Devils Insider - Episode 30 - April 8th - The Playoff Push

On this week's episode of Devils Insider - 

Weekend review: The guys take a look back at three big wins to end the Devils regular season, and secure them a 2nd place spot in the Elite League (00:00) 

Interview: Cedric Lacroix joins the show to chat about his career, growing up in a hockey family, board games, coffee and much more (19:30) 

Playoff Preview: As we head into playoff quarterfinals weekend, the guys give their thoughts on each matchup and predict who'll make finals weekend (55:00)

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:00

Today's podcast is brought to you by Minerva Hearing. Hear the cheers, protect your ears. Shumai Paul Bakroisar. Hello, everybody, and welcome back to Devil's Insider for this week's edition of your Card of Devils podcast. Dan Ruther alongside Neil Francis and Gareth Hewish. Guys, it's good to be back. Regular season is done. It's gone in a flash. We're into the playoff push now, and uh there's a lot to look forward to over the next couple of weeks, I think.

SPEAKER_01 0:23

There is indeed. This is uh a six-point week podcast Wednesday, Saturday, Sunday. Uh don't think we've played many midweek games this year compared to other years, so it's uh a bit of a unique one, but a lovely unique uh feeling on this uh recording day.

SPEAKER_00 0:40

Yeah, I mean the season has flown around, hasn't it? It always does. I mean, it you you when you're in those kind of September's Octobers, it feels like there's uh a million years to go, but then all of a sudden we're in you know April and uh playoffs around the corner, and uh it it was a really good way to to finish the regular season, wasn't it? You know, those uh the game against Sheffield, particularly, um, did the job against Coventry and then finished on a really big high in Nottingham.

SPEAKER_02 1:09

I'm glad you brought up the game in Sheffield because I completely forgot to put it in my notes before tonight. So let's chat very quickly about the Sheffield game and then we'll talk about the weekend just gone. Devils win 5-0 on the Wednesday night in in what was a fantastic performance, a performance which made Sheffield look very, very poor. Um, we Franny and I spoke on the debrief guides. You weren't there on the night, of course, so this is kind of your opportunity to voice your opinion on that evening.

SPEAKER_01 1:30

Yeah, I thought uh the first period was uh like two bald men battling over a comb, really, wasn't it? It was for for large parts very scrappy and then you know, for very little reward.

SPEAKER_00 1:40

And uh although I did get corrected on that by possibly a member of the coaching staff that said sometimes it appears that way when teams are making defensive plays and it maybe looks scrappier than it is. So maybe you know it it did make me think sometimes we accuse you know passes not going on the tape, you know, take to take passes and stuff. But if uh the other team is playing good defense, that can have something to do with it.

SPEAKER_01 2:09

So I'll just throw that that caveat in there, and uh yeah, it's uh it felt like again that first goal was gonna be the team that would then take ascendancy, it felt to me. And once we got that first goal, I it it just never felt in any danger that result. It was uh one team who was clearly with a mindset that they were trying to build something, they were trying to maintain standards against another team that seemed to downtools way earlier than I've seen a Sheffield team downtool since probably the Barrasso era, uh, which was a season I'm sure Steelers fans would uh want to forget, but it had that same type of vibe to it, and uh you can totally see why Aaron Fox gave that long uh interview at the end of the game. I don't think I've ever seen an interview on the Elite League website, Twitter account get to three minutes.

SPEAKER_00 3:06

Um I'm gonna raise you Tom Cooler.

SPEAKER_01 3:08

Tom Cooler, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 3:09

Um no, no, to be fair, I would say that Aaron Fox has given me both the longest interview I've ever been in the room for in that that one on Wednesday, and he also gave us the shortest when he answered three words to you just before the COVID break, before the cup final, the the Friday night game. So he he's bookended that, but um yeah, it felt like the Steelers down tools, and that's probably maybe not giving enough credit to the Devils because they were great. And I thought, especially in that third period, remember you and Franny are on comms. We kind of looked each other at one point with a bit of a smile and thought, wow, this is every pass tape to tape, everything was working, everything was coming off. It just looked fantastic.

SPEAKER_00 3:43

Yeah, I mean, I I think for those first two periods, there was you know, the question was, why are how how aren't we further ahead? And then you start getting horrible thoughts thinking we're only one goal up, and do they sneak one? And you know, we've had so many games this year that have gone against the runner play where we've lost out by the odd goal, but so important was that Joey Martin goal with what was it, eight seconds left in the in the second period, and as soon as that went in, the Devils came out like an even different animal in the third period. Sheffield had no answer, there was no fighting them. You can see why Fox was really frustrated, and it's almost like he'd been bottling that up for a few weeks because he had had some poor performances, I think four in a row losses at home. Um, you know, they'd just lost to Dundee, hadn't they, on the the Sunday night? And he was he was hoping for a bounce back, something to build on, that's what he was calling for, and he just didn't get it from his team, and it was uh you know, it was surprising to see from a Sheffield team, but you have to give credit for the Devils for the way that they executed on the night.

SPEAKER_02 4:54

Yeah, Devils fantastic. I think the the talking point of the evening, of course, was seven or eight minutes to go in the game. Mitch Heard gets or doesn't get, or as I thought on the commentary originally, the misconduct and thrown out of the game for for the gestures he was making. He got fined after the game was over. Um, I think that was a case of somebody trying to do something, Gaz. It's just sometimes maybe it's a bit misplaced in how you go about it.

SPEAKER_01 5:17

Yeah, I really don't know how to read what what he did there. And I'm split. There is part of me that thinks he was trying to give his bench a jump, but there's also part of me that thinks was he trying to get out of that situation early? Had he had he reached the end of his tether with kind of how it was going and he didn't want to kind of affect it anymore. Um I don't know. I don't know. We know we're not sure it's there, but I'm 50-50 uh on that, and uh I'm just really surprised that he stayed in the game past that gesture to the refs when he was already on his way to the box from a misconduct. I don't know how you manage to do that action and then bang on the glass and keep mouthing off. And you know, I think the refs are usually pretty strict on those things generally, and you know, I rightly so they're not there to be sort of gesticulated to and you know uh uh abused by players. That that's what the the rule book has that uh penalty in for them to deal with it. So I'm surprised that he didn't go before that, and then the fact he didn't, I think it was always gonna boil over, wasn't it? He he was so wound up uh that that something was gonna tip him over the edge, and as soon as you go near Jimmy only I don't think it's gonna take long before you you have that fuse lit.

SPEAKER_00 6:42

Yeah, I mean I said it on the the stream, I said it in debrief after. I have no doubts that that performance, if you want, from Mitch Heard was not about getting the team going. I I that it's the it is the downside to Mitch Hurd and Glasgow fans will tell you the same. I think Sheffield fans are moaning a bit about it now, is there's some situations uh where it becomes about him, not about the team. I think if you're gonna do something to to help the team, you do it way earlier. You know, he could see his team was struggling, go and make a big hit and you know, call somebody on, and and that's a way to spark your team. I think at that point in the game, all Shafield wanted to do was get out of there, and you know, they ended up having to kill penalties. I think uh maybe they could score a power play goal on the back of that penalty. Um, the last thing that Shaffield team wanted to do was have to put up with all that and get dragged into you know a couple of scraps because yeah, he him and Alini fought, um, and there was other ones getting dragged into it. They didn't want to do that, you could see by the demeanour, and that was to me the downside of Mitch Heard.

SPEAKER_02 7:55

Yeah, the Devils had scored just after the power play expired. Duremco got the fifth on the board for them, and then they made, I mean, it was a third goal, a three-goal third period, um, and it and it finished 5-0 devils, and and an evening that Steelers want to forget, the Devils will remember, and I think used very wisely as a bit of a a base then going into the weekend, where they started off with a Saturday night win against the Blaze, and we spoke on debrief a little bit more in depth, so we won't touch on it too much because I think the Nottingham game on the Sunday is what we need to look at a little bit more in depth. But the Devils grind out a good win, and against the Blaze, in what felt there was a feeling that it might have been a warm-up, uh a kind of a little moosh-boosh for for what was what was to come potentially in the quarterfinal.

SPEAKER_01 8:34

Yeah, I think both teams brought that same mentality, didn't they? That it was a chance to lay a few markers down, and it was very much uh a similar pattern to many of the commentary games this year in the sense that they work incredibly hard, um, and they have a fantastic netminder uh who stopped the game from becoming a uh a bit of a blowout because I'd say he probably made at least four uh you know world-class saves uh from chances that on another night the devil's bury, and we're talking about a four-five-one victory rather than a two-one game. Um the story for me was the the penalty kill uh in the third period. I think that was really important because I think it showed exactly where we are uh mentally, in terms of you know what the effort that's putting the buy-in that's going in from the guys over the last two or three weeks.

SPEAKER_00 9:28

Um I think especially on that gaz, considering the penalty kill had an off-night in Coventry with those two power play goals. Um, Graham Mismash was just you know running that power play really well for for Coventry. Um, and it was I know a lot of work went into trying to prevent that, and you know, the the kill was tested to the max, wasn't it? Especially on a five-minute kill. And I thought it looked really good.

