4/6/26 Full Show

0:00It's Mike's show and the bulldog. I don't love Junior Mids. I just don't hate them. I don't I don't understand why they are treated like second class candy. It's Mike's show and the bulldog. Oh, there's a stand by a candy that is basically toothpaste wrapped up in stale chocolate. It's treated like a second class candy. All right, I get it. It's a good failed question. It's Mike's show and the bulldog. Is there a time to change? You know, the three teams I've drafted this year. Second class candy is pretty good. Not WGR sports radio, 550. Maybe this is rationalizing, but the NFL draft is in two weeks and three days. And we were realizing out loud two or three weeks ago that at least that we don't really have as much room for the draft this year because of the sabers being in the playoffs. I mean, heading to the playoffs and now making it and then eventually they'll be in. But I decided today that it's a terrible draft. Oh, hey, no, OK, isn't it?

1:08So Bill Barnwell every year has this great column where he comes up with a mock trade for every team using their pick, right? So today starting with the Raiders at one, they traded it to the Jets at two for some other picks, right? And I love that idea. I look forward to that every year and I read it today and almost every trade was just moving around on the board. You know, like you don't have the quarterbacks. You really don't. I mean, you have Jeremiah love for what that's worth. You have a few receivers that are not amazing. I mean, maybe they're good. Maybe they'll be amazing, but it's not like just undeniable. And then what? I mean, you're talking about defense and linemen and edge guys are kind of sexy. I think. Yeah, you know, sure. That's a premium position. That's that's right. But I don't know. Like I feel like maybe the timing is good here. Yeah. And the bills pick late again anyway. Yeah. Are you sure you don't just feel this way because we're not spending as much time talking to people about it? No. And that's formulating a variety.

2:18Of opinions about guys just haven't even been asked or talked about as many people maybe. No, it's because it hit me when I was reading Barnwell. That all these trade ideas are fine. You know, he's got a reason for each one. But it's really just like for moving to eight to from eight to 12 and getting a draft pick. The bills one involved Coleman. Like the bills entry was relatively interesting for this. They trade out of the first round with Tennessee and trade Coleman to the Titans in the move and get a second and a third. Maybe maybe give up a fifth too. But I like that idea. Just, you know, in a vacuum moving my one for a two and a three. Anyway, it's just even if the bills are picking late again as they are. You still have the last couple years have been or two of the last three maybe have been wild for quarterbacks speculation. And now there's just none. Is it the kind of thing that makes you wonder?

3:19I'm going to ask this and I don't mean it to be impugning anyone's integrity or questioning anyone's integrity about the whole draft process from an analyst standpoint. But I sometimes wonder if like the maybe they have a lottery at ESPN and NFL network like the big that's the same thing now. Okay. Well, correct. Almost maybe they may do they have a lottery and does whoever wins lottery. I guess like short straw kind of thing like, okay, you're the one that's going to have to talk up the other quarterback. Because I got I now saw another clip last week or two weeks ago. We had the Orlowski thing with like, I think, you know, watching the tape. I think Simpson's the better prospect than Mendoza. And that was like, whoa. And we, you know, we asked our. And we only talked to two people with your point in mind that week about the draft instead of like eight. Like maybe we would have if the Sabers weren't so hot. I'm exaggerating a little.

4:21I don't think on the short end anyway. Now today I saw a clip. I'm saying he he's more not not only did he say that two weeks ago, but Simpson would be a better fit running Kubi X offense for the Raiders than Mendoza is. And I just feel like this is some effort to like get because that's interesting. Oh, hey, what about Ty Simpson? Is he? Should he be the first overall pick or something? Is that what we're really doing here? He won't be the first overall pick, but he is arguably the most interesting player to talk about. Because we have this every year, maybe where like, can he pick it? Somebody that's like, most people think is not that good, but we understand desperation and need for quarterbacks and there are traits you can like. And so when does he go? But really, I don't know, do you not agree? Like, maybe you think it's because we don't talk to as many people or because it's a player. I mostly be speaking about that.

5:22Meet this year is kind of a down year, I think, for it overall. I mean, what would be really brilliant on our part is to talk about that all day. Oh, yeah, the point is that we have more, I mean, what's the word? We're going to talk about the Sabers already, but it's like less punitive to do that in terms of draft content. That's the point. So let's just get to that. I suppose, right? Especially if we're right about this. I do suppose. I think speaking solely for myself, I did not have any sort of a eureka moment like you're describing today reading this bill, Barnwell piece about every pick in the draft being traded. I think something that isn't as prominent because of other things going on is just very likely for me to not seem as interesting as it usually is just because there's the other thing. And I really love the other thing. The other thing is the Sabers right now. And I mean, any year where we're pouring ourselves into the draft out of the last 15 years, we're just pouring ourselves into the draft.

6:27I'm doing that and I'm doing my level best at it and I'm interested in it to an extent. It's really the only thing I've got. Right? That's interesting to our my audience. The hockey team just changes that. So even without thinking about who the players are in the draft, you could have a draft that's described as stacked to the gills, three quarterbacks in the top 10, three in the top five. And I still might be feeling about the way you're describing about this draft just because my attention is on the standings and who's playing tonight and how does this team look and did they win in regulation and all that stuff. Well, let's go then. I was off Thursday and Friday. The Sabers lost Thursday night in Ottawa and then Saturday in Washington. I mean, the scores weren't close. Thursday's game was pretty close to empty netters. Yeah. Saturday's was decided earlier than that. What do you think? What's your level of concern and what do you think there is overall about this?

7:29I mean, they've won now two of their last seven games. You know, two of those, it's two, three and two. So it's not horrible. I mean, two of those were overtime losses, but still their losses. I mean, I think I'd be lying if I said I'm not more concerned today than I was the last time we thought, I don't know, I mean, good for them right now. Like what's going. I mean, the wins weren't great. Right. That's right. That's right. Saturday was tough. It was tough. It was maybe the lausiest. I've seen them look, you know, even though they did pull to within three, two, I think, I prefer falling down three, nothing, but then it just, you know, they got both raised from there. I think it was four, one. So, oh, okay, maybe that's right. Maybe I thought I thought they thought they got one wrong. Anyway, no, you're right. You're right. I'm sorry. It's my mistake. Malenstein made it three, two. Okay. And then they didn't score that in my mistake challenge again. Okay. Anyway, but in material, they're not in good form. I happen to think in this talk about rationalizations.

8:31I think it's hard to be at the level they have been at for as long as they've been. And so I guess I've been sort of expecting ever since Thompson said the thing, which, you know, his captain pushed back. I don't know if he even knew he said it, but his captain issued the exact opposite statement. This is a couple of weeks ago now. Thompson said after a game, after a loss. We were tired to get where we're at, you know, we're in a good spot, which to me sounded a little bit like. It's going to take a breath here. And, you know, don't worry. We're okay. Kind of thing. But am I going to work as hard as I've been working for the last three months? Every night from here to the end, probably not is what that sounded like. And then Dalin thought, you know, maybe at the same time, I don't know, reporters are tired, who's like, you know, you're going to find out what the team we are unacceptable, that kind of stuff. So from the minute Thompson said that I just sort of thought, it makes sense. They're not going to be at 100 miles an hour.

9:31All the way to the playoffs and then it be at the peak of their game in the playoffs. They're going to probably take a breath. It applause. I think that's probably what we're doing tonight. I think we'll tell you a lot about their ability to flip a switch. Because I do think they need to flip a switch. I mean, I know that's a sort of a hacky way to describe. But if it's effort and desire to like play strong in your own end and better defense, I think that's what certainly was lacking on Saturday night in Washington. You think it's effort. I think it's effort. Yeah, I think they're just they're just coasting a little because I think it's a little natural to just sort of, you know, we're going to we're going to need all of our best here in a couple of weeks. So I think they're just, you know, they press pause. I don't think anyone's the closest you'll come to someone admitting that is Thompson saying what he said. So I hope that that's right. And I would think tonight would be a night where you'd want to turn that on its head. If you're if the players recognize that or think that about themselves.

10:35I would think they'd want to be at their best tonight and putting forth a maximum effort because this is a game with a lot of attention on it. I mean, Tampa's back in front of them by two points. They still have that pesky game in hand. So if you still want to win the division, this game really matters. You might have to have it. Yeah, it's hard for me to foresee them gaining four points on a team that still has an extra game to play. If they were to fall for points behind, and then you've also got now Montreal, right, you know, tied in points and behind you. Because they played one more game than you and that's just how it works. So I think tonight will will go a long way, but I'm far from sure I'm going to get what I hope for. They've not been in good form. And I don't know that I'm right about this sort of, you know, little mental physical break that maybe they're taking here. Thompson never knows what to say. Like just give me out of this press conference, give me out of here. You know, what these guys have been, he's been around long enough to know what's like what gets you in trouble.

11:38And what not to say, you know, that's the same thing. So let's just say, you know, something around that these games are not as important. Yeah, as they could be. That's sort, that's really what I think he, you know, he didn't say that. I don't want to hear that tonight. No, but I would get it if it were true. That that they won't be amped for this game. But I don't want the sabres to make the mistake of not panicking, but just sort of putting everything in to these next six games, five, five games, right. Tampa has six left Buffalo's five games left. Just try to remember what's at stake. And really it's not that much. That's at stake. First place would be great. You might get Boston. If you can win the race against Tampa and Montreal. Okay. You've been saying you rather the sabres play Montreal than Boston. Is that not no longer true? You think Montreal will be a relatively good spot for them.

12:44I said, I don't think I ever said I would rather play Montreal than Boston, but I'm not scared of Montreal. I think Boston's the easier mark of the two teams. Okay. And I think I have felt that way the whole time. Okay. Okay. I'm not positive. But Montreal can be scary, but I'm not scared of them. If that's allowed. If that makes sense. I think their high end is really, really good. But I think, you know, the way the sabres play, I think it's a good matchup for them. Boston's a different kind of thing to me, but I don't think there is good at all. So, okay. Sorry. I think though that's still pretty tough. It hasn't changed. The Bruins and the Canadians like the other some other teams have kind of gone away from the conversation. They're not as much likely candidates anymore. It seems like Detroit. But it's still so even. I mean, by points at least, if not by quality, that's some measure of it that I wouldn't want. I guess it's maybe more mental than anything else where guys are starting to get scared of where this is going. Remember the O6 story.

13:49Not that players on this team would even know it necessarily, but that team lost eight out of nine Lee. Right. And, you know, I'm sure there were lots of people telling you how bad a sign that was. I mean, I got friends doing that already. And how did they do? Means the closest they've come to a cup and forever. So I just wouldn't want the mental, that mental piece to come into play. And that's where Lindy comes in and you want to think I want to think that he would have a similar perspective on it for whatever that means in terms of communicating with players. And I still think it's right also in terms of the lineup where we were two weeks ago after the deadline to want to find out what works and what doesn't. And they did the dance with Metsa sending him down. He comes back up. We're not talking anymore about how few goals he's been on for. Right. That's kind of over is what he is. Not that that's bad, but just like we don't need to go crazy about how important he is necessarily.

