2024 NHL Playoffs with Luke Gazdic | The Game Sports Podcast

[00:00:00] Speaker A: Welcome to another edition of the Game Sports podcast. The Game Sports podcast is powered by 91 Network. On this episode, in segment one, I will be joined by former professional NHL hockey player and current sports net expert analyst Luke Gazdek discussing the NHL season reaction and the entire preview of the NHL playoffs 2024. In segment two, I will be going solo, discussing more hockey, getting into basketball, baseball and a little bit of a thumbs up for the Masters. Let's go. Booyah. And it's time for the Game sports podcast. It is your host, David McCaig, junior, and who what an episode we have planned for you here on the game today. And it is hockey invaded for obvious reasons. If you don't know, I don't know what to tell you. Or tell. If you don't know why, I also don't know what to tell you. But nonetheless, to kick off the show, we are starting with the bang friend of the show and also a previous special edition guest. You can head on over, check through the channel and find that show. That's where I accidentally actually called the San Diego goals the Gills during that show. I think this guy may remember that. And it's, I thought I would chirp myself right at the opening. That's pretty fitting. But nonetheless, let's bring in the man who is joining yours truly here, Luke Gosdek, friend of the show, former professional hockey player and obviously current analyst on Sportsnet. Luke, how's it going, my friend? [00:01:27] Speaker B: Good buddy. And, yes, I do remember the gills. That's, that's good stuff, man. Thanks for having me. Good to, good to be back, man. It's been a fun year and. Yeah, I appreciate it, man. [00:01:38] Speaker A: Yeah, it's been. Honestly, it's great. I love the gazda go jersey in the background. Not friend. Analyst of the show Dane Hantro is a big Oilers fan, and he was actually upset to learn that he couldn't come on this segment. He wanted to, but he was unable to because he wanted to talk to you and get to me and talk a little bit time with the Edmonton Oilers because obviously we're going to be chatting about the Oilers as the playoffs gets underway. But, you know, it's, it's great to have you back on. And there was, we talked about the stories and everything at that point, and I still get chirped from Brendan Brooks about the gills. So, you know, maybe that'll be a new name one day. I don't know if someone's looking to name their team, they can check that out. Maybe, you know, let me know what they think or let Gazzler know. But anyway, I know you and I, last time we chatted was at a friend of ours, stag Zach turquoise. That's how we ended up getting acquainted is through torque, who's had a good career overseas, obviously, and into the player coach type thing like the Jackie moon, I guess you can say jokes aside, and I want to watch at his stag and doe. And it was actually you that generously donated that. And I didn't wear it. I feel like a fool because I feel like I should be wearing it, especially with you on. But I can tell you, and you can ask my wife, I wear it pretty often because it's pretty awesome. And speaking of awesome, you've had quite the year. Obviously you have your own stuff going on. You got Sportsnet going on. I hear your voice echoing through my house. It's like what I've told Kelly before when he's been on the show, it's like, I know that guy. I'm texting this guy. I know this guy. Tell us. You know, since we've had you on last, obviously you've had the transition into the broadcasting world, share everything that you're doing and how this whole year went for you. [00:03:25] Speaker B: Yeah, it's been wild, man. You know, when I finished playing hockey, I wasn't too sure what I wanted to do and what I wanted to get into. And I think people ask me this story all the time of how I started with Sportsnet. It was just a cold call. I was up, up at the lake, you know, at my cottage, and I got a call from the president of hockey at Sportsnet asking if I wanted to do some Oiler games. And I did a couple oiler and emissions and two games led to four games led to doing the hockey Central show. And I got a couple appearances last year, probably two, two a month, something like that. And I signed on full time in the summer. Well, kind of full time, but, you know, hockey central three times a week and, man, it just snowballed and it started becoming something that I really started enjoying doing. And before I knew it, Cassie Campbell had left the Monday night hockey panel. So I joined the Monday night hockey panel at Sportsnet and, you know, I was fortunate enough a couple weeks back to get the nod to do Hockey night in Canada for Lee Soilers and then flames Canucks, which was really cool to be on the desk and, you know, get to mix it up up with Ron and Kev Biexa. Just a really cool experience, man. So, you know, this analyst thing has kind of taken off more than I, more than I thought, and people are enjoying the commentary, and I, you know, I try to keep it light and honest and organic and, you know, share experiences from my playing career, but also some of the knowledge that I picked up and decided to start a podcast, too, on, on the side, which I did this summer. We're 18 episodes in now. I have a couple playoff previews dropping on on Saturday, so one tonight for the Leaf. So that's a, you know, a little plug for myself, but mitts off with Luke Gazdek. So, you know, I'm all over the place doing tons of alumni events and stuff, too. And, you know, the transition from pro hockey to post hockey isn't easy, but, you know, I'm taking it one day, one week, one month at a time here. [00:05:26] Speaker A: And honestly, you had Simone Benoit on your recent episode or recent episode that you had that I saw on Tick Tock. You did a little clip, of course, and, you know, the. What a great story with him in Toronto as well, where this is somebody who, you know, worked his way out. He was expected to not even make the lineup at all this year and look at what he's contributed. But, you know, back to it for yourself. Your podcast yourself has done very well. You can check all you do clips on TikTok. You have, obviously, your uploads that you can check out on all platforms as well. So the sportsnet gig, though, I'll say that, you know, I always say, when BX is on the television, boy, does that guy dress to impress. That guy suits. But I'm not gonna lie, when yourself and even Kelly is up there, I'm not gonna give Ron any credit, even though I don't have never really met Ron, just when he's beside BXA, yourself and Kelly, it's almost like, okay, you guys are very sharply dressed, and you guys are absolute beauties up there. You, the way you said it, it's the facts. It's the way you're not trying to be funny or you're not trying to entertain. You're just, you're honestly being yourselves. I have never also got the chance to meet Kevin. I've got to meet Kelly, of course. But, you know, I've been told from people that Kevin is almost the way that he is on the air. And here in Utah, you're the same, too. And Kelly, you guys are very genuine and funny guy. It's just normal, real content. And that's what we feel that we get with you, with you on the panel. [00:06:52] Speaker B: Oh, I appreciate that man. And, you know, it's really easy for me to prepare and to handle live tv when I'm just being genuine and being myself. And that's kind of a decision I made, was to just, you know, try to be my own best version of myself. And people have really enjoyed it and embraced it, and you nailed it with Kev. I don't want to say he doesn't prepare because I don't want this to come across wrong, but what you see is what you get. Like that is, Kev. It's not like, you know, some people turn it on when they. When we go live. [00:07:26] Speaker A: And I don't want to say they're. [00:07:27] Speaker B: Different, but it's definitely like an enhanced version of that person. Whereas Kevin, it's whether the lights on or off, he's the same person. He talks the same way. He's very honest, no filter. You know, he just kind of calls it like it is. And I think that's why we had such good chem and just the one show that we worked together, because it was two hockey guys that have, you know, been through the battles and are on the other side to talk about it. And, yeah, try to obviously dress as nice as possible. That's the best thing about working at Sportsnet, buddy. We have a suit deal with