Like, whatever. But, you know, when we bring up these things, it seems to be certain players really get bothered by them, and then certain players completely don't care I look at. I look at, you know, Mitch talking about the media tells me he's blocking out the noise, but he's not, as.

He'S mentioned many times, he blocked.

And this is the thing, like, you know, I don't. Steve.

No, I'm saying what he said verbatim. He blocks.

I don't think Mitch or the people around him, and Friedrich has mentioned this a lot. Not specifically due to Mitch, but just with players in the past. Do not send this player clips. Do not send this player newspaper articles.

The people around him gotta stop. They get. They gotta stop.

Because like, that, to me, it's like, I have to be honest. After Mitch went down, I thought it was business as usual, like for us, and we're not, you know, the major TSNs and sports nets or whatever, even during the games. I don't remember the commentators talking about it all that much. I don't remember the intermission panels talking about it all. That speaker zero, he was in the.

Press box where as far as I know, they don't have the sound on because the game's going on beneath them. What do you mean? You heard what he. I have like a friggin ear horn. Ear trumpet going up to. You're listening to what Chris Cuthbert said. Stop.

When he says, I watched the games and I hear what you guys talking about, my injury? No, I have no idea what he's talking about. I don't either know a specific instance where anybody was talking about his injury in like a negative way.

You don't have to talk about it.

Also, it's not. Shit happens. It's right.

All anyone said was the first few games without him. Jeez. Leafs could sure use Mitch, right? Lost Leech could sure use Mitch right now. I don't understand it. Listen, someone.

There's.

This is my back to that. I think somebody must have sent him something that he saw, some sort of clip, and he got.

And they got to stop. Yeah. I think the thing is, is that, you know, this is a pretty. This year in particular is an important one for the Leafs, because we're now seeing the maturation of the core three. These young guys that are in their mid to late twenties now and need to succeed. And Mitch's contracts up in like, he can start negotiating with the Leafs July.

1, which is not a big deal for most players, but he's a star, so we start talking about it way ahead of time.

Exactly.

He's an extraordinarily good. Holy shit. He's a great player and the team needs him. Send him this clip. Mitch Marder's fucking incredible.

I think. What else do you need? Yeah, I think. I think it's just. I think it's just that. But my concern in seeing a clip like that, and again, everybody's entitled to a bad day, is, you know, a pissed off Mitch Marner playing pissed off.

Great.

That's awesome. But that's the kind of shit that he doesn't need around. Nobody needs that. Nobody. David Khan doesn't need that around playoff time.

The, the. I think a lot of people will disagree with this. Just leading up to Marner's injury, it's the best he's ever played.

Yes, the best.

The best Marner ever played is when he set the all time franchise record for a point streak.

Well, Jesse, I didn't get to watch that game, so I made like that.

About it that entire stretch.

No, I mean, he. You know what? He was really good during that stretch. I still disagree. I think leading up to that injury, he was setting up plays.

He's.

He's got a more versatile scoring touch than he's ever had. He was actually, like, finishing checks and hitting guys. And he's still responsible defensively. I think getting him back, it's part of the reason that I think he can manage his own line just fine. The issue, and that's where I want.

To go, by the way. Expand on that.

Well, the biggest problem I have with it is who the hell plays center. Because if you're taking Domi off of Matthews line to be Mitch's center, then what's the point of having the three different lines? We. But I just think the depth on the Leafs would be crazy and I think it would be a matchup nightmare to have all three of those guys on a different line. It's something that I don't know if they've ever tried, like, even going back to when they were rookies.

I like the Bertuzzi Matthews Domi setup. It'd be cool to see like, Mitch, Matthew Nyes, and I don't know who's going to play center on that.

Why don't you pair him with JT?

Well, I mean, you can spread the talent over three lines.

Yeah, no, but then Willie is on a separate line.

Yeah, but one of the, one of the better lines in the league over the last couple months in terms of just owning the puck and owning the lion's share scoring chances has been McMahon, Tavares, Nylander.

But they did it earlier this season.

Yeah.

Where we said John Tavares was on the quote, third line.

Yeah, there are so many options. There's, there's lots and lots of options.

You, you.

Yeah, you could do that. Yeah, you could do that.

And I still disagree about Mitch Marner's best time of his career. I think during those two months he was the best player in the Toronto Maple Leaf. Solid.

Best game suited for the playoffs.

Okay.

All right.

All right. I like that. I'm excited about it. I think, I think, you know, that clip made a little bit of a stir and then the Leafs won and nobody talked about it. And I think it is a microcosm of, listen, you know, this is a guy that's been in this, in this system for what, 8910 years after nine years ago. Wow. Yeah. So, wow. So, you know, I can understand there'd be a little bit of.

Was drafted nine years ago.

I know.

All right. One, one two minute sound bite in nine years.

100%. And there's been a couple of. But it's like, you know, I can understand there being a little bit of friction. It's the end of the year. You're coming off a frustrating injury. And, you know, I don't, I don't really care. I mean, I figured it's an ankle sprain or a high ankle sprain. I don't really care what the injury is as long as he's healthy. But it's going to be, this is, this is, and we've, we said this a couple weeks ago, this is a playoff that Mitch Marner really needs to establish himself as a playoff performer. You know, Nylander has done it. Matthews, after some questions, there were questions, especially after that Montreal series has done it. Marner had a banger first three games against Tampa last year and dropped off a lot. And then, and then in Florida, had one game where he scored any points at all.

Yes. So you're the one who always hampers that. When people bring up Marner's points from last season, you say, go look past game three.

Yeah, it's.

And they need, they need that.

Well, and then, and then the one game they won against Florida, they won because Marner was good.

Yeah.

Marner won that game by himself.

It's crazy when you have a player that's that good and makes that much, most of the roads are going to go through him and the other guys that make that much.

Well, and the reason there, you know, people were like, oh, God, like, what's the injury? How long is it? He's a star. He's a key part of the team. That's the gig, isn't that what the money's for.

Every other league has injury transparency and the NHL doing this stupid thing about like, upper body injury, undisclosed lower body injury. It's bullshit. We should know guys injuries for the sake of covering the sport. And like, it's, it's a huge thing. The NFL, for betting reasons for, for gambling, you have to report what a guy has on the injury reports that are due on certain days of the week. And I think there should be a transparency like that with the NHL and every other league.

I, I don't need to know what a player is going through. I'm, I'm less picky about that. If, if, you know, it's enough that he's injured, it's enough that he's out. And I don't even know how you would approach that with the playoffs. The list would be, if there's 20 guys, it'd be 20 guys long. They all have something wrong with them.

Yeah, and that's, I think that's what you have to do is you have to list the injuries. And if guys missing a game or if he misses a practice, you have to state this is the reason he misses the practice.

Yeah, but what if you get on the ice with like a completely remorseless psychopath, like insert player here and they just start targeting that injury?

Yeah, no, but then you're not injured if you're playing, right? Like, if you're, if you're out with an injury, then you're injured.

Brady kitchen. Brady Ketchuck. Matthew Kachuk. There's only two kachuks, and I fucked it up. Matthew Kacuk played the Stanley cup final and scored goals with a broken sternum.

Right.

So the way the injury designations would work is you either you designate some guy be questionable to play with blank injury or, or good to go and no injury. You know, it's, I think it's a very simple thing that other leagues have.

I think there would be a lot more public outcry from people going, this player should not be on the ice.

I think you are. You are over complicating it.

Why am I over complicating? Because I'm telling you, it is a.

Very simple process that happens.

So you're saying. Don't label it. You're just saying questionable injury. No.

If somebody is, is playing, then they're healthy and they're good to go. If somebody is questionable leading into the game, coming out of practice, then you label what injury they have.

What if it's Patrisse Bergeron and it's a punctured lung. And the public outcry would be insane.

I think we all know that he had a punctured lung at the top. Like, we know.

We had no idea.

We didn't know that we knew he would beat up. Yeah.

So I think you would say that. And then he plays like.

Like it's.

And that's. What are you gonna do? What are you gonna do? Run down to TD Gardens and stop them?

