Haley Salvian (2:24)

Hello everyone. Welcome to the Athletic Hockey Show. It's Haley Salvian and Sean Gentile here with you for the Thursday edition of the show. We've got Jesse Granger joining us today to discuss the Vegas Golden Knights and what sounds like an impending Carter Hart signing. Later, our pal Arpin Basu will join us to break down the Montreal Canadiens three in one start to the season and a handful of extensions signed in La Belle Provence. Before all that, I want to remind you that we are on YouTube now. Make sure to subscribe to our channel and to YouTube.com@the athletic hockey show and check out our discord as well. All right, our long winded intros over. Let's bring in my co host Sean Gentile, who is getting himself ready for the first power rankings of the season. That's right, Thursday. Here we go. We're back.

Dom Luszczyszyn (3:17)

Why'd you have to bring it up? Everything was. I was having a nice little morning coffee hit. Well, now I have to be reminded that I'm going to spend my entire evening staring at a computer and talking to Dom. It's as rough as it gets. Thanks a lot.

Haley Salvian (3:33)

Yeah, at least. Only 11 games in the schedule. I feel like sometimes it's 14 on a Thursday night.

Dom Luszczyszyn (3:38)

Yeah, just. Just 11. Great.

Haley Salvian (3:40)

Only 11 games tonight in the NHL. A couple of big highlights. Panthers, Devils is kind of interesting. Jacob Markstrom is hurt though, so we'll get to all that later on in the show. But a bit of potential news that we want to discuss today. Carter Hart, the former Philadelphia Flyers goalie who was on trial for an alleged sexual assault in June 2018, will reportedly sign in Vegas. Sportsnet insider Elliot Friedman said Yesterday on the Fan 590 that the signing could very well happen as soon as Wednesday is when he said that we have not seen an official announcement yet on Thursday, but things certainly seem to be trending in that direction. There's a lot of chatter from insiders about this. Our own Chris Johnston has been locked in on everything that's happening with the five Hockey Canada players, and it seems like Carter Hart signing in Vegas is just a matter of time. Some further necessary context here. The five players from the 2018 World Junior Championship team who were on trial for sexual assault. That's corporate. Carter Hart, Alex Formington, Michael McLeod, Dylan Dube and Cal Foot were all reinstated by the NHL after being acquitted of all sexual assault assault charges. Back In July, the NHL and NHLPA agreed that the five players would be eligible to sign with NHL team starting on October 15th. That was Wednesday and become eligible to play on December 1st. As we mentioned, Carter Hart appears to be the closest to signing a contract. The Carolina Hurricanes reportedly expressed interest in both hart and Michael McLeod, but those deals have never really materialized. Michael McLeod signed a three year contract in the KHL just a couple days ago too. Sean, I'll bring this over to you before we bring in Jesse Granger. Do you just have a thought on all of this and maybe how we got here for Carter Hart?

Dom Luszczyszyn (5:40)

I think Vegas makes sense for Carter Hart for a lot of different reasons. We knew what his preferences were coming into all this. We'd heard whether it was from CJ or from other people that he wanted to sign with an American team, wanted to sign with the playoff caliber contender. Well, that's what the Vegas Golden Knights are. We know that Vegas could use another solid option to pair with Aiden Hill and I'm sure we'll talk about that with Jesse in a couple minutes. But we saw Aiden Hill have a pretty, had the best regular season of his career really, but then hit the skids in the playoffs. There's issues about, you know, questions about workload with him and whatever else. So you're looking for some other viable option to split time with him. Open question is whether Akira Schmidt was the, was that was the guy. He played four or five NHL games last season. So that's not necessarily a player that you want to stake your, your postseason hopes on. Vegas has the money. We saw that open up ahead of training camp when we found out officially that Alex Petrangelo was not going to play the season. So, so Vegas has another mechanism in place to add cap space that they might have otherwise lacked. Vegas has the temperament, they have the history. We know that that's a, that that's a pretty cutthroat, pretty ruthless organization in a lot of different ways. We know that they have no problem taking on players who've had some degree of controversy or misbehavior or malfeasance in their past. This is the team that drafted Trevor Conley, who was the subject of some of some pretty heinous allegations as a draft eligible player. So it shouldn't surprise anybody there. There were hockey reasons, I think, for Vegas to want to do this. And then whenever you look at the larger cultural roadblocks that would be up for a lot of other franchises, those aren't present with the Vegas Golden Knights. We know that this is a win now organization that, you know, has no problem rolling the dice and making moves that a lot of other, that a lot of other teams wouldn't be comfortable with. And this is strung out to the nth degree here, right, because we're talking about a player that, that was on trial for, for sexual assault over, over, over the summer. But I think that this is of a type with the decisions that we've seen from Vegas in the past, especially when they need something from a hockey standpoint. And I think all those things came together to make Vegas, you know, the ultimate, the ultimate landing spot here.

Haley Salvian (8:13)

Right. Let's bring in Jesse Granger now, our Vegas Golden Knights writer and goalie expert, and we can get to a couple other news and notes around the league as it pertains to the crease. But let's just start in Vegas. Jesse, your boots on the ground. What do you kind of make of all this chatter that's linking Carter Hart to Vegas? It really does seem like it's just a matter of time. Just curious what everything's been like there. There was a lot of outrage in Carolina at the idea of the Cane signing Carter hart or Michael McLeod that may or may not have actually had an impact in their decision to not sign these players. So what have things been like in Vegas for you, Jesse, with. With all this chatter flying around?

Sean Gentile (8:55)

Yeah, thanks for having me, guys. First, I'd like to say, very well put by Sean. I agree with pretty much all those points there. I will say that I get, I think the Golden Knights.

Dom Luszczyszyn (9:05)

I get the Granger stamp of approval. That's all, that's all I'm ever looking for.

