[MUSIC] >> Bad morning, Joe Sports at 5'9" of the van, Ben and his Frank Gunning. >> Man, a lot of fuss made on Friday about that overturned goal for the Panthers that would have cut it to two to one, ten seconds after the Oilers made it to nothing. >> Mm-hm. >> I do think ultimately the right call was made. I hate that we review those calls, both it. >> There is clear evidence to me, as minimal as the distance was between the skate and the blue line, there was distance between the skate and the blue line. >> Yeah, offside, agreed. >> And also, it's not like, man, quadruple overtime, and the goal's called, that would have cut it, the momentum, you can play it back, the momentum. >> Hold on, hold on, you can't, I don't think that the Panthers score that goal. And all of a sudden, the entire city of Edmonton goes, my God, we're gonna lose. I don't think that happens. But you can't sit here and say that scoring so quickly after wouldn't have changed the momentum in that game one way or another. Now, having said that, I load this call. Thank you, Matt Duchain, and whatever linesman was asleep at the wheel, when you received a pass at the hash marks many moons ago, we have to have this rule. Please explain this to me. I don't understand it, so I'm just searching everywhere for why it is this way. Why, when it's an offside, do we have to go to the pixel and get it fine as we can? Was it millimeter here, millimeter? But for icing, it's like sometimes, that was a foot, come on, give it to them. Who cares? It's just an inch, blow it dead, because you got it, like, there's no rhyme or reason for that one, and with offside, you have to get it to the millimeter there. >> I think because one immediately precedes a goal, right? >> Well, it doesn't always immediately, like sometimes it does. But you're not reviewing it, you're not going to the millimeter unless there's a goal scored, right? It's not being reviewed unless there's a goal score. >> No, but there have been times where the play has gone on for, you know, 30 sections, whatever. >> Sure. >> So it's not, I mean, like it is quickly. >> Yeah, but there's no whistle, right? I guess after an icing, there's a whistle. >> Yeah, no, but I'm saying there have been times where it should have been icing, and a guy dumps it in, and then all of a sudden team gets in there for, like, I can't think of an exact example right now. >> You know what, Brent, you're going to get your wish because next year, replay's going to be expanded. >> No, the other way. >> No. >> Please, they make a view. >> Everything will be reviewable. >> Or just give the Leafs benefit a little time and then don't review anything. >> Anyway, so for the record, hate that this is a call that can be reviewed to the degree that it was on Friday, but I think the correct call was made, and I don't think it ultimately impacted the course of the game too much. I mean, the Oilers were out shooting the Panthers at the time, like, what's really into minus 50, right? Like it was, they were dominating the hockey game. >> So like, maybe if momentum would have changed, it might have, right? >> Yeah. >> No, no, what a crazy concept that in a playoff hockey game or momentum would matter. >> You and Paul Murray speak in the same language because he was saying the same thing. We'll get the CIA on it, whatever he said after that guy. >> Okay, okay. Don't ever do that. >> Yeah, you and Paul Murray share in the same brain. Speaking of whom, I only want to share his wallet. And after he's getting his new deal, one way or another after this. >> All right, so let's talk about the legacies on the line tonight. There's more than a few. There's five legacies, one kind of a joke. >> Okay. >> Let's start. Instead of doing reverse order, I'm going to start with the guy who I think is legacies most on the line. >> I have a clear bullet point, one and one A, so I guess not clear. But I have two guys at the top of my list. >> Okay. >> To me, number one is Sergei Babrowski. >> Okay, yeah, that was my one A, I have a one B, but that's my one A as well. >> Okay, for me, and I'll get you, you can do your one B in just a second, but like for me and we both agree on Sergei Babrowski. So especially the way the last three games have gone, it really does have me revisiting every positive thing we've said about him leading up to this point, like including the first three games of the series, including the incredible three rounds that he played before this, including taking over the reins, Alex Lyon, starting one of the postseason last year before Sergei Babrowski emerged as the starter, making ten sheets a year. And leading the Panthers all the way to the cup final where they imploded and he was part of that. But the team was decimated by that point, anyways, but it like, it changes everything for me. >> Totally. >> This is a guy whose postseason save percentage is a very different from his regular season save percentage, where offense is hard to come by. >> Mm-hm. >> He has the two vesnas, but holy cow, if he's the face of this collapse, we went from talking about him as a Hall of Famer to, I don't know, is he one of the big playoff chokers of all time, just embodied? Okay, we can talk about the Panthers, the 2024 Panthers team being the biggest choking dogs of all time. But him being the biggest example of a player, then when the postseason arrives, like the previous three rounds don't matter, him being the player that when the postseason arrives, most underperforms his regular season statistics. With a cup win, he is looking at a entry into the hockey hall of fame without one there ain't a sniff he ever gets it. It is insane that it's that, but that's what these moments are about. You want them to matter. The other thing that's on the line, and this isn't on the line for Babrovsky, but it's on the line for his brethren, we've done a lot of retroactive, you know, you can win with the $10 million goaly lately, Montreal had their fake run, but we still talked about it a little then with Kerry Price, and then now back-to-back trips for the cup final for Babrovsky. We've done a lot of them. You know what? Maybe been foolish all along to not just find a guy and give him 10 sheets a year. Maybe. Well, you know, you