Hello, hello. Welcome to Hockey on the Beach.
Welcome to Florida. Daria and Kim, we're right
here for you. And we have to congratulate Team
USA, men and women, so we don't get any weird
stuff going on around us. Yeah, congrats, guys
and girls, everyone. We're so happy. And so let's
start with that. Ken, how was your Olympic day,
the gold Olympic day, the final? It was fantastic.
And the game, I think, was everything that people
had anticipated, minus the fighting, of course.
Everybody kind of thought back to the U .S.-Canada
Four Nations Cup games, where there was a lot
of fighting, a lot of physical stuff in there.
We didn't see a lot of that in the gold medal
game. Of course, the big reason is it's not allowed.
If you're fighting, you're automatically thrown
out, and that's the end of it. But very entertaining
game. It was also the most watched sporting event
ever. in the United States before 9 a .m. because
it had the 8 o 'clock face -off. It was fantastic.
Kept me on the edge of my seat. Although I did
get a little worried at times because Canada,
I felt, had the upper hand. They kind of... dictated
the pace of play. They had 42 shots on goal.
U .S. only had 28. And I was disappointed that
Hellebuck didn't win the most valuable player
in the tournament, and they gave it to McDavid.
I thought Hellebuck should have won that because
he had an outstanding tournament. But the game
was great. Lots of drama, lots of up -and -down
play, which is what us hockey fans like to see.
in championship game sorry about the noises i
am right now at the hockey rink because we have
hey hockey youth hockey player and you have to
understand that when i say canon daria i immediately
think barbie can and all the stuff going on so
i might say weird stuff don't get offended i
know you won't be i will talk about that good
i will talk about 7 45 a .m on sunday i'm sorry
that was horrible but i felt so good And I was
ready emotionally and physically because I also
exercise. A lot of people thought that Canada
is going to make it. It's going to make it to
the gold. But because I'm doing my other sports
job, I'm doing a lot of game previews. When you
look at the detail, it really showed that as
a team, USA had lots of advantages. I know that
you probably paid attention to the game, and
the last three games for the Canadiens, don't
look too close to trying to show that you rely
only on three players. David, Pellegrini, and
McKinnon. Because they will play every other
shift. So, I don't think that's a really good
situation when it comes to such important games,
because you really show that, yeah, I have those
three players. they're going to get us through.
What about the rest of the team? Maybe they were
not making, maybe they were not showing up, but
because they didn't have as much eye time. Also,
it's still teamwork. And that's what USA showed,
teamwork. And when we paid attention to them,
USA was better. So basically, Canada had only
one advantage, power play. But in the championship
game, no teams connected on the power play. They
were both, I forget, 0 for 2 or 0 for 3 on the
power play. So that was nullified in the gold
medal game. But you were just talking about Cooper
kind of maybe relying on just a few core players.
You build a roster of 25 that you take to the
Olympics, and they're there for a reason. They
are there because you thought that they're key
players and will step up for you in... competition
in important moments. And as a coach, maybe for
you not to have trust and confidence in those
players in a big spot, that says something maybe
about your selections for the Olympic team. I
know Breeze Boy was the general manager, so him
and Cooper kind of tag -teamed the selections
for the Canadian team. But, you know, you can't...
You can't play those guys 25, 30 minutes in a
championship game like that, especially when
you've been riding them the way you have in the
other games in the tournament. Because they had
some tough games down the stretch. It was not
even a given they were going to make the gold
medal game. Their semifinal game went into overtime,
and then they finally won it. But another thing
to your point, you talked about defensemen and
the defensive player of the U .S., and it's always
those guys you don't think of that come up big
and make those big plays in big spots. Same thing
happens in the Stanley Cup playoffs. A guy that
maybe was third on the depth chart line all of
a sudden will... come up big in a big spot, and
he'll have a great game or a couple of great
games and a great series, and then he's someone
that the team can feed off of for energy as they
make their championship run. But I was thinking
watching the game, I wonder how many people put
money on Matt Boldy to have the first goal for
the U .S. in a championship game. Who, I mean,
you talk about guys that... you would have never
thought of that maybe would come up in a big
spot. Matt Boldy is a perfect example. He's a
grown American boy. That's right. You and I know
about internal and state competition, right?
At the end of the day, it's all the Panthers
want because they got all the podiums. They have
one gold method, touch up, obviously. They have
three silvers, Reinhardt, Marchand, and Bennett.
And they have three bronze medals, which is one
medal. Nikola and Rittering. And Tampa Bay only
has two. Because when initial Olympics talk started,
everyone was like, ooh, Tampa's going to send
like 11 players to the Olympics. But it's all
about the results. So the results, for the Panthers,
success. Tampa Bay Lightning, something. to consider.
We have zero Finnish players, and obviously they
got three bronze medals for the Florida Panthers.
