Clearing The Crease Podcast
Hockey’s best podcast featuring Mike Commodore Andrew Raycroft and hosted by James Cybulski.
Clearing The Crease Podcast
Mike Commodore is brutally honest about the Canadiens... CTC #76
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Mike Commodore, Andrew Raycroft and James Cybulski break down their choices for the first round of the NHL playoffs, and more! That on today's episode of Clearing the Crease!
Ugh, I I love I love what the Haves have done. You know, Suzuki delivered, Caulfield delivered too down the stretch. We were talking about this last week. Um, I I still, man, I'm going with the devil I know here. I'm going with the lightning.
SPEAKER_03I mean, I really want to pick Montreal. I really, really do.
SPEAKER_00But Tampa. I I'm reluctantly doing the same thing.
SPEAKER_02Clearing the crease.
SPEAKER_01Welcome back to the Clearing the Crease podcast, powered by Ozun.net. He is the Calder Trophy winner, Andrew Raycroft, the Razor, your favorite Stanley Cup winner, Tommy Mike Commodore. And I'm Sabalski. The playoffs are here. The playoffs are here. Let's go. And uh this is the time we live for it, gentlemen. Come on, this is where you got all those contracts, buddy.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, this is where I made my money for sure. I didn't do much during too many of those regular seasons. So it definitely is exciting. I'm looking forward to it. Razor, like when you brought that point up there a few weeks ago about how the NHL views the first round, you know, when it comes to how like the seatings and it's the best hockey. And you're right, and they are right. Like the first round is exciting, and there's games going all the time, and the games are all heated up. So yeah, it's exciting, especially if you're in it. The 82 games are finally over, and you can uh everybody basically starts fresh that's in the playoffs, and at the end of the day, you just got to get in the dance, and anything can happen. So it's definitely exciting for your player as well.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, these are the three days that I kind of the only time I really miss it. Yeah, and and with the one where I can like dislocate my brain from all of the work that went into it and all the shitty mornings and the practices and the travel and everything where I'm like, ooh, today would be like I'm here in Boston, they're gonna practice today for the first time going into the playoffs. Like, that is the best practice of the year. There's so everyone is so happy and excited and hopeful and nervous, and you're you're scouting the other team, you're doing video. It's it's this is literally if you're in the playoffs the best three days prior to that game one, is there's nothing like it. There really isn't anything like it as a pro athlete.
SPEAKER_01Razor, you hit on something for both of you guys. Are the butterflies real like right when the playoffs start?
SPEAKER_00Oh, yeah, yeah, for sure. Because you know it's you know it's a different game, you know it's a different level. Um, there's guys that are going to elevate, there's guys that can't elevate, there's guys that thrive in the kind of hockey that gets played. Um it's you're there's no question. It's it's you get into playoff mode. Everything around you goes away. You tell the wife, the girlfriend, the dogs, like I'm out until you see me again with a loss and no beard. Like, that's I'm this is what we're doing now. And and everyone knows it, and everyone around you supports it. It's it's uh it's the best. The butterflies get going, no question.
SPEAKER_01Come on, what's the most ner what's the most nervous you ever got for uh for a playoff? Would it be game seven, oh six, or uh is there like a moment you can think of like that the butterflies were that real in the postseason?
SPEAKER_03I mean, I would say probably the where the butterflies were most real would be my first playoff game. So that would have been when I came in when there were all those injuries in Calgary and we were playing Vancouver. So I came in in game four, which was in Calgary, but you know, I hadn't really been there for most of the year, and you know, my first playoff game, and things were actually off to a pretty good start. We're playing Vancouver, everybody's all fired up, and I'm like, oh man, don't screw this up. And I wasn't sure how much I was gonna play. And then like I ended up playing a ton against Vancouver. Like, I think we chatted like both both before like years ago there. They threw one of those games on. I was on the power play, and I'm I'm I don't I didn't remember that at all. I was like, oh, that can't, I'm like, oh my god, I'm on the power play. Uh so yeah, I that was probably the most nervous I've been. When I was in Carolina, you know, I was it was more excited. Like I'd been there the whole year. I knew I was playing bunch, I knew I was gonna be relied upon. I was like, I was I knew what to expect a little more in front of personally. But Razor, you just made a good point. Like, I think what I got most excited for was like I I knew like I enjoyed like the bigger moments personally, as me. Like I wasn't a good uh a real good player or anything like that, but I knew when the playoff hockey came, like that kind of hockey was like right up my alley where it's like I didn't have to worry so much about skill guys like picking my pocket. It was like, oh hey, these guys are gonna hit me, you know. And that was right, I was like, perfect, like hit me all you want. That's uh you know, I'm kind of built for that a little bit, so give me a little extra time kind of with the puck, which I wasn't so good at. But um, anyways, yeah, it is very exciting, there's no question.
SPEAKER_01There's they're nowhere near the postseason for either franchise, but low-key Vancouver Calvary, some classic playoff matchups over the years, and and that 04-1 like flies under the radar for some, but we've talked about that a few times on this show. There was lots going on. That was wild. There was lots of things. That was a lot going on. Yeah, big time. Yeah, it was a great series.
SPEAKER_03I know Canucks fans probably don't love it because it didn't work out, but um, yeah, there was lots going on.
SPEAKER_01But even the drama at the end, Tommy. Oh, the drama at the end was crazy.
