Simmer and Gabby 12

[00:00:05] Speaker A: Good morning, good afternoon, good evening. Depending on when you're watching this program, Rob Simpson along with Bruce Boudreaux. It is simmer and gabby and we are on Spotify and Apple and Amazon audio and we're also on YouTube. Simmer, puck, we're everywhere. We kind of are everywhere. And we're going to talk a little bit, not about everything, but some really cool topics. First of all, let's play word association with the Western Conference playoff race, probably the team that surged the most lately would be the St. Louis Blues. They're seven and three in their last ten. They hopped into the second wild card spot. What's going on with the Blues? Coaching change. But what else is going on with the Blues? [00:00:51] Speaker B: When you're talking word association, one word or a sentence, how are we doing this? Short and just teams, St. Louis Blues, veterans, veterans know how to win. You know what, when you think of the St. Louis Blues, they've been there not that long ago. They still have a lot of guys on that team that knew how to, you know, the funny thing is they know how to believe wasn't when they won the cup, it wasn't like they were in the top of the league the whole year. So they know what it's like. I mean, the second half of the season from January on, this is where they had success. So they believe they can do it. And I think that's one of the main reasons that they've gone to where they mean. I love their veteran mean. I had Luke, Shan and I've talked to Braden and those boys are bringing everybody along and know he hasn't even got a penalty minute this year. So I mean, you know, he's a little more focused right now and I think he'll be good down the stretch. And if you look at the Western Conference in itself and I know this is getting a lot longer than you'd like it, but I mean, who's going to beat them? Who's going to catch them in that second wild card? Minnesota is playing as good as they can, but can they make it ten in a row? I don't think they can. I don't think they got the kind of team that if they want to jump up there they have to win another five games in a row. And I just don't think anybody else in the west is certainly going to catch. I mean, I think they're going to get mean. I don't think Nashville, Chicago, Anaheim, San Jose, Seattle. I don't think any of those teams are in that category. So we'll see. But I believe in St. Louis. Ever since I got in the league, I thought they've been a very consistent team and tough to beat team. [00:03:00] Speaker A: You mentioned it. They were last place around Christmas, the year they won the cup. Dead last. They went from worst to first to win a Stanley cup. When they won it in 2019, it's now kind of the Jordan Cairus, the Robert Thomases they don't have. Tarangelo's moved on and won another cup in Vegas. Vladi Terrasenko has moved on. He was the sniper on the power play. So yes, there's some new looks there. But you mentioned Brayden Shen. He's the key leadership guy in that. And of course, you also mentioned the. [00:03:34] Speaker B: It's just they've got a number of guys that have been in that. I mean, I think they would put everybody else on the back and just say, hey, it's possible. Let's know. Give up. There's good things can happen to this team. [00:03:49] Speaker A: Okay. You mentioned some teams that are not a factor. Of course. The Blackhawks. [00:03:53] Speaker B: No. [00:03:53] Speaker A: Sharks, no. Ducks, no. Coyotes, no. Ultimately, in this pack, this meaty pack, you've got the Blues second wild card, two points back. Nashville, four points back. St. Louis are both the wild and the Kraken. They both have the same number of games played as the Blues, and then the Flames are one point behind those two. So five points separate five teams start with Minnesota. You talk about them being the other hottest team. They're seven, two and one in their last ten. Not enough horses. [00:04:28] Speaker B: Well, I think it's really difficult to keep it up. I mean, can they go 14, four and two after 20 games? I don't think they're strong enough. They certainly have some incredibly, not only talented, but character people on their team. I just think that they're using a lot of young players. They're doing a lot of good things. I always look at teams, rob, that say, oh, they're right there. They've won seven in a row. But that's an anomaly. I mean, as soon as they lose their first game or they lose two in a row, they're back to where they started. It's so hard to jump teams these days because you have to be consistently good. And, I mean, I