Bye Week

intro:   0:01
It's time to get on the ice. Music City Gold is on the air! With Kyle Hancock, Daniel Mangrum and Matt Bain. We are Smashville's best fan driving podcast. Featuring news around the league, the Predators and the occasional hot take or two.  Part of the Penalty Box Radio network, you're listening to Music City Gold.  

Kyle:   0:30
And welcome back everybody to another episode of Music City Gold on the Penalty Box Radio network. I'm your host, Kyle. We are brought to you by seventh element and with me as always, are my co-hosts, Daniel and Matt.

Daniel:   0:40
Hello.  

Matt:   0:41
Hey guys.

Kyle:   0:42
boys, it is snowing outside today. As I told my wife on the way over here tonight I said, It is snowing and the wind is cold. I said For the first time, it actually feels like winter this year.

Daniel:   0:53
Yeah, no shame. I actually wore my long Jones to work today. It's that cold, but that's the way it is around here. It really gets cold in January, December. You know you can wear your shorts leaves pretty much for Christmas time, but come January, it's going to be in the single digits. Maybe negatives.

Matt:   1:09
Yeah. I mean, we're at, like, 60 degrees just last week. And I think the windshield today was 12 when I got out. Just and this is like 11 p.m. Go to the gym anyway. Yeah, it was. It was frigid. Today we put Snow in quotes because it was just Fleury ing, but, you know, whatever. It was nice to see a little little white stuff spinning from the sky.

Kyle:   1:28
So I was telling Chelsea I said, The one thing that really gets you down here in winter time is not the snow like she's used to. It's the wind. She was telling me that

Matt:   1:36
that he didn't He

Kyle:   1:36
Yeah, she was telling me up in Newfoundland and Labrador, they've had to call the military end because the snow was so much. And there's a time lapse on Twitter of somebody from New Zealand who the 24 hour period. Their car was completely covered with snow. From the ground up, you could not see it.

Matt:   1:51
I'm just going to say this, though, is cold as it does get here. It cannot be as cold as it wasn't Edmondson the other night, where the Preds played the Oilers

Kyle:   1:59
Negative 35

Matt:   2:00
negative 35 with a wind chill of minus 50.

Daniel:   2:04
Oh, my God.

Matt:   2:04
They went from a minus 50. Win Jill to 60 degrees when they got off the plane in Nashville, You talk about a violent temperature swing. I mean, that's that's great. Over 100 degrees, when you're factoring in the wind chill reminds David take off the landing

Kyle:   2:22
reminding that scene from a cool runnings. When the guys get out from Jamaica to think it was that Boston they had to drop off the airport at

Matt:   2:28
I can't remember. Yeah,

Kyle:   2:29
they walk out the airport in. The first thing I'd do is drop a suitcase because they weren't expecting the cold.

Matt:   2:32
Yeah, it's it does just startlingly cold. But, you know, uh, I'm kind of glad it's a little chillier now. Feels kind of like hockey. And of course, this is the the All Star break, which means this is the final push for the playoffs, so it can't be more excited. And usually the Preds play pretty well. Historically, after the All Star break,

Kyle:   2:53
we are gonna get some rest because even though the All Star break is coming up, there's also the preds bye week. So it's weird when your team doesn't have any games. No football has a bye week, and the NHL recently introduced the bye week a couple of seasons ago. And, you know, here we are like it said a couple seasons in and it's still where'd we go in man's hockey season? And my team doesn't play it all this week.

Matt:   3:13
Yeah, it's It's quite the break, and I was kind of looking at the schedule to after the All Star break. It really ramps up. We have a lot of back to backs. It's almost every single week. We haven't least one back about it. It's gonna be a very brutal schedule. I think it was like a game in every 1.9 days on average. So get ready, fellas. But you know this team, I always say, plays better with less rest. They Once they get in the groove, just let him go. So I'm interested to see what happens after the All Star break this year and also that'll give us some time to recoup from some key injuries like systems and Ellis.

Kyle:   3:49
I will say I did find out that Krystle Tang has taken over in the metropolitan spot as captain and I will say there is one player in the Pacific Division who is going to be glad that he's gonna get resting. That's Matthew Go, Chuck. Because if you didn't see what happened to him this week

Daniel:   4:03
Oh, yeah,

Kyle:   4:04
Or I think it was last week of this point. He got his butt handed to him by that CASS Ian

Daniel:   4:09
that I tell you, I've just watched that clip over and over. That was a throwback to the old school hockey man. He eyes that Cassie and got him up by the caller and tore him down like a rag doll starting beating his face in. And Matthew could Chuck, you know, he's kind of, ah, scrappy player to That's not just, ah, lightweight. There he could get with the best of them is that casting just manhandled them. Don't A couple left to the face and they had some words, you know, afterwards, the postgame locker room interview. Ah, Cassie, um called. A couple just called him a couple of choice words as well, but I have to say that was pretty exciting to watch. You usually don't see players get quite that rough and violent and hockey anymore. So it reminded me of a throwback to the nineties That that was incredible.

Kyle:   4:49
Well, I'm not surprised that casting through those hits because it looked like a Chuck was target him the entire game. Yeah, just throwing the hits left and right. And I believe this is like, the second or third hit Casting. Just simply said I have enough of you and just went after him.

Daniel:   5:01
Yeah, I think that's what led to it. It wasn't just like a one off in, since he had been kind of running around him all game, and this was like, All right, I've had enough. You crossed the line. So about the handle your butt. So that's pretty much what I

Matt:   5:11
have nothing to say. Like sometimes you just gotta answer the call like you do. You have e. I mean, you've been doing it all day, so sometimes you just gotta own up for it. And apparently he was not ready because, I mean, he looked like a little rag doll getting thrown around out there, and I mean, that was some grown man stuff going down on the ice right there.

Kyle:   5:29
But do you think that the player safety shows has been taken Chuckas well as casting because casting got suspended and he had a hearing on on the 13th with the player safety. He got suspended for two games in a Rule 46 point to as the aggressor, and I know that worth it. I think it was worth it to you defending yourself, you know, defend your teammates. You can have something like that on the ice. Like, yes, Matthew, Chuck is a decent player. But, you know, if you get on the ice, everyone knows now that he's going to be that guy, it's gonna be targeting people. Especially he doesn't like you.

Daniel:   5:56
Yeah, I'm okay with the suspension. Like gas back in my day, I would've let that play. But I know this is the new school stuff. Should could Chuck have got suspended? Probably not. I think it's fun. Both away. Sure give casting the game or two whatever and get to check out of here. I'm fine with that. That was fine.

Kyle:   6:12
But at what point do you say that you're actually instigating it? Because it looked like Chuck was going after casting all those hits and including one of them. Caspian's head was a little low. So you know, it's also know that I think of watching the body. But still, Chuck did not make an effort to get away from that hit, either.

