Was The Draft Lottery Rigged For The Maple Leafs? | The Hockey Show

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz

Episode: Was The Draft Lottery Rigged For The Maple Leafs? | The Hockey Show
Date: May 8, 2026
Guests: Steve Levy (ESPN)
Hosts/Panel: Roy Bellamy (Roy), Dave, David, Rose, Steve Levy, Ethan

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Main Theme

This episode centers on controversy and chaos surrounding the 2026 NHL Draft Lottery, which delivered the top pick to the Toronto Maple Leafs, sparking immediate allegations of a "rigged" result. The panel deep-dives into the backlash over Toronto’s new general manager John Chayka, skepticism from league insiders, and broader issues plaguing hockey’s Canadian franchises. Later, ESPN commentator Steve Levy joins for a lengthy, candid analysis of the Maple Leafs, league trends, and hockey culture, culminating in reflections on broadcasting iconic games.

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Key Segments & Discussion Points

1. The "Dumpster Fire" Maple Leafs Win the Lottery

Timestamp: 01:00 – 09:00

• Toronto’s Turmoil: Toronto’s organizational chaos is aired out: a failed season, hiring of John Chayka as GM (notoriously suspended and controversial from his Arizona Coyotes days), and rumors of internal drama.
• Panel Skepticism:

  “The Toronto Maple Leafs are a dumpster fire, but they are picking number one overall from that fiery dumpster.” – Roy Belmy (01:00)

• Discussion lands on Chayka’s unpopularity, his shady Arizona legacy, and why the hiring has shocked NHL spectators.
• Notable Quote:

  “Of the 20 people I spoke to, one was supportive… the other 19 thought it was a sham, to be perfectly honest. Words were used like con artist, liar, salesman.” – Steve Simmons (Toronto Sun), recounted at (05:23)

2. Scrutiny, Tough Questions, and Maple Leaf Dysfunction

Timestamp: 05:06 – 08:43

• Steve Simmons’ brutal press conference question is dissected. The group praises journalistic courage and questions the front office's decision-making.
• Panel's Take:

  “I didn’t really have a problem with what he asked… fans are wondering… how did you decide on this guy?” – David (06:52)

• The tense optics (“Chaika drinking his water. It’s like ‘con artist’. And he just signed his contract…”) (06:38)

3. Draft Lottery Fallout & Conspiracy Theories

Timestamp: 08:43 – 10:41

• Panel reviews draft order changes and the outrage that Toronto “jumped” to #1.
• Widespread belief emerges that the lottery system is flawed, rousing allegations of league manipulation.
• Broader questions raised: Does the #1 pick keep Auston Matthews in Toronto? Can new blood fix the Leafs’ perennial woes?

4. Awards Talk and NHL Season Superlatives

Timestamp: 10:41 – 14:20

• Recaps of award finalists—the panel provides color commentary and light-hearted debate about snubs, favorites, and dark horses.
• The Jack Adams, Norris, and Hart Trophies spark particular attention.
• Notable Quotes:

  “No, this one’s going straight to Makar.” – Roy Belmy, on the Norris Trophy (13:32)
  “I’ve heard a lot of Zach Warensky rumblings…” – Dave (13:35)

5. “Puck Luck” Predictions & Stat of the Week

Timestamp: 15:25 – 18:19

• Hockey betting picks are given, focusing on Montreal, Buffalo, Anaheim, and Vegas.
• Stat of the Week: Nikita Kucherov’s disappearing act in Game 7s and playoff scoring droughts is roasted.

  “He has zero points in those seven career game sevens. He scored two goals in his last 23 playoff games.” – David (17:28)

6. Wins & Fails of the Week: From Napkin Gags to Overtime Gaffes

Timestamp: 18:28 – 24:37

• Wins:
  • Montreal’s Heinz “stain their jersey, not yours” napkin promo (19:05)
  • The ball hockey meetup between Montreal and Buffalo fan groups (“Blade Gang”) (20:07)
  • PSG’s Champions League run (21:18), WNBA season return (22:01)
• Fails:
  • Jackson Lacombe’s botched golden scoring chance for Anaheim, drawing groans and mock analysis (23:00)
  • John Cooper’s quote after the Lightning’s elimination, “sometimes you win the game and not the score,” drawing eye rolls and sarcasm

    “Sometimes you win the game and not the score. That sounds like Rod Brindlemore after the pants… but no, that’s, that’s what happened.” – Roy Belmy (25:36)

  • Philadelphia Flyers’ impotence against Carolina

7. Draft Lottery Rigging: Steve Levy Interview Deep-Dive

Timestamp: 33:39 – 56:20

• Steve Levy joins for extensive Maple Leafs talk:
  • How Much Was This Rigged?

    “After the disaster that was that press conference… my text phone filled up with ‘it’s fixed.’” (34:40)

  • Levy recaps skepticism, passion, and the futility of the current lottery ping-pong ball system.
  • PHWL’s innovative draft model is praised (37:01)
  • On John Chayka’s hire:

    “I know he’s done the work, he’s done the research… [Steve Simmons] asked the question that I’m not sure how many other people would have asked in that setting.” (37:44)

  • On Canadian hockey’s perpetual suffering:
    • Why do star American players leave? Can an entire nation root for a rival city just for Canada’s pride? (40:00 – 43:26)
    • “There is an actual church… serving as a sports bar… with their sweaters on and cheering up and down, watching the game on a big screen in the church.” – Steve Levy (43:15)
  • Edmonton’s Goaltending Crisis and Superstar Retention Blues
    • “You can’t win these games in the playoffs five-four every night… starting NFL quarterbacks, you can’t call a 1-800 number for that.” (44:00 – 46:53)
  • Legendary Overtime Calls & Playoff War Stories
    • Levy shares wisdom on legendary broadcasts and embracing fatigue:

      “By the fifth overtime, I had nowhere to go. I was already at the top of my lungs… It was simply last names. There was no description. It was Lemieux, Jones…” (49:33) “Records are made to be broken, I believe they’re lying, because I don’t want anyone to touch that longest game.” (51:17)

8. Hockey Playoff Trends & “Buffalo as the 2019 Blues?”

Timestamp: 54:01 – 56:08

• Levy praises surprising contenders (Buffalo, Montreal), dourly forecasts Philadelphia, and highlights how crucial small-market upswings are for the league’s soul.

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• On John Chayka:

  “The hockey world today is astounded by this announcement.” – Steve Simmons (5:44)

• On the lottery and conspiracy:

  “There’s always going to be that… No way Gavin McKenna is going to Vancouver, you know, all that kind of stuff.” – Steve Levy (34:40)

• On Canada’s NHL drought:

  “The last time a Canadian team won the Stanley cup was, you know, 1993. That’s my first year at ESPN, so that tells you how long ago that was.” – Steve Levy (40:52)

• Broadcasting overtime epics:

  “I was out of words. It was simply last names. There was no description. Lemieux, Jones…” – Steve Levy (49:33)

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Timeline of Critical Segments

| Timestamp | Segment | |-----------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------| | 01:00 – 05:00 | Toronto lottery win, Chayka’s baggage, new hires, fan reactions | | 05:06 – 08:43 | Steve Simmons’ grilling, media response, Chaika’s image | | 08:43 – 10:41 | Draft fallout, conspiracy talk, likelihood of fix | | 10:41 – 14:20 | Trophy finalists, snubs and hockey superlatives | | 15:25 – 18:19 | Betting picks, “stat of the week” (Kucherov’s playoff woes) | | 18:28 – 24:37 | Wins/fails: fan stunts, missed opportunities, coaching cliches | | 33:39 – 56:20 | Steve Levy in-depth: draft lottery, Maple Leafs, Canadian malaise, | | | banter on broadcasting, playoff trends, Buffalo resurgence |

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Overall Tone

Irreverent, sharp, occasionally silly, but informed and passionate about both on-ice chaos and off-ice melodramas—classic "Hockey Show" flavor, bolstered by successful blend of analysis and humor. The panel mocks, celebrates, and dissects hockey’s glories and failings, making it accessible for new and seasoned fans alike.

