Empty Netters Podcast - Eric Daze Shares Untold Stories About Injury Derailed Career | 123

Episode Date: August 5, 2024

Eric Daze comes out of hiding to tell the world his whole story! After lighting up juniors, he still fell to the fourth round. Then he shocked the NHL and Chicago fans by being named to the All Rookie Team and eventually an All Star Game MVP, all before injuries derailed his career. Check out his favorite stories from playing with the Blackhawks LEGENDS back in the day. NEW EPISODES EVERY MONDAY & WEDNESDAY!  SUBSCRIBE TO OUR YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuf52MHW1O7guPMzsMvv2kA FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/empty.netters/?hl=en FOLLOW US ON TIKTOK: https://www.tiktok.com/@empty.netters (0:00) – Intro (4:58) – World Juniors (9:03) – Eric’s Draft Year (16:14) – Eric’s NHL Career (36:03) – Back Injury (46:25) – Pass, Shoot, Score Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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that provides a clear picture of your health today and may uncover early signs of conditions like heart disease and cancer. The healthier you means more moments to cherish. Take control of your well-being and book an assessment today. Medcan. Live well for life. Visit medcan.com slash moments to get started. Did you ever catch him riding the bike in the sauna? Yeah. Yes, all the time.

All the time. Did you ever try it? No, but I love the sauna, but it was not crazy enough to go and go to the bike. Because it is crazy. Ice is ready, and we are back with another episode of the Empty Netters podcast. I'm your boy DP, Dan Powers. I'm feeling fired up today. I'm with my boy CP here.

How are we doing? I'm more fired up than you, I thought. No, no way. Dude, I woke up on fire, Dan. No. I went to bed on fire. I woke up on fire. I remain on fire. Well, then you never slept, dude. You didn't get good sleep. Oh, I was in deep REM last night. Wait. You can't be in deep rem while on fire. I'm a REM boy, dude. I don't even light sleep or deep sleep. Your entire sleep. Yeah, you check your sleep score and it's just REM. Boom, dude. I fall asleep, start twitching. Those dreams are intense, dude. Are you on fire in the dreams? Yeah. Jesus Christ. This is absolutely ridiculous. Listen, we've got a very, very exciting interview for all of you today. Here's what happened. Yeah. CP comes up with this great idea, a special idea. And he decides...

Another stock. Another stock. He decides to rip a nice little segment that we dropped on the YouTube, breaking down a forgotten player, a guy that maybe you forgot was in the league and absolutely ripping. And that's exactly what Eric Dazze did. He played a short time, career cut short due to injury, but he lit it up for the Chicago Blackhawks,

made All-Star Games, came second in rookie of the year voting. Go watch the video if you want more info. But what happened next will shock you. Yeah. Eric Dazey's son, Derek Daze, hit us up in the DMs, said Eric saw the video, loved it, wanted to hop on the podcast. So what we got right now is Chicago Blackhawks All-Star Eric Dazze joining the Netterspot. And I love the story of how he found the video, which I'll let him tell on the pod. It's hilarious.

It's just dying. It is hilarious. So we're not going to waste any more time. We're going to let you jump right into it. Enjoy this interview with Chicago Blackhawks, Eric Dazet, Montreal Native. Absolute Beauty. We are joined today by a Montreal native, the 90th overall pick of the Chicago Blackhawks in the 1993 draft, the CHL Sportsman of the Year in 95, the World Junior Gold Medalist in 95,

a member of the NHL All-Rookie team in 1996, an NHL All-Star and All-Star game MVP in 2002 and the 14th highest goal score in Chicago Blackhawks history. Eric Daze, welcome to the Empty Netters podcast. Well, like, thanks for having me, guys. It's a pleasure to be here and prove that I'm still alive in the round. I mean, for those who don't know, I mean, give the backstory. The backstory here is we did this awesome video on remembering Eric's career

because he absolutely dominated for the Hawks. And then his son Derek hit us up and was like, hey, my dad saw the video. Let's get him on the pod. And now here we are. It's unbelievable. Yeah, it was, you know, I've watched it first and after that. I was driving my son and said, can you listen to it? And I don't know.

A couple of things were a lot of, you know, were funny. And he enjoyed it. And I was like, can you reach out those guys? And I would love to talk to them and see that I'm around and, you know, enjoying hockey. loving the game. And Eric Saites, tell them how you found the video in the first place. Yeah, true. Oh, well, that's funny.

I Google myself once in a while. I'm not on social media or nothing. So I had like 15 minutes after a run. I was waiting for my son. It was training. And I'm like, let me Google my name. It's my birthday. My birthday was July 2nd.

Yeah. And usually things will pop out during July or, a couple of other days. And so I saw the video and I was like, okay, let me watch it. And sometimes you never know what to expect. Yeah. You know, I thought you guys were funny, respectful. So I said, that was fun.

I was kind of answering your question about who won the Calder because I did remember. Yeah. Yeah. That's so good. Oh, it's amazing. I'm so glad that we did that in July. and we were able to catch you in a time where you were Googling yourself because otherwise we might not be here.

