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Episode 38: One Step from the Cup · Brothers In The Box

• Brothers in the Box: And now for the audience with a little bit of energy unlike last week. How you doing everybody? Welcome back to another episode of Brothers in the Box. We have a packed episode for you today. A lot of things have transpired. Transpired. Yeah, I mean w we're recording this on now Monday, June first. So ⁓ goodbye to the worst month of the year, May. ⁓ it's the worst month because Ishan's birthday is in the R. at our parents' anniversary is in May, bro. Nah, May is just an L tier month. No, it's not. May May is the beginning of summer. In what w in what in what world is it the beginning of summer? It was the beginning of summer for me. This year. This is the first time in thirteen years that your summer has started in May. This is this is gonna be the best summer. Also, ⁓ currently it's the first of the month, the cows are dancing. so brain dead, you're actually. You too much time on your hands. But ⁓ most importantly, sports are two major sports are in their final ma final steps. You know when the final takes place for both of those sports? June. Which is June the best month. Cares. The ⁓ best month of the year has started exactly halfway through the calendar year, June. Month six. It's a beauty. a beauty. You're so narcissistic, it's insane. I never even talked about ⁓ another best reason why it's the best month of the year. ⁓ my birthday's in it. yeah, you're old. Congrats. Also. If the slaves are freed. And happy Pride Month as well. Yep. Happy Pride Month. June is a is a exciting month. I don't think it I don't think it can top May, but ⁓ and ⁓ that's just ⁓ Ishan's bias coming into play. Lots of things though. Lots of things to to recap this week because and we went over this in the last episode, but holy missed performance by Colorado. Yeah. Wow. Who would have thought that they would be Who'd a thunk. Who would've thunk? ⁓ Nathan McKinnon and then the fraudulent Colorado Avalanche. Just Atrocious. And I understand that a lot of guys were hurt, including their best two players. But the depth was non existent in the series. I And they just got by the Vegas Golden Knights of all teams. Yeah. I mean, maybe it's the President's trophy curse. but dealing with injuries and there was just never a point in the series, well maybe, maybe like the first two games I thought, okay, Vegas is on a different level right now and I understand that and Colorado's gonna come back. And after game three, it was over. Yeah, they just never ⁓ back in the series and ⁓ ultimately paid the price. Yeah, I think it really hurt them and I think you saw How much Makar means to that team? And how much he elevates McKinnon's play. Yeah, I think, you know, McKinnon was probably also hurt, like definitely, but Makar, like I I never fully understood ⁓ I thought the Avalanche worked on like kinda like a you know, they both had like very good star players, but Makar is the better, like more influential player. And that was shown the end of the season and also in the playoffs. ⁓ ⁓ injury update on Makar's injury is worse than they thought it would be. He might not be starting the season the season next year. ⁓ no. Yeah. Yeah. This is according to Elliot Friedman, so we'll see ⁓ what what happened, but It's kinda it's tough for them. It is. It is. I mean Maybe maybe if he's hurt for the first part of the season, then Bouchard actually has a chance of ⁓ winning the Norse. give me give me the f most impactful player in the series. ⁓ yeah, we'll get right into it. Most impactful player, Carter Hart ⁓ slash Martiner. ⁓ I it's a it's a big slash, but I I I would I would lean more Carter Hart. I think I think Carter Carter Hart's definitely the the one of the main reasons that they won. he was, you know, insane and net for them. he did play amazing hockey. He he did. He did. We'll I'll give him that. ⁓ but I feel like without I mean you can you can without Mitch Marner, ⁓ does not make it this far. They don't they don't make it past the ducks for sure. and they definitely wouldn't have be Colorado without him. And you know, he's fully elevated his game and just made this Vegas team so much more scary than I ever thought they would be. So my question is how bad. Is Toronto for a player's performance? And will we see the same level of spike in performance in the playoffs Matthews or Nilander are traded this offseason to a a different team? I say the Sharks. I think obviously it played a factor with ⁓ Marner being from Toronto. I think that was that was