Hour 2: Mark Messier Hates Greg Cote

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz

Episode: Hour 2: Mark Messier Hates Greg Cote
Release Date: June 19, 2025

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Introduction

In this electrifying episode of The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz, the hosts delve deep into the recent triumph of the Florida Panthers winning the Stanley Cup. The conversation is vibrant, filled with humor, insightful analysis, and heartfelt emotions as they explore the significance of this victory for South Florida's sports scene.

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Florida Panthers' Stanley Cup Victory

Celebrating the Win

The episode prominently features the exhilaration surrounding the Panthers' historic win. The hosts express immense joy and relief, highlighting the emotional journey of the team and its fans.

• Stugotz reflects on the relief felt by the team, stating, “I cried not just because they won the championship. I cried because I worked so damn hard to make sure that that life didn't interfere with the other lives” ([17:21]).

• Greg Cody expertly captures the absurdity and joy of the moment: “It was very close. Simply relief. All you've heard today, it's not even happiness. It's just they're not mocking us” ([27:45]).

The Pressure Cooker Environment

The discussion intensifies as the hosts analyze the immense pressure Panthers faced during the finals. They compare the situation to being historical punchlines if the team had lost, emphasizing the stakes involved.

• Ron McGill points out, “The Panthers are a likable club... This is a hard-working, blue-collar, gritty club” ([27:11]).

• Stugotz adds, “They have to get over it because, you know, if somebody cannot look at a coach and a general manager literally sobbing there on the ice last night... let's please keep this in perspective” ([05:22]).

Player and Coach Emotions

A significant portion of the conversation is dedicated to the emotional responses of key figures like Coach Paul Maurice and Mark Messier.

• Ron McGill shares his admiration for Coach Maurice: “Paul Maurice is a guy you root for... I could get behind. This could be my favorite team, you know, if I was a kid growing up watching this club” ([35:05]).

• Discussion about Mark Messier: The hosts debate Messier's reactions and his influence, with Greg Cody noting, “He was talking to Emily, needed a break with the guy up, and he looked at the sky and closed his eyes. I thought that was really real” ([35:05]).

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Behind the Scenes and Team Dynamics

Roy Bellamy's Insights

Roy Bellamy provides an insider perspective on the team's journey, highlighting the logistical aspects and the emotional toll of the season.

• Roy Bellamy shares his experience: “This is my 30th Stanley Cup Final and the first time we've had access to a charter... outside of South Florida. Yeah, I do. I believe it's special when a team finally wins its first Stanley Cup in franchise history” ([32:42]).

Team's Growth and Challenges

The discussion also touches on the growth of the Florida Panthers and the challenges they've overcome to reach this pinnacle.

• Ron McGill elaborates on the team's progress: “They have increased their strength, they've increased their numbers, they've increased their range” ([10:36]).

• Stugotz humorously laments missing out on celebrations: “We really didn't get to enjoy it with Woody, but he became a rallying cry” ([20:19]).

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Historical Context and Significance

Comparisons to Past Championships

The hosts draw parallels between the Panthers' victory and historical moments in sports, emphasizing the uniqueness of the series.

• Greg Cody questions the rarity of the Panthers being outscored significantly yet still winning: “How strange a series was it to have your champion outscored 18 to 5 or 19 to 7 in the last four games?” ([37:57]).

• Roy Bellamy asserts the unprecedented nature of the series: “This was game seven for the Panthers... They get it done last night and that's the game they needed” ([38:27]).

Impact on South Florida Sports

The victory is portrayed as a monumental event for South Florida, boosting the region's status in the national sports landscape.

• Stugotz emphasizes the local pride: “This is South Florida's first ever crack at this trophy, and this is Broward's team” ([13:41]).

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Emotional Reflections and Personal Stories

Hosts Share Personal Emotions

The hosts open up about their personal connections to the team and the emotional release brought about by the victory.

• Stugotz shares a poignant moment: “I cried because I worked so damn hard to make sure that that life didn't interfere with the other lives” ([18:50]).

• Mike Ryan discusses the mixed feelings of relief and joy: “It's more joy than his belief” ([21:24]).

The Role of Community and Friendship

The camaraderie among the hosts and their friends is highlighted as a cornerstone of their shared celebration.

• Greg Cody and the team discuss their interactions with Roy Bellamy, showcasing the tight-knit community surrounding the show ([29:22]-[31:11]).

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Notable Quotes

• Stugotz: “I cried not just because they won the championship. I cried because I worked so damn hard to make sure that that life didn't interfere with the other lives” ([17:21]).

• Greg Cody: “It was very close. Simply relief. All you've heard today, it's not even happiness. It's just they're not mocking us” ([27:45]).

• Ron McGill: “Paul Maurice is a guy you root for... This could be my favorite team, you know, if I was a kid growing up watching this club” ([35:05]).

• Roy Bellamy: “This was game seven for the Panthers... They get it done last night and that's the game they needed” ([38:27]).

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Conclusion

This episode of The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz masterfully captures the euphoria and complexity of the Florida Panthers' Stanley Cup victory. Through heartfelt conversations, personal reflections, and insightful analysis, the hosts celebrate a pivotal moment in South Florida sports history. Listeners are left with a profound appreciation for the team's resilience, the emotional journeys of its members, and the unifying power of sports victories.

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Note: Advertisements and promotional segments have been omitted to focus solely on the episode's content as per the summary request.

Transcript

[Dan Le Batard]

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[Stugotz]

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[Greg Cody]

Cuervo Anytime someone says Cuervo, I show up.

[Stugotz]

Well, I do know that to be true. But even during ad reads like Cuervo, I think he could lay out especially for one of our great partners.

