The Hockey Show: HOCKEY IS BACK!

Summary

The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz: The Hockey Show – "HOCKEY IS BACK!"

Date: October 10, 2025
Location: Elser Hotel, Downtown Miami
Hosts: Roy Bellamy, Ethan Padowski, Mike, Jeremy, John Butcher Gross (Butchergross), with contributions from Dave, Rosie, and more
Special Guest: John Butcher Gross (ESPN)

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Episode Overview

The Hockey Show returns as the NHL season kicks off, bringing the crew’s trademark mix of irreverent humor and sharp hockey insight. The episode centers on the excitement of the new NHL season, significant player contract signings, early-season reactions, new jersey unveilings, fan interaction, and an in-depth interview with ESPN’s John Butcher Gross to break down college and NHL storylines.

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Main Discussion Points & Insights

1. The NHL Season Is Back!

[01:02 - 02:12]

• Season opening buzz: The crew celebrates hockey’s return, with a nod to fun pop-culture moments signaling the start of the season (like hockey as a Jeopardy! category).
• Panthers’ success: Banter about the Panthers' recent banner raising and back-to-back Stanley Cups.
• Jeopardy! hockey trivia sparks jovial debate about hockey terminology and inclusivity ("Defender" vs. "Defenseman").

Notable Exchange:
Mike jokes about inclusive terminology:

“Defender is an inclusive term because we got the PWL now, right? You are not an ally. I am an ally.” – Mike [03:38]

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2. Major Contract Extensions & League Economics

[04:12 - 12:44]

a. Connor McDavid’s Team-Friendly Extension

• McDavid signs for two more years at $12.5M AAV, surprising everyone by NOT pushing the market upward.
  • “That is a team-friendly deal of all team-friendly deals. And McDavid's giving the Oilers room to build around him.” – Roy Bellamy [04:27]
• Debate over the Oilers’ cap management, their need for goaltending, and whether their "cup window" is now or never.
• Discussion of the impact on team-building, cap flexibility, and the fairness of comparing contract choices across players.

Key Quote:

“His contract has nothing to do with Eichel, with Caprizov… This guy is built different. He wants to win a Stanley Cup. He clearly doesn’t care how much money he’s making.” – Mike [07:12]

b. Comparing “Team Friendly” Deals: Caprizov, Eichel, Matthews

• Caprizov’s $17M/year cited as an outlier and cause for debate over star players' salaries and team-building philosophies.
• Jack Eichel’s new deal ($13.5M/8 years) discussed for its value relative to market and other stars like Austin Matthews.
  • “So Eichel is only making $250,000 more than Auston Matthews. So why are we looking at Eichel as a team friendly deal, but not necessarily Matthews?” – Mike [12:28]

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3. Hypotheticals & Roster-Building What-Ifs

[12:44 - 14:20]

• Fun speculation: What if the Panthers had signed Patrick Kane instead of the Red Wings?
  • Exploration of how moves like these could have changed Florida's path to the Cup and later personnel like Brad Marchand and Seth Jones.
  • “Would Kane have taken a team-friendly deal? So many things to wonder about.” – Ethan [13:42]

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4. New NHL Jersey Unveilings

[14:20 - 16:27]

• Pittsburgh Penguins’ new yellow kits panned by Roy and Ethan ("Yellow ice is not a good combination" – Ethan [14:44]); Mike confesses he likes the yellow helmet.
• Detroit Red Wings praised for their centennial spoked wheel uniforms—"might be the best logo in sports" (Mike [15:59]), especially with vintage gloves and leather pad aesthetics.

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5. First-Week Overreactions & Early Season Surprises

[16:53 - 18:52]

• Boston and Pittsburgh: Surprising 2-0 starts.
• Ottawa Senators: Ethan predicts they’re poised to exceed expectations with gutsy play and strong leadership (Brady Tkachuk).
• “Top 3 division is in play for Ottawa.” – Ethan [17:50]
• For Florida, expectation is they’ll need to grind out tight low-scoring games until stars like Matthew Tkachuk return.

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6. Wins & Fails of the Week

[19:03 - 29:26]

Wins

• Quinton Byfield’s Breakaway Goal (LA Kings vs. Vegas) & Gretzky magic:
  • “Wayne Gretzky shakes your hand, and suddenly you’ve got, like, hockey magic.” – Ethan [20:04]
• Bruins Retiring Zdeno Chara’s #33
  • Emotional surprise moment, praised as "well-deserved" for the captain (Roy/Ethan [21:23]).

Fails

• Oilers’ Stuart Skinner Blunder:
  • Edmonton goalie mishandles puck, sparks collapse; panel laments goaltending woes.
  • “...like his video game controller lost the batteries...” – Ethan [25:29]
• Panthers Illegible Player Mess-Up:
  • Nico Mikola plays after ejection; “referees are in preseason as well.” – Roy [27:55]
• Sharks’ Heartbreaking Loss:
  • San Jose collapses late against Vegas after bizarre bounces and goalie gaffes.
  • “This might be ... the dumbest way to lose a game we’ll see all year.” – Mike [28:10]

Player of the Week:

• Frank Nazar (Chicago Blackhawks):
  • Standout early season performance – skyrocketing value, touted for a top role and Olympic camp invite.

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7. Fan Interaction & Social Media

[16:27 & Throughout]

• Show invites fan questions.
• Responds to audience prompts about first-game overreactions and more.

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8. Featured Interview: John Butcher Gross (ESPN)

[34:35 - 57:29]

a. College Hockey Spotlight – Gavin McKenna Hype

• McKenna at Penn State: Huge buzz as a 17-year-old making waves, compared to Kucherov (style) and Eichel/McDavid (potential).
  • “He reminds me of Kucherov as a winger … just his brain’s unbelievable. Then he has a finish like this ...” – Butcher Gross [35:32]
• Discussion of new rules allowing CHL/NCAA crossover, NIL money, and the arms race in facilities.
  • “His Canadian buddies back home will be watching these games on TV ... campus life, rivalries, facilities that rival the NHL...” – Butcher Gross [38:01]

b. State of College Hockey & NHL Prospects

• How NIL and eligibility reforms could transform US college hockey (impact on CHL, USHL).
• Teams likely to make Frozen Four: Penn State, Michigan State, Boston University, and Quinnipiac (as dark horse).
• “Three big brand names … and throw a Quinnipiac in there, we got a party.” – Butcher Gross [44:04]

c. NHL Storylines

• Jonathan Toews Returns:
  • Toews back in Winnipeg, can he anchor the Jets through a tough Western Conference? “They’re going to lean on him a lot. So there’s some pressure on Taves as well.” – Butcher Gross [44:26]
• Team-Friendly Contracts Trend:
  • “You really put these superstars in a tough position ...” – Butcher Gross [46:03]
  • Suggests NHL may need a “franchise tag” or Bird Rule-like exception to help teams pay stars what they’re worth.
• Underrated Players Debate:
  • Is Kyle Connor now most underrated, supplanting Barkov?
  • Panthers and Hurricanes praised for cap management (“...going to be good for another seven, eight years...” – Butcher Gross [51:38])
• Hurricanes & Oilers Evaluations:
  • Impressed by Carolina’s defensive system and depth.
  • Harsh on Oilers’ goaltending woes (“Are we kidding with Stuart Skinner? Like, are we kidding? That’s your goalie? No.” – Butcher Gross [56:22])

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Team-Friendly Deals:

  “His contract has nothing to do with Eichel, with Caprizov... This guy is built different. He wants to win a Stanley Cup.” – Mike [07:12]

• On Bargain Contracts Culture:

  “You really put these superstars in a tough position... There should probably be a waiver for one guy a team where you can go over the cap.” – John Butcher Gross [46:03]

• On College Hockey Facilities:

  “The Penn State facilities are better than the Ottawa Senators in terms of weight room and cold plunge and everything.” – John Butcher Gross [38:01]

• On Panthers’ Cap Culture:

  “The Panthers and Hurricanes are two teams that are going to be good for another seven, eight years because the cap’s going to go up again, go up again.” – John Butcher Gross [51:38]

• On Goalie Blunders:

  “Like his video game controller lost the batteries...” – Ethan [25:29]

• Wayne Gretzky “Hockey Magic” Exchange:

  “Wayne Gretzky shakes your hand, and suddenly you’ve got, like, hockey magic.” – Ethan [20:04]

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• 02:01 – NHL Season banter, Jeopardy! hockey trivia
• 04:12 – Connor McDavid deal, Oilers' team construction
• 11:14 – Eichel and Matthews contracts, market comparisons
• 14:20 – New jersey unveilings: Pens & Wings
• 16:53 – Early season (over)reactions, surprises
• 19:03 – Wins & Fails of the Week
• 29:30 – Player of the Week: Frank Nazar
• 34:35 – John Butcher Gross interview begins (college hockey and NHL)
• 38:01 – College hockey recruitment/NIL impact
• 44:04 – Frozen Four predictions
• 54:23 – NHL team and player evaluations
• 57:46 – Show wrap, jersey talk (fan engagement)

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Tone & Language

The episode blends hockey nerdery, playful arguments, South Florida flavor, and frequent inside jokes. Panelists riff off each other, bringing both knowledge and comedy, making the show rewarding for hockey diehards and casual fans alike.

