September 27, 2024 • 22 mins
It's 2002 and there's a thick layer of hope wafting in the air around the Air Canada Centre. The Leafs have finished 2nd in the East, only one point back of the Bruins. Mats Sundin is the highest scoring centre in the league and has led the team to their 4th consecutive playoff appearance. The supporting cast is stronger than ever with Darcy Tucker, Gary Roberts and Alexander Mogilny upfront, Tomas Kaberle & Bryan McCabe on the blue line, and Curtis Joseph manning the net.
After a hard fought 7-game series win against the New York Islanders in the first round, the Leafs are bruised, but ready to battle against the upstart Ottawa Senators, who feature young talent like Daniel Alfredsson, Marian Hossa and an oversized defensemen named Zdeno Chara.
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And as always, thank you for listening to another episode of Sportsfeld.
After a hard fought 7-game series win against the New York Islanders in the first round, the Leafs are bruised, but ready to battle against the upstart Ottawa Senators, who feature young talent like Daniel Alfredsson, Marian Hossa and an oversized defensemen named Zdeno Chara.
Sick of hearing all the ads? Subscribe to Soda Premium on Apple Podcasts to get rid of them!
Follow @Sportsfeld on X! While you're there say hello to @theZubes and @JGoldsbie or reach out to the show and say hey: podcast@sportsfeld.ca
If merch is your thing, be sure to check out the store: http://bit.ly/merchfeldIf you enjoyed today’s show, please rate Sportsfeld 5-Stars on Apple Podcasts.
And as always, thank you for listening to another episode of Sportsfeld.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:10):
And the good evening everybody.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
The two teams are ready to go on Awa on
the red jerseys and of course I may beliefs are
home twlight uniforms. Toronto is the center of the hockey universe.
Speaker 1 (00:21):
What you call it the ACC back Cup.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
It's like a temple baby. Oh yeah, so by this
series has been completely unpredictable.
Speaker 1 (00:28):
To send stroll into the ACC in game one and
blow the Leafs out five nothing.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
Winning at O just be painted for all the right away.
David Amber talking a moment ago about the go to
guys or the Toronto apleafs.
Speaker 1 (00:42):
Isn't it interesting that the key guys for ATTAT want
to shut down are two former sixty sevens, Gary Roberts
and Alimatal.
Speaker 2 (00:47):
By the way, it's good things to the playoff game
on the preseason game, because in the preseason you have
to address at least ten regulars and Rod, I'm not
sure Toronto has quite that many in the line. Don't
make an air Abu, I gotta go fight, the TV
said as possible.
Speaker 1 (01:00):
All right, I want to get your ears chucked out
of This is a pivotal game and from your vantage point,
you will not miss the faith.
Speaker 2 (01:15):
Michael Purchase given a sinking of our national reels.
Speaker 1 (01:54):
It is sports Field story time. We are going back
to May fourth, two thousand and two, Maple Leafs versus Senators,
Game two of the Eastern Conference Semifinals in Air Canada Center,
the Battle of Ontario, the Maple Leafs on the edge
of falling behind two nothing two home losses to the
(02:16):
Ottawa Senators, the Little Brother finally getting one up on
Big Brother. Before we get into the game, Jake gotta say,
and maybe this is a bias re Listen, sure seemed
like Bob Cole wanted Ottawa to win this game, didn't it.
Speaker 2 (02:33):
A little bit? I'm glad you brought that up. Actually,
I feel like when he was retiring and there was
all the justifiable sort of outpouring of Bob Cole love,
I remember being pretty like cynical about it, but like
these games were so much more fun with him calling
them than anyone today.
Speaker 1 (02:53):
Yeah, he really has a He sets the tone and I.
Speaker 2 (02:55):
Don't know if it was like an anti Leaf bias
necessarily the way he was this one, But I do
think that it's just you know, two Canadian teams ones.
As you said, Little Brother, I feel like the narrative
was there for like a pro Senators thing. I get it.
I think I don't. It doesn't necessarily bug me as
(03:18):
much as like listening to Jim Houston like actively root
against the Maple Leafs now and again. I rewatching this
game did sort of give me a new appreciation for
Bob Cole, which was kind of nice. There is like
it's such a nostalgic sound for like playoffs hearing him
say nonsense.
Speaker 1 (03:39):
The pregame numbers are pretty crazy. As we mentioned in
episode one, the Maple Leafs had really had to grind
it out against the Islanders. No Sun Dean in this
one for the Maple Leafs. Bob Wren is playing his
one and only NHL Playoff game, one of six NHL
Playoff games he will play in his career. But Patrick
(03:59):
Laline zero point three to two goals against a nine
to eighty eight say percentage. They had just waxed the Flyers,
they were well rested, and they had been five to
nothing in Game one against the Maple Leafs. So Senators
as confident I think as they ever were at any
point in the Battle of Ontario. Maybe yeah, No, I
(04:20):
think this is probably peak like senators optimism in the
Battle of Ontario.
