32 Thoughts: The Podcast - A Conversation With Josh Doan

Episode Date: January 28, 2026

In this episode of 32 Thoughts, Josh Doan of the Buffalo Sabres sits down with Kyle and Elliotte for an exclusive interview.Email the podcast at [e-mail] or call the Thought Line at 1-833-311-3232 and leave us a voicemail.This podcast was produced and mixed by Dominic Sramaty and hosted by Elliotte Friedman & Kyle Bukauskas.The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates

Welcome to 32 Thoughts, The Interview, special midweek podcast because before the Buffalo Sabres, 7 to 4 win over the Maple Leafs on Tuesday, we had a chance to sit down with Buffalo's Josh Donne, son of longtime NHLer Shane Donne, but Josh is well in his way to carving out his own story. Original draft pick of the Arizona Coyotes. He was traded to the Sabres last June as part of the J.J. Paturka deal, and he along with Michael Kesslering, have been more than. and fair value since arriving in western New York. Now, Kevin Adams was the GM that made the deal. He felt that if Doan was given more opportunity, he was going to produce more offensively. Of course, he's not the GM in Buffalo anymore,

but to this point, it appears that Kevin was bang on. Now, Donne is fresh off signing a seven-year extension last week. Scored a 16th of the year last night, and as part of a Sabres team that has been the best in the league since early December. We hope you enjoy our conversation. with Josh Dohn on 32 Thoughts, the podcast. Josh Joan, welcome to 32 thoughts, first of all. Appreciate to joining us.

So you just signed a seven-year deal in the last week. Your team has lost four times in the last 22 games. You feel like you are a walking, talking existence of that, my life is a movie meme right now. Like, how are you feeling about everything? Yeah, it's been a whirlwind of a couple weeks here for us, myself included with the new deal, but everything's been great with it.

team with the group and and part of why I think the deal went so smoothly and went along so well is because of where we're at as a team and and as an organization. All right. So let's go to trade. Like some guys know they're about to be traded and some guys have no idea they're about to be traded. Did you have any clue? I had I had no idea. Like it came out of nowhere until I got a text from Julian Lutz in Utah and he was like, JJ just texted me that he's getting traded to Utah if they're working on a deal like to sign them because of sign and trade.

And I was like, oh, that's awesome. And then didn't really think about it. And then like a couple hours later, Kess called me, like, I think we're getting traded. I was like, what are you talking about we're getting trade? He's like, well, my agent's saying we might be getting traded. And then we did some digging and I got a call at dinner time that I was on the move and everything kind of switched up from there.

So what's that like in the moment when you, you get that call. Like, what are you thinking? It's, it's, it's, it's, the, Utah called first to just to let us know, they wanted to make sure they went out of their way and called us to tell us they'd been, we'd been traded, and then he get calls from, from the staff here and Lindy and everyone, but it was weird timing because it was like 11 Eastern when it happened, so everyone was asleep still in the East Coast or no one was really doing much, and everyone on the West Coast's phones were blowing up, so I was getting texts from everyone, and all my family at least knew, and then the next morning,

it was a kind of a whirlwind. So who was the first person you called? I was at the dinner table with my mom and brother when I got my phone started ringing from Bill Armstrong. I was like, that's usually not good at this time of year. I'm probably on the move. So she immediately was like, oh, no. And then I called my dad after I got off the phone with him.

And then by the time I tried to call my sisters, it was already I was talking to people and figuring stuff out. So I just go back to the contract you signed last week, he were saying, you know, you called your mom first, you called your siblings, and then your dad kind of found out through the great finds. Like, how was he kind of the last to find out? He was the last to find out your trade. He was the last to find out signing a 10 extension.

You guys aren't as close as we've all been led to believe, right? No, he's usually busier than everyone else, so it's hard to get a hold of him. And I think everyone knows now how bad he is on his phone. So it might as well just float it out there to the people around them. And then at some point, he'll figure it out kind of what's going on. But, yeah, he was busy and working. doing stuff. So I was like, I'll call my, my mom and siblings are usually just hanging out at the house or if they're not in school, then they're able to talk. I was curious about that

because I remember Kevin Lowe's son told him, told when he was running the others, please don't draft me. I want to go out on my own. And, you know, I was curious, like, if shame works for Toronto, if Toronto ever wanted to trade for you, would you have, now it's all moot, but would you have wanted that or would you have wanted like you know dad I'd rather go out on my own yeah I think that's a question I got asked a couple of times being with Arizona in the beginning but early on I think it's a little bit weird sometimes just when you're trying to find your path into the league but I think once once you kind of make your mark or you're a part of the league for long enough then I think it'd be cool to to team up with them at some point or be a part of something where he is there because it's