SPEAKER_02 9:53

Yeah, some big blocks. I think Capone blocked one Helgerson, blocked a couple Richardson, looked like he took a stinger as well. So guys putting their body on the line, which is good to see in in, you know, it it wasn't it wasn't a dead rubber because I think the Devils recognized that second was still there for the taking. The Blaze knew that obviously things could move around at that point, so it was good to see. The power play got a goal on the board and got a really well-timed goal on the board. Josh McDonald not before the not long before the end of the second got one. And then there's a bit of a habit developing for the Devils of scoring at really good times. You think of the Ferguson one in the third a couple of weeks ago, you think of that one, you know, killing teams' momentum maybe when you've been under it for a little bit, or at the end of a period, just putting yourself a little bit further away from maybe the reach of another team.

SPEAKER_01 10:32

Yeah, I I I think Sunday as well that scoring um as early on as we did in the in the third period to kind of make sure that the game wasn't going to turn into another kind of are we ever gonna get one type thing. So yeah, I agree. I think uh important times in games we are converted.

SPEAKER_00 10:50

Yeah, and I think just as a as a whole, taking this week of games, these three games, uh, and you know, even the the few weeks before that, it's been a nice mini sort of playoffs, if you like. As soon as the league was uh was lost to Belfast, there was a determination to get second place. And in order to get second place, we had to beat the records of two very good hockey teams, Nottenham and Sheffield, and play them both as well. So there's opportunities for every team to lose points, and um the Devils came out on top of that series, ended up in second spot by three points and won key games, um, made you know avenge some um things like the you know the the penalty kill in Coventry and then doing so well on the home ice. Um power players kept you know pinging over um like it was in the whole of March. Um, but it was yeah, it was that target was set for second place, and that meant that we couldn't drop well hardly any points because we knew the other teams wouldn't drop the points. We had to look after ourselves and and we got the job done.

SPEAKER_02 12:00

Yes, seven wins in the last eight games for the Devils, which is which is great to see. And like Tomo said in his interview, outside of ten minutes probably in that Coventry loss, it's it could have been if you know if you put those wrongs right, eight wins in eight, really, with the way they played. So that's good to see. Let's chat about that eighth game that was the Nottingham game on the Sunday, final game of the season. And again, you go into a game like that and and you know that you're finishing second or third. Some teams might look at that and go, Well, you know, what's the difference? You're gonna have to play someone in the playoffs. That is what it is. But the Devils, classy win, really good play. Danny Stewart described it as he said he thought it looked like two very tired teams and said that the Panthers looked and in quote, and you know, he his quote was knackered compared to the Devils. I think, regardless of whether you think both teams are tired, the Devils looked the better team of the two on the night and were were deserving of their win.

SPEAKER_01 12:46

Yeah, I what I loved about this game was the tempo we set straight from the off and the assertiveness that we were going to play our way, um, regardless of whether Nottingham were tired or not. And I think that ties into uh Wednesday as well. What I've liked over these last few games is maybe something we weren't doing early in the year was trying to hurt teams when they're down. Maybe we were getting sucked in a little bit into the the way that they wanted to play and scrap rep, whereas I felt Wednesday, Sunday we could smell blood and we went for it and we put some dominance on the scoreboard, and I think that was really important. I believe it's a winning record in Nottingham.

SPEAKER_02 13:27

Well, I'll tell you before this season, post-COVID, the Devils were 1-11-2, I think it was, in Nottingham. This year they have taken at least a point in every single game up there. The only loss being a shootout loss.

SPEAKER_01 13:38

I tell you, I I was loving Tomo anyway, but uh as a long-suffering devils fan in games in Nottingham, he's uh he's got my loyalty for forevermore for that one.

SPEAKER_00 13:47

Yeah, and I mean he mentioned it in his interview in terms of the steps that the Devils have taken this year. Last year, incredibly, we did not win one game in Nottingham, Sheffield, Belfast. And this year we have a winning record in Nottingham. Um Belfast one win in Belfast, one win and one win in Sheffield, and one win in Sheffield as well. Um, so I mean that is big steps. I I well I know he's not happy with the road form in general, and that's where the league was probably lost with some silly throwaway wins, and you know, that's something that is very much you know on the pad to to correct. Um, but yeah, it's um I I like you guys love the approach to that Notskum game, went up there 13 to 3 in favour of the devil, shots on goal in the first period is incredible in any away rink, but in the end on IC um or motor point or whatever it's called though, um, you know, that's uh that is pretty impressive.

SPEAKER_02 14:47

Yeah, I don't think the Panthers actually registered a shot on net until the 10th minute or gone. They was 10 minutes were at least gone in the game until they did. So yeah, good stuff to see. That the I thought the devils actually, as well, you know, it like you say, guys, in a game like that where you don't score for two periods, it can be a bit of a mental thing. You start to think, oh, is it ever gonna happen? But like you say, scoring at important times and scoring in bunches as well, you know, there's three goals in four minutes, which it didn't kill off the game because the Panthers did get one on the board. But I mean when you go 3-0 up to start the third period, you put yourself in a wonderful position.

SPEAKER_01 15:15

Yeah, you do, and uh, you know, you could feel that there were more goals coming once that first one went in. You just knew that it wasn't gonna stop there. Uh, I also like the fact that when Nottingham scored, I think there was still about nine minutes left, and you know, you always start to wonder if that's gonna just kick start that bench a little bit, and and whether they, you know, think, oh, it's ten minutes, we can get our energy reserves. But snuffing it out with the fourth with uh Pellini, the the hot hand, Pellini and Contos again keeping up their respective streaks uh on the night is is good to see as well. But to get that fourth and and snuff it out and go, hey, actually, no, we're putting this to bed, we we won that second place, we we we want to keep up the hard work that we've put in over the past two weeks because you talk every year, don't you, about building to playoffs. You know, that's always like the cliche term that everyone kind of throws out building the playoffs. But I actually do feel like there's been a plan and everyone has bought into a build for playoffs. And uh this last week with with six points, I think, has has shown how much that that has kind of paid off uh going into the going into the postseason.

SPEAKER_02 16:25

Yeah, I think he's spots on. Uh, a couple more notes from that Nottingham. First of all, Jimmy Alini with the sweetest of little chips into the top corner. What a lovely finish that was. Delightful stuff by him. Really showing his class on that one. The other one is uh McDonald's goal on the power play. You watch him on the highlights and he just kind of ghosts into this nice spot in the slot. No one seems to pick him up. Nobody seems to have realized he's gone into that spot. Sanford finds him and he and he snipes in the back of the net. Devil scoring a lot of goals, not just on the power play, Franny, but at even strength as well. Where guys are just finding their way into that slot, that high slot, just around the blue pane. You think of Martin's second uh the second goal against uh um uh Coventry, I think it was, or Sheffield. Sheffield. Where, yeah, like I say, he just found himself right in front of net, completely open, and they're they're just gently finding themselves in these nice little spots, aren't they?

SPEAKER_00 17:11

Yeah, um you know, again, again, I'll tip my hat to the coaches, and you know, that's not me being part of the coaches' union or whatever, but I do think credit where is credit's due. We had a lot of struggles scoring this year in that spell where you know it did after Christmas where it didn't go so well, and they did a lot of work on on doing that, exactly that, getting players into scoring positions, and uh you know it's good to see it bear fruits. And um once that happens, once you start getting a few goals and you know, guys like Polini are typify this, the confidence comes back, and then you know, the the the the want to shoot the puck more rather than look for a pass when you're under confident. I think you can see that through the team. I mean there was a couple of times in the country game at home where I thought we looked off shots where you know and made the pass, probably one pass too many, but um up in Nottingham, I thought we were were clinical again, and it looked most of all, it looked like the guys are really having fun out there, and I loved that. And you know, that that point that you made, uh there's nine minutes left. In fact, eight minutes fifty-nine left. I just checked it, so great memory there. Um eight minutes fifty-nine left when Nottingham score, and one minute twenty seconds later, the Devils take it back out of their hands, four-one up, three goals. Nottingham knew they weren't coming back from that. And when the the guys had the puck, they were zipping it round, you can almost see smiles on their faces, they were really enjoying it, and you know that's yeah, that's great. I mean, it's you say about building for the playoffs as much as it is building for the playoffs. I I really think it shows the desire it shows the frustration that the guys are really unhappy at not having a trophy in their hands already, they're sure. Um they know deep down that that there is a team in that drafts room that could have won the league that slipped up and then mightily frustrated themselves for that, and you know, a collective determination to put that right in the last trophy available.

SPEAKER_02 19:16

Yep, playoffs upcoming. The Devils finish the season with seven wins out of eight. They finish second in the league, which yes, it's or no, it's not perfect, but it's certainly the next best thing, and they're gonna be going after the playoffs. We're gonna chat a little bit about said playoffs in a little while. First of all, though, we have got the final devil on the show this season. We've had so many this year, they've been fantastic, and this guy is no different. Ladies and gentlemen, a huge welcome on Devil's Insider this week to our final devils player on the roster this season for the podcast, Cedric Lequroix. Seddy, last but by no means least on the podcast. Thank you so much for coming and chatting with us.

