WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:01.899 Welcome back to another custom -tailored deep 00:00:01.899 --> 00:00:04.919 dive. We are really glad you could join us today. 00:00:05.059 --> 00:00:07.440 Absolutely. Our mission for this one is highly 00:00:07.440 --> 00:00:10.279 specific, and to be honest, it's a fascinating 00:00:10.279 --> 00:00:12.919 web to untangle. It really is. We're taking a 00:00:12.919 --> 00:00:16.219 massive Wikipedia article detailing the 2008 00:00:16.219 --> 00:00:20.160 -2009 National Hockey League season, and we're 00:00:20.160 --> 00:00:24.429 going to extract the most... surprising, pivotal 00:00:24.429 --> 00:00:27.190 and just, you know, important nuggets of knowledge 00:00:27.190 --> 00:00:29.210 from it. Yeah. There's a lot to dig through there. 00:00:29.250 --> 00:00:31.629 Right. So whether you are a dedicated hockey 00:00:31.629 --> 00:00:34.990 follower who remembers the era vividly or you 00:00:34.990 --> 00:00:37.009 just appreciate a compelling story about the 00:00:37.009 --> 00:00:39.509 underlying business of professional sports, this 00:00:39.509 --> 00:00:41.329 deep dive definitely have something for you. 00:00:41.390 --> 00:00:43.409 Definitely. We're looking at a year that serves 00:00:43.409 --> 00:00:45.710 as this massive transition point. Yeah. I mean, 00:00:45.710 --> 00:00:48.429 it's a story. Sweeping rule changes, mathematical 00:00:48.429 --> 00:00:52.030 anomalies, and a completely secret behind -the 00:00:52.030 --> 00:00:54.469 -scenes financial collapse. It's a remarkable 00:00:54.469 --> 00:00:57.490 snapshot of a sports league in the midst of evolution. 00:00:57.810 --> 00:01:00.670 Just to set the broader context for you before 00:01:00.670 --> 00:01:03.689 we get into the nitty -gritty, this was the 92nd 00:01:03.689 --> 00:01:07.530 season of operation for the NHL and the 91st 00:01:07.530 --> 00:01:10.670 season of actual play. But from a structural 00:01:10.670 --> 00:01:13.109 standpoint, there is a very important detail 00:01:13.109 --> 00:01:15.510 to note right off the bat. What's that? This 00:01:15.510 --> 00:01:18.590 specific campaign was the very first season since 00:01:18.590 --> 00:01:21.909 prior to the 2004 lockout, where every single 00:01:21.909 --> 00:01:24.489 team played each other at least once. Wait, so 00:01:24.489 --> 00:01:26.609 for the three years prior to this, you could 00:01:26.609 --> 00:01:29.209 go multiple seasons without seeing certain teams 00:01:29.209 --> 00:01:32.590 or, like, superstars come through your home arena? 00:01:32.829 --> 00:01:35.049 Precisely. Following the lockout, the league 00:01:35.049 --> 00:01:37.109 had implemented the schedule that was heavily 00:01:37.109 --> 00:01:39.890 weighted towards divisional and conference matchups. 00:01:40.049 --> 00:01:42.730 Oh, to save money on flights and hotels? Right, 00:01:42.790 --> 00:01:45.930 to reduce travel costs. and build localized rivalries, 00:01:46.090 --> 00:01:48.349 teams only played against two divisions in the 00:01:48.349 --> 00:01:51.209 opposing conference each year. But fans and players 00:01:51.209 --> 00:01:53.409 pushed back hard. They wanted to see all the 00:01:53.409 --> 00:01:56.650 stars. So this return to a pre -lockout schedule 00:01:56.650 --> 00:02:00.609 format restored a true league -wide interconnectedness. 00:02:00.689 --> 00:02:02.870 Every building saw every team. That makes a lot 00:02:02.870 --> 00:02:04.890 of sense, especially when you were trying to 00:02:04.890 --> 00:02:07.650 market a new generation of players to the entire 00:02:07.650 --> 00:02:09.789 continent. Okay, let's untack this a bit more. 00:02:09.969 --> 00:02:12.849 Let's start with the business of hockey. And 00:02:12.849 --> 00:02:15.150 the absolute chaos happening off the ice. The 00:02:15.150 --> 00:02:18.069 off -ice stuff is wild this year. Because the 00:02:18.069 --> 00:02:20.009 financial landscape of the league was shifting. 00:02:20.129 --> 00:02:22.969 And you have to remember, late 2008 was a turbulent 00:02:22.969 --> 00:02:26.030 time globally. The financial crisis. Right. But 00:02:26.030 --> 00:02:29.629 on paper, the NHL was actually growing. The salary 00:02:29.629 --> 00:02:31.729 cap increased for the fourth straight season. 00:02:31.830 --> 00:02:37.050 It went up by $6 .4 million to hit... 56 .7 million 00:02:37.050 --> 00:02:40.069 per team. With a salary floor of 40 .7 million. 