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Chris, I'm a little bit worried about your father. He's been coughing a lot. Zaslo is roaming around the premises here. He's. He would never admit that, that being face to face with Zaslow would be a thing. Cause he's a longtime newspaper guy. And radio, you know, Zaslo's just a radio foof. But Zaslo's here, and he's not happy. And your father has already begun his coughing. And so I told him, do you want to switch seats with Zaslo where you have a cough button? He's like, no, I've got it under control. And I'm like, really, Greg? You've never had this under control? And he's like, well, I can't guarantee anything. And I'm like, I'm really worried about this cough in the first segment because this is an important show we're doing. There haven't been a lot of shows like this in our history, and your father has already begun coughing. What do I do about this?

Well, the great ones, they tell their body, not today. And so rest assured, I have the control over my own body. I will not cough today.

You've passed out twice trying to prevent coughing. Once at Jai lie, you've passed out trying to stop coughing.

That's true.

He's. Honestly, he's a guy, though. He's staying who he is in the most critical times. Like, if he came in here today and wasn't coughing, that would be alarming. Like, he's a cougher. He's coughing today. What do you want from him?

Yeah, that's a point.

Okay.

All right.

All right. Let him be who he is.

Just like we need Bob to be just like who he is.

This is the Dan Levator show with the Stugats podcast.

Today's episode is sponsored by DraftKings. Stay tuned because you'll hear more about Draftkings and all it has to offer throughout throughout the show. Draftkings. The crown is yours.

My friends hate me.

This is the fake pre game show.

Our Panther group chat. We're confident against the lighting with Dan Labatar.

The better the fear, the better the fulfillment. After you conquer the fear.

Jonathan Zazzlos.

I'm telling you, if the Panthers don't win this series, I'll never forgive Greg Cody. It's a million times worse than the trade Marino article. I will never forgive him.

And the shitstar himself. Greg Cody.

Look. Overrated.

Big pre game show. For weeks, I wondered aloud what Kevin Stendlund did. And then about three weeks ago, it hit me. He gives him one of these and he gives him one of those. I'll give him one of these and.

I'll give him one of those. Here comes Krebs down the right side. He's got Strassman's with him.

Kreps fires a shot. Rebound.

The score. Pour some sugar on me.

World rar three.

We're gonna get that off the world rar three. Colon. Our group chat has a pretty good feeling about this one. Stukatz is at a dead show.

Is there any chance that Greg Cody.

Might be a little bit right about what he wrote about Conor McDavid?

No.

Zero.

That is actually funny. That's a headline, driver.

I don't know how anybody could call Conor McDavid overrated.

Conor McDavid is the real deal. Anybody who says any different has never played against him. And no offense to a cote who's never played against Conor McDavid, he probably.

Plays, what, seven, eight minutes a game?

Seven, eight.

What?

Oh, crap.

I mean, how many minutes does Conor go?

I think at some point, I don't.

Have to say anything.

All right.

I'm like, yeah.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

I believe.

I believe you.

I believe you.

Some people are saying here there should be an option to decline a penalty.

And a power play. It's the biggest game in Florida Panthers history.

Scared shitless.

Let's go home, baby.

I care more about Matthew Kachuk than I do my daughter. Fake pregame show look.

Overrated. This guy comes in as the next Wayne Gretzky. His nicknames include the Chosen one and McGesus.

And this is coming from a guy that's watched Connor play six times, right?

If that.

Puck drop is 11 hours away. But the fake pregame show starts now.

I am unusually fired up for a number of different reasons. We've got mustachioed, coughing, Greg Cody in here, face to face with Zazzlo, two legitimate South Florida media legends. The original gangster. Greg. Greg, I'm worried about you. I'm worried about you. Do not stifle those coughs. Let them go. Just let them fly.

All right, don't make me laugh. Then quit referring to me as mustachioed.

Your mustache looks ridiculous. You've been growing it for ten days. Zaslo is legitimately enraged with you, and we've brought him in to pacify that baby. Mike Ryan. I come in here today and he's like, you should be thanking me. Thanking me for protecting your ass to pacify this baby. Mike Ryan, who wants to talk with a real Florida Panthers fan, deep in the weeds on all the important hockey things that need to be discussed today. And Zaslo is legitimately disgusted with you.

Sure. Yeah. He's trying to stare me down.

No, he's not trying to stare you down. He is successfully staring you down. We will get to him in a second because he is fired up. So I love that I'm here with two old friends and that we've got this tension in the room to play with. But the thing I'm more excited about is that the next few days have a chance to create generational sports fandom in this town for a sport not unlike it happened in Tampa. Because everyone can fall in love with this team the very best way, because it beats the best at its best in the biggest moment. It's a giant hockey time in this town, and I can think. I can count on one hand the number of teams that I have truly loved in this market. Truly loved. And there is only one of them among that group that didn't win the championship. It was the 96 Panthers, a team not as good as this one, that taught me and my father about hockey. My father was weeping in the stands, getting swept in the final, and he thought the puck was made of metal because this sport is the best this time of year.

That team was not as good as this one. But what that team taught me, what that team taught me in going through the Boston Bruins and Eric Lindras and two McDavids, Jagger and Lemieux, is that the best team wins this time of year? Not a team with one player. Not a team with one guy whos better than everyone else. But this guy is so good that he can take you down and he can make you a laughingstock from up 30 because he's that good. And I am scared shitless. But I also believe in this team. I believe in its ability to be better in the third period than other teams. So let's get to the tension of the day. Zaslo against Greg Cody. Because, Greg, I can see you squirming around. I don't blame you. Zaslo, the floor is yours. Tell the people why it is that you're so mad at Greg Cody.

All right. Hey, guys. Sorry.

That was a hell of a stare down. You would have won the stare down olympics on the Greg Cody show featuring Greg Cody.

I blacked out for a couple minutes.

Doesn't a stare down require two people looking at each other?

Well, you were looking away.

Well, I forgot Zaz was in the.

Listen, all right, Greg, I don't. This is the first time I've ever been in studio with Greg.

