Brian Wilson passes away today at the age of eighty two. My first concert was the Beach Boys at the Paradount Theater at Madison Square Garden. Our next guest, Neil Smith. Neil, question, right out the top, first concert.
You ever went to?
And where, Oh my gosh, you're not going to believe this, and this is really going to make me sound old when I'm really not that old. I went in nineteen sixty four to see the Beatles Maple Leaf Gardens.
Oh wow, well that's an excellent first concert to attend, I'll tell you that much.
Yeah, but when you're just a little kid, you really don't understand what's going on.
E said.
You see all these girls fainting and being carried out on stretchers and all that you heard about those days with the Beatles. It was insane. And of course these sound systems weren't that great back then, and all you could hear was just screaming, like they just screamed from the start of the concert whatever they called it performance, you know, the whole way through. That's what I remember. I don't know how old I was. I was. I wasn't even born yet. I was an embryo and I went to it.
That's did you Uh, did you ever go through a Beach Boys phase at all?
No?
I didn't know. I did not. I you know. The only one to me that I when I was young that really knocked me over was the Beatles because they were they were something that I've still never seen to this day, a phenomena like that where everybody was talking about this band because of the you know, when they hit the Ed Sullivan Show and all that stuff. It just went crazy.
Yeah, that's that's amazing you had that experience. I'm kind of jealous. I'm not gonna lie, all right, Neil. Since you and I last spoke on Monday evening, the Panthers made quite a statement stomping the Oilers six to one. Uh So, my question is, I know you've been on Florida quite a bit, but if you're Edmonton where you at right now, after after really getting you're a head handed to you in Game.
Three, you know, at first I want to say that it's not odd that a there's blowouts in the final. Last year, Edmonton beat Florida eight to one in the game and it ended up to Florida won the Cup as we know two to one in Game seven, so I don't expect Edmonton to that's shellacking the other night is going to be something that we're going to see
going forward. I do think Edmonton's going to have to make a lot of adjustments, and the first one that's obvious to anybody is they've got to stay disciplined because Florida loves to play a game where they can pull you into taking penalties and pull you into the nonsense, and they've got a lot of those guys. Sam Bennett, Matt Kachuk, and Brad Marshaw on those guys are I'd love to just irritate you and get you to get
outside your game. So certainly Evander Kine for the Oilers, who took three penalties, I think in the first period, is going to have to be a lot more disciplined, as is Corey Perry and Jake Wohlman, who got a ten thousand dollars fine from the league for a five thousand dollars incident and another five thousand dollars incident both in that game the other night.
Do you think Edmonton is falling victim? You know, it's interesting because Edmonton is just more of this like skill speed, kind of like elegant hockey team, and Florida feels like they're full of the high school bullies you always hated when you were a kid. Do you feel like Edmonton is falling victim to maybe Florida's gamesmanship a little bit as part of that what happened in game three?
I think that's what happened in Game three for sure. I think the other thing is is that they didn't they you know, they took penalties early and then got behind. And I don't think Skinner is as good as Bobrowski, but I don't think it was Skinner's fault. They lifted him when it got to five to one, and then Kelvin Pickard came in and they got one goal on him and that was it at the game ended six
to one. And I think that Chris Knoblock, the head coach of Edmonton's going to have a big decision on his hands or has already probably already made it, but you know, or to make whether to go with Pickard now that they put five past Stuart Skinner, or to stay with your number one guy, which is Stuart Skinner, and and think that he can you know, lead them out of this and that's going to be very interesting
to see that. But Edmonton doesn't doesn't want to play the kind of game they played the other night that that they need to play five on five. They need to keep those those Newton hopkins'es and dry sidles and McDavid. Of course, they need to have them going out all the time and not killing penalties and only being out on power play. So they they felt prey to Florida's game.
Sam Bennett is now the Vegas favorite to win the con Smile Award. You know, we talked about the potential as the Utah Mammoth into the season with a lot of money to spend in cap space of maybe them taking a look at Sam Bennett's is he playing his way into a different economic stratosphere at this point?
I think he is. He scored thirteen goals I believe it is in the playoffs, twelve on the road, which sets a new record for goals being scored in the playoffs. He's He's not a great point getter, goal scorer during the regular season, but when playoffs come, he's always right there. So I would think that the teams that will pay the most money for Sam Bennett. Other than the Florida Panthers are the teams that feel that this could really
put them over the edge. For example, Colorado Avalanche or you know, a team like that, maybe the La Kings, maybe that gives them an edge to be able to beat Edmonton for the first time in the decade. But I you know what, I think he's going to end up back with the Panthers again. I think that's where he'll sign and he'll take a hometown discount to fit into their salary cap.
