No Team Is Safe

If you haven't already yet the latest 32 thoughts blog Elliot you had that out Somewhere in between it's good to know that you at least had your laptop with you. Yeah Yeah, no power with the laptop. Yes Well, your power was in a different bag Yes, because I When I'm taking I don't want all the cords around my bag So my laptop charger unless I'm going on like an overseas flight. I put it in my I pack it That is wild. Oh, it's not wild. That's like nothing No, I especially Your line of work. That's uh, I am shocked. I never would have guessed that what do you mean my line of work? Well, how often you are on devices your big devices guy And the devices need power Welcome to 32 thoughts the podcast presented by your Canadian Toyota dealers and the 100% Electric BZ available now during red tag day Shramati Friedman Bukaskis back with you Elliot is out in Dom country On the west coast and we define and fire up an old BC TV satruck Just so Elliot could record here on this Thursday night I think on the Canucks for kids fun telethon He was wearing a an old suit that once belonged to the legendary Tony Parsons It was a scramble for Elliot's here today. So bring us up to speed. How was your Thursday? What how happened? It was one of those rough travel days and a lot of people have had them lately It's been carnage at some of these airports in the United States If you've been following the news Unfortunately my flight out of Palm Beach got delayed. I missed my first connection. I got on a later connection from Denver to Vancouver but my bag Did not make it so I had to go and First of all when I got to the hotel Melissa who was working the front desk She was a godsend. She was able to get me a toothbrush some deodorant a razor That was able to take care of that stuff for me and to be perfectly honest for the rest of humanity Kyle I was able to work for them and for you. I think that's right scrounge those things together So I could have some level of cleanliness But I did not have clothes For the show You know someone said well, why didn't you wear a suit on the plane? I'm like I'm traveling for eight hours I'm not wearing a suit on the plane anyway You know Jack Victor is our clothing sponsor and there's a store here in Vancouver not far from our hotel on Hornby Street on Hornby Street Brash's Taylor and Michael Brascha who's the son of the owner and founder Mike He helped me pick out a new jacket shirts pair shoes pair of pants and Hamid Akon Zata was the tailor who did the alterations in a couple hours so I had the suit ready for the show on Thursday night, they were a godsend and to be honest they did such a good job. I Normally, I'm extremely sexy today. I was sexier than ever Kyle. That's how good the clothing was they put together for me I always want to show a Russell. He was another one of the people working at the store, but the group at Brash's Taylor They saved my bacon with a really nice combination for the Canucks telethon on Thursday night You know, I did want to shout out. It was it was a rough game for Vancouver Tampa dominated they got up for nothing on the way to winning 6-2 Kucharov had another great night. The team as a whole was tremendous but The Knock Nation once again, it was approaching $400,000 when I left the building That night they were fantastic as they always are and I wanted to shout out one fan I met a Cameron Nicholson a young man who was in Vancouver From Nova Scotia. He was training with Perry Keane who was a Vander's dad And I met him and took a picture with him at the game and I wanted to shout him out really nice kid Excellent nice stuff. Yeah, I saw it like it looked like a great great event as it always is every year Young Spencer Moore who I know was featured throughout the show doing the starting lineup beforehand phenomenal Like he talked about I can only imagine Being that age going into an NHL dresser and reading out the starting lineup He nailed it Confidence the connection behind his voice. Anyway, so beautiful. He interviewed me Before like at 5 30 local about a little over an hour before it went on air I was sweating by the end of the interview. He was asking some really good probing questions He could he could teach you a little bit about sideline reporting Kyle. I think and also years And all yes, you should be and also I wanted to shout out Olivia McDonald who co-hosted with me and Put it this way. I'd rather have her future than my past. That's for sure. She's going to go very far In this in this business. It was you know, I It was hosting that telethon That that that can ox for kids foundation does Really incredible work. They have You meet the families that have benefited from whether it's The conox autism fund or the children's cancer hospice They're they're a young hockey program There's so many things they do that are really good and it's an honor to be a part of it Yes, and after that bit that was put out there with you and patrick alvin once again hitting home the fact that indeed You are best off the cuff No scripts Leave the strips at home Let me just say this too alvin like normally I've done some of these things before with nhl executives and um Let's just say many of them are slightly wooden Alvin did not have that problem. He was he was he was nailing it on quick takes. He did a great job Really good job. So Before we get to the finish all this tom foolery and actually get to the podcast uh Kyle, where are you right now? And just so everybody knows It is We are doing this podcast. It is 2 a.m. Eastern time Friday morning. Where are you? Yeah, so i'm in Ottawa now Battle of uh, ontarios this weekend on hockey night in canada. Yeah, we left each other Left florida first time in thinking all my years coming to florida for game gm meetings bo g you name it Back to back days with zero sunshine It was incredible. Anyway, so you left wednesday. I left thursday. I am in the hallway of our hotel Because as you know, i'm traveling with my family this week So wife and baby are fast asleep and have been for quite some time I no longer have the out to come and crash in your room because we're now on opposite ends of the country So you can't do that anymore. I'm with my closest friends In the big hallway of the hotel an area that's quiet that's not being bombarded by lobby music And we're gonna get through this together awesome. Yeah one way or another elliot. This is like It feels every night now For the last while and it really has picked up In intensity as we've talked about as the games seemingly feel more impactful and the nights like thursday where there were A lot of games on the calendar. I mean you start in the eastern conference outside of carolina and I guess Buffalo now too with the way they keep winning everybody else. It's like no one is safe You have one bad week and suddenly you could be in trouble with teams Nipping at your heels and things start to get clenched once again, but elliot waking up friday morning The columbus blue jackets are in a playoff spot Not just a playoff spot, but third in their Division the day they made the