32 Thoughts: The Podcast - Jordan Eberle

Episode Date: January 6, 2023

Elliotte sits down with Seattle Kraken winger Jordan Eberle to talk about World Juniors and Connor Bedard, his friendship with Matt Barzal and an infamous tweet from 2012, he tells a great Lou Lamoriello story, shares some of his memories from his time in Edmonton, talks about the Islanders and what made the team so special, tells us about a song he wrote with Anders Lee & Barzal, his anti-bullying initiative and Elliotte brings out a guitar for Jordan to strum a few notes.GET YOUR 32 THOUGHTS MERCH HEREEmail the podcast at [e-mail] or call The Thought Line at 1-833-311-3232 and leave us a voicemailMusic Outro: Say Hi - Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh OhListen to the full track HEREThis podcast was produced and mixed by Amil Delic, and hosted by Jeff Marek and Elliotte Friedman.Audio Credits: NHL Network & Zomba RecordingsThe 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.

Give me your name and count up with five. Jordan Eberle, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Welcome to 32 Thoughts to Podcast, presented by GMC and the new Sierra AT4X. Now, normally we'd have a news pod for you today, but Elliot is a little bit under the weather. So instead, we present a special interview podcast. As the hockey world continues to be dazzled by Conor Bedard and we wonder which floundering NHL team will win the draft lottery, head to the pay window to claim their prize,

we're reminded there was once another forward from the Regina Pats of the Western Hockey League who danced defenders and scored huge goals at the World Juniors. In fact, that player may have scored the biggest goal for Canada in the history of the events in the 2009 semifinal against Russia. Okay, maybe the biggest goal was scored by John Slaney in 91, or maybe even Dylan Gunther. But Jordan Eberle can at least lay claim to scoring

one of the top three most important goals for Canada. How about this? Maybe the most dramatic goal for Canada. Does that resonate? And speaking of goals, Eberle's most spectacular goal probably happened in his first NHL game

with the Oilers in 2010. You've seen it. Just couldn't get it up. Vandermeer with a great game with the Oilers in 2010. You've seen it. Top shelf, backhand. Take a bow, Jordan Eberle. Beautiful goal. What patience to outweigh Ian White. Wait for him to go down, then to drag the puck and go top shelf on the backhand. It's a beautiful thing. Eberle now applies his trade with the surprising Seattle Kraken, a team who's proven to be a tough out and are causing damage in the Pacific Division. Wednesday night, Elliott sat down with the Seattle Forward

at the Downtown Toronto Hotel, a day in advance of the Krakens game against the Maple Leafs. They talked about Conor Bedard and the World Juniors, memories of Edmonton, some really good Islanders stories, including a real nice one about Lula Amarillo, music, his buddy Brett Kissel, what he teaches the kids in Seattle,

and much, much more. We'd like to thank Lindsey Brown and Ben Guerrero of the Seattle Kraken for making this interview happen. And with that, we encourage you to enjoy. Here's Jordan Eberle on 32 Thoughts, the podcast. So, Jordan, do you want to start with the guitar and get it out of the way or not? We'll leave that maybe for later, yeah. So let's start with a guy you've been watching. I understand that the entire team has been watching the Junior Games as much as you can,

and Conor Bedard. And people are bringing this because it's one of your records. He's a Regina Pat. You were a Regina Pat. I'm curious. I know you love hockey. When you're watching this guy, what do you see? I mean, a lot of things.

I mean, for one, his skating. He reminds me of like a Barzell. His edge work, the way he floats up and down, and doesn't really lose speed when he's turning. His shot, obviously, everyone sees that on the power play. And he's doing this all at 17, which is pretty impressive. You know, a lot of the guys you see dominating the world juniors, they 18 19 and he's you know a 17 year old kid i think that's the most impressive part so i've kept tabs on him since he was exceptional status and and then got obviously

picked by the pats my hometown my home team and you know obviously you're you're a fan i grew up watching the pats when i was a kid and went to season tickets you know i dreamed of playing on that before with them before i even made the NHL. So for him to go to that city and bring some light to it, and I think if I was a kid there, I'd be going to every game just to get a glimpse of watching him. So it's been fun. The World Juniors so far has been great just watching him,

and not only the games where he's scoring lots, but then obviously he comes through against Slovakia in overtime too. So he's been a fun player to watch. Now, I'm curious, the NHLers, when you're sitting with some of your teammates and you watch his games, we just watch it and we're blown away. I'm wondering, what do NHL players think when they watch him play? I mean, for us guys who are getting a little bit older,

you're thinking, you know, a couple more of these drafts and it'll be tough to stay in the league. It's kind of the mindset that we have. But the league has just gotten so much quicker, so much faster, so much more skilled. And then this is just the product of it. These kids that are coming up now, they're just so talented. And it's awesome for the game. I think the game is just going to continue to evolve.

