32 Thoughts: The Podcast - Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, Tyler Toffoli & Nick Suzuki

Episode Date: September 21, 2021

Auston Matthews (11:20) talks about his eventful off-season, how he’s feeling after his wrist surgery, what he’s excited about most this season, and he reflects on last season. Mitch Marner (24:30) discusses how he plans on blocking out the noise, staying in touch with Auston Matthews throughout the summer, what he was best known for […]

You're the first person, by the way, that hasn't commented on Elliot's shoe. So if you'd like to get that out of the way, please feel free. We can get out of the interview. No laces? No laces. That's nice.

No laces, no socks. Okay, welcome once again to the podcast. You'll notice, Elliot, I called it the podcast because I still don't know what I should call this podcast. I don't understand why you're playing this game. You have to get in the mindset. It's 32 thoughts if the artwork isn't ready the artwork isn't ready but this season we are the 32 thoughts

podcast get into the mindset now i do have to tell everybody that jeff has a reason for being a little off today we are taping the intro to this on wednesday in chicago Chicago and Jeff is playing hurt. What happened to you? I've never had food poisoning in my life and I don't know if it was food poisoning, but I had a very unfortunate incident with my meal last night in my hotel room that essentially kept me up all night and I'm still sort of surfing on the fumes of it. Not great. So we took a 6.30 p.m. Eastern time flight from Toronto to Chicago. We got in locally about eight o'clock to our hotel.

I went out to meet some of our team, Colby Armstrong, Michael Addict, and Kelsey Scobie, a couple of our producers. And you went for some fast food and you lost. Fast food won, Jeff zero. It was Mexican food. mexican food okay mexican food one jeff zero had a nice workout i'm like all right this will be great he's gonna meet you guys later on nope grounded so jeff doesn't drink he's a vegan now a vegan. Now, no more Mexican food. I said that.

That's a knee jerk. You're going to be like a koala. You're only going to eat eucalyptus leaves. I'm running out of options of things to eat. Anyway, so thank you for playing Hurt, because you can't see Jeff right now. Amal and I can. You have never looked worse. I just have to tell you.

Really? I don't look that bad. Yeah, I've never seen you look this bad i'm rattled that mexican food rattled me but uh doesn't matter because there is a podcast on the horizon and today's podcast elliot is going to feature two montreal canadians and two toronto maple leafs uh the two habs tyler to foley who had a real nice season last year 28 goals in 52 games and sound like a final appearance uh and nick suzuki who as philip dino is now a member of the los angeles kings nick suzuki finds himself

as the number one center for a team that went to the finals last year we'll also hear from mitch marner and we'll hear from austin matthews of the toronto maple leafs do you have a thought first of all starting with the habs players a thought on suzuki a thought on tyler toffoli maybe a thought on the montreal canadians in general you know one of the things we talked about with both suzuki and toffoli is how you know it was such a crazy year and it didn't end the off season had one bombshell after another there was shea weber possibly never playing again it appears as if that's where we're going Carey Price being left unprotected and the uncertainty about whether or not he was

going to be taken by the Kraken in the expansion draft the drafting of Logan Mayhew and then of course the offer sheet with Kotkaniemi and Suzuki discusses that at length because they're you know friends and normally in the off season, you know there could be some big news around the draft or free agency, but it just never ended with Montreal. It all seemed to come from places we weren't expecting. So the one thing that really struck me about Suzuki and Toffoli and our conversations with them,

they seemed really confident. You never know what you expect from everybody at the beginning of the year. They're in a good mood. They don't hate the media yet. We haven't said anything bad about them. They, they haven't lost a game, but both those guys seemed really relaxed. And, you know, the tough thing is if you're in Montreal now, you know, that unless you win the Stanley cup this year, you can't do better than you did last year.

And I think that is a very hard mentality to be around because it's almost defeatist. You're almost setting your up for defeat. But I saw two guys there that are in a good headspace and are confident about the way things are. See, I just don't think you can think like that. Like I know sometimes fans think like that, but just don't think you can think like that like i know sometimes fans think like that but i don't think you really have a chance to win if you think

like that and it didn't strike me that either one of those guys had a really negative mentality and suzuki i think of all the young players i've met in the national hockey league and i'm 30 years old this guy we got nothing in common i'm really impressed with him the way he carries himself he's been like that forever yeah he's been mature beyond his years going back to when he played a known sound i remember at uh top prospects game in quebec city and the kids are being kids and suzuki handled himself carried himself like a pro player he's just always been that guy. I mean, Elliot, like his hockey hero is Patrice Bergeron.

He's modeling not just his game, but like his life, how he carries himself, how he behaves, how he interacts after Patrice Bergeron. And you can see it. And that guy is in the last year of his contract. And that guy's teammate just got offered sheeted for $6.1 million. I think the Canadians will be well prepared for this. I think so too. So you hear from Nick Suzuki.

You will hear from Tyler Toffoli as well. Also hear from Mitch Marner before we get to Austin Matthews. We'll hear from Mitch Marner. Last year was a tough one. The playoffs were a tough one specifically for Mitch Marner. Excellent hockey player. Supely gifted, so skilled. And after the playoffs, he was the one that wore it for the Maple Leafs.

He was the target of the fans. That's got to be tough to carry into the off season. I have a lot of thoughts on this. You know, we've talked about this. From the moment the Leafs left last year, one of the things that they discussed internally was letting their players know that this coming season was going to be huge.

It could be the last one of this group. And I think that goes everywhere. I don't necessarily think that's just the players. I think it's organizationally, front office-wise, coaching staff. Like if they lose again in the first round or don't make the playoffs in a worst-case scenario, it's going to be bad. Like there's going to be multiple, multiple changes.

And so I think the whole organization has tried to create a sense of we better make this work this year like this is this group's last stand but i think the other thing in particular with some of the players not all of them but some of them i think they're really trying to tell them to block out the noise you have to stop with the noise and you know matthews I really think doesn't care. Like, I think Matthews has that assassin mentality. I really do. I don't think he really cares what's said about him. And I think he just kind of looks at it like what's said is said.

I don't care. And I'm going to do what it takes. I think Marner has not been able to do that yet. And I don't say that as a criticism, Jeff. I think all of us have to learn that. Like, I don't know if you saw the Wall Street Journal story this week about Facebook's internal stuff on Instagram, right? Like social media affects people in different ways. There's no question about it.

