Clearing The Crease Podcast
Hockey’s best podcast featuring Mike Commodore Andrew Raycroft and hosted by James Cybulski.
Clearing The Crease Podcast
Commie, Razor and Cball react to the insane NHL offer sheet drama - CTC 88
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On today's episode of Clearing the Crease, Mike Commodore, Andrew Raycroft and James Cybulski take you through another week of the NHL... and while you think that could be boring in the summer, it's anything but. The boys will break down everything from NHL offer sheet drama, to the Oilers and Leafs... the Commie spending an uncomfortable amount of time on a horse.
What if one other GM says, you know what, let's go do this to cutter goche and really put the screws to this guy or go after another restricted free agent of the Anaheim Ducks with while there's blood in the water, if these guys start ganging up on different teams, oh man, it would be priceless.
SPEAKER_00If that if that happens, I feel like those GM meetings they have every year in Florida or whatever, Pat for Beek's gonna be walking in there and just suckering guys.
SPEAKER_03Clearing the Creek.
SPEAKER_04Just a reminder, everybody, if you're enjoying the show, the content that we bring you between the podcasts, the add-ons through social, be sure to like and subscribe to our YouTube channel. And if you listen in audio form, hey, don't forget, leave us a five-star review on Apple or Spotify. And make sure you are following along on all the social channels as well: Instagram, X, TikTok, wherever else you are finding us. Look who's back on the north side of the border. Razor's back home. He's in Bel Vegas. Razor looking good, buddy. Is this the room that your parents have left you after all these years?
SPEAKER_02No, this is like uh the spare, spare, spare room. They put me in like the back of the basement. There's nothing left of what I ever did anywhere near this house. So nothing. Yeah, my road trips continue, man. I've put so many miles on my car in the last two weeks. Last episode, I was in Portland, Maine. I drove through the mountains, got to Belleville, got to Toronto. So here I am for uh a couple weeks living out of a suitcase in Belle Vegas.
SPEAKER_00And look who's got a plaid shirt on.
SPEAKER_02Oh, you know what that is.
SPEAKER_00That's that time of year again, fellas. The Calgary Stampede. Every year I tell myself, for probably the last like, probably since I turned 40 at least, probably 35. I'm like, man, I gotta take a year off of this stampede. And I'll tell you what, the streak's still alive. I got traded here in 2003. So to the summer of 2003 was my first stampede. And I haven't missed one since. Now there have been, you know, my days of running hot eight out of ten nights. Those days don't happen anymore. Now it's a couple, but I got off to a good start last night at the old Cowboys poker tournament. Uh ran into uh who did we run in? Brad Trillium, Brian Burke, the new Hall of Famer, was there. Brian always comes back here. Yeah, I legitimately think Brian Burke actually he had a really good time here in Calgary. Like he makes the effort to come back. Anyways, Unroy was there, so yeah, there was a few guys, had a few drinks, spent some cash, made it to the final table, got a little too hammered and got boosted out. Six days finish, no money. I don't know what I was doing on that final table. It's a little uh foggy towards the end of the evening, but uh it was a good day. And then uh yeah, today uh got up. Uh I'm uh like we were talking before we started. I am exhausted right now. Uh I grew up in the city. I am not a rancher or a farmer or a cowboy of any sort. But this morning I was up at uh 5:30 to get to the rink by 6:30. And the flames, it was the Calgary Stampede Parade. And once again, I said yes. It's another thing. Last year I remember I said, I'm never doing this again. Once again, what am I doing? I'm on the back of a horse. So horseback. I've ridden a horse three times in my life. Three stampedes, stampede parades, and it's not getting any easier. Oh, yeah.
SPEAKER_02I'll never ride a horse again. I did it once, worst half an hour of my life. I hated it up there. Every single second. This horse can do whatever it wants. I hate, I'll never get on a horse ever again. Never again, really that bad. No, it's horrible. Worst feeling ever. You're up so high, the thing can kick. Like, you could do it, like, no way. No, it's hard on like your hard on your knees, groins. Like it was pretty hot out. I was like, why don't I just walk? Like the horse is doing the same thing I could do.
SPEAKER_04We used to go to the Ottawa Valley, like uh, you know, they'd have you know happy trails, and you could go rent a horse for an hour and go for a ride, and you could just kind of, yeah, all the sacred. So we did it back, you know, but I hadn't done it in 30 years. We got a relative up and around the caribou now, like at Williams Lake. Every once in a while we'll get on, and like at this, I don't know if it's just this stage of my life, just mindful that shit's gonna hurt when you fall or whatever you do. But it's like you get on there and it's like, I do not feel safe. I you know, I'm gonna fall. I just turn into a giant worry ward on these things. And it seems so cool when the Lone Ranger did it.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, you know, I tell you what, you get a whole new, you get a whole new respect, or at least I do, and I'm sure goes for most people. You know, I get off the horse. I was on the horse for four and a half hours today. I mean, the horse was like, I was yanking on, like, it's just walking, right? Obviously, I'm not galloping down ninth half. So it's the horse is just walking. That's it. But it's you know, four and a half hours in a saddle when you don't do it is a long time. You get a whole new respect when you go to the rodeo. Like, I'll go to the rodeo on Sunday, and you see these guys flying around on these things and like the bareback racing and stuff. Like these guys are nuts, they're insane.
