The Hockey Show: BACK-TO-BACK STANLEY CUP CHAMPIONS

Summary

Summary of "The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz" Episode: The Hockey Show: BACK-TO-BACK STANLEY CUP CHAMPIONS

Release Date: June 20, 2025

Hosts: Dan Le Batard, Stugotz

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1. Celebrating the Florida Panthers' Historic Achievement

The episode kicks off with overwhelming excitement as the hosts and guests congratulate the Florida Panthers for clinching back-to-back Stanley Cup championships. The conversation highlights the significance of this achievement, marking the Panthers as a formidable force in the NHL.

• David Druk (02:03): “The Florida Panthers are Stanley Cup champions. For the second year in a row, they beat Edmonton again.”

• Host 1 (02:04): “Congrats to you.”

This initial segment sets the tone for a jubilant discussion, emphasizing the Panthers' consistent performance and dominance in the league.

2. Analyzing Game 6: Decisive Moments and Key Performances

A substantial portion of the episode delves into Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals. The hosts dissect pivotal moments, player performances, and strategic decisions that led to the Panthers' victory.

• David Druk (05:02): “Speaking of how much of a family that this team is and the type of culture that this team has. I want to play a video of Paul Maurice because at the end of the game, he rewarded the fourth line of Thomas Nosek, A.J. Greer, and Jonah Gadjevich.”

This segment showcases the Panthers' depth and teamwork, highlighting Coach Paul Maurice's gesture in recognizing the contributions of key role players.

3. Highlighting Team Culture and Leadership

The discussion transitions to the Panthers' exceptional team culture, emphasizing the leadership and camaraderie that underpin their success.

• Host 1 (08:14): “My win of the week goes to the Panthers leadership because after they won the Stanley Cup, when the cup had been awarded, Sasha Barkov lifts it, brings it over, the team comes together...”

The hosts commend the selflessness and unity within the team, attributing their back-to-back championships to these core values.

4. Contract Strategies and Future Prospects

A critical analysis of the Panthers' contract strategies unfolds, focusing on General Manager Bill Zito's approach to building a sustainable winning team.

• Host 1 (20:01): “All right, so the contracts that Bill Zito signed, a lot of team-friendly deals...”

• Cuervo (22:04): “Bill Zito is the best GM in hockey, obviously. And Sonny Maa is the best assistant GM in hockey.”

The conversation underscores the importance of team-friendly contracts, which provide financial flexibility and foster long-term stability.

5. Off-Season Moves and Trade Speculations

The hosts engage in speculative discussions about potential off-season trades and acquisitions, contemplating the Panthers' strategies to maintain their championship momentum.

• Cuervo (33:32): “He did the thank you, Boston thing, and he's like, damn, that burns a bridge in free agency.”

• Host 1 (34:49): “The sacrifice to Jeremy Swayman after getting rid of Linus Omark. They're losing that too.”

These insights reveal the intricacies of team management and the delicate balance between retaining talent and making strategic trades.

6. Player Interviews: Voices of the Champions

The episode features exclusive post-victory interviews with key Panthers players, offering personal reflections on their journey and the team's accomplishments.

• Bill Zito (GM) (42:39): “Humbled. Honored to be part of a group of guys and the coaches and players, our whole staff. Just wonderful people.”

• Nico Mikola (Player) (45:59): “It's a dream come true. That's what I'm thinking about. I'm thinking about how special, you know, my family here seeing me in this situation.”

• Roberto Larongo (Player) (47:37): “Thinking of coming on full time next year on the drum. So 41 in home games and playoffs. So we'll see how it goes.”

These candid moments provide an intimate glimpse into the players' emotions and the collective spirit that drove the Panthers to consecutive championships.

7. Team Strategy and Defensive Prowess

The analysis continues with a focus on the Panthers' defensive strategies that effectively neutralized formidable opponents like the Edmonton Oilers.

• Roberto Larongo (48:34): “I think that's how we play. We just suffocate teams. With our gap, with our speed and with our depth, man, it was just...”

This discussion highlights the tactical brilliance and disciplined approach that have become hallmarks of the Panthers' gameplay.

8. Humorous Banter and Behind-the-Scenes Antics

In line with the show's signature humor, the hosts engage in lighthearted banter about technical glitches, personal anecdotes, and playful teasing, adding a relatable and entertaining dimension to the episode.

• Rosie (07:13): “Okay.”

• Cuervo (30:00): “Look, I'm a Cody Rose. If there's anything that you should know about me, I'm a Cody guy.”

These moments of levity balance the in-depth sports analysis, showcasing the hosts' camaraderie and personalities.

9. Looking Ahead: Future Seasons and Team Aspirations

Concluding the episode, the conversation shifts to future aspirations and the Panthers' outlook for upcoming seasons, reflecting on the foundation they've built and the potential for continued success.

• Cuervo (24:05): “I do wonder though, does he give them, does he like it so much in Florida now that he lets the Panthers sign him...”

• Host 1 (48:10): “Just how crazy is it? Just a year ago we were standing here kind of amazed that the Panthers won their first Stanley Cup. Now a year later, this team looks like they're unstoppable.”

The hosts express optimism about the Panthers' trajectory, anticipating sustained excellence and new milestones.

Notable Quotes

• David Druk (02:03): “The Florida Panthers are Stanley Cup champions. For the second year in a row, they beat Edmonton again.”

• Host 1 (08:14): “My win of the week goes to the Panthers leadership because after they won the Stanley Cup...”

• Bill Zito (42:39): “Humbled. Honored to be part of a group of guys and the coaches and players, our whole staff. Just wonderful people.”

• Nico Mikola (45:59): “It's a dream come true. That's what I'm thinking about.”

• Roberto Larongo (47:37): “Thinking of coming on full time next year on the drum...”

Conclusion

This episode of The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz offers an engaging and comprehensive exploration of the Florida Panthers' remarkable achievement of winning back-to-back Stanley Cups. Through insightful analysis, heartfelt player interviews, and the hosts' characteristic humor, listeners gain a deep appreciation for the team’s strategic prowess, strong leadership, and cohesive culture that have propelled them to the pinnacle of hockey success.

For fans and those unfamiliar alike, this episode serves as an informative and entertaining celebration of a historic moment in sports.

Transcript

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[Host 1]

The rain's gonna continue.

[Rosie]

And now they're knocking on Dynasty's doorstep.

[Cuervo]

The Florida Panthers back to back Stanley champions.

[David Druk]

The Florida Panthers are Stanley cup champions. For the second year in a row, they beat Edmonton again. But this time, as I correctly predicted, they won in six games. I got that right. That's me.

[Host 1]

Congrats to you.

[David Druk]

Thank you very much. Because of me. Oh, yeah. But mostly to you and congratulations to all of us because we are not going back to Edmonton. Welcome.

[Host 1]

Right now.

[David Druk]

Yeah, yeah, we absolutely be at the.

