Postgame Show: Peyton Hillis

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Speaker 3 I don't understand what the big deal is being on a cover. Matthew Kachuck is on the cover.
Jazz Chisholm was on a cover. People, they do like a release party for the cover.

Speaker 3 Did I miss something that it's a big nod to the Panthers?

Speaker 2 It's a huge deal to be a cover athlete. And down here in South Florida, historically, haven't had many cover athletes on video games for your teams.
We've had John Bam Beesbrook in the 90s, Jazz,

Speaker 2 aforementioned. James.
Jay Wade had one.

Speaker 4 Why do I remember Ricky Williams on a cover? Did that Wade have one?

Speaker 2 That was NFL Street 2, but it was like an animated Ricky Williams, I think.

Speaker 5 Which one did Dwayne Wade do? I think he was on an NBA Live

Speaker 2 back in the day. Tim Hardaway had an NBA Live.
That was like a 2K.

Speaker 6 D-Wade was also on the cover of NBA Live like two years ago, like Legends Edition, where he was in the LeBron was

Speaker 2 to have been on a cover. LeBron was on the cover of 14 or 15.

Speaker 2 Tim Hardaway was on the cover of NBA Live 98. But what I'm saying is it hasn't happened much.
NBA Live 06

Speaker 2 year for it, by the way. By then, the franchise was dying.

Speaker 3 you know it's this you've named

Speaker 2 four of these covers Mike he means MUK okay not the front not the Miami Heat franchise but that that's still not many it seems like a lot no it's really you've named like a dozen covers no it's it's really not how many covers are there per year they're across all the major sports yes I can't remember a dolphin having one.

Speaker 2 Like, there's four major sports, which means four new video games every year over the course of 30 years I've highlighted.

Speaker 6 Well, there also used to be like NFL Blitz, and there used to be like NFL Fever on Xbox. So then ESPN had an NFL game for a while.

Speaker 6 So like, there was a time there was like four versions of the same game every year.

Speaker 2 Gold standards, like the EAs and the 2Ks. We've had Tim Hardaway, John Van Beesbrook, Jazz Chisholm on the show.
That's up there with a name brand.

Speaker 4 Does Antoine Walker count if he was a Celtic?

Speaker 2 No, he doesn't.

Speaker 3 So he'd be wearing the uniform.

Speaker 2 So only the second Florida Panther ever to grace a video game cover. Matthew Kachuck now joining joining John Van Beesbrook.
That's close to 30 years over there. So

Speaker 2 this is a really cool moment.

Speaker 3 But the math is, I think that there's 30 franchises. There'd be one every 30 years.

Speaker 3 Can we we're getting bogged down the reason I'm bogged down is people act like when Jazz Chisholm got it It became a thing like he in his mind became a star I think that's why you're bothered by it because Jazz is probably I would say off the top of my head Maybe the least deserving cover athlete that I could ever just popular with kids though people were mad.

Speaker 5 And he's like big on social.

Speaker 6 Outside of Miami, people were mad that Jazz is on the cover because they're kind of like what it is.

Speaker 3 And that's what I'm getting at. Is anyone upset that the cover athletes?

Speaker 4 There's been some bad ones. There was one year where they went to a vote, and who was the white running back who won it? Surprisingly white guy.

Speaker 2 Peyton Hillis. And Hillis won it.
That was a big moment. I was a Browns fan at the time.
That was super. You get super pumped up when your guy is on the cover.
Telling you, it's a big deal. I mean,

Speaker 6 I was like, I'm not sure if I'm doing this right video game just because Jazz was on the cover.

Speaker 4 David, if one of your Marlin players were on it you would have we loved it when they were on the cover of si we loved it now what are so what's the disconnect here we even framed when you're on the cover of inside sports we'd keep that that was a magazine that used to right you thought that was cool so why is it weird that fans think it's cool when one of their players is on a cover of a game i was asking whether he was the most deserving panther that was oh this might be the most deserving cover i mean he could have gotten the cover after getting traded and losing in the cup finals he couldn't have gotten the cover after winning the first one he got the cover after winning the second one which i don't know i guess that means maybe he wasn't as people didn't like him as much before, but now he's pretty much the face of the American colour.

Speaker 7 After Four Nations, he's the face of American hockey.

Speaker 4 After Mick Overrated.

Speaker 7 That's he's Canadian, though.

Speaker 2 Yes.

Speaker 2 You guys were talking at the same time and you didn't hear each other.

Speaker 2 Oh.

Speaker 6 Thank you.

Speaker 2 You both made very good points, though. He was correcting himself and it timed out.
It happens, guys. Yeah.
Back to Green Dildos.

Speaker 3 It shouldn't happen now as we're finishing.

Speaker 3 What should be happening is we should be talking separately so we can hear. Are you saying that Kachuk is the most famous American hockey player who plays today?

Speaker 2 I think so. Yeah, I think he's the most famous.

Speaker 2 Most famous, yes.

Speaker 2 I think most famous, it's less of a debate

Speaker 2 than it is like best.

Speaker 7 Austin Matthews is in that conversation.

Speaker 2 We have Quinn Hughes, too.

Speaker 2 It's difficult to say. I mean, Austin Matthews is perceived to be the better player

Speaker 2 quite easily. There's a wide gulf there.

Speaker 2 But in terms of fame, and I think this is another notch for Matthew Kachuk, Matthew Kachuk, when he came here to this market, he was excited to come to Florida.

Speaker 2 Not a lot of people were excited to come to Florida. This was viewed as a place where you would go retire.

Speaker 2 And it immediately jumped off the young man how much he wanted this for the market, how much he didn't shy away from being media friendly. He welcomed being the face of Panthers hockey.

Speaker 2 And there may be better players on this team. In fact, there are better players on this team than Matthew Kachuk.

Speaker 2 But there isn't a more important player in the history of the franchise in terms of turning its fortunes around.

Speaker 2 He brought a new attitude, a new direction for the franchise, and it's cool to just see this as he's adorning this cover with the Stanley Cup overhead. Wow.

Speaker 2 You know, that's a really cool moment for South Florida Hockey, which is

Speaker 2 always looking for

Speaker 2 respect abroad. and domestically because we're always considered a joke.
Well, this is another thing that kind of legitimizes the franchise.

Speaker 3 I think we've passed that. You've got the Lightning Dynasty.
Now you're in the Panthers dynasty. Florida hockey is undoubtedly, it is the best state for hockey in the entire country.

Speaker 3 I would argue in the entire hemisphere because Canadian, they haven't won anything.

Speaker 3 Last time a Canadian team won the Stanley Cup was a couple decades ago.

Speaker 2 This franchise has forced the issue with their success. Typically,

Speaker 2 if they made it to a Stanley Cup final, they'd be asked, hey, do the winter classic. Florida's been good now for a few years.

Speaker 2 It took, they're finally participating in their first Winter Classic this

Speaker 2 upcoming December or January.

Speaker 2 I mean, so they've become so undeniable that you can't keep them out of these things anymore.

Speaker 4 Covers, Winter Classics. Where is the Winter Classic?

Speaker 2 Oh, you jerk.