SPEAKER_03We Jovo in the box, which I'd forgotten about that angle of it until we had him on and he brought it up, and then we're I looked it up. I'm like, oh, yeah, that is how it worked out, anyways. Yeah, I forgot all that, but um, yeah, it was great.
SPEAKER_01Just crazy. Uh hey, just a quick reminder, everybody, if you're enjoying the show and you're enjoying the content we bring you here on the Clearing the Crease podcast, powered by Ozoon, don't forget to like and subscribe on YouTube. Leave us a five-star review on Apple or Spotify, and make sure you're following along on social media, uh, wherever you're following along on Instagram, X, TikTok, or anywhere else. So don't forget that the Clearing the Crease podcast is powered by Ozun.net. The road to winning the Stanley Cup, it's wide open, and the clearest route to winning big is to play on Ozun.net. Ozun's got you covered for all props, game lines, futures from now until the cup final and beyond. So make your power play and score big with Ozun. It's your turn now. Okay, let's dive in. Playoff matchups. We'll start in the East because we know all those matchups as we hit record on this episode. Uh so let's go through this. And and it's interesting to look at the seedings here, the way things we've talked about uh back and forth with the uh playoffs and the one versus eight, whether they need to tweak the system from what it is now. How about this? You got Carolina, Ottawa, that's a one versus six, Buffalo, Boston, two v five, Tampa, Montreal is a three v four, and then Pittsburgh and Philly. How about this? Seven versus eight. So just what everybody dreams of a good seven versus eight matchup in round number one. So let's go, let's go through these. Uh Carolina, Ottawa, the Sens are in. What a run down the stretch against the top team in the Eastern Conference. Commie, your Carolina Hurricanes. Who you got? Ottawa, actually, look at this the commie bowl.
SPEAKER_03There's a lot of potential commie bowls. There's there's a few of them.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. I think there's a few Razor ones, too. Yeah, yeah. Of course. All right. Who we got? Ottawa, Carolina.
SPEAKER_03You know, I I gotta go Carolina. I'm just gonna go with the better team. They've been good always. I like how you had to be. No, there I got some hesitation here in a couple of these series. And there's teams that I know, hey, like I should be kick picking the Carolina Hurricanes here. And this is kind of one of them, but the Sens, uh we've thank God for the Sens. We've had a field day a little bit with the Ottawa Senators over the year. It is very entertaining. You never know what's going to happen. Our boy Steos and all of his statements. And at the end of the day, the Sens made it. So good for them. I think they're a live dog for sure. I'm gonna go with Carolina, but my comfort level is like somebody I heard a good point the other day. Yeah, my comfort level is like this. Somebody, uh I actually know who it was. I was listening because I was up in Calgary the other day. Jamie McClennon made a good point. Now, at the end of the day, it's a team game, but he's like, hey, if you put these two rosters together and you draft them, so you have to draft players just from those two rosters. He's like, the top like two or three picks are probably gonna be Ottawa senators with like you know, Stutzel, Sanderson, Kachak, you know, however you want to, you know, maybe you know, Aho's up there too. Like, don't get me wrong, Carolina has some good players, but I I think Ottawa's lives, but I will go with my canes. Unfortunately, you know, I I I love my sense too, but I'll go with the canes.
SPEAKER_00I could see a scenario where here in the east, every dog wins. Every all road, everybody starting on the road, everybody starting on the road this weekend wins their series. Uh it it the east is such a coin flip for every series, and the 1-8 technically, one wild card 2 is is just as, like Commie said, live as everything else. Ottawa is going to be a tough out. Ottawa presents a tough situation for Carolina. That man-on-man defense with Ottawa playing a lot like Florida does. Carolina could not solve the Florida Panthers offensively. Ottawa is very similar. Pucks are going to the net, guys are shooting pucks to the net. There's lots of rotation with Sanderson and Shabbat in and out, up and down. I think Ottawa is going to present Carolina a huge problem. And it's the big if, like all of these series, like all of the playoffs, if Linus Allmark has his brain straight, has his body straight, has his emotions straight, that that's going to be the difference maker. Because to your point, Kami, if you're drafting goaltenders, you're picking Linus Allmark first in that series. They have a massive green check mark over whatever Carolina's putting in goal. I think senators could be a real problem for the entire Eastern Conference going forward.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, it's just it's just which one shows up, right? Which Linus is you you're gonna get. I you know what? Look, my my my Ottawa is showing all through on this pick, and I know they say don't bet with your head, not with your heart. Give me the sense. I just I love the run that they went on down the stretch. You know, low-key Travis Green, coach of the year. Like what he did this year. I I mean, we talked about this franchise being a dumpster fire just months ago. And somehow, some way they scratched and clawed from the damn basement of the East, and here they are in the postseason. They nearly jumped over Boston, too, right at the end. It's just wild. I think the Sins carry that momentum over. Uh, Sanderson's ready to go, he's unbelievable. Uh, Thomas Shabbat, too, and what he's done down the stretch as well. Everything that you said, give me the sins to pull off the shock and all in a in an upset that I don't think is going to be as shocking. So um okay, Boston, Buffalo, Razor. How about this one?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, listen, this one's close to home for me. So I'm like a little, you know, you have to feel a little more awkward picking. Yeah, like you're picking Boston. We get it. Yeah, yeah. I would do the same thing. Um but you know, and it's not, I don't think it won't be shocking if Boston wins to the same point. Like, this isn't just you know pulling shit out of my ass. It's it's you know, they're gonna be really hard to play against. Um, they've got the goaltending check mark. Jeremy Swayman's better than whatever Lukanin probably gets thrown out on the ice. I like the experience there. I like the fact the Bruins are gonna be really hard to play against. Castelik and Janoa are gonna be flying around running Owen Power and Rasmus Dolen through the end boards all series long. And and I think they can wear them down. The the big key for Buffalo is getting on the rush. If they get if if the Bruins don't take care of the neutral zone, Buffalo can pick them apart.
