32 Thoughts: The Podcast - The 2025 Holiday Spectacular

Episode Date: December 25, 2025

Welcome to this year's edition of the 32 Thoughts Holiday Spectacular. help yourself to your favourite Christmas beverage as we welcome in Sam McKee (8:51), Ailish Forfar (21:08), Jason Bukala (32:45), Jason York (45:30), Jason Brough (58:49), Griffin Porter (1:11:03), Emily Agard (1:22:11), Martyn Bailey (1:36:13), Brendan Parker (1:48:53), and Kevin Bieksa (2:03:17). From Elliotte, Kyle, and Dominic we wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy Holidays!Listen to all the 32 Thoughts music here.Email the podcast at [e-mail] or call the Thought Line at 1-833-311-3232 and leave us a voicemail.This podcast was produced and mixed by Dominic Sramaty and hosted by Elliotte Friedman & Kyle Bukauskas.The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates

Welcome to a festive edition of 32 Thoughts, The Podcast. It's our annual holiday party, Elliot. It's nice to see you. You're dressed wonderfully. I look around here, a pretty good turnout this year. You never know who's going to RSVPS to these things, especially when it's your name attached to it. But we've got a lot of guests to get to here over the next couple of hours.

well there's a couple things number one i wanted to say is that there was a year we didn't do this a few years ago and a number of listeners said they like this podcast they like the holiday party so we brought it back and we hope you still like it because it's at the request of the audience that we returned it and you know i will say kyle people may say they don't want to be around me but I can barely get in a word edgewise. There's so many people swarming me. Okay, well, I know as we make our way around the room here, we're going to ask everybody what their drink of choice is for this party.

What's yours? I'm on a ngroni kick right now, so I'm going to have a beautiful, tasty ngroni. What about you, Kyle? Well, I know you're not going to want to hear this. But every deer around this time, I don't even need any rum involved. Just a cold, tall glass of eggnog. And I'm set for the night.

You? It's a great starter. And it are disgusting. Dom, what about you? I will follow in your footsteps and have a no-groni, a non-alcoholic nagroney. Those are my favorite. Oh, I love them. Good man, like you, we do not judge here, whether it's hot, cold, alcoholic, non-alcoholic,

you are welcome with whatever you want. It's a holiday party. You're meant to be comfortable. Okay, Dom, let's start with you. What do you got planned over the holidays this year? Well, being Eastern European, we'll celebrate on Christmas Eve. The girlfriend will come over to my side of. the family and then uh we'll do that go to midnight mass and then uh the next day i'm at hers her

her family's throwing a party i think her ang and uncle are hosting so we'll go to that well i i don't think i'm saying too much here but dom like you're a big churchgoer it's a very big part of your life yes sir um what is like what is special to for you about midnight mass well not to get too deep into the weeds but here's the reason for the season you know Christmas is the birthday of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, so it's important for us to go to midnight Mass and celebrate one of the most holiest days on our Catholic calendar. Okay. Kyle, what about you? What's on your schedule?

All right, so mom and dad came in a couple of days ago. We got some good visits in with him, with my side of the family. I had some people over at the house. Christmas Eve went to Dana's parents, just a couple of hours away. Spent the night there. All of her siblings were there visiting, which is wonderful. And Christmas Day,

drove back here to our house with my parents again, my brother, Corey, and his girlfriend, Gina, and we'll spend the night amongst ourselves and some good eating. We made the switch last year. We kind of went away from spending the bulk of our Christmas budget on gifts and went and dove into spending money on really good food, nice beverage to go along with it

it was more the experience because we've all done enough gift giving for us it'll change a little bit now that we got Berkeley in our lives but for the adults let's spend the dough on a great meal and being together and the gifts will go towards the baby here pretty soon

nice how about you big guy so usually we try to go to New York over Christmas it's become a bit of a family tradition this year unfortunately we're not going to be able to do it. We've got a crazy schedule. We've got a lot of Leaf Regional Games.

The only broadcasts I really hate doing are games on Sunday, and we've got them back to back on the 21st and the 28th. Pittsburgh was just here, and we've got the Canadian Olympic announcement on the 31st. We've got a regional game against the Jets on the first. So it's been busy, so this one's going to be a little bit. bit quieter, but like, you know, Dom, I know

faith is a big part of your life. I hope you're not going to be offended by Jewish Christmas, which, of course, is Chinese food and a movie. That's what we'll be doing on Christmas Day. So that's what's, that's what we'll be up to.

And I'll say this, though, as I've gotten older and I'm 55 now, I love this time of year even more. It's just, you know, like, it's interesting. You know, Christmas Day is a big day on the NBA calendar. I think there's five games. And Christmas Day is big on the NFL calendar.

They're putting more games on Christmas Day. And the NHL, I remember it was two CBAs ago during 2013. The league put it on the table. Would you want to play Christmas games? And it wasn't like a big fight or anything like that. They just said, would you want to do it? it. And the players were like, nope, we want Christmas with our families. It's very important. So there's no games on the 24th, 25th, and 26th. And this is, you know, like, hey, if they

play on Christmas, I would happily work. No problem. The job's the job. But it's one thing I do love about the NHL is that I think if possible, this should be family time. And I like that we have this break on the schedules. I get older. I cherish it more and more and more. been another wild ear boys and have been a lot of fun following along all of this hockey life you name it with the two of you so great to close out 2025 still with you two guys it's been it's been wonderful honestly gentlemen like it's it's an absolute pleasure working with the two of you the two of you the two of you cost for professionals and every time we sit down for recording we always have a laugh even if it's you know 10 o'clock Pacific, 1 o'clock Eastern, we're having a great time. And these podcast recordings, I always enjoy them. So it's always a good time recording 32 thoughts. I really do love it here.

Yeah, I do too. I love working with both of you guys, and I love the audience. I really do. I don't know what it is about you guys out there. Everybody out there who submits thoughtline notes, and Griffin's going to be on the show, or they send us DMs. Every year, it gets better and better, and you guys get funnier and funnier. And I wanted to say something else, too, is that many of you know I've referred to it before,

and Dom and Kyle know about Steph has her serve it up, Steph, Instagram account where she does her recipes. I just wanted to say the hockey community has been unbelievable to her. I wasn't crazy about promoting it initially because if, like, there's just, people are nuts. sometimes, and you're like, okay, I don't want people who get mad at me for something I say to go onto her Instagram and give her trouble. But you guys have been phenomenal, and I really like it. We were at the Stanley Cup final last year in Edmonton, and one of the people working there, they walked up to me and said, I did your wife's rice.

I made it, and it was great, and I told my wife, and it really meant a lot to her. and Kevin sent a picture she did like these potatoes a couple weeks ago and he sent a picture of how he did them so she doesn't know I'm doing this don't say anything but I just wanted to say I really appreciate that those who do cross over there are so gracious to her recipes I really wanted to say thank you for that all right Kyle why don't we get started yes enough time already throughout the year that the three of us are talking let's go find some new people to converse with Oh, there's Sam McKee from Real Kipper and Born over there.

Why don't we start with Sam? Sam McKee, the glue that holds Real Kipper and Born together, Monday through Friday on Sportsnet 590. Sam, great to have you here at the holiday party. The first question we asked all of our guests, what can we get shit to drink? Alcoholic, non-alcoholic, hot, cold, your choice. That's a great question.

I think I'd be a European Pilsner type of guy. like if you got like a like a potentially like a peroni or a stella or something in that ilk very cold i much prefer it very very cold uh that would be my go-to that would be my go-to like i don't you don't know i don't go into the hard stuff until like 1130 at night when i'm watching the end of the last NBA game getting away from my family so or or the hard stuff comes out or it's like late in a leave the playoff series like something like that yeah yeah exactly like that exactly like sam so i have one thing I always wanted to know is like I'm a

Toronto guy I got a bunch of friends I've been friends with for decades and like they're big leave fans and the chat there are nights where the chat starts going a little bit haywire so what I want to hear like everybody knows you're a big Toronto sports fan

but I want to know like about your group your buddies your hardcore leave fans and what your chat is like during games with your friends not your work friends like your school friends This is very interesting. I have many different group chats, as you would imagine,

with lots of different people from lots of different parts of my life. Like, I, you know, my phone is, I would say, very alive. And that's something I've had to be conscious of in the last few years where, you know, I'm doing a postgame show with Leaves Talk, me, and J.D. Bunk has to do it after, right? So I have to really watch the game, but, like, I'm as much of a fan as anybody. So I can get into my doldrums of just being like, these guys suck, blah, blah, but taxic, and, like, not actually watching the game where I'm just more mad about it than I am actually analyzing so I've had to you know calm down the group chat

activity during the game but I probably say I have three to four separate group chats going most games that are pretty active like there's you know the big game like for example Saturday night against the Oilers where the Leaf stars look like they paled in comparison to the Edmonton Oilers stars that was a group chat night that was a night where the fellas were getting a little bit fired up about how the Leafs looked and how McDavid looked and how the Leafs aren't even close but It's a night-to-night thing with the group chats, but yeah, they're alive, Friege. To answer your question, they are, they're very alive. So I have to say it has blown my mind that you are painting yourself as the moderate of this group chat.

Well, I would, I mean, that's not close. I would say that I have sent over the last, you know, I guess since texting has been prevalent, I've sent a lot of, what's the word I'm looking for? text to get the groups going, you know. I would say that, you know, I ask a lot of the same questions to my friends. I ask to Kipper on the show or boarding on the show. I know how to get people going. I'm a very good needler when it comes to sports fans and saying things that piss people off.

So that's kind of what I'm good at, and I do it to my group chats for sure. Yeah. Oh, yeah. Okay. So how did the, the way Kipper introduces you every show, Sammy McKee. It's a great way to get things going. How did that all start? First show ever.

I don't know how it started, but he just, I mean, I was asked to be the producer of this show. I guess this is our fifth year, which is crazy. Hard to believe that it's been five years. But I didn't really realize that I was going to have an on-air role like I'd done on-air stuff before, and I hadn't really, we hadn't really discuss it, much like every show we do.

There wasn't a ton of planning that went into any of it. and he just kind of introduced me on the first ever show that we did and, boy, if you wanted to torture me, you'd make me go back and listen to that baby. Holy smokes, that would not be pretty. But I think the very first show and he just was like,

oh, Justin Bored, and Sammy McKee, and I will tell you that there is nothing that, like, you know, if I go to a situation where there's lots of sports fans, like, for example, when I was at a lot of the Jay's playoff games, people were yelling that at me, like, in Kipper's voice. Like, it's a thing that people yell to me. Everyone wants to do their best,

Kipper impression but I like multiple times a game every game I went to at the Jay's playoffs you go to the least game it's it's it's comes becomes synonymous with Kipper in the way he says it so I love it but there's no story he just said it the first day and it's just been doing it ever since what's it like producing those guys yeah the best baby's the best zero it's honestly the greatest thing ever like I would you know I would love to come on here and bury them but I can't they're the best guys we have an awesome relationship and like there's just you know we're all in such a comfort zone now that we know what at each other you know how to do it and work with them and it's just it's really not to you know blow too much smoke but they're it's a dream job i'm lucky to work with these guys and here's the key to the show is that we say really no words to each other before the show starts like we'll talk about everything other other than hockey where it's just like you know we'll talk about golf or talk about you know family stuff or whatever but it's rarely hockey related so that most of the stuff that we say on air we're hearing each other say it for the first thing time, which adds to the sort of like natural ability of it.

So yeah, that's, that's probably the key to it. But yeah, I have nothing but great things to say about them. You know, Kipper is just, you know, you guys know, you guys know, hell of a guy, a wild guy, just a man. And Borny's just a, they're just two very different guys. And we all bring a different thing. That's what kind of makes it work. Lucky, nothing bad to say, unfortunately.

I can't bury them to you, which I'd love to, but I can't. I do like that. Like, the less I find I meet before a show, I think the better of the show. I think the better the show is But not everybody's wired that way, I understand Well, we used to plan it out minute by minute Freach, it was like we would have every single moment We'd be playing every clip

We'd be like minute by minute It felt like we would plan it for the first year or whatever And then we kind of figured out that that wasn't the best way to do it So that's how we've kind of done it now Yeah, you can see it Like I do like when you've got your clips ready Standing By going into the show And it's just kind of a very organic like

Ah, I've got this, you want to hear that And Nick will go, yeah, Yeah, play it or let's move on to something else. It's a great flow to it all. You found something that works. Oh, thanks, guys. Holy smokes. Oh, yeah, really cool. Okay, so I want to know about, like, early years,

Sam and the McKee family around Christmas time. What were some of the traditions? Take us back to those early years. Maybe best gift you ever got, like your favorite gift in childhood? I've got, I mean, I've been very lucky to get some sweet gifts over the years. I mean, I've asked for a lease jersey for however many years in my life, But one of the jerseys I still have, I still have like a Darcy Tucker jersey with the blue shoulders, like the old leaf on it, which is one of my prize possessions. I have that as far as as far as traditions go, I would say that, you know, maybe from the, when was, when did trailer park boys start?

Because every year, every year, my family, my mom, my dad and I. And I don't do new, I don't do Christmas Eve at my parents place anymore. I've moved to my wife Allison's parents' place. So for, for, sorry, for Christmas Eve. Then we drive up to own sound on Christmas Day, blah, blah, blah. You don't need to have those details. But until I started doing that, we would watch the Christmas special of Trailer Park Boys every Christmas Eve. And in my opinion, in my humble opinion, the greatest piece of Christmas television ever put together.