14:57And so even tonight with Shen, okay. I mean, just on a certain level, it makes sense why they'd want to be as big as they can be from this game. Done to tonight. Sure. Okay. So do it. But I choose not to get freaked out about two losses, you know, on the road or five out of seven, whatever framework you want. Because I think the whole point that's the privilege of clinching or of being at the 99% spot that they were beforehand is that you can be flexible and try things. And maybe even if I'm not trying too hard by this, maybe even the adversity is good that you don't go in with such big heads. And I think if you if you subscribe to that from out here, I guess my point would be I think it's hard to keep that away from the players. Like I think they they know where they are and they know what it takes. And you know, the risk is that you lose it and you never get it back or something.

16:02But I don't happen to believe that. So I think my instinct is that they'll be fine. But again, I don't I don't know, you know, the lines are always so fine. You know, it's always so tight that it can be it can be hard to tell. One thought I did have, I mean, I don't know what to expect tonight. You know, we've been in these situations before, not not with the standings. It's been a long time since we've had the stand, but you know, here they're nasty game the time before cheap shots, retribution. All right, what what happens next? And you know, often enough that game doesn't rise to the level, not not that anything. I wouldn't expect something to rise to the level of that eight seven game from last month. But even close, like it's not a physical game at all. Nothing happens in that department. And I don't know what to expect in that way. So I appreciate the sabers wanting to protect themselves as best they can.

17:03Because you sure would hate to not dress that element if you've gotten at your disposal and then wish you had. So, but I'm a little worried about, you know, them actively choosing to make themselves worse in a game that has pretty big implications on the division. So there, like that, that piece is, is there no haggle. So like, that's the guy that to me, you would have there was a guy on Tampa that you wanted to get because of last game. He was it. He's the guy that jumped down lean and punched him four times in the back of the head or whatever the heck it was. And got a penalty for it. Even he never really, that's how bad it was. He never really got, you know, he got, he'd never got dealt with by a saber. Right. There were other fights in the game, but that never never happened. So he's out with an injury. So you don't have that powder keg if that is what that would have been. So I just wonder what kind of game we're even going to get. You know, it could be a game where you got all the beef dressed and maybe you don't hardly need it.

18:08You know, I'm obviously on the outside here, but I'll say it anyway. That's kind of how this works. Another form of this kind of attitude I'm taking on with these last few games is like, you know, see what happens. But don't feel like it's this is really what it's about. It's not about these this game or the five games before the playoffs. It's about the playoffs. I don't want to see Luke and in play Wednesday and Thursday. I don't think there's any way you'll see him play Wednesday and Thursday. The two in the night win Wednesday first place. No. I don't think so. They do have four days off after Thursday. I just they've had that that's a hard. I can appreciate them choosing Luke and in if that's it appears that that's what they've done. I think to go from alternating all season to a guy any guy playing back to back. It nights is a little nutty even with the steak. I would be very surprised. And Lion barely played on Saturday night. He got pulled and all the you know that was the team in front of them all that.

19:14I could see Liddy want to get him back on you know back on the horse real quick. I will play devil's advocate with you on that because they might already have decided that he's not in the picture for the playoffs. And they do have that break and then after next Thursday when it ends they'll have another break. Right. I mean at least a day maybe that's not a break. Not really. The playoffs start Saturday. Right. That's not really a break. But it's a day off. They'll have. They're off from Thursday to next Tuesday. Right. They don't play on the weekend this weekend. Right. So he might think he can do he can press it. Yeah. If they win right I'll be really surprised if he doesn't. If they win the night he plays in New York. And if they beat New York. I don't know. I think someone else goes in. Yeah. But that's. Yeah. Right. But the way it looks now he's he's going to start game one. Yeah. I think that's I think that's correct. Yeah.

20:14I you know unless something I don't know good. There's not that many games left. But I guess it could still something. I don't know he could be bad. I guess it could. So he's a key man tonight. But that's the choice. Like they made their choice last week when they started. You know when he played three in a row. That was them. I think declaring. Okay. You you've won the playoff job when he got Ottawa. Yeah. Right. Right. Or there was a win before that. Right. They beat the Islanders and then they went to Ottawa. I think that's something. Well he's a key man the night. The goalie always is. But he gave up seven of these guys. Right. And now the way it is taken shape. It's clear that he is the plan. They're going to go to the playoffs for the first time in 15 years. And with five games to go before that starts. He is the clear number. He says number one goalie is almost anybody now. Given a couple of good results for him. And then lion in Washington. That's tough on lion. Right. He doesn't play for.

21:14It was so long. So maybe I'm overstating it a little. But. Need a great game from him. Just because there's no Brandon Hagle. Tampa's great. I would expect. Yeah. I think the whole team is going to need to be. You know. I expect Tampa. If they don't try to push the sabers around like they did last month. I still think they're going to be. You know, they're going to be firing like they. They got embarrassed by this team twice in a row. Once in their building. You know, if eight sevens embarrassing. I mean, I don't know. They had to late two goal leads and couldn't hold it. Um, and then there was all the, you know, all the emotion of it. I just would expect a team like Tampa, the veteran group that they are. To be ready to roll tonight. What do you think? 803 05 50. What are you concerned about? Are you panicking? Are you not? Is panicking ridiculous? At this point. I'd like to have a live conversation about it. South Capaccio will join us at four. Mix some football in. We'll see what kind of draft.

22:14Sal thinks it'll be the bills are on the field this week. Starting tomorrow for some workouts. Not that the media will be allowed to bear witness. Sal said there's no access this week. So it's all, it's all secret. So do we really know they're working out? No. I guess absolutely good question. No, nothing happens unless there's somebody there with a phone. To document it. Or else it didn't happen. That's how it works now. National Championship in basketball tonight. The Masters this week. Baseball. Mike Schopen, the Bulldog. Again, the number 803 05 50. Starting with the Sabers here on WGR. There's no celebration. You got to be proud of what you did. And how hard you worked. And the goal we set the start of year to be in the playoffs. We still have a lot of work to do. And I think they understand that. We had a meeting yesterday. I told them we're going to be in the playoffs. There's no doubt in my mind we're in the playoffs. But that isn't good enough. We've got work to do in these last regular season games. And then moving forward, it's how good can we be day one

23:17with whoever we have to play? Lindy Ruff. Your call's coming up 803 05 50. Mike Schopen, the Bulldog here. I was interested in what clinching the playoffs would look like to the team. But what a perfect escape. To have it happen during the day. And then go lose. There's not going to be champagne. No, that's right. So we didn't really find out how much exaltation there could have been or would have been. If they've clinched on a win. Maybe it's obvious that they're celebrating that. Which I don't think is that bad. But there was no result this way. You're not going to see it after a 6-2 loss. You didn't? No. Definitely not. No. Just as well. Maybe there was some celebrating before the game. Maybe. Maybe why the game looked like the game? Maybe. Can't admit to that. I mean, holy cow Washington. Same team that rolled the sabers over on Saturday night.

24:20Just got annihilated by the Rangers last night. The Rangers. Rangers beat Detroit 2 this week. Someone else. Like then their Wednesday. Yeah. They beat the Rangers on Saturday. That's how the sabers clinched. That was the way Detroit. Detroit. Yeah. That's right. That's right. That was the game. Yeah. So, yep. No give me this point. Let's go to Evan here. Hi, Evan. Hey, are you doing? Good. Evan, thanks for calling us. No worries. Okay. What's up? Anything else? Yeah. I'm thinking about the UPL and Alex Lyon situation. You know, we split time with him all year. And I think it would be unwise to be like, you know, my hurricanes. And do the, do the switching between goalies in the postseason. I don't like that too much. I think that it's different with Carolina because they don't have, they don't have a foundation really set for the last couple of years. And now with Anderson and Busy, I think they're both coming in at below a 900.

25:20That's not wise. But I think you can't put the blame on Lyon for last night. Let again, those three goals early. The defense broke down on at least two of them. I think would be unwise to kind of throw Lyon to the curb and rely on UPL until the end of the playoffs. Well, they're going to start with Luke and in probably unless there's a dramatic change between now and then. And it was always to be determined what would happen after that. I mean, I think it's believable. I don't even know if they had a plan yet. But if they go into the playoffs with Luke and in and they win game one, then he comes back in game two. You play him until he loses maybe and there goes your, your routine. So I don't know what they were planning to do if anything at this point because there was still a little bit too much time left. And now the question is moot because the last week has happened. And well, I don't know if it's moot because they could still go back to that.

26:22Yeah. But I'm not expecting them to at this point. No, not unless something goes really goes really wrong. I think they made their decision. I don't know. The caller's talking like Lyon won't be like, you know, a part of things. I mean, he's going to be the backup goalie. I assume anyway. They'll do that. Yeah, I know. Yeah, I think they'll play their second. They'll dress their second best. I think I think that's what you would want to do in case, you know, you need them. And so, you know, I would put it this way. If they win more than one, like if they, if they win a series, I predict you haven't seen the last of our client. Just because, just circumstances, maybe even in a first round series, you know, I think the only way you keep rolling with the one guy is if you're, you just keep winning. And I'd say like as soon as you lose a game, I think you win two, lose game three, then you probably come back with the same guy. But if you split the first two, then you might have a decision to make. I'll tell you what, at some point on the weekend, Saturday, I think,

27:25when the sabers were losing in the course of that game, caller mentioned Carolina, kind of thought, you know, would it be the worst thing if they fell to fourth? And then played Carolina in the first round. Then you're over in the other division. It would be that you're looking at me like this is ridiculous. You're in the other division now. If you beat Carolina and then you're playing Philadelphia, maybe your Pittsburgh, or the islanders, that's better than what they would draw. Right now, that's Boston's edge. You do stay over there. You stay over there. It would never come back to the Atlantic then. Right. For two rounds. So I was rooting for Boston yesterday. No, I was rooting for Philly. In case I lose a couple more, then I'm going to want, I think I'm going to want fourth over third if it comes to that. Now you, I'd read, I've said it for a long time. I think Montreal is more dangerous in Carolina.

28:26I would rather play Montreal than Carolina. Myself. I would rather play Montreal than Carolina. I think Carolina, I realized like, you know, you only have the one, and it's not even that recent, right? It was Martin Luther King Day. So that's quite a while ago now. The Sabers looked great in that one game. But they've had a pretty tough time with that hockey team, especially in Carolina. Right. They, they haven't won there in forever. Like that was a good job, good effort, close game, you got goldied. But it was still another L in that building against that team. I'm not, I don't think Carolina is a cup winning caliber team. They have not been over the course of this three, four, five year run that they've been on. But I still think they're, they're, they're tough matchup for the Sabers, I think. Interesting.

