Spittin’ Chiclets Episode 655: Featuring Tripp Tracy

Summary

Spittin’ Chiclets Episode 655: Featuring Tripp Tracy

Date: June 15, 2026
Hosts: Ryan Whitney (“Wit”), Paul Bissonnette (“Biz”), Rear Admiral (“RA”), Mike Grinnell, Merles, Yan, Jake
Featured Guest: Tripp Tracy (Carolina Hurricanes broadcast legend)

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Episode Overview

This championship edition of Spittin’ Chiclets dives deep into the Carolina Hurricanes’ 2026 Stanley Cup victory. The crew breaks down the Cup Final, the rise of the Hurricanes as an analytics-fueled juggernaut, and offers an inside look, complete with passionate praise, hilarious banter, and a heartwarming interview with Cane’s mainstay broadcaster Tripp Tracy. The discussion highlights team identity, management brilliance, player redemption arcs, and what sets this Carolina group apart. The episode is a celebration of the “most disrespected wagon to ever win the Cup,” with robust analysis, memorable stories, and plenty of classic Chiclets irreverence.

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Main Themes

• The Carolina Hurricanes' first Stanley Cup win since 2006
• Redemption and perseverance: players, coaches, front office
• The power of analytics and culture in building a sustainable winner
• Individual stories from the Cup run (Taylor Hall, Jordan Staal, Brandon Bussi, etc.)
• The irreverent, unfiltered tone that defines Spittin’ Chiclets

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Key Segments & Insights

Carolina's Cup Run—Changing the Narrative

[02:16] – [06:00]

• The crew marvels at Carolina’s dominant playoff run (16-3 postseason record).
• “They patched every hole possible that they needed to and my God... They did this with just over $11 million in cap space remaining.” — Biz [05:56]
• Recognition that, after years of being “great but fraudulent,” Carolina silenced doubters.
• Hot take: “Probably the most disrespected wagon to ever win a Stanley Cup.” — Biz [03:21]

[06:13] – [09:49]

• Discussion of Carolina's team-first, relentless style and tactical chokehold in Game 6.
  • “That last game was Carolina hockey — just shut them down. Anaconda chokehold.” — Yan [06:53]
• Individual spotlights for Taylor Hall (from Blackhawks’ scratch to Cup hero), and the rise of young stars like Jackson Blake and Logan Stankoven.

Player Redemption and Standouts

[09:49] – [12:38]

• Taylor Hall’s journey: from “healthy scratch” in Chicago to nearly playoff MVP in Carolina.
  • “Could have been the Conn Smythe winner. An incredible storyline.” — Wit [08:03]
• Jackson Blake: “He could have stolen the Conn Smythe right there at the end too... 8 years, $5.1M AAV going forward—he’s an absolute stud.” — Merles [11:47]
• Leadership of Jordan Staal: “Longest gap between Cups as a player... oldest ever to win a Conn Smythe.” — Biz [10:24]

Front Office & Roster Construction

[13:35] – [16:34]

• The Eric Tulsky (GM) masterclass:
  • “This guy might be the top GM in the game, right?” — Wit [14:20]
  • Smart trades (e.g., getting Hall, Stankoven, Miller), keeping roster costs down, building analytic depth.
  • Carolina is set up with core players signed, top prospects coming, and four first-round picks in three years.

Goaltending Heroics: Brandon Bussi’s Story

[18:40] – [23:40]

• Bussi’s wild journey: undrafted, waived, “probably working at Chipotle three, four years ago,” waived by Florida, picked up by Carolina.
  • “Talk about a guy who is house money. He’s probably like, I couldn’t imagine this in my wildest dreams.” — Wit [21:59]
• Tough decisions by Rod Brind’Amour, seamless switch from veteran Frederik Andersen.

Heart and Culture: Rod Brind’Amour & Leadership

[37:24] – [39:06]

• “He probably is going to get a statue outside that arena now.”
• Rod Brind’Amour’s culture: demanding but connects as a player’s coach.
  • “He seems like a buddy, a friend to all these guys... never really heard any players [hate] him.” — Wit [37:38]
  • Stories of Brind’Amour’s “brick” workout simulating Cup final lift.

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Tripp Tracy Interview

[52:01] – [73:32]
Memorable Quotes & Highlights:

• “I need a plastic surgeon to remove my smile.” — Tripp Tracy [52:33]
• On Jordan Staal: “He has always been so selfless. It just makes me emotional to think about it. It’s just that simple.” — Tripp [57:34]
• On Bussi: “He always found a way to win... if he was going to be available, the Hurricanes were going to grab him, even if it caused a goaltending logjam.” — Tripp [56:25]
• GM Tulsky: “He treats other people very well. He and I were actually at Harvard at the same time.” — Tripp [61:48]
• On the fans: “Now there’s a chance, not just in Raleigh, but when the Hurricanes travel, you’re going to start to see waves of Hurricanes merch... that gives me goosebumps.” [64:21]

Insider Tidbits:

• Brind’Amour’s confidence and discretion in switching goalies.
• The “little things” (player relationships, pet dogs influencing signings) that swing key decisions.
• Unique defensive structure: four different D-men led the team in ice time during playoffs.
• Emotional narratives: Staal brothers, Ehlers’ journey from Denmark, Svetch’s growth, organizational perseverance.

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Vegas Golden Knights’ Perspective & Future

[41:47] – [44:36]

• Credit for “unexpected run” but scrutiny of coaching decisions (line changes, goaltending choices).
• Big names mostly locked up; debate about John Tortorella’s future and speculation on coaching changes.

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NHL & Analytics Talk

[82:12] – [85:50]

• Rise of well-run “southern markets” like Carolina and Tampa.
• Analytics: “jock vs. nerd” championship — Tulsky’s win is a sign of changing times.
• Discussion of the league’s continued financial growth and appeal to players seeking low-pressure, high-culture markets.

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Fun, Banter, and Pop Culture

• Shout-outs to behind-the-scenes staff, chiclets-listening players, and playoff superstitions (e.g., “we were not mushes” for Blake coming on the podcast).
• Numerous on-brand tangents: fan culture, U.S. soccer in Boston, wild city celebrations, golf and movie recommendations.

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• [02:16] – Carolina’s playoff dominance and Cup final review
• [10:24] – Jordan Staal’s legacy and Conn Smythe discussion
• [14:20] – GM Eric Tulsky’s analytical vision
• [18:40] – Brandon Bussi’s waiver-to-cup journey
• [37:24] – Rod Brind’Amour on culture and leadership
• [52:01] – Tripp Tracy interview begins
• [56:25] – Bussi, Brind’Amour, and behind-the-scenes stories
• [61:48] – Tulsky's management style, Carolina’s future
• [64:21] – Tripp on Cane’s fans and organizational growth
• [82:12] – Analytics revolution and southern hockey markets

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Notable Quotes — Speaker & Timestamp

• "They patched every hole possible... with over $11 million in cap space remaining." — Biz [05:56]
• "If you're a healthy scratch on the worst team in the league and then you're almost playoff MVP—what a story." — Wit [08:03]
• "This guy might be the top GM in the game, right?" — Wit [14:20]
• "He worked at Chipotle and he's a guy who... doesn't charge for the extra meat." — Biz [22:30]
• "He probably is going to get a statue outside that arena now." — Wit [37:24]
• "I need a plastic surgeon to remove my smile." — Tripp Tracy [52:33]
• "He (Tulsky) treats other people well... and has self-belief." — Tripp Tracy [61:48]

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Conclusion & Next Steps

The episode closes with Cup predictions, speculation about next year’s contenders, and heartfelt thanks to fans, players, and broadcasters. The hosts reaffirm the power of hockey culture, the joy of sharing these moments, and tease future offseason content.

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TL;DR

Spittin’ Chiclets’ crew delivers a passionate, irreverent, and detailed celebration of the Carolina Hurricanes’ first Cup in 20 years. The episode features deep dives into management genius, redemption arcs, and team culture—with hilarious and moving stories from the locker room and press box via Tripp Tracy. Listeners get both the fan’s perspective and insider access to one of the NHL’s most remarkable championship runs.

Transcript

[Ryan Whitney]

Hey Spit and Chiclets listeners. You can find every episode on Apple Podcasts and Spotify Prime. Members can listen ad free on Amazon Music.

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[Wit]

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[Ryan Whitney]

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

[Biz]

I brought it towards the Coyotes and I asked him if it was okay if I joined the Spit Chickens podcast full time.

[Wit]

Ryan Whitney's got a Pink Whitney out there now. The song man is a full time member. My religious galaxy got an assist from Chris.

[Yan]

Whoa. We're buzzing right now.

[Wit]

What is up folks? That's a wrap. That's a season. What a Cup Final. The Carolina Hurricanes are the Stanley cup champs. Shout out Pink Whitney. Did that have anything to do with them winning the Stanley Cup? Probably not. Probably not. But it helped their fans enjoy some of the parties last night. A lot of it being snuck into the arena for the watch party in Carolina for the Game six clincher in Vegas. Pink Whitney representing. It's boat season. It's beach season. It's summertime. Time for some Pink Whitney, put it on ice and enjoy yourselves. And guys, one man on this show predicted the Carolina Hurricanes would get it done. That happened to be me. That happened to be me.

[Merles]

The same guy that said they would never ever win a Stanley cup because they don't have a number one center.

[Wit]

Very true, very true. And for a team who I believe, I would say was kind of the original around the league great team, that was called a fraud. They just shut everyone up. Everybody shut everyone up. They did it. And we're going to go through all the ways they did it, all the players that made an impact, I would

[Biz]

say with the most disrespected wagon probably to ever win a Stanley cup. They went 16 and three in the Stanley cup playoffs and we're fucking talking about them like they're fucking AHL team.

[Wit]

Okay? So yeah, that, that is a great point.

[Biz]

And they, up until now, obviously they have earned the respect. Like this is going to be the biggest double wrister Carolina Hurricanes glaze pod you've ever heard in your life. And they deserve it.

[Wit]

It's from the front office down, all the way down to Delorier coming in. It's like the entire way and we have all the moves and all the players and everything that's happened there. But seeing Rod Brindemore and 20 years later, after raising it as captain of the Carolina Hurricanes, get it last after all the players basically chuck it up in the air, hug the thing, which only he could do, right?

[Biz]

It was a clean and jerk.

[Wit]

After the hug, it was a clean and jerk, a snatch and then he's in the locker room with his shirt off. But more than anything, and this was just said before we started recording, I said save it for the pod biz style. Game six was the most Carolina Hurricanes hockey game I've. It was like it all came together. It was all in the stars. It was all karma that they would actually clinch the cup in a way that they've played hockey for a long fucking time where you don't even have a chance of getting goals against them.

[Biz]

I think it was a 30 minute span in game time where Vegas only had two shots on net like at

[Wit]

home in a clinching game.

[Biz]

That is, it was, it was a master class. It was a couple early big saves by Bussy, it got things calmed down. They were able to get the first goal and after that, man, there was few times where they look rattled or disoriented, maybe a few chances on that penalty that Robinson took. But other than that, man, it was one line after another. Four Check in the way they have all season long, really for the last seven, eight years since they've instead instilled this winning culture. Right. And at certain points throughout playoffs, you've seen them run into this brick wall like kind of like a, a Florida Panthers. But I feel like learning through those experiences and obviously the huge deadline and deals and acquisitions they've made in some of the off seasons. They patched every hole possible that they needed to and my God, and, and I don't like we're talking about this Stanley cup, boys. They did this. They did this with I think just over $11 million in cap space remaining. Like tell me that has done that in the cap era. That has came that far away from the cap. They have so much more money to spend this offseason if they want to try to bolster their lineup a little bit more. It's not even like they have to go reward guys who had unreal playoff runs because they already got them locked for, already got him locked up for five $6 million contracts.

[Yan]

They should do the right thing and give that 11 million to Bussey because he signed a three year deal for 5 million total. That makes me sick to my stomach because he could, he could be making 10 next year on any other team. But biz going back to the Carolina Hurricanes, I respect the fact that they played the high, the high tempo up and down. They played other teams games. I think that they were like, you know what? Everyone hates watching us play. Let's run and gun a little bit. Let's play the way other teams play. They won that way against Montreal. They did their thing against Ottawa real easy. But that last game was Carolina hockey just shut them down. Anaconda choke hold, as you like to say. It was, it was the most insane chokehold I've ever seen in a Stanley cup finals game.

[Wit]

Yeah, for the, for a clinching game. It the, the. I didn't even realize and then all of a sudden they mentioned that they had one shot in the final or they didn't have a shot. I think in the final 15 minutes of the second period, one or zero. And I'm like, oh, okay. So this is because you could tell Carolina's controlling the tempo, but almost didn't even realize that Vegas had nothing. Now we got to give a shout out. Eichel had a bunch of crossbars in post. That crossbar in the third, that was it. That was pretty much it, right? If you could make it 2:1, then you never know. But the way that they came out and Got that first goal. So like Slavin gives it up to Hall. Kind of a tough turnover, right? You can't make that happen. But Taylor hall, who by the way, he was healthy, scratched by the Chicago Blackhawks last year, one of the worst teams in the past 20 years. The guy was getting health bombed. When we spoke to him in Chicago in the midst of that, his vibe was like, I don't know, I didn't

[Biz]

think he was going to play another year after that.