[Greg Cody]

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[Stugotz]

Since then, Cuervo has stayed true to its roots. The same family, the same land, the same passion. Cuervo so enjoy the tequila that started it all. Cuervo Cuervo the tequila that invented tequila. Proximo Cuervo.com, please drink responsibly. Cuervo Meet the most capable CR V Honda has ever dreamed of. The all new CR V Trail Sport Hybrid. With all terrain tires and available enhanced traction control, it's built for wherever the day takes you. Heated front seats and a heated steering wheel. Ideal for winter drives and crisp early starts and with generous cargo space, it's ready for big gear and even bigger getaways. The CR V Trail Sport Hybrid. Learn [e-mail] CRV make your next vacation.

[Dan Le Batard]

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[Stugotz]

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[Roy Bellamy]

Out more on WhatsApp. No one can see or hear your personal messages. Whether it's a voice call message or sending a password to WhatsApp, it's all just this. So whether you're sharing the streaming password in the family chat or trading those late night voice messages that could basically become a podcast. Your personal messages stay between you, your friends and your family. No one else.

[Stugotz]

Not even us.

[Roy Bellamy]

WhatsApp message privately with everyone.

[Stugotz]

This is the Dan Levatar show with.

[Roy Bellamy]

The Stugats podcast.

[Greg Cody]

Video. Please get the photo of a clearly almost Nude Greg Cody during Mardi Gras, Drinking in the street.

[Stugotz]

We can laugh today. We're out of the pressure cookers.

[Greg Cody]

Put that behind me and let's show everybody. Greg Cody walking through the streets of New Orleans during Mardi Gras.

[Roy Bellamy]

Mardi Gras.

[Greg Cody]

There, there he is with me and my late brother. I remember all of that.

[Stugotz]

Oh, you knew that they would have that logo.

[Greg Cody]

Yes, it was amazing way back then. Ron McGill joins us now to answer the question we were asking before about whether a shark could eat the Stanley Cup. There are all sorts of strange things you can find inside of. I don't know what the strangest are, Ron, but I don't think it could be anything as large as the Stanley Cup.

[Ron McGill]

Can could be something as large as the Stanley cup if it weren't made out of sterling silver. I mean, if it's something that could be crushed. Yeah, theoretically they could eat it. I mean, didn't you see Jaws? They ate some scuba tanks.

[Greg Cody]

What is the strangest things? Yeah, there was a license plate and some other things found in Jaws when Steven Spielberg cut him open. But what are the strangest things that you have found or you have learned about in a great white shark? Because they are garbage disposals, right?

[Ron McGill]

Not really, Dan. Not really. I mean they will feed on carcasses of whales. I mean they will vigorously feed on dead whales that are just rotting and smell like make you gag in your mouth. But they don't necessarily pick up beer cans and bottles and stuff like that. No, they're not that kind of scavenger. If they're eating something like that, it's something that was attached to something that they meant to eat. You know, things, garbage floating in the ocean, floating into the carcass of whale. When they're eating the whale, they'll swallow everything that gets in their mouth. But not intentionally eating things like human trash. No.

[Greg Cody]

Do you have the most unusual thing you've heard about being found inside of a shark?

[Ron McGill]

No, I really haven't. I mean, you know, I've heard of all kinds of fish parts and unfortunately sometimes some human parts. But I haven't heard anything, you know, mind blowing. I mean, I've heard of things in bellies of other animals. I mean like ostriches. Ostriches eat all kinds of drill bits and screws and cans and they are garbage disposable. They'll put everything in their mouth and swallow it.

[Stugotz]

There was a world renowned surfer who also took up some acting roles that was killed in a shark attack yesterday. And there's Been recent video from south beach of a bull shark really close to shore. We've asked you a couple of times on climate change and a lot of it's wait to see how this is going to change the behavior of Shar. Are we going to be seeing them come closer and closer to shore trying to find new sources of food?

[Ron McGill]

It's certainly possible. I mean, you know, sharks are following the bait fish, so as soon as the bait fish start coming in closer, so are the sharks. They're following the bait fish. Now I hope that people took notice of that video, for instance, of that bull shark out there on South Beach. How many people it went right by without biting them, without attacking them. That's not to say it's not possible, of course, but let's, let's put this in perspective when we talk about we hear a shark attack, this horrific tragedy in Hawaii with Guy. Okay, horrible, horrible. But yet people need to not paint with a broad brush. See, this is why all sharks need to be destroyed. Look at that bull shark. Literally swimming within feet of dozens of people there and never bit one of them. Never bit one of them. Let's please keep this in mind, Ron.

[Mike Ryan]

I have two quick questions. Number one, what land animal is most likely and capable of eating the Stanley Cup?

[Ron McGill]

Oh, geez. Land animal. I don't know because none of the carnivores are going to do it. I mean, they're, they're, they're just not going to do it. I don't see anything like it.

[Mike Ryan]

The scent of meat all over.

[Greg Cody]

It's not edible. It's not an edible thing. It's a giant, it's not something.

[Stugotz]

Hippopotamus.

[Ron McGill]

No, no, it's not. There's no land animal that's going to eat the Stanley.

[Mike Ryan]

Okay, thank God for that now. Yeah, here's my other question. I just read. 3.5 billion birds in America every year die from flying into panes of glass.

[Roy Bellamy]

Yes.

[Mike Ryan]

Is that a survival of the fittest thing where we say, ah, birds are dumb, or is there something that should be done to save birds?

[Ron McGill]

That is absolutely something that should be done. There are little types of stickers, little types of things that you can put on your window that doesn't destroy your view or anything like that, but birds can see it. See, the reason why these birds fly into windows is they're seeing reflections of the things behind them flying. You know, if you have a beautiful house full of windows and you're surrounded by a forest, they see that forest in the window and they fly right into it. Okay. The same thing with high rise buildings. In the high rise building, when it's above all the other buildings, they're seeing sky. They're seeing a reflection of sky behind them. So they go into that. All you need to do. And the Audubon Society makes these available for free. I believe you can just get these little stickers and put them on your sliding doors. Again, they're not these, you know, these huge obstructional types of things. They're just visible by the birds, barely visible by you, and it saves countless lives.

[Roy Bellamy]

1823, Ron, West Indies, they found a cannonball. Six pound cannonball in a shark stomach.

