Next question comes from Tim. That ties into the conversation we just had. When should Batman retire today? Who should replace him? And what will it take to change overall culture of NHL in regards to how it handles controversy, accountability, and for actions? So I think we kind of touched on that.

Yeah. The NHL is going to do what makes sense business wise, and you're never going to like that.

Do you see Gary retiring? I think that's.

You know what?

I may be at the end of his current deal.

I don't think so. I see. He seems like one of those guys that's gonna hang on with his nails, right? Like, he. I think that it would. I thought there was a time that I thought, okay, this. This Chicago blackhawks thing could spiral out of control for them.

No, he got a five year extension.

Yeah. So I think. I think what would it take for that to change, man? Like, different set of owners.

Yeah.

They're the ones that hired him. Like, I don't know. They pay them.

So your question, like, should he retire or when should he retire? That's an interesting question. That's a little easier to answer. I mean, he's 72. His deal expires. I think when he's 75, I want.

To say more years.

That's a reasonable time to expect someone to retire who should replace him. That's a really good question. Yeah, I think there's.

I have heard it's not going to be Bill Daley.

Yeah, I have also heard.

Yeah, I have heard it's not going to be Bill.

Well, it's just like Gary Bettman's. You know, it's like Robin takes over the Batcave.

Yeah, that's what I'm afraid of.

Yeah, I don't think that's gonna happen.

Okay, good.

No. Robin takes over the Batcave. If Batman was just responsible for evil, if Batman was the joker, like, there are plenty of hockey people who are forward thinking and interesting and would have good ideas. But then what was the third part of that?

Accountability and change. Like, when are we going to see that? Oof.

You sunk my battleship. You need 32 ownership groups who have for years thought Gary Bettman was doing a good job to hire someone not like him. And I think we might be screwed.

This is from Tom. How many goals and assists does McDavid put up in 82 games with a wood stick next season?

Good question.

Wow. You know what?

Very interesting thought exercise.

I mean, guys in the gretzky did 92 with a wooden stick. Brett did 76. Solani did 70 something. 73 with wooden sticks. Like, I don't think NHL players are finicky about their equipment, but I don't think it would make McDavid worse. What it's all about really is your ability to handle the puck and your ability to release. And I think he'll be, he grew up playing with wooden sticks. Like, it's not crazy.

It might be harder to take the puck off. Yeah.

Yeah. McDavid.

Absolutely.

Yeah. Yeah.

Carbon fiber sticks didn't really come in until the mid to late two thousands where they became everything. Only people use those. When I was in high school, having a carbon fiber stick meant you spent $300. That's what they came in.

You were born in 88, he was born in 97.

Right.

Still, he wasn't playing hockey when I was playing hockey. Yeah, he wouldn't have been.

So you think like 2005, he really knows what hockey is.

Okay.

You know, he's, he's seven.

There is a way to solve this.

Ask him.

We know someone who has a photo of seven year old Connor McDavid playing against seven year old Mitch Marner.

Oh.

And we simply look at the sticks they're using.

Okay.

There's a good idea. I think there's video footage of it out there too.

But like, I think when Connor McDavid is in his teens, like 13 and up, I don't think he's ever used a wooden stick to play. I think those are the formative years that matter.

So it's interesting. He wouldn't be able to stick handle as quickly. No, but it might make it harder to take the puck off him, like with a stick lift or a slash or stuff like that. But remember when Leon dreisied couldn't skate and led the playoffs in scoring anyway?

That's how good these guys are.

Yeah, you just, they find ways.

How would McDavid's game adapt to, oh, my stick isn't light as a feather anymore.

How many points did McDavid have in his down year last year?

He had a down year last year. No, last year. The year he scored 60 goals.

No, like this past season where it wasn't like David didn't go crazy. He had 132 points. That's his down year because the year before was 64 goals. 153. Year before that, 123 points. You know, it's actually the second highest total of his career. But he put up 32 goals, which is amongst the lowest of his career. So it's kind of down. Yep. That's like he brought 100 assists. Like third guy ever.

I think he's still going to do that. Like, I think he's like McDavid is going to take all training camp to adjust if he's doing it.

Yeah.

And then. And then maybe, you know. Cause the games are. Are better in the regular season, the preseason. What a surprise. Maybe it takes him ten games to figure it out, and then he's Conor McDonald.

I think Conor McDavid puts up more points than he did last year with a wooden stick. That he does this year. Cause he started off slow. He missed a couple of games.

That's right.

Forget the. The wooden stick. McDavid surgically repaired his knee. Without the surgically part.

Yeah, he rehabbed it.