You see guys trying to do the Michigan. You see Zegers pulling moves that you're like, wow, how are they able to do this? So, you know, it's all great for the game, in my opinion. I mean, it's growing the game. I hope it continues to grow. And that's the purpose. That's why we do it. Now you have two young players who joined your team this year, who are going to be big parts of Seattle's future. And that's Matt Beneers and Shane Wright. How would you describe them maybe as players and as people? Because I'm sure you're helping get them comfortable at this next level. Yeah, I mean, I went through it. I was a young kid.

I had guys mentor me. I mean, they're both different. Matty is just kind of like a – I don't think he's ever had a bad day in his life. He's just happy-go-lucky all the time. And then Shane's a little more serious and a little more professional in it which is great both are awesome um they've been great for the room there they bring a little bit of spark and energy that you always need on a good teams i think you need that youth and that it brings that energy for the older guys and the passion that you see them play with so

as far as their games i mean they're also different maddie's obviously skating uh you see writer with his smarts they're both going to be justty's obviously skating. You see Ryder with his smarts. They're both going to be just tremendous players and huge pieces for the Kraken moving forward. So, you know, I just try to fit in where I can if they have questions or whatever it may be, whether it's, you know, how do I pay my room bill on the road or, you know, what, you know, the rules of NHL,

whatever it may be, you just try and fit in where you can. You know, it's funny you say that because I think there's a lot of people who don't understand sometimes that NHL players are humans too. Yeah. And they have questions about day-to-day life that we take for granted that they have to learn too. So take us back, Jordan. Like what was the kind of the thing that when you broke in with the oil, maybe something you had to do that people take for granted that you were like, this is new to me. And I didn't recognize how it worked or realize how it worked. Well, I look back, I mean, I was a little, I mean, a year or two older than them,

20 years old, but yeah, it was the same thing. I mean, just from the time you get your letter that you're going to stay, I mean, it's a moment of just finding a place to live, you know, getting your TV set up. I mean, you've never lived alone before and all of a sudden you're, you know, making money and you're, you have utility bills and you have to do these things that you've never done in your entire life. So, and on top of that, you're starting your NHL career and playing games and you're going on the road. It gets hard. So I had Sean Horkoff, I had Ryan Whitney, I had Alice Shamsky, I had guys like that who helped me out and kind of showed me the ropes a bit. And then not only that stuff, but just, you know, how do you fit into a team? You

know, you get on the bus and you stand up for the first time and you understand that, you know, the vet's got to go first or the elevators, you know, there's certain things that you learn as you go, but you know, it's important and I'm sure they'll pass it down to the guys they play with. Was there ever a misstep you made where Whitney or Horkoff or Smith said, hey, Rook, like, what is that? I think the best story I have is really not even my own. It's Taylor Hall, and I remember we were in Columbus one time, and there's two buses that usually leave after morning skate,

and he jumped on the second one, and, you know, he thought no one was there, so he told the bus driver to leave. And he left Nikolai Habibolon at the rink. And that didn't go over well. Obviously, we played the game. I think he got to his suit after the game. And Habib had cut the sleeves of his shirt off and had cut his tie and sewn his pockets together. And when he put on his suit, it looked normal because he had done it so perfectly when he did his button-up.

But, yeah, he had messed with it quite a bit. But I remember that was a quick learning process now have you have you seen any of the rookies in the island or the kraken where you've had to do anything like that and say hey man like this is the way it works uh you know what i try to you know try and let's say yeah yeah i try to stay uh you know in good faith on both, yeah, yeah, yeah. I try to stay, uh, you know, in good faith on both sides, but yeah,

I mean, you definitely mentioned once in a while that, Hey, they're in line for their buffet quick. You're just like, Hey, you know, games played or whatever.

We've played a little longer than you get to earn your right, but you know, it's all a good fun. It's kind of like a, a rite of passage. I'm sure if you ask, it's not hazing. No,

no, it's more about a seniority thing and whether you got to wait for the elevator for two more minutes or you wait on the bus for two more minutes, it's just kind of a respect thing. Well, because one of my favorite players to watch is Matthew Barzell. And I heard that you in particular were very

good about keeping, he was a confident young man, at least to us, that you were very good about saying, hey, Matt,, this is the way things work. Yeah, he's definitely one of my favorites. He came out as a young kid, and he definitely comes across pretty confident. So he's a fun guy to knock down sometimes, and I'm sure he'd throw it right back at me too,