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For Listeners Who Missed It

• The Maple Leafs are the talk of hockey—again for all the wrong reasons—after winning the #1 draft pick amidst controversy.
• Toronto’s front office decisions and press conference misfires are under the microscope, with little confidence in new GM John Chayka.
• Steve Levy delivers context, humor, and insight on why this matters within Canada and for the broader NHL, while also reminiscing about broadcasting hockey marathons.
• The episode punctuates the chaos of the playoffs with creative awards talk, playful “fails,” and a reminder of how unpredictable—and theatrical—hockey madness always is.

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End of Summary.

Transcript

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[Steve Levy]

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[Roy Belmy]

The Toronto Maple Leafs are a dumpster fire, but they are picking number one overall from that fiery dumpster. We have Steve Levy on the show. This hockey show. With David Drug in a hockey news of Rose who says that this rigged Potter is rigged. And with Ethan Padowski in the other room. My name is Roy Belmy.

[Dave]

I heard Ridge in stereo. Yeah, I don't think she was the only one.

[Roy Belmy]

Anyway.

[David]

Rigged in stereo.

[Roy Belmy]

Rigged in stereo.

[David]

I went to a cars reference there. You like that one, right? I know you like that one. Yeah.

[Roy Belmy]

Moving in stereo. On Tuesday, the Toronto Maple Leafs won the draft lottery. They are picking number one overall. But let's talk about what happened on Monday because they had the intro press conference with the new general manager, John Chaca and a new senior advisor, executive advisor in Matt Sandin. And Maple Leafs fans are happy about that hiring.

[Dave]

But Dolphin fans were happy when they hired Dan Marino.

[Roy Belmy]

Yeah.

[Dave]

How'd that work out?

[Roy Belmy]

12 hours later, decided to quit. But he's back.

[Dave]

You put that thought in my head. I had to mention it.

[Roy Belmy]

I'm sorry. You being the consummate Dolphins fan.

[Dave]

Me? Yeah. You've been to Dolphin games with me, sir.

[Roy Belmy]

I have. He's a crazy person at these Dolphins games.

[Dave]

Not that bad.

[Roy Belmy]

All right. Team CEO Keith Pelly Field did questions in the presser. And before we get to what happened at presser, let's talk about John Chayka because he was hired in 2016. He's the youngest GM in league history at the time. He resigned in July of 2020. Now I'll say July 2020. The playoffs were pushed back due To Covid.

[Dave]

That was a fun year.

[Roy Belmy]

Yeah. The qualifying round. He quit before the qualifying round for the Arizona Coyotes. That's who was the general manager for. So he quit and Arizona moved past that round and then he ended up losing in the first round to Colorado. And obviously, you know what happened to the Avalanche that year, I believe you

[Dave]

know exactly what happened to the Avalanche that year. Weren't you there for it?

[Roy Belmy]

I was there for it. I was there for it twice, actually, both in Colorado and in Tampa. Yeah, I had to see the lightning die in that one. So. Yeah. But Gary Bettman suspended him for the 2021 calendar year for some cheating. Yeah. So apparently the. He had held some scouting tryouts outside of the combine, which is a big no, no. And the Coyotes lost the second round pick that year and a first round pick the following year. Yeah, not good. So, yeah, that. And he hasn't had a front office gig since that suspension.

[Dave]

And he never had a really good reputation among, you know, his peers in the league, let's say. And I think we're going to hear a little bit more about that in a second. But it was, it's just a very confusing hire, I think, considering the names that are out there and the reach that a team like the Maple Leafs would have. Like, that was kind of shocking.

[Roy Belmy]

The suspension actually came off of him bailing on the contract that he had with the Coyotes. And yeah, he was, he was rumored

[David]

to be looking for other jobs, basically trying to get the devil's job, apparently, while he was in contract with the Coyotes. So he was breaching his contract. And then I think you mentioned Roy as well, that they tried to run a secret combine the Coyotes did during COVID which was against the rules because of COVID and is also against the rules in general. So this guy had a propensity for breaking the rules when he was in Arizona. And now here he is resurfacing five, six years later as the GM of the biggest team in the sport.

[Roy Belmy]

He had three years left on a contract with Arizona as he tried the bail on that one. But that brings us to Monday, where everybody's favorite sportswriter, Steve Simmons, ask Keith Pelley this question.

[Steve Levy]

STEVE Simmons, Toronto SON For Keith, you talk about the due diligence that you did on John prior to hiring him and now hiring him. In the past, say, three to four days, I have been in contact with

[David]

about 20 people who work in the

[Steve Levy]

National Hockey League, many of whom are prominent names that we would all know. And of the 20 people I spoke to, one was supportive of John's hiring and the other 19 thought it was a sham, to be perfectly honest. Words were used like con artist, liar, salesman. How did you come to a different conclusion that I was able to come

[David]

to in a very short time.

[Steve Levy]

I must have talked to different people. That's it. Because the hockey world today is astounded by this announcement. Okay. And your response to that is? We've conducted due diligence and it was deep due diligence. It was a thorough process and I'm

[Dave]

quite happy with where we've landed.

[Roy Belmy]

Yeah. So I don't think that Steve Simmons is going to get the same treatment that Mark Lazarus did in Vegas.

[Dave]

But no, he's been asking tough questions for a long time up there. I think he's, you know, pretty good.

[Roy Belmy]

Yeah. Pelly looked a bit warm after that question.

[Dave]

Yeah, look, that was one way to ask it. And Steve Simmons, we, you know, he's a very hard nosed journalist. We've met him a couple of times, actually worked with his son for a little while. Writing for the Panthers Hockey news site.

[Roy Belmy]

Yep.

[Dave]

But yeah, that was rough, man. And there, there's one camera shot, I don't know if we had that one of where it just kept it on Chaika the whole time.

[Steve Levy]

Yeah.

[Dave]

And he's like drinking his water. It's like con artist. And he's. I mean, he just signed his contract so he's got to feel okay. But man. Yeah, that was just. Look, between that and the draft lottery, I am locked in the. With popcorn, ready for whatever happens in Toronto for the next year or so.

[David]

Yeah, it takes serious balls to ask a question like that. And I mean, honestly, like, I didn't really have a problem with what he asked, to be honest with you. I think he definitely could have phrased it better. But it's a totally fair question to Keith Pelley that I'm sure fans are wondering, which is how did you make the decision to hire of all people, of all the people that are available right now to run the Toronto Maple Leafs, how did you decide on this guy? With his track record, it's not like he was the most successful GM anyway. Right. The Coyotes never made the playoffs during his tenure.

[Dave]

They made the postseason.

[David]

They made the postseason when they went to the bubble, right? Yeah, they made the bubble. Playoffs.

[Dave]

That's the playoffs.

[David]

And then basically until the mammoth made the playoffs this year, all of the players that he like, the roster that he built. Plus, who's the GM there now, Doug? Bill Armstrong? Is it? Is it B.A.

[Dave]

yeah.

[Roy Belmy]

Yeah.

[David]

B.A. has basically done a much better job elevating that roster and getting it into the actual playoffs. So I. I don't really know how they came to this decision. It doesn't make any sense. And I think it was a totally fair question to ask because Jacob. Look, not only does he have this track record, it's going to be. He has a really difficult job in front of him. Right. We don't know that Auston Matthews even wants to stay in Toronto. We don't know how William Nylander feels about Toronto. And it seems like this guy's gonna have a really hard time making trades with his fellow GMs because nobody really wants him to. To be a GM in the first place. So I, I don't know. It's a crazy hire if you ask me.

[Dave]

Apparently somebody wants him to be a gm. One, at least one guy. And he's a. He's a. Got a big checkbook.

[David]

Pretty important guy. Yeah, I guess so.

[Dave]

No, but I'm with you. I don't get it at all. It's. It was surprising and I guess Pelly spoke to the only people that Simmons didn't speak to because. What else?

[Roy Belmy]

You know, the one guy.

[Dave]

I guess. But. Should be interesting.

[Roy Belmy]

All right, so let's talk about the result of the lottery. Toronto is now officially the overall pick at this. They were originally fifth. Now they moved up to one. And San Jose, who was originally 11th, is now second. That pushes Vancouver down to three, pushes

[Rose]

the Panthers to 11.

[Roy Belmy]

No, no, no. Chicago's fourth, the Rangers are fifth, Calgary is sixth, Seattle seventh, Winnipeg's eighth, Florida is ninth and Nashville is 10th. What are your thoughts about what happened during the draft lottery?

