May 30, 2025 • 56 mins
Energy Line with Nate Thompson and Julie Stewart-Binks open up the show talking about the Oilers beating the Stars to advance to the Stanley Cup Final. They discuss Connor McDavid making a massive impact and Nate’s experiences yelling in the locker room. NHL on TNT analyst Eddie Olczyk then joined Nate and JSB. They discuss the Kentucky Derby and horse racing, look ahead to the Stanley Cup Final, role players in this series, the greatness of Connor McDavid and Paul Maurice’s comments on skipping the handshake line.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:03):
Energy Line is a production of the NHL and iHeart podcasts.
Welcome Bright into the Energy Line with Nate Jib I'm Julie,
Stuart binks he's former NHLR Nate Thompson.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
Thus stare only a Cup final is set.
Speaker 3 (00:27):
We got a.
Speaker 1 (00:27):
Rematch of last year as the Edmonton Oilers are going
to take on the Florida Panthers aka South Florida versus
North Florida. I'll get into that joke later. The best
jokes are the ones you have to explain. We will
look ahead to the final with one of the best
analysts in the NHL, Eddie Old Chuck will be joining
(00:48):
us in a bit.
Speaker 2 (00:49):
Energy Line is a.
Speaker 1 (00:49):
Production of the NHL and iHeart Podcasts and Nate Wow.
We got a rematch season coming up and I'm excited.
But before we get there, we just witnessed Dallas Stars
and Edmondon in wrapping it up and it was a
bit of a weird one and like, just got to
ask you the Jake Ottinger situation shown like being pulled
(01:16):
after two shots two goals, and then Pete de Boor
coming out afterwards and saying like I wanted to kind
of shake up the status quo. Blah blah blah, he
hasn't done well, YadA, YadA, YadA, all this stuff.
Speaker 2 (01:28):
What do you what do you make of that whole thing?
Speaker 4 (01:29):
Well, i'd say, first off, and it's funny you bring
up to Jake Anders thing. I was thinking about that,
as I'd say, first off, the Dallas Stars the first
ten minutes like they were sleeping. I tweeted it, I said,
did they know that the game started at seven o'clock?
Because they were they were sleeping, And unfortunately Jake Ottinger
was a byproduct of that and he had to be pulled.
(01:51):
But I disagree with what Pete de Boor did. I
don't think that, you know, I understands two shots, two goals,
but you know the plays that happened, like fundamental, like
basic defensive fundamentals like that Dallas had miscues on that
Edmonton and up scoring. And I get it he's trying
(02:12):
to shake up, he's trying to send a message to
his team. But I don't think you have to send
that mass a message that drastic.
Speaker 2 (02:20):
He's like at the dynamite, like yeah.
Speaker 4 (02:24):
In an elimination game, right, like you're putting in your
backup and Jake Ottinger is your guy, Like this guy
could be the starter for the Olympics next year for
less and I just I don't agree with it. I
think that you keep him in there, you ride him,
you know, and your team has to respond. And they
did a little bit, but I think it was too little,
(02:45):
too late. I think they lost that game in the
first ten minutes and it was too much of catchup
and they then and they've been playing catch up the
whole series, right, they haven't scored the first goal. I
just think that Edmonton and and Peter Boor said it,
Edmonton was a better team the whole series. They had
complete control of that. You know, Dallas didn't have any
any scoring. They didn't score goals. You know, their top
(03:07):
guys weren't their top guys.
Speaker 2 (03:09):
They didn't, which is weird.
Speaker 1 (03:10):
I think we've remember with rantin In doing well like
before and then it's just like not there as much
or any of that.
Speaker 5 (03:19):
And you got to give credit to Edmonton too.
Speaker 4 (03:21):
I mean defensively they were they were really goodively like
this team and the Oilers like they can play defense,
and Connor David has said that over and over to
the media. I just think Dallas. You know, they just
didn't have it. They didn't have it this series. You know,
when your goalie plays like that, you know, Jake Odre
didn't have a great series. And then all the other
(03:43):
things come into factor. With not depth scoring and your
top guys not being your top guys, you're not going
to win a series. So unfortunately, Jake Gondre gets pulled.
I don't agree with it, but I don't believe that's
the reason they lose a series.
Speaker 5 (03:58):
Right.
Speaker 4 (03:59):
Number of things, uh, and the Edmonton Oilers are just
just a better hockey team.
Speaker 2 (04:03):
So just one follow up on that.
Speaker 1 (04:06):
If you were a player on the bench and you
saw that happen in an elimination game, your goalie gets
your goalie number one, you know he's been an All Star.
All this kind of stuff gets pulled and Pete de
Bor wants this to shake the team up, Like, how
shook are you?
Speaker 5 (04:24):
I think you're probably perplexed for a second.
Speaker 4 (04:26):
But as a player, if I'm putting myself on the bench,
you're kind of thinking, oh, fuck, all right, well he's
putting the backup in. But at that point you're kind
of like, I think you're blocking it out and you're like,
all right, we just have to play better. We need
to fucking respond here. It doesn't matter who's in net
right now, we have to respond. I think that's probably
what they're what they're thinking, what they're feeling. But I agree, Julie.
(04:47):
I think that first off, they're probably like, what the
hell he's going to like jake out and just walking
to the locker.
Speaker 5 (04:54):
Room right now.
Speaker 2 (04:54):
And then he went and said, Ray Ferraro, Ray Ferraro.
Speaker 5 (04:59):
And listen to him breaking down why he got pulled.
It's like holy but I mean, I just it's tough.
It's tough for the Dallas.
Speaker 4 (05:07):
Stars because you know, we everyone picked him to win
the Cup. They have all these weapons and Miko Randon
was on fire and then and then he wasn't, and
then they weren't and they ran into an Oilers team
that you know, they have guys that on the depth
that are scoring. I mean, they just they were better
as a complete and from goaltending out. The Imaton Oilers
were a better hockey team.
Speaker 2 (05:28):
What do you think about them touching the Clarence Cup.
Speaker 4 (05:33):
Oh, I didn't mind it. I knew that they didn't
touch it last year. And you see teams every year
and captains, especially if they were there the year before,
they always do the opposite. And you're seeing and you
saw Florida they do this. They did they did the
exact same thing they did last season, right.
Speaker 3 (05:54):
So.
Speaker 5 (05:55):
I had no problem with it.
Speaker 4 (05:57):
I don't know if you saw they saw a thing
on Instagram they showed a reaction to the fans and
Edmonton as they're watching and one of the fans, a
couple of fans just start screaming, no like that. But
I get this the superstitious side, I have no problem
with it. It is always fun to see what happens
with you know, when they whoever wins the Eastern Conference
(06:18):
Finals the Western Conference monels. But poor I think, but
like poor Bill Daly though, like he's he has to
deal with like basically no one wants to party with him,
you know what I mean. Like he's he's there, he's
just stand up there. He's just kind of like, all right,
I'm gonna stand for this picture. They're gonna touch it,
They're not gonna touch it.
Speaker 2 (06:35):
Yeah, yeah, it's it's it's interesting.
Speaker 1 (06:38):
I like doing the opposite of what you'd done in
the past, because that obviously it didn't work for them
last year. But okay, so okay, we're gonna talk about
this in a bit with Eddie Oulchek. But the fact
that Conor McDavid can turn on the Jets sort of
when the team needs it, I think is really remarkable.
(06:58):
But also it makes me think, why aren't the Jets
on all the time? I don't know, like, why isn't
I know? Maybe that's just me being like, well, if
I can have one piece of cake, why can't I
have like five hundred cakes? Like, you know, he's so good,
but then is it just those moments of desperation where he's.
Speaker 2 (07:19):
Like, Okay, I'm an incredible hook, or like can he
just not score normally?
Speaker 4 (07:24):
No? I think honestly, and watching the game and watching
Connor y David, he his two hundred foot game right
now is completely the way he's playing defensively, And I
think part of the reason you're not seeing go on
these rush and breaks and breakaways is because he's always
below the puck.
Speaker 5 (07:40):
He's always below.
Speaker 2 (07:41):
He's for last night with hints, you watched uh PK.
Speaker 4 (07:48):
Suban broke it down with CC on the outside, and
you know con Connor he anticipates that block and knows.
It's almost like he knew at home was gonna block
that and he was gonna pick it up breakaway. But
besides that, I mean, Connor, he's been so good defensively
that he's always on the defensive side of the puck.
He's been backchecking, he's been blocking shots, He's doing all
these things that he knows he has to do that
(08:11):
will help them win more than if he was scoring more.
And I think that's the difference. Is Connor in the
past was Okay, I have to score as much as possible.
I have to get a bunch of points. I have
to get all these offensives and chances. But now it's
like he's playing on the other side of the pocket.
Speaker 2 (08:25):
Does this not sound like Austin Matthews right now?
Speaker 5 (08:28):
And Leon DREYSI yeah, maybe, yeah, I guess it does.
Speaker 2 (08:32):
Sorry, just you know, I got I'm saying in Toronto
right here, right now, and I gotta got some newspapers here.
Speaker 1 (08:40):
What do we got We got some newspapers, DNA, it's
Toronto season. That means that's always just Toronto my beliefs
in the paper. And also I'm this is if you're listening,
this is a this is a real newspaper. My mom's
I'm at.
Speaker 2 (08:57):
My mom's house.
Speaker 1 (08:58):
Yeah, yeah, because of Brad Tree living talking about the
DNA change.
Speaker 2 (09:02):
I agree. I think he was great yesterday.
Speaker 1 (09:03):
All right, Okay, Connor McDavid dig in the most incredible rant,
like of a guy that you would If I hadn't
seen that, I wouldn't think he had the axe verter
a geene. I wouldn't have thought, like, now that I've
seen what Connor McDavid's like in the locker room when
(09:25):
he's upset, I'm like, Okay, this guy's gonna win it.
Speaker 5 (09:28):
Like he's killer, He's a killer.
Speaker 2 (09:30):
Yeah, how much of how much?
Speaker 1 (09:34):
Now he's like okay, it's like he's got his prey
and he's like there's the Florida Panthers and I'm going
to fucking kill them this year.
Speaker 2 (09:46):
Like how how much do you think he's feeling that?
Speaker 5 (09:49):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (09:49):
I don't think he in his connormc gave in his
met mind. Right now he is going into this We
are winning the still like up finals.
Speaker 5 (09:54):
Like there is no option of Like, what is no
other option? There's no other option? You just know that,
Like we're where we are winning it. This year, like
and you you can see it.
Speaker 4 (10:04):
You can see the conviction on Connor McDavid's face and leon,
I mean everybody, and you know what in his interview
that said it best. And I was sitting with a
friend of mine and I was like, that's scary because
he said, you know the difference between this year and
last year. After winning the Western Conference Finals, He's like,
you know, last year we were very emotional. Oh yeah,
(10:26):
there's more ups and downs during the playoffs. He's like,
this year it's been, you know, very steady. You know,
I feel very steady right now, very calm.
Speaker 5 (10:33):
And I'm like, oh, I was thinking about it next
to my buddy.
Speaker 4 (10:36):
I'm like, I understand it's a Florida Panthers and I
know that they're really good, but like, that's scary when
Connor McDavid's saying I feel steady, I feel calm, and
he's he was, he was completely calm, and they're getting
ready to play and stay like a final.
Speaker 5 (10:51):
So I mean, if you're.
Speaker 4 (10:52):
Emonton Oilers fans and you hear that from Connor McDavid
right now, I would feel really good. I mean, I
feel very good for the Oilers going to the finals
right now.
Speaker 2 (10:59):
Right steady, you were down two two games to the
LA Kings.
Speaker 1 (11:03):
And again I've said this before, but Mike Johnson will
be very grateful that we didn't post a clip of
him saying that the Oilers were.
Speaker 2 (11:11):
Going to go out in five kas. I got a
text in that.
Speaker 1 (11:14):
I'm like, buddy, you're real lucky that social media didn't
get a hold of that one.
Speaker 2 (11:18):
He'd be analyst addiction be out, you'd be out. What
was it thinking? Okay, have you ever had a guy
yell like that in the room like what he did
last year?
Speaker 5 (11:30):
For sure? I mean I think I've done that before.
Speaker 2 (11:33):
Really yeah, yeah, like what the fuck?
Speaker 4 (11:38):
Yeah?
Speaker 5 (11:39):
I think I probably I threw some stuff, definitely.
Speaker 2 (11:43):
Okay, some stuff, details details.
Speaker 4 (11:47):
I think I don't know what team it was on.
I mean, I know I've snapped a few times, but
I mean it has to be at the right time.
You can't obviously, can't overdo it because then the whole
you know, you lose the the novelty of the snap.
Speaker 5 (12:01):
But again, I've seen guys, you know.
Speaker 4 (12:06):
Flip Gatorade, you know, you know the Gatorade trays that
goes everywhere. I've seen guys snap sticks. Goalies lose it.
Speaker 2 (12:14):
Okay, yeah did you throw out? What did you what
did you snap?
Speaker 4 (12:19):
I've snapped. I mean I've snapped a lot of things.