00:02:40.330 --> 00:02:42.750 Meaning the absolute minimum a team was legally 00:02:42.750 --> 00:02:45.270 allowed to spend on player salaries was over 00:02:45.270 --> 00:02:48.289 40 million. Right. So the ceiling is rising across 00:02:48.289 --> 00:02:51.289 the league. But over in the desert, the Phoenix 00:02:51.289 --> 00:02:54.490 Coyotes were quietly sinking. Sinking is almost 00:02:54.490 --> 00:02:57.310 an understatement. The sheer scale of that financial 00:02:57.310 --> 00:02:59.990 collapse and the lengths the league went to in 00:02:59.990 --> 00:03:02.270 order to keep it under wraps, it's a masterclass 00:03:02.270 --> 00:03:04.810 in crisis management. Or crisis concealment. 00:03:05.199 --> 00:03:07.240 Yeah, perhaps crisis concealment is a better 00:03:07.240 --> 00:03:09.659 way to phrase it. The public narrative and the 00:03:09.659 --> 00:03:12.159 private reality were existing in two entirely 00:03:12.159 --> 00:03:14.759 different universes. Walk us through that because 00:03:14.759 --> 00:03:17.780 the timeline is fascinating. Okay, so during 00:03:17.780 --> 00:03:19.840 the annual Board of Governors meeting in December, 00:03:20.020 --> 00:03:22.419 the broader economy was obviously a major topic. 00:03:22.759 --> 00:03:25.020 Reports were circulating that the Coyotes were 00:03:25.020 --> 00:03:28.620 projected to lose up to $35 million on this season 00:03:28.620 --> 00:03:31.340 alone. $35 million in one year? In one year. 00:03:31.919 --> 00:03:34.400 And Commissioner Gary Bettman was directly asked 00:03:34.400 --> 00:03:37.219 about this massive projected loss by the media. 00:03:37.439 --> 00:03:40.419 His public response was, and I quote, they're 00:03:40.419 --> 00:03:43.219 going to get through the season just fine. Wait, 00:03:43.280 --> 00:03:46.620 Bettman is publicly saying they are fine in December? 00:03:47.020 --> 00:03:49.419 Yep. But logistically, how long did the league 00:03:49.419 --> 00:03:51.939 actually know the ship was sinking before that 00:03:51.939 --> 00:03:54.639 meeting? They had to know things were dire well 00:03:54.639 --> 00:03:56.699 before December. Oh, they knew intimately. In 00:03:56.699 --> 00:03:58.800 fact, the documents filed later with the Phoenix 00:03:58.800 --> 00:04:00.919 bankruptcy court revealed the true timeline. 00:04:01.159 --> 00:04:03.960 Which is what? The NHL had officially taken control 00:04:03.960 --> 00:04:07.219 of the Coyotes franchise on November 14th, 2008. 00:04:08.030 --> 00:04:10.530 Wow. Which is weeks before Bettman made that 00:04:10.530 --> 00:04:13.150 public statement of confidence. From the very 00:04:13.150 --> 00:04:15.150 start of the season, the league was fully aware 00:04:15.150 --> 00:04:17.610 of the profound financial crater the team was 00:04:17.610 --> 00:04:20.050 in. So they were essentially running a shell 00:04:20.050 --> 00:04:22.949 game for the press while holding the team together 00:04:22.949 --> 00:04:25.670 with duct tape behind closed doors. Pretty much. 00:04:25.870 --> 00:04:27.689 How much money are we talking about here? How 00:04:27.689 --> 00:04:30.329 deep was the hole? It was staggering. The team 00:04:30.329 --> 00:04:32.750 had pledged all of its assets to a New York company 00:04:32.750 --> 00:04:36.069 called SOF Investments LP. All of their assets? 00:04:36.410 --> 00:04:39.959 Everything. to cover an $80 million debt. And 00:04:39.959 --> 00:04:43.279 if you zoom out even further, since 2001, the 00:04:43.279 --> 00:04:47.980 franchise had lost an estimated That is just 00:04:47.980 --> 00:04:50.699 catastrophic for a sports franchise. Right. So 00:04:50.699 --> 00:04:52.779 to keep the lights on and the players paid during 00:04:52.779 --> 00:04:55.579 this specific season, the NHL had to secretly 00:04:55.579 --> 00:04:58.120 advance money to the club from league revenues. 00:04:58.180 --> 00:05:00.279 They were just funneling money in. Yeah, they 00:05:00.279 --> 00:05:04.120 even made a direct loan in February 2009. Over 00:05:04.120 --> 00:05:07.079 the course of the schedule, the NHL quietly pumped 00:05:07.079 --> 00:05:11.620 an estimated $44 .5 million into the franchise. 00:05:12.000 --> 00:05:14.740 That is wild. And the owner, Jerry Moyes, He 00:05:14.740 --> 00:05:16.660 eventually goes rogue, right? Yeah. He tries 00:05:16.660 --> 00:05:18.740 to blow up the NHL's quiet management of the 00:05:18.740 --> 00:05:21.860 situation? He did. Against the express wishes 00:05:21.860 --> 00:05:25.100 of the NHL, Moyes petitioned the club into bankruptcy. 