[Dave]

I thought it was funny seeing the reaction when Toronto won. Just. The hockey world went crazy. You know, we. What? They've missed the playoffs twice in 11 years and won the lottery both times. Whereas teams like Vancouver never won the lottery.

[Roy Belmy]

Utah, both Jasmine and Buffalo.

[Dave]

Utah, slash. Arizona never won the lottery. So it's. You know, it's funny. Um, Is it going to change what happens with Auston Matthews? I think is the big question. Because will this make Austin want to stay in Toronto longer and deal with that cauldron and all that situation, you know, Will. Because it's not like they haven't been winning, they just haven't won anything big. And will Gavin McKenna be the guy that puts the Leafs over the top? Are they going to defend better? Are they going to get better goaltending with Gavin McKenna? Craig Brubay. What's up with you, buddy?

[Roy Belmy]

Is he going to have a job, Right?

[Dave]

So there's still so many questions in Toronto.

[Rose]

Rosie, this means we have minus nine chance of getting McKenna.

[Roy Belmy]

Yeah, that's exactly what that means.

[Dave]

The Panthers have a top 10 pick. They have two second round picks if they really want to move up. Bill Zito has the bullets in his gun to make that happen. Now, do they want to go out and try to get a top two pick?

[Rose]

I think we need a goalie now.

[David]

Yeah, I was going to say rose. I think the better option here.

[Dave]

I'm just saying the options are there for Bill Zito. He has a lot of different things that he could do with the draft and that's part of why we wanted to be there for it.

[Roy Belmy]

Well, the jets might be in full rebuild mode, you know what I'm saying? So.

[David]

I know exactly what you're saying, Roy. Yeah, I know exactly what you're saying.

[Roy Belmy]

All right, so let's get to awards. Watch as the the Norris Trophy was announced today. So let's recap all the awards so far. The Ted Lindsay Award, which is the MVP voted on by the players. You got Macklin Celebrini, Nikita Kucherov and Connor McDavid as the finalists there.

[Dave]

I'm really curious to see who wins

[Roy Belmy]

the best in the trophy. The top goaltender has voted on by the general managers, Ilya Sorokin, Jeremy Swayman and Andre Vasilevsky. The Lady Bean Trophy for sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct, as voted on by the Professional Hockey Writers Association. David, one of the refs to vote on that one. That's the Cole Caulfield, Anze Kopitar and Jake Sanderson. The Jack Adams Award for Coach of the Year, as voted on by the National Broadcasters Association. That would be John Cooper, Dan Muse and Lindy Ruff. Yo, slow on that button there, Rosie. On the Masterson Trophy, I'll do my best. Perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey. As voted on by the PHW A. That's Ramses Dalleen, Gabriel Landiscog and Jonathan Taze. The Cold Trophy for Rookie of the Year, as voted on by the phwa, Rowan Gardner, Yvonne dimadov, Matthew Schaefer and Beckett Seneca.

[Rose]

Matthew Schaefer is a winner. That's why I went so early.

[Roy Belmy]

Yeah, there you go. That's.

[Steve Levy]

That's good.

[Roy Belmy]

The Selkie Trophy for best defensive forward as voted on by the phwa, Anthony Ciarelli, Brock Nelson and Nick Suzuki. And the Norris Trophy for best defenseman is voted on by the P Hwa Ramsay stallion, Cale McCarr and Zach Warinski. All right, so all these awards, what do you think? What's the. Probably the closest award for. As far as voting is concerned, what do you think is going to happen?

[Dave]

The closest? I think I might think Jack Adams would be close because Lindy Ruff, Buffalo, had that crazy good year. John Cooper's been, you know, always a bridesmaid, never, never a bride in the Jack Adams race. And I thought the Lightning were great during the regular season. And look, the Penguins shocked us all. So Dan Muse is in there as well. I think that one could be tight. Vezina is another one that could be tight because Sirotin was spectacular this year. Vasilesti turned back the clock a little bit, even though he's only 31 years old, but, you know, for crying out loud. And Swayman carried Boston for much of the year, so I will be keeping an eye on those two and Selkie as well. I'm curious if it ends up going to Suzuki.

[Roy Belmy]

Yeah, but the Sabans won the division, so they won the division over the Lightning, so you would think that that would carry a little bit more weight.

[David]

And they made the playoffs for the first time in 14 years. I definitely think that's a lock for the Jack Adams.

[Dave]

I don't know if he's a lock, but I' be surprised if it's not Lindy Ruff.

[Roy Belmy]

What about the Norris Trophy?

[Dave]

What about the Norris Trophy?

[Roy Belmy]

It's going straight to Makar.

[David]

I don't think so.

[Dave]

I don't. I've heard a lot of Zach Warrensky rumblings over the last few months. I know he ended up high on a lot of ballots, so he might have snuck in there and then, you know, no disrespect to Darlene. I feel like he had a very quietly good season and he's showing clearly on the ballots. He's showing up.

[David]

I've heard a lot of buzz for Darlene. I thought Marit Cider was a huge snub here. I thought Marie Cider from the Detroit Red Wings should have definitely been a finalist for the Norris trophy. Probably Kale McCarr, to be honest. I know a lot of people are mad that Evan Bouchard wasn't a finalist here. He had a great season. Led defenseman in points by like 17 to the next guy. Could have legitimately been a nominee. But we also know the whole Evan Bouchard ordeal. So I think Darlene or Warensky might win this one. Guys, I think those are the two favorites here.

[Roy Belmy]

A bit of breaking news. The hard Trophy has been. The finalists have been named and it's the same as last year, so. So there you go.

[David]

Would you care to tell us who was.

[Dave]

What happened?

[David]

Who was last year? Yeah, McKinnon.

[Roy Belmy]

No, you already know. You already know the three days. I mean.

[David]

No, wait, hold on. No, no, no, no, no, no, no. It can't be the same as last year because last year Connor Helbuk won the heart trophy. Oh, yeah. He was not a finalist.

[Roy Belmy]

Sorry, sorry. Nikia Kucherov, Nathan McKinnon. Nathan McKinnon and Connor McDavid. Those are the three.

[Dave]

Okay. I had all three on my ballot. I didn't have all three in my top three.

[Rose]

They cannot give it to Connor. It's going to be the same as the last.

[David]

I think they're going to give Kucherov. I think Kucherov.

[Roy Belmy]

Yeah, I think he's good.

[David]

I think Kucherov's definitely going to win the Ted Lindsay. He had a huge year, huge regular season, ghosted in the playoffs like he has for the last four years. Again, just one goal, but that doesn't matter. It's a regular season award. So I think he's going to win the Ted Lindsay and I think he might win the heart, too.

[Rose]

Isn't that your start of the week

[David]

that he hasn't Rose. Don't spoil it.

[Dave]

Rose's face.

[Roy Belmy]

Before we get to the hockey style league, before we get to the hockey stat of the week, let's do puck luck because it's sponsored by DraftKings. DraftKings. The Crown is yours, David.

[Dave]

Ethan, redeem yourself.

[David]

Yeah, guys. So I went over. It's giving me another chance, giving him

[Dave]

a chance at redemption.

[David]

David's giving me another chance of redemption. This is my final chance of redemption. I have to go 2 for 3 this week at least, or else it goes back to Dave. So we are going to go.

[Dave]

I didn't make those rules off the cuff here. This is not official.

[David]

We're going to stick with the games tonight, guys. We are going to go first to Montreal and Buffalo. I'm going to take the Canadiens to even up the series tonight. I really like their performance in game one, even though they ended up losing. I don't think Dovish will play as bad as he did in game one. That's his first stinker of the playoffs and I think it'll be, for now his only stinker. So I think I'd like him to get them back in this series. They dominated play. They outshot the Sabres. I think they're going to win Tonight in the Anaheim Vegas game, first we're going to take Leo Carlson, anytime goal scorer at plus 165. That's my absolute dog. I love Leo Carlson. I love the Duckies. We all know this is the Duckies show. I think Leo's going to get on the score sheet tonight. He's been great in this series. Great in the playoffs so far. Nine points in eight games. And then I'm going to take the Ducks on the money line to take a 2:1 series advantage in this series. Going back to Anaheim tonight, they won game two in a very good performance. I think they've been the better team in this series. Even though it is just one one. I think they've been better than the Golden Knights and I like them to take the advantage tonight. 21 over the Golden Knights. So that add that up, that gives you a plus 704 parlay, Montreal money line and high money line. Leo Carlson, anytime goal scorer. That is puck luck and it is brought to you by DraftKings.

