On this episode of Bruins Beat, Evan Marinofsky and Conor Ryan discuss the changes to the Boston Bruins under new head coach Joe Sacco. Jim Montgomery has landed a ob as head coach of the St Louis Blues with a renewed enthusiasm. Plus, could the Bruins trade for the New York Rangers' Chris Kreider? All that, and much more!
0:00 - Bruins under Joe Sacco
3:40 - Team trending upward
4:49 - Compete and work ethic
6:48 - Keeping it simple
8:07 - Simplifying the game
10:11 - Winning low-scoring games
11:20 - Team built on defense
14:00 - Chris Kreider rumors
15:50 - Making money work
17:28 - Discussing player trades
18:56 - Evaluating Lindholm's value
20:14 - Rangers' trade strategy
23:17 - Ticket purchase tips
24:40 - Jim Montgomery's happiness
28:44 - Montgomery's St. Louis future
***************************************************
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0:00 - Bruins under Joe Sacco
3:40 - Team trending upward
4:49 - Compete and work ethic
6:48 - Keeping it simple
8:07 - Simplifying the game
10:11 - Winning low-scoring games
11:20 - Team built on defense
14:00 - Chris Kreider rumors
15:50 - Making money work
17:28 - Discussing player trades
18:56 - Evaluating Lindholm's value
20:14 - Rangers' trade strategy
23:17 - Ticket purchase tips
24:40 - Jim Montgomery's happiness
28:44 - Montgomery's St. Louis future
***************************************************
π° Prize Picks - https://prizepicks.onelink.me/LME0/CLNS
Download the app today and use Code CLNS when you sign up & Get $50 instantly when you play $5!
π« Gametime - https://gametime.co
Take the guesswork out of buying NHL tickets with Gametime. Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code CLNS for $20 off your first purchase. Download Gametime today. Terms apply. What time is it? Gametime!
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SportsTranscript
00:00Bruins Beat is brought to you by PrizePix and the Game Time app.
00:07And welcome into the Bruins Beat presented by PrizePix.
00:10Go use that promo code CLNS to get $50 back when you play just $5.
00:17And we're presented by Game Time.
00:19Go use that promo code CLNS to get $20 off that first purchase.
00:22Terms apply.
00:23I'm Evan Maranofsky.
00:25That is Connor Ryan.
00:26Connor, what is up?
00:28Evan.
00:29I'm doing well.
00:30How are you doing?
00:31Doing great.
00:32Doing great.
00:33It's a fun week.
00:34I like the week of Thanksgiving.
00:35It's, you know, the holidays are here.
00:36Not quite ready for Christmas music or anything like that, but I like...
00:40Speak for yourself, pal.
00:42You like the Christmas music this early?
00:43Oh, dude, I'd be playing the Ronettes if I could right now if you just didn't want
00:47to get DMCA'd, so...
00:49Yeah.
00:50Don't want that Phil Spector estate coming after us, so...
00:53I can't put up with that.
00:55My mom starts listening to Christmas music on the radio in early November.
00:59I respect that, but it's not quite...
01:02Magic 106.7, dude.
01:03That's right.
01:04They start playing it like November 1st.
01:06When I was little, it was oldies 103.3 that always had the Christmas music, and I will
01:10never forget the day my mom brought the radio into the kitchen.
01:14Sounds like the 1920s.
01:15Like, oh, we got it on the radio when we listened to the old ball game.
01:19The potato famine was done.
01:22It was the end of the Great Depression, and she plays the radio, and she goes, oh, listen
01:27to this, and we loved Dominic the Donkey.
01:31Every day at 5pm, they would play Dominic the Donkey, so that, you know, this was pre-iTunes
01:34and all that, so you'd look forward to that, and the host shouted out me and my sister.
01:40My mom called in the day before and had them shout us out, so it was like the coolest thing
01:43ever, so that's like my lasting Christmas music memory that was an iconic moment.
01:49That's when you knew you made it.
01:50Yeah.
01:51That was when I was like, I want to do that.
01:52What a decision that was.
01:54And look where we are now.
