Sept 9th - Mark Spector of Rogers Sportsnet

0:00You're listening to Jason Greggershow presented by play Alberta dot C a remember if you gamble use your game sense stay within your limits go to game sense dot a B dot C a bears back at afternoon how you doing? Doing alright squad J. Well, there's lots happening buddy in the sporting world for hockey and football and of course we're a few days away from rookie camp a week away from on ice for the NHL and the orders for a little bit of a curve ball not a lot of people expected it when they came out that Alex for mton signs of one year league minimum deal at eight hundred and fifty K. What did you make of it? I know like I talked to Stan Bowman. I know you talked to at the stand moment. In a conversation what what did you come away with after talking to the GM and what was your initial reaction when you heard the signing. Well, I mean look at the elephant in the room is that he's one of the London five right that's the biggest part of this if they just signed him. It would barely be worth you know we wouldn't spend a segment on it but he's one of those guys he's making his way back in the league.

1:01Carter hearts played last year it sounds like Dylan Dubey is going to finally make his way back to he's going to probably play for the same of those booze this year. Farmington looks like he'll play it Edmonton and so there's there's there's multi sides to the story. Can they use a good PK guy? Well, he was a good PK guy when he last played in the NHL three years ago. You know is he still I don't know you know that they don't know either right when when Stan Bowman he probably told you the same thing you told me when when Samoy and and Yamar put down he looked at the UFA list for guys that were good penalty killers he said there wasn't even a list right all the UFA's out there weren't penalty killing guys. So you know on one hand they got a real a guy they think is going to be a good penalty killer is he I don't know but really the bigger story Jason is should you know the Edmonton orders be signing this guy giving him the second chance what your thoughts. Well, I discuss it at the top of the show I really I look at Foreman's and and he was acquitted in in court. So like that's a fact.

2:10He also hockey Canada felt like he did something wrong because they made a payout many years earlier right in an offer with with EM the lady. So clearly they felt there was something that wasn't right right so the moral code the criminal code sometimes are different. I think that's fair and so even though he was found not guilty in a court of law I don't think he was innocent in the moral world right in society. Now at the same time he he paid his price right he was kicked out of the league for four years coming off a season where he had 18 goals coming out of an ELC is probably going to sign three or deal a three million bucks probably minimum at that point so probably cost him $10 million let's say right not to mention the public humiliation his name is always connected to that. The court case was was very public you could see the transcriptions you could see all the text messages that were exchanged like lots of your dirty laundry got aired out there and that is so it's not like okay yeah I didn't go to jail sure you didn't do that.

3:16But there was there is some punishment there there's there's no question in my mind and he was out of the league for four years could say kind of did his time so he gets a second chance right. Craig McTavish is a guy who got a second chance many years ago in a situation that you know obviously was awful and you know took someone's life and you know and Craig you don't kept in communication with that family and did his due diligence and and you know what went on to deliver pretty successful life so you know for that one he'll get that opportunity now right and we'll see now the difference is he's been out of the league for four years. McTavish is only out of league for one right like four years a long time even though he was playing hockey in Switzerland it's not in the NHL it's not as quick it's not as good now who knows maybe just getting back to the NHL will be a neck I'm sure getting acquitted and getting back to the NHL might be mentally a relief for him so I don't really have an issue with a guy get in a second chance because you know there was some severe punishment right handed down for him in it I would still like you know to see these guys who come back do something in the community you know that shows that hey you know what I'm aware of what I did was wrong and I want to show it not just play hockey right but that's a perfect utopian scenario and it doesn't seem to be something that we see very often in these situations.

4:37Yeah I mean let's see the guy just showing up in town here I suppose I'd say you know give a chance let's see what he does let's see how he reacts but most you know pretty much everything you just said I think I'm mostly in agreement with the orders of may have been of a cottage industry like listen the talk around the NHL today is someone side Alex for mitten oh it's Edmonton are you surprised who else would have signed right that's the talk around NHL Edmonton's become that team you know and maybe Vegas secondarily Edmonton's science guys other guys don't want other teams don't want to touch and you know what I'm not all together against that you know eminent signed to Vanderkane right you know they got what they paid for they got a good player for a little while then they got a guy that was hurt a lot then they got a guy they got sick of and had to move out of town you know eminent sign courier Perry gave a shot they got a really good player and a really good guy. And a good person. Cory Perry had one bad night in his life you know whatever they signed stand moment you know I guess stand moments book is still open we don't know if how it's going to end here to me stand moment he hasn't been a perfect GM but he's been a very active one right it's nice to have a GM Edmonton that's got big colonies that makes a lot of moves that takes it right takes a leap makes a trade they're not all perfect and then they sign Mike Babcock

6:06who knows man in coach the game hearing that so I don't you know if that's the team you have I'm not I'm not completely disappointed I think I'd rather if you're giving me two extremes Jason I'd rather have a team that's that throws his hat in a lot of different rings than one that sits in the sidelines and only signs the most pristine player ever because that teams probably not very good. I will say one thing about I think stand Bowman it's unfair to lump him with all the other guys because the other guys had direct actions of their own all in these cases him the thing he was guilty of was not following up on something that he never did right and was told the story at one point. Hey this is what happened and then his boss said he was going to do something I just want to point that out I do think I agree with you. Which is, anyone who read the, uh, read the, that lawyers report. Yeah. It's very clear what happened in Chicago. Stan Boman's bosses said to him, stay out of this. We're going to handle it. Yeah.

