Craig Berube in Conversation: on his dismissal &Jordan Kyrou. Headlines include: Sens, Sabres, Avs

Ray & Dregs dive into a busy week. DJ Smith fired in Ottawa, Jacques Martin takes over on an interim basis. He may find getting players to play his style of game a difficult task. The Buffalo Sabres have failed to meet expectations so far this season. Which is the bigger culprit, injuries or goaltending? Devon Toews not happy with some teammates after the Avs lose to the Blackhawks. Is Nikita Kucherov somehow underrated? Oilers might use Broberg as a sweetener to move Jack Campbell in a trade.

Craig Berube joins the fellas in conversation to discuss if he knew his days were numbered in St. Louis, what happened with Jordan Kyrou in the past week and how soon he wants to get back behind a bench in the NHL.

He [Applause] Hey hired by Reb media in partnership with TSN it’s episode 25 of season 5 of The Rain EGS hockey podcast presented by our title sponsor Canadian Club whiskey you have introduced the first release of the Canadian Club invitation series CC 15-year-old Cherry cask and true to my

Word Ray true to my word I have sampled it twice sampled it twice now the family’s coming in for the weekend uh obviously for the Christmas break the holidays so you got to save some you got to sprinkle the infield make sure everybody gets a taste of this

Deliciousness and you know we seem to be updating every podcast you know the the the status of the bottle so what the 15-year-old Sherry CK look like in the Ferraro household right now looks like dust finished it was good it’s gone oh my goodness good for Matt my oldest he

Came back uh uh you know him and his family came back so we had Matt men rup and the kids the grandkids back and Landon’s there of course so he’s waiting due date today for him and his wife for their first so so those two guys are

There and uh Danny Heatley was in town I haven’t seen Danny in I don’t know five or six years so heer was in town and so the four of us sat around and I looked over and I’m I said to Matt who’s always kind of in control of that sort of thing

And I’m like hey what are you doing and he’s like it’s good it’s great I go yeah I know it’s all so empty yeah he’s like well sharing it it was so good everybody’s like oh this is great so had four uh four evaluations happening in my

Kitchen at the same time and I turned around honestly and I was like it’s empty yeah and he he was like yeah yeah that was the whole point delicious I mean all kidding aside it’s as good as it gets it really is like I mean we’re we’re not offici in Autos we’re getting

Better in our relationship with CC but and we’ve tasted some terrific whiskies that whole Chronicle series outstanding but this one is it’s uniquely terrific yeah it’s yeah and like I said it’s empty it’s speaking of empty um did the white shirt as you’re sitting down with John

Butross on I guess Tuesday night we’re recording the episode here on Wednesday morning did the white shirts survive the chicken parm Feast it did now there’s a little bit of a story to this thing right so I’m we’re staying in the city we’re staying in New York City I’ve got

Three Oiler games this week Tuesday in uh Tuesday on Long Island M Thursday in Jersey Friday at Madison Square Garden so rather than move hotels we just stay in one so I get an Uber I think it’s about 45 minutes out to the arena but I’m going to that restaurant which is

About a mile and a half away from UBS Center two hours and five minutes just traffic Sol jammed yeah so I go to do a hit on the point the ESPN hockey show and Steve Levy says to me well why didn’t you take the railroad like the

Long Island Railroad he goes you’re two blocks from from the station from Grand he goes it’s 20 minutes I was like I did not know that yeah going to tell you that well it’s not you you need some directional Health well I have lived on the island before I have lived in New

York before I know where Grand Central is but I yeah I bogeyed that one and so that is outstanding the Uber ride out there was $170 and the come back was 54 like after the game but I got through the chicken par as soon as I took my

Jacket off BCI goes o oh careful and man I I got a couple of notes about um uh you know from guys that they saw the picture about how careful you have to be oh and one guy said when he used to eat with his father-in-law they used to put napkin or

They used to put a a hanky on themselves because of the way he ate because he was so messy we used to do this I’m not even kidding with Kevin Denine nobody could make more of a mess than Kevin and if he was sitting beside you and you were on

His left side because he’s left-handed guys would guys would drape their napkin over their over their right side because he you just never knew what was coming out of there yeah it’s not the full spill down the front I mean that happens it’s an accident on occasion it’s the

Splatter that gets you oh oh good for you very good got to tell you very good bertos very good Greg baru is joining us here in episode 25 of the rain dggs podcast man Cutthroat hardcore business four coaches fired this season just past the 30 game Mark for most clubs so

There’s a lot to unpack and we’re going to do that now in Tim Horton’s headlines headlines brought to you by Tim Horton where their holiday merchandise is available how about a snowy Timbits Night 500 piece puzzle or the new limited Ed Edition Tim Horton Winter Blend fine grind coffee if coffee isn’t