01:55Look where we are now.
01:56Wow, we've made it.
01:57Shout out Dominic the Donkey.
01:58Yes.
01:59Fanfare captain.
02:00It can't be bad.
02:01You know, people always bitch that Bubba O'Reilly, I think, is still the intro to this podcast
02:11on the audio side of things, so maybe we've got to change to Dominic the Donkey.
02:15Maybe we've got to switch that up.
02:1750,000.
02:18Yeah, exactly.
02:20Bruins, 2-0 under Joe Sacco.
02:22They get a win against Detroit on Saturday.
02:25What are your thoughts on the new look Bruins under Joe Sacco?
02:29I mean, listen, it's better than two losses, right?
02:32It's not pretty, right?
02:34People are saying it.
02:35I think when you look at what this team needs to do to be successful, I think Joe Sacco
02:41made the right call in terms of really breaking things down, keeping things really simple,
02:46and I think playing to this team's strengths, and that's, you know, not getting outworked
02:49in board battles, defending the front of the net.
02:52I think you're seeing the special teams rebound quite a bit, especially the PK, which I think
02:57this year they were already a little bit more aggressive in terms of pressuring puck carriers,
03:00but I think you've really noticed it the last couple of games where they've been really
03:04forcing turnovers, getting guys up high.
03:06I think they're 14 for 14, I want to say, in their last five games on the PK, so that's
03:11been encouraging.
03:13And then, yeah, I just think that they're playing to, I think, what their strengths
03:16need to be.
03:17And listen, like, it's not a perfect product.
03:19There's still long stretches of these games where, like, we better get a little bit more
03:23breathing room here.
03:24Like, we have to convert on some of these chances.
03:26You have guys that still need to pull on the rope.
03:28You need more from David Posternok, obviously.
03:31But for what Joe Sacco is doing in terms of getting the basic template to get this team
03:36trending in the right direction, like, it's not flashy, but if you don't get outworked,
03:42if you win your board battles, support pucks, defend the front of the net, again, the product
03:49itself may not be riveting, but you're going to be in a lot more games.
03:52You're not going to be in games where it gets away from you.
03:55How many times do we see, like, this team tread water and then, like, someone throws
03:59an anchor at them and they give up, like, three goals in a second to Dallas or something
04:02like that?
04:03You haven't seen the games get away from them.
04:05There hasn't been a lot of odd man rushes, not a lot of high-danger looks generated by,
04:09again, a lighter schedule.
04:10So that plays into it.
04:11But for what they've done right now without ripping up the playbook, just getting back
04:16to basics, I think to step in the right direction, I think it's more of what, when you look
04:21at the personnel and the roster that Sweeney assembled, this is kind of how you have to
04:24play as opposed to more of the Montgomery quality over quantity, long stretch passes,
04:30get up and going.
04:31Like, I think you had to augment some of that.
04:33And I think you're seeing the results, even if they aren't pretty.
04:38So you haven't gotten that nice 4-1 game yet, right?
04:40Like, every game has either been, like, a 5-3 win or 1-0.
04:44You need a nice 4-1 win at some point, but it's a step in the right direction.
04:48Wasn't it after they fired Claude when Cassie took over, they beat the Canadiens, like,
04:523-0 that night or something, or, like, a couple days later?
04:55That was sort of, like, a satisfying, you know, team-changing win.
05:00I agree with you.
05:01I think it comes down to what Joe Sacco talked about in his introductory presser, which is
05:05just compete, work ethic, winning your battles, hustle, like, things like that.
05:10And I know it sounds clichΓ©, sounds kind of dumb, but that stuff matters, and it was
05:14what was lacking in their first 20 games.
05:17Defensively, I mean, just layers, I think, has been the biggest thing.
05:20You see that center supporting a lot more.
05:24You see guys staying in their area, their zone, a lot more than they were before.
05:29You don't have as many open guys in front of the net.
05:31You don't have as many guys kind of out in no-man's land.
05:34I think that prevents a ton of goals.
05:36That prevents a ton of scoring chances that before were at least happening and oftentimes
05:41going in.
