May 30, 2025 • 35 mins
The Seattle Kraken have their new head coach, in Lane Lambert. John shares his thoughts on the move and much more. Bill Barnwell wrote a new article 2025 NFL offseason: NFC teams' best and worst deals, picks, more, how did the Seahawks fair? Marc is back to give listeners a chance to win money!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Appreciate you making time. So here we are and we
got a new head coach. His name is Lame Lambert
and a guy who comes with a great resume, unbelievable,
impeccable credentials. Why do you think Jason Botterral and the
Kraken went with Lame Lambert as their new head coach.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
Appreciate everything you say you know about my existence, which
is which is great. If we go that far back,
you know, I think to be fair when you when
you look at what happened last season with the Kraken,
it was it was way below bar in terms of expectation.
Everybody thought the team would have been closer to a
playoff spot. Dan Bilsma was brought into resuscitated team that
(00:47):
pretty much looked like they were stuck in the mud.
They were good defensively, couldn't score. He was going to
open up their game a little bit and make them
a little bit more exciting to watch and would lead
to more goal scoring and draw into his lines. Communications
with some of the younger players in the system which
he had in the American Hockey League and all that
fine large did take place, but there was regression in
(01:07):
defensive game. There was regression with special teams. Those are
areas that you, in my opinion, you have to have
in place first in order to take another step forward.
And if Dave Hackstall in his tenure in his three
seasons as the Kraken head coach, did anything right, it
was putting in play a defensive system that led them
(01:28):
to be a top ten team.
Speaker 3 (01:30):
That all went away last year.
Speaker 2 (01:32):
So I said at the beginning of the season one
of the things we had to keep an eye on
is how much were the Kracking going to rob Peter
to pay Paul, were they're going to be more offensive,
and how much would they allow defensively and could they
fix it? And as a season war on, they never did.
So I think what Jason's looking at here is number one,
(01:52):
bringing a coach who is coming in with those principles
in place. And Lane has done that throughout his career.
He's one of the best assistant coaches that the game's
ever seen for a long period of time, and in
a short tenure with the New York Islanders, the one
thing they did establish was a very strong defensive identity.
(02:12):
Now the trick will be keeping that there, fixing penalty killing,
enhancing the power play and becoming a better team with
more scoring balance, which should lead to more wins. I'm
not gonna say today that's easily gonna happen. That's still
gonna be an issue. That's still going to be something
we're gonna have to look at objectively as we get
(02:33):
the training camp and get into the season. But I
believe that's what Jason Botteroll is looking at doing here
with this hire. Having spoken myself to Jason, just watching
this from the outside, I've watched everything developed since I
left town for the Stanley Cup playoffs, and you know,
I'm interested to see where it all stands, you know,
(02:53):
as we get into the year and as we move forward.
Speaker 4 (02:55):
But Bottle must truly believe in this.
Speaker 2 (02:59):
He's had a long time to get through a process
to name a head coach. There's been a lot of
speculation about other names and other situations that may have
been looked at first. I don't know if any of
that is true or not. I do know we're getting
late here. The Kraken acted and bringing in a guy
who gets an opportunity again, and these coaches only get
(03:21):
a few kicks at this and Lane had his chance
as a head guy you know with the Islanders, and
I do know, and I covered Toronto quite a bit
for Amazon this year, and he was a valuable piece
to the turnaround with Toronto's team game, going from a
team that was a really gifted offensive juggernaut to a
team that needed to play better defensively.
Speaker 4 (03:43):
He fixed their penalty killing. He made them elite that way, and.
Speaker 3 (03:47):
They're they're very close.
Speaker 2 (03:48):
And I think Craig Beruby as the head coach, Lane
was the associate coach there, they were able to get
that team to the next step. But now he's going
to run his own show and it should be fun
to watch.
Speaker 5 (03:58):
No question.
Speaker 1 (03:59):
John Forsland joining us here the voice of the Kraken
here on MJ and the Midday Sports Radio ninety three
to three KJR FM, and he's got familiard. He talked
about He's spent four seasons with Jordan Everley, Dren with
the Islanders, Chandler Stevenson, Bakowski, Grubauer, he spent three seasons
with those guys with the Caps, so he's he's got that.
(04:20):
He took a scenic route here, but I think one
of the things that makes me like really opened my
eyes to this Higher John. I was listened. I was
a j Leach guy. I still am a Jay Leach guy.
He's younger, he's forty five right. I was at Nessen
when he was the head coach of the Providence Bruins.
I think he's got star potential written all over him.
(04:40):
But I think one of the things that I'm I
feel confident about this particular Higher John is how Jason
Bottrel he said, and I quote about Leanine Lambert, you're
looking for the head coach to be the CEO of
the locker room end quote. And that to me makes
me feel good about this higher.
Speaker 2 (05:01):
Well, the Kraken, you know, as you know, are at
a crossroads in terms of where they're headed now.
Speaker 3 (05:06):
And I think this season coming in, we're going to see.
Speaker 2 (05:09):
More of an influx of a younger generation of Krack
and it's time for some of these prospects to matriculate
and become NHL players. And there's going to be more
as we move on, you know, down the road here.
But by and large, you have a fractured group of
veterans who for me were lost last year. They talked
a lot about being a connected team. The coach, did
(05:32):
the players did, but it was for me in my opinion,
it was looking at a disconnected lot for most of
the year. So you need to bring a coach in
that is going to be relatable in terms of the
now too and sell it to some veteran guys. And
if he does have a good relationship with Jordan as
the captain, that's going to help. Because we always talk
(05:56):
about team meetings, and in any sport it's the meeting
after the meeting. So the meeting after the meeting, after
the coaches leave, are the players right? And the players
are the most important thing and they take over. You
have to be able to sell what you're preaching. All
these guys who've already been there and done that, they
understand how to play. To me, it's a simple tweak
(06:16):
in terms of organizing them on the ice. And I
don't want to hear people say, well, the Islander teams
were low scoring and at times boring to watch, you know,
with Barry Trotz and all this, which is you know,
he comes from the Barry Trotz coaching tradue. Hey, that
leads to winning hockey at some point, and that gets
you to scoring. It's always been the case and I
(06:39):
think the Kraken didn't didn't adhere to any of those
principles last year. If you can't defend first, you're never
going to score. It doesn't work the other way around.
And as the season went along, no matter what the
statue of players and how many years they've played, they
all need guidance.
Speaker 3 (06:55):
You know, they're all racehorses. You know, they have to
be trained properly.
Speaker 2 (06:59):
They have to be point in the right direction, they
have to be organized, and there has to be trust
within each other to know that when I'm in a spot,
I got it out here because positionally I know the
guy's gonna be there. A lot's been made about the
Krack and being winless in back to back games, which
is unbelievable. Still, they were zero to twelve and back
to back games last year. Listen, they had nothing to
do with conditioning, in my opinion, nothing to do with
(07:21):
scheduling and travel and wear and tear. It's when you
are tired and you are fatigued, and if you're a
Western Conference team, you're going to be tired and fatigued
most of the time because of travel. You have to
have a sound system so that you can almost play
it in your sleep. And those teams that can do that,
the teams that.
Speaker 3 (07:39):
Are playing right now, even the Oilers.
Speaker 2 (07:42):
The Oilers have adjusted their team game in a big
way under Chris Knoblock. Even with the great dynamic play
of McDavid and Drysidle and others, they are a very good,
underrated defensive team because of their system and they know
how to play. So to me, that's what Lambert's first
chor will be is put that in play to make
(08:03):
them better that way, and then we'll see. And I
can't give you a gauge on his game management, his
line matching, his feel for the game. You know, there
isn't enough for me to kind of sell fans down the.
Speaker 3 (08:14):
Road on that.
Speaker 2 (08:15):
We're all gonna live and learn on that because again
it's a small sample size for him being a head coach.
Speaker 3 (08:20):
But it is interesting because.
Speaker 2 (08:22):
I do think in the areas that they need, this
guy can address all.
Speaker 5 (08:26):
Of that, no question about it.
