[MUSIC] >> Bad morning Joe, 4759 of the fan man and his friend gunning much to the chagrin of one Luke Fox, who known his calves. [LAUGH] >> To all of us he did not pack for a trip that left the state of Florida shorts only. >> That's not gonna be freezing old. >> It'll just, it'll look like that guy in high school who it's like, hey, but you could put pants on. No, no shorts only for me. >> Yeah. >> We all know those hardos who it's like the second they put shorts on for the first time in a given year, they're out and they like can't go back. >> I saw it. >> I saw it on yesterday. >> So did I. >> But yesterday was fine. The last two days have been great. I don't know. There's also an old guy version of that. Like my dad and his golf buddies, they love to wear shorts but it doesn't, they wear like jackets or whatever but shorts are, that's like as soon as you can, even if you can't, you do. I don't know what that is with the old people. >> I don't know. Luke Fox, he'll have to tell us when he's been walking around in shorts. >> By necessity going to turn into one of those people. >> Can you imagine how cranky the post game columns will get? Like they're pretty whip smart right now but he'll just be like, well, things I hated about last night by Luke Fox, if you need help with that call up, I could always offer assistance. >> Yes. >> Just like as a crotchety old man myself. As you know, I'm young but in my heart, the guy's from the muppets going like, the balcony. >> Yes. >> You are. That's your essence. Leafs are going to Boston. >> Yeah. >> And instead of remaining in the state of Florida, going to Sunrise to play the Panthers in the first round of the postseason, that was always a possibility but not one we discussed in serious tones because of the schedule remaining. >> Wonder if anybody had to cancel some golf rounds. >> I wouldn't want to put anybody on blast there but it's like, I don't know, you have three days off between the playoffs starting, it's like you certainly could go play golf. >> Yeah. Sorry. >> And I don't, we'll ask Luke Gazdik about this later on in the program but I don't know if the players are necessarily thinking about the potential matchups while they're playing the game. You know, human beings, if you just thought it was six and one half thousand the other as far as like your ability to win against the other teams, who wouldn't rather be in Florida right now as opposed to Boston. >> Yeah. >> Anyways, to Boston they go with game one likely to start on Saturday, okay. So there's no team in which there's not ghosts. I guess the lightning might be the only one, like I guess because you did vanquish so. >> But it still would feel super scary. >> Yeah, like it would be, it'd be the ghost of Stephen Stamko's being like, why did you kill me? >> It's like they don't exist now, but if Stephen Stamko's on the light, they would have shown up in the first round. You better believe creepy, cool, a long way back to the left, you would have been there. You better believe it. >> Yeah. I guess there was that. It's not like, yo, okay, you win a series against the lightning. If you had gotten them in the first round, you're like, well, these jumps, no problem. Okay. All right, I understand that part of it. And there's certainly ghosts that exist against a panther's team in which you were favored to beat a season. You were standing up favorites going to second round and post season last year, okay. >> Like public money, public team, a little bit of play there. >> Sure, but also the panthers just barely got in. >> The path, like I'm not, I am not discounting the path was available to them, but you cannot discount the fact that they're the least public team. >> Uh-huh, no, but like, okay, separate the Vegas of it all, like, yeah, who didn't look at the leaves? Like, finally, they didn't play well in the six games against the lightning, but they got through their opening round bugga boo and look at the way the season paris I was very much of the opinion that like, oh, better not, better not let them win one. >> Yeah, of course. >> Then the bow one five showed me, no, it wasn't hard enough for them. No, because it has to be 2004 Red Sox, where they're down three oh, look who's there. Two year rival, which they've also, they also did in that panther series and then you're like, oh, well, and then they want, no, that's still not just the leaves, so it's really still. Anyway, so ghosts exist with the panthers, but not like the Bruins, but like when we talk about that, we talk about 2013 where there's no carry over roster wise, one side of Morgan Riley. >> Well, and they're roster. There's one guy. >> Yeah, yeah, sure. And then we talk about the two series in the Austin Matthews, Matthews vintage. Next one was in 2019, let me rattle off some of the players that were significant contributors to that Leafs team. Well, one, Ron Hainsey played the third most minutes by any Leafs player in that series. >> Not Hainsey. I loved him. >> Yeah, Jake Mazen was prominently involved as well, which is like, that's, you miss him. But Nikita Zaitsev? >> No, no, that's fine. >> Caspari Kapanen, Jake Gardner. Those were all guys that were not just like roster players from Leafs. Those were significant parts of that Leafs team five years ago, the last time they played the Boston Bruins. Do those two series against the Bruins, and that one in 19, they had a chance to close them out in game six and then didn't, and then the Adi Adi Adi, game seven. >> Yeah. >> Does that, should that, and that was also, I suppose, his third season in the National Hockey League, okay? Does that factor into your thinking when evaluating this series? >> No, I do think there's so much time that has passed. I mean, like Travis Dermott played over 15 minutes a night in that series. So it is a very, very different Leafs team than what you were talking about there. But I do think there is when the guy, it's not about what the Leafs feel, but it's about what they feel over the Leafs, in my opinion, and specifically the one guy in Brad Marchin. Like I think