32 Thoughts: The Podcast - A Convo With PK Subban and Jon Cooper

Episode Date: February 4, 2026

In this edition of 32 Thoughts The Podcast, Kyle Bukauskas and Elliotte Friedman present two olympic themed interviews. First up, hear from ESPN Analyst P.K. Subban who has produced a feature that will air on CBC that focuses on the Canadian-American hockey rivalry. Afterwards, Canadian Head Coach Jon Cooper sits down with Friedge ahead of the men's ice hockey tournament (32:41).Listen to all the 32 Thoughts music here.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

I listen to podcasts every once in a while. Okay. And what I do, like, there's so many, I kind of go through the notes. Yeah. And so you're like the eighth to tenth podcast I'll look at for hockey. I appreciate that. Thank you. So anyway, on the last pod.

Welcome to 32 Thoughts, the podcast, presented by the Toyota BZ. Go All Electric and a winter-ready Toyota BZ at your local dealer today. another special edition interview pod for you here today. Two conversations to play for you in this one, one with Team Canada head coach, Tampa Bay Lightning head coach, John Cooper, and another interview with P.K. Suban. So last week, Elliot traveled down to Tampa, as we talked about on the pod,

spent some time around the Lightning and did an in-depth conversation with John Cooper, talking Olympics, talking everything. Now, wanted to mention and remind you that this was done, last week. So it was before the outdoor game at Raymond James Stadium, before the Anthony Sorrelli injury, unfortunately, knocked him out of the opportunity to play at the Olympics and being replaced by Sam Bennett. So you won't hear Cooper's thoughts on anything there, but as you know, whatever the topic is, Cooper is must listen. So you're going to hear from the head coach of Team Canada. But before that, we'll give you our conversation with P.K. Suban. So tomorrow on Thursday,

at 8 Eastern on CBC, the debut of rivals, the four nations face off, an in-depth look on those breathtaking. Nine days last February, the four nations face off between Montreal and Boston, the final culmination of Canada and the U.S., the political climate at the time. It is a great look back on how emotionally charged that became an event that had never been done before. A lot of us weren't sure what really to expect going in. suddenly it was taking over the conversation in North America and transcending the traditional hockey fandom. So why don't we start there? P.K. Suban, he was an executive producer of this project along with Jan Mokshin. Suban on 32 Thoughts, the podcast, talking rivals the four nations face off and getting you set for Milano Cortina 2026. Enjoy.

P.K. Suban, welcome to 32 thoughts. First of all, before we get in to anything further, have you decided what you were going to do with that get-up you had rocking at the stadium series down in Tampa? Is there a special place in your closet? Does it go into a frame? What do you do with it? If anything?

Well, actually, me mess and leaves, we had this little, they gave us a little room to kind of change in, and we walk into the room after, and they got these huge cardboard boxes. And right away, we all looked at each other and we're like, we're definitely shipping

these back. We're keeping these costumes. So we all, we shipped them. We're getting ESPN to ship them back to Bristol for us and we're going to keep the costume. So you're going to definitely see it again. I don't know when, but you'll see it again. Elliot, you're looking forward to that. I know you are looking forward to seeing me in that costume. I love it. Like I think anything different, anything unusual, I think it sells. I think it's, and speaking of different and unusual, P.K., the number one thing I learned about you while watching this outstanding documentary, entry is you have a beautiful couch in your resume, but when you watch in your residence, but when you watch games, you don't sit on it and you watch games with the sound off.

More than anything I saw from the Four Nations, this blew me away. Explain. So, so it's interesting. I call this the playhouse. You know, this is my area. And I, it's funny, Elliot, because as a player, you know this. not every player loves to watch games. Like there's some guys now, like Quinn Hughes, is like a hockey, like, wizard. He wants to watch every game. He wants to pay attention.

So for me, you know, I love watching certain games, but I've really grown in watching the games now. And obviously the hockey's so good, so it's easy to watch. But I've noticed this that, like, I try to watch multiple games at the same time. So, you know, oftentimes I'll have like four or five games on at once and I'll be going back and forth.

but I would listen to the commentators and the commentators are so good listening to what they're saying and I lose paying attention to the game sometimes, right? And then I'll be talking on the phone and then I'll be, and then I'm like, I get through the first period and I'm like, I'm not paying, I need to see how the team is playing.

So in order to do that, I turn the sound off. I get rid of all the distractions. I just sit there and watch the game. So when I need to replay or something, I turn the sound back on for when I throw it on my Instagram. so people can hear the commentary. But for me, I just process the information easier that way. Yeah, I got to tell you, I was really fascinated and blown away by that,

and I'm going to try it. I think it's a, I was really interested. It's hard. It's not as easy as you think because you have to get into a routine of it. Once you get into a routine of it, it's nice because it's kind of calming, right? So sometimes I'll throw, sometimes I'll listen to it. If I'm watching one game, and it's a really big game, game, it's a lot easier to pay attention to everything. So sometimes I'll do that. But the majority of the

time when I got to really lock in, I get rid of the sound. Yeah, I don't want to, I don't want to listen to it. Really? But then do you have like a bit of music going on in the background or is it just silence? No, what I'll usually do is a lot of, I like to have conversations during the game. It's just funny because the information stays with me a little bit easier. So everybody processes it differently. That's just how I process it is to be able to kind of see it from my own. And sometimes when people are talking about what's going on, now you're thinking about how they're seeing it and not seeing it the way you see it. So for me, as an analyst, I got to break it down my perspective, not somebody else's. So it's very easy sometimes to get influenced. That's what we do. We're supposed

to tell the story. So I have to be able to tell it that way. And most of the time when I turn on the volume. It's not much different of a perspective, to be honest with you. We're all seeing the same thing. So tell us about this, how it started. You're the executive producer. And I was wondering, when, PK, when you started looking through the footage and looking at things, was there anything you saw that you said, as much as I watch hockey, as much as I know about hockey, that's a wow for me? Oh, man. Yeah, man, watching those guys drop the gloves right off to start was a while for me. As much as I've fought in games, I've seen crazy fights. I know the history of fighting like the back of my hand. I was completely blown away when that happened because we don't

correlate fighting in international hockey. And I don't think people really understood that that like it doesn't happen. Like at the Olympics, you're not going to see a fight. Like it's, those are the rules. So, you know, for us having NHL rules once again showed us that like we are the the epitome of what hockey is because fighting is still a part of hockey and it's still an important part of hockey as far as the respect and the culture goes. So, you know, I got to be honest. When I was watching that, I was like, I watched the doc and I'm like, it would be really cool to sit and like watch this with Don Cherry and hear what he thinks about it because

I've never really gotten his two cents on it. And, you know, I think the players of this generation, guys, have really, really prioritized. that fabric in like what hockey is, that toughness part of it, that aspect, even though we talk about the skill so much in the game, for them to have taken it to that level to say, hey, we're all in. We're not just in on being skill.

