Clearing The Crease Podcast
Hockey’s best podcast featuring Mike Commodore Andrew Raycroft and hosted by James Cybulski.
Clearing The Crease Podcast
Commie's UNCENSORED take on the Leafs and NHL Player Safety... CTC 72
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The boys are joined by David Alter to talk a week of NHL action including the Leafs, Matthews and Radko Gudas situation. That and more on today's NHL hockey podcast episode!
I think when you go back to the lack of response, that's a summation of everything. Like I think if the Leaks were in a playoff hunt, if that maybe is a different opponent and and they're fighting for something, I think you do see a bit more of a response. Yeah. But like just the body language I'm seeing in the room, it's a defeated group.
SPEAKER_03Clearing the crease.net. He is the call the trophy winner, the Razor, Andrew Raycroft. He is the Stanley Cup winner, Mike Pomodor, Tommy. And of course, I'm the third wheel, if you will. I'm James Sabowski. Sabowski, C-Ball, whatever you want to call it. Boys uh, great to catch up. Uh, just a quick reminder before we check in with both of you, if you're enjoying this show and all the content we are bringing you, um, you know, whether it's in podcast form, whether you're watching your video on YouTube, or whether it's with social media, featured a mask, the like and subscribe button. Please leave us a five-star review on Apple or Spotify. Make sure you're following along wherever you're at, whether it's YouTube, Instagram, X, TikTok, or wherever else you may be finding us. It's been a lot of fun. The momentum continues to build over the last six months. And let's check in on where the boys have been over the last seven days or so. Come here, where do we find you over the last seven days? Have you been have you been to Mars, Neptune, uh, dare I say Uranus?
SPEAKER_00Uh, I don't know if I mean something kind of close to that. Uh, I was in Las Vegas for a couple days there.
SPEAKER_02Oh, that's right. Yes.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, yeah. A little quick 48-hour trip to Vegas. We had our uh annual grudge match, me and Colt Nost versus a couple other Whisperock members, Ben Marsh and uh Chris Diemon. We were at Shadow Creek, which for anybody who hasn't been there, yeah, real nice place, the most expensive round now in the world. Uh, listeners, you guys will be happy. I just freeload the hell out of that place. I did I'm still I shouldn't say anything actually, otherwise they might change their mind. But uh I'm very these guys are nice enough to have me out. So we had a match. We were supposed to play Shadow Creek just the one day, then uh Las Vegas Country Club the next. I was actually really looking forward to it. I've never been to the country club. Uh, but anyways, we played out in an eight ball on Thursday. Uh Colt and I should have laid a beating on those two, but it ended up being close, but we took it one up. Uh, and then we got invited back. So the next day, and as much as I wanted to play Las Vegas Country Club, A, I'm not in charge, and B, you don't say no to an invite to Shadow Creek. So we ended up with two days there. Uh, nothing crazy, actually. Uh, like, don't get me wrong, we did get rocked at dinner. There was no question about that. Uh, we had a lot of ronderitas. If people for people that have been there, they know what that is at Shadow Creek, a longtime bartender. She's it's like a margarita, but a ronderita. Um, but nothing late night, like nothing crazy. Uh so actually, I I I will say I actually took real good care of myself. So proud of you, Tommy. Yeah, very good. Yeah, I'm growing out.
SPEAKER_01Well played. Thank you. Well played. Quiet week here. Seabol, where are you at? Where are you at?
SPEAKER_03I I'm at the historic Pacific Coliseum here in Vancouver. Uh, as we record this, we're getting ready for a broadcast uh with the Vancouver GoldenEyes and the New York Sirens, the PWHL. So uh yeah, this is why I've got like job interview look here. This is why I'm wearing and then you know the hair actually put some product in my hair, actually showered for a change. Uh Rizer, I meant to ask you. Obviously, the madness has started with college basketball. Um, are you on college hockey duty yet now? I am.
SPEAKER_01That starts so hockey east finals this weekend. That's Friday, Saturday, selection show Sunday, and then regionals next week. So I got lots and lots of North Dakota notes from Commie's old stomping grounds. They're not one gonna be one of the number one seeds. So um, yeah, it'll be a great tournament. Lots to lots to that can still happen this weekend. So college hockey's cooking right now.
SPEAKER_00I have a question, T Ball. Um, razor, are you going to the final four or is this just all remote? Or is that four, sorry?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, yeah, yeah. If I said that, oh my god, the people in Minnesota and North Dakota would chase me down with bats if I ever say final four. It is frozen. My bad, frozen four, yeah. That's my bad. My bad. No, I think we were we were obviously trying to work our way into Vegas and making that trip, but but as of now, I think I'm stuck in the studio. And and Butchie and the boys will be out playing Shadow Creek all week with you. Oh, yeah.