Yeah, well, look at Victor Hedman, defenseman
for Team Sweden. He had a couple of assists in
the tournament, but they were early on in the
tournament, and I mean, if you're asking me,
he'd be a non -factor. Pontus Holmberg was also
on the Swedish team. I think he had a goal. Maybe
he finished with I couldn't find a statistical
breakdown for all the players team by team as
far as their goals and assists go. But Holmberg
is another one that has played very well for
Tampa, but yet you put him into a lineup with
a lot of folks that he hasn't played with. And
the chemistry is just not there. A lot of guys
on the U .S. and Canada team, they have played
together before. They played in the Four Nations
Cup, so they had a little bit of chemistry to
start with. But to take basically a brand new
team, maybe like Sweden or Slovakia, Czechia,
guys that have not played together in a couple
of years, it's hard to develop that magic and
that chemistry in such a short tournament to
propel you to a win. Unfortunately, I had some
issues. internally between the coaches and the
players they will get better because they're
awesome guy coach i don't even know why he left
before he's gonna be back finally so we are expecting
sweden to get better on the international stage
so in actual hockey is back nikita kucherov is
awesome of course he's well rested he's hungry
he already has 95 points as we speak The Tampa
Bay Lightning lost two games, defeated the Maple
Leafs, right? It was a weird game. Yes, 4 -2.
But then they went to the Carolina Hurricanes
home and they lost 4 -5. How were those games
for you? I know you probably didn't expect much
when it comes to the Maple Leafs because it was
like the first game after everyone returned.
But still, it was pretty crazy too. Disallowed
goals in the first period. Yeah, and the Toronto
game. I expected a little bit of sluggishness
and expected a slow start because of the 25 -day
layoff. I kind of expected that, but I thought
that the rest would get shaken off a little bit
quicker than what happened. The only person that
really came to play much in that first period
was Nikita Kucherov. I mean, his engine was going,
and it was going so fast he was offside. on two
goals that were disallowed by the toronto coaches
you know they challenged the two goals and and
they took them off the board but he finished
uh with i think a goal and a couple assists in
that game and that gives him 701 career assists
now and he's i think the um the second russian
player to have 700 assists in his career and
he's now in the top 10. in the NHL for career
assists. So he's only going to add to those totals,
you know, throughout the rest of this season
and then the next season. As far as the Carolina
game goes, it was kind of like the Boston game.
I mean, if you turned the game on and you said,
oh, I got to go get an adult beverage. I think
maybe I'll get a snack before the game really
gets going. You sat back down, it was 3 -0 already.
So the Lightning did come back. That was great.
They showed the ability to come back. I think
the back -to -backs right after the 25 -day layoff
and playing Johansson instead of Vazzy hurt them
a little bit and kind of caught up with them
in that game. Now, Carolina's a good team. They're
right up there with the Lightning for top spot,
you know, the Eastern Conference. I think Colorado,
Tampa, and Carolina are the top three in the
NHL in point total. So the Hurricanes are no
slouch, and Brindamore does a great job during
the regular season. The playoffs are a totally
different matter. I can't put my finger on it,
but that's a conversation for another time. But
the Lightning have another game tonight. Buffalo
is in town, and that's a very important game
because the Sabres are right on the Lightning's
heels. as they try to climb up in the division.
I think there's a six or eight -point gap between
Buffalo and Tampa, and the Sabres are going to
be looking to get a win tonight and close that
gap. The only good thing favoring the Lightning
tonight, Vazzy will be back in goal, and Buffalo
played last night, and they lost to the Panthers.
So they're going to come in here. A little bit
more tired than what the Lightning will be after
a day off. Hopefully, it's another win for the
Lightning in the win column. Yeah, that's going
to be the last game of February. As you said,
the Lightning is number one in the Eastern Conference.
But what concerns me is the schedule. Because
in March, the Lightning is going to have 16 games.
Eight at home, eight on the road. And in April,
they're going to get... eight more games. So
they're going to be really busy. They're going
to be out a lot, like in and out of the town
all the time. And that's concerning because,
yes, they're doing great right now, but before
the playoffs, it's really crucial to stay healthy
and to stay up fit. Yes, I looked at the schedule.
They're basically playing every other day. Every
other day they're playing until the end of the
season now. The saving grace for the Lightning,
they only have two back -to -backs. from now
till the end of the season. So that will work
in their favor. There won't be a lot of practice
time. Usually you get to this time of year where
you don't have a lot of time off and the schedule
gets compressed a little bit. You're playing
every other day. There won't be a lot of practice
time. A lot of video work, but not a lot of practice
time. I look for Vazzy to probably take a few
more games off. down the stretch as the Lightning
can win some games and build the lead in the
division over the second and third place teams.
