[MUSIC] >> Fan morning, Joe Sports, that Bob Downey, the fan, and then it's Frank Gunning. >> Happy Thursday to you. >> Happy Thursday to you. I did the show Tuesday, just like, kept hitting me every day that it was Tuesday. So you saying Thursday, it's like, God, that's so close to Friday, almost there baby. >> I don't know, this is a mishmash week for me. >> I know. >> It's with you for a four hour show and a golf course on Monday. Just like, hey, look at this golf course, did you, did you wiesel your way on there? So, I was gonna. >> Yeah, there clearly was like, at least an opportunity if you wanted to push the issue, is how it sounded to me. >> I was given the heads up that there were two groups on every hole. >> Yeah, I can just scramble. >> I heard that of we have eight golfers on each hole and I said, God bless everyone out there. J's care, I think I've done my part today. >> You know what I did, though? >> Oh, yeah. >> Can I guess? Did you go play golf somewhere else? >> Yeah, I did. I did that very thing. >> Good for you. >> Yes, I did. And I played very poorly, it was very wet that day. >> You might as well just played in the scramble. >> I guess. >> You're gonna play poorly. >> No, but if I was gonna play poorly, at least it was done quickly. >> This is true. >> Done in three and a half hours. >> I forgot exactly the wording of it, but at Wingfoot, they have a great sign. Like if you play well, play quick and if you play poorly, play quicker or something like that, which I could not agree with more. >> That is really good, yeah. Played yesterday, three and a half hours for you. >> Good to play today. Hopefully in three and a half hours. >> I'm doing my classic meetup, me and my buddy, we live too far apart. So there's just all these random golf courses, like, let's go try this one. So I'm doing one of those today myself. So let's see, we'll see how quick I get out there. >> You don't have to say the name of the golf course. >> No, I can't. 'Cause it's like, it's just like a funny Canadian one. It's like, I am playing today at Walter Gretzky on your municipal golf course. It's like this, the Muni in Brantford. >> No way. >> Walter Gretzky. >> And you've never played that before? >> Never. Driven past it a million times. I will 1,000% should they have it for sale, be buying a golf ball in the pro shop with that very logo on it. >> Of course. >> Because it's Canadiana, and I buy my kid a golf ball from all these places, he's obsessed as well. But yeah, so I'm playing that one today. That's just gonna feel like, I have like a golf Canada golf shirt, I think I'm gonna have to wear it for that. Just feeling very patriotic 'cause I play Canada's hockey dad's golf course. >> So it's named after him, did he play it? >> I don't know. >> Because it's in Brantford, is there a Wayne Gretzky municipal golf course? >> I don't think so. I think it's just Walter. >> Yeah. Which is awesome. >> Yeah. >> Quite frankly. Wayne's got enough. >> Yeah, I guess. >> Or not enough, maybe. >> That's what you're saying. >> I don't think it's odd that they were like, not like, Wayne and, like, 'cause they often would do like, Walter and Sons, it'd be weird to do like, Wayne and Father golf course. >> You know what's also weird is that you don't hear a lot of golf courses named after people, right? I guess like, you know. >> So like, it wasn't named after him when he was alive? >> Again, like, I'm hoping to get there, have a lovely four and a half to six minute chat with probably an older gentleman in the pro shop, I'm sure that would love nothing more than to regale me with all these tales. But like, normally when a golf course is named after a guy, like this person passed away like within the last five years, like Andy Bathgate, you know, won the cup, lived out in Mississauga, the Andy Bathgate, like, I think he just started that and that's why it's named after him, that's what he wanted to open. But yeah, I don't think Walter Gretzky was out there be like, ah, you know, can we get a little radan on hole 12 here? Let me get those church pew bunkers. I don't think he was course designing. I could be wrong. >> Yeah, the other guy. >> I hope to find out a lot today. >> The other guy who has his name on a bunch of golf course, Donald Trump, so like, yeah, there's like- >> Oh, well, don't you dare connect the two. >> Well, I'm just saying, you don't hear this very often. >> The Walter Gretzky municipal golf course- >> I go out on a limb and say this was like an honor bestowed upon him. Like, who does it? >> Pauseumously. >> I would think. >> Okay. >> I don't know. >> I just feel like it's existed. I don't think posthumously. I feel like it's existed for a while. >> Wow, okay. Yeah, no, it's just, it's weird, like we're both golfers, golf plenty in the GTA. >> Tons? >> Brantford isn't a million miles. I've never heard of that. >> Well, it's funny because I like, just like a route I take to, when I go see my wife's parents, it like often takes me by or through Brantford or whatever. And yeah, I see it all the time, every time I think to myself, one day, got to play it. So today, shout out my boy Dan Skills, play with him. >> It's a full length golf course. >> Yeah. It's part 72, like the black stretch out to 6,500, I think. >> Wow. >> Not that I'm playing those, just to clarify, but yeah. >> All right. Did you look at that? >> Thanks, buddy. I started talking about Walter Gretzky's golf course, but here we are. >> It's either that or about how we're a cheater nation full of scoundrels. >> I have put a lot of thought into that as well, watching that news come out as we were doing the show. That was hilarious yesterday, and like the lead up to it. But yeah, I actually do have a lot of thoughts on us being downstream of these scoundrels. >> Of course. I mean, it's not the first time. >> Mm-hm. >> 1988, maybe before your time. >> Mm-hm. >> Yes, barely. >> And I was four years old. >> Oh, it's got a big deal. >> Yeah. >> [LAUGH] >> And that was a little different, right? >> That was, it was. >> Yeah, that was, it'd be a pop for steroids after winning a gold medal, a little different than being caught flying a drone over the New Zealand women's soccer practice. >> Before winning a damn thing. >> Defending champs, I know. >> Yeah. New Zealand stinks, Canada's the defending gold medalist, very, very bizarre situation. And then, subsequently, Canada's head coach, Beth Freedman, stepping down for today's game. By the way, before the opening ceremonies, opening ceremonies are tomorrow on the Senn River. It's a flotilla. Are you aware of this? >> I am finding this all out right now. >> Okay. >> I want more details. >> So for the first time in modern Olympic history, the opening ceremonies will not be in an actual arena. >> Okay. >> It will be