Inside A Frustrated Fanbase: Scoring Droughts, Tough Losses, And The Larry Brooks Void

We grind through a tough Vegas loss and a stagnant offense, question role fit for the top six, and weigh whether injuries are quietly dragging the team down. We also share a personal tribute to Larry Brooks, the voice who connected fans to the heartbeat of the franchise.

• top six not finishing and role mismatch
• questions over JT Miller’s health and usage
• Zibanejad’s effort vs discomfort in current role
• Panarin’s variance against stronger teams
• penalty kill collapse since early November
• five-on-five structure strong, scoring thin
• goaltending highs masking droughts
• roster construction frustration and trade urgency
• drafting and center depth regrets
• broadcast booth chemistry with Maloney and Kenny
• heartfelt reflection on Larry Brooks’ legacy

“Guys, we will talk to you probably either Tuesday or Thursday… To end R I P Larry Brooks. Yes, pour one out later.”

Chapters

• 0:00 Setting The Scene After Vegas Loss
• 5:00 Are Injuries Quietly Sinking The Top Six
• 12:00 Lack Of Pushback And Late-Game Urgency
• 20:00 Officiating Moments And Momentum Swings
• 28:00 Goalie Takes: Igor, Quick, And Saves
• 36:00 Panarin, Zibanejad, And Role Fit
• 47:00 Can This Roster Actually Contend
• 58:00 Drury, Trades, And Roster Construction
• 1:12:00 Drafting, Development, And Missed Centers
• 1:24:00 Special Teams Rollercoaster
• 1:35:00 Home Woes, Road Form, And Parity
• 1:48:00 TV Booth Talk: Maloney, Kenny, And Vibes
• 2:01:00 Larry Brooks Tribute And Legacy