It feels like, and your point is well taken based off of the blowout that occurred last year, and oftentimes blowouts do happen, and last year was a wild ride where you know, Florida wins three, Edmonton wins three, Florida wins game seven. It does feel like there's a gap though that has emerged between Edmonton and Florida.
Is that fair and if so, how big do you think that gap is?
Well? I think that that the Florida could be up three games to none right now, they are up two to one. They lost the first game in overtime when they had a lead, and for the first time in thirty two times, they went into an intermission with a lead and then didn't win the game. That's their playoff record with Paul Maurice, as they hit gone thirty two straight games winning win leading after either period. So I think that that Florida has found a gap between them
and Edmonton. I think that Florida adding Seth Jones and Brad Marshat at the deadline or close to the deadline has really bolstered that team. I didn't see that coming. I mean, I think Seth Jones is a number one defenseman, but when you put him an eclat both out there, they've got excellent puck moving guys. And then you've and then the rest of them are good too on defense. But then you've got Marshaw who goes in and fits
right in with the way Florida wants to play. You know, on Boston, he was always the one guy out there that was irritating everybody, and he's sort of like a little you know, firefly going around bugging everybody all the time. Well, on this team, he's not the only one, Like there's three or four of them that are coming after you, biting at your heels all the time. So I do think that they found a little bit of a chink in the Oiler's armor.
Are they getting enough from dry Sidle and McDavid. I mean most people believe to start the season, you know, to start the series, it was really those two that would.
Drive the engine.
And I think I heard a lot of people say those two might be the best two players when you combine both rosters. I don't know if that's true. But is Edmonton getting enough from their two superstars?
Well? They certainly did in Game one, when you know, dry Citle had two goals in that game and McDavid had two assists, and he made that outrageous play where he peaked bark Off, one of the best defensive forward in the league, and then deeked out ek Lad and then fed it over to dry Citle for a magnificent goal. So yeah, I do think they're getting enough out of them. I think that the problem is is that they're not playing the Oilers game. They're falling into the Panthers game.
And then they can't do that because you can't use those gifts that dry Cycle and McDavid have. If you're constantly trying to kill penalties and worried about physicality, you've got to you've got to stay composed and play the oiler type game, which is a speed game and not a jump it in and bang around game.
As far as the coaching matchup goes, I was listening to a Mark Messier interview and he was really a plotting the job that Paul Maurice has done. Does this feel like this has been a coaching mismatch so far? Your thoughts on the battle between these two head coaches.
No, I don't. I don't think it's been a mismatch at all. I think that I think that Chris Knoblock's a real good coach. I think he said something on the bench to the TNT interviewer, which I think was Jackie Redman, and he said she talked to him in the first period and he said, you know, we've already taken four penalties, which is a recipe for disaster here, and that's really what it was. It was a disaster
for them. So look, I think Paul Maurice right now, at this stage in June of twenty twenty five, is probably in the top three coaches in the league for sure. I think Rod Brinda Moore's up there too. And by the way, the best coach in the league doesn't always win the Jack Adams Award because that goes to the coach that does the best that particular year, and you know whose team does the best, and so this year it was Spencer Carberry of the Washington Capital is well deserved.
But I think Paul Maurice is an excellent coach. I think he's got this group nailed. Like he knows this Florida Panthers group, He loves them, he knows what makes him tick, and I think it's really a magnificent job
that he's doing with his team. I think Chris Knoblock has a bit harder job to do because he's got, you know, he goes from Connor McDavid and Leon dry Sidle, two of the top three players in the league for sure, and then he's also got Casperry Kappan and playing on the same team on the third or fourth line that they picked up on waivers during the season, and they've got others going in and out. So you've got, you know, a diversity of talent to limited talent on that team.
It's it's not like Florida has a bunch of junkyard dogs almost you know, they're they're just they're all playing the same way. And you know, you've got the Oilers, who are a great team, great talent, But I think that Florida's, as you said earlier, has found a little bit of a niche there. And we'll see tomorrow night if they If the Edmonton Oilers tie the series tomorrow night, it's a two out of three with two of the games and Edmondson and it could go either way, I believe.
But if the Panthers win a course tomorrow night, then you know what the fat lady is warming up?
I think, yeah for sure.