Speaker 1 (08:28):
John Forston, and you know what, in my comprehensive research,
as you would expect someone hailing from Springfield, Massachusetts, he
was a rookie teammate and scored twenty goals with the
Detroit Red Wings as a roommate of Steve Heiserman. This
dude's got some major credibility. It seems like hockey, hockey
(08:48):
and basketball, John are two of those sports where well,
if football not as much because you have Bill Belichick
and Andy Reid who didn't play the game, but hockey
and basketball you really kind of want that guy who
did it, and it makes the players look up to him. Say, dude,
Lane Lambert was a badass as a player.
Speaker 4 (09:09):
You've established two things, MJ.
Speaker 3 (09:11):
With this number one.
Speaker 2 (09:12):
You've established we have schools in Springfield, Massachusetts.
Speaker 4 (09:15):
Which he is very important for everyone to understand.
Speaker 2 (09:19):
Number number two, number two, Lane Lambert is is so
old that I covered him as a player in the
American Hockey League and wowah when he played for the
Adirondack Red Wings in Glens Walls, New York. Yes, so
I mean I was with Springfield at the time, and
so yes, I I would call his name out and
(09:40):
he was a prominent player and earned his way up
in the National Hockey League. He's a no nonsense guy,
but he's a you know, he's he's from Melford, Saskatchewan.
He's a he's a he's a hardened Westerner. He's he's
I've talked to players who have played for him, you know,
over the last couple of days, and the read is
(10:01):
pretty true. He's a very good communicator with a zero
gray area. And in today's game, the older players and
the new generation of younger players need information. They don't
want to just be told you need to go here
because I'm the coach. No, they need to be told
you need to go here, and here's the reasons why.
(10:22):
But there also has to be no gray area in
terms of what you're supposed to do.
Speaker 3 (10:26):
And he seems to.
Speaker 2 (10:27):
Be pretty legitm the people I've talked to about all
of that. So those are good signs, you know, those
are good signs. He's a lifer in the game. He's
a veteran. It's not a younger coach from a new
generation like.
Speaker 3 (10:41):
A Mitch Love.
Speaker 4 (10:42):
You mentioned Jay Leech, and I hope Jay gets his chance.
Speaker 3 (10:45):
I really do.
Speaker 2 (10:46):
I think he's excellently will head coach. I think it
will be an excellent head coach someday. But we're getting
there now that you know, we're seeing a generational shift,
and this is kind of a hybrid because it's a
generational shift because Lane really hasn't been given an opportunity
to be a head coach. You know, a season and
a half doesn't cut it. Whatever happened there, I think
(11:07):
what ended up happening with the Islanders was this because
people will look at the record and say, well, the
first year they made the playoffs, they lost in the
first round six games to a really good Carolina team.
Speaker 4 (11:17):
Next year a couple of months and he was out.
Speaker 2 (11:19):
Well, I think the management was looking to jump start
what was a tough start and an extension of Barry Trots.
Speaker 3 (11:27):
You know, now he's away from Barry. Barry's the GM
in Nashville.
Speaker 2 (11:31):
You know, it was almost like Lou Lamarilla was saying,
this is this is too much of Barry and we
need a new voice.
Speaker 4 (11:38):
And that's why Patrick Wall was brought in. Yeah, okay, and.
Speaker 3 (11:42):
What we're the kraken they're getting here is a guy.
Speaker 2 (11:45):
Who is a veteran in terms of being a hockey man,
but he's not in terms of his head coaching. That
might be an interesting dynamic and again we're going to
live and learn as we go along here.
Speaker 1 (11:56):
You know, John, one of the things and you brought
up in terms of you know, veteran coach and a
guy who's a little bit older, and you gotta be
relatable with the young guys, right, you gotta, because this
is a different generation.
Speaker 5 (12:07):
Listen. I couldn't believe John when the Bruins.
Speaker 1 (12:12):
Fired Bruce Cassidy a couple years after he took them
the Game seven and the Stanley Cup against the Saint
Louis Blues because allegedly he, you know, might have sort
of stood up Jake Debrusk when he was coming off
the ice or maybe pissed off Brenton Carlo because Butch
Cassidy is an old school guy, So you gotta kind
(12:34):
of I mean, you know, these are it's a different player.
You know, not everybody has that thick skin, you know,
Chris Nylan cam Neely mentality. It's a different era. But
I think what you're saying to me about Lane Lambert
is that he's adjusted. He's adjusted to the new school
(12:55):
type of player that knows that you might not be
able to get in these guys face. Is like you
know Glenn Saither might have done back in the day, right.
Speaker 4 (13:04):
Yeah, exactly right.
Speaker 2 (13:06):
And you know there's a difference between you know, old
school abusive and old school thinking, which leads you to
a great way of playing in any sport.
Speaker 3 (13:17):
I still think you have to blend some of.
Speaker 2 (13:19):
The hardened rules that are in play because it's all
about discipline with a new new wave of thinking and
information and looking at the game analytically. And Bruce Cassidy
and we talk about analytics. He leans on analytics a lot,
you know when you talk to them in private.
Speaker 3 (13:36):
But the thing about.
Speaker 4 (13:37):
Butch is he's he's he's he tells.
Speaker 3 (13:40):
You exactly how it is. Truth is hard. Truth is
hard if you're raising kids.
Speaker 5 (13:47):
Yeah, you know.
Speaker 3 (13:47):
Truth is hard if you're.
Speaker 2 (13:49):
Raising kids, teaching school or coaching pro athletes. And the
easy way is to massage everybody. And those coaches I
don't think get what they really need. And my coach
along time, but they don't get what you really need
to get out of them with respect. As long as
you treat everybody with respect, you know, yes, your message
will get worn down and the players get tired of
(14:11):
hearing it. And that's why Cassidy moves on and in
a span of days he's hired by somebody else.
Speaker 3 (14:16):
That's why Jim Montgomery was.
Speaker 2 (14:17):
Out of work after being fired by Boston for five
days when Saint Louis hired him. I mean, the people
that make these decisions know who can coach and who can't,
and they just realize that in that environment, and maybe
Pete the bores at the same spot right now with Dallas,
maybe he's an excellent coach, but maybe he's not gonna
he's not gonna be able to go further with the
(14:38):
group based on what happened and things that have been
said about last night's game. I don't know, but that's
the dynamic that that's in play with Lane. I think,
you know, he's fresh. He's sixty years old. I'm sixty three,
and I think I'm pretty fresh too.
Speaker 3 (14:51):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (14:51):
By the way, by the way, let me tell you
some you are. You are looking quite dapper on TV.
You got that head of hair. You're very handsome. Okay,
you got you've got it. Listen, you are aging like
a fine wine, my friend.
Speaker 3 (15:05):
Yeah.
Speaker 6 (15:05):
Thanks, I hope so we don't have any choice.
Speaker 3 (15:09):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (15:09):
By the way, by the way, your your hair, it's
almost as good as our own. Ian Furness, I in
Furness has like oh my, I mean Ian Furness's hair.
Speaker 5 (15:19):
It's like makes me just like.
Speaker 1 (15:21):
Stare at him like in a way that thankfully doesn't
make him feel uncomfortable.
Speaker 2 (15:26):
No, he needs an endorsement contract from somebody that I
don't know who.
Speaker 6 (15:31):
But he's an endorsement contract with somebody, and as he
as he progresses, he can go in a variety of
different ways. You can think about that.
Speaker 2 (15:40):
For a while, but anyway, Uh, you know, at his
age lane sixty, he's got the experience and now he's
going to prove, you know, he's going to prove.
Speaker 3 (15:50):
To everybody that he can do this.
Speaker 2 (15:52):
And I'm sure and I haven't talked to him yet
about any of this, but we will get to it.
Speaker 3 (15:57):
I'm sure when you have a gig.
Speaker 2 (15:59):
And it lasts season and a half and one of
those years you make the playoffs and then all of
a sudden, the next one's cut short, yeah, you have
a burn to get back there. And most of these coaches,
when they leave a spot, they can't wait to.
Speaker 3 (16:11):
Prove everybody wrong and get back there.
Speaker 2 (16:12):
So, you know what, I think, that's what this is
all about. I'm glad that it's over. I'm glad that
the Kraken have made their decision and we can get
on with a new program. We'll see you know what
kind of months Jason has, you know, organizing everything else
that needs to be in place now for the draft
and then what should be an active offseason trading wise,
(16:34):
you know, free agency, whatever they decide to do. The
things have been said, but it's now. It's action times.
It'll be fun to watch.
