B (3:27)

Yeah, it's Gourina. Pregame skate with the Sharks and Leafs coming up here in an hour or so. So welcome into my, my nice home studio here.

D (3:37)

Yeah, I, I was gonna say it looks like a relatively complete arena, so I knew you didn't bop over to Milan for a, for, for a pre Olympic, for a pre Olympic trip. Uh, we, we, we got it, we gotta start there. You've been all over the, the, the, the, this, the story and the situation with, with the size of the Olympic rink from, for, from the outside. I, I, I, I personally feel concerned about this. What, what, what is the status? Have we learned anything new? Like did we find out that they installed the toilets backwards or anything else crazy in the last couple days?

B (4:12)

I don't know if we learned anything new. We do know now definitively though, that there is no ice make equipment yet installed at the main arena where they're going to hopefully be playing 33 games between the men's and women's Olympic tournament. And so the fact that we're talking in mid December and this tournament for the women starts February 5th in that arena. I'm not a construction expert, but that is certainly a sign of some trouble or potential trouble. Now, you know, the NHL seems to feel pretty optimistic that they can pull this off. They've sent a number of their sort of ice making experts and technicians to Milan to, to assist with this. So, you know, they've got to complete the construction first and foremost. You know, one of the reasons there's not any ice on the floor is there's a bunch of materials on the floor for, for the construction going on in the arena. So they obviously have to get rid of that stuff, you know, lay down the, the ice making equipment, anchor the boards and then start actually making ice that, that can withstand three games a day, you know, at basically the highest level of hockey we're supposed to expect. So it's a lot to get done in, in a short window, you know, and So I think having some amount of concern, even if it's just moderate concern, is fair given the timelines and the fact that this is delayed from what it was supposed to be.

D (5:29)

We've heard from some players and I, I know a lot of, a lot of our folks at the Athletic have talked to past Olympians and, you know, presumed future Olympians about, you know, the situation and what it means and the difference between, you know, playing on, playing on the various ice services. But if you talk to anybody on the player into things like is there, is there a kind of matching level of concern on their end based on what we've seen publicly? Because it's, you know, it's easy for us to look at this and say like, wow, this is, this is, this is wild. How does this happen? But ultimately it's, the other end of things is that it's, it's three feet. So do you get the vibe that it's as big a deal for the players? It seems like it is for, for, for people, for people like me. On the outside of all of it.

B (6:18)

I would say no. You know, let's remember the context of this tournament. It's the first time for NHL players back at the Olympics in 12 years. It's basically going to be a completely brand new generation, save for a few of the, the guys like a Sidney Crosby who wasn't so cheap back in 2014. But you know, by and large, it's going to be a first time experience for everyone. And I think these guys would play on a frozen lake if they got a chance to be at the Olympics. So I think from the player standpoint, there isn't, maybe this isn't raising alarms. You know, I think they, they might find it kind of funny or, or strange, you know, because, you know, it's, it's, it's kind of hard to get your mind around how this happened. No one has said definitively. Bill Daly was asked about it this week even. There was an IOC press conference and they kind of skated on how it happened. You know, wouldn't surprise me if really it just came down to a conversion between metric and imperial measurements. You know, the double IHF works in metric. They talk about rig dimensions and meters. Obviously the NHL uses feet. You know, a 200 foot by 85 foot, you know, is a standard sizing. And I think that something might have got lost in translation through those two things, quite honestly. But, you know, how much is going to matter?

D (7:28)

That's like, that's like the, that's like the Joke explanation for, for how, for how this happened. Like if, if you ask someone to write a joke, like. Yeah, I just figured it was, it was a conversion issue between, between meters and feet. And the, the fact that that's actually potentially what happened is mind. Mind boggling.

