Spittin’ Chiclets Episode 541: Featuring Patrik Laine and Bob Stauffer

Summary

Spittin’ Chiclets Episode 541: Featuring Patrik Laine and Bob Stauffer

Hosts:

• Ryan Whitney
• Paul Bissonnette
• Mike Grinnelli

Guest:

• Patrick Laine, Montreal Canadiens Forward

Release Date: January 21, 2025

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1. Introduction and Opening Banter [00:00 - 01:09]

The episode kicks off with the hosts, Ryan Whitney, Paul Bissonnette, and Mike Grinnelli, engaging in their trademark humorous and irreverent banter. They introduce the topic of Pink Whitney, their favorite cocktail, playfully promoting its various sizes and consumption methods.

Notable Quote:

• Ryan Whitney [00:22]: "We love Pink Whitney and I love you guys."

2. Political Climate and Hockey: Trump's Inauguration [01:36 - 03:10]

The conversation shifts to the recent inauguration of Donald Trump, discussing its impact on the hockey community. The hosts reflect on social media reactions and the broader implications for the NHL, highlighting how political events intersect with sports fandom.

Notable Quote:

• Ryan Whitney [01:43]: "TJ Oshi is a hero of mine. He's an American hero."

3. Team Management: J.T. Miller and the Vancouver Canucks [03:06 - 05:02]

A significant portion is dedicated to analyzing the Vancouver Canucks' ongoing situation with J.T. Miller. The hosts debate the potential trade scenarios, emphasizing Miller's value to the team and the fan base. Mike Grinnelli strongly opposes trading Miller for a first-round pick, arguing his importance both on and off the ice.

Notable Quote:

• Mike Grinnelli [03:46]: "Don't move off this asset for nothing."

4. Personal Life Updates: Ski Trips and Work-Life Balance [05:02 - 07:40]

The hosts share personal anecdotes, including Mike Grinnelli's recent ski trip. They discuss the importance of taking time off to recharge, balancing work commitments with personal well-being, and humorous interactions with friends and acquaintances.

Notable Quote:

• Mike Grinnelli [06:21]: "I went to a couple nice dinners and bumped into the Canucks owner both nights in bed by 10 o'clock."

5. Officiating Issues: Connor McDavid's Penalty Concerns [37:32 - 42:37]

A heated discussion ensues about NHL officiating, particularly focusing on Edmonton Oilers' star Connor McDavid. The hosts express frustration over perceived leniency towards McDavid, citing his low penalties drawn per 60 minutes, which stands at 197th in the league.

Notable Quote:

• Ryan Whitney [41:08]: "Connor McDavid, for drawing penalties, is sitting at 197, 232."

6. Ownership News: The 'Gargoyles' ECHL Team [19:31 - 20:25]

Ryan Whitney announces their ownership stake in a new East Coast Hockey League (ECHL) team, the 'Gargoyles.' The hosts discuss branding, fan engagement, and the positive reception from the hockey community. They encourage listeners to support the team through social media and merchandise.

Notable Quote:

• Ryan Whitney [20:16]: "Our YouTube has over 373,000 subscribers now. Pretty big number if you ask me."

7. Guest Segment: Patrick Laine's Journey and Mental Health [141:03 - 192:54]

Introduction of Patrick Laine [141:03] Patrick Laine, a prominent NHL forward for the Montreal Canadiens, joins the podcast to discuss his recent ACL injury, recovery, and mental health journey. Laine candidly shares his struggles, the decision to take time off, and his efforts to maintain a positive mindset.

Key Topics Discussed:

• Injury and Recovery: Laine recounts his ACL injury and the rehabilitation process, highlighting the uncertainty of his return to the ice.

  Notable Quote:

  • Patrick Laine [161:48]: "I had to put a stop to it and... But now you're, you know, happier than ever and happy to be playing again and overall healthy."

• Mental Health and Support: Laine emphasizes the importance of therapy, positive thinking, and community support through his foundation aimed at helping others overcome adversity.

  Notable Quote:

  • Patrick Laine [175:56]: "I've been seeing a therapist three times a week for the last, like, year and a half about."

• Career Insights and Relationships: Laine discusses his relationships with coaches and teammates, his playing style, and aspirations within the NHL. He reflects on his time with the Winnipeg Jets and his transition to the Montreal Canadiens.

  Notable Quote:

  • Patrick Laine [177:03]: "But yeah, after that, I think it was a couple, couple years point point a game pretty much. But, but at the end of the day..."

• Fashion and Personal Interests: The conversation touches on Laine's love for fashion, his distinctive style, and how it has evolved over his career.

  Notable Quote:

  • Patrick Laine [149:12]: "I was like four, five years old when my dad took me to play for the first time."

8. NHL Team Dynamics and Player Trades [17:25 - 220:50]

The hosts delve into various NHL team dynamics, player performances, and potential trades. Discussions include:

• Evander Kane's Role and Trades: Analyzing Kane's impact on the New Jersey Devils and the challenges surrounding his trade value.

  Notable Quote:

  • Pasha [204:02]: "I wouldn't trade a 20-year-old guy you're gonna have for the next 15 years for a 32-year-old cancer and J.T. Miller."

• Draft Strategies and Team Building: Conversations around drafting, retaining salaries, and building a competitive roster through strategic trades and acquisitions.

• Connor McDavid's Playstyle and Team Support: Debating McDavid's aggressive playstyle and the support he receives from his team and fans.

• Patrick Laine's Insights: Offering Laine’s perspective on league issues, player management, and the importance of team chemistry.

Notable Quote:

• Paul Bissonnette [211:56]: "I'm telling you, the whole league knows he's a problem."

9. Concluding Remarks and Congratulations [221:03 - End]

The episode wraps up with the hosts extending congratulations to a listener’s brother on the birth of a granddaughter. They reiterate their support for guest Patrick Laine, encouraging listeners to engage with their content and stay tuned for future episodes.

Notable Quote:

• Ryan Whitney [151:25]: "I want to give a big congratulations to my brother Colin and his wife Claire. They had a baby girl, Rosemary Ellen Whitney."

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Key Takeaways:

• Team Management: The Vancouver Canucks' dilemma with J.T. Miller highlights the complexities of trading star players versus retaining fan engagement and team chemistry.

• Mental Health Awareness: Patrick Laine's openness about his mental health struggles underscores the importance of support systems for athletes dealing with injuries and personal challenges.

• Officiating in the NHL: Ongoing debates about NHL officiating practices, particularly concerning high-profile players like Connor McDavid, reflect broader conversations about fairness and consistency in the league.

• Ownership and Team Development: The hosts' investment in the 'Gargoyles' ECHL team demonstrates their commitment to fostering new talent and expanding their influence within the hockey community.

• Player Trades and Team Strategy: Comprehensive discussions on player trades, salary cap management, and team building strategies provide listeners with an insider’s perspective on the business side of hockey.

---

Notable Quotes:

1. Ryan Whitney [00:22]: "We love Pink Whitney and I love you guys."
2. Mike Grinnelli [03:46]: "Don't move off this asset for nothing."
3. Patrick Laine [161:48]: "I had to put a stop to it and... But now you're, you know, happier than ever and happy to be playing again and overall healthy."
4. Ryan Whitney [41:08]: "Connor McDavid, for drawing penalties, is sitting at 197, 232."
5. Pasha [204:02]: "I wouldn't trade a 20-year-old guy you're gonna have for the next 15 years for a 32-year-old cancer and J.T. Miller."

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This episode of Spittin’ Chiclets offers listeners a blend of insightful hockey analysis, candid conversations about athlete well-being, and engaging discussions on the intersection of sports and personal life. Featuring a heartfelt guest appearance by Patrick Laine, the episode underscores the multifaceted nature of professional sports and the importance of mental health and team dynamics.

Transcript

[Ryan Whitney]

Hey, Spit and Chiclets listeners.

[Paul Bissonnette]

You can find every episode on Apple podcasts, Spotify or YouTube Prime.

[Ryan Whitney]

Members can listen ad free on Amazon Music.

[Keith Yandle]

Me and Ryan have been officially welcomed to the jungle that is Barstool Sports.

[Ryan Whitney]

Our white whale, Sidney Crosby. Shave his head.

[Patrick Laine]

Shave his head.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Shave his head.

[Ryan Whitney]

Ryan Whitney.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Paul Vincent. R.A. mike Grinelli.

[Ryan Whitney]

Spittin Chicklets. What is up, folks? Welcome back to Spitting Chicklets. We right now are bringing to you episode 541. And it's Monday evening. We've had a long weekend, all of us. We gotta catch up, but first we gotta talk about Pink Whitney. We gotta talk about the pink wedding. Surviving Bar still one of the greatest episodes of reality TV of all time. And it was all because of Pink Whitney. This show is because of Pink Whitney. My life is because of Pink Whitney. That's why I have pink skin. To be honest with you guys and Pink Whitney, whether you want the little nips, whether you want the big old bottle.

[Mike Grinnelli]

I want the big old bottle.

[Ryan Whitney]

Or you want the little flask looking bottle right in the middle of all of them, you got your choice. With Pink Whitney, head on down to your local bar. Head on down to your local liquor store. Wherever you consume alcohol, grab your Pink Whitney. Do a shot, mix up a drink. I like it just with ice on the rock. Some people like, just add a little soda water. It doesn't. Doesn't matter. However you want to consume, you consume. We love Pink Whitney and I love you guys. Biz, what's going on, buddy?

[Mike Grinnelli]

Can you consume it? Celebrating a new president in office. Happy inaugurational day. Is that you say it Inaugurational?

[Ryan Whitney]

It was. It was his inauguration. I don't know if it's an inauguration, if you had the word correct. Yeah, Donald Trump back in office. There are some people just slamming their steering wheel right now with joy and then maybe with anger. But you know what? I saw TJ Oshi sent out a tweet and boom, that thing went viral as shit. TJ Oshi is a hero of mine. He's an American hero. So good luck to Donald Trump. All we're hoping for is amazing things for the United States.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Didn't he shout out OVI today?

[Ryan Whitney]

I believe so. I just got a text that he's shouting out OVI chasing down Gretzky. So that's interesting. Yeah, we've never started a show talking about Trump right away, but hey, he's.

[Mike Grinnelli]

I think he's the. The main story coming out of the world right now.

[Ryan Whitney]

Well, the main story was Zuckerberg staring At Bezos's wife's titties.

[Mike Grinnelli]

I didn't see that part.

[Ryan Whitney]

Oh, yeah. She wore a bra. She wore a bra and then a sport coat over it. She has cannons and Zuckerberg's just horny little.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Yeah, she's got bolt ons.

[Ryan Whitney]

She's got. I would think so. I would think so.

[Mike Grinnelli]

He's got to be on the T.

[Ryan Whitney]

No, I think he's on a lot more than the te.

[Keith Yandle]

Oh, yeah.

[Ryan Whitney]

A couple hundred million, actually. Billion. Jesus Christ.

[Mike Grinnelli]

So he's living till 150. You think if.

[Ryan Whitney]

If Bezos woke up and was worth a couple hundred million, you probably jump off a bridge. The fact I just said that I think it's a couple hundred billion, but I really don't know what I'm talking about.

[Keith Yandle]

400. 400 mil. A billion.

[Ryan Whitney]

400 billion.

[Keith Yandle]

Yeah. I thought that was musk.

[Ryan Whitney]

I thought Musk was 400 billion.

[Paul Bissonnette]

I don't know.

[Mike Grinnelli]

I don't know. My billionaires.

[Keith Yandle]

I don't know. I saw a picture today, it was like Musk, Zuckerberg, and then like the. Another guy and it was like a network.

[Ryan Whitney]

239.4 billion granites in the chat.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Not bad. That's pretty good. A lot of things you can do with that. Another guy who was at the inauguration was Vander Kane. I know he's on the ir, so he had a little time off and he got to go celebrate Trump's inauguration. So, as an Oiler fan, what do you make of that? Little good juju, Maybe a little bit of a softening to the White House?

[Ryan Whitney]

I don't know. He is Canadian, so I don't think he'll ever be working in the White House biz.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Oh, I meant more of like, wouldn't the Stanley cup winner. If McDavid and the Oilers won it, would they go there or would they go to Parliament?

[Ryan Whitney]

I don't think, since your country won a Stanley Cup. But it's all going to end this year when the oil is raised.

[Mike Grinnelli]

That's going to be part of the tariff. Hey, the tariff. It's like the cup has to go regardless. Even if a Canadian team wins it. That might be our only fucking chance in Canada, for crying out loud.

[Ryan Whitney]

Oh, you're. You're back. You're out on your Leafs already. No Cup.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Hey, it's difficult. It's difficult to play in a Canadian market as we're seeing with. Oh, my God, this J.T. miller situation. I've been in Vancouver, in Victoria the last three days. It's all anybody Wants to talk about. It's all anybody. So much so where I'm talking about it at Akalini's restaurant. We're going to get this in a little bit. And we're talking about at the dinner table. We're having a nice sit down dinner. I'm trying to get away from hockey. That's all my hockey buddies want to talk about is this J.T. miller situation. I round the corner to go to the bathroom and I see the owner of the Cup Canucks and he ends up asking me my thoughts on the Miller situation. So I'm on the payroll, but I'm going to save it. We're going to back away from that. You have to hang tight.

[Keith Yandle]

So you're the one that vetoed it. You're the one who vetoed the trade.

[Mike Grinnelli]

You think, you think you got the fucking step. The housewives of Vancouver, North Vancouver, it's the talk of the town. Why, even if you don't make playoffs, everybody's entertained. Look how much clicks this is getting. You're telling me you'd give up J.T. miller for Hedle in a first rounder? That's what was coming over the airways.

[Ryan Whitney]

And then I heard, and a D man too, like Mancini, who was there.

[Mike Grinnelli]

I believe at the start of the year, had a great training camp. But give me a fucking who doesn't? We're talking about a top 20 centerman in the league when he's playing healthy and focused on hockey. But as far as media circus goes, Canadian market, very difficult to play in and I'll leave it at that. I'm already getting hot and bothered by this situation.

[Ryan Whitney]

Okay, we'll get, we'll get into all this. We gotta, we gotta. I'm very excited to catch up with you guys. But first I do want to hear about, about the weekend biz because I was very excited for you. You went out skiing. I like as your friend, when you just get time away, you work way too much. I know you're not as rich as Keith and I, no offense, you will be someday. But you work way too much. So when you get a trip to ski and to make your own ice luge and, and, and, and cold tub, like, I'm happy. I like seeing that stuff.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Yeah.

[Ryan Whitney]

So how are you on the slopes? I feel like you'd be terrible at.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Skiing because you not very, very safe.

[Ryan Whitney]

Did you see the video?

[Keith Yandle]

He was pretty good.

[Ryan Whitney]

He videoed somebody else and he's like.

[Keith Yandle]

Here, wear my jacket and helmet. And then I can post it as.

[Mike Grinnelli]

If it's Me, tight hips on the slopes, obviously, but given the fact that I've been working out, all my stabilizers were firing. I didn't really do anything too dangerous. So if anybody's been to Whistler, Blackcomb, the mountains, I did the seventh Heaven. That was the hardest I went, but I was never really going super fast, so I was pretty solid on the edges. It took me a few runs, but I had a great time, so it was nice to recharge. Went to a couple nice dinners and as I said, bumped into the Canucks owner both nights in bed by 10 o'clock, though. That's how I like to party now. Go all day long, have some fun, get some exercise. Lights out by 10 o'clock. So a nice little friend trip and a recharge.

[Ryan Whitney]

And are you still. You've really. You've really tapered down the marijuana. Correct. I believe that it's mainly at night.

[Mike Grinnelli]

For your usage now, and also not doing too much.

[Ryan Whitney]

Okay. And. And you've completely ixnade porn. And we talk.

[Mike Grinnelli]

I've been off. I forget we're getting into Holy. What are you, my therapist?

[Ryan Whitney]

Over here, buddy. I tried last time I saw you. Hey, last time I saw you in Chicago, I got home and breeze like, how's Keith at biz? And I said, great. I said, I don't think I've ever seen biz happier and in a better mental state since I've known. I've known you really 20 years, bro.

[Keith Yandle]

And I've never seen Keith more down in the dumps.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Well, that's from hanging out with Merles for three days.

[Ryan Whitney]

That's. Keith has his own weekend issues that we're going to get into in a minute. Yeah, but I guess I. I guess I went a little off the rails there, but we started this episode talking about Trump's Inauguration Day.

[Mike Grinnelli]

You think you're talking about my. You just account worth 15 minutes into the pod. We just took a complete right turn there. And I will say that one of my New Year's resolutions, if not my main focus, along with my mental and physical health, is. Is laying off the. The belly button soup.

[Ryan Whitney]

Good. Yes, good.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Yes, good. Anything else you'd like to know?

[Ryan Whitney]

No, but G agrees with me that we've never seen you this happy and full of life and. And I guess full of come.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Oh, my God.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Oh, my God.

[Ryan Whitney]

Okay, we'll go to Keith. We'll go to Keith. I'm all over.

[Mike Grinnelli]

How do we transition on this?

[Ryan Whitney]

It's seven.

[Keith Yandle]

I am.

[Ryan Whitney]

Usually we record earlier, folks, but Keith had his Own issues this weekend. So it's pushed back.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Why?

[Ryan Whitney]

And I think I'm a little loopy right now. I'm a little out to lunch.

[Mike Grinnelli]

I think so, too.

[Keith Yandle]

Yeah. So this is my. My kids wanted to sign up for volleyball, so we go and do a. It's like a clinic type thing at one of these, you know, academies that has volleyball. They have teams, but you can also do, like, drop ins for. For, you know, lessons and whatnot. So I'm there the first day. The lady that owns the program, she's like, are you Mila and Lola's dad? I'm like, yeah. She's like, can you come in my office? I'm like, oh, boy, here we go. Felt like I was getting called into the principal's office. I started sweating profusely. I'm like, o, here we go.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Kind of like what you used to. Yeah, yeah, same thing. PTSD flashbacks.

[Keith Yandle]

100. I said it. I said as soon as I got. I was like. I felt like I was back in middle school getting sent to the principals, but. So the lady's like, listen, I think your kids are good enough. They could play on our travel team, whatever. So I'm like, all right, sure. We'll give it a shot. Just thinking that there's a couple local tournaments, you know, maybe a half hour drive. Hour drive. First tournament this weekend, boom. Five hour drive.

[Ryan Whitney]

Nowhere.

[Keith Yandle]

So in our an hour and a half past Orlando, it's called Ocala. It was actually one of the sickest hotels. I think if it wasn't a nice hotel, I would have left that for the first day. I would have been gone. So we get there Saturday. Their first game's at 4:15. So you're doing nothing all day. Luckily, it's a nice hotel. There's all these horse tracks around. You can go look at the horses. You can take horses around. Fun little setup. First game, that 4:15, got to be there at 3:15. That's got to stop too, by the way. Like, they sit around and do nothing. Let's just get there 20 minutes before and then warm up. You know, they're 13 and 11, so whatever.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Warm up or nothing.

[Keith Yandle]

Yeah, they did that for 10 minutes. But I don't understand why they need us there an hour before.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Well, crosby's doing it 45. I know. I just didn't know how long.

[Keith Yandle]

Yeah, he's also getting paid 8.78 grand.

[Mike Grinnelli]

No, that's true. That's true. There's a big pay difference. Well, if. Maybe it's. The gap is tightening but go on.

[Keith Yandle]

True. So we get there, we get absolutely work. This first game, I'm like, oh, boy, this is going to be long day. There's games up to 25. There are three sets, but if you win, if the first, if the one team wins the first two, it's over. Skunked skunk. 25. Boom. So done. Next game. Next game's right after, thank God. So I'm like, oh, all right. Nice. Boom. We get absolutely demolished in that game too. We're playing against teams that are unbelievable. We have no business being in this turn.

[Ryan Whitney]

Like, it's like AAU basketball, baseball, and like, you guys are just like the ragtag group.

[Mike Grinnelli]

What'd you do, put a wig on or something?

[Keith Yandle]

Yes. Yeah, it's. That's exactly like, we're a house league team. The girls had fun. They, they tried hard. They won one set, the whole tournament. Our parents were going nuts. It was unbelievable. But so, but after every game, so 4, 15, 5, 15 hour in between, then a 7:45 game. So an hour long game. So we're done. 8:45. I'm like, oh, my God, we gotta hustle back to get food before the kids can go to bed. They're like, oh, no, you don't know the rules here in volleyball. You have to stay after the game. Your whole team has to stay after the game and work the next game. So they have to do like the line judge, the substituting in and out. So not only in my. Exactly. I'm paying to play in this tournament. And they're not even paying officials. They're just having these kids doing it.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Come on.

[Keith Yandle]

So today, today I'm like, all right, finally this tournament's over. We got. We're not sniffing the finals or anything. So I'm like, we got to get on the road. I got to be on the road by 1:00. You know, we got the show to do. I already, you know, pushed you guys back enough, so then they're like, no, you gotta, you gotta do the, the game after this too. So my kids had to stay in ref. The game goes to three sets. I'm sitting there, I'm walking around, I'm like, we gotta go, we gotta go. My kids are reffing. I'm like, oh, let's go. We're leaving. I have to get on the road. So not only are we getting worked on the court, my kids not getting paid to, to, to referee.

[Ryan Whitney]

Yeah, throw em 10 bucks an hour, 10 bucks, 20 bucks a game.

[Keith Yandle]

And the kid, if you're not refereeing. So there's only. There's five girls that, like, help out, and then. And then they rotate or whatever. The other girls have to cheer for the other team. So you have to sit there and.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Cheer for a team that just beat tournaments. Is this her last tournament? You're done.

[Ryan Whitney]

That's why. Hey, this makes sense. I heard Trump at inauguration say, I got to make volleyball great again. This. He knows this is bullshit.

[Keith Yandle]

There's 30. There's 50 courts going on. And all you just hear for three days straight, just girls screaming, yelling, parents.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Screaming, welcome back to Guy Time.

[Ryan Whitney]

And by the way.

[Keith Yandle]

Yeah.

[Ryan Whitney]

You have been very open about how much you enjoy the girls lacrosse stuff. So this was just the exact opposite.

[Patrick Laine]

Basically.

[Ryan Whitney]

Like, this is not what we signed up for.

[Keith Yandle]

Well, because it's probably when we're in the lacrosse season, we're putting the beatings on the other teams. That's what I said to my kids. I'm like, hey, listen, you know, the teams that we beat in lacrosse, you're beating them by 10, 20. Like, this is. This is your payback for all that. Like, we had no business being in this. In this game, in this tournament. But at the end of the day, you need to take a couple beatings as a kid to.

[Patrick Laine]

Yes.

[Keith Yandle]

You know, to. To figure out life and figure out your sports. And, you know, honestly, I'm hoping they don't like it and don't want to ever play again.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Speaking of sports, I watched a little bit of that Tiger thing, that simulator.

[Ryan Whitney]

The tg.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Yeah. So here's my thoughts on it. If it was like 7:00 or anytime in prime time. Absolutely not. But I watched it the other night at, I think, 9, 30, 10 o'clock as I was going to bed. It was not bad to have on in, like, the background, but I will say, like, Tiger and those guys were not very entertaining. Like, they. They need to go after the John Dalies and, like, even lesser known, maybe even golf influencers, like, guys like Bob does and, like, make it fun and guys chirping each other and telling stories. I just feel like it. Golf's a little stale as it is. I don't mind, like, the point system and how you're kind of all in that tight quarters, but given how stale it was and, like, the lack of chirping and competitiveness, regardless, if it was Tiger woods, they'd be, like, putting, and there'd be people in the background, like, on their phones, not even paying attention.

[Ryan Whitney]

Well, so this is something that somebody. Were we talking about this last week, I don't.

[Mike Grinnelli]

I think we mentioned that it was like, it was launching and it was a thing, but I'd never watched it or had an opinion on it. I think it's, like, good going to bed television, but they need to get more thing.

[Ryan Whitney]

That's not good, especially a sport when you're. When you. When you're launching a new league that Rory and Tiger own. The worst thing you want to hear is, it's great going to bed. Tell us.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Well, when. Okay, so. But as a guy who golfs, like, when do you have time to consume stuff like that? When the kids are kind of in bed in that before bed hour.

[Ryan Whitney]

Right. Well, I think that I. Yeah, I. I know what you're saying. My biggest thing in watching is. The best part about it is the shot clock. And I was watching the final round. It was the American Express Challenge or whatever. This weekend, the Palm springs tournament, through 11 holes of the final round, 3 hours and 30 minutes there. The final round took the leaders 5 hours and 20 minutes. Too much that if. If the PGA Tour has a brain, they will add a shot clock. And imagine, like, all right, so what happens is, guy that you're paired with hits the ball the minute it stops rolling, whether it's in the fairway or on the green. You have 36 seconds, 35, 40 seconds, and then you see the countdown, and then you see, like, possibly a player saying to the caddy, hey, with 10 seconds, let me know. And the caddy's like, 10. Now, it would just. First off, it would speed up things, and second off, it would add this, like, level of excitement. Not necessarily excitement, but something different to where right now watching golf is like, oh, my God, three hours and 30 minutes for 11 holes. And I think it would make golfers play way better, personally, because, like, you don't have enough. Enough time to think.

[Keith Yandle]

You think it should be 36 seconds from the. So you have to walk to, like, after your drive.

[Mike Grinnelli]

No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. Next guy's balls, like, stops, and by the time it's in air, you could be. What? Even if you're, like, 20 yards up, you could start walking towards your ball and whip like, maybe throughout the course of a round. Give him, like, three. Three, like, thing, like, things to play where you can get, like, 30 extra seconds. If you're really having a hard time in between clubs, like, you can't tell me as a professional golfer, you need that extra 30 seconds every time. Like, the problem the PGA guys are having is, like, Guys are taking over a minute to decide where majority of those guys can get the decision made in the shot. Shot within probably 30 seconds. Right.

[Ryan Whitney]

Would you say these guys are at their home courses playing in 2 hours and 50 minutes, shooting 8 under, like, and I understand all the money on the line, everything, but it's just bullshit. And, and, and guys break the rule because there is technically, like a rule already and nothing happens. They don't give out penalty strokes. They don't do anything. They might find guys here and there, but they don't care. And they look at it like, well, I'm going to wake make way, way, way more if I finish higher. It's just, yeah, the, the, the, the tgl, I, I, I do, like, enjoy it. Like, I'll throw it on. It's nothing like groundbreaking. I shouldn't say groundbreak because it is pretty cool. They're in this amazing, like, stadium and they're hitting off actual grass and, and the green moves around and all that. But it's just, it's the time that it takes to watch golf now that the TGL is different that I enjoy. But I, I, I do have to get back to something involving us. We announced last episode about our ownership with the Greensboro East Coast Hockey League team, and the name came out boys. We couldn't say it at the time. The Gargoyles. I think it's phenomenal. I think the coloring is great. I think the logo is awesome. Were biased, yes, but the feedback was pretty, pretty overwhelmingly positive. And I wanted to say thank you to everyone who kind of, you know, I, I got some messages, Biz. We were actually chatting about how many people reached out to us that we didn't really expect.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Yeah.

