The following is a transcript from the football portion of Yellowknife’s local Sports show… Moose Talk!!! The segment picks up around the 45-minute mark, following uninterrupted coverage of the NHL offseason rumors…
Tonight’s Special Commentators: Bobbie Bouchard, & Martin Morin, & Kip Tremblay
BOBBIE: Welcome, folks. For those of you Wraiths fans still with us, we’re going to take a few minutes to discuss NSFL football.
KIP: This is gonna be fun. I’m in a good mood today. How can you not be hype after that game?
BOBBIE: Well, that’s a good point, but there’s no point in delaying news that I’m sure local fans were excited to hear. Indeed, the Wraiths did prevail and will be advancing to the NSFL play-offs. Fans are excited to hear this after the Wraiths made it in last year, only to fall in the semi-finals.
KIP: Well, of course, fans are excited. Heck, I’m excited, Bobbie. Everyone in this room should be excited. I know it’s our job to call it down the line and you know I do, but can you feel the energy in this room? This whole place is hyped up. The raiders are going all the way!
MARTIN: That’s great, Kip, and I know you’re excited, but let’s not forget that you were excited last year and we all know how that went. Now, if we look at it objectively, the Wraiths lucked because the Yeti should have been in this spot. And that’s a team that made it into the Ultimus Championship just to get a bad break. And that’s what they got this week, a bad break.
KIP: Now, hold up, Morin. I know you aren’t talking up a bunch of Colorado boys up here in Canada. They don’t even have real snow. They ship in from Saskatchewan!
BOBBIE: There’s no way that’s true, but it’s also off-topic.
KIP: It’s exactly true!
BOBBIE: …And off-topic. But Martin has a good point. A lot of non-Canadian fans did have the Yeti pegged to reach the play-offs. And a lot of them are saying that the Wraiths did catch a break. Personally, I don’t agree with that, but it’s hard to blame fans for being passionate about their teams.
MARTIN: Well, let’s not just disregard this as passion. I mean the Yeti are the better team. Mathematically, it can be proven. Their defense alone is one of the best in the league. When you combine fumbles and interceptions, the Yeti have the more turnovers than the Wraiths. And let me tell you, coaches don’t care how a turnover happens… they just care about getting the ball back in their offense’s hands.
KIP: True, I’ll give you that, but the Wraiths are no slouches are defense, either. I mean you’re practically splitting hairs with some of these numbers. The fact is that this is a defensive league. Teams can’t compete if they can’t generate turnovers and control the pace of the game. And the Yeti do that well, but so do the Wraiths. And let’s not even talk about Quarterbacks because the Wraiths boast the best QB rating in the NSFL. Orosz leads in completions, yards, and even touchdowns. Where’s your math on that?
BOBBIE: While that’s true, let’s also remember that the Yeti are a rushing team. It doesn’t matter how you get the ball in the end zone as long as you get it there. Now, realistically, I think best teams have a good offense. They just get the job done in different ways. If we’re gonna talk about splitting hairs, we’ve got to call it down the line.
KIP: And everyone knows that I do. I just don’t think that Morin is right to come in here and try to bust the vibe in this studio. People around here are in a good mood and, man, I like it when people are in a good mood. Heck, if he rubbed that frown off his face for a minute, he might be in a good mood, too!
MARTIN: No frown here, Kip. I’m just here to keep things balanced. I know our viewers like the Wraiths and I like them, too, but we owe it to the viewers to give them the facts. And when NSFL fans in other areas are saying “our” team got off easy, it’s not our place to cover that up.
BOBBIE: Let’s move on, gentlemen. I don’t think we’re giving proper credit to the Otters on this one. They played a hell of a game and, if we’re gonna talk fan talk, a lot of them are saying good things about that game.
KIP: You know… I was impressed with the Otters. That’s a team that respects the game. They’re already locked into the playoffs and they still showed up to play because they have too much respect for the game to just phone it in. There are a lot of teams out there that would have already been focused on the playoffs, but the Otters had something to prove and, win or lose, they came to play.
MARTIN: At the risk of giving him quite a shock, I’m going to agree with Kip. Great game by the Otters. They almost won.
KIP: Well, they didn’t win.