[Ron McGill]

Okay. I mean, you know, that's. That's an anomaly. 1863, I don't know how many of those records are as dependable.

[Stugotz]

Ron, you alleged that animals would not eat the Stanley Cup. Now, if it's up for debate, but if an animal were to eat a championship trophy, which championship trophy do you think is most edible? NBA? Stanley cup? Mlb. What do we think?

[Ron McGill]

I gotta think. I gotta think. The Lombardi Trophy. It's, you know, it's pretty cylindrical. It's not really huge, it's not really wide. It's a swallowable trophy.

[Greg Cody]

Let's go out to Roy at the Elbow Room. Magill. Would you like an update from Roy? He's right near the Stanley Cup. What kind of information can you give us, Roy, from out there? It sounds like there's chanting and things are getting louder. It's before noon. And I suspect that if they're gonna spend the whole day there, some wild Stanley cup stories end up happening. Breaking out around the party of a champion.

[Dan Le Batard]

You're muted, Roy.

[Stugotz]

Roy, your microwave.

[Greg Cody]

You gotta unmute it.

[Stugotz]

Well, as you saw, they just dumped beer back down to the ground out of Santa Cluff. We got some Panthers employees drinking out of the cup right now.

[Mike Ryan]

Go get some.

[Roy Bellamy]

Roy.

[Greg Cody]

Roy. Any chances I'm not allowed in it. You're not allowed?

[Stugotz]

No. No. But can you get in the line of people that get their beer, get beard poured on their face?

[Roy Bellamy]

You spent a lifetime around this team. You have to know someone who's gonna let you into that place. You have to. Come on.

[Stugotz]

No, unfortunately, I'm not allowed inside. No. And I'm not gonna get beer poured. That would be such a great video, though. Why don't you want beer, Port? Good tent? Because I'm wearing my jersey and it's already hot and I'm sticky, so. Yeah, no, that's not gonna happen. Buy you a new jersey? Yeah. Wow. I'll buy you a new jersey. I'm good. Okay.

[Roy Bellamy]

I'm good.

[Greg Cody]

All right, Roy, it's good to get all of your joy here on Metal Arc Media. You're just totally out of control. The best we've got from you is slurring last night while doing your reports. We appreciate yourself. You're pouring.

[Ron McGill]

Roy Bellamy.

[Greg Cody]

Pour yourself. I'm here.

[Stugotz]

Is that Nico Nicola?

[Ron McGill]

Looks like Dan behind you.

[Greg Cody]

Thank you, Roy. Good talking to you. Appreciate all your time. We will come back to you and see if you decide to have more fun with the people having fun or if you're going to sit it out because you don't want to do dry cleaning.

[Stugotz]

I feel like the next time the cup leaves the elbow room, that's when you sneak in. Right. Because all eyes are on the cup as it's going out. You go in and then no one will be.

[Roy Bellamy]

You go where the cup isn't exactly right.

[Stugotz]

What a day. We are. Made it.

[Ron McGill]

I want to see the picture of Rodriguez's little baby girl sitting in the cup that he said he wanted to take last night. That's going to be a great shot.

[Stugotz]

I'll text it to you privately. Hey, actual Florida panthers. Where are we with that? They bouncing back or.

[Ron McGill]

They are. You know, they're bouncing back as. As well as can be hoped for. Because you know what? Decades ago, there were only 20 of them left. Okay. Now there's probably a little bit over 200. So they have increased their strength, they've increased their numbers, they've increased their range. You know, they are no longer the new. The new team with just a bunch of neophytes. These panthers have expanded their population, but only to the limit of what's available to them in habitat. People don't realize that panthers, you know, the number one killer of panthers is cars, unfortunately, cars. They get hit by cars on the road. But what people don't understand, the number two killer of panthers is other panthers because they fight for territory and they're limited to their territory. So the males will kill each other over territory, and that's the number two killer of panthers. But, you know, this is the largest cat in the state of Florida. It is the state animal. You know, we have a state mammal, the manatee. We state bird, the mockingbird, which we hope to make the flamingo soon. You know, we have a state butterfly, the zebra wing, but the state animal, like the animal, the number one animal in the state is the Florida panther.

[Stugotz]

Are we actually trying to change the state bird to the flamingo?

[Ron McGill]

Yes, we are.

[Stugotz]

Are you leading this cause? Like, who's changing this?

[Ron McGill]

Well, Zoo Miami is working with the foundation. We've been speaking to legislators. They have put a bill forth that kind of died in the House this last session, but they're hoping to bring it again the next session to make the flamingo the state bird.

[Stugotz]

I think it's a natural, the ibis.

[Greg Cody]

Ron, how did you feel last night? You're a sports fan. I don't know how big of a hockey fan you are.

[Ron McGill]

You know, I'm a huge sports fan. And to see the last major team in Florida win the Stanley cup, win the champions. I've been here. I've been here for the 72, 73 dolphins. I was here for the 2006 heat. I was here for the 96, 97 Marlins. Now, to be here and to see this happen here in Florida, it makes me happy because, you know, everybody was I transplanted from New York. New York is a big sports town. We had some great teams back then. 1969, the greatest year of my life as a sports guy. The Mets, the Jets, the Knicks, the Rangers. I mean, it was everybody winning the championship that year. So coming down here and having this team do this and to be able to say a Florida team, a Southern Florida team wins an ice hockey championship, that's just so freaking great.

[Greg Cody]

Great. Only here, everyone else in the world is furious about.

[Ron McGill]

Well, you know what? Dan, Dan, you know what? They're going to need to get over it because, you know, if somebody cannot look at a coach and a general manager literally sobbing there on the ice last night, I started to get emotional watching that, realizing the eruption of emotion that has built up in these guys that have work hard for this. Now, don't get me wrong, I felt bad for, you know, McJesus there, that guy, whatever. I felt bad for him. I wish he'd come out to kind of accept the trophy, even though I probably understand why he didn't. I thought it was bad that people were booing that because, you know, the stats indicated that he was the mvp, even though. God, that goalie. God, did our goalie kill it. It was amazing. He had a couple of bad games given. I understand that. But when it counted, baby, he did it.