SPEAKER_02They're absolutely nuts.
SPEAKER_00Oh, there's no question. Yeah, I was on a trained horse that basically is like the tamest thing ever, and it beats me up. These guys are on like wild animals. Well, yeah.
SPEAKER_04You really you really truly appreciate the strength and the power of those animals, though, when you're up close or you're sitting on them, right? Like they could do whatever they really want to.
SPEAKER_00Absolutely. If they're in the mood. Last and then we'll move on years ago. Like, uh, actually, it was after we went to the finals, was the one year at the Stampede here where I was like, I actually got treated like a like a VIP. That was my first parade. Like, and then they have a lot of people.
SPEAKER_04They still treat you like a VIP a quarter of a second.
SPEAKER_00No, no, they do. There's no question they do, like around town, but like the actual Calgary Stampede people. So, like, if you're like part of the rodeo or like a VIP, like you you get a card, and and they're like if you were to go around, like they have denalies and escalades that are driving around, says stampede on the side. And so you can call, and I mean anytime during the day, anytime at night, and they'll come pick you up and give you a ride whenever. So that that was a great stampede when I had that little. Unfortunately, that only lasted once. I I used that thing too, it's max. But um that same year, I went and did like, you know, watch the bulls close to it, and then went in. I had a pass to go like underneath. So underneath the infield at the Calgary Stampede, unless it's changed, but I'm sure it hasn't. Um, that's basically like you know, the the medical room. Like, so you you see these guys, I'll tell you what, you think hockey players are tough. Oh go do a lap of the infirmary. I'll just call it the infirmary. Go do a lap there during the Calgary Stampede. And I mean, you see, guys, I was walking around, I'm like, oh my god. And these these guys, like, you know, let's say there's, you know, the the stampede starts today. So there'll be a guy like riding a bull today. So let's say he qualifies for the finals, which is on next Sunday. I just figured, like, hey, awesome. So, you know, you hang around for the week. I, you know, I don't know any better. No, these guys are in their truck driving down to Idaho because there's another like rodeo down there on like Tuesday and then driving back. These guys are insane. Yeah, people that say hockey players are tough. Go ahead and go.
SPEAKER_04Real quickly with with the Calgary Flames, because you're in Calgary right now. I don't know if you've paid much attention, but is are people like ready to build a statue for Jake Middleton after kind of waving the Canadian flag this week? I did see that.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_04His name came up. People were pumped. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_00Jake Middleton. Wow. Good start. Yeah, guys should start taking notes on that. It doesn't take much right now. You get Trey the Canada, come in there. I love it here.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, that's all they said.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, you get you know, you're winning. They're how to make friends quickly. Okay, hey, just uh a reminder, everybody the Clearing the Crease podcast is powered by Ozun.com. The clearest route to winning big, hey, just gotta play on ozun.com because Ozun's got you covered for all the props, the game lines, futures, whether it's on the ice, on the pitch, the diamond, the gridiron, you name it. Make your power play and score big with Ozun well played. Okay, as we record this, the shock and eye moment of the week. And finally, because man, that Canada Day was a dud when it came to free agency. But how about this? The Philadelphia Flyers obtendering a five-year, $90 million offer sheet to Duck star Leo Carlson. So this comes down on a Friday. The Ducks have a week. They're on the clock. They got a week to match. And if they don't, they get four first rounders from the Flyers as compensation. Uh, you're looking at an $18 million AAV, which makes Carlson the highest paid player in the league if this all goes down. And he's coming off a season in which he had 67 points. Yes, six, seven. What a time to be alive. Uh, and this is the second offer sheet to be done this week. Uh Razor, let's start with you on this. Well, how do we feel about the most aggressive flex or the line in the sand by a GM that we have seen maybe ever?
SPEAKER_02Well, what I love about it is it's so personal because the Anaheim Ducks got Cutter Goche, and Cutter Gauche didn't want to play for the Flyers. And Danny Friere and Keith Jones have not forgotten about that. They are absolutely sour about it. And they said, you know what, Cutter, you want to get paid a lot of money out there. Well, we're gonna give make Anaheim give all of that money that you want to Leo Carlson, and now you're gonna have to sit there and hold out for money that you're not gonna get, and you're not gonna get in Philly, and now we're gonna screw your team over in Anaheim. I I love the pettiness, I love the personal nature of it, and what a story, what a story we all get to chew on for the next week and see what Anaheim does because at the end of the day, too, it w it's great business for Philly. They give up four first-round picks for Leo Carlson. If they have Leo Carlson, those picks are gonna be in the 20s for the next four years, folks, because that guy can play, and the Flyers have a good young core. So I I love it all around just from the the pettiness and and the business-wise, uh, it's a lot of money, but you can make it work with this cap going up.
SPEAKER_00I never even thought of that cutter goche angle. That's good thinking there. I I that didn't cross my mind. I kind of forgot about that. So yeah, yeah, 100% that was going through their mind when they were doing it. Uh, yeah, I mean, I agree with everything Razor said. I mean, I haven't seen enough duck games, I guess. Obviously, I mean, it's a pretty big gamble for Philly, though, too, right? Like 18 million bucks is a lot of cash. And yeah, I mean, if obviously they're banking on him, he's uh better than a 67-point player moving forward. And hey, who knows? Maybe that's a great gamble. Maybe he's putting up 100 points a year, you know, coming up here. So yeah, very interesting. But yeah, I completely forgot about that coaching angle. Oh, I do like that. That's great.