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Bottom Line

Whether you want inside takes on the NHL's new financial landscape, a breakdown of why the Panthers’ front office is remaking the league, or just want to laugh at early-season panic and “Jersey Watch,” this first Hockey Show of the season sets the stage for much more to come — with a perfect blend of hockey smarts and “Le Batard Show” chaos.

Transcript

[Jeremy]

Now's a good time to remember where tequila's story truly began. In 1795, Cuervo invented tequila. Cuervo, what are you doing here?

[Mike]

Cuervo? Anytime someone says Cuervo, I show up.

[Jeremy]

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.

[Roy Bellamy]

Sweet, delicious Cuervo.

[Jeremy]

Since then, Cuervo has stayed true to its roots. The same family, the same land, the same passion.

[John Butcher Cross]

Cuervo.

[Jeremy]

So enjoy the tequila that started it all.

[Roy Bellamy]

Cuervo.

[Jeremy]

Cuervo, the tequila that invented tequila.

[Roy Bellamy]

Proximo.

[Jeremy]

Cuervo.com Please drink responsibly.

[John Butcher Cross]

Cuervo. When did making plans get this complicated?

[Ethan Padowski]

It's time to streamline with WhatsApp, the secure messaging app that brings the whole group together.

[John Butcher Cross]

Use polls to settle dinner plans, send event invites and pin messages so no one forgets mom 60th and never miss.

[Ethan Padowski]

A meme or milestone. All protected with end to end encryption. It's time for WhatsApp message privately with everyone.

[Roy Bellamy]

Learn more at WhatsApp.com Canada's long national nightmare is over. Connor McDavid has signed and will stay in Edmonton for two more years. And his contract, bunch of big contracts that have been signed already are team friendly. We'll talk about that. Because the regular season has started. This is a hockey show. David Drawer of the Hockey news is to my left. Ethan Padowski is in the other side of the studio and Rose is not here. This is the hockey show. You can watch us on YouTube. We we got our own YouTube page. You can follow us there. At the hockey show dls we have tik tok at the Hockey Show 7 and X Instagram and threads @Hockey Show DLS. Now the NHL regular season has started. And you know how we know that the NHL regular season has started?

[Ethan Padowski]

Cause we were at the first game.

[Roy Bellamy]

No, it wasn't because the Panthers raised a banner either. It was because it was a category on Jeopardy.

[John Butcher Cross]

Followed by hockey.

[Ethan Padowski]

Hockey for six, please.

[John Butcher Cross]

In 2025, longtime Bruin Brad Marchand left Boston, headed for the sunny south and.

[Mike]

Helped the team win a second straight Stanley Cup.

[Ethan Padowski]

I know this one, Kate.

[John Butcher Cross]

Who are the Florida Panthers?

[Ethan Padowski]

That's it.

[Mike]

I love you hockey 200.

[John Butcher Cross]

Brian Trottier was a legendary master of this play that determines which team will start play with possession of the puck.

[Roy Bellamy]

I know this one.

[Ethan Padowski]

What is a face off?

[John Butcher Cross]

That's right. Oh, I love you. One theory on the origin of this Canadian insult word is with the losing Team's task of spraying water to refresh.

[Mike]

I know this one. Hoser.

[Ethan Padowski]

What is a no, it is.

[Mike]

What is hoser?

[John Butcher Cross]

Eh, Kate.

[Mike]

Back to you, Ken Jennings. You're not cheeky, bro.

[John Butcher Cross]

Fore and back. Precede this verb to mean apply pressure at either end of the ice to be a 200 foot player. Eh, you got to do both.

[Roy Bellamy]

Yeah, we got one of those.

[Mike]

Too many.

[Ethan Padowski]

A.

[Roy Bellamy]

We'll get two of those.

[Ethan Padowski]

Come on guys, please. Come on. Kate, I.

[John Butcher Cross]

The NHL has counted block shots since 1998.

[Roy Bellamy]

That's great.

[John Butcher Cross]

And Marad Vlasic at this position is the all time leader.

[Ethan Padowski]

Kate, what is defender?

[John Butcher Cross]

No.

[Roy Bellamy]

Oh man.

[Ethan Padowski]

Wait a minute. He is a defender.

[John Butcher Cross]

Incorrect. No, Brian not going to try it.

[Mike]

Brian not going to try it.

[John Butcher Cross]

Actual name of that position.

[Roy Bellamy]

See now you got to be Katie was wrong situation. It's not defender, it's defenseman.

[Mike]

Kate was robbed.

[Ethan Padowski]

They better have gone back and given her that whatever it was. Thousand dollars. Come on. Defender. Defenseman.

[Roy Bellamy]

Like that's the name of the position.

[Mike]

She deserves the thousand dollars. She got it right?

[Ethan Padowski]

Yeah, I think we. And did anybody watching the full show, did they go back and give her the points? I need this information.

[Mike]

Don't forget, Roy, I'm an ally. This is an all inclusive term. Defenseman is not an INCL. Term. Defender is an inclusive term because we got the PWL now, right? You are not an ally. I am an ally.

[Roy Bellamy]

What the are you talking about? I'm not an ally. I mean, my God. I mean. All right, hockey, it was. Hockey was the category not NHL. So yes, that would be the case.

[Ethan Padowski]

In that situation also, even though all the questions defense persons.

[Roy Bellamy]

But yeah, defense person. All right, let's. Let's begin with the major news that happened this week. Conor McDavid has extended his contract for two more years. 12 and a half million dollars. That is a far cry from Kirill Caprisov's eight year, $17 million per a little bit. Ah, Jesus. I mean that is a team friendly deal of all team friendly deals. And McDavid's giving the Oilers room to build around him. And quite frankly it should probably look at goaltender in my humble opinion. But they got the next two years to win a cup and that doesn't happen. He gone.

[Ethan Padowski]

I mean, keeping his AAV at 12.5, giving the Oilers some Runway. Look, if anybody has an idea of how to make this situation work other than the team that's made it work, the Florida Panthers. It's the Oilers because they've lost to the Panthers. Back to back years and they've watched Florida not only crush them, but then build a better team year after year. So good on McDavid. I don't know if Stan Bowman is a Bill Zito. You know, we'll see how that goes. But there's a chance in Edmonton, as you said, that long nightmare is. It's. It's not over. It's. It's just kind of chilling for now.

[Mike]

I just think it's interesting that the Oilers have decided with the greatest bargain in NHL history, in sports history, arguably. Right. Getting this player at that number, sticking his number. He didn't increase it at all from his current contract. Right. Like, we'll see what they do going forward. But right now their plan seems to be just run it back with the same team that hasn't been good enough two years in a row to win the Stanley cup because they're sticking with Stuart Skinner. They extended Matthias at comb. They extended Jake Walman. Like their big additions have been. Andrew Manjapani, who I like is a solid player. Jack Rosslovic, how was he still around at the end of free agency, like into the first game of the season? That was crazy to me. He scored 22 goals last year. And then two young forwards in Matthew Savoy and Isaac Howard. Like, we'll see what they do. They have to address the goaltending issue because as we'll see later, like Stuart Skinner's already coming back to fight that.

[Roy Bellamy]

I hate to say this, but despite all what you just said, he may have just won the. The GM of the year award just based on one signing.

[Ethan Padowski]

We'll see how things go. But I think the. What we're really going to be judging Bowman on is what he does in the next. After the season, the next couple of years because just. Just looking at. There's going to have a lot of money to spend. Henrique Roslovic, C.A. kapanen, both goaltenders all off the books after this season. But they're going to have McDavid Draisaitl Hyman RNH like all those guys are going to be locked up. They got their defenseman, they love their D. Like, you know, for love them or hate them, they do like them at Edmonton. So that what Bowman does over the next few years, whether Edmonton has the kind of success that they're looking for and really it's Stanley cup or bust. Like it's got to happen now.

[Roy Bellamy]

Well, judging him off the first game and we'll get into that in a little bit. Yeah, just a ha. And a man in that situation There's.

[Mike]

A couple of things I want to say here. First of all, they'll have 17 points. They're projected to have $17.7 million. There's already reports that the cap could be going even higher than the 104 that people have projected for it this year. Some are saying a number like 107 so they'll have money to spend. Look, if the Oilers didn't put themselves in a position where they're paying two defensemen $19.75 million, they probably wouldn't have forced Conor McDavid into a situation where he had to take this kind of bargain. But credit to McDavid for doing it. The second thing I want to say is segueing off of that is leave everybody else alone. Like, his contract has nothing to do with Eichel, with Conor, with Caprizov. Like, this guy is built different. Clearly he had one goal in mind. He wants to win a Stanley Cup. He clearly doesn't care how much money he's making. He says, I'm making this much money and it's working for me right now. I don't need any more than that. Leave everybody else out of it. That doesn't mean that any player should get paid less than Connor McDavid. Just because McDavid took this, you know, Cap took this number because of his situation. Like, Caprizov made 17 because the wild had to pay him 17. And the wild have said, we have no problem paying him 17 because we had to keep this player. Leave him alone. It doesn't mean he's a bad guy. It doesn't mean he's a bad teammate. Just means that he got his value from his team, drew every last cent he could. And that's fine. We should reward players for doing that. The NHL for so long has like, tried to stop players from getting what they're worth and not rewarded players for drawing every last cent they can out of their teams. They should. They should draw every last cent out of their value that they can. Caprizov did that and I think he deserves credit and other people in the NHL should take after him rather than trying to be like a team friendly guy.

