Empty Netters Podcast - End The Playoffs Now And Give The Avs The Cup w/ Brooks Laich

Episode Date: May 14, 2026

Nathan Mackinnon is HIM. Ties the game with an outrageous snipe and the Avs come back from down 3-0 in game 5 to win in 4-3 in OT and punch their ticket to the Western Conference finals. Brooks Laich was in LA and chopped it up with the boys, talking hockey, World Playground, Ovi stories, and rocking out to MmmBop?? Plus Berube gets fired, Schaefer wins the Calder and MORE! Chapters: 0:00 - Intro 0:57 - Avs Beat Wild, Move to Conference Final 31:36 - NHL News 45:27 - Brooks Laich Interview PRESENTED by BetMGM. Download the BETMGM app and use code “NETTERS” and enjoy up to $1500 in bonus bets if you lose your first wager! Thanks to our Sponsors! BetMGM: Use bonus code NETTERS when signing up to receive up to $1500 in bonus bets if your first bet loses. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER (Available in the US) 877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY) 1-800-327-5050 (MA), 1-800-NEXT-STEP (AZ), 1-800-BETS-OFF (IA), 1-800-981-0023 (PR) 21+ only. Please Gamble Responsibly. See BetMGM.com for Terms. First Bet Offer for new customers only. Subject to eligibility requirements. Bonus bets are non-withdrawable. In partnership with Kansas Crossing Casino and Hotel. This promotional offer is not available in New York, Nevada, Ontario, or Puerto Rico. Bauer Golf. Built to move with you on every swing. Shop the new Bauer Golf Apparel line at Bauer.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to the Empty Netters podcast. Can you believe what this has become? There was a full 48 hours where I felt like I was like literally Superman. Jumbo loves playing Fortnite, so he gets on the sticks. Did TR show you the sauna cycle or was that all year? No, no, I invented that. Almost a year now that I haven't taken a body check. That's kind of nice.

So we are back. We are horned up and we are going deep. Finish tonight with some chicken fingers and a few guineasas and ran into you guys. That's where this pod came to life. Ice ready, and we're back with another episode of the NGNetters podcast brought to you by BetMGM, bringing you an after dark edition like you read about. Beyond midnight for CP over in Ecuador. As always. Crazy.

It's a late one, folks. We had a crazy game. We're going to jump into this. CP's traveling all over the world. Me and Dr. Watkins are grinding away, and we are going to get into the death. of the Minnesota wild and it happened in the most Minnesota sports fashion I have ever seen in my entire life. Dan, I was saying to Ev before he jumped on that it's literally all I've done today is podcast

and fly. Like I left from the morning podcast and had been in a plane since and it landed and the first thing I did I did is this. Like I'm in the same outfit. I was like, holy shit, dude. What I'm a ground dog's day. It's a grind, dude. We have fucking absolutely horrible lives

So I don't know what else to say Dan Do you think Because I want your take I want your macro take right at the top Because you and I think Marty were kind of banging the seven This will still go seven drum

So I want your take on that And then I don't even want to Quote this person Because he just randomly popped up On the Twitter timeline But he's a stars fan and a hater It was saying How big of a choke job this was

Blowing a three-go lead is obviously a fucking melt. But I kind of want people to calm down on how intense of a choke this was. Yeah, I mean, listen, it's, I declared them dead last episode and then out of respect for the Minnesota Wild

because I do believe they're a great team and I love everything about them. I love that team. I love the organization. I love that, the fan base. So I was like, listen, there's a little fight there. There's a little fight left.

But I did declare them dead. I was like, you are dead. You cannot beat Colorado three games in a row. you're, and we did make that statement, we were like, if there's one team that could do it, maybe it's them. And I'm like, no, you know, it's not them. This was definitely a choke job.

There's no other way to slice it. I think getting online and dancing on graves, I don't really, I think I've said this before, I don't really get the Dallas, Minnesota hate. I'm like, what? Yeah, same. Is it because of the star? Oh, fair.

No, no, not fair, Chris. Because like, Ev, you're right, I would maybe... That was so long. And I would maybe understand a Minnesota fan hating Dallas, but Dallas hating Minnesota is fucking insanity. It's like, you won. That's like murdering someone's mother and then being like, I fucking hate you. And I'm like, you killed my mom.

I hate you. Like, I hate you hate me. I hate you. So I don't really get it at all. So I don't really get the dancing on graves. It's not the worst choke we've ever seen. It's not even the worst choke of these playoffs, probably. the problem was

that probably belongs to the penguin sorry it's fair oh god the problem just overall the problem was dude the you came out and Minnesota was like

we we ain't done yet dude we ain't here no bell we're fucking firing and you give up that goal to Colorado was that in the second period yes Dan because I have something to say about this but continue so you go all right, you go three nothing in the first period with a goal called back.

Like, you were fucking killing them. And then you come out in the second period flat as a pancake. It was insane. A bad pancake, too. You go and look in that game. Minnesota had 13 shots in the first period and four goals. I'm going to call it four goals because they scored a goal that got called back. And I'm still confused why that got called back.

but they were all over them and then you come out in the second and you have three shots on net dude and you have three shots on net and then you let the best team in the league I don't want to say let but they score a goal and you go okay it's a two goal game now

let's come out in the third and let's get four shots on goal it was just like did the Kings series teach you nothing that you cannot sit back against this team and like try to wait him out you're going to try to grind them down it's never going to fucking work so honest to god when it became 3-1 i was like they might die here but then somehow they lasted almost the entire third period but then drury scores and i swear to you i'm sitting here alone in my fucking

empty apartment as a lonely piece of shit loser hating my fucking life and everything is terrible in my life and that goal goes in and I go well at least it's not as terrible as the Minnesota Wild because I promise you they're getting scored on again I'm surprised they didn't lose in regulation like it the second that goalie was pulled and Colorado had possession and Minnesota is fucking running, like they're just desperately trying to clear it up the boards. And it's not even getting to the point. It's been smothered at the hash marks. I was like, count your fucking seconds, boys, you are getting scored on.

And then Nate scored the most throat slitting goal I've ever seen. And it was like, do you think there's any man on Earth, any man or woman on this planet, on this spinning rock in the miserable universe that thought Minnesota was winning in overtime? No. Not even Quinn's mom. This was done. Okay, lot to unpack there, Dan. I'll start here. This is a crazy take for me, but I fuck. And there's going to be a thousand anecdotes that prove me wrong, but I just swear to God, this is a real thing.

I hate three nothing leads in the first period. Specifically the first period. if you get three up later, I'm like, yeah, fine, you're going to win now. I swear to God, teams go up three, oh, after one, and they go, we've won. This is a bloodbath. And then there's too much time. 40 minutes, dude, they can get three. And then this always happens.

Like, bang, there's three goals. Now you're fucking dead. I swear this is a thing. You're 100% right, man. I'm telling you, like, it is, this has happened in these playoffs before. It is, it's like you come too quick, man. There's way more ballgame left. Like you gotta, you gotta fuck for another 45 minutes, pals.

You can't fucking bust this quick. Get the Roman swipes out, dude. Hurry up. So you're just so, you're so on it early. And it's hard not to let up after that. Like after that, you're like, this guys, we've got a three-goal leap. We got this. Going game six at least.

But it's, again, the absolute worst team to try to just wear it out after. And yeah, man, it's like, when you go up three-nothing, you almost, need that fourth to be like, and now it's out of reach. You agree, dude. Completely agree. It's crazy, but you do. But then when it goes 3-1 against Colorado, you're a little bit like, oh, fuck me. But again, the credit to the wild for making it last in the third

as long as they did. But I'm sorry, as soon as Drury scored, you were like, hey, and, okay. Good, good job, good effort, good night. You know, that was that. I'm actually just remembering, Dan, I know the Aves ended up winning, but I'm just remembering this exact thing

happened in game one in reverse. Yes. where the abs go up and then the wild they're like, we're up 5-4 now. And you're like, what the fuck just happened? So I hear you there big time. Yeah, it's tough. Like I, I don't even want to, there's nothing really to break down in this game. Like, it's like, you know, we all, you know, you saw the goals, you saw the game. The only things to talk about are they're just complete let up. I mean, to go up three nothing with 13 shots on net and finish that game with overtime with what? Did they have 22 shots on net in the end of the game? I think. Yeah. I'll look it up.

I know I got it right here. Well, I had this, Dan, because this is the same topic. 20. Not even 22. 20. Dude, you had three goals with one goal called back and 13 shots on net in the first period. And you finish that game, including overtime, with 20 shots on net. They had zero shots on net in OT. Like that, you, I know that they're kicking themselves. I'm not saying anything. anything that the wild don't know, but you just, you cannot, you cannot sit back against this Colorado team. And we saw it, I said after game four, or maybe I think it was sooner than that,

game three against L.A. Colorado is suffocating. So it's like, when you get three goals on them, you have to keep playing that way. You can't think that you're going to like let up in any sort of way and change the way your game is. And you're going to, you're going to confuse this Colorado team. They're going to figure out how to play. So it sucks. Like I'm bummed out for the wild because I think getting out of that first round in a great way, beating Dallas in quicker than seven was awesome. But to then come in here and lose in five,

like it looks like you got rinsed. And I think this team's way better than that. Their win was a huge win, like kind of a beatdown. Game one was obviously a shootout. And then this game, by all accounts, you have to fucking win. win this game after you go off three nothing you have to fucking win that game so unfortunately what should have been a great playoff run for them playing easily the two hardest teams any team has faced in these playoffs beating dallas and then coming up against colorado you you would

have thought losing to colorado minnesota would be like this great fucking season boys like we picked up quinn things started going really really well we're buzzing out there we took Colorado to a tough six or a tough seven, but now you lose in five and you lose in five in game five getting your dick stomped in after being up three nothing. That is a shit feeling. Sour taste in the mouth to hit the golf course tomorrow. You know, like holy fuck. We were talking the other day, Dan, uh, when talk was out drinking that the boys go out and have a pop after. You know, like it's tough fucking season and it's, it's whatever. And the team, when you get it eliminated, The whole team goes out and has beers.

Tonight must have sucked. Like the team beers must have fucking sucked tonight, dude. Because you're just sitting there being like, wow, I am in shell shot. Like that is a silent plane ride back, right? Yeah. I mean, you're just like, are you fucking kidding me? I did also blows. No, go on, go on.

I did want to say this about the abs. And you highlighted it already, but after the first where you got rinsed essentially for nothing. And I kind of want to go back to that goal. But you get rinsed for nothing. the shots are 9-3-9-4-4-0 in overtime. I do want to tip my cap to the Aves a little bit because, man, there's something about this team that usually, dude, when you were having a bad night as a team, you're just having a bad night.

It happens, right? Like the Bruins got pumped at home in game four. The Aves got pumped in this series. Shit happens. The Aves really can claw out of that in a way that I haven't seen a lot of teams do where I'm like, oh, man, not the Aves night, all good. And then they just flip it on you, dude, so hard. and not only get back in the game, but, like, dominate you for two-thirds of the game after the worst period of their whole playoffs.

It's really impressive. You know what's interesting now is, again, this was supposed to be a better feat. They were always losing in this round. I'm sorry. They were always losing in this round. This was supposed to be a more celebratory finish to the playoffs for the wild. and I think now you feel like a little shitty and I can't stress enough how brutal

losing Erickson Ack and Brodina is. Like every every wild fan who's down right now, please don't think that I'm murdering you right now. I'm just talking about the, I love the wild. I really do. Yeah. It's just like this should have gone better.

I wanted it to go differently. And you have to remind yourselves Eric Seneck and Brodine being out is devastating. It is devastating to my case. Now, though, what really blows is, with the exception of Boldy, boldie was great. I think you needed a little bit more from Caprizov in these playoffs. It's so weird, bro, because we posted that one clip.

I'm nowhere near done with this point. Okay. So let me know if you have a quick interjection, because I want you to finish if you think it's quick. Just that he is one point off the playoff lead in points. Capri is funny. Yeah, like it's only Marner who has one more point than him, then he leads playoffs.

How many goals does he have, though? Four? Let's see. Under five, because he's not appearing on this leaderboard yet. He has four, yeah. I'm sorry, I think through 11 games, I need like six goals from him. That's what I need.

That's what I need from seven. from $17 million Kriel Caprizov. Sorry. I'll give you that. So my point being, I personally feel like Quinn emerged as the best player

on the wild in these playoffs. So now, I think, given that they didn't go out in a more, because if they had gone out in seven, the vibes in that locker room would be sky high. I agree.

It would be like, Like, dude, that Aves team was a fucking wagon. We didn't have Eric Seneck. We didn't have Brodine. We are right there. Like this is elect. Wallstead has emerged as a fucking stud. We can maybe flip Gustafsson this summer.

We are right fucking there. This is exciting. But you kind of go out like this with a whimper and the vibes aren't that high. And my point being, if the vibes were higher, the idea of maybe extending Quinn this summer would be way stronger. But they are lower. So now there isn't as strong, potentially, there's potentially not as strong of a pull to make Quinn be like this fucking rights. I'm staying here. I love it here. You guys traded for me. You traded a haul for me. You believed in me. You bet on me. And we made a fucking unbelievable run. We just barely lost to the probable cup champions.

I'm coming back. We're getting this done. There is a world now where that feeling is much weaker than it could have been and that's terrifying because I am telling you right now, holy shit, what we saw this season and what we just saw in those playoffs, the only thing that Bill Garron has to do is extend him now. Like I would not want to go through next season letting Quinn Hughes play and have every single day people talking about what's happening with Quinn. Is he going to New Jersey? Is he going to just hit free agency and you sold the farm for a second round?

shit kicking and one extra year to like see what happens because I'll tell you what dude if you extend Quinn and then you've got Quinn Caprizov boldie erics andac all these guys for and Faber for a long time you can trade gustavs in you can make some moves and people go like this you got Quinn Faber Caprizo and Boldie forever that I mean that is the that is probably the best northern team set up in the league I'm going there but if you have Quinn being like I don't know what I'm doing. It's going to be hard to get people to buy it. I think the, we've talked about this so much about what the Hughes brothers are going to do.

And I think a ton of this, the answers to your question relies just kind of on what Quinn wants, right? Like, I'm sure they're going to say, hey, dude, we're open to extending you and he's going to go, okay, or like, I don't want to talk about that yet. And we have to wait. But I do think the Olympics was the worst thing that's ever happened to the wild. Or the worst thing has ever happened to the people who go, I don't, I don't think they're going to move. mountains just to play with each other because I think they were like, God, that was awesome. That is so true, like them bunking together and all that, but I'll actually, if we're

going to play devil's advocate to that, I think it is enormous that Garin, boldie, Faber are all there. Okay. Yeah, yeah, so come this way. That's a huge factor too. Like, I think you could play both sides of that argument. Yep. But it would be, you got to fucking, I mean, then the, then the Karel 11 or 17 mil hurts

because I'm like, could you have saved some for Jack Hughes, you bitch? And he's like, no, I can't. I am Russian. Give me the fucking money. I want an answer from both of you on this. Do you think Dallas would have done better? No. I agree.

Really? Completely agree. I think, yeah. I think we all wanted this to be like Rocky one, like Dan was saying. You go toe to toe and then you lose, but you feel like you put it all, you left it all out there. But now this is like Rocky Five, which sucked. I think. Which is awful.

I don't think Dallas would... But I don't think Dallas would have done anybody. I completely agree with Evan. No disrespect to Dallas, but like, I think we saw their up and down. Obviously, it was primarily up. Yeah. But the weird skids they went on all season, we just saw that in playoff. Like, they were a flaccid penis, these playoffs.

And if they somehow scraped together a couple extra wins and beaten, I think they would have been lost in five as well. I just wonder if we could have given them some, some blue pill, dude, a little Viagra. I know. I do feel for Minnesota. Like, I think they are definitely being like, how the fuck did we let that happen in five? Like, at the very worst, this should have been six. And this game blows for that, man.