[Roy Belmy]

There you go.

[Dave]

There you go.

[Roy Belmy]

He did the liner and everything. It's time for the hockey stat of the week. Go back in the hockey.

[Rose]

Hi, Ethan. Hi, Ethan. Hi, Ethan.

[Roy Belmy]

Hi, Rose. I'm glad you got that.

[David]

Hi, Roy. Hi, David. All right, back here in the stat of the week, we had some foreshadowing earlier in the show. This week's hottest hockey side of the week. Jason, if we can put the buffer up here. Nikita Kucherov. In his career, he has played in seven career game sevens. He has zero points in those seven career game sevens. He scored two goals in his last 23 playoff games. That is four postseasons. He's got two goals. He's got one in his last 22. If we want to get even more critical of him. And then, guys, this is my favorite stat from that Tampa Bay series. The Tampa Bay Lightning. Or excuse me, let me do it this way. The Florida Panthers have won as many playoff series this season as the Tampa Bay Lightning have won in their last four playoff appearances. That's the hockey stat of the week.

[Roy Belmy]

That does sound better, actually. I'm glad you did it that way.

[Dave]

Well, well phrased.

[Roy Belmy]

Yeah. It's time for the wins and fails of the week segment. And David, you have a win. Go ahead.

[Dave]

I do have a win. And for my win of the week, we're going to head north of the border up to the Bell center in Montreal.

[David]

The Centre Belle. David, it's called the Centre Belle once and for all. It's literally called the Bell.

[Roy Belmy]

That is Literally called the Bell Center.

[Dave]

I'm hearing weird sounds.

[David]

Name of the arena.

[Roy Belmy]

That studio. Back down.

[Dave]

So anyway, at the Bell center in Montreal, they played the Tampa Bay Lightning. As we just talked about, they beat the Tampa Bay Lightning. They had. Well, first of all, we've talked about how amazing that place is for playoff hockey and we've added it to our list of places to go. But during the first round of the playoffs, the team had a truly awesome display set up by the Heinz Company. You know, they make the ketchups and the mustards and Pittsburgh as your hat.

[Roy Belmy]

Steak sauces.

[Dave]

Used to be the Heinz Field up in Pittsburgh down the street from where the Pirates play.

[Roy Belmy]

Yeah.

[Dave]

But anyway, getting a little far field here. Heinz made napkins out of Tampa Bay Lightning jersey and handed it out to the fans. And underneath a banner that said, stain their jersey, not yours.

[Roy Belmy]

Oh, wow.

[Dave]

As a ketchup connoisseur myself, I've messed many shirts up over the years. I love this. I love everything about it. I love the idea of wiping off ketchup that looks like blood onto another team's jersey. So kudos to you, Montreal. Kudos to Hines and everybody at the Bell Center. Good stuff.

[Roy Belmy]

Genius, man.

[David]

Just so you know, in this Instagram post, I didn't put the picture in, but the sign where it says stain their jersey, not yours was in French. Because in Montreal they speak French, which is why the arena is named Saint Tribelle, not Bell Center.

[Roy Belmy]

Yes, but we do the show in English, so it's the. It's the Bell Center.

[Rose]

We have to protect the French.

[Roy Belmy]

Yes, yes. They helped us out in many a war. Anyway, you guys know that the Buffalo Sabres have a group of fans wearing full pads in inline skates called the Blade Gang.

[Dave]

The Blade Gang, yeah.

[Roy Belmy]

Well, for their matchup versus the Canadians, apparently there are a group of fans supporting the Habs. They're doing the same thing. They're called the Montreal Blade Gang. Probably could have came up with a better name, but wouldn't they be like

[Dave]

the Gang Blade his or some French silliness like that?

[Roy Belmy]

Yeah, it probably should have done that

[Dave]

one in French, Ethan.

[Roy Belmy]

Yeah. Oh, I don't know how to say

[David]

Blade Gang in French, but I do know how to say Bell Center.

[Roy Belmy]

Exactly. The Bell Center. That's exactly what it is.

[Dave]

He said it himself.

[Roy Belmy]

Yeah. Anyway, the Blade gangs got together this week and played a little one on one ball hockey together on the streets of Buffalo. And as you can see from that video, it's very much close quarters combat because they were surrounded by Onlookers, they couldn't have been more than 10 to 15ft of space. But still, it looked a lot of fun out there. So, yeah, good on them. That's my win of the week. Good on the fans.

[Dave]

Bande de la Ms. Blade gang.

[Roy Belmy]

Blonde des llamas versus that looks like Spanish. Des is the desk.

[Rose]

That's French. French.

[Roy Belmy]

Yeah, yeah. There you go. Ethan, what's your win?

[David]

Speaking of French, guys, my win of the week this week comes all the way from Paris. My favorite soccer club party. Sanj is back in the Champions League final. If we can put up the graphic tower in France.

[Roy Belmy]

Wow. Rose.

[David]

Nice.

[Rose]

I know.

[Roy Belmy]

Nice.

[David]

Our badge famously has the rose. If you'll say that again.

[Roy Belmy]

Oh, that is so nice.

[David]

That was impressive. No. PSG went into Bayern Munich, completely shut down arguably the best offense in the world. Drew on the day 1 1, but won 65 on aggregate in one of the most exciting semifinal ties you will ever see. And they are back looking to defend their Champions League title.

[Rose]

That is my bid.

[David]

May 30th. Guys, the soccer show there. The soccer show.

[Roy Belmy]

Soccer. The football show.

[Rose]

That is my bid. Ethan, my win of the week is that the Fever are back. Tomorrow is the first game. Woohoo. WNBA is back. So we cannot do it twice in. In. In a row, but I give it to you.

[Roy Belmy]

Do you guys know what show that you're doing?

[Rose]

I don't care.

[David]

We're doing the show. We're doing the show.

[Roy Belmy]

You're doing. Doing a show.

[Rose]

Wait, my win of the week?

[Roy Belmy]

Yeah.

[Rose]

Edmonton is not in the playoffs.

[Roy Belmy]

Edmonton hasn't been in the playoffs.

[David]

She's still celebrating that she doesn't have to go to Edmonton.

[Roy Belmy]

She just did the Cabbage Patch.

[Rose]

What is that?

[Roy Belmy]

That's a dance.

[Dave]

The thing that you did.

[Roy Belmy]

Oh, that's. That's a dance.

[Dave]

What is that?

[Roy Belmy]

She did it very mechanically, but yes.

[Dave]

What the hell is Ethan just doing?

[Roy Belmy]

I don't know what he was.

[David]

I don't have a lot of room back here, guys.

[Dave]

The cabbage patch doesn't go above your face.

[David]

Yeah, well, I. Again, I don't have a lot of room back.

[Dave]

Does your chair have wheels?

[Roy Belmy]

What's your fellow of the week, David?

[Dave]

Oh, my God. I feel like every time you say that to me, it's whatever just happened.

[Roy Belmy]

Yeah.

[Dave]

But no, let's go back to game one between Vegas and Anaheim, a game that put that the Golden Knights won 3 to 1 to go up in that series, which Ethan thinks they're not going to be up anymore. But after Vegas took a 1 nothing lead in the second period. The Ducks had an amazing grade A chance to tie the game. A few minutes later. Look at this disgusting move by Leo Carlson making Noah Hannifan just looks silly. Then he deeks past Mitch Marner. A great pass. And Jackson Lacombe. I. I don't know what he was thinking. That right there. The puck is on his stick in that pitcher and they did not score.

[David]

I still want him to shoot it, Dave. He's gonna shoot it, right? But here, he's gonna shoot it.

[Dave]

Here's the other thing. If you can play the video again. It's not only that he made a horrible decision to pass the puck, but when he did pass the puck, it was a shitty pass. Yeah, he passed it right into the skates of whoever was in front of the net. Troy. Terry. Like here, right here. Like here you go. Troy.