SPEAKER_00Okay. Well, some changes, you let me know. I mean the first to know, Tommy believes. Okay, okay, good. I'll be in the truck and I'll be there in five hours.
SPEAKER_01Exactly.
SPEAKER_00Sure drive. Love it.
SPEAKER_01Love it.
SPEAKER_03Okay, well, let's let's uh let's speaking of winners. Uh, let's get to these in just a quick second. Just a reminder that the Clear and the Crease podcast is powered by Ozun.net. The road to the Stanley Cup final, it is wide open, and the clearest route to winning big is play on Ozun.net. Ozun has you covered for all props, game lines, futures from now until the cup final and beyond. So make your power play. Score big with Ozun. It's your turn now. So our our winning streak came to an end of our Saturday night special for the Clearing the Crease podcast, but we were also close for going three straight weeks with winner, winner, winner. So let's get back on the high horse here and pick some winners this week. I start things off, guys. I'm going with the blue jackets. I think their footsteps or their strides right now have everybody nervous in the East. So give me the jackets to take care of the Kraken on home ice on Saturday. What you saying?
SPEAKER_01I'm taking the Kings over the Buffalo Sabres. Kind of a little out there. The Sabres, of course, are the best team in the National League right now, as hot as anything. But they've got LA. It's an afternoon, one o'clock start Pacific time. Buffalo's been out there a little bit. LA needs it. They need to get in the playoffs to take out the Kraken. I'm taking the Kings, upsetting the Sabres at home on Saturday afternoon.
SPEAKER_00I apologize for ending our uh winning streak there last weekend, fellas. It was all looking good until the Kings decided to give up four and the third to blow it. Yeah, I wasn't very happy about that. It ruined a parlay of mine like in person in Vegas, too. Um, I am going to go. Now, this game does concern me a little bit, but I'm gonna go with my, I'm going with the low-hanging fruit. I'm gonna take the Sens to pound the leaves. And the only thing I'm a little concerned about is these Maple Leafs probably aren't having a great time in Toronto, probably not having a whole lot of fun at their home games. So they might be excited to get out of town, but the Sens need points. It's about time they do something for me. So I'll go with the Sens. I like it. I don't mind it. They gotta win. They gotta win.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, they're due. I mean, that's gonna be a big payday with taking uh going against Buffalo right now, Razor. I mean, a team that has been absolutely scorching right now. So uh so much fun. But anyway, there is your Saturday night special, clearing the free style, three winners to get you looked after. Okay, so uh perfect way to segue, Tommy, what you just alluded to with the with the lease, and obviously the biggest stories after last time we've had a chance to talk about it. I think it continues to be a hot button issue on so many different layers. Uh Austin Matthews are done for the season with a torn MCL in his left knee, courtesy of a hit or radko goodist are everybody's favorite bad guy right now. He gets a five-game suspension for that. Obviously, so many different layers where else are criticized as a team for not stepping up in the moment to come to the aid of their fallen captain. Uh then on top of that, you've also got uh so many issues uh with the fact that uh uh the lack of response, or you've got good to sit the punishment, fit the crime with only five games, and then McDavid speaking up as well, kind of saying that maybe it's time to overhaul things. So now you're talking about other stars uh stepping up to kind of echo their sentiments. I don't know where you guys want to start with this, but there are so many different directions. Uh what comes to mind for you here, Razor?