[Wit]

After like he was like just kind of seemed like, yeah, this I'm getting healthy scratch on one of the worst teams in the league, if not the worst, for him to put on the performance that he did in the playoffs and to start it off. And I guess for me just knowing him so well, I'm so happy for him. Yeah, I was watching his interview, watching him raise the cup. I, I believe that Anderson went to give it to Ajo and Ajo said no, Halsey, get in there. I think that, I think that was the order. Anderson got it second after Jordan Stahl and it was just like, man, I was so pumped for him. Knowing him as just this young, like full of piss and vinegar, kind of cocky, but not really great kid. 18 year old and now he's a father of two and he's been on six, seven different teams and then he does that in the entire playoff. Could have been the Con Smythe winner for sure. It was just an incredible storyline to see him start it off. And then for the second goal, I'll throw it to you guys. After the two dogs, Stank Oven and Blake, whose extensions start next year at five and six million a piece, they haven't even started yet. Eight years. They are those guys, they're undersized. Blake's a fourth rounder, Stank Oven's traded around and they just work and work and work and Blake buries it. Kind of a lucky bounce off a stick. And I, I said this team is just, that's immediately when I looked at their roster for next season in which every single guy is signed besides Anderson, ufa, which he's probably moving on. Look at Bussy. And then you got Deloria ufa. Hopefully they bring him back, but that's no money. And then Nikishan's an RFA who was on the all rookie team D, nice player, but he's, he, he actually fits into another like long term deal bargain for sure. And then they're laughing with the entire team sign.

[Biz]

He was like their number six. Basically this run. I thought Walker stepped up Big time. Like he looked awesome. And we don't need to get to that now. We'll kind of go down, down the line. G, do you mind pulling that picture back up? This was Taylor Hall's wife who posted on Ignore. It was him as a kid hoisting the Stanley cup. And then, and then yesterday, last night. And like you said it, where he could have very well won the con Smite, I would say. I don't think I've ever watched a team where I'm like, man, I honestly just feel like the whole team deserves it because at every, every moment in time they stepped up like Halsey or Stalls. He ended up finishing the playoffs with 12 points, right? Eight goals, four assists. Like, not nothing that jumps off at the wall at you, but nonetheless, like during the Finals, man, such a clutch performance to elevate his play, knowing, hey, this might be my last time ever going to the Finals. And, and now all of a sudden he. The longest gap in between Stanley Cups as a player and the oldest player to ever win a Con Smythe and. But hey, man, it starts with leadership in that locker room. And you know, he made a comment after, after he said, you know, some guys jump ship, some guys stick around. And when he made a commitment to come over there on that 10 year deal, it, it felt like he didn't follow it through by winning a Stanley cup. And he kept signing these cheap deals and, and look at him now, man, it's just, it's. It's kind of like a re. Reincarnation of Rod the Bot almost, right? Like the work ethic that he put in as a player and then to have him at the helm and then him as a captain. Like their embrace on the ice meant everything and credit to them on the culture they built there, man, because when Rod came in, I feel like that was, that was when it all started. And they've been doubted a million times and, and there was probably plenty of times where, where they could have quit, but they kept powering through. So a remarkable, remarkable run by the captain and, and well deserved Con Smyth. And so cool to see his whole family there, all four brothers. Just, just an insane hockey family.

[Merles]

Yeah, I wanted to talk about the second goal where Jackson Blake gets it. He ends up leading the team in points and he's a guy that he could have stole the Con Smythe right there at the end too. And, and, and like Yan said, he should get some of that cap money. 8 years, 5.1 AV going forward, he's an absolute stud. But his biggest his biggest performance of the playoffs. Do you guys know what it was?

[Yan]

Coming on Chiclets.

[Merles]

Coming on spit and Chiclets. So we are not mushes. Very Carolina guy comes on Gary Lawless. No Shows us they lose. Carolina wins. Jackson, Blake. He's my MVP for coming on Chiclets and then winning the Stanley.

[Biz]

Well, I don't know if you guys have heard this rumor yet, but I'm hearing Lawless for Lin.

[Yan]

Okay, no, no. Lawless might be done.

[Wit]

I mean, just. And I was going to save this, but I just had to give it one. Just Gary, and he was very respectful about every team they went against. But then to get a message last night, you know, he sent it to Buckman, who sent it to me. You said, wit, you're a loser. And I said, I'm. I. I cannot fucking wait to tweet this video. Butman said, no, no, you can't. You can't. It's a private message, so I'm not going to tweet it, but I'm going to talk about it. Because, Gary, you didn't come on the show before the finals, and you could say whatever you want. Maybe the team didn't want you on the show, but you got to hold yourself partly responsible for this. Gary and I want to save a little bit of the Vegas talk, because Carolina, there's so many other storylines here. The one that jumps out and, you know, I'm all over the players, I'm all over the coaches, but this Eric Tulski guy, he. It's. It's. The guy has a degree in chemistry and physics from Harvard. He's got all these patents, he's blogging, and all of a sudden he's the GM of a team using analytics maybe more than anyone else. And what he's done has been just masterful. And we've laughed at his head shots, and God knows we have some funny headshots.

[Biz]

I haven't laughed at him. I said he was the sexiest man in Carolina.

[Wit]

He's a scientist. He's a scientist.

[Merles]

He's.

[Wit]

He has Ajo, Jarvis, Ehlers, Stankhoven, Blake, Slavin, and Miller all locked up for the next seven years. His AHL team's in the final right now. He has four first round picks in the next three years. At some point you gotta be like, this guy might be the top GM in the game, right?

[Biz]

Top gm. Top gm. I mean, I'll eat the L for, like, when I. The Stankholfen move, I think everybody was like, what was that? You know, at least he would have had something planned for Ren and as far as like locking up long term, but for him to end up pulling off that move and probably now it looks like, listen, Rat's an unbelievable player, but you also have Stankhoven at half the price now for the full term of that deal. So. And for him to get the first rounders out of that, for him to also get hall in around that time. I agree, man, that the. The moves that he's made to bring these guys in like Keandre Miller. I mean we just talked about Walker gossip bringing him back in after his. His second time. Like going to get a guy like Carrier who's got cup experience from. From Vegas, like the way that he built the entire. Jankowski, another guy who was basically a throwaway who jumped around a little bit like Robinson. Where did he come from? Columbus. Like these guys are all throwaways that this guy went and picked up like this.

[Wit]

All based I think on like the analytical numbers, man. A lot of them.

[Tripp Tracy]

Let's.

[Wit]

And how they fit in that system.

[Biz]

Let's not forget.

[Merles]

Exactly.

[Biz]

Rotten and didn't want to sign there and Mitch Martyr didn't want to get traded there. And Yan, you brought it up via text yesterday or two days ago.

[Yan]

Yeah, I. I think going back to what Jordan Stahl said is guys jump ship or they stay. Like Stankhoven wanted to be there, right? Like he's a guy, he fits that team to a tee. The way he skates, the way he works in. Then you put him with those two guys. That line was amazing. But yeah, but Mitch Marner, man, like it. The whole story about him. Is he going to bring the cup back to Toronto after they win, which was us, basically. No, it was everyone. Like they were talking about it on the ESPN broadcast everywhere. It was crazy.

[Wit]

And then you.

[Yan]

You forget that he. He nicks the trade to Carolina. Didn't want to be there and then they go out and win. It's just crazy how all this media attention follows him and it's just like. It's amazing. But yeah, but if he did get traded there, would he have been a guy that wanted to re sign? Probably not. Maybe he goes somewhere else after that. But I just. It. The fact that these guys want to be there. They want to be there long term and I mean, can they do it again next year? That's the question.

[Wit]

They're not going away.

[Biz]

Hey, McDavid to Carolina.

[Wit]

All right, we're gonna.

[Yan]

They got 11 million guys.

[Jake]

Can I read a stat about Stankov in Here, which is pretty crazy. Like, this guy is just a winner. 2021 One World U18 Gold. 2020 22, won World Juniors Gold. 2023, won World Juniors Gold. 2024 Went to the Western Conference Finals. 2025 Eastern Conference Finals. 2026 Stanley Cup Champion.

[Biz]

I mean, boys like the fact that this guy played center for the. For full time for the first time in his NHL career this year. How about the. How about the balls on the coaching staff and. And Tulski to not make a move for a second liner and believe that he could get it done. And like, I'm not saying he wasn't reliable and didn't look a lot like what he looked like in playoffs during the regular season, but the numbers weren't there. Like he. I bet you he might have had half the amount of points in the playoff run that he did the full length of the entire NHL season this year. And to put that line together, just unbelievable. Another guy that we got to mention who Phoenix basically just gave away. Jordan Martin, soul guy I was.

[Wit]

So they almost gave away as well,

[Biz]

which is they put him. They put him on waivers basically to help with a cap situation. Hey man, anything, they end up scooping him up and nobody did. But yeah, that's a wild story. And you talk about guys not wanting to sign there. Well, the one big guy who did was Nikolai Ers and look at how happy he was. And he came through in the clutch, especially a few times, specifically in that Montreal series early in the Vegas series, I guess, like I kind of want. We talked about Stallsy. I thought it was really cool that they gave the. The. The cup to Anderson second. And sometimes you have to make hard decisions and you have to say like we talk on the podcast, like, I genuinely felt that if they were going to win that I thought it was busy's turn to go in net. Like Anderson had been through a very difficult run there, obviously a difficult loss in one of his close friends and agent in Claude. He gets hit, hit hard. And buddy, he carried him all the way until that point. Like he was marvelous. Like probably the best goaltending numbers throughout all of playoffs. Another guy who's been there a while, who the guys love and appreciate. But it was just so fitting that obviously with the way that Busty started the year, we knew he had game and then he's fresh and he can come in and help kind of solidify and save the day. But for the guys to remember who got them there and put them in that spot and who, who got that you know, conference clinching win, you know, against Montreal, which was Freddy, despite having lost one of his close friends. I just thought it was so cool. And it pretty much embodies everything that that team and that leadership, leadership groups about biz.

[Yan]

We knew busy had game, but you don't know what you're going to have in the Stanley cup finals. Coming in game, what do you come in? Game four.

[Biz]

Yeah. Game three at the end when they were down four, nothing.

[Wit]

And then he went three.

[Yan]

That's a lot of fucking pressure to come in. Like, you play well in the beginning of the season, where Carolina is normally an unbelievable regular season team that doesn't give up a ton of shots, ton of chances, but you get thrown in in the cup finals, Game three start, game four. That is ultimate. Drop your fucking balls on the table and say, I'm that guy and I'm making $1 million for the rest of my life.

[Biz]

Wait. I think. I think, like, we joked about his salary. I think that that is a person who is just genuinely happy to wake up every morning and be in the NHL.

[Wit]

I think he sells merch that says house money. That goes to, like, autism in North Carolina. Like, different hit. That's his saying, I'm playing with the house money. I'm in the NHL. Like, and his interview's sick because he's like, every. Or his wife was also mentioning, like, we never really, like, celebrated anything because he's always. It's like, hey, I got to do it again tomorrow. I got to. I got to show up again tomorrow. For a guy who's been through it the way he has. Undrafted Western Michigan, signs in Boston, never really gets a chance, even though he's lighting up the ahl, right? Then Florida signs him, and you talk about waivers. Here's what I don't get is that when he was put on waivers by Florida in September, Carolina must have had what the. They probably were like, second to last or third to last on the waiver wire, because as it goes with the regular season finish, what the fuck? How many teams needed a goalie? Like, what were they? I don't. He's not small. I don't. And obviously, like, there was 28 teams or whatever it was that didn't take him. But it. He goes to Carolina and immediately is in the opening night lineup and sets a record for the most wins to start NHL career. It's just, I guess, you know, you. You could kind of call out scouts and gms, but they all were missing on them.

[Ryan Whitney]

Was it.

[Biz]

Was it because nobody gets More crediting at Carolinas. Like, look what they've done, dude. It's top to bottom. It's top to bottom. Every move they made was like the perfect move.

[Wit]

Yeah, but.

[Biz]

But I remember hearing about the whole staff.

[Wit]

I remember hearing about him.

[Merles]

Yeah. Like, he's the next guy in Boston. But then Swayman went crazy and. And then he was just kind of forgotten about. But I. I remember for years, people, oh, we got this.

[Jake]

Well, DP came in. D. Pietro came in last year. Who's their goal in the AHL last year, and kind of beat him out for that. For that. That starter spot in Providence last season. So it basically was like he had nowhere to play in Boston. There was no.

[Wit]

Which is. That's why this story so cool. Like, can you imagine him not even being the starter in the AHL last year? And then like, you're winning three in a row as a rookie in the NHL to win the Stanley cup with a shout out in the last one. Like, talk about a guy who is house money. He's probably like, I can't even. I couldn't even imagine this in my wildest dreams. And that's why the perseverance of never giving up.

[Biz]

I think he's working@Chipotle3, four years ago. They got a co brand deal.

[Wit]

Is that true? I saw that tweet. That's real.

[Biz]

Yeah.

[Wit]

He worked at Chipotle and he's a guy who. You don't have to ask for the extra meat. He's loading the meat on you and then he's not marking extra meat.

[Biz]

He's probably not for the guac.

[Wit]

Yeah.

[Yan]

Do you think the reason why teams didn't. Didn't pick him up is because like we talked about during the, you know, the previews for the playoffs, like, a team hasn't won. I think Tom Barrasso was the last silly side goalie to win. You think teams see that and they're like, well, a lefty goalie hasn't won. Like, do we take a chance on this guy? And you know, they're unproven.

[Wit]

Question. I have no idea, but I wouldn't think. Yeah.

[Merles]

I don't know. I bet you it has something to do with some guys that was the

[Biz]

last silly side goalie to win.

