The Kevin Karius Show - Mar. 20th, 2026 - Jake Hahn

0:00This episode is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. Do you ever find yourself playing the budgeting game? Well, with the name your price tool from Progressive, you can find options that fit your budget and potentially lower your bills. Try it at Progressive.com, Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and Affiliates. Price and coverage match limited by state law, not available in all states. The hustle doesn't have to hurt. If performance pressure is making it hard to breathe, growth therapy helps you navigate stress, set boundaries, and actually feel like yourself again. Whether it's your first time in therapy or your 50th, grow makes it easier to find a therapist who fits you, not the other way around. You can search by what matters, like insurance, specialty identity, or availability, and get started in as little as two days. There are no subscriptions, no long-term commitments. You just pay per session. Grow helps you find therapy on your time. Whatever challenges you're facing, growth therapy is here to help. Grow accepts over 100 insurance plans, including Medicaid in some states.

1:00Sessions average about $21 with insurance, and some pay as little as $0 depending on their plan. Visit growththerapy.com slash start now to get started. That's growtherapy.com slash start now. Growtherapy.com slash start now. Availability and coverage vary by state and insurance plan. Time to talk a little hockey from across the league with Jake Han from Sirius XM, NHL Sports. Good morning, Jake. You're with Kevin Curie's once again. Thanks as always for jumping on sports 1440. Big guy, really appreciate it. All of Kevin always great to talk to you, especially on a Friday heading into the weekend. And we're getting closer and closer to some Stanley Cup playoffs. On the show yesterday, we actually did a little brachatology and looked at if the playoffs started the day, and all the matchups in honor of March 9th. So it definitely got the playoffs juices flowing a little bit, looking at potential playoffs matchups. And what had changed after what happened last night too, right Jake? Yeah, I think it's changing daily at this point, right? And maybe something we'll have to revisit next week, and it could look vastly different, right? So it's a fun exercise, but like you said,

2:02you know, all these matchups we're looking at right now could look totally different when we actually get to the postseason. So it's going to make for some interesting hockey here the next few weeks. Yeah, no kidding. Hey, before we get, take a deeper dive in it all, all the hockey. Jake, we had Ryan Peyton on, you know, a few weeks ago, talked about the passing of your good buddy Boomer Gordon and your sidekick. So I just kind of wanted to give you the floor here, and just mentioned, you know, just so you could talk about your relationship, your time spent with Boomer and how much he meant to you and everyone it's serious. Yeah, that's really kind of you, Kevin. And obviously he meant a lot to me in so many different ways. As a really close friend, I think that's been the most difficult part of all of this, is losing a really good friend. Someone you talk to every single day do shows with, but you know, really communicate with on a daily basis and what I've learned from him professionally as well. He really was one of a kind. He was so unique to the station. He always brought a new idea, and I'm sure you host a show and you try to bring something other shows aren't doing,

3:05but he was so good at that. And I've tried to do that, you know, in all my shows, and I'm still going to try to do that moving forward, but I was something that just came naturally to him, and he just looked at the game in a different way. Always found a different angle. Always prided himself on starting shows with something that other shows weren't starting with. So yeah, he put a lot of work into it. It really was his life. And it's, you know, like I said, Kevin, I think the hardest part is just losing a friend. You know, I'm going to miss his golf text on a Sunday when we're both sitting on the couch watching a PGA tournament and seeing someone melt down or seeing someone come back and win. And you know, that's been really difficult for me, but we're trying to move forward. And he would want us to continue to entertain, continue to watch hockey, continue to break these down. And he wouldn't want us to talk about him anymore. He'd want us to just enjoy ourselves and talk about the hockey games. You know, I was lucky enough to be in TV for 33 years, Jake. And you know, when you're on the desk, if you don't have that, like the chemistry with who you're sitting beside, or in this case,

4:05when you're doing a radio show, it doesn't work. And everyone knows that and they can feel it. The listener of the viewer can tell right away. For you and Boomer, did you have to work on that for a while? Did it come naturally? How did it sort of evolve and kind of go that route? Yeah, that's a great question. And I know you have experience with that as well, being in the business for so long, whether it's TV or radio. And it's something that just kind of developed organically over time. I was a lot younger than Boomer and sort of came on. And I think my role was pretty small at first. And then it just grew, right? And I think that trust developed. It was always his show. I stepped into it. It was his show at first. And then that chemistry just developed where, you know, he was a little bit of the older curmudgeon. And I was kind of the younger guy where I could speak to some things that, you know, fill in some blanks for him in areas of life and areas of the world that maybe he didn't know. And you know, he just had this dry sense of humor and I could play off of it. So, you know, maybe I didn't realize how great the matchup was

