Clearing The Crease Podcast
Hockey’s best podcast featuring Mike Commodore Andrew Raycroft and hosted by James Cybulski.
Clearing The Crease Podcast
This hasn't happened in OVER 30 YEARS... CTC #75
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The boys catch up with the NHL in the last full week before the NHL playoffs. We talk Leafs, Canadiens, coaching changes and more!
Only six players in Montreal Canadians history have scored 50 in a season. We're talking crazy.
SPEAKER_00It is crazy.
SPEAKER_03It is crazy. Like the most story franchise in the history of the sport. And we're talking the rocket. We're talking boom boom. We're talking the flower. Steve Shot, Stefan Richet, and Pierre LaRouche. Cole Caulfield is a goal away from joining that club and becoming the first since 1990 when Stefan Rische did it all those years ago. And Suzuki. It is crazy. But how about this one, Cobbie? One further. Nick Suzuki, as we record this, is sitting with about 95 points. He's looking to become the first Montreal Canadian in 40 years to hit a hundred points since Matt's Naslin. Only four players in the history of the house. Matt's Naslin.net. He's the Call of the Trophy winner, Andrew Raycroft, the Razor, alongside your favorite Stanley Cup champion, Commie, Mike Commodore. I'm James Tabalski. And before we go anywhere, Razor, you happen to notice something in the world of golf that may have aligned with Kami this past weekend.
SPEAKER_00Oh, well, yeah, I mean, I I listened to Sirius XM golf all the time during the day. Listen to Colton Sleazy. Uh, and they were talking about Kami's golf course. So I knew he wasn't in town, but they had the big club championship going. So that's I was curious where where Kami was and why he would bag out of the club championship if he had a chance to win this weekend.
SPEAKER_04Well, uh, first off, I really do appreciate it's very obvious by your comments you've never played golf with me, but I do appreciate the call your confidence in my game. Uh, so this past weekend, uh, we can touch on Dallas in a bit, but it was the club championships at Wisperock. There's different, there's like senior, there's a member T Club Championship, which is the one where most normal golfers play in, and then the black T, that's the back. So I did a few years ago kind of get peer pressure. I think that people just wanted to laugh at me to qualify for it. So some years they have lots, you know, quite a few people who who want to play, so you have to qualify, shoot a certain score, and then the top 12 do like match play or whatever. So the one year I did try to qualify, and it did not go well at all. Uh, I was out there, you know, the ball has to go on the hole. Yeah, I'm a match play player here. Like and you know, we're playing.
SPEAKER_03And in fairness, you're a pretty good player, though. Like to just to, you know, you play regularly.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, I play regular. I'm like a single end. I go anywhere from like a I'm a I'm a shitty three, I'm a pretty good six. That would probably be the best way to describe my game. Yeah, so anyways, yeah, well, thank you. Except when the ball has to go in the hole and you're playing against plus fives. Are you too good? Are you too good for your hole? Oh, yeah. So I'm playing with these guys, they're trying to qualify. I am too, but I'm like, I get erratic off the T. So these guys are playing hard. I'm trying, but I just keep hitting it in the bush. I'm like gonna run out of balls. I'm wandering around the desert. Finally, on like the it was the 11th T. I took like a 10 on nine. I think I tripled 10. Or actually, I might have parred 10, which is a hard hole. Got up to the T on 11 of par five and just hit this low heely spinner that went further sideways than it did long. And I'm just on the T and I was exhausted. I'm just like, you know what, guys? I I'm having a nice time with you, but how about I just done doing this and I'm just gonna play and have some fun and cheer you guys on? They're like, that's probably a good idea. I go, Yeah, sounds good. So I did learn something that day. I didn't know, you know, I I did finish the round, but I got in. They're like, well, hey, would you shoot? Like, where's your card? I'm like, what do I get when I don't fit like I don't have a score? They're like, oh, okay, NC, no card. So that's what I got. Uh so yeah, no, I uh I figured I it was probably in my best interest to skip the Black T Club championships this year. Uh the winner was uh just to show for anybody who knows golf, kind of the level of competition here, the winner was uh a major champion. His name's Jeff Ogilvie. So one wingfoot of all places, too. Yeah, this guy's pretty good at golf. He's not hitting the ball in the desert. I'll tell you that.
SPEAKER_03Does nobody scream ringer like, hey, come on, this isn't fair.
SPEAKER_04No, I mean it's straight up. I mean, there's it would have like there's other guys in there that could play. I would say probably, I mean, I didn't see the field, but I mean, Colt played. I mean, he you know, he played nine years on tour, Stoltz played Canadian tour, and and like it's it's golfers, these guys. There's no question about it. So I think that's like the first time, though. Like the the the touring guys don't play in it all that often. Like, you know, at the end of the day, like, you know, they got you know, either they're playing or practicing or whatever they're doing, so they don't play all that much, but they do, especially some of the older guys, and surprisingly, a little bit, like the the like the Jeff Ogilvies of the world don't win it every year, that's for sure. Like, I could go down the list of guys that have won it the last little while, and you you guys probably wouldn't have heard of them for sure. Yeah, but they're all sick. So, anyways, I was better off, sir, getting hammered in Dallas at PGA.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, give us stories, give us details. You played in the alumni game?
