Empty Netters Podcast - 50. Wii Sports with Kirby Dach

Episode Date: August 23, 2023

Kirby Dach of the Montreal Canadiens joins the boys to explain why playing for Marty St Louis and playing with Cole Caufield means hockey has never been more fun. He dishes about the secrets to grocery shopping with Brent Seabrook, why the atmosphere in Montreal is second to none, how to rank the best country songs, and he just might have his signature goal celly figured out. (0:00) - Intro (02:08) - What's up with Zegras (13:01) - Kirby Dach Interview (15:16) - Anthem Superstition (19:01) - World Juniors (22:08) - Living with Seabrook (28:28) - Traded to Montreal (35:06) - Marty St Louis Effect (38:40) - Goofing with Cole (44:06) - Molding Your Game (50:02) - New Goal Celly (1:00:53) - Pass Shoot Score   SUBSCRIBE TO OUR YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuf52MHW1O7guPMzsMvv2kA FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/empty.netters/?hl=en FOLLOW US ON TIKTOK: https://www.tiktok.com/@empty.netters   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome, welcome back to another episode of the Empty Netters podcast. Baby! God, it feels good to be here. I know. I'm talking like we haven't been here in a while. I've been here all summer. We've been here the whole time. But we haven't done an intro in a little bit.

We've just been buzzing. Buzzing with great guests. But guess what? We got another great guest on this podcast. Unbelievable. Number 77 in your programs. Number three off the draft board in 2019. Number one in your hearts in Montreal.

Kirby Doc of the Montreal Canadiens joins this podcast. He's the fucking coolest guy ever. He's truly a certified homie. Dude, a certified homie. Like, he just wants to be sick at Puck and hang out with his boys. And that's all I've ever wanted in my whole life. Me too. He's just such a cool ass dude.

And he's also, I love getting guys on the show who so. so clearly are in a great spot, a great place mentally, he's about to pop off. I think he's going to have such a monster year. If you play fantasy hockey, I would keep big time eyes on Kirby. I think Kirby's looking at a 65, 70 point season coming up here.

It pisses me off that the Blackhawks went so nuclear on a rebuild, like literally dock out, to brink out, like just blow up everything in the hopes that like, in a few years from, now, we'll get Badaard. Yeah.

And then they just, Betman rigged the draft and they just did. I know. So get fucked. But the, I still hope they feel a little pain watching how good Kirby Doc is about to be coming. Yeah, yeah. Oh, I think they definitely will because he is, he's a weapon.

He's going to be, he's going to have such a good year and he's just such a good dude. So awesome stuff. What else you got going on before we get into that, though? It's quiet. It's the off season. It's the off season. It's not going on. Um, still a few big,

let it. I think you're about to bring up what I wanted to bring up. Do it. Bring up the RFAs. Yeah. Bring up the RFAs. Still a few big RFAs just sitting there. Like once we hit August, I like forget about free agents.

Yeah. You know, I'm like, oh shit, July 1st, whatever the fuck. And then the names go and then there's a few like Teresankos that haven't gone. And then like, then they all go. And now it's August 15th, dude. And I'm like, yeah, we're done here. Yeah. But we're not.

Dude, the big one is Trevor Zincos. Ziegress. Evan Bouchard on the Edmonton Oilers is a sleeper too. Yeah. These are, there's, there's several RFAs who are still not signed. Zegris and Bouchard are the two biggest ones. I tweeted this. By the way, go follow us on Twitter. Uh, seriously. Uh, please. Um, no matter what happens with that, no matter what contract Ziegs gets, which he will get, this is just such a dumb move by the ducks. Like, Zegris is actively annoyed. And I just don't, what's the point? What's the point of annoying him? It's such a dumb situation because, you know, they'll give him, what a Terry just signed, seven by seven. Seagris is going to get eight by eight is what I would guess.

Something around that. And I just, you've got 19 mil in cap space. Why are you upsetting Trevor Zegris? Unless this is a situation where Ziegs is being like this, I want eight by ten or eight by 12, in which case I am like, okay, now we do have a problem. But I just think you should be very, very, actively trying to get a great deal here. Agree. Well, how old is Zegris? I believe Trev is 22 years old. Is it too?

I think so. Look that up. I'm gonna look right now. Yeah, he's 22. Because if I'm him, I don't want an 8 by 8 because then I'm getting 8 mil a year till I'm fucking 30. And if you believe in his trajectory,

which we both do, and certainly I would imagine he believes in his own, I'm like wrong. If you don't want to pay me 10, 12 now, I kind of get it, by the way. Yeah. Like, he's scoring 60 points a year, right? So if I'm Zegris, I'm like, I'll take four years at eight right now and then get fucking paid when I'm 26.

Yeah, I wonder if that's the issue. I mean, here's the deal, dude. Eight by eight is getting paid. Oh, yeah, yeah. You never work again. You never work again. Also, Trev is one of the most marketable guys in the world. He's raking millions of dollars currently with deals and shit like that.

And I'm not saying, don't get, go get paid. but you know I think Troy Terry signing seven by seven is a cool like I believe in the project here you know you got killer just joined the team Fowler still holding it down it sounds like Gibson wants to be traded which is brutal yeah I mean I don't know but but no but you know what's a good call by you is and and we saw Boston just say it on chicklets recently with building this devil's team of like you've got to leave crumbs right like you can't be out here taking it so and I think I think Zegris is better than Troy Terry. No offense, Troy Terry.

I think he's also tremendous. But I'm just saying if you see Troy take seven, who's also young, and then I know Mason needs a deal coming up, you know, like if Zegris takes eight, maybe Mason goes, yeah, okay, I'll take seven, you know, and like now you've got something versus if Zegris is like, give me fucking 12 right now, fuck you. That's what I'm saying. And Mason's like, give me a billion dollars, you know, and then it just. Say what you want about their, you know, failure to win the big one.

but you look at the last eight years of Bergeron, Marchand, Creachy, Rask, all, and pasta for a spell, all under 7.5 mil. Yeah, if you're the ducks looking at this new wave and you can get Zegris, Terry, and Mason, all under 8, or 8 or under, 8.5 and under, that's a great core. Especially with the, you know. Capp going up. Yeah, yeah. So, yeah, got to keep an eye on that. Bouchard is a big one in Edmonton. They've got a brutal cap situation.

They've got so many high paid players, so you wonder what happens with that. But wild stuff. So it's, you know, there's shit going on in the league. And also, here's the deal, dude. It's a new day and age. If you want to leave a team, you can get traded, bro. Yeah, yeah, true. I get Zieg's being like, yeah, you know, pop off for four years and then at 26 sign a fat one.

But like, you can still sign a fat one at 30. Like if Zegers plays eight years just ripping a point per game status is the face of the ducks, you're going to sign at least another five-year monster deal at 30 years old. Guys are coming into their prime now in this type of age. It's crazy. Yeah, I'm excited. I think it'll mostly be, I think he's, I would guess his biggest mental hurdle, even though I just said, like, I would want to get paid more.

His biggest mental hurdle is, um, the performance of the team. Like, I think he's just like, do I? I don't think Trevor likes being on a bad team. Same. And, and I, that's not a knock. I mean, it's, I get it. You're a phenomenal player. you've won pretty much everywhere you've ever played,

which is the case with a ton of these guys, and you're on a struggling team, that blows. Yeah. So you've got to fight through this adversity right now. But be part of it. Be part of the build. 100%, dude. I got to stop real quick and just say that Howie's hat is sick.

Bro, Howie's... I've got a Howie's puck right here, too. Look at this. That's money. Howies make sick tape. Brigh had one of the sickest Howie's shirts on I've ever found. I'm gonna wear it tomorrow. Yeah.

It's such a fire shirt. Yeah. They dapped us up with the greatest care package ever. This had shirts, hats. And truly, this isn't, I'm not like doing an ad here. That is fire. That hat is so fire. I have the white one.

And I just, it's so. And I already had a Howie's hat that has like the tape swivel of AH, which is a cool hat. It's a cool hat. This is a fire hat. I was actually jealous when Dan was wearing the white hat and I had the shirt. I was like, I got a fucking on the hat. We'll get you a hat, dude. Oh, let's go.

They're the homies. It's such sick hat. The shirts are fire. They give us pucks. They gave us all the tape in the world. I'm a big lover of the cloth tape. Golf teas. Yeah, yeah.

Golf in last Friday. I was actually mashing with those teas. That's one of the best I've hit the driver in a long time. Just such sick. But their shirts are sick. Their hats are sick. You left out the best part, dog. The candles?

Yeah. Yeah. Their wax is... Their wax smells so good, and they sent us candles that smell like the wax. It's fucking so sick. It's fucking so fire. I had one more thing. I wanted to talk about this NHL Top 100 list.