29:26You're, you're invoking past and home road for this. Okay. I need to check that, but I feel like if, if they have one there recently, it's like a, it's one out of 12. I know, but I don't, respectfully, why does that matter? Like the Sabers have lost everywhere the last three years, you know? Against all the good, how have they done in Tampa? Well, you know, the last three years before this one, right? Like just, you know, it's going to look, it's usually going to look like losses. I don't know. Montreal has a, has a vibe. And I mean, the results are tremendous. They lost yesterday. Mm-hmm. But they've really been rolling. So like they, they weren't really in our conversations as a threat for the top until. Well, they won't eat the last week or for less. Yeah. So that, that got them, they got them sort of in your hair. Well, let me ask you this then. What's the gap? And this is sort of built on a negative, right? They're going to play tonight. They'll be tied for first if they win the night. If they don't, and we're looking at probably either the lightning or the Canadians in the first round.

30:31A loss tonight would get you like that much closer. Mm-hmm. To that reality. How much worse or, how different is that than if they were to fall behind Boston, ultimately? Like, how big is the gap? Because I think the second round advantage is kind of important to this argument. If there really is one, again, it's relative. I do look, I, that is the most compelling. Carolina, I think I'd rather play a second round series over there. Then in the Sabers division, I will admit to that. But Carolina, I have not really thought about them as a first round opponent since the Sabers got to, well, even second place. Yeah. Let alone first place, which is where they were residing until this weekend. So, um, I think Carolina would be like at, at, at the top of the list. As bad as I want to avoid Tampa, I would want to avoid Carolina. More than Tampa? No, as bad, it's comparable to me. All right. Yeah. That, that's the tier.

31:31Um, I, so while it's a pretty appealing then to think about, well, if I win that, then I'm in with Pittsburgh or Philly or whatever. Any of them comes out of there. And that is way better than Tampa in a second round scenario. I agree. But really all I've done is switch the order of the hardest series I might have to play. And it would become, I think, the Carolina series to me. Um, I guess I, I'm telling you, even though I don't think that there is good as Tampa, they might be the second team on the list. And I, I'm sorry to be so standings oriented. I know we like our reverse power rankings. But Carolina to me, that, that would be an intimidating first round matchup, I think. I think that's, that word is fair. Um, what I don't know is if that word to happen or even if it's Boston, like it's constructed now. Mm-hmm. And Boston has 96 points. 95. 95 points and Pittsburgh might have 90 or 91.

32:31Pittsburgh has 96. They had a good week. Oh, geez. Yeah. Well, the Sabers have 100. If the wild card team go, that goes to the other division wins and had more points in the regular season than their second place team, who would get home ice? The second place team. You sure? Yes. Okay. I think the seedings, I think the seedings take precedence. Okay. Yeah. I, I, I haven't looked that up recently because I haven't cared about any of this stuff in 15 years. But I'm, I'd be surprised if it were any different. I, I think the, the, the two seed remains a two seed. I think I would, I would guess that that's right. I just don't know. Right. Because it could be the other more points. You know, are we going to lose the Lindy Bat if Tampa wins the Atlantic? I'm real, I'd be real worried about it. Yeah. Just the way it sounded. I mean, I, I know Sam again, you know, on Friday with, with, with Nate and myself, you know, the odds, you know, Lindy's the favorite on the betting market.

33:35It's come down though. Yeah. I, I, yes, I think they need to win the division for him to, for us to win that bet. It was coming down last week. I don't always understand that market. Or whether necessarily it's even trust the line movement. Yeah. I'm not sure, like, because I'm not looking at my apps since it's not there. Right. So I'm going to Polymarket or I'm going to, you know, some other place are not as familiar. And seeing movement. But I think we've said this all along. Enough broadcasters seem to want to stump for Cooper on a career achievement. Right. Basis that, you know, they vote, right? So if I'm trying to bet that market, that would matter to me. We already have. So I'm not looking to double down or anything, but yeah, I, I would think it's quite possible. Winner of this, we've said it. Winner of this division wins the Jack Adams. Yeah. Even with the lightning having the history that they've had and, you know, yeah, I just think of that, that, that pulls enough.

34:37I think it'll be close no matter what because of the way the broadcasters have sounded. But I think if the sabers go from 14 years not in last place in December to first place, I think people who might be sort of, you know, not dug in one way or the other, come over to the sabers. I think if you don't win the division, then I think the John Cooper career achievement award gains a lot of momentum. You can probably safely tear up your Patrick Watt tickets. This point. I don't think a fired coach wins coach. Has it ever happened? Has it ever happened? Protest vote. The islanders, what a move. Four games to go. They have four games left, all at home, starting on Thursday. They're off. So they, you know, the timing is not, it's not an accident. Right. They have a few days. It's like having the buy in football or something. They have a few days to acclimate. Peat to bore. Of course, right? The GM said something like, well, once we knew he was available,

35:38there wasn't really any thinking to do. Well, it must be nice to get an NHL coaching job once. And just have, basically, you're going to work for your whole life almost. Well, you know, there are exceptions to that as we know here. And if you're, you know, he's been to the finals twice. He's, he's had a lot of success. Just anyone. Yeah. Okay, fine. They have four games left, all at home, starting Thursday with the Leafs. Then it's Ottawa, Montreal, Carolina. That's the Islanders remaining schedule, all home games. So another team right at the wire, whipping its horse, changing coaches. Like the GM also said he didn't think why had lost the room. What, what did he lose then? Yeah, his job. Other than that. Right. What did he actually do wrong? That's pretty interesting. I saw a quote from Barzelle, Matthew Barzelle of the Islanders today, sort of referencing how last week or whenever it was that Vegas made their move, sort of like laughing to himself like, man, wow, that's crazy.

36:39So late in the year. And bam. Okay, they did it with eight games. You just did it with four. Welcome to the big leagues. Will this be the last coaching move of the year? Right. Look out, whoever loses tonight. You never know. Maybe, uh, right, Linda. Save the season. Right. Sal coming up at four. Mike's open the bulldog here. This is WGR. It's Sal Capaccio. Sal. Capaccio. Sal. Capaccio. Sal. Capaccio. Sal. Capaccio. Sal. Capaccio. Sal. Capaccio. Sal. Capaccio. Can we have a Dexter Lawrence conversation? Could the bills afford Dexter Lawrence? I think, you know, you can probably afford anything somehow, some way. Mm-hmm. The giants, they can't trade him like right now.

37:40Right after the guy goes public with his wanting to be traded. Like, you have to have a little bit more self-respect. Yeah, you have to, you have to. All the while knowing inside your lying, you need to say all the things about how he's such a valued member of the team and we don't really intend on honoring his request. He's a New York giant and we anticipate him being a New York giant for a long time. And you say that a couple different press appearances and then sometime in June trade him. Or you could say it and mean it. And just. Sure. It's always poker with it. It's always possible that someone would be actually honest in a situation like this. I just kind of doubt it. Sel Capaccio on the Western hotline. Sel, would you entertain this idea? What would it cost? Is it too, too lofty? Dexter Lawrence of the giants. He's a great player. Anytime you can add a great player, I'm interested in doing that. I mean, I don't know the appetite the bills could have for, you know, the type of compensation it would take.

38:40He's not even 28, 29 years old. Yeah. He's going to be in. He's a fantastic player. I was just looking at his profile reference page a little while ago. And defensive player, the year top 10, just a few years ago. Been a second team all pro a couple of times. He's been stuck on a team that hasn't really been that good, obviously. Had that one play of appearance a few years ago. You know, it is interesting. He has played most of his career, not all of it in a 4-3. I read. I was trying to see, you know, the system fit. But I don't care about that anymore. I just think we've talked about this. Systems are so fluid now. You move guys around. When you're great, you're great. You know, you find a spot for a guy who's great. You don't have to be pigeonholed into that. So should the bills be interested in making a phone call? Or should they make a phone call? I mean, you got Brandon Bean and Joe Shane, right? They're good friends. They were both at the, I saw them both at the, in Phoenix, at the reception on Monday night. For sure, why not have that conversation? I just don't know if that would be something the bills could afford both in compensation and or in contractual value.

39:40Okay. I mean, it's a one plus, right? Bulldog? Oh, probably. Or, I don't know, is there a player on my roster that I can swap out? I mean, that gets into dead money and like, everything could get really jumbled up. But who is that even actually? I don't know. I saw our, our friend, and make Gary was in for you Thursday and Friday, commented on a tweet suggesting at Oliver in a second round pick in 2027. And I don't know if that, that doesn't seem, it might be light. But my, I immediately went, I think I would rather have Dexter Lawrence on my team than at Oliver. I like at Oliver, just fine. But like, that's a win for me, I think. To me, this sounds like trading Rousseau for Miles Garrett. Okay. Where, like, concept. You're sort of winning on both sides of it. Like, you get a certain caliber of players' contract off your books. Mm-hmm. And Oliver's okay. Just like, like, Rousseau, to me, sort of like, you know. They're starting this, right? Maybe. Yeah. Yeah.

40:40I'm top of that. The bill's just reworked at Oliver's contract. Okay. So forget that then. Yeah, I mean, like that, that, it's $11 million dead money to even trade them. You know, I mean, like, he's more valuable on your team and then he would be doing that, I think. Interesting story. I think they like at Oliver, actually. Yeah. Of course. I do, too. I'm just saying, you know, what's a fit? I, I think Dexter Lawrence, I mean that's a, sure. That's a, I'm going to say much better player. That's a better player. Interesting timing for that, not to stay on him for much longer, but like they bring in John Harbaugh. That's credibility, that's why you do that. And now he wants to be traded. Like have his first interactions not been the best? Like really, it's not a contract thing, that's not different. It's not like they've been winning, and now they've fired some, but it's not like they fired McDermott. And you just want out, because you don't believe in the new program. It's John Harbaugh, you think that'd be a plus. But maybe not. Well, you could look at a couple of ways here. I think that Harbaugh could draw a line in the sand,

41:40and maybe like Dexter Lawrence has gone, they want to do, he wants a new contract. They're talking about John Harbaugh comes in and goes, hey, land, I'm running things like this. You're under contract for this, and we can work that on that later. We're not doing this right now, whatever. Or you could look at it as kind of the same way Miles Garrett. Remember, I mean, last year, whenever that was, Miles Garrett basically wrote, you know, he put out there, and publicly, I'll basically never wait for this team again, right? So whatever, however he wrote it, and like, oh, yeah, things just worked out in the end, and he's back, they gave him a new contract. All right, so we have, I guess Baltimore today with its new coach has started their off-season stuff, and the bills will be doing so. My understanding is tomorrow, what can we look forward to? So it's just conditioning. There are no actual like football coaches on the field. There are only strength and conditioning coaches on the field. This is what they call phase one. We've gone over phases before, but phase one is just, that's right. Phase one is two weeks of the off-season program.

