Steve Levy on the Dan Patrick Show Full Interview | 6/14/24

Steve Levy on the Dan Patrick Show Full Interview | 6/14/24

[Music] [Applause] quick Steve Ley note anyone that ever is having any type of event like charity event or whatever he should be the guy that hosts it or MC’s it he should be the guy because multiple times I went to G Brook’s charity thing and Steve hosted it and he was phenomenal just absolutely awesome and so when they said who do we want to talk about or talk with in terms of Stanley Cup Final and hockey I’m like Steve I like Steve I talk with Steve I don’t really know these other guys so let’s let’s bring on Steve which is what we’re doing Steve is the host of ESPN’s NHL Studio show the point and intermissions throughout the Stanley Cup Final which continue with game four on Saturday at 800 PM Eastern on ABC and ESPN plus Steve great to see you great to talk with you are you still doing that gig are you still doing the hosting the G Brooks thing uh well certainly with every invic me it’s so funny you bring up G because I get up here to Edmonton and the first thing I see is this giant mural and it’s got all the Oilers players McDavid and dry SLE in the middle of it is gu Brooks in an Oilers sweater playing the guitar and so of course I sent him the picture and he’s uh he’s so cool he got right back to that’s that’s a fun game for your friends to play Ross right like who’s the most famous guy in your phone or famous person in your phone and G Brooks is definitely the most famous person of my phone and it’s pretty cool when he text me back so you know what’s funny Steve I am more and more into in a country music every year than I used to be but before when I wasn’t into country music really at all was more my wife when I tell them that I sang on stage at the Grand old Opry with Trisha Yearwood and GTH Brooks they look at me like that’s the greatest thing a human being can do I was like oh yeah no I just I just told Trisha earwood that I liked her song she’s in love with the boy and next thing I know I’m on stage with GTH Brooks on guitar that was awesome man that was awesome so I I remember that too and I remember the people in Nashville saying you guys are eating we were eating dinner on the stage right that’s how big a deal it was and the people like it you know that stage is is all time stuff like you don’t get to it’s like the Stanley Cup you don’t touch it unless you win it like you don’t get to be on the stage unless you’re an alltime S country Superstar and then we were having dinner on the stage that’s that’s one of the all-time special nights for sure yeah that was and the night before we were at G’s Barn wherever that was that was that was phenomenal absolutely loved it I’m not loving Steve that Florida one again last night I was really hoping for a bunch of different reasons right like I I wanted to be a longer ser series there’s nothing like a game seven in in playoff hockey I guess maybe there’s a dumb question but are the Panthers just that much better than the Oilers I think they are I I think just from top to bottom and I I think we knew they were the better team going in uh but that Edmonton had the higher level Talent you know we waited a long time we waited nine years to see Conor McDavid play for the Stanley Cup and here he is and and the Panthers are just all over him they’re such a good defense team uh the best part about this is you know the hockey world that maybe casual fans that didn’t realize are are learning some new players you know it’s not just Conor McDavid and Leon dry Sidle it’s about uh Sasha barov the captain of the Florida Panthers who right now you know him and Sergey bosski will be the favorites I think for the K Smite trophy which is the playoff winner which is something the NHL does really cool it’s not the Stanley Cup Final MVP the MVP of the entire playoff is what they do in hockey so it’s all four rounds and those two players have been dominant and really they’re the two reasons uh that they’ve taken McDavid and the Oilers out of the series they’ve been that good defensively and you know barov scores another goal last night I me he’s just he’s just so skilled and the Panthers are a terrific story but yes I think we’re all disappointed uh this screamed six or seven games going into the series and now it looks like it’ll be over much quicker than that has it changed Steve in the sense that it used to be like okay if you had Gretzky you’re going to win if you had Mario Lamie you’re going to win if you have Crosby you’re going to win the Oilers have McDavid and they’re not going to win H has the sport changed or have they just not done a good enough job surrounding him with guys so that they do win you know it’s it’s more uh it’s not the all the forwards for I I think it is the ultimate team sport and I think you could draw parallels of football but you know in basketball with Five Guys on the court or or women on the court uh you can have one Superstar or definitely two and win a championship and clearly it doesn’t work that way in hockey uh the checking in a series The locking down of a star in a series does happen all the time but then you should be eliminating some of the best players in the other team and that’s where your secondary scoring comes from so the big five for the Edmonton Oilers so McDavid and dry Sidle Heyman uh the NJ and um the defenseman uh bua their five top offensive players have accounted for zero goals so far in the Stanley in the Stanley Cup Final and so you know it’s nice to get chip in scoring from guys you don’t normally expect to do it McLoud gets a deflection goal last night for Edmonton but your stars do have to step up and perform they’re under enormous pressure here but again I I hate to take away from Edmonton I want to keep maintaining that Florida being unbelievable is the story and Ross they’ve done this the whole playoff they shut down all the ranger big boys to get here they did it to Tampa Bay they did it to Boston in the first round so this is this is not something new this is this is not a trend this is how the Florida Panthers play hockey man they look good talking with Steve Levy ESPN NHL Studio host play byplay sports center anchor calls football games as well Steve you know I’m guessing there’s a lot of people that feel the way I do I’m just a guy from Pennsylvania right outside of pH I really wanted the Canadian team to win like I I wanted that for the people of Edmonton I wanted that for the country and I feel like the people in South Florida I mean come on hockey South Florida like and maybe maybe you’ll tell