Did the NHL absolutely screw the Oilers? - CTC 78

On this episode of the Clearing the Crease podcast the boys catch up with the NHL playoffs, talk retirements across the NHL and more!

Transcript

SPEAKER_05 0:00

The game was seven nothing at that point, so Zodorov took a liberty of a cross check that Dolin was happy to take. It was really intriguing to me how much he likes to get under people's skin as a big Swedish defenseman.

SPEAKER_01 0:13

He kind of looks like from the outside looking in, and I'm I'm guessing he's kind of hard to play against and that he you maybe runs his mouth a little bit. That'll piss people off. But he just kind of looks like one of those guys you'd like to just punch right in the face. I don't even know how to describe that, but he's just got that look to him that like, yeah, I'd like to just pop this guy.

SPEAKER_02 0:40

Clearing the crease.net, DeCalder Trophy winner, Andrew Raycroft, Razor, the Stanley Cup champion, Kami Mike Commodore. And I'm Stabalski. Just happy to be here. Just a quick reminder: if you're enjoying the show and the content we bring on the podcast and add-ons through social, make sure to like and subscribe to our YouTube page on Ozun, or you can subscribe and leave us a five-star review on Apple Spotify Podcast. Follow along on Instagram, X, TikTok, or where else you're tuning in from. So thanks. Nice for you to hang out. Guys, playoffs rolling along here. Everything is happening to steal a line for the late great Bob Cole. Kobe, what jumps out for you so far here during these playoffs? It's where you made your money, buddy, as we talked about.

SPEAKER_01 1:43

Yeah, I was actually okay in the playoffs. Regular season was a whole nother animal, but the playoffs I actually got up for. Um, God, what stood out? You know, I I guess the first thing that comes to mind is, and I think we might touch on it later, but we were all thinking, you know, our sends were gonna bring some heat. Now the gate the games were tight. I'll I'll give them that. So but at the end of the day, you got swept. Uh so they kind of laid an egg. They didn't really have a lot of things. What happened?

SPEAKER_02 2:12

What happened? Like Allmark, you for all the stuff we've talked about with Linus Allmark all year, the guy locked it down. He was the furthest thing for the problem. He was great, he was incredible. Yes, like what?

SPEAKER_05 2:25

Which means, which means Carolina might be a bit of a wagon.

SPEAKER_01 2:30

Yeah, yeah. I I mean I'm I'm thinking now I didn't watch every minute of every game, but I did watch some. You know, I was hopping around, and you know, you get off to the good, you know, Brady fights stall right away, and I'm like, oh, here we go. The Sens Sens are are into this. And then I mean, I think without having the stats or anything in front of me, basically Carolina just shut them down. Yeah, is pretty much the kind of the now. I I thought, you know, I was getting roasted by some Keynes fans on our little vote last week for the Saturday night game because I voted for the Sens. The guy didn't realize we kind of vote a couple days early, but uh, you know, I thought the Sens would at least pick off a game or two. I think we all did, uh bare minimum. And uh yeah, they got smoked, uh dispatched fairly quickly. Although, like I said, the games were tight. Um what else have I picked up on? But I think the playoffs have been really, really good. Utah looks like an incredibly fun place to go in the playoffs. Oh, yeah. I mean, that's been good. They kind of blew it there the last game a little bit, obviously, but that's been a really good series. So um, I mean, Colorado, I I would say was pretty much expected. And I know we're gonna touch on that on the LA side a little bit, but I would say those are a couple things that jump off the top of my head.

SPEAKER_05 3:42

Yeah, we're we're midweek, so you know Carolina and Colorado are the class right now. You're like, okay, every time you resede the Stanley Cup odds after round one, those two got teams are number one. Um, no question about that. We've had two amazing series, like the series that we knew were gonna be awesome have been. Montreal, Tampa's been unbelievable. Really good, yeah. Um, and then Minnesota, Dallas, then and that the fact that Mini now is 3-2 as we're doing this show. Um that's interesting as well. So it's been great. The it almost got it almost the the first round almost got messed up by a lot of short rounds, but the teams that were 3-1 all found a way to make it go to six. And then you had the Penguins staving off elimination still. Um, they were gonna get swept. Like we could have had nothing to talk about this second week, but but now we've got some intriguing stories. It feels like the odds are kind of in favor of some of these teams 3-1, 3-0 coming all the way back, which will will certainly elevate the first round.

