Kent Johnson's Olympic Reunion: Igor Goes Down, Ullmark is Back and Hakstol Lands in Arizona.

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Speaker 1: NHL Unscripted is a production of the NHL and iHeart Podcast. In honor of Rodney Dangerfield, Dave Haxtell, back to school. We'll talk about where that coach is going. Plus, in a found 60 on Miller Night Football. Yeah, remember when Dennis Miller was in the booth for Miller Night Football? That was good times. Plus, Betsy's back and out of what? Yeah, some injury news there for the Ottawa Senators. Not great when it comes to Willie Eklund. NHL Unscripted, it's episode 102. We will get to the news of the day, including Igor Gaum, what that means to the New York Rangers. But first, as I mentioned last week, Jillian Muller taking over IG. Best one yet so far, JD. Her showing up as Mia Wallace, but then you upstaged her with your dance moves as John Travolta.
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Speaker 2: Fantastic.
00:00:57
Speaker 1: As she said, it was almost like you'd prepared for the moment. But you did not know she was going to be Mia Wallace. You just slipped into character, Vincent Vega, bang.
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Speaker 2: I mean, iconic movie, iconic hips. You can say about me. John Travolta is a friend of mine. I said it.
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Speaker 3: Wait a second.
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Speaker 1: You know John Travolta? No, there's no way.
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Speaker 3: No, I don't know.
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Speaker 1: That would have been a great story. What a reveal.
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Speaker 3: I would have been like, tell me something about him.
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Speaker 1: Yeah. Well, we've got two weeks left in our contract. That would have been incredible. John Travolta reveal.
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Speaker 3: He'll be our last guest.
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Speaker 2: He's actually coming on right now.
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Speaker 4: He's live.
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Speaker 3: It's all scripted.
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Speaker 2: It's good stuff. You got it. It's all the... Just a little bit of that. You're going to be lighting your loafers on the toes. Going to be on the toes.
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Speaker 3: It was good moves.
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Speaker 2: Big time.
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Speaker 1: Speaking of putting on your dancing shoes, I was in D.C. last night. Canadians and Capitals. And a lot of pressure makes me. I knew that Tal was going to be watching. And sure enough, he texted after the first few minutes. I said, Lars and the Real Girl reference. I appreciate you were paying attention. I give Tal the baton first. Since he's the Habs fan, Habs lose last night. Power play terrible. Dobrish couple of weak goals. Tal, go ahead. Your Habs round up as they lose the Capitals.
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Speaker 5: I was just saying before we got on, I think when Nikita Kucherov was saying the league is more skilled but more dumb, he may have been specifically talking about the Montreal Canadiens.
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Speaker 2: Oh, no. A ton of skill. Trouble in paradise.
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Speaker 5: Well, they have a goaltending controversy three weeks into the season, so that's not encouraging. Dobish has been struggling. I mean, I think the media in Montreal has been surprisingly patient. I think they see the process. They've played well. They've led in most of the games they've played. They just can't finish it out. They're missing Demidov a lot. I never thought I'd say that about a guy who hasn't even played two full seasons. But you can see they're missing his presence out there, and hopefully he'll be back in a week or two.
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Speaker 2: And how good has Zach Bolduc been for this team?
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Speaker 6: Ooh.
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Speaker 2: Talk about a sneaky one. But, yeah, I mean, Tal, like, I think we– I think they put too much on Dobesh after that playoff run. It was historic. And he's still young, and he's still streaky, and I think he was great in the playoffs, but it's hard. I think he probably thought it'd be easy, and now there's a little bit of struggle. So you can see he's an emotional guy, too, and he seems to run on confidence. But listen, they're exciting. Like an exciting team, man.
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Speaker 1: The games have been a lot of fun.
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Speaker 2: I'll say that. Yeah, they're fun. They're fun and heart attack Canadians.
00:03:24
Speaker 1: And Nate, how about the Hudson? So the oldest Hudson, not in the NHL, playing hockey. Then you've got Lane, who's 22. Cole's 20. Cole's 28 months younger. And then they have Lars, the youngest Hudson. So you can have four Hudsons overall. And last night, lived up to the hype. Lane scores. Cole had an assist. Both those guys, few shots on goal. Exciting times. We've seen lots of brothers in the NHL. Obviously, the Hughes brothers, the Sutters for years. But what the Hudsons can do on a night like last night, Nate, pretty cool to see.
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Speaker 3: It was awesome to watch. I mean, you saw the parents in the stands. They were glued to it.
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Speaker 6: And then just on the broadcast, you guys, by the way, great job, A.V., Appreciate that. You know, just on the broadcast, how they were talking about it.
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Speaker 1: JD's guy, Nasher.
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Speaker 3: Come on, Nasher's awesome.
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Speaker 6: How competitive these two guys are. You know, like they wanted genuinely to beat each other. And just, I got to say about Lane, you know, the rumor was this summer he's been working on his shot a lot, really working on his shot. And it looks it because a couple of the goals he scored this season, especially last night, like I don't remember a lot of his goals last season, him scoring. from that area and shooting from that spot. So both these guys and then Cole, you know, like it's, it's funny. They're, they're similar, but they're not in a way like the way they play. The Cole just, you know, lanes a little bit more, um, I guess agility jerky, the way he skates back and forth and, and Cole's a little more smooth skating. So both these guys are huge parts of their team and you're, you're starting to see Cole Hudson for the caps kind of take a, take another level with, with all the other star power they have there already.
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Speaker 2: They, Caps need a D-man bad, though. They're light on D.
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Speaker 3: I think that'd be the only question mark there.
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Speaker 2: I was super high on them, and then I've watched them now, and I don't love it so far. Other than that first line, which is just lights out, Tuck's been great, and I think they did a good job getting Kairou away from the Protis brothers because I think he did not look like he liked playing with them whatsoever. But on D, they're just missing something. They just need, you know, be nice for them to go make a splash, go get somebody. But I don't know who's out there than Edvinson. And I guess Horkoff came out and said he's not trading him. But in other note, too, I watched yesterday. I watched one period, one intermission. It was probably all I could stomach and get through. But you were good. You did have a movie reference when you buried Tyson Nash.
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Speaker 3: I like the suit, too.
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Speaker 2: Yeah, you buried him on Ovi's goal, which was pretty funny.
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Speaker 1: I knew you could laugh at that.
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Speaker 2: You mentioned, I can't remember the movie goal, but I laughed. I was like, there's Adnan. So you're dissecting it like a something movie, a director of a movie.
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Speaker 1: Maybe like the Zapruder film or whatever it was.
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Speaker 2: The Zapruder film, yes. Yes, that's it. That was good.
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Speaker 3: Go ahead. I appreciate it, buddy.
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Speaker 1: Speaking of Ovechkin, I wanted to kick this to you, JD. Last night, he did get one assist, 13 minutes, 14 seconds of ice time, before 39 of power play. And at one point, I said, this could be the last time I ever get to see Alexander Ovechkin play in an NHL arena. So I went, you know, as you guys saw where I was in the booth, I'm going to go. I know it was only one shift, small sample size, but I took like a 35-second video, and he did nothing.
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Speaker 3: And I laughed at myself afterwards.
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Speaker 1: I'm like, this is going to be a challenge for Carberry. You guys know this. Like, Alex is going to go, I want to be in the power play. And Carberry told us before the game, like, there was a five-on-three the other night. Alex is like, I can go through the whole time. I'm like, no, Alex, it's okay. Like, if this team is legit, this is going to be an issue at some point in the season. Mark my words.
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Speaker 2: Well, it's, you know, you want them on as long as the power play is operating and clipping at a top 10. You know, if it's not, then you have to figure out something because you've got to get ready for the future. I mean, Ryan Leonard hasn't looked great this season whatsoever.
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Speaker 1: Big contract, $ 10.
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Speaker 3: 5 million.
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Speaker 2: Oh, I've been watching him, and I'm just like, well, I think analytically he was the worst forward on both teams last night, and I think in both games. There's only two games, but he's young. He's going to get there, but I think, you know, Ovi's probably looking at this being like, give him a chance, but I'm here. But that's Ovi. Ovi's the quintessential, like, he does nothing, and he's going to have one and one. Like, you play games against him, and you're like, you know, when, when he, what, when he kind of slowed down and stopped hitting as much and, you know, focused more on longevity, but like, he's just so explosive when he gets that opportunity and he just needs one shot. That's the difference between him versus a volume shooter. And, and I think, you know, we'll see how he deploys him Carberry, but yeah, I'm interested how he moves. It looks like it's a feeling out process for them right now. They're trying to find what works and he's moving the lines around. And, and I think it's, it's going to be a, 20-game process for them.
