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Roy Bellamy
You're listening to Giraffe Kings Network.
David Dwork
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Ethan
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Doug Plaguens
Hello, everybody. Welcome to the Hockey Show. My name is Roy Bellamy. David Dwork for the Hockey News is here. So is Ethan. Rosie is somewhere with Lucy right now doing college football because that never ends. It's hockey season for us and that's, that's a good thing because we get to do slap shots and we're going to start with our hot, hot takes. And Dave, take it away. What's your hot take?
Ethan
My hot take is I've had enough with embellishment penalties. Enough?
Doug Plaguens
Yeah, it sounds like you had enough.
Ethan
Nobody likes this. It's not consistent. It's annoying. We just saw in back to back nights how inconsistent it is. First there was this Matthew Tachuk getting called for embellishment after he was tripped by Brett Pesci when literally all he's doing is falling on his face. Like, I'm sorry, am I supposed to put my hands behind my back when I'm falling on my face and hitting.
Doug Plaguens
The microphone with your face?
Ethan
No. Well, because what are you supposed to do? You're falling. So. All right, anyway, the next night, two nights later, we get another. Can we roll that one with Nico Mikola getting. He gets called for a pen watch Jack Hughes. He doesn't get touched, but he throws his head back like a friggin Sports Illustrated swimsuit model in the ocean. And what happens? The call on Nico Mikola? No embellishment call. That Time. So the consistency is just rolling right along. I'm tired of goal.
Doug Plaguens
Didn't it that.
Ethan
Yes, it did. Lead the PowerPoint. Yeah, I'm over this. If we can't get a consistent rule, if we can't make it reviewable, then get it to bleep out of here because it does no good. It's never called on its own. It's always got to be with the penalty.
Doug Plaguens
Yeah.
Ethan
Like. And I got one more video just while I'm really pissed off. Just. I've railed on this before. This is Nido Nidor hitting Tampa's easy month. Easymont. Can't handle getting hit. Oh, I got hit really hard. My reaction has to be dropping the gloves immediately because this is hockey, and you gotta fight. If you get embarrassed a little bit, you can't just take a hit. Cause it's hockey. What? I'm trying so hard not to drop an F bomb right now. I know I can, but I'm trying to keep it civil. But what the. When did hockey become such a whiny little bratty type of game?
Doug Plaguens
Yeah, we've been seeing that. A lot of clean hits that are leading to fights, I guess, based on who's being hit.
Ethan
It's hockey. Grow a pair. Take it. Like, all right. Just. All right.
Billy
I've never seen you this angry, Jorky.
Ethan
Because it just keeps happening, and I feel like we're just moving in the wrong direction. And in the. In a time where I feel like moving in the wrong direction might be a little sensitive to a decent amount of people around here. Yeah, I'm a little sensitive.
Doug Plaguens
I mean, there's an unwritten rule, and I'm not saying that east amount is at that caliber, but you're not supposed to touch certain players on.
Ethan
He's not the certain. Are you kidding me?
Doug Plaguens
No. He's not a rookie.
Ethan
And Nino Niederider isn't, like, out there headhunting either. Like, come on. What are we doing? It's hockey.
Doug Plaguens
Lady Bing over here. This guy. My hot take is this is one of the most dangerous things you can do to yourself in the National Hockey League in the sport of hockey itself, and that's playing without your equipment. And in this situation, Anthony Stories was in the crease, and he froze the puck by taking off his blocker. Now, that's a bad situation because it was along the ice, and he's got a bare hand down there and a whole bunch of sharp knives skating around.
Ethan
Well. And people are jamming their sticks looking for the puck. You're Going to break a finger.
Billy
I didn't know this was legal. I figured this would be an illegal play for you to just grab the puck with your hand because a goaltender. Yeah, yeah, but still that feels wrong.
Ethan
Well, you can't do it on. Well, who is going to do that on purpose? Who in their right mind is going to take their gloves off? This takes me back to Mike Richter actually, in like 1996. I remember there was a play where he was on his back swimming through the crease and both of his gloves came off and he cleared the puck out with a bare hand. That's scary, dude.
Doug Plaguens
Yeah, that's.
Ethan
As a goalie. No thank you.
Doug Plaguens
Yeah, that wrist is wide open to be slit. You know you can lose a finger based off the skates.
Ethan
What's wrong with us?
Doug Plaguens
We.
Ethan
I was not a goal we as the Goltz.
Doug Plaguens
My position would be sinner, not goaltender.
Ethan
But yeah, I mean, Stolar. He was smiling too. Like an idiot. I love it. He's. Because he's out there having fun. He's such a good guy. Like probably didn't think anything of it, but that's scared me.
Doug Plaguens
You have a hot take, Ethan.
Billy
I do not. Dave, what's your win of the week?
Doug Plaguens
Oh, come on, man.
Billy
Well, I got plenty of hot takes. I just didn't get prepared for one. But now you're making me look hot.
Doug Plaguens
I'm going to treat you like Kenny Smith.
Billy
I will come fired up next week.
Mike Ryan
Don't worry.
Doug Plaguens
I'm going to treat you like Kenny Smith with Johnson.
Billy
I still think. I still think Jim Montgomery is going to be fired really soon. 7:2 Last night the Stars we can kind of continue last week's off of last week's hot take. Jim Montgomery. 72 loss to the Stars last night. The Bruins not getting their shit together at all.
Doug Plaguens
You Bruin hate.
Ethan
Only thing that we fired yet.
Billy
The only thing that might.
Doug Plaguens
No, that's the answer.
Billy
The only reason this take might not come true is because Mike Sullivan. Sullivan did his best to get fired.
Ethan
Yeah, but Mike Sullivan, he'll get hired like that.
Billy
Yeah, he will. Dave, your win of the week.