And I had to get to a point where, and I think I've gotten a lot better at this now. Most of this stuff doesn't bother me. Like I remember there was, there were a couple of people that used to tweet at me and one of them did it repeatedly. And it was like, every time I see you on TV, I wish that Hitler had finished the job. Okay. Like I used to get a guy who used to tweet that at me. And, you know, eventually I just said like, you know what, like if someone's going to be that much of an ass that they're going to tweet that at you, then Twitter's not going to do anything about that. Like they just aren't. So you have to just decide that some loser like that is not getting to your head.

Now, I don't shut off my mentions. I think Marner for a time this summer did. I do recommend that to everybody who is bothered by those things. Shut off your mentions. I do have a quality filter I've put on my phone. So certain terms can't come up. But generally, it takes a lot for someone to offend me. Like I used to get things like,

like when I was heavier before the pandemic started, I used to get jokes about how fat I was all the time too. Stuff doesn't bother me. And I think what you have to do is create an environment, whether it's a filter or turning off your mentions where you can shut out the noise and i really do think and some of that from marner has been his own internal people around him aren't always great for him but i do think that there have been some things that they've gone online and whether it's him looking at it or people around him looking at it it's affected him

and i think the leaves have said that look there's always going to be noise i did ask him about in the interview people are going to hear it like you have to say to that noise yeah it's enough because i think they feel that that is a reason that marner in some of the big moments where you've seen him kind of crack a bit it's not that they don't think he's capable and he's still a young guy I think that that's what they're trying to say to him is we think that the noise that you let get to you affects you and I don't think that happens to Matthews I think Matthews like forget it but I think Marner takes it to heart and they really want him to learn about that i think part of it for martyr too is he's a toronto guy who lives in

toronto and so 24 7 he has to be mitch marner yeah there's no i can just be you know and the contract has affected it it's still cast a shadow yeah it still does um quick thought on austin matthews we'll we'll start with him on the podcast well i just think that like i said i think they feel differently about matthews that he shuts this stuff out i think matthews has gotten better every year i look i don't know what austin matthews future is here i don't know if he's going to be a toronto maple leaf for his whole career i believe he can handle this i think he's got the assassin's mentality yeah and you know he we talk about the wrist as long as he's healthy you know i think he's going to have a massive

season we'll start it there austin matthews on 32 thoughts there you go i got there podcast. With Austin Matthews here on the podcast, and before we get into hockey things, I'll have to put a picture of this, Elliot, up on social so people can know what we're talking about. Those may be the coolest shoes I've ever seen. You like them? Can you please describe these shoes to people and where you got them and what the story behind them is? I mean, there's not much of a story, I guess. They're Louboutins, and they got some spikes on the toe and heel, and I don't know, they kind of match my suit,

so I don't wear them too often. I figured I'd break them out today. Elliot is the fashionista here on the podcast. No, I'm not. So let's get your review of the kicks. Well, they match, which is spectacular. Anything I'd be saying to claim I know anything about fashion is total BS. We know you're the true fashion guy, the three of us talking here, because we've seen some of the stuff you've done in the past.

So were you saving these for this particular opportunity? Yeah, I was just saving them for the NHL media day. They've been locked up in my closet and I was just waiting for this day. But I don't know. I don't think they go with a whole lot. But, yeah, I don't know. I decided I was going to wear this suit, and I was looking for a pair of shoes that go with it. And these just happened to fit the criteria, I guess.

How was your summer? It was good. Yeah, it was really good. Saw you on various red carpets, whether it's UFC events or elsewhere. What was the highlight for you? A couple of those UFC fights were awesome. I've never been before, so it was kind of cool to get.

Oh, that was your first time? Yeah, it was my first time. So it was really interesting, like the energy and the atmosphere in the arena. It's like, I don't know, I've never experienced that before. Okay, so my first one was UFC 40, MGM Grand Garden Arena. The main event was Sham shamrock and ortiz and i was cage side and it was

the weirdest experience because the first time you hear like a knuckle hit the jaw like that like oh we're not in canada and the guy just shook it off like whoa this is the i think i threw a punch from the cellar what was the moment where you said oh man i knew it was nasty but i had no idea it was like this but I had no idea it was like this? So like the first time I went into it was in Phoenix

and I was super pumped about that because my favorite fighter is Israel Adesanya. So he was the main card and yeah, he's a stud. So I was super pumped

for that, but there was like a couple of fights before that, a guy like got his like arm like snapped. Hyper extended? Yeah,

hyper extended. I think he like snapped his like elbow or dislocated his elbow or something. So like kept like replaying that that was gross and then um diaz fought edwards i think that was uh like the co-main event and that's a good fight yeah it was a really good fight and he was leaking and i i know i just remember i got home and i looked at my shoes and i had blood on my shoes no way yeah so i thought it was like the coolest thing and i was like it's for sure his blood too, because he was leaking a ton.

Should have worn those today. I know. I would have liked those shoes. They definitely didn't match with this outfit. But yeah, it was cool. And then, I mean, the Vegas one was kind of a completely different experience just because of like all the hype with all that, with McGregor Poirier and just all the people that were there.

But yeah, it's like a really nerve wracking feeling in there. I feel like it's just, it's like a really nerve-wracking feeling in there i feel like it's just the the it's like a really nervous energy because it's like nobody knows it's gonna happen but like you know like something's about to go down like the one thing that i always whenever i talk to to fighters i always ask like what goes through your head when you hear the door close like that's an experience that very few of us in this world will have that experience of there's someone at the other side of this cage that's a referee that might need to save someone's life and the door just closed. Like you just wonder what goes through someone's mind when that happens.

Yeah, I think it takes a special type of person to want to hop in there. But yeah, I really got into it, honestly, when like COVID kind of started. And I think UFC was like one of the first sports that kind of started or maybe even the first sport that kind of started. And I think UFC was one of the first sports that kind of started, or maybe even the first sport that kind of started back. So I started watching it. I just really got into it a lot more. The one thing I wondered too is that,

unfortunately, you had to play last year in an antiseptic environment. It was just so quiet, no fans. I imagine that being there in a wild crowd, you must have been saying, I can't wait until this happens for us again. Yeah, for sure. Especially in that setting,

you really feed off the crowd and the energy, but it's the same thing for all sports, and especially hockey. The fans and the crowd, they play such a big role in just creating that atmosphere, whether you're on the road or at home. We definitely missed having those fans this year, obviously.

