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00:00email link, if that's not antiquated parlance, and there were references or whatever. It was
00:09like after I saw the post I was clicking on, then it was last night, and it was Canal Side,
00:15and my son was there. And I closed it really fast because it's time to go to work,
00:21but I regretted it immediately because maybe I could have spotted him or just sort of like
00:26re-enjoyed that scene downtown last night. I think my, there's so much to say, I think my favorite
00:37moment watching the game on television, is that antiquated? Watching the game on television was
00:45at one point, maybe it was the 3-2 goal, or maybe it was even earlier than that.
00:50They flash to the crowd out there, and there's that fence in front of the crowd, and the fence
00:59goes down. And what do the crazies, I mean that in a very complimentary way, what do the crazies do
01:08when the fence goes down? Do they, you know, rush the court, as it were? No, they pick it up.
01:16Like, oh, we lost our fence. We lost our barrier. Let's pick it back up and keep dancing.
01:24One of so many tremendous moments through the night. I'm Mike Shope. Thanks for listening. Bulldog
01:31will be back tomorrow. I think he was able to watch the game. We'll find out tomorrow together.
01:37Paul today, Sal Capaccio too, and right now, I mean, I love this guy already, but he's at the game.
01:46I want to spend most of today hoping to hear from people who were there, as I wasn't.
01:54Here he is. I mean, Bulldog will be crushed to not be here for this. Adam Krautwurst joining
02:00me on the Wesher Hotline. Adam, how was your night?
02:05I mean, I don't even know if I slapped. I think it's still, it's still continuing.
02:10It's still last night.
02:11Into the next, into the next day. Yeah, it was, it was amazing. You know, I felt honored
02:18to be there. Felt a little, little spoiled, a little, like I didn't, like I didn't deserve
02:24it because there's way bigger Sabres fans than me that probably were not there. And it was
02:31unforgettable. I love this already. Like it is still last night, isn't it? The thing,
02:37the thing about the playoffs, Adam, and I really don't, well, I guess I do. I know you pretty
02:41well, but to what extent you're into hockey, you've kind of already said, you know, I'm not
02:47sure. I love that you said you were honored to be there. Like, that's really cool. Just
02:52sort of the, the magnitude of it. I mean, I, I texted you this morning, where does it
02:57rank? And, you know, I think of you more as a football guy or the Red Sox or the Celtics,
03:02you know, like I don't think the Sabres are that important to you. Um, I say that, you
03:09know, now maybe I should have said that the same way a week ago, but just like you, you
03:14came right back at me with like, this is a top three sporting event I've ever been to
03:19maybe conservatively. The ESPN play-by-play announcer said he had never been to a game
03:24with that kind of atmosphere. So it was pretty special.
03:30Yeah. I mean, it was, it was unbelievable. The only kind of other one with this type of
03:35magnitude, it was a, uh, 08 Red Sox walk-off home run by Manny Ramirez against the Cleveland
03:41Indians. I was there, it was live. I thought the Sunway was going to collapse, but this was
03:46right there with it. I don't even, it was, I couldn't touch my breath Mike for like five
03:52minutes. It was just a barrage of excitement. And I don't think anybody sat down after, you
03:59know, the second goal, we didn't even get a chance to sit down and settle in as if we
04:04were going to sit down, but like, you know, they're still kind of celebrating goal number
04:09two. And then, you know, Samuelson lines up, you know, at the top there and, and everyone
04:14just kind of knew he was going to make it like it was like, I'm sure you've heard that
04:18the crowd pop video and all that. So we just knew it was going in and it, and it did.
04:22And
04:23I just, you know, it was, it was chaos, the excitement, the atmosphere. I mean, it was great
04:28all, all game. I mean, you know, the fans were there early. I mean, I think the place was
04:33already completely packed. Everyone in their seats, probably 30 minutes before, before the
04:38game ready to go. And then they play the, you know, the video, the tribute video, you
04:43know, Julius is in there.
04:44Oh, I missed that. What? What? I missed that. What?