We want the respect of the guys before us too. And if you've noticed, there hasn't been any talk about hockey players not being tough with all the skill that we have in the game, right? So I think that the players in today's game, they value that. And, you know, they value that in a big way. So I would say that that was the wow moment for me.

Really, it was. All right. So let me, before Kyle jumps back in, so let me ask you, if you were on that ice, on that Saturday night, and you looked at Team USA and you said, oh, there's Hegel, one Kachuk. There's Bennett, one Kachuk. Who are you grabbing? If you had to go third, who would you have grabbed? Oh.

Oh, okay. Wait. So saying it again, you had Kachuk. You see, Hegel fights one Kachuk. Yeah. Bad fights another Kachuk. Yeah. And you're a Montreal guy.

Like, you know what they want. They love you. Who would you have grabbed? On Team USA? Yeah. On Team USA, I would have grabbed. Man, you know what? I don't even know if there's a guy that I have enough hate for on that team to want to

grab um because it probably would have been one of the kichucks for sure i probably would have want to get my hands on one of those guys first if i had to grab one guy it probably would have been a defenseman on the other team because knowing that like i'd be matched up against one guy and so i would say i'm going to say it would be a d man mackavoie canadians bruns you know what maybe mac but i like charlie mackaboy too much like i i like them way too much i would probably go and I hate to say this I got nothing against him I like him too but probably Slaven like if I'm gonna take one I'm taking him because his stick like the guy comes off the bench and he can touch the far corner with the stick like his sticks everywhere if we could get him off the ice for five

minutes I think that would be a good trade because then we got McCar coming we still got Doughty we still got a few other guys so I think I would take one for the team and go with Slavin team player I love it Kyle that's great so last time NHLs were at the Olympics, 2014, the aftermath of you winning gold with Canada, we saw the Subicam. So should we have known back then that executive producer was in your future? You know what? Yeah. When I started my production company, well, why did I start it?

You know, you could start a lot of things. Why a production company? Well, I wanted to tell stories that I really resonated with that were authentic to me. And, you know, so with that being said, you know, it's a patient process, you know, and what stories to tell. And, you know, to be able to work in the media space, some of those stories are going to be built into what I'm doing, but they may not be. There's so many interesting talking points now in sports. And I think that as a production company, we can do a great job of telling those stories. So the Subi Cam was just a little taste of that.

But it's really my passion and love for life first and for sports and entertainment. You know, sports to me is what brings us all together. And it's intertwined with media, culture, and travel and all of these great things. But it brings us together first. And to be able to bring people into that moment where I'm on the ice and I'm with all the best players in Canada, best on best and I'm amongst the best players really in my generation. Like when you look at that team, it's a loaded team, right? Like, you know, Marty St. Louis was the MVP and, you know, couldn't even get in the lineup, right?

I want to Norse couldn't get in the lineup. So there's a lot of great players that were there. And to be able to kind of be a part of that was really cool. I wanted to share it. And I've always been someone that wants to share that part with the fans. You know, you've always had a lot of really interesting interest, P.K. maybe only non-sports, but is there something out there that you look at and say,

or you have looked at and say, I'm going to surprise people, but one day you're going to see a P.K. Suban production, and it's going to be on this. Well, I think that, you know, I don't think ever I look at surprising. I think that you have to be in the moment, you know. Like people always say this.

They say, you know, the past is depression, the future is anxiety. and the present is a gift, right? That's why they call it the present. So you can only be where you are. So even up to the moment that I retired, I never looked ahead. For me, I trained all summer.

I prepared for training camp like I would. And I knew that if I wasn't in the situation that I was going to be in, I was going to pivot to the next chapter of my life and not look back. And I think that's what you owe to yourself in life. That's all you have, really, right? Right.

So, you know, it's not really about anybody else. It's about what you're passionate about. I love the game. It was important to me to continue to loving the game. And I remember when I retired, I sent the moment I retired, the first person to text me, literally, the first person. And by the way, I'm not even saying this because I expected it. I didn't. Sidney Crosby was the first player to text me when my retirement was announced.

And he told me, I remember he said, dude, make sure you stay around the game. We love you around the game. We want to see. Like, he was, I couldn't believe it. I was floored by that, you know. And, you know, I had no intentions of going away, but there, you know, you have question marks on where you want to go. And I was in no rush to do it.

And ESPN kind of called me a week after and said, hey, we want, we would love to have you on. And I said to my agent, I said, I'm just going to take a couple weeks. And I'll tell you this, Elliot, I took a couple of. weeks and I said I'm not going to the gym I'm not going to do anything I just want to relax and you know Elliot all those fashion clothes that I bought like that now things start you know getting a little tight around the waist now you know the jackets they're not zipping you know as nicely as they used to and now I'm like you know I'm getting up and I feel tired and lethargic and I'm like no no no man this this

isn't for me you know I got to I got to get into my routine and I don't know what this feeling is but it doesn't feel great. And, you know, but you need to also take a break, you know, like, you know, that's, that's me mentally because we're all, we're all psychos, really, you know, in terms of our, our dedication and how structured we are and disciplined we are. So when you get out of that, it should feel uncomfortable, right? And now I was able to start something in media with ESPN that kind of opened my eyes to how I could give back to the game and help the game.

And I think that that just took on a life of its own. And, you know, everything I'm going to do, I'm going to tell you this right now, it's stuff that I want to do. It has nothing to do with anything else about, you know, trying to, you know, if I'm building something, I'm building something because it's best for the game. It's going to help the game. It's something that I'm passionate about.

It's not going to be for any other reason. You know, I've been lucky enough to play a long time and do really, really well. So everything for me is passion projects now. It's about what I'm passionate about. and, you know, Gary Bettman has been, Gary Bettman and Bill Daly have been amazing to me, you know. In terms of mentors, they're always available for me, any questions that I have, and they really help me.

I, you know, I met with them before I actually retired, and they asked me, you know, about how I felt and, you know, about it. And, you know, I can't say much more about that. As a player, to go through a career and then pivot and have the support of people that run the big. business. And they don't just do it for me. They do it for a lot of guys. But, you know, I've been able to experience it firsthand and have been really appreciative. So, you know, on the media side, anything I'm doing is going to be something that I think is going to be easily digestible for

everyone and something that you'd love. Good for you, P.K., that's the goal. Call your own shots. I'm very happy for you. Thank you. Thank you. Yeah, really great. I'm curious, P.K., like, in any other point along your playing career, did playing in the NHL, ever feel like a job? And now as you translated into the broadcasting world and how much games do you have to watch and being on top of it all, does it ever feel like a job?

