CKSTAM

Patrick Johnston of the Province joined Matt and Blake in his regular Tuesday spot. Started off by chatting about who the Canucks’ biggest rival is. Talked about Dave Hakstol and if he has the chops to be an NHL coach. Talked about what is wrong with the Kraken. They need goaltending. Talked about the lines that need to produce. Talked about the Lammikko line and why it’s firing on all cylinders. Talked about Lammikko and his journey to his current role in the team at the moment. 

Jeff Paterson, our Canucks reporter and co-host of Rink Wide joined in his regular, non-game day spot. Started off by answering the poll question and who the Canucks biggest rival is. Says that in the here and now they are without a rival. That is nothing new to Canucks fans. Talked about the game vs the Kraken. There were some goals that the Canucks just can’t allow to happen. There was a lapse in the first period but they were the better team on the night. Talked about EP40. Didn’t think he was the best player on the ice but finished with a couple of assists. His start to the season was unacceptable for someone making seven million dollars. If he can continue the way he has for the last bunch of game and build into next season, then there is enough there that fans will be happy with. Talked about Bo Horvat and how his offence  has dried up.

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Sekeres and Price is happy to bring you a special family day episode with Dan Hamhuis. Dan talked about what he is up to in retirement. Has been taking the time to do a lot of skiing and hunting. It’s been about 17 months since he retirement. He talked about retiring before the pandemic started. He says it’s definitely a different environment now than when he played. Talked about being back in Smithers. Loves enjoying all the outdoor activities there are there. It offers a lot for young families. A great community to grow up in. Talked about how he got started in hockey. In Smithers you are either a ski family or a hockey family. It was an automatic choice for his family, being a block and a half away from the rink. Talked about going undrafted in the Bantam draft. Broke his leg just before the BC Winter Games. Would have gotten some exposure there. Talked about being the Scholastic Player of the Year. Says he never had a realistic dream of playing in the NHL. Just a single-A player in Smithers. Says when he missed the Bantam draft, he didn’t know there was a Bantam draft. Talked about his connection with Eric Brewer, who left for the NHL from PG and opened up a spot. It wasn’t till he got to PG that he met players who had been to NHL training camps. They had met NHL players and he had never met one before. Seems like the environment has really shifted since he was coming up. Feels pretty fortunate to have come up in the environment. Was nice to be living in his home town in his own house up until he left for junior. Says his family did everything they could at the time. Says his sisters had to go through all road trips but they had reaped the rewards of his NHL career. Talked about going through the Nashville system. Was a bigger jump than he thought going from the dub to the AHL. Big life changes being with billet family’s to going at it on your own. Says he was a bit intimidated going into pro camp. Says his first season in the AHL was his worst year as a pro. Never got called up and probably didn’t deserve to. Was very motivated the next year to not go back to Milwaukee. Pretty exciting feeling to jump over the boards when his name got called. Talked about the first year and getting regular ice time. Talked about that defensive core that came out of Nashville with Suter and Weber. Talked about his relationship with Barry Trotz. He was like a dad in a way. A real big family guy that cared about you personally and professionally. Talked about the summer of 2010. Started with a friendly parting of ways with the Preds. They would have liked to sign him but couldn’t afford it. Got excited about the prospect of having 29 teams to look at. Talked about getting traded to Philly. Had some good conversations but told them he had earned the right to talk to all teams and not just one. That’s when his rights were traded to PIT. He felt sorry they lost their draft pick but that isn’t on him. They did take a long look at both those teams on July 1st. Talked about the boxes that need to be ticked and how they change as your family grows, as you enter your prime. Wanting to win and play a big part in the team. It was never really about money, more about fit. Came down to PIT and VAN. Vancouver was going through some changes. Once he signed the contract, the ink wasn’t even dry before he asked why there was even consideration of another team. Talked about having a NTC. There were teams offering more money but he was happy with the money. Talked about the 2010/11 run. It was such a special year. He knew it would be a lot of pressure. Talked about facing up with CHI in the first round. That game 7 was one of the most exciting games he has ever played in his career. Talked about going into BOS up 2 games. Was injured. Talked about the hip-check on Lucic that knocked him out of the series. Would do it again if the same situation presented itself. His groin was ripped off the bone with a hernia. Certainly, understands why the pain didn’t go away. There were a few tears in the doctor’s office that day. Talked about winning a gold medal in Sochi. Had a 6-year goal to make the team that turned into a 10-year goal. Made an incredible high development curve from Smithers to the NHL. Moving to Vancouver sparked him a bit. He recommitted to himself. Was a great experience. His wife was able to come and they managed to get to the ski hill to check out a few events. Was asked if he is a Predator or a Canucks. He took the political way out and talked about his time in Dallas and enjoying it. Nashville holds a special place with starting his career there and his kids being born there. Vancouver is great being from BC. Talked about Hockey Canada and how important that experience was for his development. Talked about why he didn’t waive his NTC at the end of his Canucks career. Was hoping for an extension. Says he did waive it for DAL or CHI but a trade never materialized. Was hoping for a contract with the Canucks after and would have taken a serious home-town discount. Talked about if he ever thinks back and wonders if there ever could have been a cup for him. Says it isn’t a healthy place. Feels he made the best decisions at the time. Doesn't ever think it wasn’t a successful or rewarding career because he didn’t win a cup. Talked about what he is up to these days, past NHL life. Skiing has been a big thing for the family. Says backcountry skiing has been big for him. Gets to ski some great snow with no tracks. Loves mountain biking. Opens up a bit more now that he isn’t as worried about getting injured. Coached volleyball this year, not knowing that much about it.