Right.

First time ever.

You have not liked Greg Cody's columns for a long time.

Well, I don't have to. He doesn't have to like my shows. I don't have to like like. It doesn't mean I dislike all of them. But I don't have to like all his comms. He doesn't have to like all my shows. That's nothing personal. I'm sure he's a really nice guy. And here's the thing, Greg, all right? And please, I'm trying. I'm going to say is in the nicest way possible, okay? If the Panthers lose this series, you're going to be remembered for this. People are going to be so angry. They are going to remember you for this. You, you've had a great career here, all right? A legendary writer for the Miami Herald, and that should be your legacy. That should be what everybody remembers one day. Wow. Greg Cody, amazing writer, represented the Herald and South Florida. But if the Panthers lose, they're going to remember you for this, and you shouldn't be remembered for this. You should not be remembered for the Panthers losing. You should be remembered for saying, marino should have been traded, not this.

Yeah. There's two people on earth who are going to blame me if the Panthers lose this series, Zaslo and Mike Ryan. Because what an ultimate conceit to think that something, anything I wrote, and by the way, it wasn't a whole column. It was two paragraphs in a column. To think that that has a scintilla of effect on the outcome of this series is beyond the pale of ridiculous. Beyond the pale of ridiculous. It's just, it's anti logic. It's anti intellectual. Superstition is in thin air. You're choosing to be superstitious. You're choosing to believe in jinxes. None of it matters. What matters more is if a fourth line Panther falls asleep for 5 seconds and gives up a goal tonight. Look, Mike Ryan has no superfan. Superfans Zaslo and Mike Ryan have zero effects on their team. Winning what a writer writes has zero effect on a series. To think otherwise is just patently absurd.

It can't help.

Well, see, that's. See, that's my point. That's my point right there. I don't even disagree with the things that you're saying. Okay. What you're saying is completely logical. All right? But do. Saying what you said about McDavid, it's not going to help the situation. It could only hurt. And we know that it got back to him. Connor McDavid's father knows. You think Connor McDavid's father's keeping a secret at this point? He definitely called his son up. His illicit son. You know, I know you got some things on your mind, but there's this Greg cote, who's down in south Florida, says, you're overrated. What are you gonna do about it now? Maybe nothing. Maybe doesn't do anything about it, but maybe he does do something about it. Maybe you woke asleep in China. That's all I'm saying.

Yeah. You know what happened.

Yeah.

When dad and Connor were speaking, the way that conversation ended was, you know what, dad? I wasn't particularly excited about this series. I mean, it's. Granted, it's my first final ever, and winning it is going to take such a burden off me. It's the biggest series of my entire life. But I needed that little extra incentive from a Miami writer I'd never heard of calling me overrated. Now. Now I'm ready to do something.

He had one point, though, through the first three games, and he said, listen, it's bad enough to lose the Stanley cup final. I also don't want Greg Cote to end up being right. So, look at you now. Games four and game five. He's the best player you've ever seen. Maybe it did wake a sleeping giant.

I wrote what I wrote.

Maybe it didn't, but maybe it did.

I wrote what I wrote before the series. So what happened in those first three games?

He was the leading point scorer.

Yeah. And they were zero three.

Yeah.

Which.

And then you started planning billboards around town. Yeah. Yeah. Then you started playing billboards around town. Get on your hands and knees and thank me for saving your legacy.

Yeah.

You know what I'm saying?

Do it right now. Both of you. And the clown in the hat.

Has. Has anyone.

Not zazzle.

Has anyone thanked Mike Ryan yet? And also has anyone thanked him for making sure that billboards don't go up before the series?

Anyone thinking, I haven't decided if they're not going up.

Well, they're not up yet.

No, but they're not. But there's another weekend to think about it. If they lose tonight.

Are you serious, man? You guys are. You guys are assholes. You guys are ass holes. This matters.

This matters to me.

This is life. This matters to him.

This matter.

This matters to him. This matters to him. And you're making a joke of it.

Don't screw in my life.

Come on. You would never do this. Other franchises you're showing your ignorant because it's hockey.

You would never, you know how I.

Know you would never do it? Because you've never done it before.

You said this is one of the arguments you made. That's infuriating. Okay. You said the Panthers would think it's classless. Suspended at ESPN. You think what I did there, the he thought was classy? Do you think that what I did there to get suspended from ESPN? Do you think the heat was like, that's a classy move, what Dan's doing, getting suspended there?

Liked it. They were bitter.

I'm in.

President said, smiling faces, hidden agenda.

I'm kidding me. I'm in.

Waited till after he left. You didn't do it in the middle.

I'm in. Reruns on this. It's an old joke. I've already made it. I'm hoping nobody knows.

You never actively tried to celebrate a championship before it's been won. You never did that. Rants notwithstanding. You have never, with your team up 30, tried to put up billboards. You should be thanking me. The billboards. Do you know how much different your life would be after the last two games if those billboards were up? We're talking national controversy. We're talking the greatest mush of all time.

Wait a minute. You're talking national controversy? Please, let's get on the screen. The video I've enjoyed so much the last couple of days of how I've gotten dragged into national controversy. Show me Steve Levy at his maximum. Steve Levy doing television. Ever so graceful. Tan, too much from the Boca beach club. And pointing to the camera with his left hand because he doesn't even need his dominant hand to be great at television. Conor McDavid saying it now, and he's doing it on the biggest stage. Leave.

Buckle up. Yeah, I'm buckled already.

Get me going. He's on the world, this guy.

I think.

What's going on? Oh, please, no national controversy. Don't give me any of that. Please don't give me any of that.

So you're doing this for attention because it doesn't matter to you. It doesn't. You're just an attention seeking charlatan. That's what you are. You are way worse than him. He's an idiot. No one took him seriously. They had a week to draw up a storyline. No one gives a shit. They talked about it because they had a week and they moved on. You are pouring gasoline on this idiot.

This is really taking a turn.

He said he played seven minutes a game. No one took him seriously.

