Panthers Stay Alive In Stanley Cup Final (Hour 3)

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That's A-L-L-B-I-R-D-S dot com. We'll chat a little pucks with the Stanley Cup final starting to become an actual good final as you did get Carolina on the board last night getting, or excuse me, Florida get on the board last night getting a victory over the Vegas Golden Knights in a great comeback fashion, real excitement at the end as you did see towards the end of regulation. Matthew Tkachuk gets the goal and then Carter Verhage wins it in overtime so the Vegas Golden Knights are up in the series still but now you get Florida on the board with it being Vegas 2 and Florida 1 and you will have game number 4 coming your way tomorrow evening. But first up, before we get to Liam McHugh, 20 minutes from now, 5 questions, 5 answers of course on a Friday.

We do this every Monday and Friday right here on CBS Sports Radio. It's a little onside, offside. Hot take Hickey?

Hit it! Zach's taking on the most polarizing issues in sports. Which side of the line of scrimmage will he end up on? Offside, defense number 69.

It's onsides, offsides with Zach Gelb on CBS Sports Radio. Alright Hickey, what do we got? Game 4 of the NBA Finals is later on tonight as the Heat do look to even up the series at 2 games apiece. Now Miami has struggled as a home team recently. They won their first 6 games if we're not going to count the play-in. Won the first 6 games of the postseason at home but they have lost their last 3 games in Miami.

Now Nicole Jokic and Jamal Murray are coming off an historic game number 3 where both were the first pair of teammates in NBA history to both record 30 point triple doubles in the same game. For game 4 tonight, Denver is 3 and a half point favorites. Onsides or offsides, Miami will win game 4. It's funny, I bet Denver last game, minus 2 and a half, and leading up to the game I go, oh that spread just seems really low and it easily hit. Tonight at 3 and a half I thought that number would be greater, but once again I'm going back to the well with Denver. Cause I just looked back at game 2, that's when you got Struce, that's when you got Gabe Vincent, that's when you got Duncan Robinson especially in the 4th quarter to come alive. Not doubting those guys, but when you look back at that game, Denver still did go on a 40-14 run at one point. And even when the 4th quarter was getting away from them, they found a way to find Jamal Murray a shot.

And if he would have just made that shot, he missed the 3 pointer obviously, then that game would have gone into overtime. So it's going to be so tough for Miami to get another game. They almost have to play the perfect game and Denver is just rolling right now. And remember, it wasn't really game 3 that you should be impressed with by Denver in terms of, oh Mike Malone blasted the team, the effort and then they showed up in game 3. This is now a similar spot where you're up a game in this series as you were after game 1, and now you're up a game 2-1 after game 3. Let's see how much this Denver team is really going to respond and learn from that message that the coach gave them after game 2 about the effort in this spot. As basically, this game 2 is very similar to what you're going to see in game 4 in terms of what's at stake where you can go up 2 games in the NBA Finals and then inch yourself one win away from hoisting that Larry O'Brien trophy. I like Denver tonight. I think Denver wins and they're covering the 3.5 points. So you tell me Miami will win game 4? Sorry Heat fans, I'm going offside.

Offside! Who do you like in the game tonight by the way? I didn't ask you yet. Denver. No good to win tonight.

I don't feel good about that now. If we're both on one side, usually it's fade, fade, fade. We're both right in game 3. Both on Denver game 3.

Gotta win. You were partially right on game 3. In the first ever Zach Gilts show attempt though of Hickey making predictions and then me betting the other way, you told me that it was going to be an under for Jimmy Butler in points and Jamal Murray. I went the other way just fading you and then I ended up winning 2-0.

So I don't know. I feel like usually most times when we're both on the same side of things, it usually does not work. But you are right. It did work in game number 3 on the spread. So we'll see what happens tonight in game number 4. But here's my rule. If I'm in agreement with you and then it does not work, I'm not going to go after you. I won't put the Hickey Hex on it.

Usually I feel like the Hickey Hex is when you're out on an island on something and I'm just sitting there saying, what the heck is he even saying? I am in agreement with you tonight which concerns me but also makes me think we're due to get something right. That is for sure. DeAndre Hopkins, speaking of getting something right, is looking to find the right fit for his next team. And his free agency tour is going to get kicked off this weekend starting in Nashville. He is set to visit the Titans on Sunday. You will like this report from Ian Rapoport of NFL Network then because he reported earlier today that DeHop will be making multiple stops on this tour. First to Nashville, then to beautiful, not really beautiful, but New England. Yes, it's gorgeous. Foxboro this time of year. Have you ever been?