Transcript

SPEAKER_01: 0:56

Good evening, everybody. Join Rock. You guys won't up. Back at it after the Rangers uh disappointing loss last night in Las Vegas. Um we weren't doing a post-game show. That wasn't happening. That game didn't end until what 1245 in the morning. I was still at the bar, so I could have done it. I don't know about Rock over there. I think he was asleep by uh snoring. I was snoring uh pretty much uh midway through the set first period. Yeah, you know what's funny? Like, you know, I you know, do you ever just sit and uh you know think that during the day like and say to yourself, I don't think they're winning this game tonight. And uh I'm not going to force myself to stay awake to then be up even longer because now I'm pissed off because they lost this game. So I said to myself, you know what? I'm gonna go to bed, I'm gonna put it on. My wife was away. My wife is actually in Toronto for two nights or three nights almost. And I said, I'm gonna lay in bed, hit the game on, which I don't normally get to do because she's usually in bed before me. Right. And I'm gonna keep it on until my close my eyes. And then when I fall asleep, uh gonna get up and I'm gonna hit the sleep button, and when it goes off, it goes off. And uh, if I get up in the morning and they won, I will rewatch the entire game in its entirety. If they lose, I'm not watching it. So I did watch the highlights. I didn't want to make it feel like I didn't watch anything. Got it. Or the lowlights. Um I mean, same, same old, same old. I mean, they're just they're just not generating enough. And um, you know, I know we we we have uh you know, Costa just brought it up in the chat. You know, if JT Miller is hurt, what are we doing? I I'm fully aware that he's the captain. Listen, I love hockey players' mentality. Play through injuries, fight through it, uh, deal with it, but uh not in November. I mean, he's he's hurting this team. If he's injured, he is really hurting this team. And and we've seen players do this. We saw Kryder do it last year. We saw Kevin Shattenkirk do it his first season, where he was playing with an injury, but because it was his first season in New York, he had to play. We've seen Mike Rupp come back too soon. I mean, we've seen guys pretty much destroy their careers because they've played through injuries and they've admitted it. Shatkirk's admitted it, Rupp's admitted it. These guys have come, they they're not 100% and it's not the playoffs. Why are we playing through injuries in November? If that's the case, but you're telling me that you're talking about a guy who's a hundred-point player and he has nine points or ten points now through how many games have they played? Nineteen. Nineteen games? He's on pace for what 30 37 points? 38 points? Yeah, something's yeah, nine points, I think, in 19 games. It's just not it's just not good enough. Now, granted, they've they've they've stuck him at times with with with inferior linemates and maybe guys that had but that's no excuse. So you watch the game. I didn't watch the game. They played 21 games. I'm sorry. The Rangers are playing 21 games now. Oh, you didn't watch the game? You said you were at the bar for the third period. Oh, okay. Oh, you had a game last night. I had a game last night. Okay, I'm sorry. I didn't get to see I only saw the third period with no sounds. What bothers me with this team more than anything else is their lack of pushback in a lot of ways. Now, I thought last night I did watch, obviously watch the highlights. They did score a goal a goal when they were already down by two, but they did score a goal with the net empty, which they don't normally do. So I give them credit for that, but they're already down by two, they weren't down by one. Second part, they did generate more offense, more shots towards the end of that game than they did against Detroit, where they did not muster one shot for the entire rest of the game against Detroit. And we're not talking about 90s but the 90s Detroit Red Wings. We're not talking about Nick Litstrom and Fatisov and Konstantinov. And I'm fully aware that they have Mo Sider and Oh, and Ben Sherrat. I mean, they the powerhouse defensive core they have is just, you know, I can see why they were shut down. Uh I'm being facetious if you haven't told, if you haven't noticed. Um it's uh it it's it's alarming that they're they just they just they mail it in. Now when they're mailing it, now again, they're gonna say they're gonna give the other team credit or just give it the Rangers. How come that when the Rangers have it's the other way around, they are hemmed in their fucking zone the entire time, the other team's net is empty. So I don't want to hear, oh, give Detroit credit. Fuck Detroit, fuck Vegas. It's the Rangers that aren't putting up the urgency to win these games. And you know what? Sean, I'm okay with that. Coast through the season, just get good enough. And because you know what? If this team makes the playoffs, it's a fucking mirage. It's a mirage, that's all it is. It's smoke and mirrors. When Johnny Bronsinski is scoring goals for you, that's a problem. That's a big problem when he's playing 16 minutes a night. When he's playing 16 minutes a night, that means your top two lines are not generating shit. And if your top two lines are not generating anything, you can't win. Now, granted, we've seen these guys, Matteau, we've seen John Druce in the playoffs, we've seen guys who are good playoff performers who step up in times, the odd guy that scores that that game-winning goal. But this isn't the playoffs, this is the regular season. If your top players are not producing for you, then mail it in. You're not winning. Did you get it all out? Yeah, pretty much. I mean, I just did a whole show in six minutes. I know. Did I? Sorry. I was not gonna stop you. I'm like, I'll just sit back. I'm gonna go. It's just it's just so frustrating because you know you want, you feel good, and they do that, they they do this to us all the time, Sean. You start feeling good, you start feeling like, okay, here we go. You come back against Edmonton, you know, shoot out victories against you know, Edmonton and against this person and that person, and so on and so forth, and whoever they've beaten in Columbus. And uh I'm trying to think of the other teams they've beaten recently. I'm I'm blanking right now. But and then you lay an egg again at home against Detroit. Again, I'm fully aware Detroit came off the game the night before where they were embarrassed by Buffalo. But why are they always catching these teams off of shit nights? The same thing happened against Minnesota. It's it's just remarkable. Now, is it a coincidence? Or is it just oh they see the ranges and they just get up to play this team? I don't know, I don't get it. So you can say, what did you think of the third period? Because I didn't watch it. Yeah, um again, I had to watch, I was watching at the bar after my beer league game with no sound, so it was you know, I I got what I got out of it. The goal they gave up, it sucks. There's it it's not a penalty, letter of the law, it's not a penalty, but it's also nobody's fault. The guy hits Shisterkin's glove as the shot's coming on. Like Shisterkin has no chance to make that save. He's a little high in the crease, but he wasn't. It's funny, Shisturkin was in the blue paint, the skater was not in the blue paint, but the point of contact, Shisterkin's glove, was outside of the blue paint, so therefore it's not a penalty. And not only but it's not a penalty, it's not even a goal you can wave off. So it is a good goal, but it's an unfortunate goal. Nobody's fault. But the Ben Hutton goal was awful. I didn't see anything before the third period. Oh, you did so you didn't even watch the you didn't even watch the highlights. Okay, go back and watch that Ben Hutton goal. It's an awful goal. All right. Um, listen, I uh you you don't gotta tell me about Igor litting up uh this one I listen. I'm usually I'm a very big Igor supporter, and more so than you will ever be, I think. But but now he means that's that is that is a bad thing. Well, they've been bailed. Listen, these games could have been a lot worse, these last two games for their goaltending. Kira Schmidt stole two or three goals from the Rangers as well. Sean, I don't want to hear about other teams' goalies stealing games because it's been all but it's been all season, though. I just at some point you need to overcome those, no? I just told you about Igor's taking away a goal, and you say that oh well he's bailing them out, but then I say the other goalie took away a goal, and it's you know, I don't want to hear about it. We can say that about 90% of the goalies they faced this season that that aren't uh Saros or uh Vaselovsky. They put listen, they put four goals past Schmidt last night. Four. They only had 19 shots, and they only had five shots from the midway point of the second period to the end of the game. It I forget who was who I was talking to about this, but it makes no sense, and it and it happens at every level. Oh, my buddy I was at the bar with last night. Because we're watching obviously we're watching the game. He's an Island fan, but he's not like it's not an obnoxious island. No, no, no, no. Good. Um so we're watching the game last night, and he actually has JT Miller as his keeper in our in our fantasy hockey league. So you know, he doesn't he doesn't hold it against him. But um, as Miller's puck handling on the blue line, Zabenajad doesn't stay on side. Zabenaj had nothing to do with the play whatsoever. He was all the way on the wall. I saw that. So that takes away a goal. Again, it if his being offside had led to the goal, then you would forget that it doesn't go on the scoreboard when you're trying to really break down the game and how they played and scored a goal. It's just it didn't count, unfortunately. But at every level, I don't care if it's fucking pee-wee, if it's beer league, if it's high school, it's college, it's uh the NHL. Why did these guys handle the puck on the blue line instead of getting it in? It always fucking throws somebody off sides every time they make that extra puck that extra stick handle on the line. Get it across and then make the stick handle. But that's that that took a goal, you know, off the board. Then we score another one. And then again, I didn't have the sound on guys. So when I sat there and I tweeted last night and and and today about this, at the end of the game, with about a minute left, Puck gets thrown on net, Cooley gets in there with a stick, and that's only a stick. You're allowed to get a stick in the crease. He was not in the crease. The one of the Vegas defensemen flew into the crease without anyone around him, knocked right into Schmid, knocked Schmidt into the goal, and the puck was in the net. The puck was never was never frozen. So the whistle blows because he lost sight of the puck. He lost sight of the puck with the puck in the net. And it was infuriating uh how that uh offensive officiating led to this game not getting tired at the end. Now, should they be reliant on that? No. You have the goalie pulled as a minute left in the game, and you're hoping for a miracle. They got that miracle, except the referees, you know, did their part in uh in the goal not counting. And I understand that it's it well couldn't have been you can't challenge when the intent, you know, the whole intent to blow the whistle or when the whistle blew was once the referee loses sight of the puck, they're gonna blow the whistle. Yeah, but the goalie never had it, and the puck winds up in the net on the only because the goalie put it in his own net. So and Cooley didn't interfere with him. You're allowed to get a stick in there, and the guy's all over Cooley pushing him forward too. Cooley's body doesn't make contact with Schmid's body. I think it was uh was it Bra Braden McNabb, is that the the defenseman that went crashing into Schmidt? I didn't see it. That play wasn't in the uh that play wasn't in the highlight package I watched. Yeah, it it I can't find it anywhere on Twitter either. When I'm at the bar, I'm because especially since I don't have sound, I'm I don't hear a whistle. And I don't know. I mean I I I recorded the game. I can I'll go back and watch it. I can take a uh I can take uh video of it and I can send it to you if you want to rewatch it. So my point being the Rangers did wind up scoring four goals last night, only two of them counted, and that's all that matters is that only two of them counted. Right. But when I'm trying to break down the whole game as a whole, and how does this lead to go moving forward? It wasn't all that terrible. It was another game where they didn't allow a ton of shots, they didn't allow a ton of chances. Um Schmidt played all right, Igor played all right, and he made some great saves and some you know, like you said, he let the the uh Ben Hunton, is that his name? Maloney gave an F bomb during this game. Can you give your actual that's amazing, Connor? When you watch, can you give your reaction to the Maloney F-bomb? Did he throw an F-bomb during that game? I'd love to I'd love to hear it. I don't I'll I'll see if I uh now I now I gotta listen to it if that's the case. Um I listen, uh Sean honestly, it's it's just getting infuriating, and they can't score. And I don't know if it's because they're sacrificing offense for defense, um, but they can't put the puck in the net. They've now become very reliant again on the power play. Um it's uh I got I got a point I want to talk about because I don't want to keep going in circles and repeating the same things we repeat on every on every show pretty much lately because yeah, the the store the song and the song has the narrative. I mean the problem is the narrative hasn't changed, and that and that's really the part the problem. It's it's it's you know Jekyll and Hyde every single game, and and we don't really know it's really nothing new to say. Yeah, well here's here's what I'm seeing. And it's funny because he's the guy who's got the most goals on the team now in Zaben and Jed, and big Zabena Jet supporter and everything like that. I think that he is 100% bought into what Sullivan's trying to accomplish here, what the team is trying to accomplish, how the team is trying to play. I think the effort is it's there. The effort in the skating, it's all there. He's trying to get the puck in, he's trying to win battles behind the net, in the corners. We've I mean, the type of hockey we haven't seen Zabenajed play at any point in his Ranger career. It's never been his game. He looks so out of place trying to do this stuff. Um he's losing pucks off of his stick every time. I I think he's changed, he he's tried to change his game so much that he's forgotten what's made him successful and the things that he's normally good at. When did he stop shooting the puck? Two years ago. I mean, really shooting. Yeah, two years ago. It felt like he was just trying to get Cryder every goal in the possibility. This is after Cryder's 50 goal season? Yes. Okay. Um but aside from even just the shooting, he's he he looks uncomfortable. But he again, but he's trying his ass off. I don't I don't think anyone can watch the Rangers play and thinks that Bananjad is not giving everything he's got out there, and so it's commendable. I I I just think that you know at some point guys just get old. He's not old, that's not it. I know, but you're you're wrong, you're wrong because we've seen guys age at 32. I don't care about guys, watching him play every fucking shift of his of his yeah, but he hasn't been good. He's flying out there skating wise. Skating is the is is that's what you lose first. If you want to talk about age, that's skating. I don't know if he's flying. I mean, he's he's moving, but I mean, is anyone on this team really fast? Zabananjad is is skating as fast as he's ever skated before, so I don't see any drop-off in that part of his game. I think he's so fucking uncomfortable in in this role. Um, then move on. He can't, he can't, and again, I don't want the same conversation we had. He has he has the choice. If he's not comfortable, he has the choice on. I don't mean that's my point mentally, I mean just on the ice. This role is just different and it's a learning curve. We watched how good has Carson Susi been this year? He hasn't been good the last couple of games, but he's in general. He's been better than I ever expected in my life. Right. We watched him last year. You more than me thought he was an absolute dumpster fire, wasn't even an NHL player. Correct. The defense isn't the problem trying to get used to a new system last year. He never played, he had never played man-to-man defense before at any level of his hockey life, he said. So he was uncomfortable, and that's the result. So I think Zabenjad's 100% mentally bought into the challenge. He's trying his ass off, but there's just something there. This worked a little bit last year because you really had Miller playing center, and Zabenajad was playing the wing. Now it's Zabenijad playing center with Miller playing the wing because, as we've all established, Miller's playing hurt. Yeah, he's taking some draws, but for the most part, Miller's up on the wing. Um it's it's not working. And I think Miller not being 100%, he's not able to carry Zabenejad. Zabenejad is just again, this is not his style of play. That's not what he's built for, it's not his skill set. And it's the results are the results are showing that it's it's kind of disjointed, you know, that line. So it we're now down to where uh it's the Panera line, and either they score and produce offense, plus you know, you you hope to add in a depth goal here and there, and that's really all that this team has right now, and that's a problem. They need to figure out what to do with Zaban and Jad Miller. And after two games, La Fronnier disappeared again. Right. Well, Pen in fairness, and again, I only saw the third period last night, but Panarin looked like a ghost. And he did against Detroit also. Good teams. So, you know, I mean, obviously the Vegas game, you know, they're they're playing. I mean, we we are as as their broadcast, as the broadcast mentioned about 15 million times, they're missing a lot of key players. And, you know, they took advantage of some bad teams, but when they have to play a very good team, you know, especially a good defensive team, they they are not they're not equipped to handle those type of teams. Vegas hasn't been great this year. Um Vegas is better. Well, no, they haven't been better, they haven't been great this year. Um, but defensively, they're a big, they're big, big back there. They take away the middle of the ice. Vegas is nine after their win last night. So they were what eight they were eight, four, and six coming into that game. Eight, four, and six? Yeah, six overtime losses. Wow, that's crazy. Um, but they got the firepower that the Rangers don't have. They got a lot of got good players up front. Yeah, they got Icon and Marn. This all comes down to Drury and who has been so this is kind of just wrote this all comes down to Drury and who has been great at the roster at roster construction. Drury is the worst general manager. I'm gonna say it. He's been he's the worst general manager in their history, or at least the worst I've I've witnessed in my lifetime. I I mean, I was there. Phil Esposito was, you know. I was gonna say we haven't had many. No, I'm just saying we haven't had many because that's because Say there was the GM for a freaking 20 years. Um that I that I can know of and that I've seen, and he is the worst general manager I've ever seen. He's the worst general manager in the in the history of my lifetime. And you could put Esposito in there, you could put a lot of people in there. His his decision making has been awful on so many different things. And you know, he's messed up. How has jury's been worse than Gordon? Gordon actually made a hockey trade that that actually turned the franchise around. The Zabinajabrasar trade is gonna be that go down as probably the one of the best trades in Rangers history. That's true. Give give me an example of a drurry trade that's gonna go down in Ranger history. That's true. McDonough for Scott Gomez. There's there's your there's your Glenn Sather trade that's gonna go down in history. And we all know, we all know about Neil Smith. How many busted first-round draft picks did Gordon's regime have? How many busted first-round draft picks did Neil Smith have and Sayther? Neil Smith drafted great in the early 90s. That company in the later rounds, not in the first round. Peter Ferraro, Dan Calutier? Those guys are picked at the end of the those guys were end of the first round picks. Who is the beginning of the draft? First of all, Brian Leach was a Craig Patrick draft pick. Right, not a Sather pick. So, what other guys did the Rangers draft in the first round? Doug Waite was a second round pick. Okay, Monte was a second round pick, Richter was a second round pick. Um Jeff Brown, Stefan Chernevsky. Don't shit on Steven Rice now. Stephen Rice was he a first. Oh, he was a first-round pick. Was he a first round pick? Yeah, you're right. Stephen King was a late round pick. But uh, if you don't remember that guy, uh but I'm just saying, it's it's it's just uh Ryan Strom, yeah. Ryan Strom for Spooner. That's another Gordon trade. Good job, Gus. I I mean Jeff Gordon's up is a much better general manager than Droy will ever be. And not only that, you see the things he did in Boston. I mean, Jeff Gordon, it was a phenomenal general manager, in my opinion, and he got ousted because he goes a dolan. And I mean, I think that's that's where we are, where we are now. We have an inexperienced guy running the helm. He was given the keys to a Mercedes or Ferrari, and he bashed it into the wall. I mean, all those top-end guys, he got nothing for. Now, granted, Kacko's hurt again, so you know, Borgan is a good one. Borgan's been one of the best defensemen in the NFT. Borgan has been great, Sean. And I'm not, I am not telling you otherwise. I love him. And you and I were the biggest champions of him when everyone was shitting on him and the contract and everything else. That may go down as that might go down as his best trade. But that being said, you have the second overall pick in the draft. You mean to tell me you couldn't get something better than than than than Will Borgan? No. At any point, at any point in the tenure that Capo Kapo was on this team. I don't believe it. Depends on it depends on their own internal evaluation of him. Were they still hopeful that he was going to turn into something? Or is sometimes you gotta roll the dice. Yeah. And sometimes you trade and sometimes you trade Tyler Sagan for Louis Erickson, and sometimes you trade Martin E. Rat for Philip Forsberg. I'm fully aware of that. All right. So but you know what you're doing. Sometimes you trade. But that's why it's important to self-evaluate your own talent and know ahead of time what's going on. Well, that's the problem. They don't know how to self-evaluate their own talent. They at least wound up getting someone who's really fucking good at gonna be here. And listen, I get it. And it's a great, it's a great, it's a it's a good move. Like I said, it may go down. He got out of Trubus contract, he got out of it scot-free, he got out of Barkley Goudreau, Scott Free. But at what cost did he get out of Truba's contract? Nothing goes short. No, no, no, no, no, no. Oh, the giveaway. He he threw a grenade in the locker room. Huh? And some of those guys are gone. Playing with playing with Trooper. And I don't want to mention the Goodrow stuff. Now, again, I don't know about Glenn Seder as a general manager. Tell me he wasn't ruthless. He wasn't ruthless, but you know what he had that Drew doesn't have? Multiple championships. Jury has a ring as a player, not as an executive. To me, that's more impressive. It is. One was the executive of Wayne Gretzky, Paul Coffee, Mark Messier on the team. Yari Kari Gary drafted the guys. The guys were still there, still got to do what you gotta do. And we all know that having a lot of talent, and we saw it in that's not a lot of talent. That's well, I mean, the Rangers had Eric Lindross, Yarmir Jager, Mark Messier, Brian Leach, Mike Rick. I mean, they had it. The greatest player of all time at his best with another top five player of all time, another top five center playing wing, wasn't even playing center on that team. Yeah, Dave Samaico was playing on the other wing. Samaico wasn't there yet. That was later. Anyway, yeah, I it's hard to compare the Oilers. It's not fair. Yeah, that's very that's a very un unfair comparison. Um, yeah, they stepped in shit, I'm sure, with a lot of with Rob, you know, Kevin Lowe was there, and they had uh you know T. Curry Glenn Anderson, Peter Klima, the list was on, yeah. Brail Ranford was there later on, and Ran Fjord and the old boys on the bus. Yeah, so but uh no, no, Gus. CK2's CK20 is successful because he's healthy. We both said last we both said both things are true. The Rangers and Crider both need to move on. And if Crider's the problem, he will score 35 goals somewhere, right? Right. And and Sean and I'm not gonna Sean and Gus, we said this a million times, and we've talked about this on the show multiple times. They had no choice. I I don't know what other way, how other way to phrase this. They had no choice, they couldn't get rid of anyone else. I so I I'm really not sure what options they had. Do you like Gavrakov? You like the way Gavrakov's played? That's been unbelievable. Well, you had to sacrifice something. I don't agree with it. I I would have rather gotten rid of Mika. That's my personal opinion. I would have rather getting Mika out of here, and that's not because his contract's for another 10 years. I just don't, I think you win with players like Kryder, you do not win with people like Mika Zabinij. I'm sorry. He is not a top six player on a championship team. That is my personal opinion. When he proves me wrong, I will stand up and I will apologize to him. He is not a top six player on a championship team. And I'm gonna say this too. If Panarin is your main guy on your team, you're not winning a championship with him as well. This team does not have the guy, this top six players, the the the high-end finishing ability guys to win championships. End of story. You might get lucky like they did in 2012 to get to the Eastern Conference Finals with Marion Gabrick, who wasn't even really scoring, Brad Richards and a bunch of misfits, but you're not winning a championship. Um so you kind of talk out of both sides of your mouth on on this. I agree with you on that on both on both things. That's the ironic part. But when you go down and say that Gordon made a franchise changing trade by trading Brasard per Savannah. At the time they did, though. I mean, god the guy got old. No, I know that, but I don't see, I don't I don't think age has anything to do with this. I mean they got Nicky, he was 23. I get that, but I don't think that he's slowed down. I really don't. Johnny, it doesn't matter. He could be, he could be, you know, he could be, you know, Panero. Mario's ready on the ice. But he could be, but Panero was never fast. He could be. As fast as they want him on the ice. If he's not finishing, which I can't say he's not finishing, but when he if he's not going to word this properly, um God, he because he is he's not that he's not finishing. I I don't want to make it seem like that. It's just I I don't even know if you can get any more out of him. He does lead the team in goals. I don't know. He does stupid shit like every game that I just he loses the puck way too much. That's the problem, too. He gets knocked off the puck very easily, and I noticed that a lot. He's unforced half the time, though. Yeah. He loses the puck unforced. That means the hands are going. Which is strange. No, it's not strange. So I'm gonna I'm gonna tell you this. Like I got on the ice for the first time. This was about a year ago. And it was with the scouts. I think I told you this. We got ahead of a reunion. And I got on the ice, like, let me just see how I feel. And and I was really, I would really, I really put on some weight at that point. I've lost a lot since then. And uh I could skate fast. Point A to point B. I couldn't control the puck. I couldn't stick handle it. The puck kept sliding off my stick. I passed the reverse on my stick and off my stick. I just I the hands just weren't there. Now, granted, I hadn't skated at that point for two years. Right. But from point A to point B, my speed was I felt like I was moving, I could skate, all that shit. Side to side is a different story because of my injury, but and stopping and starting. But my hands, I felt like I couldn't control the puck anymore. I really believe, I think not to say, I'm not saying your skate, your legs go. Yeah, we've seen Adam happen to Adam Graves, we've seen it to a lot of guys, but the hands I think go before the legs go. Again, that's my personal opinion. What do you make on Panarin's game? Because it's uh there are nights, there are nights where he looks like Bred, and then there are nights where he's a step behind everything, and him being a step behind everything is where he starts throwing the puck aimlessly, turning it over. But he's I think it's a combination of a lot of things. He's 34 years old. Yeah, but he's back checking. You know, he's he's playing hard. Yeah, he's playing hard. I don't I don't everyone on this team is bought in. Yeah, everyone's I don't question their effort. Well, I just feel like when when they have to overcome adversity a lot of times, and more nine times out of ten, we know they came back against Edmonton, they've had their moments, but there are games where they just mail it in. They just mail it in. And the other night against Detroit, they just mailed it in. And it's been mostly games at home that they've just been like, well, we're not winning this game, so you know, we're just gonna you know go through the motions or whatever. And again, you're gonna say, oh, well, it's two teams on the ice and so on and so forth, but I think the contract thing is is hanging over his head. I I think that has to be part of it. I mean, everyone else in the NHL signed Sean has signed their deals, right? I mean, Dave Lowry just signed his new deal just a couple just before we got on. Adam Lowry. Adam Lowry's son. Yes. Um, but uh I think that's part of it, not knowing where his future is. He you know, he has a family now, he's made roots here. He's been here, we've been here for seven years, which is crazy to think that we're already at the end of this contract, which is crazy, crazy when they signed it. Um this goes to show you our lives are flying before our eyes. Um is a big question. Do the Rangers uh go after Truba next during the offseason? Oh god, you're gonna have a lot of money to spend. I got I gotta talk to you something about Truba later. Four years, eight million? You think you think you can make it happen? I don't think Truba would ever set foot here again. Not with Jerry, not with jury working here. The way the way he was handled. Uh we're gonna obviously talk about Larry Brooks later, but did you see that they asked all the Anaheim guys, the three Anaheim guys, especially specifically Strom, Truba, and Kreider about Brooks' death? No, they did. I retweeted it on my uh on the thing. So if you have some time later, watch that. It's it's what what Truba says, it's he took the high road. He took the high road, it's the only road you can take. Yeah. Unlike Brooks just did his job, man. I don't want to get into him yet, unless you want to, unless you want to segue, unless you want to cast on this. Not yet. Oh, because I think he's gonna take a little bit of time. Um I don't know, man. I mean, I I I I would I told me at the start of the season what I would have done is I would have signed Panera into a a long-term low cap number. That's what I would have done. That's what I would have done. I don't know. I I everyone's gonna say, what are you gonna do to replace him? He's not scoring now.

