Clearing The Crease Podcast
Hockey’s best podcast featuring Mike Commodore Andrew Raycroft and hosted by James Cybulski.
Clearing The Crease Podcast
Commie GOES OFF on the Leafs w/ HockeyIlluminati - CTC 71
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
We talk referees, the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Buffalo Sabres, and more on this episode of the Clearing the Crease Podcast!
You guys are talking about no trades a moment ago. If I had to pick one thing that destroyed this era of leaf hockey, it would be no trades, no trade clauses. Yeah. Okay. And like Kyle Dubas gave David Kemp uh uh a limited no-move clause. Like every single player on the Leafs, OEL, Riley, Neilander, and obviously Matthews goes on and on. And I agree with what you said, Tommy. Like, there's only a handful of guys in the world that deserve full no move.
SPEAKER_07Clearing the crease.
SPEAKER_06You know affectionately as Tommy. I'm Sabalski. We got a lot to get into this week. Just a quick reminder: if you're enjoying the show and the content that we bring you between the podcast, the add-ons through social, be sure to mash that like button or subscribe. Leave us a five-star review on Apple or Spotify. Make sure you are following along, whether you're subscribed to YouTube or following along on Instagram and TikTok or where else, wherever else you are tuning in from. We were just talking about like people repackaging our content now. Like we're popping up everywhere, Razor. Like we're kind of we're starting to go viral, man. We're starting to blow up here.
SPEAKER_03We are, we are, and that's thanks to everybody out there. And imitation is the the best form of flattery, right? So go ahead and steal our shit. Just give us a little bit of credit and hit the like button, I guess.
SPEAKER_06Now, the one thing that people cannot replace or imitate is the one secret weapon. The big red-headed monster, Kami. Kami, like if every effort, every week, there's somebody who stops me somewhere on the street and a hockey arena that just wants to relate to a story that you share more recently, a few days ago. I run into a hockey parent who tells me he was in Russia when you were there for the World Hockey Championship and talking about the Cosmo Hotel. And he said, everything comes.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, you know what? I'm glad you guys ran into each other. And you mentioned it before we started recording. Once you said that, I literally do remember meeting some people there that were there for like, I don't know, it was like Ringette or like a different hockey tournament. And they were like, oh, the world championships are on. And I remember meeting him in the hotel and looking at him and being like, what the hell are you doing at the Hotel Cosmo? As we're it's three o'clock in the afternoon and the food's terrible, and there's a behind us and a karaoke strip joint bar, and they're with their wives. They're like, We didn't know. I go, you know what? Fair enough. Fair enough. I'm like, you guys should find a different hotel, though. But uh yes, no, that it is funny because it popped into my mind. I do remember meeting some people, and it just worked out great. They're like, Well, this is awesome. We can come to some games, and you know, it's not like the the games were very well attended, but wasn't like it was, you know, this wasn't the gold medal game at US Canada. So you could, you know, you could get some tickets for for just a couple rubles, I'm sure. So it uh it worked out well, I'm sure, for him.
SPEAKER_06Nevertheless, no, everything he was uh he couldn't stop about just the experience, and he was like, Commie painted that picture magnificently.
SPEAKER_02So everything you said, probably about brought back some great memories for him, probably just just finally forgot. Him and his wife just finally forgot about the hotel.
SPEAKER_06I think he just paid off the divorce, and now he's on his old lady.
SPEAKER_03Sorry, I just got out from underneath that story, and now we gotta relive it again.
SPEAKER_06Bringing that back. Come on, thanks for nothing. Um, hey, look, we got a lot we want to get to. The dust is settled on the NHL trade deadline. A lot to kind of digest on that. But hey, we we should hit the priorities, the fact that we continue to win. We continue to win on Saturday nights. That's back-to-back weeks that you got paid if you've been listening to us on our Clearing the Crease Saturday night special. We hit again this past Saturday, so why not go three for three? The triple threat. Here we go. Who wants to get you know what, Collie? You pulled the rabbit out of the hat. You were the shock and awe that had the big odds paying off. Both Razor and I were like, wow, but you called the Calgary Flames to knock off in the commie bowl the flames over the canes. So why don't you start the good times off for his sure?
SPEAKER_02You know what I had a feeling. You know, after the trade deadline, uh, Craig Connor will get into it later. Craig did a nice job. You know what? It's time to lose some games. The flames will start winning. So I gambled on them and sure enough, they pulled it off. Uh, this week, I am gonna go with, you know, usually I think anybody who's paid attention, we kind of focus a little bit, you know, every at least at least one game of the three. You know, we always kind of look at back-to-backs and if there's travel and whatnot. Uh, I'm gonna stick with that, but I'm gonna reverse it up. The Kings are playing the Islanders on Friday, and then they're playing the Devils on Saturday night. I don't care how that Friday night game goes, but the well, the Kings do. The Kings need to win. The Kings need some points. The Islanders do too. Somebody who doesn't really need points, and especially a few days from now, is the New Jersey Devils. They're cooked. So I'm gonna take the LA Kings to go into Newark and pound the Devils.
SPEAKER_03I like it. I like it. I'm taking I'm taking some serious chalk here, and I'm gonna just lean as hard as I possibly can into the Vegas Golden Knights, destroying the Chicago Blackhawks. Basically for the same reason. Um, Vegas hasn't come out of the break. Great, they didn't do anything. We're gonna get to the deadline. They might be in my talk about what teams did and didn't do. Vegas didn't do anything. They're struggling, they're under 500 in their last 10, but I think that they turn it around against the Blackhawks. The perfect remedy on a Saturday night Vegas over the Blackhawks.
