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I'm sorry to continue to do this, but I'm also sorry that we keep having people around here who have either influenced our show or been on our show die and Ron Brewer yesterday, a name that will mean not very much to many of you outside of South Florida, but to a certain number of you in South Florida. You remember that Paul and Ron were pioneers in the local South Florida market. And he was basically Stugatz before Stugatz in how it is that we were absorbing local entertainment at a different time. I told you earlier in today's show that I did something super rare for me, and I noticed it yesterday in the changing of my listening habits, where I was trying to listen to a heat game on AM radio late at night, and there was a lot of static in what it is I was consuming. The radio signal was not very strong trying to listen to a basketball game on AM radio. But if you are of time in South Florida, you remember when Ron Brewer and Paul Castronovo were changing the way that radio was done in South Florida. And just wanted, before I left here today for the weekend to offer my condolences to Paul and all of the people in South Florida who cared a great deal about Ron Brewer because he very much was a stu gods like character on that show in supporting everything they were doing in hijinks morning radio to change how some things were done in South Florida and how people listened and consumed things.

It was the first radio show I ever knew my parents like, there weren't really any sports shows my parents were really into when I was growing up. It was my mom always listening to Paul and young Ron, and it was just always having fun, wacky stuff.

They weren't sports, though. They were a more.

They would have sports guys on. But yeah, it was just a variety show and they were really funny.

One of the biggest shows in the history of South Florida. And I just didn't want to leave today without remembering his impact and their impact on the market. Jessica has been eclipse obsessed for reasons I'm not particularly understanding. I did not know that you were an eclipse obsessed person until this week.

Oh, my God. The eclipse is on Monday. It's going over the part of the United States that's nowhere near Miami. And I am devastated. It's honestly, Lucy might be able to see, like, total eclipse from Cleveland. Cause it's going very close to Cleveland. She's gonna be there for the final four and the national championship game, I'm assuming. And we're getting no eclipse down here. It's bullshit. I googled it and it says that the optimal viewing time in Miami on Monday is 03:01 p.m. And obscuration would be at 46%. That sounds like nothing to me. That sounds like, what's the point?

So the sun is passing right by Cleveland. I don't get how that works. So the moon and the sun are passing by Cleveland but not here, even though they're much bigger?

Yes.

That's crazy. I see it every day.

Like, I don't think that's how it's working.

I don't think the sun is in 2017 or 2018.

I do.

Stared right into it.

Me too.

I don't like this. I think they're overrated, these things. Cuz it just makes me want to go outside and do something that's harmful to my eyes. It's like, I don't want this.

Well, don't. Don't look at it.

So hard to be like, hey, there's something out there. Don't stare at it. You realize I want to. Like, when you say don't stare, it like, just don't talk about the eclipse.

Okay.

I never go outside. I never go outside and go, all right, let me look right at the sun today. But if you say, yo, there's some crazy shit going on out there outside with the sun, but don't look at it.

The trump thing is how I looked during the eclipse. Cause I was just looking at it like normal.

Did it come over Miami that time? Cause I feel like it.

I was in Connecticut.

That was okay. Yeah, I was in New York in 2017. I was Trump.

That was me.

It was in Cleveland is where it was. Put it on the poll at Lebatar show. Do you think the sun ever visits Cleveland? Because I feel like Cleveland is always in a state of eclipse.

Well, there might be a lot of cloud cover on Monday because of the weather patterns being crappy and people are starting all these things, theories. It's very silly. But yes, this is the path, Tony. So this is where it's going to be. Like, the path of totality, it's called. So these people are going to get the full eclipse, and it's going right over Cleveland, pretty close to Pittsburgh, and then it's going all the way down through Texas. Nowhere near Miami there. It's on the screen right now. Nowhere near Miami. I know people that are going, like, out of town to see it. Like, they're going to, like, New Hampshire or Texas or southern Illinois for a few hours on Monday.

Just so they can see the sun's making a left. Yeah, this is weird. I'm with Tony.