a company called Jack Victor, and we all have our nice little cubbies at the studio, and we have a whole team of stylists. When we walk in there, they, you know, kind of ask us what we want to wear, what color, and they just curate a whole outfit for us. And, you know, we can try a couple different things and see what works. But it's definitely one of the cooler things about working there is getting a nice update for the suit closet and having someone dress you for every show. [00:08:27] Speaker A: Oh, I love that. And I like, honestly, the touches that you have with these, you have with the panel, than you're on the couch, you know, that's great. That's great. I think that couch ad is great, where it's a bit more relaxed, more genuine. Just overall, the content you guys have is great. And I think the panel, there was obviously an announcement, or there's official, obviously, who's going to be on the playoff panel. I'm sure you're. I didn't really ask yourself, this is a scripted quet, not a scripted question, but are you able to share that news that we know what's going on with the playoff panel? [00:08:59] Speaker B: Yeah, I can. So released on Rogers media today. I can actually read you the exact line Ron McClain and David Amber host the pregame and postgame alongside. This is the best part. Experts Kevin Biexa, Elliot Friedman, Luke Gazdek, Kelly Rudy and Jennifer Botterell. So I'll be a part of the hockey Night crew for actually, goaltender Jake Allen is a special guest as well. That's news that's new, so that's cool. Another former player, but yeah, I'll be getting some playoff games in here, which is really cool. I think it really helps that we have four canadian teams that made it this year and to be honest, four really good canadian hockey teams. So that that helps my case in getting some appearances on tv and also doesn't hurt that my oilers are going to try to make a run for it as well. [00:09:49] Speaker A: Oh, I know there's. I had a prediction at the beginning of the year, Leaf Soilers cup final. I said it, this is going to be the year. I will not. I'll share what my prediction slash true prediction will be at the end, at the end of our segment. But that is a wild panel. I'm very excited to listen to each second of that. And I like what they did last year. They had the coaches come on as guests throughout each series, and I think that's going to be cool this year. If they can do a Jake Allen, you know, bring in some guys that may have potential to be good on air, that may be good opening for them once they stop playing. You know, maybe not on Sportsnet, but maybe it's something they do with the. With other companies, such. I'll say that other companies, if it's DSM, if it's ESPN, wherever it is, that it gives them that exposure. Maybe they want to start their own podcast. Cause that is the way of a lot of news outlets today. So it is great. And I gotta say one more time, continue to dress the way you are, Jack Victor. You guys up tremendously. Okay. If you ever talk to the guys with Jack Victor, if they ever want to send me a suit, let me know, because I'll have no problem trying them on or taking one off their hands if they're going to throw one out, you know. [00:10:52] Speaker B: Yeah, it's good stuff. I'll continue it, man. And I'll tell them, send me your suit size and we'll see what we can do. [00:10:58] Speaker A: Love that. Love that. Okay, this year, but I want to get into the playoffs. That's what the heading is going to get into. I know we. I tend to go down rabbit holes and extend time and shows. I'm going to try not to do that. So times valuable. But before we get into the playoffs this season, I think was a hell of ride. It was great. You had look at McKennon, what he did. Look at Kucharov. He did McDavid and Kucharov, what they did with 100 assists. Obviously, Matthews didn't get the number that everyone wanted him to get. Obviously. I think the boys in blue were trying as hard as they could to give him that goal, especially the last game of the season where I think they were just looking for him the entire time. They weren't even thinking about shooting the puck when they saw three four on the ice, they were giving them the puck, which, you know, I get it. You know, you've played on a team, too. You're just trying to get them that milestone. And we saw a lot of story, great storylines this year, I feel like. But there was also a lot of surprises. Teams that didn't, you know, do as well as we figured they would. And New Jersey is one of those teams, for me, to be honest, I thought they would have a much better season, you know, and there's some teams that did surprise. I didn't think the Philadelphia Flyers were, would be where they were to be almost battling for a playoff spot. So obviously there was a lot of storylines this year, and I want to give you a couple minutes to bring your opinion forward on some things that either surprised you or some highlights this year that stood out to you before we get into some playoff chat. [00:12:18] Speaker B: Well, I think first and foremost the team that comes to mind for me is the Vancouver Canucks. And I spent a lot of time at Sportsnet. We cover Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton. So a lot of the late night regional games we stay and do intermissions. And I'll tell you, last year, from where they were to where they are now, it's been just such an incredible turnaround from the coaching carousel they went through to some of the massive trades and moving on from Horvat to bringing in Rick Talkett and establishing a culture there. Not only the team performances, but individual performances. I will take some credit on an early prediction at Sportsnet. I called quickly Hughes for Norris just because I saw his, you know, I saw his improvement and getting named captain, I thought, you know, that was just the perfect thing for him. He was going to take a lot of responsibility, but I don't think even myself expecting him to have a 92 point season, JT Miller has become one of my favorite players to watch in the league. Just an absolute warrior out there, like, absolutely goes to battle every night kills penalties, plays, power play guy ends with 103 points. But to turn Vancouver into a 50 win team, and I think the thing for them was I just, you know, I kind of think of Edmonton on the shorter term of where they were to where they are. But it's not easy to go in and establish a culture and have a turnaround so quick. And if you break down the Canucks in 20 game segments, if you break down their season by four, they went 13 and 613 and 512 and five and eleven and six. For me, they are the model of consistency, and I think they just, we all expected a drop off at some point, especially when they started hot against the Oilers, were like, ah, you know, it's Vancouver. They'll probably end middle of the road, maybe sneak into a playoff spot. But for them to finish first in the Pacific, 50 win season, to me, that what I would consider the biggest surprise for me this year. I will also say on an individual milestone, I know you mentioned Matthews, but looking at the Oilers and Zach Hyman's 54 goals, yeah, I understand that playing with Connor McDavid can do that to you, but you still have to put the puck in the net, and Conor's not an easy player to play with. I've watched his entire tenure in Edmonton. I lived with him when he was an 18 year old rookie, and I've watched dozens of players that they've tried to put on his wings, and just not a lot had worked. And Zach has certainly clicked. And 54 goals is no choke in the NHL. I don't care who you are, where you came from. That was certainly a really fun story to watch this year. It was, you know, can he get 30? Can he get 40? Then was, can he get 50? And that was a really cool thing to follow along, especially at the price point they have them for. [00:15:14] Speaker A: You know what? I said two things with that this year, that Zach Hymen left Toronto to go to Edmonton on a five and a half, give or take a deal. And, you know, people are like, well, that's not a great contract. His knee, right, is injury. You know, I know one team that would love another top six forward that could score goals. There's a lot of teams. But I know Toronto wouldn't mind a feisty top six forward. Oh, wait, they did have Zach Hyman. So, you know, he goes to Toronto, and I. You brought up a good point about McDavid. Yeah, he's great to play with. I'm sure if you, you