Ethan
That like that. My win of the week goes to a family. It's the Duchenne family. Matt Duchenne put video up on his Instagram from his in. In home camera of his family watching him play earlier this week. He scored a goal like a minute into the game and his son Bo just goes screaming through the house like, ah, daddy score. It was so cool and sweet and wholesome and I think we have the video if you want to put it up there. Yeah, here we go.
Roy Bellamy
Home side.
Ethan
So the kids are up there watching. Stars ice.
Linda Cohn
Nice move to Shane.
Roy Bellamy
His shot scores. He found the hole. Is it leaked through Blum fist And the Stars on their first shot of the night.
Ethan
Speaking of opinions. Well, that was the game, wasn't it? That was the game where they were losing like six nothing in the first period.
Billy
Yeah, they gave up six in the.
Ethan
First period, but that was really cool. So Matt D. Shane and his wife Ashley sharing that video with us of his son Bo and their daughter James. Really cool. As a couple of dads, I thought we'd appreciate that. So definitely my win of the week. Good on you, Duchain family.
Doug Plaguens
My win of the week is something that the league is actually trying to take out. We mentioned it earlier and that's fighting. Um, but this one is actually not based on a hit, or at least I don't think it was based on it on a hit. But it was a couple of fights from back to back games between the Panthers and Devils. It was Jonah Gadjevich at the forefront of both of them on Tuesday. This is the big one. This is the one brought us back to.
Ethan
Oh, my God.
Billy
No, no vision jersey over his head. Still just swinging.
Doug Plaguens
Yeah.
Ethan
And no strategy over under. Like he's thinking it through, man.
Billy
I think free said on 32 thoughts this morning, he threw 37 punches.
Doug Plaguens
Yeah, that's what ESPN said. They tabulated the punches and now it's a knockout blow on Brendan Dillon.
Ethan
Bucci loved it.
Doug Plaguens
He absolutely did. On Thursday, Jonah Gadjevich play fought Curtis McDermott and it was basically the same thing. Yeah, I mean, those are big men. Those. Those were two heavyweight fights that happened on Thursday. This is the fight right here.
Billy
This is so good. This is so good. Them lining each other up.
Doug Plaguens
Oh, there's a set up. They get squared up, they get the setup.
Billy
I thought the refs here are just going to step in and just call it like nobody's throwing a swing yet. And then all of a sudden they just start swinging.
Ethan
You want to jump in there at the wrong second and get one of those haymakers in the side of your head.
Billy
The best part is I thought right around here. Ish. Coming up, that Gadget was done right here. I'm like, oh, he's going down, right?
Doug Plaguens
Yeah. Punches back.
Billy
And then, oh, he comes back swinging. So good.
Doug Plaguens
He had him square on the nose, probably the top of the visor. But that one knocked him down. So Jonah Gadjevich this week was basically the only winner that the Panthers had with those two big fight wins. Ethan, you have no win, do you?
Billy
I do not. But I love this series that took place the last two nights, and I would love to see seven games of this devil. I know we'll get to this later, but I would love to see seven games of the Devils and Panthers.
Doug Plaguens
That would be the conference final.
Ethan
Well, unless one of them falls out of the.
Doug Plaguens
I doubt that.
Billy
Most likely scenarios, it would be the Eastern Conference final and it would be a doozy.
Ethan
That'd be fun.
Doug Plaguens
Yeah. All right, loss of the week. Let's go to you, Dave.
Ethan
My loss of the week. It's also fight related, Roy. Look at that. Hey, my loss of the week goes to Nathan Bastian of the aforementioned New Jersey Devils. They played the Calgary Flames and our old friend Lion Ryan Lombard this week, and Ryan Lombard pummeled him to the point where he told his teammates after the game he actually felt bad at the last couple punches. Go ahead, Ethan. Where's that animal?
Billy
He didn't.
Doug Plaguens
Where have you been the last couple?
Billy
I actually did feel a little bad, too.
Doug Plaguens
You should.
Billy
I wasn't going to stop. Here's my favorite thing about Ryan Lomberg, and I noticed this in the documentary they that ESPN did about the Panthers cup run. He doesn't wear a shirt on the ice under his jersey. Everybody kind of wears like one of those long sleeves, I imagine, to protect against cold. And also add a little bit of packaging batting. That dude's out there shirtless under his jersey. It that says everything you need to know about Ryan Lombard.
Ethan
Lomby's a real one. I think we have footage of the fight from the glass actually, of Lombie unrailing, unloading on him, railing this guy, if you can. Here it is. Oh, my God. This was. I mean, look, we know Lombi is a tough dude, even though he's not the biggest. Well, he's not the tallest guy, but he's, you know, chiseled out of the side of a mountain. The guy is so strong, but holy cow, man, I miss that guy.
Billy
I miss him so much.
Doug Plaguens
I miss him as well. Fortified on the fourth line, man, he brought the energy on the ice and that brought the energy to the team. And yeah, he was big for the past few seasons for the Panthers, but we wish him well in Calgary. My fail of the week, the L goes to whoever put the ads on the boards in Washington because Ryan Reeves ended up with a portion of a Lexus advertisement on the back of his jersey, and it looked like he had toilet paper on his shoe.
Ethan
He's more of like a Range Rover guy to me, I think.
Doug Plaguens
Yeah, it is a big truck.
Ethan
Yeah. You know, Hummer.
Doug Plaguens
Yeah.
Ethan
One of the. I don't know.
Doug Plaguens
Yeah, One of those big. One those big cars. I'm looking at. You brought it up. I'm looking at the screen right now. It's a doggone GMC Hummer. Just Big Brother listening to us, I guess, around the new. Around the what? Your hand is up. You got something? Say something.
Billy
I was going to lead us into what we were going to talk about next here.
Ethan
Oh, well, go ahead. Segue away.