a very big thing. Like Matthews and D. Land are both not from there. True. So they're not playing in their hometown. but ⁓ ⁓ well could be the playoff atmosphere. Like we've talked about this multiple times and we talked about it with Eric and Zach, where Toronto is a cutthroat fan base. Mm-hmm. They'll support you, but they'll also heavily boo you ⁓ ⁓ remarks that you're never gonna like. Yep. So see. I think it'll be interesting to see what Toronto does with their pieces that they do have right now. And but I could see someone like Neilander getting sent to a team and him performing just so much better. That's that's a fair that's a fair statement. Least for play sorry, least impactful player was Rasmus Anderson. Yeah. Just didn't see a whole lot from him. This I mean He did have an impact, it just wasn't as as I thought he could have had. Yeah, I think like if you look at like what I like what I thought he was gonna be for this team and what he actually has been doing, ⁓ I don't think those match up, but you know, he had more time in Calgary and more minutes on the ice. I he they will re sign him. I think they will as well. I think he likes playing there and do they have the money for him though? They should. They should. And they'll probably sign him to a cheaper contract than Calgary got him because of the no state tax. Yeah, probably. As well. So we'll see what happens with their ⁓ most impactful player on the losing team, Gabe Landiscog, really came through. Yeah. A couple really clutch goals. ⁓ obviously didn't materialize into anything substantial, but he led the way with his play. Yeah, well. And he really stepped it up when you know, Mac was injured and couldn't do a whole lot and was trying to push the pace and lead his team in a way that they could find a spark and y ⁓ saw that in game three where they went up three ⁓ and then it just these it was a mindset thing for them. And ⁓ Vegas just away, chipped away until they got the lead back and yeah, like you said, after game two it was ⁓ It was tough to see that team 'cause they're they were like after game one, they like, We're gonna have a huge bounce back game two and then the bounce back didn't really come. Yeah. ⁓ it was kind of the same team and then they're like, Okay, we're we're not in our barn now, let's go win a few road games and then they started really, really nice. Yeah, it was three and they blew it. Yeah. So Tough for them. Yeah, our ⁓ least impactful player on the losing team or that was such a horrible transition. I wasn't even I wasn't even done talking. ⁓ sorry, I just you weren't saying anything, so I just wanted to get into a ghost award. Okay, well our viewers don't know that. Yo, leave me alone. Nah, you can see me though. You can see me. Okay, well what what are we gonna just leave like a blank a blank space in the I want to cut it out. But now we have this whole segment where ⁓ I just had to flame you. You had to flame me. How are you keep talking and then I can mention our ghost words? Why do I need glasses? So you can see that I'm yawning. I lost my train of thought, so now give me ⁓ give me the lease and backfill player that goes to work. No, you're a joke, you announce it. Alright, fine. It's Ishan's ⁓ favorite player. It doesn't show up. Martin H is He does not not show up. He was amazing during the regular season and just couldn't bring it up. Regular season merchant. Regular season merchant. A lot of a lot of players are like that and each Carolina's happy that they got rid of him because now they're making made it to the cup final. First time since ⁓ O six. Yeah, well they did that 'cause of one man. Nicola Ehlers. No. Broke the curse of the Eastern Conference final. They they went. They've been once. Yeah, but they've never The only Yeah, they won. They beat the Oilers in ⁓ six to win the cup. Rod Brindamore was captain of that team. No no no, but in their their in the recent history. They've never to the final. The only other time, like I said right now, that Carolina went to the final, they won I have them winning. This Cain's Vegas final. Kind of an interesting one. most impactful player from the Cain series though. Yeah. Was Ishan's ⁓ favorite player, Nicola Ehlers. He played amazing. Yeah, no ⁓ without a doubt. ⁓ addition to their roster. Yeah. I I'm sure he's very happy he signed there, especially with the the season that Winnipeg had. And just fits now. He was struggling a little bit at the beginning of the season, but ⁓ I don't think you could tell he was a new addition this year. Yeah. Our ⁓ our least impactful player was actually