I don't know. I don't know.

But you're gonna.

You're gonna stop them from getting on the ice? Steve, a lot of people. Oh, I don't. Listen, I think the league.

If they knew. If the league knew that there was a player taking the ice with a punctured lung, they would.

Maybe they should.

Yeah, maybe they should. Maybe they.

Yes. Then we should disclose this.

I don't disagree.

I think you're accidentally agreeing with me.

I'm. You're saying they shouldn't disclose this information because God forbid we get upset.

I'm saying I don't need it.

You're saying that they shouldn't disclose this because God forbid we get upset that a player goes out there and plays with an injury. And I'm saying you should probably disclose it for both of the reasons. One, we should get upset if he's playing with a punctured lug. And two, there should be full discussion. There should be full transparency about what guys are playing with.

I don't need to know it. I understand why you want to know it. I understand why you want to know why. I don't need.

Why don't you need to know it?

I don't know.

I'm $2, Steve. It's not as big a deal to me.

No.

Like, for the sake of being a hockey fan, why don't you need to know? You're not providing.

I've watched enough hockey to know that everyone is essentially a reanimated corpse come.

June, but that doesn't make them ineligible to play. I'm talking about injuries that keep you out of a hockey game.

So if you're not playing. Yeah, but, yeah, listen, so what does happen in the NHL and the reason they stopped doing that? They used to do this. They used to just tell you. Used to ask the head coach. Coach would be like, well, he's got a broken thumb.

John Tortorella still does. Oh, he had to. Shit.

Yeah. Yeah, yeah. But, you know, they stopped doing that because, oh, he's got a broken thumb and he's back in two games. Cool. Well, I'm going to slash that hand.

And.

And so that. I think that's why it's happened. But I think you do make a good point of if the player's got a punctured lung, and that is an extreme case, or a broken sternum, perhaps you can't play. Yeah, perhaps it's an insurance.

Also, like, if a guy is intentionally targeting someone for an injury, it's called the suspension.

And, well, they're not.

Oh, yeah. Now, which one of us is being unreasonable? Oh, yeah. Let George Parros handle it. Don't worry, it's fine.

We all watch Leon Drysido play on 1ft. Like, if somebody is hacking at his foot, it is very apparent, and that's.

What the flames did all series long.

Okay, all right. We're moving on. We're moving on.

And you don't think football players attack a guy's injured ankle like they do?

Yeah, if they're gonna do it anyway.

Then I'm just saying, maybe. Maybe tune into something else besides hockey.

Whoa.

Listen, just because I did terribly in my fantasy football doesn't mean I didn't watch, like, four football games.

You didn't make the playoffs in her.

No.

Eight out of ten teams make the playoffs.

Yeah.

Christina from sales, she beat me in the tiebreaker.

The Steve Daniel podcast is sponsored by better help. And listen, if you're feeling a little bit angsty these days, it's because the playoffs are on the horizon.

Is that why?

Yeah, it's.

Well, listen, it's not that it's always raining.

What if I just like listening to my chemical romance?

Could be that while it's raining, some would see that as an outlet, you see? But I would say that if you're feeling angsty, it has to be playoffs because you're worried about your team. And will they succeed or will they not succeed? You know, because the playoffs are a painful combination of, I'm enjoying this, but I also am in pain until this game is over. You know what I mean? Right.

The organ music is nice, though.

It is. It kind of, yeah. I like that.

Brings you around.

So here's the deal. If you're feeling a little bit angsty, check out better help. Here's the thing about it is you're able to hook up with a therapist very, very quickly. And if that doesn't work out, you're not feeling the vibe between the two of you. You can switch. You can also use. You can talk to them via text, you can talk to them via FaceTime. You can talk to them just on the phone. And actually, that's how I get my therapy. I do it over the phone so much easier. It's one of those things that is easy. It's convenient, it's quick, and it's a lot cheaper than the average cost of therapy. And usually, especially where we are, it's very, very difficult to get a therapist in under 60 to eight weeks. That's usually the lag time. So if you want to give therapy a try, we've all done it. I still do it. I don't know about you guys, but it's very valuable. So if you want to give it a shot, you should go to betterhelp.com sdb today to get 10% off your first month. That's betterhelp help.com SDP Chris Ballard, play by play broadcaster for the ECHL Newfoundland Growlers, said this after three seasons in Brampton and five at home in Newfoundland, it appears my time in the ECHL has come to an end.

Very few people actually get to work their dream job. But I did. And I am forever grateful for the opportunity to have broadcasted in our home provinces only pro hockey championship alongside an incredible crew of coworkers. Thank you to the fans for watching and listening to our broadcast each week. It was an honor and the privilege of a lifetime to be the voice of the Growlers. And I genuinely enjoyed interacting with you and sharing our passions together. Thank you for the best five years a homer could ask for. The Newfoundland Growlers obviously officially ceased operations yesterday. We got. Obviously we've. We've heard rumors and we weren't sure whatever after the recording of the show yesterday. That's when it was officially announced that.

It was not a lot of lead up to that.

No, there wasn't. And so Deacon Sports and entertainment is a company that owned the ECHL Growlers. And they also Riviere. They were able to offload to Riviere. They were not able to sell the Newfoundland Growlers. From what I understand. The building wasn't selling that well.

They were getting like 4000 fans a game is what I heard.

Yeah. And probably not a very profitable operation. And ECHL franchises are not cheap.

Well, so you gotta find somebody, especially. Yeah, they gotta fly basically everywhere. They're on an island. Yeah, they're on an island. And there's not a whole lot of people on that island. With respect to most other major metro.

Well, cities in North America, it also speaks to the fact that Canada, and this is a canadian rule, only canadian airlines can fly between canadian cities. Which is why traveling within Canada, flying within Canada, is so expensive.

And in Chris Johnson's article on this, he was talking about how the Growlers have to subsidize airfare for the visiting team, so that cost goes to the Growlers, and that was just way too much.

And there is another team who had to do that a few years ago in the AHL, and I believe it was the Abbotsford Heat. I think it was the Abbotsford Heat. They were the former farm team of the flame, Calgary Flames, and it felt like the Marleys played them every second day. And a part of me wondered, like, is it because the Marleys are the only team who will play them? Like, it was. It was so weird. They played them an unbelievable amount of time.

So they had to also pay for the travel of the visiting team.

They did.

I think it was Abbotsford, or was it somewhere else? Because they have the Canucks now.

Mm hmm.

Like, it's. And it's one of those places where, hey, there's enough people here, and they love hockey, not unlike St. John's, but it's so far easy to get to.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Well, and there. I think there was a time when, I mean, the. Obviously, they had the St. John's Maple Leafs, which were an AHL team for years and years, and that was the Leafs farm team.

They've tried it a thousand times.

They have. I think that the fact is the costs are up enormously, especially in airfare travel in the last decade, and it's going to be difficult to put a team back in Newfoundland without an owner who's willing to accept some losses. I just don't know. Like, you know, with an ECHL team, there's obviously local businesses that are going to get in there and support just like, an OHL team, of course. But, you know, the population is not huge in Newfoundland. It's. It's. It's, like, vibrantly, culturally, extraordinarily vibrant.

Well, St. John's is 100, 2150 thousand. Like, there are smaller cities in the e. Sure.

But they're not. They're not canadian travel, and we're not talking about american travel. I'm not talking about Southwest Airlines, where you can get on a flight for $60. I'm talking about God, that's if you can. Like, it costs the same for us to fly to Halifax as it does. Like, one way, as it does to fly to. For Florida four times.

It affects shipping, too. When I was shipping books, I've told the story before, it costs more to send a book to, like, British Columbia or Halifax than it costs to send a book to Japan. It's unbelievable. Like, because I guess with the travel, you might as well be sending it to Japan.

Yes. Yeah, it's.

It's insane.

Yeah. So it's a. It's a shame. I feel for Growlers fans. I feel for the players. I know the players got really involved in the community and, you know, really beloved by the community.

Well, and a number of those players are out of a job, too.

Yeah.