know, it's helped, but you have to know how to put the puck in the net. Okay. And he's played with people. That didn't work. I almost want to compare the hymen McDavid to maybe the Crosby Kunitz. You know, I think that McDavid Hymen's better, obviously, because of the statistics that prove that from Hyman's perspective, he. Obviously, Kunits didn't reach that level of goals, but he did get a lot of points. It was really successful with Crosby, which led him, of course, to play with the Olympics in Crosby because he had so much chemistry. Right. So that's where I kind of see the comparison is between the two of them. And that's a great. That's a great point. And. [00:16:19] Speaker B: Yeah, and you got to think that coming up for the Olympics here, even the four nations, that Hymen's going to be a part of that. I think he's. He certainly earned it. And, you know, I love story time. I'll give you a quick story time. You mentioned Crosby and Kunitz. My first year in the NHL. I'll never forget this. I was a rookie and we had been caught out there for about a minute and a half on a long. A long shift with an icing. And obviously we don't get to change. So we're in the D zone and play in Pittsburgh. And I look over and Crosby, Malkin, Kunich jump over the board with Latang. And I just remember looking at my sentiment and just being like, oh, boy, what are we going to do here? And we snapped that drawback as hard as it could. Boy. Gordon, puck off the glass. And I sprinted to the bench fast as I could. I wanted to stay out there for a bit, but it was an intimidating, intimidating line to be out there. [00:17:06] Speaker A: Oh, you just look at that and go, oh, my God, what's going on? [00:17:11] Speaker B: I said to my centerman, I said, what's the. What's the draw? What's the D play? And he just looked at me and said, survive, buddy. [00:17:16] Speaker A: Let's just get the puck. Survive. I'm going to grab the puck from the refs hand before he drops and throw it in the crowd. You know, it's funny that he's like, we'll take Quinn Hughes 91 points this year. You know, it's one thing to add a little highlight in my notes. 91 points. You know, I know Macar McHugh, the stats this year with points, the goal scoring. Love it. Love it. Like, it is great. It is absolutely phenomenal. I hope that we consistently see that more. I know goalies may not agree but too bad. There's a lot of strong talents and I think it just makes for a great conversation. So those are good points to bring up. [00:17:56] Speaker B: No, honestly, honestly, he's been. He's been unreal. Sorry to cut you off, but man, what a year. Like watching the Canucks and watch him walk the blue line and pull the puck up in rushes. He is so fun to watch and I don't have a vote, but he'd be minorist for sure. [00:18:12] Speaker A: Yeah, it's. It's hard to not give him the nod, especially for a team that was completely changed. And JT Miller, I gotta get on that bed. Wang it too. And if you're not, you should. Guy is so competitive. He just does not like failing or not doing well. He goes out every shift and works as his rear end off. Now, guys, I know he does. Now, I know we're starting to flirt with that extra time a little bit here. So I'll get into the Stanley cup playoffs because I know that's what we want to get into and it's here. It's stressful time for all the teams that you cheer for, whoever you cheer for. It's a little bit extra, I think, for Leaf fans. I think everyone should give Leaf fans that point. They're a little bit more stressed during this time. Okay? It's, it's challenging. Heck, the Leafs win round one last year and it's like they won the Stanley cup. [00:18:54] Speaker B: Okay? [00:18:55] Speaker A: The world stopped. Tick tock, flipped over. I know. I celebrate at my friend's house and got jumped on. We had a big mob like we won. It's like they won the Stanley cup that first round, okay? Only to lose in five to the Florida Panthers or, you know, to lose the Florida Panthers. So nonetheless, the playoffs this year. Gazer I wanted to. I'm going to give my predictions in a bit more detail towards the end in the next segment. I wanted to give. I'm okay to share obviously what I think predictions are in this segment, too. So we kind of go back and forth. But I'm going to get into predictions for each round when I get a break. And once we let you go, I want to give you the floor to. I want those to hear from you instead of just hearing my voice on what I think, who you think is going to win what round or however way you want to approach it, who's going to win the cup, who's going through, maybe if you want to, you know, go through each series, predict a winner, whatever you want to do, whatever is kind of in your comfort zone? [00:19:55] Speaker B: Well, it's funny you ask that because we're doing a sports night one. They got a big article coming out, so I have been kind of working on this a bit. Listen, I'm not going to lie. I love the Oilers. Since Chris Knoblock got hired, there's been nobody in hockey that's been as good as them. The stats don't lie. Their home record doesn't lie. So I'm very high on the Oilers. I think if there's any year they can come out of the Western Conference, it's this year. Vegas just crossed over to the central. They'll play Dallas. So that immediately knocks out one of those two teams. Winnipeg is another team for me that I'm looking at and thinking this is a really good team that could go. [00:20:38] Speaker A: Play all the way. [00:20:40] Speaker B: They are built for the playoffs and they are built to win. So the way I have it working out right now is Edmonton over LA. I think Vancouver will end up playing Edmonton. Dallas think gets by Vegas, Winnipeg gets by Colorado. I think the conference final to me looks like Winnipeg. Edmonton. Would that ever be cool? Coming up, coming out of the east, I think I am very high on Carolina. So no matter what happens on that other side, I think the keynes make the conference final and I really hope the Leafs meet them there. From there, I don't know truly if they can beat Carolina. I just Carolina top to bottom, their depth, their speed, their systems, bringing in Jake Gensler at the deadline, that it's a really good hockey team. I don't want to discount anything from Florida and the Panthers. I think they're going to be a tough out, but I don't know if they're even going to make it past Tampa. I have a weird feeling about Tampa. [00:21:40] Speaker A: Same as last year with Boston Florida. I had people tell me they have a weird feeling about it and look what happens. Yeah, can be the same way. [00:21:47] Speaker B: They've just been so good the last quarter of the season. Playoff. Vasilevsky, you know, is going to show up. Koch Point, Hedman, stamcoast. They still have the core of guys, so I just don't know what's going to happen in that battle of Florida. But I think my Stanley cup final looks like Edmonton Carolina as much as I want it to be. Edmonton Toronto, that would be the coolest thing ever. But I eventually have Edmonton over Carolina in six for the cup. But I really do like the Hurricanes, and I think if there's any year the Oilers can come out of the west, it's this year. [00:22:23] Speaker A: So the Oilers get revenge from the zero six Stanley cup finals in a series that they should have won if Dwayne Rollson didn't go down. No offense to the other attendees that were there, but Rollison doesn't get hurt by Andrew Ladd in that series. The Oilers would have won the Stanley cup. That was the Cinderella year. And I know Dane, obviously an analyst on the show, big Orler fan, says he wants Andrew Ladd on this podcast more than anything, and I will. I don't think I'll let him come on that show because I don't. I don't think Andrew would want to stay long. But jokes aside, I would love to see that rematch. And you bring up a good point about how it's hard to pick Carolina. You know, I have a way of trying to say it on the show where it's going to be Toronto Carolina in the conference final as well. And then my way of saying it without trying to jinx Toronto not winning because I am a Toronto fan, pretty self explanatory is the winner of that series will win the cup. That's. That's kind of how I'm saying it. Without overall trying to hint that I think Trump could beat Carolina, because truly, I don't think they can. I don't think. I just think so. And that way. [00:23:32] Speaker B: Yeah, they're just built to win, too, man. There's