haven't got the numbers in front of me, but to get to 94, 95 points, which is right around, they probably have to play 750 hockey. Can they do it? Can flurry do it? [00:05:28] Speaker A: I don't know. Jared Spurgeon has been in and out of lineup for long stages. This brock favor. Kid is amazing. Does he run out of gas? I mean, he's a kid. Marcus Felino has been out of the lineup up front, so some toughness there, that type of like, I think Marco. [00:05:46] Speaker B: Favors the real deal, and I think Marco Rossi is going to be a real good pro. But, I mean, they're young guys and can they do it? I mean, they're signing guys that are on american league contracts to play with their team. It's, it's going to be a difficult task for mean, they've got a pedigree of winning, but I just don't know if they can catch St. Louis, let alone anybody. Then they're in the second wild card. And St. Louis has always seemed to have Minnesota's number. And again, without the schedule being in front of me, I don't know how many times they've got left against Dallas, against Colorado, against Winnipeg in the other mean, they play Vancouver. I think coming up this, I mean, then the Vegas. And mean, if their schedule is a little tougher, it's hard to get a good winning streak going when you play teams like that. [00:06:49] Speaker A: Minnesota, just for your information, they've got the Canucks tomorrow afternoon. That would be Monday. People might be seeing this for the first time on Monday. Then they have Winnipeg on the road the next night. Then they have the Oilers on Friday, back to back with Seattle on the weekend in Seattle. Then they come home to Carolina, and then they go to is. I'm talking about the Minnesota Wild. Now, since I brought up the Kraken, this is a team that rolls four lines. Everybody's healthy all the way through. Pierre Edward Belmar. I mean, he might be sitting out because they're so healthy. 14 forward, seven D, two goalies on the roster right now. Joey Decor has been red hot and net, he's the third best save percentage, third best goals against average in the league. They're four points out. I'm talking about the Kraken. They got the Red Wings Monday matinee at home against Vancouver, at home against Minnesota, at home against Boston, who they just beat. It's going to be tough to beat them twice. And then the Pittsburgh Penguins at home. That's not an easy schedule. A healthy Dave Haxtahl team rolling four lines. [00:07:56] Speaker B: Well, I mean, they've got the history of winning from last year, and I think at this point last year, didn't they have like a seven game winning streak on the road and they went for it and they've won a few in a row right now. And I mean, the teams, especially in the west that they're playing in those five games that you said the Minnesota's. Who else did you say they're playing? [00:08:19] Speaker A: Boston. [00:08:20] Speaker B: They got, I mean, they're teams that are in their conference. They can beat that. If they beat them, they're going to go fine. Like, listen, let's face it, Boston's not going great right now, okay? Pittsburgh is a hit and miss. Mean, if they're playing great, it's because Crosby is playing great. But I mean, they're the team, the one team in the league that I sit there and, oh, man, you know, they look so good tonight, tomorrow they know, like a bottom feeder. So I don't know. I think Seattle can win four out of those five. And if they do that, then all of a sudden once they get in, the question is Joey decord has played so good, but can he do it for the next 30 games? I don't know how many he's going to play, but I mean, that's the big question because he's never done it before, you know what I'm saying? But I never count Seattle out. When you've got a work ethic team that can play four lines, I'm a huge believer in four lines. I've watched too many teams with great players, but not having the depth in the playoffs, it always shows up. I mean, you have to have four lines and can play big d that can play in the playoffs or you're not going to win. And I mean, you just look at the past five years or you can go back further on what teams that have won the Stanley cup and very few of them have won it with one great line. [00:09:52] Speaker A: Yeah. By the way, you talk about pedigree despite their short history with what Ron Francis has done in terms of acquisitions over time here. Justin Schultz won two cups in Pittsburgh. Brian Dumlin won two cups in Pittsburgh. Andre Berkowski has two cups. Philip Grubauer has a cup. Who am I leaving out here? Jaden Schwartz won one in St. Louis. I