SPEAKER_01For me, uh for me, it is the lack of response from the Leafs. They're out of it. Nobody on the ice even just jumps the guy. Like you don't even you don't have to square up with Radco. He's an absolute mutant, and you're not doing you don't need to do that, but you need to jump on from behind and jump on him and get the linesman in there or give him a stick. Yeah, you just gotta do something if you're out on the ice. And the fact that that doesn't cross anybody's mind on the ice, and that that isn't the mentality that just says so much about the team and the group, and um, and that's where all of this criticism's coming from for the Leafs. So, you know, a league-wide, you know, maybe an in-person hearing would have been good, so they could have given him a game or two more, but you can't give a guy 15 games for something like that. It wasn't completely egregious where he, you know, you went way off the board. He was he made a bad decision. He made a bad hockey play, but um, you can't you can't throw the you know the rest of the season at the guy. So I don't have as much of a problem with that as I do the response from the from the Toronto Maple Leafs. That was shocking, really.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, uh, I'm with you, Razor. Uh, the lack of response was definitely uh uh disheartening. I mean, uh guaranteed, uh, you know, we haven't had him on yet because we got to go through all the layers there at uh MLSC or whatever it's called. But my boy Brad Tree living would not have liked that at all. So I'm sure somebody got read the right. I'm sure Craig Baruby of all guys. Right. He would have been running the goalie and God knows what else. Um, but yeah, the lack of response. And yeah, I know the game has changed a little bit, but you know, they've been comparing it to what happened there, Buffalo and Tampa, and you know, everybody's in there. Or and like and like you touched on Razor, it's not like you gotta. I mean, I don't think Radko Gudis is gonna hurt you. I mean, he is big, don't get me wrong. I don't think he's gonna kid, but it at the same time, like just go over there and and break your stick on the back of his legs or or or anything. So the lack of response was that's not a good look for the team at all. Um, as far as the punishment goes, I think the punishment is fine. Uh you know, I actually end up hearing a lot about this kind of stuff because, you know, another friend of the show, Ray Whitney, listens all the time. I golf with him. He's part of that committee. So you know, I know they'll process a little bit, and you know, Ray's all over it. So I get some explanations from Ray if I ask. And what he said made sense. Like, look, I get it, it's the leaves. I get it, it's good, and I get it, it's the big name Matthews. Yeah, but at the end of the day, you know, number one, the it's in their little description, who like who in their process. Sorry. Like whatever name is on the back doesn't come into play. And it's been a while since Goodis has been suspended, like seven years or something. So I thought five games is plenty. I had no problems with that. And but I tell you what, the the Department of Player Safety probably doesn't love Connor McDavid right now. Now, I don't know why people are at well, I know why they're asking him that question. And, you know, I maybe got caught a little off guard, but when you got the best player in the world now saying we've got to change things, maybe got to take a look at it, that kind of cranks the heat up. But um, I think the process is fine. I know those guys take it very seriously, and there's a lot that goes into it. So lack of response for me and the rest of it, I'm fine with.
SPEAKER_03Okay, let me throw this at you, though. But that's a suspendable play. I don't think there's any issue with that. But do we not have to look over all in terms of uh some of the approach here where even fines? We've got these minimum fines that are maximum fines that look like they look like parking tickets, right? I mean, there's a way to start increasing from a financial standpoint or to increase by you know what I will say this uh five games I I understand where you both start coming from in terms of the severity and all of it, uh but uh people pay tickets and look, I am far from being the biggest Austin Austin Matthews guy, right? But people pay tickets to see October Matthews after October, exactly. People there's more people paying tickets or paying to buy tickets to see Austin Matthews or or Leon Dry's idol. And I mean that's a different sort of scenario for Cindy Crosby rather than Radko Goodis or like I I I just wonder in these instances matter. I I love these are these are people that are these put butts in the seat. So Austin Matthews is a game changer from a financial standpoint. Radho Goodis is an important element to a team, but he is not the guy that people say, you know who I'm gonna spend$150 on a ticket for? I'm gonna pay to see Raghogudis.
SPEAKER_00Sure.
SPEAKER_01All right, so as a player representing both, yeah. Both. You gotta represent so that's where that that the the the look of it, the fact that it's a superstar is kind of like the perfect worst storm for the NHL because they have to do all this. But at the end of the day, the players union in the league have to act like it's two just shadows doing that. And and that's where we got we come from because otherwise you really get into the soup. Who's more, you know? If I'm if I'm just like the 800th player in the NHL, I'm supposed to have the same rights. I'm paying the same percentage of dues as everybody else is, and I'm supposed to have the same help from my union. And and that's that's what unions are for. So that's where uh that's where that your the common sense is one side, but the logistics and or the legality of it is a whole nother. But but again, Alter could probably speak to that stuff more. Okay.
SPEAKER_03Uh let's bring in David Alter, who has been traveling, covering the lease for several years. Your Iron Man streak just came to an end. I'm sorry to hear. Alter, the worst and unlucky scenario from due to weather, Alter. What was it? 430 games? Uh Friedman gave you a wonderful shout out for it the other day.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, 440 straight games, regular season and playoffs. That's uh not missing the game. Wow. So uh all the games that count. So not the same Iron Man streak where it's only regular season games for for you players, but um, but for games that count, which is regular season and playoffs, dating back to game one of the 2021 series against the Canadians, they didn't miss a game. So congratulations. That's a good streak. That was unfortunate. It was the snowstorm that broke that streak. Buffalo, Minnesota, back to back. The Leafs plane was the very last one to get to that airport, like overnight. Once I saw that was successful and they didn't postpone the game, I knew that's it. It's over. And then surely enough, an hour before my flight, I got the cancellation notice, and there was no way it was gonna happen.