[Host 1]

Morning state right now.

[Ethan]

Oh, my God. Could you imagine we'd be getting ready for a game seven. No, no, I don't want nerves. Oh, my God.

[David Druk]

I don't want. I'm actually waking up early to do this show on remote.

[Ethan]

So happy. I'm not nervous, anxious and miserable.

[David Druk]

Welcome to the hockey show. My name is Roy Bellamy. That's David Druk, that's Ethan, that's Rosie. They are in the shipping container. We have DJ Bean from what chaos coming up in a little bit. We're going to talk about the series and the aftermath of the Panthers winning the standard cup for a second year in a row. Now for those of you who are watching on dkn, you can watch that interview and the rest of the show on the Levittard and Friends YouTube page. Just click on the playlist tab and click on the hockey show playlist. All the episodes are there, so go ahead and check that out. Here's a reminder for everybody. We have merch on lef.com. we have shut down city shirts. But most importantly, we have jerseys. Jerseys with all names on it. So please buy it because.

[Ethan]

Wait, the Cup Final's over?

[David Druk]

Yes, it's over.

[Cuervo]

Who won?

[Rosie]

It's going until end of June because.

[David Druk]

As I was trying to say, Ethan, it. It's from until the end of June. Proceeds will go to a non profit that rescues dogs. It's called Rescue Paws. And for more information on Rescue Paws, you can log on to Rescue Paws fl.o r g now, fellas. Lady, I'm exhausted.

[Ethan]

Not as exhausted as me.

[David Druk]

Roy, why is everything about you?

[Ethan]

I. I never said it was about me. I. I just said I'm exhausted too. I. I feel your pain. You way more exhausted than you are.

[David Druk]

You went to 11 last night.

[Ethan]

I did.

[David Druk]

What was the scene?

[Ethan]

Unbelievable. One of the coolest things I've ever been a part of. I mean, it's just. Did you go last year about. No, that's the thing is, last year I didn't go. And it was the biggest regret of my life. And so this year I promised myself.

[Rosie]

How many of your right circumstances?

[David Druk]

Oh, yeah, you got.

[Ethan]

The boys were there.

[David Druk]

The boys are there.

[Ethan]

The circumstances are right.

[Cuervo]

If I could get in.

[Rosie]

How many other boys?

[Ethan]

About eight, I would say.

[Rosie]

It was Mike.

[Ethan]

Oh, it was.

[David Druk]

And none of the ladies, so. No ladies there. Yeah, except for the ones dancing.

[Ethan]

It was a whole. It was a whole lot of dudes in that place. But let me tell you, Sausage festival. When you get up in close and personal with the Florida Panthers, you see what they're talking about when they talk about this unit, this group, the camaraderie, the brotherhood that they have. It's. It's not, it's real. The team is so close. They love each other so much, and they just love hanging out with each other. And it was so cool to see and so cool to be a part of. And it feels like I really got to celebrate with the Florida Panthers. And it was one of the coolest things I've ever done.

[David Druk]

Speaking of how much of a family that this team is and the type of culture that this team has. I want to play a video of Paul Maurice because at the end of the game, he rewarded the fourth line of Thomas Nosek, A.J. greer and Jonah Gadjevich. The final shift of the season, they were out there pretty cool. Once the final horn hit, it was them on the ice going straight to Sergey Bobronski and then everybody else.

[Host 1]

Paul Maurice can't be that guy any more than he already is. He's on the bench in the middle of a Stanley cup championship moment. And he's having the presence of mind to put a sentimental line out there. Like that's. That's just so cool.

[David Druk]

Here's the sound of Paul Maurice telling the fourth line going on to the ice. This is yours. Go ahead.

[Cuervo]

I'm going to get you out there. I want you three guys on the ice for the last shift. So you throw your off when we win this because we're down two nothing against Toronto and you got us here. You get the last shift.

[Host 1]

I love it.

[Cuervo]

Markov knows has the last shift.

[David Druk]

That's awesome. I love it. That's awesome. He's selling the first line. Get off the ice to the fourth line.

[Host 1]

That's so cool. Like in the middle of saying this incredible sentimental message to his thumpers, his fourth line, his grinders, in the middle of that. He still has to coach. So he's talking to you, right? Barcode line. And then he goes right back into it because he's like, you guys are the reason we're here.

[David Druk]

Yeah. That's awesome.

[Host 1]

I love that. I love everything about that.

[Rosie]

They scream to the players. I don't think they can listen.

[Host 1]

They're listening for that on the bench. That's how they know who goes next is the coaches will yell the name of the center. Ben in line.

[Rosie]

God.

[Host 1]

Yeah. That's what they do.

[Rosie]

And they hear.

[Ethan]

Well, obviously line changing is so insane.

[David Druk]

Like it's amazing that there's not a lot more.

[Ethan]

Yes.

[David Druk]

To many men on the ice.

[Ethan]

It's insane.

[David Druk]

Even though it was too many men on the ice at the end of.

[Host 1]

The game, they know who they're responsible for. The center goes for the center. The wing, the left wing goes for the left wing. So if they jump off early, that's why.

[Cuervo]

Yeah.

[David Druk]

It's time probably for the last is going to blow maybe for the second to last time. Maybe the last time of the season. But it is time to go through what happened in Game 6. And to do that we go to Rose. It's time for Rosa Enuminuto. Take it away, Rosie.

[Cuervo]

Okay.

[David Druk]

Did you have music for that? You got me all the papers and everything.

[Host 1]

You told her she was gonna do it for dj?

[David Druk]

Yeah, I did.

[Rosie]

Yeah. Okay. So sorry. I was not ready.

[David Druk]

That's the case. We'll do it for dj. Turn it down. We'll do it for dj. Sorry about that, Rosie.

[Rosie]

You're making me at it.

[David Druk]

I don't remember Anything that I did for pre production, apparently because I am that tired so that it just doesn't make any sense. I apologize as my fault. Sorry about that. So since we're not gonna go to Rosa in U Minuto, because I am saying that right from now on, we're gonna go straight to wins and fails. Brought to you by Jagermeister. Jagermeister Server code or don't serve it at all. Jagermeister. Damn, that's code. For more, visit jagermeister.com Drink responsibly as Rosie is wiping sweat from her brow because she wasn't ready for that. Sorry about that. Anyway, David, go ahead. You'll win.

[Host 1]

Oh, God, I'm sorry, Rose. You look. You look so frustrated.

[David Druk]

Oh, my gosh.

[Rosie]

No, it's okay. I'm just trying to juggle.

[David Druk]

Juggle a whole bunch of stuff. Yeah, I know how I feel. Yeah.

[Rosie]

Go, go, go, go.