built. [00:23:35] Speaker A: And the way I worded is the Toronto curse, right? I said if Toronto is going to win the cup, though, I said it has to go this way. They have to beat Boston the first round. That's slaying that dragon, slaying that curse. That's number one. Number two, I did say at the beginning of the year, and I didn't want to go back and play the first clip of the season preview. I said if they're going to win the cup, so that when the first round is Boston, second round is Florida. The reason why I said they have to beat Florida is because that's who beat them last year. Then Florida made the cup final. That was just my rationale. The other team I was thinking was Philly when they last beat them in zero four, when they made the playoffs. But Florida just made more sense to say at that time. Then the third team that they would have to beat to help end the curse is Carolina in the conference final. Because who did Toronto play in the conference finals back in zero two was Carolina before Carolina moved on to play Detroit in the cup finals. And then, of course, the last time Charles made the cup finals, they won. So I said if they're going to make the cup finals, they're going to win anyways because I would slay all the curses up to that point. So I'll say it here on the show with you. What I want and hope for in terms of prediction, I'll say something else. Oilers Leafs cup finals I said that at the beginning of the year. I said that since day one, I'm not going to change. It's like Ali Friedman said, and I know he said on the panel, he picked the Oilers to win at the beginning of the year and even when they were two and twelve or two and ten or whatever they were, he didn't change his pick. And good thing he didn't because it's a pretty good pick right now. I think this is the year where the Oilers play the Leafs. That's my prediction and I I think the Leafs win it this year. I have a feeling, but that that's my prediction to stay here. Now, if you want my betting pick, Carolina is probably someone you should highlight. That's all I'm going to say because it's hard to go against a team, but as a host of a show, you got to try to be as honest as you can. I think you can turn away from Carolina and even somebody that I really highlighted because I think they're going to get on to the least round two, but it's going to be tough when they play. Winnipeg is Dallas. I know James Cebalski picked Dallas to win the cup on the show as when he was a guest and they just look really good, too. But Dallas, Winnipeg, Vancouver, Edmonton, it can go any way and literally anyway, with those guys in the east, I think it's almost easier to pick. I don't know. I think. I think it's. I think the west is harder to pick a winner this year, but I think the others are a safe pick and Carolina is the safe pick. But everyone knows where my heart's at, obviously. But wouldn't it be great? McDavid Matthews, like, wouldn't that just the hockey world? [00:26:03] Speaker B: It'd be the best thing ever. It would be the best thing ever. Honestly. It's the two teams that are the closest to my heart. I obviously grew up here in Toronto, born and raised Lee Finn and was fortunate enough to spend three years in Edmonton. So I'm actually going back there. I'll be there for game two versus LA and I like to go back and be in that city, have a lot of close ties there. So that would just be the coolest thing ever. But you're right, man. When I look at contenders and I write down contenders and teams that I think could win the Stanley cup this year, outside of like Washington and Nashville, like, you can make a case for upwards of ten to twelve teams. For me, honestly, you could. You could say, um, you, you could say a number of different teams in the west. And I'm glad you mentioned Dallas cause they are an absolute wagon. I think they had 820 goal scorers. They have no problem scoring goals. Jake Ottinger is a freak in that. And it's definitely another team that if they end up winning, it makes a lot of sense. [00:27:03] Speaker A: I just feel like some of the easy series is New York, Washington. That's so easy to pick. I'm sorry, Washington fans, but I think if you see fights, Washington fans should. Kissing, I don't know, kissing their Washington jerseys. I don't know. Cause I think that's probably the one of the sweeps that I see. I think the Islanders, Carolina is a little bit of a trap for Carolina because the Islanders have that. Can have that structure of wall behind the bench. I think they might steal one game, but no more than one. And I just think Edmonton is going to steamroll La. I just, I don't think La. They have kopatar, doughty. They got the guys. I just don't think think they win more than one game. So I think there should be a couple easy series and I think Nashville, Vancouver, that might go six. How good Vancouver is. I think Nashville can't be discredited, but honestly, the most entertaining series is going to be. We all know what I'm going to say for bias. It's going to be between the two teams in the east, boss. Florida, Tampa. That's going the distance, that series. And so is Boston, Toronto. You know, it has to go seven. It has to. It's just the story, right? [00:28:03] Speaker B: It's funny, man. You got a lot of these things that you're saying. I got written down. I got Tampa over Florida in seven. I got Vancouver over Nashville in six. I got Carolina over the Islanders. I have six written down right now. But I think if the Islanders had played the Rangers, I think they would have had a shot at winning that series. I just don't think they line up against. [00:28:23] Speaker A: Are they not like their president's trophy winners? Are they one of the worst president trophy? Exactly. Are these worst presidents that we've seen? [00:28:31] Speaker B: Like, I think if they listen, they got incredible goaltending. They got incredible goaltending. They can score goals but they have no depth. I just. I still. I mean, I'm an analyst. I'm supposed to know why they won the president's trophy, but I don't know how they did it. And I just think. I think they have some fraud. [00:28:51] Speaker A: A lot of easier games. I'll say Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, you're playing the Capitals of the world a bit more. I know when Toronto played New York this year was not that difficult for them, except one shootout game. Washington is the one of the worst wild card teams that I've seen. No offense to the grade eight, you know, him. And it would have been. I would have been cool to see maybe Crosby get in there, even though, you know, if they've had enough winning, I think it'd be. It would have been such a great story for Crosby to help Pittsburgh rebound. But overall, this is going to be a very buddy. [00:29:22] Speaker B: The Washington Capitals have a -37 goal differential. That means that they were outscored by 37 goals this year and they still made the playoffs. It's insane. And I credit the job Spencer Carberry's done there and OV scoring 30 again, like, it's cool. I just. I'm still trying to figure out how they snuck their way. [00:29:42] Speaker A: So here's the last thing I'll say then. The playoff format. I've talked about this show, so on the show so much. I've talked about how shootouts. I'm whatever. I'm a fan of ten minute three on three, then shootout. I've even said five minute three on three, then five minute two on two. But we all know that won't happen. That's far fetched. So three on three for ten and maybe a shootout. I don't think a game should end a tie or maybe the point system changes. I don't know. I'm interested in some of that. But one thing that I would love to see change is the playoff format, okay? And not because I'm a Toronto fan and I'm sure you don't mind it, like, even playing the kings, it's. Or anybody could have paid Vegas. If you're an oiler fan, that format still would have sucked. But I think the format needs to go back to one and eight. But my dream is one in 16. I've said that before. I know I'm not the only person to say that, but we know from a travel perspective in the NHL that Mister Gary Bettman may not agree and some other governors may not agree, but the format needs to change. It was cool for the first two years. It was cute. When Washington was playing Pittsburgh a couple times and they finally did win Washington after five years to beat them. That's what Toronto fans are hoping for against Boston. But I just feel that format needs