me hey Ross it’s cool it’s creating a lot of cool hockey fans in South Florida and I’m cool with that I’m down with that I’m trying to spread football over the globe so if we’re doing that let’s spread hockey to South Florida I get that but I just know it means means more to the people in Edmonton than it does the people in Miami I know it does listen there’s no getting around that I mean and the the panther fans been all over me and my coverage when we talk about stuff like that the building’s not as loud the tickets are easier to come by I me you cannot argue the that in fact I even said I I referenced the old SEC line right that it just means more right and so and and Mark Messier who’s from Ed and PK suban are shaking their heads like yeah all you have to do is be in the building up here for the Canadian National Anthem and it’s just it’s wild right the game hasn’t even started yet so um it’s special uh we have not had a Canadian team win in 31 years since since Montreal beat Barry Melrose my guy and Wayne Gretzky’s LA Kings and so it’s been forever uh it’s truly you know an international sport um and the Canadian teams have have have had good teams they’ve come really close Winnipeg Jets were terrific this year the mate beliefs always have these great regular seasons and you know can’t get out of the first or second round and so uh Edmonton finally Powers through and it does seem like they’re going to go out you know here with a with a whimper and and again they’re listen Florida has great experience now they went to The Cup Final last year uh they lost the first two games in Vegas came home and won a game and so I think they were set up nicely Paul Maurice their head coach said Hey We’re Not Gon to let that happen to us that was us last year and I think they’ve used the experience of the Stanley Cup Final um to help this year and listen the Panthers have been around you know the Panthers AR like Vegas they haven’t been in the league seven years you know the Panthers have been around 30 35 years yeah I think 35 years now or so and they haven’t won the Stanley Cup yet so um they’re certainly entitled for their shot they’re getting it right now Steve there isn’t like some reason why the Canadian teams haven’t won it right it’s not like a financial thing it’s not like there’s no like there’s nothing you can put a finger on can you I I don’t think it’s the dollar figure I think all the NHL contracts are based us dollars regardless of where you are uh listen some players don’t want to play in some of these markets for a variety of reasons okay it’s not all the same reason uh I know some people some players don’t want to play in Montreal and Toronto you want to talk about the hot beds right the the pressure cookers uh where the media is on you you you know you can’t go anywhere you can’t go to a Tim Horton and get a cup of coffee otta was uh you know small Market maybe a little sleepy there uh buildings out in the suburbs like that kind of thing um and in these markets where like you know Edmonton and Calgary um they’re not these major metropolises but you’re in you’re under the microscope right I mean there there are videos of you know Conor McDavid just trying to go to a a Pac and and buy you know buy a case of beer and they’re all over him like he’s got to bring protection everywhere with of security and stuff so I think so and that’s a lot of American players you know we saw with Matthew kachuck who’s really the face of Florida Panthers you know he wanted out of Calgary for for whatever reason and he’s he’s now the face of the Florida Panthers he’s changed everything about that franchise we’ll see what happens with his brother who’s in Ottawa like I mentioned and other players you know they want to be in Anaheim and then that you know they could be have a nice life and live in Southern California you play hockey and you’re kind of left alone outside of the rig so I think it’s a variety of reasons I don’t think it’s necessarily about the cash but it is odd it is odd you got seven franchises up in Canada and it’s been 31 years yeah that’s wow that that’s good context though that’s that’s what I was looking for last question Steve we were talking we had Darren rll on earlier we’re talking about this Joey Chestnut versus kobashi eating contest so I was asking the danet if there was one food like if your life depended on an eating contest what food do you think you would do the fair the best at compared to other other people all right so I’ll give I’ll give you one it’s GNA sound awful it’s going to be terrible uh I can destroy stone crabs okay so now listen they’re little and and they’re hard to eat out get out of the shell too which which speaks to my skill in that aspect be a to get more than the next guy but you sit me down to Joe’s Stone Crabs with some of that mustard sauce man and I can go to town for a long time I feel pretty good about my chance that’s awesome somebody hit me up on social media and said uh shrimp and and cocktail sauce so usually you don’t hear people go and seafood but um I like it I want I wanted to give you something different too you know like like chicken wings too but I’m not these people all saying wings are Pizza it’s like yeah great great story nobody’s ever thought of that one before I’m sure nobody hey manx I’m sure nobody else can eat a bunch of pizza I mean you got to think about how it compares to other people it have some strategy here your L your life depends on it right anyway now listen the other cavey out there is for Joe’s Stone Crabs like I can’t be paying the bill either okay that’s got to be on The Dan Patrick Show if I’m GNA win that contest well you won’t have to pay the bill now just clip this video and send it to him for the next time you go there I think you’ll be all set thank you Steve all right Ross be well say hi to the boys for me fritzy and everybody there I will they said hello as well Steve Levy does a terrific job there for ESPN host of ESPN’s NHL Studio show the point and intermissions throughout the Stanley Cup Final which might end tomorrow night game four on Saturday 800m Eastern on ABC ESPN plus I’m calling it right now the Oilers are winning that game bam my first hockey prediction of all time I think that I just want everybody in Edmonton and Canada to remember this when the Oilers get the job done Saturday night it’ll be because I predicted it would happen and if they don’t no one will remember at all because I said it Friday morning and it’ll be Saturday and then Sunday we’ll have the US open and Father’s Day and next thing you know it’ll be Monday