Speaker 2 (04:25):
I think it had. Yeah, I think they're happening. I
was the thing. I can't really remember if it's this
game specifically, because so many from these years, kind of
after Horemon Here's it's been now eighteen years, sort of
blend together in my brain. But I feel like this series,
like the pregame jitters and hype that you would get
right before puck drop, was like also at its peak,
(04:47):
Like I remember this was like jump up and down
in your living room as they were like settling in
for the opening face off kind of tension.
Speaker 1 (04:55):
I remember it was fun like a minute in Kujo
last and make a ridiculous safe a minute into the game. Yeah,
they jump on him, Yes, And we talked about this
a little bit at the end of the last episode.
But the experience of watching Curtis Joseph going back and
looking at it, just the pure like every save was
(05:17):
athleticism and nothing else. He would dive at any puck
that was low. Sliding around rebounds sometimes would be a thing,
but it's sort of amazing he was effective at all.
Speaker 2 (05:28):
When I go back and watch it, Yeah, there's well,
I'm sure We'll talk about this save a little later,
but there's a save in one of the overtimes where
I think Hosa tries to go five hole and instead
of just like dropping to his knees to stop the
puck in his chest, he just kicks out both his
feet to kick it away. Yeah, and it's like, it
(05:50):
just seems so unnecessary. You were talking last episode about like,
was Alex mcgilney sort of ahead of his time? I
truly wonder what Curtis Joseph would have been like as
a goaltender today.
Speaker 1 (06:03):
Yeah, well, any extra movement today is penalized, basically.
Speaker 2 (06:07):
That's what I mean, Like, would he have been like
a replacement level goaltender in twenty twenty. It's odd the.
Speaker 1 (06:14):
Maple Leafs do score first. What a shift from Domie
corson p Lash Green like grinds awesome. Courson gets it
in deep Domey with a big hit. Courson digs it,
gets back to Carol p Lash who pinches in, goes
all the way around behind the net and finds Travis Green,
(06:36):
your current coach the Vancouver Canucks. By the way, Travis Green,
this has to be my fondest Travis Green memory.
Speaker 2 (06:44):
I would say, yeah, I think it's God. I don't
know if there's I can't like other than him just
being associated with these teams. I can't say that I
have like a ton of real fon Travis Green memories
except his mullet when he was younger.
Speaker 1 (07:05):
Another thing that I had this written down a bunch
of times. And I know we already talked about Kujo,
but his fearlessness playing the puck is unbelievable. It's ridiculous. Yeah,
it doesn't matter where the like he goes and gets
it and it's all.
Speaker 2 (07:21):
It's not only ridiculous, it's it also seems again like
so much of what he does unnecessary, Like he has
he knows he has not that like the defenders on
this team outside of you know, Cobberlet, McCabe, maybe one
two others, like they're not that they were great players,
like they're still there.
Speaker 1 (07:42):
They could have gone and got the puck, no trapezoid
back then, back there.
Speaker 2 (07:46):
That's true. That is true. Another wrinkle as to how
Kujo would fit because like, I feel like that was
a lot of there's a like belfour was like that too.
Belfour loved going out and playing the puck and he
was excellent at it. But it's interesting he's kind of
these guys at that time and what the NHL considered
like things that were holding scoring back that they had
(08:08):
to change in the lockout.
Speaker 1 (08:09):
He's fearless with it. He slaps it around the boards,
he'll tap it out front. It's it's pretty interesting to watch.
He seems really small too, like I. Yeah, he was
wearing road hockey equipment.
Speaker 2 (08:21):
Basically, I loved his pads though I was a huge
fan of the Kujo pads. Maybe it's just nostalgia, but
I like the aesthetics.
Speaker 1 (08:29):
Yeah, I'm with it. I think they had some stylish
goal is obviously, Phillies Pod fan Uh and belfour came
in with that classic setup, a stylish tongue game, a
police goalie. Anyway, a few minutes after Travis Green goal,
it's our faves, it's your faves, it's mcgilney gets it
into the sort of MUCKs it up on a for check.
(08:52):
They cough it up the Tucker bank to nothing. Maple
leafs good.
Speaker 2 (08:57):
High for having.
Speaker 1 (09:00):
Joseph hurdles. Joseph was Son was already going n Honna
high shot Oliver Hi Brady.
Speaker 2 (09:18):
I wasn't sure when we were going into this which
leaf team this was, But I've rewatching this game and
like obviously for the end of this game, but just
in general, Gary Roberts was insanely good for this run,
and like I remember that, I mean it was him
and McCauley were the big scorers in this run. Like
everyone who's a Leafs fan from back then will always
(09:40):
remember Roberts McCauley. But like, how did Alan mccaully not
have become like the superstar that he looked like in
these three weeks? And man, Gary Roberts just so much
better than I remember, Like I remember him scoring a
lot in these playoffs, but he was dominant on the ice.