[Greg Cody]

I love that as a rallying cry. I felt bad for that guy McJesus, or what?

[Stugotz]

You think the rest of the nation is looking at this celebration? Because this is South Florida's first ever crack at this trophy, and this is Broward's team, and this is a super Broward County Celebration right now. Lord Stanley was in the ocean just moments ago. Like, these are really cool scenes.

[Greg Cody]

I believe that the northernmost point that has a team in North America is enraged that the southernmost point in America in. In. In water that never frozen. The Stanley Cup. The Stanley cup just went into water that is never frozen. I believe the people who warm themselves up with the feelings around hockey are furious that we get to experience.

[Roy Bellamy]

All they had was hockey.

[Stugotz]

Rod alluded to, like, all the hard work that goes into this. And that's the type of pressure cooker these players were in yesterday. In game seven, the Spectrum was this what you're seeing on your tv, jumping into the ocean with the hardest trophy in sports to win or punchline forevermore. That transcends that sport and gets brought up every time someone is blowing a lead. That was what was on the other end of last night's game for them.

[Greg Cody]

Ron, good talking to you. We will talk to you soon. I know you're headed to Africa. We will talk to you soon.

[Ron McGill]

Thanks, guys. Take care. We'll talk soon. Bye Bye.

[Dan Le Batard]

Folks, the time has come for some new golf clubs. And that means one thing. Heading over to my local PXG store for a fitting. They make the best golf clubs, period. Roy, hockey season's almost over. You're going to be out of the barn and you're going to be out on the golf course with me. You need new clubs.

[Roy Bellamy]

Absolutely.

[Dan Le Batard]

You have your PXG fitting coming up soon. I did mine. I am telling you, it is the most efficient process. I went to the Fort Lauderdale location. They have them all over. It is efficient. You're in and out in an hour. You're swinging clubs, they're assessing you. Next thing you know, weeks later, boom. New clubs, irons, woods, putters. I'm telling you, it's the whole nine yards. Is that a golf phrase?

[Stugotz]

Whole nine yards, that's like what you're chipping nine.

[Dan Le Batard]

It's the whole 10 foot putt. PXG does it better than anybody else. It's knocked four to five strokes off my game within the first month and it's just a game changer. PXG fitters are highly trained, incredibly experienced, and have a deep understanding of how to optimize your clubs to get the most out of your swing. Schedule your fitting today. And for a limited time, you can save up to 20% on your entire order. Guys, that's 20% off your entire order. Head over to pxg.comdan that's pxg.comdan to save up to 20% on your entire Order. Pxg.comdan restrictions apply. See site for details. What does Zyn give you? Not just smoke free nicotine satisfaction, but real freedom. Freedom to do what you love and choose your rewards. With Zinn Rewards, you can redeem points for premium tech, outdoor gear and gift cards to your favorite retailers. Find your Zinn and keep keep finding rewards that fit your [e-mail] rewards this product contains nicotine. Nicotine is an addictive chemical.

[Greg Cody]

Don LeBatard Mike Bryan's in there and he's the one with a baby. He's the one who's gotta like worry about what the future is. And Mike Ryan bet on DraftKings because Mike Ryan bet on us. This is the bet you're afraid of doubling down on, putting up a billboard in Edmonton.

[Stugotz]

Stugats I care more about Matthew Tkachuk than I do my daughter. This is the Dan lebatar show with the Stugats.

[Greg Cody]

When Mike says that, I am genuinely curious because a lot of people in sports around Joy say that while they were climbing they wish they had enjoyed it more. That too often the suffering involved in sports makes it so that when you're in joyous experiences, you're so competitive and trying to be better at all times that what you feel yesterday more than anything can be relief instead of Joy. I know that after four runs of, of four years of spending the time where LeBron was with the Heat at the end of that all being over, there was relief in winning two championships, losing two championships, and at the end of it, it might be a little bit unsatisfying, a little underachieving, but you're not being laughed at because you only won one championship in four years because Ray Allen bailed you out. How much relief was there in yesterday, Mike? When you talk about eternal laughter at.

[Stugotz]

The expense of your team, I think that's why I wept, really was the emotional release of it being over. And thank God we're not a punchline and we've. Over the last few years, the Florida Panthers have done a great deal of suffering late in post seasons. And I think that's what all poured out of me, which is just like, oh my God, this is off our shoulders and we came on the other side. Yeah, that was not, not at all fun.

[Greg Cody]

The Heat didn't do that to you, correct? The Heat did not make you weep from relief.

[Stugotz]

No, no. The only other time that I think I felt that was when I was working with Chelsea and we won the Champions League. And that was Like, a whole bunch of COVID stuff and a whole bunch. And I kind of knew that that was the end of my assignment. And I really poured myself into my work during that time and that I cried not just because, like, they won the championship. I cried because I worked so damn hard to make sure that that life didn't interfere with the other lives. And it was just a whole big deal. This was. I was so happy for the. There are people in that organization that I truly care about. I was really. I've grown to really love these players and have an affinity for Matthew Tkachuk. After we left the arena at 3am this is. Chris Whittingham is not lying when he says, like, my friends hate me. He was not enjoying last night. We FaceTimed him, my wife and I, we FaceTimed him again and he answered at like 3am and we were just begging him, come back, man. Come on. Like, come. Like.

[Dan Le Batard]

I texted him before the game yesterday. I'm like, dude, we need you here.

[Stugotz]

We need you.

[Dan Le Batard]

Maybe that would spark us if you publicly say, all right, let's go Panthers tonight.

[Stugotz]

I know men are stubborn, but I've never been so stubborn to be the Hill to die on $120 jersey from Fanatics. Come on. They made the right move. And in the face of that, he's just going to be the most stubborn he's ever been in his life.

[Greg Cody]

He's got to be hurting.

[Stugotz]

Yeah, Master, my buddy Master was with him and he said he was not in great shape. I'm like, well, we're all looking for the guy who did this.

