WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.740 Hello, hello, it's Hockey on the Beach, Daria, 00:00:02.779 --> 00:00:07.059 oh it's me, Ken, and we are ready to discuss 00:00:07.059 --> 00:00:12.839 what is going on in, around, and outside of the 00:00:12.839 --> 00:00:16.960 Tampa Bay Lightning. Ken, you have to tell me, 00:00:17.000 --> 00:00:21.280 how did you process that Buffalo Lightning game? 00:00:21.440 --> 00:00:25.480 Buffalo Sabres Lightning, 102 penalty minutes, 00:00:25.719 --> 00:00:28.539 15 goals, and it was International Women's Day. 00:00:29.399 --> 00:00:32.280 Yeah, who would have thought? I think the Lightning 00:00:32.280 --> 00:00:34.259 were just putting on the show for all the women 00:00:34.259 --> 00:00:37.420 that were in attendance to honor them in some 00:00:37.420 --> 00:00:42.159 way or another. But that was just a crazy game. 00:00:42.399 --> 00:00:45.679 I can't remember ever watching a game where there 00:00:45.679 --> 00:00:50.219 was 15 goals scored. That is just unreal. Unless 00:00:50.219 --> 00:00:52.859 it was, you know, an amateur game or a peewee 00:00:52.859 --> 00:00:54.600 game or something. You know, you get those kind 00:00:54.600 --> 00:00:59.390 of scores. But that's what happens. As John Cooper 00:00:59.390 --> 00:01:01.609 has talked about, and some of the players have 00:01:01.609 --> 00:01:06.530 alluded to, when you get out of your system and 00:01:06.530 --> 00:01:08.790 you make a mistake, and that leads to another 00:01:08.790 --> 00:01:11.310 mistake and another mistake, and before you know 00:01:11.310 --> 00:01:14.769 it, the puck's in the back of the net. Buffalo 00:01:14.769 --> 00:01:17.849 got the win, but they weren't really any better 00:01:17.849 --> 00:01:21.549 in any aspect of the game than the Lightning 00:01:21.549 --> 00:01:23.950 were. I mean, you give up seven goals, you're 00:01:23.950 --> 00:01:27.459 supposed to lose. Not win the game, but the Lightning 00:01:27.459 --> 00:01:30.760 were right at Buffalo's level and even just a 00:01:30.760 --> 00:01:33.200 little bit worse. I thought the Lightning, I'll 00:01:33.200 --> 00:01:36.359 be honest with you, when they took that two -goal 00:01:36.359 --> 00:01:38.680 lead and it was in the third period, I thought 00:01:38.680 --> 00:01:40.400 they were going to pull it out. I thought, okay, 00:01:40.519 --> 00:01:43.599 we're going to get this one. And once you know 00:01:43.599 --> 00:01:48.719 it, I was let down again. But it was good to 00:01:48.719 --> 00:01:51.540 see last night's win, though. But yeah, that 00:01:51.540 --> 00:01:55.310 Buffalo game was just absolutely crazy. Yeah, 00:01:55.329 --> 00:01:57.549 we can say they recovered, but I hope that it 00:01:57.549 --> 00:02:00.209 will last. Because overall, what is it, like 00:02:00.209 --> 00:02:03.650 eight games and only two wins? And the problem 00:02:03.650 --> 00:02:06.689 is pretty much the same from game to game. The 00:02:06.689 --> 00:02:09.629 Lightning that we knew before the Olympic break 00:02:09.629 --> 00:02:13.129 and the Lightning later on, it's like two different 00:02:13.129 --> 00:02:17.090 teams. Goaltending, okay, I don't want to even 00:02:17.090 --> 00:02:19.710 get there. But the problem is defense. Because 00:02:19.710 --> 00:02:23.909 we discussed a lot the way everyone stepped up. 00:02:24.319 --> 00:02:27.879 And that's probably the major factor that's missing. 00:02:28.099 --> 00:02:30.699 They did great against the Detroit Red Wings. 00:02:30.740 --> 00:02:33.460 Yeah, because it was time to regroup and recharge. 00:02:33.719 --> 00:02:37.020 It's like, guys, you have to stop. Because at 00:02:37.020 --> 00:02:38.800 the beginning of the season, when the Lightning 00:02:38.800 --> 00:02:41.340 had a lot of issues, they probably, well, they 00:02:41.340 --> 00:02:43.360 didn't lose their respect, but the teams were 00:02:43.360 --> 00:02:48.020 like, ah, it's Lightning. Okay. But now all teams 00:02:48.020 --> 00:02:52.360 know that the Tampa Bay Lightning is back to 00:02:52.360 --> 00:02:55.939 their highest level. So they come here in Tampa 00:02:55.939 --> 00:02:58.719 or whatever Tampa Bay Lightning is on the road. 00:02:59.039 --> 00:03:02.919 Everyone is prepared. So the Lightning have to 00:03:02.919 --> 00:03:05.919 be prepared too. The players have to step up. 00:03:06.000 --> 00:03:08.900 Coaches have to be there too. Everyone have to 00:03:08.900 --> 00:03:12.960 support each other. Yeah. And you're getting 00:03:12.960 --> 00:03:15.800 everybody's best shot now. It doesn't matter. 00:03:16.840 --> 00:03:19.240 Really, where you are in the standings, everybody's 00:03:19.240 --> 00:03:21.280 trying to get those points to either get enough 00:03:21.280 --> 00:03:24.180 to get into the playoffs or move up in playoff 00:03:24.180 --> 00:03:27.419 positioning. So every night from here on out 00:03:27.419 --> 00:03:29.620 to the end of the season is just going to be 00:03:29.620 --> 00:03:32.699 a war. It's going to be a battle. It doesn't 00:03:32.699 --> 00:03:36.780 matter if you're playing the Washington Capitals 00:03:36.780 --> 00:03:39.419 or tomorrow's opponent, the Carolina Hurricanes. 00:03:39.599 --> 00:03:43.300 You're going to get 110 % effort from those teams 00:03:43.300 --> 00:03:46.090 because they are trying to... either get to the 00:03:46.090 --> 00:03:49.509 playoffs in Washington's case or maintain their 00:03:49.509 --> 00:03:53.009 playoff positioning like Carolina. So it's very 00:03:53.009 --> 00:03:55.710 important that the Lightning bring their A game 00:03:55.710 --> 00:04:00.250 every single night. And this little skid they 00:04:00.250 --> 00:04:04.949 had, it reminded me of the movie Groundhog Day. 00:04:05.129 --> 00:04:07.550 You're seeing the same thing over and over. I 00:04:07.550 --> 00:04:09.889 went back to the beginning of the season. It's 00:04:09.889 --> 00:04:12.310 like, well, this is just what we saw in October. 00:04:13.299 --> 00:04:16.639 Same kind of play, same kind of mistakes, same 00:04:16.639 --> 00:04:19.639 kind of lethargic effort. I think they went 2 00:04:19.639 --> 00:04:23.620 -5 -2 to start the season. Vazzy was awful. And 00:04:23.620 --> 00:04:25.939 then they got it turned around. And for some 00:04:25.939 --> 00:04:31.779 reason, that Olympic break did something. I can't 00:04:31.779 --> 00:04:35.399 put my finger on it. I'm not in that room. But 00:04:35.399 --> 00:04:38.319 they came out from the Olympic break and... have 00:04:38.319 --> 00:04:40.639 not been good until last night. Last night was 00:04:40.639 --> 00:04:44.060 against the Red Wings, their best game since 00:04:44.060 --> 00:04:47.199 the Olympic break. And if they continue to play 00:04:47.199 --> 00:04:48.579 like that, they're going to put a lot of wins 00:04:48.579 --> 00:04:52.560 together before the end of the season. Yeah, 00:04:52.579 --> 00:04:56.439 before the Olympics, I think it was like 19 wins 00:04:56.439 --> 00:04:59.480 in 21 games or something like that. It was really 00:04:59.480 --> 00:05:02.860 awesome. And the Detroit Red Wings, yeah, I know 00:05:02.860 --> 00:05:06.050 it's not a pretty team. I think the Lightning 00:05:06.050 --> 00:05:10.110 got lucky too because they were short of a few 00:05:10.110 --> 00:05:13.290 key players. Once again, it's not an excuse for 00:05:13.290 --> 00:05:15.509 the Detroit Red Wings, but Lightning did great. 