Speaker 1 (16:43):
Hey, before I let you go, I got to just
say this couple of things that, oh boy, do I
want late spring summer June hockey here at Climate Pledgerina.
I've only been a handful of games, have only been
here a handful of months, John Fororsland, but that building
is absolutely as the late great Guerrilla Mond Soon would say.
The electricity is so thick you can cut it with
(17:05):
a knife. And that's Climate Pledge Arena. And those fans
are die hard. And I know hockey's sort of new
here because you know it's five years or whatever, but
those fans. Just give this fan base a winner that
it deserves because you've seen it and you saw when
it went from Hartford down to Raleigh, North Carolina and
(17:27):
then them winning a Stanley Cup nineteen years ago. So
we'd love to see that here. You're calling the Stanley
Cup on NHL Radio, which is going to be here
on of course, the home of the Kraken Sports Radio
ninety three to three KJRFM, Mister Forslin, the first rematch
we've had since the Penguins and Red Wings met in
(17:48):
two thousand and nine. Way you know, back in the
day they had this guy by name is Sidney Crosby
still there. What do you think can Edmonton underna block
and dry sidle with this red hot goalie Stuart Skinner?
Can they do what they were unable to do last
year and perhaps knock off those Florida Panthers.
Speaker 2 (18:06):
Yeah, I think they have an excellent chance to do it.
I think they know. I know a couple of things here.
I know the burn because I covered them quite a
bit this year Monday Nights for Amazon. They have been
living with this all season and when you get all
(18:27):
the way back to a game seven, after being three
games down to the final against this opponent and lose,
those players live with that not only for the entire summer,
but their training camp September, October, November and on all
the way to the.
Speaker 3 (18:40):
End of the season.
Speaker 2 (18:41):
And then they were up against LA and I thought
LA had a chance to knock them off for the
first time in four years, and the same opponent in
the round one.
Speaker 3 (18:48):
It didn't happen.
Speaker 2 (18:49):
But now what I'm seeing is an Edmonton team that's deeper,
that has more belief in their team game defensively than people.
Speaker 3 (18:56):
Give them credit for.
Speaker 2 (18:57):
And if the goalie or goalies, because they do have
the second option in cal Pickard Ye, can hold up
their end, they're gonna have to win the net against Bobrovski.
Speaker 3 (19:05):
That won't be easy.
Speaker 2 (19:06):
I still think Florida has a slight, slight edge, but
it will be broken with McDavid and Drycidle going to
the levels they're at right now and beyond, and the
burn that both those guys include, especially Connor. I think
Connor McDavid has had a burden of responsibility since he's
broke in. He wears it on his sleeve. He's been
(19:28):
frustrated at times by it. He wants that cup more
than anything. He was great in four Nations, he'll be
great in the upcoming Olympics. You look if they do win.
You look at the sense of relief that will come
on this kid's face when he hoists Stanley Cup, And
I think then we'll see Connor McDavid from a kid.
Speaker 4 (19:44):
Who is dower a lot.
Speaker 2 (19:46):
He's only dour because he wants it so bad and
he'll never be happy until he wins the Stanley.
Speaker 6 (19:52):
Cup, no matter how many MVPs.
Speaker 2 (19:54):
Know how many trophies he gets for everything else he does,
all Star appearances and all these things that gold medals
are close, but the Stanley Cup is something totally different,
and you're right, we're getting there's a little teas in
year two for the fans in Seattle. I just hope
that we can become a better team at home. I
(20:14):
think that's what the Kraken need to do. The all
four seasons, it's been a mixed bag at home, and
the building is too great, the fans are too vibrant.
Speaker 3 (20:24):
It should be a place.
Speaker 2 (20:25):
Where that is always on the side of the home
team and the krack and can use it to their advantage.
We get to see it, so that'll be another trick
for Lambert and his team to be better at home,
because the fans in Seattle deserve it.
Speaker 1 (20:39):
No question, John Foresln, we appreciate your sequel appearance was
like The Godfather Part two on MG in the Midday,
just as good, if not better than the first time,
the original one.
Speaker 3 (20:52):
Thanks m J. Appreciate it all.
Speaker 2 (20:54):
And you know, and and again anytime we can talk
about Springfield, the real sin city.
Speaker 1 (21:00):
You know, yes, just stay away from Worth Avenue and
you know a certain Lyman Street, stay away from Lymon Street.
Speaker 6 (21:11):
Need to stay away from those areas. Yeah, you got it.
Speaker 3 (21:14):
Find your fun somewhere else.
Speaker 1 (21:15):
Yeah, thank you, John, appreciate it all. Right, All right,
there is the great John Foreslynn. I said this before
and I say it again. You know, Seattle deserves winners,
not just a winner, They deserves winners. And the last
world title that was here was twenty thirteen. Well, it's
like anything else where. You know, you saw it happen
(21:38):
up in New England when you know, the Patriots won
their first Super Bowl. Three years later, the Red Sox
snapped their eighty six year curse, okay, and then four
years later the Celtics won their first title since eighty six,
and the Red Sox won their second World Series in
two thousands. And it's like it just kind of when
(21:58):
one team wins, then it kind of just starts into
this Domino type chain. And we got to see that
here in Seattle. Those fans, you guys, hats off to
no question, the fans at Climate Pledge Arena. And I
have never been to Luminfield for a game. I've never
been a lumin Field for a Hawks game. I've never
been a Husky stadium for a U dub football game.
(22:22):
So I want to see it up front. But those
fans at Climate Pledgerina, Oh my lord. I can't even
imagine when the green and goal come back here. But
they just you all deserve a winner. You deserve winners here,
and I hope we're going to be getting them. A
hope Lane Lambert can get this franchise some sustain consistency
and success that can lead this team. So we're playing
(22:43):
May and June hockey for years to come. All right,
I will have winners for you coming up at eleven
forty four. I haven't done picks this week, but we
will have that coming up next the offseason NFC teams,
Best and Worst Deals picks more.
Speaker 5 (22:59):
How did Hawk's fair?
Speaker 1 (23:01):
According to Bill Barnwell, We'll find out that next on
MJ in the midday Sports Radio ninety three to three
kJ Artham, we'll talk about the NBA, the Seattle SuperSonics
when you could possibly see them coming back here a
lot of things.
Speaker 5 (23:18):
There's a very disturbing story going on.
Speaker 1 (23:21):
Right now about Zion Williamson that he's been accused of
rape and physical abuse in LA by Jane Doe, com
claiming to be his former girlfriend. According it says, in
addition to two specific rape allegations in New Orleans, Pelicans,
(23:45):
Power Floor is accused of a continuing pattern of abusive, controlling,
and threatening behavior towards plaintiff, as detailed in the filing
provided to The Daily Mail by Jane Doe's attorney.
Speaker 5 (23:56):
Not good for Zion.
Speaker 1 (23:58):
Williamson, Bill Barnwell, says the Seattle Seahawks. He says, quote,
it's clear that long time Seahawks general manager John Schneider
believes the players he has on the roster, almost all
of whom are his draft picks, will improve. Some of
that might be a product of schematic shift to the
Seahawks or a passive drop back heavy offense under Grub
(24:21):
Kubiak should get them on the move more often, create
more uncertainty for posing defensive linemen to prevent rushers from
pinning their ears back to go after the quarterback. He
also went on to say quote, Seahawks fans will need
to hope Schneider's right because the impact on Donald could
be devastating. Even during his resurge in twenty twenty four season,
(24:44):
his biggest weakness was his propensity for taking sacks, highlighted
by a brutal end to the season in the ugly
playoff loss to the Rams. Donald ranked seventh in the
league in QBR from a clean pocket, but when opposing
team's got pressure on him, that dropped to twenty second.
Since the start of twenty eighteen, is seventeen point two
qb R when pressured ranks thirty fourth of fifty quarterbacks
(25:08):
with nine hundred dropbacks. If Schneider and the Seahawks want
to get the version of Darnold who shocked the world
for stretches in twenty twenty four, they'll need the lineman
who couldn't protect Smith in twenty twenty four to improve.
Speaker 5 (25:27):
It's fair.
Speaker 3 (25:28):
He nailed it.
Speaker 1 (25:29):
He pretty much nailed that one. Coming up next, we're
gonna beat the books. We will beat the books. I've
got some winners for you, so I hope you're paying attention.
