Bruins Hockey in Olympic Mode | Ep. 129

0:00 Speaker 1: Can you start a podcast with me?

0:02 Speaker 2: Please?

0:03 Speaker 1: I need something to do. I Jack send it out A trunk a BOCKNNA says time today, here's a chance, popta right down A goalie scars, oh my one a move by the rookie.

0:24 Speaker 3: To on one faster not moving in shot.

0:28 Speaker 1: On his own oil dances in't podcast? Wait at home right away? Corner faster gusta, what.

0:41 Speaker 2: Is that for?

0:41 Speaker 1: Most?

0:50 Speaker 2: Welcome in, everyone to another episode of Bruin's Tape to Tape. We are recording this episode on Monday, February ninth. Officially, the NHL is on a break. The Olympics have officially started. Opening ceremonies took place on Friday. But I would be remiss before. Well, first of all, let me welcome in. Let me welcome in my friend, my co host, and the woman who likely will keep me sane during this episode, Caroline with a K.

1:30 Speaker 3: I hope you're staying warm, because today, my god, again, we're talking a month now, I'm a popsicle.

1:38 Speaker 2: Well, the temperatures are even more frigid in New England because Sunday was a Super Bowl. Yeah, and I would be remiss if I didn't say that it is a sad day in Greater New England because the New England Patriots were I don't want to say embarrassed, but they clearly weren't ready for the big stage against the Seattle Seahawks. Credit to the Seahawks, their defense ate Drake May and the offense alive like they ate more of Drake May than I did yesterday with the Super Bowl food that we had good and to me, now again, did any of us in New England expect the Patriots to get to the Super Bowl?

2:37 Speaker 2: Absolutely freaking not. Is the future relatively bright? Yes? For people who are calling Drake May a fraud, get a grip on yourselves. Okay, get a freaking grip on yourselves. Did he look out of sorts? Yes? Did he have a bad game, yes? Was it a bad time to have a bad game as a function, yes, But to say that he's a fraud, you've all lost your minds. People, you've all lost your minds. But I, for one expected a better game. I was shockingly disappointed by how out of sorts and anemic the offense looked.

3:30 Speaker 2: Defense for the Patriots kept them in that game throughout the course of the game. So it's not an awesome day in New England right now, lablab, that's lablamm that's a bummer.

3:45 Speaker 3: I feel for you. I'm not a football person, so I'm like, I don't really care one way or the other. But my husband is. He's a Pats fan, so in the morning, AGG give him a pat on the shoulder, said sorry about your football team, but that's football.

4:00 Speaker 2: Here for hockey, Here for hockey. We're here to talk Olympics. We are doing our annual kind of traditional awards show. Thank you to our listeners who participated and voted. I think we had some interesting, very interesting result decisions, which we'll we'll talk about you and I are going to disclose our own individual ballots. But before we get started, we've got a little bit of news to break down here. The late breaking news before the Olympics even started was that we had concerns about Pavel Zaka, and I know that I had been vocal on our last podcast about he's good to go.

4:47 Speaker 2: Why isn't he playing for his team? Apparently he is not good to go because he is a no go for the Olympics, which I'm sure is a disappointment to him.

4:58 Speaker 3: Absolutely, But I mean, on the flip side we're looking at he's getting almost two Well, he's definitely getting two weeks, maybe two and a half. Yeah, the non Olympians will start their practices before the Olympics is over, so he'll still get a good I think two weeks of break. Hopefully that's a good amount of time for him to rest and recover so that he can go with the distance when they come back, because it's gonna be hitting the ground running very intense hockey, basically pre playoff games.

5:31 Speaker 3: I'm glad that you know, in the long run, that was the decision that was made to hopefully give him an opportunity to get back. And last week you also had a similar critique against Elias Linnholm and he did go there. But let's see if he actually plays too, because I think teams are allowed a couple extra players, so it'll be interesting to see if is he going to continue to sit out or are they actually going to put him in play, So we shall see what happens there.