SPEAKER_01So the Leafs are one and oh without you showing up to a game in the last five years. Yes.
SPEAKER_02Did anyone notice that? But I will say that's a you know, in when the tank is on at this potential. That's not the result you want necessarily. Fair enough. So you still yeah, so it was one of those. But um, yeah. No, you guys made a lot of good points. Like that, that um the suspension, like uh, and and commie what you said about Connor McDavid speaking out about it and that kind of furthering out. I mean, he's got the same agent as Austin Matthews now, Judd Moldaver, once uh his previous agent became the uh the president of uh the Oilers. So that certainly added more to the story, made it more of a league story, which then uh made George speak at the at the GM meetings, which is like unheard of over discipline. It's usually not that type of situation. But yeah, I mean that that has a lot to do with it. And I think a lot of why you saw the lack of response more than the culture, more than everything else, is that it's a very defeated group. Like they're just not getting through the adversity that they're facing for the first time. And it just seems like little issues, they're just not pushing through, and it's snowballing. And and what you saw was, well, a shrugged shoulder kind of reaction in that moment. And and that's really the sad state of the leafs right now.
SPEAKER_00They can't wait to get to the golf course. Uh I would say, Dave, what's uh I mean, if you could pinpoint one or two, what's gone wrong? Like if you I mean, maybe I I'm sure there's a hundred things, but if you could point to like one or two main things, like what happened.
SPEAKER_02This has been the most absurd season when you look back on it, in terms of things that happened to the Leafs that just kind of set them back inexplicably. So, like right out of training camp, you had Joseph Wall needing to take a leave of absence, and that kind of came out of nowhere. So they they kind of had to ride Anthony Stollers for a high workload than normal. Then you have Anthony Stollers calling out the team and the way the team's playing in front of him in early November. Like it's it was kind of early for something like that. That even someone like me, I thought it might be a little early that if you're if you're doing this and it backfires, it can really go off the rails. And it did. So you had that. You had um, you know, other injuries happen to core players. Mark Savar. You have Mark Savar taking a fall because there was no appetite for them to make a change. The power play struggling. The the defense, you know, the big concern I had going into this season was that the average age of this defense going back is in the early to mid-30s, more so in the mid-30s. That as the game gets faster, if uh half those guys start to age out a little bit from year to year, that might be a bit of a problem. So that happens. Kristannev uh has uh two injuries where you know he left on a stretcher in one of them. We didn't think he was gonna play again. He comes back, has a core muscle injury, needs surgery for that. He's gone. Uh Craig Brube has a gym accident, has a big scar in his forehead. Like, there's just a lot of crazy things. There's just a lot of crazy things that you look back on this that I guess I'm not surprised, but they just weren't able to overcome all these things. So you had the goaltending, you had the lack of power play, an assistant coach taking the fall for it. You have a defense that's kind of aging out, you have a lack of depth scoring and injuries and all of that. That it maybe it's all together, but also, oh yeah, the William Nealander middle finger thing. I forgot about that, too.
SPEAKER_01So, like, there's a lot of things. They've given us a lot to talk about this year, huh?
SPEAKER_02Exactly. There's a lot of there's a lot of things. Like, I was actually looking back for an article, like, what are the the 10 absurd things that happened to Lease this season?
SPEAKER_03So so there's a lot of them. But can we throw in the the hometown kid coming back and and pounding the team on home ice as well, and even the one in Vegas as well, like just everything that could go wrong has.
SPEAKER_02It has, but um, I I think when you go back to the lack of response, that's a summation of everything. Like, I think if the leaks were in a playoff hunt, if that maybe is a different opponent and and they're fighting for something, I think you do see a bit more of a response. Yeah, but like just the body language I'm seeing in the room, it's a defeated group. And I think that was just part and parcel of what showed was you gotta be a professional in these situations, even if you aren't playing for a playoff spot or the chances are slim. You gotta fight for your guys. And that just put a cherry on top of all the things that have gone wrong with the Maple East this season.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, and that it's you've seen, David, it it happens more in Toronto, right? Like I've been on that team that that's out, and you get more defeated there than anywhere else because of the pressure and and the whole thing. The just the just the what you're under uh as a group. It's it's you you get really survival mode instinct, like the human element of looking out for yourself and just trying not to get seen. Um, that that's in that market. Now, can you talk to us about Austin? Is he around at all? Has anyone seen him? Nothing? Are we getting nothing from him until the year-end meeting? Um, and what what kind of message is that if he isn't around? Is there is that a story to add to your column of 10?