there's a lot of fan bases that feel tormented by Marchin, I'm sure. But he seems to take extra joy specifically at giving it to the Leafs. And then the Bruins seem to take special joy in it. We all remember the clip they put up after the two games set that Joe Wall started both those games where Marchin, they have him just screaming at people and that's what they want to put out there. They clearly like leaning into this. So I don't think it is some Leafs, Bugaboo, or this is the ghost of TD Garden. I don't think that's what's happening. But I think with that guy specifically, he becomes 5% better version of himself. And that is a terrifying proposition against the Leafs, I do feel that way. I think he's quite good, just end of sentence period, like he's quite good. And I guess you can point to the regular season two and Leafs picking up two points, but zero victories against the Bruins in the four matchups this season averaging fewer than two goals a game over that span. But I gotta tell you, I don't, and shout out to sports stats with the digging up of the last four postseason series between these two bitter rivals, which is all that we've seen since 1959, which was the last Leafs series victory over the Boston Bruins. But yeah, over that span, the Bruins have won all four of the series between those Toronto Maple Leafs. So yeah, like 2013 especially doesn't ring no with me, and especially cuz like even the four it was four one stuff was eradicated with game five against the lightning, right? I get so easy to forget considering the way the Panther series went, but there was some exercising of some demons and some incredible desperation moments for the Maple Leafs in those playoff games against the lightning and specifically being down four one in a huge pivotal game five against the lightning. Yeah, I just, it's nice and I'm sure maybe not the local broadcaster, but plenty of people will be bringing up the it was four one in the previous two series between these two teams. I think there's little if anything to be taken from those series and applying it to whether the Leafs will win this series. Okay, I agree with you from the team's perspective and that's what should matter the most, but there will be at the very least two games played at Scotia Bank Arena. How much does and like the least been better on the road this year, you can believe that this is part of the reason why you cannot like how much does what the crowd feels versus Boston as opposed to Florida eke into this? Cuz I agree with you from from Austin Matthews perspective, it's like the Florida Panthers are the team that most recently ended his year, not the Boston Bruins. And guess what? Austin Matthews feels much like Brad March on is a really good player against every team. Austin Matthews feels pretty confident on imagine against every team. So I think they're, I think from the team's perspective, you're right to think that way. But I just can't help of thinking of March on doing something early in the first game at home in that series and the Leafs are already down to nothing or maybe even get a split, but then you're on the verge of losing that split right away. Isn't it the same with any other franchise like I get it like you look at the jerseys and that you're triggered I suppose if you're I think it's quick, I think that building will be quicker to get tight against the Bruins than it would be against anybody else. I think it would be worse like say God forbid they'd won the president's trophy and they were playing like the minus 500 gold differential Washington capitals and they lost game one. I think your way tighter as a Leaf fan going into game two, then you would be like even down one game to none against the Boston Bruins. Like to me that is the, I, yeah, okay, there's nervousness, no doubt, there's no nervousness against everybody. It's not even the most nervous I'd be against any of the Eastern Conference playoff teams, honestly. Yeah, I, I, I totally, I get what you're saying there. I just think that there is they're going to be underdogs in this series. Yeah, they're going to be that's a good question. Are they? No, I don't think so with the way Boston is played as of late them kind of being seen to capitulate the division there at the end. I think this will be an ultimate like pick them. I think it's like a classic like 105 one, minus 105 minus 115 on like the series money line there. I think that's what you're looking at. This will be a one where it's expected to go six or seven games like they all are. Yeah, they would have been, they would have obviously the building would have got tighter if they played the capitals and they were spoke, but I think they just would have taken care of business against a capitalist team. Like they have never. It's easy to say that. Well, I did, but they've never been in that position where they've had like say what you will about Florida, but it's like that was a buzz saw last year that went on to the Stanley Cup final. The way that was viewed going into the series, of course, it was, of course. And then what happened? And then they'd be there. And then they, then they won the next series and then they found out eventually because they ran out of gas and they, you know, there were flaws to the team. But I just think that they've never had the blue jacket series. What about the habs? Well, okay. So the habs series, I mean, I mean, we, we can do this if you want the blue jackets. I think the team that we have, the team that it like we see in Toronto now is so different. No, it's a bad existence. The worst Leafs team of this generation and the habs series, I mean, that was just like the hockey gods coming down and deciding that nothing good should ever happen here. Yeah, you tell them you wouldn't have. I don't know why that wouldn't have applied to a series against this. Okay. Does the team not feel different now than it did in that bubble year against the Canadians? Like everything, a lot of things feel different. No, I mean, does the math use not feel like a completely different entity than it was that year? Wow. That's some real dangerous thinking. You really do think after winning around that they're now like they're not impacted by that. Like, yeah, Paul McLean, like he does. No, no, no, no. No, no, no, no, no. No, no, no, no, no, no. The ghosts don't exist against the literal worst team in the playoffs and the capitals. They, the habs were like, no, no, no, then yes, they were, okay, do you not think just two guys specifically, do you not think William Neelander and Austin Matthews are, I mean, one guy obviously way more than the other are better hockey players night and day than the other than so it's like, that's why it's different. It's not different because they got, they got around over. I don't think that I do think that if they would have had some team like a capital thing being applied to this team. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I'm good for you. That's what you should do is apply logic. And what do you do? Not applying logic to anything that's happened over the near last decade. Why? Like why? Why would you do that? Yeah. Why would you go and apply? Logically, you get set like six consecutive winner tag all games, you're going to win one of them. Yeah, I know. I watched Austin Matthews. The tip go right past the post and overtime. No, logically, logically, that's going to happen. Logically. Yeah, you have the most talent of a generation of hockey teams and you have the longest playoff streak tied with the Bruins in the national hockey league. Logically, you're going to have one more than one round. It hasn't happened. Why? Why would I go applying logic now? Well, I don't know. You told me I can't talk about ghosts. You told me I can't talk about logic. I feel like I have a very little room in this conversation offer right now. Just saying that, yeah, I think over here is logic and reason, over here is voodoo and ghosts. It's like, do not deal with either of those. Just dance around in this middle ground here. Yeah. Anyways. Yeah, logically, this should be a coin flip and yeah, logically, I think there's a very good case that the Bruins are the better matchup for the Toronto Maple Leafs and the reason that you would think that they're not is because you don't apply logic and why would you? Yeah. All right. Logically, just to just to like hammer this home, like logically, they will just lose the first round of the playoffs because that's what's happened all the time. Yeah. So we're just going to continue this. Logically, you get a resurgent year from one of the greatest hockey players of all time in Sydney Crosby and logically you add like a Norris trophy level defenseman and logically you have a much better goal differential than the team that made the playoffs as the final Eastern Conference wildcard team. You should be able to play off. Penguins are not. They're not. Now, there was a hot moment there. We haven't talked about it yet, but yeah, some real interesting like scoreboard watching stuff in the Eastern Conference where it's the capitals and flyers and this was discussed pregame and so not a surprise that with three minutes left in a Thai hockey game, the flyers and knowing they cannot afford to win past the regulation 60 needed a regulation win that they pulled their goal against the capitals, not knowing because they also needed the red wings to lose in regulation, which was happening. Yes. Against the Montreal Canadiens and like drama of all dramas, the red wing score with less than five seconds left in regulation to keep their season alive for a brief moment until so in that moment, once it goes to overtime, it's over for the flyers, no matter what, but John Torrell didn't know that. So he poses goalie and the Penguins would still be alive today. Yeah. If the Capitals had only gone to overtime and not won in overtime, but instead they want to in regulation because the flyers pulled their goalie and it's hard not to feel today. Like Kyle Doobus is the biggest loser of this NHL season. Yeah, I think that I could just like tell you talk to Bunk a lot with that being your point of reference. Like I feel like there are a lot of big losers in the NHL this season. I mean, Caps, I mean, Coyote's like literally on their team. Yeah, that's the, I guess the biggest, biggest loser, like relevant losers. Well, so I look at like the, where I go with this is the Sabres. Like I think they're the biggest losers in the NHL this year. But yeah, like Kyle Doobus made a big, big, big, senators are up there to senators up there too. And it's for that reason that they've been slowly building and they're like, Hey, you just, you, it's like the guy in the gym. He's like, you watch out. It's like, except he just goes to the gym, takes a couple selfies and then leaves like they're not getting in stronger. Yeah, but for the senators and Sabres, and I know they've been saying this for years and years and years. It's like there's, there's likely better days ahead, you'd think. I mean, are there better days ahead for Sydney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins? I mean, there's one guy who knows the answer to that question and it's not Kyle Doobus. It's Sydney Crosby. If said, if he's going to resign, like everyone seems to think he's going to, then there are I don't know about better than this. That's what I mean, like better performing years than this for Sydney Crosby. I think it honestly, it's like, and this is a bigger conversation. If, is there a better Sydney Crosby, you're coming almost certainly not. But if you're a believer that the Penguins just made a awful decision in hiring a terrible GM and there's no way he can turn this around, then yes, I do think you're, you're probably right to say they scraped and clawed and got a, you know, borderline MVP or from Sid and it still wasn't enough. Why is it going to get any better? But I am of the belief that they actually hired a competent hockey executive who tried to kind of build on the fly and take a big swing in his first year. And then the Genssel trade, we all killed him for, it's like Michael Bunting was