Frank Seravalli

Absolutely drunk games like we saw in Game 3.

Yeah, I think that's a small part of it.

I mean, look, there's no doubt that there's some connection to it.

I also think that hockey's gotten a bit of an ancillary bump from...

non-hockey fans with heated rivalry and off-campus, obviously filmed in Vancouver, that I think has brought in people who otherwise wouldn't watch hockey.

And I think you take all those things plus a moment in time where really outside of New York,

This isn't like a super sexy NBA finals either.

And it feels like the NBA is kind of, at least in popularity, decreased a little bit.

And I can't remember really a time over the last two decades that I've worked around the NHL that in this country, the NHL has been of a higher profile with more awareness and attention.

I mean, the easiest way to say it is a pretty elite one.

I mean, if you're looking for perspective and context, you could make the argument that his period on Saturday night with four points and crazy enough missed a penalty shot

That is arguably the best period that any players ever played in a Stanley cup final game.

I mean, we're talking about 110 years of history.

So the way that he sort of found his zone or flow state or whatever it is in this final has been really impressive.

Like we've known forever that Mitch Marner is a superstar and a really talented player.

But to see him do it outside of Toronto, to see him find that confidence in a new place, to watch all this come together, I think, if anything, it's probably a reminder for teams as they go to move off of some of these guys when they make these declarations, oh, we can't win with these guys.

Remember, even before Mitch Marner, it was we can't win with Nazem Kadri.

Okay, well, he just went to Colorado and won shortly thereafter.

Like, sometimes it's the mix.

Sometimes it's the player in that mix.