I know. It was perfect. And like we told you before we started recording, when we had put that up on our story, so many people had suggested doing the debrief on you. So we had such a blast with it anyway. So this is a huge win for everybody. Yeah, I don't know. It was awesome.

And thanks for bringing my name back and kind of the groove. Absolutely. Man, you have such an insane career, like looking through your whole career, you have such an insane career of playing with so many legends and even going back to the world juniors that CP mentioned. You guys that, you know, it was different time back then. It was kind of just like that round robin with eight teams.

But you guys finished with a 7-0-0 record, a plus 27 goal differential. You had eight tucks in seven games. But you were playing in that tournament with like Ryan Smith, Darcy Tucker, Ed Jovanovsky. What was it like playing on that team and kind of getting your first taste in those

days of, you know, looks like you're probably going to make it to the show here. You're playing with the best talent in the world and you guys are crushing. What was that experience like? Do you remember any crazy stories from that time? Not a crazy story, not really, but it was just amazing just to make that team because at that time, I think the strike was there. And we had a bunch of guys coming back.

We had Alexander Day came back. So we had to go four or five guys coming back from the pros after playing one year. And just to make the team, I was like a long shot to make it, even though. I had a good year in junior. So just to make the team, I had an awesome camp. So they just couldn't cut me. Yeah. I didn't give them any chances.

And after that, I played on the fourth line and played with Jeff O'Neill, and I played with Ryan Smith a little bit. And I scored the first four or five games I scored. and we were really buzzing. We had a great team. And after that, slowly, I started playing a lot more. And it was just a great experience. It was in Red Deer.

Yeah. And there was no other hockey except the Will Jr. So we packed Edmonton. We packed Calgary. In Calgary, the people really help us. You couldn't really lose a game at that tournament. If you lose, you were in big trouble. So we were down, I think, by two goals in the second period.

And kind of feeling down on ourselves. We had a lot of older guys on our team, not older, but leaders. And when we jumped on the eyes, the crowd was just cheering. Like, they really helped us, and we score right away on the power play, came back and won the game. So that was it. Once we won that game, it was just a great experience for me, too, because, you know, that was the first time playing against guys.

in the pros. And even though I had good years in junior, I didn't really know if I could play pro. Yeah. And once I did that tournament, I knew I was kind of really close to making it. What was your first feeling like of dealing with that pressure? Like you said, playing up in Calgary,

playing up in Canada for a tournament like this, you can't lose. You're expected to win too. Yeah, yeah. Was that sort of like the first taste for you of the pressure at that level? And at what point were you like, I can do this. Yeah, that was probably at that time the most pressure we had.

Because I think Canada won the two years in a row at that time. So you don't want to be the team that's just going to win. Yeah. And so, but we had, like I said, we had guys that Brian McCabe won the year before. I think there was three guys that won the year before. So they kind of calm everyone down. and we knew we had more, obviously, more skills and more talent than most of the team. But that Czech team was just like they played together for two years,

and you could feel like they knew out to play with each other, and they were a tough team to play against. And so, yeah, you learn a lot there. I've learned a lot, and the pressure side, after that, it helps you a lot. for the rest of your career. Oh, yeah. Absolutely. Did you guys, what was the party like after you guys pulled up?

We had a big party. Eric, before we get into some NHL action, I wanted to ask you a question about the draft process. Because like you said, you had had some great years in juniors, your first team all-star in the queue, two years. But as we were reading a bunch of articles, in some variation, everything said during your draft process, it was like, Dazay's value dropped because scouts didn't trust his ability to play physically or stuff like that.

And being listed at 6.6.2.35 in your playing days, I understand how visually imposing you must have been. But my question to you is, was that super annoying? Because you're like, I want to play my way and I'm lighting up juniors. Leave me alone. I don't need to fight. Or did you start being like, oh, my God, I'm not going to make it now because I don't fight? Yeah. What was that thought process like? You know, at that time, it was really the first year that I heard that. And I wasn't in the process of being frustrated. I played on a really good junior team in Hall.

So I wasn't playing as much. And I got traded almost at the end of the year in Quebec City, Bullport. And I started playing. And, you know, everywhere I play, I was able to score goals. but my skating too was really a weakness. So I think the fact that I was big helped me getting drafted, but at the same time, because I was not overly physical at that time, and you know, you grow and you're 6'4 and you're 180 at that time,

185, you're just learning to grow in your body. And my skating was really, really what pushed me. that summer after I got drafted in the fourth round, you know, I was just happy to be, you know, to be drafted. And really my main focus was to get better, you know, and train really hard. And I trained that summer, Joe Canali was a kind of icon coach in Quebec. He got me in contact with Ghibusha.

Oh, yeah. Who was a speed skater from Canada, We won a lot of gold medal. And we would train with him in the summer. Not on the eye, it's just off-eye stuff. And it was way out of his time. You know, a lot of power stuff. And we would, it was brutal.

And I showed, I, you know, the year I got drafted, I scored 19 goals. So it was okay, you know, 17. And the next year, well, I got faster. And just with my size. And I wasn't afraid to go to the net and just drive hard. and I had a really good, quick release. I jumped from 19 to 59 goals. Yeah, wow.