[Yan]

Yeah. Tom Barrasso also.

[Wit]

Also the fact the Anderson thing and biz, good call bringing him up and him getting it second was great. He was drafted by Carolina and then he chose not to sign. He went back into the draft, Anaheim picks him, becomes the regular signs in Toronto. Then that Ends, you know, he was pretty good in Toronto, but couldn't really stay healthy and then comes back to Carolina and same thing. Like it's. Health's always been his biggest obstacle. And what's crazy is that if he's not hurt, like I was getting carved by Blutman and Portnoy. Like I. I said what we had mentioned on the show, that it was a hard decision for Rod. I. I don't know if they go to Bussy if he's not injured. Right. Obviously they went to him. He wasn't even in the lineup. He wasn't the backup. So there was a blatant injury there. Like, do you give up on him if he's not hurt?

[Biz]

I said it would be the most difficult decision that Rod's ever made as a head coach, and I did. I didn't know if he would have had the balls to do it. Be curious to ask him. If we had him on to talk, I would say, what would you have done in that situation?

[Wit]

If he was completely help.

[Merles]

You would ask him a question this time.

[Biz]

I asked 2. When I had the all the wolf in me, I asked two. I think I said hello at the door and that was. I guess that's not a question. But yeah, that. I mean, I. I don't know, man. Busy went nuclear and it was just like the perfect. Like the stars were aligned. Right. It just feels like it was their time. We do have a, by the way, a Carolina Hurricane joining us pretty soon here in about 10 minutes. Tripp Tracy. I'm curious to know how his night and festivities were. I saw that.

[Wit]

I can't wait to talk to him. He's fucking earned this one, boys. Heart and soul.

[Biz]

Oh, heart and soul guy. So now there's been three Stanley Cups won in Vegas since they came in the league. One for them. Obviously Washington and now Carolina got to celebrate in probably the best city to win a cup in. Then you get to get out the next day.

[Ryan Whitney]

Yeah.

[Wit]

Besides the one I was at, I haven't been able to hear out of my ear correctly since with Murr when we were at that stupid club. Trying to see the cup.

[Biz]

Not your left one.

[Wit]

Yeah, the big one can hear. The big one. The big one can hear.

[Yan]

This team doesn't seem like such a party team to me, though.

[Wit]

I think they're going to rip it. I think.

[Biz]

I think they're going to do it now.

[Wit]

I mean, Delorier, we saw him at the elbow room mid season on the fly.

[Biz]

Oh, yeah.

[Wit]

You know, he's ripping it. I Saw him at Omnia cup over his head.

[Biz]

Well, he took a shift at the Rhino last night after.

[Yan]

Yeah, that's right.

[Biz]

Yeah, I saw those hips do a little dancing.

[Wit]

Oh yeah. Jarvis, you don't think he's going hard? Those guys from Winnipeg, which I don't think they have jobs anyways because they're at every big game the guy plays in.

[Biz]

Well, bus, you got him a job at Chipotle in Raleigh.

[Merles]

Aho. The Finnish guys will go. It goes crazy. Oh, will be out of his mind.

[Wit]

We didn't bring up a ho.

[Biz]

No, we're gonna talk about that top line. Let's talk about the top line here.

[Yan]

We already did Stan Coven hall and.

[Biz]

Yeah, no, I hear you, I hear you. Hey, Ajo and Svetch came up big this series. They, they found the back of the net that one game. They came up big.

[Wit]

I mean Jarvis, game two, they down two. No, two zero. You don't know what happens here. He gets the OT win winner. It's funny that because of last night being so clinical and just hurricane shutdown, kind of like forgot that we had watched the greatest first four games, five games maybe in cup history. Like it, it went back to last night being what I think a lot of people worried the entire series would be like. But early on you just, those games were so wild and I Vegas, this is gonna sting. Obviously you lose the cup final, you're up 2:1 in the series. It's, you know, goes without saying, but before last night, a lot of Carolina's goals were kind of handed over to him by Vegas. It seemed like they just ran out of, they ran out of gas and they didn't, they didn't have the goaltending they needed. Still a little ridiculous to not even wonder if Aiden Hill would get the start because I don't think Hall's goal was great. I, it was a great shot, but I think that could be saved. I don't know if you guys disagree and that's just a perfect shot in your guys opinion.

[Yan]

No, that's got to be saved, right?

[Wit]

Yeah, because it went right under his glove, didn't it? It wasn't like a beat him far side. Maybe he's off the angle, but don't

[Biz]

tell that to Sean Backman. I'll get a phone call again.

[Merles]

Well, Carlson, I think towards torts fell into the sauce or whatever the kids call it these days, you know, they just kept winning. He kept saying, oh, I don't have to do anything with this team. And he, and he, he got a Little in front of his skis. I got to say he went and changed. Yeah, well he did and then he went and he changed the lines when they should have never changed the lines after game two. It was never the same. And then with the goaltending he completely screwed up the goaltending. He had a chance to jumpstart the team, put in Hill in that game five and they just threw that game away. You were throwing, you threw it away. You could have tried Hill and you could arrested heart. But just the lineup decisions I talked about the forwards, the, the defensive side. This Anderson guy. I, I, he signed for eight and a half million. I don't know what it is. Seven or eight more years.

[Wit]

Wait, he said no, he's not signing?

[Biz]

No, no, he never signed.

[Merles]

All right.

[Wit]

And he might have lost. He might have lost.

[Merles]

We'll, we'll see if he sign.

[Biz]

You're okay with time out. Let's back it up. You said he, he signed.

[Merles]

Now you're handshake sign deal.

[Biz]

So he's signing with Vegas with that amount?

[Stella Blue Coffee Ad]

Yep.

[Merles]

8.

[Yan]

If you think the cutthroat Kings are

[Tripp Tracy]

going to hear that Bruins, the Bruins

[Jake]

almost paid him 9 mil. That team he almost went to, they almost gave him a 9 million dollar deal. I heard they agreed to that.

[Biz]

You still think they're going to honor

[Merles]

that Mur I, I, I, I don't. I guess I didn't think about it that way who they are but I know that deal was in place and done but he was brutal and they just kept putting him out there, putting him out there. They scratched Coughlin who helped them get to that point. They should have been not only scratching Anderson but limiting his ice time because

[Wit]

I thought Coughlin was better than Anderson in terms of like who came out

[Biz]

of that game better skater. They're going to give him six times six and they're going to say you get, you have to keep torches suit that he left in Raleigh. Next time we go you can pick it up at the hotel counter.

[Yan]

Hey but going, going back to Torts not calling the timeout when they got three goals scored against him in 39 seconds.

[Wit]

But they won that game. So whatever. But still that was game three.

[Yan]

Not not are challenging that one that got overturned. Then they scored on the power play to did they win that game?

[Biz]

That was game two.

[Wit]

Yeah, that was game two.

[Yan]

Yeah. That was when Jarvis scored in overtime, right?

[Wit]

Correct.

[Yan]

Yeah. So it's like he didn't do much to help them win. Like I know he went in there saying oh I don't need to do much with this team. Just kind of got to be a passenger. But at some point you got to be the head coach and do some stuff to help your team win the game.

[Biz]

What'd you guys think of. Of Marner doing the walk in interview before game five?

[Wit]

Well, funny enough, Maple Leafs fans have been pretty vocal that game five and six.

[Biz]

Yeah, but listen, I'm not, We're not fucking with this guy.

[Wit]

I'm just. I know, I know. I handed him the Con Smythe and I was laughing. But quiet. In games five and six. I mean, I'm just. We're talking about the series. I mean the guy was dominating. And then the entire team. Game five and six, they were just kind of. And I think Eichel was a little injured. I mean, granted, we, we talked about the posts and the crossbars, but it was, it was a. There was nothing there. Last they had two shots at 30 minutes, boys and credit Carolina, but also like there just wasn't. I don't know. They didn't like was their depth not as much of a factor as it had been prior? And they got better in every series, but then this series they got worse. Yeah, it was the opposite of the other three rounds.

[Biz]

There's a few more guys on Carolina I'd like to talk about. We. We. You. You mentioned the one turnover, but I actually thought that Slavin might have been the best player on the ice six in the close out. Like, I don't like, I felt like he, like every, every time he was making a play, he was closing on someone. Like, he was like, look how many plays he broke up in the neutral zone with a good stick, like closing on guys in the D zone.

[Wit]

So he had the check on Michael and then he also had. When Stone should have shot it early in the third, tried dishing it.

[Biz]

He play up, got his glove on it.

[Merles]

Second he make the pass the hall too to start, start it up.

[Wit]

Vegas turnover to get to him. And then he snapped it up to Hall. But he's the second American ever to win the gold medal and then win the Stanley cup that season. Ken Morrow did it in 80 with the USA and the Islanders and Slaving gets both this year, so. And on both teams being the, the, the number one shutdown defenseman.

[Biz]

The. The. The thing about these runs sometimes is you gain new appreciation for guys you didn't realize were that good. Jalen Chatfield, absolute fucking gamer, man. What a, what a, what a, what a run he had. Like some of the series we Were watching like he was leading their team in ice time most nights on the score sheet, like even above Slaving, like incredible. That top pairing was. Did a masterful job. I thought Gossip them having that offensive dynamic to help out with the power play. I know I was shitting all over the power play. I think it came into the series just below 12%.

[Wit]

When you went nuclear on it, they went off right when you started ripping it, it was like that's all we needed.

[Biz]

And. And Gossip Spare was at the top making plays, juking at the line. He was such a valuable asset to them to provide because. Because like certain D man can do it all. They're like a true number one. Like Slaving. It's like, you know he can do that first pass. You know he can break it up. He's a smothering defensive defenseman. But to ask him to be like a PP1 guy, that's just not him. Right. So Gossip Spare to. And credit to Gossip Spare too. I think he was way more known for his offensive abilities before he got to Carolina. And it's clear that the coaching staff, the culture and everything they did to work with him. He became a way better defensively. Like we had him in Arizona and he was like twice as good defensively in Carolina. And I think that's just a result of every day our iron sharpening iron, the systems and the way they play. And he. I thought he. He did a masterful job. We kind of briefly touched on Walker. Like remember that play he made over to Ajo off the skate up top shelf. Like he was making plays, he was physical, a great skater. We talked Nikitian. I thought Keandre Miller maybe, maybe not the best final. But up until then, like he might have been one of their more valuable defensemen. So on the back end, man, just one to six, like, unreal job even. Who came in for Nikisha for a few games after he got rocked against Ottawa?

[Wit]

Riley.

[Biz]

Riley. So fuck, man. Like top to bottom, just unreal.

[Wit]

Great one you mentioned. So last night, Walker. Mer, I'll go to you in a sec. Walker led him in ice time last night. A lot of nights Slaving did. I think they had 4D who led the team in ice time like that? Never. You never see that. Chicago, Duncan, Keith, Every single night, L.A. doughty Every single night. And now Carolina like, oh wait. So every game you look and it's a different. There was four guys. It was either Walker, Chatfield, Slavin or Miller. But you never see like it switch back and Forth for leading the team in ice time. In a cup. In a cup run. So. Mer, go ahead. Sorry.

[Merles]

Yeah. While we're talking D and we're talking number one D, who am I putting in as their number one D on my coveted list of Stanley cup champions? Number 1D men.

[Yan]

Slavin.

[Merles]

I'm saving Slaving. And you guys know how tall he is? 6, 3. So he's going on the list.

[Wit]

Okay. Okay.

[Stella Blue Coffee Ad]

So.

[Merles]

Yeah, well, I mean, he lives for another season.

[Biz]

They don't. I don't think they have a defenseman below six foot. Is Walker six foot?

[Yan]

Yeah, Walker's probably there. But he was their most physical guy. He. He played the harder. He probably had the most hits on that back end. He was unbelievable.

[Merles]

Knocked out Carlson.

[Yan]

Yeah. But obviously he's not a number one. But yeah, just in like Tripp Tracy said, like that Chatfield man, the way he plays. What's that?

[Wit]

That's his updated.

[Merles]

The updated D men list. Over six foot. You got Slaving. Eck. Blood. Eck. Bled Petro Makar.

[Biz]

You wouldn't say Vlad was more valuable than like forsling.

[Merles]

Yeah, I didn't. I couldn't decide on that one. I just kind of. It was either you went with the

[Wit]

guy who's over six feet.

[Jake]

Oh, okay.

[Merles]

At Forsberg. Very convenient for is too guy's Jack.

[Wit]

Yeah, you're right. He's over six feet.

[Biz]

Who haven't we stroked off on the Carolina Hurricanes yet?

[Merles]

How about Robinson and Jankowski? That carrier there, a good fourth line. Scored some big goals.

[Biz]

They might have been their best line in the Montreal they scored in three or four straight games for him.

[Yan]

Yeah.

[Wit]

Butcher Cross had a tweet. I think it's around 30 guys who have won the NCAA title and the Stanley Cup. So you add two more. Jankowski won it in Providence and then Gossiper won it at Union. So add a couple guys that get to win both of those. But when you talk about cup winners and all the players and trips coming on. But like Brindamore, the storyline of Brindamore, like he probably is going to get a statue outside that arena now. And if you think about it like they were laughing stocks after his quote, we didn't get swept. After they got swept, they couldn't win a game in the Easter Conference final. Right. The Penguins ran them out the building one year. The Bruins swept them. It was just Florida beating after beating. And this guy just stuck with it. Apparently. He had these guys in workouts lifting a brick. Like they'd had to like do a At the end, like a workout where you're getting this brick over your head. And then he told them all last night it was the exact weight of the cup. And nobody had actually. Maybe they'd figured it out, but that was kind of a storyline where it was just. But a guy that I think while being very demanding to play for, like Buddy, like the celebrations with him last night, it seems like he's also like a buddy, a friend to all these guys. Now maybe I'm not in the room, I don't know. But he, he seems to balance, like, hey, you have to do this and play this way without like getting guys like to hate him. I've never really heard any players.