I've snapped some sticks. I've knocked over gatorade jugs, I've
you know, thrown stuff from my stall. I mean, yeah,
you guys, guys have guys. I'm not the only one too.
It's not like the guys have full on temper tampters sometimes,
so there's.
Speaker 1 (12:34):
More than one guy doing this, Like you could be
having your tantrum and someone else is flipping over some gatorade.
Someone else is hitting a stick against the wall. It's
just like everyone's going through a different.
Speaker 4 (12:46):
Guy depending you know, who who who's part of the
leadership group, whoever's an older guy, whoever, you know, if
it's a guy wearing a letter. I mean, the guys
are going to have emotions and guys are going to
lose it sometimes, like like like Connor did. And it's
needed sometimes from guys like that because guys need to
see the emotions of how much.
Speaker 5 (13:07):
Is on the line. And I think when conn when.
Speaker 4 (13:10):
You see that in Connor, like you said, he's a killer,
He's a stonecall killer. And he wants to win and
he'll do whatever it takes to win. And I know
that when I when I went in the room and
I heard guys like Marty Saint Louis or Steven Stamkos
or Ryan Getz laugh, Claude Drew, you know, all these
guys when they lose it like that, even whether it's
(13:34):
after the game, during the game, everyone listens and you stop,
and sometimes that can change the series. I mean, you
hear stories from guys over the course of the stand,
like a playoffs, where there might be a moment where
you know a player. You'll ask a player and be like,
what was the pivotal moment in the playoffs for you? Well,
it was when it was when Connor McDavid came in
(13:57):
and lost his shit on us and said we are
going to win the stand, like we were going to
win next year, whatever it may be, and then that
that was that turning point. And sometimes you know, off
the I people don't see those things, but that happens
a lot, Julie.
Speaker 3 (14:10):
A lot.
Speaker 1 (14:10):
Have you ever had a guy yell and it'd be like,
not this guy again, he's doing it Like it doesn't
have the same effect.
Speaker 5 (14:19):
No, I don't think so.
Speaker 4 (14:21):
I don't think there's ever been a guy that I
can point out and be like, this guy yells too much,
you know. I think guys are pretty good in the
fact they know when they need to say something, especially
the leaders, you know, and usually the young guys. You know,
younger guy is not going to say much. You know,
he's not going to jump up and say anything like that.
In that instance where a guy's snapping, usually it comes
(14:43):
from a guy that's wearing a letter, or it's an
older veteran guy that's showing that kind of emotion at
that time.
Speaker 1 (14:49):
Okay, final question on this, and I'm only asking it
because I've heard people bring it up and I know
what I would think about it.
Speaker 3 (14:56):
But in your.
Speaker 1 (14:57):
Perspective, connorik David yelling in the locker room, Mitch Marner yelling.
Speaker 2 (15:02):
At his teammates on the ice, what do you think
about them?
Speaker 5 (15:09):
Completely? It's two different?
Speaker 2 (15:10):
Why are they different?
Speaker 5 (15:11):
Why?
Speaker 4 (15:12):
Why is well, one's Connor McDavid and one's Mitch Marner.
No offense to Mitch Marner, but it's Connor McDavid and
he's the captain. You know. They've been to the SAE
like a final now now they're going to say, like
the finals two years in a row, I would say this,
and I'm gonna say this respectively.
Speaker 5 (15:29):
You have to walk.
Speaker 4 (15:30):
If you're going to talk the talk, you got to
walk the walk. And you know, all the guys that
I played with, as far as captains, they have walked
the walk. And I've learned that as a leader is
you can't say something unless you're doing it, and you
have to show by action first, and you have to
(15:50):
lead by example. And if you're not doing that, you'd
better not fucking say anything. So that would be my
sentiment on it.
Speaker 1 (15:58):
Yeah, I think that you answered that one correctly. I
showed my mom the contrac David things. She's like, isn't
that let my myners doing? I was like, no, Mom,
you don't get it.
Speaker 2 (16:06):
You don't get it.
Speaker 4 (16:07):
Dey Scutt I was like, it's like one of my
favorite documentaries is The Last Dance.
Speaker 5 (16:12):
Yeah, so good, I've seen I've watched it like three
or four times.
Speaker 4 (16:15):
I love it. And when he talks about he's like,
I never I would never ask anything of my teammates
that I would never do. And he shows him sprints
back and forth and he'll do whatever, you know what
I mean. So that that's another that's another example right here.
Speaker 2 (16:31):
And he's gonna do everything and beyond.
Speaker 5 (16:34):
Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 4 (16:36):
But you see him, you see him in the documentary
doing like he's doing sprints down the court. He's like
lapping his teammates, you know what I mean, And.
Speaker 5 (16:42):
You're like, there you go.
Speaker 1 (16:44):
You remember him playing quarters with like the security guard
whatever that game with Did you see the SNL sketch
of that.
Speaker 5 (16:53):
I don't know if I ever saw.
Speaker 2 (16:54):
Oh my god, he and Michael Kay or whatever his name.
It is so so funny. I got to send it
to you.
Speaker 1 (17:02):
It lives rent free and it's like how competitive Michael
Jordan is, Like you know, all the bets with this,
like random security guard. The security guard is basically now
putting his wife up like as a bet because he
has nothing else left. He has no clothes on, like
Michael Jordan's like, I still want to go, Like we're
still going for this right now. But speaking of Michael Jordan,
(17:25):
there's our next guest has something in common with him,
which is really quite interesting considering this is a hockey show.
On the other side of the break, we are very
pleased to be able to welcome in Eddie Olchuk, who
was a former Chicago Blackhawk at the exact same time
that Michael Jordan was drafted. They both were drafted third
(17:45):
overall by their respective Chicago teams.
Speaker 2 (17:49):
Isn't that interesting?
Speaker 1 (17:50):
We won't be talking a whole lot about basketball, but
we will be talking a lot about hockey with Edzo,
so they don't go anywhere, all right, Welcome back to
Energy Line with Nathan JSB and we are very pleased
to be joined by Stanley Cup champion US Hockey Hall
(18:12):
of Famer.
Speaker 2 (18:12):
He's spent sixteen years playing in the league. You know
his voice, you know his face.
Speaker 1 (18:17):
He of course is on NHL on TNT, and he'll
be alongside Kenny Albert calling the Stanley Cup final none
other than Eddie.
Speaker 2 (18:25):
I'll check Eddie.
Speaker 1 (18:26):
Thanks so much for joining us here today and giving
us some time. We know you're so busy, so we
appreciate it.
Speaker 3 (18:33):
Hey, Julie, Nate, nice to be with you both. Thanks
for having me and what an unbelievable time a year
right now, Nate, I know you can relate and how
exciting this time of year it is for player and coaches,
management trainers. Let's not forget the most important part of
a hockey player's life, the lifeline of a hockey player,
(18:55):
the training staff. So it's an exciting time a year
looking forward to get in to Edmonton and South Florida
and Oilers and Panthers in a rematch. So it's it's
nice to be with you both, and thanks for having me.
I appreciate it.
Speaker 4 (19:09):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (19:10):
Thanks.
Speaker 4 (19:10):
Before we get into hockey, I have to say I
totally understand and I get it now. I went to
the Kentucky Derby recently. I got witness experience what it's
like to be there, and I totally understand why people
get obsessed with this because it was like Disneyland for adults,
(19:31):
Like it was amazing, And I totally understand.
Speaker 5 (19:34):
Now.
Speaker 3 (19:35):
Yeah, yeah, it's uh, you know, it is a it
should be I guessate it's probably it should be a
bucket list for for anybody that loves people, that loves
a good time. Look at the gambling and the horse
racing part of it. I mean, that's right in my
wheelhouse and Julie's do by the way. Yeah, but you
(19:57):
know you don't you don't have to, you know, you
could just go there and and uh, you know, people
watch and and have a good time, and people say
and I could feel it Nate when you were talking
about it, is like, again, we know hockey season and
the NHL Playoffs doesn't exactly commingle nicely when it comes
to the Derby and the NHL Playoffs, but people will
(20:20):
say after the fact, is like, how did I not
do this before? You? What have I been waiting for?
So anybody that's out there listening or watching you get
a chance. I promise you it won't disappoint. So next
time you go and Nate, make sure you look me
up on there with NBC doing the handicap and and stuff.
So hopefully we'll get a chance to say hello in
(20:42):
person at the Derby sometime down the road.
Speaker 5 (20:44):
Absolutely.
Speaker 1 (20:45):
Yeah, Nate was on cloud nine when he came back
from it. He was just I mean, it was a
wedding week and he had got to go to the derby.
It was just fantastic. And to sort of add on
to this, obviously we know that you're a handicap or
we know that you're very big into horse racing and
for those who I learned so much about it, for
you from reading your book and how you got into it.
(21:06):
But like for people that don't know what got you
into it and how do you handicap?
Speaker 3 (21:18):
I mean, I went to the racetrack as a twelve
year old kid growing up here in Chicago, and a
kid that I played hockey with for a long time,
Danny Quillis. His dad Tony, the late Tony Quillis, So
he was our manager, and we were playing spring hockey
and we had a game in the morning, we had
a game in afternoon. He asked my parents, Tony did, Hey,
(21:41):
I'm gonna take Danny and Eddie to the racetrack in between.
Are you okay with that? My mom and dad said, okay.
We set it up a couple of days before. I
borrowed twenty dollars from my mom's purse. I think the
day before I went to the racetrack and we went
and I saw these majestic animals, these crazy human beings,
(22:02):
you know, five foot four, five 'ot five one hundred
and eighteen pounds getting on these majestic equine athletes that weigh,
you know, twelve hundred pounds, and I just was I
was captured at twelve years old, and now you know,
I went up to the betting window a couple of
times and just played some numbers and names and lost
(22:22):
a few bucks. And then I went back and I said,
you know what, I wore number sixteen back in the day,
just like I did the majority of my NHL career.
And I told the ticket taker, I said, you know,
just give me, like, give me a one six exact
at getting the exact order of the top two horses.
And I spent five dollars and after losing about eight
or nine before my five dollars investment returned I think
(22:44):
one hundred and fifty six dollars. So I went back
to the window and again, I'm twelve years old, and Nate,
you're a pretty big guy, and you were when you played,
and you know, I think you were probably a big
kid when you were pee wee and playing hockey at home.
And I was as well. And when I went back
to the same ticket taker, I handed him the winning
ticket because mister quillis the gentleman that brought me there
(23:06):
with his son. He said, you know, you're gonna get
around one hundred and sixty dollars, and I'm like, oh, man,
I came with twenty and I got one hundred and
sixty eight, I mean one hundred and fifty eight. This
is awesome. So I go back to the same ticket
taker and I hand him the ticket and it comes
up one hundred and fifty eight dollars exactly. He looks
at me, and I had some you know, glasses on.
(23:27):
He kind of lifts off. He goes, hey, kid, how
old are you? And I looked at him like you
didn't ask me how old? How old I was when
I lost, you know, and I kind of laughed at me.
He gave me one hundred and fifty eight dollars. He
gave me the money. I took three singles. I tipped him.
I looked at him, and I remember looking at him.
(23:50):
I probably blinked at him, but I meant to wink
at him, like after I tipped him, and then I
just walked away. And I've been and I've been going
back ever since. So that was my introduction to horse
racing when I was twelve years old. And then, you know,
as far as the handicapping, I think it's just been
years of talking to people, reading some books, and then
(24:10):
just trying to figure out, you know, the the analytics
of horse racing and seeing their past history and and
how horses have run and on the type of surface
and the class and all those type of things. And
you know, I've been playing the horses, you know, pretty
regularly since I was probably a rookie in the National
Hockey League because my old teammate, Dennis of Bar the
(24:32):
Hockey Hall of Famer, was very much in the horse racing,
so I had somebody that I could palle around with
on the road and go to the track. So it's
been a release of mine. I mean, a lot of
people tell me I've led a boring life because I
don't drink, I don't smoke, I haven't done drugs. But
my release has been gambling and horse racing. And that's
how I've gotten away from the greatest game in the
(24:54):
world when I was playing, when I was coaching, and
now obviously when I'm broadcasting. So everybody needs a release,
and for me, it's about the the equine athletes, and
I enjoy watching them in person and watching them on TV.
And then I became involved with NBC with the horse
racing coverage. This was my eleventh year at NBC with
(25:15):
the Kentucky Derby and then the Breeders Cup in November.
So it's been a lot of fun. I enjoy it,
have great passion for it, and it's been I've met
a lot of great people in both games. And believe
it or not, And I'll wrap up on this is
I really believe in Nate you can, I'm sure you
can back this up.
Speaker 5 (25:32):
Is that.
Speaker 3 (25:33):
I think what makes our game hockey and Julie, you
know this, what makes our game so great is the people.
The people behind the scenes are really the lifeline. I
mentioned the trainers and the training staff of a hockey player.
