Mic Check: The Hockey Guy

Mic Check: The Hockey Guy

Shannon, I appreciate your time and I realize I’ve been mispronouncing your moniker this entire time. You’re not the hockey guy. You are the hockey guy to me. You see what I did there? Yeah. Yeah. It And it’s weird because it was it was a a placeholder of a name I came up with back in 2015. Like I’ll come up with something else and then it just it just stuck. You’re the hockey guy for me. I hope you take that as the ultimate compliment. I I do. I appreciate that. Thank you. Absolutely. Here we are like already at the quarter point of the NHL season. It’s condensed. It’s going by so fast. What have you seen from the San Jose Sharks now that we’ve really got a taste of who they might be? Uh they’re fast. They’re exciting. Uh it’s been a lot of fun watching both San Jose and Anaheim getting really good and really exciting and really fast really quickly. Um and and to think too like last week I went to an Abbottzford game here and they were against the Barracuda and I was counting off all the prospects that are down with the Barracuda as well. Um and I suddenly understood why Abbottzford had lost seven to nothing the night before I went to the game. Uh because yeah, the the Barracuda have a really a lot of really good players too. So yeah, this is this is the the building process. This is when it’s the most fun is when the team is building up and you’re starting to see those returns and all those draft picks and some really shrewd moves I think from Mike Greer as well along the way and I I think most of them have played out pretty well. So, a lot of credit to go around. You know, I heard another name and voice that I respect a lot in the hockey community say this about the Sharks and Elliott Freriedman said they’re going to be dangerous when they learn how to play defense. And I think that’s been a huge part of kind of the turnaround from the start of this season to when they found themselves and allowing two or fewer goals to the opponents. That’s kind of a thing that I made up back in the day and talk about it a lot, but when the Sharks have achieved that so many times in a row, you start to think they might be good at defense and that’s going to keep them in games this year. Oh, absolutely. Um there there are teams that succeed without having that really strong defense, but it’s it’s rare. And usually once you get nearer to the playoffs and playoff time, those are the teams that’ll fall by the wayside. Um yeah, San Jose is just playing they’re playing a much better all-around game and you could see like that 10ame period there where they had the seven wins, they were really dialed in. It’s hard to keep that going all year, but it does give you a glimpse of just how good this team’s going to get. I really don’t want to revisit the 0 and6 start. I don’t think that’s the Sharks though. Like that that wasn’t them. And even when they went on to win eight of their next 11 games, look, maybe that is not them yet either, but if they’re somewhere in the middle, if they split that difference to the point, I think that’s a huge step forward tangibly already this year. Yeah. I when they got off to the rough start this year, I was kind of surprised and I I I I didn’t I thought, you know, they’re better than this. They’re better than this start. I remember making the videos and going, they’re they’re definitely not as bad as this record looks. Um they’re playing way better there. Just like the game against Vegas, just little things, just just little plays, you know, Ned’s out of the net. Yeah, it and these things happen. Y um every you know, people are like, I can’t believe Ned. I’m like, it happens. Goalies make mistakes. I watched Raur Hosik made mfor made they all make mistakes. It’s just now because of social media, you see that mistake on repeat for about six days. It doesn’t go away. Everybody gets to see it that night. You know, speaking of goalending, Yaruslav Ascarov has had a monster November so far just in this calendar month alone. A 119 goals against and 971 save percentage in his five starts. I think, and you tell me if I’m I’m right or wrong on this, I think there’s a difference between getting hot because that only lasts a few games and staying hot when it’s five games. And we’ll see what he does next. We’ll see how the month goes. I feel like there’s a difference here between flashing the pan versus he might be really good. Those are those are crazy numbers, but he might be really good here. Um there’s a reason Ascarov was taken as early in the draft as Nashville took him. Uh he’s a very good goalender. He seems to have got it figured out. Uh there are goalenders that come in, they do really really well, and then they fall off. And then there’s other ones that takes him a little while. And that that first few weeks, you could see he was struggling with his confidence. Once his confidence kicked in Yeah. Um he has been he’s been really really quite good and the Sharks are kind of set in net for a while um with with him and then you know others they have in the system. I I think I think San Jose is pretty well set. You know I may see this from a a teal tinted view. So you give me maybe the national perspective and you you tell me if I’m if I’m right about this from the bigger picture. When I look at the Sharks and the personalities they’ve got on the team. forget the hockey skills and the actual players on the