Greg is mad. Greg is legitimately mad. And I knew this was going to happen. I knew this.

Absolutely. You know, somebody, for Mike's next birthday, somebody ought to buy him a giant wooden cross, because the burden you bear. The burden you have to bear as the self appointed world's biggest Panthers fan who apparently has already given up on his team.

That's right.

That's the part.

That's the part that I'm furious. Shove this crucifix up your rats. You don't have given up on the team because I am not the self proclaimed biggest Panther fan. I am one of six. You're a fake one of six.

You're a fake Panthers fan who has already given up on his team.

You're a fake columnist. You're a fake sports expert. You thought he played seven minutes a game.

If you believed in the Panthers, you would not be nearly as upset right now. I would want to be.

I believe in the Panthers. But I also believe you guys have made a mockery of this, and you're doing it again against my wishes. You got all this shit going on behind me. We're spending twelve minutes on the top talking about you guys, which is all you wanted and it's all you love.

I don't know what we're yelling about.

You don't. We've spent two weeks on it.

I wrote two paragraphs on Conor McDavid. Okay. And the idea that I wrote this for clicks. Let me bring you into the analytics a little bit. I have written three columns this month that have been more read than the Connor McDavid column, which ranks for the year. The year's not even half over. That is the 19th most read column I have written. The idea that I wrote paragraphs. What did that say?

Stat of the day. My father's singing.

Okay. I thought I heard poppy.

I bring some levity to this unnecessary stat.

Not that this is about cliques. That was my 19th rated clique column.

I want people to know that I didn't write this.

Which one was it? 12th rated.

I could tell you if you want me to please look it up.

No, I don't. Not surprising that we would go to the depths of your self involvement. Zaslo, please. I don't want to talk about his columns. And I don't. Actually, I do want to talk about this game and this next couple of days because I do believe in this team. Why would you not?

Oh, I believe very much. I think it's going to end tonight. I believe very much in this team. It's just this, this is my life. This is. There's so much stress that guys like me. First of all, I need this thing to end tonight. I really do. It's consuming my life. It's all I think about all day long, every day. It's all I think about. I can't sleep at night. You think I want to wake up in the middle of the night thinking about Conor McDavid and Riot, Nugent Hopkins and Stuart Skinner? I don't care to think about these people. I need this series to end tonight. And I don't want the mockery again. Everything that you said, greg, is completely logical. But logic doesn't matter what my feelings involved right now. I watch these games, Greg, I'm on the verge of projectile vomit for 60 minutes, all right? And I don't want to hear about Conor McDavid being overrated. And then we happen to know that it got back to Conor McDavid. Like if I said something about Conor McDavid right now, never going to know about it. He knows what you said. Maybe decide to try a little bit harder.

I don't know.

Come on.

I don't know.

I don't know.

That's a little bit harder. He's not going to final.

He's not going to try less, that's for sure. Maybe he wants to try and harder.

I don't know, Rackham.

Don't know. I'm trying to win a Stanley cup here. I don't want to hear about Conor McDavid being overrated. Here's the thing, Panther fans, all right, like myself and like Mike Ryan and like the great Roy Bellamy, who, by the way, was on my show yesterday, he was phenomenal. He was in the car on the way to Edmonton. What a terrible trip.

Good get for you, soup.

Super. Long time, Panther fans. We've been waiting our entire life for this series, for tonight. And instead in the middle of the series, you're right smack in the middle of it. I wasn't thinking about that 20 years ago. You know what? The next time the Panthers have a shot here, Greg Cody's going to be the main conversation. I mean, that's not what I was planning on.

I'm the main conversation because you and Mike Ryan. No acting.

No, you're the main conversation. Because a dude in the middle. Because I do it in the middle.

Greg, would you text me yesterday about the podcast? Our podcast?

It's doing good numbers.

There's your stuff.

Okay. And I don't think I even mentioned Connor McDavid in my last podcast, did I?

You did an emergency podcast episode.

Yeah. That was a couple of weeks response to Canada. Yeah.

I don't want to keep covering recycled ground because I do want to talk about the game, but I cannot abide Mike Ryan with the Steve Levy left hand pointing at me and saying that this is my fault. When I was off that week, I was simply off that weekend. When I came back, they were up 30. You cannot blame me for anything here.

Guess who's back and ruined everything. Where's your hot dog costume? Because we're all trying to find out who did this.

You just pointed it out. Like, can you go back to where you were pleased?

Scram. Skedaddle.

This is not adult behavior. It's childish.

This is sports. It is childish behavior.

This is completely.

Yeah, that's how sports work, man. You know.

You know, finally, cup can be one side. That's completely appropriate.

This is a game.

Yes. Like, what do we do if we win a championship? We pour drinks on one another, and we have a parade. This is childish.

He thinks this is a game.

He does. He's playing with our emotions. And Dan is also playing with our emotions because admittedly, he hasn't cared since 1996. He told you himself.

No, what I said was, don't misquote me. I'm not going to allow you to misquote me. What I said was that in my lifetime, I think there are five teams in this market that I have truly fallen in love with for a variety of different circumstances that I won't bore you with here and the only one in my lifetime, it wasn't last year's Panthers. For me, it was not because this franchise has done to me what the Marlins have done to me, which is sort of kill my soul a little bit. And I don't want to watch mediocre stuff for 30 years and keep caring. So I was late to this particular party, but they have gotten my attention. Because what they can do right now is bigger than what they could have done last year, even though it would have been an upset by slaying the most giant of the Giants at the end. It's not just that you took your nemesis down, and that was the appetizer. You took down the deserving champion that has ruled this state and made hockey matter in Florida. You took them out after they were your nemesis.

And then what you do is you take out the historic franchise that everyone in Miami hates because Boston's racist. And then you take out the New York Rangers, and we hate everybody from New York. Cause they've come down here and infected our town with everything they do. And then who do you take out? The end. The biggest, baddest giant. So don't tell me I'm not excited. I'm telling you the next two games are from my love. Therefore my love for me.