Which was a sort of an underrated factor there. Todd Skerving, one of those guys. He's a free agent right now. I'm wearing one of his shirts right now.

And he was the captain.

He was the captain. The. So as I understand, the guys on NHL and AHL contracts, they're the, they're MLS's responsibility, the Leafs and the Marleys. And they can disperse them throughout the ECHL. They can call them up to the AHL. They can.

The people on NHL or AHL deals, they're unable to play in the ECHL.

Yeah.

It's only if you're an EChl player and on an EChl deal, you. You become a free agent.

Well, it's even more complicated.

Yeah.

If you're on an NHL or AHL deal and you're on this team, you have to go to one of those higher leagues.

Wow.

So. So the ECHl free agents now have to find new jobs.

Yeah.

And that league does not pay well.

And there's six games remaining in the season. So it's like, who wants to load up for the playoffs? I guess just. Can you find somebody to take you?

Would they even be eligible?

Oh, they have to. Yeah. Yeah.

I think they'll be eligible for the. For whatever team they play for. But it's gonna be tough.

You imagine that would be doubly cruel. Oh, hey, by the way, your team stopped existing and fuck off. You can't go to the playoffs either.

Devil's advocate, what if you're the team who has to play them?

You got a ringer all of a sudden.

You got like six new guys with six games left in the season. You're like, what the.

I'd also like, I feel bad for the guys whose jobs they're taking. Like, imagine you're a fourth liner on one of these teams. Somebody comes in, you're like, fuck, now I'm a healthy scratch.

Yep.

One of the guys, it's just worried about.

One of the guys I was worried about is Vatslav Pexa. He's. He's a goaltending prospect for the least. The EChL doesn't churn out a ton of NHL players. Bobby McMahon played EChl games. Timothy Lilgren, he played one still. Alexander Burroughs played for the Greenville Growl. Spelled with several R's, and it doesn't churn out a ton of skaters, but, like, goalies, it's kind of an important pipeline and at least shitload of goalies.

And SDA was the other one.

SDA played there.

Yeah. And there's also, the thing is, too, it's, it's, it's coaching. It's, that's where a lot of people get their start as head coaches like ECHL. OHL these are, these are really important grounds for guys that are going to be.

Yeah, I guess Matt Cook doesn't have a job then. Hey, he's got a no team coach.

Yeah.

That's crazy.

Yeah.

And so this is the fourth team that hasn't survived in St. John's because it was, it's the St. John's Frog Devils, who are a QMJHL team. They.

I think that's the future. If there's going to be a team there, it's going to have to be the Q.

But, like, it hasn't worked.

I know, I know.

Like, so, no, I just, I'm just saying, like, four teams haven't worked now it's probably not going to work.

Did you call them the frog Devils?

That's what they were, fog devils. I said frog devil.

I was like, wait, it's the fog.

Devils, the ice caps, the Maple Leafs and now the Growlers. That's four teams. I don't think hockey works when you got to do that.

Travel.

Like, probably the local hockey works when it's centered around the islands, the east coast there. But when you have to play teams who are provinces away, it seems like it's just not viable.

Senior hockey's alive and well. That was the Texan Terry Ryan yesterday, and he was saying as much. The locals are there to support. They, they talk about Bobby McMahon like, he played there half a decade. He played there like a handful of games. It sucks. I don't know what the solution is, but I know that there's enough people there to support a team, a normal team, but they're not under normal circumstances.

I wonder, too, about, about what the Leafs are gonna do, because the Leafs do need an echlt.

Yeah.

It's important.

So they need to be aligned with somebody. Now, they don't need to own it, but it should be something that they are able to, you know, have an agreement with. Like they did with the Growlers. The Growlers were loosely associated, but it was never an MLSC team.

The Growlers lost an entire season because of COVID and it screwed up a lot of people's development.

Yeah.

You know who might still be in the Leafs organization and not playing for a divisional rival?

Brazil.

Justin Brazil.

Yeah.

Who looks pretty fucking good for the Bruins.

Yeah, he got a stinger last night. I don't know if he made it back into the game, but, you know, who doesn't this time of year? Either way, I'm curious to see what the Leafs do about this. I thought that maybe they would jump in on that and at least grab the franchise and move it, but it might just be cheaper to start a new one if they wanted to own one themselves. I also know that the reason that, you know, the whole thing that the argument about against the WNBA team in Toronto was one of the owners didn't want another money losing franchise on the books. And we can debate the merits of that or not, because TFC loses money, Argos lose money. So they didn't want another one. So if they. You know, MLs, he's probably not looking at this and going, yeah, let's buy an ECHL team, even though they probably can light the money.

Yeah. Rogers and Bill also just didn't want to give up the Scotiabank dates. Like, oh, yeah. Want to give it to women's basketball. And it's awful.

Yeah. Yeah. Well, I think we also need a. Frankly, on that front, I think we need a new stadium.

Downtown Toronto lacks the good 13,000 seat stadium.

Yep.

You know, like 14, maybe ish. You know why?

I just feel like. Wait, didn't they announce they're gonna do renovations at Coca Cola Coliseum?

Did they?

I don't remember. Because the solution should be tearing that.

Place down, making it actually.

What's a hundred years old?

Dude, it's so old, and it smells like horsepoo. Like, tear it down. It does. It smells like.

Well, that's where they store the horses.

That's where they put the horses in the horse poop.

If anybody's not familiar with Toronto, they store the police horses. Where our AHL team plays.

Yes. And have for 100 years.

If you walk there, you know you're getting close because you smell horse poo. And also, the roads stop making sense. And they're not roads to drive. No. They're like.

They're just kind of, like, pathways.

Oh, I hate it. Oh, my God. I've driven to a Marley's game, like, a couple times. What a fucking.

No, never.

Every single time.

That's why the go train's right there.

100%.

Anyway. They're like Coca Cola Coliseum. I mean, that's an expensive solution, but it's perfect.

Location at. The building's there.

I know, but then I think of, like, could they put an ECHL team in Mississauga or Brampton?

Oh, no.

Speaking of places where hockey doesn't work, Brampton and Mississauga. There's a bajillion people there. There's, like, three quarters of a million people.

It's a bigger city combined. Well, Mississauga alone is a bigger city than Winnipeg.

It's comparable.

No, it's big.

It's more.

No, it's bigger than. I mean, it's not comparable. It's 100,000 more. Yes.

Or 6th in the country.

Right.

It's really, really, really big.

Yeah.

And I've always thought the. What is it still the Hershey center, or they call it.

No.

Paramount fine Foods. That's. They. Mississauga has an arena problem where the location of Paramount fine Foods is in the worst location possible.

It is the most cumbersome, tiring, tedious place to get to.

There's nothing around it. There's. It's impossible to transit to.

They.

They need something where square one is where. That's, quote, downtown. Mississauga is more centralized. Like, that would be the perfect location. But there's no. There's no land.

It's like, at the Leafs plate at the Toronto Zoo.

Exactly. Yeah.

Yeah. But there's no land left in Mississauga around that area to build an entire stadium.

So I don't know what the solution is there. Like, does London, Ontario love hockey enough that they could support an ACHL team? Like, what do you try to put one there in that little belt of London, Kitchener, Waterloo. There's a shit ton of people.

That's an interesting solution.

Yeah.

Well, you know, the other option is you head east. Kingston has an OHL team, Belleville has an AHL team. I don't know what you do. Oshawa. We got it.

Well, do they just, like, take over one of the american markets? You know, like, do they close by?

Yeah, it's possible. I just feel like that's a. That's a whole other kettle of fish, as they say, like, you know, because you're crossing the border and all that. I. The GTA is huge. It really feels like it should be able to work here, and you don't need that many people for it to succeed. I don't know, but.

But there's so much competition for the dollar.

That's a huge problem. It's. It's the old story that I've told about my buddy's band. Our buddy's band. Who? Aberdeen. They did the theme song for LFR. They struggled to find venues in Toronto, and then they did a tour of the east coast and they ran out of merch.

Yeah, they sold.