Sean Gentile (9:08)

It's, you nailed it. You hit all the points. Other than, I will say the Golden Knights are higher on Akira Schmidt than I think most people are. And specifically Sean Burke, the goalie coach in Vegas has done a brilliant job here. He's got the best out of every goalie that's come through Vegas. It's hard to argue otherwise. And he likes a big, big blocking angles, cutting off goalie who, who gets his big frame in the way. And that's Akira Schmidt. Like he, he fits exactly what Sean Burke likes in a goalie. And it's a very small sample size, but Sean Burke has even gotten the best out of Akira Schmidt here in Vegas. We've only seen him a handful of times in the NHL, but he's got like a 960 safe percentage in those, in those opportunities. He, he, he had a rough year in the AHL last year, but I will say for a goalie who relies on reads, that's Akira Schmidt is a he. He has super high hockey iq. He's not the most athletic goalie. For a goalie like that who relies solely on reads and isn't the most athletic, the AHL can be a nightmare because it's tough to read because it's just so chaotic and people aren't scoring the way they intend to score. So I'll give him a little bit of a pass for a horrible year in the ahl. So I do, I do have some hope that Akir Schmidt can be the NHL backup the, the Golden Knights want. Now one thing you didn't mention about the Golden Knights that also fits into this Carter Heart thing perfectly is this is a team that loves taking on players that were once of a high pedigree, especially when they were being drafted and haven't worked out in the NHL. And they, they take those players and they say we will get, we will let get them to their potential that we once thought that they had. Like Brett Howden, great example. They, they tried it with Alexander Holtz from New Jersey, seventh overall pick. It hasn't really worked for Holtz, but they've like Chandler Stevenson was a high scoring player in junior. He wasn't on the Capitals. The Golden Knights brought him over. He became a 20 goal scorer. William Carlson was looked at as a skilled player coming into the NHL. He went to Anaheim in Columbus and he wasn't a scorer. The Golden Knights brought him in. So my point is the Golden Knights love taking swings on players that were once thought of as high pedigree. And Carter Hart, for all the other stuff around Carter Hart, he certainly fits that he was once seen as a franchise goalie. He was a high draft pick. He had one really good year in the NHL. The rest of them weren't as impressive. But to me that's what the Golden Knights see in Carter Hart is a high potential player that you can have for essentially nothing. I would assume this contract's not going to be worth much and they just want that lottery ticket. What if he does turn out to be what everyone in Philadelphia thought he was going to be before everything happened. So and then, and then like you said, I think this team is less concerned about the optics of things than almost pretty much any other team in the NHL. And like you said in Carolina, there was some, some uproar. I think there has been some in Vegas. Not nearly as much I will say. I tweet about it the news every time it happens. Pretty much all the responses are they don't want anything to do with Carter Hart signing with the Golden Knights from the Vegas fans, but it doesn't seem like it's quite as loud. There was an online petition that someone started and it got about. Last time I checked it was like 1700 signatures, which isn't exactly a massive backing. But yeah, I Think it will ruffle some feathers. For sure it will upset some fans, but I don't think the noise has been loud enough. And like we've said, the Golden Knights are all about winning. And if they think they can find a potential starting goalie for essentially nothing on free agency, they're willing to take that shot.

Dom Luszczyszyn (12:40)

Right?

Haley Salvian (12:41)

Brett Howden, by the way too, he did testify in that Hockey Canada trial. He was not accused of wrongdoing, but I've certainly seen some fans unhappy to potentially have two players who were in the room in London during that alleged incident. So I've seen that chatter. But as you mentioned, Jesse, I don't think the Golden Knights care and they're obviously playing by the rules that have been set forth by the NHL. One question too, to follow up on Carter Hart. What would be a reasonable expectation for you for Carter Hart if he does sign and if he does play in December? Because this is a player who has not played in a professional game since January 20, 2024. Some of the other players who are on trial did play in the khl. Hart opted not to join a team in Europe during all the pre trial proceedings, which took almost a year, well over a year. It was a months long trial itself and the pre trial was very lengthy. He was a legitimate starter before being granted that indefinite leave of absence. But that last pro game is pretty far in the rear view right now. He's still highly regarded enough for the Golden Knights to go and sign him. So what do we think that we could see from Carter Hart this season if he does sign, given all of this?

Sean Gentile (13:58)

Yeah, it's such an unknown. It's going to be very interesting to see how he looks if and when he gets on the ice. And I would assume that they're probably going to get him some games in the AHL to start. I mentioned Akira.

Arpin Basu (14:10)

Shit.

Sean Gentile (14:10)

Schmidt struggled in the hl. That's a bad team down there. The Henderson Silver Knights do not defend well. They give up an insane amount of chances. If you're not on your game, you can look bad quickly on that team. So if, if he does start in the ahl, it's the opposite of the Golden Knights because the Golden Knights make the, the goalies job a little bit easier than most NHL teams. So it, it will be tough for him. Like it's not going to be an ease into things if they start him in the ahl, but it's going to be, it's going to be interesting. He's a goalie who to me, when I watch Carter Hart play I see someone with great hand, like eye hand coordination is through the roof. He makes so many of those. Like he's in the wrong position, but he just can get to the puck and he's got a lot of athleticism. I talk to goalies all the time after they miss like two weeks of action and they're like, yeah, it's just tough to get the timing down. And you got to. It's like, okay, so if two weeks knocks your timing off as a goalie, I think, I think it's pretty clear, like goaltending the time off hurts a goalie more than any other position because everything is so timing based. And the difference between a millisecond off is a goal and a save. It's going to be fascinating to see if he can get to a level that he was or even close to a level that he was. After two years without hockey without seeing action, like, I'm sure he's been on the ice with guys shooting on him. It's not like he hasn't seen a puck. But NHL speed, like, you hear guys talk about it all the time. Game speed is totally different. And two years away from it, it's. I will be impressed if, if he's still anywhere near the level he was just.

Dom Luszczyszyn (15:41)

How much of this is about Aiden Hill? Not just about the injury, which is something he's dealing with. Low, lower body left a game, you know, I guess we'll see. We'll see what shakes out there. How much of this decision has to do with how the org views him overall and also in the wake of what we saw from him last season because I. It's like we set up top great regular season. He's. He's in some regards the, the best we've seen him outside of the playoff run. But it looked like maybe he, he, he hit a little bit of a wall in the, in the postseason from, from the outside. Is that consideration like, how much. How much are they weighing the Aiden Hill of it all whenever they're making this, you know, seem to be making this decision.

Sean Gentile (16:24)

Yeah, it's. Aiden Hill is a goalie. You don't want to overplay because of he. I mean he's had a history of injuries. Last year he finally got over that. And, and there are reasons to believe that that could happen going forward. Last. The injury a game ago was a freak accident. It wasn't a tear of a, of a leg muscle or a strain because he was stretching too far or because he was playing too much. It was. He got hit in the mask. His mask popped off. Yeah, there was another shock, there was another shot coming before the ref could blow the whistle. So he jumped to his feet like a standup goalie from the 70s because he didn't want to get hit in the face and the puck hit him in a sensitive area. So freak accident. But, but I, but having said that, I don't know how much time he's going to miss. He could miss some serious time. Like it, like so. So it is that. It is a freak injury that could keep him out for some time, but it's not a like, oh, here we go, Aiden Hill can't stay healthy again type of injury. It's. It's a freak accident. So last year he changed his training in the off season. He told me going into the season I wrote a big story about how his goal was to play 50 games. He changed his training in order to help his body be more durable and sure enough, he hit the 50 game mark for the first time. Yeah, like you said, he wasn't as great in the playoffs. I thought as that series went on against Edmonton, he actually did find his game. And I mean the last game they lost one nothing in overtime. So I mean, if you hold the Oilers to zero goals going into overtime in the playoff game, what more do you want from your goalie? So I will say there, the team believes in Aiden Hill and they think he's the number one guy. He's the guy that can win them another Stanley Cup. But you do need a reliable backup because he can't play 60 games. He's not Andre Vasilevsky, Connor Hellebuk, you've got to have a strong tandem starter. And whether that's a Kira Schmidt, whether that's Carter Hart, whether that, you know this team, if it's not working with either of those two, they'll go trade for someone else. So I do think you need a strong rotational backup.