[Ethan Padowski]

I'm going to go ahead and have to disagree with you on that one. Like, I'm not saying that we shouldn't give. Like, if you want to go after your money, by all means you do. You boo. Boo. Some people want to win over increase in their wallet. And I think McDavid, and this isn't an indictment on anybody, but I'm not saying you can't just say, well, this guy wanted to go after as much money as possible and not leave anything left in the T for his team. Okay. Then the playoffs are going to roll around and they're going to not get knocked out in the first place.

[Mike]

But it's not like the Wild don't have a really, like, they still have a good cap situation. They have the rest of their team locked up at good numbers, like Brock favors at a good number, bullies at a good number. And they still have a lot of cap that they can use to go out and get better players. And their owner said they're going to be aggressive. Bill Garon has said they're going to be aggressive in trying to improve their team around Caprizov. Like, I don't see a problem with it. Hockey, to me, seems like the only sport where we criticize guys for getting every last dollar. It's this weird hockey thing. I don't really understand it. People are very critical of Caprisov because he's not a team player. No, he just got what the Wild offered him and he should have. He's worth that money to that franchise and he should have gotten his value off of that.

[Ethan Padowski]

They're critical in this time, in this sense, because right now the Panthers have created this situation, this aura where it's not only acceptable, but it's a proven winning tactic that you can build a hell of a team that's going to be competitive, that's scaring the rest of the league for years to come. So on one hand you have the Panthers doing that, and on the other hand, you, you have Caprizov taking 17 million. You could argue that both are right, both are wrong. I'm just saying I'm not ready to just not give these guys any, you know, just give them a pass when they could absolutely take a couple million less. Your team could be a lot deeper and you can win. They don't have to. And, but, you know, I think, I think giving them a pass is. I'm not doing.

[Mike]

The Wild have 15 and a half. Well, are projected to have $15.489 million in cap space next year. That's plenty of money to go out and make your team better. Like you can get. And. And they've got a lot of these guys locked up already on team friendly deals. Like they had the room. They felt like they could do this. I don't think we should criticize Caprisov for getting what he's worth. He's. He's worth that money to The Wild and he got it. I don't, I don't really. I understand. Look, I understand that there are some guys that are built differently and McDavid is clearly built differently, but I just think it's just, you know, it's just a tired way of thinking, in my opinion.

[Roy Bellamy]

All right, this leads us into the other team friendly contract that was signed, this one out of Vegas. Jack Eichel, eight year contract extension, 13.5 million per year. That is definitely. I mean again we look at the Caprisoft contract, far cry between these two contracts that was just signed. Like we thought this was going to be the comparable and it was going to be market changing and it's not. And in this situation they just took what, the third, fourth best two way player in the league and locked them up. That, that's, that's just, that's ridiculous.

[Mike]

Can I ask you guys a question? Is Austin Matthews better than Jack Eichel defensively? No, just all around player.

[Ethan Padowski]

That's a player that would be very different players.

[Mike]

But Matthews has been a Selkie finalist, has he not? I think he was two years ago.

[Ethan Padowski]

He may have been, I wouldn't surprise.

[Mike]

But just in general, when you think when you're ranking the NHL players, who comes first? Austin Matthews or Jack Eichel?

[Roy Bellamy]

I mean, if you look at pure goal scorers, you go with Austin Matthews in this situation.

[Ethan Padowski]

I think if I'm looking, it depends on the team.

[Mike]

So is his offensive value the difference in offensive value enough to make up for the fact that Eichel is a better two way player, let's say, like, would you. Who would you rather?

[Ethan Padowski]

Personally, I'd rather have Eichel.

[Mike]

Okay.

[Roy Bellamy]

And then the playoffs, I would rather have Icon.

[Mike]

So Eichel is only making 250,000 more dollars than Auston Matthews. So why are we looking at Eichel as a team friendly deal, but not necessarily looking at Matthews as a team friendly deal? Like I think that's what he's worth.

[Ethan Padowski]

Several years before Eichel's deal, when the cap was a lot lower and it was a big piece of.

[Roy Bellamy]

That's fair. Yeah. It's different economics right now as opposed to back then you had a what if game on Patrick Kane that you talked about last night.

[Ethan Padowski]

It just kind of popped in my head as I was watching Showtime score goals for Detroit. And he's been, you know, he's been a pretty good ad for them since he decided to let himself be traded there. But if you remember, it was between Detroit and Florida at that Time. So I was just thinking, if Florida had gotten Patrick Kane, which was the year that they went won their first Stanley cup, they wouldn't have gotten Vladimir Tarasenko. They probably would have continued on and won the cup either way, I would think. But. But how would it have played out Because Kane signed, he stayed with Detroit. Would he have stayed with Florida? Florida definitely wouldn't have gotten Brad Marchand if that was the case. Maybe not have gotten Seth Jones. It's just so many different pieces that kind of would have played out right. Like. And thinking about how the Panthers have evolved since that time, just all the moves that they've made in the last 18 months, like how much would that have changed? Would Kane have taken a team friendly deal? It's just so many things to wonder about.

[Roy Bellamy]

If Kane was on this team last year, do they beat the Maple Leafs? They don't have, they wouldn't have had Brad March on.

[Mike]

They don't have Marshawn or Jones. Now let's see Kane, remember Tarasenko came and then he got paid by the Red Wings and left. Doesn't the same thing happen to Kane? Like the Panthers had a lot less cap space that, you know, going into last off season.

[Ethan Padowski]

To be fair, like Kane did only sign for 3 million over two years, I think so. I, I probably the fit, like Kane's a veteran guy. He's one Cups. Like I think he would have been fine with Florida's two way styles, but it's just like an interesting avenue to go down sick. It would have been fun to see him in a Panthers.

[Mike]

I would have loved that. I love Patty Kane growing up. Are you kidding me?

[Roy Bellamy]

New jerseys have been announced in the NHL and they belong to the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Detroit Red Wings. And the Penguins. Now my personal feelings aside about the team, these suck, Dave. These absolutely suck. And our friend Alex Baumgartner from 5 Reason Sports has an opinion ban yellow jerseys.

[Ethan Padowski]

Yeah, yellow ice is not a good combination. Yellow jerseys on the ice, not really that good. Like they've made it work a little bit in Nashville. But Pittsburgh's jerseys, like on the rack, they look suspect on the ice. It just like looked at a bunch of like highlighter guys. Like a bunch of like the wacky waving inflatable arm flailing tube men just like rubbing around the ice. I didn't like it at all.

[Roy Bellamy]

So let's describe these jerseys that they unveiled. They're yellow. Normally the, the Penguins logo, they have, you know, the triangle behind the penguin and that triangle is yellow. That's not there because the jersey's yellow.

[Mike]

I kind of like it.

[Roy Bellamy]

Of course you do.

[Mike]

I just, I, you know what look I like is I like the yellow helmet.

[Ethan Padowski]

I was gonna say they need a black helmet.

[Mike]

The yellow one.

[Ethan Padowski]

Yellow. The yellow helmet on the black jersey is a good.

[Mike]

Awesome.

[Ethan Padowski]

The yellow on yellow. No me gusta.

[Roy Bellamy]

The Red Wings have also unveiled their centennial uniforms. They did this about a month ago, Dave. You finally got to see them in action and you loved them.

[Ethan Padowski]

These are nice. These are. And look at, look at John Gibson with the, with the leather looking pads and like all the players had the leather old time looking gloves. Like this is a great look. I love the spoked wheel. Like it's got some more intricacies and details inside the logo. This is the opposite of the Penguins. I love these.

[Roy Bellamy]

Really bring out the feathers and the.

[Ethan Padowski]

And they've got the mini stripes on them.

[Mike]

It might be the best logo in sports. Are they wearing these for all of their home games? Like this is their permanent home. Home uniform or is it.

[Roy Bellamy]

I don't, I don't believe so. No. No, they're not gonna wear that.

[Mike]

The entire logo. That logo might be the best logo in sports, I'm telling you.

[Roy Bellamy]

Yeah. So they are celebrating the 100th season, as are the New York Rangers and the Chicago Blackhawks. So yeah, they got good jerseys and they look very.

[Ethan Padowski]

These are their centennial season uniforms according to the story I'm reading right now. So I think they're gonna wear these.

[Mike]

A lot this year.

[Roy Bellamy]

We appreciate everybody who watches and listens to the show and you guys can ask us questions, you can leave us comments and we will answer them. You can leave them on all the social media outlets that I have described earlier in the show. We have a question again this week from Demon Hunter Mog. What overreaction to the first games of the season do you feel are valid.