No one knew who they were. They were just like, hey, we're gonna show up. We're gonna listen to your music, we're gonna support you. And they ran out of merch in, like, two days. Yeah, or something like that.

It's.

It's. It's the way I described Saskatoon. There's nothing to do, and everyone's at the nothing.

That's right. That's right.

Let's do some trivia. What's the population of Mississauga?

I thought it was 700,000.

I think it's 750 to eight.

Steve, what's your guess?

700,000.

Adam? Seven.

Give me 758. I'll say 800.

800. It's 717. Okay, what's the population of Winnipeg?

600. 5757.

Hundred. 49.

Whoa.

So, Adam, in 2016, you would have been correct. Mississauga was 721. Winnipeg was 07:05. But in 2021, the population of those two cities. Mississauga, 717. Winnipeg is 749.

Wow. Because Winnipeg over COVID, a lot of people move there.

Plus 6.3% change.

Wow, that's huge. That's huge. Now I want to talk about the Pittsburgh Penguins. Jesse, can we bring up the NHL standings again?

Sure.

Because this is an important thing. Pittsburgh Penguins have been really bad this year, but frankly, they could still make the playoffs because the metropolitan is. It's worse than we thought. We called them the middle politan as a joke. We didn't realize that they would be two good teams, that everybody else kind of sucks.

Okay, the Metropolitan sucks. Let's talk about what it really is. The Metro sucks. And Sidney Crosby is absolutely fucked. He's completely insane. What was the number fifth or 16 points in his last five games? Yeah, but it's his most over that stretch since March 20, 1311 years ago.

Steve, you have a very good hockey memory.

Yeah.

Can you. Do you remember a time when we've had a worse playoff race? Because all of these teams are booty and none of them deserve a playoffs.

Watch them go on a run.

I feel like there was a pretty bad one in the west one year, but this is. The Penguins have a legitimate shot with seven games left. They have 79 points. If they win all seven games, what would that get them? 93.

Oh, that's not a playoff team in some years.

In the majority of them. I'm trying to think of how many the Leafs had the year they made it with the rookie team. Like, one of the, like, basically, you're gonna get that second wild card if you. If you hit the 90 mark. Dude, it's bad. Like, how many games remaining do all the teams have? We bring it up.

Yeah, you can pull it. Pull it up there, Matty. Pittsburgh's at 75, islanders at 75. Red Wings at 75. Capital is at 74, Flyers at 76.

Good lord.

So we got between six and eight games left.

So, like, if the. If the Capitals win out, so that's what, 16 points? 88. 98.

But that's.

If they win out, they finish with 98 points. Yeah.

Every team below the Capitals. Well, okay, not every two of the teams. The two teams immediately below the Capitals. They've won their most recent games. The Red Wings won, and the Islanders have won two straight, but they're both below 500 in their last ten. This race is miserable.

The best team out of all of these teams is the Penguins, who are only five, three and two.

Yes.

In their last.

They've won two straight, and it's resurrected their season, and they're like, oh, my gosh.

Can I also.

Three and two.

Can I also throw out there that the Penguins, before last night, had lost seven straight games to the Devils? They beat the Rangers and the Devils back to back, and half of the team has diarrhea. Oh, so they're calling this the great diarrhea run of 2024, at least according to confirmed. Apparently, the team is very sick. Yeah.

It's not been a good year for that. Anyone? No.

That's been going around.

No. And the team that we forgot to mention in all of that is the Flyers, who have essentially not won for the better part of a month and are still there.

I was interested. Brian Hayes from overdrive was on. It was on center, whatever they call overdrive. No, no. But he was on the J on Wright's version of SportsCenter, whatever that is. J on SC. I don't know. It's a complicated name. Anyway, he said, you know, after all the John Torturella press conference stuff, he's like, I find it interesting, and I'm paraphrasing here, he's like, it's. It's always the players, the goalies that this, the, that. When is it the john Torturella? And, and, you know, they have. And he said, listen, they've had a great year. Nobody thought this was a great team. And they're in a playoff spot and they got a few games left. Why are we taking this tact?

I'm. I'm not going to rip John Torturella for having a hard go at his players. That's what he does. I think it's okay for a coach to speak his mind every time John Tortorella says something cantankerous. I'm not going to rip him. What I am going to say is I'm allowed to have takeaways from his words. I don't, I'm not 100% convinced him and Danny Brier get along great.

I'm not either.

I did.

Danny Brier didn't hire him, though, right? Chuck Fletcher did.

I think you're right. And also, he's like, these guys can't play in these situations. I thought it was interesting, the spacing between can't play and situations. He's said that about guys before. I can't remember exactly when or who. I'm almost positive it was with Columbus. He talks about guys not being able to play. I think he said it about Anthony Duclair. I'm not totally sure. But you know what one thing is? When you say guys can't play in these situations, you're just leaving it out there nice and vague for the media and for the fans to look at the highlights and go, well, who's he talking about? And I certainly hope, like, I was watching one of the highlights and Jamie Dreisdale did not look good on one of the goals. And I'm like, I certainly hope he's not talking about this kid who, like.

Almost certainly he is.

Well, because way to make Cutter go to look like the smart one here.

Oh, he's looked like the smart one since day one, the way the Flyers handled the cutter go chief situation. And they were talking about Jamie Drysdale like, he's the second coming. Like, listen, Jamie Drysdale is a good player, but you lost the trade. You lost the trade.

If they put more effort into gassing Jamie, if they put as much effort into picking up Jamie Drysdale as they did into cutting down cutter Goje, he'd, he'd be in the Norris conversation. Yeah, that, that was, it was just a hit campaign against the kid. And you don't have to love what he did. A lot of it seemed unprofessional and rude, but, oh, no, somebody was rude. Oh, in hockey, man, I'm listening to Burke's law right now.

Is, is, by the way, is torturella rude? Just, I want to.

Is. He's a rude.

Oh, that's so weird. So he's upset when people are rude to him.

Not bad. Not bad. Let's not confuse rude person with bad person. But I'm listening to Burke's law right now and let's just say hockey has had a history of an absence of tact. I just find worry too much about him being rude.

I find that funny. That torturella, who is 65 years old can be rude. That's totally fine.

Is he 65?

Yeah. But kid who just says, you know what? I don't want to even really talk to you guys because I'm ready to leave. I don't want to be a part of this. And torts is reported to be the reason because he doesn't want to play for him. Oh, that's bad.

Don't draft a college kid like everyone talks about, you know, oh, I don't want to sign a russian kid because you never. You might stay in Russia like, yeah, you might. Or you might draft a college kid who can just stay at school and doesn't feel like signing with you. Zack Hyman did that.

Yeah. That's why the Leafs traded Greg McCagg for him.

Greg McCag in a 7th. Cause he was drafted by the Florida Panthers.

Right.

I was just gonna say that I think the Philadelphia Flyers did a great job in that trade, all things considered.

All things considered.

They didn't call anybody. Nobody knew he was available.

Yeah. No, but getting Jamie Drysdale, for a guy who just doesn't want to be in your organization, I think is a tidy piece of work.

I agree. And like, you know, maybe I'm getting too far away from the point here. That is going to be a fascinating thing for this offseason because like Mike Babcock and the Leafs, like him and Dubas very obviously did not see eye to eye. And you could tell by the things that they said, babs in particular, and the way John Torturella speaks, I don't think he agrees with the direction of this team.

Yeah, I mean, listen, I. What's, what sucks about this is it's a losing streak and they're perilously close to losing their playoff spot. And I think that if I was Danny Brier, I would want better leadership from my coach. You don't have to throw a hissy fit in front of the microphone every time, every once in a while being pissed like Sheldon Keef and I relate it back to the Leafs because everything relates back to the Leafs. Sheldon Keef has been out this year about how he feels about things. He was never allowed to be that under the previous administration.

Yeah. The difference is it's a Gm going, say whatever you want.

Right.

It seems very obvious based on the several years prior and this year that he has a license to be who he is.

Sheldon. This is Sheldon. But, but in Philadelphia, I'd be like, John, can you control your emotions, please? You're the leader. You're 65.