unknown: 34:55

Right.

SPEAKER_01: 34:55

So I mean, you're giving this guy a 10, 11 million dollars? What if he scores 50 points? What if he has 50 points this year or 60 points? You're giving him 12 million dollars at 34? I listen, I I I hate Chris Drury with a passion. If he was fired tomorrow, I'd go dancing in the streets. But I can't blame him for this one. He's doing the right thing. He's doing the right thing on this one. He's slow playing it. And if some team out there like Utah or or one of these other clubs out west, or whoever it's one of these tax no stack tapes, no tax states, excuse me, want to give him big money, goodbye. I I I'm not tying up my franchise again with overpaid, aging guys. We already have Mika, and I'll tell you right now, if we find out that Miller's not hurt, then we're really in trouble. Right now we're really in trouble. I'm curious to know what what his injury is because it there's times where he goes out there and he looks like a bull on shifts. He's taking that stuff you were talking about that Kane should have taken, right? But what's that stuff that you told me? Top Tolbut uh Tolba can take that every fucking game. I'm just kidding. I'm I'm I don't know. I don't know anything about it. You told me about it, I didn't know anything about it. Um, Tortle. I I would take it every day if it were me. Yeah, I'm kidding. But um that'll fuck up your liver. I know, like everything else I've taken. Uh all the drinking I've done. What do you think of uh what do you think of Noah Lava? Like I said, against good team against bad teams, you notice them when their teams get are better, you don't notice them on the ice. Say that about La Frenere, you can say that about you know Mika. I mean, there's a there's a lot of guys you can say that about um I don't think he's hurt them, but I don't think he's been great. The only positive I will give is this team's defense. You're not getting any offensive out of these guys, which you kind of need a little bit, but um the penalty kill's been awful. Yeah, well, as great as it's been, it's been bad the last few games. Johnny Lazarus posted this November November 6th being the cutoff date. Before November 6th, we had the second best penalty kill in the league, and since November 6th, we have the worst penalty kill in the league. And a better power play. It's an episode, but you like you always say, it's the eps and flows of a season, right? Yep, it's 82 games. Right now, they just don't have it. Uh listen, but one thing I will give them credit for, and and like I said, is they're not getting completely blown out in this game in these games. Now, is that goaltending or is that defense? I think most of it, if if you're watching the games, uh they don't give up the Detroit game. I I I didn't I watched a lot of the replay, I watched it after the fact. Okay. Uh, I thought Quick was phenomenal, and he saved their answer. That's that game is different. That was that game was special by Quick. I mean, he's remarkable. I mean, you want to talk about another free agent signing that that Drury made that that might be his best free agent signing he's ever made. For the money that guy's making? I mean, and you and I, I mean, maybe maybe more so me, so I'll I won't speak for you. I hated him because of was like, are you fucking kidding me? Yeah, did you watch him play last year? I mean, what are we doing here? But it just goes to show you that you could put anyone but other than Andre Pavlik in front of uh Dremor Alaire and they've turned back the clock. Figure it out a lock, beer on. I mean, the list, I mean, on and on and on, Talbot. You know you are a great goaltending coach when Henrik Lundquist singles you out in his Hall of Fame speech about how much you meant to him. And Jim Schmiedenberg has said this. I'm gonna give him credit for it because he has said it. Hank never wanted to leave the Rangers because he did not want to leave Benoit. I would agree with that. And it and I I wouldn't I wouldn't be surprised. I wouldn't want to leave them either. Now to be fair, the Rangers have always had great goaltending because if you go back into their history, every Hall of Famer they have is a freaking goalie. Right for the most part. Looks like six of them now. And that doesn't even count Richter. Nah, well, it's definitely it's it's well it's Hank, it's Chuck Raynor, Jockaman, Gump Worsley. That's four. Listen, Davy Kerr's, I don't think, a hall of famer. Yeah, he is. Davy Kerr's a Hall of Famer? Okay. I don't think Lauren Cabot's a Hall of Famer. I would think he is. I don't think I don't I'll look it up. Who was the goalie? I know I know Davy Kerr was their goalie in in 1940, but he wasn't their goalie for the two previous cups. It was Lauren Cabot and who was the other um was he the starter? No, Cabot is not in the Hall of Fame. John Ross Roche? Yeah. Is John Ross Roche a Hall of Fame? Cabot also only played two years as a Ranger. For some reason, I feel like he played a lot more. I know, I feel like he played longer for them. Well, if you count Jacques Plant, he played for the Rangers. Yeah, that doesn't count. And uh what's his name played for the oh Terry Shellchuk? He wasn't really. I mean, again, these guys came from elsewhere. Yeah. Uh John Ross Roach is not a Hall of Famer. All right, so the main guys, check Davey Kerr, Sean. I don't think he's a Hall of Famer. Chuck Rand is a Hall of Famer. Gump Worsley, Jockman, um Hank. That's four. Dave Kerr is not a Hall of Famer. I thought he was two originally, and I'm pretty sure I looked it up and he wasn't. Yeah, that really one really great season. Like Richter. One of dozen. But you need that. Doesn't a cup. You all you need is to get one hot goalie. I mean, one hot year. Since Gump Worsley, pretty much every goalie we've had has been a whole favor. Right. And we've had those guys, Jacques, yeah, except for well, you had Johnny Van Biesbrook, who was at one point was one of the best was the best uh uh American born goalie of all time. Right. I mean Van Biesbrook won a Bezina with the Rakers. You had J D, who listen, we all love J D, but he wasn't he wasn't a great goalie. Eddie Neo, Hanlin, yeah, Stevie Weeks. Yeah, so you had a and from when they traded Eddie to Van Biesbrook was what 10 years almost? Eight years 75? Yeah, so 75 to 86. Well, Beezer won the yeah, he won the Vesas. 86 is one of the Vesa's brookie year, didn't he? Yeah, 85-86. That's crazy. Rangers with their goaltending, it's remarkable. It really is. It really is. And the defense, the defenseman. I mean, Brad Park, Leach, Greshner, you know, James Patrick was a great defenseman. I mean, that's not hard to Hall of Famer, but we've had this Hall of Famer debate. But um I don't I don't know what they do with Panarin, to be honest with you, just to kind of tie it back in. I I would just wait, ride it out. You know, they have the money to sign them if they want. If he somehow turns back the clock and puts up 120 points, then you know what? Then you have a decision to make. Wish the NHL had a franchise tag like the NFL does. Well, turn back the clock? No, franchise tag. Oh, franchise tag. Yeah. Oh, I get what you're saying. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. Like, yeah, or a Larry Bird rule. It would be a um no, because if you friend in the NFL, I know you're not an NFL guy. So if you I know what the franchise tag means is you can it's the one guy that doesn't go against the cap, right? No, no, it's nothing to do with that. So you you could franchise tag a an unrestricted free agent in the NFL, and it's a one-year deal where they get the aggregate of the top five salaries at that position. So you would take the top five paid left wings in the NHL, and then the middle of that number would be his contract for that year. But he gets the highest number? He would get the no, you take the five, the top five left wing contracts in the in the sport. How does that work with the cap though? It's a it's it's a cap hit. Oh, it's still a cap hit. So all right. So I never understood the reason. I'm just saying that the player the player has two options don't play hockey or sign a contract. Oh, sign the franchise tag. Interesting. Yeah. Oh so the CBA, you know, the the the union likes it because the players get a lot of money. The NHL is fucked. Because they they've they've made it so that players can't be moved. You can't make trades, you the player movement. Why it's be it's becoming very boring. It is the season itself in from a player movement standpoint, it's becoming the NFL. And the problem, the difference with the NHL and the NFL, obviously, is the amount of games you play, you gotta be able to move, guys. You can't you can't, you might as well not even play then. You know, with the NFL, I mean you have I mean, tell me if I'm wrong. I mean, you you know better than me. They don't make trades the way the way they do in in the NHL or in the baseball and the baseball. There's way more. There's way more in football than there is in the NHL. More trades? Baseball has the most trades. Baseball has by far the most trades. I see I don't know anything about the NBA units, so I keep it. I never noticed like the Jets and the Giants making trades. I know I know the Jets just made a trade at the trade deadline. I that guy, I don't know who he was. They trade away two of their best players at the deadline. I did see that they did that, the deadline, but you don't see trades for throughout the season. And and honestly, you used to in the NHL. You used to see trades throughout the season, you don't see that anymore. Well, here's the thing. These guys are these guys are very highly paid professionals now, and they want to control where they're gonna live. Yeah, they don't want to be told anymore, and they've used it as their negotiating tool. And the problem now is Winnipeg has never given out a no-move clause until Kyle Connor. This is the first one. Shifley doesn't have one, Hellabook doesn't have one. They've never given out a no move, a no-move, no trade clause until Kyle Connor. Wow. But I guess I guess what I was saying, what I was trying to kind of articulate, and it probably didn't come off the right way, is that if you don't draft well andor make true trades, you're not gonna win in this league. And it's hard to get players if you don't draft them or I'm just saying, like you have to do one or the other well. And if you don't do either well, you're not winning. You know, I mean, look if you look at all the cup teams that have won. I mean, Vegas and Florida, shrewd trades. Shrewd trades, not as money about free agent signings. I mean, you want to say good for sling was a was a was an office scrap heap, and and for Hagee, those were you know guys that yeah, waiver claims waiver claims or whatever they were. But they traded for Sam Reinhardt, they traded for Matthew Kachuk, traded for Monsorra. Uh what's it called? Montor. You know, they did sign Babrowski, but how many years did it take for that contract? Which Montor was a guy who signed a big contract with Buffalo and sucked. I think it was a Buffalo draft pick. Montor? No, it wasn't Montor um Buffalo. No, he left Buffalo. He left the uh Florida to go to uh Seattle. Scored against the Rangers, coincidentally. Um was it? I saw what was I saying? The uh the big thing now is that Montor Anaheim? I don't know. I thought he was signed, I thought he played for Buffalo. I thought he was. So Montor was Anaheim, and then he signed a big contract with Buffalo. It didn't work out, so Florida got him for next to nothing, right? And he turned back into a star again. And now he's in Seattle. I would love to get Tage Thompson. I know he's never coming to New York, they're never gonna make a trade for New York. But those, yeah, I mean, like you said, it those are the types of trades that this guy needs to make at this point, and it's the only thing they can do because there's no free agents to sign. And they have two pressure on picks. If he was waiting to take the easy way out and just throw away money, well, the the league has made the decision for him. He's actually going to have to trade away physical guys to make this team better. Otherwise, we're gonna see the same exact team next year, maybe minus Panarin, and maybe someone else in the top six that shouldn't be there. How it's how it's been this year as well. Another shit bag on a PTO. And I'm not trying not to get I'm not trying to crap on Brent on Connor Shiri. He's been fine, but you got to score a goal at some point. You gotta give you something. Yeah, no, this it's it's mind-blowing how this team can't score because the chances are there, and so it really is. But are they there? Are they are they are they just shooting it to the last two games? Like again, I didn't see the Vegas game. The Detroit game, Detroit kept us out of the middle. Talbot wasn't challenged the whole night. So that game, yes. The Islander game was not it the first period, they were all over them, and then once they couldn't bury one, the tide turned and they they uh they went back into the turtle shell. Same with the Carolina game. Again, they played 21 games. I would say 15 of them, they've been the better team. There's been six, maybe seven that they haven't. And those are the ones we're gonna focus on the most because you just it's perplexing why they can't bring it, why why they can't play at the same level every single night? So the only team they've beaten at home is not the predators. They've only had one win at home, so it is what it is. I mean, it's incredible. But look at their road wins, yeah. They've been they've beaten some good teams on the road. Yeah, did they how much did they did they how did they oh you wouldn't watch the game? I'm wondering if did anyone know if they if they brought that up, how oh my god, Vegas snapped the Rangers road winning streak, blah blah blah blah blah. They bring that up. Sure, they did. No idea. They pumped that team. My god, do they pump that Vegas team? God, and it just kills me because I a lot of Ranger fans in the building, though. I will what I will say to you is that um they find ways, Vegas. Hey, let's try we'll bring in we'll bring in Stone, we'll bring in this guy, we'll bring in this guy, and that guy, and this guy, and where's this money coming from? I told you they made a conscious decision to not value youth at all. They traded every draft pick, every young player. They trade him. No, no, no, no, no, no. Dora Fayev's on the team, the Rangers passed on him twice. Everyone passed on him twice. So I'll just say the Rangers. Everyone he's a third-round pick. But I'm not worried about other teams. The Rangers should have a team that that that is ups was obsessed with Russian players. What now because they because the Kratzov failed, now we're not gonna draft any Russian players anymore. I I mean, what are we doing here? They drafted Gonshar. Um no, it they're clearly trying to build a North American team. I think we all we we all see that. Really worked well. Brandon Uffman has been stellar. Great, great pick. Great pick. Just it's just it's only infuriating because of the two centers that were picked. One right hand Wyatt Johnson. Wyatt Johnson and Bulduke. Well, they're caught by Dallas, who just knows how to draft. They do? How many guys have they drafted in the second round? Also gave us a first-round pick for Nils Lunquist. So who we then trade, who we then traded for six for six weeks at Terrassenko. So stupid. This GM sucks. He's so bad. He's so bad. I'm I'm uh Sean, I am so scared about where this team is going. And that's why it infuriates me so much in these games watching his team, and I should it shouldn't bother me because I just don't know where they're going. Where where do they go? I mean, Panarin, if Panarin doesn't re sign, who are they going? What are they doing? Adrian Kemp. Where are they going? Alex Tuck is the only guy that's not gonna that's not gonna resign. And you're giving Alex Tuck, you're giving Alex Tuck$13 million. I mean, is he a$13 million player? He could probably ask for 15 because he could probably ask for 20. Some of these teams, all this cap space, some of these teams have. He's gonna be the only desired. No, Panarin. Panarin is going to get big money from someone. Yes, because they are Peter desperate teams out there who don't want to trade assets, who don't want to trade young money, uh young players. Oh, we can fix him. 34 years old, you're gonna fix him? Okay, let's see. I I mean, he's 34, not 24. But I'm just very scared. And I'm I'm actually just very it it's it breaks my heart because we were just so close. But Gabe Perot Gabe Perot's gonna step right in next year. I mean, I hope so. I hope so, Sean. I hope so. No, not with I hope I hope so. I I I want I want Perot to succeed more than anyone, anyone on this planet. But again, I'm not expecting him to waltz in here and save our ass. If you're expecting Gabe Perot, like they were expecting Kacko in in some ways, and they were expecting La Frenniere in some ways, and they were expecting Cooley in some ways to step in here and save this franchise. I don't think that's fair. 23rd overall pick, that's what they do. 23rd overall picks to come right in, save franchises. That's what they do. Well, maybe maybe in some maybe in some franchises, but not ours. Maybe if you're why Johnson or uh or Pastronok was past Pastronach in 20s in the 20s? In the 20s, yes. Maybe if you're one of those guys. I just don't know where they go. And that's that's that that's got, I mean, you if you're drilly, you can you see these guys just coming off the board without saying to yourself there won't be anyone looking to dump somebody. Are you fucking kidding me? Like, I've waited all these years to get these guys off this fucking books, right? And now I'm gonna have to nothing to show for it. Yep, I'm gonna actually have to make a fucking hockey trade. Well, I don't know what what's that? What's a hockey trade? But literally, other than La Frenier, who's even tradable? I don't mean tradable as in you're breaking the team down. Like, yeah, you could trade Trochek and get probably a haul for him at the deadline. You can trade, you can trade uh Can Aaron at the deadline. Sean, if the right guy comes along, there is nobody. Nobody, nobody on this team I wouldn't trade. But who's the right guy? I don't know. Jason Robertson. He's the right guy. Is he a franchise changer? He's a good player. He's a very good player. He's better than anyone on this team right now. Anyone, he's better than anyone on this team right this minute. He's better than anyone on this team. Anyone, including Pen Aaron. But again, then you're making your best player a wing again. What what who's trading a center? Well, that's my point. That is why. That's why you traded for Miller last year because uh a center became available. Uh unfortunately, he's 32. But yeah, I guess. I'm not shitting on JT Miller. I think he's hurt, I think he's trying to do the right thing, but in the process, he's killing this team. He's not killing the team. Well, he's killing them. No, no, no. Let me rephrase it. He's not a detriment now. He's not a detriment. Let me rephrase that. I apologize. I don't mean it that way. He's killing himself from a from a from in front of the from the fan base perspective, because now the fan base is starting to turn on him, like they did on Kreider. It's the same thing. They trade, they turned on Truba. Truba was hurt in the playoffs. Guess what? Truba was hurt. It was they found out he was hurt. It doesn't matter. Once you play like shit, people don't care if you were injured. They're gonna say, if you're too hurt, don't play, don't play Ryan Stroma in the playoffs. Don't play if you can't give everything you got and you're gonna be a detriment to the team. Don't play. What are you doing? What are you doing? It's gonna becomes a point where you have to say to yourself, where the coach has to say, you're not playing. You're not playing. That's it. You're not playing, you're not a hundred percent. We need you in two months. Sit out unless his injury is where he needs surgery and he's gonna be out the year. Or he's gonna be out six months, or he's gonna be out three months. I'm like, well, I'm gonna play. But what happened? God forbid, they go on a long player front. This is gonna carry into next season and the next season, next season? If you're too on a player front this year, yeah, he'll miss the beginning of next year if that's if that's the case. Don't play. Cry to hurt this team, Strome hurt this team, Trupas hurt this team, he's this guy's hurting this team now. Shankirk hurt this team. Why are you playing if you're not if you're not can't play well, don't play. Because he's not hurting the team, he's just not producing. That's hurting the team. No, no, hurting the team is not being able to not producing is hurting the team. So if he's out of the lineup, then who's taking that spot? I don't care. That makes a huge difference. That's part of the problem, though. Well, they're not winning with him in the lineup. That's not true. They just winning it, they just came off with what I don't care. I don't care if he has 10 points. So they were winning hockey games.