They are the lifeline of your hockey career. And if
you're good to those people, they're going to be good
to you the rest of your life, whether you're playing
(25:54):
or you're not, they're always going to take carry and
remember you. In horse racings a lot like that. Remember
the equine athlete doesn't have a voice, but you had
the groom people, the hot walkers, the exercise rider, the
assistants that take care of these equine athletes behind the
scene that really make it go. It's no different than
the National Hockey League and people behind the scenes. So
(26:15):
for me, I'm just I'm living a dream both in
hockey and horse Racings. But as I'd like to say,
pucks and ponies. So anybody that dabbles in that, that's
pretty good.
Speaker 4 (26:25):
Fox and Ponies and man, what a story. And I could,
like I said before, I can totally see why that's
your vice.
Speaker 5 (26:32):
I get it. I want to go back to nineteen
ninety four.
Speaker 4 (26:36):
You're playing for the Raiders, You're getting ready to go
to the Cup finals, and your feelings going into the
Cup finals. What are some of the feelings that maybe
Florida and Edmonton are feeling going into the Cup Finals
right now?
Speaker 3 (26:50):
Yeah, well, I'll take you back, Nate. When I was
in New York. I mean, I was a pretty regular
player in the National Hockey League from my rookie year
in eighty four to getting traded to the Rings and
the end of the ninety or the end of the
ninety two to ninety three season, And in my first
full year in New York was the year we won
(27:11):
the Cup ninety three ninety four, and I became a
role player right off the bat. Mike keenan our coach,
had his mind made up about Eddie Olcheck well before
I even got to New York, and I like I
was painted in to be a role player. And that's
what I was. I was a role player. I had
to do two things. And I learned this very quickly.
Is you got to accept, you got to execute. And
(27:32):
the reason I'm saying that is when you look at
the two teams that are playing again a rematch, you
have you have a handful of guys there that have
been sitting there for a long stretch of time and
then all of a sudden they get thrust right into
the action and make big impacts. I mean, whether it's
in Edmonton with with Kappainen or in Skinner, or you
(27:52):
look in in Florida with you know, you know Gadgetvish
and Greer who were in and out of the lineup
early in the playoffs. I don't evenink Gadgevich was even
playing at the start of the playoffs. But so it's
very latable on an individual level when you get to
this time of year in Nate you know this because
you wore a lot of different hats in your NHL career,
is that everybody's got to be ready. You just never
know when your number is going to be called, and
(28:14):
you need you need twenty five, twenty six, twenty eight
players to get the job done, to win the greatest
trophy and the hardest trophy to win an all in
professional sports. So I think for us in New York,
we felt that we were the best team from day one.
We didn't play that way the first twenty twenty five
games of the regular season, but then we hit our
(28:35):
stretch and we were the best team and we knew
we were the best team going into the playoffs. And
I would have to think that, you know, Florida with
a healthy team, and Edmonton to think that without Matias
that com that was a massive hole in how are
they going to get by the La Kings, let alone
win three rounds of the playoffs and get back to
the Stanley Cup Final. You have to, you know, you
(28:58):
have to have that confidence, in that swagger, and certainly
you know, I mentioned the rematch between these two teams,
but I think the feeling is is going in is
that you have to believe in one another. You have
to trust one another. Doesn't matter the injuries, doesn't matter
who you play, doesn't matter how much time off you had.
You just gotta be ready to go in game one
(29:19):
and figure it out. And it's just amazing that both
these teams if I remember correctly, and just so you
both know, and I am the elder statesman on this
call right now, I know that for sure. So stay
young that I'm gonna tell you both. Stay young. You
go back to round one. Let me say it this
(29:39):
way right now, if I'm a member of the La
Kings or I'm a member of the Toronto Maple leafe
right now, I'd be sitting there going we had our
respective opponents in round one, down to up to goals
in Game three on the road, we're watching both these
(30:05):
teams play in the Stanley Cup Final. Now, look at
I played for both those teams. I played for LA.
I only had a cup of coffee there, but I
played almost four years of my sixteen years with the
Toronto Maple Leafs. I thought they had a chance, I
said back in July. I felt that they had the
team assembled with the coach, They got the additions of
(30:25):
Tanev and eckmand Larson on there, and maybe a tweak
here and there is that. I felt that they could
make a run and get to the conference final. And
obviously they didn't. They improved very much. I think they're
on the cusp now who knows what's going to happen
with Marner. What's going to happen. That's for another day
and another show. But thinking about this final, it is
really hard not to think about this could be an
(30:47):
LA Toronto final. Yeah, But in saying that, in saying that,
you look at both of these teams. Their stars have
been stars when they needed them. Their role players have
stepped up, They've gotten unbelievable goaltending. Skinner his found his
game after a little blip very early in that La series,
(31:07):
but Rosky slow to start in that Toronto series, and
then he found his game and has been I mean,
he's been lights out.
Speaker 5 (31:15):
Now.
Speaker 3 (31:16):
He gave up you know, I thought he gave up
a soft you know, maybe two soft ones. But I'll
leave that to the goaltending gurus and my my teammate
Brian Bouchet and the TNT broadcast. Game five. You know,
I thought maybe he could have stopped you know, one
of those shots that you know kind of went in
the same spot on either side of his body, under
his club and under his blocker. But the mindset is is,
(31:40):
look at let's let's let's just win that first period
in Game one, and and and let's let's see how
things play out. It is going to be it's going
to be an interesting series. Obviously, getting that Comb back
is massive. I give them credit for getting as far
as they have that being Edmonton, getting as far as
they have without Matias, that comb their best defenseman like,
(32:02):
it's been pretty damn impressive as far as I as
I said, great to see him back for that last
game against Dallas. Obviously, the news with Hymen, that's a
big loss, Nate, you know that. With Florida, I mean,
that's a that's a key cog out there that would
go to the blue paint. He could score, he's got jam,
he's gonna give it back to you. So that's that's
(32:23):
a massive loss. You know in Florida, you know how
they're gonna play like they'll they'll play six to five,
they'll play two one and if you want to play,
you know, drop the gloves and and uh and get
a little down and dirty there. They can play that
game too. So I give a slight edge to Florida
just because you know they're they're again nobody's healthy. We
(32:48):
know that, Nate, you know nobody's healthy. But the Hymen
loss is really I mean, I think that's a much
more significant loss. But you have two of the players
there and in obviously in Connor and Drysidle that that
just seemed to be able to rise of the cache
in each and every night. So long wind it on
a question or what are you thinking? My mind as
(33:09):
a player, former player, as a broadcaster is that just
let's be prepared, let's do what we do best in
the first period, and then everything else will figure itself
off from there.
Speaker 2 (33:20):
Well, that was a very comprehensive answer for the entire
Stanley Cup.
Speaker 1 (33:24):
We don't I mean, we were done now. I think
like you gave a good no, You gave a good
summary of what to expects. But I want to touch
on the role players because we had Mark Messier on
and he said that, you know, in these moments, in
these games, it's so much about the depth, right because
as you said, all guys got to show up to
(33:46):
be able to play. When your numbers called, you go
out there and you got to do your job. He
brought you up as someone and as someone that was
very pivotal to that ninety four team and the glue guys,
the energy guys, the guys that also do stuff off
the ice to kind of keep that team together, because
you know, as much off the ice is so important
(34:07):
on the ice too. When you look at these two teams,
is there a role player on either one that maybe
you think has kind of maybe you feel like a
connection to, that feels like someone that is similar to
maybe how you played or how you presented yourself that
you feel like, Okay, this guy is really stepping up
(34:28):
to the challenge and they're not a star player.
Speaker 3 (34:31):
Well, I mean, I appreciate Mess bringing that up. It's
a long time ago, thirty one years ago. Just to
give some context, I played. I played a couple of
games after the trade deadline because we made some massive
moves and lost a lot of players at the trade
deadline in New York in ninety four, and then I
pretty much rolled the pine when we were healthy. I
shattered my thumb a little bit earlier in the year,
(34:52):
so I was recovering from that, but I pretty much
only I didn't play probably the last fifteen games of
the regular season, and I didn't play any games in
the playoffs until mess his game when he predicted that
we would win that game in New Jersey in game
six to force the game seven back at the Garden
against our art rivals. So the mindset of UH staying ready,
(35:18):
UH hoping that your numbers called for the right reason,
not for the wrong reason, meaning somebody coming up blame
or somebody getting heard or but you know, I think
the psychological aspect of that is UH is crucial to
those role players. I would say a guy like Cappening,
(35:39):
like I I didn't skate anything like UH like Cashbury Kappen.
I mean that guy's he's pretty you know, he's pretty quick.
But I think the city that the sitting there right
and not playing and think about if we stay healthy,
the chances of me getting in are slim and none,
you know. And he came in and man, I mean
he made a difference right away. And you know he's
(36:02):
not a player to that you would think is going
to challenge people physically, but he came in and I
mean he made an absolute huge impact right off the
bat and being physical and you know, next thing, you
always playing on the line with dry sidle and those
type of things. So I mean he is like for me,
(36:23):
I don't want to say his surprise, but I think
he has been one of those under radar guys there
where he has been, you know, very very impactful to
their team to help them get to a Stanley Cup
final again where guaranteed fifteen games ago. You'd sit there
and go, yeah, he's got very little chance of playing right,
(36:43):
and all of a sudden he's in there and look
at and I would say in Florida, and I did
a bunch of the games early in the playoffs with
with with with Florida in Toronto, and then you know
the last series against against Carolina. Now take this the
right way, and I know he's been in a lineup
(37:06):
and I know what the Florida Panthers were hoping for,
but Brad Marshan has been I mean, he's on their
third line and we know he's his resume and how
he plays is not third line material, but he is
(37:28):
asked to play on a third line role. And he's
played a lot with Lundell and Losterene in Los REENI
got hurt in that last game. I think that was
Game five against Carolina. He didn't finish that game. So
I don't know what a status is moving forward, but
you know he gets straighted from Boston and you know
he's getting power play time. He is killing penalties. I
(37:51):
understand that, but I think in talking to him early
in the playoffs, it was he wasn't sure what his
role was going to be and it was kind of
gonna have to work itself out. Well, it's morphed to
it morphed into being a goal to guy pretty much
in every darn situation. Now he's not getting first power
play minutes because that first unit seems to be taking
(38:14):
you know, a lot of it which you know, which
which everybody can understand. But he is getting a taste
on the second power play. So it may be a
little bit off the board when it comes to to
to Brad Marshan, but you need guys to be able
to accept and execute, and I can't say that enough
is regardless of you're a top line guy or an
(38:36):
extra guy, or you're on a third line and you
got to go out there when your numbers called, you
got to be ready. And I think those two guys,
in particular, cas Berry, cappenen and and Brad Marshan respectively
for each team, have been role players at different levels.
But I think they've both gone out there and accepted
and executed their roles and had been really really important
(38:58):
parts to their team's success and getting ready to uh
to win the greatest trophy in the world.
Speaker 4 (39:04):
Yeah, and you talk about role players and it's funny
like when when Messa was on he talked about the
importance of how you know role players, you know, especially
in the playoffs can be the X factory. And I'm
so fascinated by hearing guys like greats like Mark Messier
and and you got to play with him and witness
you know, everything that he did. And when you see
(39:27):
Connor McDavid this playoffs and you kind of see his
leadership come out even more. And then obviously it's the
second year they're going to the Cup finals. Are there
any similarities that you see with a guy like mar
Mark Messi and Connor McDavid going into the finals right now? Yeah?
Speaker 3 (39:42):
I mean, you know, I just know Connor from being,
you know, a former player and a broadcaster doing some
sit downs with him and stuff. So I don't know,
And I wouldn't want to speculate nate on how he
is on the bench or how he is in the
locker room. I mean, I talk to people and I
kind of have an idea, So I just know from
(40:06):
having played with mess and playing with some I mean,
I play with the guy. Uh, I play with Ronnie Francis.
Who is I mean you look at his numbers. I
mean Ronnie Is. You know, you could argue one of
the you know, to one of the greatest two way
centermen the national hockey BIG's ever been. So I've been
up close with some guys that you know, have some
hardware and Stanley Cups and you know, big time trophies
and numbers, and but I think the one thing that
(40:29):
I I know factually with Connor McDavid, and I get
this feeling is that when something is needed Nate for
the Edmonton Oilers, Connor McDavid is going to deliver. And
that is a sign of an unbelievable leader, a great leader.
(40:52):
And when they're down and it looks like they're out,
I get the feeling. And I'm a big sports fan.
When I watch Patrick Mahomes at the end of the
game and his team is down or he's looking to
get separation to make it a two score game. As
(41:12):
a fan and as a former athlete and as a broadcaster,
now I look at Patrick mcc patrick Mahomes and go,
He's gonna score he's gonna score, and the game's over
and nobody's gonna have nobody's gonna be able to say
anything about it. I was lucky enough to come into
the National Hockey League in nineteen eighty four. I was
a third overall pick for my favorite team, my hometown
(41:34):
team in Chicago Blackhawks. In nineteen eighty four, a guy
by the name of Michael Jordan came into the Chicago
NBA scene and was drafted by the Chicago Bulls third overall.