Oh, sure. Yeah. Brian's already laughing. Why's even like branding about it? Every Tuesday we are dropping the next 10 in our NHL top 100. It's been a blast. The engagement's great, as always. Spoiler alert, McDavid's 13.

Dude, this is me talking to the fans and the followers, who I love dearly. You all know that. You have no idea how hard this list is to make. Because here's the thing, dude. Every time this list comes out and you guys see one of your fan favorite players and you go, the disrespect to so and so. Dude, we're calling these players top 100 players in the league.

At this point, one came out today. We're recording this on a Tuesday. Those fucking lists, dude, we're now in the top 70 players in the league. There's no such thing as disrespect when you're being called the top 70 player in the league. And whenever you say someone needs to be higher, that means someone needs to be lower.

Yeah, yeah. Someone not named Jets got to come down. Give me a fucking break, guys. We're doing this for you. Well, no, hold on. Hold on. No, no, no, no, yell. Because I slightly disagree with you.

Because, you know, it's... I do love it. The only thing to argue against myself for a second, we didn't fucking pull this out of our ass. Like, I wasn't just throwing names at the fucking wall. We looked up a ton of lists, a ton of experts, a ton of fancied. Like, we pulled a ton of data and then moved names around to what we thought. It is very much our list, for sure.

Yeah, this is our opinion. So we deserve some flags. because I'm like, what the fuck do I know? You know, like, yeah, I think Caner might not even fucking play next year. I tried to get Kane off the list completely this year. The only reason, everyone mad that Kane 64, Dan, you have Dan to thank that he's even on the fucking list because I don't think he's going to play.

But, so I'll take some flat because we don't know shit, but Dan's biggest point is correct in that the players, certainly at this point forward, the players on this list are fucking dope. So it's really hard to look at guys. And you're like, oh, Larkin is Ben, Kyle Connor and I'm like, I don't know, dude. They're both nasty. I'm trying to fucking figure it out. My favorite was last week we put, we put the list up and Alex Petrangelo's in there.

And people are going, you guys, Petro is a top 15 defenseman in the league. And we're like, we know, we know. He's like 12. On our list. He's the 12th and highest team man on our list. You're forgetting there's a lot of good forwards in this league as well who are also on this list. Yeah, so. But it is, it is hard as fuck.

I will say too, though. and I did this with a lot of guys not just Bruins either like guys I just like a lot fucking check the stats before you say something when you come at me when you come at me to chirp

oh my god how is Jeff Skinner on this list and you don't realize that he just had an 85 point season and is a machine and then you go whoops sorry I didn't realize I didn't check his stats dude check the game notes

before you come chirping about something here's a good one we just had Johnny Toadrags Johnny DeVare's on I think in this batch He just went out in the 60s, right? Let me ask you a question. Yeah. Yeah, a lot of people mad about Johnny Toadrggs.

A lot of people mad about Johnny Toadrags and Mark Schifley. So, dude. Let me ask you a question. Yeah. How many point per game seasons do you think Johnny Toadrags has had in his career? I don't know. Five. Five.

How many do you think Mark Schifley has had? Two. Six. How many of those do you think were in a row? Six. Six. Yeah. Also, how many goals do you think Shifley had last year?

year. You know, you can say it. Forty-two. He had over 40 goals. Yeah. Dude. Also, how many years younger is Shifley than Tavaris? Three. Three, yeah. So if you're in the comments getting mad about Shifley being better or higher than Tow Draggs, check the game. And here's the thing, not even comparing them, dude. I would say that I got, and by the way, I don't watch a ton of Jets games. I don't know a ton about Shifley. I don't watch, when Towdrax is on the Islanders, they sucked. They got good when he left. And then I feel like they're always underperforming in Toronto. I had a ton of

Toronto fans that are like, Tavares sucks now. The fact that everyone's like, get him down, when I'm looking up Tavares' his stats and he's fucking dropping 76 points every season for a billion years in a row, and Schifley's going to point per game six years in a row and then 40 tucks this year. These guys are dope, dude.

Everyone's like, that guy's in the 90s, and I'm like, not really, dude. He's pretty sick. So, have a look at it. All right, let's not waste any more time. Let's hop into this Kirby Doc interview. Again, what an unbelievable guy, total homie, had a blast. I am a Heps fan now.

It's fucking rattling. Don't even hate it. All right, well, it's our pleasure to welcome a Gretzky Cup gold medalist, captain of Team Canada at the World Junior's Fort Saskatchewan native, former Chicago Blackhawk, current Montreal Canadian,

and the third overall pick in the 2019 NHL draft, Kirby Doc, welcome to the Empty Netters podcast. Thank you. Thank you for having me. Hell yeah, buddy. It's great, great to have you here. So you said you're back home in Fort Saskatchewan right now.

What have you been getting up to? Are you training or you just ripping it up? Water skiing? What's going on down there? Yeah, pretty much just in the gym Monday to Friday. Feels like Groundhogs Day every day. It's been too long of a summer, honestly. But no, and then weekends kind of head out to a lake with a bunch of buddies.

and spend time on the water, water skiing, wake surfing, and then, yeah, just kind of hanging out with the boys. Not a whole lot going on there. That's not bad, man. I wouldn't say that that's been too long of a summer. Yeah, I want more of that summer. That's pretty sick, actually. Yeah, when you're doing it since May and you've seen other teams playing, you're still like, ah, fuck. Actually, fair.

Yeah, fair, fair, fair. That is so true. Yeah, but where do you skate when you're up there? We actually had a good group of pro guys in Emmington, and I'm only like 30 minutes from there. So just drive in Ammonton and skate there with a couple guys. Nice. That's great. Are you hitting the gym session solo or do you have a group of some of the other boys who are joined?

All the guys I skate with are the guys that we train with. We kind of got a decent setup here. It's been six, seven summers now that I've used the same guy and the same setup. So it seems to be working so far. Yeah. Hell yeah, dude. I'll take it. You got to send me that workout routine, dude.

I'm in need of, I'm plateauing, you know. I'm in need of a little shakeup. Plus, dude, it's over for you. Yeah, you're probably right. Stop trying. I think it's not even about gains anymore. Did I need mobility, you know? Like, I'm good on the frame.

It's the hips. You got to get the lip work in there. Holy shit. I didn't even realize one is worse. You know, like I assume they were both bad, but the same at least. And then I do the things on Instagram. And it's like, my right hip can't even move, dude. So you're going to have to hit me with the routine after.

Oh, yeah. I'll send you a quick text about it. Yeah, perfect. Perfect. Oh, God. Dude, so we've got a ton to talk about with you. One of the first things that I am super curious about is reading up on you and hearing a story from your dad, actually, you've got a crazy thing with the national anthem. So I need to know all about that.

But basically what I read is that since you were like a five-year-old kid watching games on TV, you would stand up in the living room and salute the national anthem the entire time that it's on. And now, dude, even still in the league. you are dialed in when the anthem is playing on the blue line. You got your eyes closed, you're locked in. Is that a routine for you? And do you, like, are you even aware that that's something that you do? Or do you kind of see the anthem as your time pregame to get completely focused and ready to rock? Yeah. I guess it's just a little bit of a hockey nut kid. Just wanted to be like the pros, wanted to do everything they did. Yeah. So, so it would stand up for the anthem, would take my 15 minutes from the Zamboone came on.

relax, you know, type thing. But yeah, now it's just kind of like, it's at two minutes, two and a half minutes or you just kind of clear your mind of thoughts and go out and play the game. I don't even realize I do it that much. And then, like you said, now thinking back on it, it's like, yeah, should I do stand with my eyes closed and I do with it sometimes. I guess I do do do. It's amazing.

This has been 20 years of preparation for Kirby. It's just been like, listen, I got to get psyched up for the game here, watching the games on TV. It's beautiful. No. Well, do you... That's funny. You must enjoy, among many things, which we'll get into, but you must enjoy being in Montreal now

because it means it's an automatic O Canada at least, because O Canada slaps, dude. I will happily admit, I am very happy and proud to be an American citizen, but I will say you guys have a far superior national anthem, so that's a perk. See, I don't know about that. A lot of people say the American National Anthemps better than the Canadian one. What do you think? I don't know, it's a toss-up. It depends kind of who's singing it, I guess, in the moment.

Like, there's been some real, like, the Chris Stapleton one at the Super Bowl. It's a normal job. Back, that was unbelievable. Possibly the goat, dude. Yeah, honestly, that's for sure up there. But, like, we're in Montreal, we get the French, like, half French version, and I don't speak any French. So sometimes, like, the first couple of times it threw me for a loop was, like, well, what's what's going on here? But no, it's, yeah, it's cool.