which is fun. We had some good banter. But yeah, he's definitely a guy that I've grown close with over the years, and a lot of it just has to do with, obviously we played together on line mates. We had some success making it to a couple of conference finals and you grow close to guys. And when you do that, you, you become comfortable. And at a young age, you probably became a little too comfortable and got a little bit too high. So sometimes you got to knock them down a bit. How'd you do it? Uh, I'm honestly, I try to use my words,

my wittiness, uh, whatever that comes in. But he's pretty good himself. So we had some good battles. Now, one of the things I saw, someone sent me the tweet. And we'll put this out in the show notes so people can see it. But I guess there was a tweet of his from 2012 where he talked about how he loved watching you score the goal against Russia and you found it six years later and responded to it. Yeah. Well, that was, that was kind of my first, like you're getting old a little bit moment in the NHL. Um, is the, his first year,

I think it would have been my seventh year in the NHL. And he had some, I don't know how it works. Something, maybe it was Kimber who's the media guy at MSN. Yeah. Or, uh, I don't know how it works. Maybe it was Kimber who's the media guy at MSN. Kimber Auerbach? Yeah, or I don't know who sent it to me, and I saw it, and it basically said something like, I still get goosebumps when I see that goal, and I'm like, God, this guy's my centerman, and now I'm playing. You know what I mean? But, yeah, I responded to it, and I still give him a heck about it now because he thinks he's pretty good.

So it's fun to show him I was there first. That's spectacular stuff. Aside from Barzell, how many young players have said to you, I remember that goal against Russia? Yeah, lots. It's always the first thing that most guys say. Really? So, yeah.

That must make you feel great and old. Old, yeah, both. Yeah, it's funny. At the time, I mean, you don't really have any thought of how big it was until you have kids who are coming up and talking about it 10, 15 years later, even adults. So it's fond memory for me. Obviously, we went on to win the gold medal. And like any kid, I'm sure most Canadians are the same. I grew up watching that tournament. I grew up, you know, thinking, planning my vacations around the world juniors. And I might, for me, it was like the grand Forks team, the Jordan tutus, the double D like that. That's what I remember as a kid. So I'm sure, uh, you know, many Canadians are the same and, and getting a chance to play in Canada, which was pretty special. I remember I was in the Maple Leaf dressing room because that was a Saturday night and the players didn't want to do interviews after whoever they played because they were all watching the game and the Canadians and the Russians and all the other

players and at least the weren't Canadian were hoping the Canadians were going to lose. And I just remember the reaction of the Canadian players when you scored that goal, they were taunting the other, the other guys. It was, it was a huge goal. It's probably the same reaction I had the other night against Slovakia when I was, you know, I was like watching this game. I'm like, I feel nervous right now. Like this is, this is crazy, but that's what it

brings out. Right. So that's why you enjoy that tournament. It's just the passion, the pride and, and, um, the fond memories as a young kid. Just Edmonton. When you go back, basically who have you kept in touch with and what are your favorite

memories of your time there? Well, I mean, guys I've kept, still the guys I played with. I mean, I think there's only four of them now, and that's Nuge, Connor, Leon, and Nursey. And, you know, that team's changed a lot over the years. But for me, you know, I think like most guys coming in the NHL, you kind of hold a special place for the city that kind of gave you your head start in the NHL, and that's them. So from the people that I met in the city, from the people in the organization,

you know, I just enjoyed being an Oiler. Plus, I grew up an Oiler fan, so for me, it was like getting drafted by them, getting to play my first seven seasons, there was like a dream come true. You know, granted, we didn't really have the success that we would have wanted. It was nice to get to the playoffs in my last year. But I still love going back there. I still love playing that rink. I think Oiler fans are one of the more passionate group fan bases that I play in front of. Whether you're winning or losing, they're passionate both ways.

But you want to play in a fan base like that that cares about what you're doing. And that's, I think, what I enjoyed the most. You mentioned happy-go-lucky about one of your teammates, Beneers. You were like that when you first started. Are you still that guy? Oh, for sure. I mean, I still love coming to the rink, still love playing, try and play as long as you can. I mean, this is, for me, it's not, it's never really been a job, which is what I've enjoyed most.

But I mean, you're always going to have ups and downs and it's never going to be easy the whole way through. But I know when you sit back and you still think about, you know, I still get to play professional hockey for a career. It's, it's never going to be easy the whole way through but I know when you sit back and you still think about you know I still get to play professional hockey for a career it's it's been awesome I mean it's been as a young kid you come in and it's you know it's a dream come true you're almost like you're in fantasy land playing against some of these guys like Crosby and Ovechkin and and then as you get older and for me now I have two kids um for them to come watch me play I think that's the coolest thing that I have right now is that, you know, they're coming to warmups and they don't really know what's going on. But I think as they get older,

hopefully they can share some of these memories with them. Will they play? It's up to them. I mean, honestly, I'm a strong believer. Just throw as many things at them as I can and whatever they pick up and like, then we'll run with it, right? So whether it's sports, music, whatever, and then if you see what they like,

try and push them in that direction and see if they like it more, then go with it. Well, we're going to get to music in a few minutes. I'm not letting you get away without this. I'm a little nervous, to be honest. Do you still watch the Oilers at all? Do you watch the Oilers or do you watch the Islanders? I watch both.