Billy
Yeah, I don't have. I guess you could say my win of the week is for Connor McDavid, because what a week it was for Conor McDavid. What a night it was for Conor McDavid last night. Right. And Roy, I'll let you set up the rest.
Doug Plaguens
Thanks, Ethan. I appreciate you. The Edmonton always defeated the Predators 3 to 2 last night in Edmonton, and Conor McDavid ended up scoring a goal. That goal was his 1000th point of his career. That is an accomplishment that actually makes him the fourth fastest to that achievement.
Ethan
The fourth fastest.
Doug Plaguens
The fourth fastest.
Ethan
So Wayne is obviously on that list.
Doug Plaguens
Yeah.
Ethan
Is Lemieux on that list?
Doug Plaguens
I believe so.
Ethan
And who would be third on that list? Salani? Maybe.
Doug Plaguens
Maybe.
Ethan
Maybe we're going further back here. Maybe it's like Gordie Howe or something.
Doug Plaguens
Yeah. So I can tell you right now.
Billy
Mike Bossy was the third fastest. It was Gretzky, Lemieux and Mike Bossy.
Ethan
Two out of three. I'll take it.
Doug Plaguens
Yeah. 55 players scored goals on his assists that led him to a thousand points in his career. 55 players. Yeah, that's it.
Ethan
Wow.
Doug Plaguens
And 192 of those goals belong to Leon Dreiside.
Ethan
Yeah.
Doug Plaguens
Yeah. That's the. That's actually the fourth most in NHL history. Goals scored on from one player.
Ethan
This is 27 years old, Hunter McDavid.
Doug Plaguens
Yeah. Did you score from one player on assist from another player?
Ethan
Yeah.
Doug Plaguens
So, yeah, that's fourth most in NHL history. The second in second place is Nick Bastrom's goal total when Alex Zabeshkin had an assist. So, yeah, that's an interesting stat right there.
Billy
Did you guys see what else McDavid did last night on the OT winner? First of all, I love that all his teams came out, teammates came out to celebrate his thousandth point with him. Kind of gave a longer celebration where they could kind of acknowledge the moment and his teammates all poured out on the ice. But I think his best moment of the night was this pass he made on the overtime winner. I think we have the video where he. They're, they're on a breakaway. It's tricycle and McDavid in overtime. And McDavid makes this sick pass to Darnell.
Ethan
No, look pass.
Billy
No, look pass behind the back. Nurse was caught off guard like, oh, my God, I can't believe I'm playing with this guy.
Ethan
Nobody's more surprised that he scored the game winning goal in overtime than Darnell Nurse. But that, you know, Sarah Civian's happy, though.
Doug Plaguens
Yeah, yeah. So is Sarah. Sarah Nurse is also happy about that.
Ethan
The two.
Doug Plaguens
Sarah cousin. Yeah, yeah. There was a trade last this week. Laws Eller was traded back to the Washington Capitals. The Penguins ended up getting a 2025 fifth round pick and a 2027 third round pick. It's a reunion for Lars Eller in the Washington area. For him, that's, that's, that's actually heartwarming. But what I want to get to right now to end this segment is the hall of Fame. All right, so the inductees this year that this happened this week was Shane Weber, Jeremy Roenick, Paladasuk, Natalie Dalwood's Christy Wendell Paul, Colin Campbell, Colin Campbell and David Paella. Already nominees there who were just inducted into the hall of Fame. Good for them.
Ethan
Brings back our memories. Two years ago we were there.
Doug Plaguens
Yeah, yeah. Lou getting his shine. Getting cold. That weekend it was cold. So next year it's the first ballot for these players. All right, listen up. Joe Thornton, Duncan Keefe, Kerry Price, Zidane Ochara, Ryan Getzlaff, Tuka Raskin, Dustin Brown and Eric Stall. Those are first ballot. Those who've had second ballots or more. Jennifer Bol, Rod Brendamore, Megan Dugan, Patrick Elias, Sergey Gar, Curtis Joseph, Patrick Marlow, Ryan Miller, Alexander Moe Pekarin, Keith Kachuk, Justin Williams and Hendrick Zetterberg. Now Alexander Mooney. This is why we need to find out about public voting for the hall of Fame, because there's absolutely no reason why Alexander Mogoni should not be in the hall of Fame.
Ethan
I don't know if I want to open it up to public voting or maybe you can have an element where like the public votes and that vote acts as like one vote and is weighted in with other votes. Like there maybe should be some input because obviously this has been something that we've talked about a lot over the years. Now is Alex Mogilny and his not being in the hall of Fame.
Doug Plaguens
Yeah.
Ethan
And look, there's arguments both ways, and I get that. But, like, at the end of the day, it just feels like this is a man who, based on his hockey, deserves to be in there. I just don't know about. Because what you're talking about is a slippery slope. So if you're going to do something like that and you're going to change the voting, you got to do it right.
Doug Plaguens
Well, baseball did it.
Ethan
Yeah. Okay.
Billy
Baseball has the worst hall of Fame voting ever, I don't think.
Ethan
I didn't want to go there, but I'm like that. Voting bitching about baseball every year.
Doug Plaguens
It's subjective, though. I mean that. I mean, you talk about gripes against players when it comes to the media. That's the sport that has the most.
Ethan
Yeah.
Doug Plaguens
So.
Ethan
But there's also like the most polarization, I think, between some of the players. Like, in hockey, there's not that much drama and intrigue.
Doug Plaguens
Right.
Ethan
Like Alex Modil needs, basically it.
Doug Plaguens
Yeah.
Ethan
In baseball, there's a whole, you know, the whole steroid era element is like really, I don't wanna say screwing things up, but really kind of making it murky waters. How do we get talking about baseball?
Doug Plaguens
Because, I mean, that was each so.