SPEAKER_06Oh, all right. So there we go, leaning back. You know what? Vegas has treated you well this week this season, Razors. So I feel like that's not a bad well. My Saturday night, you know what? I'm gonna keep the good times going. I'm gonna run it back with what worked for me last week. They have been scorching hot. They are flirting right now with the best record in the Eastern Conference. Oh, yeah. Are we getting to a point? And I actually, you know what? I'm gonna hold that question, but I'm just gonna say this the Buffalo Sabres taking care of business against the Toronto Maple Leafs. And speaking of the Leaves, we're gonna talk to Frank, the Illuminati, coming up in a little bit. But give me the Sabres to take care of the Leafs on Saturday night. So there's your triple threat action. Vegas, we've got the Sabres and Kami the LA Kings.
SPEAKER_02Yes. Yes, I love that Sabres pick too. They're gonna pound a leaf. I'd I'd put my rented condo on it. At least the Sabres are gonna waltz in there and steamroll them.
SPEAKER_06Does no, does Ken Holland get like a royalty on this if you come through?
SPEAKER_02I'm not giving any more money to Ken Holland, I'll tell you that. No, and doesn't get any more cash from me.
SPEAKER_06Okay, uh let's let let's let's dive in. The dust has settled. It's been a few days since the NHL trade deadline went down. Um, and I want to what stood out for you guys? Razor, uh winner, loser, what was sort of your big takeaway from a deadline that felt a little underwhelming with moves? I mean, there were obviously some trades that kind of oh wow, okay, but what what stood out for you?
SPEAKER_03Yeah, it was really underwhelming. I had I worked it um for a couple hours here in Boston. Bruins did nothing, zero. There was two kids that got traded from Providence, the Lehigh Valley. What a fuck trying to put lipstick on that pig, as Biz was talking about the other day. Um that was brutal. Um, so it was underwhelming. I would say the two teams that I was really thought that they would have to make a splash or do something is is Vegas. Uh I was, you know, they they're they've been inevitable to do it. They got Raspis Anderson early, but again, they've been struggling. Now something's not right there. Something's just not right. And I thought they'd try and make a deal to make it better. They didn't. And then Carolina. Carolina's the best team in the East, arguably. They're right there with Tampa. There doesn't seem to be a lot in the metro. There doesn't seem to be a lot in the Eastern Conference like that they that they could get up against, and they didn't make a deal. They could have got a just a big winger, somebody put on the second or third line, a little more size, maybe not as quick as the pace that they want to play, but just have something there, some meat there for the second or third round. And the fact they didn't do it um has got to be disappointing to some of the guys there, just because it feels like they they should be one of the favorites, and and that hurts. So the lack of trades and then the lack of outing from those two teams was was the big disappointment for me.
SPEAKER_06Come on, where do you want to go?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, you know what? I'll go. Uh yeah, I agree with the canes. Uh what you guys just said there. Apparently, the analytics must not add it up. They could they not time to do it. The computer didn't spit it out. Nope, didn't spit out the right result, apparently. They're gonna try going small. What's chat GPT telling us?
SPEAKER_03Jeez, it's scary.
SPEAKER_02Uh, you know what? I'll stick with uh the parts of uh parts of the country that I know a little bit. Uh good for the Calgary Flames. We've been saying it all year. Yeah, um, hey, it's time to uh we I've talked about it, we've all talked about it. Hey, this ain't the year. It's time to reload. It's time to now you have to get some luck, obviously, in the draft too, but it's time to kind of go hopefully a la sharks a little bit, how they've been going so far the last couple years and get things rolling for that new arena in two, three years, whenever that is. So uh yeah, they got rid of Uyghur, got rid of Cadry, got some picks and a couple of players or whatever, but it's good. Get those guys, and it's good for those guys too. You know, Codry back to Colorado. Uyghurs got a new, you know. Uh if I'm Uyghur, I'm excited. Go out to Utah and see how that goes. So um I'll go with that for Calgary. Um, disappointed. I mean, I wasn't so much disappointed. I think we're gonna get into it, Seabell, and I don't want to, but I I would I I need some clarification on that blues pareco on exactly what happened there. If you roll into that next.
SPEAKER_06Well, as you know, the news comes out that Colton, there was a deal in place between Buffalo and St. Louis, and it was basically 24 hours that it sat where the hockey world waited for Pareco to say yay or nay, and ultimately exercised his right, uh, which he had that in his contract to have the right of refusal and says no. I think the issue is is how does that story get out? Right? If that's an agreement, that's obviously one side or the other. Now, is that the blues trying to force some pressure to try to make some moves happen? Or is that the Sabres saying, hey, we got something cooking here? Whatever the case, that's a tough situation for Colton Pareco to be in. And I feel and I feel for him, commie. I just think that the bigger picture here is that there's way too many freaking players in the National Hockey League that have no movement clauses. Like, it's one thing to give it to the tippy top elite, but man, there's not enough guys in the league that fans are paying to see that have no movement clauses when you got a third of the league. Like, good for those guys to have them, but come on, man. Like, that's a bigger picture story to me.