mean, there's six. Yanni Gord won twice in Tampa. There's seven, I think seven. One of them left. They've got, I think seven guys that have won Stanley Cups on that roster. [00:10:26] Speaker B: Well, when you see know you've got teams that you got players that'll never give in and they'll always believe because that's what winning players and winning teams. [00:10:37] Speaker A: Yeah. All right, let's move up to the top of the Western Conference standings and talk about Winnipeg and Vancouver. I presume you saw that matchup I'm wondering what you think. Of course the always interesting media in know we get a lot of this. Oh my God. They can't beat anybody. That's good. Meaning in this case the Winnipeg Jets. I mean they've beaten good teams. Let's face know Vancouver's been on a roll. So what do we think and what do we think of the. [00:11:04] Speaker B: I mean I thought the jets looked great yesterday. And you know what? They beat Vancouver especially like when I was coaching them last year. All three know and Vancouver had leads in all of those games and couldn't hold it. But so sometimes teams have other teams number and they have confidence when they play in their building and that. And I think that's what you got last night saw Helenbach against Demco. The two number one guys going for the Vesna and Winnipeg has not been playing great as of late. But they knew that this was a big game and I think they were more determined and it came down to the third period, a couple breakdowns and all of a sudden Winnipeg scores two goals. And the one thing that they can do better than any team is defend. And they did it again last night and a lot of it was because of Hallibuk. Because Vancouver got as good an offense as any team is ever going to see in the NHL this year. And they don't miss. I think their average, they're shooting at 20% as a team and they're certainly not used to losing. They lost last night, but I think they're the best team in the NHL right now. They played the best. Can they keep it up? Time will tell. But I thought it was a great matchup last night. I mean it was aggressive, it was fighting, it was nasty at times, which is great hockey. And I think that's why Vancouver went out and they got a six foot six zador off and they've got Tyler Myers was throwing his weight around quite a bit and Cole is six two. I mean they're big defense and it's the number one thing you look at teams that win have got a big defense and it'll be interesting to see whether they go after anything else because I think their bottom six has done a tremendous job, don't get me wrong, but I think they've done. But they could use one more really good forward because in the playoffs and we're talking about one line things, Miller, Pederson, Besser who all three of them I really, really like. But I mean they need somebody if they're going to have Lindholm in the second spot, they need another big score with him. Then they can manufacture the Laffertys and the Garlands and the McKayevs and everybody else. And then they'll have a really solid lineup of defense, forwards and goaltender. Then you could think that they could win it. So I think Mr. Rutherford's not done trading, I should say Mr. Alvine, but it seems that Mr. Rutherford is the one that gets all the ink for it. [00:13:58] Speaker A: Yeah. By the way, you mentioned a few mistakes in the third. Know, we saw signs of that a little bit. Even though they handled the Detroit Red Wings a few nights ago, I think Rick Talkett was going to have a coronary. There were a lot of turnovers, including in their own end during that hockey game. They just seemed to get a little bit sloppy, so maybe that was a sign of things to come. [00:14:15] Speaker B: By the way, you know what, too, I will say this. You always look for some adversity, and Vancouver has been able to withstand all of it. And I say this honestly, that they are the best team in the NHL at this moment with 80 points. I think they're four, six points clear of anybody else. But I mean, what I'm worried about when I think of those guys, because I would really like some of those guys to win because they're fabulous people, is they've got nobody. If you look at their top eight players, their top eight scores, nobody's missed a game. And when you look at those guys and they haven't missed a game, in the back of my mind you're going, oh dear, when is this going to happen? Because no team goes through injury free. And if you have it at the beginning or you have it at the end, I'd much rather have it at the beginning and be healthy at the end. And they're healthy right