[Ethan Padowski]

Overreactions to the first games of the season?

[Roy Bellamy]

Well now keep in mind the all is blew that lead and we will talk about that in a second to the Kings. And that was, that was not good.

[Ethan Padowski]

The Boston Bruins are two and oh, to start the season.

[Roy Bellamy]

So are the Penguins. So are the Penguins. Yeah. So those two like very, very surprising to me. So yeah, that's an overreaction from probably the cities. Cities of Boston, Pittsburgh.

[Ethan Padowski]

I don't know. My overreaction is the Ottawa Senators are going to be better than we give them credit for.

[Roy Bellamy]

Really?

[Ethan Padowski]

Yeah. The way that they came back on Tampa Bay last night in Tampa.

[Roy Bellamy]

So they're going to go beyond 94.

[Ethan Padowski]

This is a team that's just. They went to the playoffs last year. They've been building toward it for a few years. They've got one of the best leaders in the world in Brady Tachuk.

[Roy Bellamy]

Just.

[Ethan Padowski]

I was a little bullish on them before the season, but now, like just game one out of the gate, they show like that kind of playoff guts right out of. Right off the bat. No, I'm. I like.

[Roy Bellamy]

We talking about division here.

[Ethan Padowski]

I think top three division is in play for Ottawa.

[Mike]

I think they're going to be really good. I really like their roster. I think they improved from last year and they were already like. They really. We forget. They really took control of the top wild card spot last year. Like they left. No doubt. My overreaction so far has been.

[Roy Bellamy]

I think the Panthers are going to.

[Mike]

Have to win a lot of 21 games this year until Matthew Kachuk comes back. 213 2. These tight games. Both games. I know that's their game. I know they love two one filthy, so they're more than capable of doing it, but I just think they're gonna have to. It doesn't look like. I know it's the first two games and they're just.

[Roy Bellamy]

No, it's not just the first two games. The fact that they played Chicago and Philadelphia tomorrow is going to be the big test against.

[Jeremy]

For sure.

[John Butcher Cross]

For sure.

[Mike]

It'll. It'll be interesting to see them against Ottawa. I'm really excited about that game. I just think it's. It looks a little bit like they're missing a little bit of dynamic. Dynamicism on offense, which is to be expected when you don't have Alexander Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk. But it's a slight overreaction. We'll see how it plays out. But look, I think they're going to still be really good. They have dominated both of these games so far.

[Roy Bellamy]

Wins and Fails of the week is presented by Jagermeister. Serve a code or don't serve it at all. Jagermeister. Damn, that's code. For more log on the jagermeister.com Please drink responsibly. What's your win of the week, Dave?

[Ethan Padowski]

My win of the week. We go out to. I was gonna say go out to la, but it's an LA player. We go out to Vegas. Quentin Byfield scored a gorgeous breakaway goal against the Golden Knights on opening night in Vegas. They interviewed him. The TNT crew interviewed him after the game and they were asking him about this goal and who does he give the credit to? Well, the great one.

[John Butcher Cross]

And you get to sit there and you get to hear Wayne Gretzky talk about your game. You know, we have some video of you smiling right there. I mean, that's got to be. It's got to be a pinch meat type moment, huh? Yeah, it's really crazy. You know, I'm just sitting here, you know, listening that and, you know, obviously before I was, you know, got the opportunity to shake his hand, and, you know, that's. That's what kind of gave me the.

[Jeremy]

Touch on the breakaway there in the past.

[John Butcher Cross]

So he passed the. Passed along a little bit, gave me something special tonight. So thank you for that.

[Roy Bellamy]

Well, that's how young he is.

[John Butcher Cross]

I was really bad at breakaways.

[Roy Bellamy]

He doesn't know that.

[John Butcher Cross]

Don't tell anybody.

[Ethan Padowski]

So that's how it works. Like, Wayne, Red Sea shakes your hand, and suddenly you've got, like, hockey magic. Because if that's the case, I'm going to go and hump Roberto Luongo's leg the next time I see him and just see if I can take some of his hockey magic onto the ice. Like, I'm gonna go, what. What other goalies are in town? Shake Rob Talis's hand. Yeah, see, See if Sergey Bobrovsky gives me a pat on the back. Like, if this. If this is something that's, like, a physical rubbing off of that, the hockey skill. I've got to reevaluate all of my interactions with every goalie that I've ever met.

[Roy Bellamy]

Well, we saw him last night. You could have done that.

[Ethan Padowski]

I got to do it when I'm not going to get kicked out of the press box. I got to ask Rose for her tips on how to, like, sneakily get upside the pro guys that she likes. She's done a good job. Like, between Barkey and Actie. She had some. Some sneaky pictures last year.

[Roy Bellamy]

This week's win of the week for me comes from the city of Boston.

[John Butcher Cross]

And.

[Roy Bellamy]

Yeah, I'm sorry. Surprised me, too, because traitorous. How is it traitorous? So the Bruins surprised Daniel Chara, who has a new gig with them as quote, unquote, mentor, and this is what they said to him.

[John Butcher Cross]

Actually, Z, I'm full of crap.

[Roy Bellamy]

The reason we're here, you see between 24 and 77 retired number banners.

[Jeremy]

Oh, that's where 33 is going to go this year.

[John Butcher Cross]

Oh, my God.

[Roy Bellamy]

That's so cool.

[John Butcher Cross]

Oh, my God. Cam. Oh, my gosh.

[Roy Bellamy]

Oh, thank you so much.

[John Butcher Cross]

Wow, what an honor.

[Roy Bellamy]

So 24, I believe, is Cam Neely and 77 is Ray Bork. Between those two numbers. Zidane, Achara, he's getting his number retired at TD Garden. He is going up in the rafters and is well deserved.

[Ethan Padowski]

I'm surprised you didn't realize. 24 is the Tasmanian devil.

[Roy Bellamy]

Oh, my bad.

[Ethan Padowski]

Terry O'Reilly.

[Roy Bellamy]

O'Reilly.

[Ethan Padowski]

Oh, my goodness, Terry.

[Roy Bellamy]

Oh, boy. That is, man. I'm telling you right now. Like back in those days between the Bruins and the Flyers.

[Ethan Padowski]

Yeah.

[Roy Bellamy]

Like, it looked like. It looked like the preseason game between.

[Ethan Padowski]

The Lightning and Panthers.

[Roy Bellamy]

Every normal game. Yeah, that was normal.

[Ethan Padowski]

Yeah, that was. That was fun, though.

[Roy Bellamy]

Yeah. Old time hockey, all the time hockey was people getting concussed and they loved it. But yeah, that was the situation there. And good, good on Zidane.

[Ethan Padowski]

That is cool, though.

[Roy Bellamy]

The. The captain is getting his number. Retarded, tired.

[Ethan Padowski]

I'm gonna say that the, the rafters at TD Garden surprised me last year just for the lack of.

[Roy Bellamy]

Because it's filled. Oh, the lack of Stanley Cups.

[Ethan Padowski]

The Bruin.

[Roy Bellamy]

The.

[Ethan Padowski]

The Celtics have won a million championships. The Bruins and the Celtics have, you know, so many retired numbers and so many things that they're celebrating. I just. It didn't dawn on me that the Bruins had not won that many Stanley Cups. You know, original six. And, you know, Boston beats the crap out of Florida all the time.

[Roy Bellamy]

Well, it's because Montreal. Montreal, kind of.

[Mike]

Yeah.

[Ethan Padowski]

Anyway, sorry, Ethan.

[Mike]

I was going to say. No, I was gonna say, Dave, that Montreal. I was blown away at the rafters in Central Bell. It was unbelievable. No, it's Central Bell. The amount of banners up in that arena are unbelievable, dude. Unbelievable. I mean, two Canadas, by the way, Roy Canada's, two Canada, one Central Bell and Bell Center. Oh, yeah. It was just crazy. It was just crazy seeing the amount of Stanley cup banners and retired numbers. Okay, my win of the week, of course. I was at the home opener on Thursday night. It was a great time. It was a family affair. My grandma even decided to come out to the game, and I was very surprised. But she got this awesome picture with Stanley the Panther, Stanley the Panther grabbing onto Lolo's hand. Lolo, I know you're watching. She even turned to me and she said, ethan, you know, this could be your win of the week this week. And I was like, you know what, Lolo? That is a perfect idea for the win of the week. Bring some joy to the show. So, Lolo, I know you're watching. You're our biggest fan. Thank you for watching us always. And it was great. It was great. Bringing out the whole family to the Panthers. And Panther's got a big one we'll talk about later. So.

[Roy Bellamy]

Wow. Grandma's like 45 years old.

[Mike]

My grandma is not 45 years old. But it was. We got her a first game pin even though she had been to a game at the old arena.

[Roy Bellamy]

Yeah.

[Mike]

And she told me a story that she went on a date when she was younger to a Stanley cup finals game in Chicago for the Blackhawks. I don't know what year it was. It would have been like 1950 something. But not to throw under the bus. That's what she told me. She told me she was trying to figure out the year. She was like 58, 59, I don't know, 92.