SPEAKER_02I'll go first. I couldn't agree more, C Ball. First off, with that Pareco thing. I was driving around whatever day that was, listening to NHL Razor Radio, trying to catch Razor every once in a while. This time I got Nate Thompson. I'm driving around with no destination really in mind, just wandering around here in the desert. Pareco got traded. I'm like, oh man, that's gonna be a good blue line. And I think they had that, well, they weren't sure what was coming back, but they're like, done deal, they're talking about it. I'm like, oh, that's great. And then I didn't really, I didn't, you know, my day goes on or whatever. Next day I turn on NHL radio again, the trade didn't happen. I'm like, oh, he he canceled it. Uh to answer your first question, I would say that I mean, my first guess would be that's the St. Louis Blues leaking her out the back door to put a little heat on Colton. Oh, you want to you might say no? It's gonna be tougher to say no if everybody thinks you're going to Buffalo. He can look forward to getting booed in Buffalo for uh the foreseeable future, unless they win this year, then they won't care. Um, but I I totally agree. We were we were talking about this at the golf course with a couple of hockey guys a few days ago. I'll tell you what, if I'm ever running an N when I start running an NHL team, I'll tell you what, unless your last name is McDavid or McKinnon or Crosby or McCarr, I'll tell you what, you want a no trade clause, I'm chopping your house uh salary in half. Like they hand out, like you just said, everybody gets some kind of well, no trade, no move, limited, no move. It's like, hey, to me, that's you just handcuffing yourself, and I don't I don't get it. I would like to think that if I was ever running a team, which obviously I never will be, but uh those things would be rare.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, well, and they were so rare when we were around, right? Yeah, like the but it the salary cap, right? The salary cap changed it because and especially now the cap's going up, everyone can get more money. But five years ago, when the cap was even or it was going down and you didn't have any money, you had to like incentivize all these deals, right? So that that's what it was. Then these I think that's why the numbers so high right now. I can see a scenario.
SPEAKER_06This is going back 15 years, like even you were still playing, and guys, like almost a third of the league had some rolls.
SPEAKER_03Oh, not that many. No, no, no, no. It's it's it's pretty recent, C Ball. I think it was like 18% in like 2016. I saw a number on it. So again, that's probably still too high to your to your point. But the salary cap hat that you have to incentivize things. That's that's what GM started to use instead of giving the guys an extra million bucks. They're like, hey, you know, you get to pick wherever you want. I don't care. I'll be fired by the next time I try and trade you, anyway, right? That's a good point. That's a lot of guys don't care about that. Um, but when it comes to the leak, it's um see, it's funny because the good news is the the what's interesting is like the good players, right? The the really good players typically like get their back. Preco said F you like that came that leak came out, and he would might have been thinking about doing it, and it was like, no, that leak comes out, I'm not moving, I'm not moving off of this. I'm an Olympian and I can do whatever I want. Mitch Marner last year, right? He did the same thing in Toronto, Carolina, it gets leaked out right away. Nope, not happening. I'm not going down with that. And um, I can imagine being that kind of a player too, where I might have been thinking about going, no problem. But as soon as that leak comes out, I'm assuming it's my team. I assume it's someone around my organization, and then I'm digging my heels in. So um it's it's gonna be fascinating to see how this plays out forward because you just the other thing too, guys, you can't keep anything under wraps now with these stupid phones and the social media, and and Elliot's in on every single deal and the agents. There's nine agents for every player, and these guys are cutting deals with all these reporters and the whole thing, so that's adding to it. But um, I can't imagine a scenario where this is gonna go away to your point, Saval. There's a third of the guys with them, and a third of those third just aren't ever going to turn them down or change them.
SPEAKER_06Let me let me throw this to both of you guys, but does that create a different perspective of how people view now? You you bring up an interesting point, right? Like if you feel like you're disrespected, man, like I've been a good soldier for this organization and you're leaking out a move for me, like, screw you. I get that, but at the same time, if you're sitting there toiling in a a team that is flirting with the potential of winning the draft lottery in one of the worst teams, and you are given a golden opportunity to go chase a Stanley Cup, you got a chance to go win a ring, you got a chance to go jump up to a penthouse suite with Buffalo, right? Like, yeah, and and like honestly, like when we can I want I I do want to ask you guys at some point, like, do we need to start looking at Buffalo as a legitimate Stanley Cup contender? And what a move that would have been that they would have pulled off. But you got a guy who says no, and it says, I mean, you can chalk up, you're 32 years old, it's not like you're 52, right? Like, you know what it's you got a chance to go win a ring and it's uh you know, get a Stanley Cup, and it's like, uh, you know what? I I'd rather I'm I'm good with this situation. I'm I am happy to ride out the last six weeks of the season for a loser. Well, you know, and I want to use that commie emphasis by saying, playing for a loser instead of playing for a winner.
SPEAKER_03There's a few Pereco's already got a cup, number one. He's got he's been on Olympic teams. He doesn't, you know, again, he he deserves the right to pick where he wants to go. And I I think there's lots of guys that don't you only one team's winning the Stanley Cup. They really like it's it's hard to pick anymore, especially with this cap now. So I think you know, if if a guy doesn't want to move, that's his prerogative anytime for me. Um, and and I wouldn't j as a player, I'm not judging Pereco for not going, thinking that he doesn't care about a Stanley Cup. I just you know, he's not going because he wants to stay in so you know, there's a million reasons for him to do that. One being a thousand games and like just stuff like that.
SPEAKER_02Tommy, you got to yeah, yeah, no, I I agree. I mean, I do also I see both sides. Hey, look, I'm imagining that Pereco probably, I mean, these guys do have personal lives. Maybe his wife is saying from St. Louis, kids in St. Louis, he's got things going on there. I get that side of it. He's never been anywhere else. So the thought of getting up and moving, and I would imagine that is a little bit daunting, uh, just in and of itself. But I do also kind of see the side of it too where, you know, I was I wasn't a player like Pereco, but you said I I get that side of it, and I also see like, well, you know what? These guys are leak F these guys. I'm out of here. I'm gonna take my chances. But yeah, I guess at the end of the day, it comes down to the individual. I would like to think if it was me, I and look like this is just me, just from the hockey side, that I that I I think I would go. And I know, hey, I know Buffalo is brand new as far as coming back in the playoffs, and they're playing great. And that game the other night was unbelievable. Oh my god, that lightning game. Yeah, they're playing great. But you know, he has he has term on his deal too. I think Nate Thompson says he's got another three years, so you gotta think about that too.