Speaker 1 (09:58):
I have I go into the into my notes here
I was taking as I was watching, and so many
times I'm just noting that, like Roberts doesn't look tired,
he doesn't look like shook at all. Like he's just
so calm. It's awesome. He's so cool and collected and
within himself. And like, man, Gary fucking Roberts.
Speaker 2 (10:20):
Hey, Like I think we talked about it a lot
with the Raptors and how Kawi sort of had that
settling presence to him and I was thinking watching this
game of a team that's like, as we've said, it's
a must win game at home hated rivals, and it
(10:40):
just keeps going. I feel like Robert's presence really sort
of there's a couple of minutes throughout the game where
you can see the Leafs kind of knowing that Sundean's
not there to do this, but I feel like Roberts
really like kept them together and kept them whole for
not just this game, but especially this game.
Speaker 1 (11:00):
Things get a little back and forth in the period,
but through twenty acc is rocking to nothing. Mayple Leafs.
Things looking good. Second period starts, Travis Green has taken
the opening draw and there's I think it's hair and
(11:22):
Neil is like, Travis Green's been incredible tonight. He scored
and he's six and oho on the draws, and I
think because they scored that goal with the aggressive play
of Domi and Courson and they're looking to do that
same tone to start the season. Green immediately cross checks
somebody in a face ten seconds, just immediately as soon
(11:43):
as the periods.
Speaker 2 (11:45):
But that's what you did then, right, that was the
sort of you're up to nothing, go literally punch them
in the mouth. Even if you take a penalty, it
sends the message and then we know what happened.
Speaker 1 (11:56):
The Sens push really pushed the tempo. Like I think
one of the things we didn't mention when recapping the
Battle of Ontario was a lot of the time the
Maple Leafs weren't the better team, right they were winning,
Like I think this game is a nice example of it,
and this series maybe is like the Leafs don't play
(12:17):
better this entire game. They're not dominant wire to wire,
right like Ottawa pushes the tempo for basically the entire
second period and a lot of the third.
Speaker 2 (12:26):
Well, I mean you look at the guys on the
ice for both like take away mcgilney and obviously Sindin
who wasn't playing, and like you can Art Roberts kind of,
but it's not really his style. Like there weren't a
lot of skill guys quote unquote on this Leaf's team,
and the Senators were just as you said last episode,
(12:48):
you know, Hosa Halat Alfredson, like they had guys Sammy Sallow,
like Fisher.
Speaker 1 (12:54):
Like Radic Bunk, radc Bunk.
Speaker 2 (12:57):
They were very different styles And I wonder and like
it does almost seem like the Sanens were more. This
Serens team was not fully obviously but had more a
little bit of like a build towards what you see today,
or at least more so the Mapleaceid. This Mayplex team
was very much like and I think it's why it
(13:18):
took us so many years in the city to get
over truculence. Like these teams were, yeah, they like Darcy
Tucker could also score, but like these teams were a
bunch of guys who just hit people and then sometimes
can also score.
Speaker 1 (13:33):
Yeah, Thereefs are very slow in this game with the
with the yeah of mcgilney, not a lot of like
speed play. There's a lot of chip and chase, a
lot of like put in the puck sort of to
the middle and into nowhere, and a lot of crashing,
a lot of guys flying around.
Speaker 2 (13:52):
I remember that for years with the Maplex, like when
we got Jason Blake, who obviously never lived up to
his contract, but the idea of having a guy who
was fast and could score was like, oh, this is
the missing piece, And I guess in retrospect it's also
sort of the thing that we talked like, how did
they never put real scoring pieces alongside Sundean, which will
(14:15):
forever be sort of the great question.
Speaker 1 (14:18):
Yeah, I think the gill only was a nice fit,
and this team is pretty closely built. I think this
and the Ron Francis Brian Leach won is probably as
close as they got to really giving him the balance
and the options. But they also would they would play
oakuind on this line.
Speaker 2 (14:35):
So that's right. Maybe that's why I hated him so much.
Speaker 1 (14:38):
Third period things. My big note here was how dangerous
Mike Fisher becomes for like five six minutes. There's just
a span where he is on fire. He scores three
minutes in.
Speaker 2 (14:53):
You know, impossible, very Kujo goal, right, not very much
at all. Start and impossible as a shot beats Joseph
high from the first side, Ottawa.
Speaker 1 (15:10):
Just circling around with it and coming out and before
you good blink, the shot was fired hi by the Fisher.
Joseph didn't move at all. It's time. It was a
very Kujo goal. As I sort of mentioned earlier that
Kujo would make two incredible saves on cross ice things
(15:31):
or one timers and big flashy gloves save and then
he would let in a screened rister that you're just like, ugh,
just move your pad a little bit. It's a seeing
eye one from Mike Fisher.
