Latest / Predators Official Podcast / Win Streak & New Preds!

Transcript

Win Streak & New Preds! · Predators Official Podcast

0:02
Santos across right side marshes so shoots and scores.
0:08
It's the podcast that loves the hockey team you love and sorrow
0:12
stops him with the blocker. This is the Predator's official
0:15
podcast with Cara Hammer and Max hers.
0:18
Santos left, circle Rooster his scores on one O 2 five and one O
0:24
6 three. The game at
0:26
nashvillepredators.com. This is the Predators official
0:31
podcast here on ESPN 102.5 and 106.3.
0:34
The game. My name is Max.
0:37
Hers from Preds Radio along with Kara Hammer from Preds TV.
0:42
Hello Hammer. Happy weekend.
0:45
Heavy week and Max, it's a great Friday night and the Predators
0:48
are ready in a four-game win streak.
0:50
So it's always exciting when we get to jump on the podcast and
0:53
talk about good things happening.
0:55
I guess what a silver lining to the week.
0:57
Obviously, you know, like we we're coming off of the trade
1:00
deadline. It's always a tough situation
1:02
when we're in the position of having to be sellers and you
1:06
lose guys, but but then to turn around and have four in a row
1:11
and have something positive to talk about, we can't complain.
1:14
We got four wins in a row. We've got some new Preds to
1:17
introduce you to and then we got a back-to-back this weekend in
1:20
Southern California. Preds will be in Anaheim on
1:23
Friday night. Some of you will be hearing this
1:25
episode on one O 25 the game right before we get our game
1:29
coverage ready for that one. And then Saturday at 7:00 the
1:33
Preds will visit the LA Kings. It's a back-to-back then back
1:36
home next week for three home games in Smashville on Ford
1:39
Military week. The Blues will be here on
1:41
Tuesday, the Ducks will be here on Thursday and then the Maple
1:45
Leafs will be here next Saturday.
1:46
So getting ready for more Preds hockey here down to just a month
1:49
left in the season, but four big wins this past week.
1:53
As Kara said, one win shy of the Preds longest winning streak of
1:57
the season so far will go all the way back to last Tuesday
2:02
night, March the 4th. When the Preds were in Boston
2:05
taking on the Bruins. They won that Game 6 three.
2:08
That was a decisive win for the Preds and the start of some new
2:11
line combinations that have really stuck throughout this
2:14
four-game winning streak. The line that got it done in
2:17
that game? Kara.
2:18
The self-proclaimed OHL line, the Ontario boys, Ryan O'Reilly,
2:23
Steven Stamkos and Luke Evangelista.
2:27
You know, that was like one of the first games that we saw the
2:29
press playing without Gus Nyquist, and I felt like Van
2:32
stepped in to that top role Max, and he really showcased his
2:36
ability. I feel like he's kind of found a
2:38
way to turn things around this season.
2:40
But a huge win against the Boston Bruins, I mean, I felt
2:43
like all eyes had been on Jeremy Swayman in the offseason,
2:46
whether or not he was going to sign with the Bruins.
2:47
And he was a net and the press were just finding a way to get
2:50
past him. And just a +2 points to pick up
2:54
to kick off this four-game off .4 game win streak.
2:57
Yeah, it was a big win against the Bruins team that I think is
3:00
fair to say did not handle the pressure of the trade deadline
3:03
as well as the Preds did, even though they are much closer to
3:06
the playoff line than the Preds are.
3:08
And it's shown in that game for sure.
3:10
Steven Stamkos snapped his career worst 13 game pointless
3:14
drought with three points, a goal and two assists.
3:17
Ryan O'Reilly had two goals and an assist.
3:20
Luke Evangelista had two assists.
3:22
It was a whole lot of fun to watch, and I think one of my
3:25
favorite goals of the season was in this game.
3:28
The fifth goal, The third goal created by that line, Ryan
3:32
O'Reilly batting the puck out of the air on a Steven Stamkos
3:36
centering pass and knocking it past Swayman and into the net to
3:39
make it 5. Three Preds.
3:41
As we record this podcast, Max, let's talk about Boston for a
3:45
second and the fact that Brad Marshan is no longer a Bruin,
3:49
which did you ever imagine saying those words that he is
3:53
now with the Florida Panthers? But you talk about Steven Samkos
3:57
and Ryan O'Reilly. I feel like when the the week of
3:59
the trade deadline, I think I kind of clicked that this team
4:02
has nothing to lose and we saw the guys start to have fun.
4:06
I feel like Derek McKenzie and I've talked about this so many
4:08
times during the intermission interview that hey, I I'm
4:11
noticing the guys are having fun.
4:13
They're playing without that weight on their shoulder
4:16
knowing, you know, we're going to lose some guys.
4:18
It's the trade deadline and I'll let's go out and find a way to
4:21
enjoy the sport that we get paid to play.
4:24
They certainly did in that game, taking care of the Bruins 63 the
4:27
final. It had been a while since the
4:29
Preds had won a road game. Before that they lost six Rd.
4:31
games in a row. A lot of numbers that were going
4:34
the wrong direction before that game and before this four-game
4:37
winning streak with the trade deadline in the middle with no
4:40
Roman Yossi. A lot of things have turned
4:42
around during the stretch for the Preds.
4:44
You see, Soros has won three of those four games during the
4:47
streak. That one in Boston was the
4:49
first, but the Preds have outshot their opponent and three
4:52
of these four wins. So it's been a little bit of a
4:55
nice breather for the goalies who have continued to play well
4:58
Soros and Ananan during this three-game Preds win streak.
5:02
Then the Preds game back home and swept A2 game home stand
5:05
with the trade deadline right in the middle.
5:07
We'll start off the game last Thursday.
5:09
A53 win against the Seattle Kraken. 2 nice goals for Philip
5:13
Forsberg Guerra. It was beautiful.
5:17
Phillip got the scoring started in the first period.