[David]

Wait.

[Rose]

What?

[Dave]

What are you doing?

[Rose]

God.

[Dave]

So there's like a triple fail all at once. They lost the game. They deserve to lose the game just because of that play. But they've come back in the series. We'll see how it goes. But man, I. I'm shocked. I'm shocked by that play.

[Roy Belmy]

That's a basic hockey play. No matter how much experience that Jackson Lacombe has, which is not a lot of league experience you got, you gotta finish that.

[Dave]

Oh, and he knew it. Like they showed the shot of him on the bench. He knew it right away, but still like, God, that's. That. That's not a brain fart. That's a brain shard.

[Roy Belmy]

Yeah. And that series is probably going stuffing by the way. So there's that too.

[Dave]

Yeah.

[Rose]

He missed an assist from a very handsome player.

[Dave]

Yes, he did.

[Roy Belmy]

I'm glad you have another crush in this, in this, in these playoffs.

[Dave]

Rose, you need to make a fantasy team based on looks only.

[David]

Oh my God. In the NHL that wouldn't be a bad proposition. A lot of the. A lot of the really good players are like good looking.

[Rose]

Yeah.

[Dave]

Maybe next season we'll do like a hockey show fantasy. I'm sorry.

[Rose]

That's what we're gonna do.

[Dave]

And Rose, just base it on looks. Ethan can base it just on accents in their name or some like that dog.

[Roy Belmy]

You can call my dogs how much I like this idea.

[Dave]

Yeah, that's usually.

[Rose]

How's the idea of us watching off campus?

[Roy Belmy]

All right.

[Dave]

So it's back on the tracks.

[Roy Belmy]

All right. My fail of the week. The Tampa Bay Lightning lost their series at home. Game 7 in the Montreal Canadiens.

[Dave]

Hehe.

[Roy Belmy]

And John Cooper has some Words following the game. Take a look.

[Steve Levy]

Get better as you go. And I thought we got better as we went.

[Dave]

And I thought tonight we played our

[Steve Levy]

best game of the series. Yeah, like sometimes you win the game

[Roy Belmy]

and not the score.

[Steve Levy]

Game seven, there's no, there's no moral victory in that.

[Roy Belmy]

Sometimes you win the game and not the score. That sounds like Rod Brindlemore after the pants. That exactly. Carolina. He said that everyone's going to say that you got swept and that's not what happened. But no, that's, that's, that's, that's what happened.

[David]

You know, they lost in four games.

[Roy Belmy]

Let's remind everybody you got swept. Rod, you lost in four games. And John Cooper, you all, you lost the game because you lost the score. What are we doing here? What are we doing?

[Dave]

Ass backwards thought process. Yeah, like, I get it. You're still coach speaking. But he has to know, like, these guys have to know that John Cooper, you've been doing this for a long time. You have to know that when he said that, he's probably thinking, oh, what am I saying?

[Roy Belmy]

Doesn't make any sense. Ethan, what's your fail?

[David]

My. That's my fail of the week as well.

[Steve Levy]

Roy.

[David]

That was the funniest thing I saw. Did he even look so there was nothing funnier all week than John Cooper saying, sometimes you, you know, win the game but not the score.

[Dave]

Major fail by the two.

[David]

Embarrassing.

[Dave]

Because, Ethan, you knew that was Roy's fail. You knew that and I said that

[David]

was going to be that.

[Dave]

Andre Vasilevsky responded to it with a massive eye roll.

[David]

That could have been your fail. Hold on, let's talk about this for a second because that was really good. If you go and watch this video, I don't have it in here, but Andre Vasilevsky is asked about, is asked about this quote and gives one of the greatest eye rolls you will see in the history of eye rolls. Like, it is truly unbelievable.

[Dave]

Producer.

[David]

And I don't, I don'. I don't know if there's some trouble in paradise or what, but that was not, not the most confident answer in his head. Coach there. I know John Cooper is going to stay and I don't doubt that Andre Vasilevsky is going to stay as well. He's coming off a great season, although another disappointing postseason. Except for game six in that series, I thought. But man, that was, that was ugly.

[Roy Belmy]

Dave.

[Dave]

I'll take the L for that. I'm sorry, everybody. I gave Ethan another 45 second platform that he didn't have Originally. So I apologize.

[Roy Belmy]

All right, Rosie or Eastwood back there,

[Rose]

what's your favorite of the week? Sorry, Adnan. Is the Flyers. If you're in the playoffs. What the heck are you doing? Do something.

[Roy Belmy]

Do something.

[Rose]

Yeah. How is it that there's three zero. So I did not like it.

[Dave]

Carolina's a wagon.

[Rose]

Yeah. I think they need to do something. They need to kick Carolina out or kick Carolina out. Yeah. Yeah.

[Dave]

If not, just their competition.

[Steve Levy]

You should have let the Penguins get in then.

[Roy Belmy]

All right, all right. A couple weeks ago, we grabbed a bag and grabbed 16 helmets that had the playoff teams in.

[Dave]

Right.

[Roy Belmy]

So I was not here and Rose was not here. Ethan picked for her.

[Rose]

They had the Flyers. No.

[Roy Belmy]

Yeah. She apparently grabbed the Flyers. Dave, they picked the Kings.

[Rose]

Oh, you're lost already.

[Dave]

I did. And did I pick the Kings or did Ethan pick them for me?

[Roy Belmy]

No, you picked.

[Dave]

I'll accept it either way. That was the worst team you could have got. Yeah, in the moment. Yeah. Because if I would have gotten Ottawa, I would have been a bit happier than if I would have gotten the teams and they both got shit canned.

[Roy Belmy]

So Ethan picked the Canadiens and I picked the Ducks. And Rose is not happy, as we discussed earlier, so she wants to pick for herself. Rosie, go ahead.

[Rose]

Okay. Let's hope it's not our Carolina Hurricanes.

[Roy Belmy]

You picked two.

[David]

She picked the Avalanche. That's not. That's ridiculous. That is so ridiculous. She was gonna do it, too.

[Rose]

No, that's my.

[David]

That's like when twelve came up for the Toronto Maple Leaf draft lottery. That's insane. You can't go from the Flyers, who are getting their asses kicked by the Carolina Hurricanes in a literal 1 verse 8 matchup in the second round to a team that is very obviously going to win the Stanley Cup.

[Rose]

The helmets love me, so.

[Roy Belmy]

The helmets love you.

[David]

Yeah, I picked a helmet for you.

[Rose]

No, this is my home.

[David]

Roy.

[Dave]

Player on the Avalanche.

[David]

Roy, when we used to do the grid, when we used to do the bucket, I have not. And when we do the bucket this

[Roy Belmy]

fall, if you ask me to Reaper.

[David]

No. If somebody picks for you, do you keep that team or do you get to repick? If you don't like that team, keep the team. You pick the team. You keep the team, Ethan. That's how it works.

[Rose]

Hockey show. Different rules. Rose rules.

[David]

Listen, we're in the same office. Roses rules. Roses rules.

[Steve Levy]

So that's.

[Rose]

That's what you get. You want me to get a second team, so.

[David]

No, I wanted you to stick with the Flyer.

[Rose]

I don't want The Flyers. The Flyer.

[David]

Okay, so I don't. I don't want the Canadiens.

[Rose]

No.

[David]

Because I pick a new team and

[Roy Belmy]

try and get that. Oh, you think the same is gonna win?

[David]

No. Can I try and get the crowd?

[Roy Belmy]

Wow.

[David]

I really could say Colorado. I try and get the Colorado Avalanche, too.

[Dave]

That pot's a bit up.

[Roy Belmy]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's a bit loud. For those of you watching on DraftKings Network, check out and subscribe to our YouTube channel. That's at the Hockey Show DLS because coming up next, we have Steve Levy from ESPN. We are going to talk about the draft lottery and what's going on in the playoffs. Steve Levy from ESPN is coming up next.

[David]

Gardalynch Most Valuable Promotions and Netflix are bringing you a blockbuster MMA event with a triple header of fan favorite fighters on Saturday, May 16th.

[Dave]

16th.