[Host 1]

Okay, my win of the week goes to the Panthers. Goes to the Panthers leadership because after they won the Stanley cup, when the cup had been awarded, Sasha Barkov lifts it, brings it over, the team comes together, an awesome moment, and then the next like 10 guys to raise the cup were all the guys that had never done it before. So it went from Barkov to Nate Schmidt to Seth Jones, Thomas nosek, Witek Vanicek, AJ Drear, Jesper BoQuest, Macky Samosevic, Uves Belinstis, Joseph Megna and Evan Cormier. They all got to lift the Stanley cup before anybody else on the team did. The team wanted to make sure that all the first timers got their experience before anybody else. And that's just as we continue talking about how amazing of a team this is and how great they are together. That is just another example of why they are such a selfless bunch and why they're back to back champions.

[David Druk]

Yeah, that was awesome. Especially seeing Nate Smith left in the cup because he had just missed out on Vegas winning their Stanley Cup. So yeah, that was great. Seeing Nate Smith getting the second. The second handoff on that one.

[Host 1]

Very well deserved.

[David Druk]

My one of the week comes from the no Kings protest. Surprising, isn't it? The no Kings protest in specifically in Los Angeles when this man walked around with his fellow defenders of the United States constitution wearing a Edmonton Oilers jersey while wearing a. While holding a sign that said does someone say eliminate the Kings? Now, as you remember, the Oilers were down two nil in the first round to the Los Angeles Kings before storming back to win the series and eventually winning the Western Conference in a very serious Time in America. It's very. It's very comforting to see that we can still be smart and funny while showing our patriotism, and we kind of need that nowadays considering what's going on in the world right now. So good on that guy, and hopefully, hopefully we'll get through what the hell we'll get into right now. Ethan, your win.

[Ethan]

My win of the week, also for the Panthers. This moment in the locker room, though, was really awesome. I love the troll here of Matthew Tkachuk standing on a table singing Pink Pony Club. The audio is really bad, so you won't be able to hear it, but can we roll the video so that you can just see Chucky smoking a cigar, looking as cool as ever with a bottle of champagne? Yeah.

[David Druk]

No.

[Ethan]

Pink Pony Club by Chapel Roan, which we all know was the Edmonton Oilers victory song. I can tell you that song was in the rotation last night at 11. Probably played about six or seven times while I was there. And I think even one time, Chucky was like, let's do this one more time for Edmonton. They love trolling this team. I. I don't think there's any love lost between these two teams.

[David Druk]

I really want to hear every single trip that these two teams had against each other, because it was downright hateful.

[Host 1]

Yeah, it'll come out over the next couple.

[Ethan]

Yeah, it was a. It was a nasty series, apparently, and there's no love lost between these teams. And I think the Panthers are going to have some fun with Pink Pony Club this summer, I can tell you that much.

[David Druk]

Yeah. Yeah. As much as I find that song annoying, play the hell out of that this summer. Rosie, go ahead. Your win.

[Rosie]

Okay. My win of the week is last night. They played Queen song, and everybody was in unison with the song, so we can play it. 1, 2, 3 are the champions, my.

[David Druk]

Friends.

[Rosie]

And we keep on fighting till the end.

[David Druk]

I think. I don't think we can play the rest of that.

[Rosie]

Exactly. So that's why I just put, like, 10 seconds.

[Host 1]

Do you guys realize that song was playing as we walked onto the ice the other night?

[David Druk]

Yes.

[Cuervo]

Yes.

[Host 1]

I thought that was cool.

[David Druk]

Yeah, I thought that was. That was great. Let's go to the fails of the week, David.

[Host 1]

My fail of the week goes to our boy, Brad Marchand. It's. It's. It's a fail wrapped within a win. But he was out in Fort Lauderdale with the rest of the team on Wednesday morning partying after they won the cup, and somebody snapped a picture of him. And in that picture, he was hold Smoking a cigar, drinking a coffee, drinking a spiked iced tea. And then he had a.

[Ethan]

Why is this a fail?

[Host 1]

No, it's just the combination of cigar, coffee, spiked tea, beer, like, I don't know, it just. To me it's very gross. But like I said, it's a fail wrapped in a win because he's only doing that because he's a Stanley cup champion. But I don't know, that seemed kind of gross to me. Maybe.

[David Druk]

Yeah, it's a bad combination.

[Host 1]

Maybe that's good for Ethan in the morning, but for me, I'm.

[Ethan]

I mean, let the guy celebrate. Dude, look at him. He's having a time. Having an absolute time. That's some combination there. The cigar at 8:30 in the morning, 9:00 in the morning is pretty gross.

[Host 1]

Combining it with like a fresh coffee and spiked ice. Just that, that whole combination, to me, it's like I'm. Yeah.

[David Druk]

The fellow week for me happened in the Calder Cup Final as the Charlotte Checkers face the Abbotsville Canucks. They're fighting for the right to be the champions of the American Hockey League. It is a responsibility for an official to make sure that the go. That the goaltender is set and ready before dropping the puck. It's also the responsibility for the center who's taking the defensive face off to make sure his goaltender is set and ready. And that did not happen because what happened here was off the face off in double overtime in Game 1, the Checkers scored and they scored because the goaltender was taking a sip of water and was not ready. Now they reviewed it and the referees signing that the go. The goaltender was not ready. Yeah, had to redo the face off. The goal did not count. And then five minutes later, Abbotsford went down the score and they won game one.

[Host 1]

Wait, did he not even. Did the guy win the face off into his own net? Is that what happened? I've seen the replay a few times, but I was actually watching the goalie. Yeah, like he won the face off into his own net. That was like a triple fail.

[David Druk]

Abbotsford beat Charlotte last night to go up 31 in their series. Now keep in mind, the Checkers are the Panthers AHL affiliate. There hasn't been a Stanley cup champion and its AHL affiliate that won in the same year since 1995 when the doubles did it as well as the Albany River Rats. So, yeah, I don't think that's gonna happen this year.

[Host 1]

You never know.

[David Druk]

All right, so coming up next, DJ Bean of what chaos is coming up next? We're going to talk about the Series and what happened afterwards. That's coming up next here on the hockey show.

[Cuervo]

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 Stewgott's nose.

[Host 2]

A guy help.

[Cuervo]

We use LinkedIn jobs. And we'll be honest, we. 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 [e-mail] dls that's LinkedIn.com dls to post your job for free. Terms and conditions apply.

[David Druk]

We have DJ Bean from what chaos joining us. He is the co host with Pete Blackburn. Pete Blackburn is currently golfing. So here we go. We are going to go over Game 6 and we're gonna do it like this. We are going to go to Rosie for Rosa in un minuto. Rosie, take it away.

[Rosie]

Okay, let me know if you understand, guys. So here we go. Yeah, so this is Rose. In a minute. Champions.

[David Druk]

Boy, don't you do that. All right, I love it.

[Cuervo]

Before we get to.

[David Druk]

Before we get to dj, we are going to go over game six in English. Is Rose in first?

[Rosie]

First, first.

[David Druk]

Go ahead.

[Rosie]

Do you understand anything that I said?