Matt:   6:31
I do find it funny that on that last hit, where he finally just drop the gloves and had enough, I mean, you can hear McDavid's actually screaming head up head up because he knew you were about to get checked because he was coming in with the fly it like flying formation. I mean, it was a back check for sure. And, uh, when you have other players calling out like a you know, this is about to happen. You're about to get wrecked and, you know, like it's been coming that's been building up on I don't know, like the other players can see it from a mile away, too. So I don't know. He has that. Hey, is that track record, too, for having those big hits and not really answering the bell as you stated in the post game interview. So it was very interesting to see a reaction from a player who obviously had had enough of his antics and especially that game. It just was like one hit after another just came to a boiling point and he exploded.

Kyle:   7:27
And another piece of news that went around league as you know, we're bouncing back of order in the league news is that we find out that on January 12th Ray Shero is no longer the GM of the New Jersey Devils. Tom Fitzgerald takes in as the interim GM, and beloved goalie Marty Brodeur goes on as the adviser to hockey operations. So who saw that coming? Because, you know, the devil's this season. We're like Prime to make a playoff push. They wouldn't make the playoffs, and I can't think of a worse. Seem to have the worst luck. And they just fell in their face out of the gate. Let's look here just briefly what they had start this season off. So they get Peek a super from us and they get Wayne Simmons from us. You have a 2019 1st round overall pick of Jack Hughes and you got the 2017 1st round overall pick of Nico hi shirt and then you got Taylor Hall. So those people combine your thinking man, this team is going to dominate their division is going to dominate the Eastern Conference and is going to make a strong seat in the NHL playoffs. And nope.

Matt:   8:25
Yeah, you know, it was funny because when we traded Piquet, we knew it would give us obviously a big hole for the defensive lapse. But he's also going over there and done hardly anything, too. So I think there's some under performing as well. But you could see the writing on the wall with them and then also hall leaving. That was huge. I mean, you're you're cleaning house essentially and starting fresh as an ownership group in the Devil's organization.

Kyle:   8:50
I mean, with that roster, they have went 17 24 and seven for 41 points and their last one, they got blown out versus the Blue Jackets.

Daniel:   9:01
Yeah, I kind of viewed this move as just a continuation of the cleaning house. They got some roster in, and that guy let the coach go, then let the GM go because you really have to have ah entire system and this is the way it is with everything you bring in your team, your people that preach your system in your style and you want to make it all congruent That way, everything flows as nice as possible. So I really don't know quite the job, You know, it not privy to the exact role that Shiro was operating there, whether or not he was doing a great job or not. But perhaps it was just a situation of trying to find a piece to fit the puzzle, exactly how they were trying to view themselves going forward. So, like you said, they look great on the roster. So hopefully it probably won't look too good at the end of this year. They're probably not gonna make that push like they were hoping. But give it next year, get a team to coach together that can be, can growing together. And they're gonna have something.

Kyle:   9:55
No. The real interesting fact about this story is it was said in rumored and even talked about in L. A Freeman's 31 thoughts. Ah, Blogger Day was that the analytics people for New Jersey may have possibly had a hand and getting Cheryl out the door because they don't report to G. Emery Shiro. They report directly to the ownership

Matt:   10:14
that is quite interesting because you'd think some of those stats would trickle down like coaching staff and or slash the GM personally because he is doing a lot of the scouting. But, I mean, I was looking at actually some of these numbers, so you can essentially say that we traded p k a way to get do Shane. We'll do. Shane has had 31 points this year for Nashville. P K only has 11 points and a plus minus for a defenseman of minus 15. Right now, Yeah, that's like probably the worst wars year during his career after we traded him. So I'm wondering because, you know, he started having those injuries coming towards the end of his career here in Nashville. And I think David Poile saw the writing on the wall and was like, Hey, we need to dump the contract So he obviously did not look very, very well and at the's second half of this contract, So Well, see, I think that also was a contributing factor for Ray being fired because, I mean, you make a couple moves like that where you think they're gonna be good, and then they don't pan out and you'll get the can really quick in this league.

Kyle:   11:20
You know who also got the can this week, though. And that was another unexpected move. And that was Vegas Golden Knights Coach Gerard Gallant Guys, this man has, I guess, some of the worst luck when it comes to fire. And for he went the Vegas. He got let go from Carolina Hurricanes and had to get a cab to make his way home. Huh? And now

Matt:   11:41
and he was coaching the whole store game, and now he's out.

Kyle:   11:46
And it's weird, too, and it made me wonder. I quickly went back and looked through the season of the Vegas cold nights, and everyone knows that no one was expecting them to make the first round of the playoffs their nautical season, let alone make a Stanley Cup final. Yeah, everyone says that the NHL kind of rigged the expansion draft in their favorite that make them competitive right away. But do you think them making the Stanley Cup finals their first season set the bar too high would have been more realistic for them to just have a good season the first season and then try to make the playoffs the second season try again the third and then made by the four seed. And if you don't make the playoffs, didn't like a lot go.

Daniel:   12:24
Well, that being said, I mean, you got off to such a hot star. What more could you expect? I mean, you know, you went so far in your inaugural year, and now you're doing so well, you're first. You're in first place in your division. So that's why he was supposed to be the coach. Ah, in the All Star Game. Do you go from that kind of success toe letting him go because you feel like you haven't reached here. I think the terms were full potential or something like that. I'm quite surprised that actually

Kyle:   12:54
I mean, in my eyes, you reached more than your full potential in the first season alone. Nobody expects your team to make the playoffs the first season. Of course, everyone like, of course, everyone has national to look at here locally of how bad we did the first season as a team and how long it took us to make the playoffs. But no, I was expecting Vegas to make the playoffs first. Overall and it's just weird because you're like you could have asked more from dark. A lot of players like them. He liked being in Vegas. And when the AH people asked him, he said, totally caught him off by surprise. He was not expecting to get Lego.

Matt:   13:27
I think it's only a four game losing streak, wasn't it? I mean, it was not anything severe. And on top of it, I think most of it was correlated to goaltending woes, where you had a lapse from Fleury, which he's getting a little older. Understandable, but he is still a top tier goaltender like he's gonna have time. Story falters. But I I honestly did not see this one coming, and it did not make a lot of sense. Like lobbies, firing made a little bit more sense because of where we were at Divisional E. But if you look at where the Knights were when the firing took poise, they're only like four or five points back from first place in the division of the Pacific. That does not make any sense to me right now.

Daniel:   14:07
There's still one point back from first place in the Pacific, and when

Matt:   14:12
he's around two games, ready

Daniel:   14:13
for there's five teams that all are within one point for first place in the Pacific. It's crazy. It's 58 57 57 57 57. It's it's crazy, so they're not doing bad at all. They're borderline first place in the in the division. It's, I don't know. That move catches me off guard,

Kyle:   14:33
but then, would you have expected the nights to go around and hire Peter the board?