Ethan
Of the first ballot, guys. Thornton, Keith Price, Chara Getz, Laugh, Rasprown, Stall. Who's getting in?
Doug Plaguens
Definitely Chara and Price. Definitely good, I would think. Definitely Stall. Probably as well.
Billy
I was listening to a pod the other day that says Joe Thornton is all but a guarantee.
Doug Plaguens
First ballot.
Billy
Yeah.
Ethan
I don't.
Doug Plaguens
He hasn't won a cup.
Ethan
No first ballot.
Doug Plaguens
Neither did Price, for that matter.
Ethan
But no, I think definitely Char Chara for sure. We can all agree on that. Probably get slaughter, I would think, too. Canadian Stanley cup winner.
Billy
Is this Keith Kachuk's year finally?
Doug Plaguens
It better be.
Billy
Do you think his boys are helping his case at all? Like, do you think the fact that.
Doug Plaguens
Like, you think Brady's helping him out.
Billy
Late because of his kids. Yeah, that's what I'm saying.
Ethan
Absolutely. Absolutely. It helps.
Doug Plaguens
Yeah. So hopefully Walt gets in there. Coming up next, we got Doug Plaguens from the Florida Panthers radio network. We're going to talk about the week that was.
Mike Ryan
Coming up next, two guys more muscular.
Linda Cohn
Mm. I have lost ten pounds.
Mike Ryan
Have you?
Linda Cohn
Yeah, using my peloton. I've had the peloton in my house. So my daughter, she wanted me to get a peloton. I did. She used it a couple of times.
Mike Ryan
Endorsement.
Linda Cohn
But once she left the college and the peloton was just sitting there in my office and it wasn't being used. I said, you know what? I got to use this. And I have lost 10 to 12 pounds, Billy.
Mike Ryan
So I started using peloton as a bike. Obviously that's like what they're known for. But recently I discovered all of the other classes that they have. They have like a series of weightlifting classes. They have programs which for me the programs is great because I don't have to think about what I'm doing. If not, I just go and I pick a class at random. And I don't know that I'm actually accomplishing anything.
Linda Cohn
I would like some recommendations on classes because I keep going to the same class.
Mike Ryan
Okay.
Linda Cohn
It's the Grateful Dead class.
Mike Ryan
By the way, you do like a four week, four program with Emma Lovewell.
Linda Cohn
Right?
Mike Ryan
I would recommend that one.
Linda Cohn
Okay.
Mike Ryan
Anyone can do that. Any level. Starts out, you know, easy and then you work your way up and then there's a, like a Core Program 2 that you can do after Core Program 1 if you want to do that.
Doug Plaguens
Yeah.
Mike Ryan
If you graduate.
Linda Cohn
Wait a second, you have to graduate course one to get to course two, the harder course.
Mike Ryan
Well, you can start a course too if you want, but I eased my way in. I did course one first. Then you can do some strength classes with Andy. Love a strength class with Andy. He really puts me through it. I get up and I'm like a sweaty mess and I'm kind of disgusting and I love it. You know anything about Peloton St. Gots?
Ethan
What?
Mike Ryan
Peloton coaches, they walk the walk.
Linda Cohn
Really?
Roy Bellamy
Yeah.
Linda Cohn
Do they taught the talk.
Mike Ryan
They have sub 3 hour marathon runner coaches. They have military trained athlete coaches, former college basketball player coaches, and so many other well rounded coaches on their team. All this experience really shows in their classes. You're never short of challenging. You can do some resistance band classes. I got some resistance bands lately.
Linda Cohn
You're my teacher.
Mike Ryan
Am I? Yeah, you know, no, I'm not. Well, I just go with the program. So then I think. Because I don't know, I don't know what I'm doing anyways. What's the like Mr. Olympia, right? Is that what it's called?
Ethan
Yes.
Mike Ryan
The one where you go and you're like lifting giant boulders.
Linda Cohn
Yeah.
Mike Ryan
We should talk to Magnus again.
Linda Cohn
That's Mr. Olympia.
Mike Ryan
Yeah.
Linda Cohn
Yes.
Mike Ryan
What did I say Olympus? Did I?
Linda Cohn
I don't know.
Mike Ryan
Anyways, find your push, find your power. With peloton@1peloton.com.
Doug Plaguens
Okay. Joining us now is Doug Plaguens. Of the Florida Panthers radio network. He does play by play play. And we've seen the Panthers take back to back losses from the New Jersey doubles after having a seven game winning streak. Yeah, that, that was pretty deflating what happened this week against New Jersey. Yeah, it's the first time the Panthers have lost back to back games since the second and third games of the season losing to the Senators and Sabres. Doug, what happened?
Roy Bellamy
Well, first, thanks for having me, guys.
Doug Plaguens
Yeah, of course.