Dom Luszczyszyn (18:16)

It's.

Sean Gentile (18:16)

You can't just have a traditional backup that's going to play 10, 15 games with, with Aiden Hill. You do need a rotation guy. So yeah, I think, I think the Aiden Hill factor plays into wanting Carter Hart. But I also think that at the end of the day they, Aiden Hill's the guy in Vegas, they sign him to that contract. There's a lot of belief that he's going to be the guy to win him the cup if they get another one in this window.

Haley Salvian (18:34)

Nakir schmidt stopped all 19 shots he faced against Calgary on Tuesday. Could be a lot to ask of a young goalie who only played five NHL games for the Golden Knights last season, but that's something we'll wait and see. Still no real update on Aiden Hill after that initial injury. Jesse, let's move on to maybe some more general goalie questions here. Just a couple for you. A big injury in New Jersey. Jacob Markstrom's gonna be out for a couple weeks. It's an undisclosed injury at this time. But how could this impact the New Jersey Devils and their crease in the early goings here? Just feels like this is a team that every year we're like, yeah, it's the Devil's year, and then there's some injury. Whether it's now Jacob Markstrom or Jack Hughes or Nico, he sure, like, just feels like it's what it.

Dom Luszczyszyn (19:23)

It's why I've stopped picking them for stuff preseason. I'm like, someone's gonna get hurt. Like, I don't know who. We'll see. We'll see who it is, but it's just. It's just gonna happen.

Haley Salvian (19:32)

It's brutal. And this year, it's. At least in the early goings.

Dom Luszczyszyn (19:34)

It's.

Haley Salvian (19:35)

It's Jacob Markstrom. What do we think? How does this impact the team, Jesse?

Sean Gentile (19:38)

Yeah, the Devils are like the 49ers of the NHL. Just everyone and the entire team just massacre. No, it's. It's. I'll say this. If it's only going to be two weeks, the way they said a couple weeks was the update from Sheldon Keefe. If it's only two weeks, it's totally fine.

Haley Salvian (19:52)

Like 15 weeks, though. I'm sorry.

Sean Gentile (19:54)

It's true. This is hockey.

Dom Luszczyszyn (19:55)

This is hockey. Jacob McCaffrey.

Sean Gentile (19:58)

Yeah.

Dom Luszczyszyn (20:00)

Okay, moving on.

Sean Gentile (20:02)

What have I done? So this team is. I wrote about it yesterday when the injury was announced. I think the Devils are as equipped as any team in the NHL to deal with an injury to their starting goalie. Because they have one of the best backups in the NHL, Jake Allen. They prioritized extending him this offseason. He was the best goalie on the market after every goalie in the league signed an extension before free agency, the best goalie that hit the open market was Jake Allen. Some team could have tried to make him their starter, but the Devils offered him an insanely long contract and made sure they kept him as their backup. And for this exact reason. Jacob Markstrom is an older goalie, and he's a. The type of goalie who plays a chaotic game. He uses his athleticism, he leaves his structure all the time. He'll Dive headfirst for a puck. He is a chaotic goalie. And when you get older, that lend that kind of leads to you tearing things or you tweaking things. And I do think that it's. To me, this injury. The concern is, is Jacob Markstrom at this age going to be able to be healthy and be at his best for the whole season for this team to be able to make a run? Because in the short term, I'm not concerned. Jake Allen was actually better statistically than Markstrom was last year. He's been better in the limited stuff we've seen this year. It's not going to hurt the Devils in the standings to be without Markstrom for a few weeks. I think Allen can more than shoulder that load. But if the Devils are going to do what they ultimately hope to do, it's going to be with Jacob Markstrom and net. So my question is, is, is this guy at this age gonna be able to hold it together and be healthy for a long run, play a lot of games in the regular season, play a long playoff run? The more he. The more often we see him getting these injuries, the more I question if that's gonna happen to me. That's where I go.

Haley Salvian (21:43)

Sounds like somebody paid an Etsy witch to put a hex on the New Jersey Devils.

Dom Luszczyszyn (21:49)

Some kind of reference that I've seen pop up. I don't know specifically what for. All right, there is another injury, another goalie injury storyline. That's that we've seen over the last couple years. It's statue. Demko gets hurt a couple post seasons ago, has a season from hell last season in Vancouver like a lot of other people did. In fact, he's been good so far this season, Jesse. He's looked like the Thatcher Demko of old, and I think we've seen that manifest itself already. He's. He's back in the good graces with. With Team usa. He gets invited to the preliminary to the preliminary Olympic camp after being initially left off the roster. What have you seen from him? What do you think his. His prospects are? I. I know I talked to a lot of folks over the summer who are pretty concerned about. About the injury history as it. As it mounts for him. But also, man, we've seen. We've seen him at his best. And I think he gave a nice little reminder to. To Team USA of what he looks like when he's at the top of his game.

Sean Gentile (22:46)

Yeah, he's looked like the Thatcher Demko of old. A version that we thought, like many people thought we may never see again after those injuries. And it's clear that he's at the top of his game now. How long can that last? That's the big question. But there's no question he deserves to be in consideration for this US Roster. The last time we saw him fully healthy for a season, he was the runner up to Hellebach for the Vezina. He is a huge goalie with ridiculous athleticism and the ability to make. I mean, his high danger saves are second to none. Like, it's hard to find someone who can make those types of, like, grade a chance saves that Thatcher Demko can. And he's looked so good. His puck, his visual attachment to the puck is, to me, what always stands out. Like, how many times does a goalie lose a puck in chaos around him and it ends up in the back of his net or it ends up with a dangerous chance that one of his defensemen has to block? Demko never loses the puck. Like, it is unbelievable how good his eyes are tracking that puck through traffic, through blocks, through screens. And it's looked really good this early this season. The problem is, it's a good problem to have for America. There are just too many awesome goalies. There are just too many amazing American goalies. It is fantastic to say, and you look at it and it's like, like there are so many good ones. I mean, I would argue Thatcher Demko is not one of the top three goalies. And I just sang his praises about how amazing he is and how he's like the second best goalie in the world the last time we saw him a full season. But Connor Hellebuck is still awesome. Jake Ottinger is, to me, hitting his peak and, and is about to get to a level that we haven't seen from Jake Ottinger in Dallas. I think he's. I, from what I've seen earlier this year, I think he's. He's kind of been good behind a good team, but he doesn't take over games like we don't. Like he's gone to the conference finals two years in a row. But when you think of Ottinger, you don't think of a guy who has taken over playoff series. I think that's going to happen except.