5:20
And how about Brady Shea also talk about another guy who
5:23
needed to add a little confidence to his resume this
5:26
season. He he netted one there in the
5:28
second period. But Max, my favorite moment of
5:31
that game had to be Ozzy Weisblatt picking up his first
5:34
NHL point. And I talked to Michael McCarron
5:37
about this and he said, hey, he's so much more physical than
5:40
I even expected. So I feel like Ozzy's come up
5:43
and he's found a way to make himself useful in the NHL.
5:46
He hasn't had easy assignments either, came up for two Rd.
5:49
games, then 21 offs since then and well, Kara.
5:55
The Preds are four and O in the four games Ozzy Weisblatt has
5:57
played in the NHL. Was Ozzy the answer?
6:02
He's the greatest player of all time according to Federer
6:04
Svechkov, who will tell you that himself coming up later in the
6:08
podcast here. So wise Black got his first
6:10
point. Philip Forsberg had two goals.
6:12
Preds took care of the crack in another team that did not handle
6:15
the trade deadline like the Preds did.
6:17
And the new line that popped up in this game necessitated by a
6:21
trade the night before. And Tommy Novak going to the
6:23
Penguins, Colton Sissons in between Philip Forsberg and
6:26
Jonathan Marshasil. Those guys have clicked well.
6:29
And we heard it from Colton Sissons on Preds radio this
6:32
week. He loves playing with Philip
6:33
Forsberg, and whenever he gets a chance to play with him, things
6:37
always go well. Hint hint 2017.
6:42
Hey, you can't complain. And I'm glad to see that Colton
6:45
Sistens is still a member of the Nashville Predators.
6:47
Max, I mean, I, I think in this game I, I interviewed Colton
6:50
Sistens, Michael McCarron and Ryan O'Reilly.
6:53
And afterwards I was wondering, are, are all three of these
6:56
centers going to be members of this team on Friday?
6:59
And thankfully all the guys were still here.
7:02
Yeah, you don't like to think about that thought in the back
7:05
of your head, but man, it's always there.
7:07
And the Preds only made one additional move on trade
7:10
deadline day. They traded Mark Jankowski to
7:13
the Hurricanes for a fifth round pick.
7:16
Before that, they traded Luke Shen and Tommy Novak for the
7:18
Penguins in exchange for Michael Bunting, who we will finally get
7:22
to see play for the Preds this weekend, and a fourth round pick
7:25
from the Penguins. And to start it off at the
7:27
beginning of the week, they traded Gus Nyquist to the Wild
7:30
for a second round pick. So certainly could have been
7:33
more moves, but Barry Trotz kept the guys he wanted to keep and
7:36
was adamant about that coming out of the deadline.
7:38
And we will introduce you to those new Preds coming up in our
7:42
second segment, Michael Bunting. And also to waiver claims from
7:45
that week, who made their Preds debuts, Jake Verana and Jordan
7:49
Osterly, New Preds for the rest of the season.
7:52
One guy who's been here all year playing his best hockey the last
7:55
week, Steven Stamkos. How great was Saturday night?
7:58
Kara A Steven Stamkos hat trick The first Preds hat trick ever
8:04
to be completed with an overtime goal.
8:08
It was also the first time Steven Samkos had ever recorded
8:11
a hat trick with the third goal coming in overtime.
8:14
And I have to say, Max, that brought back.
8:17
You just mentioned the 2017. I feel like Saturday night, it
8:20
had that feeling inside Bridgestone Arena.
8:22
I mean, that was up here Saturday night in Smashville.
8:26
I was having fun. I you were there.
8:28
I mean, I just felt like it was a great night.
8:31
Yeah, Preds, Blackhawks. That's the way it should be
8:33
right there. We had some rough stuff.
8:36
We had Justin Baron dropping the mitts in the NHL for the first
8:39
time against Colton Dock. Steven Stamkos scored all three
8:42
goals for the Preds as they quickly responded after going
8:45
down 1. Nothing.
8:47
Took a 21 lead to the third. Blackhawks tied it up, went to
8:51
overtime and then the OT goal. We got to give Federer Svechkov
8:55
his flowers on this one. Kara his first overtime shift as
9:00
an NHL player. He got Steven Stamkos as open as
9:03
we have seen him all season for that left circle.
9:06
One timer for the win. And you have to think about the
9:10
inexperience of the players on the ice with him, too.
9:12
In that moment. I believe it.
9:14
The other, wasn't it a Blinkenberg?
9:16
So you have two, two young guys on the ice with Samkos and they
9:20
find a way to get the job done. And Max, I have to say, talking
9:23
with Steven Stamkos after this game during the first start
9:25
interview, I felt that was the most excited and the most energy
9:29
I had felt from him all season. Stephen, your 14th career hat
9:33
trick. You're moving up the all time
9:35
goal scorers list. How good did this one feel
9:37
tonight? Yeah, I felt good.
9:40
I think our game's trending in the right direction.
9:41
The last couple games. It's been nice to to help out
9:44
offensively. And obviously, you know,
9:46
Saturday night and Smashville is, is always a fun night for
9:50
for our fans. So it's a good one for us.
9:52
Take us through that shipped in overtime.
9:54
Soderbloom was standing tall in the third period.
9:56
But you guys finally found a way to breakthrough.
9:58
Yeah. I mean, you got to give the
9:59
other team credit. They they kept coming at us in
10:01
the third. I thought for the most part we
10:02
played a pretty good game and had some quality chances.
10:05
Their goalie played well. But you know, in in overtime,
10:08
usually when you when you get a couple goals, you're feeling
10:10
good about your, your game, you're confident, you want the
10:12
puck and fetch made a a great play.
10:15
And it was nice to see that going.
10:16
This was an emotional week, obviously with the trade
10:18
deadline, but talk about the calmness of this team to come in
10:21
and compete and make it three in a row.
10:23
Yeah, it's, it's tough. It's we understand it's part of
10:26
the business, but at the same time, you're losing teammates,
10:28
you're losing really, really good friends.
10:30
And it's not a position we want to be in.
10:32
So if anything, it's motivation to work towards next year.
10:35
So we don't have to do that. And but for the most part, I
10:38
think the guys have have. Responded well all.
10:40
Right. Congrats.
10:41
Yeah. Thank you.
10:42
Great interview Carol with Steven Stamkos after his
10:45
overtime hat trick. I love that one.