to change, guys. Or I don't. I don't. I don't think it's. [00:31:01] Speaker B: No, I agree with you, man. I'm with you. I. I am kind of in the dreaming state too, with one versus 16 and how cool that would be. Kind of like the frozen for March madness type style bracket. But I'm with you. I think they should go back to one versus eight. Or, you know, even the regular system season, season system of rewarding a team with three points for a regulation winner, however it is, I just. I think this division thing has kind of played itself out. [00:31:33] Speaker A: I agree. And you know what? Honestly, cool made some rivalries but might not make some new ones. Wouldn't it be nice to see Toronto play against, I don't know, la first round, something different, right? Or if they would have played, whatever. I'm not sure how the seeding would have worked out. I'm just pulling that out of my head. But again, we're in for an exciting playoff gazzard. I, you know, like, I kept you a little bit extra, so I'm going to get towards wrapping you up. Wrapping up. Wrapping this up. Sorry. Easy for me to say. So I can let you go and get back to your day, but nonetheless, I want to give you the floor again one more time to kind of promote a little bit more that you're doing where they can follow your podcast. Then I can let you log off. [00:32:14] Speaker B: I appreciate it, man. Well, in terms of tv, I'm not sure of the actual dates or games that I'll be on, but keep your eyes on sportsnet for playoff hockey. I'll be doing some panel dates and then in terms of my personal stuff, mitts off Pod, I did two playoff preview episodes. First one's going to drop in about half an hour. I previewed the Toronto Boston series with Andrew Raycroft, who is a studio analyst for Nessen. So we did about a half an hour breakdown of that series. And then on Saturday I previewed the Edmonton LA series with former Kings assistant GM Mike Fuda. So we are dropping that one Saturday. So we did like a double playoff preview episode and I'll be looking to do some of those as the playoffs roll on. And then I have some cool summer content coming with some NHL, some NHL guys, and so many channel players that you guys will see more of when the summer rolls around. So keep your eyes on the tv and on the Mitsoff pod, YouTube, Spotify, Twitter, wherever you get your podcasts and video content. Check us out and follow us. [00:33:18] Speaker A: And I'm glad that you came on and we finally connected. I know we've been chatting since the deadline and everything, but very happy got you on for pro playoff preview and as the summer rolls around, no, we can reconnect with some big stories that occur, or maybe if torque wants to take his social abilities to the platforms with me and you to chat. I think that would be pretty fun. But nonetheless, I appreciate you taking the time, Luke, and we'll be hearing you throughout my household and throughout the radio waves and everything. And again, thanks for taking the time. [00:33:48] Speaker B: Yeah, no problem. [00:33:49] Speaker A: That's Luke Gazdek, former NHL player and obviously current expert analyst. I'm quoting that rate from the announcement from Sportsnet. You will hear him throughout the playoffs and you can also check out his podcast as he mentioned. And if you need to connect and follow where the link is, you can let me know and I will send it over to you. But nonetheless, I'll even try to maybe do a little teaser in the comments section below for you, so check that out. But nonetheless, I'm going to take a quick breather, you know, before I start talking to myself because it'll be just me solo in the next segment for about 15 minutes. I'm going to my usual show beverage and we'll be right back. Rated on the Game sports podcast with more sports content. Don't go anywhere. Welcome back to the Game Sports podcast. This is your host, David McCagg Junior continuing to host you this evening. The game sports podcast powered by 91 n. I want to thank Luke AsdiC for taking the time to come on the show here today to talk NHL season reaction as well as NHL playoffs 2024. NHL playoffs is already here. Wow. And I of course, as you know, I'm going to get into a little bit more hockey here before other content before we wrap up the show, and it's just going to be yours truly for this segment. So there won't be any NHL redraft or any of the usual NHL chats and content that we have in the other shows, but we'll table that for next week and so on. Nonetheless, to continue tonight's show talking about hockey, I'm going to dissect right now each series about where I think it's going to go. Obviously you heard Luke's, obviously he went through his and I did give my prediction about what I want and what I think. But I am going to go through each series in real time for you on my end just in case you want to reference what I tell you. So why not? Let's kick it off. Florida Tampa. Look, I agree. I think this series is a little bit of a trap for Florida. It's like how Boston was trapped by Florida and that series was so unbelievably one sided and odds for Boston. And there was multiple people, especially some former professional hockey players, that texted me and told me, Dave, you got to talk about Florida being that one sleeper pick over Boston. And I didn't listen. I didn't listen. And I now see that there's got to be a sleeper pick in these playoffs and where that's going to be, I don't know if that will be in the first round or not. I don't really have many sleeper picks, but there's got to be one. A lot of my picks you're going to see are a bit more safe, but this series, Florida Tampa, this is that sleeper series. This is the one that can go in any direction. Tampa Bay is hot, but Florida, they're riding that momentum. They lost in the cup final last year. They got a team that's just well built, well coached all around this series. Go seven. But I got to say, the Florida Panthers win this one in seven games. The second series. Boston Toronto. Look, every year since the COVID bubble, I have picked Toronto to win the cups for a couple reasons. One, I'm a Toronto Maple Leaf fan, as you can see around me. Yes, but we are on a sports podcast. I'm going to give you as real as. As an opinion and as realistic as an opinion as I can, of course, as all analysts will want to do and should do. But. So when I talk about Toronto, I'm going to say that I. At the beginning of the season, I thought it was an Edmonton Toronto Stanley cup final. That's what I thought. And I don't want to change that pick. I really don't. But just hear out my picks and you'll see what I mean. But where I stand. Toronto Boston. This is the year Boston slays is slayed. Toronto slays the dragon. This year, seven games, Toronto beats Boston. There it is. I won't get into much more and supply surprise players in this round that are going to stand out, that people may not think Nick Robertson, obviously Max Domi isn't someone that wouldn't be a surprise anymore. But I'm gonna say Nick Robertson and Jake McCabe, those are the two guys that I think are gonna make a big impact in the series. And thirdly, Samson off. I kind of just feel like he's had a couple struggles last few weeks, collected his game. I think he's gonna maybe outdue Swayman. My honest opinion, Nick. The New York Rangers, Washington Capitals. I want to get into this too much. It's gonna be a sweep by the Rangers. Okay. Washington ain't weighing a game. Carolina, New York. I'm going to pick Carolina in five games in that series. So continuing in the east, you got Florida, Toronto. Look, as I look at Florida and as I look at Carolina, those are teams in the east that should be marked as favorites and rightfully so. This is just the way that I honestly think it would go in a series if they go back and forth. I think there's a little bit of history here where Toronto and Florida would have a great seven game series. That goes another seven games for Toronto because it's never easy and they remember their demons from last year. And Toronto moves on and beats the Florida Panthers in seven. Carolina, New York. Carolina's winning that. And hold your breath. Five. Carolina will beat the New York Rangers in five. And the conference final is Toronto. Carolina. Okay, if you listen to the previous segment, you knew how I was going to say this. I'm going to say it one more time. I will predict Toronto and show that belief in Toronto because I believe they do have a Stanley cup roster. It's