Offside with Hawes and Maguire
Offside: with Hawes and Maguire is not your typical hockey show. This weekly
45-60 minute show is a potent combination of humour and genuine hockey insights that pushes the envelope.
- Liam is renowned for his photographic memory, lively storytelling, vast hockey knowledge and sometimes over-the-top passion for the game of hockey.
- Chris is known for his unrehearsed humour, contagious laughter and uncanny ability to make even the most serious debates end in boisterous guffaws.
Between the two, there is an infectious enthusiasm and professional chemistry that is evident from the outset. It can only be described as lightning in a bottle.
Offside with Hawes and Maguire
Cult of the Maple Leaf: Why Toronto Can't Win When It Matters
The ghost of playoff failures past once again haunts Toronto as the Maple Leafs suffer another devastating Game 7 collapse. We break down their latest disappointment—a 3-1 loss to the Florida Panthers that extends the franchise's Stanley Cup drought to 58 agonizing years.
Toronto's Jekyll and Hyde performance throughout the series culminated in a home ice no-show where they registered zero shots in the first nine minutes while Florida piled up 23 shot attempts. Even more telling: the Leafs are now 0-8 when attempting to clinch a playoff series at home during the Matthews era. When fans start booing their own team and throwing jerseys onto the ice, you know something fundamental needs to change.
What should that change be? We dive into the tough decisions facing Toronto's front office. Should Mitch Marner be traded? Does the captaincy need to be taken from Matthews? Can Tavares accept a massive pay cut when his contract expires? The core four that has dominated regular season play for years simply can't seem to perform when the pressure mounts, and we explore what comes next.
Looking ahead, we preview the Edmonton-Dallas Western Conference Final rematch, a series promising far more entertainment than last year's affair. The Oilers are flying high after dismantling Vegas, with Evander Kane playing smart, disciplined hockey—a key ingredient to their success. Plus, we highlight Sidney Crosby and phenom Macklin Celebrini's impressive chemistry at the World Championships.
Join us for the Ottawa Hickory Golf Challenge on June 6th! Already 120 players registered with potential to break the world record for modern hickory golf tournaments. Tune in, subscribe, and join us each week for more unfiltered hockey talk!
It's Offside with Haas and McGuire. It's Offside with Haas and McGuire. I'm Haas.
Speaker 2:Hold on, stand by, hang on, stand by. I'm McGuire.
Speaker 1:There you go.
Speaker 2:I was going to start all over again, but that's okay, it's good.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I totally forgot. We're in a hurry today and this is why I'm hustling through things, so you won't hear me ramble on politically, that's for sure. No, that'll never happen. Okay, so I long. You know what? It's been a couple of weeks and so many things have happened In a little while, yeah, in between. Most notably, most notably is the Toronto Maple leafs are now uh, hold on a second.
Speaker 2:Can we not plug this story?
Speaker 1:what story yours. Well, we can plug my story if you want.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah can we start with that, or do you want?
Speaker 1:to do it later. It's up to you. We can start with that well, I think we should.
Speaker 2:It's good synergy, and you should give the golf tournament a shot too.
Speaker 1:Okay, absolutely I want, then we'll get into the leafs, because that'll be fun, I'll plug this story. Me plugging my own story kind of looks, kind of you know.
Speaker 2:Well, you could just give a heads up where people can see it.
Speaker 1:Okay, yes. So here's what happened. You know this, you know this already. So I'm promoting the Ottawa Hickory Golf Challenge, yeah, right. So I'm going out and I'm just saying, hey, everybody, you know what I mean. I'm going to press, okay, people and saying, hey, you know, and, and so, as I start doing this, long time ago I knew this guy, dan Donovan, yeah, who is the publisher of the Ottawa Life magazine and then a fellow friend of mine who's still friends, luigi Seracino. I said, well, I said I wanted to put something about that. So they wrote this phenomenally flattering article about myself. And, oh, yeah, and small mention, what's the tournament? Right? But they did this tremendous article which, by the way, in Ottawa Life magazine it was in the Weekend Roundup, yeah, oh yeah, it was part of the thing that they sent around.
Speaker 2:I was pretty excited about it. That's big time.
Speaker 1:So yeah, so suffice to say it was very, very kind. I thank Dan, ottawa Life Magazine, luigi and everybody who reads it. By the way, click pass it on all that stuff.
Speaker 2:I read it and it was really well done and I really enjoyed it, and I'm get throw it up on on my social media as well. If you don't get a chance to see it elsewhere, they can read it there. I appreciate that.
Speaker 1:thank you, yeah, it was really well done, really well done and it's all to promote the Ottawa Hickory Golf Challenge, which is now 120 people already press it and we're and we have two weeks to go, well over two weeks to go, and so I'm thinking it's going to be a sellout. And, as I mentioned to you, if I get for the, there's a stroke play tournament on the Saturday, sunday. If I get a sellout for the scramble and I get another just another dozen, actually another dozen people registered for the stroke play event, then we break the record for modern-day hickory golf tournaments in the world. It'll be the largest. I get to send a note to the Society of Hickory Golfers and say, hey, this may be a good place to play and then we take it and you know who has the record at present.