Remember saying, two games, there's one game. For the rest.

May there be seven overtime. So I can be. No, so I can be scared.

Let me scare maximum scared. Let me step out a bit for 1 second and try to calmly articulate how important this is to me. I'm scarred by the Stu Barnes trade for Chris Wells. After I left high school, I went straight into an organization that was on a lockout. I missed an entire season, and I worked under Michael Yormar. I saw 50 people get fired. I didn't get paid a single cent. I've seen this team go from blue to red to possibly move into Hamilton to maybe Hank Aaron owning the team. I've seen them trade Pavil burry after they acquired his brother. I was so excited to see that tandem. I didn't really get to see it. I've seen Todd Bertuzzi come here for Roberto Luongo, and Luongo have a hall of Fame career. I had Mike Keenan. I shared elevators with Jacques Martin and Mike Keenan. This matters to me deeply. And it would have been fine and wonderful if I won it in four games. It would have been amazing. I wouldn't have felt any better if I won in four games or six. But you were making a mockery of how much I care.

And it was very evident to everybody how much we all cared about the Miami Heat. You don't care the same way I get it, but I do take offense to you guys making a mockery of it, because this is serious stuff to me because I'm a grown man child. I'm 38 years old. I want to see this. I feel like I deserve it.

Why is this a mockery?

Oh, please.

No, I'm asking you, please.

Why is this a mockery?

Yes.

What have we been talking about? A column, a throwaway line that you even added boom after because you married what you were doing.

Right. Why is it a mockery for anybody, not just me, to have the opinion that until Conor McDavid wins a Stanley cup, he has not lived up to the hype?

That's a. That's a valid. It's a valid opinion. All the games.

You're calling it a mockery?

Yes. Because you've made a mockery since it was the mick.

Overrated.

Let me ask you something. Going into the 1991 NBA Finals, Michael Jordan never won yet. Going into the NBA Finals, would you have said, michael Jordan, overrated?

I would have said it with the qualifier. Until you win an NBA Finals, you have not lived up to your hype, to your potential, and that you have underachieved based on expectations. Absolutely. I think that's consistent across sports. Dan Marino was a great quarterback. The fact he never won a super matter, it matters.

I mean, let's look, you better not say Reno's overrated.

Better not say that Marino underachieved based on his.

Oh, my God.

Based on his talent, based on Nike.

Town and see the cleat he was playing with.

Did you just say he was over? Did you? Are you saying now for the first time? Are you doubling down now on also Marino is overrated? Are you saying that Marino is overrated? Is that what you're announcing today?

Don Shula, next.

Are you one of the.

Yes or no?

I'm not gonna say yes or no.

Yes or no?

Who all of a sudden has respect for something?

He's never won a title.

Look, the words overrated and underachiever are incendiary, okay? In this case, perhaps they were intended to be. They certainly were attention getting, which is part of it. I'm not going to shy away from the fact that as a writer, I love it when I write a column that becomes a conversation piece. That's a good thing. Okay? This is not life and death. Despite the rant you just heard from Mike Ryan, this is not life or death. This is pretty close.

You found your lane. You're the overrated guy.

Now, look, okay?

Is Dan Marino overrated when you're Majee.

When you call yourself McGees?

He didn't call himself that. He didn't stroll into the league and say, I'm McGeesus.

That was Lebron. LeBron's the one, right?

Lebron. He comes into the league the king. He lived up to it eventually.

Imagine he walks its league.

I'm mcgusis. Please refer to me by that.

I'm 18 years old. I'm Mc Jesus, folks, the Dan Lebatar.

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Don Libertard this guy comes in as the next Wayne Gretzky. His nicknames include the Chosen one and McGesus. Okay, he's a great player. He scores a lot of goals. He scores a ton of assists, but it hasn't translated to making Edmonton a powerhouse in the league.

They're in the final Stugots.

What's your nickname for him?

Mc overrated.

This is the Dan Levator show with the Stugatz.

I genuinely and really do want to get to the micro about tonight's game. I can't tell you the last time I was excited about the idea of doing a pre game show because the minutiae of the game is also interesting to me in hockey. It's been a long time since I felt that, and I will say as we're sitting here arguing among family and friends, and Greg Cody is hot right now, like Greg Cody told me during the break, he's mad. He's mad. Like he's in fact, because some people are going to be thinking that this is bitter. You go ahead and tell the people what you just saw from Greg Cody.

During the yeah, he's mad. And I don't, look, I don't want you to be mad at me. I think you're a nice man. Okay.

Oh, he's not mad at what?

He's not mad at me.

He's not mad at you. I was glad he's mad at Mike Ryan.

He's really mad.

He's really mad at Mike Ryan's. Okay. We'll get to that in just a second.

And we're not the real villain. What?

We'll get to the micro of the game in a, in a second. But just macro, because I really do want to agree with Stu Goatz and Zaslow somewhere here on where it is that sports reaches us in the best places, in the very best places. The last three years, I think we can admit around here at this company, life in America, like, super, super hard. Okay. For anyone listening to this, for a variety of reasons, the last three years have been really hard. If you've been listening to this show and me falling apart, grieving, falling apart for three years, the last three years have been hard to feel. This particular medicine that takes you away from real life problems is why sports are the giant business that they are, because people care unreasonably about this medicine that soothes them and allows them to escape during a hard time. I'm sorry that we're fighting during all of this because this is a legitimate, lovely time, but this is what happens around sports. Everyone's falling apart. And now Greg Cody during the break, Zass, you heard. He said he demands an apology from you. He said he demands an apology.

I demand a thank you for the, for fighting against the billboards. I demand a thank you.

Hold on a second. How about, and this is not surprising coming from you, you don't respect your superiors because you don't think anyone is superior. He looks at you and says, I won't be called an idiot twice to my face on the air.

Well, I hear Greg just say that.

Greg just says, I know, but I just heard him say it. And he says, I demand an apology. He was telling me off air, like he's not joking. He's demanding. He's not asking for an apology. He's demanding one.

Okay.