SPEAKER_03 19:51

How are you? Okay. Uh really happy to be here. Um they definitely didn't save the best for last, uh, but uh no, happy to be here uh on this uh on this day with you guys.

SPEAKER_02 20:02

We were just chatting before we went live and saying that collectively here, as Franny pointed out, this is the entire commentary team for the Devil's TV streams this year. You did jump on commentary earlier this year. How did you find it with Gaz? Is it all right?

SPEAKER_03 20:13

Well, Gaz made it easy for me. Uh honestly, he was saying that he finds the color harder. I obviously calling the play by play to me is uh is is quite a remarkable skill. So um I just kind of jumped in my opinion, and Gaz was nice enough to give me some holes where I can fill in here and there. So he made the job uh extremely easy for me.

SPEAKER_00 20:32

I'll second that. I'll second that. Yeah, there's not a chance I could do play by play. So hats off to you guys, and you two do make it easy for me as well.

SPEAKER_01 20:40

Yeah, I genuinely do find the colour harder just trying to fill that little gap uh in and then get my opinion out. But say my favorite moment of us doing the commentary is when you finally got to live out your dream, when the puck went over the glass and someone caught it, talk us through it. Yeah, that's that's funny.

SPEAKER_03 20:57

I forgot about that. So um the the puck had uh ricocheted out of play, and uh after it happened, I think it was a uh like a TV time out or something. I looked at Gaza, I was like, ah, you know what? I should I should have said that's a souvenir because I've always wanted to say it, and sure enough, I think uh at the end we got mid mid midway uh towards the end of the third, that puck went out of play, and uh thank God no one got hurt, but uh was able to uh make make my call.

SPEAKER_01 21:27

As soon as I saw it flying over the glass, I thought, yes, we're finally gonna get it get it off his uh off his bracket list.

SPEAKER_02 21:33

Oh, amazing. That's such good stuff. Uh yeah, I'm almost I'm almost upset that I wasn't there, but it would that would never have happened if I had been. So uh yeah, it's good good to hear that you enjoyed it. And uh yeah, I mean we you never know, it might be a career in that for you going forward, Seddy. But uh I've I've been taught I have a face for radio, so it would make sense. Oh, we all get told that don't worry. That's why we end up doing this job. Um let's chat a little bit uh uh just about the time in Cardiff at the minute. The weather has finally come good. How is it living in Cardiff at the minute and have you managed to get as Little bit of sunshine and enjoy and enjoy being around in Cardiff.

SPEAKER_03 22:03

Yeah, I mean, this week has been great. Um been able to get a few things. So we have a little crew. Uh I'm sure we'll get in into it a little bit, but we we like to have our coffees in the afternoon of the bay, uh, the guys that live there, and uh we play Catan quite often. So we usually we bring our uh Catan game um inside. Um, I'm not gonna name any places. I don't know who's a sponsor who and who's not, but I know Candy P is a sponsor. So actually today before coming here, we saw it on uh Kenny P's um patio out there with that sun uh hitting his uh Borisos made us a uh fantastic coffee and we uh sat out there and played Catan. So no, it's it's been great. And I actually after I went to go see Jimmy's uh sit sit with Jimmy and his family on his deck there, so it was very, very enjoyable to kind of let that sun uh hit us.

SPEAKER_00 22:51

And just to translate for anyone that's wondering who Kenny P is, that's of course Ken Picton. Picton goes down the bay. What a spot that is!

SPEAKER_03 22:58

Yeah, they never disappoint over there.

SPEAKER_02 23:00

Oh, I've heard good things. Who's in your who's in your Catana and your coffee group?

SPEAKER_03 23:03

Who would you play with? So we started uh a little crew. We started um Nolan, um Christian Stover, and then Wheels uh has joined us, um and Tyson Helgison as well, as well as uh Steve McLean. So now we're six. You can only play four, but honestly, we kind of use it uh just a way to to be social. So, for example, today we did a uh a partner game. So we did a 2v2v2. Um, so I was with Christian. Uh we lost the first game, and I I left early because I I had some other things to do, and I got the text that he had one without me. So um, but no, it's a it's a good crew, it's always great laughs, and um, and for those people who don't know what Catan is out there, I highly recommend it. It is a um there's the trade build saddle, they say. Uh it's just a fantastic family game. I was just Googling it now because I had no clue what it was.

SPEAKER_02 24:04

Yeah, it's uh it's it's a great game. My brother plays it a lot, so yeah, but I've I've kind of seen it come and go. I'm intrigued because I uh when I was putting together prep for today's podcast, I was looking for the different places you've lived over the years, obviously before coming to Cardiff. And it seems like everywhere you go, you pick somewhere that's stunningly beautiful or in the Alps or something like that. Where does Cardiff kind of stack up amongst the different places you've lived? Because you know, you look for the list Austria, Sweden, Italy, there's some lovely spots.

SPEAKER_03 24:27

Yeah, I've been fortunate to to be some pretty cool places. That's the great thing about this game and what this uh kind of can provide uh to us is that opportunity to uh to live in different places, experience this different culture. Um, and for me, they're also different. Like last year, I love mountain biking, I love hiking. So for me being in the Alps, having the opportunity to to to hike a mountain on my day uh day off, uh, to go to huts, to do all these things, uh, I mean, that's great. But on the flip side of it, coming to Cardiff, Cardiff, this is more of a city experience for me. Um, so just having the opportunity to go to see some of these businesses in town or um these sporting events. I mean, I've I've been fortunate to go to uh maybe four or five Cardiff City games. I've been to uh two uh rugby matches. Um on a day off, I also went to a Chelsea, saw Chelsea play. Uh so I mean those are bucket list items for me. So it's been really, really fun to get to experience and also the the cuisine, too. I'm a big foodie. I like uh trying different places, whatnot. And Cardiff has a lot of options for that, uh, whether it's coffee shops or even local uh local dishes that I've had the been fortunate to try.

SPEAKER_02 25:47

You seem like the kind of guy who who doesn't like being bored is probably a good way of putting it. Is that is that kind of a big part of of of the benefit to traveling a lot for for hockey is is you get to experience all these things, and that's something you seem to embrace.

SPEAKER_03 26:00

Yeah, I mean it it comes with challenges too. You have I am, you're right. So I'm the type of guy who I don't like to sit still, I like to um feel like I'm doing something, being productive. Um, and for me, when I say being productive, being engaged in a good conversation for me is is being productive. Uh making relationships is being productive, educating myself is also being productive. Now, I'm not gonna lie to you. Sometimes I have times where I'm a little bit more lazy, like everyone, where I'm watching, you know, a show or something. But um, you know, I I do like to try to do something and uh and be productive, whatever that productive is.

SPEAKER_02 26:38

One thing I do want to ask you about, and every time we get somebody on the show who's got either a dad or an uncle or a grandfather or brother who who've played hockey as well, I'm always intrigued to know kind of how a guy kind of relates to that and has learned from that. And obviously, your dad played in the NHL, he had a hugely successful hockey career. What was it like growing up with him as a professional?

SPEAKER_03 26:58

It it was it's funny because it kind of the same routine as we we do now. So the the hockey player's routine, as um you guys know, you you're in season, you're um you're kind of going through the ups and downs, and you're you're you're living uh away, and then in the off-season you come back to your uh to your home. And that's exactly what I did all through growing up. I think I've I think I've probably done over 25 places, 25 places roughly, I think. So um for me it's the norm. Really, it's it would be weird for me to be in the same place for 12 months. And um I I definitely think it's something that I'm I'm fortunate because as I m alluded to earlier, those are all experiences, and sometimes when you're younger, you may not realize it, but as you grow up, you realize like, oh, cool, like in 2000, I was in the in Newcastle, and I don't, Franny, I don't know if you you ended up you played that year uh against my dad. I think I would have, yeah. 2000, yeah. 2000, it was like the 99, 2000 season.

SPEAKER_02 28:04

Yeah, I because when you were announced as a devil, a lot of people of the older fans kind of went, Oh yeah, we remember, you know, back back the Newcastle Jesters and stuff. And and and yeah, I was gonna ask you if you remembered much of of being over that year.

SPEAKER_03 28:15

I just remember playing a lot of football. Like I I got there, my dad signed late, I think maybe uh like late November, December. So I remember not being on a on a hockey club, and I just remember wanting to kick the football around. And uh there's some photos of me and uh in a Newcastle United uh kit, which I showed uh our equipment manager Murz, and he the I've never such seen such a big smile on his face.

SPEAKER_00 28:39

And uh I was gonna say he was so excited. One when you remembered living in Newcastle, and two when the photos came out.

SPEAKER_03 28:45

Yeah, so um but no, it's and it's it's nice to be able to kind of follow my dad's footsteps in in a way where um to to to do to do that. And hockey and everything it brings, it's for me, there's a lot more uh positives, uh they uh they heavily outweigh the negatives.

SPEAKER_01 29:05

So as a kid, how did you manage that Geordie accent when you arrived? That must have been a bit of a shock to the system, didn't they?

