Barn Burner: Boomer & Pinder with Rhett Warrener - Jon Abbott (FULL INTERVIEW)

Episode Date: July 24, 2025

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Hey, buddies, welcome back to another edition of Barnburner. It's summer. We're stretching out. And we're going to treat you to another long-form chat with a person of interest in Calgary. A reminder of this program is brought to you by Bet365. Whatever the game, it's never ordinary with Bet365. Make sure you play responsibly and B-19. Today's guest, an old pal from the HL circuit.

I failed to reach the highest levels of play-by-play, but this man has. is not a year into the play-by-play job for the Calgary Flames on Sportsnet. John Abbott, sir, it feels like it's been more than a year. It's been less than a year since you moved to Calgary. Less than a year. It was a bit of a sprint to get here, buddy, who was just before training camp. So like September 17th of last season. And boom, just like that, one of the books.

So you're almost a year in. How is the family? How is John? How are the kids? How's everyone getting acclimatized to a very different city than Vancouver in Ottawa and Toronto and all the other places you guys have left. I'm collecting track suits is my joke now.

Yes. We're loving it. It's been great. I was just saying to Jack off the air that, you know, I was fortunate enough to work with noodles in Ottawa and everything he said about Calgary is exactly how it's played out. Like it's a terrific spot for family.

We love the outdoors. Check that box. Yeah. Big city, but doesn't feel like a big city, which we love. Good sense of community. So, yeah, we're thrilled to be here.

The job was a dream. dream gig. Yeah. And, but you, you want everything else to line up, too, especially for, you know, a young family. And it's been fantastic. The year's gone like that, but we feel at home already. So it's been, it's been great.

And nice to be on, but. Yeah, well, thank you. Yeah. I have a lot of buddies that tune in to Barnburner. So that's great. We can't do Barnburner. Jack, just correct me if I'm wrong. We can't do the show if nobody watches, right?

That is correct. Okay, good. So tell your buddies, thank you. And then we keep watching. And then we keep rolling, keep it rolling. And with this one with me. No, with high profile guests like John Abbott. We're only going to be able to do more shows and take less vacation, I think.

Thanks for coming in. You and I go way back to, I want to say, the 12, 13, 11, 12 seasons in the American Hockey League. I was working for the Absert heat. You were working for the Toronto Marleys, which are a huge institution in the HL, like a big HL franchise. You're in the big city. Everyone's always excited to get to Toronto. And there were some other stops. You'd go, I don't really know what to do, but you get to Toronto.

You're like, ah, abs is going to be there. Yeah, we'll go get a beer. I'm so excited to see Johnny. And now you come to my hometown of Calgary. Let's walk and wind down the road of your career and how you ended up with the Calgary Flames. Because you've been through a lot of places and you've called a lot of great international hockey,

NHL hockey, American League hockey. How did this whole dream begin? And where did it begin? Well, you're taking me a long ways back at that point. But I love getting into Abby, too, because it was always, it was always good to catch up. And, you know, Toronto and Abbott's straight, a couple of clashes in the playoffs at that time.

And, you know, going coast to coast was pretty fun, too, with Canadian matchup in the American League. I think they had us in the same division when you were like, oh, three time zones apart. That's great. Yeah, that was interesting. I remember going from Newfoundland to Abbotsford in a week and a half. Oh, so clear, clear across the country at that point. There's one ocean.

Here's the other. Yeah, but that stuff's cool. Oh, you know what? It was, I'm sure you can relate to this. At the time when we were getting into broadcast. casting, community television was a bigger deal. Oh, yeah. And more accessible.

And that's where I cut my teeth was Rogers TV, just local programming. They didn't care who it was. They needed bodies, right? In what market? It was London and St. Thomas in Ontario. Yeah. So there was a lot of inner county baseball. Okay.

So, oh, HL hockey, be. Oh, HAL hockey. Yeah, I mean, I started behind the scenes just to get my foot in the door, which was great, because, You want to learn all that and earn some respect. And then you get in, you get the opportunity along the way to get in front of the camera and in front of the mic and, uh, baseball.

My first, it was a, it was a day night double header in London with the majors, which I know it doesn't mean that much, but, uh, kind of like the old cannons. Sure. And the first game, there was a, a bullpen, there was a brawl in the bullpen empty. My first game. Okay. And guys are. throwing and then they don't have enough players to play the second game so the manager

pitches come on in the second game the manager's pitching yeah so on BP for the fellas that was a little crazy is my welcome into the world of baseball play by play which uh maybe thankfully didn't pan out but all the way back there in london and the knights working around the nights broadcast gave me my start you know I was shadowing uh shadowing slash uh you know kind of the gopher guy running running get my, yeah, getting my feet wet, used to finish my grade 12 days, jump into a suit. Everyone's like, what is this guy doing? And go down to, I was in the ice house. So they're in their brand new building at the time where they are now and do whatever

I had to do. So get the press packs. I remember paying for parking for the play-by-play guy. He's like, here's not in a, you know, egotistical way, but hey, I'm in the booth. Can you go reach out the meter? I'm totally for here. Can you take this? I got you. You know, you just, you want to hang around in it. You want to earn your respect. And that, you know, that time frame, I wouldn't have predicted it. But that allowed me to get to know the people in London, which allowed me to do play by play in Toronto when I went to school there for the old St. Michael's majors. And it would lead me back to London to do Mustang sports and then be play by play for the night. So it all adds up. But, yeah, pretty. There's some funny stories with,

what a young guy looks like on the air and how nervous he is. And that was, it gave me a start, right? I think those are the boom goes, the dynamite moments, I believe is what those are called. There was a few. I almost fell into a pool.

So were you, I think the notion that some people have is like, oh, you work in media, you must not be nervous doing all. You're like, oh, no, you're crazy nervous. And you're like,

why am I picking this as a career? And then as time passes, you get less and less nervous. What was early broadcasting gaffes that you can recall? Well, it is about reps for sure and that was the good part about one of the great things about being with rogers at that time was okay they want you to be skilled and improving but they're going to give you the chance to get better and okay is it a big deal in london sure it is but is it the end of the

world if you have a gaff or some type of mistake at the end of the day not really right like it's local cable so um yeah i can remember being uh a reporter in the stands at one point during my tenure there. Yeah. And the first period interview during the stoppage was with Cam Jansen's parents. Okay. So he had just fought. And his mom of like I thought maybe his dad was going to be wired.

Yeah. His mom was like shadow boxing and like. Steam coming out of ears. And then his dad didn't really say anything. So I'm like trying to interview both of them. And his mom's just completely fired up. So I don't even know what I asked. It like flew by.