You don't need time for Cortarella to get a guy who knows how to handle his emotions.

And if I was Danny Briere, I'd be like, I didn't hire him.

Well, then there you go. He's gone. I have, there's whispers.

Is there whispers?

There's going to be a lot of turnover in the metro, I think.

I would hope so.

Yeah.

Columbus is the one that I keep banging that drum. I think it's going to be the hunters. But torts, I think, is one to keep an eye on.

But we should also, like, remember the expectations on this team. I get it's been, it's been a pretty monumental collapse considering I don't remember the time the Flyers weren't in a playoff spot this entire season, season. Because they started hot and have rode this playoff spot this entire time and they might fall out of it. But we need to remember that the expectations coming into this, this season was, hey, maybe we can get celebrini. We could be that bad.

I agree. I think. I think it's a difficult thing for Torturella to accept. And I understand. I don't know if either guy is wrong. Like, I think Danny Brier did right by the Flyers organization. I think he had a great trade deadline and I think John Tortorella wants to win. And what Danny Brier did at the trade deadline does not line up with winning now.

Yes.

And I think coaches want to win always. And I think heads may have been butted in the process.

Right. And I think john torture, john Torturella needs to reevaluate what this season was supposed to be and realize, hey, okay, we get that you guys failed down the stretch, but you're trying, we understand you're trying to win every game. Keep doing that. Like, I would encourage him to keep doing that because that's what he's there to do. And you go into next season with a lot of positive things to take away from this season, even though you failed in the latter half.

The reason I'm smiling, Jesse, is you and Adam just going, torts needs to do, torts needs to, torts isn't going to do any of the things he needs to do. He is John Torturella. He has lived as John Torturella. He will die as John Torturella.

And I think that that's why he's there in that position. I think what he's. He's done a fantastic job this season.

I don't hate the job he's done. No, not at all.

Like, no, I think you get, you can't take that away from him. No, not at all.

And he's done that by being John Torturella.

Just in terms of, he needs to change.

I don't think, like, I think that. I'm not. I'm not asking him to change anything.

Yeah.

Or, like, change his perspective.

No, I think, like, the way this will end will be his perspective on things. You know, if he, if he looks at it and he says, okay, we. I wanted to make the playoffs, and we didn't make the playoffs, like, I feel like he'll realize, like, okay, we didn't do enough here, and he'll go into next season with the same attitude that he had last season where it's, we're trying to win. And now I know what I have in my team in that it wasn't good enough, even though I thought it might have been good.

Story wrapped up in that the Islanders had a big lead. Flyers come back with Ivan Fedetov in net. They end up losing in the shootout. They did, but they get a point, which at least helps them escape the other teams nipping at their heels. The problem is, the Islanders are one of those teams, but Feditov looked good. Did you see the funny clip?

Which one?

The one of. He was sitting in his net either before overtime or the shootout, and Simeon Verlamov had to skate over and be like, that's my net.

He was in the wrong net. I did see that.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Wow.

I thought that was very.

That is awesome. I think there's a. Just wrapping up the torturella thing. I just bring the temperature down a little bit, calm the guys down. They're a little jumpy. You've had terrible goaltending. Not all of that's your fault, right. Most of that is, in fact, not your fault.

It's true.

Just. Just get them to the postseason. You're gonna look like a God. You're gonna be nominated for the Jack Adams. You're four or five games away from it. Just.

I think if the Flyers can get into the playoffs, their team is gonna look really good because they currently sit last in the league in power play percentage. Like, if they had any type of scoring on the power play like this playoff thing wouldn't even be a question. But where like what jumps out to me is the other side of the special teams is their third in the league. And penalty kill. And they're right up there with the Hurricanes, the lightning, the Bruins. All of these top Colorado avalanche are up there. All of these really good teams are really good at having a great penalty kill. And if they get into the playoffs where special teams kind of like goes away a little and they've shown that they can play great defense when bit they're, when they're down a man, like, I feel like there's a lot of confidence there with that group where they could steal a couple games.

Yep.

I mean, even just the, the ability to learn from playing against what I assume is going to be the Boston Bruins. Like, you know, it doesn't always lead to future victories, as we've seen, but it'll be good to learn in that environment.

They won't, young group, they won't play the Bruins.

Maybe the second wild card. And they would, oh, you're right. It'd be the metro.

They play the Hurricanes or the Rangers because the Rangers are currently first. Right. So.

Oh my God. That's how ESPN and TNT executive wants Rangers flyers.

Imagine you get New York Philly first round, the ratings.

Yeah. No, we need that.

We.

Oh, torch back in New York.

Oh, yeah.

Okay. I know what I'm cheering for. If they're, you know what's funny? We're getting carried away. That would be the matchup. If they drop to the second wild card, they're still in the third spot in the metro. And I believe the team they'd be playing is New York.

No, the hurricanes.

Oh, it'd be, oh, damn.

They're okay.

Here's what we.

The hurricanes or the Rangers, it looks like.

So we need, we either need the Rangers to stay there and the Flyers drop, or we need the Flyers to climb up and the Rangers drop. We need that.

You don't want hurricanes?

Flyers.

It's not as fun.

Yeah, they know that, like, hurricanes fan, who's more beatable? Oh, for the Flyers, who's the better matchup for them?

Oh, man. Man, oh, man.

I don't know if you had to do like probability, winning probability for the Flyers in each series. Like which one's higher against the Rangers or the, uh, hurricanes?

Maybe the hurricanes. And you just try to bully them.

You think so?

Yeah, that's, that's, I mean, that's the only shot. They're not gonna, they're not gonna be able to beat them straight up. They're not gonna be able to beat either team straight up. And I just like their.

Although, what a story that would be.

Oh, my God.

You imagine 20 points behind them.

Well, it'd be bloody Florida last year against Boston.

Oh, yeah. I, I'm. I want a New York Philly. Um, and I think, I think Carolina will handle Philadelphia better than New York would. I do think Carolina or New York would advance.

Both teams beat them.

But I think, I think Carolina plays the more defensively smothering game and the Flyers can't score a lot of goals anyway, most of the time. So you know what I mean?

Carolina needed one thing and that was goaltending. And they've got it.

For several months, Frederick Anderson, baby, like, has picked up.

If Carolina can survive what they had to survive with that atrocious goaltending. Like, no offense to the New York Rangers, but they have the edge in that division for me.

Yeah.

Because they had horrific goaltending for three or four months.

It was a long time.

And, and, and then, and the Rangers are a great team, but I also think the Rangers and Flyers are going to get into it in a physical way that I don't think Carolina necessarily would.

It'll be better tv.

It'll be way better tv.

It'll be Rangers flyers is better tv.

It'll be warm. Um, hey, I was saying on the stream last night, I'm like, we're always talking about the matchups we want. What are the matchups we don't want? Like, what will be what could be the most boring matchup in the playoffs if they started today, who do you not want to see playing each other? And a lot of people were talking about, um. What was it, the, uh, I'm trying to think of what came up last night. Um, I think it was sort of like it was mostly western conference, and it'd be something along the lines of, you know, Los Angeles and Winnipeg or Vegas. Los Angeles. If Vegas somehow Vegas is on a tear. By the way, beat up on the Canucks pretty good last night. There was a lot of that because they do play that kind of ground up game, you know what I mean? And LA is going to play that kind of game if they make the playoffs. Assuming they do, they're only three points up on the blues.

Yeah. No. If you're trying to sell the game, you want the Kings to lose as fast as possible, but they're playing exactly the sort of hockey you need to win in the playoffs.

Yeah. The Kings have lost three straight the Golden Knights are seven, two and one in their last ten.

Isn't the turnaround for teams this year, like, breakneck?

It is.

I feel like no one just goes 500.

A week ago, everybody was like, man, the Golden Knights stink. And then. Yeah. And now they're great.

They're on the verge of, like, St. Louis or Minnesota, like, taking their playoff spot, and all of a sudden they're going to face the Oilers and might have home ice against them. Like, it's crazy.