literally a flotilla down the Senn River. >> Mm-hm. Do you think the people, like, I'm just trying to think like London, they got a nice big river going through the middle of their town. You think they're jealous? They didn't think of that. I think they're jealous there. I'm thinking of, like, I don't know that Venice is holding an Olympics anytime soon. >> I'm thinking not. >> They got to be, they got to be, that's stealing all their thunder, like, "We're the boat city." You can't do that to us, Parrish. You got the Eiffel Tower, city of lights, love hacking darts while eating a croissant. You know all those things. You can't be taking floating on the water from us. >> Salt Lake City coming up in 10 years, too. Maybe with the opening ceremonies on the salt lake, great salt lake, I'm not sure. >> Anyways, so the opening ceremonies are tomorrow, but as there is in every Olympics, there are events that start before the opening ceremonies, and today, the Canadian women will play New Zealand on the heels of the biggest scandal so far at the Olympics. >> Give it time. >> Yeah, guaranteed there will be another story that superseeds this. But I think this is not just a local story. >> Mm-hm. No, no, no. >> No, this is like, it's on ESPN. >> So that was actually, that was the biggest curiosity I had about this, because again, we were kind of doing it live yesterday as it was coming out, was how much was this going to break through to kind of North American sports fan in general? Because generally speaking, the lead up to the Olympics, every country is telling a different story. Like very rarely is it just Usain Bolt, like the Usain Bolt games, we were all excited for that. That was the story of the games leading into it. Everyone was singing kumbaya about that thing, but generally speaking, heading into an Olympics, every country's got their star athletes there, locked in and they're telling the stories of and all of that. This has broken through to where it is the complete kind of number one Olympic story now. And I really wasn't sure, just because of the nature of it, like the drone flying, it's not steroids cheating. I wasn't sure that it would break through. But I guess it's just like the Bella Chequi and Spygate of it all makes it easy to, you know, consume. >> Yeah, you know, and that's the obvious comparison, right? The Bella Chequi Spigate thing from, what, how many years ago was that? >> A hundred. >> At least ten. I think it was the 2012 season anyways. And there's an easy comparable there as well. Do you know, so that was, do you remember what game, so the implication was that there was more than just the one game that they were fined and docked for from traffic for, but do you know the one game that is on record as being the game, the Spigate game? Do you know who that was against and the circumstances? Do you remember what they were? >> I don't actually know. I don't. >> As a Patriots fan, I'm sure you had it expunged from your memory. I don't know where you're shining one. >> It's not in black. >> Yeah, yeah. >> Cheating, what? >> My team? >> No. >> Tom Brady, great. >> So that was a September regular season game against a Jets team that would go four and 12 that season. Bill Belichick fined a half million dollars, the Patriots fined a quarter million dollars, and of course, the loss of a first round draft pick. So there is a comparable though, because Canada's the defending gold medalist in New Zealand, they stank. >> Yeah, okay. >> Okay. >> They're no good. I mean, this would be an incredible victory, and you got to believe, and any neutral that spot in this game is rooting wholeheartedly for the Kiwis. >> They're all in on the all-black, yeah. >> Well, dude, I wonder how much this permeates through the entire Canadian Olympic team, right? Like, Canada's oftentimes, and I remember in 2010, boy, so many Americans kind of like, they were kind of rooting for Canada at those games. >> I know, which, like, come on. >> Yeah, it's a little embarrassing, I suppose, but the Canadians have always been like the, hey, lovable underdog, what's not to like about Canadians? Of course, again, with 1988, also in the back of our minds. But since then, and now, I wonder if, because this is the first thing that has happened at these games, I wonder if that kind of, it infects everybody at these games. Whether it's the, well, certainly the women's soccer team, they're gonna be the black hats. The men's basketball team is supposed to be a lovable underdog. Do they wear any of this? I tend to think not, but I just, it's an interesting way to start the games that wear this lovable country, and all of a sudden, we're the bad guys. >> Canada has never needed Ryan Lockty to go pee on a gas station somewhere and get a gun pointed in his face more, like that's the kind of story. >> Is that Rio? >> Yeah, that was. Then they're like, he was, he was arrested at gunpoint by a militia, some cartel. And then the story came out, it's like, or he peed all over a gas station, and then some guys at gunstone don't do that. They've never needed a story more like that, cuz I think, let's just say, I don't wanna disparage anybody, but like, here comes the disparaging. >> Notable swimmer, cuz I think a shot putter gets popped for Royds or something, that doesn't permeate the way this story does. But a notable swimmer, a notable athlete, them getting popped for something like steroids or cheating along those lines, that would take precedent over this. But I honestly think the only other story would be exactly that. The ugly American aspect of it, the Ryan Lochte story. The other thing I was thinking about with this is, would this not be so much more fun if it was the winter games, and we could just lean in to being the bad guys? >> Yeah. >> Cuz it's one thing to be, to say, you know what? >> Yes, the Yankee. >> You know what? >> You know what? >> The Yankee is at the winter Olympics. >> Yeah, hate us, cuz you ain't us. >> Yeah. >> Like I pulled it up. >> Yeah. >> Canada is fifth all time in metal standings in the winter Olympics with summer, and ain't that. This thing would be so much more fun to go into the games is, all right, you know what? Let's try it for once. Let's be the villains when we could actually expect a ton, a ton, a ton of success. Now, not that Canada is not gonna win some golds, and not that we're not gonna have good stories of these games. >> And this team is the defending gold medalist. >> But they've also, from my understanding, struggling in a big way, coming into this, and Christine Sinclair is no longer there, and who knows what type of vacuum that leads despite that they were trying to pass the baton, you know, from her to this generation for, I don't know, the better part of a half decade, it felt like that's the thing I