It's about an hour long. It's like a prequel to the actual show. It is truly hysterical. It's one of the funniest things. And God bless my grandma, Glenora. I don't know, she passed. I don't know how long ago, 10 years ago now or whatever. But the last Christmas we ever had together

She was at our house And she was like in her 80s And we're like well Grandma you're gonna watch The Trailer Park Boys Christmas And like I have you guys have ever seen it or not It's pretty inappropriate

Like there's a lot of stuff that goes into it That makes it incredibly funny And just the amount of times She went oh dear Oh dear And then we at the end I asked her like Grandma what'd you think She's like oh I loved it

I loved it So that would be probably the best tradition that I have. Trailer Park Boys Christmas on Christmas Eve. It was my favorite. So there you go. That's a 2001, by the way. That is a fantastic. That is a fantastic tradition. Outstanding. It was the best. It was the best.

And a couple of drinks, too. A couple of that. I can tell you, that won't be airing during family time hours on the various Rogers networks. Yeah. They're not going to play that next to plays in the week or whatever they play on sports. Yeah, they're not going to get through the first scene of that without having to call you're going to get some calls the phones will be ringing

yeah so aside from so who's your favorite leave of all time who's your who's your uh matt sundeen and darcy tucker would my two favorites but i they're they're neck and neck i uh just that era right that's when i was at the right age for you know just truly you know you guys have a different relationship we all their fans or whatever yeah when you're that age you know I was in my mid-teens when those guys were really good. And it's just that's when I loved it the most. And that's those two guys were my two guys. So Tucker and Sundee.

And are you over the J's yet? Never will be. Never, never will be. Never, right? No, I had to admit, I mean, I actually, like at least three times a day. I haven't watched one thing about it. Like, I see, if I'm on, like, Twitter, on Instagram or TikTok, whoever I'm scrolling, spending all these hours my day scrolling, if, like, a millisecond of a clip comes

up that has anything jays in it i like throw my phone in the river like i'm like i just i can't even i can't even there was a tv at the rogers campus that for i don't know however long was playing like basically like an emotional montage of like all these highlights from the playoff i just started taking a different route to my desk every day i'm like i can't walk past this tv this is going to make me cry like i i don't think i'll ever recover i like i'd be very interested to see what it feels like going back in there for opening day and sort of getting back into the rhythm or whatever, but my sister went to London to visit some extended

family. I don't know when that would have been. In mid-December, she just got back at the start of December, and she wanted some World Series hats to take them. So I went down to the Rogers Center because we get a discount or whatever there. So I went down to buy some hats for, and I walked in there, boys, almost fainted. I almost like

it was like this. I looked out in, because through the shop, you can see the field. I was like, oh my God, I couldn't even look at it. So to answer your question, preach, no. I'm not over it and I may never be I gotta tell you about a week after we did highlights and Kyler Yamamoto was in the highlights

I couldn't even look at the word Yamamoto I know I sit in on the air he's not ready for this he's such a stud and like I like if he wasn't if it wasn't against the Jays I would revere that performance as like one of the greatest sports performances in the history of all sports like

what he did is unbelievable and I just I can't even consider thinking it's cool because then I have to think about it and then I'm going to cry so that's where I'm out on that one yeah oh and you've lived through a lot man as a Toronto sports fan like I had felt like like that one is in a different echelon but here's a thing it'll never be worse than that there's nothing that can ever be worse than that like I like you know what could be worse you're two outs away from the world series win and you know then Jeff Hoffman decides to hang a slider to the nine-hole hitter and the rest is history.

But yeah, it's actually at a point where I'm actually not happy it happened, clearly, never be happy, but I can never be heartbroken that bad again. Like, I will never feel like that when sports. Maybe this is famous last words, the least will lose in game seven to the Stanley Cup final, but you guys have been watching this year. I don't know if they'll get to game seven of the first round this year, so we'll see. We'll see. Oh, it's Christmas.

You're supposed to be happy, okay? This was the time of awesome. But talk leaves then. This has been great, Sam. Yeah. Great to have you all. Have a great holiday with your family. You do great work, man.

You really do great work. Alish Forfar, welcome back to 32 thoughts. Before we go any further, it's an open bar for you. Whatever your heart desires, what can we get you to drink? Well, I spent a couple weeks in Ireland and Northern Ireland the summer, and I had plenty Guinness, so I will be continuing on that feat of drinking as many Guinness as I possibly can. They've grown on me. It's true that they're not as good in Canada, but I put up a fight.

I have to say I've started doing a bit of Guinness Zero. I really like that stuff. I really like the Guinness Zero. But the only problem is around this time, Eilish, you can't eat food after a Guinness. Like you're not going to have room for dinner. It's part of the plan. or whatever, yeah, because the stuff is so filling, so filling.

It's the old Dan Murphy line. You can drink your calories or you can eat your calories, but you can't do both. So, Alish, we have to start. My co-hosts here still has a debt to owe. Can you turn it up the heat here yet? Well, apparently I scared him at the Christmas party.

At the Christmas party, I barely got in the door, Kyle, and it was like this. This rabid tiger attacked me. Where are you coming in? I just want the best for my show, Elliot, and we are patiently awaiting your intern skills. I saw Kyle did a great job on the fan hockey show. So you've got big shoes to fill because Kyle came in with a sponsor and everything.

So I'm looking forward to seeing you have up your sleeves. He did, and I give Kyle a lot of credit. I have to say that after I saw what Kyle did, it is not enough for me to defeat. Kyle. I have to win by a lot. I have to run up the score. So the people I was speaking to about what I was going to do, they said in the holiday season, we're a little bit busy. So we're going to, but we're going to do it in January. And Kyle will not just, Kyle, and by the way, Kyle, this is a credit to you. You did a great job. But you must not be defeated. You must be

pulverized. I can't wait. I love this competitiveness. I have to be. honest as I was sitting there that day and it was a great setup detour coffee were wonderful to come down but as I'm standing there I'm going the real winners out of all of this are Alish and Justin because I know Elliot's going to go up to an 11 to try to one up me. Great things take time so I can't wait we'll take it any time Elliot's January February March whatever you know where we are you'll get done so Aelish there's one post that we spoke about briefly at the Christmas party but you have a post on your Instagram that I really thought was a fantastic post.

You and your husband went to Montreal and you went to a PWHL game there and you talked about Marie-Philippe Poulin and Laura Stacey and how they are both really good friends of yours and what it was like to watch them play. And I wanted you to share the story for this podcast because it's a fantastic story.

Yeah, well, so Laura and Stacey and I have been best friends since high school. We were on the same line for three years. playing to the Toronto Aerials, and then four years at Dartmouth College, and then when we played professionally a year together on the Mark and Thunder. So I don't know why I'm not Olympian. I guess I got her to that level. No problem.

I'll do what I can to get to that level. But we were line mates for very long time. She's my best friend. She was my maid of honor at our wedding this year, this past year, and I was also in her wedding. So I know that the two of them very, very well. And we, I mean, I've been trying to see her play at every level. I'm actually going to go to the Olympics this year.

to watch her and Murray play, Knockin Wood. Nice. Of course they're going to be on the roster, but I can't really fully say that until they are. So that will be the highest level of that. Well, you could say you're breaking news. Sources tell Elish Forver. They're going to be on the roster.

Fingers crossed. It's actually very funny. I've been talking to her about it. She's like, I can't really talk about it yet until I'm on the team. So anyway, I've been talking to her parents about going to Milan. So I got a chance to go to the Bell Center to watch one of the takeover tours

where they play in one of the large arenas. The sold-out crowd, of course. and we were at one of the end areas of the rink and the game was obviously a completely like different, loud atmosphere than I think you get to see most of the time when you watch women's hockey because it was the full crowd at the Bell Center

and Laura Stacey scores the OT winner right in front of us and I mean it was just really special because I've seen her score lots of big goals but to be a fan cheering her on wearing her jersey in the in the crowd and she has this really the goal itself is pretty spectacular. She's quite dramatic as a player. She's often flailing on the ice.

She would take that as a compliment. She scores it like almost Bobby Orr's style like through the air on a rebound and slides on her stomach and then looks up to the crowd and does this like big roar. And that was right in front of us. We had great seats and, you know,

she just happened to score in our end and overtime. And that was a pretty special moment. And I'm really proud to have been a small part of her hockey journey, but even more proud of her as a person and what she does to give back to the game. And to see her score a goal like that was really spectacular. So I hope you can one up at this year in Milan

and score a golden goal because her wife, Marie's got all the golden goals. I think it's time that Laura gets her own. Sharing is caring. Yes. Sharing is caring. That's a great story, Alish. So you've had, I mean, it's been a pretty impressive year. Like on the work front, of course, you and Justin continuing to crush it.

You did a wonderful job at the draft in June in Los Angeles. And then, you know, I see in the fall, Elish, like you ran your first half marathon. Oh, yes. Congratulations. Like, that's pretty cool. My only question is, why would you put yourself through that? Why?

Well, this is the story behind it. I, you know, for those that have known me a little bit, I was a hockey player my whole life growing up. And I, after I retired when the CWHL folded, I honestly just, I didn't really push myself athletically more than just going to the gym. And I play in a women's league. and that's pretty competitive, but I wanted to find, like, a new passion for training, and so I signed up for a half marathon, and this story ended up good because I do complete it,

but I was really not motivated. I was scared to kind of fail because I've been used to being a great athlete and really good at something, and I wasn't a good runner growing up, and I had hip surgery in college, and I just haven't been a great runner. And while I was thinking about training for it all offseason all summer long, And I honestly couldn't get myself there. I just was afraid of failing and feeling embarrassed that I'm not a great runner. Like, I don't know if you guys are in the same following what that I see online,

but everyone posts their Strava. And it's like, they're so elite. People are so talented running. And I just was almost kind of embarrassed that I wasn't as good as I was as a hockey player. So I didn't tell anyone I signed up for this half marathon. And I honestly wasn't going to do it because I just, as I said, was afraid to fail and to show that I wasn't. good at something. And then I decided the night before, I'm going to go, I don't

care, I just want to accomplish the half marathon. And when I say I didn't train, I really mean it. I spent more time on the golf course this summer than I did even just jogging around my local neighborhood. And I completed the half marathon in two

and a half hours flat. And I had honestly such an amazing experience. The whole time I was there, I just kept thinking, I'm so glad I did this because there's such a culture around marathon and half marathons of people that just come out and show up and make signs and they motivate you and they pushed me through the whole thing I was sore my legs were hurting my hip was gonna fall off I had this is TMI maybe since the truth he thought 30 two thoughts but I lost two

toenails like it was gross but I accomplished it yeah it they're still growing back I accomplished it and when I got through the finish line I said like why would I have been afraid to do this there's people faster than me there's people slower than me there's people that have They're older than me, younger than me, and I was just really happy that I did something out of my comfort zone. So I think I would do it again. I think I would like to train this time. That's my goal. But I have a benchmark, just like Kyle set for your job, Elliot, and I will achieve it the next time.

I will have to crush that benchmark. So it was fun to do something outside my comfort zone. And I was really, I think, more surprised at how proud I fell on myself than I would have when I signed up for it, you know, early January. That's a phenomenal accomplishment. Great stuff. Great. Great stuff. Now, just one thing we always ask, like, favorite gift from childhood, family traditions, anything like that? Yeah, I think I have a pretty stereotypical upbringing. I grew up north of Toronto. I lived in Sutton, Ontario. So shout out to your Georgina listeners that would know Sutton, a beautiful small town right on Lake Simco. And I have an older brother, Jordan. And my parents and I lived right on Lake Simco. So we would go out when the ice froze and we'd go out. make our own rank out there.

Very stereotypical, very fun. I would wear whatever my brother was hand me down to her. But I think the first real gift that I remember was probably like the Eastern Synergy. The first time I got a real like non hand-me-down stick, non-wood stick. And it was the nice, the yellow one. Like, oh, it popped. The grip. And the grip was grippy.

And my parents, I think my dad might have got it at one of my brother's hockey term and wrapped it for me for Christmas and I remember holding that thing being like, oh yeah, this is this is real now. So I don't remember how old I was, but it was a pretty special memory and, you know, most of our gifts would have been something sports related. I think I got my first snowboard and, but yeah, something sports related and definitely remember that, that yellow stick. So don't know if it's still in someone's garage in our house. It probably is because my parents kept everything.

But yeah, that was really special. I think it probably used it until the blade splintered. Yes. That's a good one to hang on for as long as possible. They're like collector's items now. Yes. I know. When I go home for the holidays, I'm going to look in our garage. It might be in there.

That's right. Like, if it's still a decent shape, like people would pay big money for one of those. Now, Aylish, it's crazy. That's sentimental, I can't sell it. Yeah. Well, good. Then don't. Like, if it still means something, like, that's great because it is a beauty.

Awesome. Well, this has been great, Aelish. Good to catch up. Thanks, guys. Good to have you back on again. And, yeah, congrats on everything. you accomplished in 2025. Appreciate it.

Here's some more of that in the new year. Thanks for having done. While I've got you here, Elish, is there anybody that I will be taking care of that is not a meat eater? Like, do you have any vegetarians or vegans? No, we love meat on the sand pregame. Okay, just checking. Big meat family. Whenever you order dinner now, does anybody here have a food allergy?

I've got to be aware of. I appreciate you asking. I have seen us all. we go out and we'll have a burger or two and so I think we would be happy to have some meat Elliot the better the nicer put steak the better okay? All right

you got it. You're all in. Thank you so much good. Happy holidays. Thanks for having me on and we'll have to regroup and debrief after Elliot's appearance on the fan pregame. I can't wait. I look forward to that. I look forward to that. Take care, Alice.

Jason Buclew from the pro hockey group and of course here with us at Sportsnet. So, Jason, you're coming to our party. We are nothing, if not, at least try to be good hosts. What can we get you to drink before we go any further? Craft logger. Absolutely craft logger.