B (7:46)

Yeah, well, I don't think they're speaking the same language. Like, I mean, I realized that this is easy to overcome. Anyone with a Google, with, you know, a phone, smartphone could do the conversion very accurately. But I, I think maybe whenever, you know, papers or proposals were passing back and forth, it just wasn't picked up by one side or the other. Is that small discrepancy? You know, but it is a small discrepancy. At the end of the day, what I think this issue tells us, it just shows how sort of misaligned maybe the key stakeholders are that are organizing this tournament. But I don't think it actually is going to mean a whole lot. And certainly basically the NHL is going to account for that three feet in the neutral zone by shrinking that. I think the offensive zones will be more or less, you know, standard for what we're used to. And you know, I think when the games are being played, I, I just don't think we're going to notice it too much.

D (8:34)

Yeah. And something unpair reported on from, From Colorado Springs where the board of governors meetings were earlier this week. There is no league plan B. And I think the logic behind that is interesting. I wonder if you could share a little bit more about that.

B (8:51)

Yeah, well, the reason there's no plan B being communicated, it was described to me as we will. Like this is already a pretty big story at this moment. Why create a sensation by talking about shadow plans for what else you might do at that time? But I've actually. And you can never be sure. I mean, look, I bring a. An upbeat attitude to my job, but I'm always a little bit, you know, paranoid about what you're not being told. Right. And it's hard to, it's hard to take things at face value when you're doing our job and you're reporting on things. But I really do truly believe there is no secret secondary plan that if, if for whatever reason that arena in Milan isn't. They can't produce ice to a level that everyone's satisfied with or some. Something goes sideways with the construction. I mean, that, that there's, there's just going to be no Olympic term involving NHL players. I don't know what it would mean for the women's side of Things, if that were to happen at this point, the NHL feels that it's just going to get done. I mean, that's what they've been assured time and again by the International Olympic Committee. And really when NHL players go to an event like this, and even the NHL's role, they're really guests at a bigger event. Right? The Olympics is a big, massive undertaking that involves all kinds of different sporting disciplines. At this specific Olympics essentially has four different kind of clusters. They're calling them like different athletes, villages, you know, hockey, even though it's one of the marquee sports at the Winter Games, it's, it's still just a small part of a bigger picture. And so they just feel it's not their place to even really get involved. I mean, obviously they've lit some fires, you know, trying to get the construction sped up and wanting to make sure that things are going to be pulled off in a safe manner for the players, but there's only so much they could do. And so, you know, I, I personally hope, you know, I really do like the Olympic tournaments. I hope this just becomes a moot point. But it does seem like there's a 19 day window here, Sean, where if they don't have Olympic Games, I mean, maybe some of the regular season games on a quick time basis might be able to get scheduled during that window. I don't know what they do, but really doesn't seem like there's a plan B. You know, I do think what it does, you know, the 2028 World cup is a little bit off in our horizon, but I, I think there's more push than ever to make, to try to turn that into the tournament that matters most over a period of time. I don't think that's going to happen overnight. I don't think suddenly in 2028 we're all going to see what they do and say, okay, this is it, this is the most important thing. But you know, the lesson here for the NHL, I think, is they want more control and they just, they just don't have it in the way it works when you go to an Olympics.

D (11:17)

Yeah, I mean, I look at it too. There's, I think the NHL is within their rights as it relates to this tournament at least to just say, like, all right, like you guys have, you, you guys have made your bed. This is up, this is up to you to, to, to figure a way out. And if it, and, and if you don't, we're not going to be involved, involved with this, like, because because we know that the relationship between the NHL and the double IHF and the IOC is. Is complicated and fraught in a lot of ways on. On a good day. Right. So I, I think that it makes sense for the league from their end of things. You just say, like, all right, you guys are. You. You guys are in charge of this. Like, do. Do what you got to do, and if it checks, our box is great, and if not, you know, see you later.

B (12:02)

Yeah. And I'll tell you, there was some talk that I heard call maybe a month ago of maybe going to Switzerland. You know, the. The Milan is in the northern part of Italy. Obviously in Switzerland, you got a pretty successful men's pro league there with some. Some venues that theoretically, you know, could. Could pull off an event like this. But the NHL is just like, we're. They're just not getting involved in something like that, you know, because obviously there are other arenas in other places that exist where you could theoretically hold. Hold a tournament on a short time frame. I don't know how that works with, you know, the TV aspect, the media aspect and everything. I mean, obviously it's this huge undertaking just to organize this thing, let alone to. To move it, but just. It really feels like it's not going to happen. You're right. I think it's.