I just watch hockey. I mean, especially when you got guys on other teams, like obviously I know a lot of the Islander guys and I have friends and I want to see them do well. And, and same with the Oilers, you know, obviously it's, it's tough to miss those games with Connor and Leon and Nuge and, um, just hockey fan in general, I think enjoy watching the game. And, and definitely if those guys are playing, I'll turn it on. They've had so many good players over the last few years, yourself included. It's been such a challenge there. Do you have any theories into why that is? That's a great question.

You know, obviously last year I was rooting for them. They made it to the conference finals, but they came across Colorado. Obviously it was a great team, but I don't really know. I mean, they always have, it seems to be they're there lately. I mean, with playoff-wise, with them making the conference round last year, I think they got balanced in the – was it the first round of the year before that? So they're making progress. But I don't really – I wish I had an answer or else we would have –

I would probably still be there and we'd be making the playoffs every year. So it's a good league. I mean, you can't – it's so hard to pick the NHL Stanley Cup winner at the start of the year because that's why, in my opinion, the Stanley Cup is such a hard trophy to win. This league is so competitive. There's no easy nights, and any team can win on any night. So, you know, when you see teams like Tampa Bay

who have made it to the three cup finals in a row, like to me that is, it's one of the most impressive things in the four sports leagues in North America that's happened in the last, however many years, it's just, that is, in my opinion, very hard to do. What was the, how did life change for you when you went from Edmonton to the Islanders? I mean, for me, it was Edmonton was the highs and lows were, you know, extreme. You got there and I was a kid and you know, the highs were really high and then the lows were extremely low. I got to Long Island and the thing I liked about it most was it was just kind of a

medium. It was a medium and it was an easier lifestyle for me. I got to wind down a bit. I got to enjoy the game. And then not only that, but I was being coached in my second, third and fourth year by Trotz and had Lou Lamorello there. So I had to change my game a bit and learn how to, you know, do details of the game, be on the change my game a bit and learn how to, you know, do details of the game, be on the right side of pucks. And I think, you know, at the end of the day, it helped me grow as a player. I became more of a 200 foot player. Um, and I bought into just trying to learn how to win instead of maybe at a young age, I was trying to think about scoring. And I thought I had to do that to, to get there. And then I learned a different style and that's

in my opinion, why that team had success. We just had a lot of guys buying in to playing a system that you know maybe isn't the most entertaining to watch but it got the job done and and um that's why we won and and and it probably in the end of the day helped me and it'll hopefully help me you know extend my career and the fact that I can play a 200 foot game now so you look at the road that you've taken the NHL and and uh you didn't expect that you'd be here and here, you'd be doing this and this, but I don't think you'd trade anything for it. You know, the thing I really remember, Jordan, I think I can say the player's name now at the time, but it was Cal Clutterbuck. And I remember you guys lost Tavares and I know there's a bit of timeline there for you, but everybody thought the Islanders were done,

that when Tavares left, it was going to be over for them. And I remember he said that when Barry Trotz and Lou Lamborello came in, he suddenly went from, I think that we're going to be done to, I think these guys really know what they're doing and we're going to be okay. And he told me that the players went from thinking, oh my God, to this is actually going to work for us.

What was that whole transformation like? Yeah, it was tough because we went, the year before we went from one of the highest scoring teams and arguably the worst defensive team in the league to the next year, we were like the lowest scoring team and the best defensive team. But we went to the second year we were like the lowest scoring team and the best defensive team but we went to the second round that year you know I give Barry and Lou a lot of credit to how they changed the organization and the team so quickly but you know as far as the group I'm sure they'd say I'd give the guys a lot of group for buying into what they were selling and we had a much older

team and they still do but we had a you know it, and they still do, but we had a, you know, it's funny, on that team, I sat in the middle of the bus, and on the crack, and I'm literally the oldest guy. So, I mean, that just goes to show the veteran leadership that we had, but we all bought into the way we needed to play. It's kind of cliche, but we checked our ego at the door. I mean, we didn't really care about how many points we had.