SPEAKER_02 4:50

The my first thought the other day was man, is this maybe the most underwhelming first round we've seen in a while? Just the way, the way that the things were like two quick sweeps, LA goes out quickly, the Senators with a quick as a hiccup are quickly gone golfing for the for the summer. Uh, all these 3-1 series, now you're starting to see a pushback with Sid and the Penguins, the Oilers are now starting to scrap back, and uh it looks like they're doing it on basically glue and duct tape right now, based on how that team seems to be banged up and nicked up. But um, yeah, here we go. I mean, the senators, I I just cannot believe that their offense died as it did as well. No stutzal, no Brady, nothing, zero, nothing, you know, for for Kachuk to go goose egg, uh, for Stutzla to have just one measly assist. You Pinto with that. Obviously, you're without your blue line with you know, three quarters of your top four blue line uh that all got went down with injuries, but still, that wasn't that wasn't scoring. It just couldn't score. That was, I mean, just good grief. You finally tighten things up, your penalty kill finally gets it right, your goalie finally pulled it together after the roller coaster season, and you go out in four. Good grief, anyway.

SPEAKER_01 6:04

Okay, are you telling me that Kachuk and Stutzel had zeros?

SPEAKER_02 6:09

One one assist between the two of them combined.

SPEAKER_01 6:11

They needed Commodore and Stillman to lead the charge. Two point, two assists each. Those guys didn't even get the two points. Oh man. It's tough there, I'll do it.

SPEAKER_02 6:25

It's still mind-blowing to think that you led the team in scoring that one year in the past.

SPEAKER_00 6:29

Sure is. I might have led this Sense team too in scoring. I would have been top you would have got a wrist or through. You would have got a wrist her through.

SPEAKER_02 6:38

Oh, man. Okay, the Cleary the Crease podcast is powered by Ozun.net. The road to the Stanley Cup, as you can see, is wide open. Although Carolina and Colorado seem to have a big say on things right now. But 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. Score big with Ozun. It is your turn now. Okay, uh, our Saturday night special is going to be a Friday night special as we dive in on this one. And just because, by popular demand, we're just gonna vote on this around the horn. Okay, three games Friday night that we know for sure are happening. So let's start first in La Belle Provence. Call me an opportunity to practice your French from all those years of French immersion and Sasky. So we've got Tampa and Montreal. Where are we going on this one? Hands for Tampa, game six in Montreal. I'm not putting my hand up for that one. Hands for Montreal at the Bell Center. Let's go!

SPEAKER_01 7:46

Yes, one, two. Oh, right, there we go. What the hell? Yeah, why not? Why not? Let's go, Montreal.

SPEAKER_02 7:53

There you go. Razor none of us picked them in prison.

SPEAKER_01 7:56

None of us picked us to win the win them that was.

SPEAKER_04 7:57

No, that's why I'm like, yeah, I think I feel like Tampa's. Let's go. Come on, Montreal. Let's go, Montreal.

SPEAKER_02 8:03

Not in Montreal. It's not happening in Montreal. Not when the torches are out. Uh Razor, by the way, you you had mentioned you were a Habs fan as a kid.

SPEAKER_05 8:10

Oh, yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 8:11

Who was your guy?

SPEAKER_05 8:12

Oh, Patrick Waugh. 86, 93. I mean, nothing was better than those. 93 was the the pinnacle. The fact the Leafs lost out 90, like that was that was it. So wild.

SPEAKER_02 8:24

Yeah. The you know, there I there was a player on the Kings who once shared a story that the most one-sided fight he ever saw in all of his playing career was Wayne Gretzky lighting up Marty McSorley for the illegal stick when they went to overtime in '93.

SPEAKER_05 8:41

Oh, I can only imagine. And what a story. Of all the guys that have like Marty Whitey, and and the best is Montreal Canadians.

SPEAKER_02 8:50

Of all the guys with the illegal stick.

SPEAKER_05 8:52

The Canadians knew there were three other ones, but they called it on Marty, too. Like they broke into the dressing room during the day, measured all of the sticks, knew exactly whose were legal, and they get Marty McSorley.

SPEAKER_02 9:05

Poor guy.

SPEAKER_05 9:15

Eric Dejard and Patrick game two.

SPEAKER_02 9:18

99 knew that was the uh the old turning point. And uh yeah, apparently that was a very one-sided conference.

SPEAKER_05 9:27

I've never heard that. That's awesome.

SPEAKER_02 9:28

Yeah. Uh okay, so we're going with Montreal. Uh, Buffalo, Boston, Friday night. The Bruins staying alive after an OT win from pasta. Uh, where are we going in Boston? Oh, this one feels tight. Well, I'm gonna let YouTube guys go. Yeah, Razor's got his nail. Me and you. I'm abstaining, obviously. All right, commie. You and I. I mean fans for Buffalo. I'm staying with the Sabres as you know what, they look great in Boston.

unknown 9:58

All right.

SPEAKER_01 9:58

I was thinking the other. I was gonna take Boston because I'm like, they can't put look that bad again in Boston, can they? All right, you can based on your goal one way. Okay. Boston. Let's uh let's go for a game seven. Let's go with Boston.

SPEAKER_02 10:14

Okay, let's do Boston.

SPEAKER_01 10:16

But the Boston they can't look that terrible again at home, I don't think.