SPEAKER_04Well, that yeah, just the just the shit burger right back at you. Yeah. Here's a shit burger right back at you. So I I guess I the only I guess the only thing health permitting, right? You're talking about a guy who was a second overall pick in 23, um, had to miss the Olympics this past year. But you're right, like I mean, he leveled up in the playoffs. The guy was a point-a-game player as the ducks went to two rounds. So, I mean, this guy's going forward, you're you're signing him, you're you're planning on having him probably for the next decade at least, right into his 30s.
SPEAKER_02Well, that's yeah, for sure. Go ahead. Sorry, Rachel. No, it's just hard to imagine Anaheim not matching. Like, it just puts Anaheim in such a bad spot because he has such an upside. He's already kind of there. If you don't sign him, and he does have a Hall of Fame career, it's a terrible move by Anaheim. So that's it's just I think the Flyers really just back them into a corner salary cap-wise for everybody else going forward. Because I can't imagine Anaheim sitting there saying we're gonna let him go for four first round picks.
SPEAKER_00So, how does that so we're crystal clear? So, is it so? Let's say they let him go, which I agree. I they probably I wouldn't think they would, but let's say they do. So, is that you they get the first round pick for the next four years? Yeah, okay, okay. So, wherever that falls, okay, gotcha. Yeah, you're right, which which probably shouldn't be in the top 10. No, it shouldn't be a good player. No, no, they're trending in the right direction.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, well, and it's and it's remarkable to see you just have to imagine just how competitive Pad for Beek is and how this guy's gotta be just seething, right? I mean, look at the games of Hartball he has played with everybody since becoming the GM, right? Like he basically mofoed Trevor Ziegris out to Philadelphia, right? And it was like, I'm done with you, didn't want to pay him. Uh just like the stubbornness. Look at all the veterans that wound up walking this summer because he didn't want to pay those guys or keep all these veteran players around. So, like this guy has tried to manage the cap, and then all of a sudden, somebody just throws a grenade into the front office.
SPEAKER_02And guys, what if what if what if what if one other GM says, you know what, let's go do this to cutter goce and really put the screws to this guy or go after another restrictive free agent of the Anaheim ducks with while there's blood in the water, if these guys start ganging up on different teams, oh man, it would be priceless.
SPEAKER_04This is orange on orange violence.
SPEAKER_00If that if that happens, I feel like those GM meetings they have every year in Florida or whatever, Pat for Beek's gonna be walking in there and just suckering guys. He's gonna be pissed.
SPEAKER_02He's gonna be bringing his uh he's bringing his old Sherwood wood stick in there with them, just whacking.
SPEAKER_00Cracking people over the head with it.
SPEAKER_04Well, commie, you you mentioned Brian Burke already on this show, but that reminds me of a story of I think Brian Burke and Kevin Lowe had a real beef there for years. And I think Brian talked about challenging Kevin Lowe to a fight in the back of a barn or inside a barn.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, that was Anaheim too. There you go. I think it was, yeah, you're right.
SPEAKER_00Anaheim Middleton was that that was that the penner thing? Yeah, exactly. Yeah, I was in Penner with that.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, and they were pissed with Cronger and the whole thing. It was great. That's right. Here we go.
SPEAKER_04Why does it all come back to Anaheim? Who knew? It was such a violent place.
SPEAKER_03Oh, wow.
SPEAKER_04Okay, so let's see how this unfolds over the next week. Meantime, uh, how about like over the last few months, guys? We were in Toronto two months ago, right before uh Cheeka and Sundine were being unveiled, and man, temperatures were running hot in Leafs Nation. But you know, John Cheka over the last few weeks has has done a pretty tidy piece of business. Look, he inherited the first overall pick, which worked out pretty well with Gavin McKenna. But look at this what they've done, like adding Sergei Babrowski, Colton Sissens, uh Teddy Blueger, Jack Roslovic, Nick Paul, Zach McEwen. Look, they got deeper, they got heavier. Um, I guess the question is, are they much how much better are they with goaltending with a guy who's a future Hall of Famer raiser? But at three years, like, I mean, I think a lot of people wonder about this contract. I mean, what is Bob at this stage?
SPEAKER_02Well, Bob wasn't great last year, and you hope that was because of Florida and the situation. You can get a little bit closer to that Stanley Cup thing. So um, you have the duo, the Stanley Cup duo. You have stolar as you got to imagine he's still gonna want to play more games than he did last time he played with um Bobrowski. Um I I like it for a year or two. I think what the Leafs have done and John Shake has done, and and we got our Joe Bowen episode coming out later this week, and he was beside himself a couple months ago, to your point, right? C-Ball, like no one knew what was gonna happen. I think what they've done, what Shake has done, what Matt's has done is made this team respectable again, at least on paper, compared to what the season ending roster was to what it is now, the thing's respectable. I'm not sold on their back end, I'm not sold on their moves on the back end and what that really does for them going forward to to win, but they're respectable. They're gonna be they're they're not gonna just lose games over and over and over again, especially on home ice with the forwards and the goaltending that they have now. So, in that respect, I like the Babrowski signing because you had to do something there in Toronto to stabilize everything.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I don't uh yeah, the Babrowski, sorry. I mean, without pulling his stats up, and I know he is a future Hall of Fame goalie, don't get me wrong, he's had an incredible career. I'm not ripping on Sergei Babrowsky, but at the same time, I want to feel like I feel like before they went on those runs to the finals and won a couple cups, like Sergei Brobrovsky, you know, we went from Columbus to Florida, right? Yeah, from like he wasn't he wasn't great at all. Like, and then that happened, and he played great in the playoffs, and he, you know, and he, you know, so it's all worked out and Florida's happy. But yeah, I don't know. I I mean I I agree. I think Toronto had to do something, so I I don't hate it in that regard at all. But I I don't know. It'll be I'm not totally sold.
