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The Daily Gazette Company presents the parting Shots Podcast. Now here's your host, Daily Gazette sports editor Ken Shot. Thank you Scott Gezy, and welcome to the Parting Shots Podcast, available wherever you get your podcast. Subscribe today. Thanks for joining me from the Parting Shots Podcast Studio in Schenectady, New York. We have another great show for you. A lot of hockey talk on this edition of the podcast and we're going to lead off with what happened Monday at Houston Field House in Troy as RPI introduced Eric Lang as its new men's head hockey coach.
Big crowd was on hand inside the lobby of Houston Field House and the fans alums the current players, they were there and great, great day for RPI hockey as they're trying to look to get back to a semblance program that wants to be competing for ECAC hockey championships and that haven't won a tournament title since 1995. Haven't been to the championship round since 2002. Eric Langem comes from AIC and he guided that program the seven championships in his nine seasons there. So we'll talk with Eric, we'll also speak with athletic director Dr. Christy Bowers, player Brad McNeil and alum Mike Sagipour who was in attendance for the press conference. And then we'll get ready for the Stanley cup playoffs. Puck drops out on Saturday and our friend Pierre McGuire joins me. We talked on Wednesday and we talked at the time when one playoff spot was still remaining in the East Conference. So we danced around that and we had an enjoyable talk about that. Pierre also talked about Eric Lang and he's thrilled for the hiring by rpi, I think. So it'll be great. So he'll talk about that. Also talk some college hockey as well. And then our friend Kenny Albert from MSG Networks, TNT and Fox Sports, he's getting ready for the Stanley cup playoffs as TNT has the Stanley Cup Final this season and Kenny will have a new role at MSG Networks. He's going to be taking over for Sam Rusin as the TV play by play voice of the New York Rangers. So we'll talk to him about following a legend in Sam Rosen and we'll also talk a little bit about the Stanley cup playoffs as well. Of course, Kenny also called Alex Ovechkin's record breaking goal against the New York Outers breaking Wayne Gretzky's career total. So we'll talk to him about that as well.
So as we head to break and get ready to talk about RPI men's hockey. A legend passed away this week on Tuesday, Wink Martindale, best known for his show hosting and particular Tic Tac Dylan. One of the first game shows I remember hosting was Gambit when I was a kid back in the early 70s. He passed away Tuesday at the age of 91 and we're gonna take head into the break with the theme from Tic Tac Dough. So we'll be back in a moment then. Rest in peace. Wink Martin if you really want to.
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[00:04:21] Speaker C: Welcome back to the podcast. On Monday, RPI introduced its new men's head hockey coach, Eric Lang, and it was a packed press conference as not only were the media there, but the current players, alums and fans attended. That was held in the lobby of Houston Field House. It was very crowded and the enthusiasm, you could tell that people were excited to have a new coach and a coach has done great things. Eric won seven championships, either regular season or tournament championships in the Atlantic Hockey America while at aic. It was announced during this past season that AIC was dropping its hockey program from Division 1 to Division 2. So Eric was available. And through the process, there are other good candidates as well, including former Union associate head coach Jason Tapp, who is now the Dartmouth associate head coach. But Eric Lang was really a favorite among the alums that I talked to during the process.
They would have been upset had Eric not been chosen and listening to his talk during the press conference. Eric is going to turn things around for the RPI engineers. RPI has not been to an ECAC hockey tournament final four since 2002 when Dan Fridgen was the coach. They haven't been to the NCAA tournament since 2011 when Seth Appert was the head coach, and they have not won an ECAC hockey tournament title since 1995, 30 years ago. That was Dan Fridgen's. First year as the head coach of the Engineers.
So after the introductory press conference, the media had a chance to talk with not only Eric Lange, but athletic director Dr. Christy Bowers. So I spoke with them and then also spoke with Current player Brad McNeil, who's a rising junior forward, and Mike Sagipour, the captain of the 1985 National Championship RPI team, he was in attendance as well. So this is the order of interviews coming up here. Here, it'll be Eric Lang, Christy Bowers, Brad McNeil, and Mike Sagapour. So here we go.
Eric, I guess you're happy to stop getting Facebook messages from me.
[00:06:37] Speaker D: Oh, good, you're just doing your job.
[00:06:41] Speaker C: How excited are you for this opportunity?
[00:06:44] Speaker D: Yeah, I think I said it in the press conference. What an amazing opportunity for myself and my family. This rich tradition here, it's a place I truly believe we're going to win. And that's what excites me the most. The thing is set up for success. You know, Dr. Schmidt, Dr. Bowers, two incredible leaders. Hockey is important on this campus, and that's been known throughout the process here. And that's what excites me most.
[00:07:08] Speaker C: I mean, obviously, with what happened at aic, sort of, you know, you lose a chance coaching there, but to come here with this opportunity. And how blessed do you feel at this situation?
[00:07:18] Speaker D: Yeah, I do. Very fortunate, very lucky, you know, very proud of what we built at AIC and an unfortunate ending for my players there, you know, But I'm already on to the next venture here, and we need. We need players, and we've got to get this thing cooking. We graduated 10, five guys that hopped in the portal. You know, a recruiting class that we're going through right now to see if it's going to be a good fit. It's the middle of April, and we may need anywhere between 10 and 15 players. So I can't wait for some of this stuff to be over and we can get on the ground and go find some players that are going to help our program.
[00:07:51] Speaker C: According to some site to track the portal, you got a guy from Niagara and one of your own players from here. I see. I don't know if you can comment on that at this point.
[00:07:59] Speaker D: Yeah, both really good players. And I think I'll leave it at generic for now.
[00:08:03] Speaker C: I mean, how. Obviously, this is a fan base that's loyal and they're not afraid to give their opinions. But this fan base has really been. Hasn't seen any much success. The team hasn't been to a ECA SE Hockey Championship round since 2002, hasn't won the tournament title since 1995.
I got sense from the alums that there's frustration here with what's happened over the years. What do you have to do to turn things around?
[00:08:31] Speaker D: Yeah, first thing is we got to look forward. We can't look backwards, and we can't dwell on what has been. For me, right now, it's moving forward, and it starts in the recruiting process. It's a real simple formula. If you want to have a really good team, go recruit, recruit really good players. And that's what we're set out to do. This place has so much to offer, and we're going to be out. And, you know, ultimately for us, it starts there. Bringing in the right people.
[00:08:57] Speaker C: What is it? You know, have you. Obviously, the people here today, alums, players, fans, I mean, how excited are you to get going here knowing that they came here to support you and be part of this press conference?
[00:09:10] Speaker D: What an amazing feeling. And I think it just speaks to the rich tradition here. And, you know, I spent some time up in the president's suite. We've got some great alums back here and expressing their excitement and expressing how can they help? And, you know, it's. It's an amazing. It's really like a humbling experience right now that I'm going through here, and I'm really excited to create these relationships and forge these relationships moving forward.
[00:09:35] Speaker C: One thing you said about the motto, that army, when you were with Brian Riley, talk a little bit more about that.
[00:09:41] Speaker D: Yeah, never let them know. And it's a militant, robotic approach. And, you know, one thing I like is I like our teams to be level, not emotional, where you can ride the roller coaster, but we want to play with a great intensity because you can sustain intensity.
You can't really sustain emotion. I think those two things are different.
My time at West Point was special and obviously learning under Brian Reilly. Like the best person. You know, he's part father, part brother, part best friend all rolled into one.
[00:10:12] Speaker C: How important is it for you to. For you to tell the fan base, let's be patient. This is not going to be an overnight fix, although with the transfer portal, it could be. But how important is it for the fan base to let them know that this is going to be a process?
