The Hockey Show: We Will Miss You, Jim Montgomery

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Hockey Show: We Will Miss You, Jim Montgomery

Released: November 22, 2024

Hosts: Roy Bellamy, David Dwork, Ethan Podowski

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Introduction

In this episode of The Hockey Show from The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz, hosts Roy Bellamy, David Dwork, and Ethan Podowski delve into a comprehensive discussion on various NHL topics, culminating in reflections on coach Jim Montgomery's tenure. The conversation is rich with insightful hot takes, weekly wins and fails, and an engaging interview with ESPN's Linda Cohn.

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Hot Takes

The episode kicks off with the hosts sharing their "Hot Takes" on current NHL dynamics.

• NHL Rule Changes:
  David Dwork proposes a rule adjustment regarding goalie shots. He states, “If the goalie takes a shot and it gets past the red line, nobody can touch it. You’ve got to let it go. If the goalie has enough time to get the puck to shoot it down the ice, he deserves it” ([01:18]).

  Ethan Podowski counters, emphasizing the importance of allowing goaltenders to play defense when they have the puck, especially in high-stakes games like the Stanley Cup Final ([02:14]).

• Coaching Changes:
  Roy Bellamy expresses his opinion that the next coach to be fired in the NHL will hail from Pennsylvania, specifically targeting Mike Sullivan. He humorously adds, “Boom. A character assassination, as usual for me on Cindy Crosby” ([02:32]).

  David Dwork debates this by suggesting that if Sullivan were fired, it would be akin to “the hand of God” ([02:56]).

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Wins of the Week

The hosts highlight notable achievements in the NHL this week.

• Archer Seubert's Grit:
  David Dwork commends Vancouver Canucks' goalie Archer Seubert for his fearless play, mentioning, “He kept playing for like 30 seconds with a bare hand, which is dangerous enough, but then he makes the save with his chest” ([07:15]).

• Winter Classic Preview:
  Roy Bellamy shares excitement for the upcoming Winter Classic in Chicago between the Blues and the Blackhawks, praising the new uniforms and the event's execution ([08:23]).

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Fails of the Week

The episode also addresses some unfortunate events in the league.

• Matt Sucrello's Injury:
  David Dwork breaks down a severe injury incident where Matt Sucrello ruptured his testicle while blocking a shot, stating, “Son, Sean Thornton buzzed one right above my ear” ([09:54]).

• Marc Andre Fleury's Bizarre Goal:
  David Dwork recounts a peculiar goal where Marc Andre Fleury inadvertently scored on himself, humorously noting, “I don't know how that puck went in, but that's rough” ([10:35]).

• Nashville Predators' Lineup Error:
  Roy Bellamy discusses a botched lineup call by the Predators, leading to a penalty, with Ethan Podowski commenting, “It's not getting any better instead of Pennsylvania” ([12:04]).

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Special Guest Segment: Linda Cohn

Linda Cohn from ESPN and the Kraken Hockey Network joins the show to discuss pivotal developments within the NHL.

• Jessica Campbell's Milestone:
  Linda Cohn praises Jessica Campbell, the first woman to hold a coaching position in the NHL as an assistant coach for the Seattle Kraken. She remarks, “Jessica is fantastic. They just love her. I mean, she’s smart and she knows the game” ([15:32]).

• Seattle Kraken's Success:
  She highlights the Kraken's impressive start, noting their recent 5-1 home stand and the strategic hiring practices that have positioned them as a progressive force in the league ([17:08]).

• NHL Goaltending Analysis:
  In a discussion about goaltending prowess, Linda shares her thoughts on Alex Ovechkin’s injury and its impact: “I am heartbroken for OV because I believed he was going to break it” ([28:08]). She debates Ovechkin's resilience and potential to overcome his injury, while David Dwork optimistically counters, “He's only missing 20 games, it's certainly within the realm of possibility” ([29:41]).

• Rangers' Performance:
  Linda Cohn expresses concerns over the Rangers' inconsistent performance despite their strong records, questioning the team's depth and overall strategy ([26:29]).

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Discussion on Jim Montgomery

A significant portion of the episode revolves around coach Jim Montgomery and his future with the Bruins.

• Montgomery's Performance:
  Ethan Podowski asserts, “Jim Montgomery is going to be the first coach fired this season,” citing his recent conflicts and the team's fractured performance ([05:10]).

  David Dwork provides a nuanced view, acknowledging Montgomery's past successes but emphasizing the current season's shortcomings: “He’s done a great job and unfortunately this season just didn’t pan out for him” ([05:15]).

• Future Prospects:
  The hosts reflect on Montgomery's potential in different team environments, suggesting that a change of scenery might offer him a fresh start where expectations are more manageable ([07:03]).

  David Dwork ultimately expresses a bittersweet sentiment: “I’ll miss you Monty. I really will” ([05:25]).

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Team Recaps: Florida Panthers

The hosts provide an in-depth analysis of the Florida Panthers' recent performances.

• Recent Games Overview:
  Roy Bellamy and David Dwork discuss the Panthers' mixed results, highlighting both victories and disappointing losses, including a significant defeat to the Winnipeg Jets where they lost 6-3 ([34:33]).

• Team Dynamics:
  They analyze the team's defensive struggles and the impact of key players like Alexander Ovechkin, whose injury could derail his record-breaking aspirations: “I think this is too much of an injury to come back from” ([28:42]).

• Upcoming Matchup:
  Previewing the Panthers' next game against the Avalanche, the hosts predict a high-scoring affair due to both teams' offensive capabilities, advising listeners to “Bet the over” ([38:34]).