10:48
You know, speaking with Bruno, he felt the the leaders, you
10:51
know, the the factors, the stammers, those guys really
10:55
showed how you should handle a trade deadline.
10:57
And and I think it's been an excellent response.
11:00
I think it's it's kind of a bummer that it's coming so late
11:03
in the season, but I think it was good.
11:04
Like he said, hey, we don't want to be in this situation next
11:07
year and hopefully this will showcase and carry over into
11:11
into next season season and finding a way to get back in
11:14
into a A-Team that's in the win column in in playing for the
11:17
postseason. Stamkos in the win past Mike
11:21
Bossy for the 23rd most goals in NHL history.
11:25
They had been tied coming in and then in the Preds win Tuesday to
11:29
start this road trip in San Jose, Stamkos buried a power
11:33
play goal to keep his hot week going.
11:35
He was the number two star in the NHL with four goals and
11:39
eight points in three games coming off of a month without a
11:42
point, bouncing back in a big way.
11:45
Then he tied his former Tampa Bay Lightning teammate Mark
11:48
Recky for 21st on the NH LS all time goal scoring list with one
11:53
of the Preds 2 power play goals in the second period against the
11:57
Sharks on Tuesday night in Northern California.
12:01
Preds ended up letting the Sharks tie the game 22 early in
12:04
the third, but then they got the go ahead goal and the first goal
12:08
in gold from Kiefer Bellows working hard on the four Check
12:11
with Philip Forsberg, it was the game winner.
12:14
UC Soros played well. Preds beat the Sharks three to
12:17
two for their fourth straight win.
12:20
It's been, I feel like we've been watching a little bit bit
12:22
of vintage Steven Stamkos. You know, I feel like every time
12:26
we're watching him on the ice, Max, do you think this is a
12:28
future Hall of Famer that we're watching?
12:30
So it's cool to see that, but also cool to see keeper Bellos
12:33
pick up his first goal. It's a good time in special
12:37
right now, Max. I don't know, I'm just fibbing.
12:38
Maybe it's a positive Friday and I'm feeling good.
12:40
Yeah, everybody's getting off the schneid.
12:42
Bellows had not scored an NHL goal in two years.
12:44
He was not in the NHL at all last season at three goals two
12:48
years ago for the Flyers in his seventh game as a Pred, his
12:52
first goal in gold, becoming the 233rd player to score a goal in
12:57
Nashville Predators history in 26 seasons.
13:00
And it was Philip Forsberg double shifting with Michael
13:02
McCarron and Kiefer Bellows doing the work on the four.
13:05
Check, stealing the handoff from the goalie, Giorgiev putting it
13:08
out in front for Bellows to tap at home.
13:11
Forsberg got a power play goal and a primary assist on the game
13:14
winner. Phil seems engaged.
13:16
He's producing and leading everybody who he plays with to
13:19
success. And the man advantage looked so
13:22
great in that game against the Sharks.
13:24
I I don't think the Preds were really winning that that battle
13:26
five on five, but but the power play came up big for them that
13:30
night. Yeah, and Feder Svechkov was
13:32
involved in both power play goals as the first guy off the
13:35
bench for the second unit. Phillip Forsberg had the first
13:38
one. Stephen Stamkos had the second
13:39
one. Svechkov helped make both
13:41
happen. I'm still trying to get an
13:44
assist added to Svechkov on the second one.
13:48
Anyone from the NHL out there who's listening?
13:51
He should have an assist on that, but it's OK, we'll take
13:54
the two points instead. And how about Speaking of power
13:58
play personnel, Nick Blankenberg taking over as the quarterback
14:01
of the first unit this week. Yeah, how about like this is a
14:05
big opportunity for him and I feel like he's really rising to
14:08
the occasion of the situations he's been put in.
14:11
Absolutely, yeah. He's played half a season now
14:13
with the Preds, Nick Blankenberg.
14:15
So it's been, it's been a rapid rise for him.
14:18
A guy auditioning for future plans for the Predators.
14:21
And they are certainly happy to have him.
14:23
For sure. Four straight wins for the Preds
14:25
this weekend. They will take on the Ducks in
14:27
Anaheim Friday night at 9:00. Saturday night at 7, which is
14:32
early in LA, but we'll take it 7:00 Central Saturday night in
14:36
LA. Preds only visit to the Kings
14:38
this year, then back home Tuesday, Thursday in Saturday
14:41
next week the Blues will be here on Tuesday night.
14:44
That game was originally supposed to be at 8.
14:46
It is now back to normal at 7:00 on Tuesday night, then Thursday
14:51
night at 7 against the Ducks who the Preds will see twice in one
14:54
week and then next Saturday night.
14:56
Hockey Night in Canada will be here 6:00 Saturday night in
14:59
Smashville next Saturday March 22nd as the Preds host the
15:03
Toronto Maple Leafs at Bridstone Arena.
15:06
Preds have won four in a row playing well here on the other
15:09
side of the trade deadline we've got 3 new Preds to introduce you
15:12
to. We will do that when we come
15:14
back. Get to know Michael Bunting,
15:17
Jake Verana and Jordan Osterley as we welcome them to
15:20
Smashville. She is Kara Hammer from Preds
15:22
TV. I'm Max ers from Preds Radio.
15:25
You are listening to the Predators official podcast here
15:28
on your radio home for Preds Hockey, ESPN.
15:30
One O 2 five and one O 6 three the game.
15:51
Ready to go? Ready to go?
16:07
Welcome back to the Predators official podcast Dare Hammer
16:10
along with Max Purse and Max, we survived the trade deadline.
16:15
We we mentioned it at the top of the show.
16:18
Luke Shen, Mark Jankowski, Mommy Novak no longer members of the
16:23
National Predators, but we have some new guys to talk about and
16:27
exciting opportunity for one of them.
16:29
Especially in my opinion, it has to be a Dick of Verano.
16:33
Yeah, good to have Jake Verana in Smashville.
16:35
He's 29 years old. Former first round pick of the
16:38
Capitals in 2014. He started his career with the
16:43
Caps, played his first five NHL seasons there after playing in
16:47
the Swedish league, then played a few years for the Red Wings, a
16:50
couple years for the Blues. This year was back with the
16:53
Capitals, where he was not used a ton.