I don't, I don't mind anyone disagreeing with anything I've written, and I'm used to it and I have thick skin for it. And I, and I would say if, and I don't read comments, social media comments, if somebody I don't even know calls me an idiot, who cares? When somebody I do know calls me an idiot twice, how about you control your emotions? No, I'm serious.

Oh, that's what I want to hear right now, is calm down, okay? That's what I want.

I mean, your skin is so thick.

You bumped into a door and started bleeding today. I don't believe you for a second. And, no, I'm sorry. I've told you for two weeks now how this has bothered me. And when you did it, I wasn't here to check you either. So, no, I will not apologize for doing something on air, because you've made my entire life performative for everybody else. I care deeply. And if you want to keep running this bit and your jolly friend over there wants to keep ramping things up because you are just a member of the family and you are sitting next to Charles Manson.

Whoa, Jolly. Be careful with Jolly. That's coded.

My dad does have thin skin but thick toenails. Am I right, dad?

Yes, you are right about that.

No, I'm not gonna apologize.

I wouldn't expect you to apologize then. You're a giant infant, okay? You have no control over your emotions. You have no control over your emotions when you're calling someone, you know, an idiot. I don't deserve it, okay? I don't deserve it. And you're a fool for saying it, okay? You're a fool.

I was kind of following it.

Oh, you're locking in right now. You're locking in on us.

Yeah, right.

Let's drop the gloves, pal.

For what?

Every day, for what? For what I've done around this character. And the second shit gets real for you, you want to come at me and call me a fool, huh?

No, seriously, Jeremy, seriously.

I've added ten years to your career. You want to call me a fool?

Wait a minute.

You'd be toiling away. You'd be Michael Jormark. You owe me everything.

You owe me everything.

You have added ten years to my career.

Yes, I have.

This man has.

You haven't.

That man.

Who the hell are you? I am who the short be flanking?

Bullshit me. You're a rude young man.

You're a fool.

You're a fool. I already called you a fool.

You can't call me again. It's a fool twice. You're an idiot for dismissing how much I've helped you.

You are a fool.

You're nobody.

You are an infant.

You have nobody.

I literally put together Mike Ryan frickin stage for your toenail.

Nobody.

I am your career right now, pal.

Look at me. I am your career.

No, you have messed with McDavid, and now you're messing with me. And I'm more dangerous, pal. So apologize.

You've got leave too many pals.

This is Dan's fault again. You brought all this to air with my dad.

Come on, let me out of here with it. Thanks me.

No, this is what you've done. This is what you've done.

So how about that apology?

Well, Mike did say in there, no, I'm sorry. I've told you how I felt about this for weeks, so no, I'm sorry is going to be what you get. No, I'm sorry is going to be the closest we come to an apology. There. He did say the words I'm sorry. It was just, no, I'm sorry. I've told you how I feel about this.

For two weeks, it was me saying, no, I'm sorry.

Well, that's what it sounds.

It sounds a common, like, no, I'm sorry, zero, I'm sorry.

I do want to get to the smaller stuff here, but this, this is genuinely tense now. And Jeremy want. He was whispering.

I wrote a back in my day song on a number one album for you.

Mike. Mike, I think I need you to stop with the bona fides here.

He does not respect what I do.

Wow.

He doesn't. He doesn't know what I do.

I understand you're a voice actor as well. Is that right? When you quit Meadowlark in May, you're gonna become a voice actor?

Well, he's very close to quitting you. He's very close to quitting.

Not close enough.

Well, he's also close to being fired. So, like, we're in both places once he gets there with the. I mean, he called me a dick the other day by text because he's totally. He's lost his mind, as many people, because sports will do this to you.

Was it went. When did he call you a dick?

Like when it was while you were losing 4142 to Edmonton, headed into the third period.

It's very stressful moment. Very stressful.

Just I was losing. Not you.

Very stressful.

Mike can't control himself. He's an immature man. He doesn't. He wouldn't admit it, but there's a real immaturity to someone who calls his boss a dick, who calls a older co worker an idiot. You just don't do that in polite society.

You should probably tell him to calm down again.

Yeah, that's never.

I'm sure that's gonna help.

Never. Good. Jeremy. Why? Jeremy whispered in my ear like a scared. Jeremy was child. Well, no, he did whisper. He's like, can I leave the room. I want to leave the room.

I know the feeling. I mean, seriously, it's like, this is not a working condition.

You're the one that wanted to make it real. This is what happens.

What does that mean? I wanted to make it real.

I wrote, happens when people stop being fake and start being real.

I wrote two paragraphs three weeks ago. I take responsibility for that. What else am I responsible for? The Panthers losing two in a row.

Writer, I love how you make it.

That it only two paragraphs, like, kind of distances you from it. Like, you still said it. Calling him overrated in just two paragraphs.

I saw McDavid Mc overrated dash Greg Cody t shirts. Okay?

Those are not.

You did.

Those are not for sale in my merch store.

My point exactly. Stop fighting with me and avert your eyes and turn your attention to the.

Real bad guy, because Dan didn't call me an idiot. He's more polite than that to your face.

Well, I did say that. My favorite part of the inside joke for only our audience, like, the favorite part of the joke is that the people listening to this when we put the billboards up, those people who listen to this show will know where the opinion came from, and so it will be all the funnier. Not that it came from an idiot, but that it's an idiotic opinion, and we all know it.

That it looks like a duck, Greg.

No, that what I do.

I mean, if it writes two paragraphs like a duck, Greg. Boom.

But me thinking that idiotic is not calling him an idiot. I. No, it's not. It's. I don't.

Me screaming into this microphone, doing what I do best, better than anyone who's ever been a producer in this industry has ever done it. Calling you an idiot and taking it personally. Shame on you. But if you want to get real, we can get real, pal. We can get another pal.

We can get third, pal. How?

We'll get real.

Three pound. Get real, Tory. How is this escalated? What's game seven going to be like?

One of these.

