The Tom Gazzola Show - Sept. 10th, 2026 - Michael Menzies

0:00Hi, I'm Max Ruffton, the host of The Guardian Football Weekly, alongside me Barry Glendon and my co-host, hey Barry. Hello! Now, although every American found us during the World Cup, for the two that didn't, what can they expect? Found us and fell in love with us, Max. They can expect three episodes each week of occasionally insightful analysis, covering a Premier League, Champions League, and beyond. Football Weekly is back, watch on YouTube, or listen wherever you get your podcasts. You've got social dialed in. Search is doing its thing, so why do your marketing results look the same as six months ago? That's because you're fishing in the same pond as everyone else. Podcast listeners are a different audience entirely, more engaged, harder to reach through traditional channels, and ready to act when someone they trust makes a recommendation. We're Acast, and we put them right in front of you. Browse thousands of the world's leading podcasts, book host reads or run your own ads, and track every conversion in real time. Same skills you already have, brand new results. Acast. Acast.com slash advertise.

1:25Just your thoughts to hit on it, and then we'll get into the nitty gritty of the lines and where we think this team has headed. Yeah, well, I was a little surprised, I think, you know, like Formington had not been necessarily on the radar if you looked at the situation a few months ago. Obviously he'd been reinstated by hockey Canada a little bit earlier than the rest of the acquitted as part of the trial, and Stan Bowman was quoted yesterday as saying that played into their comfort level, perhaps, about giving him a second chance. There's just been so much online outcry. It makes a lot of people uncomfortable, no doubt. And I think for a lot of people too, it's just another oiler controversy. And there's been a lot of them over the last 10, full years where there's a lot of headlines

2:27that have nothing to do with the hockey. It has to do with maybe individuals' characters, and in this case, a charge and a very high profile trial. And his fans want to just sit back for them. The game is the end of a long day. They come home from work. They put on the TV, and they want to watch their team and feel good about the players that are on their team and rooting for them. And so I don't know if the outcry would have been so loud if this had been maybe the first situation the oilers had put themselves in, but it is another one. And we're coming off of, maybe a lot of people uncomfortable with Babcock, or still uncomfortable with Bowman, or on and on. So I think that's part of the why. It's been so charged here. We'll see how long that continues, especially as camp is right in the doorstep here, but I think that plays into a lot

3:32of the response. Do you think the timing of the signing also plays into a lot of it? Like if the signing happens in the end of July, early August, are we still having the same level of outrage? Or is it a little bit less because people are now camping, they're on vacation, they're doing their thing? But the fact that we're like a week away from camp, and then now Olson here comes a signing. Do you think that's part of why there's so much outrage? Or is it purely because of the obvious situation? If you're in the depths of late July, early August, when there is little to talk about, and especially in this market where you're looking for every morsel, you can only do so many hours on the elks, even though they are very good, it is very exciting. I could see, you know, Tom, you might have to be talking about this for a few days in a week, and you know, we really have a whole, you know, hot stove about it. So I can see it either way.

4:34I will say this, what I did like about it was the signing happens yesterday, formington speaks to the media, you know, within a couple hours. And I think that's good, because if you looked at it, Vegas Carter Heart was kind of ducked out of the media line light for most of the season. And I think created maybe a bit more of a distraction at times and made the people that are, you know, vigilant and don't want to or that are still very upset about what happened, you know, give them more ammunition. So we'll see how a goal is if formington's in the lineup, and this becomes a trend of questions and stuff like that. But I did think it was good that he addressed the media earlier. Valid point, Michael. Absolutely. Okay, let's talk about the actual fun stuff about hockey and that's line combinations and potential and all that. All year long. And maybe you could point back to other coaching regimes and other management regimes. People

5:35would be like, don't play, Mick David with dry side all don't play, Mick David with dry side all. Mike Babcock gets hired after Chris Naublock is fired in a very clumsy fashion. And people go, well, after they get past it being Babcock, they go, well, maybe he won't play dry saddle with Mick David. We get our first glimpse of informal skates. And what are we hearing? Probably dry saddle, Mick David playing together. Michael, your reaction to that. That's a coaching question. That's what Mick David said yesterday. That's a, you know, well, it is. That's a coaching question. I'm not going to say, you know, I thought his, his availability was interesting. Yesterday talking about that. And he also there was, I don't know if it was meant to be shade. I don't think it was, but he did say that the players had asked for some stability with the lines. You know, and we know Naublock loved to love to mix it up. He had the magic bullet going all

6:41the time. Oh, yeah. Lose or win. You know what I mean? So those combinations were always changing in game after game. And so I think that might be one thing that actually happens is the lines maybe stay together a little bit longer. But a lot of the fours in the top six top nine have played together. It's going to, it's going to end up being a lot of Mick David and dry saddle, isn't it? Isn't that how this is going to go? We've seen this movie before. Yeah, listen, you got two guys like that. You need a goal. I'm sorry. I'm putting them out there together. I get it. But like you look back the Pittsburgh penguins. I feel like that's a perfect team to look at and comp. And so you had Malcolm, you had Crosby. For the most part, those guys played on separate lines. Why for the most part, let's call it 90% of the time they played on different lines. Why? Because it's a matchup nightmare. And so here in Edmonton, it's a matchup nightmare if you've got Mick David on one line,

7:43dry saddle on the other line. But we have this crazy temptation to consistently put them back together. Like when does that change? Hey, man, it's been 12 years. I don't know. I guess that's my question. Tom. Yeah. After 12 years, why can't we figure it out? Ask Michael. Michael, can you help me with this please? I can't help it because I agree. Why? Why wouldn't you want to? You know, I get it. It's tempting. There are two of the, you know, world's four or five best players in the world. Well, what if we played them together? Well, what if you played them apart and over the stretch of a series of games or a series of playoff games, you know, you force the opposition to have to deal with two different sets of matchups, whether in line combos or deep pairs. So I think the authors are better when they play them apart and they're also able to get more out of their wingers who might not be, you know, your tried and true no doubt top six wingers, right? I mean, that's the