5:06until I saw all the messages from people saying, you know, you guys were my favorite duo. And you had all this great chemistry. So, you know, it takes years to develop that. And it's really sad to think that I'm not going to be able to do another show with him. Because it just, it came so easy. And then when it's gone, you know, you think, oh, man, am I ever going to have that kind of chemistry with somebody again? Yeah, good stuff. Thanks for sharing that with us. Yeah. Jake, yeah, Jake Han from Series XM NHL Radio. What caught your eye in the NHL last night when you were, again, as you guys said, you yesterday show you were doing sort of a bracketology in the sense of the NHL playoffs, which changed again overnight. But because of that, what caught your eye last night, Jake? Well, a few big wins. I mean, Buffalo just continues to win hockey games. I know we probably expect them to go in and beat San Jose. But we're now at the point where this Saber's team is just looking like one of the best teams in the national hockey league. And how far can they take this thing? Obviously, unproven come playoff time. So, I think that's something that I'm really looking at right now. And that East playoff race is very, very interesting.

6:09And the Columbus Blue Jackets, we finally wake up today, Kevin. And we can say that the Columbus Blue Jackets are in a playoff spot. I feel like with the way they've played the last few weeks, every time I open up the standings in the morning, I think, well, Columbus should be. And they just keep winning. But yet teams in front of them keep winning. So, we can officially say Columbus is in the playoffs. And they have absolutely earned it. They're getting goal tending, defense. They have a great group of forward. I think they've made some really sneaky good moves in Columbus this year. You're bringing in Connor Garland, Mason Marchman, a Charlie Coil, if we go back to previous years. I think they've done a great job with that group of forwards. And not only do, I think Columbus is going to make the playoffs. I think they could make some legitimate noise on that metropolitan side of the bracket, which Kevin could be very interesting with Pittsburgh, having this kind of magical season in there as well. Carolinas and goal tending question marks there. I think that Metroside could get very, very interesting. You know, I was just talking about that before you came on, Jake, about, you know, you get in Columbus could easily win the first run. They would play Pittsburgh if things shaped up today. But if you go back to the standings and you mentioned Buffalo too.

7:10So we're going to kind of intertwine these both here, Jake. If you go back to just before Christmas. So on Christmas Eve before they took the Christmas break, Columbus was dead last behind the Leafs with 36 points in the Eastern Conference. The Buffalo Sabers were not much better. They were at 40 points just four ahead of Columbus. And they were in seventh place in the entire wild card standings. What's the bigger story for you? Is it Buffalo or is it Columbus? I think it still is Buffalo, Kevin, as great as Columbus is playing right now. And you look at the last couple of months. They barely lost any games in regulation. So there's rarely a game where Columbus is getting significantly outplayed and losing in 60 minutes. And that's why they are sitting in a playoff spot today. But we just look back at the history of the last couple decades in Sabers hockey. And how bad it's been. They would have just taken a playoff race, let alone a playoff spot. Now we're talking about them winning the Atlantic, heck winning the Eastern Conference. So this went from kind of a nice story at one point of the season

8:10to think, hey, Buffalo is actually going to make the playoffs. We can end this playoff trail. Playoff hockey back in Buffalo. The fans deserve it. And now all of a sudden the conversation shifted this. Can this team actually go to a Stanley Cup final or heck, even win the Stanley Cup? I kind of laughed a couple months ago when Alex Tuck came out and said, we're not just happy making the playoffs. We think we can win the Stanley Cup. And I went, oh, really? Okay, well, you're confident in yourself and that's good to see. But I start to believe it more and more. And I think they believe it in that room and watching Sabers games right now. I do think Kevin, they've been the best story. And we'll see if they can keep it going into the postseason now. Which team do you think in the East, like if you were looking at the standings right now? And we mentioned it about the islanders losing to Ottawa and that goal late results in the Isles not getting the one point. So if there's a team that's above the cut line free and it's Boston in Detroit right now with 84 points and the islanders are at 83, well Columbus is at 83, too. But which team that's in the playoffs right now, do you think's going to drop out? That's a great question. Because I do think that one of the islanders

9:12or the senators are going to squeak in and we can't forget about the Philadelphia flyers who continue to just grind out points. I look at the roster and I go, this team probably shouldn't be winning games but they won another game in LA last night. They're just kind of just getting games the overtime and trying to stay in this race. So can they keep it up? I feel like Rick talk it's just trying to grind everything out of that flyers roster. I would probably say the Detroit Redbings. I think with their injuries and obviously last name was a big one for them. I think it could be tougher Detroit here down the stretch unless they get some healthy bodies back. And I think a lot of people have been calling for Boston. Maybe a bit of smoke and mirrors there. Maybe a little too reliant on Jeremy Swamon. But I feel like Boston's got a good thing going. I trust them to win enough games here down the stretch to ultimately lock down their playoffs. But I feel like Detroit of all these teams would be the one I'd be most concerned about. This episode is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. Do you ever think about switching your insurance companies to see if you could save some cash? Progressive makes it easy. Just drop in some details about yourself