SPEAKER_03 29:11

Well, yeah, you know, I was telling Jimmy, I think his son, uh Jimmy's son is six six, I think. And and I would when I lived in Newcastle, I was six years old. So I was looking at Jimmy's son Hendricks, and I was like, at his age, I was doing the same thing. It's his first year in the UK. I was in the UK at that same age, and I and I was thinking to myself, I was like, I don't know if I maybe adapted uh the accent a little bit. I just remember getting like those uh glass jugs of milk every morning. They would they would deliver those. So I thought, like, okay, uh this I guess I could get on with this.

SPEAKER_02 29:47

So uh Gustaf, I uh we we talk about your dad a little bit further. He currently is coaching in Gratz, which there's a weird connection between the Devils and Gratz. The it was where the Devils won their first ever away CHL game. Obviously, your dad's coaching now, Deese, who listens in occasionally on the show, former equipment manager here, is the equipment manager out there as well. And then, you know, your dad's had a couple of different jobs in coaching and now is there. And and again, what when you grew up and he transitioned from a player to a coach, was there did you did you go to him to learn stuff, or was it more that you kept that kind of relationship as a as a father-son?

SPEAKER_03 30:21

Yeah, he would always watch watch my my games and kind of give me feedback, but it was also it was always the the same kind of things as it was uh work hard, work hard and uh and and have fun. Um it was never too technical. You know, yes, there would be some technical teachings, but the the priority for him was just to make sure that I played the game the right way. Uh and that uh and I played to to my abilities a simple hard game. Um, look at it back now, he was you would have the mostly I would play with his cut-down Sherwoods or uh or a flipped over two-piece. So I sometimes uh maybe maybe I would have had some better hands, maybe if I if I didn't have his old Sherwood in my hands. But um no, definitely fortunate to to have him there um as a as a player just to pick his brain off of my own game or him watching my games, or also perhaps for the next chapter of my career as a coach. Uh obviously he's coached for a number of years now, where now our conversations have kind of changed more to kind of okay, what kind what systems are you are you doing? What what um what are you guys running uh in in the neutral zone on on the breakouts? And so our our conversations have kind of transitioned in the sense that uh now I'm getting to pick off his brain, not out of my game, but more so how he likes to run his hockey team. Do you think coaching is something you'd like to go into one day? Yes, yes, uh a hundred percent. Uh what kind of coach do you think you'd be? Um I think I'd because I obviously I'm playing still, right? So it's pretty fresh. So I'm seeing it from a player's perspective. As a player, um you you want to you you want to have a good relationship with your coach, you want to be able to to converse, you want to be open, uh, you want to um be able to have conversations with your players and and make every player feel valued. I think that's a big part of being a coach, and that's I think something I can bring. Um that being said, I still think the the the X's and O's aspects of the game, I mean, that's something that um you need experience, right? So I think coaching is ultimately uh you can think you know as a player, but until you have a few years under your belt and you're able to to kind of fail. Well, I I think it's it's hard to be great until you fail a few times, as most coaches end up doing, right? So um who knows? I could be in coaching, I could be absolutely horrendous. Um who knows, but you need to start somewhere, and um and and I I think I'd like that opportunity uh whenever my career's done.

SPEAKER_02 33:10

We'll move on a little bit from from the childhood and having your dad as the coach aspect of it and and into your career kind of as you grew up. You went to the University of Maine, and uh when I was doing a bit of research for today's podcast, it's funny how many names you recognize when you when you read through the lists, and you know, people like Fossier, Pearson, Doherty all played in at the University of Maine with you. Was it nice when when you came to the elite league and there was a few familiar faces, even though they were competitors now?

SPEAKER_03 33:33

Yeah, it was really funny because actually, my uh senior year in Maine, uh Mitch Fossey and Chase Pearson, those were my two roommates. So we lived all three together, and that year we actually played in uh Belfast at the uh Friendship 4. So there was another uh connection, and I think did Colin Shields did he go to University of Maine? Yeah, so then there was that Colin Shield, and while we were there, it was his testimonial. So I don't know if it was uh the timing, if it was just uh kind of a coincidence, but we got to see uh Colin Shields' uh testimonial. Um and then you have Ryan Smith as well in Belfast. He also uh he also played played with us and uh Timmy as well. So yeah, it's funny. It seems like we're we have a little crew of us uh in this league, and uh all those players are great players and uh all had great seasons, so uh it's really cool to see. And that's the great thing about the kind of hockey world is you you you go your separate ways, but down the road you never know who you'll get to see again.

SPEAKER_02 34:37

Do you think because of things like uh the Friendship 4 and then coming over to Belfast and obviously your dad playing it? Do you think that playing in the elite league was something you always wanted to do, or maybe something you always kind of thought might happen eventually?

SPEAKER_03 34:49

I knew I was gonna end up here eventually. Uh I know what kind of players uh the the you know the the fans of the UK like, more of a tougher style player, which I I'd like to think. I I have that element in my game. So uh I was hoping I'd have that opportunity and uh was really thankful uh when this opportunity showed up here to to be a devil. Um I knew it's something I couldn't pass up.

SPEAKER_02 35:14

You after finishing university, you you bet spent a little bit of time in North America and and I ask guys a lot what they what that what that kind of experience of the East Coast in the American League is like. You you had a fair few call-ups to the AHL during your time there. You had a number of games what up in up in the American League. And what's that what was that experience like? Because a lot of guys say when they get that call to say you've you've you've been sent up to to play wherever it is in the American League, that's that's a big moment for them. And and what kind of achievement was that?

SPEAKER_03 35:41

Yeah, I mean, uh North American pro hockey is just uh it's a roller coaster. You you you can go from the the highest of highs and the lowest of lows in uh in just a couple years. But I I remember my first year I was on um I was on an ECHL deal out of college, and right away you're kind of you know swimming uh against the current because um it's it's difficult. Obviously, it's very competitive. You have a lot of great players on NHL contracts, on on AHL contracts, and so it's it's difficult. But uh I uh I had it had a good season and um got that first call late in my first season to go to to Wilkesbury, and uh I remember just uh I was like, oh this is uh this is what an opportunity. And funny story, my first ever game, uh I scored two goals, and uh those ended up being the only two goals I've ever scored in the American League. So I was like, wow, this league's easy. And some of the guys on the team, the vested who had been there, they're like, Oh, you at this pace, you would have scored, uh you would have scored 180 something something goals. And it was the last game of the season, kind of a dead rubber game. And um, and then after that, um, you know, with that momentum heading out the year after, I was like on a two-way contract. So I think I went up and down uh six or seven times this season. So I would play two games, get sent down. So that obviously that was a little bit more difficult because once you have the taste of it, you know, you want to stay. And then uh COVID happened, and I thought my uh I thought I I had a contract actually in uh Bridgeport and then it got voided uh about two two days before I think the American League uh training camp camp started because of some clause or whatever. And so I ended up going back on the ECHL deal. And at that point, once you go down after a few years, it's really hard to get back. And um this is a funny story. I got uh so I I got sent to Norfolk, so I was as I was driving there, um, about from Indianapolis to Norfolk, I was driving a uh it was an I think an eight-hour drive, and four or five hours into my drive, I get a call from uh the uh the GM of uh the Chicago Wolves, one little young, who were affiliated with Norfolk, and he says, Hey, we have a 10 a.m. school game tomorrow. We just had two guys with COVID. Can you play? And Chicago is two hours north of Indianapolis. So I just said, Oh boy, this is this is gonna be make for quite the story. So then on the highway in somewhere in uh in Virginia, did a U-turn, drove six hours past Indianapolis, up, got to uh Chicago at uh I think midnight, played a 10 a.m. game, and then uh and then from there I actually ended up getting picked up by Tucson. Uh my old coach was there, and he gave me that opportunity, and I was able to stay there the rest of the season. And I went from thinking my AHL career was done, going to Norfolk, to um playing that entire season in the American League and getting a contract the year after as well. So it's just really weird. You when you least expect it, you get opportunities, and um all to say, yeah, it's it's uh it's a roller coaster, but I'm uh happy and fortunate to have had the opportunity to play in the in the American League.

SPEAKER_00 39:06

Yeah, there's a there's a phrase, isn't there, saying, you know, putting the miles in, but you literally put the miles in to get that move.

SPEAKER_03 39:11

Yeah, oh yeah, there's there's another time too. Um I if there's too many stories, you can cut these out, but there's another time too. I was in um I had driven all the way to Chicago for uh for Cam. And then as I'm in Chicago, I get a I get a uh text from my uh agent, hey, go go have a just be relaxed at practice. Hartford just lost our guy, they're they're gonna need a guy. He told me this before practice. Sure enough, I had the best practice of my career. I was toe-dragging around the ice. Uh, some old teammates I knew were like, wow, we didn't know you were a skilled guy now. I was like, you don't understand a little but a little uh confidence and courage. And then after I got I got the call, yeah, Hartford wants you. So so I ended up uh packing my stuff going to Hartford. So then I drove, I think eight hours from Montreal to Indy to Chicago, two days later to Hartford. They told me, bring your stuff, you're gonna be here a while. Um, I played, got there, played back-to-back games, uh fought, you know, try to create space for myself. And then the right after my second game, um the the the coach calls me in his office. Oh, all right, they're about to you know sign me to a contract, whatever. So I'm like, oh, I'm all excited. And then they go, uh, we hate to do this, but uh, we're gonna have to send you right back. And you're just like, whoa. So 10 hours or eight hours right back the other way. And so there's an example is you can go from high to low to high, and that's just that's just North American hockey for you.