Speaker 2:Someplace in Alberta, is it not? No?
Speaker 1:no, no, it's not. It's Switzerland, really, yeah, yeah, and you know what we Canadians love kicking the Swiss's ass.
Speaker 2:The exception of the old six Olympics.
Speaker 1:Right, okay, but see, see, he knows these things, okay, so, anyway, that's it. So let's move on, all right.
Speaker 2:So exciting news, uh, in the fact that the Leafs are getting the best tee times now yeah, yeah, in fact, we're all quite happy just to let them go right to the top of the line. I've got no problem with it. They can tee off.
Speaker 1:Oh man, it's uh, what a series. Did you see the memes that were going around?
Speaker 2:oh they're, they're endless.
Speaker 1:But even before, like when they it took a while to knock tom wilson's meme off.
Speaker 2:It took. It took a lot. It took toronto getting waxed in game seven. Yeah, without all the memes that to knock tom wilson's off after washington just got blown out by carolina. Thanks for coming.
Speaker 1:Yeah Well, you know what. It's going to be an interesting next series. But I have one thing to say about Toronto.
Speaker 2:Yeah, we've got to offer up some comments.
Speaker 1:I was cheering.
Speaker 2:Oh, you were the one.
Speaker 1:Yeah, no, I said to myself and I said to Kristen. I said you know I really like to see I don't want them to win the cup to. I said to Kristen. I said you know I really like to see. I don't want them to win the cup because they'd be unbearable, okay, but I want them to make it to the, the NHL finals. I'd like it to be a Toronto Oiler final would be pretty cool, would have been amazing, right. So so of course I am then cheering for them which by the way, evan isida panther fan.
Speaker 1:Oh, okay, okay, so you know, because there's no longer phoenix coyotes, right, right so so anyway. So so that being said um, I was excited to hopefully see the leafs win, but they didn't. But I'm going to tell you the thing that upset me the most, and I know that, as a toronto fan, you're disappointed for years and years. You know what? Maybe I'm just used to disappointing others. You know, being married for so long. But walking out the booing of your own team you think these kids wanted to lose?
Speaker 1:you think they didn't? I know where you're going next.
Speaker 2:You know what I mean. They gave their heart and soul, and I know where you're going next too.
Speaker 1:You know what I mean. Yeah, you know. They gave their heart and soul. And I know everyone goes, oh, mitch Martin, and they make millions of dollars and that is justifiable, I get it. But you know what, if you're a fan and you believe in your team and this, and that you don't just cheer for them when they're winning, you're there for them when they're when they've, when they are at their lowest and they certainly were last night yeah, nice, nice segue, nice segue into them getting, uh, their asses handed to them in in game seven.
Speaker 2:It's almost an identical game to game five, really, yeah, and yet sandwiched around, maybe one of the best games they've played in the mass matthews era. Yeah, what a Jekyll and Hyde team. When they go on the road they escape all that unbelievable, suffocating pressure that comes with playing on home ice. And has you know, chris, that in the Matthews era they've made the playoffs now nine consecutive years? And in those nine years Toronto has had an opportunity eight times to win a series on home ice, eight times to win a series on home ice. In the last nine years, toronto has had an opportunity eight times to win a series on home ice. Eight times to win a series on home ice in the last nine years consecutively that they've made the playoffs, and their own eight. Yeah, like you can't even make that up, you can't even like even the California Golden Seals wouldn't have done that.
Speaker 1:I mean it's yeah, but it does speak to. They were doing it with white skates, that's right they were.
Speaker 2:that were painted, those skates. That's right they were. They were painted, those skates were painted and they weighed like six pounds each by the end of the season. I remember Marshall Johnson, former general manager of the Ottawa Senators, who played on that team, telling me it was just ridiculous what Charlie Finlay made those guys do. But that said, that's 50-some years ago. The Leafs have—.
Speaker 1:Oh, but you know what? The Leafs haven't won since before that the. Leafs were even losing then 58,.
Speaker 2:Yeah, exactly, so they're 58 years, 58 years now without a trip to the final Without a trip to the final, or obviously a cup, because they both came the last time in the same year, in 67.
Speaker 2:So it is remarkable and there's been so much written and being said about it, not only today, but it's going to continue for a little while. I watch every minute of every game, as everybody knows, and it is, it is, and last night what I? I put up a couple posts. Look, I was, I'd been drinking, you were you last. Yeah, I had a couple and uh, you know I was. I was pretty happy that toronto was out. It. It's not there like they've got a whole. They got a half dozen players on a team that anybody would take on their team.
Speaker 1:Oh, absolutely.
Speaker 2:Knives is a guy you've got to build around. But look, we can get into semantics or you know into specifics about where Toronto should go and everything. But you know, last night, I just hey, you know what we're kind of lucky to get by Ottawa, like when the Senators tied it up 2-2. Holy lifting in game six. Who among them? Who among the Toronto fans, weren't shitting their pants right there? Yeah, and give the Leafs credit, because in most years past they would have choked, would have choked and at least there would have been a game seven back against Ottawa. And who knows? Yeah, right, who knows. Instead, you know, pacioretty scores a big one, much like he did in in game six in Florida. He came back. He'd been great addition when he came back and helped the team, just like.