SPEAKER_02We're not picking on the winning conference, is what we're seeing, right? Come on. Yeah, it's not probably anymore.
SPEAKER_04Although commie, we are seeing this is a Russian not going to Florida or New York, so that's a change.
SPEAKER_00That's true. Maybe Russians love Toronto now. Maybe they're maybe they're switching it up.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, you know, while we have a moment just on on the leaves, you know, and there's still a lot of speculation about trading a guy like Morgan Riley. It's gonna give Morgan Riley some love here. For I think a lot of people waiting, oh, what's the trade gonna look like? Here's a guy who's been with that organization close to 15 years, right? Coming up on almost a thousand games in the National Hockey League, and to do that all in Toronto, to go through the really lousy times before they kind of broke on through, a guy who always seems to play bigger in the playoffs. I don't know, man. Like at times it feels like Morgan Riley grossly underappreciated sometimes in the moment. And Razor, as a guy who's played in that market, like that's not an easy feat to do to get 14 years or a decade and a half to play in that market.
SPEAKER_02No, he's getting the Brian McCabe treatment or the Larry Murphy treatment now, where he's just been there too long and it's just easy to go to him every time instead of changing. Now it's just him all the time. Like Cabra was the same way, the greatest teammate, the great, like love being a leaf, love would do anything. You know, we had Tyre Williams on talking about doing winning for the crest, like Riley and McCabe, these are the guys that do that, but they also somehow become the whipping boys from the fans. And that that's what's hard to explain about the Toronto market, but that's that's exactly where Riley's at. And you know, he's gonna be like kind of, you know, if he does go somewhere else, it'll be a Darnell Nurse situation where he's probably gonna feel pretty good about it when he gets the hell out.
SPEAKER_04Okay, commie. I gotta throw this over to you now with the oilers because that's a perfect segue. Um that is a perfect segue. What a week for the oil. I mean, how about they move on from Darnell Nurse, and there is no salary retention on that nine and a quarter. They bring back uh Kasperi Kapanen, they lock up Ryan Shea, um, a guy, another late bloomer here who's getting paid with a five year times with a four million AAV. Uh, and they also bring in Stanley Cup champion Freddie Anderson between the pipes. What do you make of what's happening? Oil country just north of where you're hanging and banging right now.
SPEAKER_00I mean, I will say that uh, yeah, I'm I'm hearing a lot about all the old oilers around here. Really? Yeah, I mean, they've I don't know a whole lot about Shea, but they have made some good moves. I can't look I look, I'm probably gonna spend most of this year just absolutely torching the oilers, but I I'm trying to be fair about this too. So I don't want to sit here, and you know, I'm obviously I'm not a huge fan of Stan Bowman right now, but I will say I and I like what San Jose has been doing as well. Like, I'm not ripping on them either, but I cannot believe they got rid of Darnell nurse and didn't retain any money. To me, that's crazy. Like, I think, and he's got what, three, three, four more years left at nine, like you know, yeah, yeah. It's not easy. I mean, like I said, and I think Darnell has gotten better over the last couple years, and I've eased off. He's stayed on his feet, he's not sliding around like a Zamponi, like he's better. But I'm like, and I know San Jose needs like penalty killers and stuff like that, but I'm like, nine point two five, you're eating the whole thing for the next four years. Like, anyway, so I guess I'm I not with the sharks on this one, and I guess I kind of gotta say, I mean, Bowman did if I would if somebody would have told me the Edmonton Oilers were gonna trade Darnell and not have to keep like retain anything, I would have said there's there's no chance. I like there's no way that's gonna happen. So I gotta give kudos to Bowman on that move. Yeah, and good for Darnell, too, to be honest. Like he'll make it
SPEAKER_02It'll be so much better for him there. Like he'll uh he'll be a better player. He really will be. Yeah. Good for Darnell. But he'll be he'll be a better player.