00:05:25.519 --> 00:05:27.720 Why would he do that if the league was paying 00:05:27.720 --> 00:05:30.560 the bills? His strategy was to sell the team 00:05:30.560 --> 00:05:33.339 to Jim Balsillie. The BlackBerry guy. Exactly. 00:05:33.339 --> 00:05:36.639 The co -CEO of Research in Motion. While Silly's 00:05:36.639 --> 00:05:38.839 explicit intention was to buy the team out of 00:05:38.839 --> 00:05:41.199 bankruptcy, pack them up and move the franchise 00:05:41.199 --> 00:05:44.439 to Hamilton, Ontario. So you have the commissioner 00:05:44.439 --> 00:05:47.220 projecting total stability on television while 00:05:47.220 --> 00:05:49.300 behind the scenes the league is floating the 00:05:49.300 --> 00:05:52.079 team. tens of millions of dollars. They were 00:05:52.079 --> 00:05:55.800 also laying off 18 Coyotes employees and firing 00:05:55.800 --> 00:05:58.860 the CEO. All while fighting off an owner trying 00:05:58.860 --> 00:06:01.000 to force a relocation through bankruptcy court. 00:06:01.319 --> 00:06:03.680 It really seemed like the league was constantly 00:06:03.680 --> 00:06:06.339 fighting to maintain control off the ice. It 00:06:06.339 --> 00:06:08.220 was a very tense year in the corporate offices. 00:06:08.519 --> 00:06:10.819 And the Coyotes weren't the only headache. You 00:06:10.819 --> 00:06:13.240 had the Sean Avery situation in Dallas. Oh, the 00:06:13.240 --> 00:06:16.600 Avery suspension. Yeah. In December, Avery was 00:06:16.600 --> 00:06:19.269 suspended for six games by the league. for making 00:06:19.269 --> 00:06:21.810 what were termed off -color remarks to the media 00:06:21.810 --> 00:06:24.589 before a game against Calgary. Which became a 00:06:24.589 --> 00:06:28.449 massive media circus. Huge. And the Dallas Stars 00:06:28.449 --> 00:06:30.750 management was so fed up with the distraction 00:06:30.750 --> 00:06:33.870 that they just announced he would not be returning 00:06:33.870 --> 00:06:36.410 to their roster at all. Which created a very 00:06:36.410 --> 00:06:39.370 interesting logistical and financial puzzle. 00:06:39.569 --> 00:06:41.790 Right, because of how contracts work. Exactly. 00:06:42.110 --> 00:06:44.550 Avery was suspended, reported to the miners, 00:06:44.769 --> 00:06:46.949 and then Dallas placed him on reentry waivers. 00:06:47.050 --> 00:06:49.310 For those trying to remember the business rules 00:06:49.310 --> 00:06:52.509 of that specific era, because things have changed, 00:06:52.910 --> 00:06:55.910 reentry waivers were a huge tactical mechanism 00:06:55.910 --> 00:06:58.379 that doesn't exist anymore. That's a great point 00:06:58.379 --> 00:07:02.079 to clarify. In 2008, if a team called a player 00:07:02.079 --> 00:07:04.600 up from the minors on reentry waivers and another 00:07:04.600 --> 00:07:07.459 team claimed him, the claiming team was only 00:07:07.459 --> 00:07:10.060 responsible for paying half of his salary. Wow. 00:07:10.300 --> 00:07:12.519 The original team was on the hook for the other 00:07:12.519 --> 00:07:14.839 half. Oh, I see where this is going. Right. So 00:07:14.839 --> 00:07:17.620 when Dallas put Avery on reentry waivers, his 00:07:17.620 --> 00:07:20.120 former team, the New York Rangers, immediately 00:07:20.120 --> 00:07:22.439 claimed him. Because they knew him. Yeah. They 00:07:22.439 --> 00:07:24.100 got a player they knew fit their system well, 00:07:24.220 --> 00:07:26.379 and Dallas had to foot half the bill for him 00:07:26.379 --> 00:07:28.959 to play in New York. A brilliant piece of roster 00:07:28.959 --> 00:07:31.759 management by the Rangers, really capitalizing 00:07:31.759 --> 00:07:34.879 on Dallas's desperation to just distance themselves 00:07:34.879 --> 00:07:38.600 from the PR nightmare. Very savvy. So the front 00:07:38.600 --> 00:07:41.360 offices are dealing with bankruptcies and waiver 00:07:41.360 --> 00:07:44.379 wire mechanics. But ironically, the lead was 00:07:44.379 --> 00:07:47.319 doing the exact same thing on the ice. They were 00:07:47.319 --> 00:07:50.060 aggressively rewriting the rulebook to control 00:07:50.060 --> 00:07:52.689 the flow of the game itself. They introduced 00:07:52.689 --> 00:07:55.769 some very specific fundamental changes for this 00:07:55.769 --> 00:07:58.350 season. The overriding philosophy behind the 00:07:58.350 --> 00:08:00.610 changes was a dual focus. What were they aiming 00:08:00.610 --> 00:08:03.290 for? Stimulating offensive production and increasing 00:08:03.290 --> 00:08:05.610 player safety. Okay, let's start with the offense. 