Like, it is so bad. The abs are just like, they're like Michael Myers. You can't kill him. You can't kill him, like. You literally put three bullets in him in the first period, and they just, like, shot up and came back and destroyed them. I don't know of anybody. It's so crazy how, you know, Bednar,

took that massive risk and played Blackwood in game four. It worked. Then he plays him in this game and he gets fucking pinballed. And he just yanks him and puts in Wedgie and they come back and win. Yeah. It's like that is, if that's not Michael Myers, like you're telling me that your goalie gets fucking rung up in the first period and you have to yank him and then you win that game.

Not a lot of teams can do that. This should have been so easily a, okay, Wedgwood goes in for the rest of this game, doesn't even give up a goal or maybe gives up one, but we lose. And then Wedgwood wins game six because he gets the start. And we're like, like, that is the script here. The fact that he came in and shut them out and then they won. He didn't have fucking much to do, right? What do you?

What he said? Seven shots. Like, fuck me. That's crazy. But it's just like, again, this was just a brutal performance by the wild. And that sucks because this team is so good. And I'm sure they're scratching their heads right now. I'm sure they're all getting home.

And they're being like, how the fuck did we let that happen? Like, what happened to us? and and that's a that's a shitty feeling shitty feeling but for this Colorado team man I mean getting through in four easy games against L.A. and now you beat Minnesota in five probably the best competition left in the NHL

save for the Cains. Holy fuck man like I'm not I'm not trying to dead or count out Vegas or Anaheim but if you're Colorado you're looking at those two teams being like we just we just handled a buzzsaw team in five. What are these?

guys possibly going to throw at us. I think they're going to win in three in the honestly. Like it's, again, I feel bad counting them out, but like this team is, I mean,

hearing Nate after being like, you know, like some guys are banged up and bruising, obviously they are, but I'm like, you don't fucking look like it, pal. You guys look like the monstars.

It's insane. And it's, it does, I don't know, sometimes, sometimes shit feels like it's meant to be. And, you know,

if you're a Bruins fan and you have that 23 season, the president, the record breaking season, you got into that Florida, series and like things started going downhill quick and it felt going into playoffs like there was it was a season of destiny but when it started going downhill you were like oh my god this team is the president's trophy team they come in they have goalie question marks they're answered in the first round you then

come up against the wild you you have that crazy game one but then it's like bang big win quick loss big win comeback win everything is rolling everything feels like this is a team of destiny. It's like we have Landy's come back last year and now he's fully healthy this year. You have Bernsies probably last ride. You got Cadry back. It's just like everyone's healthy. I know Lecky has a knock here and Malinsky has a knock here, but they might be back in and out. And it's like, this team is genuinely unstoppable. And I'm praying. And I also don't want to count Buffalo or Montreal. But like, we have two teams on both sides that look fucking elite. That we want that final. And when that final happens, Carolina, Colorado, someone get

a suicide watch on Miko Rantan because I don't even know. That's hilarious, dude. I forgot about that. The Rantanin'n' Bowl, like the Rantan get fucked bowl will be quite brutal for him. Dude, and that was kind of on him, too. It is. Obviously, there's some questionable reports about what the offers were in Colorado and whatever. I mean, Chris, like, literally it was like he was like this. The offer wasn't there in Colorado. I had to get out.

Then he goes to Carolina and he goes, fuck you. I will not play here. And now both those teams are probably going to the cup. That is tough to see. That is extremely tough, especially because the guys too, like, stank and Natchis are like fucking so good. And I'm like, oh, no, dude. He's going to be like the next Marian Hosa who like kept bouncing from teams that then went to win the cup after he left and she's landed in Chicago. I also think that there's, so I was going to say

to that Ave's point, I think the Oilers, one of those Oilers teams won 18, played 18 playoff games on the way to a cup, 16 and 2. I'm pretty sure that's the record. Colorado legitimately feels like they're flirting with something like that right now because of who is in their way. And anybody, Vegas could surprise them. All three East teams could surprise them, but they're flirting with something crazy, like a teens games to win the cup, 18, 19, something like that. And I was also dying at the thought of Carolina making the cup this year, but then getting swept by the abs and starting a new thing. Like, all we do is get swept. Like, they've just, they just moved their sweep curse, like, into one deeper round.

Like, they will make the cup three straight years and just get swept every year. And I'm like, oh, dude, what the fuck is happening? You know, you know what I think is hilarious, boys, is the race this summer between McFarlane and Garan to, get Kale and Quinn extended. Yeah. Before each other is so... To set the market. Yes.

Is so funny. And like you know both of... I wonder if they have the same agent, but like you know both their agents are being like this, well, I'm just going to wait to see what happens there. Which is what Connor did with krill. And obviously he ended up taking less, but remember Connor wouldn't sign because he's like,

I'm not signing until I see what Krill gets. Yeah, exactly. But what's interesting, right, is like, kale ain't going anywhere. Like, there's no, like, Kale and Nate will play and retire in Colorado. So you'd imagine Kale will happen pretty quickly. I would think they'll probably go on and win a cup or, you know, if all things goes well for

Colorado. And then maybe like a month or two later, he'll be like, yeah, like, let's get to that and just get that done. And that is just so treacherous for Minnesota fans. Yeah. Because like all that you've lost now and all you want to do on God's green earth is go, Garan, can you please, please just get this done. And with the fucking Krill 17 mil hit, I'm sure there's a part of him that's like, well, maybe Kale takes a team-friendly deal and we can just kind of wait that out, but like,

I don't think you can wait that out. Dude, there's a chance Kale does because they have some cap stuff too. You know, like he can't go nuclear. Yeah. But, man, I will say again, the 17 for Krill is insane. And I know you had to keep them. You need a superstar. But I'm just like, did you need 17, dude?

Caps going up, whatever, but just still, that's such a crazy number, such a wrinkle. The good news is for them, though, I believe passionately that, I mean, certainly with D, you're not considering that. Like, no, there's no way Quinn's camp is being like, well, Krill makes 17. But to your point earlier, you're like, he's better than, you're like, I'm the best player on the team. I know, I know, I know. The great news is that Brock makes 8.5. The great news is. The great news.

Yeah. Boldie's playing for free. Yeah. The great news is that Quinn and Brock play so well together. They, like, they, you know, that's just like a beautiful combination and thing. You would wonder if Quinn, when you have to think about your career, I know he loves playing with his brothers, but you would wonder if there is a part of Quinn's camp that is like, dude, like, you're not, you're probably not going to play with Luke. so like because they're both lefties is what I'm saying.

So like you have a good situation here. You're playing with your gold medal winning teammates. And specifically your gold medal winning teammate D partner, chill. Like it's Minnesota. You fucking, you spend, you spend your summers in Michigan. Like you're right here. This is a good home for you. Garron is your GM.

He's going to take care of you. There is a lot that they can play on. But it is just, I mean, the fact that Luke makes nine, Luke Hughes makes more money than Brock Faber. It's like the D market is lunacy. And you've got Quinn who's 26 years old. Like he's going to sign a seven, wherever he goes, he's going to sign a seven-year deal,

and this is the fat ticket. And you just, I mean, what are we talking? 12 and a half here? Like, I don't think there's any world where you can argue that K.L. McCar and Quinn Hughes don't deserve $12 million. Yeah. I know. I know, unless they're homies.

But, you know, like maybe they go, give me 10, dude. Like, give me the high end of the D market, you know, and like, what does Bush get at 10.5? I think so. Is Drew still the highest paid defenseman in the league? 11, right? Yeah. Because I think what is, well, was it Carlson? Carlson's hit right now with Pittsburgh is 10.

Yeah, I think he was like 10. But I don't remember if his deal is 10 or if San Jose is eating. some of that. No, I think it's 10. I think he took like a fat 10 and everybody was like, holy shit. Yeah. No, it's 11 and a half. Yeah. San Jose retains 1.5 of that. Okay. So it is Carlson. But like, whoopee. Yeah. Yeah. You like that? Oh, yes. He had a good year. He had a good. No, of the three years he's been here, one of them was good. Yeah. So, but that was this last year. So hopefully I mean, I think we're looking, it is insane. that Drew and Carlson got 11 and 11 and a half when they signed.

I mean, yeah, I think we're looking at $12 million base for these two, dude. Yeah, fuck. Come on, guys. How many jobs have you been at when you see the person making the most money is usually the one who does the least money? So true, dude. So think of it that one. Yeah. Yeah, I, again, I don't have, I, the only thing I can say here is Colorado is just proving every bit of them being a team of destiny, every bit of a wagon.

and Minnesota, I am so impressed with this team and with this group and the makeup and the construction of the team, especially with Krill 17 Mill. But, I mean, there's literally only one thing on your mind, and it's trying to re-sign Quinn Hughes. And unfortunately, that should have ended way better than it did. And I don't think that's helpful for that cause. Now, that is, that is a completely ignorant fan take. I, you know, no one knows what's going on inside that locker room and inside his camp other than the

people in that locker room and the people in his camp. So this could mean absolutely nothing to them. You know, like, and in all actuality, that's probably the case. Yeah. But there is no doubt that vibes are helpful. Like when you, look at Florida, dude. When they win and all those fucking guys went, give me way less money. They signed drunk, Dan. They signed drunk. And now the, the fucking wild are angry hungover. And they go, you want to resign? And Quinn goes, fuck you. I'm just telling you. If they had gone down on their shields in a fucking epic bloody seven game battle, I'm telling you Quinn would be, he'd be, he'd have bloodlust. Like, he would be drunk on how close that was. And being like, we just lost the best fucking team in seven.

We're close. Give me the boldy deal. Even if it got to six, don't you feel like even if it's six, you would have been like, okay, we were one game away from like maybe winning. Yes. And I do think that bloodlust would have been there. Credit to the Aves, as you said before, absolute fucking nip job from Nathan McKinnon. Oh my God, dude. And the Brooks interview, what you're going to hear later in this episode, he said,

you need elite talent to win the cup. The second deck old one, and he said, he texted us and said, that is what elite talent looks like, boys. Those are the goals you need to win the same thing. He's absolutely right. Let's take an ad break, and we'll be right back. All playoffs long, Bet MGM is turning every single shot, every single save, and every single sudden death thrower, just like we had to know. in Game 5 Avs Wild, which put the Wild to sleep, they're turning it into an even bigger win

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That's N-E-T-T-E-R-S. When you log in and you receive your welcome offer at sign-up, BetMGM, make it legendary. All right, we got a couple of quick-hitting news stories we're going to get to before we jump to this Brooks-like interview. Number one, Matthew Schaefer, unanimous, Calder trophy winner. How do you like me now? 198 first place votes. 0,000, 2nd, 3rd, 4th. Oh, dude, that's awesome.

For once they got it right. Good for him. I mean, incredible year. If you haven't seen the video of him getting the award presented to him, and his family comes out, and the Martin family comes out, and Shaf Daddy is the, and I mean this in a good way, the most wears his emotions on his sleeve kid, right? Like when these big monumental moments happen to him

and he knows it's a big moment in his life, he's not afraid to let you see it. so him getting teary-eyed is what it's all about dude you know and it becomes the youngest guy ever to win the award broke mckenon's record by a few days um i mean my god dude what a story what a kid what a kid he's the best guy in the world if you haven't seen that uh good morning america him him him getting it and and just like how close his family is how amazing they all are so cool it was other a couple things were awesome i love uh that dobesh got so much love forth in voting And that is just like, what a fucking win for them.

Love seeing Fraser Minton on there. Yes, Dan. And then, Richard Minton getting some love. I died. I don't know if you guys saw this online, but there are some Oilers fans who, some fucking Oilers writer tweeted out,

Matt Savoy with zero votes for Calder, proves that there is a clear anti-Oilers bias in award voting. And I spit out my Moka Frappuccino. know, through my nose laughing at that statement. Because it just makes me laugh. Like, Linus Carlson and, like, a couple other guys are at the bottom with, like, one vote, like, one, like, last place. One fifth place votes.

Yeah, yeah. And, like, Linus Carlson, I think had, like, 35 points. And, like, Matt, I think Maddie Savoy had, like, 37 points. And I know that's, it's not just a points thing. But, like, the guys at the end, like, sort if and, um, Herkovian, I, fucking sorry Justin I don't know how to pronounce the last name yeah um they they all had like 35 to 38 points so they're just saying these guys are just saying I deserve one I deserve fifth place vote and because they didn't get the one fifth place vote there is a clear bias

anti-oilers bias and I was just like men that you guys are down bad right now I mean from minting up it's not even a conversation no of course right you don't know so I'm like what are we talking about dude um and I take... There's a part of me that thinks the, like, fifth, fourth place voting is the most fucking moronic thing

in the entire world. Like, just fucking vote for who you think it is. Yeah. You get one vote. I think... I take slight issue with the Demadoff over Seneca

for second. I mean, I'm not trying to piss off any Havs fans, but I'm just telling you that Beckett Seneca is the second, is it should be the runner

up and rookie of the year. I actually... I'm not entirely sure that I think Seneca should be over Demitof. but how vast the gap is, I think is a monstrous mistake. Yeah. Monstrous.

He's a fucking stud. But either way, amazing shit from the kid. And again, it's just, you know, friend of the program couldn't be happier for him. It's amazing. Speaking of being happy for people, Charlie Coyle, one of the big free agent names, just signed a six-by-six deal with the Columbus Blue Jackets. Again, one of the best guys that you will ever come across, like, C. You're the fucking man, and I couldn't be happier for you. He gets full no-move protection, which you'll love to see for the kid.

Do you like this move for Columbus? I actually like it for both. And the fact that he signed it says to me that he's, he likes it here. He's like, I like this. I like what we're building. I want to be here. I think we can be a playoff team coming forward because I think he easily could have gotten offers if he didn't want to be there, right?

So I am, I love this. I think that that tells me that he's happy and I think that he will be productive for them at that number. And that works. My take is they have the best, uh, I mean, or, excuse me, Charlie Coyle had the best year of his career this year with Columbus. That's amazing. He's only 34. He's got, you know, several good years left. That's $6 million.

number is nothing. That's what I'm saying. Because he's going to be old by the end of this. Werenski is 9.58 highest contract on the team. And like their cap situation is actually pretty great. They've got something like 34 mil next year and the only people

they need to resign is Marchment, Jenner, you've got RFA and Cole Cylinger, and you've got a couple of D spots to fill. And they've got plenty of money for it. it. So like you look at Columbus and their cap setup is pretty fantastic. So I'm like fucking given

Charlie Coil to be your second third line center making six mil after you just had a career year, that feels fantastic. I'm in, dude. I'm here for it for sure. I think it's great. Yeah, this is a win. This is a happy ending. This is a good story. Absolutely win. Couldn't be happier. Six is the number on today's episode and six suspension games for Charlie McAvoy for trying to murder uh sentence right yeah dude remember we were talking about like what do they do do they suspend you into the next season and they and they sure do yeah they sure do six games there is uh wait is that does that count preseason or regular season got to be regular but great question what a nice little

loophole would be if it was preseason oh my god yeah a bunch of meaningless games like charlie mackwick has to be like this oh i don't have oh i don't get to play preseason games oh no um i don't get to play a craft hockey yeah bummer Uh, you're gonna hear nothing for me here. Uh, dude, we talked about on the pod. Six is low. I, uh, fucking Chuckie. I absolutely adore you, pal.

That was a wires cross moment. And sometimes you gotta get pee-wacked. So, uh, I know that there are some people would be like, it should be three. Um, you know, I wanted five. To be fair to Chuck, I wanted five. Five feels like a more round number than, I mean, literally less round than six. Yeah. It's a very round number, but, but five felt fair.

