Latest / OneLegUpAlex Media / Terminello's Take on The First Round of NHL and NBA Playoffs ft. Pags Perspective 4-18-26 (recorded 4-16-26)
Transcript
- 0:02Speaker 1: Here's your host, Alex Garrett.
- 0:07Speaker 2: Welcome back to one I Got Alex Media, and with
- 0:09Speaker 2: us again is lou Terminello. Terminello's take. First of all,
- 0:13Speaker 2: louis happy birthday. You had a birthday yesterday.
- 0:18Speaker 1: Alex, thank you very much for the birthday wishes. I
- 0:22Speaker 1: appreciate it. Good to be back with you. Thanks for
- 0:24Speaker 1: having me as always, and yeah, you know, another year
- 0:30Speaker 1: off the calendar.
- 0:32Speaker 2: And the interesting thing is, as you know, my dad
- 0:34Speaker 2: had passed on April fifteenth. He was an accountant. But
- 0:37Speaker 2: you knew my dad well, so it's kind of a
- 0:38Speaker 2: synchronousy that in that sense.
- 0:45Speaker 1: Yeah, no, I remember your dad passed on. He was
- 0:48Speaker 1: an account and he passed on my birthday and three
- 0:52Speaker 1: years ago. So yeah, obviously I remember when you game,
- 0:57Speaker 1: when you game to call tell me that he passed
- 1:00Speaker 1: on the night of.
- 1:01Speaker 2: But you also met him, which is pretty cool also
- 1:03Speaker 2: that you got to meet him over Oh well, I
- 1:05Speaker 2: met him.
- 1:06Speaker 1: He was quite a character. I had some good conversations
- 1:10Speaker 1: with him. He probably listened to some of my observations
- 1:15Speaker 1: and so I was crazy. But that's okay, and a community.
- 1:25Speaker 2: Anyway, let's talk about something.
- 1:28Speaker 1: We'll talk about God Rest God, rest his son.
- 1:31Speaker 2: Thank you. Well, we'll get into the hockey and everything
- 1:34Speaker 2: by whatever.
- 1:35Speaker 1: You want you fire away, Alex, whatever you.
- 1:36Speaker 2: Want to talk with two twenty five. I think just
- 1:40Speaker 2: to get to MetLife Stadium for the FIFA World Cup.
- 1:44Speaker 2: Now you're in Jersey, but you're not spending that exactly
- 1:47Speaker 2: amount just to get there, right.
- 1:50Speaker 1: Uh No, And I heard parking is going to be
- 1:52Speaker 1: at a premium and I don't mean premium, yes, preming prices,
- 1:58Speaker 1: but also just screamingham access to parking spaces. A lot
- 2:03Speaker 1: of parking spaces are going to be uh used for
- 2:07Speaker 1: other reasons at the uh at MetLife. Uh you know, uh,
- 2:13Speaker 1: tents and stuff like that. You can't you know that
- 2:16Speaker 1: you won't be able to tailgate even in your parking
- 2:20Speaker 1: spot at met Life. By the way, it's not being
- 2:23Speaker 1: called met Life. It's being called New Jersey New York Stadium,
- 2:28Speaker 1: which is just ridiculous. But uh and you know it's
- 2:33Speaker 1: it's it's it's.
- 2:34Speaker 2: Where they're not covering the MetLife sign.
- 2:38Speaker 1: I don't know, Alex, they are. I really don't know,
- 2:41Speaker 1: because I know they called Sofi Stadium, Los Angeles Stadium,
- 2:47Speaker 1: the stadium in Kansas City, which I think has a
- 2:49Speaker 1: new name. Obviously used to be called Arrowhead. I think
- 2:52Speaker 1: it's just being called Kansas City Kansas City Stadium. It's
- 2:57Speaker 1: almost like what the NCAA does when they cover up
- 3:03Speaker 1: the signs at the NCAA events. It's stupid. But they've
- 3:11Speaker 1: made this They've made this World Cup tournament very very exclusive,
- 3:20Speaker 1: and they'll do well with the games. But uh, it's like,
- 3:29Speaker 1: I like, I'll be watching on my sofa on Fox.
- 3:35Speaker 1: That's what I'm gonna be doing. I don't plan ongoing.
- 3:38Speaker 2: Well, you're you're Italian team. Italy lost and heartbreaker in
- 3:42Speaker 2: the qualifiers, so they will not make it. Now, you
- 3:44Speaker 2: said that's their third straight.
- 3:48Speaker 1: Yes, that's the third straight World Cup that they've missed.
- 3:52Speaker 1: For one of the top soccer playing nations in the world.
