CKSTAM

San Jose Sharks forward, Jonah Gadjovich joined Matt and Jeff as his Sharks welcome the Canucks on Thursday. Talked about the game coming up and why it’s so important. Talked about how the season has gone. It’s going pretty good so far. Has learned that this is a tough league. But this is a really good group with a lot of older guys. The coaches are helping with his development. Talked about his time in the organization and how it helped him develop to get to the NHL. Said the Canucks were there for him right out of the gate. Provided strength and skating skills. Does credit the organization to get to where he is. A lot of hard work on his end but credits the team for opportunities to get better. The Sharks are giving him the opportunity to play in the league. Talked about how all the training has started to pay off. Talked about the waiver process. Was very shocked. A lot of emotions after spending near 5 years to become a Vancouver Canucks than at the snap of a finger he is with a different organization. Would have liked to play more here. Talked about his game last year. Tough to give up the puck and have it end in the back of the net. Thought about the game all summer and used it as a chip on his shoulder. Talked about the fighting. Will do whatever his team needs him to do. Talked about his connection with Spencer Martin. He is his brother in law. They had to buy a package to watch the game. Really deserved that opportunity. Super happy to see his success this season. 

Patrick Johnston of the Province and Post Media joined for his regular hit. Started off talking about when we could see a trade with the Canucks. There isn’t a huge rush. Still a month and a bit before the deadline. They still have to play at an incredible clip to keep themselves in the playoff race. Every loss makes it so much harder. You need to keep some of these guys motivated. Can’t just go and turn it around right now. They probably know they aren’t there and they need more to be contender a couple season from now. Answered the poll question. Believes that it’ll be 3, for sure. Talked about Bo Horvat. If he is your number 3 centre, you are a very good team. Talked about Tyler Toffoli. Talked about Demko. Thinks he is the calmest goalie that has every played here. He is ice cold. Talked about if he could get some Vezina consideration. Talked about Jack Rathbone and when we could see him with the big club. Talked about the Canucks front office. Talked about full capacity coming back to stadiums. 

The President and CEO of Formula E, Jamie Reigle joined Matt and Jeff and talked about why Vancouver was such an attraction for their circuit. They look for cities that are aligned with their values. Can’t think of a better place. Want an iconic setting around the water in False Creek. There is a heritage in racing here. There is evidence that the city did a great job with Indy. Talked about the sensations that racing fans are accustomed to. There will be some differences for sure but at the end of the day you will see a great car race. New fans would liken it to the sounds of a star wars race and the sound of the future. Talked about the impact Drive to Survive has had on the industry. Talked about the festival. There will be concerts and conferences that align with their values that are important to their partners. Just trying to create more content and excitement for the fans. The plans in Vancouver are very ambitious but all that combined will pull in a lot of people. Talked about the car, itself. Top speed in the race is around 200km/h. Says it’s the fastest game of chess on wheels. There is a lot of sophistication going on. There is a lot of overtaking that they think is different. Talked about how and where to get tickets and what kind of packages are available at canadianefest.com.

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Arthur Staple of the Athletic in New York joined Matt and Jeff to talk about the potential of JT Miller being traded to the Rangers. Arthur talked about the terms JT left on when he was with the Rangers. Says the talent was there but maybe not the maturity. Rangers need more skill and depth in their top 9. Adding a guy like Miller will make it so they can spread out the skill a bit more. Talked about pieces that could come the other way. Thinks it could be a defensemen coming back because of how thin they are up front. Talked about their Russian prospect, Kravtsov. Thinks he could be back after the Olympics. Talked about the Devils and their potential deals.

John Shannon, our Monday NHL insider joined Matt and Jeff in his regular spot. Started off by talking about Cammi to the Canucks. Talked about Ray sitting down with Francesco for a view outside of the organization. And now here we are with Cammi working for the team. Talked about why broadcasters might not want to go back with a team. Talked about Toffoli to CAL. Talked about St. Louis coaching MTL. Says that Jeff Petry is on his way out. Thinks Kent Hughes did pretty well for his first big trade. Talked about Pavel Zacha interest from the Canucks. Devils have major issues in net. Would hate for them to start moving skaters when they could be a better team if they fix their goaltending. Talked about some of the teams that could be active as we near the deadline. You have to wonder if the trade today will start to kick things off. Talked about if the Canucks will be moving any pieces. At some point the Miller rumours will continue to grow. Thinks the Rangers probably think that the Rangers should have been more patient with JT. Talked about the Demko show. Thinks there is a western Canada bias when it comes to Vezina consideration. There just isn’t enough eyes on them. It’s not fair. Does Demko deserve consideration, absolutely. Will he get it? Probably not. Talked about Women’s hockey at the Olympics. Thinks that this team Canadian team is the best ever. Talked about some of the players on the men’s side. 

Charean Williams of Pro Football Talk joined us on the day after the Super Bowl. Said it was a nice week and a good game. Was a nice finish to the NFL playoffs. Agreed that the game left us wanting a little bit. After 2 of the greatest weekends in history. Didn’t want the game to end, would have preferred to go to OT and sort it out there. She would put this game in top 10 of the 27 SB’s she has been to. Talked about Aaron Donald. Would put him right up there with Lawrence Taylor. He is considering retirement now that he has this ring. Hopes he doesn’t retire as he could play another 7 years at this high of a level. Talked about how both these teams drafted their best players. Talked about QB’s and who could be on the move.