I do think Benson should have been suspended I hear that It's something is it's gonna be a playoff game I mean it was a fucking scumbag It was a scumbag Nasty slew foot and I am very anti-slew foot I think he should have gotten one game But I think six is appropriate for Charlie

Going Paul Bunyan on Zach Benson So he'll be okay It is what it is You could use the rest Yeah And then Ridley Greg nothing too right Like he got so that was my big question I don't think they gave

Because the reason the can they suspend you to the regular season comment even came up because I was like they must give Ridley Greg something and then to my knowledge I guess maybe fact check this Evan but to my knowledge Ridley Greg has received no suspension for fucking uppercutting a dude who's engaged

in a fight actually which seems crazy I thought he got one didn't he get one maybe but I didn't see it didn't come across my radar it was two regular season games he he has that coming up it was with Carolina against yeah he got two or right.

Yeah. That says two. That's fine with me. Because you wrote down none and I was like, no, I think he got one. Yeah, I put question marks because I was like, did he get nothing? Yeah. Two, that works. Two and six?

I agree. Two's correct. Okay, and then the last bit of news before we get into this Brooks Lake interview, Chief fired. Greg Brubay has been dismissed of his duties as head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs. And that's obvious. By Scar. Yeah.

Oh. I mean, we, when tree guys. axed. I was like, that's, that is the first chip to fall of a bunch of big things to happen for the Leafs. I'm surprised it took this long. I think it's amidst the circus, what a fucking circus and what a entertainmentville, Toronto and the Maple Leafs have been for all of us. We get the tree axing, then we get the Chica hiring, then we get the fucking lottery win and now Chief is fired and now Austin Matthews is getting traded. Never a dull moment. moment in Toronto.

Never a fucking dull moment. So wait, who would be like the Chica version of the coach if they want to go full crazy? Okay. Who would your version be of that? Great question. So I, and let me think about the answer to that, but these two, because they were talking about in the article that said he was fired, they were like listing names and two just killed me, Dan.

Hit me. One, it said topping the list of candidates for the leaf should be Butch Cassidy. And I just love the idea. Dude, that least team, like that prima don't know, and I've been saying that in a mean way, just like that prima don't least team getting Butch. I'm like, dude, can we talk about it too? The, the fucking down bad desperation moves from some of these Canadian teams. How about the oilers talking to Butch before even firing Noblock? Yeah, I'm like, whoa, dude. What are you fucking doing, dude? It's like, imagine being like, Noblock, we don't want to fire you yet because we want to make sure we've got a better. replacement, but we are going to interview people before we fire you. They don't want the job. We still like you. And I'm like, okay.

And then this was confusing to me, as I didn't even know this, but it said, Toronto would need permission from Vegas to hire him since he's still under contract. Yeah, that's what just happened with Edmonton? He's like, what do you mean what the fuck? This is literally what just happened with Edmonton. They denied

Edmonton permission to talk to him. Yeah, I didn't even know that was a thing. Oh, yeah. Like, that you could be like, you are fired. You have contract. We are firing you from the contract, but also you are under contract so you can't coach anywhere else.

And I'm like, well, you can just, you can block some and like in division makes sense. But yeah. And then the other one, Dan,

that killed me. It said, there are other intriguing names out there, including the University of Denver coach, David Carl. And I was like, imagined Carl leaving Denver for the fucking lease right now.

The delusion is so remarkable. I saw some, uh, some, some, some, some, some rumor bought today that was like,

uh, Chica is going to try to pressure, um, Morgan Riley into waving his no move for a one for one trade with Edmonton for darnel nurse. And I was like, okay, Edmonton,

you, you bet that's going to happen. You bet. So, uh, it's just like, yeah, I mean,

listen, uh, Barou Bay was always gone. Um, as I wanted to be. I wanted to be a Wendy's guy, like one of the floor managers that I could just lock. That he was like, this guy's died. Dave Thomas.

This guy at the Hamilton, Ontario location, you would not believe the floor players this guy comes up with. He's always beating me in fantasy. He's great. We should be in fantasy every year. We should make a list, like a fake list of like rumored Montreal Canadian, or Montreal Canadian, rumored Toronto Maple Leaf's head coach options and just have them all be utterly preponderable. We got to post that, Dan, for sure. We got to make a carousel post with that. I'm going to do that tomorrow. I'm going to have... I'll text you some of my news. I'm going to have Nate whip me up a graphic and I'm going to be like this. Here are the names and we'll just see what happens. That is so good. It's unbelievable. All right. Let's take an ad break and we are going to go straight from that into an amazing, amazing chat with Brooks Like. One of the most inspirational dudes in the entire world. Please enjoy it right after this ad. It is time to talk about the greatest brand in the entire world, and that is Bauer.

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links, check out Bauer's new golf apparel available now at bower.com. Well, today we're joined by a Wobota-Saskatchewan native. Yes. The 193rd overall pick in the 2001 draft by the Ottawa senators, amazing. Long-time Washington Capitol's legend. also played for the Leafs and the Kings, World Junior Silver Silver Medalist. Oh, you bring that up. Love that. Calder Cup champion, soon to be husband of a two-time back-to-back CrossFit Games champion. That's the best thing you've said.

Electric, co-founder of World Playground, and Washington, D.C.'s most famous AAA emergency outside employee. Looks like, welcome to the empty netters podcast. That is the best intro I think I've ever had, ever. anywhere I've been, that was well done, sir. Amazing. Oh, I mean, listen. We are new best friends.

Yeah, AAA's important. Yes, correct. Save my life many a time. I'm always going to give it a shout-out. It's amazing. It's amazing how that gets worked in. I actually just did two spots in DC media spots this morning before coming here. And it's amazing how that continues to show up this far after it happened.

It is so funny, man. We, I love little things like that a couple of years ago, maybe three, oh yeah, probably three years ago now. We went to Coachella and we were supposed to do this thing where we were supposed to perform on ice with Frank Ocean. Yeah. It did not happen. There was a whole thing about it. And to this day, whenever we do any sort of interview or randomly we'll get DMs of like reporters or lawyers and they're being like, hey, I'm working on a story about Frank Ocean.

Would you care to kind of? Interesting. No, I would not. I think you should do it. So those things come up. Yeah. Yeah, it's crazy. But that was a sick, that was a sick gesture.

Yeah. the tires. It was blown up more than, so I don't think people, I think people give me too much credit for it because what actually happened in the situation was we had just lost and we had cup aspirations. Yeah.

And I was, I was distraught. I was, I was not even, I was past livid into distraught and disbelief. Yeah. Livid is like rage on the road, drive 90 miles an hour.

Distraught disbelief is drive 30 miles an hour in a 60 zone so slow that I could see that it was a lady and her daughter were stranded on a busy bridge in D.C. And I was slow enough to be able to pull over to help them. I see my parents do it a million times in Saskatchewan. Yeah. So I just pulled over to help them, changed their tire, went home. And then it ended up being a story, whatever. But it was only because I was so upset that I was driving. When was the last time you drove like 30 miles an hour? Well, you know what's funny? In a 60 zone. I'm actually, it's really. It's really. It's really. great that it's a driving story because I know exactly the feeling you're talking about

when you're beaten down. Yes. And you're like, I can't even fight anymore. Yeah. And I have had times where not driving, but I'm walking. And you would think that I was minutes from passing out. I'm walking so slow because I'm just like, I've got nothing. Yeah.

I've got nothing left. It's unbelievable. One of the funnier stories I heard a couple years later was Bruce Boudreau, who was our coach at the time. Yeah. It was at a golf tournament in the summer. And he told the story. He goes, I saw the same two people, but I was so mad I drove right by them.

That's awesome. Heard them on the way by. Dude, that's actually hilarious to think about because presumably you were all leaving around the same time. Yeah. So so many guys could have been like, oh, I actually also drove by.

That was just on a bridge too, bridging Virginia to D.C. Yeah. Anyway. Yeah, everyone's like, I can't be bothered. Insane. When's the wedding? The wedding?

In August this summer. Amazing. I'm marrying the most, I mean, Chris and I were just talking about his fiance. He recently engaged. Yeah, yeah. I'm marrying the most. Rub it in, guys.

Incredible. Single? No, no, no. Okay. Okay. On the way. On the way. It's the greatest thing in the world.

She's the most amazing woman. Catherine Davis-Dutter is her name. And I just, when I proposed to her, I told her two things. I'm like, you said you gave a speech. And I had the same thing planned to, right? Mine was a little bit shorter. As it should be. Oh, wait, Chris, Longwood.

Yeah, it's insane. But I remember telling her two things that just ring true to me. I feel like she is the best of us, like the best of humanity. She's the best woman in the world. She's the best of us. And she is my hope. Everything good in my life flows through her. The hope to be, I think the greatest things I can ever become in my life are a loving and devoted husband and father.

And only through her can I become those things. And so, yeah, we get married this summer. I can't wait. I can't wait to say my vows to her. I am planning a fun surprise for her. She doesn't even know. And she'll never know. And nobody, there's one other person that will know this.

That's it. but yeah I can't wait to get married it's going to be so fast. Is it in Iceland or can you not say? No, it's going to be in Idaho. It's going to be on our property in Idaho. You know what? Idaho keeps coming up for us

and we keep one of pumping its tires but then Idaho people are like don't share the secret. Keep it special. Yeah, people always ask, why do you live in Idaho? I'm like, I don't know reason. It's nothing special. You're like it sucks actually.

Meanwhile, it's my best friends, I'm like, come. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's, I'm a Western guy. So I lived in D.C. for 12 years. The East is very, I know you guys are East. Yeah, yeah. The East is very organized. Yes.

It's very organized. It's very organized. It's nine to five. It's free ways to work. It's just it's very, you come out west and you guys now experience this. It's freelance. It's raw, rugged nature.

It's build your own schedule, build your own life. I just love the West. I'll probably always live West. Yeah. Sanders dad's in Boise. Really? Yeah.

Oh, yeah. Come on up, brother. It's incredible. You'll be getting a lake house soon. Yeah, yeah. Come on up. I saw a quote from you about your hometown. It was the funniest thing I've ever heard.

It says if your dog runs away, you can see him running away for three days. That's generally the quote back in Saskatchewan. That's great. They'll be like, ah, shit, there he is. Yeah. I'll go get him. I'll go get him in a couple days. Still going.

That absolutely killed me. That absolutely killed. But it's great growing up. I'd never change my childhood for anything in the world. All we did was play hockey. Yeah. That's all we did. And every kid wanted to be a hockey player.

And all you did, you played in the summer, you played ball hockey. You played roller hockey. In the winter, you played hockey. You played street hockey every day after school. All you did was play hockey. It's nonstop. And we skated every single day. There was only 600 people in our community.

And we had a rink. And the caretaker just left the rink open. And I would go skate before school. I'd go skate. That is so awesome. Come back home, eat breakfast, then go to school. Come back home, go skate and eat after. And so you just spend so much time.

That's why Saskatchewan has the highest per capita an NHL player per, like it's, I think it's 41 people per million residents. That's insane. Yeah. And it's the highest in Saskatchewan because kids spend so much time on the ice when they're young and you just develop fundamentals. Sure. Unbeknownst to your, now you have skills, coaches and that, that plays into it now. But 20 years, 30 years ago, 40 years ago, unbeknownst to you, you're just spending so much time on the ice, you're developing your skills, you're developing your propriception, how to read moving objects around you and how to interact within them. And then just the skating, the edge work, the mixing in stick handling,

shooting, all of that just gets developed over so much time. And then as long as one of my best friends who I was just telling you about the guy with four kids, he has a famous quote. He's like, he got interviewed once on like, you and Brooks grew up together. You did everything together. Why did he make the NHL? And why did you not? And he goes, oh, it's simple, really. when Brooks turned 13 he hit the gym and the rest of us we hit the booze. Yeah, yeah. You know what? At least there's a good answer.

I'm like, that's spot on, Curtis. That is exactly the reason. That's so funny, dude. Incredible. That question would kill me. Yes. Yeah. Right, exactly.

So to get into a little hockey. Well, actually, I do have one question. Will there be any sort of crossfit element to the wedding weekend? Oh, I haven't even thought of it. I mean, there's a lot of people in the community. Like my fiance is a two-time fittest woman in the world. Pretty sick. Pretty good.

Six times in the top five. Just a phenomenal athlete. Yeah, and a lot of her community, Natick, which we've talked about, she spent years in Natick. A lot of her community is a CrossFit community, which would be coming. And we have a wonderful home gym.

So we don't have anything specifically planned, but yeah, fitness people will always just want to do. We were in a wedding a few years ago, two of our best friends, and they're both big in the CrossFit community here. And the day before we did a whole Greenbaum games. And it was, I'm flipping tires up at Big Bang. Oh, yeah. It was great.

It was great. It was great. It was insane. It was so hot, too. I was like, I might not make the wedding at this rate. But it was awesome. I won, not a big deal. Yeah. By a mile. Well, interesting. It might have been him.

Yeah. They did some teams. He's a monster. They put Dan and I together, so we were doing quite well. But then the running stuff. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah, you guys got the frame for runners. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. It was great. It was good. It was good. Moving heavy loads, different for us, tall, skinny guys.

Yes. That leverage, you'd think it'd be better. Dude, you could deform with the sandbags. I'm like, Jesus Christ, I'm like dragging it up my body, you know. You learn over time. Yeah. But if I wasn't, if I didn't work out, I'd be a buck 60. Yeah, God.

Like, I'd be really skinny if I didn't work out. Yeah. It's hard for me to keep on weight. Yeah. Good. CrossFit's awesome. CrossFit's great. Okay, so for some hockey, I want to start in Ottawa.

because you get drafted with the Sends and in the early 2000s they have a pretty stacked team it's like those at Alpheltsin, Spetsa have Lechara you know the whole thing Hosa.

Yeah, Hosa my God. So you make your NHL debut you get called up in the O3-04 season on February 3rd against the Devils. Yeah. And then February 18th

you are traded. Yep. A lot of guys spend a long time in the league before they get that it's a business lesson. You spent two weeks. What was that like? What was that experience when you were such a young player?

Clearly, they didn't like me. They tried me once and said, they gave me one game. I think I played nine minutes and 34 seconds. I said, enough of that. See you, bro. Yeah. Done here. It was, I mean, it was tough and it was amazing.

Tough, A, you get drafted by a team. You are so proud and you brand yourself. Like, an NHL team believes in you, Chris. Yeah. Enough to draft you. And they bring you to development camp and you just envision, you're like, I'm in. I'm an Ottawa senator. Like, and I'm a loyal guy.

Yeah. And so you brand yourself as that. And then, yes, I was 20 years old. I'm immune to that this is a business, right? This for me is a passion. And play my first game, which is amazing. A couple weeks later, end up getting traded, which you're semi-heartbroken.

But then also you realize, okay, Ottawa was stacked. They're trying to win a cup this year. They trade for Bondra. I get traded for Peter Bondra, a couple other picks involved, whatever. But they're a veteran team that's going to be very difficult for me to crack.

Yep. And they have cup aspirations. I get flipped to a situation in D.C. where they are unloading every veteran player, stacking the cabinet with young guys and saying, okay, guys, fight it out and we'll see which one he is the best, right? And so I remember walking in the locker room.

I'll never forget this moment my entire life. First time I walk in the locker room in Washington, just caught a flight, whatever got there, walk in the locker room, and I open the door. Have you guys been in the Caps locker room? No.

I don't think so. You open the door and you look down, there's a hallway. there's a hallway you walk in, as most locker rooms do. George Mafia is standing right where this camera is right there, and he's looking right at me, and I know who George is. Sure. I walk up to him, and he walks up to me and he goes,

Brooks, welcome to D.C. I hope you're here for the next 15 years. Wow. You must have loved hearing that. And I'm a 20-year-old kid hoping to play in the NHL. Yeah. And to hear that from the general manager that just traded for me was like, oh, maybe I have a new home.

You know, and so like, awesome. Really was able to let go of being a center. and now adopt, okay, I'm now a washing capital. And I ended up spending 12 years there, didn't make the 15. Damn close though, right? Only because they traded me up because I asked to be moved out. But yeah, that was a very special moment. That is amazing.