unknown: 58:03

Okay.

SPEAKER_01: 58:04

Did they not just come off winning eight of ten?

SPEAKER_02: 58:07

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01: 58:08

They did.

unknown: 58:08

Okay.

SPEAKER_01: 58:09

So don't say they weren't winning. I agree with why. Why do I feel but why do I feel? I mean, why do I feel like that's why? Because you're buying the nonsense that's on Twitter. But I'm not buying it, so I'm sure I'm watching the games with my own eyes. They're not dominating these games. A lot of them. How many games are hanging up on the skin of their teeth? They're dominating these games. They were dominant against Columbus. I think dominant against Columbus. Be honest. You watch the whole Columbus game, right? Yes or no. Okay. You know what game they were dominant against? Detroit. I'll give you the Detroit game. They were very good against Detroit. Give me another dominant game. Sorry, Tampa. Oh, Tampa. Who's playing half their Asian lineup? That's it. And then the Predators. I mean, come on. You might as well play. That's like saying I was dominant against the Hartford Wolfpack last year. They were dominant against Edmonton. They were dominant against Toronto. Wait, wait, wait. They lost. They were dominant? They were. They held McDavid and driveside all time. Nothing. It doesn't make them dominant, Sean. How many scoring chances do they have? How many two-on-one? They did. Oh, that's right. That's right. Carrick, Braden Schneider, and Edstrom were dominant in those three games in the Edmonton game. Listen, now it matters who it is. It's not the team. It does matter. It's not the team anymore. If your best players aren't the guys you're asking, but those are not the guys you expect to win your championship. Listen, I'm not I'm not going to challenge you on recall. Your your recall as far as who did what and what game is far superior to mine. I can't remember what I had for breakfast yesterday. And I have the same thing every day for 15 years. My point is. Is that you can you we've seen them do this last year where they got off to that hot streak and they were bailed out by great goaltending. And I'm not comparing it, maybe it's not not really the same. No, it's the same, but it's not the same. They're not dominant in a lot of these games. They're they've they've taken advantage of bad teams at the right time. They have taken advantage of bad goaltending on on slight occasions with Sorrow. You're putting up uh 11 goals against UC Saros and Vasileschi. You wrote that after getting borrowed by Charlie Lingering borrowed that with me between Sheila's and and Lindren and with other shit dead goalie that got shot out. I don't know, of course not. But I mean to say, I mean, they've had not had many games where you could sit back and say, wow. But I feel I'm telling you, Rock, as an experiment, and and I think I said this to you our first year doing right. Look, I would love you to take I would love for you to take one uh take another team and watch every game that they play. And see just take one team this way. You don't have to inundate yourself by watching the whole league. Like just pick a team, a good team, if you want, and watch every single game and see if you could pick out the warts in that team when you could see him play every minute of every shift. Yeah, that's because I guarantee it's the same around the league. It's fair, it's fair, but I've seen other teams play us every game. Meaning, I've seen I've seen Detroit, I've seen uh you know San Jose and and San Jose, man. Wow, that kid is celebrating it. Um did I'm again trained in my fantasy hockey dynasty. Will Smith celebrating. Um I just see how other teams play against us, and you can't tell me that every team uh whether we like it or not, we're the New York Rangers and it's Madison Square Garden. So when you have the San Jose Sharks with some kids who some some really high talented kids wet behind the ears coming into MSG, yeah, you're telling me they're not they're not up for that. But we're a losing franchise. We're not a losing franchise. We're not the Yankees, but we're not the Yankees, we're not the Giants. We haven't won a championship. Yes, they do, in the last decade or the last 20 years of the Rangers have. Yes, they do. Um I mean the Rangers the Yankees haven't been good, the Yankees haven't been good in overtime. No, I get that. But the Rangers still it's still a marquee franchise, it's still a mat, it's still listen. This is how it's we're New Yorkers and we see it every day, so it doesn't have the same meaning that it has to the rest of the world. Probably, I guess. The same way we watch this play every day. You really you really think that uh Yukopekalukan really gives a crap about Madison Square Garden? Yes, because his entire fucking town knows knows Madison Square Garden and couldn't name one other hockey building in the league. Maybe that's why it just it just makes me laugh because we we look I look at this franchise as a loser. It's a it's a loser. The fucking goat in the mountains that yako Pekalucan and fucking. I'm just saying I look I look at this walk has heard of Madison Square as a as a loser. They are a losing franchise. They have they they can't they can't draft with the exception of Panarin, they're free agent signings, nine to ten have been five. That's a losing franchise. The rangers are not a losing franchise, they're in the playoffs way more often than they're not. So we so we're not gonna be able to do that. There are teams that don't sniff the playoffs. Okay, that's fair. You know what, Sean? I I gotta be honest with you. My Yankee, my Yankiness is a problem when doing these frame with when having these conversations with you because it's not fair, because that's I've I've been I grew up with the Jeter Yankees. So when the Yankees won their first World Series, I was 16 years old. So the only thing I know is it's championship or it's a failed season. Right. That's how I view things, correct? And maybe that is a poor way of viewing things, but that is the only mindset I have. Michael K, who I know you don't like, which a lot of Meth fans don't like, says says the same thing you say. They don't view sports teams, don't view a bad season as not winning a championship. Correct. See, I want to win a championship. I am tired of just being a playoff team. So I don't care about just making the playoffs. If we're just going to make the playoffs and lose in the first round, I'd rather be the worst fucking team in the league and get the first overall pick. That's my opinion. I don't care anymore about the regular season. I don't care anymore about just making the playoffs. I don't. I'm tired of it. I'm tired of getting to the playoffs and then oh there always being that one team that's better than us. Whether it's Tampa, whether it's fucking Florida, whether it's the Devils, whether it's this team or that team. I am tired of dealing with this shit. I just am. I don't care. I'd rather them lose out than make the playoffs and lose in the first round. That's not fun for me. Just making the playoffs is not fun. Is that fun for you? How many times in the last since since Tortorella? Since 2012. Let's go to that year. Since 2012, how many times have the Rangers been won and done? Well, not Pittsburgh and 17 years. Not the Tortorella year. No. So Pittsburgh and seven in 16. In 16. The Jeff Zat Zatec uh. Uh, I don't think they have been. No, well, I mean, you don't count the bubble thing, do you? No, the bubble. Oh, the devil, what the devil's with the devil's two the devils two years ago. Three years ago. Oh, yeah. Right. So twice. So the Rangers are normally not. You have to admit that those teams, though, were better than this team. But I'm just saying, the Rangers normally are not a one and done. That's not something we experience for the most part, is being one and done. That's fair. I guess that's fair. You're right. Like, look, look at the Islanders. The Islanders keep making the playoffs and lose to Carolina in the first round four years in a row. Yeah, I guess. That's a good point. My my feeling, my feeling is that there's always been a team that they just can never seem to get past. And whether it's been Florida, whether it's been Tampa, um, who was it last year? Cup champions. When they lose to last. Oh, that was Florida. They didn't make the playoffs last year. Well doctor. I almost blocked that out of my mind. Yeah. Um I I I guess so. I just I look at this team, you know, I looked at, you know, when they when they when they when in 2012, they brought in Richards, they had Gabby, they had some good young players, they had Hank. But and they and they but they played, I don't know, I just never felt the way I feel about this group of players. And maybe it's just because I've seen them fail time and time and time again, and it's roll it back, roll it back, roll it back. And I don't feel like the Rangers kept doing that during during the, especially during the Seder era, they changed pieces out. They brought in St. Louis, they brought in Nash, they got they moved out Gabrick, they moved out players, they they they got this guy, they moved out this, that guy. I felt like they they changed up the core and added little little pieces to kind of change up the chemistry. It was still being built. Remember, they come out of the lockout, and the whole team is well. I mean, that's way back. But I'm just saying, well, you want to talk about Sayther. So you come out of the lockout, and you don't. I mean, Hank is a surprise, obviously. No one, you know, not even Saidher knew what they had. Yeah, he probably thought he was good, but not that he was gonna become a Hall of Fame goalie and right away with no growing pains whatsoever. No, he was outplayed, he outplayed Weeks that whole preseason, and weeks still started the home opener. I'm talking about walking into the season.