SPEAKER_03I'm gonna I agree with everything you said. I think I'm I mean I'm looking at this too. I mean, Boston experience-wise, I mean Buffalo has had an incredible year, an incredible three-quarters of a year. They've been on fire. I would imagine those guys are really, really excited, which is awesome. But at the same time, too, like you got to keep things in check. You can't just be going buck wild out there before you know it. You could be losing a game or two at home. Um, but I mean, I can't pick against my sabres. It's a it's a great story. So I'm gonna pick with my heart. Uh I'm gonna go for the Buffalo. I'm picking the Buffalo Sabres, but once again, uh that's two for two. Comfort level, not great. Not great. I could see Boston pulling this off too.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. Um, I'm glad you're finally picking Buffalo after taking Columbus over them, uh, going back all those years too. Yeah, things are changing. You know, Razor, I I think exactly to your point, like uh I obviously I think Boston has the experience, and I want to defer to Boston with the experience on that, but man, I want to cheer for Buffalo. Give me the Sabres. This is probably more of a hard pick as well for me, but let's go, Buffalo. Carry that momentum. The fact that what they've done, honestly, since what November, since Kevin Adams, right before Kevin Adams got fired, they really went on a heater. So, executive of the year, Kevin Adams and the Buffalo Sabres. Poor guy.
SPEAKER_00He's not watching this series that guy. He is not watching the play of Bruins, I'll tell you that. Oh, is he is he?
SPEAKER_01Okay, Montreal, Tampa. I like, ah, I I love I love what the Haves have done. You know, Suzuki delivered, Caulfield delivered too down the stretch. We were talking about this last week. Um, I I still, man, I'm going with the devil I know here. I'm going with the lightning, the experience, and and obviously Vasilevsky is a big check mark as we talk about check marks in playoff series. Who do you guys have in this one, Kami? Tampa, Montreal.
SPEAKER_03I mean, I really want to pick Montreal. I really, really do. But Tampa, uh, that's hard to pick against. So, I mean, I hate to do this to all my French friends. I'm cheering for the Canadians. It's a they've had another good year. You know, they were ahead of schedule a little bit last year, kind of got bounced. They've they've carried that over. They've had an excellent year pretty much from start to finish this year. But it's Tampa, and Tampa's been very good all year as well. And and experience, I think, does mean a little something. So I'll I'll not regretfully, that's not the right word. I'm uh I'll I can't think of the word I'm thinking of. Uh there it is. Thank you, Razor.
SPEAKER_00I will reluctantly pick the Tampa Bay Lightning. I I'm reluctantly doing the same thing. I like Montreal, I like what they're building, but it's just as long, you know. Again, there's the big question mark, Hedman and Radish, where are these guys on the back end? But I think even if one of those guys are gone, Montreal's back end without Noah Dobson. Just I feel like Tampa's gonna get to them. Vasilevsky's an X factor. I I'm picking Tampa. Yeah. Okay. Sorry, Montreal. Sorry.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, it's nothing personal. You can hate on us in rep you can laugh at us in round two.
SPEAKER_00Montreal magic in the playoffs. That's that's the one that like you can't touch that, you can't feel that. The intangible, that could be the thing that changes things when they go back up there. But you know, again, head over heart here, it's Tampa. There we go. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Uh okay, last but not least in the East, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, the battle of PA. Where are we going on this one, Ray?
SPEAKER_00Well, this is like again to the NHL in the bracket, right? The seven and eight, these guys wouldn't be anywhere. But this is an unbelievable TV matchup. This rate, it's a ratings bonanza for the NHL. They are going to make serious money off of this series, Boston, Buffalo. Holy, like the the ratings will be through the roof for both of these. So that works out business-wise. This I'm going Sid. I'm I'm always going Sid. Um, I I love what Philly's done. I love what talk's done. I like Dan Vladar, but he hasn't been here. Stuart Skinner is gonna get overlooked here, but he's gonna feel like this is no big deal, no pressure on him. Doesn't have everyone in Edmonton yelling at him. He's just nice and calm and relaxed. And I'm I'm taking Sid. I'm just taking Sid. I hear all that. Uh God, this is another one where I'm like Con Smythe winner, Stu Skinner. Oh yeah, again, either team wins. Again, all four of these. No, we're not we're gonna do this in two weeks again. We're gonna say, well, you know, kind of not surprised.
SPEAKER_03That's that's a really good point with Skinner. I mean, he's there, but the Philly fan, he's sitting there, he's loving. Man, this is so nice. You know, yeah, give up with the city.
SPEAKER_00He's literally having coffee by himself at Starbucks down the street, he's walking around, no one's telling him he sucks.
SPEAKER_03It's like unbelievable. Uh, he's nice and relaxed. I'm gonna go with Philly, though. I'll go with the underdog. Uh, but I mean, Pittsburgh has the experience. I mean, it's never good to pick against Sid. I realize this, but Philadelphia's on a heater. I'll just go with them. Just uh I like their team. I think it's they're a little ahead of schedule as well. So they've been hot. I'll I'll reluctantly pick them to keep it going. Give me the flyers.