6:02 Speaker 2: So that's and then team captains were named. It appears that our friend Charlie McAvoy is quite the spokesperson or Team USA, which honestly he likely has a better personality than Austin Matthews does, so I can understand why he's the more vocal and the guy who's somewhat putting himself out there. I still don't understand that decision. I don't want to go off on a tangent, but what a colossal waste of time of a seat. I know, and I know people have their issues with the Kachuk Boys, but they have more leadership ability than Auston Matthews does.

6:45 Speaker 2: And I know he's a prolific scorer, but that doesn't qualify you as a leader based on what we're seeing from the team that he plays for. So I just don't understand it. I don't get it well.

7:00 Speaker 3: And I think also we've talked a little bit in our discord and full ownership, I have not looked into this. Maybe there is a rule, maybe it is an unwritten rule, but we've had a discussion about why certain players maybe did not receive a C on their jerseys. And is it because in the NHL they only have an A or they don't have a letter and so they if they're an A, is it disrespectful to someone who is a C, you know, to jump them.

7:37 Speaker 2: It's it's likely an unwritten rule. Yeah, because there are a lot of them in the league, as we very well know. Okay, and I can understand that. But if you, as a coach and your coaching staff and the general manager, who have spent countless amounts of time hands selecting these players, but this moment, you know that stuff shouldn't that should stuff should right to go by the wayside the respect, I'm sorry, the respect thing is, is this the right person to lead Team USA? Right? And if a bunch of us and you know we're not qualified.

8:16 Speaker 2: But if many people are saying.

8:18 Speaker 3: What huh yeah, why yeah, I mean if if, if, if that's the unwritten rule, then I'd rather have seen Brady Kuchuk be named captain of Team USA because he's a captain. They're actually saying two there are two at least two other if I'm just off the top of my head of thinking of the roster, there's at least two other captains on that team, the other one being J. T. Miller, which hell no, no, it's such a shift show in New York. Yeah, but anyways, so yeah, I thought that was the great I mean, no shock really anywhere I think with any of the Olympic team captains that have been named Canada Crosby.

9:06 Speaker 3: That's a given, like that's a no brainer. Oh yeah, you'll have to remind me because I don't remember. I think this is the same as it was at Four Nations, but his assistants or alternate captains are mccarr and.

9:18 Speaker 2: McDavid, and I think there's something to that pattern. You bring up a good point with how the letters were distributed for these Four Nations tournaments. So maybe it is why rock the boat. I just don't I me personally, I don't see it like this player now, we don't follow. We somewhat follow the maple leafs, but it doesn't seem like there's a lot of vocalness that comes from Austin Matthews, even in front of the I don't know. I just I don't know why it triggers me. I don't know why it bothers me, but it does.

9:58 Speaker 3: Yeah, fair, I am an agreement Sweden. I didn't realize this until quite literally I saw a post about the Swedish players arriving in Italy that Gabe Landeskog made it that he recovered from whatever injury he had early in January I thought he was done the way that it was portrayed online and in the media, like, oh, there's no way that he's going to get back to full health in time. And then of course him being not only a member of not the Bruins, but then West Coast team failed to stay on top of that news.

10:40 Speaker 3: So I was thrilled to see him because this is a guy who, like I'm a huge fan, he's worked so hard to get back where he is thrilled that he could get back. So he's been named captain and his assistants are Headmon and Carlson. So I think that's going to be a great team, a great team to watch as well, and.

10:58 Speaker 2: For our Playersdavid Pasternach has been named as an assistant captain for Chechia Roman Cerevanka is the captain and radco gutis you know, okay, he's a personality. Higher right, he's a personality. He's an elder statesman. But listen, you know this is going to be some damn good freaking hockey to watch. Yep. Yeah, And I don't know that you can say that any team right now is a showing to win now like Team USA for the women looked tremendous. I mean never like, they just looked tremendous. And what did we see.

11:42 Speaker 2: We saw a neme or a post somewhere that someone had put it was hysterical that someone put out they're pretty sure that Women's Team USA could beat the New York Rangers right, especially at home, which I thought was hysterical.