SPEAKER_02: 1:08:48

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_01: 1:08:49

Yeah, get you going to camp. Right. You don't know that Hank is Hank. Um, it wasn't like when Igor came here, and we all knew. You know, there was already an expectation when Igor signed and came to the United States. Right. There was nothing with Hank, you know, except Chris Holt was still battling for a job. Um, but the team is built around Jagger, and then once the writing was on the wall, like Jagger, the back is not gonna hold up, and he's moving on. They go out, they sign Drury, they sign Gomez, and those teams. Other players are saying Drury and Gomez were here with Jagger and Shannon. Right, but the last year of him, yeah. So it's a transition. So the team they actually signed Marcus Naslin and Dimitri Kaleen into but anyway, keep going. Yeah, so they and they brought in Nick Sheridan of that. I'm not going down the entire fucking roster, but I'm just saying in general, they changed course to to that, and then once that didn't work, right? They went and they built it around the kids with Gabrick. So the team was constantly evolving into what eventually became the cup contender, which you don't get until after the Nash trade and the Gabrick trade that gave us Brasard and John Moore. Correct. So it it was an evolution. There wasn't a finished product when we when we signed Gabrick. Gabrick was supposed to be a piece, and as the team went on, right? But I'm talking about I'm talking more in 2012. Then then 2012 they brought in they they they they went to the final, they went to the final. They tried to no, they had no Richards in 12. Yes. They had Richards in 12. I don't remember who they brought at the trade deadline at 12. I don't remember. Ryan Club. No, that was with Broussard, that was the next year. Okay. Um they brought in Brassard the following year. They moved, they brought in Nash, the offseason. They tried to get Nash at the trade deadline, right? And that didn't work. I believe the only move they made was they brought in John Scott, if I remember correctly. And then um they didn't really do much that trade deadline. And I remember the fans being pissed. I think I think Roman Hammerlick, they brought him in as a waiver claim. Anyway, um and then uh then they tried to bring in Nash, that didn't work. They got Nash in the offseason, they got Nash that offseason, and then like I said, they had Nash, they had the lockout, they brought in Nash, but I just felt like they were adding, they kept on like kind of turning over the the core of the team and and kind of cultivating this this new group of team, this new team where we've seen the same team fail repeatedly now for five years. I if if it's not gonna be a new group of guys, I don't have any faith in them. I don't. I mean, I I I guess. A lot of this team is new. Go down the roster. Who's been here for more than more than two years? All right, but I'm talking about. Who was on who's who's here? Who's left from us celebrating Kreider's hat trick game at uh in Long Beach? Who's left from that team? Well, in the top six, uh five of the guys were here. Because you count Rodzinski as part of that.

unknown: 1:12:06

No.

SPEAKER_01: 1:12:06

Well, Brazinski, well, Cooley was. Yeah. I mean, Cooley, La Frenier, Panarin, Trochek, and Zabitajet. And on D? How many of the defensemen were here? The D isn't the problem though. Oh, okay. Well, that this year it's not. It was last year. Well, at least Keandre Miller's gone. He's saying running it back. They didn't mean that a lot of losses. All right, all right. So other than so it's just Fox, it's just Fox and Schneider, right? There's only two guys that are here. Yep. So two of the guys from on the D, nobody in the bottom six. And both goalies are there.

unknown: 1:12:43

Both of these.

SPEAKER_01: 1:12:45

True. But I mean, the forward group is the top six guys, and and again, I I don't want to I sound like a broken record. The top six guys are what's or what it make help would or what make you a championship team? I I 100% agree with you on this, and they need to be better. They 100% need to be better. That line needs to play like a top five line, like I think they're capable of. But Sean, at what point do you say that there's not good enough and move on? Like, at what point do you stop? Do you stop saying they're not gonna get that? For what, five games, four games? Like, I want to give them a chance. I think I think you're expecting too much from him. I think I think so check's been back for five games. I've I've like I told you, I I think he's played great. I um I think the team they missed him more than they thought they were gonna miss him. That being said, he did give them an initial boost. Question is, are they gonna be able to sustain that? I'm not gonna be able to do that. I'm not saying him. I'm talking about that line. I'm not talking about him. I'm talking about that line. Yeah, they got an initial boost when he came back, right? But since you know the last two games, you know, and it was perfect timing. They're perfect timing, they're perfect timing. They beat a shit friggin' Nashville team, and they got a little juice from that. They went and steamrolled a shit, not shit, maybe it's poor choice of words, injured, wounded gazelle, Tampa Bay Lightning team. That still had Basilevsky and net, Kucherov, and Braden Point. Correct. So it was you know, wasn't it wasn't all for now. Well, you see their defense. They were missing 36-year-old Ryan McDonough. Yes. What about what about Darren? When Darren Radish is your best defenseman, you have a big problem. Where's Peter Holland when you need him? And it showed. Yeah, Mr. Holland's opus. My buddy, my buddy, my drinking buddy. So it is what it is. I I mean, we'll see tomorrow. I do not listen. I I'm telling you right now, I'm not watching tomorrow night's game. Of course you're not. I'm not I'm not staying up to two o'clock in the morning. It's a nine o'clock start. Is it nine o'clock? Yeah. Oh, maybe I'll maybe I'll at least watch. I'll watch the first two periods. There you go. No, I will I will watch tomorrow. I thought it was a 10 o'clock start. I apologize. You are an SW supporter. I will. I will watch that. Um, you want to end off with Brooks? Like, yeah, you go with Brooks. You're you're you're more this hit you a lot. Oh my god. I don't really think it's close. Absolutely. You take this one away. For anyone that didn't hear me, because I did get on when it initially happened. Um, if you didn't hear my my Larry Brooks um 10-minute, 15-minute uh podcast that we did the other day, um it uh that I did the other day on my own. It was I woke up to this news and I was absolutely devastated. Um and uh I really wish I gave myself a day at that point before I did the live. I really wish I gave myself some time to kind of um collect my thoughts before I did do that live because there were a lot of things that I I wish I had said that I I didn't say, or maybe I would have left things out or whatever. But talking to Rich, your your buddy Rich uh Martino reached out to me, which I appreciated, and then listening to Boomer Syson on the fan. I I think the best way to describe the loss of Larry Brooks to me was like losing a friend. And and it was somebody that it was a he was a confidant. He was when you were feeling down about this team, you would read his article, and he would give you, maybe give you a little glimmer of hope. Like maybe they were gonna sign somebody or they were gonna make a trade or they were gonna do this, or or he'd tell you how you felt in the sense where maybe oh, I was right about this. Maybe there is no hope. They maybe they're in bad shape, maybe they're really in that bad shape. And I I I use this example as it was like he was like our security blanket because let's be honest, I mean, he was the connection to this, to to to the the organization. And when you when he said something, you knew there was something behind it, there was some kind of truth behind it, and and and players didn't like it, a lot of players didn't like it, and uh, but as as John Totorella said, and a lot of people, other people have said, when he did write something that maybe wasn't the the most um flattering, he was there that day to to to to face to face, to, to, to own up to whatever he had said. And I and I just had so much respect for him. And and and when it happened, I was like it was like losing a friend. It really was. It was it was you know, that that Sunday slapshot column was something I read every single week for years. For years, and and especially like around the draft and free agency, it was like a must-read because there was gonna be some kind of ranger nugget in there, you know, about a free agent signing, about a trade, about this, about that. And we lost our conduit to the organization. And like I said, I I don't think we're ever gonna experience that again. I think the next time we hear about a Rangers trade, it's going to become out of Canada, whether it's from Friedman or Dreger or Chris Johnson or or Sera Veli or or or uh you know whatever. And and to the outpouring, and the thing that really got me was the outpouring from everywhere from from Bob Mackenzie and and and who's retired and and you know um from everywhere from all over Canada. It was remarkable the amount of respect and clout that this guy had. And I I I guess I kind of knew it, but I didn't really understand the power that he had in in the hockey world. Gary Bettman with the statement, Gary the commissioner, unbelievable. Just uh just the words just don't come out, and then I heard Boomer Syason practically getting choked up on the air on the fan. And I'm like, wow, I'm like he I I everyone's feeling this, and and if you're of a certain age, and and I've said this, I used to drive, I used to ride my bike, or I used to rollerblade to the candy store or to the deli, and I used to flip through the post, and I remember the Gretzky signing. That's one of the first ones I remember when they signed Gretzky, and I was older at that point, but I remember ones before that. But Gretzky once really fixed it in my mind. I actually just left the paper, I found it. Um Larry Brooks, this had gone on for weeks with the Gretzky thing. And I used to drive down to the Delhi, let's see if they have anything about Gretzky. And I wouldn't buy the paper, obviously, unless there was an article about it. So I used to flip through it first and look. And uh, you know, he was just he was our conduit, and to not have that anymore, to not have that friend, that that feeling of security, it's sad. It really is, and it hit me a lot harder than I ever expected. It really, it really was a rough, uh, a rough 24-48 hours. And to see some of the stupidity that's come out too, like, I won't mention the person, but to say the day he died, a tweet put out a tweet, and and they've erased it since then because I didn't make a comment to them about it. Uh everyone pretending that that that people actually liked Larry Brooks, like, really ass, you're gonna freaking write something like that that the day they put him to rest. Like, I mean, how I mean you're better than that. But he was loved. You might not have liked him as a person, you might not have liked some of the things he said, but he was open, he was honest, and he was there in in front of your face to answer questions and to to take whatever whatever it was that you were ready to give out if you didn't like what he was saying, was there to explain the situation. And he did his job. Do your fucking job. You don't you don't you don't want him to criticize you, then do your job, right? Well said.

unknown: 1:21:12

Well said.