no one. Yeah, when anybody pinpoint anybody that that team just played unreal hockey. And I understand that it was it was a five game series, it was a gentleman sweep, not a not a a full sweep like Vegas. But arguably more impressive. Yeah, I think ⁓ I was very surprised to see how they shot down a young team with so much fire. Yeah. I mean And just the way that the Canes have been playing or sorry, yeah, the way that Canes have been playing is such defended defensive minded hockey. And other than that first game where they you know, they haven't hadn't been playing a lot of hockey because they got so much rest after sweeping. Yeah. the ⁓ Philly Philadelphia Flyers. They came in and they handled business and Freddie Anderson was has been really great. He's what, twelve and one in the playoffs right now? Yes. is. Who would have thunk that F Frederick Anderson, the forty year old man? Well, you know, who would have thought that last year Talvin Pickard would be six and ⁓ That's true. That's true. no, the d the team has been playing very well defensively in front of him and really shut down the Habs top players. Yeah. and that ⁓ brings ⁓ only the only reason why it was a close series was our most impactful player on the losing team and that was Jacob Dobesch. Yeah. And this kid's a stud. I don't think I think we've given him most player for every single series so far. Something like that. Well and then least impactful or most impactful on losing team. Like that's that's he he was he's been amazing as a rookie as well. He's been he's been great. great addition for this. Team matches their core this team is gonna be very scary again next year. Yeah, I think ⁓ they have a little bit of now playoff experience under their belt. They they've won two rounds. ⁓ they know kind of what it takes, and I'm that management will bring in a couple pieces. Maybe they ship Dobson out because he doesn't really fit. Yeah, I d I don't really know. It was a weird it was a weird edition at the beginning of the season, it's still a weird edition now. But yeah, I I agree with you. I think maybe they might try and go flipping for something a little bit better, something that suits their team. Maybe a little bit more defensively minded. Maybe. Matheson was was great. Arbor Zekaj ⁓ was was good. the the player actually there was a couple of players that we didn't think fit the bill and weren't as impactful as they could have been or should have been and The guy that stood out to us the most on the Habs was ⁓ Irad Slavkovsky. He was great. First round, second round. Yeah. And then than that first game, they kinda got nice in that first game, two goals and and an assist. And they scored five goals. But Slavkovsky was pointless in the last four games and it was just it was just it was disappointing to see. Because he was so great. And he set the bar so high and for him not to come up and reach that bar in the finals or sorry ⁓ conference finals really sucked. I understand that Carolina is a defensively minded team, but as a star player on that team, you gotta do better. Yeah, well I think he he showed how good of a player he is, not just like in the regular season and like beginning of the playoffs, but also at the Olympic Olympics. Yeah. He carried his team very far, so you know, he couldn't really do that in the com Eastern Conference final and that's definitely was a huge reason of why they lost. Yeah, and ⁓ this just in shifting to Canucks news Manny Maholtra is going to be the next head coach of the Vancouver Canucks. So So he is officially off the market. He is officially off the market. I really like the hire from them. Yeah, I think it's very good. I think this really shifts in the direction that maybe they draft Maholtra's son now with that third overall pick. son something Moholtra. Yeah, okay, obviously. Thank you. Let me find it. Let me find it right now. Yeah, they have the third overall pick, so I mean Caleb Moholtra. Caleb Moholtra? Yes. ⁓ Moholtra. I know they're they were looking they really liked ⁓ what was it? He is a center a left shooting center. He is 17 years old at the moment. He played one season in the BCHL with the Chilliac Chiefs. And then he played last season with the Brantford Bulldogs. Hyman's team. Well, yeah. so we'll see we'll see what happens in this draft. but ⁓ good on staying in in Vancouver ⁓ and ⁓ happy that team because they're gonna it's a good coach to rebuild with. ⁓ It is. yeah. big congratulations to Finland for winning the World Champions ⁓ championship, which ⁓ nobody cares about. definitely ⁓ not a huge achievement, but also