able to give them some pretty good value. And I'm not saying that they should have traded Genssel necessarily. Maybe we're having a different conversation there. But I think that is a, in my opinion, to view it that way. That's like a preconceived notion. Like we started with Kyle Dumas as the biggest loser and we worked backwards to get the answer. It's like, we solved for X there. It's like, X equals Kyle Dumas as the biggest loser. It's like, all right, what's the way to get us there, I think. I mean, again, yeah, he took the big swing and kudos, like love a guy that all rolled the dice a little bit. So if he didn't take the big swing and was like, we're just going to slow play Sydney Crosby's last year and they still miss the playoffs, because that was probably going to happen as well. Because this was a team that missed the playoffs last year. So, but now and now you have the news around your neck, 10 million dollars counting against your cap and your, it's not like Eric Carlson's net negative or anything, but like what was one of the major reasons that teams struggle, they couldn't score in the power plays. How do you spend 10 million dollars on the guy who is, it must be said, despite being a Norse trophy defense, but we give that to the best offensive defense men all the time. And Eric Carlson, now he's not shutting it down for you, right? Zero arguments for me. Yeah, he's scoring for you on the power play, except he didn't and he's being paid 10 million dollars from here until eternity, the end of the 26, 27 season. And how do you not look at like the margins being so fine and so thin with that team this season and maybe being, you know, just like a half decent power play team. I'm almost certainly they're into the postseason and that being the signature move for you. Come on. Like, come on. That's, I get it that you're, you don't want to throw the dirt on Kyle Douglass. I'm fine to do that. He bet the Eric Carlson trade was not a good trade to make. It is a thing that held them back this year, but I also think that when you're looking at an aging core, the idea that, and hey, like maybe you feel differently. But if he, let's say he takes that 10 million bucks and spends it on three, you know, 3.3 or whatever it works out to, if he doesn't hit on all of those, each and every single one of them, then you're sitting there and having conversation about a couple of other nice second line pieces. And maybe that helps a lot, but you have to hit on both those guy or all three of them in that instance. You're spreading the money around. You're a little more flexible going into this off season though, too, right? It's not just a one season thing. No, it's not. So thank you again, it's not the move I would have done, but you take a, you say 26, 27, like it feels like forever. That's also the end of the Sydney Crosby window. Like do we say you're thinking he's going to be so you, you go and get a guy who is a superstar. You tie him to the end of your current aging core superstars again, not the way I would have gone about it, but I understand the swing. And I do think if you're going, I don't, I don't think it's necessarily the wrong answer, but I think that a lot of people will want to start from the position that he's the biggest loser of the NHL season and kind of work backwards to get there. I think so. Defender. Yeah. Speaking of aging cores that might be done. Warriors lost in Sacramento. No, I know this. I can get behind. Okay. And Clay Thompson, my God, 0 for 10 from the field, 0 points in 32 minutes. As the Warriors are headed home, Lakers won their top end playing tournament games so they are in and they get a rematch against the Nuggets in which they got swept by a season ago. The Pelicans are still alive because they played in that game all those iron got hurt. So who knows about his availability against the Kings who, yeah, now win to play in that game. But the Warriors, they're, they're done. They're finished. Yes. Clay Thompson also appears done and finished because he's 33 and we know his injury history and he's an unrestricted free agent. I mean, is this the end? I mean, Steph is still Steph and you got him under contract for two more years and you restart and dream on green and we know the issues that involve him and they looked a little bit more resurgent down the stretch. But man, quite a thing to be out in the play in tournament game. And it wasn't even the match up that seems so tantalizing between the Warriors and the Lakers. It's the Kings and they get to light the beam. It just, it feels like it's, it's the beginning of the end or maybe the end of the end for the Warriors. I am Kenny Smith watching Vince Carter in whatever year was when he did the dunk contest. It's over. It's over ladies and gentlemen. I think there's a world where not immediately but where Steph Curry is the, you know, and like this is a big swing that would have to happen where he is teamed up with another true superstar, sorry, Dre Munger, and it ain't you. I think there's still a world where Steph Curry is a winning player. But as Steph Curry, you know, like light years, Golden State, Steph Curry that we think of, no, like father time is undefeated. And this is a guy who, I mean, the shot is never going to go away. But so much of them, what made him special was the ability to move in space and generate his own shot. Yes, but work away from the ball and get his own looks that way. And no dynasty lasts forever. They were able to hang on to theirs as long as I feel like it's kind of humanly possible at this kind of, you know, age in pro sports. So kudos to them. But yeah, like it's, it's over. They're going to have to hang on, I think to a certain extent because you can't let Curry go. You have to have him, I think, try to end his career in Golden State. But yeah, the idea that Curry warriors that they're going to find it, it's going to be some magic, like 2011 jerk run from them. No, no chance. Yeah, the 22 title was incredible. Like that was, that was the like, not that the legacy needed stamping. It was pretty