I mean we talk all the time about hockey so it'd be cool to talk on the same team for for once Will your teammates make you put money on the board Tuesday night against Toronto since your dad works for the Maple Leafs? Yeah, I've been getting pounded by that in the last couple weeks, so they'll make sure they get me again here tomorrow night. You've been on the hook for like a dinner post contract or is that still coming? Yeah, I think that'll come next year. Tucky, he brought it up to me, him and Tage, that when next year comes around and there'll be a team dinner from all the guys that get new deals that stick around. they host a dinner at some point the following year. So wait a second, since Tucker is saying next year,

are you dropping news here? I don't know. I think that's something in the room where no one really speaks of it. It's just kind of like, we hope it gets done. But he's been in charge of kind of getting stuff done like that all year. So he's letting me know for next year that I'm on the hook for it. Okay. I wondered if that was a good sign.

Yes. I hope he's hosting one next year too. There you go. There you go. That's a great answer. Oh, man. So I don't know, as you've gone through this, like you've talked about how it felt like a great fit right away.

And of course, the results didn't come right away for the team this year. So why in a newer environment? I know you knew, obviously you came with Kessler and you knew Tage Thompson, but why for you and a team that still has been for years trying to find itself, did it feel so natural from the beginning? Yeah, I think we had a pretty rag-tag group right now with guys trying to find their paths. So I think Michael Kessler and I both were in a similar position

where we're still trying to find our way into the league. And it took one or two guys finding confidence to the rest of the group to kind of see, oh, if these guys can do it, I don't know why I can't do it. And then we just have fun on and off the ice as a group. And when you're enjoying yourself at the rink and you're going to games and you know that no matter what the guy next to you is going to be enjoying it, that's one of the big things that we pre-trained out is bench energy and making sure you're picking guys up and having a good time on the

And you're starting to see guys games grow through that because they're not so hard of themselves anymore. They're not trying to live up to the pressure that they've had over the past couple years. And that's been something that there's a lot of guys in this room that had that mindset before. And I think it was just kind of piecing that together a bit. So who drives the bench energy the most? There's a couple guys, I think, that are pretty loud. Krebsey's been loud this year. Bo is Byram's been pretty loud.

Sammy on the back end. the two of them, Sammy makes a joke that everyone needs to hear him at least once a period. So he's been loud the last couple games, and he's playing unbelievable for us. So it's been awesome. And then I think that's something I like to be as vocal as possible on the bench. It gets kind of involved in the game, I think, more in a positive way. And it's not as much vocal as yelling at guys as building guys up or just having a good time on the bench. So Kevin Sheldale was the GM of the Jets.

He once gave me a line that I've never forgotten. He said there's only two moods in the NHL, winning and hell. Yeah. Okay. So this year it starts badly. Lately, it's been phenomenal. Can you, like, just can you go into that a bit more, like what it's like on a day-to-day basis when things aren't going well? And what it's like on a day-to-day basis when your team is on the tear that it's on right now?

Yeah, I think he's set it perfect with that where you shut up to the rank on losing streaks or things aren't going your way. and it's a pretty quiet room, and no one's talking or having a ton of fun, and you're kind of dreading video because who knows who's going to be called out or what kind of mistakes you made or what the coach's mood is going to be like, and then it's a complete opposite when you're winning.

And when you're winning, it's like if you have a bad game, it almost doesn't matter as much because the team kind of picks you up, and then you almost feel kind of like you're invincible for a bit where it's like, oh, this is so fun, and why would we ever want to lose again? And I think that's something that, over the past couple years, like, it hasn't gone the way that we've wanted here.

And then when you start to get the feeling of what it's like to kind of go on tears and win, you never really want to go back to those days of losing and mopen around the rank and practices get longer. And it's one of those things where it keeps it light when you're winning, and that's been huge for us. I'm sure you saw, like, when Tage Thompson was on spit and checklists not too long ago, he was asked about Zach Benson and, like, had some pretty creative ways to describe. I'm like, who's somebody that you've gotten to know there, like personality rise where you're like, I had no idea this guy was, was that way, or you've enjoyed getting to know the most?