just, I can't help but think with all this is how much more fun would this be if, again, like, you wouldn't want this to be like our men's hockey team to have a spygate story. But if it was that, and you just lean into it, and it's like, yeah, we are the bad guys. We're a big bad Canada. We're gonna try it on for once. Let's see how it goes. It's not gonna feel the same in the summer games. It's just not. >> So you are uniquely qualified to talk about this because you're a Patriots fan. >> Mm-hm. >> And Patriots did a lot of winning. >> Yeah. >> Pre-spygate. >> Yep. >> Post-spygate. >> That's the thing. >> Okay. Was that a pox upon the Patriots franchise? Did you feel a level of embarrassment? Did the jabs sting? How do we cope here? >> Well, I think so. I think part of it is that it's the Yankees of it all. Like the Patriots truly were the evil empire. That's not the case now, like, you know, Drake May there and new head coach and completely different, all that. That's kind of dissipated. But in the throes of it, you add in the Brady deflator stuff and it is, it becomes part of the MO of, hey, you just hate us, Cajunas, and it's easy to do that when the team is won before, when the team won during, and the team wins after the scandal. That's the thing. Houston Astros of it all, like, that's the other one I go to, and this isn't me trying to run away from it as a Patriots fan, but just comparing contrasting. >> Sure. >> It's a little harder for the Astros to say, oh, whatever, you just wish you could be us. Well, actually it was like a two, then you've had success around it. But really what we're talking about is a two or three year run that coincided with all the cheating that was happening there in Houston when they did their winning, whereas if the Astros, seven years from now with not Jose L. Tuvay and Alex Bragman were winning games, and there was no trash can bang. And then I think we all feel a little differently about that scandal and those were the two. >> Well, they won one post scandal. >> Why? And I suppose a lot of people will look at that and say, boy, that's pretty qualifying for me. And for most teams it is, but you're asking me as a Patriots fan to look at it, the Patriots didn't win one after. They won a bunch before a few during and a bunch more after. And I think that's the difference there is that it was truly the sustained, the sustained run. There are a lot of people sitting there, because this is what I heard all the time. Yeah, because they were doing all this cheating that we didn't find out about. You just have to let it roll off your back. Like I think that when you, you're not used to this. I think the other thing that complicates this from this market as well is there's the leafs of it all. You're supposed to be able to act like that, but they've had no team success because I think there is an element. We love this of being a leaf fan of, oh yeah, wine, wine, wine, wine, more about the coverage, which isn't even as leaf biased as everyone out there thinks it is. Okay, wine about the coverage, you wish it was you. And I just think that's the attitude you kind of take with it. So yeah, I, this feels different than the spygate because again, it was in the midst of the greatest dynasty we've seen in the 21st century. Well, also, I think spying on a football team's practice where you can gain an advantage over like the actually knowing what plays are coming. So it's different than spying on a soccer team. And it's different than banging on trash cans. Honestly, I'd rank them trash cans one. Yes. Like when you know the, it's a fastball. Yes. That seems like a pretty unfair advantage. I would, I would rank Patriots spygate two if you're just doing all three. Because yeah, no one, what football play is coming. That's a massive advantage. Soccer, I get it. There's set pieces and obviously there's strategy that I'm not as well versed in as soccer people are and you wouldn't be doing it if there wasn't an advantage, but it's not the same as the other two. I was thinking about that as well as if the, because I immediately go to the NFL football, real man's American football is on the farthest end of the spectrum of watching a practice spying on someone, get you far and away in the most advantage. It's like baseball would be the least. It's like, Oh, wow, I watched these guys take infield, better watch out. They're going to do the hidden ball trick. Like they just take BPS out there is not, it doesn't, it's non-existent. And then I was even thinking with hockey, like, yes, teams like try stuff out on the power play. But the only time there are shut practices is when somebody's hurting the playoffs. So that's what you're worried about. It's not the practice. It's how's Mitch Marner's gate look? Well, he's out there and trying to play in a game six or a game seven or whatever. And I didn't, I tended to put soccer kind of on that end of the pendulum as well. The idea that it's just not, it's not football. Nothing is like nothing is as close to what the advantage you get there. You know, it's also different about this. Well, obviously this is obvious is that it's at the Olympics. Yes. So it's, it's not professional sports kinds of Olympic games, but it's also, so it's the Olympics where it's, there's sports people covering it. But there's also a bunch of news people at the Olympics. The most serious people ever. So this is, okay, I don't want to sound like, Oh, it's just happening to Canada. And I'm brushing it off. This is true of Spygate, this is true, even of the trash can banging of the Astros. We're talking about sports here, right? Like, ultimately, yeah, it's serious because there's millions of dollars on the line and all our attention is there, but it's not actually important. It's kind of funny, right? Somebody flew a drone over a soccer practice to gain an advantage in a soccer game. Well, the funniest part seems to be to me is that the, the only, I shouldn't say the only reason, not that maybe this wouldn't have got caught otherwise, but it's just that French authorities are on such high alerts for drones of any kind. Which is insane. I was talking to a Rashman Danny yesterday and I was, to, to fill it on. I heard him get hit by a car on the radio and I was very shocked when I was a truck. Okay. He hit by a truck in the middle of our head on fan free game yesterday. Yeah, the, the French authorities are very much on alert because as mentioned, there's an opening ceremony is not in a confined space tomorrow. So there's going to be like 200,000 people lining the Senn River. Great. You can't fly drones. Drones are banned and there are legal consequences for flying drones. Just like the best of times, let alone over a venue. And I get it that the soccer is being played like a couple hours