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Speaker 1: But you're bang on. He used to be that guy. Oh, we hit the ice and go and start hitting guys. Now he doesn't do that. He does not hit guys. There's none of that physical game. He's 6'3, 255. He's just lumbering out there.
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Speaker 3: He's 259.
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Speaker 1: He's lumbering out there now. This is not the old Alex Arametchkin. Big news for the Rangers in 14-8. Igor gone. One of the feel-good stories of the early NHL season. He's out for the rest of the year. 2022, best and winner. A huge part of any hopes the Rangers had. Now it falls in Dylan Garan, who entered this season three NHL games under his belt. But in his two starts so far, he's been good. 44 of 47 shots stopped. And Lafreniere's been great. I mean, tied for second in the NHL with seven goals. He's been waiting, it seems like, for years for Lafreniere to prove he's a true number one. I'm skeptical, Nate, but can the 6-2 Rangers defy the odds? Can they still be a playoff team without Igor Shostakovich?
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Speaker 3: Let's get to 20 games.
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Speaker 6: Let's get to 20 games because the way that they're playing right now.
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Speaker 1: He's soft.
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Speaker 3: I know. Let's get to 20 games. I'm going to give him 20 games.
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Speaker 2: Puppy shit.
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Speaker 3: I'm going to give him 20 games.
00:09:08
Speaker 1: He wants a yes or no answer.
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Speaker 2: Come on.
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Speaker 3: I'm going to say no. I'm going to say no. I'm going to say no.
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Speaker 6: I'll put my pills right here.
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Speaker 3: But no.
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Speaker 6: I'd say no, but I would say it's impressive and they're going to be in the mix all season because of the way they're playing.
00:09:23
Speaker 3: I mean, they.
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Speaker 6: They play a brand of hockey now that Mike Sullivan being there in his second year.
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Speaker 3: I heard J.T.
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Speaker 6: Miller's comments the other night after the game, and he said, we're kind of playing a boring game, but we're patient. We're not going to break. The other team's going to break before we do. I mean, they had a great win against Tampa the other night as well. I look at this team, and we've talked about it, J.D., with their D. That second D pairing of Pettersson and Dursey, has changed a lot. And then you'd like, we've, we've talked about Albert Smith's and I think just everyone's slotted in the right position there in their whole lineup. And then having, having Mike Sullivan and they're playing his system to a tee like it's they look a little bit for me like the Pittsburgh Penguins did back in the day when Mike Sullivan had he was on Pittsburgh and how fast they play and direct same style of play so No, I don't think they're going to be able to get through it without him, without Igor, but I think they're going.
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Speaker 3: To be right there. Right there, JD. It's for fucking playing good hockey.
00:10:26
Speaker 2: But, man, look at the Metropolitan, though. It is an absolute mess in the Metro.
00:10:31
Speaker 1: Mess.
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Speaker 5: Mess.
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Speaker 2: Like, it's a mess. Other than Carolina, and you can argue, you know, we're going to say Washington's going to, you know, they're going to kind of go on a run. Jersey has not looked good.
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Speaker 5: No.
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Speaker 2: Jersey can't score. They can't. I'm shocked at... I mean, they can't defend there. The goaltending, which was going to be a major issue for them, is an issue because they can't... Jake Allen can't be that starter for them that they wanted. And now it's like, you know, they did gut out one on the back of Jack Hughes, but they haven't looked good consistently. The Islanders, what are they going to... It's kind of like it's a race... That three or four spot, we kind of talked about it at the start of the season. We said that's up for grabs. Like Columbus is, we're going to get to Columbus, but what a tire fire that is right now again. But Dylan Garan comes in absolutely, you know, opportunity, preparation meets opportunity. And look the way he's played. He's played fantastic. You know, Lafreniere is turning into a superstar. I think we needed to give him a little bit more time. He's come into his own. They moved him down with, Miller and Cartier, and I thought that line looked really good together. They really had some chemistry early. Cartier making some nice little alley-oops. And then, you know, there's just, it's a lineup that you're kind of like, eh, when you look at it. But there's some pieces there that are really integral to, like, having a good structured four lines. Like, I keep going back to Will Cooley on your third line. He's been great this season. Scored another one the other night. on a tip in front, but he's been great with Noah Labba. Him and Noah Labba have been really good in, in, in Tolvan. And so, you know, and I haven't even mentioned the decor, their decor is solid. It's a solid six, but yeah, there it's, I think the Shusterkin injury is going to be tough for them to manage throughout the year, but I don't know. I, I, this is kind of a turning into a feel good story. Like the boring Rangers were like, everybody's kind of like everybody was shitting on them and hating on them. And I think now with the Shusterkin injury, everybody's going to get behind him and be like, I hope these guys could make it. Like, There's some good vibes coming out of New York. It looks like they're having fun, and the fan base is coming back quickly. I don't know, man. They might capture something here, and I'm going to say they do it.
00:12:56
Speaker 3: Wow.
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Speaker 1: All right.
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Speaker 3: I just didn't have men originally. That's why.
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Speaker 2: I'm going to fuck it. I ride the fence. I hop the line every day. Don't worry about it. I'll be right back with what they think if they.
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Speaker 3: Have a bad week.
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Speaker 1: Subject to change when it comes to JD's opinion.
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Speaker 2: We don't have a video. We're no video, so it doesn't matter.
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Speaker 1: Well, we've got two weeks left in the podcast. Once they dig.
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Speaker 2: This up in the archives, then I'm getting canceled. Once we dig up this stuff.
00:13:23
Speaker 1: By the way, our special guest is Kent Johnson, Columbus Blue Jackets. He's off to a great start. We'll talk about Columbus with him. and get his thoughts in the NHL season so far. But Tal, you had a thought on Lafreniere?
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Speaker 2: Just real quick.
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Speaker 5: I've been rooting for this guy to go off for a while. Back in the day when I was a sports writer, one of my favorite assignments, I went to Rimouski for the New York Times to meet with Laffey, as we called him, when he was eschewing to be the top pick in the draft. You called him that.
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Speaker 3: I'm the only one.
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Speaker 5: But he had just such a great attitude, like great energy.
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Speaker 2: I watched him play.
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Speaker 5: He could do it all, and obviously it's been a tough first few years in the league, but I'm rooting for the guy to have the kind of season that he's having so far, so I'm excited for him.
00:14:04
Speaker 2: I kind of always laugh, like, we're rooting for a first overall pick, like.
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Speaker 3: He's taking seven seasons.
00:14:11
Speaker 2: I'm rooting for a seventh rounder. Yeah, seven seasons is crazy. I'm rooting for a seventh rounder. Fuck this guy.
00:14:17
Speaker 1: That's awful.
00:14:18
Speaker 2: Come on.
00:14:19
Speaker 1: About time is what I'm saying. I can't wait next week. It's going to be about time. Brady Kachok and the Florida Panthers are going to be in the nation's capital. Amazon Prime for the Ottawa Senators. I cannot wait to see this Ottawa crowd. They're going to be giving it to Brady. But speaking of Ottawa, Jake Sanderson is already out of injury. Sens got bad news. Willie Eklund out for an extended period of time. He's out 10 to 12 weeks. But the Senators, who J.D. said were going to be a playoff team, they stood 5-1 for an ugly 7-2 loss to the Blues on Tuesday night. But Linus Olmark has been unbelievable. Perfect 5-0, just six goals allowed. J.D., the Sens are for real.
00:14:52
Speaker 2: I mean, backed by a good defensive structure. I just think they're very well coached, and I think they're solid, and some of their young guys are very, very underrated. You know, I think without Sanderson, you know, you had Shabbat and I do think Tyler Clevin, Yakim Chuck comes in. I think they're playing some really good hockey. So, and when all Mark's on, I mean, he's a top five goalie in the NHL. He's really, you know, it's a, it's a, it's a Vezina caliber goalie. It really is. So, you know, they, they get dropped, but it is what it is. I think they're doing what they need to do with, with what happened early on with the injuries. And, I mean, you got a lot of good names there, and I just think it's all wrapped up within a structure that is very digestible for young players, and they play a good brand of hockey.
00:15:44
Speaker 1: Nate, you excited with this Ottawa team like JD is?
00:15:48
Speaker 6: I didn't have them in the playoffs, but I'm excited about them because of the way that they're playing, like you said. Another guy that, after all the all the situational things with Travis green, how they play defensively, their structure. But I mean, Tim Stutzla since the beginning of the season and how he's played, like he's turned into, he already is a superstar, but he's finding that next level where he's, he's doing other things where he's doing other things uncomfortably that maybe, you know, he hasn't done in the past, whether it's, you know, finish checks, big hits, blocking shots, all those things that leaders do, he's starting to do in his young age, where I think it's maybe a little bit of Brady leaving, having that departure has had him come to the forefront a little bit more, I think, with Ottawa. So this team, they've always been hard to play against, and like JD said, having that goaltending with Linus Allmark, and if he's vezzing a level, they're going to be tough to beat.