ice between actual human beings like Will Smith and Mlin Celabbrini and Asie and Ekki and Tyler Tofoley. I I do feel like this Sharks team, win or lose, has some character, has some personality, and if they can combine that with winning, man, that’s going to be fun to watch. There’s there’s definitely a big difference. I think I think the focus in the off season to bringing in veterans for the blue line who are accomplished veterans as well has made a big difference. Like Orlov has been fantastic for them offensively. He’s back to playing at where he was say four or five years ago. Uh which either it increases his trade value so they can move him at the deadline for more or they stay in the hunt longer and you know that would definitely help. So, yeah, I think I think that I think that the focus has been um and and I I’m I’m just going to again say I I think Mike Greer’s done an underrated job with what he’s been able to do and the team he’s put together. All right, Shannon, me as the American asking you as the Canadian, the 25 player roster has to be submitted, I believe, December 31st, 2025 for team Canada in the Olympics. Is that right? I think. Yeah, I think so. Close to there. Well, okay. The date, the date aside, is Mlin Celbrraini on team Canada or not? He he should he should be. The the one the one sticking point I’ve always had with the international tournaments is that they will kind of stick to some veterans and well, we got to have this guy here. And sometimes there’s a name recognition that might be ahead of where the players are and always going to be a last chance situation like this is their last chance to be an Olympian type thing. Yeah. Yeah. Like I I’ve I’ve seen that argument with Stamco, but you can’t look at the numbers and say that Stamos belongs on that 25man roster at this stage in his career. Um I I think I I think Celibbrini’s got to be there. I think Bard should be there as well. Um if they’re playing roles on the wing on on third or fourth line, fine. That experience is only going to be good for them. Um I I think they should focus on skill. I think they should focus on speed. It’s not going to be like four nations. I don’t expect like really, you know, physical, brutal kind of games. It’s completely different at the Olympics. So, bring your speed and skill. You’re going to need it. I feel like there are probably some veterans in Celibbrini’s corner. And whether it is a Sydney Crosby or a McKinnon or anybody who’s surrounding like has been surrounding Mlin in recent times and understands who he is, I don’t know if they can vouch for Mlin, but I feel like that couldn’t hurt. Like them being close to him can’t hurt. That feedback would definitely help. Yeah, that feedback can only help. Absolutely. Do you kind of feel like we are at a crossroads of superstars in the NHL? And I’m not trying to rush Sid and Oie out the door, but I look at, you know, a Celabbrini, a Bard, a Schaffer just kind of getting their true footing in this league. Are we bound to witness in the next two, three, five years a changing of the guard there? Yeah. Um, you know, with Obie, he’s in the final year of his contract. He’s passed the 900 goal mark now. I I’m still not convinced he’s coming back next year. Yeah, he probably does. Maybe he doesn’t want to have like Kopitar’s having his, you know, farewell tour. Maybe Ovetkin doesn’t feel the need to have that. I know he’s talked about going back and playing in the KHL before he retires. That’s been a conversation before. Um and and Crosby doesn’t seem like the type that would would have a lot of fanfare either that he would probably announce a couple weeks before he was done. And then yeah, then there’s it’s it’s going to be Cabbrini, it’s going to be Bard, it’s going to be Leo Carlson, it’s going to be these guys who are the the superstars that that lead the game beyond. And of course, you still have McDavid dry and whatnot, but there’s there’s definitely a turnover coming and I would say 2, three years from now, uh, we’ll see those the the the new stars will be the the the ones that are leading the way. Going back to the Sharks real quick and and you praise Mike Greer for some of the the moves that he’s been making and not just draft picks but also like free agent acquisitions and I go back to this summer. Phil Kurichev, Demetri Orlov, Alex Nadulkovich solidifying things in the crease. Even Ryan Reeves as a shark like there was a trade for Ryan Reeves. I could never have imagined that 5 to seven years ago. Um here’s the thing I want to say though about those acquisitions in years past. They were players that you thought would be here for a certain period of time and might be gone before the trade deadline. I’m kind of hoping the way this season is going for the Sharks. I don’t want to trade them away. I I want them to stay. I want them to see how far they can take this thing. I guess it’s a it’s a shift of mentality here. And And do you see that as well, too, that that these shouldn’t be pieces that are moved. These should be pieces that are retained. Yeah, we we saw that with Anaheim last year. I remember when the Ducks picked up Trouba from the Rangers and immediately I saw a lot of people saying, “Well, they’re just flipping at the deadline. This is just this is a smart move.” And I I Nothing from Verbique at the time indicated that it was just a rental move. Nothing from the Ducks indicated that that that was the