Mm-hmm.

Right? Like, it's just, you know, Rielly and Raddysh are a natural pairing because one shoots left, one shoots right.

They're both, you know, high-paid guys.

And I, I think that putting those two guys together, you're setting them both up for failure in terms of putting them out there and just expecting that to work.

Like, why do every- why does everybody that watches this team and talks about this team, like, was that the number one take coming into this season that that's just not gonna work? Like, we talked about it on our show.

You've talked about it with Myrtle.

Like, it's just we all kinda knew that wasn't gonna work.

Yeah, you could.

Let's get real here.

It's pretty cool.

First of all, seeing those three guys standing up there made me feel old, first of all.

I was like, oh my God.

Yeah, you're right.

There's no ifs, ands, or buts about that.

But yeah, seeing those three guys up there, it's pretty cool.

When it comes to this team, like what is the big kind of like question mark for you? Is it how the blue line stacks up? Is it the goal? He's like, what is the big kind of all in all question mark? Or did I completely skate past it? And it's the guy wearing the C and number 34 in his back.

Mm.

And, uh, he, he said something that stuck with me throughout that whole period, which was, "Remember, with God, nothing is wasted.

Uh, nothing is wasted." And that stuck with me, and it, it did make a difference throughout that journey.

When I look out at the world, the, the world of nature, um, I see in evolution a sense that nothing is wasted.

Um, death becomes life.

Uh, nutrients.

It, you know...

I suppose as we draw this c- this conversation to a conclusion, um, where are the sort of, where are the exciting prospects and where do you, how do you think that the, the conversation between science and faith might be changing in a sort of more promising way in the future? Maybe we can start with you, Sam.

Are you getting good response and a good set of questions in the Q&As? sessions from students or do they look like they've been dragged along by a teacher?

Yeah, I really don't see that.

I really don't see hostility the way we do it.

People find it stimulating and interesting.

We've got a lot of grammar schools in our area and some very high achieving schools.

We never struggle with the pitch there doing the academic stuff.

But sometimes with the schools that can get forgotten and left behind, the lower achieving ones, We do try and be a bit more creative and find ways of pitching things in a way that they can engage with and understand.

Do you have examples of people either coming to faith or moving in their journey? Do you get to see that side of things, especially if you're doing an event and then maybe disappearing and not coming back for a little bit of time? Do you ever hear that side of things?

... ended COVID in Toronto.

So that's one of mine.

Uh, another Leaf one, recent vintage.

Same s- year, year later, Ryan O'Reilly.

Ryan O'Reilly came in here, and the experience of having him as a second/third line center-

Mm-hmm

... winger, big goals.

If you'll remember correctly, he scored a late goal against Tampa to tie it in that first series win.

Do you want to go full screen? Okay, there you

go.

Okay.

Well, I'm happy to start now then.

Go ahead.

OK, evolution on trial.

Evolution has already been on trial.

So Rachel sent another 10 and said, Sam, I'm told you have an extensive education, so I apologize if I was rude, but I heard you violate the law of excluded middle by saying something could not be objective and also not subjective.

Mm-hmm

...

the TV and be like, "Oh, let's watch the Jays," and try not to think about what their record i- is at.

But yeah, I-- [sighs] Last year, it was one of the most incredible, you know...

I mean, from, I guess, July on, I think, of the season, from the Canada Day last year all the way up until November 1st at 11:55 when things went a little bit sour, was one of the most incredible runs for a fan, for the city, for the media, for everybody in terms of just covering a team and watching a team and being a fan of a team.

Like, I can't picture something being more fun than that was.

Like, 2015 was great, but they didn't get as far, right? Like, they, they fell short against the Royals.

Yeah

Mm-hmm.

And I'm just so happy that McKenna's getting to experience Toronto at, like, the best possible time.

Like, there's nothing like Toronto in the summer.

Like, it's the reason that we all fight through the horrible winters here, and this past winter particularly was horrible.

If you're listening to this in Toronto, you know what I'm talking about.

But, like, the fact that his first experiences are going to a Jays game, getting to watch the boys take BP down there, going to World Cup games, feeling the vibe in the city, like, I love that.

I, I just, I, I think it's great for McKenna to fall in love with this city early, and being at a Portugal-Croatia game, one of the most electric atmospheres, it couldn't be a better time.

Mm.

And I think it's just a bad situation all around, which leads people to probably say, you know what? We might not see him at all, and that is bitterly disappointing across the board for this tournament.

Totally.

And, like, listen, they got away with it.

I'd say they officially, like, I thought that the, it was, you know, because I sent a tweet about it, you know, pissed off, and, you know, the soccer hard-os are getting in my mentions, and that's fine.