Yeah, I think Bolin Byram's been a huge guy for me since getting here, and kind of his character and personality is he's one of the lifelines in that room where you walk into a room and you know Bysey's in the room when you walk in, and it's pretty entertaining. And then McLeod and Quinter, they're two guys that are really close. and they're always keeping it light. So there's a huge group of guys in that room that you walk in and someone's going to have something to say for you, whether it's good or bad, you're going to get chirped or poked at, and it keeps it light.

And I think the best part is no one's safe, which has been huge is you've got some teams where you go into rooms and you don't want to really poke it guys and it kind of takes them out of the room a bit where this group, there's not one guy that you can't walk into the room and have a good time with. What do they rip you for?

Everything, I think. Like everything and anything. Tage and I have an ongoing joke about my pants being big. And mine aren't even big. It's just my old man's. We're so big that it runs in the family, I guess. But he has the biggest pants. Like Tage has a picture in St. Louis wearing the worst number of all time as a forward.

He's 32. And his gear looks like it's like he's wearing like extra, extra large pants. So it's anything that I say or do is getting brought up or chirped about. So it's pretty fun. Geez. Now, do you do the suspenders like your dad did? No, no, that's, I can't do that. Maybe we should bring him into the room.

Make guys would like it if we did that. It'd keep things light. But I think, and you certainly would have deserved that being around it growing up. And I know he has talked about it when he played, that like the best teams that he's played on where, I mean, obviously you need ability as a group, but they're the groups that got along the best. And it sounds like you guys are on a pretty good path in that sense.

Yeah, yeah, being a part of what they kind of had growing up where they weren't always the most skilled team or the best team, but they walked into that locker room was so fun as a kid. And I mean, you had guys like Yan's and Biz who were even giving it to players' kids when they'd come into the room and everyone loved those too. And it's one of the main reasons why you go to the rank is to have fun. And I think those guys did a great job of jelling that group. And we've got a lot of guys kind of similar in that position. All right, so what was the game this year? Was there after a game this year where it was over where you guys looked at each other and said, we've got something here.

We're going somewhere. Yeah, I think it was honestly before that streak where we went winning. We lost to Philly and we lost to Winnipeg and we didn't play bad. Like we actually played well and couldn't score. And it was like, okay, what is going on? Like we've outplayed teams and outplayed teams and keep losing. and then we beat Edmonton and it was like I mean they put on a clinic in the third period and came back

and we like it was one of those where I was like if we lost that game it's like how do we lose up 3-0 get scored on with one second left and then Clowder and Tucky make a nice play to win in overtime and you can kind of feel it building off that and nobody beats those guys no one or it's hard to beat them at all right and we gave it to Clowder because he was part of the three-headed monster we say in Edmonton when he was there with him Dryside of McDavid down the middle.

So he had to take it to him one last time. But then there was a couple games where we did get outplayed and still won and found a way to win. And I think once you learn that along the street that you don't always have to be perfect, you just got to find a way to win a hockey game is what's kind of transitioned us. Okay. Okay. I brought a page a couple of times here. Somebody who watches this stuff way closer than I do flagged to me that you use a stick a number of

times the last few weeks. So and then you know, coincidentally, a new contract comes a short while later. Like does he get a percentage now? Like there's like the agent fee. There's the, no, I would just go. The TAGE fee. Yes, the TAGE fee. I like that. It's even better. Yeah, I think he's, someone said that you, you'll experiment with a few guys different sticks from time to time. Yeah, I, I gave his a try. We, I think we were in St. Louis and we're heading into Dallas. I was like, I like the feel of his blade. It's a little bit bigger and longer than mine. And I wanted to give it a try. And,

I ended up scoring the next night, and then he's like, well, you can't change now. And then I scored again in Columbus, so he kept making me use it. And then I was like, well, I like using my warriors. He's like, well, he can't switch. Like you keep scoring. You got to use what you're using. And I kind of just stuck with it for a bit. And now I'm switching over because now everything's all messed up where his stick is 30 flex higher than mine and way bigger blade.

So we're working on getting my own now. Yeah. But I'm still using his. I think he's got his pro stock ones right now I'm using. So what's his flex? His is 95, but it's cut down quite a bit because... Yes. Because he likes going with a short stick.

Yes. So, yeah, and then I have to cut it down even more. So it's just, it's heavy. It's heavy and stiff. And it's actually worked well around the net. But I think we got some common. And after the break, I think they're supposed to get in. And what do you normally use for flex?