It's the only thing I have in common with j
that's the only thing. So that's where that's where it's
gonna stop. But like I saw, I saw MJ do
(42:00):
things and said, you know what, it don't matter matter,
he's gonna win. And I swear when I see Connor
McDavid now, and I don't want to say I didn't
have this feeling about him last year the year before that.
I'm not saying that, but I just know. And I
saw it in the LA series. Now you could say
(42:21):
LA fed into the fed into the Beast by some
questionable moves player wise, challenges whatever. That's for another show
as well. It just reminds me of Patrick Mahomes is
that if they're down, he's gonna score, like he's going
to be right in the middle of something great, and
(42:41):
that when you start talking about the Mount rushmore of greats,
I think that's the greatest compliment I could give him, mate,
is just like, that's the feeling that I have as
a former player and as a broadcaster, is just like,
there's a chance I'm gonna see something that I know
is coming because I'm expecting it, and maybe our expectations
(43:03):
for him because of how awesome he is and how
great he is is maybe unrealistic. But that's the feeling
I get now, is that of Edmonton's down, I'm like,
don't go anywhere, folks like, because there's a hell of
a chance he's gonna pull off of Patrick Mahomes and
and and a Michael Jordan type of situation. So but
he like you know, he's he does it all. And
(43:25):
and I'm sure for as awesome as he is as
a player and knowing and talking to people, is that
his qualities inside that room are genuine and a true leader.
And uh, you know that's awesome for the game, because
that's great for us as hockey people, and it's it's
great for the brand of the National Hockey mague.
Speaker 1 (43:44):
Incredible answer, ed Zo, I mean relating him to Mahomes
and then also MJ just guys that can come up
for you.
Speaker 2 (43:52):
That's what we've seen.
Speaker 1 (43:53):
And I wonder from your standpoint, like we also saw
him score the game winning goal in overtime for Canada
this year against USA coming up, and we all also
all saw him yelling, you know, dig in and other
things to his team last year. In what way do
(44:13):
you think for him that loss last year and how
things went has actually really manifested in his game tangibly
to the point where he is now becoming that guy
that will do stuff at any moment.
Speaker 3 (44:29):
Yeah, you know, listen to Grets and you know, I mean,
how lucky are we on t and TNT to have
the great one, the greatest one to be on our
on our team. And listen to Grets tell stories and
talk about you know, where the Oilers were. I mean,
go back to my rookie year in the NHL eighty
(44:51):
four eighty five. We played the Edmonton Oilers in the
Western Conference Final to get to the Stanley Cup Final,
and we played him in a six game series and
all I'll tell you is that the record for goals
in a six game series is still standing. There wasn't
a lot of defense going on between the Blackhawks and
Oilers and the eighty five playoffs, and I'm sure I
(45:13):
think Gretz was in on probably twenty seven or twenty
eight of the you know, thirty eight or thirty nine
goals if you or the scored against US in six
game series. But you know, he talked about like, you
don't realize, Julie, I think, to the heart of your question,
I don't think you realize how hard it is to
win until you actually do it. And yeah, they came
(45:36):
up short, and they really came up short, obviously because
it looked like it was over last year very quickly.
And then all of a sudden, it's three to two,
and then it's three to three, and what was that
Game eight one or whatever it was, And I was like,
holy moly, like, you know, what is this really going
to happen? Right? And then give Florida credit, and Ryan
(45:56):
Hart scores the GWG and you know, the Florida Panthers,
you know, win the Stanley Cup. So I just think,
just speaking from experience and hearing stories about you know,
players that you know had you know, not being able
to have success is you got to go through it,
and you and and and yeah it hurts, it really does.
(46:20):
But I'm I'm sure that they're prepared and they're angry
and they're happy they got a chance to take off
FLOORI it again and we'll see, uh, we'll see how
the uh, we'll see how the hand plays out here
starting with game one.
Speaker 4 (46:34):
Yeah, And the impressing part about for me and when
we talk about McDavid is his ability right now to
get a feel for the game. And before I feel like,
you know, even playing against the ed Zo uh, he
was always on the offensive side of things, always trying
to know, Okay, I got to.
Speaker 5 (46:49):
Help my team by scoring a goal every point.
Speaker 4 (46:53):
And now it's you know, he he knows the feeling
of the game and whether okay, you need a block shot,
you gotta make a big pens of play and he
has that feel. So I want to kind of shift
gears to the coaches and I kind of want to
ask your opinion on you know, what Paul Maurice said
about and he's been obviously must watch TV as we know,
I'm post you know, postgame press conferences. You know, what
(47:13):
is your sentiment being a former coach with the handshake
line and me and how he collaborated on that.
Speaker 3 (47:20):
I think it should be up to the individual, Nate,
That's just my opinion. I think it should be up
to the coach. So you know, most recent memory, right,
it was was Roden It was it was Roddy Brenda Moore,
his former teammate, I'm sorry, his former player when he
coached him in Carolina. I understand Moe's thought, and hey,
(47:43):
if Mode doesn't want to that's okay, that's okay. But
if Roddy wants to do it, Roddy should go at
the end of the line and shake hands and and
and you know, and and go from there. So I
understand and I respect the decision of whatever anybody decides
(48:05):
from that. Ledger and Moe's had a lot of experience
doing this. You also, but team, When I think about team,
it's the ultimate team game. As you know, everybody involved
should be able to go through that handshake line. Whether
it's the guy that played one game in the playoffs
(48:27):
like myself back in ninety four, a guy that's played
every minute, your star player, your coaches, your assistant coaches,
your goalie coach, your trainers, your general manager. That's how
I feel, That's how I would handle it. But I
respect most feelings and understand don't agree. But that's okay, too, right.
Speaker 1 (48:54):
And I think you've done such a great job at
ZOUGH of really shining a light on everyone that is
a part of making this team get to a certain level.
Speaker 2 (49:02):
Right, look at the players on the ice.
Speaker 1 (49:04):
We can see the coaches, but it is that's just
the tip of the iceberg of everyone. And you've done
such a great job of making sure that you know
the trainers and you know doctor therapists, like everything behind
the scenes, anyone who's just there at the rink who's
also a part of it is a part of your
success in winning. And we don't see that always from
a lot of people.
Speaker 5 (49:25):
We don't.
Speaker 1 (49:25):
We don't, And I think that's a credit to you
and your personality and character, and I think that's super important.
Speaker 2 (49:31):
So I'm really glad you made that point.
Speaker 3 (49:34):
I thank you. I appreciate that. I learned that. I
learned that as a young guy coming in national hockey.
The guys taught me when eighty four in eighty five,
like my teammates taught me how you're supposed to be
a professional, and I tried to carry that through my
whole life, whether you know, being at the rink or
(49:54):
representing the brand outside. The importance of in life is just,
you know, making the people around you feel good about
them selves, you know, and just because you may have
a really small piece of the puzzle doesn't mean that
that puzzle is going to come together, uh, if you're
not a part of it. And I think letting those
(50:15):
people be a part of that unbelievable tradition of our
game means a lot, because when you talk to people
down the road, one of the first things that comes up, right, Nate,
is going through that line and the admiration, and then
watching it back and seeing the looks on the faces
of the people in that line, both on a good
(50:36):
side and not so good. That's what makes it so
That's what makes it so awesome.
Speaker 1 (50:42):
Thanks so much for joining us, Good luck, thankshate it
very much.
Speaker 3 (50:46):
You guys, be well and enjoyed. Enjoy the final.
Speaker 2 (50:55):
Well that was Eddie.
Speaker 1 (50:56):
Olchek, former NHL player, Stanley Cup champion, US Hockey Hall
of Famer and with NHL on TNT he'll be broadcasting
the Stanley Cup Final. And we were just talking about
in the break before doing this, just what a great
broadcaster ed Zo is is a great person. And reading
his book, I learned so much just about his character
(51:18):
as we kind of mentioned, but he can really help
you see the game. And Nate, you mentioned that he
helped it a broadcast, can't.
Speaker 2 (51:25):
You're at this summer?
Speaker 4 (51:27):
Yeah, last summer I went to the NHL put on
a broadcasting camp in New York, and you know him, Eddie,
Brian Bouchet, Kenny Albert, Steve Leeby were some guys that
were there, and Eddie was just he's just so helpful,
you know, he was He breaks it down for you.
He's so knowledgeable, the way he speaks and he tells stories.
(51:49):
I'm a huge fan of his, you know. I mean
I probably obviously more of a fan of him now
than when he was playing.
Speaker 5 (51:56):
Of course. I mean he was a really good player.
He had a hell of a career, a long career.
Speaker 4 (52:00):
People don't realize he played over a thousand games and
on everything like he's played.
Speaker 5 (52:04):
He's coach now, he's an elite.
Speaker 4 (52:06):
Broadcaster, but he's just you know, he's the guy that
I always watch, I always listen to. I try to,
you know, articulate and listen to him and learn from him.
But just an awesome interview, just the way he answers
the questions and he can, like I said, articulate everything.
Speaker 5 (52:24):
It was great.
Speaker 3 (52:25):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (52:25):
And he's been through so much too, obviously a cancer
survivor and discussing that in his book. And we talked
about his horse racing handicapping, and I told you that
whenever I text ed Zoe, I'll just say, like, who
you got, and that could be like hockey or horses,
and it's always horses. He just sends me back like
(52:47):
four numbers. He's like eighteen seven for what Like that's
literally our conversation is just that. And he's been pretty
good this year. I mean, he was hot on journalism
for the Kentucky Derby, who came second, as we know,
but then journalism won the breakness. Would have been nice
to have a triple crown coming up, but last we don't.
Speaker 2 (53:09):
And Edso is great. I remember you talk about him
giving advice.
Speaker 1 (53:13):
Okay, I this just reminded me so when I did
my one and only Game of Color commentary for the PWHL,
which was a trip.
Speaker 2 (53:21):
By the way, I absolutely.
Speaker 5 (53:24):
Did you. I was gonna say, did you enjoy it?
Speaker 1 (53:26):
I had like nothing, like I couldn't even look at
or tell the review replays I wanted. I was doing
blind replays.
Speaker 2 (53:37):
I just I.
Speaker 1 (53:38):
I basically just yes, ANDed the entire broadcast. And that's
that's what I tell young young broadcasters. I'm like, do
improv classes, because so much of what you're gonna do
is not anything you are even prepared for. So I
really liked it, and like I brought in different references
and from different shows which people were picking up. And
then I remember Edzo had said, and you know, I
(54:00):
I play, and I've played for like twenty five years,
which is like insane to say. Got a picture of
myself over here behind me, and like you guys are
listening on a podcast so you can't see, but this
sort of me when I played boys hockey growing up.
And by the way, nobody ever passed me the puck
because I was the only girl. I was a girl
(54:21):
on the team like open and no one would pass
me the puck anyway, because I was a girl. And
I it's hard because you got to be so quick
on seeing everything. It's like, you know, you train your
eyes and warm ups. I'd be like looking through and
I'd be like, okay, Alex Carpenter, like she's got an
incredible shot, like you know, world champion, Like I just
(54:44):
like going through everything right with them. But then I
remember Edzo said don't make it a something like a
reference of like, don't make it a blue cheese salad.
And I was like, He's like, don't do too much,
like less is more. It's like, right, I love that
he said, like this weird now, so ed Zone to here,
(55:04):
I don't make.
Speaker 2 (55:05):
It a blue cheese salad, which you wouldn't have a
blue cheese salad because that would be too much.
Speaker 5 (55:10):
So so no, I wouldn't even eat that.
Speaker 2 (55:13):
Yeah, yeah, just do the.
Speaker 1 (55:16):
Don't you know, just bear just boom boom boom. I
loved it, uh and only I'll be doing it again
as that was the only one. Anyway, this has been
fun and Nate, we've got a weekend off before we
then have another podcast before the Stanley Cup Final, so
(55:36):
we'll be getting you guys more more up to date
on the ins and outs of the rematch.
Speaker 2 (55:43):
Any party words, No, I.
Speaker 5 (55:46):
Can't wait Stanley Cup Finals. Let's go, let's go.
Speaker 2 (55:50):
All right.
Speaker 1 (55:51):
We will have to also say let's go again in
our next podcast. But from now where we're double, we're double.
We're having a weekend of getting excited.
Speaker 5 (56:01):
Okay, Okay, then I'll say.
Speaker 1 (56:02):
I'll say, have a nice weekend, Julie, have a nice weekend, Nate,
all right, have a nice sweethead everybody. Thank you all
for listening to episode twenty two of The Energy Line
with Nate and JSB. Energy Line is a production of
the NHL and iHeart podcast Thanks too and so Edieolschev
for joining the Energy Line. Thanks to Jake Brown and
Bob Bender for producing the show. Subscribe to the show
(56:24):
on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts, or
listen on the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 2 (56:29):
Give us a five star rating in please rate a
nice review. I'm Julie Sharp Binks. He's Nate Thompson.
Speaker 1 (56:34):
Nate and I'll be back on Tuesday as we get
ready for it gam one of the Stanley Cup Finna
on Wednesday.