SPEAKER_03That's not a six-week. That's that's three years since six weeks. That's what that's way different than just your six week stint. Um, but and the only thing would have been better is if it had been turning his no movement clause from the Toronto Maple Leafs. That that would have been, you know, then he's then he's really getting it.
SPEAKER_02Oh, if he said no to the leaf.
SPEAKER_03Yeah.
SPEAKER_06You know, well, on that, on that note, people would have been let's on that note, let's let's bring in our special guest here this week. Let's bring in for the hockey Illuminati himself, the star of our year web series. There he is. Forever repping forever, forever and ever.
SPEAKER_05Always Frank Krupi. Forever and ever. Fellas, it's it's a pleasure to be back. Uh love the pod. Call me. Thanks for combing your hair for me today. Thank you. Yep, yep. I did the same before I was. There you go. You look great.
SPEAKER_02Yes, you look great.
SPEAKER_05Thanks. You look great. You guys all look great. Thank you. I appreciate it. And yes, Leafs Forever. We're standing right in the middle of it. And I don't know if you guys have been to Scotiabank lately, but when you walk in, the shit is literally like up to your knees. Oh, and uh, there's no one coming to clean it out anytime.
SPEAKER_03I was watching the game on Saturday night. There was literally no one in the gold. It was just gold beats everywhere on Saturday night. What a tough month.
SPEAKER_05Yeah. If there's if there's a if there's a plus, it's that tickets are cheaper. And uh, you know, for those sitting in the bleeders, come on. About halfway through the second period, it is it is emptied down there. Let me tell you, I sat in about fifteen thousand dollars worth of different seats in the third period now Saturday night. So there are some positives to this uh ship list. You know what?
SPEAKER_06This all this is like the sort of feeling right now reminds me. I was a reporter covering the leafs at a time. Remember when the when the waffles were starting to get tossed onto the ice, right? When Eric Cole, I remember Arm Dog was still there at the time, and I'm gonna talk to Colby about that afterwards. But yeah, like the paper bags were coming back, like Razor, I think that was a couple years after you. Yeah, it was 0809, somewhere in there. Right around that period. But I mean, well, let me let me throw this at you, Frank. I guess Elliot Friedman talked about this a few days ago um on hockey night in Canada, but it obviously wasn't going to be a tread trade deadline conversation. But this summer, like, what's Austin Matthews' future legitimately look like in Toronto? In your opinion.
SPEAKER_05Yeah. Well, you know what's interesting? We're talking about you guys are talking about no trades a moment ago. If I had to pick one thing that destroyed this era of leaf hockey, it would be no trades, no trade clauses. Yeah. Okay. And like Kyle Dubas gave David Kempf a limited no-move clause. Like every single player on the Leafs, OEL, Riley, Neilander, and obviously Matthews goes on and on. And I agree with what you said, Tommy. Like, there's only a handful of guys in the world that deserve full no moves. And the the fact that Matthews and Neilander both have full no moves, Morgan Raz is a different story. But you know, the the majority of people here in Leafland see the writing is on the wall, and that is that uh you're probably gonna have to totally rebuild this thing and tear it down. And you know, Matthews and Neilander, it's been eight, nine years with them now in Toronto. We more or less know who they are at this point. And what makes this so difficult is we have all these fans and all the people in the Toronto media screaming to trade Matthews, and you know, you gotta move off this guy, you gotta move off this guy, but you can't trade Austin Matthews right now because his value has never been so low.
SPEAKER_03Right?
SPEAKER_05His value's never been so low.
SPEAKER_03And you have to trade him to the place that he's gonna sign the extension.
SPEAKER_05Right, exactly. And not only that, but he's gonna give you, he's gonna say, okay, here are the four teams that I'll go to.
SPEAKER_03Okay, we get a first round pick for him, that's it.
SPEAKER_05Right, right. And and this is the same, we're gonna lump Neilander in. Neilander's a little different because he just signed the eight-year extension, and it's very, very unlikely he will waive, you know, he's he's not bothered by the the ship lizard in Toronto. But um, yeah, like what people don't understand is like A, you're not ever winning uh a trade where you trade a star player, right? B, you lump in the fact that there's only gonna be a handful of teams they'll want to deal with, you're gonna get rinsed. And I just especially if tree living is doing it. So I know it's just if if they moved off on one of these guys, Elite fans would probably sit there and say, Really, this is when this is the return, not worth it.
SPEAKER_02Frank, I got a two-part question for you. First off, since we're just talking about it, Matthews, what do you think those four teams are that he would get that he would pick to get moved to? And the second part of my question, from a scale of one to ten, one being sad, ten being thrilled, where do you think Mitch Marner is on that scale on how the Leafs are doing this year? You feel free to answer in any order you'd like. Go ahead.
SPEAKER_05Oh, Mitchell. You know, okay, we'll get to Mitchell in a second. Okay. Matthews, Matthews, any of the three California teams, right? Anaim, San Jose, LA. Okay. Okay. He's he's that's where he's bound for the for the West Coast, where it's just chill. I mean, I could see him finding a way into Vegas. That would be the leafiest thing ever in a marker team back in Dallas, you know, Dallas?
SPEAKER_03Up in Vegas, those two together.