It may take a year, may take two years, but we're going to get there. But just, you know, please be patient.
[00:10:34] Speaker D: Yeah, help is on the way, and we don't want to skip any steps here in the process. There's no shortcuts. We don't want to put pieces of duct tape on some things here. We want to do it the right way and ultimately it's going to take time, but we're going to be as competitive as we can be here in the next year and get this thing on track.
[00:10:53] Speaker C: What specifically does this program need?
[00:10:57] Speaker D: It's a great question.
We need the right players, we need people that want to be here at rpi and then we need to execute.
[00:11:08] Speaker C: You ready to get the grunt going? Are you on a recruiting trail right now?
[00:11:12] Speaker D: This is probably the longest I've went without looking at the transfer portal since I've been here. So I'm going to hang up here with you and get on the phone and see what's out there.
[00:11:21] Speaker C: Eric, appreciate a few minutes. Congratulations and looking forward to working with you.
Now it's officially not to be secretive or anything.
[00:11:28] Speaker A: Thank you, ken.
[00:11:29] Speaker D: Appreciate you.
[00:11:32] Speaker C: Dr. Bars. How important was it to get this higher right?
[00:11:36] Speaker E: Utmost importance. I know what hockey means to rpi, to our Troy community, to this area in general in the capital region. And I think we now that Eric Lang is going to be a great addition to this community.
[00:11:48] Speaker C: What did you like about Eric during the hiring process, the interview process?
[00:11:52] Speaker E: I think his energy and presence said a lot. Our student athletes were excited to have somebody that would hold them accountable and improve. I think development is a big piece of the puzzle here at rpi and Eric's committed to that. He's going to hold our student athletes accountable, make sure the product on the ice is what our fans expect, but what our student athletes expect as well. And it was clear that he had a great vision for what RPI hockey could be.
[00:12:13] Speaker C: How important was the alumni's influencing this? Because I know I've talked to a few and I know I don't do much RPA hockey, but they know they've reached out to me a lot over the last couple years and they're not happy with the situation. So how important was their input during this process?
[00:12:30] Speaker E: Yeah, it was purposeful to have Neil a part of the search process. Right. I think that this history of RPI hockey, the history that we have built here with Houston Fieldhouse and with the alum, is something that I honor and that I take very seriously. And Neil was a piece of the process the whole way through and valued his opinion, but valued his outlook as an alum as well.
[00:12:49] Speaker C: How important it will be for the fans to be patient because this is not going to be an overnight fix. I know you guys finished 10th this year, 12th after finishing in last place last year. But I think there's still a lot of resentment over what happened coming out of COVID I know you weren't here when that happened, but it seems like the fan base is still, like leery about coming back here. So how important is it for them to be patient? Tell them, you know, we're not. This is all. The transfer portal kind of helps a little bit, but how important is it to be able to tell these fans, be patient, we're building something here, just stick with us.
[00:13:25] Speaker E: Yeah, I think it's more about the product.
[00:13:26] Speaker D: Right.
[00:13:27] Speaker E: And I think all of our fans appreciate hard play that's consistent and know what to expect when they come to Houston Fieldhouse. And I think those changes, what Eric talked about, about the non negotiables, I think they're going to notice a difference right away. And so I'm excited about that. I think that, you know, we weren't. We were two wins off from hosting a home playoff game. So the ecac, that middle pack, is very much an opportunity for us. You know, again, being number one in the ECAC is going to be a stretch in year one, but there's nothing to say we can't be winning a playoff game or be in the playoff hosting it here at Houston Field of house.
[00:13:59] Speaker C: Yeah. Eric was the job he did at aic. Considering the circumstances, you know, probably not many scholarship, if any at all, the program, obviously, we see what happens. They're going back to D2, starting next season. To be able to get a coach like that who's won seven championships, either regular season or conference championships, coach the team to upset a top seeded team in the NCAA playoffs. So how important is it to land somebody like that?
[00:14:24] Speaker E: Yeah. Again, it's his strategy. Right. He was a veteran coach. He is a veteran coach who came in and said, hey, this is what I can create at rpi. And I think that was evident from day one when we interviewed him. And it was. There's something special about what he. He brought to the table and what he could bring as a seasoned veteran head coach. And I'm excited about that. I think, again, the whole package from developing our players, knowing that we're going to need some development in our players.
[00:14:48] Speaker A: Right.
[00:14:48] Speaker E: Our freshmen need to get better, and he's a guy that can do that.
[00:14:52] Speaker C: What does it mean to see the support here, the alums here, the team here, the fans that are here at this press conference? I mean, this place is packed.
[00:15:01] Speaker E: This is why I came to rpi. In the first place, the passion that RPI brings to this community, the community brings, the RPI is unmatched. And I think I was not shocked that it was a sold out room. That is something that I've come to expect from our fans and I appreciate so greatly how they show up for us and how this Troy community shows up for us and how our RPI colleagues show up for us.
[00:15:22] Speaker C: One not so fun question. What happened to your old employer there Saturday night against Western Michigan? Oh, heartbreak.
[00:15:29] Speaker E: Absolute heartbreak. Absolute heartbreak. I feel for Drew and that crew over there, Jay. You know, it's hard to win a national championship and you know, I'm just, I'm proud of the fight that they had and obviously a very talented team. Western Michigan came out and they wanted it and bu, despite the talent on the ice, just couldn't, couldn't finish. So Dr.
[00:15:51] Speaker C: Bars, appreciate a few minutes. Thank you.
[00:15:53] Speaker A: Appreciate it.
[00:15:55] Speaker C: Fred, how excited are you with Eric Lang coming aboard?
[00:15:59] Speaker F: Yeah, very excited. I mean, everything we've heard from the outside, from past players, you know, I think they, they all absolutely loved him. You know, I think his resume speaks for itself as well. And just the couple times we've gotten the opportunity to speak with them or have a team meeting, it's just been awesome and it's created a lot of excitement for what's to come.
[00:16:21] Speaker C: How important was it for this Pro Am to get the higher right? Because I mean, I think that was a critical aspect here. A lot of the alums wanted Eric when he became available. How important was it to get this higher right?
[00:16:33] Speaker F: Yeah, I mean, I think, I think it's huge. I mean, you know, a lot of what the school has with the tradition, the alumni support, the administration, you know, everyone that works with the program and that that leads to the players as well too. I think having having a coach like Eric Lang is huge. Someone who can lead us in the right direction and, and continue with all the amazing things we have around the program right now. And you know, I think Eric Lang is just going to build on that. And we couldn't be more excited to.
[00:17:01] Speaker C: See the amount of people here, alums, you guys, fans, to see this come out to support Eric. What does that mean to you?
[00:17:10] Speaker F: Yeah, I mean, I think it just speaks to some of the things I just touched on, you know, with the alumni, the fans, you know, everything that when you come here on a Friday and Saturday, that makes this place so special. And you know, you see it outside of just games during the year, you know, you see it when we do events when we do our golf out and when you do things like that. And it's always super special to speak to, you know, the fans and the alumni and you can tell just from those conversations how much they care about you, the program, the rest of the guys on the team, the staff. And, you know, I think it just speaks a lot to the community that RPI has created and, and the family that it is.
[00:17:46] Speaker C: How important is it for the fan base to be patient as this process goes along? It's not going to be an overnight fix. I know the transfer portal can help a little bit, but it's. How important is it for you guys as telefans Be patient. We're going to get better. Just it's going to take a little time.
[00:18:02] Speaker F: Yeah, I mean, we want to, you know, like you said, it's not going to happen overnight, but you know, we also feel just with the support that the alumni and fans give off, you know, every year in the two years that I've been, it's important that we're taking the right steps right away.