11:57 Speaker 3: Yeah. I mean, I think on the men side it's going to be incredibly tight. I don't know that there's necessarily any guarantee one way or the other. Although as a sidebar, I will say that Team Canada has shown up ready for business. Everything that I have seen from this team not on the ice. They get off the plane, they're in their uniforms, they're walking around, they're unified. Their social media is giving everyone an inside low media is fire. Yeah, Team USA, they got off the plane looking like bums who have traveled halfway across the world and I know nothing about them except for Charlie McAvoy is out there, you know, having fun him and Swaymen and Ottinger and Wrensky.

12:47 Speaker 2: Apparently had been tapped to go in early whatever.

12:50 Speaker 3: But on the women's side, I mean, once again, this is going to just come down to Team USA and Team Canada. It's it's a growing sport. It was first introduced to the Olympics in nineteen ninety eight, and the rest of the world still has to play a little bit of catch up when it comes to just producing incredibly high end women's hockey talent. So I just suspect that it's just going to come back down to the usual.

13:23 Speaker 2: However, the usual suspects, but one never knows. You never know.

13:27 Speaker 3: You never know, because again, this is a tournament style where it's one game, and one game can go great, one game can go poorly. But I will say this Team USA, they have won their opening game in every Olympic game season that they've played, every all eight from Nagano to Milan. Their first game that they've played, the women have always won that game. That is insane, that's crazy. Yeah, And we're watching history in the making because Captain Hillary Knight has just recently, in their last game, tied the US Olympic Women's hockey career goal record with fourteen goals match.

14:17 Speaker 2: She'll certainly break it during the course of this tournament. She will become the standard. Yes, she will become the standard. And she's doing it at the you know young age of.

14:30 Speaker 3: Thirty mid thirty, thirty four, thirty five. I mean she's been in the Olympics.

14:37 Speaker 2: That is not all, that's not old, but but by hockey standards, given how long she's been doing this. Credit to her, man, credit to her. Yeah.

14:46 Speaker 3: Yeah, it's pretty it's pretty awesome to watch. So the I think Team USA is a pretty.

14:52 Speaker 2: Scary looking team. Bye Frankly, Yeah, yeah, it'll be It'll be fun. It'll be fun, fun, fun viewing. Yes, and so to all of our Olympians, ruins and local Olympians, including the women who are representing Team USA, we wish them. We wish them all good luck. We wish them all good luck.

15:15 Speaker 3: Yep. Yeah, and I want to throw in because again our episode today is a little bit different format. Yes, I do have a stick tap two in particular one to Signy a Hola. She's the goalie for Finland. She plays for the Ottawa Churge in the PWHL. Now I watched this game. This poor woman. I believe this. The United States beat Finland five to nothing.

15:42 Speaker 2: And at one point Finland only had two shots on goal, so allowing five goals. You may think that sounds terrible. What an awful goalie.

15:52 Speaker 3: This poor woman faced almost fifty shots on goal, she only allowed five, so she still had a nine hundred safe percentage at the end of this. So that was just incredible to watch. She was just absolutely phenomenal. I mean, basically facing a firing squad of Team USA. And then also my stick tap goes to the Olympic Hockey Tournament and the IIHF their tournament rules handout points in I believe the p WHL does this. I so badly want the NHL to do this, and I think a lot of people are in this camp now too.

16:31 Speaker 3: The three two one zero points system. They're using it in both tournaments for the men's and women's. It's just it's it just gets rid of that awfulness that creeps in with the loser point. And I'm it's just a much better way to reward actual winning because the Bruins and I'm sure many other teams even this season and in past seasons, have been penalized basically for not going and losing an overtime over actually just winning games.

17:06 Speaker 2: And then I agree with you. I agree with you. I mean, you know me, the gimmick stuff, I can't stand it. The's a professional. These are guys who have worked their asses off from the time that they were young, and we're now treating these games like their you know, arcade games with I love the three on three. Don't get me wrong, the three on three. You can keep that all day, every day. And if you told me that you wanted to extend it even by a couple more minutes and you would get rid of the shootout, I would be jumping up and down for joy.