Our esteemed producer, Maddie Marston, one of our esteemed producers. He's an IPA guy, but I don't know about you, too. I'm all over the craft logger, and it can be any kind of craft logger. It just has to be craft logger. And I've turned into that craft logger snob, I've got to be honest. everywhere I'm traveling around the world now if they don't have the craft logger we've got problems we're

exiting the establishment we're heading off to establishment number two Jason you've always been a snob this is no different I just want you to know that okay yeah I know yeah that's right sorry about sorry about your luck fellas oh it's good it brings up

honestly the level of of respect on the show a little bit because the two of us are way too easily swayed I think when it comes to things So it's good that you stand on some principles somewhere. Yeah, yeah, that's, listen, let's not overshoot the expectation, though. After a couple of craft bloggers probably get talked into, you know, some DeSorona or an old-fashioned before I have to hit the hamper just to go to bed, you know. So I don't want to come off like just a straight-line guy.

You can't be a straight-line scout after all these years in the business. It's an impossibility. Right. So that's one of the things I want to ask you about. Jason, you were in scouting and working for teams for a long time and all sorts of different levels and now you're a member of the media

and like a lot of your old buddies now do they avoid you like you're radioactive do they say you're one of them now like how has the reaction been from the scouting community to your media days? Yeah I've

got bit by a couple of them by saying some things or maybe a story here or there that they would have preferred not got out there and that has definitely what happened. So I've tried to take that in stride

even with some general managers who I thought were really good friends and I still consider them friends but I definitely caught them on their bad days I'm sure you two have caught those days as well but on balance I have to say this that A I'm very fortunate to have been able to be welcomed into this side

of the business and meet real good friends and people, pros like yourself, like I'm very fortunate to meet guys like yourself and Kyle and on balance when I'm at the rink. One thing I've tried to do for each is not change my stripes. I am what I am. I'm a pretty black and white guy. I don't sit on my,

I don't sit on the fence with too many of my opinions or my thoughts about things. And I didn't want to be just a straight up, no disrespect to this because there's a space board, a content creator, if you will. I wanted to be that guy who gives extra insight into what goes on behind the scenes and be brutally honest of what I do. That's how I've tried to conduct my business,

my entire career. And I don't really feel like I've had to change any of that, although I have suffered from foot and mouth disease every step of the way in my career on occasion, and that still happens. You know what? That's life in the big city, the way I look at it. But Jason, like I do have to say one of the things I've really respected about you when you crossed over is there are a lot of people come out to the side and they kind of dip their toes in the water. And I understand. it's not a criticism it's new it's different you're not used to it but you came in swinging like of all the people i've ever worked with like i remember the first time i saw i was like wow this guy is not afraid and i mean that as a compliment like a lot of people have gotten there

but it takes them time they get they get bit for the first time right they get someone calls them as you say and they're like what the hell are you doing what are you talking about like i i have I have really admired about how you were like, nope, there's the deep end, I'm diving in. Like, it's, it's a, people don't realize what a hard thing that is to do. It's impressive, very impressive. Well, I appreciate you saying that. You know, I think that if you conduct yourself in any line of business, whatever it is, I, you know, before I joined your team, you know, this is, this is, I took a lot of pride in just being me, you know, period.

And, and I'm not for everybody. And I've always known that, and it is what it is. So, yeah, I don't, I can't have 54 years of age. I don't see it changing now, guys, so I got to ride it up for as long as I can. Okay, so you're not afraid to voice your opinion, but I have to ask, like, what requires the bigger breath before doing so? Putting your opinion out, like when you put something on Sportsnet.com, what you're seeing from draft eligible prospects, or you just had one up the other day of kind of initial takeaways of how Team Canada looks for the world juniors or giving your opinion in a room full of scouts and your peers.

That's a good one. Great question. I think like anything else in life, you have to gauge your audience and whatever your opinion is or whatever your strategy is in delivering that opinion, it has to land in accordance with where you are. And certainly I've been in meetings with a variety of general managers and upper rush line management teams at the National Hockey League level. Now, listen, I did have longevity.

in a long run with Dale Tallinn 10 years in Florida. So, you know, Dale and I had an understanding. Scott Luce was the director of scouting when I arrived. Aaron Janelle was the assistant director. We all had this sort of feel for what the mood of the day was. And then you just adjust, right, Kyle? You have to present yourself strategically in that sense. Now, having said that, on this side of the ledger,

one thing that I do try and do, even when I'm not in a very good mood about how a team is playing and we're about to talk about them on air, for example, is I do try and walk the line of how did they get there and what was the amount of information provided to, A, the general manager, be the coach in trade or a call up on a player or a free agent signing, all these things. I try and gauge what that process for that organization, knowing what I know about how they do business and those general managers, because I was fortunate enough to be in a lot of those rooms and hear those conversations. I try and gauge what the reality.

is like behind the scenes and then deliver it to our audience in a way that's hopefully not too disrespectful if that makes sense. I want to be trying be respectful of their process and not throw anybody under the bus per se. But at the same token, when somebody makes an asinine decision and I strongly

disagree with it, I also want people to know that if I was in that room in that meeting that I would have been standing up on my soapbox saying, listen, we can go in this direction but it's not something that I advise. Don't worry. The longer you stay in this business, the more you're going to see assonine things. So you'll get, you'll get plenty to do. Now, so one of the things we always ask is like maybe a

holiday Christmas tradition from when you were younger, favorite gift, anything you guys, the Buccas do special right now. Yeah, well, as we, for so long, I was always out the door on boxing day, you know, heading to the world junior for such a long period of time. So we have really valued my wife Michelle and my two boys Kean and Kaden who are they're older now and but we've always valued that time with the dog and hopefully there's that that snowy Christmas day and you know we just get up and take our time and we go for that long walk and let the dog run around all over the place and we just kind of soak it all in we're no there's nothing special about it one thing I do want to say though is that I grew up in a Polish household with my my Baba my Jodja from

Poland and some of the things that I really valued about that part of the world is just that feeling of it's it's just different the European flavor at Christmas always seemed to resonate with me differently when I was a young person growing up and my grandmother's Polish cooking whether it be Perugis or Borch or you know the Polish pancakes on breakfast morning all this stuff and you know I I missed I missed them because they're no longer with me but I certainly value those those memories for sure but now that I'm on this side and I don't go World Juniors until, you know, like the 27th, I get that extra day off, guys.

I value that time with my wife and my boys. It's nice. Very nice, man. A gift? Any gifts that you remember from when you were younger? Oh, yeah, like when Vaughn hockey equipment first started to hit. I was a goalie, not a very good one, but I tried. Stop more with my forehead that I did with my Vaughn catching glove. But that Vaughn catching glove, I remember my dad buying that for Christmas for me one year. remember when colored equipment we used to start that was just coming out guys like white gloves

and stuff like that for glories oh what a highlight it was it was awesome so it was always it was always geared around hockey something geared around hockey and way way back and i'll bore you with this i got i got one of those old style masks like uh like a bernie perrott style mask that they're floating around now as in the flyers dressing room for the player of the game that kind of thing i remember getting one of those for christmas and changing all the the things inside they how it's going to fit on my face properly just to go out and play road hockey and in Sudbury where I was growing up back then with that Bernie Paran mask on. That's awesome.

Jason, last one for me, of all your years on the scouting beat, like you say so many times boxing day you're out the door, but was there ever a year where you ended up somewhere obscure over the holiday season? Well, obscure over the holiday season. Well, I mean, obviously when you go overseas, The Division 2 World Juniors were in Germany one year. We were in the mountains and we flew home real quick. You're right before Christmas and then went right back to Helsinki in Finland,

which, by the way, isn't obscure. It's not too obscure for the World Juniors. It's a fantastic place to have it host. As you guys are, I'm sure, well aware, the Finns do it better than most when they're having a good time. But the most obscure places over the just right after holidays is, is, you know, trips through Russia back in the day, the Magnitogorsks of the world and the, you know,

the small towns in Russia. Well, not really small towns. They're big cities with a small town field. But anything to do with Russia back in the day, which I don't miss right now, to be honest, was always an adventure, Kyle. All right, last one for me. I saw you on TV earlier this year,

and I sent you a note. I was like, wow, you look great. And you told me he lost like 60 pounds, right? So this is the time. 32 times, yeah, okay, I'll go, I'll take 60, but it was 32, but yes, I'll take 60. 32, even better on this show. Yeah, I, I, perfect. I have to tell you, that is typical of my accuracy in reporting, Jason, so I'm not surprised I was off by 28 pounds.

But, you know, this is the time of the year where people after Christmas, they feel like they got to get to the gym. So what is the number one health tip from Bukala? You've done a fantastic job getting in shape. What's your key to people who feel too heavy after Christmas? I fast until almost 2 o'clock in the afternoon. So as we were recording this here before I go down to the studio, I didn't have my first meal today in Toronto. And it does take discipline on the road until 1.49 is when I took my first bite today.

So I wake up in the morning, water, coffee, and, you know, as long as I'm not meeting some of my cohorts at the golf course, call it Red Tail or somewhere else where I'm going to have to fuel up just to put up with the, you know, the idiot crowd for the rest of the afternoon. I wait till 2 o'clock in the day, time to get after it. So I'm eliminating a meal a day. It's like 500 calories, call it, 600 calories. And it's worked for me so far and we'll hopefully continue the trend here. Nice. Congratulations, Bud. Great job. Happy holidays to you guys. And I'm just glad to be a member of your team.

And it's an honor to be on the show with you guys today. So continued success to the both of you. And I look forward to continuing to evolve here, this friendship and professional arrangement that we all have at Sports Night. Great to have you here, Jason. I will see you in Minnesota. New Year's Eve, my friend. Have a great holiday. Thanks, Kyle.

Jason York, great to see you, my friend. So one of the things, the many things you are known for, Elliot, like when you go over to Jason York's home, he's always got an excellent selection to offer you to drink. Well, now you're in our house, Jason. You're at the 32 holiday party, so what can we get you to drink? Oh, well, number one, Kyle, you know it's all about the glass. So if I'm going to have a cocktail, it's going to be in a nice cocktail glass.

Let me have a little crystal glass. We need a big ice cube. And I would like an old-fashioned, fellas. Nice. That's my go-to-it. That's a great call. That's a great old-fashioned. Right, fridge?

Maybe a little Angels envy bourbon in there. Tough to get right now. That was my next question. Right? But you know what? Do you know what's great? Do you know what's great about bringing me over? You can get that bourbon in Calgary, Alberta right now.

and I will personally bring a bottle over for you of angels envy because I'll bring it. Is this why you volunteered for Flames broadcast this year so you could get your favorite bourbon? You know, Craig, Craig Conroy, Don Maloney, Murray Edwards. Yeah, I like the flames. I do. I like the hockey, but I'm here for the bourbon. I'm here for... And you can still get California wines in Calgary.

Yeah, you know what? Maybe you might be on to something there, Fridge. You might be on to something. Yeah, it's just a great coincidence. So it's all worked out, Jason. It's, yeah, Kyle, it's a coincidence. It's all a coincidence. How have you like being back in the booth, though?

We've missed you in the booth following games on sports. We miss having you around, Yorkie. We miss. We're happy you're back. Thank you. Thank you. I love it. I love, you know what?

For me, I miss what I missed about not doing games. There's pressure, right? and we all know that from doing live television. Like if you screw up on live television, it's going to be tweeted out that you sound like an idiot and you don't know what you're talking about, as we've all kind of made mistakes in our past. But I like that kind of pressure.

It's kind of like similar to the NHL. Like I like a consequence. I like a reward if you do well. It's just from, you know, I miss the competitive juices of playing hockey. And to me, it's the closest thing you can get. I don't want to coach because it's too. much stress and it's too much uncertainty which I would I coach junior for a while but

broadcasting is especially color commenting you got to be on you got to be sharp you got to know what you're talking about and I love I love doing it and listen it's such a great game but we're all privileged to do it and I missed it and I'm I'm very happy to be back good man good man and has anything like when you came back was anything different Was it like putting on a comfortable old pair of skates or were you like, oh, things have changed? Well, the last time I did a game, I think I did one. The last game I did was in Winnipeg with Hannah Ryan Singh, I think, 2022. And primarily when I was doing games before, it was Montreal Canadiens, I did a lot of Sends games.

Like, I did the East. I didn't do the West a lot. So getting reacquainted, number one, back, back with the names. Like, the names today are a lot. Like, the names are tough. So what I do is, is I hyphenate all my names. When I do my little game sheet, I won't put the name down because if you're looking at it quickly and you need a little refresher. I do that sometimes.

Yeah. I do that sometimes. Oh, yeah. Yeah. It's a great little trick. So, yeah, that was the biggest thing. Just, you know, getting back when you do a, when you do a, when you do that. you're doing a regional show, like, you need to know your stuff.

So I, and the one thing I did, too, and, and Rob Cortay actually kind of said, you should go out to Calgary for training camp, and it was a great decision. And you know what, your boy, Kyle picked me up at the airport fridge. I came into town. Kyle Bukascus, proud member of the good guy club, picked me up at the airport. Did you charge you for gas? I just been known to do that. Oh, come on.

That's just with you. You're not an evident. You're not an old scrooge, Kyle. Kyle's very, very generous. But yeah, so I spent a week in Calgary, got to talk with Connie and the coaches and just get reacquainted with the flames. But it was a pretty seamless transition.

But the biggest thing was just getting the names down, like if you're doing a team that I hadn't seen like a Utah or in Minnesota, which I didn't cover a lot in the past. But, you know, once you get around the loop one or two times, it is like riding a bike. It comes back pretty quick. And I was going to say, like, you think about the Flames broadcast crew now, Elliot. So you got John Abbott doing play-by-play.

I mean, Kelly Rudy will do a lot of the games. Jason will back, Phil. He's done a bunch of the early half of the season. And then Brennan Parker, who's at this holiday party as well, does Rinkside. You think about those four guys. Like, how often do you take a collection of four human beings? And Kelly's the biggest jerk out of all four of them. It's just, it's like the nicest broadcasting crew in the whole league.