Matt:   14:38
I mean, that was the logical replacement. Was it not? I mean, it's someone who kind of knows the team had the same division. They had plenty of playoff experience against each other. Let's not even go back to the bad blood from last season. First of all, my dream would be for you want to get hired by the Sharks and then then meet in the playoffs. And then the Sharks get a five minute major than end up scoring three goals and then going on. That would be the perfect dream scenario for me for this playoff season, but that is probably not going to happen. That said, who knows if it's really, honestly gonna help because I didn't once again. It felt like another lateral move. Kind of like with LA VI and high like it didn't make sense to me, the firing to begin with. So it didn't make sense, like Okay, well, we're going to go out here and we're gonna get Peter because he's definitely the best option out here right now and see where it goes. So,

Daniel:   15:34
the situation with the Knights, I think it kind of reminds me what we just discussed with Jersey and trying to find a guy. Further system. They got it. They got a new roster. They got new coach coming in there, a new system we're trying to set in place. And we mentioned how Vegas is still young. Start up. They're still young and trying to find their legs and identity of who they are. And while they have had success, maybe Galan was just the guy, too. Fill in while we tried to find the guy we really want. So perhaps a guy like devore we knew it was just gonna be a matter of time before he made his way back to the NHL head coaching job. So maybe gallant just kind of filled the void while they waited out for a year or two to find that the guy to find the guy they were really looking for. And perhaps that was maybe a pita bore all along.

Kyle:   16:23
Now, do you think George lot? Well, maybe Coach Seattle because they don't have a coach yet.

Matt:   16:28
Well, I mean, lobby stop there, too.

Daniel:   16:30
Yeah, there's there's still a couple coaches. You still got Babcock out there. There's Lenny.

Matt:   16:35
I don't know if Babcock will get higher now, just with all of his recent antics and such. I think I think for Seattle the too logical people to fill it would be gone and lobby.

Daniel:   16:45
I think they're still like three or four guys out there. I don't have the sheet in front of me, but that's still three or four guys that are looking for a head coach job that have experienced behind the bench.

Kyle:   16:55
I mean, I think we will see Ah lot back up behind the bench. I think we will see lobby. I think we'll eventually see Jim Montgomery behind the bench to eventually. I don't think you're going to see Peter's or Babcock behind the bench for a while, though.

Daniel:   17:07
Yeah, but that being said, That's still what four or five guys that all have more experience than Gallant. So it will be interesting to see going forward to Seattle chooses.

Kyle:   17:17
So since we're talking about coaches, let's go and get into our bread stock. So, as we say, to begin to show the Preds have a bye week and then you got the All Star break coming up. The president have another game again until January 27th against Toronto, and until that game they will now be at 51 points in 47 game played. So that means there's six in the division, their 11th in the conference and overall there, 21st in the league and their record as of today, a Monday night is 22 wins, 18 losses and seven overtimes, and our points leader is you see which 48 are Gold Leader is a force work with 16. USC, unsurprisingly, has 34 assists and, sadly, our power play in our penalty kill still suck. Power plays at 24th at 16.9% and our penalty kill is 29th at 73.7%.

Matt:   18:08
Yeah, that's that's the biggest going factor this year for us. Ironically enough, it's not depend on the power play. It's a penalty killers here.

Kyle:   18:16
But, you know, you said this is a team that historically is known for having a very strong second half of season push. I mean, we're still a few points out of a wild card spot. I don't have the exact number frenemy.

Matt:   18:28
We're six points out of a wild card spot right now.

Kyle:   18:31
Okay, some ass movie right now

Matt:   18:32
with four games at hand, that's that's That's the key. Right now it's The Predators have played way less games than anybody. They literally have the fewest amount of games played in the entire league going into the break.

Kyle:   18:43
That being said with that many games left the play without doing any sort of research. Just on your gut feeling, do the Predators to make the playoffs.

Matt:   18:54
I say Yes, in a wild card spot.

Daniel:   18:57
I'm going to say a resounding no,

Kyle:   18:59
and I'm gonna have to say no, because right now I am not impressed. Yes, I like seeing the changes in Coach Hinds, a system they've already been noticeable since he's been on behind the bench. We've went 33 you know, and on the winds that we've had, we've looked a pretty dominant team and our losses that we've had. We started out strong and then just fell in our face again.

Daniel:   19:19
Well, here's the thing. You know, Rome wasn't built in a day and I was talking to a guy at work about this and he was like, Oh, you know, new coach coming in, How the president look after this and I said, Well, you know, if everything goes great, let's just assume John Heinz is the magic touch for this roster and now we're going to start kicking. But my only fear with that is it's a little bit too little, too late. This thing is gonna take time to mesh well, to learn his system in the way of doing things. And that's assuming you can fixed all over night, which you can't, and you're already on top of that. What we say six points back of a wild card spot. So you're already on the outside looking in, and I just think it's looking extremely. That's the definition of an optimist. I think if you expect the breads to be back in the playoffs before the end of this year.

Matt:   20:05
Six points back with four games at hand, though.

Daniel:   20:07
Yeah, it's doable.

Matt:   20:08
That's all I'm saying. That's the only reason why I say is it's 100% doable because it is doable. They have plenty of games. I

Daniel:   20:15
just this whole year, you know, has got me doubting them. So for them to turn it around here in the in the home stretch, I think that would be very optimistic of them. That'd be great. But I'm a little reserved and saying that they will do so.

Kyle:   20:30
I mean, in the same way I like how the team has played when they've had a strong game. They've looked unbeatable. They looked unstoppable. They can play with the best of anybody, but they just seem to have this very consistent thing that they get a strong lead. They let that first goal in from the opposition and they just wilt and they just don't seem to have a response. And we've seen too many times in the postgame interviews where they've told the press that Hey, this game was a wake up call. Well, how many wake up calls do you need before it clicks.

Matt:   21:01
Yeah, well, say this, though. The the last game against Buffalo, they got up to a great start. Lots of shots on goal, lots of high quality shots. Honestly, their goaltender was on it that night, too, because he was getting peppered constantly. We had several ring off the post, but ironically enough, Buffalo ended up scoring first on one defensive lap at the end of the first. And I'm like here we go again. But fortunately, I thought they showed great resolve and actually coming back, still sticking with the game plan. Got the one, got the 2nd 1 and just shut it down defensively. And it was a to one win, which we haven't seen from all from them in a while. As far as like goals against, we've been getting hammered. I mean, that was one big thing With Heinz coming, it was like goals against her way up. We have got to get that down and obviously, the ah, the penalty kill is just still atrocious. So I think those are the two big things they're focusing on right now.