Speaker 2 (15:45):
I do wonder, you know, like we were talking last
episode about how the Leams sort of will always be
remembered for the flubs in Game seven, and like I
think that Curtis Joseph was a better goaltender than Patrick o'leim,
but like maybe Kujo's flubs were just at the right
time because like he did just as he did these
all the time, and like he but he didn't do
(16:06):
them in the big, big games. So I it's a
funny retrospective career.
Speaker 1 (16:12):
I think absolutely, Oh, I would agree. He's he's a
very interesting sort of goalie of the era, of a
type that doesn't really exist anymore. Boy maple Leae, like
the acc gets really nervous and quiet. My big takeaway
from the from the most of the third period is
you really see Chara starting to blossom into like what
(16:34):
will become a dominant defenseman who's still in the league.
Where eighteen years later and he's still in the frigging league.
He's he's going in front of the net, he's like
completely shutting down his own blue line. It's it's impressive
and he plays a shitload of minutes in this game.
Speaker 2 (16:52):
Yeah, this is like one of the first of many
many memories I have as an ap Lea's fan, being
like he's just big, like whatever, charge is not that
good and then just absolutely bodying us for eighteen years now.
Speaker 1 (17:06):
He plays forty four minutes and nineteen seconds in this
game First On First On Ottawa, but Maple least McCabe
plays fifty two minutes. You can believe that.
Speaker 2 (17:16):
Brian McCay played so much because this team had no defense. Yeah,
they had mccabn Cobberlet, and that was kind of it
for I guess until like, I mean, Yeskavich was there
and then he went out for Sveala and they got Leech.
But like, the defense on these teams were mcab and
Cobberlet for a long time.
Speaker 1 (17:34):
Totally. No, your Kaylume plays two minutes and ten seconds
in a game that goes.
Speaker 2 (17:42):
But that that's wild.
Speaker 1 (17:44):
Why Wade Blac also played in this game as a defenseman,
I believe you're correct, he plays less than ten minutes.
So we're talking about two guys combining to play ten minutes.
The rest of it is all mccab and Cobberley.
Speaker 2 (17:59):
There's a great Bob Cole moment near the end of
the third period. I think might be in the first overtime,
but I think it's in the third period where obviously
Thomas Coberley's whole thing in Toronto was that he was
that he doesn't shoot, and which I always thought was
a silly thing to pin on him, but has I
do blame him for spawning all of the shoot men
(18:22):
that exist in Toronto now. But Bob Cole is a
great moment where Coble has the puck at the top
at the blue line, and Bob Coles goes Cobralet has
it doesn't like to shoot for some reason, and then
just laughs as Cobraley passes it, and it just seemed
like such a like a dad watching a hockey game
(18:43):
for a like major national broadcaster that also steing a broadcast.
This game is on ESPN two, as was all of
the NHL playoffs, which is funny.
Speaker 1 (18:52):
This third period ends like hilariously the final twenty seconds,
the maple Leaves turn it over in their own slot
twice and then Gary Roberts basically gets a clean shot
seconds before the buzzer goes and completely fans on it
and it rolls off the back of a stick. Both
teams nearly give this game away in the final twenty
(19:12):
seconds of the regulation.
Speaker 2 (19:13):
It didn't look like a game that was gonna go
three overtimes, I would put it that way.
Speaker 1 (19:17):
Should be noted Aki Berg is on the ice on
the third turnovers, that's where they were at. But anyway,
two too Maple Leafs. It's been a minute. They haven't
scored since the first period, and they only scored maybe
they didn't score anything in the first game. So we're
through six periods this series. Maple Leafs are outscored seven
(19:39):
to two, so Outawa is feeling pretty good. I think
they drove to play definitely through the second period, and
I think they drove the play for most of the
third period. I remember thinking this was probably it, and
like you said, didn't feel like it would be a
long series or a long game. I thought Ottawa had
(20:01):
all the momentum and was about to come out and
score in the third period.
Speaker 2 (20:05):
I did too, and then in retrospect this, uh, this
series really is sort of and this game is sort
of emblematic of what the battle of Ontario was like
back then. Yeah, like Ottawa just outscoring leaves seven to
two through six periods and they lose just seems I
(20:27):
think in retrospect I get it more now of like
the Senator is just like severe dislike of the Torontomo beliefs.
Speaker 1 (20:35):
Yeah, absolutely, for every every reason you could think of it.
It's a we had Tucker, I mean, and you know me, Yeah,
I think Ottawa they have Chris Neil for this game,
and he was sort of brought in to be a
counter to that group and he was.
Speaker 2 (20:52):
Man, I hated Chris Neil.
Speaker 1 (20:54):
Oh my god, he's effective being Chris Neil.
Speaker 2 (20:56):
Yeah, exactly. And Domy was effective at being tied don't
but he was ours I guess which is I don't know.