Your thing and they’ve got the candy cane hot chocolate mix as well only at Tim so baru will join us in a bit here Ray but DJ Smith dismissed on Monday’s head coach of the Ottawa Senators Davis Payne assistant coach also let go jacqu Marana interim coach for the game uh

Last night in Arizona Daniel Albertson brought on board which is an interesting and an expected hire as an assistant coach no coach bump for the SS in Arizona they’re up 3-1 going into that third period they give up three in the third and lost four three and you you referenc

Jock I think it was an ask gry and Greg segment maybe two three podcasts ago maybe a bit longer and you just and this is this is not no disrespect to jacqu Martin you just basically we’re talking about DJ Smith probably because of a chat and you said well careful what you

Wish for because if Jac gets the helm the game is going to be played the commitment is going to have to be different and that’s what we should look for now right well if if jacqu was looking for any confirmation last night was it yeah you

Know as his view of the game is is from the defensive side of the puck forward and this is a the goals against and the lack of Defense of awareness is been something that’s bit Ottawa pretty hard yeah and to change it you can’t change it in one day

And the reason I say if he was looking for any confirmation now he can yes you can show clips from before but you can show clips from now yeah and say on this goal I want this to happen and it’s not going to be fast now I’m I’m looking at

The standings here they got 22 points yeah the season is gone yeah like they’re not making up those points no there’s too many teams and too far to go what what I found interesting though is that they bring in an interim coach when there are some very good coaches that

Are available but I think you got to take a one step or two steps back Steve stalos was brought in there as the president when they decided to make the GM change with Pierre doron stos took on the interim GM job yeah but he was hired

As the president so to me it seems most likely that the head coach will get hired after the general manager even if if they want one of these coaches Craig buuy Dean everon Jay Woodcraft that are out there right now they’re probably going to be available in April and May

Anyway yeah the general manager they may have their eye on might not be available at this time yeah for various reasons for yeah and so if indeed they’re going to go with that structure of stos as the president a new general manager and a new coach you’d hate to get into the

Spot of hiring the coach first yeah and now the GM has to take a job where he’s already got a coach in place yeah well let me interject there because there are two things uh some believe that the likely general manager is internal and that’s Ryan bonus um who you know

Whether he’s r or not that’s up to stos and and michaeel llau to determine but they they do like their hockey Ops group but I think your point is well made on Dean aison Craig baru maybe Jay Woodcraft and and look there’s relationship with between STA and Woodcraft that dates back to Edmonton

Obviously but if you’re one of those coaches that we’ve just mentioned here it’s important isn’t it that the general manager is hired first why would you go in there if it isn’t ran bonus right now you know Craig baru is getting another coaching job so is Dean Evon and likely

So is Jay woodc so I would think that from ottawa’s standpoint only those three men probably want to wait and just see what happens in hockey operations first well way back in the day drgs um the Vancouver Canucks had a linho as as their head coach yeah and he was under

Contract and then Mike Gillis was hired as the general manager yeah and it was awkward and those two guys had to get to know each other kind of in reverse and as it turned out it worked really well and they went to the Stanley Cup finals game seven but I would say

That was a rarity not something that would be often repeated and often successful yeah like there there’s just an awkwardness to that order in the high yeah yeah and so Ottawa like Detroit like Buffalo had playoff dreams this year and like I said ottawa’s out they’re done like you’re

Just not gon to get your way back from that Buffalo and Detroit are as disappointing as or disappointed as they probably are they’re they’re still around the mix MH and so that’s a different spot but all three of all three of those young teams we thought

They were were all ready yeah to at least get in the jump Philly’s the one that’s in it yeah yeah which is maybe even more surprising I I I know the center position is near and dear to your heart for obvious reasons and I do want

To talk about Tim Stutz in just a minute but because you bring up Buffalo I mean they they went a stretch without two of their top six forwards right in Tage Thompson and in Jack Quinn their goal tending has been all over the place but

You know is it is it those two areas that you think have have hurt the Sabers the most or what is it why isn’t this team better well excuse me I I start in goal for sure um so Devon Levi has all kinds of potential yeah but to expect

Him to come in and and be your number one guy and work in some kind of Tandem with Eric comry and ukap peka Lucan and like now you got three inexperienced guys yeah I I thought a misstep was not signing a veteran goenda league and settle down behind a

Defense that I think is going to be really good yeah but man they’re so young they’re so young and and then to compound all of that they had an amazing year but a a great finish to last year and so expectations externally fly through the roof the chances are it it