SPEAKER_02 10:19

I'm deferring to Kami based on our records during the season and the fact that he won a Stanley Cup.

SPEAKER_05 10:25

So just so just a little context here. Uh, they've lost going back to this series before, they did this exact same thing. They lost both games at home against Florida, went and won game five down there, and then came back and lost game six. They've lost five home games in a row in the playoffs, this Boston Bruins group. So you can you can go the other way too, say you're due. Crazy. Think about it.

SPEAKER_02 10:53

We can't lose six. There you go. Tommy, we're just gonna we're gonna keep running it back in Boston until they get it. That's right. With the with the with the thought, they're due. Yeah. Okay, last one. You just mentioned the the Zamoth activity. Utah looks like a party. Vegas, Utah, Friday night, back in Utah. Hands for the mammoth.

SPEAKER_01 11:17

Hold on. This will be back in Utah for game six. Game six, right? Okay. Wait, oh, that's right. They had home ice. I always think that's right. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay. Mammoth. Oh, mammoth. Let's go mammoth. Let's go mammoth. I'm going mammoth. Let's go mammoth. You're back.

SPEAKER_02 11:34

Sorry, I was a little confused there. Okay. Let's go, mammoth. There we go. Love it. Man, I'd love to see that upset.

SPEAKER_05 11:42

So that means we're talking game seven, second, all over the place, game sevens. We got lots of game seven action.

SPEAKER_02 11:47

Give me some more game sevens. This round needs a game. Some game seven.

SPEAKER_01 11:50

Let's give Gary Bettman his wish. He wanted to see he likes to see a bunch of game sevens in round one.

SPEAKER_02 11:56

So Montreal, Boston-ish, and we're going Utah unanimously.

SPEAKER_00 12:01

And it's well played. Well played. Oh yeah. Well, that's right. Stu's losing his marbles and winning the private game.

SPEAKER_02 12:09

Oh, yes. Well played. Ozu, play those three on Ozu. Well played. All right. Uh okay. Anshay Kopitar's career ends after 20 years. How about this, guys? Two Stanley Cups, two Selkies, three-time Lady Bing winner, Marc Messier leadership award. Um, it's wild. You look at that class of 2005. Uh, over 10 player or 10 players with a thousand games. That's including Sid, obviously, the first overall pick. Kopitar, Chris Letang still playing, Jack Johnson, TJ Oshi, Mark Edward Vlasik. You got another five players, including Ryan Reeves, who have over 900 games. Carrie Price, part of that mix. Who had the second best career from the 05 class? Is it Kopitar?

SPEAKER_01 12:57

I mean, I think it might be. That's incredible. I mean, 20 years in LA. That guy has had an incredible career, won basically everything. I'd be tough to put any of those other names in front of him. I mean, that 05 class is amazing. A little better than the 1999 one, I'll tell you that right now. But amazing career. I actually watched the end of that game, and obviously, you know, it's not ideal getting swept out of the playoffs, but whatever. I mean, made the playoffs. They weren't going to beat Colorado. It was kind of a nice touch there with I saw the last three, four minutes where they were basically just putting him back on the ice and so the fans can cheer and he can kind of get a little send-off. So yeah, never met the guy. Heard he's a good dude. Uh yeah, I mean, hell of a career to stick, you know, 20 years, LA, win everything. Uh, you know, no mistakes. He's stayed out of the media. You know, hockey players usually pretty good about that, but uh all in all, seems like a pretty uh upstanding citizen. So yeah, I I I can't put any of those names he just told me in front of him, that's for sure. And and some of those other guys had really good careers, too.

SPEAKER_05 14:02

Yeah, the the only one that you got me right at the last second when you said Carrie Price, that would be the only one with whose career would you rather have, right? You know, you didn't win any cups.

SPEAKER_02 14:13

And you're a god in Montreal, Razor. Like you go back to Montreal and you're all like, he's gonna be walking out with that torch one day, right?

SPEAKER_05 14:20

When people talk, you know, Dryden, Wah, Price, like that. You're kind of like one of those. Um, if he didn't win a cup, you know, if you had to win a cup, definitely price. In lieu of that, it's yeah, Copatar's there because of because of what they did in the early 2010s. He was he was the Sasha Barkov before the Sasha Barkov, right? He was the Patrice Bergeron after or during the Patrice Bergeron West. Um, and we know watching these games, you need your centerman to play like that to win Stanley Cup. Uh you you you need that guy. So so it was an incredible career. He he had the send-off of all NHL player send-offs. I mean, no one's done this whole season tour and had it kind of all line up really well for him. Yeah, you get swept, but you get to finish on home ice, so that there's something to be said for that. And and I think what you said too, Kami, to be able to go to go 20 years in LA too, right? Like there was he never we never did the he never did the celebrity stuff, never was in the tabloids, never just just steady eddy hockey guy. So pretty cool career, of course. I a career anyone would want, there's no question about that. And um we'll see what's up next for him. Best slow isn't he Slovenian? Best Slovenian, yeah. That's it.