No and no reason to go. Okay, so once again, this is the Hickey playbook. I've never tried blue cheese. Blue cheese sucks.

When I asked you, did you try? Oh, no, no, no. Come on. Foxboro is a terrible place.

Have you ever been there? No. You are the worst. You are the worst. The worst. Especially in the summertime.

No, thank you. You keep on crushing places. You keep on crushing things. You never try. You never go anywhere.

You're no fun. What is there to do in Foxboro? You can go to Patriot Place.

Okay. Outside of Patriot Place. You can then make a little trip into Boston.

I would recommend going to Centarpio's Pizza. There's stuff to do. Well, that's in Boston. That's different. Yeah, but it's in the area. It's within an hour radius, a 40-minute radius. That's a goal. East Rutherford, New Jersey.

Beautiful place this time of year if he's visiting the Jets. You can go to Rut's Hut? No. Have you ever been to Rut's Hut? No.

Okay. Dogs? Yeah, hot dogs. You never heard? It's one of the best hot dog places in the country. Rippers? Never heard of Rut's Hut.

Man, you really suck when it comes to food. That's a staple. I don't know what these places are. That's a staple in New Jersey. In North Jersey. I'm not a Jersey guy. You're not an anything guy.

I don't really, I don't go in there, so. You can enjoy your Rut's Hut. You can enjoy Jersey. DeAndre Hopkins will be enjoying Nashville and then Foxboro as he is set through.

Visit the Patriots later on next week. Now, what he's looking for is money. According to the Athletic, Hopkins wants a deal similar to what Odell Beckham Jr. got from the Ravens. $15 million, plus a little bit more in incentives as well. Onsides or offsides, DeAndre Hopkins won't sign with either the Titans or Patriots.

You know, Bill Valenchak's here. DeAndre, we're going to give you $15 million, guaranteed. We'll give you $2 million in incentives and an extra $2 million just to hang out with Bill O'Brien because I heard he wasn't so nice to you in the past.

He's just been a douche to you and makes up things about you, but you're a talented football player and you're a football player that I want on my team and when I want something, I get it. You know, I didn't want Tom Brady here anymore and Tom Brady's out of town, but now I have Mac and I'm going to pretend like I like Mac Jones, but I need a number one wide receiver, so. We're going to go out there and we're going to give you a deal, DeAndre Hopkins. There you go. Deal's done.

Just heard Bill Valenchak right there. I think Belichick will get DeAndre Hopkins. You asked me, DeAndre Hopkins won't sign with either Tennessee or New England.

I will go offside. What do you think he's signing, by the way? Who, Hopkins? Yeah, that's who we're talking about. I still think Cleveland. You think Cleveland? I do.

They got money. They got a good quarterback. Eh, I wouldn't trust that quarterback. I don't want to take DeSean over Mac Jones or Ryan Tannehill.

Those are your three options right now. In terms of talent, sure. Oh, yeah. Absolutely.

Yeah, that's what we're talking about, right? Decision making. I can't trust DeSean Watson off the field. Can't trust him. That's why if I'm DeAndre Hopkins, you got to go take the money.

Take the money. Who cares about who the quarterback is? We'll see. We'll see who he's prioritizing.

That is, that is for sure. Broncos, offensive lineman Garret Bowles. He's expecting a big bounce back season from who else other than Russell Wilson. Saying earlier this week that any critics of Russ are going to eat crow after this 2023 season. Now, Russ is not the only quarterback under pressure this season.

Under pressure. As DeSean Watson, we just talked about. Mac Jones, we just talked about. And Aaron Rodgers all look to bounce back after down 2022 seasons. So, onsides or offsides, Russell Wilson has the most pressure of these quarterbacks listed above to bounce back this season. Yeah, I think it's a tie between Russell Wilson and DeSean Watson. The quarterback that we're going to talk the most about throughout the season is definitely going to be Aaron Rodgers because he's on a new team. And he always just makes it fun to talk about Aaron Rodgers and always puts himself into the news.

So, we'll talk the most about Aaron Rodgers. But for Russell Wilson and then also DeSean Watson, those teams made an enormous investment in those players financially and then also through draft picks. And Russell Wilson was a flat out disaster last year. Now you bring in Sean Payton and there's a lot of pressure for Russ to pick up his game and you can't blame the coaching staff anymore. And for DeSean Watson, similar situation in terms of the money and the picks except the scapegoat is still out there with Kevin Stefanski. So, I put those two right next to each other because of what their teams gave up. But I'll give Russ the slight edge in terms of there being more pressure on him than DeSean Watson because Hickey, they've now run out of scapegoats for Russell Wilson. DeSean Watson, he didn't play the full season last year. He was knocking off Russ after being off the field for two years. And there's still Stefanski there who will get fired if they don't make the playoffs, if they don't have a decent season.

