Barn Burner: Boomer & Pinder with Rhett Warrener - Peter Loubardias Talks Broadcasting Career, Flames Future & More With Boomer | FN Barn Burner

Episode Date: August 16, 2023

Boomer sits downs with the former voice of the Calgary Flames Peter Loubardias. Shoutout to this episode’s sponsors:The Hearing Loss Clinic: https://hearingloss.caMcleod Law: https://www.mcleod-law.comBK Bowfort LiquorOutdoor Dental: https://www.outdoor.dentalBon Ton Meat Market: https://bonton.caTower Chrysler: https://www.towerchrysler.comBetway: https://betway.com/en-ca/ Mad Rose Pub: https://www.madrose.pubVillage Honda: https://www.villagehonda.com/enVena Nova: https://venanova.com________________________________________________Visit  www.nationgear.ca for merch and more.Follow us on Instagram @flamesnationdotca Follow us on Twitter @flamesnation @barnburnerfnFollow us on Facebook @FlamesNationReach out to [e-mail] to connect with our Sales Team and discuss opportunities to partner with us! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hi, you buddies. Welcome to Barnburner. Good to have you along. Hope that summer is treating you well. Hopefully the sun tan and the cocktails are treating you well. We are moving our way through the summer, the summer vacation for Barnburner. We've had a lot of opportunities to have some longer conversations rather than, you know, sit and pick apart the offseason and a little bit more for the Calgary Flames, which we'll be doing over the course of time. We've taken an opportunity to sit. down with some of our friends, some friends of the show, some soon-to-be friends of the show, just kind of shooting the shit and getting into some stuff with some quality people. And we're going to do that again today. We're here in the Tower Chrysler Studios, Tower Kreiser, of course, Southern Alberta's number one, favorite, as chosen by you the people, Calgary Consumer Choice Award winner, favorite Dodge Ram Jeep dealer. Tower Chrysler, they got an event coming up that, you know what, you want me to tell you

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Now, to get on to what we're going to do for you today, our guest has not played. He has zero NHL games experience to his credit. However, he has seen more hockey than I have, and you have maybe all of us combined, whoever is watching or listening right now. Peter Labardius, longtime buddy of the radio show. I mean, he talked about years.

I met Peter, long time ago. Let's just go with that. I had spent some time in Red Deer. I'd spent some time in Edmonton. Obviously, I've been in Calgary for quite a while. I think it might even go back to my days in Brandon before Red Deere. Either way, if you cover junior hockey or you around junior hockey or any level, you knew who Peter Laudius was.

Long time, play-by-play guy in the Western Hockey League on radio, did the Memorial Cups for a long time with Sportsnet, then did Oiler games, then did Flames games, then did color commentary on Flames'Rour. radio for a long time. You know who Peter Lepardius is. He is a unique guy in that his, his memory, there's not many guys I know that have the recall like he does. Tell me about 2012, Worlded Juniors. He'll know where it was, who was on the team, who was coaching, how it went, that whole thing. And you can go even beyond that. You go back to Saskatoon Blades games and teams

from years and years gone by and he'll be able to tell you. But it's who he is. He's a unique guy. He is so caring and if you've listened to him in any capacity, you don't need to be convinced of how passionate he is. It's who he is. He loves the game. He loves sports. He loves play by play and broadcasting. And just a few weeks ago went to Twitter, I believe it was, either way, went online and announced that he was stepping away from his job as the color commentator of Flames Radio. Knowing Lou like I do, I was, what's that, shock, not surprise, surprise, not shocked, whichever one it was, wasn't surprised to see him leave, but I know what the game and broadcasting and being part, being at the rink and being part of all of that. I know what that

means to Lou. So I was, I guess, surprised or shocked, whichever the other one isn't. But I was, I was a little, I just kind of worried because I just, I know what it means to him. And I'm hoping that he was okay and reached out and we've been trying to kind of going back and forth. We're going to have a chat or whatever and I said why don't we just do this as a show well uh don't don't say anything right now let's just uh hit record and see how it goes so that's what we're doing today on a special edition of barn burner a little sit down a little one-on-one with one of the good guys peter labardius so i it's three weeks ago i'm in nashville on a plane and i see the tweet come through and any end which i'll allude to in a moment but

I got to talk to Lou. I got to talk to Lou. So I'm now going to talk to Lou. I figured rather than talk to you and then and then do a thing with you, let's just have it. Let's just shoot this thing. Let's let's just have a conversation. And let's go. So I'm on a plane somewhere between delayed flights and missed flights coming back from Nashville. And I see Lubardius on your Twitter with the see you, see you later tweet. You're out with Flames broadcast and the color comments. Terry and that. And obviously this is not something that you come to lightly or on the spur of a moment, but I guess just, because I'll be honest, my first notion, my first inkling was I was kind of worried about you because I know how much the game means to you. Yeah, yeah, yeah, 100%. So, yeah, I guess to whatever degree you're comfortable, kind of walk us through or walk me through, the decision to leave. Well, boom, I, you know, I mean, it's, it's not easy. And we've known one another for a long, long time. And, you know, I've, like a lot of us, I've poured my heart and soul into sports. I've poured my heart and soul into the business. But it's something that I've been thinking about probably for five years.

And at the end of the day, probably never had enough courage or wasn't in the right mindset or place to be able to say, I feel like I've done all there is I can do in this role in this situation. And as you know, because we could easily have this conversation in reverse, because it was only a year ago that you made a really difficult decision. And that is our business is not the same. And, you know, that's fine. I'm coming to better grips with the fact that it is different. What's valued is different.

How it's consumed is different. But I think at a certain point in time, and I mean, you know, we've never really had a long chat about your decision. But I just started to feel like I was no longer a really good fit for what the business, and I have no trouble telling you this, for what at times even my own teammates wanted or we're looking for or valued. Yeah. You're a play-by-play guy. Yeah.

If we want to strip it away, that's where your passion is. You're a great color guy. You're a great analyst because you see the game very well. And it's one thing to see it, but then to be able to relay it. And I think that's what makes a lot of the color commentators who are great. That's what makes them great. It's not that they know what's going on, is that they can bring that to the listener or the viewer. And you're very good at it.

But you're a play-by-play guy. I'll tell you what, I knew you were, even before we were, we had set this thing up, I was thinking about you. And it was just the other day I saw the highlight from the top prospects game, Funuf fighting Bissonette. And you're on the call. And it's like, it's so effortless and it always has been. It's effortless for you. There's the passion. Some guys have to worry about, make sure you bring enough emotion to the game for the listeners or for the viewers. That was the least of your worries. Ah, yes, it was. So yeah, it was, and it's not a shot against anybody you've worked with or all of that.