16:56
He had only played one game in the last month before the Preds
16:59
got him on the top team in the Eastern Conference.
17:02
The Caps. And this guy wants to play.
17:05
I think it's obvious. And I enjoyed your interview
17:08
with Verona before he made his Preds debut last Saturday in
17:12
Smashville against the Blackhawks.
17:14
Thanks, Lindsay. Jacob, welcome to Smashville.
17:16
Obviously, probably a quick transition for you.
17:19
How has it been since arriving in Nashville?
17:21
I mean, it's been great so far. Everyone is so welcoming.
17:24
And, you know, I can't wait to get things started.
17:26
And yeah, I'm just really excited to be here.
17:29
I know you won a Stanley Cup with Barry Trotz.
17:32
Now he's the reason you're here in Nashville.
17:34
How do you view this opportunity?
17:36
Yeah, it's a it's a big opportunity for me.
17:38
And obviously, Barry coached me in Washington before and, you
17:41
know, he knows me well. And and, you know, like I said,
17:44
I'm really, really glad to be here right now.
17:46
And, and, you know, just go to work making your friends debut.
17:50
What are you hoping to showcase with your game tonight?
17:53
You know what? I've been here for two days, so
17:55
I. Just go out there and work hard
17:57
and and you know, good things will happen.
17:58
You know, don't think too much. I mean, it's the first game and
18:01
and you know, I still getting to know the system a bit and and
18:03
you know, just like I said, just go out there and work hard.
18:06
All right, good luck. Thank you.
18:08
That's new Pred swinger Jake Verana with Cara.
18:12
Max, I feel like knowing that he won a Stanley Cup with Barry
18:16
Trotz, I think that's a great sign.
18:20
This is a guy who who needs another opportunity.
18:22
I think Smashville is a great place for him to come and try to
18:25
shine. And I think it shows that Barry
18:28
has a lot of confidence in him and a lot of faith in him
18:30
because he watched him in his younger days and then said he's
18:33
29 now, let's give him another opportunity and bring him in.
18:37
So I'm kind of excited to see how he closes out the rest of
18:40
the season. Yeah, enjoying getting to know
18:43
Jacob Verana so far. Played in one home game and one
18:46
Rd. game heading into the weekend.
18:49
Couple fun facts about Jake Verana.
18:51
First of all, his first name spelled Jakub, is actually
18:55
pronounced Yakub. But he said it's too late in the
18:59
game for all the Americans to start getting it right.
19:01
So just just Jake is fine. Jacob's OK too, but yeah, Yakub.
19:06
Verana, I feel like Yakub is so much cooler and it's almost that
19:09
kind of reminds me a little bit of of yak, like we could have
19:11
had yak. #2 Yak. Two point O maybe that.
19:15
Maybe that needs to be his nickname and we'll let him know
19:17
when he gets back to Smashville. Yeah, I told him we were cool
19:20
with. Then he goes no, no it's too
19:21
late to change. But Jonathan Marsha so is 2
19:23
stalls down just screaming. I am only ever going to call you
19:27
Yakub, so talk to Marshi because he's on your side in this one,
19:30
Kara. All right, all right, we'll.
19:34
Tell him and he is trilingual. Jake Verana is.
19:39
He's from Czechia, so he speaks Czech.
19:41
He played his junior hockey and his first pro hockey in Sweden
19:46
around the time when he was drafted, so he also speaks
19:48
Swedish. And then English was his third
19:51
language when he came first to the AHL and then to the NHL.
19:56
I'm going to put you on the spot here Max.
19:57
Do you think that he is the closest to Kevin Fiala?
20:00
I feel like Kevin Fiala knew 5 languages during his time with
20:05
Nashville. Do we have any other who who are
20:08
trilingual? That's a good question.
20:11
I'm not sure it depends you. Have to do a little bit
20:15
investigative I, you know, because I feel like Roman, you
20:17
know, like the, there's, you know, you speak Swiss, but then
20:20
they have numerous variations of that in Switzerland.
20:25
Right. I was, I was going to say I
20:26
think Yossi is our is our guy to investigate potentially
20:29
depending on what you count and how fluent he claims he is in
20:32
these different versions of Swiss, Swiss German, wherever it
20:36
may fall. All right, fun fact, we'll find
20:40
this out by the next time we record.
20:41
Yeah, so that's Jake Verrana, who will be with the Preds for
20:44
the rest of the season at least. Claimed off of waivers from the
20:47
Capitals where he started his career and returned this season
20:51
after time in Detroit and Saint Louis.
20:54
Happy to have him in Smashville tonight.
20:57
This weekend we will get to see Michael Bunting play for the
21:00
Predators for the first time. He was the big acquisition, the
21:03
only player acquired via trade. The other two were waiver
21:07
pickups acquired from the Penguins with one more full
21:10
season left on his contract. Bunting came in return for Tommy
21:13
Novak and Luke Shen also came with a fourth round pick.
21:18
It is clear that this is a player that the Predators want,
21:22
both for now, next season and potentially longer.
21:25
Here's Prez GM Barry Trotz talking about winger Michael
21:28
Bunting. We felt we got really good value
21:30
for a player that we wanted, not a player that we took a player
21:35
that we wanted. So it's on us.
21:37
We feel Michael Bunting is a guy's ultra competitive.
21:41
He's a pain in the ass to to play against and we need a
21:45
little more of that. So we got the player we want
21:47
and, and you know this, I don't mind overpaying a little bit to
21:51
get the player that we want. I've said that from day one.
21:54
And so if I overpaid to get Michael Bunting, that's on me.
21:58
But I feel really good about it. The more and more I think about
22:01
it, Kara, it didn't. It didn't hit me right away.
22:05
But with everything the Preds have struggled with this season,
22:07
with the offense tending on the perimeter, not enough net front
22:11
presence, Michael Bunting really is what they need.
22:14
And I think he's a guy like some of the players who the Preds
22:17
have traded away this season, and the Tommy Novak swap is a
22:20
perfect example of it. He's a guy who needs a change of
22:23
scenery and I think he could be a fit in the Preds middle 6.