away from Paris. Right. Obviously this was. Still feels like the Olympics I'd imagine. Yeah. It's insane. You go unnoticed, it's just so asinine and there's actual legal complications for the people that were piloting the drone Lombardi there. Yeah, it just, it seems stupid on a myriad of different levels and, and did just back to what I was saying about the high, the high forehead people that are going to be opining about this that are, you know, not generally used to covering sports and want to take their serious, you know, sensibilities so serious, there's serious sensibilities of covering news into this sports realm is that, okay, that's bad. And Beth Priestman obviously is responsible to some degree, even if she said she has no knowledge like obviously she has knowledge and sacrificing herself for one game is trying to get out ahead of it. Of course. Yeah. Against the game that they should win. Yeah. Yeah. It's kind of interesting. And if there's a failure here, maybe there should be a real, yeah, a question as to whether she as the head coach of this national program is sustainable, yada, yada, yada, but let's just take it easy for a second with they, they, they, they spied on the New Zealand women's soccer practice before a game that they should win. Nobody needs to be sent to prison. No. Well, like again, maybe Lombardi, I don't know what the French authorities think about my drones, but I, and I also don't think this was honestly a legitimate possibility raised by Arash Madani yesterday. And I don't think it's possible now that we're on game day, but that I also don't think like Canada should be banned from the Olympic games or this team should be banned from the women's soccer tournament because some guy, yeah, who obviously was going to give the information back to the team, but I don't think they should be banned. There should be any serious punishment. There wasn't any serious punishment handed down to Bill Belichick. Right. He was fine. Mm hmm. And the Patriots lost a draft pick. They didn't forfeit a game. That's like the New Zealand football authority wants them awarded no points of Canada wins today's game. And sorry. No. Settle down. If you want that, then just call for them to be booted out of the tournament plain and simple because that's really what you're, what you're asking for. It is ridiculous doing that. The idea that, and I'm not, it was funny, I was reading a little bit about this story, but I wasn't going to bring it to Eric's not super well versed, but basically my understanding is part of the reason this is a bit of an on-sequitur, but I promise it, all they said, it's part of the reason the States got awarded the Salt Lake Games in 2034. I think it is is, hey, you got to play nice with us with what's going on with some of these doping allegations against some of these Chinese swimmers and you can't really complain about it so much America. And if that's going to be par for the course, like, Hey, we'll give you this Olympics, but you got to walk back the criticism a little bit or you got to soft pet a little bit. The idea that you're going to do that, but the candidates booted out of the games for looking at footage again, like, let's just be real about this of a soccer practice here. Like this isn't the end of talk about soccer. We're talking about soccer. We're talking about practice, not a game, not the game that I love that I die for. Talk about practice. I like to think that they were just, because New Zealand, my understanding is they do like, you know, we've seen it in rugby forever, the Hawka. We do this before all their spiritual dance, like it looks very intimidating. I like to think Canada just need to get as close as possible to that ahead of time. They're like, that's too intimidating. I want to be able to be well versed in this. This story is nuts. The idea as well, it's funny that you talk about the high four headed people who really want to like get involved and put on their pointy hats with all that, like, I look at it as the rush to call this guy an unaccredited team member as well. That's the funniest part to me. Like, he's on the roster. There's a bio for him on Canada Soccer's website, but we have to call him like an unaccredited person. This story is my favorite, honestly. I didn't know this. This was not on my bingo card for what I wanted to start an Olympic Games. You would never have been able to convince me ahead of time that you, hey, it's actually like good if this came to soccer, and it's not good, but from a story perspective, imagine if this was New Zealand, spy, well, I guess it was Canada, we'd get all up in arms and be mad about it. But if this was just some nation that we don't really care about as much spying on some other nation that we don't really care about as much, I think it'd be a story for us still. But I think there's a Canada element of it that the shock and awe that it is those nice Canadians are doing this. And that's why the story's kind of taken hold as well. Yeah, pressure's on now. Gotta win. This is a must win game today. Half the win against New Zealand. Yeah. It's wrong against New Zealand and you can't get points if you win, apparently, according to their coach, manager, whatever they call themselves, defending gold medalists, cheating against New Zealand. Probably not necessary. It would be so much better if this was the winter games. Yeah. Like if Canada's speed skating was just seen like again, like, oh, they're going to take the inside loop when it's the Netherlands, like they were filming that or something. Yeah. I don't know what advantage you get. But there'd be so much more fun. It's going to say we're not that great at long track or yeah, long track speed skating. Be sure it's short track. We're pretty good though. It's those hand them brothers. I don't think they're doing it anymore, but yeah. Bush is coming to Budweiser stage for their loaded the greatest hits tour on August 19th with special guests, Jerry Cantrell and Candlebox to celebrate giving away tickets to Andrew all you have to do is tune into episodes at the fan morning show, listen for the code word, then text that code word to 59590 standard message and data rates may apply. Today's code word is man on the run again, text man on the run to 59590 right now. To enter for your chance to win, we're giving away a final pair of tickets tomorrow, but if you don't win with us, tickets on sale at ticketmaster.ca. When we come back, Stan Bowman has a job again. It's the new general manager of the Edmonton Oilers. Is Joel Quenville soon to follow that and more next as the fan morning show continues been on his Brent Gunning Sportsnet 590 the fan. So I'm not here to re-litigate the past, but I do think it's important to start off by touching on my departure from