Canes play in Arizona tonight!

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I got to attend my first Super Bowl just a few days ago, but finally the Cavs are no longer sore, so I can finally get back into my goalie stance. So you didn't escape town when the world ascended on Vegas, or did they even notice? Oh, well, I mean, you could have about six conventions going on at the same time in this town, and you wouldn't really cross paths unless you're going to one of the many blockbuster shows that we have going on.

Oh wait, I'm not supposed to be doing an ad for this town anymore. I was in radio row. I was in the belly of that particular beast. I was at the game, and I was certainly one of the more hectic weeks of my life. And it was just another weekend for Vegas, but we had an unbelievable turnout. I know that the numbers are going to show great things, and I know that we took money from the 49ers and Chiefs fans, and that's ultimately the greatest gift that ever could be given this town.

All right, let's get to the whole reason for this conversation. The Western Conference last year, when we got right down to it, Vegas ran roughshod. How do you view the West right now as Carolina's heading into Arizona?

It's very precarious, right? It's very different to see Vancouver not just on top of the standings in the Western, at least in the Pacific Division, but with the gap that they've been able to accumulate. And Vegas has had a tough year. I mean, you look at man games lost.

You look at injuries. There's definitely something to pay for late season runs. I mean, that happens to players when they're not able to win that cup. Certainly that's something that the Carolina hurricanes have been really familiar with a lot, and that takes a toll. And they've been able to ride a really hot start to their year to kind of supplement any sort of ups and downs they've gone through. But, you know, Edmonton had such a tough start where, you know, their coach got fired and then they rip off 16 in a row and get to stop that streak that I get cold nights.

They're in their head. And then Calgary is selling off every single part that they have after winning the division two years ago, because, you know, good draw into Chuck left in free agency. And they're like, yeah, we can still compete.

No, they couldn't. And they're in their rebuild. And then you have la, which is probably the most active of Pacific division teams in terms of adding from free agency, trying to expedite their rebuild back into relevance. And then again, they had such a bad slump that they fired their coach. I mean, there's coaches getting fired left and right. I haven't really talked about the central division where that's been littered up and down. But in terms of the powers that have been, they're certainly still around, but, you know, Colorado has gone through a little bout. So as has Dallas, like nobody's really run away with it. And so it just seems like it's one of those years where everybody's beat up and beating up on each other.

Lindsey Brown is joining us here on the Adam Gold show. Here's the thing about Colorado. They were just at PNC arena and Carolina won the game. It was the strangest game I've ever seen for a bunch of reasons, but I was looking at Colorado's lineup and as great as they are offensively, and I think they've scored more goals than anybody in the league. Thanks to McKinnon and Renton and mostly and Kale McCar. But I was stunned at how absolutely mediocre they were after the top line. Uh, Lekkonen with McKinnon and Renton.

They're awesome below them. It's it's it seems like it's a bunch of players who have been really on other teams fourth lines over time. Yeah.

Yeah. And they're kind of in a tough spot because once I had the news, you know, a year and a half ago, I don't even know because like time is a social construct. But once we learned that Gabriel Landis God was as injured as he was, it kind of put in my mind, this might be a one and done amazing team that might not make it back.

And they might make me look dumb for all. I know they have some of the most talented players, you know, kind of like picking against Patrick Mahomes in a ways. Like how do you, how do you truly, uh, actually make that pick? Cause if you look at the numbers, if you look at the scale and everything, but in terms of that top heaviness, we know that scoring goals doesn't necessarily win you games. And this league is as weird as that sounds, especially when it gets to the playoffs. And so when that top line goes and nothing else is producing, they have no cadre, no land is God machine skin in and out. Defense men haven't been as, as stalwart as they have in the past because their defense has never really been about being a big net front presence or hitting you into the boards. And so as you're trying to get into their zone, it's been more about playmaking and scoring because they have kale McCar and bowling by Roman and all of that. Like when Eric Johnson left that team, a lot of snarl does too.

And so, and they're paying a lot of these guys big money because look at what they do. And so what they're in the danger of is having too many high end talented players that they can't sell the rest of the roster. And so you kind of get into Edmonton Oilers land where you might get an easy path and somebody might fall down in front of you.

But otherwise, if you're going up against the team that's topped about them more talented or just plays a harder style of game, they're going to buzz them. Let me ask you about Vegas real quick because you alluded to it, but I want to, I want to kind of dig down a little bit before, before we move on to one last thing. But the, the golden Knights got off to this incredible start. I mean, I don't remember exactly what it was.

They were whatever and one or all and one for such a long time. And then they obviously went through a dip. Now, Jack Eichel has been hurt for a good portion of this season, but they had played plenty of games without him before. So what has been the problem for Vegas? Well, I'll tell you what the problem for me, cause I haven't been nearly as a hockey involved as I have in previous seasons, but when it was before the thick of football and I was watching how this team was playing. And it has a whole lot to do not with Jack Eichel. It has a lot to do with how the team has played defensively and how inconsistent that's been. And that's a commitment level.

Like you guys know that it canes people. It just, there's a standard that's set. And that's a hard demand to meet on a night by night basis, especially when you have such great coaches leading your team. It's it wears on you. And when you make such a successful run, you can't play the same game. You just were in the playoffs as if we were playing that all season, these guys would be dead. And so what they do is you get a little bit away from this app. This is where I stand defensively.