We all make our own decisions. You were offered the color commentator job. You take it. But if you were doing play by play, are we having this conversation today? No. Yeah. No, we're not. And there's no shame in that.

No, there's nothing wrong with that. No, no, there isn't. And, yeah, it would make it a lot different because, boom, the other thing that I probably, I probably didn't mention in my first answer was, and you know this all too well, what people don't always understand is that, you know, part of, I think, the learning for me over the last 10 or 12 years is someone who has completely been dedicated, my job, my career, has been everything to me. And so, you know, when 2011 happened and I got fired, well, it's been a real struggle for me to operate the same way ever since. And,

but you know when you live away from a lot of the people that you love and care about the most and you're running a three ring circus i think what i came to learn to boom is that now the job in its own respect means even more than it maybe even did before because now you're in calgary for eight months you're not on an island but you know, I think even about the two of us. People have families, their roles change, you know, were some of my favorite things about Calgary when you and I used to sit in that hot stove lounge after games and break it down and have laughs. Yeah. Yeah, we had all the answers. Well, well, I don't know if I had any, but I do know this. We had a great time. And that that was, that was added value to what you do.

So, you know, I did. I probably put too much pressure on myself. But yeah, would it be different? Yeah, it'd be different. For sure, it would be different because I really enjoyed doing color. And I think I did okay, all things considered. And some people, I think, would say they think I'm better at that role than the other rule. that at times was in a goofy prideful ego stupid ego way hard to deal with too as someone who wanted

to really be the next bob cole i mean that's that's really what you know and i'm not the only person who sets out to do that but that was kind of my style and passion and hope that that would carry the mail um but i learned so much about the game um i'm really glad i Like, I went in a different direction for a while. But you're right. I mean, my passion to this day. I mean, I just finished calling 45 games at the Brick and the Canada Cup of softball in two weeks. That's a half an NHL season in 13 days.

Now, was that a little much? Probably. Am I 25? No. But boom, as you know. And, I mean, you know, we could go. it but there is nothing for me and it doesn't matter if it's tidling winks out in the backyard i love calling live sports in in that particular way and so it might it might be different but

it wouldn't take away there's still other things that i would have had to think about a lot yeah as we as as you move your way through life there's different priorities for sure and it will We'll get into that, I suppose. But I'll say this, there's nothing, you're still extremely fortunate because you know what makes the needle move for you. You know what makes you tick. And that's, that's play by play. And like you say, it could be Tiddly Winks or it could be the NHL playoffs, whatever it is. But you know what it is.

There's a lot of people. And I kind of find myself in this spot a little bit right now. For a long time, I knew what I want to. to do so you hear about you know you get up in the morning and you do this and you chase down that goal and you go after it i'm almost at a point in my life for the first time i don't know what that is i don't know what i'm racing towards anymore it was you know it was radio it was sports in some vague way and then it was tv and then it was back to race so i'm i i said i want to be in the chase again i'm willing to put the work in i don't know what i'm chasing a little bit right now i'm kind of

getting in that area of your life where I'd like to work a little less and you'd like to make a little more whereas I'm kind of doing the opposite so there's I think it's awesome that you know what it is that drives you and that you made this decision it it is but boom I think the thing that I should share too and and you know that um I love sports I love talking sports I love being at the rank. I love being like, I mean, it's pretty evident in how I live my life. I think what I've, I've kind of come to learn more than it, you know, and my sister said this to me about 10 years ago. She goes, I think you're in the wrong business. And I, and what she said was, I think you probably should have been a coach or in management. Because as you know, I mean, it's always been really

important to me every step of the way where I've been to try to help or to mentor or, you know, pass along my experiences like you. I mean, we care, you know, the great synergy for us, I think, over the years was we care desperately about the craft and trying our best to do it the right way. I think, and I can't speak for you, but for me, when the focus became less about team in our business and more about individuals, that's where it started to go kind of south for me in terms of what am I doing? And the great learning for me is, I don't care if you're calling the NHL. I don't care if you're traveling around. When are we happy? Well, I know when I'm happy. I'm happy when I'm doing things I love to do with people I love to do it with. And for that, I have

have been outside of a couple of situations incredibly fortunate. But that's been the great learning, even after, you know, and with my buddy, Sam, you know, I had the greatest thing going for six or seven years. You have one of your best buddies and you're traveling together and you see it the same way. And as you know, he's an awesome person and everybody loves Sam. But that's the part I think, boom, not that I missed it. But we're so focused on the end of the journey that do we really stop and go, why do I really like doing this? Like, what is it?

And yeah, for me, and that's never going to change. Is it the two and a half hours that I like the most still when the game's on? Yes. And of course, doing a game in a studio, I didn't hum and ha. I didn't bitch about it. because I saw it coming. I knew when we did it that way in COVID, there was a great chance it was going to stay.

Yeah, and what you're talking, just so people know what you're kind of getting at, is there no traveling for road games. So you were doing... No traveling for road games, yeah. 41 games at the Saddle Dome, and then 41 games from a boardroom. Yeah.

And that's also, in a way, and I know talking with Derek Wills, who was your partner, it's not what you signed up to do when you took the job. it can sound selfish or whatever, but that's not the job. Maybe if it was you're doing games at the dome and the rest from a boardroom, maybe you don't sign up in the first place. So it changes the whole experience and the whole everything about it is different because of that.

Yeah, it is. And the thing for me is being in the rink is or being at the park is everything to me. Yeah. Like that matters more to me than actually calling a game, which I think is why I still have great interest at some point in my life of scouting again. Because I love to be at the rink. I love to watch young people get better. I love learning about the game.

I tell people all the time, I'm the luckiest guy in the world. I've gone to hockey school for almost 40 years. So in some ways, maybe that's what bit me a little bit. was always more for me and always has been boom about opportunity and being at games I want to be at and be involved than it was being the voice of the Calgary Flames or the voice of this. And again, however people are driven, that's up to them. That's fine. But I don't, I want to do it in the rink.

You know, I, it's like, that's, and everything. That's the job. That's the job. Yeah. But, you know, for me and for some guys, it's about, you know, they love the lifestyle. Okay. I'm not a drinker. I'm not a partier. I go to softball games when I'm on the road. You know, like, that's the other thing I miss about being on the road was the other things that being on the road, I would sit down, as you know, in your last.

because you know that I'm not bullshitting. It's 100% true. I would take that NHL schedule every year in June, and I would spend three days going, who's playing here? Where are we on this off night? Is this team going to be at home? Like, that was a big thing for me.