00:05:15.689 --> 00:05:19.189 They basically tried to cover for the mistakes 00:05:19.189 --> 00:05:22.649 that we've seen before. And it's not just when 00:05:22.649 --> 00:05:25.430 we talk about how the team is doing the performance. 00:05:25.569 --> 00:05:28.209 It's not only about the goals. It's also about 00:05:28.209 --> 00:05:32.209 the lack of scoring chances. When your team shoots 00:05:32.209 --> 00:05:35.920 only four times, In a period six times. I mean, 00:05:35.920 --> 00:05:40.240 you do not expect that from a team like Tampa 00:05:40.240 --> 00:05:42.920 Bay Lightning. That's just a very different caliber 00:05:42.920 --> 00:05:47.899 of the team. Yeah. If you go back to the Columbus 00:05:47.899 --> 00:05:52.959 game, they tried to focus on not taking chances 00:05:52.959 --> 00:05:56.839 like they had been when they won those 19 out 00:05:56.839 --> 00:05:59.660 of 21 games. Everybody kind of stayed home. They 00:05:59.660 --> 00:06:02.060 weren't going to do stupid things. But, you know, 00:06:02.079 --> 00:06:05.540 Columbus is a pretty good young team. And that 00:06:05.540 --> 00:06:07.779 caught up with them. So I think they found out, 00:06:07.800 --> 00:06:11.019 you know what? We just have to take chances. 00:06:11.060 --> 00:06:13.899 We have to, you know, get up and down the ice. 00:06:13.980 --> 00:06:16.939 We can't, you know, stand around. We have to 00:06:16.939 --> 00:06:20.620 move. And if we're going to, you know, take a 00:06:20.620 --> 00:06:23.439 chance, it's going to cost us. Well, it cost 00:06:23.439 --> 00:06:26.459 us. But at least we know we put in, you know, 00:06:26.480 --> 00:06:28.740 the good effort. Now, last night, they were on 00:06:28.740 --> 00:06:32.379 it offensively, defensively, goaltending, special 00:06:32.379 --> 00:06:35.860 teams. You know, the penalty kill is another 00:06:35.860 --> 00:06:39.339 area that was just sorry, especially against 00:06:39.339 --> 00:06:43.620 Buffalo and Columbus. They allowed like nine 00:06:43.620 --> 00:06:46.120 power play goals, eight power play goals. That 00:06:46.120 --> 00:06:48.519 is unreal. Sometimes the Lightning don't allow 00:06:48.519 --> 00:06:51.660 that many in a given month over the course of 00:06:51.660 --> 00:06:55.300 the season. I think Detroit was 0 -1 last night, 00:06:55.379 --> 00:06:58.240 so you got to start another streak somewhere. 00:06:58.420 --> 00:07:03.519 0 -1 is a good place to start. Yeah, good to 00:07:03.519 --> 00:07:05.160 see a win last night. It looks like Vazzy was 00:07:05.160 --> 00:07:08.500 back on top of his game. The other games that 00:07:08.500 --> 00:07:10.839 they really lost badly, Buffalo and Columbus, 00:07:11.160 --> 00:07:14.600 those were really two of the first two games 00:07:14.600 --> 00:07:17.399 that McDonough and Hedman had played together. 00:07:18.500 --> 00:07:25.660 Oh, no. Slow, not getting to the puck. A lot 00:07:25.660 --> 00:07:30.100 of turnovers. Now, last night, they played better. 00:07:30.829 --> 00:07:33.110 It was a better, but my question is, are we going 00:07:33.110 --> 00:07:36.329 to see that effort from those two aging defensemen 00:07:36.329 --> 00:07:39.670 in the weeks to come? Got another big game with 00:07:39.670 --> 00:07:42.910 Carolina coming up Saturday and then you go West. 00:07:43.069 --> 00:07:45.389 Yeah, it's not easy. It's not going to be easy. 00:07:45.910 --> 00:07:49.930 So you got to get it dialed in and the lightning 00:07:49.930 --> 00:07:54.129 for some reason have never been good in Seattle, 00:07:54.389 --> 00:07:58.050 Vancouver, those kinds of places for some reason. 00:07:59.120 --> 00:08:01.740 They have trouble winning in those places. And 00:08:01.740 --> 00:08:03.920 then they've got to play at Edmonton. And Edmonton 00:08:03.920 --> 00:08:06.759 can put five goals on you before you even break 00:08:06.759 --> 00:08:10.000 a sweat. So it's not going to be an easy road 00:08:10.000 --> 00:08:13.269 trip at all for the Lightning coming up. Well, 00:08:13.329 --> 00:08:16.089 I hope that Nikita Kucherov will get more support. 00:08:16.329 --> 00:08:19.209 That's one guy that we should talk about. Yes. 00:08:19.250 --> 00:08:22.410 Not only he deserves his second Hart Trophy. 00:08:22.490 --> 00:08:25.230 I mean, I can talk about it for days that he 00:08:25.230 --> 00:08:28.069 was robbed the previous two seasons. Absolutely. 00:08:28.389 --> 00:08:30.370 Because, yes, McKinnon, blah, blah, blah. He's 00:08:30.370 --> 00:08:34.620 the NHL star. I agree. But people. Please pay 00:08:34.620 --> 00:08:38.779 close attention to the rosters. Nikita Kucherov, 00:08:38.779 --> 00:08:40.879 that's all the mistakes, all the sufferings, 00:08:40.879 --> 00:08:43.539 that struggles that we discuss right now. Nikita 00:08:43.539 --> 00:08:47.000 Kucherov is the only one guy who is trying to 00:08:47.000 --> 00:08:50.259 lead the team. And he needs the support. McKinnon 00:08:50.259 --> 00:08:52.539 has all the support in the world. He even has 00:08:52.539 --> 00:08:56.200 Cale McCart next to him. So, no, please don't 00:08:56.200 --> 00:08:58.490 even go there. Like, half of the team... are 00:08:58.490 --> 00:09:03.330 nhl stars so no nikita kucherov not only he has 00:09:03.330 --> 00:09:07.129 1100 points now yes the seventh player to do 00:09:07.129 --> 00:09:12.490 that he is and he did it in less than 900 games 00:09:12.490 --> 00:09:16.950 because he only has 862 games under his belt 00:09:16.950 --> 00:09:20.529 shoulder whatever so he is doing great and he 00:09:20.529 --> 00:09:24.950 has like you said 106 points right now he is 00:09:24.950 --> 00:09:29.340 only well He still needs to put out a lot of 00:09:29.340 --> 00:09:32.779 work, obviously, but he needs to focus on himself 00:09:32.779 --> 00:09:35.320 and don't care that McDavid is still up front 00:09:35.320 --> 00:09:38.179 and do not care that McKinnon is behind him. 00:09:38.340 --> 00:09:41.960 Right. If he just focuses on playing his game, 00:09:42.080 --> 00:09:45.200 he'll be fine. That's when Nikita Kucherov is 00:09:45.200 --> 00:09:48.539 at his best. The other thing that you mentioned, 00:09:48.679 --> 00:09:51.980 he got robbed of the Hart Trophy, and he very 00:09:51.980 --> 00:09:54.639 much should be in the conversation this year. 00:09:54.740 --> 00:09:57.679 And I would even say... a frontrunner to win 00:09:57.679 --> 00:10:02.860 the trophy is he is not media friendly. He hates 00:10:02.860 --> 00:10:05.419 the spotlight. He doesn't get in front of the 00:10:05.419 --> 00:10:08.159 cameras. He's not going to be out there talking 00:10:08.159 --> 00:10:11.320 about his game or the team and flaunting his 00:10:11.320 --> 00:10:13.899 game. And I think the national