SPEAKER_05Yeah, you know, like that would be. I'm just thinking about like what the leafiest outcomes possible are, and because that's usually what happens. Um but yeah, somewhere somewhere on the west coast where there's a lot of sun and no media. Um the the one thing about Matthews as well, um, you know, Sebo, he you said, oh, should we move off of him? What are what are fans saying? Uh we're not that far removed from him having 107 points in two games. 70 goals and 69 goals. 69 goals.
SPEAKER_02Wasn't that just like two years ago?
SPEAKER_05Like it was less than right, it was happening two two years ago, right? And uh it's like we we do have amnesia here in Toronto because this is a very much like what are you doing from your right now market? But man, like it wasn't that long ago. He was in the same, he was never at the same level as McDavid or McKinnon, but at one point he was like kind of close a little bit.
SPEAKER_06Hey, hey, hey Frank, just from a West Coast standpoint, we're less than two years removed from Elias Peterson hitting over a hundred points, too.
SPEAKER_05So yeah, there you go.
SPEAKER_06Yeah, a lot goes down in two years, I can tell you.
SPEAKER_05Yeah, hell yeah. I hear you, right? So I think let's see what happens with Matthews next season. He's he's not getting traded in the offseason, neither is Neil under if we go in, if the Leafs are a shit show next year, which it probably will be, um, and Matthews is moving into the final year of his deal, then you sit down, you have a conversation with him, you say, Okay, what are we doing here, man? You sign a long term, you lost the movie. We can't have the Martyr situation happen again. So possibly Paul, I couldn't see a scenario where he's traded at this point next year. I'm sure Martyr, uh, to answer your question, Commodore is swimming laps. He's swimming laps in the Bellagio film.
SPEAKER_02Oh man, I agree with your I agree with that answer. I'm going to Vegas in a couple of days. I'm gonna find him and I'm gonna ask him myself. Yeah. I'll be there Thursday to Saturday. I'm gonna find him, be like, are you enjoying Vegas, Mitch?
SPEAKER_05If you see him, get put him in a headlock and give him a wet willy and say this is from an ocular audio.
SPEAKER_06All right, I will. Is there a by the way, for for all of you guys, is there a GM who's had a tougher run in the in the last what three to five years than man? I like him, but uh tougher luck than than Brad for Living. You know, being he's been putting some tough in the impossible for tough scenarios, but man, like whether trying to move on from Marner last year and obviously getting the rejection on that, but obviously what you know, the still the stink left over from the flames and getting burned on um anyway, the late Johnny Goudreau, and then obviously Kachuk. At least Kachuk was transparent about up front and allowed them to try to make the best of it. But man, like I don't know if there's a GM that has had a worse set of hands dealt to them. Um, I don't know if it's all I I mean, I don't think it's all self-inflicted either, but I mean there's some you can kind of like, man, you gotta read the room properly or whatever. But however the case, it's just been uh Frank.
SPEAKER_03Last one for me. Who's coaching next year for the Toronto Maple Leafs? Does Baruch survive this?
SPEAKER_06Uh what's the alternative?
SPEAKER_05Yeah. Babs? I don't know.
SPEAKER_06Try and try and try and all the people that ask that one more chance. One more chance. Put that out in the universe.
SPEAKER_05Let's see, let's see if we can reconcile with Mike Babcock. It's all part of the process, right? All part of the process. Debore? Oh god. I I I don't I don't know. You know, uh part of me doesn't know what to think of Barube because um he is a good coach, okay? He is a good coach. Like, you don't win a Stanley Cup by a fluke. Yes, he had Biddington that was carrying him on this, you know, that was a big part of that, you know. But we were we loved we loved last year. You know, he he turned he turned this team into division champs, right? But he's he's had some questionable decisions this year. The way that the way that he used Scott Lawton was pissed poor. Okay. We we we acquired Scott Lawton and we utilized him as a fourth line center. There was a reason that um we got ugats for him at the deadline, you know? Uh because he wasn't he wasn't showcased properly throughout the course of the year. He Brube's also turned Matthews into Philip Deneau. Like he's like Matthews is all of a sudden Matthews is all of a sudden uh he's a he's a shutdown center. It's like what happened? Why why is our first line center a shutdown center now? So I I don't I I really don't know. Razor, I have no idea. And I shy of shy of getting uh Dale Hunter to break the contract he signed with Hockey Canada to coach. Like, I I don't know. I don't know what they do in terms of replacements. I haven't thought that much about it.
SPEAKER_03How we got to this point there so fast.
SPEAKER_06Yeah. Well, glad we could talk all this positivity for you here.
SPEAKER_02Uh stay positive, Frankie. You know what I mean? Stay positive. Don't put you down. That's right. That is right. Come on, that's right. There he is.
SPEAKER_05We're about leaving now. I've been here for I've been here for 30 years. Are you gonna leave now? No, we're not gonna be able to do that.
SPEAKER_06There he is, Lee fans. Number one in your heart. He is the hockey Illuminati, Frank Krupi. You can find him on Instagram for all sorts of magic, and he keeps it real. So thanks, Frankie. Thanks, Frankie.
SPEAKER_04Much love to you too. Hey, top five picks. Top five picks, baby. Top five. Let's go.
SPEAKER_06It might be a Canadian at this rate, it might be a Canadian sweet with the top five overall picks. Oh my gosh. Calgary, Vancouver, Toronto. What a mess. There he is. Frank Kruppy with uh thoughts on where the Leafs are. It it is honestly. I mean, since that, like what that loss to the Panthers did psychologically, like honestly, guys, like that they haven't recovered. I mean, that that seemed to have mentally crushed that team. It broke them, yeah. And that's where we are now. Um, okay, so lots going on. Uh so let me throw this. I I kind of flirted with this conversation earlier, but I mean, do we have to start looking at Buffalo as being a legitimate Stanley Cup contender now, Kami?