05:43And I think, you know, we talked about this after the Utah game.
05:46They kept it simple, especially when defending a lead late.
05:50You know, and this isn't exciting hockey.
05:53The average fan's not going to be like, oh, I love that off the glass and out.
05:56That's perfect.
05:57That's just what I want.
05:59But that's how you win, especially when you're not β when those passes aren't
06:05connecting.
06:06When the team's struggling a little bit, sometimes you just have to chip it off the
06:09glass.
06:10Sometimes you have to make the easy pass and all that stuff.
06:12And I think they got away from that.
06:14They were trying to get way too cute on some of their breakouts, trying to get too
06:18creative.
06:19And again, we love creative hockey.
06:21Want guys to be creative.
06:22You want guys to make smart, good passes, all that stuff.
06:26But sometimes you just need to chip it out and you need to get it out.
06:29And that was the same against Detroit on Saturday defending the lead late.
06:32It was simple hockey.
06:33It wasn't anything β you know, they weren't β they clearly were not trying to go down
06:37and score a five-on-five goal, which is something that they need to improve on overall.
06:41Five-on-five offense does need to improve.
06:43That still has not happened yet.
06:45It has only been two games.
06:47But just keep it simple.
06:48Kiss.
06:49Keep it simple, stupid.
06:50It's like the time old moniker.
06:53And I think they're using it right now, especially in the D zone, which I think that
06:57was the one thing, Connor, that was so mind-numbing with this team through 20 games.
07:00Like, OK, the offense isn't working.
07:02OK, you know, you can β that can generate itself.
07:05You'll find it.
07:06Maybe score on the power play every now and again, although that also stunk.
07:09But it was the defensive lapses.
07:11It was the lack of effort going back on pucks and winning battles that mystified me.
07:18And so I think that's been a nice step in the right direction.
07:21Yeah, and it's something that Joe Sacco mentioned during his first press conference, right,
07:24is like, listen, we'll figure out the offense.
07:26Like, guys are shooting 4%.
07:28We have guys that are discombobulated right now.
07:30Like, those things, ideally, right, will sort itself out over time.
07:34David Pasternak's not going to be on a 31-goal pace.
07:37At least you hope not.
07:39But for right now, in terms of riding the ship and getting this team playing, you know,
07:43gaining some traction and playing to their strengths, yeah, it's what Sacco mentioned.
07:48Like, the thing we can control right now isn't, you know, maybe these shooting percentages
07:52that have regressed all across the board.
07:54But we can get back to defending our net, taking pride in that, clearing pucks,
07:58knowing when to fight another day as opposed to trying one of those risky stretch passes
08:02or getting too cute in the neutral zone or anything like that.
08:06And I think that reset has helped a lot of guys maybe stabilize their games, right?
08:09Like, and again, this is β it's two games against two kind of crappy teams,
08:13and they're not flashy wins by any means.
08:16But in terms of I think just β listen, this whole year has been not a lot of silver linings
08:20or a lot of hoping for something to progress out of these things.
08:24I think getting back to that simple formula for right now, at least,
08:28can help maybe guys like Elias Lindholm find their footing.
08:31I think a guy like Nikita Zdorov, who maybe was in that kind of in-between,
08:35and we've talked about this before.
08:36This is a guy that takes some time to adjust to new systems,
08:39which already, you know, you're going to Montgomery system there.
08:42He's also this guy that has the reputation as this really physical force
08:45while also being a pretty mobile β I almost said mobile quarterback β mobile defenseman.
08:50He's like Drake May back there.
08:51Yes.
08:52But he does have, you know, a little bit more mobility than people probably take
08:56or expect from a guy that is 6'5".
08:59So was he kind of caught in between in terms of, you know,
09:02the way Montgomery wants to play while being physical,
09:04and that's why he was freelancing a little bit, being out of position,
09:07whereas I think those last couple of games he's been solid.
09:10He's not blowing people up.
09:12He's not going end-to-end, but he's defending the net front.
09:14He's out there with Calo on the PK now that Hampus Lindholm's out,
09:18and he's just playing simple smart hockey.