00:08:06.009 --> 00:08:08.610 A prime example was the adjustment to face -off 00:08:08.610 --> 00:08:11.569 rules. They mandated that the first face -off 00:08:11.569 --> 00:08:13.769 of any power play would permanently take place 00:08:13.769 --> 00:08:16.009 in the defending zone of the team that committed 00:08:16.009 --> 00:08:18.790 the penalty. Which immediately forces the penalized 00:08:18.790 --> 00:08:21.310 team onto their heels. Exactly. Because previously... 00:08:21.319 --> 00:08:23.139 depending on where the puck was when the whistle 00:08:23.139 --> 00:08:25.680 blew, you might get a neutral zone draw. Right, 00:08:25.740 --> 00:08:28.519 which is much easier to defend. Yeah, it allows 00:08:28.519 --> 00:08:31.560 the penalty killers to easily win the puck, dump 00:08:31.560 --> 00:08:34.360 it down the ice, and kill 15 seconds right off 00:08:34.360 --> 00:08:37.740 the bat. This new change guarantees the attacking 00:08:37.740 --> 00:08:40.120 team starts with instant territorial advantage. 00:08:40.600 --> 00:08:43.120 It maximizes the value of drawing a penalty. 00:08:43.500 --> 00:08:45.559 And what about the safety front? On the safety 00:08:45.559 --> 00:08:48.750 front, they targeted the icing rules. The high 00:08:48.750 --> 00:08:51.409 -speed races to the end boards to touch the puck 00:08:51.409 --> 00:08:54.730 on an icing call were resulting in horrific injuries. 00:08:55.070 --> 00:08:57.129 Guys crashing into the boards at full speed. 00:08:57.629 --> 00:09:00.289 Precisely. So the new rule dictated that any 00:09:00.289 --> 00:09:03.490 physical contact between opposing players pursuing 00:09:03.490 --> 00:09:06.509 the par on a potential icing had to be strictly 00:09:06.509 --> 00:09:09.070 for the purpose of playing the puck. So you couldn't 00:09:09.070 --> 00:09:11.909 just throw a massive hit. No. If a referee determined 00:09:11.909 --> 00:09:14.029 a player was merely trying to eliminate their 00:09:14.029 --> 00:09:16.149 opponent with unnecessary or dangerous contact, 00:09:16.309 --> 00:09:18.409 they would be penalized. That makes a lot of 00:09:18.409 --> 00:09:20.549 sense for preserving careers. But they also added 00:09:20.549 --> 00:09:22.830 a fascinating operational rule regarding icing, 00:09:22.950 --> 00:09:25.929 right? Yes. They banned TV commercials, game 00:09:25.929 --> 00:09:28.029 breaks, and line changes immediately following 00:09:28.029 --> 00:09:30.570 an icing call. Which fundamentally shifts the 00:09:30.570 --> 00:09:33.610 coaching strategy. Entirely. If your team is 00:09:33.610 --> 00:09:35.990 exhausted and trapped in their own zone, you 00:09:35.990 --> 00:09:38.549 can no longer just ice the puck to get a television 00:09:38.549 --> 00:09:41.350 timeout and a breather. You are forced to stay 00:09:41.350 --> 00:09:44.309 on the ice, completely gassed against a fresh 00:09:44.309 --> 00:09:47.929 offensive line. It directly leads to more scoring 00:09:47.929 --> 00:09:51.289 chances and a faster pace of play. It is so interesting 00:09:51.289 --> 00:09:53.990 how a tiny tweak to the commercial break schedule 00:09:53.990 --> 00:09:56.509 can actually impact the numbers on the scoreboard. 00:09:56.629 --> 00:09:59.309 Everything is connected. But amidst all these 00:09:59.309 --> 00:10:01.669 rules designed to structure the game, We get 00:10:01.669 --> 00:10:03.909 to the mathematical anomalies. The weird stuff. 00:10:04.149 --> 00:10:06.129 Yeah, because hockey players are built for an 00:10:06.129 --> 00:10:09.490 82 -game grind. It's a grueling physical marathon. 00:10:10.590 --> 00:10:13.230 But a defenseman named Jordan Leopold somehow 00:10:13.230 --> 00:10:15.389 found a loophole in the space -time continuum 00:10:15.389 --> 00:10:19.009 of the NHL schedule and played 83 games. It's 00:10:19.009 --> 00:10:21.450 one of those wonderful statistical quirks born 00:10:21.450 --> 00:10:23.350 out of the trade system. How does the math even 00:10:23.350 --> 00:10:25.730 work on that? Well, Leopold started his season 00:10:25.730 --> 00:10:28.309 playing for the Colorado Avalanche. He dressed 00:10:28.309 --> 00:10:32.049 for and played in all 64 of their games up to 00:10:32.049 --> 00:10:34.669 the trade deadline. Okay, 64 games. He was then 00:10:34.669 --> 00:10:37.710 traded to the Calgary Flames. Now, because the 00:10:37.710 --> 00:10:40.929 schedules of the 30 different teams don't align 00:10:40.929 --> 00:10:44.110 perfectly day by day. Right, some teams play 00:10:44.110 --> 00:10:45.990 more games early in the week, some play later. 