Trying to win you some money. Next on MJ in
the MIDA Sports Radio ninety three to three KJR FM.
(25:57):
All right, I mean El Hassan will be coming up
at just about fifteen minutes from the Dan Levertard Show.
Longtime NBA guy hosts a couple of podcasts covered the
Knicks Pacers last night. We'll talk to him also about
a timetable, some sort of timetable on maybe Adam Silver
(26:17):
announcing expansion when that could be, don't know when. Maybe
he has some insight on that and so many other
things we'll get to.
Speaker 5 (26:27):
All right, time to beat the books.
Speaker 1 (26:31):
You know me, I'm all about my head over heart,
and I was very proud of my boys last night
to hold off elimination against Theanana Pacers. But if anybody
in that Nick's locker room thinks that you're gonna be
able to hold Tyrese Haliburton and Aaron Nesmith to eleven
(26:58):
points combined, you can throw turner in there. That would
be sixteen points combined between those three players at Indy.
Not gonna happen. I hate to say it, but and
the line's already gone up a little bit, but I
love the Pacers Tomorrow night now it's it's staying steady.
Speaker 5 (27:19):
Three and a half.
Speaker 1 (27:21):
Nicks only won one game on the road in this series.
They know they've been really good on the road in
the playoffs. I just don't see Tomorrow night. Tomorrow night,
I would imagine Peyton Manning's gonna be there. I would
imagine they're gonna bring it. You know, you know, Reggie
Miller is gonna be there. He's calling the freaking game,
which is a whole nother story I don't like. But
(27:43):
every great former athlete whoever came out of Indianapolis, whether
it was for the Colts or the Pacers or where
or even came from that city, they're gonna be there.
Pat McAfee will be there, you name it, the former
Colts coach, I can't think of his name right now.
(28:03):
Chuck Oh, what's his Pagano, Chuck Pegana will probably be there.
They're gonna bring everybody out Tomorrow night, and I think
the Knicks will put up a valiant fight for about
a quarter and a half and then the Pacers will
just run a rough shot, run them out of the building,
much the way that the thunder did to the Wolves
(28:27):
the other night. I love the Pacers minus three and
a half. I'm all over this game. I would say,
I hope I'm wrong, and I guess I hope I'm
wrong because it'd be great to get to a Game seven,
But financially, I hope I'm right. I'm taking the Pacers
tomorrow night. All the money I bet on the Nicks
to win the Eastern Conference Finals, I'm gonna bet on
the Pacers to win tomorrow night.
Speaker 5 (28:46):
So take the Pacers. Bet it now, thank me later,
all right.
Speaker 1 (28:57):
So, and you could say, hey, Mark, oh your betting listen,
this is about business. Always go head over heart when
it comes to placing bets. Never place bets with heart ever,
you will lose money. Always go head over heart. And
I just think the Pacers have been the better team.
(29:19):
Neither team can beat the Thunder. The Thunder will be
the NBA World Champions no matter who they play. And
I would imagine if I was the Thunder, I'd be
rooting for the Knicks because I think that Knicks would
be an easier path on them to win their first
ever NBA title. And you notice I said first ever.
They've never won one and this is their second ever
NBA title appearance. Now we go over to the Frozen
(29:48):
Pond for Lord's Stanley Cup, and it will be a
rematch for the first time since two thousand and nine
in the Stanley Cup. Back then it was the Red
Wings versus the Pittsburgh Penguins, won by Sidney Crosby and
the Penguins. This is gonna be the Florida Panthers and
the Edmonton Oilers. So Edmonton, I don't get it. Some
(30:16):
some series have they have them both where you have
to put up more money to win one hundred Edmonton's
minus one twenty and Florida's minus one fifteen. And this
is just another way of the sports books trying to
screw you and me, the consumer. It doesn't matter to
me because I'm taking the Edmonton Oilers to win their
(30:39):
first Stanley Cup in thirty five years. It was actually
they did it without Wayne Gretzky. It was the one
that they won without Wayne Gretzky. He was already in
la at that point. And for the country of Canada
that invented hockey, this will be your first Stanley Cup
title in thirty two years.
Speaker 5 (31:00):
Thirty two years.
Speaker 1 (31:01):
The last time Canada won a Stanley Cup with the
nineteen ninety three Montreal Canadians, So kudos to Canada.
Speaker 5 (31:15):
It's time for Connor McDavid to finally.
Speaker 1 (31:18):
You'll never fill the shoes of the greatest one of
all time, Wayne Gretzky, but this is his chance to
start what should be one of many more Stanley Cup
titles to come for Mcjesus as they call them, and
Dry Cidle and Corey Perry and Evander Kaine and Stuart
(31:38):
Skinner and Cal Pickard. I'd love Edmonton. It's gonna be tough.
They're going up against the reigning and defending Stanley Cup champions.
They're making their third straight Stanley Cup final appearance, and
they've added a player you might have heard of by
the name of Brad Marshan. Doesn't matter to me. I'm
going with mcjesus and the Edmonton Oilers, and I will
(32:01):
tell you right now, the Edmonton Oilers will bring Lord
Stanley Cup back to Canada and you will be singing,
Oh ed Minton.
Speaker 5 (32:15):
Our home and native land.
Speaker 3 (32:18):
That's right.
Speaker 1 (32:20):
The Oilers will win the Stanley Cup and bring it
back to the Great White North known as Canada.
Speaker 5 (32:29):
That's it.
Speaker 1 (32:30):
Take the Pacers on Saturday, and take the Oilers in
the Cup. Looking forward to both series, and hey, I
don't see the Knicks pulling this one out tomorrow night.
I just don't see it. I think the Pacers are
gonna come I think the Pacers are sort of resigned
to giving one up at the Garden and they want
to close it out at home, and I think they're
gonna come out, and we're gonna find out in that
(32:52):
game tomorrow night, really early, which type of Pacers team
comes out. I expect it's gonna be the team like
what we saw in Oklahoma City and what they did
to the Wolves in Game five. I think the Pacers
get up early and often, they're gonna get up by twenty,
probably early in the first first quarter, and they're just
(33:14):
gonna step on the Knicks next and go for the
juggler juggler of vain. I said that, right, Yes, okay,
but if Kylie Jenner's there, who knows, maybe she's a
good luck charm. Knicks are two and zero with her
in attendance. But it's gonna be too much. Pacers, they're
the better team. You have to admit what it is.
It's been an unbelievable series back and forth, and I
(33:37):
just had a bad feeling Christopher Kid. Game one when
that shot by Haliburton hit the back of the rim
and bounced almost straight up to the ceiling at Madison
Square Garden and it came down through the hoop. Didn't
win the game, but it tied it and sent to overtime.
I said, that's that's a bad omen Pacer are winning
(34:00):
this series.
Speaker 5 (34:01):
And that was, how do you, kid?
Speaker 1 (34:04):
I just kid, how do you blow a like a
nine point lead with two forty four to go?
Speaker 7 (34:08):
That has been their recipe all well, all playoffs. They've
been able to find and dig deep in the winning
moments when everyone thinks it's over.
Speaker 3 (34:16):
Yep.
Speaker 7 (34:16):
They make incredible play after incredible play, incredible shot after shot.
You just can't count this team out.
Speaker 3 (34:23):
No.
Speaker 7 (34:23):
Really annoying to have a team playing the way they are,
where you have a ten point lead with two minutes
and you squander it because your focus is not where
it needs to be.
Speaker 1 (34:33):
Yeah, And I think also the Pacers was something they
didn't do last night, which they have in other games.
They're gonna have to set more high screens for Halliburton
so Haliburton can create his own shot. They have to
do that, and the Knicks right now. If they do that,
then the Knicks have no answers as well. For number
forty three Pascal Siakam, he is killing that team. But
(34:54):
I just think tomorrow night it'll it'll wrap up in Indy.
And I don't hope I'm wrong, cause I'm gonna betting
a lot of money on the Pacers. So if I
am wrong, then guess what. We get a game seven
on Monday night. So either way it's a win. But
I love the Pacers Tomorrow night. Coming up next.
Speaker 3 (35:08):
Amin L.