[David]

This marks Netflix's first ever MMA fight and it's going to be massive. In the main event, she returns to the Octagon. Ronda Rousey returns to shake up the world of combat sports, stepping back into the cage for the first time in nearly a decade to take on fellow women's MMA pioneer Gina Carano. Plus, combat sports icon Nate Diaz faces off against Platinum Mike Perry, two of the toughest, most relentless fighters going head to head. Plus, the big man is back. Francis Ngannou, widely regarded as the hardest puncher in MMA history, takes on Felipe Linz in a heavyweight showdown. You will not want to miss five rounds, five minutes each. One chance to leave it all in the cage.

[Roy Belmy]

Don't miss it.

[David]

Watch Ronda Rousey versus Gina Carano live only on Netflix. Saturday, May 16th at 9pm Eastern, 6pm Pacific.

[Commercial Announcer]

Hey, Roy, buddy.

[Roy Belmy]

Yo.

[Commercial Announcer]

You know that energy shift when the game gets good and everybody all together in unison knows to stand up on their feet?

[Roy Belmy]

Oh, absolutely, Mike. Yeah.

[Commercial Announcer]

You've been at many big time sporting events. You know that moment quite well. That's what it's like when you take your first sip of Cuervo.

[Roy Belmy]

Oh, delicious.

[Commercial Announcer]

It's the signal that says, we're not checking the time anymore, pal. It's when small talk turns into stories. Cuervo, man. It's that high five. A random, stranger effect. That's right. The game is popping. You're hugging people you never met before. That's the kind of energy that Cuervo brings. It's so smooth, so delicious.

[David]

That's the Cuervo effect.

[Commercial Announcer]

Keep it, Cuervo. The other night, I was staying in. At least that was a plan. Then the text from my buddy Eagle Eye comes in, Mike, we've got the games on. I say, yeah. I grab a pack of Miller Lite and immediately my plan's gone. Now it's playoff basketball. Every possession feels huge. Baseballs on another screen. And I somehow care about that too. Everybody's got takes flying. Nobody's watching. Just one thing and we're all way more into it than we ever expected. It was one of those nights that you take a sip, you look around and you think, yeah, this was the right move. That's why I reached for Miller Lite. It's clean, refreshing, easy to drink, brewed for taste with simple ingredients, just 96 calories and 3.2 carbs. The original light beer since 1975. And it still hits different cheers to legendary moments with Miller Lite. Great taste. 96 calories. Go to millerlight.com dan to find delivery options near you. Or you can pick up some Miller Lite pretty much anywhere they sell beer. It's Miller time. Celebrate responsibly. Miller Brewing Co. Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 96 calories, 3.2 carbs per 12 ounces.

[Roy Belmy]

Normally you will see leaving the studio with Mark Mercier and PK Suban and sometimes TJ Oshi, but not this Sunday because Steve is going to be doing play by play a game four of the Golden Knights Duck series live from Anaheim. So tune into that on Sunday starting at 9:30 on ESPN. That is Eastern.

[Dave]

Who wants to go to Vegas when you can go to Anaheim?

[Roy Belmy]

Yeah, a lot of fun there in Anaheim. A lot. A lot of stuff. A lot of stuff to do there. But synergy.

[Steve Levy]

You're Disneyland. Perfect.

[Roy Belmy]

Yeah, Right next to. You can get in for free, though. I used to be able to get in for free, but not anymore, unfortunately.

[Steve Levy]

That's the thing. Yeah.

[Roy Belmy]

Yeah. But it's been a tough time in the center of the hockey university in Toronto. They've missed the playoffs for the first time in 10 years. And ironically, that was the last time they were in the draft lottery. When they get Auston Matthews.

[Dave]

Yes, ironically.

[Roy Belmy]

Ironically. By the way, both drafts went buffalo, but in an intro press conference on Monday, they introduced John Shaker as a new general manager. That.

[Steve Levy]

We're gonna go there, huh? You want to go in right away?

[Roy Belmy]

Oh, we're leading off with this one because it was not a good scene during that intro press conference. But they got the number one overall draft pick coming up. And when you saw the combination going the way of Toronto, what went through your mind?

[Steve Levy]

Quite a few things went through my mind. Good for Toronto. After the disaster that Was that press conference and then my text phone, you know, filled up with it's fixed. You know, the league wants Toronto. They got to save the Maple Leafs from themselves, you know, all that kind of stuff. There's no way Gavin McKenna is going to Vancouver, you know, all that kind of stuff. So there's always going to be that. And listen, you know, people would have said it was fixed. They went to the Rangers, the Blackhawks, you know, really Toronto. You know, I heard from other people, you know, not the name drop. Jon Hamm is like a die hard St. Louis Blues fan. Like he's really, he's a legitimate Blues fan. He will text me in November after they give up a, a bad goal. You know, like a, who cares, Tuesday night game against the Sharks or something. So. And he's pissed off. But like that's, that's kind of the idea, right? It shows you the passion and how much people actually care about it. And listen, I was never a great math guy and numbers aren't necessarily my thing. I still think there's got to be a better way to go about the ping pong ball system. Yeah, there's got to be a cleaner, clearer, clearer way for everybody understand what's going on. But it is what it is. They're trying to avoid the tanking situation, you know, that went on in the NBA, which was just awful this season. If you, you know, if you watch the Utah Jazz game, it was, it was just terrible. So I get it from all sides. I'd say good for Toronto. The league needs the Leafs to figure something out, you know, and, and so look, this is a step, this is a, this could be a major step. Now no one's saying they're not going to blow the pick, by the way, that that's out there possibility you could be handed the number one pick and still mess it up. So it's good fun, it's good theater. And here we are.

[Roy Belmy]

Can you imagine getting a text from Jon Hamm, this Jordan Benetton guy, man, get rid of him.

[Dave]

No, but Steve brings up a really interesting point though about the tanking and the way that the nh. Because I wanted to bring up how the PHWL does it with. Once you're eliminated from the playoffs, then you start building your, your prospect for the draft where whoever gets the most points when, after you've been eliminated gets the top pick in the draft. So if that was the case in the NHL, the Rangers actually would have gotten a number one overall pick and the Panthers would have picked third.

[David]

Yeah, I was going to say so

[Steve Levy]

that's really good that I did not know that. That's a really. Obviously haven't been doing it that long, but that's an unbelievable idea. What a great system.

[Dave]

Yeah. And they've got like the jailbreak thing where like if you store while you're shorthanded, the guy comes out of the girl comes out of the penalty box. But they've got some really cool rules in the PW that I hope get pushed up to the NHL.

[Steve Levy]

Yeah, we've seen that the xfl, the ufl. Right. The NFL sort of adopted some of the things, the kickoff rules and some of the changes. So it's good for, you know, these leagues are trying and that maybe the, you know, the big leagues will pick up on. So that's a great idea. I never heard that before. And that sounds like a very fair system.

[Roy Belmy]

Steve, what did you think about the John Shaker hiring?

[Steve Levy]

So look, I'll be honest. I knew it was a mess in Arizona when he was there. I don't know the man personally. I do know the guy who asked the question and his name is Steve Simmons. And, you know, probably not familiar to a lot of people in the States and I knew him, but I checked with some of my Canadian media type friends and he is the preeminent columnist, I was told, top two sports columnist in the entire country for the last, let's say 25 years. So I grew up in New York. You know, that was always sort of a Mike Lupica thing. There's always, every city usually has, you know, a lead sports columnist. Right. You know, Bob Ryan and Dan Shaughnessy in Boston, that kind of thing. And but this is the entire country. So I know he's done the work, he's done the research. It's not like a kid out of high school started blogging and looking for clicks and trying to take over a press conference and go viral. That's not the case here. So this guy is respected. He did the work and he asked the question that I'm not sure how many other people would have asked in that setting. So everybody was thinking it, but he asked it. You saw the response from Pelly. And we go from there. So listen, we're not going to know for. And that's the beauty of this thing. Certainly for chica, the beauty is we're not going to know for two, three, maybe even four years. These things do take time. These rebuilds take a lot of time. The Ducks are a great example. The Ducks are a great example. Is Pat Verbeek. Five years on the job right now. Maybe. Maybe. And this is, you know, this is their first taste of the Stanley cup playoffs in a long time. So you got to have a plan. You really have to stick with it. You have to trust your people. You can't fire your coach every other year, and you have to make some smart businesses. So we won't know who was right on this Toronto thing for quite some time now.