It's not the same. The crowd noise isn't the same as the real live fan in the arena. If a fighter or a trainer ever said to you, would you like to come into the Octagon and try a couple of things, would you do it? Yeah, I'd love to practice. I don't know if i'd really want to go in there and like compete against somebody especially somebody with experience like that's

crazy i think it'd be like my parents uh they do like some sort of like martial arts kind of stuff for like working out um and i've done it a little bit but like not too much but i i think it'd be a lot of fun to kind of work that into the routine to i guess for like a workout but also i guess even for like self-defense or or whatever that may be but there's a lot of guys that do that yeah a lot of guys in the nhl that'll do that as part of their their workout routine it's not even just the tough guys either it's just i mean um artemi panarin is someone who's trained for a long time it must be the russians because i know uh galchenyuk um i trained with him in arizona a little bit last couple summers and he even was like

yeah like I go to the 7am gym and I hit the pads for like 30-40 minutes and then you know I get out of there and I go do my workout so must be a Russian thing

I don't know a little bit of business can you just explain the wrist what you felt like you needed to do and is this at all something that

you or the fans should be worried about no I'm definitely not worried about it. I think, you know, it was kind of nagging me all year and was able to, you know, kind of get it to calm down a little bit. And so after the season, we just kind of, you know, went through that whole process, you know, as a team.

And I made the decision just kind of see how it goes, let it heal, and see if it, you know, feels any better. And then started skating again, you know, ramping up the skating part of the summer, let it heal, and see if it feels any better, and then started skating again, ramping up the skating part of the summer, and it just didn't really feel right, so decided to get another opinion and re-image it and stuff like that, and just cleaned it up a little bit.

It's nothing serious, so I'm happy we got it done, and my plan is to be ready by the time the first game's here. I was having a conversation about you a couple weeks ago with someone who brought up a really interesting point. And I'm sure there's someone listening to this right now who could probably find out actual numbers on this. But this person I was talking to said, I bet Austin Matthews has the most third assists of anyone in the NHL because it seems he makes passes with the idea that he knows he's going to get it back and it sets up this chain of passing that he knows is going to eventually lead to the puck coming back to him leading to a shot when you make a pass in your mind are you thinking I got to get in position here because in a couple more

sequences I'm going to let it go? I don't know if I think about it like that. I think it's more just I think I was taught from a young age, it was always pass and move, pass and go get open, not really admiring the pass. So I think I make a pass, whether it's in any zone, and it's about wanting to get the puck back, and whether it's from the guy you just passed's about wanting to get the puck back, and whether

it's from the guy you just passed it to, or if he passes it, vice versa, whatever. To another guy, it's all about getting open, and the game's just so tight now. Everybody plays solo defensively, so I think that's something that's really important, just trying to find space and get open for your teammates and be able to get the puck back. See, I'm fascinated with the idea of the idea of the third assist, which doesn't get credited, as we all know. Is there someone that you've either played with or you watch and you say,

you know what, this guy made the play, but it's not going to show up on the game sheet. Is there someone that consistently does that, either on your team or another team that you say, you know what, it's not going to get a point for this, but he made that play? I'd probably say Bergeron. I think it has to do something with the position of playing center, so being defensively responsible and helping break out the puck

and then maybe catching the other team with a bad pinch or bad gap and then being able to send your wingers or the D that's jumping in on an odd man rush where they're able to make plays with each other. So I think a lot of that has to do with maybe the the position of playing center but I'd have to go uh I think Bergeron's the kind of guy that that gets maybe a lot of third assists because he's always in a really good position and is able to kind of break the puck out and get it to the other guys and they're able to go in and obviously use their skill how do you look back at the end of last year do you think about it much or no yeah it's it's I think it's hard not to in a sense,

but, you know, it's also there's nothing that I or we can do to obviously change that, unfortunately. So I really just try not to get too hung up on it. I think we obviously, you know, the first couple weeks after that, it's really tough and it's really hard not to think about it. And, you know, it really weighs on you. But I think now, I it's it's a new season it's a new year there's nothing that we can do to obviously change that so our focus is on the

present and moving forward and putting our best foot forward. One of the things I've noticed about you and you can tell me if I'm wrong is that I don't think that you really care too much about what's said outside you care a lot about what you think about yourself and you, I think you have very high standards for your game, but you don't care a lot about what's said outside. You know, your line mate, Marner, Mitch Marner, he's had a lot of trouble with that. Do you help him in that way?

Like say, Mitch, you have to stop caring about what's said outside of here. Yeah. I mean, we've had conversations um i think it's tough like everybody's obviously different um and everybody kind of approaches it differently and it's tough i mean we play in a really big hockey market right and people really care and uh that comes with a lot of pros and cons so you know there's obviously a lot of like not very nice things that are going to be said to you on a daily basis and then obviously with

how things transpired last year you know you just kind of add fuel to the fire. But we've had conversations and stuff like that. And I know that he's evolving as well and progressing. And I think it's just all about learning from the past and putting your best foot forward. What was the best and worst thing about playing in the North division or Canadian division last season? The worst thing was just having no fans all year. Best thing was just being able to play hockey, honestly. I can't really pinpoint anything else, but it was just nice to play hockey, even though you're playing the same six teams over and over again.

But, you know, I think it was a lot of fun. We made the most of it with what we could do with, you know, the guys and the restrictions that we had. But, you know, it was just nice to play hockey. Is there one American team you're really looking forward to playing? Yeah, it'll be fun to go play in a building like New York or Chicago or Vegas, you know, the the fans and the atmosphere is just just a blast so I think we really miss that as as players having that

excitement and that energy and uh and arena so I'm literally looking forward to that I was I was talking to one of your teammates and and he was saying there's there's no question that the organization's trying to create a feeling that this is an urgent year, that if things don't happen positively this year, who knows what's going to be a year from now. Do you guys feel that? Have you guys been told that? Yeah, I think we definitely feel that, and I think it's great to have that pressure.

I think sometimes when your back's against the wall, that's really when it's really against the wall. It's when it brings out the best in everybody so i'm really looking forward to this year it's you know like i said we're putting our best foot forward we're moving on and um we're all really excited and we're all extremely uh focused and motivated to uh to get this season going and take it day by day you always bring something new what's going to be new from you this year? Fighting. Yeah. Grappling, yes. I don't know.

I like to kind of keep that sort of stuff to myself, but I think every summer you just kind of go in. It's usually not super overdramatic, just work on little things, little tweaks here and there that can be positive to influence the game and just be better. So for me, I'm always just trying to work on little things, whether it's film or defensively, you know, stick stuff, stick handling, shooting. I mean, there's always stuff within the, you know, the main categories that, you know, you can always work on and improve.