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Conclusion

As the episode wraps up, the hosts extend holiday wishes to their listeners, recap the Panthers' performance, and tease upcoming discussions post-holiday break. The inclusion of guest Linda Cohn adds depth to the conversation, offering expert insights into managerial decisions and player performances within the NHL.

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Notable Quotes

• David Dwork on Goalie Rules:
  "If the goalie takes a shot and it gets past the red line, nobody can touch it. You’ve got to let it go." ([01:18])

• Roy Bellamy on Coaching Changes:
  "Boom. A character assassination, as usual for me on Cindy Crosby." ([02:58])

• Ethan Podowski on Season Predictions:
  "They are nowhere right now. And it's either going to be him or the Detroit coach, Lalon." ([03:10])

• Linda Cohn on Jessica Campbell:
  "Jessica is fantastic. They just love her. I mean, she’s smart and she knows the game." ([15:32])

• David Dwork on Montgomery:
  "He’s done a great job and unfortunately this season just didn’t pan out for him." ([05:15])

• Linda Cohn on Ovechkin's Injury:
  "I am heartbroken for OV because I believed he was going to break it." ([28:08])

---

This episode offers a thorough exploration of current NHL issues, balancing critical analysis with personal anecdotes and expert opinions, making it a valuable listen for both avid hockey fans and casual followers alike.

Transcript

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[Roy Bellamy]

Hello. Welcome to the Hockey Show. My name is Roy Bellamy. David Dwork is to my left. He's from the Hockey News. Ethan Podowski is in the chair for Rose. I don't know what college town she's in, but she's. She's there. She's somewhere.

[David Dwork]

Somewhere with Lucy on the planet.

[Roy Bellamy]

Slap shots. Let's start with the hot takes. Dave, what you got?

[David Dwork]

My hot take is. It's a rule that I would like to impose in the NHL and if we can roll the video. Igor Shusturkin took a shot at the empty net other night and was going in. It was going in the net. And who was it? It was Macklin Celebrini, I believe, blocked the shot.

[Roy Bellamy]

Cherry picker.

[David Dwork]

So my, my hot take is if the goalie shoots the puck and it gets past the red line, nobody can touch it. You got to let it go. You want to have your chance to block the goalie goal, you got to do it on that side of the red line. If the goalie has enough time to get the puck to shoot it down the ice, get the bleep out of the way. He deserves it. Oh, Igor, you deserve your goal. He's been trying for so long. Igor's just starting to get his goal. So that's my hot take. It's a rule change. If the goalie takes a shot and you can say he has to be below the goal line, we can work on the semantics. I'm fine with that.

[Ethan Podowski]

But you've never been more in the goalie fraternity than this. Just stopping people from playing defense and preventing goals.

[David Dwork]

Play defense when he's got the puck. Once the puck's in the air, what.

[Ethan Podowski]

If that happens in Game 7 of the Stanley cup final. And that puts away game seven in the Stanley cup final.

[David Dwork]

Then don't be down and have the goalie get pulled. If you're in the Stanley cup Final, Game 7. No, no, no, no, no, no, no.

[Ethan Podowski]

This is a ridiculous take.

[Roy Bellamy]

So ridiculous.

[David Dwork]

No, no, no. I'm. I'm. I'm feeling. This is a good rule. This is a good rule.

[Roy Bellamy]

Okay, My hot take is the next coach to be fired in the National Hockey League will be from the state. The great state of Pennsylvania.

[David Dwork]

Ooh. You going with Mikey Sullivan or you going with Torts?

[Roy Bellamy]

Oh, man, It's. It's probably going to end up being Mike Sullivan because Sidney Crosby wanted it.

[David Dwork]

That's why Crosby wants Sullivan out.

[Roy Bellamy]

Yes.

[David Dwork]

Ooh, he's done.

[Roy Bellamy]

Yes, he's done. I'm completely making that up.

[David Dwork]

Say that the hand of God. Boom, it's done.

[Roy Bellamy]

Boom. A character assassination, as usual for me on Cindy Crosby. So, yes, the next coach to be fired is going to be from Pennsylvania. Okay.

[Ethan Podowski]

I don't know that that's the hottest take ever. I think this team is.

[Roy Bellamy]

I think this team looks like no flame on that.

[Ethan Podowski]

They are nowhere right now. And it's either going to be him or the Detroit coach, Lalon. Right. Like, those are the two hottest candidates you would say right now to be fired.

[Roy Bellamy]

Yeah, well, Detroit's been pretty under.

[David Dwork]

Yeah, maybe they're not sale. And I read somewhere that they're thinking of bringing in Sergey Fedorov, who's been coaching over in the khl, as potentially the next Red Wings head coach. So wouldn't that be kind of interesting? Federal, he's done a good job with St. Peter, with SKA. St. Petersburg over there.

[Roy Bellamy]

So maybe Steve Eisenman. Yeah, I guess that would be a little bit of bias, wouldn't it, if he hired Sergey Fennerov? I mean, you know, a little. Little reunion there. That'd be nice, right?

[David Dwork]

Excuse me. It's cska, not ska. I always confuse the two.

[Ethan Podowski]

This discussion flows perfectly into my win of the week, and we'll start moving into wins.

[David Dwork]

Segway man over there, he's good at this.