could almost have four Stuart Skinner's for the price of Babrovsky right now. I'm not saying that that's like a good bargain or necessarily the way you want to go about it, but that is going to be the other side of the coin of luck. The Oilers did it. The goaltending was not the reason why Skinner had moments, but there were also moments where he was killing them. They had to go to Pickard at one point in time. That's the other thing. So this isn't so that like I agree with everything you said about Babrovsky, but I think another thing you have to throw in there is the goaltending brethren of making 10 million. Like that is also kind of on the line here, not to say that, you know, Auttinger, or whatever, like I'm trying to remember who's next kind of in line for this. Like if someone proves they deserve it, they're going to get it, but I think that it will become much harder to do it if you see Babrovsky falter in this way, and then we don't have another one of those guys make a run relatively soon. So in the playoffs, Sergey Babrovsky is saved percentages 9.05. During the regular season, he's got to save percentage of 9.15. In last year's Stanley Cup final, I understand like mitigating circumstances had a save percentage of 8.44. And the other Stanley Cup final that disappeared in this one, he's got to save percentage of 8.89. Like how do we not take all that in? No, totally. And his part of the reason why the Panthers don't win tonight and look at him as one of the biggest postseason chokers of all time. All right. Who else you got? My one be sticking with the Panthers. This, I think this might be a little cute, but I actually truly believe it. It's Paul Maurice, man. That's what I have. Okay. We were ready to give this guy like leader of men. Look at all the lessons that he is instilled in his team. He knows how to push the right buttons. He loves to cost during his post games. He having fun with it. He takes the right tact. He's not Pete DeBore and that he wins every game seven, but God, wouldn't you love that guy? And it shouldn't be all on him. If this team collapses, it's going to be a lot of them. But Rosie, we're going to ask where Kachuk was. We're going to ask about Barkov, all of these other players on this team. But how can you not? How many conversations we had about the Leafs and their head coach, not being able to get them over the hump and it's not get over the hump. It's not choke away a three nothing series lead. And again, this shouldn't matter because he's going to get, you know, relatively paid, but he's do a contract extension at the end of all this. This guy's deal is up. If he goes into a negotiation as the coach who choked away a three nothing series lead versus the guy who, hey, no matter how it happened, won a Stanley Cup for your team. Legacy changing completely. We talk about players. Oh, they're only going to get so many chances. We talk about Conor McDavid that way that he's going to get more chances for sure. But how many more? We don't know. Coach has have a way longer track record or way longer life they can do this for. But how many more chances a Maurice going to get where he has a team that makes it to back to back cup finals. If he blows this, the stink that is going to emanate from everybody and is going to go to him a little bit on this, he's my one be he he is such an interesting case study. Second in the NHL and games coach during the regular season behind Scotty freaking Bowman is number two. I did not realize that. I knew it. Obviously, I do a very long track record. Did not realize that. He's number two. So yeah, it's so obviously the counting stats are all going to be very high. He's fourth all time and wins naturally. He's number one in losses though, as you might expect, maybe go Lenny Wilkins. So of all the yes, so that that's obviously the comparison where it's like Lenny Wilkins leader in wins and losses at one time, I think still is, but anyways. So there are of the top seven coaches in NHL history with the most games played top seven, most games played three of those seven are in the Hall of Fame. Scotty Bowman naturally most as got nine Stanley Cups is like he's pretty unassailable. Yeah. Al Arbor. Yeah. Pretty good job. He's got four cups. Very good. Just just ask Justin Bork. Yeah. Ken Hitchcock also in the Hall of Fame. You know what I'm saying? One, he has one. We are. I mean the Hall of Fame case for I think that that's the Dallas Cup. Of course, of course, speaking of replay reviews, anyways, we've done so much talking and thinking about the Sergey Babrowski Hall of Fame case if Paul Maurice ends up with the Stanley Cup championship after a couple of appearances being the second most tenured when it comes to games coached in the regular season in NHL history, having the fourth most wins in NHL history, having a winning percentage under 500. But the longevity, he's one of the coaches that defines a generation of the National Hockey League. And he's a Stanley Cup though, man, to get into the Hall of Fame. The other weird thing about him is it's just kind of, I don't want to say happen stance because these other guys have deserved the jobs they've got, but he's never been the guy to the point where he's tapped to coach Team Canada and he's coaching him to Olympic gold or any like he's, I believe he's been part of staffs in the past. But we don't care who was an assistant coach. We don't care who was an assistant GM on one of these teams. So I look at it. I look at it that way is that's the other thing is that he doesn't even have the, well, I mean, he was always considered the best coach that we had. So he coached Team Canada. He hasn't even had those moments. I mean, again, I'm sure there have been world championships or anything, but not the big ones that we think about in that regard. So I think that's the other thing for him that kind of goes to it being on the line. Yeah. It's like, I'm happy you felt the same way because I thought I was maybe getting a little too cute. No, one be because yeah, that like that's how close it is for me. Quite honestly, it's like, but Rosky's the player. It's more on him. He's a goalie. We don't how to do that. But Maurice is right there. 