04:47Yeah, that's right. That's right. They play the, they play the tribute video and, you know,
04:53there's not a dry eye in the place. And I just remember leaning over my buddy going, you
04:58know, there's no way the Sabres are going to, are going to lose this game. And then, you
05:01know, it was two quarters of kind of gross, unlucky, you know, I mean, they don't, I'm
05:07not, listen, I'm not a, not an NHL expert or anything, but I mean, I feel like they
05:12outplayed a 38 shots to 20 and 53 hits. I mean, I'm sure you'll get into this. I
05:17think that was the most hits they've had in my game in like 15 years. And so they
05:21were ready to go, you know, this Swayman was standing on his head and, and just
05:26chanting Swayman's name obnoxiously for three periods was just so exciting. And to
05:32see it finally, see one finally go in was just, was just awesome.
05:36Wait, your Red Sox Celtics thing doesn't extend to the Bruins at all?
05:41No, no, no, it does not.
05:44You said, you said it was fun anyway. What were the first two and a half periods
05:50like in there for you? Like, was it, I know how I felt, I mean, I didn't sit
05:54down either after 2-2, I was just at home, but it was like, uh, I'm thinking
05:59about today's show. Like, we're going to have to talk about how important
06:02goaltending is, and we're going to have to talk about experience and these
06:06things that I just do not want to talk about because I don't care. I mean, I
06:09care about goaltending, but I didn't, I never cared that the Sabres went into
06:14this with a relative lack of playoff experience because I just don't care
06:17about that. I mean, these are professionals, right? So, um, was it, were you
06:23listening to fans around you that maybe were more dyed in the wall that were
06:27frustrated or maybe ready to jump off a bridge or something like what did it
06:31sound like? Yeah, it was honestly, I was, I was thinking about this. It was
06:36opposite of like, so I'm obviously a rabid bills fan and I feel like in games
06:40like this or playoffs or whatever, you're kind of waiting for something bad to
06:45happen. Right. Cause we've just experienced so much heartbreak over the, all
06:50of the heartbreak, uh, over the years, but it was the opposite with this. It was
06:53people are just like, if they get one, they're going to get two, if they get two,
06:57they're going to get three and you, nobody left. I mean, I don't know if people
07:00leave during playoff games, you know, a lot of people spend a lot of money to be
07:03there, but like two, nothing, nobody left six minutes, you know, eight, nine, 10
07:08minutes left. Nobody left. People were just, were just waiting for, you know, the
07:12goal. And, um, and so people just had, I mean, you know, they're a third,
07:17they're a third period team. And so everyone was just, I think waiting for that,
07:21for that moment, waiting for that goal. And for people who don't, I don't know
07:24how you, you know, if you believe in momentum, but I mean, I mean, I thought
07:30we were friends. I was trying to be nice. I was trying to be nice. Well, maybe you
07:36do now. Cause that you could just, you could just feel it. You just that, you
07:41know, that again, that pass out to Samuelson, like as the puck's on the way to
07:44him, you know, it's going in, you just know it is Adam. I mean, listen, no, you
07:49don't. All right. We had a guy broke his stick behind the net to set that up.
07:55Is that momentum or is that a broken stick? I mean, I, I, I'm not, I'm not at
07:59all. Believe me. And I hope you do. Like I I'm seriously and sincerely not
08:04trying to suck up an ounce of life out of that. I think, you know, if I had been
08:09there, it's a top 10 easily game, maybe even like closer to one out of all time
08:16in my life to have been there, they have to win the series now, you know, like
08:21people are talking about where to rank last night. I mean, great. That's fun.
08:27That's what we're here for, but they have to win. And what I liked about the
08:32first 50 minutes of the game, plus I wouldn't have left either because I
08:37thought they were fine. I thought that just, you know, maybe they'll lose.
08:40That's hockey that could happen tomorrow, but I thought they looked like the
08:44better team. And if they get, is it momentum or is it Tage Thompson being
08:49really good at scoring? Um, you know, not trying to pick a fight, but it was,
08:54um, I mean, just so special. And I hope that whatever it is, the rest of the
09:01playoffs or this series, whatever I need here, uh, you know, substantiates it or
09:07lives up to whatever our, our hopes are, because if it does, then that goes down and
09:12maybe game two will be even better somehow, but that goes down as an
09:15all-timer.