Doesn’t go step by step by step and that they were gonna take a step back this year I thought they were going to be better or more consistent this year me too um when your goal tending is erratic that undermines everything and you know Tage Thompson was he going to get 55 goals

This year was you know was Jeff Skinner gonna have another 40 goal year or like those are expectations maybe the public has or fans have yeah but it just doesn’t happen that way and so they’ve you know I’m I’m looking now they’re what are they six points out behind

Tampa and Carolina the the problem is you keep waiting for Carolina in particular to go on a little bit of a run yeah can they do that I don’t know I mean they Peter kochetov and some guy that was in the east coast League four days ago are their

Goalies you know like there there’s all kinds of unpredictability around a jam-packed division and I think that’s why drgs where we got started here that’s why four coaches have been fired for sure is because it is so jam-packed that managers are like yeah if we can

Win five out of six we’re MH we’re going to climb a little bit even if it’s not much that’s that’s what they think it is so one more thought on Ottawa and then we’ll move on and I I I bring it up because I was talking to another coach

Yesterday and just kind of dissecting the Ottawa Senators and you start picking at some of the Stars right obviously that’s that’s what you do and you know has there been a regression in in the play of Tim stutzel well pointwise yeah you could say that you

Know he had a good year last year he’s probably looking at a 100 points or more this year Dynam Young Star but you know the coach made a comparison Ray that’s interesting to me he says it looks like Tim stla thinks he’s Conor McDavid right he he that’s the way his brain is

Thinking instead he should be focused more on what an Kopitar is now you’re at different Realms here the spectrum is over here and it’s over there but what what he what he means by that is anre atar through I would say the balance of his career gave his opposition nothing

Or very little because he takes pride in that side of what it means to be an elite Center but then on top of that when he gets opportunity offensively very often he takes advantage of that do you see that how that would that would be tough for a coach for a player

Like Tim stli because you want him to develop on both sides of the game yeah I think it’s impossible an Kopitar is 6’3 and 215 pounds he’s a Monster yeah so unless you can find a way to hang stla by his heels and make him 63 I mean like it you I I

Get the I I get the idea the idea is that you would like him to play a more complete game right than than he currently does but to look at some that plays completely differently and says we like a lot of what you do but we

Want you to play like that guy that means a lot of what you like about him you’re asking him to throw in the garbage can right an kopar can’t play like Tim stla either right because he’s not as creative he’s not as quick he doesn’t have his good of hands but kopar

Is a first ballot Hall of Famer he is yeah he he took his tool box and refined it to the point where he knows what he can and can’t do stla doesn’t know that yet yeah he does not know that yet and most young guys um don’t the only way

You do is that you fail and then you say oh I can’t do that anymore and that has to that can come that comes through coaching it comes through experience it comes through success and it comes through failure the problem problem with all of that is it

Takes a little time yeah and nobody goes on the same timeline some guys learn it right away some guys never learn it and so when you look in in in Ottawa so you know Norris stla Pinto that was their Center position yeah and Pinto’s not there stla is

Having some ups and downs Norris the same way they so young yeah they’re so young and so I go back through the teams that I played on and if there’s not a balance through your Center position of guys that can do different things you got you got a

Problem you’re GNA get left short Change somewhere right and and Ottawa certainly is and and I would say they they those young guys need to learn that and I speak from experience that sometimes the best play is a little chip off the glass and out yeah like it

Okay we gotta win 2-1 tonight we don’t have it it’s not they can’t win 2-1 aota cannot right Buffalo cannot and until they can figure out how to do that through failure and experience and they’re they’re going to struggle like that that just that’s just the way

The league is you you just don’t have your a offensive game every night and the harder you push for it the worse it gets and they do miss Thomas Shabbat a great deal he’s he’s been out most of the Season they’re just they’re just not the same team when he’s when he’s not

There this is no easy turnaround for jacqu Martin no no in in Ottawa it’s going to take time well uh speaking of time uh what about experience leadership cander uh Conor Bard has his fifth multi-point game for the Chicago Blackhawks assists on the first and second goals for Chicago and that 3-2

Win over the Colorado Avalanche and postgame defenseman Devon Taves of the ABS basically basically unleashes and just calls it like he sees it it’s it’s self hornest we need guys that know you know know how to play in our system how to how to play our game Know What It

Takes and uh if we have guys in here I think we got some guys that think they’re playing well and I think they’re kidding themselves at this point it’s it’s frustrating to play with uh you know play out there when when you got guys that think they’re playing well and

And they’re doing things that you know you have no idea what play they’re going to make or or where they’re going to be on the ice and uh it’s it’s tough to play in this league when when you don’t know where your teammates are going to

Be so um you know that’s where a lot of the frustration stems from so I’m going to this this is an assumption but I believe it because I I believe in the honor of the hockey player here um Taves probably would have said that in the