D (12:43)

It's.

B (12:43)

You guys get this done or not.

D (12:44)

It's.

B (12:44)

It's going to be on your shoulders ultimately if it doesn't work. And then, you know, as. As we sort of cast forward, you know, I think the NHL really wants to make sure that it, you know, it's actually building out a World cup schedule. I mean, I. Which I just think, honestly makes sense. It's. It's a revenue generator for the league and the players. And, And I think that there's a huge appetite for international sports and international hockey. I mean, who. Who would have predicted how big that Four nations tournament was last February? Now, we had some pretty specific things around that that won't necessarily be replicated every time you gather the players together. But, you know, I think it's. It's long since past the time the league is in control of putting on these tournaments. And then, you know, you could basically play them out of NHL buildings and you wouldn't have the kind of issues we're having right now in Milan.

D (13:30)

Right. It's a. It's an issue of revenue, and it's an issue of control. And if. And if the league's running it, you can. You can bet that ice service. Ice services are Going to be the size that they need to be and all that and, and all that sort of thing. If so, if we hit worst case scenario and NHL players don't participate in the Olympics is how would the league spend that break? Would it just be, would it just be an 18 day vacation for the, for the, for the rest of the, for the rest of the league? I mean I'm, I, I don't know. I don't know what else they could do beyond that.

B (14:04)

Yeah, my guess is they could stage some of the games. I mean look, the arenas like the one I'm standing in right now, the NBA's Raptors play here. There's concerts here pretty much every night that there isn't sporting events. You know, the building availability would be in a lot of cities, not just in Toronto. Would be an issue in terms of trying to maybe reschedule some games. But I would think that they would have to at least look at that. Even if it's just a couple. You move back, you make the 19 day break a 14 day break. You know, that makes a difference. You know, if you're able to pull that off and obviously maybe in some cases you could, in some you couldn't like, it would be a mess. And again, I don't get the feeling that there's like secret backroom dealings where they've got a shadow schedule. I think they just would have to adjust on the fly. You know, Bill Daley pointed out none of us want to remember that Covid time, but they had to be pretty flexible in that period to play the games. They did. I don't know what it would look like, but more likely than not, I think it's safe to say if doomsday hit, it would be pretty much not much happening in February. There's even a trade freeze, you know, during that, that point in time during, during the league. And I suppose I guess you could revoke that, but I like, you know, I, let's, this is where when I go too far down this road, I'm like, oh man, let's just hope they, they play, play the Olympics and we don't even have to get into this mess.

D (15:19)

Yeah, I, I don't, I don't, I don't want to get too far into talking about plan B and plan C and plan D. But that's also, you know, that's where our mind, that's where our minds go when it comes to situations like this. Right. Like you do start thinking about, you know, contingency plans and, and, and, and, and the. Like. So, yeah, it's, it's tough to, it's. It's tough to not let this, let the snowball roll down the hill a bit. But at the, at the same time, this is just a, it's a fascinating story that's not gonna end and anytime soon. Like, like, when are we gonna have an. Like when do we have an answer? Is it, is it when puck drops at the, at the first hockey game there?

B (15:56)

I think we're gonna have a good, good idea in January 9th, 10th and 11th is when they're due to have a test event in that rink. So if we get to that point and they play games there and the ice is of a quality that, that's normal and, and obviously we'll get more of a look inside the building then, like, is it going to be complete? Basically, if things go really wrong there, then you're. We're talking about two weeks before the tournament or three weeks maybe to, to maybe try to correct those issues. It might be too late. So I think basically that that's the next major checkpoint for me. You know, they have said they're going to start making ice by the end of December, so maybe we'll get some interim kind of like, did that actually happen? Did construction, you know, go well over the holidays? And they actually got to the point they said they would be, but really we have to see what this thing looks like, you know, as a test event. And I should remind you, even though there was. There was lots of problems in sochi back in 2014 in terms of finishing some things late, they opened that rink a year before for a test event. So they had a, they had a major international tournament. I think it was a under 20 type of tournament, so it wasn't with. With pro players, but they, they had a tournament in the building a year out, and that gave them a chance to see, you know, maybe things that didn't work as expected or. Or what have. You gave them a full year to get the arena ready. And, you know, there was no issues at all there that at least that I was made aware of. I was at that Olympics, you know. So this is, this is not the usual course of business, even though there is always venue challenges. I think with every Olympics, whether it's summer or winter, because of just how much infrastructure needs to get built out. It's not normal to have, have it be this, this last minute. And there's a bit of, there's a bit of hope in that because if something goes wrong, there's just not A lot of time to. To correct it.