So, I'll go yeah. Most pressure on Russell Wilson this year out of the quarterbacks that you just listed on sides. Some big news is not too shocking, but early today it is official the Vikings have released running back Dalvin Cook. He's now a free agent and can sign with any team he wants. Cook has rushed for at least a thousand yards in each of the last four seasons and he is just 27 years old. Now, according to the DraftKings, the top three betting favorites to sign the four-time Pro Bowler are the Dolphins, the Broncos, and the Bills in that order. Onsides or offsides, the team that will sign Dalvin Cook is the New York Jets. Yesterday I said Dolphins won, Jets two, Broncos three.

I think it's going to be the Jets one now. I think Rodgers wants him. I believe Salah and Joe Douglas will just listen to whatever Aaron Rodgers wants to do. And if you're Dalvin Cook, you just played a division so many years where your team would have to go up against Aaron Rodgers twice a year. Yeah, you can go to Miami, but you go home and there's some advantages of being close to home and then there's some disadvantages as well. But I would look at the Jets, even though both teams can use the upgrade at the running back position, and I would say, okay, Rodgers is pretty much a sure thing where, you know, even though he had a down year last year because of the thumb injury, Rodgers is going to perform bare minimum at a really good level. And if Rodgers calls you, you think that's too tough for him to resist, even with also, you're probably going to get more money, I would imagine, with the salary cap space with the Jets compared to the Dolphins.

So yeah, the team that will sign Dalvin Cook, I'm going to go with the New York Jets. I'll go onsides on that one. And finally, from the world of pucks, the Golden Knights were three minutes away from going up 3-0 in the Stanley Cup final before Matthew Tkachuk tied the game, and then in overtime, Carter Verhage won it to give the Panthers the Game 3 win last night. Now, boy, did Florida need it because so far up to this point, Vegas has dominated the series. They, in the first two games, outscored Florida 12-4.

Wow. Game 4 is Saturday night in beautiful Sunrise, Florida. Onsides or offsides, Vegas will go back home, up 3-1 in the Stanley Cup final.

Offside. Now Vegas has been the better team in this series, there's no doubt about it. They've looked like the more dominant team in this series, a lot more than we've seen from Florida, but this is just hockey. You're almost on the verge of going up 3-0, you get a little puck luck, Tkachuk in front, then Verhage wins it in overtime, and then you go into a Game 4 where pressure is really on Las Vegas, where if it goes to 2-2, it's a brand new series, but it looked like you were going to be on the verge of hoisting the Stanley Cup, Lord Stanley Cup very shortly. I think hockey could change rather quickly, Babroski was awesome last night, that game should have never been as close as what it was, that's how great Bob was, I think Bob gives you an electric performance in Game 4, and maybe last night opens up the floodgates with what happened with Tkachuk and Verhage, and you start to see that potent Florida offense once again that we've seen through the majority of the Stanley Cup playoffs. Remember, Florida was down 3-1 to the great Boston Bruins in the first round, with the most points and most wins in the history of the NHL. So just because they were down 2-0, this series is far from over, now it's 2-1, I like Florida coming up tomorrow night to even up this bad boy at two games apiece, so no, Florida will not go back to Viva Las Vegas, up 3-1 in the Stanley Cup Finals. We'll be right back, Yelp Show CBS Sports Radio will talk some more pucks next, with Liam McHugh, NHL on TNT.

You're listening to the Zach Gelb Show. Stanley Cup Final, now two games to one, still in favor of the Vegas Golden Knights, but what a wild comeback that was for Florida, they get the empty net goal with Tkachuk, and then shortly after that in overtime, they are able to kill off a penalty after what was a horrible call, and then eventually Carter Verhage, as you just heard in the Florida Panthers radio network, does net the game winner. Game four coming up tomorrow evening, obviously you can watch all the Stanley Cup playoffs, and the Stanley Cup Final, NHL on TNT, and they have the best studio show for hockey right now that's going with Wayne Gretzky, Paul Bissonnette, Anson Carter, Henrik Lundquist, and the host of the show is of course Liam McHugh, who is kind enough to join us right now on the Zach Gelb Show on CBS Sports Radio. Liam, how you been?

I'm great, man. Best time of year, and we've got a series now down in Florida, which I would say for about 57 minutes last night, it did not look like we were going to. It looked bad for the Panthers, and it was kind of dead in that arena, but then guess who? Matthew Tkachuk. Another enormous moment. What is there to say at this point about Tkachuk, because really, he's been one of the biggest stories in the Stanley Cup playoffs, and the story just keeps on getting better and better.