So it's the sun is traveling on that axis around the world, but, like, our other places gonna see it too.

The path of totality. Sounds like a Jason Statham movie.

Oh, Liam needs to be really. Path of totality.

Hold on a second.

They just zoomed out.

So the other part of the world isn't gonna see.

Are we sure this isn't a hur. This looks like hurricanes.

Okay, we've got some real expertise in the.

Miami stops in the middle of the ocean.

Eclipses.

Miami is being affected by it. And that the Marlins game in New York has been moved from 02:00 p.m. To 06:00 p.m. On that day so that they can avoid playing in the middle of an eclipse. I mean, they're gonna.

Can you imagine how many spectators are just gonna look straight up if they're outside at a Yankees game and it gets dark out?

Might help the Marlins.

You do have an eclipse problem, though, with the sunlight and your eyes on fly balls. Like, you don't.

I choose my gloves.

Gotta wear the sunglasses.

I give him an advantage.

You guys should seriously order. You can make it, like, out of a box. That's what we did in, in 2018. I think it was every five years.

Old, making stuff out of boxes. I'll look at it just right in the sky.

Okay, well, you're literally going to blind yourself.

Put some sunglasses. I got news for you. I looked in 2017. My eyes are fine.

You guys mentioned.

I do not. Don't look, though, by the way. I don't want anyone to go blind. And then, like, you sue us. But I did it.

A little warning.

You given the p. That was such a bad morning.

You think you're a big influencer there that you're going to. You need to.

I did it.

I was fine. The liability went for the joke. And then I was worried about the company, and I was like, I don't want someone suing us. I was like, that's a good executive producer. I mean, I'm just like, just in case anyone is out there, like, you know, I never.

Just say it.

Yeah.

Or never. Or never say the thing.

It was funny, though. I did it. My eyes are fine.

Okay, great. Yeah, you did it again. Now do you want to apologize again? Do you want to tell the listeners you shouldn't do that because.

Or the apology covers both of those.

I can't wait for Monday. I'm so excited. It's going to be so cool.

Lucy is going to return. One would assume this time with something from where it is that she travels to. But she didn't sound great the last time we played the sound of her.

I don't recommend COVID. It's still got hands in 2024.

That doesn't look like Lucy. Nevermind. Sound. When I conjure the image of who that person is, it's not a sick woman, it's a very old woman.

I don't recommend COVID. It's still got hands in 2024.

We should have made her say, holy.

Crap, Jessica, that woman is 65 and has been to every Bama football game for the last 42 years. I don't recommend COVID. It's still got hands in 2024. You had her as PoW. That's exactly. That's exactly it. You got it. That's exactly who I'm picturing. Rip to Phyllis.

I believe you guys mentioned the New York Post earlier and somber segment today, sunglasses. I'm gonna try and lighten it up.

That if you have sunglasses, I will.

Tell you that one of my favorite New York post sports things ever was the Mets were in last place. They had a very expensive team. Vince Coleman was their left fielder. He was very unpopular. He was very stylish. He lost a fly ball in the sun during a game to end a game that they lost. It was the costly error. And he lost it in the sun because the sunglasses that he should have had on his eyes were instead on his hat because he was looking cool. And you say to yourself, that's funny enough as it is. But what could be funnier than that? The photograph the New York Post got to put next to it from that night of Vince Coleman in the nightclub with his sunglasses on.

Welcome to the hockey show. That's David Drawer, the Hockey News. My name is Roy Bellamy and we're going to talk about Florida Panthers hockey in a second, except Chris Cody apparently has something to say. So he joins us here on the hockey show. What's going on, Chris?

I feel like a caller, like, I feel like I'm a guest calling in. No, no, I just. First time, long time big fan of the hockey show. I've been on it with you guys before. We had, we had a great time last year, right? We went to Toronto for the Luongo getting inducted.

Yep.

Seneca final and I. Yeah, all star. I mean, like, that's the three of us. I feel like we had a little bond going and I just want to know, did I do anything to you guys? Why is that I'm just. Just the answer. I'll get to what I'm getting at.