SPEAKER_02Uh it's interesting because I think when Judd made that statement, he was speaking for Austin Matthews. Like uh Austin Matthews most times doesn't like to talk on a frequent basis. Like it's the party expectation of being a captain is you're expected to be a voice of the team and speak regularly. But we know that even though he's requested all the time, he doesn't necessarily feel like it's something he's gotta do every single day. And generally the team policy has been if there's injuries, you don't have to speak, and we don't hear about that. And and and I don't want to say they hide from these policies. He can choose to speak if he wants to or not, but he's not been around. He's focusing on the rehab, and um look, I think it's uh I think it speaks volumes that the Leafs were starting to get uh some results after the fact that when he's not there, that they were starting to pick up the slack a little bit. Maybe there was too much of the uh to bandits on their captain to lift them out of games or whatnot. But yeah, no, he hasn't been where we see him around. Yeah, he's been just kind of working with return to play staff, and then they'll make an assessment on if he needs surgery from these uh grade three uh MCL tears that uh daddy had on one in the quad contusion. But no, he hasn't really been kind of around around. He's just kind of been mostly focusing on rehab, and I I'd be shocked if we hear from the.
SPEAKER_03Let me just jump in here for a second and turn this over to Kami and Razor for a second. But did you guys ever go through an experience like this where one of your franchise guys got run over? You got called out as a team for a lot, or or just how you responded. When somebody got absolutely rocked, uh like is there something razor? Obviously, it's different for you as a goalie. Nobody's expecting you to run, you know, skate out to scatter ice, but commie, is there anything that comes to mind or razor even from the crease that you've seen?
SPEAKER_00I mean, uh the one that always sticks out in my mind is Eric Cole in Carolina when he got hit from behind by Brooks Orpick and it broke his neck. No, the thing was so scary and it got cut. It's actually the biggest regret of my career is that I we never really got a chance to get back at him. And this is still the day, like the next time we played Pittsburgh the following year. It was like, who was in the lineup? And Brooks Orpick is 6'4, 230 and ripped. And it was like Eric Carr. I mean, there was an army over there, and that's the biggest regret of my career is I never ended up getting back at him. Not that that was really my job, but that still bothers me, honestly, to this day. And I just told Colesley that a little while ago. Um, other than that, there isn't any huge ones that stick out. Like, you know, you know, when I was in Calgary, you ran Jerome, you didn't have to worry about the rest of us. You had to worry about Jerome. So that was a totally different story. But I do get what you're saying, Dave, where it's a harder thing to do, definitely when you're out of it. You know, there isn't much, you you know, you're just kind of getting through these games or whatever. But in saying that also, there is always next year. People are always watching. This is kind of something that people aren't going to forget, or at least for a while. Um, so yeah, that's that it was a tough.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I think they've been through this lesson. Like when they when they lost to Tampa, and then, you know, kind of Tampa dummied them in in 2022, and and they've had these regular season games where they looked really bad. When Craig Ruby came in, they use Tampa as the type of template they need to play with physicality. And you see that in those Tampa Florida games, they're getting ready to pile on the pins, right? Like they don't care. Like it's just load up those pins, let it get aggressive, and let the referees try to figure, figure whatever it is out. At the end of the day, they got to show that they're an intimidating team. And so they did that, they responded last year, but then the message didn't carry over. And I don't uh I don't know if that's because the team has been so bad that they just feel defeated, and that's seeping into their character of how they respond to when the times are the toughest. So um maybe this becomes a turning point for them. It's not an excuse for sure. You know, the Leafs do have the ducks again on March 30th, and Radko Goodis will be back in the lineup. Okay. And and Max Domi did say the other time, or like when we were in Buffalo, we'll see him again in two weeks. Okay. So, like, so there there is. There's an opportunity for somebody.
SPEAKER_01There's an opportunity for somebody, whether there is.
SPEAKER_02And it it's, you know, for all these meaningless games or whatever, these are the kind of flashpoints that they do still kind of have to look forward to. But um, yeah, I'm curious to see the response. But it's one thing if you do it one time in a meaningless game and then fine, but you can't let it just you can't be caught off guard by this. Yeah, well, no, it should be an automatic response.