I throw back to the boo. So okay, I got one done. Second period, I'm interviewing a little Knights fan. My hand is, they put me up on the big screen at the same time, and I'm doing this. And the guy's like, why is your little kids, why is your hand shaking? Oh, I just got bust. Thanks, but. So, yeah, by the end of it, it was, I think I said we had the Moleson three stars and

we're in the John Labat Center. So I get the little buzz in the air, like, it's not the most. It's not the most at three stars. So, yeah, you know what? You have those. You move on. You laugh at yourself. they're on somebody's real somewhere.

Incredible. How did you get to the Marley? Was that a natural transition from the London Knights? Or was there another stop on? Well, London opened doors for me, both because, I mean, the Knights traditionally, even at that time, under the Hunters, they were just premier competitors every year.

So lots of hockey, lots of good hockey, lots of eyeballs. And Ottawa came in, Dave Shriver, the legend, the voice they call them appropriately, was doing a lot of Sends games, but also 67s. And he couldn't be in two places at once. They needed somebody to come in and take a lion's share of the 67s games. And that led me to my first actually, you know, legit paid gig in Ottawa to do junior hockey, to do sports updates, to do Sends locker room.

You name it. I was doing it and enjoying it. So that one, that one, allowed me to get more reps but also make a little bit of a living. And then that led to the Marley. So that's kind of how I, that was my not so straight line, but fortunate places to be in. So who would have been like when we talk about London nights when you covered

or the 67s at the time, even the Sends, like who were some of the names who I remember like, is Corey Perry old enough that he was actually playing in London when you were there? Yeah, he fits the bill. So we weren't covering the, I wasn't covering the Memorial Cup. from a broadcast standpoint, like in the booth. But I was around it when he was playing in it. And so the first incarnation of my nightstop was like, yeah,

Dylan Hunter, I think Rick Nash had just carried over a little bit. I'm trying to, Dennis Wydenden would have been there. The White Dog, right. And then you just, you further that on. And Ottawa would have been McGannon-Kutcher. Okay. Logan Kutcher. Tyler Toffoli would have been there.

There's a rookie. Yeah, so Monaghan would have been there as a rookie. I was thinking Monaghan would have been close because he was drafted. I want to say around like 13, 15. I can't recall exactly the last year. But yeah, those guys would have been, you know, they were riding in the front of the bus with me. And they were stuck to me at the front. Young guys.

Those 15, 16 year old rookies. Tyler To Foley. Damn, boy. So I bump into the Marley's phase. It's a big HL up, but I noted earlier. like the HL, some are independently owned, some are owned by the parent clubs, but you're in the largest hockey market in the world in Toronto and underserved hockey market. You know, Moscow's got like four teams in the K.

You've got basically three in Greater New York. You got two in L.A. There's one team in southern Ontario, which is insane. And it's the Leafs. And so the next best thing you can be is the Leaves Farm team where there's a lot of eyes. And for people that don't like 100 year wait list or $300 tickets, it's a great chance to watch some really good hockey. I always love going into what at that point was Rico Coliseum and a super old historic building on the exhibition grounds.

But like that was a premier franchise in the American hockey league. And they had resources a lot of other teams didn't have. And that would have been cool. Very fortunate. Very fortunate would be a description of phrase that I would use a lot during, you know, my whole career. But certainly at that time, willing to take a chance and a guy that had tried to put in my time like you would have as well. in some of the junior ranks or lower ranks and just waiting for a spot to come open. It was actually John Bartlett moving out of that job that allowed me the chance to compete for it.

And moving from Ottawa, working under Brian Kilray, the Legend Hall of Famer helped a little bit because I think everybody knew at that point I could hack it. And there was also, you know, a way that you're supposed to be on the road and different things like that. So I know his name probably helped. It was the Burke regime. In fact, I can remember sitting through the interview, Dave Poulin was the one that sat in front of me to go through the hiring process. And then at the end of it, it was Berkey that had to give the okay. And he shook my hand and said, congrats, welcome, don't F it up.

That was the short advice from Berkey. But yeah, that was. I do believe you. Yeah, that was my start in pro hockey. And it was awesome. You know, you would remember Dallas Aiken was a head coach at that time. Really good teams. Went to the Calder Cup finals, lost to the best professional team at that level I've ever seen,

which was John Cooper's, Norfolk Admirals. I mean, I think they went on a 28 game winning streak at the end of the year. They were really tough to beat. And Toronto lost to them in Toronto to win the Calder Cup. But that's part of the dream of being a broadcaster as well, is being able to capture those moments, even though it wasn't for the Toronto fans, it wasn't great. But yeah, I enjoyed my time.

And that certainly that opened the door to things to come after that, for sure. How many years for the Marlars? It was two full seasons as play-by-play, but really three, because I kind of went back and forth. That was still a time when Joe Bowen was doing radio and TV. So I got jockeed up, gave me my break. to get into the NHL, but was still required to do Marley's TV games and everything, which was great and still worked.

Part of my role there was community stuff. And sure, I loved all that. So it was. So yeah, it's crazy. Like how it, if it's not a national game, Bowen would do the TV. And Bowen's not doing radio because he's doing TV. Then you get called up to do radio.

And then someone else will do the Marley. It's like, it's so funny when you're in this broadcast room, it was so small. And the littlest move at the top, that opens this hole here. And then that guy goes there. Then this one over that. I'm not going to get this job over here, right?

Yeah, it's crazy. And we would, like, I love the fact that I'm sitting here talking to you because we have a friendship outside of just being broadcasters, but I'm sure you would relate as well. Like, it's relationships that you build also. And, you know, out of school, I threw resumes all over the country. And it was the, it was coming out of the lockout at that time. And Leif's TV. part of MLSC was on the incline.

John Shannon was running it, but they needed staff because they weren't doing anything during the lockout for the most part. Got in there, um, again, doing anything behind the scenes possible. But that group of people, John Shannon that hired me,

Chris Clark, um, other other people within like Brian Duff was hosting who's now at the Sabres. They all took me under their wing. Uh, I was able to prove to them that I wanted to be in the business. Those were the same people for the most part that helped get me back with the Marleys. Great.

Because it was under the same umbrella. So you never, you never know whom is going to help you on your path. And I've been fortunate, thankful that there's been a lot of people that have helped. Yeah, it's wild. I mean, it's such a crazy timing thing. You never know where that opportunity is. And, you know, I've related a bunch of examples in my career similarly. It's like, oh, you volunteered to this thing and that guy happened to be there and you shook hands.