Daniel:   21:57
Well, actually read an article from the athletic and Adam Vin again and reported and we're talking about John Heinz coming into his system, and you mentioned five on five. Even strength is really where the predators have shined, because obviously the special teams is garbage. So in this report from Adam Vic and he discusses system and he says, because system is such a buzzword around these parts in the wake of the coaching change, how would you describe behind his offensive and defensive philosophies at five on five? So Adam goes on to describe this, and I'll read this from this article. He says that Heinz is a big believer in protecting the high danger area in the defensive zone and getting bodies there in the offensive zone. Hiss system often lead to a weak shot attempt percentages. But when the Devils were successful in 2017 they were among the best teams in the league, I creating more high danger chances than they were allowed. Even when the team wasn't successful, it had better expected gold numbers than most of other underlying metrics. The devil strive to create offense off the rush, in part because speed it forward was a strength. Heinz also wants his teams to create chances by moving the puck from low to high in the offensive zone and creating havoc in front of the net. So I think that going forward, if he implements that same system here that will, I think they're very well for the pressure system. That's something we've been lacking. We've been talking about it for a year or two about having a body and net front presence and playing that down low, dirty game. So I think that would be very well for our system.

Matt:   23:31
The biggest factor is gonna be this bye week into the All Star break. We have an extended amount of time. They can now sit down and just practice. The only person that is going to be gone is Josie, who obviously has been our best player right now. So yes, it it kind of thinks that our captain will be away, but at the same time, the rest of the team congenital, they can heal up. You have systems coming back, Ellis, eventually, you know, I mean, we're still trying to get a timetable on him, but they said sometime after the All Star break, he he was literally second in our team. One points him and Yosi Word driving the offense before he got injured as well. So that said, there's a lot to look forward to after the break. But this is the critical week for the Preds, ironically enough, and there's no games being played

Kyle:   24:23
that you're talking about. Ellis being injured. Did you see the thing with Corey Perry? So he gets that five game suspension for elbow and Brian Ellis and the head of the Winter Classic gets off suspension. And I think I showed you the video yesterday. He comes around and basically knees still lock in the head in the blue paint.

Matt:   24:46
It was It was like a 60 game, too. By the way, he's going hard in the paint.

Kyle:   24:51
It's like that that's not needed. And this is the reasons, Like a five game suspension did not teach you. You didn't try to avoid it so and the last I saw there, this player safety is like not even looking at

Matt:   25:02
all this is still out, by the way you like. Meanwhile, he's entering another, still injuring another, trying, you know, hit other people like I still do not understand when a player specifically goes in for a dirty hit or goes in and I e hits a player, and they're subsequently out for X amount of games. In this case, Ellis has been out for a long time, by the way since, ah, the Winter Classic on January 1st. So he's been out definitely longer than five games. He'll be out probably 10 games minimum. Why is the person not committing the offense out? An equal amount of time to the person injured, plus one or two games or whatever the offense might be? Never understood

Daniel:   25:43
it. I like that. You? No idea. I think that's a bit of a fan theory lately as make the player go out as long as the injury of the guy here. I really like speculating on that. That's something good to postulate on. I really don't know if illegal. Implement that ever. But it comes at it time where we eat something else has to be done. I mean, you look, we're finding a guy like $50,000 which is the equivalent of, like, $20 to like normal people money. It's it's nothing for them to sit out a game, get like a little slap on the wrist. Fine. You know, it's not a big deal. So there has to come to some other way to make these guys feel it somehow make him sit out for a longer period of time for the duration of their injury find. Um um, I used more substantial amount of money, which isn't gonna happen. They're not gonna agree to that, But there has to be something done here.

Kyle:   26:30
What's gonna end up happening is we're gonna have one player that's going to take a concussion so severe for his first time that their base is going to say, You know what? You're out for the season. And then who knows? You may not get to come back at all and play your game because somebody did that. Such a

Daniel:   26:43
Yeah, you know, we might Could be forgiving of, you know, one accident, like Jumbo hurting somebody. You know, you're you're gonna let that one slide, but ah, guy like Corey Perry Just come off another suspension down to another suspension. Like enough's enough already for that guy.

Kyle:   26:58
So looking hair on the notes, guys. I see. I have a note to mention Colin Blackwell in Yacov training and one of things I have here is that Yakov training beat the Daniel Ciara in a fight.

Daniel:   27:09
I don't know if I'd call that b z Dont know Shara. You don't really beat Char and a fight but I will say he stood toe to toe down

Matt:   27:16
on him. If it's the points match he beat a beach are like If we go to the judge's table, he's getting more, but he's getting more points from the You're shaking your head just because it's Ciara okay, you like Ciara whatever. But if you go to a professional boxing match he wanted because he got the big hit, he got the points. Let's just let's just settle that

Daniel:   27:36
right now. I don't know.

Matt:   27:37
Did tire fall? No. Did he buckle? Yes,

Daniel:   27:40
it enough. Although

Kyle:   27:41
he buckled, though, so he was just

Daniel:   27:43
off bouncing was all

Matt:   27:44
what's what's his height difference?

Kyle:   27:47
That's why he

Daniel:   27:47
kicked the other guy's tail.

Matt:   27:49
They didn't about 50 50.

Kyle:   27:53
Yaakov training has a

Matt:   27:54
little fantasy world over there this

Daniel:   27:55
way that the Thai always goes the defending champion.

Matt:   27:59
It was not a tie

Daniel:   28:00
unless you knock him down. You didn't win as a wake up

Kyle:   28:04
look. Training has a degree in fighting so he knows how to fight.

Daniel:   28:08
Yeah, that was pretty interesting. You've got some kind of special certificate or something for kickboxing and

Matt:   28:13
saw he was holding him off, Waited for his laugh His one opportunity, and he just got him. It was That was impressive.

Daniel:   28:21
Not many guys take on Ciara, man. We watch casting earlier, but to see Yang training a guy, you know, I used to see and do this kind of stuff. Kind of a no name guy coming in there, standing up. And that was exciting to

Matt:   28:34
watch A good week for fights.

Kyle:   28:37
What's a better way to make your name known? The league that you're the guy that made the Daniels are a buckle.

Matt:   28:42
Yeah. I mean, that's that's an accomplished people didn't know your

Daniel:   28:44
name going in the game, but they're gonna know your name after the game.