They're three points shy of that. That's. Yeah. And, and the Canucks have not been great of late. Five, four and one in the last ten.

They meet Demko, right?

Yeah. He's rehabbing, of course.

Yeah.

He's one of the best goalies in the league.

All right.

It's going to be. It is going to be. It's hard to find a bad matchup, but there are some teams that are boring. And people were saying, like, if the New York Islanders get in, it's going to be. Whoever they play is going to be boring. Right.

I mean, ironically, for. I don't know about canadian ratings necessarily, but american ratings are like, please don't give me Toronto, Florida.

Yeah. I think underrated. If the, if the islanders, who are one point out of the second wild card spot right now, Washington does have a game in hand, if the Islanders get in, they're playing New York.

Oh, subway series.

Yeah. Love that now. I love the, I love that on the outside. Is that going to be a good series? Like, they'll go to war, but, like, the way the Islanders play, they're gonna be a boring playoff team. That's what they're supposed to be. Right?

That's what they do. It's what.

So will Nashville.

Can they still do it? Can they? I'm trying to remember if the last time they went to the conference final, they still had devontaves. I don't remember if they did. Like, that's a big.

I don't remember when he was straight because it was during COVID I know. No, there's like, how they ever traded that player is beyond me for 2 seconds.

Yeah.

Adam put together.

Okay.

A realistic matchup, like, something that could happen with the standings. The lowest rated playoffs.

Like, ratings wise.

Rated. Television rated playoffs.

Well, first off, it's gonna be. It's gonna be in the west coast. Yeah. Later game, Winnipeg, La. So I.

Not.

That's not a realistic possibility.

Oh, not a realistic possibility.

Colorado, Florida.

So there's Colorado Winnipeg, which locally would do quite well.

Yeah.

Dallas Winnipeg locally would do pretty.

Dallas Winnipeg might be up.

That's not great.

It's not a great matchup. And it's not because. Not because it wouldn't do well in their home market.

And we're not saying the hockey is. The hockey would be talking about tv ratings.

Hockey would be awesome.

Dallas, Winnipeg might be it.

So then you've got Vegas, Vegas, Edmonton, which I think everybody's gonna watch. Cause Edmonton. I think Vancouver is going to do really well in the national ratings when we're talking about tv audiences because they're such an exciting, fresh thing. When you're new and you're fresh and it's like, wow, you're good. All of a sudden people are interested. It was like when the Leafs got in and played against the Cavs. People were like, wow, the Leafs. Interesting.

If the playoffs start today, are all four canadian teams in different series?

Three canadian teams?

Nope, four.

Oh, yeah. Winnipeg. Oh, yeah. Yeah. I think they are.

They are. Yeah.

Yeah. They're not playing each other, which means that they could all be out in the first round.

It could mean the opposite. That'd be neat.

It'd be way better if it was the opposite.

Does it involve Nashville?

Oh, yeah. Nashville.

Pretty small market, but Nashville.

Yeah. Smaller city. No offense. Nashville. You're a great city. And boring hockey. Like, I. The Bruins Nashville game last night, I can't tell you how boring that was.

I don't know if you even watched any of it.

The stream was just. I just started talking shit on the stream.

It was so on twitch.

There's a category of stream, and it's called just chatting. That's what it felt.

I was just chatting. It was the.

Just chatting.

I was for sure just chat.

It was good.

There was no goals, guys, until seven minutes left in the third. Like, it was bad. And it wasn't like, it was an exciting. Like, David Pasternak had a couple chances, Ryan O'Reilly had a couple chances, but there was nothing going on. It was all like, neutral zone takeaway. Neutral zone takeaway. Oh, my God. Oh, we pushed him off into the quarter. Oh, that's crazy. Like, it was so hockey. Barry trots and very Bruins hockey. The one thing I did say was, every time the Predz got on the power play, that Boston Penalty kill was crazy. And their first goal was a shorthanded goal.

Who'd you like?

Who did I like?

Outside of the, like, main suspects, like Charlie Coil.

Yeah, he scored last night. He's always been good. How they got him for a third round pick, I don't. I'll never know. I'll never forget. I'll never forgive the leafs for that. Because how is it that Devontae's goes for 2 seconds, Charlie Coyle is a third and the Leafs aren't in on these guys. Yeah.

You need to flee someone.

Fleece someone, please.

It'd be great.

Yeah.

Simply fleece someone.

Simply fleece.

Just do it.

Adam. Carolina. Washington might be a contender for your lowest rated series. I don't know.

So the keys coast.

No. The Kuznetsov story is cool.

Yeah.

But tv ratings wise. Tv ratings, it's not great.

They're not too far from each other, right?

No, I mean tv ratings. You just take the two smallest markets and like, dude, Vegas. Edmonton is, I imagine, for american audiences, poison.

Mm hmm.

I don't.

But it's probably might be the best.

Player in the world.

Yeah.

Yeah. They haven't featured. He's not prominently, though.

Well, cuz he's not. He's not the biggest superstar in terms of personality off the ice.

Right. Interest me. Ben, I don't think anybody had Jamie.

Ben, I don't think anybody's accusing Connor McDavid of being like, wow, what a great enormous. He's a good guy, but I think he's a hockey player. Right. I think that you. You want the. The stars are like Jack Hughes and like some Quinn Hughes and some of these guys that are like, bubbling under the surface. Matthews, I think, has got a bit of a star quality to him.

Ultimately, you need good teams who hate each other.

Yeah.

That is the key to a good match.

I think Edmonton, Vegas would be money.

Two great teams who hate each other, I think.

Anybody match again from last year?

Yeah. Oilers Kings are two great teams who.

Hate each other three times.

Yeah. I think the two boring teams in the west, though, are Nashville and La. And they're in the wild cards. The boring teams in the east that are going to play, quote unquote, boring hockey. Philadelphia, I think Carolina can score, and they had a lot of injuries going to last year's playoffs. Still managed it.

They're not boring.

Washington. What's interesting about Washington for me is you can sell that series based on most of the guys. Tkoshi's like 35. You know, it's like, oh, and they're here.

Oh, Vetchkin sells it. Like, that's. That's a money.

Yeah. Panthers, man. I don't know how you can't sell.

So give me now. You really didn't give an answer.

I know.

I'm sorry.

It's difficult.

He's kind of named every series. Give me the highest rated tv series. Now.

It's going to be the Leafs, whoever they're playing. End of story. It is. It is like. No. And not just in. Not just in Canada. Not just in Canada. You think in the snow, the Leafs are always among the highest rated in the States as well.

Really? Expats?

I think the rate. Whoever the Rangers play. So let's say it's no.

But, Adam, you can't just name them all.

But if you're asking me to, I'm giving.

What's number one?

Wait, there's the penguin. There's the Sabers. Still have an outside shot I can't make. There's the fly.

We're gonna do this for ten minutes. Again with the Lois.

There's the Devils.

All right. Okay, so my. My lowest rated. Lowest rated is Colorado Winnipeg. Lowest rate is Colorado Winnipeg. Okay, no offense to those markets, but no one's accusing Denver or Winnipeg of being a major, major, top five city in North America, okay? Fair. So that's what it is.

It's fair.

Doesn't mean it's not good. Hockey.

One of the only matchups where weed is legal in both markets.

Highest rating in the. In. In, let's say, North America.

Relevant.

If it's not the Toronto Maple Leafs and whoever they're playing, it's New York versus Washington.

Oh.

DC versus New York. There's a rivalry there? Oh, highest, highest rate.

For a second, I thought you were. I was like, you know, I moved on.

I picked one. Yeah, I picked up. You get.

You get the Rangers, you get all the Rangers stars, plus you get the Washington.

Then you get a vetchkin and you get huge metro area. Huge.

That's good.

I like it. Tv time with Adam Wilde considering their metros booming.

Oh, hey, he's a hip hop listener.

All right.

All right. Hey, let's do the press conference. The presser SDP, the Steve Dangle press conference. Steve Dangle press conference. You ready for it, Steve? How do you feel since it's the press conference, how do you feel about coming back from an ankle injury?