SPEAKER_02 15:44

You know, guys, I I covered the world hockey championship in 2005, the year that y'all lost paychecks for a year.

SPEAKER_00 15:50

Yeah, that was awesome.

SPEAKER_02 15:52

And and Slovenia was in there, and and he was a 17-year-old, the only player wearing the birdcage in that tournament. Oh, okay. And I and and I still remember how like he was still head and shoulders better than and it was like he was playing on a senior men's league team, right? And then here's this guy here's this kid who's just like he was noticeable out there at 17 in the world hockey championship. What a career that he's had. No question. Fantastic. No question. Yeah, so uh, you know, leave throw throw your thoughts in the comments below if you're watching along on YouTube. Which career would you rather have? Just based on what even Razor suggested as well. Would you rather have the Carrie Price legacy or the Copatar? By the way, Copatar never had a hundred points season, 1,300 career points, never had a hundred point season, and never scored more than 35 goals and did it just the one time in his career. So just could just consistent all the way in the week.

SPEAKER_05 16:49

Never had a hundred, huh? I would have never hit a hundred. 35 goals is more surprising to me. I figured he would have got 38 goals or something. Yeah, he played both ends of the ice. That guy, he did. He could play very well. LA won every game two to one back then, too. That's true, too. Tight D. Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 17:05

Just what Hollywood loves, right? Low scoring. Okay. Uh, I want to throw this at both you guys. Uh quite one of the more fat just when you think you see it all in hockey, something new kind of comes front and center. And that happened early in the Ducks and Oilers series, game four. The Ducks win an overtime with uh a video review that had the skate blade over the line with the puck, and in the moment it's called a goal. Video review really doesn't give you a conclusive review, although logic would tell you that it was the right call. But let me ask both of you this one do you like how the league handled it? Razor?

SPEAKER_05 17:54

Well, start off the the unfortunately the referees called it a goal in the eyes, which they never in a million years should have done because there's absolutely no way in America. Well, how would you see it? No, like and the poor guys they get the still shot of the they're in the four corners, and the pucks across the line by a millimeter underneath the skate, and they're saying it's a good like you can't, you can't do that. Like everybody's gotta, everybody's watching the whole. If you don't know, you don't know, and that's fine. You do just wave it off. So that's that's where it's the most egregious for me. I mean, I was talking to somebody, you guys tell me, like, what are the chances that that is the only video camera you have of that puck? Like, that puck goes an inch one way or the other, the skate one inch, like all the chaos that goes into these games, and you have that play that that happens to the NHL, like Gary Bettman must be pulling his hair out saying that's one in 500 million chances that that puck is stuck like that underneath a skate blade in a Stanley Cup playoff game. Like, what are the chances? Throwing it.

SPEAKER_02 19:03

Telling me there's a chance, right?

SPEAKER_05 19:04

Like, you're telling me there's a chance. Like, those are the ozon, ozone well-played odds I want. Is what are the chances of never seeing that puck cross the line? So um that's crit like that. Makes for me, it's like I'd rather get the call right. Like, we all know it was in, and and the spirit of the rule is if you don't like call me. I go back, I said something to someone about who was complaining. Well, it's obviously a goal, so it should count. I said, Well, what about 04? I'm not sure if we ever, even if we had the cameras we have now, we'd know if that puck went in 04, but I know that puck went in on 04. Yeah, we all know, yeah. But so can you can you make the decision on the fact that we kind of we know, but we didn't see it. Um, so this set this set a different precedent. I I think it won't be it'll be another 10 years till we have this situation come up, but we never saw the puck cross the line. I know it was in, but we never saw the puck cross the line.

SPEAKER_01 20:01

Yeah, it's supposed to be definitive, right? And there was it was not definitive. I'm I'm with you on everything you said. I was I heard it on the radio and it was a good point. I mean, with all the technology and stuff we have now, isn't it wouldn't there be a way like like take like tennis, for example. You know how they how they hit those balls and they got it painted on the screens? Is there baseball now too, right? Yeah, exactly. Like a lot of sports can't is there not some way to make a puck with a little chip in it or something and put look, I'm not the tech guy here, although I do consult for a tech company. I don't know how this shit works, but is there not a way to to make a puck and have some kind of barrier on the goal line there where you can like there's a sensor where it's like okay, that puck was in where you don't have to. I I don't get it. I mean, maybe there isn't, but I'd be surprised if there isn't. But yeah, that was yeah, that that was a tough.