8:47way that cap and in can come in and, you know, be effective in the top six because he plays with dress. They have a little bit of chemistry. You know, you create those roles and you're able to elevate talent that maybe otherwise wouldn't be, you know, top six level across the entire league. So yeah, I would play them apart. I think that's when the owners are at their best. Hi, podvans, Max Russian here from the chart topping Guardian football weekly podcast. Don't not to crowd. If you enjoy the world cup with us, you'll be glad to know we're back for new Premier League season. Expect three episodes a week questionable predictions and the biggest stories in soccer from the Premier League to the Champions League and beyond. Watch now on YouTube or listen wherever you get your podcasts. For example, when you put them together, it leaves you with what we saw yesterday at the

9:53informal skate, Newgen Hopkins between Hyman and Howard. How much staying powered does a line like that have? And if that was the second line on the depth chart going into a Thursday night game against the Vegas Golden Knights in December, would you be confident in that line, Michael? I like newge on the wing. Yeah. I think he's better suited to be a winger today. And I mean, again, because we've seen that he is good chemistry, whether it be with McDavid over the years, it can be because they have, you know, other centers that can take the role. I just think it would set the line up nicely. One to four, McDavid, dry-sidle, Dickinson, Samansky. If you wanted to do that way, or drop newge down to third line, but I still think he's better suited as a winger these days. And the Oilers have the center iceman to be strong at the pivot. And I think newge

11:01can be better served in this day and age for him to be on the wing. I think that's where he's better right now. Michael Menzies joining us from daily faceoff, Edmonton, or discussing the Oilers. We already got the formantin stuff out of the way with Michael. Lots of text continue to come in. Belzy, where do you want to go with this team right now? Well, we got the rookie camp coming up. That's right. And so I just I'm curious on some prospects that the Oilers have in their line up. So, you know, Connor Klatenberg has been talked about quite a bit. We know what Howard is doing Hudson as well. And we've seen Josh Manzie in the lineup. So taking out those particular players, who is probably the most interesting player that we want to watch and we want to see because that guy could potentially, you know, become an Oiler in the next couple seasons. Well, I'm just let's pull that. I think they're still the interesting question of let's say a Quinn Hudson, right? Who's older? Who's gone through NCAA and had a very strong HL season.

12:09You know, I think, you know, in the heat of last year, there was talks or, you know, a lot of hope that, okay, maybe one day he could be a guy as they've gone and signed a lot of forwards that look like they could play in the 11th forward to 17th forward slot on a depth chart. His name is kind of slid into the background. You know, I'm curious to see if there's a, if there's really a guy there. You know, you see the gold tenders. There was all the discussion about Yonson. Was he going? Was he staying in North America? And that sort of drama. I think Unger has a leg up on Yonson and Vinny and day and those guys at the moment. And, you know, Thomas Chabulka, you know, one of these older heroes. You know, we didn't necessarily have the highest of expectations for a player like Josh

13:12Semansky out of the shoot this time a year ago, maybe like some aspects of this game. But here's a defenseman that I'm a little intrigued about. If he's a guy who can slip in because I don't know you know, they might be pressed here and have to move a stasthene, let's say. You know, and Ruguila is still on the mend. You know, who would be a first call up of a scenario comes about. So there's a few names. They're all a little bit older. They're not really your prospect. Types, but that's the state of the Orders organization. But maybe a guy like Boakey as well. I think this will be a big year for him in the age. Hopefully he served well with good health and can be that prospect that many believe he could be when he's first drafted. Michael Mennsey's with us. And yeah, it's an exciting time of year. I'm going to read this text. Brandon says, Babcock played Datsun Kinsettorburg together a lot in Detroit. Didn't he? Yeah, maybe.

14:17Bless you, Fanny. Bless you. But yeah. Yeah, those guys are special players, but that... Oh, well, that line up in Detroit. Yeah. Hall of Famers across the board. Yeah, but I had the pleasure of playing against a few of them. How did that go? Not great. Got me sent down. But I think this is actually going to be a benefit. Like, when we were talking about Babcock, you know, coming in and, and, oh, some of well, only one cup with that Detroit team. Or it just anyone could have walked in and won gold medals with those, you know, Olympic teams. Well, this Wheeler's team is not... It's not set to be rebuilt. It's set to be winning right now. So, a coach who's been in those spots who's had similar type of talent. Well, this should bowed well. Or at least he's got some experience in that as opposed to someone who hasn't. So, by the

15:17last time we go, as we know. So we'll see. That's true. We will see. Here we are on the eve of rookie camps starting and then shortly after main camp, we're going to have so much to discuss. Michael, we'll be discussing it with you throughout the season. Thanks for the time today, pal. We'll see you soon, okay? Appreciate it. Thanks so much, guys. We're going to have a quick, questionable predictions and the biggest stories in soccer from the Premier League to the Champions League and beyond. Watch now on YouTube or listen wherever you get your podcast. Quick question. When was the last time a display ad changed your mind? Now, think about the last time a friend told you about something they loved. Different feeling, right? That's how podcast advertising works. A host who's built real trust with their audience talks about your brand and their own words and their own voice. It doesn't interrupt the experience. It's part of it. With Acast, you can access the world's largest podcast marketplace. Choose the right shows,

16:21the right audiences, the right format. Then watch the data tell you it worked. You're not buying impressions. You're buying influence. Learn more by visiting Acast.com slash advertised.