SPEAKER_00Right. Yeah. Hey, you know what? Like I said, I I've ripped on him, you know, but but he has gotten better. Hey, look, at the end of the day, you know, friend of the show, Ken Holland. You know, Darnell didn't walk into Ken's office with a mask on and a gun and hold him up for eight years. They gave it to him, right? So it's like, and so good for him. Um, so yeah, I would think, like, you know, kind of a little bit like the Riley thing, a little, you know, he's been sitting in Edmonton, he's taken some grenades and deservedly so, you know, sometimes for sure. So I'm thinking, you know, go to San Jose, you know, you'll be able to go to the grocery store there, Darnell. And it don't matter if you're minus five that night, nobody's gonna be telling you you're shitty as you're trying to buy a steak or something. So it'll probably be a nice change for him, too.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, I I think it I think it's a fresh start. Uh, it's a tidy piece of business for what Oilers Management has done, and especially given the uh the PR backlash that they have dealt with. You know, just on a side note, commie, we were kind of chatting about this, and I didn't want to I didn't want to go down all of it. Don't leave it in the green room, as we like to say sometimes. But what has been the reaction? What's it been like for you just personally? Um, you know, you're in Alberta again here. I mean, I'll say this, even like, you know, I I'm a middle-aged dude, and so it's not like I am a high desirable follow on social media like Instagram at this stage of my life. And yet, man, I'm picking up a ton of followers through our podcast there lately. So I can only imagine what you're getting, of course.
SPEAKER_00Yep. Oh, yeah. Oh, if you look at my appreciates that, yes. Like it's on the Instagram thing, and you can like kind of click on like the insights and it breaks it down to like, you know, where your followers, where they live, and what gender they are. Well, I'm not creeping that much. Oh, well, yeah, just it breaks it down like a whole bunch. It's actually kind of interesting, and I've only looked a couple times. Last time I looked, I'm clicking at I got like 30,000 followers. It's like 98.6% dudes.
unknownYeah.
SPEAKER_04I'm also getting word for all of our followers here that continue to enjoy the show and love following Kami on the various social media channels. Uh, our producer Stu Stone says Kami will be starting an OnlyFans site very soon. That's that's a good way to lose all my favorite words. He's a man's man, people. He's a man's man. Um there's nobody that wants to see that. I want to hit the I want to hit this one, but uh, you know, I was reminded of there's a great video that I've seen a million times pop up on social media of these two dogs. I don't know if you guys have ever seen this before. Two dogs that are separate, and these are like a German Shepherd and like a Doberman, like two like vicious, powerful, strong type attack dogs, and they're separated by a fence, and they are barking at each other, foaming at the mouth, ready to basically like, I'll kill you, I'll kill you. And the fence slowly opens up, and when it opens, these two dogs that are screaming at each other just basically smell each other and kind of, hey, what's up? And this kind of reminded me of what just happened in Columbus this week with Zach Orensky and Don Waddell. What happened here? Like, everybody was like, had the knives out, the guns out, and all of a sudden people are standing razor, and everybody just come to their senses here, or like what happened?
SPEAKER_02I I am so confused and was so confused with the the statements that were coming out left and right. They're just flying out the doors. Like, I'm I don't want to be here. Now I want to be here. I love it here. I'm gonna win here. Um, I don't know. I mean, it feels like the toothpaste out of the tube there. I don't know how you put it all back. I don't know how that goes away. Obviously, uh my guess would be Zach Werensky's phone was buzzing like Commie's does when he talks about Babs, and he got a little bit, a little bit gun shy on on the response that he was getting and the and maybe some of the feedback he was getting on on what he was doing. And then, and then again, like to turn down the deal to to Dallas, did that really happen like at Harley? Like, Dallas is in a bad spot now. Um I I guess at the end of the day, I don't understand. I have no idea, I have no insight. I'm I'm it's confusing, is the best way for me to put it. I guess I'm very confused, and I there's no way I would predict that he's staying or going at this point. It feels like it could all the cards are on the table.
SPEAKER_00It is confusing. Like you guys know, I spent the last like I left on Monday night and I I drove from Arizona to up here to Calgary. So all of July 1st, I was on the road or whatever. So I was listening to NHL radio. I actually felt bad for those guys because they're sitting there and they just keep they're like Werensky, Werensky, Werensky, and Worensky ain't going anywhere, nothing happened. So I kind of felt bad for him. So I was kind of laughing about that a little bit. Um, it is weird, and like I said, you who knows what's true, I guess, but I mean, who says no to Dallas? I mean, that's good. No kidding. Like, that's kind of I don't get it.
SPEAKER_02Like, I don't get that's what's that's the biggest confusing part for me, is that great market, a contender, like right uh everything tax-free.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, like Dallas is awesome. I mean, I I would assume most guys, if you had them like, you know, just pick like you know, their top five places to go, uh I would assume for the Dallas has been in there for a long time.
SPEAKER_04So, anyways, like I said, who knows what's true, but it definitely offseason might turn into the off-season of feelings and emotions, right? Like, all these players might have to go watch Disney's Inside Out and just Jason Robertson. Speaking of the stars, he said no to what a reported $120 million deal in Seattle, right? Like, boy, it's not like Seattle's a bad place to be, right? Like, there's a team, like you know, great market, and you know, but for whatever for whatever reason, people just do not seem to want to go there as a relatively new franchise and uh just haven't had the success at Vegas. But whatever the case, they're trying and they still continue to get rejected. Um, I do want to hit the fact that we didn't get a chance to touch on it last week, but uh the Hall of Fame class, the 2026 Razor, I'd be remiss if I didn't get a chance to give you a chance to give flowers to one guy particular. But the class includes Brian Burke, who we just mentioned, Carrie Price, uh Cindy Gurley, Keith Kachuk, and Patrice Bergeron Razor.