SPEAKER_01 40:53

I'm interested to know if you think the you mentioned all about the the different places you lived as a kid and you know, 25 different places before you know you you're sort of 10 years old and things. Did that set you up for adaptability when you're going up to the miners? Was it a similar feeling of well, I I do this all the time. I I move around and I I sort of just get on with things.

SPEAKER_03 41:14

You just learn to travel light, like just learn to travel light, you know. Uh you got uh three pairs of socks, uh five pairs of underwear, and uh you just you just go with uh you just yeah, I I guess to answer your question, yes, I it definitely helps the the the adaptation. But that being said, uh as athletes, we're and I'm sure for you guys as well, then guys, you you know, as humans, we're ambitious. We want you when you try something, you you want the the best, right? So uh you can adapt, but you know, it's it's it's it's an emotional roller coaster. That's just uh the best to say. But that being said, I think um once you go through experiences like failing or whatever, you you can kind of uh learn how to manage your emotions better.

SPEAKER_02 42:04

You then came to Europe and uh and like I say, have played in uh a few different places since you've been here. What was the decision? You like you say, you get to a point maybe with the the miners where you know that maybe you're not gonna get as many call-ups as you can, or maybe have in the past. Was that part of the decision then to come to Europe?

SPEAKER_03 42:20

Yeah, I'd I'd say so. After after those just couple of stories, and I could go on and on and have stories like that. I think you come to Europe, um you there's it's different, right? There's no there's no uh there's no really trades or anything. So usually when you come here, um you're a little bit more stable. And sure enough, my first year pro in Europe, I actually had move teams for for undisciplined, on ice reasons, uh, a couple suspensions, so I had to change address again. So I was like, uh, but uh but no, I mean that's uh it's been two consecutive seasons where I'm I've I've been able to start and end in the same place now. So um it's it's been uh that that's part of it's really nice just to enter a season with a group and and know that okay, this is going to be the group I'm I'm gonna go to war with.

SPEAKER_02 43:15

So yeah, like you say, you you you've you've now landed in Cardiff been here the whole year, and and you spoke about that group of guys you you play Katan with and stuff, and it feels like this is a very close-knit devil's team. There's a lot of guys who will like hang out and play games and go cook for coffee with each other and stuff, and and that's a really important dynamic, isn't it, for for when you want to create a good culture in the room.

SPEAKER_03 43:35

Absolutely. And I'll say this the the first week I got here, um, guys like uh Joey Martin, Mark Richardson, Ben Davies, uh Bouncey, um those guys who have who have been here for you know over ten years. I mean it they're they're inspiring for me, honestly. It's uh I I knew the culture. In this room was great as soon as I met those guys because there's a reason why they're still playing hockey at a high level at their age. And um, and if your leaders on your team are gonna lead by like that off the ice as well as on the ice, well, you know, the rest of the team are gonna follow suit. And um obviously uh Franny and the management side, they do a great job uh kind of doing their information and their due due diligences on players um in terms of their character uh to come in and follow suit of the leaders that are already here. So great, great uh group of guys and um really fortunate to have been a part and get to know this group this year.

SPEAKER_02 44:44

Yeah, we um we we've spoken a lot on the podcast about maybe how this team, not as underachieved, but maybe that it's it's it's a good enough team to have gone and competed for the league. But as we go into the playoff push now, everyone who's come on has said that the team is dialed and practices are great, and and and there seems to be an understanding amongst everybody that that there's a big push now to get this playoff over the line.

SPEAKER_03 45:05

Yeah, we don't have anything to show for this year, right? So, I mean, second place is is cool and all, but the there's it's nothing, there's no trophy, there's nothing. It's hey, cool, you finish second place. So I think uh this group feels that the job's not done yet. And obviously, we would we would have liked to uh get that uh regular season uh championship and uh congratulations congratulations to the Giants on that, but um there's still something for grabs, and um and there's no reason not to put the the pedal to the metal because well that's something to uh to kind of solidify this group that uh we can be remembered for for winning something together. I think that's very well put.

SPEAKER_02 45:50

Have you guys got anything you'd like to add? Cool. So the last thing we're gonna do before we let you go is the 20 questions. Uh I'm gonna run through some quick fire questions, just fire them off. Uh, if you've got explanations for your answers, great. If you haven't, that's absolutely fine. So we're gonna run through it now. Cedric LaCroix, your 20 questions. Your favorite singer or music artist?

SPEAKER_03 46:09

We're gonna go. We're gonna go Rufus Dussol. Nice.

SPEAKER_02 46:15

Your signature dish when you're cooking at home.

SPEAKER_03 46:18

Ooh, it's gonna be an Italian dish. Uh guys might give me a hard time for this one. I'd say uh I'd say probably in my uh my carbonero. Um your favorite place to eat out in Cardiff, then where have you been that's been good? There's been there's been many places. I I like Matsudai. Matsudai is a good spot. Uh I went to Umi as well, uh Chinese hot ball uh hot pot styles. Christian Stover and I on our day offs like to go out and try uh usually try a spot we've never been to. So uh those two kind of come out to my uh head right away.

SPEAKER_02 46:56

Lovely stuff. Uh what is on your bucket list? Anything that's on your bucket list.

SPEAKER_03 47:03

Sorry for the pause there, guys. Uh bucket list, that's a bucket list, bucket list item, bucket list. Uh you know what? I I recently I I think I think maybe you're on a marathon. I think that'd be fun after the career, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 47:18

So I think it's a good thing to aim for, yeah. Uh who is your best friend in hockey?

SPEAKER_03 47:24

In hockey. I Fred Fred Godro is a friend of mine from back home who we play midget to play with. Um cool. Your favorite TV show.

SPEAKER_04 47:36

We're gonna go bad at this. Yeah, there's no bad answers. I am bad. Uh favorite TV show Game of Thrones.

SPEAKER_02 47:49

It's a good choice. It's a good choice. Uh what is your game day routine?

SPEAKER_03 47:53

Uh here I walk, um go for a nice long walk, uh may a light stretch, um cook sleep, eat, come to the rink and go to battle. What's the uh what's the pregame meal for you? I've been I've been doing more of the Italian stuff. So this year more a lot of you know, I'll do the bolognais and uh some chicken, uh pretty much typical stuff, or uh rice, vegetables, and uh and a protein. And how long's the pregame nap? Are you a long nap or are you just a quick sharp one? Saturdays I like to go for one an hour thirty, and uh with the Sundays here, usually I try to get an hour in.

SPEAKER_02 48:40

Uh, what's been your favorite rink to play uh in the Elite League away from Cardiff?

SPEAKER_03 48:44

Belfast.

SPEAKER_02 48:45

Yeah, it's a good choice.

SPEAKER_03 48:47

Uh which NHL player do you most enjoy watching? I'm gonna go with my buddy Freddie. Freddie Godro is just is a friend of mine, so I I enjoy watching him. He's a very skilled player, so it's always a treat when I got to watch him play. Good man. Uh beach holiday or a city break?

SPEAKER_02 49:03

Depends on if I'm on vacation or uh or I'm traveling. If you're on vacation. Beach.

unknown 49:09

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 49:10

Uh best moment of your career so far.

SPEAKER_03 49:13

Best moment. I'd say I'd say probably my first my first season uh pro. I've never been known for uh a guy who scores a lot of goals, and for the some reason that year the puck was going in the net and um it was nice to contribute offensively as well as uh other ways in my game. Uh what is your go-to karaoke song? God, I was just singing earlier. I was just singing. I had one at Kiwis earlier in the year, their first weekend. I don't remember it.

SPEAKER_02 49:46

Uh you never do.

SPEAKER_03 49:51

Probably some song by Cher or something. Like Love it. I thought you were gonna ask me to sing after. No, no, it's okay.

SPEAKER_02 49:58

Uh do you prefer the devil's red, white, black, or green jerseys this year?

SPEAKER_03 50:04

I I like the I like the red, full red.

SPEAKER_02 50:08

Um favorite sport to play outside of hockey? Or watch kind of yeah, what interests you outside of the end.

SPEAKER_03 50:16

I you it used to be golf. I'd say now uh mountain moun bike, I'd say is uh my favorite uh sport. I mean it's just you're you're working out in working out in nature, and I'm a big nature guy, so you kind of combine those two. It's it's that for me. What is your go-to coffee order?

SPEAKER_02 50:35

Uh Cortado. Uh, who's the best player you've played with and then against in your career?

