Post-Prelims Pod

How much pizza have you had here? Heavy early. It's been more of our sandwiches we've gotten around dinner time at the rink. But James was kind enough to bring me one over. When was that? Saturday night. Yes, Saturday. Yes. I had pizza Saturday. I went for lunch on Sunday morning. I had pizza Sunday. I'm starting to feel girthy. But it's so light here. oh it's still that's part still yeah still it's i think kevin's knocking on my door let him in yeah okay you want me to let him in what is he okay surely has something he's at the door here we'll get him one second welcome to 32 thoughts the podcast presented by the toyota bz go all electric in a winter ready toyota bz at your local dealer today dom elliott kyle back with you. Frege and I still over in Italy, Milan, the site of Milano Cortina, the Winter Olympics, and the men's ice hockey tournament, where, Elliot, we are through the preliminary round, all the math that we were juggling with goal differential and points and total goals. How like you and James on the panel were like Charlie Day, that scene in Always Sunny in philadelphia at the board with the with the tax jason demare sent that to me twice i saw it once wasn't enough he uh he had to follow up that's great yeah would you guys gymnastics yourself into a pretzel going through all the scenarios uh on sunday or a couple of possible we talked about how i like logic problems yeah it was a good it's a good thing because you need that to figure out that there are so many different ways here that the IIHF does it that are confusing and they can trip you up. You know, for example, on Sunday night, when Denmark beat Latvia, I was like, okay, if Germany wins this game, they can beat the U.S. win the pool. And then I looked at it again. I said, ah, darn it. If it goes to overtime, that doesn't happen even if Germany wins. So you have to change that. And also, you know, you forget, Kyle, the tears. For example, if you finish second in your pool, you can't finish ahead of anybody that finishes first in their pool, no matter what they look like comparatively. And if you finish third in your pool, you can't finish ahead of anybody who might finish second in their pool, no matter how many goals you score to your goal differentially or points total or anything like that. And then, of course, there's the three-way ties where you throw out the team that's not involved, and then if one team wins that tie, then, okay, we've still got two teams left, but the rules change. Like, it is, I did feel like Charlie Day after this was over a couple of times, or maybe Christopher Lloyd in Back to the Future. Like just my complete brain melting. And, you know, there were a couple of times James and I looked at each other and we said, you think we're right? Yeah, I think we're pretty confident we're right. But it's like these rules, they are confusing. No question about it. Well, thankfully, we have clarity now. So Canada, the top seed. Now just win. Now win and move on. Lose your tournaments over. Canada, the top seed, the Americans, the Slovaks, the Finns, they all go right to the quarterfinals. Monday is a day off from hockey on the men's side, though the two women's semis are on Monday at the Santa Julia. Are you looking? So we'll be following that. I'll be there for the Canada game, which is late. And I'll be around the rink for the U.S. semi earlier in the day on Monday too. So I'll be around, yes. And then on Tuesday for us, it is the qualification round for the eight teams involved in that. So we'll start with Canada as the top seed. They were perfect through the preliminary round, capping off with a big victory over France on Sunday. A lot of ways as expected. I don't know where you want to start here, Elliot. I just got to say, like, through we talked about it a bit after their opener against Czechia. As great as they were assembled at Four Nations a year later, it is impossible to ignore how much of a factor the emergence of 19-year-old Macklin Celebrini has shown already. It is a completely different dynamic with him in the fold, A, and B, how he's playing so far. First thing I feel like saying is that this tournament is not over now. There seems to be a lot of people saying Canada looks too dominant, they can't be beat, and I agree they look very good. But I've been around too much hockey and too many Olympics to know that the teams that look the best or the worst in the opening round don't always suffer the same fate once the medal round begins. The thing I like most about Canada, I think there's two things, Colin. You hit on one, how seamless Celebrini's integration has appeared to be. But two, just how deep they've looked in all three of their games, Czechia and Switzerland and France. They've gotten much, much better than their opponent as the game has gone on. It's like an A-B graph where the lines just completely separate from each other. At the beginning of the game, they're close. And as the minute counter goes up, the other team goes lower and Canada goes higher. and that bodes well for them. They've just been really, really good and really, really dominant as the deeper they get into games, and they should. I think the thing is, too, is that because so many of them played together last year at the Four Nations, they know how to play each other. They have a better understanding of each other's strengths and weaknesses. They know what to expect, and I think it's been very strong for them. You're right about Celebrini. I guess he claimed post-game that he didn't know that anybody on the ice could have taken the penalty shot and he just assumed that because he was the guy who was fouled, he went to go take it. I'm going to choose to believe that that's not true, that he knew the rule and he said, screw it, nobody's getting this from me. I'm taking it anyway. But you're right. And, you know, I don't know, what do you call on that line? You come up with the nicknames all the time. You're calling them the Mack Trucks, Mach 3. Like, what are you going with here? So I first thought of, remember Frick and Frack, the ice duo from Switzerland? Yes. Yeah. So a comedic ice duo, right? They had routines and they could move on the ice back at that time, which was a long time ago. Nobody had ever seen it before. so i mean instead of frickin frack this is mick and the two max for me with their skating there's nothing yeah there's nothing comedic about it unless you're just chuckling to yourself in amazement it's not terrible i've heard i've heard worse from you by the way our old buddy chris dostramski was wondering if you were using olive oil like italian olive oil to sculpt your head. Well, yeah. Well, I mean, with these long days, like you need some reinforcement sometimes. It's a good idea. Anyway, not the worst nickname you've ever come up with, but Celebrini's arrival and the fact he's fit in so seamlessly on that top line has been a great omen for Team Canada. I think, too, the other guy who's really stood out for me is in terms of, you know, you were wondering how the fit was going to be this year. especially since he hadn't had a great season, has been Thomas Harley. Yeah. Obviously, he played last year. Yeah, but I wasn't surprised with Doughty. I figured with Doughty, he was a guy who would just raise to the level, and he has so far. Harley had had a really rough year, and some people had told me they thought the contract stuff, even before he signed, had really weighed him down. Whatever the case is, he looks like a completely different player here, Just calm, effortless, always in the rush. He scored. I think he's been terrific. And I think Horvath's been a nice fit. You know, the one guy who has not yet hit the level I thought and expected from him, Kyle, has been Nick Suzuki. And I actually wonder if when Marchand, and I'm not surprised they're doing this with Marchand. I think he's been really beaten up all year. I'm wondering if when Marchand shows up for the quarterfinal, if Suzuki is the guy who gets scratched because he's been battling to find his way here. And, you know, it's just I was looking who's going to go out if Marchand comes