D (17:37)

All right. Before I let you go, C.J. we need to ask about Quinn Hughes. Obviously, that situation, uh, continues. Continues to grow and continues to evolve. We had Elliot Friedman over the weekend report that the Devils and Canucks had a. Had a conversation about him. Um, it's. We talk. Talking about stories that aren't going away and anytime soon, we're gonna be talking about Quinn Hughes until his. Until his teachers actually decided. So I just wanted to know, on. On your end of things, what have you heard and. And where does that situation stand as you. As you understand it at the moment?

B (18:10)

Well, you know, where it stands now is the Canucks certainly aren't of a mind that they're trading him. You know, they'd still. Their preference, as it has been all along, would be to extend Quinn Hughes. You know, they can't do that by the letter of the law of the CBA till July 1st. So, you know, there is a. There's a. There's a timeline or an option here where this just plays out. But given where their season's at, second straight year, they're underperforming their own expectations. I think injuries this season have played a huge role in that. I mean, last I checked, they had David Camp as their second line center, and they only signed him midseason after he had a contract terminated. I mean, they're patching it together a little bit in other parts of the lineup and dealing with the Patrick Demko injury issue as well. But, you know, where they're at is I think teams are calling, and, you know, they. They put themselves open for business, you know, two weeks back when they sent out a memo to the league saying, you know, they were looking to talk about other players. I think they were thinking their Kiefer Sherwood, for example, is a pending UFA who will probably move, you know, almost certainly before the March 6th trade deadline. So they wanted to have those conversations. But, you know, you have that conversation and you start asking about other players in the roster, and I think that's where it's at. Teams want to know what this might look like. I don't know that anyone's been given the sort of the asks if they ever got to where they're trading Queen, you know, but I. But let's. You can't put your head in the sand for too long. I mean, this. This guy, you can see the frustration in his body language. There's already been so much open conversation about him one day, you know, playing with his brothers who just happened to be in New Jersey at this point in time and both on long term contracts there, you know, so I, I think this is going to come to a head at some point, but it doesn't feel, you know, we're about a week out from the NHL's holiday trade freeze right now. I don't, I don't think it's going to come to a head before then. That would be a surprise if that was the outcome. I think this is going to take a little longer. But you know, the Canucks, if, if they get to the point they're trading them, they have some experience in this. Like, look, they shopped J.T. miller and Elias Pedersen last year. They ultimately moved Miller to the Rangers. But you know, these are big type of trades on the NHL. You know, we don't see these types of moves just every day in this league. So, you know, they have to get it right if they're going to do it. And you know, I don't think that they're, they're not at the stage where they're definitely going to do it, but you know, they might get their hand force if the team doesn't turn it around and maybe give Quinn a little bit more reason to want to be there, if you know what I mean.

D (20:28)

Is there a sense on what they're looking for in terms of the return? Because I, that's also a fascinating question because yes, of course, if you're Vancouver, you want to sign Quinn Hughes long term and have him there forever, if that's not the way it works out and you're talking about moving your captain and your best player and one of the, you know, let's say that the second best defenseman on, in the league on, on most nights. I, Is it a, does it, does the rebuild start like. Or would they be looking for, for, you know, NHL like roster pieces or is this a situation where they, they would potentially really, you know, look, look at futures as, as the primary return.