[Ethan Podowski]

My win of the week goes to me because we talked about the next fired coach. You can't say the first fired coach because I called the first fire coach a couple of weeks ago on this show. I said it was going to be Jim Montgomery. Roll the clip. My hot take is that Jim Montgomery. As we go to an empty seat, Jim Montgomery is going to be the first coach fired in the. Very appropriate, actually, There has never been a more fired coach in the history of sports. He is just losing control of his team. He was fighting with Brad Marchand recently. He benched David Posternak. The Panthers have been so in the Bruins heads that they have just broken the Boston Bruins and the team seems fractured. I mean they're not playing very well. I know they're still in playoff position but you know, some of the teams that we were expecting maybe to get back into playoff position like a Buffalo and Ottawa, Detroit haven't really lived up to that standard. So they're not playing very well. Their numbers are bad, their metrics are bad. It doesn't look like they're really going anywhere, going to be a team that we expect to like contend for anything. And he's got all these problems with his players. Two bad playoff runs for him obviously. Crashing out in the first round with the best team ever and then losing in the second round last year. He is so fired and I think he's going to be the first coach fired this season.

[Roy Bellamy]

So Jim Montgomery finishes this season at 8, 9 and 3 or 19 points in his.

[David Dwork]

One of the best coaches in Bruins history, Roy.

[Roy Bellamy]

And he last two plus seasons.

[Ethan Podowski]

I'm pretty sure he had the best record in the NHL over his two plus seasons in the NHL.

[David Dwork]

Tough bar to with the Bruins Boston.

[Ethan Podowski]

But at the end of the day, I mean they just weren't getting it done. You can see that this year was kind of going nowhere. Feels like the team is falling flat. They're way too talented. I mean I know their roster is flawed, but they're way too talented to be playing as poorly as they have been. And it just feel like the felt like the world was caving in on Jim Montgomery. I think the biggest thing it came down to and why I had that taken the first place is they failed back to back years in the playoffs and you just can't do that in Boston. And when you don't get a contract extension going into your third year and the final year of your contract, it just suggests to me that after two bad playoff runs you basically had about 20 games to figure it out and get the ship right. And if you didn't get the ship right, you were going to be canned. And so I mean I'll miss you Monty. I really will.

[Roy Bellamy]

I'm sure you're gonna miss that guy so much. 120, 41 and 23 as two plus seasons worth the club.

[David Dwork]

And I mean the playoff run. You say bad playoff runs but all they did was run into the Eastern Conference champion in back to back years and the Stanley cup winner in one of those two years. So they sure it was the Panthers, but you know, it's not like that. They just got beat by some crap team. Like, yes, it was an eight seed, but an eight seed that went to the final.

[Roy Bellamy]

Yeah, but keep in mind how he got here. He was the Stars coach. He got the Stars to the playoffs at that time for the first time in a long time and then got them into the Stanley Cup Final. And then he gets fired because he had a drinking problem and then he goes to rehab, he gets hired by the Blues and Craig Berube made him assistant coach and then he gets his job at Boston.

[David Dwork]

Did a great job.

[Roy Bellamy]

Did a great job and unfortunately this season just didn't pan out for him.

[David Dwork]

So he's the kind of coach that if he gets on in like a, like a Utah type situation, a Seattle, you know, somewhere that they'll give him some Runway and there won't be these grand expectations. He could have some real success.

[Roy Bellamy]

Yeah. Your win of the week, Dave.

[David Dwork]

Sticking with my usual trend of goaltending, my win of the week goes to Artur. She loves of the Vancouver Canucks. They were playing the New York Rangers the other night without a stick. Where, where's, where's his blocker? It's on the ice. Pick it up. No, no, I'm going to keep playing goal. He kept playing for like 30 seconds with a bare hand, which is dangerous enough, but then he goes out there and he makes a save and what? He makes the save with his chest, he catches the puck and then he gets the whistle. That's ballsy because you could break a finger and you're out for a month at least. So credit to Archer, she loves for having some grande old wavos out there. I'm not exactly sure. I don't think the referee is obliged to call it off if he's. If the goaltender loses a glove. We just talked last week about Anthony Stolar is playing without a glove and making a save with his bare hand.

[Roy Bellamy]

Yeah, he froze the puck with his bare hand.

[David Dwork]

So maybe we're seeing a trend now where goalies are just getting so fed up with shooters being so good now that they're going to start doing the. The hashic thing and taking it to another level using the blocker hand, but using a bare hand. So good on you. Archer, she loves. I love the focus. I love that he made the save. And that's a big W on my book.

[Roy Bellamy]

My winner of the Week Winter Classic in Chicago is going to be played at Wrigley Field between the Blues and the Blackhawks. They released the uniforms. New Year's Eve, by the way, is when Winter Classic is going to happen. They released the uniforms, and this is how it looks. The Blackhawks are going to be in a base red uniform. They got the usual stripes, which are black and white on the bottom, is now in the middle, much like the Panthers and the Canadians home jerseys. And you see the shoulder crest is at the sleeve. The sea with the tomahawks and the Blues base white with blue and yellow stripe. Again, kind of like the Canadians and the Panthers home uniforms. They got St. Louis written across the middle.

[David Dwork]

I like it. I like the Blackhawks a lot, actually.

[Roy Bellamy]

Those are.

[David Dwork]

The Blues are kind of like, you know, they're fine. But the Blackhawks one is really nice. The Blackhawks throwbacky.

[Roy Bellamy]

Yeah.

[Ethan Podowski]

Might have the best sweaters in the league. They always look so good. And then the throwback looks they have are always tremendous as well.

[Roy Bellamy]

Yeah, the. The crest in the middle, it's written circular. It says Blackhawk Chicago, much like the throwback. And they got a chief Blackhawk in the middle.

[David Dwork]

I like it.

[Roy Bellamy]

So there you go. So that's the win of the week for me. Let's go to the fails of the week, Dave.