I would have for sure that story was going to be like, who were you? You know, like this classic, I don't know if what's going on here. That is amazing. No, that was, I'll never forget George in that moment, just what that made me feel as a human being. Yeah. Yeah, that's epic. Because then you started an awesome run there too. So it's what a welcome.

It's there, you hear so many stories involving trades and guys going to new cities and this and that. And it's always so wonderful to hear those ones where it's like you interact with a guy who does it right. And that's the type of thing that makes you feel home in a business. It's, you know, it's interesting like you said, being that young when that happens, you're not really thinking about the business side of stuff.

Oh, you're just so excited to be in a chill. It's like, fuck me. I got traded and traded again. And it's just great when someone makes you feel like family. And like there is a home there. That's really cool.

I love that. Yeah, I'll never forget it. Yeah. I mean, that's unbelievable. But as you get to the Caps, kind of a dormant in the beginning of those days. And then pretty quickly, that team turns around and you are one of the best teams in the league for so many years.

And you had an amazing interview where you talked about how that bond in the locker room was so special because so many guys were so different. What was that like? And why did that work so well in that group? It was first it was a meldum. pot, it was, right, you were just bringing in draft picks and prospects from everywhere, every country and young guys. And I remember them just, it was just essentially, we were overflowing with young talent. Yeah, yeah. And not everyone was going to make it. Everyone thinks that everyone comes up. You're a

scorer, right? You come out a junior or whatever development system you're in and you're a scorer. And the reality is you can, only X amount of people can get those scoring minutes in the NHL. So we also know we're competing against each other, but we're competing with each other. Anyway, it becomes a really tight group. There's 15 names that I could throw at you right now. Like obviously we draft Ovi. We have we draft Backy. We have Mike Green. We have Jeff Schultz. We have Thomas Fleischman. We have Jacob Kleppis. We have Boyd Gordon, Brian Sotheby, Steve Eminger, Sean Morrison. I mean, these are all first round like seven for a while. Yeah. Yeah. Like there's just there's just an embarrassment of riches. Now it's okay, figure it out.

Now nothing is given. You still need to prove yourself. Figure it out. And it wasn't really until we made the coaching switch. Oh, true, sure. When we brought in Boudreau, we were 6, 14, and 1. This is my third year there, and we hadn't figured it out. Like OV had. OVie hit the NHL scored 52 and 54,

52 goals, 54 assists his first year. He was a rocket, right? He had figured it out. But as a team and success, we hadn't figured it out. And it wasn't until we made the switch to where we got, we released Glenn Hanlon, who was our coach. His claim to fame was he gave up Wayne Greskes' first ever NHL goal.

Glenn Hanlon. You look that up, Evan. Sick. Yeah. Pretty sick. Yeah. But then when we switched to Bidro, we were in last place. We were 6.14 and 1.

And I believe it was in November. We were dead last place. Yeah. We switched the coach. We ended up going 37, 17, and 7 making playoffs in the final day. And hockey is alive in D.C. Yeah. Here it comes.

Hell yeah. Right. And now you unleash the OVs, the backies, the greenies, salmon. Yep. And now we have the hottest ticket in town and then end up having perennial 50 goals or 50, or 50, Yeah, Ovi had 50 goals seasons. The rest of us didn't. 50 win seasons.

You know, and then you elevate the sport in the region, the whole thing. So just when I look back now, when I get to talk hockey with you guys, which I don't get to do much anymore. It's such a fond chapter in my life and D.C. will always be a second. Could you feel the city switching? Because I'm sure it was a Redskins ticket at the time. Could you feel the city becoming a hockey town in that moment? You could because the other teams were also struggling. Yeah, yeah.

They were really struggling. And then the caps, when we rebranded from the golden black jerseys, you remember the golden black? Yes, yes, yes, yes. To the red, to the red jerseys. And then non-traditional caps, or non-traditional hockey fans, and DC had a team, but like a Toronto, a Boston and New York, the original six, those are like traditional hockey markets. DC wasn't a traditional hockey market. Non-traditional hockey markets need a branch to grab onto to root and cheer and celebrate. and the Rock the Red gave that identity to D.C.

And fans could get their red jersey, wear their red shirt and rock the red and unleashed the fury. They did the whole thing. They unleashed the Fury. And non-traditional hockey fans that weren't there just for the love of the sport, but also more there for the entertainment. And this is the hottest ticket in town. Then all of a sudden started loving hockey through the entertainment value

and having the most flamboyant rock star on ice in the league, seeing him play every night was another reason. So it turned into a hockey town still as a hockey town. Yeah. Yeah, a wonderful place to play. You, I mean, in those early days, I know it was short, but in Ottawa, you're around so many unbelievable players. You just listed all the unbelievable players in Washington.

You played hockey your whole life. When Ovi showed up, was it immediately, holy shit. This guy's different. Good question. I played against them in the gold medal game in World Juniors. So he lit up World Juniors as a 17-year-old. I think he had two hat tricks in there. He didn't do much in the gold medal game.

but he was on my radar at that time. Then we draft them. Then it's still like, okay, yeah, but you've done it in Russia somewhere, you've done it, whatever. But then man, he hit the NHL like, it's staggering to do. Sid had 100 points.

Yeah, dude, we talk about us all time. Oh, we had 106. How do you do that? When I think of my first, I was just trying to win a battle for a puck. And like, these guys are putting up 100 points. It's insane. What Celebrini did this year?

Yeah, 115 as a 19 year old, 56 more points. points than any other player on his team. The level of composure that some athletes have should be studied. I completely agree. Athletes can spend their whole career and never reached that level, and some possess it at the age of 18, 19, 20. It is a wild thing.

And what a wild time for the NHL, too, and with both those guys coming in, they couldn't have been more contrasting than each other. We say it all the time, Brooks. It's like, they genuinely saved the NHL. Like it was a weird time after the lockout, and then they came in in division rivals, couldn't be more different, and then they both just burst onto the scene like that. It was like everyone who was desperate for hockey to come back and everyone who was on the fence

about being like, oh, is hockey something I want to watch? All of a sudden those two were there, and it was like, holy shit, I do want to watch. It was fun to have a front row seat to all of it and be involved in it too. Just the best of two of the best players to ever play, to play with and against them in the prime years of their career. was magic. Unbelievable. In that locker room, do you have any Matt Bradley

or OV or Greener stories that come to mind? Matt Bradley is maybe my favorite teammate of all time. That's so cool. He is, and most of your listeners are probably like, who is Matt Bradley? They might hit the Google machine

and try and find out who he is. Matt Bradley played 10 years in the league and like he couldn't even, I bet you he couldn't backhand a puck from one side of the ice to the other. Not the full length of the ice. Just one side of the ice to the other side. He couldn't make a board to board pass on the back.

He couldn't get it over there, I don't think. But the most, every single teammate, if you asked our Caps team during the whole time Brad's was in town, every single guy would pick him as their favorite teammate. He was just, he was lighthearted. He was funny as hell. He would fight anybody even though he wasn't tough, really, per se, in like a Donald Brasheer.

We had tough guys. and that wasn't Brad's, but Brad's would fight anybody just because he knew he had to do it. And teammates just loved him. I could tell you a story. I mean, I know everybody wants the OVie stories and the Mike Green stories.

I could tell you stuff for days on those guys. You know, and I know you guys get away with a lot on your podcast, so it probably would be a lot of stuff I can't. But you mentioned earlier, we were so different. Yeah. Like Ovi and Backey and Greener and myself and salmon and like we were all just so wildly different. And like I remember there's a time where they, I was a fitness guy.

And I was like, we need to be diligent. They're not like structured human beings. Yeah. Like, um, Nicholas Baxter. You're telling me Subway and Cheetos are on your, on your high on your nutrition chart. They're not structured human beings. And like it would be a constant battle for me to like get them. You need to eat healthy.

to train. We need to like, because I just feel like this is going to cost us lazy, whatever habits, whatever bad habit I perceived my own perception of these were bad habits. I felt like they were going to cost us in the playoffs. And I wanted to win. And I remember there was one time, it was, it was Ovi, it was Nikki, it was greener. I'm trying to think who else was there. There was, they had a putt, we were in Montreal and they had a putteen sitting on the table. We were out at some bar or something. They had a putteen sitting on the table. And the pot was up to $6,000. for me to eat this puttee. They're like, and I'm like, I'm not eating it.

I'm not eating it. And they're like, because I was like, I was like an obsessive health. That's probably why like I married another. Fiddleman on her. Yes, definitely. And I'm like, I'm not eating it. And like Mike Green would score two goals and go get two five guys hamburgers on the way home and just pound them.

I'm like, Mike, you can't do that. You know, like, anyway. And he's like, it's working. Yeah, it's where he scored 31 to one year. I'm like, it's not. because of the hamburgers, but for him it was because of the hamburgers. I love Mike. Mike is a brother to me. Oh, that's so good. But yeah, there was a there was a Poutine and they had it up to like over $6,000 to eat this Poutin. I'm like, no, like what is wrong with you guys? I probably

in looking back now. You never did it. I never did it. I never did it never gave. I never did it's a man of principle. That is insane. Poutine is good. You one bite. Probably I don't even know. Maybe never had it still. I don't even know if I've ever had a Poutine. Oh my God. Dude, that is so good. But they're all, man, it's just, I like what. I like when I get to talk about them again. Yeah. Oh, it's the best. They're great human beings,

great people and such a joy in my life. What was Brad's like? You know, was he the card guy on the plane or what was he doing? Like when you guys were off the ice. He was the jokester. He was just,

he could make fun of everybody and he'd make fun of himself as much. Yeah. And I don't even know how to say it. You guys know the term glue guys. Of course. Oh, yeah. Locker room.

Like, he just know it. And he was just the epitome of it. He just, everybody cared. It was more than that. You just cared so deeply about Brad's because you knew he cared deeply about you and it was authentic and it was real

but he also kept it light and then also just some of the stuff you'd see him do on ice you're like that is the worst display of hands I've ever seen like I can't you can't raise the puck maybe try ovie stick you can't you're 30 years old and can't raise the puck

Brad's like but he was great he scored some big goals in the playoffs yeah he sure did yeah that was awesome speaking of big goals and big games how awesome was it beating the penguins in the winter classic. That was tremendous. That was tremendous.

Because it started to rain halfway through the second period. Halfway through the second period, you couldn't move the puck on the ice. So we knew it was over. It was like halfway through the second. We're like, this is great. Start looking around, checking the sites. Like Heinzfield, this is really cool event. Oh, it's my shift.

Okay, I'll go play. Can't touch a puck. It's not going to slide. And then it was great just because we hadn't had a lot of like Also, right before that, we'd lost eight games in a row. Oh, really? Damn, I forgot about that. That was the whole HBO thing going on.

And we had lost eight in a row. That's right. We still ended up winning the president's trophy that year, I think, despite losing eight games in a row. So it was, and like Boudreau was worried he's going to get fired. So it was much more than just going to Pittsburgh and beating them in Pittsburgh at the Winter Classic. It was like, we need to write the ship. Save coach. Yeah.

I got to know, did you guys ever give it to Brucey for the. the wing sauce all over his face. I actually never even saw it. I didn't even watch the HBO series. It's one of the most iconic scenes of all the time. He's just like giving you guys a speech in the locker room and he has wings sauce all over his face. Oh, I don't know.

And it's like there was a period in hockey culture. We were like, good God, Boudreau, what the fuck are you doing? It's so good. Bruce was the best. I have another story. I remember Dean Eveson. Have you guys ever chatted with Dean? No, no.

I mean, we've interacted with him. I haven't had him on the pod. Dean is a great human being. He's a great coach and a great human being. I remember Dean comes walking in the room the one time in New Jersey. And he goes, Brooksie, I bet you Bruce comes in with his jacket done up. And I'm like, why? What do you mean?

Go just watch. In walks Bruce, jacket done right up. Yeah. It gives the full meeting, everything, right? Okay. Meeting done, five, seven minutes when a meeting done. And I'm like, I turned to Dean. I'm like, what was that all about?

And he goes, spilled a giant Coke on it right before the meeting started. He was right on his shirt. He just dumped a giant Coke on it. Classic move. Man, he was the best. Bruce was so good at X's and O's. Like, coaching matters so much. Like, I look at some of the coaches in the NHL today, like what the HABs are doing. Yeah.

They're so well coached what the Keynes are doing. They're so well coached. Having played against those two guys, like, I know how well coached they must be. Colorado is obviously so well coached. I think also Minnesota is, but I never played four or those guys don't have any first-hand experience, but the other two guys, right? St. Louis and Brindamore, like, coach. coaching matters so much.

And Bruce was a very, very good coach. We had our best statistical years under him. Oh, my God. It was an insane run, dude. And obviously, like, the cup, the cup came after, but the teams you guys built in that era, that must have been, we were talking before we were recording of just the pendulum swings, you know. It was a decade of being a wagon. It's, like, it's unbelievable.

It must have been awesome getting into playoffs every year of those years being like, this is it. Like, here we fucking. I mean, obviously, he doesn't end what you want, but, like, those must have been intense runs. Yeah, what a question. So when I look at other teams that don't get that opportunity, yeah. But like we had built, we had earned the right, like we had earned the right to be a legit in the conversation for, I think any year, I think any given year, there's six to eight teams that can win a Stanley Cup. It takes a specific blend of which I think there's an actual framework.

I'd love to propose it and see what you guys think and compare it to teams that are still left. but you need a certain amount of all class, all world skill to win the Stanley Cup. You can't do it without it. It's just hard work will not get you there. You need game breaking, amazing, world class skill to also do it. And I knew that we had that, but we didn't have organization framework. We didn't have, when the moment got tight, we didn't own the moment. Interesting.

And we also didn't have franchise goaltending. rotating franchise, we're rotating goal-tending, and we didn't have a locked-in hardcore second-line center every year. And so when I look back at the teams, there were holes that our power play covered up for us, that the high-energy and the high-flying caps covered up for us. But when they look back at our teams, there were holes that we had. There were some years where I thought we didn't get bounces. You guys have talked about this on Reese Pomp.

It takes a little bit of luck. Like when they won in 18, the hole be safe. Yeah. Holy shit, man, right? That's a moment we never had. We never had that moment ever before. And in fact, it actually, those moments went against us, something like that, where it's so outside the normal, like it's an outlier, that puck should be in the net and it wasn't. So that's not an excuse.

But when I look back, it's a hard question to answer. Yeah, yeah. Because, yes, it's one of the single greatest joys in my life to play in the NHL and to play in playoff hockey. And one of the, probably the single most difficult thing in my life to realize that I never want to stand the cup. Of course. I mean, dude, you're a competitor. Like it's, you want to get to the end goal. It makes sense.

Yeah. So that's the hardest, it's the hardest thing. Yeah. Is dealing with unfulfilled dreams that you know you won't get another shot. Yeah. But I also think it's very, I mean, we appreciate you talking about it. And it's also, it's very astute of you to acknowledge that being that good and getting that close almost makes it harder. You know, it's like, there's plenty of guys who are like, oh, I played 15 years.

I was in the playoffs like three times. Yeah. Yeah. It's like you were, as you said, you won the president's, trophy. You know, it's like you guys were always there. And it's, that does. I can imagine, make it harder at times. Was there one team in particular, one casting year like this one? 16. Yeah. There's a year I got traded. We had that I learned so much about life team, company, like leadership, everything on that team. Of all the teams, that was the team.

Two thousand, Dale Hunter was coached. Yeah. Yeah. And, um, no, Dale Hunter was the coach the year before. sorry, the 16 team, it started in the sewer, in the soccer game. Oh, yeah. The 16 team was the tightest team I've ever been on. And now running a company, I try to run the company like what that team felt like. Very cool. I have made a pledge to myself, I'll never be part of an organization that doesn't have a culture like that 16 team. And what it was, it started in our soccer game.