[Roy Bellamy]

Figure out the.

[Mike]

We'll have to figure out the year.

[Ethan Padowski]

To get the story.

[Roy Bellamy]

Oh my good God. All right, Dave, what's your fell.

[Ethan Padowski]

I. I think Ethan just. That would be my. No.

[Roy Bellamy]

All right, there you go.

[Ethan Padowski]

My fail of the week is I think everybody had this on their bingo card.

[Roy Bellamy]

It was multiple, multiple this week.

[Ethan Padowski]

Yeah. Didn't take long for the Oilers and Stuart Stinner to have a face palm moment. Opening night oilers had a 3 nothing lead at home against their arch rivals. And holy, holy cannoli, did they blow that lead in a hurry. That was the game tying goal. Stuart Stanner had a puck dumped in on him. He played it, he had it right on this. And then he just seemed to freeze. Like his video game controller lost the batteries or something. And then he tried to like sweep it into the corner, but way too late, it was already between his legs. Into the net. I'm sure Connor McDavid is just sitting on the bench shaking his head, thinking about the money he left on the table, thinking about Stuart Skinner's contract going away in a few months and oh my God, it's just. I want to root for skuarts dinner. He's an Edmonton guy. He's playing for his hometown team. Like I want that to work, but it's not working. It's not working.

[Roy Bellamy]

Goalies playing the puck this week has not been good.

[Ethan Padowski]

No, dude, every time I see it, keep your asses in the crease. Just do what I do. Just because we can doesn't mean we should stop the puck behind the net. Leave it for your defenseman. Don't need to get pretty. Just.

[John Butcher Cross]

Just chill.

[Roy Bellamy]

My fail this week happened during the last game. Again, I mentioned this before. This happened during the last preseason game of the season for the Panthers and Lightning. They got together and I'm not even going to talk about. Well, I am going to talk about the penalties because this was technically a penalty. Setting those other penalties aside, there was a fail of communication between the refs and the teams themselves. All right, this is time span.

[Ethan Padowski]

You did a lot of work on this, by the way. I just want to give the audience a little bit of reference. You got your calculator out. You had your green visor tilted thing out. Like you had the.

[Roy Bellamy]

Counted.

[Ethan Padowski]

Like you. You went to work to get these numbers. So it just.

[Roy Bellamy]

Yeah, because there was. It like. I mean, the official score sheet was bad. There was just bad locking up of all the penalty times. It was. It was bad. So Nico Mikola was issued a game misconduct at 4:01 into the. Into the third period.

[Ethan Padowski]

Right.

[Roy Bellamy]

So at 5:25, Pontus Holmberg slashed Nico Mikola, giving the Panthers a power play. I repeat, Nico Mikola, who drew a penalty, who was supposed. He was supposed to be in the locker room because he was issued a game misconduct, drew a penalty about a minute 20 later. Right? That's what happened. He was supposed to be ejected in the locker room at 8:52 of the third period during a major power play that was caused by Oliver Bulkstrand. That was the head shot to Mackie Samoskevic. Niko Mikula got an assist on Jesper Bokriv's power play. Goal. I repeat again, Nikomika, who was issued a game misconduct and a couple minutes later drew a penalty, earned an assist on Jesper Boker's goal. That should not have happened at 14:55. At the third period, the referees finally noticed that the Panthers were playing an ineligible player and ushered Nico Mikola off the ice and gave the Panthers a penalty. So for 10 minutes and 54 seconds, the Panthers were playing with an eligible player. Now keep in mind, Jesper Bokres goal was stripped. They had eight goals. It was seven to end the game. Yeah, so. Yeah, there's that. So the referees are in. Were in preseason as well.

[Jeremy]

It's.

[Ethan Padowski]

It's. Give the refs a break, okay? It's. It's not like Mikaela is the biggest guy on the ice or anything. It's not like he's like 7 foot 5 on skates or anything like that. So obviously he could get lost in the shuffle a little bit.

[Roy Bellamy]

Ethan, you fail.

[Mike]

My fail of the week comes from last night. This might be the craziest thing, the dumbest way to lose a game. We'll see all year. Roll the tape. So the Sharks are up 32 with 152 left in the third period. They barely miss an empty net with a sick defensive play from the Vegas Golden Knights. I don't know how they kept this out. The Golden Knights go the other way. Here comes Jack Eichel lugging it up the ice. He's gonna shoot it in from the red line. It's gonna bounce, bounce, bounce. Take a weird bounce and go in. So the game is tied with a minute 34 left, and we're going to overtime. Alex Nadelkovich. Oh, boy. Now, here's what happens in overtime. There's a loose puck. Nadelkovich comes out of his net to play it. Just totally whiffs on it, goes right by him. Theodore up to Riley Smith. Taps it in. Easy. Game over. Good night. Go home, San Jose. This is the most Sharks way to lose a game. And I know, David, you're all excited about the Sharkies, and I'm all excited about the Sharkies, too. But Los Tiburones, that is a rough start to the year, man. And it's just a sign that, hey, I know they're young, they're exciting, they're going to be fun, they're going to be really bad.

[Ethan Padowski]

The Sharks were going to win that game. They were going to beat the Golden Knights at home on their opening night if not for Alex Nadelkovich totally flubbing two different plays late in that game.

[Roy Bellamy]

So brutal.

[Ethan Padowski]

I'm still high on the Sharks.

[Mike]

Where's off Scaroff?

[Ethan Padowski]

He's watching on the bench, I guess.

[Roy Bellamy]

Our player of the week this week is Frank Lazar. The Chicago Blackhawks, he was very noticeable during the Blackhawks lost to the Florida Panthers. He had a goal and assistant, and he also played well in the next game. So he, by the way, had the highest bump of any player in the league. He went from $950,000 to 6.6 million. So look out for no to have a good year in Chicago.

[Ethan Padowski]

It's a hell of a race.

[Mike]

Good player.

[Roy Bellamy]

Probably going to end up being the second option or maybe even the first option.

[Ethan Padowski]

Yeah, I was going to say.

[Mike]

Yeah, I was. Go ahead, Dave.

[Ethan Padowski]

Sorry. No, it's no knock on Bedard, but Nazar looks good.

[Mike]

I was more impressed with him coming away from that game than I was with Bedard, and I was very impressed with Bedard. Let's be clear. He got an invite to the US Olympic camp this summer. He's.

[John Butcher Cross]

He's.

[Mike]

He's a stud. And people are really excited about him. And there's a chance he could have a good enough year that they decide to bring this young kid along for the future of American hockey.

[Roy Bellamy]

All right. For those of you who are watching on DraftKings Network, you can watch this next interview on our YouTube page. At the Hockey Show DLS, we have John Butcher Cross from ESPN. We are going to talk about the start of the season and these big contract signings that have happened this week. He called a couple games this week as well. We'll talk about those. That's coming up next. John Butcher Cross on the Hockey Show.

[Ethan Padowski]

Hey friends, it feels like everywhere that you turn these days, there's just another fee. We were talking about it on the show earlier this week.

[Mike]

Buy a ticket, there's a fee, pay a bill fee.

[Ethan Padowski]

Even your bank piles them on. That's why Chime is such a game changer. Check it [e-mail] Dan With Chime, banking's done right. When direct deposit is set up, there are no monthly fees, no maintenance fees, and you can even get paid up to two days early. And here's the part that really stands out to me. With qualifying direct deposits, Chime gives you free overdraft coverage up to $200 on debit card purchases and withdrawals. To date, members have been spotted over $30 billion.

[Mike]

That's billion with a B plus access.

[Ethan Padowski]

To 47,000 free ATMs, more than the top three national banks combined. Someone I know uses Chime and it's made managing money so much easier for them.

[Mike]

Work on your financial goals through Chime today.

[Ethan Padowski]

Open an account in 2 [e-mail] dan that's chime.com dan Chime feels like progress. Chime is a financial technology company, not a bank.

[Roy Bellamy]

Banking services and debit card provided by the Bancorp Bank NA or Stride Bank NA members, FDIC Spot me. Eligibility requirements and overdraft limits apply. Timing depends on submission of payment file.

[Ethan Padowski]

Fees apply at out of network ATMs.

[Roy Bellamy]

Bank ranking and number of ATMs.

[Ethan Padowski]

According to US News and World Report.

[Roy Bellamy]

2023 Chime checking account required.

[Jeremy]

Hey Jeremy, old buddy ol pal.

[Mike]

Hey, Mike, I want to talk to.

[Jeremy]

You about Miller Lite. You and I have bonded over these last few weeks talking about our shared love of Miller Lite.

[Ethan Padowski]

That's right.

[Jeremy]

A great partner of our show for practically its entire existence.

[Ethan Padowski]

It's been a partner of this show since I was 10 years old and.

[Jeremy]

It'S been around for 50 years and they've been a part of our show for almost 20. We're approaching incredible partner status with Miller.

[John Butcher Cross]

Lite I mean, to think that people.