And speaking of careers that haven't aged, well, I.
Speaker 1 (21:05):
Was never a big Domie guy even that wasn't like
I never propped him up, you know, yeah, no, I'm
I'm with you. I wanted him to be anybody else
that would have been great with me.
Speaker 2 (21:18):
Yeah, it always felt like if they could use that
roster spot on another guy who could score, it would
have been fine. But like at the meltdown in the city,
would have been unbelievable. They got Tidome in two thousand
and two.
Speaker 1 (21:30):
That's true. So we move forward. We have completed regulation time.
The ACC as we know it is switched into nervous mode.
We've seen some flurries both ways, some great saves, and
a lot of big names. We are about to head
(21:50):
into three more periods of overtime. We will sink our
teeth into that in the next episode, A sports felt story.
(22:43):
What's the
And the good evening everybody.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
The two teams are ready to go on Awa on
the red jerseys and of course I may beliefs are
home twlight uniforms. Toronto is the center of the hockey universe.
Speaker 1 (00:21):
What you call it the ACC back Cup.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
It's like a temple baby. Oh yeah, so by this
series has been completely unpredictable.
Speaker 1 (00:28):
To send stroll into the ACC in game one and
blow the Leafs out five nothing.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
Winning at O just be painted for all the right away.
David Amber talking a moment ago about the go to
guys or the Toronto apleafs.
Speaker 1 (00:42):
Isn't it interesting that the key guys for ATTAT want
to shut down are two former sixty sevens, Gary Roberts
and Alimatal.
Speaker 2 (00:47):
By the way, it's good things to the playoff game
on the preseason game, because in the preseason you have
to address at least ten regulars and Rod, I'm not
sure Toronto has quite that many in the line. Don't
make an air Abu, I gotta go fight, the TV
said as possible.
Speaker 1 (01:00):
All right, I want to get your ears chucked out
of This is a pivotal game and from your vantage point,
you will not miss the faith.
Speaker 2 (01:15):
Michael Purchase given a sinking of our national reels.
Speaker 1 (01:54):
It is sports Field story time. We are going back
to May fourth, two thousand and two, Maple Leafs versus Senators,
Game two of the Eastern Conference Semifinals in Air Canada Center,
the Battle of Ontario, the Maple Leafs on the edge
of falling behind two nothing two home losses to the
(02:16):
Ottawa Senators, the Little Brother finally getting one up on
Big Brother. Before we get into the game, Jake gotta say,
and maybe this is a bias re Listen, sure seemed
like Bob Cole wanted Ottawa to win this game, didn't it.
Speaker 2 (02:33):
A little bit? I'm glad you brought that up. Actually,
I feel like when he was retiring and there was
all the justifiable sort of outpouring of Bob Cole love,
I remember being pretty like cynical about it, but like
these games were so much more fun with him calling
them than anyone today.
Speaker 1 (02:53):
Yeah, he really has a He sets the tone and I.
Speaker 2 (02:55):
Don't know if it was like an anti Leaf bias
necessarily the way he was this one, But I do
think that it's just you know, two Canadian teams ones.
As you said, Little Brother, I feel like the narrative
was there for like a pro Senators thing. I get it.
I think I don't. It doesn't necessarily bug me as
(03:18):
much as like listening to Jim Houston like actively root
against the Maple Leafs now and again. I rewatching this
game did sort of give me a new appreciation for
Bob Cole, which was kind of nice. There is like
it's such a nostalgic sound for like playoffs hearing him
say nonsense.
Speaker 1 (03:39):
The pregame numbers are pretty crazy. As we mentioned in
episode one, the Maple Leafs had really had to grind
it out against the Islanders. No Sun Dean in this
one for the Maple Leafs. Bob Wren is playing his
one and only NHL Playoff game, one of six NHL
Playoff games he will play in his career. But Patrick
(03:59):
Laline zero point three to two goals against a nine
to eighty eight say percentage. They had just waxed the Flyers,
they were well rested, and they had been five to
nothing in Game one against the Maple Leafs. So Senators
as confident I think as they ever were at any
point in the Battle of Ontario. Maybe yeah, No, I
(04:20):
think this is probably peak like senators optimism in the
Battle of Ontario.
Speaker 2 (04:25):
I think it had. Yeah, I think they're happening. I
was the thing. I can't really remember if it's this
game specifically, because so many from these years, kind of
after Horemon Here's it's been now eighteen years, sort of
blend together in my brain. But I feel like this series,
like the pregame jitters and hype that you would get
right before puck drop, was like also at its peak,
(04:47):
Like I remember this was like jump up and down
in your living room as they were like settling in
for the opening face off kind of tension.
Speaker 1 (04:55):
I remember it was fun like a minute in Kujo
last and make a ridiculous safe a minute into the game. Yeah,
they jump on him, Yes, And we talked about this
a little bit at the end of the last episode.