[Biz]

Well, he's doing the same workouts in

[Wit]

the gym with them.

[Biz]

Like he's putting in this blood, sweat and tears just like they are. And think of how much respect you have for that guy. Like how many more head coaches in the league are more respected than him for. Like if he asks you to do something, he's more than likely done it. Like they had the one series between them and Philly like him and talk like what other coaches have accomplished, what those guys have accomplished.

[Yan]

No.

[Wit]

Yeah, right? Yeah.

[Yan]

And then, and then you hear, you hear his interview after and he's obviously says, you know, I, I wanted to win one as a player, but I really wanted to win one for these guys. And like just pointing like the Jordan stall, like those words for a coach to say. Like, because he, he knows how it feels to win a Stanley cup as a player. But now he knows he just, he just changed 25 guys lives by helping them achieve their goal and be their coach and lead them the right way for the last. How long has he been there? Eight, nine years, 10 years. Like he, he knows how, how valuable it is in your life to win a Stanley cup, how much it's going to change your life. And, and you could tell he was getting emotional about it. Like just talking about the guys who he's stuck with. And like a guy like Eric Stalls, the Jordan Stall. Like his brother gets traded, he never was poopy pants and wanted to leave or anything. Like just sticking with the program. And they've got an unbelievable culture there. It's like obviously guys hate playing there because the locker rooms and all that shit, but their culture is top tier also.

[Jake]

Stall.

[Wit]

I didn't even realize, like made the playoffs every year in Pitt, moves on playing with the brother. He missed six years in a row. They missed. Like, that's kind of exhausting. Not only Are you not making the playoffs? Then your brother's gone, and you got to be wondering, like, I didn't plan on it going like this. You see Pittsburgh win two more as you're in Carolina, you could have been there forever. Also pretty cool that Pittsburgh's three consecutive first round picks of Crosby, Malkin, Stahl all want to con Smythe. That's. That's pretty sick. You don't see that very often, but you're welcome, Pittsburgh. Yep. Yep. That's Mer being on the worst team ever that got those picks. Good job, Murr. That's another. Mer invented those guys. So where's Trip? Let's get Tripp on. Where is he?

[Jake]

Jake?

[Merles]

Yeah. Before you guys. Before you guys get rid of me, I just want to say thank you to the fans this season. Great jumping out with you guys. All playoffs. We'll have game notes on Wednesday, probably the season finale, where we do our draft extravaganza. So tune in Wednesday live at noon for that draft.

[Biz]

For what?

[Merles]

For the NHL.

[Biz]

Oh, oh, oh, you guys are okay. You're diving into the na.

[Merles]

Yeah, we'll get some guys on.

[Wit]

Army knows everyone. Crazy hockey dad, he sent us over a clip. Of course. Cruz just completely murdering some kid at, like, Des Moines USHL prospects camp. I'm like, okay. Yep, he's officially in Armstrong now. Running guys after they've moved the puck and they're watching their pass.

[Biz]

Is it live in Buffalo this year?

[Merles]

It. It's the same as like last year in Buffalo, where the teams will have a representative there to hand the jersey to the kids. But the. The.

[Biz]

The team is back home, back NFL. Okay. All right, buddy.

[Merles]

Well, I got one last thing for Yan's. I've been home now for a few days. I've only had two meals, you'll be happy to know. One was a Smash Burger, one was an Italian wrap. But Friday, it's the super bowl of Swedish food. Midsummer is Friday, so get ready. We're going to have nine different kinds of salmon, five different kinds of seal. So I'll be sending you tons of pics.

[Yan]

Did he just say seal?

[Biz]

Yeah.

[Merles]

Yeah, not that kind. It's like some other thing with all these different sauces that you're gonna. I'm gonna send you a separate picture of each dish.

[Biz]

It'll be on next season's Fear Factor.

[Yan]

Joe Rogan.

[Merles]

Thank you guys for having me. Great playoff.

[Jake]

Merles.

[Merles]

What a run.

[Biz]

Buddy, you're the best.

[Wit]

We love you.

[Biz]

Everybody runs, buddy. Ebr.

[Ryan Whitney]

Yeah.

[Biz]

Let's go off a little bit of

[Wit]

that everybody gets the runs when you eat that food. Murders in Sweden.

[Yan]

Doing all this from overseas. Different times.

[Wit]

Three in the morning. On with us.

[Yan]

Unreal. Unreal.

[Biz]

We love.

[Merles]

All right, boys. Enjoy Tripp the legend.

[Biz]

Well, Trip's not ready so in the meantime, like, we should probably talk a little bit about Vegas. Like fucking great run, man. Like unexpected throat. Playoffs pretty bumpy regular season. They make the huge change and I mean a lot of positives there, man.

[Wit]

Like, I don't think like they're going anywhere. Right. I mean now granted there's some decisions and Mercers, there's a handshake deal for Anderson.

[Jake]

They.

[Wit]

But they have. I mean Eichel's locked up, Marner's locked up, Theodore's locked up. What is hard on as a deal?

[Biz]

He's got another year left.

[Wit]

He's got another year left. You know they're going to make. Oh, Howden's locked up making like 1.7 or 2, whatever it is. So they're in a good spot. I just wonder if Torts will be back. I. I think if they'd won, it made a lot of sense. But now and, and granted, because you get to the cup finals and you win, okay, you're going to be the coach by getting there and losing in a. In a great series. Does that mean he won't be. But he's older and I don't know if like. What do you think, Biz?

[Biz]

I think Babcock's going there.

[Yan]

Yep. His son.

[Biz]

You think I'm fucking crazy? If they're going to let him back in the league, if he's going to go one place, it's going to be there.

[Wit]

No, he's back in the league and he's. He's the Oilers coach. What do you mean?

[Tripp Tracy]

Nope.

[Yan]

Yeah, but he hasn't signed anything.

[Biz]

He hasn't signed anything there they might allow. So I'm here.

[Yan]

They tried to get Cassidy too Biz. So they could be doing a little flip.

[Biz]

Okay. So people are saying that too is they're trying to kick up dust by going Babcock. So maybe the league steps in is like, all right, like, like wave the whatever contract nonsense and let Cassidy coach in Edmonton. I'm interested to see how this unravels over the next couple weeks because it seemed like the excuse was is this is as a distraction right now and we're dealing with trying to win a Stanley Cup. We're going to revisit this in the off season. So now all of a sudden the time's ticking, but I Don't know. I don't know. Like, Joel Ward has been behind the bench for them. Like, is he a guy who's ready to step. Step in there? Like, you know, he would. Obviously he would vibe well with the players. He's not far removed very well. Like, guy won it in Washington, right. With the Capitals. Did he not win a cup already? So I. I think that. I don't know, maybe that's a name that's able to.

[Wit]

Well, they were saying Ryan Craig, who coached there at the beginning and now has been coaching Henderson, their AHL team. And. And he's younger, you know, he's in his 40s, I believe.

[Biz]

So that's a guy maybe there he put in house.

[Yan]

You think Torts even wants the judge, like, wants to do that?

[Biz]

I don't know, but I think it a lot. Did a lot change for you in the way that he handled the final series?

[Yan]

Yeah.

[Biz]

Did you feel like he was trying to give the Mark Messier quote, the guarantee we're coming back?

[Wit]

Yeah, he had done that prior as well. He had done that in a different series with another team. Somebody mentioned, like, similar, like, we're coming back here. I don't mind that. Honestly, like, people are like, oh, you do it. It's like, get the guys to believe, you know, you're firing everyone up. There's no quit. So I. I wonder if he's honestly, like. And Bonus, obviously is going back to Columbus. Like, Torts could be a guy like, hey, call me in February. Teams, you got high expectations. Like, if you did it once with this team and you bring them in, he could do that.

[Biz]

Like, that's something.

[Wit]

The relief is crazy.

[Biz]

The Mariano Rivera of coaches just bring him in third three quarters of the way through. It's kind of sick, man. Like, you don't have to yell at these guys all year. You just kind of come in, it's like, hey, man, let's go on a run. It's like you in. In Russia wit, you just missed training camp.

[Yan]

How many teams are that loaded where, like, you can walk into a group with that many stud players, that many guys who have been around, that you're not in a playoff spot, and then take over and take your team to the final?

[Biz]

I would say Edmonton would be your perfect team. Like, like, like, if they would have. Like, if they would have had some balls, maybe they would have done it and, and, and got rid of knob lock right before the playoffs. They didn't have an electric regular season. Their defense was a joke.

[Ryan Whitney]

Yeah.

[Yan]

But nobody had probably even thought to do that. It's just Vegas being Vegas and going out and being the savages that they are.

[Biz]

Maybe they, maybe they sign him to a contract this summer and legit. Say, hey, stay home, don't even come, will still pay you just show up in February.

[Wit]

Let's quickly talk Noble biz, right? All right. This episode is brought to you by Noble Barstool's favorite footwear brand. The brand known for its best in class footwear. They've everywhere right now. Walking around city to city, at the airport, grabbing coffee. I've seen a lot of World cup fans in Boston wearing Nobles actually. They know it's a great walking around shoe and they've got so many great styles and colors for every activity. They just dropped their newest strength training shoe, the Outwork Fly Flex. Durable, flexible, comfortable right out of the box. Cushions where you want, structure where you need. Get the newest no nonsense lifting shoe from Noble, the Outwork Flex. Now available on their website exclusively for Chiclets listeners. Noble is offering 35 off your first order. Go to nobleproject.com use code chiclets for 35 off your first order. N O B U L L P r o j E-C-T.com use code c H I C L e T S for 35 off the official check training shoe of the NHL and body armor flash IV. Boys, playoffs are over, but there'll be a lot of body Armor Flash IV been drank in these celebration parties right the next morning before they get it going again. It's body Armor Flash iv, the official partner of the NHL. Electrolytes delivering faster, longer lasting hydration without any junk, artificial crap, dyes, flavors, sweeteners. Whenever you're training, traveling or just feeling the heat, get a body Armor Flash iv today at a 7:11. How about this?

[Yan]

Witty.

[Wit]

What?

[Yan]

I don't even want Biz to hear this, but I'm in. I'm in Vail right now and I swear to God, you couldn't have paid me $10,000 to go on a hike last year or whatever. But ever since I got these Noble Journey twos.

[Wit]

You're hiking up mountains, dude.

[Yan]

It's fucking like you want to go for a walk in those things.

[Wit]

I know. I wear them around my house. I get yelled at. I don't care. I need a house pair. I need every Noble listening. Send me every color of the journey. What are the journey? 2.

[Biz]

Journey.

[Jake]

Twos.

[Yan]

Journey.

[Wit]

Just send me every single color so

[Yan]

I could wear your address.

[Wit]

I need an in house. I need an in house shoe. But this one I forgot to mention earlier. So in 2018 or eight years ago, Tom Dundon bought the Carolina Hurricanes. 420 million. He paid. He sold 12 and a half percent of the team at a $2.66 billion valuation. Since taking over, Carolina has made the playoffs every year. And then they win their first cup with him as the owner last night. So talk.

[Biz]

Everybody out. Blew everybody out. All the family members, all the wives, everybody.

[Yan]

Yeah, everyone does that. It's not like he doesn't deserve a hero's welcome for that.

[Biz]

Every. Every team does that and pays for the whole thing. Yeah, every single team. Okay.

[Wit]

For every clinching possible game. Right?

[Yan]

Yeah.

[Jake]

Yeah.

[Biz]

But I think that, like, it's weird because, like, going back to the con Smite. Let's talk about Marner. If it's. It's kind of based on the entire run of playoffs, which I think some people could. They have a point. Like, it probably should have been his award. How do you guys view that?

[Wit]

Like, I think if you lose, it has to be McDavid type, like, breaking records.

[Biz]

I think he led all playoffs and by like, seven, eight points or at

[Yan]

least go to game seven.

[Wit]

Yeah, I. I don't. I don't know. Like, the McDavid one. Did he not have the most assists ever or, like, second most assists ever in the playoffs? So it's like something where you're like, holy shit. Like, this guy's been that much better. But even then, I wouldn't hate it. If only winning team player got it, Like, I'd be fine with that. Now the. The Hurricanes one, I tweeted out that obviously I think my top three were Stahl, Blake, and Hall. But last night, just watching Blake, like, I think I would have given it to him. He ended up leading them in scoring. That kid is so dynamic. His hands are unreal. He makes. Every time he gets the puck, he's making a play. And then he got that goal. Now, granted, Halsey got the first one. I. That was kind of my pick. I mean, now biz. Here's a question you asked on the chat. Is Jordan Stahl hall of famer?

[Biz]

Yeah.

[Wit]

Two Stanley Cups in a contest, 1400 regular season games. I know, but I don't think he's ever even had 60 points, so I'm not.

[Biz]

Well, geek Carbono is in there.

[Wit]

Yeah, but what.

[Merles]

What.

[Yan]

Great call.

[Biz]

Tell me the amount of points that GE Carbonal had. If people are saying, like, there. There has to be. There has to be consideration for, like, longevity in a sense of, like, unbelievable in the face off. Like, exceptional penalty killer. Unbelievable shutdown. Center who goes against top lines is, you know, oh, two Stanley Cups. Now he's got a Con Smythe, like.