SPEAKER_01And and you know, commie brought up Tree Living earlier, like that's gonna be on the list. Insert Ryan Reeves, right? When Nick Delorier is a free agent this summer, right? Like, you give they're gonna back the truck up for like just because it's obvious.
SPEAKER_02The problem is they've had those guys.
SPEAKER_01Correct, and they didn't work, right, David?
SPEAKER_02The problem the problem is they need top six skilled assholes. Yes, that's like that's what they need. Like the guys that can play can't change the core.
SPEAKER_03Like, if it was like a Tom Wilson, they try didn't they try didn't they try that for Marshane, though? I mean, you guys may be at least game plan, and they tried to never had the chance, right?
SPEAKER_02Like they didn't get that opportunity. That was certainly tops on their list, and and those are the type you need because everyone else they've ever gotten in to kind of fill that role, it's not gonna rock the core. Yeah, like there's a pecking order, as you guys know when you play, of your core and your supplemental guys, but in order to really kind of change the culture of camaraderie and all that stuff, it's gotta be a game changer who can do that shit too.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. Uh my last one for me. Uh, in your opinion, are the least picking in the top five, or Bruin's gonna have pick six?
SPEAKER_01Uh wow. Uh that's gonna be a stressful day, boy. That is those those those ping pong balls have never been so stressed, huh?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, so I mean, points percentage-wise, they're six right now. They're like six, seven. So uh, and then yeah, they're that, and uh it's a top two. It's too bad it's not the top three anymore, but maybe for the Leafs it's better. They the top two get drafted, right? And the Islanders moved from 10, I think it was 10 or 9 to 1 last year. So uh it is gonna be tough. The only way they can guarantee they keep the pick is if they finish in the bottom three, and it doesn't look likely there, but bottom five means they're in that like hope, likely that they keep it, but they but they yeah, like this is a tough one because if they fall, if they don't keep this one, you know, and they flip, they they gotta be good the next two years because both the following years become unprotected. So, like, yeah, you might be able to get five, but then what if the next two years are worse? Like, you just don't know. Like, you really have to bank on a Bruins like retool, like what you saw with what the Bruins did with the leaf specs or the trades anyway that they made last year.
SPEAKER_00It's crazy how fast things can change. Yeah, it's crazy. No kidding.
SPEAKER_03Alter, thanks for this. Uh anything you want to plug on the way out?
SPEAKER_02No, uh, just uh keep uh keep placing those wagers on Ozun. Yeah and uh keep checking out the lineups.
SPEAKER_03Definitely. There we go. Thanks, Dave. Please come back soon, all right? Thanks, man. Appreciate it. Thanks, man. There he is. David Alter, uh, one of the best, uh covering the leaf's uh all season, the Iron Man Street coming to an end uh after well over 400 games, uh, but still grinding after what has been just uh one of the wildest seasons in Maple Leaf's history and recent history. Okay, and that's saying something because we've seen a lot over the last 60 years. Um moving on to another star out uh for the rest of the year, Leon Dreison. Razor, I want to start with you on this one because uh they've been your ride or die, right? Like you've been into the Oilers, you stayed force, no matter how much they struggle. Um can the Oilers withstand the loss of a hundred-point guy and one of one of the top five, one of the top three best players in the world right now. Like, how for a team that's been having a hard time keeping their head above water, how do they do without Leon?
SPEAKER_01They're they're still in a decent place this week. They beat San Jose this week. Uh that that's huge four-point difference for them. They're they're they're in a position where the mass still works. Like they could go one game over 500. It should be more than enough points to get in. Obviously, if it gets into the first round and they're playing Vegas or Anaheim, it's pretty easy to shadow 97 at that point. Then it turns into we'll just not let 97 get the puck at all, and we'll let everyone else beat us, that gets difficult. So if he's out four games of the first round, I think uh, you know, my my ride or die is a little more nerve-wracking. But I I regular season-wise, I'm not concerned because I think 97 can still do enough on his own through the regular season to get them in.
SPEAKER_00I'm with Razor on this one too. You know, when I look at these kinds of things, uh, it's a hell of an opportunity for somebody else on the team to get some major minutes and some big time minutes. So we got lots of minutes on the power play. We got lots of top end minutes. So who that is, I don't know whether it's uh you know, maybe a Roslovik. You can move him all over the world.