SPEAKER_02 20:56

I I wonder, Commie, like, yes, I it does seem that the technology is there in 2026. I wonder, based on the cost of all those pucks that go into the crowd, do they want to eat those little microchips or on what that changes to the cost of all those frozen biscuits that uh that go flying up and around? But yeah, I mean that's the you know, the one point that somebody, a former referee, had mentioned to me was when you're trying to make that call, you would almost prefer to own that call like your boy Razor Mick Magoo. Oh, yeah, right? What what was Mick known to do, right? Very demonstrative, right? It's in, it's in, it's in, right? Like you know that there is a definitive call when someone's pointing and letting you know one like own it. Own that call, I think, as an official, as opposed to uh, you know, that kind of looks like youth sport where you've got a new referee or a new umpire where they're like, let me go talk to the senior official first. I didn't really I'm not really sure of the rules. And you know, I mean, yes, logic tells you that it was the right call, but how to make that call from 40 feet away in the corner? Just right under a skate? Yeah. Oh, the H E double hockey sticks, did you see that?

SPEAKER_01 22:14

Yeah. Just own that you didn't see it, right? Is that what you're getting at? That's what video's for. Just wave it off. Right. Just wave it off and be like, blow the whistle. Let's go take a look. But then the other way, what if they wave that off and then it gets reviewed and then it's not. I mean, I guess maybe they're exclusive. Been there, Tommy. Yeah, yeah, I hear you.

SPEAKER_02 22:35

Game six, saddledome. I was there, man. Yeah. Watch that. Damn it. Uh okay. Razor, why does everybody hate Rasmus Daly for covering that series? Like what? Like this guy, the amount of people that I have watched grab him in a headlock, go after him, cross-check him. Like, what does he do to inspire hate like this?

SPEAKER_05 22:55

Oh man, I mean, I saw the Sabres. I I've been treated with the calmie effect this week with the Sabres fans. Because I I kind of like just talking about Alex Lyon, he he's he chirps guys. I'm like, I'd rather not my goalie be like that. Like, I, you know, he comes in, but he brings that swagger to the team. They've been all over me all week. Like every save Alex Lyon makes. It's like, you suck, you couldn't do that. Alex Lyon, you know. So I'm like, Rasmus Dolin, who knows what they're gonna do to me if I start talking about Rasmus Daline. But it is intriguing. I haven't talked to anybody, any of the players, but there's a long list of guys that have gone after this guy, right? Like now. There's um Brad Marshan ripped his helmet apart last season. Somebody I forget the guy who was at, they got into it earlier this year. He, for whatever reason, he seems like a nice normal, just put his head down captain Swedish guy, but for whatever reason he gets under people's skin, and he was chirping Zadorov pretty good at the end of game four. And um, there was no question at the game was 7-0 at that point. So Zodorov took a liberty of a cross-check um that Dolin was happy to take. It was really intriguing to me how much he likes to get under people's skin as a big Swedish defenseman.

SPEAKER_01 24:11

He kind of looks like from the outside looking in, and I'm I'm guessing he's kind of hard to play against and that he you maybe runs his mouth a little bit. That'll piss people off. But he just kind of looks like one of those guys you'd like to just punch right in the face. Right. Don't don't really I I don't even know how to describe that, but he's just got that look to him that like, yeah, I'd like to just pop this guy. I don't know why, but some of those guys have that look to them.

SPEAKER_02 24:38

Here we are in 2026, still talking about people having punchable faces.

SPEAKER_05 24:44

They exist, they do, they really do. I you know, and again, it helps that he's a good player and and somebody you want to take off your game, too. But uh he he the ever the whole league's got it out for him. I don't know what it is.

SPEAKER_02 24:59

I feel like there's an episode just waiting to happen. We'll just show graphics to both you guys, headshots of players, yeah. Punchable or non-punchable face.

SPEAKER_00 25:11

That'd be fun, actually.

SPEAKER_02 25:12

That would be fun. I feel like it just screams the real. Commie destroys people's faces coming up next week on OpenStack.

SPEAKER_01 25:20

Oh, yeah, yeah. That'll be the club headline on YouTube.

SPEAKER_02 25:24

Uh comm speaking of uh your friends and family, and uh Ray Wendy's name is coming up as uh a GM candidate in Vancouver. Your thoughts on your boy Ray? Would he would him be a good fit? I know he's a pretty good golfer based on what you said.