in. And because Marchand has been a winger with McKinnon, including earlier in this tournament, I'm wondering if that could make Suzuki vulnerable. Yeah, that's a good point, because if there's one thing you're looking at with Canada here through three games, as deep as they've looked, as thorough as their game has looked, by and large, can't help but wonder, all right, has Cooper settled on McKinnon with McDavid and Celebrini going forward? Like, remember here on Sunday, they started with Wilson back there and then made the change partway through. Or... Does he want to keep McKinnon on a separate line at least to start games? And if he loads up, then so be it. Like it seems, you know, Four Nations it was okay. Where do we find the right guys for McDavid? Kind of get the sense it's like, how do we find the best balance with McKinnon if he's going to be at center on his own line? That feels a little unknown at this point still, don't you think? I like the idea of starting with McKinnon on his own line. I, like Canada has a good flow in these games. Like I said, they get better later, they get stronger later. And I like the ability to move to that as the games continue on. And also too, like I said, they haven't had Marchand for a couple of games. I just think that as these games get more important and he gets reinserted into the lineup, Kyle, I think that he will at least create the ability for some crazy stuff to happen. I like the idea of not starting with them and going to them. But I also do think I would like to see a bit more from Hegel. And, you know, I like Horvat. I think he's been really good. You probably want to keep him centering the fourth line as opposed to moving him to a wing again. That's why I think Marchand coming back and maybe getting some time with McKinnon. I want to see how that works in a big game. I'd really like to see that. Now, McKinnon, he got ravaged a bit at the end of this one. He took that big hit that started the fight from Pierre Crenard. and then he got kind of hit in the knee. And I didn't get the sense, Kyle, if he had been wounded, I don't think he would have done all the interviews he did post-game. You didn't get any sense in the mix zone that there was any issue with McKinnon's knee, did you? I didn't. He seemed to be making his way through okay. He more looked like a guy that was like, okay, it's great that team's playing well. he's still, he's maybe a little unsettled with his own game right now. I mean, that's how the guy is wired at the best of times. He could have had five points today. I've been going, got to find a way to get better. You could see his frustration on the ice in the power play. He, that's the place where I really saw it boiling over for him. He had that look on his face like, I can't believe what is happening out here. It always seems as if there's one big Canadian star who's frustrated in the middle of a tournament and right now it's mckinnon yeah and with everything else the way it's going like it's not the worst thing in the world um but still something for the coaching staff to figure out okay tom wilson here before we go into anything further so you mentioned mckinnon getting roughed up crino he went back after him uh it was great television with before that, Wilson and Belmar chatting near the benches, and Mike Johnson was right there and kind of listening along to what was said about, okay, let's tone things down here a little bit, or things are going to get ugly. But we had a fight at the Olympics, first time since 98, Elliott Friedman. And if there was a supposed one scenario, if Tom Wilson was going to do it, late in the game against France with the quarterfinals three days away and not getting suspended for it, it's not a bad one to get it out of your system. So it was funny. When he got knocked or dragged down in that fight, part of me was wondering if Wilson was sitting there saying, don't lose your mind. Like he was trying to keep the mental handcuffs on. whatever you do here if you're gonna fight don't do anything that really gets you in trouble now kevin disagreed and on replay i agree with him he just got caught by the move that krenon did like he expected krenon to throw punches with him and krenon was like i'm not doing that i'm just gonna throw you to the ground and i think that caught wilson by surprise he wasn't expecting that kind of a tactic. And then when he got up, I was worried he was going to toss one of the linesmen to the moon. That's when Greenon realized, I don't want any part of this. Like, get me to the penalty box before anything bad happens. I saw when they cut to the bench that that's exactly what John Cooper was worried about. He wasn't worried about the fight. He was worried about Wilson getting angry that he'd been thrown down and snapping and doing something crazy. And Wilson didn't do it. Like, there was a lot of confusion after that, Kyle. You know, there seemed to be a lot of people who thought that it's an automatic one-game suspension. Like, I had fans in the crowd who came up to our set and asked, is Wilson suspended? Is Wilson suspended? And, you know, I just said no. And I sent a note to the IIHF, please keep me updated if you decide to review this. And by the time I'd made my way downstairs after the game, Kyle had gotten a note saying neither player here is getting a suspension. But we weren't expecting fighting at the Olympics. Boy, were we wrong. And you know what? That guy, Crenon, I didn't realize this. Someone sent me the video. He got suspended seven games in the French League this year for punching a goalie in the face. And the video is crazy. right so he's no stranger to this no well he's a stranger to fighting guys like tom wilson yes you know why like he got the good shot in the pulldown he did definitely caught wilson by surprise and i think there were some people on other nhl teams or fans of other nhl teams even if they're cheering for canada who didn't mind that but there was a minute there like i said where Wilson got off the ice, where I thought we were going to be picking up Krenon's DNA from certain places all over the arena to identify him. Yeah, it was, he tried to make it wrestling as opposed to fighting, and Tom Wilson wasn't interested in any of that. First player ever, we believe, in the Olympics to put up a Gordie Howe hat trick? Yes, let me believe that. It has not been disputed. And also, Kyle, a fitting tribute that a year ago today, as we record this, was fight night in Montreal. That's right. So that is a good tribute. What this means is that every year on February 15th, we have to have some historic pugilism in hockey. Yes. I can't wait for next year's. Okay, you mentioned fans coming up to you and asking you about if he was going to be suspended. I think I got a DM from one of them. I know we're putting the thought line on hold here while we're over at the Olympics. We've got an emergency thought line inclusion here, Elliot. Okay. From Scott, who said he was talking to you at the Canada game about the Wilson incident and came up with a question for the thought line. Is Tom Wilson the first Canadian to drop the gloves at the Olympics? Well, certainly the first in the NHL era, as we know. The tricky thing is, going back through old box scores of Olympics past, there are examples of Canadian players being assessed five minutes, but they are labeled as a major. So it could be a fight. It could also be something else. However, the great Steve Fellin found one example from the 1952 Olympics against Czechoslovakia. And remember, until Salt Lake City in 2002, that was the last time the Canadian men had won a gold medal at the Olympic Games. Gordy Robertson got into a scrap while playing for the Edmonton Mercury slash Team Canada at those Olympics. So there's one example we could find. There may be more. Who did he fight against or what team did they say? So what Steve found, as opposed to the box score, was the game story in the paper the next day. And all it says was taking a couple of swings at a Czech player. So the reporter covering the game did not identify the player. Interesting. But there's one, Scott. Well, that's