- 3:55Speaker 1: You know, they've won the World Cup four times.
- 3:58Speaker 2: Years ago they on you know, Yeah, yes, you know
- 4:07Speaker 2: they have.
- 4:07Speaker 1: They have a just a great history and but not
- 4:13Speaker 1: making three straight World Cups, especially in a World Cup
- 4:17Speaker 1: where they they expanded the field from thirty two to
- 4:19Speaker 1: forty eight teams is not good. So it's a national
- 4:24Speaker 1: disaster back in Italy.
- 4:27Speaker 2: Well, I'll tell you we are waiting. I mean, look,
- 4:32Speaker 2: the Donovan era was was fun m you know, but
- 4:38Speaker 2: then they had the cleans Orf, which is their awful coach.
- 4:40Speaker 2: And now they've gotten you know, it's it's a fresh
- 4:43Speaker 2: start for team USA Soccer. It really feels like that.
- 4:48Speaker 1: Yeah, you know, the USA Soccer have made more of
- 4:54Speaker 1: them ark in these tournaments over the years. They probably
- 4:58Speaker 1: they have a chance to get out of the group stage.
- 5:01Speaker 1: I really don't expect anything after that, Alex, I really
- 5:04Speaker 1: don't so, but it'll be an interesting five week from
- 5:11Speaker 1: June thirteenth to July nine.
- 5:14Speaker 2: Excuse me, So you don't expect them to be at
- 5:17Speaker 2: ment life.
- 5:17Speaker 1: Excuse me, Alex.
- 5:19Speaker 2: You don't expect them to compete for the final, is
- 5:21Speaker 2: what you're saying.
- 5:23Speaker 1: No, no, no, no, no, you got you got England,
- 5:25Speaker 1: you got Spain in uh you know, just to name two.
- 5:30Speaker 1: Uh of course Brazil will you know, will always be
- 5:33Speaker 1: up there, Germany will be up there. I mean, Norway
- 5:36Speaker 1: has two of the best play world. They'll get far
- 5:40Speaker 1: in a tournament. But yeah, no, I hey, I hope
- 5:44Speaker 1: I'm wrong, but it would be it would be almost
- 5:49Speaker 1: a miracle run for them to get deep in the tournament.
- 5:52Speaker 1: That's that's my opinion. But it'll be an interesting month,
- 5:56Speaker 1: like I said, interested in five weeks, Well, it'll be
- 6:01Speaker 1: a look forward to the city.
- 6:05Speaker 2: All right. Now, let's get to the tough, the real stuff,
- 6:08Speaker 2: because obviously, you know, Rangers breakup day, maybe the Devils
- 6:13Speaker 2: and Islanders or tomorrow, but.
- 6:18Speaker 1: These breakupdays are always they're the Rangers and Devils. The
- 6:21Speaker 1: Islanders and Devils already had their breakup day. They ended
- 6:25Speaker 1: on Tuesday, Rangers on Wednesday.
- 6:28Speaker 2: Some of these days are very insightful, you know. I mean,
- 6:30Speaker 2: you get a lot of insight on their exit interviews.
- 6:32Speaker 1: If you will.
- 6:33Speaker 2: But I think still for the Islanders, even though it
- 6:36Speaker 2: ended with a new coach, and you still think there's
- 6:39Speaker 2: a bright spot with this team, right, I mean ending
- 6:42Speaker 2: the season.
- 6:44Speaker 1: I mean it was a very successful season. I mean
- 6:47Speaker 1: they have ninety one points. The Edmonton Oilers have ninety
- 6:50Speaker 1: one points, you know when they're in a playoff spot.
- 6:53Speaker 1: The Anaheim Ducks have ninety points. And I think the
- 6:56Speaker 1: Islanders are better than than Anaheim because Anaheim defensively is terrible. Offensively,
- 7:03Speaker 1: they're they're they're good. But again, real quickly, just summing
- 7:06Speaker 1: up the unders and you know this is this is
- 7:09Speaker 1: the first time ever that the New York Islanders and
- 7:13Speaker 1: New York Rangers and New Jersey Devils all missed the
- 7:15Speaker 1: playoffs together in the same season, and really since since
- 7:21Speaker 1: the Devils moved from Denver to the Meadowlands in nineteen
- 7:25Speaker 1: eighty two, only four times have the Devils, Islanders, and
- 7:30Speaker 1: Rangers all three of them made the playoffs in one
- 7:33Speaker 1: in the same playoff season nineteen ninety, nineteen ninety four,
- 7:37Speaker 1: two and seven, and most recently twenty twenty three. But
- 7:45Speaker 1: it was a successful season for the Islanders, there's no
- 7:48Speaker 1: doubt about it. Disappointed. I'm disappointed they and make the playoffs.