SPEAKER_04Yeah, I did. Uh, I'd like to shout out to the Dallas Stars alumni. They were all very welcoming since nobody I never played a game for the Dallas Stars, nor did I come close, just the Texas Stars. Uh, but it was fun. Two nights at Frisco. Um, played both courses there. The like tournament was on the so they're hosting the PGA championship next year on the East Course, which is private. Uh, if you ever get a chance to go, I would recommend it. It's beautiful, I would say. And the golf course is it's legit. There's no question about that. Uh, it apparently it blows there. So we it was, I guess it was just, I mean, it was 30, 25, 30 mile an hour winds. I mean, it's no joke. Uh, but did that, had a lot of fun, smashed a lot of drinks. Um, had a good, had a really good group. We had a lot of fun. And then uh the next day was uh my Saturday night special pick there, Tuesday, two o'clock, two uh two o'clock. Uh stars uh went that game, uh watched that game from uh Tom Gallardi's box, which was fun. And then 20 minutes after that game was done, my stars didn't bring it that night. That was not a good, yeah. No, they didn't have much going on. There might have been more action in the alumni game, I gotta be honest. There was the alumni game 43. No, no, no, just like goals, goals. No, no, no. Okay, they're going at it. It didn't no, no, it didn't get heated at all. But uh yeah, 20 minutes after that game was on, so went out. I would say I I actually felt pretty good. I think I I think I was better than expected. And uh then just who else played, commie?
SPEAKER_03Come on, give us some names. Who else was out on the ice?
SPEAKER_04Oh, let's see. One other former Texas star, great. I don't think they were. I think I was the only one in from that league. Uh, who was out there? Yeri Lettnam was out there, uh uh Craig Ludwig was out there.
SPEAKER_02Nice.
SPEAKER_04Uh, who else do we have? A lot of the big guys didn't end up uh, they just played the golf and didn't play the hockey. Uh, like the Brendan Morrow, Brett Hulls of the world, they didn't play. Um, but yeah, it was good. Bob Bassin puts it on, and there was Paul Cavallini and Gerald Diddick. Did lots of abs guys go up too? No, no, this was just Dallas Stars. Oh, got it, got it, got it, got it. Yeah, so like Vern Fiddler was there, like some younger guys and stuff. So yeah, it was a good game. We were up uh, what was it? We were up 3-2 with a couple minutes left. Uh, I was not a plus player, but I was not a minus player either. Nothing happened when I was on the ice, so that's a win. Uh, they tied it up kind of late, and then Vern Fiddler scored to put us up 4-3 with like 30 seconds left, and that was it. Oh, Vern. Yeah. I sold some 50-50 tickets when I was drunk Friday night. I volunteered because Gerald Diddek didn't want to do it. I'm like, oh, that'll be fun. And so I immediately the next morning, I'm like, what were you thinking? So they had a Commodore 22 stars jersey. So I'm standing out there with my sign, and I did have a I sold three tickets, one of them was to myself. Uh, and a couple people did come up though. They're like, Dallas Stars? I go, Yeah, yeah, no. Keep watching. They're like, You played here? I'm like, no, no, I just didn't, it's okay. Do you want a ticket? No, you don't. So, anyways, but it was fun. It was awesome. I had a really good weekend. I'm glad I went.
SPEAKER_00And then speaking of plus minus, let's get into the it's Master's Week, huh? We haven't even talked about this enough the last month and a half. No, we had like this is go, this is the final round now, huh? This is the final round.
SPEAKER_04Ticket a winner? Back nine. Yeah, back nine. I mean, we're we're they're on, you know, the leaders are on hole 12 and 13 here, you know, five or six left. I just looked the other day, so I don't have anything from yesterday. And anything can happen on the back nine on a Masters Sunday. But I think this thing's over. I think it's over. Brock Besser has taken control. He had a double bogey three holes ago, then albatross, albatross, and he I don't think he's coming backwards anymore. He's gonna make a huge push. He's good, he's making a big push. Second place is already in the clubhouse because he's hurt. It's that Belarus demand in Chicago. Already left Schunov. Yeah, that guy soft. He should have finished it here and take a few more birdies, but he's the NC. He's yeah, he NC'd it. Yeah, he's sitting there solo second. He took an NC instead of finishing out his round. Um, but yeah, I think I mean out of Brock Besser is gonna be hard to catch. North Dakota's finest. There you go. North Dakota's finest. So we'll see. Big week for that, too, Razor, right?
SPEAKER_00You're back on college hockey. 100%. Thursday. Thursday, Nodak versus Wisco. So I'll be texting you all afternoon on that one. Oh, yeah. Yeah, I'll be there too.
SPEAKER_04I got this, don't puck it up. Yeah, I'm going. I'm going. Okay, great. Packing the dogs up. Yep. Yeah. Oh boy, that'll be driving in. I rented a house. Boy, I love it.
SPEAKER_00Okay, I'm gonna be able to do it. Looking forward to it. Is there lots of guys going? Like, is there a group of guys or are you solo or I'm going solo.
SPEAKER_04Uh, I had a little chat from our 2000 team, and I've gotten a couple other random texts. There's a few guys, I think. I will say, I think the uh the airline ticket prices are turning some people off, I would say a little bit. That gas at six bucks a gallon is uh yeah, that's a little bit of a problem. So, but there'll be there'll there'll be people like it's especially older alumni. Like, I don't really know who will be there, but when I get there on Thursday, I'll I'll pull into that pre-party at about noon, and there'll be a lot of people there, I'm sure.
