Chapter 1: What is discussed at the start of this section?
Hey, listen, if you did really bad in the first round, maybe you picked a team to make the playoffs at the beginning of the season and then promptly jumped off the bandwagon the second they got into the playoffs, me. Well, then your name wouldn't be Mad Duck. That's right. Mad Duck. Quack, quack, mofos. The great thing is we got the spark bracket and there's prizes.
And if you messed up your first round, we're going to let you back in for the second round. You can make a whole bunch of other picks and Jesse get some prizes, too. Yeah, it'll be a second chance bracket. So you can't win the original bracket, but you can win the second chance bracket.
And I know who I'm leaning on, but you'll have to go to the Spark app and see all of the STPN picks where you can catch them there and see who actually picked to win the Stanley Cup the second time around. Your best bet is just pick whatever Maddie picks, I think. Yeah. Now, other thing, live stream schedule. Yes, we are live tomorrow.
We're live tomorrow, which is a rare thing for the SDB because we don't do live shows. But it is a big day in Leafs history because they are either going to get dunked on in a historical fashion by the Boston Bruins or they get like a first overall pick.
So we're going to have a live taping of a portion of the SDP, our second episode of the week that we're going to do seven to seven thirty ish whenever all of the draft lottery festivities are over. So live tomorrow, 7 p.m. Eastern on the SDP and YouTube channel. Tune in. Steve's doing Montreal Buffalo. I'm doing Colorado, Minnesota and Vegas, Anaheim.
Jesse, the people need to know, is Jesse making a reappearance? I got to ask Gritty.
wow gritty will let me uh watch philly uh philly flyers games we'll see okay let's start the show the steve dangle podcast with your host steve dangle adam wilde and jesse blake
One of the biggest days in Leaf land that I can imagine and I can remember. And, you know, we can remember quite a bit. And if you are living under a rock, the big news today is that Corbinian Holzer has retired. Thank you, Stephen Ellis, for that. Yes, he finished it off with the I-C-E-H-L. Corbinian Holzer, former Duck, former Nashville Predator, former Toronto Maple Leaf.
Ever tell the story of how I saw him outside Grace O'Malley's and he was wearing full Lederhosen? No, really? Yeah. Oh, that's cool. He's retired. I can tell the story now. I was outside and we recognized each other. Hey, we were both very drunk and hugged each other.
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Chapter 2: What are the implications of Chayka and Sundin's introduction?
Like these guys that had fought to the to the alumni. Oh, like they've done. I mean, it started under Shani a little bit. But like you think about some of these like long term absence and Sundin was one of the guys where he just was like, I remember the hundred year at Celebration. He wasn't there. Cabriolet stood in for him. Is that true?
Yes. On the ice.
Now, there was apparently a family thing. And maybe that's the case. But I know that back in 2017, Sundin was still not on good terms with the Leafs. And the same with Dave Keon. I think George Armstrong was the same for years. That was one of the early victories of the Shanahan era is he got Dave Keon to show up. So he was working on mending those fences. And he did such a great job.
And then...
A few years passed, and you're like, where'd everyone go? No one's here. Antropov works for the team. Berube was a leaf for five seconds. I don't think he was hired because he's the head coach. Sullivan was a leaf for a bit. Yeah, that's true. He came over the Doug Gilmore tree. Yeah, before getting waived. And then there's one other person I'm missing.
Curtis McElhinney.
Yeah. Jake Muzzin, too.
Yeah, yeah. Oh, yeah, Jake Muzzin, too. But, like... Gilmore's not really involved in anything. Wendell's not really involved in anything. Like their involvement is they are alumni.
Yeah, Darcy, Darcy Tucker, Gary Roberts, Shane Corson, whoever you want to call. And that Sundin era, since 1967, by the way, that Sundin era was the most successful era the Leafs have had.
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Chapter 3: How does the Leafs organization address past relationships?
That's a good message. I thought, you know, there was one or two comments where I was like, John.
But other than that, he did very well. He was cordial. He was polite.
Very hat in hand. And he knew what he was walking into. You're walking into the lion. Well, and we haven't got there yet. We haven't got to the questions and we will. Jesse, John Chayka talks. What's the mood in the room? The whole thing, like the whole day was a little bit awkward because the three guys up there kind of knew where everybody stood on them being up there.
I don't think anybody from the media standpoint trusts Keith Pelley or John Chayka. Or Matt Sundin entering and getting these roles and trusting that this is the right way to move forward with the franchise. So there is no real big fuss about his introductory speech is written down as prepared.