Speaker 1:Evander Kane, when we get to the Royals, is doing forever. He's got two cups. He's got Vegas.
Speaker 2:Yeah, no, he wasn't with anybody else.
Speaker 1:Just Vegas Cup.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:I thought when Montreal won oh no, that wasn't a cup, they didn't win.
Speaker 2:He had a great run with Montreal. Obviously he was their captain. He was their leading scorer. For a bunch of years he was the recipient to one of the most vicious but he won the cup like two years ago.
Speaker 1:Yeah, he got his name on it.
Speaker 2:I don't know how much playing time. Wow, it doesn't matter, he's a cup winner.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I believe. So you know, yeah, but you know what Guys, you know who I tell you Say what you will you, you know what Is that Christ? What the hell is his first name? Domi, yeah.
Speaker 2:Max, max, domi. Yeah, Ty's little guy, Ty's little guy. Ty's little guy Scored a big goal last night. Scored a big goal last night. Shouldn't have gone in, but anyway he did those guys, though?
Speaker 1:they put in a lot of effort, like you know what I can say. The third and fourth liners actually showed up for the Leafs. You know for the most part.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean the core four or five, if you want to include Riley have been at the very center of this disappointing run in what everybody mostly refers to as the Matthews era. Right, you call it the Matthews era. And because they didn't make the playoffs playoffs initially, but uh, um, and then they did. They drafted him first overall. Now it's nine straight seasons and they, they, this is the best version of them. Look, I wrote that 10 or 12 days ago and nothing's changed. Picking up Benoit, picking up Tanev, picking up, carlo, that can't I tell you he's the best player he's a wall defensive.
Speaker 2:He's a wall back there.
Speaker 1:He's probably one of the best players on that team and you know what he makes.
Speaker 2:Fucking nothing compared to no, a lot of guys no I, I know and, and look, I wouldn't ever say he's the best player on the team, of course not on the team but, but his value is immeasurable and and when I wrote that and you know what?
Speaker 2:what else is not getting mentioned at all is like to be fair, like their number one goalie got knocked out with a cheap shot, right like Stolarz never played again. That was a brutal, totally deliberate cheap shot by Bennett. Yeah, and it, whether it was addressed or not. Look, hab fans are going hey, hold on a second. 2014. Chris Kreider ran, uh, carey Price almost all the way down to Chapery, for God's sake. So you know it, it's ridiculous luckily he was going there.
Speaker 2:Yes, I mean fortunately, that was just a coincidence that his table was set and he was going for the buffet Everybody goes to strip joints for. But it was the same scenario in Montreal, with a team that had been constructed by Bergeron, who took so much heat his last three or four years in Montreal, yet that was his culmination of, I think, his third season with the team, and they went to the semifinals and they lost to the Rangers, who lost a cup to LA in five games, but three of those games went into overtime. So here you go you lose Stolarz. Well, look, wall came in and played great.
Speaker 2:With the exception of one game. We really got lit up and Murray came in mopped up, but at the end of the day I don't know you blame Walt for anything. Last Like, seth Jones' first goal was a BB to the top corner man. He was allowed to walk right in off the point, like you know what are you going to do?
Speaker 1:Well, that was Riley's error, right? Riley pinched, yeah, and a lame one either. He didn't like, he never even took the body, he just sort of went. Uh yeah, there was a lot of I'm going to say and, believe me, I know the feeling. They just didn't have the legs Like the puck would get there, and they just couldn't get there before the Panthers could Like how many times did they not get that puck out of their fucking zone?
Speaker 2:well that that first nine or ten minutes was really the game, even though they weren't down one, nothing. At that point, when the shot attempts were like 22 or 23 to nothing, shots on goal were nine. Nothing about the nine minute mark. There was a bit of a push back. Toronto had a couple breakaways. If one of those go in and they score first, who knows? But the thing is, when you don't and then you lose, and then you collapse, you get blown out, yeah, then it. The narrative then has to become what it is, what it is. Yeah, and at the end of the day, those two losses in game five and game seven, when you've got this core four or five that have been the the very center of this organization under the Shanna plan, then you know what Something has to give here. The dam has to burst and it's time to blow this thing up. And Marner's ticket should be punched.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and frankly you could look. Obviously Tavares has to take a big pay cut.
Speaker 1:He has to agree to that. He's got to retire. I mean Well.
Speaker 2:I don't think he's not retiring.
Speaker 1:He'll, he, he, he's going to, he's not going to get any more than a million dollars. Oh no, I'm going to get the he's going to get. He'll get more than that, the league minimum.
Speaker 2:Really, oh yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah, absolutely, after the year he had this year and the way some of the guys who are high end players like like an Crosby, not saying he's in that realm, right, but he still is a guy that I think could be effective and he's going to command, he's going to command, uh, so what do you think?
Speaker 1:what do you call the number?