[Mike Ryan]

Why are you begging him to come back?

[Stugotz]

I want to enjoy it with my friends. Like, we're just firing up in the group chat right now. In fact, one of the guys provided a video that we just showed that you went through something together. Whether it be those guys on the ice, they went through their thing together. We went through all the stress, the highs and the lows, the screaming into your sweater as a group. The group chat. Had a good feeling about this and we want to celebrate together. And you want to enjoy it with your friends. I'm really bummed that we didn't get to enjoy it with Woody, but he became a rallying cry. My wife is still texting him.

[Roy Bellamy]

You. What kind of friend is he bailed on? You see, Greg, they thought they needed Whittingham until Chris saw an Edmonton Oiler fan throwing up in the parking lot.

[Greg Cody]

Roy, can you tell me where you were on relief? Because you pretended throughout wrapped in Armor and bravado to never be scared. I don't believe that you can watch yesterday's game and not feel everything heightened. Where are you on feeling just relief because this isn't a historically laughable failure.

[Mike Ryan]

It's more joy than his belief.

[Roy Bellamy]

Belief actually came after that huge penalty.

[Stugotz]

Kill where Eric Kevin Stlin lost his sick or gave his sick to two star force. When they killed that off, that's pretty much when I knew they were going to end up winning.

[Greg Cody]

I don't believe you. I don't. That's not how that works. There can be many more right now. Yeah. I mean, Chris has. I know they're to going, look at where Chris is. Finding evidence. Oh, somebody's throwing up in the parking lot.

[Dan Le Batard]

That's a good sign. You can't say that's not a good sign for bandits.

[Greg Cody]

I tried to explain it to him.

[Stugotz]

I knew we were going to win with 12 seconds left. That's the only time where I was like, this is. I'm actually going to see joy out of this thing. Because I ran through all the scenarios like Doctor Strange and it was hard to find a rational reason outside of we just have home ice in game seven. That's what you play an entire season for. There was really hard to find a scenario in which I was going to feel any joy. And that's also probably why I cried.

[Roy Bellamy]

It can be both, though. Relief can bring joy. They would have been mocked forever. There were two options for the Panthers last night. Win the Stanley cup and be celebrated or lose it and be mocked forever.

[Stugotz]

Can't imagine. And I know from people around the team and Roy's played it cool and they were like, that was a tense vibe. How could it not be? They had an extra day to chew on all the pressure. Maybe it ended up helping them. I know that 94 Rangers say that extra day helped them and maybe if Oilers probably wanted to get right on the ice and keep playing and keep the momentum going. But yeah, there's a lot of pressure that goes with game seven. When.

[Greg Cody]

For.

[Stugotz]

When it's for that coach Cup. There's a whole new world of pressure when you're a historic punchline.

[Mike Ryan]

The. The last three minutes of that game were terrifying and exhilarating all at once. When you talk about relief, I think it was because three and oh, all of a sudden, three straight losses, the way it played out and everybody's mentioning 1942 and this is what's facing you all of a sudden. And you. Not only. You not only raised the Stanley cup but at the same time, you avoid eternal infamy. Because you're right, the Panthers would have been completely mocked as the epitome of choking, of can't win at all, of losing, of losing in front of your home fans. That's why I wrote that this was the most extreme possible championship match that I've ever experienced.

[Greg Cody]

Roy's got a big smile on his face. We instantaneously know that that's a siren call. Go to Roy. What are you smiling about? Roy.

[Stugotz]

Brandon, Mon Sour, Sam, Ben and himself. Mo and brought that cup back out.

[Roy Bellamy]

And some more beer throwing on the fans down here.

[Greg Cody]

All right, Roy, you got to get some beer on your face. We need the. We need the shot.

[Stugotz]

I want that and a player on the show. I want that for you. I want beer on your face.

[Greg Cody]

How am I going to get player on the show?

[Stugotz]

They won't let me in. Just grab anyone. We don't know the difference.

[Greg Cody]

Yeah, it's. That's true.

[Stugotz]

Just started watching hockey three weeks ago.

[Greg Cody]

It'd be funny if you grab anyone's equity. Grab somebody who's incredibly pink and 312 pounds and just, just say it's Forsyth.

[Stugotz]

Ask him what color the blue line is.

[Greg Cody]

Let's. Let's examine for just a moment whether or not in the history of the sport there has ever been a champion that was outscored over a point in the series 18 to 5.

[Stugotz]

It's the weirdest goddamn series, man.

[Greg Cody]

There's no way that's happened before, right? That someone holding up the trophy has wheezed to the finish of that series by being outscored 18 to 5 before the. The Panthers. Let's do it this way so that, you know that steer that series ended up closing out with the panthers being outscored 19 to 7. 19 to 7 is how the last four games of that series.

[Stugotz]

Celebrating today though, Dano.

[Greg Cody]

Yeah, it's just funny, though. It's funny and absurd.

[Stugotz]

You guys watched it on television. I asked Billy, who's not the biggest hockey guy, like, did that come across like it was a good game? Because that's a classic game seven, like, you know, battle it out. Every play feels like it's wire to wire.

[Roy Bellamy]

It felt like that.

[Stugotz]

Was it a big game? Did it feel good?

[Roy Bellamy]

It felt like a big game.

[Greg Cody]

I disagree. I really. And here's the only reason why. Because that is not an enjoyable game in any way without the stakes. It's only because of the stakes. You've got the entire third period. All the Panthers are doing is icing.

[Roy Bellamy]

Like they're trying to get to the finish line.

[Stugotz]

What that was, that's strategy.

[Greg Cody]

That's a close game, and it's a game with the most enormous stakes. I make that a regular season game. You're not finding that fun or interesting?

[Roy Bellamy]

Well, of course, game seven help, but you had two goals early, one for each team, one, one going into the second, and the Panthers scored the third.