And then a week later, he needed a guy. Like, shit, if I didn't go to that thing. Yeah. Yeah. Still being Penticton eating peaches. Who knows? But Penticton's awesome too. And it was good.

And I love that. I love, you know, speaking about backgrounds, I don't want it to be all about me. But I appreciate that, okay, we all do this because we love it in some form. And we're passionate about it. But there's, it's not the grind of a regular job, but there is a grind in there somewhere. And you have to be willing to, to move. move up the ranks. And move around.

And that's part of it. That's, it's a dream job. There's some challenges, but I appreciate, I appreciate your background, too, that I knew before already. Okay.

So when do you move to Vancouver? I imagine that's the next chapter in the book. Yeah, from Toronto. It was one season with the Leafs, youngest play-by-play guy in the league at 28. Jeez. But that doesn't necessarily mean your gift-wrapped a job.

at the end of that. No, sure, yeah. We both knew it was fantastic being part of that. You're close to home. That's great. Yeah, but again, it's going to. I wouldn't have expected that would be the place to start, but it was, to your point, circumstance with Joe Bowen.

And they gave me a chance. They gave me a break. And that was huge for learning the skill, developing a style and getting my name out there. And I didn't know what the off season was, season was going to look like i i was pretty sure that joe was coming back to radio so that wasn't a total surprise but that did kind of leave me looking and uh wouldn't you know it it was rick ball coming to calgary that gave me the chance to go to vancouver rick's amazing and i love the man

so talented so funny just a natural entertainer at one point when i was living in bc he was doing the the morning show and like lions play by play he's doing a lot and hockey and then he's going to do hockey and then all i'm going to do this hockey night game and he's like this guy can do anything and as we found out on the road he can yeah rockets of course for that and you know he can he can play piano he can be a uh do sing along he's like the guy is just an absolute entertainer and so rick coming to the play by play by play job in calgary to be the sports net play by play guy for the flames many moons ago opens a job on the west coast and you've to this point your entire career has been Ontario. Yeah. Yes. So, so TSN 1050, I want to say, 1040. Close. 1040. Excuse me. No, you're,

you're good. It doesn't exist anymore anyway. That's correct. Neither. That's the story for another maybe. Well, honestly, I think you were there and that happened. I don't want to ask one. But let's, let's first get, how do you get to Vancouver? Well, it was amazing. You know, you go to the whole summer recently married, so you want to, you want to take care of things. And you're preparing yourself to hey maybe go back to the American League do I get out of the business if it doesn't work where do I where do I move to to keep this going like I was confident that

one year in the NHL should if I'm if I'm smart about it I should be able to turn that into another gig yeah and I was close on a few things didn't come didn't come to pass and Vancouver was there and I will never forget this I was working still with the Leafs working the Leafs Golf Tournament. Okay.

So that's September... It's getting late. 10th. Everyone showed up. It's camp. That day, I got the green light for the Vancouver job. So that's how late. Now, you, everyone here would be on the other end of it of when Rick came in.

Yeah. So it would have been just as quick for him. For sure. And just as close to the season. Not like last summer. Yeah. There's a little bit more breathing room. But you know what?

Like, I'm not complaining. It's just, it's crazy how fast things can happen. You have to be nimble, right? It's not like, you're not going to get two months to mull over the option. It was awesome.

We're pulling the trigger today. We got to start, you know, moving. I landed in Vancouver on a Wednesday, woke up, Dave Tomlinson, my color partner, picked me up, drove me to Penticton to do Youngstars the next day.

And then a week later, we're in Whistler doing training camp. And I'm like, where am I? This is the same country? Toronto. This is crazy. And the rest is history. Yeah, followed in Rick's footsteps in Vancouver and love my time out there, almost eight years total. Yeah. In van. And again, you learn something from every place you've been.

Learned a lot there. Some tough lessons to swallow, but all for the better. Adjusting to losing the broadcast rights along the way. Yeah. And then ultimately having a station shut down. Big shout out to our great partners at Bet365. Always makes things spicier. Best app out there. Whatever your bet, it's never ordinary at Bet365. Download the app. Use the code Nation when you do at Bet365. Must be 19 or older. Please play responsibly. Hey guys, it's Pinder. All throughout the year, Village Honda brings you the Pinder report. For the latest in what's happening in the sports world and maybe the odd crocodile and snake. Today, we are at your dealership for life in the Northwest Auto Mall.

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So no matter what your legal needs are, it's simple. MacLeod-Dashlaw.com or hit socials at McLeod Law LLP. Peter Klein, you know him as the personal injury guy. Well, he's also your long-term disability insurance claim guy. Make sure you're checking with him if you've got an issue collecting for the benefits you've paid for. Shane King, a partner in the litigation dispute resolution group. Employee rights have you been terminated. make sure you're being treated as the law requires.

Shane, always using practical and easy language, no legal mumbo jumbo. It's the Calgary law firm and the only one you need to know whenever you need a lawyer, it's McLeod Law. Let's get back to another summer edition of Barnburner. Yeah, so SportsNend ends up getting the radio rights. And they basically opened a station 650 and needed a reason for people to tune in because 1040 was a giant.

I mean, this was the biggest, I would say it was the second best sports station in the country. Because, you know, you had one in Toronto that I thought was the best. And then it was an incredible high reputation, guys that are written for papers, 15, 20 years, guys that host highlight shows forever. Like, it was a who's who of sports personalities in Western Canada that were on that station. And then, okay, well, sports that's going to get a competing station. They get the rights and so all of a sudden like, whoa, okay, like, how does life? life after rights works. Because in some markets, that's great.

You can be a little more critical of the team probably. And, you know, open the phone lines. If the team's not great at the time, it can almost be a ratings win in a weird way. But it may have been the beginning at the end for that station. Well, funny enough, and I won't go too deep into it. But like you said, if you had asked us the moment we realized that the Cadet's games were going out of the building, there was some despair.

There was some stress, but what followed was actually beefing up the lineup, and we were solid. And the numbers were showing it. However, that really was not the end-all-be-all. It was a decision, I think, that probably had been made well before, that there were going to be some changes coming, to which none of us on air. People, nobody in the station knew. But one day, it was our morning show that was on the air. and they came back from break to black silence and their mics wouldn't turn on. And then Green Day played.

And that was it. We were all done. 30 minute notice, clear out your desk, security staff here. That was the end of one of the great sports talk stations in our country. It's tough because there's so many good people in our business and our industry. No one in Vancouver obviously would have wanted that. a lot of people within the company wouldn't have wanted that, but it was a decision made higher up. And as we find out now, many years later, you know, radio has become at times very fickle.