Speaker 1 (35:09):
Hassen from the Dan Lebertard Show and many podcasts. He
was covering the Knicks Pacers game last night and he
has some thoughts on when the Sonics could be coming
back to Seattle next, right here on MJ in the
Miday Sports Radio ninety three to three KJRFM
Appreciate you making time. So here we are and we
got a new head coach. His name is Lame Lambert
and a guy who comes with a great resume, unbelievable,
impeccable credentials. Why do you think Jason Botterral and the
Kraken went with Lame Lambert as their new head coach.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
Appreciate everything you say you know about my existence, which
is which is great. If we go that far back,
you know, I think to be fair when you when
you look at what happened last season with the Kraken,
it was it was way below bar in terms of expectation.
Everybody thought the team would have been closer to a
playoff spot. Dan Bilsma was brought into resuscitated team that
(00:47):
pretty much looked like they were stuck in the mud.
They were good defensively, couldn't score. He was going to
open up their game a little bit and make them
a little bit more exciting to watch and would lead
to more goal scoring and draw into his lines. Communications
with some of the younger players in the system which
he had in the American Hockey League and all that
fine large did take place, but there was regression in
(01:07):
defensive game. There was regression with special teams. Those are
areas that you, in my opinion, you have to have
in place first in order to take another step forward.
And if Dave Hackstall in his tenure in his three
seasons as the Kraken head coach, did anything right, it
was putting in play a defensive system that led them
(01:28):
to be a top ten team.
Speaker 3 (01:30):
That all went away last year.
Speaker 2 (01:32):
So I said at the beginning of the season one
of the things we had to keep an eye on
is how much were the Kracking going to rob Peter
to pay Paul, were they're going to be more offensive,
and how much would they allow defensively and could they
fix it? And as a season war on, they never did.
So I think what Jason's looking at here is number one,
(01:52):
bringing a coach who is coming in with those principles
in place. And Lane has done that throughout his career.
He's one of the best assistant coaches that the game's
ever seen for a long period of time, and in
a short tenure with the New York Islanders, the one
thing they did establish was a very strong defensive identity.
(02:12):
Now the trick will be keeping that there, fixing penalty killing,
enhancing the power play and becoming a better team with
more scoring balance, which should lead to more wins. I'm
not gonna say today that's easily gonna happen. That's still
gonna be an issue. That's still going to be something
we're gonna have to look at objectively as we get
(02:33):
the training camp and get into the season. But I
believe that's what Jason Botteroll is looking at doing here
with this hire. Having spoken myself to Jason, just watching
this from the outside, I've watched everything developed since I
left town for the Stanley Cup playoffs, and you know,
I'm interested to see where it all stands, you know,
(02:53):
as we get into the year and as we move forward.
Speaker 4 (02:55):
But Bottle must truly believe in this.
Speaker 2 (02:59):
He's had a long time to get through a process
to name a head coach. There's been a lot of
speculation about other names and other situations that may have
been looked at first. I don't know if any of
that is true or not. I do know we're getting
late here. The Kraken acted and bringing in a guy
who gets an opportunity again, and these coaches only get
(03:21):
a few kicks at this and Lane had his chance
as a head guy you know with the Islanders, and
I do know, and I covered Toronto quite a bit
for Amazon this year, and he was a valuable piece
to the turnaround with Toronto's team game, going from a
team that was a really gifted offensive juggernaut to a
team that needed to play better defensively.
Speaker 4 (03:43):
He fixed their penalty killing. He made them elite that way, and.
Speaker 3 (03:47):
They're they're very close.
Speaker 2 (03:48):
And I think Craig Beruby as the head coach, Lane
was the associate coach there, they were able to get
that team to the next step. But now he's going
to run his own show and it should be fun
to watch.
Speaker 5 (03:58):
No question.
Speaker 1 (03:59):
John Forsland joining us here the voice of the Kraken
here on MJ and the Midday Sports Radio ninety three
to three KJR FM, and he's got familiard. He talked
about He's spent four seasons with Jordan Everley, Dren with
the Islanders, Chandler Stevenson, Bakowski, Grubauer, he spent three seasons
with those guys with the Caps, so he's he's got that.
(04:20):
He took a scenic route here, but I think one
of the things that makes me like really opened my
eyes to this Higher John. I was listened. I was
a j Leach guy. I still am a Jay Leach guy.
He's younger, he's forty five right. I was at Nessen
when he was the head coach of the Providence Bruins.
I think he's got star potential written all over him.
(04:40):
But I think one of the things that I'm I
feel confident about this particular Higher John is how Jason
Bottrel he said, and I quote about Leanine Lambert, you're
looking for the head coach to be the CEO of
the locker room end quote. And that to me makes
me feel good about this higher.
Speaker 2 (05:01):
Well, the Kraken, you know, as you know, are at
a crossroads in terms of where they're headed now.
Speaker 3 (05:06):
And I think this season coming in, we're going to see.
Speaker 2 (05:09):
More of an influx of a younger generation of Krack
and it's time for some of these prospects to matriculate
and become NHL players. And there's going to be more
as we move on, you know, down the road here.
But by and large, you have a fractured group of
veterans who for me were lost last year. They talked
a lot about being a connected team. The coach, did
(05:32):
the players did, but it was for me in my opinion,
it was looking at a disconnected lot for most of
the year. So you need to bring a coach in
that is going to be relatable in terms of the
now too and sell it to some veteran guys. And
if he does have a good relationship with Jordan as
the captain, that's going to help. Because we always talk
(05:56):
about team meetings, and in any sport it's the meeting
after the meeting. So the meeting after the meeting, after
the coaches leave, are the players right? And the players
are the most important thing and they take over. You
have to be able to sell what you're preaching. All
these guys who've already been there and done that, they
understand how to play. To me, it's a simple tweak
(06:16):
in terms of organizing them on the ice. And I
don't want to hear people say, well, the Islander teams
were low scoring and at times boring to watch, you know,
with Barry Trotz and all this, which is you know,
he comes from the Barry Trotz coaching tradue. Hey, that
leads to winning hockey at some point, and that gets
you to scoring. It's always been the case and I
(06:39):
think the Kraken didn't didn't adhere to any of those
principles last year. If you can't defend first, you're never
going to score. It doesn't work the other way around.
And as the season went along, no matter what the
statue of players and how many years they've played, they
all need guidance.
Speaker 3 (06:55):
You know, they're all racehorses. You know, they have to
be trained properly.
Speaker 2 (06:59):
They have to be point in the right direction, they
have to be organized, and there has to be trust
within each other to know that when I'm in a spot,
I got it out here because positionally I know the
guy's gonna be there. A lot's been made about the
Krack and being winless in back to back games, which
is unbelievable. Still, they were zero to twelve and back
to back games last year. Listen, they had nothing to
do with conditioning, in my opinion, nothing to do with
(07:21):
scheduling and travel and wear and tear. It's when you
are tired and you are fatigued, and if you're a
Western Conference team, you're going to be tired and fatigued
most of the time because of travel. You have to
have a sound system so that you can almost play
it in your sleep. And those teams that can do that,
the teams that.
Speaker 3 (07:39):
Are playing right now, even the Oilers.
Speaker 2 (07:42):
The Oilers have adjusted their team game in a big
way under Chris Knoblock. Even with the great dynamic play
of McDavid and Drysidle and others, they are a very good,
underrated defensive team because of their system and they know
how to play. So to me, that's what Lambert's first
chor will be is put that in play to make
(08:03):
them better that way, and then we'll see. And I
can't give you a gauge on his game management, his
line matching, his feel for the game. You know, there
isn't enough for me to kind of sell fans down the.
Speaker 3 (08:14):
Road on that.
Speaker 2 (08:15):
We're all gonna live and learn on that because again
it's a small sample size for him being a head coach.
Speaker 3 (08:20):
But it is interesting because.
Speaker 2 (08:22):
I do think in the areas that they need, this
guy can address all.
Speaker 5 (08:26):
Of that, no question about it.
Speaker 1 (08:28):
John Forston, and you know what, in my comprehensive research,
as you would expect someone hailing from Springfield, Massachusetts, he
was a rookie teammate and scored twenty goals with the
Detroit Red Wings as a roommate of Steve Heiserman. This
dude's got some major credibility. It seems like hockey, hockey
(08:48):
and basketball, John are two of those sports where well,
if football not as much because you have Bill Belichick
and Andy Reid who didn't play the game, but hockey
and basketball you really kind of want that guy who
did it, and it makes the players look up to him. Say, dude,
Lane Lambert was a badass as a player.