the Blackhawks in a couple of seasons ago. I can tell you in this room and everyone watching, as well as something I've said directly to Kyle Beach, that my response was inadequate back in 2010. I didn't handle things properly, I should have done more and that's something I regret and it's something that I've had a chance to reflect on and try to learn properly. Fan morning show Sportsnet 590 the fan, Ben Ennis Brent Gunning, that was new Oilers general manager Stan Bowman yesterday as he was introduced after three years away from the NHL after voluntarily stepping down in 2021 for his involvement or perhaps lack of involvement in that 2010 Chicago Blackhawks sexual assault scandal. He's back, he and Joel Quenville officially reinstated on July 1st and less than a month later, he's got a job as he fills the opening in Edmonton with the Oilers. Was this surprising to you? What was your initial reaction to this? Ah, a little surprised, not surprised that a team wanted to have him back, not surprised that the league was willing to have him back at this point in time, but I am a little surprised he ended up in, it's odd because Edmonton is a marquee team in the league, but I don't think we think of the Oilers GM is like a marquee position like where we're going to hear from the sky all the time and that's where I'm kind of conflicted on the matter because this guy is going to have to sign the two next most important contracts in hockey. Right now, hopefully he would love the honor to get to do that with both dry side all and McDavid and now he's going to be front and center that way, but my genuine belief with this and I've said it all the time, I'll just hammer it home again, I was pretty adamant that the league was going to reinstate these guys when they could go somewhere quiet and I wouldn't necessarily say, you know, the second hottest hockey market in Canada right now is, is quiet. No, it's not quiet and it's not New York, it's not New York and also they're well versed in this. Right when it comes to Evander came, when it comes to Corey Perry, I can't help but think that that informs this decision making. Evander came especially like Corey Perry, it felt like that was kind of under the radar and he was just. Well, it's pretty tough when the story is out there, but no one's actually like aware of what it is. Right. We knew more specifics about Evander came and it was pretty not so good, right? And they ate it and they're like, oh, that wasn't so bad. I got it. Yeah. Like how much blowback was there? And it ended up being a coup for them, an incredible, incredible coup that okay, we know how to, we know how to weather these media storms surrounding this guy, but secondarily, I mean, God, what else do people want from Stan Bowman, honestly, like he's been in direct contact with Kyle Beach. She said like Sheldon Kennedy was up there on the podium with him. Is so we're just supposed to like he's gone forever out of our lives forever that he has to find a new line of work as well for some people. That's what they were looking for. What is that? Okay. So like let me just start there. Has that because you know, it's so, it's so funny, especially with the way these topics are kind of discussed today that, you know, like you talk about it with friends potentially, but really it's a thing that I think a lot of us just see kind of on social media. I haven't seen, and I'm not saying it's not out there. I just haven't seen, because I expected the vitriol of how could the Oilers do this. And I really haven't seen it. I'm not saying it's a straw man argument, but yeah, I'm not, I am surprised at the lack of that that I've seen in my kind of like algorithm for lack of a better. Oh, yeah. There was way more when we're talking about a Vandercan, right, or Corey Perry, quite honestly, if I'll wait for me, and maybe that's because it's a player. It was in the middle of the season, you're going to see his face every day. Maybe that's why I don't know. But again, just like going off of the reaction I saw, it felt like there was way more for a Vandercan, more for Corey Perry, and much less for this. Maybe it's the debt of summer. Maybe it's all of that leading into it, but how about maybe people are being logical? Because what happened in 2010 with Chicago Blackhawks was awful, horrific and the buck is supposed to stop. You would think with the director of hockey operations, the general manager, the guy at the tippy top of the reporting structure of the hockey team. But Stan Bowman would tell you like the details. He was only finding those out when the report was handed to him at the conclusion in 2021. That was when he was finally getting the heads up on what exactly was happening. And again, he stepped down. He said, "I should have done more." He's taken the steps in the three years in between stepping down for the Chicago Blackhawks and reentering the fray in the National Hockey League to do the work, to talk directly to the people that were affected by that, to work with organizations like Sheldon Kennedy's. Yeah, I think maybe it's that people believe him when he says he's changed and he's attempted to be a better person and learn from his mistakes. Yeah, I think there's an element to that. I mean, I know for myself and obviously every one of these instances, I wouldn't even want to give another one to lump them together. But when we run into this issue of is this person ready for public life or to be welcomed back into professional league X or Y, I think generally speaking, my mileage, at least, if you are somebody from the jump that is like, I am being railroaded. This cannot stop. Then my mileage for you saying, I'm a changed man, it's going to take a lot longer from that. I feel like with all of the people involved in the Blackhawks, again, no one is saying they handled this perfectly. But I think the level of contrition from the, not the jump, but from the outset of the league looking into this and the fact that it wasn't Stan Bowman, you know, quite frankly, making the round saying, I deserve to be back, let me back in. I think that carries a lot of weight for people as well. I think one other thing that is jumping out to me in all this is, and you know, this makes it more of a hockey issue than a person issue. But how different NHL front offices are today than they were in the Blackhawks. Hey, day. And I just say that. And that's not NHL front offices. That's all front offices. We talk about Stan Bowman, like he's the GM, the decider. He's got a boss in Edmonton. And yes, there was a president of hockey ops or sorry, a president of the hockey team in Chicago. But the GM back then was seen as the ultimate emeritus, like this guy is the ultimate decider figure. Look at all the teams we have here in Toronto. We have GMs