42:40Meetings, straight-to-conditioning, and rehab only for, you know, players who've been dealing with injuries. Unfortunately, we won't see, because there's no media access to who's out there, and who isn't, other than what the bills put out with those videos of arrivals and some B-roll, you know, they'll control that, right? And we'll know that a little bit. We do know that it was said that Josh Allen is expected to be there. We know he's a dad now. He's recovering from foot surgery, but from what Brandon Bean told us that, you know, he's expected to be a part of the off-season program, 100% and all of that. Because the bills have not had a new head coach in a while, obviously, we're kind of living in a different world than we've lived in with this stuff. So I'll just so everybody knows the bills and the Ravens, because they have a new head coach, obviously, for the first time in even longer. And what eight other teams can start, and we'll start their off-season program this week. Teams with returning head coaches can't do that for two more weeks. So you get two extra weeks here.

43:40What you also get with these teams, and the bills would do this, there is a voluntary veteran mini-camp, April 20th through 22nd for the bills. That voluntary veteran mini-camp will basically be, I think, the same kind of thing. I mean, you're gonna be able to do some work on the field, like, no hitting or anything, but they'll be able to throw footballs and things like that. What do you think of sort of the, how the scales tip when it comes to that? Is it interesting enough to really ponder to spend them in and on? Like, all right, here's a new, you have a new coach. Here's what you get. Two weeks of, you know, conditioning, without really having any actual football coaching being allowed. Is that worthwhile enough to justify it? And it's voluntary, right? I mean, not everybody probably would be present. I mean, I doubt we could go back and look if there's any empirical evidence on if it helps teams or not, probably not, but one of the reasons would be that most teams with a new head coach stink, right?

44:40I mean, like, they're changing head coaches because they're not that good. So how good can they be expected to be? The bills and the Ravens here are changing head coaches this year, for example, teams who are good. Like, I mean, they're getting an extra two weeks in, which teams are already pretty good. So maybe that changes. I think for me, more than anything, is if you have a brand new system and the bills do undefense, they don't unoffense, they do undefense. I think that two weeks matters. It matters to get them a little bit more ramped up for when they get to May, when they get to more of their, you know, on field offseason work, which by the way, the OTAs begin May 18th. So by the time you get there, if you can have an extra two weeks of just kind of installing your system, doing meetings, it is voluntary, but there's gonna be players that, you know, are getting introduced to this two weeks earlier than you would be if you have a new defensive coordinator, but not a new head coach, if that makes sense. Well, the draft is coming two weeks from Thursday, is round one, we've made it through free agency. I know we've talked it through

45:40from a few different angles, Sal, but now that we're, you know, we're more in draft season than free agency season. I mean, I know they can still sign guys, but I, you know, feels like, you know, they filled out some holes, filled some holes over the course of the few weeks since free agency opened. It took them a little while, but they found their way to a couple of veteran safeties and a couple of veteran linemen for depth or, who knows, maybe even starting on the offensive line. What, is there any spot that still you look at, when you look at the depth chart, that you're surprised they did not find their way to attacking really at all so far this offseason, recognizing that the draft is another opportunity to do so. Let's go back to the first question here, right? Defensive line, defensive tackles specifically. Defensive tackle, I should say. We were talking about Dexter Lawrence and Ed Oliver and that group, I still think the defensive line was specifically the defensive tackle area has been something that, you know, I thought that they would do a little bit more on,

46:42but they really haven't. So I still, that's why I believe that that's probably a pretty open window as far as, you know, what they might be looking at in the draft, excuse me, they, I mean, they, well, I would have thought defensive line would have been more pressing than offensive line, even then counter-regoverned resigns and then they go out and they even sign Austin Corbat. They sign Lloyd Cushionberry, right? But they have not really done anything on the defensive line. They've signed safeties, a couple of them, three of them actually, one of them, returner to Mariamlin, but they've done that, back up quarterback, nickel corner. There has not been one defensive tackle, I think, in my calculations here, not one defensive tackle signed by the Buffalo Bills during free agency here. Yeah, that's a good point. I think of running backs and receivers more for this, how Bean would normally just give himself insurance policies, guys that are fringe, in case they can't get what they might want to get out of the draft, and that would be this too, but it hasn't happened yet like you're saying.

47:42What do you think? And I'll say, Mike, real quick, they have seven on the roster, seven defensive tackles. Now, we can debate like where guys fit, right? Like, because when I say defensive tackles, right, if you're taking three, four, and you want to call it Oliver and whatever, I understand that, but let's just say that the defensive tackles in my mind are at Oliver, Dianne Walker, TJ Sanders, Dwayne Carter, Fadarian Mathis, Tommy, a King's Basote and Zion logo. So you have seven of them on the roster. I just, you know, you're gonna go to camp with probably 10 to 12, and I just feel like they probably, by this time, usually would have added a guy or two. Do you have a macro view of this draft? Bulldog and I were talking earlier, and, you know, it's a little bit tongue-in-cheek, but the fact that we have the Saber's excitement this year, unlike in recent years, has cut into our time spent on the draft, but I think it's maybe a good ear for that. It's just not, not even from a bill standpoint, and the bills are drafting around where they always do, in this era, but just like not having the quarterbacks.

48:46I don't know, how much sex appeal is there? You know, even after Mendoza, but include him if you want to. I don't know, it just kind of feels flat to me. I loved your discussion. I heard it at the beginning of the show, and I think I've been there for a little while, Mike, with you, where it does not seem like a really great draft. I think one of the reasons might be, and I don't know, like I've even done the work on all of the guys. Who is it? Dante Moore, right, the quarterback at Oregon, who went back to Oregon. You know, he had a chance to come out, and because of NIL, and keeping guys in school, we might be seeing more of this lately, which is, or going forward, which is, you know, remember when we had like, oh my God, all these underclassmen declaring, it's making the draft great. We might be going the other way now, which is, there's guys that can come out, but they're not coming out. So like, let's just say he would have. You're probably looking at him as the number two pick. He's going to the Jets. The Jets, think about them for a second. The Jets need a quarterback. He knows their quarterback, they get him.

49:47What if Moore comes out? Mendoza goes one, Moore probably goes two. It totally changes the entire complexion of the draft and of the first round, right? And I just think, like, we might be seeing that, but I think overall, I don't know how many guys this would go for. There's probably some other guys out there, people can name. Oh, that guy went back to school. He could have come out. He didn't, he's gonna get paid to stay, whatever. But I agree with you. Like when I look at even the top of this draft, I'm like, well, if that guy was in a draft last year, two years ago, four years ago, where would he be going? Even Mendoza, I like Mendoza. I think Mendoza can be a really good NFL quarterback. I questioned the environment he's gonna go to. I questioned the development from that particular organization, how they're gonna treat him. But I think Mendoza has a chance to be a really good quarterback. That said, I still don't know where he would fall if he was in like most of these other quarterback drafts. You know what I mean? Yeah. You know, with that in mind, I mean, you know, it's funny, you mentioned more. And that can be because, you know,

50:47I think you're right asserting that he would be the second pick. So he's going back, I can get paid. It's not so much to establish more value. In fact, maybe the potential downside is, he hurts himself by going back. That's happened to guys over the years. But this gives you an opportunity to get paid and pass on the jets, basically. Is what he really is doing, right? I mean, I don't know what all his motivations are, but from, you know, 3,000 miles away, if the guy was going to be the second pick in the draft, it's hard to do much better than that. So, you know, and maybe he just wants to win in college. I don't know. But to me, it just says, I don't want to go to the jets. It might even have set up for a passable, respectable enough conversation about one versus two. Where Tyson Simpson doesn't seem to be pulling that off. No, no, in Bulldog, you're right. Like, he would have made way more money as a draft pick. There's no doubt, right? But I think we're not living though in this space of, you can't, he's still making way more than college kids ever did.

51:50I'm reading right now, and I didn't know this. I just pulled this up. His NIL portfolio includes deals with Nike, Beats by Dre, and Penini America. He is the highest valued NIL earner on Oregon, but still way less than he would make if he made an NFL contract. But at least that's serviceable, and you're like, hey, I feel like I'm getting something out of this. And oh, by the way, I'm not going to the New York Jets, right? So it's probably a little a bit of that, yeah. Yeah, I get the math here. He can spurn the jets, play another season at Oregon, make some money, and go into the next year's draft and play for the jets. That's right, yes, that's right, yes. Very possible. Can he keep going back to school forever until it's not the jets? Yeah, the jets are leaning against the wall outside of school, going like, we're going to be here all day, bro. Who's going to be worse this year? The dolphins of the jets? The dolphins have, at last I looked a slightly lower wind total. I always talk myself into the jets

52:52being like competitive or good. I'm not sure I'll get to good this year, but I mean, Gino at least is some efforts to stabilize and like have a season, so that's good. I mean, they could have done worse, yeah. And at least they made that effort. Breast hall could be great, depending on scheme and offensive line. There are offensive line played together. I think I saw more than any other. He's already doing itself. I'm already doing it. Last year, I can't help myself. He cannot be helped. Garrett Wilson, and then, you know, a draft pick, I don't know. I think they could be on a tailor-cated tight end. Mace Taylor, I can't make this argument for Miami right now. I agree with you. I mean, in the jets did some work on defense. Now, I don't think Minka is nearly the same player, obviously, but Minka Fitzpatrick, Demario Davis comes back, right? I mean, like, they did some things on defense. They traded for Tivandre Sweat, remember that? The defensive tackle, they did that. So I think that, and they have, I think,

53:53a really fiery head coach, right? That's going to be competitive and raw wind everything. Whereas maybe the dolphins are in this mode of, hey, we understand where we are right now. We know who we are, and their head coach, and he may not that he doesn't want to win, but I think they are more of a realistic view of who they are. So I'm not sure where they go. And I don't know. I think both teams are probably going to be, obviously, in the back of the AFC East. But when I look at the dolphins, I think about a team that might simply just be saying, hey, we understand there's a reset year where the jets aren't thinking like that. But then you throw the Malik Willis move into all that, and I still'm not sure I really get it from my Emmy standpoint. Because everything else they've done looks like, let's go hang out and win as few games as we can, but also let's go trade for a quarterback and pay him, or sign a quarterback and pay him $25 million, which is, I know not like crazy money for a quarterback, but it just doesn't seem, it just doesn't add up with everything else they've done, I think. So I don't know if we, I'm sorry, did we talk?