And even in my own life with Nats, you know, those little get-togethers to, even though you're still working, it's not like she comes in, But that's gone too. So you miss that little chunk of her coming to Philly or Dallas or California. You know, so there's lots of different things for me,

way more about the fact than just doing the hockey. But I would never have wanted to be in this business period if it meant being on the air, but I can't be at the rancor at the park. Yeah. There was no one who looked more. forward to that schedule coming out than Peter Labardius because it was all right so how is this going to what's the travel schedule how are we going to how are we going to loop in some NCAA basketball how are we going to loop in some freaking bean pot hockey when we're in Boston or something and because

you're right the nightclubs or parties was not what it was for you which is how can I loop in more sports you're the you're the biggest sports fan I've ever met in my life. life and that's and it's a compliment you you've said it before there could be some and you talked about it with tiddly wicks but it's true and i think that's what people why people love you is there could be a if there's some people compete in somewhere let's let's take a look let's see what's all about that's no one else has that fuel or that passion that i've ever experienced quite like you and i think it's awesome and and it's never and you know and because as i get older there are some things I don't know if this stuff still matters to me or this stuff still matters.

It matters as much to you now as it ever has. And that's awesome. That's good. It's good. Yeah, you know what, boom? I will say this, though, and I haven't said this to many people. If I could do it over again, I'd do lots of things different because I think it's, like most things, yeah, it's been a huge strength. There's no question.

I haven't done the things in my career because I was overly blast or overly gifted or had the world's greatest voice or any of that. I mean, it was. It was showing up in places that a lot of other people weren't prepared to show up. And that's how I built relationships and trust and respect. I'd even say even more about respect than relationships. Because unlike other people, there aren't a lot of NHL people on the phone wanting to have. hang out with me. But what I've always had is I think they've always known whether they agreed with my opinion, disagreed, thought I was nuts, whatever. No one was questioning whether I was

showing up to do the work. And that's been like going back to my days in Estevan when it all started almost 40 years ago, that has served me boom better than anything. And frankly, I got away from that a little bit. The third annual Honda and Acura show and shine is coming to Village Honda. Save the date August 26th, a Saturday as the finest Hondas and Acuras in the city will be on display.

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The reason I stayed at the job that I was at for as long as I did was because of my pride and my ego. That's the honest to goodness truth. It's, and I still feel this way, do I think I belong in a booth in the best league in the world? Yeah, I do. There's no question I do. But I, I, we get so focused on whether it's, you know, the job or how we're viewed. Um, you know, as my sister said to me recently, she goes, could you, you're a guy who generally is in a business that we're always looking for other people's validation to tell us whether we're good or not. Yeah.

Well, for me, with my upbringing and who I am and what I struggle with, I'm not sure I could have picked a worse situation in that respect. And especially since social media came along, because now everybody does have a forum. to tell you, you know, and I have one feeling about social media, and it is not changed. And that is, first of all, it's not social media's fault. What it's really done is exposed humanity for what it is. And whoever cares to listen, I say this, if you're going on social media looking for the good stuff, you better be okay with the bad. No, I don't even, I just got to the point where I wasn't believing anything positive and I was taking everything negative completely to heart.

And eventually you get to a point, well, maybe that's, maybe that's not the way it should be. And because people will tell you that. But as far as the business is concerned and how it's changed, that is always how it's been, though. If you were at the highest level, it had to be because you were the best at what you did. And if you were middle of the pack, then you had things to strive for. You work at getting better. And it's just never been, it takes a while. That's certainly how I felt when I got into it.

but you get to a certain point where you look around and you have enough, I guess, just confidence or just ability to recognize what's happening. And it's not that I'm as good or better than that person who is here. It's just the way it is. And hiring practices change and just right place, right time, who, you know, it's the world we're in. But I guess, and that's not even what we need to talk about. But I do think about, because it's hit me a few times, there is that shot to the ego and that pride. when you leave something that is considered to be a prime position or whatever.

And then there will be a few things that will come your way. Whether for you it'll be a training camp or trying to go to a game or something, that'll be like, I don't do that anymore. I don't have the luxury of that perk or that benefit anymore. Those are hard. but it's like anything else. You take the good with the bad and you do move on. And I haven't really got into it yet.

So you've walked away from one part of your career. What are we doing now? Well, I'm still really in the middle of trying to piece it all together. I have had, for the most part, a great time working with the guys at HN Live and doing all the different amateur sports and being in the rink every night and connecting with people and is that my old friend calvin bellows calvin bellos yeah calvin bellows is a it was a genuine great human um you know he's in the good people category for sure um but you know now hn live just for people that made up so hn live online broadcast of sporting events

Whether it's baseball hockey, they're doing everything. Yeah, yeah. I mean, it's mostly hockey. But yes, it's live streaming of amateur sports. And I love amateur sports. And for me, it's always driven me fricking crazy, as you know, that more people don't see value. And the truth of the matter is, it's a hard fight. And it's a hard struggle.

And it's never been more difficult, I think. think to convince people of those things because you know i don't know if you've thought about this boom but we have so much at our disposal now nothing is special anymore we can see everything we get everything this thing generally supplies us with enough knowledge for people to think they know everything there is to know even though they've only been in it for about eight seconds so i have i have had incredible gratification and satisfaction of not only calling the games, but whether it's some of the young people getting into the business that I deal with, you know, I'm really in almost like, well, I mean, I'm in a management role in a lot of ways over there. And, you know, I really

enjoy it because I think at this point what I'd really like to do is take my years and try to give back and help potentially mentor young people in a way that I don't think they always see value in and it doesn't have to be my way but I do know like you said whether it's a confidence whether it's an experience, whether it's having done pretty much every major event I could have ever hoped for and a hundred things more, I've worked with the best of the best. I've been in every single market size in this country. You know, I want to share it. Yeah. And that's one of the reasons I left, boom, is I didn't really feel like what I was bringing to the table. was being received in the way that i thought had value now did i always message it right no um

did it always did i always want it to be the way i wanted it to be in part but i think we all struggle from the fact that if we have done things and we have accomplished things and you're not getting the reception in part that you think should be worthy, that's hard. But what I've had to learn is that my journey isn't why I do it or why I like to do it or what drives me isn't the same for you necessarily. It's not the same for the two guys that I just spent the most time with. So I've had to learn and have had great help from both Derek and Pat to understand how do you try to negotiate with people who value different things and draw satisfaction from things that you don't necessarily see or value? And that was kind of a first for me in my career. That's the honest to goodness truth.