It was more about making wall plays, blocking shots, defending. And that's honestly, in my opinion, one of the tightest knit groups I've played with because, you know, we all just were on the same page. And that's probably why we had success. Ultimately, we didn't get the job done. We came close two years. But a lot of that, I mean, Lou and Barry kind of put the foundation in place,

but the players kind of grasped onto it and took it. Okay. I want the chorus of the islanders so explain to me the genesis of this song explain this song so we were in washington and me barzell and lee were just hanging out in the room and we decided to write a song so we wrote a song about the islanders at the time and then it obviously i think that season ended and we ended up going into the bubble and i just i showed it to the guys and they all loved it. And we just, we went through each teammate made a thing.

And I think the chorus was something along like, we're the boys of the aisle. We don't play a pretty style and it ain't that much fun, but it gets the job done. Play it. Play it. I know you keep it on your phone. Play it. Give us a little snippet. The fans are dying to hear this. You're really keep it on your phone. Play it. Give us a little snippet. The fans are dying to hear this.

You're really putting me on the spot here. I didn't expect any of this. Yeah, I thought this was hockey related. I figured World Juniors. And keep in mind, I'm not a great singer. So this is it we don't play a pretty style and it ain't that much fun but it gets the job done

we're gonna win the cup this year and we're gonna drink a ton of beer and when it's all said and done we'll ride off into the sun you know what that's fantastic you know what? That's fantastic. You know what? It was a lot of fun. Obviously, we're hockey players.

We're not creative minds. So, yeah, Barzell and Leezy helped me. And we went through most of the – I think pretty much every guy on the team and said something about it. It was – like I said, it's one of the tightest knit groups I've played with. So, it was – we get a lot of time in our room. So we're trying to figure out ways to kill time. You know, Anthony Stewart has a line in his dad told him,

are you a team or are you a club? Like I hear that and the Islanders were a team. Like that was a team. And I think anytime you're with a group and you have success, you gain relationships too, right? So that's why that, in my opinion, that team hadn't had successes because we were so close. Give me your best Lou Lamorello story. Oh, um, he just kind of has a presence about him, whether you're watch, I mean, you could go from, you know, the godfather to John

Dutton and Yellowstone. He just has this aura about him that he's just, I love that. Yeah. Yeah. He's it's just this respect factor. And, has this aura about him that he's just, I love that. Yeah. Yeah. He's it's just this respect factor. And obviously everyone knows him for his rules as far as keeping your, your face clean and your haircut, but I don't think there'd be a thing that he wouldn't do for you. I mean, a great story for me is that my daughter was born literally two days after the season ended and COVID had started and we were stuck in New York and we had had a home birth and we couldn't get a birth certificate so that we could get a passport to go home. So I've, after about a month and a half,

I mean, we were like, we were stuck in New York. We're like, we want to get back. And we, we didn't have any form of identification for it. And eventually I was like, okay, I'm just going to call Lou and ask him. And honestly, I called Lou and within a day I had like the governor of Washington call me to get a, to get some identification for my daughter. So, I called Lou and within a day I had like the governor of Washington call me to get some identification for my daughter. So, I mean, it just goes to show you the loyalty that if you go by his rules and, you know, you're a good teammate, a good person, that he'll do a lot for you. That's power, man.

Yeah. That is power. 1-0, game seven, Tampa. Of the games I've watched in the last few years, that's one of the best games I've ever seen. Your face is narrowing. I know it's not a great memory, but just the emotion of that series, that game, how close it was, just what it was like in the room after.

I know it wasn't the result, but the effort that you guys gave was unbelievable. Well, yeah. I mean, that's the most devastated I've been in my career, playing hockey. I mean, you come into the room and you got 20 grown men crying. It's, it's, you know, we had, we'd come so close, especially the year before we lost in game six. It was kind of a funny series. Obviously Tampa Bay is a powerhouse. We, we, I think we lost like nine to one in Tampa in game five. And it's funny when that happens, you always come back the next game. I think I've been a part of like six of those

and we've always won the next game. I don't know what it is, but we won game six, took it to game seven and anything can happen. And I think Tampa Bay didn't get enough credit for how well they defended. You know, obviously everyone thinks of the guys that they can score,

but when it came down, push came to shove. How many shutouts did Vasilevsky have in clinching games? Like he had always stood strong, but in front of them, they had played so well. So yeah, they scored shorthand in the second, and it was like the third period, it was just, it was honestly a blur. We were just trying so hard to get something in net, but we couldn't find anything.

Yeah, that one hurt a lot, but I mean, obviously I'm playing with Yanni Gord, who scored the goal in game seven, and he still gives it to me quite a bit. He does. Yeah, he's gracious about it, and I think he is because he has two Stanley Cups and I don't have any, but yeah, those are always tough. I'm sure every guy who's played long enough has stories like that where they've came close and didn't get there. So, you know, obviously that's the end goal is you want to win the cup. I think that's the only goal really I have left. What's the expansion experience been like in Seattle? I mean, it's had its ups and downs. I mean, for me at the start, I was extremely disappointed.