Speaker 2:uh, I'd say he's going to get four all day. Really, yeah, I think he's going to get, uh, you know, in in a perfect scenario a couple years at four, 4.5 or something, which is less than half of what he's making right now, which is correct. I mean, he should be making less than half of what he's making right now. You're talking about a haircut all the way down to basically one tenth of what he's making. Yeah, yeah, I don't, I don't see that. I, I think he's, I think he's gonna draw a bigger ticket than that we'll see.
Speaker 1:Maybe it'll be somewhere in between. Well, I I'm calling it right now. If I'm the new GM which, by the way, I might be okay, you never know never know.
Speaker 2:Listen Tree living's not going anywhere.
Speaker 1:No, you're right, You're right.
Speaker 2:This is the furthest Toronto's gone since 2002. When I say, hold on a second, liam, they didn't go to the third round, no, but they went to game seven in the second round, and it's been 23 years since they've done that.
Speaker 1:Do you do a lot of that talking to yourself?
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, I sit in the bar. I was getting close to the last call and in my mind I'm thinking what are you thinking I?
Speaker 1:don't know. I was thinking, oh hey. All right, I'll have a pint of double rum and a whiskey. It's like that song. You know I do talk to myself because I'm my own best friend. Yeah, you ever heard that one?
Speaker 2:I can't recall it right now.
Speaker 1:Is that a country tune?
Speaker 2:No, it's Irish, it's Irish.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it is. Oh, for Christ's sake, who sings it? Same Old Town is the song.
Speaker 2:Really yeah, okay, we'll talk about it later.
Speaker 1:I'm not using that as a way a segue into talking about trips to Ireland, by the way, go ahead, plug it, man. Have a few spots left for September, give it a shot. Okay the way, go ahead, plug it, man. Have a few spots left for september, give it a shot. Um, okay, uh, so let's move on to something else okay, hold on, you got everything out with the leafs.
Speaker 1:Oh, I think so. You know what. Honestly, my disappointment is just in the fans that that you know what. If you're going to be rabid fans which you guys are yeah, most of them are it's a cult. Yeah, leaf fans are a cult. But at least have the the balls to say you know what I feel for my team. I'm not going to boo them on their like in the last period. There's 15 minutes left in the game and they're booing their own team yeah, but that's gone on in the history of time.
Speaker 2:where I have the big problem is with the sweaters on the ice. That, to me, is something, and again, but do they really mean that?
Speaker 1:So here's my question. Okay, when people throw the sweater on the ice, it means that's it. I am no longer a Leafs fan. I'm giving you my sweater, I'm out of here, take this job and shove it Right. I ain't cheering for you.
Speaker 2:Is that Johnny? Paycheck or something? Yeah, that's right. Okay, I ain't cheering for you, no more, is that Johnny?
Speaker 1:Paycheck or something. There's Johnny Paycheck. Yeah, that's right. Okay, I ain't cheering for you, no more. That's what that means to me. Okay, now the question is, does that guy who, by the way, I don't know who they were, which people were, but who you know those jerseys are expensive. Well, it's got to be a good good toss, because it's pretty hard to throw a sweater and the netting Well you've got to get inside where the netting is, otherwise it's not going on.
Speaker 1:So you know, and the cameras never actually showed and they didn't have one of those cannons that they used to shoot them out of.
Speaker 2:It wasn't?
Speaker 1:like it was all wrapped up. We're firing this right back at you.
Speaker 2:So my only thing is you know what the booing's gone on forever, though, chris.
Speaker 1:I fucking can't stand when you boo your own team for not saying I agree with it. Yeah, I know, I mean listen, I would rather like I said I would never do it. It's a statement of it says more about the fans than it does about the team.
Speaker 2:Well it it does, and look, you touched on it there at the start of this. Final bit on the Leafs is that this, this is I don't know how you would describe the Leaf fan base base if you have an apt description of I call them a cult, right, because 58 years of losing, and then it's not just losing, it's the creative nature with which they've lost, even if you think about losing to your own Zamboni driver, yeah, and where that ranks, and it barely gets in the top 10 because of the nature of some of their playoff losses in games that that that matter. Look at the stat I just gave you. But what you can do on home, it's unfreaking, believable. They are eight games on eight or nine games under 500 on home ice in the Matthews era, which they've won a lot of hockey games Like they've won a lot of games in the playoffs.
Speaker 1:And they are talented, they lose the key games.
Speaker 2:They blow leads, they collapse in spectacular fashion. It's probably why we love it.
Speaker 1:Well, you know what we, you know when you you know. Here's the thing. By the way, I say that a lot I know you do okay yeah. So it's not that we love to watch them lose what we, when somebody has such arrogance yeah, as as a lot of Toronto Maple Leafs fans do yeah, okay, and really push that obnoxiousness of that.
Speaker 1:And I have a question for you, okay, Then you kind of think, well, hey, you're getting your comeuppance by having these things happen and that's a human nature thing. Honestly, I really do feel bad for the Leafs. Like I look at at you know what? I looked at Matthew's face, that poor bastard. Like he fucking tried, like you know what maybe he wasn't there isn't nobody out there not trying.