100%. So I'm going to flip flop, but what I I had my three and four three for me is Bill Zito. So he turned the Panthers into a president's trophy winner in 21-22. And then he remade that team and he's won a cup. He's been the general manager of the Panthers for four years. He's had like two generations of Panthers teams. He's made back to back cup finals. If he cements it with a Stanley Cup victory, he's been an NHL general manager for four years. We're talking about one of the all-time runs for a guy that was obviously very disappointed in his team losing a hockey game during the series. Obviously should be. Yeah, as he absolutely should be, but like you cement it with a Stanley Cup victory, boy, who's had a better start to their executive career than Bill Zito? Was not on my list. I don't think you're wrong. I just think of it as because when we do the like pressure legacy, I guess you're right if it's the legacy of it all, he gets to start his career and he's jumping off this way. I look at it as he, the Panthers should cannot look at this way. He could never dare under this to anyone. But if there's one person who is on house money and the Panthers organization, it's him. Well, he's not going to be fired. No, no, but he's, he's, he's not a coach. He's not a player. He put the group together. If you, if you put a group together that gets to back to back cup finals and one of those goes to a game seven, I don't think, and we've had a lot of practice talking about how much blames GM's do and do don't serve after game sevens of various rounds. Okay. I think you can put that on the GM and I'm not saying you think anybody's going to. So I think it is all house money for him. It's all something to be gained as opposed to anything quite frankly to be lost. So I don't disagree that it could burnish his legacy in a massive way, but he just wasn't on my list because I wasn't thinking of him kind of in that regard. Well, I mean, this could be his best. I mean, being up three, nothing in a cup final probably is his best chance to win a Stanley cup. To watch this go by the wayside and I know everybody just gets funneled towards Florida. No, it's honestly where my head went with that is. And maybe I'm wrong to think of it this way. I don't think of, I mean, obviously think of Toronto GM's this way, but go ahead out and like give me a GM. And it's like, did he win a cup? I'm like, I don't know, like George McPhee. I think he was in Washington as like some part of the like there. It's not as much a part of when we talk about them in legacies, you mentioned it, of course, but when I talk about a GM, I talk about the team they're currently building. I don't think I talk about the amount of cups they have or like maybe I'm wrong in that regard, but it's just not, it's not necessarily the way I think about a person in a front office. Obviously you ultimately judge them on that. But I think you judge them on the ability for them to give the, give the coach the horses to work with. And I think he's proven his ability to do that. I think having at least one. Yeah, no agreed. I don't think he wants to be sitting here in your 4D having, having none. But I'm going to say you want to talk about legacy defining for me, the next person on my list. I got to go to Edmonton for this one, Italy on Tricidal. This is a guy who, I mean, he had the moment, got the party started in the game six. That's massive. But if the Oilers don't come through and it's not going to be necessarily in the immediate aftermath, but as you keep looking back at this, that's going to be the guy where this all goes to from the Oilers perspective, a little bit of a go to Skinner, but man, I see Stuart Skinner, what do you want him to do? It's like maybe a hundred years from now, people retroactively get mad at Jack Campbell for eating up all his cap space or whatever. But no one's mad at McDavid. Hyman. He's already done a thousand times more than anyone ever could have expected him. Even himself quite, quite frankly, Evan Bouchard has had this transcendent run. And maybe it hasn't been as dominant as you would have liked early on in this series. But he still gets the benefit of being a kid. He's still on his bridge deal. He's the guy who hasn't performed in this series and he's the guy that you expect it from. That's the guy who will wear it the most from the Oilers perspective. I think if they don't get it done, so that's why I think he has kind of the most on the line. Yeah, ten goals during the playoffs. None during the Stanley Cup final and he has three points and okay, he had a nice assist to open the scoring in game six. But no, it's supposed to be Connor McDavid. Yeah. But and Leon featuring Leon Dreyseil. It's been Connor McDavid. It's like, where is Leon Dreyseil? And yeah, no question if that's- It's like a thank you note at the back of the book. Yeah. And thank you to my friend Leon, who was there early on in this journey. So yeah, clearly if he doesn't score again tonight and they lose the hockey game, he'll be the prime suspect because it's not this guy who's next on my list, despite the fact that the Conor McDavid's still Connor McDavid. There is an opportunity for him to do something that Wayne Gretzky never did because no one's ever done it. Say for those 42 Toronto Maple Leafs. Yeah, but you can didn't didn't happen because it wasn't on color TV. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Those poor Brooklyn Americans who were outside of the playoffs looking in in 42 must have really wished they were in that Stanley Cup final. These favorite team, I'm sure. Anyways, no, Connor McDavid is clearly the best hockey player on planet Earth and when it's all said and done might be the greatest of all time. But he has a chance with again, like, can you discount the possibility of Conor McDavid's racking up five points tonight and matching Wayne Gretzky's all time postseason mark? I cannot. And if he does that as part of a three oh series come back in the Stanley Cup final in a game seven on the road, I mean, that that's one thing that Wayne Gretzky never did. And part of it was that he was never bad enough in the first three games of a cup final to do it. Whatever circumstance to come back and have the two four point games in succession with your backs against the wall to say the things that he said, as far as forcing that Panthers team back to Alberta again, like his legacy is secured as the greatest player on planet Earth right now. And I think even if they lose tonight, we got to view him as a guy that's just a matter of time before it happens for him. But the chance to be the face of the greatest comeback in the history of pro sports, that is that is it's not all of your legacy, but it could be part of your legacy tonight. If you want to be on Mount Rushmore, you got to have a thing, okay? Like Wayne Gretzky, he's the front face on on hockey's round Mount Rushmore. His thing is all the things just go point to a record. And I mean, maybe Conor's coming for them, but he's got them all. So he gets to have it. Sidney Crosby, obviously his career, you know, I am a guy who puts him on my hockey mount Rushmore. That's, that's where I kind of stand on it. He has the golden goal. You must have a signature moment. He certainly has had them in the NHL as well, but that will forever be the thing that stands alone for him. Conor McDavid has done a lot of special things so far in this league. We have had a million Saturday nights of it's my, it's my favorite thing in the world. Watch your Matthews at seven and then get to watch McDavid at 10. It is truly remarkable. But this will go down as the signature achievement. This goes to something else you pointed out. We haven't had the chance. I mean, yeah, we've seen Conor McDavid at the world juniors. Great. He hasn't had a chance to have a moment for the country and much to my chagrin. It kind of feels like this has become it. Again, there's like, you know, videos of bars all across the country just exploding for the Oilers. And okay, this is what it means to be this guy and you need to have one of these signature moments on your resume and I do think that if he does this and especially if it's him in kind of transcendent fashion tonight, there'll be people who will tell you he's the, he's the best player alive in terms of career right now or sorry in the game. Like I'm basically just saying he's better than cross, but they already put him above there. I think the last point that is so important for this, if you want to talk about legacies and he's already cemented this part of it is we thought of McDavid is super skilled. We thought of him as pretty serious, a little dour, but we didn't really know exactly how that would manifest itself to the rest of the team in terms of being a leader. He pretty clearly has that Sid McKinnon psycho gene of the we're bringing it back to Alberta and all these, these stories you're hearing of him from behind the scenes. I think that was the part of his kind of hockey legacy that was missing and it was through no fault of his own. He just never had a chance to kind of show it to us. Then you throw in the playoff beard. Just looks amazing. Yeah. This is truly his kind of moment. I think all of those things are coming together to meet up with what we've always known, the truly transcendent talent. Number five for me, professional sports panthers, Florida panthers with the loss again, like you Google panthers, Carolina panthers, that's there there, the number one team in the NFL, like we're not comparing the NFL, the NHL, of course, Panthers win a Stanley Cup, at least for like a brief period of time. Five minutes for sure. Panthers, you Google sports panthers, Florida panthers, number one, take a seat for a show. Yeah, this is a huge night for professional sporting panthers. I honestly hadn't thought about that. That's well done by you. Yeah. I mean, the ghost of Jake D'Alone won't be out there anymore. No. Cam Newton looking at that fumble going, you know what, you got Miller, you have it. Go ahead. We don't have to think about that anymore. It would just be kachok and Ekblad and Babrowski and Maurice, but yeah, I, that would, how long would that last tell, tell what training camps in the NFL? I mean, here's the role I need to, like, if you're an American sports fan, like maybe for a brief moment, yeah, panthers, you think of the Florida panthers, but like pit panthers probably. Oh yeah. Florida, Florida. Definitely. Oh my God. In Pittsburgh for sure. Close. All right. Kenny Pickett's our guy. You got anybody else? No. That was, those are the big ones I wanted to hit on. Like there's a lot of other figures that matter, but it's like Zach Hyman, it's like done. Yeah. Like, yeah. Okay. Go score a game seven. Oh, let me throw anyone who scores an overtime game seven goal tonight. They immediately become like the greatest hero of all time. Yeah. Sorry. That was my joke one. Okay. Do you have a dream scenario for the way this, this game could play out tonight? Yeah. I mean, I would love a, I would love an oil are up cat's tie at late, then we're off to overtime. And honestly, just give me what you get at that point. I'm not going to get greedy. I'd take anything, but I would love a world where it seems like the cats are, oh, actually no, inverse. I'd like the cats. Yeah. That's leading. And then the oil to tie it up. Sorry. I've got, I've got Florida up for one. Oh my God. In the third period. Oh my God. And here's the thing. People don't like, people don't care enough about the Panthers. Like you think for one jokes are going to supersede the Leafs. Yeah. But any reminiscing about the Leafs, postseason collapses will be quaint. Like it'll be hilarious to talk about anything the Maple Leafs have done as far as blowing postseason leads in the first round. No, I actually think it'll just be like, this will just be like a new nickname for the Leafs. Oh yeah. Go Panthers it up, bud. Like that is what will happen. Yeah. But you can't talk about that as being like insignificant. No. The previous terminology was, yeah, that's very leafy in it, right? Yeah. All right. This is true. Oh God. No, I was about to say go Oilers, but I can't bring myself to do it. Anyways. Yeah. Cool. With the Panthers leading 4-1. Oh, actually, you know what? If I have to pick one, I want Connor Brown scoring overtime winner. I think that'd be awesome. I love that guy. Yeah, that'd be cool. It'd be cool if, yeah, the Oilers come back from down 4-1, Connor McDavid's fifth point, Zach