[Yan]

And it's longevity. Where at the end of the longevity, he just won Con Smythe, like, that's what I'm saying.

[Wit]

So had 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. Five seasons with more points than Jordan Stall's career high.

[Biz]

Okay, what are. Are those in the 80s?

[Wit]

Yes.

[Yan]

And biz they didn't like. Carolina didn't have to go out and get a second line center because this horse takes every single draw.

[Wit]

Like, yeah. What did he finish in the. That might have been the percent. That might have been the over. Like, that might have been the final factor for the Con Smythe that he was just snapping every single drawback.

[Biz]

Yeah, man. You're starting with possession. It's. It's. It's literally everything. And especially in playoffs where if you get hemmed in against certain teams, like, you're toast, man. Vegas couldn't get control Stalls, he went out there the repair man. Every. Every draw. Most every draw throughout the run. We got our guests, boys.

[Wit]

Bring them in. Talk about an insider around the celebration. And a man. Hey, Trip. Well deserved. If you can flip the phone on the side, no worries. If not, if you can tell me

[Tripp Tracy]

if I did it right.

[Wit]

It's perfect, Trip. Congratulations, buddy. Honest, brother. I mean, you've been there a long time. You get to see this. You get to hear all the whispers and the loud noises of fraudulent and can't get past the conference finals. And they did it. So explain how special it is to everyone in that organization.

[Tripp Tracy]

Well, first of all, wit, you know, I need a plastic surgeon to remove my smile, but I had to dig in to get on the zoom with you legends. It's something about the WI fi at this hotel and two huge caniacs, Jake and Ann.

[Wit]

Jake.

[Tripp Tracy]

And thank you. There are the tech gurus. Keandre Miller's mom tried to help me out in the lobby. So, you know, I'm really excited to see that cup on the plane in a couple hours back to Raleigh.

[Wit]

It's.

[Tripp Tracy]

It's pure joy.

[Biz]

If there were to be one guy to. To maybe be a little bit late or even miss the flight, who do you think it would be after the celebration?

[Tripp Tracy]

Jordan, Martin. Hook. But, you know, the pulse of the hurricanes. And I actually. I almost didn't make the trip to Vegas because I had a fever. I didn't know fevers come in June. That hit me like a ton of bricks. After game five in Raleigh. And if the Hurricanes had tried just because I didn't want to get the guys sick, I mean, I'd show up in a Hazmat suit. So, you know, and I. I had one close call where I told Sebastian aho to get 25ft away from me on the plane out here. But I went to go to CBS at about 4:00 clock this morning, and I saw my man Marty baby getting some Taco Bell. So he'll be good to go, but he'd be the one guy that. He'd be fine with it, that he will enjoy every bit of the cup charade for the next several days.

[Biz]

Yeah, I was just gonna, like, like, what do you make of. Of Busty coming in and doing what he did in relief of Anderson? And what was it like seeing his family around, being like, oh, my God, like, our son's getting to live out his dream and all of a sudden playing in the Stanley cup finals when he was on waivers at the beginning of the season.

[Tripp Tracy]

You know, I can share this now, Biz. I went for a walk with Rod Brindemore after that great comeback in Game 3, but ended in a double overtime defeat on Sunday. And first thing is, is Rod's never heard of spf and he did not go tarp off on that walk like he did in the room last night. But I knew at that point that he was going to Brandon Bussey no matter what. After that Sunday morning, the game was Tuesday. He was going to go to Bussy. I knew that he. You know, I. I'm a vault. I'm not in the scoop business. I don't work at Baskin Robbins.

[Biz]

You don't dig?

[Tripp Tracy]

No. And. But to be truthful, I give Rod an abundance of credit because when he put Bussy in in game three, he waited till the second intermission. So we gave him the whole intermission to mentally and physically get as loose as he could. And when he first made the switch, you know, I was like, no, Freddie's playing in game four. It's just a mental and physical reset. But then Bussy made me a believer the way he performed. And I believe in history, guys, and the Stanley cup here, now, the previous Stanley cup here. Wow, does that sound great to say? But in the first round against Montreal, Cam Ward came in in game two in relief against a great Montreal team. The Hurricanes lost in overtime, but that gave me the belief, go to Cam or down to nothing on the road against Montreal. And Bussey gave me that same conviction, regardless of how it Would have worked out.

[Wit]

Tripp, what did you hear? We were just talking about Carolina being probably one of the last teams on the waiver wire based on their finish the year before. So Bussy hits it from Florida.

[Tripp Tracy]

What?

[Wit]

Why? No other team, like, did. What was. What was the thought process on everyone passing on him?

[Tripp Tracy]

You know what? I can't speak for all the other teams in the league, but what I can tell you is Paul Schonfelder, you know, Rob Brindemore, some of his closest friends in the world. I mean, I walked his mom down the aisle at his wedding, our goaltenders. But that's not his strong suit. But what his strong suit is, he delegates and never usurps, and that includes the goaltending position. And Paul Schonfelder had watched Brandon Bussey in the American League, even dating back to Western Michigan, and he loved him. He loved him more than anything because, toss the numbers, he always found a way to win. And so that's why, if he was going to be available, the Hurricanes were going to grab him, even if it caused a goaltending log jam.

[Yan]

Tripp, I know you're super close with the Stahl family. You've been to all the weddings, but what do you. What do you. What does it mean to you to see Jordan Stahl lift that Stanley Cup? Because he's been there through the good, the bad, and, you know, he's just been the mainstay of that organization for the longest time now.

[Tripp Tracy]

You know, Yan's. I can so vividly remember his wedding reception in Thunder Bay right as it was starting. You know, Sidney Crosby and the majority of the Penguins are there. Jordan and his wife Heather, are just starting to make the rounds to thank everybody for coming. And the guy that you guys know well and represented with, Paul Kropelka, said, emmett, my real name. The Canes just acquired Jordan. I gotta go tell him. And, you know, and then to think about how he trudged the road, that broken leg in a preseason game in Buffalo. And he has always been so selfless. It just makes me emotional to think about it. It's just that simple.

[Wit]

And then his first six years, right? Like, those years, so him and Eric plan on, like, competing for a cup together. And his attitude, I'm guessing knowing him a little as the way I do, probably he's never a guy that's, like, coming in, body language bad, another season down the drain. Like, just by never leaving or requesting to leave or signing anywhere else shows that even through the dark days, he was like, no, I'm I'm here, we're going to get it done.

[Tripp Tracy]

I made a commitment this year that I will never compliment him to his face again. Because you walk away feeling terrible because he never wants praise. And he laughed when I told him that. And you know, as you know in NHL history, guys, will you ever find a head coach and a captain? Left, left, shot, complete centerman team first tremendous in the community. You know, like Jordan Stahl wouldn't even care that he won the Cott Smythe. But his teammates, even with all the other great candidates, they were over the moon for him. And I can't put into words, there were some low points that I experienced just in my friendship with Jordan Stahl. Faith is a big part of who he is. And let me tell you, the great wit deserves a huge assist because on that plane on Long island after game 82, he ain't on social media.

[Biz]

He sparked it.

[Tripp Tracy]

The fight with Brady Kachuk to start the playoffs. And by the way, Whit, in my bet where I was going to paint my dog, Ottawa might have been the toughest opponent Carolina had.

[Wit]

He didn't lose

[Tripp Tracy]

and they didn't lose. But they needed a red hot Freddie Anderson and they needed a full eclipse of a screen in that important Jordan Martinook Game 2 overtime goal if it goes to Ottawa 11 who knows because that was a good team. So Jordan Stall all over being the playoff most valuable player.

[Biz]

That was the, that was the crazy play where stalls, he got hosed on the offside where he, he set up Martin hook score, got the penalty shot. Rod was said, does he have to take it? He did didn't score and then scored the OT winner. So there was some crazy fun moments. Let's move away from the players for two seconds and we got to talk about Tulski, the most handsome man in the Carolinas.

[Yan]

This is getting a tattoo of him.

[Biz]

I listen, I think everybody was maybe hard on him, especially media wise about when he moved for rotten and but didn't have him signed, but then got out of that at the, you know, the 12th hour and ended up picking up Stankholvin and that deal and moves he's made along with hall and all these other ones. This guy is like a hockey genius and he's maybe faced a little criticism in the past for some of these moves. Not having a true stupid superstar. But talk about like what he's done with that team and how now he's set this team up for the future. Cap space, first round draft picks, guys locked into team friendly deals, nobody making Too much money. Another Stanley cup won by a team with a player not making over $10 million. What is this guy done to change things around in Carolina?

[Tripp Tracy]

Well, the first thing I think about, being a unique general manager. Eric is very comfortable in his own skin and he has self belief, which you have to have. He treats other people very well. He and I were actually at Harvard at the same time, but we never met. Maybe we should have and maybe, you know, I would have gotten better grades, but.

[Wit]

Well, he was like, he was like goodwill hunting and you were out there just ripping it up in Cambridge.

[Tripp Tracy]

Well, I can tell you Matt Damon did used to come to our games and cheer us on and that's when I became a Matt Damon fan. But staying on the, you know, on the target here, you know, you think about it, he goes for me, it doesn't work. He makes a decision, a convicted decision, by the way. First of all, in the initial deal, he gets a guy named Taylor hall, who then he gets extended at the end of the playoffs last year, the Sam Bennett of this year's playoffs for the Carolina Hurricanes. Then he gets Logan Stankovin. And let me tell you guys, in all my conversations with Rod approaching the trade deadline, Rod was so comfortable with Logan Stankovin at center. He didn't want anybody else because what was he going to do with Logan? Because he had total belief in Logan. And then you use one of those picks to get Keandre Miller, who you know is one of many Conn Smythe candidates, despite the fact it went to the guy that it needed to go to in your captain.

[Yan]

Tripp. I know you're a man of the people and you're out there in the front lines. You know, you're a fan of the team, obviously work for them. But what do you think this means to the fans, fans of, of Raleigh? Because you see the support that they give this team. They're, they're supportive, they're not mean, they're not mean spirited like just true hockey fans.

[Biz]

How about the last night, other than when they told the ends that he'd rather root for the Taliban than the Carolina Hurricanes.

[Tripp Tracy]

Can I, can I quickly say, Can I quickly say because our medical team travels with us in the playoffs and they gave me the blow by blowing. When Yan's left the game during his ironman streak, 20 lost teeth. They had so much suction required. Yance, tell me if I'm wrong. They wanted you to go to the hospital right then and the Florida people said no, he can get it done the next Day they didn't advise you going back in the game, but you did anyways. That's just a little background. I did a little digging.

[Wit]

This makes us feel good about ourselves.

[Biz]

Oh, yeah.

[Wit]

A little tired there. Who isn't mean to us? I love you, Tripp.

[Tripp Tracy]

No, but I just think about it last night, how many huge Caniacs were in the crowd and that I'm living the dream right now because my gratitude for these players, Rod and his coaching staff, the organization, and most importantly, these huge Caniacs. But now there's a chance, not just in Raleigh, but when the Hurricanes travel, you're going to start to see waves of Hurricanes merch. Jerseys clad everywhere you go. And that gives me goosebumps.

[Biz]

Awesome. It's awesome what you guys have built. Whit brought it up because I was talking about Chatfield and how when we covered the series against Montreal, I was like, damn. I think like two or three of the games he might have led all D and ice time. And Whit said that for their D at any point in playoffs, led the team in ice time. And that is kind of rare where most teams have like a number one guy, like a dowdy, like a Carlson, whatever it may be. You guys had four guys lead the team in ice time on the back end. So just talk about like, like what each guy brings and how unreal it was to see 1 through 6 and what they were able to contribute.

[Tripp Tracy]

I'll go quick and land the plane. Biz Slavin historic to win a gold medal in a Stanley Cup. Played his best game of the playoffs last night. Jalen Chatfield, Sean Walker, those two righties that weren't available against Florida, you can see against that two time Stanley cup championship team, you had no chance with those two important consequential pieces. Not available. Keandre Miller, I mean he's been a perfect fit in Carolina. Carolina loves him and he loves Carolina. Gostis Bear saved his best series for the Stanley cup final where you won the power play dimension. Yeah, he's the quarterback of the group that scored the most. And when. When you didn't do anything at the deadline. Boys, Nikitian, who I have full belief is going to be a top pairing defenseman. He needed to take expedited steps as a rookie and he did. And just a quick mention when Nikisha was hurt, the ultra veteran Mike Riley.

[Biz]

Oh yeah.

[Tripp Tracy]

And did the job.

[Yan]

Yeah. Tripp, you need to flip your phone if you could. Quick G, just ask from the back. But how much would you pay right now? Because I know I would pay a lot of money to fast forward to the Eastern Conference finals next year and see Florida and Carolina play.

[Tripp Tracy]

Well, I did Yan's talk to Paul Maurice this morning. He's one of my closest friends in the world and I'm sure I'll talk to Barkley at some point today. He also is, and I would love to see that if that ends up happening. But I'll tell you what, whoever wants to play against Alexander Barkov in a seven game series, I mean, you know, but with that being said, playing against Barkov and losing twice, the gamer that is a future hall of Famer, Brad Marchand, it made Carolina better. It got him over the hump, aside from adding pieces like Keandre and Nikolai Ehlers, but there is no doubt about it and it's a team sport. But just Barkey, Brad Marchand, Sam Bennett this year. Taylor hall, the Sam Bennett of the playoffs. Florida was a big part of getting Carolina over the hump to win the Stanley Cup.