just a matter of coming together. But I do think Carolina is the better team. Take that how you will. I am picking Toronto to win that in six. Yes, I said it. Six to go on to the Stanley cup finals. The west. Dallas. Vegas. Dallas is winning that series in five. Sorry, Vegas. See you later. Cheat all you want. Not happening. Winnipeg, Colorado. I'm picking Winnipeg in six. Winnipeg just looks good. I think Colorado is coming. First round exit this year. Winnipeg's built for the playoffs and Hollowbucks can enter God mode. Vancouver. Not in Nashville. Vancouver is winning this in six. Nashville is hot, but Vancouver is not going to show that they're duds. They're going to go on to the second round. Edmonton, La. The Edmonton Oilers will win this series in five. Yes. It'll be an easier series for McDavid and company. Dallas. Winnipeg. Look, Dallas is a wagon this year. And as Luke said the exact same terms, they are a wagon. Dallas will beat Winnipeg in seven. And a heartbreaking overtime loss. Dallas will beat Winnipeg. And I know I have some friends that listen from Winnipeg and will tune in it just Dallas the way they are with Ottinger and I think his chance I'll do a hullaback. It's just the way that team is built. They're a goal scoring machine and when this team gets rolling in the offensive zone, they're hard to contain. Despite how Winnipeg is built for the playoffs, I think Dallas is the team that will be the one to come on top. But Winnipeg's time is coming. Vancouver, Edmonton, Vancouver. Please don't have any riots. Edmonton is weighing the series in seven and one of the most exciting playoff series is that we will see this year. It is going to be unbelievable, the fans of Vancouver and be wild. It's going to be a very fast paced game. Stuart Skinner's going to have to try to demco but I don't think it's going to be a golden duel. I think it's going to be offensively generated with McDavid dry side all and you got Quinn Hughes, JT Miller and the crew. The Edmonton Oilers will walk away in the series. Dallas Edmonton Edmonton will win this in six. Vancouver is a tougher challenge than Dallas in my opinion. Despite how I say they're a wagon. I think Vancouver is tougher and I think Dallas the way that they play and the way Edmonton plays on that defensive slash offensive game and they have the ability to step it up in high momentum and they've been in the Western Conference final recently. They want to taste we got Edmonton winning that series Stanley cup final Toronto Maple Leafs Edmonton Oilers the Dream Stanley cup final that the game sports podcast has been waiting for. As we are kind of divided. We got a lot of Leaf fans on this show. We got wed wing fans, but we also have Edmonton Oiler fans. Okay, so this might cause a divide between the show, but this will be the year that McDavid goes against Austin Matthews in the Stanley cup finals and the Toronto Maple Leafs will win this series in six. The Leafs win the cup for the first time, breaking their curse. Yep, I'll say it. Chirp me below. Say whatever you want. Say that I'm biased, but this is the year. Now rewind about four minutes ago when I said predictions of what I had based on what I see in this playoffs and what I could recommend teams to highlight. Florida and Carolina, Winnipeg, Dallas, those are four teams you should be highlighting and I think if Toronto goes against Carolina in the conference final, how can they beat them? I'm putting out there my opinion that I think Toronto is good enough to win. That's how I truly do feel. But in to give you a full expert opinion, as I say in quotations, the winner of the series between Carolina and Toronto. That is who will win the cup. If you're picking up what I'm putting down, you understand great playoff analysis for you there, as well as ensuring to eliminate all the biases. But also going by what I said since day one this year, this will be the year that we see Toronto and Edmonton in the cup finals and oof. Would be the best Stanley cup finals of all time. Let me know what you think the Stanley cup winner will be. I know there's a lot of divided picks. It's certainly going to be a great playoffs and it gets all started tomorrow, Saturday, April 20. As you got Carolina, you got the Islanders, you got Toronto, Boston, the all the games are getting started this weekend and who is it going to be? A fun ride. Are you nervous? I know as a fan I am nervous, but as a sports podcast host, I'm excited for the storylines that we're going to see. Second topic, in terms of hockey outside of the playoffs, as a team that's not in the playoffs. And no, they're not just not in the playoffs. They're also not in Arizona anymore. They are now been relocated to the, well, the Salt Lake City, Utah. And I wanted to give that discussion, I know I said earlier this year and you could check out some recent clips I've mentioned on TikTok and Instagram that I feel that Utah deserved a team and it was a lot of conversations on a lot of podcasts and it was kind of aggressively brought forward that they wanted a team and they it wasn't a secret. I think that's a great fit in Utah. I think moving Arizona to Utah is a great idea, especially where they were playing this year and all the challenges in Arizona. It was the right time to move that team. Am I in the belief of an expansion? Yes. I've talked about Houston. I've talked about Kansas City. I've always been an advocate of going back to Quebec City. Why? I think people all know the answer. Why? They point fingers at Gary Bettman, they point fingers at multiple governors. I heard an expert say, I'm not. [00:44:55] Speaker B: Going to say his name. [00:44:56] Speaker A: And I've actually texted this individual and nope, it's not Luke. And no, it's not Kelly somebody outside of who you think. No, it's not James Duthie either. But I've talked to someone who's into the media world and they have told me that what if the canadian governors are the ones and the owners are the ones saying no. And I know that was also mentioned on television, but I don't think that would be the case. You know, I've always wanted to see a team back in Quebec, and I've always wanted to see a team back in Halifax or, sorry, not back in Halifax, put in Halifax. I think that'd be amazing. But if you have a team in Quebec, you're not going to see a team in Halifax. It would be vice versa. But I don't think you're going to see a team in Halifax, period. So just bring a team back to Quebec, expand Canada to one more city, not to Hamilton. Okay. No. We have the two Ontario teams that we have in place. Ottawa. Toronto is enough. I think a team has to go to Quebec. If you're looking at expansion, you got to look at expansion to Quebec and Houston. I love that idea. I love that idea the most. But we all know Houston and something like Kansas City seems to be a bit more realistic. But now based on what we hear from Elliot Friedman and the expert crews, that two team expansion on top of this relocation may happen. So you got Utah, who's going to be in the league, but then there's going to be a chance for the NHL to go back to Arizona in about a year and a half, two years if they can right the ship, get a new arena, get some new ownership, get some season ticket generation, et cetera, and then you'll see a second team. And I'm assuming that second team will be Houston, which ultimately I can see the Houston, but to bring a team back to Arizona, I'm over that project. I don't care what arena they built. I don't care how many tickets they think that they can sell. Look, it has not worked out. And there has been stories in Arizona when and even when they were Phoenix, a lot of good players have come through there. They're moving to Utah now. This project is over. Okay, the project in Arizona, give it a rest. Don't treat it like Atlanta. We're going to go back a second time or even look at Atlanta for a third time. So I should even mention that team is an expansion. Never mind if it's Houston. They're also looking back at Atlanta, which blows my mind. Despite the demographic going back for a third time. You got to be kidding me. Try something different. Look at Houston, look at Kansas, but most notably look at Quebec City. But ultimately do not go back to Arizona. But I love seeing that a team is moving to Arizona, to Utah. I love that Arizona is moving on. I don't think they're. They're in the right place to have a team right now. And I think the NHL is going to make more