SPEAKER_03Here we go. Uh, so much. And we've really just scray scraped the tip of the iceberg here, I think, for this edition of the Clearing the Crease podcast, powered by Ozoun.net, the road to the Stanley Cup. It's wide open right now, and Ozun's got the clearest route to winning big. All the props, all the game lines, all the futures from now until the cup final and beyond. So make your power play and score big with Ozun. It is your turn now. Also, just a quick reminder: if you're enjoying the show and you love the content and all the stories that we bring you each and every week, make sure to like and subscribe, mash those buttons, uh, whether you're on YouTube or give us a five-star review on Apple, Spotify, or make sure you're following along on social media, whether it's Instagram, X, TikTok, or wherever else you are tuning in from. Uh, lots and lots of jobs changing, uh, a bit of a turnstile over the last week, kind of a surprising as here we are in the final week of the NHL regular season, not even into the playoffs yet, and a lot of changes in management. Coaches again. We'll get to that in just a moment, but let's go to our clearing the free Saturday night special, our final one of the season. Wow, where does the time go? We're gonna pick three winners. We've hit a few winners over the course of the season, so let's go out with a bang. Three games, three winners. Come on, start us off.
SPEAKER_04All right. I'm gonna, I mean, I've been cheering, I've said it multiple times on this podcast. The one team that I would uh of them all that I would really like to see in the playoffs are the Detroit Red Wings. So I will take the Detroit Red Wings to pound the New Jersey Devils on, I think it's Saturday afternoon, at some point on Saturday. So go wings.
SPEAKER_00Okay. Razor. Oh, I'm taking the Winnipeg Jets just so they can hang around a few more days. Damn it. A little bit of a tummy ache and let him struggle with that. They're playing the Philadelphia Flyers in Winnipeg. The Flyers are as good as it's been. They've gotten themselves into the playoffs. I think they take a little bit of a slip in Winnipeg.
SPEAKER_03There we go. And a round out the trifecta. Give me the Sharks fighting for their playoff lives right now, along with the Jets in that Western Conference. Give me the Sharks at home over the Vancouver Canucks. Number 32 at a team at a time. Oh, at least. And a team absolutely stacked, vying for the green jacket right now. Come on, I think you got about four Canucks right now in the top 15 between Fesser and Patterson and Debrusque and Bullium. So it's all happening. So there's your three winners for this Saturday's Clearing the Crease Saturday night special. Book it. We're coming up big. Um, I do want to touch on the playoff races in a moment, but uh lots of news here as we record this uh going down. Let's start from a coaching standpoint. I think we were just a couple of weeks ago, somebody was asking, oh, has there ever been a big coaching change super late in the season, right before the playoffs? And we're like, yeah, there's one or two that have happened. And what do you know? We've got back-to-back weeks here with less than 10 games to go. First, it's Vegas with Tortorella. Now, one of the greatest goaltenders in the history of hockey, Patrick Waugh, out as head coach of the New York Islanders, replaced by the name we've all been waiting for. Just waiting for it. Pete De Bohr is back for his sixth head coaching job as the Islanders. They've lost four straight. They're now on the outside looking in for a playoff spot. They've lost seven of the last ten. Razor, how do we feel about this one?
SPEAKER_00Well, this one I think is a little different than the Twartz one that we saw last week in that Matthew Darsh, the New York Islanders, decided probably a little while ago, but especially this week, that Patrick Waugh was not coming back next year, no matter what. So let's pivot. Let's go get our guy now. Let's get the number one free agent coach right now. So he doesn't have five offers from five other teams that are more and that have different options. Let's just lock this guy up. That's what they went out and did with four games left. So the torts thing was a Vegas team that's gonna get in the playoffs, that they needed a little boost and that the players had tuned Cassidy out. This one, from all accounts, is they didn't love the way they were playing. The structure wasn't what they needed going forward. If they get in, great, but more likely than not, they've got their guy for next year with Matthew Schaefer. They he signs a three-year contract that lines up with the general manager, and it's more of a long-term play rather than a short-term play.
SPEAKER_04Come on. Yeah, I agree with Razor. Um yeah, I mean, it's really, I think at the end of the day, like Razor just said, get him off the market right now. Now we got him. What a gig this head coaching, though. It is a rack.
SPEAKER_00It isn't a big Ponzi scheme.
SPEAKER_04Oh man, these guys just get shuffled. Once you're in, now don't get me wrong. It's not easy to get in. You gotta coach a lot of long time. Like, I get it. Like, it's not like you just, oh, I'm gonna coach, and next thing you know, the islanders are calling you. Um, so you got to put your time in. But once you're in, unless you do something incredibly stupid, you are sticking around and making some coin for a long time. But you know what? I met Pete DeBore last year, seemed like a nice dude, so happy for him. I'm sure he's excited. He must there must be, I'm sure he would have known he would have had some offers too in the offseason. So he must have kind of liked what he seemed on the island. So good for him.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, so he obviously had time to choose because he had time left on his contract from Dallas, so he could kind of sit and wait and be a little more particular. But you know, I I wanted to throw this from a player standpoint for you guys because you kind of touched on something there, Commie. So here's Debore, uh, over 1,200 games. He's coached in the national hockey. I like Pete going back to when he was on the bench as an assistant with the World Juniors back in the mid-2000s, but Panthers, Devils, Sharks, Golden Knights, Stars, and now here with the Islanders. As players, how do you guys feel about the retread coach coming in compared to, say, a new coach? Do you prefer the devil you know, or do you prefer something just a fresh voice? Like, I don't know. Kobe, start with you on this one. Like, how do you feel about like what's the perception of the retread? Because two-thirds of the league, you've got coaches, I think almost 20 coaches in the National Hockey League right now have at least had two jobs or more.