secure. Yeah, because they had one before they turned into the super team. I mean, they did win 72 games before Kevin Durant arrived. But yeah, they had the title before Kevin Durant, they had the two titles with Kevin Durant, but then after Kevin Durant. And then after a couple of years outside of the postseason and the tanking and the James Wines, Wiseman, second role selection, not great. Yeah, it's yeah, sliding doors moment there. But to win that title in 22 was, yeah, that's, that's enough. And yeah, big time seems like the NBA is agreed. That is enough for the Warriors. All right, when we come back, talk to Damien Cox, Toronto star contributor, our Leafs historian next at the fan morning show continues, Ben Anis, Brent Gunning, sports net five not even the fan. Unrivaled insight, analysis and opinions on all things Blue Jays, Blair and Barker. Be sure to subscribe and download the show on Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Good morning Joe, 4759 and the fan, Ben Anis, Brent Gunning, talk to a man who saw Bill Barroko in the flesh, Damien Cox, Toronto star contributor, our Leafs historian. They're for the birth, I thought, you know, and you know what, he wasn't that good. I'm not even sure he scored that goal. If only there was replay review, yeah, well, they helped the guy took a picture at exactly the right time. And then they had to go into the dark room and, yeah, yeah, actually, it has the frequency with which goals are disallowed on off side these days, doesn't make one wonder how many famous goals would not have been scored for, guys, yeah, that's outside, you know, that's a great goal, Paul, against the Tretchak, unfortunately, yes, the zero is outside. So no goal and we're going to go back and redo it again. How many goals? And awesome, Matthews has had one called back this season after review. There's a couple of times, though, when he's been sitting on 69, where they've entered the zone and I'm like, oh, that's close, like, there'd be quite a thing if he scores it now and they have to go back and pull it off the board. Hasn't happened yet. He's had a ton of chances and had, like, three absolutely great A chances yesterday. That was an ugly hockey game, though. You probably shouldn't get in the habit of giving up 29 shots against in a period. That's the most anyone's ever had this season in a period in the National Hockey League. It is a game that must be said had absolutely no bearing on the Maple Leafs whatsoever. Unless they cared about their opposition, which you can make the argument they should have. Do you take anything out of that game? I mean, not times. I was impressed with Florida and I think you can see why they're a threat. Their compete level is really high and they have an, they read NHL officiating better than any other team in the league. And they know how to start crap and then let the other team ended up taking the penalty. They're just, they, they just know where the soft underbelly of the league is on officiating and they just go there all the time and you have to admire it. I mean, you know, you can look around and lament the state of NHL officiating, but these guys sort of go, okay, we get what they're going to call and what they're not going to call and we're going to do that. And I think you saw that last night. So I was impressed with them. You know, I thought the Leafs played a really good first period and everything looked good and of course second unraveled. I really questioned the coaching decisions are Sheldon Keefe in the final couple of minutes. You're down five to, you've been kind of humiliated, at least in the second period by a division rival. They've already scored on an empty net and you've got Austin Matthews out there and you're pulling the goalie again so he can get 70. Now it's untoward, honestly. It really is. I look, first of all, if he gets it, everybody goes, oh, that's kind of a crappy way to get it. And second, what is the number one complaint a lot of fans have about that hockey team they've got? These top guys were way more concerned about their stats than they are about the team. And I think you can say, well, who cares? It doesn't matter. The game was over. Yeah, but you're still trying to take the posture that it's about winning and you're trying to carry that message to your team, to your organization, to your fans and to other teams. And I think you contrast that with the way the Florida Panthers approached that game last night. And yeah, they had something to play for, although I don't think playing Tampa is a better prize than playing Toronto. Well, if I'm Florida, I'd rather play Toronto, but so they were motivated and that's a team that seems motivated by team success more than individual success. Yeah, I mean, there's some element of it, I think, that it's like their individual success markers were already taken care of, like Sam Reinhardt wasn't going to get to 60 goals in that game. Although I guess the way the second period was trending, like maybe it was in the cards for half a minute there, I don't want to move away from that point because I think it's an important one. But back to the first one you made and what you were saying there about Florida and their understanding of how to play within, well, not within the whistles, but just reading the refs and what they're going to call on any given night. Isn't the most frustrating part of that that it is a like self-fulfilling prophecy once you become one of those teams, like it feels like Florida for the last two, maybe three seasons now has kind of had that reputation for a team that plays this way. But then once you get that reputation, it seems like officials and I think Boston is a team that has this reputation as well, that they're just able to look the other way or they say, well, that's just how they play when they were, or when you have a team like the Leafs who, and last night, you know, they decide, okay, we're going to play a little bit more that way. The refs go, oh, this is so out of character for you. I think that's the most frustrating part is it feels