a good find. A couple other things I would just say about Canada. Number one, are you concerned about Bennington at all? I had some people ask me that. No. Yeah. One went through him. The other one, almost after that, he almost had another one go through him. But I thought he was fine. He's the guy. I'm not worried about it. And, you know, the other thing. Kind of a weird game for him, too. It was. Like, I think he had seven shots and, you know, 40 something minutes. It, it, it happens. Um, you don't like to see it, but it happens. I'm not worried about it. He their guy Um you know I have to say too you know knowing that Marchand was off for two games Kyle you know that story about the all the like the hundred thousand condoms that had disappeared Jeez. Yeah. I had visions of them missing because he grabbed them all and was hiding them in his closet in his room. Why? Why did you have visions of that? Because, you know, that was the first thing I thought of. Like, that's something he would do. Just hide them all. Right, right. Well, he's the social media guy, this Olympics for Canada, right? So he's like, oh, this would make a great TikTok. I feel bad. Someone's getting fired when he retires and goes into media. I hope it's not me, but it could be. Okay, so Canada will get the winner of either Czechia or Denmark. The Danes had a nice, maybe a little surprising win over Latvia. I was surprised when I, because they played late on Saturday night against U.S. And they didn't look great in that game. The U.S. didn't look great in that game, but they didn't either. And, you know, I give them credit. They knew that that wasn't their best chance to win, so they held Frederick Anderson out of that game. And Frederick Anderson, he came through. He did a great job. I was shocked that they lost, that they beat Latvia. I was shocked that Latvia lost that game. I'll talk about Latvia in a second, but I was really surprised. He was fantastic for them. And the thing is, too, is that the empty net goal there, which came with two minutes left, Latvia really screwed up getting the extra man on there. that empty net goal had Denmark avoid Sweden and got them to play Czechia like they needed that goal in the goal differential to do it so that's how crazy that empty netter was and how bad that extra man situation was for Latvia I still think Czechia wins you? I do too what's interesting I mean we can go asked the question a couple times here, is that for the teams playing in the qualification round, if they win, it's a back-to-back. So you need to win the first one. And when it comes to goaltending, I mean, is Cechi a comfortable goal? You've got to play Anderson in the... I mean, Denmark's playing Anderson, no question, if that's what you're asking. Right. And then for the Czechs, I'm wondering about Dostal. If you're going, we feel good about our chances beating Denmark here. and then you're running him back-to-back the next game against Canada the next day. That's a good question. Well, you know, I've said this before and I'll say it again. It would, I would be, I would not want to play that guy in a one-game elimination. I agree. I agree. I mean, there's not much you can do about it now. but you know here's here's my thing about this it's a you if you're Czechia and I'll say this so Radek Foxa got hurt at the end of that game and I don't know how serious that's going to be but he had played really well for them they've had some injuries Jan Rudas missed a couple of games Foxa got hurt at the end of that game Those are important Players for them A lot of Czechia's best players Haven't played great here We're still waiting for a big Poster knock moment Although he did have a great play on the goal That sent Sunday's game against Switzerland To overtime Hurdle has been Very quiet here Kubelik that he was taken out of the game. He was a scratch against Switzerland. Some of their top players have not been very good. Some of their local guys, some of the Czech guys told me they weren't convinced that Radam Simak, who'd played in San Jose, should have been on this team. He's been really good, really good for them. So I'd say this. I don't believe in holding guys back, Kyle, like Dostal, but you should be able to beat Denmark without Dostal. The thing that surprised me is that we haven't seen Vemelka at all. Right. Like, I have to say this. Vladar backed up on Sunday. Yeah, and you know, Vladar had those rough moments against France. I would consider, unless there's something going on with Vemelka that I don't know, I would consider throwing him in there against the Deans. I would. You should be able to- He hasn't played all tournament? I know. Now you're putting him in there? I know. I know. It sounds crazy. You're probably going Vladar. You should be able to beat Denmark with any one of those goalies, and then you play Dostal against Canada. That's generally counterintuitive. I don't think that way, but maybe it's just because I'm thinking that if I was Czechia, I could beat Canada one game with Dostal. That's the way I would approach it. But I do have to say this. Two of Czech's best players, Pasternak and Hurdle, you got to get more out of them. They've been pretty quiet. Natchez has gotten better as the games have gone on there for them. And that was best finish of the tournament so far would have been Czechia, Switzerland on Sunday. That was electric crowd. Only one overtime game. That's it. Well, we'll see if we have more here as we go forward into the medal round. OK, the Americans, Elliot, it's been kind of a I mean, three and oh, they took care of their business. I would say looking at their schedule to start and their group, there wasn't an opponent there that was like, OK, they've got their attention here. it's been a little bit of a different flow for them. You can only play the people that are put in front of you. I would say the best they've looked was Sunday night against the Germans. Man, oh man, the replays, the looks of Matthew Kachuk all over Leon Dreisaitl. He refused to let him be an impact in any way in that game for the Germans. But how are you feeling about the states as they move into the next phase here? You know what? Honestly, Kyle, that's what I thought was missing from them in their first two games was the emotion and the hate. Like, you know, people were like, oh, they're not very good. They're not very good. They're not showing us. Honestly, the thing that I think Canada, I hate comparing Canada to the U.S. all the time, but you just can't avoid it. The thing I think that really helped Canada was they, from the first shift when McDavid ran over one of the Czech players, Canada put themselves into the tournament. They built their own emotion. They built their own energy. They built their own hate. I think sometimes in tournaments like this where you deal with players that you don't have or countries that you don't have major hate for. Like also, too, like you look at, I mean, you look at who they played. They played Latvia. Nobody hates Latvia, right? They played Denmark, and I know there's all the stupid politics around it, but nobody on the USA hockey hates anybody on Denmark. And then finally, you got Germany, and there's a real rivalry. Like you could tell Matthew Kachuk just decided I'm seeing dry sidle and Brady goes with them. And they're like, I see red. Like I hate him. He hates me. And the whole team follows the lead of those guys. And I don't think it's a coincidence that one of the reasons the U.S. didn't look great in their first two games was because they didn't manufacture hate for either of those two teams. It just wasn't there. And all of a sudden, oh, Germany, A, they're a bit better, and B, it's our third game of the round, Robin. We have to get going. And C, that whole Kachuk-Drysaitl thing, all of a sudden, that was a completely different team. And now, you know, the U.S., they're not going to have trouble manufacturing hate from here on in because all these games are elimination games. so like I saw a lot of people saying no chance the US beats Canada no chance the US beats Canada again it was early you get yourself