Hyman's third goal, both matching the post-season records for both guys coming in overtime. That'd be all right. Quickly though, if it does go to overtime, like, cap it at 1. We got to work in the morning. Yeah. Like we do love sports and crazy OTs and all that. Good for you and I. Correct. We've got to get up. Correct. All right. When we come back, we'll talk to Damian Cox, Toronto star contributor, and our Leafs historian next. The fan morning show continues. Ben Anis, Brent Gunning, Sportsnet 590, the fan. Breaking down the top stories in hockey and Elliot Friedman every day, The Jeff Merrick Show. Subscribe and download the show on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Fan Morning Show Sportsnet 590, the fan, Ben Anis, Brent Gunning, I get it, you know. There are people that don't watch sports, don't pay attention to sports, and look down on the sports people. What are you doing? They're in attendance. They're in real world issues. Oh, what? Sports Bowl? Yeah. I hate those people. Yeah. Yeah. A human being can contain multitudes. You can have your eye on a couple of different prizes, including real life and sports. But this is a type of day where I feel bad for the people who just have no affinity for sports. What a glorious day of build up and anticipation and excitement for a game with historic stakes. Game seven of the Stanley Cup final tonight, after eight o'clock on Sportsnet, Oilers, Panthers from Sunrise, Florida. Let's talk to Damian Cox. Speaking of history. Nice historian, Toronto star contributor. How's it going, demo? Well, I know when I was growing up, a little boy in Hamilton, Ontario, I imagined the game seven in Sunrise, Florida. Is anything better? No, it's nice. You know, and the passion they have for the game and around the Miami area really defines. That's not how we wanted to start that. Atta boy, demo. Atta boy. Gary's an angel. Yes, you know, but for us up here in Canada, yeah, yeah, yeah, it's all, you know, I think that the interesting thing about this one is, and I heard you guys talking about legacies and all that sort of stuff, but you know, this, this in a lot of ways is the dream scenario for a lot of teams that get really lousy and then draft that one player and imagine that that player is going to take them to the promised land. And that's just what Conor McDavid has done. And you know, and so doing so this spring, I think his story almost becomes in some ways bigger than as big as the whole, as the whole thing because, you know, we've talked years about, you know, player, you know, playoffs, defining players. Well, I don't think you're going to find a whole lot of people right now who would tell you that Conor McDavid's not the best hockey player in the world or the best hockey player in the National Hockey League, and a lot of it's because of these playoffs. Now, if he delivers one more moment in game seven, well, then you're off the charts. Hmm. So you're saying his story, which is certainly a huge deal and only five points away from Wayne Gretzky's all-time postseason points record, is a bigger story, the headline item over the Florida Panthers becoming only the second team and the only real team in a Stanley Cup final to blow a 3-0 series lead. Do you think that the McDavid's story is supersede that or is it just secondary to the Panthers thing? Yeah, no, I mean, I think, you know, the reverse sweep is the story, of course, but, you know, I think particularly, you know, like we're Toronto people, I mean, Conor McDavid's from Toronto, you know, we, all of us probably know people are players or kids who play with or against Conor McDavid, he is, in so many ways, the quintessential Canadian hockey story at a time when there really isn't the quintessential, you know, Canadian hockey story. There are no kids coming out of parry sound, you know, and becoming NHL superstars in quite the same way that there was 40 years ago. So, but Conor McDavid, you know, he is. I mean, I knew the guy who his mom was the secretary for, you know, and like I said, we all know players and people. So, like for me, I think it's just his story individually, he's such a classic guy, his development into what appears to be an exceptional leader, and just, you know, his greatness as a player, you know, so many people, you've got to be a tough guy, you've got to fight if he doesn't fight, then he's not Mark Messier, we Conor McDavid has just played his game for nine years and played it better than anybody else, and what a crowning achievement that would be tonight. Yeah, if you're not going to fight three points a night, that'll do. We'll take that. Yeah, I will work. That'll work, you know, not to get too picky. You're right to say that about McDavid. It's funny, as you were mentioning that, the kind of quintessential story, and, you know, I don't know that this is necessarily one of the things we think of with it, but I remember a story from, I think it was last year, maybe it was two years ago of Conor McDavid showing up to play, like, you know, obviously a pretty high level one, but like a barely game, and the rink was packed. It was full because everyone just wanted to get a glimpse of him, and, you know, the thing I was thinking about with him in tonight's game, and he's already done this. So this isn't about tonight's game, but all of the special players, they have these defining moments. I mean, whatever it may be, I mean, for Crosby, it's the golden goal, and this really feels like it has a chance to be McDavid's kind of crowning achievement. I know it's not one game, but this stretch, this run, does it feel kind of like we've changed our, not changed our opinion on what he is as a player, but you kind of touched on it there with the leadership element of it all, the all these stories that are coming out, the quote of I want to drag it back to Alberta, doesn't feel like there's been almost, I guess it's like the McDavid legacy is being crystallized before our eyes is almost kind of what I'm saying. Do you understand their demo? Yeah, and I do, and I think there's a lot of parallels with Stevie Iserman, and it took him, you know, stick in Conor McDavid nine years to get to a Stanley Cup final. It took Steve Iserman, I think 12 years, and then 