[David Dwork]

All right. My first fail of the week is. I have two. My first one actually happened last week. Matt Sucrello blocked a shot from teammate Brock Faber when they were playing against Montreal. Blocked it with his stuff.

[Roy Bellamy]

What do you mean his stuff?

[David Dwork]

His nether regions. Blocked it so well, in fact, that Brock Faber shot actually ruptured Matt Sucrello's testicle to the point where he has to have surgery and he's out for over a month.

[Ethan Podowski]

To quote the great Chris Whittingham, it hit him in the penis.

[Roy Bellamy]

No, it didn't hit him in the area below his penis.

[David Dwork]

Yes. And, you know, much more painful in my. Yeah. So.

[Roy Bellamy]

So moving on.

[David Dwork]

Yeah. Prayers up for Matt Sucrello.

[Roy Bellamy]

Yes.

[Ethan Podowski]

Everybody pour one out for Matt Sucrello.

[Roy Bellamy]

Yeah. Moving on. You have two fails.

[David Dwork]

Yes.

[Roy Bellamy]

Unless it was both testicles.

[David Dwork]

No, my. My second fail of the week happened, I think, last night, actually. The Oilers were playing the. Who are they playing with it? The Rangers can't even remember. No, you can look at the screen because it happened to Marc Andre Fleury. So. So Leon Draisaitl kind of dumped it. Dumped the puck from his own blue line, and it kind of bounced down the ice, bounced through two defensemen and then it bounced through Mark Andre Flurry. I don't know how this puck went in. It was the most ridiculous shot that I've seen a goaltender. And Flower is probably just laughing at himself.

[Ethan Podowski]

I think I just saw a Panthers jersey in Edmonton.

[David Dwork]

Of course you did. It was Stockholm syndrome there. Yeah, but look at. Oh, my God. I don't know how that puck went in, but. Yeah, that's. That's. That's rough. That's rough, Roy.

[Roy Bellamy]

Yeah, that sucks. That sucks, man. That's bad.

[David Dwork]

So that's my fails of the week. What do you got for us, Roy?

[Roy Bellamy]

Yeah, we have audio and video for this one. The Nashville Predators apparently started the game versus the Seattle Kraken with a penalty. I'll let TJ Luxmore explain.

[Linda Cohn]

Both referees over here.

[David Dwork]

Looks like we got a wrong lineup issue.

[Ad]

My.

[David Dwork]

My ace analyst, Chandler Stevenson gave me a little tip right here to my right, and I. So I love being right here. So it's a lineup issue.

[Ethan Podowski]

Nashville has a minor penalty for starting the incorrect lineup.

[David Dwork]

Number 91 was supposed to start instead of number nine. Oh, my God. So it's written down wrong. Number 91 was. That's embarrassing. Down instead of number.

[Roy Bellamy]

That's. That's bad. That is bad. So apparently the Predators, instead of writing down what they wanted, which was Philippe Forsberg, they wrote down Stephen Stam coach's number. So, yeah, that's. That's not good.

[Ethan Podowski]

You want a hot take about who could be the next coach fired, Bruno?

[Roy Bellamy]

So you want. You want. You want Tennessee over there?

[Ethan Podowski]

It's ugly there, man.

[Roy Bellamy]

It's not getting any better instead of Pennsylvania.

[Ethan Podowski]

I think I heard that the. On a podcast this week that the last coach to do this also got fired that season. So, Bruno. I'm a little concerned about the preds. I'm a little concerned about Bruno. I would not be surprised if things keep going the way they are, if he ends up being maybe not the next coach fired, but he doesn't see the end of the season.

[Roy Bellamy]

Oh, that's bad. That's not good. He was thrusted into, you know, head coaching because of the issues that Joe Quinville had dating back to his days in Chicago in the 2010 Blackhawks team, and he had to resign from the Florida Panthers as a result of it, and I guess he's just not ready yet.

[David Dwork]

No, I mean, we'll see that. That's a big boo. Boo.

[Roy Bellamy]

That's bad.

[David Dwork]

That's a big boo Boo.

[Roy Bellamy]

That's bad. Coming up next, we have Linda Cohn from ESPN and the Kraken Hockey Network. We're going to talk about the Kraken and things that are going on around the league, such as the injury to Alexander Oskin and goaltending. And goaltending. Yes. Because she is a goalie. We'll be back.

[Mike Ryan]

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[Roy Bellamy]

Okay. Joining the hockey show today, it's Linda Cohn from ESPN and the Kraken Hockey Network. And I am. I'm pretty excited. I'm a big fan of Linda's because I've been watching ESPN for Geez. I mean, forever. Forever. Yeah.

[Ad]

That's great.

[Roy Bellamy]

Yeah. Yes, it is. So it's a real honor for me to actually get to talk to you, and it must be a real honor for you to be able to witness history because you have Jessica Campbell on the Kraken, who's the first woman to hold a coaching position at NHL. She's the assistant coach for Seattle right now. So let's assess her first two months of her coaching career. How is she doing behind the bench? And was it her who pointed out to TJ Luxmore a couple of days ago that the Predators started the wrong lineup?

[Ad]

Yeah, I would go. That was all Jessica. And by the way, I have never, ever seen that. Have you? I mean, I've been watching hockey Obviously much longer than you guys because you guys are babies. But never ever, you're welcome anytime. You should have me on more often. I'll continue to compliment. Thank you.

[Roy Bellamy]

Thank you.