But the experience of watching Curtis Joseph going back and
looking at it, just the pure like every save was
(05:17):
athleticism and nothing else. He would dive at any puck
that was low. Sliding around rebounds sometimes would be a thing,
but it's sort of amazing he was effective at all.
Speaker 2 (05:28):
When I go back and watch it, Yeah, there's well,
I'm sure We'll talk about this save a little later,
but there's a save in one of the overtimes where
I think Hosa tries to go five hole and instead
of just like dropping to his knees to stop the
puck in his chest, he just kicks out both his
feet to kick it away. Yeah, and it's like, it
(05:50):
just seems so unnecessary. You were talking last episode about like,
was Alex mcgilney sort of ahead of his time? I
truly wonder what Curtis Joseph would have been like as
a goaltender today.
Speaker 1 (06:03):
Yeah, well, any extra movement today is penalized, basically.
Speaker 2 (06:07):
That's what I mean, Like, would he have been like
a replacement level goaltender in twenty twenty. It's odd the.
Speaker 1 (06:14):
Maple Leafs do score first. What a shift from Domie
corson p Lash Green like grinds awesome. Courson gets it
in deep Domey with a big hit. Courson digs it,
gets back to Carol p Lash who pinches in, goes
all the way around behind the net and finds Travis Green,
(06:36):
your current coach the Vancouver Canucks. By the way, Travis Green,
this has to be my fondest Travis Green memory.
Speaker 2 (06:44):
I would say, yeah, I think it's God. I don't
know if there's I can't like other than him just
being associated with these teams. I can't say that I
have like a ton of real fon Travis Green memories
except his mullet when he was younger.
Speaker 1 (07:05):
Another thing that I had this written down a bunch
of times. And I know we already talked about Kujo,
but his fearlessness playing the puck is unbelievable. It's ridiculous. Yeah,
it doesn't matter where the like he goes and gets
it and it's all.
Speaker 2 (07:21):
It's not only ridiculous, it's it also seems again like
so much of what he does unnecessary, Like he has
he knows he has not that like the defenders on
this team outside of you know, Cobberlet, McCabe, maybe one
two others, like they're not that they were great players,
like they're still there.
Speaker 1 (07:42):
They could have gone and got the puck, no trapezoid
back then, back there.
Speaker 2 (07:46):
That's true. That is true. Another wrinkle as to how
Kujo would fit because like, I feel like that was
a lot of there's a like belfour was like that too.
Belfour loved going out and playing the puck and he
was excellent at it. But it's interesting he's kind of
these guys at that time and what the NHL considered
like things that were holding scoring back that they had
(08:08):
to change in the lockout.
Speaker 1 (08:09):
He's fearless with it. He slaps it around the boards,
he'll tap it out front. It's it's pretty interesting to watch.
He seems really small too, like I. Yeah, he was
wearing road hockey equipment.
Speaker 2 (08:21):
Basically, I loved his pads though I was a huge
fan of the Kujo pads. Maybe it's just nostalgia, but
I like the aesthetics.
Speaker 1 (08:29):
Yeah, I'm with it. I think they had some stylish
goal is obviously, Phillies Pod fan Uh and belfour came
in with that classic setup, a stylish tongue game, a
police goalie. Anyway, a few minutes after Travis Green goal,
it's our faves, it's your faves, it's mcgilney gets it
into the sort of MUCKs it up on a for check.
(08:52):
They cough it up the Tucker bank to nothing. Maple
leafs good.
Speaker 2 (08:57):
High for having.
Speaker 1 (09:00):
Joseph hurdles. Joseph was Son was already going n Honna
high shot Oliver Hi Brady.
Speaker 2 (09:18):
I wasn't sure when we were going into this which
leaf team this was, But I've rewatching this game and
like obviously for the end of this game, but just
in general, Gary Roberts was insanely good for this run,
and like I remember that, I mean it was him
and McCauley were the big scorers in this run. Like
everyone who's a Leafs fan from back then will always
(09:40):
remember Roberts McCauley. But like, how did Alan mccaully not
have become like the superstar that he looked like in
these three weeks? And man, Gary Roberts just so much
better than I remember, Like I remember him scoring a
lot in these playoffs, but he was dominant on the ice.
Speaker 1 (09:58):
I have I go into the into my notes here
I was taking as I was watching, and so many
times I'm just noting that, like Roberts doesn't look tired,
he doesn't look like shook at all. Like he's just
so calm. It's awesome. He's so cool and collected and
within himself. And like, man, Gary fucking Roberts.
Speaker 2 (10:20):
Hey, Like I think we talked about it a lot
with the Raptors and how Kawi sort of had that
settling presence to him and I was thinking watching this
game of a team that's like, as we've said, it's
a must win game at home hated rivals, and it
(10:40):
just keeps going. I feel like Robert's presence really sort
of there's a couple of minutes throughout the game where
you can see the Leafs kind of knowing that Sundean's
not there to do this, but I feel like Roberts
really like kept them together and kept them whole for
not just this game, but especially this game.