I was coming from a team who had gone back-to-back conference finals, and we felt like we had a lot of unfinished business. And then you find out you're going to be exposed, and your world just shifts. You're like, holy, this might happen. And then it does. I mean, you go to Seattle for the expansion draft. And you're on the private plane.

Yeah. Who else was on there with you? The guys that were there were Gio, Giordano, Flurry, I'm trying to think who else, Tanev, Oleksiak, and Drieger. Yeah. And, I mean, you're there trying to put on like a smiling face and act like you're excited. But really inside I was rattled.

I was pissed off. I'm like, I can't believe this is happening. I'm glad I went there because I got to go see the facilities I got to see the city get meet some of the fans and that kind of got me excited around what was about to happen and then obviously the season starts it gets off to an okay start and then last year was tough it was you know you get into January and you're playing you know you're at the bottom of the league that was that was really hard when you're playing, you're at the bottom of the league. That was really hard when you're 31. Like I said, all you really care about is winning and trying to win a cup. That's really hard. This year has been just an absolute breath of fresh air.

We've added some huge pieces to our team. For me, there's a little bit of similarities in the fact in the Islander team, this team, as far as we win by committee. I think our biggest strength is our depth, and that's brought our team closer together. It's been a good ride so far. So I mean, halfway through, hopefully we continue it. Is there, I remember when Vegas and their first year, when they went to the cup final, it was like, we're the castaways and it didn't go that way for you last year, but you guys are definitely better. Is there that feeling? Like every time

you go into a building, is there somebody saying this team left me unprotected and I I got to do something here yeah I would say it still motivates you a little bit motivates me at least when I'm playing the Islanders you know I I want I want to show them that they you know try and show them they made a mistake but I think at the end of the day consider yourself a Kraken now and and um you know you're trying to win for your teammates and and trying to build something and for me it's kind of been enjoyable the fact that you know hopefully you can build something from scratch which is you know i don't no one can really say that other than obviously the golden knights that you you literally were here year one and if you can make the playoffs

and make a push like that's special so you try and make as much history as you can like i said this league is so tight and the the line between winning and losing is so thin that who's to say that we don't have a chance, right? You just got to give yourself a chance in the playoffs, and that's our goal. All right. Who is the player on the Kraken that you didn't know, but prior to that you were like, this guy is an idiot,

and now that I know them, I actually think they're a pretty decent guy. I mean, Yanni Gord, for sure. I hated playing against him. He plays hard. He plays in your face. He's a guy that you hate playing against and wanting your team. Does he talk? Yeah, he talks, too. He's definitely a guy you want on your team. He's a great guy.

We have a lot of guys who have won on our team, which I think has helped. I mean, you go through Gord, he's got two. Schwartz has got one. Schultz has two. Dunn has one. Grubauer has one. Berakovsky has two. I mean, we have a lot of guys who have won so that's helped a lot too

listen to 32 Thoughts the podcast ad free on Amazon Music included with Prime. All right, I'm getting this guitar. Amo, can you, let's grab the guitar. So this is my son. This is not a regulation guitar. This is my son Max's guitar.

So first of all, your wife, and just what's your wife's name? My wife's name is Lauren. So Lauren is a music teacher, right? She is. Yeah. And she taught you how to play? No, I taught myself how to play a long time ago. I'm not very good. I don't know where you're getting this information. First of all, I heard.

I think first off, I think this guitar is actually at a tune. Yeah, I have no doubt it's at a tune. My son hasn't played it in a while all, I heard, I think first off, I think this guitar is actually at a tune. Yeah. I have no doubt. It's at a tune. My son hasn't played it in a while, but I heard, for example, that you can play anything by the backstreet boys. Is that true? That is not true. I can play one song by the backstreet boys.

Okay. Um, this thing's way out of tune. I I'm sorry. It's not perfect. I apologize. this thing's way out of tune i i'm sorry it's not perfect i apologize but i was i heard about the guitar and i was like i have to bring a prop i think the guitar stuff started happening and it wasn't just me um when we were in the bubble i heard about this there was about eight or no probably six or seven of us it was clutterbuck myself barzell lee boy chuck we all brought our

guitars to the bubble because we were stuck there for so long. So we would just sit and play and yeah, I don't even know if I can get this thing in tune. Well, I apologize for that. Like I said, it's my son's guitar. He hasn't played it in a while. Okay. So what you're listening to here is Jordan Eberle trying to tune a guitar. Actually, it's Elliott Friedman's son's Max's guitar. And as you'll hear, yeah, it ain't happening. So keep going. Well, while you're figuring this out,