SPEAKER_03What a break. What a break for Jason Dickinson, right? I mean, does that look? I'll think of that's great look now.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, yeah, exactly. So it's a great opportunity. I you know, I'm not ride or die of the Oilers like Razor is, but I still definitely think they got enough. I don't, I mean, I love Leon Dreisett. He's one of my favorite guys to watch, but I think the Oilers have enough to to to get through it. Now, he hopefully he's back for game one of the playoffs because they definitely need him then, but I think they can get through this. Yeah.
SPEAKER_03You know, there's no way you could ever say the Oilers are your ride or die, Call. I mean, you would never get a free round until in Alberta after that if you said that. Come on. Come on.
SPEAKER_00I'll be banned from the dome in the new arena. I can't say I like the Oilers. Cowboys have never seen like you're done. I'd have to pay cover charge for the VIP card remote.
SPEAKER_03Oh god. Um, hey, you know what? Every week uh over the last uh month or so, we re we introduced uh a fun segment. We we started when we first launched the show of Clearing the Crease podcast. We started with a fan question of the week. Kind of got away from it for a couple of years, and we brought it back here over the last month, and there have been some great questions. If you want to chime in wherever wherever you are watching this on social, use the hashtag ask. We'll find it whether it's on YouTube, Instagram, X, TikTok, wherever, and we just might pick your questions. So this one, this one coming from Alfie's Mullet. I like this one, guys. Oh, yeah. What are the best and worst pranks you've seen as a pro courtesy of Alfie's Mullet? Anyone speak out?
SPEAKER_00Oh, there's best worst. Okay, I'll go first because I don't have much razor, and then you can bring it home. I can't think of anything personally. The two that always pop up and it has nothing to do with me. But Ray Whitney's got a great story about when he was in Florida and his dad is uh was a former Ebington police, and and they have these like these pellets or whatever that you put in. You you'd like put it in to see what once they get like moisture or touches, it turns your skin turns blue. So like if you're touching things, you shouldn't. And I guess I mean, I don't want to tell secondhand stories, but Ray like put it in some guys' like skates, helmet, and stuff like this. And guys went out for practice. He practiced quick in Florida, then took off. And I guess he said guys were coming out of the rank, and they're I think they were either blue, no, they were purple. So he said guys were taking their gear off, their feet were purple. They had to, you know, they're in Florida, right? They're wearing flip-flops, they got like a purple line over their head. I guess it like doesn't come off for a couple days. Like you really got to uh scrub it. So I don't I can't tell the story nearly as well as Ray. That one put comes to mind. And then another one that I laugh at because it pops up online is when Reeves, I've never met uh Ryan Reeves. He seems like a great dude, but when he scared the shit out of, was it Phil Kessel there for Halloween? Yeah, no, uh yeah, that's a good one. Yeah, anyways, so I got another, I'll think more about this and maybe answer it in another episode because there has to be, but go ahead, Razor.
SPEAKER_01Uh, the two that I that that pop out right away, and you just brought up the police. Uh, end of the year, one year, we we got hotel rooms and we got the conference room in one of the hotels, local hotels. I won't even say the team because it's probably gets somebody in trouble, but um guys are playing cards and they're playing poker, and there's a bunch of cash on the table, and everyone's hanging around. A few of the guys decided to get the cop, got the cops, the local guys, to come in and arrest one of the guys at the table. And the guy they arrested was so panicked. Like he was he was one of the straight age guys, but he's at the table. He's got like a pound of cash in front of him. There's be like everybody's doing whatever at the end of the year in this room. The cops come in and handcuff him and walk him out of the room, and he was shitting himself. It was one of the funniest things I knew I've ever seen. I was one of the only guys that kind of knew it was coming. So I was like way back in the corner, just sitting there giggling like a little kid, knowing this was gonna happen. That was unbelievable. That was a that was a big production. My the favorite one I remember in the dressing room was we were on the road in Colorado in Vancouver, and uh Darcy Hordechuk was just such a target, like such a the best guy would fight, like just a great teammate, but he was very easy to pick on because he he kind of asked for it a lot of the times. And uh a couple of the guys weren't skating pregame skate, he was out there and they nailed his brand new shoes to the stall where his shoes were, and he so he he had to leave his shoes there and walk out of the rank in bare feet. It was priceless watching Hordy do that too.
SPEAKER_03Uh I think I told this story before, but Darcy Hortichek during the season that they canceled the year in what 04-05. Yeah, Darcy got his real estate license, I think, in Nashville. He had the greatest business card ever designed. I'll never forget running into them in the by word market. We were all having all out for drinks one night. He he added me a business. It was like a great, like high gloss, like all like a high-end upper deck style card and fold and open. Great picture of him with the Panthers. It was I can't even imagine how much money he spent on these business cards, and then got a few more years of the NHL as a result. So he was always up to something.