[Ad]

I have never seen that. And I give credit to Jessica Campbell for sure. First of all, kudos to head coach Dan Basma. As you know, it's his first year here with the Seattle Kraken, and those two were on the same staff at Coachella. The HL team for the crack and a very successful HL team. And we all know Dan Bosma from his earlier coaching stints, cup winner with Pittsburgh and then Buffalo. Not as. Not as great. But Jessica is fantastic. You know, talking to the players about her, it's it. They just love her. I mean, she's smart and she knows the game. She played the game, and it's fantastic. And kudos to coach Basma and the entire Kraken organization. There was no pause, there was no hesitation. So when they hired Dan Bowels my. And Dan Bowels my wanted Jessica Campbell with him by his side, they said, sure, Dan, whatever you want. We love Jessica and she's done a great job so far. And the Kraken are on the upswing. You know, they're above.500. They have a West coast road trip. They're playing L. A tomorrow. They play Anaheim, but they just finished a home stand in which they went 5 and 1. So they got to keep winning because as you guys know, the Western Conference is a hell of a lot tougher and deeper than the East. My opinion.

[Roy Bellamy]

Yeah, especially the way that Colorado and Edmonton are playing so far this season, which has been, yeah, pretty disappointing. But it seems to me that the Kraken are basically the most progressive team in the league right now as far as their hiring practices are concerned. Not just in the front office, but on the broadcast team as well. But it's not just that. The hiring practice, they're finding actual qualified people to actually do their jobs. I mean, how are they able to.

[Ad]

Do that, you know, led by this amazing organization? Just, you know, it's Seattle. You know, I have a history in Seattle. First of all. My daughter was born there before I worked at espn. Way back when, when you guys were toddlers, I worked for the CBS affiliate in Seattle K. And it was my first big break. And that's where ESPN spotted me. But this city is amazing. And it just. They don't see that there's any difference. They, as you mentioned, perfectly. They just look for the most qualified people for the job. And I don't know they just have it going on. Todd Liwicki, he was the guy that spotted me, and I've known him and he. He brought me in. But Samantha Holloway, who is the owner, a woman owner, it just goes on and on. They just want to grow the game, and they're doing a hell of a great job. The fan base is incredible. And you guys got to get out to the Climate Pledge Arena.

[Roy Bellamy]

Oh, yeah.

[Ad]

It is state of the art sickness for arenas. I mean, it is ridiculous. To me, it's like a museum. I mean, it's. You go in there and you're like. You're. Before you even get to your seat. And watching a hockey game, you're like, I gotta walk the hallways before I get my beer. I have to see what's going on here. It's really beautiful. So, yeah, it doesn't surprise me that Seattle is ahead of the game.

[David Dwork]

Well, Linda, first, I want to say thank you for your kind words on Roy and I's age so far. Are we really? Because around here, we're kind of the elder statesmen.

[Roy Bellamy]

Yeah, we're the oldest people here, basically.

[David Dwork]

So it's nice to.

[Ad]

Hard to believe.

[Roy Bellamy]

Well, at 40 and what, 41.

[David Dwork]

Yeah. So a little bit.

[Ad]

You guys don't even look at. What's your secret? Can we compare moisturizers? I mean, what's going on there?

[Roy Bellamy]

You know, cocoa butter over here for me. You know, so.

[Ad]

Cocoa butter?

[Roy Bellamy]

Yes.

[David Dwork]

Is that the secret?

[Roy Bellamy]

Yes, as a man. Yeah, that and shea butter.

[David Dwork]

I gotta. I gotta take notes.

[Roy Bellamy]

Yes.

[David Dwork]

So we're coming up on 10 years this spring. On actually the first time that you and I got to meet. You probably don't remember, and I wouldn't blame you, but I do have a picture of it, if we can put it up here for you. And I met. Oh, on the ice.

[Ad]

Yes.

[David Dwork]

About 10 years ago.

[Ad]

You were so nice.

[Roy Bellamy]

Oh, Paul.

[David Dwork]

And I was so skinny, too, even.

[Ad]

With the equipment on.

[David Dwork]

Yeah. So as a fellow goaltender and somebody. Another member of the union, I'm curious.

[Ad]

How great was that day, by the way? How great. Can we share people who don't know or. Unless you've been bragging about that.

[David Dwork]

No, no, no, no, let's.

[Ad]

I mean, that was. That was so great. When the Panthers decided to open up, it was, you know, they were desperate for goalies, and I mean desperate because you saw us.

[David Dwork]

Oh, yeah. So what happened was in the backstory, the Panthers had played a game. Go ahead, Roberto. And I believe it was Al Montoya, where the goalies, they both got hurt in the Same game? Yes, yes. Lou actually went to the hospital, I think, to get like an X ray on his shoulder. Came back and finished the game because Robbie Tallis, the goalie coach, still was dressed in his gear, ready to go in. So like a day or two later, the Panthers come out with say, okay, because of what happened, we're open goalie tryouts. So of course, everybody in the media who's a goalie. Myself, Right. Linda. We had to get there. We had to get on the ice. We had to see if we could, we could cut it with the, with the big leaders, with the big leaguers.

[Ad]

And yeah, I don't know about you.

[David Dwork]

But I didn't, I didn't make the team.

[Ad]

Okay. I did not make the team either. But we went live on SportsCenter, which was very cool. Daytime sports center. Kudos to ESPN for taking that live. And then we. I did a story on it and it got a lot of great pub for the Panthers and. Yeah, and actually. Oh, way to go. Actually, I did. Really. I stopped 10 of 11 shots. By the way, Sean. Sean Thornton buzzed one right above my ear. By the way.

[Ethan Podowski]

Twerkies get beat right here.