coaching change and brought in rick bonus They were tied for last in the east along with ottawa. They were seven points out of the playoffs. They have gotten 17 two and four since They are in third in the metro division as of this recording. You know what kyle? The playoffs have already started technically the stanley cup playoffs don't begin until april 18th But a month earlier The post season is already underway So rick bonus Has coached 23 games With the columbus blue jackets this year bruce budrow Won the jack adams award With the washington capitals In a year he coached 61 games Okay All right, so we know rick can get in there. Okay, so columbus We were talking about this the other day about How many good contenders there are for the jack adams? Columbus has 14 games left if they get in and you know what columbus could like their one point back of pittsburgh They could in theory finish second in their division Can rick bonus when the jack adams award? Coaching 37 games in a season now. I don't have a vote for that one mean either I don't know like it unless there's something in the small print that we're not aware of I don't think there's any rule that says no he cannot not as far as I know feel You need at least half It's quite a precedent If he wins the coach of the year coaching 37 games anyway But but now let me ask you if you had a vote Would you vote for him? Would you put him on your ballot? I would have no problem putting him on my ballot to me right now like it's it would be a real thorough process for me between dan muse and and probably john cooper not lindy ah Like I yeah Why do you hate buffalo? I don't I was just there. We were talking glowingly about them. Yes, but you said you couldn't you really enjoyed it when it was in your rearview mirror I'm actually going there on tuesday. Oh, yeah, okay I can't wait to hear What they say to you and you show up at the rake Um after the things I heard a week ago. Oh, I bet so And I was anyway, it's it's a great question. Could you vote for rick bonus? Especially if columbus finishes second division 37 games could he win coach the year anyway? Like I said the playoffs are underway it is started and you know where a perfect example of it is is that You know a guy like andrew cop rushes back And has a big play Well before he's his timeline says he's supposed to be playing right? But that's the kind of stuff that happens in the post season guys say You know what I don't care. I'm playing Um, you know if you look at a lot of these games and I'll be honest on thursday night I didn't get a chance to watch a ton But you look at all of the games That had playoff ramifications the only one That was really lopsided well, there were two the bruins pumped the jets six one but senators islanders close canadians red wings close Crackin predators close and I mean I guess utah boy The golden nights in gold this year, you know Please tell me again that the golden nights never even thought of looking at a gold tender at the deadline Flyers king shootout to me the one that was really disappointing this night was panthers oilers yes And yes, particularly if you're an edmonton fan. Yes. I like I like I think that's one of those games that And I've I've lit enough fires in edmonton for a little bit of time But if I bought a ticket to that game, I would be really frustrated Now I saw there were some people who were unhappy about what knob lock said after the game that he You know, he didn't rip his team I think that to me that's a night where knob lock is like i'm not pouring gasoline on the fire Like sometimes you have to rip your team and sometimes you have to be critical But you can't do it all the time And there's there's moments where you have to say i'm not making this worse And to me knob lock this night said i'm not making this worse. It's bad enough. Everybody can see it You know, everyone's disappointed and i'm not contributing to that But I would say of all the games played on thursday night that one had to be The most disappointing like florida is not florida right now They're they're really beaten up the the toll of the last three years is catching up to them They're you know, they're not going to make the playoffs this year And you know, but that doesn't matter like your fans still see Those guys in that uniform and they're they want to see some passion And they didn't get it. I will say this the really nice thing I thought about that particular game Was mike benning So mike is matt's younger brother matt who plays for the marlowe for the marlies Is it will be 32 in may he's played four hundred sixty five games mike is 24 And that was the fourth game of his nhl career in his first multi-point game. He had two assists Um against the oilers and that's a home game for him basically that was a massive night For mike benning, but if you're an oiler fan You're looking at that game and you're saying uh, that's not the guy from edmonton We wanted to see have a big night great for benning and his family pretty awesome but You know, it'll be interesting because edmonton's our late game on hockey night on saturday night against tampa And uh, you know tampa is a bit of a buzz saw I mean that's I mean, I can't believe that division Uh, like just vegas and the oilers Just floundering right now It's crazy and the ducks are leading the way with a negative goal differential Nikita kutra by the way 96 points in his last 46 games. Yeah, it's it's ridiculous He is unconscious. It's ridiculous. He like had three points. You're like, all right, barely He's just it just happens like I'm barely even noticed I don't know. You were busy in vancouver on thursday night, but uh, Like blink and you could miss it. By the way, elliot sports net stats pointed out The oilers have not won a game this year in the 12 games that connor mc david has failed to record a point I know they did get shut out here on thursday, but it's like as if mc david doesn't find the score sheet It's as good as them getting shut out. It seems you know, but that that doesn't you know Obviously, that's not a good number Like I have to say the fact that didn't get a point It doesn't concern me as much as Just they kind of Went through the motions a bit, right? Like again, I couldn't see all of it But the stuff I did see and the stuff I read It was a really flat performance You know, I I think the other big storyline In this particular night was was brady kichak bank time and You know I Someone said to me watch travis green from the pregame So I found a couple minutes and I watched it And I don't know about you kyle, but It was almost like green Like I got the impression That green had maybe gone to kichak And either asked them You know, hey, are you all right or what's going on here? but Like it tell me if i'm nuts, but it gave me the impression that green had talked to kichak And either said something to him or chatted with him And was kind of like am I missing something here like What's happening with you? Is there something going on like what's up? Yeah, and it was very clear in the post game aleat that That