SPEAKER_03 50:44

I think uh Mike Matheson, when we were midget triple A, defensive for Canadians, he was just so much better than everyone. He would he's he would catch guys skating backwards. So I think at that point, I I just remember knowing at that point, okay, this this player is gonna play in the NHL. So I I like to answer uh Mike Matheson for that. And then with uh I remember I remember watching uh Michelli. I think he's a part of the Utah Mammoth now. I was with him in Tucson. Um him and Michael Kirconi on the par play. It was like uh uh it was a uh a lefty Michelli passing to a lefty one-timer Carconian. There's no there's a reason why they're both in the NHL now. I just remember being amazed as of of those two.

SPEAKER_02 51:34

Do you have any fears or phobias? Ketchup. Ketchup, interesting.

SPEAKER_03 51:38

We've not had that one. Why ketchup? What is it about ketchup? Any condiment, really. I think no any condiment. And I'm I'm glad I'm saying this earlier later in the season because I know some fans would show ketchup bottles, so I actually wouldn't have answered that if the season was if we still had, because I I would have had ketchup bottles in my stall next to you, you know. So that makes a nice change from snakes, anyway. Yeah, oh yeah. Uh, your favorite movie? This is a terrible one, but night night at the roxbury.

SPEAKER_02 52:07

I grew up watching that movie, so uh big night out or quiet night in.

SPEAKER_03 52:14

Very situational, but I'm gonna go uh I'm gonna go night out with some with some friends that I that I enjoy.

SPEAKER_02 52:21

Love it, love it. And the final question if you could change one rule in hockey or one thing about hockey, if you're in charge for a day, what are you changing?

SPEAKER_03 52:30

I am changing I'm I'm changing probably the I was gonna I was gonna say back-to-back games, but I that's not true. I don't mind them. Um probably something something about uh protective gear. Like I I just I hate seeing stuff go wrong on the ice in terms of injuries. I'm I mean there's I was trying to think of a rule or something, but if there's uh some protective um measures in terms of uh equipment that that would prevent guys from getting serious injuries, and it would probably add those into our game. Oh, good stuff.

SPEAKER_02 53:15

We've not had we've not had that answer either. So yeah, right. That is your 20 questions, and that is all we have for you tonight. Sadie, thank you so much for coming down and chatting to us. It's been an absolute pleasure, and uh best luck with the rest of the season, and I hope you enjoy more of that sun while it's there.

SPEAKER_03 53:27

Yeah, thanks for having me, guys.

SPEAKER_02 53:29

Big thank you to Cedric Lacroix for coming down and chatting to us, a thoroughly fascinating guy, a guy, guys, who growing up in a hockey family seems to have a very different sort of experience of it. You know, you you when we chatted to Polini and he talked about his dad and they would it felt a lot more settled. Whereas when you chatted to Saddy, there were you know, like you said, he moved around a lot, 25 different places in your life is a hell of a lot of moving.

SPEAKER_01 53:51

Yeah, that looked, you know, like I said to him at six years old to land in Newcastle with uh you know, especially in 1999 when you you know Alan Shearer is the uh the talk of the world of football, and uh, you know, it's just uh a wonderful place to live. I've uh got a friend whose dad is a is a Jordi and made a few trips to Newcastle to uh experience the hospitality in this always a warm welcome. So, you know, just to have those kind of experiences at such a young age is uh is something he's really lucky uh to have done. And I I felt like he was very grateful for them.

SPEAKER_02 54:23

Yeah, Franny, a guy as well who is very passionate about hockey, I think, is probably the fairiest way to say it. It just enjoys the fact that he's been presented with a chance in life to go visit places, to you know, travel, to play the game he enjoys and maybe not have a conventional job, as it were.

SPEAKER_00 54:37

Yeah, you can see how grateful he is for the opportunity to um meet lots of new people, uh experience lots of new places. And you know, I I found it fascinating for him to talk about the uh the differences in the experience with being up on the Alps and on his mountain bike or being in the city in Cardiff and, you know, getting the best out of whatever situation and whatever city he's in.

SPEAKER_02 55:00

Yeah, thoroughly lovely bloke, and thank you again to him for coming on. We are gonna chat, like I said a little bit earlier, about the playoffs now. We're into playoff week quarter finals this weekend. And what we're gonna do is run through each tie. We're not just gonna preview the devils, we're gonna preview all four ties, and we're gonna chat through who we think are gonna make it through to playoff finals weekend. And I might even ask you who thinks gonna how they're gonna get on next weekend as well. But we're gonna start with uh the Sheffield Steelers against the Guild for Flames, fourth and fifth in the league. So coming into this head-to-head, the Devil, that's right, the Steelers have a five and one record against the Guild for Flames. However, the Guild for Flames probably the hottest team in the league right now. And if you look back through the uh the form book, over the last 20 games of the league's uh season, only one team has a better record than the Guild for Flames, and that is the Belfast Giants, the the league winners. So um, Gaz, I think we're set up for a really interesting couple of games.

SPEAKER_01 55:50

We are. Um I've been thinking about this game a lot, strangely. I yes, I was looking through the the the notes coming up to the podcast and things. I think this is uh quite a pivotal uh uh game for Paul Dixon and the Flames because it is set up for them uh to take this out. Uh and uh uh if they don't, uh uh then I'm not questioning that Paul Dixon shouldn't, you know, should go or anything like that. He's he's embedded in the flames, and you know, he the way he's turned around this season is commendable, but I think there's a tipping point at the moment between the Flames achieving and not achieving and sort of reaching a potential, let's say, and I think they need to get this playoff weekend to kind of build for next year. I think if they go out again at this stage against a Sheffield team that is low on confidence, and let's make no mistake about it, they are. Um I think it's it's bigger because I think if they they don't do it now, there there's maybe a slight bit of a stigma around the flames that they they they never quite go that extra that that extra bit despite having the talent in their roster. So for me, they they they should win the tie over the weekend, um, but I think it'll be a bit of an in-quest if they don't.

SPEAKER_02 57:12

It's interesting, Franny. You look at Sheffield, horrible form leading up to this weekend. Then they go and beat Glasgow 8-1, albeit a Glasgow side which sat a few guys, and and and so it's probably not representative, and then they lose in overtime on the Sunday. I don't know what to make of the students because if I'm on if I'm honest with you, it wouldn't surprise me if they turn around and win the playoffs, just completely out of the blue, because it's just the kind of thing that they do. But every bit of evidence in front of my eyes right now tells me that the Flames as and the form they're in and the way they're playing, and the fact that they are finally generally injury-free, having had a horrible time early season with injuries. This should be a Flames win.

SPEAKER_00 57:51

On current form, yeah. I mean, I'm looking at it now, and you mentioned the last 20 games. In the last 15, Guildford are the form team in the country. That's a that's a big chunk of the season. 15 last 15 games, they've got an 80% win record, which would be enough to win you the league. Uh, Sheffield, by contrast, are down in sixth place in the form in the last 15 games. So on form, you got to favour the flames, but by reputation, Steelers bring themselves back into it. And like you say, Gaz and and Dan. Um you never know with the Steelers. And I think this tie is pivotal to the whole playoff weekend. If the Steelers come through this one, you know, the if they beat the form team, the Guildford Flames, out, that means they rediscovered their own form. They go into the playoffs a different animal than if they you know had beaten somebody else on the back of good run of form. Um, so the fact I I think it's set up bothly for nice uh sorry, nicely for both teams. So Guildford will be feeling great about themselves, they'll also be looking at um Sheffield, probably scouting them against us and seeing that they look disinterested. They will want to jump all over that.

SPEAKER_02 59:07

I think as well, an underrated maybe narrative in this as well, because you talked about um Paul Dixon and his place in Guildford and what that kind of thing is. This reminds me a lot of the Steelers side that went up to Dundee and got knocked out three, four seasons ago, the year before the Grand Slam, I think it was. And there were similar things being talked about back then. Does Fox keep his job through the summer? Will he be there next year? They go out and and things come crashing down. And I remember being at that playoffs, and the biggest rumour was that Aaron Fox had been sacked and that it was it was done. Obviously, he goes on the following year to win the Grand Slam, and things are very changed now in how we look at that. But if the Steelers lose this and the way we've seen Fox talk over the past few weeks, the way that the players have seemingly kind of down tools as well, all of a sudden maybe there's question marks around Fox and what he does next season. Because I suspect he's probably in a position where they'll want him, but does he then want to stay?

SPEAKER_01 1:00:04

Yeah, it's he's a very, very long-serving coach in Sheffield, and you know, I think sometimes people have the perception that that Sheffield don't stick by their coaches for very long, but I think that's a a kind of older view. If you look at look, Dave Matsos was there for a long time, Paul Thompson was there uh for a long time, and now Aaron Fox has really put his stamp uh on that club, and it feels like an Aaron Fox club, doesn't it? They feel very uh together, so but there's definitely a disconnect somewhere between that organization if we had whether it's the players and the coach, whether it's the coach and but then there's just something that's not quite I don't know, it doesn't feel very unified uh at the moment. So I I think that will be a discussion around this weekend, but I I'm kind of uh piggyback on Franny's opinion when he says, you know, that's you know, Sheffield on reputation, this is what they do. You look at the CHL last year, they weren't great in the league, but they go to Europe and all of a sudden it's like they you know a DL or Finnish league team taking things out. So you've just got to be so careful. I think I think the debrief of this game is gonna be a lot easier than the prediction.