Yeah. I mean, so much has changed. And whenever a radio station or something, you know, another wave of firings happens in broadcasting people message, oh, hey, see, you're happy. You must be happy that none of that makes me happy. There's no, there's no happiness from that. If the world was still the way it was, I'd be very happy to be working for a big company and doing what you love. But it's just not the way that it works anymore. But I'll tell you what. And then we can move on a little bit. The one thing that hasn't changed is people's appetite. for sports, for content. People, I think, between whether it's fantasy football in the NFL or gambling or just, people love sports now as much as they ever have. And it's weird because of the phone,

they can get so much of it, but yet the traditional media, they get less and less of it. So it's, I mean, it's on us now to just find a different way to feed that machine, the appetite of the fans and of people that love their team. to give them that stuff. So if that means we're sitting here doing this,

or if you're streaming and not on broadcast television, then so be it. I still think that there's that desire for it. So we'll shift a little bit. But I guess before we move on, is Calgary no longer home for you? No, it's not. Yeah.

But, but, but depending on, how things play out in the next few weeks. I will certainly not be a stranger. You know, I still at this point, well, you know, HN. Live is a very Alberta-based company. I still have a son who lives and resides in Edmonton. You know, and so boom, at the end of the day, without going down another rabbit hole, which nobody's better at than me. Is part of this is about, I haven't felt for a long time

like I've actually had a home. Yeah. So Calgary was, you know, Calgary brought with it a lot of things for me, a lot. Divorce. You know, finding out my kids on the spectrum. Firing.

Changing. jobs doing a different role, working with different people. So Calgary's always going to have an incredibly special place because while it came with a lot of things that I'm not that fond of to be truthful, it came with a lot of things that I think really helped me understand my place, my role, where I fit, what's important. And even the last two years, getting back more into the community, being out in it every night at a rink or a park, that's me. That's what I love to do. And so, yeah, I'm not going to be a stranger.

I don't want to be. I think, you know, like yourself, when you spend 15 and 16 years in a market, you'd like to think that somebody might open the door and go, well, maybe we should have this guy on our show a little. little extra or once in a while or um and i think the thing i like now boom is i'm not going to do anymore what i used to do in our business when you work for other people within reason i call myself one of the great line walkers of all time you're always worried about what you're saying can you say it completely the way you want to no and my career might have been a lot different if I just flat out said things in a very direct, knowledgeable, without feeling like I had to put everything in a sandwich.

Because I'm worried about this executive or this GM or this president or, but that's part of the gig too. It is. And as you know, like that's the education that a lot of people on this don't get. If you think even today, we can go on and say exactly what we want. You're freaking kidding yourself.

We can't. Now, we can more. And I think that's why a lot of veteran people are breaking away like yourself and myself. Because there is value in authentic people. There is value in people who are different. But in our world, the minute somebody's different, you're an asshole. And it's and what else has fueled that too is that because of whatever you want to call this that we're doing online streaming podcasts because there's more and more people doing it. And as a fan, you feel like this is genuine. This is real. And it's not just because people are swearing. But you just know that you're getting you're getting something real. This is how they really feel. And then when you go back to traditional media and you feel like you're being fed a bill of goods,

people have never been they've never had access to like you say to genuine opinion or thought or emotion like they have now so i think it's even harder for god and you do you have to tow the line to a certain extent or you'll just you'll be out and it's yeah you will be out you know you'll you'll just be out they aren't going to put up with that stuff so it's harder than ever we'll we'll shift a little bit and I'll rabbit hole you at the end. But so when you look back, what was like, what was the, what do you recall? And I know with Sam, I wouldn't have known Sam Costantino as well as I do if it weren't for you. You two guys, I always thought when you talk about someone who is maybe not at the highest level, but clearly should be. Sam has always been one of those guys. It's like this guy,

his work ethic, his passion, his knowledge, his ability, he was, and still is underutilized. And felt you were the same way. But for you, as far as a career highlight or whatever you want to call it, because I always think that these maybe strike people is weird. You'd think it'd be, well, if you called the gold medal game of the Olympics and Canada wins a gold medal, that has to be your highlight. Not always. There could be a lot of stuff that makes that maybe a terrible experience or whatever the case may be. But in terms of you take the headset off, you put it down, and you just smile and laugh, it's like, that was unbelievably fun. That was awesome. Is there a moment or two? that you recall as being some of the best,

either work that you've done or the best time that you've had? Well, boom, the one moment that always comes to me is, you know, I grow up in Saskatoon. I always say that the Western hockey league is more like family to me than it is a league in many ways built so much of what I wanted to do. I think the greatest satisfaction I've ever had in my long career was my first Memorial Cup in Clona in 2004. And I'd watched every single Memorial Cup final going back to 1973. Never missed it.

And as you know, that's how the world's changed. We used to, in Canada, get one junior hockey game on television a year. the final of the Memorial Cup. So even though it was really special to do game one of that event and do my first, I got to the rink for a four o'clock start on that Sunday afternoon at one o'clock. There were no lights on. I was the only person. I mean, there might have been guys in the dressing room underneath, but I couldn't see them.

and all I could think to myself was for the last 30 years, you've been watching this game, you never missed this game, and today you get to bring this game to the country. Yeah. And, you know, it still makes me incredibly emotional. and when I lost the opportunity to do that event on an annual basis,

that's the one thing that I've probably never been able to put behind me. Yeah. So that was, that was, and I've had nothing but special opportunities and have worked with the best of the best people and awesome, awesome. but that moment in particular was just so gratifying, so emotional. So it just felt like your whole life had kind of come full circle and you did it. And I'm not sure, I'm not sure anything else. Like getting a chance to do eight games at the Olympics in 2010,

even though I didn't, you know, I was never lucky enough to kind of be on that, big stage where, you know, if you could have got your hands on two-team Canada games, because I'm still incredibly proud of the eight games that I called, and I think I called them really well because I probably knew more about Norway and Switzerland and all those, right? Yeah. But the problem is the bosses didn't give a hoot. Yeah.