Haley Salvian (24:35)

For the first round against the Calgary Flames.

Sean Gentile (24:38)

Right, right. As a rookie when he was super young. Yes. I think we're going to see. I think Ottinger is going to be spectacular this year. So you've got those two. Jeremy Swayman off to a phenomenal Start in a bounce back spot. I actually Boston's in town right now in Vegas. I just spoke with him yesterday. He's in a good headspace. And he won the gold medal for the US in the world championships, and he was spectacular in that. So you've got those three ahead of Thatcher, Demko, and then you've also got Dustin Wolfe, who is one of the best young goalies in the world. He's looked at amazing again early this season for Calgary. There are just too many awesome American goalies to choose from. Maybe we should just start one every period. Can we bring like, six of them and just have a different goalie in the net every period? Because there are so many good ones. They all deserve to play. But there's only one net. It's going to be a tough decision for the coaches in. In the Olympics.

Haley Salvian (25:28)

All right.

Dom Luszczyszyn (25:29)

I just love the periodic reminder that Dust and Wolf is American.

Haley Salvian (25:32)

I love it.

Dom Luszczyszyn (25:33)

All right, plays for Calgary. Played whatever. He's ours.

Haley Salvian (25:39)

Sorry, that's enough.

Sean Gentile (25:40)

Like, half the Canadian team's goalies are Demko's in Vancouver. Hella Bucks in Winnipeg.

Dom Luszczyszyn (25:45)

Joey Decord's a dually like.

Haley Salvian (25:48)

All right, well, I want to hear from Arp and Basu, and I want to talk about Sam Montembeau.

Dom Luszczyszyn (25:53)

This is.

Haley Salvian (25:53)

This is pissed me off. Let's take a break. Arpin still to come and some more Olympic updates here on the Athletic Hockey Show. Welcome back to the Athletic Hockey Show. The Montreal Canadiens will try.

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Sean Gentile (26:36)

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Arpin Basu (26:39)

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Sean Gentile (26:40)

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Haley Salvian (26:44)

Jeff Bridges, why are you still living above our garage?

Sean Gentile (26:47)

Well, I dig the mattress, and I want to be in a T Mobile commercial like you. Teach me.

Dom Luszczyszyn (26:53)

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Haley Salvian (26:54)

Oh, no. I'm not really prepared. I couldn't possibly at T Mob. We'll get the new iPhone 17 Pro on them. It's designed to be the most powerful iPhone yet and has the ultimate pro camera system.

Sean Gentile (27:05)

Wow, Impressive. Let me try. T Mobile is the best place to get iPhone 17 Pro because they've got the best network.

Dom Luszczyszyn (27:13)

Nice.

Haley Salvian (27:13)

Jeffrey.

Sean Gentile (27:14)

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Haley Salvian (27:23)

Dude, my work here is done.

Sean Gentile (27:25)

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Haley Salvian (27:42)

We love recommending new movies for you guys to watch and I'm obsessed with Regretting you. It's based on the best selling book Regretting youg introducing audiences to Morgan Grant, played by Allison Williams. We love her and girls and her daughter Clara, who's played by McKenna Grace as they explore what's left behind after a devastating accident, reveals a shocking betrayal and forces them to confront family secrets, redefine love and rediscover each other. Regretting youg is a story of growth, resilience and self discovery in the aftermath of tragedy. It also stars Dave Franco and Mason Thames with Scott Eastwood and Willa Fitzgerald and it's in theaters this October. It has an all star cast based on the book written by number one New York Times best selling author Colleen Hoover and director Josh Boone is no stranger to bringing these books to life. He's the guy behind the Fault in Our Stars. It's the perfect film to share with your best friend, your mom, your grandma, your high school niece. It's filled with love, tears and laughter, balancing comedy with romance and drama. But you know what sounds right up our alley. It'll be available in the US October 24, 2025 to watch on the big screen. See it at a theater near you to improve to a 4 in 1 start to the NHL season on Thursday night against the Nashville Predators. Cole Caulfield off to a nice start. Three goals so far, some big names putting pen to paper in recent days. Lots to dig into as our friend Arpin Basu joins the show with some impeccable lighting, beautiful backdrop. You look great. Welcome to the show.

Arpin Basu (29:20)

Just I'm stealing. I'm stealing Marty St. Louise press conference seat. This is. I'm usually on the other side of these lights but not for you guys and Louis. Yeah, yeah, that's it.

Dom Luszczyszyn (29:32)

I've seen you on the other side of those lights. My Boy, they'll suit you well.

Haley Salvian (29:36)

TV lighting is a blessing and a curse. Depends on the day. Depends what you're trying to hide. Okay, we wanted to start with the Lane Hudson extension, Arpin, because kind of fell through the cracks here on the podcast the last couple days and 8 times $8.5 million deal. Just how team friendly is. This is the big question I want to ask. And how have the Montreal Canadiens been able to build this culture with their young players who have all kind of left like a little something on the table?

Arpin Basu (30:09)

I mean, I think it's considerably team friendly. I don't think it's quite as team friendly as people are paying it out to be, but it is team friendly for sure. The reality is Lane Hudson was not eligible for an offer sheet on July 1st. As a guy who kind of only played two games when he did his sort of burned his first year coming out of college, did not have arbitration rights for another two seasons after this one. They're only buying, I believe, three free agent UFA years out of the eight years on this deal. So from that point of view, it's not Jackson Lacombe.

Sean Gentile (30:45)

Right?