MARTIN: They almost did, though. And I think that counts for something. I think that the Otters proved, if the Wraiths do make it to the championship, they’d better hope it’s not against the Otters because that team could have easily won. And, if we’re going to talk about teams carrying a grudge, I think that certainly gives them a little something extra. If that something turns out to be a touchdown, the Otters end up with the Ultimus.
KIP: Again with the hot take! I’d ask where you pull this stuff out of, but we probably can’t say it on TV. You talk about facts, but I think you just like rile people up. And I’m trying not to let it rile me up, but they’re celebrating a big win in Yellowknife and all I hear you talking about are how the Yeti and Otters should have won games that they lost.
BOBBIE: I know Kip’s hyped up. And Kip, I get it. This is an exciting day and I was looking forward to discussing that game after it concluded, but Martin, I think you’re being a little harder on the local boys than you normally do.
MARTIN: Two words, Bobbie… tough love. This is a big opportunity for the Wraiths and I don’t want the fans going into the playoffs with unrealistic expectations. We’re talking about the best of the best here. And I like the Wraiths. I know my job forces me to be impartial, but I like to see them win. That’s no secret. But at the end of the day, I think there’s room to improve and I’m not going to sit here and pretend like the Ultimus is ready to fall into our lap. Now, if the Wraiths bring it home, I’ll be the first to admit I’m wrong, but until then, I’ll continue to challenge them because I think they need that.
KIP: Like I said, Bobbie, it amazes me where he gets this stuff and I’ll just leave it at that. I said he’s riling me up, but you know what, I’m not going to let it happen. Not today. You can’t wipe this smile off my face.
BOBBIE: Fair enough. We’ve got one of you celebrating and one of you being cautious. Well, I think we know where our viewers stand on this one. Before we go, anything you gentlemen would like to share from the actual game.
KIP: Yeah, I want to highlight the play of a young kid that’s making waves. He’s a prospect we picked up only recently, but he’s off to a great start. Erlich Burnsman… which is not a name you forget, by the way… he split carries with Bubba Nuck and hung with him. And that’s on top of 3 catches. This kid’s already involved in the running game and the passing game. We got Kennedy finally settling in as a fullback, Nuck doing his thing, and now Burnsman helps take some of the heat off the big Bubba. At the start of the season, they were calling this Running Back a one-two punch, but I think we have a one-two-THREE punch!
BOBBIE: I really like this kid. It’s just one big game so far, but I think it proves that the Wraiths have an eye for talent at the running back position. They picked up a running back late in the draft that no one was looked at and converted him into a solid fullback. Now, they have a strong prospect behind Bubba Nuck just in time to keep their opponents guessing for the playoffs.
MARTIN: I’m usually the skeptical one, but this Burnsman kid is making a name for himself when it matters. If he keeps this up, he’s gonna be fresh in several owners’ heads for the draft. I’m looking forward to seeing more out of him.
KIP: I think we all are. Now, don’t get me wrong. Nuck’s not going nowhere, but it’s nice to see him get some breathing room for a change.
BOBBIE: I think we might be hearing that one-two-three punch phrase come up again over the next few weeks. Martin, anything else to share?
MARTIN: yeah, I’ll point out the one thing nobody else is talking about. And that’s discipline. During that last game, the Otters racked up twice as many penalties as the Wraiths. And that’s not just good discipline on the Wraiths’ side, but also smart tactics from the team. It takes a lot of effort to get a team like the Otters on edge. The Wraiths had a lot more on the line and they kept it cool under pressure.
KIP: Two compliments in a row? Morin, that’s not like you…
MARTIN: Don’t get me wrong. Mike Boss played a great game, too. I guess Orosz and Boss both played well, to be fair, but Boss didn’t have the turnovers. And he put two receivers at over 100 yards each.
BOBBIE: Westfield and Phelps.
MARTIN: That’s the two. I’m liking that receiving core a lot. They know how to move the ball. I called them a rushing team early based on the way the season has progressed, but Mike Boss showed us that he has a lot to offer in the pocket.
BOBBIE: Well, fans, we’ll be back once again next week and I know we all look forward to these exciting playoff match-ups. Whether Martin’s prediction of an Otters / Wraiths championship comes to fruition or not, we’ll find out soon enough. Until then, I’m Bobbie Bouchard and this has been Moose Talk!