Yeah, definitely playing the game felt like a job when you weren't on the ice. You know, like, you know, being on the ice brings you back to playing shinny and being on the backyard rink and doing what you love to do. And, you know, I'd probably still be playing if I didn't have to practice

and do all the traveling and could just show up for the games, you know? Like, it's, you know, people don't understand. And that's why I have so much respect for a guy like Sid, because, you know, to be that great for that long and continue to do it and be so passionate about the game and have that fire is remarkable. So it's, in my opinion, it's the toughest game to play.

It's the toughest game to prepare for, and it's the toughest sport to win. And it's so difficult. And it's getting more and more difficult. It's not getting easier. So it becomes more and more demanding. And, you know, I think that, you know, that's what it is. You get to play, you play as long as you can.

And then when you're done, you pivot and you move forward. You know, that's it. You know, I wanted to ask you, you were working the game on Saturday when they honored the 10th anniversary of that Penguins team. You mentioned Sid, what a great gesture that he was the first person to text you. But what was it like for you when you saw him tear up? Like, I was blown away. I really was. I was too. I was surprised, but I think it's a great thing.

Yeah. You know, and we're seeing it more with our players now, man. Like Brandon Hagel, God bless him. Amazing player, you know, hard pressed to find a better guy, you know, and a better teammate. Guys love him in Tampa. But, like, we did an interview with them, and there's so much raw emotion, he drops an F-bomb. And I'm like, it's the best, by the way, it was the best thing for our broadcast. Because it was raw.

it was organic and that's traditionally different for us in our sport. Our players are sometimes more buttoned up and I think that they're kind of, they're allowing themselves to be who they are and show who they are. And it's because us as the media, we're allowing them to do this and we're praising them for and we're welcoming it. So to see, you know, in my opinion, the face of our game for, you know, decades and decades, Sidney Crosby showed that emotion to what that moment was like for him and reminiscing with the players that he won with is special.

And you would never, you know what, I wouldn't expect anything less from him. He's all in. He cares. He loves the game. He's probably the best ambassador that we have along with Wayne Gretzky and some of the older legends of the game. But like, he's right up there, you know. And it was cool to see that, though.

I was happy to see that emotion out of them because people need to know that he cares that much. He does. He really does. Nice. So, okay, the rivals, the Four Nations faceoff, a great feature, a great way to kind of relive what we saw between Montreal and Boston just under a year ago. And now as we look, our eyes set on Milano Cortina, how you feeling about Team Canada and what kind of has got your interest peak the most here for this tournament? it. Well, it's, there's just some, there's some different variables in place, you know, um, it's not an Olympic size rig. So, you know, once again, you're going to have that

playoff atmosphere and it's going to feel tight out there. I mean, four nations. I mean, we look at that final game. There was no, you couldn't sneeze out there, like, without having someone in your back pocket. Like, there was no room to operate and, you know, one mistake. stake of leaving Carmen David open ends the game. So,

you know, I think that Team Canada once again is still in the driver seat. You know, until somebody

beats them, I don't think anybody can really look anywhere else. Team USA has to show that they can take that

step. I think other countries have done it at different times, but I think Team USA is in the

best position to be able to beat Canada. But when you think about it, I'm not betting against Sidney Crosby. I'm not betting against McKinnon. I'm not betting against McCar.

I'm just not, I'm not betting against those guys. McDavid, I'm not betting against them. I'm like, how can you? And I think Four Nations was a little different. It was a quick tournament. You know, I think that there were some nerves there, a little bit different being in Canada. I think the guys going overseas and playing in a neutral site

is also going to work in Team Canada's favor. I really believe that. Like, there was a lot of pressure in Montreal on those guys being in Canada. And you know what? Here is where my confidence comes from Team Canada. Not even about the talent of those guys. It was their ability to defend. Like Sidney Crosby making that defensive play against Finland.

Like, McKinnon can defend. McDavid can defend because they can skate. They're strong on the park. They're skilled. They got great hockey IQ. So when you consider that, I haven't even talked about the rest of roster guys. I haven't talked about Marshawn. So they have

all the tools if they play their style of game. And I think even in the final game, yeah, USA may have dominated in the puck possession, maybe had some chances, but Canada was patient. They didn't get flustered when the game wasn't going their way. They were opportunist at the right time. They showed

their experience and I think that's why they continue to go back with winners. And they have the majority of Stanley Cup champions on that team is for that reason, because you need that confidence when you get a little push from another country. You know, you're not going to be able to outskill them. You have to outsmart them, and I'll play them in the right way.

And that's the Canadian way. That's staying on the defensive side of the puck and doing it the hard way. And no one does that better than us. All right, picky, I got two last ones for you. Number one, favorite memory of 2014. Looking back at it 12 years later. Winning. Yeah.

Winning. Winning. winning at the end of the day. I'm going to tell you this right now. You can look at every great experience you had there. If you lose, it's not the great experience anymore, is it? So winning makes everything greater. And, you know, Elliot, I'm going to tell you,

I have to go back to your wow question at the beginning. Okay. You know, and if it was on the ice, in the game, I'd have to say that. But in the whole event of Four Nations, it would have to be trumped. talking about like hockey because let's call it what it is uh you know doesn't matter what you feel on anything else to have him comment on what we were doing on four nations call team USA

took it to a different level and you know the awareness around the game like to me the moment he spoke about hockey i was like oh my god like this is this is getting bigger i mean all of a sudden now i'm on first take and get up and we're talking about tournament and it's like on steroids. Like it's, you can feel it. You can feel it. It's a different wave of energy. And, you know, in the United States,

having that the network of ESPN can help with that in a big way. But no question, you know, the president, you know, commenting on a four nations tournament and calling Team USA definitely created the biggest mile factor. Like, it had to have. I mean, it incited so much comments. and so much debate. It was crazy. And the politics of the Times definitely comes across in the piece, and it was interesting.

You captured that. Now, here's my second question. I want to take you back to when you first broken in Montreal and the enthusiasm that the fans had every time you touch the puck there. When you watch Lane Hudson play now and you see like those fans, like I see you guys aren't the same player, but I see the Canadian fans have attached to Hudson the same way they attach to you. Am I wrong or is that real? Oh, no, it's real. I think that Lane Hudson couldn't be a more perfect defenseman

from Montreal, and the reason why is his style of play. You know, you can have a great defenseman in Montreal, but he's not going to be attached to the crowd the way that Lane is. unless you play that way, you know, because that's the intelligence that you're dealing with in Montreal. They know talent when they see it. They know dynamic players. They have a history.