Yeah, so at that time, I'm like, okay, you know, there's, I'm getting better. And Chicago was just a great opportunity and no pressure too. That's the thing, too. If you're a first round pick, you have a lot of pressure coming off. They expect you to score 20, 25. And maybe you're not. you're going to be a great fourth line guys, third guy in line, which is nothing wrong with that.

But I had no really pressure. I was picked fourth with Chicago, and they drafted four guys before me all forwards. Yeah, wow. And I just went out and did my business, and I could score goals. So that's like when you're able to do something others can do, and your

focus on getting better it's just it took me probably three years and I was ready to go in the NHL and the timing too in Chicago was great

because we had such a good team and it was just a piece of the puzzle there that jump in junior from 19 goals to 59 was that with the same team yeah the team that

well I got I got traded the first year in the 17. Yeah. And that's the team in Quebec that I really started. Do you... So it's basically the same team. Do you remember, like, when you made that jump, do you remember any of your coaches or teammates being like,

Jesus Christ, dude? Like, what the fuck is going on here? Yeah. Well, I think that, like, I had a pretty good pace. So maybe I had like 20, 20 goals. by January and there's a week I scored like 12 goals that week yeah and that's like the jump and they're like okay I'll I'll and now I think I can get 50 I don't think I've ever score 50 until that year yeah yeah that is awesome I love that so much God those moments are so

cool um and after that it looks just in the pace like in the queue I I expect myself to score every every game you know it's just the way I was thinking yeah for sure sure. Do you feel like, I mean, we mentioned this in the video that you saw, and I think it's real. I mean, do you think that there's an element of players like you who are, you know, you were massive, let's be honest. And the fact that there was even talk about, no, he's not physical enough, but you just had this great scoring touch. Like you said, you got this great quick release. We're seeing players like that now more often than ever in the league and guys like Tage Thompson, Dean Latterno being drafted by the Bruins. It's like, I feel like you genuinely did open

and adore for some of these much taller guys who don't have to just be an enforcer or a fighter or a guy grinding in the corners. If you have that quick release, that scoring touch, you can succeed at that size as just a goal scoring player. Well, I think, yeah,

there's certainly something that may be changed after I played a little bit. Because before, no, if you wouldn't put the points, it was like, okay, let's, you got to be physical, you got to get in scratch. and now be really on the tough side.

And what I watch all those guys now playing. They're just an amazing player. And they really, and with their, like you said, their size and their speed and the way they move the puck. I mean, they're a lot better than I was. You know, I could shoot the puck probably as good as they did, but all the rest, they're doing a lot better. Yeah.

Because the game has changed so much, right? Yeah. Yeah, and the focus on that stuff. Yeah, it's been incredible. It's a beautiful thing to watch. You know, really, you know, you're almost surprised now when you see a guy miss a pass. Yeah, seriously.

It's so true. And the speed they're playing. It's just, no, I really know, all my life I enjoy hockey. I grew up in the 80s and watched Montreal, Nordique, you know, epic games and watch, you know, obviously playing in the 90s and 2000s. I always loved the game. but I really enjoy the speed and the way they're playing now is just amazing. It is. It's awesome.

Speaking of the NHL, in 94-95, you have like an all-time year for yourself. You are back-to-back All-Stars in the queue. Then you get called up. You have your first four games of action. You score in your second game against the Red Wings. Then you have two years of insane playoffs. You have that epic seven-game series against the Leaps. and then you have that sweep of the Canucks

and then you lose in the Western Conference finals to Detroit. What was that first experience like for you in the league? It's like you make it. It's got to feel good to score pretty immediately. And then you're playing. It was actually amazing. It really helped me because I showed up. They were, I think, on a seven or eight game losing streak,

and they were trying to reach me after the junior. they were trying to reach me and we had a good night. We went out and I'm like... Sorry, I'm in red deer, dude. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, we had no cell phone, nothing. So they couldn't reach me.

They just couldn't reach me. Dude, imagine that, bro. The Blackhawks are trying to call up their draft pick. They're like, because we fucking need this kid. Yeah. So I... They finally reached out to me. It was like probably in the afternoon.

And so I flew to Chicago, miss my flight. So I showed up that the first game, I'm not playing, they're winning. So they won the game. So in my mind, I'm like, okay, no, they've stopped the bleeding. They're making the playoff. I'm probably just going to be practicing.

And the next day, the assistant coach came up to me and was like, well, come to the pro. You're playing tonight. So that was just. What a moment. What a feeling. Yeah. Holy hell.

Yeah, it was amazing. and tell us about the first goal yeah yeah funny story after the game uh i finished my game and you know back in the days my parents were in montreal they wouldn't fly the parents to watch the first game and uh so they had no clue so i had no cell and they had a pay phone pay phone outside the locker room back in the days so i took my gear off and i called my parents on on their phone card to tell them that I play my first game. Oh, my God. And then where was the first game again?