money, obviously, in Utah, and it's going to be a great change for National Hockey league. And it seems like they're going to be called the Utah hockey club, which, look, the NFL, the Washington commanders had done that before they were named the commanders. There's been names that do that while they determine a name, but I would be a fan if they can get a name before the season starts, I think that would be a lot better. It almost makes it seem like they have this name because it's more of a trial run for two years in Utah. You know, it's like they're waiting till they can ensure that it's going to be 100% permanent, not just in terms of the. What we hear right now. You know, they hear that Arizona can go back in the next year and a half, but in Utah, is there something in this background that we don't know? Is there something that if this doesn't work on so many years, are they going to relocate? We're gonna have to wait and see, but Utah hockey club, maybe they're just doing it to kind of wait and see if they get the name that they want. I think there's so many names that they can go off of. I've heard of Utah venom. I think Utah venom would be so cool. Obviously you got the utah Jazz that are there in the NBA. Maybe you could do something that's a little bit more not. I know the St. Louis blues, our team, but maybe you can look at something around there. There's been the Utah blizzards, there's been just Utah HC for a little bit before you name it, but if you're looking at my vote, I'm going to say maybe the Utah venom. I think that'd be pretty cool to look at the Utah venom as a team. I've heard somebody say Utah dragons, but. Okay, now you're taking teams from the NHL 24 roster, sounds like. But Utah venom, that's my vote right now. I think that'd be cool, but don't think it's going to happen. Ultimately, Arizona goes to Utah. Great move. The NHL. Love it. I love. I can't wait to see the experiment and the new state of the art facility, but if you're talking expansion, sure, I know there's cities that are mentioned, but you gotta get back to Quebec. My goodness. So that's gonna do hockey chat here. That's about almost 45 minutes of hockey content that we promised to and we're only give you about five more minutes of other content here before I wrap up today's show, the NBA, I'm gonna go the NBA briefly, obviously got the warriors who lost. The Kings lost in the play in. Clay was off, was on, was, was scoreless in that game. Curry was himself. They, they're pegging at the warriors. Dynasty is over. And it is. It is over. But they've won so many in the past, past decade, just about four or so, that they've won and they've shown that they are a dynasty still in the past decade. It doesn't matter what story you want to write. This is a team that is was well built and could be changed in one season. Clay and Draymond move on, even if with Angie Wiggins there, Curry can persuade some talent to go to Golden State for two to three years. And this team was just back in the NBA Finals next year. So Clay doesn't look like he's resigning. I think if I'm Golden State, you still have Curry who can put up some good numbers and obviously him staying in Golden State, that's almost at San Francisco, same thing. You know, do you want to keep them or move them? I heard some people say move them. I saw comments. Trade them, get some picks. No. Golden State is Steph Curry is Golden State. Golden State Steph Curry. Steph is not going anywhere. I don't think they're going to do a full rebuild here. They're going to retool and they're going to try to compete. That's how it's going to go. But I think the run is over for Golden State and you're going to start seeing the run of the Oklahoma City Thunder, baby. That's where you're going to start seeing shay Gilders Alexander. The guy is an absolute stud. He's canadian. Got to love it. Honestly, as much as I'd like to see the Clippers win their first championship, as look at their roster of guys that are on there and that kind of changes my mind. I like the storylines of cities that haven't won and Oklahoma City is one of those cities still, obviously Phoenix, you know, a little bit lower finish this year. The Timberwolves have such, had such a great year. LeBron and the Lakers sneak in this year after, you know, defeating the Pelicans. They get the hard matchup, though, against the Nuggets. I find it very challenging to think that the east is going to beat the west this year. As good as the Celtics are, 64 wins this year. Wild. They got a very competitive conference. So between a few teams, I think between themselves, the Knicks, don't point out the Knicks in a negative way, okay? The Knicks are good and still do not count out the Bucks with Giannis, attendee Cumpo. So I think the Celtics got to be that favorite team coming out of the playoffs there to be in the NBA Finals and between the Nuggets and Thunder, it's going to be the Thunder going to the finals. I'm telling you right now, the Thunder are going to make it and they're going to make some noise. They're going to be thunderous in that finals and you're going to see the Thunder win the championship this year. You want my prediction? There it is. Shay Gilders Alexander getting the MVP over Tatum and his Celtics in a very good, very entertaining NBA Finals. But I think the Thunder win this in six. They win it on home for court and they get their first title and it's going to be one of many. The next dynasty that you're going to see in basketball is Oklahoma City. The Thunder are here. The Thunder are going to win lots. Players are going to want to go there. They're going to be the team that wins at least three championships in the next ten years, if not four, if not five, heck, if not six. They got so many draft picks, so many capital, so much capital. You can move those picks to get star players. They have the nucleus and core guys right now that's ran by Jay. This is a team that you got to watch. And this is when they traded Paul Jordan and you're looking at the picks, they go, holy. The Clippers gave up a lot. And look at the picks that they have and that was such smart asset management jamming at the time where he said all this team's not going to be good for a bit. So what? Look at all the picks that they accumulated in the drafts that they just struck gold on and what they're still going to be able to do. This team is 57 25 with this young group of young group of players. Wait and see what they do next year. And as they grow, this is going to be a team that will hit 70 wins at one point. We will see 70 plus wins with this team in multiple championships and the first championship is this year. Oklahoma City will not disappoint and be frauds in the 8th seed. They won't collapse in the second seed if they are in the second round. If they play the Clippers or Mavs this is a team that you'll see win and be the next dynasty. Last point I'll bring up when it comes to MLB baseball, you know, the baseball season, it's so amazing how things can go. You know, you, if you're Toronto and play New York at Yankee Stadium, you just have some struggles. And the Yankees come to Toronto and you should have won more. You should have won the last game in the series against them, but you didn't. Your bullpen blew it. You know, you're looking at some of the players, how they start the year and some of the pitchers all around the league. And I think in the MLB to this point, it's, it's, I think the start's been pretty good. You've had a lot of, you have a lot of teams that are close to start. If you look at the ales, the Yankees and Orioles are close. You gotta predict that the Orioles are hungry this year. When are the Rays gonna start not being good? You know, it just, it's annoying. But the Blue Jays and the Red Sox, that the whole division, everyone's within a game of each other. It's amazing. You look at the AL Central top three teams. Tigers have had a good start to the year. The American League west of everything's tight. Yes, it's only 20 games into the year, but it's good to see that if teams can stay close together for the entire year, won't happen. Separation will come eventually, but as you look towards other divisions, the Dodgers are worth, as we expected, the brewers have had such a hot start, the Reds, a little bit soft start. The Braves are being the Braves. The Phillies are looking, are looking pretty good, but the Marlins are looking atrocious. When is this team going to figure it out? They got