00:10:46.169 --> 00:10:49.120 Exactly. When Leopold arrived in Calgary, the 00:10:49.120 --> 00:10:52.320 Flames still had 19 games remaining on their 00:10:52.320 --> 00:10:54.779 schedule. And he suited up for every single one 00:10:54.779 --> 00:10:58.440 of them. He did. 64 games in Colorado plus 19 00:10:58.440 --> 00:11:02.759 games in Calgary equals an 83 -game regular season. 00:11:03.000 --> 00:11:05.480 That sounds exhausting. He was the only player 00:11:05.480 --> 00:11:07.379 in the league to achieve that feat that year. 00:11:08.159 --> 00:11:10.820 I imagine playing an extra game in a sport that 00:11:10.820 --> 00:11:13.700 physically demanding is no small thing. Not at 00:11:13.700 --> 00:11:16.299 all. It demonstrates how individuals moving within 00:11:16.299 --> 00:11:18.980 massive corporate structures can experience these 00:11:18.980 --> 00:11:22.399 bizarre localized outcomes. And there's a touch 00:11:22.399 --> 00:11:24.580 of irony to it, considering Leopold had struggled 00:11:24.580 --> 00:11:26.600 significantly with injuries in previous years. 00:11:26.740 --> 00:11:29.320 So the guy who usually misses games ends up playing 00:11:29.320 --> 00:11:31.559 more than anyone else. This was the season he 00:11:31.559 --> 00:11:34.500 achieved greater than perfect attendance. I love 00:11:34.500 --> 00:11:37.440 that. It's the ultimate trivia fact. Speaking 00:11:37.440 --> 00:11:39.799 of things that logically shouldn't happen, we 00:11:39.799 --> 00:11:42.659 have to talk about Chris Campoli of the New York 00:11:42.659 --> 00:11:45.940 Islanders. The double overtime goal. Yes. November 00:11:45.940 --> 00:11:50.139 3rd, 2008. The Islanders are playing the Columbus 00:11:50.139 --> 00:11:52.820 Blue Jackets. The game goes into sudden death 00:11:52.820 --> 00:11:56.340 overtime. The rule is incredibly simple. First 00:11:56.340 --> 00:12:00.000 goal wins. Game over. Right. Yet Campoli scores 00:12:00.000 --> 00:12:03.009 twice in the same overtime period. It sounds 00:12:03.009 --> 00:12:04.909 like a glitch in the matrix, but it was purely 00:12:04.909 --> 00:12:07.110 a mechanical failure on the ice. What happened? 00:12:07.289 --> 00:12:10.210 Campoli took a shot that was so hard, it physically 00:12:10.210 --> 00:12:12.730 broke through the netting of the goal. It went 00:12:12.730 --> 00:12:15.370 in and went right out the back. Oh, wow. Campoli 00:12:15.370 --> 00:12:17.169 knew it went in and started to celebrate. The 00:12:17.169 --> 00:12:19.649 problem was the referees completely missed it. 00:12:19.710 --> 00:12:21.529 They didn't see it pierce the net. No, they didn't 00:12:21.529 --> 00:12:23.769 see it. So no whistle. The play just keeps going. 00:12:23.970 --> 00:12:26.669 The game is still live. Still live. And to Campoli's 00:12:26.669 --> 00:12:29.389 immense credit, when he realized the referees 00:12:29.389 --> 00:12:31.610 hadn't stopped the play, he stopped celebrating. 00:12:31.850 --> 00:12:34.590 re -engaged in the play, immediately received 00:12:34.590 --> 00:12:37.629 another pass in the slot, and shot the puck into 00:12:37.629 --> 00:12:39.889 the net again. That is amazing. The second shot 00:12:39.889 --> 00:12:42.570 stayed in the net, the referee saw it, and the 00:12:42.570 --> 00:12:45.289 game officially ended. Just incredible presence 00:12:45.289 --> 00:12:47.970 of mind to not stand there and argue with the 00:12:47.970 --> 00:12:50.669 ref, but just score again to prove the point. 00:12:50.870 --> 00:12:53.870 It's a very unique kind of focus. The league 00:12:53.870 --> 00:12:56.070 had plenty of unpredictable moments that year, 00:12:56.190 --> 00:12:58.350 especially with their efforts to expand their 00:12:58.350 --> 00:13:00.649 international footprint. The European trip. Yeah, 00:13:00.690 --> 00:13:02.409 they actually opened the regular season over 00:13:02.409 --> 00:13:05.490 in Europe. The Ottawa Senators and Pittsburgh 00:13:05.490 --> 00:13:08.309 Penguins played a two -game set in Stockholm, 00:13:08.490 --> 00:13:11.409 Sweden. Meanwhile, the New York Rangers and Tampa 00:13:11.409 --> 00:13:13.929 Bay Lightning played two games in Prague. The 00:13:13.929 --> 00:13:16.750 first goal of the entire NHL season was actually 00:13:16.750 --> 00:13:19.490 scored in the Czech Republic by Markus Naslund 00:13:19.490 --> 00:13:21.970 of the Rangers. And while those European trips 00:13:21.970 --> 00:13:24.330 are great for global marketing, if you look at 00:13:24.330 --> 00:13:26.250 the domestic results for those four specific 00:13:26.250 --> 00:13:29.220 franchises... a rather stark pattern emerges. 