Speaker 2:I know it's just someone. Look at game five and that back pass Marner made at center ice. Where is that guy's mind? You look at how he played in the gold medal game in the four nation. Yes, you're on with a bunch of elite players, whatever the play, the whole thing, how it was set up to mcdavid and the play he, the role he played in it and you know the uh, the ot goal he scored against sweden, like you know. Yes, the games in between he wasn't very good, but regardless he played. Overall. He played well, certainly well enough to get a long look, if not an automatic berth on the olympic team. He's gonna be on the roster for sure, because the roster is expanded, but if it's, it's this team, these guys and the fans yeah and and how it's all put together to me is just uh, it's systemic?
Speaker 1:well, yeah, but it it's. It's not systemic because it's it's not. There's no, uh, there's no order to it. You, you said it right. They are a cult. Okay, yeah, they are totally a cult. Okay, and, as a matter of fact, jimmy jones is mixing the fucking kool-aid for them. Okay, like, that's the thing is they, they, you know? You know, when you have it and we often do this we criticize people in other countries and other places because we think they've bought into propaganda, right, yeah, oh, my God, look at these people. They're programmed right, whether they be the Russians or whether they be the Americans or whoever, they are, the Germans, whatever, it doesn't matter. These people who are I'm da-da-da-da-da-da, that's the Leafs fans, they are so programmed and they never, ever, look inside at what the negatives of their behavior or anything is right and, as a result, it puts a lot of pressure. Like, the last place I would want to play hockey is fucking Toronto. Yeah, the second last place is Montreal. Want to?
Speaker 2:play hockey is fucking Toronto. Yeah. Then the second last place is Montreal. Montreal. So you know it's not a lot. I mean there's, I should say there are a lot of similarities, but there there are some uh, pretty big differences. If the thing is, when the Habs had their miracle run in 2021, they weren't expected or supposed to win any of those series. No, and, and. So in Toronto's case, you're expected to beat Ottawa. You go up three nothing. Yes, two of them are in overtime, doesn't matter, you've got the wins. Then, all of a sudden, you start collapsing and the cast of shadows that lurk in the background, where men are afraid to sleep at night, come flying out and next thing, you know, you've got this thing in game six, that's almost spirals out of control, but they get the W. Then you go up two on florida, and, and you look like you've got things figured out and you're up 3-1 in game three yeah and you end up losing the series in seven games.
Speaker 2:And and yet, in amongst those losses was that game six, masterpiece yeah, absolute masterpiece, yeah so, but at the end of the day and look this, I'll finish on it myself and then you can end it up on toronto if you want. But uh, martyr has to go. Yeah, the sea should be taken off austin matthews when, when you think of john tortorella, when he went to tampa bay, the first thing he did was he took the sea off vinnie lecavier, yeah, and he went. He did a season with no captain and then they signed Dave Andertruck and he said that's the type of guy I want leading our team, and he gave the C to Dave Andertruck. Look at the Calgary Flames current general manager is a great guy. Hell of a player.
Speaker 2:Played for a lot of teams, including Montreal, including Calgary, named Craig Conroy. Okay, in Calgary named Craig Conroy, and when he was in Calgary, they took this. He played in Calgary too. He did, and they took the seat off of him, chris, yeah, and they gave it to Jerome Aguinla. Like what do you think? I think that was a pretty good move, and look at the way Aguinla played when they went to that final in 04. A lot of people still think that Jelena's goal was in.
Speaker 1:Well, it those goals in and you know that's what made them change a lot of the things in our like in the nhl and review and all of those things, and the review was going at that point but it still looked like they, they, they bobbled it anyway.
Speaker 2:But the point is the sea should come off of matthews that comedy made post game about. We had a lot of passengers tonight. Are you kidding me? You're the captain and you have had the utter disappointment and failure that your career has mostly been other than a 69 goal season and and. And the only other thing is where I think that pisses off a lot of people, general fans, whether they're drinking at the mill or over here having a pint at your place right now is the media, the Toronto Sports Network. Like Ron McLean, my buddy, comparing Austin Matthews to Jean Beliveau, I almost physically threw up Like are you, ronnie, are you kidding me right now? What the hell was he thinking? What are you thinking when you make that statement? It's like a pandering to Leaf Nation that has the needle so far over that fans. When they lose, we champion it even more. Go look at Biz Nasty. Look at Paul Bissonnette and his outward shower of support for Toronto to ad nauseum over Ottawa. I mean it was sickening.
Speaker 1:And then and then, when the I'm going to send a bunch of guys to go at. I'm in a fucking restaurant.
Speaker 2:Sorry, I'm just kidding because yeah, I know you can handle that, yeah it looked like he did okay, but that was. That was pretty wild, uh, pretty wild story.
Speaker 1:So no, anyway. Well, you know what I'm going to say, this. So, on that comment that the the ron mclean, I think that that's where our age and he should be, because he's older than I he's your age.
Speaker 2:He's a year younger than me, for God's sake. He was born in April of 1960.
Speaker 1:He should know the impact. But he's not a Montreal guy, whatever, and I'm not. I'm a Boston guy, but I know the impact of Jean Valibor.
Speaker 2:That's just the most stupidest thing said on TV in years.