in fact did happen like some sort of heart to heart between the coach and player which is not unusual Like I think green is the guy that would kind of routinely when he sees fit checks it not just on his captain But all of his players When he finds that the time would be right to to do so but certainly I mean, you know Sends fans and and those would have watched the the wednesday game against washington And and even kichak admitted after the fact like that wasn't his best He didn't have his legs and he also kind of conceded after the game here thursday that I mean he hasn't felt the best after The whole olympic experience obviously the the high of winning the whole thing and then as he pointed out You know shortly thereafter that play the one game at home And then they come to toronto and then the whole trip out west and just the constant changing of time zones And you know, I nobody certainly not brady kichak is is making excuses, but that stuff can add up I mean, it's it's just that's fact it's as much as you're A top athlete and you take care of yourself and you're the best of the best in terms of conditioning It's it's not an easy stretch that that he's gone through so You could tell he made a point and and as he said like it was on his mind all day That he was going to do something kind of right off the the hop here Against the islanders, you know knowing how important it was it was a back-to-back for ottawa The islanders were waiting for them in their own building in their own city and credit to anders lee too Like I think he did kichak a favor there Like I you know kichak needed that scrap off the The openings face off way more than anders lee did and he happily obliged and then you know kind of the the undercard that we didn't necessarily anticipate but seemingly provided Equally or right near as much juice was ridley greg and braden schen Not long after after the kichak and lee going they were throwing some haymakers in that one big time Yes, greg surprise shen a little bit too as you know Shen is is as tough as they come with the ability to stand in there But like what a big win for for ottawa and it's just fun like being able to hear The buildings again as we get closer To the playoffs like you mentioned ellie. We're kind of in playoff mode here now Ottawa being one on on thursday night like when kichak scored with 13 seconds left to put them ahead I thought nashville, you know getting that win. That was a big win for them. Suddenly. They're right back there again And even you know, colorado on wednesday night Against dalas like that place was just charged the whole night It's amazing to think that the stars are this close to the avalanche in the standings as as they are now Considering how colorado started this year, but just listening to that crowd Listening to jared bednar. You know, that's a team. That's a market that goes. We're okay here We're we're going to be fine But that's that's always a real exciting part of this time of year too is as the buildings come more to life And teams are feeding off of it and and kichak certainly did in his case with the senators on on thursday because You know, they've they've been on a really good stretch come out of the olympic break But a regulation loss is absolutely a killer with how everyone continues to win I just wonder like are these teams gonna be able you're getting a point there You think you're getting a point there, right? Sure Like are these teams going to be able to keep this up all the way to the end elliott? You got no choice, right? Like and I and I do think I was actually talking about this with someone today I think some of these teams are really on fumes Yeah And and and that's not going to be easing up there. There's like like I really think that like the reason I really like columbus Is they always seem to get points? Like even when they lose they seem to get one point out of it, right? And and like and I think that's that's gonna matter Like that's really gonna matter Um, like the eastern conference. I think this year is going to be their playoffs are going to be very different Florida's not there and they're kind of the bullies and Looks like tom wilson isn't going to be there Right, that's long odds for washington. There's no question now So like the eastern conference players could be very different this year in terms of the makeup of who is in And what that that means Um, you know teams will tell you that remember I had this conversation once with trevor linden He kind of said that the last couple weeks of the season are such a grind That the first round of the playoffs, it's almost like it's a relief You're in And you can relax a little bit like those games are really intense. I know you've got a theory about it But it's almost like you can say okay, at least we're in the playoffs now We can breathe a little bit like these last couple weeks. They're so condensed And and they're going to be a scramble Um, like like you just talked about like that that west I mean every day That wild card 2 seems to change one day. It's la one day at seattle right Yes, you know one day at san osa and now now nashville's here It's like it's both conferences that's kind of had you know a similar kind of stretch and in both cases you're wondering At some point is there going to be separation here. I suppose there has to be But you know, I don't know if there has to be You could come right down to the end. Yeah, you're right. I don't you know the thing too about the the kachok thing brady Number one now you're kind of you're saying okay brady. You're back We need that again. We need that more often You know saturday is a big emotional game. It's it's toronto, right? Yes, but the other thing too. I wondered about that game is I think you're right like lee leaves the captain. He answered but I wonder if coaches look at that and they say We're not doing that for ottawa again. That helped them too much now. Sometimes you might look at it and say i'm happy to take brady off the ice But he was obviously a much different player for a lot of that game because he was engaged early Do you say you know what? We're not doing that again this time next time brady's gonna have to get into the game another way. Yeah, I can see that. I mean, I think there's definitely great mutual respect between the two guys and in question here and in this particular situation But certainly if you're a team like the islanders who also, you know need points just as bad Like we were talking about this before we started recording ali it like Through all the shuffling in both conferences like the islanders there's six and four in their last 10 games Which they're not shooting the lights out. It's also not a detrimental run to their season and yet they're now on the outside Looking in like there's just no room for For error here It seemingly feels like so. I mean every little bit I think it all has to be considered The energy you're trying to create for yourself what potentially you could be giving to an opponent So I I wouldn't be surprised if that in certain cases is at least