00:16:49
Speaker 2: Yeah, I worry about their depth at goaltending. You know, Arison hasn't exactly, you know, didn't really shoot the lights out. But to your point, Tim Stutzla has entered superstar mode. Nice. And I think he's there, and we've been waiting for it, kind of like a Lafreniere a little bit.
00:17:05
Speaker 3: Like, we're waiting.
00:17:06
Speaker 2: You know, he's very good, but, like, is it there? Can he get to the next level? Oh, he's gotten to the next level. I mean, leading the team in goals and points. And when you really look at this lineup, though, like, we forget that I think Brady dominated the news cycle so much and who he is, the Chuck family and their podcasts that like everybody forgot that there was a good team behind him. And, you know, he didn't really perform great in the playoffs ever. And there was other guys that were poor performing better than him. And you have the guys like Shane Pinto, Drake Batherson, Tim Stutzel, obviously, you know, you got Dylan Cousins. There's a lot of good offense on this team and you, even their backend minus Sanderson and Shabbat, you know, you got Yakim Chuck, who's going to really be a, a guy that can run a power play for years to come. I'm, I'm very bullish on Tyler Clevin. So there's so many names that I think we forget about in Ottawa because they've just been so, they've been so maligned with so many, so much bad press and, and everything, you know, Canada, you versus us and that we forget that this is a good hockey team coached by Travis green, who, has one of the better defensive structures in place. And last year, all of their defensive metrics, even though Allmark, when he wasn't there and wasn't good, all of their goals against expected was best in the league. They had one of the best defensive structures in the league. So you add Allmark to that and good goaltending, they would have been firmly in the playoffs. And I just think this is a team that's going to surprise some people. That's why I had him in the playoffs, correct, in our preview?
00:18:45
Speaker 3: You did.
00:18:45
Speaker 1: Nosha Demir is looking good right now.
00:18:47
Speaker 2: I mean, I was batting 80%, something like that, so far early in the season. The wild one kind of eluded me a bit early.
00:18:55
Speaker 1: But one that you did call was the Philadelphia Flyers, who were a great last season.
00:19:00
Speaker 3: Here we go.
00:19:01
Speaker 1: Here we go, AV.
00:19:02
Speaker 3: Here we go.
00:19:03
Speaker 2: If there's a fucking guy that called this Fugazi team, it's this guy. Everybody just on a pedestal with the– Philadelphia Flyers. Oh, my God. Rick Cockett.
00:19:15
Speaker 3: I don't think we had him in the playoffs, A.V. and I, this year. Correct.
00:19:18
Speaker 1: Nate didn't have him in the playoffs, either, for the record.
00:19:20
Speaker 2: No, you said they were winning the Metropolitan Division.
00:19:23
Speaker 3: Oh, okay.
00:19:24
Speaker 1: Nate would never say that. Nate would never say that.
00:19:27
Speaker 3: Hey, Tal, can you mute him, too, please? Yeah.
00:19:32
Speaker 2: Adam, you said he's winning it. Ladar's winning it.
00:19:36
Speaker 1: No, they never said that. No, that's not true. They said they'd be a bubble team.
00:19:41
Speaker 3: A bubble team.
00:19:41
Speaker 2: But listen. Yeah, they've been bad. I mean, another bad week. Here's the thing. I don't know when this is going to air, but their next game is the Detroit Red Wings.
00:19:50
Speaker 1: Detroit, must-win game.
00:19:52
Speaker 2: This is their chance.
00:19:53
Speaker 1: I said the cracking game was a must-win. They lost in a shootout. Now the Detroit game's a must-win. After this, they're in trouble.
00:19:59
Speaker 3: This is it.
00:20:01
Speaker 2: They lose to the Red Wings. They have the Senators next, who they already lost to. Then they have the Avalanche. That's a pencil. That is a loss.
00:20:10
Speaker 3: Yep.
00:20:10
Speaker 2: Then they got the Sabres. The Ducks, the Blue Jackets, the Capitals. It could get ugly here.
00:20:21
Speaker 1: It could get ugly. 0-6-2, the worst start in franchise history. Dead last date and goals per game. Six worst in goals allowed per game. Fans chanting, fire, talk it. But I'll say this. Driving back from Washington, it was less than 94-1 WIP. The great Jim Jackson voiced the Flyers. He pointed out 20 teams have started with eight-game winless streaks and 25% of them rallied to make the playoffs. So I would not say they're sunk just yet. No, they've got to turn it up quickly because J.D.
00:20:45
Speaker 3: 's right.
00:20:45
Speaker 1: That's going to get tougher. But of the 75% that did not, because all those teams were tanking anyways. Philadelphia's not intent on tanking. Now, that will change. Again, if this continues, then Danny Bray will start the sell-off, and we'll see what happens to the rest of this team. But this is primarily the same team they had as last year. The guys that are missing are Konecti, who's obviously a vital player, Cam York and Ristolano, who are top four, I should say, as far as defensemen are concerned. Nobody expected this. Coots had a funny line. He goes, every team has a stretch at some point. We're getting ours out of the way early, but they better start winning soon in a hurry.
00:21:16
Speaker 6: Yeah, they better start winning because it's, I mean, Coots could be gone too very soon as well.
00:21:21
Speaker 2: What's the TK stuff going on? That just came out today like that. There's going to be noise around this team no matter what. There's going to be noise around this team no matter what if they keep going like this. I look at their games and I watch it and you're right, they have the same, pretty much the same roster, same goalies, I guess Walls and the new guy, but it's just, they were hard to play against, like they battled and I wonder, like, you know, I've been on teams where you've done well the year before, you come back and you're kind of like, okay, this is going to happen, complacency, entitlement, and there's been that, but I just, I wonder, I mean, you look at their lineup and I look more and more and Danny B was trying to get Leo Carlson for a reason this summer, and you look at it now, and I don't know. If it keeps going the way they're going, things are going to be sold off.
00:22:11
Speaker 3: It has to be, and I don't know. It's tough in Philly right now. J.D., how about this?
00:22:17
Speaker 1: Four points and a playoff spot. That's how bad the Metro is. Four points and a playoff spot.
00:22:22
Speaker 2: Oh, the Metro, that's the one thing you can hang your hat on, but again, this team stumbled into the playoffs.
00:22:30
Speaker 1: No, they were great after the Olympic break. You can't deny the fact that the Flyers played. The Flyers last year, no, they played great down the stretch. You cannot deny that.
00:22:39
Speaker 3: They played good.
00:22:39
Speaker 2: They played good hockey.
00:22:40
Speaker 1: They were 18-7-1 down the stretch.
00:22:42
Speaker 3: They were great.
00:22:43
Speaker 2: Yeah, and how many of those were in shootout?
00:22:46
Speaker 1: The point is they just sat back and took on water. It wasn't like the Kings were winning.
00:22:51
Speaker 2: Vladar should have won the Vezina.
00:22:52
Speaker 1: They were seventh in points per game last season.
00:22:55
Speaker 2: I voted Vladar for the Vezina because he got that team in because.
00:23:00
Speaker 1: And again, they fooled everybody, but not J.D. They had a great start to the year. They were terrible in January. They were great down the stretch, and now they're a disaster.
00:23:08
Speaker 2: They were winning in shootout, and okay, they got to the playoffs, but Pittsburgh fell flat on their face. And if there's another minute in that game seven, they were fucking, or game six, sorry, Pittsburgh-Philly, they were dead in the water because they were getting reverse swept. And then they got dog walked. And it's happening again. They thought they were too big for their britches. And they thought they were good.
00:23:34
Speaker 1: But I'll tell you this, Jimmy. Rick Tockett's not going anywhere. This is year two of a five-year deal. He's got $ 5 million a year. Rick Tockett's not going anywhere. Rightly or wrongly.
00:23:44
Speaker 2: I don't know. Move him to the assistant coach position.
00:23:49
Speaker 1: We've got $ 5 million.
00:23:49
Speaker 3: Move him to management.
00:23:50
Speaker 1: Move him to the assistant coach position.
00:23:52
Speaker 3: It's your choice, Tock. This season's not going well.
00:23:54
Speaker 2: Best assistant in the NHL.
00:23:56
Speaker 1: In fairness, you have always said that. You said, one, two, three, he's a good guy and.
00:24:00
Speaker 3: A good assistant coach. Those two things you've always stood by. I had him as an assistant, too. You're right.
00:24:05
Speaker 1: How was he as an assistant?
00:24:06
Speaker 6: He was a great assistant coach. I had him on campus. This was before his head coach era. Before his head coach era. So I had him as both. I had him as an assistant and as a head.
00:24:16
Speaker 2: Yeah. You don't see a mention in the head.