[David Dwork]

Bad. Yeah, this is me getting shelled by John Madden here.

[Ad]

Yeah, because I was going to say that wasn't me because I stopped 10 of 11.

[David Dwork]

That was me. And my save percentage. I'll take it against two NHL guys. I'll take my 50 save percentage and go home.

[Ad]

But can you those shot, that shot though, Boom.

[David Dwork]

I was like, oh, my God, my age. Than I did in that moment. I thought I was good. I'm out here like I'm a beer lead superstar. And then those guys are just making me feel like I was 10 years old. Oh, man.

[Ad]

Oh, listen, I'm with you. Like if it was a real game, I mean, I only like when I was getting, you know, going into the butterfly. I remember it 20 years earlier being a lot easier to get back up on my feet.

[David Dwork]

Right.

[Ad]

I don't know what happened.

[David Dwork]

So, sticking with the goalies, I did want to ask your opinion on the current goaltend. Not us, not the prospective NHL goalie.

[Ad]

Bummer.

[David Dwork]

But the current one. Maybe a softball, maybe not. But what is your goaltending? Mount Rushmore. Currently of NHL goalies. And I'm sure you is on there because for me, he's like, above and beyond. But I'm just curious, one goalie to another, what's your goaltending? Mount Rushmore. Currently.

[Ad]

Currently. So you mean like guys in the league right now?

[David Dwork]

Yeah.

[Ad]

Of this Week. I mean, yesterday, like, red hot right now.

[David Dwork]

Well, no, like, I missed season. Like, this current. Yeah.

[Ad]

Okay. Well, you know, obviously Igor wants to get paid, like the best goalie in.

[David Dwork]

The league pay him.

[Ad]

And he probably should get paid 12 million a year. But I said this on a few other radio programs and podcasts. I love Igor. Don't get me wrong. I mean, I grew up a Rangers fan and all, but I. He's got to be better. Jonathan Quick is pushing him to be better like he did last year. I know Jonathan Quick has only started four games, but he's a.091 goals against, three goals allowed in four starts. Four. Now, I think that guy, the future hall of Famer, first ballot, is pushing Igor to be better. And he has to be better. I expect I have Igor up here, and he's got to remain up there. But here's what I love about Igor that I don't love about the other guys. And this is my long winded answer, because I could tell you right now, I also love Connor Hellebuck. But Connor Hellebuyck has proven he's a multiple Vesna Trophy winner because he has great regular seasons. I don't know what happens in the postseason with Connor Hellebuck. He's not the same guy. I don't know if they use him too much. And Winnipeg is doing the same exact thing because as we speak today, he's played in 13 games, which is, I think, almost all of their games compared to some of these other guys with the low goals against who have not played as many games. You know, the Gustavsons of Minnesota is playing great. You know, I can name a few. I mean, Joey Decord is playing great. He's not in the top five. He's doing great. How about carrying their team?

[David Dwork]

He's played 15 league tall.

[Ad]

Yeah. How about that? So I don't know what's going on there. So if we're talking about best regular season goalies, I'm going with Connor Halibut. If you're talking about postseason goalies, I got. I would. I would have. Currently, I would have Igor Shuster in there. That's the guy I want. Because what I love about him, and I bring this up with other sports as well, I don't care about your league MVPs. Regular season means nothing to me if I want my team to win. How do you do in the postseason? And especially when you're talking about a goaltender. And I say this about quarterbacks in the NFL as well. I don't care about you know, the Paint Mannings back in the day of league MVPs. How do you do in the postseason? It took him a decade to figure out how to do well in the postseason and win a couple of Super Bowls. One of them, by the way, one of them he did nothing for. My guy is Eli. As you could tell, Eli saved his best for the postseason. But anyway, let's get back to hockey.

[David Dwork]

I got a Giants fan for a wife, so I'm with you. Like, we like the Giants in my house. We're good.

[Ad]

I don't even want to talk about it. I was down on Daniel Jones from the beginning. The organization is awful. It's sad now. It's pathetic now. It's absolutely pathetic. It's like I'm. I was texting my son. I'm like, and he's a Patriots fan, so he doesn't care about the Giants forever.

[Roy Bellamy]

That's too bad.

[Ad]

But, yeah, but he has sympathy for his mom. And I'm like, oh, my God, this organization has never been lower. It's just so pathetic. And it's just. It's sad. But anyway, what were we talking about? Goalie. So I'd want Igor in the postseason. I'll take on a hell of a. During the regular season.

[Ethan Podowski]

Linda, you mentioned that you're, you know, you're with the Kraken now, but your heart lies at msg. So I want to ask you about the Rangers, because I was reading about them recently. They're having a lot of success, their records good. They're sitting towards the top of the Eastern Conference, but the vibes feel kind of off. Right. The top six isn't playing well. You know, especially a guy like Zanijad's not playing very well. The fans don't really seem satisfied. What is the vibe like in the fan base right now? What are your kind of feelings on the Rangers? How confident are you that they can finally not just get back to the Eastern Conference final, but clear a team like the Panthers or Carolina or somebody and make it back to the Stanley Cup Final?