and we don't, well, unless it's the Leafs kind of now, we don't look at them like they decide anything quite frankly, you know? So I think I don't know if you're hiring Stan Bowman if you're not going to get in the decision, what I'm saying to that is that back when this stuff was happening with the Blackhawks, when you just looked at a hockey org, there was no president of hockey ops that you said, oh, this guy's really in charge. It was the GM. That was the public face of all decisions that were made with the team. And I think that because of that, he was seeing, he wears it more than we think of a GM in this day. And I don't say that is like some, you know, impassioned defensive Stan Bowman. I just think that's the other part of it is that the hierarchy in these orgs are so much different now. Of course, they're going to let Bowman make a ton of decisions. That's why he took the job and that's why they want him. But I also think that if this had happened in this area, like if this story happened now in the NHL, we wouldn't be pointing the finger at the GM. We'd be saying, how could the president let this go long? Because he's the one who ultimately oversees this all. Yeah, it was an organizational failure. Of course. No question. In Chicago, Stan Bowman is a really good general manager when it comes to creating championship hockey teams. He's done it three times. Like, he's got three Stanley Cup rings. Yeah. There's just no debating his bona fives. And apparently, Frank Zarelli was saying that when the Oilers were hiring Jeff Jackson as the president, that there were intimations about, hey, is Stan Bowman available at that time and was not made available? I don't imagine they had a heads up before anybody else did that this would be happening on July 1st. But it ends up working out pretty well for them at a pretty crucial point in their franchise history with Leon Dries, title extension eligible. And Conor McDavid, a year away from being extension eligible coming off a Stanley Cup final Game 7 appearance that you get a guy that, I mean, of the available options is that the tippy top of the heap now, when it comes to head coaching, which maybe we can pivot to Joel Quenville now, Joel Quenville, if you're just looking at bona fives again, he's at the tippy top of the pile. I got to imagine this now breaks the seal on him as well that next time that there is a firing, he's going to get a bunch of calls. It is interesting, though, that there was the most high profile head coaching job available and it was filled in May and how different with things have looked if the Maple Leafs had a heads up, the Joel Quenville would be made available July 1st. Yeah. So I don't want to completely pivot away from the GM of it all because they just had this sliding doors thought that if if Kyle Dubas hadn't like fired himself a year ago, that he would have been walking into his lame duck season and then they could have fired him this year. And then that could have been the Leafs except it couldn't have been because much like with Joel Quenville, there was no way this guy was getting the go ahead until he wasn't going to be a GM of the Toronto Maple Leafs or Joel Quenville was going to be the head coach. People have told me I'm crazy to think it, but I will not be talked off this point. There is no way and everyone says, Oh, the NHL is not going to put it in an email. Yeah, I know. These guys are pretty smart. I don't think Bill Daly's sending sending a text and then like also looping in a like blind CC. Maybe, maybe a Snapchat though, because that just appears, that's right. I don't know. Maybe flew it over there like via drone, like put a little, little piece of paper and then attached it over there. He's like, ah, this Canadian soccer coach isn't doing anything anymore. He can, he could shepherd my drones around. But I just think there is some world or there is no world where the NHL was going to allow the possibility of either one of these guys ending up in Toronto. And I don't think it's strictly about Toronto, but I think it's pretty much just about Toronto. I think if the Rangers had two openings, this is the team would not be saying, Oh, we don't want him them ending up in New York either. I just think that the league was always going to hide these guys from a few marquee places. And this is just one more kind of log on my fire for why it's just harder in Toronto that now that's not to say Brad your living can't be a good GM for the Leafs. I think the jury's still out there, but people seem to be relatively okay with the direction things are going. Barouba, we have nothing to go off yet. We haven't seen it. I think that can be a good hire. I just think it's very possible that Bowman and Quenville would have been better ones. Yeah, I think they, I think if you could, if you knew that this was going to happen on July 1st, but that's what I'm saying. There's no way if, let's just say the Leafs said, let's say they had a, they had a mole in the NHL offices and they're like, Hey guys, it's coming July 1, then the Leafs are holding on them. All of a sudden July 1, it's not coming anymore. I firmly believe that in my heart of hearts that the league was not going to reinstate these guys. Well, the Leafs had openings. Yeah, this is crazy. No, not necessarily, but yeah, it does make you sound like a tin foil hat person. You think, you honestly think the league, like just like given everything we know about how much they want to control objects that they were going to sit there and say, yes, we would love Joel Quenville and Stan Bowman to walk arm in arm into the Lions den. You want to talk Olympics people coming in here and being like, I'm a news person. And I have something to say about this. What do you think those pressers would have looked like? But like you said, I mean, the Stan Bowman thing, it's a, it's a straw man to say that there's been a huge hue and cry against his hiring in Edmonton. I just, I think he varied different market, very different market. Okay. Do you think if Stan Bowman is introduced yesterday as the new general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs, there's more pitchforks and more scathing columns without a shadow of it out. I just, one of those teams that got eyeballs, I, I would love to believe that you're right. I just don't think it's the case. I don't. I think the oilers are, they were roll your eyes along with me, everyone. They were a Canada's team all throughout this run. And then guess what? The second they lost, they went back to be in another team in Canada. That's it. Like, like we think about them. If dry side will get signed, we'll have a big conversation about them. And McDavid is up in a year, we'll do nothing but talk about that. But the oilers are not a front and centre