Room before the camera got in front of his face right I mean if he’s he’s not calling out one specific player but he’s not saying that to the media without saying it directly to the guys that he’s talking about Fair well yeah I I think that’s probably been discussed

Internally but what really struck me there um have you had the chance to talk to Devon no no I haven’t seems like a real smart guy he is but he’s really um kind of understated like kind of the way he plays yeah um you know he’s not getting

Up and making speeches three times a week in the room like that so for when I saw that clip I was like that that would have a impact of a sledgehammer because it came from him now if it came from Nate McKinnon it’s different because emotional and yeah he he’s likely to say

That to come from Taves it it’s it’s really noteworthy and so here’s the B so they’ve got guys that won the Stanley Cup they’ve got a bunch of new players I think they miss Gabe landeskog enormously because that’s that’s someone that holds people accountable in the way

He can do it yeah it’s why he was their Captain it’s why they miss him so much but the fact is you don’t have him and you’re not gonna have him and Colorado is a you know is a pretty good team there you know I mean their top end is

Amazing really amazing Ranon and McKinnon marar yeah are you know I mean they’re they’re on another planet those guys so as frustrated as they are I’m just looking now they got 40 points they’re tied with Dallas for first place although Dallas has a couple games in

Hand you know it’s not terrible but they have an expectation internally yeah that might not be met by some of the players that are there and like there’s been inconsistency through that team most of the year yeah and and it can be a much better team

Um it it I did find it interesting that you know when they traded Thomas Tatar the other day to Seattle that frees up a little more cap room and not coincidentally they’re getting into room that might fit lindol from Calgary like they they’re looking for a second line

Center for sure yeah and and that they brought in Ryan Johansson and hoped at four million bucks he could be that guy I don’t think he is and man they would they they’ll be they’ll make a move if they think it can flip them into another another level of contenders because

You’re not just going to make the move to pick up six points in the standings you’re making a move that’s going to be costly because you think you’ve got a real chance okay couple of more here in Tim Horton’s headlines Ray Nikita COV and the Tampe lightning getting enough

Love I mean COV scores two again last night 6-1 route over St Louis so he has 10 points in five games and it’s almost like because of the success story that the lightning are because of how dominant Nikita kov is when he’s healthy we just go ah H just just

Another night of Brilliance for Nikita I um is it possible to be widely underrated and and and be someone like coocher off I he is an amazing player he is he’s agile he’s creative he’s tricky he can shoot the puck um already over 20 goals uh on the season uh their power

Play runs through his hands as much as you want to talk about anybody else I I think Nikita COV is their most important player next next to Andre vasileski and I think he’s underrated I I think he’s an amazing player he’s also and I kind of like he’s sneaky dirty sneaky dirty

Oh yeah he’s he’s not shy and um you know maybe this is talking a little bit about our interview that that we’re gonna have with Craig that we just that we pre-taped but he talks about skill guys and when the playoffs come around and when someone gets in your face you

Have to perform and kucherov is one of those he’s not a big guy but I’m telling you you are not pushing that guy out of the game excellent and and look I I I like the story of the Tampe lightning not just because of the winning pedigree

Just from top to bottom I me Julian Breeze again a guy probably doesn’t get enough credit you know he he’s got the support of ownership to be as creative as he can be and that’s why Tampa Bay is is always right in there um okay let’s wrap up headlines with the Oilers and

You don’t have to do a full dissection of of what you saw last night as we record here Wednesday morning and you know what maybe by Friday when we do our final episode before the Christmas break we have more to work with here the Oilers are 27th in the NHL there’s seven

Points out of a wild card spot on insider trading on Tuesday night Ray I suggested the possibility of packaging Philip robberg who’s in the American League and log in big minutes 25 to 27 minutes he couldn’t get in the lineup in Edmonton because they’re in a win now

Mode but would you use them as a sweetener to entice a team to take on Jack camell’s contract you know so then you you free up some space and that allows then Kenny Holland to add whatever piece he thinks he needs to get this team back on track or to give them more

Sustainability well whether it’s I if you do that so say you attach broberg to C that gets you back a player like yeah a player it could that also leaves you still like like I mean a real player not not a fringe guy right um because it would be

Probably it might be somebody in the last year of their contract almost like a rental uh that would be the tradeoff of taking the money of Campbell for the potential of brurberg that also leaves you still with your first round pick yeah and I I I I mean I I’m looking at seven

Points back and can they make it up yes probably will they well they’ve got some real holes and I know people like to look at their defense but they’re short at one forward for sure maybe two so their third line Center is Ryan mlod he’s got two goals this year one of