[Ethan Padowski]

Were celebrating at my bar mitzvah with Miller Lite as they were a partner of this show is pretty incredible.

[Jeremy]

You're talking about the moments that are made better by making those times, those special times. Miller Time. Jeremy, there's nothing like cracking open Miller Lite with your crew this football season. It's especially true whether it's a touchdown you didn't see coming or just arguing about fantasy lineups you already know you're gonna lose. Miller Lite has been the taste you can depend on for 50 years. Brewed for flavor with simple ingredients, rich toffee notes that iconic golden color. And here's a kicker, Jeremy.

[Ethan Padowski]

What's that?

[Jeremy]

It's just 96 calories.

[Ethan Padowski]

I still can't believe that we say it every week. I can't believe it.

[Jeremy]

It's just 3.2 carbs per 12 ounces. It's the original light beer since 1975 and still hitting different five decades later. 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. It's Miller time. Celebrate responsibly. Miller Brewing Co. Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 96 calories and 3.2 carbs per 12 ounces.

[John Butcher Cross]

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[Roy Bellamy]

I found a 401k from some job.

[John Butcher Cross]

I forgot existed and it wasn't some small change.

[Roy Bellamy]

Ended up being a nice little chunk.

[John Butcher Cross]

Of change there for the boy.

[Roy Bellamy]

I realized that I had cash just sitting there doing nothing in my investments. Not as smart as I thought it was.

[Mike]

Monarch makes all that obvious and actually feels doable.

[John Butcher Cross]

No spreadsheets, no hopping between apps. Just a real clear view of my money. You can even share with your partner or financial advisor. No more. Wait, let's see how much we spent on that coffee or that takeout. Monarch puts everything on the table. Literally.

[Roy Bellamy]

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[John Butcher Cross]

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[Roy Bellamy]

John. But he calls hockey for the entertainment and sports programming network. And he knows a lot about college hockey. And we are going to go into this issue, this topic that will make Ethan very, very happy because seems like the next big thing in this sport. Gavin McKenna has started in Penn State. He is good to go right now. He's already played two games against Arizona State. Penn State swept that series. 57 NHL scouts showed up to his first game where he had two assists. In the second game he scored the game winning goal. And in my opinion, the real winner here is Penn State graduate Emily Kaplan. Good for her. But right now the Hype has Gavin McKenna winning the Hobie Baker, possibly the national championship and potentially the number one overall pick in the NHL draft. Am I right?

[Ethan Padowski]

Boochie Calder too?

[John Butcher Cross]

Well, you know, he's a young fella, he. It's hard for young players like him, you know, 17 years old, to, to score in college hockey. These are men he's playing against, 23, 24 year olds, 22 year olds, and it won't be easy. So I would probably say no on the Hobie. I think there's going to be older, more experienced players that could have bigger years. Now, that being said, after maybe 10, 15 games and he starts figuring out where he needs to be and how he, how he, how it's going, college as opposed to junior where he came from. Maybe he'll start to go on these heaters like this, you know, six, seven point weekend heaters where he's really going to start to vault up, win the scoring race and have enough goals, you know, 25 to 30. That's a lot of goals in college hockey for anybody, but especially a teenager. We saw Macklin Celebrini do it and that's why many of us thought he was the real deal. But that goal there in Arizona State, they were giving it to him. They were chanting overrated, overrated all game. That, that's why he slapped the glass and did the fork style. But you watch him, he reminds me of Kucherov as a winger on that offside. He can set people off. Just his brains. Unbelievable. Then he has a finish like this that if he needs to, I mean, that's an incredible roof job. Didn't have a big backswing pass was in his feet. So yeah, a massive talent expecting to be the first pick of the draft. But it's hard to score in college hockey. That's his only goal now through three games they played last night. Stinky Thursday game and they lost the Clarkson. I think he had just one assist. So you Know, a bit of a slow start. One goal in three games. He's just not going to come out and light it up like he did in the Western League in Canada, playing against all teenagers. You know, it's a little tougher in the. In college hockey. The Big Ten starting to creep up here soon. And like I said, Clarkson is one of those teams. They're filled with guys who are 22, 23 years old. Those are the kind of teams that will give him and Penn State skill teams an issue. They're almost like an American Hockey League team, like a. Like a decent AHL team. When you play those kinds of schools, who are those older players?

[Mike]

Buchi, what is the impact of this kind of prospect coming to the college ranks going to be? Obviously, it's different now. Now you can bounce between the CHL and college hockey. So he looks like he's having a ton of fun out there. He's throwing the forks down at Arizona State like he's fired up. He's excited to play in front of Penn State's student section in Happy Valley. So what do you see the impact of this all being.

[John Butcher Cross]

Yeah, you're right. Just for maybe the listeners who weren't aware in the old days, which is last year and before, if you committed, once you commuted to Canadian Junior, once you committed to that, you could no longer play college hockey. Once you played a Canadian Junior game or whatever, then you couldn't play college hockey. You were done. And so if you wanted to play college hockey but weren't ready yet, you. Then you go to USHL and play American Junior hockey, then you could play that junior hockey and then still play college hockey. So now, like you said, it's a wild west. And there really has never been this much sizzle in the college hockey world because what McKenna did, coming to Penn State, taking allegedly $700,000 to play this year, and. And now I assume he's going to. And you're. You're right. His Canadian buddies back home will be watching these games on tv. Seeing him do that, getting a taste of American college rivalries, the campus life. These programs have facilities that rival the NHL. Some are better, like the Ottawa. The Penn State facilities are better than the Ottawa Senators in terms of weight room and cold plunge and everything. It's just unbelievable. The arms Hurricanes. Yes. Yeah, they're working on it now in Carolina, they have a. I was there last night, and they're trying to get their arena up to date. So, yeah, I think we'll see. But I think it will result in more Kids like him coming down here for at least a year. Give it a shot. It's a great way to come down here, make almost an AHL salary, a half a million to 700. That's going to be rare. Only a few guys going to get that much, but. And then see what you know. And then from there, your draft year comes up, and then you get drafted, and if you want, you come back for one more year if you're not ready, or just go right to the NHL and maybe dictate those terms.

[Ethan Padowski]

I was gonna say, before we move on, I had one more question on McKenna, John, and you might be best equipped to answer this. Like, we've seen recent years. Lane Hudson, Celebrini, Cole Caufield. I've seen some really good players come out of NCAA and go to the NHL, but Gavin McKenna just feels like he's. He's just on another level. Like, am I right here in thinking that even though the guys I just named are all spectacular, they're young superstars, but McKenna, I feel like it's almost like we're looking at, like, a McDavid coming into the league, maybe.

[John Butcher Cross]

I think celebrity is close. Like you said, those other guys are maybe a notch down the. Hudson, Caulfield, you know, Celebrini Again, he was 17 his entire college year that he was awesome in. He was 18 last year, his entire first year in the league. Really good. He's going to be 19. He's a June birthday, so he's going to be 19 all this year, wearing an A for some of the games. They picked six of them, three in the road, three at home. So he's. He's yet to play against kids younger than him in his life. When that starts happening in a couple of years, it kind of reminds me of Jack Eichel. Eichel always played up, always played up, always played up, showed up, showed up at BU at 17 years old, you know, always playing older. Now Jack Eichel is starting to play against people who are younger than him or the same age. And we see now he's really starting to pop. So I think. So we'll see about McKenna. You know, I haven't seen him up close. That's what I love, covering college hockey. I get to meet these guys in their T shirt and shir shorts and, okay, how can they take the rigors of an NHL season? How are they built? You know, Celebrini was like 185, 190 when he came in the league, so he was ready to go some of these guys are slighter and skinnier. It may take a couple years. So I really haven't met him. I'm curious see how his game develops at Penn State. He's playing the wing celebrity, showed up and played center right away for BU and so for now they're starting McKenna on the wing and maybe in the end that's what he's going to be like. I said like a Kucheroff, just an amazing, almost a center like guy on the wing. Patrick Kane, Nikita Kuc, those kinds of guys. Almost a Reinhardt, you know, with the Panthers as a result. And so. But we'll see, we'll see if he's at that level or not.

[Roy Bellamy]

One more question about the the college ranks before we move on to the league. What are you looking at as far as storylines are concerned and who do you think will potentially win a national championship?

[John Butcher Cross]

Yeah, I think it's all the biggest storyline again is all these guys who got drafted and now they played junior in Canada and can now play college hockey. You know Clayton Lindstrom of Michigan State, he was Columbus's first round pick and then he got inj played junior last year on end up on McKenna's team and now he's at Michigan State and of course the Flyers first round pick Martone's on Michigan State as well. And of course we talked about McKenna at Penn State. So that's the big storyline right now. The nil, the money and now the opening up to allow Canadian juniors to come down and get the best of those best and then the, and then the ongoing ramifications. What does that mean for the USHL is that's going to be bad for that league. So how do they survive how these Canadian juniors, how does the Western League survive when kids are coming to play college hockey? So how do they figure that stuff out is the big one. And in terms of who are the favorites, you know you would think these guys again it might take some time for these high level players who now are playing college hockey to get going. But as long as their teams get in the tournament then you know Penn State is certainly they would have been good anyway. They made the frozen four last year for the first time. They add McKenna, bring a lot of people back. I still think it's, you know, Penn State, Michigan State I think is really a strong team. Trey Augustine, the future Red Wing goalie come came back again. They have lots of talent up front so I still like them as well. And then as far as the 13 you got, Boston University still has future NHLers as well. Cody Eiserman, Cole Hudson. Lane. Hudson's brother is having a college career similar to Lane. So we'll throw BU in there and then one more, one kind of Cinderella. Quinnipiac looks like Quinnipiac again. They know how to win the ECAC regular season. They know how to win NCAA tournament games. So give me a Las Vegas Frozen four of three big brand names of Michigan State and Penn State and Boston University and throw a Quinnipiac in there, we got a party.