Because they're focused on, so my games were like throwaways. And, but that was, I mean, so those two things in particular. And then the other thing would be in 2007, I got to go to Russia and call the Canada Russia Jr. Super Series with four games in Russia and then four games back in Canada. So those would be three, like right at the top of the ledger. Peter Klein at McLeod at 403-254-3864 or go online at macloud-lashlaw.com. You can also find them on social media at McLeod Law LLP. You know Peter Klein at McLeod Law, personal injury guy, but also he's the go-to guy in the city

for your disability insurance claims. If you're long-term disability insurance companies refusing to pay insurance benefits to you, contact Peter. He's going to help you out. He'll get you the disability benefits you paid for. and you deserve. He'll get you your peace of mind back, the peace of mind you paid for. It's time to discover or rediscover the legendary St. Eugene Golf Resort and Casino. Planning a golf trip, a romantic getaway, or maybe just some tranquility away from the city.

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when because i think i was in the building that night yes i know you um because i i often i wonder what must go through your head when you see that and then it goes down the other way and there's a goal and can you believe i just wonder what has to go through your head because to me it'd be like, what did I say? What did I just say? Did I, because this is going to, this is a crazy moment that's going to be on highlight films forever. Did I do it justice?

Did I flub? What did I say? I would instantly be second guessing whether I nailed it or not. You know, boom, I, I think it worked for me at times. And I think it in some ways worked against me. I think in how I called games, I'll be honest. I think I was probably too intense for a lot. of people. And they had a tough time with that. But the one thing I am really proud of is I think I was

able to hit high notes when high notes were there because it was very natural. And that play, you know, obviously I've seen it a million times because people are always to a certain degree. You know, I had three people even recently when I called the brick go, well, I heard you doing some of these brick games was that were you the guy that called that goal yeah i'm like yeah i was the guy that called that goal um but there was nothing about how i tried and still tried to do play by play that i don't script things i don't think about it i really don't i just i just want to react to what i see so if i got that one right and i think i did okay with it um even though our friends at TSN always seem to have a propensity to show the Dallas call of it.

But anyway, I think that might have something to do with who I've been working for. Yeah, I just, boom, every time I think about it and its reaction, it's pretty incredible. But the other part was, so the puck gets pulled out of that corner. Yeah. So people are still focused in a lot of ways on the miss. Yeah. It's the whole sequence to me that makes it so incredible. Because there's like eight seconds or seven seconds left in the game when that puck is on Jared's stole stick in the corner. The only reason he got it in the first place is because Stefan actually pulled it out to put it on his stick.

And then he rifles it 100 feet diagonally to Ryan Smith. And all I can tell you, like, I swear on my son's life, when I out of the corner of one eye saw Smith and I saw Hemsky 3, which I guess is why I said, and Hemsky's loose, you know, because that's what I saw. Yeah. Like, I knew he was going to, like, everything in me told me it was going to go in. And so I just, and I do. I think one thing that happens in our business is people get so caught up and I have to have a signature goal call or it's got to be this that they don't like my favorite play by play guys are they might not be the best sounding

or you know I like guys who make you feel and I don't know if you can be scripted necessarily and make people feel that's why I'm saying. such a huge Chris Cuthbert fan and he's as great a human as he is a broadcaster which doesn't hurt I always say Chris is everything that's right about our business when it comes to work and how he treats people and you know I got to know him during the Olympics where we were actually teammates for three weeks and he makes you feel the game yeah is it does he have the best voice in the world no To me, his preparation, his excitement, to me, that's not an act. And there are guys in the business where, like you said, they have to be pushed to get to a certain level.

It's not their fault. They just don't feel it the same way. They don't feel it or they don't have the ability to translate it into the call. They just don't have either, whether it's the pipes or it's just it's not in them to do it. And I like to think that if I didn't know you, it would still. be one of my favorite calls because it is so genuine and I'm with you in a lot of that it feels like a lot of broadcasters are just working to get their thing in I got a how do I I've got this scripted thing that if this team wins I know what I'm going to say I got to get this in and at the same time one of

the call is unbelievable which helps and then your call is so great and then Ferraro who is one of my favorite guys Ray Ferraro I think he's one of the best at what he does and I think he's He's such a great guy. He unloads on stuff. It's like just tears a strip off of it. It's so goddamn funny. It's one of my favorite calls because it's like, can you believe what we just saw it?

This is unbelievable. Patrick Stephan, you are an asshole. I can't believe what you just done. You should be ashamed of yourself. It's so great. Yeah, it is so great.

You worked with a lot of color guys too. And I know sometimes guys will put you in a easy, life is easy. and some guys make you work a little bit as a play-by-play guy. Who were some of your favorite color guys over the years? Well, I mean, to be honest, boom, I, like Sam, Sam's my favorite on-air work with teammate of all time. And that wasn't, I just think we had a pretty incredible chemistry. And I'd like to think that it showed and was really sad and it was really hard for me when I could

do that with him anymore. Well, you know what makes, you know what would make that pairing special is I think maybe a lot of guys, whether they were ex-players or whatever that might do color, this was, this might be an inconvenience. This is junior hockey. I need to get to the next level. I need to get to the NFL. For you guys, it was not, this was the biggest game that day that you wouldn't want to be

anywhere else in the world if you had a choice and you were calling the game. That's what made you guys so special together. Yeah. And I mean, we love one another. and we're great friends and, you know, and we, you know, we built something that I think was really special. The problem is not enough people at high enough levels care enough about junior hockey to, again, really probably take notice of the work that we did together. And that's fine. I get it. That's the reality. That was the fight even then is how do we make something that we love so

much, just take another step. You know, I mean, he's boom, I'm not sure there's anybody that I ever worked with in that role that I, like, John Drews was the first guy I ever got a chance to do. But, I mean, forget about that. I remember Darren Dregor doing color for me when I was the voice of the Regina Pats. And he was doing radio before he started calling the games and Brandon. So I have had nothing. Charlie Simmer was as fine a human.

You know, Ray Ferraro is as good as anyone that I've ever worked with in that rule. You know, Pierre McGuire for the three weeks of the Canada Russia Super Series. I mean, the only guy never really got a chance to work with. You know, I did games with John Garrett, who Cheach is as unique. So, yeah, I, and I took something away from every single one of those guys. And they all made me better in terms of when I got to do what they did. And I really, like this year, like, I got to do one television game of color this year. And I just enjoyed the living daylights out of it, even though I was scared.

because it's like, sorry folks, doing color on the radio and doing it on TV is not even close. Yeah. Yeah. But I do think it was very helpful to be in the other chair to understand what was going on in the chair beside you. 100%. So that was, that's the only thing I wish I could have gotten a few more touches. I would have liked to have had a few more touches on the color side at the National League level on TV. Let's talk a little bit about the flames because I think if people clicked on this thing or went to see,

oh, they're going to talk about the flames. If we don't talk about them, we are. I'm going to be wondering what the hell. As we record this, it's early August and it's been very quiet. I know that Craig Conroy at the Halenka tournament, that was one thing. I was talking with him at a charity event a few weeks ago. And he said the one thing that he wants to maintain is going and seeing the next wave of prospects play. He doesn't want to be in a spot where he's at the draft table or in these draft meetings where he's just kind of left to take other guys' word for how good these players are or how they perform.