Roy Bellamy
Yeah, I think, I think if we're looking at, if we're looking at that, couple of things, couple of different points to bring up in relation to the Panthers Devils games this week. First of all, New Jersey, plain and simple, is a good team. There's no doubt about it. They're a team that came into this season having identified a few shortcomings with their roster last year. They shored up the goaltending, they have two reliable veterans now, including one who's a workhorse, who's going to play the lion's share of the games, and Jacob Markstrom. All their young guys are a year older and you can see that experience. And they also shored up their back end a bit too. So it's really a balanced roster and Sheldon keeps a good coach. So it's a good hockey team over there on the New Jersey side and that's a team that's going to be in the contending mix in the Eastern Conference, probably not just this year, but for a number of years to come. And we're going to see some good battles between the Panthers and Devils I think in the, in the years to come. So first of all, it's a good team. The other thing to keep in mind is, you know, before we overanalyze two midweek games, I know they were two Panthers losses, but at the same time, let's not forget the Panthers were on a seven game win streak leading up to these couple of games. So big picture at the time that we're having this chat right now, the Panthers are still in the top spot in the Atlantic Division. They had a really grueling month of October and you know, took care of business for most of that month of October and into November. Put themselves in a good spot and put themselves in a spot where you can, you know, you can, you can handle taking a couple of losses should that come around and, and still find yourself in a good position, which is where they are. But I think if you look at the game on Tuesday night, part one of this little back to back, that's the other thing is it was kind of a scheduling quirk here. But the back to back on Tuesday night, that was just a hard fought game. Paul Maurice said as much. That was just a hard fought game between two really good teams. New Jersey came out on top the game on Thursday night. The second part of the back to back and Bill Lindsey and I talked about this post game, it seemed like in that one I know the final score was 6 to 2, but it didn't feel like it was necessarily a runaway win for New Jersey. They were really opportunistic on a few occasions they scored some power play goals and not once but twice they scored in the waning seconds of a period. Late in first, late in the second. Those can be tough to overcome. So you know, you went from a situation where, you know, when, when New Jersey took that 4, 2 lead late in the second period, you know, not long before that the Panthers had opportunities to get the game tied up and who knows how things could have, could have, you know, transpired if that had taken place. So again, I think closer than it looked. But new Jers, he's a good hockey team. Credit to them. They went in and had two big wins and responded from a tough loss in their last home game prior to coming down to sunrise. And I don't think at the end of the day it's too much to overanalyze. Like I said, I think big picture you have to look at Panthers have beaten a lot of good teams. They put themselves into a good spot. And at the time that we're having this conversation, even though the Panthers have lost back to back games, they still find themselves atop the Atlantic Division.
Ethan
Doug Palmeri said the other day that he thinks this Panthers forward group is actually better than last year's. It's deeper. He kind of pushed Anton Wendell and his kind of next step. Kind of a two part question. Do you believe that this is a deeper, better club than they were last year when they won the Stanley Cup? And at what point does Bill Zito get a statue for putting this team together and just making it better year over year?
Roy Bellamy
Well, to touch on the second part of your question there, as far as Bill Zito goes, the fact that he hasn't won at least one general manager of the year award at this point.
Doug Plaguens
If not bullshit, bullshit.
Roy Bellamy
It's beyond me. It's beyond me. He, he should have at least one, if not a couple of those on his mantle here at this point in time. But I think I have to guess there's going to be One in his future, probably multiple GM of the year awards in his future at some point. And it's going to be long overdue when that happens. As far as this forward group goes, it's really deep, it's really diverse. They have a lot of different skill sets. And I think it goes back, Dave, to something that I know going into the season and throughout the off season, something that I was really pushing, I thought way too much was made. And again, it's obviously the guys that were a part of the Stanley cup championship team last year, they're going to be a part of not only Panthers lore, but South Florida lore for a long time and South Florida sports lore. And they were, they were special guys, great guys and guys that we're always going to, you know, enjoy crossing paths with down the road. But I thought way too much was made over the players that weren't going to be here anymore and not enough was made over two things, the continuity on this team and the guys that Bill Zito and the hockey operations department identified and brought in. I think if you look at the continuity that this team had going from last year into this year year, they returned their eight leading scores, they returned their top three defense, they returned, obviously Sergey Bobrovsky is still going to get the lion share of starts in net. Paul Maurice is still the head coach. This is a team that has, feels like guys, more continuity, especially for a championship team in a salary cap league, more continuity from year to year than you usually see for a championship team. Teams that have sustained success. It's kind of the nature of the, of the situation when teams are good year over year and they make the playoffs for a number of consecutive years. In a salary cap league, you're going to run into situations where obviously you, you can't, you can't pay everybody. Guys are going to get raises and get additional opportunities elsewhere and you're going to lose players because of that. The continuity that this team has had, especially going from a championship season into the following season where they're still very much a contender and will be in the mix and will be for a number of years to come, I believe. I think it's, it's unusual and that's just again, a huge credit and you know, a lot of, a lot of credit goes to Bill Zito in the hockey operations department for the decisions that have been made, the players who've been extended and that's allowed the Panthers to be able to really keep this thing rolling. So I think as far as the, as far as the Forward group goes. It's incredibly deep. You know, you look at the way that the options are now on the fourth line, I think that's, that's a big part of it. Not just on the fourth line, but really up and down the lineup. Jesper Boquist has shown an ability to play the wing, play in the middle, play up and down the lineup. He's got speed and a skill set that lends itself to playing a lot of different roles. And I think you look at the way this, for example, fourth line has fallen into place. Tomas Nosek is an outstanding face off man. AJ Greer, Jonah Gadjevich, two tough customers that have offensive instinct as well. We've seen Mackie Samoskiewicz, who, let's not forget, first of all led an AHL team in points as a 21 year old. That's no easy task as a first year. First full pro season for him last year did that.
Doug Plaguens
Yep.
Roy Bellamy
And didn't, didn't have a training camp this year. He was, he was injured during training camp, had one preseason game. That was that last preseason game. And you can tell that there's a confidence and, and you can tell there's been a lot of growth in, in Mackey's game now in his second full season at the, at the pro level. So this team is deep and I think there might not be any other anywhere else that's a bigger example of how deep the forward group is, guys, than the options that Paul Maurice has when it comes time to kill penalties. I mean, we know Barkov and Reinhardt are all world penalty killers and we know Lundell and Luaust arena have great chemistry and are great in that part of the game. But even going to guys like Jesper Boquist, like AJ Greer, these guys can kill penalties and that's allowed the Panthers a ton of flexibility. And over the course of 82 games, it's going to allow the Panthers to keep, you know, keep a few minutes off the plate of guys like Barkov, like Reinhardt, who I mentioned, because the penalty killing depth that this team has and when you have a lot of forwards who can kill penalties, that means you have a lot of responsible forwards who are trustworthy at all ends of the ice. And like I said, I think that's one of the biggest illustrations of how deep this forward group is, how many options Paul Maurice has when it comes to time for the penalty kill.