It's such a different city. it's honestly insane to play there. I've been there for a year now, and it's been probably the most fun I've had playing hockey since junior. So I've enjoyed playing there, and the fans, I don't believe, well, the city is great. The rink is electric.

Yeah, I think it's probably one of the best ranks to play in. Hands down, the ice is great. Like, there's no complaints there. Yeah, we just, it's got to be number one, man. I'm curious,

have you gotten any grief from anyone up there about not speaking French? because we always laughed about when Suzuki got named the captain and he had to do his little announcement with a little bit of French thrown in there and everyone was like... I know. No, they're actually pretty good about it. I think if you're respectful about it and not trying to be like a jackass and mock them and stuff like that,

they don't really care too much. So if you're disrespectful and talk to them, it's actually pretty English up there. I think most of the time it's just some of the reporters are French and stuff like that. but it's nice media-wise because then I don't understand what they're talking about. It could be shit talking about me the whole time. So I got not a clue. There you go, bud.

It's a-it's out of sight, out of mind. If they're speaking a different language, then you don't know if they're absolutely suering you. And you're fine. You're like, oh, whatever. I can't hear it. It's good. Exactly. Man, I don't think some people kind of realize or understand so many of the different factors

that change the game during the COVID seasons when there was no one in the stands. and it sounds like, you know, with your anthem prep and stuff like that, getting dialed in and focused in the beginning of the game like that is a big, big process for you. How different was it when you were trying to get psyched up for an NHL game with a completely empty stadium? Was that night and day or was it something you adjusted to pretty quickly? Well, I didn't play too many games a year because I was the year I went to World Juniors

and snapped my wrist. Yeah, yeah. Three different places. It was in a different area called my hand and my wrist. It was a fucking nightmare. Dude, actually, before you finish this story, I was laughing about that because I was reading, you know, you get the opportunity to go. You're like one of the few NHL already guys there. And it's like, what a chance for upset your country.

And you're talking to Stan like, hey, do you guys mind if I play juniors? And they're like, you know what? If that's something that means something to you, then you can go. And like, in their head, they must be like, what's the worst it can happen? He fucking snatched his arm and happened. It was like, bang immediately. It's full on Jamie Lancastered in his hand is in another area. Oh yeah, it was nuts.

Like, yeah, that whole thing was crazy. Disaster. Yeah, 18 years old, didn't get to represent my country. It felt like I was going to get sent back. And then they ended up not sending me back for it. They kind of were on the fence with it. And then 19 years old come around. It's like, well, the NHL isn't said they're playing yet.

Might as well. I have to go and play some meaningful games. And they're like, yeah, but if the NHL starts, you're coming right away. It's like, okay, whatever. And then training camp was supposed to be like the fifth. And the gold medal game was the fifth. So I was only going to miss like two days of training camp, which would have been perfect because I would have missed like the fitness testing, the bag skates.

Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. But yeah, first game, kind of like beginning of the third period, just obliterated that. So that, yeah, that COVID year is kind of like a write-off. I only planted up playing like 18 games. And it was never really fully healthy. Like I just kind of wanted to get back and was pushing to get back.

And then towards the end of that year, kind of stopped just as re-agivated. And it's just kind of painful. the whole year. Dude, did you hear that Canadian cockiness about guaranteeing gold? Like Kirby's like,

when the gold medal was the fifth, I was only going to miss one day camp because we were locked into the finals. Oh, yeah. We came in a camp that year and we were like looking around and we were starting to do the math

and we're like, we could have a full lineup of first round playing besides our goalies. We're like, what it's going to happen? Like, this is nuts. This got to be one of the best team since like 2003 to play.

Yeah, that was it. That was like. Stacked. Yeah. Ridiculous. Yeah, that's all we talked about was like we got to try and be like this 2003 team for a little bit. Like this is like we could do something special here.

And I just didn't have it. And then we lost the States and then it made him worse now. Playing with Cole too. He likes to throw a little salt in the wound every once in a while. Of course. Of course. Just points at your wrist scar. He's like, how about that, buddy?

Come on, dude. He's all good. He's one of my best friends on that team. Such a nice guy. Beauty off the ice too. Yeah, of course. Okay, so I want to stay in Chicago before we do all the Montreal stuff.

So like Dan said, you go third overall, dream come true, dude. You're playing with Taser and Kainer guys. You grew up idolizing. We all did, right? It's incredible. And not just them, dude. Dunk, Seabes, Crow, like that whole core, right? It must have been so amazing to learn from them and be there and be in that beautiful city.

Maybe the one downside was Seabric had seven. So you were just stuck with 77 forever at that point, eh? Is that how that went down? Yeah, pretty. much and then I ended up moving in with him so yeah yeah yeah so yeah so yeah that's all good so yeah that's I wanted to ask I've heard you say a million and of course he's a legend dude and I'm sure it was great experience but I kind of want to hear about like the the nitty gritty shit about what was going on living with seems for a year like is he on your ass about bedtime you got to eat the

vegetables like what what were the downsides of the situation there there honestly was no downsides at all like it was just like sunshine and roses the whole time I was there like it was great Love that. Yeah, I had no rules. Just do my own laundry. It was pretty much it. There you go. Had you done your own laundry before?

Yeah, I'm playing junior and did my own laundry. And then if they needed stuff from the grocery store, like, Seabs and I would go to the grocery store and he'd teach me how to do all these things. And I was like, like, kind of just became my dad. And then Dunk kind of became like my fun uncle. So, like, I just would hang out with Dunk quite a bit and Seves and just listen to their stories. But no, they were pretty easy going with me, kind of like let me learn on my own. but when I needed help or wanted to talk, they were always there and kind of helped me through

the growing pains of a rookie in the NHL. And I definitely owe them a lot to my career and even who I am as a person. Yeah, no doubt. How valuable is that both on and off the ice, having a veteran like that who's been through it in a big city, an original six team? Understandably, there's a lot of pressure that comes with something like that and being able to play with him and then live with him. Is that just invaluable stuff that you get from a guy like that?

Yeah, no, he was really good about the whole thing too. Like he kind of like let me have my space when I needed space or I was upset or kind of disappointed in myself. But at the same time, like he was always there waiting upstairs with a glass of wine. I wanted to sit down and have to talk with him. Nice. Just kind of talk about anything other than the game. Like just kind of get your mind away from. And I think that's one thing that really helped me like later on, especially now is like just getting away from the game after like,

game you don't like happened or something is bug and you just kind of being able to forget about it and move on and get ready for the next one that's coming in a couple days and there's there's a lot of like those little lessons that you really wouldn't think about that are important but looking back on them they make a huge difference in the way your season goes i bet uh the the seabrook wine fridge was pretty legit eh oh yeah it was yeah i started i was like my first time drinking wine too and i started off with like the top of the top then i came home and was like having a mclep last like my buddy my first year and I like had a sip and I was like sour faces like what is this shit like we need the top shit yeah he ruined yeah he ruined red wine for you forever dude

yeah honestly Kirby's first experience he's sipping camus and then his boys are giving him barefoot yeah like you pleading it out of here yeah getting it out of the box yeah it's like god and hey I want to go grocery shopping with Seabrook too he's got all the tips I picture you know he's showing how to find the ripe avocado and everything. Yeah, that's the better in presence we need. Yeah, he was good. He was really, and then the second year, like the COVID year, his family didn't come down.

So it's, and he was injured and I was injured. So we were together 24-7. Like, we were on the road, we weren't doing anything. It was just, just him and I. And so, like, one weekend, we sat down and watched all 26 Marvel movies. And, like, in the chronological order, like, we looked it up where it's like, it's not like the dates

they were released, but, like, one, they're portrayed, like, in real life. Oh, you did. So you did, you did the timeline order like actually like you started with like captain marvel and then moves forward yeah oh yeah all the way to like the very end oh yeah that was a marathon of a week wow 26 yeah 26 movies seven days that is so bad that is wait i i got to know because you're talking to a a big marvel guy here what's your favorite marvel movie oh i don't know there's so many like obviously end game was pretty yeah so far yeah yeah like they're kind of gone off the rails, like the most recent ones.

They're not my favorite. I agree. Kind of need to bring it back down to Earth. I agree. Completely. Be a bit better, you know? Yeah. Two things.

One, whenever you guys play the Blue Jacks this year, you've got to hit up Fantilli. He's a huge, huge Marvel guy. So you guys can geek out during warm-ups about the movies. And then two, I love, I love Seabrooks. Like, dude, you want to live with me? And then COVID hits. And now you're just stuck together for 20 or so. He's like, I did not know what I was signing up for here.