Speaker 4 (09:09):
You've established two things, MJ.
Speaker 3 (09:11):
With this number one.
Speaker 2 (09:12):
You've established we have schools in Springfield, Massachusetts.
Speaker 4 (09:15):
Which he is very important for everyone to understand.
Speaker 2 (09:19):
Number number two, number two, Lane Lambert is is so
old that I covered him as a player in the
American Hockey League and wowah when he played for the
Adirondack Red Wings in Glens Walls, New York. Yes, so
I mean I was with Springfield at the time, and
so yes, I I would call his name out and
(09:40):
he was a prominent player and earned his way up
in the National Hockey League. He's a no nonsense guy,
but he's a you know, he's he's from Melford, Saskatchewan.
He's a he's a he's a hardened Westerner. He's he's
I've talked to players who have played for him, you know,
over the last couple of days, and the read is
(10:01):
pretty true. He's a very good communicator with a zero
gray area. And in today's game, the older players and
the new generation of younger players need information. They don't
want to just be told you need to go here
because I'm the coach. No, they need to be told
you need to go here, and here's the reasons why.
(10:22):
But there also has to be no gray area in
terms of what you're supposed to do.
Speaker 3 (10:26):
And he seems to.
Speaker 2 (10:27):
Be pretty legitm the people I've talked to about all
of that. So those are good signs, you know, those
are good signs. He's a lifer in the game. He's
a veteran. It's not a younger coach from a new
generation like.
Speaker 3 (10:41):
A Mitch Love.
Speaker 4 (10:42):
You mentioned Jay Leech, and I hope Jay gets his chance.
Speaker 3 (10:45):
I really do.
Speaker 2 (10:46):
I think he's excellently will head coach. I think it
will be an excellent head coach someday. But we're getting
there now that you know, we're seeing a generational shift,
and this is kind of a hybrid because it's a
generational shift because Lane really hasn't been given an opportunity
to be a head coach. You know, a season and
a half doesn't cut it. Whatever happened there, I think
(11:07):
what ended up happening with the Islanders was this because
people will look at the record and say, well, the
first year they made the playoffs, they lost in the
first round six games to a really good Carolina team.
Speaker 4 (11:17):
Next year a couple of months and he was out.
Speaker 2 (11:19):
Well, I think the management was looking to jump start
what was a tough start and an extension of Barry Trots.
Speaker 3 (11:27):
You know, now he's away from Barry. Barry's the GM
in Nashville.
Speaker 2 (11:31):
You know, it was almost like Lou Lamarilla was saying,
this is this is too much of Barry and we
need a new voice.
Speaker 4 (11:38):
And that's why Patrick Wall was brought in. Yeah, okay, and.
Speaker 3 (11:42):
What we're the kraken they're getting here is a guy.
Speaker 2 (11:45):
Who is a veteran in terms of being a hockey man,
but he's not in terms of his head coaching. That
might be an interesting dynamic and again we're going to
live and learn as we go along here.
Speaker 1 (11:56):
You know, John, one of the things and you brought
up in terms of you know, veteran coach and a
guy who's a little bit older, and you gotta be
relatable with the young guys, right, you gotta, because this
is a different generation.
Speaker 5 (12:07):
Listen. I couldn't believe John when the Bruins.
Speaker 1 (12:12):
Fired Bruce Cassidy a couple years after he took them
the Game seven and the Stanley Cup against the Saint
Louis Blues because allegedly he, you know, might have sort
of stood up Jake Debrusk when he was coming off
the ice or maybe pissed off Brenton Carlo because Butch
Cassidy is an old school guy, So you gotta kind
(12:34):
of I mean, you know, these are it's a different player.
You know, not everybody has that thick skin, you know,
Chris Nylan cam Neely mentality. It's a different era. But
I think what you're saying to me about Lane Lambert
is that he's adjusted. He's adjusted to the new school
(12:55):
type of player that knows that you might not be
able to get in these guys face. Is like you
know Glenn Saither might have done back in the day, right.
Speaker 4 (13:04):
Yeah, exactly right.
Speaker 2 (13:06):
And you know there's a difference between you know, old
school abusive and old school thinking, which leads you to
a great way of playing in any sport.
Speaker 3 (13:17):
I still think you have to blend some of.
Speaker 2 (13:19):
The hardened rules that are in play because it's all
about discipline with a new new wave of thinking and
information and looking at the game analytically. And Bruce Cassidy
and we talk about analytics. He leans on analytics a lot,
you know when you talk to them in private.
Speaker 3 (13:36):
But the thing about.
Speaker 4 (13:37):
Butch is he's he's he's he tells.
Speaker 3 (13:40):
You exactly how it is. Truth is hard. Truth is
hard if you're raising kids.
Speaker 5 (13:47):
Yeah, you know.
Speaker 3 (13:47):
Truth is hard if you're.
Speaker 2 (13:49):
Raising kids, teaching school or coaching pro athletes. And the
easy way is to massage everybody. And those coaches I
don't think get what they really need. And my coach
along time, but they don't get what you really need
to get out of them with respect. As long as
you treat everybody with respect, you know, yes, your message
will get worn down and the players get tired of
(14:11):
hearing it. And that's why Cassidy moves on and in
a span of days he's hired by somebody else.
Speaker 3 (14:16):
That's why Jim Montgomery was.
Speaker 2 (14:17):
Out of work after being fired by Boston for five
days when Saint Louis hired him. I mean, the people
that make these decisions know who can coach and who can't,
and they just realize that in that environment, and maybe
Pete the bores at the same spot right now with Dallas,
maybe he's an excellent coach, but maybe he's not gonna
he's not gonna be able to go further with the
(14:38):
group based on what happened and things that have been
said about last night's game. I don't know, but that's
the dynamic that that's in play with Lane. I think,
you know, he's fresh. He's sixty years old. I'm sixty three,
and I think I'm pretty fresh too.
Speaker 3 (14:51):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (14:51):
By the way, by the way, let me tell you
some you are. You are looking quite dapper on TV.
You got that head of hair. You're very handsome. Okay,
you got you've got it. Listen, you are aging like
a fine wine, my friend.
Speaker 3 (15:05):
Yeah.
Speaker 6 (15:05):
Thanks, I hope so we don't have any choice.
Speaker 3 (15:09):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (15:09):
By the way, by the way, your your hair, it's
almost as good as our own. Ian Furness, I in
Furness has like oh my, I mean Ian Furness's hair.
Speaker 5 (15:19):
It's like makes me just like.
Speaker 1 (15:21):
Stare at him like in a way that thankfully doesn't
make him feel uncomfortable.
Speaker 2 (15:26):
No, he needs an endorsement contract from somebody that I
don't know who.
Speaker 6 (15:31):
But he's an endorsement contract with somebody, and as he
as he progresses, he can go in a variety of
different ways. You can think about that.
Speaker 2 (15:40):
For a while, but anyway, Uh, you know, at his
age lane sixty, he's got the experience and now he's
going to prove, you know, he's going to prove.
Speaker 3 (15:50):
To everybody that he can do this.
Speaker 2 (15:52):
And I'm sure and I haven't talked to him yet
about any of this, but we will get to it.
Speaker 3 (15:57):
I'm sure when you have a gig.
Speaker 2 (15:59):
And it lasts season and a half and one of
those years you make the playoffs and then all of
a sudden, the next one's cut short, yeah, you have
a burn to get back there. And most of these coaches,
when they leave a spot, they can't wait to.
Speaker 3 (16:11):
Prove everybody wrong and get back there.
Speaker 2 (16:12):
So, you know what, I think, that's what this is
all about. I'm glad that it's over. I'm glad that
the Kraken have made their decision and we can get
on with a new program. We'll see you know what
kind of months Jason has, you know, organizing everything else
that needs to be in place now for the draft
and then what should be an active offseason trading wise,
(16:34):
you know, free agency, whatever they decide to do. The
things have been said, but it's now. It's action times.
It'll be fun to watch.
Speaker 1 (16:43):
Hey, before I let you go, I got to just
say this couple of things that, oh boy, do I
want late spring summer June hockey here at Climate Pledgerina.