That organization has been built on dynamic players and players that can take you out of your seats and players that could be entertaining. But players that could be game changes too. And, you know, so it's not just the entertainment factor. It's can you help us win? and if you can help the Montreal Canadiens win and you can entertain and you can be a dynamic player,

you will be a fan favorite. I will tell you that right now, whether it's Lane Hudson or Jimmy or Steve to come for the next years, if you come into that city and you play dynamic with no fear and you help them win and you attack the game and you pray on moments and you don't shy away from them, they're going to recognize that because it's a blue-collared city. Like, you know, they spend all.

a lot of money to go to those games. It's not getting cheaper. So they want their money's work. They want you to work as hard as they work to pay for those tickets. And one thing about him, I don't need to talk about how he skates. I don't want to even talk about how he handles the puck or how he sees the game. Because those things you can always work on and improve. But how hard he competes is why he gets that record.

Like, I'm going to tell you this right now. He does not take a shift off. I've never seen him quit on a play. And those things to me mean way more than anything else. Like, couple that with how he plays the game. And that's why he's Lane Hudson, right? That's why I say lane train. That's why I say we need to put some, you know, more coal on the fire.

Because he's got an engine that runs. You know, like you see Charlie McAvoy in Boston, he's not going to wow you the way McCar does, but he's got a tremendous engine. That's what you're investing in. The guy competes. He plays hard. He plays a brand of hockey that you need, and that's a winning brand. Well, Lane Hudson has a winning competitiveness

to him that is going to trickle down to his teammates, and it has. It has. You can see it. Like, you have to match his intensity. And I think with him, it makes up for a lot of things in his game. I mean, would you build a player perfectly like Lane Hudson? No, you'd probably

want him to be a little bit taller. Maybe you'd want him to be a better skater. But to me, the way he plays the game and his package makes him a very, very special player. And he'll be a special player in the league for a long time. And that contract that he's on is an amazing contract for Montreal as well. So it's going to allow him to play with other great players. And you put a guy like him with the skill players that he's playing with now, like he's going to break a lot of records.

I think he's going to shatter some records, you know. And he's that good. He is that good. He is. He's for real. Great. All right. I got one more, P.K., so now that you're retired, what player, either still playing in the league or maybe they're retired now, have you done the biggest 180 with in your post-playing days?

Maybe when you played, you despised the player or you knew that they hated you, and now you're like, we're cool now? Great question. You know, that's a great question. You know, I don't think there was ever a player that I hated, you know? Like, I would say there's probably guys that probably had some hate for me, and it was probably just in some ways. But for me, I never hated a guy or hated any players that I played against. I think I recognized that anything that guys were doing to me was out of respect

to try to get me off my game or affect the game. If you ever take that stuff personal, then you're not in the game. You're not a winner. Winners and champions like Sidney Crosby, him being the first player to text me after I retired, tells you everything of what he thought about everything that we battled. It's all about the game. It's all about winning.

And he respects guys that played to win. If you were a guy that went in the corner and rubbed him on the back and asked him for a side stick, he ain't got respect for you because that's not what drives him, right? right he wants guys that are going to play the game the right way that's that's why we respect the game is it has to be played that way and he wants guys that can compete so you know for me i never looked at it as i hated anyone there were other guys that had bigger roles in terms of being agitators that i may have gotten into it more with but i never hated anyone because i i knew the game and how it was you know when i first came in you realize this when you play hockey you know it is about respect

because you can play with anybody at the end of the day. So, you know, if anything ever goes on over the line, it's, you know, it's always about the sport. And to me, I'm not bigger than the sport either. So I would never hate anyone. I think that if you have respect for the game, then you should respect all the players. But, you know, like, look at Brad Marshaun, right? Like, you know, me and Marsha get along great. Like, I've never hated him.

And I fought him and Luchich never hated him. Great guy. Get along with him today. So I haven't as thought, like, you know, like, to me, I never had that. I just never had that feeling towards anybody. Awesome. Well, I just say that people who are going to see this are really going to enjoy it. They're really going to enjoy it.

You did a great job with it, P.K. Thank you. Thank you. No, I think it's, you know what? I love it. I think people in Canada are going to love it. I think it really brings you in, especially as a Canadian. It gives you that perspective.

I think it also incites other conversations. but it's really about the game. And, you know, the most important part to me was, you know, about four nations was the Wayne Gretzky component. You know, there was so much controversy around that. And like, you know, I, like, no one can say a bad thing to me about Wayne Gretzky. I'm with you. I'm a huge.

I was really like, and I'm not even bringing it up to make it a big deal because to me it's not a big deal. But as a Canadian, like, I'd be disappointed at any Canadian that put him down. because that's just an indictment to me on being Canadian is discrediting one of your own. And I'm not about to let anybody do that on my watch. And I think that we paid him a nice tribute in that to show respect to Wayne.

But I have nothing but respect for him. And, you know, he's still, he's going to be the greatest of all time. He is the greatest of all time. And maybe the greatest athlete of all time. Like, you know, now those conversations are starting to talk about when you look at his numbers and all that stuff. But we're so lucky to have them as a Canadian.

So a lot of cool points in that in the dock for sure. Rivals, the four nations face off. It is a great way to wet your appetite before the winter games over in Milano-Cortina. P.K., thanks so much for doing this. Thanks, guys. Thanks guys for having me. Thank you, P.K., good luck. This is an incredible office.

So I'm curious, is there anything in here that you are, I don't know, particularly proud of, anything that matters to you more than anything else? There's a lot of great stuff in there. There is. I got to credit my wife, Jesse, too, for this. She was the kind of the visionary of putting it all together, but it's hard not to sit here and say my kids.

I mean, that would be... Number one. would be number one. And the fact that they... I understand one of your daughters is a great artist too. She is. And so this would be... It's these moments here that create these moments. And so then when you do, when you're fortunate to be a part of this, it doesn't really matter unless you get to share it with people in the end.

And so that's been the best part. So before the interview I told you, I was going to ask you one story about the Four Nations that you never told anyone. And I guess it fits that the story you thought about has to do with your daughter and Sidney Crosby, correct? Well, it was the story that we could tell. I thought about a few. But it's, no, it's actually my son. So basically it was the final, it was the tournament's going on. My son had to leave for a hockey tournament.

My girls got to stay the whole time. I will try and fast forward this through the story. What Hockey Canada does, they're the extra 5%. They do such a fabulous job and everything. But they give us all jerseys and whatever, and we have a signing. So instead of seeing Drew Dowdy or Sidney Crosby or Nathan McKinnon and signing like, hey, can you sign this real quick? We do it at one time. So everybody, families, everything, puts something in a room and the players take an hour, hour and a half, and they sign everything.

So it's well done. Well, my son had to leave after the Sweden game to go to a hockey tournament, so he missed the three and nine game. And anyway, when we're doing the signing, I'm like, Johnny, where's your jersey? And he'd asked me earlier, like, well, they always get Cooper jerseys. But he was kind of embarrassed. And he said, Dad, do you mind if I get a Crosby jersey? I'm like, of course, get a Crosby jersey. Like, for sure.