now. But I mean, I'm hoping they can stay that way. But they've been very Touchwood lucky that the main guys have not been hurt. [00:15:23] Speaker A: Yeah, the emergence of Niels Hoaglander has not hurt. And then speaking of injuries, Carson Susie, a right shot d man who they brought in I thought was going to help him out. He's been gone for twice for extended time, so they'll get him back. By the way, the schedule says the jets, they've only played the one time this season. Jets and Canucks play on March 9 again in Vancouver. The Jets will have played the night before in Seattle, and then they play the last game of the regular season on the 18 April. That's their final game. And that game is in Winnipeg. So it might be meaningless. They might be playing shiny that night. If they both know where they're located and there's no seating at stake, that's going to be a game of shiny. [00:16:13] Speaker B: Yeah, it won't matter to either team. As a matter of fact, unless people are going for scoring championships or vesnas or what have you, they will dress guys just so that they don't get hurt. That's a long ways away yet in my mind. So you play that one by ear. But it'll be interesting because these two teams have had a history of some great games in the past. [00:16:41] Speaker A: Yeah, it'd be fun if it meant something like home ice, if the seeding came down to that last day. I mean, right now Vancouver is nine ahead of Winnipeg, but Vancouver is only five ahead of Dallas. So maybe if it's really close, they're just going to want to win for home ice throughout the playoffs. There's a lot of different factors. [00:17:00] Speaker B: Yeah, a lot can happen in the last 30 games. [00:17:04] Speaker A: Exactly. Before we get to picking our favorite number, sixteen s, I want to bring up a topic. I've read two interesting articles lately, Brooksie, Larry Brooks in the post talking about parity in the National Hockey League and the watered down nature of things. We'll save that for next week. Right now I want to talk about more recently in the last couple of days, John Tortorella's comments about how the league has changed and how he's just not happy about it. I think he called, said it was dumb. [00:17:33] Speaker B: He said it was a dumb league. I mean, listen, John's one of the best coaches that have ever lived and he's outspoken and we all love that. But times have changed. I mean, 100% when we grew up playing. And John was, he's a little younger, not much younger than me, but he's a little younger. We were taught how to play the game. I mean, what to do. When I was ten years old, I knew what to do, how to take a puck off the boards, for example. They taught us what to do in the last five minutes of the game, how to defend, where to play above the guy, how to take a hit, give a hit. Now they teach nothing but skill. So when you get them, and I've seen enough junior games because my son's coaching in the OHL that I look at it and, you know, they're fast, they can shoot, but man, do they make mistakes because they try to teach it. But they all have their individual coaches that are teaching skills and this and that, and they get drafted on their skills, and then they're expected in the minors, the american league, East coast league, to learn the. So that's what I think he's talking about, that the players are dumb. They've just got different thoughts on their mind when they're a young teenager playing the game and then they have to grow into a pro. And I think a lot of it is non team. I guarantee all the agents that I've seen and have talked to my son in that it's about how many points does he have? How many goals does he have? Because that's how you make the money. And sometimes those fourth line guys get lost in the shuffle, but they're a very important part of the team, the shot blockers, the fifth and 6th d, these guys. And I mean, I think the older coaches, we understand that. We want that, but sometimes it's frustrating because the players don't understand the role that they're supposed to be playing. [00:19:41] Speaker A: Yeah. And when he said dumb league, I think he's also referring more to the process or process that the players go through in terms of kind of learning how to behave as professionals. When you came up and through, okay. [00:19:57] Speaker B: Now I know what you're veteran players. [00:20:00] Speaker A: Would pass along a lot of different things, right? [00:20:03] Speaker B: Oh, yeah. [00:20:03] Speaker A: On and off the ice. And I'm not referring to hazing. I'm referring to just good old fashioned like, okay, you're a kid, I'm a