SPEAKER_02100%. I think yes. I think yes. So I I mean, they've got some competition, don't get me wrong, but um, and I know it was just one game a couple nights ago, but you know, and it I think you know, you you're losing well, right off the bat, things are, you know, it's obviously a big game. They're at the top, uh, top of the east, and it's on right away. I think the fact that they were down, they come back, they're fighting for each other. I think they're all having fun. Buffalo's gotta be going bananas, and uh, so I think, God, like three months ago. I remember I like tweeting the good, honest, hardworking folk in Buffalo every once in a while just to take the temperature. I mean, it wasn't that long ago where the temperature was ice cold. Oh, and to see where it's come in a couple of months, and people are fired up. And I'll tell you what, there aren't too many places on the East Coast, nothing against any of the places. I'm sure they're all very fun, but I kind of like it out here out west, and I don't need to be traveling across the country. But I'll tell you what, I was actually looking at flights today. I might fly to Buffalo for a playoff game.
SPEAKER_03I think it's Chippewa actually absolutely be worth it.
SPEAKER_02Oh, it would be unbelievable. I won't take a ticket from a you know, from a real fan. I understand I'm an outsider, and there's some people there that think I'm a scumbag still because of 2006. I get it, and that's fine. But like a bar stool on Chippewa with a good sight line on a TV, a hotel room within walking distance, and I'm good to go.
SPEAKER_06Uh refresh refresh them refresh my memory. Did you do something greasy in that series in 06 in the conference final?
SPEAKER_02No, no, no. Well, I no, no, nothing nothing greasy other than a couple of real slick goals that I scored. I scored a short-handed goal on Ryan. I own Ryan Miller, by the way. Uh I scored a short-handed goal in game five that didn't end up meaning anything. It was 3-1, took it to 3-2, and then in game seven, I opened up the scoring. Doug Wait gave me a pass, and I put it right under the bar to open up the scoring 1-0. Bite under the bar, I mean I shot it right along the ice. It hit one person's skate. Then I think it hit Brian Campbell's skate and deflected in sideways into the net.
SPEAKER_03They don't ask Tommy. They don't ask.
SPEAKER_06It was like point call in the point. Yeah. Razor, you look at Razor, you look at the the goaltending right now, how Buffalo's goaltending matches up. I mean, yeah, that's I don't like.
SPEAKER_03That's I don't like it.
SPEAKER_06Really, it's funny because I think the analytics have kind of said the last couple of months that are. No, no, they're playing good.
SPEAKER_03I'm just worried about Alex Lying against Andre Vasilevsky. Yeah. Um, that doesn't make my heart feel good. It's similar to like, you know, that that's but but again, you go Detroit, Carolina, Montreal, Boston, um, Pittsburgh.
SPEAKER_07Pittsburgh, yeah.
SPEAKER_03Um, no, yeah, Boston and Boston and then the Islanders. That's and and the Tampa Bay right now. That's where the goaltending is. So I don't I don't think it'll matter if Buffalo scores eight times a game, though. Like they're they're running and gunning like they used to in 06. Like that's what it looks like. So they're um they're great, they look great right now, and it's just fun to have them back in the mix, I suppose.
SPEAKER_06Uh the the other one I wanted to throw at you, uh Ottawa now points in 11 of the last 12. They've won nine of those. Uh so you know they picked up points in all those games except for one. Obviously, Jake Sanderson now week to week, but they're only three points back of Boston. Um, should the Bruins be nervous or is this not sustainable there, Razor?
SPEAKER_03I think Ottawa's good. I've liked Ottawa all year. I I think they're one of the better teams. I think if they get in, they're gonna be really scary. Um, I I think that they have to go, the math gets hard to follow for them. That's the only issue. Like the Bruins go 11 and 8, you have to go 14 and 3, right? Like something like that. Like it gets hard if if if if the brew if if those teams stay 500, if Columbus stays three games over 500, it's hard to get in. Um, but no, I like Ottawa. I've always I've liked them all year. I love Greenies, my buddy. Um, I like their their makeup.
SPEAKER_06Come on, do you want to add something to Ottawa? Or I got a I got an Oilers question for you.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, you know what? I'll add some. Hey, look, regarding my senators, I've seen this movie before. You know what I mean? Right when we forget about them, the Won a Heater and they back. You know what it sounds like to me? It sounds like it's about time for some more off-vice drama in the Capitol City. Let's let's go on. Then they'll go on a little bit of a skid and then they'll be teeing it up. Oh, look at you. Thinking of that, think of how bad we were. I just thought of this. Remember when we were picking how many teams are gonna get into the playoffs in Canada? Yep. I think we all took five, four or five. Yeah.
SPEAKER_06And now we're and now we're looking at we're looking at two. Yeah. Yeah. Oops. Oops. Yeah, maybe three if Ottawa goes on a heater or whatever. Yeah, I mean, it's it's it's wild. Uh the Oilers were kind of underwhelming at the trade deadline, kind of, yeah. But I don't know. What do you think, Conn?
SPEAKER_02I mean, how how much can they I don't know? We're kind of limited in terms of what they do financially. Yeah, I mean, look, they they're taking a shot with the goalie. They they went through that. I don't think you could do that again a month later. Uh yeah, exactly.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_03I I mean, this is it. They got a third line center. They like those things are better, but yeah, it's it's goaltending until it's not, until the until McDavid has the Stanley Cup and the Con Smythe in his hands, it's goaltending, goaltending, goaltending.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. I'm still concerned with uh Razor. I know you're all about the Eventon Oilers, and they love you up there. I'm still and that's great. 100%. You love the Oilers, and I think that's great. I'm still a little concerned just with the overall amount of games of the last three years, but we shall see. We shall see.