14 years to win one, and he went from being, oh, he's just a points guy who can score a lot of goals to the leader in the NHL, and, you know, I think a lot of that is, you know, the narrative that grows around players as they get to this point, but I think, you know, I think there's a lot of substance to it with McDavid, and the comparisons between him and Iserman really hold a lot of, you know, a lot of what, I mean, Iserman was from Ottawa, grew up playing junior hockey, a lot of that same kind of thing. I mean, to me, you know, this is a Toronto-centric Canada-centric view of the Stanley Cup final in Game 7. I'm sure there are people who look at, you know, Sasha Barkov, and from another point of view entirely, or there are people in Germany looking at Lee Andrei's title and being, what an opportunity for German to lift the cup, you know, and, but, you know, for us, I think I can speak us generally as Toronto guys, as seven Ontario people, I think there's a, you know, there's a lot of resonance, you know, to this McDavid achievement. I think, you know, the interesting question, but does he have to win now, you know, does he have to get that final Game 7 or is all kind of, oh, well, that was all about that, you know what I mean? Like, and I think part of the answer is, yeah, you know, if you're going to be a legend, you've got to be part of a legend. And I think this Edmonton season has been legendary in incredible amounts of ways from the way it started, to the coaching change, to the long winning streak, to the falling behind in playoffs series, it has been a hell of a run for this team. Yeah, I think the one caveat I have about, hey, you've got to win one to cement your legacy of your Conor McDavid, is that he feels like he's going to be back, right? Like if he loses tonight, it doesn't feel like, well, goodbye window, like it just feels like it's just, it's his league going forward now. And who knows? Things happen. That's not necessarily true. So the way it feels like it just, it just feels like if he wins, it'll be the first of many. If he loses, he'll be right back there and winning another one. I don't know if the same can be said about Zach Hyman. I mean, you want to talk about Toronto connections. And this was probably true already, whether or not he wins tonight, but like the embodiment of the biggest mistake in this generation of Toronto Maple Leafs, general man or girdle dumb, like that they let him go away for a very palatable price, obviously, for the amount of goals that he scored, 5 million per that he is, like, to see him hoisting the Stanley Cup over his head. I mean, will that be just the image of, hey, because it's not, I mean, part of it is the Leafs fouling out in these game sevens of the first round. But will that be like the image of the mistakes that this front office in Toronto was made over this generation? Yeah. I mean, like, I really think that that would be a disservice to Zach Hyman to portray it all that way. That becomes a Toronto-centric viewpoint, which annoys the hell out of people from. Yeah, but we're in Toronto. Right across the country. Look, there's no guarantee that Zach Hyman would have achieved this in Toronto because he wouldn't have played with Conor McDavid, and he might not even have got the power play chances that he's got in Edmonton. So there's no, there's no guarantee. Hockey is full, the league is full of guys who don't achieve one place and to achieve somewhere else. I mean, just look at the other dressing room. How do you think Buffalo feels about Sam Reinhardt? I mean, how do you think Edmonton felt when they traded Taylor Hall, and then he went and won a heart trophy in New Jersey? It happens, but this is brilliant, a brilliant signing by Edmonton. They had to make the decision that they were going to invest all that money in a player who to that point hadn't quite shown he was worth it. So I think, you know, as much as Toronto not signing him, it's about Edmonton signing him, you know, and about making that decision. But then it's about Hyman saying, you know, again, the league is full of guys who get money and don't find another level, and he has find another level. I think the saddest thing for Toronto is they were the ones who recognized him back when they traded for him, his rights as a Florida, you know, and they were the ones who identified at first and let's face it, guys, you can rip them for all they want about letting Zach Hyman go and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, but we live in a league in a world of salary caps and teams have to make tough choices all the time. And sometimes those choices blow up in their faces. It's just the way the league works now. Yeah, I think the reason why it's such a bitter pill is the like reporting that has kind of come out in the aftermath that it seems like the only thing was the lack of a no move and David Camp has a no move on this team. So do with that what you will. But yeah, point is is totally well, well taken there and, you know, the Hyman of it all, he is just a guy who I think I think another part of the reason why it's so special for him is there was there was a belief that, you know, it was kind of playing on thin tread on the tires there like he was a guy who had had some injury history, wasn't the best skater and it's just it's been remarkable to kind of see him flourish in this in this role. The other thing I wanted to ask you about is, you know, what we we say in all leagues this league is a copycat league they they all are one of the biggest points delineate. I mean, the biggest point of delineation between these two teams is one has Conor McDavid and one doesn't. Let's not over over explain it. Another massive point though is Florida bet big on goal, Sergey Babrowski 10 million bucks. We were all ready to sit here and say, ah, that's the way you can't second guess it. Well, Stuart Skinner was pulled at times and hey, that was a similar recipe that's worked for others. How much do you think the kind of goal tending discussion will shift a little bit this summer depending on who wins tonight's game? You know, well, I don't make anybody's I mean, this series has been Sergey Babrowski's career in a microcosm honestly, I mean, this is