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The President of Hockey Operations for the Vancouver Canucks, Jim Rutherford, joined Matt and Blake for the first time. Talked about his early observations of managing a Canadian team. Was born in this country and loves it. Also loves living in the US. Canada is a special place, he doesn’t need to explain the sport to anyone here. Doesn’t have a whole lot of observations at this point. Just sees the passion from the fans during the games. Talked about where he thinks the team is. They are somewhere in between that initial winning streak and what they have been since new years. They don’t have as much depth and it has affected the team. Gives the players credit. Jim doesn’t talk to the players a whole lot. That is the coach’s job. Stays on top of everything, needs wise. No real direct connection. Talked to the captains when he first got here. Says the players voices are heard by their actions. Thinks it is important to let them continue down the road in this playoff race that they have gotten themselves back into. They need to get a bit younger and in a better spot in the cap. Talked about when they will be cup competitive. The advantage is that the Canucks have a franchise goalie. With the parody in this league, it is hard to get into the playoffs but once you get there anything can happen. Referenced Nashville in 2016. Can’t put a number on how many more skaters they need. He wants 4 lines they can roll through and not worry about which one is out there. That’s what they will work towards. Talked about the structure of the FO. Everyone will be able to do their job. Critical decisions, he will weigh in on. Will let everyone know what the downside is. He is there to help when they want the help. They have very good communicators. Wanted to hire the appropriate people and let them do their jobs. Will try to create as much cap space as they can. When you are working in a flat cap world there will be some very good deals that will present themselves. Will never be as much as they want it to be. Some tough decisions, maybe unpopular ones, will have to be made. Won’t want to be picking up bad money to make room for later years. Thinks he has a good handle of the cap but no more than anyone else around the league. Gets tricky with LTIR. That’s why they brought Emelie in. She has the experience working on the player and union side. Talked about Castonguay and Granato. He is very impressed with them. They want to be there and work hard. They are learning and willing to learn and work with other people. Broke down the draft structure. Todd Harvey reports to Cammi who reports to Patrik. There are a lot of good check points. Allvin can make the final decision but he works like Jim does. Says at some point we will see Rathbone at the NHL level this season. Talked about how much he loves the game. 
Our Friday regular, Rick Dhaliwal, joined Matt and Blake. Started off with where the Canucks are at with JT Miller. Says that it is not a sprint, it’s a marathon. They are being patient. Deadline is still a month away. GM was only hired 2 weeks ago. Media and fans need to be patient. Says internally they are having a tough time with Miller. What is the messaging to the dressing room if you trade him in a playoff race. The players all want to win. Talked about the potential of Boeser being on the move. Rick can understand why any team would be interested in a player like that. Talked about Jack Rathbone and the injury he sustained. He has an upper body injury, would think that it is a concussion. He was ok leaving the hospital. A lot of it was precautionary. Talked about when we may see the skate jersey. Talked about Steve Armitage. 
Our Canucks reporter, Jeff Paterson, joined us in his regular non-game day spot. Talked about our chat with Rutherford. Couldn’t believe he said he loves the media. Talked about Jack Rathbone and the conversations surrounding him in the front office. JPat doesn’t get the impression that JR is impressed by a few wins and these results. Talked about Demko. Talked about Miller. JPat not convinced that his price will ever be higher. Thinks that he is very much in play. Talked about the 50 game mark and the difference between Green and Boudreau. 
Rob Williams of the Daily Hive joined Matt and Blake in his regular Friday slot. Says that Canucks fans are demanding to know who won the belt. Talked about wrestling. Talked about when we will see the Skate jersey.