Kyle:   28:47
Well, I mean, let's look at him right here. So Trans been up for about 12 games that he got sent back down to Milwaukee during the All Star break so he can keep playing. I fully expect that if citizens or Watson is not ready to go, Come next. Come the next game we played against Toronto. That training will be called back up because his partner calling Black Well, we'll have to say it's part of his fellow Admirals alum calling. Blackwell is still up here with us. So training since December 7th had six points in 12 games and Blackwell since December 14th has had five points in 15 games. Now I personally like training over Watson. I know there's a lot of Watson lovers out there. They're laying hits. Training, lays the hits. He's also quite a capable scorers. Well,

Matt:   29:33
yeah, It was interesting to note that both of them ended up going back to Blackwell start. Yes, it is interesting. Know that Yakov did go back to the HL this week. Um, I don't know if that's in anticipation for systems returning. I'm assuming that will be the case when sees Green started back in the lineup and then we'll see what they possibly want to do with Colin after the All Star break when Ellis returns. Because, honestly, I felt like with the amount of play and with the sample size that we got, they did earn a little bit more time until maybe the numbers do slack off a little bit.

Kyle:   30:11
Just may know Lima cultures to

Matt:   30:13
Yes, I think Black Blackwell looked a little better, a little better than trending. But training also was. I don't know. He's very gritty, very fast and hard into the boards. I don't I don't know. It's one of those. It's it's very difficult because we have a really good team right now. That's firing on all cylinders in Milwaukee. So obviously when we're pulling up people there contributing, so that's a good thing. But it's very hard to make the decision for who stays and who goes

Kyle:   30:40
well. I think that also helps because the admiral's that are being pulled up know that they have a legitimate shot of staying because it was how mediocre this team has been. But you know what I think Blackwells. Look, I think he is straight look, so it's like this. He scores a goal in Chicago game. Guess what else happens.

Matt:   31:00
The famed go legal

Kyle:   31:02
Rina gets his goalie goal. I mean, that was an amazing gold watch. I mean, I was watching the game with my wife and I was like No way, he's not going to get this And then I saw him fling. It was like Yeah, yeah, 00 no, that's going in

Matt:   31:16
It was curling, baby.

Kyle:   31:17
It went in and I don't know who was more excited. The fans Willie Danek, Chris Mason l know who was more excited for that gold?

Matt:   31:24
Everybody because they knew he had been trying this for how many years? Because he's he's obviously a puck handling goaltender. He likes to get out. He likes to move it. He he likes to work it up the boards for his team kind of help out in that department. And when the puck came around and I saw him kind of like, do little leg kick, you know, like stop it with his foot. I was on the couch and I'm like, Oh, my goodness, he's a He's about Shoot this and you could hear the bench screaming,

Kyle:   31:50
Shoot it, shoot it!

Matt:   31:53
And when he elevate, I mean, he got some air on that day. He cleared three people straight over in the middle of the ice and got enough curve on that toe where I mean hit almost dead center and it was a very good moment. Four pack for the entire crew. Chris Mason was super cited goalies around the league.

Kyle:   32:11
Oh, yeah,

Matt:   32:12
we're super X Tatted based on were held. Might

Kyle:   32:15
try to do is well, too.

Matt:   32:16
Yeah, Ben Bishop was freaking out like, Ah, I mean it. It was a great night for him. I honestly thought it provided a nice boost for the team despite the because you got to think this is almost right after the firing. So spirits are down. That type of play helps lift the team. I mean, you saw what it meant. Like Forsberg's freaking out. Even former players. You know, James Neal commented on his instagram like, you know, one doesn't make a the season. Is that, like, pick and fun And, um, you know, it's just it's one of those things that it was a great moment toe lift, the team spirit and hopefully get set in. The right direction goes, I mean, and this is rare to this doesn't happen often. The last time it happened was 2013.

Kyle:   33:00
It's funny because that last person to get Thea get a goal a goal was Mike Smith. So you fast forward to the admitting game Mike Smith is in goal and then good luck charm calling. Blackwell gets a goal. And also that night, Philip Hourswork Forsberg gets the mission,

Matt:   33:16
gets the Michigan. And, by the way, it is a really smooth Michigan goal, like people are arguing. It might have been the best of the Michigan goal so far, just because of how smooth it was. And he was in full stride. So, uh, it looked pretty impressive. He he had that puck on a string for that goal.

Kyle:   33:35
They said that that gold would have not went in, but they said, That's Mike Smith knew that fourth word was on a dry lower. Dropped it lower.

Matt:   33:42
Yeah, so when Mike went higher, Force were compensated and just went a little lower and then banked it on. And I was like, What's up? That's so good. I mean, to make those minuscule changes like that wall handling the puck, That's next level talent. The league is getting so dumb as far as like how good the talent pool is, I mean, because you were getting goes like this on the regular now, and it's just fun to watch, but yeah, maybe like well, is the Magic eight ball for us. I don't know. Our lucky charm are rabbits foot because we've been pulling out all the stops. This week's far crazy goals.

Kyle:   34:21
One interesting thing. You know what, since we're talking about goals and stuff, So looking back at the last six games since we've last recorded, the president had one goal in the second period. Like I have, I didn't send totally just now looking. I was like, Wow, there is no gold except for one that was fours right back at the Boston game.

Matt:   34:39
Yeah, that that has been a period that we're struggling. It will consequently, the third period we've been fairly strong in. And it's just one of those things that we're not scoring the first goal, usually normally because we actually have a lot of first period goals. But it's always after the opponent scores on us, which is interesting. It's a response to that, and then the second period, we come out flat and then usually we get scored on once or twice and then we have to dig out a hole and I know Heinz has been preaching this to the mental stability that, like you need to play 60 minutes which, honestly, I thought, like I said earlier, the Buffalo game was they did get scored on first, but they stayed to the game plane like the second period. They still locked it down defensively. They weren't trying to take too many, you know, trying to get that push back. And then, sure enough, they ended up scoring a goal in third when they were pushing, and they looked stronger, too, as that game went on and I I think that's how they're gonna start approaching the games for the rest of the season is play a solid 60. Try to keep the goals against lower. Obviously, our penalty hell is terrible right now, So please do not take any more penalties and you have to go.

Kyle:   35:48
Well, I don't know. I will believe it when I see it that the press play have pulled 60 because right now it seems like they play. Maybe a good 15. Good 20. And then something catastrophic happens. I mean, I want to be optimistic about this team. I love this team. This is my team. I want to be optimistic. But even when the new coach, I my, my gut is saying the season is too far gone

Matt:   36:09
now that they're still not playing a full 60. But it has been better, like noticeably better the last few games, so we will see if they can. And this was one of the problems, too, that I felt with the firing. Sometimes firings happen and it lights a fire and then sometimes a firing happens and it's still the players because they had a very emotional connection to lobby, obviously, so that being said, it's going to affect them on the ice for the next couple of games because he's not there anymore. It's just a weird factor, and I didn't know if this team was going to respond, like in a positive way or fold. As of right now, it's about 50 50 so it'll be interesting to see. Like I said after the All Star break, once you get more of your pieces back that were injured and the whole team's there 80 entire like it's like a week and 1/2 now to just sit down in practice with the new coach. I can't stress this is the most important week and we're not even playing games. I find that very funny this year, but it is the most important week in my opinion.