09:20And, like, if you get one good hit a game while playing simple smart hockey,
09:24I think Bruins fans would love that.
09:25Like he lit up Clayton Keller like a minute into the game on Thursday.
09:29I was going to say, yep.
09:30You notice that, and then the rest was him taking care of business in front of the net.
09:33You know, and that's where those guys come in handy when you get to the playoffs
09:38or, you know, tougher matchups when you have a 6'6 guy that can clear you out of great AI.
09:43So, I think maybe where Sacco comes in and has that kind of mindset of really
09:48simplifying things and getting back to basics,
09:50maybe will help some of these guys find their footing.
09:52And, again, much like the offense, if all of a sudden a few months into the year
09:56guys are feeling more confident, the winds are piling up,
09:59and then you have more of that freedom or that confidence,
10:01which I think is severely lacking across this team,
10:04is just confidence with the puck, decision-making, things like that,
10:07then hopefully that builds as well.
10:10But for right now, I think it's the right mindset for Sacco in terms of
10:13defend the front of the net, let's win a couple of games, 2-1, get rolling here.
10:17And if you play that style of hockey, it may not be exciting,
10:20you know, it may not be riveting and hockey,
10:24but it means you're going to be in a lot of games.
10:26And when you're in these kind of games,
10:28you have a good chance you're going to at least get a point
10:30or you're going to come out on the right side of some of these matchups.
10:32And it doesn't matter how they get back on track.
10:34They just need to get back on track.
10:36Is it going to be these high-flying, exciting 2003 Red Sox kind of games?
10:41I'm saying that because I was watching that documentary again last night.
10:45No, it's not going to be that.
10:47But if it's just 2-1, 3-2 wins,
10:50like you're just sneaking past, doesn't matter.
10:53Yeah, I mean, like, again,
10:56I know it's sacrilege to compare any team to the 2011 Bruins,
11:00but that team is revered.
11:02And damn, they were fun.
11:04And they were really physical.
11:06They weren't like a riveting offensive juggernaut.
11:08They couldn't score in the second power play.
11:10Claude Julien had a pretty reserved system,
11:12and it worked.
11:14And it played to their strengths.
11:16They were opportunistic.
11:18They landed punches when they could.
11:20They could counterpunch.
11:22And they were a team built on goaltending, defense, and physicality.
11:24Maybe it's not riveting,
11:26but if you're a Bruins fan,
11:28and your team's playing into May,
11:30and they're pummeling teams and taking care of business,
11:32and they're goalie and buying in, blocking shots,
11:34I think Bruins fans would take that.
11:36It means you're playing well, and you're going into the spring.
11:38Yeah.
11:40It's not saying this is the 2011 Bruins.
11:42No, of course.
11:44But I think in terms of perspective,
11:46you're not going to have every team,
11:48like the 2022 gangbuster team that they had out there,
11:50the way they could play.
11:52It's not going to happen.
11:54No, but I also, like, again,
11:56that's what this roster lends itself to.
11:58That's the roster that's been built.
12:00So completely lean into that.
12:02Be that identity.
12:04Be that team.
12:06Don't be the quality over quantity shots.
12:08Rip everything at the net.
12:10And I think that's sort of where you're seeing them headed.
12:12You want to head somewhere great?
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12:46Again, the Bruins are kind of on the up and up here, Connor.
12:48We're coming back.
12:50Offense isn't high-flying, you know,
12:52but you want to do time on ice for Charlie McAvoy
12:54more than the projected time on ice
12:56more than the projected number they give you?
12:58I'd say do it.
13:00Charlie McAvoy is an important part of this team.
13:02I feel like David Poshnok is about to get back on track
13:04with some points.
13:06Maybe you take over 0.5 points for him
13:08in any given game.
13:10They are playing the Canucks on Tuesday night,
13:12so that would be an awesome chance to do this.
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13:36Prize picks,
13:38run your game.
13:40Run your game.
13:42Someone that I think
13:44Bruins fans would love
13:46to pick more
13:48for goals on prize picks
13:50would be Chris Kreider.