Them’s into an empty net he’s playing on a line now with Connor Brown who doesn’t have a goal yet this year Warren Fogle hasn’t SC has got one goal in 23 games he’s playing with Leon dry Sidle like so a bunch of players that they thought would be in the 12 to 15

Goal range are in the zero range a Vander Kane’s got one goal in 13 games so to me when I look at the Oilers they need they need forwards more than they need defense they need somebody to solidify their goal tending so they lose 3-1 last night um first 10

Minutes they looked amazing dry Sidle scored in the first shift their first shot they don’t score again um they’re up one nothing um they give up a power play goal and it’s a shot that Skinner should stop but it trickles through him and Anders Lee tucks it in from you know

From the goal crease then they give up another Power Play goal then they give up a short-handed goal and in 20 minutes the game’s gone yeah and so it seems like that was a microcosm of what their years been you can see what should be there yeah and then it falls apart for

20 minutes and now they’re in the spot there you look at they’re like they got to climb some teams here like Arizona doesn’t appear like they’re going away they’re going to be a problem Nashville got thumped last night but you know they’ve had a really good run but the teams between Edmonton and

There like can they jump Seattle yes can they jump Minnesota yes Calgary St Louis yes yeah like they can get there and so that makes your scenario seem not far-fetched like not like a madeup yeah hey what if this happened and that happened right like it seems like a logical thing to think

About those your head L thank you to Tim Hortons our interviews on Ray and dregs brought To Us by Canadian Club whiskey who have introduced the first release of the Canadian Club invitation series CC 15-year-old Sherry C all the Hallmarks of classic Canadian club with the added richness and sweetness of

Sherry you know Ray over the last five seasons we’ve been fortunate to uh draw some bigname guests on the rain and dgs podcast and here’s another one through I would describe trying circumstance I think when you’re an NHL coach and then you become an ex NHL coach that’s that

Can be trying so Greg baru has taken some time to join us on the podcast and Greg just over a week since you were let go as head coach of the St Louis Blues now leading up to it I got to believe that you you get the sense right and

It’s not just because of wins and losses although it can boil down to that in some cases but did you have a feeling that you’re time in in St Louis was about to come to an end oh yeah for sure well especially like you know you go into Columbus and then

Chicago and you lose those two games and you know things are you know you’re where you’re at you need to win those games those are winnable hockey games and and then we come home and you lose to Detroit at home I you think about it a little bit but you know it really

Doesn’t you know cross my mind that much I’m just trying to focus on the games and what we got to do to to Win Hockey games so but you do have a little bit of a feeling that it could come to an and for sure do you do you coach any

Different do you like how do you present yourself that you don’t feel that so the guys don’t start to smell it too yeah I don’t think I I coach any differently I don’t think I go in there and act any differently I mean I just you know I’m

I’m the same to be honest with you like I don’t nothing changes there for me and I don’t coach any differently like I I do what I think was is best for the team at the time and I’m trying to do the right things to try to Win Hockey games

And that’s it when uh when you first got into coaching you know I I think for a lot of us that played against you that didn’t know you were like really how’s this gonna go hell I was scared to go within eight feet of the

Red line if I lost my Puck I figured man there’s in warmup there’s more pucks down here I’m not going over there how did you get into it like what were you always interested in it not really I think uh my last few years with Dale hunter in Washington we really I mean

He’s Dale just wanted to watch hockey all the time and talk about hockey and we we became real good friends and still are and so I think you know that’s where I kind of started thinking about what am I going to do after hockey because I

Know that he he wanted to get in into coaching after hockey and obviously he um you know runs that junior team and uh they’ve been very successful so I think that’s when I really started to get dialed in with the hockey and and maybe getting to coaching after you know

Because when I was done playing and it you know I thought well what am I going to do after I’m done playing I want to stay in the game um somehow it’s in some capacity and I think that was the best best way for me you know I um I’m a

Locker room guy I like being around the team and and uh you know that’s where I fit in and I think just being with Dale and um watching all that hockey and and talking about it you know I really learned a lot about the game now you

Know I may I joked a little bit about it but how do you change perception with people that they think of you as you know one of the toughest players to ever play to someone that can coach like I it seems like a big leap but it doesn’t

Seem like a big leap when a skill guy wants to coach like how do you know he’s GNA be any good yeah I think you know you look at um a lot of like really skilled or great players a lot of times they don’t really become very good

Coaches or really get into coaching I think it’s hard for them because they did things in the game that came easy to them and I think it’s hard for them to coach when the other players aren’t able to do that because it came so easy to

Them but for me none of it came easy and I had to really study the game and understand the game and I think I understand players you know really well and what they’re capable doing and I and I try to just you know focus on what