- 7:52Speaker 1: I think they would had a great shot in the
- 7:53Speaker 1: first round aga in Pittsburgh. But let's face Alex, what
- 7:59Speaker 1: did them in It's not It's not what happened the
- 8:01Speaker 1: last week the season. It's what's happened from day one
- 8:06Speaker 1: and in the past. Their power play was at the
- 8:12Speaker 1: bottom of the league. Again, that's what caused them four
- 8:15Speaker 1: or five victories. Case closed. The special teams have.
- 8:20Speaker 2: To get better, They have to get better turn around.
- 8:27Speaker 2: I really like Pete the Boor turning this team around.
- 8:29Speaker 2: For for the Islanders, I really could see a solid
- 8:33Speaker 2: transition into you know era.
- 8:37Speaker 1: But again not not not to not not to not
- 8:42Speaker 1: Pete the boar all these nh The NHL recycles coaches,
- 8:47Speaker 1: bouncing from team to team to team to team, more
- 8:50Speaker 1: than any team in North American sports only. I think
- 8:53Speaker 1: European Soccer A recycles coaches more than than the National
- 8:57Speaker 1: Hockey League. Yes, I think he was a good choice
- 9:00Speaker 1: for the for the Islanders, but they you know, they
- 9:08Speaker 1: need a stud defenseman and they have a potential one
- 9:11Speaker 1: down in a Downs who played in junior hockey. They
- 9:14Speaker 1: should have played for the Barry Colts Keshawn Atkinson. They
- 9:18Speaker 1: got him through a pick that they obtained for Noah
- 9:20Speaker 1: Dopson in the tray of Montreal. He's drafted sixteenth or
- 9:24Speaker 1: seventeenth overall. Victor Eckland actually played. He was the other
- 9:28Speaker 1: pick and he actually played on the last game and
- 9:32Speaker 1: he and he and he did well. He's small, he's
- 9:35Speaker 1: five to eleven, but they need a stud defenseman, and
- 9:38Speaker 1: I have seen Achigens play not a lot. This guy
- 9:41Speaker 1: has a great shot, a quick release, and he hits.
- 9:46Speaker 1: So I don't know how far away Atkinson is from
- 9:50Speaker 1: making the NHL, but he's some I mean obviously he's
- 9:56Speaker 1: on a path to make the National Hockey League. But
- 9:58Speaker 1: they alos have nine fourwards over thirty years old. That's
- 10:01Speaker 1: a question. What's gonna happen with with anders Lee, a
- 10:06Speaker 1: great captain, an outstanding Islander. Do they sign him for
- 10:09Speaker 1: more year? Do they let him go? That's that's a
- 10:13Speaker 1: tough situation for them. They need a backup goalie. Elosa
- 10:18Speaker 1: Rogan was past at the end. Uh He's great, but
- 10:22Speaker 1: he was you could see how exhausted he was. Is
- 10:25Speaker 1: Scott Mayfield? Is Anthony Duclaire? Are they coming back? And
- 10:29Speaker 1: they still have some of those long term deals that
- 10:31Speaker 1: Lou Lamorello signed that they got to try to get
- 10:34Speaker 1: out of and try to overcome to improve the team.
- 10:36Speaker 1: You know, as we said last week, the free agency
- 10:42Speaker 1: market is not is not plentiful this year. It's not
- 10:46Speaker 1: great free agents as far as the Rangers go. I mean,
- 10:50Speaker 1: nobody thought that they would finish with the worst rerec
- 10:52Speaker 1: in the Eastern Conference. I certainly didn't. I thought they
- 10:55Speaker 1: were going to be, you know, in the playoffs, and
- 10:58Speaker 1: I thought they were going to be a nuisance in
- 11:01Speaker 1: the playoffs. But that didn't happen. I mean, it looks
- 11:05Speaker 1: like Gay Perrot is gonna be on the team. This year.
- 11:09Speaker 1: He was up and down, you know, from Hartford to
- 11:12Speaker 1: to MSG. I think he'll be a fixture for the
- 11:15Speaker 1: for the Rangers next year. I guess Dylan grand will
- 11:19Speaker 1: be the backup bulltender unless they have came one in
- 11:26Speaker 1: the off season. But everybody's looking for goaltenders. But he
- 11:31Speaker 1: played well, He played well with la Frenier and with Sabanajad.