Yeah, I mean, he obviously has a flair for the dramatic. He's at his best in the big moments, in those late game moments, in overtimes. He's a leader. He's the type of hockey player you want on your team and that you absolutely hate playing against, right, because he's in your face. He wants to hit you. He wants to bother you, and then he wants to score goals on top of it. And then you take him off the ice, and I think there's always been this idea that, ah, I don't really know these hockey players, and they don't really have great personalities, or they're kind of quiet, and they're team guys, and he's a team guy, they all are, but he has a big personality, and he wants to show it.

He wants to share it. He doesn't make it about himself, but he's giving you honest answers and honest opinions about things, and he's emotional at times when he wins games. So he's the type of guy that, he may not be as electric or as explosive as Conor McDavid, but because of everything he does for the game on and off the ice, this guy is going to be one of the faces of the league, and that's huge for the sport, but it's also just huge for this franchise, because now you're going to have free agents saying, hey, I'd like to go down to Florida. The tax situation's pretty nice down there, the weather's good, and I get to play with Matthew Kachuk. Heading into the Stanley Cup final, everyone gave the opinion that Bobroski probably going to be the difference here for Florida going up against Aidan Hill.

Hill was phenomenal the first two games in this series. I know Florida wins last night, and the way that they do so with Kachuk and Verhage, that's the story, but Bobroski was brilliant last night, which is enormous for Florida. Yeah, and it's so cool being able to sit on this panel with Henrik Lonquist and watch him watch the game and pick his brain about what makes him excited about goaltending, and really Bobroski has all of it, and if you lay it at its most basic, what makes him so great is that any shot he can see, he will save at this point, which seems like you should do that, except for the fact that these are professional athletes, and they're whipping those shots and passing the puck all around to crazy angles, you should be able to see shots and then they just buzz by you. That does not happen to Sergey Bobroski. If he gets eyes on that shot, he is going to save it. He's locked in.

And they've only beaten him when they've gotten traffic in front, and he's had to sort of stand up, look around, and then not be able to reset. And the cool thing about this is, listen, you couldn't say Sergey Bobroski without saying Sergey Bobroski and his $10 million contract before. You had to attach the two things, and it was always said with sort of like an eye roll as if to say, hey, he didn't deserve it, he's not living up to it, but he's living up to it now. It doesn't make a difference. You don't worry about the contract.

The money doesn't matter because it's worth every single penny. He's as good as anyone in the league right now. He's playing better than he's ever played, which is amazing considering he was twice goaltender of the year in the NHL.

I don't know. I feel good for him because I'll tell you this much too. We complain about guys with big contracts, and I only think you should complain about them if they, A, underperform, and in addition to that, they aren't good teammates or maybe don't work hard. He's a tremendous teammate.

He works harder than anyone, so I'm happy this is happening for him. Talking to Leah McHugh right now, in the first two games of the Stanley Cup final, Florida only was able to get on the board four times. Two goals in game one, two goals in game two. Wouldn't it be so hockey right in the way that they won last night if that opens up the floodgates for them coming up in game number four?

Yeah, it does feel that way. Momentum plays a huge role in the sport. The advantage in Nets and Aidan Hill has been great, but Aidan Hill is still relatively inexperienced when it comes to playoff matters. Clearly, every single game is the biggest game of his life, the most pressurized game of his life, and he's on the road now. You can see that happening, and it helps that the guys who scored the goals score the goals. Berhage, he's a key part of what Florida wants to do, and Carter Berhage goes out and gets the overtime goal.

Maybe that frees him up a little bit. Obviously, Matthew Tkachuk, he's never lacking for confidence. But Brandon Montore, who is such a cool story, because between games one and two, he flies home to Florida. His wife gives birth to a baby, and then he flies back, plays game two.

Probably doesn't know what time zone he's on. They lose that one. He goes back in game three. I thought he was phenomenal in game three, and he's the type of defenseman that can drive offense. All of a sudden, if you can get Brandon Montore skating and driving offense and picking you apart in different ways, it could open up.

The only thing that prevents that, aside from Aidan Hill, who's been very good, is the fact that Vegas' defense is just awesome. It really is. They're big. They're skilled. I think what we learned in the first couple of games is they don't really care if you hit them.

They'll just take the hit and kind of laugh at you. We're big. It doesn't hurt.