SPEAKER_00 1:01:19

Yeah, and you just look at the cards that Sheffield got in their deck. I mean, starting at the back end, Matt Greenfield, he's been there, done it, you know, been league MVP. You know, on his day, he hasn't he hasn't had the season that he would have wanted to follow up from his previous couple, but on his day, you know, you know, he is right up there with the goalies in this league. You know, on the back end, guys like Dominic Cormier, um, and then up front, I mean Balmas, we talk about all the time, he's head and shoulders the top forward in the league this year, and then you've got the experience of the likes of Nick Ritchie, who started off on fire, you know, he maybe had a bit of a sort of plateau. But when you've got two-game series or four games to win a championship, you know, guys like that can easily wake themselves up. You've got the experience to do it. Um, you know, a Balmas, we talked about the you know, the downside of him and sometimes his temperament gets the better of him, but he's an exceptional hockey player, he's a playoff hockey player, isn't he? Um, so you know, they've got guys in there that still on the team from the the Grand Slam year. The captain Robert Dowd has has won it so many times, he'll be galvanizing the troops, and they all know it's four games. So, you know, as much as form favors Sheffield and um you know, and they'll be kind of licking their lips at what they see as a wounded Steelers, you know, the Steelers will be looking to draw themselves together and have a push for four games.

SPEAKER_02 1:02:45

Okay then. One word, Kaz, who wins? Guilford, Franny. Sheffield. I think the Steelers just so there you go. Two to one on the Steelers. We'll move on. The second one we're gonna look at the Panthers against the Storm, Nottingham, Manchester. Nottingham finished third in the league. The Storm finished sixth after they missed out on the or they got jumped on the last day by the Flames. Another interesting tie, I think. You know, you you you look at these two teams, Nottingham disappointed me with how the season ended. After the cup final, they were three and four, so they're the losing record in the seven games that followed that that Challenge Cup win, but they won a trophy. So they've been there and they've done it this season. They've won two, yeah, of course, with the Continental Cup as well. Manchester come in, having again had an inconsistent end to the year.

SPEAKER_01 1:03:27

However, playoff style hockey is is almost built for the kind of thing that they bring, as yeah, they are, and uh, you know, Danny Stewart was probably a bit brave actually talking about um tiredness uh in in the game at the Sunday because going into Manchester, that's that's a war. That's that is uh got war all over it. So if you are tired, you need to get that out of your system pretty quick, and you need to pretty much outlast that game going into the the next night because that's the the hangover of it, I think, is is how you recover um from that close contact rink with uh well we've seen what happens between those two teams, don't we, when uh a flashpoint happens from last Saturday. Uh that was real big blue tent vibes going on uh there uh in Adram. The only thing I would say is I think you've just got more match winners uh in the in the Panthers team, and you know that's no disrespect to to Manchester. They they've got some some great forwards, but I just think there's at least all guys I can think of on the top of my head who when the chips are down and and have that chance that you need in in the you know big moments in games will execute and can execute. So I I think for me that that is the the difference, the balance in this one.

SPEAKER_00 1:04:48

See, I think this is the draw that Manchester would have wanted. Um if there if if you think about when we've played Nottingham, we've got a good record against them this year, they've probably been the games when we've played at our feistiest, and you know, with the biggest chip on our shoulder, and physical and do you remember that first game up in Nottingham where um there was a uh there's a bit of a slew foot, and then Helge and Brent kind of grabbed guys from the bench, and that spurred us into life. And even the comeback recently, where um we ended up going to the shootout and losing about that game up there. But Helgey had a fight with Tetlow, and um, and I think Tetlow aside the Achilles heel for Nottingham is they've got lots of skill, but they haven't got maybe as much grit as you think from a Danny Stewart team. And when you match that up against Sheffield, sorry, against Manchester, who have got grit in abundance uh and like to use it and have the smallest ice pad in the league, and the injuries are just building up on Nottingham. So you've got their captain, Alfaro, out for the year. You we don't know about um Garratt the defenceman who's been a revelation since he signed you. I think he's brilliant. Um, he hasn't hit the ice in a in a number of weeks.

SPEAKER_02 1:06:11

I'm hearing that Harris is Harris and Vulcan are the two that picked up injuries on the weekend.

SPEAKER_00 1:06:15

So hearing Harris is out for definite. Vulcan sustained an injury in the fight with Halgi. I mean, yeah, I'll give him uh I'll give him a stick tap for sticking up for his teammate, but not the smartest thing to do against, you know, it's a mismatch in size, and I think he got hurt in it. So maybe he does come back with uh the face cage on or whatever, but again, that's not the place you want to go into Manchester with uh with an injury like he's got. So those injuries are mounting up, and yes, they've still got some absolute match winners, the Fossiers, the Pearsons, um Doherty. Doherty, yeah. Uh second top scorer in the league. They have got some amazing pieces, but they are starting to get diluted down by those injuries all at the wrong time. Um, they have got great goaltending. I mean, Grande hasn't been the goalie that he was last year when he absolutely stole games for them. I think they'll go with Kevin Carr, who you know, we've seen the brilliance of Kevin Carr, but um, you know, it's uh I like I say, I think this is the tie that Manchester would have picked out of the line.

SPEAKER_02 1:07:20

Yeah, and it's the one that I think it's close between the uh Steelers Guildford and then this one, the one that's most likely to maybe throw up the lower seed going through. Having said that, I think it's perfectly possible that all four lower seeds could come out of this weekend and in playoff final weekend, and what a weekend that would be if they did. But um, I okay, we're gonna hold you to an opinion each send. Gaz, who's going through? Nottingham. Franny. Manchester. I like the storm. Yeah, I'm gonna go the storm as well. So that one we've gone storm. We'll move on to the Giants and the clan now. And this is another interesting one because I think you look at the the head-to-head between the two this season, Belfast by far and away the better team, five-and-one. Ironically, actually, the higher seeded team in all four ties has a five-and-one record against the lower-seeded team coming into the playoffs. Lovely stuff. However, as we know, the phone book kind of gets thrown out the window when you when you come to this time of the season. And uh, yeah, it's interesting because the the Giants, obviously, you do naturally slightly take your foot off the gas after you win a league title. Having said that, you know, you think of the the 7-4 game against Coventry midweek uh the night the Devils beat the Steelers. That looked like champions playing like champions do, so it's hard to say. Glasgow, I find it a little bit tougher maybe to see them getting through this. And the reason I say that is I I think that they are a very solid team, the clan. And if you look at the, you know, uh, as we've talked about the form book a lot, you know, over the last 10 games they are five and five. Interestingly, though, they have not won or lost more than one in a row, the whole thing. It's win-loss, win-loss all the way through for the last 10, interestingly. So they are so inconsistent, it's hard to tell. But also, I I was kind of put out a little bit by them and the way they approached that Sheffield game on the Saturday, you know, not icing a full lineup, three lines of forwards that night. I kind of just sat there and thought, why, when you're chasing the Blaze and you might put yourself in a position to not have to play the Giants, would you and again we don't know injuries might be injuries, but why would you be in that position or why would you put yourself in that position? Because it seems like a very strange approach.

SPEAKER_01 1:09:20

I I thought it was strange. We we heard quite early on on Saturday before uh we went live with with our game against the Blaze that Glasgow were gonna sit a lot of guys. I just worry about that. If it were the devils to do that, I think sometimes it's very hard to flip a switch, and you know, you you've got loads of guys out, then all of a sudden you're trying to flood them back in, and you know, are they really up to speed when you when you do that? Um, but you know, my Mike Saran will know a lot more about his team uh than we do. So on that basis, if you're a Clan fan, you kind of want to trust him. Um the wrinkle in this tie is that Glasgow are the the home seat the home tie second, um, which usually isn't the case. Um so if they can keep it tight on the Saturday, then you're going into your your home rink with your home fans, and that can be a complete different uh proposition, can't it? So that's the wrinkle for me in this. It's all about keeping tight in that first leg. If it's two goals or more, I I I think that um that that's a bit too much. But uh they've they've got something to really aim for there, I think.

SPEAKER_00 1:10:32

Yeah, I mean I I generally think that Belfast got too much for Glasgow. Um, but what will be interesting, uh and one of my frustrations in the year, so I think the backstory behind it, is that when Glasgow went into Belfast so many times, they almost gave up that game. It was typically the first game of the weekend. They would go in, and uh Brian got lots of starts, and that's not a knock on him at all because he's a fantastic young British British goalie, but he's not Sammy Aitcalio. So they were almost going into that away game in Belfast in the league, resting up Aitcaglio for a home win, and this time I assume Aitcalio will get both starts, and he is a fantastic goalie, he really is. I mean, he's in a Finnish elite league goalie, and uh we've seen his brilliance firsthand. So we to me we haven't really seen what Glasgow have been like in Belfast because when the coach puts in a lineup like that, it's bound to have an impact on the rest of the players, thinking, well, the coach doesn't believe we're gonna win this one. And Brian, to be you know, to be fair, he took them to a couple you know, a few one-goal games in Belfast, he did his part, but just the subconscious thing about you're not starting number one against the number one team in the country. Um, I thought that was poor. Um, so it'll be interesting to see what happens when they do because if they can stay tight in that first leg, then you know they're gonna come into their home rink with the belief. But I still think that Belfast have the championship mentality to overcome Glasgow over the both legs.