- 11:36Speaker 1: But they don't even though la Frenier's new deal kicks
- 11:39Speaker 1: in next year. Are they going to put him up
- 11:44Speaker 1: for trade? Is Adam Fox going to be back? Are
- 11:46Speaker 1: they going to put him up for trade? What's gonna
- 11:49Speaker 1: happen when Vidi Trochek, who they really try to get
- 11:51Speaker 1: rid of at the trade deadline? Those are all questions
- 11:56Speaker 1: for the for the Rangers, you know, ironically, Mike Sullivan
- 11:59Speaker 1: for the forts Idea doesn't make the playoffs. And the
- 12:02Speaker 1: Pittsburgh the Pittsburgh Penguins, who we've talked about during the
- 12:06Speaker 1: hockey season. We're going to Trey Crosby at the deadline.
- 12:10Speaker 1: They're going to trade Maalcoln at the deadline. Uh, you know,
- 12:14Speaker 1: Eric Carlson was washed up. They hired the Rangers assistant
- 12:17Speaker 1: coach from last year. He gets them to second place.
- 12:20Speaker 1: They have home ice against Philly in the first round.
- 12:24Speaker 1: Uh and Mike Sullivan has gone four years without making
- 12:28Speaker 1: the playoffs. Did the Rangers hire the right coach? I
- 12:31Speaker 1: don't know. I mean I think they did, and you
- 12:35Speaker 1: got to give them more than one year. Did the
- 12:38Speaker 1: New Jersey Devil's high the right coach two years ago?
- 12:41Speaker 1: And Sheldon Keith two weeks ago? They fired a general manager.
- 12:46Speaker 1: They're looking for a new one. And I guess they're
- 12:50Speaker 1: going to have a president of hockey operations and a
- 12:58Speaker 1: general manager. And this Ony Meta from the Florida Panthers
- 13:02Speaker 1: has been interviewed I think ready by the Toronto Maple Leafs.
- 13:06Speaker 2: Actually, Lou Terminillo, we have some breaking news being of hockey,
- 13:10Speaker 2: Ryan Pagano. What's the news?
- 13:12Speaker 3: So breaking news on the Devil's front? And how are
- 13:15Speaker 3: you doing?
- 13:15Speaker 1: Lou?
- 13:16Speaker 3: Happy belated birthday, but the New Jersey Devil.
- 13:19Speaker 1: Ryan hold on, hold on the birthday wishes. I think
- 13:23Speaker 1: I know what the breaking news is gonna be. But
- 13:25Speaker 1: you can go. I'll let you do it. I think
- 13:27Speaker 1: I got I think I know what it's gonna be.
- 13:29Speaker 3: All right, so the Devils have their man. It's their
- 13:31Speaker 3: new GM, and it iss assistant GM Sonny Meta.
- 13:38Speaker 1: I actually thought you were gonna tell me that day
- 13:42Speaker 1: let go Sheldon Keith, although I.
- 13:46Speaker 3: Wouldn't be surprised if that were to come at something.
- 13:49Speaker 4: So yes, the season played out and all the expectations
- 13:54Speaker 4: that they definitely did not reach. Disappointed by Devil standards
- 13:59Speaker 4: by far, so uh fiery Sheldon Keith. As far as
- 14:02Speaker 4: next season is concerned, that's definitely not out of the question.
- 14:07Speaker 1: Without of that, I mean, yeah, now they they should
- 14:11Speaker 1: be in the playoffs. The you know, the most disappointed
- 14:15Speaker 1: team in the NHL is the is the Maple Leafs,
- 14:19Speaker 1: who you know, just their free fall so quickly is astonishing.
- 14:24Speaker 1: But that's breaking news. Thank you, Ryan, appreciated.
- 14:30Speaker 4: As I'm still dealing with the disappointment that has been
- 14:33Speaker 4: this Aisle season.
- 14:34Speaker 3: But you know, you gotta do what you gotta do.
- 14:36Speaker 1: Either way, it was, it was. It was a terrifect
- 14:40Speaker 1: season we had. Hey, Brian, we have ninety one points
- 14:46Speaker 1: going into their last game tonight. The Edmonton Oilers have
- 14:49Speaker 1: ninety one points. If if the Islanders were in the
- 14:52Speaker 1: Western Conference, they would be in the playoffs. But as
- 14:55Speaker 1: I said to Alex Are in the podcast, the reason
- 14:58Speaker 1: the are in the playoffs now, what happened, Yes, it's
- 15:02Speaker 1: freshen online what happened the last couple of weeks of
- 15:04Speaker 1: the season. But what killed the Islanders is that their
- 15:07Speaker 1: power play was abysmal from day one. It cost them
- 15:11Speaker 1: four or five victories at least if they were.
