Episode 76- The Ultimate NHL Showdown: Gary's Beast in the East Meets Cody's Best of the West!

Send us Fan Mail Hockey fans dream of fantasy matchups, but what happens when you pit the entire Eastern Conference against the Western Conference? We decided to find out by building ultimate all-star teams with one crucial twist: we had to select exactly one player from each NHL team. After a coin flip determined our fates, Gary took command of the Eastern Conference (represented by Kings-themed jerseys) while Cody assembled the Western Conference squad (with Ducks-inspired uniforms). The challenge of selecting just one player per team forced us to make fascinating strategic choices – do you prioritize a superstar from one team, knowing you'll have to use a lesser player from another? Gary constructed an Eastern powerhouse featuring Auston Matthews, Sidney Crosby, Alex Ovechkin, and Nikita Kucherov, with Igor Shesterkin between the pipes. Cody's Western squad countered with the deadly combination of Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Nathan MacKinnon, and Cale Makar, backed by Connor Hellebuyck in goal. Both teams looked unstoppable on paper, but only one could prevail. We took these dream teams into NHL 25 for best of 7 game simulation, and despite Gary's Eastern squad taking the first game 4-2, my Western Conference team rallied to win four straight, clinching the series 4-1. McDavid and Draisaitl dominated with eight points each, while Matthews led the East with seven. The most surprising revelation? Gary somehow forgot to include 2 big Stars. a crucial oversight that might have cost him! The episode also covers the latest NHL news, including Olympics orientation camp invites for Drew Doughty, Quinton Byfield, Chris Kreider and Jackson LaCombe, plus updates on the Ducks' ongoing contract negotiations with Mason McTavish. Think you could build better conference teams? Send us your rosters and we might simulate your matchup in a future episode! Support the show -Links to all our socials and where to find the podcast: https://linktr.ee/royallyquacked -Check out all ESEN shows and content here: https://linktr.ee/ESENetwork Join our Discord: https://discord.gg/MEx82G9 Iron+Steel Threads: Use code RQ10 to save 10% on your order. https://ironsteelthreads.com/?ref=rq Use Promo Code: RQ10 for 10 % off your order. Dubby - Clean Energy To Help You Be Better – Dubby Energy Use code ROYALLYQUACKED $20 off your first SeatGeek order: https://seatgeek.onelink.me/RrnK/teamseatgeek Ditch the bulky phone grips, get Ohsnap. Grab yours at https://www.ohsnap.com/RoyallyQuacked Podcast Socials: Instagram: @royallyquacked Twitter: @RoyallyQuacked TikTok: RoyallyQuacked Our Socials: Cody Spink Instagram: @spinko1221 Twitter: @spinko1221 Gary Spink Instagram: @garyspink21 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.