going but now the hate is there I really thought that's a major reason they look so much better in their third game so I think now we're going to start to see who they really are and the ferocity is there and you know I'll say this too I really think that one of their most important players is Zach Wierenski I'm watching Quinn Hughes and Hughes is so eager to play so well and he makes such a big difference and at the end of the game they're up 5-1 with a minute left and Kevin and I were watching it he's standing up on the bench and he's got the door open he wants to get back out there you can tell how much Quinn Hughes wants it and wants to be out there but to me things really happen on the ice too when waranski's out there like it's just it's just i just think they're better when he's out on the ice so i i would really start leaning his way you know we know that hello box the guy now there um again they've got a really tough draw they've got potentially the toughest quarterfinal draw but i think that and we'll see how everybody We'll see whatever, you know, the best thing about this pod is that we talked about how Slovakia has no goaltending or not enough goaltending. And after their first game. I didn't talk about that. It was you and the guests we had here. Oh, yeah. I said, look out for the Slovaks. Yeah, yeah. I knew you were going to do that. You are such a bailer. That's an excellent move, though. I tip my cap to you. I didn't bail. Dom? No, you bailed. Roll the tapes back. He is the only one that supported. Oh, shut up, Dom. go hang up the microphone. Okay. Anyway, so. That's one group that, you know, as things go along here, there's going to be some headaches that they can potentially cause. And I just wonder for a guy like Slavkovsky now, four years later coming back, how he handles and embraces the challenge of being the go-to guy for his country. Because he's already reveled in it once. Kyle I think Just don't like their goaltending Don't have the goaltending The Slovaks for me Kyle are like that The bread on the table at Nona Amelia Like that didn't stand a chance From Elliot Like the Slovaks have no chance Turn here Go back to mute Dom Anyway Baylor But you know I just think the US has barely scratched the surface Although they have a brutal potential quarterfinal matchup. I like them. I think that what they had to do was manufacture some hate, some emotion, and finally they did. And there was a time in that game where Dreisaitl tried to hit Kachuk back and Kachuk kind of ducked out of the way of it. And you could tell that Dreisaitl was angry. Another level in that Panther-Oiler feud, which might not make it to the postseason this year because the Panthers are in trouble. But I just think they saw each other. The Kachuks got riled up, and the U.S. was a different team. Yeah, they look much different. I wonder, as things go, that bottom six, the Matthews lines look good. Obviously, Eichel with the Kachuks have been their most effective. But Keller comes into the lineup. Kyle Conner sits out. Mike Sullivan's actually been working Vincent Trocek through things quite often. It is amazing to me, Kyle, that in this tournament, the international teams who are more used to this 13-7 have had so much more trouble or are unwilling to use those players than the North American teams are. Like Cooper and Sullivan have bent over backwards to make sure those guys feel used. Right. And Oliver Ekman-Larsen didn't play a second in the first game for Sweden. By the third, he was on a pair with Victor Hedman. So things can evolve. But that was one thing for me with USA going forward, just to keep an eye on how they view the bottom six, who they value there, and how often they're used going forward. because, as we anticipate, it'll be Sweden in the quarterfinals. Unless, I've got a lot of respect for Latvia. I have to tell you, Elliot, I watched their morning skate before their first game against the Americans. The first drill of a morning skate, usually it's at the four blues. BX has talked about it, the wakey-wakey type drill. It's passing, it's shooting, it's just getting your hands warm, moving up and down the ice, goalie feels the puck. not Latvia it was two on two battle like keep away in one corner of the ice and the rest of the players were in like a semi-circle around the top of the face-off dot to kind of block them all in that was their first drill of the morning skates Kasper Zdogovich Ottawa Senators legend I asked him about it he's the Latvian captain has been for a long time he's like It's how we wake the bones up. It's a Latvian staple. They do that every time to kick off their practice. I had never seen anything like that before. Wow. You know, I'll say this about Latvia. That shows you the, that was a great note, by the way, Kyle. That's really interesting stuff. I've got another Dogovan's note coming up shortly. But the thing about Latvia is it just shows you, you know, how hard it is to be excellent at a sport and its consistency. You know, Latvia gets that upset of, I thought they played the Americans really hard. They didn't win, but they played them hard. I thought they really competed. And then they got that great win over Germany. And all of a sudden, second place in the pool at least was staring them right in the face, like a top eight seating. and they couldn't do it. And it just, it shows you like the most important thing to being a good team is consistency. And, you know, that's one of those moments where, you know, I think the Swiss have broken through. They have become more, they've never won, but they're constantly on the podium. They're winning silver medals. They're getting to championship games and they have become more consistent. They find ways to get onto the podium. and that to me is the difference, and they've got more NHLers too. It's not a small thing, but that to me is the difference between a team like Switzerland and a team like Latvia. You have to take advantage of that moment when you get there. They had a chance today against a weaker opponent to finish second in their pool, and they couldn't do it. I'm not trying to rip them, but I'm just showing that's how you go from 10th to 5th. You have to be able to do that, and Switzerland is now able to do that, and that's where Latvia has to get to. I was disappointed for them because, like I said, I think they've got some really good players. They play pretty hard. I like their fans. I like their spirit. And now, as a result, they get the Swedes. And, you know, Kyle, to me, Sweden's been pretty interesting. It's pretty obvious that there's not a lot of love between Sam Hallam and the coach and the media that covers their team. Oh, no. And it doesn't seem that they're – I mean, you're in the mix, zone with them. I've been watching the clips. It's like, wow. And it doesn't seem there's also a lot of love between Hallam and some of the NHLers on the team. But what really stands out to me is that some of the guys that they didn't trust at the beginning of the tournament, like you mentioned OEL, I thought OEL was tremendous in their last game. I thought he was really, really good for them as the round robin continued. Philip Forsberg, he barely used him the first couple of games. I thought he was really good for them in game number three. Now it's Jesper Bratt who finished last game in that 13 spot. I think Lucas Raymond, he took the bad penalty, and I guess he got skewered in Swedish media. but you know obviously that was a big mistake but i think lucas raymond has been really good in this tournament and i suspect i suspect it's gone on i suspect that he'll be one of their most motivated players because of what happened and i also wonder too like for a long time it's been headman carlson for them honestly and this is it's not an insult to headman carlson but it's a credit to how well these two guys have played. But I wouldn't be surprised if they, and I think they'll beat Latvia, but against the U.S. if Dahlien Forsling play half the game. Like, Dahlien has been their best player here. I agree. I agree. Five on five, run on the power play. It's been really impressive. You can