It doesn't bother us. We're not going to react and take a penalty, because rather than take a penalty and prove that we're tough, we'd rather see our names on the Stanley Cup. William McHugh here with us. This Vegas Golden Knights story is just remarkable what they've been able to do. Six years since they became a team in the NHL, they've been to the semifinal conference finals, whatever you want to call it, just because of that one COVID year four times.

And now this is their second Stanley Cup final. Why have they been able, even with some changes at the coaching position, to just keep on having this success and keep on making these deep runs? Yeah, I mean, right off the bat, they definitely took advantage of the expansion draft and the rules that were out there in place for players that you could pick up. And they made the right pickups. They absolutely did. They were aggressive in it as well. I think they were a lot more aggressive than Seattle was in their expansion draft. So they kind of went for it.

And then the cool thing about them, and this is really what you want every single franchise, if you're a fan of them, is not only that they're successful, but that they're aggressively successful. Every single year, they're out there trying to improve. And they've made some bold moves. I mean, they parted ways with Marc Andre, and that was not a popular move.

And it probably didn't work in the short term. But they've also added players. They go out every year, it feels like, at the deadline, and they're like, it feels so much like Vegas. Where it's like, you know what, you're there, you're risking something, you're holding the dice. It really is like they've embodied this to me. They're not like, oh, maybe I'll bet. I don't know if I really want to do that. Oh, absolutely. They're like, what did I come with? That's what I'm betting.

And it doesn't make a difference. Let's go. Daddy needs a new pair of shoes. Let me see if I can pick somebody up at the deadline. And they've done that. And they did it with Jack Eichel because it was an unknown commodity.

He was going to have to have neck surgery, a surgery that no hockey player had had and come back. They said, you know what, we want a star. We feel like this could work. And that's worked out pretty well.

Jack Eichel looks great out there right now. And I don't know, if you're a fan, that's all you can ask for from a front office and a team. But I'd also say this. Probably a little bit easier to sign free agents when you're in Vegas and you're looking at like 23-year-old athletes who predominantly are from cold climates growing up. And you can say, hey, you can live here, kid.

What do you think? Not a bad lifestyle. No doubt about that. What is it like going to a game there? I've seen it on television. I've had friends that go and they rave about it. But going to a game in Las Vegas, clearly it's going to feel big. But the production in the stadium I hear is out of this world.

It's so cool. I mean, first off, it's right on the strip. So it's not like you're going out of your way or leaving town. You were walking right from the casino, right over to the arena. You go inside and it feels like you're at a Vegas show right away because they've got the lights, they've got the music.

And then they have, you know, basically medieval times on ice, but with a laser light show to boot, to start this whole thing, to get everyone fired up. Then after that, the cool thing is, first off, the local fans are great. It's not like, and I think you probably see the NFL a little bit where it's a destination for road fans.

There's only eight home games and your team's going to occupy maybe half the stadium when you get there. You know, if a New York King's playing in Vegas, you know, so many people from New York are going to make that trip. There's a lot of local fans. They're hardcore. They're into it. The other thing is, it is loud in there. And I mean, like, crazy loud in terms of the music, the atmosphere, everything.

And there's no really dead moments. The minute it starts to get quiet, the DJ, and listen, there's a few DJs in Vegas, so they go out and they pick the right one. They can have the pick of the litter. They go out, they get a great DJ. He's like, oh, it's dying down. Boom, I'm playing a track.

Everybody's up. They're going crazy. I mean, they're so clever about it, too. We were talking on the broadcast about how loud it was and that they put something up on the video board of, like, a serene setting of a bubbling brook, a nice little stream. And then all of a sudden they wrote, just kidding. And, you know, they flashed it up on the big board and get loud and it got loud. And they took it from our broadcast and had me asking Hank about it. And they're like, you know, it's great. Because, like, all of a sudden the fans, like, took offense to it. They're like, don't talk about it being quiet here ever.

Boom, they're up. I mean, we've done it just like the night before. And they took it, put it up on the board. It's a cool place. It's very Vegas. And it's unique to them. And I don't know, I think it's the type of thing now where, like, if you have a chance, by all means, get to Vegas, go see hockey. You know, 10 years ago, what a weird thing that is to say.

Yeah, no doubt about that. Liam McHugh here with us. I'll tell you, last night, and I'm sure you have a bunch of New York, former New York residents living in Florida that were once Ranger fans. And now we're supporting the Florida Panthers. A lot of drunk Henrik chants postgame for you guys last night. That was fun. Nice to see my Rangers actually get to the Stanley Cup final, I thought, for a second.

It was. It's pretty awesome. I mean, he gets a great response everywhere we go. And it's like a traveling circus with these guys because they're all popular. Certainly there's no one more popular than Gretzky. But, you know, Biz has his whole like just lines of groupies all around the country. But there are you're right.