SPEAKER_01: 1:21:13

So I don't I don't know how you feel. I'm curious what your thoughts are. I mean, you have totally different perspectives on this. So yeah, it's it's I grew up in a newsday household with a non-hockey fan father. So Larry Brooks to me wasn't something I knew as a kid at all. As closely as I followed this team, if you didn't write for Newsday, I never saw the post, I never got the daily news. Right. I didn't see those publications until I worked in a pizzeria in college. Okay. You know, those weren't newspapers that I got. It's obviously before the internet age, so it wasn't like I was reading the New York Post online. Right. So Larry Brooks wasn't really a thing for me, probably until the last 10, maybe 15 years. So certainly not not the nostalgic back to my childhood. Right. You know, that that it would be for uh for some other you know, some other people commentating on shit. Like Sam Rosen. Like a lot of it's funny, a lot of people, you know, the way that Sam Rosen's retirement hit some people with the nostalgia, and this is all I know. All I know was a lot of stuff with with Brooks. I was blown away, uh to to talk on top of what you just said league-wide, the outpouring. I I listen, I thought every market has a Larry Brooks. Me too. Well, every I should re rephrase this. Every major market, every major hockey market, like Toronto has a Larry Brooks, and Montreal and Vancouver and LA, let's just say, or Chicago, Detroit. You I just assumed, like, yeah, you know, he he's our New York guy. And apparently he was really truly one of one, which is a term that gets thrown around a lot. Um, but nobody else seems to have the same, like you said, the clout that he had. And you know, who was it to said, you know, when he had uh torturella, when he waxed poetic about him on ESPN, you know, uh what's his name? Just gave him the floor, like here, you know, go ahead, you talk about him. Scott Levy, Steve Levy, yeah. Steve Levy. And um, that's all right. So he goes, you know, the guy had information, and boy, did he have information. So you you saw Dolan, you know, even even make a post saying, you know, the amount of off-the-record conversations and counsel that I sought from him. So you want to talk about people who were, you know, who does Dolan, who was Dolan relying on for advice? Larry Brooks was one of those voices, apparently. Dolan said it. And that all those off-the-record conversations they went to they went to the grave with him, you know. Which goes to show you that when Larry used to post things, rumors, and whether it was about truba and they wanted to crap everyone wants to crap on him about truba. They crushed him for that. They crushed him for that. It was it wasn't like he just got a nugget and ran with it. Larry Brooks and you don't think you don't think the Brady Kachuk thing was spread to him? Of course it was. That that was freaking he was crushed for for that too. So I mean that's why all over this guy and and say, oh, Larry's and and and it has been said that he has said things to kind of ruffle feathers and to kind of you know uh you know, kind of stir the pot when it comes to certain things, but he was a must-read. He was a must read. I I don't care who you I mean as a Ranger fan. If you're not a Ranger fan and you're not crushed over Larry Brooks's passing, then you weren't really a true fan because he is was the voice of our of this fan base. I'll give you another another perspective, another point of my perspective with him. So obviously, I know who you know this whole time I've not whole time, the last 20 years. I you know, I knew who Larry Brooks was. I still I can't say that I read him any more than I read anybody else or put any stock in the things that he said more than anybody else, probably until the last decade.

SPEAKER_02: 1:25:22

Right.

SPEAKER_01: 1:25:22

But before that, I'd read Thin Ice, you know, the book about the 79, you know, the Ratslow Sloman book about the 7980 team, 80, 81. And they talk about how they all used to bust Larry Brooks's chops for because he was an Islander fan. So it's hilarious, you know, going back to that. So my I've always looked at it like here's an Islander fan who's been covering the Rangers all these years, and that's why he's always got so much shit to say about the Rangers. Maybe. And I and then you know what though, but I'll give him I'll give him the sense where you know what, maybe that's what we needed. We needed a guy that wasn't a fan that was and just a and I don't even know if it's true, but that's that was in the I don't really know if that's true, so that's I don't know. My view on him. Everyone always said that Arthur Staple was an Islander fan. He's a Ranger fan, he's a Ranger fan. Yeah, he's just terrible at covering the Rangers, right? He's he has a podcast game with Mike Robin Lazarus again. Um I don't know, but but the question now is like is that it is there zero is there's a zero filter now to the rangers to any type of beat writer at this point? Is that is that completely who we'll look at who's around now. Molly will never be that person. No, um Vince maybe not yet, but maybe 10-15 years from now, if he's still a Ranger beat writer and he's got 25 years of doing it under his belt, maybe he has a chance to be like that. Slim to none though. Johnny, Johnny's going national. Yeah, he's he obviously is a Ranger fan, but he's he's got aspirations to be on ESPN every day. Right. And he might get there or or on a plat or on a platform that big. So I don't see him being a Ranger beat writer, you know, to the day I die. Um no, I I don't think you'll ever get that, you know, someone who's gonna be tough enough to really ask those types of questions and follow-ups and not just not let a coach or player off easy. It's just it's just can't I just cannot believe it's like someone said I don't remember who said it, and I apologize if I'm if I'm saying something that somebody else said, but it might have been who the hell was it? Was it VC that said it? Jimmy VC. He had a great tweet. You never he did him and D'Angelo both had great tweets, and and Hank and Gretzky. I mean I'm saying anyone who's anyone, and and when I saw VC's tweet, I I commented on it and said I really hope to see you did. I didn't say that. Okay, but he did say like it it's almost like you never thought he was ever going to not be covering the Rangers, right? That's the crazy part, Sean. It wasn't that old. That's the but but even though it was still 75, it wasn't like he was 25. But 75 is not old anymore. It's not old, you're right. I'm not disputing that, but it wasn't like you know, he wasn't you know in his 20s, right? My my feeling is is that you never thought I know you never thought he wasn't gonna be here. That's the part that's killing me. That's the part that's broken me up inside. And I'll tell you, I got choked up. I even I don't know if you saw the live that I did. I I actually had to like end the show because I was getting thinking about like my my my you know my childhood and then you know moving forward and and to where where we're going with this team, it's just another, it's just another bad thing that has happened with this franchise. Like I can't take anymore. I I just can't. It's just well, what else? I mean now they took the the only security comforting thing that I had that I that I knew if I when I read this guy's article, I was gonna maybe kind of understand what the plan is, like what's gonna happen, like what's going on. Like, you know, he had some kind of insight. We have nothing. Now we are completely in the dark. Correct. That's the that's the other part of this. We are completely in the dark. There is nothing that we know we'll know nothing ever again, nothing, zero. And that's the other part of this whole equation. You know, the fact that we we lost our security blanket, and and now now moving forward, we're not gonna know anything anymore. We'll know it when it happened. Crazy. But uh no, it was uh it was definitely a tough day. And to just see the outpouring was was really, really special. And I and I listened to everything, I read everything. There was just so much. I thought it would be I thought it would be a 15 to 20 second. I thought it would get 15 to 20 seconds on NHL radio. Gary Bettman. I tuned into NHL radio that morning. Like I already knew what happened, right? Right. Oh, so you so oh tell me what this because I didn't I you didn't tell me this. So what what happened with that? With the so I turned on NHL radio just to be like, oh, I wonder if they're gonna even mention it. And they did an hour. Really? Or Gord Stellick. Scott Lochlin? Yeah, Scott Lochlin. They had guests on talking about him, and it's like it really can you rewind back and listen to that episode on the app? Yeah, okay. I might go back and listen. I don't know how long it goes back, but it does have replays. I might go back and look at that because what what day would that have been? Last uh whatever day he died. Friday, Thursday, Friday last week, Thursday last week? Anyway, it doesn't matter. Yeah. Um, but yeah, it was like it was I couldn't, I could not, I thought it was a local, a local story. I I knew he was big. Do you remember? Did you ever read the hockey news when you were when you were younger? Yeah, okay. You remember they had like the power ranking? Yes, in the hockey Larry Brooks was in that every year. Power most powerful people in hockey. Oh no, not that. I thought you meant power ranking. They had a power ranking of like uh executives and executives, people in the and Larry Brooks was in that power ranking every single I didn't pay attention to anything that had to do with the writers or the media or anything like that growing up at all. Like not even I am very big. Like I would have loved love to be an insider. I would love that. I I like the I like the trading aspect of the of the sport. I like the the player movement part. Yeah, I'm very interested in that. I just it it just it's just something that intrigues me, and I'm I'm just uh it's an obsession. I don't know how to explain it. I I can tell your range of trades going back to probably the mid 80s. That's definitely a different thing about us because you you you want everyone gone and new people you want. I think it gives you hope every time that someone new comes in. That's what it is. I get that that's the problem isn't fucked you yet. I well, I I get it, it's if I feel like when you bring in a new player, it's a breath of fresh air. It's it gives people, it gives everyone a new sense of hope. When you keep bringing the same guys back hoping for a different result, I I don't feel that same sense of security. I and I'm sorry, I you keep telling me, oh, he's gonna get better. This guy's gonna get better, this is gonna get better. Well, how often does that really happen? Like, how often do you keep bringing it back? It takes it takes years. Oh my god. With the set built around the same cast. Okay, built around 32, 33, 34-year-old players. No, usually you win it by 27, 28, and this team didn't. But they're locked in, so you're locked in. Um, I can't, I just can't deal with it anymore.