Arpin Basu (30:45)

Jackson Lacombe. They purchase way more UFA years. It's not even Luke Hughes in that respect. So. So yes, it's team friendly, but I think the. The parameters for Lane Hudson were probably a lot closer to what Dustin Wolf did, even though he's an older player. But that's how the Canadians kind of looked at it. Like everyone was pointing at Luke Hughes. The Canadians are like, well, who finished second in the Calder? It was, you know, your American boy, Dustin Wolfe in Calgary. And so it was. I think those were kind of the two sides of this coin. And so it's not a shock to see that Lane Hudson fell somewhere in between those and closer to the Luke Hughes side. I mean, the one thing Lane Hudson got is he got the bonus structure that's not going to be allowed after whatever it is September 26th or whenever the CBA kicks in. You know, he's getting, in the first 12 months of this deal, he's getting $23 million in his pocket. So that was a big factor here, I think. You know, I think the Canadians initially tried to get him on a deal that had more money attached, but it had deferred money, which is now illegal or not permitted under the cba. Getting this bonus structure, I think was a pretty big win for Lane Hudson, and that the trade off was a lower AV and the cap it that the Canadians get to benefit from for Eight years.

Dom Luszczyszyn (32:01)

It was just a couple months ago that everybody was afraid over what the negotiations were going to look like.

Sean Gentile (32:05)

Right.

Dom Luszczyszyn (32:06)

We see Lane Hudson's father going on podcast and it turned in a whole, turned into a whole, a whole, A whole stinking thing. And now here we are, it's. It's mid October and he's locked up, you know, to, to a deal that makes a whole lot of sense.

Arpin Basu (32:19)

To his credit, I think he, he, he's. He was the driving force behind this getting done great. Like, he didn't like how his season started. It was a distraction for him. He admitted as much. He wanted it behind him. And I think the Canadians were kind of counting on that happening, to be honest. Like, you know, so, you know, I think both sides win honestly. Like, Lane Hudson did not give them, did not take a haircut here. He signed a $70 million contract. He's 21 years old and as I mentioned, he. In a span of 12 months, he's gonna have $23 million coming to him. So no one should feel bad.

Haley Salvian (32:55)

He's gonna be maybe 30. Like, he's not even gonna be 30 yet by the time that contract ends.

Arpin Basu (32:59)

Oh, that's it. He'll be, he'll be. Well, he'll, he will be 30 because he'll be. It kicks in when he's 22.

Haley Salvian (33:04)

Right.

Arpin Basu (33:05)

And so he'll be 31 when it ends. Yeah, that's okay.

Haley Salvian (33:08)

It's too much.

Arpin Basu (33:08)

And I usually. Yeah, it's all right. 22 plus 8 is 30.

Dom Luszczyszyn (33:12)

Yeah. Is that, is that true?

Haley Salvian (33:15)

Are we sure this is why we bring Arpin on? Two other math expert.

Arpin Basu (33:21)

You're in big trouble.

Sean Gentile (33:22)

Yeah.

Haley Salvian (33:23)

Yeah. Two other big contracts shelled out in Montreal. Arpin, five year extensions for both Jeff Gorton, the executive VP of hockey operations, and GM Kent Hughes. What do you make of, of these signings and kind of what this means for, for the Canadians?

Arpin Basu (33:40)

I mean, it's kind of the natural progression of things. Remember, you know, Jeff Gordon had a pretty similar kind of three year run of a rebuild in New York and didn't get to see it through. You know, got fired before they reached the stage where he can kind of execute the next part of it. So this gives him that Runway. Both him and Kent have six years to get this to the finish line. And you know, I think as I argued in the piece I wrote, but I mean, I do think that the part that they're approaching is the harder part, you know, like it is. And what they've done so far is not Easy, but it is easier to liquidate players, accumulate draft picks, develop, develop prospects. You know, that part. The Canadians, I think, have executed exceptionally well, but we've seen a lot of GMs have success with that. Mark version was great at that. You know, it was, it was the next part that he wasn't that good at and that's the part they're at now. So we'll see, you know, and the Lane Hudson contract, along with what Kaden Guli signed for, what Slafkovsky signed for with Suzuki signed for Caulfield, you know what, we'll see what Demitov does, but they basically have their core locked in for under. They have six players in their core that are locked in for under $50 million a year. With the meet off, that'll probably get to the mid-50s or so. You know, that's going to be half the cap in a couple of years. So that's, that's a pretty good position for them to be in. Now how they spend that money and how they choose to fill holes on the team, that's the tricky part. And I think Jeff Gordon kind of admitted that yesterday when, you know, he said, we're still going to have to be patient. That's going to be hard. When the team's competitive and you want to take that next step, you might be eager to go get something that might not actually be the right fit or the right player. So we have to exhibit the patience that we've shown so far in this next phase because just because a player becomes available doesn't mean he's the right fit for us. We're going to have to be kind of judicious in how we spend that money and the players that we go after.

Dom Luszczyszyn (35:34)

I think an important thing to remember when you're talking about the Canadians too, is how much little wins on contracts accumulate. Right. Like I, I think we look at, we look at this core and we see all the players that they have signed to long term deals. I mean, you have Suzuki through 2030, Cole Coffee through through 31, Slavkowski through 33, blow. Like there's a, there's a long list of players that are locked up. Right. So to some extent, and they've made their bets on those guys like that. Those are, this is the core of, of the team in, in some respects, in different situations with different teams, those guys make up a larger chunk of the cap. Right. So I think that's where it's impressive for them, is that, yes, this is the tough part. Yes, adding the smarter, shorter Term pieces around the core is easier said than done. But they're also in a better spot than a lot of teams are because even if you look at this season's cap figures, you know, they're, they're projected to have 25 million at the, at the deadline. Right. So, so they've done well, you know, with the work that they've put in over the last couple years to save them. Save a million here, there you get Suzuki under 8, everything kind of, you know, everything kind of, kind of plays off of that. And then before you know it, you have 5 million or 7 million more than, than you would otherwise. And, and more than a lot of other teams in similar positions have had. So it is, it's impressive.

Arpin Basu (37:01)

Well, 5 or 7 million is a pretty good player, right?

Sean Gentile (37:03)

Correct.

Arpin Basu (37:04)

So that's. Yeah, it's a big difference. We should, I should mention that all does kind of cascade out of Nick Suzuki's contract, which was signed by Mark Berger. You know, I kind of knocked him earlier, but that was his one nice parting gift because Ken Hughes and Jeff Gordon have really set up their entire cap structure based off that one contract. And even though Lane Hudson went above it, you know, Suzuki signed that four years ago and it's not like he went extraordinarily above it. Like, he's only a million up on what Suzuki got. So that's one thing. But the other thing, I guess I would warn is that we've seen this before and it's ironic because, you know, the Canadians, Mike Matson's in the last year of his contract right now. It's a contract he signed when he was with the Florida Panthers. It's a contract he signed when Kent Hughes was his agent. That Florida Panthers team did the same thing, right. Remember the computer boys, whatever. Like, you know, when they went on the big analytics, sort of, you know, dove in on analytics and they signed all their young guys to long term deals. It didn't work out because those guys didn't work out, you know, and so it's like, you never know. I think there's still question marks like Yuri Slavkovsky's locked in. He's in the first year of an eight year deal. What is his ceiling? We don't know yet.