00:24:18
Speaker 3: Okay.
00:24:19
Speaker 1: Which one did you like better?
00:24:20
Speaker 3: Just tell us that. It's... I don't know.
00:24:23
Speaker 6: I mean, he was brand-new head coach, literally, interim brand-new head coach. So it didn't change a whole lot.
00:24:29
Speaker 3: And we weren't very good. So, yeah, I don't know.
00:24:32
Speaker 2: He's great year one.
00:24:33
Speaker 1: Listen, Vancouver year one, exactly. It was great, and then wheels fell off a little bit. Meantime, Benzie's back. Big night in Chicago.
00:24:41
Speaker 3: Let's go.
00:24:41
Speaker 1: Conor Bedard finally suiting up for the Blackhawks. Had an assist and three shots. Chicago's 5-3 win over Pittsburgh. Blackhawks for the first time showed a glimpse of what this team could be. Roman Kancaroff scored twice, leads the Blackhawks three goals. Anton Frondell, two assists, leads all NHL rookies six points. Bo Byron played almost 25 minutes. Chicago's not going to be a good team right now, J.D., but could they turn the corner quicker than people realize?
00:25:04
Speaker 2: Who's that? I blacked out for a second.
00:25:06
Speaker 1: That's okay. Blackhawks, Bo Byron, Frondell.
00:25:09
Speaker 2: Yeah, I think.
00:25:11
Speaker 1: They're not going to make the playoffs, but they have some problems.
00:25:14
Speaker 2: The one thing we saw early in this season is there a little bit of the Celebrini effect of when... Bedard is not there. They struggle mightily. So he came back, gave him a boost. I thought he was fantastic. I think Frondell is going to be a stud. We said it earlier in this season. He's going to be a stud. I think he's really good. It's a good pickup. Yeah, they're, you know, they're supposed to take a step forward and I think they need to do what, I think they're on the same path as like the Sharks just a year behind, which shouldn't be the case. They should be ahead of the Sharks in terms of the rebuild, but they're there. We're like, they need to take a step forward. They don't need to make the playoffs to, to improve, but they need to take a step forward and, and be competitive. They weren't to start the season. Benzie comes back. They look really good, but I don't know. They're, they're a little loose defensively. So, and I thought, I thought Byron would do way better early on. I think it's still, he's still getting comfortable and, and figuring it out, but they have all the pieces, man. They got to have number one and Spencer Knight. They got good offensive talent. It's just going to be putting it together. So, We'll see, but yeah, they have to start going on a little bit of a run here.
00:26:26
Speaker 6: Yeah, they're going to be in the mix. I think they're going to be a lot more competitive than people think this year. I mean, that cancer off last night looked great, too. He's going to benefit a lot with Bedard back, and especially that power play. Having Bedard on the one side and the offside and then Kane on the other on a power play is going to be pretty deadly. It's fun to watch with both those guys out there. Another guy, too, on D for them, too, JD, I like is that, and he's kind of, he's gotten better over the last couple of years is that, uh, that left you off. Like he's, he's really like this season, I've noticed him a lot more. Uh, he's been, he's been good for them and he made a real good play to, uh, to cancer off the other night too.
00:27:02
Speaker 3: So, uh, he's, he's, he looks pretty good.
00:27:06
Speaker 6: So, and then like you said, having Spencer night, this it's going to take time, like you said, but this team is start. It seems like the Blackhawks are starting to turn a little bit of a corner though. Like they, in the past, It's always been like, all right, same song and dance. Like they're going to be the same, but it seems like now there's like a little bit of light that we're going to see.
00:27:24
Speaker 3: Like it's coming.
00:27:26
Speaker 2: Yeah. And let's check the JD schedule here for them to make sure it's coming because it might've came already prematurely because.
00:27:34
Speaker 1: You have premature celebration.
00:27:36
Speaker 2: You have the jets, the stars, the Canadians, the Panthers next four games. So that's, there's your test because the jets have been playing great hockey and The Stars look like they're back to their juggernaut team, and Canadians are the Canadians, so they're going to be exciting, and Brady's figured it out in Florida, so we'll see. I mean, they win these two games, two big divisional matchups against Winnipeg and Dallas, and they're in the mix, so they're right back. So it's really, I agree with you. I think they're going to be exciting and dangerous. It's going to be can they sustain that over the 84-game season.
00:28:14
Speaker 1: That's the story when it comes to the Blackhawks. When we come back, we go from the Blackhawks to the Blue Jackets. Kent Johnson so far having a good start with the Columbus Blue Jackets and a former teammate of J.D. Stories from the Beijing Olympics and much more right after this. Our next guest drafted fifth overall by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the 2021 NHL draft. He has 56 goals, 142 points in 279 tour games with Columbus, has world junior gold, world championship silver, and a college conference championship on his resume. And now even more important, he gets to be a guest in NHL Inscripted with Jason Demers. Ken Johnson, how are you, Ken? Good to see you, buddy.
00:29:01
Speaker 4: Yeah, I'm great. Thanks for having me on, guys. Nice to see you, J.D.
00:29:04
Speaker 1: So the Jackets had quite a summer with the Wierenski and Marchenko news. How was it for you hearing all this stuff? Were you trying to enjoy your summer? And what's the vibe like in the room now that everything has been settled, thankfully?
00:29:16
Speaker 4: Yeah, I mean, the vibe in the room is great. Obviously, when you hear that stuff in the summer, it's a little weird, a little different. But I don't know. I mean, obviously, the one, you know, March is not even here anymore. But, I mean, he was a great teammate when I was here. Nothing bad about him. And then with Z, I mean, you know, kind of just got to talk to him in the summer and you know, hear his perspective and kind of just, you know, a lot different than what I heard in the media and stuff. So that was just honestly kind of a nothing thing for the dressing room. Like, you know, Z's a great teammate, really wants to be. here uh we love him so yeah it's awesome.
00:29:47
Speaker 2: Uh ken i you know you you talk about marching and marchenko leaves and you bring in matthew nize and he comes over you know, for you, you know, he's done and he had an historic start with, with those, that two goal game was incredible for you. Like what's impressed you so far and what's your impression of him in this kind of early going in the season?
00:30:10
Speaker 5: Yeah.
00:30:10
Speaker 4: I mean, I mean, the first thing you notice is like, he's such a beast on pox, like one-on-one battles. Like, I mean, one of the best I've ever seen, honestly, like with the stick so strong on it and, you know, really skilled with a stick too. And then so strong. So I think that helps them and protecting pox really good. And, obviously he's got the skill to finish plays you know like make those passes or bury them so yeah he's just an incredible player so we're lucky to have him.
00:30:34
Speaker 6: I gotta ask because you know I played for Rick Bonas and you know he's a guy that has been around a long time in this league and you know obviously a lot of experience but he's also a fiery guy and he's shown that in his post game pressers and how has it been since Rick Bonas has been there you know last season and dating into this season I guess with his expectation and how hard he is on you guys, but I'm sure in a fair way as well.
00:31:00
Speaker 4: Yeah, it's been awesome. I mean, ever since he took over, obviously we went on that run and, um, you know, I think, yeah, like you said, his passion and, um, just how hard he is on us, but like you said, very fair and, uh, all the guys have a ton of respect for him, love playing for him. So, uh, obviously, you know, it's never, it's never good when you're losing, especially, you know, bad loss. So, um, you know, no one's going to be happy with that. And, Um, so yeah, obviously we share that same, same passion and yeah, it's awesome.
00:31:26
Speaker 1: You know, it's interesting when you look at what you've been in your career, obviously you're still a young man camp, but getting represent Canada 2022 Olympics in Beijing, being teammates with our legendary Jason Demers. What do you recall about JD as a teammate at that event?
00:31:39
Speaker 4: Uh, yeah, I mean, he was just a beauty. I mean, it was, uh, it was really fun like tournament for me. I mean, obviously I was a younger guy and kind of like first time playing with pros and, uh, I don't know. I think I really enjoy just like hearing the stories, like being a fly on the wall. I think JD knows that first. I was pretty shy too. Wasn't, wasn't talking much, but just loved being in the room, hearing what these guys.
00:31:57
Speaker 2: Had to say.
00:31:57
Speaker 4: And I thought they were all so funny. So, uh, yeah, it was, it was a great tournament.
00:32:01
Speaker 2: You, uh, you roomed with, who'd you room with? It was in your, your, oh, you were with, uh, you were with McTavish and, uh, you were also with, you were with Odell, right?
00:32:13
Speaker 4: Yeah, Odell Power and Landon Ferraro. So, yeah, we had a fun time in that room. So it was good.