B (21:10)

I don't think they've made that determination. Yeah, my understanding from teams that have talked to them about Kiefer Sherwood is they're are having a hard time getting an example, you know, an idea of exactly what they want back for Sherwood. Whether it's just a sort of typical pick and prospect type of trade, which is an, I'd say the, the normal type of trade when, when you have a pending UFA or whether it's a player and you know, one team in particular I know has been basically trying to put together both packages for Sherwood and they can't Get a clear idea from Vancouver what they prefer. And so if they're having trouble deciding on a path on Sherwood, and I say this with respect, the guy's having a great year and there's a ton of interest in him too, for some different reasons, but, I mean, making a kind of a franchise altering deal. I mean, some people in Vancouver I've seen describe Quinn Hughes as the greatest Canucks player of all time. Now, I'm not well versed enough to say that myself, but, but people in the market who have followed that team and understand, you know, everything about it say that. So, I mean, if you're making that kind of trade, you know, I, I, I, I don't know of anyone and I've, I've kind of poked around on this that's gotten any sort of clear view. I, you know, it would obviously be a massive package, but how future focused it is would be the question. You're asking the right question. Because they've resisted going into a true rebuild there. That's partly, that's partly why we are where we are with this group at this point in time. Like, they just kind of, they never went the whole way and doing the things they had to do to become, you know, a true Stanley cup contender. And now, now you're caught in the middle with a player who's seen the years on his career tick by and who wants, you know, who's getting closer to controlling his destiny by becoming a Ufa in 2027. So, you know, this is, this is where you, you lose leverage as an organization. I think that's exactly where the Canucks are today.

D (22:51)

It's fascinating, man. Well, it's, it's going to be a big, big stretch for you in terms of Olympic prep, in terms of trade prep. I know, I know. We got that, we got the freeze coming up and coming up in eight days, so, you know, enjoy that down the road. Cause it'll at least, at least know you can look at your phone a little bit less whenever that rolls around.

B (23:11)

Well, you didn't even account for the worst part. I haven't got my Christmas shopping even remotely off the ground yet.

D (23:15)

We're not, we're not, no, no, no, no, no. We're not getting, we're not going to talk about that.

B (23:19)

Yeah, we're getting like inside the window, though, where I need to start figuring that out too.

D (23:24)

However much you have done, I have less done. Let's just, let's just, let's just put it that way. We're starting at ground zero over here. All right brother, great. Great talking to you. Take care and we'll catch up down the road.

B (23:35)

Sounds good. Thanks Shark Foreign.

E (23:39)

This episode is sponsored by Better Help. The holiday season is upon us and while the holidays can be an incredibly special time to share traditions and create new ones with your family and friends, it can also be a stressful time and potentially a lonely time for many people. Now is the time to reflect on what really is important to you and maybe rewrite or old traditions to make them your own. And to that point, going to therapy during the holidays could be your new tradition. You can consider trying BetterHelp online therapy in December as a way to close the year with clarity rather than chaos. With over 30,000 therapists, BetterHelp is one of the world's largest online therapy platforms, Having served over 5 million people globally and it works with an average rating of 4.9 out of 5 for a live session based on over 1.7 million client reviews. This December, start a new tradition by taking care of you. Our listeners get 10% off@betterhelp.com TheAthletic Hockey that's better H E L P.com TheAthleticHockey Enjoy the holidays everyone, and thanks to BetterHelp for sponsoring this episode.

F (25:01)

If you're listening to this, you're ready Ready to join the Industrial Intelligence generation. A generation defined not by age, but by a shared mindset to connect teams, accelerate efficiency and drive innovation, using the power of Aviva software to reshape the industries, turning real time insights into real world growth. Discover our stories@industrial intelligence.com Join Generation I.

G (25:31)

Hey folks, it's Marc Maron from WTF. Today I want to talk to you about Boost Mobile offering reliable nationwide coverage backed by a 30 day money back guarantee. Love your service or get your money back, no questions asked. Boost Mobile offers the coverage, network speed and service you're used to, but at more affordable prices. Why pay more if you don't have to? You can get an unlimited plan for $25 a month that will never increase in price, ever. No price hikes, no multi line requirements, no stress. Visit your nearest Boost Mobile store or find them online@boost mobile.com After 30 gigabytes, customers may experience slower speeds. Customers will pay $25 per month as long as they remain active on the Boost Unlimited plan.