13:52I loved this rumor.
13:54This is like the perfect Monday
13:56in November rumor.
13:58So Elliot Friedman tweeted out
14:00on Monday morning,
14:02in the aftermath of their 6-2 loss in Edmonton on Saturday,
14:04the Rangers have made it very clear they're interested
14:06in making moves and shaking up their roster.
14:08Among the names indicated are Chris Kreider
14:10and Jacob Truba, although other options
14:12will be considered.
14:14So if Elliot's tweeting out the names,
14:16those guys are completely on the trading block.
14:18We knew that about Truba.
14:20There, I don't think.
14:22You need that.
14:24It's not really a route you're trying to go down.
14:26But Chris Kreider.
14:28Boxford native.
14:30Phillips, Andover, star.
14:32True goalscore.
14:34Freaking goalscore.
14:36Couple of logistics
14:38on Chris Kreider here.
14:4033 years old,
14:426.75 million annual cap hip
14:44for this year, next year, and the year after.
14:46So you get three more years of that.
14:48Are you in?
14:50I mean, I just would
14:52have to think of how the money works
14:54and what the return is, right?
14:56Because that is the biggest issue there.
14:58Because in terms of what he provides,
15:00I know he doesn't have an assist on the air,
15:02but nine goals in 19 games.
15:04Which is hilarious.
15:06Yeah, but the last couple of years,
15:08right, 39 goals, 36 goals,
15:1052 goals, which I forgot about.
15:12About as sure of a bet as you can get
15:14in terms of being a 25-goal guy,
15:16I think he's maybe taken the
15:18mantle from Pavelski,
15:20the best net front
15:22screen tip guy right there.
15:24He's a guy that,
15:26you put him down there, he's going to generate plays
15:28at five on five and on the power play.
15:30And again, you look at
15:32the way this Bruins team is built,
15:34how you want them probably to play in terms of shot volume,
15:36getting every puck on net,
15:38knocking home rebounds,
15:40tipping pucks, getting shots
15:42from the point.
15:44He's the ultimate guy for that
15:46in terms of what he can provide.
15:48But again, how do you make the money
15:50work for, what did you say, 6-7-5?
15:52He's under contract for the next three years.
15:54And again,
15:56he's 33, I could see him
15:58being a guy kind of like a Pavelski
16:00where he could be a 30-goal guy for the next
16:02three, four years, just the way he plays.
16:04And it's a pretty tried and true
16:06formula as to how he generates
16:08his offense.
16:10The money, the picks,
16:12are you giving him a first-round pick
16:14for Chris Kreider?
16:16So this is where I get into, like, no,
16:18I wouldn't. I would not. No, no, no, I wouldn't.
16:20And I don't think the Rangers are going to
16:22give up that dude for a first.
16:24But here's the thing.
16:26They're trying to win a cup, too.
16:28Like, wouldn't you think, they're going
16:30for a roster shake-up, I would assume.
16:32Because they have a good young core, all that stuff.
16:34Like, they're going for a roster shake-up.
16:36You also need a roster shake-up.
16:38Or at least you did a week ago.
16:40So we'll see how this kind of continues.
16:42But, like, I was looking at the Bruins
16:44roster of who you would deal
16:46straight up. Patrick Donnelly and I were actually
16:48discussing this over Slack
16:50all morning. Like, how would this work? How would
16:52we as the Bruins make this work?
16:54And initially, it was like, alright, well, you're going to do a
16:56package with, like, Frederick
16:58and a prospect and, like, a second.
17:00And it's like, maybe. But, like,
17:02the Rangers are still competing.
17:04That's the thing here.
17:06The Rangers, they still want a cup.
17:08And, like, again, selling
17:10high on Justin Brezow, like, maybe.
17:12But to me, like,
17:14I would assume they would want someone
17:16on the roster that is legitimate
17:18and can make an impact. And I looked at
17:20two guys I look at who,
17:22and again, they have no trade protections
17:24and things like that.
17:26Pavel Zaka and Hampus Lindholm.