- 15:14Speaker 3: Twenty nine recall overall, this season.
- 15:20Speaker 4: Terrible as far as power and the fact that they
- 15:23Speaker 4: haven't power play since seventeen eighteen.
- 15:28Speaker 3: I don't know. That kind of says a lot here
- 15:30Speaker 3: with how dire those things.
- 15:34Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean because five on five, if statistically the
- 15:39Speaker 1: Islanders were good, they were. They were good if you
- 15:43Speaker 1: look at all the analytics five on five. But again,
- 15:46Speaker 1: it was a good year. We have this phenomenal young kid,
- 15:49Speaker 1: and we enjoyed watching him play every night. He played
- 15:51Speaker 1: all a two games. Some NBA player should look at
- 15:54Speaker 1: Matthew Schaeffer play all lady two games, played over twenty
- 15:58Speaker 1: four minutes a game, and he's gonna win the Rookie
- 16:01Speaker 1: of the Year, and you know he's a lynch pin.
- 16:05Speaker 1: But we move on and the NHL playoffs is gonna
- 16:08Speaker 1: be interesting. Though Alex only thing I don't like the
- 16:11Speaker 1: NHL playoffs structure. I don't like two versus three in
- 16:17Speaker 1: the in the division should be one to eight in
- 16:19Speaker 1: the conference. I mean Toronto and Montreal gonna excuse me,
- 16:23Speaker 1: Tampa Bay and Montreal gonna play in the first round.
- 16:26Speaker 1: That's and one of them's gonna get knocked out. I
- 16:28Speaker 1: really like Montreal and I think they can go far
- 16:31Speaker 1: if they get by Tampa. But if I was a
- 16:33Speaker 1: betting man and I'm not, I think Tampa has a
- 16:37Speaker 1: great shot with their experience, they have, my opinion, the
- 16:40Speaker 1: best coach in the NHL and John Cooper. I think
- 16:45Speaker 1: you might see for the seventh straight year a Flora
- 16:48Speaker 1: franchise representing the Eastern Conference in the Stanley Cup Final.
- 16:55Speaker 1: Cole Corfield, you know he scored fifty one goals. I
- 16:59Speaker 1: think he the most dangerous score in the NHL. The
- 17:02Speaker 1: guy can score from anywhere. He can score in traffic,
- 17:04Speaker 1: he can score with a check on him. He has
- 17:07Speaker 1: a quick release. He can score from the wisest of angle,
- 17:11Speaker 1: the tightest of angles angles because he's got he's great,
- 17:15Speaker 1: great accuracy. If Montreal gets goaltending, they can be Tampa
- 17:20Speaker 1: Bay but Tampa Bay has Vasileski and they have that
- 17:23Speaker 1: wealth of playoff experience. So it'll be an interesting season.
- 17:29Speaker 1: It really will. It really will. The goalies are going
- 17:33Speaker 1: to be the key throughout these NHL playoffs.
- 17:38Speaker 2: So the interesting thing is I feel like we have
- 17:41Speaker 2: don a New York team in the postseason for a
- 17:44Speaker 2: couple of years. I wonder if that diminishes people's interest
- 17:48Speaker 2: in the hockey world around here or with people keep following.
- 17:53Speaker 2: I mean I always watch hockey playoffs because I find
- 17:55Speaker 2: that's where the most intensity is and I miss that
- 17:59Speaker 2: kind of intensity in the work, you know.
- 18:03Speaker 1: Especially in the first round, Alex, especially in the first.
- 18:07Speaker 2: Round the Keystone State series, you know, the pet the
- 18:11Speaker 2: Penguins and the and the Flyers. Very intrigued by that.
- 18:15Speaker 2: I would go down just to see that series in Philly,
- 18:18Speaker 2: at least because it's closer. And the last time the
- 18:21Speaker 2: Flyers made it hasn't been for a while, right, I mean,
- 18:23Speaker 2: I don't remember them since.
- 18:27Speaker 1: Yes, this is the first time they made the playoffs
- 18:29Speaker 1: in five years they won five years not making the playoffs,
- 18:32Speaker 1: and we're well behind the playoff chase, and uh, you know,
- 18:40Speaker 1: really got hot, and uh that's going to be an
- 18:43Speaker 1: interesting series Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. Pittsburgh has the home ice,
- 18:49Speaker 1: but that will be an interesting series. And you know
- 18:51Speaker 1: it's going to be intense.
- 18:54Speaker 2: Uh.
- 18:54Speaker 1: I mean the worst team as far as having just
- 19:01Speaker 1: blowing it is is the Restings. I mean, they were
- 19:04Speaker 1: up twelve points on the playoff spot and just fell apart.