Daniel:   37:15
I also think you know another thing that's kind of been understated as we talked about Training and Blackwell, these air young, you know, borderline, eh, Joe and H er players. And that's something that possibly is. Why John Heinz got hired here is because he has a connection with a cello development of players on the national level there. And that's something he's known for is developing these young people coaching them up. And even Spence said that he helped shelter them a little bit playing his ah, his skill players almost too many minutes a game in order to help the young guys have time to like to mature and to marinate and figure the system out and figure it out. So I'm really curious going forward with these guys were talking about kind on the watch list, trending in black. Well, really curious to see the moves that he makes going forward with them, and if he's going to see them go back down the HL to Milwaukee or if he's going to help him come up and maybe put him on the line with somebody a little more skill, Little more veteran and helped them helped them come up. It's gonna be interesting.

Kyle:   38:15
Switching gears were quick guys. Before we go on to our next part of the show, do you think he O. C is deserving of the North? Still, this year? I mean, he's about 12 points behind Carlson. As of today, Carlson's got 60 points. Sing us. He's got 48 the goals really haven't changed where they're starting to lose ground, we'll say where Carl's starting again grounds the assists. Carlson's got 47 assists compared TOC 34.

Matt:   38:40
If over, he's getting hot. Which he is, by the way, you're seeking kissing goodbye because Carlson got to two assists last night on 20 v goals. So it's not gonna happen. Just because Carson got off to such a hot start, he got like, 35 points in the first month. It was like Mick David level production in the first month because he had that hot start. Yo, she's not gonna get this year. He's just not because now, over, he's heating up and Carlson's gonna get a consistent, steady amount of points. He's going to get one or two points a game, probably the rest of the Earth, if over, he keeps this up, so I'm going to say no. But Yosi should be second place in the voting this year.

Daniel:   39:23
You know, Yosi had that couple of weeks or to streak where he made new star of the week. And he made this running clothes, which we alluded to. We're talking about that when this was a really close. But like you said, Kyle Carlson is is not. He's widening the gap again. Yosi was drawing it closer, but it's really John Carlson show. It was his loose from the beginning, right from the start of the season, and especially now that Toby's heating up, especially now that Io sees not just playing out of his mind. You just can't catch John Carlson. And even if it is a tie, I think John Carlson gets the loyalty vote of being on the sheet Maur, and he should get it over. He owes anyway.

Matt:   40:00
She's still getting a point, a game which is incredible for defenseman. Yeah, I mean, it's an incredible pace that he's on. Still, the problem is like I said, John started off smoking hot, and now that over, he's eaten up. Forget it. Because by proxy, John's gonna get one or two extra points now because over he's hot. So there you go.

Kyle:   40:20
Do you think, though, that the possibility could be that they never coming out with two different types of trophies? Trophies for defenseman, one for offensive defenseman and one for defensive?

Daniel:   40:28
Know as much as I would appreciate that, the defensive side of of the defenseman's role is really trailing away in today's game. There's not that many players that play that style, so we'd be, like pick and out of a bushel of 10 people. There's not really enough to merit that. And if they haven't had it in times past, I don't see how they would re implement that now. As much as I would love that, because that's the side of the ice, I appreciate I appreciate defensive defenseman than most, but not so much these days.

Matt:   40:55
Now, you do find this funny because you're talking about defenseman, you know, like that plus minus score. It is important to note that Yosi actually has a plus 23 on his plus minus over John Carlson at a plus 17. So the more defensive analytics point towards Yosi being the one. But as you stated, the award is 10 trending nor towards the offensive like flashier. I think ever since Eric Carlson said Love the bar a couple years ago, it's now

Kyle:   41:26
That's what started it.

Matt:   41:28
We gotta have, like a flash 80 point plus defenseman. Win it every year now, and it's not so much the plus minus score. It's not so much the guy who's locking down everyone every single night. And that's unfortunate because Io sees getting great production and he's looking really good on the plus minus as well. But it's just not gonna be enough offensive production. I think this year with that hot start from John Carlson.

Daniel:   41:52
Well, Kyle, I don't know if you saw this. It was just today that the athletic released another player pole, and these always tickle my fancy. I really enjoy seeing what the players think is some of the times is mostly anonymous. You know, we mentioned how the locker rooms a couple months back, how they had a player pull on that and this multiple categories here. The athletic did another player pole and including six or seven categories. The first category was the best player it voted for by NHL players, of course. And not surprisingly, economist David uH garnered 63% of the voting and Nate McKinnon got 17% followed by Crosby. Got 15 Which isn't.

Matt:   42:34
Yeah, I mean, Conner, as you can't argue it. Just looking at the highlight reel goals this year, too. He he's also leading the league with 76

Daniel:   42:41
exactly out of out of all the polls. He garnered the highest percentage of majority in all the polls, and this one I found very interesting. The players were asked to pick their desired Game seven goalie if they had to pick a goalie and just take a guess who you think the topic was. Keep your price. Actually, this Carey Price,

Kyle:   43:04
um, that would

Daniel:   43:05
not have been my guess,

Matt:   43:06
but it's it's the loyalty factor. With him being in the league so long,

Daniel:   43:10
I I would have had him maybe third or fourth or fifth.

Matt:   43:13
Last year's pole had him high in another goalie category. That's only reason why I say it is because there's a lot of older players that love Cary price, so

Daniel:   43:22
I feel like he's still pretty consistent. It's just his play has declined in the last few years,

Matt:   43:26
like Fleury should be on there to

Daniel:   43:29
Fleury. So Trey Fleury got 23% and Vasilevskiy got third place. I just found that interesting. I didn't expect Price to get first place in this category. So very interesting. And then the players got asked to vote on who they thought the most underrated player in the league was. And this was not a surprise. Alexander Barkov. Yeah, I got 22% of the vote

Matt:   43:52
because he plays for Florida. That's why.

Daniel:   43:54
Yeah, he goes under everybody's radar for some reason. But he's a great player, followed by Jonathan Huberdeau and Niklas Backstrom,

Kyle:   44:02
the boy. You're s right, you're

Daniel:   44:05
you're assisting machine. They're back from Okay, so this one's everybody's favorite category. Everyone knows the answer to this one. Who is the league's dirtiest player? Obviously, Corey Perry. Uh, no.

Matt:   44:17
See, Here's the deal. Here's deal. I would pick Corey Perry, but if you're thinking mainstream, it's the man, the myth, the legend. Brad Marchand.

Daniel:   44:27
Yes, it is. Brad March and Garden first place, voting for 29%

Matt:   44:32
Let Gate Baby.

Daniel:   44:33
That's right, and a bit of a throwback here. Tom Wilson gets number

Matt:   44:37
two. So Chuck

Daniel:   44:40
Chuck is 1/3 place.