Oh no, it was great. Like, I even started, I think, because we have the same agent and Jerry Johansson. We were at the convention, like the Blackhawks convention before the season, like my draft, like the year I was drafted and I just kind of like had a few too many and I looked and I was like, wouldn't it be great if like I could live with you next year? And he looked at me. He's like, yeah, this would be hilarious because it was like me and we're having a couple

of other older guys and some other young guys like just like joking around. And then training camp rolled around like rolled around and I went back out to like after like the first meeting. I was like, so is it a possibility? Like, maybe you could move in with you? He goes, sure, come on over for dinner. And good luck, he's got three kids and three dogs running around. And I was like, what the fuck is going on?

But I was used to that. I got two brothers, two dogs myself, or two siblings, a brother and a sister. And then two dogs, I was used to the chaos, which honestly helped me. Like, if I was to live on my own by myself, would have been a little bit worse, I think. I completely agree with that. I think if you're, you know, especially if you come from a big family setting like that, it's better to go into a big family setting like that. It'll be that comfort zone.

Agree, dude. And I love how in my mind, it's like the veteran Seabrook approaches you after practice one day. And he's like, hey, hand on your shoulder. I think you should move in with me. It'd be a great thing for you to develop. Actually, the boys got tuned up. And it was like, yo, wouldn't it be sick if we room together? Honestly, yeah, I know it started.

It was great. God, I love that. Well, dude, you mentioned, you obviously get that devastating injury, also dealing with the COVID year, I feel like you are a pretty unique story with a lot of guys probably in your draft class who had a wildly tumultuous first couple of years in your career. So, you know, you enter the career. All of that shit goes down. And then you also get traded. And you don't just get traded. You get sent to another original six iconic franchise. So you mentioned before that that was, you know, the first feeling you felt was being a little bit shell-shocked when you

get the phone call from Kyle Davidson. So what was, what were some of the other feelings that you were going through when you realized where, where you were going, you know, the new city, the new challenge, maybe the new opportunity. What was going through your head during that time? It was still like just shock and awe. And then once it kind of sat in, like I went and skated, like right after I got the call from Kyle and just kind of put my phone away for a couple hours and then reopened it up afterwards and saw like all the texts and everything. but I just kind of like took the night to myself and went kind of like through the scenarios of what it's going to be like and coming to a new team and seeing if I knew any of the guys in the team and obviously a new Cole a little bit. Devorak I met a couple of times in Chicago working out with and Suzuki's little brother I played with at Team Canada events.

And so you're starting to make connections here and there and understand that it's going to be a great opportunity for myself. be a part of like a young core and help grow a team. And it's always nice to be wanted too. So I think that was like the most positive thing for me was my phone call with Kent Hughes was just how much they wanted me to be a part of their plans moving forward and everything. And as a player, that's really all you want. Yeah, absolutely.

I think you put in a no trade clause in your contract that you could only play for the sickest jerseys in the league. So, you know, if it wasn't. I was like, yeah, that was my condition of being drafted. It was like, you know, the teams with Richelette. Yeah, exactly. How, how, you know, once the dust settled really and you were kind of like, all right, this is what's happening. This is where I'm going.

You obviously get that great experience of going to Chicago that's full of so many unbelievable veterans that can kind of show you the ropes. And then you're going to this team and it feels like, you know, you look at Montreal right now and it seems like the average age of guys in that team is 24. So you're all of a sudden in this situation where you're with a bunch of young guys. How exciting was that for you? Because I bet it was probably an element of being like, well, I mean, Yep, I'm sad to be leaving a great team, great city with great guys who kind of showed me how to get into this league. But now you're playing with a bunch of boys who are your age. It's a really exciting time, young and coming up team.

That must have been pretty awesome. Yeah, it really, it truly was. I got there and felt like welcome from the first moment. I stepped into that practice rink and met all the guys and the training staff and the coaches. And just kind of like took off and it and like built throughout the year just like my confidence in my game and being around in the city and the team and the guys. We had a lot of fun as a group together. It was like one of the most fun groups I've ever really been a part of just because we're so young. And we're hungry to learn and get better.

But at the same time, we're here to like enjoy it and have fun and build through the moments of pain and enjoy the process. Because once we get there, it's going to take off quick and it's going to be an exciting time to be a half. Yeah, no doubt. What's, we actually, we had cellios on the pod a few months ago. and he has an interesting perspective of, you know, being, being a hab and then going to Chicago. And also being, you know, an American guy playing in Canada and then coming back to America and you're doing the opposite. What were some of the biggest differences for you of being able to spend time in Chicago and now being in Montreal? And the fan bases.

Yeah, yeah. Yeah, what's that like comparing those fan bases? They're honestly both great. I think you can see it a little bit more maybe last year than any other year. much of all get support whether we're winning 10-1 or we're losing 10-1 that building sold out it is rock and it's loud the fans are supportive on the street it's not like we're getting heckled coming out of the rink or anything like that like they're they're always super nice to us and treating us well and then um i think in chicago this year you could kind of see it with the attendance i think they held the record before though for most consecutive sellouts but um again another great fan base i had nothing bad to say there at all like i was treated well by the fans and and the team and obviously just didn't work out. But I couldn't be more happy to be a Montreal Canadian. Dude, well, I've heard they're actually pretty tough on you guys.

So maybe it's because you guys are so up and coming right now. But once, you know, next year, next couple years, man, when you guys are going to be competing for cups, so you don't deliver, dude, you don't go to the grocery store. I'll tell you what. Oh, I know. Yeah, I've heard a couple horror stories. So far, so good.

So I got nothing to jet. But it's been a ton of fun playing there. Everything's been great. No, no complaints at all. Dude, you can let it out too because, like, I know you're, no, no, I mean in a good way, because I know you're a foodie and I know you're a big fashion guy. So you're in a pretty money city for that kind of stuff. Like, are you buzzing right now being in Montreal? Yeah, I can't, yeah, I can't complain.

I can just looking for places right now, hopefully find one soon. So I could customers to live in season. And then right around all like that restaurants and like the great, like, have you guys been to Montreal? Like the grip. Oh, my area. Westmount. Yeah, like, yeah, like down in that kind of area. Dude, Kirby, I've had...

Just being the mix. I've had some of the most unhinged nights of my life in that city. We're from Maine, dude. So we're like a four-hour drive to Montreal. So the second we turned 18, it was on. Just ridiculous. But yeah, that city's... It's a lot of fun.

Oh, yeah. You can get in a lot of trouble in Montreal. Oh, yeah. And I have. Same. Yeah. I don't think anybody hasn't been in trouble. Yeah, that's true.

Is Buena open? anymore? No, dude, it's done. Yeah, yeah, close. But FlyJinn open. Oh, but you know about Plena. Yeah, FlyJin is very open. Kirby, one night we were in, we were at Buena just completely out of control and I was literally hanging from the rafters and one of the bouncer and one of the bouncer. And I was like, you know, and I was like, dude, do you want me to kick you out? And I was like, no, I don't at all. I'm so. My shirt's like completely unbuttoned. Yeah, I'm like throwing. But he was like throwing ice. We had a bottle and he's like throwing ice onto the crowd. And they were like, dude, go away. you guys American? I was like, yeah. Sorry.

Sorry. Dude, one thing I heard you say that I love is, and maybe you even said it when we were recording already in this. I can't remember if we'd started yet. But this is the most fun you've had in a long time since juniors, right? Like making hockey feel fun again and having that confidence back is such a factor for a player, right? So I'd love to hear just what about the team and the boys, but especially Marty

St. Louis. has kind of helped you get there. And obviously you did a ton of it on your own, too. But we all saw what he did for Cole's game. And I'm just curious what it's been like to play for him and how he kind of helped you get in the right headspace for last season and moving forward. Yeah, it was kind of right where I was going to go with it.

It was Marty and the coaching staff. They're unbelievable, like, really positive. They got a good, just like locker room mentality. They understand when they're hard on us, when not to be with the rebuild and everything going on. But at the same time, they hold everybody accountable, which is nice. and like my remember getting there

and I had a meeting with him and he's just like just go out and play I'm not going to tell you what to do but just go out and play, feel it, get your confidence back and then we can start building from there and it's nice to kind of have a coaching staff that like instills trust in you

and wants you to play the game that you feel that you can play at this level and we'll help you along the way once they see things that they can add into your game and Marty was super supportive and really good towards me and he's yeah he's definitely a big factor and the changes in my game

and how happy I feel on the ice and all that stuff. But at the same time, the locker room with the guys was unbelievable in Montreal. Such good camaraderie. The guys were always laughing. Like, you get in there,

like, some mornings are tough. Like, it's 8.39 in the morning you're rolling in to the rink. Cole's buzzing around, making everybody laugh. And he doesn't drink coffee either. He's just having a great time. Like, he's just having a time in there. And you're like, what is going on? And so it just, like, kind of builds, like,

throughout the season it just like kind of becomes part of the team like everybody's just upbeat all the time coming in the rink and it definitely makes the game a little bit easier and more fun when when the whole team's like that yeah that's amazing dude and and i think we've i've heard i've heard stammer got some thing you probably a thousand point i don't know what it was but he gave a speech you know about um about marty and what a great teammate he was like i've heard such great things about the guy what is marty like like what is he like in in the room what's he like on the road Like everyone says he's the best dude in the world. So, you know, what are some of like the funny things about Marty?