This has been great. Continued success. Good luck this year with the Patriots. Appreciate it. Thank you. Yep, thanks Thanks guys. Pleased to be joined by Mitch Marner of the Toronto Maple Leafs. And Mitch, Elliot loves it. When I go into junior hockey mode and ask junior hockey questions, you can probably already hear him groaning. The one thing about being a Maple Leaf, as you well know,

is people end up finding out a lot about you. And so I texted your old trainer with the London Knights, Doug Stacey, last night. And I said, is there anything from Mitch's time in London that you think people should know? And he's given me permission to read it to you. Here it is. One, his love of Skittles.

And two, he says, in all my years, he was the only rookie the Vets loved as he would always have the best movies on the bus. Now, I'm guessing by Vets, that must have been Domi Horvat, Zdorov, Czerny, and those guys. What do you remember from those days to get started here? And what were the movies? God, that's a while ago. No, I think think the movies at that time, like 21 Jump Street. I was a big comedy guy. I've always been a big movie guy. So any of the fresh new movies, I was buying them for the bus. More so, honestly, because I want to watch them as well, but I knew they would like them as well. So any of the new movies that came out,

I was not afraid to go and purchase and bring them on the bus and probably i try and refresh the movies every once in a while probably once once a month or so try and go out and get four or five new movies and kind of keep surprising against the guys but yeah yeah the skittles things uh worn out a little bit trying to keep my teeth still uh still good so i've had to cut that out quite a bit but every once in a while it is nice to get back into some skittles. That's not the worst junior question you've ever asked, just for the record. Hard hitting stuff. So Mitch, one of the things I heard about the

summer was that you and, for the first time ever, you and Austin Matthews were supposed to go in Arizona and skate together. Now, unfortunately, Matthew's wrist injury prevented that from happening, but I was really interested in that. You guys had made the plan for the first time ever to do that. And it's just unfortunate, I guess it didn't work out.

Yeah. Yeah. We, we talked throughout the whole summer as we really did talk a whole lot throughout the summer. And then, uh, yeah, we want to get together for about a week or so in Arizona and skate and, uh, work out together and kind of just, you know, before the season really get ready with each other and just kind of work on our, I guess our, you know, just be in chemistry and make sure it's just ready to be a top notch. And, you know, obviously the injury happened and, but, you know, I was still pretty lucky. I got to go to the Montreal camp and train with a lot of skilled players there and be part of that. So it was, you know, could be a blessing in disguise, but we've got a lot of

summers left, me and Matt together. So we'll, we'll definitely coordinate for next summer and try and make it happen again. You mentioned you guys talked a lot this summer without getting into the personal stuff, I guess. What kinds of stuff do you guys talk about? You know, checking in on each other's wellbeing, both went on a couple of vacations. So just talking about where he went, how it was

with the family and stuff like that. And, you know, I guess, you know, just trying to always make sure that, you know, the other guy uh, you know, just trying to always make sure that, uh, you know, the other guy knows that, uh, they're there for each other and, but more so just trying to make sure that, uh, you know, we're ready, we're, we're sending each other training stuff and, um, just on ice stuff and trying to just make sure

we're, we're prepared for this season and trying to be ready for it. All right. I'm, I'm not going to give up this line of questioning. What's the on ice stuff that you guys send each other? Cause I think fans would love to

know what clips you're sending each other yeah i mean of you know i think uh the thing about me and him that work well is that uh you know we're not afraid to criticize each other and i'm trying to make each other better and for us in the ozone wise it's just trying to you know find holes that we can help each other out with and that's i guess you know if matt has the puck in the corner it's me trying to find a spot in the slot to to help him get the puck out of a situation that he's in trouble with and stuff like that just trying to figure out how we can be better in little small areas of getting the puck out of small areas of where teams are trying to really close in and take away the space and time that we want so it's just trying to find spots like that and trying to just make sure each

other know that you know we're going to be there. You know, when we spoke with Austin, I went down this line of questioning about who's the best third assist guy, either on the team or in the NHL. And he talked about Patrice Bergeron. Just the idea of, and you're a playmaker, so you can maybe appreciate this more than other people, is of the guys you play with or play against, where their points aren't going to show up on the game sheet, but they start the play that leads to a red light going off, but they're not going to get an assist on it. The third assist player, who are some of the best guys at that either on your team or in the NHL? Austin said Patrice Bergeron. Yeah. I mean, I think that's a very solid answer.

I mean, you know, he is a guy that is usually the guy that starts everything down low for that team and really breaks that team out very well. And obviously when a team breaks out well with the puck and possession, you know, good things are going to happen eventually. So that's definitely a guy that I would say as well.

Must be really looking forward to seeing him again this year. Yeah. Yeah. You know what? It'll be fun to be back in our division and playing against these teams. It's an exciting year ahead.

All right. So we asked Austin too, how much do you think about last year? How much do you think about last year? Yeah. I mean, you know, my mindset now it's, it's in the past. The group got together. We talked about it, but it's in the past now we're done with it. Nothing we can go or do now.

So, you know, we're back at training camp almost here. Pretty much the whole team's here now. So it's great. Everyone's vaccinated as well. So, you know, we're back at training camp almost here. Pretty much the whole team's here now. So it's great. Everyone's vaccinated as well. So, you know, no really distractions there. And I think for us, it's, we have the confidence in each other. Everyone has confidence in that room that we

have a, we have a great team and we brought in a lot of great players this year that I think they're going to complement our team well. So for us, just making sure we're trying to take it day by day, trying to make each other better and trying to just make sure we're ready for anything. The toughest question I have for you is this. People love your game.

They really do. They think you're a great player. They think the thing that you have to do to get to the next level is cut off the noise. That sometimes maybe you worry too much about what's being said around you. And I think in broadcasting, Jeff and I, we have that too.

We get, we definitely don't get it to that level as an NHL player. We get it and we both have to learn, like, you can't listen to that. How much have you worked, because I've heard you've talked about internally about that a lot. How much have you worked on that this off season? Yeah.