[Ad]

Yeah. Isn't it interesting? Because I talk about the difference in the regular season and the postseason and, you know, the Rangers, as we all know, have had. Won President's trophies and had super regular regular seasons and won divisions, won the Metro. And now they're sort of like, look out. Now they're like in a wild card spot. You know, what's going on. So, you know, I just think there's a malaise there. They played a lot of hockey over the years and you know, you have to be careful of that. Like, that's why I'm so surprised pleasantly about the Florida Panthers, right? I mean, they get, they're off to this amazing start after playing so much hockey the last two years, right? I mean, because they went to a final and loss and then they, they won the cup last year and that, that says a lot. So I'm panicking about the Rangers. I think guys like Mika is going, going to figure it out. I think a lot of the guys are going to be just fine that this team is too deep and talented and they will coach with Peter Laviolette. But you brought up a couple of teams right now, Carolina and Florida, that are playing much better than the Rangers. And you can make a case the Washington Capitals with Ovechkin. I know he's hurt now, sadly, you know, is a more exciting team and the Rangers are just scratching out victories. I mean, as we speak now, you know, they lost by a goal to Calgary, you know, you know, good Ranger teams of the past and I mean, last year would not lose a by a goal to Calgary, even though the Flames are playing well this year. But these are the kind of things that they're about a goal away and they're going to fix it. And that's why the season is so long. I'm not worried about the Rangers, but if it was, you know, if we were talking in two months from now, I'd be more concerned, but it's not Thanksgiving yet, so I'm not worried.

[Roy Bellamy]

You brought up Alexander or. He's out four to six weeks after colliding with Jack McBain of the Utah Hockey Club. Fractured his left fibula. Now he has, he's leading the league. He's tied for the league lead with 15 goals. He has 27 goals to go before reaching the record all time. He's only missed 35 games due to injury, so this is significant. He's going to miss time like this. Do you think that he will return and actually fulfill this record or are we going to look at another season of Alexander Orshkin?

[Ad]

I am heartbroken for OV because I believed he was going to break it. He heard all the whispers in the off season like, oh, it's going to take him at least two years to break this record. That's if he stays healthy and all this. And that's if, you know, father time doesn't catch up to him. And there he was, electrifying the league, leading the league in scoring for the first time in a few years at the age of 39. And then, of course, he suffers this broken leg. Four to six weeks, he's out. As much as I don't want to bet against ever Alex Ovechkin, I just think this is too much of an injury to come back from and pick up where you left off. And that's a lot of goals to make up. I wouldn't bet on it, but I wouldn't put it past Alex to somehow put it together, put Humpty Dumpty back together again in six weeks and continue on this torrid pace. Washington as a team is going to miss him because they were playing so well with him, right?

[Roy Bellamy]

Yeah.

[Ad]

So I don't know. And he's their captain, he's their leader, so it is. It's heartbreaking. It's tough for him, obviously, and what's at stake and, and for the league because it was pretty darn exciting to see Alex Ovechkin at the top of the goal scoring lead.

[David Dwork]

Well, he's only, what, 26 behind Gretzky. And if he misses, let's say 20 games, he's still going to come back with like half the season. So as long as he can hit the ground running, it's certainly within the.

[Ad]

Realm of possibly not the ground running. It sure is. That's why don't bet against it. Yeah, you're right. You're absolutely right.

[David Dwork]

It's not that big of a.

[Ad]

When you got a figure, but you got a figure coming back from a broken leg, you got. You know, I would throw in a. Throw in about six games of warm up, like go through a preseason again, so to speak. Right?

[Roy Bellamy]

Yeah.

[Ad]

So, you know, we'll see. We'll see. I'd love to see it. I'd love for it to come down to April, right. To see how close he is. It would be fantastic.

[Roy Bellamy]

And finally, Ryan Reeves has been suspended for a headshot on Darnell Nurse. Now, there are two things here. Darnell nursery absolutely know to keep his head up in that position coming around the net. As a defenseman, you should know better than just to look down like that. And Ryan Reeves is lucky that he wasn't suspended for more than the five games they got because this is his fourth suspension. What do you think about this hit, Linda?

[Ad]

Yeah, I mean, I can't blame Darnell Nurse. I know what you're saying. Hockey players should have their heads up at all times. The guy was playing the P. I mean, he should have gotten more because of the history, because it was like a Mack truck running into Darnell Nurse. And it got him where it should not have got him in the head. I don't like it. I didn't like anything about this. And I certainly don't blame Darnell Nurse. You know, you don't blame the victim in this case ever. And I don't know. I'm not a fan of Ryan Reeves. I know he has a great personality and all, but when's he going to learn? Listen, at least, you know, back in the day, you know, went in the. Back in the day. But, you know, when Tom Wilson. Yeah. Had some issues. Many. We still realized he was a really good hockey player with good mitts. He knew how to score goals and he kind of cleaned up his act a bit. He doesn't do stupid things. I think this was stupid action by Ryan Reeves. I think he should know better because he does have talent. I mean, he was a Ranger at some point. He's been on a million different teams. This is not right. So I don't like any of it.

[Roy Bellamy]

Yeah. I believe there's a saying out there. I think it was Frank Savelli who says it. You sign guys like Ryan Reeves to protect your players from guys like Ryan Reeves, basically.

[Ad]

That's funny.

[Roy Bellamy]

That's.

[Ad]

That's Frank. That's a great line.

[Roy Bellamy]

Yeah. Yes. Linda Cohn, it's been an honor for you to join the show. I'm really happy that we got to speak to you. Thank you for joining us, Linda.

[David Dwork]

Thank you so much.

[Ad]

Hey, thanks for inviting me. Anytime, guys. Continued success on the podcast, well done.

[Unknown]

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[Roy Bellamy]

Okay, a little quick Panthers recap here. And it's. It wasn't, it wasn't good.

[David Dwork]

Not the best week.