[Stugotz]

That was a, that was a great sequence. Like usually those first periods in game sevens are tight. Like one goal right back at you right away like, holy shit, we got the highest possible tension here. Panthers got a goal. And yeah, you mentioned the icing, but that's part of their style. It's almost as if, like you remember the Raven Steelers matchups in the regular season and postseason, where their styles of violence, those defensive styles, made for the one example where you'd be like, I don't mind this rock fight here in this game. And that's, that's just your classic game seven. But I was curious for people that weren't huge hockey fans, if that game drew them in at all, because I think they understood the stakes.

[Greg Cody]

I, I. There was a series in baseball that's always cited. I don't remember what year it was. It was Yankees and Pirates. And I think what ended up happening, I think this is the Mazerosky thing, right? That if you go back and look at the po. The run totals in that game, the Yankees won all the games by 15 runs and the Pirates won all the games by one run. The reason you won this series is it because in four of the games, you held that offense to six goals. That's why you won. You got the four in your four.

[Roy Bellamy]

Just have to do it four times.

[Stugotz]

In your four victories.

[Greg Cody]

In your four victories, you were able to dilute, diminish, and make impotent an offense that's overwhelming. And in the other three games, showed you how overwhelmed.

[Stugotz]

Yeah, stats, Stats, when you get to the Stanley cup final can be overrated in that you need to, you need to implement your will and your strategy to win at least four times. And you don't give a shit about how you go about doing it.

[Ron McGill]

It.

[Stugotz]

You just need to achieve that mission. Panthers did it four times. It took them, it took them three times to win that fourth one. Well, four times won that fourth one. God damn. We almost got really embarrassed.

[Greg Cody]

It was very close.

[Stugotz]

Very, very close. All time embarrassed.

[Greg Cody]

Simply relief. All you've heard today, it's not even happiness. It's just. They're not mocking us just that there's less running down our leg than there would have been otherwise.

[Stugotz]

Look, as a small business, we don't get to clock out ever. We're always on nights, weekends, holidays. So when it came time to hire someone, we couldn't waste time. We needed help. Real help. Not Stugot's nose, a guy help. We use LinkedIn jobs. And we'll be honest, we didn't expect it to be that easy. We posted the job for free. LinkedIn basically held our hand and wrote the description for us. Next thing you know, candidates, qualified ones, not resumes written in crayon. Real people who want to work. Imagine that LinkedIn gives you all the tools, deep insights, easy filtering, one place to manage everything. We even threw the little hashtag hiring frame on our profile picture, doubled the number of applicants. Now we're part of that 72% of small businesses that say LinkedIn helps them find high quality candidates. Post your job for free. [e-mail] dls that's LinkedIn.com dls to post your job for free. Terms and conditions apply. Don LeBatard World War Three stugats.

[Dan Le Batard]

We're gonna get that off the ground.

[Stugotz]

World War Three colon. Our group chat has a pretty good feeling about this one. This is the Dan Levatar show with the stug.

[Greg Cody]

Steve Levy's going to join us here in a second. The crew that's been covering this has to be exhausted. These flights back and forth to Edmonton are brutal. We'll get to Steve Levy in a second. But Greg, your last night, walking out onto the ice. Media members are interacting with you. Are you a conquering hero? Do you feel like you've just won the Stanley cup up because of the number of media members congratulating you and slapping you on the back?

[Mike Ryan]

I did feel mildly exonerated, if I'm being honest, because, you know, there was a lot of heat on me for having what people called a ridiculous opinion. And on some level I'm certain it was. But I made pretty clear that what I meant was this guy.

[Greg Cody]

We got it. We got it. You don't need to explain it again. We've covered it 70 different times.

[Stugotz]

I got it.

[Ron McGill]

We got it, we got it.

[Roy Bellamy]

Be the case as you're walking through the hallways, though. Are you doing it with a strut like, because you know you got it, right?

[Mike Ryan]

Yeah.

[Greg Cody]

Who congratulated you? Give us some names of the media members who congratulated you as if you had won the Stanley Cup.

[Mike Ryan]

Just Will Mansell of TV and, you know, Roy and Dwark of TV.

[Stugotz]

TV's Will Manso.

[Roy Bellamy]

Yes.

[Greg Cody]

Do you not know who he works for? Is that the problem?

[Mike Ryan]

I know all the stations, but he's.

[Stugotz]

Not here to take a quiz.

[Mike Ryan]

Exactly. Thank you, Billy.

[Greg Cody]

He want to come up.

[Mike Ryan]

Literally. Literally. Too many people I didn't know came up to me.

[Greg Cody]

And how many people? How many? Give me a number.

[Mike Ryan]

25 or 30.

[Greg Cody]

All right. So you are a conquering hero.

[Roy Bellamy]

Yeah.

[Mike Ryan]

To the media and not.

[Roy Bellamy]

Congratulations.

[Greg Cody]

Congratulations.

[Mike Ryan]

And not to Steve Levy and not to some media, but to my media, to your media, to my immediate media.

[Greg Cody]

That'S Will Mano, Will Manso of tv. Here is Steve Levy of TV as well. And as Stugot says, pink from the Boca Beach Club.

[Roy Bellamy]

You have said for there's no way he stayed anywhere in Sunrise.

[Greg Cody]

I promise you have said for two weeks that he looks like the Boca Beach Club. He looks like he got too much sun. Steve, how tired are you right now?

[Roy Bellamy]

Little bit fried. And tell Greg that Messier hates him too. Add him to the list. Okay.

[Mike Ryan]

Okay. Get in line. Mark.

[Greg Cody]

Yes.

[Roy Bellamy]

The Messiah.

[Greg Cody]

How, how exhausted are you? Those, those flights are brutal and it's a very long season. And do you believe that anyone outside of South Florida wanted the Panthers to win last night?