Speaker 2 (56:40):
Thank you for tuning in to the Energy Line.
Speaker 1 (56:46):
Energy Line is the production of the NHL and iHeart podcasts.
For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, Visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts,
or wherever you get your podcasts.
Energy Line is a production of the NHL and iHeart podcasts.
Welcome Bright into the Energy Line with Nate Jib I'm Julie,
Stuart binks he's former NHLR Nate Thompson.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
Thus stare only a Cup final is set.
Speaker 3 (00:27):
We got a.
Speaker 1 (00:27):
Rematch of last year as the Edmonton Oilers are going
to take on the Florida Panthers aka South Florida versus
North Florida. I'll get into that joke later. The best
jokes are the ones you have to explain. We will
look ahead to the final with one of the best
analysts in the NHL, Eddie Old Chuck will be joining
(00:48):
us in a bit.
Speaker 2 (00:49):
Energy Line is a.
Speaker 1 (00:49):
Production of the NHL and iHeart Podcasts and Nate Wow.
We got a rematch season coming up and I'm excited.
But before we get there, we just witnessed Dallas Stars
and Edmondon in wrapping it up and it was a
bit of a weird one and like, just got to
ask you the Jake Ottinger situation shown like being pulled
(01:16):
after two shots two goals, and then Pete de Boor
coming out afterwards and saying like I wanted to kind
of shake up the status quo. Blah blah blah, he
hasn't done well, YadA, YadA, YadA, all this stuff.
Speaker 2 (01:28):
What do you what do you make of that whole thing?
Speaker 4 (01:29):
Well, i'd say, first off, and it's funny you bring
up to Jake Anders thing. I was thinking about that,
as I'd say, first off, the Dallas Stars the first
ten minutes like they were sleeping. I tweeted it, I said,
did they know that the game started at seven o'clock?
Because they were they were sleeping, And unfortunately Jake Ottinger
was a byproduct of that and he had to be pulled.
(01:51):
But I disagree with what Pete de Boor did. I
don't think that, you know, I understands two shots, two goals,
but you know the plays that happened, like fundamental, like
basic defensive fundamentals like that Dallas had miscues on that
Edmonton and up scoring. And I get it he's trying
(02:12):
to shake up, he's trying to send a message to
his team. But I don't think you have to send
that mass a message that drastic.
Speaker 2 (02:20):
He's like at the dynamite, like yeah.
Speaker 4 (02:24):
In an elimination game, right, like you're putting in your
backup and Jake Ottinger is your guy, Like this guy
could be the starter for the Olympics next year for
less and I just I don't agree with it. I
think that you keep him in there, you ride him,
you know, and your team has to respond. And they
did a little bit, but I think it was too little,
(02:45):
too late. I think they lost that game in the
first ten minutes and it was too much of catchup
and they then and they've been playing catch up the
whole series, right, they haven't scored the first goal. I
just think that Edmonton and and Peter Boor said it,
Edmonton was a better team the whole series. They had
complete control of that. You know, Dallas didn't have any
any scoring. They didn't score goals. You know, their top
(03:07):
guys weren't their top guys.
Speaker 2 (03:09):
They didn't, which is weird.
Speaker 1 (03:10):
I think we've remember with rantin In doing well like
before and then it's just like not there as much
or any of that.
Speaker 5 (03:19):
And you got to give credit to Edmonton too.
Speaker 4 (03:21):
I mean defensively they were they were really goodively like
this team and the Oilers like they can play defense,
and Connor David has said that over and over to
the media. I just think Dallas. You know, they just
didn't have it. They didn't have it this series. You know,
when your goalie plays like that, you know, Jake Odre
didn't have a great series. And then all the other
(03:43):
things come into factor. With not depth scoring and your
top guys not being your top guys, you're not going
to win a series. So unfortunately, Jake Gondre gets pulled.
I don't agree with it, but I don't believe that's
the reason they lose a series.
Speaker 5 (03:58):
Right.
Speaker 4 (03:59):
Number of things, uh, and the Edmonton Oilers are just
just a better hockey team.
Speaker 2 (04:03):
So just one follow up on that.
Speaker 1 (04:06):
If you were a player on the bench and you
saw that happen in an elimination game, your goalie gets
your goalie number one, you know he's been an All Star.
All this kind of stuff gets pulled and Pete de
Bor wants this to shake the team up, Like, how
shook are you?
Speaker 5 (04:24):
I think you're probably perplexed for a second.
Speaker 4 (04:26):
But as a player, if I'm putting myself on the bench,
you're kind of thinking, oh, fuck, all right, well he's
putting the backup in. But at that point you're kind
of like, I think you're blocking it out and you're like,
all right, we just have to play better. We need
to fucking respond here. It doesn't matter who's in net
right now, we have to respond. I think that's probably
what they're what they're thinking, what they're feeling. But I agree, Julie.
(04:47):
I think that first off, they're probably like, what the
hell he's going to like jake out and just walking
to the locker.
Speaker 5 (04:54):
Room right now.
Speaker 2 (04:54):
And then he went and said, Ray Ferraro, Ray Ferraro.
Speaker 5 (04:59):
And listen to him breaking down why he got pulled.
It's like holy but I mean, I just it's tough.
It's tough for the Dallas.
Speaker 4 (05:07):
Stars because you know, we everyone picked him to win
the Cup. They have all these weapons and Miko Randon
was on fire and then and then he wasn't, and
then they weren't and they ran into an Oilers team
that you know, they have guys that on the depth
that are scoring. I mean, they just they were better
as a complete and from goaltending out. The Imaton Oilers
were a better hockey team.
Speaker 2 (05:28):
What do you think about them touching the Clarence Cup.
Speaker 4 (05:33):
Oh, I didn't mind it. I knew that they didn't
touch it last year. And you see teams every year
and captains, especially if they were there the year before,
they always do the opposite. And you're seeing and you
saw Florida they do this. They did they did the
exact same thing they did last season, right.
Speaker 3 (05:54):
So.
Speaker 5 (05:55):
I had no problem with it.
Speaker 4 (05:57):
I don't know if you saw they saw a thing
on Instagram they showed a reaction to the fans and
Edmonton as they're watching and one of the fans, a
couple of fans just start screaming, no like that. But
I get this the superstitious side, I have no problem
with it. It is always fun to see what happens
with you know, when they whoever wins the Eastern Conference
(06:18):
Finals the Western Conference monels. But poor I think, but
like poor Bill Daly though, like he's he has to
deal with like basically no one wants to party with him,
you know what I mean. Like he's he's there, he's
just stand up there. He's just kind of like, all right,
I'm gonna stand for this picture. They're gonna touch it,
They're not gonna touch it.
Speaker 2 (06:35):
Yeah, yeah, it's it's it's interesting.
Speaker 1 (06:38):
I like doing the opposite of what you'd done in
the past, because that obviously it didn't work for them
last year. But okay, so okay, we're gonna talk about
this in a bit with Eddie Oulchek. But the fact
that Conor McDavid can turn on the Jets sort of
when the team needs it, I think is really remarkable.
(06:58):
But also it makes me think, why aren't the Jets
on all the time? I don't know, like, why isn't
I know? Maybe that's just me being like, well, if
I can have one piece of cake, why can't I
have like five hundred cakes? Like, you know, he's so good,
but then is it just those moments of desperation where he's.
Speaker 2 (07:19):
Like, Okay, I'm an incredible hook, or like can he
just not score normally?
Speaker 4 (07:24):
No? I think honestly, and watching the game and watching
Connor y David, he his two hundred foot game right
now is completely the way he's playing defensively, And I
think part of the reason you're not seeing go on
these rush and breaks and breakaways is because he's always
below the puck.
Speaker 5 (07:40):
He's always below.
Speaker 2 (07:41):
He's for last night with hints, you watched uh PK.
Speaker 4 (07:48):
Suban broke it down with CC on the outside, and
you know con Connor he anticipates that block and knows.
It's almost like he knew at home was gonna block
that and he was gonna pick it up breakaway. But
besides that, I mean, Connor, he's been so good defensively
that he's always on the defensive side of the puck.
He's been backchecking, he's been blocking shots, He's doing all
these things that he knows he has to do that
(08:11):
will help them win more than if he was scoring more.
And I think that's the difference. Is Connor in the
past was Okay, I have to score as much as possible.
I have to get a bunch of points. I have
to get all these offensives and chances. But now it's
like he's playing on the other side of the pocket.
Speaker 2 (08:25):
Does this not sound like Austin Matthews right now?
Speaker 5 (08:28):
And Leon DREYSI yeah, maybe, yeah, I guess it does.
Speaker 2 (08:32):
Sorry, just you know, I got I'm saying in Toronto
right here, right now, and I gotta got some newspapers here.
Speaker 1 (08:40):
What do we got We got some newspapers, DNA, it's
Toronto season. That means that's always just Toronto my beliefs
in the paper. And also I'm this is if you're listening,
this is a this is a real newspaper. My mom's
I'm at.
Speaker 2 (08:57):
My mom's house.
Speaker 1 (08:58):
Yeah, yeah, because of Brad Tree living talking about the
DNA change.
Speaker 2 (09:02):
I agree. I think he was great yesterday.
Speaker 1 (09:03):
All right, Okay, Connor McDavid dig in the most incredible rant,
like of a guy that you would If I hadn't
seen that, I wouldn't think he had the axe verter
a geene. I wouldn't have thought, like, now that I've
seen what Connor McDavid's like in the locker room when
(09:25):
he's upset, I'm like, Okay, this guy's gonna win it.
Speaker 5 (09:28):
Like he's killer, He's a killer.
Speaker 2 (09:30):
Yeah, how much of how much?
Speaker 1 (09:34):
Now he's like okay, it's like he's got his prey
and he's like there's the Florida Panthers and I'm going
to fucking kill them this year.
Speaker 2 (09:46):
Like how how much do you think he's feeling that?
Speaker 5 (09:49):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (09:49):
I don't think he in his connormc gave in his
met mind. Right now he is going into this We
are winning the still like up finals.
Speaker 5 (09:54):
Like there is no option of Like, what is no
other option? There's no other option? You just know that,
Like we're where we are winning it. This year, like
and you you can see it.
Speaker 4 (10:04):
You can see the conviction on Connor McDavid's face and leon,
I mean everybody, and you know what in his interview
that said it best. And I was sitting with a
friend of mine and I was like, that's scary because
he said, you know the difference between this year and
last year. After winning the Western Conference Finals, He's like,
you know, last year we were very emotional. Oh yeah,
(10:26):
there's more ups and downs during the playoffs. He's like,
this year it's been, you know, very steady. You know,
I feel very steady right now, very calm.
Speaker 5 (10:33):
And I'm like, oh, I was thinking about it next
to my buddy.
Speaker 4 (10:36):
I'm like, I understand it's a Florida Panthers and I
know that they're really good, but like, that's scary when
Connor McDavid's saying I feel steady, I feel calm, and
he's he was, he was completely calm, and they're getting
ready to play and stay like a final.
Speaker 5 (10:51):
So I mean, if you're.
Speaker 4 (10:52):
Emonton Oilers fans and you hear that from Connor McDavid
right now, I would feel really good. I mean, I
feel very good for the Oilers going to the finals
right now.
Speaker 2 (10:59):
Right steady, you were down two two games to the
LA Kings.
Speaker 1 (11:03):
And again I've said this before, but Mike Johnson will
be very grateful that we didn't post a clip of
him saying that the Oilers were.
Speaker 2 (11:11):
Going to go out in five kas. I got a
text in that.
Speaker 1 (11:14):
I'm like, buddy, you're real lucky that social media didn't
get a hold of that one.
Speaker 2 (11:18):
He'd be analyst addiction be out, you'd be out. What
was it thinking? Okay, have you ever had a guy
yell like that in the room like what he did
last year?
Speaker 5 (11:30):
For sure? I mean I think I've done that before.
Speaker 2 (11:33):
Really yeah, yeah, like what the fuck?
Speaker 4 (11:38):
Yeah?
Speaker 5 (11:39):
I think I probably I threw some stuff, definitely.
Speaker 2 (11:43):
Okay, some stuff, details details.
Speaker 4 (11:47):
I think I don't know what team it was on.
I mean, I know I've snapped a few times, but
I mean it has to be at the right time.
You can't obviously, can't overdo it because then the whole
you know, you lose the the novelty of the snap.
Speaker 5 (12:01):
But again, I've seen guys, you know.
Speaker 4 (12:06):
Flip Gatorade, you know, you know the Gatorade trays that
goes everywhere. I've seen guys snap sticks. Goalies lose it.
Speaker 2 (12:14):
Okay, yeah did you throw out? What did you what
did you snap?
Speaker 4 (12:19):
I've snapped. I mean I've snapped a lot of things.
I've snapped some sticks. I've knocked over gatorade jugs, I've
you know, thrown stuff from my stall. I mean, yeah,
you guys, guys have guys. I'm not the only one too.
It's not like the guys have full on temper tampters sometimes,
so there's.