Transcript ends.
1,806 Words
Tonight’s Special Commentators: Bobbie Bouchard, & Martin Morin, & Kip Tremblay
BOBBIE: Welcome, folks. For those of you Wraiths fans still with us, we’re going to take a few minutes to discuss NSFL football.
KIP: This is gonna be fun. I’m in a good mood today. How can you not be hype after that game?
BOBBIE: Well, that’s a good point, but there’s no point in delaying news that I’m sure local fans were excited to hear. Indeed, the Wraiths did prevail and will be advancing to the NSFL play-offs. Fans are excited to hear this after the Wraiths made it in last year, only to fall in the semi-finals.
KIP: Well, of course, fans are excited. Heck, I’m excited, Bobbie. Everyone in this room should be excited. I know it’s our job to call it down the line and you know I do, but can you feel the energy in this room? This whole place is hyped up. The raiders are going all the way!
MARTIN: That’s great, Kip, and I know you’re excited, but let’s not forget that you were excited last year and we all know how that went. Now, if we look at it objectively, the Wraiths lucked because the Yeti should have been in this spot. And that’s a team that made it into the Ultimus Championship just to get a bad break. And that’s what they got this week, a bad break.
KIP: Now, hold up, Morin. I know you aren’t talking up a bunch of Colorado boys up here in Canada. They don’t even have real snow. They ship in from Saskatchewan!
BOBBIE: There’s no way that’s true, but it’s also off-topic.
KIP: It’s exactly true!
BOBBIE: …And off-topic. But Martin has a good point. A lot of non-Canadian fans did have the Yeti pegged to reach the play-offs. And a lot of them are saying that the Wraiths did catch a break. Personally, I don’t agree with that, but it’s hard to blame fans for being passionate about their teams.
MARTIN: Well, let’s not just disregard this as passion. I mean the Yeti are the better team. Mathematically, it can be proven. Their defense alone is one of the best in the league. When you combine fumbles and interceptions, the Yeti have the more turnovers than the Wraiths. And let me tell you, coaches don’t care how a turnover happens… they just care about getting the ball back in their offense’s hands.
KIP: True, I’ll give you that, but the Wraiths are no slouches are defense, either. I mean you’re practically splitting hairs with some of these numbers. The fact is that this is a defensive league. Teams can’t compete if they can’t generate turnovers and control the pace of the game. And the Yeti do that well, but so do the Wraiths. And let’s not even talk about Quarterbacks because the Wraiths boast the best QB rating in the NSFL. Orosz leads in completions, yards, and even touchdowns. Where’s your math on that?
BOBBIE: While that’s true, let’s also remember that the Yeti are a rushing team. It doesn’t matter how you get the ball in the end zone as long as you get it there. Now, realistically, I think best teams have a good offense. They just get the job done in different ways. If we’re gonna talk about splitting hairs, we’ve got to call it down the line.
KIP: And everyone knows that I do. I just don’t think that Morin is right to come in here and try to bust the vibe in this studio. People around here are in a good mood and, man, I like it when people are in a good mood. Heck, if he rubbed that frown off his face for a minute, he might be in a good mood, too!
MARTIN: No frown here, Kip. I’m just here to keep things balanced. I know our viewers like the Wraiths and I like them, too, but we owe it to the viewers to give them the facts. And when NSFL fans in other areas are saying “our” team got off easy, it’s not our place to cover that up.
BOBBIE: Let’s move on, gentlemen. I don’t think we’re giving proper credit to the Otters on this one. They played a hell of a game and, if we’re gonna talk fan talk, a lot of them are saying good things about that game.
KIP: You know… I was impressed with the Otters. That’s a team that respects the game. They’re already locked into the playoffs and they still showed up to play because they have too much respect for the game to just phone it in. There are a lot of teams out there that would have already been focused on the playoffs, but the Otters had something to prove and, win or lose, they came to play.
MARTIN: At the risk of giving him quite a shock, I’m going to agree with Kip. Great game by the Otters. They almost won.
KIP: Well, they didn’t win.