Anyway, he took it with him, so it wasn't part of the signing. And he was rattled. So we were fortunate enough fast forward. We make the final and we win the Four Nations. And out of the corner of my eye, I see my son at the glass. I don't know how 20,000 people there, I see him. And I'm like, all right, go here. We're in the midst.

I think I've just hugged Bington and like all this stuff's going on. Anyway, get him on to our bench. And so he's there during the metal presentation, the whole thing. Now it's back in the locker room. He happens to be there. I think my twin daughters are choked at what's happening, but he found a way down. Anyway, we get there, and if you remember,

Josh Morrissey was sick, and so he couldn't play. And we had had his jersey hung up, and the media had come in, so the locker room was cleared out, everybody was in the training room. And I just happened to be there, as fate would have it,

with the Four Nations Trophy, my son and myself. And I'm like, Johnny, take a picture of me in front of Morrissey stall and I'll send it to him. And right when that was about to happen, who walks in, Sidney Crosby? And I'm like, oh, Sid. Tell him what happened. Sid gets in the picture with me.

My son takes it. And Cid's like, hey, Johnny, thanks for wearing my jersey. You want me to sign it for you? So now Sid whips out a Sharpie and now Johnny, of course, his Crosby jersey is signed by Sidney Crosby while it was on his back and I thought oh only him that's fate that was yeah it was crazy how that happened there is there is one thing I want to ask you on your desk I know it's the hockey cards mm-hmm so what hockey cards do you have there those are older cards oh my gosh I was an avid collector okay avid I actually don't even know which ones are

I see bobby or on the back so bobby or is he there yeah where's my bobby or one I have So Vancouver Canucks game, I couldn't even tell you the year. I wasn't even close to being in pro hockey. I'm from British Columbia. I was going to a Canucks game. They've got it back to back. I'm going to both games. First game, Bobby Orr sits right behind me.

I'm like, oh my God, is my childhood idol, Bobby R? And I don't imagine Prince George kid being Boston Bruin fan, but I was. And then, so I'm like, I'll take a chance. When I went home that night, I found my Bobby Or card. And I think it's on my desk. at the arena anyway i brought it and sure enough bobby or sitting in the same seat took me two periods to gain up enough courage and i went up and bobby signed it for me that was my so that was well that one's framed yes are there any other particular players that you keep in there

oh gosh honestly it i'd have to go through like all the guys that are through here but it's fate that bobby or's the first one but oh there's so oh here's what how about pulling this one Phil Esposito I love Phil For those you don't know Phil does our radio broadcasts and he's a legend But I have so many

There's just There's so many And it's crazy now To be involved in the league And say, you know Like just pull this out And You know

Lady Bing Memorial Trophy Yeah I remember all these Countie Bucic Yeah so I was Do you remember Did you ever put them in the spokes of your bike? Yes

Gosh I always I think now, God, I hope I didn't put some really good ones in there. You got Bob your autographed. You're flying. Okay, yeah. Can you hold your book? Just go more to the middle. The middle?

Okay. All right, so let's go. I got a few different topics for you. Let's start with Team Canada Olympics. Game one goalie. That is, like you're really good at your job. Timing's awful. No, we're not, listen, we haven't even,

it's still a couple weeks away. still a couple weeks away to the Olympics. And we have three proven goaltenders. And, you know, there was a whole bunch of white noise going on about, you know, who's going to play at Four Nations. And I think some of that, you know, still circling back in the day of social media now for the Olympics. But at most, well, you've seen my confidence in Binner. And, you know, L.T. and Dars, like, I watched Darcy first-hand. and snatch a potential third Stanley Cup out of my hands right in our own arena.

So, you know, these guys have, they've all played, you know, monumental games in front of big people and performed. And so regardless who plays, I know they'll kick ass for us. The other one, I remember when the team got named for the Four Nations, I think that night we interviewed you and we said, who's playing with Crosby? And you said, you'll see it the first practice in Montreal. So now I'm going to try it with Celebrini.

Where do you see him fitting? So I don't know, this is probably a completely unfair comparison, but I remember in the world, and it's a lesson learned for me. In the World Cup in 2016, we had, I was assistant on the North, Team North America. And there was a kid named Austin Matthews who none of us had, well, we'd never seen play. We'd heard of. There was some young kid playing in Europe somewhere, and he was coming on to be on the team.

And so we had him, Austin, I don't know what camera we're on. Don't be upset, but we had you as the 13th forward in that tournament going in. We didn't know. And soon after that, I don't know if it was game two or whatever, he was playing with McDavid. And they were making magic together. So, you know, part of that, obviously, we hadn't, you know, we had to see him play.

And, you know, those Olympics, or that, tournament had a big, remember it had a big preseason. Yes. We traveled around, had exhibition games and stuff like that. You know, we don't have that now. I think our exhibition season was the Four Nations tournament. But in saying that back to Celebrini, so we've played them twice in the month of January and he is a, not only, let's take the playing side out of it.

What a special kid for, what is he, 19 years old? And it's, you know, the leagues in great hands. with him and all the other young kids coming up. But he'll, he is going to be given, you know, every chance to succeed. And most definitely not going to treat him. You know, hey, here's the 19-year-old. You know, you're not going to play him. That kid deserves to play, and we'll find a spot for him somewhere.

I'm sure you will. I was glad you mentioned Team North America because I wanted to ask you, McKinnon and McDavid, they were on that team with you. How have they changed in the deck? since you coached them there. Wow, that's a really good question. I haven't thought about that. You think about that team, and I always wonder,

what would have happened if Canada and Team North America would have played in that time? I so badly wanted that game. I think everybody did, and I was always, to this day, wonder who the crowd would have cheered for. I always thought they would have cheered for the kids. Yeah, I think so. I think there would have been a sentimental piece to that.

But, I mean, who can be? forget the overtime against Sweden and the multiple breakways. And I'd be remiss if I didn't bring up Johnny Godreau who played in that game. And I still, now I can remember him in those games. But Nathan McKinnon against Henrik Lankwist at the goal line to win it in overtime. And at the time, I think we thought, hey, that's going to give us the chance, like, to make the final. And we ultimately didn't. But, you know, I answer your question about, you know, McKinnon, McDavid, Matthews. You go through the list of the players.

It was, I'll never forget, the first practice I think we had was at the Bell Center. And until, until the four nations, that was the fastest practice and game. games I'd ever seen in my life. And then it got beat at Four Nations. That's, I just remember, we all thought that that team was going to get pummeled. And they were as good as anybody else. I know. And just think now I look back at that and we left Mitch Miner off that team and Braden Point.