Haley Salvian (38:12)

Right.

Arpin Basu (38:13)

There's a lot of things that we don't know about these guys. And so there's still work to be done. The Canadians have to make sure that these guys are the guys they think they are. But we've seen this model before. It's not unprecedented and it Works sometimes and sometimes it doesn't. If the guys that you. That you commit to don't deliver what you are hoping they deliver, then. Then you're locked in. In a bad way. Right. So I think the next few years are going to be pretty critical. And this season, you know, for a guy like Slafkovsky in particular, you know, he kind of knows that it's time to sort of put up or shut up. You know, he keeps talking about how he. What he needs to do to become the player he hopes to be. He's decided this year I'm not really going to talk about it anymore. I just have to go out and do it. And so until I do that, don't bother asking me about it because, you know, the proof's in the pudding. And so I think they have a few guys like that, like Ghoulies on. On this, on the verge of sort of taking another step. And he expects to. We'll see if he does. Frankly, his start to the season has been. Okay, not great. They have a lot of question marks like that, and they have a lot of years attached to the guys with those question marks. So this is not a. You know, it looks encouraging, but it's not. It's not a done deal by any stretch.

Haley Salvian (39:28)

Let's do one final question with you, Arpin, because we want to get you out of St. Louis chair.

Arpin Basu (39:33)

I don't know. Marty might show up and be like, get the hell out of my. Get the hell off my desk. Why are you sitting at my desk, you jerk?

Haley Salvian (39:39)

You can blame me. And he'll be like, right?

Arpin Basu (39:44)

I'm sure he watches the show all the time, guys.

Haley Salvian (39:46)

Yeah, sure.

Dom Luszczyszyn (39:48)

I think I made eye contact with him a couple times during the playoff. He'll. He'll. He'll remember me.

Haley Salvian (39:56)

We just saw this news and we talked to Jesse Granger about it in regards to Thatcher Demko, but Frank Saravalli reporting. A couple new players added to the extended roster for Team USA for the 2026 Olympics. Lane Hudson is one of them. So just curious, do you think that's a deserved addition or an unfair snub to begin with? Just bringing it back to our initial conversation about his extension. Lane Hudson now added to the crew that USA Hockey is going to be looking at for Olympic consideration.

Arpin Basu (40:22)

I mean, that. I found it pretty bizarre that he wasn't invited to the orientation camp. You know, it's an orientation camp. Like, what does it hurt to invite him? Like, he's for sure going to be like, you know, he's for sure going to be in consideration. He's. He has like almost no chance of making the team. Right. Like, how many puck moving defensemen can you put on a single team? Quinn Hughes is going, obviously, you know, Adam Fox will see if he goes. But like, you know, the US have puck movers. It's not really something that. And it's hard to build a defense. You know, if you have six defense and two of them are Quinn Hughes and Lane Hudson, you might have too much of the same thing. Right. So his chances of going are pretty slim. Going as like an injury insurance in case Quinn Hughes gets hurt, which he tends to do. Might not be. Might not be a bad idea. But. But yeah, I'm not. I'm not surprised. I mean, he won the Calder Trophy. He was a top 10 scorer among defensemen last year. He is only getting started. He's. And his. Honestly, his defensive shortcomings I think are slightly overblown. Is he. Is he a great defensive player? No, far from it. But he's not as bad as people make him out to be.

Dom Luszczyszyn (41:29)

Nope.

Arpin Basu (41:30)

So, yeah, I don't know. I. I think it's. I think it's normal. Considering if you looked at his resume and you left out his height and weight, it would be ludicrous that he'd not be on the list. Right. The only reason they don't put him on there is because he's 59 and he's 175 soaking wet, so.

Dom Luszczyszyn (41:46)

Right.

Arpin Basu (41:47)

Yeah.

Haley Salvian (41:48)

Brock Besser, the third player invited, by the way. I feel like I just ignored him for every time we brought up the Olympic list. Arpin, thanks so much for doing this. Do you. Do you have a prediction on where Sean and Dom are going to include the Montreal Canadiens on power rankings tonight? Is it going to be too high or too low? Are Canadiens fans going to be mad at them?

Arpin Basu (42:09)

Well, frankly, like, honestly, some of their underlying numbers are not. Are not glorious or in this early stage. So I don't know if you guys are going to be swayed by that, but I would try to have them in the. It'd be in the top half, I think, if I had to guess.

Dom Luszczyszyn (42:23)

I'll count. I'll counterbalance our own. Our own computer boy. Right? Congratulations to all of us, by the way, for making it to the final season of Mike Matheson's contract. Good God.

Arpin Basu (42:34)

And he's honestly been their best defenseman so far. Like, he's actually going to be an interesting problem for them to tackle because, you know, their top four for the future is kind of set without him. So it's going to be. That's going to be a fascinating file that this newly re signed management team has to tackle. Right?

Haley Salvian (42:51)

Thanks so much, Arpin. This was great. Thanks for sitting in the hot seat.

Arpin Basu (42:56)

Thanks guys. Here you go. Straight out of Marte St. Louis.

Dom Luszczyszyn (43:00)

Oh, there he is. He's right behind you.

Sean Gentile (43:06)

There we go.

Haley Salvian (43:07)

That's a good way to do it.

Dom Luszczyszyn (43:15)

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Sean Gentile (43:16)

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Dom Luszczyszyn (43:19)

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Arpin Basu (43:41)

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Sean Gentile (43:42)

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Haley Salvian (43:46)

Jeff Bridges, why are you still living above our garage?

Sean Gentile (43:49)

Well, I dig the mattress and I want to be in a T Mobile commercial like you teach me.

Dom Luszczyszyn (43:55)

So Dana.

Haley Salvian (43:56)

Oh no, I'm not really prepared. I couldn't possibly at t mobile get the new iPhone 17 Pro on them. It's designed to be the most most powerful iPhone yet and has the ultimate pro camera system.

Sean Gentile (44:08)

Wow. Impressive. Let me try. T Mobile is the best place to get iPhone 17 Pro because they've got the best network. Nice.

Haley Salvian (44:16)

Jeffrey, you heard them.

Sean Gentile (44:17)

T Mobile is the best place to get the new iPhone 17 Pro on us with eligible traded in any condition. So what are we having for launch?