SPEAKER_02The most perfect human on the planet, the most perfect human that that's ever played the game of hockey, or at least since John Bellamo. Um, I mean, it's uh it couldn't couldn't go to a better person, a better player, of course, what he did for the Bruins and um the six Selkies and and and how he played through the playoffs with punctured long in game six of the Stanley Cup finals. Like just the absolute epitome. Um, but of course, he you know, we were roommates for a few years uh at the start of his career. So uh I never thought he was gonna be a Hall of Famer when he was a second-round pick, and we were ordering pizza because we didn't want to go out to dinner. Uh, we just wanted to sleep at 18 years old. But uh you always knew he was a great person and and he just worked so hard. So uh of all the guys that could could be deserving, it's it's it's him.
SPEAKER_04And Razor, and he he had a pretty thick French accent from what I remember like he was coming in. And like you don't hear it anymore.
SPEAKER_02No, he was so so self-conscious, like he barely spoke to anybody, anybody. Um, and and you know, I was one of the one of the few, but um, but yeah, and then it was like you know, obviously I got traded, I'm bouncing around, I come back and I'm like, hey Patrice, how are you doing? I'm like, he's speaking like with a Boston accent. I'm like, what the what's going on here? Like, how did you get good at that, too? Like, come on, dude. You like the only thing like your bad accent was like the only thing negative about you, and now you've got a perfectly good Massachusetts accent. Um, the guys, the guy's unbelievable. Um, I think it's simple, like just to talk about like how good he is, like I I sent him messages. He had his he got his jersey retired three days earlier. So, you know, I sent him a message about that, literally right back, and he got 500 messages. I'm not saying it's because of me. I mean, he just I know he got back to everybody he was messaging, and he's still sitting there with his kids and his wife, and they're perfect too. And and then he does the same thing on Monday, right back, joke about it, a laugh about it, and and he and moving on. And he did that 700 times, I'm sure. So uh he's just he's everybody says he's the best, and everyone says he's perfect. And and I promise you, I I couldn't be uh any less positive about a person. That that's who you want your kid to marry, your daughter to marry. Like it's crazy.
SPEAKER_04Come here, is there a is there a hall of fame inductee that comes to mind for you that that you're you're just happy to see?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, yeah. I mean, you know what? I'm you know, I never played for him or anything, but over the last few years, you know, I've been around Brian Burke a decent amount. Um, so you know, I I definitely as soon as I saw him last night, you know, I wanted to make a point of going over there and congratulating him. And anyways, I I think Brian's a good dude. Like I said, I never played for him, but he seems like I you know what I would say from some of the stuff you would get like his clips, you know, and he like, you know, and he he was a very quotable guy. You know, I wasn't sure about him because that's all I saw, and I'm like, man, some of this, I was like, some of this seems a little bit rude. And then I met the guy, and I'm like, man, this this guy's awesome. Like he's great, so very happy for him. Kachuk's been waiting a long time, good for him. Carrie Price, obviously, incredible career. Bergeron, yeah. Like, you know, I always kind of laugh a little bit. I think it was his first year pro was right before the lockout. Is that right? Okay, so I didn't know much about him, and then that lockout year. Um, he went to Providence and I was playing in Lowell, so we played Providence 12 times that year, and I didn't know anything about him. And I'm like, okay, and like, and he's not real flashy, you know what I mean? Like, it wasn't like he wowed you or anything like that. But I remember, you know, I got to see him 12 times, and I'm like, this guy's pretty good. Like, God, who's this Bergeron guy? This guy's good. It's that's the Providence PowerPlay is just lighting us up. Um, but, anyways, yeah, happy for all of them. Like I said, we we can always have those conversations. You know, you do the Hall of Fame thing and people go negative on, you know, Rod's not in, but happy for the guys that do get in.
SPEAKER_04We just touched on Jonathan Taves calling it a career, and Kerry Price was in that world junior with Taves, you know, 2007 in Sweden. I'll I'll just say this quickly: the the thing that stands out for me covering Price, he got cut the first time he tried out the world juniors, and I'll never forget he was sitting there with, you know, a half dozen of the players that have been cut waiting to go back to their respective junior teams. And he sat there on the couch, and all the players who made the team, they were going out for a photo shoot. And this was in Vancouver that particular year. And so this was 2005, uh Christmas, uh New Year's 2006. And Price is sitting there in the lobby, uh I think of the West, and and he just kind of doesn't really say it to anybody directly, but just kind of says it to whoever is listening. And he just says, you know what? And he's kind of looking off at all these players celebrating with their Team Canada track suits, and he just says, and I'd screw this. Like, I'm gonna come back here next year and I'm gonna dominate. And true to and true to his word, he came back and put on one of the performances of a lifetime in the world juniors. And and I just quickly about Brian Burke, I don't think I'm hosting this podcast today without Brian Burke. And I just covered him for four years at the uh in Vancouver. Quotable commie, as you mentioned, and and you know, giving me and giving me and giving me access to you know have those interviews and have that time with Brian Burke. And he kept me accountable, and there were definitely times that I chewed my head off, but you know, he treated me with respect and gave me the opportunity. But I think a lot of those interviews gave me the platform for my days at the score that really kind of helped put me on the map and eventually eventually took me to other places. So yeah, super happy for Brian Burke as well. Okay, fan question of the week. Here we go. Remember, use the hashtag ask CTC on any of our social media platforms or on YouTube. And this week, here is Mark who says, Boys, want to know if any of you like fishing. And if so, any stories of catching a big one or losing one. Random question, I know, but if you do like fishing, he's offering us an invite to come on out to Laxuel up near Dryden. Sounds like Pronger or Pronger territory, Canara.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, there give me a lot of things.