Their calling cards are in the in in in the game and what they should do night in and night out to be good NHL players like um and you know on talking about di like to be honest with you I I I saw a lot of hockey over my time

As a player and I really watched a lot of things that went on and I I learned the game you know by watching it like I said when to to to get to the next level to coach um after I was done playing I had some real good mentors Johnny Stevens uh when

I went to the Flyers was coaching there and I learned a lot under Johnny and a lot under hitch who was coaching there too and um you know I think having those guys um as mentors when I was young uh really helped me a lot well you reached

The highest level Craig as a head coach in the National Hockey League you’re a Stanley Cup champion so for those who don’t understand what it takes um is it a combination I mean it’s a variety of things of course the recipe is complex but is the biggest part both the makeup

Of the roster and the commitment needed from the players yeah both I think your roster is very important I think if you look at the last four or five Stanley Cup champions and you watch the games real closely you look at how hard they competed and played and the

Predictability of their game um I don’t know if that makes sense to you guys but if you want to win a championship in the National Hockey League there’s a certain formula to it and you have to have size and grit in my opinion to get that done

And you have to be highly competitive for two three two and a half months at least and it’s it’s a it’s it’s a it’s a hard process Like It’s a Grind it’s day in and day out and um but I truly believe that playing a predictable hard for checking defensive

Game is what really gets it done in the end in the playoffs and so without getting into any detail does that become harder as the players get younger and um look at the game in a different way I’m thinking about kyou of course who I I think he probably didn’t answer

The way he wanted to answer but he didn’t really mean what he said and then he was stuck and then yeah you know but like does it become harder as the guys see the game a little different and the game changes because at the core of it

It’s really not that different no and I agree with you I mean I think it’s just they they need time like when they’re coming out of junior college and they’re they’re young and they’re skilled and they put up a lot of numbers in Junior and college and they come to the NHL

It’s a totally different animal but they still are trying to perform the way they performed in Junior and college and and it takes time to get them bad habits out of their game and get them to play a predictable game and it’s got to be 200

Feet it’s it’s really important to be to play 200 feet you got to check and you got to do the right things and you know when the playoffs start it becomes real hard like it’s tight it’s physical and when you’re confronted and um when you’re in those battles as a skilled

Player that’s where you need to perform your best because it’s you’re you’re going to get confronted and you’re going to be in those battles night in and night out almost every shift there’s not going to be any room and that’s where you got to perform and that’s where you

Got to come through throughout the year there’s games night in and night out where the checking’s not very good it’s not very confrontational um you know with 82 games it’s hard to have that compete night in and night out so those those some of those guys can get by and and

Score and do do some good things and put numbers up did did Jordan yeah go ahead Craig no no that’s fine did did Jordan reach out to you because Ray is right man I mean it was an emotional time for everyone yourself the players he got caught in a moment um you’re very

Popular figure in St Louis the fan base reacts by be by booing Jordan cyou and then he gives a very emotional explanation post game did did you communicate or did he reach out after he reached out for sure and listen I got no issu with it he got caught off guard and

Didn’t know what to say and he’s young you know a lot of these young guys get asked questions at the time and um they’re just they’re not thinking like they should think you know and it’s tough for them and uh but I was happy for Jordan he came back and had a good

Game against uh Dallas a good a very good team so he performed well and uh he’ll be fine so now you’ve been out a week um are you watching all the time are you taking a breath and catching up with family are you thinking about maybe what could come next and how

Soon you want next to come no and I it’s hard like I I am I do watch I mean I’m I’m a hockey fan so I’m always watching games I had three of them going on last night watching and seeing what’s going on you know um

Family for sure you know I think uh being away it’s you know this time of year too I’m I’m I’m spending lots of time I just got back a couple days ago but I’m going to spend time here with the family and relax and then um you

Know we’ll see what happens like again I want to make sure that I’m I’m I’m going to get back into a good situation um a good organization um that’s going in the right direction um that’s really important for me now I I’m going to shift a little bit

To your hockey unless Dres has another coaching thing but about your career uh Kevin Sawyer’s a good buddy of mine I I know him from you know from Christina Lake we had summer places to nearby I see this video and I come across it and every so often it pops up

Again it’s um you’re playing for Calgary and there’s some Shenanigans around JS shagar and so Kevin decides that the best way to get it to get back at and stir some up is to flip the puck in on your goalie and then run over your

Goalie and and when he and the SEC he tells me the second he hit the goalie he knows that his gloves got to come off because he’s not real sure who’s coming but you’re you’re gonna be out there eventually but my favorite part I want you to tell the story but my favorite

Part is right at the end after there’s been multiple well there was a five on five but then there was less players and there was a fouron four and then there was and somehow they get you in the Penalty Box but don’t kick you out of the game until there’s about so just