SPEAKER_01 25:40

He's a very good golfer, yes. I see good executive. Yes, you know, you know what? Here's my opinions on Ray. And yes, I'm biased, obviously, because I see him all the time, and we're from Fort Saskatchewan, and you know, we played together in Carolina. I I love Ray. I'm boys with Ray, there's no question about it. So take that for what it's worth. But I do think uh Ray is very intelligent. He knows the game of hockey, he's opinionated in what he likes, and he's not scared to say it. Um, so I think from the hockey end of things, I think Ray would be, I think he'd be very good. And I also a general manager job, I mean, Ray hasn't told me this, told me this, but you can just tell talking to him. Like Ray's, you know, Ray works for he's a deputy for the player safety, and he's been doing that for a few years or whatever, and he enjoys that. Um, but his dream job would to be a uh is to be a general manager somewhere. Now, I would say from the other side of it, you know, if I was a Vancouver Canucks fan looking at it, you know, if you look at usually these guys, by and large, not all the time, but the general managers usually they put their time in as an as an assistant somewhere. And you know, Ray would have loved to have done that, but Ray just wasn't in the position to do that just because uh his kids were coming up and going through high school, and his youngest is just getting out of high school now. So Ray didn't want to leave here and be running around and going up to whatever, Buffalo or wherever they wanted an assistant GM job. So that would be the only thing where, you know, in some parts of it, Ray would not have the experience, but I do think Ray would be very, very good. That's my personal opinion. I know he, you know, this is I don't think he'd care if I said this. You know, he let me know that he did interview with Vancouver and uh he thought it went very, very well. So yeah, I mean, I think you I think you could do a lot worse than Ray Whitney. There's no question about it. And for our analytics crew and stuff, I know they're into higher-end scientists and professional poker players right now. Now, Ray, you know, Ray is he's like, he's like I think I would be. Like, you know, the eyeball test matters and character matters, and I don't know if there's an A, you know, uh analytic for that. But Ray is also like the, you know, he's you know, I I appreciate the numbers. I would look at them. So I think he's kind of like a lot of guys would be, is kind of like, hey, I need a little bit of both. I'm not gonna go hardcore one way or hardcore the other. I'd like to mix it up. So I think Vancouver could do a lot worse. I'll I'll tell you that. Won a cup with uh Jim Brotherford, I guess, with there's a history there, yeah. So yeah, Jimmy and him are are are tight. They they were tight back then, uh, and they've remained tight, you know, moving forward. So yeah, who knows? I don't know how many people they're interviewing. I know Ray interviewed for the San Jose job there before Greer got it. Um, so yeah, I think he's he there's could be some other ones that he's interviewed for. I'm not I'm not too sure, but you could do a lot worse than Ray Whitney, I'll tell you that. He's getting in the mix. He's getting in the mix.

SPEAKER_02 28:37

Razor, let me throw this to you and commie. Maybe you can piggyback on this potentially, but there was a moment in a uh game four uh in Boston, Jeremy Swayman gets pulled after uh just the the Bruins were awful. The Bruins were terrible, they get booed off home ice in Boston, but as Swayman's kind of getting yanked in the third, kind of goes by the bench and just kind of seems to give everybody the the business end of his mouth. Uh just kind of you know, just I don't know if it's a WTF or whatever that may be. Uh and and you know what, Marco Sturm to his credit, kind of said, Go good, good for him to have some emotion and to to give an ish. Now it certainly wasn't Patrick Waugh, I'm done, but uh tell us, but tell me this. Did you ever do that? Did you ever do that as a goalie? And commie, just on your thoughts, did you ever have a goalie light you guys up as a team when they were coming off, Razor?

SPEAKER_05 29:27

I probably yeah, I would have done it a couple times. I think everybody's done it to their team, like in that again, all that like all it was was he skates off and he probably is along the lines of what the F is that? That's an F and joke. Like that's that would there was like two three-word yell downs. Yeah, yeah. Um that, and then he goes down, he probably smashes six sticks, throws a bucket across the hallway, and then comes out and puts his baseball hat on, sits on the bench quietly. Like, all right, it's done, it's over with. Uh, I'm walking out. I there were certainly a couple nights where I was invested enough where we take uh we we don't forecheck, we don't get the puck deep, like we coming into the room, like what the F is that? We talked about that the whole pregame, and that you know, that cost us late in the first. Like, I remember one situation where one guy didn't was being lazy and I yelled about that because it was a big game. Um but never like you wouldn't tear a strip, you wouldn't do it on a bench in front of everybody for like five minutes and put your finger in somebody's face as a goalie. Um, I never blamed anyone for putting a puck in the net. Those guys are blocking shots, like commie's blocking a shot with his face. If a puck goes in off of him, you wouldn't ever think about it. But as a team, I think there's certain nights where a goalie is allowed to yell at yell some frustration at what was happening in front of him. And and that was certainly the night. It was literally the worst first period I've ever seen in Stanley Cup playoffs played by anybody ever. Like it was that bad. Like it was it was it was in a good spot, it wasn't made up, I thought.