- 19:09Speaker 1: And that's a team with a lot of talent. They
- 19:11Speaker 1: fell apart. And as there's even someone talk that Stevie Eisenman,
- 19:17Speaker 1: are Wings icon, might lose his job.
- 19:21Speaker 2: You know, this is the thing about hiring This is
- 19:22Speaker 2: the thing about hiring your heroes, right, because I know
- 19:26Speaker 2: they didn't want to turn to Messier as the Rangers
- 19:28Speaker 2: I coach, because that would have been disaster if he
- 19:30Speaker 2: was a failure.
- 19:30Speaker 4: You know.
- 19:30Speaker 1: And here's and again eiser Man has been Yeah, as.
- 19:38Speaker 2: Called him little Stevie Eiserman. I remember that. Uh you
- 19:42Speaker 2: know he uh he he's a Red Wings hero. And
- 19:45Speaker 2: I guess although they've been on the come up a
- 19:48Speaker 2: little bit, right, I mean, they've been getting better, so.
- 19:51Speaker 1: Yeah, but you know, they made the playoffs twenty five
- 19:54Speaker 1: years in a row. They've missed the playoffs ten years
- 19:59Speaker 1: in a row. Home and they have a lot of
- 20:01Speaker 1: talent and look like on just before the Olympic break
- 20:06Speaker 1: there were in first place in the Atlantic division.
- 20:10Speaker 2: Let's talk about Maclin because I know that's a guy
- 20:12Speaker 2: that's on your mind and I know you want to
- 20:14Speaker 2: talk about him. Maclin Celebrini is just.
- 20:16Speaker 1: A great year. He had one hundred and fourteen points.
- 20:20Speaker 1: They didn't you know, they missed the playoffs. But he
- 20:26Speaker 1: is right up there for MVP. He's gonna be right
- 20:29Speaker 1: there for MVP with koocher off. Who I would vote for, uh,
- 20:34Speaker 1: McKinnon and McDavid.
- 20:36Speaker 2: I also think of the Ducks or anything of that
- 20:38Speaker 2: west Coat.
- 20:38Speaker 1: I mean the Ducks.
- 20:39Speaker 2: I always say this. I feel like this is their
- 20:42Speaker 2: chance to win a ring, and it's Crider's chance to
- 20:44Speaker 2: win a ring. They seem really good at this moment.
- 20:46Speaker 1: So yeah, it won't be this year, Alex. This is
- 20:53Speaker 1: this is phase one that the defense is atrocious. They
- 20:57Speaker 1: can score, but that then not going to Uh they're
- 21:02Speaker 1: not winning four playoff rounds, but they have They are
- 21:07Speaker 1: a team on the rise, a good mix of great
- 21:10Speaker 1: young talent and great and great veterans like Ryder, like
- 21:13Speaker 1: Jacob Trueber.
- 21:15Speaker 2: Absolutely what about you know the Utah Mammoth. I don't
- 21:20Speaker 2: know much about him, but I will say last year
- 21:22Speaker 2: they were competitive. This year they're in the postseason, so
- 21:25Speaker 2: they look like they've been a team that's gonna be
- 21:28Speaker 2: around for a while, even if they don't go far
- 21:30Speaker 2: this this this round.
- 21:32Speaker 1: Yeah, no, they are another team on the rise. Look
- 21:34Speaker 1: at the teams that UTI didn't make the playoffs. Last year.
- 21:37Speaker 1: Anahei didn't make the playoffs, Pittsburgh didn't make the playoffs
- 21:41Speaker 1: last year. Philadelphia didn't make the playoffs last year, Buffalo
- 21:44Speaker 1: didn't make the playoffs. Last year, Winnipeg got the won
- 21:47Speaker 1: the Presidents Trophy. Last year, they didn't make the playoffs.
- 21:51Speaker 1: Washington had the best record in the Eastern Conference. They
- 21:55Speaker 1: didn't make the playoffs. It looks like Alexandrokin is leaning
- 22:00Speaker 1: towards playing next year, and I was surprised a little bit.
- 22:03Speaker 1: His body language the last couple of weeks looked like
- 22:07Speaker 1: he was not coming back, but he today said it
- 22:12Speaker 1: seemed like he was leaning towards coming back, and that's
- 22:18Speaker 1: a good thing. I would I would ride Alex.
- 22:22Speaker 2: Absolutely no. It's it's good now elsewhere in the league.
- 22:26Speaker 2: You know, I think of Avetchkin and I think of
- 22:29Speaker 2: how he might there's retirement buzz with him. What are
- 22:32Speaker 2: your thoughts on that?