We know it's going to be decent when the questions start coming is where there's actual things happening.
Yeah.
Like those things. We always expect Keith Pelley is going to have his PR stuff and he's going to say it. And then we move on from there, you know. And Sundin, to his credit, because he's used to dealing with the media here, just spoke from the heart. He just talked. He just talked.
And I thought it's I'm like, listen, you know, the role for Sundin is going to be to be, I think, an ear for players, coaches, management, but also it's a standards thing. And we've talked about this on the show about what his role was going to be. And, you know, Steve, you always talk about his book, which you think everybody should read now. Home and away. What happened?
He's part of the brain trust now. You got to read it. What happened with the... You remember when the Leafs were bad, but he's like, but they still have a chance.
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Chapter 4: What concerns arise regarding John Chayka's hiring?
Okay, we'll leave it there for a sec. So that's the first answer. And what I want you to take from this is Mark asks, how were you sure? And really, that answer is, hey, these guys are great. But the answer isn't, how are you sure? There was not that answer.
And that is sort of a theme, a running theme that I want you to be aware of with this press conference is straight answers from Keith Pelley are hard to come by. I thought Matt's and John and you'll see it in their answers. answer things pretty straightforward. I'm going to say it till I'm blue in the face because I can already see the comments. I think John and Matt's did a very good job.
Gino Retta was the next one up. Let's play that one. Gino.
A question for Keith and John. You mentioned, John, about the fact that you remained in contact with everything that was going on in the league. But it's a full-time job. Being a GM in this league is a full-time job. GMs will tell us that that's all they do every moment of every day, watching that. Yet you had a full-time job.
So my question to both of you is, is there a concern that there's going to be a window where you're going to have to catch up to the other GMs who have been in and around the league since you've been away? Pause for a sec.
Now, if you're listening to this, you missed it. But Keith looks at John, puts his hand up and says, I got this. It's a direct question for John. And later on in this answer, you're going to see Keith Pelley jump in again. And you're not going to hear Gino's follow up because Gino did get a follow up in.
And Jesse, maybe you can fill in the blank there because we're not totally sure what he asked. But let's play the answer. No, no, no. Here, wait. Before you get there, I want you again, like Adam said, focus on Keith.
He's angry. And Steve Simmons has not asked his question yet that sends this off the rails. He's angry at the reporting from the athletic about all the AI stuff. He's angry that people disagree with this decision.
He's angry about the perception that's out there. And that's why he's like, I got this. He's angry. So let Keith answer John's question.
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Chapter 5: What concerns do executives have about Steve Simmons?
It's the question I've been asked countless times over the past month by executives. Let's stop lying.
I understand why you have a problem with Steve Simmons. Probably share a lot of those concerns. Probably share a lot of those concerns.
I understand why Brian Burke was like, I'm glad I don't have to deal with you anymore on his way out. It's still an iconic quote and hilarious and rude, but rude can be good.
Let's stop pretending like the number one question isn't what the fuck, which is basically what Steve Simmons said in a in a nicer way. And if they had explained it, then I think people would feel a lot better. I'm not. And none of this is to say, again, I'm going to repeat this because we have to start from and God created water. I am still open to John Jacob being great.
But I would love him to be. I think it's fair to ask at this press conference. How the fuck did you come to this? Because this is wild. That's the only thing I want to know out of Keith Belly's mouth. And we did not know. And any team hired him.
So, by the way, this just just so you know, if you're not a Toronto media person, there are some great characters here that are villains or, you know, always always bring something colorful. So they follow up Steve Simmons with Rosie Domano.
That's which that's crazy.
who doesn't really, shows up for the playoffs, doesn't really know the players' names, but always asks an entertaining question. And so Rosie's like, and again, if that was the question, then this is the one beat of that, which is, explain to me this structure. Right.
Hi, Rosie D'Amato from the Toronto Star, and I'm confused. I don't, correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think either of these gentlemen have been given the title head of hockey operations, is that correct?
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Chapter 6: How do the Leafs' management roles impact the team's future?
Who reports to you? Who makes the final decision?
That's a good question. I think it's a great question.
As my...
The role of CEO is to put the structure and process and experts in place and then empower them to make the decisions. At the time of the interviews, it was really fascinating. neither John or Matz at any time talked about titles. They only talked about goals. Okay, we're talking about the Stanley Cup.