tell me about Sticks and Strings. This could take a while. Honestly, I don't think I can get it. I'm not sabotaging. Tell me about Sticks and Strings. Sticks and Strings is a foundation that my, well, I should say my wife and I, but she really took the reins on it. I mean as you get older you start you know thinking and looking back at you know how you can give back and this game's obviously given me a lot and uh

we just wanted to start a foundation that were things that we cared about obviously myself hockey her music so we kind of combined the two so we started doing uh this year will be the first banquet we're going to do in calgary and we're going to just continue to try and raise as much money and then give obviously the money to foundations that we care about whether it's getting kids into music getting kids into um into sports so our daughter's three she's already playing hockey she's skating she's playing we bought our ukulele for christmas so those are kind of the two pillars that we have that we really enjoy doing you are also i remember one of the reasons you gave up your social media was because of your anti-bullying

initiatives and do you still do that yeah i still work with telus i think that was an awesome thing we did was it was called the code and i'd never had to deal with this when i was a kid social media can be an awesome obviously an awesome tool to use for you know getting awareness out charities whatever it may be but you know kids have to deal with the opposite side of it whether it's you know bullying or uh do you see it among players like do you see players who get really affected by it i mean honestly a big reason why i don't have social media is because of that reason i mean i was in edmonton you't have social media is because of that reason i mean i was in edmonton you look at your feed after you're like geez like do i and and i mean you're a big boy you can handle it but at the same time like you found yourself you know dwelling on it

and i was like do i do i need this and i was just like no so i got i mean i still have twitter i honestly i don't know my account login so which is a good thing because I never go on it, but hockey should be a thing that you get into to make friends, to have fun. Cause you know, the percentage of kids that actually get to go play pro is ridiculous. It's like 0.03%. So I mean, hockey is for me, it's, I enjoyed playing as a kid because I love to, I, uh, I'm sure like most people I had, I made friends and that's how I got into it. So this is such a new concept to me as far as social media, because I didn't have to deal with this, but these kids now have to do it. My kids are going to have to deal with it. So I just thought when they came up with the initiative, I was right on board because I thought it was a

great idea. Is there any player you've ever had to say to you, hey, I turned that off. It's time for you to do it too. I don't know. I just kind of, you know, they do that, them, you know, I'm not going to tell someone to get rid of social media. I can tell you, I'm honestly a lot happier since I've stopped using it just because it's for me, I just felt like I'd look at it, you know, whether it was positive or negative, whether you're getting too high or too low, it was just, I don't, I don't need this. So maybe one day when I'm done playing, I'll get back on it and I'll be one of those computer warriors or whatever they call them and I'll get on kids. But I'll get on the X-Files, I'll get on the new players

and tell them that they're not as good as us. But I remember one time we were in Oklahoma and we were there for the lockout. And I remember the Thunder, who were an absolute unbelievable team at the time. They didn't play very well. And I remember Halsey turned to me and said, I'm going to get on Twitter right now and tell every guy on the team how much they sucked.

And it just made me laugh, you know, because that's exactly what we had dealt with. So that stuff makes you laugh. But at the end of the day, I've honestly been just a lot happier without it. I understand. Are you better at cribbage or golf? Oh, probably cribbage.

I play a lot of crib. I heard you're really good at it. Yeah, I play a lot of crib. That was like my grandma's game when I was a kid, and I don't think I've ever beaten her. Really? No, I'm sure every guy has this story. They've never beat their grandparents in cribbage.

But, yeah, we play a lot on the road. Well, at least we did in the aisle. We don't play really a lot here, but. Who was good? I will say Barzy was pretty good. It's funny, you play so much now where you just look at the cards, you don't even have to count anymore.

It's just like, oh, that's a 16, that's a 12. You know what I mean? Who's the worst cribbage player that thinks they're a good cribbage player? Ryan Pulak. That one's easy. He wasn't very good. He lost a lot of money.

And same question, who's a good golfer and who thinks they're a good golfer but really isn't? So this team, we have a lot of good golfers. Justin Schultz, Martin Jones, one of the two best golfers I've ever seen in hockey. Really? And then you have Jaden Schwartz who who thinks he's a good golfer, and he's not. So Seattle's been nice for that reason, because we get a chance to play once in a while,

and we have a lot of guys who really enjoy playing. Who's a better guitar player, you or Brett Kissel? Oh, definitely Brett, yeah. I saw Brett last night, actually. He came to the game, so we chatted after the game. But yeah, he's definitely up there. Because you guys do a lot of stuff together. You guys are pretty tight.