Billy
Doug, I want to ask you real quick about a guy you just mentioned who's leading that forward group, and that is Samson Reinhardt. He has really taken his game to the next level this year. I'm going to ask everybody about him until somebody finally just gives him the credit he deserves. What have you seen from Reinhardt that has most impressed you in terms of the way he's taken his game up from last year where he scored 57 goals to this year where you could argue he might be the best forward on the team right now?
Roy Bellamy
Well, at the moment we're having this conversation, I don't think he's flying under anybody's radar anymore. At the moment we're having this conversation, he's leading the National Hockey League in goals. That was his 13th last season. And the thing with Sam Reinhardt is he's doing it in so many different ways. He's got a great shot, he can score off the rush. On Tuesday night, Bill Lindsey and I were talking about it on the broadcast. An area of his game that we don't talk about enough is how good he is in front of the net on deflections. We know how good he is in that bumper spot on the power play right out in front of the net. We know he can score from pretty much anywhere on the ice. But the way that he's able to deflect pucks out in front of the net, you know, maybe that's an area of his game we don't talk about or appreciate enough. And I think what it all boils down to, guys, he's got three shorthanded goals. I believe at this moment that here in this early stage of the NHL season, still leads the NHL. He's got more shorthanded goals than he does power play goals. At this moment, like I said, he's leading the league in goals. He's an all world two way forward. He's incredibly responsible defensively. As I mentioned, he kills penalties too. There is nothing that there's no hole to his game whatsoever. He can do anything and he can contribute anywhere. And as time's gone on the things that we've learned about, you know, as far as Sam Reinhardt goes, we know Paul Maurice has given him a ton of praise for his hockey iq. He's one of the smartest players out there and he's compared him to Ron Francis in terms of, you know, the, the smartest and highest hockey iq, highest hockey sense players that he's ever had the chance to coach. But with Sam Reinhardt's game, like I said, plain and simple, there just are no holes in his game whatsoever. And the other thing that's come out, you know, as we've gotten to know him since coming in from Buffalo and you see the way he plays every night. This is a guy who has all world skill in so many areas, but all world competitiveness and work ethic too. And that fits in so well with this Panthers team because it's a high character group. It's a group that collectively has a ton of hockey sense and plays a really smart game, but it's a group that brings the lunch pail every night too. And Sam Reinhardt fits that mold exactly. He's a smooth player, he does so many things well, but you'd be hard pressed to find somebody with more of a competitive edge than Sam Reinhardt has night tonight. Like I said, this is a team that's just loaded with really special players and Sam Reinhardt's one of those guys.
Doug Plaguens
The Panthers are now going to play back to back games against the Winnipeg jets and you can hear Doug Plaguens give the blow by blow on both of those games. Dougie, thank you for joining us.
Roy Bellamy
Thanks so much.
I
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Roy Bellamy
It's Game time this holiday. At T Mobile I'm joined by a special co anchor.
Doug Plaguens
What up everybody?
Linda Cohn
It's your boy Big Snoop Dogg.
Roy Bellamy
Snoop if people are looking for great deals this season. Where should they go?
Doug Plaguens
Head to T mobile.com and get four.
Linda Cohn
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Roy Bellamy
That's quite a deal, Snoop. Not to mention AT T Mobile you can save on every plan versus the other big guys.
Linda Cohn
Respect, not drop that joke.
Billy
See how you can save on wireless and screaming versus the other big guys. @t mobile.com/apple intelligence available now.
Doug Plaguens
Okay, we talked about the week that was with Doug Plagueins. Let's talk about what's coming up with the Florida Panthers. They have a home and home against the Winnipeg Jets.
Ethan
I hate the Jets.
Doug Plaguens
Oh, wait, no, that's the.
Ethan
Not. Not those Jets.
Doug Plaguens
That's. That's the. That's a different sport. The best team in the league currently and they got the Vezina winner in Conor Hellebuyck. What do you see happening with this? Home and home?
Ethan
Hopefully some good hockey. I mean, the Panthers usually rise to the level of their competition. Lately they've been at that level every game. Basically they're coming off two very tough games against a Devil's team and they really didn't look good in either game.
Doug Plaguens
Right.
Ethan
Like Paul Maurice said, there's shifts here and there that he liked, but certainly not at the level that they're used to playing. And this is a Panthers team that corrects their mistakes rather quickly. It almost reminded me the last week reminded me a little bit of the Stanley cup final in the middle there where they just kind of couldn't get to their game. Their zone exits were very sloppy. Well, I say that as if it's their fault. Edmonton did a great job in the final and Jersey did a really good job of gumming up the neutral zone of getting on Florida at their own blue line and stopping them from getting any momentum coming out. So I think the Panthers going to have their hands full against a very good, strictly defensive playing tight. Excuse me, man, I'm just having a hard time coming up with the words right now.
Doug Plaguens
Tight is pretty good.
Ethan
Well, no, like they play a very smart, methodical game. They're positioned well. I just couldn't come up with the right words so far.
Doug Plaguens
Oh, you're a writer.
Ethan
I know. God bless spell check and all that stuff. But no, I'm excited to see it. As you mentioned, they've got a great goaltender in Connor Halibut. AI, no. I will. No, no, no.
Doug Plaguens
Jet GPT. No.
Ethan
AI. No. No, no, no, no, no.
Doug Plaguens
Sam Bennet missed the first game against the Devils. He came back for the Second game he didn't look right. He might still be injured. How you think he's going to look coming up against Winnipeg?