You know, we might not be make, you know, massive leaps overnight like you said, but you know, when we come back here in September and when we start the season in October, you know, we hope. We hope they see a difference and you know, that that difference might be as drastic as some hope overnight, like you said. But, you know, I think we're going to see a different side of RPI hockey and you know, I think. I think you'll see the growth, you know, day by day, week by week, month by month, and you know, hopefully in a completely different spot towards the end of next season especially.
[00:18:55] Speaker C: You guys lost a lot in the. In the Portal, so I mean, it looks like you got two back kids coming in from the portal. So, I mean, like I said, it's going to take a little time, but if things fall into place, you guys will be right back on because this program is looking to get back. Hasn't been to a ECA hockey championship round since 2002.
[00:19:14] Speaker F: Yeah, no, we're super excited. I mean, we have a lot of belief and support in the group we have coming back. You know, we think we have a lot of good players that can be an important piece in our team. And the few guys you've already picked up, we're really excited about and you know, obviously we think with the new addition and coach Eric, like, you know, combining all those pieces, like we're going to have something special here and couldn't be more excited for myself and the rest of the guys on the team and the rest of the coaching staff as well to get started and really put the rest of the pieces into play and start to see the growth that we know we can improve.
[00:19:50] Speaker C: So what did you think of the hire, Mike? Are you happy with it, the RPI get this right? Well, I think it's.
I think we got a really good person and I think that the program getting Coach Lang is a big win. The alumni are thrilled with the hire and if you look into Coach Lang's background, there's tons of track record there. And I think you heard in the press conference he mentioned the Riley family.
That's solid gold.
Just the fact that you're here, the team's here, fans are here. What does that say? That people care about this program. I know it's been down, hasn't been down for a while, hasn't been to a frozen ECAC hockey Final Four since 2002, hasn't won the tournament title since 1995. To see the fans that are here still care about this program. What does that mean to you? Well, it's. It's very much in line with what I experienced and it's the father fans that are RPI folks that have been coming that are the community based. And I think too, with Marty's leadership and Christy, you know, it always starts from the top. And I think people realize that there's a lot of momentum and the support for the program and I think the fact that the people are here kind of like they're going to be here and they a lot of optimism. How important is it though, for the fans to be patient? Because this is not going to be an overnight fix. I know the transfer portal helps helps a lot now in this day and age, but it's not going to be an overnight fix. So how important is it for the fans to just stay patient and not get upset if things don't go right early on? Well, that's. I think you've got to be realistic. Right.
And that's when they need you the most, is while they're turning the ship and starting the build. And I think you'll find players you're going to want to watch. And I think as you heard from Coach Lang about how hard they're going to play and they're going to compete.
And I think that's a really important aspect. If you're a hockey fan and you care about the program, they're going to be fun to watch. What do you like about Eric? Have you had a chance to talk to him prior to today. I met him today. I exchanged texts with him prior. So I'm just beating him. But everybody that I know somewhere in the hockey world were like, great hire.
We're still talk hockey here on the Parting shots podcast. Pierre McGuire, longtime hockey analyst. Of course, you remember him from his days at NBC Sports. He'll be joining me again during this postseason. We'll preview all the rounds of the Stanley cup playoffs. We're going to do the first round coming up next here on the Parting Shots podcast.
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[00:23:05] Speaker C: Hi, this is Mike vecchione of the 2014 National Championship Union College men's hockey team. You're listening to the Parting Shots Podcast with Daily Gazette sports editor Ken Schop.
Welcome back to the podcast. The Stanley cup playoffs get going on Saturday and it's gonna be a lot of fun and well, we did this last year. We'll do it again this year. Our good friend Pierre McGuire is going to help us break down the Stanley cup playoffs up here. Welcome back to the podcast. How are things going? And I'm sorry I did not get up to Lake Placid back in March. Unfortunately, Union got knocked out by Dartmouth in the quarterfinals of the ECAC hockey tournament.
[00:23:40] Speaker A: First of all, congratulations to Doug Christiansen and the ecac and especially to Mike Schaefer, the head coach at Cornell University, going out with a high, obviously winning the ECAC championship and really doing a nice job at the NCAA Tournament for the ecac. We missed you up there, Ken. No question about it. But I'm thrilled to be with you right now, and I'm looking forward to talking about something that's near and dear to my heart, the Stanley cup playoffs.
[00:24:03] Speaker C: But before we get into that, I want to get your thoughts. Obviously, you've been around ECA hockey now for a couple years, and you know the college game as well. Eric Lang, just introduced on Monday as the new head coach for the men's RPI hockey program.
I had written about this, that I think they needed to get this right, and I think they got it right. Just talking with fans, alums and everybody. I think they got this right. What do you think?
[00:24:29] Speaker A: Oh, I think you're 100%.
I've known Eric a long time. I'm a huge fan. I've had him on my podcast with my partner, Jimmy Murphy, and I would tell you this right now. Eric is thorough, he's professional, he's amazingly loyal. There have been a lot of other schools that have tried to lure him away from AIC over the last probably five to seven years. And the thing that I like about him the most is what I remember most about RPI Hockey is legacy and tradition. And I've coached against them, I've recruited against them, and I've also worked at the hockey school school there when the late, great Mike Cadessa was there. And I would just tell you that all those RPI fans and all those RPI alums, Eric Lang, is going to build you a program that's going to make you very proud to be an RPI engineer fan. I. I think you said it best, Ken. They had to get it right, and they got it right.
[00:25:22] Speaker C: Yep. And I spoke with Eric throughout the process and, you know, on and off the record and great man, and I think it's going to be a lot of fun. I think RPI is in for renaissance over there. So let's get into the Stanley Cup Plaza. We should mention to our listeners here we are taping this on Wednesday afternoon, and the last Eastern Conference spot has not been decided yet between Montreal and Columbus, so we're going to try to dance our way around that. But most of the matches are set. Pierre. A lot of great matchups in the east, especially some rivals facing each other. Defending Stanley cup champion Florida faces Tampa Bay in the battle of Sunshine State, and Toronto faces Ottawa. Those teams do not like each other, especially in the postseason. What do you think of those matchups?
[00:26:03] Speaker A: Ottawa and Toronto haven't played a playoff series in over 20 years. So you got to think there's going to be a lot of energy there for the first game. Whether they play it Saturday night or whether they play it Sunday. There's going to be a lot of energy between Ottawa and Toronto. The one thing that's going to be tough for Ottawa, they don't have a lot of playoff experience on that roster. I know David Perron is a Stanley cup champion. I know that Claude Giroux played deep into the playoffs, in fact, going to the final with Philadelphia. But I would just tell you that there's not a lot of experience with the rest of the group. So I think that's going to be a problem for Ottawa. Craig Barrugi has been coaching a playoff style for the Leafs all season long, and the Leafs have great depth on defense and great depth in goal. I think that becomes a little bit of a problem. But I expect this is going to be a very nasty, physical series in terms of Florida and Tampa. They always play each other seemingly every spring. The one thing that's an advantage for Tampa is Vasilevsky's back. I think Vasilevsky wasn't himself last season. He's more himself this year. Florida's not 100% healthy, and there are two huge losses on their back end from last year's Stanley cup team. Oliver Ekman Larson's playing in Toronto and Brandon Montour is playing in Seattle. And because of those two guys not being there, their defense is not nearly as deep and not nearly as strong as it was a year ago. I think it's a tough series for Florida to win. And when you compound that, Ken, with the fact that, you know, Florida's been in the last two final losing two years ago to Vegas and then winning in a Game seven last year against Edmonton, I just don't know how much juice is left in the tank for them.