in its careers entirely gone either he's been brilliant or he's been terrible. And that's been this series like it's shocking how bad he's been ever since they went up three games tonight and he who knows why I mean, anybody can figure that one out. I'm sure Paul Maurice is is trying to understand how can I possibly get this guy turned around for for game seven and how quick would the hook be tonight guys? If if if he doesn't get off to that to that start, there don't seem to be a lot of teams who want to invest 10 million dollars in a goalie anymore. And probably this is the reason why you just don't know. But at the same time, if there's no Babrowski, they don't get to the Stanley Cup final last year and they don't get to the Stanley Cup final this year. So he might argue from a gate point of view, he's already paid for his contract in a lot of ways. But the emotional roller coaster, he's put Florida fans on and probably some teammates by his roller coaster performance in this final is really something, you know, I don't even know if Stewart Skinner's been great. I think that that it's been so much about, you know, like in the, we've had this kind of discussion before, but like we can talk about all the things that's happened in this series and the way certain guys have played and the way certain guys haven't played, I mean, Carter Verhage for one, like what has happened to that guy since the beginning of the series, he looks completely lost now. He's playing sort of the way Mitch Marner played for the Leafs in the first round and he was such an important guy. So individuals have changed. But when it comes down to it, it was the flip in the goaltending that happened. I mean, Babrowski was unconscious for three games and then he's looked unconscious for three games. So someone needs to figure out which one we're going to get tonight. Yeah, I have no idea could he because I saw a game one and I was like, man, Conor McDavid's the greatest player on the ice here. But even he at the peak of his powers can't beat the guy that is playing the most important position in the sport. And that guy's just, he's gone away for the last three games. Would I put it past him to reemerge tonight? I would not because that's that's the sport. That's the position. Good stuff happens. So again, another Toronto connection, former Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Paul Marace as a chance to capture his first. I mean, how do you view his career as a whole? Because man, the longevity has been ridiculous. Head coach of the Hartford Freaking Wailers, for God's sakes, coach the second most regular season games in the history of the National Hockey League right behind Scotty Bowman. He leads the National Hockey League in career losses during the regular season. He's fourth in career wins. That's what happens when you're around for as long as he has. This is his second Stanley Cup final looking for his first win. How do you view his career? It's obviously mostly on the players, there's only so much a head coach can do. But we do talk about Hall of Fame coaches and Revere coaches. How do you view Paul Marace's career? Well, I think I, you know, I have probably a bit of a, I might not be the best to ask because I just think the world of Paul Marisse when he was in Toronto in particular. He was so great to deal with from a media point of view. And then I remember a couple of years ago dropping in on Winnipeg and he was exactly the same. You know, he just sort of eyeball Jim, what the hell are you doing here? And he's always been so funny and always had such a great perspective. I think he's a Hall of Fame coach. I really do. And I don't think that changes one way or another. And I mean, great players make great coaches. I think if you look at this Florida team, is it littered with great players? I don't think so. You know, I really don't. I think, you know, bar cobs right up there, but you look at a couple of giveaways he made in game six. I don't think Florida is a team with great players. And so that tells you that this guy has got them to play a certain style in a certain way at the right times and and gotten the right goal tending at the right times to get them this far. So I think Paul Maris is as good as any coach in the NHL. I really do, but there's the legacy thing again at the end. You got to win. And the great coaches, I guess, win, you know, was Jack Adams a bad coach because he was on the losing end in 42 when the Red Wings blew the three nothing lead. I don't think so. They named a trophy after him and, you know, did a whole bunch of stuff. So I'm a huge Paul Maris fan. I just am. I just think he's, you know, he's certainly a lot more interesting than Chris Knoblock. I'll tell you that. So if we had more Paul Maris is in the NHL, it would be a better league. Oh, I would pay money to see a split screen of their pregame speeches tonight. Maris to Knoblock Knoblock. I picture doing us a doku going, Oh, yeah, good luck out there, guys. Have fun. Follow Connor. And I think Maris has already started swearing at his team. I think actually it's going to be remarkable to watch it tonight. Ben and I have talked about this, the idea of what it would mean. And I'm not doing this as like a, like a, like a talk radio segment of like, what would it mean for a Canadian team to win the cup? But what would it mean for hockey in Canada for the cup to come back here? I mean, we've seen the reports, their numbers are declining in terms of registration. Do you think that it would bad pun for the people of Alberta, but reignite some flame in this country if we could have a moment for a Canadian team like this tonight? I don't know. I, you know, I, I think it's not the same as probably as winning the Olympics now, which is more of a, you know, yeah, I, I don't know how much that changes things. I think it changes things in Edmonton. And I don't think they're really Edmonton, I doubt they're particularly interested in sharing this for the rest of Canada. They don't think, you know, they, they, they'll, they'll, they'll, they'll, they'll win the cup and then give the finger to the rest of us. So, you know, I'm, you know, I think, you know, TV viewership will be up in Canada. This will be a big number