09:17Yeah. No, it was, it was amazing. And I'm wondering if maybe, you know, I
09:22don't know, you know, in depth on how hockey works and all that, as far as
09:26like goalie type stuff, but I mean, maybe, you know, maybe he swim in blood a
09:32little bit there. Now, you know, people think, you know, maybe the Sabres, you
09:35know, they tasted blood and now maybe they're going to come out and score some more
09:39wars. I mean, a lot of goals in hockey are kind of lucky. You get a, you know,
09:42a kind of dirty goal, a bounce here, a bounce there, but hopefully, uh, they got
09:45all the confidence in the world now going into it. Cause man, that, yeah,
09:49but you're right. You got, you got to win the series and you know, you're
09:52waiting in line for, for drinks and you're waiting in line to use the
09:55bathroom and people are talking about, Oh, I'm going to games. Like even the first
09:59segment, Oh, I'm going to the game in Boston game three. Like people are ready for
10:02the long haul here. They're ready for a deep run. They're already buying tickets
10:06and making plans. And so I think the confidence, it's kind of a little bit
10:10different. It was different for me to experience on the bills. It's like, Oh
10:12my God, how are we going to blow this? Whereas the Sabres like, no, no, no,
10:16we're, we're going to, we're not going to blow it. In fact, we're going to come
10:19back here in the third period and win this thing. And so it was just kind of a
10:22different, really cool, uh, refreshing vibe from the same people that like the
10:27same teams. Yeah. Well, when you're a little bit less tied in emotionally, then I
10:35think that makes it the same amount easier to relax and not obsess and not
10:41expect the worst, you know, and that, that might've been you. Do I understand
10:45it that you were on a television? I was when they went up, when they went up
10:50four for four, two, I had, uh, I was waving the towel and, uh, I'm glad I told
10:55everyone that I was going to the game because then they couldn't have caught me
10:58right-handed, you know what I mean? So, uh, it was, uh, yeah, it was, it was, it
11:03was just, uh, a great experience. Uh, the towels and, uh, the people, it was just, it
11:11was, I mean, playoff hockey, you just want to go experience playoff hockey and to get
11:15like, I mean, what is this? Is this a top five Sabres playoff game? I mean, I don't
11:20know. You tell me, I mean, this was just insane. It was insane. It might be, again,
11:26it depends on how the series goes. I think like it, they have, they have, they have had
11:32exciting. So 2007, they beat the Rangers in the second round. Were you born yet? They
11:40beat the Rangers in the second round. Okay. And the Chris Drury tying goal, the Finnegan
11:47off winning goal in overtime are iconic like moments in Sabres history in the conference
11:53finals. They score Daniel Breer scores in the final seconds is that that's game two
11:59to force overtime. They'd lost game one. Uh, and then, then here it is again, like it's
12:05happening again. Nobody remembers that goal. I mean, not nobody, but nobody cares because
12:09they lost the game and then they lost the series. So what Breer did was very much equivalent
12:15to what Drury did, but they lost. So it just, it just goes on the pile, you know, Adam
12:23and you know, this is there in Bill's history to great games, like the new England game.
12:30You might've gone to that game against new England in the playoffs, right? When it was
12:33super cold and the game. No, I was, I was, you were not at that game. Okay. But they, they
12:39lose the next week in, you know, spectacular fashion and like, all right, well, it's, it's
12:44a memory. It's not even as good of an example as the Sabres one, but it's a memory. It's
12:48just not like special, you know, because they have, they have to win around. Well, again,
12:53it sounds like I'm trying to take something away from last night and I do not mean to
12:56do that. I was talking with Bulldog, you know, he's been off for a couple of days and again,
13:01I'm expecting him here tomorrow, but just like a lot of young people don't know what this
13:08is going to be like. And I think we might've undersold it, Adam. It's just what a way for
13:15it to start. You know, this, they could have won four one. I'm like, Oh yeah, that
13:19was fun. Cool. You know, let's go. Maybe they can go far, but to have that game happen
13:25in the opener is just like really incredible. Cause we're, we're like, you know, if you're
13:28not yet, maybe 25 years old or something, like you might not know what you're getting
13:33into here and all right, you know, all right, show, we'll prove it. And I mean, we did
13:39that's, that's exactly, uh, that was exactly the point. And what do you do with today?
13:43The challenge now is like, it's every other day, right? The drumbeat of it. So you're
13:49saying like, it's still last night a little bit, like you're still reveling in it, but
13:53there's another game tomorrow and you just don't really get it. It's not football. You
13:57don't get a week to, um, you know, reflect for better or worse. Yeah. I mean, people were
14:04talking about on the way out last night, uh, you know, you know, now we have to go live
14:09our lives and pretend like we care about anything else. I care about anything anyone says to
14:16me today. What does this do real quick? You mind if I ask you a question? No, please real
14:20quick. What if they go on to win the series or go deep or whatever, is this a, like a,
14:27like a, like a Josh Allen moment for taste Thompson. I mean, I feel like he threw the
14:31team is back there, uh, and just gotten every scrum and every hit towards the end and scored
14:37two goals. I mean, is this a, is this a kind of a defining moment for him?