[Roy Bellamy]

No. Going into this week they lost back to back to the New Jersey Devils. They go in to the Winnipeg jets game on Wednesday and they shut them on five nothing. It was a real, it was a good effort by the Panthers. Alexander Barkoff Gold 2 assists, Sam Reinhardt 3 assists. Gustav Forsling 2 assists. Sergey Bobroski with the shout out, 27 shots faced, stopped.

[David Dwork]

All of it was a more traditional Panthers game. Especially after those two games against the Devils. They four checked, they hit, they scored five goals. Defense is pretty solid. Just overall, it was nice to see them get back to playing Panthers hockey after those two games against the Devils that were a little rough. Yeah, a little rough stuff. But unfortunately, while we thought what we hoped that this was the Panthers kind of getting back on track, it was more just the one off because the next couple of games as we're going to get into right now, not great.

[Roy Bellamy]

They got on a road trip, they went up to Winnipeg, back to back, back to backs.

[David Dwork]

In this situation, back to back, back.

[Roy Bellamy]

To backs, they lost six to three. Mark Scheifelevel a hat trick. Morgan Barron with two Goals not great. And Alexander Balkoff, he continued his point streak, which would end in Chicago. Sam Reinhardt scored, Matthew Kachuk scored and had an assist. But six, three in Winnipeg.

[David Dwork]

Yeah, a little closer than the score would indicate because the two late empty net goals. Special teams were a little funky in this one. Overall, just not. The Panthers are having a hard time getting back into their game. They're not forechecking the way they usually are. It's really been in the neutral zone that they've been having trouble. Whether it's the jets or we'll get to the Black Dogs in a second, but both teams doing a really good job of keeping Florida zone exits a little bit murky and not letting them have the fluidity that they're used to. And as a result, Florida's sputtering a little bit right now.

[Roy Bellamy]

In Chicago last night, they lost 3 to 1 to the worst team in the league.

[David Dwork]

Very frustrating.

[Roy Bellamy]

Sam Einhardt continued his point streak. It's now at 12. He's tied with the league lead with 15 goals.

[David Dwork]

Unreal.

[Roy Bellamy]

As I said, Bachoff's point streak ended. It stops at nine games caught up for Hagie at the end of this game. A massive, massive turnover in his own zone with an empty net and that effectively ended the game. But there was a bright spot in this game. Conor Bedard had zero shot attempts. Yeah, I mean, they played the first line, played very good defense against Chicago's first line in that game.

[David Dwork]

Yeah, it was. This felt a little bit more like a Panthers game defensively, but offensively they just couldn't get anything going. And credit to the Blackhawks, as you said, you know, the worst team in the lead right now. But they played some pretty solid defense, particularly in the Panthers zone, trying to keep Florida from exiting the zone and moving through the neutral zone. Florida just couldn't get anything going. They couldn't get any speed. They couldn't even get deep enough to dump it. They were having a hard time. Once they got in the zone, they keep pressure. Once they got in the zone, they kept zone time sustainable. I think they had over five minutes of zone possession time last night. It was just getting there. That was really hard time. And then as you mentioned, down 2 to 1, late. Carter Verhege with a ill advised call it lazy call, whatever you want. Just a weird drop pass with the net empty, giving Nick Foligno more than enough time to get to the puck. Just confusing play. I'm sure Carter Verhe more than anybody is, you know, sick to his stomach about it, but But Panthers ought to get back on track, Roy, because now they've lost four of five. I think they've given up like 19 goals in the four losses. Some ridiculous number which if you go back to like the last eight wins, they haven't given up that many goals. So, yeah, it's a little bit of a time for Paul Maurice, as we've talked about many times. He knows this team. He's got to push those right buttons and get them back on track.

[Roy Bellamy]

Tomorrow they play the avalanche, who are 5:1 and 0 in the last six. So they are surging right now. What you look at in this game.

[David Dwork]

As a preview, slowing down Nathan McKinnon, Kale McCarr. Yeah, I mean, if the Panthers are playing good hockey, this would probably be like more of a high scoring type game. Just because Colorado can put the puck in the net, not necessarily the best at keeping the puck out of the net. And Florida, when they're on, they're going to be driving offense. You know, obviously they're very good defensive team matched up against a highly good offensive team. So should be a good matchup if Florida gets back to playing their game.

[Roy Bellamy]

So you heard it here first. Bet the over.

[David Dwork]

Yeah, that's what Roy said.

[Roy Bellamy]

Yeah.

[David Dwork]

Bet the over.

[Roy Bellamy]

Bet the over. All right, so we are off in the next two weeks. We wish all of you a Happy Thanksgiving and whatever holiday that you might celebrate or whatever. My name is Roy Bellamy. That's David Druck. That's Ethan over there. Jason's in the back. So is Gino. There might be another person.

[Ad]

Hey.

[David Dwork]

Yes.

[Roy Bellamy]

There's the boys in the back. Yes. All right, guys, thank you for watching and listening. We will see you in December. December. All right. Goodbye.

[Linda Cohn]

Howdy, loyal listeners. It's Mike Ryan and we're getting pretty close to wishing folks happy holidays. I'm sure many of you are already in the planning stages of opening up your homes and hosting holiday get togethers. That can be stressful. Everyone's got an opinion. So why don't you make life easy for yourself, make everybody happy and give them the gift of Miller Time. That's right. Present to them a beer that actually tastes like beer. A beer that'll generate such good holiday vibes that you'll know exactly right away. You made the right call with that beautiful white can. Oh, what a logo. That sparkling white label. As soon as you hold it in your hand, you know right away. Miller Time is the best time. And it's got a taste that you can depend on. Doesn't just look great.

[Roy Bellamy]

Folks.

[Linda Cohn]

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