00:13:29.500 --> 00:13:31.980 What's the pattern? By February 23rd of that 00:13:31.980 --> 00:13:35.360 season, all four of those teams, Ottawa, Pittsburgh, 00:13:35.700 --> 00:13:38.659 the Rangers, and Tampa Bay, had fired their head 00:13:38.659 --> 00:13:41.320 coaches. Wow. You have to wonder if that is a 00:13:41.320 --> 00:13:44.100 coincidence or a genuine European curse. It's 00:13:44.100 --> 00:13:46.960 a fair question. Does ripping a team out of their 00:13:46.960 --> 00:13:49.379 normal training camp rhythm, flying them across 00:13:49.379 --> 00:13:51.659 multiple time zones, and then bringing them back 00:13:51.659 --> 00:13:54.919 to start the domestic schedule? disrupt the locker 00:13:54.919 --> 00:13:57.360 room that much. It certainly adds a layer of 00:13:57.360 --> 00:14:00.220 immense pressure. In a salary cap era, if a team 00:14:00.220 --> 00:14:02.799 stumbles out of the gate, management panics quickly. 00:14:03.059 --> 00:14:05.360 So who got the axe? Craig Hartsburg in Ottawa, 00:14:05.700 --> 00:14:08.539 Michelle Therrien in Pittsburgh, Tom Rennie in 00:14:08.539 --> 00:14:10.960 New York, and Barry Melrose in Tampa Bay were 00:14:10.960 --> 00:14:13.960 all casualties. The Melrose situation in Tampa 00:14:13.960 --> 00:14:16.830 was particularly explosive, wasn't it? It really 00:14:16.830 --> 00:14:19.389 was. Melrose was returning behind the bench after 00:14:19.389 --> 00:14:22.429 a massive hiatus. From television. Yes. When 00:14:22.429 --> 00:14:24.490 he got a victory early in that season, it was 00:14:24.490 --> 00:14:27.070 his first win as an NHL head coach in over 13 00:14:27.070 --> 00:14:30.340 years. Over a decade. But the honeymoon was incredibly 00:14:30.340 --> 00:14:33.000 short. He was fired by the Lightning after coaching 00:14:33.000 --> 00:14:37.120 just 16 games. 16 games. 16 games. He posted 00:14:37.120 --> 00:14:40.519 a 5 -7 -4 record. Rick Tachet was brought in 00:14:40.519 --> 00:14:42.639 as the interim coach. And Melrose didn't just 00:14:42.639 --> 00:14:45.639 quietly fade away, right? Not at all. Melrose 00:14:45.639 --> 00:14:48.460 immediately pivoted, went right back to his broadcasting 00:14:48.460 --> 00:14:52.019 career at ESPN, and sparked a highly public war 00:14:52.019 --> 00:14:54.960 of words. What did he say? He went on a Toronto 00:14:54.960 --> 00:14:57.840 radio station and openly accused the Lightning 00:14:57.840 --> 00:15:00.379 manager. of constant interference in his coaching 00:15:00.379 --> 00:15:03.320 duties. It just proves that the drama off the 00:15:03.320 --> 00:15:06.419 ice is often as intense as the checking on it. 00:15:06.440 --> 00:15:09.159 Undoubtedly. But to the league's credit, they 00:15:09.159 --> 00:15:12.299 also pulled off some phenomenal successes that 00:15:12.299 --> 00:15:15.320 year. The Winter Classic had been a massive hit 00:15:15.320 --> 00:15:17.120 the previous season, so they brought it back 00:15:17.120 --> 00:15:20.700 for New Year's Day 2009. They initially looked 00:15:20.700 --> 00:15:23.000 at Yankee Stadium for the Rangers, but the old 00:15:23.000 --> 00:15:25.100 stadium had winter weatherization issues. The 00:15:25.100 --> 00:15:27.600 pipes couldn't handle it. Right. They also looked 00:15:27.600 --> 00:15:30.639 at Beaver Stadium at Penn State, but they ultimately 00:15:30.639 --> 00:15:33.879 landed in Chicago at Wrigley Field. Which provided 00:15:33.879 --> 00:15:37.059 just a stunning visual backdrop. The defending 00:15:37.059 --> 00:15:39.860 Stanley Cup champion Detroit Red Wings play the 00:15:39.860 --> 00:15:42.139 Chicago Blackhawks. It's worth noting that Soldier 00:15:42.139 --> 00:15:45.100 Field, home of the NFL's Bears, had been an early 00:15:45.100 --> 00:15:47.279 candidate in Chicago. Oh, really? Why didn't 00:15:47.279 --> 00:15:49.490 they play there? Well, the Bears objected because 00:15:49.490 --> 00:15:52.049 they believed they might be hosting an NFL playoff 00:15:52.049 --> 00:15:54.210 game that same weekend. And how did that work 00:15:54.210 --> 00:15:56.970 out for them? In a rather cruel twist of sports 00:15:56.970 --> 00:15:59.750 irony, the Bears were eliminated from playoff 00:15:59.750 --> 00:16:02.129 contention in the final week of their season. 