Oh, I'm kidding. Thanks for asking me your stupid fucking question.

I am just kidding.

Also, I don't listen to anything that you say. So who are you?

Yeah, there you go.

There you go. This is from Chef Bice. I think it's a very interesting point that they write on our discord server, SCPN Ca. There's a link to join us on Discord. Actually, it's in the description of every podcast as well, Chef Bice writes, the Leafs play a back to back finishing in Tampa to end the season on the 17th. The Panthers and Bruins both finish on the 16th. The Panthers only play two games in the last five days of the season. How is extra rest not a competitive advantage?

So I'm fascinated by how these playoffs are going to begin. Because the Leafs end on a Wednesday, right? And I was looking at that and going, well, okay, you'd think they want to start on a Saturday or a Wednesday, but that feels way too close. So the playoffs aren't going to begin on the 20th, and they weren't originally going to.

It moved.

It moved. And it. It does feel kind of shit that the Leafs, like, I assume the Leafs are gonna play on the Saturday and not the Sunday NHL.

If you have any type of competence, which you don't very often, you will have the Leafs opening the playoffs on Saturday night.

Right. So they're gonna have two full days off when the team they're probably gonna play against is three. That's not enough time between the regular season. Like, forget that. Forget that. It's the Leafs for a moment. What are we doing? Two days. Two full days.

Thursday, Friday, I'm bringing.

If I'm the Leafs, I'm bringing two planes. And the second one is full of the Marleys. And they're playing both of those games.

It's two days off after back to backs.

Two days off after back to backs on the road. And I can't remember who was talking about it. If it was CJ, like, you might be playing against Florida. So you're just gonna stay, which, like, do you have the schedule up?

Yeah, I can bring it up.

So, like, they're gonna be. If they stay in Florida, which is their prerogative, but it's also the smart thing to do, probably. After all that shit, they're gonna be away from home for, like, a week leading into the first round of the play. Yeah, there it is. So their last home game is April 13 against Detroit. We're gonna be streaming that game. I assume they arrive in Florida on Tuesday to play the Tuesday game against the Panthers. The next night they play the Lightning. Then they probably don't go home. They have Thursday and Friday off, and then they play Saturday. That sucks ass.

The Leafs play that home game, like you mentioned, on the 13 April. If they don't get home ice, they probably won't be back in Toronto until April 24, that Wednesday, because they'll play two games in Florida, open the series, and then the Wednesday, they'll probably be back or maybe even the Thursday.

I'm bringing two planes.

That's ridiculous.

Samsonov doesn't even dress. Reeves is on the first line. Matthews, Marner, Nylander are barred from the building.

How fun is it that the week before as well they have back to back with travel?

Oh, I just. I hate when the league. I just hate that the league does this and I know every team has to deal with it. It's just such an obvious competitive disadvantage. Not just back to back with travel. Jesse, road game, day off, home game, road game. So three games and four nights. Two of them are on the road. There's travel sucks ass. It sucks. There have been a few really weird and not nice blips on. On the schedule this year, at very least for Leafs. I know every team has to deal with it, right?

But you couldn't figure out the schedule to where you're playing. Pittsburgh and then New Jersey, both on the road instead of going Pittsburgh home, New Jersey Road, New Jersey home.

It feels like they have so many.

Why just the random Jersey road game when you could have gone Pittsburgh home, New Jersey home, then New Jersey on the road with a day off to travel.

Yeah, I liked the COVID season because you had like the MLB setup where you play two or three games against the team at once.

Leafs played three straight games in Edmonton, and one of them three.

Three almost shut outs. Those two shutdowns. One almost three different goalies.

I like. I liked it.

Was it three shutouts or almost? Yes, three almost.

I think Campbell and Hutchinson both got a shutout. Freddie let in one.

Unbelievable.

Yeah, it's insane.

The schedule is. This is bad.

Well, yeah, forget the regular season. Just a two day gap between the end of the regular season and playoffs feels unusually short. But I also feel like I'm. I don't want to get worked up about something, because what even is the schedule? I have no idea. This for like, listen, as someone who works covering hockey, I have very few complaints, and I don't expect anyone to give a shit about them.

No, these are minor, but.

No, no, but, but every year I try to make plans and people go, are you available? Are you of it? And for a solid month, every spring, I have to go. I don't know, until they release the schedule, but then I'm gonna have like a 48 hours turnaround.

Yeah, I actually thought between the release.

Of the schedule, I actually thought they.

Delayed the playoffs to the 2020 second. Am I wrong?

No, it was originally the 22nd.

They moved it up to the 20 last week or something. Or two weeks ago they announced that it's going to be the 20th is the new start date of the playoffs.

Okay. Sucks.

Which is. I've never. I don't remember last time the NHL's changed a major scheduling point like that this deep into the season.

No, it's usually. They usually have nearly a week.

They usually lock it in. Like, last June is like, hey, here's the NHL calendar for next season. And this year they're like, okay, we're moving the playoffs to the 20th. So I don't know. I originally saw from Pierre LeBron.

Oh, it was LeBron.

Yeah. But.

Yeah.

So it's gonna be a tough sledding for the Leafs this last month of the season.

They're gonna. The last two weeks, sir, sports science team is gonna have to work overdrive and they're gonna have to use their full financial might to. You think I'm joking? No, no. Bring two lanes.

You're dead serious. Like, nobody should play that Tampa Bay game.

Well.

Oh, absolutely.

Yeah. Like, that's like a Steve's Kiefer Bellows game, right?

Does Marsha Rafi want to play 25?

Yeah.

Bellows isn't under contract.

I know. I wouldn't even dress Sheldon Keef. I'd be like, somebody else. Take this. Like, let him have a night off. Yeah, have Guillaushe do it. Just stare down the Panthers.

So last year, their final game of the regular season was April 13, a three two win against the Rangers. They finished with three games on the road. They didn't play game one against Tampa until after four days rest. And this year we're looking at two.

That you can bring it up there.

It's.

It's a big difference, man.

Wow.

That's last year's schedule.

It's a very big difference.

Oh, they end the. The season with the Florida. The Florida Tampa back to backs again.

And this is the normal, by the way, this is the first normal season since COVID So you notice that it goes to the 29th. Last year. They were still dealing with fallout from moving the previous seasons, too. So this is the first. No, no, this starts.

That was the playoffs. That 29th is.

Oh, that's the play.

Yeah, the playoffs started April 18 last.

Weird.

This year starts later.

It starts later. Yeah.

And then they have. Don't they have like a weird break between the Eastern Conference and Western Conference finals and the finals. Isn't there like a week off?

There's a set date for when the Stanley cup finals begins and ends.

I think Frank Ceravale tweeted that the final day of the Stanley cup final, if it goes to game seven, is, like, June 25 5th.

Mm hmm.

Which is also really late.

They don't need to do this.

I don't know what's going on this year.

The start date of the Stanley cup final can move. If, like, the both series were four game sweeps, they can move that up. But there's, like, a late latest start date of it. Got it.

And that makes sense for broadcasting perspective.

And then that last date is. It's like two days before the draft.

Every, every freaking year. I was a first year employee at Sportsnet, and they didn't guarantee or wouldn't guarantee for months and months if I could go to the best man from my weddings. Wedding. And I was like, I'm like, dude, I'm in the wedding party. I'm a behind the scenes worker. It doesn't matter that I'm gone. And. Yeah. Anyway.

Well, I think your complaint actually is a lot of what the broadcasters would complain about, too, because they're holding revenue. And, like, think about it. If you're a salesperson. Well, we've sold you on a campaign. When does it start? We don't know.

Well, dude, there's. It's. It's like the Super bowl for several employees, like Sportsnet. And all these broadcasters. I've seen them. I've seen them do it. They run around like chickens with their head cut off. Okay. If this game ends this way tonight, it's. The worst is when the regular, the end of the regular season, the very last day, has all these playoff scenarios. Playoff scenarios because of wins and losses. You know, if it ends up sorting itself out before that, then it's not. It's not so bad. But if it goes all the way to the last day of the season, there's a two day gap, and they got to go. All right, this team and this team and this team and this team.