SPEAKER_01Oh, you know, everybody talking about how great it is that Sid and Gino are back in the postseason as they should be. Uh, but like shout out to Philly back in the playoffs, too. It's just right when the orange and black attack is back in the Stanley Cup playoffs, too. So uh that all being said, give me the penguins. I mean, I'm gonna I'm leaning I'm leaning to Sid. So uh okay, as we record this, we've got uh one matchup locked in uh in the West, and that is the match we've been talking about for pretty much six months, and that's Dallas, Minnesota. Should be just I look, I think Tampa, Montreal is probably going to be the series of series in the East. This is gonna be the one in the West. The wild and the stars. Um, where are we going on this one here? Oh, I I mean look, I think Dallas is coming out of the West this year. That's my bull, my that's my that's my shot. So where are you guys? You got Dallas. I'm taking Dallas. Where are you going on this one?
SPEAKER_00Where is Rupe hints? Where where is Rupe hints? Because he could be the linchpin of this series. If it's if he misses four games, I'm I I'm picking the wild either way. I I Dallas has been to the conference finals three straight years. We talk about how much hockey that's been for Florida. I think it might get Dallas here. I feel like Minnesota, the Boldies, the Quinn Hughes, the the Hughes, all those factors, the the magic those guys have had, Billy Guerrin winning a gold. I'm going Minnesota, but that feels like really underdog kind of territory because Dallas is a wagon.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, I think it's gonna be an awesome series. Like you said, this has been set for a while. We've talked about it. I think it's I think it's gonna be incredibly fun to watch. Um God, I kind of want to pick I want to pick Minnesota, but as a brand new, kind of fresh, fake Dallas Stars alumni, I feel like I better pick Dallas. So I'll pick Dallas. But I think I've one of us two alumni have to pick up. I'll go ahead and take Dallas.
SPEAKER_01Hey, Razor's a star, right?
SPEAKER_03So I took the other. I took the I'll go Dallas, but I think the series is gonna be awesome. We all love Quinn Hughes, he's he's a great player. Um, but like you know, like we just talked about earlier, the game changes a little bit, and he isn't the biggest guy in the world, which isn't the end all be all, don't get me wrong. But I feel like Yeah, can Dallas get to him? Yeah, can Dallas get to him? Because I mean he's gonna have a crosshair on him, they're gonna be coming for him. Can they get to him? If they start tossing him around, which they are going, Jamie Ben is gonna have be licking his chops.
SPEAKER_00Jamie Ben's gonna he is going every whistle, he's going right at Hughes, he's going to get his stick, he's slashing him on the wrist. Benny is going to be a bully, a big time bully out there. So it should be it's gonna be real fun. Go ahead. Sorry, see Bob.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, and look, uh, I mean, no, just during the regular season, Quinn Hughes is obviously in the conversation for the best defenseman on the planet, but sure, he's just been okay. In the words of what Travis Green is kind of like to use as a coach, he's okay. Like, you know, he's not terrible, but he's just not he's not superhuman in the postseason. So let's see if Hughes is a different type of Hughes, if he can level up in the postseason. But yeah, when the game gets harder, can he fight through that? And you know, exactly like you guys both said, it's gonna get hard for Quinn Hughes. So can he fight through that? Because you know, I can think of a playoff series between Edmonton and Vancouver two years ago. Evan Bouchard was much better than Quinn Hughes in that seven-game series a couple of years ago. Um and you know what? State of hockey. Yeah, the bouch bomb. He's been good this year, too. Okay, so there's some early looks at the playoff series, uh, and we'll hit on more as things get going here. Uh, so excited for these, like some great matchups, and and obviously the West going right down to the finale of the regular season to still try to figure out all the Seating. So um, okay, coaches. Oh boy. Uh Rick Bonus. Oh boy. Let's go back to uh Columbus alumni to start this one off. But Rick Bonus absolutely tears into the jackets. Uh, I mean, it's funny how Rick Bonus, and Razor, I do want to get your perspective on this as well. Rick bonus has a reputation of being one of the nicest, one of the nicest human beings in the hockey universe in a sport that you can run into some salty characters. And Rick, when he went out in Winnipeg, kind of did this through kind of a pipe bomb. And here he is again with a pipe bomb, uh, tearing into the jackets after they lose a 2-1 game to the Capitals to close out the year. Um, fair or foul, Kami.
SPEAKER_03Well, before I get started, I do have thoughts on this. I was thinking about this last night or a couple nights ago when he came out with it. He has done this before, right? Hasn't he? Did he yeah, he did it to Winnipeg. My thoughts like just like a year or two ago. Yeah, yeah, it wasn't long ago. When I was listening to him talk, I'm like, didn't this guy just do this? Look, it's it's and like you said, his reputation, very nice guy, good communicator, and everything. It's not that I hate, and I saw this clip, full disclosure. Some people I've been getting torched a little bit on uh on Instagram. I had a few drinks up there in Calgary, got back to my hotel room, sought, and I'm like, I'm gonna make some comments, and I'm getting kind of teed up there a little bit. It's not I don't hate what he said, it's not that at all. Like the the Columbus Blue Jackets are used to losing. I mean, I was part of it. It's look at you know their track record. He's not wrong, and it's not that I hate what he said. It's just I don't, I just don't get the timing. Like what it's over. Like the year is over, and now you're torching the guys. Like you had, you know, you lose your last six games at home or whatever. It's like okay, well, you were you doing that after you lost two in a row or three in a row, or or you're just saving this for the end when there's you I mean, in fairness, he did try to go down this road, I want to say about two weeks ago, too, when when when things were going off the rail.