00:32:18
Speaker 2: And what were some of the things, like explain kind of that experience because it was kind of interesting and different from other Olympics. Like we were like four, you're like four guys in this apartment building and like you're all in this, like you're in this flat. So it's like, it's literally like a fraternity house. And you mean you guys had the messiest room, I guess, out of anybody, but talk about just the absolute, The absolute headache you put Odell through because he would come into the room and be like, these guys are just running me ragged.
00:32:48
Speaker 4: Well, that's funny you say that because, yeah, when we first got the roommates, like, me and McTavish and Owen, like, we were all really close before that. Like, and we were like, oh, man, like, I bet these guys are pissed they're with the young guys, like, kind of thing. So, but for some reason, all the rooms were four beds, but we had five people. So, I was sleeping on a mattress on the floor and in the middle of the living room. So, that was tough.
00:33:08
Speaker 2: Journey Olympics, dude.
00:33:10
Speaker 4: But yeah, so, and I don't know, I mean, like they love just making my room so messy, like McTavish just leaving stuff like on my bed just to mess with me. Like, so yeah, our room was terribly messy. And, uh, but I don't know. I mean, yeah, we were like, we thought that they were going to hate it, but I think all the five of us, we got pretty close. So I'm sure they were complaining about us and being messy or whatnot. But, uh, yeah, we had a lot of fun. It's like we were playing cards every night, the five of us. And it was tough for me because if I lost early and wanted to go to sleep, like I just couldn't, uh, Cause like I said, the card table was right in my living room and my room. So, but yeah, it was so much fun. Those guys are, I mean, still, still keep in touch with them. We got a group chat, the five of us that every now and then we'll, we'll send some texts in. So yeah, that was fun.
00:33:53
Speaker 3: Who was your roommate, JD? Who were you?
00:33:56
Speaker 2: I had Devin Levi, Jack McBain, and I had Morgan Ellis. And we had, we had seven Levi's. He would just be sitting in the living room. We had, We had like the nicest room. We brought in all, we brought in like arcade games and stuff. Like it was, it was pretty dialed in, but we, uh, Devin Levi would just be walking around doing that sensorina thing. That, that goalie. And then by halfway through the tournament, Morgan Ellis stole it and started doing like zombie games on it. So he's playing like zombie shooter games on. So he's in the middle of the living room, like bouncing around. But to your point, it was, it was such a cool, interesting experience, but, Going back to Columbus for you, Kent, I wanted to ask you, talk about veterans and heavyweights. We're talking about Matthew Olivier. There's so much more to his game, I feel like, than meets the eye. He's got a lot of skill, great hands. But for you, how intimidating was it early on with him? And what's the scariest thing you've seen him do on the ice?
00:34:59
Speaker 4: Yeah, I mean. Well, it's, it's like as a teammate, I feel like you're not like as intimidated cause he's just like such a beauty, like such a great guy right away. But, uh, but I mean, yeah, if you're like going against him in like a camp drill, like one-on-one, like in the corner, like I remember one time I kept going against him every wrap and I was like, this just sucks. You know, like he's just so strong, so big. And like, like you said, can protect the puck super well. So, um, yeah, that stuff's tough. Like you might not want to be lined up against him in those drills, but, um, But, no, I mean, he's awesome. Like you said, so much more to his game than just the toughness. But, obviously, I mean, I think he's the toughest guy in the league. So, it's great.
00:35:37
Speaker 1: It's amazing. We're just kind of going around, you know, your entire career. You had some really impressive teammates at the University of Michigan. Matty Beneers, Luke Hughes, Cam York, Owen Power. You even had seven first-rounders on that team your last year in Ann Arbor. What personality stuck out to you most.
00:35:51
Speaker 2: In that group, Ken?
00:35:55
Speaker 4: Well, I mean, I think Brandon Burson. He's a really funny guy, so. Yeah, he was always keeping it light. He liked to pull a lot of pranks on the guys. I think a lot of them were on me, too. He knew I was pretty, back then, particular. Before practice and stuff, he'd be hiding my sticks. I couldn't find them and stuff like that. That was one that was a repeat offender that was pretty funny to all the guys, but not so funny to me. I'd get so rattled. You superstitious? No, no, not really. But just like.
00:36:24
Speaker 2: Routine, routine.
00:36:24
Speaker 4: No, not at all actually. But yeah, like routine, like I'd want to like get on the ice a little early, like stick handle. Like I'd be chasing around my sticks for five or 10 minutes. Like he'd be putting them in the sauna or anywhere. So that was pretty funny. But no, I mean, he, yeah, he's a great guy. I got to see him a bit this summer. So that was nice. And yeah, he's hilarious.
00:36:43
Speaker 2: Do you get him back at all?
00:36:45
Speaker 4: Yeah, me and Owen, actually, this would be a good time to share that. We got him back like, the because the thing about him is like you do a prank on him like you're starting a war like you almost don't want.
00:36:54
Speaker 2: To those are those guys are tough you gotta be ready yeah he'll.
00:36:57
Speaker 4: Just go like three or four times harder so um you know when like the day we signed and we're like leaving for um you know buffalo and columbus like we uh we got him back pretty good egged his car and so i mean yeah so he i think he thought it was like uh some frat guys too uh So I think this is probably the first time.
00:37:19
Speaker 2: He doesn't know.
00:37:20
Speaker 3: Still doesn't know.
00:37:21
Speaker 4: I think, yeah, it might be aired out now. But, yeah, so sorry, Brandon, if you see that. But I still think it wasn't fair. I still think he got me an O and more in the two years. But, yeah, we had to get him back good there.
00:37:34
Speaker 1: I mean, that is the headline of this week's episode.
00:37:36
Speaker 2: You just threw it, or did you just dump a bunch of eggs on there?
00:37:40
Speaker 4: No, I just threw them.
00:37:43
Speaker 2: That must have felt good.
00:37:44
Speaker 4: Just, just absolutely. It was hilarious the next day. Cause yeah, I mean, I think he, he really thought it was these frat guys, which is fair. And, uh, but yeah, it was a moment.
00:37:55
Speaker 2: Wait, what did he, like when he came in the next day, like, what did he say to the room? Was he like, guys, like somebody, I don't remember.
00:38:02
Speaker 4: Like we were, we were gone. Like we literally left.
00:38:04
Speaker 2: Oh, you were gone.
00:38:05
Speaker 3: Like you, Oh, in the middle of.
00:38:06
Speaker 4: The night, he left town. Yeah, we were headed out. We said our goodbyes, like, we love you, Brit, and all that stuff. I mean, obviously, we met, did all that stuff, but then in the back of our mind, we're like, yeah, we got him good. We're good now, all square.
00:38:18
Speaker 2: Oh, that's so greasy. That's so good. I love that.
00:38:22
Speaker 3: That's funny.
00:38:24
Speaker 6: Kent, we always like to hear Johnny Goudreau's stories, and you played with him in your first full season. Are there any good Johnny hockey stories you have that come to your head right away in your time playing with him?
00:38:40
Speaker 4: Yeah, I mean, a lot of good ones. Like, the boys will still talk about him. And, yeah, obviously Legend, so much fun to play with. But, I don't know, for me, I thought it was... I don't know, just playing Seward was, like, a fun thing. He was so good. Like, I don't know, just really good touch, great athlete. And I was terrible, especially... I mean, I still am not good. But he would just, like, pick on me so much because he knew I thought it was hilarious. Like, he's just throwing me these balls, like, that, like, I'm not sure how he can, like, put them in the worst spot for me every time. And, like, I just... can't do anything about them so he'd just be dying laughing like every time he he gives me these balls and like I just could not return them so yeah he is I mean he was just a fun guy like really competitive like even scoring comps during practice stuff like that and cards like card table too he just loved it loved competing loved winning he was really smart like oh seemed to be winning a lot in cards too He was a super fun teammate.
00:39:32
Speaker 1: You've been friends, Kent, with Conor Bedard since you were kids. What's something about Conor we might not know about?
00:39:40
Speaker 4: I'm not sure. I feel like I feel like you probably know everything. I mean, the guys are the media so much, like it's all over my phone. He's done probably more interviews than anyone. So, I mean, you probably know most of it, but yeah, I mean, he's a, he's just a great dude. I mean, I think, uh, you're seeing his personality come out more to like, uh, getting more comfortable with that stuff. But, um, I mean, yeah, all the guys love him. He's a really funny guy. Like, um, I don't know. He, he loves the fantasy football. So that's, that's something that, uh, I don't know if it's, it's out there yet, but he's always, uh, always talking about that just super competitive again kind of anything so loves loves all sports I think he follows the NBA and stuff like that too so um.