media, the folks 00:10:13.899 --> 00:10:16.200 that do the voting, they hold that against him. 00:10:16.659 --> 00:10:21.120 And he gets the reputation of being sullen, of 00:10:21.120 --> 00:10:25.600 being not pleasant. not a a good guy to to be 00:10:25.600 --> 00:10:27.960 around you can't talk to him you can't communicate 00:10:27.960 --> 00:10:30.679 with him you can't ask any questions and you 00:10:30.679 --> 00:10:33.299 know that couldn't be any further from the truth 00:10:33.299 --> 00:10:36.240 but that's being held i think on the national 00:10:36.240 --> 00:10:38.379 level against him is the fact that he's just 00:10:38.379 --> 00:10:42.039 not media friendly but let me like focus on a 00:10:42.039 --> 00:10:44.500 few points especially from someone who understands 00:10:44.500 --> 00:10:47.720 the culture first of all it's not his job stop 00:10:47.720 --> 00:10:51.460 forcing him if he doesn't want to do it stop 00:10:51.460 --> 00:10:54.399 doing he's doing his job on the ice he's done 00:10:54.399 --> 00:10:57.919 a lot for his team and for this league stop forcing 00:10:57.919 --> 00:11:00.820 everyone when it comes to social media and everything 00:11:00.820 --> 00:11:03.759 that's going on it's too much already we don't 00:11:03.759 --> 00:11:06.080 want to eat that anymore leave him alone there 00:11:06.080 --> 00:11:08.419 are people like nikita kucherov and you cannot 00:11:08.419 --> 00:11:11.860 break his personality or character just because 00:11:11.860 --> 00:11:14.460 you think so the other big part listen to this 00:11:14.460 --> 00:11:18.220 and i think we've discussed that before um media 00:11:18.220 --> 00:11:22.100 votes for that right And right now, because of 00:11:22.100 --> 00:11:24.639 the political issues, it has nothing to do with 00:11:24.639 --> 00:11:28.360 sports or journalism. I cannot vote there because 00:11:28.360 --> 00:11:30.940 all the Russian -speaking journalists are left 00:11:30.940 --> 00:11:34.320 off. because of the politics. Once again, I have 00:11:34.320 --> 00:11:36.840 nothing to do with that. So most of the people 00:11:36.840 --> 00:11:40.899 who vote, they're Canadians. So obviously they 00:11:40.899 --> 00:11:43.960 want McKinnon to win. It's not even McDavid because 00:11:43.960 --> 00:11:46.159 all the previous seasons they were pushing hard 00:11:46.159 --> 00:11:49.399 for McKinnon. So it's anyone, just not Nikita 00:11:49.399 --> 00:11:51.960 Kucherov. And I feel really bad because it's 00:11:51.960 --> 00:11:54.509 like no one can stand up to him. that's just 00:11:54.509 --> 00:11:58.190 wrong and like we live in such a world that that 00:11:58.190 --> 00:12:01.009 is obsessed with social media here and there 00:12:01.009 --> 00:12:04.090 nikita kucherov is different and he doesn't want 00:12:04.090 --> 00:12:07.029 to do what everyone else is doing he doesn't 00:12:07.029 --> 00:12:09.529 want to be part of any tick tocks or trends you 00:12:09.529 --> 00:12:12.309 will not see him or find him anywhere it doesn't 00:12:12.309 --> 00:12:14.970 mean he's a bad person once again he's doing 00:12:14.970 --> 00:12:18.149 a lot for this team and for the league people 00:12:18.149 --> 00:12:21.909 love him all over kids They want to be Nikita 00:12:21.909 --> 00:12:25.669 Kucherov. If you walk around Tampa, you probably 00:12:25.669 --> 00:12:29.789 do, you will see most of the jerseys they have 00:12:29.789 --> 00:12:32.870 either Nikita Kucherov or Andrei Vasilevsky name. 00:12:33.090 --> 00:12:35.830 It says a lot. Even when you go to Washington 00:12:35.830 --> 00:12:40.169 before the game and you can pay closer look what 00:12:40.169 --> 00:12:44.320 people wear, Nikita Kucherov will win. It's not 00:12:44.320 --> 00:12:47.460 even Alex Ovechkin. It's Nikita Kucherov. And 00:12:47.460 --> 00:12:50.220 once again, being international, believe me, 00:12:50.259 --> 00:12:52.980 more people know about him. And did you see the 00:12:52.980 --> 00:12:56.419 size of Russia? Yeah, right? So it's not Canada. 00:12:56.559 --> 00:13:00.259 It's Russia. And it's like all of those political 00:13:00.259 --> 00:13:03.740 stuff have to be left over. He's doing his job. 00:13:03.879 --> 00:13:07.000 He's great. And even the players, the coaches, 00:13:07.059 --> 00:13:10.379 professionals, when they try to... create the 00:13:10.379 --> 00:13:13.820 perfect player most of the aspects they will 00:13:13.820 --> 00:13:17.000 take from nikita kucherov mcdavid what everyone 00:13:17.000 --> 00:13:20.879 would say he's yeah he's the fastest one no not 00:13:20.879 --> 00:13:23.159 we can't say anything over here but it's great 00:13:23.159 --> 00:13:27.080 but all the other other aspects it's nikita kucherov 00:13:27.080 --> 00:13:31.500 so please leave him alone he was supposed to 00:13:31.500 --> 00:13:34.539 win last year he was supposed to win a year before 00:13:34.539 --> 00:13:39.389 that he has to get his well -earned trophy this 00:13:39.389 --> 00:13:41.789 year. Even last year when he didn't get it, he 00:13:41.789 --> 00:13:44.049 was laughing because he was already like, okay, 00:13:44.129 --> 00:13:46.129 you're right, whatever. I'm already used to that. 00:13:47.070 --> 00:13:49.909 Yeah. Well, the other thing with Kucherov is 00:13:49.909 --> 00:13:54.669 he does not score a lot of goals like a McKinnon 00:13:54.669 --> 00:13:58.450 or a McDavid, but what he excels in and what 00:13:58.450 --> 00:14:02.429 he is the best at is setting up his teammates, 00:14:02.710 --> 00:14:07.009 giving them chances to score. he's probably going 00:14:07.009 --> 00:14:10.090 to have over 100 assists this season, or right 00:14:10.090 --> 00:14:13.549 around 100 assists for the season. And that's 00:14:13.549 --> 00:14:18.370 just phenomenal. If you ever watch him on the 00:14:18.370 --> 00:14:21.590 ice, and I know you do, unless he's got a breakaway, 00:14:21.669 --> 00:14:25.509 he has always got his head up looking for the 00:14:25.509 --> 00:14:27.850 puck, and he's looking for somebody before he 00:14:27.850 --> 00:14:30.289 even gets the puck to pass it to and set them 00:14:30.289 --> 00:14:32.679 up. try to get a goal or make a play. That's 00:14:32.679 --> 00:14:36.960 the game of Nikita Kucherov. And I think he gets 00:14:36.960 --> 00:14:38.720 penalized for that. He's not going to get you 00:14:38.720 --> 00:14:41.639 a lot of goals, but if you sit back and you just 00:14:41.639 --> 00:14:44.399 analyze his game and watch his passing and the 00:14:44.399 --> 00:14:48.100 way he sets up the other teammates around him, 00:14:48.240 --> 00:14:51.450 there's no one better, in my opinion. Yeah, I'm 00:14:51.450 --> 00:14:53.509 not saying that, you know, people cannot keep 00:14:53.509 --> 00:14:56.730 up. But the way Nikita Kutcher produces right 00:14:56.730 --> 00:15:01.009 now, if only his teammates would score every 00:15:01.009 --> 00:15:04.210 time he sets them up, it would be like seven, 00:15:04.289 --> 00:15:07.570 six goals every game. And to prove your point, 00:15:07.750 --> 00:15:14.330 he has 391 goal and 707 