There's not a, there's not, like, he will expect that for me. He's going to be totally blindsided getting that from you, which is the best part of this. The nicest man, I think, in hockey next to Kyle is Johnny Apple Pie Abbott. Oh, yeah. Like if you, if you wanted your daughter, I know Johnny's married, but let's just say in a different world, he wasn't married, that's, that's a guy you want to eat and your sister. He's just honest to goodness, wholesome. He's Richie Cunningham from Happy Days. That's who he is.

And he's a great broadcaster. Like, you don't even believe it sometimes. Like, I have a cousin who's like John. And sometimes we're like, is this for real? Like, there's no way anybody can be this nice. It's somehow phony. I totally get it. I totally get it.

Right? So, Elliot, we got them. We got them in Tampa, though. We all know the outdoor, they're going to have an outdoor game in Tampa in the new year. So we were walking back from dinner, myself, Apple Pie Abbott. and Parks was with us and Eric Francis. And we happened upon an outdoor skating rink in Tampa. So we decided we all rented a pair of these skates.

They're the old, they're strap-on boots, and we went for a twirl on the ice. I had the camera rolling, and Johnny Abbott took the biggest header. It was like a slow-motion 360, ass over tea kettle, and down he goes. And we surprised him on the broadcast. We had the footage and we got, we snuck it into the game. Oh, that's fantastic.

It was so good. It was so good. So we're having a lot of fun on the broadcast. That's good. That's the son of a good broadcast. Sorry, Kyle. No, that's all right. But like you went there already with the Apple Pie Abbott.

You are the king of nicknames. And it's never an obvious one where you just throw a Y at the end of a last name or shorten it and throw an S there. You put a lot of thought if you were. going to throw a nickname onto somebody. What goes into a good nickname for you, Jason? Well, you got to spend some time with the person. The biggest mistake guys make when they hand out nicknames is they get lazy and they feel they got to come up with it right away.

You can't do that unless, you know, like some guys you can read right away, but some of you got to spend some time with, you got to get to know them. And I think after that, it just comes to you, Kyle. Like, it's just, there's certain things. I'm a big, I like, I'm a watcher. You watch for tendencies. You watch for things guys say, like, I have a buddy of mine who I golf with. And he's one of the few guys in the world that still uses the catchphrase bananas.

Like, you'll say, that's crazy. That's bananas. So this guy's name just became bananas. And he embraced it. So of all the NHL players you ever did, what was the best nickname you gave? Like, what is your crowning achievement of nicknames? Apple Pie Abbott's pretty good, I have to say. That's a good one.

Apple Pie Abbott. I mean, you were the brain behind Shane 90s that he's still called now, right? Sheriff, yeah. We used to call Barry Trots. He used to call him, speaking of it, I know we're doing a Christmas show. We nicknamed him the Grinch. Because when Barry Trots smiles, he's got that big smile like the Grinch does when he has that smile. You know what I'm talking about, Kyle?

Oh, yeah. It didn't really catch on. It was my buddy, Andreas Johansson, who I still keep in touch with. We love that. We called him The Grinch, not to his face, but kind of behind his back. Because he does. When he smiles, he looks exactly like the Grinch. That was a good one.

Another one we like. Phil Crow, who had a cup of coffee in Ottawa. Tough guy, Fridge. He looked, yeah, but he didn't look like a hockey player. He kind of a little bit of a boiler, sloped shoulders. and he kind of looked like he looked like a guy that should be driving the bus. Like when you get on your bus, you get picked up at the airport. So we just started calling him bussy, because he just fit the bill of an NHL bus driver.

But Phil, being the great guy, he is Kyle, at our Halloween party for the Ottawa Center as we're going back. He shows up for our Halloween party, and you guys know NHL players like to dress up, he dresses up like a bus driver, just embracing the nickname. Oh, that's a great team. Good for him. Bussie has the hat on, you know, the boiler's sticking out a little bit. You got the jacket on those. So I liked Bussie.

I liked a Grinch. There's lots of good ones. But yeah, Kyle's right. Like the Yorkie, the ones like that. Like, you got to be better than that. All right. So what was your great gift you got as a kid? Like, what was your favorite Christmas gift?

No, a holiday gift. So I was a big superhero guy. I love the super friends. I love watching Batman and Robin. And one night before Christmas, I don't know. I still, to this day, I have no idea who this man was that came to my house. My parents never told me. A guy dressed up as Santa Claus.

And I was six years old at the time. My little brother was five. And I was presented with a Batman and Robin action figure. And I'll never forget it. Because number one, I really thought it was Santa Claus, and number two, I loved Batman Robin. Like, I was a massive superhero guy. I actually quit hockey when I was four years old because I missed watching the super friends in the morning fridge. Hey, man, that was a great cartoon.

Like, I get this. It's my dad, my poor father, signed up to coach me when I was four years old. So we're going from everybody knows. that drive. I'm living in the PN. We drive it to Canada. Every Saturday morning at 6 a.m. I went to one practice in September, and then the next weekend, I said to my dad, I'm not going. I'm going to miss the super friends. So I wouldn't go, and they wouldn't make me go. So my poor dad, coach that team the rest of the year while I stayed home and watched cartoons.

Hey, man, you had to know if Green Lantern was going to beat Sinestro. These are big deals when you're that age. Sinestro, you know your stuff, Elliot. Oh, yeah, I was a big superhero guy. Yeah, huge. Yeah, so. I remember that show. Anyway, so people out, to people out there that think you got to get on the gas right away, I actually retired from the game at age four and made a massive comeback at age six.

That's right. For those people who say you have to be a whole focused, only. Only on hockey. Jason York took two years off at age four and still made the NFL. To watch the Super Friends. 757 games later. That's awesome. Hey, one quick one before we go.

So is your son Jack? He's playing over in Sweden. Is he coming back for Christmas or? Oh, yeah. No, he's not, Kyle. We just went down to Stockholm to visit him. He's playing for AIK. Man, oh man.

I got to tell you, people in Sweden got it figured out. Oh, yeah. It is a beautiful place, right? the food, the beautiful people, everyone's walking, there's dogs in the restaurant. It's just, we had a great time. So he's not coming home, unfortunately, but he's having a great time in Sweden. He's loving his time there and loving playing hockey there. Nice.

All right. Well, I hope you have a great holiday, Jason, with the rest of the family. So love to everyone there, and great to have you back on SportsNet Airwaves again in the booth. You guys, always a pleasure. Great to spend some time with you, two fellows. Love the show, too. Big fan. Thanks, Jason.

Great to chat with you. All right, the tour through the Jason's continue here. The 32 Thoughts Holiday Party, Elliot. Jason Brough, co-host of the Halford & Brough, The Morning Show on Sportsnet 360. Welcome to the 32 Thoughts holiday spectacular, Jason. What can we get you to drink before we go any further? Is there any way you could recreate the post-hockey beer?

Because that is my favorite. that's my favorite drink and I gotta be honest because I'm getting older and I drink less because when I drink I can't sleep, wake up in the middle of the night but I will never ever give up the post hockey beer because I go out there and play shinnies

sometimes around this holiday season with my buddies I'm actually going out tonight play with some guys I haven't played with for a long time and I'm not looking forward to the game because it's a struggle but I am looking forward to afterwards having a beer. So that would be,

that's probably my drink. I don't know if you can create that sense of fatigue and accomplishment that goes along with the beer, but that's the perfect drink for me. Oh, I know exactly what you're saying. Now, does that be like

in a dressing room post game? Is that like in the circle in the parking lot? Okay, in the room. Or it could be both. It could be both. But it has to be, it has to be kind of a light logger.

I don't know if you guys have sponsors here. Coors Light, Bud Light, mulson Canadian like don't get fancy on me don't bring a winter ale none of that nonsense I will throw it across the room like don't try and impress me with your beer knowledge I don't care I want a light domestic logger Jason nobody sponsors this show you've heard it nobody sponsors it well maybe you will get one now yeah that's good it's a good attempt yes all right my first question to you is after now that we've got your drink order in the queue,

can it be a Merry Christmas in Vancouver this year? After. Tough crowd. Yeah, yeah, yeah. We can always talk ourselves into what's coming next. I mean, we're stuck around the slung with the team. We're probably going to stick around a little more. I've heard, you know, things about fan apathy in Vancouver.

And, you know, I've wondered myself about apathy. And I'm sure there is a little bit. But, you know, then you get people texting into the show going, And have you noticed the fan apathy? I'm like, well, if you're texting into a show, you're probably not apathetic about the team. You know, you want something to, you know, you want the team to be relevant again.

And I'll be honest with, I've been thinking lately, like what do other markets do? Do they just watch the games and then talk about how the players played and, you know, this guy was good and this guy wasn't good. Maybe we need some help here or whatever. Like, yeah, this seems kind of boring. We've got like a great stope opera going on in Vancouver. so here's here's my biggest question to you we know what dom doesn't do we know he doesn't ask questions

what does he do around there dom yeah oh god i don't know anger people with his opinions but i don't know dom dom is great at coming out of out of left field with an opinion that will just like stop the show in it's tracks and you're like kind of just have to do a double take and be like what but uh i don't know i like i respect i respect that dom sticks to his opinions even if they are ridiculous you know you know a lot of them are but every once in a while i guess he'll make a good point so there you go every once in a while dom makes a good point that's what he does that's what he does he everyone didn't know that until just now he makes a good point yeah he seems to run a pretty tight ship too he was like Can you be here at this time?

And I was like, uh-huh. He's like, all right. And then I clicked on the link and everything works. So I guess he's doing a good job that way too. No, that is true. He does technically. He runs a very, that is something else he does. He runs a very tight ship technically.

Okay, so Jason, growing up, favorite holiday memories, Christmas memories, favorite gift, anything like that. Okay, I was thinking about this when Dom texted me and this is another good thing he does. He prepares the guests. And I was thinking, yeah, I was thinking back to the year 1985, little Jason was nine years old. And the connects were awful. They were terrible.

And when I first started going to games as a kid, there would usually be 8,000 people at the Pacific Colise and 9,000. A good crowd was 10,000. And my dad would take me maybe a couple times every year. Now, my dad was not a sports fan. at all still isn't he's from england i would be explaining the rules to him like dad come on that's ice like you got to know stuff and i'm sure i was super obnoxious about it anyway he would still take me and the colosteam the upper deck was the blues and the lower level was the red and we were

a mid blues family and my dad would say when you're older you can sit in the reds but right now you know we're not upper blues but we're not lower blues either we're mid blues the tickets probably cost about 12 dollars at the time so anyway One Christmas in 1985, my dad, I don't know, he must have been in a great mood. He sprung for, he sprung for, um, front row seats to go see the Philadelphia Flyers. And the Flyers came in right after Christmas and the Oilers came in two days after that. And both games were sold out, which is, it was, it was really, it really was incredible in Vancouver. It was the first time I'd ever been to a sold-out game.

Anyway, so we're sitting there front row. It's me and my dad, my sister, and my mom. And I'm super excited. And then I look over, and the connects are getting killed. It's like six-one flyers. And I look over, and my mom is reading a book. And this is front row at a game. And as a kid, it kind of took the wind out of my sales.

I was like, I'm really excited for this. but my mom apparently is reading a book and then I thought about the players I wonder if they saw that I wonder if they were skating around on the ice and you know they got to be intense and they're throwing some hits and they're getting into the game and everything

and they're fighting out there every inch of the ice and then they see this lady reading her book in the front row and I just wonder if that took the wind out of their sails a little bit anyway it was funny I was looking back What was the book? Do you remember what the book was? I have no idea

Charlie the Chocolate Factory or something like that? I don't know. It was probably some romance novel that got like recommended at Chattelaine magazine or something like that. I don't even know. I have no idea, but she was not into the game. Anyway, I looked at the box score the other day, and Rick Tocke got a goal in that game. The Flyers won six to one. And anyway, they brought back some good memories and kind of explains, I don't know.

I don't know how I became a Canucks fan. They were terrible when I first started going on my family. They're your home team. They're your home team. That's what it is. You live in the city. You cheer for the team. That's the way it goes.

It's natural selection, Jason. It's out of your hands. It's out of your hands. Is there nostalgia for you, Jason, like seeing the golden eyes back in the Coliseum again? Like, first game, beautiful. I was just, I'm a BC guy too growing up. up and would go to Giants games. Of course, you know, me, the Canucks

were already in, you know, then GM place, now Rogers Arena. So go to see the Giants in the Coliseum there was so cool. And to see it back, you know, being used in something like the PWHL, I love seeing it. Like, what's it like for you? Oh, it's a great rank. It's a great rank.

And I went to a bunch of Giants games there too. And I mean, I saw the Memorial Cup. I still remember that shift by Milan Lutche, when he went out there and hit everyone on the ice and they end up winning the Memorial Cup that year. That was incredible. Yeah, the Coliseum for me, I still go in there every once in a while for a concert at the P&E. And I love it. It's a great hockey rink, you know, and it's, you know, I love being able to go in there.

And as soon as you go in through the doors, you can almost see the ice. You know, rinks now, you've got to go through corridors and all sorts of things. And then you finally go see the ice when you walk through the doors. but there everything is open and uh yeah i love it man when i was going there when i was first going there they had like you would go downstairs to smoke and uh not me personally i didn't smoke at when i was nine but at five though you weren't smoking yeah i was like all right dad i'm going to go i'm going to uh hack a dart down here but you know i i definitely have a lot of memories you know you would go to school the next day and be like do you know people were swearing in the crowd it was incredible like it was uh

You know, those games, there was so much denim in the crowd. It was just, it was an incredible, it was an incredible 80s experience. And, you know, I, even to this day, it's funny, like, I appreciate a sellout crowd now. Because I went to so many games when the rank was half full and I was still excited about it. But I love going into any arena or stadium and seeing every seat filled because it just feels like you're in a pretty special place then. So last one for me is You do a job that I don't think I could ever do I don't think I could ever be a morning radio person

You and I thought you meant work with Halford I was like yeah Well you know I knew when he Like I texted you when I saw that he was at the The MLS final that they were going to lose Like I just knew Like he was going and they were going to lose But I could never do that morning show job

Like how do you do it Like, how do you live life like that? Being up at 3 a.m. I honestly, I love it. I love having first crack at the stories. I love getting up and, you know, after there's been a game, I love being able to get up. And I get, you know, Halford and I get the first crack talking about it.