00:40:18
Speaker 2: Yeah Ken I wanted to ask you about you know back when I you know started in Nate's time you know you were really kind of it was kind of frowned upon to be in the media and and you know be on commercials and stuff like that now you're seeing more of your generation coming in which I think is a great thing of growing the game and and you want to be in commercials and you want to build your own personal brand like is there any kind of, you know, when you see Conor Bedard on these commercials, is there any text messages or anything like that that go between you guys of like cringe or, or, or how are, where do you sit with that in terms of growing the game and growing your own personal brand? Yeah.
00:40:56
Speaker 4: I mean, I think it's great, obviously, like you said, for, you know, those guys are helping us like growing the game and yeah, but there's definitely some chirps and jokes like, Um, I don't know, even it's just like you walk into Lululemon in Vancouver and you see Betsy's poster on the wall and you're like, it's just like weird. It's just like funny to me. And, uh, yeah, we definitely make a lot of jokes and chirp on both stuff like that in the summer. But, uh, I mean, obviously, I mean, I think he knows like it's all, it's all great. And, uh, you know, we, we all, you know, probably, probably a little jealous if we're not getting those deals.
00:41:25
Speaker 5: Right.
00:41:25
Speaker 4: So he's, uh, but no, he makes some jokes about it. And, uh, yeah, he, he's, he's a funny guy about that stuff.
00:41:30
Speaker 2: How's his acting?
00:41:33
Speaker 4: Uh, I don't think it's great, but I mean, I don't think I'd be any better. So that's, uh, I've.
00:41:38
Speaker 2: Got to loosen the shoulders up a little bit. He's got to loosen them up a bit.
00:41:41
Speaker 3: Yeah.
00:41:42
Speaker 2: It's hard. I know it's, it's crazy. It is really crazy how Nate, like back in our day, like, you know, you'd come in the room, you'd get just, you post something on Instagram that was a little bit offsides and you'd get just buried.
00:41:56
Speaker 6: Oh, I would get absolutely demolished now for what I'm posting every day.
00:42:00
Speaker 3: So are you a.
00:42:01
Speaker 2: Big– Oh, your jiu-jitsu stuff? No, it's kind of– If you didn't know, Nate loves jiu-jitsu, and he posts it all the time of guys rolling around with sweaty guys.
00:42:09
Speaker 3: Yeah, I love it.
00:42:10
Speaker 1: It's kind of– I love it.
00:42:11
Speaker 6: Are you– so, like, yeah, to follow up what JD said, like, are you into the social media? Like, do you want to– like, you know, because there are some players that are very active in it. Like, are you a guy that, you know, posts or, you know, trying to, you know, grow the game like JD said?
00:42:27
Speaker 4: Um honestly i haven't really been recently uh yeah i feel like i'm not like against it like i would maybe but just i don't know i feel like i personally like that stuff doesn't come naturally to me like uh even like i don't know like if i go to post i'm like well i kind of like feel weird like awkward like what am i doing like but but i do think it's a good thing like i could probably you know at some point maybe do more of it or should i think i did a bit more when i was younger like draft year and all that stuff uh So, yeah, I could probably get back to that more. But, I mean, also, like, with the agencies now, like, they can kind of help with that stuff a bit. So, yeah, right now it hasn't really been a focus. But, you know, I'm, like, I'm open to it down the road.
00:43:05
Speaker 1: I want to ask you as well. My last one for me, Kent, is the fact you're the first University of Michigan player to score on in Michigan in an NHL game. When did you know you were going to try that? And what was the response when you did it?
00:43:18
Speaker 4: Yeah, I feel like. like back then I was, uh, it was pretty like in my, in my game in terms of like, if I had a lot of space behind the net, like I knew I could, could try it. I think I'd tried it like earlier that season. It was like just missed the net or something. And, um, you know, it didn't get like a negative response in terms of like guys were like, Oh yeah, it was a good play. Like you almost scored. So I, I knew like, okay, if it's open, I'll try it again. And yeah, it was kind of a perfect situation. Like, uh, so yeah, that was, that was a fun goal.
00:43:43
Speaker 2: Definitely.
00:43:44
Speaker 4: I'm glad that worked out.
00:43:46
Speaker 2: Uh, you know, Nate, sorry, Kent, last one for me. Um, I wanted to ask you a little bit, you've been vocal about your faith and stuff like that. And you see a lot more guys in the NHL talk about that. You know, when did that become something for you that, you know, you wanted to go towards and, and, you know, just talk a little bit about your faith.
00:44:04
Speaker 4: Yeah. I'm, uh, appreciate the question.
00:44:06
Speaker 1: Yeah.
00:44:06
Speaker 4: I think I guess I was like two and a half years ago for me. Like I never grew up around it, like didn't know anything about it. Um, but yeah, when I kind of, you know, felt that and like kind of looked into it more and, you know, started to believe and think that was the truth.
00:44:18
Speaker 5: Yeah.
00:44:18
Speaker 4: It's something that, um, you know, I don't want to be afraid of. And obviously sometimes I feel like it can be hard to like, but, um, yeah, definitely something I don't want to be ashamed of at all. And, uh, yeah, I think you see it in other sports a lot, like football, basketball, these guys are, you know, talking about it a lot more. And, um, so yeah, definitely, uh, yeah, I appreciate the question and something that for me now, it's just, I mean, it's changed my life. It's been amazing. And, um, yeah, definitely just, just uh just think it's unreal.
00:44:44
Speaker 2: Was it was there a moment that made you seek that out or was it just curiosity uh yeah.
00:44:50
Speaker 4: No there was a moment like I feel like for me just uh kind of starting to like uh I guess my second year in the NHL like just some harder times uh you know nothing like too crazy but just kind of thinking like oh there's got to be something more to you know just hockey like that's kind of all my focus my whole life and just like more life and kind of believe that yeah there's there's uh you know a creator and whatnot and I kind of just, you know, got invited to a Bible study at Ohio State here, and kind of made an excuse to, like, not go, and then got hurt, like, the next week, and when I was hurt, I was kind of like, okay, like, I feel like I need to, like, figure this out, like, what, like, what's true, what's, you know, what does it mean, kind of thing, and so I kind of went to that, and I could just feel that, and, like, I just couldn't believe, like, the true stuff, like, in my life that I, you know, was, like, reading and seeing, and I'm like, oh, like, this makes so much sense, and, like, I feel like, yeah, it's, it's really like a freeing thing. It wasn't something like, Oh, like what I thought where it's like, Oh, you got to follow these rules or be this good person or whatever. But it's like, no, it's just, uh, you know, God loves us all and, um, you know, created us for a purpose and wants a relationship with us. So that was something I never really understood. And so it was super freeing and just, uh, yeah. So, I mean, I love, and again, it's not, it doesn't make your life perfect or easy or anything, but, um, no, it's definitely, I think it's true and it's awesome.
00:46:05
Speaker 2: I have a quick one here.
00:46:08
Speaker 5: I was just going to ask a quick, Ken, I mean, the thing that sticks out for you as a player and a bunch of guys you came up with like Bedard, I mean, the puck skill you guys show is just next level compared to what we've seen maybe from JD and Nate's generation. I'm curious how you, you specifically, like you've been great on the shootout in the league. Like where did you first start kind of studying that? Is that something you found on YouTube and how have you, being been able to kind of i guess develop that skill where did where does that come.
00:46:38
Speaker 4: From yeah i think uh for me i was younger like i don't know i just loved uh love stick handling in the basement like mess around uh and so i feel like i just watch like guys in the league and kind of just try to replicate them replicate their moves so like patrick came this big one for me when i was younger um so yeah if i just i don't know kind of just just work on my skill and i i just i don't know i really enjoyed it like it wasn't like something that i was a felt like I was working so hard at it. It was just like, you know, when I got home from school, I loved to go down to the basement, shoot pucks and mess around. And so I feel like that, you know, really helped me. And so, yeah, I definitely think in terms with the shootouts too, I helped a lot. And obviously now it's, it's pretty rewarding that it can actually, you know, help our team win some games and whatnot. So, yeah, I mean, I really enjoy the shootouts. So they're good.
00:47:23
Speaker 5: Everyone mentions Kaner. When I asked that question, every single person mentions Patrick Kane. Is he like, he's the guy for guys your age, right?
00:47:31
Speaker 4: Yeah, I feel like it, I mean, like, I feel like every guy who, you know, like, wanted to have good hands, like, he was the one, kind of, the most highlight reel, and also, like, doing it effectively, like, you know, doing it in games, doing it in playoffs, to win games, and stuff like that, so, yeah, I mean, he's, he's unreal, it's, it's pretty cool now, like, I get to watch a bit of the Chicago game, like, him and Bedard together, and, I don't know, it's just fun for me to watch, I think it's good for the league to have those two together, excited about what they can do.
00:47:55
Speaker 2: Was it wild playing against him the first time?
00:47:58
Speaker 4: Oh, yeah, it was, it was pretty cool, it was, uh, yeah I couldn't really believe it so I was like looking down in warm-ups like almost like make sure he's there and I'm like yeah it's a weird feeling but it's so cool I mean obviously um yeah just uh I mean great player so it's.