SPEAKER_01Okay.
SPEAKER_03So he did try already. Okay, okay, well, that's good. Okay, well, that then I'll take that part back. But I just I don't know. It makes for good media, it makes for good clips. I understand that. I agree, like, I don't disagree with what he said, like at all. I just don't really it almost kind of sounded like he was kind of begging for a job too a little bit. I just don't, I don't agree with doing it at the end of the like, hey, the season is over. The time to rip the guys in the media that that ship has sailed. Just if you want to rip them in person or rip the team in person at the end, that's fine. Go right ahead. But I just don't really I don't get the uh it once it's done, it's done. Look, summer started, like it's time to move on. I I just don't agree with the timing, and I'll just leave it at that.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, the the it is it is hard for players to deal with that timing because there's nothing you can do about it. Now, now you have to answer to that. It puts guys in a tough spot. Now, I'll take the other side of it from there. I I didn't love Werensky's comments after either. I didn't think Werensky needed to go and say he shouldn't have said that. I thought Werensky, as the leader of that group who hasn't won at all, should have said he's right. Right, yeah, I agree with that. Just just say he's right. Don't don't say I don't think he should have said we're losers, and I don't think he said should have said we don't care. Because I would want one of my leaders, and there's a bunch of guys that would have said he's right. We have guys in here that don't care about losing enough. Just say that and and allow the organization, allow you to be the leader, follow in behind that. Don't touch on the fact that it we're losers or we don't care. You don't have even have to adjust because everyone knows they care. Of course they care, like they're pro hockey, but they've never proven that. And when it got hard, like Bones said, they sucked. The last three weeks of the year, they were good. So you can't, it's not like they played really hard for three weeks and then lost on the last day. They played really bad the last three weeks, and as a player, I would have lost like Woransky's not going anywhere. Woransky has the hammer on this organization, he can fire bones if he wants to behind the scenes. Take it, embrace it, and be the guy that kind of backs that up so other players who are actually not doing their job get their tower buzzed by the the leader of the team, too. So I would have loved Lorensky to kind of take it, own it, and and lean into it a little bit more for the rest of that group.
SPEAKER_01There's just no, there's I think to the point, Kami, that you make, there's just no opportunity to redeem yourself until six months down the road. Yeah, right. The timing of that one is is is tricky, but I I guess I wonder, you know, Todd McClellan, you know, maybe not so subtly did that almost the same, well, not to quite to the degree of uh criticism, but but calls out Detroit, yeah, players.
SPEAKER_00You can see the leadership groups of both of these teams being the same with two old school coaches that know something's wrong. Like you know, something's wrong in both of those places, right?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, and McCl, I mean McClellan's been trying the same thing for weeks for a guy who's not typically like that as well. So I guess are we more likely to see this from coaches that are inclined to do this now that we know in a cap world their shelf life is probably even shorter than what it was when those guys were younger?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I think there's a bit of that. I think it's also I think you're seeing or is this a generation gap? I I think it's a generation. I I was gonna go there. I think you're seeing some of these old school hockey guys watching, and it can be as simple as in that last game going around throwing pucks over the glass or talking to the other team and laughing enjoying like Detroit loses eight to one to Florida on the road. Like, yeah, have a little pride. Like that's yeah, like go slash someone, it's the last game of this, go ruin someone's summer, like go get somebody. Like that that's like kind of our mental calling it, like that's where we played, like that wouldn't have happened, and you would be petrified of your year-end meeting if you lost eight to one in that last game. Like every single person in Detroit should be absolutely peeing their pants having to go talk to Stevie Y at the end of the year after what they did.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, that was uh yeah, Detroit. I mean, we've your wings coming. Your wings they did puck it up, they pucked it up, they pucked it up big time. The one thing I wanted to this year, that I have said the whole year, is I really wanted the Detroit Red Red Wings to get in there. And it looked good for a long time, and then they completely pucked it up. And like we just touched on when the game got hard, those guys disappeared. And it's I how do you change that? I mean, you it's the same, like we just said, it's the same thing as the blue jackets, and you've got these leadership groups there that they're the the guys that have been there for a long time, they're used to losing. They they they don't win. And and I don't know, it's a really good question. How do you change that? I I don't know. It it's I don't know. I don't know. It's a it's I've been thinking about it because I think there's a little bit of a fan question later, whatever. It's how do you change when you have guys there that are used to losing? Uh it needs to change. How that how you do that, I I'm not certain.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I just don't I don't know if either roster is great enough. Like like, you know what I mean? Like I think you look at Detroit, even you look at Columbus, you know, outside of Werensky, there's not a lot of there's not a lot of guys that you can look at and say that is a cornerstone franchise, bona fide, you know what I mean? Uh I I I don't mind it. Look, it may seem like a generation gap for both those coaches to kind of go the route that they're going, but I do think, and we're seeing this in other realms of life and society right now. I think these are just guys trying to create a form of accountability that in a lot of different walks of life, we've kind of lost that, and just trying to hold people accountable and uh accountability. I I think we need more of it. Again, I come from the young ages too here. So uh yeah, we need accountability. And I I I respect Bones for trying, I respect McClellan for for trying that. And you know, is it going to get through to this generation in this sort of approach? Maybe not, but I like the fact that they're at least trying for accountability in 2026. Okay, uh, Alex Ovechkin finishes the season, 32 goals on the season, uh, 929 for his career, 71 from a thousand, lots of accolades. He'll think about it. Mums the word, there was no fanfare to say this is the final season and doing the celebration throughout the league. But did we see the last of Ovi Razor?