22:27
Yeah, I it's so crazy, isn't it a little bit with some of these
22:32
players who they they maybe struggle on the team they're
22:35
playing on and then just get somewhere else and.
22:37
And it just seems to kind of kind of fit like just as you
22:41
mentioned, a change of center, a change of scenery, Excuse me.
22:44
So hopefully that's what Nashville can provide for
22:46
Bunting. Michael Bunting had an
22:48
appendectomy at the end of February, so it's been a little
22:51
bit over two weeks since then. We expect him to be in the
22:54
lineup for the Predators this weekend in Southern California.
22:57
The Predators will be his fifth team.
23:01
He debuted with the Coyotes, who drafted him, was traded to the
23:04
Maple Leafs, where he played his first full seasons in the NHL
23:08
and potted 23 goals for them in each of his first two seasons
23:11
three years ago and two years ago.
23:14
Then went to the Hurricanes where he was traded after less
23:17
than a season as the main piece in return for Jake Genzel to the
23:20
Penguins. And then this year had fourteen
23:24
goals, 29 points and 58 games for the Pens traded to the
23:27
Predators here. He's got one more season left on
23:29
his contract. I think he could be a fit.
23:32
So I'm excited to see where Michael Bunting fits in the rest
23:34
of the season. Next season is where he will
23:37
really prove his value to this Preds team with this season as a
23:40
chance to gel with the core and get his nose dirty in front of
23:44
the net and see where he fits For Michael Bunting, 29 year old
23:47
from Scarborough, ON Canada, that's Toronto.
23:50
Played for the Sioux Greyhounds in the OHLI.
23:52
Don't believe Crispy was still the head coach in the Sioux when
23:55
Michael Bunting was there, but shout out to Crispy, former head
23:58
coach in the zoo. And we'll, we'll see how he, you
24:03
know, coming off an appendectomy, I mean, anytime
24:05
you have a surgery, he just kind of never know how your body's
24:07
going to bounce back. So you know it maybe if we see a
24:10
bit of a slow start, like don't panic let let let him get it
24:13
acclimated. It's always you take a little
24:15
time off. You got to get back in the mix.
24:17
Have you had your appendix out, Hammer?
24:19
No, but I've had a surgery before so I always know.
24:22
OK, well, I was going to say, maybe he feels a little bit
24:24
lighter without that thing bouncing around in there.
24:30
You never know, he could have. Flashed there but but that makes
24:33
sense too. Yeah, well, I'm not a doctor,
24:35
but this is not a medical podcast.
24:37
Please don't take any medical advice from the POP.
24:39
We have one more new Pred to introduce you to.
24:41
Played his first two games with the Preds like Jake Verana.
24:44
He was claimed off of waivers last week and in fact he scored
24:48
a goal against us in his final game before joining the Preds.
24:51
Jordan Osterley is a left-handed defenseman.
24:53
He's 32 years old, eleven year NHL veteran.
24:57
The Preds will be his seventh team.
24:58
He scored his first goal as a Bruin in that Preds win against
25:02
the Bruins last week. And then the Bruins said
25:04
actually we're going to let you go.
25:05
And the Preds said, yeah, this guy scored a goal against us,
25:08
we'll take him. But he's a good fit for the rest
25:10
of the season. Osterley, a veteran player who
25:13
is under contract for next season as well.
25:16
He's played for the Oilers, the Blackhawks, the Coyotes, the Red
25:19
Wings, the Flames and most recently this season, the
25:21
Bruins, coming up on 400 NHL games.
25:24
Undrafted player from Dearborn Heights, MI, USA in the Detroit
25:28
area. And he's a good, solid sound
25:31
defenseman as we let him describe his game for you ought
25:34
to have quick feed him, try to be a good first pass, help with
25:39
the breakouts, join in the rush and have good gaps coming back
25:43
in the D zone to try and place in the initial zone.
25:46
So when I'm effective, I'm moving my feet and distributing
25:51
the puck. That's new Preds defenseman
25:53
Jordan Osterley, who's wearing #82 which immediately was handed
25:57
off from Novak to Osterley. And I swear, it's not just the
26:02
number. Kara, he moves like Tommy Novak,
26:05
like their bends and their movement and their skating.
26:08
I really think they look alike. And I think it's not just the
26:11
number. I I'm not biased.
26:14
I don't know, it was a little wild, right, to have an 82 with
26:17
Tommy Novak and then come in and have him wear the same number.
26:19
And then, you know, you look at #19 and I don't believe
26:22
anybody's worn #19 since Kelly Yankroke.
26:25
So yeah, did the guys pick their numbers?
26:31
So this is something I never really thought about.
26:32
Did they pick their number or is this like Pete Rogers said?
26:35
This is available, this is what you get.
26:37
Yeah, we haven't. I haven't asked Osterley why he
26:39
likes 82, but that's been his number most places.
26:42
And Jake Verana told our reporter Nick Keyser that he
26:45
just wanted something new, so he went with 19, and there it is.
26:48
But yeah, hey. I like 19.
26:50
Michael Bunting will be 58 for the Preds, which is a number
26:54
he's had in other places. He was eight in Pittsburgh, 58,
26:57
taken there by Chris Latang, and has been for a long time.
27:00
So, yeah, I think these guys get to pick even mid season for the
27:03
most part. So Jordan Osterley, the newest
27:06
#82 for the Preds, played his college hockey at Western
27:09
Michigan University. And he also is a father of two.
27:13
He has two kids aged 2 and under, two sons.
27:16
His oldest son, Eli, will be too soon and then within the last
27:21
couple of months, he and his wife have had their second
27:23
child, Noah. So Jordan said his wife and his
27:26
two young sons will get a chance, hopefully to visit
27:28
Nashville sometime during this final month of the season.
27:32
It's a great time to visit. Springtime in Nashville is the
27:35
best. Yeah, happy to have those guys
27:38
here in the fold. Looking forward to you guys
27:39
getting to meet them, see them, get their autograph and watch
27:42
Jordan Osterley, Jake Verana and Michael Bunting play for the
27:45
Predators down the stretch. We have a lot of exciting things
27:48
going on down the stretch, including the Predators first
27:51
ever animated broadcast coming your way during the game on
27:56
April first. I am overjoyed to be a part of
27:58
it. And Kara Hammer is one of many
28:00
local parents who will be turning that game on.