MARTIN: They almost did, though. And I think that counts for something. I think that the Otters proved, if the Wraiths do make it to the championship, they’d better hope it’s not against the Otters because that team could have easily won. And, if we’re going to talk about teams carrying a grudge, I think that certainly gives them a little something extra. If that something turns out to be a touchdown, the Otters end up with the Ultimus.
KIP: Again with the hot take! I’d ask where you pull this stuff out of, but we probably can’t say it on TV. You talk about facts, but I think you just like rile people up. And I’m trying not to let it rile me up, but they’re celebrating a big win in Yellowknife and all I hear you talking about are how the Yeti and Otters should have won games that they lost.
BOBBIE: I know Kip’s hyped up. And Kip, I get it. This is an exciting day and I was looking forward to discussing that game after it concluded, but Martin, I think you’re being a little harder on the local boys than you normally do.
MARTIN: Two words, Bobbie… tough love. This is a big opportunity for the Wraiths and I don’t want the fans going into the playoffs with unrealistic expectations. We’re talking about the best of the best here. And I like the Wraiths. I know my job forces me to be impartial, but I like to see them win. That’s no secret. But at the end of the day, I think there’s room to improve and I’m not going to sit here and pretend like the Ultimus is ready to fall into our lap. Now, if the Wraiths bring it home, I’ll be the first to admit I’m wrong, but until then, I’ll continue to challenge them because I think they need that.
KIP: Like I said, Bobbie, it amazes me where he gets this stuff and I’ll just leave it at that. I said he’s riling me up, but you know what, I’m not going to let it happen. Not today. You can’t wipe this smile off my face.
BOBBIE: Fair enough. We’ve got one of you celebrating and one of you being cautious. Well, I think we know where our viewers stand on this one. Before we go, anything you gentlemen would like to share from the actual game.
KIP: Yeah, I want to highlight the play of a young kid that’s making waves. He’s a prospect we picked up only recently, but he’s off to a great start. Erlich Burnsman… which is not a name you forget, by the way… he split carries with Bubba Nuck and hung with him. And that’s on top of 3 catches. This kid’s already involved in the running game and the passing game. We got Kennedy finally settling in as a fullback, Nuck doing his thing, and now Burnsman helps take some of the heat off the big Bubba. At the start of the season, they were calling this Running Back a one-two punch, but I think we have a one-two-THREE punch!
BOBBIE: I really like this kid. It’s just one big game so far, but I think it proves that the Wraiths have an eye for talent at the running back position. They picked up a running back late in the draft that no one was looked at and converted him into a solid fullback. Now, they have a strong prospect behind Bubba Nuck just in time to keep their opponents guessing for the playoffs.
MARTIN: I’m usually the skeptical one, but this Burnsman kid is making a name for himself when it matters. If he keeps this up, he’s gonna be fresh in several owners’ heads for the draft. I’m looking forward to seeing more out of him.
KIP: I think we all are. Now, don’t get me wrong. Nuck’s not going nowhere, but it’s nice to see him get some breathing room for a change.
BOBBIE: I think we might be hearing that one-two-three punch phrase come up again over the next few weeks. Martin, anything else to share?
MARTIN: yeah, I’ll point out the one thing nobody else is talking about. And that’s discipline. During that last game, the Otters racked up twice as many penalties as the Wraiths. And that’s not just good discipline on the Wraiths’ side, but also smart tactics from the team. It takes a lot of effort to get a team like the Otters on edge. The Wraiths had a lot more on the line and they kept it cool under pressure.
KIP: Two compliments in a row? Morin, that’s not like you…
MARTIN: Don’t get me wrong. Mike Boss played a great game, too. I guess Orosz and Boss both played well, to be fair, but Boss didn’t have the turnovers. And he put two receivers at over 100 yards each.
BOBBIE: Westfield and Phelps.
MARTIN: That’s the two. I’m liking that receiving core a lot. They know how to move the ball. I called them a rushing team early based on the way the season has progressed, but Mike Boss showed us that he has a lot to offer in the pocket.
BOBBIE: Well, fans, we’ll be back once again next week and I know we all look forward to these exciting playoff match-ups. Whether Martin’s prediction of an Otters / Wraiths championship comes to fruition or not, we’ll find out soon enough. Until then, I’m Bobbie Bouchard and this has been Moose Talk!
Transcript ends.
1,806 Words
Thanks to Jangorhino for the sig.