So he's at the Helenka. He's going to all these tournaments himself to see it firsthand. So that's kind of what he's been doing. But as far as his GM work, there hasn't been a whole lot going on. I guess are you surprised that we're here? And Tifoli is really the only guy who is an X flame. No, I'm not. And the reason I'm not, boom, is, and I don't even know what to make of, you know, some of the things that I've heard in terms of all of a sudden it seems like everybody wants out and doesn't want to be around and even some of the most key people.

I think Craig is being really smart. And I think from my vantage point, people in sports get in a lot of trouble because they feel such a need to fix something before they actually take some time to assess what it is they're trying to fix. And, you know, Craig is as genuine, as gregarious. and I think whether people on the outside get this or not, sometimes when you go out and make big moves, if you don't understand the link between ownership, management, coach, and player, I don't think it works, boom. I think that's the mistake.

And again, that's easy for my chair to say. but I think in all businesses it gets in trouble when well your key people have this philosophy but your bosses see this matters so you really have to be

aligned from the top down in terms of what you want and the truth of the matter is ownership still signs the checks yeah I was going to say you hear about it all the time are you going to have autonomy are you going to be able to do things unless you own the team yeah

Unless you own the team, you do not have autonomy. You are going to have to answer to people above you. And, you know, I wonder a little bit, you know, we both know Brad Tray Living really well. I like Brad a lot. He's going to become a friend. I almost wonder when you talk about the pressure that you're under or the, I better do something. That was never Trillivings thing. It was if you got time, you're going to take it.

No one's going to, his thing was keep the powder dry. Just, hey, there's no rush. And I wonder if the one time that maybe he. would look back and say that he rushed was the Huberdo extension, just with all the outside pressures that were there, you lost Kachuk, you lost Kudrow, you can't lose this guy in a year after you make this trade. I almost wonder if Craig taking time here and not rushing, especially as a first time GM, because you know agents and other GMs are trying to screw this guy. Let's see if we can pressure the new guy and make it a big, trying to win over the fan base and

make a big deal. I wonder if this is at the end of the day the best thing for the team. and for the fans and for crazy. He needs to learn. You know, and from a different place. So you have to really be intellectually honest about who and what your team is. And so in Calgary, and I've said this for a long time on the air, is people get too excited when you have a good season and they're far too negative when it doesn't go well. Most of the time, the truth is somewhere in the middle.

middle. So in sports, we're always looking for people to fix things. Where it needs to be fixed is in your standards and who and what you believe in. So I would say, even with Brad, who like you, I'm a massive fan. I'd work for him in five minutes if he said, hey, I got a roll for you. Yeah. He'd be one of the guys in the business. I feel. I feel. I'm a massive fan. I'd work for him. I'd be, I think the only area that he went against that wasn't just that move i think it's with his coaches yeah yeah i don't know i i i can't imagine and i know that when you're in a spot like that there are things you have to say and everybody and i give pinder a hard time for it's like well why would so-and-so have said this in a press conference there's some things in a press conference

you just have to say whether you mean it or not. And remember when Jeff Ward was given the full-time job after he took over for Bill Peters on the interim and then Jeff Ward was not the guy. In all of the hockey world or landscape, God love him. But there's, and, you know, this is the guy we wanted. I don't think it was. I think you were given, you were, ownership is paying Bill Peters.

They're not going to pay huge money again to bring in somebody else. You had to, you had to go with Jeff Ward at that. that time. Also, I think he went with Gullickson and it didn't really work out. So I think that he was kind of not on shaky ground, but I don't know that he could walk in with some swagger and say, here's the guy you need. And I'll tell you why. And I don't know that Daryl was his guy either, even though I think he would lead you to believe that it was. So, right? I think that was a if I'm being as honest as I can, yeah, I think the one guy that he really wanted, was the guy that circumstance gave him no choice but to part with and that's yeah yeah i think that's

the one guy in that whole scenario and whole situation and then boom we think people don't know about brad i don't think because he's so good at what he does and represents himself with such integrity and such class Brad's an unbelievably emotional guy. You don't work as hard as he does if it doesn't mean everything to you. And so again, and I've had even tough conversations with you about Jeff Ward on the air. Here's what I'll say about Jeff, okay, and take it for what you want. And I know we're not on the same page, and that's fine. So you get to the end of that series against Dave.

Dallas. Here's what's hard about sports when people have to make decisions. So when you assess Jeff Ward's time that season, which had them playing pretty darn good hockey down the stretch, in as miserable and as hard a situation around your team as anybody could ever have. The reason I respect Brad so much is how he handled himself through the most difficult of times. That's what leadership is to me. But I truly think a big part of why Brad felt he had to move on from Jeff is what happened in game six against Dallas. And I'm not sure he could ever get by that. And was it a big mistake? It was a big mistake. No question. Jeff would be the first guy to tell you. But I do. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

But sometimes, and we do this, all of us, we get really hurt and pissed off by one thing that somebody does that we really don't like. Do we actually have the ability? And I'm not criticised. I love Brad. I wouldn't say that I'd work for him in five seconds. And I'm going to tell you, in hockey, over what I've experienced the last 10 or 12 years, that's not a long list for me. It's not. So I love the guy.

I really do. But I think it's so hard, there's so much pressure to win that comes at you, especially from above, that we all get emotional. And I know it because I'm a freaking emotional guy. And every mistake I've made in communicating with other people has been when I've cared the most and I've been too emotional. Outdoor dental is dentistry with no needles, no drills and no stress. their Salaia laser treatment is an excellent solution for people who experience dental phobia. In one to two minutes, you'll be relaxed, comfortable, pain-free, and back onto your day in minutes.