SPEAKER_04There you go, exactly. That's like Mike Richards, Nigel Dawes, Chris Pronger sort of territory. So Laxwell, that's from Mark. Okay, any fishing story? Like, you know what? Very rarely have I gone fishing. So Razor, you got one?
SPEAKER_02No. Um, I I'm I'm not a I live right on the, you know, I'm here in Bellville. This is Bay of Quinney. This is, you know, walleye pickle pickerel uh territory for sure. Um not a big fisherman though, would rather go on the golf course before I I don't I had never been a fish guy. But my fish story or or or somewhat of a story around it is we ended up, you can probably find it on YouTube. I went on a like a fishing trip to do a TV show with Mike Fisher and Chris Neal in like 2003 and 2004, somewhere in there, down to the Cayman Islands. They put us up like we were in a condo all week. We went bone fishing, we went out tarpon fishing. I had no idea what I was doing. I was these two meatheads, Fish and Neil, are just going crazy about every fish in the ocean. And the the thing I remember about it most was I was the only guy catching bone fish on the day, and all they wanted to do, that's like the whole reason they I don't even know what a bone fish is. It's just this like little fish that's like this big, but they're hard to catch. You're on the beach, you're kind of and uh and those guys got skunked, and I caught a few. And then I what I remember the most, we missed our flight, our connector in Atlanta, and we were there for like two extra days because these idiots wouldn't not get their meals, so we had to miss our flight out of Atlanta from came into Atlanta, Atlanta to Toronto, and I was in Atlanta for like three extra days with these idiots. So that that's what I remember about my fish story. That's amazing.
SPEAKER_00Uh my fish story. So uh I will say I've I let's how do I start this? I used to hate it. I tried too. So I tried like the deep sea fishing. I was out in Dana Point, skunked. These are the ones that come to mind. Uh, I went ice fishing when I was in college in Devil's Lake, North Dakota. Skunked. Uh, when I went out for Rod's after we won the Stanley Cup in 2006 after the parade day, you know, I stayed there for an extra day or whatever. These guys all want to take me salmon fishing. Two boats go out, I'm in one boat, and then Rod's in the other. My boat skunked. The other boat catching everything. So I want to say that was probably about the last time. I'm like, I'm done with this. I'm like the worst luck ever. And I didn't touch a fishing rod until I went, uh, would be probably six or seven years ago now. I went to the Dan Cleary Hockey School in Newfoundland, and I met uh well, you know, we did some different, I was there for nine days. Oh my god, just oh, just thinking about it. I mean, I think I'm tired now after nice.
SPEAKER_04It's like the water version of the stampede.
SPEAKER_00Oh my god, I got screech. I was just gonna say five times. I'm like that's just full of screech for nine days. Oh, oh god, and it's like I thought we'd do this once. Why do I have to do it every night? Every meal. Um that's right. But Dan, Dan and his father, so his dad just passed away a few months ago, but Dan, uh Kevin Cleary, I believe his name was very, very nice guy. First time ever meeting, and went out to Dan's hometown and hung out, and we went fishing. So I'm like, hey, I tried to like talk my way out of it, but they weren't having it. They're like, you're coming fishing. I'm like, all right. So we go out there in these like little, we're in the ocean, obviously, not too far out, but we're out there a little bit. We're in these like pretty like simple boats, and like you want to talk about gear. It was like these to me, it seemed like I'm not a fisherman, but it seemed like I'm like, this is kind of a realms out there, it seems like. Oh, but I tell you what, every time I got a video somewhere, I should, I should, I I gotta find it. I tell you what, we were drilling fish all day. Like you couldn't not catch a fish there. So I will say I've come around on the fish and I haven't gone since. Like I haven't I'm not into it, into it, but I will say my last fishing experience was a great time. So maybe we should take them up and go to Black Swell.
SPEAKER_04Let's do it. Isn't that that correct me if I'm wrong, but that's like kind of north of Minnesota, right? Much north, like north of Winnipeg. Uh okay, yeah, like kind of that northern, northern Ontario sort of Alberta. Yeah, it's you're up there. You're up there.
SPEAKER_00Okay. Yeah, it's not international falls, right? It'd be further north. Uh probably. Must it must be a little bit more than that. Just looking on the map.
SPEAKER_04I'm looking on the map, and it's kind of uh well, it's like north of Dryden, north of Sioux Lookout, north of Frenchman's Head, like Vermilion Bay. Yeah, it's it's up there.
SPEAKER_02Jeez Louise.
SPEAKER_04Just uh yeah, just east of yeah, just a little northeast, yeah, northeast of Winnipeg kind of thing. So you're up there. All right, okay.
SPEAKER_00I've never been northeast of Winnipeg, that's for sure. Something new.
SPEAKER_04So there you go, Mark. Be careful what you wish for because the clear and the crease boys are ready to come and sit down. Stu loves content.