28:03
So if you have kids, listen up. That's coming up next year on
28:06
the POP plus hockey for her, the preds stick around in Atlanta
28:11
and a whole lot more to tell you about going on in Smashville.
28:13
She's Kara Hammer from Preds TV. I'm Max hers from preds radio.
28:17
This is the predators official podcast on ESPN.
28:20
One O 2 five and one O 6 three the game.
28:35
Kissing like a bandit. Still, welcome back to the
28:37
Predators official podcast here on ESPN.
28:40
One O 2 five and one O 6 three. The game.
28:42
My name is Max hers. Happy Saint Patrick's Day,
28:45
everybody. Getting you ready for two Preds
28:47
games this weekend. Friday night at 9 against the
28:50
Ducks in Anaheim on Saturday night at 7 in Los Angeles
28:55
against Andre Kuzmanko and the Kings.
28:57
She is Kara Hammer from Preds TV.
28:59
I'm Max, Hers from Preds Radio Care.
29:01
We've had a lot going on in Smashville, as is always the
29:04
case down the home stretch of the season, Springtime coming
29:07
out, a lot going on in Smashville.
29:09
We want to give a shout out to our friends at Gibson Guitars
29:12
who had a pop up shop in Bridgestone Arena at the last
29:16
home game right outside of the Jack Daniels Barrel house.
29:19
And they do still have some Preds and Gibson Co branded gear
29:22
up for grabs. Made with Violent Gentlemen
29:25
Hockey Club who makes a ton of great hockey stuff.
29:28
All custom, all Preds and Gibson, all blue and Preds gold.
29:33
And you can still get some T-shirts with Nash shredding
29:36
hoodies with the Preds guitars down the side, some Gibson and
29:40
Preds hats, and also some mini guitars.
29:43
And if you want to drop a chunk of change on them, some real
29:47
guitars as well at nashvillelockerroom.com/gibson.
29:53
nashvillelockerroom.com/gibson. This stuff is not going to last
29:58
forever, so get your hands on it now if you're a guitarist and
30:02
Preds fan who wants some Gibson gear.
30:05
That's cool. It was awesome, Yeah, they had
30:08
some cool stuff set up. They had a photo op at the game,
30:11
saw a lot of folks getting in on that.
30:12
There is still some gear leftover.
30:15
No guarantees how long it will last so get at it.
30:17
nashvillelockerroom.com/gibson and shout out to Gibson Guitars
30:22
for their support of the Preds and Violent Gentleman for
30:24
getting involved. Always good to see those guys
30:26
making Preds gear as they make some of the best NHL stuff all
30:30
around the league for special occasions like that Kara, the
30:34
biggest special occasion of the season.
30:35
I am overjoyed for this and we need our fans help spreading the
30:38
word because this is the first time the Preds have ever done
30:41
something like this. Tuesday night, April first, the
30:44
Predators play the Blue Jackets in Columbus at 6:00.
30:47
The game will go on as scheduled.
30:49
The game will be on FanDuel Sports Network, but there will
30:52
also be a companion broadcast the Music City Hockey in
30:56
Nashville. The Predators first ever
30:59
animated program will be Tuesday night running side by side with
31:03
the game on News Channel 5 in Nashville.
31:06
It will also be available to stream outside of Nashville as
31:10
well. We're still waiting on final
31:11
details of how you'll be able to watch it if you don't get News
31:14
Channel 5 in Nashville, which is Nashville CBS affiliate.
31:18
But for those of you who have seen the NH LS broadcast for
31:21
kids in the past, they did a couple on Disney Channel with
31:25
the kids show Big City Greens. The last couple years now
31:29
they've done one once a week where they play a game back and
31:32
play the highlights in the NHL multiverse.
31:36
The Preds are one of four teams that will be doing their own
31:39
special broadcast for kids, and it will be Chris Mason and I
31:43
getting animated and going into a cartoon version of Smashville
31:48
to broadcast the game in real time as the Preds face the Blue
31:53
Jackets. The game will be animated with
31:55
what is actually happening in the game happening on the
31:59
animated ice rink on Broadway. And we'll take you guys all over
32:02
Smashville as Nash goes on a scavenger hunt with his Music
32:06
City friends. It's going to be so much fun.
32:09
It is designed for kids ages 6 to 12.
32:13
I'm not going to put any age limit on this.
32:15
I think everyone is going to love it.
32:18
The vast part about this, and I told you right before we started
32:22
this podcast, Max, that we checked out a book from the
32:25
library today called Max and Ruby Scavenger Hunt.
32:28
And Remy said like your maxi. And I said, yes, like my maxi
32:31
and now my Max is actually doing a real scavenger hunt.
32:36
Are you going to be a cartoon character?
32:38
Like, like, I'm so excited about this.
32:40
Yeah, Mason and I are going to be animated, so it's going to be
32:43
a lot of fun. Do you get to pick your
32:45
characters? It's like, or do they they kind
32:49
of like make it for you? Like like tell me more.
32:53
Well, the NHL is doing the animating and they do an
32:56
unbelievable job. The Bruins just had their game
32:59
this past week. If you want to see what that was
33:01
like, you can search Bruins Snow Day on YouTube.
33:04
They were the first of four teams that are going to have it.
33:07
The Lightning and the Flames will go and then we will go last
33:10
on April 1st. But it's the NH LS crew.
33:13
They partner with a company called Game Day Creative.
33:16
And the same way that the player and puck tracking works for
33:19
games like how you can see shot speed and how quickly players
33:23
are skating and where they are, those same things inform the
33:26
cartoon game and this company makes it all happen.
33:31
And I've seen some of the animation renderings and you
33:34
guys will get to see them before the game happens once everything
33:36
gets finalized over the next couple weeks.
33:39
It is unbelievable how good of a job they've done.
33:43
They've it's all on top of a hockey puck.