[00:27:40] Speaker C: Yeah, that was, you know, last year. They could have, you know, swept that series against Edmonton and made it a little bit easier on them, but, you know, stretched into late June. And as you say, I mean, the playoffs, the way they are, the structure these days. I recall when I was growing up in Philadelphia, the playoffs were done by middle of May, and now it's we're in the late June and there's not much in the way of an off season for these guys to heal. So I think that's probably, as you mentioned, I think that's going to be a big factor.
[00:28:05] Speaker A: Well, you know, it's interesting, Ken, that you say that I had the good fortune and the honor to coach in the first ever NHL game that was played in the month of June. It was 1992, and we beat the Chicago Blackhawks in Old Chicago stadium in Game 4 on June 1. It was the first game ever played in the month of June by an NHL team.
[00:28:25] Speaker C: And that was because they had a lockout right before the end of the season, which you are correct, sir.
[00:28:30] Speaker A: That's exactly why.
[00:28:33] Speaker C: So the Washington Capitals are eager to play Columbus or Montreal, and New Jersey will face Carolina. I mean, talk about the season. Washington has. I think they got into the playoffs last year as the number eight seed in the east. And I Don't think anybody really expected them to do that, but they've really taken up to a notch, another level this year. The way they played, of course, Alex Ovechi and what he has done, breaking Wayne Gretzky's record and despite missing some time with a broken leg.
Had they been a surprise or was this expected out of Washington?
[00:29:04] Speaker A: I don't think this was expected. Not to run away with it like they have. If you look at their goal differential and their goals four. Their goals four is second in the Eastern Conference. Only Tampa has more at 294. And if you look at their goal differential, they're plus 59. Only Tampa is better than them at plus 79. And I think Tampa is one of the best teams in the National Hockey League. So when you look at it, I don't think anybody expected them talking about Washington to be that high up in the rankings offensively. But man, oh, man, they've done a good job. I just. Spencer Carberry as a coach has done a great job. The staff that's around him, Scotty Allen, so good on the penalty kill. Kirk Mueller's tremendous on the power play. They got a lot of good stuff going on there. The one question mark, and it's only a question, it's not a statement, will they be good enough or will they be calm enough in goal? There's not a lot of playoff experience with either one of their goaltenders. So that's going to be the interesting thing in Washington.
[00:30:03] Speaker C: Of course, the other. Let me ask you about Ovechkin, what he has done. I mean, at age 39, when a lot of guys are well past their prime, he doesn't seem past his prime. And then to break the record, especially missing some time with a broken leg, what makes Alex Oveschkin so special?
[00:30:22] Speaker A: He comes from an amazing athletic gene pool. Number one, his mother was a tremendous basketball player in Russia, and his father was a world class goalie in soccer. And both his parents are amazingly big and physical.
So I think, you know, you look at the body type of Alex, he's a big, strong, physical guy with tremendous athletic eye hand coordination, tremendous ability to shoot the puck. He's special that way. He's also got a passion to play. A lot of guys, once they get past 32, the grind is there. They've made enough money and they're like, you know what? I don't know how much want to. Want to do this. Ovechi, all the great ones that last long, they want to do it. They're. They're addicted to it. And Alex is one of those guys. I've known him since he's been 15 years old and he's never once not wanting to be great. So can I just think that he's one of those real unique people that we're very fortunate to have playing in the league and he should be celebrated every single day.
[00:31:18] Speaker C: I mean realistically, can he score a thousand goals in his career?
[00:31:23] Speaker A: I think he can get there. Obviously I don't think it'll happen this year, but I do think he can get there. The one thing that's really, I think a tremendous tribute to him, he did a lot of this goal scoring playing with Evgeny Kuznetsov or Nikki Backstrom. Neither one of those guys is playing anymore. Well, because that's how I was playing in the khl and Baxter's, you know, retired because of health issues.
It's just amazing to see see how he's been able to adapt because he got so used to Backstrom for so long and because nets off for so long and then he had to adjust the last couple of years and I think he's adjusted unbelievably well without either one of those guys.
[00:32:00] Speaker C: Just some thoughts on New Jersey and Carolina. Jersey's back in the playoffs and best team in the tri New York City area.
[00:32:09] Speaker A: Yeah, well, the biggest thing for jerseys, they went out and they were really proactive last year to get better in goal. They added Jake Allen obviously, who's a veteran guy and they added Markstrom from Calgary. And Ken Markstrom is gonna have to stand and deliver because of the injury to Jack Hughes. The offensive firepower is not gonna be there. If you look at the goals for in the Eastern Conference only Ottawa and Montreal have scored less and actually Montreal scored one more goal than New Jersey.
Usually the Mendoza Line to make be a playoff team than NHL is 250 goals. New Jersey right now with one game left has 240. So I don't think they're going to score 10 goals in their last game. So that, that's where, you know, you look at it. How did they, how are they able to do it? They were able to do it with stingy defense and really good goaltending. So that's the one thing I think they're going to have to have. If they're going to be Carolina, their defense going to have to be stingy and their goaltender is going to have to hold up.
[00:33:07] Speaker C: Well, let's go out west and if I ever said the sentence, the Winnipeg jets and President cup champions. Would you have ever believed that?
[00:33:15] Speaker A: Not this season. No chance. Not absolutely. Where they lost to Colorado last year in the first round of the playoffs. But I would say this. There are a lot of people talking about Coach X or Coach Y or Coach Z. Nobody's talking about Scotty or Neil and the job he's done in Winnipeg, he's done a masterful job with that group. They're the best defensive team in the National Hockey League. They only have given up 190 goals this year. That's amazing when you look at it. That's unbelievable. Part of that is Connor Hellebutt, their great goalie, who will win the Vesna Trophy as the best goal in the NHL. And part of that is the schematic that Scardy Arneil has drawn up for his players to play by. So, no, they've done a great job. Their Christmas present, Ken, for doing so well, they get to play against St. Louis in the first round. I'm not sure that's such a good gift.
[00:34:04] Speaker C: I mean, especially with Jim Montgomery. And we'll. I'll ask you a little bit more about the Bruins situation in a minute. But I mean, job Jim Montgomery do after getting fired from the Bruins immediately get hired by St. Louis and he's got them in the playoffs. And I don't bet against Jim Montgomery. I mean, he's won a. Yeah. Won a couple of NCAA championships at Denver, had the Bruins, had the best record in the league a couple of years ago in the regular season.
I wouldn't be surprised. This game, this series goes seven.
[00:34:35] Speaker A: Oh, no, I wouldn't be surprised either. I wouldn't be surprised at all. I think, and I've said this on our podcast, as I said before, I'm shocked that people are looking at St. Louis saying, oh, they got lucky. They didn't get lucky. They were well coached, they played disciplined hockey. And what Jim did, Montgomery, that was so smart in St. Louis, he delegated to Steve Ott, one of the holdover assistants, and he delegated to former Bruins head coach and New Jersey Devils head coach and Montreal Canadiens head coach Chloe Julian. So you could see. I could see the impact of Julian, I could see the impact of Ott, and I could definitely see the impact of Montgomery. This may be as good a coaching staff as there is in the National Hockey League right now in St. Louis. That's going to make a difference in this series. It's going to be a great coaching matchup between Arnel and Montgomery and the two staffs.