Matt:   44:41
Okay, well, he's hot right now. He's hot on the polls just because the last week he's

Daniel:   44:45
got a lot going on right now. But of course, had to be March. And for me and this one and after mentioned that there was a category for best defensive defenseman and Victor Hedman took the tally with 17% followed by Ah Shae Webber and Ryan McDonagh.

Kyle:   45:02
Yeah, I figure shaped liver wouldn't make that list.

Daniel:   45:06
So it's pretty much how we

Matt:   45:07
expected to stay at home defenseman there like that. That's to be expected.

Daniel:   45:11
Not too sexually, but they get the job done and ah, best referee award goes to West McCauley.

Matt:   45:16
Shock. Very shocked by this. No,

Daniel:   45:19
no. And, uh, worst referee. Not really. Remember this guy's name Justin ST Pierre. Not really familiar with him or something. Peel Tim Peel a guy's name. We do no get second place with that. So,

Kyle:   45:33
you know, I figured James no problems like how my time's kind of vote. No. On this On this one,

Matt:   45:38
he I don't know why. He just absolutely hated. James is Leo

Daniel:   45:44
and players were asked, what is their opinion on advanced stats? Simply yes or no to advanced statistics. And 86% said no.

Matt:   45:55
I hold my gosh, That is mind boggling to me.

Kyle:   45:58
Well, you gotta think about it. A lot of them that grew up playing didn't have the events that's within the entire way, like a lot of the younger players are now that had them with them.

Matt:   46:07
I know, and it's a mindset thing, too, and they don't want to change or don't want to learn about that realm. But it is startling that 86% are against it completely like and I think a lot of e I guarantee you, if you broke that pull up and if they put an aged with it as you said, like a lot of the younger category, like newer to the league entry players probably voted yes and that if you take this poll in 10 years, it's a change drastically.

Daniel:   46:38
You're seeing that you know, advanced stats wasn't really around a few years ago, and now all of a sudden kids are learning about it learning how to do it, how to chart it, how to track these things own forward. And now you're seeing it. We talk about manipulating it, even on the GM level. Some of these people are reporting the statistics to the front office so they can figure out how to make management moves on it. So it seems to be quite important. But if I'm a player, I'm really not surprised that 86% said no. Because if I'm a player and I'm doing pretty good, you know, not everybody is a superstar like Ovechkin. If I'm doing pretty good, I don't really want some computer boy go into my G m saying, Hey, this guy really sucks in this little area that really may or may not make it impact on my game. So and also, let's not forget the soccer players or jocks. They might not be the smartest in math in stats, and as far as that goes, so it really doesn't surprise me that they're kind of against it.

Matt:   47:32
But at the same time, they literally have, like, analytics departments to like for each team so they could go to these people and I guarantee you they would sit down and explain to, and it's already done for them. They don't even have to, like, charted out like it's already prepared because you have the nerd sitting behind the glass, a k Someone like me like that would be doing it. So I just find it a little disappointing because a lot of players won't break down and, like, try to understand, try to learn. But as I said, if you subdivide that up with the age at which they voted, I guarantee you in 5 to 10 years this pole will look drastically different because the league is moving that way, whether they like it or not.

Daniel:   48:15
And at the least, if you've got a computer boy telling you, he you know he does all the charts for you. He's done the dad on your game and if he could point out to you, Hey, you really bad, its own exits or whatever and he can help you fix the problems you have in your game, then it would help you. But I'm almost thinking like you said, it's an age thing. I bet the older mentality is almost like an old guard. We don't want to see the game change because we've kind of mastered this way. We don't want to see this youngster style coming, and we have to relearn how we manage, how to play better and how we manage our game style.

Kyle:   48:47
Well, it's because I tell you, it's all about the heart. The grit. Yeah, those air find the eye test is good arts. Find greats good, but after a while, you can only go off unquantifiable measure for so long before you need something quantifiable.

Matt:   49:01
It's the untangles of coding Macleod, but I will say this, though The most interesting interview that I heard in the last week was Matt knew Shane on Filip Forsberg lacrosse goal, first of all, absolutely loved. It thought was incredible. But he said, if I had tried doing that goal five years ago, it might have started a fight because it wasn't acceptable to do that. Then he's like, but now he's like the the talent of the league has now. L've it, and people are starting to try that any of the younger generation coming up and they're starting to try these things more often, and now it's completely acceptable. But like 5 10 years ago. That might not have been, except he might have gotten beaten for trying to do it because someone would have thought it's cheap or whatnot. So I think you are seeing changing on the guard here pretty soon because you have, like, the young ones like make David now is still young. He's like 23 24. That blows my mind to like he's extremely young and that is the next generation that is taking over as some of these. I mean, some of these players have been here for a while. Let's talk. Thornton Marlowe. These players are now in the twilight of occurred Ciara. They will now be passing the mantle on soon, and you're gonna see in the next generation come up. And I think it is going to change drastically.

Kyle:   50:20
Well, you know who is not gonna be passing for a while, and that's my boy, Alex Ovechkin and the an experiment all they simply say they get a piece

Matt:   50:28
of cannot be stone

Kyle:   50:29
rights, right? Score it

Matt:   50:31
office. Shut it down.

Kyle:   50:34
You know, it's funny that Ovechkin's had such a good week. I mean, he has done amazing from January 13th in 19th. Mad at most. A little of your over scores. Consecutive hat tricks. For the third time in his career on Lee, Jo Malone has done it four times and Wayne Gretzky three times. I

Matt:   50:53
mean, he also had two goals before that, so he had three games with eight goals.

Kyle:   50:58
Board is 696 or 91st and his 692nd goal in his games last week. The past Miralem you at 6 90 in Thai Steve Eyes went 6 90 to

Matt:   51:08
burn his. His goals per game this week were higher than some teams,

Kyle:   51:14
and the funny thing is, is

Matt:   51:16
dumb. Let that sink in. His goals per game were higher than some teams,

Kyle:   51:21
and the funny thing is is, I saw a tweet of some sort and I passed the guys here, which is funny. Alex Ovechkin's win the league for 15 years. The league has had 15 years to come up with an adequate defense of Ovechkin's goal scored. They know what he's going to have had 15 years and they can't come up with anything to stop him.

Matt:   51:45
That's like, that's like he's slowly having to realize income to the conclusion that, yes, he is one of the greatest players of all time.

Daniel:   51:52
He's gonna go down is freakin top five ever. Probably.