[Dave]

So as we kind of look at the Leafs and their Runway, I guess you could say you talk about Toronto needing to really revamp things. Vancouver, I feel horrible for just because, you know, they had that ridiculously bad season and they didn't even. Didn't even keep top two pick. Yeah, I'm just thinking about Canadian hockey in general. Like the Montreal, they're doing great right now. Toronto, not so much. Ottawa, I have no idea what the bleep's going on in Ottawa.

[Roy Belmy]

Edmonton's panicking right now.

[Dave]

Edmonton, they're pooping their pants a little bit. Winnipeg, it seems like they might be going into a very rough offseason. Where's the reprieve right now?

[Steve Levy]

Like, is Calgary's got a new building coming. That's about.

[Dave]

Yeah, we need to make it to Calgary next season because we haven't been on the catwalk yet. So that's another thing. Totally off the rails a little bit, but. Yeah, yeah, but I'm just thinking, like, they're so, like, you follow your team. And we. We knew this from when Edmonton made the final against Florida. And we would say, is all Canada getting behind the Oilers because they want Canada to win the Stanley Cup. And really, it wasn't necessarily like that.

[Steve Levy]

No.

[Dave]

So what's that like? Where's the. Where's the bright side? Where's the upside? Because I. I feel bad for the nation that invented the sport that I love the most.

[Steve Levy]

Yeah, I feel like it was good there and. Which was not necessarily good for US Television ratings for the last, let's say, three years. Don't hold me to this, but, you know, Edmonton was obviously in Winnipeg. Was in Winnipeg at a President's trophy maybe two years ago. So they were in. They just couldn't get out of the second round or whatever it was. You know, Ottawa's now been in the playoffs two years in a row. Montreal, two years in a row. Toronto had been in the playoffs, by the way, until this season. I think they were in it 10 years in a row. They just couldn't go anywhere. Once they got there, they'd win around at Best and get bounced out in the second round. So, you know, for the long run that you're talking about for Canada, that's been some time. And of course, the last time a Canadian team won the Stanley cup was, you know, 1993. That's my first year at ESPN, so that tells you how long ago that was. And they needed a miracle to do that. By the way, Montreal beat Barry Melrose and Wayne Gretzky and the LA Kings. That was the whole Marty McSorley illegal stick thing. Kids, you can Google it. It's a legendary story.

[Roy Belmy]

Genius call.

[Steve Levy]

So it's. Are you wearing a Pirate's hat? Is that true?

[Roy Belmy]

Yes, that is a Pirate's cap. Yep.

[Steve Levy]

They got a winning record, by the way. I just looked at the other way. They are 500 in Pittsburgh. I pay attention.

[David]

Ball leaves. Let's talk hardball here.

[Roy Belmy]

No, it's the Hockey Show. What are you doing here Again?

[Steve Levy]

Whatever Pirates had on the Hockey show, we were for me. So it used to be thought like the Canadian dollar was a factor in this. And I don't know about that. I think the next thing the fall is how are these Canadian markets treating American superstar players right? So does Auston Matthews want to deal with more of this in Toronto? Does Brady Tkachuk want to deal with more of this in Ottawa? American teams would be lined up offering assets and cash and prizes and whatever they got to tractor trailers and all that stuff to get these guys. And so I think that's the next thing. But it does take time. It seems like forever. In a sport that is so beloved, that is in religion. A religion in Canada, like in Montreal. I don't know if you've seen the video. There is an actual church, a real church, hundreds of years old, that is serving as a sports bar. During this run, they are in the pews drinking Canadian Molson Molsons and with their sweaters on and cheering up and down, watching the game on a big screen in the church.

[Dave]

That's spectacular.

[Steve Levy]

Truly religion. So, so cool up there. And they're good people and they apologize for a lot of things they don't have to. And sorry and all this and that. And so I always root for Canada. I do.

[Roy Belmy]

On the other side of the country, we mentioned the Oilers panicking right now. Given that Leon Dry sat those comments they made last week, what do you see in the Oilers future? Could they very well be thinking about possibly training Connor McDavid, who starts his extension this upcoming season? I mean, it's not like this team's had Any experience trading superstars or anything?

[Steve Levy]

Yeah, that's. That was a long time ago, too. That was a great scratch to LA and the Kings in that run. So listen, I don't know. I don't know what's going on there. Some of it I would. I would offer up to frustration after a tough series and another season where they didn't get to the promised land again after two straight years of getting to the Stanley Cup Final. Losing in seven, losing in six. Look dry. Seidel is there for the long haul. It looks like he signed forever. You know, the McDavid question is the great question. We've been asking it for some time now. He took less money. He's not the highest paid player in the game. That's Kirill Capri Sav in Minnesota, who, by the way, needs to show up in this series to keep the Wild alive. And the bigger question. Yeah, Edmonton. Is that you see there. They could fall off a cliff here even if McDavid stays. The defense looks older and slower. The forward group is not great. Holloway, Broberg are the two examples. People use the two offer sheets. They had these two guys in their building and they let them go to St. Louis and they look like they're really good players and going to be good for the Blues for years to come. But the big one is the goaltending, right? Like you've identified the problem and have sold for really three years. And, and, and Messier always pushes back on this. Anytime you want to go in on, on Stuart Skinner, he's like, hey, he was good enough to get them to game six and game seven of the Stanley Cup Final. And that's fair. He was. He was good enough. You know, one more goal, another goal by somebody else, maybe it's different. But, you know, you can't win these games in the playoffs. Five, four, every night, even four, three, that doesn't work. You got to win. Be able to win a two, one, GO game once in a while, certainly a three, two game. And so as good as Connor Ingram was, and this is not on him, this, you know, he was not supposed to be the number one guy there, and he fell into that role. Tristan Jari and the Skinner trade and all that. So they've got to establish and probably overpay now for a number one goalie. And those are like starting NFL quarterbacks. They just, you can't call a 1-800-number for that. You know, they don't just arrive. They're really hard to get free agents because they never get to free Agency, trade. Trade is probably the way to go, since you're probably not going to draft that high or that, you know, that way or at that position maybe for a top pick. And so then you gotta, you know, give up some assets. And the last time I checked, you know, the Oilers don't have a lot of number one draft picks or even a lot of big draft picks for years to come because they've already unloaded some of those. So, you know, they've got. They've got some issues, but at least they've identified the issue. And they've identified the issue for years. That's gotta be the killer part for the Oiler fan base. We've known what the issue is and we still haven't fixed it.

[Dave]

Steve, I wanna transition a little bit to broadcasting. I'm kind of a nerd with. I did play by play earlier in my career. I've been a big fan of yours for a long time. And just thinking. But last night, you know, thinking about what I wanted to talk to you about today, I started thinking about some of the historic calls that you've made that I could remember walking.

[Roy Belmy]

Oh, the overtime game.

[Dave]

Which one, Roy?

[Roy Belmy]

All of them. Especially the Penguins.

[Dave]

Well, There was the five overtime Flyers, Penguins game in 2000. There was a four overtime game between the Penguins and Capitals in 96.

[Roy Belmy]

Yep.

[Steve Levy]

And there was a which hold, which was 45 seconds away from being a fifth overtime game.

[Roy Belmy]

Ooh, as you got out of.

[Dave]

And then There was another 5 OT game in 03 between the Ducks and the Stars. And just side note, that whole run by the03 ducks is still one of my favorite of all times. Probably because it was totally. And no disrespect to Paul Korea. Totally. John Sebastian Gulierre was ridiculous. Maybe the best goalie run I've ever seen in the playoffs. But anyway, back on track.

[Roy Belmy]

So that's biased.

[Dave]

Yeah, for sure. But, you know, you think about what these players have to go through when they're playing these multiple overtime games, and it can't be easy for a broadcaster either. I'm just curious, like, what do you remember about those calls? And how fondly do you remember those calls?

[Steve Levy]

Yeah, the players don't give us enough credit. We're playing with bumps and bruises. I got a sore throat and everything, and I'm playing through. Okay.

[Dave]

Upper body gotta drink some tea.