17:44 Speaker 2: But that shootout shit in the NHL, I want to gone. I don't know how many different ways I can say this. And it's not because my team stinks at it. Yes, I know the Bruins stink at it, but to me, it has no place in determining the result of a professional sporting event. Sorry, just how I feel.

18:11 Speaker 3: I think the solution is obviously very simple. I mean, I would be willing to live continue to live with the shootout if they just did the three to one zero. You you cannot. You just you have to award more value to a win in regulation, because the point is to win in regulation.

18:34 Speaker 2: I agree with.

18:35 Speaker 3: You, but that is neither here nor there.

18:38 Speaker 2: I agree with you, so penalty box I do have an okay, okay, because we didn't have an opportunity to chat or record after the Bruins played the Florida Panthers, where Charlie McAvoy took one of the I don't even want to call it textbook hits, but that hit that was levied on him is the very definition of targeting the head. And first of all, the broadcast team, you suck, You absolutely suck when your immediate reaction was to say that, basically, Charlie put his head in a vulnerable place. Look at the replay first, you absolute morons when you see the Florida Panthers player not only leave his skates, but elevate himself with the degree that he targets the head.

19:40 Speaker 2: And then right, okay, then we get to the NHL officials who have been given, they have been absolutely given the playbook as to how to address these hits. You call it a major immediately immediately, and then you go and look at it, but no, what do you assholes do you call it two minutes? It's not reviewable. Marco Sturm is losing his mind on the bench. The bench is losing their mind. We got this guy heading down to the tunnel with what looks to he's gotta go to have himself checked for a concussion, and to add insult to cripting injury, the Department of Player Safety doesn't even give it a look, doesn't he Even Paul Maurice knows.

20:36 Speaker 2: This is bad. This is bad, and I have to pull this player out of the game with a phantom injury. Okay, whatever they called it up about.

20:47 Speaker 3: He's not massacred on the ice, right right.

20:50 Speaker 2: I am so fucking sick and tired of this, so sick and tired of it. These are the hits that you can't tell me that you care about the safety of these players when all of you morons in Toronto and at the league office watch this stuff and deem it to be okay and not worthy of even a game suspension. It's a freaking joke.

21:20 Speaker 3: I'm in agreement because regardless, let's just say we're talking not even about that particular hit. If the league is serious about head injuries, which questionable, if they actually are whatever.

21:37 Speaker 2: No, no, no, no, let's just say they know. They don't care. They I am this is they don't stay. You're right, you don't care, you don't care. The league does not care.

21:48 Speaker 3: But I would say they are trying to pretend like they care, or they want to present maybe a facade, right, I think like they're they're pretending like care because they have certain elements in place, and and you know, those elements could have been brought into place because of the players association. However, if a player has a head injury, a hit to the head, whether or not, and we've seen instances where yeah, no it was the player. He just you know, did.

22:22 Speaker 2: A late turn and it happens. And we've watched enough hot we have watched enough hockey to know in most instances, when the player puts himself in that vulnerable position. We've talked about this with respect to me, okay, but there there is no seasoned hockey fans or viewer who didn't look at that hit. And those of you on Twitter who are justifying these pits, kiss my ass. All right, kiss my ass. You're all morons. You're all more awful.

22:55 Speaker 3: But regardless, if if a player is injured and receives a head injury and whatever whatever happens, that should be a and it causes a stop and play and requires medical assistance on the ice in that moment, the on ice officials should be reviewing. I don't even think that they should have to say, we're gonna call a major and review it. Because if you call a major and review it, if you you you your two options are only it must be a five minute major or it then can be a two minute penalty. So regardless, there has to be a penalty.

23:42 Speaker 4: That's that's the protocol there, and I yeah, and I agree, and they didn't follow the protocol. But even just with any head injury, any head injury, if they're for some strange reason afraid of, you know, start doing that protocol because they don't know if there actually was a penalty.