SPEAKER_00Um 55% yes, 45 no. I get the sense that they're gonna do their meetings, they're gonna have a chat. He's gonna look at the fact that he's gotta play hockey in April, May, June, July, August, September. He's got six months before he plays again. And at that age, six months is a long time to have to get ready for a season. I can see I'm leaning that that was it. He didn't want the fanfare. He had no interest in that. He got it last season. He doesn't need to go on tour. I think he knows if he comes back, he's gotta go on tour because that's gotta be it if he goes again. He didn't take a defensive zone draw all season long. I think the organization might be like, we might need to kind of go forward. I know you get 30 goals every year, but this isn't working either. I just I'm leaning that he's done.
SPEAKER_03I hope he's done personally. Look, I'm not the biggest Alex Ovetchan fan in the world, but I do he's had an incredible career. It's been a hell of a run. Um, he's been an excellent player. In saying that, I think, and I like the fact that the like the no fanfare or whatever, you know, some of these tourists get a lot of. Like, I like that. It's like, hey, look, like I don't need that. Like the Kobitar one was a lot this year. Yeah, like that. That's a lot. And can't be, and I just that's like more of a basketball thing to me, you know, to put it shortly. Um you know, I saw, look, I mean, he's getting up there in age. I saw him after the last game there in front of the microphone. I mean, he kind of looked like me. I mean, he didn't exactly I mean, I'm just gonna say, I looked at him and I'm like, man, that that hoodie looks a little tight. And I'm sure it wasn't a small. Um, I hope he's done. I think that's enough. I think it's been a hell of a ride. And I think you know, the organization, it's I mean, you can't really you can't punt him out the door, even if that's I think it's time for the Washington Capitals to move forward as well. It's been a hell of a run. Personally, uh, I hope he's done.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I mean, 71 goals from a thousand uh at this rate, it might take three seasons to try to hit that based on where he's going. Um, hey, look, I mean, it's the fact that we're talking about a guy who's 40 years old who hit 32 goals this season, and you know, only seven of those were empty netters.
SPEAKER_00Um, there's no real drop-off. It's good, it's a good way to go.
SPEAKER_01It's a it's a it's a good way to go. Look, a lot of fun. Uh, we can look at Sid and Ovi and the way that we talk about basketball almost 50 years ago when Magic and Bird came in as rookies and really helped save the NBA, and then Jordan took it to another level. Uh, I think Sid and Ovi did that for the National Hockey League. You know, guys, think back to like coming back after that that year-long cancellation. They came back with those commercials with faceless players. Oh, remember that?
SPEAKER_00Those verse you guys are playing at the States like with that versus every single guy, like these next few years of contracts, whenever they sign these deals, they should also get on their private jets and personally fly to Moscow and kiss Ovi's ring, and then fly back to Pittsburgh and kiss Sid's ring. Because none of this, none of this is happening without those two guys. What they did in the mid-2000s till McDavid showed up. It was all them. Yeah. Well done. Well done. No question.
SPEAKER_01So I'll say this, if nothing else, thanks for the memories, Ovi's. I think I still think back just the confidence that he had as a kid. I think I may have sure shared the story from his draft where he getting ready to interview him before the 04 draft, and standing. We're in Raleigh, North Carolina, down at the hotel, and we're in the parking lot, warm day, and a chipmunk runs by in the parking lot. And this kid is like just a rock, right? He's like Drago. And all of a sudden, a chipmunk runs by and he loses his mind screaming and trying to run and catch a chipmunk, like which is a sucker's game. And we are and Don Don me and his agent standing there along with the Russian translator, and I'm kind of like, what is going on here? The two of them are also perplexed and they're just like, he's never seen a chipmunk before. And just here's an 18-year-old, six foot two, Alex Ovechkin just running around in the parking lot of this Carolina hotel, and uh, and just how fearless he was. So, anyway, some wonderful memories. Okay, fan question this week. Joe's trunk asks, is the question more for commie? I feel like, or it's more of a statement, Kami, but let's uh here it is. My I feel like Columbus never risk anything on big players or trying to build a contender. Seems like some organizations really try to build to contend, and some look like they could care less. Would you agree with that statement? I've thought a lot about this. It's a loaded question or comment.
SPEAKER_03It's it's a hard one uh for me to answer, anyways. Like I think the Columbus Blue Jackets are trying, and when they like they've made a couple of swings for guys. Now, the problem is is they've also got burnt on that a few times as well, where guys not wanting to be there. Like, it's not like they're not trying. I know they're trying, but I also do think like how do I word it? Like, I I they're trying to their best of abilities, but I'm not sure if all the time if they know what they're doing. Like, I think there's some habits in that organization, and I don't want to get into details, but there's some habits in that organization behind the scenes that I wouldn't say is conducive with winning that that needs to change. Now, I don't know, is it gonna change? I don't know. There's been people that are there and they've been there for a long time. Um, but yeah, it is, you know, I I tried to kind of touch on a little bit earlier where it's like, you know, some of these, you know, the Columbus Blue Jackets are just they're used to losing. And how do you pinpoint why? I'm not exactly sure. Are they but to like answer his question like do I think they're like showing up and like you know, not trying to lose, but like are I do I think they're okay with it? No, I I I don't think they're okay with it. I think they're trying to win. I just I don't know. It's well I guess that maybe they don't hate losing enough. I don't know. I don't it's tough for me to put into words. Razor, help me out.