And, you know, sometimes we can kind of set the debate for the day. And we bring and we talk about what, you know, what we saw. And people will talk about that. you know, other people will, you know, make points along the way that are different than ours on the station. But, you know, I, I love having that first crack. And then, man, when you get out of there at 9 in the morning, you're done. You know, during the spring, you can go play golf. And during, you know, I just went for a nice workout. I actually went for a little bit of a skate today. I went out and, yeah, I went out and had a little skate by myself, skated around,

tried to work on the old on the old ankles and yeah it's it's it's honestly once you get over getting up that early it is it is a little tough but uh it's an awesome job nice awesome all right well we've got your domestic beer with a side of a bald-up sock wrap to help give the uh the post game feel here for your your drink here jason it's uh you guys do a great job and uh listen to you guys all the time and Elliot do you remember I texted you

about a couple months ago and I was like I think you're going to have to start focusing on Vancouver again what are they right

I don't want to talk about them yeah I think you were like why because I was like well stuff is going to happen because this team

is not in a good way so I wish you were wrong yeah I wish I was wrong too maybe one of these days 32 thoughts won't be like

mostly Kanax and people from the rest of the country can be like, what about other teams? Believe me, I wish it was that way too. On that note, have a great holidays, Jason. Take care, man. Well, this feels overdue, Elliot. It's the 32-bots holiday party,

and it's Griffin Porter, the curator of the thought line amongst many things here at Sportsnet. Griffin, what can we get you to drink? Surely of everyone here, you deserve one the most. Oh, well, thank you guys so much for having me. You know, holiday time is something. I usually go back to my parents for the holidays, and they make sure that...

Where is that, Griffin? Like, where do they live? It's in Toronto, so they make sure that they do the LCBO run before my sister and I come home for sure. So I'm going to go with a sour beer is sort of my drink of choice around the holiday season, and one of those, like, fruit sour beers, that's what I'm going to choose for this party. Wow. Nice.

All right. So Griffin, for every podcast, like, was it like three or four emails come in for the thought line? Like, I have buddies who are like, there's no way that this many people are writing to you. Like, you're making them up. And I said, we're not making them up, but I'll ask them if it's like three or four.

He said that it was as pure request to me, only three or four, right? Yeah, well, I have a wall full of fake names and personas that I come up with just to make you happy, Elliot. No, so I guess the way it works is, obviously, as everyone knows, you guys record two episodes a week, a couple of days before you guys record, I go into the inbox. Typically, every time I go in, there's about 100 to 150 new emails, so twice a week, we'll call that 200 to 300 to 300. emails a week. I go through. I read every single one of them.

I've had lots of people ask if someone is indeed reading these. I'm not able to reply to everyone. I don't usually reply, but I do read every single thing that comes into the inbox. And from there, I pick out probably around 20 to 30 that I send along to Kyle and Dom of the best of the best. And from there, Kyle and Dom pick the five to seven or so that you hear. on the actual episode. So it's a big boiling down process, but in the end, I think it all turns out pretty well.

It's my favorite part of every episode. That's all I can say. Well, you know what? I have to tell you, when I first started, Griffin, I wasn't sure about it, but I agree. It's become a real staple of the pod, one of the best parts of the pod, and the listeners deserve a lot of credit for that.

Now, just since you see the raw feed, what percentage of these listeners or note senders think that Kyle's an idiot and what percent think that I'm an idiot? Well, it's really taken a swing here recently with the trend of insulting you in the intro, Elliot. That's not a trend. That's timeless. Yeah, Kyle's trying to make it permanent. I think, well, first of all, the vast, vast majority, I think it really does, if you'll permit me a moment, of sincerity. It speaks to how

much you guys inspire this fantastic audience that everyone writes in and everyone ends off the email almost always with talking about how much they love listening to you guys. If they're a Canadian writing from overseas, they're always talking about how much you

help them feel connected to home. I will say more people like taking digs at Elliott than Kyle. I think everyone loves Kyle, you know? He's a very likable guy. I well let's not that's a big problem let's not go too far without data to back it up here I'll start putting them all into a spreadsheet for you we can really crunch the numbers so Griffin what's your background like how did you get started and all this tell us a

tell us a yeah because you wear a lot of hats even beyond sports dead yes so um I a few years ago I was finishing up a program at Carlton University and I took five years to finish it when most of my friends took four. No shame in that. No shame in that at all. I'll tell myself that, Elliot, now that you told me. And in that fifth year, I was sort of looking to fill some time after a lot of people had graduated, and I love sports since the day I was born.

So I got in with covering the varsity teams, the basketball and the football teams over there at Carlton, and I was sort of looking for a career. I didn't really have an obvious direction, and I sort of fell in love with that and figured, why not me? I'd always wanted to do that, but figured it was for someone else, and after trying that, I figured I could try this. So I went to a centennial college here in Toronto for a postgraduate certificate in sports journalism. That was an excellent program, and from there, I was introduced to Almoldellich, the former producer of 32 Thoughts. he brought me in as an intern and passed me off the duties of the thought line after a couple weeks of interning.

So I've been running the 32 Thoughts inbox since I guess probably mid-2020 now. It's been a long time that I've been reading these emails every week, but I absolutely love it. And from there, I was able to sort of use a couple in-building connections and a couple professor connections from my time at centennial to get another job with plays and misplays of the month on sports net on television working with emily agard and that crew uh and i do a lot of work there uh so that that's my my sports net journey so far um it's been a fantastic wow you're a you're a busy guy griffin holy cow got to pay the bills somehow yeah but you know what that's a good thing because too griffin if you're bad they don't ask you to do more stuff

it's like that line I accidentally became important at work and now it's killing me like that's a compliment okay I'll take that to the bank Elliot this is great you're making me feel a lot better about a lot of my life choices here today

good yeah well when you compare it to Fridge you're like yeah it's an easy way to feel good of it I make the bad choices so I tell other people to make good ones that's the way it goes but Griffin like don't because you do stuff like with OUA basketball

like you do some play-by-play stuff with York University, too, right? Like, there's the... Yeah, wow, Kyle. I'm flattered. I'm flattered. I'm flared as deeper than SportsNet. Yeah, well, I, like many sort of young people in the sports journalism world today, young, quote, unquote.

I'll hang on to that while I can. I'm a freelancer, so SportsNet does let me go outside the building. I've been very lucky to get a job with the OUA, Ontario University Athletics, for anyone who's not familiar. I host a weekly basketball show with them talking to student athletes, and coaches and stuff like that. And then I also do some play-by-play commentary up at York University here in Toronto for their hockey, their men's hockey and their football teams. So, yeah, that's been a lot as fun as well to try and get a little bit of on-camera,

on-microphone experience. And who doesn't love doing a commentary? So that's one of my favorite things to do. And I'm very lucky to get the chance to do it up at York. Yeah, you know, like, so that's kind of where I started, Griffin. and I did a lot of Ontario University stuff. I loved it. You know, I'll tell you this, I remember,

so my first year, my second year at Western, Western won the national championship in football. They won the Van Gogh Cup. Sorry to believe. Yeah, I know. Tough one this year. And they went to York in the regular season. They played at Esther Shiner Stadium, where York,

now York plays on campus, right, Griffin? Yes. Yeah, so they used to play at a stadium called Esther Shiner Stadium. which is at Finch and Bathurst. And Western beat them 64 to nothing. Like Western was really good. That was Dwayne Ford was playing back then. Like he was one of their best players.

They had a great team. And Tyrone Williams was on that team. And anyway, so at one point, Western returned a punt for a touchdown and somebody got injured on the punt for York. And they were like right at midfield. and they had to call an ambulance to help them. And luckily they all turned out okay. So that was the key thing.

But while the player was down getting worked on by the EMTs at midfield, they kicked the extra point. It was like it had taken so long. And they were like, oh, they're just kicking the extra point. It's not going to be a play. So we don't have to worry about this. And I always remember we're like on the air broadcasting on Radio Western. Probably 100 people listening.

but we still loved it and we're like I could not believe they're making them like it's the kind of thing you're outraged at when you're 20 years old I can't believe

they're making them kick the extra point while this guy is getting medical supervision anyway I loved it I love calling all those university sports really one of the highlights

of my life absolutely that's a quintessential university sports moment right there Elliot yeah it's been a lot of fun and I love every second of it okay before we let you Griffin, like, do you have a favorite Christmas memory growing up or a favorite gift you got as a kid?

Oh, man, that is a good question. I do remember, maybe I remember it more from home movies than my actual memory at this point, but being three or four years old and coming down the stairs in the morning and there being a giant package right at the back of the living room and not really knowing what it was in my three or four year old brain and eventually it was saved till the very end and it was It was my first ever backyard hockey net that we hung on to for many, many years. It wasn't a high quality. It was like plastic tubing in the net and stuff like that. Does not matter.

We would have it outside in the ice and eventually all like the plastic was like sort of falling apart. But we still hung on to that net and got a lot of great memory. So, you know, if we're here celebrating 32 Thoughts Christmas, I think that's the memory to go with right there. I remember I never got a hockey net in that when I was a kid. I bought one for my son. when we were going on the driveway and just practice shooting. And that hockey net was like, I loved it as much as I first had gotten a hockey net, even though it was a gift for someone else.

Hockey nets, there's something magical about hockey nets. Awesome. Griffin, this has been great, my man. As I said, long time coming, too long to have you join the party here. I know a lot of listeners will be overjoyed to hear a bit about your story. So have a great holiday and all the best in the new year. Thank you, guys. It's a real privilege to be just a tiny little part of this show here.

It's really special and I really appreciate it every time. So thank you for having me. It's been a blast. Emily Agar, host of many things here at Sportsnet, one of the four participants, the in-season cup this year. Had a good season to this point, Emily. Welcome to the 32 Thoughts, Holiday Spectacular. What can we get you to drink before we go any further?

It's your choice. alcoholic, non-alcoholic, hot, cold, the world's your oyster. You know what? I think I'm going to go with a hot chocolate with marshmallows in it. Ah, overwiped cream, eh? You like the marshmallow move? I sure do.

That's what I'm doing. And like the big jet puffed or the mini? The big, the big ones. Yeah. Good answer. I'm a 12-year-old. Holiday staple. Holiday staple.

Nothing wrong with that. at all. So my first question to, Emily, of all the various hats you wear, if someone comes up onto the street and recognizes you, they say, I know you, you're from blank. Which is the one you get recognized with the most? You know what's crazy? It's a tie between I know you from playing the drums. I see you playing drums on your social, which I think is crazy. And the second one is we love watching misplays and plays of the month. You know what? I was going to say, if I was to, first of all,

I'm glad you get recognized for your drum playing because I agree with you. It's fantastic and it looks great. But I was going to bet that like something in 30 or misplays of the month was going to be number one. Because that show is everywhere. Honestly, it's so fun to film. We actually just shot our year-end shows to yesterday. And those are always fun to film, too, because it's like a recap of the year, right? You get to see everything all over again.

And it's just, wow, that happened back in January. It's just crazy how time flies. Do you ever get mad at the producers and say, that's insane to put that at number five? That's number one. Like, how much editorial pull do you have? And do you say, sorry, guys, I'm overruling you? A hundred percent. So we do our production meetings the day before we actually shoot every show each month.

And we sit down, we go through all the plays, and we'll kind of, all of us, like all the producer, myself, the associate producers, we'll kind of sit there and we'll pitch what we think should be 10, 5. And there have been some heated moments sometimes. Some people think that should be 5. Some people think that should be, you know, 50, but it just depends on the month, slow month or not. Yeah. Yeah, that sounds a lot like Kyle. Like Kyle's really hard on the producers. I'm their dream.

I never cause any trouble. but Kyle just destroys them. Oh, no. Freaky Friday here. We switched bodies for this episode. But that's what I wanted to ask, Emily. Like, especially now, as you say, doing the year-end versions. Yeah.

Like, how do you possibly choose? Okay, this one's 24. No, I think it should be 23. Like, how do you slot everything? And following up on what Elliot asked, like, what's been, what's one highlight or play that you were like, that was, that really tore the room apart for a while and trying to determine where it should be slotted. Oh, gosh, there's so many.

I think it was tough to pick a number one for both shows. For misplays, I think it's pretty easy to probably guess what the number one misplay of the year is this year. But I can't say yet because I don't want to reveal anything. But I think it's pretty obvious. Plays, yeah, I mean, it just depends. There's just so many to choose. From what we do is we'll sit in a room, we'll go through again.

The whole year we'll go through. through each month kind of thing and narrow down our top of each month and then narrow it down from there further. It's honestly such a process. It's like five hours a day for like a whole week. We really get tired of each other by the end. Yeah, we don't spend that much time together and we can really get tired of each other too. So I can only imagine what five hours a week does.

Yeah. So holiday is for you, Emily. Like are there any traditions in your family? there's any great gifts you remember when you were younger? Like what stands out? What are you up to? Yeah. So the holidays are fun.

I love going home to my parents' house because that's where my drum set is. And growing up, I just remember, so my brother and I would do something called the Agar jam session. So he would, it's a Christmas Eve, I hop on the drums, he gets on guitar. If my cousin from Montreal can make it down, he'll come to, he'll go on bass. And we just spend the entire evening just jamming out, just playing music. And it's the best thing ever. We laugh so much. We're so dumb together when we get to play.

You know, it's just fun. Mm-hmm. So what does your brother play? What does your brother play? He plays guitar. And what's his name? His name's Michael or Tony. We're Michael Anthony, yeah.