SPEAKER_04No, yeah. Well, I'll say I don't really care who's coming in as long as it works out well for me and I'm sticking around and I'm and getting minutes. I'll tell you that would be the most important thing. So, you know, I've had, you know, I've had a workout in my career both ways. Where I I mean, I guess Arneal was the new guy in Columbus. That worked out great for me. So I wish God, I wish Hitch wouldn't have got canned. That was terrible for me. So maybe I wouldn't have minded a retread there. That would have been nice. But um, yeah, I guess I don't know if I don't know if players like I guess it depends on which player and where you're at in your career. Like I guess maybe if you're an older guy and you know, a new guy coming in, I I would just think maybe you don't like that quite as much. But for me, I I think it just boils down to an individual perspective for sure.
SPEAKER_00It's kind of where you are in your career. If you're a young guy coming up, you want to young guys awesome because typically they're a little more open-minded, they're a little bit more open to younger guys. Especially when we played too. When Kami and I played, it was you had real old school guys who wouldn't even look at young kids, right? Like if you were a young kid and you had Mike Keenan, forget it. Like, do you either just you know you're not playing, like it's it's not even a question. Um, so I for me, I always liked early on. The young guy was like good, but I think overall the retread is better as a player for the most part. I'd rather know exactly what I'm getting than getting a guy who doesn't know which door to go into in a visiting room. That just like for me, I've had one of those, I had one of those coaches once, and it it was really hard to respect him and really hard to like get behind his message when he'd never really gone through the NHL before. Yeah, I I felt as a team it was it was really hard to respect and believe it. So I I understand completely why if I'm a general manager, I'm I'm going for the guy who's had success. Pete DeBoris had more success than anyone, really, lately.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, it's always the the res so the resume can matter in the eyes of some players. So, okay, now uh management. There's been a lot over the last week here as well. Let's start with the freshest one, and that's with New Jersey Devils. Uh Tom Fitzgerald out after almost 11 years with the organization. He took over uh in an interim role really in 2020. Uh, and he's been the guy ever since. But look, I think the devils, I think everybody's been kind of seeing this window for now for the Devils, and it's clearly not happening. Uh, this year, another belly flop. Come on, Devil alumni. What's happening? Jersey.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, they keep me up to speed on everything going on.
SPEAKER_03I mean an alumni game soon enough.
SPEAKER_04I've got crazy. Yeah, I'm sure. I'm sure that will be. Um, you know what? You know, it's it's out east, so I don't see him as much. I will say, like two years ago, I remember watching the Devils play. I was in Calgary, and I was like, wow, these guys look good. Like they're fast, they can move. And I'm like, man, they gotta like, I think this is gonna be a good team. These guys are all young, like things are looking great. And pretty much since then, like I feel like they've made moves where I've been like, yeah, but yeah, that makes sense. That that might work, you know. I don't mind that. It just should work. And I just really hasn't working out, uh, like worked out. And from that point, you know, a couple years ago, when that team was got a hundred points and looked great to now, it's just kind of been a steady decline. So I mean, it also doesn't help when, you know, not that it's ever one thing, it's uh I'm sure it's a combination of a bunch of things, but you know, Hugh's not being able to stay healthy, whether it's you know, his shoulders or a steak knife or whatever the hell it is. That doesn't help either. No more team dinners. Yeah, no kidding. So, but yeah, from the from the way outside looking in, you know, I could see why they would be looking to move on.
SPEAKER_00Racer? Yeah. Yeah, for for all those things. He's made some great moves that it looks like are gonna work great on paper and it hasn't worked. And at some point, you can only do that for so long. You can only miss the playoffs two years in a row when you have a really good lineup and really good players on paper that seem to be going the right way. And he's been there a long time. So now all of these firings are happening, and you feel like probably as an owner, you're getting a little antsy. Like anyone with a job right now should be really nervous that this is happening at the end of the year like this, because inevitably owners are looking and talking to each other, and they don't want to miss the boat on the next guy. And and that's kind of what I you feel happening because now inevitably Jersey has to get a GM to hire to fire their coach. Keith's gonna get fired because the new GM's coming in, then they need to get a coach. Like this whole thing starts ramping up pretty quickly, and and it's amazing that teams are getting ahead of it before the season even ends. You can see, you could see, like I could see us uh something coming into play where you can't make a you can't fire a general manager with five games left. Like I could see a rule coming in to the NHL here soon because I can't imagine Bettman loves these kind of news stories over taking a playoff run that is going on right now. Yeah, it's a good point.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, I I I guess so, but it's I mean, it's it's finding talking points to talk about the league. We kind of kill the the trades, right? Because of in the cap era and everything dollars in, dollars out, and trying to make it all work. We just don't get those hockey trades that we used to that that could still be water cooler conversations. Not that there's a lot of water coolers around these days, but you know what I mean, like those conversations. And so, yeah, I I can see it from both sides. I I do wonder if you know Quinn Hughes could still wind up in New Jersey in another year and a half from now. But you do wonder if there was any fallout from that, not ultimately landing in New Jersey, even this year, with Hughes ultimately leaving Vancouver for Minnesota. But nevertheless, another GM job is open. Um, while we're talking management, we haven't had a chance to really hit on it yet. But um, Brad you're living out in Toronto. They announced this a week ago, uh, literally right after we had finished recording our episode. Um, you know, we had talked about it a few weeks prior. I I think from just a very peripheral standpoint. And, you know, when you look at some of it was just bad luck, some of it, you know, Brad's gotta own. But, you know, you look at it from a management standpoint between the time in Calgary, how it ended and how it ends in Toronto. I'm not sure if there's a GM who's had a tougher four years with like impact moves that have just gone the wrong way uh with Brad for a living. But Razor, let's start with the former Leaf Great here on this one.