mentioned during the the pregame video meeting When going over if if auto was the opponent What could chuck maybe looking to do on a given night As he's trying to will himself through What's already been a demanding year? We know like the the timeless with injury right off the hop this season, which feels like forever ago now but What's otherwise been a heavy season at times for for the senators and and yet here they are Still the math isn't great for them, but they are within Within striking distance Yeah, it just it does seem like every night there's a game of mortal significance out there Yeah, two of them three of them and and It's it's funny like you see some fans and they're after one after a game. They'll be like i'm spent I hate these guys. They're never gonna make it They're terrible the next night they win everything's fine again Yes, it is It's it's winning in hell. That's like the fans are feeling the same thing Kevin shoveled a off. There's only two moods winning and hell Okay, let's play off format talk right because that was one of the things that Was discussed a little bit coming out of the general managers meetings not during the meetings per se, but it was asked and oh, Mike Russo was questioning the commissioner on the current format and if there was an appetite at all To go back to the one versus eight because that conversation has certainly been out there particularly this year when you look at you know the three of the best teams in the league all residing in the central division And what this can mean we've seen it in years past with the Atlantic and You know, you don't have to look very far to find Comparables over the last number of years. So it's one thing le I don't know if if You agreed or or saw it similarly, but when bethman in his answer talked about how Okay, we love how there are a lot of series in the first round That go long on top of the fact that the first round is Very compelling and sets up, you know a great rest of the playoffs That it's not so much, you know dipping your toe into the water when the playoffs begin in in april every year because of For a while I've myself wondered okay, what's what's in it for the league besides the fact that you know bethman doesn't like undoing Something that that they've they've changed to the league under under his watch, you know What what's kept them so? Hell bent on this current format with the the divisions and having to go through your own division And and the wild card system as well And when he said that when he talked about having long series in the first round More opportunity for doing that and more likelihood It finally started to make sense for the first time for for me of like oh That is why So I asked our group just to to dig up some numbers here Elliott because I was curious, you know of the the previous format Uh the the one to eight the two conferences that started in 1999 went all the way to 2013 And then now compared it to the format we're under currently that started in 2014 So the amount of sweeps In the old format It was certainly more on average In the one versus eight versus now the current system Also, we should mention some of those years as you know, it was pre Salary cap so take that for for what it's worth not a great deal in between But there was more the old way than there is the new way Also when looking at series that went at least six games in the old format There's about 60 of the time The new format and again with this for the sake of this argument. I took away 2020 2021 Because things were altered those two years as we remember But 60 in the old format 68 in the new format so not two completely different worlds per safe fridge But not you know understanding the the full inner workings when it comes to How this all works business wise, but you can certainly understand the idea of Okay, even if it's 8% greater that's still more tickets to sell that's more Drinks and popcorns and hot and hot dogs to sell that's more merchandise to sell more everything when it comes to to revenue and and We know the the league likes to to chase that down so I'm trying to try to make sense of why it's remained this format even though it can drive fans crazy Especially when your favorite team has to go up against another juggernaut so early in the playoffs Starting to make a little more sense why the league likes it so much you know what Kyle I You kind of said this dissertation to me the other day and I and I think you're probably right about it I think bethman really does value the first round The energy and the frantic frenetic nature of it I think he thinks it's a good thing for the sport and it brings a lot of attention And I don't think he really wants to change that I do think it's also because that this system is kind of quote-unquote his It matters you've got to give him a lot of reason to change something And so far nothing does But you know, I've also felt that TV people like nice clean brackets and it gives them the opportunity for clean brackets that are easy And I I I've heard in the past that that matters to some of the tv executives and we all know one thing TV executives they run the league mm-hmm Yes well, we are Under a month away from the playoffs getting underway officially aliet, but as you say in a lot of ways it has felt Like it has already begun Okay, some other things to get to here Fridge on this friday edition Austin matthews so he had surgery done on thursday aliet to take care of that mcl injury It is a 12 week recovery timeline that the team announced But I guess the most important thing here is that matthews will be ready for next season Anything else you want to say on the matter here with matthews going under the knife? um Not really I think now it's it's sort of like okay When do they sit down and Talk about things in terms of his future Yeah, team's future both. Yeah And as that happened that's probably the next big one. Yeah the biggest one when you consider the direction of of the franchise Yep, it's gonna be you know, I this has a chance to be a crazy offseason I think it really does and and I don't know what matthews is going to decide Um, I haven't had the opportunity to speak to him about it um, but I mean there's Especially where some of these teams go out Could be a really wild offseason Especially because you know the free agent class obviously is not going to be What had could have been when we looked at a year previous with how many have re-upped That's one thing the cap going up as you have talked about and we have discussed here on this podcast The value now moving forward of having term and cost certainty And what teams may be willing to pay to do that and now like these new players entering The waters of big game hunting when it comes to teams that were In rebuilds that we're still trying to get out of it for many many years are now starting to arrive And trying to do certain things It's kind of creating the the perfect storm and and a franchise like toronto seemingly having A multitude of decisions to make big ones of that in terms of not only determining the direction