It had a like a little bit of a New York flavor and New York accent to it. People are pumped to see the king. And we had a couple of people that were just about climbing over onto the set, which, you know, in most, which I would also say these are some brave people like you're climbing up.

There's a bunch of former hockey players up there. You don't know what's going to happen. This could get real ugly real fast. But it was very, very cool. Now, you know, not to be disrespectful about what ESPN does, but it's been by far and away. And I told you this last year, your guys, a studio show is the best one in hockey right now. It's got even better in year two. Why has this just been able to come together? What seems like so seamlessly?

I know there's a lot of work behind the scenes and all that, but the first two years, you guys got to be thrilled with the product. Yeah, you know, and I think there were some moments where, you know, there was some uncertainty, especially with the fact that, you know, we had a very talk it on the show and he was such a huge part of it. And we love him. He's a great friend and he was definitely in many ways like a hockey mentor. And during the season, he leaves. And, you know, we knew Henrik had been good in small spots.

We didn't know how much he'd be able to do, but he fit in so seamlessly. And I think a big part of it is that, you know, there's a general vibe, I think, at TNT. And it definitely starts with the NBA show where you have to enjoy it. If you're out there on set and it feels like work and it looks like work, it's not going to feel much like fun for the audience.

And it doesn't. I mean, there's work that goes into it, of course, to put on the show. But like once we're on the set and we're going, it doesn't feel that way. It feels like we are out watching a game. We kind of want you to we want to bring you inside there. And the best moments we have are when the TV rules kind of go out the window where it's like, hey, we have this video package, this video package, this graphic.

We all we want to get them into this segment. And then at the end of the segment, I look up and we've done none of them. But it's fine. And we sort of forget you're on TV. You have a conversation. And those are some of the best moments. Now, I would also say, like my group, every once in a while could probably reminded be reminded that we're on TV. It definitely helps every once in a while.

But but there's that there is that flow of like this conversation is going well. I don't care what we were supposed to do. I like this better. We're off the rails. Who cares?

It's it's a better view off the rails. Let's let's keep it here for a little while. But at the same time, these guys all love their sport. They respect it.

So do I. And I think the thing is, we take the moment seriously, but we don't take each other seriously or ourselves seriously. And I said this and I really believe it. I think the big thing is everyone on the show wants to say something smart, wants to say something funny. And the cool thing about the show is if you say something that's not smart or not funny, but you were attempting to, you will then hear about it from someone else on the show live on air. And you expect that to come.

And then there's no hard feelings, which is pretty rare. It's entertaining. It's like it's a bunch of dudes just sitting down at a bar and talking sports. And a word that I can't say on the radio shooting the you know what is what I was going to say. I was pulled the biz there and cursed on my own show.

That would have been good, especially on a Friday when I heard it from management, which I don't take phone calls on a Friday for management. But I think probably, Leo McHugh, what I've noticed, I don't know if you did this in year one, but in year two, what's really stood out to me is just a viewer that watches hockey all throughout the year. When you guys go off to the side and you're swinging around the puck and you have the goal and you're showing things that happened on the ice with the guys holding the sticks, that is a very entertaining segment and it really gives a lot to a viewer. Yeah, I love that, too, because that can always be tricky where it's like you don't want to dumb something down and you don't want to go over people's heads.

And there's that there's that balance you really have to have in there. And, you know, Rick Tucker was great at that, too, because he had a coach's eye for it all. But Lundquist has been invaluable with that. He's so good when we go and demonstrate things. And, you know, what I've heard and I think it's such a compliment toward him is that there are guys who have played goal for two decades and they're learning something from Lundquist about goaltending. Then there are people who had never, ever ice skated before and they get it as well. They understand that, you know, the point that he's making is not lost on them.

And that's really difficult to do. And this is Lundquist doing it in a second language, you know, and he's up there. He looks like a million bucks. He's a bright guy and he's just got a good natural way about it. But I think the cool thing to do, any guy on this panel can do that. You know, we don't have to have like, hey, you're the demo guy, you're the funny guy, you're the analytics guy. To me, on any given night, someone's giving stats that are relevant. Someone's giving a story that's great. Someone's being funny.

I mean, yeah, there are people that are a little bit more funny, more often, you know, more often telling jokes. Obviously, Biz is in that role, but Biz is also a guy who can break down the game. He loves it.

You know, he breathes his sport. But I will say, and the cool thing, if we're in one of those situations and it goes bad or it doesn't work, no one tries to cover it up. Like, there's a self-awareness of like, wow, this is awful. Like, this isn't working at all.