In fact, I don't even think Matz knew what his contract title was until he got the contract himself.
Would that be fair?
Fair.
Yeah.
So I can tell you unequivocally that these two gentlemen are... are totally focused on one thing, and that's bringing the Stanley Cup to Toronto.
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Chapter 7: What are the implications of Ridley Gregg's suspension?
Keith's making the call. Do you know that the new title that they've invented for hockey, thank you for being revolutionary in your words, Keith, general manager of hockey operations, is because of Roger's directive to not have presidents? Yeah, it's a corporate directive across the whole thing.
They can't call John Chayka the president of hockey operations because Rogers is committed since they've bought the team to get rid of that role. And they are continuing that. So Keith Bailey, he keeps going back to that term because he knows his daddy is watching and he can't use that word president. And let me just say this. Oh, my God. That is so the company that I remember working for.
Oh, that is 100 percent the company to a T. Nothing's changed on brand. Red is red. Blue is blue. Bell was the same. But Bell would be that way in a different way. Rogers, that is Rogers. They would pick a thing, a niggling thing and be like, this is the corporate thing. And every manager in the company would be like, oh, we got to get to that.
And so this makes him extremely uncomfortable, Jesse. Yes, because he's being asked a very direct question and he's being asked to define this role. And he knows what specifically he can't call it. And that's a president's role.
And he's got to diminish John Chayka's role within the organization to general manager level because he, Keith Pelley, has to be the president decider for all of these sports teams he runs. It's not about what's right. It's about what we said on a piece of paper. Our corporate structure and how we want things to run up to ownership. It has to be me. And then everything falls below me.
So I can't have a president. And even though that John Chayka has come here and taken this role, it kind of seems like president. It's not going to be president at all because that's what Rogers has decided. So, okay, forget the fact that they're running things like literally the Sopranos. How are you not prepared to answer that question competently? I think that was his preparation.
I think that is him being, I think that is Keith Pelley being prepared. Yep. He knew a question like that was coming. You could see him going over it and over it and while he's talking and rambling on. That's his preparation. Boys were fucked. Well, I don't own the Leafs. I don't own the Leafs either. No, but I like when they win and I don't feel like they're about to do much of that.
Hold on though. Hold on. I don't necessarily, listen, I have concerns about the process, but if it's a bad process that yields a good general manager, I'm open to that. I love that Matt's is here. I'm open to John doing a great job. Me too. What are their roles? general manager of hockey operations, and Matt's will work within that.
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Chapter 8: How does Pierre Dorian's hiring affect the Canucks?
Steve, I didn't hire Keith Belly to run anything. I'm not fucked. I think, listen, again, it goes back to... I'm glad you're more mentally well-adjusted than I am, Jesse, but I happen to enjoy when the Toronto Maple Leafs win hockey games. Oh, me too. I do too. Me too. I'll kiss my bottom. You don't like it the way I like it. You know what wasn't great?
When it was game 80 and they're playing whoever and both the teams are out of the playoffs and I got to go to these games and watch it and everything. I'm like, I wish they were in a playoff race. You know what? It's always better when they're doing well. I want them to do well. The playoffs have been so great on the streams because the games matter. Damn.
It's been a long damn time since the games matter. When we're doing those live streams, I'm like, people are like, how come you're not calling the game? I'm like, call this. Why? Why? You might not be able to dominate a press conference, but you can dominate the road.
Yeah. Yeah.
The Toyota Tacoma. I-force engine boasts an impressive towing capacity of 6,400 pounds. How do you feel about 64? I don't even know how to conceptualize what 6,400 pounds is, other than I believe it's roughly equivalent to three other Tacomas.
All I know is my favorite hockey team won the cup in 64.
Oh, OK. All right. That's a bit of a stretch. Jesse, are you going to give him that? You can't give him that. That's something. You know what? He's zigging when I'm zagging. I think that's what I'm doing. Also, don't forget about the 10 speaker premium JBL premium audio system that features. And this is Jesse's favorite part, the portable JBL flex Bluetooth speaker.
I think it's so cool that you just no matter where you are, you're just like, I got a speaker. And here's the deal. Take it with me. Red tag days are on right now. Go to shop Toyota dot C or visit your local Ontario Toyota dealer during red tag days through the end of May. And now let's let's move on with the press conference. The next question. So this is great.
Simmons and then Rosie Domano, who are there's just the two wildcards of Toronto media. And then followed up by Bayless, followed up by the man himself, SDPN's own Christopher Johnston.
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