Remember in 1984 when Wendy's aired a commercial with a group of elderly ladies sitting at a table? They saw a gigantic hamburger bun and assumed there was a gigantic burger patty. It turns out that they were duped, which led to one of the most infamous lines in fast-food advertising history.
"WHERE'S THE BEEF?"
So... Where is the beef?
It seems this beef has taken a time machine to August 12, 2024. Here, the newest Vegas Golden Knights goaltender, Ilya Samsonov, called out the newest Ottawa Senators goalie, Linus Ullmark on Instagram. What could the former Maple Leafs netminder have said to stir up controversy?
For context, the former Vezina Trophy winner was asked about Joseph Woll on the Leafs Nation Podcast. He replied that he was surprised about Toronto keeping Samsonov as long as they did in net during the Boston series. Of course, the Maple Leafs were eliminated by the Bruins, where Woll was the better goaltender with more control (at least, according to Ullmark).
The Russian netminder doesn't take kindly to this and responds on Mark Zuckerberg's other social media platform, telling him to keep his arse shut when November 21 rolls around and jabbed at Ullmark over his injury history. Boy, I hope the new Senators goaltender doesn't eat any Taco Bell before that date.
In what world are the Ottawa Senators and Vegas Golden Knights beefing based on Linus Ullmark and Ilya Samsonov?
Of course, Ilya Samsonov deleted his comment after the fact. Still, it brings up an interesting idea about that Bruins-Maple Leafs series and the newest Vegas Golden Knights goalie. Was the Russian netminder that bad for Toronto in last season's Stanley Cup playoffs?
It turns out he was. He posted a GAA of 3.01 and a save percentage of .896 in five Stanley Cup playoff games with the Maple Leafs, serving as a reason for their early exit. Compare that to Joseph Woll, whose GAA of 0.86 and save percentage of .964 in three games were superior. It's easy to see why the newest Ottawa Senators superstar is right.
But what about Linus Ullmark himself? Does he have any ground to stand on? It turns out he doesn't, for he posted a GAA of 3.90 and a save percentage of .886 in two postseason games last season. Jeremy Swayman had taken over the starting job, leading Boston to a series victory over Toronto.
Never in a lifetime would anyone imagine netminders from the Senators and Golden Knights would be feuding. Mind you, these were over comments during a podcast. Still, get your popcorn and the beef ready on October 25 and November 21, Las Vegas. It looks like we have another big main event on our hands. This one would make Dana White blush in pride.