SPEAKER_06You know, between between between commie being early on the uh on the Buffalo train, sharing the story that he almost signed with the Sabres to curry favor and upstate New York and Razor leaning hard into the Oilers the last couple of years. You know, we really you know, we're really showing we've got a lot of love here on the Clearing the Crease podcast. And speaking of love, we have our Ask CTC. We want to hear from you, the fans, the listeners, the consumer. Um, we want to hear from you. And this week's question, each and every week we'll take a fan question, and this week we have one from Eck Hockey who wants to know did you guys ever feel that there were referees that had it out for you?
SPEAKER_03The old guys used to have they'd have the worst grudges of all time. Billy McGrey and those, like they absolutely had played favorites with everybody. I loved it. Like, I thought that was like a big part of the game is getting the referees on your side. I think nowadays, like everything else, it's more robotic and and you don't know who the referee is. They don't have their name on the back of it, their jerseys, but but no question, the the Carrie Frazers and the Billy McCreary and those guys had their favorites and they had the guys that they hated. Fan elements sound on it. You could absolutely set your watch to a tripping call to Darcy Tucker in the first period on Saturday night from Billy McCreary. And you come back and ah, sorry, Razor, deal with it.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I agree with Razor. I never thought, you know what, for me personally, I learned real fast in the American Hockey League to shut my mouth when it came to the referees. I wasn't a pla uh a high-end player. All I did was take penalties, and I I wasn't drawing anything. I learned real quick in the American League with Justin St. Pierre. And I want to go on record that I think being a referee is an incredibly hard job, and I love the refs. I actually really do. I have a couple buddies that are refs now, but I remember Justin St. Pierre in the American Hockey League. I was, you know, I got a call for something, and this went, and you know, I would lose my marbles, and he would teach, you know, just penalty, penalty, penalty. And finally, I'm like, how stupid am I? Like, just I'm not winning this. No, I'm not winning it. So from one point forward, I just said, I'm not saying another word to him. I'm gonna be nothing but nice. I'm just gonna spot if he gives me a penalty, I'm going to the box. And I want to say, like a couple months later, I ran into Justin at the bar. I bought him a beer. I said, Hi, Justin, I hope you're doing well. And I remember that moving into the NHL. Then he loved me. And I remember getting some breaks from Justin St. Pierre, actually. Um the human element, the human element, Collie. Come on, yeah, like I remember getting some breaks and I'd see him and I'd wink at him. Hey Justin, how you doing? Hey, Collie, how are you? Good, good, thanks.
SPEAKER_03Came from the same place, right? If you get the guys in the miners and you all make it, it's a day, everyone knows where you were.
SPEAKER_02Exactly. The one ref that I think now I have no idea if he had it in for the Calgary Flames, and you just said his name earlier, and I like to think no, but it's one that comes to mind was Carrie Frazier and the Calgary Flames. And I actually looked it up because I knew this question was coming because it's our fan question. So, and I believe this is Carrie Frazier's last game coaching in Calgary. This was also my last game as a Calgary Flame. Game four of the Stanley Cup Finals. It is, I think Tampa was Tampa, I don't think, I know Tampa was up 2-1. No, we were up 2-1. We were up 2-1 going into game four. This is a big game in Calgary. One minute and 52 seconds into the game. This is back with one ref. Carrie Frazier calls Chris Clark for cross-checking, and at the same time, Mike Commodore for holding. Here's your five on three boys. Five on three. First off, uh, maybe the computer has it backwards. I'm pretty sure I got the cross-checking because I cross-checked Freddie Modine, but whatever. It wasn't, this is 0-4. Like I didn't cross-check him in the neck, it was on his hip. Anyways, me and Chris Clark go sit in the penalty box at 2.48 of the first period. Brad Richards scores on the power play. Final score, 1-0 Tampa. Well, that's great stuff. And I remember the fans were now that was literally my last game. I remember going in. Jim Playfair lost. I played two minutes and 46 seconds. I thought it was my last ship that shift is a flame, but obviously I had one or two more mixed in there. Uh Jim Playfair lost it on me. Now we've seen we've we've smoothed it.
SPEAKER_06And we've seen Jim Playfair lose it over the years. I think there's a great video of him being.
SPEAKER_02Oh, yeah, ripping his clothes off. Yeah, I mean, that was pretty funny. And I love Jim Playfor, uh, Jim Playfair, sorry, and he is a fan of the show. He texts me about the show once in a while. Jim and I are buddies, but Jim, I'll tell you what, I've never been so mad. I remember he pulled me into Rich Hetskis, the strength coaches off. I played two minutes and 42 seconds and got called for a bullshit cross-checking penalty. I mean, I felt terrible, but I'm like, this is a joke. But I'm like, you know, everybody feels bad, whatever. We lost the game. But it's not the end of the world, but we did lose a pretty good opportunity. And Jimmy lit me up, just me and him. I've never, and I took it. I didn't say a word, and I took it, but and I'm not going to repeat what he said and some of the things he said to me. Like, it wasn't like bad, bad, but like comparing me to some players that you know I don't think the world of. And I remember sitting in that chair and I was like this close, I want to grab this chair and smash it over Jimmy's head. I was so mad, but I didn't say anything. And I just, I'm like, okay, and I just took it. And anyways, that ended up, like I said, Jimmy and I are friends now. But uh yeah, that was my last game as a flame. And I'm pretty sure Carrie Frazier, I don't think I remember they were, I don't think he went back to Calgary ever again. It was like borderline dangerous when he left the ice. People they were throwing everything at him.