Not talk about game seven when they're gonna win it tonight. Cut that out. Forget about game seven. What's game seven gonna be like? Stop with that, all right? Tonight is gonna be one of the best nights of your life. I need to hear about game seven when? Next year? The year after? There's not game seven. This series, this is ending tonight. I'm going to watch my favorite little hockey team, the best hockey team in the land that includes Canada, raise the Stanley cup over their shoulders. You know, great. It's gonna feel when Sasha Barkov hands that Stanley cup to Aaron EcBlad. Don't talk to me about game seven. It adds tonight.

Finish him.

It's my life.

That's what you got to do to McDavid. You gotta do that. But we haven't broken out the finish him in a minute. And now it's getting aggressive. It's a three pal situation and a finish him situation.

Finish him.

It's a three pal and a finish him situation on McDavid. And when you say scare, I'm not scared. There's plenty. It's running down my leg. I'm scared of him. I'm scared of him. And I believe the best team wins in that sport. I believe the Panthers are the best team. It's empirical. What they do in the third period is better than anyone in the sport. I saw it coming back. Even with what he did in game five, I saw it coming back. They were pelting Edmonton because they are championship worthy. This is the most championship worthy team I have ever seen play hockey in this market.

Come on.

No, it is. This is the best Panther team there has ever been. That's not in any way up for dispute. But it's empirical. It's not just that they're not doing it as an eight seed last year. No, it's that they were 100 point team all season. They play a style of play that wins this time of year. Edmonton plays a style of play that doesn't win the way this one does. But they have a player that can nuke everything. They have a single player that can nuke everything. Historic in hockey, that happens to the best teams. And then on top of that, hockey can happen to you. Hockey can just happen to you because you hit the post a couple of times.

It can happen to you if the ice is choppy. They had a snoop Dogg Snoop Dogg concert last night.

I think that benefits the Panthers probably.

That's a tricky thing.

Slow it down. Slow the game down.

Bad ice is a tricky thing because you never know when it's going to pop up and it could pop up like during a golden opportunity for you. But if I told you that the player that relies on puck handling and precision the most and is the greatest skater maybe ever, he might be the greatest. Like Scott Hamilton would like a word. That's it. Like there has never been a better skater in that sport. You'll take it. You know that you've won some grinders out there and I think that's what tonight is going to have to be for the Panthers to win this. I don't see this being. You were talking before the shows as, and you said maybe a six four final.

Well, no, no, five and a half. I had a dream. My dream was that last night they won six four. I don't think it's going to be.

You're going to have to choke the life out of this game, I think.

Yeah. Can't we just be up three nothing after the first period?

Well, that was.

Everyone'S life easier. They're up three nothing after the first period tonight.

Isn't this just all. It's easy to say, but it feels like this is just all on Bob, because that's the difference the last few games, if Bob is Bob, like, from the first three, we got this.

How about, don't get doubled up on the special teams for the series?

Well, listen, five on five, the Panthers are great, are a better team, and I don't care who argues that. It's after that, when the trouble begins, if they stay out of the penalty box, they win tonight, they win the series, all is well. People don't hate me anymore. It's perfect. If they get in the penalty box a lot.

People still hate you.

Well, yeah. They are taking chances, though, with their fourth line. They're bringing in Ryan Lomberg, who was there the last game, I thought provided the energy, what you were looking for, but Cousins, these are Ryan Lomberg, and Nick Cousins are reputed to be your two biggest mistake makers. Nick Cousins, reputed Rat King.

Hot head is palm, where he's keeping for Hagee on the top line. We switch that, right?

Yeah. Verhagi and Barkov has a variety game.

He's only had one goal. Come on, say his name.

To have a conversation about card.

Say his name and he appears, I believe, in Verhege carter.

Vague as my dog, I believe.

I thought Eckblad was one of their big mistake makers.

Ecblad, too. That's my dog.

ECB, lads. Not. Not a great skater. And, oh, he's.

He's been great, though, this postseason.

He has. But the last two games, we. He had that really unfortunate thing happen to his ankle. And when this is over, we'll find out how hurt everybody is. And he's not necessarily a player that has shown you he can maintain a really good level of form.

He's gonna be great tonight. He's gonna be great.

I believe. I believe.

Are you a homer says, are you like, how does this work? Like, I know you're scared, so you're projecting confidence at every turn. But I know you're scared of, it's not even the history of the Edmonton Oilers, though you could, you could be scared of that, too. This is a historic franchise now being led by the second coming of Gretzky. And you're going into a building. Let me assure you of this, okay? Edmonton's number one pride internationally is this hockey team and this player. That place cares about that player and that team in a way that gives it its name, its city name. Edmonton is known for what Gretzky did in that uniform. And now McDavid is the second coming of Gretzky. That building is going to be a total insanity.

This panther team, they've been better on the road in the post season. They don't get phased with these road crowds. The biggest problem to me with playing this game on the road tonight is not having last change. That's a major, major deal. We're never, I mean, really rarely going to be Barkov and forsling and EcBlad on the ice at the same time. Maurice has to pick one or the other.

Fantastic point.

So when we talk about home ice advantage, the crowd like that doesn't matter. It's about not being able to get our guys on the ice all the time alongside McDavid. So that is a major disadvantage for tonight's game. That's the part that I'm most worried about. But I know our guys are going to be great tonight. I know they are.

Last, last change really pokes its head out.

It's a big deal.

Face off in your own zone.

Yeah.

Everything else can be on the fly. We've seen McDavid, we've seen Nablock send McDavid out on the ice when Barkov's not on the ice. He didn't need to be a home team to take that advantage. So you're going to have to take it where you can get it. But it is, it can't be. It can't be understated.

Like, we're going to start with the Barkov line tonight. Mortise is going to hand in his car. We're going to start with the Barkov line and they're going to start with their second line. Like, mcDavid's not going to start for Edmonton tonight because we're going to put our first line out there to begin the game, and that's where the chess match begins. Now, not that I don't trust Paul Maurice, because it's amazing that I was calling him all year last year, the murder of fun, and I kicked him out of my city and now I love him so much. Palm Murray is my dog, all right? He is my dog, so I trust him. But look, that's my biggest concern tonight, is not being able to match up with McDavid. But I think tonight's gonna be one of the best nights of my life. I'm so excited.