veteran. Guess what? Who's in charge here? And this is how it's going to work. Where now they're entitled. They come in with the big bucks. They're named captain at 21, 22. What do they know? What the hell do they know about the experience? [00:20:24] Speaker B: No, they don't know a lot. And that is a problem. Like, I remember even last year saying, hey, this is how we've got to play. And the guys would be saying, why are we doing that? I remember sitting out 39 games in a row in Toronto in 79, 80. I think I played 40 games, set out 39. And I mean, they never talked to me at all. We had to learn everything, but we had to mind our p's and Q's. We knew who the veterans were, who the leaders were, and now that wouldn't fly because after about three games they're saying, hey, coach, I want to talk to you. How come I'm sitting out? How come I'm not on the power play? I was on the power playing junior. How come I can't play on the power play? I don't care if you got Connor McDavid as number one, I should be mean. They really feel entitled. And it's tough because I remember even I had to say this in like, and a little bit in Vancouver, they wanted to make sure that on optionals, all rookies had to go out on optionals because we all had to when we were younger. And I would go in there and I'd say, no, guys, that's not the way it is now. All I care about is how you feel in tonight's game. So if you have to not go out to be better tonight, I don't care if you're 1929 or 39. And some guys, as the veterans didn't get that. The older players didn't understand, but it's true. And some guys just don't want to practice in the morning. [00:22:03] Speaker A: Yeah, exactly. Well, that's where we stand right now as the league continues to develop the way it's developing. All right, we're going to go backwards now. We're going to have some fun with this. These guys would have known the old way of learning, that's for sure. We're going to pick our favorite number sixteen s, and you can go first. [00:22:24] Speaker B: Well, first of all, if you look at the history of number 16s, there's more number 16s than any number maybe other than nine that I've seen. And some great ones. Some great ones. I'm going to go with a guy that if he was in a different market, could have been right now. I don't think anybody would be as many points as Gretzky, but would have been number two and he would have had so many more accolades. And that's, you know, he played in LA when LA at a time was getting no ink and weren't exactly very. I mean, I know him pretty well from Niagara Falls. He owns a restaurant there and I've been there many times. And he's so involved in Hockey still, he has a souvenir shop of all memorabilia, and it's great. But this guy was phenomenal. And I think what year he was drafted. Second at one point, I think it was behind Perot. I think Perot was one and he was two. Or was Talon number two? [00:23:38] Speaker A: Talon was two. [00:23:39] Speaker B: Talon was number two. Then there was another year that he was right behind us. [00:23:44] Speaker A: It was 1971. He was taken by Detroit after the Canadians took Gila Fleur. [00:23:50] Speaker B: Yeah, well, that's not a bad guy to go number two to, but I mean, same thing. But Marcel Dion, if you ever get the chance to go look at old tapes or just look up his numbers, his numbers are incredible for a guy that was five foot eight and he was about 190 pounds, could skate like the wind, could pass, he could do it all. It was pretty amazing. And a friend. So that's why I chose him. [00:24:19] Speaker A: Good. Well, he's a good. I mean, he was top five, top six in scoring forever and ever. And like casual fans now would be like, I'm sorry, Marcel. What? He's one of those guys I ran into, by the way, at the Toronto airport, just walked in and there's Marcel, Diana. I'm like, hey. And then talked to him about. And that's when I learned about that restaurant. We got into that conversation. It's weird how you walk into that. I've run into. Obviously it was a while ago, but Bobby hall at the Toronto airport, I ran into swoop. I can't even think of his real Wayne Carlton. The Bruins and I ran into Marcel, like just walking into the airport and having these hockey conversations. Pretty bizarre was swoop. [00:25:00] Speaker B: Wayne Carlton. [00:25:01] Speaker A: No, swoop was, he's going to kill me. He's going to absolutely kill me. [00:25:06] Speaker B: Okay, then I won't go there. [00:25:07] Speaker A: I'll think of it. All right. My 16 is Bobby Clark. Couldn't stand him as a kid. Hated the broad street bullies because they were bullies, but