SPEAKER_00Um, yeah, it just comes down to okay, we've got a lot of work to do. We've got to move forward. We might not have a draft pick, we got to pick a new coach. If RGM is not gonna be around for three years, then we need to find the guy that is gonna be around for three or four years to be able to make those decisions. And uh it seems as though the Leafs had to get ahead of it. I'm I'm curious if it had to do with trying to get a new, like what they're going to do. It has to do with Austin Matthew. Like, does Austin Matthews' dad become the general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs? Is it like because what's going on in those, you know, like where is Austin Matthews? I no one's heard from him in months. Um, where is that situation at? Like, and it's again, it it goes MLSE is a big corporation, it's not a mom and pop organization that's just run by Mike Illich, who just does it out of passion. MLSE is a whole different animal, and and who knows who's actually making this decision and who's gonna end up being that general manager.
SPEAKER_03Well, the funny thing is, commie, is like at the news conference last week, there's Keith Pelly talking about evidence-based, evidence-based. Yeah, kind of almost like leaning towards analytics.
SPEAKER_00Boy, that was like the touch of death for me.
SPEAKER_03It sounds like they're looking for Kyle Dubas, the way that they were describing everything.
SPEAKER_04I mean guy in Carolina. I yeah, I think they're gonna find a scientist at Duke, like Carolina did. That's right. Um I like Brad, you know, and uh maybe I'm a little jaded. I know him a little bit and know him a little bit from Calgary, and we've played golf together a little bit. I like him. I think he's a great guy. I do agree with you, C-Ball. Like, you know, some of this stuff, though, you know, especially in Cal, you know, it's it's been a he's he's had some tough cards dealt to him that he had to just try and make the best of. But you gotta figure with that Pelly coming in and the way the season's gone, somebody was gonna get gassed for sure. Um, so he was just the first one to go. I am interested to see where they go from here. And I'm interested to see you're talking about like who's making the calls. Like, how is this going to work? Because I've heard I just golf with a guy today, actually, who's buddies with that Keith Pelly. This guy's a business guy from Toronto. So I just asked him, I'm like, oh, well, what do you think? He's like, I actually really like him. I think he's good at what he does. I'm like, is he a hockey guy? The guy's like, no, not at all. So whatever.
SPEAKER_03Keith was my old boss at one time. Like, oh, right.
SPEAKER_00The other thing is the other thing that's interesting, okay. So you fire him after the deadline. So who's making the decisions at the deadline? Did you did they let Tree Living make all those decisions at the deadline? Or was somebody else telling him what to do with the like it's that's that's really interesting to me, too. Like the timing of all this, because typically you wouldn't let him trade for first rounders and give up first, you know, make those moves if you're gassing them in a week and a half or two weeks later. Yeah.
SPEAKER_04Yes, uh, the data. I mean, I don't want to, I know it's a new world and analytics are big. And like I understand, and I and I'm sure that I th my personal opinion, not being an analytics guy, I and I don't even know what the stat like I don't even know what the whatever. I don't know anything about it, but I do think there's value in it. But I and maybe it's because I I played, but I like seeing a hockey guy in the general manager position of the team, and then use analytics and have analytics people and bring that in. But at the end of the day, you got to be able to go watch a game, in my opinion, watch somebody play, watch a team play, whatever, and take some. I mean, I think so that still has I think hockey people still have a lot of value. So when I heard uh some say data-centric, and then I just saw right before we started recording like a list of a few names on like potentially, you know, and who knows, like this this was just the score putting an article together or whatever, but I mean it it was it was very the Jason Speza was on there, but then after that it was it was I mean, all these analytics guys, so yeah, I don't know. Like I said, I'm not totally against it, uh, and I don't want to be the old goat who won't change, but yeah, I I like seeing hockey people in hockey positions, personally, especially when you're trying to build culture when you're talking about a team.
SPEAKER_00There you go.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, yeah. I don't know anything about analytics. Great point, Razor. I'm not I don't know much about analytics, but I'm pretty sure there isn't one that analyzes and creates culture.
SPEAKER_00Who's gonna go after radko gudus when your guy gets need? That's not in the data.