Because the second game was at Detroit, and you scored that. Where was the first game? It was in Chicago against Dallas. Okay. And the second game, so the first game I played with Derek Graham and Brent Sutter. So I, you know, those guys played really good defensively. And I was trying just to find my way. The second game against Detroit, I played with Dennis Sabard and Patrick Pullen.

And Dennis, like, he's a magician. He was trying to feed me everywhere. And so that was pretty cool. Like, three French guys on my first goal was me, assisted by Dennis Sabard and Patrick Pullen. So at the Joe Lewis Arena. That must have been a fun. That must have been a fun pay phone call after that game, too. Yeah.

Yeah, that was at the airport. Yeah. Nice. That is amazing, though, a nice French connection on that first goal. That's pretty sweet. So after that, too, the playoffs, we go 16 games, and we actually lose the first two games against Toronto at home. Come back and win the next three, lose game six and go and win game seven. And the building was just unbelievable.

Yeah, yeah. And we go and beat Vancouver and four. And what are you thinking as a, how old are you, 20 then? I'm 19 at that time. What are you thinking as a 19-year-old listening to that place in game 7 in the playoffs? You must have been like, pinch me. Where am I right now? Oh, yeah, for sure.

You know, you're coming from playing the queue in front of maybe 3,000 people, 2,000 people and going to UC with 20,000 people against Toronto. Back in the days, Toronto in Chicago was a huge. Oh, for sure. They played each other in the playoffs all the time. So it was just unreal. I had a small part. I didn't play that much in the playoff,

but just to be around those guys, I learned so much. And I think it really helped me for the next season because I knew all the guys up. I knew the dressing room or where to go. And I was ready to go for the next year. Yeah. Well, that's actually perfect.

That was my next question. You come into your official rookie year. You score in your first two games of the season on the way to a 30 goal. 53 point ridiculous run. You finished second and called her to Daniel Alpherson, screw that guy. But seriously, how did it come so easy to you that year?

Was it the familiarity from the year before, or were you on this epic summer training? What happened to make you so comfortable and have that incredible season? I was in good shape. I train hard, but, you know, really, it's all about the team. I really, I was in the perfect position

based on the third line. start the season. And we had guys on the, like on the first line, we had Ronick, Amante, we had Bernie Nichols, we had Joe Murphy, Murray Craven. So we had guys that could really put the pressure on other teams. And I was just doing my job.

And really, you know, I started this season with Dennis Sabar and Bob Brobert. So it's just a perfect. Nobody touched you. and the other guy's trying to feed you. Yeah, it's the dream line. Yeah. Yeah. So, you know, I've had a, I got a really good start.

And it's all about confidence after that, you know. A good start and never really stop. I slowed down a little bit at the end of the year, but ended the year with Ronick on the line with Ronick and Amante. Amante got hurt in the playoff. I think that's the best thing I played with, you know, because Colorado beat us and they went on and win the cup. And we were so deep, you know what you mean?

We had Belfour, Chelyos, Souter, Steve Smith. We had so much leadership in guys that won before that it was actually a perfect fit for me. And just personally, I was at that time. And Dennis Savard was really at that time. time like a second dad to me, he became like, we're brothers now. But at that time, I followed him everywhere. Like, he probably was really annoyed by me. But I followed him every single place, you know. Yeah. Well, Eric, you talked about pressure earlier, you know, fourth round pick. You know, not a ton of pressure to come out and pot 20 right away. But when you're starting the season the way

you did and you're on pace for 30, did any of that pressure start to creep in where you're like, okay, well, I'm the guy now. Or were you able to just kind of out of sight, out of mind that and keep a level head no we we were trying to get a position in the playoff and i like i said by by january i slowed down a little bit and by the end of the year i kind of jump back in and the only really pressure is like i really wanted to score that 30 you know i didn't want to finish at 29 yeah can't do it so i was uh i was glad it was in vancour when i scored 30 Dirk Graham was actually assistant coach and got me in the back. I said, no, this is pretty impressive, good job.

So, you know, just all the guys around me were really, really helpful. That's awesome. Yeah, you keep, you know, mentioning all these guys, and those first two years were such amazing playoff runs for you guys. Like we said, you lost to that unbelievable Red Wings team and then a super tough Colorado team the next year. But what was it like playing with those guys, like you mentioned, Roanek, Chelyos, Souter, Amante, Belfore,

all these guys. We've had Chelyos and Roanek on the pod before, and they've just got some of the funniest stories. So you must have some pretty hilarious memories, especially in those early days, with that murderers row of icons on that team. Well, the memory, I still remember my first training camp. I just turned 18 in July. And I'm, I'm, the first round pick was from Quebec to Eric Lecom. So we, we were together. And we're show up. We're at the stadium, the the old Chicago Stadium, that that building was amazing. I'd never played there, but we had two training camps. And it's like those guys were bigger than life.

You know, as a kid growing up, you just watch those kids, those guys. Chaleos played in Montreal. I was going to say, yeah. I followed them. And my dad worked, second job work at the old Montreal Forum. So, and they show up both under Arley Davidson with no helmet on. Which is literally not allowed in contracts these days. Like, yeah.