Tell the end of that story if you would because it’s Mayhem for about 30 minutes yeah I mean I we were losing I don’t know four or five2 to Anaheim and I went out and I hit jagar I think or did something like that punched a couple

Guys I think I ended up getting like four minutes in penalties or I don’t know what I got but there had to be a whistle for me to get out of the box for I can’t remember the whole thing and how it went down with the rules but again

Like you said Kevin Kam out I think it was like a chei later and ran Bernie right through the net and then there was a couple more like you know guys fighting and brawls and I looked over at the bench at one point I think I saw four players over

There and one of them was Mark saard and he was still sitting on the bench I go that figure savvy’s not gonna get into any fights so there had to be a whistle for me to get out of the box and Dave Lowry knew this and so uh P we called him it

Was his nickname he flipped the puck into the stands on purpose so there was a whistle I got out of the box I think Greg Gilbert was the coach and he just pointed stay on the ice so I lined up beside Jeff Fen it was in the

Offensive zone and he looks at me and he goes Chief there’s been enough of this I’m like I don’t think so freeze I mean the coach told me to stay out here got I got to do something and he just took off and I had to track him down he could fly

Right took me a bit to catch him and then I just we started another little melee or or whatever it was pretty funny when when the puck hits the ice freeze starts backing up like he’s gone like it’s not like just he meand he’s like this is there’s not enough

Guys to look for help on the ice oh it was it the maybe the best part of that whole video is it’s like all or a lot of our careers were same vintage is could they have turned a light on I mean it’s like we’re The Flintstones out there it’s so dark and

Gr it’s unbelievable Good Old Hockey them days yeah there those days are are are long long oh yeah yeah so now um Dean evon’s a good friend um he’s been on the podcast before he’s you know like you a good man and a good coach and you know

Things came on done in Minnesota and he said the next day we did some interview and he’s like no I I want to coach right away yeah I you know I’m why do I need time off like would you in short order if somebody came poking around would you

Be wanting to jump right in or do you want to take a bit well like I said I think you gota you I want a coach again for sure but at the same time I I got to listen and see what’s going on you know I can’t I think just jumping into

Something just to jump into something I just want to be careful there um like I said I want to go and work with good people for sure um and an organization that’s going in the right direction that’s the most important thing excellent well what’s the outpouring you

Know we’ve talked a little bit about the history your friends the battles that you had all that one thing we know about the coaching fraternity the hockey world in general is it’s a close-knit it’s a tight group right so yeah I safe to assume in the past week in change you’ve

Received countless text messages phone calls all of it yeah the coaches and um people in in in um the business or like you said it’s a close-nit group and they care um I’ve gotten tons of uh texts and calls from coaches and opportunities to go and um sit with their teams and and

Just kind of be around them which is is great and I I’m looking forward to that too like you know to go and spend some time with some of the coaches and their teams and being around them um you know that means a lot means a lot and I’m

Looking forward to that stuff excellent well we’ll leave it at that Craig thanks very much for joining us uh on to bigger and better things and that’s going to be hard to accomplish given all the success that you had on the bench with the St Louis Blues so happy holidays yeah you

Too guys St Louis was a great spot um you know I’ll never forget that that place and it’s a special place it really is like for people that don’t know St Louis the town the people the organization it’s it’s a real good spot so you guys have a good holidays thanks

For having me on appreciate awesome Chief all the best day Merry Christmas yeah now one of the good guys Ray and we’re surrounded by him in the National Hockey League both past and present uh I just again you get nothing but honesty when you have a conversation with Craig

Baru directness you got that multiple times when you’re doing your broadcast meetings with a former coach of of the St Louis Blues he just tells it like it is right and he’s not going to change now that he is an ex NHL coach but based

On that resume both as a player and as a very successful NHL head coach he can afford to be as patient as he wants to be right correct I I think it’s important too that as much as coaches some of them when they get let go they want to coach

Right away because that’s all that they know yeah if they take a little bit of time they can reflect on what went right and what didn’t go right they can take that to their next job but mentally as well they can just refresh and rescrub yeah a bit I I don’t

Think I’ll just say that you know when I took a step back a couple of years ago from my schedule I didn’t realize how tired I was all the time MH and then until you take that step back you you just don’t realize I don’t think a coach

Realizes how much pressure they’re under all the time and and I’m not talking about pressure from the media or the fans it’s like their their job pressure you need a lineup somebody’s injured you got hey can we call up this guy no we don’t have cap space okay I gotta rejig

The power play I’ve got to move around some penal like it’s always going you talk to a coach you rarely talk about anything other than hockey yeah with the coach because if you ask about their golf swing they say yeah it’s pretty good okay and what about our like it’s never