like it is so hard to get over the hump to become one of those teams and then once you are, it's almost like it's prison rules and anything goes. Well, and I don't know anything about prison rules, you'll have to explain that to me another time. Ben was telling me about it. I don't know. Was it shaking? Yeah. There's shanks involved. I think Matthew Kuchuk is the primary example, right? He starts crap after every single whistle. He is more active after the whistle than he is during the Wall of Play is on. They know what he's doing. They know exactly what he's doing. Everybody in hockey knows exactly what he's doing and they let him do it because he just says, well, this is what I do. And that's why, yeah, I'm on green. Yeah. Brad Varshot. Yeah. I mean, they just, they just accept it, which is interesting. The other thing is, and I think you saw this at the Leafs, we have talked about this before, I think half the team last night wanted to play that for Florida game and half the team doesn't. And you look at that number one line for Florida or the line that was number one last night. At least it's Bennett Kuchuk and Behagie. And the way they played that game, and then you look at the way Marner and Matthews and knee lander approach the game, they play the game as though, okay, it's the other guy's job on our team to play that way. We were the, we're the, we're the skilled guys and you know, there's, and I think you see it. There are periods where it works. There are games where it works, but as a consistent approach, having some of your guys kind of above the fray, you know, they don't get involved with that stuff. And instead it's up to, you know, I mean, Simon Benoit, I mean, bless his heart last night was like hitting everything he could find. And they don't have enough of those guys, particularly when it comes to playing a team like Florida. They have more of them than in years past, but yeah, the main guys aren't, aren't them right now. They just, they just don't do it and they're not going to do it. Nope. Let's get back to Sheldon Keith for a second because I, I, man, I keep going back to Saturday in the post game comments because I think it's, it's telling, I think this guy, it doesn't want to do what he's doing. Like, I feel like he feels either under pressure by the players or by somebody above the players to do this thing, to chase this 70 that given his druthers, I don't know if Austin Matthews isn't playing in the game, but yeah, he's not doing what he's doing, which again, I think is untoward. It's not the worst thing in the world. And it might be irrelevant come the post season, but I don't think he's doing what he wants to do here, Damien. Do you agree? You know, that's a great question. And I think coaches often end up doing things they don't want to do, playing guys. They don't want to play because the contracts are a million different reasons. I, I don't know. I mean, Keith is a former player who was a goal scorer. And so he probably appreciates that you got to make sure that goal score is, you get their cookies, you know, and, and, and guys have contracts. So Austin Matthews already has a contract in. I guess 70 means more than 69. I guess, but so if he doesn't get it, so we say, oh, you sure fail. I mean, he, boy, they got to get rid of him now. Well, they probably will anyway, but no, but I mean, like this fixation on it has kind of become more of a distraction than a worthy goal for the team. Like you understand we're trying to get somebody a goal, but there's probably players on that contract with you on that team who could use a couple of goals for their own contracts, but it's now all become all about Austin Matthews and if you're trying to prepare for the playoffs, which is what this is supposed to be about, I don't see that as a useful strategy or a useful team attitude right now, but they decided that's what they're going to do. I'm assuming we're going to see more of the same tonight, guys just passing off shots so they can try to bank one and then off from or whatever. And then let's say he gets it and then he goes, Oh, OK, 70. You know, I mean, so I could be in the minority here. Just like I'm in, I think I'm in the minority on, I just wish they'd stopped pouring Gatorade over each other after every game and like this. It's pretty clear. It's this wonderful celebration of excitement and exuberance. You want to? So maybe, you know, maybe I'm a kill joint, OK, fine, I'm a kill joint. But that's how I feel. And I think there's I if the goals team success, I'm not sure how what the Leafs are doing is helping. Yeah, I I'm not I'm I mostly agree with you. I do think there is a element of and I don't think it's like going to be the difference in the first round by any means, but I do think there's an element of the team has probably kind of and I do think they look at it as a team accomplishment for him to score the 70 goals. I think they feel like they've accomplished it last week when he started ripping off goals and successive games and you go, Oh, he's so close. He's obviously going to get there. I do think it would be a bit of a gut punch. I don't think it should be I don't think it would be the reason they lose or anything, but I do think that it would kind of be a shock to the system a little bit if he didn't ultimately get there. You know, you mentioned you mentioned Ben why I think it would be a shock to the system. I don't I don't think they I don't know that they'd react badly, but it'd be I or maybe a better way to put it is disappointed disappointed and I do think it could be a little bit of wind in their sails. I don't I don't want it to have played out this way, but I do think just with the way the last couple of games have gone, all of a sudden it goes in tonight. You hit 70 goals. They feel like they okay, they check that box. It's a little wind in their sails. Like I don't think it's a dejected group or they're soaking or Sheldon Keith has to like go back to music and practices if they don't get it, but I think it matters to them. I mean, but it's it's mattered more the