[Cuervo]

That was French, correct?

[Host 1]

Oh my God.

[Rosie]

I love that.

[Cuervo]

I love that.

[Rosie]

I love it.

[Ethan]

I heard of Maurice Rashard at one.

[Cuervo]

Point in there, but no, my French not so good. I think I heard maybe like a vec was in there, but I didn't. No, I'm. I'm more Spanish. That's more my speech.

[Rosie]

So that was Spanish.

[David Druk]

That was Spanish. Now it's time for English.

[Cuervo]

Rosie.

[Rosie]

Okay, now you're gonna understand maybe. Or maybe not.

[David Druk]

Maybe not. Or maybe.

[Rosie]

Okay, let's do this again. Hello, children. Sunny is staying home. The Florida Panther officially back to back Stanley champions winning the final six games over the Edmonton Oilers and sailing the sunrise with a dominant 51 win. Sam Reinhardt wear full beast mode. Four goals in game six. Yes, four. Here's the first player to do that in the finalist Since Maurice Richard 1957 and yeah, I don't care. Finally I learned how to say Leon Drais title but this time Randon heard me screaming his name. Matthew Kochuk, the soul of the team scored the cup clinching goal seven took home the Cunts Smith trophy as playoffs of with 15 goals, the most by a player and Brad Merchant, a mid season addition dropped six goals in the series alone. Madness. Brasky shut down the door again. 28 saves finishing off the series dominions from start to finish a few numbers. Florida led the scoreboard more than any team in a cup final ever. 235 total minutes ahead. And there was a third straight final and their second straight cop. Oh, and Canada still waiting since 1993. I don't know if I have that right.

[David Druk]

That is correct.

[Rosie]

Barkov lifted a cop and said it to Nate Smitsch, a first time champ. And the rest was all hats, rats, tears and champagne. This was one meter with rose, the season final fog, passion and a whole lot of chaos. Back to back champions, baby.

[David Druk]

That is the same music that they played at 11.

[Ethan]

I was just gonna say I felt like I'm back at 11 with that music. I love it.

[David Druk]

Yeah. The Panthers celebrated with the fans at 11 last night and it seemed like they are running the exact, exact same celebration sequence that they did last season. And Sam Bennett made a bit of news because he got on stage and he said this. Roll the video please.

[Ethan]

I, I don't have much to say.

[Host 1]

But I, I do have one thing to say.

[David Druk]

Come on, let's go.

[Cuervo]

I ain't leaving. Yeah.

[David Druk]

So no name on the contract yet. By the way, Aaron Ekblatt looks like he's not going to. He might not return to Florida and that's going to probably give the Panthers a chance to resign. Brad Marchand, Dave, let's go over the contracts that the Panthers have right now on hand and what they might be doing. What you have over there.

[Host 1]

All right, so the contracts that Bill Zito signed, a lot of team friendly deals. You got Barkov, Tachuk, Reinhardt, Verheigi forsling. The interesting thing about all these contracts is A, as I said, team friendly term B, they're all signing bonus. Everybody gets their money. July 11 million base salary. That means if there anything that happens during the season, if anything stops payments, if there's any, you know, like a lockout or any kind of crap like that, anything that might mess with their money, all these players getting paid right off, it's just a nice little incentive that Zito throws into all of his contracts to, to, you know, he's a very player friendly guy. He was an agent. He's been around.

[David Druk]

Yeah.

[Host 1]

So it's just yet another reason why guys would like signing contracts with the Panthers.

[David Druk]

So a majority of the corps is already locked up. It seems like they're going to end up locking up somebody who's very much going to be.

[Host 1]

All those guys mentioned are signed at least through 2030. Most beyond.

[David Druk]

Yeah. And just based on this season that just transpired, D.J. tell me what excuse that the league is going or whoever votes on the Jim Gregory Award will come up with for denying Bill Zito from finally winning GM of the year.

[Cuervo]

Well, I mean, if you guys could get off your piles of money from living in a no income tax state, you would clear all the extra money that you have out of your ears. You would understand that Bill Zito actually doesn't do much. It's really just that they don't have to pay income taxes. And that's that.

[Host 1]

Oh, that's. That's the long and the short of it.

[David Druk]

I get that.

[Cuervo]

Typical. Just to typical rich Florida people, this is how.

[David Druk]

Look, I'm not rich.

[Cuervo]

This is how you, you live in. If you live in Florida, you automatically get way more money than you would get anywhere else, and you're automatically rich.

[Host 1]

Cost so much to live down here. Yeah.

[David Druk]

Yeah.

[Host 1]

That's why a townhouse costs 1.2 million. Okay.

[David Druk]

Yeah. Two Americas on that one, by the way. Yeah. Yes.

[Cuervo]

Well, you know, this is how the other 41 states live. Okay. I'm over here sweating. It's just a tough time. No, Bill Zito is the best GM in hockey, obviously. And Sonny Maa is the best assistant GM in hockey.

Yeah.

And I, I saw something yesterday that was saying, like, man, Gregory Campbell, whom I love, should be getting sniffs as a general manager. And I'm like, Sonny Ma should be getting sniffs as a general manager. Jeff Merrick's been on the show with us a bunch, and he says that they don't do anything without that guy's blessing. Without that guy's. Okay. And everything they do works. When's the last signing or addition they made or pick up where you're like, what are they doing there?

[David Druk]

So, Robert Hag.

[Cuervo]

Yeah. It's a smart operation. It's also when the team is good, Florida is a very attractive place to play. It's just when they stink, it's a. Respectfully, it's a wasteland. I've seen what it's been like when the teams weren't good. And you both, all of you have definitely seen what it is when the team isn't good, it's just kind of a. There's just kind of nothing going on. And yeah, games will occasionally draw, but not really. Sometimes you're getting more fans from the other team and that's not as fun. But when the team is good, what's not to like? You don't have a ton of media pressure. The weather is beautiful. You're. Yes, there is the tax benefit, which I think is both overstated and understated at the same time. Because it is a benefit. It's not the only thing. It's not a huge deal. But when Bettman comes out and says, oh, this is ridiculous, it has no factor, like, that's a lie. So there are so many reasons why this team is good, but ultimately the biggest one might be that they've got a hell of a GM and Bill Zito.

[Host 1]

Fun fact, Sunny Meta also do not play poker with that man. He will take your money.

[David Druk]

That man is a numbers guy. He knows what's going on over there. What do you think about the. The big, I guess I can say the big three, a free agent situation? It seems like Sam Ben is going to sign. It seems like.

[Host 1]

He's not bleeping leaving.

[David Druk]

He's not. He's not bleeping leaving.

[Cuervo]

No.

[David Druk]

You're absolutely right about that. From the horse's mouth on that one, it seems like Aaron Eckblad is going to leave and we don't know about Brad Marchand as of yet. What do you think is going to happen?

[Cuervo]

Well, Brad Marchand, I don't know if he's going to be with us by the time July 1, Dairy Queen right.