assists. So, yeah, he's 00:15:14.330 --> 00:15:17.789 working for the team, not for himself. He works 00:15:17.789 --> 00:15:21.639 for the love of hockey and for his team. Mm hmm. 00:15:22.080 --> 00:15:25.899 Absolutely. And that's those kind of players 00:15:25.899 --> 00:15:29.379 in this day and age are really hard to come by 00:15:29.379 --> 00:15:32.779 when, you know, social media is constantly wanting 00:15:32.779 --> 00:15:35.519 your attention for something. And the guys that 00:15:35.519 --> 00:15:37.799 score the most goals or the most points are always 00:15:37.799 --> 00:15:40.340 in the spotlight. The guys that do the dirty 00:15:40.340 --> 00:15:43.100 work, set up their teammates are good passers, 00:15:43.120 --> 00:15:45.940 put their teammates in position to score and 00:15:45.940 --> 00:15:49.259 get some points. They're not heralded quite as. 00:15:49.879 --> 00:15:53.659 nicely as your pure goal scorers like a mcdavid 00:15:53.659 --> 00:15:57.179 or a mckinnon well another person we should talk 00:15:57.179 --> 00:16:00.360 about andre vasilevsky once again it's not because 00:16:00.360 --> 00:16:04.220 i'm russian and they're russian but you cannot 00:16:04.220 --> 00:16:08.379 ignore the fact that andre vasilevsky is now 00:16:08.379 --> 00:16:13.700 number two after legendary marty brador because 00:16:13.700 --> 00:16:19.159 he has nine consecutives 30 plus wins Hold on. 00:16:19.179 --> 00:16:22.600 Nine consecutive seasons with 30 -plus wins. 00:16:22.779 --> 00:16:28.299 And Marty Berdour has 12. So Andre is 31. So 00:16:28.299 --> 00:16:31.899 he has, I mean, he can definitely beat that record. 00:16:32.039 --> 00:16:36.759 Let's go, Vazzy. Yeah, it would be nice to see 00:16:36.759 --> 00:16:39.600 him. The thing I'm concerned with Vasilevsky 00:16:39.600 --> 00:16:44.539 is his health appears to be breaking down just 00:16:44.539 --> 00:16:46.639 a little bit. You know, he's in his mid -30s 00:16:46.639 --> 00:16:50.230 now. He was out. Last season, couldn't participate 00:16:50.230 --> 00:16:53.149 at the start of training camp. Well, he wasn't 00:16:53.149 --> 00:16:55.090 out last season, but before this season started. 00:16:55.330 --> 00:16:57.990 He missed time training for the season because 00:16:57.990 --> 00:17:01.470 of his back and the situation with that, and 00:17:01.470 --> 00:17:03.570 then he missed playing in the preseason games, 00:17:03.789 --> 00:17:07.250 and that's why he had the rough start to the 00:17:07.250 --> 00:17:10.990 season. He seems to have weathered that storm, 00:17:11.089 --> 00:17:14.799 and now... At least last night, we saw the Vazzy 00:17:14.799 --> 00:17:17.859 of old and the Vazzy that we saw when they won 00:17:17.859 --> 00:17:21.779 the 19 out of 21. So the only thing I'm concerned 00:17:21.779 --> 00:17:23.839 with, and I think the only thing that'll stop 00:17:23.839 --> 00:17:26.980 him from setting all kinds of records once his 00:17:26.980 --> 00:17:30.720 career's over, is his health. If his health holds 00:17:30.720 --> 00:17:35.000 up, absolutely. But he's starting to, you know, 00:17:35.000 --> 00:17:38.759 get those chinks in his armor, so to speak, that... 00:17:38.960 --> 00:17:41.559 A lot of players, when they get to be that age, 00:17:41.640 --> 00:17:45.240 they just can't do the things and play the same 00:17:45.240 --> 00:17:47.900 way they did when they were 25. Well, actually, 00:17:47.960 --> 00:17:50.380 it's very different for the goalies because they 00:17:50.380 --> 00:17:55.259 tend to grow and develop later. So 30 is a perfect 00:17:55.259 --> 00:18:00.240 age. But we can also compare it to Sergei Bobrovsky's 00:18:00.240 --> 00:18:04.059 situation. We have to keep in mind that they 00:18:04.059 --> 00:18:09.039 need to take breaks for that. Any team needs 00:18:09.039 --> 00:18:14.099 to have a great, solid, reliable backup goalie. 00:18:14.160 --> 00:18:18.779 Bingo. That's a huge problem because right now, 00:18:18.799 --> 00:18:23.660 if the Tampa Bay Lightning fans want to be in 00:18:23.660 --> 00:18:26.779 the finals, they have to pray for Vasilevsky's 00:18:26.779 --> 00:18:31.500 health because if he's not there, if he needs 00:18:31.500 --> 00:18:35.140 a break, we're screwed. I'm sorry, but that's 00:18:35.140 --> 00:18:37.430 the truth. Oh, you're right. Yeah, you're 100 00:18:37.430 --> 00:18:44.410 % right. Johansson was good to above average 00:18:44.410 --> 00:18:47.170 to start the season. But the last couple of games 00:18:47.170 --> 00:18:50.970 that he's been in, it's like, holy cow. You know, 00:18:51.009 --> 00:18:53.490 if Azzy's out for an extended period of time, 00:18:54.230 --> 00:18:57.569 you know, we're screwed. The thing with Bobrovsky, 00:18:57.670 --> 00:19:01.250 I will say, is the Panthers have had a lot of 00:19:01.250 --> 00:19:05.400 injuries. And I think... New guys in and out 00:19:05.400 --> 00:19:09.740 of the lineup, you know, have really affected 00:19:09.740 --> 00:19:13.920 the overall game that the Panthers play and have, 00:19:14.140 --> 00:19:17.240 you know, allowed more shots and allowed more 00:19:17.240 --> 00:19:20.119 pucks to get in close to Bobrovsky. And, you 00:19:20.119 --> 00:19:23.160 know, he now granted he hasn't had the season 00:19:23.160 --> 00:19:25.980 that he's had the last couple of seasons as a 00:19:25.980 --> 00:19:28.299 goalie. You're paid to stop the puck. But at 00:19:28.299 --> 00:19:31.779 some point when the guys in front of you break 00:19:31.779 --> 00:19:34.950 down. You're hung out to dry sometimes, and there 00:19:34.950 --> 00:19:38.730 is not a lot you can do. So I think if the Panthers 00:19:38.730 --> 00:19:43.130 were healthy from the start of the season, A, 00:19:43.369 --> 00:19:46.869 they would be in a playoff position, and B, I 00:19:46.869 --> 00:19:49.470 think Bobrovsky would have a lot better numbers. 00:19:49.549 --> 00:19:51.430 But I think the overall health of that team has 00:19:51.430 --> 00:19:54.210 just affected his performance. Yeah, and he would 00:19:54.210 --> 00:19:56.430 play less too because we know that he's going 00:19:56.430 --> 00:19:58.809 to shine in the playoffs, but you have to get 00:19:58.809 --> 00:20:00.890 there first. Once again, he's the part of the 00:20:00.890 --> 00:20:04.529 team and basically three finals, two Stanley 00:20:04.529 --> 00:20:08.049 Cups. He needs his break too. So when they signed 00:20:08.049 --> 00:20:11.329 Tarasov, obviously they thought that he would 00:20:11.329 --> 00:20:14.490 probably get better than he is right now. He's 00:20:14.490 --> 00:20:17.250 better than when he was in the Columbus, but 00:20:17.250 --> 00:20:19.930 he's still not the best option. That's once again 00:20:19.930 --> 00:20:23.880 why Bobrovsky has to play more. Because I thought 00:20:23.880 --> 00:20:26.000 that he will play less because he needs that. 00:20:26.119 --> 00:20:28.819 It's the same as Panthers this week. They rested 00:20:28.819 --> 00:20:33.150 same Reinhardt for one game. Because they wanted 00:20:33.150 --> 00:20:36.089 to make sure that he has five days without games. 