So he plays the guitar. He actually got his drums, like the drum set when I was 16, and then I took over the drums. So now he's moved to. guitar and that's the agar jam session we haven't done it in recent years because you know you get older and then you grow up everyone's busy and stuff but we're hoping to bring it back maybe maybe maybe so what's the what's the big song like what do you and your brother play that if if somebody said you have to play one tune what's the tune it's probably going to be something by the foo fighters like maybe my hero or something it's got to be something

boo fighters, for sure. I'm going to see them this summer. I'm looking forward to that. Me too. Are you going? Yep. The Queens of his own age, food fighters? Oh, my gosh. Yep. So excited about that. I'm very excited. Nowadays, there aren't many concerts in the area

that Elliot does not go to. Like, it's a shorter conversation going that way than the ones he does. Oh, yeah. That's how I bribed my son in school, Emily. Do well in school. He can go see a concert. Unfortunately, he's he's up to the challenge That's good

That's a good one Yeah that's gonna be a great show So was it simply The drums were in the house And that's how you kind of fell in love with it Or how did it start for you on the kit? Yeah So again my brother got the drum set

And I was like oh cool Like he's gonna learn how to play the drums How awesome And for me I'm obsessed with the foo fighters And I loved their drummer Taylor Hawkins and I would just start watching videos on YouTube and I'm like, wait, I want to see if I can do that. So then I would just try to watch and mimic what he did,

and then I would keep doing it. And then one day my brother was like, wait, are you better than me? And I'm like, I don't think so. I don't think so. And then it just went from there. So you were like self-taught? You just watch YouTube? Yeah, I still think I need actual lessons, to be honest,

but I'm just kind of doing whatever right now. I'm just watching YouTube videos and trying to mimic what people do. You know, Emily, you have a nicer family than we do because, you know, if someone in our family says one of my siblings, one of my sisters says, oh, like you're better at something than I am, we wouldn't say, oh, no, not just like you say, not only am I better than you, but I'm significantly better than you. It's not even a contest. It's nice to see there are still families that get along out there. Oh, don't get me wrong. He still roasts me like a marshmallow. Don't worry.

But, yeah, that was one. I think he's just, like, happy that I'm doing it for sure. Okay. So the last time we spoke was right before the playoffs. We did the in-season cup drive together. We had Sam McKeon earlier in the party, and he said he is still crushed by what happened to the Jays. I admit, I'm not like him, but it's tough. Like, where are you right?

now at Christmas? Yeah, I mean, I think enough time has passed. I'm just happy that they were able to go that far. I think that's the most obvious for, I think a lot of us feel that way, but I'm slowly, I think I'm slowly getting over it. Like, I'm okay. I'm okay. Obviously, when it first happened, it was so fresh,

and I couldn't actually really talk about it for a while, if I'm being honest. I think a lot of people were like that, but I'm okay now. Well, I imagine a few of the highlights from the run would have come up in your year-end shows. So, like, you were okay reliving them? Yeah, we, you know, sat down and wrote those and was okay with them. It was okay to do that. We're here now.

It's fine. Like, we're at the end of the year. It happened. We got to get over it. We got to gear up for the new season. Spring training is like, what, a month away? Two months away? Not even a month and a half away.

Oh, unbelievable. Right around the corner. We just let's focus on the, let's move forward, you know? That's where I'm at. It's a good way to live. Just always looking ahead. Okay, but I needed to get your thoughts, though, on Sina's final match. Oh, my gosh.

Okay, first of all, that entire Saturday night main event was so good. I loved that he highlighted NXT talent and he wanted those matches part of it. That's one. Two, I did not like the tap out as many people did not. How did you, did you like it, Elliot? Well, Elliot just didn't like that he lost. Yeah. He didn't like that he lost.

But I think you deserve to go out a winner. No, I don't. Okay. I just, it. That's kind of the thing, Emily. Wouldn't you say in wrestling? Like, you put someone over on the way out. It's his retirement match.

Like, he's got a, he's out of there. He's got a, that's, didn't Gunther, he retired. Were it Goldberg that he retired as well? I can't remember. I would have to go back and check, but that's just, it just happens. I think, yeah. I didn't like the tap out, too. I didn't like that.

I didn't like that. I just like, the whole smile and the whole thing, I was like, is this really how we're going to end it? But, you know. And then Triple H getting booed was also great. And it was pretty funny. Pretty. Yes.

Well, I saw, like, Lily and Garcia's reaction of all of them was like, oh my gosh. Like, she's like, couldn't even believe she's announcing the winner. Like, it was, anyway. Cut a lot of people off guard, which I suppose. was the point, but I didn't like the tap-out idea. Yeah. So, Emily, who was your, who's your favorite

all-time wrestler? Probably Edge. I'm going to say Edge, Adam Copeland, but also Chris Jericho. I was pretty into Chris Jericho growing up, too. Okay. And so if Edge and Chris Jericho,

and they often did, when they had their matches, were you conflicted? Did you have a side? No, because I feel like I grew up with Chris Jericho, and it was, like, recently in my 20s-ish, 30, now that I'm more into Adam Copeland. Yeah. Yeah.

So I never really, it kind of just, it didn't really clash at all. Okay. So it was always Jericho. Like, if it came down to it, it was always Jericho. I think so. I think that's where it started. Yeah. As you know, Adam Coppitt, of course, big Toronto sports fan, big Least fan, and fan of the pod here.

There you go. He may even hear you say that. Kyle, who's your favorite wrestler? Probably, like, edged later too, but I love Taker, like the whole aura around him. I remember I went to one, when I was a kid, I went to one house show in Victoria, and he wrestled in it. And we had floor seats, like we were at the back row of, on. the floor but like running to the railing and just watching him like he's you know me to six feet away like just the walk in and it was just like unbelievable you're like oh my gosh like larger than

life and i loved how he kept that up like even in public throughout his whole career um that whole persona like it's it's it's it's it's really cool those attitude era wrestlers hit different eh they really do right and you think about how much the wrestling evolved for from when he first would have came in to then, when he finally hung him up, um, it has to go down, like technically one of the greatest wrestlers of all time is like a big guy.

Like the amount of stuff he was able to do. It's, uh, very, very impressive. Yeah. I love when he came back for that, I love when he came back for that WrestleMania a couple of years ago and you

could tell like the surprise one where he showed up. Oh, the bike. And you could tell like, yeah, that choke slam took a lot out of him, but he still did it. it. Like, I was worried, when I watched the replay, I was like, I can't

believe he got the guy up. Like, I really, you could tell it was killing his back to do it, but I'm impressed. No, I was always a Flair guy. I, uh, I, uh, I dressed as Rick Flair once for Halloween with, uh, with the blonde hair. Uh, in

university. No, I did that. Wait, I need, I need photographic evidence. I don't know that photographic evidence of this still exists. If, if it did, I would show it happily, but I'm not sure that photographic evidence of the... I destroyed a lot of pictures of myself from university.

I'll say that. Oh, boy. Good try, Emily. I appreciate you going there to try to find the evidence. Oh, Frie just covered his tracks. Emily, this has been a lot of fun. Continued success in the end-season cup. We appreciate being along for the ride this year,

and yeah, have a great 2026. Thank you, guys. You too. All right, Marty Bailey joins us here now, Elliot, and now, Fridge, you know Marty longer than I have, but for many years around CBC, Hockey Night in Canada, now SportsNet, whether he's in the production truck, whether he's in the control room, he holds a lot of the show together and make sure things stay on time when you and I and other commentators can't keep a 30-second count in our heads to save our lives. So Marty, first of all, what can we get you to drink? Thanks, Kyle. I appreciate it. And you two are fantastic for keeping time. I know we'll go further into that, but you are innocent all the way. I'll tell you, this time of year, I think I would go for a little bailey's in my coffee.

I know that's putting a hat on a hat, but my father would always take a bottle of bailey's over when we were visiting people's houses at the Christmas time. Was it because your last name was Bailey, or did you just like the drink? Yes, yeah. Yeah, I believe my kids call that cringy. It's very cringy, but the association lives on, and I don't mind a little Bailey's in my coffee this time of year. Oh, man, so, Kyle, I have a story about Martin Bailey,

and this is a credit to him, and he'll know exactly what I'm going to talk about here. This is, you always talk about preparation, and you do something and 99% of the time it doesn't happen and then the 1% it does you always remember. So when I was at CBC

with Martin, I did play by play of two Blue Jays games. The CBC's to have about 20 Jays games a year and I did play by play of two of them at home against the Chicago Cubs. And I was on the field before the game and I saw a guy

with a credential and the credential the name on the credential was Randy Bush. Now if you're a Blue Jays fan of a certain vintage, you will remember that in 1982 Jim Clancy

took a perfect game into the ninth inning against the Minnesota Twins and the leadoff hitter was Randy Bush. And Randy Bush, Clancy he broke his bat and he hit a blooper that just got past

Damoso Garcia. So he took the perfect game into the ninth inning. And I walked up to him and I said, are you the Randy Bush that broke up the no-hitter, the perfect game here in Toronto? He laughed. He said, you know, I always love that whenever I come back here and somebody sees my name, they know,

I'm like, I'm the worst guy in terms. Toronto because I broke up that perfect game. So I went back to the production meeting and I said it's would we like have something like this? Like would we have access to this play? Because I just talked to him and Martin pulled

what were those tapes called back then? I don't even know the proper technical term. Oh, the accum reals. Well before the internet you couldn't just download it off YouTube but we had the accum reels and I would travel from city to city. Yeah. It was like a giant tape

that he carried with him and of like famous Jay's highlights if we ever needed them and on it was the Randy Bush broken bat single and I was like I am so impressed

so Martin that was like 15 years ago close you've never done anything as impressive to me since then as having that tape that highlight of Randy Bush but to me that's a good producer a good staff member. You're like, someday we may need this. And that was the day. Big compliment.

Big compliment, Martin. Wow. That's fantastic. Thank you, Elliot. Baseball and history and random facts like that, that's my wheelhouse. So, yeah, that was fun working on those Blue Jay games when we had a smattering of them. Yeah. Okay. So further to that, Marty, because I only learned this, I mean, a little more recently. I've known you for, oh, getting close to 10 years now. But the amount of stats that you keep are unbelievable. In particular, individual athlete stats, whether it's a hockey player or otherwise, when you're working a game, when you're attending a game,

how in the world do you keep track of all this stuff? That's right. Yeah, I, it was probably, you know, 20, 25 years ago now. I had kept all my old ticket stubs in a shoe box. And when the internet started becoming a thing and you could go back and see old box scores or whatever, I think one summer I just, you know, made it my hobby that I would go back and look at the box scores from the Blue J games and the Leaf games that I had been to. So now when I'm on the road with hockey night or whatever it is,

It's about a five-minute, just tally at the end of the game, go through and get the goals and assist. But yeah, no, it's a lot of fun to look back on and see Jason Murdoch, our stats guy for hockey night, always teases me whenever, you know, one of the big guys scores another goal. Have they passed Matthews yet? Or Mariner Matthews, who's in the lead and stuff like that. It's a good way to look back and reflect on the games that we've been a part,

witnessed anyways. So would you know, like, off the top of your head, Marty, like, which hockey player have you witnessed score the most goals in your career? Hmm. Well, we've been doing a lot of games the past 10 years, and with the core in Toronto, it's definitely the three that you would expect at the top. But I would say Matthews and Martyr and Nylander just recently went above. I think it's somewhere around 100, 110 points for Matthews and Marner at games that I've been at. But I track it for all the sports I go to. I've seen Messi play six times now, four goals, two assists.

Yeah, yeah. So it's fun. And sometimes I was just down in Brazil and Argentina on a boys trip for my 50th birthday, and we went to seven soccer games down there. And randomly, I'm looking at the players I watched. and some of them I'd seen like 12 years before an MLS and I didn't even know they were on the field until I went back afterwards

and added the names to the list. It's really quite remarkable. I surprise myself sometimes. And have you been to every ballpark? I have been to every ballpark. I've been to 62 regular season major league ballparks. So the 30 current and then a whole bunch of retired parks and then the special ones.

Like my mom and I in 2021, we went down to Iowa to the first field of dreams game. This past summer, my father and my son and I drove down to Bristol Motor Speedway to watch the game that happened at the NASCAR track. Nice. So baseball puts on about one or two special games a year. And if the calendar allows, I like to make it to those games for sure. And you don't need much time to make that happen. Like what blows me away about you, Marty, like you'll, You know, like the production team on game days, they're a long day.

Everyone works very hard. And so the off days, like I say, on a playoff series are important just to, wait, if you're not traveling, just to give yourself a bit of time to relax and recover and get set for the next game. But if there's a game, it doesn't matter if it's hockey, if it's baseball, is it soccer, if there's somewhere where you can get to and then get back, of course, for when, you know, you've got to work again. You'll go, you'll go watch. Like, it's, it is so impressive how much you are willing. and love to consume.

It's funny. Simmer now when he comes into the truck doesn't ask me how I'm doing. He just asked me what I went to see yesterday. Well, it's funny. To connect it back to hockey, two years ago, I mean, I was like every Canadian

and every member of Sportsnet, we were pulling hard for the Edmonton Oilers to finally end the Canadian drought in the Stanley Cup. But I did have a ticket to the baseball game at Rick Wood Field, which is the oldest operating baseball park in America. And they used to play Negro League matches there. And so I had a ticket to the game, and it was after the finals. But if the finals went six games, I wasn't going to be able to go.

And so when the Panthers won the first three games, I thought, you know, I'm sorry for the Oilers, but I think this might happen. and then the Oilers won four and then the Oilers won five and then the Oilers won six and I'm like well if I can't make my special game at least McDavid can show us some magic and well no spoilers but

yes we know on that series edit that's right I remember that so what is a ballpark or a facility or a stadium you name it that people don't know about but sports fans should go see Oh wow That's interesting

I mean My top is not a secret It's on every top list Like the Fenways and Wrigleys are just spectacular And I I finished university And got into my traveling age

At like the late late 90s So I was able to get to Tiger Stadium And Yankee Stadium before they closed that's really interesting. What would be a nugget? Yeah, that's a good one. I'm not really sure, Elliot, to be honest with you. Riggily has such a special place in my heart.