Speaker 1 (12:34):
More than one guy doing this, Like you could be
having your tantrum and someone else is flipping over some gatorade.
Someone else is hitting a stick against the wall. It's
just like everyone's going through a different.
Speaker 4 (12:46):
Guy depending you know, who who who's part of the
leadership group, whoever's an older guy, whoever, you know, if
it's a guy wearing a letter. I mean, the guys
are going to have emotions and guys are going to
lose it sometimes, like like like Connor did. And it's
needed sometimes from guys like that because guys need to
see the emotions of how much.
Speaker 5 (13:07):
Is on the line. And I think when conn when.
Speaker 4 (13:10):
You see that in Connor, like you said, he's a killer,
He's a stonecall killer. And he wants to win and
he'll do whatever it takes to win. And I know
that when I when I went in the room and
I heard guys like Marty Saint Louis or Steven Stamkos
or Ryan Getz laugh, Claude Drew, you know, all these
guys when they lose it like that, even whether it's
(13:34):
after the game, during the game, everyone listens and you stop,
and sometimes that can change the series. I mean, you
hear stories from guys over the course of the stand,
like a playoffs, where there might be a moment where
you know a player. You'll ask a player and be like,
what was the pivotal moment in the playoffs for you? Well,
it was when it was when Connor McDavid came in
(13:57):
and lost his shit on us and said we are
going to win the stand, like we were going to
win next year, whatever it may be, and then that
that was that turning point. And sometimes you know, off
the I people don't see those things, but that happens
a lot, Julie.
Speaker 3 (14:10):
A lot.
Speaker 1 (14:10):
Have you ever had a guy yell and it'd be like,
not this guy again, he's doing it Like it doesn't
have the same effect.
Speaker 5 (14:19):
No, I don't think so.
Speaker 4 (14:21):
I don't think there's ever been a guy that I
can point out and be like, this guy yells too much,
you know. I think guys are pretty good in the
fact they know when they need to say something, especially
the leaders, you know, and usually the young guys. You know,
younger guy is not going to say much. You know,
he's not going to jump up and say anything like that.
In that instance where a guy's snapping, usually it comes
(14:43):
from a guy that's wearing a letter, or it's an
older veteran guy that's showing that kind of emotion at
that time.
Speaker 1 (14:49):
Okay, final question on this, and I'm only asking it
because I've heard people bring it up and I know
what I would think about it.
Speaker 3 (14:56):
But in your.
Speaker 1 (14:57):
Perspective, connorik David yelling in the locker room, Mitch Marner yelling.
Speaker 2 (15:02):
At his teammates on the ice, what do you think
about them?
Speaker 5 (15:09):
Completely? It's two different?
Speaker 2 (15:10):
Why are they different?
Speaker 5 (15:11):
Why?
Speaker 4 (15:12):
Why is well, one's Connor McDavid and one's Mitch Marner.
No offense to Mitch Marner, but it's Connor McDavid and
he's the captain. You know. They've been to the SAE
like a final now now they're going to say, like
the finals two years in a row, I would say this,
and I'm gonna say this respectively.
Speaker 5 (15:29):
You have to walk.
Speaker 4 (15:30):
If you're going to talk the talk, you got to
walk the walk. And you know, all the guys that
I played with, as far as captains, they have walked
the walk. And I've learned that as a leader is
you can't say something unless you're doing it, and you
have to show by action first, and you have to
(15:50):
lead by example. And if you're not doing that, you'd
better not fucking say anything. So that would be my
sentiment on it.
Speaker 1 (15:58):
Yeah, I think that you answered that one correctly. I
showed my mom the contrac David things. She's like, isn't
that let my myners doing? I was like, no, Mom,
you don't get it.
Speaker 2 (16:06):
You don't get it.
Speaker 4 (16:07):
Dey Scutt I was like, it's like one of my
favorite documentaries is The Last Dance.
Speaker 5 (16:12):
Yeah, so good, I've seen I've watched it like three
or four times.
Speaker 4 (16:15):
I love it. And when he talks about he's like,
I never I would never ask anything of my teammates
that I would never do. And he shows him sprints
back and forth and he'll do whatever, you know what
I mean. So that that's another that's another example right here.
Speaker 2 (16:31):
And he's gonna do everything and beyond.
Speaker 5 (16:34):
Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 4 (16:36):
But you see him, you see him in the documentary
doing like he's doing sprints down the court. He's like
lapping his teammates, you know what I mean, And.
Speaker 5 (16:42):
You're like, there you go.
Speaker 1 (16:44):
You remember him playing quarters with like the security guard
whatever that game with Did you see the SNL sketch
of that.
Speaker 5 (16:53):
I don't know if I ever saw.
Speaker 2 (16:54):
Oh my god, he and Michael Kay or whatever his name.
It is so so funny. I got to send it
to you.
Speaker 1 (17:02):
It lives rent free and it's like how competitive Michael
Jordan is, Like you know, all the bets with this,
like random security guard. The security guard is basically now
putting his wife up like as a bet because he
has nothing else left. He has no clothes on, like
Michael Jordan's like, I still want to go, Like we're
still going for this right now. But speaking of Michael Jordan,
(17:25):
there's our next guest has something in common with him,
which is really quite interesting considering this is a hockey show.
On the other side of the break, we are very
pleased to be able to welcome in Eddie Olchuk, who
was a former Chicago Blackhawk at the exact same time
that Michael Jordan was drafted. They both were drafted third
(17:45):
overall by their respective Chicago teams.
Speaker 2 (17:49):
Isn't that interesting?
Speaker 1 (17:50):
We won't be talking a whole lot about basketball, but
we will be talking a lot about hockey with Edzo,
so they don't go anywhere, all right, Welcome back to
Energy Line with Nathan JSB and we are very pleased
to be joined by Stanley Cup champion US Hockey Hall
(18:12):
of Famer.
Speaker 2 (18:12):
He's spent sixteen years playing in the league. You know
his voice, you know his face.
Speaker 1 (18:17):
He of course is on NHL on TNT, and he'll
be alongside Kenny Albert calling the Stanley Cup final none
other than Eddie.
Speaker 2 (18:25):
I'll check Eddie.
Speaker 1 (18:26):
Thanks so much for joining us here today and giving
us some time. We know you're so busy, so we
appreciate it.
Speaker 3 (18:33):
Hey, Julie, Nate, nice to be with you both. Thanks
for having me and what an unbelievable time a year
right now, Nate, I know you can relate and how
exciting this time of year it is for player and coaches,
management trainers. Let's not forget the most important part of
a hockey player's life, the lifeline of a hockey player,
(18:55):
the training staff. So it's an exciting time a year
looking forward to get in to Edmonton and South Florida
and Oilers and Panthers in a rematch. So it's it's
nice to be with you both, and thanks for having me.
I appreciate it.
Speaker 4 (19:09):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (19:10):
Thanks.
Speaker 4 (19:10):
Before we get into hockey, I have to say I
totally understand and I get it now. I went to
the Kentucky Derby recently. I got witness experience what it's
like to be there, and I totally understand why people
get obsessed with this because it was like Disneyland for adults,
(19:31):
Like it was amazing, And I totally understand.
Speaker 5 (19:34):
Now.
Speaker 3 (19:35):
Yeah, yeah, it's uh, you know, it is a it
should be I guessate it's probably it should be a
bucket list for for anybody that loves people, that loves
a good time. Look at the gambling and the horse
racing part of it. I mean, that's right in my
wheelhouse and Julie's do by the way. Yeah, but you
(19:57):
know you don't you don't have to, you know, you
could just go there and and uh, you know, people
watch and and have a good time, and people say
and I could feel it Nate when you were talking
about it, is like, again, we know hockey season and
the NHL Playoffs doesn't exactly commingle nicely when it comes
to the Derby and the NHL Playoffs, but people will
(20:20):
say after the fact, is like, how did I not
do this before? You? What have I been waiting for?
So anybody that's out there listening or watching you get
a chance. I promise you it won't disappoint. So next
time you go and Nate, make sure you look me
up on there with NBC doing the handicap and and stuff.
So hopefully we'll get a chance to say hello in
(20:42):
person at the Derby sometime down the road.
Speaker 5 (20:44):
Absolutely.
Speaker 1 (20:45):
Yeah, Nate was on cloud nine when he came back
from it. He was just I mean, it was a
wedding week and he had got to go to the derby.
It was just fantastic. And to sort of add on
to this, obviously we know that you're a handicap or
we know that you're very big into horse racing and
for those who I learned so much about it, for
you from reading your book and how you got into it.
(21:06):
But like for people that don't know what got you
into it and how do you handicap?
Speaker 3 (21:18):
I mean, I went to the racetrack as a twelve
year old kid growing up here in Chicago, and a
kid that I played hockey with for a long time,
Danny Quillis. His dad Tony, the late Tony Quillis, So
he was our manager, and we were playing spring hockey
and we had a game in the morning, we had
a game in afternoon. He asked my parents, Tony did, Hey,
(21:41):
I'm gonna take Danny and Eddie to the racetrack in between.
Are you okay with that? My mom and dad said, okay.
We set it up a couple of days before. I
borrowed twenty dollars from my mom's purse. I think the
day before I went to the racetrack and we went
and I saw these majestic animals, these crazy human beings,
(22:02):
you know, five foot four, five 'ot five one hundred
and eighteen pounds getting on these majestic equine athletes that weigh,
you know, twelve hundred pounds, and I just was I
was captured at twelve years old, and now you know,
I went up to the betting window a couple of
times and just played some numbers and names and lost
(22:22):
a few bucks. And then I went back and I said,
you know what, I wore number sixteen back in the day,
just like I did the majority of my NHL career.
And I told the ticket taker, I said, you know,
just give me, like, give me a one six exact
at getting the exact order of the top two horses.
And I spent five dollars and after losing about eight
or nine before my five dollars investment returned I think
(22:44):
one hundred and fifty six dollars. So I went back
to the window and again, I'm twelve years old, and Nate,
you're a pretty big guy, and you were when you played,
and you know, I think you were probably a big
kid when you were pee wee and playing hockey at home.
And I was as well. And when I went back
to the same ticket taker, I handed him the winning
ticket because mister quillis the gentleman that brought me there
(23:06):
with his son. He said, you know, you're gonna get
around one hundred and sixty dollars, and I'm like, oh, man,
I came with twenty and I got one hundred and
sixty eight, I mean one hundred and fifty eight. This
is awesome. So I go back to the same ticket
taker and I hand him the ticket and it comes
up one hundred and fifty eight dollars exactly. He looks
at me, and I had some you know, glasses on.
(23:27):
He kind of lifts off. He goes, hey, kid, how
old are you? And I looked at him like you
didn't ask me how old? How old I was when
I lost, you know, and I kind of laughed at me.
He gave me one hundred and fifty eight dollars. He
gave me the money. I took three singles. I tipped him.
I looked at him, and I remember looking at him.
(23:50):
I probably blinked at him, but I meant to wink
at him, like after I tipped him, and then I
just walked away. And I've been and I've been going
back ever since. So that was my introduction to horse
racing when I was twelve years old. And then, you know,
as far as the handicapping, I think it's just been
years of talking to people, reading some books, and then
(24:10):
just trying to figure out, you know, the the analytics
of horse racing and seeing their past history and and
how horses have run and on the type of surface
and the class and all those type of things. And
you know, I've been playing the horses, you know, pretty
regularly since I was probably a rookie in the National
Hockey League because my old teammate, Dennis of Bar the
(24:32):
Hockey Hall of Famer, was very much in the horse racing,
so I had somebody that I could palle around with
on the road and go to the track. So it's
been a release of mine. I mean, a lot of
people tell me I've led a boring life because I
don't drink, I don't smoke, I haven't done drugs. But
my release has been gambling and horse racing. And that's
how I've gotten away from the greatest game in the
(24:54):
world when I was playing, when I was coaching, and
now obviously when I'm broadcasting. So everybody needs a release,
and for me, it's about the the equine athletes, and
I enjoy watching them in person and watching them on TV.
And then I became involved with NBC with the horse
racing coverage. This was my eleventh year at NBC with
(25:15):
the Kentucky Derby and then the Breeders Cup in November.
So it's been a lot of fun. I enjoy it,
have great passion for it, and it's been I've met
a lot of great people in both games. And believe
it or not, And I'll wrap up on this is
I really believe in Nate you can, I'm sure you
can back this up.
Speaker 5 (25:32):
Is that.
Speaker 3 (25:33):
I think what makes our game hockey and Julie, you
know this, what makes our game so great is the people.
The people behind the scenes are really the lifeline. I
mentioned the trainers and the training staff of a hockey player.
They are the lifeline of your hockey career. And if
you're good to those people, they're going to be good
to you the rest of your life, whether you're playing
(25:54):
or you're not, they're always going to take carry and
remember you. In horse racings a lot like that. Remember
the equine athlete doesn't have a voice, but you had
the groom people, the hot walkers, the exercise rider, the
assistants that take care of these equine athletes behind the
scene that really make it go. It's no different than
the National Hockey League and people behind the scenes. So
(26:15):
for me, I'm just I'm living a dream both in
hockey and horse Racings. But as I'd like to say,
pucks and ponies. So anybody that dabbles in that, that's
pretty good.