It's so funny. And you're like, wow, like, what am I doing here? Like, I'm just a kid. Like, those guys are men. Like, just, so that always will stick up, you know, seeing them on their bikes at the old stadium. Yeah. Jeremy, I only play one year with him, but he was a lot of fun.

You know, we, uh, the first year was injured and came back in the playoffs. I think against Vancouver and Alpas, but I don't think he was 100% physically able to play as well as he could. But my first full year, he was just awesome. He was very demanding, tough to play with, but that's what you expect. Now, you want to produce. Those guys, they stay at level because they're able to push themselves all the

time. Yeah, no doubt. Was there a sense of them, did they feel like mentors back then, or was it different then? Like they didn't have time for the rookies. I feel like it's a lot of mentorship now. Was it different back in the day? The players would take care of each other all the time. Okay, cool. Yeah. Yeah. They would, they would like, Chaliels brought me for dinner. Obviously, Dennis did almost everything for me and helped me a lot. But every single guys, you know, they've been around. There's obviously some people that are not happy. You're battling four spots.

And the roster was a little bit bigger back in the days. So you have some guys pissed off at you, but it's just part of the learning curve and the business, you know, you're trying to do your job and you're playing a game you love. So those guys really helped. Like we had like an amazing core of players that really and chelios and savard and brentzot and steve smith and those guys knew all the win

and chelios put the team first and every single thing he did yeah he's the best did you ever catch him riding the bike in the sauna yeah yes all the time did you ever try it no but i loved the sauna but it was not crazy enough to go right because it is crazy yeah we always die er he tells us a story of Like he got the idea from a guy who literally died doing that. And he's like, well, I just don't wear the sweatsuit. We're fine. Yeah. It's just absolutely a machine.

Yes, he still is, by the. Look at him now. He's a play for all right. Oh, yeah. 100%. Guys in better shape than any of us. It's unbelievable. So funny.

Such a weapon. Well, despite scoring 30-year rookie year, 22 minimum every year of your career, it was until 2002, like we mentioned, where you go off, 38 goals, 32-2 assists, 70 points and you make an NHL All-Star game. It was here, right? We're in L.A. It was Staples Center in L.A. You are playing for Team North America against Team World. I think you guys lost 8-5, but you had two goals and an assist. You get named MVP. You're reunited with

Shelley. You're reunited with Roanick. You're reunited with Joe Mnowski. Mario Lemieux's on your team. I mean, come on, dude. What was that? That must have been an all-time moment. Tell us about that whole experience. That all-star game was just amazing. First of all, to be in L.A. It was just great to be there. Yeah, yeah. One step up from Red Deer, you know?

Exactly. But, you know, like I said, like two of my favorite player of all time, Patrick Gua and Mario Lemieux were on the team. And, you know, Patrick was probably my favorite player of all time, even though he was a goalie. Yeah. You know, growing up in Montreal, it was just bigger than life. So I asked Mario for, I wasn't the type to get stuff, but I asked Mario for a stick.

And I'm still mad because I didn't ask Patrick for. Oh my gosh. We got to get you. He must have that. We'll get you one. Yeah, he's got one still. That's awesome. But did you get Mario's?

I did get Mario's. That is sick, man. That's awesome. The other cool one, I was roommate with Dennis of Art for my first three years of my career. So I kind of knew his career was over So after the playoff, I stole his sticks I got his last thing that he ever played with That's an awesome collection

Mario Lemieux All-Star Game That's about last stick ever I gotta know, does he know that Or is this going to break them? Like he's been looking for those sticks And he's like, what the fuck? I think I told him like probably 12 years later Yeah, yeah

It was easy to find out You always would put numbers on his stick Yeah. So number one was his favorite. I'm taking that one. What I love about that, Eric, is we've definitely passed the statute of limitations on that. Oh, yeah. You tell them 12 years later, it's like, sorry, man, these are legally mine now at this point.

There's nothing you can do. We are in the clear. And Eric, what did you, I imagine when you suit up for that game, you're like, this is an amazing experience no matter what. I'm just glad I'm here and I can steal Mario Muce stick. You know, this is perfect. What do you think when you're like, because you guys went up in that game. I'm pretty sure. What do you think when you're just pumping in goals in the second period of an NHL

all-star game? Was that crazy? Yeah, it was crazy, but it was actually one of probably the craziest game I've ever played. So I get the first shift, and in my old career I got cut and got stitches twice in my old career, and one of them was in the all-star game. That's so insane. I'm bad checking, and the puck changed position and Gonshire hits me right. on the side.

Yeah. And I'm buzz. Like, I'm like, seriously, like, I think I got a concussion. So I go back on the bench.

Like, this game, my game is over. Yeah, I'm talking to myself. Like, if it was probably my tent, and I'm,

I'll still like in. I probably didn't play. Like, I would have, like, enough. Yeah. So I'm on the bench

and I'm bleeding. Joe Sackig's next to me. I have no idea. He's like, dude, you're bleeding. I think you need stitch. So I have,

I'm not. You got to be kidding me. Really? All-Star game, I got to get stitches. So I did the first goal I don't remember at all. Jesus Christ. Oh, that's so good. You have got to be the other guys.