SPEAKER_01 31:07

I mean, he he got lit up and wasn't his fault. I mean, he he played just fine. It was the guys in front of him. I think goaltenders uh personally I love it myself. Uh, you know, goaltenders, I think, a lot of times get a lot of blame when they don't really deserve it. You know, you give in a few goals. But meanwhile, it's just backdoor one-time. Oh, didn't save that. So they take enough heat as it is. Uh so I I personally love it. And I if I was sitting, you know what, he comes off and gives the team, uh, like you said, like gives him shit. I I love that. Like you, those guys should be embarrassed, and you just hung your buddy out to dry. So personally, I I think it's a great thing. In my own experience, I don't really remember. I was as Razor was talking, I was trying to think of like my my two longest stops were like Carolina and Columbus, but both those places, like I remember Cam Ward losing his mind a few times, like going down the tunnel and like just that swinging his stick around like it's a battle axe. But Cam was pretty quiet back then, and also it was like his rookie year. And when I was in Columbus, we had Steve Mason, and you know, actually Mace Mace was unbelievable that year. Yeah, I mean he was it was unbelievable how good he was, and he was a quiet guy too. So I don't remember a goalie off the top of my head doing it, uh, but I'm totally fine with it. I think it's great.

SPEAKER_02 32:32

All right, there we go. Uh, if you ever wanted to know, now you know in terms of goalies given the business. Uh okay, time for a fan question here on the Clearing the Crease podcast. And if you have a question or a comment for Kami or Razor or both, you can always hit us up in the comments using the hashtag ask CTC. This week's question is what is the craziest game day superstition you've seen from a teammate? Craziest game day superstition you've seen from a teammate.

SPEAKER_01 33:01

I mean, I got one right. You want me to go? Yeah. All right, I got one. Uh I mean, it's a little bit offside, so I'm not gonna get into all the details and I'm not gonna say who it was. Uh, it was during our playoff run in Carolina, though. It was just for that.

SPEAKER_05 33:19

So I'm not sure.

SPEAKER_01 33:24

I'm not sure where I'm not sure at what point it started in the playoffs. I'm not sure if it was game one or but it was early, like it was sometime in the first round. Um said player was married or is you know, was is is married. So this was with his wife, and I can't remember exactly how it got started. If we like won the, I think, well, we won the game for sure. We lost the first couple, or like I said, it we the result and his result was good in this one game when said superstition in the afternoon happened. So from that point forward, it's like we gotta do it every game. So I think you guys kind of know what I'm you know, afternoon. That's perfect. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_05 34:11

Okay, it's more than enough, and that is the perfect answer.

SPEAKER_01 34:15

So the rest wise, we're gonna figure out who it is and you're gonna get yourself in trouble. Yeah, yeah. So we we end up literally going to game seven of the Stanley Cup Finals. So it ended up happening a lot. Dying for them to get knocked out. I've been thinking about this all like for the last like 30 minutes of superstition. I'm like, I can't remember anybody, and then I'm like, oh, I do remember that. Because he didn't bring it up either until like uh it was like way, or at least not to me. I didn't hear about it until like after like it was all done, and he's like, Oh, I heard him. I'm like, and I anyway, first out laughing.

SPEAKER_00 34:54

So that is so good.

SPEAKER_05 34:55

So and that those are the best ones, like there's some of those. Like, I didn't really go on a long enough run in a playoff where I went all the way to the finals, but that's really where the crazy superstitions happen in playoffs because some it's something random like that that will start up and kick up, and you just have to keep doing it. In the regular season, everyone's really routine oriented, right? Like, and I'm kind of I was gonna go a little offside too, just because I know people think it's funny, but like the the it was always comical to me almost most teams, but like the routine of as soon as like the coaches meeting, it was like a lineup at the stall for everybody before they got ready for the game. Like I it was like vivid of like had the routine of like, all right, this guy's in this stall, this guy's in this stall, this guy's in this stall, taking a dump. Yeah, they get ready for the game right after the coaches meeting. Like you would have a line and you would be like waiting for one guy before and after. So I was thinking of that because that was a pretty regular routine, not necessarily superstition, but routine-based. The other, the other thing I thought of, which would have turned into a superstition had we won in game seven, was we ended up having a dance off prior to getting dressed. We had two guys get into a dance off naked in front of everybody in the dressing room while we're getting to relieve the tension of game seven. And I think about it all the time that that like it was the funniest thing I've ever seen, number one, and I couldn't believe it was game seven. But also, had we won, there would have been a ton of dance-offs going forward from that.

SPEAKER_01 36:33

Was it the same two? Tell me their same two guys, I'm assuming. Oh, yeah. Always the same two guys. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 36:40

Some people were hostile things. That's funny.

SPEAKER_02 36:44

And they're both in the Hall of Fame, yeah, right?

SPEAKER_05 36:48

No, but they have both played a long time. They both played a long time.