This is a decision I must make. And all of these injuries that have accumulated offensively for them that have had to be supplemented by players like Alex Patrangelo. And when Alex Patrangelo is being asked to do everything, the defensive end starts to suffer. I don't mean to say that it's all about him, but he plays so many minutes. He's on every situation and special teams, regular season. You want them out there in the final seconds, any period, not just the end of the game.

Cause he's that he's that good. But when he's all trying to get the puck up all the time, he's trying to join the rush. There's not as much discipline and left in the tank for that nut front presence. And so that's, what's really plagued them all season long. And the great thing about having a great hockey team and people that have been there before is that there's a time in the season where hopefully it switches and everybody locks in.

And it took them a long time last year as well through the regular season. So I'm not worried about it yet, but in terms of everybody getting healthy and being able to command that for themselves at the time that they need to, they just can't dig themselves too big of a hole where they have to start using some of those reserves because we know you need more for that playoff push. Do they expect the cavalry to come back at some point, some of the injured players to come back?

Sure. But yeah, I, what does that mean with this team? They have people come back and then in one period they go back out. That's been like eight different goalie injuries where they, it's, I don't know why they rush people back. And I don't think it's the team.

I don't think it's the training staff. I would never do that because I was a goalie once I too wanted to be out there and playing, even if it was at my detriment, even if I was compromised. Cause that's just what you want to do. And they're playing for money for keeps these at a different level. And so I can understand why there's this want to get back in and probably put yourself in a tough position. But at some point you have to say, Hey, just sit and we'll circle back and we're going to give you more time than we usually have allotted. And, and, and they just haven't, haven't done that on a consistent basis. And you got to remember too, this is an older team. And so these bangs and bruises take a little bit longer than they would if they were being chopped on 30 or 23 year old legs.

At Lindsey Brown. Yeah. I mean, it's good, but look, Carolina, these two games back to back are going to be very difficult. They, I know they might people like fans look past, but players don't.

I don't think, but Carolina probably needs to get these two points tonight, getting two points out of Vegas with knowing how much they need two points as well. At Lindsey Brown 35 on Twitter, as a former athlete, I, I don't mean that to be like, you're washed up Lindsey, but the, what Caitlin Clark not only is doing, but maybe what she represents in many ways. How do you sum that up? I mean, she's one of the many who carry the torch, push the proverbial Boulder to legitimizing women's sports in a lot of people's minds. I don't know why they're seen as that much different or lesser than we were talking about that record breaking shot, which was like an unbelievable shot, unbelievable sound.

Like this is just like a great stick day that goes into the boards. It just, it just feels and it sounds right, but there there's something to be said when you know, you're witnessing something special. And I think basketball is at the forefront of this for, for women's sports simply because of what the way the game has changed and, and, and how the three pointer has really ushered in a bunch of different athletes and ways to win basketball games. And with that, she's taken and run with it. Cause you talk about her, you talk about angel Reese, who's a very different player. You talk about all the talent, even in the WNBA right now. Like everybody's had a hand in creating this space in this moment for Caitlin Clark, but for her to do what she's done and to understand like her perspective and purpose. Like, I don't think playing sports is her purpose in life because I would never reduce any athlete to just what they do as a performer, but she knows what she means to the community.

She knows what an example she sets and there's something about that awareness and that ability to perform the way she does. Without the ones like you who work tirelessly to keep things running, everything would suddenly stop. Hospitals, factories, schools, and power plants.

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Count on real time product availability and fast delivery call click Grainger.com or just stop by Grainger for the ones who get it done. That's just a role model and I hate putting that pressure on people, but she takes that seriously and she's going to do her part and probably a lot more in ushering in a different imagination when it comes to the world of sports and having women included and celebrated within it. It's just incredible and I caught the clip, my son at soccer practice last night, I caught the clip of her breaking the record and it couldn't have been more fitting that like a 27 footer pull up on the run is how she did it. It is just incredible.

I'm thrilled for her and it is about time. We've had two different women's soccer leagues, one that failed. I think that the NWSL is going to continue and grow. The two sports, other than the individual sports of like soccer and rather golf and tennis, the two team sports that have the best chance of really being huge, you know, not just for women, but huge major sports are women's basketball and women's soccer. They have, they have the chance and Adam, I will say, I will say, because I don't have, I don't give a lot of credit to the sport that raised me and where it's at because there's a lot of problems riddled with hockey and NHL, but the PWHL, this new professional women's league that's been emerging of, of, of what was kind of a traveling exhibition series every year.

And then the, the PHL, the numbers we're seeing turn up are amazing. And each sport and each athlete has a special way to help break barriers down and the physicality that they're allowing these women to play with and compete in. I think we'll do a lot of good for shattering expectations about fragility and what women are. Cause we just say, well, you can play, but also don't hurt each other.

Also don't fight. It's like, no, we're full human beings that sometimes say the wrong thing, compete a little bit too hard and, and are here to take no prisoners. And so there's so much positivity. I'm so enthused of what's transpired in the last like three years, basically since the WNBA and that Atlanta dream team kind of started their process.

It's all been from there. And, and I take my beats from, from those women and people like Kaitlin Clark, cause they're there. It's the most diverse sport. It's the most transportable sport. It's the most successful sport.

And they're doing all the right things. Lindsey Brown at Lindsey Brown, 35 on Twitter. I thank you very much. We'll talk to you again very soon. Sounds good, buddy. Have a good one. You too, Lindsey Brown. For the ones who get it done.