It started with, we just wanted accountability to be more present. And I've heard you guys say this in the show, like, accountability is the best ability. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And we wanted accountability to be more present in our team. And it started in the soccer game, the warm up,

the two-touch soccer game that every team plays. And if a player would make an errand shot, and it just started where players would attempt everything to try and save that ball for the teammate, and it would just nick their toe and they would be out. Right. It was like, I give you everything I have.

Yeah, yeah. And that eventually filtered its way into our hockey games. And it was every player, so excited. Yeah. Chris had two goals tonight. night and so excited that Dan had two assists. And the next night, I want it too. I want to be first star too. But damn right, you're the best. You were the man tonight. How can we elevate you? And that was, it was the only true, it was the only time that that feeling was absolutely true through the

entire group. Yep. That's 16 team. And we ended up winning the most games in NHL history. In 100 years, it was the 100th year of the NHL. We won the most games through 60 games in league history. Wow. And then I remember having a conversation with their GM at the time. I was like, I know you're thinking of trading me. Just because it's personally, it's not working out, but team-wise it is. And I just told him, I was like, it ain't broke. Yeah. Like, do not break this.

It ain't broke. Like, do not trade me. Don't break this. It's we are, I know we, I know we'll have another discussion. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know that. I'm a grown man. I understand.

I've been around a long time. Sure. We'll have another discussion, but don't break it right now. And then next day he traded me. Dude. So that was the one. heard like that one, that team. Fuck.

That team was so special. That was the most special feeling I've ever felt and I've always carried that feeling with me since. Yeah. That is insane. It started from Super Bowl. It started from just a little socky. That gave me chills. Same, dude.

My God. Oh, my God. Did he say anything after when he was like, hey, I am trading you? No, I found out via voicemail. Yeah. Dude, unbelievable. What happened to the capsite year? Where did they finish?

They lost in the second round, I believe. Yeah. But I'm not saying we would have won. it. I'm not saying that we would have won it, but I wanted the, that team, I wanted the shot. It was my worst, by far, it wasn't even close, my most, my worst statistical year, my most tumultuous, personal, like, professional year. It was, personally, it was horrendous. And I knew that there, there'd be an answer for that at the end of the season. But as far as a team component, it was by far the best of my life. God, roller coaster, but that's, I love so much that that,

energy and that experience has been pulled through into your life now. I mean, that's amazing. So like, don't, don't leave that there. Take all those great moments and lessons with you. That's fantastic. Have you guys ever been part of that? Something that's just so wildly better than anything ever. It's just an outlier that it's just like this is the real thing. Definitely. I mean, your relationship. Yes. Yes. Absolutely. Oh, yeah. I mean, I think it's too, we don't need to turn this into a relationship pod, but when you were talking about your relationship, I very much relate to those feelings. And I love how with the hockey team,

it's the sewer ball that did it for you. Because I am a big believer in, it's those little moments and those early moments that you almost have an out-of-body experience and you go, oh, this is different. This is something special. And that is such a good feeling. You got to chase that feeling the rest of your life.

Or it's amazing. Or create it. Yes, or create it. And that's where I'm at now is like, I want to create that with anything I'm involved in. Taking it outside sports is awesome because the ones that I think of are sports or relationship. But yeah, it's like, you know, teams, because it's rare in sports where you go,

there's always a competitive internal competition a bit where you're like, maybe I'm in prep, maybe I'm in college where I'm like, I'm trying to make it to the next rung, right? And so is everybody else. We're all actually, I love you guys, but also I want it to be me. And it's rare when you catch a team that's like, I actually just want all of us to succeed together. Very much.

I think both can work. And if you look at the dynamics of sports and dynamics of championship teams quite often, it's two superstars that want the spotlight that play together. Crosby Malkin. Yeah. Kobe Shaq. Pip and Jordan. Yeah.

There was obviously hierarchy there. But like two superstars on the same team is a dynamic that can work because when Chris has an amazing night, Dan is happy for him. But damn right, Dan is driving home tonight saying, I'm going to be the best. I'm first star next night. Yeah. And that healthy competition, as long as they're not competing against, if they're competing with that healthy competition on a team can.

drive magic. Absolutely. That's awesome. No question. That's awesome. Before we move on from the caps, I need to just dig one out of you. We talk to OSHA all the time. Ovi boozing on the plane.

I know you've got one that comes to mind. Because it sounds like it's an endless loop of awesome stories and funny movies. He told me that in Russia, like beer isn't even alcohol. Like OV didn't understand that he was like, wait, can you not drink this? Is this illegal? We're like, yeah, you're 18, dude. Stop. Oh, man.

I don't, I don't even know where to begin with that. Like, what is fascinating for me is I spent my whole life applied. I am an absolutely applied athlete. Yeah. And then I remember talking to him in August the one year. And I'm like, what you've been doing, man? How are you? He goes, I probably start running a little bit now.

I've been at the cabin all year. And I'm like, it's August 14th. We have training camp in Leslie. He hasn't done anything. Nothing. Anything. But he calls. He cracks 50 goals every year.

How do you do it? And I remember seeing him like, he's 240 pounds. I remember seeing him in the weight room. He was trying to bench press one day. He's like learning to bench press. I'm like, you hit everything that moves and you don't bench press. He couldn't even, his legs are kicking to bench press 185 pounds. Like, his legs are kicking to get this thing up.

He's the strongest human I've ever seen. Some guys just have hockey and bare blood surging through their veins. And that is him. The thing that he does have. the thing that I'll wage war on this, he could compete at a level that no other guy could. Okay, that's cool. He could compete.

That's so cool. Even like, even Crosby, even the McKinn and now, he could compete. And like, because I was so close to him too. We're same teammates. So you see that fucking fire in the eyes. Like, and I don't like to swear.

I know you guys swear on your podcast. He had just ferocity in his eyes. And he could kill you. He could go through you around you. however you wanted to play it, he could play it. And that is what he did better than any player in the league. And it just pulled you into war. When you saw him, and his first three, four, five years, he wrecked everything.

Yeah, he did. Remember Douglas Murray, San Jose Sharks? He was a fridge on skates. Him and Ovi had, we lost the game, I think, three, two in San Jose or something. But there's one night. They had four full tilt collisions in the last 40 seconds. Just fucking cuss. Yeah.

Just because... Why not? Yeah, because why not? And I remember seeing Ovi do that and just go, this guy is amazing. Like, it is impossible for you to not be dragged into the fight when that guy goes and does that. Broxie, we always say we looked up a couple seasons.

I don't know if he actually led, but there were on multiple seasons where he was number one in goals and number like three in hits. Yeah, yeah. And it must be so contagious when you're seeing your best player out there just laying wood on everyone too.

You're like, oh my God. It's just unbelievable. It's a blend of skill and physicality that's never been seen. I know there's other players that have done it, but not at this. I was going to say, I don't even know. Yeah, it's kind of untouched. Not at this level. Not the way he hit.

Like, I ran into him at times in practice and you're like, yeah, you're solid. And then I ran into him in the world championships in 2013 Canada, Russia again. I'm like, oh, you're a bear. Like I've spent 10 years playing with you, but like to now feel it. This is awful. You're a bear. But if you shake his hand, have you guys met? No, actually. Not really. I mean, like, we're in the same place a lot. Yeah.

This summer actually. It's supposed to see him. Fun stuff coming up. Okay. But, um, go, when you see him, when you just see him, go and say that Brooks, we chatted and whatever and just, like, tell him I said hi. Yeah, he's still a good friend. He'll shake your hand. When he shakes your hand, it just, it's like a 10 pound weight hitting your hand. And just like, he's just a bear. You're going to re-break it. And, yeah. And he pounds, he pounds beers like a bear. Yes, like a bear. Risly bear. all checks out to me I'm like yep he's amazing Al I love you buddy he's great that's so awesome

well we were listening to some of your old pod and you had a really funny story about like how close the teammates were and someone had sent a rogue text and threw toss to you under the bus

and said it was you and then you just wore it for him do you remember this? No I don't even oh I do know it oh my God I do know he truly falling on a grenade.

I wonder where you're going. That is great research. If that's Evan, Chris, whoever brought that up. It wasn't me. No, these guys do it. I couldn't believe it. I couldn't believe it either in the moment.

I'm like looking at her like it's genuinely one of the great teammate moments of all time. I'm like, oh, yeah. My bad. I was like, oh. Yeah, that was a, geez, man, there was some dark days back. Yep, yep. I would never have remembered that moment if you had never said it. Dude, well, it killed me because I remember thinking,

I was like, man, Brooks is such a good guy because in, I don't know what year that was. Should I, for your listeners, should I give him the text? Yeah. Yes, absolutely. I won't. I won't mention names. I won't mention names.

We go out to a bar at night, whatever, it's Saturday night or something, and a friend, a teammates, I don't know if they were dating, whatever, come up to me. And she's like, that was quite some text you sent to me. And I'm like, oh, oh, I'm like, I have no idea what this is all about, right? I'm like a staring at or like a deer. I'm like, oh, yeah. She goes, yeah, I don't know if you always talk like that or if you, and I'm like, oh.

And I'm like, I have no idea what is going on or what the text was. And I'm like, and then all of a sudden the guy that she was involved with, my teammate comes up and he like smacks me. And I'm like, yeah, oh, I'm sorry. I just, I just, I don't know why I did it. I apologize. And I still had no clue. Yeah. And then anyway, this teammate then tells me that he texts the wrong thing.

to the wrong girl. Yeah. And it was not a G-rated text. It was quite a, it was quite a... I'm so, I never talk like this. I'm so sorry. This is very unlike me. Very unlike me.

Oh, anyway. Hilled me. Yeah. But I saw that story, I heard that story, I was dying because, and I don't want even want you to say what year it was, because I don't want the sleuths to start figuring out what teammates. But back in the day, you know, now it's like the iPhones are so dialed with everything. Back in the day, you're text, you can't even make a group chat, really.

like everything was crazy. And when I was in college, I was talking to a girl who I was trying to see that night and a buddy. And he was what you're doing? And I'm going back and forth. And I'm like, oh, and I'm talking about. He's like, what's she saying? And I'm, you know, I'm like, and whatever. And I invite her. I forget what happened. I was like, meet me at this bar. And she said, yes. So I text him that I'm like something. It wasn't even that already, but it was like, it's going down. I'm going to smash tonight. I'm smashing so and so tonight. And I just, I look at the phone and I've texted it to her. Oh, no.

And I was like, oh my God. And I go, oh, I'm so sorry. And I say, I grab my buddy who is an idiot and does talk like that. I go like this. I'm so sorry, my buddy stole my phone. He said that. That would never be me. Just tossed him, dude, like such a scumbent.

And he's like, I had to text him. I was like, yo, dude, just you got to wear this. And he was like, okay. That's what this guy did it to me, dude. Yeah. But anyway. You guys. So tough.

So tough. But hey, good team. teammate, good teammate, great bond. Wait, can I test my championship framework theory? Believe guys? Because I know you were talking about the goal tending one the other day. And I'm curious to see you guys apply it to who's still left in the playoffs. And see if A, you agree with it, B, how we apply it to what's current right now.

I think for a team, I think at any given year there's only maybe six to eight teams that can win a Stanley Cup, because you need all world talent to do it. You can't do it without it. That's true. And I think the framework of a team, your top six forwards, You need to have, and this is, you can test it, but for North American. Oh, okay. Wow, this is going to be cool.

Oh, love this. Okay. Four North American, two European. One of those European needs to play like a traditional North American. And this is not a slight on European. Don't come at me in the chat or whatever. This is, if you look at teams historic last 20 years who have won, look at this setup. Top six forwards, four North American.

two European. One of those European plays both ways, plays like a North American. Norris quality all-world defensemen and a pretty much defined top four, an enfranchised goaltending. Outside of that framework,

you can almost not win a Stanley Cup. So I want to look this up. I literally want to look at the rosters. The everything, the defense and the goaltending could not agree more. Because I think the... I passionately agree with the defense and goaltending. Agree. Especially with the defenseman.

Because if you don't, if you have question marks there, I've seen teams that we have rooted for that I'm like, this team's going to win a cup. And then those holes, like you were talking about, there's a clear hole on the back and that shows its face every single time. The forward stuff is awesome. Let me give you a few examples. Well, I have one already. Okay. What do you got? Colorado.

Right now. Yeah. Because you have in their top six, it rotates a little bit. But you have Mac, Roscoe, Brock, and Waugh, who are all North American. Landy is your prototypical European who plays like a North American, right? And then you could honestly make the argument for Natchez too, but Natchez, there's your other European. You have kale.

Yeah. You could make the argument for Taves as well. And then say we will, Wedgwood is a, was a vet, should have, could have been a Vesna candidate and is playing all world gold tank. Give me some examples. In my, so in my career, look at the L.A. Kings, look at Chicago Blackhawks, look at the Pittsburgh Penguins. L.A. Kings, Copee.

Yep. Right. They were heavy North American. Then you had Kopee, who was amazing human being. Got to play with Fonsie. Awesome. A two-way player. Look at Chicago. They had Marion Hosa. Yeah. Oh, yeah. Right. Marien Hosa. Yeah. Yeah. So my first ever NHL camp in Ottawa. At the end of camp when I was released, our GM asked me, was the most impressive thing you saw here this week. And I said, how Marian Hosa back checked. Oh, wow. In training camp was the single most impressive thing I saw. It's very interesting. Yeah, yeah. He was phenomenal. I would take Haas on my team any day. But he was a two-way player. They had Keith Seabrook. They had Crawford was maybe not your like Vesna guy, but he was a franchise. Yeah, and I mean, listen, he got it done. He got it done.

He got it done. He talked about that all the time. The Kings had Kopitar. They had Doughty. They had Jonathan Quick. Right? And then you look at Pittsburgh, Malkin was the second line center. Yep.

And then they had Flurry. Tanger was there. So like you had all world talent. Yeah. You had a top six that was usually comprised of four North Americans, two Europeans, of which one played like a North American. And then you had a Norris-style defenseman, an all-world defenseman. And even look at Boston when they won, they had Chara. They had Tim Thomas.

They had David Creachy. Yep. Right? Was their second-line center played both ways? Absolutely. But then they had Horton and Lou Cheech and all these good. Bergey and Ryder. Yeah, absolutely.

That's the composition. I really like this. That I believe. Yeah. I'd love to hear what the chat says. you're big on the chat like what do what do you what do you guys think let me let me test it to you Minnesota has too many Europeans yeah well that didn't believe that very part of we were inverted we were two year two North Americans and four Europeans for 10 years in DC we were

inverted and it was kind of you said the high flying caps it did you know yeah but I mean with Erick and the lineup they are too yeah because they have Ericksonek Zook Caprizov and Mojo and then they have Boldie and Yurov or Harrah I do you I love it because you want I like that you want the European who's just going to be elite talent goals you know you're like just go get me a goal please you need you need you need talent you're like you just need talent too it's oh man I love this too I want to run through all the companies now like I want to dig into this more yeah we had one of the reasons why I feel like we didn't win is one of our and I'm not going to call them out I don't like calling people out but we had one player

on our team that was a highly skilled player that didn't practice one day because we didn't have hot water in the shower. It's like, no, no hot water. I'm not practicing. And I'm like, how are we going to win a Stanley Cup? Yeah. How are we going to, it's too hard. Yeah. It is too hard. And the only, this is nothing against Europeans. Um, but growing up in Canada and North Americans just, it is in your blood to try to win a, uh, like you will go through war to try and win a Stanley Cup. And I don't know that that's always present. I'm not saying it's not for European hockey players. I'm not at all. they are some of the most wonderful people, teammates, players ever.

Just looking at, in my era, the composition of hockey teams that won the Stanley Cup was the framework that I pretty much laid out. Yeah. I love it. Me too. And dude, you're so right. It's the hardest thing on earth. And to think that you are going to go through that easy sledding. Without a bump and bruise and people playing injured.