SPEAKER_02 36:51

What a great uh, you know what? What turn what we kind of thought was kind of a random question, turned out to be a home run of a response. Yeah, it worked out very well. Uh, you know, I just want to I want to extend um uh my best wishes and my and my condolences to the family of John Garrett. We lost an absolute beauty in the hockey universe uh this past week, John Garrett, uh who has been a broadcaster for the better part of the last 40 years, a fixture um on hockey night in Canada for several years, but more recently, the last 25 years with the Vancouver Canucks organization, uh calling the regional broadcast, uh, and he passed away suddenly at the age of 74 in the middle of working the Vegas, Utah series, which is just just heartbreaking. Uh, he was such a wonderful personality and such a fun guy. I just want to share a story about Cheech that really kind of sums up who John was. Like it was all everything was met with a smile, just one of the nicest people. But a friend of mine had recently shared this story about John Garrett. And here's what here's Cheech. Okay. So my friend heard his back uh a couple of days before Christmas, years ago, and he's in serious pain, agonizing at the pharmacy in the neighborhood. And John lived in the neighborhood as well. And so my friend is sitting in the pharmacy waiting uh for his prescription. He's in agonizing pain. And Cheech comes by, he sits down with him and he says, You know, I never looked that bad in all my years as a goalie. And that and that story sums up John Garrett, who left us to me way too soon at the age of 74. But John, you're gone, but not forgotten. So on that note, here's my don't puck it up for this week, guys. NHL draft lottery. I get Vancouver has been a dumpster fire of a franchise lately, but this community, I live in Metro Vancouver. My community has been taking a beating lately, okay? The team stinks. We recently lost one of the nicest people you'll ever meet in John Garrett, and this was just on the heels of losing the iconic Jim Robson a few months ago. There's been now talk that the White Caps and MLS soccer might be moving to Vegas or leaving town. Vancouver needs a win, okay? NHL, you know what to do, okay? Get the Canucks the top overall pick. The franchise has never had one. It's been 56 freaking years. If there was ever a community that needs a win right now, NHL lottery balls, don't puck it up. Give it to Vancouver.

SPEAKER_01 39:35

You convince me, Seaball. I hope they get it.

SPEAKER_02 39:39

They need it. They need it.

SPEAKER_01 39:41

They need me to get it. We need a win. Go ahead, Razor. I don't have one. I'm still looking. I'm going through.

SPEAKER_02 39:49

Hashtag preparation.

SPEAKER_01 39:51

I've been bad the last two weeks. I forgot about it.

SPEAKER_02 39:54

No, man. You were good. I liked your Obi one last week. You had a good one.

SPEAKER_05 39:57

Yeah, it wasn't. It ended up being a good one, Callie. That was good. All right, don't puck it up. Uh I've lost a three-one lead in the Stanley Cup playoffs. I have PTSD extremely bad from it to this day. Uh, I see a 3-1 lead in the Stanley Cup playoffs, and it it makes me nervous. And I'm nervous for these teams in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs that have not been able to close out game five, that are now licking and staring at game six or seven this weekend. Not to mention the three-nothing league the Philadelphia Flyers had, that no longer have game six is this week or as we're talking. So don't puck it up anybody with a three-nothing, three-one lead in the first round of the playoffs, because you will physically and emotionally and spiritually think about it and feel it for the rest of your life. So none of these teams, someone's gonna do it. I feel it. Someone's going to screw it up this week, but don't let it be you, especially the Philadelphia Flyers, because we'll never not talk about you again.

SPEAKER_01 40:54

You just took mine that I was about to find Razor. I was gonna jump on the Flyers. I'll just double down on that. That is I'll double down on it. You talk three now. I'll talk three-nothing. I know it's only happened once or twice before. I think Philadelphia was involved the one time beat with Boston. Yeah, that's right. Boston. Yeah. Um, I think we are I picked the Flyers. Did you guys pick the Flyers Pre? Or you guys go pit? I can't remember.

SPEAKER_02 41:18

No, we took we took Pittsburgh.

SPEAKER_01 41:20

We went with the we went with the old guys. You guys went with the old guys. I'm the solo flyers guy. Things were looking great. That Porter Martone is flying around fresh out of Michigan State. Yeah, he is a good player. Pretty sure he's not going to Lehigh Valley anytime soon. Uh yeah, don't puck this up, Philadelphia. You're back at uh is it home in game, yeah. Next game's at home. Let's uh put this thing to bed. I wouldn't I don't really want to see a game seven, but it's not gonna be easy. Crosby and company have woken up a little bit, but uh don't puck it up, Philadelphia. I picked you, it looked awesome. Now it looks a little dicey.

SPEAKER_02 42:02

There we go. All right, on that note. Well played, commie. Well played.

SPEAKER_01 42:06

I'll be more prepared for next week.

SPEAKER_02 42:08

Uh 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 is the Stanley Cup, it's open. And the clearest route to winning big is playing on Ozom.net. Ozun's got you covered for all the props, the game lines, futures from now until the cup final and beyond. Make your power play and score big with Ozoun. Well played. He's Kami, he's Razor, I'm Sabalski. We're back in a few as the road to the Stanley Cup continues, and we got you covered here on the Clearing the Crease podcast, powered by Ozoun.net.