tell, like, just obviously energized. It's the Olympics. but this is a guy who's finally been playing meaningful hockey the last few months in the nhl too and it's just carried over to a someone that's been at a different level uh here for the swedes it's been can i also say i i i was shocked i could not believe uh people ripping their dark dark blue jerseys with the yellow track second best jerseys in the tournament behind finland man oh man Finland's dark blues are beautiful too yes they are sorry Swedes I'm putting Finland's ahead of yours I one of the first few days I was here the Swedish women's team one of their preliminary games was at the Santa Julia arena where we are and I just happened to be walking by in one of the tunnels some of their players and they were moving from the practice rink over to the I guess the game day rooms over in the big rink and that was the first time I'd seen those jerseys in person, I was, wow. They look so sharp. The contrast between the colors looks so good. Perfect for play-by-play guys. No issues figuring out what the numbers are, what the names are. I was surprised people going, why did Sweden ruin their jerseys and go to that? I love them. Those people are nuts. Those are the, Cassie Campbell-Pascal, every time she talked about Mark Stone she like I heard people who I heard people say that Mark Stone deserved to be here And then I was like I had enough of this Cassie who said that I want to know who said that. I don't know anybody who didn't think Mark Stone should be here. And she goes, well, I see them. I'm like, those are losers. And she was like, don't read social, Cassie. Don't read social. Oh, gosh. Also, one of the more bizarre scenarios that I've come across, certainly here in the Olympics, and I can't remember another time anywhere, was after that Sweden-Slovakia game where Slovakia lost by two goals, but the margin was tight enough. Yes, because you come through the mix zone. You thought you were in a bizarro world. totally Slovakia lost but because of the goal differential as such they won the group after the like the they're celebrating in the the in the pile afterwards on the ice and so what happens typically the mix zone is the losing team will go through first because usually you think those interviews are going to be shorter they get through and get on and then the winning team comes through afterwards and so Slovakia as a losing team comes through first boisterous Slavkovsky's like, I've never been so happy about a loss. I was asking Jark Chernak, like, when was the last time he felt this good about a two-goal defeat? And he was kind of laughing. And then Sweden comes through afterwards, and they had played a really good game. Like, it was just the tough, you mentioned the Raymond penalty late, that ends up leading to the goal that changes and flips everything up on its head, but otherwise had played a real solid game after a tough loss against Finland the day before. And they look crestfallen. Like, it was just incredible, the dynamic there. But welcome to the Olympics, I suppose. It was so funny. When that goal went in, those Slovak players were so ecstatic. And I have to say this. Slovak fans travel well. Great fans. Very enthusiastic. Yes. Czechia fans travel well. Very enthusiastical. They haven't had a ton to cheer for here. They are still very enthusiastic. The Italian fans have been good, obviously. The German fans, this was actually the first Germany game I covered so far, and their fans traveled very well and were really good. Swiss fans right at the border, not far. Excellent. Like a really good representation by a lot of the fan bases here. I have to say that Canadian fans, there were a number of students that were studying overseas. You know, my two nieces, for example, one of them studies in Scotland and another one studies in Belgium. And they came to the Switzerland game and they were not the only ones. There were a whole bunch of students studying overseas who came. I have to say the different fan turnouts at this tournament has been as good as any I've ever seen at an international hockey tournament. Very, very impressive. And it's added to the level here. Swedish goalie, who are you going with? Oof. Well, they haven't used Wallstead, right? Again, you know what? I got to tell you something. I would think about it. Maybe. Again, you're looking at we should be able to. I have not been impressed with Gustafson. I have not been impressed with him here. No, I'm with you. And you're not putting Markstrom back to back You know again It's the same thing I just said about Czechia Like you should If you're Sweden You should be able to beat Latvia Without Whoever you think you need To beat the US Right but it's I mean it's only a back to back The next game like the back to back Would be against the states Yes So that first one do you save markstrom for it at this stage is he your number one like is is i think he no one's grabbed it like i i think kind of by default he i really didn't like gusterson in these first two games here i i just he looked nervous yeah yeah and it's too bad like he's he's been having a a real solid year with the Wild. It just hasn't been so over here at the Olympics. I think Markstrom's made you feel less nervous of the two. I would play him against the States. Yeah, I would play the other guy against Latvia, whichever one you want to play. Play Gustafsson or play Wallstead against Latvia. And I would play Markstrom against the States. I'll tell you this, I'd love to see two Nylander against Matthews. yeah in a big game right i would be well i barring something crazy happen happening we're days away from seeing it okay slovakia great story one of the great stories of the tournament so far yes slavkovsky slavkovsky i mean if you're a canadians fan your nipples got to be erected seeing how well Slavkowski's doing you know it's been a year I figured I should bring that one back yes that's how Dom's felt about things watching his his country play oh yeah you know I just I watch him here and you know it was interesting there Coach Orsag he said he talked about in Montreal It's not just, he's not just an ad to Suzuki or Caulfield anymore. He's, he's his own guy. And I think the Montreal fans would tell you that they knew that already, that he's very much a straw that stirs the drink. He's funny too, because when he gets taken off on the power play here, he gets really mad. You could see like he burns holes through the benches heads when he gets taken off the ice on the power play. but you know he he he comes here and he's he puts a cape on he's just and and you can tell like it doesn't matter how old some of these other guys are they they see him as their leader like i know tatara is the captain and he's earned the respect as a guy who's worn that jersey for so many years but stavkovsky is the captain of that team and they all know it and none of them are jealous about it and uh you know i i think that it's going to be i think they're semi-final like they they're not good enough to blow you away and the other thing i have to say about this is that i saw all your tweets and dms about our comments about slovak goaltending I give their guys a lot of credit They have really battled And I don't think Slovakia is a shoo-in to win their quarterfinal I think it's going to be a battle But I think now that they have respect Like they're not seen as You know, some people have written about how Jarrah Halak a few years ago Was like, this is the end of Slovak hockey and now it's clear that they are in a new beginning they're not an overwhelming favorite like some of these other teams are but they've taken that leap that switzerland has taken and that leap that latvia's got to take and you know i'll tell you this like slavkovsky hopefully like that's a guy who could end up playing five olympic games for them right so young when he played his first and and he's they rally around him and you know what too i i like their d they've got a lot of really good unselfish players you know farivary yeah he's a turn back yeah farivary has been really good marinchin like you know it's funny there have been a lot of names in this tournament of guys like marinchin malgan who unfortunately got hurt names you haven't seen in a while Dominic Cahoon from Germany and you're like oh yeah that guy like you know what like you know who's looked really good for them and I wonder if he's a guy who gets invited back to the NHL or brought back to the NHL at some point Adam Ruzicka like like that's a guy who kind of fell out of the NHL and you watch him now and you say I could see someone calling him and saying you know where are you. And, you know, I've heard he's really matured and I could see, like, he's a guy who's filled a role here. I don't think they terrify anyone yet. And if they get, like, for example, say the Americans, which is who they would get if this all goes to form, which it never does, you could see the Americans. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Like, you could see the Kachuks giving him the dry settle treatment if, you know, that happens. But You know, they, like I said, they don't terrify you, but you have to respect them. And that is a team. It's much greater than the sum of its parts. And I think they deserve a lot of respect for that. Like, I'll say this. I assume you're picking Germany over France like I am. Yeah. Like, to me, that Germany-Slovakia game, like, it'll be Grubauer. like to be honest if I was if I was Germany I consider playing the backup again against France um you know France plays hard I give them a lot of credit but again you should be able to beat them like the guy who played against the states he was actually really good he kept that from being lopsided and the other thing too is your guys are going to get rested like on Saturday Drysaddle played 28 and a half minutes Sider was over 27 Paterka and Stutzler were over 26 They were exhausted You're going to have those guys rested You should be just fine And you get Grubauer to Slovakia And I actually think You know, US Sweden, if it happens I think that's obviously the best quarterfinal But Slovakia and Slovakia Germany, it could be the second best one. Yeah, totally. And auto offense, I've got to be loving how Stutzel's been flying around the ice. Man, we've known he can skate, but he's really had wheels over here. It's been fun to watch. Okay. Those guys had nothing left against the Americans, though. They were just wiped out. And yet he still had some bursts where he got free. Yeah, third period. Yeah, he did. Yeah. It's impressive. Okay, Finland. They were the country that, I mean, the first game, right, stunned by the Slovaks. They looked in shambles. There was that story that came out in the Finnish press about the NHL players going to Yuri Lettun and the GM. What would these Scandinavian teams not like in their coaches? Crazy. They wanted Paul Maurice part of it. It didn't go anywhere. like that was a big story going into their game against Sweden their arch nemesis and holy smokes is it all going to unravel they beat Sweden and then they laid the boots to team Italy and ran up the goal differential to put them in a situation where though they didn't win their group they grabbed the four spot and don't have to worry about the qualification round they're a team that certainly looks much better than they did five, six days ago. I just wonder, you know, there again, like you were wondering about Czechia, some of their top guys really starting to go. I mean, it was one thing to pad the stats against Italy, but in the other ones, you know, you're still looking for Rantanen to take over a game. Ajo has had his moments. I don't know. What are your thoughts on the Finns? Besides how beautiful their sweaters are. Those road sweaters are the best sweaters at these games. And everything else is playing for a distant second. Very sharp. Very sharp. Finland must have Deb Berman designing stuff for them. Because it's excellent. Number one, Saros has gotten better as this tournament has continued. And I think that is their best. That is the best thing to feel about for them. I wasn't crazy about him in the first game. but he I thought he was really good afterwards and really good against Sweden second thing I like the killer instinct you know as I said before Canada faced France kids sportsmanship is important but not today and they had to run up the score and they did I to me that says that's a team that understands when you have to just turn off the niceties and do what you have to do and I think that's a good omen for teams good teams do that and finland did that um you know matt and paulo i've always liked matt and paulo he's played well here hasken and lindell they're gonna play 35 minutes i'm with you i think that that team has to rely on their best players even more than they like to like you can tell like coaches trust certain guys they clearly trust the army is the world and he's a good player you got a ride Rantan in some of these games and I would expect that they're going to do that you know Lundell was sick captain was his roommate they quarantine them obviously you've got to know that Lundell's better he's a critical player for them but you got to ride your horses you know for whatever reason Kyle they trust their defense their best guys to play all the time but they don't like someone should take these Finnish coaches and show them game seven of Colorado Dallas last year to show what Rantanen can do when he's basically put out there every second shift and no that's that's that's what I would do I wanted to share one story that when Slovakia got that late goal against Sweden. We all kind of forgot that Finland still had to beat Italy. And we're all sending out these tweets like, you know, Slovakia has won the group and all this stuff. And there was this one guy, every time I was taking like a tweet down or saying, well, remember, Finland's still got to beat Italy. There was some guy was sending me a DM of that scene in The Sopranos where Silvio Dante, played by Stevie Van Zandt, is saying this is anti-Italian discrimination. And then they sent it to me also when the one guy got suspended for a game because our buddy from Hamilton got suspended because he hit Ferivari in the head. DJ Sinto, yeah. Yeah. And then when they lost 11-0, the same guy, he sent me this about five times in my DMs, He wrote back, never mind, after they lost 11 to nothing. But, you know, I don't think they're going to beat Switzerland here, unfortunately. I really do want to shut out the Swiss because they had every excuse to lose that game. You know, we've talked about how they've gone from a country that was kind of on the periphery to one that gets themselves deeper into tournaments now. and they showed a lot of guts with beating Czechia in that game. They, you know, obviously the Fiala injury and the Kings confirmed what we'd reported that he's out for the year. And I had heard that he actually had at least two breaks. And you'll notice, Kyle, that in their announcement, they said fractures. So it does seem to be that there's more than one of them. And I mean, I thought it was great the way they rallied around him. They said, look, we're playing for him. And we found out. Also, too, with that, Elliot. Yes. Sorry, I just want to, I didn't realize this. So Fiala, I guess, has like Czech in his family background, too. And all the guys knew that. So then because that game on Sunday was against Czech, it was like extra. We're winning this for Kevin. Yes. Knowing his family history, too, which I thought was a nice touch. And he sent them the video, right? So it was obviously very emotional. They mentioned he sent them a video before the game. But also, too, they lost Yossi's defense partner, and they also lost Malgan. Like, they had three guys out of the lineup. And it would have been easy for them to fold, especially when the Czechs scored late. You know, both those teams showed big guts. The Czechs had one disallowed, and then they scored. and although I'll tell you this, I heard the Czechs were furious about the line change in overtime. They thought that Switzerland really got away with one there and it was too many men. And one of them, I guess, claimed that they went