00:20:36.170 --> 00:20:39.069 Because they are just scared that their leaders 00:20:39.069 --> 00:20:41.829 will start breaking one after another. It's like 00:20:41.829 --> 00:20:45.769 one guy in, another one out. Barbarovsky needs 00:20:45.769 --> 00:20:49.369 that too. But unfortunately, it's a big thing 00:20:49.369 --> 00:20:51.369 right now. Look around the league. It's like 00:20:51.369 --> 00:20:54.849 we don't have as many great goalies. Or if they 00:20:54.849 --> 00:20:58.859 are, they have to play all the time. Well, the 00:20:58.859 --> 00:21:02.000 other thing with your goalie situation is if 00:21:02.000 --> 00:21:05.920 you're a really good backup goalie and you put 00:21:05.920 --> 00:21:09.140 up great numbers as a backup goalie, the next 00:21:09.140 --> 00:21:12.859 year you're gone. You know, they might not, you 00:21:12.859 --> 00:21:14.779 might say, hey, I can start here. This team's 00:21:14.779 --> 00:21:16.680 offered me starter money and I'm going to go 00:21:16.680 --> 00:21:20.640 here and start. So the pool for quality backup 00:21:20.640 --> 00:21:25.240 goaltenders is not that great. And it takes, 00:21:25.259 --> 00:21:27.740 I think, a certain... and a different mindset 00:21:27.740 --> 00:21:30.019 to be a backup goalie. You have to go to the 00:21:30.019 --> 00:21:32.259 rink every day knowing that, well, I'm not going 00:21:32.259 --> 00:21:35.180 to play today. I'm not going to play today. And 00:21:35.180 --> 00:21:38.500 then you go and the coach says, oh, yeah, we're 00:21:38.500 --> 00:21:40.339 going to arrest the starter today, so you're 00:21:40.339 --> 00:21:42.500 in. And then you have to change your mindset 00:21:42.500 --> 00:21:46.059 and get ready mentally to play the game. So it's 00:21:46.059 --> 00:21:48.680 a totally different, I think, mindset with a 00:21:48.680 --> 00:21:51.200 goalie as far as preparation goes than it is 00:21:51.200 --> 00:21:54.670 with the starters. You have to be ready all the 00:21:54.670 --> 00:21:56.849 time. That's the mentality. It doesn't matter 00:21:56.849 --> 00:21:58.910 if you're a starter or backup. You have to be 00:21:58.910 --> 00:22:02.549 ready. And let me remind everyone that Sergei 00:22:02.549 --> 00:22:05.230 Bobrovsky was in that position when he first 00:22:05.230 --> 00:22:08.950 came to the NHL. It was the same for Team Russia 00:22:08.950 --> 00:22:12.069 and Sochi. He knows that position and he earned 00:22:12.069 --> 00:22:15.630 every bit of it. It's the same with Andrei Vasilevsky. 00:22:15.750 --> 00:22:19.170 So I think it's just the problem of the days 00:22:19.170 --> 00:22:22.890 that we're living. Because people focused on 00:22:22.890 --> 00:22:26.970 I, I, I, me, me, me, social media, money, I want 00:22:26.970 --> 00:22:29.650 to be the starter, not necessarily being able 00:22:29.650 --> 00:22:35.269 to hold on to that pressure. Well, as you know, 00:22:35.269 --> 00:22:39.710 Vazzy worked under Ben Bishop. So when Ben Bishop 00:22:39.710 --> 00:22:42.809 was out and late in his career, he was hurt late 00:22:42.809 --> 00:22:45.670 in the season where they had to use Vazzy extensively. 00:22:46.170 --> 00:22:49.680 And he showed the Lightning that. We have a number 00:22:49.680 --> 00:22:52.680 one goalie right here who has great potential. 00:22:53.319 --> 00:22:57.619 I think we can afford to part with Ben Bishop 00:22:57.619 --> 00:23:00.140 right now. And I remember that. People were pissed 00:23:00.140 --> 00:23:05.099 when he ended up going to Dallas. You know, they 00:23:05.099 --> 00:23:07.720 never thought that, of course, Vassie would turn 00:23:07.720 --> 00:23:11.420 out to be the player that he is now. But those 00:23:11.420 --> 00:23:14.519 same people would be the ones screaming the loudest 00:23:14.519 --> 00:23:17.720 if a year or two from now something... you know, 00:23:17.720 --> 00:23:20.079 happens to Vazzy and we have a great backup goaltender. 00:23:20.160 --> 00:23:22.440 Oh, we're going to, you know, trade Vazzy or 00:23:22.440 --> 00:23:25.259 we're going to let him go to another team. Oh 00:23:25.259 --> 00:23:29.900 man, that burned Benchmark Arena down. But that's 00:23:29.900 --> 00:23:35.799 the cycle. You know, that unfortunately is the 00:23:35.799 --> 00:23:38.279 cycle. And that's just the way it goes in the 00:23:38.279 --> 00:23:41.740 NHL goaltending world. and people just want everything 00:23:41.740 --> 00:23:45.019 right here right now because when andrei vasilevsky 00:23:45.019 --> 00:23:48.299 was leaving russia his salavat you live team 00:23:48.299 --> 00:23:52.000 in the khl to the nhl people were telling him 00:23:52.000 --> 00:23:55.579 do not go There's no spot for you. You want to 00:23:55.579 --> 00:23:58.480 be in the NHL? Stay here. You're going to get 00:23:58.480 --> 00:24:00.599 all the fame and money in the world, which is 00:24:00.599 --> 00:24:03.819 not true, but still. But no, he wanted to prove 00:24:03.819 --> 00:24:07.240 everyone that he's NHL worthy and he built himself 00:24:07.240 --> 00:24:10.579 and his career. Right. And that says something, 00:24:10.619 --> 00:24:14.720 too, about him and the person that he is and 00:24:14.720 --> 00:24:19.329 his overall... mental status, the way he looks 00:24:19.329 --> 00:24:21.970 and processes things. Yeah, there was no spot 00:24:21.970 --> 00:24:24.390 for him, but I'm sure he had the mindset, you 00:24:24.390 --> 00:24:25.829 know, I'm going to go over there and I'm going 00:24:25.829 --> 00:24:28.450 to create a spot by my play. And I'm going to 00:24:28.450 --> 00:24:31.529 show people that I deserve to be a number one 00:24:31.529 --> 00:24:34.109 goaltender. And he's done that and been very 00:24:34.109 --> 00:24:36.109 successful at it. And he'll be in the Hall of 00:24:36.109 --> 00:24:40.680 Fame someday. I'm certain. Sure. Okay, we've 00:24:40.680 --> 00:24:43.539 talked a lot about the Russian NHLers. Is there 00:24:43.539 --> 00:24:46.200 anything you want to add? I don't want to be 00:24:46.200 --> 00:24:48.440 the person who's going to, I don't know, say 00:24:48.440 --> 00:24:52.619 the negative stuff about our captain. Say our, 00:24:52.759 --> 00:24:55.579 like, you know, he's my neighbor. Victor Hedman, 00:24:55.700 --> 00:24:58.539 I mean, he's a nice guy. He's awesome. It's just 00:24:58.539 --> 00:25:01.740 he's not in the best. shape of his career right 00:25:01.740 --> 00:25:04.859 now and I don't want to be the person who talks 00:25:04.859 --> 00:25:09.000 about that every week so I would ask you to bring 00:25:09.000 --> 00:25:12.339 up something positive before we say goodbye and 00:25:12.339 --> 00:25:15.339 see you later well no there's there's a lot of 00:25:15.339 --> 00:25:18.059 positive positives with Victor Hedman it's just 00:25:18.059 --> 00:25:22.279 not his game on the ice he's an excellent mentor 00:25:22.279 --> 00:25:25.339 for the young defenseman he can show you how 00:25:25.339 --> 00:25:29.609 to do it he's a good leader I think in the locker 00:25:29.609 --> 00:25:32.769 room, he's been