very cool. It's a very it's very nice. Yeah it's ⁓ it's the It's the I didn't get to enough I didn't get to play enough hockey this year tournament. Yeah. Which ⁓ suits ⁓ the person that the captain of the winning team perfectly, considering he was injured for so long. Yeah. And they missed the playoffs. And ⁓ if you guys don't know who that is, it's ⁓ Sasha Barkov. Yeah, I thought it was gonna be a Swiss Canadian final and then Switzerland. Both. Went to the final and Finland beat Canada in in the in the semis and then Canada lost to Norway in overtime. Not a great look. To Norway. It's the first time that Norway has ever beat Canada at any hockey competition ever. it's not a it's not I mean I was looking at this ⁓ Instagram post and it's not been a good year for international men's hockey. Canadian international men's hockey yeah. I mean yeah like losing at the Olympics or or women's hockey Yeah. To be honest. To be honest. yeah. B but just a quick shout out to ⁓ to Finland. And then we got NBA Finals starting this week. Yes. ⁓ who do you have take taking the finals and in how many games? Spurs and six. Okay. Okay. Yeah. I honestly I would love to see the Knicks win. Just because I wanna see what happens in New York. It's gonna be a ride either way. No, no, no. But if if they win. Or yeah, actually no, even if they're ri it's a ride either way. No, cause I I It's not a it's not a win win. It's it's it's a lose lose situation. I think it would have been very, very I honestly I would love to see the Knicks win. Just because I wanna see what happens in New York. It's gonna be a ride either way. No, no, no. But if if they win. Or yeah, actually no, even if they're ri it's a ride either way. No, cause I I It's not a it's not a win win. It's it's it's a lose lose situation. I think it would have been very, very Crazy and I'm glad the league didn't ⁓ put the OKC in the final because if they did and then the rest were still on their side, Knicks fans would be Yeah, it'd be it'd be livid. Crazy and I'm glad the league didn't ⁓ put the OKC in the final because ⁓ if they did and then the rest were still on their side, Knicks fans would be Yeah, it'd be it'd be livid. My question is under how many games is ⁓ Benjamin Netanyahu attending. my question. ⁓ Because tweeted and said that he was bringing ⁓ No, but no, tell me, tell me, how many games is he going to? I that the line is ⁓ one and a half games. ⁓ One and a half. So two? So either's either one or two games. I think I think it's gonna go under. I think he only two. I agree. I think I think it goes under as well. because you y you know that It's gonna be difficult for him to get there. Maybe maybe the line should be point five then. Yeah. Point five. Do you take the under over? I don't I'm I'm enticed to take the over. Me too. Me too. But the problem is is that with the amount of protesters that they'll be, I think it'd be it would be difficult for him to get in. the Spurs are they're crazy. Yeah. When Menyama is crazy. There's just not much much more to say. Dylan Harper in his first year. Yeah, they're insane. I mean, you look at the Knicks though as well, they've been really good. Jalen Brunson's obviously a stud. Kat is playing well. They have Mikhail Bridges, they have OG. Josh Hart as well has been playing out of his mind. Do I know something ⁓ interesting? Jeremy Sochan is win a is gonna wing a ring. Either way, whoever wins, he gets a ring because he played for the Spurs at the beginning of the year and then they cut him. And now ⁓ and the same day that they cut him, the Knicks signed him. Yeah, you know, it's very interesting that rule where like even if no matter how long you played for a team, if you played for them at least once, then ⁓ you get you get a chip. Yeah. Okay. Good for him. Yeah, good for him. No. not really much else. You you wanna know something interesting, a fun fact? The first game that ever played for the Knicks. Yeah. His pregame was a graphic T with the Spurs ⁓ Knicks final on his shirt. Interesting. From when the Knicks were last in the NBA Finals. Yeah, the Knicks love to do a lot of manifesting. Even after they w lost in the Eastern Conference final last year, they put ⁓ on their sign their I think they went to go party or something, or they did something, and they had a sign where it said ⁓ Knicks 2026 finals. Yeah. I mean everybody's gonna say that though. Yeah, but it's true for them. It is, it's different than anyone else. It is. That's that's very fair. I'm glad Shay's not in the In the final because ⁓ I was kinda getting sick of his flopping and foul calls. Yeah. I think it'll be a good series. I'm I'm very curious to know how the Spur or the Knicks are gonna shut down Wembenyama. Mm-hmm. 