SPEAKER_03Razor, I mean, to that point, like you know, I'm I'm in Vancouver, and I mean you know, you talk about culture and what was assembled in Vancouver, right? An unmitigated disaster. And so, um, you know, to the point where they had to get rid of one star player and ultimately the trickle-down effect they never recovered. The other star player is a shell of a forber self. And yeah, so I mean, there, you know, culture. I mean, there are certain intangibles that look, I I do think data is an important element to put in your toolbox, but yeah, I think there is there is a divide of also, you know, recognizing the eyeball test and the assessment and understanding, but then how do you measure heart or intangibles of people that that show up to play in big games and and those who who don't, right? And those who the bigger the moment, the bigger the game, the better they play. And some people we've talked about in the past, some guys will. So uh let me throw this one to you real quick with the leaves. There's been talk that I think management internally feels that this can be a quick fix, that this is not something that needs to be stripped down to the studs. I just I look at that core and I just think to myself, okay, if you're trying to just run it back with you know the same group of uh Matthews, Neilander, Riley, Tavares, who's now in his mid-30s. I mean, I think they're guys that you can probably win with, but if they are your guys to carry you, I don't know. It it it's like I I just don't I just don't believe in that that core to be the guys, they're not the dogs in the fight that are going to lead you through. Does that work?
SPEAKER_00The back end, the back end needs a lot of work. Like it's not like you're missing a couple of injuries then and they'll be back next year and everything will be okay. Like you you you need to it just can't work with the back end that they have, and then Matthews, Matthews, Matthews, Matthews. Like, what is it? Is no one really thinks he's coming back. So, okay, so is he part he's not part of the core. So now how do you rebuild and retool through that? That's yeah, so I agree with you, C Ball. I don't I don't see it the same way, and and um I hope for Toronto's sake, they don't really think of it that way, and that they think they have a lot of work to do.
SPEAKER_04I don't know your boy, Mr. October, C Ball. So I it's not like I talked to him, and other than running him into the golf shop there last summer, and he never I never got his number. You never got that round? You never got that round in together? The round never happened, unfortunately. Screw him! But I'll say I think this is just me speaking. I think Austin Matthews has had enough up there. That's this is me guessing. And I'm I think he's gonna be he's gonna be gone before the draft. Yeah, that's what I think. I'm gonna go with that. And then at the end of the day, maybe it's a good like hey, look. Yeah, maybe that's better for the leaves. Maybe that's yeah, it might be better for the leaves, too. You're gonna get a lot out of that, right? How many years left does he have on his deal? At least one. One or two? Yeah, two. So, I mean, and at the end of the day, this guy's a I mean, he is, I know he gets ripped on up there, but he is an he is an excellent player.
SPEAKER_00Um, whatever team he goes to, he's getting 40 or 50.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, I think it's like that's yeah.
SPEAKER_03I mean, a down season for that guy now is 40 goals, right?
SPEAKER_04Right, like that's pretty season. Right? I didn't get halfway there in 15 years, for Christ's sakes. But anyways, yeah, but you know what, Tommy?
SPEAKER_03We call you Mr. June around here.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, that's right. That's right. Off the glass and out. Yep, that's right in the spring. Yep. Um Austin Matthew, go get the puck.
SPEAKER_03I I want to touch on the playoff race right now. And um, you got Todd McClellan, Rick Bonas have both recently called their teams out publicly. Um, tell me this, you know, and and look, I mean, these these teams are, you know, the wings have been banged up, the jackets are banged up, but um, you know, they're their coaches are doing everything they can to challenge guys. But when like when does a pl when does a coach calling you out as a player or as a team when does it work and when does it fall on deaf ears, Kami?
SPEAKER_04Uh for me, I would say if it's some personally, I like it. I think it's good, I and I think it's a good move. You have to kind of know when to do it. I think it's one of those things like the boy who cried wolf, if you're constantly going into the paper and torturing your players sooner or later, it's like, you know what, this coach is an idiot. I'm not listening to him anymore. But if you're doing it once, like, you know, every so often, or you know, bonus just got there, right? So it's the first time that's happened. And I and I don't remember McClennan, you know, I he I don't think he has a massive history of torching his players. So I mean, if if it's not happening all the time, then I think people listen. Um, so I actually I don't mind it at all, personally.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, and I think if you're gonna do it, now's the time, but you got eight games, you can't wait till the last game. You got four games left, five games. You know, Detroit blowing a three or coming back from three goals down and then giving it tanking a penalty, like it's just you can't happen. Um, so so I yeah, I'm okay with it. Again, you can't do it on the last day when the season's over, so you might as well play your card one more time here with five games left and see what comes of it.
SPEAKER_03Uh, throw this to you guys in the east right now. Um, you know, McDavid was calling the uh the Pacific a pillow fight there a few weeks ago. Here we are right now. How about this race for kind of the final playoff spot right now in the east? Columbus has lost six in a row. The Islanders have lost four straight. Ottawa's got just two W's in their last six, and they're hanging on as we record this. Detroit's lost six of eight. And then you got Philly, who's won now eight of eleven. So they're in right now. They've found a way, like they've been cooking, and everybody else seems to have just bottomed out, and then Washington's still in the mix. They've won, they had won four or five before absolutely getting demolished by the Rangers. Um like when you're in the fight, are these games harder to win? Or like do you play with confidence or do you are you or you playing with a fear to lose? Like, what's that feeling right now when you're in these moments?