there. He's done that. There 00:25:32.769 --> 00:25:35.650 is not anything I don't think that Victor Hedman 00:25:35.650 --> 00:25:40.470 has faced in his NHL career that he could not 00:25:40.470 --> 00:25:44.069 comment on or be a mentor or be a positive influence 00:25:44.069 --> 00:25:47.069 on some of these young Lightning players that 00:25:47.069 --> 00:25:49.829 are going to experience something for the first 00:25:49.829 --> 00:25:52.109 time come mid -April. And that's going to be 00:25:52.109 --> 00:25:54.650 the NHL playoffs. And they're going to find out 00:25:54.650 --> 00:25:56.950 that everything gets... Cranked up a couple of 00:25:56.950 --> 00:25:59.190 notches when it's the playoffs. It's not like 00:25:59.190 --> 00:26:01.390 the regular season. But I think Victor Hedman 00:26:01.390 --> 00:26:05.829 still has a lot of value and some things to add. 00:26:06.049 --> 00:26:12.569 It's just not as a first -line defenseman. Maybe 00:26:12.569 --> 00:26:15.609 third -line defenseman. You know, cut the minutes, 00:26:15.809 --> 00:26:19.190 keep him fresher. You would think that he would 00:26:19.190 --> 00:26:22.509 be extremely fresh because of all the time that 00:26:22.509 --> 00:26:26.099 he's missed this season. But he's... His body, 00:26:26.140 --> 00:26:29.220 I think, is telling him, hey, you just can't 00:26:29.220 --> 00:26:31.220 do it at that level anymore. And you know what? 00:26:31.900 --> 00:26:35.380 That's okay. It happens. We shouldn't begrudge 00:26:35.380 --> 00:26:38.960 Victor Hedman for that. He's doing the best that 00:26:38.960 --> 00:26:43.380 he can, but physically, the body's telling him, 00:26:43.400 --> 00:26:47.079 you can't do that anymore. So it's time to take 00:26:47.079 --> 00:26:49.920 more of a mentorship role and a leadership role 00:26:49.920 --> 00:26:54.220 on the team and just accept the minutes. that 00:26:54.220 --> 00:26:57.640 are given to you as as they are yeah he has to 00:26:57.640 --> 00:26:59.920 take care of himself and his health i just think 00:26:59.920 --> 00:27:03.319 that john cooper and his assistants were in a 00:27:03.319 --> 00:27:06.279 very strange position because when victor headman 00:27:06.279 --> 00:27:08.619 was injured obviously everyone was waiting for 00:27:08.619 --> 00:27:12.180 him but we saw how other defensemen stepped up 00:27:12.180 --> 00:27:15.920 and when he was ready to go back it just felt 00:27:15.920 --> 00:27:20.460 like they were pushing him to be victor headman 00:27:20.460 --> 00:27:23.140 at his best and obviously he was not ready for 00:27:23.140 --> 00:27:26.460 that and it's like he needs to be there on the 00:27:26.460 --> 00:27:29.380 ice with the team at the same time he cannot 00:27:29.380 --> 00:27:32.440 do that at the same level that he've done three 00:27:32.440 --> 00:27:36.559 five years ago and so it's something coaching 00:27:36.559 --> 00:27:39.680 staff and victor headman have to figure out together 00:27:39.680 --> 00:27:43.099 because there's no pressure there is no rush 00:27:43.099 --> 00:27:47.240 if he needs to take his time off or Obviously, 00:27:47.400 --> 00:27:49.440 John Cooper is not going to bench him, but I'm 00:27:49.440 --> 00:27:52.119 sure, and that's the way I wrote it for Tampa 00:27:52.119 --> 00:27:55.740 Bay Sports Journal. If it was some old school 00:27:55.740 --> 00:27:59.180 coach, he would just bench Victor Hedman in a 00:27:59.180 --> 00:28:02.160 second. The amount of those turnovers and bad 00:28:02.160 --> 00:28:06.180 situations, unlucky passes, it's just ridiculous. 00:28:06.920 --> 00:28:09.220 But John Cooper is not going to do that, and 00:28:09.220 --> 00:28:12.700 it's not working properly for anyone right now. 00:28:12.759 --> 00:28:15.480 So they really need to figure that out. No pressure, 00:28:15.740 --> 00:28:18.160 Victor Hedman. headman we still love you we just 00:28:18.160 --> 00:28:21.259 really understand that there have to be some 00:28:21.259 --> 00:28:25.960 adjustments yes in your mind is victor headman 00:28:25.960 --> 00:28:28.480 a hall of famer a first ballot hall of famer 00:28:28.480 --> 00:28:33.759 let's go yes victor headman yes of course of 00:28:33.759 --> 00:28:36.240 course it doesn't matter that right now once 00:28:36.240 --> 00:28:39.420 again he is not 15 or 20 years old anymore it's 00:28:39.420 --> 00:28:44.420 normal his body took a lot and so we accept that 00:28:44.420 --> 00:28:46.740 and just it's like like you said there's still 00:28:46.740 --> 00:28:50.000 a lot of positives understand it's probably very 00:28:50.000 --> 00:28:52.740 hard for the coaches who've been through with 00:28:52.740 --> 00:28:55.769 him all of that they build this franchise together 00:28:55.769 --> 00:28:59.109 and it's like oh you know we're gonna play victor 00:28:59.109 --> 00:29:02.930 only for 10 minutes i understand that it's mentally 00:29:02.930 --> 00:29:07.430 and physically probably feels weird that's why 00:29:07.430 --> 00:29:10.710 they just cannot get to that point yet but they 00:29:10.710 --> 00:29:14.609 have to because he needs support too well the 00:29:14.609 --> 00:29:18.089 other thing about somebody like victor headman 00:29:18.799 --> 00:29:21.720 A lot of those type of personalities and those 00:29:21.720 --> 00:29:25.859 players, they come to a resolution in their mind 00:29:25.859 --> 00:29:30.019 where they admit to themselves, you know, I'm 00:29:30.019 --> 00:29:32.759 not the player that I was. I can't do the things 00:29:32.759 --> 00:29:36.160 that I can do. However, here's what I can do. 00:29:36.319 --> 00:29:39.980 And this is the way that I can impact the club 00:29:39.980 --> 00:29:42.400 now. And this is what I'm going to do to the 00:29:42.400 --> 00:29:44.660 best of my ability. And I think Victor Hedman 00:29:44.660 --> 00:29:47.599 is that kind of guy. He's going to do whatever. 00:29:48.519 --> 00:29:52.119 He can do whatever the team asks him to do, whether 00:29:52.119 --> 00:29:54.880 it's play less minutes, play on the third blue 00:29:54.880 --> 00:29:59.359 line, mentor the young defenseman. He's going 00:29:59.359 --> 00:30:01.920 to do whatever. If it helps the team win some 00:30:01.920 --> 00:30:04.759 games and have a deep playoff run, that's what 00:30:04.759 --> 00:30:08.079 he's going to do. We wish him well. Absolutely. 00:30:10.779 --> 00:30:15.359 What else? What else? Well, we're out of first 00:30:15.359 --> 00:30:18.740 place now. Buffalo's in first. By a couple of 00:30:18.740 --> 00:30:21.279 points, though. So that's nothing to sweat just 00:30:21.279 --> 00:30:24.599 yet. And Detroit is, I think, a couple of points 00:30:24.599 --> 00:30:28.220 behind. Now that four -point swing with the Lightning 00:30:28.220 --> 00:30:30.720 winning and Detroit losing, that was big last 00:30:30.720 --> 00:30:33.180 night. So that gives us a little bit of breathing 00:30:33.180 --> 00:30:38.140 room. But Montreal is lurking right after Detroit. 