I mean, that's the whole, that's how you get there. Right. What was your dad What would your dad? It's a suck it up soup. Oh, you know, you're a well-researched-

Everyone has some suck-it-up soup, you know, like this is how it goes. So yeah, like that's unique and you need the whole team on board. So run it on board. Yeah,

run it today. So like look who's left. Yeah. Right? What's the makeup of the teams that are left and does it stand? Yeah,

I mean, for a lot of it, like I just said, Colorado's perfect. I'm actually. You need Carolina. I'm curious about Vegas. I think Carolina is interesting.

because Freddy's playing like it right now. Slavin. Yes, Slavin for sure. Then you've got Svetnikov up there. They are also unique in that they do it by committee more than any team that I've seen. They do it by committee. They don't have the number one big dog

like McKinna McCarney McArley. Yeah, yeah. Elite town, but like Svetchnikov and Eilers. Yeah. Eilers is so fun to watch. He's also the best guy. Is he? I love here and that ever.

And he is so, it's like when that trade happens, or excuse me, that signing happened. I was so happy because in Winnipeg, he never really got time. He never got PP time. He never really got top six time. And I was like, this is a perfect team for him. And he, after Olympics,

he was like a top five player in the league points wise. And he's just, God, he's fun to watch. But they're pretty damn close to it. I mean, like, yes what I mean. They're a good one. I think Vegas is a good one. Vegas has the,

I mean, Vegas, they have, Ike's Houdin, Marner and then you have Dorfeev, Carlson, and Barboshev. So they're kind of three and three. But it's stone. Yeah, yeah, he's in there. But like maybe goaltending's their downfall?

Maybe. Yeah. But it all, and it always is. And like a protangelo, Patrangelo is. But you've got, but I mean, dude, you got Shea. Shea's awesome. You got Hanifin. I mean, Shea is, she is the guy.

But that's a good one too. Yeah. Shit. If I was looking to build a championship team, I would try and use that framework, at least to work off of it. Yeah. And see where. And it's, I don't know that it's a perfect math, but if you had to identify somewhere to start,

that's probably where we can peel off of this, but start here. The ducks kind of have it too. Yes, dude, okay. Kreider, Kallorn, Seneca, and Terry. And then you got Leo and Granny. And Granny is definitely a North American type player. Like he's a little cigarette machine, you know, like, and then Lecombe. And then Dostole is the question.

But like, moving forward for the ducks, you feel great about that. Well, it makes them one of the six to eight, right? At least you have the talent. Like the Ducks have so much young talent. So much young talent. That at least you're one of the six to eight. Now it's like, okay, let's figure this out. Right.

Coach, they're very well coached. You know, goaltending. That's like, that's what the Kings had. That's what the pens had. Like that franchise goaltending, man, you can get the, like, Rangers had that with Lundquist when they didn't have the other pieces. If you can get that franchise goaltending, man. Like the Kings had Quicky.

Have you guys had Quicky on the show? No, no. No, but we had any. He's the best. He's the best guy. He is the best guy. Jackie's the best too. Yeah.

It's like the greatest family ever. Yeah. He's great. Yeah, so we'll see how it plays out. Every year when the cup is won, I kind of look at the roster and just be like, does this check out? It seems to hold water over time. I love that, dude. I love that.

It's amazing. Okay, well, you mentioned the swing to Toronto and then you went from there to, oh, do you know your knee-winder stat, by the way? Yeah, I do. That is insane. It's all the time. I don't know that that one will ever be. broken. No.

Oh, no way. Like that it's just one of the coolest random stats in the world. Is this? Attested on Michael Nealender's last NHL goal and assisted on William Nealander's first NHL goal. Yeah.

That's a wild. Incredible. I remember Willie coming in the locker room. Niles was like his dad, Michael was, there was one time his car seized up. He never changed his oil. Put $9,000 on a new Mercedes and his car

seized up. He never changed his oil. Like this guy was out there. But man, you couldn't take the puck off. But I remember the Nylander kids walking in the room and he had six of them. They were just like bobbleheads. They would just spread throughout the room. So Willie was like nine or 10 or 11, 12 when I got to know them. Yeah. And then, yeah, getting to play with them and assisting on his first school was pretty cool.

So sick. So insane. I love it. But yeah, so Toronto to L.A., you get the PTO, you get the one year deal with the Kings. And so, and I saw that a cool video with you where it's like, that's when you kind of found CrossFit, first of all. And you're, you're feeling great. You're like, I have a lot of hockey in the tank. After the Kings year, I think you, was it Florida and Carolina? You had couple other offers. I never I never seriously considered anything after that. Even even coming to the Kings at that time in my life I was married. Yeah. And I had done long distance for four years. We talked about I, um, about you and Sandra potentially doing here in Boston and back. And I'd been doing it four years and my desire to play was at an

all time high. Right. It was, it just every day in the NHL gets better. I know. It just gets better. And my desire to play was at an all time high. However, I just did not want to be a part in my relationship anymore. So it was Kings or nothing for me. And, and, And didn't make the team out of camp per se, but Rob Blake was like, keep coming around. Yeah. We like having you here keep coming around. So I kept coming and ended up signing.

And then actually the same day I signed, then that night Carter got hurt. Jeff Carter got hurt. And it looked like I signed because whatever. But yeah, spent 14 games with the Kings. And then when they released me, one of the toughest days of my life for sure. But when they released me, I didn't ever really look

at pursuing something. It was such a hard place because I didn't want to leave. I wanted to be in my relationship and didn't want to leave, but I didn't want to stop playing either. And it was just a really tumultuous time of like, I don't know, I don't know how to let go of hockey, but I can't go to hockey. Yeah. And it was a few years. That's someone to ask because there was a gap between the release and then when you officially announced your retirement. Five years is more than a gap.

Yeah. Well, dude, it was like. It's a chasm or whatever. What's that word? The Grand Canyon. Yeah. That's a milky way. Yeah.

And it was because I had seen you had an unreal interview answer. I forget what the question was. Something about like a defining career or what shaped something in your life. But it was that quote from your mom where you're playing baseball where she said, stop hoping you're going to hit the ball. Where did you find all this stuff, Chris? We go deep. Yeah, you do.

That's impressive. And I love that because you said now that's how I've, that's how I live my life now, right? And in this moment, in those during that Grand Canyon gap, I have to believe you're going, I'm not hoping I can be in the NHL. I know I can be in the NHL. I know I'm an NHL player. So how do you wrestle with that in your mind? It's hard because,

A, so by the time I'm released, I got released on Thanksgiving Day, we're actually flying to, I was with the Kings, we're flying to Phoenix to play against Phoenix the next night, and it's Thanksgiving Day in the U.S. And my parents, we're Canadian, but my parents winter in Phoenix. So I was going to have Thanksgiving dinner with my parents

and my godparents. They were there to watch the game as well. And then Rob calls me, into the office, I know what's happening, tells me that they have a couple kids, there are a couple guys, we've got to see if they can play. And I'm like, Rob, you know I can play. And he goes, I know, but we've got a couple guys that we've got to see if we can play. And shook his hand, he was honest and straightforward. I think human beings, we can take good news, we can take bad news. Just make it honest and to our face. And shook his hand,

he was, he was world class in the interaction. He said, would you like to go to Ontario and play? I was like, hell no, NHL or nothing. Like, no. chance. And then that was it and that was the end of it. But I also understood that I did that to somebody else when I came in. Oh, cool. Wow. Right. Unbelievable mindset. Yeah. Like I did that. I unseated somebody else for me to cut being in the NHL. Somebody else loses that spot. And that's just every year, I think there's 20% turnover in the league, you know, and I got to play 15 years, which is longer than three times the average. The average is five. It is what it average is out to. So like I have immense amount of gratitude, but it's still at the same point. I thought I was going to play to all this

50. Yeah. Yeah. Just because I love the physicality and like I'll stay in shape and like I love that and I wanted to show the young guys how to do it. But man, the landscape shifted so fast. Yeah. Where now it all of a sudden shifted on the other side of 26. 26. 27. They're shy of you. You get on the other side of 30 at that time it was 34. Yeah. You know, bye bye. Yeah. So was that Thanksgiving a nightmare? Was it, was it nice that you got to see your, your No, I didn't go. I didn't even get on the plane because I was done. Yeah.

So, yeah, it's tough day. Tough day. I still remember it very freshly. But I'm so grateful, man. I got to play in the NHL. That's why, like, any, whatever I was. Yeah, it didn't matter if I was hurt, sick, dying. I was going to scrape away to get to the rink and try and get the jersey on.

It was just so good. I mean, do, playing a game, playing everybody's, playing the game. Yeah. And actually, you know what? Since I retired, I learned something very unique, very different. I didn't know this. It wasn't until I retired that I learned this.

I always said, if you look back, I said I loved hockey. I loved hockey. And I think that was a superpower. I loved hockey more than I felt everybody else. But it wasn't actually true. I did love hockey, but I haven't really played. I haven't played hockey in nine years since I retired. Why is that?

If I love it that much, why is it? I was addicted to the competition laced within the game. Competing with and against the best in the world, hockey was just the outlet where I got to do it. But what I found out, if I would have grown up in Texas, maybe I'd have played football. But it was the competition with and against the best in the world that I was addicted to.

And I did love the sport, but the calling was really the competition laced within it. Yeah, that's very cool. I love that. But I didn't know it at the time. Yeah, right, because you just think of this is the game I like to play. Yeah. It kind of takes us to World Playground, which I really want to talk about now. And there's a couple of things in here that I thought were so, so cool that you've said as you kind of created this and got into this.

One of them being, you've said that you spent 13, 15 years. And frankly, it's more than that when you think about your childhood, doing something that you love. And you just said it was that competition. It was playing, playing against the best. So then when you finally stopped, you said you weren't going to do something that you like. So you had to figure out what do I love. I love that so much. I think it's what people should do in general.

And then also you used to sign autographs and say the world is your playground. And that kind of comes to the name. And you were talking about the logo. So I want to hear more about the logo, how this came. And then in that search for like, what do I love? What am I going to spend the next part of my life doing that I love? So tell us about all of this, how it came about. And then you had two kind of crazy years after you retired.

Yeah, fun years. Yeah. So for anybody listening, it doesn't know what it is, World Playground, WorldPlayground.com, is a travel booking platform. We make the world more available to everybody. We remove all commissions from travel products. We'll never add a single cent of commission. We'll never keep one.

We, if you want to save, if what it is, we save you the most on travel. That's our tagline. But what it is is we actually just give you the travel product for the price that we receive it. And we don't ever add a commission to it where every other booking platform adds a commission to it. hotel. So wherever you guys are traveling, run the hotel. Have Evan run it right now, your next hotel. Run it on any other booking site. Run it on our site. It'll be more affordable on our site because we don't ever add a markup to it. We just want to make the world more affordable to everybody.

And that's, so people understand, that's like you don't even see it. You don't see it. You don't know it. On average, it's 18%. Yeah. What they show you when you're on every other site, what they're showing you is, it's already, yes, it's already been taken from it. Yeah, that blew my mind. The first time I was watching your videos, I was like, God damn. I just encourage people, price compare any, any of your travel, your cruise, your hotel, we have flights coming to the website as well. We just, the price of travel has gotten outrageous. It has. It's outrageous. The home prices are outrageous. Inflation, gas prices outrageous, groceries, use sports are incredibly expensive. And our booking platform just makes it all

more affordable for anybody that travels, whatever your manner of travel is. I did use to sign my autographs, two kids, the world is your playground. So my dad was a principal. He always wanted me to get an education. And I said, I'm going to play in the NHL. And he's like, Brooks, you should get an education, have it in your back pocket, then you can try and make the NHL. And I'm like, you don't win a Stanley Cup in college. And I had scholarship opportunities.

They were sitting on the table at home. My dad, my parents sat me down. There's Boston College, whatever, Denver College, Wisconsin, whatever, these colleges, like scholarship opportunities that my dad is a principal looking at the world through an education. You have a full ride to the United States, America, like D1, And I'm like, I don't care. Yeah. And he's like, what if you hurt your knee?

I'll rehab it and then I'll make the NHL, whatever. So anyway, he wasn't wrong. He was just wrong for me. Yeah. I love my dad. My dad is the biggest supporter. My dad and my mom are the biggest supporter in my life and in my career. And I would never be anywhere without them.

It just wasn't, education wasn't for me. I wanted the NHL. And I wanted to just let every kid know that, that the world is a place of play. you don't just have to plug into the go to college, get a job, go work, whatever. The world is amazing. So I always like to tag the world is your playground. Your friend, to Dan, the world is your playground, your friend looks like.

And then I just love those two words. They just kept coming together. The world and playground. Such a great name. And in 2015, I could feel the landscape of the league shift under my feet. It was going younger and I'm like, I'm not playing until I'm 50. Yeah. I've got a few more left, maybe.

And I'm like, okay, well, what do I want to do? I started kicking tires on other things that I might want to transition to. And I was like, I don't know what World Playground is, but I know that name is cool. And in 2015, I got the social medias for it. Okay, wow. At World Playground. Yeah, I had no idea what I was going to do with it. But I was just like, someday in my life, I'm going to do something entrepreneurial with that word, those two words.

And then in 2018, I retired from like hockey ended, 2018, 2018, 2019. I traveled the world. Someone did Kilimanjaro with my mom, went trekked with the gorillas, went on safari, went sailing, scuba diving on a yacht in Indonesia, just went everywhere. And it was awesome.

And I was telling you, Chris, I'm like, I'm going to go broke. I made a few bucks, but like, I'm spending a few bucks. I'm going to go broke. I love this travel thing.

And then I was like, okay, I love travel and venture. I've been to some amazing places, some remote places that I think other people would want to go, and I love a team environment. Yeah.

What can I do with those three things? let me apply my intelligence here and find out a way to make money traveling. And so we started World Playground, which is taking people on ultimate bucket list adventures around the world. I would take small groups of anywhere from 16 to 40 people and lead them through whatever country, Egypt, Iceland, Maldives, Tanzania, wherever on these bucket list adventures, learned a lot in the last five and a half years and then said, okay, I had served a luxury community.

And now I was like, I want to make the world available for everybody. and I saw how much other booking platforms were adding to the cost of your travel and your travel. And now being a parent, I have a daughter. The cost of travel for a father or mother to afford is outrageous. And I said, we're going to build a booking platform that never adds a single cent of commission ever to a product. And we give the exact pricing that we received to every single traveler in the world for free. It's insane. And that's what we built.

Yeah, it's unbelievable. We have people from 45 different countries using the website, booking their travel, saving hundreds, thousands. I got a text message yesterday from a friend said she saved $3,000 on a trip to Costa Rica with her and her mom. Like that's incredible. And it's amazing too, because you kind of just said this,

that it's not just, it is the bucket list of too, but it's also like a family reunion. We're doing a small thing. Whatever you need, this serves. Yeah. So now this is my competition. Like I told you, I love competing with and against the best in the world.

My competition now is to be the best in the world, our platform, be the best in the world, at connecting a traveler to their next unforgettable memory. The single best in the world. The traveler and your unforgettable memory. And we want to be the best in the world at connecting those. And my mission in life now, it used to be to win a Stanley Cup. My mission in life now is to inspire people.

And one of the ways to do that was through travel. And now one of the ways that I can fulfill my life mission is getting you and you and your family, you and Sandra want to go on your honeymoon. Yeah. Right. Getting you as close to your next unforgettable memory as possible. and if in some way our booking platform is a small component of the best memories of your life,

that's pretty fulfilling. How special is that? That's a championship right there. It's amazing that you had this idea of 2015. You're already cooking on this, you know, and then 2020 it launches. I was actually laughing, dude, because obviously 2020, you're a travel. Yeah, it was great for us. It was amazing.