SPEAKER_02: 1:33:17

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01: 1:33:18

Um yeah. What are you? What's what's I know I am. What do you what are you gonna uh what do you what are you hearing about? You were telling me something about people are complaining about Dave Maloney and and Kenny Albert? Like that is that a thing? One of our close friends of the show, Mike Ian Houston. No, I've heard I've heard I no, I it wasn't even about him. I I've heard from a lot of people, not even him. Listen, people I listen. You have the you have the the the Gen Z. Why the hell would they want two two old men on there that they don't that they think that they're not nostalgic about or know anything? Well, I don't think Dave is long for he's I don't think he's doing 10 years. Probably he's 73 years old. I mean 70. Is he 70? Only 70 70. Oh well, maybe he'll do five. I mean, how old was Nicoletti when he retired? I mean But I'm thinking the problem with the problem with Dave, and and I told you this with me, and we'll end with this. I know I'm gonna get into detail with this again, but he's making it well, he made an excuse, and I'm trying to remember exactly what we had we talked about this. What would what was it that we we talked about as far as the two that the Rangers took two two penalties? The two penalties back to back. I'm like, Dave, come on, man. You played in the NHL. Yeah, because he understands momentum swings because he played in the NHL. So two penalties back to back, the game's over. It's not over, but it's hard, but it's it takes it it takes something else to get you back on track. So the team is the ice is tilted. When you when you're on when you're short handed for four straight minutes, the ice is tilted, and it's hard to get momentum back. Obviously, he knows that from playing in the league for a day. I guess, I guess, Sean. I guess maybe I just don't I don't look at it from that perspective, and maybe he's no, he probably he definitely knows more than I do. But my feeling is if you take two back-to-back penalties and you can't overcome it, it's the first fucking period, and you can't overcome two back-to-back penalties in the first period, then don't play the game and forfeit the last two periods. That's not then forfeit the last two periods, because obviously, if that's all that takes for you to lose the game, then don't play. I'm being facetious. I know, I'm sorry. I just I just I can't wrap my head around okay, we took two penalties and now the game's over. It's not that the game is over, they never got the momentum back. It's not that the game was over. Well, I mean, the game was over in their minds that they lost already lost. It was over in their minds. There's two teams playing the sport, and when one team gets it looked over it, looked over after those two penalties, right? No, you don't you thought they played well the last two periods of that game? I don't remember what game we're talking about. It was the Islander game, wasn't it? I didn't watch the minute of the islander game, so it couldn't have been oh that's right. Oh fuck. No, it's the Carolina game then. Was it because what did I say to you? I told you you're like, I didn't watch one minute of the island game. I told don't bother because it was a copy of the of the game previously. Or was that the game that they that they took the two penalties back to back? That it was one of those two games. It was one of those two games. Well, did you what did you watch the game that that that Carolina? No, I remember that. Watch the game where he said that. You know, my recall sucks, and I remember exactly that. It has to be the Carolina game, then yeah, so it has to be the Carolina game. So um but Kenny's I'm sorry. I I think I think I think that Dave and Kenny are both great together. Me too. I love Dave. I I love me too. I love how he screamed at the referees during the broadcast. So that was I thought that was phenomenal because it's what I wanted to say to them. I think that's the same. And I like the other two guys. I like Starman. I think he drops too many names, though, but that's my personal opinion. I think he drops too many names. I don't like that. That's not my thing. He did an interview and he just kept dropping people's names. Oh, this oh, I went to the living. Oh, someone, oh Will Borough. I'm like, dude, I don't care who you know. Well, he's been everywhere. Fine. I that's just my personal opinion. And again, I that's that's just me. The other guy's very good. I don't like that. Loves a Starman. I know. I listen, he and he's good. He calls in the good game, he's knowledgeable, he knows the sport. I have I have no qualms with him. I like him. I'm gonna say that point blank. I think they call. I have not listened to them on the radio yet. I've not been in the car for a game, so I don't know what they sound like on the radio side, but on from on on the on the um TV side, both of them home runs. I have no problems with them. But I like Kenny Albert and I like Dave Maloney. I wish Kenny was around more to kind of build a little chemistry. It kind of feels like I don't like this revolving door of bothering my friend, another friend of mine, too. It's it's annoying. I've got Brian Boyle's in the booth one day. This guy's in the booth, that guy's in the booth. I mean, what are we doing here with the New York fucking Rangers? Bring in a fucking guy that's gonna be here every goddamn game. Dave was sick. So oh, was Dave sick? Yeah, oh, that's what that was? Yeah, oh, I don't know that didn't hear that. Yeah, remember how he asked you what happened to him and you didn't I'm assuming he was sick. Why also did he miss two games? He missed three games. Yeah, it sounds like someone who's sick. Okay. Oh, he's sick and couldn't really talk it. Boosted up a little too hard. I don't think I don't think he's trout wigging. Not that not that Dave can't throw him back with the best of them. I'm sure he can. I'm sure he can with the best of them. I used to joke around when he used to do the um in between the uh in between the benches thing, and he his face was always so red. Oh my god, how was that pregame going? Good news is is that John John Gino's not doing the game, so we're good with that, right? Or bring back Mike. I don't mind Faust. I think Faust is pretty good, but no, he's good, but he's not Kenny Albert, though. He's not Kenny Albert, and that's exactly the truth. I want a guy that has a history with this franchise, not a guy that's had a history somewhere else. Don't take that personal. Who are you talking about? Faust well, Faust and Starman are not we're not New York Rangers. Kenny Albert's not in New York, hasn't been in New York Rangers. He's been done radio here for 20 years. Oh, yeah, no, I get that. Faust the kid. I don't I know that, but my point is that I want a guy doing the radio, doing the doing the play by play that could tell me, oh, so and so. This guy, oh, I remember this guy. Oh, yeah, his father played this thing. That's what I want to know. He's from here, like he's he's from Brooklyn. He was born and raised in Brooklyn. Faust, yeah. I know, but I again I'm good with that because once I saw that, once I saw that he's one, I a New Yorker, I was alright. I am an old I want a veteran guy as my as my play by play guy. Well, that's what he's learning. He's he's gonna do radio until Kenny retires. And if Sam and if Sam was you know better, you know, better with certain aspects that you know he kind of slipped a little bit, I would have been fine with him for another 10 years. Yeah, but not not not at the expense of having Joe still on the podcast. No, Joe, yeah, Joe was I was good with losing Sam because Joe went with him. But my my feeling again is, and even with the guy with the start with Starman, I want a New York Ranger as my color commentator. I don't want a boy never played for the Rangers to be my color guy. Did you like did you like Boyle? I thought he was okay. I didn't think he was awful. Better than Joe. It was very vanilla. Well, very vanilla. I hate to break it to you. No, I'm not saying that I'm not saying that they should have Avery going, but at the same time, I I need a little more energy than Boyle brings. Well, I think I think the problem with him is is he's still like he's not that far removed. He's not going to be critical. I just think that's his personality. He's not you know who would you know who wouldn't be bad? And this would piss some people off. Balaket wouldn't be bad. I think Ballaquette has enough energy that he can bring to that. Well, to be fair for Boyle, he's never done it before. But he's not a high-energy guy like that. Have you ever seen him talk with any like oomph? No, not on NHL, not on NHL. And you know what? And and people have mentioned people mentioned Callahan too. He to me, I think he's the same way. That's why he got fired. You could sit there and say, Oh, I want to spend time with my family. Do you remember when Brian Leach was a color guy? You're in headlights. I don't know who was worse. Brian Mullen, I heard was pretty bad too as a colored guy on the radio, too. I heard you had the two worst I've ever seen that you were just like, ah, why? Joe Montana doing football was painful. Oh my god, was it painful? Really? Joe Namath doing football was painful. Um you're a Yankee fan. Sieaver wasn't good at it. No one had the heart to ever tell him because he's Tom Fucking Siever, but Siever wasn't good at wasn't a good color guy. It's um it's a skill. Yeah, it is a skill. You and I are very spoiled because we we were at we were there for Sam and J D in their heyday. Correct. And to me, there is good until I'm proven incorrectly, they're gonna be the best duo that we may ever see in our lifetime. Yeah, well, I don't think we'll ever see a duo as good as good as them. But right, so think of the personality JD brought to the broadcast. Oh, baby, but just personality, energy, energy and and his and his knowledge and his knowledge, he knew stuff, but that was going around in the league, right? Like he had insight. He cared. He the Rangers gave up a goal, he felt it. He felt that goal going the same way we all did. Right. Joe didn't care because he what didn't wear his wasn't a ranger. We 100% agree on that. And you see that. That's why, and that's why I said to you, Starman, as as good as he is, he is never going to be the way he way a ranger player is gonna be in in the booth. But you need a ranger player who has who brings right, and I don't know who that is. I don't I don't know who that is. Like I said, Balaket does. He does, he has it energy. I don't know if he wants that responsibility. I think that's maybe. I don't know. Weeks weeks has that energy. I think weeks is national at this point. I don't think that he would I don't think he would do that. I don't think he would want to do the travel. He's he's got a kid on the way right now, yeah. So I'm sure he's comfy in his little C caucus uh studio that he is still working in. So I'm over there in Sea Caucus, yeah. What about Mike Rupp? No personality, yeah. Meanwhile, all these guys on the NHL network, but they're just they just talk broadcasting and talk, you know, round table talking are too much. Think about all the guys that are there, Devin Dubnik and Jason de Murs and Corey Schneider, all Jason DeMurs is fucking good. They're all really good. He's funny, though. He is funny. That's what I'm saying. He's but he's but he's not, but he's not Kevin BX very hilarious. He's very he's very vanilla, though. Who? All of them, all of those guys, yeah. No, definitely not. His great storyteller. You know who you want, you want an ex-ranger who would be perfect to do that. I don't think he would do it. Is uh uh the fuck's the guy's name, Boston guy, Richard Yandel, Keith Yandel. Oh, yeah, would be great. He can talk about the year and a half he played for the Rangers. The year and a half I played for the Rangers. Want to a documentary? How about Rick Nash is a color guy? That's that's more that's that's more uh what's more milk? Call them all those guys. Kevin BX is fucking he's a great, he's a great player, yes. Yeah, Tony D'Angelo, uh not Tony D'Angelo, um Michael Delzado would be great if he ever wanted to do it. I can't see him wanting to be on his tan. He's he gets his own color in the in the in Florida, and that's the thing. How many former players that made millions in their career are ever gonna want to do this? Yeah, it's true. I think the day of of the old school, I think those days are gone. I think I don't think we're ever gonna have it. I think we're just gonna have to just deal with guys, these these guys that are that are good broadcasters who never played the sport, who didn't play for the team. They're gonna come in here, and that's who that's gonna be that's what it's gonna be. That's gonna be the new wave. Because these guys have made too much money in their in their own. Well, the devils have Bryce Salvador in waiting. So when Danico's done, it'll be Bryce Salvador that takes over. The Islanders now have um Thomas Hickey. Thomas Hickey. So they're grooming their next guys. So the Rangers kind of need to get that. And I I don't think Boyle's it. I like Boyle. I like Boyle too. But I'd rather sit like Boyle to me is a good studio guy. Same with Hank. Hank's a good studio guy. I don't think Hank would be good in the booth. I don't see that being a strength of his. I just think you need somebody that well, I mean, are any of these guys really critical? Any other things? It's not just someone who's got to be critical. I first of all, I want to I want a homer in there. People sit there and oh, Dave is such a homer. Good. I hate boys. I'm sick of having a I'm sick of having a national guy in the booth like we had with Joe. Yeah, Joe's a good Joe is a good national broadcast analyst. Very good, very, very good. You hear him do the national games, and it's like that's Joe, and it sounds great. Yeah, he was never a homer. I want a homer. So Dave is a homer, great. Continue that for the next 40 years I'm on this earth. I agree. Um but it's gotta be someone with energy. It doesn't, I don't care that it's someone who's gonna rip the team apart. I need someone who gives a shit, who who played for this team, who's gonna feel pain when I feel pain, who's gonna be ecstatic when I'm ecstatic, and has knowledge. Those are the three things that I that I need. That's Dave. It is Dave. So just right now, right now, right now it's Dave. Because Dave cares, he wants his team to win. He's a homer. Um, he's critical of the refereeing for sure. Oh my god, that was amazing. Um, can you stop with the with the this and just get the play right? I know I know that was amazing. He's gonna get in trouble. Who is he talking? Well, it was uh what's his name? Sutherland. The referee. Sutherland. Can you stop it? Because he kept getting he's because he keeps giving a long explanation to all the benches. He feels he's gotta call right. Stop talking about it. Just I love it. I love it. I gotta get that sound bite and put that on the show. You gotta find that. You gotta find that. That was so good. So what do you uh what do you think now? It took 15 games for uh Radio Dave to make its way to TV. Well, I think they told him to calm down a little bit, but I think I think that's the only way it's it's gotta be that way. That's the only way he's gonna be be successful doing this. And if they're gonna tone him back. Why? Why how does that benefit? It's TV, it's entertainment. I know, I agree with you. He doesn't kill the team, him killing the referees. It's great for everybody involved. Yeah. So do you think Dolan cares about that? I don't know. I don't know. I don't think he's gonna want them. I don't think he's gonna want anybody working there that's gonna destroy the team every single day. But I don't think he gives a shit about that. Uh Sean, Sean, Sean. You talked about Mika, so you might want to listen to the beginning of the show. Yeah. I had some not nice things to say about him, Sean. So you'll like that part. I want to get the uh the lube and some and some tissues out. The crazy part about it is he still has seven goals and is leading this team, which is mind-boggling to me, but um you'll you'll like you'll like some of our comments about it. Um where do you so what do we got here? So we got we got we got Colorado, then we got we got a pretty tough stretch here. We got Utah, then the St. Louis Blues. Maybe that maybe that St. Louis Blues game will be the one that we turned the season around. Because wasn't that the game that we turned the season around last time? When Truber threw the helmet? Was that against St. Louis? That was Chicago. But then they beat, didn't they weren't didn't they come back and beat St. Louis the next game? Oh, and that kind of like got the ball rolling. I think Patrick Nemeth scored a goal. But um boy, yeah. Uh the league, out of the league by 34. 32, 30, 32 or 34, something like that. But yeah, it's it's um it's a very daunting schedule. Tough stretch, pretty much they play Ottawa. Up till Christmas. Wow. Up till up till December. Up till we go to the game, the Chris Crider night.

unknown: 1:50:27

Wow.