- 22:33Speaker 1: No? Like, I like H. He has indicated that he's
- 22:39Speaker 1: going to come back this year. He opened the door
- 22:42Speaker 1: a little bit like that. He's leaning towards coming back,
- 22:45Speaker 1: and I think that's a good thing.
- 22:47Speaker 2: The other team I want to talk about because I
- 22:48Speaker 2: do love Nate McKinnon is the ABS. I mean, I
- 22:50Speaker 2: think they're a front runner in this Stanley Cup final?
- 22:53Speaker 2: Are they not?
- 22:56Speaker 1: They are the front runner. They are the deepest team.
- 22:58Speaker 1: They have the they have a depus lines, their their
- 23:04Speaker 1: defense is terrific. They have the great McKinnon. Uh, they
- 23:10Speaker 1: have the great Cale mccarr Uh. I mean a great
- 23:14Speaker 1: that's a that's a fantastic commentation. They're gonna have home
- 23:19Speaker 1: ice throughout the Stanley Cup playoffs. I think they're dedicated
- 23:23Speaker 1: towards UH winning UH the Stanley Cup this year.
- 23:26Speaker 2: It will not be hard. It will not be easy.
- 23:29Speaker 1: I mean, you got you got UH Minnesota and UH
- 23:33Speaker 1: and and Dallas are gonna play each other in the
- 23:36Speaker 1: first round. That that shouldn't be they, like I said,
- 23:40Speaker 1: it should be one to eight, not not divisional playoffs.
- 23:44Speaker 1: But UH, if if I was if I was betting man,
- 23:49Speaker 1: I lean towards car I lean towards Colorado.
- 23:51Speaker 2: Right now, I'm learning to the playoff picture overall, and
- 23:54Speaker 2: I will tell you this, you know, I see the
- 23:57Speaker 2: Sabers are in and look that's a New York team
- 24:00Speaker 2: on the roof. For even though they're upstate, upstate, at
- 24:02Speaker 2: least we got someone from New York and Alex.
- 24:05Speaker 1: The Sabers have a better roster than the Bruins. Who's
- 24:08Speaker 1: gonna be playing in the first round? All that young
- 24:11Speaker 1: talent has finally meshed together. The only thing I would
- 24:18Speaker 1: like to see Buffalo win. I would like to see
- 24:20Speaker 1: Buffalo in the first round. But Boston has the experience,
- 24:28Speaker 1: they have Pastronok, they have Jeremy Swayman so at that
- 24:32Speaker 1: that could be a seven game series. I hope Buffalo
- 24:35Speaker 1: can advance.
- 24:36Speaker 2: I want to ask about this. So my friend was
- 24:38Speaker 2: talking to me of the NBA playoff game playing series,
- 24:41Speaker 2: and I really don't understand it. It's a mishmash. See
- 24:45Speaker 2: the ring. The eight team schedule for the NHL would
- 24:48Speaker 2: just work. Eighteen playoff for both divisions just commences, just works.
- 24:52Speaker 2: I don't think they should expand the postseason with the NHL,
- 24:55Speaker 2: I think that just works as is.
- 24:58Speaker 1: I totally agree with you, Alex, I definitely agree with you.
- 25:02Speaker 1: I mean, the fact that the NBA gives teams that
- 25:07Speaker 1: finished ninth and tenth in the regular season a chance
- 25:10Speaker 1: to get into the playoffs, I'm not I'm not in
- 25:16Speaker 1: favor of that. Of course, it's a way, it's a
- 25:19Speaker 1: way to make money. They sold the play in tournament
- 25:23Speaker 1: to Amazon, to Prime Video, excuse me, to Prime Video,
- 25:28Speaker 1: which that actually lost its lost its picture the other night,
- 25:37Speaker 1: like minutes ago in at real close Miami Charlotte game.
- 25:41Speaker 1: But I don't I mean, is the playing tournament? Is
- 25:44Speaker 1: there is there excitement to it? Yeah? I think there
- 25:46Speaker 1: is because it gives you like an NCAA fie, you know,
- 25:50Speaker 1: one game, you know, like an elimination type of situation quickly.
- 25:54Speaker 1: But I just don't rewarding the ninth and tenth place
- 25:57Speaker 1: teams that's just the same.
- 26:01Speaker 2: It's I do. Look, I think the expansion worked for
- 26:07Speaker 2: the NFL, for MLB an NBA, but it just wouldn't
- 26:11Speaker 2: work in the NHL. I just don't know why. I
- 26:13Speaker 2: just can't see it working in the NHL as an expansion.
- 26:15Speaker 1: So and I I agree with you.