Yeah. Actually, good point, because people were like, I got to go somewhere. And every other company stopped. The world shut down. The world shut down. So everybody came back to the starting line. And we launched in 2020 in the height of COVID. And we took people to Tanzania and everywhere in Maldives.

We got like 60% off the best villas in Maldives because we were willing to travel. And they had nobody at the resort. So I could just leverage our community and the time and get people amazing deals to places that they otherwise couldn't afford and then we'd go on these amazing adventures. Dude, this is so good. There was a, um, you had an Instagram post, I think, but it was like, uh, I've, my friend maybe, but someone had said, pick an adjective for your year at New Year's. What are you going to, you mean?

And you were like, I saw you being like, I love this actually. And actually I do too. I want to do this. Yeah, that's very cool. But your January 2020 adjective was boundless. Oh. And then you were like this and the world shut down. I was like, God damn.

But it was actually perfect timing because you remained boundless the whole way. Yeah. I was on a flight one time that had four people on it. No way. Yeah. He's coming to L.A. Really? Yeah, he's four people on the flight.

I love that that flight took off. Yeah. You know, it's unbelievable. Can you break down the logo for us? The logo. So the logo I told you is my dog. My dog, Coda. Yeah.

I got Cota when I was living here in L.A. A friend texts me, he was, a friend text me and said, I adopted the sister. The brother's going to be put down. These two dogs are going to be put down because the shelters are overflowing after the Malibu fires. And you need to adopt the brother. So I adopt him.

Is he a husky? He's a Husky, Siberian Husky. And he's my boy. And my pledge to him when I got him, we went on a run the first day, and I was looking at him like, nobody in the world is going to give this guy a better life than I will. I just know that. I have my lake house in Idaho with 10,5 acres in the woods.

Nobody's going to give this guy a better life than I will, so you're my boy. And my pledge to him was I will give you the best life in the world. And I will take you around the world for the best life. And that's why he is our logo for our company, because that reminds me of my intention. with the company in that every person, every traveler that we serve, our intention is to give them the best life by taking them around the world. And that's what our platform now makes available for them. Previously, I did it in leading them on the adventures. Now it's a booking platform, like an Expedia or one of the same thing, but we just don't add commission. So we're 18%

under those prices on average. But he's the, he's the purpose. That's the reason, because in perpetuity, when I look at that logo, it'll always remind me the purpose of this company is to serve travelers, take them around the world, and give them the best life possible. It's also my favorite photograph I've ever taken. It's my favorite photograph I've ever taken. Before you even show me, is the blue a bandana? Yes, it was, but also the blue will ring in on this photo when you see it.

Okay. Holy hell. Dude, what? Oh my God. Where was that? That was in Idaho. He's just a regal beast. We were hiking in the snow and the,

woods the one day and I just caught this angle of him and I'm like that is it that is I have chit the rest of my life I've tried to take a nicer photograph than this one and he is just a regal beast look at that handsome guy the sky with his eye yeah you have to text that to us after yeah yeah because we got to get that yeah so it's so fun it's like your honeymoon where you plan on going your honeymoon don't know you but we're starting the conversations because it's like we we have the list you know so it's like Great. Some unreal options. Wherever you go, we'll be able to make it more affordable.

So whether you're going on a five-star honeymoon or if listeners are going on a three-star honeymoon, if you need a, you guys travel a lot for work. The hotels are now more affordable. This is my pledge to you, to my employees, to our community. I say this every day on social media. We will never, ever, ever add a single cent of commission to any travel product we sell. You will get the exact price that we get it at. And we will forever compete on your business.

behalf to bring the cost of travel down to as low as humanly possible. When every other company is trying to add commissions to make as much profit as possible, this platform is built by a traveler. Yes. By travelers, to serve travelers. Yes, dude. And that is the whole purpose of it.

I got the research here. It's Lowe's Hotel, Hollywood, same dates, 857 on the Lowe's website. On World Playground, it's $696. Come on, dude. So that's like $150 or more. Go on two nights stay. Yeah, two nights day. Yeah, that's obviously Hollywood, very expensive anyway, but that's really great.

150, yeah. 150 bucks. All it is, when you search on our sites or, again, anybody listen, our site is free to use. Every single decision we made on this site was, does this make this more expensive or less expensive for the traveler? That was the single filter. That's why there's no membership. There's no subscription. There's no fee to use it.

There's no added commission ever. There's no gotcha hidden anything. We simply pass on the product as we receive it. And we think it's the most ground-bring. and disruptive thing in travel since travel went online in the mid-90s because there's no other company in the world doing this. Other companies are built by corporations for profit. This is built by travelers to serve travelers and get you to your next unforgettable memory. And you just see the prices revealed right here. Just price compare our site versus any other site out there, wherever you

want. Right now we're on average, 18% lower on hotel rooms than the next lowest price anywhere online, not just against one hotel. That's so great. Why do you think, just quickly in doing all this and how amazing this whole thing has been for you, why do you think travel is so important to people, to couples,

to families, like, what are the elements of it that you think are so good for the spirit and your just life in general? Can I take you on a trip? Please. Yeah. Yeah. Because I love traveling. I think it, I know you do too.

Yeah, so we were talking about. I think it is the most, we're so big on, you know, Alice and I try to establish rules of like, you know, if it's been X amount of time when we haven't gone somewhere, just do a mini trip. Yeah. Find somewhere close by where we can get away to. And it's just like, I think, one of my favorite things about travel is, I think it's twofold, experiencing new things going somewhere, a bucketless place that you've always wanted to do and fully dive into the culture, the food, everything there. And then I also love how great. of a feeling you have when you come back. It makes you appreciate home more when you travel more.

And I think that's such a special thing. I have a couple things. I'll try and get through them really quickly. And I say this, knowing where I am and whom I'm speaking to. I did, I hosted a podcast with IHeart Media with Gavin DeGraw. Gavin DeGra. We did a podcast for a couple of years. I realized that I couldn't fulfill my mission in life doing a podcast. And that is no slight on you two gentlemen.

I love what you guys do. So that's why I preface. That is no slight on YouTube. I couldn't fulfill my mission. My mission in life is to inspire people. The follow-up question to that is, okay, how? Yeah. How do you inspire people?

And I couldn't, I didn't feel like I could do it through a podcast because I couldn't see the person's reaction of what they were listening to. I couldn't be there with them in the room. I couldn't grab them and see it in the eyes. And I was like, so I need to do more in travel. And then that's where I stopped the podcast. And then I went back to travel. and in 2020 we launched World Playground.

And you take people and you take them to Africa. You put them in front of a lion. You put them in front of a kid that has no shoes on and one t-shirt and that's all they have. And you see hearts wonderfully disrupted in ways you can imagine. You see gratitude. You see kindness. You mentioned it with culture, food, dance, spirit celebration. Yes.

The world is amazing. And that's where I felt I could impact and touch. people. And so that's why then we continued with World Playground. And then it was, okay, we don't want to just touch people that have the means to afford these nice places. We want to make the world more affordable for everybody. And it's just, honestly, it's simply a continuation of what I saw my parents do, my whole life. Yes. My dad always, my dad, my dad is a fairest man. You guys haven't met my dad. My dad is a fairest man on the planet. He genuinely dislikes Christmas because so many kids go without. Oh, that's so good. He generally, Christmas is always a difficult day because he just

thinks about how many kids go without. And he always said, fun is the last thing that families can afford to spend money on. Rent, health care, school, bills, whatever. And that's a shame. Yeah. And so he always tried to bring fun into families. We're from a community of 600 people. He knew he did, he was a principal. He knew which kids didn't have, their families didn't have money. He would always try and bring them golfing, water skiing, tubing, bring them to my hockey games later on. And whatever he could do for families to bring fun into their life that he knew they could not afford and he never asked for anything back.

My mom did it with food. So I saw my parents do this their whole lives and still do it to this day. And just what we are doing with World Playground is just a continuation of the efforts that I saw them make. It's just now hopefully at a scale that can reach more people than just within our immediate community. Yep.

I mean, dude, I was going to ask you, because you said competition was what was actually fulfilling you from hockey. And I was going to ask what, how does this fulfill you? But it's, it's passing on. It is inspiring. It is going at the biggest companies in the world. Like the companies we're going up against, the biggest booking platforms.

Think of the ones that run the Super Bowl. Of course. They have, like one has a $12 billion marketing budget. Just their marketing is 12 billion. And here are we, we're a few people in a small dev team and computers and we're beating them. The biggest booking platforms, Evan just showed it. Yeah. We're beating them on average by 80s.

18% on price because, and we don't even compete on price. We compete on value. So I want you, like I want you to take Sandra to the most amazing honeymoon you guys could ever imagine. And we're not, we'll give you our, like our platform's free for everybody. Right. And we won't make a cent off of you doing it, but you will save hundreds or thousands of dollars on that trip, you know, and maybe you get to go on another trip because of it. Right. Maybe you get to have an experience on it that you got, that you could afford where you otherwise couldn't afford. Yes. Exactly. thing. And that to me matters so much more. And so I love going at David and Glyath like Expedia and booking.com. And I want to compete and we're competing to be the best in the world at marrying

the traveler to their next unforgettable memory. And a byproduct of that competition is just a better price. God. Right. So it's so good. Fires me. I'm telling you. I want to know on the personal sense, just, you know, take away the company and everything you're doing for others. What's some of your favorite type of travel. And what is Katrin love? Like what, Safari? Yeah. Isn't it? Man, we went a few years ago. Did you? Yeah. There's nothing like it.

We will have to do it after the pod because we will talk for 15 hours. Man, it was the one anecdote I'll share. We, when we're getting to go, our cousin sets it up. He loves, he goes to this place every year, pretty much. And they send out this unbelievable itinerary of, you know, like when we do the game drive, when we have tea, when we do this, blah, blah, blah. and there's, you know, we're there 10 days, multiple game drives a day. And when we were looking at it, I remember in my head going, I'll probably skip an afternoon game where I'm one of the days.

Never. Maybe I want to do a workout or maybe take a nap because the first one's really early. Day one, morning one, we're up at 5 a.m. We go have breakfast. We get in the trucks and we drive out. And we were out for maybe one hour. And I said out loud, there is nothing on earth that will come from doing this. Like, I don't care what workout I've missed, how sleep deprived I am, I will be in this truck on game drive every single day.

This is the best trip of my entire life. It was an hour in. Yeah, we went together. Oh, yeah, we went together. Oh, man. There's nothing like it. It's the greatest thrill. If I had one single day of adventure left in the world, I would do a day trip.

We do this thing in Tanzania, where we start in Tanzania. We migrate over to Kenya to the Mara River, where there's the crocs and the world peace crossing. Yeah. the chaos and rhinos and hippos and you name it. That's a single greatest day of adventure on the planet for me. So safari is my number one. Trekking with gorillas in Rwanda, Uganda is insane. Swimming with humpback whales in Tonga.

Everybody needs to some, it's like the single greatest wildlife moment of my life happened in Tonga a couple years ago. There was 22 whales, coming right at us, like a Jurassic Park moment, 22 school buses like coming at us underwater. and it's 21 males chasing one female to mate with her.

Oh my God. That's why it's called a heat run. And that's what it's called. Oh my God. If we had that in college. It's, yeah. Heat run. We've all been a part of that. We've all been a part of that.

It was amazing. And I just, we saw the whole, we had 22 whales coming right at us and they just came right and went right underneath us and you just feel like you're in Jurassic Park. Yeah. So wildlife is fascinating. is usually what draws me in. And it's to your point, it's mother nature. There's no human beings, it's not fences, it's not cage, it's mother nature, it's landscape,

it's sunset, sunrises, and animals existing within an ecosystem as God or nature, mother nature, whatever you believe in, design them, and that is just beautiful. Yeah. It's so good. Love it. Okay. I have one question for you. One bucket list place that you can go on, like one trip you guys can go on, your next one, you've got to

Free trip. Where are you going? I want to go to the mountains in Japan. Oh, wow. Nice. Very interesting. 100%. Okay, so our mom is Lebanese, and our dad is kind of is Norwegian and Irish. That's the blend. And I, as I was telling you, I'm pretty new to travel, and I've really wanted to hit one of those, whether it's like an Ireland where we golf and I see that, or go to Norway and experience

that whole, let's see the northern lights. or do go to Lebanon and have a trip there. One of those, I think would be cool. Just on one of my first big trips to get the family connection, I think would be really special too. My dad was born in Germany. They actually just got home from Germany. And my brother went with him as well just to see where my dad's roots were.

That's so awesome. Yeah, that's important too. Yeah. So those are my first on my list. Okay, well, this is actually perfect because we are going to play a game. We play with everybody. It's called Pass shoot score. Let's go.

And it's just a, we give you three things within categories that we know, you like and you just rank them pass shoot and score pass in the puck is cool but that's our least favorite shooting the puck is better because we like getting pucks on net and then scoring is the ultimate goal so that'll be your favorite now why do i feel like i'm going to go score score score yeah we get we award one we award one hat trick okay so the first one you kind of are just answer which is why this is amazing but so you don't even have to rank them and if you don't want to rank them i want to hear your bucket list that you haven't done but the first one is going to be travel so it was pass to score climbing kilimanjaro with mom trekking

with the gorillas in Rwanda, swimming with the humpbacks in Tonga. Oh. My mom trained for six months every single day. What a legend. I couldn't believe it. My mom's a third degree, third degree black belt karate.

Really? She tried out for the national team at the age of 55 and placed fifth. Like, my mom was, my mom was a, I would get in his quarrels with her in the kitchen. I would try and, like, choke my mom. But she was just, she was so fast,

and I am like my mom. So every, there's so many ways I am like my mom and I love my mom and I am so proud of her. And she summited Kilimanjaro after her 64th birthday. That's insane. And she trained for six months every single day. She would not miss a day because she's like, I'm going to end up on the top of that mountain. So that's incredible. That's a score, especially if you do it with somebody you love and there's a reason.

I'll say this. It's a shoot unless you do it with somebody you love. Oh, okay. Good distinction. It was so much more powerful for me. Good distinction. It was cool. But like I'd rather swim with the humpback whales in Tonga.

Yeah. That's a score. Yeah. Treking with the guerrillas. Like you trek with a gorilla's head, a gorilla's head is like the size of a propane tank. Yeah. And they walk by you. It's like you, like they'll walk, they walk like five feet by you sometimes.

And you're like, you are the undisputed king of the jungle. Yeah. Undisputed. The feelings you get in the proximity of animals is just, so I'd say, Kilimanjaro would be a score or a shoot unless it's with somebody you love. Um, guerrillas, I would say are a shoot as well,

because I would put, I would put Tonga and the humpback whales above it. Yeah. And safari above it. Okay. That's a score. So I'm trying to be honest to the game. Yes.

And so what give us, if you have one, what's, because you've done so many amazing things. Do you have a, uh, top of your bucket list? You're like,

haven't done this one yet and I can't wait. I want to take my fiance and our daughter through Tuscany and Florence and Venice. Nice. Less, less, less adventure. more peace, family walks, culture, food, music,

just for a month in Tuscany, something like that's calling to me. More adventure related, I want to do like a four-day trek through the desert in Morocco, ending up on like a cliffside villa for four days in Marrakesh or something

like that. I want to do that. Man, we had Antarctica planned. I had a whole trip to Antarctica planned, and we got pregnant, had to cancel. We were going to be skiing and snowboarding in Antarctica. So there's so much out there. That's why I like asking you guys. What's on your,

because I'm going to learn something new about the world that we can go do. Very cool. That's sick. Okay, next one's going to be outdoor activities, local outdoor activities. Wake surfing at the lake. Oh yeah.

Come on up, boys. I cannot wait. Come on up. Fly fishing. Yeah. Saw that Arctic char catch. Yep. You guys are the best research guys ever.