I mean, you know, I think it's been really last couple i mean i'm just trying to you know cut out really social media i mean it's a big part of our day and age nowadays but you know social media is is great for a lot of things it can also be bad for a lot of things so for that trying to block that noise out i'm trying to block all the other noise out but i just know that uh i got a lot of teammates that have a lot of confidence in me i got a lot of confidence in them as well and've got a family and a bunch of friends around that are really supportive and loving. For me, it's just trying to

stay focused on this team, knowing that they have the confidence in me to be the player that I can be and not really worry about anything else. Something that's sort of similar to that, Mitch, Dante Bichette, who's Bo Bichette's dad, I thought brought up a really good point a couple of weeks ago about the Blue Jays. He said the ago about the Blue Jays.

And he said the problem with the Blue Jays is that they're a very young team, so they ride that emotional wave. When they win, it's the best thing and all the emotions that come with it. And when they lose, the downs are down. And he said that if a team's going to be successful, they need to be more even the entire season through. successful, they need to be more even the entire season through. Where are you at with guarding your emotions and making sure that you don't get too up or you don't get too down just so you can survive a season? Yeah. Well, I mean, I'm a pretty emotional guy. So obviously, you know, winning when we're winning, it's a great feeling. I think everyone's having a great time. Obviously, when you're in a downslope of losing, the motions do hit of you know you're trying

to find that way of getting back into the winning mode but I think jumble was a really great part for that last year was you know there's a lot of highs and lows throughout the season it's just about staying even keel throughout it all and you know just realizing that it's not always going to be a pretty day it's there's going to be ugly ones that come and that's how you handle those ugly ones and get through them and just make sure you're trying to get better through them how do you do it for us I think it's just, you know, like you said, blocking out the noise. We all have the confidence in each other in that room. And, you know, the management has the confidence in us as well. And so does Kiefer. So for us, it's just making sure

that we don't lose sight of that confidence and realize that we are, you know, what we are. I was talking to another one of your teammates the other day, and he said that we feel it this year as a group, that this is the year we have to do something or else it's going to be different. And he said that he thinks the organization is trying to tell all the players that you have to feel this because we feel this. Do all the players feel that?

We always expect the best out of ourselves, and that's how a team should be. So I don't want to look too forward into anything right now. We've got a training camp coming up now. Everyone's really excited to get that thing going. And like I said, we brought in a lot of great players. So we just got to take it day by day, see when playoffs come, see what happens. But I think as a team, we don't want to look too far ahead. We just want to take it day by day, game by game, try and just keep getting better and better and realize that it's not always going to be pretty, but just having the confidence in each better and realize that it's not always going to be pretty,

but, you know, just having the confidence in each other and realizing that we can be that team. Let's end on something off the Toronto Maple Leafs page. Olympics. How much do you think about it? I know the season's on the horizon, but... And who are your line mates going to be?

I mean, yeah, obviously, you know, it's in the back of your head as a Canadian kid growing up, especially in Toronto. You know, you know, it's in the back of your head. As a Canadian kid growing up, especially in Toronto, you know, you dream about playing for Team Canada in any kind of, you know, U18s, World Juniors, Olympics. Obviously, the Olympics is something a kid always dreams of. So it's in the back of your mind.

But I don't want to try and focus on it too much. I want to try and just focus on being here and now and try and just make sure that I'm trying to do everything I can to be the best player I can be for this team and see what happens going forward. Day by day. Exactly. Day by day. So yeah, I don't want to look too far ahead. Just want to take day by day, try and keep getting better and we'll see when that comes, but it's a couple months down the road. So just want to try and be here and now and try and just make sure that we're trying to be the best team we can be. Last one for me is,

is there anything new we're going to notice from you this year? When you step on the ice for your first exhibition game or maybe you save it for opening night, what's going to be new? What's going to be different? I mean, yeah, we'll see.

Every summer I try and just get faster, stronger. Obviously the thing I always talk about is shooting. So I think it's just more so realizing that I have that shot in me.

I think it's always just been a thing of mine of realizing as a kid that it's always nice to make an extra pass or two, but trying to cut that out and just realize that I can't be that dual threat and make goalies think more. Play with the flex at all on the stick? I haven't really played with it since last year.

Last year throughout the middle of the year I went up to 85. That's about it. The thing I'm trying to change right now is get one of my old sticks, you know, kind of in the mix with these true ones and try and get that feeling back that I was using in London and use it a couple times. It feels pretty nice, so we'll see. Like Tiger Woods with the swing.

Yeah, exactly. Always working on it. Best of luck this season with the Maple Leafs, and fingers crossed for the Olympics for you. Thank you, guys. Appreciate you for having me on. Tyler Toffoli, the Montreal Canadiens.

Thanks for joining us here on the podcast. I'll open with a similar question to the one we just had with Nick Suzuki, which is what a crazy 12 months it's been for the Montreal Canadiens. What a crazy season it was. Capped off with a Stanley Cup final appearance. A great season for you as well.

No question. More just, can you walk us through what it was like to be Tyler Toffoli, Montreal Canadian last season? Mentally, it was the hardest year of my career in the sense of, I guess you could say like the anxiety of not being able to go out, go for dinner, not go get your groceries. Basically, they're telling you, my wife did all

the grocery shopping and took care of all that. So it was definitely a scary feeling of trying to stay away from COVID because if you got COVID, obviously you felt bad for yourself, and then you're nervous that you're going to take your team down in a way. So it was weird, a season I'll remember forever. But then obviously I had a ton of success. And going into a new team, I didn't know anybody. So, I mean, I knew of the guys, but I wasn't necessarily friends with anybody.

So I was going in blind. So when you got there, I'm curious about that. You go into a situation where you don't really know anyone and you had a great year. So you obviously felt comfortable. Like who were the guys that you immediately sort of gravitated to? Who were the guys that made you feel welcome and became your buds? So Gally and Lucky, two great guys. They're best friends, so I'd play Xbox or Call of Duty, whatever, with them.

That's kind of how I became friends with them, was playing video games because you weren't allowed to really hang out either. And then Jake Evans, we lived in the same building together, so we'd be the same building together. So we'd be, you know, walking to games together. And once things kind of lifted a little bit, we started hanging out, hanging out a lot more after games and stuff, just at the

apartment. You know, our girls got along great too. So, you know, it worked out. You know, cause the thing is you had other opportunities and some of them, I think like Carolina were quieter places and you left some money on the table, I understand.