00:30:38.400 --> 00:30:42.859 They're a point or two of one another. Spring 00:30:42.859 --> 00:30:45.720 hockey, as I always said, it's the best time 00:30:45.720 --> 00:30:50.910 of the year. You find out the pretenders from 00:30:50.910 --> 00:30:54.329 the contenders, and I think we're going to find 00:30:54.329 --> 00:30:58.390 out that the Lightning are contenders. I'm looking 00:30:58.390 --> 00:31:02.269 for a deep playoff run this spring. Well, I'm 00:31:02.269 --> 00:31:06.329 expecting them and Colorado Avalanche back in 00:31:06.329 --> 00:31:11.650 the finals. Yeah, I can see that. However, I 00:31:11.650 --> 00:31:17.009 would not discount the Dallas Stars. The Dallas 00:31:17.009 --> 00:31:21.250 Stars. Dallas is only six points behind Colorado 00:31:21.250 --> 00:31:23.829 now for the top spot in the Western Conference. 00:31:24.670 --> 00:31:27.869 Nobody talks about Dallas. Not anymore, because 00:31:27.869 --> 00:31:30.349 they've been disappointing the previous seasons. 00:31:30.430 --> 00:31:33.069 They were contenders, and then when it comes 00:31:33.069 --> 00:31:36.809 to players, it's like... Well, the other thing, 00:31:36.849 --> 00:31:40.170 too, is when the spotlight's on you, you can't 00:31:40.170 --> 00:31:43.289 fold up like a cheap suit when the pressure's 00:31:43.289 --> 00:31:45.670 on. And there's some years where they've gone 00:31:45.670 --> 00:31:49.190 out, in the first or second round of the playoffs 00:31:49.190 --> 00:31:52.869 when they had a lot more talent than the team 00:31:52.869 --> 00:31:55.089 that they were playing against. But Dallas is 00:31:55.089 --> 00:32:00.710 one that I would watch. Anaheim is a tricky team. 00:32:00.829 --> 00:32:04.609 I don't think they can unseat Colorado, but they're 00:32:04.609 --> 00:32:07.450 going to give some people problems, I think, 00:32:07.490 --> 00:32:12.069 in the West. So the Ducks are another team. And, 00:32:12.150 --> 00:32:15.410 you know, God bless them if Utah can ever get... 00:32:15.710 --> 00:32:18.630 on a consistent run where they can string some 00:32:18.630 --> 00:32:21.750 victories together, you know, they could be a 00:32:21.750 --> 00:32:27.190 problem down the road for some teams out West. 00:32:27.529 --> 00:32:30.710 I don't mind about the Dallas Stars. It's okay. 00:32:30.750 --> 00:32:35.450 Let's go. That's fine. And you may be, you know 00:32:35.450 --> 00:32:40.190 who I'm really disappointed in out West? Who? 00:32:41.049 --> 00:32:47.140 Edmonton. They have done absolutely nothing to 00:32:47.140 --> 00:32:50.700 improve their defense or their goaltending. I 00:32:50.700 --> 00:32:53.279 mean, yeah, they swapped Skinner out for the 00:32:53.279 --> 00:32:55.400 guy from Pittsburgh, but they're in the same 00:32:55.400 --> 00:32:58.980 spot. They haven't improved. They lose games 00:32:58.980 --> 00:33:02.140 they have no business losing, and they'll get 00:33:02.140 --> 00:33:04.460 lucky and win games they have no business winning. 00:33:05.680 --> 00:33:11.119 I can't figure that team out. And the last couple 00:33:11.119 --> 00:33:13.779 seasons when Oilers played the Florida Panthers 00:33:13.779 --> 00:33:18.200 in the Stanley Cup Finals, I said if Edmonton 00:33:18.200 --> 00:33:22.420 had a decent goaltender and a locked -down defenseman, 00:33:22.460 --> 00:33:26.500 they would beat Florida. But they don't want 00:33:26.500 --> 00:33:28.960 to invest the money, for whatever reason, in 00:33:28.960 --> 00:33:34.390 a quality defenseman. I don't get it. No, they 00:33:34.390 --> 00:33:37.049 need a goaltender. Goaltender number one. And 00:33:37.049 --> 00:33:40.569 defense. Their defense sucks. But they're not 00:33:40.569 --> 00:33:43.309 great either. In the same way with the goaltending. 00:33:43.450 --> 00:33:45.890 They're just average. And you know what happens 00:33:45.890 --> 00:33:50.029 when you're average. You know. Yeah, you can't 00:33:50.029 --> 00:33:53.329 expect that McDavid will produce 10 points a 00:33:53.329 --> 00:33:55.769 night and that's about it. All on his shoulders. 00:33:55.890 --> 00:33:57.910 Okay, awesome. What about defense? What about 00:33:57.910 --> 00:34:01.940 goaltending, guys? You know you have a problem 00:34:01.940 --> 00:34:05.380 when you lose the Stanley Cup final and one of 00:34:05.380 --> 00:34:08.920 your players is the MVP of the Stanley Cup final 00:34:08.920 --> 00:34:11.980 like McDavid did a couple of years ago. I mean, 00:34:12.119 --> 00:34:16.559 granted, he had a fantastic series, but it just 00:34:16.559 --> 00:34:22.119 goes to show, you know, you lost and this guy 00:34:22.119 --> 00:34:25.019 did so much for your team and nobody else did 00:34:25.019 --> 00:34:27.340 a darn thing that we have to make him the... 00:34:27.690 --> 00:34:31.489 We're going to vote him MVP of the final. Oh, 00:34:32.210 --> 00:34:35.369 you just reminded me about another great point. 00:34:35.489 --> 00:34:38.170 Corey Perry, because when it was announced that 00:34:38.170 --> 00:34:40.309 he's going to be back to the Tampa Bay Lightning, 00:34:40.409 --> 00:34:44.849 the first fan's reaction online that I saw was, 00:34:45.090 --> 00:34:47.070 oh, yeah, great. We're going to make it to the 00:34:47.070 --> 00:34:50.690 finals, but we're going to lose. Yeah, I know. 00:34:50.889 --> 00:34:53.250 Yeah, yeah. Corey Perry will carry that with 00:34:53.250 --> 00:34:56.500 him to his grave. Stay away from him if you want 00:34:56.500 --> 00:34:59.300 to win the Stanley Cup. If you want to go to 00:34:59.300 --> 00:35:01.199 the Stanley Cup final, get him on your team. 00:35:01.219 --> 00:35:03.360 But if you want to win, you better find a way 00:35:03.360 --> 00:35:05.679 to get him off your team before the Cup final. 00:35:05.820 --> 00:35:10.340 I just think he's had some bad luck with the 00:35:10.340 --> 00:35:16.039 teams that he's been in the finals with. I mean, 00:35:16.079 --> 00:35:20.800 on paper, I mean, those Edmonton teams, I mean, 00:35:20.800 --> 00:35:24.360 they were really no match for Florida when you... 00:35:24.489 --> 00:35:27.329 broke down the roster, you know, position by 00:35:27.329 --> 00:35:31.369 position. And Corey Perry is one of the guys 00:35:31.369 --> 00:35:34.909 that if you have the kind of players that you 00:35:34.909 --> 00:35:37.809 need to have to win a Stanley Cup, he's one of 00:35:37.809 --> 00:35:40.510 the key ingredients. We've seen it already in 00:35:40.510 --> 00:35:42.769 the short term. He's been back with Tampa. I 00:35:42.769 --> 00:35:45.190 mean, he stands in front of the net. He battles. 