Like just being this, you know, iconic Hall of Fame player, now being an unbelievable coach that everyone has nothing but incredible things to say about like, what's the guy? I can't even believe it's so sick he can tell you. He can coach a player like you. Like Marty's just like this little guy buzzing around the ice and you're six, four, two on two-fifty. You know, and Marty's like, yeah, just zip around the middle. And you're like, bro, no. So yeah, yeah, talk about that.

but no he's yeah like everything that everybody says about him is true to the to the word um he's unbelievable such a nice human being down to earth has time for everybody like the most polite human being in the world but great sense of humor like loves to get a good laugh and like yeah like you can always tell one maybe the mood's a little sombre he'll like throw on like a blooper mix of like guys falling in the middle of the game or something like just have like some funny videos for us like at uh at an end of a meeting like he's he's really good at just uh understand that reading the room and picking up on cues, but he's like he's, he's a great, great human being to be around.

And he's an even better coach. So it's, we're definitely lucky to have him and even the rest of our staff with Alex Burroughs and Stefan Robeda and Trevor Lewitsky. So it's, uh, it's been great. I can't complain at all. That's unreal, dude. And you're also playing now on a line with Cole and Suzuki. It sounds like the most of the time.

And you just mentioned Cole and we'll get into that. But you guys have been buzzing, dude. And I mean, like Chris said, you know, we grew up in Maine. We grew up Bruins fans. So obviously, we don't love the HABs when I'm being totally honest. But at the same time now doing this so much, being able to have the opportunity to get to know guys like you, it makes you kind of love every team in the league when you meet good people. So watching you guys has been electric. And I am a big believer in you take a team like Chicago.

You take a team like the Canadians. the league is better when the Canadians are good. And seeing you guys coming into your own like you're doing and the great chemistry you started building last season is super exciting. And obviously you talked about Marty being great for your development, getting healthy again, settling into a new city. But what is it about those two boys in Suzuki and Cole that you've found such natural chemistry with?

And your game is really, really opening up to the level that we all knew it can. I think we just all kind of knew the way we wanted to play and how to execute it. And I think playing with Susie, he's pretty smart, good two-way. He's like really strong. And I think it's one thing I didn't realize about him, playing against him and then playing with him is how strong he is on the puck and how well he kind of holds guys at bay and protects pucks. So like him and I were pretty good at like holding on to pucks

and waiting that extra second for a guy to come into us. And then obviously with Cole, the guy finds open space anywhere. I even like playing with him, I still don't get it, how he gets into space and gets his shot off. And it beats goalies clean all the time, like I've seen it time and time again. And he's an exciting player because he plays with so much energy, so much jump. But can make those special plays happen all the time. I think I just tried to figure out what complimented those two guys the best and to give them that.

And like you said, it just kind of took off really. And left at least the three of the three of those. us wanting a little bit more of it. And once the season ended or Cole's season ended with his shoulder. And we're definitely excited to get that ball rolling again. There you go, dude. I love that. We had Tifoli on a while ago, and he's since become a great buddy of ours.

And he had a nice little experience in Montreal where he got to know Cole. And he went on and on about how Cole is legitimately the funniest dude he's ever met. Oh, yeah. And you keep alluding to it. Don't give me the blanket answer, dude. Give us some funny story. I need something, dude. Like the buzzing around the locker with no caffeine.

I love that shit. But like, what the hell is it like being around that dude? Is he the naked guy? Is he the prank guy? Like, what's the deal? I just think he's got such like a bubbly personality and a great laughing. Maybe it's like not even him, but it's like the guy like that Chris Wyman, Sean Monaghan.

Like those two guys are just like witty and crack jotes all the time. And Cole just kind of like feeds off that and builds into it. you just kind of sit there and you listen to him talk and you're like what tough like you don't even understand what you're saying but it's hilarious but he's just uh I like I can't think of one off the top of my head but he's just there's definitely been times like throughout this year where I've been like sitting in the dress here I'm like almost in tears listen to like him about blabble on about something going on and you're just like what the fuck is going on we have a meeting in five minutes

half the team's lying on the floor laughing at this shit right now but we got got a couple of characters like David Savard he might be one of the funniest human beings ever met in my life though like he full on like one of it like just a funny funny guy and he's got the French accent too which makes even better yeah that makes every joke way way funny is it dad is he hidden one liners or what's he doing well how is he's just got like just like crisp one liner's witty like just funny jokes then like you'll get like a text of like two screen in the morning like in the group chatter like one o'clock at night and if this be like a picture of somebody that he's like screenshot it and edited when you land it

somewhere and then it was like having one line attached to it and everybody would be crying getting onto the bus and you're like, we just lost 62 but this might be the funniest thing I've ever seen in my life. But no, we got a couple guys that are funny. That's great. And you guys must have a rip on the plane rides too. Like I can't imagine there's anyone getting any shut eye on those trips with these boys flying around.

No, not at all. Yeah. No, Cole and Iron charges bringing on the speaker on the plane and playing music and we sit at the back of the plane, which is outrageous. That is outrageous. I can't believe they let you guys run the music. Oh, no. We take suggestions.

We don't just, it's not, yeah, we're not dictators about it. We take suggestions here there, but we do a pretty good job, I feel like. That's good. And you guys playing cards or what? No, we're not on the card table. Someday. Someday, yeah, exactly. Hey, hey, no, smart, smart, man, good job.

That is good job. What are you guys doing? Because you're not sleeping, I can't imagine. We have Nintendo Switches. we play and will be the show sometimes, but most of the time we're just kind of hanging out with the guys shooting the shit and they're just messing around. Yeah. It feels like it's, uh, yeah, it feels like it's no bad days with Cole. Like he's just like laughing and smiling no matter what the situation. Yeah, it's so, yeah, it's pretty much sums him up. Yeah.

It's never got a bad day. Amazing. Uh, so part of this amazing line you're on is, uh, you're switched to wing, right? And I know you've done that at times with your career, uh, representing Canada and everything, but it's obviously been super effective. for you guys you're playing so well together and one thing i really wanted to ask you because everything everything you've ever said about your game and everything scouts ever said about your game is that you were this 200 foot center pass first right loves to distribute the puck you're going to play the full ice um um um get slough shifely like these guys are kind of guys you modeled your game after and as as a center my whole career who's also six four liked we're the same we're the same

dude i am just as good as you know basically we are but yes but i was also also a 6-4 center that love to pass first, right? And one thing I thought was cool was as you have been progressing, I've seen you give interviews, but being like, I'm trying to think about scoring more, like trying to work on my shot, make that a part of my game, make that a real threat. And I'm wondering what it's like. How do you balance trying to convince yourself and learn that habit of shoot more, shoot more when I have the puck, while also not getting too far away from the past first vision that made you the player you are and how you even got here. How do you make that work?

Honestly, it's just like a lot of video. Like our skills coach in Montreal, Adam Nicholas, kind of like does a good job of showing me like when I do the right thing and making a player when I could have shot instead of like this. But he does a really good job just trying to like add little pieces in here there. It's not like an overload of information or trying to overthink the game. It's just like just add one more shot. just adding one more shot per game, like just slowly start to build on it.

And then you become, it's almost become second nature when you're getting into the zone. You're looking at the net a little bit more instead of looking for your guys or when to turn up and when to delay and make play. So you just kind of slowly but surely get into that dual threat. And I think once you get there, it just becomes more of a habit. And then you're a little bit difficult to read from a goalie standpoint or defensive standpoint. and can kind of produce a little bit more.