SPEAKER_04I mean, I I feel like if you're playing like scared to lose, I feel like you're going to lose more often than not. Yeah, like at the end of the day, you've got to go out there and play. And you should be, you know, uh, these are games that that obviously matter. It's towards the end of the season. Yes, you're trying to get into play. Everything's so tight. Like, I don't know, to me, you know, this should be your best effort. And you should be excited for these games. You gotta be treating these games like it's the first round of the right, like it's a playoff game. You gotta win these games uh or win four of seven or what you know, whatever, however, you want to break that down. Um, so yeah, I I think teams should be fired up, but you know, and like I said, none of us are in the room, but if you're going out there playing, playing scared, I think, so scared to lose. Uh more often than not, you're losing.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, like a team like Philly's not, they thought they were out of it, and they're a bunch of young guys, and they're just they're not playing with fear at all, and now they're feeling it, and now they're going. Detroit has been playing with fear for weeks now because they're they're hearing it, they didn't want to lose, they want it so they want it too badly. Sometimes you can want it too much, too. And and that's where you feel Detroit is Columbus. I think they just ran into a wall. They had they had to win so many games. They put themselves so far behind the eight ball early in the year that they've been on such a run at some point that was gonna dry up just a little bit, that bad luck was gonna show up, but I feel like they're going through that. Um, and now the Islanders fired and fired their coach, so who knows what that does. But yeah, um, but yeah, it one 13 and one are the Islanders, the Red Wings, and the Columbus Blue Jackets in their last 15 games combined. One 13 and one. That is disgusting. That's awkward. That is disgusting.
SPEAKER_03And they might find one of those teams might find a way to get it. One of them can still get in.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, one of them can still get in.
SPEAKER_03Okay, uh, it's time for our question of the week. So each week we pick a question from you. That's right, you who if you're whether you're watching along on YouTube or following along in audio format on Spotify or Apple Podcasts. So every week, just use the hashtag ask CTC, hit us up on social, hit us up on YouTube comments. Uh, this week's question Guys, are there any players you had beef with which extended beyond hockey? And are there any that you still don't get along with? Razor.
SPEAKER_00There's I there's nobody that I I there's definitely a few guys and stories in the league that had like real personal stuff happen to each other that you that no one's getting over. Um, I fortunately didn't have any of that drama in my life. Um, I had a few guys that I hated and thought I would hate forever, but I ended up playing with them and becoming teammates with them, and then became friends with them. The first one's Mike Ribero. Mike Ribero in the playoffs, put Montreal. I hated Mike Ribero more than anything in the world. And then I played with him in Dallas, and he's an absolute character and hilarious. Another, another French guy, exactly the same kind of guy, Alex Burroughs, the absolute worst pain in the ass, asshole on the ice. Go to play with him in Vancouver, and he's the best teammate of all time. So I don't have anybody that there's a few coaches on my list. I there's a few coaches that I'll I'd walk by in the in the downstairs alleyway after the game or during the games now, where I don't look at them, but no players that I I don't think anyone hates me, and and I I don't really hate anybody that I can remember. No fights, like no suspensions, no one did anything to me. Um, so I'm lucky that way. I think I'm cooked by anybody.
SPEAKER_03Is there a coach that you didn't like in the moment, but now when you see you you actually get along?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, well, yeah, most of the other ones that I kind of like. Yeah. Like there's the you know, like you kind of had that with everybody. Like there was, you know, you know, like Mike Sullivan. But on the way out with Mike Sullivan, I'm like, this guy's the worst guy ever, the whole thing. Meanwhile, we'd like gone up through the minors together, and like the we're best friends when we see each other now, but you know, for a couple months.
SPEAKER_03Okay, commie. I feel like you you don't hate anybody, but no, yeah.
SPEAKER_00I saw the yeah, uh, there wasn't really it's hard. Like it there again, there that you really to just to the question before sorry to interrupt, commie, but for the question it there, guys really don't hate each other off the ice that much. Like it really it can't, it really has to be somebody ending a career or really injuring you badly, or somebody like did something with your girlfriend or something. Right, like those are kind of the most stories exist. Of course they do. No, no, they're those are out there, but those are real life. That happens in other in every other job. The only the way is you would really hate someone or like see someone at a golf tournament and like walk away. Otherwise, you're gonna have a beer and like laugh about the one night you guys had a fight or something, you know.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, like the the one guy I hated on the ice, I hated that Kovalchuk, and I've never met him in person, but I'm sure he's fine. Like, you know, I that there was nothing that I extended off the ice. I mean, I did have, you know, I I always I like to think that I got along with pretty much everybody that I played with. I did have one thing with one guy when I was in Carolina, but once again, it had nothing to do with on ice stuff or whatever. It was a misunderstanding where some wives got in my anyways. It was the it had nothing to do with hockey, and it was a total misunderstanding. There was a few beers involved. I probably said something I shouldn't have, and then he stood up like he should have, and then I lost my marbles a little bit and cut my toe open, but and we ended up playing together for a couple more years, but for one full year, uh we didn't talk for one full one full calendar year, not a word. The only word that was exchanged would be in a D-zone face-off if I was going high or low. That's it. That was the other than that, not a word, but there were no like you know, we didn't get into it again. It was just silence, and then and were you partners on the ice? Well, we were on the same team, yeah. He was a four, yeah. He wasn't my D partner. Okay, he wasn't your D partner, okay. Yeah, but yeah, he was my teammate. Um then you know what? We finally got to the next year's party, and I was sitting there at one end of the bar, and there were drinks involved. There were well, yeah, and they were, you know, him and his wife were sitting at the other end, you know, at opposite ends of the bar. And I remember sitting there and I looked down and I look at myself in the mirror behind the bar, and I'm like, this is so stupid. So I just yelled at both of them from where I was sitting, and they looked over. I said, Enough, and they're like, Yes. And I went over, hugged, and everything was fine. And so, but it did take it was one full year of silence. There you go. That's a deal. Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_03Great story, as always. And uh, you know what? The principal mom, I'm sure, would be proud that there you were. Yeah, we buried the hatch. No big deal, friends. There you go, Mrs. Commodore. See, your son's showing out well still. Uh, okay, time for Don't Puck It Up. Uh, let me kick off the party here. This one. Uh, this my Don't Puck It Up, Nick Suzuki and Cole Caulfield avec Le Canadien de Montréal closing in on some massive milestones here, guys. Only six players in Montreal Canadians history have scored 50 in a season. We're talking about it.