24:02 Speaker 3: Then remove that barrier in that case that if someone took a head hit, that that requires someone to go out on the ice to tend to them. Just look at it and then see, like you know what I'm saying, like if if if for whatever reason, that threat of I can't I can't have a wrong penalty, if that's what was going through your mind, which is stupid, but whatever, then take it, take that that threshold away, prioritize player safety. And I got to tell you this one was so egregious, so egregious and seeing everything online, you know, with the joke kind of was, you've got Habs fans and Leafs fans, uh supporting the Bruins in this and right, I think for as obvious as Chucky feels like he can be, because you know a lot of players, they feel like they have to be really careful about how they criticize the league publicly, he was I think pretty obviously upset, you know, and I wouldn't be.

25:15 Speaker 2: And then you, because you screwed out as officials, then you give Marco Sterm a bench minor. Well, of course he should lose his freaking mind. I'm surprised he didn't throw sticks and gloves out on the ice after that, because that's what I would have done. You watch this, this that you know, one of your star defencemen, a key component to Team USA, who just came back from a horrific injury, who is now playing some of the best hockey we've seen him play in quite some time, and you watched him, You watch him take a blow to the head, and you're supposed to sit there quietly because you morons screwed up.

25:52 Speaker 2: And then nobody holds these referees accountable nobody holds them accountable for them.

25:59 Speaker 3: Now, I wouldn't be surprised if we hear something comes of this in regards to the Players Association because I think, I think Charlie McAvoy is he's a very smart person. He's a very he's articulate and an eloquent speaker. I mean, he's very well educated, so he can advocate, I think, And I wouldn't be surprised if that wasn't the end. We may never know what happens after the fact, but I wouldn't be surprised if Players Association was contacted like that was just that was pretty pretty awesome.

26:36 Speaker 2: I'm going to put my black and gold rose colored glassism because I would bet a month's pay that if that hit had been levied on Connor McDavid, e, Connor, Bdard, Naplin, Celebrini, your name, and Dar anybody beyond a Boston Browen, that that would have been an immediate five minute major call. Immediate five minute major call. And I stand by that this this type of incident is not a small sample size when it comes to the way calls are made are not made as it relates to stars on the Boston Bruins.

27:17 Speaker 3: Yeah, agreed, I agreed, don't But anyway, let's maybe talk about something a little bit more fun.

27:24 Speaker 2: Let's get into our awards. So yay, we put together our own little awards ballot, which we have been doing. Now what is this our third year? Now we're doing this and it's fun. You know. We got some of our our listeners and viewers to chime in. We had some interesting results. So how do we want to break this down? Do we want to do them based on your vote, my vote and viewer votes and then dissect Okay, so my ballot is in my hot little hands here. You can't see it, people, But so Caroline has no idea.

28:08 Speaker 2: Don't where I'm going with some of my decisions. Some may be a little bit surprising, but I think for the most part, we're somewhat all on the same page. So we'll start with the Heart Trophy, the Bruins Heart Trophy, which is awarded to the player judged most valuable to his team. So our listeners voted for Pasta. Yes, my friend Caroline voted for Pasta. My vote is for Morgan Geek, and I'm going to make my case fascinating. I'm going to make my case no, based on the fact that we are looking at this, you know, I don't know if we're at the midway mark.

28:52 Speaker 2: However, I do recall me saying and I think there was consensus in the past and early pods where would this team have been without Morgan Geek at the start of the season and the scoring tear that he had been on. And so based on the sample size that we were looking at, and I Pasta is the superstar of the team most definitely, and he has been in the running in the past for the most valuable player in the league. But if I'm looking at this from a Bruins standpoint in terms of you know, he Pasta was a little bit quiet for a little bit to start the season, and Morgan Geek basically had the team on his back.

29:40 Speaker 2: So that's why he got my vote.