17:28And the tough part with both
17:30of those guys is Zaka's 27,
17:32so he's six years younger
17:34and can play the middle,
17:36can play the wing, and is Pasternak's guy.
17:38So, like,
17:40you could make the money work with that. You'd have to do some
17:42other things, too. But, like, you know, he makes
17:444.75. So, again, like,
17:46you're giving up a good cap hit
17:48who's much younger.
17:50So that's not always the best
17:52order of operations.
17:54Hampus Lindholm is the other
17:56I was looking. And I'm not saying I want to do this, by the way.
17:58But I'm saying, like, I think to do this with the Rangers,
18:00they're going to want a guy in return
18:02that can slot in and help them contend.
18:04I don't know what Lindholm
18:06has for trade protections.
18:08I know Zaka's is a 10-team list.
18:10Lindholm's
18:1230. I think
18:14that's a little more palatable, even though
18:16he's been playing great up until his
18:18injury. So, like, that's a hard
18:20sell. But
18:22playoffs, he's been a little shaky
18:24over the last three years.
18:26You add in the fact
18:28that, like, you did go out and get Zador
18:30off. So you do have him there.
18:32Although, again, he has not been great to start.
18:34You hope that Lowry
18:36can ascend into being a top-four
18:38offensive guy.
18:40Lindholm is your most stable, steady force
18:42on that left side. But do you have
18:44enough on D? Are you
18:46happy enough with what Swayman and Corposalo
18:48can be that you'd be okay
18:50taking a hit back there
18:52to make an upgrade
18:54up front? That's
18:56the question to me. I don't think this is like
18:58a Frederick and a first or
19:00anything like that. I think
19:02this would be a roster-for-roster
19:04swap, I think.
19:06Yeah, it'd either be a roster-for-roster
19:08involving a player
19:10like a Lindholm or
19:12Zaka plus
19:14Lowry.
19:16You think it would be that
19:18big for a 33-year-old scoring
19:20winger? Who scored 52 goals
19:22two years ago? Yeah, but
19:24Zaka and... Okay,
19:26Zaka maybe, but Lindholm and
19:28Corposalo wants to win the cup?
19:30Yes.
19:32It's not like they're cap-jail
19:34with him right now.
19:36You don't have to move him.
19:38You'd much rather move fucking Trouba.
19:40They almost benched him.
19:42Duh.
19:44They don't need another
19:46guy taking penalties back there.
19:48I think
19:50it's still going to be a pretty steep price for the guy,
19:52even if maybe he's had a bit of a down year this year.
19:54But, again, you look at the track record
19:56of what he's... I think he's a
19:58sure bet for 30 goals wherever he goes.
20:00A guy that's playoff-tested, has delivered in the
20:02past. How many times do you watch
20:04Rangers games in April and May and
20:06Kreider's making something happen? You have a hat trick
20:08against Carolina on the road?
20:10I do
20:12think it would take quite a bit to get
20:14him beyond just making the money work.
20:16Yeah, but I also look at Hampus
20:18Lindholm and say they need
20:20veteran presences that actually
20:22are good on the back end. He provides
20:24that. He's stable. He's steady.
20:26Two years ago, he was third
20:28in the Norris. You can make that same argument with
20:30Chris Kreider.
20:32The same year he had 52
20:34goals, I think Lindholm was third in the
20:36Norris that year. I think it was 22-23
20:38when that happened, or maybe
20:40it was the year before for Kreider. But, nevertheless,
20:42these are guys that
20:44those are high-impact players.
20:46I don't know what... You think
20:48they'd have to add more to Lindholm
20:50to sweeten that? Maybe I'm undervaluing Kreider,
20:52but I'm kind of surprised at that.
20:54I mean, I think for Lindholm
20:56it would probably be
20:58a second or something with that.
21:00That would probably be me.
21:02What's going to happen, though, Evan,
21:04is we know that if these rumors continue
21:06and it's illegitimate that the Rangers are trying to
21:08move him, you're going to get
21:10the Frederick and Dirty Markeloff.
21:12It's like, no.