The other crazy story is we, so I scored a second goal. We're up almost the whole game. Abby Bowling shows up in the third and goes crazy. He makes like 30 saves. But I guess at that time we're winning. and they voted for me to be the MVP. So I'm standing on the blue line, like, based on the San Francisco won,

and I think in Chicago, back in the day, he's like, dude, it's too bad. We lost, we would have won the MVP. Yeah. And sure enough, they tell my name. I'm like, I think I won. So I showed up and like... Eric's just concussed.

Yeah, yeah. I'll take it. I'll take it. I'll be bowling one of a cup, so... Yeah, right. We'll take this. That's a good trade. Did you have any family there or friends there with you that night?

That must have been a cool moment if you brought some people. Well, my wife was there, and I grew up playing with Alexander Degg, who was living in L.A. at that time. Yeah, yeah. Deagle. And he was not playing at that time. So he was there watching, and he had a nice little party for me after. And I think I gave him the desire to come back because he played after he came back and

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Well, Eric, I don't want to go from such a high note to a low note, but I do want to ask you about the back injury stuff because obviously we're naming all these things, these unbelievable accolades that you have in your career, which was unfortunately such a short career. but, you know, the very next year, you know, you only got 49, 54 games, and then after that, 19, and then after that just won. So, you know, you've had three surgeries, I think it was over two years or something like that in your career because of herniated discs and bulging discs and all that. What was it like for you as a player coming off the high of that All-Star game, having this career year to then just dealing with these chronic issues that are now still absolutely plaguing players to this day? And just mentally, too. Yeah, absolutely.

Yeah. Yeah. Thinking about kind of peaking and then having these injuries pop up. No, it was tough for sure. No, I had three surgeries in five years. I actually had my first surgery in 2001 at the end of the year. So I had the whole summer to get better. And actually, when I came back, I felt better than I had in a long time.

So I actually had the two best seasons of my career or after my first surgery. Wow. And so, but after that big season, I showed up at camp with some problem with the back. And because I had success with the first surgery, I was not scared. I'm like, let's do it. Let's fix it. And came back and, no, it put some good numbers, even though I only played 54, 55. And at that time, and like I thought like I finally figure out all to be more consistent

and, you know, don't go on too long of a stretch without a goal. And I was, you know, getting the prime of my career. So that was really frustrating after the second surgery and the third one, not to be able to come back. You know, it's just you're doing rehab. you're doing everything. I had the, we had the lockout one year. I thought that would help me. I got probably out of shape too much that year.

I tried to get back in shape and couldn't train the way I could. And I showed up at, the last year I played, showed up at camp, not fat, but not in the greatest shape. And I knew I was in trouble. that summer. You know, I was just, my skating was not the same. And I played one game.

And the next game, I did enjoy myself in warm up. And the whole year I tried to get back. And every time it was close to coming back, I got injured again. Yeah, yeah. And mentally, I was just done. You know, at the end of the year,

I knew my career was probably over. Yeah. Was it end of the year? because I was going to ask if you had any sense after that first game, if you were like, oh, no, this might be it, or did it really, were you fighting the whole way and you didn't quite process until the year was over? Yeah, I would say, yeah, during training camp,

and after that first game, it didn't feel quite right. And like I said, I got hurt in the warm-ups. I was really far from playing at that time if you were getting enjoyed in warm-up. Yeah. So it's just one of those things, like it was very tough. Anyone who had a bad problem knows when I'm talking about,

like, you can't do anything. Yeah. And it was really, really, really hard because I thought, like, I finally was becoming the player I wanted to be. And it just didn't work out like I wanted. The frustrating part is I was really healthy, the first eight years of my career. I didn't miss a lot of games.

And suddenly, you know, just couldn't play anymore. Dude, that's one of the things that we pointed out. It's like, again, I hate to talk about such a frustrating thing. Well, you mentioned I had 11 assists, too. Yeah, yeah. I was like, oh, the fuck, I had 11 assists in 82 games. So funny. That's embarrassing.

No, but I forgot about that. You did. 31 goals, though, but. 31 goals. But that is the thing. I mean, like you mentioned, it's like you were a horse. Like you were really never hurt at all. So it just like you mentioned, it's so frustrating that the back injuries come around and it can completely shut down everything.

Yes. Especially your height, by the way. Yeah, yeah. It's a lot of back. That's a lot of back to get hurt. But I'm curious, was there like one play or one instance that like really threw your back out of whack or was it just wear and tear? It's wear and tear. I think the rules changed too at that time were so different.

almost had to carry a guy on your back. Sometimes, you know, things were allowed that are not allowed, obviously, today. And I would, you know, if you wanted to stand in front of the net back in the days, you would really get hurt. But you had to do it. That's where you were getting your easier goal is to stand in front of the net. So, I mean, it's everything. You know, it's a combination of little,

injuries that are building up over the years. And at one point, you need to stop. And the first four years after I retired were absolutely terrible. Really a lot of pain. And now I'm doing really good. But those four years were terrible. That's fantastic. That was part of my last question on this is how you're doing now.