they are headed But who's going to be part of the direction they ultimately Want to go in as well There's there's a lot a lot there That should I mean that's all to come after what we hope is a tremendous post season but Yeah, I'm I'm with you man. There's There's a lot over the hill here around the whole league And and what's going on and what could go on in toronto is certainly part of it too So if you haven't already yet the latest 32 thoughts blog l8 you had that out Somewhere in between it's good to know that you at least had your laptop with you. Yeah, no power with the laptop. Yes Well, your power was in a different bag Yes, because I when I'm when I'm taking I don't want all the cords around my bag So my laptop charger unless I'm going on like an overseas flight. I put it in my I pack it That is wild Oh, that's not wild at all. It's like nothing I'm just going No, I especially Your line of work. That's uh I'm shocked. I never would have guessed that. What do you mean my line of work? Well, how often you are on devices You're a big devices guy And the devices need power Well, yeah, yeah, yeah So the latest blog is up with sports at dotca now. Uh run through a number of things Matthews and and what's coming for him One of it. Uh, also the gm search in nashville seems like it's ramping up some of the names you mentioned mark bergevan Of course, it's a past gm Brett peterson as well an assistant gm uh with florida So are you starting to get more of a sense of timeline there and and how nashville would like to Approach things and determining who will succeed buried trots So somebody was saying to me that they think nashville is about to really cut this down And really turn serious Like in the next week or two and the challenge will be trying to figure out If they actually do this Who's on their shortlist because they've talked to a lot of people and we talked about how They've spoken to some former gms. They've spoken to some young up-and-comers. They've spoken to the brandon shanning hands of the world and But and the thing is and I I didn't write it because I didn't really have time to get into it But I did have somebody say to me like be careful how you what you call these I go. What do you mean? I goes? Well Not all of them are interviews some are more conversations. Some are like get to know Conversations I think there's people who've had more than one zoom call with them so I They've interviewed all kinds I not sure what the profile yet is of the person who's going to get it But they've spoken to it. They've had contact with a lot of people A lot And it seems like they're getting close to a point now where they're willing to cut it down Deep very good. Okay with that time now for the final thought which is presented by the toyota bz Go all electric in a winter ready toyota bz at your local dealer today and elliott as we Left florida after the gm meetings and you talked about it. There were some reports out there about a moment during the meetings where Headshots was brought up and eric tollsky raised his concerns about where the interpretation of the rule and Whether it was still being called as firmly as it should be Gary betman the commissioner had his thoughts on all of that And things moved on from there. So that was one moment But the discussion of goal interference which we had talked about going in Felt was going to be Part of the week and it certainly was and so if anything Got spicy at all over the few days among the managers and the league representatives It was more likely it had to do with goalie interference than anything else. Is that fair? Yes, um, I I do think if there was a contentious conversation it was about goalie interference The one about headshots um, I guess betman got up there and said in I don't know if I would say it was a quieter moment But they were discussing overall topics on tuesday And betman said there's one owner who is said to me that he wants more of a conversation about headshots And so what he did was he asked the managers Do they have an issue or a concern? About the way rule 48 is called or interpreted. That's the illegal check to the head Or is there anything around that rule that they wanted to address? and I guess it was quiet for a second and um, Eric Tulski from carolina spoke up about yeah, he believes it's a problem and And the commissioner said well, I guess we know which owner complained about this and Like I don't know how like if people I'm not really sure what the reaction was if they kind of laugh or Just snickered at the absurdity at all or anything like that But I heard it really wasn't a big deal and then betman said does anybody else have an issue and there was no real response they just moved on And you know, I had I've had a couple people tell me like they have seen betman dressed down people before And that is super uncomfortable This was nothing like that like they said They said that the stuff that happened with the gold tender interference where pat verbieg was involved to was much more With an edge than this And you know, I had a couple people say to me that they really more than a couple a few People say to me that they really respected that hulski didn't back down and he spoke up and nobody else agreed with him like he did with Verbieg but nobody felt embarrassed for him or or felt that You know betman piled rovin on the ground or anything like that They just kind of moved on and Like as one guy said to me, it's not the first time someone's going to bring up something and Nobody else in the league supports them so You know, they felt it wasn't like humiliating or anything like that But I do think the more contentious one was the gold tender interference and You know part of me wonders if it's You know, remember you you said during the one of our hits from florida is that Campbell kind of has that biting wit And I've been on the receiving end of it before and it's kind of funny Like sometimes when he takes a shot at you, it's actually really funny Like that happened to me there. He took a shot at me One of the days the gm and I laughed. I thought it was pretty creative Like peros doesn't really do that. He just calmly and rationally explains This is my opinion Campbell will challenge you and sometimes I wonder if that leads to more of a pushback because some of those people When you know, especially some of the gms like verbic when he was a player if you pushed him he clobbered you into the next galaxy, right? so Oftentimes I wonder if it's some of the makeup of the personalities involved That leads things to go off the rails, but I have to tell you that People said that the the one about the headshot the bandin was has been upset about They thought it was actually pretty mild now. Did you because we talked about this last year Coming out of those gm meetings. I mean they really tried to at least create the idea that more or less Everybody, you know when it comes to the teams the league are at least On the path towards being on the same page when it comes to understanding something like goalie interference going into the