00:48:12
Speaker 2: Did you did you line up next to him at all or like hello sir.
00:48:15
Speaker 4: I I definitely did line up yes I don't think I I don't think I talked to him though I think it was just yeah I mean I was probably nervous but I'm like I'll just play the game don't need to you know be this fan boy but i i will say i did get a stick from him actually he signed a stick for me so that was super nice because uh boquist on my team that year uh he played for chicago and he knew i loved caner so he asked him for me and so yeah that was super.
00:48:38
Speaker 2: Nice that that's always so funny like guys will come in and they're nervous with the old guy and and when you'll talk to the old guys it's like you just go up to be like hey like love your work like i used to go up to guys like i skated by nick lindstrom i'm like dude i love you man like you're the best like We're about to eliminate you from playoffs, but I love you. Like, you're awesome. It, like, disarms him a little bit. They just kind of, like, start laughing a little bit. But, yeah, that's funny that he is larger than life. And, I mean, he's such an amazing steward of the game. I mean, you had some amazing guys to look up to for a player of your style. You know, Johnny Hockey and Patrick Kane and so many guys that, to mirror your game after, are just amazing. No, definitely, yeah.
00:49:18
Speaker 4: And I feel like, yeah, not even mentioning Johnny, but I feel like there's like certain moves for him too. And like, there's even like a couple of things he does where I'm like, Oh, I'd love to score a goal like that. Like exactly like him. And I feel like I'd done them like in practice or whatever, but it hasn't like came to, came to life yet. So no, I mean, obviously, yeah, he had sick hands too.
00:49:37
Speaker 1: Nate, anything from you?
00:49:38
Speaker 3: We good.
00:49:39
Speaker 6: Yeah, no, I was just going to, you know, going back to what you're talking about, you know, with your faith, I, I was just so impressed because at your age to be able to recognize that and, um, know that you need to lean in. Like I would imagine that your game has benefited as well because, you know, like you said, it's not all about hockey and the fact that you've, like you said, leaned into your faith.
00:50:00
Speaker 3: Has your game benefited from that? You think?
00:50:03
Speaker 4: Uh, yeah, I think maybe like, I feel like it's like, it's hard for me to say like what, like exactly, but I definitely think so. I think it should help. And it has at times, I think there's times too, where like, even though I'm like, you know, Christian or whatever, believe, but like, I'm not really like living that way where I'm like, Oh, like I'm, I'm worrying, I'm doing all this stuff. That's like the opposite of, you know, like what it would say. And so like, there's times where I haven't, you know, probably played the best where I'm like, Oh, I was too worried or too, I don't know, like caring about what, you know, people think of me or whatnot. So, but I do think, like you said, like it should be that thing where it should help and should help me be free to just, you know, like serve, serve my teammates, serve the organization instead of being all selfish and worried about me, you know, all the time. So, yeah, I think that's, you're right. It should be very helpful. And I feel like it is, you know, what I'm actually following.
00:50:52
Speaker 2: That's a great perspective.
00:50:54
Speaker 3: Yep, exactly.
00:50:55
Speaker 1: And it's all about hockey. And certainly you're doing a great job both on the ice and off the ice. Kent Johnson, the Columbus Blue Jackets. Good to have you reunited with JD and best of success in Columbus. Thanks so much, man.
00:51:06
Speaker 4: Yeah, thank you guys.
00:51:07
Speaker 2: I can't, before we leave, I can't believe you didn't mention the absolute sweet dish I made you against China.
00:51:12
Speaker 4: Dude, that's so funny because I was actually thinking about it. I was like, they got to pull the video up on this because, yeah, I remember that, right? A little sauce coming off the bench for me, perfect weight. And yeah, so you got to pull up the clip and tweet that out or something.
00:51:27
Speaker 3: He couldn't believe it. AV.
00:51:30
Speaker 2: He gets, he gets, he's like, that was you? And I was like, yeah, I could still play. And he's like, no, he's like, who are you? And I was like, dude, 699 games in NHL, I could still dish the rock.
00:51:42
Speaker 1: He was sick. He was good in the Olympics.
00:51:44
Speaker 2: I wish Claude played him more.
00:51:47
Speaker 4: Oh, thank you.
00:51:48
Speaker 3: That's funny.
00:51:49
Speaker 1: Great stuff, Kat. Thanks so much, buddy.
00:51:51
Speaker 4: Yeah, thanks, guys.
00:52:02
Speaker 1: Cinefile in 60 is Miller Night Football. It's a documentary right now on HBO Max. 40 minutes of it when Dennis Miller was on Monday Night Football, which to me is still one of the craziest things ever. This guy's a comedian.
00:52:11
Speaker 2: Super funny.
00:52:11
Speaker 1: He was great in the 80s. And all of a sudden, they're looking for someone to mix up the booth. And for years, they had Howard Cosell in the booth. He was not a comedian. He was a journalist. He was not a true football guy. Had it with Dandy Dawn, Meredith, and all the rest of it. So they bring in Dennis Miller. Everyone's like, wait, what? The comedian is going to be there? And he was great. The first year, he was funny, looking for shots. He's with, obviously, Al Michaels, who's a legend, and with Dan Fouts, who's a great quarterback. And then year two, Fred Gadelli comes in, who's a legendary producer, still does Sunday Night Football on NBC, and things went sideways quickly. They said part of the problem was that Dennis Miller actually wanted to be like.
00:52:40
Speaker 3: A football guy.
00:52:41
Speaker 1: So imagine in the hockey context, if I was doing play-by-play, and J.D. and Nate were doing color, and all of a sudden we just brought in– You know, pick a comedian right now. Pick somebody out there. This guy's going to be that guy. You know, all of a sudden, this person wants to be a football person, and Dennis made it a little bit awkward a little bit. That's what Godelli felt. Also, he was kind of buddies with these guys. Dave Camp, we met the Cowboys coach. He had two of Dennis Miller's books. He wanted to sign them. So, obviously, he's not going to criticize these guys. Imagine if... And Carberry's telling Nate what a great guy he is. Well, I can't criticize Spencer Carberry. He's a big fan of my works. All of a sudden, Dennis Miller became.
00:53:11
Speaker 3: Too much schmoozing.
00:53:11
Speaker 1: Ended up getting the new deal. Like, you know what?
00:53:13
Speaker 3: Sorry, guys.
00:53:14
Speaker 1: We're going to get John Madden. Dennis Miller's out. John Madden's replacing him on Monday Night Football. But, Tal, I know you saw the doc. One of my favorite parts was this. Because, again, you're looking as a comedian just to be funny, just for moments. And there was something about on the field. He goes, and he had an obscure art reference. And Al Michaels hits the cough button and goes, what the fuck are you talking about? And Don Oldmeyer, the producer, gets an issue and goes, because he fashioned himself as a big archive. He's like, nope, that's exactly right. Good reference.
00:53:39
Speaker 3: Keep it going, Dennis.
00:53:40
Speaker 2: He had these arcane, ridiculous.
00:53:41
Speaker 1: Thoughts a lot of football people didn't get. But at the same time, Tal, he got people talking about Monday Night Football again.
00:53:48
Speaker 5: It was a huge story when it happened. He was on the cover of Sports Illustrated, which for a broadcaster or a comedian is extremely rare.
00:53:56
Speaker 1: And I found it interesting.
00:53:57
Speaker 5: You could see in the interviews that he did that, he knew while this was going on that this could definitely be the end of his career.
00:54:03
Speaker 3: He knew this.
00:54:04
Speaker 5: He wasn't just going in and saying, well, let's see what happens. He knew the stakes were extremely high. And you were trying to think of a hockey equivalent.
00:54:11
Speaker 1: I feel like Shane Gillis calling a Flyers game with Nate and Jim Jackson. I was going to be like, Shane Gillis just doing a Flyers game.
00:54:19
Speaker 2: I love that you brought that up because I wanted to roll this into gambles on live television. How about his monologue on SNL the other night?
00:54:29
Speaker 3: Oh, my God.
00:54:29
Speaker 1: Heavily criticized again.
00:54:31
Speaker 2: He called the girls at the... What did you make of that?
00:54:34
Speaker 1: I actually haven't seen it yet. I just saw the headlines saying that Shane Gillis bombed his monologue again.
00:54:39
Speaker 2: He said... They said specifically he took.
00:54:41
Speaker 1: Shots at gays and women. They said that's not the spot you're going to get a good reception.