[Ethan Padowski]

Nice.

[Roy Bellamy]

All right, onto the national, we saw the emotional return of Jonathan Taze. He signed with the jets in the offseason. He returned to his Hometown. He had 19 shifts, about 18 and a half minutes played three shot attempts, one of them reached the net. He took a penalty, he drew a penalty and he undressed the referee. He also won seven of eight face offs. How do you think he looked in the game?

[John Butcher Cross]

Yeah, that's good. You know, there's no question coming in, he was a little nicked up after camp, you know, hasn't really played hockey for a while, even just doing basic battle drills. He probably was sore and could get maybe, you know, injured a little bit. It's been a while. So, you know, Winnipeg's in trouble. Nikolai Ehlers, I saw him play last night. It was a great ad by Carolina. He's just a really good player. You know, he's gone. We'll see how they are down the middle. You gotta wonder if Taze can really go through the rigors of it. NHL season after having all that time off and they're, and they're relying on him like they, they kind of need him to, to produce and play well. So it's going to be interesting to watch in Winnipeg if they're going to be able. That Central Division, the Western Conference is a gauntlet and it's going to be very difficult. You look at that Central Division with Colorado and Dallas and of course Winnipeg and, and Minnesota is doing all they can to keep up, keeping Capris off. So all it takes is one little, you know, slip up, one little, you know, part of your season that, that you're just not performing, then Sudd like a 93 point team and boom, you're out. So it's, it's, it's going to be tough on Winnipeg. They're going to lean on him a lot. So there's some, some pressure on Taves as well. Besides, you know, just celebrating his return.

[Roy Bellamy]

To the game as well with the Jets. They also extended Calana's eight year to eight year extension at $12 million per season. Another team friendly deal. Now Kirill Kirill Krizov, we thought that that was going to change the market entirely and then Connor McDavid happened. So what do you think is going on with the, with these deals now? Everybody seems to be taking team friendly deals.

[John Butcher Cross]

Yeah, that's just, that's kind of the hockey player mentality, isn't it? Because you know, if, because of the hard cap, you know, the more you get it does it hurts your team. The players probably should not be, be put in this position. At some point they should probably get a waiver for one guy, a team or you can go over the cap cap. Whether you slot him at an average of like 12 and if you give him 20, he still counts as 12. You know, try to figure out something.

[Roy Bellamy]

Kind of like a franchise franchise.

[John Butcher Cross]

It's, it's the old Larry Bird rule, right in the NBA when they call it the Bird rule back in the day where you could resign your own guy as much as you want. Didn't really count against the cap per se again. But like in this situation, if you just take the highest average and make it, you got one 12 million dollar give one guy got. It's, it doesn't matter how many, but you count him at 12, you're not going to just make it nothing. But you count at 12, then whatever more he gets than, than he gets and you only count 12 because you really put these superstars in a tough position. You know, Jack Geikel probably should have got 15. If Caprizov got 17, he actually should make more than Caprisov. Jack Eichel is a better player mainly because he's, he's a center and they're just so more valuable, you know. And you know, Sasha Barkov's an $18 million player when he's healthy. And so, so yeah, so it definitely has pushed up some prices like Kempe and Naches. Those kinds of guys are going to benefit because they don't have the pressure to take less. They can go for as much as they want because these teams are quibbling over, you know, Naches and Kempe, they both want 11 and the teams want probably nine. That's probably what you're looking at there. And eventually they'll get probably to about 10, two or nine, eight, whoever they feel like has the leverage. Kempe is going to turn 30, so he probably wants that eight year nature is 26. You know, he could go four times 10 and hope the cap goes up. Bet on himself like he has and then maybe he can do a fourth times 14, you know, so it's going to be interesting to see how these guys play it. So I think it'll help those guys more than topping because the top end guy is going to continue to feel pressure to take a little bit less like Tom Brady or back for all those years in the Patriots that he did to have a better team around him until we reached the end where it's like, I got to go cash in a little bit to Tampa.

[Ethan Padowski]

Tampa.

[John Butcher Cross]

And that's what's happening. So yeah, they're trying to figure this out, the GMs and the players. Is a $6 million player necessarily a nine million dollar player now or the GMs like, no, you're still a six million. I'll go seven. But I still want the big fish because you need stars to win in this league. Like the Panthers have shown, like, you know, you need multiple stars and some of these teams like the Kings are just looking for one. I think Byfield will be that eventually, but you know, he's still just a 60 point guy. Maybe he will turn out to be okay. Then you got one where again the Panthers throw, you know, Reinhardt and Kachak and Barkov and, and even the underrated players like Forest Lane, who's really a star, but people look as a guy, so. And that's what. So, so I think it is. It's going to be interesting to see how these GMs. Yeah, some people think he's just a.

[Roy Bellamy]

Guy, but he's just a guy. Not even Norris Trophy candidate. Just a guy.

[John Butcher Cross]

Jag. Just a jag.

[Mike]

Luke Hughes making almost twice as much as Gustav Warsling?

[John Butcher Cross]

Right, right. Exactly. Exactly right.

[Ethan Padowski]

So Jon, has Kyle Connor talking about him a little bit here. Has he replaced Sasha Barkov as the most underrated player in the NHL? People talk about him like he's good. Like they talked about Barkov like he was good. But I don't think people appreciate how transcendent Kyle Connor can be for a hockey game on any given moment.

[John Butcher Cross]

Yeah, I mean, let's face it, he's, he's a 40 goal guy. He's electric. He started to score in the postseason, so he's definitely, definitely coming. He's a quiet guy. He's, you know, he's from Michigan. He likes to hunt and fish. Like the Winnipeg luck for him is just keep. He could just, you know, no one bothers him. There's not a lot of pressure. He easily could have gone back to Detroit and played for the Home state team. He went to Michigan. It was a former Michigan Wolverine. Definitely. If he wanted that to happen, the Wings would have loved him and he could have made it happen. You know, Whisper, whisper the agent. Whisper, whisper to Eisenman. Whisper, whisper. And then you get it done. Either they trade him or he just plays it out and sign with the Red Wings. He could have done that and you know, most people would have. And back in the day, they really. A lot of people would have back in the day especially too, because it meant a whole bunch. It still means a lot to play original six, but every generation it means a little less and less. And so yeah, it's a. That's probably a good call in terms of. Because Barka is probably no longer underrated, especially if the Panthers kind of struggle, you know, and just get in the playoffs as like a 95 point team. And with him, with him out all year, that's.

[Ethan Padowski]

Oh, wow.

[John Butcher Cross]

That guy really is like a top three player. I guess so.

[Ethan Padowski]

So interestingly, like, you kind of led me into my next thing because we're talking a lot about guys taking, you know what we're calling now? Team friendly deals. Like we're calling, we're calling McDavid and we're calling Connor, Kyle Conner team friendly deals at 12.5. Right.

[John Butcher Cross]

They go, right?

[Ethan Padowski]

Yeah, they all make more than everybody on the Florida Panthers. And it's not even close. No, the highest AAV in Florida is 10. And that's Barkov and that's Bob. And Bob goes away after this year. Look at the deals that Zito assigned guys to in the last few years. None of them are higher than 8.6. And I'm talking about guys that you mentioned mentioned Bennett, Reinhardt, Ekblad. Forsling that guy.

[Roy Bellamy]

Yeah, that guy.

[Ethan Padowski]

So as we're talking about all these team friendly deals, like team friendly to who? Because it's still. I'm just. The whole point of this is to give some love to the Panthers. But like what Zito has done and what he's gotten all these players to do and this culture that they've built here. Like, just as we're seeing these other quote unquote, team friendly deals get signed. It just brings me all back to what's happened here in Florida. Boochie. And how amazing it is that Bill Zito's gotten everybody to buy in.