And out of a lot of people's control within the market they live in. So that was my first world experience to it. And COVID out there as well was another big test of the metal. but those are things I look back and it's not my favorite time, but you do take life lessons from it. And there's nothing you can do to change either of those events. And I appreciate having learned different things and how to cope and to better be prepared in some circumstances and also reflecting on the people, which again, most people. broadcasters to tell you that it's it's the people you work with that are fantastic right and we certainly had that there and um it's some of them now like saceracarison price or under the nation

network uh window as well so it's been great to see others take that and and adapt and succeed and i don't i remain thankful for all of my experiences even though those ones were tough at the time i remember exactly where i was when that station closed and it was a moment that like if you were in sports talk in the country, you're like, if that station's not safe, nobody's safe. Ratings were strong. They were outrating the sports net station, great personalities. Something happened in that market. You went to those people because they were the best.

And in a boardroom in Toronto likely, a decision was made that they were going to close that station down. And you're like, if that station, if it can happen to them, do not be stupid enough to that anyone else is safe. And I just remember that there was a big watershed moment in my career of being like, we are on very, very borrowed time

on radio. Just that simple. If that station could be taken down, anyone can at any moment. It was certainly a dark cloud and it was hurtful to a lot of people, but I think some expected immediate

doom elsewhere or maybe nationwide. And that hasn't happen. So you appreciate the success stories like here in Calgary. What was it? Like Winnipeg, Ottawa, Hamilton, it was Vancouver in one one? Well, it was Winnipeg, Hamilton, and Vancouver in

one sweep. Yeah. But like Ottawa is a good example. They're still going strong. Montreal here in Calgary. So you never know what the future holds necessarily in broadcasting. It is, again, it's a dream gig. There's some challenges.

But I do appreciate in fact, I love and respect the people that still bring it each and every day. And not sometimes in the face of adversity like that, but there's still success stories. So you're being paid by TSN, the station gets shut down. You're still around. Is this sort of when they start ramping up your hockey Canada profile? Because they're rights holders for World Championships, U-18s, you know, Halenka. There's all kinds of world juniors.

Like there's a lot of, there's a lot of. lot of international hockey that TSN are the right holders for, rights holders for. Well, I was blessed pretty early on in Vancouver actually to, to be put on the world junior stage. So that was, that happened fairly, or sorry, fairly, um, quickly into my Vancouver run. And we had a good stretch. I think it was six tournaments. Nice. That we did. Last one I worked. Can you remember the cities? I'm going to, yeah. So Helsinki, uh, was the first,

one that was caspari cap and scored an overtime okay freezing cold in finland and the fins were streaking i'll never forget that well it was the country of four million people minus 50 and you open the rink doors and you go snake your way back it was not far to downtown and the closer you got the downtown it was like blue everywhere swummy chance and then it was streakers to fin streaking i'm like are you kidding me man with these i'm trying to keep my ears warm never mind below so it was uh yeah that was that was it was and it was finland russia in that final so

you can imagine russia scored with seconds remaining to get it to o t those are neighboring countries too yeah and it's more tense than people yes very intense so that was uh you know we know Canada Russia we know Canada USA but that was right up there then it was Toronto Montreal all. Okay.

And that was the crazy shootout one. Yeah. With Canada, USA. And then there was Buffalo. Who was the America? Was it outdoor game? That was Charlie McAvoy and Troy Terry. Yeah, he kept coming back. Yeah. Buffalo outdoor game. That was unreal at Bill Stadium.

I heard that. That was awesome. Because didn't the Canadians get eliminated in dramatic fashion before the finals, like semis or somewhere before that? I want to say they didn't make the final, I could be wrong. In that tournament? Yeah. Well, that was the one they went to,

that was the one that Steenbergen scored the eventual winner. He didn't have a goal in the tournament. Okay. So that was the, not the year I'm thinking. Yeah. But, oh, that was Finland. Yeah, Finland, the Canadians were out. So it was Finland.

That was the first one. It was Mitch Marner and Braden Point. Yeah. And they were eliminated in the quarters. I just remember seeing the TSNN. man doing the finals games and Canada had been eliminated. I was pretty sure as Buffalo. And it was like, oh, my goodness.

Gordon Miller has not had enough sleep. And like James, or is James Duffy, I think. There's no voice. I'm like, this man is working through a serious hangover. And I give him credit. I've done that too.

But I was like, fellas might have a night the night before. And I didn't. No one said anything. I'm just like, I watched that. I'm like, I know exactly what that man is going through.

You don't need to out him. Well, I think I knew what happened. Well, Well, radio was in a slightly different group than TV, but what I remember from that, yeah, I remember from the Helsinki tournament was, like Canada had some names on that roster,

and they couldn't get it done, but they had unfortunately, they weren't able to leave right away. Oh, you got to hang out. They had booked everything up, and they couldn't get the flights. And so not only did they get eliminated and have to deal with the rest of the country

and all of the press and scrutiny, then they had to hang around at the tournament, which is one thing to do. They weren't staying there for the gold medal, but yeah, I just, I remember feeling, feeling for the guys because that was not, that was the last place they wanted to be was still there. But yeah, you know, obviously calling, so the Buffalo one was Canada won gold. Okay, so I was off on my year. That was unbelievable. And we all know our passport.

So calling a Canadian gold is right up there. Like that's, hell yeah. extremely exciting and, you know, very honored to be able to speak to a country at that point. But I won't, that's the tip of the iceberg. That's the top of the mountain. But like that experience in Finland with the Finns winning, I don't know if enough attention goes to other countries winning because it's still a really cool experience and a big deal. And then, yeah, the last 20. Thank you, Toronto, Montreal, Buffalo.

Yeah, 2020 was, oh, 2019. 2019 was Vancouver. Okay, man. And that was the Americans that were strong, but lost the, the Finns won it again with Capo Caco. Okay. And then the Americans had Hughes on that blue line. And then it was 2020, Czech Republic, Canada, back on top of the world.

That was another awesome experience. We were making our way down. That was the TSN camera, if you remember that. Okay. Puck goes off the camera. Kevin Ball was on that team, I believe. And anyway, making my way down after we sign off from the booth because we had to go do the ice or I had to go do the ice level interviews, which is awesome. You just want to be a part of that and catch guys in the wrong motion, right?