Like, I'm not a soccer purist.

But I thought the advantage of having eight days off and getting to play your next game at home versus three days on the road, I thought that was a massive enough spot to use him in.

But I guess they kind of got away with it now that they get South Africa.

I mean, where do you sit with that? And with Bobrovsky in particular, does that appease you? Does that interest you at all when it comes to the goaltending side of things for the

How many years?

And listen.

Three.

They're look, look what they're looking at here, bud.

They're looking at the, the, the window here with Matthews and Nylander, and it's becoming more and more clear that they're obviously trying to win big time.

And I think that they're just gonna try to, you know, have as strong a possible team as they can for the next two years that Matthews is under contract, and kinda go from there.

But yeah, I, I think you could expect between three and five really good years in this contract, and then the rest might be a disaster, right?

Yeah

Like, yeah, I wonder what that creates when the best player in the league is kind of going against what the union would prefer.

You know what I think it is, boys? Knobloch was a dud.

And he wasn't hard on anybody.

And Connor has convinced himself that he needs somebody as intense as him.

And Zach Hyman is one of his best buds.

And Zach Hyman's like, you know who we need? We need Mike Babcock.

Cause he's the guy that's going to hold everybody accountable and take everybody to task and do all this stuff.

Is Vlad going to hit 15 home runs this season?

Like, I do feel like because there is a storyline that's been pretty real, prevalent these playoffs the goaltending that nobody's really all that enthralled with talking about it does feel like it is like speed drove us into talking about Marner even like last night it's like yeah he had an assist he had a black shot but I don't feel like he was like the driving force but watching that broadcast they're like more Marner

I mean, he did save the game.

Like, that puck was 100% going in low blocker.

I don't know if he meant to block it, but he was in the right place at the right time.

At the right place at the right time and blocked it.

Yeah, the Marner stuff's been exhausting, boys.

You both know it.

Like, what's going on here?

If he wins the Cup, how does that reflect on Matthews, Nylander, Tavares, and Riley?

I think that's a great question.

I think that they've been plenty good enough to get it done over this.

They've had enough talent, but it's always come down to the mix.

It's always come down to the mix.

Yeah.

I think Marner was more of a supporting player than everybody was willing to admit here.

Is he

They

were awful.

And listen, some of these goals are tap ins where there's breakaways or whatever, but they just you just knew they were going.

It's a weird thing watching him.

Where you just know, like, is there been a goalie more in the last 10 years watching hockey where you just know what version you're going to get of him? And so they go down there, they score that early goal.

The building's going crazy.

And then Cole Caulfield comes out in front and Frederick Anderson lies on his stomach for some reason.

lose the series, like in the off season, who

But what's he supposed to say? What's he supposed to say? But yeah, how would you feel if he's the coach on opening day?

Discouraged.

I would say, I think I just, I can't believe that you're going to go through this massive front office change that by all accounts was very risky and a big gamble.

And, you know, we all know what happened at the press conference with like the conversations around him and just, just, we all know what Chica represents at this point.

You're going to go through that risk.

You're going to bring in a team legend in Matt Sundin.

You're going to get the first overall pick in Gavin McKenna.

Yeah.

Like that's where we're at.

You know, this is not a way to build a drafting strategy.

And the way that you've listened to Chayka talk a lot over the last little while, like he's clearly, you know, a very methodical and planned out guy.

But like my strategy, if I'm in that room, it's like, you're just not going to get killed if you take McKenna first overall.

If it doesn't work out, you can at least be like, he was the consensus for two years.

He was the most talented guy in the draft.

He was the Canadian guy that played for the World Juniors.

Mm-hmm.

I really I find it very difficult to imagine.

Okay, I think McDavid, for all the reasons you laid out there for the two-year contract extension or whatever it was that he signed, and having given them already so many years and so much brilliance, and especially you look at that roster, boys, and I know you probably played what he said last night after the game, but he's like, we were average all year or whatever, and it's like, you know, average team with high expectations, you're going to be disappointed, is an all-time banger of a line, by the way, from McDavid.

I, I look at that roster and it's just, there's been so many mistakes, man.

There's just been so many mistakes and you're just papering horrendous goaltending to the core of one of the greatest players, you know, to the, sorry, to the prime of one of the greatest players in the history of the game.

It's an aging decor.

Eckholm looks like one of my boys trying to play against the college guys when they come home when he plays on the zigzags.

He can't keep up.

Like, that's the other reason why I think he is maybe the least likely to make it to the end there as well.

capitulation going on in the wild card race there?

I think there.

I hope there's no Ottawa people listening.

If you're an Ottawa fan, plug your ears so you don't hear me say this.