I've used 80. Okay. So I don't mind it, but it's getting around the net. I talked to Jason Zocker was on. the biggest one with it, where he told me he went up in his flex, and he's like, you're around the net too much to be using a wippy stick, and it'll, we're not being goalies anymore too clean from out wide unless you're one of those elite shooters, and how many goals are going to score around the net is going to make a difference at the end of the air.

So Jason was on me for getting a little bit stiff of a flex. I would have said, excuse me, Jason, you don't think I'm an elite shooter, and then I would have pounded them. That's what I would have. Yeah, yeah. I agreed with them, unfortunately. Looking back this year, I don't know how many goals are being clean from distance, so you might be on to something. So are you going to continue to use pro stock?

Or is something different? I'm using whatever I can off of Tage's shelf right now and then Warrior once they get made up. Okay, gotcha. Because that pro stock emergence is becoming really interesting. Yeah, they're kind of making a climb here. Yeah. They're nice. They're very similar to the CCM.

He had a tax I was using of his, and then they gave me one of his pro stocks to try. And I mean, they feel pretty similar. Right. Because, like, it's kind of a boutique, almost, compared to the big boys. And Ovechka, like, when he broke Gretzky's record, he was using one of those sticks,

which is, anyway, kind of amazing. So interesting that you're playing around with that. You know, so I wanted to just go back. Like, when you were in Arizona and you played, I asked somebody who worked for the organization, and they said, you know, what do you remember about Josh? And they said, honestly, the thing I remember

was when he had that two-gold game versus Columbus in Mullet, he said that was the loudest that arena ever was. That it was such a victory for the coyotes at the time that you had those two goals and that. And I just wanted you remember about that night.

Yeah, it was a pretty special night, obviously getting the chance to play in your old college arena and having some of those guys from your team there. And, I mean, getting to the game was a disaster. I think I almost missed warm up because of the traffic on the way in, which there's never traffic.

And I was like, I'm leaving an hour and 20 minutes earlier than I should for my first game. I want to make sure everything's kind of set. And then I sat in traffic for about an hour and a half. And I think it honestly made it way better because the nerve of just getting to the game had taken over the actual game itself. And then it was once he kind of got there, it was cool to see my mom's family was all there. And obviously my dad and my siblings. down by the glass was pretty cool.

But it was one of those games where I missed a breakway before scoring my first goal. And you can see my dad getting up to leave because he was solely, he's like, I can't sit down here. I'm stressed for him. And then my sister's going crazy next to him and he turned around and so I scored. So it was pretty cool. So he actually missed the goal? He like turns around last second and then sees it.

But he was like walking away quickly because they were coming out of the zone and we got a bounce back and unfortunately I scored. But it's one of those nights where it was pretty cool. And then my uncle, who I've been, like, best friends with since I was probably six years old, was there. And he was shirts off for a while there. I scored twice. And he took his tarp off for the second one. And so he said at some point he might have to come to Buffalo and get the crowd going if things go right.

Yeah. Well, he looks like he should come because you'll score twice. Yeah. Like you'll put up with the shirt off with two goals. So we laugh. He was actually. He went to the game at Edmonton with my cousin when we had the game we score one to get our street going. And I scored twice.

So he's like, every time you guys start losing, I'm flying in. So that's fine. I'll pay to fly you in if we score and win every time you're in the building. So it's one of those things that we keep light and have fun with. Yeah, I went back and watched that today, just as a reminder. First off, like, I'd be shirtless way more if I look like him. He was a big man. It was incredible.

I think he would fit perfectly within the Buffalo sports community. He'd be going to a table. He'd be going through tables. That's right. No, he, we tease all the time. He is shirtless a lot in the summertime, but no one can say anything to him because how big he is. I'm like, to my cap, I guess.

Are you a Bill's Mafia guy now? I'm slowly cheering for him. I'm a Cardinals fan. I remember Larry Fitzgerald and your dad were tight. Yes, they got along really well. They were so good growing up with him, and they had a couple runs there, but now it's been a tough couple years

for the Cardinals fans. Yes. Yes. Will you, so I remember I asked this a couple years ago and I can't remember who Dahlin said. He said that I asked him who was a guy of the bill that would most likely go through the table. I wish I could remember who he said.