00:16:02.330 --> 00:16:05.629 Ouch. So Wrigley Field hosted the game, and it 00:16:05.629 --> 00:16:08.070 was an offensive showcase, with the Red Wings 00:16:08.070 --> 00:16:11.110 winning 6 -4. And later that month, they hosted 00:16:11.110 --> 00:16:14.009 the 57th All -Star Game at the Bell Center in 00:16:14.009 --> 00:16:16.590 Montreal, specifically timed to celebrate the 00:16:16.590 --> 00:16:19.440 Canadiens' win. 100th season. The league was 00:16:19.440 --> 00:16:22.519 really leaning into its rich history. While simultaneously 00:16:22.519 --> 00:16:25.460 watching a new generation of players completely 00:16:25.460 --> 00:16:28.500 tear up the record books. The individual performances 00:16:28.500 --> 00:16:31.639 were staggering. Like Mike Green, the defenseman 00:16:31.639 --> 00:16:34.139 for the Washington Capitals. He scored a goal 00:16:34.139 --> 00:16:36.460 in eight consecutive games, setting a brand new 00:16:36.460 --> 00:16:38.840 record for a blue liner. And Henrik Lundqvist 00:16:38.840 --> 00:16:41.220 of the Rangers became the first goalie to win 00:16:41.220 --> 00:16:43.940 30 games in each of his first four seasons. We 00:16:43.940 --> 00:16:46.679 also saw major career milestones at both ends 00:16:46.679 --> 00:16:49.590 of the success spectrum. goaltenders. Yes, Martin 00:16:49.590 --> 00:16:51.570 Berdora, returning from a significant injury, 00:16:51.789 --> 00:16:56.169 won his 552nd career game. Passing the legendary 00:16:56.169 --> 00:16:58.789 Patrick Roy for the most wins by a goaltender 00:16:58.789 --> 00:17:02.070 in NHL history. Conversely, Curtis Joseph, playing 00:17:02.070 --> 00:17:05.230 for the Toronto Maple Leafs, lost his 352nd game, 00:17:05.410 --> 00:17:07.890 tying him with Gump Worsley for the most career 00:17:07.890 --> 00:17:10.529 losses by a goaltender. Which, honestly, even 00:17:10.529 --> 00:17:13.170 losing that many games is a testament to longevity. 00:17:13.920 --> 00:17:16.420 You have to be incredibly good for a very long 00:17:16.420 --> 00:17:18.660 time to even be allowed to play enough games 00:17:18.660 --> 00:17:21.880 to lose 352 of them. Very true. But what's fascinating 00:17:21.880 --> 00:17:24.960 about those specific names, Brodeur, Joseph, 00:17:25.259 --> 00:17:28.279 Roy, is that it highlights the broader narrative 00:17:28.279 --> 00:17:31.680 of the 2008 -2009 season. It really does. It 00:17:31.680 --> 00:17:33.740 felt like a massive turning point for the personnel 00:17:33.740 --> 00:17:35.859 of the league. If we connect this to the bigger 00:17:35.859 --> 00:17:38.880 picture, this season is perhaps the most definitive 00:17:38.880 --> 00:17:41.539 passing of the torch year in modern hockey history. 00:17:41.819 --> 00:17:44.299 How so? Just look at the roster of players who 00:17:44.299 --> 00:17:46.619 skated in their final NHL games that season. 00:17:51.039 --> 00:17:59.920 Wow. Those are Hall of Fame legends. These men 00:17:59.920 --> 00:18:02.779 were the absolute pillars of the league throughout 00:18:02.779 --> 00:18:06.000 the 1990s and early 2000s. They defined an entire 00:18:06.000 --> 00:18:08.880 era of the sport. And as they exit stage left, 00:18:09.059 --> 00:18:12.569 look who's arriving. Stephen Stamkos is drafted 00:18:12.569 --> 00:18:15.630 first overall and makes his debut. Drew Doty 00:18:15.630 --> 00:18:18.269 and Alex Pietrangelo play their first games. 00:18:18.490 --> 00:18:21.210 Steve Mason debuts and wins the Calder Trophy 00:18:21.210 --> 00:18:24.019 as the top rookie. And the players who were already 00:18:24.019 --> 00:18:26.400 established from that new generation fully took 00:18:26.400 --> 00:18:28.859 over the league's hardware. Right. Alex Ovechkin 00:18:28.859 --> 00:18:31.140 won the Hart Memorial Trophy as the league MVP 00:18:31.140 --> 00:18:35.140 with 56 goals. Evgeny Malkin won the Art Ross 00:18:35.140 --> 00:18:38.380 Trophy as the scoring champion with 113 points. 