I love the one more shot mentality. That's actually a great way to think of it. Because it's like, I mean, like anything, but it just a little bit consistently adds up so fast, right? So just trying to do that. All of a sudden, your season totals are right where everyone wants you to be. But I always laugh. It's like playing with guys that love to shoot, though,

makes it hard for you. Hard for you, right? You play with Cole and he's like, give me the fucking fuck. You're like, yeah, no problem. Exactly. So, like, that's kind of like why it was, like, the way I am, I feel like every,

since junior, I've always played with one guy that's just been like a pure pure goal score. So kind of just mold it into it and I'm trying to mold out of it now. Yeah. A little bit and become dual threatened. But it's, I feel good coming into this season with where my game's going to be at. And I'm just excited to get back to Montreal, hopefully in the next couple weeks here and start skating with the guys and building

that camaraderie up again. Yeah, man. I'm really curious. It's funny when you hear about, you know, you answer questions when you're playing junior down to youth hockey. There's guys that you look up to in the league that you want to model your game after. You know, I know you're a big Crosby fan as all of us were. And CP, you just mentioned Getslav and Shifley and stuff. But once you get into the league and these guys are your teammates, they're your peers, they're your colleagues, if you will, do you still kind of look around the league and see guys who are in a similar position, maybe similar.

type of player that you watch them do something and you're like, oh shit, that was a, like, I love that move. I love that shot or that mentality or that work on the boards because it is one of those funny things where you'd think about these guys I'm competing with, but I'm taking pointers from them or taking pieces of their game. But at the same time, I feel like at any level you would see that. Like, I'd be in the game and watch someone on the blue line do something. I'd be like, that was sick.

I'm going to try that. Do you still do that? Oh, for sure. I think one guy that I've actually watched quite a bit this summer, like throughout the playoffs. and just the way he plays the game and kind of controls the pace of play is Ico. The way he kind of holds on to Pucks and he's got that big reach and we're both kind of right shots, not comparing myself to him at all. But it's just definitely somebody I've been watching a little bit more

and want to try and add maybe a few things that he does well into my game. Hopefully that can just take that to another level. But I think you're always watching different players and understanding the way they play the game we're thinking and get to pick their brain about it and then you kind of just retool and add things to yourself in your game and you build off of that

and kind of develop that way too. Dude, well, considering we just confirmed that I am just as good as you and now you've just confirmed that you are as good as Ikel, I am now as good as Ikel, which is sick. That was a big win. This is a fucking huge thing.

That was a big win for me. God, that was amazing. But Curves, I actually really like when we were talking earlier about your confidence and everything building and you have the season you have last year, I think that's such a good note for yourself and for players out there in any league that's getting more comfortable, right? Is, I imagine when you make that jump, you were so young, dude.

You make that jump to the league and it's like everyone's so fast and so strong and no time, no space anywhere. But now you kind of get that confidence of like, yo, I can hang here and I can take an extra second on the puck and do things with it that maybe I was doing in juniors before, right? But that can become more a part of your game now moving forward. Yeah, exactly. I think when you get there, you're just so excited to be out there and you're buzzing around and you don't really realize that, like, holy shit, like, I'm in the NHL, like, this is, like,

legit. And then you take a couple of seasons and he develops through those years. And now, like, I feel like I'm kind of set into my own and becoming the player that I'm supposed to be. And it's been good so far. And I just want to kind of keep building off that each year. Yeah, man. speaking of your game first game against Chicago

with Montreal you win the game in the shootout hell yeah and we know that felt good but you also hit him with the are you not entertained hand of the year Sally and I'm going back and I'm watching your highlights dude

and with the blades you had that unreal end to end tuck against the Raiders and you hit that same celly so like is that your thing and if not do we have to make it your thing because I think that they're a serious marketing. Like I need that t-shirt

immediately. Like I need that Kirby Doc t-shirt immediately. Yeah. Going back to Prince Albert when I was in Susque, and we played them like eight times a year, like hour away, like just like our biggest rivalry.

And like it was like going in there was like going into like hell to play a game and you're like this is awful. And you know you're going to get beat up and there's not going to be many penalties called. And we were, this game two of our playoff series. And every time I touched the puck,

like I was getting booed. There's like numerous signs out there. Like this is nuts. Like they're like waiting for me after the game by the bus. I had to like run under the bus quick. But that goal felt so good. And that one was just pure emotion. But the one in Chicago was,

I kind of like said it to myself as I went out there. Because we got a four on three in overtime. And it's like, if I get this puck back from Susie, I know Cole's on the left side for a wide open one timer, but I'm hammering this. Fuck him. Fuck him.

I'm hammering this one in the net. Yeah. I don't care if he's wide open. Just like we were just couldn't get it in zone or set up. And then the shootout rolled around and Marty kind of like gave me the luck and it's like, all right, I know that this like this should work. And if it works,

this is going to be nuts. And it's went in and I was like, oh, fuck it. Here you guys go. Bang. Give it back to him. Yeah. Have to do it.

I don't want to put too many ideas in your head. But here's the deal, dude. You are three points away from 100 career points. and your second game of the season is at home against the Hawks. Against the clock. Yeah. Oh, yeah. So I just think if we hit that hundred point mark in that game, you got to hit

him with the Selly. And. Yeah. At home. Yeah. Come on, dude. But a cool. Opener, too.

That's what I'm saying. Holy shit, dude. Like, this is a no-brainer. The stars are aligning right now. The stars are aligning. Because when you, when you have a nice two-point night in the first game of the season, and then we go into the home opener. I just feel like it's going to happen.

And when it does, I want that silly. And I know you'll be thinking of us when you hit it, too. Oh, I will. Had in that Hawks game, had you taken a shootout that season yet? It was pretty early in the year, right? It was like November. No, that was my first shoot attempt that year. Only had two last year.

Okay. So when that's coming up, like, does Marty say anything to you before? Does he like, do you want this? Or is he just like, fuck it, you're going? No, yeah, just kind of fuck it, you're going. Yeah. I was like, you're going on. I was like, yeah.

I kind of knew it was going to happen, but I didn't want to throw my leg over and then him sent somebody else. I'm going to look at me and be like, your next. But no, that was definitely a moment. I'll remember for a long time. And did you have a plan going in or were you like just going to take what the goal he gave you? I can't give away my seat. Yeah, you're right. You're right, you're right.

I don't want to know the go too much. Tell me off the air. That's true. Yeah, exactly. But no, had a little bit of an idea. I know this can kind of be a boring question sometimes. times because, you know, the answers can be obvious. But, you know, this, watching you, like I said, really starting to come into your game here in Montreal with this fun group of players,

what are some of the things that stand out to you, maybe beyond the obvious that you're looking forward to this year? It's, you know, it's, I feel like you're, you're really healthy for the first time. It sounds like you're in a great headspace. You've been working out a ton. The team is really, really exciting. Got a chance to make some noise here. Like, what's really at the top of mind for you that you're pumped up about for this season? I think that the success we did have last year, I think, was pretty exciting to understand that everybody's going to be a year older, a year more developed, a better understanding of what the league is,

like all those rookie D men. And so I think everybody's going to take a really big step. I think we're going to catch maybe a few teams early on in the season with the way we want to play and how much maybe we've matured over a summer. But I'm excited to see that. It's kind of like the strides that everybody's taken and towards building this team up and to get into the place where we all want to be.

And that's obviously to win a Stanley Cup. But we got to go through our growing pains first and our learning lessons. And then once we get through that and we're on the up and up, it's go time. Dude, not to count any chickens, and this is at the negative connotation towards the team we root for in the Bruins.

But it must feel nice a little bit that in the Atlantic, some of those big dogs are like getting old. Yeah. You know, like I really do feel like you guys are like this big wave of teams on the way up. You can feel the tide shifting. Yeah. Kind of what I was alluding to. It's like, you know, some huge retirements in Boston.

Tampa is getting older. They lost in the first round. Yeah. Toronto is even getting older. There's some change there, too. It's a pretty exciting time in Montreal. So it's got to feel good. Yeah, I think not even only us, but Buffalo, too.

I mean, you know, what they were like last year. Detroit's is still a young team and they're building towards some. So I feel like as many good teams as there is in the Atlantic come two, three, four years. It's really going to be anybody's division depending on what other teams do. But it's definitely exciting to be a part of. And it'll be nice to too to kind of have those meaningful divisional games, those games that you need to win and play for and you kind of build those serieses up. So when you do get into playoffs, it's a war.

and you have to earn it to win it. In your young career, do you feel like there's a team that has kind of stood out that you're like, I fucking hate playing these guys? Or like you really want to beat any certain team,

other than the Blackhawks, which is obvious. Yeah. For me, it's Eminton. Oh, wow. Just to rub it in your boy's face? Or what? Yeah, pretty much.

Like the COVID bubble, you're like when he played in playoffs, like my buddies were kind of texting me throughout the series. and I think game two they I think they Wacked us pretty good and then they're like all kind of like in my face then we won game three and four to end the series and this kind of sent them a nice fuck you text after the game

but it was uh no so I I like coming home to play against them and it just feel comfortable and so it's I don't know it wouldn't say it's a team I hate to play against but it's a team that I always look forward to play yeah yeah that one circle got that one circle on the calendar yeah I love that All right, I want to hit some non-hockey stuff about Montreal because Dan was talking about it earlier because I know you got to Chicago also amazing city

and you know you got your Louis Vuitton shoes right away and you know, did you ever get that G-wagon? Yeah, yeah, I did. Okay, so... Got that after my first year, yeah. Got the G-wagon, yeah, so... Wait, what color? Matt Black.