Speaker 4 (26:25):
Fox and Ponies and man, what a story. And I could,
like I said before, I can totally see why that's
your vice.
Speaker 5 (26:32):
I get it. I want to go back to nineteen
ninety four.
Speaker 4 (26:36):
You're playing for the Raiders, You're getting ready to go
to the Cup finals, and your feelings going into the
Cup finals. What are some of the feelings that maybe
Florida and Edmonton are feeling going into the Cup Finals
right now?
Speaker 3 (26:50):
Yeah, well, I'll take you back, Nate. When I was
in New York. I mean, I was a pretty regular
player in the National Hockey League from my rookie year
in eighty four to getting traded to the Rings and
the end of the ninety or the end of the
ninety two to ninety three season, And in my first
full year in New York was the year we won
(27:11):
the Cup ninety three ninety four, and I became a
role player right off the bat. Mike keenan our coach,
had his mind made up about Eddie Olcheck well before
I even got to New York, and I like I
was painted in to be a role player. And that's
what I was. I was a role player. I had
to do two things. And I learned this very quickly.
Is you got to accept, you got to execute. And
(27:32):
the reason I'm saying that is when you look at
the two teams that are playing again a rematch, you
have you have a handful of guys there that have
been sitting there for a long stretch of time and
then all of a sudden they get thrust right into
the action and make big impacts. I mean, whether it's
in Edmonton with with Kappainen or in Skinner, or you
(27:52):
look in in Florida with you know, you know Gadgetvish
and Greer who were in and out of the lineup
early in the playoffs. I don't evenink Gadgevich was even
playing at the start of the playoffs. But so it's
very latable on an individual level when you get to
this time of year in Nate you know this because
you wore a lot of different hats in your NHL career,
is that everybody's got to be ready. You just never
know when your number is going to be called, and
(28:14):
you need you need twenty five, twenty six, twenty eight
players to get the job done, to win the greatest
trophy and the hardest trophy to win an all in
professional sports. So I think for us in New York,
we felt that we were the best team from day one.
We didn't play that way the first twenty twenty five
games of the regular season, but then we hit our
(28:35):
stretch and we were the best team and we knew
we were the best team going into the playoffs. And
I would have to think that, you know, Florida with
a healthy team, and Edmonton to think that without Matias
that com that was a massive hole in how are
they going to get by the La Kings, let alone
win three rounds of the playoffs and get back to
the Stanley Cup Final. You have to, you know, you
(28:58):
have to have that confidence, in that swagger, and certainly
you know, I mentioned the rematch between these two teams,
but I think the feeling is is going in is
that you have to believe in one another. You have
to trust one another. Doesn't matter the injuries, doesn't matter
who you play, doesn't matter how much time off you had.
You just gotta be ready to go in game one
(29:19):
and figure it out. And it's just amazing that both
these teams if I remember correctly, and just so you
both know, and I am the elder statesman on this
call right now, I know that for sure. So stay
young that I'm gonna tell you both. Stay young. You
go back to round one. Let me say it this
(29:39):
way right now, if I'm a member of the La
Kings or I'm a member of the Toronto Maple leafe
right now, I'd be sitting there going we had our
respective opponents in round one, down to up to goals
in Game three on the road, we're watching both these
(30:05):
teams play in the Stanley Cup Final. Now, look at
I played for both those teams. I played for LA.
I only had a cup of coffee there, but I
played almost four years of my sixteen years with the
Toronto Maple Leafs. I thought they had a chance, I
said back in July. I felt that they had the
team assembled with the coach, They got the additions of
(30:25):
Tanev and eckmand Larson on there, and maybe a tweak
here and there is that. I felt that they could
make a run and get to the conference final. And
obviously they didn't. They improved very much. I think they're
on the cusp now who knows what's going to happen
with Marner. What's going to happen. That's for another day
and another show. But thinking about this final, it is
really hard not to think about this could be an
(30:47):
LA Toronto final. Yeah, But in saying that, in saying that,
you look at both of these teams. Their stars have
been stars when they needed them. Their role players have
stepped up, They've gotten unbelievable goaltending. Skinner his found his
game after a little blip very early in that La series,
(31:07):
but Rosky slow to start in that Toronto series, and
then he found his game and has been I mean,
he's been lights out.
Speaker 5 (31:15):
Now.
Speaker 3 (31:16):
He gave up you know, I thought he gave up
a soft you know, maybe two soft ones. But I'll
leave that to the goaltending gurus and my my teammate
Brian Bouchet and the TNT broadcast. Game five. You know,
I thought maybe he could have stopped you know, one
of those shots that you know kind of went in
the same spot on either side of his body, under
his club and under his blocker. But the mindset is is,
(31:40):
look at let's let's let's just win that first period
in Game one, and and and let's let's see how
things play out. It is going to be it's going
to be an interesting series. Obviously, getting that Comb back
is massive. I give them credit for getting as far
as they have that being Edmonton, getting as far as
they have without Matias, that comb their best defenseman like,
(32:02):
it's been pretty damn impressive as far as I as
I said, great to see him back for that last
game against Dallas. Obviously, the news with Hymen, that's a
big loss, Nate, you know that. With Florida, I mean,
that's a that's a key cog out there that would
go to the blue paint. He could score, he's got jam,
he's gonna give it back to you. So that's that's
(32:23):
a massive loss. You know in Florida, you know how
they're gonna play like they'll they'll play six to five,
they'll play two one and if you want to play,
you know, drop the gloves and and uh and get
a little down and dirty there. They can play that
game too. So I give a slight edge to Florida
just because you know they're they're again nobody's healthy. We
(32:48):
know that, Nate, you know nobody's healthy. But the Hymen
loss is really I mean, I think that's a much
more significant loss. But you have two of the players
there and in obviously in Connor and Drysidle that that
just seemed to be able to rise of the cache
in each and every night. So long wind it on
a question or what are you thinking? My mind as
(33:09):
a player, former player, as a broadcaster is that just
let's be prepared, let's do what we do best in
the first period, and then everything else will figure itself
off from there.
Speaker 2 (33:20):
Well, that was a very comprehensive answer for the entire
Stanley Cup.
Speaker 1 (33:24):
We don't I mean, we were done now. I think
like you gave a good no, You gave a good
summary of what to expects. But I want to touch
on the role players because we had Mark Messier on
and he said that, you know, in these moments, in
these games, it's so much about the depth, right because
as you said, all guys got to show up to
(33:46):
be able to play. When your numbers called, you go
out there and you got to do your job. He
brought you up as someone and as someone that was
very pivotal to that ninety four team and the glue guys,
the energy guys, the guys that also do stuff off
the ice to kind of keep that team together, because
you know, as much off the ice is so important
(34:07):
on the ice too. When you look at these two teams,
is there a role player on either one that maybe
you think has kind of maybe you feel like a
connection to, that feels like someone that is similar to
maybe how you played or how you presented yourself that
you feel like, Okay, this guy is really stepping up
(34:28):
to the challenge and they're not a star player.
Speaker 3 (34:31):
Well, I mean, I appreciate Mess bringing that up. It's
a long time ago, thirty one years ago. Just to
give some context, I played. I played a couple of
games after the trade deadline because we made some massive
moves and lost a lot of players at the trade
deadline in New York in ninety four, and then I
pretty much rolled the pine when we were healthy. I
shattered my thumb a little bit earlier in the year,
(34:52):
so I was recovering from that, but I pretty much
only I didn't play probably the last fifteen games of
the regular season, and I didn't play any games in
the playoffs until mess his game when he predicted that
we would win that game in New Jersey in game
six to force the game seven back at the Garden
against our art rivals. So the mindset of UH staying ready,
(35:18):
UH hoping that your numbers called for the right reason,
not for the wrong reason, meaning somebody coming up blame
or somebody getting heard or but you know, I think
the psychological aspect of that is UH is crucial to
those role players. I would say a guy like Cappening,
(35:39):
like I I didn't skate anything like UH like Cashbury Kappen.
I mean that guy's he's pretty you know, he's pretty quick.
But I think the city that the sitting there right
and not playing and think about if we stay healthy,
the chances of me getting in are slim and none,
you know. And he came in and man, I mean
he made a difference right away. And you know he's
(36:02):
not a player to that you would think is going
to challenge people physically, but he came in and I
mean he made an absolute huge impact right off the
bat and being physical and you know, next thing, you
always playing on the line with dry sidle and those
type of things. So I mean he is like for me,
(36:23):
I don't want to say his surprise, but I think
he has been one of those under radar guys there
where he has been, you know, very very impactful to
their team to help them get to a Stanley Cup
final again where guaranteed fifteen games ago. You'd sit there
and go, yeah, he's got very little chance of playing right,
(36:43):
and all of a sudden he's in there and look
at and I would say in Florida, and I did
a bunch of the games early in the playoffs with
with with with Florida in Toronto, and then you know
the last series against against Carolina. Now take this the
right way, and I know he's been in a lineup
(37:06):
and I know what the Florida Panthers were hoping for,
but Brad Marshan has been I mean, he's on their
third line and we know he's his resume and how
he plays is not third line material, but he is
(37:28):
asked to play on a third line role. And he's
played a lot with Lundell and Losterene in Los REENI
got hurt in that last game. I think that was
Game five against Carolina. He didn't finish that game. So
I don't know what a status is moving forward, but
you know he gets straighted from Boston and you know
he's getting power play time. He is killing penalties. I
(37:51):
understand that, but I think in talking to him early
in the playoffs, it was he wasn't sure what his
role was going to be and it was kind of
gonna have to work itself out. Well, it's morphed to
it morphed into being a goal to guy pretty much
in every darn situation. Now he's not getting first power
play minutes because that first unit seems to be taking
(38:14):
you know, a lot of it which you know, which
which everybody can understand. But he is getting a taste
on the second power play. So it may be a
little bit off the board when it comes to to
to Brad Marshan, but you need guys to be able
to accept and execute, and I can't say that enough
is regardless of you're a top line guy or an
(38:36):
extra guy, or you're on a third line and you
got to go out there when your numbers called, you
got to be ready. And I think those two guys,
in particular, cas Berry, cappenen and and Brad Marshan respectively
for each team, have been role players at different levels.
But I think they've both gone out there and accepted
and executed their roles and had been really really important
(38:58):
parts to their team's success and getting ready to uh
to win the greatest trophy in the world.
Speaker 4 (39:04):
Yeah, and you talk about role players and it's funny
like when when Messa was on he talked about the
importance of how you know role players, you know, especially
in the playoffs can be the X factory. And I'm
so fascinated by hearing guys like greats like Mark Messier
and and you got to play with him and witness
you know, everything that he did. And when you see
(39:27):
Connor McDavid this playoffs and you kind of see his
leadership come out even more. And then obviously it's the
second year they're going to the Cup finals. Are there
any similarities that you see with a guy like mar
Mark Messi and Connor McDavid going into the finals right now? Yeah?
Speaker 3 (39:42):
I mean, you know, I just know Connor from being,
you know, a former player and a broadcaster doing some
sit downs with him and stuff. So I don't know,
And I wouldn't want to speculate nate on how he
is on the bench or how he is in the
locker room. I mean, I talk to people and I
kind of have an idea, So I just know from
(40:06):
having played with mess and playing with some I mean,
I play with the guy. Uh, I play with Ronnie Francis.
Who is I mean you look at his numbers. I
mean Ronnie Is. You know, you could argue one of
the you know, to one of the greatest two way
centermen the national hockey BIG's ever been. So I've been
up close with some guys that you know, have some
hardware and Stanley Cups and you know, big time trophies
and numbers, and but I think the one thing that
(40:29):
I I know factually with Connor McDavid, and I get
this feeling is that when something is needed Nate for
the Edmonton Oilers, Connor McDavid is going to deliver. And
that is a sign of an unbelievable leader, a great leader.
(40:52):
And when they're down and it looks like they're out,
I get the feeling. And I'm a big sports fan.
When I watch Patrick Mahomes at the end of the
game and his team is down or he's looking to
get separation to make it a two score game. As
(41:12):
a fan and as a former athlete and as a broadcaster,
now I look at Patrick mcc patrick Mahomes and go,
He's gonna score he's gonna score, and the game's over
and nobody's gonna have nobody's gonna be able to say
anything about it. I was lucky enough to come into
the National Hockey League in nineteen eighty four. I was
a third overall pick for my favorite team, my hometown
(41:34):
team in Chicago Blackhawks. In nineteen eighty four, a guy
by the name of Michael Jordan came into the Chicago
NBA scene and was drafted by the Chicago Bulls third overall.
It's the only thing I have in common with j
that's the only thing. So that's where that's where it's
gonna stop. But like I saw, I saw MJ do
(42:00):
things and said, you know what, it don't matter matter,
he's gonna win. And I swear when I see Connor
McDavid now, and I don't want to say I didn't
have this feeling about him last year the year before that.