Speaker 1:And you cannot take the great physical strength but gentlemanly, uh, demeanor, and check off about 10 bosses and incredible leadership and, yeah, leadership, but an incredible intensity too, like we want to talk about a guy who, like everybody, talks about rocket richard's eyes oh, you didn't screw around with belleville. No, that's right so but but that's lost on this young generation. So they go?
Speaker 1:yeah, they wouldn't know, and, but ronLean should know better. But he's trying to draw a parallel between an icon and a pisshead. No, and I should say that you know, matthew's not a pisshead, no he's not.
Speaker 2:The guy is extremely talented.
Speaker 1:But he's not Jean-Belie Vaughan.
Speaker 2:No, it was a ridiculous comparison and it just adds fuel to the fire, because you know whether you're watching overdrive, which is a national show, but it's, you know, we all know the guys, and it's it's toronto centric, and look, we're all used to that. We've been used to that for 40 years, since csn started, for sure, just ask them. And. And yet, from a hockey point of view, they've been anything but so it's. It just adds fuel to the fire when you do lose, and it's why I wrote what I did last night with about 12 drinks in me.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so I hadn't seen that I didn't really go off.
Speaker 2:But you know, and then I made a secondary post right away where I kind of I said ah, you know, you sort of took it back. Yeah, because my first one was really just ah, you know, you guys suck, and everything I had to leave, you did the whole, you.
Speaker 1:And I'm so happy you're out.
Speaker 2:I can't actually even remember what I wrote, to be honest, but I know the second one I wrote. Hey, listen, to be fair, both Ottawa and Montreal would have loved to have been in a game. Seven in the second round, Absolutely. We would have given our IT for that and we weren't there and Toronto was. So give credit where it's due. However, you know, for all you guys elite fans, you know who you are, who messaged me privately and were going on about the team. And here we go. And Liam, who'd you pick at the start of the playoffs? Well, I picked the Florida Panthers. To repeat, Boy, they look like a loser. Now we're up two we're going to kill. You know shot, that's who that was directed at. That was 12-beer Liam. Right Now, today I'm you know he's eight-beer Liam. Well, yeah, you got me way more sober.
Speaker 2:It's early and and uh, that's why I went off and and after this airs and and we write some more thoughts about it. I'm going to I'll give a bigger dissertation breakdown, but that scene needs to come off. Matthew's martyr needs to go and I. And Tavares' contract needs to be cut down to 30 to 40% and it will be. And and then you got to make a. Uh, figure out what you're gonna do with willie, and I mean anyways, none of these guys can move on their own accord. It may as well be the muskoka five, but now you got ufas and rfas, you have some, you have some choice knives. Is the guy you want to build around? Absolutely, there's everything. I'm not being sam pollock. You're saying that. Obviously, everybody who's watched even 10 minutes of a game and saw him play would say the same thing.
Speaker 1:You know what. You know what I miss Sam Pollock's hat. You know I like hats right.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I have a Dachshund hat. He had a great hat. It wasn't quite a fedora, I don't think no, no Toe. Blake had the fedora, punch Himlack had the fedora, yeah, but Sam had a different sort of hat. How would you describe that?
Speaker 1:You know what? It was almost like a pork pie.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, but it wasn't it had a bit of but I did like the hat yeah.
Speaker 1:And in those eras I really liked the fact that one and I love this I love the fact that coaches still dress up for the games. Yeah, they're wearing suits on the bench. I mean, I look at photos.
Speaker 2:Other than Robbie Fedork. He was the only guy in a track suit benching Gretzky in LA. How'd that work for you, Robbie?
Speaker 1:Yeah, I don't remember that. But my point is that you used to look at the crowd and every man was wearing a suit.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, man, it was a thing to go to a game it was a big to do. Women were dressed up. You know, what you never saw was a jersey. No, you didn't see any jerseys, and you know what?
Speaker 1:I would like to harken back to those eras where people took pride in going to an event and when you know what, when you're wearing a suit, you behave better you do yeah.
Speaker 2:You know what? Generally, yeah, you're putting on your best, your Sunday best.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you're in church, even if that church happens to be the Air Canada Center or whatever the fuck it's called now.
Speaker 2:Yeah, scotia, and that's the other thing.
Speaker 1:Are you going to name the place? To name the place oh no, the rights are only for five years. You know what maple leaf gardens?
Speaker 2:how to stop the forum in montreal.
Speaker 1:Yeah, okay, like, like all those that builds tradition, that builds following, that builds uh heart. Yeah, and when you change the name every fucking six months or six years or whatever the yeah, the time frame is, you know what you lose?
Speaker 2:that I, that's just you lose a little of your identity, that that, what that we had in the old days as fans, with the standard bearers of the rinks such as they were back in the day, and you know, the only constant is change. Nothing stays the same, and that is what it is, but the one thing that stays the same is Leafs losing. That's true, that stays the same and it's not going to change. Well, now we have. They got to blow it up. They got to blow it up.