tonight, but I don't think it'll make, you know, much different in the US. Yeah, I don't think so, you know, I think, you know, I don't, I don't, I think people who loved Conor McDavid and wanted to be kids who wanted to be Conor McDavid. That's always been the case. The league is so different now, you know, guys like, you know, even from when I started covering it and back in the, you know, a million years ago, there were like, when you interviewed Jack Adams, there were 21 teams, you know, I mean, 32 teams, you know, I think we in Toronto think, wow, police come, it would change the world. I don't even know if that would change the world anymore. Las Vegas came in the league and almost won the cup over the right away and didn't change the world. There's just so many teams and right now 30 of them are already working on next season and barely watching this Stanley Cup final and people in those markets are the same. So, I guess I think it would be great because it would, it's a different story. If Canada wins, okay, I hate to hearing the same story. It's like the league's going out of the first round. I just get bored at the same story. You know, I'm easily bored and so I'd like to see the, you know, I'd like to see the end of that so we could talk about something else, but I'm not, I'm not convinced this isn't a coin flip tonight. Oh, yeah. It's a hockey game. So, yeah. Yeah. But I mean, but I think there's a note, there's this feeling that Edmonton is now a massive favor. I'm not, I'm not sure about that one. Oh, I agree with you. And you know, I think, you know, Florida comes out tonight, gets a big goal. Matthew Kichuk spends more time, you know, trying to set up goals and score himself and getting involved with Matias Yanmark and Bob Raski shows up and, you know, we'll see. I'd like it to be a really great game that comes down to the third period rather than like the other night. It was, it was over early. Yes. You know. So, there you go. And I know you're above it and you're a big J journalist, but like, come on. Do you not, do you not feel the excitement of a game seven and the historic stakes? Right? I mean, we get, we all get jaded with age and I know like we all have a million other things going on, but like, can we be excited for a sporting thing? Like, do you feel that? Yeah. Right. Yeah. No, I'm excited. I'm going to watch the game. I'm, I'm excited. You know, and I do think that this is one of the most significant, maybe the most significant games in NHL history for all the reasons you guys have talked about. Yep. Already. You know, I, I really do. So, if, if it's sounding like I'm not excited for the game, then, then I've not communicated this that very well, because I am excited for the game. But I think it's, I think your question was, is this going to change things in Canada or for Hay and hockey? Yeah. I'm not so sure about that. No, I agree. No. Listen, you started the whole thing by poo pooing the fact that it's being played in Sunrise, Florida, which is a fact. And yeah, like if we think about it, it's not as a. You guys take the risk of calling me early on a Monday morning, you're going to get poo poo. There will be poo pooing. I love it. Going on at some point in our conversation. Damien, it is always a pleasure. Thank you. It was always buddy. All right, guys. You know, you didn't tell me who you think's winning tonight either. You guys got a pick? Uh, sure. I'll, I'll pick the Panthers because, um, I think it's, I mean, yeah, it's going to make all of our discourse seem so irrelevant. And yeah, I think that's, yeah, I think that's the funniest outcome, honestly, it's like all does the hand wringing and legacy talking. Yeah. Oh, yeah. That's the funniest outcome. It's like, man, there's white the floor with the Oilers tonight. Sergey Babrowski stands on his head. It's like, oh, what, what did we just waste the last week and a half of our lives for for fun. And then, and then after the game, Babrowski will say, well, I was listening to two guys on Toronto radio and they were blowing my ability to blame. I showed those guys. Yeah, that sounds right. We did it. Actually, we won't hear from him because he doesn't speak to the media as we vote. It doesn't. Oh, she's like, that's why I'm sure we missed that table. See you, Damien. Enjoy the game tonight. See you guys. David Cox, Toronto star contributor, our leads to story and one, one last thing before we get to the wake and write. Yeah, that's the thing about changing hockey in this country. Beef's winning changes things because here's, we talked about the story and registration down for hockey in this country and the United States surpassing Canada as far as young people picking up the game. I bet you, if you broke it down into provinces, Alberta probably unchanged. I think they're doing just fine out there. I also did have the thought though that the leaf's winning the cup might be the thing that does make Canada hate hockey. They go like, you know what? Toronto is too happy. I can't do it. I cannot do it. All right. Time to offer the wake and rake presented by sports interaction. Your homegrown sports book 19 plus bet responsibly is only one place to look tonight. It's game seven, Oilers, Panthers, eight o'clock sports net and CBC. And yeah, it's coin flip. Mm hmm. Minus 110, both teams, the total is five Brent who you got? I got the Oilers and because of that, I'm going to go to one of the props they've, they've cooked up, bring it home at plus 500, dry saddle, a goal or more, McDavid, two or more points, Oilers win. If they win, I think that's how it's going to happen. Getting that at plus 500 tasty to me. I like that. Yeah. I, again, I think it's the funniest outcome to see the Panthers win this hockey game. I like over the limit plus 7 15 Panthers last team to score and a Panthers win seems juicy to me. Fingers crossed for a good game, please, please, that would be nice. That was the waken right presented by sports interaction. Your homegrown sports book 19 plus bet responsibly. When we come back, talk to the voice of Edmonton, Alberta, Mark specter, sports net, spoilers reporter as the fan morning show continues, Ben and his friend, gunning sports net five nine to the fan. (dramatic music)