But, like, did I do anything to you guys?

Why? Because you haven't been on the show?

No, it's nothing to do with this show. Actually, this is the ice hockey show, right?

Yeah.

So, like, I can talk about anything hockey related or ice related?

Sure.

Because I saw that you two recently went to Disney on ice with your kids.

Yeah, that was last night.

Oh, last night. Oh. And I live right near that arena, and I just. I just. I just wonder, you know, if I did anything to you guys. I mean, I just. I saw just the lovely. Your kids, nice photos, and I was just like, man, Grayson would have fit perfectly in that photo. And I know. And I know you two have a close friendship, and I don't want to, like, be a third wheel here. I just thought that we had connections.

Here's the X Factor, is the wives have to be friends, so we need to get your significant other out with Jamie and a need. And that's kind of the glue that holds it all together.

I mean, I thought a need and Christie, I mean, they get along well. I mean, if. I'm not gonna lie, Christie's told me.

Before, and he's my favorite of all the wives.

Well, so, like, sounds like the foundation has been.

We have a foundation. That's a. That I'm honestly a little jealous of, you dork, because I feel like there. A couple years ago. A couple years ago, I might have been. I might have gotten that invite, but now this hockey show, and you two are just dwork, and Bellamy is like Abbott and Costello at this point.

Well, here's the situation. I got the invite, so it's not me inviting you.

There you go.

I can't even assume your schedule. I can't assume what? Your schedule. You could have been bowling.

This is. Honestly, it's a little awkward now, because I remember last time I ran into you guys at some fair, you two were there together, and I was just there with other people. Like, we got to get more connected, the three of us. I want to let you guys get to hockey, and I love you.

I just.

Were you there at the Davey. The rodeo thing?

Yeah.

Roy was there, too.

Yeah.

Okay.

But you guys were meeting each other.

There, and I. I have invited you to poker before. You are on the poker list.

Okay.

Okay.

I feel better already. I feel. I don't want to waste your guys time. I know a lot of hockey to get.

Well, I got something for you here tonight.

Oh, Jeremy, just said he's been to dorks poker night.

Oh, yeah, that's right. Yeah, we got poker night. Yeah.

You guys don't want me at your poker night? I'm a shark.

Oh, yeah.

Shark.

Oh, yeah.

After a few drinks. Bring how sharky you are.

Bring it.

But I love you guys.

Well, wait, wait, wait. Love the hockey show tonight. Me and a family are going to the Miami Dade county you fair. You are welcome to join.

Honestly, I have the kids solo tonight, so I will be texting you later. That sounds. Sounds a little south for me, if I'm being honest.

That's not for us.

Where I was gonna say that? Where is that?

That's a fiu. Tammy.

Okay.

Is it still there?

Yeah, still there.

I love how I just shamed it.

Moved the fair.

No, no.

Where is it? The fair?

And they moved it for COVID, I think. Right?

I love how I want to double check.

I love how I just shamed Roy for not inviting me, and then he instantly invited me somewhere, and I'm, like, trying to back out.

I'm like, yeah, a little far. Yeah, yeah, I knew. That's why I brought it up.

Like, the invite. Just like the invite. And I'm going to a Disney, like, concert thing on Sunday, so I probably wouldn't even have gone with you guys yesterday. Plus, I've seen that show, like, five. Five times. Yeah, they got to change up that show.

It was a good show.

No, I love it every time.

It's like.

It's encanto and frozen, right?

Exactly.

It's great. But I've seen it three times, so I probably wouldn't even have gone. But I would love the invite. Love you both. Go, Panthers. It's exactly what they needed to lose, like, eight out of eleven because they were the hottest team in the league. Peaked too early. I said a few weeks ago, we need a dip and then we can get going right for the end of the season. We're going to end now with a little winning streak, right?

What?

I said right on cue. We're going to make the finals east, the final again, at the very least.