We're setting, this broadcast team, and, yeah.

It'S a pain in the ass.

It looks like it's going to end up that way in the east. Yeah, very much. Looks like this is going to come down to the last day.

It's a pain in the ass.

This next question is from Jazz jackrabbit. They wanted us to check in on the art Ross race because for the pod today, remember early on the season, it seemed like Kucharov was going to run away with the art Ross, and Steve said not to count out McDavid eyes emoji. So if we take a look at the art Ross race, the points race in the NHL right now, Nathan McKinnon and Nikita Kutrov are tied for first at 127 each, and Connor McDavid is in third place. Well, tied for. I guess. Yeah, third, I guess because the first two are two people tied at one. So he's third at 126. I think he's one point back.

Go ahead and click on McDavid. How many points shy of a thousand is he?

Oh, you want that?

Because I noticed everyone's starting to talk about it, and I've been on this shit for months. He is 76 now. I know there's not a lot of games.

Yeah, he won't get it.

He probably won't, but he's gonna get friggin close.

I'd like to say something.

No, I'd like to. I'd like to say something.

I think. I think the real story here with Conor McDavid is why he's regressed so much.

Yeah.

Because last year he had 150 points. So, you know, we're talking. Imagine Austin Matthews scored 25, 26 less points in the season than. Than he had the previous year.

Yo, does McDavid stink?

I think there's a western bias. I think there's a western bias.

Always has been.

Yeah. Really? And I feel like. I feel like we need to be talking about this more. This is a player that scored 150 points last year. Why does he have how much? 20% less points.

More like sports west, am I right? This is not sports.

I don't know if you're right on this one, Adam.

No, I'm kidding. Although, did you see the graphic from sports now? People were so upset in the west as they are. Who's the people? Just Internet people, Drew. Because it said. It said it was talking about the art Ross race. Kootrav. McKinnon. McDavid. And then it had, like, an asterisk underneath, and I don't know why. That's like, Matthews has 98 points or something, and we're like, no, no.

It said Matthews has 62 goals, which isn't what the graphic was about. The graphic is not about the rocket, Richard. It's about the art Ross.

Yeah. So why did they include Matthews?

I don't know. The only thing I can think of is people getting confused between what the art Ross is and what the rocket is. Like, the difference between a points trophy and a goals trophy.

But that would assume that people care about the trophies that much, and I don't think they do.

It was. It's odd.

It's odd.

It was an odd addition to the graphic. It didn't need to be there.

No, it did. What?

What is he in the actual NHL points race? Matthews. Like, he's.

Matthews is eight. He has 98 points.

Whoa. He just took over the scoring lead.

He and Willie could both get 100 points this year, which would be the first time either of them have gotten.

100 points and be nowhere near Marner.

Ending on 99 last year is like heart.

Oh, yeah, I know. I do feel he was gonna do.

It this year too.

For sure he was. And he'll do it next year if he's healthy the whole year. So. But don't ask him about it.

Well, it's, you know. Well, the Toronto media sends their. Their worst and meanest after.

Absolutely.

Kevin McGrath.

There is. What a monster.

Lance Hornby.

Mike size burger.

Two things.

Showdown size two things.

With the points stats going around. Connor McDavid, since we're talking about him, he's about to hit 100 assists in a season.

Goofy.

The 100 assisting. Sean McIndoe of the Athletic wrote an article about how amazing, like, how exclusive it really is to do 100 assists. The only three people. People to ever do it are Gretzky or Lemieux. That's the end of the list. We put a lot of emphasis on 60 goals. On 70 goals, like Austin Matthews chasing that down. But a less percentage of NHL players have ever had 100 assists. This is one of the most exclusive clubs in the entire NHL record book. So it's three people and it's soon to be four. McDavid or Lemieux? Gretzky.

They're all in the Mount Rushmore conversation of who is the best player.

Everett Ski.

Lemieux or. And you maybe throw how in there.

So when you're talking about. So when you're talking about other numbers, like 70 goals and just other point numbers, they are not as exclusive yogurt.

They never lose.

No, those other numbers include guys who you're like, oh, maybe he's not even a Hall of famer.

Like even Joe Thornton. Like, he had. No, his 0506 was ridiculous.

Nobody's done it except for those three guys and soon to be Connor McDavid.

No one in the eighties, Stas.

None of them.

None of them.

Or did it. I think we've established that there's only three players. Yeah. How long are you two gonna go along with?

We can just keep going. I'm trying to emphasize his greatness.

And so what I will say to that is, what's more impressive, 70 goals if Matthews gets it. Or McDavid with 100. McDave with 100 assists.

No. I think we learned assists matter more than goals.

Thank you.

Yes. Yes. I think.

I think that achievement is more impressive because lots of people have done it.

I think you're right.

People who have done it are three of the all time greatest.

Yes.

That's insane.

I don't. I don't.

Just the other. Hold on.

How many people have done it? I'm just wondering.

Three.

Hold on. So how. Never did it.

So, wait, Lefleur never did it? No.

Dion never did it.

He never did it.

Crazy. They did.

Ron Francis.

No. David Kampf. Never done it.

Wow.

Nick Bataan.

Never done it.

Dennis Malgan.

Matt stagen.

Never done it. Wow.

Tyler Bosak.

That's insulting to Tyler Bozak. Got close.

Matty's favorite player of all time, Tyler Bosak. Hey, clark, last stat thing that we throw out, Cindy Crosby. Did we mention him clinching a point a game? A point a game for his career and Kyle Dubas going out there and tweeting it.

I had this. I had this in our prep yesterday, and then I didn't get to it.

I'll bring it up.

Yeah, I get it up. So evolving hockey, and I got to give evolving hockey credit here. They're, like, not to be pedantic. Okay. To be super pedantic. Like, you know.

Yes.

Numbers, people. I think that's what you have to be. Right? Splitting hairs are what numbers are all about, and that's okay. But it is exhausting.

So what at evolving hockey. Evolving wild tweeted not to be pedantic. Okay, fine. To be pedantic. Points per game is a rate stat. Are the penguins just going to sit him the rest of the year? And this was a quote tweet of Sportsnet saying that's 19 straight point per game seasons for Sidney Crosby. Crosby is now tied with Wayne Gretzky for the most in NHL history. And Sidney Crosby passed the 82 point mark, so he clinched a point per game. Evolving wild. Didn't realize that. Thought he was just at a point per game at this point.

I really hope they were kidding.

Yes and no. It was April fool's day, and in reply to this tweet, Kyle Dubas himself tweeted the Tim Robinson, I think you should leave. Are you sure about that meme? It's very, very good stuff.

See, this means Kyle Dubas watches. I think you should leave. And it means he has a favorite sketch.

And I think it is.

I need to know what that is. I don't know. I think. Okay, Dubas is really weird. So I think it's the egg one. The one where the guy has to feed eggs to his little guy, and then the guy shows his butthole in the office.

No, I don't remember that one. There's so many. There's like eight in an episode as a 30 minutes episode. You know, they go by so quick. What's so funny?

I'm just laughing at the sketch.

The. I think. I think it's nice when Kyle Dubas does tweet, because usually Kyle Dubas is tweeting annoying stuff like, you know, philosophical things. You're like, damn it, Kyle, I just want to know what you're thinking.

Yeah, every defenseman on the team is injured, and he tweets like, a.

The chinese farmer.

YouTube video of the chinese farmer. And it's like, kyle, not now. Travis Dermot is our number one d. I don't want to hear it.

But. But then the world shut down. Yeah. Anything else, Jesse?

No, we're all good.

Okay. All right, well, listen, we're gonna. We're gonna wrap up the show there, but we will be back Friday. We'll have a Tampa Bay game to talk about and a playoff race. Can any of the metropolitan teams go over 500 over a ten game stretch? We'll find out in this stunning conclusion to your NHL season.

When does u two visit New York?

Steve, the Steve Dangle podcast. Follow the guys on Twitter. Eve Dangle, Adam Wylde, and Essieblake. Connection complete.