SPEAKER_01It is crazy.
SPEAKER_03It is crazy. Like the most storied franchise in the history of the sport. And we're talking the rocket, we're talking boom boom, we're talking the flower, Steve Shott, Stefan Richet, and Pierre LaRouche. Cole Caulfield is a goal away from joining that club and becoming the first since 1990 when Stefan Richet did it all those years ago. And Suzuki, it is crazy. And how about this one, Kami? One further, Nick Suzuki, as we record this, is sitting with about 95 points. He's looking to become the first Montreal Canadian in 40 years to hit a hundred points since Matt's Naslin. Only four players in the history of the halves. Matt's Naslin. Razors won a Fraser's former favorites.
SPEAKER_00I love Matt's Naslin.
SPEAKER_03We're talking Naslin, Pete Mahavlic, Steve Shutt, and Guy LaFleur. The only other ones who have done that.
SPEAKER_00Crazy.
SPEAKER_04That's crazy. I never would have guessed that.
SPEAKER_00And those guys are. Are never going to pay for a meal ever in Montreal if they get that numbered.
SPEAKER_03So, Nick, Cole, don't puck it up. Make history, buddies.
SPEAKER_04I like that one. I'll go next. Razor, you can uh you can finish us off. Uh, don't puck it up. I've like I mentioned earlier, I'm going to the frozen four, driving to Las Vegas Wednesday evening. North Dakota, Wisconsin, Thursday afternoon, Michigan and Denver in the evening, right after. And then the winners play obviously Saturday afternoon at 2 o'clock Vegas time. Last time I was in Las Vegas for a North Dakota game was the Hall of Fame game like five years ago or something. And ASU actually beat them. It was just one game. But I'm not going to focus on the hockey part. For this one, I'm going to say don't puck it up. Whoever sets up these like parties, these pregame parties in Vegas. Last time I was there, they had a North Dakota get-together on Fremont Street. And I walked in there and I couldn't stop laughing. I think the people of Vegas thought that, oh yeah, it's North Dakota. There's going to be like 50 people that show up to this thing. Well, there wasn't. There was 10,000, and they had no idea what to do. Oh yeah. They were scrambling. There's no booze. So now not only you got North Dakota, you got Wisconsin. I mean, I've the people of Wisconsin like to drink beers. I'm sure it's not much different in Michigan. And you know, maybe Denver, a little bit lighter when it comes to beer consumption, but don't puck it up, whoever's in charge of the parties in Vegas. There are going to be people showing up and they're going to be thirsty.
SPEAKER_00It's going to be oh, I can't wait to text Call Me all day Thursday. It's going to be awesome. All right. This is for Stu Stone. Don't puck it up. Bottom of the league. Start to tank Toronto Maple Leaf, Chicago Blackoffs, Vancouver Canucks. Quit winning hockey games. Get to the bottom. Give yourself a chance to turn this thing around. I'm looking especially at you, Maple Leafs, top five protected. Our producer, Stu Stone, cannot handle another win from the Toronto Maple Leafs the rest of the year. Sit everybody in the stands, mail these games in and get to the absolute bottom, National Hockey League teams. Wow. I like it. Still like that too.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, we just commented. Yeah, he loves it. He loves it.
SPEAKER_03We might have uh we might have some big news uh that we might be doing a public appearance here at some point in the next couple of weeks. So stay tuned for that. We'll uh maybe next episode we can share that. But for those of you in the GTA, you might have a chance to come hang out with us. Charming love, maybe not me so much, but the other two cool cats. Uh they're giving us the go home cue. So just remember to like and subscribe on YouTube for more clearing the crease, powered by Ozo.net. And follow along on Apple, Spotify, X, Instagram, TikTok. Like and subscribe on YouTube, as I mentioned, because Stanley Cup is wide open. Here we go. It's playoff time, and the clearest route to winning big is to play on Ozun.net. Ozun's got you covering all props, game lines, futures from now until the cup final and beyond. Make your power play and score big with Ozun. Well played. And before we get out of here, 10 seconds, real quick. Master's prediction. Commie, Razor, give us a quick winner as we say goodbye.
SPEAKER_04Go ahead, Razor. My mic was dismuted. Oh. God, you know what? Honestly, that was gonna be my pick, so I'll go a little different. I'm gonna, you know what? I don't think it's Rory's got a lot on his plate. I haven't looked into this though either, but whatever. At the end of the day, I'm gonna go with the Scottsdale resident, another live golfer, John Rombo. John Rambo.
SPEAKER_00I like that one too.
SPEAKER_03Let me take the villain, Patrick Reed. Oh, he seems to play well again.
SPEAKER_00He's gonna be good.
SPEAKER_03There we go. And on that note, he's Kami, he's Razor. I'm Sabalski. We'll see you next week. It's playoff time, everybody. Let's go here on the Clearing the Crease podcast, powered by Old Zoo.net.