to the referees after the game for an explanation. I think it was Natchez and the referee told them to get off the ice. So the Czechs weren't happy with that one. But I like Switzerland over Italy, obviously. and you know the one thing too i i think it's i i have to assume that akira schmidt will get that game and you know the story of their starting goaltender um it was just interesting how yeah how some of the swiss players i think yossi said at postgame they have no idea how this guy's never played in the nhl well roman start making some calls bud you've got some influence yes um like Like, you know, he's, you know, someone, some of my buddies were asking me, how come Schmied's not the number one guy in Switzerland? And I just said, because this guy always seems to win for them at the international level and all those guys love him. Right. And you wonder how many more years he's going to do it. He's 38 now. He's 38 years old. Yeah. But, I mean, this is probably it for him, but, you know, they clearly believe in him and you can see why. He really battles. He's a really good goalie. And, you know, the one thing that kind of weird that happened was reminded me in that game is the goal was disallowed because they interfered with him outside the crease. And initially when I saw it, I was like, well, that'll count because it's outside the crease. And, you know, I was reminded that even if it's outside the crease, if you initiate the contact as he's trying to make a save, it's going to come off. And, you know, Kyle, there's a lot I've liked about this tournament being played on the tighter North American surface. I just think it's better. I think the hockey's better. You know, I think it would be a tiny bit better if the neutral zone was the size it's supposed to be. We're seeing a little too much dump and chase for my liking. And also, like, guys are getting murdered at the red line because they're guarding it really hard. I've liked a lot of this tournament. I've for the most part I've liked the way it's been officiated I and I don't know if anyone's going to say that they think this is sacrilege I think we should do in the NHL the one thing they could adapt from the double IHF game I think it's the goaltender interference I really do I never thought I would say this I know people think it soft but you know what Kyle it clear cut yeah is more clear cut than our way And our way is too confusing and I just don know enough to be able to pick And like I said, we've talked about this now, like Bednar, I don't know what goaltender interference is. This is more cut and dried. This might be, I mean, I'd love to hear what everybody says, but right now I think this is better. Yeah. Yeah. Seems they've got that figured out. Also, you mentioned the chanting earlier. I guess another one, too, where you're like, tip your cap to the European nations in terms of the creativity and the, I mean, like the whistling. The first time being like, instead of booing the ref or the refuse suck chant, they whistle. And it's like ear piercing when they're not happy with a call. It's very fun. You know what Kevin said to me? He's like, you know why they're whistling? And I'm like. Huh? And he goes, because they don't like the play or the call. I'm like, thanks, Tips. If it wasn't for you here, I wouldn't have known that. Well, just our resident Italian just helping you along here in his native land. How much pizza have you had here? Heavy early. It's been more of our sandwiches we've gotten around dinner time at the rink. but James was kind enough to bring me one over. When was that? Saturday night. Yes, Saturday. Yes. I had pizza Saturday. I went for lunch on Sunday morning. I had pizza Sunday. I'm starting to feel girthy. But it's so light here. Oh, it's still. That's the best part. Still. Yeah, still. I think Kevin's knocking on my door. Let him in. Yeah, okay. You want me to let him in? What is he at? Okay. Surely he has something. He's at the door. Here, I'll get him. One second. A few moments later. All right. So what did Kevin want? Why did he come knocking? He ordered McDonald's and he had extra left over. He did? Yeah. Wow. He threw it to me. So Kevin and I, our rooms are right next to each other. Well, that's sweet. Yeah. I know. We learned this in the preview pod. You guys sharing it all. Oh, that's right. I forgot about that. Yeah, it's been a long few days. Every morning at 3.30 a.m., he wakes up wailing. I don't know what's going on in there. Probably because it's too bloody hot. That's right. Anyway. Radiating from your room. Finland, Switzerland. Who do you like? Oh, boy. There's something about the way Switzerland's going here. I think they've got a real chance to make life difficult for the Finns. That'll be a really good game. That'll be a really good game. I'm worried about the Swiss health. I really am. Yeah. I'll say this too. Yossi has been excellent here. Just fantastic. Sure has. So that's, you're right. You're right though. Going on a back-to-back. You're already short-staffed. Fial is a huge loss for them. It would be for anybody. They may just run out of gas, but the fact that they get Italy in their play-in, how taxed is everybody coming out of that game? Italy's not as physical as France, I don't think. I would agree with that. Okay. So who are your semifinalists? because we're next recording after the quarters. And remember, semifinals get reseed here. Quarters don't. And people ask me, why don't they do it? It's because the qualifying and quarters are on back-to-back days. If teams playing too far apart end up playing each other, somebody can really get screwed on the turnaround. Right. Canada? I'll go Canada. I mean, I could be bold and say Sweden's going to come through and knock off the U.S. I'm the guy sitting here saying I think the Americans just played their best game and I think they were angry or they created anger and they've got a lot to give. that Sweden game is a tough game so you say you you say us I'll be different I'll go Sweden okay so I'm taking Canada Sweden you're taking Canada US yeah I think I think Finland's gonna beat Switzerland I will go too all right I'm sorry Dom I'm gonna say Germany will upset Slovakia I don't think, you know what, even though it's a 3-6, I don't think that's a huge upset. I think that game is almost entirely a toss-up. Yeah, I hear you. Like, Slovakia would nod a little deeper. Germany with the top-end talent. I know they were tired against the U.S. Dreisaitl, of course, had a tough go. France will be a good one for them to figure it out and to be feeling better about themselves, assuming they get by them. I'll take Germany against the Slovaks. Yeah, Dostal still terrifies me, but I think Canada's too good. All right. Since you're taking the U.S., I'll go Canada, Finland, Slovakia, Sweden. And I am not confident in two of those picks. Yeah, okay. All right. I'll go Canada, U.S., Germany, and the Finns. I hate trendy picks. Sweden over the U.S. is going to be a trendy pick. And I think the Americans are going to come up with the reasons to hate the Swedes in that game, and that will make them even better. But we can't have both of us picking the same teams. All right. Good. Let's get to the final thoughts, which is presented by the Toyota BZ. Go all electric in a winter-ready Toyota BZ at your local dealer today. Shout-outs. We've got more of them, Elliot. It's an international event, and we have some international people to shout out here now. Why don't you go first? No, you go ahead. Okay. All right. So, wanted to shout out Ji-ho from Korea. He is a Korean sports journalist who went to school in Toronto, and it was there that, I mean, he knew a little bit about hockey. Obviously, he was around it a lot more while he was in Toronto. doing his schooling, became a big Maple Leafs fan. He still is today while working back in Korea. But he also is a listener of the podcast. So we've got listenership in Korea. So Jiho, it was great to meet you. He's here covering a bit of the tournament. Met him in the media work area at the arena a couple of days back. So that floored me. nice krezemir from croatia came up and