[Ryan Whitney]

In terms of like, hey, is there, who's the gm? Who's the coach? All this different stuff that hockey guys might want to be involved with. So I think that the support for the Gargoyles is only going to get better and better. And go to gargoyles hockey.com and it's @gso gargoyles on social media, all your social media platforms. G's coming in here with something, I guess, and I was just going to say I saw some potential jersey renderings for next season, and they are fucking insane. They will be the best jerseys in the echl, maybe in all of them. So let me ask you something. You see these jerseys and you don't think it's cool to send them over to us so we could see them too? I was told Biz did receive them and I think you Were on the email.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Oh no. Just pass the buck over. They. I were sent them. I just assumed everybody got.

[Ryan Whitney]

Yeah, I was assumed everyone got the email.

[Mike Grinnelli]

I'll send it over to you right now, sir.

[Ryan Whitney]

You get the email, Keith?

[Keith Yandle]

I don't check my email, but yeah, I don't.

[Ryan Whitney]

I don't either. So I might have the email and I think you did a real fuel real fool right now. Well, you know where else I looked like a fool, guys? And you could check us out on the spit and chicklets YouTube page. Where biz. I believe we're over 370,000 subscribers now. Pretty big number if you ask me.

[Mike Grinnelli]

373.

[Ryan Whitney]

373. We dropped our vlog from the winter.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Check US TV, baby.

[Ryan Whitney]

IO rear admiral. A big time apology rear. I apologize, buddy, because I suck at basketball too. Yes, we did a competition. Fifteen threes. Each guy had 20 bucks a guy. If you didn't hit one, you owed 40 to the winner. I didn't sniff making a bucket. And then the worst part is I stayed there. I said, I'm not leaving until I hit a three. I shot 16 more. I missed 31 straight threes and I think 10 of them were air balls. So the fact of the matter is that when I made fun of Ra for his limp wristed, pathetic shots in the north end when his ball was wet, I didn't even have the wet ball excuse. I just. I just. I suck at basketball. And, and I'm not trying to pump my own tires, but I raked in baseball. Big power lefty on the mound. I grabbed a lacrosse stick once. Syracuse was setting me letters. I was a scratch golfer at one point. I swim like Michael phelps. I made 30 million playing hockey. I mean, you bring me another sport I can dominate. I've always sucked at basketball.

[Keith Yandle]

People, we're looking at a Bruce Jenner right here. He can do it all. Hey, I don't know if it picked it up on the, on the, the cameras when we were playing. I was like, what's going to dominate this? Because last I remembered you when I was a kid being unbelievable at basketball. And then it hit me three days later. It was water pool basketball. The dude was. But he was 8 at. Yeah, he was 68 at 14. Everyone else was 5 2. So.

[Ryan Whitney]

Well, I was shocked at the rim. And then Sean Bradley in with the body. I don't know if you guys remember Sean Bradley. I think about 7:1, £195. Same ears, same exact pink Whitney skin.

[Mike Grinnelli]

So where did he play?

[Ryan Whitney]

I think he drafted high Too.

[Keith Yandle]

Oh, was he on the Sonics?

[Mike Grinnelli]

Was he a flop?

[Ryan Whitney]

No. 76ers. I'm looking it up. Look, he was in Space Jam, boys. His. His last season, I believe was 0405 where he averaged 2.7 points, 2.8 rebounds.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Are you sending it to the chat here?

[Ryan Whitney]

7 6.

[Keith Yandle]

He was in space jam biz, I think.

[Ryan Whitney]

76 this guy. And he was the second overall pick to the 76ers in 1993. So I believe he ended up kind of becoming a little bit of a block, a bust. He led the NBA in blocks in 1997. That ain't too bad. He was all rookie second team. But yeah, check out our vlog. It was really fun. And of course on the edit, I Merle's broke the record at this. This sluggers viddy arcade mini basketball game. I ended up breaking his record. Fish left it out. I mean, who am I to complain? I didn't say anything about it besides text the entire group chat complaining. But it was a great vlog, so I want everyone to check it out right now. Great work by Fishy on editing that one right there. Moving forward, guys, I think we can get into business discussion with Francesco Aquilini.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Before we get there. Along with going to Edmonton for that Skechers appearance, I. I got to meet that, that kid Hudson. And guys, this is a really cool story. Unfortunate at one part, but such an inspirational kid. Hudson and myself and Whit got a text, text from Brandt Myers. This is what about probably a week, 10 days ago?

[Ryan Whitney]

Yeah.

[Mike Grinnelli]

And it was a young kid, 14 Hudson, who's got a prosthetic leg. And on the the leg it had a Bauer logo and a Chiclets logo. And I know that Brandt Myers lives in Edmonton and I knew that I was heading there. So I was like, oh, like I want to hear this kid's story and how he lost his leg and get a chance to meet him. So Brandt was able to put me us in touch with his mother Robin, and, and she came over with Hudson. We surprised them. I didn't realize it was going to be a surprise. So when I rounded the corner, he was like, white is a ghost. And I was like, oh, I didn't realize this is a surprise. So I got to end up having breakfast with Brandt Myers, Robin, his mother and Hudson and just heard the. The really unfortunate story. This kid loves music and hockey. And when he was 8 years old, he went to a 6am practice and. And he wasn't feeling good. Right. And all of a sudden it like turned into pneumonia. And I'm gonna read off everything that ended up happening as a result of this sickness that started on a Thursday morning at 6am from practice. It was H1N1 and he also got a staph infection, pneumonia, as I mentioned, sepsis. And it resulted in him. By the time Sunday had rolled around, he was, he was on life support. So for the next 113 days he was in the hospital and went through 49 surgeries. Dude, in order it affect. What happened was is basically he stopped getting oxygen, proper oxygen to his limbs. So it started affecting his arms in which they were able to recover basically on like a, I don't want to say a respirator, but something helping it get to his limbs. But unfortunately they had to tell him that he was going to lose his right leg. And just throughout the process of everything he was like the rock in the family. And Robin, the mother said that when the doctor and them had to prepare him for telling him about getting his leg amputated, he just looked at them both and was like, you know, I trust whatever you guys are saying, like let's go. And like never. And so like the mother described him just kind of being the rock of the family throughout this whole process and, and that's of course his other question was is, am I going to get to play hockey again? So obviously the doctors amputated the leg but he's got a prosthetic now and he's 14 years old. He's a healthy boy. You know, he has lost some function in his AR arms but he is the most positive, optimistic soul you'll ever meet in your life. Smiled the whole time. He's a stud, just an absolute stud and, and an inspiration. So it was really cool that Brandt put us in touch and, and sent that original group chat out and it was just great to get to meet him. And we'll be following Hudson's career from here on out and I think I believe his saying is, is trying, is winning and, and that's his philosophy. Moving, moving forward after being, being through this whole experience. And like I said it was just a pleasure getting to meet him and it really puts things into perspective for everyone and another reason why I love doing what we do here and I appreciate Brandt Myers and Rob and his mother and of course his father who's coaching his team now for, for putting me in touch with him and we're gonna like I said, be following his every move. And we, we sent them a big merch packets for chicklets and we appreciate your Support buddy. We love you. We love you over here, Hudson.

[Keith Yandle]

How about his, how about his, his prosthetic leg too?

[Mike Grinnelli]

Yeah, it's got the Chiclets logo and the Bauer logo. And even because he did lose some function in his hands, Bauer was able to make him like a special glove. So it helps with his grip and helps him kind of work the other hand up and down as you would if you're trying to make plays and stuff. So he was a stud hockey player when he was 8 and he's continued that success regardless of all these setbacks. And he's a, he, he's a, like I said, an inspiration to all. So shout out to Hudson.

[Ryan Whitney]

My, my guy, dude, Brandt Myers too is awesome.

[Mike Grinnelli]

He's all time guy.

[Ryan Whitney]

He went through a lot in his life and teammates talk about this guy like he's just a legend and what he's doing now helping others and how he's helped himself and, and it's just so cool that he reached out and you were going to Edmonton biz. That was awesome.

[Mike Grinnelli]

It just worked out perfect.

[Ryan Whitney]

I think something, I think something like I, I've learned being a parent, like, and you, you, you hear these stories. It's just heartbreaking. But kids are so resilient, dude. Kids are resilient. Like they don't have like the, the, the attitude at times that adults can have of just like wo is me and, and feeling bad for themselves and obviously there's times everyone goes through that kids are just beast. Like that kid, he gets that news and boom, he's just like all positivity and that's awesome biz. So I'm really pumped you got to do that. And, and thank you so much Hudson for listening. You are an inspiration. You are an inspiration to all.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Yeah. So among, among all that stuff, it was pretty nice getting to fill up the love tank this weekend and, and ready to roll and, and talk some hockey and I mean the drama continues. You guys want to hop into this Vancouver?

[Ryan Whitney]

We have to. We have.

[Mike Grinnelli]

I mean, fuck man, it's a fact. You get horse the owner of the.

[Ryan Whitney]

Team in the midst of this.

[Mike Grinnelli]

I just finished talking at the table for 20 minutes about this situation and I said the exact same thing to Aolini as I did at the dinner table. Regardless of how bad things are with J.T. miller right now, in the drama surrounding it, you don't give away this asset for nothing. If, if it's so toxic and I put my hands in the air, which I don't think it's that bad, but but if it's that toxic, given maybe the fact he's a little bit banged up, I don't think he's playing his best hockey right now. Maybe a little bit of frustration with the distraction of all the media stuff. You know, he has played a lot of hard hockey over the course of the last 18 months and you know, talk it was, I don't want to say overly critical, but just honest about his assessment of his game. Don't move off of this asset for nothing. Healthy. Scratch them for five, six games if you have to. You might upset him. But my understanding he has asked for a trade. Now publicly he's denying asking for this trade. I didn't get into the weeds about this with Akilini. I just simply said don't trade him for a first rounder. And hedle, that's not the move. Because even if you don't make playoffs this year and he's not very good and things fizzle out to the point where maybe he's not even with the team anymore, I don't think it'll get there. But how desperate are 10 to 15 teams in the league going to be this summer at trying to get a first two line center? You might not think he's a first line center, but on a Stanley cup winning team that's a second line center. I don't give a fuck about your feelings. I don't care about nothing. And in the right locker room with good leadership and maybe a lot of like minded individuals who are a little bit tapped in the competitive department, that that is a trade that you will get so much more back for than whatever we hear is being proposed. Now, now, I didn't talk about Schneider because at that point I hadn't heard his name come up. I don't think. I think that if you're getting a first rounder and Schneider and maybe a sprinkle of something else and maybe it's just Schneider. I actually don't mind that they need a good quality young defenseman. I would imagine Keandre Miller's off the table, but don't move off of this guy. And another thing, even if you don't make playoffs, it's all anybody in the city wants to talk about. You're still getting clicks, everybody is still very much engaged and you still winning, dude.

[Ryan Whitney]

They don't care about clicks.

[Mike Grinnelli]

I understand dude, but I'm saying is everybody's engaged. So why would you move off the asset for cheap given how everything's going right now? This is a fan base that was Chanting this guy's fucking name less than a year ago. This is a good hockey player, you're telling me because things have maybe fizzled out. You're just going to say, oh, let's just get rid of the headache. I'm hearing, I'm hearing from behind the scenes he is asking for a trade, but then publicly it's being said that he is not asking for that. So.

[Ryan Whitney]

Well, and then it was made clear Peter Petterson said he wants to stay. So, like, that was brought up to him. Now, in fairness to J.T. miller and, and Rick Talkett was honest about it. He said, like, every time he gets on the ice right now, something bad's happening and some of it's bad luck. And some of it, he brought up his reads. And then like, I saw a tweet going into, like some of his reads. That LA game, they were down three nothing. I think eight minutes in, they ended up losing five. 1. He's on the PK, he's like diving in on offense. They end up scoring, going up the other way. Talk. It goes down to him on the bench. Says something to him probably, hey, you're done for the night. He slides to the end of the bench. Vancouver's getting worked again at home. And it was like, oh, my God, the sky is falling in van.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Basically a little bit too much guessing to his game where you're. You're trying to jump the cheat to the offensive side. What you say?

[Keith Yandle]

I said, but at least they're getting clicks.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Yeah, you think I'm fucking cra. Okay, okay. Y. Are you trading him for healing a first rounder? You've been blowing this guy the last three podcasts. You're trading for a first rounder.

[Ryan Whitney]

It was a demand heal in a first rounder, which is a little different.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Okay. And if we're talking demand, it was Mancini, a guy who's got issues with concussions in the past and a first rounder. You're not making that trade.

[Keith Yandle]

Yeah, I don't know anything about the Mancini, but I. I think it's got to the point. And a guy like J.T. miller that obviously wears his heart on his sleeve, like we've seen with that team, and, you know, he's getting emotional. You know, it's. It's consuming him. Right? So I think the longer it plays on, I think the worse it's going to get. Like, I think when you're talking about a big time player, a guy of his stature, a guy that's been, you know, done what he's done in the league, especially last year. And I think the longer you talk about it and the more you're talking about it, I mean, you might not have dealt with it that much, but when your name's getting talked about, getting traded, your whole family's there. Like, you were a single guy playing in the NHL with you, too. Like. But when you have a family and your name's getting talked about every day, especially Canada, it's brutal. I. I think you got to pull the trigger and just trade the guy. I think you got to do it once. Once. It's getting, like, the ball rolling. You hear that the trade was about to happen on Saturday. Yeah, he wasn't gonna play. And then you're like, hey, all right, buddy.

[Mike Grinnelli]

But I'm also saying if. If I'm Akolini and I own the fucking team, I would. You don't think this is gonna happen with the Gargoyles? You don't think I'm gonna say, we ain't fucking giving this guy up for that? Screw that. I don't care if they need a walk to the point where I even said, like, I agree, probably the reads are off and he's dipping in, and his mind's not into it because of the amount he's being fucked with the media. That's why I said, even if it's like a, hey, take some healthy scratches and hit the reset, it's your asset. You could treat it however the fuck you want. And that's no disrespect to jt, but that's. If. If. If the relationship is genuinely fizzled out to that degree where he doesn't want to be in the locker room and it's that ugly, I'm still not moving off of him for what we were hearing, that the offer was from the other side, I'll tell you this much. You're not. You don't tell. You don't think Drury and the Rangers are more desperate to make a move than Vancouver Canucks?

[Ryan Whitney]

How.

[Mike Grinnelli]

How good were the Vancouver Canucks and how good was Petterson when JT wasn't even around? So fucking even if you got to send him home this summer, he's going to be worth way more. And based on all the clicks and the media exposure as to what's going on, the fact that they're a bubble team, I don't think anything changes as far as gate and attention to the team anyway. So I think this summer you get so much more. And that's it. That's. That's my opinion. And I think that the Rangers and. Or someone else is going to offer and sweeten the pot way more than what's been offered so far.

[Keith Yandle]

But it's also a bad look. If you're the owner of the team or the GM and you're just healthy scratching this guy to trade him in the summer, other free agents are going to see that shit and be like, I ain't signing there. They want to trade. They're going to sit me down.

[Mike Grinnelli]

For the rest of the free agents in Canada. It's a fucking gonk show. Look how they're treating J.T. right now. This is all you need to know. Hey, as Michael Buble said on our Instagram page, they should trade some of the media. I. Let's. Let's go to the real source of the problem. Like, I'm willing to talk about this a little bit, but I'm basically being forced. My hand is being forced to talk about this because it's the fucking housewives of North Vancouver at the Arbutus Club eating the head seats in the back seat right now.

[Ryan Whitney]

As. As somebody who.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Level three, baby.

[Ryan Whitney]

We're on level three motherfuckers who love seeing the Canuck struggle. Based on my passion and love for the Oilers, can I maybe say that. That this could all be the start of something with the Canucks, though? Because Saturday night, boys, J.T. miller did play, and he was a horse, and he had one of the best games he's had this year. He had two assists in the. In the first period. He was all over the top dogs for the Oilers. They got an enormous, emotional win. What. What if we. What if we're now, all right, what if they win it? What if they beat. What if they win Tuesday? I don't know who they are Tuesday, and then they got the Oilers again Thursday, and maybe this is something that gets them going.

[Mike Grinnelli]

You don't think. You don't think J.T. miller is a proud guy? I dangle that. I will just, you know, maybe we don't need you. Boom. Horse. Horse mode activated.

[Ryan Whitney]

Ask for the trade. Then it's like, well, I don't really.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Care your value, baby. Ride that horse.

[Ryan Whitney]

Oh, and they play Buffalo at home Tuesday. That's.

[Mike Grinnelli]

They play Buffalo now. This kind of segues perfectly into the league's decision as all this is going on in Vancouver. At the end of that game, that whole Garland incident happens, and then Bouchard gets cross checked in the face by Tyler Myers, and boy, oh, boy, did the league this one up. I don't care if you Want to direct all your hate and negativity towards me. The fact that they gave those guys three games and not one game each, so all those same guys are on the ice in Edmonton come Thursday night is one of the biggest misses I've seen in the league over the last calendar year.

[Ryan Whitney]

I would have taken pregame. I would have taken a pregame nap for Thursday.

[Mike Grinnelli]

No, no, you gotta fabricate intensity in today's game, and you have it on a silver platter. And you're gonna suspend the best player in the game who players have been draping all over all season long. And on that play, Garland, as he's getting up, locks his arm, drags him down, tired. End of the shift. And then after he finally battles through that, Garland kind of wraps his arms around him and takes him down again. And you got no oxygen going your brain because you basically just had a goddamn jiu jitsu match against a midget. And then you say, fuck you, and you cross check him in the face. And so, right? And so he should have fucking done that. And he should have paid the piper. One fucking game. Three games.

[Ryan Whitney]

I don't know how he got more than Matthews on Dahleen. Like, that was two, maybe two. That still has a. Missing the Canucks game.

[Mike Grinnelli]

I would have looked at the schedule and I would have said, I know, perfect. These can go police themselves. Case closed. Three games off.

[Ryan Whitney]

I'm so.

[Keith Yandle]

You know what it reminded me of? What? It reminded me. I'm a younger brother. You're an older brother, Wit. But it reminded me of when, like, you're a little brother picking on your older brother and your parents are in the background and like, don't hit him. Don't hit him to the older brother. And then finally, the older brother just snaps and just cross checks you right in the face. Because, Garland, if someone's all over you like that, at some point, no matter who you are, you are going to lose your mind. And he did.

[Mike Grinnelli]

And I know who you should give three games to. That referee who didn't call the two holds, buddy. Doesn't happen.

[Ryan Whitney]

It was Wes McCauley and Chris Lee, two really good refs. I was watching this game, screaming at the television. It was like 12:45. It was over. It was past midnight. They're trying to tie up the game. They're down three nothing. The comeback kings lately, they make it three, two. They're buzzing around the offensive zone. He. He was laying on them for 12 seconds. 12 seconds. There's two refs. I'm so sick and tired and we have Bob Stauffer on today's episode. The legend. Bob motherfucking Stauffer. I'll call him. And he talks a lot about what McDavid's going through. I am so sick and tired of watching this guy, game in and game out, get assaulted without penalties called on him. I, I do not care if you think that I'm being biased. Being an Oilers fan, this guy should have 10 times the amount of penalties called against him than they do or penalties he draws. It's crazy, dude. And he.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Did you see the slew foot he took from Kempe that got fined? Oh, he got fined with no penalty.

[Ryan Whitney]

5K. 5K.

[Mike Grinnelli]

And then another thing, too. Go ahead. Go ahead, Whit. You're frustrated. Go ahead.

[Ryan Whitney]

The refs. The refs, dude. They give the guy, what's this, what's the Russian on the Islanders? They give him a major, they review it, they take it away. Then he gets suspended. It's like, I don't get it. I don't get it. I don't understand what's happening. And this situation, you want to talk about a ref grabbing a hold of a game or losing control of a game that was on the refs at the end of that Vancouver Edmonton game. I, I, I've never seen something like that not be called. And, and, and Canucks fans are saying, like, oh, like, McDavid could have got up, could have like, buddy, you think he wants to lay there trying to tie up the game. Under a minute left. He's being held hold and just assaulted by Garland. And he had enough. He, you know what? He got lucky. He got lucky. He didn't get in trouble for that elbow on Johansson, which he said, I think to you on tnt, is that it was, I wasn't on purpose, which I caught.

[Mike Grinnelli]

I don't, I don't think it was either. I don't think it was on purpose either. And a lot of the minute. Hey, listen, Yan's, you're rolling your eyes and you could say your piece. You know what Wayne's comment was? He goes, he's, he's taken way more of those than he's given that he's had enough.

[Ryan Whitney]

He's had enough.

[Mike Grinnelli]

And he's, and he's had enough. And rightfully so. I don't know if he's getting his information from Bob Stauffer. Exactly. The nugget, that which he provides in which I'm not going to spoil. That was crazy. Like, I had no idea it was that bad. With the amount of punishment he's Taken. Go ahead. Yance. How do you feel about it?

[Keith Yandle]

I think he definitely meant to.

[Patrick Laine]

Yeah.

[Keith Yandle]

I mean he knows what he's doing. The guy's the most, he's the best player in the game. He knows what he's doing. He's obviously not trying to hit him in the chin. He's not trying to hit him in the chin and hurt him. Obviously he's trying to get separation or throw the pick for his, his teammate when he leaves him in the park. But I absolutely love the fact that he cross checked him in the face. You think all these superstars in the game even, you know Kucherov has that mean streak to him. He'll cross check you in the back of the game. He bring over David.

[Mike Grinnelli]

I call him the Leonard. We're in the, we're in the Leonard era.

[Keith Yandle]

Yeah.

[Ryan Whitney]

Yeah.

[Keith Yandle]

He's, he's got it.

[Mike Grinnelli]

I don't want, I don't want your thousand point bone you. I want a cup. I'm married. McDavid.

[Keith Yandle]

Yep. Yeah. He, he, he, I, I love that he's at that fact at that point in his career that he's like, you know what? I'm not getting the calls that I want. I'm not going to about. I'm not going to complain. I'm not going to go to the media. I'm going to take this into my own hand. I'm going to throw a couple elbows that guys are going to not want to come near me as much as they wanted to back in the day. And he is taking it in control of himself. He's not waiting for, you know, a tough guy on their team to come out and fight a guy for him. He's, he's doing it himself. That's going to give him an extra half of a second which he doesn't need because he's the best player in the fucking planet. So he's going to. The fact that he's doing this right now during the season, it's not during playoffs. He's, he's ramping it up now for them and with, for you being a fan of that team, being a fan of him, I absolutely love that. And he gets three days of rest. He's going to come back and have 100 points in the next 25 games.

[Ryan Whitney]

That's the one thing is he gets the three games off. The Oilers are so good. They're going to win the Pacific Division. I know people are Vegas, Vegas is a great team. The Oilers are something else. They really are. And I think with that we should throw it over to stuff because we go into this, we catch up on all things Oilers and then we got way more to talk about in the NHL. But right now I think it's time to send it over to Bob Stauffer. Guys, before we go any further, I need to talk to you about orgain. As an athlete or a former athlete, I care about what I put in my body and especially when it comes to protein. This podcast is sponsored by orgain. Orgain believes real nutrition has the power to make a real difference in people's lives or Gain's new 30 gram complete protein shakes offer protein packed real nutrition designed to satisfy your cravings without any added sugar. That's the big thing here. No added sugar. Plus they are an excellent source of premium ultra filtered protein with 9 all 9 essential amino acids. Are you looking to fuel your personal best need, muscle support and recovery or are you just looking to maintain a healthy lifestyle or gains 30 gram protein shakes? Check all of the boxes. Are you busy? Yep. Us too. That's why orgain is simple. You literally just grab one of orgain's protein shakes and go bring it to a workout in the car, wherever you need it. No more time consuming prep to get you all the protein you need. Orgain. I was lucky enough they sent me the vanilla flavor. Incredible. I'm crushing these things. I'm getting protein all day long with vanilla and I can't wait to try the other flavors. Remember, there is no quick fixes when it comes to your health. If you want more protein, give or gain 30 gram protein shakes a try, head on over to orgain.com Chiclets and use code Chiclets for 30% off your order. That's 30% O R G-A-I-N.com Chiclets that's the best offer you'll find but you have time to use this code. Chiclets is 30% off. One last time for 30% off, head to orgain.com chiclets and use our code chiclets. It's a very special day. Every time we have this guy on the show. It's been a little while. It's been a long time coming. But he's back. The host of oilers now on 880 CHED and panelist on sportsnet for the Edmonton oilers games. We got Bob Stauffer. What's going on?

[Mike Grinnelli]

No, no, no, no, no, no. Not a stoff man. There we go.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Yeah. You got all three of my chins in the shot. I see. So that's good. Go downhill, Paul. I mean, another. About another 12 years from now, you'll only be able to beat the hell out of four guys he'll be doing.

[Mike Grinnelli]

We got the hottest team in hockey and the hottie, hottest media member in hockey, Bob Stoffer. Let's go. Hey, when I'm getting DMS from you about the team, I know you're hot to trot and come on and give him a double wrister. I cannot wait to hear the stats that you're going to pull out of your ass for this team.

[Ryan Whitney]

And actually Biz makes a good point. Staff because the best team in the league for. For over two months. But we have some news this past weekend that has really sent me and you just flipping out, basically just spiraling. And, and the lack, the lack of protection for Connor McDavid, the Graham's game's greatest player. Take us through your reaction Saturday night in Vancouver. Heated rivalry and what went, went down and transpired.

[Paul Bissonnette]

So the politically correct euphemism for what occurs in Vancouver is that it's a unique market. Ryan, you used some wonderful terminology to express your feelings towards the conduct of a younger kid that I, as a broadcaster for a respective team just can't go down the path. But Vancouver, you know, it's a market that's had, you know, two riots and they've never won a cup. Bad luck.

[Ryan Whitney]

Those are, those are facts.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Those are facts, right?

[Paul Bissonnette]

Like they've had two of the classiest players of all time on their team, Henrik and Daniel City. And they've had some great players. They've had some, you know, even last year's team was a really good team. I remember sitting there, you laugh at this. It was after game five. The Canucks Millers scored in the final.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Minute of the game.