'Cause they don't I mean you look at Kat, I don't think Kat has the the defensive capabilities to shut him down. I don't think so. I think Kat can do a better job of boxing Weminyama out than Holmegrum can. And so I think you'll see Weminyama pick up less boards. Yeah. But other than that, I think it's just gonna be really difficult to stop him. Yeah. I mean they have they have Mitchell Robinson who he's questionable right now. And they also have OG, who's a lockdown defender. Yes, I I don't know how much he's locking down on he's like two feet shorter than Weminyama. Well, I mean you look at you saw Caruso do a pretty good job of it. That's true. Cruz is a good defensive player as well. That's true. It's true. but yeah, I feel like they they should ⁓ definitely Wembinama's gonna give them a run for their money. Yeah and I think it'll be a good series. Yeah, it's gonna be a lot of fun. We got NHL, then NBA, then NHL, then NBA. So it'll be it'll be a lot of fun. But switching to NHL like back to NHL, sorry. Let's ⁓ let's preview this final. Yeah. I mean we both I think we both agree that the Keynes are gonna take this final. Yep. I don't I don't Mitch Martiner winning a cup right now. ⁓ I think the the only thing that I do wanna say is has surprised me in every single series so far. The my problem is is like but I think it comes to an end. Yeah, it's This is a type of surprise that I thought I was gonna see from the Oilers. This Well, I feel like it was a type of surprise that we saw in 2024. No. From the Oilers. No. But except it was with less young people. The the difference with the Oilers in 2024 was we didn't finish first in the Pacific. And we didn't lose. Okay, but also And we didn't no no finish. Vegas had a sub five hundred record, I'm pretty sure. Yeah. No And they were still first in the Pacific. No, no, but but finishing first in the Pacific, yeah, wasn't hard this year. No, it wasn't difficult, but I'm what I'm saying is is for how mediocre the team was during the regular season, they really excelled in the playoffs. Yeah, but and that's kind of what I was expecting or maybe gonna hopefully see from the Oilers this year. Yeah. Well, I mean, you look at ⁓ if you if you will, last year Vegas lost in the first round. Yeah. Another back to the cup final. You're a you're a mediocre team expecting big results. Yeah. As and ⁓ as McDavid put it. A lot of a lot of teams are mediocre in the regular season and then end up playing really well in the playoffs. Yeah, if you look at like maybe if you look at twenty twenty three Florida Panthers. Yeah. You know, something just clicks and the guys are all buying in and Your goalie plays well and you're scoring goals and people get hot and it just comes together and you're winning games and then you know you get hot at the right time. Yeah, I I think, you know, like even the ducks, they're a perfect example of that. They were they were we're not great team this year. They finished third yeah, third in the Pacific. Yeah, they showed they showed they showed signs of greatness. Yeah, they did. ⁓ it was nothing what I was expecting to beat the Oilers. That's true. Like Going into that matchup I didn't think we had a problem and they gave us a run for our money. They gave Vegas a little bit of a run for their money. They did. yeah, I think it's ⁓ it'd foolish to doubt Vegas' to try and win this cup because you know, all of those players that were there their last cup are gonna be wanting it that much more and having new people come in Rasmus Anderson. Mitch Marner, all those new players are also gonna want that. Yeah. So what's your I think I think I've been saying this I it's Carolina and six. Okay. I'm saying Carolina and five. I think I would love to see that happen, but I think Vegas has to steal at least two. I think they'll be I wouldn't even be surprised ⁓ if Vegas wins one in Carolina. Mm-hmm. And then they win one in Vegas as well. I think i I think it'll be close to ⁓ two two series. Yep. And then it'll go to four So tell your consmith then. It's a little bit it's a little bit of a stretch. Mm-hmm. Don't you dare say Ealers? No. Okay. No, no, no. I I think it depends on how well this line continues to play. Mm-hmm. And I hate saying this. You're gonna say Taylor Hole. Give me Taylor Hole. it's ⁓ or ⁓ If if Carolina if Carolina does win in five, I could see Freddie. I could see Anderson. Because Freddie's played really, really well throughout the