I don't even think, Pointer might not have been in the league that I think he came in during that year. And it's fast forward. So that was 2016. I coached Canada at the World Championships in 2017. Kind of goes back to Celebrini. And I learned this. We took a young Mitch Marner, a young Braden point, a young Travis Kinectney,

as the guys were like, okay, you know, let's see extra forwards, get them introduced to hockey Canada and pro. And I don't know, it was in the second game. I think I put the three of them together. and they were magic. I couldn't separate them. Couldn't separate them, couldn't sit them, and they ended up being probably our best line in the tournament.

So I've learned age is just a number. Do you have a slogan for this team? Do you have something? We do, but again, I can't. It's got to come with the team. We had a big thing. There was at the Four Nations, there was a we called something moments over minutes yeah and that that really was a big it really

sat with the players that you're not going to get you know whether it was the small moment all these small moments that lead to big moments and then the moments over minutes being you know if you want you may not get your minutes that you've been used to in in the nchel but it'll all be to get for the big moment and so you can tell you can tell you. take some of that. So you have something, but you're just not sharing it yet. That's fair. I've seen that before. You know, Doug Armstrong said that when they picked the roster, they went to 19 and basically 12 and 7, and the last three were to you. How did you go through to make your picks? At the four nations? No, for the Olympics. Well, again, like, it's easy to put it that way. That's

that's exactly how it happens. I think you're looking at Canada and you go three quarters away down the team and there's probably a lot of people that it's like, well, that's a no-brainer. For me, it's roles. I don't think, you know, at times people are like, they may look at the scoring leaders and say,

well, just take the top 25 Canadians. I think a big part of it is, building the right team. I think teams win games, not individuals. And so, you know, you just, I mean, I've had success at doing this in, you know, the National Hockey League and you kind of get a feel for what is needed. And, and I don't think, I mean, you could take that 36th forward in Canada and still they'd have a role in this team. But so a lot comes into play of where these guys are going to fit, how they're going to fit with each other. Who's going to be playing when you're up a goal?

Who's going to be playing when you're down a goal? Who's going to be killing on five on three? Like four on three? There's so many other situations that a lot of the guys aren't used to being in. And the guys that are on the newspaper clippings all the time. So you have to build a team. And I think that's what a lot of it came down to. When you were picked to choose the Four Nations, somebody said to me,

I guarantee you two things. They said this a year in advance, that Sorrelli will be on the team and Hegel will be on the team. Those are your guys. And, you know, I mean, we watch the lightning. We see how much you value them. But, like, did you ever think,

no, I can't take them here? Or do you ever say, like, when you're building a team Canada, how much do you look at and say, all right, this is what I want or this is what's best for? the country? Like, how do you look at it? It's always what's best for the country. It's always what's, the flag is first no matter what. I will sit here and tell you, yes, do I love the Sorrellys and the haggles? I do. But to be honest, it worked against them because I was, and I told them,

I'm not going to be the guy that stands up there and says, I took my guys. You can say it a year earlier, oh, Kup will take his guys. But if you look when that team was picked, who was the best penalty killing duo in the league? I mean, they both had points. Like, Hegel was, might have been the top five-on-five point producer in the league.

And so, I don't know if that spurred, like, a little inspiration for him, but I think it was, they had to earn it as opposed to being Koop's guys, and they both did. Okay. I always wondered to, like the rivalry between

Florida and Tampa and I remember reading about the Islanders and the Oilers at the 84 Canada Cup and finally Larry Robinson had to pull them in and say guys this isn't the Islanders versus the Oilers this is Team Canada and it was in the middle of the tournament when they were struggling is that ever a thing you've got Reinhardt I will sit here and tell you there's two differences between that because I know those stories yeah I've talked to that guy there and he's explained them the one team team hadn't won a cup. And the other team had won them all. And so when you play each other that often, especially in the finals and the way that was going on, to me, that was a little bit of

the difference. The other part is, I don't know back then if all those players played with each other growing up. Like social media wasn't around. They weren't around. Like, you know what I mean? interacting like in today's game my 15 year old knows every single player from 11 to 21 knows exactly who they are how they shoot what stick brand they use so it's way different they play each other and there's so many of these tournaments now that go on in the summer so they all kind of get to know each other so i think that's might have had to play into it but i will tell you this at the four nations, whether it was Bennett or Reinhardt or Point, Surrette, like they came in there and they were wearing the flag and hanging out with each other and sitting by each other in the locker room,

telling stories, and it was all about how we were going to do as Canada and had nothing to do about what's gone on between us and Florida. And that's what I go back to picking a team. That's what a team is. Can never be an issue. Okay. One of the interesting questions that Craig Simpson had about coaching is, when you're at the Olympics, get a preliminary round. So we've seen Canada, for example, 2002, they lost that first game to Sweden. They figured it out. Four nations, it was three games quick. So how will coaching this tournament be different than coaching that one in terms of there's a runway? There is a runway because there's that fourth game, which you do. did not have the luxury having it at Four Nations.

Most of these players, aside from Sid and Dowdy, have never played in this type of environment. Maybe World Championships, but it's not on the same stage. So I will sit here and say, there is a little bit of time to quote unquote figure it out, but not much. And so I don't think you can sit here and say, like if we stumble, we got the, you know, the playing game or whatever. Yes, have a lot of Canadian teams had to play in that game?

They have. Even, didn't even, wasn't, was it 2010 or 2014? One of them had to play in it. 2010? Because they'd lost to the U.S. That's right. Earlier. And so, you know, I guess it cranks the nerves up a little earlier than and makes the blood pressure a little higher.

but it's so short. I mean, Four Nations was three games. This is basically four games. So it's not much more runway. Do you, like the loyalty factor, there's a lot of players coming back who've won before. There were a lot of players coming back who won last year. Did that matter to you?

The fact that those guys had won. He made some changes. Obviously, Bennett's not there. But were there, did that matter? The fact that they won with you last year? What was more important to you? Listen, I could can the answer and say, no, it doesn't matter. Let's be honest, of course it matters.

I mean, you're the, you've gone through 12 days of, especially like, let's remember that tournament, what went on. Like, not only what went on on the ice, what went on off the ice and the political landscape and what the guys had to go through. And familiarity is a real thing. I will sit here and say, though, that, you know, the, the, you know, the, the, you know, the, the five managers and all the scouts, everybody we had going around picked team. Because in the end, you know,

I get to see these players every so often, but not the way, you know, our management group got to see them. And I'll give them credit. They dug their heels in and, and the information and the guys we picked, like, you can't argue with it. And, yeah, would we have loved to have kept the Four Nations team and just added to guys for sure?

Like, that's, You know, like my, because, you know, when you win with people, you know them, you trust them, you want to keep going through a wall for them. And, you know, ultimately, it's just the reality it doesn't get to happen. And but it doesn't shortchange any of the guys that are coming in because, you know, everybody's gave themselves a reason to be on the team, as well as probably 10 other guys that aren't on the team. What was the hardest call to make this year? For... In or out? That's a...