[Roy Bellamy]

So first of all, I gotta be honest, the NHL set up a charter, which was a big, big win. This is my 30th Stanley Cup Final and the first time we've had access to a charter. So a bunch of ESPN people, Hockey Night in Canada, people Sportsnet. So it was non stop Fort Lauderdale to Edmonton, smooth customs, easy. So really no complaints on the travel. We might have had easier than the players did. In fact, the Oilers, I know when they went home from Fort Lauderdale, they had a stop in Kansas City for fuel, if you can believe that. On the Oilers played. That's true story. So outside of South Florida. Yeah, I do. I believe it. I believe it's special when a team finally wins its first Stanley cup in franchise history. This is a hard working, blue collar, gritty club. The Panthers are. And so yeah, I think they have a lot of fans in. Not in Canada probably, but certainly in the US you're going on vacation, you have two choices. You're spending a week Edmonton or Sunrise, Florida.

[Mike Ryan]

Where are you going?

[Roy Bellamy]

Well, in the summer, man, I'm not picking Florida. And, and quite frankly, walking around Edmonton with Messier is pretty cool. We didn't, we didn't wait in too many lines, right? Yeah. You can't bring Messier though. I mean it's just, you oh, do I have to bring pk? Can I just go alone? No, we. We. Hey, we had a. We had a great time at Edmonton. We had a blast. It's a small town slash city, but we had a great time. The people were really nice, really welcoming. And listen, if you love hockey, you'd love Edmonton too. I just. I can't take the heat, man. I bubble up here in Florida in the summer, so. Although I do go to Vegas in summer, so that's kind of the same thing.

[Stugotz]

Steve, early in the series it looked like you guys had a desk from ikea. I noticed that last night that desk disappeared. You had a nice lit up desk. It looked like a big desk was flown in for game seven. What happened there?

[Roy Bellamy]

So that's not true, but I appreciate you pointing that out. The desk that everyone was complaining about was only in Edmonton for the three games there. We couldn't get our proper desk through customs. No, it was the difference in the setup that we had. So here at Amaranth bank arena, which I still can't get used to saying, they gave us a great suite. We were in our own suite, therefore we had the desk. You could see we were standing behind it, lit up perfectly. And in Edmonton, we were not afforded that luxury of having a suite. We sort of had an area, if you will, which was like really right in the middle of the crowd and a ceiling right above us so we couldn't stand, so we had to sit in chairs. Therefore we had to get a different table. This is way too inside the television.

[Stugotz]

Well, but no people.

[Greg Cody]

The desk. The desk was controversial, was it not? It isn't. It is too inside television. But your desk was bothering people in Edmonton, was it not? It was a source of great controversy.

[Roy Bellamy]

No. And I even mentioned it. I say I'm taking the desk home with me at the end. People don't like it, but as one of our bosses said, listen, it's a good thing nobody's complaining about our content or what we're saying or ripping, you know, ripping our views or point of view. They're ripping the desk. So we seem to be okay with that.

[Mike Ryan]

You know, Steve, this is a parochial opinion, but I find the Panthers to be particularly likable team. And I'm wondering if you agree and. And. And mostly describe Paul Maurice to someone who's never met him or talked to him, because I think he's a breath of fresh air.

[Roy Bellamy]

I mean, he was a central figure in this whole thing for me and I said it last night in the pre game. You Know if you didn't care who won, you didn't have a really rooting interest. Paul Maurice is a guy you root for. He was a lifer. He had more losses than any coach in NHL history. Fired a bunch of times. He's had a rough road. And if this would have gone the other way last night, you know, and this was kind of a coin flip, it's a one goal game. This could have easily gone the other way. And if it had, you know, he would have been tagged with that label of the guy who can't win the big one. So I think you saw on the ice what it meant to him. He was talking to Emily, needed a break with the guy up, and he looked at the sky and closed his eyes. I thought that was really real. And so I'm a Maurice guy. I remember him back in Hartford, who's the youngest coach in the NHL at that point of the Whalers and Ray Ferraros in that picture to the left. Ray said he's going to frame that, but he was a guy I was rooting for, maybe more so than any player. Kyle Pozo is a great story too, those kinds of things. But I really feel like Maurice earned this. And yes, I think the Panthers are a likable club who doesn't like Matthew Tkachuk unless you got to play against him. And I get that. But Barkov, the way he carries himself, really, all the guys, even Lomborg and Cousins and those guys, like I could get behind. This could be my favorite team, you know, if I was a kid growing up watching this club. So I think likability off the charts and. And I'm so happy for Paul Maurice, right at the top of my list. How crushed was Messier last night? So interesting emotions there. So look, he's all in on the Oilers and how could he not be right? He's actually born and raised in Edmonton, let alone being the man there. Regrets. But then in the end, the Oilers leave the ice and I'm watching mess. And it's only a third year together, our second Cup. He got misty eyed, like he gets in the moment of whoever is winning the Cup. I think because he remembers how hard it is to do from his six Stanley Cups. And he was talking about the tentacles, in essence, of all the different people on the ice from your billet family, the trainers, the equipment guys, the support staff who work so hard, especially in hockey, for not a lot of glory and probably not a lot of money. And you see the families on the ice and what it means And Bill Zito, the gm, so emotional on so many occasions and so, so Mess gets like teary eyed. Mess is a really fascinating guy. He's a really thoughtful, introspective guy. Like he would put his, his stick through your teeth to win a hockey game when he played. But now in his, in his post playing career he's so thoughtful. I think he's an emotional guy as well and I think he was reliving it. He did it two years ago too when Tampa Bay won as well. And so it's interesting to sort of go through a Stanley Cup Final win with Mark Messier who's won six of them. So he knows.

[Greg Cody]

Can you give us some historical context on two of the following things here? One, how strange a series was it to have your champion outscored 18 to 5 or 197 in the last four games? And furthermore, where is another game anywhere in the history of the sport with the pressure that the Panthers had on them between you win the first title ever or it'll be the worst thing you ever know and people are going to be laughing at you throughout history.