00:54:46
Speaker 2: Well, number one, he said, I hate going to the gym now because all the gays are super jacked and hot and make me feel bad. So he said that, which is like, I don't know. It was more what he said about women. But he said women are whores now wearing skimpy outfits at the gym. And he goes, I look like a creep in all their TikToks. But if you watch Tires, he does a whole episode on that, how he gets caught ogling a girl and then has a panic attack and has a slight arrhythmia because the girl says she's going to put him on blast. So he literally, it's kind of, it's pretty crazy. I mean, he is, he is, he goes for it. He swings. He goes there.
00:55:29
Speaker 5: I was just going to say quick, sorry, JD, that you were looking for a hockey equivalent. There was one when George Strombolopoulos became the host of Hockey Night in Canada.
00:55:37
Speaker 3: There you go.
00:55:38
Speaker 1: That's a good one.
00:55:38
Speaker 2: Where is George now?
00:55:39
Speaker 5: Like Dennis Miller, that did not last very long.
00:55:42
Speaker 2: Yeah, where is George now?
00:55:44
Speaker 3: That was quick.
00:55:45
Speaker 5: He's still doing his thing.
00:55:46
Speaker 1: That was a huge deal in Canada.
00:55:50
Speaker 5: You want to talk about adding an outsider to a broadcasting institution. That's what happened with, I forget what year it was, but that was huge news for Hockey Night in Canada when it happened.
00:55:59
Speaker 1: That's a good comment. How about the reaction when they're doing the audition? And when Al Michaels mentioned a player, it was Cladius Hunt. And Dennis Miller goes, what? And he's Cladius Hunt. That's a player, that's a sorority chick. And they go, we got our guy. That's what they do. We're going to put this guy in Monday Night Football.
00:56:14
Speaker 3: Really, really funny.
00:56:15
Speaker 2: It just goes to show.
00:56:16
Speaker 1: Somebody's got to take chances.
00:56:17
Speaker 2: The hockey equivalent would be Amazon throwing me on there on Wednesday night.
00:56:23
Speaker 3: There you go, JD, just going off. That would be the option.
00:56:26
Speaker 1: Let's see if that happens.
00:56:28
Speaker 2: During a Flyers game.
00:56:31
Speaker 3: Interviewing talk. Just going off on big talk.
00:56:33
Speaker 2: Yeah, exactly.
00:56:34
Speaker 1: It'd have to be talk and JD together.
00:56:38
Speaker 2: There'd be explicit throwing back and forth.
00:56:40
Speaker 3: Oh, yeah. No, there wouldn't be.
00:56:43
Speaker 1: Definitely check out Miller Night Football. I've got to go watch this monologue here with Shane Gillicks. I do like a lot of headlines, as always. Meantime, Colorado assistant coach Dave Haxtell behind the Avalanche Bench Wednesday night against Dallas. By Thursday, he was gone. Arizona State announcing Thursday morning he is their new head coach, taking over a program that has been in disarray since the horrible events of the summer workout, leaving Blues prospect Matthew Mayich in the hospital to collapsing from heat stroke. Since then, seven players... have anonymously sent a letter to school president Michael Crow disputing the findings of the school's investigation, and former coach Greg Powers has placed unadministrative leave and has since left the program. Haxel, incredible success, J.D., in college, head coach at North Dakota, took the program to the Frozen Four seven times in 11 seasons and was a finalist for National Coach of the Year eight times. How do you think he can try to resurrect the program?
00:57:32
Speaker 2: You know, building back trust, I think, in the program and the players, and now when you really look at asu being a a desirable place in terms of you know not only the facilities i mean i'm out here the facilities the the city the lifestyle now you have matt green as well he just came in as the the d coach you have taylor pyatt that's there he was i think they're going to keep him as well about up front so taylor pyatt matt green and dave haxtall so to me i'm like that's that's about as easy as recruiting as you can get is you have guys with pure NHL experience. So if you're a kid that wants to make the NHL, I mean, look what you have. And then not only that, but you have just a plethora of ex NHL guys that are around here, ex coyotes guys, you know, ton of us. So there's so much to like in terms of development. Um, and I had hack and, uh, world championships. He's the D coach for me at world championships. And I really liked him. He's a great guy. You know, he's a, he's a great human being. Um, cares about the players. So very soft, you know, very, a little bit of a quieter coach, not as fiery, but I think, uh, it's really going to benefit the program. And I think it's going to be, listen, it's, it's a horrific, sad situation for the Mayich family and, um, you know, this program, but, you know, at the end of this, the, not to lose sight of that, you know, there's a kid in severe critical condition, but, you know, in terms of the program, I think, They had to move this direction. They had to move out of the way and they did the right thing by bringing in some guys that also wanted to be there because Haxtell's on an NHL bench in the NHL.
00:59:17
Speaker 1: He doesn't really.
00:59:18
Speaker 2: Have any crazy ties to Arizona and decides to drop everything midseason on a cup-contending, potentially cup-winning team to come here. It says a lot about what he wants to do and what this program means to him.
00:59:34
Speaker 1: Yeah, I would say this.
00:59:36
Speaker 3: Sorry, I was just going to say, I'd say the same for even like.
00:59:38
Speaker 2: You know Greeny, right?
00:59:39
Speaker 6: Yeah, I know Greener and just how important he is to that Kings organization.
00:59:44
Speaker 3: I know from being there. I mean, he works in player development.
00:59:48
Speaker 6: A lot of these guys like Quinton Byfield, Brant Clark, you know, a lot of these guys have been developed and Matt Green has been a huge part of that, like huge part of that and some of those prospects there. So, you know, the same thing, the fact that he's leaving the Kings organization where he was, you know, one, two cups has been there forever. And like, like you said, he wants to go and, um, help this, help this, this program is, it says a lot. So if it's me and I'm a college kid and I'm being recruited, like that's a no brainer being able to go play at a place like ASU and to have those coaches behind the bench teaching you. I mean, that's, that's, that's, that's special that those guys are going there. So, um, it's, it's, it's good news.
01:00:29
Speaker 1: And last, we hand out flowers to Cam Talbot, making NHL history on Saturday night, getting the W in a shootout for the Columbus Blue Jackets over the Penguins. 39 years of age is a win for nine different NHL teams, breaking a record he shared with three others, including Ron Coughpley's Tugnut. Since becoming Henrik Lundqvist's backup in New York in 2013, Talbot with wins Rangers, Oilers, Flyers, Flames, Wild, Senators, Kings, Red Wings, and the Blue Jackets. 21 wins shy of 300 for his career. Way to go, Cam Talbot. That's a hell of a record, J.D.
01:01:01
Speaker 3: Yeah.
01:01:02
Speaker 2: I mean, just an absolute... I mean, what a stud. The only story I have of Cam Talbot is during the bubble, it was after the first round, and if... Nate, were you in Toronto, or were you in Edmonton?
01:01:16
Speaker 6: Toronto.
01:01:16
Speaker 2: I was in Toronto. So we were in Edmonton, and it was an absolute cattle car at the Joey Tomato, or whatever the chop house. We'd go chop it up at the chop house, the steakhouse, and there'd be like, you know... 150 NHL players just testosterone oozing out of the place and me and Alex Golgoski had you know we had a couple pops after round one and we were feeling ourselves and a little kerfuffle broke out because between James Neal and Rasmus Anderson because there was like a little bit of a I can't get into the personals of it but there was a little bit of a history there in terms of dislike and Neal was no longer with he had played with Rasmus in Calgary and then he was in Edmonton so it's It's James Neal sitting next to Connor McDavid and Darnell Nurse. And then it's Rasmus Anderson and James Neal going at it from across the bar. And Cam Talbot was playing with Rasmus Anderson at the time. So me and Alex Golgas, you're standing next to Cam Talbot and we're sitting there and we're just whispering in his ear, like the devil on his shoulder. We're like, that's bullshit, man. Like you gotta go, go help your teammate out. Like, like go, like go get him. Like go get, I'm like, We're like, you can take Conor. You can jump Conor.
01:02:31
Speaker 1: Stir it up, baby.
01:02:32
Speaker 2: We're like, jump him. We're like, don't be. And he'd look back at us. He's like, guys, stop. And Golgoski's like, man, I wouldn't let that happen if that was my teammate. And then Milan Lucic kept running in and wanted to fight, you know, said, I'll fight Darnell if you want me to, Rasmus, because he was in Cali. It was amazing. But we were, Cam Talbot was like, these guys are, pissing me off, and it was me and Goose in the back just going, come on, do it, man. You'll do it.
01:03:00
Speaker 1: Can't tell, but smelling it from a mile away. That's why he's a cool customer all these years.
01:03:04
Speaker 2: Easy.
01:03:05
Speaker 1: Thanks for checking out NHL Unscripted. Two more episodes left. Perhaps we continue, or perhaps not. Either way, we'll be back on NHL Unscripted. NHL Unscripted is a production of the NHL and iHeart Podcast. For more podcasts from iHeart Radio, visit the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.