[00:35:25] Speaker C: I got a chance to meet, get to know Jim in his couple years when he was an assistant at RPI under Seth Appert, and you could just tell he was going to, you know, go do amazing things. He went to the USHL to get some head coaching experience and ended up turning things into a job at Denver and then the NHL. So he's and has also overcome some personal issues and it's great to see the job that Jim's doing, I mean. But getting back to the Jets a second Pierre, is this the year this is an organization and the previous incarnation of the jets, which are now the Utah Hockey Club, it just seems like this time of year they seem to stumble. What. What is it going to take for the jets to get over that hump.
[00:36:04] Speaker A: And get to the final play with consistency? Last year they were so inconsistent in their first round matchup with Colorado. So kind of scary to watch it. It's almost like they melted down. They've got offensive explosive firepower from Kyle Conner and Mark Scheifele. Gabe Velardi's had an amazing year for them. They got great mobility and depth in the back end led by Josh Morrissey, who's just had a tremendous season. Neil Peonk's another one of those guys. Vastly underrated. They might have one of the best shutdown center iceman in the league. And Adam Lowry, who's their captain, who's been great again this season. They've got amazing checking from Mason, Appleton and Lowry and the way they play. They added Brandon Tenev at the trade deadline. They added Luke Shen at the trade deadline. I mean, no, they should not fall back, but you never know because of this St. Louis situation. I know everybody's raving about Hellebock and they should, but you know, the guy he has to face is Jordan Bennington, who's a Stanley cup champion, just won the Four nations for Canada. But it's not exactly like it's an easy matchup for Winnipeg where you say the tail of the tape can is. Oh, wow, Winnipeg dominates in every position because they don't.
[00:37:17] Speaker C: Yeah. What are the other Western matches that intrigue you?
[00:37:20] Speaker A: Well, Colorado Dallas is going to be unbelievable. It would have been better if Miro Haskin and could play the amazing defenseman for Dallas. He's probably not going to be able to play in this series. Remember, it's Colorado that traded Nico Danton in a way from Colorado first to Carolina and then obviously Carolina to Dallas. So Rantanen gets to go play against his old mates who he won the Stanley cup with a few years ago. That'll be an intriguing matchup. And I think the biggest thing in that one is the firepower of Colorado and the depth of their center ice play. Right now, I think is going to make it very difficult for the Dallas Stars. And I know Dallas is deep and they got a good team, but you know, when you look at Nathan McKinnon and the firepower that he brings to every party, when you look at Brock Nelson and what he's done as a second line center, then you put Charlie Coyle in the three hole and Jack Drury in the fourth hole, like that's firepower down the middle that very few teams in the league have. So I think that makes it a very difficult matchup for Dallas.
[00:38:21] Speaker C: Of course, the Kings in Edmonton. It seems like it's a yearly event and the Kings is this year. Kings finally get over that hump and beat Edmonton.
[00:38:28] Speaker A: Yeah. You know why? Because they have home ice. They get the best home record in the National Hockey league. They had 31 wins this year on home ice. Only Carolina had the same amount of wins, but Carolina had more losses than la. So this is the one time that LA can say, you know what? We get Edmonton, we also get home ice. All they have to do. They don't even have to worry about winning up at Edmonton, at Rexall plays. Just worry about getting four straight wins on home ice. Win every game on home ice and you're going to win.
[00:38:55] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:38:55] Speaker A: So that's what they have to worry about. I just. I just think that LA is so hard to play against in LA at the Cryptocurrency Center. I think it becomes very difficult for Edmonton.
[00:39:07] Speaker C: Of course, it's Vegas and Minnesota. Would it be nice to see Mark Andre Fleury stymie his old team and pull off an upset?
[00:39:18] Speaker A: It'd be amazing. I don't think he'll be playing, though. I think Gustafson will be playing. I thought what Gustafson did last night, as you said, we're taping this on Wednesday. I thought what Gustafson did on Tuesday night, as soon as Minnesota knew they were going overtime and they had clinched the playoff spot, Gustafson came out of the net and Flurry went in. He made five really big saves to preserve that opportunity for Minnesota to win. And then Matt Bouldy won it in overtime. I got to tell you, Ken, that was. That was beautiful to watch. You know, again, you get to know these players. I've known Mark Andre Fleury since he's been 17 years of age to see what he's done with his life and his career is just. It's amazingly impressive.
[00:39:57] Speaker C: Well, let's talk about two teams and we'll wrap this up with this. Two teams that are not in the playoffs that have been there for a while, the New York Rangers and the Boston Bruins. Let's start with the Rangers, President's cup trophy winner last year.
And they had a lot of issues. What the heck happened down there in at Madison Square Garden?
[00:40:15] Speaker A: They got to do a deep dive in terms of their relationship internally between management and coaching staff, between coaching staff and players. I think there was a trust issue there. As soon as, you know, they started leaking that they were thinking of trading Jacob Truba, who was their captain and really the heart and soul of their defense. Physically.
It shook guys up. It didn't make guys feel real good about the team and the way the team was headed. And then they started sprinkling stuff in the newspapers about Kreider being traded and Zibanajad being traded and why was Adam Fox struggling so much? And I think guys got sour. Guys got sour. And then the sturking contract negotiations kind of polluted the airwaves a little bit too. So there was a lot of moving parts there. Their defense did not get better. And then we find out, you know, with about five games to go that Bradens Schneider had been playing hurt most of the season. That's part of why he didn't get better this year. And Keandre Miller really didn't take a step forward and you know, they had the hole because he traded true blow away. There's a lot missing there. There was a lot, you know, the capo cacko story and why wasn't he better? LA Frontier. Why wasn't he better? There's a lot of moving parts in New York, Ken. A lot of moving parts. It'll be interesting to see how they figure it out in the offseason. But. But they need to have a big time cleansing and a big talk and a facial in the mirror in terms of what went right, what went wrong in New York this year.
[00:41:40] Speaker C: Sounds like that's also the recipe for the Bruins who missed the playoffs that we mentioned earlier about firing Jim Montgomery. Obviously the coaching change didn't help. They ended up trading the Heart and the Soul team in Brad Marchand to Florida. What's going to have to happen there?
[00:41:56] Speaker A: Well, first of all, I think a little bit of what happened that got him off on the wrong foot is they didn't have a goalie that they trusted to start the season. Because Swainman didn't have training camp. He was in a contract negotiation problem, and that was a big issue for them at the start of the year. And Marchand wasn't 100%. He had two surgeries in the offseason that was vastly underreported. So there was pressure on him to deliver right away, and he wasn't able to do it. So that was a big issue.
And then the McAvoy injury happened, the Humpus Lindholm injury happened on the back end, and all of a sudden, Matt Griszelich's playing in Pittsburgh, and two of the other guys are injured that are in your top six.
Mason Lowry didn't improve at the level I think they were counting on, and then they traded Brandon Carlo away to Toronto. So, again, you put it all together.
There's some management decisions that went into this that I think were questionable, and they blame this on Jimmy Montgomery. And I got to tell you, with respect, Ken, I don't think that was on Jimmy Montgomery at all.
[00:42:56] Speaker C: No, I don't either.
[00:42:57] Speaker A: I was really disappointed with guys that I really respect that run the Bruins, who I know really well. I was really disappointed that they laid that at the feet of Jimmy Montgomery because it wasn't appropriate, in my opinion.
[00:43:09] Speaker C: And it makes him look bad with Jim leading the Blues to the playoffs.
[00:43:13] Speaker A: I agree with you 100%.
[00:43:15] Speaker C: Yeah. Pierre, you mentioned your podcast with Jimmy Murphy. What is the name of the podcast and where. Where people can get that?