way that that Austin Matthews has been deployed in the way the end of these game scenarios have played out. They've they've they've built it up into something that yeah, might actually have an emotional bearing on this team now game in that they've they said, Hey, we're going to play in three and a half minutes at the end of a game, meaningless for us. We're going to play him six on four in a game. We're down three goals with 30 seconds left because he's chasing this thing Sheldon Keith is telling us implicitly that it matters to him and it matters to somebody like a whole lot. Well, I think we're making the argument that I'm trying to make and because since we've come on here, we've talked about one guy. Yeah. We talked about one guy and if we're going to talk about the Boston Bruins, then probably we're going to talk about several guys. And certainly last when I when we were talking about the Florida Panthers, I mentioned three guys right off the hop. We're talking about Toronto. We're talking about one guy and it's like early in the year, we're talking about William the Lander, it's, you know, it's it becomes a self fulfilling prophecy after a while. If you say, Oh, no, we're about team, but let's we're going to put this first. We're going to put this number first. And that is this, this goal scoring of one guy. I have to believe they would have been more satisfied as a group. Maybe I'm wrong that if they played three periods, like they played one last night, beaten a good Florida team, stood up to them, done all the things on the road and then got prepared to play that same Florida team starting with a playoffs. I just believe that instead, they look kind of crappy. Joseph Wall got left alone and now and they didn't even accomplish their goal while playing that way. So, you know, it's about the psychology of a hockey team and this is the psychology of a hockey team that now has to go in and play a team that they can't beat and have not been able to beat them beat them all year. They haven't beat them in a playoff series in 1959 when I was in first year university that's right. You know, so, you know, and so it's about team psychology. Could they upset the Bruins? Sure they could. I mean, that's absolutely they could. Would you want to bet very much on that gentleman? I'm willing to take that bet. No, I just answered that question quickly before you like try to take by money. No, I do not. I do not want to make that bet. It is interesting when you put it that way because I just think to other kind of flashpoint moments in the in the season and, you know, maybe this is working backwards to get to an answer. But I think it is an interesting thought exercise like the Sweden trip was all about William Kneelander, right? Like there are other things going on, but that was Willie's moment and you're right. It does seem to be a hyper fixation on kind of one guy and even in years past, right? It does seem to have been more about payers like it's been more about Marner and Matthews or Marner and Tavares, but you're right. There is something to that, you know, obviously there have to be team success that follows for for what I'm about to talk about to take hold here. But you mentioned Benoit and I'll throw the guy he plays with in there in McCabe. If this team were to go on a run, I mean, it's going to be because the big guys are great and they're going to get their deserved accolades, but you've seen the type of players that this city gravitates towards. Are those two guys in Benoit and McCabe not created in a lab somewhere to be cult heroes if this team could ever accomplish anything just with the way they kind of put themselves on the line? Well, I'm the last keen on McCabe's approach a lot of nights because I think he really leaves the team exposed, but certainly Benoit and the other guys, Bobby McMahon. And you know, and yeah, these big guys have been stories all year. But to me, McMahon, Benoit, the bounce back of Ilya Samsonov, those are the stories that really helped this team through some really rough patches this year. And there's over emphasis on the superstars. To me, takes a little bit away from those guys and they're kind of humble stories. They're all players who have been distorted by other teams and have found themselves and sometimes within the case of it, you know, within a season. And so I think, you know, like to me, Bobby McMahon for a while there was like, you know, he was like the old SCTD character, Bobby Klobber. He was just like a local folk hero and stuff he was doing. And those stories are great. And that takes some of the heat off the big guys instead of it's just Austin Austin Austin right now. So, you know, it's it's you're the point is true that they're going to win in the playoffs if the big guys play. I get that. But really it's about it's all the guys play. And last night, last night, I thought there was a really interesting moment. They had six on four. The puck comes to Matthew. He won times that. And in a game that's over, I can't remember which Florida player was, but not one of their bigger names, gets in front of it and blocks the shot because that's what we're trying to do. You're trying to get this guy a 70th goal. We're about blocking shots and winning games and winning first place in division. You know, it was one moment, but I think it was kind of instructive. We'll see. And yeah, we will we can go back and yeah, use that as evidence. If the Maple Leafs falter in this first round series against the Bruins, which we assume starts on Saturday. All right. We won't talk to you before game one of that series. How do you view the match against the Bruins compared to the one against the Panthers? Well, I think I think Boston hasn't played as well lately, you know, why that is I don't know. So they haven't been the force that they've been all but they've been all years. I mean, they're an excellent team first hockey group. They're coming off a stumble in the playoffs last year. They still have a young goaltender in Jeremy Swamin who, you know, has, look, the numbers are great, but