[Paul Bissonnette]

They're up three, two. We're in the hotel afterwards. I'm there with Frank Saravali. So two fat guys just sitting there trying to enjoy a glass of wine and a couple Canucks start beacon me about how bad the orders franchise is. And I'm sitting here looking at him like, hey, dude, it's a best of seven, not a best of five. So I was polite for about a minute and a half and then, you know, after about a minute and a half, the old school Bob that grew up and was stupid enough to try to, you know, stare down Todd, you. And when you know, Todd, the only guy ever to knock out Bob Probert in a fight, and I'm like, all right, buddy, enough. Go back to your table, screw off and remember, it's the best of seven. And funny, I didn't see that guy after game seven in Vancouver after. But their fans, their fans, their fans bring a certain energy. Okay. And the, the truth is the Canucks are. I know they've had a tough year. I think they're going to make the playoffs. They got a good team. They got a relentless management team. They got a good head coach. They got some good players. They got a little. But there's always something there. The games are always, they're, they're different. It's a different environment and it started early. Like Miller, they were ready to go. Okay. You know, Ray Ferrell said, he was on my show last week and he said, bob, they have an A game and a D game. Well, they brought their A game against Edmonton and we were on the, you know, the orders were basically it was eighth game in eight different cities over the last year.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Yeah, they were traveling a ton to the back to back where they came back.

[Paul Bissonnette]

We've been traveling, Paul, all over the place. And not to excuse it, Vancouver was good early. They were on it. But my, I got riled up right away. Like Boucher goes back to make a play. J.T. miller cross checks him, no problem. That's not a penalty in 1980, but it is today, right? And he cross checks him and Boosh does what I would expect Bush to do, turn around and slash him back across the wrist chop. You know what, no harm, no foul each way. Well, they get a power play, okay? And it just started there. Three power plays in the first period. They capitalized, they scored a couple goals. They missed a trip on the, on the second power play goal. Now it's a three nothing game. Now Edon's chasing and the orders to their credit, battled back and made a game of it. And then we had the incident at the end of the game. Whit, I know it teased you off and I got, you know, it just, we just, just think about what we watched on Saturday in the NFL. We watched Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs. They were going to win that game anyways. But he got gifted. 215 yard unnecessary roughness penalties. Barely touched on the play. Because in the NFL, we protect the stars. That's the mandate. Got to protect the quarterbacks, they protect the stars. You can't hit Pat Mahomes like maybe they've gone too far. Conversely, in the national hockey league, Conor McDavid has been gifted from the gods. He is the most dynamic, advanced player we have ever seen going into action today.

[Mike Grinnelli]

He's putting the glasses on, folks. Listen on the podcast, clip that, clip that.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Okay, going into action today, McDavid has drawn 0.89 penalties per 60 played. So if you factor in his time on ice and how many penalties he's drawn, it's 0.89 penalties drawn per 60. That is 197 in the NHL.

[Ryan Whitney]

That's impossible. Biz. Can you admit that Biz?

[Mike Grinnelli]

I, I agree man. I agree.

[Paul Bissonnette]

How, I don't know how I, I, I don't get like we're all like, you guys have done an unreal job with, with, with your podcast and growing your brand. But at the end of the day we're all here because of the players. That's as a broadcaster for a team, I'm in an Edmonton market and the orders, despite the fact that they're a mid sized market relative to the NHL or maybe even a small market relative to population, they are not a small market because of the power of that building and because of the power of their stars and what the passion means, you know, in oil country for hockey. But we're in the entertainment business and we're here because of the players. And the most advanced electrifying player in the league is 197th in penalty minutes drawn per penalties drawn per 60 minutes play. It makes no sense.

[Ryan Whitney]

It makes no sense. And, and stuff like the thing about Mahomes is and Brady didn't do this. He, he does like, he kind of, you know, he hams it up like that one get pushed out of bounds, he gets little dive going and, and on Twitter like obviously there's oilers haters and McDavid haters and they call him Mcdive and McFlop and I'm not, I'm biased Biz. I don't think he fights through a lot of, without throwing the head back and stuff.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Yeah, he does a lot. And he took, he took a slew foot. I think it was from Adrian Kempe in la. Pretty vicious and soft. The thing I was going to ask you about is I feel like he's getting a little bit nasty in his own right, kind of fighting this back where you did see the play in Minnesota. Like I personally, I don't give a fuck. Even if they didn't give him a two minute minor. Like you hear Minnesota fans complaining like, oh, you know, he's the, he's the of the walk so he's not getting called. But it's going both ways where he's taking that abuse and I like the fact that he's starting to give it back like you saw against Minnesota and like you ended up seeing against Garland.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Yeah, I, you. I think you make a great point. Look, there's. I do think there's a time honored tradition in the NHL where it's very egalitarian. They don't really go out of their way to. To. To treat the stars special. They never really.

[Mike Grinnelli]

It happened with Sid a little bit off the hop too, right. Like he was kind of getting mauled a lot.

[Paul Bissonnette]

And you earn that now. What used to happen, Paul, is when you did that to Wayne and the orders of the 80s yet Samanco, you had McSorley, you had McClelland take your pick. The orders had one of the three toughest teams in the NHL every year. And I'm going to put the Flyers in the Bruins there as well because they had tough team like St. Louis had tough teams in the mid-70s when they had Bob Gas off and the Flyers were tough. And then the toughest team in hockey at that time was not in Philadelphia and was not in St. Louis. It was in New Westminster with Punch McLean who's still alive at 92 and was at the game in Vancouver the other night. That team was tough. That team was psychotic tough. But the point I'm making in the players totally disciplined it back in the day. But we've moved away from that where we have limited role players that knew their job and kept the rats honest.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Right.

[Paul Bissonnette]

That's basically. That's what you. And we've moved away from that and now you can take liberties and what has to happen in that situation is you have to officiate and not manage. You have to make calls. And. And so that's when I sit there and quote a stat like you know, 197th and I. I think it's inevitable that there be. We're pre. We're taping this before the official word comes down. It's probably a one or two game suspension for con again what Matthew's got.

[Mike Grinnelli]

So. So here's my thoughts on that and I might have already mentioned it because we're. We pre recorded and now we got this interview dropping the game needs this right now. Okay. There's an opportunity for the NHL to let it police itself. If all those players that were involved in that incident are not playing against each other Thursday when they remeat. I think it's the biggest fucking fumble by the NHL in the last few years. Everybody is talking about this incident. You're talking about the fact that McDavid's getting let these guys police themselves and put Them in the line, that two cross checks, eye for an eye. Get them back in the fucking lineup if they want to find them a little bit of money. Fuck, find them a little bit of money. But put them in the lineup against each other Thursday and let them figure it out themselves.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Totally agree.

[Ryan Whitney]

Also, stuff like, because he's so fast and so quick and side to side and everything you talk about with McDavid's skills, I understand you can't call them all because, like, there are times he could have 10 penalties called against him in a game. It's crazy. But to be 197th on that list for penalties drawn for 60 minutes played, like, at least give him, like, top 20, right? Like, I get. I get with his game, there's going to be missed calls because. Because of the way he plays, but you cannot have him sitting that far down the list. And as Oilers fans who get called complainers like me online, it's like, I'm watching the games, dude, and yes, I'm biased, but I'm pretty open with calls against the Oilers, I'm like, that was a penalty. He deserved to get that one. And you just don't see enough. And Leon fights through him. Just Leon, actually, earlier than Conor, I think, took things into his own hands of like, all right, I'm just going to get this guy myself.

[Mike Grinnelli]

What do you guys think the answer is internally, if they can combat this? I think that Corey Perry's done a pretty good job this year of stepping up and fighting for the group. And then in this conversation, how much is Evander Kane missed as far as maybe a little added protection for. For him?

[Paul Bissonnette]

He's missed huge. I mean, I know last year they were playing Minnesota and Duheim was still in Minnesota and he ran Derrick Ryan, their fourth line center, and Derek, who just cleared waivers today, I mean, he's etched out an unbelievable career, right? Like, he didn't start in the NHL until he was 29. He's played 600 games in the league. Him and Belmar are the only players in NHL history to do that. He's got an unbelievable amount of respect for his teammates. And Kane skated right over, Duhamond said, You're not doing that. And, you know, there was a, you know, it's a four flines, the guy that Kane's stepping up and fighting for, right, in that situation. And he, you know, he did fine in the fight because Evander can fight, but they miss. They miss Evander. And I think of Anders in Washington.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Today, actually, but he's at the Inauguration Grinnell. He was telling us.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Yes, but no, they missed. Look, they missed, they missed that dimension. There's less. Harry's been unbelievable, but he call like he had gamesmanship. Right. That's part of why Corey. I mean Corey was a great star at one time. He's, he's, he's reinvented himself to extend his career. But he totally, he's always had gamesmanship in his and, and the others. The Oilers have an older veteran team that doesn't panic. You guys saw that firsthand last year in the playoffs and again this year. You know, all the times they've come from behind in games. But they're not the most physical team. And so, you know, now they are a little bit more physical at home than they are at road. On the road. And that's not a, that's not having a home hit counter going on Paulie. They just, they play and in part it might be a part because of the matchup. I hope that what you're suggesting ultimately comes to fruition. I first of all would suck to see Conor get suspended for a couple games and miss him at home. You know, McDavid's awfully giving with his time. He does a lot for the league. The least they could do is recognize maybe as the NHL is reaching, you know, an unforeseen scenario revenue wise compared to maybe where they were a few years ago. And we're all benefiting from it. Everybody.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Everybody. It's hard to get this type of passion in an 82 game schedule.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Yes.

[Mike Grinnelli]

You can't fabricate it. Why would you take it away when you have the opportunity to? We're talking about a couple cross checks here. Give them each one game. As long as they're all in the lineup, each other with each other on Thursday. That's what people want to fucking watch. Okay, let's not, let's not over.

[Paul Bissonnette]

You guys know this. There's a healthy rivalry with Vancouver. I had a little bit of fun at the start. The truth is I totally like their management is works hard. They're. They got a good head coach. They got Quinn Hughes. I, I know all the focus is always on Miller and Heson there. Quinn Hughes is by far their best player. It's not even close this year has.

[Ryan Whitney]

Made that evidently clear.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Yeah, like he's head and shoulders and, and he was probably hurt against Edmonton last year in the playoffs like because he wasn't quite himself. But I'm with you, Paul. We need, you know, you need games that matter in the regular season, but the Biggest thing is just call the penalty. The guy's got the pocket ton. I get it. He's moving fast. There's little reaches and little hooks. He does not embellish. I'm here to tell you that right now. He's not going to the Bill Barber 1974 Philadelphia Flyers School of Diving. He's not that guy stuff.

[Ryan Whitney]

I was talking to Jason Greger last week after the announcement of Klingberg was. Was announced. And I, I was actually curious if he'd kind of heard anything and, and how the recovery's gone, how his skating's been. And my point to him was, and he was agreeing is like, if he's 75, 80% of. Of peak John Klingberg, I know that's asking a lot and it's a crazy surgery, then, oh, my God, could that help the Oilers a ton. But explain to me how you look at the deal and can you, can you make it clear to maybe non Oilers fans on how they have six weeks to basically see before the deadline in terms of like, do we still need more upright shot D?

[Paul Bissonnette]

Yeah. Well, first of all, I mean, Klingberg skated today and did it. Immediate availability today, he says for the first time in years when he had a hip resurfacing surgery right or procedure done, he says he feels way better. He looked really fluid today. Frankly, he looked thin. Like for me, he looked light, quick and fast. I know that, you know, I had a lot of people while I was. I'm like, it's tough to tell in a practice like we had a couple years ago in 2020 when we came back for the bubble. Remember the bubble was in Edmonton and the opening day of practice, Philip Roberg was the best player in the ice. He looked unreal, so can be a little deceiving, but there's an opportunity there for Klingberg. If you have Everton's. You know, I talked to one of the players today. You know, we. And he was being polite and respectful, but he goes, I think we have a top three set of forwards in the NHL. Okay, so get the puck up the ice to the forwards. And if you, if, if you took a look at the advanced analytics. Ekholman Bouchard play an awful lot with McDavid. When McDavid and dry settler split up. Well, the one thing Klingberg can do is he can transition the puck. He can get it up the ice by letting the puck do the work. Ryan, I know there's fans that crap on you for your time at Edmonton. You played for a Brutal ankle injury. When you came back, you got the puck up the ice to the best players. That's what forwards want. I goal suck my entire time in my career where, unlike you guys, I wasn't a has been. I was a never was. Okay? But I'm telling you right now, those defensemen that could get the puck up the ice, that could let me cheat a little bit or let, you know, let me and hit you in stride so you can beat the defenseman wide. I mean, and that's what Klingberg can do. So Stan Bowman sitting there and everybody's like, I bet he needs a big six foot three, six foot four, shut down, ready. I'd argue if you take a look at what would complement the orders the best, it's another guy that could move the box.

[Mike Grinnelli]

It's Ryan Whitney. Bring him back. No wonder you want this guy on all time after all those the best.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Hey, you could ask him. I, I, I told his old buddy Joff just before the Olympics in 2010. I go, hey, what kind of guy is Ryan Whitney?

[Ryan Whitney]

He knew I was coming.

[Mike Grinnelli]

That's unbelievable.

[Ryan Whitney]

Hey, and you talk about D and moving the puck up ice and based on each team, right? Yeah. You need to, you need with Edmonton, you need to get that puck up. And Darnell Nurse.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Yeah.

[Ryan Whitney]

From me fan bases, he's taking heat. And this year it's been like, oh, my God, this guy just, just pressed the simplify button. He, he decided that when there wasn't a play there, he'd chip it out. And it's opened up more passes for him. His defense has been great. Like, how excited are you for, for him? Because I know he's a really good guy from everyone I talk to and that people are finally and, and rightfully so saying what a season he's having.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Well, he played through injury, like, he was hurt during that Vancouver series last year, and I know it cratered at that point. And then he bounced back when he played with Broberg starting in game four in Dallas last year. But less is more for Darnell, right? That's basically what you'd say. And Darnell is so bad. Like, I'll never forget this. We were at the rookie tournament in Penticton. That's the last time I joined you was back in September. We shot it from their arena and Nurse got in a fight. Rasmus Anderson picked the fight, and Nurse beat the week. I mean, it was a Nurse knows how to fight. And Rasmus took the fight. Rasmus doesn't take any crap from anybody. He doesn't want to get traded out of Calgary because he hates Edmonton and Vancouver. If I'm a play, I love that, right? Like, but then because Nurse had done a number on, on Rasmus, Nurse went down to Calgary for the first preseason game and they had a guy named Hunter Smith. Six foot six, toughest guy in the ohl. And Nurse got one like, you know, Nurse didn't have the, the range. I don't know if Nurse was as strong, but he showed more guile and got good positioning and he landed one and it drove the visor back into Hunter Smith's face and blew his face up. And I was like, damn, Darnell's tough. Like, that's because he took, he had to eat a couple. Well, now what's happened? You talk, Paul, about the importance of being able to answer. Darnell's so valuable. I don't want him being the guy that. Unless it's, hey, if it's J.T. miller, fine. You're taking off a really good right, but he can't be taken off, with all due respect. He can't be taken off a bottom six forward or a third party defense. But it's got to be a top four guy like him or it's got to be, you know, one of their star forwards that they're going to play that way. That's how well he's, he's a super important player for the team. They basically, they've got McDavid and dry settle, who are two of the, I mean, Leon's the best player in the league this year, but two of the five best players on the planet. Then they, they, they had the support guys in Nugent, Hopkins, you know, and, and Darnell that are drafted and developed. And then they added Ekhom and Bush in Hyman, right? Ekom and Hyman and the, the, you know, the character that, that. And that's part of the reason why they've become as good as, like they're a consistent 50 win team every year now, right? And so they're really good on the left side of the fence with Acom Nurse. And Kulak's having a great year too.

[Mike Grinnelli]

I, I asked Wayne this question. I said back when they went to the finals, right? And then the following year they returned and ended up winning. They didn't have much turnover, right? And I said, how are the, the Oilers going to do it where you lose a guy like Fogle, Hathaway, McLeod, Broberg, like, how have they been able to replenish those positions so quickly? And why are they, what, what is making them have success as a result. Yeah, you know, I had a lot.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Of animated discussions with some of our people in the fall last year about, specifically about Holloway and Broberg. Just because again, draft, those were the best two picks. Like, like Ken Holland as gm had the second best record in the Western Conference in the five years. The Orders have played the second most playoff games in the last three years. And his two best picks were Broberg and Holloway. And I wanted them to be a part of it long term. And, you know, St. Louis, very strategic timing on the offer sheets. It's a different team, Paul. That's all there is to it. It's a different team than it was last year. Doesn't have it. I suggest you can probably think its way around the game a little better.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Okay.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Because it's got some older, more mature guys. But Holloway, you could see it coming. He just needed to be given a slot. It was coming in McLeod's case. Sometimes you got to accept what a player is instead of worrying all the time about what he isn't. You know, Fogle for Arbitson. You know, Arvidson's a 5 time 20 goal score, 2 time 30 goal score.

[Mike Grinnelli]

I like him. He's a honey badger.

[Paul Bissonnette]

He is. But Foville had 20 even strength goals last year. That's hard to do. So I respect all the three forwards that are gone. I don't think they could have matched on Brobergen. They just could have done that. But certainly it's a different looking forward group. And I will tell you, as a, I was in grade 12, the year the owners won their first cup. We weren't sure the Orders could beat the Islanders that time until Game 3 in Edmonton. And then they just destroyed them. And I was like, it's over, man. You can see, you can see the flip. And you knew it was Evan's time. This was different. What happened last year, like, the Orders got smoked in four straight games by the Islanders back in 83. The orders learned from that. You know, Wayne would tell a story and so would Mark and all those other guys about seeing how beat up the Islanders were as they walked past the dress room. I mean, against Florida was one bounce. If that puck ricochets in the foldal shot off of Kulikov and Lynette, there's no two, one goal the other way eight seconds later. And you know, they didn't get a bounce. That's, that's, that's hockey. I mean, I'm a huge NFL fan. I got guys, oh, Lamar is never Going to win the big game. I'm like, he threw the ball on a two point convert to the most sure handed tight ended the entire league and the guy fricking drop it. Don't give me this. He can't win the big game. Right?

[Mike Grinnelli]

That's.

[Paul Bissonnette]

So it's, it's going to happen for Edmonton, but they're going to make an addition or two between now and the deadline. That's. I can all but guarantee that because I think they need to just change, just tweak a little bit with what they got.

[Mike Grinnelli]

And, and just to go to maybe one of those guys who was supposed to replenish the lineup. Skinner, I think he was healthy scratch three games in a row. This guy's never played a playoff game which some people seem to like use against him. Like do you think that it's just a rough patch? Do you think he's going to be the type of player that could actually help this get this group over the hump?

[Paul Bissonnette]

I think he'll have to decide that. I, I think that if he amends his game to play the Oilers game then he'll be fine. Like he's. And I'm gonna tell you what do.

[Mike Grinnelli]

You mean by that? He's just like too soft. Like not willing to go.

[Paul Bissonnette]

I think, I think when I watch him I see a guy that needs to give the pot, especially when he's playing with, you know, when he, the guy that's killed it here has been put. Colza like he, he's been the surprise like he's come in.

[Ryan Whitney]

He hits, he hits stuff.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Yeah, well and I mean he, he knocked out Lazon in a fight and he felt bad about it because you know A.J. greer did a number on him in his first fight. And, and by the way, Paul, AJ Greer cross check but goals and head first of the boards behind when the orders played Florida Pakols and jumped right back up and was ready to fight him. This is a guy that he'd lost to in his first NHL fight. But it's Picol but Coles and retrieves pucks for dry settle and he supports defensively for dry settle. And so people look at the finishing skills and he doesn't have as good of finishing skills as Jeff Skinner. But when, when, you know, I, what I noticed with Jeff is he does want the puck a lot and I think when you have those two centers you want to like I'm going to go back to Ryan Whitney. You said to me one time I put up like the 59 points in the, in Pittsburgh in your second or third year because you figured out give 87 the puck on the power play.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Thanks Sid.

[Ryan Whitney]

It was really tough to figure out.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Thanks for the Nantucket House, the fact.

[Ryan Whitney]

It took me that long. Right.

[Paul Bissonnette]

But no, I, I, I, I, I'd still say there's a chance it could work for Jeff Skinner, but there's no question to this point. I mean given that he's been a healthy scratch multiple times. It has been at, at this stage of the game, you know, it's, it's clear it hasn't worked the way they were hoping. But sometimes it eventually does work out. It just, it's so don't write them off yet. The one thing he can do is he can finish, he can score. He's a six time 30 goal scorer. But I, I sense it was it his like Jay Bowmeester never played in the playoffs right until he got to St. Louis. Jay's a hell of a defenseman, so that can happen in hockey sometimes. I just, I, I think in Skinner's case a little bit more give and go might help his game. To answer your question.

[Ryan Whitney]

So one thing that, that has been a little disappointing to the fan bases is the starts, right? They go down against Minnesota, they come back, they win. The next night they go down three nothings of the Aves, they come back, they win in regulation. Then they go down three nothing. Saturday, Vancouver, I'm like God damn it. But, but it's the Oilers and then they just couldn't even though they were all over them, tied up late. What is it about the starts? Like is that, is that like they don't play their game, they're not into it until they go down one or two. Like what do you think? Just seeing every game get the goal sniffer.

[Paul Bissonnette]

It's, it's a recent trend because they went seven like they went about seven straight games where they scored the first goal and you know it was, you know, you take a look at it and how they're eight and two in their last 10 games and the two losses, they're down four, one after one to Pittsburgh and couldn't come all the way back to that game and three nothing down against Vancouver. The fact that they came back against teams of the caliber of Minnesota, Colorado, back to back. When you think about it, it's crazy, right? But no, they got it. I don't know. I mean it's just a little rough patch.

[Ryan Whitney]

You think then.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Yeah, well, I mean they did have a bunch of games in a row where they scored first. Yeah, I never want to blame a goalie. Like, it's just, it's a harden up at the end of the day. Skinners, you know, say percent he's, he's above, you know, he's above the. The. The cut line at zero in terms of expected goals for. And the orders in Colorado had the worst numbers in the league through the first week of the season. So they've come a long way there. Edmonton's sixth in the league in goals against you guys. I think that's probably the most surprising statistic for everybody. Like they're a top eight team offensively. They're eighth in the league in the power play. That'll go up. We know that. But they're six in the league in goals against. And I think it's, you know, I say that long winded tweet Ryan a year ago or text about Knobloch playing zone defense and it would help this group. And I think we've seen that come to fruition because I think they were fifth in the league when Knobloch took over last year in defense and they're six in the league this season. So, I mean, with their, with their, with their offense, if you're, if you're top five or six in both categories. Well, I actually, I have the numbers right here.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Oh, okay.

[Ryan Whitney]

Put those glasses back on.

[Mike Grinnelli]

All right. Batman over here.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Yeah, no kidding. Since November 9th, the best record in the league, 750 points percentage, number two in goals, four. Number fifth in goals against, fifth of goals against. Fifth in the power play, six in the penalty kill, and fourth on five. And five expected goals score, which means you're five on five play. You have those sort of numbers. You're like, you're, you're a legit team. Now, Washington, who they play tomorrow, they have numbers very similar to that, except Washington's got a better save percentage because.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Logan Thompson shooting lightning bolts out of his ass right now.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Hey, Paul, I'll ask both you guys, how much does it screw guys up when both goaltenders catch with the right hand? There's only four in the league that catch up the right hand and Washington has two of them. Does it screw guys up when you're.

[Mike Grinnelli]

I don't. I didn't really look up when I was shooting, so you'd have to ask. Witness it off.

[Pasha]

Yeah.

[Ryan Whitney]

Biz had his head down. That's why I hit the guy in the stomach every time he got a shot.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Yeah, they always had quick chests against me. More important questions here, though, I saved them for last. Have you ever Met or petted Leonard, Connor McDavid's dog?

[Paul Bissonnette]

No, I. I camu to myself give Connor McDavid and Leon dry settle a as as much space as possible. I have. I have a dog that my son named. I'm the only one in the house this year. They all moved out to BC on me, but. So my dog's name is Anakin and of course is named after Skywalker. Yes, Anakin.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Skywalker's got a bonner.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Listen, Leonard. He does have quite the following here in oil country, though, Paul, and not quite as popular as you are.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Well, that's why I was going to ask you about him because when McDavid got his thousand point, they tried to present Leonard with a silver bone, a thousand silver silver point bone, and he rejected it. So I just wanted to know like, what the fan base is thinking about that if they're looking into that a little much. Is. Is there a disruptance in the Force?

[Ryan Whitney]

He wanted gold.

[Paul Bissonnette]

I. I don't know. I think the fan, like, you know, I have a theory on Canadian hockey fans during the season. Okay. They're, you know, they're. They really know the game. They're really passionate. They all watch this, you know your guys podcast, you know that. But they're all in and they know it. And when they're at those games, they're thinking as general managers. Okay, they are. Don't get me wrong. They cheer when the team scores and stuff, but come playoff time, it's. They are bands through and through and they support the team. That's why in a Canadian market, if you're going through the crapper and through a tough stretch, the fans, you know, they'll get on you a bit in the regular season because they're not getting the tickets for free.

[Mike Grinnelli]

What do you mean? Like, there's been like, talks of trading Leonard or something, like a little crazy or.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Well, I think they would trade Leonard for some more cap space if they could, but I don't think that goes well.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Post it. Post it. Rumor boys. Rumor boys. Leonard on the blocks.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Sniper says the owner fan management types would want to trade Leonard for.

[Mike Grinnelli]

They won't let you on the team playing anymore.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Bryce were still on. But no, it's. It's. We're. We're lucky to be on there.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Leonard's going to get your seat. From now on.

[Paul Bissonnette]

I'll be permanently in the doghouse. And it wouldn't be the first time. No, it's.

[Mike Grinnelli]

It.

[Paul Bissonnette]

That's what you. You're right, though. Like, that tells you everything. You need to know about what it's like here. Like, do they not have, like an Instagram or a Twitter account for the dog going at one point? For sure?

[Mike Grinnelli]

Oh, yeah, I think they have both for sure. The tabloids. Like, I know what Leonard's up to. More so than what Connor's up to.

[Paul Bissonnette]

See, it's that level of depth that people come to for this podcast knowing.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Right. That's what I mean.

[Ryan Whitney]

Exactly.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Details. So we don't want to work out the fact that the orders theoretically could have $4.4 million of cap space to work with come March the seventh, right at the trade deadline.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Damn it.

[Paul Bissonnette]

What's going on with Leonard, Connor's dog? There you go.

[Ryan Whitney]

Well, you brought up the possible cap space. And that kind of brings us to last question time with Roback. And you got to use code [e-mail] for a generous 20% off your first purchase through the end of this week. That's C H, I, C L E T s [e-mail] R, H, O, B A C, K. 20% off all hoodies, joggers, and more with code Chiclets. LT and them. Them not wanting to be a part of it, not wanting to use it. Then we hear about Evander Kane's knee surgery in the midst of the recovery from the hip surgery. Where are we at? And how do they end up deciding if they're going to put them on LTR and make them wait? Las Vegas, Golden Knight style.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Yeah. Cap circumcisers, welcome to the club.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Good.