Ethan
I would think that they wouldn't have played him against the Devils on Thursday night if he wasn't there, just because they've been very good about being cautious and taking their time with the injured guys. But, yeah, I mean, if there's something wrong with Sam Bennett, you've got to keep him out for as long as it takes. Fortunately, the Panthers are a very deep team right now and they've got a lot of guys that can play down the middle. Hopefully that Bennett's okay, though, because you're going to need him against Winnipeg. As I said, they're. They're a heavy team. They play very tight on defensively, as I. Not the Pens over here.
Doug Plaguens
You knocked yourself into the microphone already and now you just. I mean, what is going on here?
Ethan
But, I mean, look, Bennett is so important to this team. Whether you want to talk about how he is in the top six, how he plays a role in special teams this year, particularly he's at a point per game pace. You don't talk about it with Stan Bennett that much, but if he's producing on both ends like that, he's a key player. But we've mentioned that they need to resign him. Hopefully they get that done at some point during the season. But I'm just excited to see how these next two games are going to play out.
Billy
Roy.
Doug Plaguens
And sorry, Ethan, but just, just, just to say that we've already seen how this team looks without Sam Bennett. We saw that last season. We saw that during the playoffs.
Ethan
Yes.
Doug Plaguens
And we've seen it here. And a fully healthy Sam Bennett would absolutely change the dynamic of this team, especially considering that this second line, the chemistry between him and Matthew Kachuk is so palpable that it seems like every shift with them ending play ends up in a scrum.
Billy
Yeah. My takeaway from that first game was just how important Sam Bennett is to this team because they clearly lacked an edge in that game. But then he came back for the second game and they clearly lacked an edge in that game, too. And like Doug said, he was saying that, oh, that game. Wasn't that, you know, far off from being competitive? No, that was not a competitive game. Like, the Panthers made a ton of mistakes. They gave away two bad penalties in the offensive zone at the end of both periods that led to goals with less than 10 seconds left.
Doug Plaguens
And don't look at the breakaways.
Billy
One second left. They gave away a Bunch of breakaways. Bob had a softie like that was not the Florida Panthers we've been seeing. And last week we talked about how in Finland they matched up with the stars, and coming up, that New Jersey would be a big measuring stick for them. They did not measure up with New Jersey. And New Jersey looks like a team that kind of might be their kryptonite in the regular season this year. We'll see what happens in the playoffs. All bets are off once the Florida Panthers get into the playoffs. Right. But I just think that New Jersey looks like a team that's going to be really tough on the Panthers in the regular season. That'll be a really fun playoff series if we see that in the playoffs. And coming up with Winnipeg, you kind of want to see them look definitely more competitive than they did the last two nights. And Winnipeg 16 2, they're coming off a loss to Tampa. Like you would like to see the Panthers win these, at least one of these games to kind of make you feel better about, okay, that Dallas, that, that New Jersey series was just kind of a, you know, write those off, burn the tape, throw those away. Because we get back to Florida Panther hockey, where we're playing very well against one of the best teams in the league.
Ethan
I have to wonder, when we talked about Sam Bennett, how they looked, that line looked a little bit off against the Devils on Thursday. They had a new winger. Is the first time that Jesper Boquist was playing with them. Usually it's going to be Carter Verhegy or Evan Rodriguez, and there's a lot of familiarity there from the last two seasons. And yes, he scored, he did score. So I'm just saying, like, if we're looking for something that's a little off, perhaps, you know, getting that continuity with a new guy in the line, it.
Billy
Could be why real quick on Jasper. He looks like a guy kind of like Erod last year, where you thought, okay, Erod's going to come in. He's going to be maybe a bottom six middle six kind of guy.
Doug Plaguens
He's been plug and play, right?
Billy
He's been up and down the lineup. He was on the first line. He was obviously great in the Stanley Cup Final last year. And then Boquist kind of looks like the same guy where you kind of thought, maybe he's a bottom six forward all of a sudden. Now he's playing on the second line with Kachuk and Bennett, and he's been awesome. I mean, that goal last night he scored was beautiful. So definitely a big guy to Add to the lineup and looks like a guy that him and Erod kind of be plug and play, put them wherever and they're going to produce.
Doug Plaguens
Finally, before we get out of here, a stat rolled across my timeline from Matt Lock in a daily face off. The NHL's average save percentage has dipped to 90%. That is the lowest mark in 29 years. And currently Sergey Pebroski say percentage is at 89% and Spencer Knight is at 90. So what are we seeing here? What's going on with the goaltenders?
Ethan
The. The scores must be that much better because the goalies can't be getting worse. The equipment's not getting smaller, the net getting bigger?
Doug Plaguens
No.
Ethan
So, no, I think I do like to say, like, early in the season, I feel like scoring is a little bit up. I've noticed in the last few years since I've gotten more into betting that I feel like the overs hit more early in the season than they don't. And I think this is probably something that's an even out after a while. But yeah, I mean, as a goaltender, it's a little interesting, disheartening. I don't know what the right word is to say that overall, the safe percentages, the average safe percentage is at.900. I mean, that's usually like the watermark for, like, whether you're kind of having a good year, having a not good year. So it's a little alarming, I think.
Billy
I'm not worried about Sergei Bobrovsky. He'll be there in the playoffs. That's all that matters. Until then, that's. I don't care about anything until the playoffs.
Doug Plaguens
Coming up next week, we have Linda Cohn of the cracking the Kraken Hockey Network. She's up in Seattle now doing, I guess, what, anchor work, right?
Ethan
ESPN also.
Doug Plaguens
And she's still at ESPN as well. So Linda Cohn will join us next week. Until then, goodbye.
I
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Ethan
It's game time.