SPEAKER_01: 1:50:27

So here's the here's the schedule going forward. Avalanche, Utah Loss. At home against St. Louis. Maybe they'll win that one. Go that's what I'm saying. So you're West Coast, West Coast, home. Oh, and they never win the night before Thanksgiving. That you know, that's an automatic loss. They shouldn't even play that game. The night before Thanksgiving? The night before Thanksgiving, they never win that game. The Friday game they always win. Um the Black Friday game they win every year. They do really well. They play Boston and then they play Tampa, right? Then they go to Tampa. Oh, uh they host Tampa, host Dallas, go to Ottawa, host Colorado, host Vegas, go to Chicago. All these one-off road games or one-off home games, non-consecutive, is fucking annoying. Um, so they go to Chicago, they come back home for Montreal and Anaheim, and then you're hosting Vancouver, you go to St. Louis, you're hosting, you fly all the way out to St. Louis, play one game, come back home to play the Flyers, go back out to Nashville, then to DC, and then back home. Play the Flyers again. Uh for the Islanders, and then back to Carolina, back to Washington. I feel like uh Chris Farley talking about uh Mr. Sharp's uh limousine for what what movie in uh not time um Waynesworld He's gonna come back through Wisconsin and we go through Chicago seems like a lot of information to have at the time. Yeah. Too funny. I don't know, man. This is gonna be this might make this might make or break their season here. These next these next weeks. But again, none of these teams, there's no there's there is no dominant team in the NHL. Parody is that it's all-time high. It's an overtime league. The the the number of games that go to overtime now are mind-blowing. You get a 10-game, you get a 10-game ticket on it on a given day, at least four of them are going overtime. So almost half the games are going overtime. It's nuts. So I'm now wondering how this is gonna now work, you know, with the trade deadline. I mean, if all these teams are still in it, yeah. I mean, I mean, when when will the separation begin? The separation there's gonna be teams that make that make decisions knowing the value that they can get back for a guy because the mark, I think the mark it's going to be a seller's market. So many teams are gonna be looking to get that to get. And you know the crazy part about it is even if the rangers don't, even if the rangers don't make the playoffs, they have nobody to sell. That's not true. Who teams would line up for Trojak. Line up for but are you trading him or are you just gonna try are you that means you're throwing in the white flag? You said if they're not the playoffs. Well, I'm just saying, are you are you so are you not you're not trying to win now for how long, though? That has advantage of Adam Miller. I'm not trying to trade him. I'm you you're you're posing me. Um no, but it's all right. Is someone giving back okay, let me rephrase the question a top prospect of a first-round pick? Am I getting am I let me ask you a question? Am I getting back what the islanders got for Brock Nelson last year? And the Rangers are out of the playoffs. I'm saying the Rangers are out of the playoffs. Is Cal Richie how's he doing? Is he that good? They just brought him up. I know, but I mean he is that good, yes. He is that good? Okay. I think a first round page. Yeah, they got Richie and a first. But Brock Nelson was younger than Trotchik, wasn't he? No. Nelson's 33, 34. Oh, is he that old? Yeah. And he looks much older, so that's got to count for something. I always thought he looked kind of young. Um white hair. I always thought Brock Nelson and Mason Marchmont, if they were clear both clean shaven, they look they look like the same person. Um would I do it? I would do it, but you don't like George. I'm softening on him. I I don't like him as our second line center. That's my problem with him. I don't care if he's a third-line center, I'm fine with that. I don't like him as the guy that was going to be the savior to replace Ryan Strome, and that's the only move you make in an offseason on a team that just went to the Eastern Conference Finals, and you make one move and he's the one move. That to me, that wasn't a needle mover. That's just my personal opinion. That's just what the cap was, and right, they don't like trades, so it is what it is, right? So again, we're not going back to way the way things were, but I don't think here's the thing. If you're trading Trochek, then you're also trading Panarin. Oh, that's a different story. Like, I don't I don't think I think you're trading him before you trade Trochek, but I but again, I don't think you're getting a lot for Panarin. You're getting a first, you're probably getting pick his destination. Well, what Panarin says, I'm only gonna play for this team. You're still gonna probably get a first. Now it's not gonna be a high first because it's probably gonna be a team that's you know a true contender that's gonna want him. Right. I can see Toronto being that team to get Panarin to try and replace what Marner had gave them. Who knows? Not that I'm thinking about that because I still think this team's making the playoffs, and I don't think they're gonna trade him. I don't know that they sign him, but I don't think they trade him. I don't I don't think Drury's scared of losing him. I think it's 50-50. But I don't think I don't think that Drury is no, I don't think Drury is scared of losing immediately. This is John Tavares leaving the Islanders and which is scary to me if he doesn't have a plan. Like, what is your plan if he leaves? Is your plan to just have Perot slide it to that spot? If that's your plan, oh man, oh man. But there's no there are no UFAs to replace him with. Well, and like and like you said, you're better than nobody's trading anybody. So unless his plan is they're not winning a championship. He's got two first-round picks to dangle if he wants somebody. So it's the assets are there for him to make a move. Somebody's always available. Somebody's always available. This is unprecedented. Have every single team was just given$10 million in tests. I know, but you also have team you also have teams that are gonna that are gonna lose, that are gonna want to shake things up, that aren't that aren't the rages and want to keep running the fucking same team back every goddamn season, that actually want to move players and not keep the same guys and expect different results when you've just seen the same, the same team team do the same thing for five fucking same, say five fucking years. Same thing. So you got teams that actually want to improve and not just keep turning the wheel over over and over again. But like you said, you it's it is unprecedented. Like I said, we'll see. I I think it's 50-50. I think it's 50-50 um that uh that they make the playoffs. Especially that you said the parody, I think it's gonna be a very contingent on uh uh them getting the ability to get timely goals. And if they can't get timely goals, if this goal scoring thing keeps going into deeper and deeper and deeper, I I I just don't see them so the here again, and I've said this going like since you've known me, I always say goaltending and special teams wins in the playoffs. This team five on five has actually been good. They're not scoring a lot, but they give up. There are games we give up no five on five goals. They gave up two power play goals last night, correct? Yes, the the penalty the the PK has been bad. I have a lot of confidence the PK will fix itself because during the last five years, and a lot of it's the same personnel, and the start of the season as well, yeah, they were excellent. So I'm confident the PK will figure itself out. I do agree with that. The goaltending has been great this year, but the team structured defense has been excellent. If this team find gets enough offense to get itself into the playoffs with the style of hockey that we play, we are poised to make a run. And that is when when Sullivan took this job, this is this is the style of hockey they knew they needed to play. Because you you you say about running it back, they're running it back with the same people in a sense in the top six, but not the same offense. They're not playing the same way. So five on five, we've been we've been very good. Look at the plus-minuses for a lot of i which is mind blowing to me that Saban Jazz is minus nine again. Mind blowing. I'm curious how many of those are empty netters and stuff like that because they're on yeah. I mean, he's on for every single empty netter. That's true. They've given up what five? Well, well, let's look at it then this way. Um, how many how what's what's Miller's plus minus? They play together almost every game. Yeah, but he would also be the same. That's what I'm saying. What's what's his? I think it's probably a negative. That probably most of the team's a negative. They don't score. But they don't give anything up. So I'll give They're still losing games. They're still losing, you know. I mean Panera's a minus one. Sabanajad's a minus nine. Miller's a minus three. Cooley's a minus three. Lafonier is a minus four. Gavrakov is a plus five. Lava's a plus five. Trochek's a plus four. Radish and Carrick are plus twos.

SPEAKER_02: 2:00:22

Wow.

SPEAKER_01: 2:00:24

Oregon's plus five. Why is Mika? Everybody else is up. That's that's pretty pretty Mika's the outlier. He's a minus nine. Is he is he just is he getting stuck out there? I mean, I don't I don't know. I mean, that's that's really strange. That one guy's so much more than than everybody else. Usually you would have a group of guys that would be in that in that realm. I don't know, man. Like I said, I like Mika. I'm I and I don't want this to come off as me. This is like a personal shot at him. And and no disrespect to Sean. I know Sean hates him. I I don't hate him the way Sean does. Right. Not you, Sean, our other friends, Sean. Yeah, I know what you're talking about. Um I just feel saying to deport him. You don't want him deported out of the country. I like I like I've met him. He's a nice guy, he's very cerebral. Um, I just don't think he has what this team needs to win a championship. He not as the main guy. Now, could he be down the road? I mean, as he gets older, I mean, can he be a third-line player when the as the cap rises and you bring in other guys to kind of give him a diminished role? But is he gonna sit here and pout that he's not playing more? I mean, we that's happened. I mean, he's critic he criticized La Bellette last year for decreased ice time. So again, I don't know. We're we're we're gonna see. I I I it'll come to a head. So many holes. They just they just need so many holes. Sullivan praised him. Sullivan praised him yesterday. Sullivan praised him yesterday. What'd he say? He said, because JT Miller was obviously very after the game last night, was very critical of himself. Because it was that it was someone asked him, you know, 10 points. You you expect more off, you know. What's what's going on? But no one answers him. JT, are are you dealing with something? Are you injured? Is it no one will ever say anything? And they know that because no players ever gonna admit they're hurt. Okay, you're not gonna admit that you're hurt, but you don't see the guy's face, whether he's lying or not. If he admitted he was hurt, you would call him a pussy right to his face. You would think so low. You you would pull you would pull a pull Leotardo and say, My my opinion of Josh Sacramony plummeted. I cry like a woman. But that's if he's that weak. If he's that weak, what else could they make him do? What else can they make him do exactly? But that's a great, that's a great but that's but that's exactly how you would feel if he ever said, Oh, you know, I'm I'm really battling through it right now. But this is how this is how you get around that. So, JT, uh, you're dealing with something and his answer. Yeah, no, but no, I'm okay, I'm 100%. If he looks down, or you can tell by his body language whether he's lying to you or not, unless he looks you flat in the eye and says, I'm 100% healthy. I don't know if it's been asked or if it hasn't, but bottom line was he took ownership of the fact that he only has 10 points and said, you know, I know what he goes, I don't judge myself. He goes, I don't judge myself based off of points, but when I'm going, I'm also producing. To be fair, if everyone wants to criticize him, he's won three games for this team. Yes, shootout win, overtime winner, and the pass to Cooley in overtime. Yes, correct. So he's won this team three games. Correct. So granted, he hasn't put up big numbers, but we have three big point, big reasons that three wins that have been contributed to him where the pressure was on him to make a play. Correct. So that's why I kind of reserve a little bit of, you know, I give him, you know, I think they have nine wins, ten wins. He's responsible for a third of them. Yeah. So he so he flat out said, you know, I gotta be better essentially. I have to produce the whole team needs to be better, but he's taking it on him. Well, let me ask you question how many points does Panarin have? They played 21 games, he's got 19 points. God, he still figures out a way to get be a point-in-game player. He's had two four-point games, right? So he gets it, he's but the great players feast on bad teams. Um, so anyway, so Sullivan was asked afterwards, you know, about JT, and he said it about JT and Mika, saying that the two of them do so, you know, their games where I play them as the matchup guys, and this game is listen, he goes, if I want to, and we can discuss it at another time, if I'm gonna take them away from that role and let them get more offense. So, right now, and again, when I'm watching the game, I'm watching a game. I'm not sitting there picking there. Some people who watch a game like Rich Martino sit there, and he'll study who everyone's lined up against. He's going down you know, he knows every every nook and cranny of what he's watching. I'm watching it entertainment-wise, and oh, I see that, or oh, I see that. I'm not sitting there studying, hey, there's you know what they're sending Mika and Miller out against this line every time. I did know you did note, but you did notice that they were sending out Kutraff to play against Perot Tampa, right? You didn't no, I don't, I don't, I don't, I don't look at it that way. They did, yeah. Every time every and how many times he busted the zone. I guess they were pinned in the zone, and I've noticed that because well, to be fair to Perot, I mean I'm I'm watching it as as a as a fan, but I want the kid to succeed. I mean, it was a great pick, and and I I think it was the right pick at that moment, and I think he's I think he's gonna play be a player in the on in the league. So I'm watching him, it's like can this kid keep up? Because this isn't Nashville, right? He played very well against Nashville, and we saw we again we saw Offman play very well in his first game against the Blackhawks, and very similar to Perot, the it went downhill as the competition got better. So I said, I'm I'm I'm not comparing the two. It's not I'm not I'm just saying we just saw Ottman come up and play a bad go up against a bad Chicago team, just like we saw Opman come up and play against a bad Nashville team. So I was curious, like, how's this kid gonna play against, you know, and they matched him up a lot. It was a lot against Kutraff, a lot against point, and he struggled, and they got pinned in the zone multiple times, and it wasn't just his fault, I'm not just blaming him, but they tried to exploit a 20, was he 22, 21? Was he 20, 21? How old is he? 20. 20. Yeah, I don't think he's 21. A guy that's played in six NHL games with two of the best players in the game. You know, and and we talked about this, and and you, and I'll tell you, I gotta be I gotta be honest with you. I was you pulled Mark Savard, was a very good pull for you for the for the Rangers all-time greatest forward draft pick. But you think that they would one time hit on a Kucharov, a point, you know, that type of guy in the second, third, fourth round of Datsuka, Zedaburg. Some one time you think they've hit on something like that, right? That's what we're hoping. We're hoping that Lava is a hit, maybe not to that extent, but that lava's a hit, right? Hoping. I mean, Bucnevich was a nice pick for third round. I mean, Duclair wind up having a nice career, but they're not that guy. And it's funny, did you see this? I heard they want to, I heard the blues want to run Bucnevic out of town, the blues fans. Yeah, did you hear about that? No, I saw something like that on Twitter that someone had gone. I'm not interested in that contract, I'll tell you that much. But I'm just saying, I'm like, so every if everywhere's like that, so it is what it is. Everywhere but we just did over two hours. Uh on my throat is I'm I'm done. All right, dude. All right, so uh three and oh next week. Three and oh, I'm saying one and two. There you go. Guys, we will talk to you probably either Tuesday or Thursday. Oh, Thursday's Thanksgiving, so we won't do that. Maybe we'll try and do something maybe Tuesday if you're good. I don't think I have hockey Tuesday, so no, Tuesday's good. All right, so we'll try for Tuesday, guys. To end R R I P Larry Brooks. Yes, pour one out later.