29:42 Speaker 3: Nice well, and I have to say so folks who are listening, obviously you can't see, but I'm going to be posting this also in our substack. The results so for listeners and followers who voted, all of our categories were done in rank choice order, so you could move around, you know, and rank the different players as his custom in a lot of these categories in real life, and yes, I also voted for David Pasternak, but Morgan Geeky he was my second choice. And for our listeners who voted, David Pasternach received the most points, followed by Morgan Geeky, Jeremy Swayman, Charlie McAvoy, Nikita Zadorov, and so on and so forth.

30:29 Speaker 3: So it was actually pretty uh, I bet you we probably had that David Pasternach and Morgan Geeky one two two one a handful of times. You know, I think it's a no brainer for either of them, because David Pasternach he is he is the He is the foundation of this team. And in the past year, especially since the trade deadline, he has entered another year another level that makes him that much more valuable because he's not just your best player, He's not just your best goalscorer. He's become a tremendous playmaker and his overall ability to contribute in every possible way, to me is just that little bit that tips him over the edge.

31:22 Speaker 2: Now, no, no, no, this this was no disrespect to Pasta. There's no wrong answer here. Yeah, there's no history. I mean, he clearly again and I've said it before, how lucky are we to have by David Pasternach on this team. But if I'm looking at it holistically and based on you know the fact that he was somewhat quiet to start this season Morgan geeky. I mean even David Pasternach had said it at one point in time, I bet he can score sixty goals, you know. So that's where my mindset came from with regard to this award.

31:59 Speaker 2: Ye how our next award is called what we're referring to as the New Bruin Trophy, which to us is kind of the quasi called a Memorial Trophy, which is Rookie of the Year. We do have a lot of new players on the team this year, so you know, we wanted to kind of take a look at and include the players who came in at the deadline last year and include them in this because their time was relatively short. Yep.

32:31 Speaker 3: So our listeners, yep, Fraser Minton.

32:35 Speaker 2: Caroline chose Fraser Minton, and I myself also chose Fraser Minton. So this was a landslide win for Fraser. I think it was basically a no brainer.

32:45 Speaker 3: Although I have to say for our listeners. And I'm trying to remember exactly how I ranked these different folks. I believe I my top three were the same as what our our audience voted, which was for a Metten first, Victor Arvidson second, and Marat Husnadinov third. Those were all very tight, close in points. And I I mean I I was in agreement with what the audience had to say. So definitely our top our top new guys for sure.

33:17 Speaker 2: Yeah, no, no, And and you know, Fraser has been a he's been a revelation this season. And it's again it's it's somewhat silly to look at the fact that the maple Leafs just gave up, gave him up for it nothing, not a lot, not a lot. So moving on, moving on. So now we have the seventh Player Award, and this is an award that is I forget how long Nesson has been Neisson, in conjunction with the Bruins, has been running this contest and it's it's it's a fan award and anyone can vote on it. You can vote early, you can vote often, and it's typically given to the player on the team who works hard every day for the good of the team.

34:06 Speaker 2: Without any expectation and who you say to yourself, Wow, I didn't see this coming. I didn't see the ability for this player to make this kind of contribution to the Boston Bruins. Yeah, so our listeners voted for Marat Ustadinov. Caroline you your vote went to Pablo Zaka did and mine went to Mark Castello.

34:38 Speaker 3: Oh see, I love all of these though, they're all excellent.

34:44 Speaker 3: These are all very excellent. I mean, you know, I think for me, when I did my rank choice voting, I mean, it was so hard because there's been there's been a lot of quiet contributors that just has surprised us.

35:01 Speaker 2: But here's my view of Mark castle It. In my justification, I mean, this guy came in and he's embraced everything related to the Boston Bruins and the culture. He works his ass off shift after shift after shift, he has his teammates back time and time again. He's becoming pretty decent in the faceoff dots where Marco will send him out there to win a particular specific face off, and she's become a penalty killer. So that's my you know, the rationale from my voting from Mark castle It, that's excellent.