playoffs That was really clear At these meetings one year ago Leaving florida this time around eliot. I I yeah, I don't feel the same way and so i'm nervous for when that first one comes in the post season Where you see the first replay you see the first couple replays and you go I don't know because i've really like I will say it I I think the two of us have both been pushing the idea of The simpler the better when it comes to describing, you know, what is okay? What is not okay? You know, I the the last time we've got to sit here debating. Well, is this a goal? Is this not a goal? The better we we don't need the additional debates in in our lives or cluttering up any other games or fan discussion or anything But but the problem is with all how a number of calls have gone Both foreign against this season and we've heard from a number of coaches that are becoming more and more outspoken It just hasn't helped the matter. You know what it you know what it is call in my case It's my job to explain it like that's my job. Mm-hmm and I don't know. I just uh, I think you said it right. I feel a little bit confused right now. Oh boy. Oh boy That's always that should be a warning to everybody when elliot is confused Trouble this is the whole podcast of confusion My brain is scrambled right now Yes, supposed to get easier after the trade deadline. I don't know why but I feel really scrambled Yeah, well sound like you're getting cozy at least so me thinks it's getting close to bedtime Yeah, I'm calling the end to this one. It's bedtime. All right. Good. Well, that was the final thought presented by the toya to bz Oh before we take the break quickly congratulations. Mike feuda Will be into itobicoke sports hall of fame great news Well deserved. Yes. I'm very happy for mike You know, I don't I know a lot of people may not know about the toboco sports hall of fame but it's in the maple leaves practice facility And so the people who are in there they get legitimate visibility. I actually And I have a thing I like small halls of fame like in Smaller places. I like walking into them like in san jose When I go to see sharks games, they have like a san jose sports hall of fame and I always liked Looking at like some of the people like you've never heard of right Like where the jets practice facility is they have like the manitoba sports hall of fame And there's a whole bunch of people in there that are probably very big names in manitoba But I have no idea who they are and I love reading about people like that Yeah, really nice and they have a great display there and Mike is now going to be part of it and we'll fit right in so Mike congrats to you and uh, why don't we take our first break here? We both need it When we come back The latest edition of the thought line on 32 thoughts the podcast after this All right hot off the press is a brand new edition of the thought line uh, Elliott after our time in florida Anything stand out to you in terms of run-ins things need to get off your chest Shoutouts anything before we proceed any further You know there are kyle. You know there are Uh No shoutouts this week because instead Well, actually I am going to say a shout out A whole bunch of you sent Me a picture of that $400 raccoon head on the wall with a cigarette and a beer can And I am going to track it down. I just want you all to know At some point that is going to end up at my house But as kyle knows the primary thing I wanted to discuss about this week is I want to perform a public service on this pod I know there are a lot of families who listen to this And I am going to teach all the men And the boys a lesson About urinal etiquette Okay I walk in there's where we're meeting for the gm meetings In florida. There was a bathroom near the room I walk into that bathroom on monday morning There are three urinals in that bathroom Renault Levoix Is by himself of tv s or tv s poor Generally a really good guy except for this Kyle of the three urinals, which one do you think he was in? All I can say is I know there is one wrong answer here And I'm starting to wonder if he made the wrong decision He sure did he went into the middle one. Oh I I walked in there and I said to him reno. What are you doing? He had no idea what I was talking about. I said you walked into a washroom With three Of them they're all clear And you went to the middle one. You don't do that Pick a side right side left side. I don't care you pick a side And he looked at me like I was wrong So I just want to say We appreciate all the families Who listened to the 32 thoughts podcast? But if you're like a younger kid and you don't know this Pick a side I remember when I told the story a little while ago about uh, My sixth grade teacher had the man magazines For us at the back of the class Yes, I remember reading a cartoon on one of the mad magazine Editions that addressed all of this Urinal etiquette and I like it's taken me all the way to adulthood in the back of my mind. It reminds me of That uh, that fred arm is in character in the one episode of parks and rec where like all the you know, um All those things straight to jail, right? It's like you turn without signaling straight to jail. Uh, you overcook a chicken straight to jail You undercook a chicken straight to jail You take the middle urinal of three when all of them are unoccupied straight to jail Straight to jail. Reneau Levoix really good man. Great guy. Good reporter Anarchy in the bathroom anarchy and now has a criminal record to show for it. That's right Oh, okay. Let's get to the thought line. Okay, Jerry from unionville. Hello 32 thoughtsters first things first Elliott Yes, you normally have excellent insight But your take on the strike three call that ended that terrific Dominican Republic USA game was terrible my friend an inch or two off the plate Yes, as a batter you have to swing for those but half a foot down. Come on I got okay. I I'm gonna say this jerry. I'm gonna say this to everybody else that pitch This guy miller I didn't realize how unhittable he's been in the last I don't know 50 innings. He's thrown I did see somebody Online and it's online. So it has to be accurate who claimed that might have still been a strike using the electronic system What a claim because it was close enough to the lines when it ducked I'm just saying Was it mark cod say he went out of boston oakland series striking out looking like about 20 years ago? Don't get caught looking I know you got to get the bat off the shoulder I just love that we both Put our stakes in the ground and are not moving from it. I'm not backing down on this one So he goes on to say jerry does all jokes aside. I do have a question You mentioned last pot about the nhl contract for cole hudson Only be able to increase a hundred percent year over year And that's why he may wish to have more bonuses in their deals Even if they are not likely to meet them. Could you please explain that more? I feel like we often see players sign out of their entry level contract for Significantly more than a hundred percent of their previous deal and free agents