Dan, earlier you said that in 96 they went through two guys that are McDavid in Jar Miragar and Mario Lemieux, two of the all time greats. They have another McDavid on their team, dry Seidel. He's been fairly quiet, not recently. And his biggest impact in the series has been that dirty hit that he had on Barkov. But they have two of the top five players in the world. This is a really good team. And because McDavid is that good, the dry sidel thing is not really a storyline. They have the two best players in this series and everybody else, like Florida, just throws waves upon waves of depth. And that depth, things like the fourth line decision, taking out Lorenz, taking out Oposso, that's going to matter tonight.

That depth is why empirically, they're the best third period team in the league. The thing that I want to ask you guys, because the best third period team in the league is something that continually wears you down over the course of the game. So that by the end, the way that you want to knock off Lemieux and Jager is it's too much. There are too many waves. It's too much of it. The thing that I want to ask you about, Paul Maurice, is this. I have seen over the last two years something that I did not think was possible, ok, in whatever it is that they were doing before two years ago was a source of great frustration for everyone in the fan base. And then this style comes here, built around everything he does, and now it's best two way player in the world. Where I heard all the muttering complaints about this player for a really long time and when I don't know the sport well enough to know how much Paul Maurice has to do with that, but I extend from that. Oh, you guys trust this guy like you trust spoilers.

You guys trust that this person will make the right decisions. You might have quibbles with where he's putting Monteur every once in a while, but generally speaking, you're extending your trust to this human being as being smarter than you and, and, and trusting him implicitly.

He's also never done it. Like when you, when you look back, he's played. He's coached among the all time leaders in games coach. He's also among the all time leaders in losses. Like he's never done it ever.

These gun close the face of joy. The face of joy has now taken four flights and landed in Edmonton. Roy Bellamy, who starred on Zazzle Zaz, tell the people where they can find you so they know.

Oh, thank you. Yes. As low show 2.0 wherever you get your podcast I can list all the places but I'll be sitting here forever. So wherever you get your podcast as low show 2.0 every day. I love you long time.

Roy was there with you yesterday and he brought the currency. I am told he smiled more than does around here. He is not smiling right now. Roy, how bad was the flight and how bad is your breath right now?

I brushed my teeth. My breath is fine. The flight was much, much better than it was flying to Edmonton the first time, I tell you that right now. It was 11 hours plus a three hour drive. So yeah, the flight was good. The drive was so so.

And how are you feeling about things? We've got a lot of tension here back in the studio since you left. I think you might be enraged with Greg Cody right now as well. Mike Ryan has called him an idiot twice. What are your general feelings about Greg Cody right now?

He's doing it for clicks and I'm not happy about it, Dan. He's embarrassed us as a fan base. He's embarrassed us, a journalistic entity. So yeah, I'm not happy with Greg Cody right now.

Okay. Us.

Yeah.

Thank you mean by us, Roy.

I'm here right now, aren't I, Greg?

Yeah. So by us though, do you mean fellow Panthers fans?

Let's be careful with.

Making that clear.

On both ends of the spectrum.

Okay?

Yeah.

Okay.

Okay.

Roy speaking to that was cutting Roy. Roy speaking to. What's bothered me up there, like, top two things that's bothered me about this is this should be a moment of arrival and a moment of legitimacy and.

It might still be.

Well, it may be. It will be. Well, there's a nice little guarantee right there from Dan, but I think we've made this a circus. I'm not happy with my actions today because this is taking attention away from what should be. If this team does it. Talked about as one of the greatest teams in the 21st century, whoever wins this, this series is going to be stacked up with the Penguins and the Blackhawks. What?

The Panthers overcoming this group of teams this postseason is a monster run.

It's not just, it's not just the postseason. It's the regular season, too, and how great everybody was. And for once in my life as a Panther fan, I felt like I was being taken seriously and people were having to already cope once they went up 30 with the fact that this market has arrived. The ugly stepchild of the state of Florida when it comes to hockey has finally been here. And we're fighting amongst ourselves. We're trying to put up billboards before the thing's been done, and we've made an absolute circus of these things. When all I wanted was what Zaslo gave me, what all I wanted was talking about the quality of the ice and talking about Nick Cousins and his discipline. That's all I ever wanted out of this stuff. So you got, you get to have your cake and eat it, too, I guess, Dan, because you wanted more fireworks and you got them.

Not just that, though. Roy's hockey show. If you want some of the deep in the weeds analysis of all the good stuff, he's been doing a great job with David Dwork, and he keeps flying out to Edmonton. But I want to get at this tension that there is specifically with newspaper guys and radio guys, because I've seen it for a long time in this market and elsewhere. And Greg does not respect radio and Zaslo doesn't respect some of Greg's columns. And you just derisively hit Roy with, you're not a journalist. You just did that to Roy.

Okay, Roy is. I don't think Roy would call himself a journalist. Maybe he would.

I mean, Roy is going to have a plaque in that arena. What are we doing to each other?

I don't like any of this.

You guys are genuinely hated.

You're going at Roy now all because you said something stupid.

I'm not going at Roy.

Just admit you said something stupid.

I love Roy.

I said I had Roy on my show yesterday, and your response was, that's a good get.

And it was a good get.

Are you gonna.

Now you're gonna attack Roy? You're just gonna keep going at everybody and just not admit that you said something stupid?

Roy's had such great content over these last few weeks. It's among the best work he's ever done.

I really like Roy.

Roy, can I ask you one quick question, though? Roy, are you there? You've traveled to, is this a fourth game that you've traveled to this postseason?

Yes, it is. What is your record number four.

What is your record question? Very important.

One and two.

One and two. Which one did you win?

Game one in New York, I believe the Rangers game.

Game five. Yeah.

Oh, my God. If Roy is one and two on the road, it's a jinx. It means the Panthers are doomed. Roy, get the hell out of there. Fly back, save the Panthers.