21:14Again, it's an
21:16interesting discussion because the Rangers
21:18are also a team that's trying to
21:20win right now.
21:22Which is why
21:24maybe it is more realistic that Lindholm is the
21:26headliner guy that pushes you over the top now
21:28as opposed to Laurie
21:30in the first or something like that.
21:32Again, you also need to make the money work, too.
21:34You've got to shed a contract or two
21:36just to make that money work.
21:38Lindholm's money is comparable,
21:40so that would be... You could make that
21:42work, but Zaka makes less.
21:44If you did a package
21:46that was headlined by
21:48Trent Frederick, if they somehow wanted
21:50a deal of assets,
21:52which, again, I don't know why they would take on
21:54a penny in the U.F.A.
21:56If they want Trent Frederick for Chris Kreider, then...
21:58Yeah, goodbye.
22:00Easy. I think there are a lot of Bruins fans
22:02who would be willing to make that drive to the airport.
22:04Well, if you
22:06want to go watch hockey, you
22:08want to go watch the Bruins, you want to go watch
22:10Chris Kreider and the Rangers,
22:12maybe someday the Bruins, you've got to go check
22:14out our friends at Game Time because, as we know, Connor,
22:16there's nothing like watching an NBA
22:18or an NHL game live. The energy in the
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22:24fans, it's unmatched. And the coolest
22:26part is when strangers sitting around you become your
22:28best friends or, Connor, as you said,
22:30become your biggest enemies. You can make
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22:58who doesn't love seat views? Gives me, you know,
23:00I can imagine myself in the seats.
23:02I can sit there and go, and look around,
23:04make sure everything looks good. There's not a
23:06pole in your face. Yeah, like
23:08Fenway especially, like, I
23:10don't think they always have an obstructive view on that, so
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23:32Game Time today. Connor, what time is it?
23:34Game Time.
23:36It's Game Time. It's also
23:38conspiracy theory time.
23:40Sure.
23:42Was the moon landing fake, Connor?
23:44Was the moon landing fake?
23:46JFK assassination? What was up with that?
23:48It was filmed at the Pirates Cove golf course.
23:50That's right. It did.
23:52They filmed it at Pirates Cove.
23:54I was on
23:56the What's Brewin podcast with
23:58Chris Nosek and John Tiano on Sunday night.
24:00And I joined midway through
24:02the show, and they do it live,
24:04like Bill O'Reilly. We do it live. Fuck it.
24:06We do it live. And I
24:08went on, and they immediately said,
24:10we're going to throw some conspiracy theories at you. And I said, I love this.
24:12I love this.
24:14The regular ass
24:16intros are like, what do you think about this week?
24:18I want you to throw the craziest
24:20stuff at me. And one of the
24:22theories they had... Do you like fluoride in your
24:24water? I don't want to do this.
24:26Raw milk? Are we going to get into raw milk?
24:30I think it was Dom brought up
24:32there's a theory going around
24:34that Jim Montgomery purposefully
24:36hanked this job so he could
24:38get the St. Louis gig. And I said, well,
24:40obviously...
24:42Did you do that? I did, yeah.
24:44I think if you do that,
24:46fireworks pop out too.
24:48I didn't get the fireworks. That's great.
24:50People who are watching live on video
24:52can say, there we go.
24:54Is that what happens?
24:56I think so. I guess only for me.
24:58I guess you have special privileges.
25:00Whatever. Anywho,
25:02the theory...
25:04It wasn't his theory, but the theory that he saw was that
25:06Jim... Oh, wow. I don't
25:08get that. I don't get that.
25:10That's a shame. Conor's putting thumbs
25:12down for people who are watching. You got to watch on
25:14YouTube too because of the great
25:16effects of us and me sniffling the entire
25:18time.
25:20Montgomery...
25:22Dom's theory that he saw
25:24was that Montgomery tanked this job to
25:26be the Blues head coach, which again,
25:28there's no way that's true. However,
25:30you and I both watched that
25:32Jim Montgomery opening press conference
25:34on Monday. He looked
25:36happy. He looked real happy to be home.