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We end the week with Jeff Paterson stepping into the co-host chair.

Olympian, Hockey Hall of Famer, First NHL Female Scout and now Assistant General Manager for the Vancouver Canucks Cammi Granato joins us to talk about her new role, what it means to her to live and work in Vancouver and her book "I Can Play Too."

Long time colleague and NHL analyst for ESPN Ray Ferraro shares with us what it means for his wife Cammi joining the Canucks. Is there a desire for Ray to join an NHL front office as well?

Rob Williams from The Daily Hive gets us ready for the weekend with the upcoming Hockey Night in Canada game with Canucks vs. Leafs. Rob also shares his list for the most unfavourable visiting fans.

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Our Thursday regular and longtime Vancouver sportscaster, Scott Rintoul joined Matt and Blake today. Talked about his thoughts on Cammi Granato being named the Canucks AGM. Says she is a better person than hockey player. Seeing how she is in the Hall of Fame, that tells you all you need to know. Can thank a change in philosophy, spearheaded by Jim Rutherford. Talked about the Leafs coming to Vancouver. Talked about who he likes for SB on Sunday. His heart is with the Bengals. Brain says the Rams find a way to get it done. Chase and Cupp are fantastic to watch. Talked about who could win MVP. 

Our Canucks reporter, Jeff Paterson joined Matt and Blake. Talked about how he didn’t see so many goals coming vs the NYI. Talked about the plan for Luke Schenn the next 6 weeks, leading into the deadline. Talked about how quickly it all came down with Cammi. Thinks it was important for the braintrust to be in the building to see a first period that was it was against the Isles. 

Our Go Goat Sports colleague, AJ Mleczko from On The Bus and Olympic analyst joined Matt and Blake to talk about her co-host and new Canucks AGM, Cammi Granato. Talked about how big it is for the industry to have 2 female AGM’s in the Canucks organizations. These aren’t token hires. They are so well qualified. Cammi is an incredible leader. Wondered aloud how Cammi was the first female scout in the NHL. Thinks it will be easier on her family with border crossings not coming into play as much as when she was in SEA. Talked about the Cammi she knows. Not the most raw-raw leader but she unified the team and got them on the same rope, pulling in the same direction. She has a very strong sense of herself and great opinions. She is willing to hear all sides. Talked about the kind of player that Cammi will gravitate to. Says she can appreciate the whole team and that a team needs a variety of different players. She is very detail orientated in the way she scouts players. Believes she is one of the most thorough scouts out there. If she wants this to be the next step to running a hockey team, it will be up to her but it’s in the realm of possibility. Talked about the Canada v US game recently in women's Olympic hockey. Thinks the US dominated overall but they ran into trouble with the shot blocking. Didn’t think the US PP was very good. Canada takes a lot of penalties but are so confident with their PK. Loved the intensity. You can say every game is meaningless but every game these two countries play is another chapter. Both teams will be hungrier for a little bit more if and when they meet for the Gold Medal game. Talked about the TorStar opinion column about women’s hockey in the Olympics. It’s absurd. You can’t watch that game and not be entertained. At some point the rest of the world will catch up. On the men’s side, it is so unpredictable. There is something that makes that very fun.

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Our good friend, the Moj, joined Matt and Blake from Los Angelas. Talked about some people he has run into on radio row. Talked about the difference in not having a network behind him. Says it is different but at the end of the day when you get down to business, it’s all the same. Talked about the lead-up to Sunday and how busy it gets. Talked about the big game and who has the edge. Rams have the edge in every category, other than QB. If the Bengals are going to win the game they need a turnover from Stafford. Talked about Joe Burrow. Says he does not get rattled, even after getting sacked 9 times in a game. Talked about the Lions going all Canadian at QB. Moj is glad they fell short in other areas. Talked about the one year since 1040 had the plug pulled. Says the frustrating part is that the station was never stronger. 
Darren Dreger, NHL insider and host of the Ray and Dregs Podcast joined Matt and Blake in his regular spot. Started off with the breaking news of Marty St. Louis being named the interim head coach for the Habs. Knew something was happening after the game last night. The only reason he can defend it is because it is short term and he has an intellect for the game. He has 2 months to prove he is an NHL coach. Maybe he isn’t quite ready but good enough that he was some consideration. Talked about some of the other names if Marty doesn’t pan out. Dregs noted a hall of famer that said it was a no-brainer. Talked about Alex Burrows. They had internal options and none of them were considered options for short lived opportunity. Dregs not ready to be critical of this without seeing it play out. This is a fantastic story and why not take a flyer on it. Talked about the millions being paid to multiple coaches being paid, not to coach. Talked about the Flames. Talked about Toffoli and if he might be a fit there. Talked about ARI strategy. Shouldn’t be surprised that they are a contract parking spot. Basically everyone is for sale. Talked about ARI moving to a 5k seating arena. Dregs says he has tuned out all this ARI talk. Says that owners are surprised that we don’t keep talking about it. Says everyone is tired of hearing the same old story.

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