[Host 1]

Now as we speak.

[David Druk]

It's going to be a diabetic.

[Cuervo]

Yes, he's going to be diabetic. I mean, Lord help the guy if he's got any sort of lactose issue. He can get a. A, you can get a Dairy Queen deal and a lactate deal. Nothing but the best for the absolute legend Brad Marchand. I've gone back and forth with this because I the, the Panthers aren't a dynasty, but they can become one. And the way typically to do that is to make a lot of hard decisions and say goodbye to a lot of good players and keep flexibility and always make sure that you can keep adding guys at the bargains. You have to this point. So many of Florida's pickups have not been, oh, man, they paid through the nose to get that guy. It's been, they've had the space, they found someone who was undervalued or underperforming somewhere else, bring them in and then get something great out of them. Obviously, Gustav Forzing is the biggest example of that. If you're always right up against the cap, there are only so many PED suspensions and Matthew Tkachuk injuries that will let you duct tape it together. So I've preached keep cap flexibility. I've preached sign Bennett and obviously don't sign Ekblad. I think he's going to get a bad contract. Respectfully and tough decision, but don't sign Brad Marchand. But as the series went on, I'm like, they've got one pick in the first three rounds the next two years, they've got no first round picks the next three years, they don't have a prospect pool. So do you just run this into the ground? Do you just sign everybody? Zito said after the game, after Game 6 that he could sign everybody. I actually think that signing everybody isn't too unattractive or at the very least signing both Bennett and Marshand. For Marshawn though, he should want top dollar. And he's not getting that in Florida. I do wonder though, does he give them, does he like it so much in Florida now that he lets the Panthers sign him for what he was going to offer the Bruins, which was something like three times seven, which at this point is a massive discount from what somebody else would give him because I think he can get four times eight.

[Host 1]

Well, and to follow on your thought, like the last deal that he's coming off of, the one he just signed In Boston, an eight year deal, he was only getting like 6.1 million from that. So he might be a little more inclined to get a little bit of a payday.

[Ethan]

Just based off what I saw last night, he doesn't look like a guy that's going anywhere.

[David Druk]

Oh boy.

[Cuervo]

He loves it here, man.

[Ethan]

He loves it.

[Host 2]

Yeah.

[David Druk]

Brad Marchand currently, as we speak, is at a Dairy Queen near in Sunrise serving blizzards the flavor currently. And they renamed it Chocolate Chocolate Chirp Cookie Dough. What do you think about that name?

[Cuervo]

Oh, I like that. You know, some of you are probably confused. Chirp is. They say that when someone's like talking trash, that's what that means.

[David Druk]

Yeah. Yeah, that's exactly.

[Cuervo]

Yeah.

[David Druk]

Mike Ryan's been saying that entirely too many times over the past few months. Ethan, go ahead.

[Ethan]

D.J. you are an Oilers fan, so I understand if this is a disappointing time for you. I was listening to your guys episode yesterday, kind of breaking down where the Oilers go from here. Now, you guys were on, I believe, before the McDavid press conference, so I want to play this clip for you and, and, and the audience, and then I want to get your reaction to what he said yesterday.

[David Druk]

Absolutely.

[Cuervo]

Yeah, absolutely. This corps has been together for a long time, and we've been building to this moment, you know, all along. The work that's gone on behind the scenes, the conversations, the endless, you know, disappointments and, you know, some good times along the way, obviously, as well. Yeah, we're. We're all in this together trying to get it over that finish line. With that being said, ultimately.

[David Druk]

Oh.

[Cuervo]

Still need to do what's best for me and my family and, and, you know, that's who you have to take care of first. But of course, there's unfinished business this year.

[David Druk]

Yeah, that's. That's. That's not good, man.

[Cuervo]

That.

[Ethan]

With what being. With that being said is going to be the three herds heard round Edmonton, isn't it, DJ?

[Cuervo]

Yeah, I'm not crazy about that. Conor McDavid is usually a man. A few words. I wish he remained one yesterday. I wish that he. Why do you got to shoot his mouth off? Everyone says, why doesn't Connor, David Connor McDavid, put his personality out there? Why doesn't he. Why doesn't he say something? Connor McDavid, shut the up.

Like.

[Rosie]

Do you think that's why Pete is not here? Because he now knows that what Greg Cody said was a little bit kind of true.

[Cuervo]

Look, I'm a Cody Rose. If there's anything that you should know about me, I'm a Cody guy. I love a good columnist. I love someone putting it out there. And Cody's column showed why we need columnists, because Greg Cody wrote a column. I said, hey, you see the Cody column? Pete said, I hate that guy. That column made me so mad that I hate a person. Billy said, I don't know who Pete Blackburn is, but I hate him. What's this guy's problem? He talked trash about my podcast, which I didn't do anything to Billy, and just everybody melts down. This is why we need colonists lists. This is why we need. There is, like, 13 different shows that got content out of Greg Cody writing, like, three paragraphs. So God bless.

[Rosie]

Is that why Pitt is not here right now?

[Cuervo]

No.

[Host 1]

Pete's golfing, which is convenient.

[Cuervo]

Yes. And obviously they're golfing. Has, like, a negative connotation with hockey, even though that's what everybody does. In the summer.

[Host 1]

That's an appropriate way for him to be spending his first days of his off season. I think that's a very hockey decision now that, you know, thinking about it.

[Ethan]

He may have also been afraid of the. Of the Sorry, tj. My bad.

[Cuervo]

Oh, no, go ahead.

[Ethan]

Of the thank you, Boston chance that Brad Marchand was participating in. He might have been afraid of those.

[Cuervo]

Oh, yeah, no, no. We got those on our show. Sean broke in, goaded producer, and was like, hey, I got something for you. Pete was not happy about it. He wanted to change the subject. We didn't let him. He had a very hard time. I do want to say for Brad Marchand, though, because I know Brad Marchand. He and I go way back. I've seen. So I. I've seen his maneuvers. He's a brilliant, brilliant man. But I think even my dumbass can pick up on a couple of them. So he does the thank you, Boston chance, and everyone's like, o, thank you, Boston man. He's really going for it. And then I'm sure you all saw the Instagram story yesterday where he's doing thank you, Blackhawks with Seth Jones. He's doing thank you, everybody, with Gustav Forsling, and he's doing that. And everyone's like, oh, man. Brad Marchon isn't holding anything back. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. This is what he's doing. He did the thank you, Boston thing, and he's like, damn, that burns a bridge in free agency. I gotta be careful with this. So what I'm going to do is I'm going to do this to every team. So it's just one thing that I did on a drunken day, and whatever we were drinking, that's that if he only did it to a couple of teams, those teams are going to say, well, fu. Brad Marshawn. Now they're like, now it's almost like a badge of honor when he does, like, the blue jackets are getting it. They're like, ooh, us. So that's what he's doing.