And you referenced your thoughts on what you you know are what you think they need to do as far as being more disciplined, and you know, it's always interesting this time of year, Neo, like, we have both the NBA and the NHL Finals on our station, and it's that time of year where trophies are won, and when the regular season is behind you and you've already won three rounds in a playoff tournament scenario, it's always weird to talk about potential adjustments because it feels like, all right,
it's June. We are who we are, and that's why we're a finalist, Like, what can the Pacers do to adjust to Oklahomas City.
I don't know.
I think Rick just has to do what he's done because they're in the NBA Finals. But when it comes to potential adjustments that Edmonton can make, is it line changes, is it rotational changes, is it moving players around? Or is it just like, look, we're in the Stanley Cup Final again. We are who we are and we're just going to go be who we are.
I think it's the ladder what you said. I think that Chris Knoblock is probably said to his group, we have to go and play our game. We can't go into game four and let them make us play their game. We know how we want to play, we know how we play, we know what wins for us, and we've got to go get back to that and play that
and to help with whatever they're doing. And so that's the kind of that's the kind of adjustment at this time of year I think you have to make, which is it's more general like, come on, guys, remember why we're here because we're that good and play our game. Don't get sucked into their game. And I don't think it's the things like in the first round, you'll see like you've got to adjust to somebody's third line or the second line is doing so on, or that they're
playing the power play a certain way. I mean, by now, each team knows each other, but they the Edminston Oilers have to play the game that they that they've played all season, which has been successful for them, the game that they started playing in game three of the first round. They lost the first two games in LA and then found their footing in game three and went on to sweep the LA Kings. After that they won in six.
So that's what they have to do here. They have to go back to playing oiler hockey.
Yeah, and it's interesting because you reference the LA comeback. I mean, they've been coming back all season and all postseason, so it's hard to put a nail in them. But what's your gut tell you. Let's move over to tomorrow night. I mean, I know you referenced that if Florida wins, it feels like it's on the precipice of being over and Edmonton. If they win, then we have a different conversation.
But based off of what we've seen so far and based off of what you just articulated with Thatminton's ability to come back from adversity.
What's your gut tell you tomorrow night.
Boy, Oh boy, it isn't going to be a six to one game. I can tell you that it's going to be very close, and I it may come down to Bobroski versus whoever Chris Knoblock puts in, either Telvin Pickard or Stuart Skinner, but I think it's I think it's going to be a very close, very close to
the vest type play in that game tomorrow. I That's that's my sense of it, because these two teams are so close in their ability in totally different ways, but they're so close that I think that it's going to be you know, it's going to be in a close one goal game, maybe an overtime game when when this happens tomorrow night.
As far as the decision that no Block has with the goalies, either Stewart Skinner who's been the starter, or Picker the backup, talk to me about that balance because ultimately, you know, if he does pull Skinner and puts Pickard in, and he stands on his head and they win, then you probably roll with him, but you also run the risk of alienating the guy that's got you there. I mean, it's got to be a tough decision. That's not an easy call for NA Bloc.
No, it's a very tough call. But let me tell you what happened. And so in the first round, Stuart Skinner started and they lost two straight. They put Pickard in and he won six straight games. So then he got hurt. They had to put Stuart Skinner back in and he started winning and he's been winning ever since up until Game three. So now he's got to make
the decision at this late point in the playoffs. Do I go with the guy who hasn't played for two weeks but did win six straight, or do I go with the guy who's been winning for us but had one game where he let in five goals. My gut tells me my guess is, I'll go on the line on this one. I think he's going to play Stuart Skinner. I think that's what his decision will be, is to stay with him and then if things don't go well early, he's got Picker that he can that he can put in.
But I think that's the direction he's going to go.
All right, Uh, Before I set you loose a couple of things about where we find ourselves out this way. Of course, the Utah Mammoth are preparing for the NHL Draft and the combine just took place. It is now behind us. I've been a plenty of NBA combines. I've never been to an NHL combine. So, as a guy that was a roster constructor at the highest of levels for so long, tell us about this process. The Utah Mammoth with the number four pick in the first round.
They also maintain the majority of their other picks second round and beyond. So what's it like for Bill Armstrong and his staff to go to this combine and took place in Buffalo this past weekend? And what are you guys looking for as you're building a roster.
Well, I think.