as well Hold on. I'll get through it. Yeah. You're going even a guy resigning like he for show Would for example made one and a half mil per season on his previous deal now signing with san osa For over five which seems to be a lot more than a hundred percent. Are there only specific situations? You said would apply. Maybe there is something I am missing here. Allah an obvious ball four call Appreciate all you guys do. Thanks for your insight Jerry I understand your question and and yes, I'm talking about the same contract So because key for sure would for example sign two different contracts The two-year deal which was worth just over a million a year and now the new extension at five times five points seven or whatever it is Those are two different contracts that doesn't count. You can go over a hundred percent cole hudson signed a three-year entry level contract standard under the cba for his age In each of those years it can't go over a hundred percent And so if key for sure would his new contract the five-year deal It couldn't go over a hundred percent more in his new contract, but from one contract to another You can have whatever jump or drop is necessary All right. Thank you for clarifying. Good good question though. Like I I can understand why you wondered about that. That's fair Nicholas from st. Louis. I have a question concerning roster management I knew that you guys could answer it for me and it would be reliable Oh boy, do not put your cart before the horse here. Nicholas. Oh man, Nicholas boy. Do you have faith? I appreciate your faith, Nicholas I play a lot of fantasy hockey and notice that both dylan larkin and andrew cop were not placed on iR when they got injured But remained on the roster the red wings called up lennard under emergency conditions, but there was not A roster spot available. Did I make a mistake or is there no roster limit after the trade deadline? You did not make a mistake. Nicholas is a matter of fact at midnight The morning of the trade deadline. So this year march 6th The moment we hit midnight and it switched from march 5th to march 6th You were allowed to go over a 23 man roster You still must stay under the salary cap But for example, if you've got a lot of cap room and you want to have 27 players on your roster You can do that. So yes On the day of the trade deadline You are allowed to go over 23 as long as you remain under the salary cap Okay from craig. Hello to the three amigos. I was at west mccally's 1500th game I know kerry fraser has the most games refereed at 1905 Maybe wonder how many games an average referee does in a season and what's the typical spread between a ref that covers the Least games and the one who does a lot during a typical season Is there a golden whistle or something for a thousand games? Any such thing as an iron ref streak the ref world is Fascinating. I'm sure I can look some up, but I'm too lazy You've come to the right place. We are happy to pick up the slack We are only a little less lazy. Yes And genuinely do or generally do nothing with it But we're happy to try so great question craig and this is one. I assume you did the legwork on kyle Yeah, I wouldn't submarine you like this so In general officials whether a referee or lines person they are contracted to work 73 games during The regular season both guys end up around you know 72 to 75 There are a small collection of officials. So those are full-time guys small collection of officials kind of like players in this situation on two-way deals They work the vast majority of their games in the american league But get called up from time to time to fill in for injuries or if there's travel issues or Guys that they just want to get some NHL experience that they one day perhaps see as being full-time guys in the national hockey league Some of them would work as little as two to five games during a year. Some of them could work 30 plus There's a lot of range there. I don't know In asking around of any current iron ref streak that is Kept track of or that is known of internally but I didn't realize that brad kovacic now. He's a lines person But he is the most senior official right now Just 30th season this year and has done over 1900 games. I think he's over 1950 right now. So very impressive for brad They as we've seen, you know, they do a nice on ice presentation when an official hit 1000 games um, they got usually their family and they get to pick the crew that they get to work with and if Those officials that are fortunate enough to get to something like 1500 There's other awards and stuff done behind the scenes to celebrate that as well But hopefully craig that gives you a snapshot of what a typical season looks like for an official and what's done when they hit Various milestones. Anything you want to add to that? No, I I think you've got it all covered. I'm really curious to see uh, how long west goes for because 1500 it's a lot of games But he's still a referee the nhl considers and very high esteem And as long as they feel He can keep up I can imagine they will continue to see him in high esteem Yeah, great point. Okay Jeremy from tampa I was looking at the box score for the utah versus dallas game earlier this week and saw That although six goals were scored by utah No player had more than one point in the game Has this happened before and what is the most goals a team has scored in a game with no player Putting up multiple points. Oh So elliot, I was a little surprised to learn that that was only the fourth time in history A team has put up six goals and no player had more than one point Really? Yeah, I don't know why I thought that would have been a little more frequent than that You would just assume in all the games in nhl history. The league's been around over 100 years I I would have guessed higher too. I'm surprised at that Only four and there's never been a case where a team has scored more than six And nobody had multiple point nights So that is tied for the record. Jeremy you are eagle eyed Yeah, very impressive. Do you know the other games like was there any other ones that are recent? Yes, there is one from about three years ago Hmm The montreal canadians put up six against arizona No multi points there and the only other two times were both in the 80s In november of 84 chicago did it against the rangers and in november of 83 The devils did it to chicago That's it. That is it. What a question First of all great research by our crack staff And great question. I never would have known that never All right, we'll wrap up this edition of the thought line with an unnamed voicemail. Hello dom kyle and elli. It's barbeque This question is a trivia question After the recent tampa and buffalo game that ended with a score of 87 um I was wondering what is the highest scoring game of all time to go to overtime And and in addition to that, what is the highest scoring game of all time period? It's just love to see if elliot knows this off the top of his head. Thank you always enjoy the show All right Our listeners love hearing you score on friege. Well, my barbeque does