Who is the, who is the saber that is most likely to agree to go through a table? Benny. Yeah, we could get him through a table pretty easily. I think he'd be full. on board with that. Yes. The guy,

given relative to his height, like I don't think there's much that appears that he's fearful of. No, no, he'll be growing, I think, and one of the more hated guys

in the league for a long time. And he doesn't back down from anyone, and I think that's, he's not even that dirty necessarily. He's just, he doesn't take anything from anyone. And if you whack him,

he's going to make sure you feel it back. Yeah. So, I mean, it's nice to have on your team. You hate playing against them. Yeah. I saw that your mom is now on some sort of group to bring hockey back to Arizona. Do you think about that at all? Like, not even necessarily to play there. You're a saber now. But is that important to you that someday we see it back there?

Yeah, I think so. And just more of the sense of growing up there and seeing the growth of the game and where they are now there as kids. Obviously, it wasn't great at the end there with where they're playing out in Glendale. I think it's one of those things where back then when they built the arena, Glendale was one of the cities that took off and it didn't in the way that they thought in terms of hockey. And if it's in Scottsdale or Tempe or Mesa, I think it does really well. And I mean, there's one of the biggest populations in North America in that city. So if you're winning, no matter what kind of going on, you're going to get people to go watch. So I think at some point it would be smart to go back there just in the sense of how big the city is.

and the direction it's going, you're going to want to have a hockey team in that city. But it's one of those things where being a local guy, you want to push for something to where the team you grew up cheering for and played a couple games for it does come back, just because you got so many memories down there. So growing up, I mean, you were a bit of a late bloomer in terms of your size.

And I saw an interview you had said that there's a few years where it wasn't all that fun because you were the fellow, you were being bullied around the ice. But you had to adjust how you played. just wonder looking back the lessons you learned then at the height you were how that's helped and the role it's played in terms of your ability to play the game now yeah i'm my dad and i talked a lot about that as a kid is it it taught me to play the right way where you had to stay above and you had to stick your nose in there and he's like once you grow it'll it'll make those battles

a little bit easier but you have to learn out of win pucks without without using size or or strength and and that's been a strength of mine since since getting to the league. I think a part of the reason I stuck around so long was because of Maddie Nyes in Toronto was he was also a somehow an undersized player when we were 14 and now he's an absolute moose.

He's the same way where you see him kind of win stick battles a lot and compete because he had to learn or not to do it the right way. So my old man harped on the both of us for how to play the right way and make sure that you're using your brain on the ice, not kind of the gifts you've been given as a kid as like size or speed or something,

which I don't think I had either one of as a kid, which was hard, but it kind of built me into who I am now as a player. What was the best advice your dad ever gave you about going into hockey or being in the NHL? To be creative, I think, and to trust my instincts. I think that was, he would harp on me when I'm not playing good, that I'm trying to think the game too much and I'm not not chasing or, and he's like, if you go as hard as you can, you're in. instincts will keep up and you'll make the right play. When you sit back, then you let guys make moves around you or you let guys make decisions that they don't or that they do want to make

rather than ones they don't. And that's where you get kind of stuck in that kind of 50-50 area where you're not getting pucks back or you're not producing or creating. And that's something I'll always fall back on. If I go through a streak where I'm not really producing, then I'm not being instinctual. I'm kind of just watching the game a little bit. When you first came up, did anybody make any comments to you,

like anybody who played against your dad or anybody make comments to you on the ice? Yeah, there was, uh, early on, there was a couple games that, that I played against guys that had played with my old man or, or against him. Connor Garland was one of them where I ended up getting to know him at worlds where he was just all positive with, with congratulating me and, and, and just talk about how, how my old man treated him when he played. So he was happy for, for him and myself. And a lot of stuff like that. I think it, playing against OEL here was really cool because I was around him or Max was another one.

I think last game we played the Islanders with DeAngelo and Duclair, all guys that were at the time, I thought they were the best because they were young guys coming in the NHL, and I was 14, 15, so I was at that age where I knew what was going on, and I thought they were the coolest people ever. So to play against them, that was pretty cool. And they've all been great, great to me coming in. That's awesome. I have to say, I'm surprised.