00:35:45.369 --> 00:35:48.769 He whacks you. He'll go into the corners for 00:35:48.769 --> 00:35:51.949 the pucks. And he's 41 years old, I think. And 00:35:51.949 --> 00:35:55.469 he's still super fast. He's great. He doesn't 00:35:55.469 --> 00:35:58.590 care. He's another one that's just going to do 00:35:58.590 --> 00:36:03.530 whatever it takes to win. He doesn't care what 00:36:03.530 --> 00:36:08.090 his role is. If it's to get loose pucks in the 00:36:08.090 --> 00:36:11.130 corner, if he's to be an agitator in front of 00:36:11.130 --> 00:36:14.969 the net, if he has to fight, doesn't care. He's 00:36:14.969 --> 00:36:18.349 going to do it. He shouldn't have left. I mean, 00:36:18.369 --> 00:36:21.409 he didn't want to, but I was... very mad when 00:36:21.409 --> 00:36:23.989 they let him go and look at this he's back i 00:36:23.989 --> 00:36:28.030 told you guys do not let him go he is great when 00:36:28.030 --> 00:36:32.969 corey perry left what happened to the lightning 00:36:32.969 --> 00:36:36.750 in their first playoff series for two consecutive 00:36:36.750 --> 00:36:41.110 years okay you have no no toughness whatsoever 00:36:41.110 --> 00:36:45.369 you have no edge to your game you want to play 00:36:45.369 --> 00:36:48.809 you know speed hockey you want to have the fancy 00:36:48.809 --> 00:36:51.860 passes Well, that's not going to get it done 00:36:51.860 --> 00:36:55.579 a lot of times in a rough and tumble playoff 00:36:55.579 --> 00:36:59.380 series. I still have that video when, obviously, 00:36:59.619 --> 00:37:02.809 when Tampa Bay Lightning were playing. the florida 00:37:02.809 --> 00:37:06.269 panthers last season you can not season playoffs 00:37:06.269 --> 00:37:10.969 you can see every game during every single game 00:37:10.969 --> 00:37:14.030 they were trying to stop nikita kucherov obviously 00:37:14.030 --> 00:37:16.949 it was all about getting under his skin blocking 00:37:16.949 --> 00:37:20.429 him playing bad against him refs did not necessarily 00:37:20.429 --> 00:37:23.150 did a great job and i do have couple videos on 00:37:23.150 --> 00:37:26.289 my phone from the games even brett marchand and 00:37:26.289 --> 00:37:30.389 the problem was no one stepped up from the tampa 00:37:30.389 --> 00:37:33.429 by lightning it was It was horrible to see. And 00:37:33.429 --> 00:37:37.630 Corey Perry would never allow that. Well, the 00:37:37.630 --> 00:37:40.389 guys on this team, some of the guys, they will 00:37:40.389 --> 00:37:43.130 not allow that either. Yeah. You know, you have 00:37:43.130 --> 00:37:47.329 Lilliburg. It's now, but it's now. We've missed 00:37:47.329 --> 00:37:51.150 two years like that. We have to struggle watching 00:37:51.150 --> 00:37:55.650 that for two playoffs. Well, I think Julian Breezeball 00:37:55.650 --> 00:37:57.570 finally came to his senses and said, listen, 00:37:57.650 --> 00:38:00.230 we got to get tougher. Yeah. We have the skill. 00:38:00.750 --> 00:38:03.630 But what we don't have is the sandpaper grit 00:38:03.630 --> 00:38:08.230 and those kind of players, the third and fourth 00:38:08.230 --> 00:38:13.409 line players that you need in order to win the 00:38:13.409 --> 00:38:15.769 Cup. They didn't have that. And I think this 00:38:15.769 --> 00:38:19.030 year they've reconstructed their roster where 00:38:19.030 --> 00:38:21.909 they do have a little bit of an edge once you 00:38:21.909 --> 00:38:24.750 get past the first and second line. And even 00:38:24.750 --> 00:38:27.170 some of your guys that play on the first and 00:38:27.170 --> 00:38:31.210 second line, I mean, look at Point. I mean, you... 00:38:31.210 --> 00:38:34.690 Look at Hagel. Yeah, Hagel, they'll drop the 00:38:34.690 --> 00:38:38.750 gloves in a minute, and it's game on. And that 00:38:38.750 --> 00:38:42.230 used to not be part of their game. You know, 00:38:42.269 --> 00:38:44.429 they would just sit there and take it, and that'd 00:38:44.429 --> 00:38:47.590 be the end of it. But I think the other infusion 00:38:47.590 --> 00:38:51.750 of those kind of grit and sandpaper guys that 00:38:51.750 --> 00:38:54.630 Breezeball has had on the roster, you know, Corey 00:38:54.630 --> 00:38:58.130 Perry, one of them, the young kids, you know, 00:38:58.130 --> 00:39:01.159 from Syracuse, The big guys, they were third 00:39:01.159 --> 00:39:03.880 and fourth liners probably at Syracuse, and they 00:39:03.880 --> 00:39:05.420 come here and they're third and fourth liners. 00:39:05.460 --> 00:39:07.400 They're doing the same thing. They're not going 00:39:07.400 --> 00:39:09.599 to get pushed around, and they're going to stand 00:39:09.599 --> 00:39:13.380 up for themselves. And I think the league has 00:39:13.380 --> 00:39:16.139 gotten the message, and they know now that if 00:39:16.139 --> 00:39:18.300 they want to play that game with the Lightning, 00:39:18.420 --> 00:39:20.619 there's going to be a price to pay. Finally, 00:39:20.760 --> 00:39:23.400 so yeah, everyone seems to be prepared. Just 00:39:23.400 --> 00:39:26.039 make sure that you also follow the rules because 00:39:26.039 --> 00:39:29.079 we don't want to see the Buffalo Sabres game 00:39:29.079 --> 00:39:34.619 again. No, no, we don't want to see that. And 00:39:34.619 --> 00:39:37.420 talking about having a little toughness and a 00:39:37.420 --> 00:39:40.219 little bit of grit, you said, you know, we got 00:39:40.219 --> 00:39:42.739 to follow the rules. Let's make sure we're not 00:39:42.739 --> 00:39:45.500 taking, you know, cheap shots and losing guys 00:39:45.500 --> 00:39:49.730 for, you know, a game or two. at the most important 00:39:49.730 --> 00:39:52.570 time of the season. You know, let's stand up 00:39:52.570 --> 00:39:56.369 for ourselves. Don't overdo it. Physically, right. 00:39:56.570 --> 00:39:59.590 But let's be measured and let's do it within 00:39:59.590 --> 00:40:02.389 the rules and within the structure of the game. 00:40:02.429 --> 00:40:06.309 And if they do that, they'll be fine. Yeah, let's 00:40:06.309 --> 00:40:09.489 do it. Sounds good. So I guess we'll talk to 00:40:09.489 --> 00:40:13.210 you later next week when the Lightning will face 00:40:13.210 --> 00:40:17.469 their Western opponents. Yeah, the Western team. 00:40:17.590 --> 00:40:20.190 They got Seattle. And then they go to Vancouver 00:40:20.190 --> 00:40:23.769 and Edmonton. You know what's really crazy? I 00:40:23.769 --> 00:40:26.630 was looking at the schedule. They have a game 00:40:26.630 --> 00:40:30.269 in Edmonton now. I did not see the time on that 00:40:30.269 --> 00:40:32.849 game. But the very next day is a Sunday and they're 00:40:32.849 --> 00:40:35.670 home to Nashville. It's like, why would you make 00:40:35.670 --> 00:40:39.510 a team play in Edmonton, which is one of the 00:40:39.510 --> 00:40:43.369 worst places to get to? And it's far. i've heard 00:40:43.369 --> 00:40:45.969 horror stories about you know well we have to 00:40:45.969 --> 00:40:48.269 take 10 connecting flights to get to edmonton 00:40:48.269 --> 00:40:51.849 uh you know reporters when they uh panthers and 00:40:51.849 --> 00:40:53.510 oilers with the cup they're just complaining 00:40:53.510 --> 00:40:55.929 about it you know all the time takes forever 00:40:55.929 --> 00:40:58.869 to get there you know i i don't know why you 00:40:58.869 --> 00:41:05.829 would schedule a home game after a a west coast 00:41:05.829 --> 00:41:10.130 game it just doesn't make any sense but It is 00:41:10.130 --> 00:41:12.670 what it is. I'm going to get there. I'll see 00:41:12.670 --> 00:41:16.869 you later, alligator. Go Bolts. Thanks for listening 00:41:16.869 --> 00:41:18.809 to the Hockey on the Beach podcast.