[Roy Bellamy]

Yeah, no, it's, it's, it's all time. We opened the show last night saying this. You could make the argument this is the most significant single game in National Hockey League history. That's like a thing, that's hyperbole, but not necessarily when you break it down that, you know, Florida had never won, Canada had won in 31 years, the Oilers hadn't won in 34 years. Yes, you could complete the comeback or Florida and not carry around that label as the biggest choke job ever. I mean, you know, I mentioned Maurice, but every player on that Panther squad would wear that and, and now they don't have to. And Edmonton can walk away with their heads held high in that they battled back from down 30 and you know, could have just given up and been swept down. So this was my 30th Stanley Cup. I just talked to Barry Melrose who I missed dearly. And the first 28 were with Barry. He's often tired and doing his thing and, and so I've never seen anything like this and I'd like to think I have a feel for these series, but really after the third game I thought we, this was sweep city and I, I picked Florida in every game, five, six and seven to win. And I couldn't believe they didn't win in 5 and 6. And so here we go. And they get it done last night and that was the game they needed guys that we didn't have a one goal game in the whole series. That never happens in the Stanley Cup Final. So that's another rarity prior to last night. And, you know, Panthers hockey is winning 2 to 1, which was exactly the recipe for Leslie.

[Greg Cody]

So the tan came from golf?

[Roy Bellamy]

No, I don't, I don't. I don't golf, really. I just perspire. I get warm. It's really warm. I'm in the lobby of the hotel. Of course, the air conditioning is not working.

[Greg Cody]

Why were you so pink?

[Roy Bellamy]

You mean last night or right now?

[Greg Cody]

Just in general. Why just, in just, just the entire series?

[Roy Bellamy]

Well, some people are pointing to the makeup people, which we do wear makeup on television from time to time. My mom thinks I have really good skin and that's why I look 35. You would agree, right? Yes, 35.

[Greg Cody]

You haven't aged. It's bothersome. You have not aged. It's annoying.

[Roy Bellamy]

I get all the Botox stuff too. And come on, you guys know me a little bit. I'm the last guy to do any of that stuff. Come on. And so, yeah, I just, I perspire. I get, I overheat. Chris Berman is the only guy who likes the studio colder than I like it. And it makes, it makes everybody else nuts. Even Messi had a tough guy from Alberta. He complains the studio's too cold when I'm in there with him. Like Mark Messi from Alberta. How could it be too cold for you? So it's just a thing. It's my thing.

[Greg Cody]

Good seeing you. Excellent work, sir. It's always good seeing you've been doing excellent work for a long time.

[Roy Bellamy]

Thanks. Be well, guys. Thanks for having me. Thank you, Steve.

[Greg Cody]

Take care. Steve.

[Roy Bellamy]

You won the biggest game in the history of hockey. I mean, that's crazy that, like, the.

[Dan Le Batard]

Panthers won the game.

[Roy Bellamy]

USA Russia with like to have a word.

[Stugotz]

Look, as a small business, we don't get to clock out ever. We're always on nights, weekends, holidays. So when it came time to hire someone, we couldn't waste time. We needed help. Real help. Not Stugot's nose, a guy help. We used LinkedIn jobs. And we'll be honest, we didn't expect it to be that easy. We posted the job for free. LinkedIn basically held our hand and wrote the description for us. Next thing you know, candidates, qualified ones. Not resumes written in crayon. Real people who want to work. Imagine that. LinkedIn gives you all the tools, deep insights, easy filtering, one place to manage everything. We even threw the little hashtag hiring frame on our profile picture doubled the number of applicants. Now we're part of that 72% of small businesses that say LinkedIn helps them find high quality candidates. Post your job for free [e-mail] dls that's LinkedIn.com dls to post your job for free. Terms and conditions apply.

[Dan Le Batard]

Folks, the time has come for some new golf clubs. And that means one thing. Heading over to my local PXG store for a fitting. They make the best golf clubs, period. Roy, hockey season's almost over. You're going to be out of the barn and you're going to be out on the golf course with me. You need new clubs?

[Roy Bellamy]

Absolutely.

[Dan Le Batard]

You have your PXG fitting coming up soon. I did mine. I am telling you, it is the most efficient process. I went to the Fort Lauderdale location. They have them all over. It is efficient. You're in and out in an hour. You're swinging clubs, they're assessing you. Next thing you know, weeks later, boom. New clubs. Irons, woods, putters. I'm telling you, it's the whole nine yards. Is that a golf phrase? Whole nine yards?

[Stugotz]

That's a football phrase. No, that's like what you're chipping.

[Dan Le Batard]

It's the whole 10 foot putt. PXG does it better than anybody else. It's knocked four to five strokes off my game within the first month and it's just a game changer. PXG fitters are highly trained, incredibly experienced, and have a deep understanding of how to optimize your clubs to get the most out of your swing. Schedule your fitting today. And for a limited time, you can save up to 20% on your entire order. Guys, that's 20 off your entire order. Head over to pxg.com dan that's pxg.com dan to save up to 20% on your your entire order. Pxg.com dan restrictions apply. C site for details Howdy folks.

[Stugotz]

It's Mike Ryan. Now, if you've been listening to the show a lot lately, you've heard so much playoff talk. Playoff hoops. Down here in South Florida, we're especially enamored with playoff hockey. It's not just limited to the playoffs. Motorsports, tennis, golf. It's truly one of the best times in the sporting calendar. And with the weather outside warming up, it's just perfect to hop in a pool, maybe grill up some food, but most certainly crack open some Miller Lights. I just described a pretty perfect day, didn't I? And it culminates with Miller time. There's Something about a perfect grilling day. The sun's out, friends show up, and that first sip of Miller Lite just hits different I've been stocking up the cooler with it for years. This year, Miller Lite turns 50. That is five decades of cookouts, laughs, and ice cold moments that never miss. And if you've listened to the show for its 20 year existence, you know this to be true. Miller Lite Great Taste 96 calories Go to millerlight.com dan to find delivery options near you, or you can pick up some Miller Lite pretty much anywhere they sell beer. Cheers to 50 years of Miller time. Celebrate responsibly. Miller Brewing Co. Milwaukee, Wisconsin 96 calories and 3.2 carbs per 12 ounces.