Speaker 1:So now we have this is the big thing now Oiler-Stars rematch. Yeah, and it was so close last year. Oh, it should be spectacular Like it was so close Because both of those are great teams. Yeah, and I have to say, of course I'm cheering for Edmonton. Yeah, but I'm nervous. I'm more nervous about this than yeah. This is a really tough one. You know what I mean. I think maybe they're firing on all cylinders I mean the Oilers, and they can make.
Speaker 2:Well, they looked absolutely spectacular against Vegas. They did. Vegas was a little bagged up. Stone didn't play a lot of game. They certainly he fucked it up. He was supposed to stay out. Yeah, I know he screwed everything up. That's what happened. Karma came back and bit him in the ass. Poor Mark Stone.
Speaker 1:You know what Like? At the end of the day, he's a very nice guy. I know guys who know him. I think he's a super nice guy. Oh, yeah, you know what I mean? Yeah, and he's been not a bad captain for that organization.
Speaker 2:No, he's been outstanding and look, they're full measure for what they did in the playoffs and they've got their cup ring and they've done their bit. Ring and and and they've they've done their bit. They got absolutely taken to school by Edmonton and now Edmonton's had the layoff and and Dallas now is going to have we'll have a bit of one as well, but it is. Yeah, but that's a that's a few days, you know Edmonton's been longer Tuesday, right no?
Speaker 2:they don't start till Wednesday. Oh, they start Wednesday. I believe it. I believe that I believe it's Wednesday, today's. What Monday right? Today's Monday I.
Speaker 1:Okay, that's not too bad. Yeah, but it is. I mean, it helps them.
Speaker 2:Florida, carolina, I think, start tomorrow night. And Edmonton, dallas, listen, dallas, look pretty freaking amazing right now too, that's what I mean so it's and Rantanen's come in. Both guys have and Evander Kane has been a difference maker. Guys have and Evander Kane has been a difference maker. He's healthy and much like Pacioretty was doing for Toronto, I think, as a veteran guy, and he's playing smart. He's playing smart.
Speaker 1:He's not being a native, he's always had.
Speaker 2:Yeah, he's physical and and he's, he's fearless and and he's good to go, like you just think. At any moment he could absolutely snap, and I love that. And he's got hands and he can score.
Speaker 2:He's not snapping and that's the key, I know, but that's exactly Well look, when Washington won that cup in 2018, Tom Wilson played on that number one line with Ovi and Backstrom and he did. He had that role and there were people that always wondered like, at some point here, he's going to absolutely lose it and ruin it for the team, ruin it for himself, ruin it for himself, ruined it for Ovi or something, or whatever. They went all the way and won the cup. Yeah, so you know, it remains to be seen here what happens here in this series, but I think it's going to be an absolute dandy. I can't wait for it. The interest level will be way more on that one. I'm probably, yeah, justifiably so. You got McDavid. You got a rematch last year in the semi. You got Sammy.
Speaker 1:You got Edmonton is the last Canadian city left, so there'll be something there and I will be watching the Florida series.
Speaker 2:Well, I'm going to watch it, because it happens earlier. You mean earlier at night? Yeah, at night Okay.
Speaker 1:So what else are we going to talk about?
Speaker 2:I don't know, man, I don't have much more else to say. I do want to make a comment, Of course. I want to thank Hosey and Brown Automotive for staying with us as a sponsor. We're right through the playoffs here. We're going to keep trying to do some shows.
Speaker 1:Chris, that's right, yeah.
Speaker 2:You've obviously got the massive golf tournament you touched on, the Hickory Golf Tournament coming up in June, june 6th, june 6th, which which what a great date, canadian world history really. Anniversary of D-Day and, and, uh, I'll probably have a shot of whiskey to celebrate that that day Canadians went 15 clicks inland, as everybody knows, june 6, 44. And the only thing I want to say is uh, canada is playing the world championships right now and Sidney Crosby and Nathan McKinnon agreed to go over, which changed the entire complexion of that tournament right when everybody found out you kidding me and they agreed to go over, and Crosby has been playing with Celebrini. I don't know if you've caught any of the action I have not I.
Speaker 2:It is getting scary how good they are really it is ridiculous.
Speaker 2:The last game against Slovakia, crosby got four points. They assisted on each other's goal, although Sid scored two, but they assisted on one of each other's goals. It was pretty sick. The passing Really, really ridiculous.
Speaker 2:And look, celebrini is going to finish second in the rookie voting to Lane Hudson this year. But Celebrini could, and probably I think he's, going to become a superstar in our league. Oh, I think he's going to become a superstar in our league. Oh, I think that's. He will be on our roster in Italy next February. I guarantee you he will be, because the rosters can be expanded. And I just want to make a mention of that. Folks, if you get a chance, they've got Finland today, sweden tomorrow and I think that's the end of the round, robin, and then they go to the playoff round, and so there's lots of hockey still to go in this tournament and it is played during the day. You know, people work and everything else, but if you get a chance, throw an eyeball on it. The games are about to become really, really interesting and the story, uh, notwithstanding, uh, nathan McKinnon is scoring every game. But I mean, you're beating Slovenia and you know Switzerland and you know whatever, but You're playing Finland, sweden. Next two games they're both they're good.