The expert analysis of Chris Cody. We appreciate you guys.

Good night, everyone.

See you later. All right, Florida Panthers, hockey, that kind of thing. All right, so let's cover the. The four games that they played since we had the episode last week.

I just want to talk about one of them. Really?

Just one of them? All right, we'll just go over some of them and then talk about what you want to talk about. They went to two and o. During those four games, it was one home game. That was the Detroit game. They won in the shootout.

Yeah.

And Alexander Barkov, two goals in that one. And Sam Reinhardt had the only goal in the shootout.

Bob was very good.

Bob was very good in that shootout. He got it done. So that was the win. And then they lost back to back games in Toronto and Montreal on Tuesday, Monday and Tuesday. Boy, especially that Montreal game. It was really bad. Austin Matthews got 61st and 60 seconds goals in the Toronto game on Monday. He now has 63 goals. And that's when we started to see injuries.

Well, first it was varhege in the Toronto game, and then it was Aranette Blad the following night in Montreal. And fortunately, from what Paul Maurice is saying, both of these guys are going to be back in time for game one of the playoffs, which is like, okay, that's the priority. But at this point of the season, when they're already struggling and you start to lose some of your best players, injury, it's not a good recipe. Fortunately, they've got about two weeks before the playoffs. But man, is it. If anything else, it's a wake up call.

Yeah. Yeah. Oh, yeah, definitely. Sam Reinhart got his 52nd goal of the year in Toronto. Yeah. So there's a good chance he might, as a good chance he might get 60. A good chance. It's getting slimmer and slimmer, but he could very well get it.

Well, the thing about Sam Reinhardt is he does scored a lot of goals in bunches, as we've seen during his tenure in south Florida. So what does he say? It's a 53.

Yeah. Yes. 53 now after last night's game in Ottawa.

So he's six games to score seven goals. I give him plus 250 odds.

Yeah.

I mean, that's not terrible. That's not crazy. That's. That's. That's very reasonable.

Yeah. So last night, it was a complete beat down of the Ottawa Senators. Six nothing. We were, as Chris Cody said, at Disney on ice at Ameren Bank arena. So we did not get to get a full viewing.

Well, you didn't watch it last night at 01:00 a.m. Like I did.

I saw highlights.

Okay.

Yeah, I saw highlights on NHL Network. Yeah. And yeah, it was a complete beat down. And of course, okay, Bobroski shut out in 30 saves.

That's great for Bob. I mean, it was kind of shut out was an issue for him, getting shutouts the first few years in South Florida. He only had like two or three in his first two or three years, but now I think that's five for him this year. Two of them are against Ottawa. I just felt like last night as I watched the game, it was like an exercising of demons kind of night where they just continued to pound and pound and come in waves and play their style. And I think they'd wanted to kind of put that together for a while. So it was really good to see.

Especially on the penalty kill and special teams, they went six for six on the penalty kill.

Yeah. Staying out of the box is an issue that they need to fix up before the playoffs start because they've been taking a ton of penalties lately. But, yeah, it was great to see the PK step up. Paul Maurice said after the game that he liked that they got more aggressive. It's kind of was their bread and butter on the PK was getting up on the balls of their feet and really pressuring. And so it's good to see them get back to that last night in Ottawa.

So the Bill Masterton Trophy is for perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey and the members of the Professional Hockey Riders association. Each team has a chapter.

Yes.

All right, so the chapter that you're in, the Panthers chapter, has nominated Oliver Ekman Lawson for the Masterson Trophy. Now, just to go over his last few years, he had knee surgery in 2019. He broke his foot in 2020. He sprained his ankle last season to end his Canucks tenure this year. He's played all 77 games, nine goals, 21 assists for 30 points. He's a plus eight. So why don't you go over why you and the rest of the chapter nominated Oliver Ekman Austin well, you're talking.