Cooper will probably rest him more. He'll go
with Johansson. The other thing I think that
will come into the Lightning's favor as they
go down the stretch, they had a lot of guys that
were injured, as you know, early in the season,
and they don't have... All that wear and tear
on their body and on their legs that some of
the other team members have. Braden Point, Victor
Hedman, Nick Paul. Those guys all miss substantial
amounts of time. And they're integral parts of
the Lightning team. And we need them to be healthy
and at their best coming down the stretch and
into the playoffs. And I'm hoping that that layoff
they had earlier in the season, recouping from
their injuries, the Lightning will see the benefit
of that as we go down the stretch run. Yeah,
today is important because we're just trying
to welcome everyone and remind that we're going
to be here for the rest of the season. So the
last question that I have, March 6th is the NHL
3 -7. I know we talked about it before, but once
again, we have a few days. Do you think we should
get anyone? They might like and probably can
use some, like, minor, little, little help with
the skilled offensive forward or maybe skilled...
Well, I can't say defense because defense guys
really stepped up. They're doing great. The only
trades that I would see the Lightning possibly
making, another right -handed defenseman, although
the defense has played pretty good, this time
of year when you're coming down the stretch,
I just hate to add folks into the mix because
they're playing so well. They have that chemistry,
and now you're bringing in, you know. Another
one or two guys to try to, you know, get into
that rotation. So I'm a little concerned about
that. Steven Stamkin. I know there's a lot of
media that says, oh, he's available. At the same
time, Steven said that he's committed to the
Nationals right now. And he wants to try his
best with the team until the rest of the season.
But once again, we have like five, six days before
all decisions are final. So, you know, I'm just
still hoping that Stephen Stamkos will get a
chance to say goodbye to hockey in Tampa Bay
in the Lightning uniform as it was meant to be.
Yes, that would be most appropriate. The fans
would love it. But from a hockey standpoint,
I don't think it makes a lot of sense to bring
Stamkos in for the stretch run. Number one, the
Lightning couldn't afford him. He's got a big
contract and the Lightning. All you men start
with the budget. Yes. Yeah. You have to talk
about dreams. And you talk about money, Ken.
Well, unfortunately, that comes into play. Unfortunately,
that's the overriding factor with a lot of these
players and a lot of these deals that are on
the table for the Lightning. They just cannot,
from a mathematical standpoint and a cap standpoint,
Get that player in. Unless, you know, Julian
Breezeball has some crystal ball he can say and
make Nikita Kucherov restructure his contract.
Braden Point restructure his contract. Vazzy
restructure his contract. But then you're hurting
yourself five, ten years down the road because
your cap is still going to be high because you're
paying that money out. So I don't look for a
big deal. I've heard some talk. about getting
maybe an upgrade at the backup goalie position,
but I'm happy with Johansson. He wasn't at his
best, you know, Thursday night in Carolina. You're
going to have that. We've seen games this season
where Vazzy wasn't at his best. My memory serves
me correctly. Vazzy was even pulled, I think,
one game early this season, very early in the
season. I think it was the first time. He'd never
been pulled in the game in his career. So I wouldn't
expect much. I know when the Lightning acquired
guys like Zemgus Gergensens, everybody said,
well, who's Zemgus Gergensens? He's played an
integral part and a very important part of the
Lightning's team this season. I would think...
Let me add that. He was awesome for Team Lightning.
He was so much better than the players in other
teams, even in Canada. Yes. Yes, he did. I would
look for a move like that. Bring in somebody
that's not a big name. The people that just follow
the Lightning because they're the Lightning that
aren't really bought into the team and they don't
know the players that well. Who's this guy? I
never heard of him. You're going to find out
that those players, a lot of times, are the guys
that really are going to do the dirty work and
do the things that you need to do to win a championship.
So I would expect maybe a small move like that.
But other than that, I don't think it'll amount
to a whole lot of anything for the Lightning.
Lightning are doing great. The team is in a great
place. And let's stop at that. They are. They've
got a six -point lead in the division over, I
think, Detroit and Montreal are right on their
heels. This is the time of year you just have
to string wins together. You talk about getting
points in every game, getting a point or two.
This is the time of year you have to do that.
I think these next six weeks... probably are
the most exciting outside of the Stanley Cup
playoffs for hockey because you're getting everybody's
best effort. If you're a couple of points out
of a playoff spot, you're getting a best effort
from some team every single night, either to
move up in playoff positioning or to get enough
points to secure one of those playoff positions.
Case in point would be The Columbus Blue Jackets.
They fired their coach. You in a high state.
What about Buffalo? But I'm just kidding. Go
on. Go on with Columbus. Yeah. Yeah. I'm just
using them as an example. They fired their coach.
New coach. They won five in a row before the
Olympic break. Now, they did lose their first
game back the other night to Boston. They're
like four points out of a playoff spot, out of
the last wild card spot. And I think they're
a team, if you were a betting person and you
wanted to put some cash on the Dark Horse to
make the playoffs, I would put some money on
Columbus because he's got them playing the way
they should have been playing all season, but
for some reason they weren't. Let's go Vols.
I knew you were going to say that. Today I'm
going to say that. And we'll see you guys later.
Thank you, Ken. Always. Thanks for listening
to the Hockey on the Beach podcast.