SPEAKER_01He was always up to something. It's great. We should have him on the show.
SPEAKER_03We should we want to add don't talk the do you want to add, don't fuck that up, don't fuck it up?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, yeah, sure.
SPEAKER_03All right, all right. Here, here I got one. Mind it through the hockey hall of fame or whether it's USA hockey. Why don't puck it up? Don't give the golden goal talk back to Jack here. Jack came out recently saying he's pissed off. He doesn't have it. Look, it's a team game. That is a huge international victory. I get you scored the goal, and I get, in a professional sense, in a regular season game in the NHL or even a playoff, you want that sort of moment, or but this is just next level. This isn't a different stratosphere type of moment, or this is an international event, or this is an international moment, or and it's more, I think, for your club, for your country than it is from a club moment. So I think that is a moment that should be shared for everybody as opposed to you just putting that puck in your pocket or putting it in your mantelpiece at home. That to me, don't tuck it up, hockey hall of fame. Hang on to that puck. Don't give it to Jack.
SPEAKER_00I have a question. Where's Crosby's puck? Hall of Fame? Does anyone know where it is? I I'm just I'm curious to find out. That's all.
SPEAKER_03I'm just I'm into Google that, and that is.
SPEAKER_00It's probably in the hall of the it's probably in the hockey hall of fame. I'm not, I'm but I'm I'm gonna laugh if he has his pound sand, Jack. You're not getting it. Uh I'll take it back. I will take it back. Yes. Uh I'm gonna stick kind of on the same lines a little bit. Uh, don't puck it up. NHL Department of Player Safety, like we just chatted about a little bit earlier. George Perro spoke. I have a ton of respect for George. They've got a, you know, I don't know everybody who's on that committee, but I know Ray Whitney's there. I know Getzlav is there, and there's a couple others. Hey, look, this this is the process. You like the process, you're confident in your process. Don't puck this up and let the big time media and the leaf media, you know, get in your way and change the way you do things. This is how you're supposed to do it. Stick with your guns. Don't puck it up. I like it, Collie. I like it.
SPEAKER_03Maybe just a thought, just a thought. Just a thought.
SPEAKER_00Okay.
SPEAKER_03So maybe sometimes worth a fresh set of eyes every maybe a five-year term or a four-year term.
SPEAKER_00They do have fresh sets of eyes in there. Or you're talking about the head guy. The head guy. Well, he takes it on the chin for everybody else. He takes it on the chin for everybody else. But I get what you're saying, but there are new people in there. Ryan Getzlums a fresh set of eyes this year. And maybe put a I hear what you're saying.
SPEAKER_01Maybe put a superstar on it or something like that. Maybe. I don't know. Um the uh international hockey. We got international hockey. Don't puck it up. We've got the next four years planned out. Calgary Edmonton. Oh, yeah. That's a big deal. Big job. That's a big deal. Great job by the NHL moving it out west. Probably should have. I'm interested to see how this goes in Czechia. You know, how they get to Prague and how they do that. But great job in the show. Oh, yeah, yeah. Don't fuck that up. Get that job. That's a good one to get. Um, but but great job by the league. So it's it's kind of the opposite of the don't puck it up. They did a good job not pucking up national hockey. They've got it in a good place. I think it's going to be awesome in Edmonton. It's great for everyone. The timing, the whole thing. So great job by them and getting more teams in. So that's uh good on the NHL, good on international hockey. I like it.
SPEAKER_03All right. They're giving us a go home. By the way, Sid's goal is in the hockey all the same. Okay, it is. Okay. Golden goal. Golden goal. Hey, tough luck, Jack. Should have grabbed it right away. Tough luck. There you go. Thanks for having my back there, Tommy. Unlike the lease with Austin. Thanks, Tommy. I appreciate it. All right. Remember to like and subscribe on YouTube for more clearing the crease uh content powered by Ozoun.net. You can follow along Apple, Spotify, X, Instagram, TikTok, because the road to the Stanley Cup is wide freaking open. And the clearest way to winning big is to play on Ozun.net. Ozun's got you covered for all props, gay lives, futures from now until the cup final and beyond. Make your power play, score big with Ozun. It's your turn now. And my next turn, I promise I will have my better recording equipment as opposed to what I got through this episode with. He's Commie, he's Razor. I'm Stavalski. We will see you next week right here on the Claring the Crease podcast, powered by Ozoon.com.