00:18:38.660 --> 00:18:40.500 You are literally watching the league transition 00:18:40.500 --> 00:18:43.319 away from the heavy clutch and grab style of 00:18:43.319 --> 00:18:45.680 the late 90s veterans. And moving into a league 00:18:45.680 --> 00:18:47.960 marketed almost entirely on the speed, skill, 00:18:48.059 --> 00:18:50.740 and dynamic rivalry of this new Crosby and Ovechkin 00:18:50.740 --> 00:18:53.069 -led generation. this perfectly to the climax 00:18:53.069 --> 00:18:55.210 of the season. The playoffs. The playoffs that 00:18:55.210 --> 00:18:58.069 year were incredible. The league was using a 00:18:58.069 --> 00:19:00.730 receding bracket system at the time, meaning 00:19:00.730 --> 00:19:03.910 the highest remaining seed always played the 00:19:03.910 --> 00:19:06.410 lowest remaining seed in each round. A format 00:19:06.410 --> 00:19:08.950 they've since moved away from. Right. And the 00:19:08.950 --> 00:19:10.849 narrative weight of the Stanley Cup final that 00:19:10.849 --> 00:19:13.789 year was off the charts. We got a rematch. The 00:19:13.789 --> 00:19:16.470 Pittsburgh Penguins against the defending champion 00:19:16.470 --> 00:19:20.170 Detroit Red Wings. That rematch dynamic is crucial. 00:19:20.470 --> 00:19:25.390 The year prior, In 2008, the veteran Highly structured 00:19:25.390 --> 00:19:28.089 Red Wings had essentially schooled the young 00:19:28.089 --> 00:19:31.009 Penguins in the finals. It was a brutal lesson 00:19:31.009 --> 00:19:33.910 in championship pedigree for Pittsburgh. So in 00:19:33.910 --> 00:19:36.549 2009, the central question was whether Pittsburgh 00:19:36.549 --> 00:19:39.150 had learned from that heartbreak. Exactly. The 00:19:39.150 --> 00:19:41.349 fact that the Penguins, representing that new 00:19:41.349 --> 00:19:44.289 wave of young superstars, managed to come back 00:19:44.289 --> 00:19:46.930 and defeat the dynastic Red Wings, it felt like 00:19:46.930 --> 00:19:49.769 the official coronation of the new era. And the 00:19:49.769 --> 00:19:51.869 individual honors from that series cemented it. 00:19:52.119 --> 00:19:55.279 Sidney Crosby lifts the cup, becoming the youngest 00:19:55.279 --> 00:19:57.539 captain in the history of the NHL to do so. A 00:19:57.539 --> 00:19:59.779 record that speaks to his leadership at such 00:19:59.779 --> 00:20:02.660 a young age. And Evgeny Malkin, who had already 00:20:02.660 --> 00:20:05.099 dominated the regular season, becomes the first 00:20:05.099 --> 00:20:07.359 Russian player ever to win the consmith trophy 00:20:07.359 --> 00:20:09.640 as the most valuable player of the playoffs. 00:20:09.960 --> 00:20:12.480 It was a definitive statement. The league belonged 00:20:12.480 --> 00:20:15.200 to them now. The old guard had officially passed 00:20:15.200 --> 00:20:18.380 the baton. So as we wrap this up, what does all 00:20:18.380 --> 00:20:20.400 of this actually mean for you, the listener? 00:20:20.619 --> 00:20:23.400 It's a great question. It shows how a single 00:20:23.400 --> 00:20:26.539 year in a professional sports league is so much 00:20:26.539 --> 00:20:29.579 more than just a printed schedule of games. It 00:20:29.579 --> 00:20:32.480 is a complex ecosystem. Very complex. It's an 00:20:32.480 --> 00:20:36.460 82 game grind or 83 if you're a Jordan Leopold 00:20:36.460 --> 00:20:40.319 that tests the absolute limits of human endurance. 00:20:40.920 --> 00:20:42.839 It is a business that has to navigate global 00:20:42.839 --> 00:20:45.619 economic downturns, sometimes resorting to secret 00:20:45.619 --> 00:20:47.859 loans and boardroom battles just to keep the 00:20:47.859 --> 00:20:50.220 ice frozen. And it's a living, breathing history 00:20:50.220 --> 00:20:52.500 where you can literally watch one generation 00:20:52.500 --> 00:20:54.819 of legends hand the game over to the next. We 00:20:54.819 --> 00:20:58.220 have pulled a ton of value out of this 2008 -2009 00:20:58.220 --> 00:21:00.440 season today. Taking you from the hidden bankruptcy 00:21:00.440 --> 00:21:03.220 courts of Phoenix to the double overtime heroics 00:21:03.220 --> 00:21:05.859 on the ice. And before we sign off, this raises 00:21:05.859 --> 00:21:07.940 an important question to think about. Let's hear 00:21:07.940 --> 00:21:10.519 it. Consider the coyote situation we discussed. 00:21:22.659 --> 00:21:41.460 Right. Right. That is definitely. something to 00:21:41.460 --> 00:21:43.460 chew on, a little peek behind the corporate curtain 00:21:43.460 --> 00:21:45.759 to close things out. It makes you look at every 00:21:45.759 --> 00:21:47.539 press conference a little differently. It really 00:21:47.539 --> 00:21:50.039 does. Thank you so much for joining us on this 00:21:50.039 --> 00:21:52.279 custom deep dive. Keep asking those questions. 00:21:52.339 --> 00:21:54.579 Keep digging deeper into the stories behind the 00:21:54.579 --> 00:21:57.259 stats, and we will catch you on the next one.