Out of their brain and so I I think it’s really important to just take a deep breath and one great example drgs is John torella remember when he got fired in New York the next year like instantly took the job in Vancouver and it was a

Disaster and then he took some time away and kind of rediscovered himself and coaching again and now you hear all these players saying GE like ra Rasmus rist the and said this week I wish I had him as an 18yearold you know like his whole way has changed and has

Been able to refresh tort had a great answer by the way he’s like be careful what you wish for and so but I think that’s important for like for Craig and for Dean Evon and Jay Woodcraft as much as they might want to just like jump right back in that

Sometimes a a little breather doesn’t heard well thanks to Craig Buu for joining us on the podcast uh reminder we’ve got a special edition of Ray and dggs on Friday it’s the pre holiday edition and I think we’re going to dedicate at least the majority of it

Let’s see all the headlines pour out but to ask Ray and drgs anything so you can send us your questions on Twitter and Instagram at Ray and dgs or on the website Ray and dgs.com you’re on the road um New York New York area you’re just grinding it

Out this week week prior to the holiday break race well I I was really excited in October when I saw that I had the three games three Oiler games together because you do three games in four days you don’t have to go anywhere and then

As it’s coming up I’m like I don’t I don’t even know how the hell I didn’t know this but I’m like oh it’s the week before Christmas right like it’s the same time every year it’s not like it’s a surprise and uh so I I got a little scrambling to

Do here I I’d like to say I was prepared uh shopping wise and yeah you’re not no so that’s a little bit today you do your best under pressure though you’ll be fine you’ll be fine yeah I’ll be like um I I know you live in a different part of the country but

Otherwise I would see you in the mall on late on the 23rd and fourth hold on so you’re not an Amazon Shopper like you’re not you know what I do like the mall I do like them allall I like the I like the music I like most people that are in

There or it it’s usually crowded in the same four stores all men all scrambling and uh but I I kind of I kind of like it I like it like I know what I need and I like it you know so I we have a bit of a

I was going to use a word strange but that’s not fair um Mason’s girlfriend Kaylee so her parents her family live like half a block from the home studio here right so just for convenience they’ve extended an invitation to get together on Christmas Eve oh nice yeah

Well I I’m just I don’t know they’re good people we’ve socialized in the past that feels really formal to me oh you know the families now where are they you need to check with Mason on this oh no he he’s he’s well aware and no it’s all good

Does he does he understand the implications of acceptance of this yeah like I mean it’s it’s it’s a lock you know now yeah I mean like you’re moving way down the road here no they’ve been together for I don’t know three four years so we’re yeah that’s nice does he

Understand the implication I I hope so I i’ I’ve kind of distracted him because he’s like me he enjoys barbecuing and he likes cooking so I’ve distracted him with the hey we’re doing something different for Christmas dinner we’re going to do the half turkey which is the

Coolest thing for me it’s literally like a turkey cut in half the whole you know cut it’s awesome not that cool for the turkey yeah go ahead no and a try tip so a nice try tip on the smoker and the half turkey so that’s how I’m I’m

Distracting him he’s thinking of recipes on how we can marinade the the tri tip and all those things he’s not even thinking about Christmas Eve I’ve got him focused on Christmas dinner so that’s shrewd you know what’s gonna yeah you know what’s gonna happen though what’s his girlfriend’s name Kaylee yeah

She’s going to ask 14 times and then all of a sudden he’s going to go he’s going to forget the try tip and he’s going to say I have other focuses here Dad what are we doing on Christmas Eve I’m gonna wear my boy medium t-shirt to Christmas

Eve G it’s gonna be a spectacle you’re gonna look like Chris farle girl anyway that’s what I’m looking forward to uh heading into the weekend so travel safe my friend travel safe um and are we going to so you’ll be back in Vancouver on I’ll still be here I’ll be

Uh I’m here so long cammy’s actually sending a couple Christmas gifts to the hotel stop yeah for me to bring back I guess you found them somewhere that delivers quick here but not oh get so I’m like I’m like oh all right so much for that well now you have

To check the bag it’s not a no no why oh Dr oh they must be smallish gifts oh I’ll get it doesn’t matter it could be a basketball blown up I’ll get it in that carry bank that’s there’s there’s no question awesome all right well look forward to check it in

On Friday and uh we’ll dive into askr drgs how does that have a good week everybody we’ll talk to you then you bet thanks to our sponsors who continue to make the podcast possible our title sponsor Canadian Club whiskey and Tim h and as Ray says thank you for listening

For rating for sharing and for following us on our YouTube channel till next time stay safe and happy holidays Everybody