54:53I don't know if we talked after this, but I don't know if you guys know, I stuck around for Gidele's press conference. I always loved to be a part of that. And I asked him about tanking. And I said, you know, the NBA and the NHL have talked about this, the NBA is making some changes because of this. And like, would you ever, would does that come across your desk? Do you guys talk about it in the competition committee? His answer was, we don't have a tanking problem. Like no one does that in this league. Like with it, like we're super competitive. And there were some responses, it was really funny, because I was kind of proud that I asked the question, because then there were people debating like, well, I don't know about that. You know what I mean? It was really interesting. What's happened, I want to say this is right, because I can think of a couple of examples where teams laid in the season, you know, tanking can maybe be a little bit of a sliding scale. Like what Miami is doing right now could smell like that, but ultimately end of the season, maybe you're playing another team bad like you are. And I mean, do you set your starters? Do you do what Tim Murray did and trade your goalie

55:53when he wins a game? Like just that's more obvious. But like the giants beat the Colts a couple of years ago and cost themselves a higher pick, New England Buffalo, when Joe Milton played, Texan's Colts, and they lost out on, well, they eventually picked Stroud anyway, but the first pick went elsewhere, Chicago, in that case. So I don't know, I feel like it sort of looks different. It might not be, tanking might not be the word for it. Quite the same as it is in basketball or hockey, but you know, you have these teams laid in the year where they've kind of blown it by winning, meaningless game. Well, you mentioned New England in the bills? I did. Yeah, of course, yes. Yeah, like I don't know if they were tanking, like intentionally bad, but it's funny if they work, because then they get to that game and they have the first pick and they won, right? Yeah. So there's always that one enemy of tanking, the players on your team. Maybe that is what Gidele has in mind when he answers so definitively when you ask that question. Sammy, look at these examples of teams

56:55that look like they were doing that. Everyone was talking about them doing that, but in the end, they did not crash the plane into the side of the mountain. They pulled up and landed safely. So, last thing, who would be your third pair tonight? Castle Ring and Metsa. Yeah, the two guys that aren't expected to play. Right. I mean, I want to win a hockey game. You know what I mean? Like, I think you proved to point, you've proved some points here over the last few weeks and you're getting to the point now. You lost a couple in a row here. Go win a hockey game. And I know it's exciting or whatever and you want to show Tampa you can't back down and Stanley was up in the press box and all that kind of stuff. But Castle Ring and I don't know what happened to that guy who's supposed to be the reason you made the trade with JJ and then don't winds up being more of the reason now. But I don't know what happened with that guy. You need to get him right in some way and put Metsa on the ice for sure. I think, man, I love that you have such a strong take ready to go on that because my overriding thought

57:59about tonight is that I'm a little uneasy that I think Tampa has pushed the sabers to not dress their best. Because I think, you know, but the flip side of that is if you're rough and the team and you've got guys that are really more proficient in that area, if you will, and you don't dress them and it turns into that kind of game, I think you might feel like you really let everybody down by not doing it. So this is why you made the moves. Right. But it's tough. I mean, a big part of me today was thinking, yeah, exactly like you just said, Cell, go win the game. You didn't need Stanley the last time and you stood up fine for yourselves. You know, I know Hegel got loose on Dalline, but I don't know, Stanley being on the ice changes that this idea of deterrence is always nonsense to me. Guys are gonna goon it up, but they want to goon it up. And Hegel's not even playing tonight. Right, right. So I don't know, I'm a little, I feel like Tampa to an extent already won something

59:02by them rolling into town and the sabers feeling like, okay, let me, at least I didn't call up Gertson from Rochester because that would have been really, I think embarrassing. Okay, you're going the night, right? Yep, I'll be there. Have fun. Good deal, Cell. All right, thanks guys. Have fun, thanks for this today. That is Sal Kupaccio on the western hotline. His appearances are always brought to you by New York's only outlet liquor. When you need to stock up, it's the place to buy a case. What's your outlet? I gave my tickets up. Oh, you had tonight and you gave him up? All right. To my wife and daughter. Oh, well, I just wanted to sound a certain way. Yeah, I gave him up to my wife and daughter. Yes, a lovely for them. Yes, I think so, yeah. I am fine, I think, with the lineup because I'm still not to the playoffs. I do not want, and I've said this the whole time since these trades. I do not want the sabers to miss the mark

1:00:04with their lineup and the playoffs because the playoffs have to be a certain brand of hockey. I think that would end up looking really bad on them if Stanley can't hack it. If Stanley can't hack it, he comes out for the playoffs. He just has to. And so far, I'm there. He has not won me over at all the whole time. But for this game, this is why you did it and this is not game seven or even game one. Right. 803-0550 for your thoughts. Mike Schopen, the Bulldog, back after the update here on WGR. Yeah, it's something that we worked hard for for a long time. To be able to get into the postseason, it's not good, but that's what I kind of took away from not feeling. Obviously, we were in a spower, you know, we're in, but we build our game and continue to get better and find our stride going into playoffs and you know, last two games that wasn't it. Tage Thompson, 78 points in his 77 games. He's played them all. As have McLeod, Quinn, how about Quinn playing them all

1:01:08after the career he's had? Good for him. Yeah. Good season. Got a chance to score 20. AC team goals. Donas played them all. Byroom and Krebs. Malinstein missed one. So did Power. Wonder what team has the most players that have played in every game? Seems pretty good if your guys can make it through the entire season, not miss a game. Which we're not there yet, but Sabers have six players. Eight including players who've missed one game. And that's again, Power and Malinstein. So what is the play tonight? Do I have to make it about revenge? I won the game. I held up physically and the guy that I might want to put a target on isn't there. Do I need to do anything about it? Do I have, can I let it come to me? I kind of think that's what you should do. Yeah, I mean, I think, I think Hagel not being there

1:02:09changes it a lot. Because I think I would have had a hard time saying, don't put all your beef in the lineup. If he, because I think I would have expected my hockey team, I think I would have wanted my hockey team to make it about making sure you get him. And I don't even know that I would have needed it to be like, you know, the, because often this is how this goes. Like he knows what he did against Dalin the last time. And he may tell you privately, I doubt he would tell you publicly that it was warranted. Because of something Dalin did to him. I don't know, whatever, right? He said, she said, or he said he said in this case. I will drop him on the opening pick a guy. Who's it going to be that makes sense, right? Logan Stanley is not fighting Brandon Hagel. At least if I'm Tampa, like that's ridiculous. I mean, Hagel's a tough, a tough customer can handle himself, but he is not a fighter. I mean, he fought one of the contract brothers at the four nations thing.

1:03:10And he's fought, oh, you know, but he's not a, he's not a big guy, not a big fighter guy. So you need like the right guy in your lineup, like Malinstein, maybe, right? And they fight off the opening draw, and then then we have a hockey game. You know, you, that's a rate. If he's playing, you could do that. You could also not do anything until you get a chance to really get him and go that route. And, you know, there's something to be said for that. But without him there, I don't know what I'm, what I'm doing exactly. Am I, am I gonna go try to get Kuturev? Cause he's dirty too. I mean, he didn't punch down lean in the back of the head, but he's, he's a nasty piece of business for a superstar player. What happened at the end of that game? Didn't he slash somebody? Yeah, he was right in a, he was right in a thing at the end of it. So, you know, if you wanna do that, I mean, it's there for you, but I don't really need it. Boy, if something like that happens,

1:04:10where it looks like it's an intentional run at him, then it's really gonna be escalated. Yeah. I mean, now you're dealing with whatever, now you're gonna have Kuture screaming at each other. Yeah, but to be fair, what Hegel did to Dalline, was that already? And nothing has happened to Hegel about it. I mean, the game was mayhem, you know, really the whole way, but I don't think the Sabers, I think you would be right for them to not feel as though they've gotten their pound of flesh there, that they've, even the score, that they settled, that somebody stuck up, stood up for Dalline, getting, you know, handled that way. And so, you know, Kuture off is to the Lymeese. It's a tough, you know, and he, there's like three teams in the league that have a guy that's as good as Kuture off. All right, but like Dalline's our best guy, or one of them, it's the same as if Thompson had been abused like that, you'd want retribution. So maybe you just go looking for the next best idea.

1:05:13And I think Kuture off would be very much so at the top of the list. And not only because he's the star, and you feel you're owed a pound of flesh, but he also has enough of a temper that if you get him just right, he might do something stupid and get himself run out of the game. Cause he's, he's got a, he's, he's got a bad temper. Boy, for that guy to get thrown out, it would have to be something. It's a really do something I know. Right. So I don't know, I feel like I'm all over the road here because I said earlier when we're talking to Cell, I do sort of feel like Tampa already got one over on us because we're loading up the, we're doing everything we can, short of calling the big tough guy who can't play up from the minors. So I, I almost wish they would treat it more like just, like we're trying to go win the hockey game. And not so worried about the physical stuff, although maybe they feel like they need to handle

1:06:13the physical stuff in order to win the hockey game. But I don't know, my, my thought is, it's up to the sabers to initiate the physical stuff. There the team that was wronged, I think objectively speaking, because of Hagelandalline. And if you wanna just come out and play, maybe Tampa agrees and they just have a game. But if the sabers wanna make it into something, then you're probably gonna have something. I think there's another facet to this, which is that getting Stanley and Shen in the first place was a specific, as it would be, with a specific agenda in mind. Whether or not it is specific to the lightning, I don't think it has to be. But they wanted to get bigger in the back, and they did, and it's still in progress. You know, it really was about the playoffs, not making it, because they were already in great position to make it, or it could be about first place.

1:07:13Really, it's somewhat of an experiment, and it's still going. And it hasn't always looked good so far. I would say, for the most part, it looks like a failure. I mean, Shen doesn't play. He played a couple, and he's gonna play tonight. But, you know, they're not forcing him on us, if you will. Stanley has played them all, I think, since, from a certain point, from after that game. Once he got his visa thing straightened out, yeah. And it doesn't, it hasn't happened yet that they look like a better team for it. You know, that hasn't manifested, I would say. I think most would agree with that. But again, it's really more about the playoffs than it is these last 15 games, or whatever it is. So, I want to sort of hold on to, you're still trying to figure out what you want to be. And it's not just that you are thinking about whether there's going to be another, you know, blast off tonight with Tampa Bay in town, but again, just more of the big picture.

1:08:14I think what they want, I think their best-case scenario isn't Shen, I think, of course, but it's that Stanley gives them the thing that he's good enough. That's the question, right? Is he good enough? I don't need, let me be clear here. Shen is really the thing that the Sabers are doing. And I guess done to, but done has had his moments this year, and he can play, and he doesn't hurt them, and he's a tough dude. So like, I'm good there, Shen is really the one that, to me, because Stanley, I don't need Stanley to come out of the lineup. I recognize he's not playing well, but what am I trying to do here? Like you're saying, they got him with a roll in mind, and it has not gone smoothly at all so far with a variety of partners. I think the worst it's been is when he's been with Shen, and that's where you're going to get tonight. But Stanley, you should be still trying to make that work.