[John Butcher Cross]

No, for sure. And he just was just ahead because this whole salary cap thing, I mean, they said last year it was coming and I think they probably might have known even a year and a Half ago that, hey, these are the projections yet whether it's, you know, Reinhardt, if someone puts that guaranteed contract in a very dangerous sport, as we know, where anything can happen. Come on, you gotta, you gotta get that first 60, 70 million if you're a player. And sometimes that first 67 million is your second contract where Eichel was the first McDavid, the first, these guys. So that's one reason obviously McDavid could take a little bit less now is because he's already made $80 million. So he's kind of good. But yeah, he was just ahead of the curve. You know, could Chuck coming down to nine. Barkov was kind of high for that era. Now going back, they really obviously respected him and wanted to get that done. And maybe his agents did look into the future a little bit. So now. And that's the same with the Hurricanes, you know, they got at Ajo and these guys just locked in at 7 million for seven more years. You know, guys are going to make double what also the Hurricanes and Panthers have a lot of these guys. Like you said, the, the hurricanes only have one guy making 10. You know, they're all seven, seven, eight. And they just locked up KeAndre Miller at seven, you know, for eight years. And, and so, yeah, you're right. The Panthers and Hurricanes are, are two teams that are going to be good for another seven, eight years because the cap's going to go up again, go up again. And now they can really be aggressive with free agents. They can make them. You know, they may have. They may overwhelm some of these players if they even get to free agency. They don't tend to in the NHL to overwhelm them to, to get them to come in like Mitch Marner, you know, but again, for him, 12 was enough. So it is kind of strange. The caprize off 17 number was obviously probably a little high too quickly. And then the McDavid 125 has really messed everything up. It's like total. They don't know what to think now, you know, because one guy took so much less than he should have. The other guy took 17 for a winger. It's so everyone's a little rattled. Like we're rubbing the gloves in the corner, standing eight count stuff. You know, boxing. It's like, what do we do? So let's take a pause and that's what Kempe has done. And nature's hasn't really got. So I think now they're going to try to figure this out now and then eventually the light bulbs Will start to go on both sides and they'll. Okay, this is, this is what we're going to do.

[Roy Bellamy]

That was a very Lewis Black type sound effect.

[John Butcher Cross]

Yeah, it was, yeah.

[Roy Bellamy]

All right. So you called all his Flames and Devils hur Hurricanes this week for espn. The Eulers allowed the Kings to come back despite leon dry Snyder's 400th goal. And also we saw Steph Jarvis and as you mentioned, K Andre Miller both score two goals respectively in the Hurricanes win. What were your takeaways from those two games?

[John Butcher Cross]

I actually had la. I had LA Colorado opening.

[Roy Bellamy]

You had LA Colorado? Yes, yes, yes.

[John Butcher Cross]

Yeah, I'm good.

[Roy Bellamy]

That was a Canada. That was the Canada broadcast.

[John Butcher Cross]

Yeah, I'm good. But I can't call two games in one day, right? Both those games last night. But yeah, last I was really impressed with Andre Miller. I mean when he got, when he got traded, I tweeted Carolina wins a trade just because I, I thought he would pop as a 10 goal, 40 point defenseman there. That system really helps defenseman under Rod Briddemore. They're so good along the walls in Carolina and then there's so much space because the other team is trying to get the puck from them and it's hard to get the puck from Carolina. And then these defense team can just kind of creep in and have all kinds of room. And that's what happened with him. So very impressed by Carolina. Nikolai Ehlers is a really good player. When you see him play in person, it's like, wow, this guy's really good. An underrated player for sure. I'm surprised. His career high is 64 points. I would think playing with Ajo and Jarvis this year he's got a chance to be almost a point per game guy, you know, 70 points at least. Like I said, I was surprised. 64, man, he should add all those years. Look at him play. This guy's a great playmaker. He could skate. He only scores 25, so he's going to need a lot of assists to get to 7. He's going to need a 25, 50 year, but maybe he'll get 30 this year. 30, 40, 42 or something like that. But I like that team a lot. The bottom six is really good. All six bottom six guys might score 10 goals this year, you know, which is nice to have. Again, no one makes a lot of money there. But like Edmonton, who you kind of talked about Roy Carolina, like do they have a goalie? Like, are we kidding with Stuart Skinner? Like, are we kidding? That's your goalie no. So you know the fact McDavid one reason why McDavid took 12 and a half was like because we need a goalie. Goalie. Go get a goalie. Whatever it takes. We need a goalie. And Freddie Anderson when healthy is actually among very very good. I don't. Elite's a strong word but like he's a really good goalie. He's got great numbers but he just does. He gets hurt.

[Ethan Padowski]

Yeah.

[John Butcher Cross]

Now it's the last year of his deal so be 36. Maybe he doesn't like hockey, doesn't want to play anymore. He's going to play it out and retire. I don't know. You never know with these guys. But if he wants to play for one more contract or one more deal, couple maybe two more a two year deal at age 36 then you know, play 50 games this year have year and lead your team at least to the Stanley cup finals which obviously no team has had better success longer in the NHL right now than the Hurricanes. Like I'm talking since Brenda Moore coach this is his eighth year. Like they're. They've been up here the whole eight years but they just haven't got to the final. Some teams have been good, gone down a couple back up or a late start, you know so it's time for them. But like Edmonton do they have the goaltending and that's, that's it's so hard to find one and obviously Edmonton has tried, they tried it for Jack Campbell that didn't work. After he had a good run there he, he, he collapsed and I was Skinner and Pickard so I just don't know if they can be taken seriously until they get a goalie. And it's amazing they made back to back finals with them.

[Roy Bellamy]

Yeah. John Buttegrass, ESPN we appreciate you joining us today John. Thank you for joining us.

[John Butcher Cross]

Thanks for remembering fellas.

[Roy Bellamy]

Thank you to John Butcher Grass for joining us here today. Everybody is asking about now it's this jersey that I'm wearing. I'm gonna stand up here so I am wearing a rose designed the hockey show jersey. This is a nice little jersey here.

[Ethan Padowski]

Give us a spin the name on the.

[Mike]

Everybody tell Roy how handsome he looks.

[Roy Bellamy]

I knew I look good.

[Ethan Padowski]

You do look handsome.

[Mike]

You do look handsome Roy. You always do.

[Ethan Padowski]

The metal art logo there at the. The bottom of the right.

[Roy Bellamy]

Where the right here on the collar. There's the metal lock logo right here.

[Ethan Padowski]

As you can see it's a good color collar.

[Roy Bellamy]

Very good design by by Rosie Wade and Williamson. They provided the actual putting together of said jersey. So thank you to them. And we'll probably have some more information about how to.

[John Butcher Cross]

How to get it coming soon.

[Roy Bellamy]

Coming soon. So, yes, Rosie, good job on the design. Really, really like it. My only input was, you know, the font on the back of the jersey, it has. There has to be some sort of realism here. It has to look like an actual jersey, and the font in the back of the jersey makes it look like a actual jersey. So for everybody in the back, Danny B. And Jason. No, Jason's here. Gino's here. Jason is off today. So thank you, Ethan. Thank you, Rosie, and thank you, David. This has been the Hockey Show. My name is Roy Bellamy. We will see you next week.

[Jeremy]

Hey, Jeremy, old buddy, old pal.

[Mike]

Hey, Mike.

[Jeremy]

I want to talk to you about Miller Lite. You and I have bonded over these last few weeks talking about our shared.

[Mike]

Love of Miller Lite.

[Ethan Padowski]

That's. That's right.

[Jeremy]

A great partner of our show for practically its entire existence.

[Ethan Padowski]

It's been a partner of this show since I was 10 years old, and.

[Jeremy]

It'S been around for 50 years, and they've been a part of our show for almost 20. We're approaching incredible partner status with Miller Lite.

[Ethan Padowski]

I mean, to think that people were celebrating at my bar mitzvah with Miller Lite as they were a partner of this show is pretty incredible.

[Jeremy]

You're talking about the moments that are made better by making those times, those specialists times. Miller Time. Jeremy, there's nothing like cracking open Miller Lite with your crew this football season. It's especially true. Whether it's a touchdown you didn't see coming or just arguing about fantasy lineups you already know you're gonna lose. Miller Lite has been the taste you can depend on for 50 years. Brewed for flavor with simple ingredients, rich toffee notes that iconic golden color. And here's a kicker. Jeremy.

[Ethan Padowski]

What's that?

[Jeremy]

It's just 96 calories.

[Ethan Padowski]

I still can't believe that we say it every week. I can't believe it.

[Jeremy]

It's just 3.2 carbs per 12 ounces. It's the original light beer since 1975 and still hitting different five decades later. 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. It's Miller time. Celebrate responsibly. Miller Brewing Company, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 96 calories and 3.2 carbs per 12 ounces. Now's a good time to remember where tequila's story truly began. In 1795, Cuervo invented tequila.

[Ethan Padowski]

Cuervo.

[Jeremy]

What are you doing here?

[Mike]

Cuervo. Anytime someone says Cuervo, I show up.

[Jeremy]

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.

[John Butcher Cross]

Sweet, delicious Cuervo.

[Jeremy]

Since then, Cuervo has stayed true to its roots. The same family, the same land, the same passion.

[John Butcher Cross]

Cuervo.

[Jeremy]

So enjoy the tequila that started it all.

[Roy Bellamy]

Cuervo.

[John Butcher Cross]

Cuervo.

[Jeremy]

The tequila that invented tequila. Proximo, Cuervo.com, please drink responsibly.

[John Butcher Cross]

Cuervo.