And you chose probably the hottest market in the league. Like Montreal to me is the most intense place. I didn't realize you didn't know anybody. So you really went out on a limb before last season, Tyler. I think, um, you know, talking with my agent Pat, um, him being from Montreal,

he didn't push me in that direction in a way. He just told me straight up. He goes, if you play there and if you have a good year, you're a star, basically. I'm like, wow, that's the complete opposite, basically, of playing for the LA Kings. You can walk around anywhere and nobody you know, nobody really notices, nor do they really care. But in Montreal, I'm walking around with my mask on and a hat on and

sunglasses and people still recognize me. So it was the complete opposite basically of playing for the Kings. But I mean, I got, I got a taste of it in Vancouver and obviously in Vancouver is nowhere near like it is in Montreal. But I think that's kind of why I wanted to go to Montreal because the way the market was in Vancouver and going for dinner and people knowing who you are, it was a cool feeling. You just wanted your bills to be picked up. Exactly. Not all hockey players are like that.

There's a lot of guys that just want to be, I'm going to be an NHL player at the rink, and then when I'm gone, I want to be just private citizen. So you're not like that. You like being a hockey player 24-7. I'm not just citizen Toffoli walking down the street. I'm Tyler Toffoli. Yeah, I mean, for the most part,

obviously with me having a good season last year. It helps. Yeah, exactly. So, I mean, it could be different within the the next few years but i just think it's so fun and and you're not going to be in the nhl forever and um like i said i've seen kind of both sides of of the spectrum now and last year was just a lot of fun and hopefully now that you know we get more fans and and everything kind of is leaning towards going back to more normal it's going to be uh only getting better let me ask you one thing about your season and i was going to do this on hockey night in canada doing one ringside game that i did and it was your guys against vancouver and then you're injured for that game so it it this hit evaporated we're going to bring it back here for this podcast. Spot quiz.

When you played in the OHL, which team did you haunt the most? I.e. which team did you score the most against? Do you know? I think it was Peterborough. Peterborough Peets, 100%. You just haunted the Peets. Yeah. Last year you-

Playing in the square box. That's right. Yeah. Dump it in the corner. It's going to shoot out in front of the net, right? You know the deal. Exactly. You haunted the Vancouver Canucks last year.

Do you have an explanation as to why? My touch for you last year. Tyler Toffoli revenge tour? It was funny because obviously that was a big topic when I was scoring all the goals, right? And it was just one of those things where, I don't know, like for me, when I get hot, you get hot. I mean, besides, you know, besides Ovechkin and whatever,

he scores 50 goals in his sleep a year. For me, it's just finding the rhythm, being confident. And I hadn't scored until I went to Vancouver. I think it was like the fourth game of the year. And it wasn't like gripping my stick too tight. I was like, damn, am I going to score? Or am I like, am I a bust right now? You know what I mean?

New team, new teammates. Exactly. And I scored the first goal. I was like, okay. And I scored the second and I scored the third. And it was just like all the boys on the bench, they're just laughing. And then, of course, the media started going, you know, the revenge tour. And it was just the whole time I was laughing.

And I'm still really good buddies with some of the guys on the team. So it's like, it was awkward. You know what I mean? They understand. It's a business. There's a book to be written about the Montreal Canadiens last year. You've been around a while. You've seen successes.

You've seen disappointments. But I don't know if I've ever seen too many seasons that had all in one. And then it didn't end in the off season. There was Weber, there was Price, there's Kotkaniemi. Like what was the wildest thing that happened as a Canadian last year in the off season? I think when we got shut down for COVID there, when Army ended up testing positive and then we got shut down for a week i think is what it was yeah and i

had just gotten hurt so i was like okay like whatever it's fine perfect i'm not gonna miss as many games and then we saw the schedule that came out after and we ended up playing like 17 games in you know 31 32 days or something like that and we were tired we were burnt out everybody kind of wrote us off because we started the season so well we were scoring goals at will and then we couldn't score at all so we literally was we were doing everything so when we came back from the covid break and we're playing all these games we were playing well and then we you know we got burnt out slowly got in the playoffs i think galley had missed all that he broke his hand or something

yeah so he he had just come back. I think he played a game in Laval. Him and Price. And so it was just like, what are we in for? Like, we didn't know. Like, Gally probably didn't know how he was going to come back and play after missing two months or whatever he missed. And so just going into the playoffs, everybody had, you know,

no hope in us, you know, going against Toronto especially. And I think when we beat them, it was like oh you know you know you beat the Leafs they can never you know get out of the first round or something and we're like okay like whatever you know we go play against uh Winnipeg and everyone's like oh they have no chance we beat them in four and then it's like oh they're playing vegas there's no they have no chance at all beat him in six or whatever it was and it's like it was almost like never ending and um obviously it would have been like the cherry on top to win it all and have you know pricer and webby win but it's just the way it was that you know that toronto series and that toronto comeback was

real special and that kicked it all off for you guys. At what point as a team did you get the feeling that we got these guys? For me, I think just seeing how well Pricer was playing, it was just like a matter of time that we were going to start scoring goals. And I think Muzz got hurt in game six, and I was like, we're going to Toronto, we're winning game seven. I have no we're going to Toronto we're winning game seven like I have no doubt in my mind that we're winning because he plays you know 28 minutes of heavy minutes a night and he's an incredible defenseman so I just thought when unfortunately he got hurt but for

us it was like all right now let's finish game six and go to Toronto and win game seven. all right, now let's finish game six and go to Toronto and win game seven. I wanted to ask you about Weber. Did you know that this might be it for him as you guys played? I didn't know, but I also, I mean, I still don't really know what is going on. You know what I mean? Like I've said to people who have asked me before and whatever, you know, what's wrong with him? I'm like, the guy's an absolute warrior.

you know what's wrong with him i'm like the guy's an absolute warrior you know he's played hockey at 230 pounds and played hockey the right way for so many years so we'll see what happens i'm going to montreal here in a week and i'm sure i'm gonna hear um more and i'm gonna talk with birds and see what see what's going on now you talk, right? But you just don't talk about that, I assume. Last time we spoke, we were talking about the Blue Jays and how they needed to start winning games and have they ever, have they ever started winning some games here? That's all it took, I guess.

Yeah. Yeah. No, but he's a great guy. Just his presence alone in the locker room was like, you walk in and you're like, that's Shea Weber. Like, that's really cool. Before we wrap up, I'm curious,

are you someone that sets personal goals for a season? And if so, do you have any for this year? Not necessarily. I think I've always kind of wanted to do better than my previous year. So hopefully I can do that this year, but we'll see. I think I'm old enough now in my career that i just want to win games and the way that i play i feel like i play the right way i

play 200 you know a 200 foot game and um not trying to sound cliche at all but um that's just how i was taught to to play coming in the league with with daryl sutter as my coach you gotta play the right way you're not gonna play at all you You're not going to play. You're playing some American teams now. The division is done. Who are you looking forward to playing the most? I mean, juiciest, of course, the Montreal-Boston rivalry. I'm excited to play Boston, and I'm excited to go back to Staples Center

and do that for the first time because I was supposed to go back with Vancouver, and I think it was like maybe two games and then we would have played there and then COVID hit. You ready for the video? Yeah. My dad said, I'm going to cry.