he's still got to do it in the postseason. So those are those are some of the things, but you like the balance. You like the coaching and you like the way they play the game. I think the series could get interesting, but I think Boston wins in the end because of all the stuff that we've talked about and Pasternak and Marshawn are guys who just seem to relish beating the Leafs. So who doesn't? Yeah. Yeah. Well, I thought last night that was one thing I wanted to mention, by the way. Even the Leafs relish it. They're like, Oh God, we got to do it again. Shoot ourselves in the foot. Oh, you could see like the glee with which Kachuk and Bennett were going after John Tavares. He's your captain. We have no respect for him whatsoever because we have no respect for you guys. That was the message that seemed to be going on through that hockey game. And there's not a damn thing you can do about it. And Boston will probably take a similar approach, but they've got their own issues. You know, look, it's not a team of, it's not a league of great teams. It's a league of great individual players. So, you know, look at what the Vegas Golden Knights are going through, and lo and behold, that might be who Edmonton gets in the first round. It looks like so. So it'll probably get extended. It'll probably be physical. I'd say maybe Boston six. How do you feel about that? I mean, I don't think it's impossible. I think, yeah, it's not the most unlikely scenario. I would also mention, though, that, hey, Leafs have ghosts and yada, yada, yada. They only want a series for the first time in the Austin Matthews era. Bruins just lost back to back game sevens of the first round, including one after putting up a historic point total against the team that got into the playoffs in the last day of the regular season and gagged all over themselves. So like, I don't know. And I know they have a cup in recent vintage, and they've been to Cup final, and they also lost in game seven of that one. I don't know. Maybe there's a little Boston ghost action happening here. Maybe Boston went into Ottawa last night seeing, yeah, we'd rather play Toronto. I thought about that as well. Very, very interesting. We would rather play Toronto, because Stanford looks kind of tough. I don't know. We beat these guys every day and twice on Sunday. Yep. But as I said, Damon, we will see, okay? And you know what else? You know what else? And let me leave you with this thought. Okay. You never know. You never know. You never know. Absolutely. That's the kind of wisdom that I can bring to this program. That's why you're our Leafs historian, Damien. Always appreciate it. Thanks, buddy. All right, guys. Enjoy the playoffs. All right. There's Damien Cox, Toronto Star contributor, our Leafs historian. Would you think of my like attempting to dig up some Bruins ghosts? Yeah. Good try. I don't know. I think that like, it's like they have the ghostbuster in front of them though. It's like it's called the team that they give ghost to. It's like they're, they're, they're just gathering. They're like corralling their ghosts to then pass them to the Leafs. They're like, Hey, you guys love ghosts, right? You're coming over? X-Men rogue, they like just touch and then they, although I guess rogue would, she would envelop the ghost. The Leafs are there. You've lost me. I am X-Men. I got nothing for you on this. I'm sorry. It's bad. Like a bad job by me. I'll just blindly agree. Good job. I got nothing. Okay. I might be wrong. I don't know. Okay. Santos is our resident nerd in chief. He's not blindly agreeing with you. I'd be weird. He's smiling. He's not nodding. Okay. I don't know. I'm in chief. Yeah. I don't know. Maybe I'm going to HR after the show. I guess we'll find out. We will. We'll just see. Time now for the Wake and Rake presented by Sports Interaction, your homegrown sports book, 19-plus bet responsibly a duo of Toronto's sporting action tonight as the Leafs wrap up their regular season in Tampa on SportsNet and SportsNet 590, the fan. Depending on the line for either team other than Austin Matthews, scoring goal number 70, lightning are favored. Minus 130, Leafs plus 110. Total six and a half, Brent. Leafs on the money line. They're never dogs and it's back to back. Yeah. Let's just take the Leafs on the money line in a game when they don't want to limp into the playoffs with a bad taste in their mouth. I mean, I think we're getting some Martin Jones action. We're certainly not getting Andre Vassalesky action. Happy Florida. Yeah. How are we not taking the over six and a half in this hockey? I'm interested in that as well. And then the Blue Jays looking for the sweep against the New York Yankees. Marcus Strowman making his return to Toronto against Kevin Gossman who needs a bounce back and this one coin flip minus 110 on the money line for both teams. The total is eight. This is a speak it into existence bet here under you need Kevin Gossman to be good. Go under. That's what I like there. It's 110 on either side of the number eight. So give me the under. Yeah, I don't hate that. Oh, and lastly, here we go to win the series. Leafs Bruins, we have numbers now and it is the Bruins that are favored as the home team in this series, but only slightly so minus 120 Leafs even odds plus 100. Yeah, I mean, I just like why. Can I leave you with this thought? Okay. That's interesting that the Bruins are favored as the like higher seed with Holmice advantage. Like that's how it should be, but this is basically a pick on Holmice tilt you that way. So yeah, those odds make a lot of sense. I mean, if you're the higher seeded team and you go for know against the team during the regular season, that's like short odds. That's like Leafs public team action getting respect him. I don't know if it's respect in the handshake line. Yeah, we're past that. All right. That was the wake and break presented by sports interaction. Our home grown sports book 19 plus bat responsibly. When we come back, Luke Gasek, as the fan morning show continues, Ben and his spread gutting Sportsnet 590, the fan.