33:45
It is an animated version of downtown Nashville and Broadway
33:48
and Bridgestone Arena. And they've just slapped it on
33:51
top of a hockey puck. And you can click in and the
33:55
animators can put a camera wherever they want within this
33:58
world. And it's all cartoon and.
34:02
This is not an April Fool's joke.
34:04
This is actually happening Saturday, April first on News
34:07
Channel 5 and then we'll put out more information, right if you
34:11
we can stream it outside of the National.
34:13
Area yeah, that's still getting finalized.
34:15
We hope it will be available via an NHL platform for you guys to
34:18
watch anywhere, but it'll definitely be on news Channel 5
34:21
and it's something that you can watch anytime too with your
34:23
kids. The whole game will go up on
34:25
YouTube afterward. It'll go up in segments.
34:27
They're going to be segments where we explain the game of
34:29
hockey for kids, and it's going to be so much fun when those
34:33
when these have existed for other NHL games and other
34:36
sports, I always find myself getting sucked into the
34:40
companion broadcast instead of the real game.
34:42
And we think this is going to be the same thing.
34:44
So yeah, it being on April Fool's Day is even more perfect.
34:48
But it's also made it harder for me to explain it to people
34:51
because they're old curmudgeons out there like Terry Crisp, who
34:54
we've already shouted out in the show, so now I can be mean to
34:57
him. I was telling Crispy about it.
34:59
He goes, no, no way, no way. When is it?
35:02
And I said it's on April 1st. And he goes, oh, it's just an
35:04
April Fool's joke, you're messing with me, Whatever,
35:07
whatever. We promise it's real news.
35:09
Channel 5, April first, a Tuesday night when the Preds
35:13
visit the Blue Jackets. Watch with us.
35:16
It's going to be so much fun. And we will tell you guys more
35:19
over the next couple of weeks. Mason and I are actually going
35:22
to the NHL studios next week to rehearse for a day and get the
35:27
full experience. We will be doing the broadcast
35:30
from the NHL studio in New York and we'll drop right into
35:34
Cartoon Smashville. How?
35:37
That's so cool. Can you give us a behind the
35:39
scenes? Can you start blogging for?
35:40
Us, yeah, we're gonna be taking a lot of videos, don't worry.
35:43
So I think we'll be wearing virtual reality headsets the
35:45
whole time and wearing stuff on our arms so our characters can
35:49
move around. So I think it's gonna be fully
35:52
immersive. So in my mind, it's like one of
35:55
those when you watch like they make a film and you wear a, a
35:58
suit that has like almost looks like golf balls on it, right?
36:00
And you stand in front of a green screen.
36:03
Do we think it's going to be similar to that?
36:05
I think it's, I think it's a lighter version, Mason.
36:07
'S leg kick. Oh, that would be amazing.
36:10
Yeah, Mason's cartoon leg is just going behind his head.
36:13
His his karate kick. It's kicked higher than we've
36:17
ever seen. That would be awesome.
36:18
All right, well we'll keep you guys updated.
36:20
We're going to, we could do a whole show about this if we want
36:22
to, but we'll have more information over the next couple
36:24
weeks. The Predators, Music City hockey
36:27
in Smashville, animated adventure for kids, Tuesday
36:30
night, April 1st at 6:00 PM as the Preds take on the Blue
36:32
Jackets. Make sure you watch.
36:34
Going to be a lot of fun. Couple more things coming up.
36:37
Saturday or Friday, March 28th, less than two weeks from now, is
36:40
the annual Hockey for Her night at Bridgestone Arena.
36:44
The event features exclusive access to the Preds locker room,
36:47
You get to go on the ice, special guest from the Preds and
36:50
Hors d'oeuvres reception, complimentary wine and beer, and
36:53
more. For women who are fans of the
36:55
Preds and wanting to learn more about the game.
36:57
And whether you've been to a Preds game before or not, we
37:00
want you there at Hockey For Her.
37:01
Go to nashvillepredators.com/hockey
37:04
for her on Friday, March 28th. Kara.
37:09
I'll be there if you want to stop by, please come by the
37:11
Theandool desk and get your picture taken.
37:13
Sit on the desk, hold the microphone.
37:15
Nice breakdown hall. It all works behind the scenes.
37:17
That's awesome. Yeah.
37:18
That'll be a lot of fun, A fun annual event for the Preds.
37:21
Couple more things we want you guys to know.
37:22
The Predators have extended their affiliate agreement with
37:26
the Atlanta Gladiators of the ECHL, their quote UN quote AA
37:30
franchise, the Milwaukee Admirals in the AHL, and they've
37:33
recently gotten back into the ECHL with the Atlanta
37:36
Gladiators. They've had some Preds prospects
37:38
there this year. That affiliation will now
37:40
continue for the next two seasons.
37:42
So we're happy to keep our Southern hockey roots going with
37:45
the Glads down in Atlanta. And then also this week, a lot
37:48
coming your way for Ford Military Week.
37:51
If you want to know more, if you're a veteran or active
37:54
military member who wants to get involved, go to
37:56
nashvillepredators.com/military Week.
37:59
Every year the Preds do this during a three-game home stand.
38:03
This week they are home Tuesday night, Thursday night and
38:05
Saturday night and they always headed out of the park.
38:08
So should be a lot of fun having our friends from the military in
38:12
the building. As always, all the different
38:13
branches, all the different areas around Tennessee, Kentucky
38:16
and the whole Mid South. So for military week this week,
38:20
looking forward to it as the Preds return home Tuesday night
38:22
at 7 against the Blues, Thursday night at 7 against the Ducks,
38:26
and next Saturday night at six against the Leafs.
38:30
We'll take a break and come back with our much anticipated
38:33
interview of the week. The many jokes of Federus
38:36
Fetchkov coming your way next. Carrie Hammers from Fred's TV.
38:39
I'm Max, hers from Fred's radio. This is the Predator's official
38:42
podcast on ESPN. One O 2 five and one O 6 three.
38:46
The game. Welcome back to the Predators
39:07
official Podcast final segment here on ESPN.