[00:43:21] Speaker A: Yeah, it's on the. It's on the Sick Podcast Network. It's a group out of Montreal, and we are. The name of our podcast is the Eye Test, and it's been almost two years old now, and we've been really blessed with tremendous loyal listenership, and it's a fun listen. I hope you do it five days a week and in the summer, once the draft is over and free agencies over. We do it every Wednesday in the summer because there's still a lot of hockey season stuff going on in the summer. So, yeah, we do it that way. You know what? It's been a ton of fun working with Jimmy. I really enjoy working with him. He's a professional guy and he's had a. He's really plugged into the Boston scene, which makes it a lot easier for us.
[00:44:00] Speaker C: Yeah, I've had Jimmy on the podcast a couple years ago. Talk about Bruins. Good. Good guy. And always enjoy his post on social media. So, Pierre, I appreciate a few minutes. Let's do this again before the second round gets on the way and always.
[00:44:14] Speaker A: Yeah, I'll always be there for you, Ken. I really enjoy your work. I love working with you. And you've been amazing for college hockey and especially hockey in the Capital District. Thank you for all you do.
[00:44:24] Speaker C: I appreciate that, Pierre. Thanks a lot. We just completed my 29th season of covering Union, getting ready to cover number 30 in a new facility over in Mohawk Harbor Arena. I can't wait. I got a tour of it recently, and it's looking good. And one thing I'm happy about, the press box is going to be in the side and not the end zone.
[00:44:44] Speaker A: That's tremendous. The other thing, too now is you're going to have this unbelievable Capital District rivalry between Union and rpi. I know it's always been kind of prevalent, but now I think with Eric going rpi, this thing's going to take on a whole new life. I'm really excited to watch it. You know, Ken, I'm telling you, I had so many nice times up in up in Troy. And, you know, whether it was working with Adam Oates or the late Mike Cadessa or Mike Satapore, Darren Poop, I go down the line. Johnny Carter used to work the camps with all those guys, and then Michael Dark was another one. It was just so much fun. And I loved my summers there. You know, I spend two or three weeks there and head into Boston, do more camps, but I loved it there. I never had a bad trip. And when my kid was playing at Colgate, I loved going into to watch Colgate play at Union and watch them play at rpi. So I'm really grateful for my time in the Capital District.
[00:45:37] Speaker C: Well, I hope you get a chance to come up during next season, come over to the new facility and we'll hang out.
[00:45:42] Speaker A: Oh, I look forward to it. I will definitely do that, especially with Langer being an RPI. Now. I'll go over there. I'll come over and look at the new building over in Schenectady. I can't wait.
[00:45:51] Speaker C: Yep. Pierre Precio, as always, and we'll talk soon.
[00:45:55] Speaker A: I can't wait. Thanks a lot, Ken. Thank you.
[00:45:57] Speaker C: You too. Thanks. That's Pierre McGuire. Coming up, some more hockey talk. Want to talk with my friend Kenny Albert from MSG and tnt? We'll talk about his upcoming new role starting next season with the MSG Network. You're listening to the Parting Shots podcast.
[00:46:21] Speaker A: Explore the benefits of subscribing to the Daily Gazette like our convenient E Edition.
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[00:46:40] Speaker A: Hi, this is Union College women's hockey.
[00:46:42] Speaker C: Head coach Tony Macy.
[00:46:44] Speaker A: You're listening to the Parting Shots podcast with Daily Gazette sports editor Ken Shock.
[00:46:50] Speaker C: Welcome back to the podcast. And my next guest is getting ready to call the Stanley cup playoffs on tnt. And the tnt, of course, having the Stanley cup final this year. And he also has will have a new job next season with the New York Rangers. Let's talk to our good friend Kenny Albert. Kenny, how's it going?
[00:47:07] Speaker B: I'm great, Ken. How are you?
[00:47:09] Speaker C: Not too bad. Of course, the big news this week for you, you're going to be taking over for a legend in Sam Rosen, and you're moving from the radio booth to the television booth at MSG Networks. How excited are you about the move?
[00:47:21] Speaker B: Well, very excited. Sam, you know, as you mentioned, is a legend. I've known him for about 40 years. We've been good friends and colleagues for 30 years now. I joined MSG in 1995. Hard to believe this is season 29 on the radio side.
And Sam's had a legendary career, one of the greatest broadcasters in hockey history.
His call of the 1994 Stanley Cup Final certainly will last a lifetime.
You know, learn so much from him in my early years and just a great person and so happy for all of the accolades that he received this year, really everywhere the Rangers went, from opposing coaches, general managers, players, broadcasters, a lot of gifts, jerseys, wine around the league. So couldn't be happier for him during his final tour and also excited with what the future holds. Definitely going to miss my partner for the last 20 years, Dave Maloney on the radio side. But we'll still be traveling together. We'll still be at a good portion of the games together. So, you know, it's been a great run on the radio side, starting with Sal Messina for seven years, who's a Hall of Famer, won the Foster Hewitt Award, former Ranger Brian Mullen for a couple of years, and now Dave for the last 20.
[00:48:43] Speaker C: Of course, we mentioned Dave. He'll be up here in July for the New York State High School, New York State Hockey hall of Fame. He's getting inducted there. Hopefully maybe, maybe make the trip up.
[00:48:53] Speaker B: I hope so. Might be out of the country, but still formulating the exact plans, but hope to be there for Dave. He's also a legend.
He's had three distinct careers. You know, how many people are there that have, that have been in the, you know, upper echelon in three totally different Fields, an NHL player, a captain of a team that went to the Stanley cup final, worked on Wall street for 20 years, which actually started during his playing career when he had a couple of internships in the summers. And then now has been a broadcaster not only for the 20 years with the Rangers, but was a national broadcaster. Did some games on Sports Channel. He was in the studio at Fox for five years. So he's one of my favorite people. You know, like I said, we've worked together for 20 years and a terrific broadcaster and great person as well.
[00:49:46] Speaker C: Let's get back to replacing Sam. What's it going to be like to go into that television? Do you have to do with anything, anything differently, as opposed to radio?
[00:49:58] Speaker B: Well, there are certainly a lot of differences between TV and radio, but I'm also used to it because I've done so much hockey on TV through the years. I probably do almost as many games on TV now as I do on radio these last four years with tnt, usually a game every week and then, you know, deep into the playoffs. And we have the Stanley Cup Final this year. We had the cup final two years ago when Vegas beat Florida. So I'm used to it. Worked five years, NHL on Fox back in the late 90s, and then NHL on NBC from around 2010, 11 right up until 21, and now TNT for years. So I've been bouncing back and forth. It's the one sport where I've done that. The other sports that I'm involved with, football and then some basketball, some baseball, it's been primarily tv. But hockey is the one sport where I have gone back and forth. And radio really, you know, takes me back to my roots.
Doing games into a tape recorder growing up, and then two years with the Baltimore Skipjacks or the American Hockey League on the radio, oftentimes without an analyst. And now the 29 years with the Rangers. You know, I think about the fundamentals of broadcasting, and on radio, there's so much description, and you have to give the time and score a lot more often. So when I do bounce back between radio and tv, Ken, I do often remind myself, you know, for example, last night I worked at Devils Red Wings game on tnt, and tonight's a radio game as we speak. Rangers Lightning. So there are certain reminders that I do kind of go over in my own mind, whether it's radio or tv.
[00:51:38] Speaker C: Yeah, of course, as you mentioned, the Rangers playing as we tape here on Thursday morning, this will be Sam's last game. What do you think it's going to be like for him for this final game.