I've only been a handful of games, have only been
here a handful of months, John Fororsland, but that building
is absolutely as the late great Guerrilla Mond Soon would say.
The electricity is so thick you can cut it with
(17:05):
a knife. And that's Climate Pledge Arena. And those fans
are die hard. And I know hockey's sort of new
here because you know it's five years or whatever, but
those fans. Just give this fan base a winner that
it deserves because you've seen it and you saw when
it went from Hartford down to Raleigh, North Carolina and
(17:27):
then them winning a Stanley Cup nineteen years ago. So
we'd love to see that here. You're calling the Stanley
Cup on NHL Radio, which is going to be here
on of course, the home of the Kraken Sports Radio
ninety three to three KJRFM, Mister Forslin, the first rematch
we've had since the Penguins and Red Wings met in
(17:48):
two thousand and nine. Way you know, back in the
day they had this guy by name is Sidney Crosby
still there. What do you think can Edmonton underna block
and dry sidle with this red hot goalie Stuart Skinner?
Can they do what they were unable to do last
year and perhaps knock off those Florida Panthers.
Speaker 2 (18:06):
Yeah, I think they have an excellent chance to do it.
I think they know. I know a couple of things here.
I know the burn because I covered them quite a
bit this year Monday Nights for Amazon. They have been
living with this all season and when you get all
(18:27):
the way back to a game seven, after being three
games down to the final against this opponent and lose,
those players live with that not only for the entire summer,
but their training camp September, October, November and on all
the way to the.
Speaker 3 (18:40):
End of the season.
Speaker 2 (18:41):
And then they were up against LA and I thought
LA had a chance to knock them off for the
first time in four years, and the same opponent in
the round one.
Speaker 3 (18:48):
It didn't happen.
Speaker 2 (18:49):
But now what I'm seeing is an Edmonton team that's deeper,
that has more belief in their team game defensively than people.
Speaker 3 (18:56):
Give them credit for.
Speaker 2 (18:57):
And if the goalie or goalies, because they do have
the second option in cal Pickard Ye, can hold up
their end, they're gonna have to win the net against Bobrovski.
Speaker 3 (19:05):
That won't be easy.
Speaker 2 (19:06):
I still think Florida has a slight, slight edge, but
it will be broken with McDavid and Drycidle going to
the levels they're at right now and beyond, and the
burn that both those guys include, especially Connor. I think
Connor McDavid has had a burden of responsibility since he's
broke in. He wears it on his sleeve. He's been
(19:28):
frustrated at times by it. He wants that cup more
than anything. He was great in four Nations, he'll be
great in the upcoming Olympics. You look if they do win.
You look at the sense of relief that will come
on this kid's face when he hoists Stanley Cup, And
I think then we'll see Connor McDavid from a kid.
Speaker 4 (19:44):
Who is dower a lot.
Speaker 2 (19:46):
He's only dour because he wants it so bad and
he'll never be happy until he wins the Stanley.
Speaker 6 (19:52):
Cup, no matter how many MVPs.
Speaker 2 (19:54):
Know how many trophies he gets for everything else he does,
all Star appearances and all these things that gold medals
are close, but the Stanley Cup is something totally different,
and you're right, we're getting there's a little teas in
year two for the fans in Seattle. I just hope
that we can become a better team at home. I
(20:14):
think that's what the Kraken need to do. The all
four seasons, it's been a mixed bag at home, and
the building is too great, the fans are too vibrant.
Speaker 3 (20:24):
It should be a place.
Speaker 2 (20:25):
Where that is always on the side of the home
team and the krack and can use it to their advantage.
We get to see it, so that'll be another trick
for Lambert and his team to be better at home,
because the fans in Seattle deserve it.
Speaker 1 (20:39):
No question, John Foresln, we appreciate your sequel appearance was
like The Godfather Part two on MG in the Midday,
just as good, if not better than the first time,
the original one.
Speaker 3 (20:52):
Thanks m J. Appreciate it all.
Speaker 2 (20:54):
And you know, and and again anytime we can talk
about Springfield, the real sin city.
Speaker 1 (21:00):
You know, yes, just stay away from Worth Avenue and
you know a certain Lyman Street, stay away from Lymon Street.
Speaker 6 (21:11):
Need to stay away from those areas. Yeah, you got it.
Speaker 3 (21:14):
Find your fun somewhere else.
Speaker 1 (21:15):
Yeah, thank you, John, appreciate it all. Right, All right,
there is the great John Foreslynn. I said this before
and I say it again. You know, Seattle deserves winners,
not just a winner, They deserves winners. And the last
world title that was here was twenty thirteen. Well, it's
like anything else where. You know, you saw it happen
(21:38):
up in New England when you know, the Patriots won
their first Super Bowl. Three years later, the Red Sox
snapped their eighty six year curse, okay, and then four
years later the Celtics won their first title since eighty six,
and the Red Sox won their second World Series in
two thousands. And it's like it just kind of when
(21:58):
one team wins, then it kind of just starts into
this Domino type chain. And we got to see that
here in Seattle. Those fans, you guys, hats off to
no question, the fans at Climate Pledge Arena. And I
have never been to Luminfield for a game. I've never
been a lumin Field for a Hawks game. I've never
been a Husky stadium for a U dub football game.
(22:22):
So I want to see it up front. But those
fans at Climate Pledgerina, Oh my lord. I can't even
imagine when the green and goal come back here. But
they just you all deserve a winner. You deserve winners here,
and I hope we're going to be getting them. A
hope Lane Lambert can get this franchise some sustain consistency
and success that can lead this team. So we're playing
(22:43):
May and June hockey for years to come. All right,
I will have winners for you coming up at eleven
forty four. I haven't done picks this week, but we
will have that coming up next the offseason NFC teams,
Best and Worst Deals picks more.
Speaker 5 (22:59):
How did Hawk's fair?
Speaker 1 (23:01):
According to Bill Barnwell, We'll find out that next on
MJ in the midday Sports Radio ninety three to three
kJ Artham, we'll talk about the NBA, the Seattle SuperSonics
when you could possibly see them coming back here a
lot of things.
Speaker 5 (23:18):
There's a very disturbing story going on.
Speaker 1 (23:21):
Right now about Zion Williamson that he's been accused of
rape and physical abuse in LA by Jane Doe, com
claiming to be his former girlfriend. According it says, in
addition to two specific rape allegations in New Orleans, Pelicans,
(23:45):
Power Floor is accused of a continuing pattern of abusive, controlling,
and threatening behavior towards plaintiff, as detailed in the filing
provided to The Daily Mail by Jane Doe's attorney.
Speaker 5 (23:56):
Not good for Zion.
Speaker 1 (23:58):
Williamson, Bill Barnwell, says the Seattle Seahawks. He says, quote,
it's clear that long time Seahawks general manager John Schneider
believes the players he has on the roster, almost all
of whom are his draft picks, will improve. Some of
that might be a product of schematic shift to the
Seahawks or a passive drop back heavy offense under Grub
(24:21):
Kubiak should get them on the move more often, create
more uncertainty for posing defensive linemen to prevent rushers from
pinning their ears back to go after the quarterback. He
also went on to say quote, Seahawks fans will need
to hope Schneider's right because the impact on Donald could
be devastating. Even during his resurge in twenty twenty four season,
(24:44):
his biggest weakness was his propensity for taking sacks, highlighted
by a brutal end to the season in the ugly
playoff loss to the Rams. Donald ranked seventh in the
league in QBR from a clean pocket, but when opposing
team's got pressure on him, that dropped to twenty second.
Since the start of twenty eighteen, is seventeen point two
qb R when pressured ranks thirty fourth of fifty quarterbacks
(25:08):
with nine hundred dropbacks. If Schneider and the Seahawks want
to get the version of Darnold who shocked the world
for stretches in twenty twenty four, they'll need the lineman
who couldn't protect Smith in twenty twenty four to improve.
Speaker 5 (25:27):
It's fair.
Speaker 3 (25:28):
He nailed it.
Speaker 1 (25:29):
He pretty much nailed that one. Coming up next, we're
gonna beat the books. We will beat the books. I've
got some winners for you, so I hope you're paying attention.
Trying to win you some money. Next on MJ in
the MIDA Sports Radio ninety three to three KJR FM.