SPEAKER_00I think no, I I think it it's just really hard to win. Yeah, that that's that's that's kind of where it starts, too. It's really, really hard. We're seeing that again. This we see it every year. It's really hard to get in the playoffs. People are very nonchalant about playoffs, like, oh, you're the eighth seed, who cares? Like, no, it's really hard to be the eighth seed. Really, really hard to get into the playoffs. And and and you need people that have done it to know the moments that put you over the edge, whether that's coaches, general managers, players, and when you don't have those guys that really know or can know the the exact time to give it to a team, uh, give it to your teammates, hold people accountable, not just when it gets hard, but at the start of the season. First day of training camp, you need that guy that you need three guys that that are pushing everybody all the time. And I think I think we're just I think everyone's gets a sometimes takes it for granted of how good these teams are that make the playoffs year after year, the Tampa Bays, etc., of how hard they work behind the scenes to be there. They don't just show up October 8th and it and it works great. They're the this is a full-time gig that you're always thinking about trying to make it. And when you're a team that doesn't have that, you're at a huge disadvantage.
SPEAKER_01Okay, well, and I think some draft luck, too, I think at some point, right? Like, you know, maybe you gotta win a little bit of, you know, you really got to bottom out at some point to really hit that home run, too, guys. But I don't know if Columbus has really had a uh an amazing draft history.
SPEAKER_03No, that and that's true. You yeah, you can go back to that. And and look, hey, what happened a couple years ago? I mean, the to their best player, you know, that that's a catastrophe that you can't foresee, right? With the Johnny Goodrow stuff, and obviously No, I mean they tried, right? They they tried. That was incredible. And they got incredibly very yeah, I mean, they tried. I will say, I'll share one story that I heard, and this is gonna sound really stupid, and I get for people who don't, or be like kind of what he's talking about, but like last time I was in Columbus, what was that last year or whatever? You know, whatever. I'm not gonna tell you who I was talking to, or the group of people, but like one thing that I was told is that like you know, players are coming in there, and you got one of the assistants. This is like right around practice time, and you've got the assistant GM laid out on the massage table getting worked on by the by the medical staff. Like, and I know like and I lack that's it. Like that tells everything. That kind of stuff cannot happen. Like, you can't. The dressing room is for the players, that's where the players go to get ready. The assistant general manager, who's the stat guy, doesn't who's you're not an athlete. If you want to get worked on, go like the rest of us do right now and go down the street and go get worked on at the PT place that's in the strip mall. Yeah, that's where you go. You don't go in the dressing room where the players are maybe not Robert Krafts, but you know, let me cheat zero, but yeah, I wasn't referring to just that practice, right?
SPEAKER_00Just that practice. If I'm walking out to practice and I see that, I'm not the practice is gone. That day's gone.
SPEAKER_03It's just right, it's like that kind of stuff is going on there. And I I don't, I mean, maybe it changed in the last year, I don't know, but like that was one thing that I had heard that that stuck sticks out to me where it's like, man, you you can't. That's not how you run things. Like that that should not happen.
SPEAKER_01And so and hold on a second, Zach.
SPEAKER_03I I just need to get the shoulder done. I need my my shoulder's a little bit. I was typing on my computer, running it, running numbers.
SPEAKER_01I was on AI a little too much here.
SPEAKER_03Hold on, Zach. Anyways, it's just stuff like that. Uh and I get how some people might look at it and be like, well, what's the big deal? And but it is a big deal. Like, that's that kind of stuff shouldn't happen. You know, if you're you're like uh that's a joke, to be honest.
SPEAKER_01And and and guys talk, right? I'm obviously coming to your point and razor, like guys know players know you know, you know. Um to to that point, um, there was a report out of the athletic this week uh talking about uh Maple Leaf Sports Entertainment CEO Keith Pelley, who was sitting in on your boy Brad Tru Living's trade deadline days, yeah. Uh sitting in the Leafs War Room. There are reports. The report even suggests that Pelly came with a bunch of trades designed by AI. Um, I guess what do you believe with all this? And and let me throw this to both of you. What is the most meddlesome story you've ever heard of by a boss or ownership? Oh man. Besides massage parlors from that. Well, I'll talk this for assisted gentleman.
SPEAKER_03You know, I don't understand AI as well as maybe a lot of people do, so but I'm just kind of picturing that, and then I'm kind of combining that with what he said that at the year-end conference or whatever, when he came out and we're talking data-centric, and and I'm I'm like, where are the this is what's going on in Toronto? This could be very, very interesting to see how this is taken. And I mean, I can't see Brad Tree Living loving it when he's got a guy who doesn't know anything about hockey coming in with an AI trade plan. Um, but yeah, as far as like meddlesome owners, God, I don't know. Do you have one, Razor?