case. Just a sec. You’re good. Got to get my cat. Um but yeah, the she’s she’s she’s all sketched out. But anyways, um yeah, I think that the Sharks this year, they’ll be selling a bit at the deadline, I would imagine, but just pending unrestricted free agents, players that aren’t going to be in the picture for next year. But I I don’t think we’re going to see a massive selloff like we’ve seen in other seasons. And then there’s a lot of money they can put on LTI as well if they want to help another team out by bringing a contract in at the deadline. They’re in a fantastic position. They really are. I’m getting attached to some of these players. like I don’t want to see them go and I think that’s a good thing. I also can’t wait to see whenever Carrie Price does make his Sharks debut. No, just kidding. That’s that’s all the money built up. We can talk about that later. Uh two more things for you, Shannon. Uh the Kings and Ducks, you mentioned them, and I was just looking at the standings entering this morning. They are a top the Pacific Division 1 and two, and I I have no doubts that eventually the Sharks will be right up there at the top two. Uh kind of competitive like the old days. And I know you’re a West Coast guy, not a Californian, but man, it would be fun to see that California trio be at top the division. Kind of like it used to be in yester year. Yeah. Uh it was I I used to, you know, 10 15 years ago, anytime the Conucks would go on a tour through California, I wouldn’t even watch the games. They’re rough. It was a It was a gauntlet. I know. It it it just didn’t work. And and people would ask me work, they’re like, “Did you watch the Conucks game last night?” I’m like, “Nah, they’re going through the valley of the shadow of death.” So while they’re doing that, I don’t generally cuz that’s how I referred to California. That was the valley of the shadow of death for the Canucks. They were just right. Canucks got destroyed by the Sharks. Of course they did. Why did you watch the game? What else did you think was going to happen? Did you feel like though back in the day that maybe even the Sharks would soften up a team so that when they had to go play the Kings and Ducks afterwards, you know, it was easier for them or vice versa? Like it was not just one matchup, it was three hard games in a row and by game two or three, no matter who they were against, you were a little bit more depleted than you were going in. Yeah. California California teams were they were big, they were tough. There was definitely a war of attrition when you went through California. Yeah. Um it’s definitely different this time around. Like the Kings still have some of that toughness and some of that that grit. The the Ducks and the Sharks at this point are are mainly skill and speed. And then I would imagine that as they get better, they’ll add some of the some of that sandpaper that we see on contending teams like you see when Florida or Colorado had it the year they won the cup as well. So that’s that’s that’s where things are trending. Like the California teams are are definitely going to be ones to watch. And I think the Ducks and the Sharks will be at the top longer than LA. I think there’s LA there’s definitely some more veterans there. There’s definitely some more reason to think that they could fall from where they are over the next couple of years and and yeah, but Anaheim and San Jose are in really good shape. Sustainability is nice. I will say that. Yes. All right, final topic here. Um I feel like a lot of people on the outside of of the Sharks look at this team from afar and say, “Oh, they’re fun to watch.” And and that’s nice, but I don’t know that any other outside entity really takes this team seriously yet. Does it become a matter of making the playoffs for the Sharks and that’s kind of their entry into being taken more seriously than they have been recently? I think if they maintain a good record and stay within 3 to five points of the playoffs up until, I’d say early March, they’ll get more recognition. The challenge has always and has always been that if you’re on the West Coast, sure, a lot of the East Coast media is in bed by the time you’re playing your games or they’re just they’re not all that worried about it. They really don’t watch it. So, it’s easier for for a player and for a team on the West Coast to be maybe underrated, maybe overlooked, but if they stay in the hunt into March, it’ll definitely turn some more heads. I watch your channel all the time. The hockey guy is up to what, like almost 400,000. Where where we at on subs? It’s I think it’s 367,000. That’s It’s But it’s doing quite well. That is an amazing achievement by you, by the way. The the only thing that I do with that number is, and I I will I will admit this is that I look on Google at populations of cities in Canada to see what a population of my subscribers would be in relation to cities in Canada, right? To try to wrap my brain around just how many people that is. You’re bigger than Winnipeg, though, right? Winnipeg’s not 360,000, is it? I don’t know if I’m Winnipeg big. I I think I passed Saskatoon, home of Drew. Saskatoon. So yeah, it’s it’s it’s definitely weird. It’s it’s odd. Well, you deserve it. You are an appreciated voice. I love your takes and obviously I’ll I’ll shout you out here. You don’t need it. But thank you very much for the time. We’ll talk again soon. Thank you. Absolutely.