SPEAKER_06I mean, he he's a public enemy in Toronto as well, and yeah, yes. It's funny. I I I tell you, um, commie, it was after your time in Carolina, but I covered a series between Boston and Carolina in I want to say 2009. And Kay Whitmore was one of the was the NHL series supervisor for that. Now, Kay, prior to going into the front office of the NHL, Kay had worked for a little while as our hockey analyst at the Score Television Network way back in the early 2000s. So I got along with Kay. And so here I was to cover the series, and Kay was traveling around. And so I would, you know, Kay and I would meet up for beers afterwards, but because he was the official officiating supervisor for the NHL, we go and hang out with all the ref all the refs during the series. And so I got to know uh Dave Jackson became a very good friend, uh, who's now an analyst uh on ESPN. But there was Kelly Sutherland, uh, there was Tim Peel, uh, you know, some great you know, Stephen Wacom, uh, like so many of these guys, the person out there, and man, they were so much fun to hang out with. Like over a two-week seven-game series, like, man, lots of great times and great evenings. But yeah, I mean, you know, you're essentially playing the role of a beat cop on the ice with a game going fast. And yeah, I think there's a human. Not an easy job, there's no question.
SPEAKER_02It's a hard job, and and that's a great way to put it. It's not easy and it's thankless.
SPEAKER_06Yeah, force. But there's but I'm sure, but I think there is definitely I think when you talk about the personalities razor, you kind of alluded to it off the top. Like, there is definitely some ego with a with a f with a generation, like less so now, but definitely some ego, some personality, which you know, personality adds to the game, but at the cost of like calling something like a five-on-three two minutes into a game four of a Stanley Cup final. What a buzzkill. Yeah, yeah. Okay. Uh, you know what? Perfect way to segue into don't puck it up. Um, Razor, you want to go with this one first?
SPEAKER_03Uh yeah. Um if you're in the playoffs right now, don't puck it up, right? I just talked about the math a little bit in the Eastern Conference, like the Columbus's, the Ottawas. Uh, in the Western Conference as well, you've separated, you've got San Jose chasing right now, um, as we as this week goes on. So everybody should be in place. Seattle, don't puck it up. Stay in the playoffs. You're you're you're right there. And then in the east, the same thing. Like, don't don't blow it right now. Don't waste 63 amazing games of hockey and and and shut it down after the Olympics. So figure it out after the deadline. Uh, if you're in the playoffs, stay in the playoffs. Pittsburgh Penguins, I'm looking at you.
SPEAKER_06You know, I'll I'll I'll lean into the penguins from that from I don't puck it up. And specifically, it's more to Evgeny Mulkin. You pucked it up. I mean, honest to God, like, what are you doing? Going headhunting on Rasmus Dolleen and like you're what over the last quarter century, Evgeny Mulkin is one of the greatest players the National Hockey League has seen. You know, three Stanley Cups, future Hall of Famer, and just a great A bozo this past week for doing something that reckless with his stick on Dolleen at a time that you got your wingman out for the next month, or who's been out for the last couple of weeks with Sidney Crosby, like you're looking for leadership. If there was ever a time to find some leadership and be the go-to guy right now, Gino, this is it. And instead, you pocked it up, getting yourself a suspension at a time that Razor just alluded to. You're hanging by a thread, everything matters right now. You pucked it up, Gino.
SPEAKER_02Sometimes those Russians, isn't he from Magnetogorse? I mean, they got they got some weird stuff in the water there. I'll tell you what. Uh, I'm a little unprepared. I don't have one, but I make two up on the spot. Okay. It's kind of what I just said. Buffalo, I'm singing your praises. Let's keep this going, keep this train moving in the right direction. And to my Calgary Flames. Craig Conroy, we're moving things out. We're moving things out. Let's, we don't need, hey, let's put the young guys in. Maybe that Perect kid, let's get him in the lineup. I'm not sure. That's a conversation for another day. I'm not sure what they're doing there, but we'll talk about that later. Let's not go on any heaters here. Let's just cruise our way right to the golf course and let's get a top three pick, hopefully. Um, don't puck it up, flames sabers.
SPEAKER_06You know what? Further to that on the West Coast, uh in Western Canada here, commie. You know, we could say the same thing for the Vancouver Canucks that, you know, it's been a dumpster fire of a season. Yeah, yeah. No kidding. I think they're playing in the KHL right now. But you know, they've been trying to make the best of a of a horrible situation and picking up four second-round picks over the last several weeks as they've tried to move out assets. How about this? The Canucks in 2026 have landed more second-round picks for them than they have wins in 2026 as we record this on March 10th.
SPEAKER_02Wow. Okay. Well, hey, look, you know, you can find some real gems in the second round, I heard.
SPEAKER_06Yes, you would know. You would know. There's a golden one right here. Right here. Um, hey, just a reminder, everybody, uh, be sure to like and subscribe on YouTube for more clearing the crease content powered by Ozun.net. You can follow along on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, on X, Instagram, TikTok. Uh, hey, you're may hopefully you're subscribed on YouTube as well because the road to the Stanley Cup is wide open. And the clearest route to winning big is to play on Ozun.net. Ozun's got you covered for all props, game lines, futures from right now, all the way until the cup final and beyond. So make your power play and score big with Ozun. It's your turn now. He's Kami, he's Razor, our producer's two stone. Hopefully, Kami survives Vegas, and we'll see you next week right here on the Clearing the Crease podcast, powered by Ozo.