[00:51:49] Speaker B: Well, I know when they honored him back on March 22nd at the Garden, they held a press conference prior to the game against Vancouver. And around that time he had, I think, 10 games left and he was asked about it and he said, yeah, it's really going to hit me when it gets down into the single digits. So I can't even imagine what's going through his mind tonight, given that it is going to be the last broadcast and he'll still be around, I'm sure, you know, at various events and functions. I'm sure we'll see him at Games. But 40 years is a long time and he started doing this on a full time basis, you know, 40 seasons ago, and working with Phil Esposito and then John Davidson for 19 years and now Joe Micheletti for 19. So I'm sure it'll be a really emotional night for him. It's been such a big part of his life. He's so passionate about the Rangers, about the NHL, the sport of hockey. So I would think it'll be very emotional for Sam tonight.
[00:52:45] Speaker C: Yeah. Sam was inducted last July into the New York State Hockey hall of Fame. And I had, I talked to him afterwards and asked him about how long you want to keep going or, you know, think of retirement. He said, no, I think, you know, I'm still good everything. And like about a month later, the news breaks, he's retiring. My first thought is, Sam, you could have given me some breaking stories. But hey, of course he had replaced a legend in Jim Gordon. I talked to him about that. He said Jim Gordon was more than helpful and just, you know, help him and guide him through that. And I, I think that helps. So you mean it's, I think in this has been since television was invented, like three TV announcers and Gordon, Sam, and now you.
[00:53:25] Speaker B: Right now it's. It's such an honor to be only the third primary TV voice of the Rangers in the last half century. I grew up watching Jim Gordon and Bill Chadwick. And you're right, Jim Gordon was Sam's mentor. And he spoke about that at the press conference that I alluded to. He said it was a very difficult decision when the executives at MSG at the time offered him the job because Jim had been so good to him, was his mentor. And they said to him, look, Sam, we're making the change, so if you don't take it, somebody else will. So he obviously accepted the job and here we are 40 years later. But, you know, it's an original six team. I've been so fortunate to be involved with the Rangers since 1995. Hard to believe next year will actually be my 30th season with the Rangers and MSG network. So it's been a, you know, for more than half my life.
You know, I know you and I first met when I was in Baltimore in 1990 and went on to the Washington Capitals on the TV side for three years. Moved back to New York in 95 to begin with MSG, that 95, 96 season. So this summer will actually be 30 years since I was initially hired by MSG. But getting back to Sam again, legendary career. And not only with the Rangers. You know, he did NFL games on fox for over 20 years. He's done a lot of national hockey. He was one of the early voices on ESPN when that network first started in the late 70s, early 80s. He did NHL games on ESPN on Fox.
Has done national radio during multiple Stanley Cup Finals Olympics. So you know his voice certainly well known around the country, not only due to his work with the Rangers.
[00:55:12] Speaker C: I thought it was a great thing that TNT did for that Rangers Flyers game, pairing him with John Davidson again, that legendary broadcast team. And it seems like they had never had been apart for so many years. It was just great to see them back together doing that game between the Flyers and Rangers. Were you doing the radio that night?
[00:55:35] Speaker B: I was doing the radio. Our crew wound up off that day. We were originally scheduled on that Rangers Flyers game on TNT and then a great job by the NHL and by TNT to pair Sam and JD together. So I wound up in the radio booth that night. But it was great to see them both. Didn't hear the broadcast. I saw some clips because I was working. But a legendary partnership. You know, I was so fortunate for my first 10 years with the Rangers to be part of the traveling party with JD. His last season was 0506 and then that's when he left after that season to go to the St. Louis Blues as president. And that's when Joe Micheletti came in and took over for JD on the TV side. So that 0506 season was the first year coming out of the lockout. It was Henrik Lundquist's first season with the Rangers. It was JD's last in the TV booth and it was Dave Baloney's first in the radio booth. So a memorable season for sure.
[00:56:34] Speaker C: Of course you had a memorable experience just about a week or a little week or so ago with Alex Ovechin scoring the all. Getting the all Time goal scoring list surpassing Wayne Gretzky. What was that day like? And how did you prepare yourself for that and knowing that it could happen?
[00:56:52] Speaker B: You know, it's kind of surreal when I think back, and it hasn't even been two weeks. I got home that night and I said to myself, did that really happen? Because so many things had to come together, had to align.
You know, first of all, the fact that it was a TNT game from the start of the season. It was always on the TNT schedule. Number one, they had added us, our crew with Eddie Olczyk and Brian Boucher, onto a Capitals game four days prior. We did the game in Raleigh on the Wednesday when he scored number 892. So then we're starting to think, well, they only have one game until Sunday. There's a chance this could happen. I'm in a hotel room in Atlanta that Friday night, getting ready to work at Knicks Hawks game. The next afternoon, watching the Capitals game against the Blackhawks. And he scores one early. So that's 893. Then he ties Gretzky at 894. So now I'm thinking, oh, he might break it tonight. And a lot of us are scheduled to work the game on Sunday. And my heart was beating pretty fast in that final minute. I knew he wouldn't go out, you know, and score an empty netter to break the record. But then after his teammate Ryan Leonard scored, they put him back out there with Spencer Knight back in the crease, and he had three great chances. So, you know, I was watching that from afar. And then to have the opportunity to be on that call was just unbelievable.
It's something I can't even describe. You know, I've been involved in some big games, very fortunate, you know, Stanley cup finals two times on the TV side, eight on radio.
The Bautista home run in 2015 is one that I get asked about more than. More than any of the other calls that I've had recently.
Olympics worked one super bowl, the international feed, you know, so many playoff games in various sports. But the Ovetskin goal certainly has to move, you know, right up to the top of my list because of the historical significance. The ceremony that took place after the NHL did a great job with that. Wayne Gretzky was in the building, was on our pregame show from our booth, and then came back on with us during the third period after Ovechkin broke the record. So it was. It was a day that I'll certainly remember forever.
[00:59:02] Speaker C: Yeah. Well, let's talk about the playoffs. I had Pierre McGuire on. Before you, we talked about the playoffs, but what matchups are you, first of all, what game are you doing Saturday? Has it been deterrent yet?
[00:59:14] Speaker B: It's going to be determined later today.
There are only two games. All signs point to Dallas. Yeah, Dallas, Colorado, game one. So not 100% official yet, but it sounds like that's where we'll be going. Winnipeg is hosting the other game.
Really looking forward obviously to the playoffs. We have the Stanley Cup Final as you alluded to at TNT this year for the second time. And you know, there are so many good teams, so many great teams that are going to be out in the first round. You know, when you look at the matchups, you know, the fact that Tampa Bay and Florida have to play in the first round, L.A. and Edmonton, Dallas and Colorado, you know, right on down the line, you can, you can point to, you know, almost all of the series. So, you know, we'll see how it all plays out. The matchups are all set and last year our crew had the opportunity to work a terrific west final between Edmonton and Dallas. So looking forward to see where else we wind up. First round will be kind of all over the place because TNT has certain nights, ESPN has certain nights. So it's not like we're assigned to one series. We'll bounce around a little bit.
Then in the second round, same thing, it's split between TNT and espn.
Both networks have basketball certain days, hockey certain days. So it's not necessarily one series in round two. And then we'll be on one of the conference finals and then the Stanley Cup Final. We had Vegas, Florida two years ago, which is a lot of fun, so can't wait to get started.
[01:00:47] Speaker C: How much fun when you know that you're going to be calling the final? Does that make it even more exciting going into a season?
[01:00:55] Speaker B: It does. I mean, I prepare the same, you know, for every game, whether it's, you know, regular season game number seven or a game in the Stanley Cup Final. But you're certainly going to be more excited for those big games and just so fortunate to have the opportunity to call the Stanley Cup Final once again. I mean, I look back, we mentioned this on our game last night in New Jersey, what a year it's been for TNT and the NHL and our crew in particular. We worked the outdoor game, the Winter Classic at Wrigley Field, which was a lot of fun. TNT had three games in the four nations face off and Eddie Bush and I worked two of them in Boston on the Monday back in February and Then the Ovetskin game, the record setting game goal, 895. So when you take a step back, it's really been a spectacular year as far as some of the big events, big games that we've been involved in. And it'll carry right through, you know, mid June to the cup final.