I went there with my parents in 1990, and it was the third park I'd ever been to, the year after the sky'd opened, and saw a blowout with the Atlanta Braves, caught my first baseball there. but it was just so beautiful, right? Like no scoreboards back then, no electronic, just as romantic as the game can possibly get.

I can't argue with Wrigley. I love Wrigley. The day after we got engaged, we went to a game at Wrigley. I think that was a real tough weekend for Steph all in all, though. What about Martin? Like, favorite Christmas gift or favorite holiday memory or traditions your family has?

Okay, well, my favorite Christmas gift as a child was I'm what you would have called a glue guy in the Lindsay Minor Hockey Association House League of the 80s. You won't find my name on too many score sheets, but there was this navy and mustard corduroy winter jacket and it had Lindsay on the back of it in that arching sort of way. Picture something out of like happy days, right? Like very 70s sort of style. But they referred to as the Lindsay jacket. And you had to have a Lindsay jacket.

And I didn't have a Lindsay jacket. And I was probably two years behind all my friends. And it was all I wanted. And so the Christmas I came down and found the Lindsay jacket under the tree was just spectacular. And I wore it with pride and probably scored a couple assists off my butt that year in House League. Certainly didn't have many awards tacked to the arms of it. But just to be a part of the hockey and a part of the team, it was a war with Bride for sure. Nice.

That's awesome. That's awesome. Great stuff, Marty. Thanks for coming on. Great to hear some of your stories and all your travels and everywhere you've hit over your life. Have a great holiday with the family and we'll see you at the rink soon. Yeah, happy holidays to you both. I appreciate you. Thanks for the invite, and I'll see you both very soon.

Elliot, one of the newest names and voices in the SportsNet family, is joined the 32 Thoughts Holiday Party. Brendan Parker, ringside host for the Calgary Flames. Great to have you here, Parks. What can we get you to drink before we go any further? Well, I think, well, if we're doing holiday beverages, we have to go with the standard and classic ramen eggnog. Oh, yeah.

No, it's a family tradition, and it's only brought out. around the holidays, but instead of nutmeg, which I believe is the actual traditional garnish on top, I prefer a little bit of cinnamon. So a little rum, maybe some sailor jerry in there and an eggnog, and then a little, just a light sprinkle of cinnamon on top for the holiday beverage.

Well, the cinnamon just covers up for the rest of the crap of that drink. Not a fan. I'll listen to them. To eat their own. To eat their own. It's their own. All right. Well, listen, we all have our own holiday beverages, our go-toes.

I mean, red wine's always going to be there. It's just takes a backseat for just a couple of weeks. That's all. Yes. Don't let Scrooge McFridge bring you down. That's right. Don't be intimidated. So, Brandon, do you remember the first time you and I met?

I do remember the first time we met. Really? Yeah, I do. do remember it. And if I recall, it was at a Starbucks. Am I correct? No, it was at what? You were, it was at the global Calgary studios. Was it at Global Calgary? Okay. I thought maybe, yeah, I do remember it though. I obviously just don't remember the location. It was for a SAIT interview, no? Yes, yeah. I was my first year at SAIT going through the broadcasting program. And I had to interview someone in the industry for a project. Brennan was the young hot shot sports anchor there following the footsteps of. Pollock and the like, just a legendary lineup at Global Calgary at the time, Elliot, and he was kind enough, gave me, well, not only gave me time for the interview, toured me around the studio then, I mean, I was like 18 at the time, just in awe of everything you were showing me, and just I never, never forgot that. So I always appreciated the time you gave you gave then. And I remember, one of

the question I asked you, like, you know, who's someone you kind of look at the industry, in terms of who you luck up to or like a job you'd love to have. And I remember you mentioned, you know, Ron's name. So actually, that was where a couple weekends ago, I know you'd done hockey night, I think, kind of during the COVID time a couple years ago. But first real Saturday night a couple weeks ago in Calgary. And so Ron's thrown to you,

and I couldn't help but think back to that answer you gave me all those years ago. Yeah, that was fantastic. I do remember. It must have been some good information because then you vaulted right. right by me and write up the rags from there, I do remember that day, though, and I remember the interview in the chat. And even then, I think you had some great questions on the no,

that part of the story can't be true. Yeah, that's like that's another student. They were scribbled down in pencil, I believe, or maybe pencil crayon, I can't remember. They were great questions. No, that's fantastic. You know, it's funny because I was telling somebody the other day that, you know, this position in Calgary has been held, obviously, by a few grades in terms of the regional Calgary. And Grant Pollock was my mentor here, and he's the one that hired me at Global Calgary, but he would always tell me about how a young Ron McLean came into the global or two and seven at that time and didn't stay very long because he was, like, quickly onto Toronto after that.

but he did have a cup of tea at that office and there's been some greats that have held that position so I'm happy to help fill it in and it was awesome to throw back to Ron the other night on hockey night that was great and it would have been Ed Whalen before Ron

at 2 and 7 like to talk about Ed Whelan yeah absolutely A ring of ding dong dandy malfunction at the junction He had some beauties and Pollock still tells some of the best Ed Whelan stories So, yeah, I've heard them all, and they're all fantastic.

So this must have been a bit of a whirlwind for you, Brandon. Like, I don't know what you knew. I didn't know that Ryan was coming to Toronto when he did. And, like, did you have, I don't want to get you in trouble here, but did you have any idea? Like, did you know that this was going to drop on your lap right at the start of the season? I didn't actually. I mean, I found out earlier than it was announced, but I didn't know ahead of time. So it would have been, you know, what's funny is it was actually when it was announced, it was announced on my birthday via, it was, it was Ryan's tweet, I think, that kind of set everything off.

And then, and it was actually on my birthday when it was, it was August 26th. I'll remember that fairly easily, when it all kind of started to add up a little bit. And then it took a couple of weeks, but obviously there were some conversations going on. But yeah, certainly, compared to where my summer was headed and where it finished, it was. It definitely happened fast, but an unbelievable opportunity, and it's been so much fun. I mean, you know, Ryan obviously was the last to be in there, but, you know, Roger Millions, actually, I didn't see my first NHL game until I think I was doing the, I have the old script. It was Roger Millions, and I'm trying to think of the producer, but they let me in on a production meeting, and it was back in 2007. It was the first NHL game I'd even been to.

It was in 2007. I think I was 20, 22 years old. You didn't go to an NHL game until you were 22 years old? Correct. From small town, Saskatchew, and the Blades were the NHL. And so we had made this special trip and Raj. I had new Roger Millions, a friend through a friend, and he had let me come in to a broadcast day to tour him around,

much like our story with Kyle earlier. And he let me up into the broadcast booth. And it was the first time I'd been to Calgary, first time I'd been to an NHL game. It was a huge deal. I think it was Calgary and Columbus at the time. So great for me, maybe not for those who were broadcasting games back in 2007. And, yeah, so that was the first time I'd even been to a game,

and he let me kind of hang out with him. And my car broke down in downtown Calgary that day, too, which was awesome. So in the first time in downtown Calgary, my 95 Mustang is smoking in an underpassed in Calgary. That's too bad. That's a great car, 95 Mustang. It was an outstanding car. apparently the engine fan wasn't up to snuff and it was the downtown traffic my car is smoking I'm holding up traffic I just want to get to the game so I did eventually get there somehow we got

it into a parking garage underneath the Sheraton so yeah my my girlfriend at the time now wife we were just trying to figure it out we're standing next to a park park smoking Mustang downtown Calgary and it eventually did get there but yeah there's been some great some great people here in Calgary, but I've been able to follow up and luckily have helped me along the way. You know, I have to say this. If you have a girlfriend and she stands by you when your

car starts smoking underneath the bridge in downtown Calgary, that's a keeper. That's the only thing I've learned for this conversation. That is a keeper. What's your wife's name? Rochelle. Her name's Rochelle. I don't know you. I've never met you.

Someday, maybe Brandon will let me within 150 feet of you. But you are a keeper if you stood by him on that. Well, Kyle did meet her, so maybe he could attest. But yeah, I agree with you. I didn't know it at the time, but I definitely obviously subscribed to that same theory. Are you a car guy, Brandon? You know what?

Not a big car guy. No, but I don't know why this car, it was, I remember it was $9,500. And it was, I don't know where we got in touch with this guy. It was in great shape. And I just remember it came across and I jumped on it right away. It was like forest green. It wasn't a standard. That was the only thing.

It was an automatic. But it could fish tail with the best of them in Saskatchewan snow. Rear wheel drive. It would get stuck on a on a centimeter of snow. It would be stuck. What? Rear wheel drive in Saskatchewan. Yeah.

Horrible Saskatchewan car. Horrible Saskatchewan. Yeah, but I lived on like a cul-de-sac. So I could, every time I would come in, we were on the left side. So I would come in on the right side and hammer the fish. tail and then park right on on the other side. It was outstanding but it was terrible. It would be stuck

in, yeah, two centimeters of snow and it would be stuck. It would not move anywhere. I got to tell you. I watch this guy on TV. He comes across like so smart, so straight-laced and now I'm listening to him he's a complete, terrible

decision-making maniac. Like who drives a rear-wheel drive car in Saskatchewan in the winter. $9,500 is a deal too good to pass up? Yeah. Did you not hear him say Forrest Green? Forest Green.

Hey man, everything I respected up until that last detail. That's crazy. What's with it at this podcast? It's just all revealing secrets here. It's just something about the setup. It just makes it all come out. It's not like we're pouring true serum into you,

Brendan. You're volunteering them pretty good. Yeah, that's fair. I appreciate it. Bring you in and make you comfy. What can we get you to drink? Yeah, exactly. Just put you in that spot where you're most vulnerable.

It's the rum and coke. Yes, that's right. Reveal something you hadn't planned on. The cinnamon. The cinnamon. Exactly. The cinnamon serum. Yeah.

Yeah. So, all right. So, yeah, Dana, Berkeley and I, you were kind enough. We came and visited. We got to meet the rest of your family a couple months ago before the snow hit. So we don't live too far from each of. other is a wonderful visit. What's on tap? You've got three kids at home, two boys and your daughter the eldest. What's the Christmas traditions that have evolved in the Parker household?

So this is great because I think everyone has their Christmas memories as a kid. And now when your kids get a little bit older, our big thing was we wanted to start having some of those, our own Christmas traditions in the Parker family. So I think we've started to be, we're going back home to Saskatchewan, I think, briefly this year. But normally our Christmas Day is quiet. It's, and by quiet, I mean absolute chaos as soon as the kids are awake, tearing up everything. And you can probably even hear them in the background right now. They're playing many sticks. But it usually involves hockey in some form. And it's the one day and, you know, the kids are gone. Air activities are busy all season long. But on Christmas Day, everyone's home. And it's usually it's gifts in the morning.

Everyone gets their time. A couple of coffee. maybe that rum and egg nug that Elliott requested. And then it's always outdoors. Outdoor, we always make sure we live in a lake community. So we're always on the pond at some point for a couple of hours, a little shinny, some skating. And that's a big thing for us. And we do it every year.

We make sure we take a family photo. So that's always a big thing for us that on Christmas Day there's always some form. Although it hasn't been cold enough here, I don't even think the lake's open yet. but there's always got to be a little ODR time and everybody gets a good skate in and some time together. Any great old gifts from when you were a kid that you remember? You know what? I think one of the ones I remember,

and I think I've heard this story recently too from other people, but we had the generation of like the wood sticks and when we started to get the, it was, there was the silver one, the silver eastern that you titanium, you couldn't flex it, but I think one of the ones I remember, I don't even know if it was like directly Christmas, but it was around Christmas. It was the TPS rubber stick, I think it was. It was like a two-piece.

And it would ruin your gloves within a season. So there'd always be a new pair of myths. I would have to come with it. But it was the TPS rubber. And I think there was a yellow edition. Mine was like black and yellow. And it just destroyed the hockey gloves. But I remember that, which was one of my favorites for sure.

And then probably some sort of gaming system. Right. And those TPS rubber was like, you threw a baller. blade on the bottom and it became like a 30 flex like it was ridiculous yeah it was one of the first sticks I think I remember that you could actually flex for like a kid's stick yeah or maybe I was just a

bad or weak or a bad shot I can't remember it was probably some combination of the ladder I feel like I have to ask this when you drive to Saskatchewan is your car still still rear wheel drive or do you have do you have like four wheel or something now

yeah since then we've we've upgraded to, it is a 4x4 SUV now. So, uh, although it does have the rear wheel option, just in case I want to throw it back. Just for old times take, you know, just to try that. So Brandon, where, like, where is your hometown? Like, where,

you said small town, Saskatchewan, where were you from? Yeah, I'm from Saskatoon. So even though it's, it's, it's, I didn't know, you mentioned the blades, but I didn't know if you were Saskatoon proper or somewhere outside there. Okay. Yeah, I'm actually, I'm actually born and raised Saskatoon. So we grew up, uh, we grew up, uh, we grew up going

the Blades games all the times but never and you know what my dad was more of a Leafs fan um but you know being in Saskatchewan there was no real you had no it was you could pick anything to be your favorite team there was it was not proximity it wasn't so there was it was scattered across the board and uh yeah he was more Leafs and then uh but but we were blades we were blades through and through awesome awesome great stuff Brendan it's been great having you part of our group and doing a wonderful job ringside on the flame so keep that up all the best to you and rachel and the kids there for the holiday season and we'll see you in the new year thanks for having me on guys i appreciate it a big fan of the show and uh i'll have a roman egg knock for you oh later welcome in brandon

welcome in kevin bx the king of gifting like a pro as we were reminded like everywhere i can't escape those ads kev welcome to the 32 thoughts holiday party what can we get you to drink before we go Any further? Well, the only reason that I came on the show is for this question. This is my favorite question, so it's going to be my longest answer of the whole show. So I think last time I was on, I asked for a Frazier and Thompson whiskey. That's Michael Bublai's whiskey. And somehow he found out, and his assistant sent me a whole case a few years ago.