[Mike Grinnelli]

I hope we do head to the club stuff.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Well, first of all, three things. Number one, I want to put a shout out because this is the last question to two of your most loyal viewers of this, which is Brad Harrison and Jeff Lang. They're big fans of yours, Ryan. They love you. They've told me about how much integrity you have when you lose some poker. So that tells me everything right there. They're like, Ryan Whitney was a great Edmonton Oiler in the eyes of those guys. So they wanted.

[Ryan Whitney]

I love them.

[Paul Bissonnette]

All right, so we'll. We'll do that. Oh, the question about. Secondly, you know, Evander's situation. It. You can't. I was going to bring up. You brought up Vegas. Kelly McCrimmon is a top flight general manager. I had friends that purchased the WHL team. Kelly was still in the WHL at that time. And they said, do you have any advice for us? And I said yes. When that 204 call comes in from Brandon, you hang up the phone because you're losing the trade the moment you get on the phone with them. Okay. He is an excellent manager. He's all in. They are relentless and you could make an argument two years ago and when Vegas beat Edmonton in six games, they beat the orders in the margins. And it was close, right? The orders dramatically outshot the Golden Knights in game five and game six and they got some saves from Aiden Hill which made Jerry Johansson, Aiden's agent, very happy because they went on to win the Stanley Cup. But you know, I, I, so I, you know, I look at what Vegas has done, they're a real well run team and I, and I might complain a bit about the officiating once in a while and wish and bring up stats like Connor McDavid's 197th in penalties drawn per 60 played. But I think the whole process, Yeah, I know you're joking around about the cap, cap circumvention with the lt. I'm going to tell you, in Kane's case, I, I haven't had a chance to talk to Evander for about a couple weeks. You know, you get a knee procedure like that following. He had, he was on my show in middle of December because he was doing a Christmas thing with a former I'm sold. I did this guy's games too. Golden Bears football player Trent Brown, who runs the biggest injury law firm in Edmonton and they took like a couple hundred underprivileged children out and for Christmas shopping. And he told me at that time Evander did that he'd had a surgery that had never been done before, hip surgery never been done before in an NHL player or a, like a core surgery that never been done before. And now he's had the setback. So I don't know when he's going to play guys, I, I, I don't have that answer.

[Mike Grinnelli]

So they're not cap circumcisers is what you're saying.

[Paul Bissonnette]

I, it, you can't be Paul at all.

[Ryan Whitney]

Want to, they didn't want to do it.

[Paul Bissonnette]

I mean in a perfect world they'd have this guy 100% healthy and 100 dug in. Because you said it earlier in the segment, you said they missed Evander Kane. Paul, you're right. They miss Evander Cave. The a healthy Evander Kane against Matthew Tkachuk in Calgary. He got in their head okay in that series, right? He was.

[Ryan Whitney]

And he lit it up too.

[Paul Bissonnette]

He, and he lit it up because he could do that like he had to. He led the playoffs in scoring that year and the orders didn't play in the Stanley Cup Final and he led.

[Mike Grinnelli]

The playoffs and they got swept in the conference finals too.

[Paul Bissonnette]

That's crazy By Colorado was a superior team. But he that you know a healthy. If they'd had a healthy event or if ands and buts. I don't want to take away from Florida. It was a close series but you know they need. If Evander was healthy he'd be playing. I'm telling you that because they need what he brings. I just don't know when he's going to be able to come back.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Stop. What a performance. I mean your wrist must be so sore. The Oilers look like they're going to make the finals. I think they're going to meet the Leafs in the finals this year. I think that's.

[Ryan Whitney]

What do you mean? You said. You said LA's beating him in the first round.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Yeah, well that's my take is I think that they can compete against it but stock 100% off stage Paul.

[Paul Bissonnette]

100%. LA is a good team and they can defend.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Thank you. Thank you stuff.

[Paul Bissonnette]

It'll be a tough. So your Leafs like that. You know what I'm actually. I'm actually surprised Toronto hasn't had more extended playoff run like I thought. Tree did a pretty good job building a heavier, tougher team last year.

[Ryan Whitney]

This is their best team in the past five, six years.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Not even close. Not even close. Totally agree. They'll be. They'll be a tough. And you know what else? Florida's not as good as they were. Kappa can score. They can score. It's still a real tough to. But Boston isn't what they once were as well.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Right.

[Paul Bissonnette]

And that's a bit of a difference maker right there. Like I think the Leafs beat Boston all day. If they end up playing Boston, damn straight. Does Toronto win the division?

[Ryan Whitney]

I think they do.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Yeah. I think they do. And I think it'd be important because I'd rather see them not play Tampa and or Florida in the first round.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Let those teams. Let those teams beat the crop.

[Mike Grinnelli]

What Whit is. I think Whit said in our group chat is seeing them versus Ottawa would be interesting. Battle of Ontario. No pressure on Ottawa. Like first time making playoffs in a while. I think that that would be a cool series as well as I mean I wouldn't mind meeting Boston again. Somehow I think that like you said we'd work them. So Stof we thank you for coming on. Buddy guys. Electric as always. And we'll see.

[Ryan Whitney]

We'll see you in your future.

[Paul Bissonnette]

All right, thanks a lot, fells.

[Mike Grinnelli]

See you.

[Ryan Whitney]

All right. See you soon, bud. Before we continue, guys, I want to talk about body armor. We're so lucky to be sponsored by Body Armor. The best. The best water in the world. And they got some great taste in flavors, too. Strawberry banana is my favorite. Orange mango I think is G's favorite. And this entire show is brought to you by Body Armor Sports Drink. Real hydration, real ingredients packed with electrolytes, vitamins, and nothing artificial. Go right now to Walmart or your local, local grocery store near you. Pick up your own body armor. They got the wide mouth, normal water. They got the flavored water and all of it. No artificial ad, nothing added. Artificial. That's what we're talking about. Vitamins, electrolytes, and nothing artificial. Get yours right now at Walmart or a local grocery store near you. Thank you so much to Stauff, and I don't. Stauff knows his shit. Stauff is dialed in with the Edmonton Oilers. He made him sign. He made him sign Noah Philp. So I think he might have been wrong, though, because I think he said per 60 Minutes, McDavid is 197th in the league in penalties drawn. He's actually 232nd, I believe now. Stoff made it clear that that's a minimum of 10 games played. So maybe that's where he had. It was 197. Either way, the fact that Connor McDavid, for drawing penalties, is sitting at 197, 232, if he was sitting at 80th, I'd be disgusted. So they got to figure it out. They have to figure it out. And you can call him McDiver. Like I said to stuff. McFlop, fuck off.

[Mike Grinnelli]

No, he doesn't. No, he doesn't.

[Ryan Whitney]

He doesn't.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Dude, I asked you, you Whit or G did I had him test you? Because we were talking about Garland, and I would say, listen, Garland competes his dick off. But if you don't think he flips his head back every once in a while when he's competing and battling to draw that penalty. And sometimes he does get the call and it infuriates guys. So he's that type of guy. So it probably just finally got to McDavid to where the fucking wires cross. McDavid. I'm sure we'll get a few videos. But rarely, rarely embellishes anything. And that would be hard to do if you're getting fucking. Like, you're basically carrying around a weight vest all night. Full of players.

[Ryan Whitney]

Hey, it's kind of crazy how similar Connor Garland is to this former NHLer and now that he has the turtleneck on because I believe he wears one of those shirts that has the built in neck guard. Now he has this. I'm like, oh my God, this is the same player. You guys remember. Turtleneck dives. Competes like a skilled offensively annoying to play against. Competes hard. Turtleneck Thomas panicking.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Yeah, I would say that maybe a little bit more high end offense from Planik. Was he a better player point wise? I want to say I'm going to.

[Ryan Whitney]

Look up his points right now.

[Mike Grinnelli]

I would say that he was a 60 point guy with Montreal. I want to say he got the C at one point, but did he get the C?

[Ryan Whitney]

Garland's skilled dude. He had a 70 point season and a 60 point season and then three. No, he had a 69 point year, 70 point year, a 60 point year and then three other years. 57, 52, 54. So yeah, I don't believe Garfield has consistency, man.

[Mike Grinnelli]

How many 50 point years has Garland had?

[Ryan Whitney]

I'm checking right now, but I like the comparison. One, but he's had a 39, a 39, a 46 and a 47. And this year he's on pace for over 50. So do you know what I'm saying though? Like undersized, the turtleneck. All of a sudden I'm like, this is panic. This is Thomas panic.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Yeah, he had a little bit of piece of in him and that's a compliment.

[Ryan Whitney]

And we talked about John Klingberg signing with the Oilers with stuff. I'm, I am excited. I mean I'm very happy for, for a guy that let, let's be honest, guys, like it's public knowledge that he turned down a monster deal in Dallas and I believe it was right around seven times seven. And the mental anguish you go through when you don't end up getting anywhere near that and you just, I mean you gave up in an amazing city that I assume he loved in Dallas. $50 million. That has to take. Forget the physical injuries. Like, dude, I think that there's probably some really, really dark nights when you end up being injured and realizing you're never going to make anything near that. So I'm rooting for the guy. It's the same way. I was always, I was always really rooting for Wayne Simmons because he like missed that one huge payday. How good he was, how mean that guy was. And it was just brutal timing. But, but I mean Klingberg had the Offer sitting there and it's like, holy shit. Like years down the line, you're just like, what did I do? So you rope hoping that. And the way he talked to the media in Edmonton, he said, I feel better than I, than I have in years.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Health is the biggest thing. You talk about money, but the health aspect, I mean, same comments really from Patrick Kane. When he came back, it was the fact that there was, yeah, no pain. And speaking of right handed D, man, I don't know if you watched the inauguration, but Trump actually pardoned Tony D'Angelo and he's gonna get a shot back in the NHL now. So I don't know. Yeah, Tony T. I don't know what happened.

[Ryan Whitney]

He left Scott. He was lighting up the KHL.

[Mike Grinnelli]

I, I wouldn't be shocked if we're seeing Tony D'Angelo in the NHL again. Now some people might be punching the steering wheel the same way they were when you mentioned Trump to start off the podcast. Or maybe I did. I don't know exactly what he did to piss all these people off. Like, I haven't, I guess, dipped into the weeds of it. I would love to get him on to talk about it and I would assume that enough time has passed to where I would. Would you not say that an NHL team should give him an opportunity to come in? You're telling me Tony D'Angelo as a right handed defenseman can't get an NHL roster?

[Keith Yandle]

I'd take him on any, like, look at Toronto. Why not Toronto? I'd bring him in.

[Ryan Whitney]

Oh, that would be fireworks, dude. I, I thank you.

[Mike Grinnelli]

They might reelect Trudeau if that happens.

[Keith Yandle]

He's a stud player. I mean, obviously.

[Ryan Whitney]

What about Van?

[Mike Grinnelli]

I agree.

[Keith Yandle]

There's been talks about it.

[Ryan Whitney]

Imagine Van Bis. There would be, there'd be reporters, the Canucks reporters. They'd look like the woman at the Trump inauguration eight years ago screaming, I'll.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Fucking, I'll tell Aolini I'll pay his salary. If he can create those types of fireworks. I'll let them roll me out right the center ice at the Barn Rogers center. And they could write off Roman candles out of my hoop. If they bring imagine him and J.T. maybe that's the balance of the scale they need. Maybe JT just needs a buddy.

[Ryan Whitney]

Talking would be like, oh my God.

[Mike Grinnelli]

I want to as well make it a three ring circus. Have all your practices at their abutus club, line up all the soccer moms. It'll be a fucking shit show. Let's go, baby, let's go. It'll be like that, that girl who got a thousand notches in less than 24 hours. Or I think it was like 12 hours. Have you been seeing this?

[Ryan Whitney]

It's. It's one of the most disturbing.

[Keith Yandle]

Somebody's daughter, dude.

[Ryan Whitney]

It's one of the most disturbing things I've ever seen in my life.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Bonnie Blue.

[Ryan Whitney]

Quite honestly, Bonnie Blue's the new Canucks.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Mascot at our beautist club.

[Ryan Whitney]

If you were one of those thousandth guys and this is how you're leading into television, I'm quitting this pod.

[Mike Grinnelli]

What do you mean?

[Keith Yandle]

Were you a part of this?

[Ryan Whitney]

I think he was. And he was playing 991.

[Keith Yandle]

That's where you.

[Mike Grinnelli]

I was playing close.

[Ryan Whitney]

Blue. World record.

[Keith Yandle]

Bringing in the closer.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Enter Sandman.

[Keith Yandle]

This starts mucking.

[Ryan Whitney]

Oh, if you want to talk about a three race, three ring circus boys, we can. We can head out east.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Bonnie Blue. We could talk clicks for Bonnie Blue. We're getting her a silver puss.

[Ryan Whitney]

I'm not a fucking click. I. I wouldn't give a click to that.

[Mike Grinnelli]

What do you mean? Leonard got the silver bone. She's getting the silver cock thousand puffs.

[Ryan Whitney]

She's a disgrace. She's a disgrace.

[Mike Grinnelli]

She's got a silver lightsaber.

[Ryan Whitney]

A disgrace to humanity. I'll tell you that for free. Thousand guys in 24 hours. The fuck are we doing here?

[Mike Grinnelli]

What if I started dating her? Would you kick me off the pod?

[Ryan Whitney]

I would. I would quit the pod and then me and Keith. I'd make Keith quit the part. And then you could start a pod with Bonnie Blue and you could give your clicks to her and you could eat her out after thousands of guys banged her. And then you could go off your merry way to your house in Victoria and just raise your dogs and just sit around together. You could have a rub your back after a hike. You and Barney.

[Keith Yandle]

L5S1.

[Ryan Whitney]

Oh, Bonnie Biz.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Blue biz and Bonnie Blue Thai massage parlors.

[Ryan Whitney]

Biz in the blue balls pod. Fish said the blue pill pod.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Busy in the blue balls.

[Ryan Whitney]

The fact you just bought Busy in the body.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Blue balls.

[Ryan Whitney]

Disgusting.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Because we'll start our own church. Like, it'll. We'll go the complete other direction. Like none of that.

[Ryan Whitney]

Oh, yeah, what a church that would be. Be a bunch of scumbags in a church. They pass around at church. The like donation box. But this one, you just take domes out of it instead it's like, oh, the church of Biz and Bonnie Blue.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Use. Use Bonnie Blue rubbers.

[Ryan Whitney]

Oh, that's so disgusting.

[Mike Grinnelli]

You're disgusting. Not as disgusting you're the one who brought it up. We can.

[Ryan Whitney]

I brought up Bonnie Blue.

[Keith Yandle]

I think you did.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Busy blue.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Yeah, yeah. I stomped on his couch.

[Ryan Whitney]

Brink biz into Vancouver at this point.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Yeah, yeah. I stopped on his couch.

[Ryan Whitney]

Yeah. I remember rubbing my boots on his couch.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Yeah, yeah. I remember fucking Bonnie Blue.

[Ryan Whitney]

Guys, if we go over to Pittsburgh. This is from Marco D'Amico. A source close to the Penguins has informed RG Media that Kyle Dubas is looking for a fire sale. Can we just send Kyle Dubas, like to the boat at this point? What the. Kyle Dubas is looking for a fire sale. It says big name veterans, not Crosby. Not simply just pending free agents are on the trade block. And the Penguins are also willing to retain to remove out Eric Carlson. Kyle Dubas. What has this guy done to the Pittsburgh Penguins? He brought in Eric Carlson. That was his big move. Now he's looking for a fire sale. I don't understand it. Seven years. What. What is he making? Five million.

[Mike Grinnelli]

A fraction over five. And I also believe there's a clause in there. Shout out to his fucking agent. Like, no offense to Jeff, but I might switch over. I think he has access to the private jet whenever he wants. No, no, no, no, no, no, no. What do you mean, no, no, no? I think he's got the Nobu card, too. The Nobu and private jet card.

[Ryan Whitney]

He can just call on that jet whenever he wants.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Yeah, Uber Dubas. I think. I'm pretty sure I might be going crazy here. Maybe I'm just reading twitter.com too much. But it's a seven year deal and like, I don't know. I kind of love it.

[Ryan Whitney]

Carlson.

[Mike Grinnelli]

I kind of love it.

[Ryan Whitney]

Jari. Jari's now waivers. He cleared it. Grinelli says Biz is correct. First time for everything. I cannot believe what has happened to Pittsburgh. Like, Jari's going to the AHL. He's in the second season of a five year deal, making 5.3 a year.

[Keith Yandle]

Like I, who signed him.

[Ryan Whitney]

Dubious. Oh.

[Keith Yandle]

Oh, weird.

[Ryan Whitney]

I. What the what now? Biz? Those years in Toronto. Good teams, no playoff success, gets raked. Just gets bent over on all the deals for the young guys. What in your mind was it where Kyle Dubas was this genius, was this. Was this golden child that, that, that. That had to be hired right away by Fenway Sports Group, given a seven year deal and a private jet with Bonnie Blue. I don't know. Like, am I missing?

[Keith Yandle]

Yeah, he's thinking.

[Mike Grinnelli]

I. I can't, I can't. I can't answer the question. I I, I don't know. I've been trying to think about it all day and I think that, like, I'm like in, in the place where I'm trying not to be too critical because it's got to be a hard position. But in the same breath, what about like a, maybe like a three year deal at. At four or five? It's just such a long commitment for somebody who had a lot of money in Toronto to have a very competent staff that had the best biggest scouting departments, the biggest, best analytic departments. Anything you want and have. Want access to as a Toronto Maple Leaf. And he goes over there and he has not had success as of right now. So do you. Who's he gonna trade? Who's he gonna get off of? Like, you think somebody's gonna take Carlson?

[Ryan Whitney]

I mean, if they retain. He's been playing better, been playing a lot better. But like, then you're retaining on this deal. And, and, and I'm not going to blame him for their lack of prospects because that happened long before him. And, and that's like, not his fault completely, but. And, and also like, he tried. He went in there and he tried. They had Latang. They didn't need Eric Carlson. They needed other stuff. They needed, they needed pieces up front. They needed. You didn't need to go get Eric Carlson when you had Chris the Tank. And you know what? They'll be able to, they'll be able to get something good from Marcus. Is it Patterson? Peterson, Patterson, D man. He top four D man. Kevin Hayes was telling me, great player, like, really underrated. If you, if you watch him and you practice with him every day, you're like, this kid's legit. I shouldn't say kid. He's. He's a grown adult. But it's just been such a disappointment for Penguins fans and, and that fan base is like holding.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Strip it down. You strip it down. Like, look at teams like Detroit, like they're, they might, might scratch the surface at a playoff spot. You're going to tear it to the ground. That if they tear it to the ground. To me, it's inevitable that at some point Crosby moves on in his last season there. You think I'm crazy.

[Ryan Whitney]

No, he's just. I, I want it to happen. I just.

[Mike Grinnelli]

From what I'm playing for the Gargoyles.

[Ryan Whitney]

It will never play for Gargoyles. We give him the A. Like, you got to earn it down here in the jungle, buddy.

[Keith Yandle]

No, the different league.

[Ryan Whitney]

Grinnelli saying Crosby to Montreal. We're really off the off the rails right now.

[Keith Yandle]

I just, I, I just think anytime you have Crosby, like, he's not one of those players that's getting older and slowing down. He's still bringing it every single night. And the guy has been carrying your team for the last 20 something years. Anytime he's on your roster, you should be filling that roster out to try to win. You shouldn't be selling off pieces. A guy, a stud future hall of Famer Eric Carlson. You're not trading him, retaining salary. You're bringing guys. You're bringing guys in to figure it out. You don't want to.

[Ryan Whitney]

This could be the one thing biz where he's like, okay, is that if they go like full blown fire sale and maybe then he's like, oh, I didn't think it'd be like this.

[Keith Yandle]

Like, you guys know him more than me.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Do you think the solution lies with Carlson, Letang, Evgeny, Malkin, Crosby? I would say, I would, I would put rust in there. You just said. And then maybe, I mean, you're saying that they're thinking about trading Pedersen, but like maybe him and then one other guy. You're telling me the answer lies within that core. If you can fill the other pieces like you're think you're, you're saying Carlson, with what he makes and what he's on the hook for on that team, as far as a salary cap, you think you can't use that money elsewhere to, to fill in holes better, but.

[Keith Yandle]

They'Re saying retain a salary. So you're still eating half of you, probably half of that. Where it's not like you're, you're getting rid of 5 million bucks and you're bringing in a guy, a better player that's making six or something like that and kind of, you know, losing a mill, whatever it is. Like, I don't know, I just feel like.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Yeah, but I guess it would be more about what you're getting back in return as an asset.

[Ryan Whitney]

If it's either. It's either like we're. We, we completely have to tear this thing down and rebuild or we're. We're solely because of Sid, gonna like, try to keep this going when, you know, even with him, we, we don't have it. So it. They are stuck in the worst possible spot, right. Because they're not even near like the bottom of the league to get like the first overall pick. So it's just a disaster. It sucks. It's all of us want to see Sid playing meaningful games. And I mean, on the bright side, Alex Nadelkovich became the first goalie ever to score a goal in the East Coast Hockey League, in the AHL and in the NHL. And also became the first goalie ever in an NHL game to score a goal and have an assistant. And my one question is I really, really, really wonder why he just didn't grab somebody for a fight at the very end to have a Gordie Howe fucking hat trick.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Just a blocker sandwich. Amazing, because the league would have gave him 20 fucking games. They wouldn't even celebrated it. They would have just gave him a punishment and not rated, aired any of the goal highlights, send them to the Gargoyles. Another thing I saw rolling around online even got a laugh at a Wayne Gretzky who shot the the group text for TNT a picture of the fact that he had a two point game. And I've never in the NHL had a two point game. That is a fucking a lie. I had a two assist game in Edmonton when we were on the road one time and Yan's I was third star of the game in which when I went back out on the ice, you tried to hand me that big ass goalie stick in which that they have just hanging out in the away locker room at the Rexall Center. So. And if you will recall, I played just over 11 minutes in the game. How tired you were the next day? Like I buddy, I, I needed to like I needed a respirator.

[Ryan Whitney]

That's because you were out till five in the morning.

[Keith Yandle]

No, he lost his phone. That's when you lost your phone.

[Mike Grinnelli]

No, no, I was, maybe it was the trip. I did lose my phone.

[Keith Yandle]

We were all like, dude, if you just get rid of your phone you could be a player in this game.

[Mike Grinnelli]

I went to, I went to get a toque and a scarf at. What do you call that? Is it Holt Renfrew? I put my BlackBerry down and yoink couple guys stole it. I even, I even called the phone and they answered and then boom, it was deactivated. See you later. So I was stuck in Edmonton for like three or four days. No phone. And then I have the performance of a lifetime. And the next day was the first time I've ever taken my option as a player in the NHL. I took like I 11 minutes. Oh, the boys are just giving it to me like oh, you've changed my like lick my bag. Put me on waivers. I'll get picked up.

[Ryan Whitney]

Let me shut my eyes. Yeah, and give me the two assists. Let me just picture you at the ice on Rexall1.

[Keith Yandle]

He wasn't even on the ice. I told you.

[Mike Grinnelli]

On the ice for the second one.

[Ryan Whitney]

Oh, wit.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Assist somebody.

[Paul Bissonnette]

The.

[Mike Grinnelli]

The. The. The head manned it up and I just opened up my. My blade and like, deflected it in and I skated to the bench. And the. The first demon back kind of whiffed on it. I think Hansel picked it up and then fed the guy that jumped on for me. I think it was Rabada who. Who it was. It redeemed Verbada who hopped on and he scored. And I got the second assist on the play. So that was my second assist of the game. And because we had such a comfortable lead, Tip was kind of playing me regular shift a little bit where I actually felt like I was in the flow of the game. I felt like I was on the slopes again, just hitting my edges out there. Yeah, you were probably minus two.

[Ryan Whitney]

You, buddy. I own the Coyotes. Besides, when Derek Morris punched my head in. I own the Coyotes.

[Mike Grinnelli]

I don't think we lost a regular season game to the Edmonton Oilers the entire time. That Tip was our coach.

[Ryan Whitney]

I worked you guys the night recce scored his 500th goal and Brian Yandel slept in his bed. We worked you guys on the Penguins.

[Keith Yandle]

Yeah, that was in. That was on the Penguins.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Oh, I'm talking about when I was with the Coyotes. Me and Yans and.

[Ryan Whitney]

And the Oilers on the Coyotes when I did this.

[Keith Yandle]

No, we're saying against Edmonton. Oh, we owned Edmonton.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Yeah, dude. Welcome to the conversation.

[Ryan Whitney]

Who owns the Oilers? Owns.

[Paul Bissonnette]

I do.

[Mike Grinnelli]

I mean, franchise pathetic enough to get me two assists in a game.

[Keith Yandle]

Remember how long that. Remember how long the walk from, like, the. Where you get off the ice to the locker room? The old Rexall was. It was like a. Like a 0.5 mile walk. Biz couldn't even get to the locker room. They had to put him in the wheelchair and get him. He was so tired. He's like, Paul Pierce.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Yeah. My. My leg. Eleven and a half minutes played.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Where's my phone?

[Ryan Whitney]

He was like stone cold leaving a match in wwe. Hops up. He's like, is that a girl? I'm good now.

[Patrick Laine]

Holy shit.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Look at these ice girls. I love Rexall.

[Paul Bissonnette]

I love the Rex the best.

[Ryan Whitney]

We were in last place in January. It was minus 30 out. The place would be packed. Going nuts for that. That rink was sick.

[Mike Grinnelli]

And I love Edmonton.

[Ryan Whitney]

And the fact is so good, you would just remember, like, the memories in that place. Not that I had any of them, but like, the fans sitting there, like, watching these trash teams, watching Watching me snap it over to Leonard Patrell and then like him snapping it over to. To. Who else would be there?

[Mike Grinnelli]

Theo Peckham.

[Ryan Whitney]

Yeah, Theo Peckham. This kid Chris Vandevel. Like, just like just all these guys who, including myself, who had no business in the NHL anymore. And, and, and they're like. We were watching Gretzky to Anderson to Curry, back to low, over down. And then Grant Fuhrer kicking. It was just. The arena had just magic with it. You know, when they retired the guys jerseys there that they'd skate out in full gear and just do like flying around laps in their uniform. It was awesome.

[Keith Yandle]

They'd reenact a play. They used to reenact the play.

[Mike Grinnelli]

I swear, face off.

[Keith Yandle]

I remember when. Because we used to. When Wayne was the coach, we had about 500 jersey retirements because they'd always want Wayne there. So we'd be sitting on the bench just like sitting there. And they used to. I think it was Glenn Anderson. They had fury and net. And they're announcing it on the Jumbotron. Like shot from the point kicked out by Grant Grand. Fury. Like the light shines on the crease and Fury's in there kicking out a save. And then it's like Kevin Lowe picks it up behind the net and then you'll see Kevin Lowe grab the puck, light down on him. They reenact these plays. Dude, it was the best thing I had ever seen in my life.

[Mike Grinnelli]

No shit. I don't remember that. Was I on the team when that was going on? I was probably in the line.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Yeah, but you definitely weren't bomb.