7:07And so now, Stan, if he was in this conversation right now, Stan, we'll say to you, I should have followed up on that and surely got handled. But I'm here to tell you, and I've said this on your show before Jay, if Ted Rogers folds Mark Spector and says, stay out of it, Spector. I'm going to handle it. I'm probably not phone and Ted Rogers back two weeks and asking him if he handled it or not, right? Yeah. I'm probably not doing that. I mean, absolutely. I feel the same way. Yeah. I think Stan Boman, uh, he's a good person and he got a bad rapid. Could he have done more? Yeah. Did he learn from it? Yeah. Did he spend a couple years of the silent because of it? You bet he did. But the other thing is he's one of the guys that's actually like went out and did a lot of research, did a lot of work on it? Oh, I talked to beach about it. Like, you know, directly because again, he, like I found in his case, like a lot of people forget like he didn't do any of this. He didn't, he wasn't the, he wasn't the perpetrator here. He never did any of that. So I do think there's separation involved in it. But nonetheless, um, yeah, it's an or like St. Louis, you know, they got Dubé, Vegas,

8:10got Carter Hart, other teams have done it. Obviously, you know, Edmonton's maybe done it more than some others and, you know, like Tavish worked out quite well. You know, we'll see where they go. Like how much of an impact is forington going to be that's, to me, that's probably the bigger question. You know, I talked to Stan about it and he was signed. You know, if Matt Savoy doesn't get hurt, this guy probably doesn't get signed in him. And because they don't really need him. But Savoy was one of the best penalty killers. Henryk was the other one. They're both gone and they're penalty kill outside of one year. The last four has last five years has, has stunk to be honest. So I think they're hoping that they can just try to fit some other penalty killers and also show us a little sign of maybe desperation doesn't cost you much. It's a league minimum salary and a guy who's been on the four years, right? And he was a good penalty killer four years ago. Doesn't mean he's going to be a good penalty killer now. Okay. But he's listen, the guy just turns 27 like on Sunday. Yeah. So he's in the prime of his hockey career. He's big. He's really fast.

9:11We saw that only today at the captain's skate. He's one of the faster players out there, right? He's shown before he's a good penalty killer. Why wouldn't he still be? Do you forget how? No, you don't forget how. I take him a little while to catch up to speed here. But in terms of like, let's leave the London stuff behind for a second and talk about the hockey player. You get a free player like this at 850. Are you kidding me? Like I don't. But there's only one reason to me why you wouldn't sign Alex Formatine. And that's because of the history we've been talking about. But I think he's got every chance to turn it. This is a team looking for a third line guys that make a little bit of impact. It's been a very unimpactful bottom six on this team for a long time. Why can't Alex Format be that guy? Absolutely. Very possible. We'll see for sure whether he does or not. I'm spec I think just based on conversations I had today and then what we saw on the ice.

10:15I think to start preseason, David and Dr. I said, are going to be the other Ujren Hopkins, Hyman and Howard. And maybe they start the regular season because there's only a few preseason games for those lines. How long do you think it lasts? Oh, five minutes. This is the ongoing segment. Man, they're together. They're apart. This is our world, buddy. You and me and all the other fans. This is what we get. It's never going to be one thing for the rest of time. It will always change. And I don't care how it starts. You and I are on the same page. We both agree that David and Dr. Icyle run on their own lines makes the orders a better team and a harder team to play against. I agree with that. You agree with that? I know it. I listen to your show. Badgok's coming in the door. He's going to figure it out for himself. And I'm here to tell you by December, they're going to be on their own lines and he's going to go, yeah, most of the time, that's probably better. Yeah, probably. Like I don't mind mixing it up every now and then and doing it.

11:17I don't know what I understand it. And there's some validity to that. But in the long run, I think they're better off on their own line. And let's you have a really good. DJ Smith would know this. It's a simple. Well, as this, when you start in the part and the other teams beating you and you put it together, the other teams bench goes, oh, man, you know, we got to deal with this. This is a, this is a plan B that's going to cause us to, to adjust and to think and to maybe do something different. And I know the stuff about home and road and match ups and all that. But when you bring them together for the third period, the other bench notices, when you take them apart, the other bench says, ha, we beat them. Right? They're taking McDavid and rice at a little part. Well, hell, we got this game three quarters one. So that's the, the effect on your opponent is, is it's, it's a complete opposite putting them together and taking them apart. That's why I say you start them apart.

12:18And you always have the chance to put them together later in the game. Spec makes sense. Have yourself a great day. We'll talk a little labor day tomorrow. Have a good one. All right. Sounds good.