[Host 1]

So what if he was at the club last night requesting dirty water? Where. Where would that have stood with you?

[Cuervo]

I don't know. Like, I think that Brad Marchand has every right. I don't think that he's like, f Boston. I think that he's having a little fun with it. And nobody likes trash talking like that guy. It's why he famously names his blizzards after chirping, which, again, is just. That's like, when you're just, like, kind of dishing it out on the ice. They'll say, hey, bro, don't chirp me. That's that kind of thing. Just a little hockey lexicon for the listeners of the hockey show so we can fill everybody in. I don't think that he's mad at Boston, but I think he's like, hey, you kind of effed around and you found out like I. Everyone agrees now I was offering you a bargain and kind of who do you think you are? Because you don't really have good players. You're willing to say goodbye to your captain over a few million dollars. Not great, boys, but all's well that ends well. I, I issued Don Sweeney a massive apology because everyone crapped on him. Don Sweeney saved Brad Marshawn from himself because Brad Marshawn was going to come back for three times seven. And we wouldn't have known about any of this. We wouldn't have seen any of this. I would be a happier person because the Edmonton Oilers would probably be Stanley cup champions. Not because they would beat the Florida Panthers, because maybe they would beat the Toronto Maple Leafs or something.

[David Druk]

Come on, man. Speaking of the Boston Bruins, ump brought up a hypothetical trade between the Oilers and the Bruins. And this hypothetical is the Oilers train trading Evan Bouchard, who's an RFA right now, and Stuart Skinner to the Bruins for Jeremy Swayman. Mason Lori and a 2026 first round draft pick that they gap from Toronto in the actual Brandon Carlo trade. Why?

[Host 1]

Why, why does Boston.

[Ethan]

Because. Why not wait?

[Cuervo]

Why would who wait? That's important.

[Host 1]

Why would Boston.

[David Druk]

Why would Boston do.

[Host 1]

I know why Edmonton would do that. Why would Boston do that?

[Cuervo]

To get the best player in the deal. And they didn't want to send Jeremy Swayman to that. Oh, look, look, this is fair. You should think Evan Bouchard stinks. And Evan Bouchard does stink defensively, but he was actually very good defensively this postseason. Just the Florida Panthers break teams and he was the worst player on the ice in game six. I'm so mad at him. And he's an infuriating player and Bruins fans would absolutely despise him. But he's Bobby or I. What did Pete say he was? He's Kale Makar and he's. If Kale Makar and Rasmus Ristallinen had a baby, which is not the greatest baby, but God, is that be good with the puck. Yeah, he's Bobby. Or if Bobby Orr also sucked at hockey, but he is the best player in that trade.

[David Druk]

But the sacrificing the, the Jeremy Swayman.

[Host 1]

I have such goalie bias.

[David Druk]

The sacrifice to Jeremy Swayman after getting rid of Linus Omark. They're getting rid of both of the number one goaltenders in the past two seasons just to get Stuart Skinner and apparently Bobby Orr and, and a first round draft pick by the way. They're losing that too.

[Cuervo]

Yeah. So here's the thing. The Bruins didn't want to sign Jeremy Swayman to that contract and I think that contract is going to age well. But if you remember, there was a really lengthy and public negotiation.

[Host 1]

Oh yeah.

[Cuervo]

In which Cam Neely and Jeremy Swayman were taking shots at each other in the media. I don't know if you folks know Jeremy Swayman. He is the sweetest human being to ever be born. And the Bruins have jerked him around contractually over the last couple of years. He would have signed a team friendly long term deal a couple or last not a couple of summers ago and they didn't sign him. They went to arbitration. Swayman didn't forget about it. He went out and had a good season. And then he said, okay, well I'm gonna shove it up there. You know what? Because if it's just business on their end, it's just business on my end. The relationship was not good. Jeremy Swayman then had a bad season. I think that Jeremy Swayman is going to bounce back and I think that Jeremy Swayman is a top goaltender in the NHL. But people in Boston are mad and they are mad about Jeremy Swayman. Bruins fans have turned on him, which I think is really short sighted on their part. But we're all people. It's a free country. Think what you want. I the this trade proposal was inspired by my dear friend Mike Felger. On his show, his takeaway from the Stanley cup final was oilers lost because of goaltending. Can we dump Jeremy Swayman on them? And I think that's wrong for a lot of reasons because the Oilers did not lose because of goaltending. Oilers lost because the Florida Panthers were a lot better than them. But yes, that's where it came from. I do love though, I I that hypothetical was someone tweeted a trade proposal at me and it involved Swayman and Bouchard. But I thought it was a little wonky so I swooped it up, I edited it and I made it that offer, which I think would be the more equal offer. The reason I know it's a good offer is because both side fans of the Bruins and the Oilers were both so, so mad about it. Man, which means that it's not, it's not, it's not lopsided in either team's direction.

[Ethan]

This is what the offseason is all about. Hypothetical. This is why we love the offseason.

[Cuervo]

And I'll say, I'm not saying this is going to happen, but I've got a thing with. It frustrates me where a lot of hockey people, until something actually happens, they think it's impossible and it doesn't make any sense. And we had this issue last year where on our show I was like, if I'm a team that's got designs on making a playoff run, I'm calling on Seth Jones. And everybody was like, seth Jones is there. That's the worst contract. No one's getting traced and nobody. And then Seth Jones gets traded to the Florida Panthers and everyone's like, oh, damn. Now the Florida Panthers have seth Jones.

[Host 1]

For 7 million a year.

[Cuervo]

I'm just saying, a little open mindedness, you're gonna come up with some ideas that do happen. They're going to come up with some ideas that don't happen. But being closed minded gets you nowhere in life.

[David Druk]

Rosie is turning my mic off. That's a sign saying that we have to wrap.

[Rosie]

I did, my mistake. I'm sorry.

[Host 1]

I see Roy talking and I see his mic off and I don't hear any. I'm like, what's happening? And Rose's face went white.

[Rosie]

So sorry. It was my fault. No, I didn't go white.

[David Druk]

She's already white. Well, she's pale.

[Rosie]

No, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I'm trying to produce here.

[David Druk]

Yeah, you producer might turn away, Michael.

[Cuervo]

I'm trying to hire Rose, by the way.

[David Druk]

Oh, oh, you guys.

[Host 1]

Oh, no, Rose is not a free agent. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.

[David Druk]

She's all Jeremy Sweetman.

[Rosie]

I may be a free agent. Boys, you're ready.

[Cuervo]

So here, here's the issue though. I think that we would have to move our show to Florida so we can because of the taxes. That's like anything that we offer is going to be like, they're just going to match and then I'm going to make $10 million because if you live in Florida because of no income tax, you automatically are a multimillionaire. So that's how I believe that.

[Rosie]

I wish, I wish it worked like that. But wait, wait, where are you based? Maybe I move.

[Host 1]

Oh, Rose is moving to Boston.