Kyle:   51:55
I mean, right now

Matt:   51:56
I think Top three. I just

Daniel:   51:58
don't like Silica Erlich Elissa List Kyle. He's passing salon E. Hamish, Lonnie Lemieux And here's my do anything but don't pass Steve argument. That's like no touch of bliss. It don't talk about Steve harassment. Let him be alone in the greatest of all time category like Let him be. But freaking Ovechkin is dis tacking off. He's a humongous My Sims. I know it's unreal because you know, I love I love Russians. I love Ovechkin, but it's almost too easy to love him. Everybody loves him. He's one of the best players of all time out of now.

Matt:   52:35
Sometimes you just gotta be like the old guy. He's got it from

Daniel:   52:39
the old school, though I want these hockey great seas, hockey gods of old to stay illustrious, never touched in history. I want these will amuse, but just stay up there.

Matt:   52:49
That's what almost makes this more impressive to me. And because you're talking about and we've seen all the stats about like if threats you were put in today's market, he wouldn't have scored as many or had a CZ many points as he did. And it is obvious that today's game has been completely elevated as faras, like league average player is much better. Then it was back that so that's what makes it almost even more impressive to me that he is doing in a time frame that no one thought ever he could get caught like they looked at Wayne Gretzky's numbers and said, No one's ever gonna catch these. And now you're sitting here saying, Oh, man, he can catch this like he can actually catch the goal scoring record, which is mind boggling to me. Absolutely,

Daniel:   53:34
you know, call. You made the joke the other day just to make me mad that Gretzky if he played today, he'd be like an average second line player or something. There's a little bit of truth to that. Just the fact that Ovechkin is standing heads and shoulders above a league, which is by and far vastly superior than it was back in the day, really speaks to how freaking dominant Ovechkin is. And that's something that I don't like to to really deal with, because I like to say the greats, though they be the great. But man, Ovechkin is a freak of nature.

Kyle:   54:04
I dare say that one, no veterans career said and done. Not only will the capital's retire his number, I always get in the Hall of Fame. The league, very mellow, very well may retire his number.

Matt:   54:16
Yeah, I met a conversation for another day because he still got, like, 45 more seasons. If if he keeps this average up, it's unreal to think that within 3 to 4 seasons he is going to be knocking on Gretzky's all time goal scoring record. That is mind boggling to me that I never thought that would be even possible. And it's important because car you went back and said that they've had like 15 years to see is his meal. Basically, his style won. The power point is what it is because someone's gonna get open. They have to cycle cycle cycle and he's over in his office. But someone pointed out to that a lot of players they liketo know point for that top left corner where they want to try to snipe it in there. It's important to note to the goaltender. When he slides over, he at least can block that top right corner with his glove hand. But they said the thing about Ovechkin slap shot is he always aims right here, above the shoulder, on the bar. So one he has a little bit more room to work with than rather the corner. And two, Normally the they can't get the glove over in time because normally they could just go straight up. They can't come back over, and you can't raise your shoulder up as high. So they said the true go scores shoot for over that, that kind of like shoulder area. And he does it every time with pinpoint accuracy. So and, you know, it's almost it's almost impossible, but, like way, play them in a week or two. Do you think of it over gets a power play goal against us? Probably. Yeah, I mean, it's inevitable.

Daniel:   55:51
Prepare with that. They're also Ovechkin. He basically owns Maya, my stat sheet this week. Not only that, but he has a couple other milestones here this week. He also passes Wayne Gretzky for third all time in multigoal games with one franchise. We just kind of skewed. Okay, sure, but only Lemieux and Gordie Howe above him in that category. I don't know if you mention this one call. He ties my other boy, Brendan Shanahan, for six in game winning goals all time. And

Matt:   56:22
also this is his 15th consecutive season with 30 goals.

Daniel:   56:29
Yes, and that's That makes him the only the third player in history to do that. And not only that. So here's a good statistic. I kind of shooed on this one for a couple of days this weekend. So from the time comparing Gretzky to Ovechkin from the time Gretzky was 30 years old to the end of his career, he scored a 217 goals. So now Ovechkin, at the age of 30 has scored 1/3 30 plus has scored 217 goals as well. So it's tracking both Ovechkin a Gretzky. Since there were 30 years old and it took how long did it take them to score 217 goals? It took Gretzky 640 games. It took Ovechkin 373 games

Matt:   57:18
in a more competitive

Daniel:   57:19
game or competitive era at the you know, Zenith or the, you know, back half of his career. He's even getting better with time and at a pace that's, you know, at least 30% faster than rescue did it. That's that's insane.

Matt:   57:35
Hey, just heating up, baby. He's just heating up. Hey, boys, my mind like he's gonna have another 40 goal. You're next year, probably. But you just pencil in them for 30 to 40 goals a year minimum.

Kyle:   57:49
Well, my, my look over here and I see you just kind of depressed. Do you have anything else for us?

Daniel:   57:53
Uh, well, I get a couple AA little happier news here without it being totally the Ovechkin show. Last couple things I mentioned is that my boy, Patrick Marleau, is now the fifth player in history to have played in 1700 games and Patrick Kane speaking that younger generation he is now the youngest US born player to 1000 points, beating it faster, doing a faster than Jeremy Roenick, did it and also a first US born player in history to have 30 goals in each of his 1st 4 seasons. But the only other active player to do. So who is not us? Born? Happens to be Alexander Ovechkin. So really, the entire stash. She all revolves around Ovechkin this this week. So

Kyle:   58:37
the only difference is of actions made the playoffs.

Daniel:   58:39
Well, you want T

Kyle:   58:43
O s. Oh, Daniel, What games we got coming up.

Matt:   58:49
Well, fortunately, we are in the bye week into the All Star break. So it feels weird because we have literally one week till our next game. And that will be against the Toronto Maple leaves at home, followed by the Washington Capitals on the road and the New Jersey Devils. Then we wrap it up on the first of February already. Which is crazy to think we're already in February against the Vegas Golden Knights and we should be recording by then.

Kyle:   59:22
And maybe we'll have a good win streak and maybe pushing closer that playoff spot.

Matt:   59:27
Yeah, we got to tough games right after the break. Toronto and Washington. So we shall see if over he keeps his goalscoring up against the Preds

Kyle:   59:37
every week. Now, Matt, I'm just gonna come in and all the staff she's going to say for you. This is Alex Van Gogh. Score, guys, thank you so much for turning to the show today. This is being Music City Gold on the penalty box Radio network. If you like the show, be sure described to us on our Twitter feed. That's at Music City Gold described us on iTunes at Music City Gold. Or you can find stability box radio dot com and their Twitter and iTunes feet. Next time, guys, we'll see you on the ice. You've been listening to Music City Gold on the Penalty Box Radio network. We'd love to interact with You on Twitter Show could be found at Music City Gold, even buying tile Hand Daniel Dan Drum and Matt at that very one. Past episodes of the show can be found by subscribing to Music City Gold or penalty box radio on iTunes or a penalty box radio dot com. Thanks for listening and we'll see you on the ice