And I said, I'll bet you a hundred bucks. There's one last one I just have for you is I heard a great story when you were on one of your junior tears, you had a chance to set a record for most consecutive games with a goal or a point. And I've always been fascinated with Dean Lombardi and i heard he showed up for this game oh yeah and would you go like minus four with no points oh yeah it might be minus

five to be honest it was um yeah it was something ridiculous it was like a 27 game point streak or something and feuts calls me and he goes all right ty dean and i are coming we'll see you downstairs after i was like like, okay, awesome. I'm confident. I'm like, no problem. Minus four, minus five, whatever it was. I'm walking out and Feutz is, I swear to God, he's trying not to laugh as I'm walking out.

And Dean, he's like, I think he said something like, Tyler, I came all the way to Toronto. I thought you were supposed to be good. I was like, oh my gosh. And you're my boss. I'm really nervous. But I think that's got to be Feud's favorite story about me.

We've all heard it. Oh, yeah. Whenever your name comes up, that's what, I got a story about the fool. Oh, yeah. Listen, continued success. Thank you.

And have a great one with the Habs this year. Thank you. I appreciate it. Thank you. I appreciate it. Thank you guys. Nick Suzuki joining us here on the podcast. Uh, it has been a crazy 12 months for the Montreal Canadians, uh, with all the changes, all the playoffs success. And at the end of it, you become a major headline.

Can you describe the last 12 months of your life? Because it must have felt like a whirlwind. I know you're a pretty low key guy, but there was a lot to get excited about. And as I mentioned, at the end of it, everybody knows your name now. Yeah, it was a, it was a crazy season. Obviously no one really knew what to expect with the COVID protocols and all that, but it was a grind of a season from the North Division, all the protocols, lockdowns. There's a lot of mental grind as well. So yeah, it was a crazy year for me getting so close to the Stanley Cup. It was a great round for us and hopefully we can get back there. You know, one of the things, and I went to one of your games in Montreal against Vancouver. And the one thing, of course, no fans there.

The one thing as a visual that will always stick with me probably just as a weird visual because you never see it. In the first period, the first puck goes over the glass and the puck just sat there for the remainder of the period until someone came in and cleaned it up and took it away. What was it like playing in empty rinks? Were there any sort of visuals or things that just seemed like really off other than the obvious no one's cheering like crazy? Yeah, it definitely was really weird. But I felt as the season went on, kind of got numb to the fact that the fans weren't there.

But every rink was pretty much different. The Sens had cardboard cutouts by the glass. We had big things that covered all the seats with the logos on them. So teams kind of tried to change it up and give you something new to look at. But once the fans got back in, it was crazy to me how big of an impact they have. You know, Nick, you know, the season ends in such an emotional way and normally you get time

to decompress, but then comes Weber and then the uncertainty over price and then the Kotkaniemi offer sheet. Like the craziness just continued. Like how much did the players talk in their group chats or whether one-to-one about everything that happened with the Canadians after the season?

Yeah, it was a drama filled off season for sure. I talked to a bunch of guys. I always try to ask Gally because he seems to know things about. He's Mr. 411. He has all the information. He loves getting information. Mr. Google now.

Yeah. He gets all the information from guys. So he's always the information he loves getting information mr google now yes yeah he gets uh all the information from guys so uh he's always the first guy i go to um but yeah there's a lot of drama and anticipation this summer ending with what happened with kk um so yeah it was a eventful summer for sure and a lot of stuff to talk about first of all cock and yemi did you guys have any

idea or did just the tweet come out and everybody was like, holy smokes. How did that play out? Yeah, I had heard nothing. And then I was eating dinner at the golf course with my family and my brother said that KK was off rescheduled. So that was the first time I think anyone knew,

no one really heard what was coming. So it was a shock to all of us. Did you guys, did you ever call him? Like during that whole, did anyone speak to him? Yeah, I talked to him. We talk pretty much like every other day almost. So he wasn't sure what was going on. He just had to sign the offer.

So kind of up to Montreal to see what happened next. Now, you know, you're a young guy. You're still learning about the business. Do you look at it as that's business or do you look at it as that's a shame? It's tough because he's a good friend of mine, obviously, but it is part of the business. I kind of learned that pretty quick

when I got traded from Vegas to Montreal. So that was the first time I ever got traded. So it was kind of, that's when you kind of know that NHL is strictly business and things happen and uh it's unfortunate that we lose KK but he's in a good spot and we add Dvorak so it could be a win-win for both teams the other one sorry the other one I just wanted to ask you about was Weber like I remember when when game five was was over and Tampa was won the cup,

it was right below me where everyone went to Weber. And we were all sitting there going, wow, this is emotional. What's going on here? Did you guys know that that could be it? I didn't know. I knew he was seeing trainers in all the time, just getting prepared for even just a simple practice. He would be getting work done on his body. I didn't know how banged up he was or what he was thinking at that time,

whether he's going to retire or try to come back. So I talked to him a little bit, but just nothing about hockey really. You walk into Montreal this year and Deneau's in Los Angeles. You go in there and there's a ton of pressure. It's been a whirlwind season, Stanley Cup final appearance, tremendous regular season, you had a great playoff. Do you feel that there's a lot of pressure on you right now? I mean, this is Montreal, Mecca, hockey universe, all of it. And you're walking in there and all of a sudden it's Nick Suzuki's the guy. Do you feel feel that not too much i mean like there's always pressure when you're playing for the

canadians even my first year maybe we weren't the best team but people want to see wins and players want to give that to them when we were winning there in the playoffs it was a unbelievable experience just the buzz around the cities I've never seen anything like that. So we got a lot of talent that's coming in. A bunch of new guys that will bring a lot of skill and great defense to our team. So I think we're looking pretty good. There's some players you can really tell.

The bigger the spotlight or the bigger the game, the more they love it. The way you play in big games, you just seem to really love that pressure, that spotlight, that expectation. You know, people say that your expression almost never changes, even when you're being asked terrible questions on a podcast.