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The Director of Film and Scouting for Elite Prospects, Cam Robinson joined Matt and Blake to talk prospects. Talked about Rangers prospects. Dove into what Braden Schneider brings. Thinks that Rangers wouldn’t want to give him up unless the package is right. Talked about Nils Lundkvist. Thinks that K’Andre Miller would be more attainable than Schneider. Talked about some of the Ranger forwards. Doesn’t see the Bruins being in contention for JT Miller. 

Scott Rintoul, our Thursday regular joined to talk about a variety of different things in the world of sports. Started off with the Gold Medal game and what he saw. Still basking in the glow. They never fail to deliver and neither doe Marie-Philip Poulin. Says we underserve her by calling her clutch. She has passed that. She is automatic. Scotty answered the poll question on who is the best women’s player in Canadian history. Talked about which player the Canucks should move out if they need cap space. Thinks it is JT Miller. You move him because he can get you the most now. If teams don’t hit JR’s price than you just keep him. Sees a world where Garland gets traded but doesn’t see it. You can’t evaluate him, simply from the bottom line. He is a feel the moment kind of guy. Talked about going to full capacity. Talked about UBC and SFU playing a game every year. 

Olympic Gold medalist and Broadcaster, Cheryl Pounder joined Matt and Blake to sum up the gold medal match from last night. They showcased women’s hockey and again, it came down to the wire. Says she was glad there was plexiglass between her and Mudryk as she gets excited and the old Pounder elbow came out a few times. Talked about the gold medal performance. Thought the Americans came out strong and she thought ‘oh boy’. This Canadian team has showed so much resilience. There isn’t one word that can do it justice. They have that certain something that relates to likeness and chemistry. They knew whatever was thrown at them they could weather. Talked about MPP. We have never seen anyone as great as her. She does whatever needs to be done. Lead the tournament in slot passes. Says she is the best that ever played. Tough for Cheryl to say because she has played with Wickenheiser. Can’t see MPP calling it a career yet. Doesn’t see her retiring in the next 4 years. She has matured a lot in the last cycle. The pandemic hit the women hard. Talked about the U18 tournament and how great it is for the game.

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NHL Insider and host of Ray and Dregs, Darren Dreger joined Matt and Blake in his usual Wednesday slot. Talked about the assembly of the front office. Needed to spend time with the owner to get a full picture. Had to wrap his head around the strengths and weaknesses in the organization. Doesn’t think we’ll be 2nd guessing Allvin decisions with Jimmy looking over his shoulder. These people will have the ability to make their own decisions as they gain more experience. Talked about his chat with Garland’s agent. This is a team that will have to address their cap concerns. Not expecting Garland to be traded but wouldn’t be blown away if he did. Talked about the Tyler Toffoli trade in CAL. Talked about other trades that could happen around the league. Talked about the NYR and their GM connection to MTL. Talked about how the league reacted to the Toffoli trade. Thinks Drury in New York wouldn’t like what CAL had to pay for him. Talked about Vegas and their cap circumvention. Says that the NHL would have been involved with Mark Stone going on LTIR. The same thing happened with TBL. Talked about if we have seen the end of the career for Eric Stall. Not convinced he will get a deal with another deal in the NHL. Talked about the hiring of Cammi Granato. Felt like it was a matter of time. 

Our Canucks reporter and host of Rink Wide, Jeff Paterson joined Matt and Blake in his regular non game-day spot. Talked about where the best place to watch best on best hockey. Talked about the Canadian game this morning vs Sweden. Talked about the game coming up vs the Sharks. Thinks that this is a winnable game for them. Talked about the 50 game mark that will pass after SJS. Will see after 25 games of TG and 50 of BB. Talked about Highmore. He is one of the quicker players the Canucks have. The quest to find a little giddy-up is what they are about to embark on. Talked about Travis Hamonic.

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