And I still have bottles left. Thanks for sharing. Well, I was actually, I just ruined your Christmas gift. So I'm re-gifting them. And you're going to be getting one. But there you go. So I have three drinks. I've been on your podcast three times at Christmas.

Three is my favorite number. I'm a binge drinker. So I want three drinks. Number one, Kyle is a coffee connoisseur, as we all know. And he sends me these really good beans. Butterknife espresso is the favorite one that Kyle has ever sent me. So what I like to do at night is have like a butter knife espresso on my coffee machine and add some Gretzky's salted caramel, lique. So that's going to be my first drink to get me kind of going.

The second one, I had last weekend for the first time of the season with Elliot and Ron and Kelly after the show. Do you want to tell the story about that one, Elliot? All I know is you had a dark and stormy, which is very tasty. Oh, I did it. So I had an eggnog and Bacardi. Oh, that's right. That's right.

Sorry, I thought, because I heard Ron talking about the dark. So all of a sudden, I'm sitting there, Kyle. And I'm not, as usual, I just finished, I've just finished headlines, so my mind is completely frazzled. I'm not, I don't even know what planet I'm on. And all of a sudden I hear Kevin say, hi, it's Elliot Friedman calling from over at Sportsnet. Do you guys have eggnog at the Artful Dodger tonight? So I'm like, what? So for people who don't know, after we finish our show, we go to the Artful Dodger for one.

and Kevin wants the eggnog to be there so he calls over pretending it's me saying I want eggnog and the guy goes out and buys it but the best part was when we get there he's like I knew that wasn't you I knew that was Kevin well we didn't ask for eggn't I've asked for it before they've never had the egg dog there and sometimes we thought about bringing our own

but like I had it on speaker and L.A. was on his computer not paying attention And the best part is before I hung up, I go, and watch my headlines. And then I hung up. I forgot a little bit for it. He goes, I know what Elliot free. And the worst part was I was the only one who had a rum and eggnog. Nobody else, everyone else was like, ew, that's gross. Oh, well, it is disgusting.

I would have happily had one with you, Kevin. So that's my second, Drake, my third and final one. It's a bit of a story. So, like, you support your friends. And so I have a friend here that I met in California about five or six years ago. who started his own tequila as a passion project. So this guy is an interesting guy. So just a quick story about him.

Like he doesn't know anything about hockey. He's like he's from India originally. He came over to America like 30 years ago. Him and his brother are entrepreneurs. We have his son the same age. So he takes me golfing the one time at a course called Bel Air. And I've told you, Elliot, it's my favorite course in the Yacht play. Everybody knows, you know, Bel Air from the show, Fresh Prince of Bel Air, legendary show.

So we go there like years and years and years ago. But we've been friends for a couple years, hung out, like dinners, golf, kids, all that. So we're getting off the course and we go into the clubhouse and there's only one guy in the clubhouse when we walk in there. And it's Dionne Funnuff, right? So we kind of lock guys and they sit down. I walk over and I kind of like say hi to Dion and we're talking. And I've seen Dion a couple times since we both retired, even though he was like my arch, arch nemesis, arch rival, tried to fight him every game. name, right? So I come back to the table and my buddy goes, and he just kind of joined

Bel Air. He goes, you obviously know that guy, like, who is that guy? And I go, oh, he's like, he's kind of like my arch nemesis for hockey. And he goes, but you guys were like laughing and like, and I go, yeah, like hockey players are kind of like that. Like we hate each other, want to fight each other. Next thing, you know, we're kind of friends off the ice. And I go, I tell you his name, but you probably don't know. And he goes, bro, I don't even know your last name. And I'm like, Yeah, yeah, good one, good one. We've been friends for a couple of years now. And he goes, seriously, and he pulls up his phone and he shows me his contact.

And he goes, look, this is what I have you saved as. First name, Kevin, last name, hockey player. Kevin hockey player is what I've seen. And I'm like, okay, so anyways, he's a really good friend, as you can tell. So as tequila is called El Cristiano. They only have it in the U.S. right now. It's the best tequila. I'm not even a tequila guy.

to put that on a big rock as my third drink, the extra an Anejo. So three drinks, binge drinker. Good talking, you guys. Happy holidays. I'll see you next year. That's right. Enjoy the rest of the party, Kim. I can see why you're promoting the tequila.

Probably the deal is now you finally get your last name put in his contact for you. No longer be Kevin Hockey Player. I'm going to faunt you as that this week on the show, Kevin Hockey Player. How funny is that? Like, he legit doesn't. I think he could guess my last name if he really had to, but Kevin hockey player is what I'm referred to as. Anyways.

That is excellent. So, I mean, the house has been down to 75% capacity this fall. Cole's been playing hockey up in Coquitlam. How's the adjustment been as dad? Sucks. It sucks for us. It's always good, like, when your kids grow up and they, you know, they're trying to reach their goals and they're trying to accomplish things.

But for the parents that are at home, It sucks. I'm outnumbered now. Bash doesn't really say a whole lot, Kyle, so it's the two girls that get me. And Bash is there for moral support, but he doesn't speak. That's my dog for people.

I don't know. So the girls run wild, but I mean, we miss him. He's coming home on Sunday for about a week break. And it's going to be nice to have everybody back in the house. So how often do you go see Cole? I went to parents weekend The only weekend I missed

Hockey night Maybe like three weeks ago And then I've been a couple Before the season I went to the first weekend I think I've been three times So far And I don't think I'll be back there

Honestly until after Olympics I think I'm going to try to head to the island They play three games on the island Victoria Cowichin, Nanaimo The end of the weekend before We leave for the Olympics All three of us

which is going to be a lot of fun. So I might go see him on the road, but I don't think I'll be back to Coquitlam until after the Olympics. So March. So I'm curious, what kind of, now that Cole is, like you've coached him for a long time,

you're not directly coaching him anymore. You're watching now as much as a father as you are as a coach. So on the nightmare parent scale, are you a nine or a 10 for the coaching staff on his team. So I think I'm really good. Strategically,

Walker, I think I'm really good. So I had a bunch of friends say this to me before the season. Oh, like how long before you're on the ice running the power play and just take it over the whole team? And I'm like, it's not going to happen. It's not. And they're like, yeah, right. We know you. You're a control freak.

So that hasn't happened yet. Didn't say a word. I don't even have the coach's numbers any of them. I have never spoke to the coaches in text. I had a conversation with them on the last weekend that I was there just about like some general hockey stuff and they kind of asked me about, you know, breakouts and power play.

Because I do watch all their games, right? Like I'm watching NHL games full time. But other than the NHL games, like I'm watching this team. I know this team inside it out. And I tell the GM, I go, if I had your team, I would win a championship. I would. Let's see if you guys will.

You know, the capacity to coach these guys and lead them in the right direction. I go, I know I could win a championship of this team. I haven't talked to the coaches. I'm just trying to get them fired so I can take it. I don't want the job yet. It's a good thing, Kyle, no one listens to this podcast because that's good. The thing about, like, when you're watching your son now, like I'm used to being in charge of everybody, so like coaching all.

the different players individually and now like all I really like I'm watching Cole at a couple of his buddies like the captain's going to Bowling Green now so I like to send him a couple texts once in a while just with some stuff but it is different watching as a parent

I was going to ask do you miss coaching but I think you answered the question already yeah I do I miss coaching for sure I miss coaching a group but I like I had this group Kyle that I had from my academy for seven years some of them so I miss taking a group and then moving them along

and growing with them. I don't think I want to ever be a guy who coaches a different team every year. Like, that wouldn't do it for me. So how has Reese taken over the house in her brother's absence? Well, like, Cole's room now is all of Reese's clothes. Like, she moved in right away, like, a hangar rack,

and, like, his bed is just covered. And when she comes... So he was, like, out the door for, like, an hour and she was taking over it. So, Reese is a pack rat, right? So her idea of, like, Like, she's the worst when she wants to clean the house because she'll just go grab everything and put them in drawers.

So I'll be like, like, Reese, where's my like, where's my charger? Where's my keys? Like, they're gone, right? Like, they're hidden somewhere. So she went into Cole's room when he left and she basically just took all of his stuff and just like buried it in drawers in the closet and then her everywhere in the open. So now we're trying to get Cole's room ready for him to come home.

So you'd be here for six or seven nights. But it's all Reese's stuff in there right now. But I'm like, boy girl, two years apart, you know, they weren't, I wouldn't say they were super, super close, and they would argue and bicker. And since he's gone, like, it's like the closest they've ever been. They talk on the phone, they like, they snap each other. Reese's like, I can't wait to, like, drive you around when you get home because now Reese has her license. So it's kind of cool how they've gotten closer with Cole leaving.

That's pretty impressive because I have two blood sisters and four overall. and we almost never talk to each other. Which is just like the best. Who do you like the best? The one who's overseas because he's farthest away. Yeah. That's the way it works, right? Yes, yes.

Well, maybe they talk to each other. I don't know. We don't talk to each other. You like your brother? Yeah, but it's funny you mention that. Like, we're five years apart, but it was similar. Like, when I first moved out of the house, like our relationship went to a different level at that point.

Like, not that we didn't get along or anything like that prior, but it was a whole new level of, like, closeness after I moved and was coming back to visit. So I can appreciate that feeling between Cole and Reese for sure. That's really cool. Yeah. Makes sense, eh? Yeah.

What is it? Something makes the heart go fonder. Absence makes the heart. As Steph always says, the less you see me, the more you like me. Okay, I got one more. because one of the great traditions for like Craig Simpson and I when we're working Saturdays, if we're in Toronto, we go to the keg afterwards and we're watching you guys in the late game.

And whenever you guys have like a decent chunk of time to fill before after hours at 1 a.m., like we, there's no audio on in the bar so we can't hear what you're saying, but just watching the body language, we're like, oh, those are some punchy gentlemen on the set here now. Like they've been on TV for hours and hours. They've done two games worth. Like they're just get it to the finish line. it's like almost there's no rules behind what's being said like that's got to be i was just curious

like what those final 15 20 minutes of the night are like where you've got to be on but it's been a long night to get there so that's the most i always say to people that asked me about the show that's the most fun but most dangerous yes yes for i think i think for all of us like elliott's already checked out by that time if you walk there's sometimes he doesn't even speak like you won't even speak for like 10 minutes. Yeah. Jackets off. It's just the vest. And Kelly, Kelly's like, you know, Kelly's kind of there, but kind of not.

And I feel like I'm, that's where I can just start blurting out. You know what? You know what the first thing Kevin says is when we get to that set? The first thing he says is, hey, Brian, to a producer, Brian Speer, Brian, how soon until the guest is here? That's the first thing on his mind. Yes. He wants to know how quickly it's going to be until after hours is on. No, I'm always like, hey, or you come into the Dodger after.

Like, we're, that's right. I got fresh air. Sorry. That's the, that's the second question. How quick is Scott's guest getting there? But I actually, I actually enjoy that segment. Yeah, I agree. The most, because it is so unscripted.

And a lot of times we'll go to that. And we don't know exactly how much time we have, Kyle, because we don't know if it's a player who played in the game. And, you know, he's not on a rush to fly out. Like, he's a home player. they'll take their time sometimes.

Like sometimes, I remember being the guest and you'll go get a bike ride in. You have to go see the trainer quickly. Like sometimes you can't get there right away. If it's like a GM or an executive, like usually it's quicker. So we go into those segments not knowing exactly how much time we have. So it is a lot of fill and a lot of kind of like reading and reacting. And then we do have like all of our interviews that we've accumulated through the night with like you and Sean Reynolds and Sean McKenzie that we can plug in if we. So it's funny.

like when we get going we're going back and forth and then Brian's like in our ear while Elliot's talking he's like okay we're going to cut to an interview with Kyle and like William Neelander from earlier the night then I'm like in my head I'm like we're not doing very good right now and he wants to cut us off

and go back to an interview from four hours ago like Brian's heard enough of our garbage so that's kind of. Speaking of hearing and singing up Kyle so the other day Steph and I were out buying some stuff and we're at the sport check at Yorkdale and we get to the front counter to pay and they've got this giant screen right behind

the counter and they're running the BXA commercial over and over and over again and we're like buying eight items and there's gift cards and like the whole time I'm sitting there and I'm trying to pay his stupid face is like staring at me with that big dumb grin it was torture Do you ever think I'd be such a good actor when you met me like 15 years ago? Well, I think the word good is doing some heavy lifting here. And meanwhile, as we're doing this interview right now, we can see each other. And Kevin is in a ratty tank top where you can see all the scars on his arm. It's terrible.

That is a nice tank top. It's actually nice and warm here. This is what I wear to the dog part to put the vibe out. Awesome. You've always got a good vibe. about you, Kev. Have a great holiday with the family. Thanks for stopping by the party. Okay, boys. Thanks for having me for the third time and hopefully I get some alcohol out of this one too. Always the ulterior motive. Okay, that'll do it. The 2025, 32 thoughts. Holiday Spectacular is in the books.

Thank you to everyone, all the Jasons and the rest that carved out time to join us and to come share some stories and laughs and just give our audience, well, some fresh voices besides Elliot Dom and myself to listen to over the holiday season. It was really, really great having everybody on. So hopefully you spent the day or the last couple of days with the people that matter in your life, doing things that you enjoy and that evoke all sorts of, whether it's nostalgia or new memories being formed, just a beautiful time of year for all of that. We will be back in our regularly scheduled slot. next Monday morning. So the NHL kicks up again as we inch closer to the new year.

Olympic rosters being announced a lot to talk about right out of the gate following this brief holiday break. So enjoy the downtime and we'll talk to you again on Monday.