[David Druk]

So Sean is basically your Linus Omar. Basically you're just gonna cast him off.

[Ethan]

Can we can we Sean in a first round pick for Rose.

[Cuervo]

No.

[Host 1]

If you're taking Rose, you got to take Ethan, too. This is a package deal.

[Rosie]

Oh, no.

[David Druk]

Yeah.

[Rosie]

No, no, no.

[Cuervo]

My dream is to have what you guys have, which is like 41 producers every. Every Meadowlark thing I've ever seen. There's 19 people sitting around everything that Pete and I do. Pete and I finish the show, and then we get to work on editing and Photoshops and, like, the grind doesn't stop. I want what you guys have, which is like 21 people just chilling. You all have mics, too, which I love.

[Host 1]

We've earned.

[David Druk]

Because Jason doesn't have a mic back there.

[Rosie]

No, but dj, don't.

[Host 2]

Don't do it.

[Rosie]

Don't let them fool you, because, yeah, they. They don't do anything. But I have to do thumbnail. I have to edit.

[Cuervo]

They don't do anything.

[Rosie]

I do have to do a lot of things.

[David Druk]

I'm formatting the show. What are you talking about? I'm the EP of the show.

[Ethan]

You're formatting the show, and then you're putting the certain things in the wrong segment.

[David Druk]

Oh, yeah, that's true.

[Rosie]

This is.

[David Druk]

It's been a bad day today.

[Cuervo]

Yeah.

[Rosie]

But thank you very much. I'm just saying bye for myself because if not, I'm gonna keep talking.

[David Druk]

DJ Bean of what practice.

[Cuervo]

We.

[David Druk]

We're.

[Cuervo]

We're gonna, like, add basketball to our show or something. What, so Meadowlark will buy us? Just so we can have 30 people? We gotta mean more people.

[David Druk]

Hassan, already. That's oddball.

[Host 1]

No, we're gonna have multiple hockey podcasts. That's what's gonna happen. It's a hockey show. We're gonna.

[David Druk]

We got missing curfew.

[Cuervo]

No, he can come. He can. No, no, no, no. He can come.

[Host 1]

Yeah.

[Ethan]

He just said he wants all of the people.

[Cuervo]

Just everybody else.

[Ethan]

Mally on what? Chaos Taylor's coming in.

[David Druk]

Oh, big happy family.

[Cuervo]

Get us like Lucy Rhoden. Get like we're taking. I apologize.

[David Druk]

Dj. Being of what chaos. Dj. Thank you. We love you, brother. Thank you for joining us.

[Cuervo]

Appreciate you.

[David Druk]

All right, coming up next, we did some interviews with the players on the ice following Game 6 when the Panthers defeated the all this for the second consecutive Stanley Cup. We'll get to those interviews coming up next.

[Host 2]

I've mentioned it before on the show, but, guys, I don't really get enough sleep generally. And so when I do get sleep, I want to make sure I'm getting great sleep. And do you ever, like, me wake up tired and think maybe it's not me, maybe it's the bed. Yeah, it probably is the bed. That's why there's the Sleep Number Smart Bed. The bed that learns you. It adjusts your movements, supports your body and lets you pick the firmness on each side. No arguments, no flipping a coin. No sleeping on the edge of the bed like you lost a challenge on survivor. Sleep number's been working with the NFL since 2018. 80% of NFL players sleep on one of these beds. If it's good enough for a 300 pound lineman trying to recover from Sunday, it's probably good enough for your weird shoulder cramp from scrolling in bed for three hours. Why choose a Sleep number Smart Bed so you can choose your ideal comfort on either side. The only bed that lets you make each side firmer or softer whenever you like your Sleep Number setting and now it's the Sleep Number 4th of July Sale. Save over $600 on the Sleep Number P5 King Smart Bed the lowest price of the season. Limited time. Exclusively at a Sleep Number store near you. See store or sleepnumber.com for details.

[Host 1]

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[Host 2]

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[Host 1]

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[David Druk]

Warning.

[Host 1]

This product contains nicotine.

[Cuervo]

Nicotine is an addictive chemical.

[David Druk]

We're here with general manager Bill Zito and incept September 2020 you signed on to be the general manager of Florida Panthers and you built a jugging up. Why don't you tell us how you feel right now?

[Cuervo]

Humbled. Honored to be part of a group of guys and the coaches and players, our whole staff. Just wonderful people. Truly team first individuals. And you see what happens when it's a team.

[Host 1]

Everything that you just mentioned is a big part of what people talk about with the Panthers. Not just the skill on the ice, but what a great group you put together. How much pride do you take in knowing that you didn't just create a great hockey team, but you brought together a great group of people and look at what they're accomplishing.

[Cuervo]

It's not pride, I think, so much as appreciation. You know when you start with Sasha and you have Bob and you have Eckie and then Matthew comes in and like you can't make them who they are and each person is more gracious than the next, it's a gift. And so. So I think it's appreciation more than pride.

[David Druk]

The contracts you are able to sign these players to as, like, team friendly, all of them. How much?

[Cuervo]

Ask them. It's hard, right? You gotta come in, you gotta live in Las Olas. You gotta have a great big house. You gotta make a lot of money. Might have to play with Barkov. Yeah. It sucks, right? Who would want to do that?

[David Druk]

Well, how much?

[Cuervo]

But seriously. No, I think guys are committed. I think they're committed as much to each other as they are. They want to win.

[Host 1]

Bill, where are you going to take the Cup? I know you're going to take it on a boat somewhere. You go fishing somewhere, but what's the charter going to be?

[Cuervo]

I'm. I'm going to go.

I don't know.

I don't know what I'm doing for breakfast, but thank you for asking.

[David Druk]

Congratulations, Bill.

[Cuervo]

Thank you.

[David Druk]

We got. Yes.

[Cuervo]

With Boca here.

[David Druk]

How do you feel right now? You're a Stanley cup champion.

[Host 1]

Yeah.

[Cuervo]

Unbelievable. I can. I can't really believe it. I feel like. But, no. Unreal.

[Host 1]

What can you say about the effort between you and your teammates? The way that you were able to march through this playoff and overcome all different kinds of adversity and still come out on top?

[Cuervo]

Yeah, I mean, I feel like. No, I don't know. Like, it's been such a long season, right. And we worked so hard, and I feel like all this series, in this playoffs, we had to grow into it, and obviously all the teams play a little bit different, so we had to make some little small tweaks and stuff. And now, I mean, it's unreal. Yeah.

[David Druk]

In games five and six, you made a very good Edmonton Oilers team. Just look soulless. How were you able to do that?

[Cuervo]

I don't know. Like, obviously they're a great team, so we have to bring our best to have a chance to win. Right? So. And I feel like we did. And when we do that, we are pretty hard to beat, too.

[Host 1]

And what are you looking forward to doing with the Stanley cup this summer?