You know, like it's pretty impressive, Nick. And where does that come from? Was it, were you always like that? on a podcast. You know, like it's pretty impressive, Nick. And where does that come from? Was it, were you always like that? Did you have to be taught it? You know, cause you really carry yourself in a way that is well beyond your age. Yeah. I think just growing up, I was always, uh,

try to stay even keeled. I think I just get it from my dad. Um, my grandpa's the same way. I try not to let anything bother me I kind of learned in junior you don't want to waste your energy on emotion during the game yelling at refs or other

players I think you just put all your energy towards the game and just trying to find ways to win What causes Nick Suzuki to lose his temper? Is it Ryan like leaving a mess around the house at the home or something like that? I'd say it's pretty rare. Yeah, me and my brother have had some heated stuff and mini sticks, but like playing video games with buddies,

all that kind of stuff. But on the ice, I'm always having fun no matter what. So I'm pretty happy out there on the ice. Okay, let me see if I can find one thing. Brady Lyle, old teammate of yours. Yeah. He's already smiling. So you've got something. I think I might have something here for you. So Brady Lyle, Providence Bruins.

I know you're a big fan of Patrice Bergeron. Yeah. Huge fan of Patrice. And for good reason. Like why not? Yeah. If you're going to emulate a player in the NHL, that's a great one to choose.

Brady Lyle, your buddy, former teammate, playing for Providence. Yep. You know where I'm going. Boston Bruins organization, where's number 37? Yeah, he does. What does Nick Suzuki think of that? Well, he's not getting in Boston if he makes it.

I wore that in junior, so I think it's a good number, but Brady is definitely going to have to switch it up if he's going to make the Boston team this year. Did you ever give him anything for saying, hey man, you're in the Bruins organization, you can't wear 37? Yeah, I talked to him a bit when he got it. My other buddy, Sean Dersey, wore

37 in Ontario too. Both of them wore my junior number, So yeah, it's pretty funny. Thought I had something there. That was good. Thought I was going to get it. That's,

that's about the biggest rise I think I can get out of you, out of you, Nick. One of the things you've been asking a lot of the players is good and bad

of the Canadian division. It was a unique year, a unique division that you played in. We won't see it again. The good and bad of playing in the scotian earth division or as we just colloquially call it the canadian division from nick suzuki good part i thought the travel was pretty easy um just staying in canada not

crossing the border during especially during the covid stuff was a lot easier instead of going through customs and all that kind of stuff the I don't know the bad part playing the same team. I think we played the Leafs like, I don't even know, 17 times. You were sick of those guys after a while. Yeah. Like just the amount of times we played them,

um, maybe kind of got a bit stale, but I thought games were competitive throughout the whole year. I wouldn't say there's too many bad things to say about it. I, I wondered, you know, I want to go back to after game four of that series. You guys are down 3-1. You just lost two in a row at home.

What happens in the aftermath of that game and maybe in the 24 to 48 hours before game five? The biggest changing point was we had a great team meeting the day after we lost game four. Just had the older guys talk about how special of a group we were, how close we were, and that some of these guys would never have a great chance like this ever again. Just like that moment, everyone really dialed in and knew we had to come back in the series. We knew we had a far way to go, but just needed to win one on the road and then never lose game six at home.

That was the thing that I learned in Guelph. So I knew once we won game five, we'd be in good shape to make it to game seven. What was the one thing that stood out to you the most in that conversation who said it um i think it was eric stall just talking about like he was traded here and then he just felt welcome right away he knew how special a group uh we had he knew we could go all the way and him weber and price just talking, especially all the young guys, like we didn't really know what to expect. And Webby and Price, he hadn't made it to a Stanley Cup final before.

So just doing everything we could for those guys is what all us young guys wanted to do. It's like letting down your grandparents. Yeah. Who's the one player that you think we don't talk about enough on your team? I mean, the obvious

guys get the headlines and there's superstars and future Hall of Famers. Who don't we talk about enough? That's a good question.

I think we have a lot of underrated guys. I'm a big fan of guys just playing their role to perfection. Like guys like Lekkonen. He's a great player. hard on the penalty kill tough to

play against definitely doesn't get enough credit and then jeff petrie is awesome i know he's been getting more media and stuff like that now but he's a horse back there he's easily plays 30 minutes a night and he had a great great two seasons since i've been on the team. So he just seems to be getting better all the time. Now, when you first saw the red eyes, what was the team's reaction? Because I know when we saw it, we were like, holy smokes. It was after the game because he missed the one

game in Montreal and no one really knew. And then someone was like, wait till you see Petey. I was like, oh no. I had no idea what to expect. And then someone was like, wait till you see Petey. I was like, oh no. I had no idea what to expect. And then all of a sudden he came in and like when you guys saw it, it was a little bit better. So like when we saw it for the first time,

it was a lot worse. Like just straight red eyes, pretty scary to look at. And he's like squinting like you can't. Yeah, it was pretty bad. But yeah, playing through that must have been pretty tough. Unbelievable. Yeah.

Unbelievable. It's a big season coming up for you. Big season for the Montreal Canadiens considering what happened last year. What are you most looking forward to this season? I know it's a short off season and just time to heal up

and get your strength back and get going again. But what are you looking forward to the most? I think I'm just looking forward to kind of almost getting back to normal. We're not there yet, get going again but what are you looking forward to the most i think i'm just looking forward to kind of almost getting back to normal we're not there yet but having the fans there for hopefully opening night would be amazing i think we brought in a lot of great players to replace some of the

guys that left and i'm really looking forward to camp i'm meeting those guys and i think there's going to be a ton of excitement around the city and that's going to translate well into the locker room hopefully everyone's ready to go this year how many fans were there really in the building at the end I think I think they said like 5,500 but they might have let a little few people I was born at night but not last night that's uh but it was listen it was a great run uh to follow thanks so much for this and best of luck this year with the house thank you thank you nick and there's another interview pod here on 32 thoughts uh hope you enjoyed it i want to thank

mitch marner uh austin mat Austin Matthews, Tyler Toffoli, and you just heard from Nick Suzuki for stopping by the podcast. More of these on the horizon as we interview more players here in Chicago. Taking us out is Nicolas Godin from his 2019 record Concrete and Glass. And he just released an expanded version of this album in June. Here's Nicolas Codin with The Border on 32 Thoughts The Podcast. by the sea Take me to the

border And break the walls together Take me to the bottom