Team Canada had left their phones in the room. That was part of their deal is that no phones, everyone had to turn them off each time in the rink. well on returnie bear was ripping back to the room to get his phone to take pictures of the gold metal celebration on the ice and i'm coming around the corner as he's going there and like they call him bear for a reason he's a big man yeah and he narrowly avoided taking my life it was it was like i came around and like look at this beak it's it could have been busted in a second and he kind soften the blow but like that was one of my go flying that was what that was one of my funny moments of like along the way i don't know if it'll end up in a i don't know if i have enough to make a book or

anybody that was one of my funny moments is just a random takeaway 2020 getting steamrolled by bear on the way to the ice everyone so high but winning golden yeah just steamroll could not wait and i'm trying to get there to make our time to get interviews on the ice and and then it finished with edmonton in the bubble i didn't go we were expecting our our third child and uh graciously was allowed to work at remote so switch duties i ended up hosting like price ended up doing play by play and uh just the whole situation right you check in you get tested every day you can't leave if you leave you're not coming back and all that well having a baby on the way no you don't win i wasn't going to win many points and i uh yeah i i wanted to i wanted to i wanted to uh enjoy the birth of our son and so thankfully

and that was it that was the last one we did and uh uh world championships along the way too but yeah very just just thankful you know those are really great experiences um it's something else to see like i watch packlin win gold with sweden wow and it wasn't in sweden but to see the celebration in stockholm again something hockey fans not every yeah it is an incredibly big deal winning the world championship for european countries and we met people who took three weeks, two and a half weeks off every year. That was their vacation. And they would travel to wherever the worlds were being hosted.

And then you get the crazy Latvians that fall asleep outside the rink when you leave. Jacks buddies are falling asleep there in stampede. Yeah, same thing. And then they're there in the morning when you show up. We're like, hey, I recognize that guy. Still there. You just slept on the grass. They're nuts.

And the Finns. Yeah. And Norwegian. I mean, the Finns take over there. It's incredible. They bought out a bar for the entire tournament one time. It was the Finnish embassy. That's unbelievable.

I think that's the greatest gig around. I always talk to Aaron Vickers, who does FC hockey. And he covers that. I'm like, oh, man, there's no better gig. Because it's a long tournament. You get some time to stretch out. It's not like crazy travel. You usually got one hub or two.

Get some days off between games. Everyone likes to have a good time. You're usually in a great city. The weather's getting good over there. Like, incredible international cities. It is incredible. We were ripping out three games a day.

So I, different for you. We were actually putting in a shift, but I've never experienced anything like it. It was, even in the places that you think, okay, Kosecce, Slovakia,

what does that look like? You learn to love it by the time. Like, it's just such a different feel. Yeah. I was, uh, I remember the one game,

the Canadians beat Slovakia in overtime. and they started throwing pennies at the Canadians. Like, where else do you find that anymore? That happened in Riga. So it's just, yeah, it was a special, not everybody gets the opportunity to work those. And I don't take a single game for granted, but those experiences in particular,

like you build towards working a championship. And that is such an important experience for a broadcaster to learn how to do that. And then you know you're speaking to a country too. I know some of the World Championship games, you know, Slovenia is not necessarily outside of the jerseys and Anzacopatar are not necessarily a big draw. Who's the second best? Yeah, that's right. But for us, it was a big game, every game, and you peak at the end.

So I was thankful, very thankful to have some of those opportunities. And that's so cool. It's been a lot of fun. You know what? It's the way you talk about it is amazing. because it's like it's you have a duty to the viewer, right? It's not about John Abbott. It's not even about the team.

It's about this is an historic moment that is going to be cherished and remembered by potentially millions of people, that you have a responsibility to them to do it justice and to make sure that it's done properly. That onus you've placed on yourself. Can you sort of elaborate on that? Because I think that's like a lot of great broadcasters have that. The audience is who their master is.

Well, I appreciate you understanding that and knowing what it's like to address people that way. An example outside of, you know, obviously when it's Canada doing well in a tournament, you can ride that wave and that's what everyone's interested in. Great Britain qualified for the World Championships. And everyone expected they would be out and relegated. They beat the relegation against France one year. and they did it in like crazy fashion. And so that is a feel-good story in itself.

And are there people from the UK that are watching? Yeah, there'd be some, but it's the story that is going to live on and for the rest of the tournaments, which they're back in again. And so people will be going back to that time as part of their story. You want to capture that well.

And when it comes to, when it comes to people watching, you know, so many can't get there. whether it's, you know, Flames game, maybe you get to a few years. If it's the World Championship, that's a real lofty goal. That's like a boys trip or something bigger than that. You want to soak it in and bring that to everyone back.

And, you know, it's not lost to me, especially in Calgary. A lot of times, no matter what, and you and I've done a lot of different jobs in our lives, like that's a break from the day, is pulling up a chair and watching the Flames games. So it better be fun. It better feel like a break and it better be entertaining. And, you know, I'm very lucky here in Calgary to work with the people that I do that make it easy for me to feel comfortable. But, yeah, that's not lost. It's trying to take all the things we're fortunate enough to see on a daily basis and experience.

Try to tell some good stories. And hopefully the game speaks for itself. That's the best case scenario. But it's trying to bring that the things that other people don't get to experience to them. You guys had to deal with a pretty major tragedy this year and something that nobody saw coming and it couldn't have been easy. Tell us about the circumstances that led to a moment you probably never expected to have. Yeah, Millsie. You know, you look back at this year past and it was the Godreau family, first of all, trying to pay tribute.

as best as we can in our small way to Johnny and Matthew and the Goodrow family and doing that in Calgary and then doing that in Columbus and Ryan Leslie was spectacular in both of those games. I don't know how he did it. And then, yeah, Millsie adds one of those, you don't forget where you are when you get that kind of news. And we were in, it was right after the morning skate in San Jose. And we loved them. We loved them so much. It was, you know, he'd been doing this for such a long time at, at such a great level. He'd worked with a lot of other people too. So it's not like it was, you know, our group from Calgary was exclusive. Everybody loved Melzy. And he just had a way,

you know, he was always up to something. He was always ready to jab you a little bit, but it was fine when somebody was giving it back to him, always smiling, always laughing. You know, as tough as this year was, especially at the finish, you know, thankful we had the time with him without knowing how it was going to go, obviously. And I like to think that, you know,

we were great together as a group. and that's one of the best takeaways is just how much fun we had on the air and off the air. It's important that if you can be, you're a group that loves each other because it's going to come through on the air, and at least in our format. And again, being able to connect with people at home, everything you saw was genuine. And yeah, you just, you get to know people on the road. you know, you're spending a lot of time at different times of the year on road trips.