introduced himself uh where my platform area is in the building so krezemir also listener of the pod uh he has and his colleague have a podcast of their own in croatian on hockey i believe the translation he said was on thin ice is the title of their podcast. Yeah, we're on Thin Eyes too, so we've got something in common. That's also cool. But it was neat as he was explaining it. I guess at one point he was a commentator for the NHL games they would do for the Croatian audience. The rights have kind of moved around there, he was explaining. But hopefully he gets a chance to work hockey games again, but is a massive, massive fan of the sport. He loves doing his podcast. He said, you know, we're maybe a little more of a niche audience in Croatia with hockey, but really enjoyed it. That was beautiful to listen to. Chris from Germany came up. So from Germany, lives in Germany. He was wearing a Team Canada Sidney Crosby sweater and Team Canada hat. So though he is German, he is go Canada, go when it comes to hockey. And he says every Saturday night, he stays up to 1 a.m. and he, however he gets it, watches Hockey Night in Canada. so we wanted to say hi to all the commentators say hi to you he's a big big fan of watching the show every saturday night that was fascinating to listen to and to meet him and cam from back home outside of oshawa he said he's from but is here in italy taking in some of the hockey at the olympics another listener of the pod so from all over elliot it again i've said it before but it blows me away that this program finds its way into these parts of the world. That's great stuff, Kyle. And I appreciate you shouting all those out. And I appreciate all those people who listen. It has really been a revelation to me as to how many people who've come up and said, we listen around the world. And it is incredibly appreciated. Okay, here's the shoutouts. I couldn't remember them all, but I tried to write down or type out as many as I could. Christian, young fan from Denmark. Tom from just south of Mannheim in Germany. Philip Feigl of X Hockey, a reporter who listens to us. Yuso from Finland, who's staying in our hotel and here watching the Finnish teams play. I met a guy with a fascinating story. His name is Mike Halmo. Mike played in the Ontario Hockey League with Owen Sound. He was never drafted in the NHL, but he was signed as a free agent out of the OHL by the New York Islanders. He played 20 games in the NHL with the Islanders and did have the honor of scoring an NHL goal. He scored April Fool's Day 2014 He scored his lone NHL goal In a game against the Florida Panthers After that he went overseas He played in the AHL for a while He went overseas He's in Bolzano He was in the German League And now he's an assistant coach in Europe And I ran into him at a breakfast buffet I was visiting some friends of mine who made the trip from Canada on Saturday morning. I met them at their hotel. Of course, first I got one name wrong in their hotel and I got driven to another hotel and I had to walk 15 minutes to their hotel. And I met Mike Helmo in the breakfast buffet at their real hotel. It was good to meet him. It was a really good story. Michael from Martin, Slovakia. Bruce from New Jersey. uh sandy from uh montreal and he said he's the realtor that sold nick suzuki his house so that was a guy i met in the stands there and tuan from france aline from switzerland uh shannon who's a police officer at 51 division in toronto always appreciate the work of the rank file. Michael and Jamie from Newfoundland. Mike and Laura Sanders. I mentioned Dogovins. Mike and Laura Sanders were at the game on Sunday, and Mike revealed that underneath his Canada shirt, they were wearing a Latvia jersey. And he left after the Canada game to go to the Latvia game, which was at the other arena. because Dogovins was their player when they billeted. They used to billet OHL players, and Dogovins was one of their billets. And he was wearing an official Dogovins Latvia jersey that he'd been given, and so he went to go see him play after. There was Mike, who was from the Netherlands, Scott from New Liskert. That was one of the people that stopped me after the Canada game Yes, that's our thought line guy. Yeah, that was the guy who asked me, that's right, if Wilson was suspended. There were a couple of German fans I met later. I think their names were Max and Matthias. And I met some people for lunch on Sunday, and I met a guy. I think his name was Francois. And he was a Canadian who had gone to play in France. and I met him with his wife and three kids, I think it was, and I didn't get his last name. I couldn't remember, but apparently he's got his number retired by the team in the French league he played for. And the other guy I met was a former member of the Vernon Vipers. I met him while walking in the Duomo. It is Jagger Williamson. and Jagger played in the BCHL with the Vernon Vipers for five years and now is playing in the Italian League. And I ran into him and his family while I was just waiting for my Uber to leave the Duomo. So just a ton of people I met. I tried to write down as much as I could. Those were the only ones I could remember, but some good stories there. Great. Well, wherever you are listening, thank you. We don't know what's gotten into you, but boy, do we appreciate it. Yeah, we really do. And Jagger, by the way, you look different than your HockeyDB picture. He's growing his hair out. He's got a beard. He's grown up. Yeah, the guy here is a baby face. Jagger's a bit more scruffy looking. Looks good, though, Jagger. Excellent. All right, that was the final thought presented by the Toyota BZ. We'll take a break and then wrap up this Olympic edition of 32 Thoughts, the podcast after this. all right before we go as mentioned a monday is an off day for the men's tournament no games there The qualification round goes Tuesday. However, on the women's side, two semifinals on Monday. Sweden, USA. And you can catch that just after 10.30 a.m. Eastern, 7.30 a.m. Pacific. And Team Canada, the women are against Switzerland, who are not an easy out by any stretch. A little after 3 o'clock in the afternoon Eastern time, just past noon, out in the Pacific. A great way to spend a Monday afternoon as the Canadian woman try to again punch their ticket to an Olympic gold medal clash. Okay, taking us out today. A track from Gov. Warmer Than Gold, the new album from Ben Cook's project Gov, is a document of a life in music, a critical and celebratory travelogue, an attempt to transcend the homogenous and status-obsessed conditions of the contemporary world through the use of big beats, big choruses, and distortion. Though it retains the hooky spirit of his previous records, Cook, who grew up moving between Toronto and England, adds a decidedly rhythmic element informed by classic Manchester and Britpop. With its expanded sonic palette and emphasis on breakbeats, Warmer Than Gold ushers in the newest era of an artist who has never stopped growing. He's on tour over the next couple of months. You can see him including stops in Vancouver on February the 21st at the Cobalt, in Montreal on March the 5th, and the next night in Toronto, March the 6th. You can catch this track and all the other ones we've featured on 32 Thoughts, the podcast, so far this season, and our Spotify playlist at 32 Thoughts, the music. Here's Gov and Let Your Hands Go on 32 Thoughts, the podcast. Great start to the week. I walk home and I think of you, yeah, there are worse things I could do. I want it, get on it, see it coming, easy, does it, let your hands go. I want it, get on it, see it coming, easy, does it, let your hands go. Let your hands go Let your hands go Let your hands go Something surrounds my heart I wake up wondering what went on I walk home and I think of you Yeah, there are worse things I could do Something surrounds my heart I wake up wondering what we're on Despite all that we've been through It's only love when I see you See me coming easy Doesn't let your hands go I'm breaking money See it coming Easy does it Let your hands go Let your hands go Let your hands go We'll see you next time.