Speaker 1:They're good hockey countries.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and we nobody has their, their 18, so it's. It is what it is to be, tourney. But when Sid and Nate decided to go, all I'm saying is, if you get a chance to throw an eyeball on Sid and Celebrini, it you will not be disappointed and with any luck here, we'll see them go deep in the playoffs here and, who knows, maybe get Canada another gold. Sid hasn't played in this thing in 10 years and they won gold when they played in it 10 years ago and he was all world then. Of course, there's no surprise there, but having Celebrini playing like he's playing, he's 19 years old, chris.
Speaker 1:You know what he Playing like he's playing. He's 19 years old Chris. You know what he could have played in the World Juniors. Of course you know. But here's the thing Having an individual like Crosby to be able to impart his experience, yeah, and to play alongside Celebrini, right. Yeah, celebrini doesn't realize how impactful maybe he does. Oh, I think, yeah, how impactful that is yeah, Celebrating.
Speaker 2:doesn't realize how impactful. Maybe he does how impactful that is. Yeah.
Speaker 1:Like that's like, that's like learning.
Speaker 2:Oh, he definitely does. You know what I mean. And to say this and you know what?
Speaker 1:there are a few players that are complete, players that are amazing, like the. The hockey sense that they have is off the charts, right yeah, okay. And when you think hockey sense, you think Gretzky, right Okay, you think Crosby, you don't think Ovechkin.
Speaker 2:No, he's a one-dimensional player.
Speaker 2:I got into it pretty good with a Pittsburgh actually ironically, a Pittsburgh media guy. Really I don't say got into it pretty good, but he didn't think that. No, he got upset for me calling Ovi a one-dimensional player and I said look, he's, he's the greatest goal scorer in NHL history. Of that there is no doubt. I mean he, he, yeah, he doesn't have the 92 in a season or whatever, but I mean look, it's not just the fact he's got the most, what he's done over the over his career as a goal scorer in my opinion, I feel he's the greatest goal scorer in NHL history.
Speaker 2:But make no mistake, the guy has played 20 years in the NHL and he's gone beyond the second round of the playoffs one time yeah, one time. Like Crosby makes everybody around him better that's so, and that's exactly that.
Speaker 1:That's what I'm figuring out. It's not complicated. No, crosby is okay given and they were both drafted the same year where they're not.
Speaker 2:Ovi went first and and he lost his rookie year like he would have shattered this record had you know he lost his rookie year because, uh, because, the nhl shut down for a season. But let's just say, ovi went first in 04, and Sid went first in yeah, ovi went first in 05, I believe it was and Sid in 06. Oh, okay.
Speaker 1:So either way, if you're putting together a team and I said the one guy you don't want out there, you don't want if you're defending against this team.
Speaker 2:Excuse me, that was 04 and 05. Back it up for both of you, you're sorry.
Speaker 1:No, no, no, that's okay, I'm glad you corrected yourself yeah because I would. We had letters, ah, like unbelievable thousands of people disappointed. Yeah, uh, okay, um, you know you don't want ov out there. Okay, when you're defending, okay, no guy, that guy can score. It's one of those guys like guys that you just go like how the fuck does he do?
Speaker 2:it Right. Yeah, okay, you're not penalty killing.
Speaker 1:No, no, no, that's for sure, but this is the thing. But if you're, I would put If I'm given $10 million and I know that's not enough anymore but if I'm given $10 million and I can get one player and I have the choice between Ovechkin and Crosby, well, yeah, and this is the very beginning. Yeah, I take Crosby 10 times out of 10, you know, because he is the full player.
Speaker 2:He's absolutely the full player. I would do the same thing. I'd be more specific. I would point to the World Junior that they played against each other when Canada, canada, uh, during the lockout, and canada had everybody available and, uh, we just, we just walked everybody, we pounded russia. I think it was six one, six nothing, or six one on ovi's team. This is when ovi wouldn't even go in the dressing room with his teammates. He would sit on the bench during the intermission. He was wearing the darth vader visor.
Speaker 2:I remember that and and he and I mean yes, he was just a kid and you know he's a product of how and when he grew up and it is what it is and the guy just absolutely exploded on the scene as a goal scorer and he beat Crosby out for the rookie of the year and, look it, it was the right choice, more than likely. But I would have taken Sid, probably at that time too, just because of what I saw in the world juniors Right, you got to remember Sid's, like whatever 18 months younger or something. So you know not that that's a lot once you get to close to 40, but when you're 18, 19 years old, 19 and 20.
Speaker 1:And I think I think at every age Sid's been I don't even think, I don't even At that point, I don't think.
Speaker 2:Sidney Crosby had hair in his nuts. We made it through almost the whole show before we really stepped across the line too much, so that's pretty good folks.
Speaker 1:It's pretty good. Well, you know what You've got to say. A few things.
Speaker 2:Yeah, for sure, all right.
Speaker 1:So that's it, we're done.
Speaker 2:I think so Okay yeah.
Speaker 1:All right, well, listen. Thanks for listening. This has been Offside with Haas and McGuire, I being Haas.
Speaker 2:I'm McGuire G'day.