- 26:20Speaker 2: I do, but as I as I said, and I'm
- 26:23Speaker 2: gonna post another podcast soon. At least the Knicks don't
- 26:27Speaker 2: have to worry about the plane. They're third. I mean,
- 26:29Speaker 2: they're solid third in the conference. And look, Trey young
- 26:36Speaker 2: Liss Hawks actually work better. I feel like they're actually
- 26:39Speaker 2: stronger without Trey. I don't know how that happened.
- 26:43Speaker 1: Well, that's one of the reasons why they probably got
- 26:45Speaker 1: They probably got rid of them. I'm gonna not sit
- 26:48Speaker 1: here and say I'm an expert on Atlanta Hawks, or
- 26:51Speaker 1: or or the NBA.
- 26:52Speaker 2: This year.
- 26:52Speaker 1: It was to me it was a terrible for the NBA.
- 26:56Speaker 1: And I actually was listening to an interview with a
- 26:59Speaker 1: former Nets, Hawks, Bulls and Miami Heat assistant head coach.
- 27:06Speaker 1: Kevin Lockery also was a coach droom coach of the
- 27:10Speaker 1: Philadelphia Sixers before he came to the Nets when they
- 27:13Speaker 1: were still in the ABA. He watches every game. The
- 27:16Speaker 1: guy is sharp as attack. He's in his mid eighties,
- 27:19Speaker 1: early the mid eighties. He said. He stays up until
- 27:22Speaker 1: one o'clock in the morning, even watches in the Sacramento
- 27:24Speaker 1: Gag so he knows what's going on in the league,
- 27:26Speaker 1: and he said he's never been more disappointed in the
- 27:29Speaker 1: NBA this year with the style of play. He said,
- 27:32Speaker 1: we had we called a play on every possession. He said,
- 27:36Speaker 1: we probably had too many plays. But there's no place
- 27:38Speaker 1: called in the NBA right now. And he's not a
- 27:41Speaker 1: fan of of of all these threes going up, like
- 27:46Speaker 1: the ninety seven, that one up and at game between
- 27:51Speaker 1: Charlotte and Miami in the playing tournament the other night.
- 27:56Speaker 1: So I don't really know, Alex. I don't think you
- 28:00Speaker 1: can take the regular season.
- 28:03Speaker 2: By the way, You're still a fit of Spuesta, right,
- 28:05Speaker 2: I know that you've been a big Yeah.
- 28:08Speaker 1: Yes, yeah, he's a fantastic coach. He can coach my
- 28:12Speaker 1: team any day. And uh, there's still some good coaches
- 28:18Speaker 1: in the NBA, there's no doubt about it. But I
- 28:22Speaker 1: don't know how to handicap this NBA playoff, Alex. Yes,
- 28:25Speaker 1: you got you got Oklahoma City, Uh, you got Denver,
- 28:28Speaker 1: you get you got San Antonio. Those are the three
- 28:31Speaker 1: best teams probably in the entire league. Uh, you know,
- 28:37Speaker 1: Wembin Yama is remarkable, and uh he's offensively great, he's
- 28:43Speaker 1: defensively great. But the players are gonna be a different story.
- 28:47Speaker 1: It's gonna it's gonna be more physical, uh in the East.
- 28:52Speaker 1: I mean, what the Celtics ted this year has been tremendous.
- 28:56Speaker 1: I don't know, uh how well Detroit is gonna face
- 29:01Speaker 1: the pressure. I mean, like two years ago they won
- 29:02Speaker 1: fourteen games, and the Knicks is gonna be right there
- 29:06Speaker 1: the next the Knick's gonna be right there. I don't
- 29:08Speaker 1: think I.
- 29:09Speaker 2: Keep saying it everywhere I'm at. This is the nixt
- 29:11Speaker 2: Privee right here. This is their time with.
- 29:14Speaker 1: Hard and this is their time. I mean it is.
- 29:18Speaker 1: And anything short of getting to the NBA Championship Series
- 29:22Speaker 1: is It's a disappointing season, all right.
- 29:25Speaker 2: On the next edition of one On the next edition
- 29:27Speaker 2: of One Leg a Ballex Media, listen to Pag's perspective
- 29:30Speaker 2: and Lou Terminel rip into the Mets. You'll hear that tomorrow.
- 29:34Speaker 2: We did record it, but the struggles still continue. We
- 29:38Speaker 2: recorded earlier in the week, but that didn't make a difference.
- 29:40Speaker 2: Won't find out what they have to say tomorrow. On
- 29:42Speaker 2: the Sunday edition of One Leg of balx Media,