About a guy who, like, when he started in Arizona, he was like an elite, elite defenseman, high scoring, like one of the best in the league. Big trade to Vancouver. It was like highly publicized at the time. And then he had the foot. He had two different foot injuries that really hampered his time. When he was at Vancouver, he just looked like a shell of himself. He got shit on in the media. It was not very good. The fans weren't happy. So fresh start. He gets bought out in Vancouver, comes to Florida, clean slate, and what does he do? First? He steps in. Top pairing guy filling in for when EcBlad Montour route. He's continued to play, whether it was top power play. He's played penalty kill. He's played whatever pairing, wherever they've asked him. He's had this great smile on his face, great attitude. He's working with the younger kids. He's been everything that you could have asked of him and more, and he's done it all with this wonderful attitude and really just exemplifying and showing what hockey is and what a great teammate, what a great person he is. And we just thought, you know, for the options we had with the Panthers, he was by far and away our best option to nominate.

We don't know who the rest of the nominees are, the other 31 nominees are, but I think this is a good choice from us down here in the US. As if I'm a. As if I am not in the PHWa. So. But that was a good choice by you guys to get OL in there. Tomorrow is the big one. This is again the big one. This is pretty much a playoff game for the Florida Panthers. They're playing the Boston Bruins at 330 with this five games left now. All right. And then the Bruins are coming off of beating Carolina. Last five games. Yeah, five games. That's why I said five games left, including this one. Of course, the Bruins are leading the division right now. The Panthers are four points behind. They both have 77 games played. So there are no games at hand.

No.

And as far as the overall picture, the Bruins are tied with the stars for second in the league behind the New York Rangers. So what do you think about this one?

I think if Florida wants any chance of winning the division, that this is a must win. I'm just thinking back to our Reinhardt comments. I'm changing my odds to 350 if he's only got five games to score seven goals.

Oh, wow.

But no, I mean, this is a big. I don't know how important it is to the Panthers to win the division. They've said they want to finish top and they want to have home ice, but I mean, as they proved to the world last year, it doesn't really make a huge difference. They started every series on the road. You know, in the Eastern Conference, they went five and one. They only got to game seven once, and they won that on the road in Boston. So, you know, I think that right now for the Panthers, the big priority is just getting to where they're comfortable with how they're playing. I think Ottawa was a big step in the right direction, but going from the Senators to the Bruins, I mean, just looking at the standings, you're talking about a 35 point jump, which again, Florida and Boston last year in the playoffs, that kind of worked out okay for Florida, but right now this is going to be a big test. Are the Panthers really round in the corner? We're going to find out Saturday afternoon.

That's a good point about home ice because he really only won one series on home ice and that was completing the sweep to Carolina. So they won the two series prior on the road. So, yeah, that is a. That's an excellent point there. All right, before we get to our guest with Greg Versinsky, Dave, you said that you had something for me.

Yeah. Well, just one other thing. The interesting thing that happened this week, one of your favorite players, Sidney Crosby.

Why do you do this to me?

He clinched for 19 straight years in the league. He's clinched being a point per game player. And as crazy as that sounds, it kind of made me think because Crosby, in the last few years, we've kind of fallen under. You know, we talked about Connor McDavid, Nathan McKinnon, Austin Matthews. Like, those are the superstars. We don't really talk about Crosby that much in that regard anymore, but, I mean, thank God. But where does he line up in terms of the hockey lore, in terms of the Dretskis and the messiers and where these guys are going to be? Is he still among those guys, even with all of your hatred and piss and vinegar towards him?

I mean, of course he is. I mean, he's a generational player. Unfortunately, I do have to say that because it's the truth. And I would be a hypocrite. For me. For me, not this. For me, not to give him those kudos would make me a hypocrite.

Yeah.

So, yes, he's a generational player. Unfortunately, I don't like that generation. That's the unfortunate thing. So, yes, he's a Hall of famer. Yes, he's one of the best penguins to ever play. I would say he's probably maybe the third.

Yeah.

Best.

I wouldn't put him ahead of Mario or Yarmir.