35:46 Speaker 3: And also I didn't realize until just now that I didn't include him as a choice for our audience. So I'm sure they also would have agreed with you if given the choice, because I forgot about him.

35:55 Speaker 2: I'm so sorry. I got him there and I got him there.

36:00 Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean, for me, I chose Zaka because you know, we love we love this guy, but we also love to tease him that, you know, he can't hit the broadside of a barn when it comes to the net, and this, that and the other. And I think that he this season, he's just really been able to produce in a way that we haven't seen in a very long time. I mean, he's one of the top goal scorers, his points, I mean, he's he's been just having a season and so that was just kind of nice, unexpected, especially coming from somebody who's been on the team for a little while at this point.

36:41 Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, no, no, no, there's no there are no wrong answers, folks, But we're just you know, making our cases and justifying those that we did we did choose. The next one is the the tre Spurs are On Award, which is also known as the Frank Trophy, and it is awarded to the forward who excels at the defensive aspects of the game. This one was a tough one for me. This one was a tough one for me because I kind of had Mark Castelick in that category as well, just because you know, I'm seeing how Marco uses him now and the trust that Marco has in castle Lick.

37:29 Speaker 2: But I will say that our listeners, our listeners went with Mark Castelick. Yep, you my friend went with Elias Lindt Holm. I put Pavel Zaka in here. Ah, so, but I tell you it was a struggle for me. Yeah, it was a real struggle. Yeah, I agree.

37:51 Speaker 3: I think, first of all, it's always going to be a struggle for me to pick this one because in my mind, the standard is Patrice Bergeron and there's nobody who's coming close to what he was able to do. So it's kind of hard, Like I'm.

38:11 Speaker 2: It's really hard comparison I'm putting. Yeah, I'm fair.

38:15 Speaker 3: Yeah, I'm putting an unfair comparison. Uh, you know in my mind. But I think you're right again, no wrong answers, because I think all of our centers have done pretty decent jobs out there this year. You know, we've we talked for a couple of seasons about how well we don't have good centers. We don't have good centers, and I think that this year is finally a season where that's really not the bulk of the conversation because they're all doing.

38:48 Speaker 2: Really great jobs out there. They're all overperforming well. And also it speaks to the defensive structure of the team, because if you're going to play the system that they want to play, everybody has to be defensive responsible. It just can't fall to certain players. And I think that might have also made it a bit difficult to pinpoint someone on this team, this current roster who was excelling at that. Yep. Yeah. So our next award is the James Norris Memorial Trophy. And I know this is a particular stickler for you because this has basically become like a I don't know, it's lost somewhat, It's become a little watered down from the league standpoint.

39:37 Speaker 2: So we've tweaked it a little bit to say this is for the defenseman who demonstrates a commitment to defensive play, not to just padding their stats with goals and assists and a high plus minus so, and we were very specific in explaining that as part of this vote. So, Caroline, you went with Jonathan Asparo, Yes, is that correct? I did, our listeners went with Nikita Zadoro, and I myself am also going with Nikita Zadora because I think, me personally, from day one, he has been the bruins steadiest and best defenseman all season.

40:25 Speaker 3: Low true, Yes, no, I agree. For me, my number two choice was Nikita Zadorov. I think, you know, when we're looking at that back end, we don't have a high number of truly truly defensive defencemen at home defenceman, so obviously, in that regards, it's one of two. Basically, we have some two way players that were in the mix as well. But I ended up with going with Asparo for two reasons. One and I think he is even more a pure at home defenseman, even more than Zadorov. I think Zadorov has a little bit more variety in what he does out there.

41:16 Speaker 3: And then also simply because when Asparo was out for what was it five a handful of games, the Bruins were terrible. They did, and as soon as he came back, they had a not just a winning record, a dominantly winning record. They were like five and one or five and two or whatever it was. So, uh, he's clearly some kind of secret sauce there in regards to the defense. So that's why he got my vote this time.