10:13and see if you're eligible to save money when you bundle your home and auto policies. The process only takes minutes and it could mean hundreds more in your pocket. Visit progressive.com after this episode to see if you could save progressive casualty insurance company and affiliates. Potential savings will vary, not available in all states. The hustle doesn't have to hurt. If performance pressure is making it hard to breathe, growth therapy helps you navigate stress, set boundaries, and actually feel like yourself again. Whether it's your first time in therapy or your 50th, grow makes it easier to find a therapist who fits you, not the other way around. You can search by what matters, like insurance, specialty, identity, or availability, and get started in as little as two days. There are no subscriptions, no long-term commitments. You just pay per session. Grow helps you find therapy on your time. Whatever challenges you're facing, growth therapy is here to help. Grow accepts over 100 insurance plans, including Medicaid in some states. Sessions average about $21 with insurance

11:14and some pay as little as $0 depending on their plan. Visit growtherapy.com slash start now to get started. That's growtherapy.com slash start now. Growtherapy.com slash start now. Availability and coverage vary by state and insurance plan. Let's slide out west here, and I want to just kind of look at the situation in the wild card where Utah's plan as well is anywhere, while they're playing better than anyone in the Pacific right now, which is just sad to say. But if Utah, they're going to slide likely into this Pacific division bracket. Do you think they could come out of that Pacific division bracket? I do. I still really like the Edmonton Oilers on that side. I do. Despite some very inconsistent play right now, we know they don't have Leon dry side and they're going to have to figure out the rest of the season without Leon. But they've had theories of time where either McDavid or Leon has had to miss some time

12:14and they've been able to tread water. If Edmonton's fully healthy come playoff time, I just trust them to win playoff rounds. They've proven it before, but I think Utah could certainly win the first round. If they get a match up against Anaheim, which is what it would be right now, or even Vegas, Vegas can't beat any good teams right now, Canada. You look at their results over the last few months. I'm waiting for them to step up and show me something. Edmonton has shown me their ceiling and they've gone into Colorado and won a hockey game or they beat a good team. And I think, okay, that's the Edmonton Oilers team. I can get behind come playoff time and I can live with some of the inconsistencies. Vegas hasn't shown me any of that. So they're going to have to do that over the next few weeks or it could be a one and done for the gold nights. I think plenty of opportunity for really any team that makes it on that Pacific side, whether it's Utah and Anaheim, but I'm still going with tried and true Edmonton Oilers. I think the path is right there for them. If they're fully healthy and Leon's their game one of the playoffs, I'd be taking the Oilers. Hey, one team too, as we're with Jake Han from Sirius XM NHL Radio,

13:15one team that no one talks about the possibility of sneaking in there right there, Nashville Predators. People talk about Seattle, they'll talk about the sharks. I've even said the jets have a chance here yet. But Nashville for some reason, isn't on anyone's radar, is that a mistake? Do you think that they could sneak in here? Well, going back to reference Goomer again, going back a handful of years, he always used to call the Predators to cockroaches, but they're just, they always just find a way to exist. And they find a way to stay alive no matter what the season is. And this season is no different. I wrote them off a long time ago, and all of a sudden you look at the standings. And I do think part of it speaks to what the race is in the Western conference, right? And just the fact that a team like Nashville can feel like they're still in it, even Winnipeg briefly, a couple losses recently, I think has really taken them out of it, but even Winnipeg thought they were kind of back in it. And that's just speaks to the season that's going on in the Western conference. I really like LA schedule here down the stretch, Kevin. If you looked at it, they've got, I believe three against Vancouver, two against Calgary,

14:16a couple against Nashville, but they're both at home, one against Toronto in there as well. They did lose to the flyers last night, which was kind of a bad loss for them, but they picked up a point. I think LA schedule is very, very good. Not only do I think they can make the playoffs, keep an eye on the fact that they might even take a run at the top spot in the Pacific. They're only six back, and they've got by far the easiest schedule of any of those teams. So I think LA gets in. It's just a matter of where do they finish? Do you think that the Dallas stars, Jake, could win the president's trophy this afternoon about two months ago when everyone had handed it already to the Colorado avalanche? Well, they still have one more head-to-head game. They played on Wednesday. It went to a shootout, Dallas won that game and picked up a big extra point. I thought Colorado was a better team in that game. Jake Oltinger was really, really solid and kind of stole that one for Dallas. But if he keeps playing like that, the rest of the season, Kevin, he could take the president's trophy for the stars. And we talk about the president's trophy and the importance and what does it really mean come playoff time? And I understand all that. But in this scenario, it does mean so much