playoffs. And if he continues that and somehow shuts down all those scores on Vegas, then sure, give him give him the conspite. Okay, and say for some miracle, I don't think this is gonna happen, but say it happens and Vegas wins. Give me Mitch Martin. I would love to I would love to see him hoist the con spite and best believe I'm sending that clip to every single Leafs fan I know. crazy stuff. Crazy stuff. but there you have it. I think I don't think it'll be done by by next Sunday when we film next podcast. I don't think I don't think so either. But I think we will be close. Well we will definitely have a better representation of how this series is going. Yeah. shout out the Kelowna Rockets. Yeah. Leon Dreisiddle's team for winning the Memorial Cup just ⁓ yesterday. And ⁓ Ishan, give me our players of the week before we head out of here. Yeah, ⁓ just before we do that, I know we are filming the podcast on Monday and we usually film it on Sunday, but we got some news in the NFL today. ⁓ yes, ⁓ my god. Some crazy news crazy news. ⁓ AJ Brown, I actually No no I don't know. I don't know, I don't know. Okay, You may not you may not have seen this. It was a rumor and I said it in ⁓ in our one Maybe, or or it was a message that I put I sent to Ilias. But it was rumored that he was gonna go to the Pats it never happened, and now it has. And that team is looking very scary. They they are, but I think the scarier team and the bigger trade that happened today was Miles Garrett from Los Angeles Rams. Come home to where where you don't need a where you don't need to carry a team. In exchange for Jared Verse. They're twenty twenty seven first a second and a third. So big haul going the other way, but this this Rams team looked extremely scary. Yes. And they're gonna run this league. Yes, I'm very excited to be a Rams fan this year. Ishan ⁓ is a new Rams fan. Newly Rams fan. ⁓ I started becoming a fan The full conversion happened during the playoffs. I wanted to root for a team and didn't want to be like everyone else and root for the Seahawks. And I did not want to root for the Lions as much as the Lions are a fun team to watch. So I chose I chose another fun team to watch. And Matthew Stafford, you may be old, but you're gonna go win another Super Bowl. Yeah, that team is ⁓ it's looking scary. You know, they haven't ⁓ they've only picked three players in the first round in the last Ten years? That's insane. And only one of them is with the team now? Who? I don't know the team. Ty Simpson. The guy that they picked this year. ⁓ wow. Yeah. Every other year they've either traded the pick away or like the three times that they selected picks, they're they're no longer with the team. Well, they're They don't need it. They they really they really don't need it. Like no. I mean it's it's similar to like the Oilers, they just keep investing. Yeah. Over and over again. Yep. any other news that you want to share? no. That was that was it. Yeah, I completely forgot about that. yeah, give me your player of the week or give me the honorable mention and honorable mention ⁓ for week is Logan Stankhoven, two goals, three assists, and three games played. Very, very performance from a young player. that line was just yeah. ⁓ It's just been line. Yeah, it's honestly like I did not think I would see this great of a performance from a second line. Mm-hmm. And they've single handedly carried this team. I mean, both second lines on either team on Vegas and Carolina are both nasty. Yes. Vegas is second line is led by Mitch Marner. And then Carolina second line, Logan Steincoven, Taylor Hall, J Jackson Blake. So two exciting lines and they're definitely gonna be going head to head multiple times. Yes, and then our player of the week Against My Will. but he played so great. ⁓ Carter Hart four wins, four games played, nine four, four save percentage. So just playing really, really good hockey. I hope he learns from his mistakes. Yeah, hopefully. Yeah. With that, guys, enjoy the start of the end of the season. ⁓ it's gonna be a really good series. And then the NBA finals. Yeah, enjoy, enjoy everything that's happening in the world right now. And then it is June. So World Cup is right around the corner. It's gonna be exciting. We'll definitely we'll definitely have to preview that probably next episode because it starts pretty soon. Yeah, we'll ⁓ we'll get We'll get you guys filled in with all of the right information, who to look for and who who we think ⁓ who we think is gonna be ⁓ our our take to win the World Cup. Yeah. But ⁓ have a great week, guys, and we'll catch you next week.