No. No? It's there, but no. Okay. It's unfair to the player in and the player's out. Fair enough. You know who's in? The 25 that are in,

and we're like flipping pumped to go to war with these guys. You know, one of the things that we all understand about Canadian hockey is that it's gold or else. And I think sometimes it's unfair, but it's kind of like it is, right? I've dealt with you. Would you want to, would you rather be in a situation where, oh my God, I can't wait to, if we can just get the bronze?

No way, man. Give me the, I want to be the team that's gold or bust. I want, you know, if you're not the team being chased, I don't want to be the chaser. And so if you've got that, that means you have a chance to win. And I'd rather have that. Was it always like that for you? Isn't it the way it should be? Not everybody's wired for that, though.

It can't always happen. But for me, you know, the season's going 365 days. and I'd rather, like I told you, I'd rather be the king of the mountain and knock off the hyenas coming up instead of being down there and trying to fight your way to the top. Outstanding Lion King reference. Okay, I want to talk to you about your team a little bit.

It is, it is, oh, you have a Lion King thing here? Well, no, I don't, but it's one of my favorite sayings. Okay. But be brave, because the lion. in there. Can you see it? We'll get a shot of it at the end. Be brave even if you're not pretend to be because no one can tell the difference. That's awesome. I want to talk to you about your team a little bit. It's a talking point down here. Which team we go on with right? Lightning. Okay. It's a

talking point down here that never been coach of the year. At the 2014 Olympics I asked Drew Doughty if it bothered him that he had never won the Norris Trophy and he said yes. It doesn't bother you that you've never been coach of the year. I will sit here and be completely honest. Who is the famous actress? You really like me? No, gosh,

he was a soap opera. You know, we're old. Yes. Susan Lucci. Susan Lucci. Remember? Like talking about Sally Field when she watched. Oh, that's right. That's right. That's right. So do you remember when all of a sudden you're like, oh, I can't believe there's always like they do so well or whatever and then they never win?

And then it becomes all of a sudden, all of a sudden now you don't want to win. but which I'm not saying that but like I was nominated twice and I think there was one time I was like oh I you know what I might have a chance to to win it did not but I for me and it's the honest truth these are those or what matter and you can sit here and say hey the coach of the year is it's a phenomenal honor and something you can write on your tombstone one day. But to me it is like the team trophy is truly truly what matters. The individual accolades. Great is getting pointed out but like I don't skate on the ice. I'm not the one taking the hits. I'm not doing that. Yeah they might push in a few buttons here and there but I don't need to be told or I don't need to be given the award that says,

hey, you did it like the best this year. What says I did it the best this year was being able to raise the Stanley Cup. And so I've been extremely fortunate to have won two and been to a couple, you know, four finals. And I would never, ever, ever trade any of that, you know, for the chance that the coach year. Okay.

I was looking, so on March 25th will be your 13th anniversary of being hired. Jared Bednar will be the next. next coach to get to even 10 years and he is doing it in August. There's only three coaches. Rod Brindamore is the other who has been even five years. I'm like in the NHL coaches, most teams would hire three coaches or four in the time that you've been the head coach of the Lightning.

Why do you think it's worked so well? I, well sometimes, oh my God, it's so hard to answer this. I call it like it's vertical power. And what I mean by that is there has to be complete alignment. And that is, it's the owner, it's the general manager, it's the coach, it's the players, okay? And they have to, so many times it can be like this, horizontal, and it's now who's in power,

who's doing what, who's giving order. And what happened here in this organization, We had an owner in Jeff Finnic that had a belief. And he stressed that with Steve Eisenman. And then Steve Eisenman came in and he hired Guy Boucher at the time. Who hired, you know, and then he hired Julian Breezebaugh, who hired John Cooper. And we were all like this. And, you know, for the most part, everybody stayed.

And there wasn't a whole lot of transition. And so you think of that. you know, Steve eventually left, but the person that took over was his right hand man. And, you know, when Gid left, the person that took over was somebody in the organization, but everybody was aligned in the same beliefs. And there's never, it's never a situation where somebody comes in and tells you how to do your job. What comes in and says, hey, like, information's traded, but it's never you have to do this. there's a belief and a common thread between all of us of what our standard is and what we want

and then there's trust and nobody gets in anybody's way and every decision that made is collaborative and maybe there's an argument or two behind closed doors but everybody walks in out arm and arm and I truly believe that's what matters and and nothing nothing said it more to me was in 2019 when you know we tied the NHL record were 62 wins. And we lasted six days in the playoffs and get swept by Columbus. And I remember, I can say it now, Clod Julianne called me and he was in coach in Montreal. And he said, Coup, you're a lucky man, because if that was me in Montreal, I don't think

I'd be the coach anymore. And I said, I'm pretty sure not. And, but like the belief was, hey, let's just keep knocking on the door. Yeah, it sucked. But the President's trophy winner, and if you win 50, it doesn't mean you're going to win the Stanley Cup. And was it unfortunate? We lost the way we did. It was.

But, you know, in the end, the organization got rewarded by keeping us all together. And then we went to three straight finals right after that and won two. Now, is that guaranteed it's not? But I do think if the same group's given the chance to keep knocking at the door, eventually, you know, you'll barge yourself in. And we did that. You know, what's interesting to me is a lot of the group has still been the same, like your core, like Vasilevsky, Headman, McDonough left and came back, Kucherov, Point. And just with that group of players, and, you know, obviously, Sorrelli, too, how do you keep it fresh?

Like, that's one of the things. Like, I've seen cores before where the players get tired of the message. Like, how do you keep that? So I get that question a lot. Yeah. Okay. I don't, I think the environment in Tampa's is, it's probably a little different than in other places. Part of it is because of the longevity.

But I always say this. Who's your, give me one of your best friends you've been with for 30 years. One of my, I'll say my producer, Brian Spear. Okay, so do you and Brian ever get tired of each other? All the time. You do. Yes. But enough to be, we're done.

I don't want to work with you anymore. No, that's never happened. Okay. Yes. So imagine that relationship with. owner, GM, coach, captains, core. And yeah, do they get mad at dad every once in a while? Do I get mad at my kids?

Which I'm, you know, the double entendre here of what, you know, they're my kids. Of course. But I don't think there's ever a situation where they're like, oh, well, we need to break up. And so there's a complete trust and belief in, what I think they think of myself and our staff and what I definitely believe in them. And they know it.

And it almost comes down at times to, if I can put them in a position where they feel like they don't want to let me down, I think, you know, you've got what you wanted. But I truly believe that there's a relationship bond there that, you know, we're going to start this whole thing together and we're going to go through the whole thing and we're going to end it together.