[Steve Levy]

Hotel bars are not easy in the media hotel every single night before a game, all right? They don't think about the grind of the wear and tear of the media. I got to Connect in Atlanta to go to some of these places. Okay.

[Roy Belmy]

No, not Jackson.

[Steve Levy]

I got to get on a shuttle bus, rent a car and Uber. I'm not on a fancy bus and airplane and anyway, so. No, I'm just joking about that stuff. Obviously, it's quite much easier for us than it is for them. Look, it's been great. It's cool to be known for something and, you know, you get a reputation. I remember back in the day when there were dead such thing as deadlines for newspapers. Kids Google it, look it up, still love the newspaper. And. And I'd walk in the building and all the writers would go, oh, there goes the deadline. We're dead tonight. You know, that kind of Mr.

[Dave]

Overtime.

[Roy Belmy]

Yeah.

[Steve Levy]

Right. And so. So that was kind of a cool thing, but the truth is, that's not a skill, that's not a talent. That was just luck. I happened to be there, Right. I didn't do anything to get those overtime games. Panger and I have had a great time doing those games. Daryl Ray was on the. The first one of those classics that I did. That was the. The Peter Nedved goal. Penguins, Capitals, the old Capital Center. What a dump that place was.

[Dave]

Anyway, I remember after he scored that goal, he went flying down the ice, and I was like, how does he have that much energy right now?

[Steve Levy]

Yeah. And he came out and talked to us at like 2:15 in the morning live. Right? Because that's hockey and all that stuff. And so.

[Roy Belmy]

Yeah.

[Steve Levy]

But anyway, the cool thing was, like, the first time, I wasn't prepared for it, right? I really wasn't. Like, I'm. I'm an excitable guy to begin with. I'm an excitable broadcaster. I think I'm usually up here in terms of energy. And so it's a playoff game now, so I'm already even higher. It's the second period, Bam, third period, I'm top of my lungs. And by the, you know, second overtime, my heart is in my throat. Like, I'm really into it, right? And as a broadcast, you don't want to blow an overtime call because you know that's the one that's going to be replayed. You don't want to miss the guy or misspeak or any of those kinds of things. But the point is, I had nowhere left to go. By the fifth overtime, I had nowhere to go. I was already at the top of my lungs, screaming on every, you know, icing, you know, like, at that point. And I was out of words. I really was. It was. It was simply last names. There was no description. It was Lemieux, Jones, you know, that kind of thing. And. And so I remember afterwards, Larry Christensen was exec at our place for a long time. He would tell me, hey, you got to give yourself some room to go, you know, because you never know how long the game's going to go. So that was a great tip. But the next time it happened, I was. I was much more prepared from where my range started. Economy of words and those kinds of things. And I started to lean into it, and I got really into it. And. And so those who tell you that records are made to be broken, I believe they're lying, because I don't want anyone to touch that longest game. Because right now, the primo game, which was 26 years ago, is the longest televised game in hockey history, which I think is really cool to be a part of. And I had the top three, by the way, for a long time. So there were two games in the 20s, maybe one in the 30s, one in the 20s, wasn't televised. Those are the two longest games in hockey history. But for a while there, I had the three longest televised games, and one by one, they sort of dropped down. I think I have three of the three of the five now longest televised hockey games, and I'd like to hang on to that, too. So.

[Roy Belmy]

Wow. So flyer season is over, isn't it? Because if you look at it this way, the Hurricanes have only allowed eight goals in their seven games. Well, Minnesota gave up nine on month.

[Steve Levy]

Carolina's good, man. Carolina is good. I don't put this on Philadelphia like, Carolina is good. Now the Flyers could stop hitting the post. They can aim for the back of the net. That would be helpful to stop trying to show off and go bar down and bar in and all that stuff. I think they're just up against it. But we knew Carolina was great. You know, hey, the top seedies, look at the two top seeds, right? It's. It's proving out that the regular season really shows and is meaningful. And, you know, really the. The only advantage you get from that is home ice, which really is a coin flip. In the last 10 years, I bet it's 50, 50 home and road splits. So it's become rather meaningless. Except I think it means something in Carolina. I think that's a real home ice advantage that the Hurricanes have because of that building, that crowd, whatever it is. So. But we'll see. You know, I saw something since. Since the current playoff format, no team has ever won the first eight. Okay. And no team has swept the first two rounds of the playoffs. That's really hard to do. And so Carolina's certainly on the verge of that. They're a great team. They look great. And, you know, Philly's. Philly's banged up. Look, they probably shouldn't have made the playoffs. They probably shouldn't have won that first round. They are playing with house money, if you will. I know for a fact they are way ahead, or at least definitely ahead of their program. Like we talked about earlier with the Ducks, with the Leafs, the four years, five years, and you know, Keith Jones and Danny Briere and Rick Tocquet, what they're doing over there, they're ahead of where they thought they would be, I think. And once they win around, they beat your rivals. They, you know, put Sidney Crosby and the Penguins down like they're going to be okay. This will sting. They don't want to be swept. Nobody wants to be embarrassed. But if they can even win game forward. 4. Still 5. I think they'd be good in Philly. They'll be a good team to. For years to come. And look, they're missing their best player. That's Owen Tippett. He's their best player. They can't score on the power play. This porter Martone, he's 19 years old and he's like leading their power play. That's not supposed to be the case. And he's a good player and he's going to be good for years to come. He's done great things, but every puck shouldn't be going through him, should be going through Tippett or somebody else. And you can see they're just lacking on offense. They just can't score firepower.

[Roy Belmy]

The Buffalo Sabres are on a run right now, and it kind of looks like the 2019St. Louis Blues. Do you agree with that?

[Steve Levy]

That's an interesting perspective. I like that. Yeah, that Blues team was really good. Strong down the middle, good size, hard hitting. Captured the emotions of a city and a fan base. I love what's going on in Buffalo. And their turnaround is legendary. I was on the set with John Tortorella. It might have been November or December. Don't hold me to that. And my phone's blowing up. Ask Torch about being the new head coach of the Sabres, you know, and his phone's blowing up. And we got to finally. We have to address it on the air. And Torch like, I'm not going to Buffalo. There's nothing to it. Nobody's called. I haven't called Them I don't want the job, nothing. And they fire the GM and they don't fire Lindy Ruff and, and really this is the GM's roster. Very, very few tinkle tinkers were made with that roster around the deadline. Sam Carrick kind of thing. But he hasn't even played in the playoffs and he'd be a good player for Buffalo in the playoffs. And so Jarmo Kekalainen is, has sort of, he's been able to take this roster and sort of run with it. And so Buffalo's an amazing story. And it's, it's a fair sample size. They were the best team in hockey, I don't know, for four months. And so I'm not surprised what they're doing. Not surprised they went through Boston, maybe surprised by how well they played on the road. And I'm not surprised they have a one nothing lead against Montreal. I think Buffalo wins the series. Montreal won't be swept. Montreal will be great. But it's re energized these two great fan bases. Like if I could pick a building to be in, it would be Buffalo or Montreal in this round of the playoffs. Like it's, what a cool series. That's, that's going on there. It's really fun. And yeah, Buffalo's really, they've already changed goalies, right? The guy, you know, the guy who led them down the stretch is not the guy in there now. Alex Lyon is a journeyman goaltender and done a nice job. It's a great story. It's good for the league. And I love the people in western New York, you know, they haven't had a lot to cheer about in a long time in the hockey rink.

[Roy Belmy]

You can check out Steve not only in the studio, but you can check him out this Sunday at 9:30 Eastern as he calls game four of the Golden Knights and Ducks series for ESPN. Steve Levy, thank you for joining us.

[Steve Levy]

Hey fellas, thanks for having me on. Good talking pucks and always good talking about the Maple Leafs.

[Roy Belmy]

All right, that's it for this week's hockey show. We had Steve Levy on and that was an excellent interview. That was a lot of fun to talk hockey with him. Reminded we are going to do live streams of the Stanley cup playoffs on through the end of the Stanley Cup Final that starts next week. And remember, remember to subscribe to our YouTube page at the Hockey Show DLS. We are on TikTok at the Hockey Show 7 on x Instagram and threads. He show DLS for Ethan, for Jason, for Rosie and for David. My name is Roy Bellamy. Enjoy the rest of round two.

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