[Biz]

It's going to be before your rollback. Last question. Probably a couple guys who took a little bit of heat throughout the run, but I thought delivered a lot in the, in the final series too were Sebastian, Ajo and Svetch. They had to be top dogs and I thought the second line helped carry them through certain parts of the playoffs. But how cool was it for you to see them do it? And two very likable guys who have been around for a long time.

[Tripp Tracy]

You know what I thought the best part for me last night, for Sebastian, I hope is, you know, he got Selkie votes. You know, I thought Jordan Stahl was deserving of winning it. And I know, I know Alexander Barkov would probably agree with me on that. But Ajo got Selkie votes. He played his best defensive game as a centerman in the playoffs last night. Loved seeing that, that complete nature. Svetsnikov, he had a tough game for and that's the only draft I ever went to. When he got drafted in Dallas, I didn't even go go when I got plucked in the ninth round. And so Andre's always been family to me, always. And I sent him a video before game five in the morning.

[Wit]

One of the woods videos. One of the ones I get. Exactly. Those are good videos, Tripp with Frank.

[Tripp Tracy]

And I said, andre, look at this. God's country, that is Raleigh. You are a beloved core Hurricane. I want you to go out tonight and play with joy, play with freedom, be the vintage power forward that is the reason you are universally beloved in the Hurricanes fan base gets two power play goals that night. And I thought he was a beast physically last night.

[Wit]

Fucking rights rollback. Last question. Use code chicklet on rollback.com for generous 20% off through your first purchase the end of the week. C H I C L E t s on rho b a c k.com 20% off. Polos, hoodies, shorts and more. Nikolai Ehlers comes over. Okay. What was pretty cool was that the first player from Denmark to ever win the cup scored the cup winning goal in that building for the Capitals in Lars Eller. And then last night, Freddie Anderson and Ehlers, they added two, three. I didn't know that Ehlers dad was the first man ever drafted in the NHL from Denmark. And he's been obviously the most important figure in his career in life. He was afraid to even talk to him after the game. He had the two over the glass penalties. But there was rumblings that he wanted to play more. And leaving Winnipeg, he didn't like that he didn't get the opportunity on the first line. And last night he said, I never wanted that. I just wanted the chance to be a big part of a team. How did he end up picking Carolina? Did you ever get any of the news? Because he was a. He was an enormous factor in that series. He started off the first two goals in game one and never looked back.

[Tripp Tracy]

Well, bullet points. I know that Rod Brindemore spoke to him often in the process when Nikolai was deciding. And since your buddy Frank is extremely close with his dog Jax. I'm just being truthful. His dog, Jax. It was a big part of the decision. That's just a fact. 100%, that's a fact, boys.

[Biz]

I feel that.

[Tripp Tracy]

Yeah, little play dates.

[Biz]

Signed, sealed and delivered.

[Merles]

It's a fact.

[Tripp Tracy]

You legends. I mean, I'm not. That's.

[Biz]

It's not even Ehler's signature on the contract.

[Tripp Tracy]

It's his dog's paw, the Great Jacks. And so then I walk back from game four when the Hurricanes tie the series of two, and I see his mom and dad and his sister, whose name is Caroline. I don't know if it's Caroline or Caroline, so it's fitting that her brother's a Hurricane in Carolina, but his dad, who not only was, you know, first Danish player drafted, drafted by the New York Rangers, where Nikolai Ehler scored his first goal in the NHL and first goal as a Carolina Hurricane, but what his dad said to me after game four, he said, you have no idea how much it means to Nikolai that Rod trusts him in defensive situations. When you're playing late with the lead, he holds on to pucks. He never panics. And he rewarded that Rod Brynamore trust with two empty netters on the road.

[Biz]

And also that play back door. Marner was trying to slide it to someone last night and he dove and he blocked that pass. So there were so many plays he made defensively as well as offensively. Tripp, just on behalf of the boys here, like, thank you for hopping on every round and bringing life to the pod. And I couldn't be happier for you and Kane's nation on. On an incredible cup run. We were joking earlier. Probably the most disrespected wagon we've ever seen. Only three losses throughout the run, but just everything your guys organizations about the way that you guys work, the way that you guys carry yourself in your community and how you play hockey. Very cool and very well deserved, buddy. And congratulations on a Stanley cup and, and great job with all the viral videos as well with the body checks up in the booth.

[Wit]

So Tripp, I want to add something to that because you, Gary Lawless, Stauffer, all the guys like you, that work for a team and are openly fans of the team you root for, but make it fun and then bring the fan base into kind of your life because of how much you love the team while also covering them, it makes the NHL really special. And every team has a guy like you. And all you guys do great. We've had fun with so many of you guys and you're a blast, buddy. So congratulations.

[Tripp Tracy]

Thank you guys. And just as you guys have and will continue to do herculean things for the growth of our game. And that's what we all care about more than anything. Correct? Gary Lawless, quick mention when I left the booth last night, we're in the trenches. We feel the hurt big time when our team doesn't come out with the result. And Gary Lawless was so incredibly classy.

[Wit]

He's all class.

[Tripp Tracy]

All class. And so this Stanley Cup Final, how great was it for the thing that we care the very most about the growth of the greatest game on the.

[Wit]

Yep. All right, Tripp, have a great one.

[Biz]

Tripp, you're the man.

[Yan]

Unreal.

[Biz]

Thank you so much.

[Wit]

Tell Stolzi I'm dumb, he's smart, he's good looking, I'm ugly. Just give it all. Say Whit just owns that he picked you guys to lose in the first round and you lost three games. They lost. They lost three games in four rounds. I had them Losing four games in one round, boys. All right, triple. See you, buddy.

[Tripp Tracy]

Love you guys.

[Yan]

See you. Legend Trip Tracy, everyone.

[Wit]

The guy's on cloud nine.

[Yan]

He deserves to be and thanks to Tripp. Did you hear what Noble's dropping?

[Wit]

What?

[Biz]

The Frankie Twos?

[Yan]

The. Yeah, but they're steel toe. So when you name drop, you don't hurt your feet.

[Biz]

No shit. Steel toe.

[Wit]

I love that he talked to Paul Maurice already. Probably called him and didn't want to tell us. Hey, you got two, we got one. See you next year. You know Tripp's giving him. He's setting it up for next year.

[Jake]

But guys, real quick, we got some breaking news here. We are very excited to announce and I figured this sticks with the hurricane steam here. Very excited to announce the Greensboro Gargoyles have hired their new coach. Their new head coach, Mitch Jagir, came from the Wheeling Nailers.

[Wit]

Is it Shigar Jagir? Okay, okay. Little different sounding one. So Wheeling Nailers has coached for a long time. We heard about this yesterday. Awesome. My question is, and congrats to Mitch. If you're 0.6% owner of the East Coast Hockey League team of the Stanley cup champion team, do you get a ring?

[Biz]

Yeah, you get the same ones as the ushers, but you still get a ring.

[Wit]

Okay.

[Yan]

Pinky rings for pinkies.

[Ryan Whitney]

Yeah.

[Yan]

Yep. I talked to them this morning. I got fitted already.

[Biz]

Okay. Do you think that. Hey, I talk about an all time turnaround though. We go from becoming owners of an ECHL team, there was a like a minor lockout. Our coach got fired. We finished dead last in the regular season. But, but, but Tulski saved the day. Yeah, we get a ring.

[Wit]

The big club got it done for us, boys. The big club got it done. And yeah, I think that for Mitch, there's only one way to go. Oh, when you finish in last place, coach gets fired. And there's a lockout within the East Coast Hockey League. Players, we're looking onwards and upwards, boys.

[Biz]

He's like torts.

[Wit]

And we might grab an East Coast Hockey League ring next year.

[Jake]

We.

[Wit]

What's that cup called?

[Yan]

Kelly.

[Biz]

Oh, the Kelly Cup.

[Wit]

The Kelly cup. Lookout World, we're coming.

[Biz]

Is there any way maybe Gary Lawless would pop by just to kind of maybe give his.

[Yan]

Maybe he big timed us.

[Jake]

I. I texted him every single game, every show we have done. I've shot Gary a text and said, hey, Gary, courtesy text here. I would love to get you on the show. Maybe we surprised the guys have the thumb popping every time.

[Wit]

No, I don't he decided, he decided it was going to be after now maybe losing. He doesn't want to. I hope he does. I love Gary, but we'll see. Thursday we're hopefully going to have a couple Hurricanes guys on. Obviously they're in no shape right now to do it, but we do have another guy coming on. It's ra's World. We have an episode Thursday and then that's it for. For two episodes a week for a little while. So let's throw it on to RA right now and hear what he thought about the big game last night.

[Tripp Tracy]

Night.

[Ryan Whitney]

Hello Everybody. Welcome to AR's World here on the Spit and Chicklets podcast. Gentlemen, what a fantastic Stanley Cup. Carolina just choked out Vegas the last couple games. Like I said last pod they basically the Russian was cut in Vegas. They looked like they were skating in mud. Full kudos to Carolina. They couldn't get anything going. I also thought too like what they were on that power play. They were trying to paint a Picasso when they just needed like dogs playing poker, you know what I mean? They were just looking for that perfect one time of the whole time instead of just throwing stuff on that. Not sure it would have mattered because of.

[Wit]

But they had a couple chances with Stone in front. Like Ben Bussy just made some incredible kick saves. Like they did end up off a couple breakdowns getting chances. But I agree with you and exactly

[Ryan Whitney]

that's what I was getting to. It was Bussy. I mean just an incredible story. This guy was, was Bruins property. By the way, Bruins fans like bitching about this. Shut the F up. I mean there's been a log gym at that position in this city for the last 15 years. Like I mean he wasn't going to supplant Swayman. We have the DPH were there. It would have been nice to see him get a call up here or there. But like it was just a, a roster management situation. It wasn't a diss to him. We're very happy for his success here. I think he still lives here in the off season and yes, if you go to his LinkedIn page, he did work at I think Chipotle up in North Andover. Something one of these offseason. So like I said, undrafted first time in the NHL this year at 27 joined Bernie Perront as the second undrafted goaltender to record a club. Yeah, a cup clinching shutout among goaltenders to debut after the first draft in 63 and basically the only, only way they're going to beat him was like tips, rebounds just wasn't happening Vegas. Like I said, they never looked desperate. He's also the third goalie to post a first shout out of his postseason in a cup clincher. He was three and one with a one six zero a nine three one. I know we talked about Stall a few minutes ago. His face off percentage in the Stanley cup final. 68%. I mean, I mean it's just absolute dominance.

[Wit]

And yeah, 55 is good.

[Ryan Whitney]

Exactly.

[Yan]

50 is good.

[Ryan Whitney]

He was 56.8 for the whole playoffs. And you know like I know we all get hung up on points and, and that's what you know stats are a big part of sports. But like a couple of my followers pointed out, like he just played such a complete two way game defensive hockey and he was just there every game, just an unreal effort and the points go out the window. It was a no brainer that he was going to with the. The conspiracy and the. I like the way they did the order of the Cup. Like it seemed like they went from the first couple old veterans and then it seemed like they went in the hierarchy and seniority with. With the organization that went, you know, Stall to Hall Stankovin mana and I love how AJO gave it to hall first. I'm sorry I'm reading the wrong thing. Yeah, like Stahl, Freddie Halsey deferred to hall before I to that slaving Martinook gossip. And just like I said, this team is very easy to roof for guys like you know, Martin gossip. Hot rod's been like knocking on this door for a while. You got to be happy for so many guys on this team for. For that region. It's been 20 years. So again just a great final. Did I lose you there? Oh sorry. Just your screen disappeared. Just an awesome final. I would have loved to have getting seven games out of it but I'd also. Taylor hall becomes the first number one overall pick selected by the Oilers to win the Stanley Cup. I thought that was a pretty unique stat considering the history and after my pelt Jeff Marek the only player to get selected first overall win the hot trophy and win the Stanley cup but all with three different teams which is a pretty unique stat as well. So good stuff in that line and

[Wit]

also be healthy scratch by the worst team in the league. That's crazy as that's the crazy one.

[Ryan Whitney]

Yeah, yeah, no shit. Last year now yeah the Hall Blake Stank over line had a a 72% goal. She 67% shot share and a 63% times goal share at 5 on 5. So just an un I think he

[Wit]

was on the ice for 22 goals, four or five on five, eight against in the playoffs.

[Ryan Whitney]

And just like. Like what? I don't know that ever saw him play that, like, physical in his career before, like, just like at both ends of the ice. It was just.

[Wit]

I laughed when Tripp called him Sam Bennett for them. And then I started thinking about it. He was running every number one defenseman over. And yeah, he. It really was like a different type of Taylor Hall, I think an older Taylor hall that realizes, like, I've been around this league for what, 16 years now, and this is probably it. Like, this could be the last chance. And he just laid it all out there. It was awesome.

[Biz]

Yeah.

[Ryan Whitney]

Yeah. What's up?

[Yan]

What do you. Since. Since 2020, all Southern teams won the cup. Yes. Colorado was a Southern team, thanks to Biz. What do you make of this, this switch?

[Biz]

Keep in mind, Carolina has a 3.99 state tax, so very low in consideration to all the other states.

[Tripp Tracy]

All right, go ahead, Keith.