You're seeing the group you're with more than your family at that point. Sometimes in the month you're seeing them more. So you get to know people. And for Greg, you just think of his family, his wife. He was setting himself up for life after hockey and broadcasting. And he was just about there. And he had kids and grandkids. And it just, yeah, that was.

that still will be really tough. We love Greg and, you know, we were thankful that we got to share him for a little bit. He loved doing the Flames games. He loved Calgary. And, you know, I saw lots of other people, Bart's, John Bartlett, had a tribute through the playoffs. Every game he had Millsy with him and we will too. Yeah, that was a really tough end of the year. And at the same time, I'm glad.

Kudos to the Sharks guys who did an incredible job. Drew Remenda and Randy Hahn. We didn't know what way that was going to go. Credit to SportsNet for allowing us the opportunity to express ourselves both in that game by not working. And in the following game in Anaheim, being able to pay tribute to Millsie, those aren't just automatic. And to do it right requires a lot of work and attention. So I credit our group a lot in front of the camera and behind the scenes to make that happen. And I'm glad we had the chance to, you know, we knew we were going to miss the week, unfortunately, because of the makeup game in L.A.

So that game day we were watching it the morning of the game and then wanted to be there but couldn't. And so our moment in Anaheim was very meaningful to everybody to be able to give our respect, pay respect to Greg. Appreciate you sharing that. That's obviously something that's not easy. And we talk about all of a sudden all these life experiences you run through and all these experiences that you've been through form, person you are and I guess prepare you for the next unexpected thing that that's coming your way. You guys did a great job with that and you paid tribute as eloquently as I could have imagined.

And you nailed it on Ryan Leslie with the Godreau broadcast. I mean, there was a lot on your plate for first year in Calgary, my man. Well, you know what? On that one, it's a little easier to talk about. again i go back to ryan and like he um we had a little that was another both those games were very important to us as uh flames broadcast group and we knew how important they were to everybody um i could still remember rasmus scoring that goal too uh in calgary like that was a uh uh hair raising goosebumps moment gie coming out on the ice oh it was

just unbelievable. I'll never forget that. But to Ryan's credit, he and I were speaking a lot about how to properly handle this. And as much as I had to play a part in it, without being here during the Johnny years, I didn't feel like it was appropriate to go too far. Not because it didn't mean something to me, but, and Ryan stepped up and said, I got this. Like, I'll, I'll carry a bunch of how things go because I want to. And that's probably how it should go. So credit to, you know, those are good teammates, right? And, uh, you don't want to put anybody in a bad position. But you also, for me, it's being real. I could be real with what I said before the puck drop, I could be real and reflecting from the person that I knew, but I was,

I was not here during that time. I wasn't here when he got drafted. I wasn't here when he was a rookie and had those big moments. So you can't pretend, you know. You lean on your team. That's right. So, yeah, a little behind the scenes there. Like, I was, what you saw on the screen from Ryan was incredible, but equally so in the background. Yeah. One year, crazy. Well, it's summer, and that means it's air conditioner season. Yes, we don't need that in the winter, but it does get hot here, Calgary, in the summer. And here's the deal from our good friends at Crystal Waters right now, 10% off a brand new air conditioner

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Get a person next to you can sleep better. It's a win for everyone. Check in with Dr.J at Outdoor.dental for all your dentistry and snoring cure needs. Back to the show. I want to ask you about the team. Lots going on. You know, the Rasmus Anderson thing is obviously at this point, pull back the curtain, we're recording here in July. I don't know when this is going to run.

But it's not come to a conclusion as of yet. That seems like the biggest off-season storyline. But more big picture, I just want to ask you, like, this is a team that missed the playoffs by zero points. They lost the time break. I think the in the dome boys said that one, Jaggle. They missed playoffs by zero points. They're like, shit, they did. That's right.

And yet, you know, it's also a team that pundits for a while have said, look, on paper, maybe this isn't the most talented group. And I think everyone would be an agreement that the sum of the parts was greater than the individual, you know, pieces added up last year. There was a great vibe about the team. You could tell they cared for each other. They had so many incredible comebacks. Like, they probably did as good as they could have done with that group. And it was incredible that they got the 96 points.

So when you're looking big picture, you know, what, what, what, what, what, what, what, what, what, what, what, what, what, what, what, what, what, what is Craig Conroy trying to sift through here in terms of, you know, that, that, they don't have a great young center that, that, that, they, they, they're, they're, they're, they're very close to the edge. rather than, you know, something else. It is crazy. it's it doesn't necessarily look like there's a lot of play but i think there is in a lot of different situations and scenarios and i mean you can you can carve it up in a lot of different uh fashions you look at the start to last year and how that propelled them out the five and expect to yes points in the first six and you we don't know but we know the start of this season is going to require max effort to try and repeat something like that now that we've had a peek at the schedule

but if they're able to be world beaters again, you know, that's, that's one way to go about your business and it makes decision making a little bit easier at that point. Sure. Where are they at the trade deadline? That's going to be a big question. What direction does the team take them in? Maybe that's a question. I think as long as the team is competitive, they're going to try and harness that. Right.

If the team slips too far behind, does that change a bit of the mindset and push it more to the future? Perhaps. You know, question marks with positions, Dustin Wolf is going to start a lot of hockey games. I hope. And he looked incredible last year. Yeah. Is he able to steal you enough working twice as much? He might.

He might be the guy. Is he better? Is he the same? Is it one of those goalie things? or, you know, it's volatile and some great years are followed by less than great years. Like, it's goalie. Yeah, you don't really know. I like his attitude, though.

He wants to play. He knows he's in a position now to play more. He's talking about being better and adjustments he needs to make. And he's been here all summer. I love that too. Like he's... Around a stampede, flirting with you and I, Twerettuyn. Love to see it.

Not many of us get to do that. No, I'm a little jealous. I like that he's in town and working on the physical side of his game because unless you're Mika Kipersoff, who... is outerworldly with how he was able to play that much season after season after season. And unless he has a rigorous stretching routine like Mika did, somehow that kept him limber for all those, you know, it's going to take putting the time in physically in the off season to make sure you're ready to start those, that amount of games.

So I like that. You look at the four teams that finish below Calgary in the division. I'm unsure about all of them. I think Calgary could be there again. Should all be better, but I don't know that there are any of them for playoff teams. The central, I think the central is going to be where it gets tougher. So, you know, Vancouver, Anaheim, Seattle, and San Jose. I think you're still going to pick up points against those teams.