SPEAKER_02Stu will have us doing something.
SPEAKER_04And apparently, and I'm sure Tom, you'll figure out if there is a uh a northern Ontario, eastern Manitoba screech at some point. So, okay, on to don't puck it up. Gentlemen, let me kick this off for you here. No movement clauses. Look, there's been a lot of talk in recent weeks about no trade clauses, no movement clauses. And apparently it's now become an issue for the National Hockey League, according to some insiders. That being said, it's not going to be a hot button issue because, well, there's a new CBA in place that goes until 2030. But it does seem to be problematic these days. And you know, here's the reality, right? I mean, according to Eric Macramella, who recently wrote an article on Forbes, about 250 players in the NHL have no movement deals. By comparison, Major League Baseball has 35, the NFL has eight, and the NBA, they got two. Just two. And here we are where the NHL offseason has been dominated by the NBA this summer. What was once a magical time and a great talking point for the NHL has suddenly morphed into a giant nothing burger. The NHL cannot afford to go three freaking months off the radar. They need to find a way to get the off-season cooking again. NHL players, NHL GMs, NHL agents. You puck this up, okay? It's not a don't puck it up, it's a you pucked it up. Get it right.
SPEAKER_00I like it. I'll go. Uh, I'll be honest, guys. I was too focused on the horses, so I haven't ride a horse. I don't have a don't puck it up, so I'm gonna make I'm gonna wing this right on the spot. I spent uh 21 hours or so, probably 22 to whatever my drive time was, listening to Sirius XM radio. And I was listening to a lot of NHL radio, and I was actually listening to a lot of soccer. I'm not a huge soccer guy, I'm a big sporting Kansas City guy because my buddy owns it, but I can't say I know a lot about I will say listening, I was surprised. I really, and I don't really know what they're talking, like sort of, but not really when they're you know they're talking about different plays, right? So I can't really envision it. But I tell you what, I really enjoy listening to those soccer announcers with like their uh accents and the and the different words, all the words that you oh yeah, like I was sitting there, I'm dying laughing, listening to these guys. I'm like, man, these guys making I gotta start watching more soccer. Um, but I'll keep it in the soccer world. I'll say I listened to a lot of games on my way up here. I'll say, How about a don't puck it up? Oh, I know it has been a smashing success so far for U.S. and Canada. Uh, right? They've never been this far, I think. Both of them are along those ways. I'll say, Why not don't puck it up for both US and Canada? Let's see if we can get one more win out of this. Yeah, I'll go with that. I like it. One more, at least one more. One more weekend. I think they're both capable. They're both capable. Yeah. One more weekend.
SPEAKER_04Sometimes just how understated the soccer announcements. Like the other night, Drake's sitting there in that Portugal Croatia, and they're like, uh, Drake uh is a hip-hop artist, has a a bit of a following. It's like the guy's got 150 million followers on Instagram. Like, half the world just knows that guy was like, yeah, apparently he's a apparently he's an entertainer. Uh yeah. Fraser, your turn.
SPEAKER_02Don't puck it up. Alex Ovechkin, he is back, folks. He is signed on for next year, 9 million dollars next season for the the big O. He did his signing on July 2nd as a free agent. Um, he is 71 goals away. He is 71 goals away from hitting 1,000 regular season goals in the NHL. He had 32 next year. So, you know what, Alex? Don't puck it up and go get 36 goals. So you have to come back and go get 35 the next year. Let's go get 30 goals again, Alex. You have a great team. Washington do it did a bunch of business. Alex Ovechkin, don't puck it up and get a thousand goals in the next two seasons.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, God, he's back. God, I thought it was that was it for him. I thought he was gonna be kicking up in Russia and calling it a day. Two days ago, I thought he was done. Yeah, I didn't I didn't think it was happening. Did you see that bonus? A thousand goals, man.
SPEAKER_04That's did you see that bonus he gets? So he's like his base salary is like a million, and then he gets a signing bonus of about three, and then if he plays ten games, it kicks up like another five million up to the nine.
SPEAKER_023.75 for playing 10 games. What a bonus. Oh, that's must be nice.
SPEAKER_04How many empty netters? Does Ozun have the odds yet? Do we know how many empty netters that Ovi's good for this season?
SPEAKER_02They're gonna get 45 wins. He's getting 30 empty netters. He's gonna be hunting those down. That might be the only time he plays. That might be part of the deal. He just plays empty net time, just comes in for the empty netter hop out there.
SPEAKER_00All right, get out there.
SPEAKER_04There you go. It's empty net night. Uh, okay, that'll bring this episode. Commie's got to get some sleep because there's more Stampede action that goes on. There's dinner at the Razor Household here in Vel Vegas. So just a reminder to like and subscribe on YouTube for more Clearing the Crease podcast content. Powered by Ozun.com. Follow along Apple, Spotify, X, Instagram, TikTok because ClearingTeCrease is powered by Ozun.com. The clearest route to winning big is to play Ozun.com because Ozun's got you covered for all props, game lines, futures, whether it's on the ice, the diamond, the pitch, the gridiron. Make your power play. Score big with Ozun. Well played. He's Kami. He's Razor. Our producer's Tuesday. I'm Sabalski. We'll see you next time right here on the Clearing the Crease podcast powered by Ozun. Well played.