[01:01:51] Speaker C: Yeah, I think a lot of fans out there who watch the game, I think they enjoy the work that TNT does. And I mentioned this before to you before, it seems like you guys have a lot of fun, the studio guys have a lot of fun. You guys out there, it seems like you guys have really perfected the way to broadcast a hockey game.
[01:02:12] Speaker B: Well, I appreciate it. I mean, speaking on behalf of our crew in particular with Eddie Olczyk and Brian Boucher, we're really good friends. We don't just show up and only spend the three hours together during the game. When we get into a city, the night before we're having dinner, we have lunch on the day of the game, the same jokes, you know, the same inside jokes that we tell, you know, week one, we're telling those same jokes during the playoffs and we have, we have group texts and it is a lot of fun and they both do a tremendous job. You know, Eddie's been the top analyst in the NHL for about, you know, 15, 18 years now.
His great work on NBC with Doc emmerich and Pierre McGuire for so many years. And you know, Boosh worked his way up the ladder pretty quickly after his playing career and he's become one of the best in the game as well. Usually down at ice level between the benches. And you know, we have Jackie Redmond with us sometimes. Tarek El Bashir was with us on the Ovetskin game. Katherine Tappin, Ashley Vice, among others. And, and Brendan Burke and Darren Tang do a great job. Jen Botterell on the other TNT crew. And you know, whether it's John Forsland, Alex Stau, so many other great announcers that are involved during the regular season and into the playoffs and the studio crew, you know, Liam Biz, Anson, Henrik, you know, previously, Rick Tocket, Rick Bonus is in there once in a while. Chris Chelios, Colby Armstrong, they do a great job. You know, the NBA on tnt, the pregame show with Charles and Shaq and Kenny and Ernie, you know, that kind of set the standard in my mind along with the NFL on Fox pregame show through the years as the, you know, the benchmarks for sports television as far as pregame shows. And I think what we've seen from the NHL on TNT is right up there as well. The chemistry those guys have, the passion for the sport, the fun. Of course, Wayne Gretzky is with them once in a while during the regular season and then significantly during the playoffs. So to have the greatest player of all time as a big part of the studio show, you know, is tremendous as well. And kudos to the, to the executives at TNT who put it all together. And like I said, as far as our crew, we have a great time, you know, bringing the games to the viewers and I can't wait to get started in the playoffs on Saturday.
[01:04:39] Speaker C: You mentioned Alex. He'll be backing you up when you're not able to do MSG games. Right?
[01:04:44] Speaker B: Right. They'll announce all the plans pretty soon. Alex has been a part of it for the last couple of seasons. Don Legreco also does a great job who's been a part of our crew for the last 20 years. So they'll be announcing that pretty soon.
[01:04:57] Speaker C: Okay. So. Well, Kenny, appreciate a few minutes. Have fun for the next two months. It's going to be a wild ride. I think this is a wide open Stanley cup playoffs. Who expected Washington to win the Eastern Conference? Who expected Winnipeg to win the President's Trophy? So I don't know if there's a clear cup favorite and that's going to make it a lot of fun.
[01:05:18] Speaker B: Yeah, I don't think there is so many great teams out there. There are probably 12 or 14 teams that think they have a realistic chance to win the Stanley cup. So it'll be a lot of fun to watch. Thanks for having me on as always, Ken, enjoy the playoffs and hopefully we'll chat again soon.
[01:05:33] Speaker C: Yeah, I'll enjoy the playoffs even though my Flyers have not made it for a few years in a row here, so.
[01:05:38] Speaker B: Well, our guy, Keith Jones, he'll get it turned around, don't worry.
[01:05:40] Speaker C: Yeah, not worried. Don't forget Western Michigan national champions in college hockey. He's got to be.
[01:05:45] Speaker B: Oh, he's excited about that. The alma mater, so.
[01:05:48] Speaker C: Hey, Kenny, good talk to you. We'll talk soon.
[01:05:50] Speaker B: Okay, thanks, Ken.
[01:05:51] Speaker C: All right, that wraps up that we're back to wrap up the podcast and the latest, latest winner in the Daily Gazettes auto racing contest in just a moment.
[01:06:21] Speaker B: To every referee, umpire and judge in.
[01:06:24] Speaker C: High school sports, we want to say we see you.
[01:06:28] Speaker A: We see everything you do for us that goes unnoticed.
[01:06:32] Speaker C: We see the positive role models that you are.
[01:06:35] Speaker A: We see the way you get unfairly.
[01:06:37] Speaker B: Criticized just for doing your job. The truth is we couldn't play without you.
[01:06:43] Speaker A: So thank you for investing your time in us.
[01:06:46] Speaker C: Thank you for protecting the integrity of the game.
[01:06:49] Speaker E: No matter what.
[01:06:50] Speaker A: We hope you always know how much we appreciate you.
[01:06:54] Speaker E: Because without you, this is just recess.
[01:06:57] Speaker C: It's not really a game.
[01:06:59] Speaker A: Thank you for always making it possible.
[01:07:01] Speaker E: For us to play the sports we love.
[01:07:06] Speaker C: Want to serve the students in your community? Sign up to become an official in New York at High School Officials Hi.
[01:07:20] Speaker D: This is Tri City ValleyCAP President Rick Murphy.
[01:07:22] Speaker C: You're listening to the Parting Shots podcast.
[01:07:25] Speaker D: With Daily Gazette sports editor Ken Shop.
[01:07:28] Speaker C: Back to wrap up the podcast. The week nine winner in the Daily Gazette's auto racing contest was Lynn Davis of Schenectady. With 65 points, Lynn wins a $50 gift card. Congratulations, Lynn. The VIP winner was Scott Lucher of CapitaLand GMC with 30 points. I'll announce the auto racing contest winner's name and that winner's name will appear in Saturday's Daily Gazette. To play, go to dailygazette.com and click on the auto Racing Contest banner. There is no race this Sunday as NASCAR takes the Easter holiday off.
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Don't forget to download the Daily Gazette app and sign up for our E Edition so you never miss a headline. Subscribe today at www.dailygazette.com. we have a lot of great specials going on. When credibility matters, Trust the Daily Gazettes on the latest edition of the Stan and Shen Show, Daily Gazette reporter Eden Stratton fills in with Stan Houdy talking about beats, tasty music and even FBI files. Sounds interesting. Stan visited Michelle Pawlik and Bob Purtel in Amsterdam to talk about this weekend's Earth Day Cleanup and Wing vest in the Rug City.
The Stand and Shed show is available wherever you get your podcast.
That wraps up another edition of the Parting Shots podcast. I want to thank Eric Lang, Dr. Christy Bowers, Brad McNeil, Mike Sagapour, Pierre McGuire and Kenny Albert for being a part of the show. If you have questions or comments about the podcast, email to me at shot that's s c h o t
[email protected]. follow me at X Thread and Blue sky at Slap Shots the views expressed on the Parting Shots podcast are not necessarily those of the Daily Gazette company. The Parting Shots podcast is a production of the Daily Gazette company. I'm Daily Gazette Sports editor Ken Schott. Thanks for listening, and I'll catch you next time from the Parting Shots podcast studio in Schenectady, New York. Good day, good hockey, and happy Easter.
[01:09:46] Speaker A: Sa.