Like, you should never come up with another idea to do a demo ever again. And you'll say it on air because that's what the people are saying at home. I mean, and why not? I absolutely love Biz and I compare Biz to what he does in hockey to what Charles Barkley, who's the gold standard, does in NBA for the NBA and TNT show. I just wonder, have you ever had conversations with Ernie Johnson, Liam McHugh about how to deal with like a Biz as Ernie deals with Charles Barkley?

Because it's very rare to have someone that could be unfiltered now, but Barkley and Biz can get away with anything. And you've got to kind of know when to reel him in. You know, I've never I've never really spoken to him about that.

I love Ernie. And we chatted a little bit. We chatted right when I came on. He basically just assured me, like, you're in the right place, like what you want to do.

This is a good place for you. The shows that we make are the shows that, you know, I think you want to be making. And he was 100 percent right about that for Biz. No, like, you know, the cool thing is and I think he gets away with a lot of this because his heart's always in the right place. He's never out there and being out there to bring anyone else down. And so if he's off the rails, I don't know, like, you know, part of me also like there's a Biz in all of us.

There's a Biz in all of us. We kind of want to see where he goes with it. A hundred percent.

Before we let you run. We've seen guys throughout the Stanley Cup playoffs go on runs where it just seems like they're scoring every night. Just in the playoffs so far, Leon Drysidel, Pavelski, Kuchuk even. I'd be remiss if I didn't bring up Jonathan Marsha.

So I'm surprised when this guy does not score now. It's such a cool story, too, because it's a former Florida Panther. He had 30 goals for them. And then when the expansion draft came around, they essentially let him go. You know, they did not protect him and he wound up becoming a Vegas Golden Knight. And he's one of those guys that they call the original misfits.

You know, these castaways, the castoffs rather, these discards, you know, guys that teams just didn't want. And he said that first year when they made the trip, 2018 to the final, that we're just a bunch of nobodies trying to do stuff. He's not a nobody anymore.

I mean, 13 goals in the last 13 games. It seems like he's one of those guys that he doesn't care about the big moments. He rises to the occasion. He's not a big dude, but he'll chirp at you. He'll get in your face.

He'll annoy you. And yeah, he scored some big goals. And the cool thing about this is the last undrafted player to win the Comp Smith as playoff MVP is Wayne Gretzky. Because, you know, was not drafted, was playing before that. And now, Jonathan Marceau, undrafted, could very well go on and win the Conspife.

So, to be on any kind of a list where you are the first to do something since Wayne Gretzky, and it's not done yet, but he could be there, that'd be just outstanding for him. When you guys go back to Vegas, is this 3-1 or is it 2-2? Oh, I would say it's coin flip, but I'm going to go 2-2. I just think an overtime win and the way you get it, scoring late, the carryover, and how hot and locked in Bobrovsky looks right now, it's going to be tough for Vegas to win here.

I think we get a series and we're buckling up for a long one now. Liam McHugh does a great job at NHL on TNT, the best studio show in hockey. Appreciate the time as always. Thank you.

Alright, you're the man. Thanks for having me. You're listening to the Zach Gelb Show. Zach Gelb Show, CBS Sports Radio, NBA Finals, Game 4 just underway. 655 remaining in the first quarter, and we're all tied up at 7. Jimmy Butler, no points right out of the gate.

Nikola Jokic only has two points in this contest right now, so we will continue to keep you up to date on Game 4 of the NBA Finals as Miami is looking to tie this series up at two games apiece. If they can't do that, then Denver will have an opportunity to close this baby out coming up on Monday night and to try to win an NBA World Championship in Denver. So I did see that Jets head coach Robert Sala says that the team doesn't want to be on hard knocks. And Ari Mirov from My Sports Update points out that the Jets are one of four teams who could be forced to do it.

There's some parameters. I think if you make the playoffs, that you don't need to be on it. If you have a new coach, you don't need to be on it.

And there's a few other things as well. But they could force four teams, and under those parameters, the Jets are one of them, Chicago one of them, the commanders one of them, and then New Orleans as well. Hickey, out of that list, if I'm the NFL, I'm telling the Jets, Robert Sala, tough luck. Aaron Rodgers, tough luck. I know the teams, at least the way that it's explained to me from when I had a conversation with Hugh Jackson, when Hugh Jackson had the Browns on hard knocks, the teams have a lot of say on what actually does air and what doesn't air and what is allowed. So maybe that could be tough.

If you don't have a willing partner, then how good of a show is it actually going to be? I do think hard knocks has lost its luster. I have not paid attention to the in-season hard knocks. Hickey, it was the Cardinals and the Colts, I think, were in season. Yes, sir.