(25:57):
All right, I mean El Hassan will be coming up
at just about fifteen minutes from the Dan Levertard Show.
Longtime NBA guy hosts a couple of podcasts covered the
Knicks Pacers last night. We'll talk to him also about
a timetable, some sort of timetable on maybe Adam Silver
(26:17):
announcing expansion when that could be, don't know when. Maybe
he has some insight on that and so many other
things we'll get to.
Speaker 5 (26:27):
All right, time to beat the books.
Speaker 1 (26:31):
You know me, I'm all about my head over heart,
and I was very proud of my boys last night
to hold off elimination against Theanana Pacers. But if anybody
in that Nick's locker room thinks that you're gonna be
able to hold Tyrese Haliburton and Aaron Nesmith to eleven
(26:58):
points combined, you can throw turner in there. That would
be sixteen points combined between those three players at Indy.
Not gonna happen. I hate to say it, but and
the line's already gone up a little bit, but I
love the Pacers Tomorrow night now it's it's staying steady.
Speaker 5 (27:19):
Three and a half.
Speaker 1 (27:21):
Nicks only won one game on the road in this series.
They know they've been really good on the road in
the playoffs. I just don't see Tomorrow night. Tomorrow night,
I would imagine Peyton Manning's gonna be there. I would
imagine they're gonna bring it. You know, you know, Reggie
Miller is gonna be there. He's calling the freaking game,
which is a whole nother story I don't like. But
(27:43):
every great former athlete whoever came out of Indianapolis, whether
it was for the Colts or the Pacers or where
or even came from that city, they're gonna be there.
Pat McAfee will be there, you name it, the former
Colts coach, I can't think of his name right now.
(28:03):
Chuck Oh, what's his Pagano, Chuck Pegana will probably be there.
They're gonna bring everybody out Tomorrow night, and I think
the Knicks will put up a valiant fight for about
a quarter and a half and then the Pacers will
just run a rough shot, run them out of the building,
much the way that the thunder did to the Wolves
(28:27):
the other night. I love the Pacers minus three and
a half. I'm all over this game. I would say,
I hope I'm wrong, and I guess I hope I'm
wrong because it'd be great to get to a Game seven,
But financially, I hope I'm right. I'm taking the Pacers
tomorrow night. All the money I bet on the Nicks
to win the Eastern Conference Finals, I'm gonna bet on
the Pacers to win tomorrow night.
Speaker 5 (28:46):
So take the Pacers. Bet it now, thank me later,
all right.
Speaker 1 (28:57):
So, and you could say, hey, Mark, oh your betting listen,
this is about business. Always go head over heart when
it comes to placing bets. Never place bets with heart ever,
you will lose money. Always go head over heart. And
I just think the Pacers have been the better team.
(29:19):
Neither team can beat the Thunder. The Thunder will be
the NBA World Champions no matter who they play. And
I would imagine if I was the Thunder, I'd be
rooting for the Knicks because I think that Knicks would
be an easier path on them to win their first
ever NBA title. And you notice I said first ever.
They've never won one and this is their second ever
NBA title appearance. Now we go over to the Frozen
(29:48):
Pond for Lord's Stanley Cup, and it will be a
rematch for the first time since two thousand and nine
in the Stanley Cup. Back then it was the Red
Wings versus the Pittsburgh Penguins, won by Sidney Crosby and
the Penguins. This is gonna be the Florida Panthers and
the Edmonton Oilers. So Edmonton, I don't get it. Some
(30:16):
some series have they have them both where you have
to put up more money to win one hundred Edmonton's
minus one twenty and Florida's minus one fifteen. And this
is just another way of the sports books trying to
screw you and me, the consumer. It doesn't matter to
me because I'm taking the Edmonton Oilers to win their
(30:39):
first Stanley Cup in thirty five years. It was actually
they did it without Wayne Gretzky. It was the one
that they won without Wayne Gretzky. He was already in
la at that point. And for the country of Canada
that invented hockey, this will be your first Stanley Cup
title in thirty two years.
Speaker 5 (31:00):
Thirty two years.
Speaker 1 (31:01):
The last time Canada won a Stanley Cup with the
nineteen ninety three Montreal Canadians, So kudos to Canada.
Speaker 5 (31:15):
It's time for Connor McDavid to finally.
Speaker 1 (31:18):
You'll never fill the shoes of the greatest one of
all time, Wayne Gretzky, but this is his chance to
start what should be one of many more Stanley Cup
titles to come for Mcjesus as they call them, and
Dry Cidle and Corey Perry and Evander Kaine and Stuart
(31:38):
Skinner and Cal Pickard. I'd love Edmonton. It's gonna be tough.
They're going up against the reigning and defending Stanley Cup champions.
They're making their third straight Stanley Cup final appearance, and
they've added a player you might have heard of by
the name of Brad Marshan. Doesn't matter to me. I'm
going with mcjesus and the Edmonton Oilers, and I will
(32:01):
tell you right now, the Edmonton Oilers will bring Lord
Stanley Cup back to Canada and you will be singing,
Oh ed Minton.
Speaker 5 (32:15):
Our home and native land.
Speaker 3 (32:18):
That's right.
Speaker 1 (32:20):
The Oilers will win the Stanley Cup and bring it
back to the Great White North known as Canada.
Speaker 5 (32:29):
That's it.
Speaker 1 (32:30):
Take the Pacers on Saturday, and take the Oilers in
the Cup. Looking forward to both series, and hey, I
don't see the Knicks pulling this one out tomorrow night.
I just don't see it. I think the Pacers are
gonna come I think the Pacers are sort of resigned
to giving one up at the Garden and they want
to close it out at home, and I think they're
gonna come out, and we're gonna find out in that
(32:52):
game tomorrow night, really early, which type of Pacers team
comes out. I expect it's gonna be the team like
what we saw in Oklahoma City and what they did
to the Wolves in Game five. I think the Pacers
get up early and often, they're gonna get up by twenty,
probably early in the first first quarter, and they're just
(33:14):
gonna step on the Knicks next and go for the
juggler juggler of vain. I said that, right, Yes, okay,
but if Kylie Jenner's there, who knows, maybe she's a
good luck charm. Knicks are two and zero with her
in attendance. But it's gonna be too much. Pacers, they're
the better team. You have to admit what it is.
It's been an unbelievable series back and forth, and I
(33:37):
just had a bad feeling Christopher Kid. Game one when
that shot by Haliburton hit the back of the rim
and bounced almost straight up to the ceiling at Madison
Square Garden and it came down through the hoop. Didn't
win the game, but it tied it and sent to overtime.
I said, that's that's a bad omen Pacer are winning
(34:00):
this series.
Speaker 5 (34:01):
And that was, how do you, kid?
Speaker 1 (34:04):
I just kid, how do you blow a like a
nine point lead with two forty four to go?
Speaker 7 (34:08):
That has been their recipe all well, all playoffs. They've
been able to find and dig deep in the winning
moments when everyone thinks it's over.
Speaker 3 (34:16):
Yep.
Speaker 7 (34:16):
They make incredible play after incredible play, incredible shot after shot.
You just can't count this team out.
Speaker 3 (34:23):
No.
Speaker 7 (34:23):
Really annoying to have a team playing the way they are,
where you have a ten point lead with two minutes
and you squander it because your focus is not where
it needs to be.
Speaker 1 (34:33):
Yeah, And I think also the Pacers was something they
didn't do last night, which they have in other games.
They're gonna have to set more high screens for Halliburton
so Haliburton can create his own shot. They have to
do that, and the Knicks right now. If they do that,
then the Knicks have no answers as well. For number
forty three Pascal Siakam, he is killing that team. But
(34:54):
I just think tomorrow night it'll it'll wrap up in Indy.
And I don't hope I'm wrong, cause I'm gonna betting
a lot of money on the Pacers. So if I
am wrong, then guess what. We get a game seven
on Monday night. So either way it's a win. But
I love the Pacers Tomorrow night. Coming up next.
Speaker 3 (35:08):
Amin L.
Speaker 1 (35:09):
Hassen from the Dan Lebertard Show and many podcasts. He
was covering the Knicks Pacers game last night and he
has some thoughts on when the Sonics could be coming
back to Seattle next, right here on MJ in the
Miday Sports Radio ninety three to three KJRFM
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