[Keith Yandle]

Yeah, it probably didn't have feed in the locker room.

[Ryan Whitney]

They're like. And McSorley's punching someone's head into the corner. Light goes down. He's dummying some poor fan who's loving it smiling more.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Boys. I don't think when we were Talking about the J.T. miller stuff, we talked about the fact that LaFreniere's names floating around. Or did we?

[Ryan Whitney]

I think it's fake.

[Mike Grinnelli]

That's a fake. Okay. All right.

[Ryan Whitney]

I think that's phantom. Rumor boys traded for him now. Yeah, but I.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Rumor boys got me. I mean, so I don't want to take anything away from Nadelkovich, but you don't have more career two point games than me, so suck it.

[Ryan Whitney]

I'm glad that went there because you getting two points to feather in your cap is feathers, not buddy.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Double digits in minutes, baby.

[Ryan Whitney]

Rumor boys time.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Ooh.

[Ryan Whitney]

So Seth Jones, guys, he's in Chicago. It hasn't gone great. It hasn't gone great for him. He's played okay lately. But overall, like that signing and where Chicago's gone and what's happening there is. Is not good. And teams apparently are calling and Dallas is one of the teams. The name's being thrown out there. He makes a lot of money. Like, is that a guy Biz or Keith? Either one of you guys take this where. All right. He hasn't looked like a, you know, seven, $8 million player, but if we get him on a better roster, do we trust this guy in the playoffs? Like, where are you at in terms of. And Chicago, like, you got to sign Bedard at some point. That's its own story. Like, do you get rid of everyone that's a good player, that's a legitimate NHL? Or like, where are you at in trading him if you're Chicago and if a team that looking to win the cup brings him in, how do you feel about all this?

[Mike Grinnelli]

So I think it goes back to the San Jose stuff where you're only allowed three bullets in order to like retain salary and get back a strong asset. So I would just say choose wisely if you're gonna do it. I think that Seth Jones on a team, like considering, like when Tanev went over to Dallas, like, everything he can, like, like everything he provided for them. I'm not saying he's him, but he.

[Ryan Whitney]

Makes nine and a half.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Correct? He makes nine and a half. So when you're talking about the four and a half, five range, I think that that's a healthy place for him to be. Where he's a fourth defenseman, that's where I think he's perfectly slotted. I will say from watching games he's been in this year, and a lot of them were more towards the beginning half, he looked a lot more fluid than he had in years past and better with the puck. Don't know if that was a confidence thing. Don't know if that was work that he'd put in in the off season. Maybe he's healthier. So from the stuff that I've seen, I think that he would fit in. It's, you know, you know, you know what a good. Another good example is when Oliver Ekman Larson didn't have to be the guy anymore. Like when he went wasn't in Arizona making all that money when he still was. When he went to Vancouver, all of a sudden he moves over to Florida. He's protected on a team that has a few defensemen that are better than him, but he can fit in. And there it's a less of a presser situation. You're playing less hard minutes and for that reason you're going to flourish without the anchor of your salary being used against you. I think he's still a solid player. I just really congratulate him. Much like Dubas and his agent in getting that set. You know, seven year at over five. He hit the Darnell Nurse lottery, Buddy. I know he makes nine and a half.

[Ryan Whitney]

It's an eight year.

[Mike Grinnelli]

I know.

[Ryan Whitney]

Five more years after this season.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Correct. I'm comparing it to like the Dubas lottery where he gets this big deal where the jet. He hit. He hit it. He hit it at the perfect time. Pittsburgh was desperate. They thought they found the new shiny toy that was had was the reason Toronto was having all the success and boom, boom payday. So congrats to Seth and his agent. No offense. If I'm saying you're a $5 million defenseman on, on a, on a good team. Yeah.

[Keith Yandle]

You're never, you're never going to blame a guy for taking the money and he obviously earned all the money that he, that he's, you know, that he's made. But I agree with you 100%. Biz on. If you think of Dallas, he's born in Dallas. I think he's from Dallas.

[Mike Grinnelli]

I don't know about that.

[Ryan Whitney]

I think it was Denver where he grew up.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Yeah, that's right.

[Keith Yandle]

I think he grew up in Denver. Dallas, but whatever. Gee, check that. But like, you bring him into a team that he, like you said he's the fourth guy, the fifth guy. You put him in a, you know, somewhat of a shutdown role. He doesn't need to, you know, provide the offense that he has to every night. You got Heiskin in there who can do that. He can kind of be a second, you know, role player. I, I think he would be an absolute stud on that team and worth very much of that 5 million if they are going to retain almost half of it.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Couple clicks for Yan. He's right. He was born in Arlington, Texas. But dude, so you retain.

[Ryan Whitney]

All right, so Chicago retains the nine and a half. Say Chicago retains four. Buddy Y. Four million a year for the next years.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Like they're hoping to go good in 25%. What might be. Is there a rule that you can only retain up to 25%? Is there a rule on how much?

[Keith Yandle]

Oh, I don't know.

[Ryan Whitney]

I, I, I, I, I don't know. G. Look that up quick. I feel like you could retain half Half.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Up to half.

[Keith Yandle]

I thought you could do half.

[Ryan Whitney]

I think you can, buddy. Like you're telling me five years from now you're still paying. You have 4 million against the cap.

[Keith Yandle]

But the cap's gonna be up, man.

[Ryan Whitney]

I don't know.

[Keith Yandle]

I know, I know.

[Mike Grinnelli]

I mean, this, this, this rebuild is, Is the farthest of any team away from having. I would, I would say that San Jose's light years ahead of them, 100%.

[Ryan Whitney]

Yeah, I agree with you.

[Mike Grinnelli]

So why not if you can get something very important in return? I just, I think the stockpiling of draft picks is a little bit overrated and too easy and something that I've kind of seen in the past from some GMs where I'm like, oh, it's, it's pretty easy to strip it all down. Like, that's a, that's a. Up to 50% is what you can retain. So thank you to G on that.

[Keith Yandle]

Especially if you train, you get a first rounder, it's going to be the 28th, the 30th pick like you, you. It's a, it's a. Not a automatic question for you.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Yans is a guy like that who would be moving over to a team like Dallas and maybe Seth Jones would be on the second unit. I feel like that Harley has done a good job offensively. Haskin's obviously an offensive, defensive. Not sure who else slots in there on their power play, but how, how much easier does it make it for a guy when all of a sudden he. Maybe he. He gets to eliminate one of the special teams from a mental standpoint. So let's say set killing a little bit. He's only playing even strength and he doesn't have to worry about power play. Does it help you from like a, like a simplification of your, Your like, mental game to like, not have to balance all those special teams along with five on five?

[Keith Yandle]

Yeah, for sure. I remember, I remember one year Tip came in during preseason. He was like, we're going to use you on the PK this year. We had a pre, Pre.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Yeah.

[Keith Yandle]

Preseason game in San Jose. I scored a shorthanded goal. I came in the office. I'm like, you guys have been. You should have been using me a PK in the last five years. The next day he calls me in his office. He's like, hey, do you want to PK and play a minute of the power play? You want to just do two minutes, fall in the power play? I'm like, just the power plays. Perfect Tip.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Thanks for Tip, man.

[Keith Yandle]

One for one, one for one.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Thanks. Tip.

[Ryan Whitney]

You could always say you were an elite level PK guy too, because I.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Don'T negotiate with terrorists. Give me the power play.

[Keith Yandle]

No, but I think for him, if you, if, if you said to him like you said about Oliver too, it's like, hey, listen, we need you to play 18 solid min, know 5 on 5 and, you know, kill some penalty. Because I think guys take a lot of pride. Like you're. If you're a pker and you're shutting down, like, guys take so much pride in it. I love seeing it too. Like, those guys love going out there.

[Paul Bissonnette]

But you got stop and start.

[Mike Grinnelli]

The good ones stop and start, and the next thing you know, they're 30, 40 seconds into their shift if they get hemmed in, and then they have to put their body on the line. And if you don't think that eating one in the ankle takes a little bit of oxygen away from you, then you're out of your mind. Because if two minutes later, all of a sudden you played a five on five shift and now you got to go for power play there, that's a lot like you. You are an absolute mental freak if you can handle all those. So shout out to the kale Macars.

[Ryan Whitney]

How much better was it with a tight turn instead of a stop and start?

[Mike Grinnelli]

Yan's never blew dust.

[Keith Yandle]

Neither did I. I don't think I'm.

[Ryan Whitney]

Saying, like, I'm like, tight turns. Fun though. You know, you get the, you throw, you get, you get the shoulder down and boom, you're right back at it. They're like no good PK guys stopping and start. And I did not like that.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Probably any other rumor boys you got.

[Ryan Whitney]

Going well, you can retain 50%, so that's one thing right there. And Chicago Blackhawks forward Taylor hall, recent guest of the pod. He said he wants to stay in Chicago, but he believes he's likely to be dealt before the trade deadline. He said, yeah, I'd like to stay here. I like the city, I like this group. I have a feeling that's not really in the card. So we'll see. He has eight goals, 22 points at 43 games this season. He is a $6 million cap it and he'll be a UFA this summer. I think somebody goes out and trades for Taylor Hall. I don't know who. I wouldn't be able to kind of like list the team right now, but I can't imagine that, like, Chicago's not going to get offers and they're Certainly not going to hold on to him if they don't plan on resigning them. So I think you see him in another uniform, it just kind of sucks if he wants to stay there. But that's.

[Mike Grinnelli]

I feel like he would be a good fit. And I think it might have been G who mentioned this. Was Colorado kind of like a Parise coming in? Yeah, he just commented in the chat here. Dallas and Florida are two other teams. I, I agree. I think a little bit of depth for, for any three of those teams would be great. Kind of like them adding what Florida added. Oh, God, Aposto, Buffalo. Like, even on that team, him being a fourth liner, it seems like when we interviewed Taylor hall, it seemed like his mental state was like he's just kind of grateful for what he's been able to accomplish and where he's at in his career. And I think that if he went to Florida, he'd be more than thrilled to, to chip in on the fourth line and play a limited role. Third and, and the type of guy like Rodriguez where let's say a guy in the top six gets hurt, he could slide right in. Right. They've done a really good job of getting guys who can kind of fit in that middle six. And when the time comes, I'd like to see them in either Colorado, Dallas or Florida.

[Keith Yandle]

Telling you right now, you put Taylor hall on a line with Sasha Barkov, you're going to see The Taylor hall of 2000, 2018, whatever his MVP year.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Wow.

[Keith Yandle]

Barky can make any. And not that, I mean, Halsey's a stud player, but Barky just makes guys so much better, like at all times. I think that would be an amazing fit for him.

[Ryan Whitney]

Makes it so easy. The Dallas Stars are also a team that's very interested in New York Islander center Brock Nelson. I think that every single team looking to win a Stanley cup is going to be calling Lou lamarillo about Brock Nelson. We've talked about Billy Garon named him for the Four Nations. It's like Dallas is, is going to be one of, of 10 teams that are calling and I think that's going to be like one of the bigger names at deadline, deadline day or beforehand. What do you got, G? So I actually think a guy like Brock Nelson and I think any of the guys that are on right now. No, I'm saying any of the guys that are on Four nations rosters, I wouldn't be surprised if they're likely to be dealt before the Four nations tournament just because the injury risk factor.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Right.

[Ryan Whitney]

Like these guys are going to be blocking shots with their faces at this tournament. It's going to be like game seven.

[Mike Grinnelli]

So when's. When's the cut off? When's like the. When does all this, like everything die down?

[Keith Yandle]

Yeah. There'll be a roster freeze before it.

[Mike Grinnelli]

What's the day?

[Ryan Whitney]

I would guess around February 10th.

[Mike Grinnelli]

So I would say we got 20 days.

[Ryan Whitney]

Yep.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Wow.

[Ryan Whitney]

I think there's going to be some big moves happening.

[Keith Yandle]

That's a good call, G. I like that.

[Ryan Whitney]

Of the guys that are playing in that, I mean, how many guys playing in that though, will be traded? Who else besides him?

[Keith Yandle]

Just Brock Nelson?

[Ryan Whitney]

Yeah, just Nelson, probably. So Brock Nelson's getting traded in the next 25 days.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Breaking news.

[Ryan Whitney]

Hey, I do want to shout out. You talk about Four nations and we haven't seen any knock on wood guys be injured that are going to be in that tournament. Like injured enough. Where obviously Matthews is battling through stuff, Miller's battling through stuff, Quinn Hughes is battling through stuff. We haven't seen somebody be injured to where they won't be able to play in the tournament. But if the United States does run into a guy who can't play. Jason Robertson, since Christmas, he's got 19 points in 13 games. Something has clicked with him. Had a slow start to the year. So Dallas is. They're 8 and 2 in their last 10 games. They're really turning it on. I actually think by the end of.

[Mike Grinnelli]

I think both him and Wyatt Johnson have mentioned that they were a little like overwhelmed with trying to make that Four nations roster. Like, I think they've both been open and upfront about it. And you know, Wyatt Johnson, tons of expectations after the year he had last year and you know, had had a very similar start where maybe he was overthinking things. So now that that's behind them, like this is a. A very. Is a teammate moving very silently through the league.

[Ryan Whitney]

They are doing it silently and that's kind of where they're at.

[Mike Grinnelli]

They're the Kucherov of teams.

[Keith Yandle]

We, we talked about that when he wasn't named to that team member. We were like, you know, if this was last year, he would have been a slam dunk on that team. And you know that him not making it is going to just light a fire under his arse. And it has. And he has been an absolute weapon since not being.

[Mike Grinnelli]

No doubt because it could go one or two ways too, man. You have all these expectations, people in your ear telling you how good you are and you're gonna make it. And all Of a sudden you don't. It shatters your confidence. And then you go down the, the, the spiral. Good for him for finding his game and stepping things up. And also to the leadership in that Dallas room. I'm sure they got Jamie Ben in his ear saying it, dude, we know what you're capable of. It's just one tournament. You'll be in the Olympics. So they got great leadership there, and it's nice to see those two young bucks turn it around.

[Ryan Whitney]

And they went to game six against Oiler in the Western, against the Oilers in the Western Conference finals. And I'm, I'm, I'm guessing part of the start for Dallas was almost similar to Edmonton's beginning of the year in which, like, fuck, I just want to get to the playoffs again. Like, I can't believe this is starting right now as a shorter summer and we've 82 games. And like, you've seen teams go through that. Like you, you, you don't, you don't forget the work that it takes to get to the playoffs. You just want it to be April again so bad that they've found their groove. And I do think by the end of this season, I love Minnesota, but I think that the three central teams are going to be Winnipeg, Dallas and Colorado. And I think Minnesota is going to end up being a wild card team. I think they're going to get in the playoffs, but I don't know. I just think Colorado's too good and too talented. There's a lot of questions that remain with Ronson, and that's another one that we could chat about. But the Calgary Flames are among a long list of clubs that have checked in with Kevin Adams and the Buffalo Sabres. About center Dylan Cousins, that's Courtesy of Pierre LeBrun. I feel like we've talked about all these guys on Buffalo for so long. We've just brought up Dylan Cousins, his name, over and over. I've repeated myself over and over about a guy that's like, this is the next one that you trade who lights.

[Keith Yandle]

Up, oh, it's gonna happen, and is.

[Ryan Whitney]

Raising the Stanley cup with somebody else. So I'm, I'm looking at the Buffalo Sabers. Like, Kev, Dylan Cousins is not somebody I'm trading. I know this offense has felt fell off, but you can't tell me that this is a guy you, you can't win with and that you don't want to have be a part of your team when you do finally, maybe someday get good. So I know teams are calling and by the way. Why do you think all these teams are calling Kevin Adams about him? Because he's legit, and they see the potential, and they see the player he was a couple years ago, and he's so young. I. I think you're crazy. In Buffalo, if you're trading Dylan Cousins, I do. That is not a guy that you need to have be the next Reinhardt, be the next Eichel, be the next O'Reilly, be the next stud that's miserable in Buffalo that ends up flourishing somewhere else.

[Keith Yandle]

Because how are you gonna. How are you gonna turn it around? Like, they've got some good players. You. You got Tage Thompson. Like, how are you gonna turn it around? Yeah, traded. Yeah, I agree with that. You got enough skill guys up front, but you also have to build within. Like, no team's going out there and. And turning their ship around without building within. You have to. A guy like Cousins, you could not be more dead on. He's gonna go somewhere and absolutely light.

[Ryan Whitney]

It up, and he's gonna be fighting. He's gonna be psych buddy.

[Keith Yandle]

Yeah.

[Ryan Whitney]

This is not the guy you want to trade, I'm telling you.

[Keith Yandle]

No. Maybe it's not even. Maybe it's not even a. An option for them, and they're just, you know, it's just people calling about them. Maybe they're in their head saying, there's no way we're gonna trade this guy. But I would shut that down if I was Kevin Adams. I'd shut it down and be like, listen, we are not trading this guy. I don't want him hearing his name in the papers that he's, you know, could get traded, Although he probably wants to if we really.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Would you say at this point right now, nobody's won the Colorado Buffalo trade for Byram and Middlestad? I would say middle stat had a pretty strong start to the year, but I'm also now hearing rumblings that they're not necessarily Bednar and the team isn't thrilled with him. So that kind of segues the rumor boys. And. But before we move on from Buffalo, if you're talking about D, man, who would you move on from? Would you move on from power? Like, his offensive numbers are great. I just watch them. And I'm, I guess, not thrilled about maybe his compete in some regards, his defensive game and maybe his maybe calm approach to how he. He plays a little bit. I would like a little bit more snarkiness.

[Ryan Whitney]

I think he's huge. I think he's going to play in the NHL for 15 years. And I would, I would be asking everyone, what do you want for Owen Power? Yeah, I would. And do you remember, shockingly, the call the St. Louis Blues traded Eric Johnson. He was a first overall pick. He was a big, huge defenseman.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Would you compare him to Bo Meester too?

[Ryan Whitney]

I think he's got maybe a little bit more offense, but he doesn't skate like Bo Meester did.

[Keith Yandle]

Bo is so good defensively too.

[Ryan Whitney]

And, and it's like, dude, you have Dahleen, you don't like and Byram and you could. And Byron and you could get a package for Owen Power. And, and listen, like, you can't. How this guy is young and like, I, I wanted to preface this with like, hell of a player. He's going to play in the NHL forever. He's going to make over 120 million.

[Mike Grinnelli]

You think I'm too hard on him?

[Ryan Whitney]

I think you get a little. I think you get a little tough on him. But I get like the way you played the game and how you see Stanley cup winning teams play. Like, I don't think he really has that mean bone. I never had it. I wish I did, but I didn't. You're kind of born with it. You're an absolute beast if you're able to add that when you get to the NHL, when you realize this is something I'm lacking. I never could.

[Paul Bissonnette]

And you're.

[Mike Grinnelli]

So you're using Eric Johnson as the comparison where I'm talking about a big.

[Ryan Whitney]

First overall pick defenseman that St. Louis made an early decision on. Like, I. We're willing to part ways with this guy. By the way, he's just named to the. The second quarter century team for the color or Avalanche, like, that's, that's how good Owen Power can be too. But when you're Buffalo and you have to do something, that's the guy I'm looking at dealing.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Wow.

[Keith Yandle]

Yeah. Yeah. I think you get your most conviction too.

[Ryan Whitney]

I think you could get an absolute haul for him. And then, and then it's like, all right, dude, that was a move like, like they, they've made, they've made these big player moves. Eichel's fucking get me out of here. You won't let me get the neck surgery. I want that. That's a little different than what we're talking about here. That it's completely your decision. But I. Then, then it's like if you're Pula and you own the team and like what Adams has done since. Since, since he's come in, like do you want to allow him to be the guy? Like, deciding to.

[Mike Grinnelli]

No, you consult me like Akalini did.

[Ryan Whitney]

Yeah, exactly, exactly. And all of a sudden Bonnie Blue's giving massages after the game. That's the problem.

[Mike Grinnelli]

She's on the plane.

[Ryan Whitney]

My question in Colorado, sniffing farts, delivering my question in Colorado. We've chatted about this before. If Ron Tenon's not signed, like, buddy, like, you can't risk losing him for nothing. That will up that entire organization. But then, like, Nathan, imagine telling. Imagine telling McKinnon. Yeah, we just traded around. This is one of the crazier ones I've seen. And this all goes back to the dry cytle contract. That's when everything changed with his ask. But what do you do? Like, if he.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Do you think. Do you think you consult McKinnon on saying, this is where we're going to go number wise, and if he says this is the max, we're going to go. And if he doesn't go to it, we're going to have to move on from him. Like, you have to run that across McKinnon's table.

[Ryan Whitney]

You don't have to do anything. But you're crazy if you don't.

[Mike Grinnelli]

You're crazy if you're. You're saying for sure that he's getting the call, saying, hey, this is where we're at.

[Keith Yandle]

Yeah. Cause I mean, at the end of the day, if you trade him and then your team goes down the. Or, not that I think that they will. I think they've got enough pieces there to be good for a long time. But say they don't make the playoffs the next couple years, then Nate Dog wants out. You know what I mean? And then you're in a position as an older player to be like, hey, I'm gone. So then you're losing two guys that you could have had. So I. I think you gotta. I think for what he brings that team. Like, he is such a horse. Like, you need a 1A and a 1B guy on any team. Look at McDavid and Dry Seidel. Like, you need those guys to be successful. Barkov, Kachuk, you need those guys. You know, Sid and Latang or Sid and Malkin.

[Ryan Whitney]

I agree. And my thing is, all right, he wants 14ish. You go to him at 13, 8 and you say, hey, buddy, you want to be here? You want to fucking be here or not? You're telling. You're telling me that. And. And maybe he doesn't. This is. This is totally spitballing. I don't know, like, the guy seems like he loves playing there. He's dominant. Him and McKinnon are so nasty together. But it's like, dude, we're willing to pay you this now. If they're sitting there right now at 12, 2, 12, 5, it's like, I get it, you know, the market has changed with Leon, but my thing is, like, pay the guy, maybe you go to 14. Why can't you go to 13, 8 to 14? Why can't you? I mean, the Oilers, I think the.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Question is, always, is like, if. If you don't sign him, you don't kind of come out at whatever your comfort zone is to give him what he wants. How do you replace it?

[Ryan Whitney]

I know.

[Mike Grinnelli]

And outside of Marner who will be a free agent this summer, who's another impactful winger that could bring as much as what those two guys do, who's going to be available? Like, I wouldn't even. Like, I don't think there's anybody near those guys level. So he essentially has all the leverage. So I bet you. I bet you McKinnon would just tell him, I don't care if he's making a million a half more than me, you got to pay him the 14. And as of right now, I don't.

[Ryan Whitney]

Want to lose this guy.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Is 14 what's been offered? Is that what he's asking?

[Ryan Whitney]

No, I don't know what's offered, but I think it's pretty clear in what I'm hearing is like, the Dry Seidl deal changed everything.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Okay, so you, you think given time and everything. No, Everyone knows what's going up. By the time summer hits, he's going to be able to get. With Dry Seidel got.

[Ryan Whitney]

I don't think he should get exactly. I think he's a little under that, but he's looking at high thirteens.

[Keith Yandle]

If. If you're him. If you're him, would you even. Would you even want to make more than Nate? Like, if I'm him. And I know I've always thought if I know Nate's better than me, I. I wouldn't want. Even though obviously the, you know, the cap's going to be different. And I want every guy to make. No.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Yeah, well, well, boys more now now so than ever that given the jumps, like, it's not that weird to think about. Nate signed his deal. By the time rotten and signs, his deal would have basically been two full years, right?

[Pasha]

Yeah.

[Mike Grinnelli]

So, fuck, the cap's probably gone up at least 7 to 10 million. It's not that like he.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Yeah.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Nate has to realize that he's going to be in that 14 range. And I don't think it's that weird for Nate. I think he just cares about winning. And even the guy that he, he admires the most in Crosby, Nate never really. I wouldn't, I would consider the first deal he got a wicked hometown discount. But he's not doing the stuff that Sid did. Like even he's go. He's stretching the market out a little bit.

[Ryan Whitney]

Yeah, exactly. And, and that kind of leads us into some great news for the players. And they were notified that the. The escrow withholdings from checks will be terminated for the remainder of this season, starting with the January 30th payroll run. Revenue projections indicate that the amount already withheld will also be returned in full following the final season accounting. So the players are actually going to make like 102% of their salaries. Love hearing that for the boys.

[Keith Yandle]

Remember some of the escrows that we had to pay and people.

[Mike Grinnelli]

26%, wasn't it?

[Ryan Whitney]

Well, no, that was the, the 24% rollback was after that the, the full season lockout cancellation. But buddy, like people would like bitch and whine about players complaining. It's like, how would you like. And I know the numbers are crazy, but like somebody tells you 6% of your contract's not being paid to you, it's like, wait, what?

[Keith Yandle]

Yeah.

[Ryan Whitney]

What do you mean? So that's awesome news. And that does go into business point that. That everything has switched so much since even Nate signed that deal.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Yeah. And I, I mean we've harped on it before too, as far. And since we get into the, the CBA talk and the fact that there's no escrow right now, I think that moving forward there should be no more like risk on the players. You know, these franchise values where this shouldn't even come into play. I know this is a special circumstance with trying to get the league to a healthy place and then going through CO in which they had to recoup all that money. But at this point, moving forward escrow is not something that should be talked about coming from the players. That is the, the. The bare.

[Ryan Whitney]

That needs to be done.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Another thing and I, I keep harping on it is, is I really feel that there's like a lot of like hall of Famers and vets who want the current players, the McDavid's, the Matthews, the players who have very strong voices who are currently playing to, to go to bat for the alumni and not guys like the Brad Richards and the, and the guys who made 50, 100 million who need help paying their health insurance. We're talking about guys who have played a certain amount of time and are maybe in need. Where these, this league has grown off the backs of some of these players who are now still in need based on how they weren't compensated back in the day for, for how good they were. The numbers just weren't there. Right.

[Ryan Whitney]

30. 30 grand a year for the PA insurance. And it is top of the line, best insurance you could ever have. I'm so grateful I have it, but that's. You got to make 55, 000 bucks to pay for that dude.

[Keith Yandle]

Yep.

[Mike Grinnelli]

And, and I, and I, I truly believe the league is in such a healthy place based on, on what the quote unquote the founding fathers and these players of the past and what they've done in order to put it in this situation where there are some guys making some very healthy salaries and they're going to get even crazier and crazier. Five years from now, there's going to be guys signing for $20 million a year. I think that the league, its owners can figure out how to take care of some of these past players with health insurance. I think that's the bare minimum that can be done. And I really think that the top players in the league need to use their voice because guys like Wayne, guys like Chelios, guys like Jeremy Ronick, guys like Glenn Healey, they're the ones who are asking. And those are the guys who deserve these current players respect and, and help provide that for the former players. So I'll. I'll stop beating a dead horse. I've been saying it over and over. I just really hope that this happens in the next CBA yance where you guys can piggyback what I'm saying here.