They're a wagon.

they're good.

And I know they just lost a couple of their defensemen, but they got mojo going.

them all

really wasn't like it is over now and it didn't have to be over like they were on a three-game winning streak as as fraudulent as that may have been and following the six-game losing streak and they were only a point back of the senators going into that game on saturday sen seemed to care about winning hockey games what what are we supposed to do with that first period especially but the whole hockey game

Well, it was back-to-back first periods, right? They came out in the first game against Tampa, and they played pretty well in the first period, I thought.

It looked like a normal hockey game, and they got filled in from there.

And it's almost as though they just know.

They know like we know.

They're just like, why are we doing this? Which is totally unprofessional, and I'm not excusing it.

But it just feels... like everybody involved except the front office and coach know knew it was over from even from before the break.

arizona i know they don't even have a team yeah

Did you know that?

I wouldn't say the Winter Games had a great presence on the old boob tube down there.

I tried to – of course, every morning when I wake up, I love local TV.

It's just one of my passions.

So I turned on the local ESPN, and it was just like they were feverishly covering the – There was like a baseball tournament of like the Americas.

Oh, really? Yeah, which I had no idea existed.

I was watching a bit of while we were getting ready to go for dinner.

Yeah, guess what?

What a giggle I could have in the coming days, but it's the other things that make it unacceptable, and I guess it shouldn't change the punishment he gets by the league, but no, it's the circumstance.

I think that it is unprofessional in Bush League that he sat there and flipped the bird.

But them giving him more punishment for what he did than Brad Marchand braining Matheson just is a perfect is a chef's kiss for this league.

Like, there's a statement from George Peros.

Well, since when does George Peros give statements? Like, I just, I think it's amazing.

I think it's absurd and amazing that he got punished more for that than there's been a lot of dicey hits.

Like, that massive slash that Barzal did on, was it Marchment after he hit Schaefer? Right.

It was like

It's just so crazy to watch what they put forth for 60 minutes yesterday and compare it to some of the, not just lackluster, like the emotionless, like just nothing games that they put forth earlier in the season where they were at an equally desperate spot as far as the standings are concerned.

Yeah, I have no idea what to make of it.

I really don't.

I guess they're good.

I mean, maybe they...

I don't know if the hole they dug to start the season is too big for them to get back in the playoffs.

I don't know.

TBD on

That's the frustrating part is it feels like the third like last stand we've had of this season already.

Yeah, I think that these are similar conversations that they have had on Buffalo Sports Radio on Sabres talk.

It's like, well, if they could just string a few together.

This is how fans and media talk about last place teams and teams that are at the bottom of the standings.

Is this the turnaround? And then they lose again, they lose again.

I think that you have to... look at this year completely different than last year and the other years before where there were all these beats that we knew of this team where we knew what like you know they're bad they're good performances after a bad loss and you know how they would respond in certain situations and all the it's all just different they're just much worse than they have been in years past and listen is it without some issues that they've dealt with I mean, their whole decor has been hurt at times this year.

They haven't had Chris Tanev, who was their best defenseman for most of last season.

It's just a very interesting part of Austin Matthews' career that's happening right now.

they stink

Yeah, they do.

The Panthers, like they don't, you know, a lot of their good, like they don't have Barkov clearly.

He was very good.

Don't get me wrong.

And you know, they don't have Kachuk, but they still have all their other guys like Marchand's playing Lundell, Reinhardt, Verhage, Bennett, Rodriguez, like that whole, like those guys all play.

They are having a really bad year, too.

isn't here that's when it's truly over and I just don't know that anybody I don't one I want to hand up I don't I'm not there I'm not saying I am but I don't know that anybody truly has the stomach for that and if we're talking about the end of an era that's what is being talked about here and hey to bring it to the Bruins parallel it's like that's what Easton Cowan is for that's what Matthew Nyes is for right that's your next era not everything good has to necessarily leave but I think that's the question like when people say it's over it's like how bad would it have to get for it to truly be over and truly be in blow it up land.

It just feels so damn dark.

Yeah, that's – boy, is it ever.

You kind of nailed it there.

I mean, this is the cyclical fashion of professional sports, boys.

Like, we – you know, it's – It's been 10 years and they've eroded away at the outsides of this where they, you know, the amount of first round picks that they've traded away, rightfully so.

Like even last year at the trade deadline, I, that was a really good hockey team that took the, the eventual Stanley cup champions, the furthest that anybody did in the playoffs.

Like that was a team that you are supposed to trade first round picks for to, to add to that is one that is totally fine.

Like it's just like the people who are making the decisions here might not have the long-term interest of this team in mind.