15:18because look at the difference between facing Minnesota in the first round or facing whoever gets that wild card too. You're not really battling for the president's trophy. That's a nice side to it. But really, you're battling just for that better matchup in the first round. So tons to play for for Dallas and Colorado here down the stretch. And I'm glad we have a race there because at one point it looked like it was just going to be Dallas and Minnesota. Colorado was going to cruise. And we legitimately have a race and they're going to play one more time head to head before the season ends. Jake Khan from Sirius XM NHL radio with us. In Toronto, the Leafs, I don't know what to say anymore about them from this standpoint out here, this perspective out here. Maybe just give us a take with everything that you've seen here. Obviously, they're your bread and butter out there, Jake, but with Matthews and whatever else on your mind with this team moving forward. Yeah, it's strange times. It really is because I think the fan base had become so accustomed to just, the playoffs were a foregone conclusion. And you do kind of take that for granted a little bit

16:19as much as they haven't had the playoffs success. It's nice to know this time of the year. You're going to be watching important games and you're okay, who are we going to be facing in the first round? And they don't have that this year. And they're not even closed and the season has really been a complete disaster from start to finish. So I think changes have to be made. I'm not necessarily looking at the top players. I think the retool is the best course of action here for the Maple Leafs because you still have Matthews and Newlander in the prime of their careers. Now, Matthews unfortunately with the injury will see how he comes off of that. And that's obviously a tough blow for him. But assuming he recovers and gets back to his form, these are the guys you'd be drafting anyway. So I think you try to retool with them. If it doesn't work over the next couple of years, then I think you go to another course of action which unfortunately might have to be the full tear down and we know how long that could take. So I think they're going to try to retool. The question is, who is going to be doing that retooling? Is it going to be Brad tree living? Is Craig Barube going to be behind the bench? I think that's where you're going to possibly see some changes in the off season for Toronto is in management or possibly at the coaching position.

17:21Hey, now you got to get rolling here. Just what's coming up for you guys on serious XM here, Jake. Big Friday. Friday is always one of our most fun shows because we have tons of games on Thursday to talk about. We also do a little fantasy talk at this time of the year. Fantasy Playoffs. So myself and my co-host Victoria Madiash, we really dig into the fantasy. She does some fantasy coverage for ESPN. So a lot of goalie conversations probably today, Kevin, because who could make a save out there? Which pandems do we trust? And there's some goal-tending pandems on contending teams. Carolina, for example, where are they at at this moment? Do we trust them moving forward? So tons to talk about on the show today. We'll try to jam it as much as we can in a couple of hours. Send some of that goal-tending love this way, Jake. I'll do my best. It's a tradition like no other, right? Talking about another school-tending this time of the year with a few weeks going into playoff. But they always seem to figure it out. At least on that Western conference, the side of the bracket. So we'll see if they can pull that off again. As always, thanks, Jake. Thanks for coming on and thanks for sharing some memories

18:23with Boomer, really appreciate it. Thanks for letting me do that, Kevin. I really, really appreciate it. And you have yourself a great rest of the show and a great weekend. Hi, this is Pablo Torei from Pablo Torei finds out. And today, I want to talk to you about Boost Mobile. Because we spent a lot of time analyzing inefficiencies in sports, overvalued contracts, money tied up in the wrong places, and so on. But those inefficiencies aren't just on a roster. Sometimes, they're in your own monthly expenses. Boost Mobile says switching to their $25 unlimited forever plan can unlock up to $600 in savings a year. That's $25 a month for unlimited data, talk and text. When you bring your own phone, if that money is trapped in a pricey phone bill, it might be worth a second look. Visit BoostMobile.com to learn more. After 30 gigabytes, customers may experience lower speeds, customers pay $25 per month, as long as they remain active on the Boost Mobile and Limited Plan. Savings claim based on a January, 2026 Boost Mobile Survey of 1,000 Americans with single line on limited plans, comparing average annual payments of major carriers to 12 months on the Boost Mobile and Limited Plan.

19:24For full offer details, visit boostmobile.com. When it comes to managing money, forget the hype and look at the results. Bill has a trillion dollars of secure payments powering our bill-pay tools. Instead of just moving money, Bill is powering the financial operations of nearly half a million customers. So stop the guesswork and start scaling with the proven choice. Ready to talk with an expert? Visit bill.com slash proven to get started. And grab a $250 gift card as a thank you. Terms and conditions apply. See offer page for details. Acast powers the world's best podcast. Here's a show that we recommend. Christian Bale was preparing for his role in American Psycho, dressing the part, hitting the gym for the first time in his life, even getting his teeth re-done. There was just one problem. He didn't actually have the part. Leonardo DiCaprio did.

20:24Listen to our podcast What Went Wrong every week as we unearth the chaos behind Hollywood's biggest movie flops and most shocking successes. Available wherever you get your podcasts. Acast helps creators launch, grow, and monetize their podcasts everywhere, acast.com.