Haley Salvian (44:26)

Dude, my work here is done.

Sean Gentile (44:28)

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Arpin Basu (44:49)

Is built to take your training to the next level. I've had a peloton for the past five years.

Sean Gentile (44:54)

It has completely changed the way that I work out. It's completely retrained my relationship to exercise.

Arpin Basu (45:00)

It's in our basement.

Sean Gentile (45:01)

I use it virtually every single day.

Arpin Basu (45:03)

I'm a huge fan of the platform.

Sean Gentile (45:04)

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Arpin Basu (45:27)

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Sean Gentile (45:29)

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Arpin Basu (45:34)

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Explore the new peloton cross training tread.

Arpin Basu (45:38)

Plus@1Peloton.Com.

Haley Salvian (45:45)

I don't know if there's a better promotion to check us out on YouTube than Arpin's exit from the show.

Dom Luszczyszyn (45:54)

I hope that made it in.

Haley Salvian (45:56)

He's showing it should make it in. If not, I'm gonna have words with whoever posts these on YouTube. It's cinema. He shows us his nice backdrop, drops his phone, and everything just faded to black. It was cinema.

Dom Luszczyszyn (46:12)

The Montreal Marty.

Haley Salvian (46:14)

I almost said Marty. St. Louis Marty Scorsese cinema by Arpin. It was great.

Dom Luszczyszyn (46:19)

The Montreal media room is also like a black box theater too. Like it's very. There's something about the setup there where it's very, very, very dramatic under normal circumstances.

Haley Salvian (46:32)

They're probably at place Bell. No pre game skate. They're probably at the Bell Center. Anyways, check us out on YouTube.com@theathletic hockey show or on the Discord too. Maybe someone will gift that.

Dom Luszczyszyn (46:45)

Maybe.

Haley Salvian (46:46)

I thought it was pretty good. Check us out YouTube. It's great. Final segment here on the athletic hockey show. It's just Haley and Sean now after having Jesse and Arpin. On just one quick little note we want to get to before wrapping up board of governors meetings. One interesting nugget out of there, the Olympic hockey rink. This is a little delayed in the construction in Milan that's intended to be the main hockey site for the Olympics that are coming up. We're almost just over 100 days away from the Olympics and the hockey rink is not ready. And speaking at the board of governors meeting, Gary Bettman, the commissioner, was reacting to a report that a test event that was scheduled for December at the arena is no longer going to be held there amid all these construction delays. Gary's a little bit concerned. So am I. I'm a little concerned too. Especially considering the idea that like maybe the first event being held at this arena could be the opening game from the women's hockey tournament that I will be Covering. And I. I will be angry on behalf of players if the ice and the rink is terrible. Like, that would just be. That's just so unacceptable. There was a little update in LeBron's report this morning, though, that the IOC, so the IOC told the Athletic on Thursday the arena is scheduled for completion in mid December and that a new event has now been scheduled for early January, which is roughly a month before Olympic competition is set to begin. So I guess we can pump the brakes on our concerns, but still, like, this has been an ongoing topic, and the Associated Press has done a great job covering this, too. Like, they're just consistently checking in to be like, is this arena done?

Dom Luszczyszyn (48:37)

Is everything okay for grading on the curve of Olympic facility drama? I feel like this one is pretty. It. It's pretty low on. It's pretty low on the list. Like, these are. These are standard, standard kind of delays. Like, I'll take this. Like, will I take this over the Rio Olympics when they were like, bulldozing favelas to, to build, you know, stuff like that? Like, yeah, it's fine. This is. This is. This is small potatoes. We're talking about, you know, test events that get pushed into the future. We're not talking about people getting displaced or, or stuff like that. I. I think that's. I think that's kind of where. Where I, Where I landed on. On the facility thing. But it's absolutely, you know, it's just.

Haley Salvian (49:18)

Like almost mock hockey out there.

Dom Luszczyszyn (49:20)

Right? Exactly.

Haley Salvian (49:21)

For me, I think it would be unfair if the first game played there is a women's hockey Olympic game. Like Team USA is debuting on opening day. Like the Italian team is debuting on opening day. That would be a failure of epic proportions if the women are basically testing out the Olympic ice. But it sounds like that is not going to be the case.

Dom Luszczyszyn (49:40)

Good.

Haley Salvian (49:40)

Because, yeah, that would be horrendous.

Dom Luszczyszyn (49:43)

All as well that ends well there. As long as it's done and as long as you. You can verify and guarantee that the ice is in working condition and that it's an appropriate rink for professional caliber players. Obviously we're talking about. About the women's, the women's and men's tournament there. Like, all's well that ends well, but yeah, it is. Man, that's always part of the. That's part of the rub with the Olympic conversation or the World cup conversation. If, if we're talking about soccer facilities are out, there's always drama. There's always BS that's involved. And if this is where it ends, like I think the players and in the media that cover it and whatever else, I think everyone can consider themselves pretty lucky.

Haley Salvian (50:24)

Speaking of mock outrage and Olympic drama.

Dom Luszczyszyn (50:27)

Yeah, right.

Haley Salvian (50:29)

So NHL players at Hockey Canada's orientation were basically warned in a meeting about the conditions in the village. Or just being warned that, like, you're not going to be at the Ritz, you will be in the village. And I was reading this and almost just laughing of, like, it's. I guess. I guess it's just been that long since NHL players have been at the Olympics that they need to have a meeting where they are sat down and told, you're going to be taking bus rides, there's going to be traffic. You will be in the village. This won't be the Ritz. And maybe the food won't be great. Grab some bananas because you might be hungry on the bus. Like to. I was like, that is so crazy. This is a story from Chris Johnson that just came out on Wednesday. It's so funny. And I almost wanted to laugh at all of them, like, wow, these poor posh babies have to stay in the village. And then you think of it like, I guess the meeting makes sense because basically Sidney Crosby's and, like, Marshan will probably be the only ones who've been to an Olympics.

Dom Luszczyszyn (51:39)

Correct.

Haley Salvian (51:39)

So it could be jarring for, you know, Connor Bedard, who stays at every nice hotel in the NHL, to be like, why is my bed made of cardboard?

Dom Luszczyszyn (51:49)

Do you think. Do you think that when this conversation started at the. At the orientation camp and this is back in August, by the way, like this.

Haley Salvian (51:56)

Yeah.

Dom Luszczyszyn (51:56)

This didn't just happen. This is. This is a.

Haley Salvian (51:59)

The story just dropped.