Not a boy. Yeah, perfect. So yeah, but so now like Dan said, dude, you're in a city that does not mess around. So I want to know how that's been going a little bit. I want to talk some fashion some food. Do you have a Poutine place yet? I'm not a big Poutine fan, so no, not really.

But we kind of go to the same as five, six restaurants all the time. But they always treat us well, always good food. It's never a bad meal in my show. No. What are your go-to spots? We like Palma. Mare's just pretty like for a nice little past place pretty good. Grindr.

Macro is pretty good. Fish bone. Fish bone. And there's a couple little ones that just, yeah, that opened up in like Old Port that you like wouldn't really know that I kind of went to like a few times last year was like La Butterfly.

It was like a nice little steakhouse, but really small and quiet. Like Mason, St. Paul, like another little hidden gem I found. Like there's these little places and there just seems to be like a ton of those in Montreal, which is nice. The Old Port is phenomenal. I love it there. I don't know those two.

I'm going to have to check that out because I'm always looking for little gems. Little gems in there. That's a win. Yeah, no, old port's real nice. I like that. Okay. And then I got, so we got a lot of boys up there. So I got a lot of wrecks about where to tell you to buy clothes.

But I want to know if you have any spots first, and then I'll try to read these two. Kirby's like, I don't fucking need you. Yeah, yeah. I don't know. I'm, I just go to Holt Renfrew. Okay. Is that on the list? No, no.

I got, um. where I go. Okay, because this dude is fashionable as fuck. That's true. That we're talking about right now, this Montreal guy. He says, ask Kirby where he's shopping. Harry Rosen. Rooney.

I think this is called Sense, but there's two S's. Sense. Oh, yeah. Sense. Yeah, yeah. I think I've been to that one. Okay, yeah, that's the spot. Taosy, Tozy, Tozzie, and La Umo or so.

No, I haven't heard of those. But no, hold Renfrew and then Cloakroom, is another one. I got to go to. Okay. It's kind of like a suit place, but like a little undercover. It's got, yeah, it's a nice place. What would you describe your style as? Are you flashy or do you like to keep it more simple?

I'm more simple, but still at the same time. Like all the brand names, I like those, but nothing too big and flashy out there. Just like little subtle ones where it's like, it just looks good, you know, like not the big logos everywhere. Yeah. I kind of need, I kind of want you to start becoming one of these guys in the league that peacocks a little bit with the suits on game day.

Yeah. I get there too early for the camera, so not only cameras ever see my suits before games, but no, maybe, that's such a subtle flex. Sorry,

I'm there early putting the work again. I'm fucking prepping. The anthem's coming on an hour. You think I'm not getting ready for the anthem, do you fucking get in. Yeah, and then what about,

we talked about FlyGen, is that the spot? Like, the boys haven't any club nights in Montreal or no? I'd say they're far and few between in Montreal but we go to a few pubs not going to give those names away

just because we like those We like your private, yeah Yeah, like to keep it a little quiet But there's definitely some places in Montreal That get a little rowdy and are fun to be in What were we hitting like ye old Kingshead? Well, we went to every year old And then there's also Je Serge

Which is the best Habs bar in the world That one has been absolutely insane All right, dude, we're going to hit you now with a game we play with every guest. It's basically just a ranking system. It's called pass shoot score. So we're going to give you a few things that we've done a little bit of research on and know you're a fan of. And you've got to rank them in order of how much you like him. Pass being the lowest because I mean, we're changing, right?

We're trying to shoot more and score more. We're trying to be a shooter. There you go. So shoot the second and then light and lamp score is the top one. So I'm going to start you off with music, which is perfect. because you said you're on the sticks with Cole in the back of the bus and I know you're a country music guy.

Yeah. So we got to do a pass shoot score with Luke Combs, Morgan Wallen? Score. Or Thomas Wrett? The first two for sure. So you got to rank the three.

Okay, Thomas Wrett pass. Luke Combs shoot, Morgan Wallen score. Okay. Yeah. Are you getting any grief from some of the boys with being a country music guy? I feel like that's more of a Western Canada thing. Yeah, but there's a good contingency of Western Canadians on the team, so it doesn't really matter.

There you go. You got support. He's got a support side. Exactly. I got a support system. I love it. What's your favorite song right now? Oh, geez.

Anything Zach Bryan's put out, it's pretty good. But last night, Morgan Wallen's pretty good. But, yeah, I don't know, like Morgan Wall and Zach Brian, those guys are, I kind of go to right now. Especially on the golf course. Oh, dude. So I've actually been a notorious country hater my entire life.

And then this past year, I've kind of been like, you know what? Country's not so bad. And one thing at a time by Morgan Wallen is my jam right now. That's all fucking cooks. Well, dude, we used to go, we'd be working out, me and this kid, and it's like, you know, we just get some fucking house mix going or whatever.

And now every time we go out to Lyft, I'm fucking hearing last night, but da, da, da. I'm like, dude, this is what we work out to. now what the fuck happened? Where do the big booty mixes rank on your music list? I don't mind those.

We didn't really listen to a whole lot of those in Montreal and the dressing room, to be honest. Like Chicago, we listened to those quite a bit. Montreal, it was DJ Eddie would kind of put on a mix for the boys. He was pretty good of the music. Yeah, he always got the boys going. Love it. Yeah, we were big on the big

on the big booty mixes outside. We actually dude um went to cocella this year out here in california and they performed like the two friends dudes performed at cochella and it was sick because i was like we have to go listen to this everyone's like what is it and i was like it's just a thing they do it's an app just don't worry about it yeah yeah don't worry about it it would be fun no i'd have been sick yeah i want to go to coachella one yeah that's on the buck of this for sure all right next year dude yeah we'll get you out for sure yeah actually you should probably have a game eh but we'll we'll figure it out uh okay next one we're going TV shows, TV shows that you've liked in your life, okay?

Okay. Pass shoot score, white collar, the Bachelor, and Yellowstone. Yellowstone score. Let's go, yeah. That's a given. Bachelor shoot, the drama on that show is unbelievable. It's great, dude. It's great stuff.

Pass white collar. but no yeah the bachelor's phenomenal like there it's just hilarious is that your go to like dating show unscripted show um I don't I watch a lot of that stuff now let's be honest with you kind of like the bachelor kind of just open the door and

yes the gateway drive yeah like honestly keeping up with the Kardashians oh shit like all like all those like TV dramas like you're just like what is wrong with some of these people like am I like that I can't be like that dude it's it's easy to shit on the shows

and then you watch, you get a little taste, and you're like, this is so addictive. Well, it makes you feel good. It makes you feel good about yourself. Yeah, it's beautiful stuff, dude. Oh, like Blow Deck. That's another one that I like. Really love Blow Deck.

Dude, I don't watch a ton of those shows. Below Deck is actually fantastic. And who just said that? Yandel? I think Yans. Somebody was like, Blow Deck is amazing. So, yeah, you're an unscripted guy, dude. I'm actually surprised you like Yellowstone so much.

Oh, no, I love Yellowstone. Well, it's kind of like the, I wouldn't say it's the way. I grew up out here, but it's like, it's pretty similar, like, what my hometown's like. And, like, my dad's parents grew up on, like, he grew up on a farm, so he still have the farm and we go out there and mess around and stuff. So it's, uh, kind of similar to like the way I grew up, but not, not overly.

Yep. Yeah. Minus the, like, dropping people off at the fake train station to murder them. Yeah. Everything else was exactly the same. Yeah, yeah. Are you, uh, do you have a show going right now, or is it just all the unscripted shit? Oh, nothing.

right now, no, just kind of of been in the movies, like, I went and watched Oppenheimer the other day. I was sick. What'd you think? Pretty good, yeah. I really liked it. Like, you gotta follow along, though. You can't get lost. Yeah. And it's long, dude, three hours. You gotta focus for a long time. It's a

marathon. It was a lot of names for me at the beginning. And I know they did a good job of trying to, like, show the guy every time they'd say them, but there was just so many names early on. I was like, oh, no, I'm dead. You know, trying to remember everybody and what, like, who's fighting for what, Yeah.

All right. Your next one's some more entertainment stuff. You're hanging and having a quiet night at the house. Are you

ranking these pass shoot score? Binging Star Wars content? Playing Mario Kart or watching America's Got Talent Clips, specifically Cody Lee,

who is the goat America's Got Talent. Um, score Mario Kart. My buddy's actually got like an old we've been playing we sports like the last couple weeks just like messing around wait

wait like the like the we sports like that that game like the little we guys like play yeah yeah the OG like we sports like we golf like we have 18 hole matches like it gets intense dude you'll like you'll be tired after that yeah i just throw my bar yeah i play 18 holes on me golf and like my shoulder is destroyed it's unbelievable yeah no um probably uh pass on the Star Wars and then shoot on the Cody Lee. Yeah. Yeah, I'd do those three. That video?