1:09:16You wanted him for the harder game in the playoffs on the walls, and behind the net, and in front of the net, and all the things that are clichés about having a big, long-reach, mean-ish defenseman, six, seven, you want a physical presence there for the playoffs, and it hasn't really gone well yet. You still want to try to see that through, and get it on the rails. So that it is something that isn't hurting you by the time the playoffs begin. Shen is the piece in the lineup. And again, I did not have a good night's Saturday, but that doesn't mean it's in one bad game, and he's on the bench for a guy that I know is not going to help them. I mean, Shen is not going to help them. If they just survive his shifts and their shifts, that'll be a win. And I think that might be asking for a lot against this team. Here's Craig with us, I Craig. Hey guys, I think, Michelle, you're right on point.

1:10:17This is more playoffs. It's about getting the lineup kind of figured out, and in spot service, Shen and Stanley have a very potentially decent role, as long as they're not taking other guy spots up. Shen does have a lot of playoff experience. He's done to a cop. I think that matters for, this is a much younger team, to have a little bit of that to lean on. What I still put both of them in, no, but they're still tinkering. The goal is to play off, and you have to be willing to tinker now, because when the time comes, it's more physical. There's less penalties. There's less space. You need to be able to really earn that. And I think there's something to be said to some extent about having those guys in for that. Very good, thanks, Craig. Here's Brian with us, I Brian. Hey guys, the two points that I would have for tonight is, man, I got to start worrying a little bit about Oslyn, I think. I mean, this was supposed to be a day-to-day injury, and now this is going to be the sixth gaming misses tonight. And that's really screwing up two lines, obviously, because he would play in the top nine,

1:11:18and somebody would drop down and get guys like Greenway and Dunn and Kozak, just guys that aren't quite ready to contribute anymore. Like they would just not be in the lineup. And then like the big four, man, that are kind of missing these veteran presences from our team, like right now, man, we were just not getting anything. It's been more documented, obviously, I'm a cloud, but also, like Norse tuck and Zucker have been pretty quiet here in the last two weeks. You know, with all the end of the roster kind of playing tonight, Shen, Greenway, guys like that, Dunn, man, those top four or five, they've got to have a huge night. And I just, I think that's where we've slowed down, obviously, since Oslyn is, like, I just, you just noticed, they're just not as fast. Yeah, I think, I think that's a really good point on Oslyn, and I don't know, I guess I, I, you know, we knew he wasn't going on the trip. Nobody said he'd be back when they got home, but I'm a little, it's a little jarring that he's not there yet.

1:12:18I mean, they've got time, and I understand, I don't wanna rush anything, but I guess, I just, I agree with you. They miss him. I think he really helps that Norse line work, and he, it's clear Lindy trusts him anywhere on the ice in any situation, late in the game, protecting a lead, whatever. He's become a very important player for them, and I think they miss him. Though, I don't know, like, all the guys you mentioned aren't the same to me. Like, I, idealized lineup. I mean, no carrot that hurts. Green, I got room for Greenway to play on my fourth line in the playoffs all day long. He's not someone I need to squeeze out, if Oslyn, you know, is healthy. I think I'm gonna wanna try to find a way to make that work, but I know, it's gonna get crowded eventually when everybody's healthy, but they, I think they miss Oslyn, for sure. That's why I mean, Lindy tried to jumble the lines up. Obviously, that didn't work, so we'll see what we get tonight.

1:13:20Greenway, two nicknames, hockeyreference.com, greener, greener. Bad job by me. Really? I mean, it's, I don't either way. I like, yeah. There's so many guys that you can only have the Y with, that if you have a guy that doesn't need the Y, you do it, and greener was, was getable. Plus Greenway already has a Y. Right. So we're gonna change that. We don't need another Y. So greener, greener was, Y for a Y. I should have thought it through. Greener was, was there for the taking. Other one's tougher. You gotta know it to know it. I'll bet, yeah. The lumberjack. Not a bad guess. Big rig. Okay. The big rig, let's, that's Pat Maroon. Pat Maroon was big rig. Yeah. Really? Yeah. This guy's six six. Now, was he six six? He's big. I don't know about six six. Pat Maroon. Like super high draft pick. Pat Maroon? No, you're gonna Pat Folloon.

1:14:21Pat Folloon was the second, the second pick in a draft in Buffalo. And they caught, he had weight problems then, and he was nicknamed. I don't know if this will be a hockey reference, but Balloon Folloon. Oh no. Well, so no. In case the guys down about that, I did win an NHL 94 cup with him. Pat Maroon was on, he had a run, he was St. Louis's cup and then Tampa's cup or cups. Like he had a run where he was just in, he was on the cup winning team, maybe three years in a row. If I have that right, if it's 1920 and 21, anyway, he's retired now, but he big rig was his nickname. You know a lot. I think I'm thinking of someone else still. Not Folloon. That would have made that much. No, right. That's a generation ago. There's somebody else in there, in between, maybe, I'll maybe bother to try to find out. He's a, I don't know where I saw it. He's on TV somewhere. I saw him talking hockey. He's the new host of Wheel of Fortune. Maroon. Oh, I don't think that was it.

1:15:23It went, Ryan Seacrest, now it's Pat Maroon, the big rig, asking people if they want to buy vowels. It's probably been like 20 big rigs, you think? It's a good nickname. Big rig. Yeah. Greenway. Okay, 803-0550. Thanks for listening. Pre-game for Sabers Lightning at 6 here on WGR. Up. It's my show. You might be mocking me or you might be staunchly agreeing with me. I can't tell. I'm mocking you. And the bulldog. What is Foszy Bear's role in this production? It's on WGR Sports Radio 550. Giving up on finding who I confused for Pat Maroon. Big rig, though, it is on his page. Played in the league last year. All right for Chicago. All right, yeah, because I wouldn't want to admit that it was Patrick Stefan that I was maybe thinking of.

1:16:24No, that's way too long ago. That's, that wouldn't, that's really not a good look. That's not a big rig. Well, that too. That, I don't think either. I don't think I was looking for a big, a big rig. I tried to just place this guy. Oh, just a date. And then what? Yeah, what? Pat Maroon was not a hydraphic. And Pat Maroon was not a hydraphic. It was picked in the sixth round by the Flyers in 07. So I think we've covered it. Do you? I feel comfortable with the amount of information and content that has been Pat Maroon adjacent so far today. Too much for one day. Too much Maroon. George is with us, hello, George. Hey, afternoon, guys. Mike, a quick aside, I just remembered how much I enjoyed that sports card show you had years ago. So if you ever find a way to dust that off, that'd be awesome. It can, you know, consider it in the market nowadays. Thank you. Anyway, you know, I, I'm sure it doesn't align, but I think it does a little bit is as soon as I trade that line. And, you know, I'm not blaming both those defensemen, of course,

1:17:26but transition, I think, was the key to that team at that point. And I just don't necessarily see that transition anymore. And, you know, I, I believe both of the defensemen know offense to them, but they're both, you know, traffic cones in my opinion, you know, they don't. The position and transition are keys to play off. And I don't see either, which either one of those two displaying that at all. I look at them as two players that would be taking advantage of, you know, assuming Shen is in the lineup, which, I don't, I don't think you're assuming a lot. I think he's in the lineup for this game because of his reputation and even a familiarity with the lightning. He played, he won, the cup sees one, he won with the lightning. So I think it's just style. And here's a chance to get him a game and it might suit his skill set, i.e., we think it might be a brawl. So I do agree.

1:18:28That's it. He's playing in the playoffs for you. You got two guys heard. Yeah, that's right. No, I, I, I totally agree. But I also, and, and I do think tonight, I think that, I think Tampa's going to want their pound of flush tonight from the last game. And I think it's going to be, I think they're going to try everything and their power to, to, I'm not saying they're going to go out and hurt people, but I think they're not going to let up on their checks. And I do also think that they're probably going to really turn it up tonight. So I think the sabers have to be ready. And if you're, if you're right about that, George, then all the more reason that, that Shen should be in the lineup and done and the sabers are, are going to be as ready for it as they can be. If you're correct, yeah. You know, I guess, I guess we'll see. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I, I, they have done this, you know, I mentioned this when, when the game happened initially, that, you know, the sabers ahead of time, I think in, and afterwards, certainly they confirmed that they were sort of expecting Tampa to

1:19:32try them out in that way. And I mentioned how Tampa has done that with Florida. They were the grueling the, you know, they, they were going to the finals and winning back to back cops and here comes Florida and Tampa and Florida have had numerous games in regular seasons over multiple seasons that have been like that Buffalo, they don't end up eight seven, but there's, you know, 150 minutes in penalties and it's everybody's going at everybody and all that. So it's not like Tampa gets tired of trying it after they do it once. They'll do it again. So you could be right. I mean, I think really the way the, the way the ledger is kept, the sabers, I think because of what Hagel did with Dalin are the team that should be feeling, if anybody is feeling like I need justice, I think it's the sabers. Tampa lost the game, but they, you know, they didn't get taken advantage of. They tried to bully the sabers and the sabers answered the bell.

1:20:34They didn't win the, all the fights or anything, but they answered the bell. Well enough, capably enough that I think they earned some respect. So I don't know if Tampa, unless they just want to do it all again, just because they think that's their edge, then maybe they will. But to me, Buffalo is the team that I think the impetus is on. If it's going to get silly tonight. I mean, if you have both teams convincing themselves that they're old, something from the last meeting, look out, right? Then it will look like again, all the more reason to dress the line up. They're dressing. I guess I have been nervous the whole time. Thank you, George. And also for the comments about the hobby, I want to say something about that little bit later, nothing about kickstands up. Well, maybe he didn't know about it. Very few people. What's the crossover between card collecting and motorcycle as hobbies? What's the then diagram? How many people are in the middle in both circles? Not that many. Probably not that many.

1:21:35What are you going to say? I'm sorry. I don't know. You off jerking around here. If both teams are owed something, look out. Well, that's where you're left. Yeah. Okay. I have been like the caller. I have been dubious the whole time about Stanley. We can leave Shen out of it if this is a one off because it's Tampa and what happened before. Okay. And I think that that's probably the case. Stanley was a change of direction in their lineup. Not you can't just have a guy and he's not like a fighter fighter anyway, right? He's big. You can't just have a guy for that anymore in the NHL. You can't use us especially on D. No, that just doesn't exist. Doesn't happen. Yeah. So he's going to play his minutes 12, 14 minutes. Yeah. Right? And that was what that was intentional. Trading for him was intentional with that in mind. If not also getting to the playoffs, I looked at the rest of the regular season as more of like a test. Who to play him with? How does it look? And how much does it compromise what we do well?

1:22:42And I mean, Castle Ring, I guess. Or Bryson who left. I mean, somebody who would be in that spot was going pretty well. It was going very was going like record setting well. And now it isn't. And it's not all his fault. But I don't think it's, it's sort of confirmed my fears. What this would mean to their lineup so far. And that's, I mean, they're on the hook for that. Because you had a team that was winning constantly and decided that, you know, you could look at it as just augmenting the lineup. But it isn't, it's more than that. I mean, it's not just depth. He went right in and hasn't missed. So this was an intentional strategy to change the makeup of the sabers. And time will tell how it will, I mean, how it ends is the point. So far, they're struggling relative to what they looked like before the deadline.