looking at like obviously who your dad is and was. I mean, you were one of four and you were the only one that followed a path in hockey. Like forget making it and playing it as a profession. But like your other three siblings never really got into the sport at all. So I was curious how it all happened. Yeah, I was my dad's thing was he didn't want to force any of us into it, knowing kind of the pressures that could come with it. And if you weren't having fun or being passionate, then he's like, there's no point. And you doing it. My older sister and she never really got into it. She had in figure skating a bit. And then my younger sister, Karas, was her head hurt after one day. The helmet was too heavy,

she said, which we think was just her excuse. She's still out of it. Her neck was sore the next day from the helmet. But we just think she, and then my younger brother, Carson, he never, he never really loved the game. And it was just like, he had a lot of other hobbies that, that they threw him in. And he's the smartest one of all of us. So he may have made the right decision because he is quite a bit smarter than the rest of us, but he's now in computer science and engineering and stuff I don't understand at all. So when we talk, we try to keep our professions aside because he hates hockey and I have no idea what he's saying. Because of a very short conversation. Yeah, you probably and him probably get along the best

because you don't talk to each other too much. That's fantastic. Now, do you guys still have the ranch? Is it still there? No, not in Arizona. So they got rid of the ranch. have been when I moved away and my sister went to college. There was just no one around to ride them anymore. He still has a couple horses in Arizona. Okay. And then in Alberta, they got my grandparents are out on the ranch there. So he's got the one up in Canada, but not in Arizona anymore. Are you a better rider than I am? Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Just making sure. Okay. I'm not great, but you're not great, but you're better than that. I'm better than the average person. I am also below the average.

Because there is footage that exists years ago. He went and they did a hockey night in Canada with your dad. PJ would play it all the time, just out of nowhere. It was, I was a bad rider, I will say that. It's hard in the beginning, though. A lot of people are bad riders in the beginning. You just don't know what to expect. And it's a big animal.

Well, you know, I've done it before, but when I was really young and I still, like, wasn't 100% comfortable. It was pretty hilarious. Yeah. Great moments in broadcasting by me, that's for sure. You know, I did want to ask Utah when you went there. Like one of the things we heard was that it was an unbelievable place to play. And they didn't, after what kind of happened in Arizona, they did a really good job of taking care of the players.

Was that true? Yeah. Yeah. I think right away, you could feel welcome by the Smith group when they brought us in. And he did an amazing job of welcoming and showing that he wanted to be a part of something big. And bringing a group to Utah was important for him. and his family. What was that meeting like

when he took you guys all out golfing and had that meeting? Yeah, it was good. You got to kind of know him as a person and there's a lot of owners around the league you're pretty intimidated by it because of who they are and he was someone that once you got to know him

you're like, okay, this guy's, he understands and he wants to be a part of the group. He doesn't want to just kind of manage things from afar. He wants people to know him and you get to see his kids around the rink, which I think is really cool. And it's more of a personal level. and he sent me a great text after the trade,

and that was something that he didn't have to do, which I thought was pretty cool. But the city of Utah in itself is, they're obviously deserving of a hockey team, and you're seeing that with their fans and the people there, and it's a loud building to play, and I still think it's arguably in the top five for loudest in the league right now,

and I don't know if that's how it's built, but it's pretty cool to go into that building, and then to get a chance to play on the road there was cool because you got to hear it from the other side after not being there for a while. And they got a definitely, it's a strength of theirs having their fan base behind them in Utah because how loud it is. But the city loves hockey now and it's cool to see it grow. How have you seen as you guys have gone on this run here? Just the added interest, the attention.

Obviously the attendance is one thing too. But we all hear about how great Buffalo is as a hockey market when the team is successful. How have you seen the added? intrigue around what you guys have been doing over the last couple months. Yeah, it's, it's growing. And it's cool to see they, I think they started doing those banners up in the 300s. People were saying again, which is pretty funny. I think there's a St. Sam you won, which I laugh at every time, every time I see right now.

But they love hockey. And I think that's one of the parts when I got traded, as people said that is, if you can find a way to get them on board, they're a passionate fan base and they love their hockey. And that was, that was something that I think was a part of it. of our group is we needed to bring that back and accept the fact that you'd rather have a fan base like them that is going to give it to you when you're not playing well and aren't doing as well and it's not on them to be kind of spiteful towards you for the last couple years but if you do figure it out they're going to be on your side and and do anything they can for you so I think

you're starting to see that finally and it it is really cool to see like they sell out the building and they make noise and when we score one or two goals we usually we score in bunches of at home and it's been fun to be a part of that. So Lindy Ruff, I heard he doesn't have a lot of rules. It's like dress reasonably, business casual, although he can't do that anymore. Be on time. Like I heard this is not, you know, play hard, don't cheat. Like, I've just heard like there's not a lot of rules to Lindy Ruff coaching.