Yeah, they're going to be better. They're going to be better. But they're still not necessarily the playoff teams. Vancouver's an interesting debate because everything went off the realtor. Did they snap right back? Maybe. That's the wild card for me, but I look at Anaheim, I'm like, not quite yet. I look at San Jose.

I'm like, well, that's a really good, but it's a young team. They're out there yet. And Seattle's like, yeah, you just kind of look at. Another don't know. Yeah. So if you had to, before the puck drops on the season, you're probably looking at the Central going.

That's going to be. Are they taking two wild cards? They're going to head to head here. Yeah. So I think Calgary will be in the fight. I am interested to see how positions shake out. Is Adam Klapka going to get more opportunity? Is Sharon Govich going to score goals?

Yeah. He showed us, did everything last year, didn't he? What are the trades going to be like? And what do you get back if you move Rasmus? If you have them, you know what it looks like. But if he is moved and he's like, it seems like it's, you know, it's the final year of his deal and they're not on the same page on what an extension should look like. He's been a great flame. They've enjoyed having him here.

Parting of ways at the end of the year at the latest, but probably before then it happens. You know, are you getting straight futures back with your picks or is like, hey, we've got a roster player that might help. like, okay, well, that changes how I feel about a group. Right. I mean, and there's still questions down the middle as well. So it will be intriguing to follow all these little mini storylines that really add up to a big story, potentially where the team finishes this year and how they're moving forward in years to come,

heading to the new building. Yeah. But they've given guys opportunity. Frost, for example, will have an opportunity to try and prove that he's a, a mainstay fit and be rewarded in a couple years with maybe a bigger contract. But it's it's up to those guys that have the opportunity to take it. And, you know, Zeri will be another one regardless of what gets done with him. A guy that hasn't, unfortunately, has not played a full NHL season yet.

So if he's healthy, there's another, another box to check. What can he do for you over the full 82? So it's a, it's a very intriguing season. And if it has as much drama and excitement as last year, sign me up. That was a fantastic fight to the finish. It was amazing had they got in. Was it six and a row? They went down the stretch or five or six.

It was crazy. We kept doing the math. Like, they can't get to 93. Like, they're just not going to run the table. And, you know,

an absolute heater. And some of their hardest road trips, like I can recall Dan Vladar starting in Washington. And that was a daunting trip. And they did just fine. I think of that game in Colorado. Colorado. The fourth line stole.

That was, was it Clapka that really took that one over? I'm trying to remember. Longer came up with goals. Yeah. And that seemed to the beginning of Klapka. Do you see him as like absolutely cemented in fourth line banger? Are you like, hey, I could be, I could see a little top nine action here.

You're reading my mind here. Yeah. I think, I think the right side, just my opinion, but it could be more fluid than maybe they even want it to be, depending on who's going. But I think the right side is. Coronado's already. To me, clapka's a righty and everyone else's left, he's playing the right, whether that's Coleman or Sharon Govich or a fairbie or someone like that. They really only have two right hand shot, right wangers.

I wouldn't mind from time to time seeing Klapka up. I wouldn't. I like his size. You know, he seemed like he put it together at the last quarter of the season as to how he needs to play in this league. And the flames don't have a ton of size up front. So if he can if he can play that role. with some authority and some offense, I don't mind seeing him up there,

but that also means someone else's jockeying down, which is the double-edged sword there, because it might mean perhaps underperforming. It could be a match-up thing, but yeah, it'll be the right side for sure will be a spot of interest for me and down the middle of what they're able to do. Yeah.

It's, yeah, it's wild. I mean, I love what they're building in the prospect cupboard, but a lot of those guys aren't going to pan out. You hope that you can just mine a few really, really good NHLers every year in the draft. They've had a really good run there. The new building kind of looms, but I don't know. Like I always wonder this summer if Rasmus is that first domino. It's like, okay, well, he was a veteran and his contract was almost up.

And you can look around. There's other veterans whose contracts are coming up in the next year or two. it's like, well, if they're not good enough and he's gone, is this guy next to that guy? And what feels like, man, they really aren't being aggressive in a rebound. We might be hearing a year from now, but like, this is the youngest team in the NFL. I mean, it happens quick when it happens.

Yeah, right. And everybody lived through that in some degree, just getting to this point. So I don't know what I took from surveying the landscape was, you know, kudos to Craig Conroy who had his plateful. and had to do something about it. Did the best he could and surprised some of us as well with moves like Kevin Ball. It turned out to be fantastic and had to be a little patient there with Markstrom.

But I think trying not to end up in the same situation seems to be the way I read it. So I think the handling. And you're talking about where the team finishes or like contraction with guys? With the case like Anderson. Yeah. You know, so trying to work with them. also not necessarily having a single team to work with, right? So I think it is it is delicate. I imagine it will get done. Will it change what happens next potentially? But I appreciate what the

guys said last year. You know, I made it in time for camp. That was my goal is to get here for camp. And maybe I'm a little bit more all ears. Well, I'm a lot more all ears, but more years than some, because I was taking it all in pretty fresh. Michael Backlin, Nazim Kadri, Blake Coleman, all doubling down on the belief in the room, wanting to be there, and enough with the questions about who wants to leave.

This is the group that wants to stay. Now, can things change? They can always change. But I think, at the very least, they have a core group of guys that helped lead them within a whisker of a playoff spot last year. I don't see the mentality changing. at the beginning of this season.

Yeah. Like I don't think, even if Rasmus is potentially traded before the puck drops, I don't think that necessarily means conveyor about. I agree. Yeah, I think those guys want to be here and those guys aren't spending any time thinking about not being good.

If it plays out that way, sure. But, you know, they're thinking, how do we find one more point to get to 97? Because that's playoffs. You've been a year in,

you've obviously dealt with Ryan Husky, a fair amount. He's in the final year of his deal, so we're led to believe. What's it like watching Ryan Honest Craft and, you know, having been around the league like, yeah, have you seen a lot of coaches? How would you compare and contrast Coach Huska to some of the other bench bosses? Well, I have a ton of respect for the flames organization. You can tell right away how classy it is.

I don't think too many people would say anything to the contrary. First class organization. Love the work in the community. And to me, they set the bar that way with their, management, their players, and it filters all the way down. So that stands out to me right away from being around a little bit, just the immediate attention to the importance of that. And I circle all the way back to Ryan Huska, like, what a great person to speak to on a daily basis. What respect the way that he handles his business is thoughtful with us, even I'm sure

when he's been asked the same question a lot of times or when he doesn't feel like speaking, but nothing but great things to say about how he interacts with the media and with us. And I like the fact that he seems to be a coach that not only has his finger on the pulse of the room to the point where, okay, he knows the way he wants his team to play. But he put a lot of onus on the leadership group. and allowed those players to have their place in the room. You know, I don't compare Huska to Tortorella per se. Like, and Torts walks in the room, it's his.