Are you out doing anything? Are you golfing? Are you skating at all? But the back's not bothering you anymore? No, the back is great. Actually, like I skated six years after I retired, skated for the first time in an alumni game against St. Louis. And I was flying.

I was flying. Yeah, hell yeah. I felt really good. And I did a bunch of alumni games in New Brunswick and Mountain, Halifax. And there was one guy that I played with, it was working for Edmonton and he's like I think you could play I thought he's joking so I'm in Miami he calls me he's like if you want you'll be invited to camp at that time I was probably 34 and I was just like I probably should have tried but at that time I was like

oh no if I get enjoyed again like just such a good point I was right about to say I can't believe you didn't know that. But that is tough. One more, coming off the four years of actual serious back pain, having that happen again would be such a nice time. Yeah, because I bet feeling good must have felt so amazing that you're like, I don't even want to risk this. Yeah. Yeah. But yeah, now I'm doing good. I've coached my son for, you know, close to 10 years last year. I didn't coach him for the first time. You playing high school in Illinois, and I did some scouting for the Chicago still last year, because I know a lot of the kids, the 08 and 07, coming up in the draft in the next couple

of years. So if any teams wants to hire me, I'm available. There we go. Hell yeah. Breaking news. Yeah. Eric's available. This is huge.

And then, Eric, I wanted to touch on, too, to close the chapter on that, the, what's a, oh, the one more shift, I think they call it, with the Hawks. 2018, they bring you out there against the team. You scored your first career goal ever against the wings. And Derek, Derek was with you. Your son was with you and you get to skater out. And I had read a quote you had that it was like, it was good closure that you never really got to say goodbye to the fans, to the game. So can you just tell us about that night and what that meant to you and your family? I meant a lot. My parents drove to Chicago to see that. And like I said, when I retired, I, I I always added in the back of my mind, maybe I could come back.

So it was kind of, I did disappear kind of, because I didn't go to the rink anymore. And I didn't have time to tell people from Chicago or the Blackhawks Nation that how much I appreciate being a Black Hawk. And just to thank them for all those years of good and bad. You know, we had some bad teams for some years, but I'm always grateful for those hardcore black arts fan that would show up.

And, you know, there weren't a lot of them, but they were behind us. And we felt that. And it was just a moment to be with my family. And my kids never really saw me, seeing me play. So kind of a way to thank everyone and have a closure on my career. Yeah, that's such a cool moment.

I mean, it is like, you know, closing a chapter or closing a book, if you will, is pretty sweet. And then, you know, obviously the career was shorter than you would have wanted than all of us would have wanted as fans as well. But I do think it's pretty awesome and special that you played for one team, your whole career. You know, it's like Black Oaks fans, when we posted that video and like Chris said, when we posted the question, holy shit, do Blackhawks fans own you?

Like, they love you. And I'm sure that was just as. special for them to see you buzz around one more time. That's just incredible. That is great. And like I said, I never left Chicago. I still live there. And I just loved the city and so I'm so proud of what those guys were able to do in those five years and win all those cups. And it's just an amazing feeling to see them succeed. Yeah, no doubt. All right, Eric, we want to play one game with you that we do with all of our guests. it's called pass shoot score.

So basically this game is a ranking system. So I'm going to give you three things. We're going to give you a few things that we know that are special to you, and we want you to rank them basically three, two, one. Pass being the number three, because passing the puck is great. Shoot is number two because we love getting pucks on net. But scoring, as you know, is the ultimate goal. So that's going to be your number one.

Okay. Your first one is going to be new teams, teams that we could bring back. So pass-shoots score, the Quebec Nordiques, the Montreal Expos, or Quebec getting a new expansion team in the NHL. Adobe Acrobat Studio, your new foundation. Use PDF spaces to generate a presentation. Grab your docs, your permits, your moves, AI levels of your pitch, gets it in a groove. Choose a template with your timeless cool. Let's flex those two.

Drive design, deliver, make it sing. AI builds the deck so you can build that thing. Do that, do that, do that with Acrobat. Learn more at Adobe.com slash do that with Acrobat. So bringing back the Nordiques? Yeah, so the Nordiques being sort of brought back to life, expos are then just a new team.

Different name. And we got this one from your son. So we said, I knew it was going to be tough. We got a nice assist from Derek on this one. Wow. I would definitely pass on the, expansion. Okay. Okay. Okay. Like that.

I would shoot the Quebec Nordique coming back. Wow. Wow. Okay. So the exposos. We got an expo's guy. That is awesome, man. I love it. I'm the baseball guy. I actually wore my, I don't know if you can see it on camera. I wore my Fenway Park shirt because we're from New England because I wanted to brag that it was cooler than Riggily. But I didn't realize you were such an expose guy. Yeah. Did you adopt the Cubs or?

the White Sox or not really? I love baseball. So I know I'm from Chicago. I'm not supposed to say that. I do enjoy both teams. But I've never been a fan with Montreal. The Expo's, I would go to Milwaukee back in the days and drive there and watch them. No way.