Yeah, exactly. Maybe even the fourth. Who knows? But yeah. Yeah. Yes. Yes. Good for him.

Okay.

Hooray. I was really hoping that he won't make the playoffs, but for a second year in a row. But it's looking like they might catch the Capitals.

He's. Crosby's been tearing it up lately, so he's kind of carrying that team.

Greg Brushinski is next. All right. Joining us now from ESPN and the Drop podcast, which is an ESPN vehicle, is Greg Brushinski. And we are getting closer and closer to playoff time right now.

Yes.

And it seems like the Panthers fans are panicking. They've lost eight out of eleven and they've shut down Aaron Eckblad in and Carter for Hagee. They recently won in Ottawa, but they've dealt with injury and illness. Can you quell Florida Panthers fans fears right now?

Greg, it's all part of the plan, man. Look, look, you're getting. You're getting a Vlad some rest. You're getting Bruhegi some rest. You're avoiding potentially, a first round series against the Lightning and a revitalized Andre Vasilevsky, who's been playing really well lately. And you earn yourself a potential first round matchup against the Toronto Maple Leafs, who you know you can beat and who you know, listen, you know, them getting out of the first round last year is as rare as the solar eclipse. So it's all part of the plan. And then, you know, on top of that, let's face it, this is something I was saying to somebody the other day when they asked me about the Panthers. You don't want the Panthers to win the division, and you don't want the Panthers to finish overall in the conference. This team, I think, works best when it's punching from underneath. And the idea that they can go into the playoffs and be like, oh, God, we're so hurt now. We didn't finish first, and no one believes in us. It's just like we all psych ourselves up in different ways. Right? And I feel like the best mode of psych up for the Florida Panthers is to not be the team that they've been for the last several months and to be the team that has some doubts and some critics and some people picking the Leafs in the first round and stuff like that.

Greg, I did want to talk to you about something that we saw the other day in your neck of the woods at Madison Square Garden, and it was a. It was a line brawl, really.

Yeah, it was a line brawl.

I thought it was awesome. I genuinely feel like that kind of stuff doesn't happen that often anymore. And granted, it shouldn't happen all the time, but I thought it was really fun to see. I think what Matt Rempe has kind of brought to the Rangers and really to the league is. Has been really fun. But I did want to get your take on it as a devil's connoisseur and as somebody who is right there in the backyard of where all this went down.

Yeah. Got my devil's puck back here, right over here in this area here. So let me give you. Let me give you the two different takes. I'll give you the hockey journalist take, and then the Devils fan take. The hockey journalist take. Is that it was tons of fun. And I'm always so fascinated to see when something like this happens. And you're right, it doesn't happen as frequently as it used to. Which is why I think it's more palatable, because this kind of thing used to happen, like, every two weeks in the league, and it was kind of, like, enough already. But for all the talk about, like, getting fighting out of the game expands the league's footprint, widens the tent, like, brings more fans in who don't want to see fighting. Every time we get one of these things, whether it's rempe beating up people or taking punches to the face, or the line brawl the other night, like, everybody talks about it. Like, it becomes a conversation on, on lots of national radio shows. It becomes, I had a guy text me, he's like, I was at the gym, and some guy who never talks about hockey came up to me and he was like, you see the line brawl last night?

Like, it's just something that resonates and brings a curiosity to the NHL that isn't normally there just by somebody scoring a pretty goal. So again, like, I don't think it'll ever leave, but this is why it shouldn't leave the brutality and the violence in this sport, because there is a barbaric, animalistic reaction people have to hockey. And as long as you're giving it to them in small doses versus a weekly basis, I think it's, as a Devils fan, I hated it. I'll say why I hated it because less than 24 hours after this team basically blew its season, blowing a third period lead to the Pittsburgh Penguins, they go, I have no problem with them getting revenge on Renpe because it should have happened in the previous game after he injured a couple of devils and he didn't fight. So I have no problem getting some comeuppance against him. But this line brawl was just like full diaper pettiness. It was like you pissed your season away and now you're just trying to, like, you know, show some, some vim and vigor and emotion against your arch rival to feel better about yourselves. And then they go, and again, they blow another third period lead and lose the game.