[Keith Yandle]

I've. I've heard you say it about Bettman saying that like in, in, you know, having known Gary, like he. He cares about the players too. And I've heard you say that this will be his, you know, icing Mona Lisa.

[Mike Grinnelli]

This would be his legacy. Imagine being able to, if, if you know, he's in the final years being able to. To put the league in such a healthy position where the players are making what they're making. The cap is going up year over year like crazy. The players aren't playing escrow. The franchise values are thriving. More and more people in the United States are getting into hockey and all these players from the past are now being taken care of until they move on them and their families. That would be such an amazing place to leave a legacy in your fingerprints on the hockey world. So I hope that he does it. I'm sure he will. And that's all I got to say about that.

[Ryan Whitney]

Guys, we had a very special guest on the show, Patrick Line. I interviewed him a few weeks ago, but before we go to him, the Montreal Canadiens. Boys, it is a blast watching this team play and. And arbor Jack, I. What a weekend. Now. It started off not great. It started off not great. Where Reeves won. Adam, they had a lead against Montre, against Toronto, and he's pointing at the scoreboard. Buddy, get away from me. We're up. Well, what happened? The Leafs ripped off seven unanswered. Ended up crushing the Canadians. And seven. Seven. I think it was three nothing. Three. It ended up seven three, I believe. But the next night, they got to come back to the Bell center and they play the Rangers. They're down one nothing. They're down two one. They're down three two. They're down four three. And they win that game. Five four. And overtime. This Jacob Dolbush improve improves to four zero for Montreal. But WI fi. And we don't like calling him wi fi. I apologize. That's not his nickname.

[Mike Grinnelli]

It's just a nice Arbor Jack guy.

[Ryan Whitney]

He decided the next night he wasn't going to point at any scoreboard. He was going to go Matt Rempe. What a tilt that was. Biz.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Oh, buddy. He was chucking him. And I understand that position of him declining Reeves. I've been in that position with Jay Rosehill. We were up 3 1. Yance, you were in that game. And he ran donor. And I'm like, tip. I'm going to be like, all right, Bees. And then I went him. And they scored three unanswered to win the game or actually, excuse me, four.

[Ryan Whitney]

On how the fight go.

[Mike Grinnelli]

It was all right. I think that I would say edge to Rosie, but it was a. It was a. It was a good bout. We were switching, switching hands, but it.

[Ryan Whitney]

Got the le going.

[Mike Grinnelli]

It got a Jack ey getting in the mix and a great tilt with Reme. A great, great tilt. So that those are the type of hockey games that people want to watch.

[Ryan Whitney]

That was one of the best games of the year.

[Mike Grinnelli]

It was a fucking movie. It was a movie.

[Ryan Whitney]

You should have seen this shift by Lane Hudson. And ot like, Cryder's coming down on him one on one and does like the Gretzky curlback. And there's no chance. He thought, like, somebody could be on me this quick. Lane Hudson did. The super feet stripped him of the pocket, like went down like he almost had a breakaway. He like, it was crazy how quickly he pivoted, took the puck. Crider was just like. And boom, he's gone. He ended up curling up, but they ended up getting the winner in ot. Nick Suzuki. Did Nick Suzuki score in ot? Can you check that? I'm drawing a blank right now. I think he did and I think he might have did. I think he didn't and that would have. Let me check here. I apologize, listeners. It was Sunday. Rangers, Canadiens box score right here. No line A got it. And that's the reason I thought it was Suzuki. Suzuki's tied right now for the most OT winners in one season at four. So his next OT winner five and one year will be an NHL record. But Patrick line A got it. He got his 12th of the season. This guy's been a machine on the power play. Nice enough to come on. Very interesting cat. We talk about his outfits, we talk about his gaming, and we talk about his love of hockey and how he's refound that passion since kind of a tough time in his life. So I think it's a great time right now to throw it over to Patrick line. Guys, whit here and I want to talk about DraftKings right now. And from the football playoffs to college and pro basketball to the rush of hockey, what a time to be a sports fan. And it's all happening right now. You can get in on all the action of all the sports that you love at the DraftKings sportsbook. With so many sports, every day is game day at DraftKings. That means unlimited opportunities to place your first bet. And DraftKings makes it easy. How easy, you ask? Try betting on something simple like picking a team to win. Go to the DraftKings sportsbook app, pick your team and place your bet. And to help get you started, here's something special for all new customers. Bet $5 to get $200 in bonus bets instantly. Bet $5 on your favorite team to win a game and get $200 into your accounts and in bonus bets instantly. Download the DraftKings sportsbook app and use code Chiclets. C H I C L E T S. That's code chicklets for new customers to get $200 in bonus bets instantly when you bet just five bucks. DraftKings, the crown is yours. Gambling problem.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Call 1-800-Gambler in New York.

[Ryan Whitney]

Call 8778-HOPE NY or text Hopeny 467369.

[Keith Yandle]

In Connecticut, help is available for problem gambling.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Call 888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org Please play.

[Ryan Whitney]

Responsibly on behalf of Boot Hill Casino.

[Paul Bissonnette]

And resort in Kansas.

[Keith Yandle]

21 and over. Age and eligibility varies by jurisdiction.

[Ryan Whitney]

Void.

[Paul Bissonnette]

In Ontario, bonus pets expire 168 hours after issuance. For additional terms and responsible gaming resources, see DKNG Co Audio.

[Ryan Whitney]

We are now pleased to be joined by a very Special guest. The second overall pick in 2016. He's been a member of the Winnipeg jets, the Columbus Blue Jackets, and now he's lighting it up for the Montreal Canadiens so far this season. Patrick, line a. How you doing, buddy?

[Patrick Laine]

Doing good. I've been, I've been waiting for my invitation to join the. Join the podcast. I'm. I'm excited.

[Ryan Whitney]

Well, we appreciate you finally coming on. We've wanted to have you on for a long time. I guess we can kind of just start with you getting back from injury. It was such a bummer for every, every Montreal fans mostly, but everyone that just wanted to see you play in your, in your new colors and you get injured and boom, it just sucked. But now you're back, you scored three or first four games. How does it feel to be back? And are you all healthy now?

[Patrick Laine]

Yeah, no, no, like you said, it was, it was definitely a bummer to, to say it nicely, you know, the second, second preseason game and you know, it was, it was a hard road to, you know, get back to playing and obviously with the, with the new team and all that. So it was definitely not the, not the greatest start and the start, you know, the team and the city was looking for, but, you know, just, just had to do, do some rehab and, you know, take, take a little time off. But now, now it feels, feels great and it's just, you know, it's, it's fun. Fun to be playing again and I'm just having a, having a blast, you know, it's, you know, haven't had this much fun in, in a long time. So that's, that's, that's pretty special.

[Ryan Whitney]

Yeah, that's great to hear. And on the bright side, it kind of looked like it could have been a lot worse. Like right when it happened, were you like, oh my God, that's acl. And then it was actually great news to see what it, what the prognosis was.

[Patrick Laine]

Yeah, I mean, yeah, I've had, I think I've had four surgeries on the same knee Already. And as soon as I got hit, I'm like, this ain't good. This ain't good. And then. Yeah, that's. That's kind of the first diagnostic diagnosis I got when I got to the locker room. And, you know, they had the dogs and everything and they were like. They, they told me later. They didn't tell me at the time, but they were like, yeah, that's probably ACL and, and mcl and probably done for the year. But, yeah, I ended up. Ended up flying to New York to. To see a specialist. And, you know, he said, he said you don't necessarily need knee to surgery and you can just try to. Try to rehab it. And kind of didn't promise, but said that, you know, there's higher percentages that it'll be. It'll be good even. Even without surgery. So happy. Happy worked out. You know, I wasn't well, wasn't happy that, you know, I still missed. Missed two months. But, you know, it could have been. Could have been a lot worse.

[Mike Grinnelli]

So I think in the summertime, when they announced you were going over, there was this excitement and then obvious you got injured. But I felt like. Was the first time you really felt that energy when you got announced as the season was beginning, the first home game when there was that eruption from the crowd, like, it seems like you were almost in shock by receiving that type of ovation, you'd yet played a regular season game?

[Patrick Laine]

Yeah, I mean, yeah, I've kind of. It's kind of been a little overwhelming at times, too. Like, you know, the first preseason game, like, every time I touch the puck, like, the crowd's going crazy and I'm like, I have. I haven't even done anything. I think I lost two at that. @ that point, they're still going nuts.

[Ryan Whitney]

But.

[Patrick Laine]

But yeah, it was the first, first game, the home opener, and I still had my crutches. It was so funny. I was. I was standing in front of Marty, not, Not directly because, you know, you couldn't. Couldn't have seen him if I was in front of him. But yeah, it was, it was funny as soon as they announced my name and I had my crutches on, like, my, My crutches were shaking. I'm like, I really hope that the camera doesn't pick that up. That, you know, my, My crutches are going all over the place. But no, it was like, I. I think I said it said in an interview. Like, I just felt like I don't, I don't deserve this. Like, you know, I haven't played at all over here yet and you guys are, you know, so, so awesome and so welcoming. So it was pretty, pretty sweet.

[Mike Grinnelli]

You might be off PP1 when Marty hears that little jab you just took out of. Do you guys have that type of relationship where are like chirp at each other and it's light hearted and like players coach or does he push your buttons?

[Patrick Laine]

I mean, I, you know, he's, I mean he's been around for, for a long time and you know, I'm sure he, he gets it but. Well, we just had a, had a conversation in Winnipeg that we got to be honest with each other and you know, we got to get to the truth, so.

[Ryan Whitney]

You're short, Marty.

[Patrick Laine]

Yeah, I got, I got a lot saying anything anymore, so hopefully I'll be still on the power play tomorrow.

[Mike Grinnelli]

He'll be chirping your back checks next press conference.

[Patrick Laine]

No, I can't, I can't let him have that. I got to, I got to finish all the back checks and I'll be eating, eating pucks tomorrow. So.

[Ryan Whitney]

Do they still play that portion of the. The song Fix you by Coldplay when you get out there in Montreal. That is the best intro that I've ever experienced. Doesn't matter what level, what league. Like that place just when you're skating around after warm before the anthem. The rush and like the, the chills you get is incredible, huh?

[Patrick Laine]

Yeah, it's like I didn't, I didn't realize how cool it is like as a visitor, like when I've played there, but now when they play it and it's like guys are going nuts in the locker room. Like you, you should hear Caulfield like when, when he's like he, he's going crazy when he hears that song before the game. And I'm like, Jesus Christ, you've been.

[Keith Yandle]

In two Canadian cities and you know, Winnipeg, obviously smaller building and stuff like that, but the crowds, like, do you feel the energy more so in Montreal than you did in Winnipeg? Because it just seems like that's like the mecca of hockey right when you're going into Montreal.

[Patrick Laine]

I think just like it could be like a regular Tuesday. Like tomorrow we'll be playing Buffalo like on a Tuesday, and the crowd's still going to be buzzing, but I feel like Winnipeg was like, yeah, it still has a great crowd, but I think the, well, especially playoffs, it's just the coolest thing I've ever been to so far. Like the whiteouts and all that stuff. Like it, it was pretty, pretty Loud. Like when we would play Vegas in the, in the conference finals. Like, it was just, it was crazy. Like, I, I do do miss though, so. Gotta. Gotta experience the playoffs over here. I'm sure it's, it's, it's not going to disappoint, but yeah, it's, it's pretty, Pretty crazy over here.

[Ryan Whitney]

I'd love to go back to your time in Finland growing up and like the prospect you turned into. And we always start at the beginning and kind of find out like, where your love of hockey came from, if it was a. A family member or a friend. And. And I also like knowing, like, when you knew you thought you had a chance of being the player you are now, but, but just like, what age were you when you started playing? I read something where you wanted to be a goalie. I don't know if that's true.

[Patrick Laine]

Yeah, I think I was probably around maybe four, something like that when my, when my dad took me, took me to play for the first time. And yeah, like he used to. He never played like pro hockey or anything, just like beer leaks and you know, stuff like that. But always, always been around, been around the game and he, I guess wanted. Wanted me to play hockey, so took. Took me over there and. Yeah, I mean, I, I played goie until I was like 11.

[Ryan Whitney]

No, full time.

[Patrick Laine]

Not, not full time, but I. Whenever, like, you know, I think at least over there in juniors, it's like you, you guys kind of take turns a little bit.

[Ryan Whitney]

Yeah.

[Patrick Laine]

Like, let everybody try it. And like, I, I liked it way more than, you know, being a forward. And they actually told me I was better as a goalie than I was as a forward at the time.

[Mike Grinnelli]

But eventually you could be the new Ashanti Ohtani. You could be playing net some games and playing out others.

[Ryan Whitney]

Yeah, try this and rap that.

[Patrick Laine]

I don't think I could do that anymore. You know, guys are shooting way too hard. Like, it was, it was way more fun when you were 11 and guys can't even raise the puck. So it was, it was okay back then.

[Mike Grinnelli]

That's true.

[Paul Bissonnette]

I don't.

[Patrick Laine]

Yeah, I don't think I, I could be eating always one tees even. Even with double. Double pads on. I don't think I'm going in front of that. But. But yeah, I think it was like 11 or 12 when you kind of had to pick, you know, which position you're gonna do. And I still wanted to be a goalie, but, you know, my dad was. He made the choice for me since they were Paying. So they had the final say, and I would say it worked out. Worked out okay.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Is there anything that being a goalie taught you about maybe playing out? And then you just mentioned ovi. My understanding is you idolized him growing up, and I'm assuring that that's why you wanted to score goals.

[Patrick Laine]

Yeah, it's. I mean, it's kind of hard to say. You know, I don't think you. You. You know, when you're 10 years old and you play goalie, like, you really pick up on anything necessarily. But, yeah, I. I love watching Obi. Like, me and my. Yeah, my best friend, we were huge Caps fans overall. His. His guy was Mike Green. He was a defenseman when. When he played juniors, and so he was his favorite guy, and mine was. Mine was Obi. And I don't really know how actually started, like, liking him, just. Just the way he was playing when he was younger, like, just absolutely bodying guys and just scoring 60 goals a year. Like, it was amazing. Like, I'm sure you guys can agree with that.

[Ryan Whitney]

Yeah, he bodied me.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Yeah. Yeah. Not when you're on the other side of it. Maybe growing up, it'd be cool.

[Patrick Laine]

But, yeah, I'm sure watching it was way cooler than, you know, getting bodied by him. But. But, yeah, it's his. Love watching him. And then, you know, whenever you would. You would go to practice or just shoot pucks at our backyard, you know, you would watch his highlights on YouTube and just try to, you know, create it. Create a shot like him and be like him one day. And that's kind of. Kind of how it started.

[Ryan Whitney]

Considering you played goalie, like, off and on until you're 11. I guess you're not one of those kids that, like, from. From 7, 8 years old, they're like, oh, my God, who is this guy? This, like, a prodigy. Was there a year that you, like, popped off? Were you always the tallest kid or did you have a big growth spurt? Like, what. What year was it when everything kind of changed and you're like, I think I could have a future in this sport.

[Patrick Laine]

I think probably when. When, like, the national team started, like, the juniors, I think that was probably the first time. I think it was, like, under 17s we would be playing. I think we played in Sweden or somewhere, and, like, team us, they had, like, Matthews, Kachuk, like, these guys playing. Like, there was some, like, really good players over there. I think I scored. I think I scored Hattie. In every game. Every. In that turn, it was. It was a lucky tournament. I guess. But no, I think it was just around those times when you could play against, you know, guys from other countries that are kind of your age. And, you know, I kind of saw that I can play against these guys that are considered like, the best in the world at that time. And. But yeah, I think it was just when you're younger, you just play because you have fun and you don't necessarily think that, oh, I want to make a career out of this.

[Keith Yandle]

What's it like? We were talking about it, you know, recently on one of the podcasts. Just you see it when you guys, you know, go over and play Worlds and, you know, if you're lucky enough to win it, like the reception you guys get when you come back home, like, people are all into it. You know, every time, the time that I've been there, it seems like your group of guys, like, you guys are always dressed nice, wearing suits. It's almost like your Super Bowl. Can you touch on that a little bit? Just like what it means to you guys for. In your country just to, you know, represent Finland as a whole?

[Patrick Laine]

Yeah.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Yeah.

[Patrick Laine]

I think it's, you know, I been fortunate to. To play in, you know, a lot of. A lot of national team games and a lot of big, big tournaments. And I think, you know, especially as a. As a small country, I think for us it's always. And like, lately too, like, we've been winning quite a bit and, and men's and juniors and all that. So I think, you know, we're like, just very proud, very proud to, you know, be representing our countries, just like I'm sure everybody else is, whether it's Canada, US Whoever. But I think our country is just, you know, since it's so much smaller, I think we're kind of, you know, always seen as the underdogs against these big countries. So especially when we win, I think it's more, more special and, you know, we get. Get some medals every now and then.

[Mike Grinnelli]

So is obviously it's an honor to play for your. Your club team. From where you're from now, I believe you played in your same hometown. Your hometown is Tempiri, which is, I think the third most populated city in all Finland now is Tapara. The club team there. It's in that town.

[Patrick Laine]

Yeah, there's two. There's two over there that play. Play in the same building, same league. So there's kind of a. Kind of a rivalry with that. There's like, like hints played for that team and bunch of a bunch of other guys. So there's a. There's a big, big rivalry over there.

[Mike Grinnelli]

So kind of like a Giants jet situation in the NFL, you guys share the facility, separate rooms, play out of the same building. So would those games just be electric? Would they had to separate the fan bases with cops? Like, how crazy did it get? Not.

[Patrick Laine]

Not, not that crazy. It's not like. It's not like English soccer.

[Mike Grinnelli]

It's.

[Patrick Laine]

It's not that crazy. But they would. They would get pretty heated. Heated sometimes. But those are. Those are definitely the games guys would look forward to the most. I think there would be like maybe, maybe six. Six of those a year or something like that. And even like going back to juniors, like when you would play those games, like, instead of, you know, being 50 fans, like everybody's parents, like, there'd be 200 watching those games. So they were, there were. They were really cool to play those games, and they, you know, always had a little more. More meaning.

[Mike Grinnelli]

What made you decide that one? Was it based on your district and where you lived? Like, did they. Did they poach you early?

[Ryan Whitney]

No, he was a goalie.

[Patrick Laine]

Actually. I, I did start for the other team when. When I started, but I mean, I was like four or five years old, so. And then I guess it just ended up working because I guess the other team, they were always skating like, on the other side of town, which was. Which was a far drive for. For us, so we just ended up going to. To my. My old team, which was always, always closer, so made it a little more convenient for. For my parents to. To drive. So. But that worked out too, since we, you know, ended up winning a bunch over there, so. Can't comply.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Yeah. So that year you guys won the league. Like, you're, you're obviously a highly touted draft pick. You go play World Juniors, you're lighted up. Was that the first time you kind of started maybe dealing with fame, where you would walk the streets in Finland and people would recognize you on a regular basis?

[Patrick Laine]

Not. Not like crazy. Still, I think it's more been when. When I moved over here, I, I think back when I was still over there, it wasn't as big, but, you know, when we won, we won the, you know, obviously the World Juniors, then we won the finish league, you know, won the. Won the silver in the men's world. I think it was after that, when.

[Mike Grinnelli]

That's a big year.

[Patrick Laine]

That was. That was a big year. Yeah. Don't. Don't get me started on a World cup that we didn't get a medal from there. That didn't go go as well for us, but. But yeah, I think after that it's just kind of, kind of skyrocketed a little bit and I'm, you know, kind of not a, not a hard guy to miss walking, walking down the street.

[Ryan Whitney]

So part of that is your style. We've talked about it before. I mean, you'll wear anything. And I've kind of like, I've looked at some of your outfits. I'm like, this guy, he doesn't give a. Have you always been like, hey, I love different type clothes. I love loud clothes. Like, is, is that newer in your life or have you always been that way?

[Mike Grinnelli]

First, first time in Montreal, didn't you wear like the, the cow pajamas to like the locker room? Commodore was like, hey, I might call me old school.

[Patrick Laine]

So it's a finished brand. It's a flower. They're flower.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Oh, it was a flower flower.

[Patrick Laine]

I saw the cow pants. Cow pants Comet. But you know, whatever. Yeah, no, it's, it's been more, more lately. Probably like a few years ago, like before that I was just, you know, just wearing regular, regular stuff. And actually I saw, you know, hence his hints, is one of my good friends and he's always been like super well dressed. Like, he wears some like, crazy stuff too. So I kind of started watching him and I was like, yeah, I might as well give it a try. And then I ended up, I think it was the, my second year in Columbus, the home opener. I had my purple suit and then my Terminator glasses on. And I kind of realized pretty quick that there's no coming back. Coming back to that. Like, I, I can't be wearing just like normal navy blue anymore. Gotta, gotta keep going down this road.

[Keith Yandle]

When we started in the league, it was a road suit, a home suit and a Saturday night suit, yet everyone just had three suits. Nowadays you never see you guys in the same suit. Like, are you guys getting these suits for free or are you paying for all these?

[Patrick Laine]

I think some guys still probably have that, that they only have three suits based on what I've seen. But no, it's, I mean, I think this is great that it's going that direction a little bit. Like you, I mean, you look at all the other sports like you guys wear the most outrageous stuff. And like, I don't, I don't mind wearing suits, but I think they should probably make it optional. Like, so I think some teams have already. But like guys show off their personality. Like guys have nice, nice clothes. Like, you know, wear, wear whatever but as long as you don't show up and like, you know, just. Yeah, cow pants or my pants left for.

[Ryan Whitney]

Joe Burrow. Have you seen what Joe Burrow's been wearing?

[Mike Grinnelli]

I was gonna ask you too, if, if Chiclets like myself witness Yan's G in the background. If we designed you a suit, would you wear it on a walk in.

[Patrick Laine]

Oh yeah, absolutely.

[Keith Yandle]

You don't give a shit.

[Ryan Whitney]

We're doing it.

[Mike Grinnelli]

We got to get the fans in the mix too. Like maybe we got a little corduroy on there.

[Patrick Laine]

As long as it's not like plain crazy suit, I'm going to wear it.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Oh, damn. There goes my idea. What do you got?

[Ryan Whitney]

I got the worst suits in the league, actually, from a guy that was in Montreal. I look like Anthony. I look like Penny Hardaway.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Yeah. We give you a baggy one from Wit's closet that you can wear with the.

[Ryan Whitney]

It would actually maybe be packet style.

[Patrick Laine]

Now that works too.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Yeah.

[Patrick Laine]

Baggy, Baggy pants are back. So, yeah, that might work out.

[Mike Grinnelli]

You know, what's your nickname? What do the guys call you in the locker room?

[Patrick Laine]

Well, when I got here, it was Patty. Now, now there's Patty Ice. Just Ice Iceman.

[Ryan Whitney]

That's a good one.

[Mike Grinnelli]

It's evolving.

[Patrick Laine]

I, I do, I do like Patty Ice. I'm not gonna lie. I don't know, I don't know exactly where it comes from, but that's probably my favorite favorite so far.

[Ryan Whitney]

Biz mentioned the, the World Juniors where you just lit it up. I, I, I remember watching it. It was incredible. And then there was discussion Matthews or line A and all that. And then you came into the NHL and just, it was easy from the get go. Like, did you expect that? Did you even know for sure you'd be coming over and playing in the NHL right after your draft year, which is more common now. But still to see the impact you made as an 18 year old, it's crazy.

[Patrick Laine]

Yeah, I think it was helpful that, you know, I played against men for like ever since I was 15. And then obviously we had the World cup before my, like my first camp. So like I already saw like all the best players pretty much and you know it. I wish I could say we nailed it, but I think we scored two goals in three games, so that wasn't, wasn't good.

[Ryan Whitney]

But, but did you feel like I belong? Like I can play with these guys right then?

[Patrick Laine]

Yeah, I think so. I think so. I think it was, I wouldn't say it was easy, but, or easier than I expected. But like, my first camp, I just came in, like, I, I think I said in every, every interview that I just want to play. Like, I don't care if I'm first on fourth line, you know, in and out of the lineup. Like, I just want to make it. And that was kind of, kind of my mindset. And obviously, you know, I had some trust from the coaches to, you know, put me on the power play and put me in top six. And then it just kind of, you know, just took off and confidence started growing and, you know, so it was, it was better than I could ever imagine. You know, coming over, would you have.

[Ryan Whitney]

Expected, like, Paul Maurice to go on and do what he's done in Florida? Like, like, off the bat, were you, like, this guy's a great coach. I understand his message. How was your relationship with him and, and all that?

[Patrick Laine]

No, I think it was. I think it was good. I think he's, you know, obviously took him a while to get his first cup, but I think he's, He's a really good coach and he knows what he's doing. And I think as a young guy, I think he, he was tough when he needed to be, and he still kind of gave me. Gave me the freedom to do my stuff even as a young guy. Like, yeah, obviously there's, you know, times where you, you know, fuck up, but that's his being a young guy in this league and. But he was, he was very good about that. Like, it's not like if I had a turnover, like, I'm not going to play the rest of the game. Like, it's, it was. It was never like that. So he was, he was very good about that. So I think that was helpful that I had a coach like that to, to begin. Begin with who, you know, had to, had to trust and who was just confident that, you know, I could, I could do great things. And so it was a lot, A lot of things goes to him, for sure.

[Ryan Whitney]

Yeah.

[Keith Yandle]

I was just going to ask you more about, like, just coming in the league. You know, you look at that roster like you guys had some studs and some characters. Guys like Boff Blake Wheeler and even like guy like Josh Morrissey. I think he came. Do you guys come in the same year?

[Patrick Laine]

I think he, like, started playing like, full time around that time, like with, with the team. But yeah, we had some. Had some characters in that team. Like, I was.

[Mike Grinnelli]

You're probably there for when Buff threw Kaner's tracksuit tracks.

[Patrick Laine]

That was, that was the year before. Year before.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Okay. All Right. Damn. God damn.

[Patrick Laine]

I missed that. But. But yeah, I was. There was. There was a lot of good guys. I got one of my favorite guys ever I'd play with. I. I sat with Chris Thorburn.

[Ryan Whitney]

Oh, I played with Dorby.

[Mike Grinnelli]

He was my junior captain.

[Patrick Laine]

Yeah. So he. He was. He was awesome. Like, he's still probably like top three. My favorite teammates I've. I've ever had. So he kind of. Kind of took me under my. Under his wing a little bit and kind of.

[Mike Grinnelli]

He.

[Patrick Laine]

He didn't teach me how to shoot, unfortunately, but, you know, but he could teach me other stuff.

[Ryan Whitney]

He made. He makes business nose look normal. He's got a snow on him.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Salute Toucan Sam on him. It's crazy. So I played. I played junior with him. When I played junior with him, he wouldn't even swear. Like, he was like, Shane, don't. He prepared me for Shane Doane. He'd be like, frag. No swear words. I was. I was shocked. That was kind of the first. Great leadership. Of course, going back to early in your career, it's been pretty documented you were a big gamer. Like, you love the Fortnite and all this stuff. How excessive did it get? Like, how many hours a week were you playing?