1:23:45And it really is an intentional move by Yarmall and the organization, if not just entirely him, to amend, yeah, who they are. And that's also how they play a little bit when he's out there. And I think what you have to hope for to some extent is that this wall there in was coming regardless of whether Stanley was on your team or not. Like if you'd kept everything the same, I think maybe you were in for a low, no matter what. Like I think there's a lot that's going into it. Like they're not, they haven't won only two of these seven games because Logan Stanley is in the lineup. Right. I mean, there's a lot of other things that are contributing to it. There's no arguing that he is not. I mean, in the third pair, I guess maybe with Bryson and Metza when that was the third pair, would have been one of the tiniest third pair in the history of the league, probably a little pair of D in the history of it, they'd probably move the puck pretty well. That's certainly something that both of those guys do pretty well. But you're not, Stanley is not coming in and

1:24:50being expected to play the way those other guys play. You're getting him for a specific role. You're going to start him. I think, you know, that's penalty kill and that's, you know, what, I don't know, a heavy line against you in your own end. Like that's, that's it. So what I think you're hoping for is to be able to get by with two pair of D that can really be the engine of your team, offensively and defensively, and that you're going to survive. There's a really rocky way to put this, but it's where I am. You're going to survive the third pair shift would Stanley and Mets are Stanley and whomever that ends up being I also highly doubt. I would be stunned if it were Shen, barring injuries when the playoffs get here. You're hopefully going to get what he does well to compliment everything else knowing you are not going to move the puck as swiftly as you do with the other guys on the ice. It's just not going to happen. So it's really more of, I don't know, survive those shifts and I don't know what's the

1:25:57point of that. Like, unless you're so sure it's going to be so hard and heavy in the playoffs that you needed another bigger body. I mean, that's the bet they've made, but they're not, they were not expecting. I don't think the colors confuse about this, but just the way he said it, like they don't move the puck. Of course, they don't. He's not a puck moving defenseman. They knew that when they got him, he's, he's a certain kind of guy that they really didn't have. And now we got to decide if that's ultimately to their detriment or not. I don't take the current results as definitive evidence of that. I think this team was in for some, some sort of cool down before I think we're just going to keep winning eight out of every 10 games right into the playoffs. And then what? There's one march to the sea. Like, no, they were going to lose some games. You say that, well, I'll put this as a form of a statement, but maybe it's wrong. You say that because they just didn't dominate possession shot attempts, like they were not right always superior in games, like a team that you

1:27:04think they don't have to get into a slump would be right. That's it. Yeah. Not just because of the law of averages or something. No, no, what happened? It was, it was always so fine. Like the, the line that they were on, right? This is the, this is the Wachinsky, you know, say percentage shooting percentage point that, you know, how close, you know, how thin the margins can be. Yeah. And I think you couple that with the comfort guys would feel like getting to first place. We're going to make the playoffs. So you would take a debacle for them to miss. There's going to be an exhale moment there. I just think it's natural for it to happen. So a few things are sort of coinciding here that undeniably they made a philosophical change to how they're going to play with their third pair. That undeniably has happened. If Stanley's on the ice, that's evidence of that. Is, you know, are the results that aren't good so far? Definitive evidence that that was a

1:28:07horrible idea? Well, it's not looking good right now, but I think that that can largely be explained away with a lot of other stuff, which is largely just everyone's attention to detail, just coming down a little bit because again, the exhale is here. And, you know, that's why tonight is such an interesting evening because there should be all the reason in the world for every guy on that roster to leave everything out there they've got tonight. Their pride is there. The race in the division, this team tried to push them around the last time they played as a competitor. If anything is going to get your attention, that should get your attention. So they should be at their best tonight. And if they're not, then, you know, then I think I'll be even though it's the best team you could possibly play out of a hard team. So you could lose the game, but you know, we know what it looks like if they play well and lose. They just haven't played well in a little while.

1:29:08But tonight should be a night where any sort of let off the, you know, get the foot off the gas because we've been going so hard and running so hot that should go away at least for tonight. I thought they were somewhat unlucky in Ottawa. I saw more of that game than Saturdays. Didn't look like Saturdays was mostly luck or anything. But man, the first entire first period, a long section of that game early. Well, the, yeah, their first period was very good, I thought. They just had tons of good chances to score and couldn't. Then you get the same goes in the second and never score again. Like that, that happens. I thought Ottawa took the game definitely. In my view, took that game over almost right after Sam Wilson scored. So back half of the game, Ottawa was a better team, like, you know, pretty, you know, significantly. It was still a close game, though. I mean, two one empty netters. Yeah. Man, interesting to hear the callers say that Tampa would be the team looking for if revenge isn't the word. You know what I mean by it. So to settle

1:30:12something, you know, because they did lose and Dalline has that trait that, I mean, I'm not trying to defend Hegel for pounding on him. He's down. I mean, that's not a, that's not even a man doing that. That's it. That's a terrible move. Yeah. He should have been tossed easily. I thought. But Dalline is the best player on the team easily, I think. And he's the guy, whoever they play in the first round, this team tonight, everybody, like, he's the guy. Yeah. You go after. And I think Tampa probably feels like they can get away with that because they just did. When they were here, I mean, the guy didn't even get ejected. And he came back and scored later in that game. Like, it just, they probably, it's pretty arrogant. Yeah. Team, I think. And that happens for a reason. They've won a lot. And here's a new kid on the block. And, you know, we're just not going to let you define terms. And the Sabers had ragged out them the last time in their building. That was

1:31:13definitely a part of what, you know, that was a moment for Tampa to go like, I guess we got to try to teach these guys a lesson. Well, they look pretty, you know, like they think they're, they're all that. Dalline is the one to watch because if I'm Tampa, he's the guy I care about the most. And Stanley or Shen will not be on the ice with him. No, like they're not going to be on the ice at that moment. If there is a moment involving Dalline, I would think an injury on either side could really be a game changer. I'm going to root against that. I mean, these teams have been, it's been a great season. And it's close. And the rivalry is heated. And tonight is big. It'll be hard to see the Sabers winning this division if they can't win this game. And it's on to other matchups, maybe we're even playing Tampa. You could even end up one four. And that's not great. Or two, three. Yeah. Yeah, there's a lot of ways it could still still shake. I mean, it's been, even when, I mean, Detroit looks like they're falling out of it. And this is, they've

1:32:17done this a couple of years in a row where they look like they're going to make it. And then it just gets away from them. And it's getting away from them. Suddenly, welcome to the party Philadelphia. Philadelphia displaced the islanders as the third place team in the Metro yesterday. Now, of course, that can change. But you mentioned, right? Islanders are off until Thursday. This changed this coach. They're just standing still for a few days here. So we'll see where they are by the time they get back on the ice here, even. But like Philly had Philly, Philly did a nice job yesterday. I watched that I watched every, well, not every minute, but I had the game on the whole time. I walked away for like little bits of it here and there. But they got the juice of a hot shot. College kid, Marton showed up a high pick six pick from last eight last June's draft. And he assisted on a goal and got the winner and overtime his first NHL goal. They got like this is a little juice there. But I wasn't expecting Philadelphia to show up. The reason I was rooting for Philadelphia is

1:33:20like to me, they'll be a weak team in the pool. So get them in there. What's going to be the number? Flyers have five games left. They have 90 points now. At Jersey tomorrow. At Detroit Thursday. At Winnipeg Saturday. Carolina Montreal home back to back. Like 96. If they win the three road games against teams, they're they're above and even lose to Carolina Montreal. Maybe get one point there. 97 shouldn't that do it? Is 97? I mean, maybe not third, but wild card. Yeah. Yeah. That should do it. It would be surprising if it got much closer to 100 than that. What's the final spot likely to be? Those teams have been dropping points like Detroit Columbus. Right. What does that number likely to be? Ottawa 90 leaving the flyers out because they're a top three. That's automatic. Ottawa 90. Islanders 89. Columbus 88. Detroit 88. Washington 87. If you want

1:34:27it. 97. 97 is the last seed is the is the number I got right now. Yeah. That's one of those teams winning like four out of five. Yeah. That would do it. I feel like the way this year is gone, I sort of expect someone to do that. You could. I mean, you know, four teams. It's you know, right. So just really, you know, one of them's just got to do that. Ottawa has Tampa tomorrow. That's the backup goalie or tonight, the backup goalie. No, you get Vessel Eski tonight. I'd be very surprised if you didn't. I think it'd be a move. Yeah. It would. But they do play tomorrow. Then Ottawa has Florida at home on Thursday. They just got blown out in Florida, but that's a home game now at the Islander Saturday at one at the Devils Sunday night Toronto. That's auto was last five. And they're at 90. That's your that's your wild card, too. That's now what I want.

1:35:2996 97. That's that's that's I think they I think they get it done. Be Florida, be Jersey, be the Leafs, get a point from the Islanders or Tampa. That's a good team. I mean, I really like if the if the goalie can hold up, I mean, Walmart was great against the Sabers on Thursday. Great. He was great early, especially. I think with the way that their last game had gone prior to that, because that was I think that blow out in Florida. That went so badly for him and he got pulled early. If the Sabers had gotten to him and them early, I think could have been a very different story. But if he's right, that's a that's and they look at Ottawa did that without Shabbat and without Jake Sanderson and the the kid. I always screw up his name. Some yamal Chuck, you know, whenever they got a young guy that just showed up, Woodchuck, that's promising and he was also out. So they were a real revolving door on D and they still managed to handle the Sabers. Detroit five left

1:36:30at 88. Columbus at Detroit tomorrow. Almost must win for both those teams. Philadelphia at Detroit Thursday. Devils then at Tampa at Florida. Brutal loss for them yesterday. Did you see how Detroit lost to Minnesota yesterday? They fell down. I think it was four to one at one point and they battled back and got it tied and then came took a ridiculous tripping penalty in the neutral zone, like miles away from the puck. It was a penalty and Minnesota scored on it probably right away. Five four and that was it. Late. Yeah. It was at home. Like the building was going, but imagine, right? So you're in the heat of a wild card playoff race and you're down big and you're roaring back and all the right guys like to bring it scored one of the glory. Oh, here we come. And then just a thud. They've lost six of eight all losses in regulation. Red wings. This is the first time the Sabers have lost two games in a row in regulation since Kevin Adams.