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yeah we're on freaking youtube here um remember when brian elliott had his struggles in the playoffs and let that goal he couldn't come back and it sounds like it's one of those you know you know hot takey type stuff you couldn't bring brian elliott back and to that point i i'm i don't know that you could bring jeff ward back because jeff ward didn't have a rich history of head coaching experience to draw from that this was well this is one you could call it maybe a mistake or this is one thing that went poorly for him but look at all the other stuff there was no track record there to to boy him in the court of public opinion but but there there that's what i have an issue with is to be honest i don't give a rats you know what about public opinion i don't and i think it influences a lot

of people and I think it makes a lot of decisions that wouldn't be made if they were not under the scrutiny that they are and I trust me I could give you two very pertinent examples I'm not going to do that today it's not in my best interest where and again it's it's not about people what we all have to understand is it's hard the best people who care the most people who care the most and are most invested, usually are the most emotional. And it's hard. And if we listen, that's the world we live in today. Oh, yeah.

Be genuine to what you believe in. And that'll take you a long way. When you start caring about public perception and who's going to react this way and what are the media going to say about your coaches, are they going to be on board? Well, let's take a little look at the, last string of coaches and how people feel when that last coach came in and how some of the same people were feeling about that coach by the time it was over. And the other thing is, boom, at the end of the day, I'm telling you, the modern player

doesn't give a shit about track record. They don't. And they generally don't like the fact that people who are demanding. demanding and I'll ask a lot because they're not used to it. No. And so I know you know. I know it in our business. When you're a veteran person and you know quite a bit or you think you know quite a bit,

they're not interested. They see you as hard to deal with. They're hard to work with. I worry a little bit. I worry a little bit about Huska this year because he's such a good guy and I think he can he's going to be a good coach but if there is part of that room that feels like they can exhale now it's okay well now we can relax because Sutter the you know the the bad guy he's gone now we've got a good guy and we can really just kind of ease into this

thing now I hope that part of that is true I hope that life is a little bit easier on some people around there but I also hope that it doesn't work against him what what's I guess what would be your biggest concern for Huska coming into year one here? I have one concern that people don't focus on what he isn't and focus on what he is. And what he is is someone who has a great track record. He's coached at every level. He's incredibly professional in every single way that he does his business. and he is tougher than people think from what they see on the outside.

And so if the minute something goes wrong, as it is in Calgary, sorry, it's always about the coach or it's always about the goalie. No, it isn't just on those people. So if people actually give him a chance to go through this process, I think he has a chance to be one hell of a coach. And yes, do I like him? Absolutely. Do I respect him more importantly? Absolutely.

Have I known him for a long time? Yes. Do I think he has the modern day combination, even with the media, even at times with me, I think the greatest leaders boomer do this in all walks of life. Give you shit without making you feel like it. And I think he's got that going on. And with the modern day athlete, that's, if you can get to there, because you're dealing with a lot of egos and a lot of money

and a lot of different guys making different money. Team. We've lost team And the more people are separated by salary Then if you're a third or fourth liner Whether you admit it to yourself or not At a certain point you're like Well, this guy's getting 10 million

And I'm getting a buck and a half This guy better start getting it done Yeah That's what causes, hey, you know it It's no different in our business This guy's getting a hundred grand and somebody else is working their ass off for 40. And we don't necessarily see the value

and those people get more or better opportunities than we are what happens. Yeah, I don't. It's not hockey. It's life. And there's so much with the Hannafin stuff and Lindholm and everything else to figure itself out here. It's hard to kind of predict what this season's going to look like.

So it's, I don't imagine that if there's trades to be made, it's going to be strictly for futures. They're going to want players that are going to be able to step in now. So that puts you in a unique spot. I don't know. It's so easy to say rebuild. And we've said it on this dumb show that we do is just get some young guys and get young. And I know that there's an appetite by some even inside the walls there to get young in a hurry. But I don't know, I don't think the appetite's there.

And I don't think it always works either. So there's definitely arguments to be made. But I guess with that in mind, without having any idea who's on the team this year, what's your best guess for what this year holds for Calgary? Well, I think Calgary will be in a situation where they will have gone from having great expectation. They're always on that teeter-totter. It's like one year they're good. And so the next year they come in with high expectations,

and they don't live up to the expectations. Then it goes in reverse and they benefit from not from falling off the earth, but they were never as good as they probably were viewed in other situations. So what I would say is I think they're going to benefit from a couple of things. I think there's a few key players who weren't going to work under the old coach. And that's not to say that I don't have great respect. for Darrell. Darrell is the arguably

smartest hockey person. What goes on in that mind is at a different level. But I don't think some of their key guys are going to miss how he communicated and how that made them feel.

And I think, and I'll use Huberto, I've known Jonathan since he was 17. He's a fricking proud guy. But Jonathan, Huberto probably didn't get a chance to say this with you. Jonathan Huberto was fired. He was fired by the Florida Panthers.

Fired. He gave everything he had his whole professional career. He lived in a great place. He was coming off his best year. He got fired. He's a caring, sensitive, classy guy that had no confidence. and then found himself in a Canadian market where he was reminded every day of how bad he was.

I think this summer will do him the world of good. Yeah. If he had the ability, because what most of us aren't always good at doing, how much responsibility do you take as an individual for when things don't go your way? or is it always somebody else's fault? Or they don't get you.

No, maybe you don't get you. So I have a lot of faith. I'm not saying he's coming back with a buck 15, but I'm going to tell you he'll be closer to a point of game. I really, I really believe that. I want to wrap it up here because I know you've got, you have some stuff to do, but I wanted to bring it back around

and I talked about one last, maybe one last rabbit hole we might go down. Okay. There was a, there was a photo on, we talked about social media, but there was a photo that I saw a couple weeks ago on social media. And it, I don't know where I was. It didn't, it doesn't matter. But I just, I remember, I smiled. And like, that's the best. And it was the shot of your son and you go into a NASCAR race.

Because I know, going to a, because I know that this has been one of the things, your son from a young age has loved. of monster trucks and cars and racing. And I got to think from being a dad myself, when you can do for your kids something that you know means so much to them, there's no better feeling in the world. You can talk about professional and jobs and all that. When you're a dad and you can do something for one of your kids, your son or daughter, that you know is a life event,

it doesn't get better. What can you tell me about that day? with you and Kael going to the racetrack? Well, I think one of the great memories was it was his Christmas present. So, no, it was his birthday present. It was his birthday present. Because his Christmas present was going to the World Junior for the last two days, which I made a little stake in.

And he's fallen in love with that tournament. Thank goodness. But I gave him, and I have a video of it. I gave him those tickets on his birthday in June, and Boomy just stared at him for an hour. No way to. And as only my kid on who is who he is, no way, no, no, no, dad, no, this isn't happening.