he was absolute nails. He was guts, glory. He was the leader of the mob and just an know son of a. What? And the incredible leader of back to back Stanley cup champs. And one of my favorite little stories is Ray Scapanello. Scampi, the linesman hall of Fame honored linesman, who I did a book with about, I don't know, quite a while ago now, 20 years ago, he tells a story that I don't think was in the book, how he's taking a young linesman, he's getting ready to drop the puck. He held on for a second, for some reason, Bobby Clark says, just drop the beep puck. No one came here to see you. [00:26:02] Speaker B: True story. [00:26:03] Speaker A: He was so intense that it was just emanating off the guy. [00:26:09] Speaker B: Radio, can I tell you a Bobby Clark story? [00:26:12] Speaker A: Sure. [00:26:13] Speaker B: Okay. That was my era right in the middle seventy s and beyond. So the Leafs had a couple of really good bench clearers with Philadelphia. And I remember one of them in Philly that I had just gotten called up for. And Darryl Sittler, who was a tough guy in his own right as well as a great player, went at. It started with Clark and then Paul Holmgren. And everybody jumps in, then both benches jump in. And at one point it was about 20 minutes later, I'm looking at Darryl and he's pointing to me and he says, gabby, he says, you turn around and you go get that Clark right now. And I'm sitting there and I turn around and there's Bob the Hound Kelly and Dave Schultz standing beside Bobby Clark. And I just went like this to Daryl, no, I'm not going after him because they would have chopped me up and spit me out. [00:27:13] Speaker A: I've heard that story about a brawl in California against the gold seals where he was like the protected. He was the king, he was the man they took care of. And somebody accidentally clipped him in the back. I can't remember the guy's name right now, but clipped him in the head with his stick and cut him. And the place just went freaking boggers because someone clipped Bobby Clark in the head and he was bleeding. And, oh my God, the place just went. And Ted McEneely, who was not in the league a lot, was a defenseman then. And I guess Ed van imp was trying to gouge his eyes out. [00:27:47] Speaker B: Oh, yeah. But you talk about all this, but you don't remember Bobby or you remember if you know him, how many hundred point seasons he had. I mean, he was a tremendous, like Reggie Leach got 60 on his wing. Bill Barber got 50 on his wing. Bobby Clark was a great, not only competitor, but a great player. But a lot of it was overshadowed by the time he would take a two hander. He was a little bit like Tiger Williams in that he would do whatever it took to win. And maybe that's how they grow him out in Flynflon up there and where Bobby's from. [00:28:29] Speaker A: That's right. And the other last reason I love him, as I was doing the Red Wings book, and I'm a Gordy Howe's my idol. And I asked Bobby Clark about Gordy Howe, and he said gordy was a God. So growing up out in the prairies or growing up in northern Manitoba. But, yeah, we shouldn't forget to mention that. Besides all the reputation of that team, he was an unbelievably great player, obviously in a Hall of Fame player. So there you have it. Some beauties. Always fun to go back. Talk about those guys, gab. Next week we'll talk about parity. Oh, boy, that ought to be fun. Do you know, I think at the lattice when Brooksie wrote that article, 24 teams had modern 500 or better records because of the loser point. So that's just a conversation, you know. [00:29:16] Speaker B: Where there's a lot of parity at the bottom. San Jose, Chicago, Columbus, those guys are really tight together. That's where you'd like to do Montreal a little bit better, but as it goes up. But those bottom three or four teams are really tough. But you're right, there's 24 teams that are 500 or better, and that's what makes hockey so great. And every game is important. [00:29:43] Speaker A: And we love, gms love it because they get to keep their jobs and owners love it because they get to say, oh, look at us, and they get to sell tickets. [00:29:50] Speaker B: But it's only the coaches that lose their jobs. [00:29:53] Speaker A: Exactly. Except we did have Columbus, Yarmo Caicoline got removed this past week, which for some people are like, how did that take so long? But we'll leave that there. All right, Gabby, great stuff. We'll talk to you next week. Enjoy the hockey action. All sorts of fun ahead here as we enter the stretch dive. Cheers. [00:30:14] Speaker B: Sounds good. You have a good day.