D (26:23)

All right, we're back. Quick bit of news that broke before we started talking to CJ from the New Jersey Devils. Timo Meyer's taking a personal leave of absence from the team as he tends to a family matter. Best wishes to him. Obviously. That's a, that's a loss for the Devils. He's leading the team in 11 goals. Five of those came on the power play. Devils woke up Thursday morning out of the playoffs on tiebreakers, too. In this, in this crazy, crazy, messy, mediocre, sometimes interesting, sometimes not. Eastern Conference. So that's, that's something to watch from the standings perspective, but also from a personal spec perspective because Timo Meyer, as you said, leaving the tendency and personal matters, all the, all the best to him. And we'll see how that, how that shakes out for the New Jersey Devils. That's it for me here. It's been a quick show. Congratulations to you for not having to listen to me drone on for 45 minutes by myself. We had a full slate again tonight. Thirteen of them. Gosh, which ones are we watching most close? Closely. I'm, I'm into, I'm into Carolina. Washington. That's a good one. We always love seeing some old Southeast Division legends clash, but man, it's a full, it's a full buffet for us. You, if you want to hang out in front of the TV for a while, enjoy that. And thank you folks again for listening to this episode of the show. The Prospect Boys are back next. They're coming on Friday. Mac and do and Frankie are back next week on Wednesday for one more show before the Christmas break. Stay tuned for that and have a good weekend.

B (27:58)

Psoriatic arthritis symptoms can be unpredictable.

D (28:02)

I had joint pain and I couldn't.

B (28:04)

Move like I used to. I needed relief.

A (28:08)

I got Cosentyx.

E (28:10)

It helped me move better.

C (28:12)

Cosentyx Secukinumab is prescribed for people 2 years of age and older with active psoriatic arthritis. Don't use if you're allergic to Cosentyx. Before starting, get checked for tuberculosis. An increased risk of infections and lowered ability to fight them may occur. Like tuberculosis or other serious bacterial features, fungal or viral infections. Some were fatal. Tell your doctor if you have an infection or symptoms like fevers, sweats, chills, muscle aches or cough, had a vaccine or plan to or if inflammatory bowel disease symptoms develop or worsen, serious allergic reactions and severe eczema like skin reactions may occur. Learn more at 1-844-COSENTIX or cosentix.com.

B (28:53)

ASTRODERMATOLOGIST About Cosentix Change isn't coming. It's already here. Commerce is going digital and tax complexity is multiplying. Tax rules evolve, rates shift, data floods in. Vertex connects it all. A global tax compliance platform powered by tax ready data and intelligent systems. Smarter Tech Continuous tax compliance built in confidence. Learn more@vertexinc.com hi, this is Joe from Vanta. In today's digital world, compliance regulations are changing constantly and earning customer trust has never mattered more. Vanta helps companies get compliant fast and stay secure with the most advanced AI.

D (29:40)

Automation and continuous monitoring out there.

B (29:43)

So whether you're a startup going for your first SoC2 or ISO 27001 or a growing enterprise managing vendor risk, Vanta.

D (29:50)

Makes it quick, easy and scalable.

B (29:52)

And I'm not just saying that because I work here.

D (29:54)

Get started@vanta.com as a small business owner.

F (29:58)

You don't really get to clock out early. Your business is on your mind 24 7. So when it's time to hire, you need a partner that works just as hard as you do. That partner is LinkedIn jobs when you clock out, LinkedIn clocks in. It's super easy to post your job for free, share it with your network, and manage qualified candidates all in one place. LinkedIn can even help you write your job description and get it in front of the right people. And promoted jobs get three times more qualified applicants. 72% of small businesses say LinkedIn helps them find higher quality candidates, and you can double your reach just by adding the hashtag hiringframe to your profile photo. Find out why more than 2.5 million small businesses use use LinkedIn for hiring. Post your job for free at LinkedIn.com jobsearch that's LinkedIn.com J O B S E A R C H Terms and conditions apply.