[Patrick Laine]

It got pretty interesting at times. You know, there's been. Actually, I wanted to bring this up. There's been some. Some talks that I was buying TVs. TVs on the road. I just.

[Paul Bissonnette]

That's a lie.

[Patrick Laine]

I just saw that article. That's. That's not true. That's not true. I did that one time with, with the Ealers, and that was so funny. Guys were on the plane when we flew back from Winnipeg the other night. They're like, they saw the article. They're like, is this true? Like, did you do that? I'm like, no. Like, I'm not. I'm not crazy. I'm not stupid. And I think it said too, that I had the equipment guys or something to go buy me TVs. I'm like, well, that's fake news fall.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Fake allegations, rumor boys.

[Patrick Laine]

Yeah, that's, that's, that's. But, you know, whatever.

[Ryan Whitney]

We thought you were Allen Iverson buying just new clothes every road trip. But yours was tv.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Leave it for the main.

[Patrick Laine]

Yeah, yeah, no, no, that's not. Not my. Not my jam. But you know, whatever. People, People talk. Talk whatever they talk anyway, so that's fine.

[Paul Bissonnette]

I wanted to guys.

[Keith Yandle]

And they have a suitcase. And it's like a suitcase and you open it and it's a t else.

[Patrick Laine]

Yeah, I've seen.

[Ryan Whitney]

He's like, I own the company.

[Keith Yandle]

He's like, I brought that. Not just the tv.

[Patrick Laine]

I wish I was. No, it was. Guys would. Yeah, I think guys don't do that anymore. Not as much. And I feel like as a, as a young guy too, like I was roommates with Eelers for a couple of years and we, we were just like two young guys. Like we didn't want to go out to dinners with like older guys and so we just, you know, stayed in and, and played some games and. But not, not anymore. Not anymore.

[Mike Grinnelli]

That was, that's what I wanted to ask you about because like, do you have any regrets about maybe not bonding with teammates? More like maybe like you know, spending those. Not saying you need to go out and drink, but you know, you're spending your time kind of in the room the whole time where I loved going for the 1012 guy dinners where you get to know your teammates and you gel a little bit more.

[Patrick Laine]

Yeah, I think, I don't think I regret it. I think as a, as a young guy, like obviously my mangoes wasn't like it is today. Like it was hard to you know, go out with with guys and especially like with the older guys. Like being an 18 year old, like I felt a little uncomfortable and obviously like my main thing was hockey. Like I wanna, you know, recover and do my, do my thing here to make sure I'm you know, at my best. Tomorrow's game and that, that was kind of my, my mindset. But now, you know, with other young guys coming in, like I'm trying to encourage them to, to join us and spend more time. But yeah, so I wouldn't say I have like regrets about that. I. It was just like purely hockey. Hockey at that time.

[Ryan Whitney]

So you've been a guy that's kind of like in the news a lot like ever since you came into the league. Sniper play with flair out there. And you. You're saying now like this report of buying TVs is false. Is there any been any other stories you've ever seen out there where you're like what the. That is it that never happened or that's not true.

[Patrick Laine]

There has been. I don't think I like remember any specific stories. But yeah, I feel like there's been a bunch, bunch of those that like are. Are these so called insiders from their couch? You know, who, who us who tweets something who has 37 followers and it's like, oh, all of a sudden they know everything you know, so I think there's been. There's been a lot of those, but, you know, it's like it doesn't matter. Like, people. People talk either way, like, whatever you say, but. So I don't. I don't pay attention to those too much anymore. It's just, you know, everybody has. Has their opinion about everything anyway, so it says, fine, yeah, you have some.

[Ryan Whitney]

Years at Winnipeg, guys go Western Conference finals, you're scoring. And then 20, 20, 20, 21 season, you're traded to Columbus, right? I think you had one game played, two goals, one assist, like, take us through the trade. Did you know it was coming? That first trade is often shocking to guys, but I don't know if beforehand you knew it was going to go down. Like, how did that all come about?

[Patrick Laine]

Yeah, it was. Yeah, I think it was the COVID year that started late. I. I originally thought that I get traded during the summer.

[Ryan Whitney]

Why did you think that?

[Patrick Laine]

There were some talks and we kind of wanted to change the scenery a little bit, just, you know, try. Try out somewhere else. Hopefully. Hopefully get some, like, bigger opportunities and stuff like that. And then. And then, you know, nothing. Nothing happened. And camp. Camp started and season started, so I figured, like, okay, I'm not gonna get traded anymore then. At least not yet. And then, yeah, played one game. I think I strained my oblique. I was out for a couple months. And then it was just like one random morning. We were stretching with the fitness guys before, before the skate, and then our, like, team management guy comes in. He's like, the GM wants to see you. So I kind of. I knew right away, like, I'm. I'm gone. Like, he's not gonna come talk to me for, like, no other reason right now. And then, yeah, I just had a meeting with him and Paul and they said, yeah, I'm going to. Going to Columbus. And even though I kind of knew, you know, it was something I wanted and I knew it was going to happen eventually, and it was still kind of the shock at the time to hear, you know, you're going somewhere else and your flight leaves at night, so go home and, you know, pack off your whole place pretty much. So it was. It was definitely a little bit of. A little bit of a shock for, you know, 20, 21 year old to who was. I was actually living with one of my best friends at the time and, you know, just moving to another country by myself. It was a little bit. Bit. A little bit scary at the time. But, you know, that's kind of how it Went down a little bit.

[Mike Grinnelli]

And also, just looking back on your, your Winnipeg days, I think you played back to back All Star Games. Like, was that one of the other highlights of your time there? Like, did you get to like, you know, connect or bond with anyone at the All Star Games? Or you're like, holy. I used to watch this guy growing up. Like, maybe OVI was there. Did you get a chance to chat with him?

[Patrick Laine]

Yeah, it was. Actually got. Yeah, my first year we had the All Star Game and I think it was in LA and got there, I think it was sitting next to Kaner in the locker room, which was like the coolest thing ever. Like, I got. I was asking everybody for sticks and, you know, jerseys, and I think the other guy I was sitting with was Ryan Suter. And now like, ever, like, up to this day, every time we're on the ice, like, he always tells me, like, oh, you're like, laces are open and stuff like that. Like, he's joking with me. So that was, that was pretty cool. But yeah, that was, that was really cool experience, like getting to meet Obi and, you know, all the other, other superstars. Like, I was just. As an 18 year old, I was like, Jesus Christ. Like, this is, this is awesome. I want to do this more.

[Mike Grinnelli]

You kind of touched on him earlier. I was just going to ask quickly, what's your favorite Dustin Bufflin story?

[Patrick Laine]

Bus story.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Too many to remember.

[Patrick Laine]

There's. There's a lot of good ones. What would be my favorite?

[Mike Grinnelli]

He's like an urban legend.

[Patrick Laine]

People ask us, it's just like every time we're like flying home, like, he's having his beers in the back, just sitting by himself. And then, you know, as an 18 year old, you're looking at him and then it was the funniest at the time. The. At the end of the flight, the flight attendants, they come, like, offer cookies and stuff and they, they go to Buff. It's like, you want cookies? He's like, no, I can't. I'm driving.

[Keith Yandle]

Classic dad joke.

[Patrick Laine]

I'm like, there's this entire fight. Like, what do you think? I didn't, I don't think I even got it at the time. But no, I thought that was, that was pretty funny.

[Ryan Whitney]

But was it not that surprising that that, like, not. I shouldn't say that. But when he retired, could you, could you see that coming? Or was it. Was it as shocking to you as it was to so many others?

[Patrick Laine]

I was actually. I was there. They were. We have, you know, I still have like the skates before camp where, you know, most guys are skating together. And I think he had. He was doing like treatment or something and then they were saying, be here tomorrow at 9 or something. And he's like, no, I won't. I won't come back. And they're like, okay, like, we'll see you tomorrow. And then I, I've never, I haven't seen him after that.

[Mike Grinnelli]

You haven't seen him since?

[Patrick Laine]

No, Just didn't show up. Everybody was kind of like laughing, like, okay, yeah, like. Like, we'll see you tomorrow. And then I never saw him after that.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Could he light up a room when he walked in the room where, like, was he just this presence?

[Patrick Laine]

Yeah, no, I think he was kind of like in his own bubble, like minding his own business, you know. Like, it wasn't like he was, you know, talking the whole time or like he didn't light up the room in that sense, but you could definitely sense like when he walks in and like, I mean, the floor shaking when he's, when he's walking in. Like, you can't miss it. But. But yeah, he definitely had. Had his presence set for sure.

[Mike Grinnelli]

I couldn't believe that his skates would stay in the rivets just based on his sheer size. Like, he was what, like, like 270 at his max. Like when and when he was showing.

[Patrick Laine]

Up, that was probably his lightest, if I had to say, honestly.

[Ryan Whitney]

Hey, but he moved. Unbelievable.

[Mike Grinnelli]

What would. Would Paul like, be like, hey, bud, come on here. Or did he didn't say.

[Patrick Laine]

I don't, I don't think anybody said anything. Like, he, he kind of. I don't know if he had his own rules, but. No, he would. But for a guy that size, like, I don't. He's. He's like naturally the strongest guy I've ever seen. Like, you've seen those videos, like from our playoff runs. Like, he's just grabbing two guys as. Just pulling them out of piles. And it was just not sound like. And I, I don't think I saw him like work out once probably. But he was just naturally so strong and so gifted. The goat, like the way he was moving us, like 270. I'm like, if I was too strong, I can't even get out, get up out from the couch. But no, it was, it was impressive.

[Ryan Whitney]

The craziest thing, or when I first saw like what he was and what he could do is remember he bodied Pronger in the, in the cup finals. They went in the corner and like, Just never saw Pronger get bodied. You're like, what the just happened that. But I guess you talk about all the hits buffed through. Has there ever been a time in your career when you just got lit up? Like, what's the hardest hit you've ever taken if you, if you've taken a big one?

[Patrick Laine]

Oh, it was my first year. It was, we played in Buffalo and Jake McCabe just absolutely put me in the body bags. I, I remember getting the, getting a backhand pass from Shives and then my next memory is waking up in the room after that and in between, nothing. I have no clue what happened.

[Ryan Whitney]

I gotta YouTube this hit right now.

[Patrick Laine]

Yeah, so that was, that was interesting. That was kind of like welcome to the league, hello kid moment.

[Mike Grinnelli]

And yeah, another character you've came in contact with, Torts. He was your coach for a hot minute in Columbus. Now did you have any infamous blow ups with him? Like, was there ever any? I don't remember anything in particular like going like in the media or anything, but like, I'm sure you guys had your words.

[Patrick Laine]

Yeah, it was, it was interesting. The. I think they were on the road trip when I got to Columbus and. Because you had to like quarantine for a couple of days when you entered the country. So I was skating by myself and I met everybody. It was a morning skateboard before a game and I've never met Torts before in my life. And the only thing he says to me, not even a high, he just says, don't fuck it up tonight. I'm like, okay, sounds good. I'll try.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Did you love that? Did you love it?

[Patrick Laine]

It was a little weird at the time. I'm like, hi, coach stories. But I'm like like, okay, we'll, we'll try to, try to do that.

[Mike Grinnelli]

That is.

[Patrick Laine]

Oh, he was. Yeah, he was interesting. I think. Yeah, I think he benched me. It was like the third game or something and.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Oh, you made it. Made that long.

[Patrick Laine]

Yeah, but yeah, we got, we got scored on and I was, I was so pissed coming into the bench and our, one of our assistant coaches like came up to me with the iPad right away and I said, not so nicely that you can leave with this iPad right now. And Torts heard it. He's like, you talk to my assistants like that ever again? And yeah, I didn't play play another shift in that period. So I learned, learned pretty quick.

[Ryan Whitney]

It's like a kid talking back to his mom and then the dad hears, he's like, what'd you say?

[Patrick Laine]

Yeah, it was, it was exactly like that. But you know, it's definitely shouldn't have said that, but, you know, heat in the moment, you say things. And then of course, of course he heard it and yeah, didn't have to have to play. Play again in that game. But at least I, I learned the hard way that those next in front.

[Ryan Whitney]

Of thorns when you went over to Columbus that year, like, maybe a little bit of a struggle, like, I don't know if just the trade and not fitting in or what happened there, but that next year, unbelievable year point per game, 30 goals. Like, was it just that first season it was hard and getting over the trade and then after a full season in training camp, it just felt that much easier.

[Patrick Laine]

Yeah, I think it was a little hard. And you know, like, before, before I went over there, like, I was out for a couple months, like, I didn't skate much. And then you go play a whole nother system, everything is new, new country. Living by yourself, like, like it was just a little too much to handle at the time. And then obviously when you don't have success, like your team's not doing well, like your confidence is low. And so, like, yeah, it didn't. Didn't go too well. But yeah, after that, I think it was a couple, couple years point point a game pretty much. But I mean, at the end of the day, who cares when you're dead deadly or dead last in the league, but, but yeah, it was, it was great after, after that first, first, first year. And it was, it was fun to play after that.

[Mike Grinnelli]

I was just going to ask about your connection with Johnny Goudreau. Hockey world got floored this summer with that news, and I would imagine, like, you enjoyed your time with him. He was like the best teammate, best friend, best husband, best person that anybody could ask for. So I just was going to hand it over to you. It's such a tough time.

[Patrick Laine]

Yeah, no, it was, I mean, just as shocked as everybody else. Like, I didn't want to believe it when you open Twitter and you see something like that. And obviously, you know, most guys played longer with him than I did, but my guy was, you know, sitting next to him in the locker room and sitting next to him on the plane playing cards and so kind of, kind of got to know him. Not, not as well as some of the other guys, but yeah, it was just, I mean, both of them like you. I don't know, it's. It's still like, hard to imagine that, you know, you won't, won't see him play ever again or do anything else like, and just feel, feel for the families. Like it was, it was just so awful. Like I can't even imagine how, how they're doing and. But just like everybody else, just try to support him as, as well as we can and, and you know, just keep as keep both their, you know, legacies going and. But yeah, it was, it was shocking. Just sleep.

[Ryan Whitney]

You've been kind of open recently about like your mental health and I believe you started some sort of foundation or, or system to try to help others. And I read something where you said I, I just tried to like talk to myself more, more positively where I used to be negative. And I know last year you took a little time away. Like looking back now, was that a great decision by you? Are you feeling that much better in your own headspace and, and everything after everything you've kind of gone through?

[Patrick Laine]

Yeah, yeah. I mean it was at the time probably the hardest decision I've had to make. You know, like walk away from something you love and you kind of sacrificed everything to be here and then you know, because of your own struggles, you gotta leave that behind for a little bit or at the time I didn't know for how long I didn't know if I was gonna play again. But yeah, it was the best decision I've ever made to you know, take that time off and prioritize my, my head since you know, when you start, start to notice how your, how your head is starting to affect your, your work, your relationships, your just day to day life, like you just can't, can't function, can't function anymore. So that was, that was the most important, you know, decision for my health that I've made. And then obviously started my fiance started from us to you page and it's not non profit where you know, people can share their stories about overcoming adversity and just try to, you know, spread some positivity around, around this topic and just show people that you know, it's normal to, to struggle and you know, you're not the only one in this world, you know, having these issues and just try to, you know, create this kind of community where you know, it's safe to share these stories and you know, hopefully you can come in and something relates to you and you find some, find some help help from that. So that's been really, really passionate about.

[Ryan Whitney]

So you were actually like in top. In such a tough spot mentally that that when you took the step away you weren't even sure if you'd Ever play again? Huh?

[Patrick Laine]

Yeah, no, I. Wow.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Didn't.

[Patrick Laine]

Didn't know. I think I. Well, yeah, it kind of started the. The summer before and I. I think I told the Armor a couple times that I'm like, I'm done playing. Like, I'm not going to come back. I'm not going to play again. And then ended up coming back and I probably. Probably shouldn't have at. At the time. I think I should have taken the time then. And then, you know, it just started kind of. Kind of going downhill and just got to that point where I was so depressed and just couldn't. Couldn't function anymore and just had to. Had to blow the whistle that, you know, this is not gonna be good if. If you just try to, you know, run through the wall, like, it's not gonna. Not gonna work out. So. Had to put a stop to it and. But now. Now you're, you know, happier. Happier than ever and happy to be playing again and overall. Overall healthy. So it's. It's been. It's been great.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Oh, good for you. Yeah. Congratulations. Like, do you feel comfortable sharing with maybe like, along that break, maybe like, some tools that you developed in order to like, combat it? Like, it was. Is it kind of like, was it just kind of getting it off your chest and talking to somebody or like. Like there's. That has to obviously build. Like some skills are developed to combat it for. To avoid it moving forward. Right?

[Patrick Laine]

Yeah. Yeah, I think it's, you know, like I've been, you know, seeing a therapist three times a week for the last, like, year and a half about. And I don't think it's necessarily like. I think I've just kind of learned how to, like, view things. Like, I always kind of looked at, like, things that the, you know, like the cliche, like, is the glass half empty or half full? I was always the half empty guy, but now I'm just trying to always think positively and not always go to the negative and kind of. Kind of learn how to just deal with things like, you know, life. Life's life and, you know, shit's gonna happen. But I think it's just how you. How you react and how you react to things and. And just try to try to have a positive, positive mindset and, you know, things are. Things are going to work out. Like, it might not feel like that in the moment, you know, when you're. When you're going through something, but I think, you know, I generally believe that, you know, everything happens for a reason, and there's a reason for every struggle you're going through. And I think it'll be easier to see. See later when you're, you know, past that. Past that stuff. So that's kind of. Kind of what I. What I learned from that.

[Ryan Whitney]

It's great to hear because, like, we've had guys on before bring it up, and it takes a lot to come out and, like, talk about it. So I think, like, Biz mentioned, you can't just start thinking positive. It actually takes work that it sounds like you've put in so good for you. And I get, I'm guessing, like, getting to Montreal, new start feeling better about yourself, and then having the crowd, like, love you even before you played. Like. Like, that only makes it. Makes it a little bit easier to just enjoy, like, the game you love again.

[Patrick Laine]

Yeah, no, absolutely. And like I said in an interview before, too, like, you know, like, we're working so hard to get back, you know, to get back to playing, get back to loving coming to the rink, and then right away something bad happens. If, like I said, like, if that happened year and a half ago, I don't think I could have gone over that, over that injury. But now, you know, we had some cries for a couple days at home. Like, we're gonna. We're gonna dial it in, we're gonna do the rehab and we're gonna come back, you know, greater. Greater than ever. And. But yeah, like, this whole. Whole city, own. Whole organization, everybody here has been so supportive, and it just made me. Just gave me the juice to come back even. Even quicker and just, like, makes you want to come back to play, play in front of these fans and play with these guys. Like, it's so special over here.

[Ryan Whitney]

And we talked about Finland in your country, and now, like, four nations is coming up. Like, how excited are you for that in Montreal and Boston, like, who are you looking forward to possibly playing with? I guess you said you've played with hints growing up. Like, could he be a possible center for you? Like, have you thought at all about it, or is it more kind of day to day with Montreal right now?

[Patrick Laine]

I think it's more day to day, but that was, yeah, actually, during my break, when I wasn't playing last year, like, that was that and the Olympics was something I was really looking forward to and kind of wanted to. I was like, if I'm gonna play another year, another two years, like, who cares? But, like, I wanna. I wanna leave on a high note. Like, I don't. I don't wanna leave, like, this like I, I wanna, I wanna do all these things. Like never got to play in the Olympics. Like I wanna play in the four nations. And now that I got, got the. Got invited, which I wasn't sure if I was going to since, you know, I haven't hadn't played a game in a year at that point. But, you know, they had, you know, all their confidence that I'll be, I'll be good for the team at that, at that point. And I think there's just so many good players on that team. Like, Marky is one of my best friends. Like I've played with him in a couple tournaments and I mean, you know, we got, we got Miko, we got Aho, we got Hence like all easy forward group.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Yeah.

[Patrick Laine]

Like our forwards are. I think we can really surprise some, some teams. I think, you know, we have a. I think Team Finland has always been like, you know, everybody knows their role. No, nobody has an ego. Like, you know, we're not going to start fighting over who gets two minutes more on the ice. Like, it's not going to be like that. Like, everybody knows they're their assignment and everybody does their job. And that's kind of, kind of how it goes with us, with us over there, I guess. But no, it'll be cool to play here especially. So hopefully, hopefully the, you know, fans are not booing at me. Too bad, too bad. And hopefully they'll give a couple of claps, golf claps at least.

[Keith Yandle]

So I think Barky's just starting to get the, the recognition that he deserves. I the like, no offense to all the legends that I played with. I think he's the best player I ever played with all around. Like, the guy does everything, you know. What do you think, like a guy like him, you know, will bring to that team Finland is. Do you think he'll be the captain? You think he's going to be the, you know, the number one guy out there?

[Patrick Laine]

I think he should be. I mean, no offense to Branton who's having unreal start to the year, but I, I mean, I think think Barky's just a face of Finnish hockey. I think like he's such like everything he does is like 100. He does it so well on and off the ice. Like, I think he's. Well never obviously play with him in this league, but I think he's the like best player I've ever played with. He's just so good and you know, lately, like he's getting the recognition that he deserves and I can't even imagine if he was playing in a place like Toronto or Montreal. Like he would be bought or even bigger than God over here. Like he's, he's just so good. But, but yeah, he's just gonna, I think he'll be, he'll be leading, leading that group for sure.

[Ryan Whitney]

And did you go to his cup party?

[Patrick Laine]

Actually, no, because I was, I was still in Florida spending my off season, so I couldn't go. But I, I, I did promise in my speech that I'll go to his next one.

[Mike Grinnelli]

1.

[Patrick Laine]

I'll go to his next one. But yeah, I had to, had to miss this.

[Keith Yandle]

He probably didn't even have one. He was probably skating the guys.

[Patrick Laine]

I probably is probably playing tennis or.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Working on his face offs.

[Keith Yandle]

Yeah, he's even better at tennis than he is at hockey. It's wise. He's insane.

[Mike Grinnelli]

I feel like a lot of these guys, these thoroughbred, like Matthews is a big tennis player, they do it for the cardio, but they don't, they're not thinking about it. And that small, I guess that small area game too. And I guess I was going to ask you, like, do you play and what do you do away from the rink? I know you like fashion as a hobby, you love hockey, but what, what else do you do to get away?

[Patrick Laine]

I, I played tennis with Barki a lot. Like, I, I used to play when I was younger too. Like in a team and all that. I'm not as good as he is. Like, he's just good at, better than, better than me at everything he does, apparently. But no, it's just, just like to, you know, be, be at home with, with my fiance and our dog and just, you know, do kind of whatever, go for walks and watch, watch tv. Watch a lot of, a lot of hockey and it's kind of. Kind of it. That's kind of.

[Ryan Whitney]

Oh, you do you watch the league? You watch different when you're not playing. You're watching different, different buddies or different teams play.

[Patrick Laine]

Oh. Oh, yeah. If I'm, if I'm on the road, I'm, I'm watching like three games a night.

[Ryan Whitney]

No.

[Patrick Laine]

Yeah. If it.

[Ryan Whitney]

Wow.

[Patrick Laine]

Or if it works out well, because, you know, the sunbeam starts at 7, then there's 9:00, 11:00. Like I'll be watching hockey all night pretty much.

[Mike Grinnelli]

We should bring you on as an analyst too, if you're watching that much hockey. What do you like?

[Patrick Laine]

I wouldn't go that far yet. I wouldn't go that far yet.

[Mike Grinnelli]

But yeah, we could Do a weekly segment. Come on.

[Patrick Laine]

Maybe one day.

[Ryan Whitney]

Well, we appreciate your time. I guess my final question is. Biz mentioned it earlier, but in your heyday of video games, what was the longest straight session you had?

[Mike Grinnelli]

Were you pissing in water bottles?

[Patrick Laine]

No, I. I had bathroom breaks. That was about it.

[Ryan Whitney]

Okay.

[Mike Grinnelli]

All right.

[Patrick Laine]

But there would be some good. Good off days where I would go probably from like 8:30 in the morning until like midnight or something.

[Ryan Whitney]

That's a 16 hours.

[Patrick Laine]

Just from back home, you know?

[Mike Grinnelli]

Yeah. They call you Patty Ice because you're pale, because you don't see the sunlight.

[Patrick Laine]

I'm not much talker on the phone, so, you know, I'm just, you know, talking with my buddies and, you know, try to, you know, play. Play with little kids at the same time over there, so.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Talking in the headset. Oh, yeah.

[Patrick Laine]

Always. Always.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Do. Do you play NHL or is it only like the. The shooting games, like Fortnite and all that?

[Patrick Laine]

No, it's. It's been. It's been Call of Duty, but I. I used to grind. Grind NHL back in. Back in the day. I couldn't. Can't play with myself anymore because my rating's so bad in that game. But back in the heydays, like, when I used to be good in that game, like, it was. It was fun. I'll get.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Hey, I'll call my buddies at EA. I'll get them to bump you to a 99. They should for this interview in your time. Yeah.

[Ryan Whitney]

Ken Hughes is like, no, no, he's gonna be playing all day. Well, hey, Patrick, it's been. It's been a pleasure talking to you, but do you. Are you good?

[Mike Grinnelli]

I was just gonna say thank you so much for your time. And like, you know, we like to see the players happy and in a good zone. And, you know, you. We kind of. We had Duchenne on recently too, and he was vulnerable about his struggles and his. And mental health stuff. So I think it's big and I think it resonates through the league. And we appreciate you and your time, buddy. We'll be rooting for you, just not at the Four Nations.

[Patrick Laine]

Yeah, no, I get that. No, thanks. Thanks for having me. This is a blast to. To finally get the invite, so.

[Ryan Whitney]

Well, hey, if you're watching that much hockey at some point, playoff times, if you're not lighting it up, playoffs, maybe we get you on. Get your thoughts around.

[Mike Grinnelli]

I cannot wait to design this suit that you're gonna wear.

[Patrick Laine]

Yep.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Like, you're gonna look like. What's that? The figure Skating movie. Blades of Glory. Oh, we're gonna put that to shame. Those outfits.

[Patrick Laine]

That works for me. That works for me.

[Ryan Whitney]

Patty Ice, we'll talk to you by Pink Whitney.

[Patrick Laine]

Absolutely. Thanks, guys.