So I love watching baseball. We actually went to Boston last year because it was my dad's favorite team. So went to Fenway and watch a game. So I would say they're probably close second after Montreal in the Red Sox. Probably the only team in Boston that I like. Yeah, very fair. I love that.

I'll take it. We have the shared love for Pedro Martinez. We can have that together. Yeah, because those are some of my hour seminal memories because being baseball fans, just watching Pedro deal in the early 2000. No doubt. It was incredible. Yeah, Pedro was amazing.

Okay, here's your next one, Eric. This category is Montreal Staples. Okay, pass-shute score. Actually, I want to preface this. I hope you don't break my heart on one of these. Because I've had my heart broken specifically by something in here multiple times. Okay, pass-shute score, Putin, a Bloody Caesar, or Montreal bagels? I pass on the Bloody Caesar.

Okay. I'll shoot on the bagel. Yes. And the puttin will be number one. Come on. Come on, Eric. Poutine is amazing. And we've had so many guys in the league that we've talked to.

We're talking to Cole Coffield. He plays for the habs. And we brought up Poutine. He was like, Poutine's disgusting. And I was like, what are you talking about? Poutine is the best. I remember Tony Amante. He loved Poutine.

Back in the late 90s, there's a restaurant in Canada called Arby's. They would be the only one selling putteen outside of Quebec. Oh, no way. And you would see Tony Amonte at Arby's all the time eating his poutine. That was his in-season diet. Yeah, I know what to get for Tony Amante if we ever meet him. That's fantastic.

All right, your last one, we're going to keep it local for you. We're going to do Bur Ridge Staples. All right. Number one, pasture score. Harvester Park Cooper's Hawk or Kohler Water Spa Oh my God

Can I pass on all of them? Oh yes I said good Hates them all Yeah I would pass on all of them Are they all touristy spots? Okay I mean like well

This spa never been So I can't really Say anything Cooper Oxy is a fine It's fine restaurant But no I haven't been there in a year or so Okay So okay so then give us

Give us your three favorite things to do. Exactly. Now we need the native. Like what are the actual three gems there? In Bridge? Yeah. Well, I live in Enstale, which is next to it. Nabuki, sushi place there is really, really good.

Okay. Well, actually, I want the actual hometown. If we're coming to your hometown right above Montreal, what are the three things that you're? Oh, there. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. in Montreal

no let's go outside like where you're living right now give me more local oh okay so there's the there's a restaurant called Lola 45 right in front the church is amazing food okay the ski there the ski in Trambla

Montrein Blas skiing there is awesome that's a huge and there's a water park if you're younger and want to do some water park Let's go. Okay. Hey.

Skiing and water park in the summer and good food and Montrablan, the town is just amazing. Hell yeah. That's fantastic. Hitting it from both sides. You got a summer activity and winter active. Yeah. Yeah. So when we next time we go to a Habs game, we're going to go, we bring our skis.

Yes. And we'll go skiing. And then this summer, because we might come up, Eric, the president's cups up there in September. So maybe it'll still be warm enough and I'll hit the water park. September is. actually one of the best month to be here. Honestly, it's been really great the last

six, seven years. So September, you guys will enjoy it for sure. I think the last time we were there was our buddy's wedding and CP got so drunk that he fell asleep in the bathroom. That's true. Hopefully we can have... There's a great wedding. Yeah. Hopefully we can have a better rip this time. All right, Eric, this has been so awesome, man. We can't tell you how how much we appreciate you,

you've given us your time and coming on. But before we let you go, is there anything you want to give a shout out to, anything you want to plug? No, nothing to plug. I mean, you know, thanks for having me. It was a blast. I enjoy your show.

So it was a lot of fun. That was our interview with Eric Daze of the Chicago Blackhawks. Love that he's split in time between Chicago and Montreal. Dude, it's a tough call. We said on the pod. It's like summer's perfect.

Yeah, yeah, my God. But summer's perfect in both cities, right? So he's got a tough one, but I like that only does six weeks. weeks, you know, because he kind of does get summer. He was saying he doesn't get Montreal summer, but he does. He only does, or Chicago summer. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

But he does. He gets six weeks in Montreal, and I'm sure he gets a piece of this Chicago summer, too. He's living that good life. Dude, and he's available. He's going to become a scout now. His kid's going to be ripping up the high school ranks. It's incredible. He's mentioned in here he's got the inside scoop on some of these.

On the 0708? Yeah, like, give me a break. The 0708s, he knows who's going to be game breakers. Someone snatched this guy up, put him in your system. He's going to start bringing 50 goal scores to your door like hotcakes. and what a delightful dude. Oh, he's the man. Like, he was an absolute blast to talk to,

some unreal stories about those Chicago days, and just a sick perspective on life and the game we all love. Top, top-notch, dude. Such a blast, having him on. Hope you enjoyed it. That's our interview and our episode today at the Empty Netters podcast. We will see you next time, and until then, do what Daze would do.

Skate hard.