That video is nuts. That video is the most emotional I've ever felt in my entire life. It's crazy, man. I bring it up. Curbs, you get two beers in me. Yeah, this is a fact. And I'll be like, has anyone seen that Cody Lee, America's Got Talent video? And it gets everyone buzzing, dude.

It's unbelievable. I'm like that too. except for with Colter Wall. You know who Colter Wall is? Yes. Yes, dude. I love showing that to anybody. I'm like,

you ever seen Colter Wall? They're like, no. Hold on. Yeah. Your mind is about to be blowing. Just pause the music and be like, everyone pay attention really quick, please? It's unbelievable.

I go on YouTube real quick. Look up like the Western AF video where like the original 16 brewery where he's like singing an acoustic. Just listen for his voice. And they're like, what the fuck was that? And I'm like, Tonya, man, this guy.

Yeah, you just keep it in your search. generational talent. It's unbelievable. Honestly. If you are watching Star Wars, what's your, what form of content is your favorite? Are you an OG Star Wars guy? Yeah. I like the old stuff.

I liked Anakin Skywalker. He's my favorite. Even when he turned in a dark figure, I was like, fuck yeah, that's my guy. I'm with him, ride or die. Kirby, that is a wild take, dude. That's a wild take. Oh, my God. I don't think it's that wild.

He's my guy. He's my guy. You got to ride with him. Okay. I mean, that's loyalty right there. If there's anything we'll take from this is that Kirby's a loyal guy. Dude, I'm probably going to go too hard into the nerd world here for you, considering you past Star Wars, but I love, we both love Star Wars, but I got super into the animated show.

It's like there's a bunch of animated series in Star Wars. Yeah, and dude, I never got into that. I'm telling you, it must be on Disney Plus or some shit, right? Yeah, 100Pee. If you ever, if you're bored and you need something to watch, Clone Wars on Disney is, well, it's all about anime. He's the star. It's all Anakin's pimp years, dude, and he'd be pimping, and it is sick.

So, yeah, just something to think about. That is pretty fun. And then I get a video game question, though, for you, because I can't believe, I'm pumped to here. You're a wee guy, but you said the boys got a switch, too. I don't have a switch yet. Do you like it more than the Wii? I have the Wii, and I have the 64, obviously. But do I need the Switch?

The Switch is just nice on the plane, just play games. It's kind of like passes times, but I like the Wii. get a little mobile and you're having a good time. Mario card's pretty sick on the Wii, by the way. I don't know if you guys have that for it. But I find myself like I'm sideways. It's complicated, dude.

Like if you get the wheel, it's nice. But like the two sticks, it's like, I feel like there's too much going on. You got to have the wheel. You can't be playing that game with two sticks. Yeah, that's true. I'm always on the motorbikes too. That thing is sick.

Okay. Last one. This is a, I'm calling this category family time. Okay? All right. Pass shoot score. being at the family lake house doing some wakeboarding and some water skiing, skating on Garner Lake when it's frozen with your siblings over the winters,

or your annual family trip to Mexico. Well, you haven't been to Mexico in a while, so I'll pass that one. Good. And then a little loophole. Yeah, loophole there. Same with the skate in the lake, so that'll be shoot, but there's nothing better than the summer coming home and spending hours on the boat with buddies and family

and just kind of getting to relax and get away from the world. So that's the score there. Dude, it is literally, we grew up on the ocean and spent a lot of summers there. And then our family got a lake house and we started going there. And it took us way too long to realize that lake life is literally the greatest life on earth. Oh, yeah, it's so nice. Relaxed, laid back. It's nice.

Like, the place where we have is kind of like got shitty cell phone reception. So just like you and the boys out there having a good time. Dude, ours was the same way. and we actually had a phone basket rule when it was like you show up, there was a big basket, you toss your phone in it, and you're like,

dude, we're here for the weekend, just dial in and have a good time. It's the best way to operate. Exactly. Are you a water skier, wakeboard guy? I know you both, but which one you prefer?

Water skiing, wake surfing is fine. Okay, wake surfing is fine. If I'm gonna get, like, if it's just the boys in the boat, like having a good time,

like, yeah, that's wake surfing. But if it's like, like, it's tough for water scene, because the water's got to be so calm. Yeah. When I do get the chance to water ski, I quite enjoy that. That's fun.

Yeah. Did I see it was your mom? Your mom's big into that? Is that how you got into it? Yeah. Yeah. My mom, like, was a downhill ski racer growing up. So we always went to the mountains in the winter and skied.

And then in the summer, kind of just got thrown in the water and put two skis on you. And if you get up, you get up. If you don't, try again. Yeah. You're going to get dragged me. We'll find you in the morning. Yeah, exactly. But you like water skiing more than snow skiing now, though?

Yeah, there's just no time to snow ski. Yeah, right. Plus the Canadians will cut your head off. Yeah, I know. They kill me. I love water skiing. That is so sick. Yeah, lake life is amazing.

Where did you guys go on that Mexico trip? We were always part of Iarta. Oh, sick. Yeah, yeah. Oh, I guess West Coast makes sense. Yeah, that's beautiful down there. That's fire. Yeah, it was us and another two family.

that we kind of grew up with. So it was right after hockey season ended spring break, you just went down there for two weeks and it was nice. Yeah, all you, the pasty hockey boys get sunburned immediately and you're like, oh yeah, two days and you're like beat red. Fuck.

This is the time we're supposed to be at the lake. Like, what the fuck? Yeah, exactly. Oh, shit. Well, dude, Kirby, this has been an absolute blast, man. We don't want to take up too much more of your time. But, you know, before we let you get back to the last remaining weeks of your summer here. Is there anything you want to shout out or give a plug to before we disconnect with you here?

No, no. Just excited to get back and get things going and have a good season. Maybe get to meet you fellas if you guys come to Montreal, go for dinner or something. I'm in L.A. and I'm not busy. Let's hang out. Hell yeah, dude. No question about it. I do need Poutine, though.

I'm just saying now. You don't have to eat me, but I am stopping and getting some. Yeah, we'll find you some. Yeah, that's your homework between now and then, dude. Find me the spot and then we'll be dialed in. Perfect. Good shit. All right, well, man, this was a blast.

And, yeah, dude, we'll be in Montreal soon, so we're going to link up, no doubt about it. Perfect. All right, man. Oh, wow, what a great time. I love him, dude. He's the man. He's so good.

I'm really happy for him. As, like, as corny as that may sound. Like, I'm just so happy for that kid. No, man. We talk about it all the time. It's doing this show. has a thousand bonuses and benefits and the community is the best part without question without question but just another element is getting to meet these guys on a personal level and kirby doc is a funny one where

it's you know he's a super high draft pick and then his first couple years on paper maybe don't look that great but then when you hear about it you hear about the devastating wrist injury you hear about the covid year all that shit and now you see him in montreal starting to really play some elite level hockey it's like how could you not be excited about that dude and that young team it's It's exciting stuff. Think about... I imagine just about everyone listening to us right now likes hockey and is a hockey fan.

And even if you didn't play, imagine working as hard as you can your whole life to all the way through 18, getting drafted, third overall, and being like, wow, everything is working out. My life stream has come true. And then having just like such a tumultuous start, everyone's like, bust, bust, bust, bust.

You get shipped out of town. Like, that, the, I could not even begin. to handle that emotional stress. Oh, dude, I would crumple. I would crumple like a fucking house of cards. And he's back, he's in a fucking massive hockey city. He's with all these young boys. He's basically playing fucking juniors again.

He's living it up. He's got Marty St. Louis. Everybody's there. And I think he's going to tear it up. And I'm fucking pumped for him. He is. Before we bounce out, just want to say another quick thank you to all of you guys,

to all the listeners, to all the followers. It's been a wild summer. And cannot wait for a hockey season to come back. We almost here. We love you guys. Show some support. like I said earlier. Follow the Twitter.

Go subscribe to the YouTube page. If you go and subscribe to the YouTube page and then get a friend to subscribe and you hit us up, we'll send you some Isis Ready merch. I love that. Great. Let's grow the YouTube. Let's get some more stuff. We got some fun stuff coming on the YouTube too.

We got a couple of cool little life of videos with some players. We did some cool shit with Drew Dowdy. We've got some chicklets cup coming up when we head to Buffalo. You're not going to want to miss it. So hop on that YouTube, share it around. It's going to be a blast. But until then, find that ice where you can and skate hard.