[Ryan Whitney]

Guys, before we go any further, I want to talk to you about the only nicotine pouch in the game, and that is Lucy. Lucy is the obvious choice for the true nicotine pouch connoisseurs. And that's why they're the official nicotine pouch partner of barstool sports. Lucy poaches go up to 12 milligram in strength and have a unique shape. That feels great. Lucy breakers. That's where it's at. That's where I go. That's who I run with. And they are the only pouches with a hydration capsule inside. They're a totally new kind of pouch, only available from Lucy, the espresso flavor. Guys, I cannot tell you what it's like to get up in the morning and get my iced coffee and pop in a Lucy Breaker espresso flavored. And just enjoy Life with the 12 milligram espresso in your mouth while drinking a coffee. Try it. If you haven't tried it, don't knock it. Give it a try. Each breakers pouch contains a hydration capsule that you crack open with your teeth before tossing it in your lip. The capsules release a burst of flavor and helps release nicotine faster for an experience that you can't find in any other pouch. Gas station pouches get the job done. But once you've tried Lucy, you will not want anything else in your pocket. I promise you that. Get Lucy shipped straight to your door. Visit Lucy Co Chiclets, that's Lucy Co. And use promo code Chiclets to get 20 off your first order. Subscribe for another 15 off and shipping's always free right now. Lucy Co Slash Chiclets. Thank you so much to Patrick Line. It's been so cool seeing him come back and just rip those one timers on the power play. And it was a bummer when the news broke that he, that he had that injury, was going to miss the start of the year. And buddy, since he's came back, he's been on fire. That team's been on fire. The Bell Center's rocking and I'd love to see the Canadians make a push to the playoffs. So we appreciate him coming on. Mark Edward Vlasik has a bone to pick with the NHL boys. The San Jose Sharks Blue liner strongly believes that there should be an annual award to honor the league's best defensive defenseman. He said, I hope down the road they give out two trophies to defensemen. He told that to San Jose hockey. Now's Shen Sheng Peng. I think it's absolutely absurd. They deserve it. I could not agree more. I think we've talked about this before.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Time and time again.

[Ryan Whitney]

And now who do we name it after?

[Mike Grinnelli]

Guys, I think somebody said the Scott Stevens Award. I think that Larry Robinson.

[Keith Yandle]

Larry Robinson, Yeah.

[Mike Grinnelli]

That would probably be like OG status. Like, I mean, he isn't either one who philosophy where you don't put your. Your. Your feet in the crease. Like, he's just like one of the OG defenders and just a warrior to cross checks to the back. So that's probably a name that that would come up maybe even before Scott Stevens.

[Ryan Whitney]

It has turned into the Norris Trophy. Is the best offensive defenseman many times. These guys are playing 26 minutes a night. They're running power plays. But it's always now. I mean, you get the final, you got the three finalists. It's like the three highest scoring D men for the most part. Obviously there's some guys in and out of that, but I agree with him. I think it'd be an awesome idea.

[Mike Grinnelli]

It also adds just another element can have award. What do you mean? The guy just blocks everything. You don't even need a fucking goalie when he's in the lineup.

[Ryan Whitney]

No, imagine they decide like they decided this. They're like the Adam Foot Award, the Larry Robinson Award. They're just like, nah, it's the Chris Tan of award. He's like still playing.

[Mike Grinnelli]

He's like, he deserves it for how many.

[Ryan Whitney]

He looks like John C. Riley and like step brothers. He's like, huh? Yeah, what? But he doesn't even win it. A good idea there that I hopefully goes down. And speaking of demon, the New Jersey Devils find themselves in a little bit of a pickle. Simone Nemec, the second overall pick a few years back, is pissed off. And why don't we bring in Pasha right now? This guy.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Roll the disclaimer warning.

[Ryan Whitney]

The following statements are about to be made by a deranged Devils fan. The views expressed are his and his only. Take everything you hear with a grain of salt because remember, he is a deranged Devils fan. Pasha, what's up? Not only have you guys lost nine of the last 11 games, but you have a guy who you've talked to me about endlessly about being the future of the New Jersey Devils in this machine on the back end with Luke Cues. He's pissed off, buddy. He's furious.

[Pasha]

He's not nearly as pissed off as people think. I got to have a word with Memesy. This quote board. The second sentence in that interview was, like, 400 words later than the first sentence. And the interview is in a different language. This is the most overblown lost in translation quote ever. Is he unhappy he's in the A? Yes, but, like, they made it seem like, oh, I need to get traded. This and that. It's extremely overblown. He's not going anywhere. It was in a different language. Everyone needs to calm down.

[Mike Grinnelli]

I would think he'd be happy, though, considering he's not in the devil's locker room. Given the toxicity and the. The losing atmosphere of how bad they've been playing.

[Ryan Whitney]

Disaster.

[Mike Grinnelli]

They're below 500 since I bought that hat. I might throw it in the dumpster.

[Pasha]

Yep. Please do. I'll pay you a lot of money. I would pay you a lot of money. Throw in the dumpster. Bring the Jesper brat voodoo doll out. Stick some pins in.

[Mike Grinnelli]

I'll bring it out.

[Pasha]

Changed up.

[Mike Grinnelli]

I'll bring it out.

[Ryan Whitney]

Pasha, I. I want to know, because where does he fit in? All right, because you got Dougie Hamilton, and you. You just. You just signed. What's his name from. From Carolina. Pesci.

[Pasha]

Pesci.

[Keith Yandle]

Yeah.

[Ryan Whitney]

Okay. And this. Kova Sevic's been phenomenal. They're probably going to resign. They're probably going to resign him. Like, I understand Nemec being like, wait a minute. Like, where do I fit in on this? I'm the second overall pick.

[Pasha]

Yeah, that's a fair question. Listen, I think there's some rumblings of people saying, oh, Kobis, Evitz, you know, he's having such a great season. Like, is this sustainable? Are you going to be overpaying him?

[Ryan Whitney]

Yeah. You.

[Pasha]

No, I think we should keep him. I'm. I'm saying I think he can maintain this level. Listen, I think Dougie's tenure with the Devils has another year.

[Patrick Laine]

Wow.

[Mike Grinnelli]

He's already getting off of Dougie Hamilton.

[Pasha]

No, I'm not off the Dougie train. I think the team needs him right now. I think he's very valuable, offensively speaking. Defensively, he's a little bit different, but I think sort of he'll kind of take over that Dougie role, whether that's in a year or two or whatever. And he's going to have to. Have to be patient.

[Ryan Whitney]

And that's only has one more year. Huh? Who?

[Patrick Laine]

Dougie?

[Ryan Whitney]

Oh, no, no, no, no. I'm looking at 2627. So he has, he has three more seasons. Hamilton. Yeah.

[Keith Yandle]

So I could just keep Nimic in the minors till he's done.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Yeah, I would do that spot on the Gargoyles.

[Ryan Whitney]

No, no.

[Pasha]

I could see Nevitz coming up playing his offside. Them kind of making it work until they get rid of Hamilton. With maybe a year or two left on his deal. What's the alternative? Trade him for a bag of pucks?

[Ryan Whitney]

No, no. The alternative is you could still get. I understand you're. I get what you're saying. You're trading from the ahl, you're not getting what you could. But buddy, they got Seamus Casey.

[Pasha]

No, I think you trade Casey. I think Nemesis. Yeah, I think you trade Casey. I think sort of you have that dynamo and Luke Hughes and that, you know, the. The really offensive guy. I think Nemetz is more of a well rounded sort of, you know, just like stay at home.

[Mike Grinnelli]

But they're gonna trade somebody. They should probably shake it up right now. So would you recommend trading that Casey now to kind of get something prepared for this playoff run? Now is the window. It's starting now.

[Pasha]

Yeah, the window.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Yeah.

[Pasha]

The time to win is now. No more for the future. I don't care about that trade, that big six six D man or whatever, the Russian guy they drafted. When you're in Vegas, the time to win is now. I think, you know, the roster needs two things. Mainly they need a third line center, especially with hollow her right now it's really exposing their bottom six depth, which is weird because in the first month it was only their bottom six lighting it up. And then they need a top six scoring winner. You know, I've talked about Alex Tuck. Talked about a McCann. Something I was thinking about today I would actually love. You know, since they're doing a fire sale, Ricky Racks out of Pittsburgh. Raquel, I think would be a nice.

[Ryan Whitney]

He's been on fire.

[Pasha]

He's been on fire. Yeah, but if they can retain something, I'm fine with paying, you know, a decent price for him. So they need a top six sniper winger and a third line center.

[Mike Grinnelli]

And.

[Pasha]

And that'll sort of remedy.

[Mike Grinnelli]

So you wouldn't do Simon Nemec one for one for J.T. miller.

[Pasha]

That. Not a chance in hell. Not a chance in hell.

[Ryan Whitney]

See that?

[Keith Yandle]

That's where you lose stupidest.

[Mike Grinnelli]

That's crazy to me.

[Pasha]

I wouldn't trade a 20 year old guy you're gonna have for the next 15 years for.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Just told me center.

[Keith Yandle]

No, you're gonna have to get here because he's gonna be the Miners for.

[Pasha]

No, I trade Casey, I trade Casey for a lot less. Nemet's value is way higher. I wouldn't trade Nemet, who's a 20 year old guy who's going to be on your blue line for another 15 years for a 32 year old cancer and J.T. miller, whose body's breaking down on a terrible contract. No chance. Who would ever do that trade 20 year old stuff.

[Ryan Whitney]

How is it a terrible contract, dude?

[Pasha]

Because he has what, five more years.

[Mike Grinnelli]

At 8.6, four more years after this year, doesn't he?

[Pasha]

At 8, his plays already declining. He plays a physical style. Everyone's played drop.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Yeah, but he's also going to have to be relied a lot, a lot less upon playing in, in, in New Jersey if he's playing second overall.

[Pasha]

20 year old guy who's over the hill.

[Mike Grinnelli]

He just told me the time is now and this guy's going to be playing the Miners with the gargoyles the next two.

[Ryan Whitney]

And you picked, you picked this silly of 10th overall. These 66.

[Pasha]

Yeah, but I was sitting beside you. I didn't like that picture.

[Ryan Whitney]

No, and I, and I told you, buddy, that I've told, I was told this kid skates like the wind. He's a monster. Like. Yeah, I mean if you're gonna trade one of those guys, you're saying for sure, Silvia, just because you haven't seen him. Because Nemec played basically a full season as a 19 year old.

[Pasha]

And I'm not saying for sure, but Nemetz looked good last year. I'm telling you. He got hurt this year late summer and whatever the Olympic tournament was. And he had a really start to the year. I think the injury was a factor. But last year he played most of the year and he looked like a five year old.

[Mike Grinnelli]

What's he doing in the Miners?

[Pasha]

That's a testament to the depth of the organization. You got Jonathan Kobacevitz coming in, who has been the second best defensive defenseman in the league this year. That's a good problem to have if you're not. If Nemetz is in the A. That's a testament to a deep decor. Good problem to have, man.

[Mike Grinnelli]

I hope they meet the Rangers in the first round so you can the playoffs, buddy.

[Ryan Whitney]

You just have this thing against J.T. miller. Because my sense was that when the rumor came out that like the Devils were making calls on J.T. miller, Devils fans were loving the fact that they could bring in this dynamic, mean, physical centerman to help out The Devils and also another guy. I will say, and we just talked about Buffalo's crazy to trade him. Cousins would be a nice fit in.

[Pasha]

New Jersey, but what would his long term role be?

[Mike Grinnelli]

Would you. Hey, would you trade Simone Nemec for. For Dylan Cousins?

[Pasha]

But here's my question. What is Cousins going to be a career third line center behind Hughes? And he sure like, is that really the best use of that resource for Dylan Cousins?

[Ryan Whitney]

Maybe he'd be an unreal winger.

[Pasha]

Yeah, maybe, maybe. But I feel like Nemetz would have more value as sort of your, you know, number one or number two demon after Luke Hughes for the next 10 years than having overpaying for cousins to be your 3C. That seems like overkill to me. I don't know.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Well, you're. And you're once again talking about a team full of D and G. Says.

[Ryan Whitney]

Here sources tell Mike Grinnell and this man has proven that he has sources.

[Mike Grinnelli]

85 Tommy Fitzgerald.

[Ryan Whitney]

That Tommy Fitzgerald loves J.T.

[Keith Yandle]

Miller so he doesn't.

[Ryan Whitney]

If Chris Drury loves a lot of people. Stanley cup winner and Tommy Fitzgerald loves him. GM in the NHL who played like 1300 career games. But you're the one guy who's like, no, no, I'm the one guy.

[Pasha]

The whole league knows he's a problem. Why do you mean trade value so low? The whole league knows he's a cancer.

[Ryan Whitney]

This is crazy. We just told you two GMs don't do anything to happen.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Yans, that's a big. I'm gonna put my mic.

[Keith Yandle]

How are you saying cancer?

[Ryan Whitney]

Yance played with him.

[Keith Yandle]

I. I don't understand how you're saying a can. I had the. The privilege of playing with him. I know he's not a cancer. He might be having an off year. Last year he had 100 and something points, bro.

[Pasha]

Yeah, but okay, Yance, this whole conversation, I've never once brought up his offense. The offensive points are there. I've been talking about defense and his character, issues of cancer, what he's been doing to Pedersen. The rift that's caused for the team like this has been. This is public knowledge.

[Mike Grinnelli]

What are you, the towel boy?

[Ryan Whitney]

How do you know?

[Paul Bissonnette]

What?

[Keith Yandle]

How do you know that there's something going on? I don't know anything.

[Pasha]

What do you mean? That's the whole news of the league the last fucking 12 months with Pederseal.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Yeah. Housewives of the Arbutus Club over here.

[Pasha]

That's the point.

[Ryan Whitney]

Who's on tilt? Who was talking about the New Jersey Devils going to the Stanley cup final. They've won two of 11 games. One of them was against the Kraken, who might be playing against the Gargoyles next year, and the other one was against Tampa in overtime. So this is a guy who can't see clearly.

[Mike Grinnelli]

That's it.

[Paul Bissonnette]

You're done.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Final.

[Keith Yandle]

Delusional. The devil. So much.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Final.

[Ryan Whitney]

Last words, Keith.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Final. Last words.

[Pasha]

Final. Last words. Is this in terms of Miller in a vacuum, can J.T. miller help the Devils win a playoff series? Yes, but in terms of what it would cost to get him the contract beyond the books for five more years and bringing the cancer into the room, I am out. But the player himself, in a. In a vacuum, in a series, yes, he could help him win a series, but I'll pass.

[Keith Yandle]

You're saying what it's going to cost to take him or get him. But you just said his trade. His trade value is so low.

[Pasha]

Yeah, but I'd rather use those assets on a piece that's going to be with the team long term.

[Mike Grinnelli]

That's.

[Pasha]

That's not going to be, you know.

[Ryan Whitney]

Hey, this is a man who is swimming upstream right now, boys.

[Pasha]

How am I swimming upstream?

[Ryan Whitney]

Trade value.

[Mike Grinnelli]

He wouldn't have traded Holtz for J.T. miller, this idiot.

[Keith Yandle]

Would you trade Frank the Tank for JT Mill?

[Mike Grinnelli]

This guy off the screen. Let's hope. Fitz, he's not listening to him, are you, Devils?

[Keith Yandle]

The fact that I have to see his, his, like those curtains that he had behind him, too.

[Ryan Whitney]

What is that?

[Mike Grinnelli]

That's where he rubs his Vancouver Canuck rub and tug for the rest of the boys other than J.T.

[Keith Yandle]

Oh, he does that there.

[Ryan Whitney]

And, and, and by the looks of it, Washington has kind of wrapped up like, possibly wrapped up the, the Metro. And, and right now, like New Jersey stands in front of Carolina, but I think Carolina's three or four games in hands. I think New Jersey's going to be starting on the road in the first round against Carolina. And two years ago we saw how that went for the Devils against the Carolina.

[Mike Grinnelli]

I think that would be an unbelievable first round.

[Keith Yandle]

And I've heard rumblings of J.T. miller tonight. Carolina. I hope they play them first round. And J.T. miller has 15 goals in the first round. I will do anything.

[Ryan Whitney]

Oh, I would go to Biz and Bonnie Blue's wedding if Carolina with J.T.

[Keith Yandle]

I'Ll do the first speech.

[Ryan Whitney]

And he has 10 points in six games.

[Mike Grinnelli]

It's like, honey, where are you? She's getting drunk by my groomsman. Capitals. How could you? I couldn't see the Signs guys.

[Ryan Whitney]

Logan Thompson has started 25 games this year for the Washington Capitals. So that's. How many possible points is that?

[Mike Grinnelli]

50 points. 50 possible points.

[Ryan Whitney]

They have 44 of a possible 50 points. Logan Thompson has started this year. So just incredible to see what has happened in D.C. it's basically all Bruins fans like G could think about is can we do what.

[Patrick Laine]

What.

[Ryan Whitney]

What the Capitals have done and just retool this quick? No, you can't. Boston, sorry to break the news to you, but the Washington Capitals. One of the stories of the season. And Ovi surpassed Yarmouth Jager for the most goaltenders scored on ever in NHL history. He's now scored a goal on 179 different goalies after scoring against Levy Merlinen. Sorry, don't even know who that is.

[Keith Yandle]

It looks like a CVS receipt. All the guys that he scored on.

[Ryan Whitney]

There was not like imagine having a.179 career goals. This dude has beaten 179 goals. Gee, look up quick. What goalie has he scored the most on?

[Mike Grinnelli]

Oh, let's guess.

[Keith Yandle]

Oh, no, let's guess. Let's guess.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Each of us get a couple guesses. I'm gonna say the goalie I'm scored the most on.

[Keith Yandle]

Flower might be up there.

[Ryan Whitney]

Lundqvist.

[Mike Grinnelli]

I would say Lundqvist. That's a great answer.

[Keith Yandle]

I'm gonna say Flower. I'm gonna say flower. You got to take someone different with it.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Okay, fine. I would say let's go back to that division.

[Keith Yandle]

Who's on the Flyers for a while?

[Ryan Whitney]

They haven't had a 1 goalie.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Oh, they haven't had a 1.

[Keith Yandle]

Tuka.

[Ryan Whitney]

Timmy Tuka could be right there. I mean, it's a long time rival. Former teammate of. Of yours with and yours.

[Keith Yandle]

I said Flower.

[Ryan Whitney]

It is. It is. Mark Andre Flurry. But number two. Number two is crazy too. Henrik Lundqvist. Yeah.

[Mike Grinnelli]

He said. Yeah, he said it. Yeah.

[Patrick Laine]

Wow.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Good.

[Keith Yandle]

Who is three Tuka?

[Ryan Whitney]

I just have one and two.

[Keith Yandle]

Oh, nice.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Oh.

[Ryan Whitney]

179 different goalies. You gotta think a lot of those guys. Like they're looking back at their career and they're like, ovi, Ovi sniped one on me. It's kind of like cool in a way.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Yeah.

[Ryan Whitney]

I don't think. I don't think you want to be number one on the list. Although number one and number two are in the hall. Are going to be in the hall of Fame.

[Mike Grinnelli]

You got to imagine when he. When he's one away from breaking the record, that next goal he's going to want to be the one that he scores on.

[Ryan Whitney]

I know, but wouldn't you be want to be the one biz when he's got the Gretzky record tied and you rob him with your glove to not get beat by it?

[Keith Yandle]

Point up at Wayne.

[Ryan Whitney]

I got you Wayne. Then he tucks one next period on you. Oh, yeah.

[Keith Yandle]

I don't think you want baseball in baseball. You don't want to be the guy to, you know, you want to be the guy to break up a no hitter.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Nobody's going to remember the fucking glove say before he broke it. You're going to be a trivia question because you got scored on. You want to go down in the history books or do you want to flash the leather?

[Ryan Whitney]

I want to flash the leather, baby.

[Keith Yandle]

Flash the leather.

[Ryan Whitney]

Flash the leather. Late in the third.

[Mike Grinnelli]

I'd rather eat Bonnie Blue's box.

[Ryan Whitney]

And with that, we are adding Columbus to the Viagra triangle.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Oh, you think we're not? They're trolling us.

[Keith Yandle]

Last week you guys asked who we'd like to get in and I said Pittsburgh and New York. It's. It's Montreal and Columbus, but they're trolling us.

[Mike Grinnelli]

The Viagra triangle. That didn't even include them. Did you see their stadium series jerseys? It's literally two balls and a cock disguised as a cannon. They are the Viagra triangle. Did you try to tell us the whole time?

[Ryan Whitney]

Did you Detroit's helmet? Did you like the white stripe through the middle of Detroit's helmet on their.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Fuck about the Detroit Red Wings? Because the Columbus Blue Jackets are the Viagra triangle. They're fucking hard as a rock ready to shoot loads out through that cannon. And I'm backing them. That's going to be my fourth team. No Columbus Blue Jackets. I'm on the Viagra triangle wagon. Welcome to the squad biz.

[Ryan Whitney]

I just. I just think that the story of Columbus and. And. And they were written off as just gonna be nothing this year. And they got Warrenski. I know Biz you said should be up for MVP if they get in the playoffs. I love that call.

[Mike Grinnelli]

He's on pace for 28 goals or maybe close to 30 now.

[Ryan Whitney]

Fantilli's buzzing. Fantilly's buzzing. They got the Russian monsters. Veronkov. They got the Marchenko. I think they said that they were actually calling him Fantillicov. So I think that Columbus. Get those guys in the playoffs. Get them in. Get him in. Oh, gee. Has two guys are tied at number three as most goals score OV scored on. And I don't think the fact we didn't get one of them is crazy. Wait a long time goalie in the Eastern Conference. Great goalie. Long time.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Bobrovsky?

[Ryan Whitney]

Nope. Good. Good guess.

[Keith Yandle]

Good guess. Really good guess.

[Ryan Whitney]

An absolute stallion of a person. The guy's going to be in the hall of Fame.

[Keith Yandle]

Shane Doane's cousin, Carrie Price.

[Ryan Whitney]

Wow. And he's tied. He's tied with. I don't know how this guy's tied, but Carrie Letnan.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Oh, right.

[Ryan Whitney]

Oh, Atlanta. Atlanta. Was he in Atlanta?

[Mike Grinnelli]

Yes, he was.

[Keith Yandle]

He was in Philly, wasn't he?

[Ryan Whitney]

He was in Atlanta and then Dallas. But Atlanta is probably where OVI lit him up a couple of those big early years when the Thrashers still had a team. Wow. Thursday guys on our Spit and Chicklets373,000 followers Road warriors with Paul Bissonnette, Scott Gomez and Mike Motto in Surrey, British Columbia, coaching in the bchl. I'm very excited to watch this biz.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Oh, it was a. I had a blast of a day and they run a tight ship there and you're going to see some funny stuff. But ultimately Gomez was a little bit bored and I'm so happy he picked up coaching because he's a great coach and those, those boys he's got there. Follow every word that he says and it's great to see. So excited to see everybody, are excited to hear everybody's feedback from enjoying the piece and that'll be on our Spit and Chicklets YouTube channel dropping Thursday at what time?

[Ryan Whitney]

Noon, noon 12 Eastern, 9am In British Columbia where I'm sure the boys from Surrey will be watching. Remember in the day that Paul Bissonnet came in and was supposed to talk to the team about winning battles and getting loose pucks and scoring the power play, but instead brought up Bonnie Blues race to a thousand kills in one day.

[Keith Yandle]

What an opportunity for those kids to get to play for Mike Motto Andrew Guy, awesome Guy knows the game so well. And Scott Gomez, you're 17, 18 years old. Is there a better duo that you could go and play for to better your career?

[Ryan Whitney]

It's and the Gomez has the memory like Gretzky, like he remembers.

[Mike Grinnelli]

I don't know if you were on the podcast at the time, Yance, but every time he walks in the room they have to stand up and salute him like it's the army buddy. I'm. I thought they were around with me. So you'll see that in the video. And also just to allude to your point about like how, like how much like Hockey smarts you're getting from him being your coach. Like, he emphasizes a lot of the teaching that Adam Oates does, where he breaks down the video and explains to them where expose ice and the offensive zone, where to make plays, where to avoid. Like, hey, don't bring it to your backhand here. You're losing that split second that lane closes off. So the little details in which he's teaching on the offensive side. And Mike Motto, a guy who won a Stanley cup with the New Jersey Devils, who was a notorious shutdown defensive defense.

[Keith Yandle]

I don't think he did.

[Mike Grinnelli]

He never won a Stanley cup there.

[Ryan Whitney]

No.

[Keith Yandle]

Oh, I thought Baker, though, in college.

[Ryan Whitney]

Oh, Hobie Baker, winner.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Oh, okay. Well, I guess I'll shut the up then. I thought he want to stay on the Cup. He might. Did he. Did he. Did he go on a run with him?

[Ryan Whitney]

Was he on that team that went.

[Mike Grinnelli]

I think they went to the finals, actually.

[Keith Yandle]

The year what, 01? I don't think he was there in 01, was he?

[Ryan Whitney]

No.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Maybe I lost.

[Ryan Whitney]

No, he never. He never went. He never went to the finals of the Devils. No.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Maybe we could take that out. Maybe we can keep it.

[Ryan Whitney]

Keep going.

[Keith Yandle]

Great guy, though. All time.

[Ryan Whitney]

Awesome guy to finish off. I want to. I want to give a big congratulations to my brother Colin and his wife Claire. They had a baby girl, Rosemary Ellen Whitney. So Ryder, Wyatt, Cal, and my brother Sean's son Liam, they have a new cousin, Rosemary. And my mom, the wonderful Sue Whitney, has a granddaughter. She had three boys of her own. I had three boys. My brother Sean had a boy, and now there is a baby Whitney girl. So congratulations to Colin and Claire. They live in Nashville. They're very excited, super pumped for them. And with that, boys, great show. Great show.

[Mike Grinnelli]

I don't really have much.

[Keith Yandle]

See you boys in a few days.

[Mike Grinnelli]

Yes.

[Ryan Whitney]

Do I have anything else here? Oh, crazy thing. I don't know if this guy's messing with me. He said, if you want to know what's going on in youth hockey in Toronto, there are parents putting earpieces in their child so that they can talk to them during the games, and the.

[Keith Yandle]

Parents should be suspended for life.

[Ryan Whitney]

Sent a picture of. Of a kid with, like, something on his helmet that looks like. Now, I don't know if I'm completely getting fooled, but if your kid's playing.

[Mike Grinnelli]

No, it's a thing. I was actually gonna do it with all the big deal selects. We were gonna put just like. Just to bark orders at them, but I guess.

[Keith Yandle]

Oh, to not win a game instead of just win one, shunning it.

[Mike Grinnelli]

We're not going to do that.

[Ryan Whitney]

Then I guess if you're putting in an earpiece in your child to talk to them during a youth hockey game, you need to be admitted into a mental, mental institution right this minute. Don't do things like that. That is insane. And your co, your child is absolutely headed towards a disaster of a life if he has an earpiece in his ear at 8 years old, skating around in a mitehawk hockey game. So we'll end that. That's, that's, I guess game notes can bring, bring that up again because I'm sure Merle's has dealt with the, with the madness before as he coached youth hockey for a little bit. But I love you guys. I love you listeners. Thank you so much. Have a wonderful week. Love you guys. Have a great week.