14:42I don't know yet. I don't know what to do with that yet. Like I I'm not his, I'm not
14:47his
14:48biggest fan. Like he, he is an incredible goal scorer and that's almost it. You know,
14:54like here's this big guy and he's got this, you know, incredible talent goes to the worlds
15:00last year, scores the golden goal, goes to the Olympics. He's a part of that team and no
15:04small part of that team. I, I really, I mean, I admire and respect what he's good at. There
15:10are times watching games and I will have to admit since you asked about him, uh, and I
15:15was planning on mentioning this anyway, of course, but like just, he was bugging me last
15:19night and I mentioned it to my family. Like, you know, I just don't know what to do with
15:24him, but here's, here's what's cool. My daughter plays hockey and she and I were talking
15:30about this last night, watching the game together. And my wife is, I hope I don't go too far here.
15:37She's very big on, you know, like good coaching and structure and you know, what do, what do coaches
15:44want or what do you want as a parent when your kids start to play sports? Your, your sons play
15:49soccer, right? At least one of them does. And you know, you, you don't want a goal hog. You don't
15:55want, you know, a selfish player. You want passing like passing gets, gets flowers and you know, just
16:03taking the puck up the ice doesn't, but those are players sometimes who win games for you. Like the, the,
16:10the one kid who can just sort of take over the game. That can be the difference between winning
16:15and losing. So passing and teamwork and these kinds of things get, and I'm not saying at all
16:20that Thompson isn't any of that, but like, those are what get credit and the player who can just
16:28sort of score the goal. Like, okay, well we enjoyed that, but like, how about pass once in a while?
16:34Right. So again, like sort of moving it back into the pro ranks Thompson for me is tougher. And I
16:41make
16:41this point to my family, like, you know, sometimes you just got to keep the puck and shoot it. Not
16:48every time is the, the play that makes your parents or coaches happy, the right play. Cause sometimes,
16:55you know, you've got to just kind of do it. And it was ironic. It's ironic to me because I
17:00love that
17:01point, but here's Thompson who, I mean, how does he make his money last night? And no matter what a
17:09fan
17:09thinks watching them or me, like, just sort of like, Oh, why did you do this? You know, get back
17:13the kinds of things that we sort of like about players when they're good, you know, teamwork
17:18stuff and everything else. Here's a, and, and he proved my point, even though I was down on him.
17:24Like he just went and scored. I want to talk to Paul later to see if he, if he thinks
17:28Thompson
17:29meant to go along the ice on that second one. Cause like the goalie lifts his pad a little bit
17:34and Thompson scores underneath it. Um, you know, I just, you asked me one question and
17:38I can just go all day. I'm sorry, but like, no, it's, it's, it's great. You need that.
17:45Yes. Yeah. I mean, look at, is it Geechee? What's his name for, for, for the Bruins? Geeky.
17:51I mean, Geeky, he had, you know, he had an amazing game too, but he had a wide open net
17:55and
17:56he didn't shoot it. They probably would have won, you know, that was a lucky one. That was a lucky
18:04momentum, Mike. That's what happened. Which they didn't, which they didn't. They did not have
18:09momentum. No. Well, you know, what a, what a memory for you. Congrats. Oh, so good. Are you
18:16going back to watch the games on TV? That sounds terrible. You know what I mean? I have to come
18:21on. I have to. You're sucked in now. Was that your first playoff game ever? My first, my first,
18:27I just wanted to play off. I've been waiting, you know, 15 years for some playoff hockey. And I just
18:33wanted, I would have done with a nice two to one, you know, regular old playoff win,
18:37but this was just a absurd and a game I'll never forget. This is Adam Krautwurst who bailed
18:44on me Wednesday. I had, he and I were going to the Dallas game, but you had something come
18:51up and, you know, I guess that was important. So you couldn't go. And here you are a few days
18:56later. All right, well now you'll, you'll go. I mean, that's, I understand where I rate
19:00here in all this.
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