Speaker 1 (11:00):
Things get a little back and forth in the period,
but through twenty acc is rocking to nothing. Mayple Leafs.
Things looking good. Second period starts, Travis Green has taken
the opening draw and there's I think it's hair and
(11:22):
Neil is like, Travis Green's been incredible tonight. He scored
and he's six and oho on the draws, and I
think because they scored that goal with the aggressive play
of Domi and Courson and they're looking to do that
same tone to start the season. Green immediately cross checks
somebody in a face ten seconds, just immediately as soon
(11:43):
as the periods.
Speaker 2 (11:45):
But that's what you did then, right, that was the
sort of you're up to nothing, go literally punch them
in the mouth. Even if you take a penalty, it
sends the message and then we know what happened.
Speaker 1 (11:56):
The Sens push really pushed the tempo. Like I think
one of the things we didn't mention when recapping the
Battle of Ontario was a lot of the time the
Maple Leafs weren't the better team, right they were winning,
Like I think this game is a nice example of it,
and this series maybe is like the Leafs don't play
(12:17):
better this entire game. They're not dominant wire to wire,
right like Ottawa pushes the tempo for basically the entire
second period and a lot of the third.
Speaker 2 (12:26):
Well, I mean you look at the guys on the
ice for both like take away mcgilney and obviously Sindin
who wasn't playing, and like you can Art Roberts kind of,
but it's not really his style. Like there weren't a
lot of skill guys quote unquote on this Leaf's team,
and the Senators were just as you said last episode,
(12:48):
you know, Hosa Halat Alfredson, like they had guys Sammy Sallow,
like Fisher.
Speaker 1 (12:54):
Like Radic Bunk, radc Bunk.
Speaker 2 (12:57):
They were very different styles And I wonder and like
it does almost seem like the Sanens were more. This
Serens team was not fully obviously but had more a
little bit of like a build towards what you see today,
or at least more so the Mapleaceid. This Mayplex team
was very much like and I think it's why it
(13:18):
took us so many years in the city to get
over truculence. Like these teams were, yeah, they like Darcy
Tucker could also score, but like these teams were a
bunch of guys who just hit people and then sometimes
can also score.
Speaker 1 (13:33):
Yeah, Thereefs are very slow in this game with the
with the yeah of mcgilney, not a lot of like
speed play. There's a lot of chip and chase, a
lot of like put in the puck sort of to
the middle and into nowhere, and a lot of crashing,
a lot of guys flying around.
Speaker 2 (13:52):
I remember that for years with the Maplex, like when
we got Jason Blake, who obviously never lived up to
his contract, but the idea of having a guy who
was fast and could score was like, oh, this is
the missing piece, And I guess in retrospect it's also
sort of the thing that we talked like, how did
they never put real scoring pieces alongside Sundean, which will
(14:15):
forever be sort of the great question.
Speaker 1 (14:18):
Yeah, I think the gill only was a nice fit,
and this team is pretty closely built. I think this
and the Ron Francis Brian Leach won is probably as
close as they got to really giving him the balance
and the options. But they also would they would play
oakuind on this line.
Speaker 2 (14:35):
So that's right. Maybe that's why I hated him so much.
Speaker 1 (14:38):
Third period things. My big note here was how dangerous
Mike Fisher becomes for like five six minutes. There's just
a span where he is on fire. He scores three
minutes in.
Speaker 2 (14:53):
You know, impossible, very Kujo goal, right, not very much
at all. Start and impossible as a shot beats Joseph
high from the first side, Ottawa.
Speaker 1 (15:10):
Just circling around with it and coming out and before
you good blink, the shot was fired hi by the Fisher.
Joseph didn't move at all. It's time. It was a
very Kujo goal. As I sort of mentioned earlier that
Kujo would make two incredible saves on cross ice things
(15:31):
or one timers and big flashy gloves save and then
he would let in a screened rister that you're just like, ugh,
just move your pad a little bit. It's a seeing
eye one from Mike Fisher.
Speaker 2 (15:45):
I do wonder, you know, like we were talking last
episode about how the Leams sort of will always be
remembered for the flubs in Game seven, and like I
think that Curtis Joseph was a better goaltender than Patrick o'leim,
but like maybe Kujo's flubs were just at the right
time because like he did just as he did these
all the time, and like he but he didn't do
(16:06):
them in the big, big games. So I it's a
funny retrospective career.
Speaker 1 (16:12):
I think absolutely, Oh, I would agree. He's he's a
very interesting sort of goalie of the era, of a
type that doesn't really exist anymore. Boy maple Leae, like
the acc gets really nervous and quiet. My big takeaway
from the from the most of the third period is
you really see Chara starting to blossom into like what
(16:34):
will become a dominant defenseman who's still in the league.