Linda Cohn
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Podcast Summary: The Hockey Show: Holy Lefts
Episode Release Date: November 15, 2024
Host/Authors: Dan Le Batard, Stugotz, and Guests Roy Bellamy, David Dwork, Ethan, Billy Plaguens, Doug Plaguens
In this episode of The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz, the hosts dive deep into the current landscape of hockey, discussing everything from controversial penalties to standout player performances. With insights from guests Roy Bellamy, David Dwork, Ethan, Billy Plaguens, and Doug Plaguens, the conversation covers pivotal moments in recent NHL games, player achievements, and managerial strategies shaping the season.
Ethan's Frustration with Embellishment Penalties
At [01:38], Ethan vents his annoyance over inconsistent embellishment penalties, citing recent calls against Matthew Tachuk and Nico Mikola:
"Nobody likes this. It's not consistent. It's annoying." ([01:43])
He highlights the arbitrary nature of these calls, questioning the rules and their enforcement:
"If we can't get a consistent rule, if we can't make it reviewable, then get it to bleep out of here because it does no good." ([02:31])
Ethan further criticizes the escalating toughness in hockey, lamenting the shift from a gritty sport to what he perceives as overly cautious play:
"When did hockey become such a whiny little bratty type of game?" ([03:19])
Wins of the Week
Ethan's Win: The Duchene Family's Heartwarming Moment
At [06:22], Ethan shares a touching moment involving Matt Duchene:
"He scored a goal like a minute into the game and his son Bo just goes screaming through the house like, ah, daddy score. It was so cool and sweet and wholesome."
Doug Plaguens' Win: Jonah Gadjevich's Dominating Fights
At [07:55], Doug highlights Jonah Gadjevich's impressive performance in fights against the Panthers and Devils:
"Jonah Gadjevich was the only winner that the Panthers had with those two big fight wins."
Losses of the Week
Ethan's Loss: Nathan Bastian vs. Ryan Lombard
At [09:18], Ethan recounts Nathan Bastian's tough encounter with Ryan Lombard:
"Ryan Lombard pummeled him to the point where he told his teammates after the game he actually felt bad at the last couple punches."
Billy's Loss: Ryan Reaves' Jersey Advertisement Gaffes
At [11:59], Billy criticizes Ryan Reaves for the awkward Lexus advertisement placement:
"It looked like he had toilet paper on his shoe."
McDavid Reaches 1,000 Career Points
At [12:35], the hosts celebrate Connor McDavid's remarkable achievement:
"Conor McDavid ended up scoring a goal. That goal was his 1000th point of his career."
They discuss his place among the NHL's all-time greats, noting McDavid as the fourth fastest player to reach this milestone, following legends like Wayne Gretzky and Mike Bossy. The conversation underscores McDavid's versatility and clutch performances, particularly his game-winning overtime assist to Darnell Nurse:
"He makes this sick pass to Darnell." ([14:05])
Inductees and Controversial Candidates
At [15:39], the discussion shifts to the Hall of Fame inductions, highlighting recent inductees and debating key candidates:
"Alexander Mogilny should be in the Hall of Fame." ([16:36])
The hosts ponder the inclusion of players like Joe Thornton, Curtis Joseph, and Eric Staal, debating the criteria and potential public voting influences:
"There's absolutely no reason why Alexander Mogilny should not be in the Hall of Fame." ([16:36])
They compare the NHL voting process to baseball's, contemplating the merits and pitfalls of public involvement in such decisions.
A. Recent Performance and Team Depth
Doug Plaguens provides a comprehensive analysis of the Panthers' recent back-to-back losses to the New Jersey Devils, emphasizing the strength and improvement of the Devils:
"New Jersey is a good hockey team... a team that's going to be in the contending mix in the Eastern Conference." ([21:25])
He acknowledges the Panthers' resilience, noting their position atop the Atlantic Division despite recent setbacks.
B. Management Praise and Team Continuity
At [25:13], Doug commends Bill Zito's management for maintaining team continuity in a challenging salary cap environment:
"The continuity that this team has had... is a huge credit... to Bill Zito in the hockey operations department."
C. Player Highlights – Samson Reinhardt
Billy highlights Samson Reinhardt's exceptional performance:
"He can do anything and he can contribute anywhere. And as time's gone on... he's taking his game up from last year." ([30:24])
Doug echoes this sentiment, praising Reinhardt as a multifaceted player with no weaknesses:
"There's nothing that there's no hole to his game whatsoever." ([30:24])
Decline in Average Save Percentage
At [28:40], the hosts discuss a concerning statistic: the NHL's average save percentage has dropped to 90%, the lowest in 29 years. They speculate on factors contributing to this decline, including changes in scoring patterns and defensive strategies:
"The scores must be that much better because the goalies can't be getting worse." ([40:52])
Ethan reflects on the impact of this trend on betting and overall game dynamics:
"The overs hit more early in the season than they don't." ([40:52])
Facing the Winnipeg Jets
The conversation shifts to the Panthers' upcoming back-to-back games against the Winnipeg Jets. The hosts anticipate a challenging matchup against a defensively stringent Jets team led by Vezina winner Connor Hellebuyck:
"They play very smart, methodical game. They're positioned well." ([35:12])
Ethan expresses concern over Sam Bennett's health but remains optimistic about the Panthers' depth:
"Fortunately, the Panthers are a very deep team right now and they've got a lot of guys that can play down the middle." ([36:19])
Doug emphasizes the critical role Bennett plays in the team's dynamics and chemistry:
"A fully healthy Sam Bennett would absolutely change the dynamic of this team." ([37:23])
As the episode wraps up, Doug previews next week's guest, Linda Cohn from the Kraken Hockey Network, hinting at more in-depth discussions on Seattle's hockey scene.
This episode of The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz offers a comprehensive look into the current state of hockey, emphasizing player performances, team strategies, and ongoing debates within the sport. From Connor McDavid’s milestone to the Florida Panthers' management excellence, listeners gain valuable insights into what’s shaping the NHL season.