[Ryan Whitney]

I attribute it to a great management and great organizations, honestly. Like, I, I don't like. I know the state tax stuff comes in and we've had some fun with it, but I think these organizations have just like, they've been running tight ships. They've been doing a great job. You know, what they've been doing in Tampa, obviously, Carolina, and I think that's. That's really it. I mean, you know, these guys, like, they don't seem to hire these retreads all the time. And, you know, we see guys that have been around for a long time and maybe another one coming back one of these days. But yeah, I, I think these organizations are just well run. They do some great scouting and what Tulski's done, Greg Wishkinsky did a great job, was like the jock, the nerd in the Stanley Cup. It was kind of like, I feel like I was writing about me and Whitney for a second when we started the show back in the day. But it's just a great story. You know, Tulski come into the league the way he did. You know, he. He is like, he's a nerd and he's a computer guy and what he's done for the league and, you know, it's a copycat league, like every, you know, major league show. I'm interested to see what the rest of the league does going forward from here, so. And going back to stall, too. You know, like I said, 8, 4, 12, and 19 games. He collected more than half of his playoff point total. Just during the final with six goals and assist set a franchise record for goals in any series and equal the league benchmark for goals by a player aged 37 or older in a single file. I'm not sure if you saw the Hila's empty netter. He didn't know where his family was sitting. Like, you know, sometimes you, you know, you obviously had the chaos of a Stanley Cup. You don't know where your guy, your family might be until he scored that empty netter. Because I don't even saw when he turned to the right and he stopped suddenly and he just kind of got all excited. He hadn't seen his family until like he scored the empty there and looked no way and spotted him. Yeah, yeah. He didn't know like where they were sitting until then. So yeah, if you watch that replay again, he does a stop and he suddenly gets like all kinds of fight up. So it was good stuff. And I don't know if you saw the clip of him talking about Winnipeg. He got really emotional, really choked up. I thought that was really nice, man, because he was there for a long time and I'm sure those fans beat

[Biz]

a lot of clip that came out of. Of also Matthew Tkachuk thanking all the Calgary fans and then. And then also Ealers as well.

[Yan]

Maurice too, remember?

[Biz]

Yeah, Maurice. So shout out to these guys who remember where they came from and they were developed and. And the teams that. That gave them their opportunity to begin with. Pretty cool.

[Ryan Whitney]

Yeah, it was good stuff. And then, well, when Bettman was calling Stallover, it was like, you know, give it all his accomplishments and he's like the oldest guy ever. And then, you know, Tony X, the St. Louis Blues fan who got famous a few years ago, went viral. He put a tweet after Betman, come get this trophy. You old. Like basically the way like, you know, BET was like going on and on, he was basically calling an old dude. But Carolina went 40 and potential clinches this whole playoffs. First team since 84 to win a cup using two starting goalies. Edmonton did it back then with I believe Fjord and Moog.

[Wit]

That's the first time that's happened.

[Ryan Whitney]

First since 84. Yeah. Two starting goalies, different starting goalies. Yeah, yeah.

[Wit]

Every other cup winner never started anyone else.

[Yan]

No, I thought Carolina did it with. Wait, did you say in the finals?

[Ryan Whitney]

It's first team since 84 to win cup using. Yeah. In the cup final. Yeah.

[Yan]

Okay.

[Biz]

Edmonton did it. Liquid Duano.

[Wit]

Well, no, I was thinking how Bob. Oh, no, that was the year they Lost to Vegas. Okay. Yeah. All right. Just the cup finals. I get it.

[Ryan Whitney]

I get it. I think you mentioned already Rod the fourth to win as captain and a head coach. He's also the seventh to win as a player and a head coach with the same team. And, dude, he played hot potato with that cup for a second. There's an outstanding picture that the NHL tweeted out where they took it right while it's, like, in midair, so he's not even holding it at all. It's almost like the cup's kind of levitating. Yeah. Fantastic photos.

[Biz]

Hearing the brick story from Wit makes sense of, like, when. When all the guys are around him and he was doing it, it's almost like he was saying, like, this is how we would lift a brick over our head.

[Wit]

I don't know. Yeah, because it was.

[Biz]

It was just different. Right? Because he hugged it first, and then the way that he lifted it up, it was different. He was probably like, how we've been doing this the whole time preparing for this moment, boys. So good. Good for them, man.

[Wit]

Wow.

[Ryan Whitney]

I want to ask you, you know, getting wild Bill Carlson back was huge for Vegas, but then losing him was equally huge. Do you think it was that much of a loss that had swung the series? Oh, was there a fate seal prior to that?

[Biz]

I mean, Tortz's reaction said it all. Yeah, he's like, my God, like, thick. Like, Merle's used the term the star. The star. What is it? The drink. And like, they were just such a dynamic one, two punch as far as the offense with the Iko line. And then look what him and Marner were doing, man. Marner put up, what, 28 points throughout the whole playoffs. A big reason for that is Carlson and how he good he was defensively, so, like, Marner was able to anticipate offensively. And they just like. It's like they were sharing a brain out there. And mix that in with a guy, make it two and a half million the next four years. And howden that was. That was an. That was. It kind of goes to Carolina. Like their second line was their most offensive dynamic line. And that goes the same for Vegas.

[Wit]

And it.

[Biz]

That took it all away. It poor. Put more responsibility on Eiko's plate where we seem to think that Eiko was playing through something. Is that. Is that what you guys said earlier?

[Yan]

I don't know. I think with. Did say. I'm sure everyone's playing through something. These guys are completely.

[Wit]

No, I said it could possibly. And I'm Kind of going on Blutman. Blutman's tweet saying I'm. He thinks that I cold.

[Stella Blue Coffee Ad]

Was injured.

[Biz]

Yeah.

[Wit]

I'm going on bloody.

[Biz]

And then.

[Jake]

Yeah.

[Biz]

So it just. Yeah, it took a lot of wind out of their sails and. And you could tell, you could tell by.

[Ryan Whitney]

By Torts's reaction and the cane side showing no sympathy. They. They had the tweet about torches, clothes. You know, Torts. I'm gonna leave my clothes at the hotel and Kane. Sweet. We'll send them to you. It might take a few days though. We're a little busy. Like.

[Yan]

Nice.

[Ryan Whitney]

That's awesome. They've been pretty. Pretty brutal with that stuff. And then the shocks. Well, not the shocks. Official Twitter, but their TV Twitter has been taking some shots as well. But I gotta say that finished when they, when they played the. Who Baba O'Reilly. All the highlights from the playoffs. It was like sort of the NHL version of, you know, with the ncaa. One magic moment or whatever that song is there. I don't know whatever it is. But that was phenomenal. One shining moment. Yeah, that's it. But the way they played that Tonight with Bob O'Reilly and had the updated quotes and yeah, there was. They showed the handshake. What. What Rod Brindemore and talk it. And he's like. And. And Rod saying hey, soak this all in. Like all the Flyers fans like really appreciated that stuff. And. And a couple guys in the handshake line. Just awesome. Just the way they finished it. And I'm glad that, you know, ABC stayed with it for a little longer. And kudos also to SVP over on Sports center who people clicked over that. Him and Osha did a great job. They had a bunch of guys on and you know, I know people have gotten on ESPN for their coverage, but they did awesome. They did a terrific postgame job tonight. SVP was all over it now what you know that crew did. Kudos to those guys. They had an awesome time. So like I said, awesome cup.

[Biz]

So they also had a pre game feature. I don't know if it was at the end of the point or maybe when the point ended on Jordan Stall.

[Ryan Whitney]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Biz]

So kind of like a. I guess like a precursor to the way the game ended up turning out. Him winning a con smite. But I thought they did a great job of rolling out those like little fun, you know, pieces that they would do. Emily Kaplan, I believe was doing all of them and that was the final one in game six. So credit to her and, and, and their staff for putting that awesome video together. Because keep in mind, there's a lot of people watching newbie hockey fans who have no idea who Jordan Stahl is and the history of them. So for them to learn it and kind of gain a connection to our game is. Is very cool. So shout out to ESPN. I would imagine the numbers were probably over 5 million again for viewership and every game kept seeing a tick up. So just an incredible final.

[Ryan Whitney]

Yeah.

[Yan]

Do you guys have the finals next year?

[Biz]

Yeah, we switch it. Yeah, we got it.

[Wit]

I mean to see those numbers of those two teams. Like I can't imagine more storied franchises like next year if they were in it. Right. Like it's only going to be a little higher with certain teams. Like the fact we got those numbers. Carolina, Vegas. I would imagine it's even more ridiculous with a couple other certain teams. Maybe I'm wrong and maybe all these. Maybe all these southern teams are the only ones that are going to be in it moving forward.

[Jake]

Who is your guys early cup prediction for next season?

[Wit]

Oh, the Oilers are fucking primed to get this thing next year. I'm telling you.

[Yan]

Did we not. Is this when they lost the Anakin.

[Biz]

He's turned into me.

[Wit]

It's just unbelievable.

[Biz]

He's turned into me.

[Wit]

They went to back to back couple of best players in the world. If they figure out goaltending nurse gets moved, they get something back. Watch out.

[Yan]

This guy is crazy now.

[Wit]

This isn't.

[Biz]

He just keeps the same energy.

[Yan]

He hasn't said quack in time.

[Stella Blue Coffee Ad]

Quack.

[Wit]

I forgot.

[Biz]

Hey, y. Keep that energy on him all next season when. When he keeps doing this, he's not

[Yan]

allowed to root for them.

[Wit]

I took that back.

[Biz]

Okay, my bad, my bad with the team two years ago. Then he hopped back on like just nobody says shit.

[Wit]

Then he says, oh, people say. People say, believe me.

[Ryan Whitney]

What do you got, Keith? Who. Who do you like next year? You got an early favorite.

[Wit]

Oh, I wonder who he's picking.

[Biz]

If I get.

[Yan]

If he needs Florida. They're gonna be back. Barky year off just won a fucking world championship or whatever the. Yeah, of course

[Jake]

I got Florida versus Colorado. I think Florida will be back and I think Colorado is coming in with vengeance this summer. Like I think Nathan McKinnon is going to have a fucking crazy summer. Even though it's not like the guy can get much better. But yeah, I got. I got Florida and Colorado biz quickly.

[Wit]

Merles will be disgusted. But if somehow Larkin goes over there or Billy G gets the madness going again, heads up for the wild. Heads up for the wild boys.

[Biz]

So here, so here's my thing. And it goes back to what Merle said about Capri soft. When a $17 million deal kicks in, I believe there's only been one or Ford is the only player to ever have a guy making over $10 million on a cup team.

[Wit]

I think Eichel was making 10, wasn't he?

[Biz]

Was he making 10?

[Ryan Whitney]

That deal hadn't kicked in yet when, when, when Michael won the cup. But yeah, Bob Rossi was making exactly 10. So it's check it out, check it out.

[Biz]

But if it was, what does Cooch make? Coochie makes nine and a nine and change.

[Wit]

17 is a problem.

[Biz]

17 is a major problem. We're talking about the number 10 here.

[Yan]

Yeah.

[Jake]

Now, now Echo is making 10. I go was making 10.

[Biz]

Okay, so I, I, so is I, I, I go was making 10 on the nose. I said above 10.

[Yan]

They also had Stone not play all year. Right. That was the cap circumcision, which you can't do anymore.

[Biz]

Right.

[Yan]

So, yeah, that, that 17 is, that

[Biz]

17 is, is pretty gnarly. So Minnesota is going to have its hands full on trying to fill that center spot and still having some money to play with. Boys, I'll say this. I, I'm going to, I'm going to be gargling the Carolina Hurricanes ball bags. I would say that they could repeat. They got, they got over 10 million in cap space. They got the same group going back at it.

[Yan]

Is that your new team? Like you buy your hat. You're a free agent fan right now. So are you jumping on the trip Tracy bandwagon?

[Wit]

I, he's the biggest honesty.

[Biz]

I'm going to be real for a minute here. I, I, I would say I'm leaning towards I'm no longer going to have a team.

[Ryan Whitney]

Oh, wow.

[Wit]

So you could just carve everyone or, or hop on everyone. That's, that could be the play.

[Biz]

I think, I honestly think it would be fun to just be able to just glaze everybody and just give props where it's due and just be very positive towards everybody and see the, see the good, not necessarily the bad, especially when you're, you're going against them, you know, rooting for your own team. So right now the early contention is I'm, I'm rooting for Gary in the league to keep thriving because according to the numbers, I think they're going to make at least a billion and a half dollars more in revenue in the 25, 26 season than they did last year in the 24, 25 season. So shout out to the NHL.

[Wit]

How do they, how, how, how do we explain that? Like where is that coming from?

[Biz]

Ad revenue.

[Wit]

I know but the ads were already sold like the year before. Did they. I don't even get it.

[Biz]

Ticket sales, jersey sales.

[Wit]

It's a lot of money.

[Biz]

Keep in mind there's some, there's some rights deals that are coming up too. Boys like border snap around.

[Tripp Tracy]

Think about amazing.

[Biz]

Also maybe, maybe like, like Utah two years ago came in billion bucks error for, for, for some teams to snap around. So. But going back to my cup prediction for next year, like I just, I'll say Carolina just because of the work that they've put in and the way that they've set themselves up. And also it's not all about the money there. A lot of guys are leaving money on the table in order to be cup champions and they deserve the credit too.

[Ryan Whitney]

So I think that the small town failed there biz. You know what I mean? If you've been there, it's just like it's like you know like the kind of back country. It's like just. It's not big city stuff and I think that's, you know, not every guy wants that but I think that does suit a lot of guys. It's just kind of like a very family oriented like kind of you know like almost like a sub, like a big suburb almost down there.

[Biz]

I think that like people talk about the bright lights of playing for the Rangers and ooh ah like I get it but the way with the way media works now and how some of these guys might be fed up with playing in these big markets. I could see these types of places like Nashville and Carolina being major, major landing spots. Like you guys thought I was kidding. I would put Carolina top. I would put them in a top five for McDavid list. Why not? Why not?