Where eighteen years later and he's still in the frigging league.
He's he's going in front of the net, he's like
completely shutting down his own blue line. It's it's impressive
and he plays a shitload of minutes in this game.
Speaker 2 (16:52):
Yeah, this is like one of the first of many
many memories I have as an ap Lea's fan, being
like he's just big, like whatever, charge is not that
good and then just absolutely bodying us for eighteen years now.
Speaker 1 (17:06):
He plays forty four minutes and nineteen seconds in this
game First On First On Ottawa, but Maple least McCabe
plays fifty two minutes. You can believe that.
Speaker 2 (17:16):
Brian McCay played so much because this team had no defense. Yeah,
they had mccabn Cobberlet, and that was kind of it
for I guess until like, I mean, Yeskavich was there
and then he went out for Sveala and they got Leech.
But like, the defense on these teams were mcab and
Cobberlet for a long time.
Speaker 1 (17:34):
Totally. No, your Kaylume plays two minutes and ten seconds
in a game that goes.
Speaker 2 (17:42):
But that that's wild.
Speaker 1 (17:44):
Why Wade Blac also played in this game as a defenseman,
I believe you're correct, he plays less than ten minutes.
So we're talking about two guys combining to play ten minutes.
The rest of it is all mccab and Cobberley.
Speaker 2 (17:59):
There's a great Bob Cole moment near the end of
the third period. I think might be in the first overtime,
but I think it's in the third period where obviously
Thomas Coberley's whole thing in Toronto was that he was
that he doesn't shoot, and which I always thought was
a silly thing to pin on him, but has I
do blame him for spawning all of the shoot men
(18:22):
that exist in Toronto now. But Bob Cole is a
great moment where Coble has the puck at the top
at the blue line, and Bob Coles goes Cobralet has
it doesn't like to shoot for some reason, and then
just laughs as Cobraley passes it, and it just seemed
like such a like a dad watching a hockey game
(18:43):
for a like major national broadcaster that also steing a broadcast.
This game is on ESPN two, as was all of
the NHL playoffs, which is funny.
Speaker 1 (18:52):
This third period ends like hilariously the final twenty seconds,
the maple Leaves turn it over in their own slot
twice and then Gary Roberts basically gets a clean shot
seconds before the buzzer goes and completely fans on it
and it rolls off the back of a stick. Both
teams nearly give this game away in the final twenty
(19:12):
seconds of the regulation.
Speaker 2 (19:13):
It didn't look like a game that was gonna go
three overtimes, I would put it that way.
Speaker 1 (19:17):
Should be noted Aki Berg is on the ice on
the third turnovers, that's where they were at. But anyway,
two too Maple Leafs. It's been a minute. They haven't
scored since the first period, and they only scored maybe
they didn't score anything in the first game. So we're
through six periods this series. Maple Leafs are outscored seven
(19:39):
to two, so Outawa is feeling pretty good. I think
they drove to play definitely through the second period, and
I think they drove the play for most of the
third period. I remember thinking this was probably it, and
like you said, didn't feel like it would be a
long series or a long game. I thought Ottawa had
(20:01):
all the momentum and was about to come out and
score in the third period.
Speaker 2 (20:05):
I did too, and then in retrospect this, uh, this
series really is sort of and this game is sort
of emblematic of what the battle of Ontario was like
back then. Yeah, like Ottawa just outscoring leaves seven to
two through six periods and they lose just seems I
(20:27):
think in retrospect I get it more now of like
the Senator is just like severe dislike of the Torontomo beliefs.
Speaker 1 (20:35):
Yeah, absolutely, for every every reason you could think of it.
It's a we had Tucker, I mean, and you know me, Yeah,
I think Ottawa they have Chris Neil for this game,
and he was sort of brought in to be a
counter to that group and he was.
Speaker 2 (20:52):
Man, I hated Chris Neil.
Speaker 1 (20:54):
Oh my god, he's effective being Chris Neil.
Speaker 2 (20:56):
Yeah, exactly. And Domy was effective at being tied don't
but he was ours I guess which is I don't know.
And speaking of careers that haven't aged, well, I.
Speaker 1 (21:05):
Was never a big Domie guy even that wasn't like
I never propped him up, you know, yeah, no, I'm
I'm with you. I wanted him to be anybody else
that would have been great with me.
Speaker 2 (21:18):
Yeah, it always felt like if they could use that
roster spot on another guy who could score, it would
have been fine. But like at the meltdown in the city,
would have been unbelievable. They got Tidome in two thousand
and two.
Speaker 1 (21:30):
That's true. So we move forward. We have completed regulation time.
The ACC as we know it is switched into nervous mode.
We've seen some flurries both ways, some great saves, and
a lot of big names. We are about to head
(21:50):
into three more periods of overtime. We will sink our
teeth into that in the next episode, A sports felt story.
(22:43):
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