That's awesome. So you've extended a few times. I was wondered if there was ever anything else in hockey you wanted to do. The, oh, you could be a president of hockey operations someday if you wanted to be. I don't know, I'd like to, gosh, I'd like to keep my list and sit in Gary Bettman's chair for 48 hours. Okay, so let's just imagine. There we go. You're the commission, and you know, you were a lawyer, so you qualify.

I'm not a lawyer anymore. No, you lose that. Sorry, you're right, you're right. I don't know the answer to that. I meant you did it as a profession. But if you were the commissioner of the NHL for two days, how different would the league look? Oh, my gosh, you wouldn't.

Listen, the only reason I feel comfortable saying that is because I think Gary Bettman has done a phenomenal job in this league. And if I didn't think that, I wouldn't mention them. Okay. So, I understand. Do you understand what I'm saying? And like, he has a view, I don't care how you want to look at this game. We were just talking about just the way the games played.

You ever go back and watch the hooking and holding? I was so mad when they got rid of that. And now I watched these old vintage games and I'm like, how did they survive? How is this even watchable? You know, like watching. It's funny this is watching the goalies. Yeah. Oh my gosh.

Well, I'd say about Darren Pang all the time. But you watch, you know, like we'll watch the old four stuff with the lightning and the final with Calgary and it is what's your you always have the argument about the uh the goal that wasn't the goal or something well the game six yeah game six calgary fans still feel that that was but there's not a scoring chance in the entire game yeah and and so you know gary came in and revolutionized all that and i know technology's helped and but you look at our revenues you look at just all the nuances of of what's changed the game and the scoring's up and You look at goalie save percentages now.

The goalies are better than ever, and the safe percentages are going down. And that's just because of the excitement, the way it's played, overtime coming in. So look at the value of the teams that are being sold. The buildings are packed all the time. The cities were going to, like, it's, the league's in a phenomenal place. But there must be something you would do. If you were in charge for two days, what is maybe one or two things that you would do? I never.

be different. You got something. I can tell by that smile. Oh, yeah, but it's all off-ice funny stuff. But still, I'll take it. You know what I'd do? What? I would put an outdoor game in Tampa.

You're getting that. Oh, we are. See? I can't even get a hold of a game. You are an excellent lawyer. Okay. You know what I would do? What?

I would see about, I would flip the, just two things I'd do. I would flip, I would have the first and third, be the long, change. And I would not have the blue line as a two-headed monster entering it. I'd have the blue line. It's just one entry point. And so I think you'd get rid of a whole lot of... You know what I mean? Because when the puck comes out, it comes out at a different point than when it goes in. So those are probably two things that I would... I like them. I would change. I'm giving you two days. A couple more for and then we'll wrap it up. Number one, Kuturov. I want a Kucherov. I want a Kuturov story that because he's the most mysterious great player in the national hockey league.

I'd love a good Kucharov story. Oh my God. Like Kucherov is I don't like I'm so fortunate to to be able to coach the best players some of the best players in the world. And Kooch like I don't know if I'll ever coach anybody better than him. Anybody that sees it more than him. and like I have so many great stories about Cooch I have so many funny stories about Cooch I don't want to put Cooch in you know any uncomfortable situation but you think about just even recently what happened

he's getting like what I what I love about Cooch is he is totally okay being the villain and see it he he embraces it and I think he thrives in it and you know just like even the other night he scored on, where were we? Chicago. In Chicago.

He's getting booed as it comes in and it all of a sudden I'm just like, oh, he's going to score now. He did and then he puts the finger up and it's just like, how do you think of that stuff? But that's what Cooch. Cooch thinks of things way ahead of everybody else. He knows. And so it's, he is, he's just brilliant. He's poetry on ice.

I don't have enough words to. describe how great is and how great a competitor is and it's a lot of fun coach. Last one for you. Yeah. I hear you have a great golf tournament in the summer in Idaho. A lot of great players play. I understand Gretzky plays, Ray Whitney plays, you play. And someone told me the best part of it is that you play first and that when you finish,

you sit on your back deck with a glass of something and a cigar and you taunt everybody who comes down the final fairways. Tell me about this John Cooper golf. There is, well, it's not per se, but it's a, it's a member guest up in Idaho that a lot of us play. And there's a lot like chaser, Morrow, oh my God, there's so many hockey guys that play in it. But yeah, like that, so I just happen to live in the 18th hole. So I have a really, I have a great seat to what zooms by. You know, Coach Peyton, the Broncos is there.

Oh, John Payton, yeah. And Ryan Smith. So I get to, I do get to have a little bit of fun. I'll tell you one quick story that when I had the Stanley Cup there in 2021. And so there were four players coming up. And it was such a busy time. And I was extremely fortunate. I got to have it for two days.

So I have in the backyard and I have one hour with it kind of by myself without it going to another party or another whatever. And I'm just sitting there and I'm like, it was like a surreal moment. I'm looking out and there's the lake and the trees and the golf course and myself and the Stanley Cup. By ourselves. And I'm just like, it was one of the coolest moments I've ever had. So then these four guys start rolling up. And I'd see them coming up on to 18 and they're like, hey, they kind of yells like, is that the Stanley Cup? And I'm like, yeah.

And they start walking over and they, you have to like kind of go through this little bush to get here. And they start coming up. And I'm like, holy. And it was Vince Coleman, Ozzie Smith, Richard Dent, and Marcus Allen. Wow. And I was like, holy count. So then I had to go find somebody to take a picture of those four guys. And they're holding the cup with me beside them.

So yeah, cool things happen on that, on that hole. Hold on, before we go, yeah. So I listen to podcasts every once in a while. Okay. And what I do, like, there's so many, I kind of go through the notes. Yeah. And so you're like the eighth to tenth podcast I'll look at for hockey. I appreciate that.

Thank you. So anyway, on the last pod, I'm like, you know, so I'll go through the notes to be like, okay, is there anything interesting here? I'd like to listen to a point of view or something like that. And I went through this pod called 32 Thoughts. And I went down the list. And I just was like, God, if I could ever get in contact with anybody and tell him, Seth Jones is an American and not a Canadian.

Do we put two Canada? Oh, my God. Oh, man. I will take responsibility. Oh, you know what? That's so you that you would end the interview with a dagger. I really respect it. I just want you to know, I respect it.

Thanks for coming. Thanks for coming. Actually, thanks for coming to the house because it's the first time I've ever seen the office. This clean. All right. Our thanks once again to John Cooper and Pige Souban for making time for us here on the pod. That'll do it for this special interview edition of 32 Thoughts. The podcast.

We'll be back again on Friday. won't be. I'll be in the middle of traveling over to Milan for coverage of the Olympics over there. So Elliott will be joined by a special guest host on Friday. Talk to you then. I will talk to you again overseas from Milan.