25:38Teary, emotional.
25:40Good for him. Happy
25:42for him. That's number one. Happy
25:44that he landed on his feet. No doubt about that.
25:46Not a surprise either.
25:48But
25:50the idea that he wanted to be
25:52in St. Louis all along,
25:54is that the craziest idea?
25:56It's very interesting
25:58when you look at what
26:00Elliott Friedman mentioned on 32 Thoughts of the
26:02Podcast about how he might have had
26:04differing opinions on the long-term vision
26:06of the team.
26:08It's just like the fans.
26:10It's just like the fans.
26:12Just like me, for real.
26:14Ty Anderson on
26:16both Poke the Bear and on the Hockey Show
26:18in 1995 at the Sports Sub mentioned
26:20the Berns had made multiple offers
26:22to him that were rejected and they weren't particularly close.
26:24I think when you
26:26look at how Montgomery wants to play,
26:28maybe that was also the thing where
26:30he looks at this shift
26:32in terms of being quality
26:34over quantity into more shot volume,
26:36grimy kind of
26:38simplified hockey, more
26:40physicality, a little bit slower.
26:42Thinking like, that's not really how I want to play.
26:44Or it's not really how I want to coach this team.
26:46You add in that the fact that
26:48the Blues hired
26:50Bannister three days after
26:52the Bruins advanced past Toronto.
26:54Feels like they were maybe waiting
26:56for Montgomery to maybe hit the free agent market
26:58if they don't win anything
27:00against Toronto.
27:02You can see why
27:04it's not like this.
27:06We're not doing a treadstone born identity
27:08conspiracy theory here, but
27:10you can kind of put the pieces together and be like,
27:12yeah, I think the Blues were always really interested in him.
27:14That's why you're not giving Bannister
27:16any semblance of a chance
27:18with honestly a pretty flawed roster.
27:20I'm not looking at their roster and being like,
27:22it's all Drew Bannister's fault. Why didn't he sign
27:24Jordan Bennington who sucked two, three
27:26years since that contract?
27:28It is what it is.
27:30It goes to show how cutthroat the industry is.
27:32I will also say one last thing on this.
27:34Montgomery gave an interesting answer.
27:36One of the reporters asked him,
27:38when did Doug Armstrong reach out to you
27:40last week? How did that all come together?
27:42Montgomery was like, well, I'm just focused on
27:44being a Blue and let's just talk about that.
27:46I think the realistic
27:48reason for that is I don't think he wants to blow up
27:50Bannister with like, oh, the minute I got fired,
27:52Doug Armstrong called me and
27:54it's all behind the scenes and we had to do it behind Drew's
27:56back and blah, blah, blah.
27:58I think there is a
28:00chance that they've been
28:02talking. That's not informed
28:04and I can't really
28:06do that, but would it
28:08shock you if they'd been
28:10in communication? No, it wouldn't.
28:12He was thought to be fired weeks ago,
28:14Montgomery. Everyone
28:16talks.
28:18I think that's another
28:20thing you have to consider. This conspiracy
28:22theory, I don't know if it's that big of a conspiracy.
28:24Now, tanking the Bruins
28:26job to get St. Louis is
28:28like George Costanza levels of
28:30insanity. I don't think that was the
28:32case, but
28:34if you told Montgomery a year ago, hey, you're going to be
28:36in St. Louis starting in November of 2024,
28:38I don't think he would have been too pissed off
28:40at that.
28:42Not a surprise, but again, good
28:44luck to him. Good luck to him.
28:46Hopefully that's the place he wants to be.
28:48There it is.
28:50Montgomery and St. Louis.
28:52Connor, what can
28:54people look forward to from you
28:56over at theglobeandboston.com?
28:58You can read my stuff over at theglobeandboston.com.
29:00We've got recaps, features, columns, breakdowns,
29:02all that good stuff. You can follow me on Twitter
29:04at connorryan__93.
29:06Go do all that.
29:08That's Connor Ryan. I'm Evan Maronofsky,
29:10Bruinsbeat listeners. Have a great rest
29:12of your week.
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