[Yan]

Absolutely. Why not?

[Ryan Whitney]

Yeah, me next year I got a carad on Kycarius. The great White Shock. San Jose I'm going to pick. I think they made tremendous strides this year. I think that that celebrity is going to draw guys there that they're going to want to sign and play with that kid because he's the next one. So I'm picking San Jose over Buffalo. Yeah, it go on the limb. Not like anything.

[Biz]

San Jose is going to be in the finals next year.

[Yan]

I don't even think they'll make.

[Wit]

They're going to win it.

[Jake]

He said no one to sign. They have no. There's no free agents to Sign.

[Ryan Whitney]

I don't make a trade. They got a lot of draft picks, they got a lot of draft capital. But. But I think San Jose is going to become a destination. Like this kid is the real deal Holyfield man. Like guys are going to want to come play with him. He's such a draw what he's doing in the second year in the league. He's playing at a level we haven't seen honestly since Crosby like he and he might be Crosby 2.0. So I think he's such a draw that like people will decide to go there to play with him. Even if San Jose might not be. Again, talking about cities that might be the biggest draw. Celebrity is the draw. And I think, I think they're going to be a contender for a long time coming. Screw it.

[Wit]

65 to 1 to win the stand.

[Ryan Whitney]

Yeah, I mean they damn. They damn their close gun to the playoffs this year. I mean they had.

[Biz]

I know it's hard because California like state tax working against them. Outside of him, brutal out there. Outside of him like I don't know. And, and again like we'll. I'm interested to see how long he signs because that'll play a big factor to it. He might sign a three year bridge deal here.

[Ryan Whitney]

Yeah, we'll see what happens.

[Jake]

I think Ra I think the best bet for the Sharks is they set. They go sign a big defenseman this summer like a Darren Radish and then they make a big blockbuster style trade for that second overall pick. That's the only way they're going to get back into the playoff race because they. That second overall pick, you can get a legitimate player for that. That's the only way I see them

[Wit]

getting back into the.

[Biz]

Yeah, I'll tell you this already. How about this? If they make it out of the second round next year, this is your, this is yours.

[Wit]

Oh, all right. That's.

[Ryan Whitney]

That is nice. I love the.

[Jake]

It's signed R.A. it's signed.

[Ryan Whitney]

Oh I, I do love on the teal.

[Yan]

What was the bet biz they got

[Biz]

to if they make it past the second round, this is his conference finals.

[Yan]

Not really staying at your house more

[Wit]

relapse jersey to sell the next day.

[Ryan Whitney]

I, I listen. I owe a huge apology to Lawrence, Kansas. It's not Lawrenceville. There's a Lawrenceville in Pittsburgh. There's one near Atlanta. I got my streams crossed. I, I said Lawrenceville, Kansas. So I want to apologize to the fine folks there in Lawrence, Kansas for the way they've hosted team Algeria the World cup and Wait, if you guys. I don't know if you guys been in town. Dude, Boston has been overrun, invaded by Scots. And I mean that in the best way. This city hasn't had this much adrenaline, hasn't had this much life since pre covered. Gee, I think you've been around this weekend. They're everywhere. There's so much fun. Like, people are going out just to hang around them. I. I watched the game across the street that, like, one of the headquarters bars is right down the Navy out here. The bars are staying open till 3 o' clock in the morning. They're all at city hall. The cops are being chilled. No, like, they just.

[Jake]

All right, you know what's the best part?

[Ryan Whitney]

It's awesome, man.

[Jake]

Is a lot of wool.

[Yan]

Must be pissed.

[Jake]

A lot of Europeans are known for. For not really tipping. It's just not part of their culture. From. From all the bartenders I've talked to in the city, they are tipping exorbitant amounts like they are. They are tipping. These bartenders just wads and wads of cash, which you just love to see.

[Wit]

All right. Why are they called the tartan army?

[Ryan Whitney]

Actually, it's funny. I. I had this. I got this koozie years ago that. The kilt. That's called totten. I know we like call it plaid or gigam here in the States. So that's the clip of all of

[Wit]

them led by the bagpipes walking to Fenway park for the Red Sox last night. Led by police officers in front. I was like. And I. I thought it was just gonna end. They just. There was thousands of them.

[Ryan Whitney]

Yeah. And I mean, did you see the highlights from inside Fenway singing the songs?

[Wit]

I mean, and then they won. They beat. I think they beat Haiti. Right? So.

[Ryan Whitney]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Wit]

Pretty cool.

[Yan]

Are.

[Wit]

Is their next game at Foxborough also?

[Ryan Whitney]

Yep. They play Friday. Ah, who do they play? Oh, they play Morocco Friday.

[Wit]

So they have the next four nights here too.

[Ryan Whitney]

They listen, they give the Irish a run for the money. They. When getting at it. But they're tons of fun. It's just this city, like I said, I haven't, like, I just want to go out every night, just like soak it all in. Because it's just. There's so much energy here. You know, Kansas City, like Montreal, all the cities that this is going on, it's awesome. Like the Koreans and the Mexicans down and Mexico, have you seen them? They've been potty, getting all messed up. All the Koreans getting up on tequila and just. Yeah, every city, it's Just great, man. It's just kind of like, you know

[Biz]

what they're doing too ra. They're having fun and they're keeping it respectful. Unlike you saw with. With the Knicks fans.

[Yan]

Yeah.

[Biz]

Like, listen, I don't normally bitch about this stuff, and I'm not saying that every fan base is like the most like, oh, like they're, they're that the happiest, cleanest, and they don't fuck things up. But what they did to New York City, like they were ruining people's cabs. Like they were just damaging everything. I don't really understand that.

[Ryan Whitney]

Yeah, nor do I.

[Wit]

No, I'm talking about the Knicks and Talking about the 10 million dollar player to win a cup that Brunson, he turned. He gave 100 million on the hundred million dollars solely so the team could have more flexibility. And it's like, I just. I'm like, oh my God. It's like, it's like literally McDavid, except for the team completely it up as opposed to the name, colors and, and those, those. There's three guys on the Knicks that won it together at Villanova. That's pretty sick. Like that. That's got to be. I don't has that ever even happened. Like, three guys on a college winning team to win a NBA title together.

[Yan]

They had to trade. The other kid that was on the village, had to trade him to get Cat. So I'm sure that stung a little bit. But yeah, it's Bridges, Hart and Brunson.

[Wit]

Brunson.

[Yan]

Brunson. Yeah.

[Ryan Whitney]

And then.

[Wit]

And then I saw another tweet that the Mavericks drafted Luca and Brunson in and they're both gone. And it showed what they got for him. Basically it's like a first round pick and Anthony Davis, who's injured, I'm like, oh my God.

[Ryan Whitney]

Mavericks fans are like so many bad GMs in basketball.

[Biz]

What were you gonna say? Yes.

[Yan]

No, just about like the fans and you know how they're like looting the streets and stuff. Like, I've seen those people be interviewed and like they make a deal like, hey, who do you. Do you like? Ryan Whitney on the. On the Knicks this. They're not even real fans. Those are people just there to cause havoc. Like they're idiots.

[Wit]

Although there was a great spurs fan who just started completely. I never. A video came out from overhead. He's just banging guys out. And then a guy pushing from behind, he turned around, the guy run away. Like it was like one of them. Oh, Keith. It's unbelievable. He was, he was like the Terminator in a Spurs jersey there solely to, like, knock out Knicks fans.

[Yan]

Like, by himself, too.

[Ryan Whitney]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Yan]

Oh, I can't wait to watch that.

[Biz]

He was another thing that was so. Like, the UFC did the. The White House thing. Okay, one thing. The one guy who goes out like, I saw your tweet, ra. He like, mentions Obama's wife.

[Wit]

Like, yeah, right. When he wins. I know.

[Yan]

That was the same guy who puked on the stage.

[Ryan Whitney]

Just like, dude, whatever. All kinds of events have happened. I didn't say boo about it. I had no. No beef. Whatever it was going on. I. I didn't care. I don't follow the sport. But, dude, like, you know, it's. It is sort of sacred American territory. And like, you know, like, it just. It was just useless. No need for ugly. You wouldn't say it about any other first lady. It was just ugly. It left a black eye on what was, I guess, an otherwise great event. I didn't watch much of it, but. Just foolishness. Absolute foolishness. Man.

[Yan]

Did you see how happy Dana White was when him and Trump were standing there for the flyover?

[Wit]

No, I haven't seen. I didn't like you.

[Ryan Whitney]

It was a pretty sweet fire.

[Wit]

Was that Saturday night or last night?

[Biz]

That was last night.

[Yan]

No idea.

[Wit]

Yeah, Sunday night.

[Biz]

Oh, I think it coincided with Trump's birthday or something. I don't know.

[Yan]

I thought they were doing it on July 4th.

[Ryan Whitney]

No, no.

[Biz]

I don't know. Why are you laughing with. I didn't see his 80th birthday.

[Wit]

250th year guys calling a former president's wife a man. It's like, what the.

[Biz]

What is going on, man?

[Ryan Whitney]

Silly cash. All right, a couple more here. Classic recommendation for the week. Going way, way. A 1948 Humphrey Bogat treasure of the Sierra Madre. I just saw this not too long ago myself. Fantastic old black and white adventure picture. Give it a whirl. If you like the black and white stuff.

[Yan]

I would say zero fans will watch.

[Ryan Whitney]

That's fine.

[Wit]

I wonder if we'll get. I wonder the overrunner of people that'll probably. I love your movie wrecks. There's just not a chance.

[Ryan Whitney]

That's all right. I don't give bad ones out. So if people watch them, great. If not, they're unreal. Yeah. And I did actually the song Sung Blue, the Neil diamond movie I recommended last week. I hit Netflix this week and I did watch it again. Even. Even better the second time. Just like a. Like I said, a hot woman film. Very emotional. Give it a whirl if you're looking for something to watch and Grinelli today 15th anniversary of the Boston Bruins in Vancouver. Brian McGonigal, Boss2Sports.

[Wit]

What do you got to say for

[Tripp Tracy]

the people back home?

[Wit]

Riots.

[Ryan Whitney]

Yeah that was. Yeah, I can't believe that was 15 friggin years ago. Absolute wild night in Vancouver. 36 hours. Didn't see an orca wheel, a mountain or the ocean but I did see the Stanley cup get raised. Got the potty with it all night. So happy 15th anniversary to the 2011 Boston Bruins.

[Wit]

Good and, and just an incredible NHL season from the picks to the cup to the cup final which was legendary. The entire playoff. Maybe some down moments throughout some of the rounds but overall Biz mentioned the revenue and where the league's at. We're so lucky to be somewhat of a part of of pro hockey and covering it and it's been incredible. So quickly again Thursday's our final live show of the year and then next week we'll return to one episode per week. Game Notes is going to keep on going through next week I believe and we're so lucky to have everyone tuning in, watching with us, listening to us, chirping us. It's so fun to get to do this and we got to see an epic, an epic cup final with a very deserving champ.

[Biz]

Do we know when the parade is?

[Wit]

I remember their first parade. Was that in the parking lot? Were they the ones who did it in the rink park?

[Biz]

I think that's where they, they should end up there. That's where they all tailgate. That's like the most genius place to have it. Just they should just throw a big tailgate.

[Yan]

Not really, it's not really.

[Jake]

20th on Saturday is when the parade

[Biz]

will be so we're obviously hoping to get a bunch of guys coming in. On Thursday we have our last live show of the year. You know maybe shoot us some messages on like who you'd want us to get on and maybe if there's anything about Carolina that we didn't talk about that you want cover. Like we'll try to try to take your advice or take your, your, your, your opinions and, and get some people on to cover more about what was a magical run and even maybe more so on the Vegas and maybe Gary will join us and talk about where he think they went wrong. No, no,

[Wit]

I'd love to have him on but Kane's fans last shout out I guess to them all the heat they took throughout all these years of being the laughingstock in the conference final and getting chirped is just running through the metro every year and they, they got a lot of probably bookmarks on social media and a lot of things that they can be proud enough to say now that they are the champs for that fan base.

[Ryan Whitney]

We should give a shout out to Hydford as well because there are still some diehards in Hartford down Connecticut. That, that's the roof of the cane. So shout out to everybody else. Shout out for all you hot food and long, long dedicated fans down in Connecticut as well.

[Wit]

And and final thing, if you can, if you haven't checked out the Gruden McDonough maroon sandbagger, give it a look for us, please. Hopefully you enjoy it. It's a great one. Gruden is I, I had a, I played in a member guest at Boston Golf this week and I had a bunch of people say like asking me about Gruden, like he is electric. I'm like, he's the best guy ever. Great storyteller.

[Biz]

We still need to do a full interview. Sit down with him them.

[Wit]

Yeah, we will.

[Biz]

He should be a summer one. That we do.

[Wit]

He's a hockey fan. He was coaching in a charity game the other day.

[Biz]

Yeah, with Bugsy. I saw that. But hey, thank you everybody and wow, like you said, what a run. And congrats to all you Kanes fans.

[Yan]

Yep, unreal run.

[Wit]

See you guys Thursday and check out game notes Wednesday. Love you all.

[Biz]

Love you.

[Yan]

Again.

[Wit]

Won't happen, won't happen. Won't happen again. A bad habit worth breaking, but it's taking time.

[Biz]

I don't know.

[Wit]

It don't matter. It's going to happen. It's going to happen again.

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