1:37:39The last two games before they beat Edmonton in early December. So four months, almost four months. Since they've lost two straight in regulation. Three, if they were lose the night of regulation, would be the same great same games. They lost Philadelphia. Somebody Calgary Winnipeg maybe. I think that's right. That was the order. Well, let's hope that doesn't. Well, let's avoid that then. Yeah. Philadelphia Winnipeg Calgary, each by three goals. December 3rd through the eighth, 803 05 50 for your calls before we get to the break. The caller mentioned the hobby. Oh, yeah, you wanted to say something else about that. I am presently somewhat active with my collection. I'm on eBay like every day now, just kind of looking and thinking. And yesterday for Easter, I found, I've had these in a box forever. Like a few unopened packs like from the junk years, 1991. Oh, I saw, I saw rappers. I saw rappers on Twitter. Yeah. Yeah. My kids each opened a pack

1:38:43of 1991 Don Ross. And as you may know, if there are trivia buffs of this show, my wife has a Gary Carter problem because when she was a kid, as a meds fan, she wrote Gary Carter and he did not return her letter with any, like she never got a response. So she's never liked the late, great Gary Carter. And I've just always enjoyed that because so many possible reasons why that happened. Right. Can't blame a guy, but she does and it's funny. And each kid had Gary Carter in their pack. 19, you playing for the Giants, 1991 Don Ross. So yeah, Easter for me, I was lucky as a kid, Easter Bunny, cards were my thing. And there would often be like even a box, like a box in the 80s would have cost like $20 or something. But that was the Easter basket. That was my big Easter present several years in a row was like a box of cards. So that's what I associate Easter with.

1:39:44Some people, you know, it's religious or it's eggs. It could be different things for me. It's like baseball cards. So we got to sort of tap into that nostalgia yesterday. Okay. As we were saying, Sabers and Lightning tonight pregame at six, the update and then we'll talk some more here on WGR. We came back from Big Dev said they came back from a Big Dev said, you know, good on them for doing that. They were going to win a hockey game and they did, you know, it was one really, really entertaining game out of 82. You have to look at Buffalo more in the sense of like the whole season. Those are two teams that were not in the playoffs and both are in the playoffs now. Good on them. I don't think that one game defines either one of our teams. John Cooper, Sabers and Lightning tonight pregame at six might show up in the bulldog here. It's going to be Luke Shen. It sounds like in the lineup. Zach Metsa comes out. Josh Dunn goes in. No Austin yet. Luke it in a net. 803-0550 for your calls.

1:40:46No, hey, go for Tampa. Saber and another pretty tough guy Cooper said this morning was going to try to play. I've done that. So that'll be something maybe to watch in warmups. I've tried to play. Usually doesn't work out. Yeah. We're watching the old masters in here today, getting in the mood for masters week. Is that what you would say is happening? Are you getting in the mood for masters? I'm already in the mood for the masters. So I did not need I didn't need this to up that, but still, you know, excellent, right? 1983. The fashion club Tom Kite is swinging right now. It's a it's a mashy niblic. That is a mold school gear that we're rocking here. He's using a mashy niblic off the key at Augusta. I love the old. Did you ever play with when you first started playing? Were you playing? You must have been playing with wouldn't like that. Those. Yeah. Same here. I did what I think everybody does. You play with your dad's clubs. Yeah,

1:41:49I did. My dad didn't have clubs, but some some guy my mom worked with retired and got new clubs, maybe as a gift. And so he gave a whole bag of clubs to my mom to give to me. Okay. That was how I got golf clubs now. I guess I'm going to go play golf. I remember the first set of clubs I ever bought. It was in Rochester where I started to play a lot. And I still have the sand wedge in my bag. What have been like 99, 98, 99. I don't know what I used before that. It's probably hand me downs. Yeah. But then I bought my first set. And I still have the sand wedge. I still have the four iron from the first set. I bought, which was 96. Love a four iron. I was, you know, using these clubs that I got from my mom until 96. And I was just started. It was the second year I was on the radio. And Don Schneider was running a driving range club place out on transit road in near Lockport, if not in Lockport. And he saw me with these clubs and it was like,

1:42:55you got to get it. Yeah, I get out of that. And so he got me some stuff that I then had for many, many years until I got the bug again and got new irons a few years ago. And the reason I still have the four iron is because when I ordered these new irons a couple of years ago, they were supposed to come for through whatever gap wedge or something. And instead, it was five through gap wedge. So I kept my four iron in the bag. And it's now my like low runner. I'm, you know, I got to hit a low shower. Stinger. It's my stinger club. And I practice with it. I do, I try to, because, you know, you're going to have to scramble sometimes. I love a stinger too. I have a, I have a stingray club. It's my old four iron. I think I have the three iron from that first set too in my bag. Probably have an illegal amount of clubs. Maybe, yeah. A friend gave me 10 years ago. He gave me like three or four wedges. He's the kind of guy that was always buying new clubs. And I have, maybe, I've done it twice in my life. So he gave me, we were partners in a tournament, like four or five different wedges. I've never used any of them. Like, you've played

1:44:00with me. I don't have any of those fifth, I don't go, I don't have degrees on my clubs. Okay. I don't say they don't give you the degrees. Right. It's a PW and SW. Right. That's it. I never got into the other, the other ones. This is 86. I think this is 86. Jeremy shared on Twitter today a clip of Jim Nance talking about this tournament might have been his first masters. I'm with CBS. And it's, it's good. It's a story of like Nance called a dickless pot. We're watching it, I think, right now, actually, like the, the bear has come out of hibernation or something. He said he was nervous because maybe he had unwittingly stolen the line from a colleague that had set it earlier in the tournament. He didn't think so, but he didn't know. And he was distracted by thinking like this kind of signature moment opportunity that maybe he had lifted the line. And I jumped in when Jeremy, Jeremy liked the Nance clip is more than just that. It's about how he was sort of,

1:45:02he was down a little bit because he was taken by that, that concern and other people on his team, like lifted them up and said, you're going to be here a long time. That kind of thing. One of my favorite guests ever at this was Ben Wright, golf announcer for CBS at The Masters. And that was in Rochester. I don't think he ever, he's deceased now. I don't think he ever was on with us or with me here. But I think I think I had him here with like with Kevin or Bauerly. He was so much fun to talk to. He had a book and I got to have him on through that and then we work like a few different times he would come on. And the Nance story is interesting that Jeremy shared because Nance would know this. So Nance is at 16, the par three when Nicholas, the famous story is that his son is on his bag. We just saw the shot. His son is on his bag. He hits his

1:46:04hits his T shot at the par three and he reaches down to pick up his T with the ball in the air. And the son says, be right. And Nicholas just mutters it is while he's picking the T off. And it's like four feet makes the putt. And then Nance says that thing. 15 Ben writes at 15. And Nicholas maybe Eagles 15. And writes call is yes sir. And there's a long pause and he says there's life in the old bear yet with his awesome accent. So good. I mean, that's to me that's the line of the tournament. So yes sir. 17. What happens? Nicholas is charging and everybody's kind of it's the best. It's like there's no other tournament like the 86 masters. He has a chance to win now at 46. Totally unexpected. He is putting for birdie at 17. You've all seen it. The camera is directly facing Nicholas with the hole in between. It's like, I don't know, 15 foot pot maybe.

1:47:07And there he is in his yellow shirt and Vern Lunkwist is at 17. And I mean, I this I could just absolutely all the time with me in this call. There's the putt and Lunkwist goes, maybe yes sir. Like that. And so that's the iconic call of Nicholas and that tournament. It's not Nance. It's not Ben Wright. It's Lunkwist. Maybe it's so good. Yeah. So I don't know. Ben Wright is on my radio show in like 1999 or something. And we're talking about that. And he's pissed about it. That was the same line. Yes. That Lunkwist stole. Yes sir, which maybe he did. Maybe he didn't need to set it. Yeah. But this is exactly the point of Nance's story. And Nance would know this all of this. Right. Right. So he didn't mention any of that today. But he could have, if he thought of it, like, and we also had no need to get into that. But that happened that day. And Ben Wright is

1:48:12on the air with me telling the story about how like Lunkwist ripped him off or whatever with that. Yes sir. And I remember saying to him, that jerk, just a sort of like, Agamon, I said, defend right that jerk. And his, his response was absolutely that jerk. And we played that bump a million times. He's like half expecting him to go, all right. Hey, now that's enough. You're right. Bern Lunkwist is a great broadcast. No, exactly. No, he just piled on. Exactly. That's right. We have an open where my name is mentioned. And then some random clip of somebody saying, oh, that guy's kind of a jerk. Not about me. But, you know, and you could have, you could literally have used Ben Wright's voice. Also not talking about me. Absolutely that jerk. So that's why I remember that. So well, 86 masters. This is the putt. Now, this is the Lunkwist putt we're watching, which is of no interest or use to anybody listening. Everybody. Yeah. People watching can't see it.

1:49:16National championship tonight. Before we get back to the savers. Do you care who wins? I don't want Danny Hurley to win anything ever again, ever. So, uh, I guess, yeah. Go whoever's playing this again. Do the Yukon coaches get like extra NIL money for the program by being jerk, like just like, what is going on with them? As Oriemma on the week was a great A jackass. And this Hurley, like head button the ref and like all the just, there've been stuff that he, I'm not disputing the greatness of the coaches. They're obviously let me mean, Hurley, that program has been fantastic with him there. So he obviously knows what he's doing. But I don't like jerks. And both of these guys are great A jerks lately. I mean, they're acting like you're attitude lately. Yeah, I'm not, not absolutely that jerk. I'm, I'm, you know, yeah, go whoever's playing the gun is where I'm at. Not a jerk in this segment.

1:50:16Yeah. Um, Oriemma, what a baby. Yeah. So he carried the whole night. He carried it around that she did not say hello to him at the beginning of the game. He went and stood there and he said he stood there for three minutes. And she, she claims that I believe her that she went down the line of coaches and shook hands, but just missed him or something. Like, I don't know. Maybe that was intentional. But he, he was bothered by that. And now the game is about, he also did an interview. I read, but maybe between the third quarter and the fourth. Yeah, they tore my, one of my jerseys and it turned out that the woman did it to her own shirt. Like she wasn't from rough play by South Carolina or anything. Yeah, he just looked like a complete, he made a fool of himself. He said that if he talked to the officials, the way she did, he would be thrown out. He's like, I don't know if there's a double standard here. What a big baby is 112 national titles. Yeah. And then that all that at the end, what an embarrassment.

1:51:16Then South Carolina goes and gets stopped in the final UCLA. Right. But yeah, I mean, you can, tough to like, they're playing Michigan though. And I just cannot like Michigan ever. It's the Buckeye in me. I care about six and a half. That's what I want to cover. All right. Let's get a Michigan win. So you're happy. But by less than six and a half. Okay. Let's have that. Mike show up in the bulldog here. 803 05 50. Paul Hamilton at six. Lots to talk about with the Sabers in advance of tonight's game with Tampa, the lineup, the two losses in a row. And what are we getting tonight from these two teams after what happened last time back after this break? This is WGR.