Dom Luszczyszyn (52:01)

Story just dropped. The. The orientation camp is. Is a little bit in the rear view at this point. Do you think when those guys had that conversation, that Sidney Crosby and Brad Marchand are kind of like. Like looking at each other there and thinking back to Sochi or whatever, when there's packs of dogs roaming around the. The Olympic village. And there's.

Haley Salvian (52:21)

John Tavares is quoted. John. So John Savares was one of the other ones, and he was quoted in this story being like, where is it? He's like, there was military ships.

Dom Luszczyszyn (52:31)

Yes, we're losing.

Haley Salvian (52:33)

There was, you know, concerns of an attack.

Dom Luszczyszyn (52:35)

This is what happens. This is what happens.

Haley Salvian (52:38)

Olympics are different, Beast.

Dom Luszczyszyn (52:41)

This is what happens when you go. As long as NHL players have gone without experiencing them. Right. Like, yeah, it's easy to laugh about this, but it also might have been a necessary reminder for some of these guys to get because they're 22 or 24 or 26 and weren't in the mix back in, you know, 2012, whenever. Or 2014, whenever. You know, this was last on the, when this was last on the docket. Like all those guys are aged out. All those, all those players who were part of the Olympic experience before, you know, the, the, the J bomeesters of the world, they're, they're long gone. So yeah, it was maybe a necessary bit of a reminder for, for these guys to get. But you know, hopefully, hopefully that's where it ends. Like, I don't, I don't want to hear, I don't want to hear complaints from, from 21 year old team Canada member X about. How about how the, the beds weren't. Weren't on par with it with the stuff that they get at the Ritz Carlton or whatever.

Haley Salvian (53:40)

What I do want to read though is like what players need to bring or buy to get by because like Sidney Crosby really going to sleep on a cardboard box. Like their beds are cardboard in the Olympic village, are they not? There's like 3,000 athletes who stay there. I don't know if I botched that. But like, I want to know. Are you bringing, are you bringing a mattress pad? Are you buying a mattress on Italian sleep country?

Dom Luszczyszyn (54:08)

What weird gear is Sid gonna bring to the Olympic Village? That's, that's what I want to know specifically if he's got like, if he's.

Haley Salvian (54:15)

Got a comfort that he bought in 2010 that he now sleeps on every night.

Dom Luszczyszyn (54:22)

Yeah, it's his. It's, it's actually a mattress Patty's been sleeping on since he was with ramouski.

Haley Salvian (54:27)

You know, 20 years ago in Ramouski. So I don't think that would be a good luck mattress pad. I'm talking about the 2010. I don't know if you've heard about this, but he did score a pretty big goal at the 2010 Olympics. So maybe he has like a pillow. Oh, I need to know, I need to know this. What did you sleep with in 2010? Do you still have it? Are you bringing it to Milan?

Dom Luszczyszyn (54:51)

If, if there was something specific that he had in his bed in 2010, I can guarantee you it's, it's going to way to Italy because he is a freak when it comes to that stuff. As we know.

Haley Salvian (55:05)

A body pillow, stuffed animal, Pedic mattress pad. Oh, I need to know.

Dom Luszczyszyn (55:17)

Neck. Neck pillow. Is. Is it a neck pillow guy on flights? It's time to figure it out.

Haley Salvian (55:22)

The turtleneck Pillow, the one that just, like, keeps your head upright and then you can lean to the side. I spent $80 on that thing when I flew to Czechia, and I looked insane. Slept great.

Dom Luszczyszyn (55:33)

I'll just. I'll just be sore. Thank you very much. I. I cannot. I cannot willingly sign up for something like that.

Haley Salvian (55:39)

I felt safe putting on the neck pillow and the eye mask because the mother and son beside me had, like, blankets, slippers, they had eye masks, they had neck pillows, they had real pillows. Like, they were tucked in. In economy.

Dom Luszczyszyn (55:55)

Yeah.

Haley Salvian (55:55)

And I was like, this is a safe space. I'm. I'm gearing up.

Dom Luszczyszyn (56:00)

Like, act like. Act like you've been there before.

Haley Salvian (56:03)

Headphones, neck pillow.

Dom Luszczyszyn (56:05)

Oh, man.

Haley Salvian (56:06)

Shut it down for hours. It was great. Yeah. But this is a part of the agreement between the NHL and the NHLPA with the ioc, and it's my understanding that this is to make sure that, like, it is a fair and equitable competition. You can't have Team Canada and Team USA staying in a luxe hotel and other European federations without as much money, just kind of hanging out in the dorms, trying to make it as fair as possible. And, you know, it's funny, like, I would love to know if the women were in the room for this meeting or they were like, no, we just need to talk to NHLRs, because, like, Mary Philippe, Poland's been there, done that. Like, they've experienced this before. And also, I don't think they're staying at the Ritz Carlton when they're on the road.

Dom Luszczyszyn (56:50)

They're staying at Courtyards with the rest of us.

Haley Salvian (56:52)

No, no, no, no, no. That would. They stay at, like, I forget what's in the cba, but I think it's like, three or four star and above or something like that. I'd hope it's four star and above, because three star is like courtyards. Yeah, that's right. Three stars. Not good. I hope it's four. I'd have to double check that, but, yeah. Just a couple goofy little updates on the Olympics. Almost 100 days until the Olympics. Until the greatest rivalry on the planet is back. The Canada USA women's hockey game. There will be one coming up in November, by the way, in Cleveland. November 6th.

Dom Luszczyszyn (57:30)

High stakes at that one.

Haley Salvian (57:31)

I'm sure it is. These are all. These are for the bragging rights and to crack the Olympic roster. Rivalry series matters.

Dom Luszczyszyn (57:40)

Let's just fast forward to the tournament. I'm. I'm excited for it. I want to see the games that count. The count in a Big way. Let's go.

Haley Salvian (57:46)

Yep. All right, that's it. We're done complaining. That was like our let's laugh at the Olympic Village for 8 minute segment. Thanks everyone for listening to this episode of the Athletic Hockey Show. Thanks to Arpin and Jesse for joining us today. Sean, thanks for showing up to do your job this afternoon. Thanks as always to producer Jeff. Max and Laz have the next Athletic Hockey show on Monday. Sean and I will be back next Thursday. Thursday, we'll see you then. John, why don't you ever say anything?

Dom Luszczyszyn (58:19)

Nothing to add.

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Haley Salvian (58:55)

Jeff Bridges why are you still living above our garage?

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Oh no, I'm not really prepared. I couldn't possibly at T Mobile get the new iPhone 17 Pro on them. It's designed to be the most powerful iPhone yet and has the ultimate pro camera system.

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Wow.

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Nice.

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Jeffrey, you heard them.

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Dude, my work here is done.

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