some good young pitching. They've had injuries, though obviously that they have to deal with. We got some promising arms coming up. Perez. This is going to be a team that will eventually grow, but still quite some time away. This overall in the league, we've seen a lot of entertainment and a lot of teams in the division that are still close to Royals. I didn't think they'd be twelve and seven right now. I thought they'd be more the Marlins where the Twins six and eleven after their playoff last year. And what they did, Toronto, what a slow start. The White Sox, they're where they should be. This team is going to be the worst team in the MLB for the next. Not one, not two, but probably three years. Luis Robert is saying, get me out of there. Anywhere, anywhere would be great that that's where his mindset's at. But overall, I think the most entertaining division is down to two. It's the AL east that has my eye and I'm really checking the analyst as well. But the Braves, Phillies and Mets, I think the Mets can be really impressive and really get hot. They have a team that could, they spent so much money, but when you look at who they got to look up against, the Phillies and Braves just don't think they're going to do it. Not to break Mets fans hearts, but that's my case. So my one point was talk about the exciting season that I think it has been to this point. Teams that are close, some teams that are separating, but still a lot of time left, but also want to give a little bit of love to the Mets as they kind of been rebounding from a slowish start at beginning of the year and they're starting to pick up a little bit. You know, the last ten, they're eight and two. They're one of the hotter teams in baseball. If you look across the standings, there's not too many teams or eight in the two. I know in the NL the past ten, the Mets are the ones that highlight the most. And if I look at my notes correctly, if you're looking over at the, at the AL, the team that's had close to that seven and seven and three, and that's Baltimore's in the past ten. So there's going to be a lot of streaks this year with a lot of teams, and I think we're going to see a lot of movement in the standings. I think it's going to be one of those years where you're not going to have somebody be 20 plus games unless it's the Dodgers at the end of the year. Outside of that, I think you're going to see divisions where they're going to be a bit tighter than we expect and it's going to make for a very tight wild card race. And, you know, teams that, that are, could be, you know, surprising, not achieve what we think. The Blue Jays could be on that scope. If their pitching can't stay consistent, their bats can't wake up. You know, if the twins don't smarten up out of their slow start, we can see them out. The Mariners, they've started to pick up a little bit. They have the team that has some offensive pieces and some young pitching, but I feel like they're not capitalizing on their roster to make it the best that they could. And, boy, do I love seeing the Astros six, and I hope that they could stay below especially stable. The Athletics. Look, I'm a host of a sports podcast, but I'll say there's teams that I don't mind seeing going down on the bottom, and one of those teams is the Astros and the other team would be the Yankees. Don't care what you think. It's proof. I will give credit, though. Those are good teams on a roster, especially the Yankees. They're their first five guys. My goodness. My, my lord. It's, it's unbelievable. But it's hard not to enjoy a team like the Orioles, like the Blue Jays, some of the young talent, the Guardians, and some young guys coming up. The Tigers have some young guys coming, the Braves, the Cunha. I'm all over when I talk about baseball right now, but there's a lot of good storylines and overall, in summary, I think the exciting season has been an exciting start. I think this will be one of those years where it's going to be right down the wire and we're in for a treat. Maybe the NL west is the only division that might have a separation towards the end of the year, but I do hope that I'm wrong nonetheless. That has been the game sports podcast. This edition of the Game Sports podcast featured two segments, as, you know, invaded by hockey talk, taste of basketball and baseball in there for you. But there is one thing I want to give up. Thumbs up. Shafler with the Masters. Thumbs up. I thought that was a great masters this year when it's, it went in a lot of people's direction as they, as they fell would go. I thought this would maybe be Rory's year to win, but maybe I shouldn't be putting my hope into Rory. Thumbs up to the Masters. It was great to, to observe this year. It's always entertaining and friend of the show James Duthie loves covering it there. And I know when I was playing in my end of the year hockey tournament, it was something that was up at the sports bar along with the hockey games that were meaningful games, and people were really invested into the Masters. Now, speaking of that, of course, yours truly and his hockey team, where you look at the last segment, I said I got walked because I played defense. Obviously, the hockey season is over for my team and in my league. We ended up not getting past the semis, but it was overall a good year, and I wanted to elaborate on something that I got walked. [00:59:33] Speaker B: I got a couple text messages saying. [00:59:35] Speaker A: Why were you playing defense? Um, people that know me that played hockey know that playing defense wasn't my position. I was forward, I was a winger and center. I'd rather like getting points. And I my defensive game was, you know, not where it should have been, but I did play defense and it was fun and you got to do it, which got to do for the boys. But the team that I play for, the water bugs a team that we were a little Cinderella story in the mayors as we made the semis where no one thought that we would. We only won three games all year, mind you, had five guys show up at night. Everyone knows how that is. But hockey tournaments and men's league, how I play defense, I will ask that for you as at about four people text me and I appreciate the follow ups on the episode. Very simple. I gave it a shot. I played one game good and I stayed back there for a couple, had a couple good games. Then I got exposed. Oof. Did I ever get exposed. I got walked in a meaningless game, the last game of the round robin when we already made the semis. But I got walked three times. And I don't mean just walked, I mean dangled and they went top jet. So that's why I was playing defense for a little bit, because it was good. And then they realized that old Dave arrived in the chat and then played forward in the semis and didn't really contribute up there. Nonetheless, has been the game sports podcast that you've been listening to. We are on all platforms. Make sure you hit like fall and subscribe. I want to say thank you again to Luke Gazdek for taking the time to come on talk NHL playoffs. What a great guy he is and looking forward to hearing him on the sports net playoff panel. Where elsewhere you want to hear. We're also going to get that content from someone direct, unless you go right to his podcast, of course, or maybe a few others. But we'd like that you tune in here. Make sure you hit like follow him, subscribe again 91 n YouTube channel or any platform of the Game Sports podcast to search the Game Sports podcast and you will find us on the audio if necessary too. Again for the Game Sports podcast, I want to say thank you for tuning in. We will be back next week with another news edition where we hope to have the NFL draft kind of preview and get in some more hockey points. At that point will be about three or four games into the first round. I'm sure they'll be exciting, plus a redraft, but we will have a special edition coming up soon as well, as promised that I discussed last week, Rod Black, which we plan to upload within the next week or so, which will be very exciting also. So again, thank you to Luke, thank you to you, the listeners, for taking the time to join me again for the third time, making sure I say thank you again. Make sure you like, follow, subscribe, and until next time, here to remind you on behalf of the game, sports podcast host David McCag, I'm here to remind you, keep your stick on the ice, swing your bats, catch your touchdowns during your threes and, and shoot your shots. Booyah.