Evan, if that's you, you need a raise. No, it's all them. I'm just hitting buttons. impressed. And then Day of Paintball with the boys. That one, uh, just in what you,

in what you just mentioned, what was the first thing you mentioned? Wake surfing. Wake surfing. Okay. So wake surfing, score, love it.

Yeah. We spend a lot of time during that. The day you mentioned was my favorite day I ever had with my, my dad's still alive. My favorite, all the hockey stuff we did paled in comparison to us fly fishing in Alaska, catching Arctic char at the base of an active volcano. That's,

that's travel. Yeah, that's true. That is like somebody, that's amazing. Somebody in Kiliman, Manjaro with my mom. Fly fishing with my dad in Alaska.

Those are two of my favorite memories in my entire life with my parents. And it was only because I could afford to go do them. I could take them on those trips. I want that for every son, every parent, every brother to be able to afford those same things. That's why our platform exists. The last one you said. Dave paintball with the boys.

Yeah, that one for me is like a pass. That's fine. I had to bring it up. Yeah, exactly. Just because the other two are so powerful, the wake surfing, the memories, and then like what I did with my dad, fly fishing for Arctic Char. I had a paintball phase. Yeah.

Okay. And nothing wrong with that. It was just like a random thing in the summer while playing hockey. And it was just like, you know, there's a group of guys. And I don't know what happened to me. But there were people at the paintball courses and all my friends were like, you need to go pro at paintball. Yes.

This is insane. I was like, dude, you did it. I was an assassin. I don't know what happened to me or came over me, but I was like, there's something clicked, and paintball was the thing. And I was like, I got to stop doing it. It's also Loki. Menturey and Canada. Genuinely, I was Jason born. Somebody said a key word.

Yeah, but it is the most expensive hobby in the entire world. Aside from golf, maybe. Yeah, golf's up there. If you look every single year in our caps, like, player profile, what would you do if you didn't play hockey? I was like, I'd be in a Canadian, like, I'd be a Canadian James Bond. Yeah, there you go. I could be in the paintball team with you. Yeah, you too.

Dan, let's start it. I love it. We've got to figure out, what would the Canadian James Bond name be? Good call. Could we love names? This is the team. We're going to figure that out later. Daryl.

Daryl. Daryl. Daryl. Or Gord. Lammatine. Something like that. It'd be fairly easy. I probably know all of the James Bond and they're just living in Wowahua.

I love that Koda gets in the mixer. with the lake life stuff too. Oh yeah, he surfs. Was it hard to get him on the board? Getting on the board is exciting. No, no, he's, my deal with him from the start, I tell him this all the time, I'm like, part of the gig, bud.

That's what I say to him. Like, we go on helicopters, boats, trains, planes. He's probably been on 300 flights. Like, he goes every, he goes every. So everything I do, he does. Yeah. So it's just like part of the gig bud and figured out how to surf with him.

So he surfs now. He loves it. He loves it. He's like, dude, you saved my life. I'll do whatever. Yeah, he's like, he's my boy. Yeah. Yeah.

songs. Yeah. Pass shoot score. Money Talks by ACDC. Little Giant by Rupinz by Hansen. Oh, you guys are the best researched. I just respect your craft. I respect you for like an Mbop because that is a banger. And we bought that album. Yeah. I can picture it. That orange album. And that song absolutely reps. Okay. Money Talks was one of my favorite songs growing up. It was one of the songs that got me into playing guitar. Yes. With what's coming up with Little Giants and Mbop, I'm going to pass. Wow.

It got me into guitar and I'm even going to pass. Little Giant, that is my, when Coda, when I play Little Giant, Cota howls. Oh, really? He sings it did. Awesome. That is our song. And when it comes on, there's like, ooh. Yeah, yeah.

And he just, and anywhere in the house, if that song comes on, wherever he's at, he just stops. and he just howls and sings to it. And I'll put that on when he jumps into bed in the morning. Once a week, I'll put that song on and we'll just howl. I love how much Huskies talk. Oh, it's a bath. It's so funny. So that one is a scum, that one's a hat trick for me.

Yeah. Mbop 2. I don't care who you are. That song is amazing. It's amazing. That song is fantastic. I wake surf to the, it's slap. It's song slash.

It slaps so hard. And you actually just nailed it. I have a playlist that I will share with you that is a that is exactly this. I believe there are some songs that are meant to be played outdoors. Oh, cool. Yeah, yeah. And Oomboop is one of those. Like when you are outside and the sun is up and you're on water and Umba comes on,

you are a dead person if you do not get a smile on your face and you're like, yeah, this is awesome. Also, that song is one of those. It's my wake surfing song and there's nothing. And like a lot of, we have a same group of core friends that come up. and there's nothing more enjoyable than me looking at the boat and seeing all of the girls, because girls usually dance more than guys. And so they love the song.

And so I look up and I see a bunch of my best friends just dancing and just loving mbop. And it's my visual too of them like looking at me and look, it's just the greatest. And the lyrics, if you actually listen to the lyrics, powerful lyrics. It's absolutely powerful lyrics. Very much so. It is not just like a random summer jam. It's like that is a song. It has a meaning.

It has feeling. It's unbelievable. Great question. That is incredible. I have to ask, did the baby blue sound crew ever master sweet child in mine? No. No.

No. I got the opening issue, honestly. It was a commitment issue. There was a commitment issue. He was an unreliable bandmate. I mean, probably all of them are. But like, yeah, it was fun though. Mike and I just had good times playing.

He just could never figure it out. I couldn't either. I wasn't good enough. But it allowed me to spend time doing something that wasn't hockey related playing instruments. Yeah. So it was, you were named after your fender, right? Mm-hmm.

The baby blue fender that you had? Yes. Yeah. Is that, because I saw that you, because you said you were playing air guitar in Ottawa. Yeah. And so it was like, the trainer's dad had arthritis or something. So was that the fender that was the baby blue one? No.

Okay. So I had just, I know, I didn't even sign yet. So I was 18 walking through my first NHL camp playing an air guitar like money talks or something. Yeah. And yeah, it turns out the trainer's dad had arthritis. was selling nine guitars and they were in his office. I used some of my per diem to buy a $150 golden guitar. And I learned, I taught myself hockey, or not taught myself hockey, taught myself to play guitar.

And then I bought an amp for like $100. It's all I could afford. I couldn't afford anything. And then when I signed my first NHL contract, my signing bonus was $775,000. And I bought myself a line six amp, which is like a $1,000, oh, yeah. and a Fender Stratocaster, and I just let that thing roar. I didn't buy a vehicle for like four months. I got rides with teammates through like November, December.

They're like, Brooks, you should buy a vehicle. I'm like, I probably should, but damn, you should see my amps. You should see my strats. You play ACDC on this thing. God, that's incredible. I remember, dude, one of my fondest members of our uncle is very musical. And God, I see Dan was a drum. You play a little guitar too, but Dan was drums.

I was the piano piano guitar guy. And I remember my first Fender to this day. I never play it because I have a couple new ones, but I still have that sunbur. Black and orange sunburst fender strat. Oh, yeah. All-timer. Classic.

I went Hendrick style because I'm a lefty. Oh. So I had to restring a black and white fender upside down. Ooh. Which was kind of a cool vibe. Yeah, it wasn't a vibe. All right. Here's your last one.

I'm very excited about this one because I'm a big foodie. You have said that breakfast is your favorite meal. Oh, yeah. I also have another favorite meal to share with you. Okay. Let's go. All right. So we're going to give you your passion fruit score.

Cinnamon raisin bagel with cream cheese, honey and a fried egg. Yeah, all time. Your mom's famous poppy seed slices. Ooh. And a cinnamon bun when you're on vacation. Because I know that's a vacation. That's a, that's a, that's it. There's the hatch.

There's the hat trick. There's the hat trick. That is, yes. That is the natural hat trick. And then the surprise, Poutin right now. You bring in the Poutis. $6,000, put it on. I'll eat it.

$6,000. $6,000. Here's my favorite meal in the entire world. Okay. If you ever go to Iceland. Oh, I've been. You have been. Yes, I actually saw the Northern Lights in Iceland.

I want to go so bad. You ever go back? There's a place called Steakhusad. Steakhouse. Steakhusid. Okay. H-U-S-I-D. Steak-H-U-Sid.

And they have an Icelandic surf and turf. And it is a mink whale and horse steak. Okay. I've had the horse steak. So mink whale and mink whale is so good. So the Icelandic surf, and it's like 300-pound burly men in the back grill. Like it's the big Icelander, the Viking guys in the back in this steakhouse, grill in this. And it's amazing.

I had other whale, and it was so fatty and chewy. And I was like, oh, my God, this is insane. This will be, you'll, I would, I will highly, I think this is highly accurate that it would stand up against the best filet you've ever had. Wow. All right. Yeah. So it comes out like, if it looked like two steaks. It looks like two steaks.

If you didn't know you were eating, if I didn't. say this as minkwhale, you would have no idea. A couple steaks. Yeah. And the horse steak is amazing too. Horse steak is so good. People just have a weird, I can't eat horse, but if you didn't know it was horse, you just ate it. You know what's funny? The first time I had it, it was a burger.

And I was like, it's a burger. Incredible. And someone was like, it's horse. And I was like, oh. Yeah. Yeah. After that, I was just like, well, I'm eating horse. So here we go. Yeah, it's incredible. Okay. Cinnamon bun though. That's the Stanley Cup of baking.

Agree. I am such a cinnamon bun back. Are we talking cinnabon or are we talking like Swedish cinnamon buns with like sugar pearls and things like that? Sinnebon has it down. Yep. Cinnamon brown. We're talking like a glazed frosting. Any of it, all of it. Just I'm on a quest. Everywhere I go, it was a quest. Our cameraman would always find me a cinnamon bun. Kyle. My buddy Kyle is our cameraman. He would shoot all our adventures, all the ones are on YouTube. And he would always bring me a cinnamon bun. Somehow in Rwanda, Uganda, somewhere. He'd find a cinnamon bun. He'd find a cinnamon bun. He'd find a cinnamon bun. He would. One. Everyone needs a Kyle. Little you know, Kyle is baking cinnamon buns. Yeah, it's amazing. Oh, that's incredible. And then, all right, I did see this.

You, uh, you hate beans. What the hell? Where did you find that stuff? Too much, too much chili growing up or like, what's going on? Oh, yeah, basically, it comes up. So I grew up in a small town. We'd walk to school. We'd walk home for lunch.

We'd eat lunch at home as a family. Like my mom, dad, my brother, sister and I would eat lunch at home as a family. Walk back to school. It's like four blocks. whatever. The one day in grade four, I get to stay at school for lunch. Like, I've never got to do this in my life. And we have this little mini, it's like a shoproom cafeteria, whatever. And all they're serving is chilly. And I have no idea what this is chili. And I have no idea what this is garlic. And I'm like, cool, give me a bowl of that. It's just beans. Never again. Devastated. I'm like, what is this is horrible? You ruined the first day that I ever get to spend at school for lunch. You ruined it. And I've been done with beans ever since. Never again. Devastated. I was, it was crushing. Dan's a big chili guy.

Oh, I make the best chili on earth. It's so good. I believe it. And there are beans in there. Yeah, there are. It's not heavy beans, though. Fair, fair. It's heavy protein.

It's, I mean, beans are protein, but do you do burritos or Mexican food? Oh, yeah, good question. And you're just always skipping the beans. No, my fiance's got me into that stuff now. Yeah, she just makes food and just puts it in front of me and then, yeah, we're bad. I'm semi-bad. We're back to bean games. It's unbelievable.

All right, well, Brooksie, this has been unbelievable. We can't thank you enough for coming on. Before we cut you loose, is there anything else you want to plug, anything you want to tell people? And as far as World Playground, just retell everyone where they can find it and what they're looking for. Worldplayground.com. You can just Google World Playground, find us on social at World Playground across every social. And, yeah, we save you the most money on travel. I give you every single person listening.

You gentlemen, Evan, I give you my word. I'm competing on your behalf. We are competing on your behalf to make travel more affordable for you, and we always will. So you find us at World Playground. And then also just tip my cap to you guys. Come on. I say thank you for being able to come on here, share my story, our story, talk hockey. Yeah.

And also, I think having hosted a podcast in the past, I think you guys do a beautiful job of the most important thing on a podcast. You walk the line between always adding value and entertainment. If you just do value, people get bored. If you just do entertainment, you're a schmuck. And you listening to your podcast and the way you guys do that, you are entertaining, you tell good stories, but then also you assess the game with knowledge, not just, there's a lot of people morons just talking about hockey.

Right. But you assess the game with knowledge. You do your research in depth. You have actual discussion on the game. game. I would love to come back to chat more hockey any other time because I just love, like having been in the sport, there's nuances that people don't see that I love to share. Being out of the sport now, the way that I can still be involved is to share it. So I love what you do. You walk a beautiful line between value and entertainment, informing

and entertaining the Lecern. It was a joy to be on here. I have another, I have another appearance I got a jet to otherwise. Yeah, yeah, let's get you there. I would hang out all day. We would keep you all day. I would have. hang out all day. That means the world, Brooks. We'll do a remote one from the lakes in Idaho. No. From the deck.

How dare you? Come up to Idaho. That's what I'm saying. We'll come up. We'll record. We got beds for 20 at the house, bro. We got, bring Sandra, right? Like, come on up.

That will be an absolute blast. Yeah. Anytime. I appreciate you both. Yeah. Back at you, brother. Seriously. Thank you.

Huge, huge, huge, huge shout out to Brooks like. Hope you enjoyed that as much as we do. that was one of those amazing moments where all three of us, the second Brooks left, we were like, I could have done that for an entire day. Dude,

that, I have rarely left an interview that hyped. And I was talking about it to everyone I ran into. I stopped and strangers on the street telling them they got to listen to it. It was absolutely insane. And easily have, I could talk hockey with him forever, but easily just as cool the other half is world playground.

Like, that is going to change my life, literally. If you were going traveling, anytime soon and you don't check out World Playground, you're out of your mind. I actually shout out Rutger McGroherty. After that interview, I was like, that kid just changed my perspective on life. Brooks did the same thing.

It's just so nice talking with people like that that make you sit back and be like, you know what, this is a pretty wonderful world that we're living in, and let's take full advantage of it. And I can use that right now. Because at the top of this episode, I'm talking about how nothing is good in my life, and I'm going to fucking swan dive into traffic. So think God Brooks is here. So think about the Brooks interview.

Yeah. Dude, my favorite part about... Trigger warning, Dan, trigger warning. My favorite part is how dialed Brooks and Evan are. Like, they have the same name. Their dads do the same job. His legal first name was Evan, which I thought was strange. Yeah.

Why strange? Well, because now his name's Brooks, which he goes by, I guess, I don't know why. Maybe he hated the name Evan, then I get it. And there are just too many cool Evans out there, brother. Yeah, there you go. And yeah, my dad and him do the... same thing and we both learn guitar from ACDC. Yeah, that was interesting. My dog is, my dog is called soda and his dog is called Coda. I was like, well, you were the same people. This is ridiculous.

That was awesome. I wish, I wish I was that hot. I trust me. My body does not look like works like. But you couldn't play for the caps of so that, you know, there it all goes up in flames right there. That's true. I know. When I told him I was a Penguins fan, he kind of had this look in his eye, like he was going to strangle me. But he's too nice, so he didn't do it. He's a great guy. Great guy. Great guy. Great episode. That's going to wrap it up for us. today. If you haven't yet signed up for the virtual Godreau Family 5K, do it right now. It's all over our socials. It's going to be this weekend. If you're in New York City, join our partiful invite. That'll be on our socials as well. You can walk with me in New York City. It's going to be fantastic.

We love you guys. Hope you enjoyed this episode. Go do all the stuff. Give us those five stars. Subscribe to the YouTube. Send the YouTube to your friends. And we will see you Friday morning. Let's keep enjoying some hockey. We love you guys. And remember the most important thing. Skate Hard.