No, no, no, no, no, no. So I might have enjoyed that as much as, he's, you know, and again, he's a Kyle Bush, massive Kyle Bush fan. So the first part of the race extravaganza was Saturday morning at the truck race, which Kyle Bush won. So there he is. First ever time he's seen that kind of competition with his own two eyes and his guy wins. Well, we might as well.

just jumped right back in the car, drove the seven and a half hours back from the Poconos. And because it was, yeah, I mean, it, yeah, it's yeah. The thing I've had to get better at,

though, and I don't know if you experience this as a dad, but if people are telling the truth, we want our kids to love a lot of the same kind of things that we do to create that bond. And because that is where a bond is created.

I describe NASCAR for the majority of my life as put a penny in the toilet and flush. That's NASCAR. So my kid, because I'm not a racing guy, I've never been, I'm a team sport guy, first and foremost.

But seeing his joy and his passion and his knowledge and his love of it has shown me that while he's on the spectrum, and I for sure am, if somebody digs in this crazy brain far enough, we're very similar. We like what we like, and we like it a lot, and when we're really invested,

so I've had to get better at going, this isn't about you, you donkey. This is about him. And so I'm just enjoying him, whether, and I, and the other thing, is boomed for me. I'm not a house guy. I'm not a car guy. I'm an experience guy. So any kind of opportunity I get to create an experience that I know is going to stay with my son, I will do it every chance I get. Hey, guys, it's Pender time for another betway bet of the day. I'm diving into the futures market for Major League Baseball, where we're starting to get a pretty clear picture of who the contenders

are and aren't after the deadline last week. I love what the Orioles have done. They add Filarity a starting pitcher to the rotation that was just okay. Great bullpen. And I talked about it yesterday. I really liked them to come out of the American League. How about this?

Probably one of the top two or three teams in baseball right now, the Orioles, paying 11 to 1 to win the World Series. That math don't make sense to me. So let's jump all over it and take advantage. Plus 1,100 for the Baltimore Orioles to win the World Series. That's my Betway bet of the day.

Grab the app, get it on your phone. 19 plus Ontario only bet the responsible way, betway. I was really happy for you because I know that, you know, like you say, he's in Edmonton and you're not and that whole thing. And that can be really hard. So when you have a chance to make those moments count, you do your best. And I just, I knew what it would mean to him. And I knew what it had to then in turn mean to you.

yeah it was it was really yeah as excited as he would have been you'd have been bursting with pride and uh we do these things we had staging on recently and i get emotional talking to him i got emotional talking to reggae and i don't know how when i when i was getting ready for this and i'm not looking to get you emotional but i i've seen i've known two different peter labardius's in my life there was the first guy who on game day suit tie pride in the locker room getting ready for the game after the game sitting around very much a not a confit but you just you were doing what you should be doing you felt you could just tell there was a you felt good about yourself and everything was right and then probably for the last i don't know

five six years and with coven and everything else my life i haven't seen as much of you but there was the peter who was trying to be the peter that he was you were still trying to I'm okay no everything's good I'm everything's good but if you knew the first guy you knew the second guy was fighting it my hope for you is that you get back to that first guy now even everything's different but the fact that you know what drives you and you know what you love that you get back to that because that guy is is one of the luckiest guys going because he he has something that drives him more than anything else and to be able to do it not many people have that some people don't even know what drives them you do and to be able to do it so i hope you get back to that

because i it's not that i felt bad it's not that i felt bad for you but i've just and i see it from myself in a certain way you were you weren't in the right you weren't in that right spot and you were trying to make it work and no matter you there was no way it was going to work because it just wasn't who you are and you gave it you know god on good on you for trying to fight the good fight and to make this thing work, but it just, it wasn't who we are. No, you're right. It wasn't. But as I said earlier in the show, and it's an incredible observation, and I thank you

for it, even though it's somewhat hard to hear, but it's true. I had to go through that to kind of understand it. And I'll tell you, unpacking it has not been a lot of fun. because, you know, one of my two best buddies in the world, the night I got fired, said to me, you do realize that you're not your job, right? Boom, I can honestly tell you until about two years ago, I was. And it was everything. Everything.

And I put every ounce into it. And then 2011 was a death. Like people can say whatever they want. But where I came from what it meant, how I invested, what it gave me in my life, to have somebody tell me that I wasn't good at what I cared about being really good at, it took me the better part of a decade to be okay with it. And now I'm more okay with it. And I also, I don't say this to many people,

and I don't know if I've ever said it publicly, but we've been friends for a long time. I had to get to a better place to understand that if I want to keep all the good people, I got to do better. And doing better generally means, doing different. Yeah. And different is hard. Oh. I am the king of the comfort zone. And there are certain things that come with what I used to do that to this day, I, oh, you must be so happy. You're

doing your own thing and say, yeah, but you know what? There's still some things that as a, as you get older and you're used to it and that's just the way life spins. Oh, I kind of miss that. But as you go through it, you realize I can, I can do it. this other way. It's not the way I was used to or that the way I enjoyed, but this way's okay. And the more you do it, you realize maybe this is, yeah, what people say is better. So I'm just, I know what's going to work out for you. I see you with your son. I see you doing play by play again. I see you with with Nancy who's you, it's common. It's, you're getting there. You've broken through in a very short amount of time. And it, it takes a long time sometimes to get to that.

point. So I'm super happy for you. I know you're going to, I'm going to see less of you. And I haven't seen a lot of you in the last few years anyway, just because how our lives have been. But I'm super happy for you because I know that I know how hard it all would have been for you. But I also know how right all of this is for you to do. Yeah, it is. And I think the thing that we all learn, and I know that you've learned this too, is we have to kind of get it out of our head that it's ever going to be completely comfortable. It's not how the world works. So be focused on what you are. And if you're resilient, that's a pretty good thing.

And if you're resilient, you're always going to find your way. And that's what our world's all about. One of my favorite people. Thanks, pal. It's a, you know, it's a short list. You should be very, you should be very honored to be on that list. I am on, I, I don't, I was always on that list for a while. No, no, I don't.

I've always been happy to be on that list. Yeah, because I don't like a lot of people. No, you know what? I hate a lot of people. Yeah, yeah. Neither do I. As Mike Toast said about me a long time, he goes, Peter, you don't like people. You like your people.

Yeah, you're right, Mike. Yeah, yeah. Be well, buddy. I know we'll see you soon. Okay. Take care. You too.