They're just they're just looking at the They'll be there talking to the players and seeing the players meeting the real person and not just watching the kid down on the ice in the junior league or college or wherevery place. And they'll be able to see how mature he is. They'll be able to see his physical maturity as well as talk to him about his mental maturity. It's another
tool in your toolbox. But I don't think that the combine in any way changes what you saw all season long on the ice, and so I would fully expect that the Utah scouting staff will have the four or five players lined up that they think are the top guys in the draft, and they'll be ready to pull the trigger on their pick comes. I think the combine is great, and it's something that's been integral out to
the NHL for a long time. But again, I don't think it can change drastically what you've seen all season.
Interview process as a general manager or a head of scouting or assistant GM or anybody in this process, what what are you looking for with your lot of questioning when you're interviewing these.
Young hockey players who are all still babies.
I mean, it's hard to get a feel on the maturity of somebody that is that young oftentimes.
What are some of the things you look for during the interview process?
I think the maturity. I think that you know, how close is this young man to being able to play with men? You know, is he how mature is he? How how well does he understand you know, what happens at this level at the NHL level, And how long do you does it? Do you picture until he's going to be able to play in the NHL. You know, you may see a great hockey player at eighteen years old, but when you talk to him, you know, you find out that boy he can't go into a locker room
with the guys we've got. I mean, he's got to grow up a little bit. He's got to get a little bit more mature. And as you know, Spence, eighteen years old compared to nineteen years old is much more than a year, and nineteen compared to twenty is much more than a year. Say him thirty five to thirty six to thirty seven, I mean those those are like six months each of those. When you're a kid, there's a lot of maturation that goes on both mentally and
physically when you're in your upper teens. And so I think they'll be trying to judge where are these young guys on the spectrum of maturity.
Neo, I just turned forty seven. I'm still trying to figure it out. So you definitely I hear you there, all right, But before I set you loose, I'll just pose one more Utah, mammoth question to you, And we've kind of discussed this in the past before, but we have a lot of new hockey fans here. What sort of type And you can go position, you can go vet, you can go mentality, you can go whatever.
What sort of If we say, you know.
They're going to add the number four pick and he's maybe ready to play, maybe he's not. Other than that, whether it's trades or free agency. If we say they add two or three pieces, what sort of pieces do you think Bill's looking for for this hockey club to take the next step next year and maybe make the postseason.
You know, I think I would think that he wants to add a piece that is a mature type of piece. And we talked last week about Ian Cole being on the team as one the Stanley Cup. I think you need to get another couple of older leaders. And when I say older, I don't mean Corey Perry old forty years old. I mean just guys that have been around for a while that can come in and help the young guys go through this process of learning about winning
and learning about how to win. And then also, of course I don't want to leave out the whatever Bill thinks he can upgrade. He's going to try to do that. But that goes on all year long, all year round. But I would think that any of these building teams, and they're not rebuilding, they're building, want to add solid veteran presence to their locker room. Doesn't have to be a superstar. Doesn't have to be Besser from Vancouver. It doesn't have to be Bennett from Florida. It doesn't have
to be Marner from the Leafs. But you do want to add good character people into your locker room that can help your team on the ice end, in the locker room.
Okay, Neil, where can people go get that great podcast of yours?
You can get it anywhere NHL Wrap Around. We had Jack Michaels on Monday. Jack Michaels is the voice of the Edmonton Oilers and I used to do EHL All Star Games with him back in the day. And he's a great guy, funny and really fantastic take on the Oilers and on the Florida Panthers and really renowned as a play by play guy I Edmonton. And yeah, so
he was on our show. You can catch that that's already dropped that's out there, but you get it on Apple platform, podcast platform, on Spotify, iHeartRadio, Amazon and YouTube, and give us a give us a try, give us a listen.
Love it.
Neil, thank you so much for the time, sir. Enjoy the rest of the week, have a great weekend, and we will chat soon.
Yeah, and we may know the Stanley Cup winner when I talk to you next.
That's true, that's true. We'll have to see, all right, Neil Smith.
The Stanley Cup Final rolls on tomorrow nights and we will have the game on our station right after we say good night. Tonight we have the NBA Finals, So whether you're looking for the NBA Finals or the Stanley Cup Final not finals, we have them on our station. Ian Bagley is reporting Mike Woodson is in the mix to become the next coach again. That is so good. It's just it's too good. All right, we'll catch a break.
Pablo Mascioni, Headuch of Ourselves, stops by two potentially, well not potentially, he will stop out a previous this weekend's game. But before we catch that break, Ryan from the Dish professionals, you know the number mine now eight oh one, four to two four dish, Call it and save money.
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