My way of the highway. Right? That's not to say, you know, I don't think Ryan Huska is a guy that takes any flack. Like, I think he expects you to play the way you're supposed to play. But he has the trust and the confidence in his leadership group to allow them to handle some things. have ideas come to fruition. And I think that means a lot with players. Today.

To have a voice to see what they value be put into practice or their takeaways, living in real time. So I like the, I like the composure of Ryan Eska. I like his approach and file accounts. A little bit of fresh take might have been needed in that room. Yeah. And it seems like they found the right guy. So having spoken only to him since being in Calgary,

nothing but respect for him. Yeah. It's another storyline that probably would have been a bigger one 10 years ago. Like if you went into the last year of your contract as a coach, he was like, oh, lame not coach. But it's all the time now. We're talking avoided that, but there are some instances where that happens. And he's done a great job.

I mean, I think, you know, our gaming partner, Bet 365, like they had the flames at 80.5, 81.5 points. Like when you overshoot, you're over under on points by 15 or 16. That's a good year. You've done it. You've overachieved, right? And I'm imagining at this point last year, no one could have predicted even the playoffs being close.

No, 81 points ain't it. Right. If that's what a logical, like non-family, that's just, we're just a sportsbook. literally just balance money and set lines like it's an unemotional position as there is 81 80.5 whatever like yeah they did way better than that and now they have some expectations yeah it won't be that now in a different level but whether it's bet 365 or or the fan base like they have a different expectation they have a different they have a different outlook maybe as to what's possible

now, I think. And I don't think that's a bad thing. I think that is what keeps some of those veterans invested as well. Okay. Let's find the points. Like Nazim Katri had a terrific year. Huberto picked it up. Like those are guys that need that type of, I think they like the pressure of that type of a setting. 83 and a half, Jack, two more points than last year. Damn it. we just subtract that last portion of our conversation. Snip that out. You know what? You're going to look really smart if they have 96 points ago.

Hopefully they win the tie break this time. Tell me about your family. This is obviously like you talk about your journey around and they're part of it. But like, man, that's, you know, you don't always want to uproot and move. And these are big decisions and you hope that they're really long-term great fits. But you've got to have great partners on this journey to do that. Yeah. You know, wives are the all-stars.

And mine is no difference. Our oldest is turning nine in October. This is his third province. So we've been around, but at the same time, we didn't know what was happening in Vancouver was going to happen. We were very thankful to go back east and have that time with immediate family and be part of a broadcast covering Ottawa. That was fantastic.

And those people are still real close with me. And so for that pocket. the kids had their, we're blessed to have the both grandparents on both sides and all the cousin time and everything. And, you know, you get an opportunity and it's unexpected. I don't think anyone saw Rick leaving. Yeah.

So you deal with it quickly, but, you know, past experience plays a little bit into it. Okay, all three children were born in B.C. So we didn't go out there with them. But we know what moving around is a lot. like a little bit. And this is, again, like whether it was noodles or three of the four guys that

three or four of the guys that I knew here that were, you know, lifelong buddies that ended up in Calgary, but it was them, you know, pretty much anyone I spoke to saying how great a place Calgary is for family. So to be able to be fortunate enough to get the job is one massive thing. You know, a lot of people putting their trust and faith in me and vice versa. But having a great place to live, you can't discount that either. So it was a big transition, but man, we've we've loved it. It is just there's so much to like here. And I'm not as much as it is a big Canadian city.

I like that there's a lot of community here. And that stands out to me. And so does all of the gorgeous outdoor activities. You know, like we're, we're bushy-tailed newcomers trekking out to Johnston Canyon. Sure, yeah. Lake Louise and you name it. We're trying to accomplish all of it, Callaway Park. So we're hitting everything we can.

And it just, it's amazing. I would say here more than anywhere else we've been, with the exception of being closer to family in Ontario. Like people are quick to try and help you adjust. Sure. You know, and man, the kindness we've experienced. from people, whether it's neighbors or people around town or even our broadcast group. Like, it's just, it's been awesome.

So super grateful to get the gig, number one. But yeah, it was really important to me that it was going to be a good place for a family. And it has been. It's been a quick year. And we're still kind of playing catch up. But, uh, yeah, three kids. You know, you know what it's like. I know what two is like.

Well, three is like. Yeah. Yeah, two came at once there. But yeah, nine, soon to be nine, seven, and four. So the good side is they have a lot of time in front of them and they've adjusted really well. Amazing. And we're in a great spot. So yeah, thanks for asking.

And that, to us, this is a, you know, I think we perhaps all take for granted if we've lived in a single place for either all of our lives or most of our lives, what it feels like to be in that situation. but when you are moving around a little bit, you recognize pretty quickly what a good situation is. Sure. And we're happy that this is, it's that way for us in Calgary. I was thrilled to hear your name announced about a year ago. I guess it was a little less than a year ago, but always admired your work ethic. And just, you know, as good as a broadcaster, you're a better person.

I'm excited to have you here in town. We're lucky to have you on the broadcasts. And let's hope you're two, maybe a little less, I guess, ups and downs in terms of the, but keep up the great work in the broadcast. We always enjoy your work and love to hang out. Thanks, man. Appreciate it, Pender. It was nice to reconnect with you.

And too much talking about me next time we'll just stick to the hockey talk. But I appreciate you. We need to do this once. Yeah, we'll bring you into BS about, you know, who's the seventh defense. That's what I enjoy. I enjoy that more. You got to get people to know the man first. Unless I'm telling people about how I fell in a fool.

I don't need to go chronologically through, but I appreciate it. Give me the chance because I think immediately, again, you love the market, you love the fan base. I love going out and meeting people in the community and being part of that community. That's a big deal to me too, which is why we're here all summer also.

We're not in the camp to just hockey season and out. But I realize that not everybody necessarily knew everything about me. So nice catching up that way, unexpectedly. And nice to be back doing this with you. Thanks, buddy. Old times. Enjoy the rest of your summer. We can't wait to get, what, game won the eighth Vancouver.

What the first game of the year might have been the most entertaining last year when they come back from 4-1. Overtime, it was wild. So we can't wait to get you back on the air. I'm sure there'll be some preseason as well. But thanks for coming in. Appreciate you. Thank you.

See, buddies. You know,