You're godparents of each other's kids. Is that the way it works? How it worked is when we were in Edmonton, he's obviously an Oiler fan. And for me, it's been fun because when he started, he wasn't Brett Kissel. He was kind of just starting. I think he maybe was just about to write like 3-2-1 and started with a song. For was, um, he was kind of just starting. I think he had maybe was just about

to write like three, two, one and started with a song. For me, it's been awesome to watch because he's grown into, you know, what he is now. And he's, he's one of the more hardworking guys I've seen talk about hockey players working out and playing hockey, but I've never seen someone work like this hard, whether it's social media, doing events, playing concerts. So that's been neat for me to watch and watch him grow. Our wives hit it off when we were younger and, you know, obviously they get close, we become close. That's just kind of how it works. So, and then he's had kids, I've had kids, we've just become close and we both enjoy hunting. We both enjoy golfing. We both enjoy guitar. We both enjoy, we just have a lot of things in common. So as I've started to play, he's helped me in in that aspect i've helped him not so much in hockey because he plays a little bit but

i felt him in golf we'll say and we both love crib we've just done a lot together so we've uh it's been fun for me just to watch his road get to where he is he's an incredible talent yeah he and he loves hockey you can he probably loves hockey we're in some of the players he yeah he he definitely does he's a very passionate other fan in some of the players. He, yeah, he, he definitely does. He's a very passionate fan. He came to the game last night, texted me before and he said, I hope you get a hat trick,

but you lose four, three in overtime. We'll give you one point. And I was like, I don't even think I'd take that. So we need these two points, but he's a very passionate hockey fan. A couple more since the guitar isn't going to work.

What is the one backstreet boys song you can play? That it's honestly like the first song i learned and it was uh i wanted that away yeah that one uh tell me why actually i think brett was one who taught me that one too so uh do you ever play it anymore i do yeah my daughter will run around singing to it too so now that i have a daughter she we I think Brett was one who taught me that one too. Do you ever play it anymore? I do, yeah. My daughter will run around singing to it too. Now that I have a daughter, we bought her a ukulele for Christmas. She pretends like she's playing and we play and sing together.

So that's been enjoyable. What is your best song? If you had to play one song, what is your best? That's a tough question. That one might be up there just because I'm obviously not a great singer. That goes without saying. Um, so I like playing songs that people sing for me, so I don't have to, and that would definitely be one out there. Last one for you. You've seen a lot in, in, in your career. And I always ask this to guys,

um, you've got a lot left on your tires, but have you thought about, you know, how much longer you want to play or anything like that yeah i mean it always goes through your head right you're i'm 32 now and i got a year left in my contract i hope to sign another one and i honestly i just i love being in the locker room i think that's the best part of for me that's being in like you talk to any guy who's done playing that's all they talk about is they don't miss the games they don't miss they don't even remember goals or games. They just miss hanging out with the guys.

I was joking with my wife the other day. She asked me what I'd do. I was like, I'd love to just be like a fireman and hang out in the hall. I don't want to actually do anything. I just want to hang out with the guys in the hall and cook them dinner when they come home. So, you know, that's just what I love about hockey. It's the best part, hanging out in the locker room, hanging out on the bus, hanging out on the plane. So I'm going to obviously try to play as long as I can.

But the ultimate goal for me is to win. I want to win a Stanley Cup. I'm sure, like most guys, that's what they dream about doing. So that's really the only thing on my mind. Jordan, it's been great. Thank you so much. I'm sorry I pulled that one out on you. I want to figure out who these rats are. Are they getting all this information? There's no chance I'm telling. I'm sorry. I pulled that one out. I'm trying to, I want to figure out who these rats are.

Are they getting all this information? There's no chance I'm telling you who that is, but I guarantee you, the thing people are going to remember most about the interview is that and the Islander fans, they're going to love it. The plan was that we were going to win and then be able to have to show them this song, but it ended up happening. That's fantastic. Thank you. I appreciate it. Thanks.

Oh, Jordan. And I swear I actually couldn't get it. No, I... Really hope you enjoyed that interview with Jordan Eberle. Jordan, thanks for taking time

out of a busy schedule to make time for us. Okay, taking you out now with an artist fromle. Jordan, thanks for taking time out of your busy schedule to make time for us. Okay, taking you out now with an artist from Seattle, appropriate, who's been making music for over 20 years. Eric Elbigin, stage name Say Hi,

is still touring and making music. The multi-instrumentalist just put out a three-track EP and in 2020, he released his 12 full-track record. From his O's and Ah's albums, here's Say Hi with O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O. Was that eight O's? On 32 Thoughts, the podcast. She got lips like a sofa And she's drunk on a soda

And the devil was a girl And she wore a yellow tee There would be a spitting image But it's okay with me She says, I've got something I think I really want to I've got something I think I really want to I've got something I think I really want to do

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