Yeah, he's got his rules where the rules are in place of it just being like the basic rules that you need to follow and be good teammates and, and, treat each other well, but yeah, he's... Be nice, that's one of them I heard. Be nice, yeah, be a good teammate, I think, is one of the big things. And he kind of lets our group be what it is, and he keeps us in check. But at the same time, he lets us go and play and play a free kind of style of hockey within the structure that he wants.

And I think he's got us going in the right direction right now, and it's been pretty fun playing for him. All right, Castle Rang. So I think this is what, year three of you guys living again? Yeah. Okay. How do you, like, I don't know too many guys who can live with someone for three years, I have to say. Yeah, it's, it's been a weird three years of like back and forth living together.

I think that helps where it's been broken up by me going down or him being in Arizona and me being in Tucson. And but it's, it's been fun getting to live with them and we're pretty close now. Yeah, three years, three different locations, right? Yeah, yeah, three years. So you've got the dog. Yeah. He's got two cats. Like, I just, can you take us into the residence?

Like what does an off day look like when you guys were hanging at all? Yeah, the cats are, they're pretty much up in his, they stay upstairs, majority of the time, and the dog roams around the house freely now. But last couple years, I think it was harder because the dog was a giant puppy, where now he's starting to kind of mellow down, and he doesn't care too much about what's going on around them. And it's made, I think, all of our lives a little bit easier. But it's, yeah, a normal day is we'll end up,

no matter what, watching hockey of some sort. and Hank will come hang out with us while we do that and just sit on the couch. But we share a similar kind of hobbies and stuff we like to do with golf or hockey, basketball, football. He's a bit of a sports nerd as well, and that's a lot of us to get along pretty well. Who's his NFL team? He's a Patriots fan, which is. Oh, yes. It's sufferable yesterday and today.

It's awful right now. They have the easy, and he'll be like, he'll argue with us all day. I'm like, I mean, they're back in the Super Bowl, so it's hard for me to say anything, but I don't want them winning. It's actually a tough household. My sister's fiance is a Seahawks fan, so I'm just like stuck in the middle of it. No matter what happens, I'm going to hear about it, and I'm not looking forward to it. Who's running the Super Bowl party this year? I don't know.

I think we're on break this year. It's right, man. I was the thing that the other day, we were all talking about the Super Bowl, and then we realized that none of us are going to be around together for it. and so he'll be texting from afar. All right. So I just have a couple more here. I guess one of the things I wanted to ask about was Arizona State too. Yeah.

So I had a friend who went to Arizona State, kind of guy I knew a little bit from high school, and he said everybody should go to Arizona State for a year. Yeah. Is that true? Yeah. I think it's just the weather and the location of it, you can't beat and going to the rink and flip-flops every day

is something that as a college student, there's nothing more you can really ask for. The schooling, I think, it takes a lot of heat, but if you want to really push yourself, it's a good school in terms of they got the business program's good and the honors program. My sister did and she loved it. But it's one of those places I think you have to experience for one year.

And I mean, I'll push for any young kid who's going to play Division I hockey to go to ASU because the experience there and the group there is going to be something you remember forever. Was it weird when like the NHL team started showing up, like to play there? Like I had one guy who told me it was like they, you know, you'd be in your hotel and then all of a sudden there'd be like college students everywhere and it was like crazy at times. Yeah, well, it's during the day, it's, you're in the middle of the university.

So like we'd get off the ice and then there'd be teams coming to practice after us. And I'm sure if you're an NHL player walking into a practice, you're not used to thousands of students walking around going from class to class or going about their day, depending on the day, they're up to something different, or there's a basketball or football game on right down the street. It's a lively, lively campus, so you're going to see people no matter what you're doing. And I'm sure that was a little bit of a game changer for some of the guys. You can't really just go for a walk around the hotel,

or you're going to run into a large group of people. Best memory playing at ASU? I think my first game in Oceanside. I loved the first game in Mollett, but you got a chance to play in Oceanside and being a part of what they built the organization on is really cool. I mean, you couldn't high flip a puck out of the zone because it hit the roof, and it kind of made you a better hockey player because you had to find a way to get it out without just dumping it every time. But you got to play with guys that had been a part of that program, like Johnny Walker and Jacob Wilson and a lot of those guys that kind of started it there and went there when there wasn't really. really anything going on. And to get to share a couple games with them there was it was pretty cool. When the extension came up, okay, so you're off to a great start. They're really happy with