SPEAKER_00I I didn't have any medalsome owners in my time, um, or like even GMs that kind of got in the way of hot, like there, there it didn't really happen. And I I never had an issue. I never saw an assistant general manager on the tight massage, like I never saw any of that stuff anywhere. Yeah. Um Razor, let me throw Razor. I would be concerned about AI being involved in in any hockey decisions to that, to that level.
SPEAKER_01Razor, let me throw this at you quickly. Uh, your time in Vancouver, there's been a lot of speculation about the Aquilinis being uh two hands on, of course. What was your what was your experience from what you saw?
SPEAKER_00I they had their the the party at the start of the year. Um they gave us a bunch of blueberries at the party from their farm. And and that was basically all I got, you know, from them. A V was there and Mike Gillis was there. Those are two really strong personalities. Mike Gillis wasn't letting anyone near his program, and and A V certainly wasn't letting Mike even get close to us with our program. So that the much different personalities at the top, which is why, which is why we went to the conference finals, and then the year after that, they went to the Stanley Cup finals. It was a different program in Vancouver when I was there. So it might be middlesome now because of what all that, but the dad was still in charge when I was there, and it wasn't it wasn't like that.
SPEAKER_01Okay. Come on. Any sort of uh no horror stories?
SPEAKER_03I was trying to go through like the team. I mean, when I was in, I'll I'll go through them all. When I was in New Jersey, I don't I don't even know who owned the team. I never saw them. Uh now, granted, a lot of these teams, you know, I wasn't there for very long, so maybe I should just focus on the ones where I was there for, you know, Carmanos and Raleigh, I I never saw them. Like, I never, you know, once in a while, but he he wasn't around. And even, you know, I just touched on the blue jackets, but the McConnell family, like, they weren't I not that I saw, like, we would see them at when they have a party to kind of kick off the year, and maybe you'd see them every once in a while, but like I didn't get the impression that they were involved at like at all, really. Um, especially like on the hockey end of things. So um, yeah, I don't have any stories uh like at all. But I I'm sure they exist. Like there's they have to exist. I'm sure lots of them exist. Yeah, I just can't think of any. I'm trying to think of like some secondhand ones that I heard, but I can't really even think of that right now. Um, so yeah, I don't really have much to add there.
SPEAKER_01What a time to be a Leafs fan. Oh, yeah.
SPEAKER_00They wait till they hire somebody that no one's heard of. That's gonna be, you know, that that's the problem is doing it there. You can do it in Carolina, you can have the data data guy, but if you don't, you need some you you need a hockey guy up there just to answer questions properly.
SPEAKER_03To wrap this all up and bring it back to the Leafs with what we kind of just touched on. The guy that was getting the massage on the table is on the short list with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Yes, there you go. Yeah, I am not saying anything more. It won't be very hard to do.
SPEAKER_00Wow, that's a good yeah, that's a good lead.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, wow, yeah, there you go. He's on the list. Two on that makes sense. He just made the list. He just made the list. Uh, by the way, if you have a question uh for uh for commie razor for the clearing the crease podcast show, don't forget to use the hashtag ask CTC. Ask CTC, and we'll try to find time to get your question in on a future episode. Okay, time for don't puck it up. Guys, let me throw this one here to start my don't puck it up this week. The Carolina Hurricanes. Call me your franchise where you got your ring, three conference final appearances since 2019. They've won 10 playoff rounds in that span. That is a tremendous run for an era of canes hockey. But at some point, you need to break on through. Top seed in the East. Don't puck it up, Carolina. But I think you're going down to Ottawa.
SPEAKER_03Ooh, the Kaniacs. The Kaniacs will not like that. We just lost some Kaniac fans. I'll stay along that same theme. I it's not really a don't puck it up because they've had an incredible year, but I will go back to Buffalo. Don't puck it up, Buffalo Sabres. It's been an incredible year. I've seen there's billboards out and torching people, and everybody's excited, and Buffalo is an incredibly fun place to play. Let's get out of the first round. I know it's not gonna be easy, and the big bad Bruins have some experience. So I don't want to say it's like pucking it up if they do lose, because that that's a little harsh. And I don't want to be harsh on the Sabres, but let's see if we can get at least a round out of this.
SPEAKER_00I'm gonna go to the West and I'm gonna go to the Colorado Avalanche. Okay and don't puck it up Colorado. Yeah this isn't a layup in the first round. You're getting LA, you're getting Anaheim, like you were gonna. Maybe Edmonton. Maybe Edmonton. Don't don't be another one of those teams that we talk about, whether you're the Boston Bruins, the Winnipeg Jets, we can go through all of history and losing early in the playoffs. Don't puck it up, Colorado. Get your sights set, get your goaltending organized, and get the nape dog cooking. That's a good one. Love it.
SPEAKER_01There we go. A lot of don't puck it up, some good ones this week. And on that note, uh that'll bring an end to this week's Clearing the Crease podcast. Playoff time is here. It's awesome. Remember to like and subscribe on YouTube for more Clearing the Crease content powered by Ozun.net. Follow along on Apple, Spotify, X, Instagram, TikTok, because the road to the Stanley Cup is happening. It's game time right now, and the clearest route to winning big is to play on Ozun.net. Ozun's got you covered for all the props, game lines, futures from now until the cup final and beyond. Make your power play. Score big with Ozun. It is your turn now. The games are happening. LFG, he's Kami, he's Razor. I'm Stavolski. See you next week on the Clearing the Crease podcast, powered by Ozun.net.