So my take on it as a Devils fan was channel that energy into not losing to the Ottawa Senators, Buffalo Sabers, and Arizona Coyotes and Pittsburgh Penguins down the stretch because the Devils did have a lane to make the playoffs and they blew it. And also, the best revenge you probably could have taken against the New York Rangers would be to qualify for the playoffs and eliminate them again. Which is another thing that they clearly could have done if they had played better in the last couple of weeks. And instead, not only did they not do that, they got their asses swept by the Rangers this season, in the season series. So not, not for me, good for.

The league, fun for hockey.

Good for me as a fighting fan, not for me as a Devils fan.

All right, two questions for me here. As a rookie, Matt Rempe doing this, I mean, he's not exactly like making himself, you know, real friendly to not endearing himself, not enduring himself. Exactly how you feel about that. Plus, what pissed you off more? Was it the elbow or the wave bye bye all the way?

Bye bye is whatever. I have no problem with taunting. And at the time, I don't think he knew that, that he was getting kicked out for that I think was the sequence of events. But, so it's interesting, the people in the league, especially the guys in the devils that I've talked to about Rempe, they all say the same thing, which is that this guy needs to learn how to hit. Like he, he is, he's too tall, obviously.

Yeah, he's 7ft tall.

And I actually did a feature story on him for ESPN.com. You can, you can find it there. I think it ran maybe like last month or maybe like a couple weeks after he came into the league and he had that same problem in junior hockey, which is that he's so tall that he had to learn how to hit. And his coach in junior hockey told me that, like, rent, I mean, I'm going to choose to believe this is true, but he said that Rempy would be in tears after games, after hitting guys because he didn't intend to hurt them, but because of the height differential, it ended up happening. So the guys in the league clearly are like, you are a good physical player, just learn how to hit. The guys outside the league are the ones that I found really interesting because when Rempe came up and started fighting everybody and having those wild sort of like fists of flying, no defense kind of bouts, the old school enforcers, guys like John Scott, for example, the guy that I helped count to the all Star game said, like, you know, it's great to see.

But he actually reached out to renpe through Instagram DM and said, hey, man, like, let's talk. Like, you need to learn how to defend yourself better. You need to use your reach better. You need to like figure out to not take so much damage because you bring a lot to this game. You bring a lot of excitement to your team just don't get, you know, CTE in your first two weeks of the of your career. Right? And so it's been interesting to see like the clear. He clearly has caught the attention of people in the league that are like hit better. But there's also this notion of like, we've been waiting for this guy to come around for a while, the guy who reignites the passion of fighting in this league, and we just want him to stick around and not take incredible battle damage in doing so.

So I want to ask you real quick about do a little trophy talk. I know that's something that you take seriously and it's something that we both vote for, but there's a couple that we don't get to vote for that I wanted to ask you about, actually, and that's the Jack Adams and the Vezna Trophy. I think both of those races have been pretty fun this year, especially the way the second half of the season is lining up. So I wanted to get your take on that.

Well, you're right.

I take it. I'm like the Gold derby blog for the Oscars. Like, I'm just like, I take it way too seriously. And you can read the latest NHL awards watch nespn.com dot. I actually get the actual voters to give me their ballots and see what the votes actually look like as we head into the actual balloting. Like you said, the GM is out for the Vezna. I hope that they have a little bit more variety than the writers do because I asked the writers who they thought should win, and all of them said Connor Hellebuch. Like to a person, they all said Connor Hellebuch. Thatcher Demko got mentioned. Sergei Bobrovsky earned some, some love in sort of the honorable mentions, too, but nobody got a first place vote outside of Connor Hellebuch. And I think his candidacy was really cemented when the jets sort of like petered out in the last month. For a while, they were the best defensive team in hockey, and he was sort of like helping that cause, and then they lost the thread defensively and he was still kind of carrying them in the last month. So he's only gotten better.