39:11
One O 2 five and one O 6 three. The game My name is Max hers
39:15
from Predators Radio along with Kara Hammer from Pred CV headed
39:19
into A2 game weekend for the Preds Friday night in Anaheim
39:22
against the Ducks. Some of you are hearing this
39:24
episode as we get ready to start pregame coverage for that game.
39:27
Some of you are hearing this episode after that game has
39:29
already happened and then Saturday night at 7 against the
39:32
LA Kings in Los Angeles, Southern California.
39:36
back-to-back for the Preds before they return home this
39:38
week for a good three-game home stand.
39:42
And Kara, this is a great home stand.
39:44
I don't know if I've ever told you this before, but to me there
39:46
is a recipe for a perfect home stand.
39:49
All home stands are great in Smashville, but when you look at
39:52
the schedule, if you didn't know if it were home games or Rd.
39:55
games, it's a perfect mix when it's three teams from all
39:58
different places. Coming into your barn, Saint
40:01
Louis, Anaheim and Toronto, that's a good homestand, good
40:05
geographical diversity. It's a great homestand and
40:09
Tuesday night against the Saint Louis Blues, in case you were
40:13
wondering, that game is back on FanDuel.
40:15
So everybody in local area, so you can watch the game on
40:18
Tuesday night. Originally I think it was set
40:20
out to be ESPN, but we got the game back.
40:23
So come to the regional broadcast, Max.
40:25
That's where we'll be. No cartoon broadcast that night.
40:28
No cartoon. I mean, maybe a little
40:30
cartoonish. We're all involved, but yeah.
40:33
That's the thing, we've all got a touch of the cartoon already,
40:35
so it's going to be a nice easy transition to just put every
40:38
game into Cartoon Land when that's the thing in 30 years.
40:42
I'm, I'm really excited to see how this this comes out.
40:45
I'm going to have it in the back of my mind on Tuesday night when
40:47
I'm when I'm broadcasting. Yeah, it's going to be a lot of
40:50
fun. All right, time for our
40:51
interview of the week. We got a double dose of the
40:54
interview of the week with Preds rookie center Fetters Fetchkov,
40:57
who is an absolute hoot. One of his many running jokes of
41:01
this season when he's been in the NHL is that Ozzy Weisblatt,
41:05
his fellow rookie and great friend, is the greatest player
41:09
of all time. And it started way back in
41:11
January when Ozzy made his NHL debut.
41:14
The Preds were in Vancouver and Andy Bender from Preds social
41:18
media went around the locker room and solicited advice from
41:21
every player for Ozzie Wiseblatz NHL debut and a lot of them were
41:26
were good, serious pieces of advice.
41:28
Savor every moment. You only get to do this once.
41:31
All the things you would expect. That all means something.
41:34
And then Fetters Fetchkov grabbed the microphone and gave
41:38
a serious, impassioned pump up speech telling Ozzie that he's
41:41
the greatest player that he's ever seen.
41:43
This is a big day for him and you're going to do amazing.
41:47
And ever since then, Feder Svechkov has made it his life's
41:50
purpose to let everybody know that Ozzie Weisblatt is the
41:53
greatest player in NHL history. He is guaranteed that he's going
41:56
to get his uniform number retired next to Shay Weber and
41:59
Peck Arena in the Golden Hall. And when Ozzie came back up to
42:03
the NHL last week, I was interviewing Feder Svechkov at
42:06
the intermission and I knew I had to ask him about having the
42:09
greatest player in the world back.
42:11
What's it like having your buddy Ozzie Weisblatt back in the NHL
42:14
on the lineup with you? It's really good to have the
42:17
best player in the world back to the lineup.
42:19
So he had shot at them. I think next one going to be
42:25
better and I hope you're going to score today and ride me home.
42:30
So yeah, good luck, Ozzy. It's always good to have the
42:34
best player in the world back in your lineup and also I hope he
42:37
drives me home. Yeah, he's a ride home.
42:41
And Max, I also had one of my favorite interviews of all time
42:46
throughout my career came on Saturday night with Fedor
42:51
Svejkov in my post game interview.
42:56
We did the interview and he held up his finger and said, can I
43:00
say something and do that to focus on that?
43:02
All right, Congrats on this one. Yeah, thank you.
43:04
Thank you guys. Congrats everyone with Women's
43:10
Day. Thank you.
43:12
We appreciate that. Thank you.
43:18
As we know it was, it was celebrating National Women's Day
43:23
earlier in the week. And you know, I just thought it
43:27
was really cool that obviously his his English isn't 100%
43:31
couldn't get all the words out, but we knew what where he was
43:34
going with it. And he very politely, not just
43:38
raised his hand, just raised a finger to let you know that he
43:41
had one more thing to say. I, I think the the best part
43:46
about that was the, the fact that he did the interview, he's
43:50
already thinking about what he's going to say in the post game.
43:52
He's already translating his native tongue into English to to
43:59
have a serious conversation and then and then to put that
44:03
together of let me say this to the female reporter who's who's
44:07
doing this interview. Yeah, yeah, great for spatch
44:10
and. He's great stuff.
44:12
He's spoken English for less than two years.
44:14
So we're we're hearing his personality come out day by day
44:19
and moment by moment and it is out as much as it can physically
44:22
be out. And he continues to play well
44:25
even when he's not producing points.
44:27
He has produced points this last week, but he solidified his spot
44:30
on the NHL roster for the Preds. Yeah, great staff.
44:35
I love it. That's all we got for today.
44:38
We'll see you guys in Smashville for three games in Ford Military
44:41
Week this week, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday as the
44:45
Preds will return to home ice. You'll get to see Michael
44:47
Bunting play for the Preds for the first time as we begin to
44:50
wind down this season. Big thank you to everyone who
44:54
helps make these podcasts possible from Preds Radio and
44:56
the Predators. As always, we'll be back with an
44:59
episode next Friday here in Smashville.
45:02
Preds out West this week. Let's see if we can keep the win
45:04
streak going. Four in a row heading into
45:06
Friday night against the docks. She is Kara Hammer from
45:10
Predators TV on Maxers from Preds radio.
45:13
This is the Predators official podcast on ESPN.
45:17
One O 2 five and one O 6 three the game.