And the Cardinals, I don't remember anything from it, and I don't even remember watching the Colts this year. Maybe I watched it one time. You know what the issue is right there? I just want to stop you. I know what you're going to say.

How can you say it sucks if you didn't watch it? No, no, no. Oh. For how irrelevant it was to you, you got the years mixed up. Cardinals with this past year, the Colts were two years ago. Were they really?

Yeah, but that just goes to show you. Wait, wait, wait. The Colts were two years ago? Carson Wentz. Oh, yeah, you're right, because we had on whoever the sideline reporter was that said maybe hard knocks could be a good thing and intentional for the Cardinals in season.

For Kyler Murray. Yeah, because you were having, um, you want them to kind of be held in check with the Cardinals and they would start off really strong and then falter down the stretch. You know what? I actually, I reversed it. I messed it up. I did actually watch the one with the Indianapolis Colts because I thought it was fascinating with the final week of the season and all that stuff. Yeah. But the Cardinals lost.

Fascinating is a way to put it. I loved it when they went down to Jacksonville. You had Jacksonville fans dressing up as clowns trying to troll Trent Balke and then pow.

Look at that. Look at the punch that the Jaguars gave to the Indianapolis Colts. But the Cardinals won.

I don't remember anything from it. Outside of DeAndre Hopkins and Kyler Murray getting a little bit of an argument because DeHop was open. Give me the ball. I'll catch you the ball. I'll catch you the ball. Give me the ball.

Give me the ball. And outside of that little kerfuffle, I think it was one of the first games that DeHop came back from the suspension from. Other than that, it was, I mean, Kyler tours ACL, what, early December? Cole McCoy playing basically the last month of the season.

Not a lot to write home about. Kyler Murray really gets into it a lot on the sidelines. With Cliff Kingsbury, that was just an icy relationship this year with a lot of cold stares. And then you're right with DeAndre Hopkins even on the sidelines as well.

When you point the finger at everyone else but yourself, when people come at you, you're going to be like, those are me, and then that's what leads to a lot of his arguments. Well, also, out of all the quarterbacks in the NFL, I'm talking starting quarterbacks, he has to be one of the least intimidating quarterbacks. I'm talking about if there was a quarterback that was going to get up in your face, Kyler Murray, with just how small he is, I think it's tough to really intimidate, you know, a guy like DeAndre Hopkins who has seen it all in the NFL.

Yeah, you're probably right. Now, maybe his ego or if he was actually a top-five quarterback, maybe that persona could be bigger than just his actual stature and health, but you are right. Yeah, when Kyler's looking up at you pointing, hey, you run the route and get to the ball, it does not ring true as if it was, let's say, Justin Herbert at like 6'6 or Peyton Manning in the similar height range as well. It's like whenever when I was a kid and someone at school would try to get in my face, I'd always look down, or when I was pledging a fraternity, I would just look down at the brother that was trying to go after you because I was just so much larger than them.

It's just kind of, you know, how intimidating can you actually be? But getting back into this Hard Knocks conversation, Jets, Bears, Commanders, Saints, doesn't have to be the Jets by far. If the NFL is going to force one of those teams that they can force, out of those four, it's got to be the Jets. It's not even close. Not even close. Who's second? Bears.

Really? I'm interested with Justin Fields. I want to see how training camp goes. There's a little bit of, I don't want to say juices at the right word, but I think there's a little bit of intrigue maybe with the Bears this year in terms of what they can do. By the way, doesn't this feel rather late that we don't know the team on Hard Knocks? I mean, training camp is what, six weeks away?

And they usually start with B-roll from the summer anyway, so you would think you'd probably be on the grounds now to get going. The Jets really must be fighting this. That's what it comes off to me as, because the Jets are the easiest choice on this list.

I would disagree with you. No, I do think it's either the Bears or the Saints as the second choice if it's not the Jets. I'd be a little bit more interested in the Saints just because I think Dennis Allen could be a bleep show. And also, you know you would just get some gold clips from Derek Carr. Derek Carr would probably give you some gold clips where he says some weird things and maybe trashes Josh McDaniels a little bit if you get a little unfiltered Derek Carr.

He's Mr. Cringe, but I also think he's also Mr. Politically Correct. I don't think you'd ever talk out of school. You never know.

In a new home? I guess we'll see. Rather still be in Vegas?

Rather still be with Devante Adams? Maybe it gets a little bit perturbed. But yeah, in terms of my preference out of those teams, Jets 1, Saints 2, the Bears 3, and then the Commanders coming in at number 4.

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