not have an answer to that question But I do nice The the highest scoring game in hl history is 21 and I think it's happened twice I think there was a game between like a hundred years ago Between I don't even know what the maplies were called then they might not have been called the maplies yet They might have still been the st. Patrick's and they lost to montreal 14 to 7 And there was another game between edmonton and chicago. I think was 12 9 21 is the record The one I always remember was there was one in toronto with gratsky at his prime And that was in 1986 where the oilers lost them a police 11 9 I remember watching that game on television, but I know 21 is the record um The most with Overtime I don't know that one kyle like I don't I don't know that one off the top of my head. I'm trying to think if I can remember a game that had a lot of goals That went to overtime first of all Bravo for completely nailing the two highest scoring games in history Without needing overtime. Well, it's just I you know why because I remember that 11 9 game, right? Like like that was That there were two Growing up in Toronto. There were two games against the oilers that A lot of people in my age remember and one was that 11 9 game and I just remember it didn't set the record It missed by one So it's just it's one of those things you remember from childhood And there was another one when the Leafs were not very good They traded for michelle larock and in the first week the first saturday night game you played for the Leafs They beat the oilers had a nowhere seven to one and larock stopped wing gratsky on a penalty shot and um, it was just a big game in toronto, so That one I just remember off the top of my head But I don't know the highest, you know I know there was a nine eight game in the nhl a couple years ago I think it was the kings in seattle, but I don't remember if that one went to overtime Okay, are you looking this up? No, I didn't I'm here. Yeah, that's where that's it. That's the one Kidding me. Yes. No, that's the record. That's that's a fluke. I remember that was a nine eight game But I didn't remember if it went to overtime. No, I would I would admit to you if I was looking it up Yeah, no, you got it. Oh, that's that's a fluke So the 21 goals that one I knew off the top of my head But the nine eight is a total fluke It was uh, november 29th 2022 And yeah, seattle over la Nine to eight They let a six lead get away but Andre Burakowski in the extra frame Ended matters and you even nailed it was it was the toronto st. Pat's too in the game over 100 years ago That was the the version like I said I remembered that one because the leaves got to 20 in that game against edmonton And and we all thought it was the record and it wasn't so I just remember those Excellent great place to leave it 1833 311 32 32 if you would also like to leave a voicemail Maybe you have some trivia of your own for alia to try to test them with Or you can email us at 32 thoughts at sports net dot ca Take one final break and wrap up this edition of 32 thoughts on the other side All right, so it seems like we've got this beautiful little juxtaposition in sports this weekend Of course, it's the opening weekend of march madness second round of game saturday sunday Single game elimination you win you move on you lose your season over and then The nhl as we talked about throughout this podcast It is like a playoff race that seemingly will go right down to the wire here All the way to the end of the regular season and it continues on saturday another edition of hockey night in canada 630 eastern ron mcclain and company for hockey central saturday three games in the seven eastern window Again this weekend including the battle of ontario the leafs and the sands in ottawa for the first time this season from the nation's capital That one's got huge implications for the senators as you all know and then the new york islanders and the canadians Both teams needing to continue to collect points amazingly the islanders find themselves on the outside looking in Waking up here on friday morning st. Louis blues in vang kuver that one a four o'clock pacific local time From rogers arena and the late game this saturday the tampa bay lightning and the ebb and orla is that should just be A ton of fun mc david kutcherov and the rest Who wouldn't want to wrap up a saturday night watching those two teams go at it and beyond that? After hours this week a very special edition scott oak and louis de brusk joined by Multi stanley cup winning head coach and the head coach of team canada at the four nations And at the olympics this past february and melanne john cooper You know whenever he sets in front of a camera and a microphone It is much listened. It is much watched very much looking forward to this week's edition of after hours from edmonton at the conclusion of the oilers And the lightning all right taking us out today a track from alex warms Who's a hamilton bass singer-songwriter and screen composer who flawlessly blends indie rock pop jazz and cinematic styles into a sound that is at once intimate Anthemic and unforgettable of her latest single paranoid Warm says growing up. I learned to be cautious to a fault Recently I stopped to consider the ways paranoia has impacted my life and felt angry at all the missed opportunities This created it was time to let out the frustration. I kept bottled up This single is a turning point into a louder more chaotic era setting the foundation for a larger project unfolding Throughout the year and as fate would have it for those in the area tonight this friday march 20th 9 p.m alex is performing at far side in hamilton So here she is alex warms in paranoid taking us out on 32 thoughts the podcast. Have a great weekend You perfectly shame drown all of my freak friends Wasting the weekend Not concerned about What anybody else may have thought know the truth what i'm afraid of Guess you trapped me in ideality became exactly What you told me to be then i was acting But it's all i can do now i get to be paranoid like you I was on my knees begging Oh for your blessing like go on teach me a lesson Find a fault the needs are dressing my bedroom door is open My license And you're still assessing In a fair i paid the ransom. What's the worst thing that can happen? Guess you trapped me in ideality became exactly What you told me to be then i was acting But it's all i can do now i get to be paranoid like you I control freak reaching under the screen dragging my story Where i would have said baby so crazy worried i got something to prove now i get to be paranoid like you Now i'm gonna make a choice for dead and dead Oh I never know myself And i can never be anybody Oh Guess you trapped me in ideality became exactly What you told me to be then i was acting But it's all i can do now i get to be paranoid like you I control freak reaching under the screen dragging my story Where i would have said maybe so crazy worried i got something to prove Now i get to be paranoid like you Paranoid like you for Like you Now i get to be paranoid like you