The Jack Adams is fascinating, really fascinating, because there hasn't been a month in which Rick Tuckett didn't top our rankings. The Vancouver Canucks coach, who obviously has turned them into a division leader, obviously you can point to the things that they have done defensively and say that is Tockett's system doing that. And when there's demonstrable results and success on the ice. That's a recipe for a guy winning Jack Adams. But I think that John Torturella, if the Flyers do make the playoffs, is going to have a really strong case. He is obviously pulling every trick in his bag out right now to try to get that team into the playoffs, benching captains, calling out players, getting all mopey himself on the mic to be.

Like, I don't know why people think I'm so mean.

And then you got him, and then you got Andrew Burnett from the, from the national predators, who has also been really great. They had that incredible winning streak. Obviously, if you're a voter and the broadcasters vote on this award, you say to yourself, what has a coach done to invigorate his team? Well, no one canceled tickets to go see u two at the sphere. That was only Andrew Brunette who did that. And then after that they won like 16 in a row. So those three guys right now, I think your leaders, but don't count out Jim Montgomery in Boston. I think he's got a strong case and a few other guys that could probably make a strong case, too.

Let's go over the playoff races real quick. In the east, the second wild card and the third spot in the metro is up for grabs right now. The only way the Red Wings are going to make the playoffs because the Atlantic is pretty much sold up is if they get the wild card spot. The Flyers, the Islanders, the Capitals and player. The Penguins are playing for their lives right now.

Fun.

And the Flyers and Capitals are playing themselves out in the west right now. Both wild card spots. Alpha grabs the Kings can catch the golden knights for third. In the Pacific, the blues in the wild are playing for their lives. I mean, what do you think here, east, west? What do you get?

I think if you're the kings, you want to stay where you are. To be honest with you, like, you know, seeing Edmonton in the first round again is not really on my, my menu. If I'm the Kings right now, I'd much rather be in a series against, you know, Dallas or Vancouver just because it seems like Edmonton's got Edmonton. You want Edmonton to have a little bit of fear right now, and I don't think they have any fear of the Kings in the east. I still think the Flyers are going to get over the finish line. The numbers don't really add up for them all that well, and obviously it's going to take them finding another gear, and torturella is doing everything he can to help them find it. But they do have a pretty favorable schedule the rest of the way. The team I'm worried about is the Capitals. Like, I watched that game against the Penguins last night, and that looks like a team that has hit the wall. Look like a team that the needle is on e right now. The Capitals, you know, I've counted them out before, and they've surprised me.

But that was an effort last night against the Penguins. I mean, it should have been a playoff atmosphere, right, with a team trying to hold onto its spot and a team coming up from behind. But the only team that was playing playoff hockey was the Penguins. And so it wouldn't shock me if it's like, flyers penguins. I just can't trust the Red Wings enough, man. Like, every time I think they're turning the corner, they just stumble. And I think the Penguins right now, you know, they've, they've, they've found a little momentum. Crosby's playing out of his mind, and, and I think they might slip in, which would potentially lead to a Rangers Penguins first round series, which would be pretty epic, because if you remember the whole Jacob Truba Crosby thing, like, it could be pretty interesting.

Crosby and Shasturkin just have a little thing the other day.

Yeah.

So that could be fun.

Oh, no.

Those two teams kind of hate each other, and it'd be so intriguing if the penguins do make it. Cause, I mean, like, after they traded Jake Gensler, I think the notion was that they were, like, done. They were cooked, and they played pretty poorly after that, too, but they've really rallied. I mean, I think it just is a testament to Sid. We were talking about awards before. One of the things we talked about in the drop this week is, like, if they sneak in and Sid's got, like, something crazy, like, 20 points in his last eight games, like, does he get into the MVP conversation?

It's possible.

Greg Waski of ESPN, you can find him on the drop podcast, and you can find him on the puck soup Patreon. Thank you for joining us, Greg. Anytime.