[Cuervo]

I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. Just enjoy it with family and friends and stuff, so. It's gonna be awesome. Yeah.

[David Druk]

Jasper, thank you for joining us.

[Cuervo]

Thank you, guys. Thank you. Thank you.

[Host 1]

Congratulations.

[David Druk]

We are joined by Nico Mikola. Man, the evolution in your game just grew exponentially since your rookie season. Tell us your feelings now that you won the Stanley cup for the second time.

[Cuervo]

It's a dream come true. That's A. I couldn't believe it like when I first signed here but like I had a top with the parking and he told me first year we're gonna do it. We did it. We. We had a little. Little talk. This year we're gonna do it again when we did it again. So it starts from the whole organization, all the, all the leaders, all the. The depth we. We got in the locker room. It's all that. So it's. It's unbelievable feeling.

[Host 1]

Speaking of good feelings, how good did it feel when you and your defensive counterparts held the Oilers to really such little offense over the last couple of games? You guys really took them to shut down city.

[Cuervo]

Yeah. It takes all five guys to defense those McDavid and Tri Seidel, they're great players and I think we've been doing that the whole playoffs and whole year, whole two years. Like our, our system is build. Build on the, on the. Like how we defense and yeah, it's been great.

[David Druk]

So what are you going to do with the Stanley cup once you get your day with it?

[Cuervo]

Take it back to Finland again. My home city gonna enjoy with my family and friends and we'll see. I haven't decided yet. I. I haven't planned it out but I. It's gonna be fun for sure.

[David Druk]

We got plenty of time to find. Figure that out.

[Cuervo]

Oh yeah.

[Host 1]

Nijo, thank you so much for joining us and congratulations.

[Cuervo]

Thank you. Thank you.

[David Druk]

Congratulations. We are here with Roberto Larongo. Roberto, your good luck on the drum brought us another Santa cup championship. How you feeling?

[Cuervo]

Thinking of coming on full time next year on the drum. So 41 in home games and playoffs. So we'll see how it goes.

[Host 1]

Are you going to maybe get a drum set for the house? I saw you tweeted the Will Ferrell gif. Like, is that something we can see in your future?

[Cuervo]

No, we're going to save those for the special occasion. So hopefully we get here again next time year and you'll see me on there.

[David Druk]

Are you going to fill the Stanley cup again with spaghetti?

[Cuervo]

I haven't decided yet. Well, we'll try to change it up this year. We'll do something different, but it'll be something good.

[Host 1]

Just how crazy is it? Just a year ago we were standing here kind of amazed that the Panthers won their first Stanley Cup. Now a year later, this team looks like they're unstoppable.

[Cuervo]

It is crazy. Tough to believe, especially doing it on home ice again in front of the crowd. But so special just watching the guys hoist the cup on the ice and the fans cheering, I mean, two years in a row, it's unbelievable.

[David Druk]

This is a very, very good Edmonton Oilers team. And the Panthers just made them look just lifeless in games five and six. What do you think happened?

[Cuervo]

I think that's, you know, that's how we play. You know, we grind teams down. And as the series progress, usually, you know, teams get tired of, you know, going to get the pucks on the forage, on the dump ins and stuff like that, and fatigue starts to set in. That's part of the game plan that we use. And that's why I think you saw what happened the last couple games.

[Host 1]

Lou, congratulations. Have a great summer with the cup again and we'll do it again next June, hopefully.

[Cuervo]

Thank you. Appreciate it, guys.

[Host 1]

Thanks, thanks.

[David Druk]

Thanks, Luke. We're here with Seth Jones, trade deadline acquisition, and it seems like you just came in, you did your job. You did your job well. Talk about your feelings right now.

[Cuervo]

Just emotional, you know, 12 years in this league now, you put in so much effort every day and this is what makes it pay off, right? This is why it's all worth at the end. Special group of guys here, and I'm so happy that I'm here in this moment right now and have a Stanley cup and get my name on that thing.

[Host 1]

What was going through your mind when you're standing right over there a little while ago, Stanley cup comes gliding over to you, you lift it over your head for the first time?

[Cuervo]

Yeah, it's just like I said, that's what I'm thinking about. I'm thinking about how special, you know, my family here seeing me in this situation and they get to share this moment with me. Thinking about that, thinking about, like I said, the workout you put in every single day with these guys and just a selfless group of guys. So humble. I'm just so happy that I got to grow with these guys and be here. For many years you had your experience.

[David Druk]

With Bill Zito and Columbus, obviously when you got the call that you being traded down here, you get to play for Bill one more time. What is your feelings when you got traded here?

[Cuervo]

Excitement, you know, Excitement. A new chapter in my career, you know, I knew how special this team was or even just playing against them. But hearing the stories about this team, they obviously won last year, so I knew how great they were on the ice, but different. Different. Just a different group off the ice. And the way that everyone treats each other, everyone's just as important as the next. The selflessness, the humbleness. I can't speak enough about it.

[Host 1]

So what's the plan for the Stanley cup this summer? Do you know yet what you're going to do with it?

[Cuervo]

No idea. I haven't got that far. I'm trying to get to the next five minutes.

[David Druk]

Thank you. Thank you, Seth. We're here with Nate Schmidt. And your contributions during this playoff has been extraordinary. Give us your feelings. I know.

[Cuervo]

I mean, the fact that Cap gave me, like, the cup first was something that you just can't really describe. It was the best lap of hockey I've ever done in my life. It's just. You don't really realize. I know we're a 5:1 with two minutes left, but it still doesn't feel like it's really coming down until the. Until. Until the very end. Till the buzzer goes, man. It's just to be able to. My family here, people that have been with me from the very beginning. Right. And my wife and my son, it's just. It's amazing.

[Host 1]

I know the last half hour or so, it's been crazy. Even done a bunch of these interviews. Have you taken a moment to just kind of like, look around and let it sink in?

[Cuervo]

I feel like the last couple minutes of the game, that's all I do is look up and down the bench, just look at the guys and just understand that this has been an amazing year and I just couldn't be more blessed to be here.

[David Druk]

You guys really made things difficult for Edmonton in Games 5 and 6. Like, it's like you took the life out of them. Why don't you describe what happened in this game?

[Cuervo]

You know, I just. That's our game. We just suffocate teams. And with our. With our gap, with our speed and with our depth, man, it was just. It felt like they were getting frustrated and it just gave us more momentum. Right. Like, that's what we wanted. That's all we felt like if we can get them upset or, you know, chirping us and stuff, that's more of a win for us.

[Host 1]

So, last question for you. Have you thought about what you're going to do with the cup yet this summer?

[Cuervo]

I mean, I feel like you think about it all the time, but I haven't narrowed it down yet. But I just. I just want to thank the people that have helped me to get here. Right. I just. We'll see where that goes.

[David Druk]

Nate, thank you for joining us.

[Cuervo]

Appreciate it. Thank you so much. Yeah, thank you, guys.

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[Host 2]

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