Or, or, or it could mean a split.

That's right. That you become two and two and you're holding up the trophy, and you're in Edmonton.

Two and two is a good road record in the playoffs.

I do not want to cope with that, Roy, and that is a long flight. And for you, it's probably three connections. I don't even want to consider what our lives would look like if they lose this game. And everybody in North America will be saying this series is essentially over, and this market would have to endure a second straight year of having a team in the summer blow a three old lead. The odds of that talk astronomical.

You always, dad, go it with Mike. Go at it with Mike. The rolling. Are you seeing yourself in the mirror now? You went at it with Roy like, can you, can you take a step back? If Roy's attacking you for this take, can you, like, see it now? That maybe was a dumb thing to say.

Roy is a Panthers fan, which disqualifies him from being considered a neutral journalist.

He's gonna have his picture up in the press box. He covers that. I know he's covered more Panthers games. He's a legend in the last month.

He's a hockey than you have your entire career.

That's not true. I have been.

Tell him, Hawk.

I have been behind the scenes campaigning for Roy Bellamy to be added to the wall of fame. I've never heard that press box.

I never heard that.

I have no, never heard.

You made that up. I'm gonna start.

I didn't make that up.

Roy is a legend, and you.

Yes, he is.

You have you.

He's also a Panthers fan.

Can we get Roy's analysis? So are you. Then by that math, you're not a Panther fan. You're supposed to be a champion for this market. You've always been like the fan con.

You're a homer.

You're look boxing Roy out. And I feel bad about it.

Okay, let's go to Roy. I agree.

What are we going to Roy on the game?

The biggest game of our lives.

Where is Roy?

Like, he covers the team. David Dwar covers the team. I want to know what the vibes are. I want to know if this team that has never been this close, if I can read into the fact that they've lost the two games, and they've lost the two games on aggregate by a lot, not by a little. I want to know if what we saw through the regular season is going to play itself out or if that Edmonton team is too good and they figured something out. Roy, talk me off the ledge, pal. That's the nicest, pal.

I never thought it.

Yeah, I'm sure it is. I found it interesting that Brandon Montreal is not going to be on the power play line, number one, considering that was his turnover that led to Conor Brown's breakaway goal, shorthanded. So he's not going to be on that line. So that I found that pretty interesting. And of course, the lineup changed for the fourth line. Paul Maurice is making changes right now to his lineup and he's trying to match up with the Oilers and the oil is still don't have Evander Kane. So that's going to be an interesting match.

Cut to it. Are they going to win tonight? Roy, come on.

Can you tell them to start Evander Kane?

I can't. I can't do that.

The series turned when Evangelical was just like, I can't do it anymore.

Wait, you just. Yeah, you stepped on Roy saying the very strong, not quite a guarantee of yes, I believe they will win. Just sort of farted out of the side of his mouth.

Do you think we're going to win?

Say it. Similar base in your voice.

Yeah.

Yes.

Yes. There it is. Roy, can you give me with some bass in your voice, the best and most positive of analysis that you would put together because you actually believe in this team? I was saying before you came on here that historically, if you are the best group of players, the best team that goes up 30, there is no coming back from that, even if you have Conor McDavid. So explain to us in your basiest tone why it is that the Panthers will win tonight.

Well, I believe they will stay disciplined tonight. They will limit their penalties tonight, and the defense is going to come back and help Bob in this, in this game. So that's why I believe the Panthers will win.

There it is, defense.

Before checking.

There it is, gentlemen. We sent him to Edmonton for that report. Not quite a guarantee, but the vibes are positive and Roy is doing well. Yes, Roy, where can people find you after the Stanley cup champion Florida Panthers hold up the trophy tonight? Where can people find you and David dwork immediately? I'm assuming that sometimes on a Friday that tonight would be one of the nights where people can find you after the game.

Well, we have the hockey show that is today that is going to air today. That's leading up to tonight's game. And then we got the postgame show, which will hopefully be uploaded sometime within the next week.

In the next week?

Maybe.

Maybe. Maybe in the next week? Well, tonight would be a night to capitalize.

Who knows?

Okay, very good.

Who knows, folks, the Dan Levitate show is sponsored by better help. Look, this year has gone by very quickly. Reaching the halfway point of the year is an excellent time to reflect on your mental health journey, assess your progress, make plans for the future. Ask yourself, what's something you're proud of so far in 2024? What's something you still want to accomplish this year? When life goes fast, it's important to take a moment to celebrate your wins and adjust what currently doesn't work for the rest of the year. Therapy can help you take stock of your progress and set achievable goals for the next six months. If you're thinking of starting therapy, give betterhelp a try. It's entirely online, designed to be convenient, flexible and suited to your schedule. Just fill out a brief questionnaire to get matched with a licensed therapist and switch therapists at any time, no additional charge. Reflecting on the first half of the year and planning for the next can help you stay proactive about your mental health. Take a moment. Visit betterhelp.com dlb today to get 10% off your first month. That's betterhelp. H e l p.

Howdy, folks. It's Mike Ryan. It is hot, it is damp, it is summer, and it's a perfect time for grilling outside over an open flame or charcoal grill or propane. I'm not. I'm not really sure. I'm not really all that manly. I think you guys can tell. But once a year, I'll bring out that brush and I'll scrub down the grill and I'll make myself a nice meaty feast. And you can bet your bottom dollar that I'm doing so with a miller light in my hand. Because Miller lite keeps it simple, undebatable, quality, tastes as great as your barbecue. It's a beer that strips away everything you don't need and holds on what matters most. The light beer with the most taste, less filling and only 96 calories. Perfect companion for grill masters all across America. Or people like me who grill maybe once a summer. But take a sip of that Miller lite and realize that no matter what, it's going to be a good day with a Miller lite in your hand. Grilling doesn't just taste great tastes like Miller. Time to get Miller Lite delivered right to your door. Visit millerlight.com Dan where you can find it pretty much anywhere that sells beer.

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