I'm not saying that, but I just know. And I
saw it in the LA series. Now you could say
(42:21):
LA fed into the fed into the Beast by some
questionable moves player wise, challenges whatever. That's for another show
as well. It just reminds me of Patrick Mahomes is
that if they're down, he's gonna score, like he's going
to be right in the middle of something great, and
(42:41):
that when you start talking about the Mount rushmore of greats,
I think that's the greatest compliment I could give him, mate,
is just like, that's the feeling that I have as
a former player and as a broadcaster, is just like,
there's a chance I'm gonna see something that I know
is coming because I'm expecting it, and maybe our expectations
(43:03):
for him because of how awesome he is and how
great he is is maybe unrealistic. But that's the feeling
I get now, is that of Edmonton's down, I'm like,
don't go anywhere, folks like, because there's a hell of
a chance he's gonna pull off of Patrick Mahomes and
and and a Michael Jordan type of situation. So but
he like you know, he's he does it all. And
(43:25):
and I'm sure for as awesome as he is as
a player and knowing and talking to people, is that
his qualities inside that room are genuine and a true leader.
And uh, you know that's awesome for the game, because
that's great for us as hockey people, and it's it's
great for the brand of the National Hockey mague.
Speaker 1 (43:44):
Incredible answer, ed Zo, I mean relating him to Mahomes
and then also MJ just guys that can come up
for you.
Speaker 2 (43:52):
That's what we've seen.
Speaker 1 (43:53):
And I wonder from your standpoint, like we also saw
him score the game winning goal in overtime for Canada
this year against USA coming up, and we all also
all saw him yelling, you know, dig in and other
things to his team last year. In what way do
(44:13):
you think for him that loss last year and how
things went has actually really manifested in his game tangibly
to the point where he is now becoming that guy
that will do stuff at any moment.
Speaker 3 (44:29):
Yeah, you know, listen to Grets and you know, I mean,
how lucky are we on t and TNT to have
the great one, the greatest one to be on our
on our team. And listen to Grets tell stories and
talk about you know, where the Oilers were. I mean,
go back to my rookie year in the NHL eighty
(44:51):
four eighty five. We played the Edmonton Oilers in the
Western Conference Final to get to the Stanley Cup Final,
and we played him in a six game series and
all I'll tell you is that the record for goals
in a six game series is still standing. There wasn't
a lot of defense going on between the Blackhawks and
Oilers and the eighty five playoffs, and I'm sure I
(45:13):
think Gretz was in on probably twenty seven or twenty
eight of the you know, thirty eight or thirty nine
goals if you or the scored against US in six
game series. But you know, he talked about like, you
don't realize, Julie, I think, to the heart of your question,
I don't think you realize how hard it is to
win until you actually do it. And yeah, they came
(45:36):
up short, and they really came up short, obviously because
it looked like it was over last year very quickly.
And then all of a sudden, it's three to two,
and then it's three to three, and what was that
Game eight one or whatever it was, And I was like,
holy moly, like, you know, what is this really going
to happen? Right? And then give Florida credit, and Ryan
(45:56):
Hart scores the GWG and you know, the Florida Panthers,
you know, win the Stanley Cup. So I just think,
just speaking from experience and hearing stories about you know,
players that you know had you know, not being able
to have success is you got to go through it,
and you and and and yeah it hurts, it really does.
(46:20):
But I'm I'm sure that they're prepared and they're angry
and they're happy they got a chance to take off
FLOORI it again and we'll see, uh, we'll see how
the uh, we'll see how the hand plays out here
starting with game one.
Speaker 4 (46:34):
Yeah, And the impressing part about for me and when
we talk about McDavid is his ability right now to
get a feel for the game. And before I feel like,
you know, even playing against the ed Zo uh, he
was always on the offensive side of things, always trying
to know, Okay, I got to.
Speaker 5 (46:49):
Help my team by scoring a goal every point.
Speaker 4 (46:53):
And now it's you know, he he knows the feeling
of the game and whether okay, you need a block shot,
you gotta make a big pens of play and he
has that feel. So I want to kind of shift
gears to the coaches and I kind of want to
ask your opinion on you know, what Paul Maurice said
about and he's been obviously must watch TV as we know,
I'm post you know, postgame press conferences. You know, what
(47:13):
is your sentiment being a former coach with the handshake
line and me and how he collaborated on that.
Speaker 3 (47:20):
I think it should be up to the individual, Nate,
That's just my opinion. I think it should be up
to the coach. So you know, most recent memory, right,
it was was Roden It was it was Roddy Brenda Moore,
his former teammate, I'm sorry, his former player when he
coached him in Carolina. I understand Moe's thought, and hey,
(47:43):
if Mode doesn't want to that's okay, that's okay. But
if Roddy wants to do it, Roddy should go at
the end of the line and shake hands and and
and you know, and and go from there. So I
understand and I respect the decision of whatever anybody decides
(48:05):
from that. Ledger and Moe's had a lot of experience
doing this. You also, but team, When I think about team,
it's the ultimate team game. As you know, everybody involved
should be able to go through that handshake line. Whether
it's the guy that played one game in the playoffs
(48:27):
like myself back in ninety four, a guy that's played
every minute, your star player, your coaches, your assistant coaches,
your goalie coach, your trainers, your general manager. That's how
I feel, That's how I would handle it. But I
respect most feelings and understand don't agree. But that's okay, too, right.
Speaker 1 (48:54):
And I think you've done such a great job at
ZOUGH of really shining a light on everyone that is
a part of making this team get to a certain level.
Speaker 2 (49:02):
Right, look at the players on the ice.
Speaker 1 (49:04):
We can see the coaches, but it is that's just
the tip of the iceberg of everyone. And you've done
such a great job of making sure that you know
the trainers and you know doctor therapists, like everything behind
the scenes, anyone who's just there at the rink who's
also a part of it is a part of your
success in winning. And we don't see that always from
a lot of people.
Speaker 5 (49:25):
We don't.
Speaker 1 (49:25):
We don't, And I think that's a credit to you
and your personality and character, and I think that's super important.
Speaker 2 (49:31):
So I'm really glad you made that point.
Speaker 3 (49:34):
I thank you. I appreciate that. I learned that. I
learned that as a young guy coming in national hockey.
The guys taught me when eighty four in eighty five,
like my teammates taught me how you're supposed to be
a professional, and I tried to carry that through my
whole life, whether you know, being at the rink or
(49:54):
representing the brand outside. The importance of in life is just,
you know, making the people around you feel good about
them selves, you know, and just because you may have
a really small piece of the puzzle doesn't mean that
that puzzle is going to come together, uh, if you're
not a part of it. And I think letting those
(50:15):
people be a part of that unbelievable tradition of our
game means a lot, because when you talk to people
down the road, one of the first things that comes up, right, Nate,
is going through that line and the admiration, and then
watching it back and seeing the looks on the faces
of the people in that line, both on a good
(50:36):
side and not so good. That's what makes it so
That's what makes it so awesome.
Speaker 1 (50:42):
Thanks so much for joining us, Good luck, thankshate it
very much.
Speaker 3 (50:46):
You guys, be well and enjoyed. Enjoy the final.
Speaker 2 (50:55):
Well that was Eddie.
Speaker 1 (50:56):
Olchek, former NHL player, Stanley Cup champion, US Hockey Hall
of Famer and with NHL on TNT he'll be broadcasting
the Stanley Cup Final. And we were just talking about
in the break before doing this, just what a great
broadcaster ed Zo is is a great person. And reading
his book, I learned so much just about his character
(51:18):
as we kind of mentioned, but he can really help
you see the game. And Nate, you mentioned that he
helped it a broadcast, can't.
Speaker 2 (51:25):
You're at this summer?
Speaker 4 (51:27):
Yeah, last summer I went to the NHL put on
a broadcasting camp in New York, and you know him, Eddie,
Brian Bouchet, Kenny Albert, Steve Leeby were some guys that
were there, and Eddie was just he's just so helpful,
you know, he was He breaks it down for you.
He's so knowledgeable, the way he speaks and he tells stories.
(51:49):
I'm a huge fan of his, you know. I mean
I probably obviously more of a fan of him now
than when he was playing.
Speaker 5 (51:56):
Of course. I mean he was a really good player.
He had a hell of a career, a long career.
Speaker 4 (52:00):
People don't realize he played over a thousand games and
on everything like he's played.
Speaker 5 (52:04):
He's coach now, he's an elite.
Speaker 4 (52:06):
Broadcaster, but he's just you know, he's the guy that
I always watch, I always listen to. I try to,
you know, articulate and listen to him and learn from him.
But just an awesome interview, just the way he answers
the questions and he can, like I said, articulate everything.
Speaker 5 (52:24):
It was great.
Speaker 3 (52:25):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (52:25):
And he's been through so much too, obviously a cancer
survivor and discussing that in his book. And we talked
about his horse racing handicapping, and I told you that
whenever I text ed Zoe, I'll just say, like, who
you got, and that could be like hockey or horses,
and it's always horses. He just sends me back like
(52:47):
four numbers. He's like eighteen seven for what Like that's
literally our conversation is just that. And he's been pretty
good this year. I mean, he was hot on journalism
for the Kentucky Derby, who came second, as we know,
but then journalism won the breakness. Would have been nice
to have a triple crown coming up, but last we don't.
Speaker 2 (53:09):
And Edso is great. I remember you talk about him
giving advice.
Speaker 1 (53:13):
Okay, I this just reminded me so when I did
my one and only Game of Color commentary for the PWHL,
which was a trip.
Speaker 2 (53:21):
By the way, I absolutely.
Speaker 5 (53:24):
Did you. I was gonna say, did you enjoy it?
Speaker 1 (53:26):
I had like nothing, like I couldn't even look at
or tell the review replays I wanted. I was doing
blind replays.
Speaker 2 (53:37):
I just I.
Speaker 1 (53:38):
I basically just yes, ANDed the entire broadcast. And that's
that's what I tell young young broadcasters. I'm like, do
improv classes, because so much of what you're gonna do
is not anything you are even prepared for. So I
really liked it, and like I brought in different references
and from different shows which people were picking up. And
then I remember Edzo had said, and you know, I
(54:00):
I play, and I've played for like twenty five years,
which is like insane to say. Got a picture of
myself over here behind me, and like you guys are
listening on a podcast so you can't see, but this
sort of me when I played boys hockey growing up.
And by the way, nobody ever passed me the puck
because I was the only girl. I was a girl
(54:21):
on the team like open and no one would pass
me the puck anyway, because I was a girl. And
I it's hard because you got to be so quick
on seeing everything. It's like, you know, you train your
eyes and warm ups. I'd be like looking through and
I'd be like, okay, Alex Carpenter, like she's got an
incredible shot, like you know, world champion, Like I just
(54:44):
like going through everything right with them. But then I
remember Edzo said don't make it a something like a
reference of like, don't make it a blue cheese salad.
And I was like, He's like, don't do too much,
like less is more. It's like, right, I love that
he said, like this weird now, so ed Zone to here,
(55:04):
I don't make.
Speaker 2 (55:05):
It a blue cheese salad, which you wouldn't have a
blue cheese salad because that would be too much.
Speaker 5 (55:10):
So so no, I wouldn't even eat that.
Speaker 2 (55:13):
Yeah, yeah, just do the.
Speaker 1 (55:16):
Don't you know, just bear just boom boom boom. I
loved it, uh and only I'll be doing it again
as that was the only one. Anyway, this has been
fun and Nate, we've got a weekend off before we
then have another podcast before the Stanley Cup Final, so
(55:36):
we'll be getting you guys more more up to date
on the ins and outs of the rematch.
Speaker 2 (55:43):
Any party words, No, I.
Speaker 5 (55:46):
Can't wait Stanley Cup Finals. Let's go, let's go.
Speaker 2 (55:50):
All right.
Speaker 1 (55:51):
We will have to also say let's go again in
our next podcast. But from now where we're double, we're double.
We're having a weekend of getting excited.
Speaker 5 (56:01):
Okay, Okay, then I'll say.
Speaker 1 (56:02):
I'll say, have a nice weekend, Julie, have a nice weekend, Nate,
all right, have a nice sweethead everybody. Thank you all
for listening to episode twenty two of The Energy Line
with Nate and JSB. Energy Line is a production of
the NHL and iHeart podcast Thanks too and so Edieolschev
for joining the Energy Line. Thanks to Jake Brown and
Bob Bender for producing the show. Subscribe to the show
(56:24):
on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts, or
listen on the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 2 (56:29):
Give us a five star rating in please rate a
nice review. I'm Julie Sharp Binks. He's Nate Thompson.
Speaker 1 (56:34):
Nate and I'll be back on Tuesday as we get
ready for it gam one of the Stanley Cup Finna
on Wednesday.
Speaker 2 (56:40):
Thank you for tuning in to the Energy Line.
Speaker 1 (56:46):
Energy Line is the production of the NHL and iHeart podcasts.
For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, Visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts,
or wherever you get your podcasts.
Hosts And Creators
Nate Thompson
Julie Stewart-Binks
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