41:51 Speaker 2: So then what we'll stick with the defense defenseman category and we made this award up ourselves and it's called the Bobby or Defenseman Award. I still think that the James Norris should be changed to Bobby or trophy Bob. What the hell do I know? So this is for the defenceman who demonstrates skill in two way play and can be called an offensive defenseman. Yes, And so our listeners went with Charlie McAvoy. You, my friend went with Charlie McAvoy, And I too went with Charlie McAvoy. Yep. And I don't know if that's like, you know, processed by elimination for me, just because now Charlie has been playing a lot better and has been getting more involved offensively than many of the other defensemen we currently have on this roster.

42:50 Speaker 3: Yeah. Well, and I think for me, I went with Chucky because when I was ordering my list, I and immediately just took the the more defensive defenseman and you know, dragging them down and looked at kind of what I had left and Hampus he is a great two way player. He's just not having that year this year.

43:14 Speaker 2: He's not having another year. And the injury, I mean, both players have been injured, right, but his injury I think has had an impact on him more so than we likely even know about. Yeah.

43:27 Speaker 3: And with Mason LORI, yes, he is a and an offensive defenseman. You know, he's great at goal scoring and points and things like that. But at the end of the day, I was thinking more, Okay, you want to have someone who can balance both because they are still a defenceman. So to me, it's it's Charlie all the way in that regard. Mason just doesn't have that defensive piece at all.

43:59 Speaker 2: Yeah.

44:00 Speaker 3: Yeah, So I was like, I can't vote for him for this.

44:05 Speaker 2: So now we're making our way to the Lady Ban Memorial Trophy, and this is typically awarded to player a player who has exhibited outstanding sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with the high standard of playing ability. So our listeners went with Pavel soaka you my friend went with Elias Lindholme, and I went with Victor Arvidson just because I wanted to show him a little bit of love. I think he has he has been quietly playing very well for the Boston Bruins. I don't think he gets a lot of recognition for his level of play and his effort on the ice for the Bruins, and that that was my rationale for voting for Victor.

44:59 Speaker 3: Yeah, definitely, again, I had no wrong answers. I think that the Boston Bruins have a lot of players who play really hard, they play really well, and they behave out there on the ice.

45:17 Speaker 2: I mean, yeah, you know, keeps his nose clean, right, keeps his nose clean, does does his job. So that's why I gave Ardbitson my vote. And we're we're gonna wrap up our voting with the Bill Masterson Memorial Trophy Award. This is awarded to a player who exemplifies the qualities of perseverance and dedication to Hoteyle. Our listeners went with Charlie McAvoy. Caroline, you went with Jonathan Asboro and I went with Mikey Simont. Oh very nice, and I did so because you know, he's had his ups and downs the Bruins.

46:00 Speaker 2: He's been scratched, he's been back in he's been scratched, and when he comes back, he comes back and works hard and plays hard.

46:11 Speaker 3: Yeah. Yeah, I went with Jonathan Asboro because I just love his story that he's played six seasons in the AHL and typically when that happens, it's probably not really gonna happen for you at the NHL level, and who knows what the future will bring for Jonathan Asbro. But since he's gotten the call up early in the season, I mean, he has just made the most of it. He's earned himself a two year deal and the fact that you know, it seems like he never gave up when he was in the AHL and committed to making it and just playing the game for the love of the game.

47:01 Speaker 3: That's he got my vote. And then my number two was the listener's number one, which was Charlie McVoy because I mean, the man has had just an absolutely horrific year.

47:11 Speaker 2: Yeah, he's got a he's had a tough goal over is very much so earning that nod as well. So that wraps up our Ruins Awards. We thank you all for participating. If you have any any comments or critiques about anyone that we voted for, Please feel free to share them on our social media's you can. You can find us on x you can find us on substack. Our social handles are at tape to tape mk and on substack. You can find us at tape to tape mk dot substack dot com. Please feel free to give us a rating, a review and make it easier for other listeners to find us and find our our content and uh.

48:07 Speaker 3: Of course, as always, go Bees and go Olympics, Go Bes, Yay Team USA