every day. We just think about them team. I also think it's part of the, the, the sports news cycle being late July. It's tough to get a lot of eyeballs on some, I mean, it's a big news story. Well, that's the thing you would think of anything. And I guess the, the, it's just like, do you have that? Do you have it within you to gin that up? But I would think of anything. It's like, Hey, that's pretty interesting topic. You could talk about that on kind of either side of it. Yeah, Joel Quenville being activated for reinstatement on July 1st meant that he was never going to be part of this hiring cycle. Nobody was going to go from the end of their regular season or for the Toronto Maple Leafs, their brief post season till the middle of July without a head coach just wasn't going to happen. I don't think so. And you're pitching for you. Oh, yeah. Hey, come play for us. Well, who is it? Yeah. Could be anybody. Could be, could be babes. Think too that that's not possible for a general manager, but Ken Holland was under contract until, I guess, July and Jeff Jackson was, was making decisions like, yeah, exactly. Like, I think this is part of having the hockey person as the president of hockey ops, right? Like Jackson's been in front of us as before and obviously it was McDavid's agent and all that. So pretty well versed in this stuff. And it helps that they wouldn't have done this. Let me put it this way. They wouldn't have done this if this was the summer McDavid need his extension. I don't think you're having a, having a GM that's putting up a gone fishing sign and waiting for the guy to come take over his office. I don't think that'd be happening if McDavid just do his extension. If you're an oilers fan, do you feel better about that extension happening now? Like, I would, if I was an oilers fan, I would have been a little bit curious as to why there wasn't more conversation and why it didn't feel more imminent. Oh, with dry side. Oh, yeah. Yeah. It's funny. I was reading and I love this guy, Ryan Dixon, but this is part of the like, it's, it's just different everywhere else it was, hey, looking ahead to the 2025 UFAs. And the list was highlighted by Mitch Marner and John Tavares because, well, I mean, dry side was just going to resign in Edmonton. It's just different. Yeah. It's like August. He's had a month to sign his thing. Man, when Austin Matthews didn't have his extension, we were in, I mean, I was telling everyone it's going to be okay. Just listen to everything he's ever told you. And now I'm going to say the exact same thing. Just listen to everything Leon dry side was ever told you. And it's not, I will be in Edmonton. I'm going to do what's best for me and Connor's going to do what's best for Connor. I ultimately think he gets his money there. He's a hockey player. He takes his eight year bang or yada, yada, yada, but yeah, I would, I would think that you now, now that the GM's been named, I would have no Oilers fan. I would imagine expects, Oh, okay. Bowman's here. Deal tomorrow. I kind of do, but it does feel like a paint by numbers contract though, right? Like it's, Hey, you're not going to make more than Conor McDavid, but you're going to make, well, he's going to make more than Conor McDavid, okay, now, yes, but like we can envision what Conor McDavid's going to make. Maybe you're making what Conor McDavid's making now. And then he gets his raise to I would imagine, especially top of it. I would imagine, especially if it's an eight year deal, he is at or eclipsing the Matthew's number. Okay. Well, that's fine. Then I just don't think there's a huge negotiation. There's not a massive golf between the two sides. This is interesting, right? Because now, Stan Bowman coming into this post, obviously he has a ton of bone and feed days. He has done this before. Yeah. How though? How many cups did they win when? Three. No, no, no. After they signed a dude, Taves and came to the $80 million extension is the number there. But I look at, I look at Bowman coming in here and okay, like Leon Dreyseidel is not a middle six winger that he's negotiating with. But I think there has to be an element of precedent and this also isn't Conor McDavid. If McDavid goes first, I think it's the easiest thing in the world. It's just like, okay, you can ask for 20. But I mean, we bullied you and you asked for 13, five on your first deal. So you're going to get bullied down, whatever the number is. And then you slot Dreyseidel in between him and Matthews. Like that feels like the easiest thing in the world. But because McDavid has to come after, I think there is some element of not playing hard ball here, but you want to show Dreyseidel and the rest of the team that, no, this is not like, this is not blank check season for one guy, for one guy it is and for Dreyseidel, it's so close to it. It's so close. But not. But not. Okay. There's, what's the number where they're like, you know what? 14, five. If he says I want 14, five, then they go, no, you think so? You think they, it's Edmonton. They're not letting Leon Dreyse. I don't walk out that door. I don't disagree. But this goes to what we've talked about with all of these conversations. It's like, now the difference is as much like the opposite of Marner where I think the Leafs are going, okay, buddy, like you want to go play somewhere else, Joe, go prove it. You can have all off season next year, pick anybody you want. We know you want to be here. And with Dreyseidel, obviously there is a different ilka that conversation, but I just think that if you're, if it is the first move you make as a GM, it can't be just to completely capitulate. He's going to get his money. He's going to get his term. He's going to have the no trade clause that even David Camp has because everybody in Toronto has to, has to get one. Of course he's going to get all that, but I don't think it is a, okay, this deal's done tomorrow. It probably gets done pretty similar timeline to Matthew's like Dreyseidel's probably at a cottage somewhere, not thinking about this one lick. Bowman's getting his, you know, ducks in a row. I bet this happens kind of. Dreyseidel just got engaged, I believe. Okay. Ontario girl is my understanding. Yeah. Come home. Yeah. God. You want it, you want to know, you want to know what the Leafs need is the pissy German like that attitude. Oh, just constantly aggrieved the heart trophy winning German. Well, I mean, they have a heart trophy winning American. Yeah. Get more heart trophy winners better. I take it. By the way, now that Cap Friendly is gone. What's your go to? Have you, have you, have you. Okay. Really? Yeah. Well, I just, here's what I do. I haven't, I'm not in hockey like, I'm always in hockey mode, but I'm not just in the like, Oh, let me pull up Cap Friendly and