you. When was the first time someone said to you, hey, we're going to do a long-term contract here? Yeah, I think it was just over a month ago. We started talking about the idea of getting something done. And if it was going to be done, they wanted to do something long-term. And that was something that I think right away me and me and Al were pretty yeah we're pretty pretty comfortable settling into just because of the situation I'd been put in and how they treated me and and everyone in the organization so it wasn't much of a like a debate on long term it was just kind of how many years and and everything else you know some guys say that when you know you agree and then when that contract's put in front of you and you look at it you there's this moment where

you kind of realize you're like, is this real? Like, I can't believe this is real. Like, did you have a moment like that? Yeah, I think once we were in Montreal, so I had to go print out the contract and send it back to Alice sign it. In the hotel? In the hotel.

So the receptionist there had to help me print everything out. And he was fully on board with whatever was going on, thankfully. Did he look at it? I don't know. I wonder, I mean, everything's on the front page when you're signing it. So I'm sure he was kind of confused what I was doing. And it was, yeah, once you kind of see the contract in person and you look down and it's kind of similar as this one you sign your first NHL contract where it's, you can't believe kind of what's going on. And then this one's same kind of thing where you're signing to be a part of a team long term.

I think it was kind of like similar to committing to a college, but you got you're committing to a place for seven years of where you want to be. And it's pretty exciting. best part about playing in Buffalo I think the group and the fans right now is it's been a riot and I think it's not only the players but the staff that we have with the strength group

and the athletic trainers and the equipment guys we all have a good time together Yarmal kick a line he's a pretty intimidating guy I mean I heard Thompson talk about that first meeting with you guys like

what were your initial impressions of him yeah I think right away you could tell he meant business with the group, and that's what we needed. But I got to know him at the beginning of the year. He was my golf partner at our team bonding thing. Oh, yeah. So it was me, him and a couple other guys. And it was pretty fun to get to know him then, but he's a serious guy,

and he thinks the game really well hockey-wise. So it was fun to kind of pick his brain that day. And then when he came into that room, you could kind of feel his presence right away when he walked in. and he had us all in the locker room together. And no one left the meeting thinking, like, oh, boy, this is going to be hard for him now. It's like, all right, let's figure it out. He wants to win here and build a group to win here.

So I think everyone wanted to be a part of that. You know, he is legendarily competitive. Yeah. Did you beat him in golf? No, we were on the same team that day, thankfully. But I've heard he was playing pickleball with some of the coaches at the hotel we were at for our team retreat. and it got pretty competitive, I heard. So he's pretty competitive.

There's a pretty legendary story about him that somebody played a practical joke on him where they said that this other executive in the league who Yarmu doesn't consider as good an athlete as he is was a ranked pickleball player and ranked higher than Yarmo or ranked tennis or higher. And he refused to believe it. He's like, there's no way that guy could beat me in tennis.

So you saw it that day, I take it. Yeah, I could believe that for sure. All right, last one for me is who is a poker player on the Buffalo Sabres who thinks they're a really good poker player but is not. They're playing right now and it's, there's going to be, this will cause some turbulence in the room with, I think everyone thinks they're a good player in our team.

I don't know if any of us are actually good. Krebsie plays the most by the book poker. I think guys give them a hard time for that with, he'll play by how you should play. So whenever he puts money in, everybody folds? Is that the way it kind of goes? Yeah, or it comes back around to him and he'll raise it again.

Like he plays by the book and I think, but then I think right now, honestly, Ryan McLeod might be the leader. And it might even go in the opposite direction if he's just like, you can't tell when he's being serious or not. And it gets guys in trouble quite a bit. And I think it's his strength on the poker table.

You don't know for sure if he has it. and nine times out of ten he does, but then the one time you do fold, he doesn't, and it's quite frustrating. I'm good. That's great. Sounds like a great thing going on there, Josh. Congratulations on everything

and all the best rest of the way. Thank you. Thank you guys for having me. Okay, a big thank you once again to Josh Done and a special thank you to Nicole Hendricks, Chris Durkin, and the Buffalo Sabres for making that interview happen. All right, that is it for now.

But one final reminder, Scotia Bank Wednesday night hockey tonight. The Ottawa Senators hosting the Colorado Avalanche pregame show at 7 Eastern 4 Pacific on Sportsnet. Puck drop a little after 730 ET. Back on Friday. Talk to you then.