SPEAKER_02 1:12:08

Yeah, and what we could see for a second year in a row is a a mid-season uh netminder signing coming up big for a potentially playoff winning team. You know, last year Grande came in and did the job for the Panthers. This year Kupsky's gone into to Belfast and been a revelation there. And you know, if you're gonna ride the hot hand, you look at his record, 11 wins out of 14, two shutouts, a 9-18 save percentage. That kind of numbers will power you to a good playoff run. So, yeah, the the netminding approach to the this tie is really interesting as well. I I think I agree with Franny. This is probably one where the Giants have just that little bit too much. You think of your conways you're picking it, which is the guys who have come up big this year, and uh I think we're we're we're probably close to a Kawaguchi spree as well, because he he tends to score in bunches. So, yeah, I I um you know, if if we're gonna run through it again, Gaz, who's you pick? Belfast. Franny Belfast. Yeah, we're unanimous on that one. Belfast through two winners weekend. So that leaves us with the final tie now, and that is, of course, the Devils against the Blaze. And probably the one that I don't know what we're gonna get in terms of quality from this weekend. You know, I expect the Devils will continue on with what they've had. But like we've seen, the Blaze set out to frustrate the Devils, they sit, they set out to kind of break them down and slow them down, and and across two legs, all of a sudden, you know, they do that in the first game in the Sky Dome on Saturday, similar to what they did uh a couple of weeks ago, where they maybe have a period where they they they could just get the devils, you know, and and and then surprise them a little bit. We have a tie on our hands here, don't we?

SPEAKER_01 1:13:36

It's a it's a fantastic tie. And I think for me, out of all of the the the bottom seeds, Coventry for me had the best depth across the lineup. I think if you look at someone like Pelek who dropped into that that third unit, I I think you know they they've got uh a pretty deep roster, and you know, Talberg will hope would they think now be coming back as a forward if they can get everyone fit at the back, or please for the from their perspective, Sorcerman comes back in. And I just think that that they are they are really good across all three to four lines, and um that's where the hard work comes in. Whoever work win works the hardest wins this this weekend for me.

SPEAKER_00 1:14:19

Yeah, I mean Coventry have been the hardest team for me to work out this year because you know they make a cup final, they put a great shurin' up in Belfast for that, they go on that 11-game winning streak and they look superb. They finish in seventh spot. It's you know, it doesn't kind of compute. Um, and the games that we've had against them, apart from maybe one or two, have been tight. We saw on the weekend they were missing Sorcerman, um, missing somebody else, but it was a 2-1 game. And you know, they've also got Matt Robson who is a very, very good goalie. Um, so it one one thing you you always know about the playoff matchups, there's never anyone runs away with it, is there? Very rarely. I mean, we've seen Belfast go through, I think, a couple of years on on a shootout against the the bottom seeds. Um, you know, it's uh it's a very uh leveling experience going into the playoffs because all your frustrations about your form in the league, apart from Belfast that is, um, you know, you can put that behind you. You there's a lot of learning lessons. Um, you know, and we heard from Sadie earlier when he was talking about um if you fail at something, you learn from it. And well, there's nine teams that have failed to win the league, so there will be learning lessons for for those teams on what to do. Um, and you know, Coventry, they've got an interesting mix, they've got the you know the younger, hungry players, they've got the veterans like the Pellex and the Sorcerans, and um, you know, good goaltending Robson. Um, so they've got a nice mix, they've got guys that are new to the league, they've got guys that have been in the league before, like a mismash and barijah. Um, yeah, that I mean they're they're a really good team on their day. So I the whole season with the Devils, I've felt it is in the Devil's hands, whichever game they're playing, whether it's Belfast, down to five. I felt it's in the Devil's hands. And if the Devils play the Devil's way, that makes us good with that bit of grit, that bit of a chip, you know, the physicality, the relentlessness, all those things that we saw, you know, when we were talking early on about the Cardiff Bay bullies, um, and then you know, we ended that way, didn't we, in Nottingham by going out shot out of a cannon and playing that style. But when it's in our hands and the devils play that way, then more than a match for anyone.

SPEAKER_01 1:16:48

Just to expand on your point about you know learning from failure, um our losses against the Blaze came mostly in that challenge cup run, uh, where we didn't make the semi-final. And let's hope that Sadie, Lacroix, and ourselves are right in learning from failure, and we take that kind of hurts as well, of not kind of representing ourselves maybe the way that we should have in that competition into this because this is a very similar situation going in up against the Blaze. You've got two games uh to see it through. So uh yeah, let's uh learn a little bit from that figure sim. But I think we also have to take some time to talk about positives as well.

SPEAKER_02 1:17:30

Yeah, I think that's a very good point, and I'm gonna come on to this now. And it is uh for the Devils, it is a positive at the minute. For me, this tie hinges probably most of all on special teams. Kevin Moore said after the game on Saturday, he thought that that game was decided by special teams. Well, the game the week before in the Skydown was definitely decided by that with the power play goals. This is what it comes down to, and and Devils get a couple of power play goals again this weekend. They're still, I mean, there were two power play goals from seven opportunities this weekend just gone. So, you know, sort of high 20s, early 30s in terms of percentage number, obviously a smaller sample size. But uh, you look at the power play through March, 37, 38%. We've talked about it a lot. That's coming alive. The penalty kill generally has been very good for the Devils throughout the season as well. I I said on debrief as well about how that five-minute kill at the end will, I think, count for something come next weekend. And then, you know, we weren't sure at the time if it was going to be Coventry, but now we know it is. And yeah, for me, that's gonna be the thing that decides this is who's the better disciplined team, and when you do get your special teams talents, because they you know, we know that there's gonna be some calls, you've got to use them wisely, Franny.

SPEAKER_00 1:18:33

Yeah, it again, I mean, there's lots of factors, aren't they? In the playoffs, we have seen years gone by that the referees put the whistles away, which is great, but you can't rely on that. So you've got to really tread that line carefully. You've got to be physical, relentless, but with the discipline that goes with it. You can't get involved in too many of the scrums after the whistle, you can't let your emotions um run away with you. You have to stay in control of those emotions and use them positively. So, yeah, I mean, that there's lots of factors. It's gonna be a brilliant, um, a brilliant tie. Um, we always bring amazing traveling support to the Skydome. And yeah, I just want to say that the Vindico has been absolutely superb, especially in this last sort of four or five weeks. It's been, you know, you talk about that kind of six men on the ice. Um, it it has been that, you know, the crowd have been great, and the players have talked all about it and how much it gets them going. And you know, it's one more big shout at the Vindico here um to get behind the team to uh hopefully get us through to a Nottingham weekend.

SPEAKER_01 1:19:41

Yeah, I just for me when I I look at this over the past few weeks, I see someone on each line who's rolling at the moment. Pellini on that third unit, you got um Kontos who's on that point streak on that second, and Joey in the last couple of weeks and you know, for the last decade, has uh been on a on a roll uh on that top line, and I think collectively our fourth line unit has looked really good as well. So, you know, I it's kind of jumping on the bank of friends, but it's in our hands if we if we play the way we can. Uremko coming back in a couple of weeks ago when Barrow was confirmed to be out. I was sat here really questioning whether that was uh you know a big dent into our player hopes, and then your remko's come back in to the side and really filled that gap uh that the the Barrow left and and has been a revelation, is looking fit, is looking fluid. Um so yeah, it it's gonna be a fantastic 120 minutes, maybe more, of uh hockey between these two teams, but a lot of optimism from me uh about uh our chances of making that final weekend, and I think everyone else should have that optimism, but it ain't gonna be easy.

SPEAKER_02 1:20:55

No, it's not. Guys, pick your winner, devils. Franny.

SPEAKER_00 1:21:00

I I hate picking on uh predicting on devil's game, so you know what I'm gonna say.

SPEAKER_02 1:21:06

Yeah, and I'll I'll make that three. It's it's it's a nervy three, but it's a three nonetheless. So there they're our picks for the quarterfinal ties. It's gonna be a fantastic weekend of elite league hockey. It's really the crescendo to what has already been a great season for the league this year, I feel. And uh, as we head into the quarterfinals, like I said, anyone can win it from here. Anyone can get through to playoff finals weekend. So let's see how that goes. Guys, that's everything from the show tonight. Thank you so much for you both. Huge thank you to Cedric LaCoir for coming down. What a wonderful bloke he is. Thank you, Jeff, for listening at home as well. That is near enough one of our final episodes of the season. So we're winding down. We're we're we're not done though. Don't worry. We'll have a we'll have episodes next week and into the couple of weeks after the playoffs, I suspect, as well. But yeah, that's all for tonight. Thank you so much for listening wherever you are, and we really appreciate it. We will see you very soon. Good night. Thank you very much once again to our sponsor, Minerva Hearing, for today's podcast. And remember, Minerva Hearing, hear the cheers, protect your ears.