start messing around here. Yeah. Cap Friendly. Cause like I would just type in the C and it would just show up, right? No. Now what I do, if I want to know, so like it's funny, I saw it was a list of like highest career earnings and NHL history and I thought to myself, Gee, I wonder how far Matthew's is off of that. So I just googled Matthew's contract and spoke track or something more track or whatever the way it's pronounced. Yeah. Pops out. There's also like the, uh, the one is that showing up for me, like, and it's just, it's the one that is, seems most easy to navigate. We tried to tell the people and by that, I mean, our bosses get on it. Yeah. Right there for the taking. Absolutely. We would have, we would have chilled for it every day. We would have a, we'd have a contract segment on the show. Why not? Yeah. I'm looking at looking at numbers. I don't know why it feels like it was so complicated that, yeah, one of the big telecom community. It is. It is really just horrible that I've seen so many things like, well, eventually something will step forward. It's like, I don't know, man, like, is it, it's hard for me. Let me clarify that. I could not build a website that looks good or a website. No, it feels like you just, you can do it in a couple of minutes. It's like, hey, do it nerd.com should be the site. I don't know. It's infuriating to me. Okay. Last one on this. Sure. And the Leafs and Joel Quenville was, if you could wave a magic wand and substitute Joel Quenville for Craig Barouba, are you doing that? It's so tough. It's so tough because I want to say yes, but unlike a general manager where I feel like you can like, you can stay in touch with the league and be aware of things and you, I imagine have, you know, friends in front offices and you just kind of stay in touch with what that job is. There's only one way to coach and it's to coach. And I think Joel Quenville still has it. I don't think this is a case of a guy who's completely lost it. But we hear all the time, like new school players, new school athletes, I think he can definitely still be a like quick fix kind of guy. But I worry more about the rust on Joel Quenville infinitely more than I do on a guy like Stan Bowman. I'd be doing that in a heartbeat. Hey, great job. Craig Barouba taking a last place team into the playoffs and then winning a Stanley Cup. I mean, you know, my opinion on Barouba from the jump was if they were so hell bent on hiring him, which it pretty, it seems pretty clear they were. I mean, sure living is like Mr. due diligence. We couldn't have submitted to himself what he wanted to do all this time. They should have just fired Keith in February and let Craig Barouba do what he's actually going to happen. Yeah. Yelling at guys in the short term and going to get them to win a cup and then who cares what happens beyond that. That's the part of this. That is still the part of this. And I don't think I am not like Keith needed to go in the season guy, but if you were, if you were going to hire Barouba and again, it's, you know, truth serum, it's not the first question I'm asking, but if it's one of them, he's going to go, Oh yeah, we knew Barouba is going to be the coach of this team in February when business. You reported it. It's because it was true. Of course. Right. I mean, he was talking to the man every day. I know. Yeah, and the Leafs missed the boat on Joel Quineville because there's again, no doubt in my mind that the next coach fired, Joel Quineville is going to be at the tippy top of. Oh my. If there was a list, if there's a Babcock situation like where a coach is just gone before coaching a game, that would be a tough pivot. I think that's literally the one situation where he doesn't show. All right, guys, that was a little weird to have to see your phone and Joel Quineville is like, I don't want to see your phone. I want to see the whites of your eyes. Are you a man? Me. Anywho. All right. Oh, yeah. Went so well for Pascal Vincent. He gone. Yeah. Good stuff. All right. Time now for the Canadian football report brought to you by Securian Canada, the official life insurance partner, the CFL Thursday night's game between the Alawats and the Rough Riders in Montreal expected to be the showdown a week eight as they both sit at the top of the respective divisions, hold the two best records in the league, both at five and one. That took a bit of a hit this week, Al's QB Cody Fajardo placed on the six game injured list without him. Montreal looking to Caleb Evans, Saskatchewan, also playing with their backup in Shea Patterson. He's done a pretty good job since stepping in for Trevor Harris, numbers getting better each game. He'll be the starter for at least three more games for the riders. Friday night's game has the three and three stamps visiting the four and two red blacks Calgary, despite losing all three road games. They played the season still one point favorites, coming off a big upset win over the lions in week seven Ottawa, grinding out wins at home. They're a perfect three and oh there so far, however, even with their plus record red blacks have been out scored by 20 points overall this season Saturday, CFL match up featuring the blue bombers taking on the Argos to team seeking a little bit of redemption in week eight, Winnipeg lost last week to Saskatchewan now two and five on the season. At the start, anyone would have expected for the preseason break up champs or favorites. They were in the break up game against Montreal. Of course, last year, much like his team, bombers, QB, Zach Kaleros, underperforming all year needs a breakout game in a big way. Argos are three and three, they're debating a potential switch at quarterback. Nick Arbuckle potentially seeing the field to start this game after taking over for Cameron Dukes and last week's loss to Hamilton week eight schedule ending on a bit of a down note battle teams at the bottom of their divisions East one and five tiger cats taking on the West O and six elks at Commonwealth Stadium, winless Edmondson favored by two and a half points given their at home Hamilton coming on off their first one of the season beaten Toronto last week. Interesting enough last year, the elks got their first one of the season against the tie cats though that came in the team's second meeting in week 11. Could history repeat itself? We will find out Sunday night. And that was the Canadian football report brought to you by Securian Canada, the official life insurance partner of the CFL. When we come back, Blue Jays won a baseball game Vladimir career or junior, Red Hot. Yeah, we are Rodriguez is good. Is that the best news out of the 2024 Toronto Blue Jays season that morning acts as the fan morning show continues. And it's Brent Gunning sports at 590 the fan. (dramatic music)