He just fixed it. I think he still cracks 100.

I'd say 100 and 4140.

You think he's better?

Yeah, he's only getting better. I think he's.

I agree with you.

His trajectory going up 140 points.

Also the goals thing. Gretzky, the year he scored 92 was not the same year he set the points record for 215. I believe he only had 52 goals that year and just put up like 160 assists. Something stupid like that. So McDavid kind of had a year like that.

Yeah.

Or except less mutant.

He gets in that assist record territory where third guy ever put up 100 assists and. Yeah, not even as high as point total. Not very low goal total. He's. He's a mutant. Like, there's no doubt in my mind. He has a million biljillion points in leads league in scoring with nobody's close.

I hope. I hope with the final few years of Crosby's career, a, we're able to appreciate, like, what an all time great Cindy Crosby is. But then when we go through his accolades, we start side eyeing McDavid's and go, holy shit, he's catching up quick.

Yep.

He's. He's.

He.

Like, these two Mount Rushmore guys might be playing at the same time. We don't know.

Different conversation. But if you silo off Austin Matthews and just a greatest goal scorers conversation, he's ahead of Ovechkin. Like, when we start the conversation, like, how long does Matthews keep it up to where we're like, oh, he's one of the best all time. He's ahead of the current soon to be all time goal scoring. Yeah, I think that's that. I think that's going to be a fascinating one from this generation, too.

It's worth mentioning a few times a season if he's hot. And then I think you evaluate it when he's 30 and you go, he might do it, you know, or we laugh about no ov's just that cracked like ridiculous.

Even if Matthews doesn't have the longevity that OV has at his peak, he was better.

It's an interesting. I wonder how the era adjusted stats are going to look at that. OV still probably breaks that record because it's been harder to score for the majority because Matthews was scoring 40 plus in shortened seasons where goal scoring still was not up.

Yeah. The amount of games Matthews has missed because of like pandemic.

Oh, that too. But like, you look at the Ovi missed all those games as well.

Yeah, no, OV has that exact same thing.

And the lockup.

Two of them.

He missed the first full season of his career.

Yeah, no, that argument doesn't work for Matthews. Cause Ovi's missed so much more of it.

Ovi's missed like 150 healthy games. It's crazy.

His first full season, he should be.

The record should be in his rearview mirror already. It's nuts. Nuts. We could make the show 2 hours.

One more as questions from Jaws jaw underscore SX will the Devils win the metro?

And then he says yes.

What are your thoughts?

I'm more interested in Jesse's thoughts because Rangers are in there.

Yeah, I'd say it's Rangers, devils, kains. I guess that's a top three. That's what I'm going with right now.

They're going to be really good. I think they're going to make the playoffs. But you're asking, this isn't a conversation of who's better, like who's going to win a series. You're, you're asking if a team who didn't make the playoffs last year is going to pass the reigning president's trophy winners. And that's just not something I can reconcile. So, like, I think the devil's going to be extremely good. Win the Metro. No.

Interesting. I think, I certainly think it's possible. And the reason I say it's possible, the Devils, it's Columbus might win the cup. You're asking for a 40 point swing from the Devils. Right. They finished with 81 points. They were second last in the division last year. But we, we got to remember how great this team was just the year before. And we know injuries and bad goaltending can, can sink you. And it did. I look at the Devils and I go, I actually think this is a team that can, because you're going to get points back from a couple of, of teams here. The, I don't think the Flyers are going to be as good as they were. I think the Flyers skated on a bad, on a bad division and we're in the playoffs because it was a bad division. I don't think anybody's going to dispute that.

There may be biggest, biggest goaltending wild card in the league.

I think the, I think the Hurricanes have a few points to give. They finished just three points behind the, the Rangers and I think that those point I, there are people who are, who are Carolina fans and I appreciate you, but I'm going to say something you're not going to like. They're like oh man, we got Sean Walker and this and that for tight, tidy business like Carolina took a definitive step back. Doesn't mean that they're not going to make the playoffs, but they are not to me a contender for the winner of that division. If Carolina cracks 100 this year, that'll be a great season for them. And that's eleven points less. That's eleven points less. That's the difference of four wins, five wins.

That's, that's not crazy unreasonable drop. I'm gonna put their number at 103.

And if the Devils are more competitive against the Rangers, the Rangers will have points to give. So I think it's entirely possible. But I'm not going to be like, yes, it's definitely happening because Rangers are great.

See, you're doing the, oh, they get a few points from this team and this team and that's how I used to do it and now I just kind of go fuck it. Fourth, it doesn't matter.

Fourth anyway.